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Today is Haitian Flag Day. A day for Haitians all over the world to celebrate their victory from French rule. We thought it a perfect day to both send our love out to all the wonderful people of Haiti, as well as the hardworking Haitian-Americans striving to make two countries a better home.

Former Fugees member Wyclef Jean is of Haitian decent, tweeting last night: “I would like all my followers to know tomorrow is Haitian flag day!so send your happy flag day and I will retweet!” Wyclef has been a residence of the United States since the age of nine.

Haitian-American activist W.E.B. Du Bois might ring a bell among some. However, most perhaps simply remember that he wrote a number of influential works about racism.

New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma is of Haitian decent, and so is musician Jason Derulo, who hit the charts with the platinum song “Whatcha Say.” Derulo was born in Miami to parents that were both Haitian immigrants.

A CHILD’S H.O.P.E. – Academy of Hope for Haitian Orphans

Owner of ABC Home and Commercial in Houston returned a few weeks ago from his sixth trip to Haiti with great news about the progress of A Child’s H.O.P.E.– the proposed 200 acre, self-sustainable community for children living without homes in Haiti.

Read: Jenkins Family Driven by H.O.P.E to learn more about the mission.

As reported on their website,

We believe in strong family values that have the children’s best physical, emotional, educational, and spiritual interest at heart. Our goal is to involve Haitians to the utmost in this program, and to embrace the Haitian culture.

We are committed to see the A Child’s H.O.P.E. community flourish and thrive for its members as they grow and progress through the program, and to be a home for its members to look to as family.

A Child’s H.O.P.E. will provide a multi-lingual curriculum. Creole will be the primary language, with English & French as secondary languages. Speaking the different languages will enhance the students’ potential as they become employed, and serve their country.

The Haitian culture is to be respected, and it will form the foundation for the social and educational programs. The Founders will provide opportunities for others to serve, and have no economic or monetary incentive for their efforts.

To all the natives of Haiti, friends of Haiti, and family of Haiti, enjoy your Independence Day! Freedom is a right that we must fight for every day, and Haiti has overcome some staggering hardships. Your country is an example of incredible strength.

Happy Haitian Flag Day!

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Avoid heat build-up in your home – The best way to keep your home cool is to keep the heat out. This can be done by closing the drapes on windows facing the sun. Closing the doors to unused rooms with heavy sun exposure. Solar screens and insulating film are also popular options which add to the value of your home.

Use all electric appliances much less frequently – From the dishwasher to the washing machine, think of more efficient ways to get the job done. Air dry your clothes once in a while, or hand wash and dry those dishes a few times per week. You can also do a pre-rinse of dishes on your own, and run the dishwasher at a lower cycle.

Make sure your home isn’t losing cool air – By weather-stripping and caulking around windows, doors and electrical outlets, you can prevent losing cool air, and prevent hot air from getting in. Improve your home’s insulation on outer walls, again to keep cool air in, and hot air out. Install storm doors for the same reasons if your home doesn’t already have them. If you have a fireplace, keep the flue closed. These provide an extra barrier against the escape of cool air. All of these options will make cooling your home more efficient and will save you money on your energy bill.

Live in the coolest parts of your home – On hot days, parts of your house will naturally stay cooler than others. One way you can reduce the amount of energy used to cool your home is to be in cooler areas of your home mostly.

Select energy-efficient cooling systems – If you’re in the market for a new cooling system, there are many new technologies that are much more efficient than older versions. As with other appliances, you should look for the Energy Star logo and compare the amount of electricity each uses.

Install a programmable thermostat – This is going to help you monitor temperatures with ease, and can help you set a range of temperatures for consistent control. Program the AC to come on during the busy hours in your home, and rise while the home is empty.

My pump loses prime when I try to vacuum …
If you notice that your pump begins to draw in air when you connect the hose into the skimmer, possibly drawing in so much air that the pump loses its prime of water, it probably originates from an old, dry rotted hose with holes in it, or a cavitating pump drawing air in through the plumbing or valving.

To check the hose, hold one end tightly against your thigh while you make a tight seal with the other end around your mouth. Blow into the hose; you should feel very strong resistance. If you can blow easily, the hose has one or more holes or splits in it, and you may be able to hear the air being drawn through when it’s hooked up for vacuuming.

When a vacuum hose is hooked into the skimmer and perhaps some valves are closed to increase suction, we are increasing the “vacuum pressure” in the line, creating a front pressure on the pump. This can cause the pump to draw air in places it normally wouldn’t under lower pressure. This situation should be corrected by locating the air source and making appropriate Pool Repair Houston.

If your pool needs go beyond what you have the time for, give us a call! Don’t forget to pair your pool services with Fire Ant Control or Weed Maintenance!

Information Courtesy: www.poolcenter.com

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Haiti1 Beginning with Volunteers and Donations for A Childs H.O.P.E. Mission A Child’s H.O.P.E. seeks to provide the life skills necessary for children of today to rebuild and lead the Haiti of tomorrow.

The group, which includes Raleigh and his staff at ABC Home and Commercial are in the very beginning stages of development, currently seeking land and assistance in Haiti.

“We want to build a 200 acre, totally sustainable community to give children a safe home and education,” said Kimberli Jenkins. “We will have a farm, cattle range, school, church, and housing.”

The Jenkins family encourages anyone interested in their mission to visit the website – AChildsHope.org.

There you can read more about the cause, volunteer your time or services, and make donations. They also have a FACEBOOK and TWITTER site to follow for updates as well.

Calling for Volunteers

Get Involved with A Child’s H.O.P.E.

There are many opportunities to volunteer your time and talents to A Child’s H.O.P.E. Stay tuned for more information on how to get involved in the following aspects:

Help us build our community:

Construction
Land Clearing
Agricultural and Farming & Ranching

Become a mentor in the following programs:

Education
Athletics
Faith and Ministry

Make A Donation

As this is the beginning stages of building A Child’s H.O.P.E., we are currently seeking donations of any amount. Once our operation is under way, we will have the opportunity to sponsor a child. Please sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on our progress and sponsorship opportunities.

Do I need to brush my pool regularly?

Your pool maintenance brush attaches to the telescopic pole, and is most commonly used to brush algae off of the walls. To quote the Pool Janitor; “Plaster pools like to be brushed…” Brushing your pool will keep dirt from occupying the small pores and starting small organic farms. Steel bristled brushes, called algae brushes, are very effective on, you guessed it, algae. Do not use a steel brush on a vinyl lined pool.

Done regularly, brushing can also reduce the time spent vacuuming. Brush from the shallow end towards the deep end in overlapping strokes. Circle the pool towards the main drain, and much of the dirt will be swept up into the filter in this manner.

If your pool needs go beyond what you have the time for, give us a call! Don’t forget to pair your pool services with Fire Ant Control or Weed Maintenance!

Information Courtesy: www.poolcenter.com

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We didn’t pick the beautiful maroon of our logo arbitrarily. Texas A & M is alma mater to the overall majority of the Jenkin’s family, and we proudly root for the Aggie football team! That’s why we are very pleased by the recent draft of Aggie Randy Bullock to the Houston Texans! This is the first-ever draft of a kicker by the Texans, taking him in the 5th round.

According to the Houston Chronicle, last season Randy won the Lou Groza Award – a kicker’s Heisman Trophy – and was the Associated Press’ First-Team All-America.

Congratulations Randy! We know that you will be a great Aggie addition to our beloved Texans!

Gig ‘em!

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Bugs fascinate children; they love to watch an ant groom itself, a bee gather nectar, or a spider build its web. On the opposite end of the spectrum, adult attitudes toward insects are generally negative — the ant is a nuisance and the bee might sting!

Through these attitudes we send our children a clear, subconscious message that insects are unsafe, unclean, and unappealing. Most children adopt this viewpoint before they leave elementary school that the “only good bug is a dead bug.”

Although we work hard to rid your home of pests, we are insect lovers at heart! We see great value in what insects do for our ecosystem, and want to let you know that not all bugs are pests!

Aside from ladybugs (which are considered cute) and butterflies (they’re pretty), most insects are regarded with a certain degree of fear or revulsion. A few, like honey bees and praying mantis, may be recognized as useful, but all others are just pests.

This notion of pest is unique to humans. We define pests as any organism that causes annoyance or injury to human beings, human possessions, or human interests. The injury may be physical (bites and stings), medical (causing illness or disease), or economic (monetary loss of goods or property). Injury may arise directly from the pest itself, or may develop indirectly as a result of the actions or behavior of the pest.

In reality, many of the insects we label as pests are essential components of our natural ecosystem — we don’t want to live with them, but neither could we live without them!

Termites, for example, are serious pests when they move into the floor joists of a home. An infestation may cost hundreds of dollars to eradicate, and if ignored, could eventually destroy the house. So of course we want to respond to this pest situation.

However, in a forest ecosystem, termites are beneficial. They are a vital component of the biogeochemical cycle that releases nutrients from dead plant material. Without termites and other decomposers living on the forest floor, organic molecules would be locked away in piles of dead wood, unavailable to living organisms until released by fire or erosion.

A fear of insects is quite normal. Some people are so afraid of insects that it can affect their ability to function normally in society due to entomophobia. People with severe entomophobia are frequently confined to their homes; they are unable to enjoy gardening, walking in the woods, or visiting the beach because they dread an encounter with an insect. Psychiatrists estimate that 1-2% of the adult U.S. population is affected by some degree of entomophobia that limits activity or interferes with quality of life.

Of course we’re not suggesting you halt all pest control services, and live amongst the bugs! Protect your home when necessary, but appreciate the beauty of all creatures living amongst us in their natural environment.

Information Courtesy: http://www.cals.ncsu.edu

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There’s a new ant in town, and wherever it goes, fire ants start disappearing. It also doesn’t sting or bite. But don’t get excited yet. The Rasberry crazy ant which showed up in Travis County and Round Rock this fall swarms into homes by the hundreds of thousands in search of food.

In the Houston area, where the ants are much more prevalent, they have already made some homeowners miserable, said Roger Gold, professor of entomology at Texas A&M University.

“People that have them said they wish they had the fire ants back,” he said. “We have pictures of families sweeping them up with brooms where there are piles of ants. … They can get into AC systems and short them out.”

When the ants get electrocuted they produce a pheromone that causes other ants to rush in, Gold said, leading to so many ants in the electrical system that it shorts out. An infestation of the ants temporarily shut down a Pasadena chemical plant, causing a $1 million loss, he said.

Ed LeBrun, a research associate at the University of Texas’ Brackenridge Field Laboratory, said the crazy ants haven’t caused Central Texas the problems that have been seen in the Houston area, where they were discovered in Pasadena in 2002 by exterminator Tom Rasberry.

The ants were first sighted in Travis County when a homeowner found them at a condominium complex in the Briarcliff area on Lake Travis in November.

Rasberry crazy ants have been discovered in 21 Texas counties, mostly in South Texas.

Crazy ants have also been found in Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida, but they are not the same species as those in Texas, said Danny McDonald, a graduate student and research assistant in the entomology department at Texas A&M.

In addition to infesting homes and electrical systems, the ants attack and kill honeybees with acid that they secrete from their bodies, McDonald said.

Rasberry crazy ants are smaller than fire ants but are successful at driving them away because they compete with fire ants for food and usually win, LeBrun said.

“The most likely way they got there is they were brought in with landscape material from Houston,” LeBrun said.

“The amount of area occupied by these ants out at Travis indicates that they have been there for a few years and gone unreported,” he said. “It takes time for these populations to become dense enough that people find them problematic and call pest control operators.”

Crazy ants don’t live in mounds like fire ants but instead live under natural materials or under things people leave on the ground like mulch, landscaping materials and wood, he said.

Do I have Rasberry crazy ants in my yard?

To identify whether you have Rasberry crazy ants:

1) Place dead ants in a tightly sealed container with rubbing alcohol such as a pill bottle.

2) Notify the postal service of the presence of alcohol in the shipping container.

3) Send the container by standard mail to:

Center for Urban & Structural Entomology,
Department of Entomology,
Texas A&M University,
2143 TAMU
College Station, TX 77843-2143

4) Send the container overnight by UPS or FedEx to:

Texas A&M University,
Agronomy Road, Building 1051, RM 100
College Station, TX 77843-2143

Article Courtesy: By Claire Osborn
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Source: Center for Urban & Structural Entomology, Texas A&M University

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The earthquake that devastated Haiti in 2010 affected an estimated 3 million people. The Haitian government reported that an estimated 316,000 people died, 300,000 were injured, and 1 million left homeless. However, the stat that affected Raleigh Jenkins, his family, friends and colleagues so deeply was that nearly 400,000 children who were abandoned, living under brides, and fending for themselves in a country damaged to its core.

Originally, Raleigh and a committee of talented professionals from across the U.S. (including his son Dylan) joined forces with local Haitian business owners to deal with the massive pest control problem and broken infrastructure. Through multiple trips over a two-year span they cleared debris, cleaned standing water, and fixed leaks. Then funding for their mission ran out, leaving everyone wanting to do more – particularly for the children they had come to care about.

“At first we discussed starting an orphanage,” said Kimberli Jenkins who went with her husband Raleigh for the first time to Haiti in March. “That idea then morphed into a school, which then blossomed into the Community of Hope.”

The mission of A Child’s H.O.P.E. (Humanitarian Opportunity for Preparatory Excellence) is to provide a safe, loving and supportive Christian home for abandoned children of Haiti.

“We want to build a 200 acre totally sustainable community to give children a safe home and education,” said Kimberli. “We will have a farm, cattle range, school, church, and housing.”

A Child’s H.O.P.E. seeks to provide the life skills necessary for children of today to rebuild and lead the Haiti of tomorrow.

The group is in the very beginning stages of development, currently still seeking land and assistance in Haiti. Their focus for the trip in March was to present the community’s vision to a group of Haitian dignitaries as well as tour multiple orphanages and potential land.

The first step in the plan for development is to obtain NGO status, which is a form of non-profit. Once the land is chosen, and architecture design finalized, Raleigh hopes to break ground by mid-summer of this year. If all goes to plan the first class of 20 students should begin in 2012.

“Going to Haiti just one time was eye-opening,” Kimberli said. “It was one thing to hear the stories about what was going on, and another to be in the midst of the devastation. We have a really great group of people all willing and ready to help.”

The Jenkins family encourages anyone interested in their mission to visit the website – AChildsHope.org. There you can read more about the cause, volunteer your time or services, and make donations. They also have a FACEBOOK and TWITTER site to follow for updates as well.

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Our impeccable Houston ABC Home and Commercial Pool Service is built on keeping customers happy. ABC strives to go above and beyond for customer service as evident by these testimonials from satisfied Houston pool service recipients.

“Ben Johnson was our sales rep and could not have been more personable, polite and so knowledgeable about every aspect of our pool resurfacing and retiling. We also needed him to help with pest control due to a squirrel getting in our attic. I would happily recommend ABC to family and friends. The crew that did our resurfacing and retiling was extremely polite and punctual. Rusty, the scheduling person, was also very polite and helpful when I asked any questions. Enrique was our pool person and did the brushings and filter cleaning. He was so helpful, too. We had a great experience with the whole team. Thank You!”
– Theresa A., March 28, 2011

“The service is outstanding… We’re very satisfied… Our specialist services the pool in minutes… This would normally take me at least an hour with half the results. The pool remains balanced which is an anomaly for this pool of 38,900 gallons… Our family and friends don’t have to wait a day or so for the chemical to safely adjust. Now it’s balanced when we want to swim. The whole pool is bushed and looking great. Excellent/exemplary work… Thanks”
– Sarah W.

“Jason was very professional. He arrived when he said he would and proceeded to service the pool. He also pointed out other services that I would need in the near future. This provides me time to arrange for these services. I would like to keep Jason as my service provider. I was very pleased with the services provided by ABC and I would recommend them to others. As a matter of fact I recommended the pest control to my sister.“
– Betty W.

My pool specialist is always very punctual, polite, and does a very good job cleaning the pool. He cares about the quality of his work.
– Tina N.

Our pool specialist is very informative, answered all my questions, and offered solutions for my concerns with pool care. I’m very pleased with the service he provides.
– Henry B.

Please visit our website for a list of our Houston Commercial Services.

Our staff is the difference between ourselves and the competition. All of ABC’s employees go through background checks, drug screenings, multi-interviews, and extensive training before they are sent out to service accounts. Our ongoing training for our staff is arguably the best in the industry. You can count on ABC to safely protect your clients and reputation.