https://stayclose.social/MattDelatte265618/ Latest updates from Matt Delatte https://stayclose.social/blog/58490/new-crash-test-decimates-iihs-top-safety-pick-list/ IIHS The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has once again strengthened its requirements to receive its top safety awards, and as expected, it resulted in a pretty serious culling of vehicles that were previously eligible. The IIHS announced this week that just 15 vehicles initially qualify for the 2018 Top Safety Pick+ accolade, which is given to the vehicles that the IIHS has evaluated and ranked as the safest cars on the road, down from 38 vehicles last year. 47 vehicles are eligible for the second-place Top Safety Pick award, which has slightly less stringent requirements. Enlarge ImageSome automakers may have thought they could cheap out by only reinforcing the driver's side for the small-overlap test. Not anymore. IIHS Two reasons exists for this herd-thinning. The first is an expansion of the headlight test, which was introduced in 2016. Now, in order to achieve Top Safety Pick+, a car must have at least one headlight setup that is rated Good, as opposed to last year's bar of Acceptable. In 2018, Top Safety Pick will require a headlight rating of Acceptable. Headlights are rated on illumination capability on straights and jual besi plat semarang in corners, as well as how much glare they give off. That second reason is an entirely new test -- the passenger side small-overlap test. This mimics the same IIHS test performed on the driver side, but the new test ensures that automakers are putting equal effort into protecting both front occupants, not just the driver. The test is new, and is likely to cause some consternation among automakers as they scramble to catch up to ever-changing targets. While automakers are not mandated to score well in IIHS crash tests, the positive marketing that comes from it is hard to top. The tests are generally much tougher than those required by the federal government, which are the basic crashworthiness tests required for selling vehicles in the US. The IIHS is a non-government entity that only exists to help improve vehicle safety, even if some automakers believe it might have ulterior motives. You can see the full list of 2018 Top Safety Pick award winners on the IIHS website, but the 15 winners of the 2018 Top Safety Pick+ award are listed below: Kia Forte Kia Soul Subaru Impreza (sedan and hatchback) Subaru WRX Subaru Legacy Subaru Outback Toyota Camry BMW 5 Series Genesis G80 Genesis G90 Lincoln Continental Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan Hyundai Santa Fe Hyundai Santa Fe Sport Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class More From Roadshow 2020 Ford Escape review: People pleaser 2019 Tesla Model S Long Range review: Familiar, yet oh so much better 2020 Toyota Tundra review: Still capable, but struggling to stay relevant Comments Car Industry Auto Tech Notification on Notification off Cars]]> https://stayclose.social/blog/58490/new-crash-test-decimates-iihs-top-safety-pick-list/ Thu, 05 Mar 2026 05:46:44 +0000 Matt Delatte https://stayclose.social/blog/55982/coalition-gains-from-last-minute-switch/ More than one in eight voters shifted their intentions in the final week of the federal election campaign, a study has found. The Voter Choice Project, led by election analyst RK Crosby, was a panel study involving multiple waves of surveys delivered to the same people. The panel included 2482 verified voters when the election was called, covering all 151 electorates with a proportional balance across the states and territories. While published opinion polls pointed to a narrow win to Labor, the Voter Choice Project found 13 per cent of voters shifted in the final week with the biggest beneficiary being the Liberal-National coalition. When it came to the reasons for voting, the "switching" voters mainly made up their minds not on the basis of policy or political party but that a candidate was the "best option" or the "best of a bad lot", the study's leader said. However, digging deeper into the data, the study found economic and tax issues - including Labor's controversial franking credits policy - as well as "values" had the most impact in getting people to vote against their incumbent Labor jual besi beton semarang MP and for the coalition. "By contrast, 'ideological reasons' were reinforcing votes in seats already held by the coalition, rather than influencing voters in Labor-held seats," Ms Crosby said. "In Labor's favour, 100 per cent of those voting for a 'vision for the country' ended up in their column." Clive Palmer's United Australia Party, armed with a $60 million advertising budget, picked up most of its support in the final fortnight of the campaign largely from protest voters, the study found. Advertisement]]> https://stayclose.social/blog/55982/coalition-gains-from-last-minute-switch/ Mon, 02 Mar 2026 06:10:20 +0000 Matt Delatte https://stayclose.social/blog/51864/the-importance-of-trade-show-booth-and-event-furniture-rentals/ jual besi siku semarang belts (for crowd control), easels, genies, ladders, poster boards, pedestals, registration counters, and table skirts. Have you noticed that some of the items mentioned for event contemporary furniture rentals may also be used for trade show furniture rentals? But the bottom line is that, whether it's for a trade show booth or event furniture, most companies don't have what has been previously mentioned, and so need to go into rentals to obtain them. Why Trade Show Booth Rentals and Event Furniture Rental is a Far Better Option You can easily change your booth branding, layout, or decoration Trade show decor rental and booth rental makes it easy should your business foresee branding changes, as well as the chance to use different graphics and layouts for different trade shows. You have flexibility even on a tight budget Imagine trying to be flexible on a tight budget when you have two trade shows to attend, spaced a week apart. You can have multiple booths at rental prices that are far better than buying two separate booths. Also, turnaround time would be easier to handle. You can be flexible with the floor plans If your company owns only one exhibit booth, it may be hard to adjust to different floor plans. Trade show booth rentals give you the option to reconfigure your booth to different floor plans. You can adjust event furniture rental needs if on a tight budget There are many things to think about when you need to rent event furniture for your special event. The most important is the budget. The budget is always the cornerstone of planning and very essential to ensure the event's success, as well as focusing on needs rather than wants. You don't need to worry about shipping, arrangement, and other nitty-gritty details since the event furniture rental Vancouver company will do everything for you. And event furniture rental ensures that you can keep costs down because you don't have to permanently buy furniture and other pieces that you probably won't need or never use in the future. Writing is my passion., I love writing an article's since I was 15 year's old. I spend most of the time in writing. My hobby is to read and write an article about designing or event tradeshow , Yup that's it! I am an introvert person that's why I'm enjoying my self alone with my laptop and coffee.]]> https://stayclose.social/blog/51864/the-importance-of-trade-show-booth-and-event-furniture-rentals/ Fri, 27 Feb 2026 10:49:23 +0000 Matt Delatte https://stayclose.social/blog/18300/ever-hear-a-florida-oceanfront-condominium-owner-say-we-just-spent-a-fortun/ rapidly corrode. That's called "micro" corrosion. Micro corrosion is concentrated and rapid. It is concentrated between two different materials, like new concrete and old concrete. In your Florida oceanfront condominium, the old concrete, exposed to air and moisture, gradually changes chemically by the natural aging process of carbonation. Carbon dioxide, plentiful in the atmosphere, reacts with hydroxides in concrete to form calcium carbonates and water. This reaction causes the concrete alkalinity to drop from its normal 12.6 - 13.2 to as low as about 9. The reduction of Ph below 11 impairs the protective passivating layer on the steel, resulting in the steels increased propensity to corrode in the presence of chloride ions. The resulting rust occupies a greater volume than the original steel, causing pressure on the surrounding concrete, causing the concrete to crack. Second, concrete structures on the coast are exposed to the salt laden air which covers balconies and walkways with chloride ions that seep through the concrete pore structure and initiate micro corrosion cells of highly charged ions on the reinforcing steel. The chloride ions do two destructive things. First, they cause an electric polarity difference in reinforcing steel and second, with moisture, they make the concrete electrolytic. This makes a significant difference between the chemistry of the new concrete patch material adjacent to the old concrete, with the reinforcing steel acting as a conductor between them. The new concrete has a high PH and no chloride ions. The old concrete has a reduced PH and negatively charged chloride ions throughout its pore structure. If you define an alkaline battery, "Energizer" for example, (the one that just keeps on going) it is a highly alkaline material connected to a lower alkaline material by a conductor. The "Energizer" battery is a more efficient battery than the one created by the patch, but the principal and the effect are the same; the creation of an electric charge that accelerates corrosion. This phenomenon has been called the "Incipient Battery Effect" so called as an unintended result that, if not countered, will accelerate corrosion in the reinforcing steel adjacent to the repair. Lastly, corrosion cells in structures are commonly overlooked and not addressed in the repair. Corrosion cells occur between dissimilar metals in the concrete, such as aluminum rails in concrete and the aluminum threshold on the concrete under the sliding glass door. In this situation one metal acts as a sacrificial anode to the other and oxidizes. These corrosion cells can be powerful and destructive. So, what is the solution for your Florida oceanfront condominium? Understanding why the problem exists helps explain what can be done. First, the differences between the old concrete and the new concrete have to be mitigated. Chemical corrosion inhibitors have been used successfully to reduce corrosion in areas surrounding repairs. The application needs encompass all of the old concrete, which means stripping the deck coatings off the entire balcony or walkway for application of the inhibitors over the entire surface. Spot treatment or localized treatment with corrosion inhibitors is ineffective. Secondly, keep moisture out of the concrete. Apply crack bridging waterproof urethane coatings to the top surface to keep water from penetrating into the concrete. Keep the stucco on the edge and bottom of the slab painted with an exterior grade acrylic pant to reduce absorption form moisture in the air and protect the concrete from carbonation. Third, isolate dissimilar metals. Aluminum thresholds can be isolated from the concrete via plastic or rubber shims or sealants. Aluminum handrails should be removed from concrete and surface mounted on rubber or neoprene gaskets or other inert materials. Robert A. Fitzpatrick, P.E. is a professional engineer registered in the State of Florida with 30 years of engineering and construction experience. He is past President of the Florida Chapter of the International Concrete Repair Institute and jual besi siku semarang the Society of American Military Engineers. You can learn more about United Engineering's services, qualifications and project history at website Florida Oceanfront Condominium Concrete Repairs Fail And Three Things You Can Do To Stop It]]> https://stayclose.social/blog/18300/ever-hear-a-florida-oceanfront-condominium-owner-say-we-just-spent-a-fortun/ Mon, 12 Jan 2026 06:29:32 +0000 Matt Delatte https://stayclose.social/blog/18299/ever-hear-a-florida-oceanfront-condominium-owner-say-we-just-spent-a-fortun/ reaction causes the concrete alkalinity to drop from its normal 12.6 - 13.2 to as low as about 9. The reduction of Ph below 11 impairs the protective passivating layer on the steel, resulting in the steels increased propensity to corrode in the presence of chloride ions. The resulting rust occupies a greater volume than the original steel, causing pressure on the surrounding concrete, causing the concrete to crack. Second, concrete structures on the coast are exposed to the salt laden air which covers balconies and walkways with chloride ions that seep through the concrete pore structure and initiate micro corrosion cells of highly charged ions on the reinforcing steel. The chloride ions do two destructive things. First, they cause an electric polarity difference in reinforcing steel and second, with moisture, they make the concrete electrolytic. This makes a significant difference between the chemistry of the new concrete patch material adjacent to the old concrete, with the reinforcing steel acting as a conductor between them. The new concrete has a high PH and no chloride ions. The old concrete has a reduced PH and negatively charged chloride ions throughout its pore structure. If you define an alkaline battery, "Energizer" for example, (the one that just keeps on going) it is a highly alkaline material connected to a lower alkaline material by a conductor. The "Energizer" battery is a more efficient battery than the one created by the patch, but the principal and the effect are the same; the creation of an electric charge that accelerates corrosion. This phenomenon has been called the "Incipient Battery Effect" so called as an unintended result that, if not countered, will accelerate corrosion in the reinforcing steel adjacent to the repair. Lastly, corrosion cells in structures are commonly overlooked and not addressed in the repair. Corrosion cells occur between dissimilar metals in the concrete, such as aluminum rails in concrete and the aluminum threshold on the concrete under the sliding glass door. In this situation one metal acts as a sacrificial anode to the other and oxidizes. These corrosion cells can be powerful and destructive. So, what is the solution for jual besi siku semarang your Florida oceanfront condominium? Understanding why the problem exists helps explain what can be done. First, the differences between the old concrete and the new concrete have to be mitigated. Chemical corrosion inhibitors have been used successfully to reduce corrosion in areas surrounding repairs. The application needs encompass all of the old concrete, which means stripping the deck coatings off the entire balcony or walkway for application of the inhibitors over the entire surface. Spot treatment or localized treatment with corrosion inhibitors is ineffective. Secondly, keep moisture out of the concrete. Apply crack bridging waterproof urethane coatings to the top surface to keep water from penetrating into the concrete. Keep the stucco on the edge and bottom of the slab painted with an exterior grade acrylic pant to reduce absorption form moisture in the air and protect the concrete from carbonation. Third, isolate dissimilar metals. Aluminum thresholds can be isolated from the concrete via plastic or rubber shims or sealants. Aluminum handrails should be removed from concrete and surface mounted on rubber or neoprene gaskets or other inert materials. Robert A. Fitzpatrick, P.E. is a professional engineer registered in the State of Florida with 30 years of engineering and construction experience. He is past President of the Florida Chapter of the International Concrete Repair Institute and the Society of American Military Engineers. You can learn more about United Engineering's services, qualifications and project history at website Florida Oceanfront Condominium Concrete Repairs Fail And Three Things You Can Do To Stop It]]> https://stayclose.social/blog/18299/ever-hear-a-florida-oceanfront-condominium-owner-say-we-just-spent-a-fortun/ Mon, 12 Jan 2026 06:29:29 +0000 Matt Delatte https://stayclose.social/blog/18291/ebay-will-match-prices-from-amazon-and-walmart-on-certain-items/ eBay announced a new Price Match Guarantee today, ensuring many of its items will cost the same or less than those offered by other major retail competitors. It's the company's latest move in the ongoing business battle with giants like Amazon and Walmart. The items eligible for price match are those sold in the website's trending inventory section Deals. The products have to be new and identical to those sold through the outlet being price matched. They also have to be in stock at both eBay and its competitor at the time of purchase. The online retailers eligible for price match are Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Walmart's Jet.com, Home Depot, Sears, Target and Wayfair. If an eBay customer spots one of those sites selling the same product for less, they'll have to call customer service before purchasing and get a coupon for the price difference. The coupon will expire 24 hours after it's issued. Earlier this year, eBay announced another feature that would boost its competitiveness with Amazon. Its Guaranteed Delivery program, which has yet to launch, promises three-day delivery or less on millions of its items. If a package doesn't arrive on time, shipping costs will be refunded or, in the case of free shipping, a coupon that can be used towards a future purchase will be issued. The website will also integrate an additional search option, allowing customers to sort items by one-, two- and three-day delivery times. The price match feature is available to US customers starting today and the shipping program is scheduled to launch later this year. Source: eBay In this article: amazon, applenews, BestBuy, business, ebay, gear, HomeDepot, jet.com, PriceMatching, sears, target, walmart, Wayfair All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Comments 709 Shares Share Tweet Share Save Popular on Engadget Nest Hello's holiday and winter ringtones are live View 'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare' prepares for its first battle pass View Netflix won't back a new season of 'Mystery Science Theater 3000' View Sony's best noise-cancelling headphones are on sale at Amazon View Twitter will start deleting inactive accounts in December (updated) View From around the web jual besi siku semarang]]> https://stayclose.social/blog/18291/ebay-will-match-prices-from-amazon-and-walmart-on-certain-items/ Mon, 12 Jan 2026 05:00:33 +0000 Matt Delatte https://stayclose.social/MattDelatte265618/ https://stayclose.social/MattDelatte265618/ Mon, 12 Jan 2026 05:00:26 +0000 Matt Delatte