The elite tradition is to send children away at a young age to be educated. But future politicians who suffer this ‘privileged abandonment’ often turn out as bullies or bumblers. A psychotherapist explains why

In Britain, the link between private boarding education and leadership is gold-plated. If their parents can afford it, children are sent away from home to walk a well-trodden path that leads straight from boarding school through Oxbridge to high office in institutions such as the judiciary, the army, the City and, especially, government. Our prime minister was only seven when he was sent away to board at Heatherdown preparatory school in Berkshire. Like so many of the men who hold leadership roles in Britain, he learned to adapt his young character to survive both the loss of his family and the demands of boarding school culture. The psychological impact of these formative experiences on Cameron and other boys who grow up to occupy positions of great power and responsibility cannot be overstated. It leaves them ill-prepared for relationships in the adult world and the nation with a cadre of leaders who perpetuate a culture of elitism, bullying and misogyny affecting the whole of society.

Nevertheless, this golden path is as sure today as it was 100 years ago, when men from such backgrounds led us into a disastrous war; it is familiar, sometimes mocked, but taken for granted. But it is less well known that costly, elite boarding consistently turns out people who appear much more competent than they actually are. They are particularly deficient in non-rational skills, such as those needed to sustain relationships, and are not, in fact, well-equipped to be leaders in today’s world

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Read more: theguardian.com

It is crucial we care for our planet, and that is reason enough to seek out ways to utilize green energy as much as possible. From solar to wind power, there’s lots of ways to get eco-friendly energy. So, you are probably wondering how to make green changes in your life. Read more to find out.

If you plan to purchase lighting for your deck or patio, you should give solar-powered lamps a try. The solar lamps are relatively inexpensive and will not need any additional power other than direct sunlight. You save a lot of energy in the process. It means that there is no need to run wires outside to hook up lights.

Heat your pools, hot tubs and showers more efficiently with a solar hot water system. Using natural gas or electricity is not as efficient as solar power, and solar water heaters can keep the water temperature steady. You may get tax deductions to offset the expense of installing some of this technology.

If you heat your home with fuel, talk to a technician about using biodiesel. Many heating systems are able to change over to some biodiesel use without needing modifications or extra parts. Biodiesel runs more efficiently, burns more clean, and costs you less during the winter.

Find out what energy options your community has available. Compare costs and look up regulations on green energy and tax incentives. It may be beneficial to switch from electric heat to natural gas heat, or from city water to well water, for example.

When a home has windows and doors stormed air flow is actually better in that household. They will help prevent cold air drafts in your home. Storm doors and windows can help save as much as 45 percent on energy costs.

Solar Power

Try to learn about passive and active solar power. Activer solar power lets stored energy be used later, while passive power doesn’t require expensive storage cells. To use active power, you must install mechanical systems, cells and solar panels. While when you use passive they use the thermal energy from the sun in order to store energy inside the walls of your house and heat your household with it.

There are products available for purchase that can help you reduce your energy costs. There are a variety of products, including eco-friendly doors and double-glazed windows that will make your home run far more efficiently. These kinds of products can cut down dramatically on your cooling and heating costs.

Pay attention to local and federal rebates for renewable energy updates on your home. Your local utility company may be offering green energy rebates to apply updates. If not, there might be tax credits or deductions available from the federal or state government. These rebates, credits, and other allowances can make it much more affordable to install renewable energy equipment on your property.

Have the bulk of your correspondence sent to your email. Eliminate as much paper from companies as you can. Businesses will have a much easier time communicating with you, and they will be saving energy. This protects the environment, too.

Solar Oven

Try using a solar oven for your baking needs. Use common household items to make a solar oven. Put a piece of an old window into a box and place foil inside the box to reflect the sun’s rays. Ovens like this can be assembled quickly, reach temperatures in excess of 300 degrees, and do not require any energy besides the sun.

Watch watt usage carefully. There are devices like Watt Minder or Kill-A-Watt that can monitor your wattage and help you see what is consuming energy. Plug your appliances in to these devices to find out what amount of energy is required each year, month or hour to run it. This is helpful in showing you exactly what each appliance costs to run.

In order to keep up with energy efficiency goals, compare all your energy bills to previous year to see how much progress you are making. Simply by being aware of your energy costs will help you be more efficient in your energy output. If you are specifically focusing on reducing your electricity and water consumption, then you are going to be more conscious of lights left on, or dripping taps.

Green Energy

Transitioning to green energy sources is a move everyone should work towards. Green energy offers us the chance to lower our negative impact on the environment, and it really is the best alternative available today. By using the ideas in this article, you should be able to start adding more green to your life.

You might be under the impression that you must possess a lot of skill to do interior planning. This simply is not the case, as there is a wealth of information available all around you. Use this article to help you get started on your perfect home.

Set a budget. How bad would it be to begin a project and not be able to finish it because of finances? For a stress free project, plan ahead to make sure your design plan is within your budget before your first dollar is spent.

Each room in your home should be decorated on the basis of its intended purpose. Think about the number of people that will be in the room and what they’ll be doing. Think about your friends and family members when designing your living room, but focus on the personality of your couple when making changes to your bedroom.

Hard surface flooring can cause a room to feel cold and hostile; to warm it up, use large area carpets or throw rugs. Rotate them to minimize the wear to any one rug. You can change the spot or turn it and it will make them stay new longer.

You can also put some new and innovative designs in your rooms. Doing so makes a room have a more modern feel to it. Use trendy pieces only as accents though. A leopard print lamp shade can be replaced with little hassle if it goes out of style. A trendy living room suite is much more difficult to replace than one or two pillows.

Place a mirror on the wall opposite a window to make a dull room brighter. A large mirror reflects and spreads out the light coming from the window. The room will become lighter and brighter.

Try putting together a collection of artwork. Collections are just items of three or more. The three vases you have sitting on your mantle are a collection. A collection is always at least three pictures. Group collections together for an interesting look that will serve as a great conversation piece.

Hopefully, the information in this article has provided you with a good introduction to interior design. It really isn’t as difficult as you might imagine – all you need is the correct information and you can do whatever you please! A home you have designed and decorated by yourself is an accomplishment to be proud of.

Didier Ruef has been photographing Switzerland for 30 years. His new book, Homo Helveticus, contains images of the country and its inhabitants that present an unexpected view

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Read more: theguardian.com

Maintaining green energy in the home is one of the best ways to ensure that the environment is being protected, while cutting energy costs. This doesn’t mean you must purchase an electric car. Keep reading to find out how to make your household more energy efficient, no matter your budget.

Shading your windows from direct sunlight can help you use less energy. You could also try putting in curtains or blinds. By doing these things, you’ll lower the amount you need to run your air conditioner in the summer, as your home will already be cooler. In addition to conserving energy, you will be able to save money.

Your furnace filters should be replaced annually, and inspected for monthly cleanings. If your air intakes and registers do not have filters, take the time to install them. This reduces debris and small toys from falling into the ducts, which will make them less efficient.

If you want to save money and energy, only run your dishwasher when it is completely full of dishes. It is wasteful to run the dishwasher with just a few items inside. If you do this, you’ll become used to filling the dishwasher with as many dishes as you can. Carefully align your dishes so that you can place as many dishes into it as possible.

If you use a dishwasher to clean your dishes, do not run it until it is completely full. The dishwasher cycle uses the same amounts of water and energy, whether it is full or not. When the dishwasher is used, it is also important to use the main energy-saving feature, which air-dries the dishes.

If you love green energy and green living, consider using electric heaters less during the winter months. Instead, invest in some warm clothing and slippers for family members and use a fireplace or pellet stove to heat living areas. An additional benefit to limiting the amount of electrical heaters is that it helps prevent your airways from becoming dry, resulting in better breathing.

Energy Efficient

Changing your furnace filter, using light bulbs which are energy efficient and using an energy efficient thermostat are all easy steps you can take to reduce energy use. When your friends and family see you going green, they’ll be inspired and want to go green too. Keep these tips in mind and apply them!

At this time of year in Rome, it’s traditional to pair the first broad beans with pecorino

Our rental agreement came with all the usual clauses, but also a verbal one: take care of the tortoise on the terrace. This unexpected role has brought me joy. I had no idea how fast a tortoise could move in the presence of watermelon, or that the movement would be a lolloping scamper. However, it has also caused great anxiety. At least once a day, I can’t find the tortoise (on our 5m x 5m terrace) or need to scare off a seagull with the wingspan of a lamp-post.

This anxiety peaked during hibernation, which began in early November and seemed never to end. And I’m clearly not the only one: start typing “tortoise hibernating” into Google, and before you hit the letter “o”, the words “or dead” appear. I spent the whole of February and half of March worrying that the tortoise, named Secret Agent by my son, was no longer with us in body, only shell. Then, one day, he strolled to the middle of the terrace, stopping to sunbathe as if nothing had happened. Relief was soon displaced by further anxiety when he showed no interest in eating, ignoring every leaf or slice of green apple.

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Read more: theguardian.com

Making improvements to your home is the best way to design a beautiful and custom home that fits your needs and can save you some money as well. But, there is a lot of information out there about home improvements. This article is going to give you tips to help you with those repairs.

Consider your home and your neighborhood’s character when deciding on updates and improvements. A Victorian house on a block that is otherwise full of saltbox cottages will stick out in a bad way. Remodeling that goes with your neighborhood will help you sell your home.

When deciding on which home improvements you are going to do, consider only those that make sense. Avoid nonsensical or questionable improvements like leaving a sun room in a cold climate uninsulated. This will make your home much more difficult to sell. Keep the local climate in mind when beginning a project.

When you are working on home improvement projects, it is crucial that you are aware of what needs to be improved the most. Your buyers are going to judge your home by what is visible and things like an overgrown garden or paint that is peeling can lose a sale in no time. There are other aspects that are just as important when selling your house, but the visual aspects are the catalyst of getting that sale.

Prudent advance planning is the key to successful home improvement work. Procrastinating until start day can be disastrous, as it can result in hasty decisions and bad judgments. When you plan ahead, the work will move along much more smoothly.

An important component of home renovation is your bathroom. It is easy for buyers to make living rooms and bedrooms their own, but it is important to have bathrooms in good shape. Be sure the tub and sink are in solid condition, or else they should be replaced. Swap any linoleum floors for tile.

If you have decided to paint your home’s interior, make sure you wipe down the walls and baseboards with a damp cloth in order to remove any dirt, dust or oils that have accumulated. This helps the paint adhere better and can save you the costs of needing more paint or several touch-ups.

If your water pressure is reduced, it may be simple to figure out why. Begin by questioning your neighbors to determine if they are facing similar issues. If they do not report a similar problem, the issue is with your home. Make sure you check all of your water sources to see if the whole home is having the issue. In some cases, it can be something as simple as an aerator that requires adjusting. If it’s a more serious problem, you may need to call a plumber.

When your work must go out in the street, talk to your neighbors about it as soon as you can. Often, major renovation jobs will require trucks, heavy equipment or a dumpster, so you need to prepare for them. Those around you will benefit from a bit of advance warning.

Comparable estimates are key when trying to choose a contractor. Have a list of things you want replaced or repaired, and let each contractor give you an estimate for the same job. Changing this plan can lead to inaccurate estimates when comparing.

Make sure you use all necessary safety precautions. Your home might feel too safe to do something like putting on a hardhat, but your opinion would soon change if you were to get hit by a loose hunk of plaster. Having goggles, a breathing apparatus and hardhat will help keep you safe.

Water usage should be a consideration when planning a home improvement project. You can conserve water by installing low flow plumbing fixtures, including toilets, faucet aerators, shower heads and water heaters. These new fixtures can add value to your property through modernity and environmentalism, along with saving a bunch on your monthly water bill.

Carpeting should be avoided in high-traffic areas such as foyers and hallways. After just one season with lots of rain and mud, a carpeted area with high traffic will show more wear and dirt than other areas. It won’t be as long before this carpeting needs to be replaced. Consider using ceramic tile or wood flooring for durability and because they can be cleaned easily.

Before you take on any home improvement project, you should put together a list of whatever you’re going to need to do from beginning to end. Get another opinion from someone you trust. Make sure you didn’t leave out any steps. Also, schedule plenty of extra time to complete and clean up your project, in case it takes longer than you intended.

Cleaning your gutters is a home improvement project that can be done quickly and have a large impact. Gutters that are clogged up enough to retain water will let excess moisture attack vulnerabilities in the fascia boards on which they are mounted. This can cause your wood to rot. It is important to maintain clean gutters at all times!

Try paint for any area in or out your house in need of improvement. One coat of paint may spruce up the look of your home and alter the shading elements. Try painting furniture as well, for a simple, cheap way to make your home look better.

The tips you just read will help you gain proficiency at fixing things up around the house. That will help you create a home that suits your needs, looks amazing, and functions perfectly. You generally get out of home improvement what you put into it, so long as you are following best practices like the ones outlined in this article.

A blind World War II veteran’s home was painted over the weekend by firefighters in Florida who decided to give back to the community in a special way.

Read more: foxnews.com

Just the thought of making changes to a home in order to make it more green can be overwhelming to many homeowners. It can be very tough to know which changes will make the biggest environmental impact. Read the following green energy tips to get a better idea of where to start.

Wear natural fabrics instead of running your air conditioner during summer months. Fabrics, such as cotton, draw moisture naturally from the skin, making it cooler. Also, choose lighter colors. Darker colors absorb heat, which makes you feel warmer, meaning you’ll set your thermostat lower.

Solar Panels

Solar panels can be installed on your roof allowing you to use solar energy. However, before beginning this process, you need to realize a few things. Think about the amount of sunlight that hits your house on an average day. If your house is usually in the shade, solar panels will provide limited additional power.

You can save electricity by unplugging chargers when they are not in use. Chargers for cell phones, mp3 players, laptops and other devices draw some power when they are plugged in, regardless of whether you are actually charging the device.

Research different sources of green energy available to your community. Consider the expense of energy use in your home utilizing these energy sources while noting recent legislation about energy costs. You might find savings by switching from electric to natural gas for heating, or to well water from city water.

If you want to save money and energy, only run your dishwasher when it is completely full of dishes. It’s sacrilege to turn it on with just one or two dishes inside. You might be surprised by how much you can actually fit in the dishwasher. Make sure you take time to place the dishes in properly so as to maximize the space available.

When thinking about home solar systems, think about how much energy will be produced during winter. That way you won’t run out of energy during winter months, and you will have more than enough in the summer. And even more exciting, on some plans, you can receive money from utility companies if you use less energy than you generate.

Storm Doors

Air flow is controlled best in homes with storm windows and doors. Storm doors and windows decrease cold air from drafts. Energy efficiency improves by 45% when storm doors and windows are implemented, which are big energy savers.

Of course, no home’s energy usage is exactly the same. With these different characteristics, the green energy technologies that will work may vary, significantly. Some of these ideas and technologies will work in all homes, but some might not. Keep your home’s specifics in mind when determining which energy tips will work for you.

Not only will going green help you save money, it will benefit the world around you. You will be able to make your home energy efficient while also reducing your electric bill. Use the tips from this article to help you conserve energy and be green in your home.

To save money on your electric bills, simply try to minimize the electricity you use. When you are not using certain appliances, unplug them until you are ready to use them again. Television sets and lights should never be left on when not in use. This is an easy, money-saving tip.

Use a solar water heater to keep your pools, tubs and plumbing full of piping hot, but cheap, water. Heating water with natural gas or electricity is not that efficient, but with solar energy, water takes the suns energy and keeps temperatures steady. By doing certain upgrades to your home, you can often earn extra incentives and even cut backs on your energy bill.

You will find that it’s easy to get solar panels and they’re a great way to get energy for your home. Before you do this though, you need to think about a few things first. How much sun is your house getting on average? If your home is shaded, or you live in a relatively cloudy area, your power savings will not be as much.

Become a better energy consumer, and save electricity in your home by unplugging chargers for your electronic devices when you are not using them. Chargers for laptops, mp3 players, cell phones and other devices use power when they’re plugged in. This happens regardless of whether you’re using the device or not.

When planning out your solar PV system, try to locate the battery storage system as close to the cells as possible. This helps prevent power loss in the cables. It can also lessen the probability of cable shading, which reduces power-generation capabilities.

In winter, save energy and money by turning down the heat and adding a layer of clothes. If you wear a light sweater, you’ll feel two degrees warmer. A thicker sweater adds about four degrees. Since it is pointless to wear very little clothing while indoors, you might as well wear a sweater.

Don’t turn the thermostat up higher than needed in your home. If you feel a small chill, instead of turning up the heat, put on a sweatshirt or sweatpants. Turning the heat all the way up will use a lot of unneeded energy.

Keep an eye on the wattage you are using. Choose an energy monitor like the Kill-A-Watt or the Watt Minder to help you determine which devices and appliances consume the most energy. Plug these gadgets into an appliance to find out how much energy is used in an hour, a month or a year. You can learn how much your appliances are costing you.

This article has shown that it isn’t necessary to spend a lot of time or money on going green. Often, making a few changes to your home can actually save money in electricity costs. Keep what you’ve read here in mind, and consider sharing this article with friends and family so they can benefit from green energy along with you.