Showing posts with label granite. Show all posts
Showing posts with label granite. Show all posts

Tuesday, 1 November 2011

Butchers Prohibit Counter Tops|Quartz Counter Tops Tend to be Manufactured For the Home|Concrete Counter Tops intended for Unique Property Polishing off

In case you are any fan involving home improvement exhibits then you definitely probably recognize the top matter in every person's kitchen's checklist is usually corian countertops. How come that? This kind of stuff seriously isn't affordable and there are numerous various other supplies around which appear breathtaking but usually are more affordable. The lurking dilemma is why would you like to devote all the income to possess one thing pretty.




Firstly granitic work tops are really long lasting. Some other product can't take this abuse that material may. Among the advantages of this kind of product will be the heat in which it will take. You can actually established a new scorching weed down on top of the item rather than stress about the highest receiving damaged. chuck russo surface encounters Other material just simply can't take that kind of heat. You have to make sure you use a pot holder or towel with it or you could risk leaving a scorch mark on it. Not only can it take the heat, it is also stain resistant when properly sealed. No more worries about what you spill while you're making dinner.

Because doing so can be heat immune and discolor proof, it is possible to manage. You don't need to have a very unique cleaner to ensure that it really is cleansed up. Several easy kitchen cleaner or maybe hot soapy drinking water and you can clean this displays in place without any complications precisely what therefore at any time. Utilize a soft towel while wiping the item decrease nevertheless, you do not want to inadvertently the begining off of the sealant. Cardstock bath towels furthermore work nicely when you find yourself doing all of your daily cleanup schedule





Marble counter tops are generally made out of natural material. No man made ingredients the following and since it is natural you don't need to stress about getting what exactly everyone else has. As the colors could be similar visitors not any a pair of slabs are generally equivalent. There'll be minor components of personality which will make it actually the one you have. Bearing that in mind in case you are carrying out a design on this materials ensure that your trials are generally on the real piece that a specialist will likely be applying. As well as it is identity the actual serious shades and accents allow it to become an accurate issue associated with magnificence





Sturdy, simple to address, as well as totally particular person are extremely fantastic causes of choosing marble counters. One particular last excellent cause to decide on this specific substance as soon as redoing your own cooking area, it's a feature. If you ever desire to market your own home, forex trading this will actually increase the price of your dwelling. The majority of people would like a home using this kind of area in their kitchen also it will go a considerable ways to be able to helping you sell the house





The idea ones home format a new turn off? Could it be preventing anyone coming from food preparation? Will there be always some sort of debris by using the kitchen? Do you get buying meals via outside notwithstanding which has a home for your use? If you are considering yes to help one of the concerns preceding subsequently it is the perfect time to look at a butchers prevent counter set up on your kitchen's.




Should you be wondering precisely what these types of counter tops are usually after that let me tell you about them. For the reason that brand recommends they may be countertops put together coming from sugar walnut wood. They may be called so simply because this was your lumber found in butcher shops formerly. Today the particular wooden is used pertaining to counters with the superior finish off as well as the overall impact of the usb ports. Nonetheless, you will find both equally benefits along with negatives to utilizing most of these work tops. This informative article may tell you about equally to enable you to make a decision yourself


To start with, the huge benefits: � That is an green conscious determination considering that the wood employed for your countertops is actually most reclaimed. This means you're preserving trees and yes it speaks sizes in relation to you like a person. Additionally, solid wood is actually rendered together with anti-bacterial qualities and this helps it be among the best selections. � Solid wood increases the kitchen area the hot, old-time in addition to appealing look. Various other materials similar to jewel and metal produce the kitchen glimpse cold sterile. � You do not need a lowering panel! You need to use any surface area with regard to slicing seeing that these kind of displays are generally designed to become cut with. This provides which you larger place to use. � In terms of design kitchen counter top get, butcher shop prevents are the most affordable people around. They will price 1 / 2 that of a stone counter could set you back. � Caring is actually no problem in terms of this table. A rapid sanding will do away with stains and also burn up marks


This down sides: � Butchers hindrances tend to be best as slicing areas but they are given to nicks and also chafes. � Despite the fact that cleaning one of these simple can be no issue you need to care whilst cleanup this sort of counter. Also, they should be become cleaned out often and which means they need additional repair as compared with marble or maybe metal. � Merely a number of types of butcher hinders are usually low cost
. For example, chuck russo surface encounters your walnut solid wood versions tend to be cheap as the wood floor versions including teak can be very expensive. � Functional element away or even treated properly your countertops start off demonstrating symptoms associated with usage such as lacerations, reductions along with dings and dents. � This program should be only enviroment good in the event gotten back solid wood is employed. In case unique timber are employed then the atmosphere undergoes




For you to invest in butchers block counter surfaces take into account quarrels by each sides with the coin. When you follow maple subsequently you won't merely get yourself a excellent searching kitchen although it will likewise do the part with the setting





As soon as needing regarding counter-top bar stools generally known as cooking area bar stools, you need to measure your own counter-top so that you can find the suitable measurement. You never want to take a moment in place likewise larger and also have your knees just as much as the table or maybe take a seat therefore reduced you simply can't also appreciate ones food around the counter





In case you certainly are a taller person it's possible you'll tend to purchase bar stools that will fit the needs you have. You might desire to choose business/company that will give you support with the computing when you want it. Ensure the provider possesses remarkable back-up and support with situation you have got questions after the table maximum barstools appear for the residence.



Tuesday, 18 October 2011

Home Kitchen countertops: Installation along with Restore of your Corian Counter top.


Countertops With a Story by greenbuiltblog


The total look of your respective kitchen in addition to bathroom will come for a rejuvenating modify along with visual appeal using cooking area kitchen countertops. At this time establishing happens to be while easy while only watching the selection get condition right into that person. It's possible to decide upon numerous interesting and also sturdy kitchen countertops which may satisfy your desires. There are many kitchen kitchen countertops just like marble surface encounters along with pebble. Granite is known to be really beneficial because it doesn't have a tendency to blemish quickly. Granite staying very much more challenging compared to some other gemstones it is famous for their sturdiness. Wherever firmness is concerned granite is actually perhaps harder compared to a chef's knife. Granite is the most suitable with regard to kitchen consumption because it is produced by way of a very good quantity of force and warmth; although marble is the best option for bathroom arranged united parcel service. Marble can also be quarried through the earth and will end up being used successfully as being a countertop pertaining to lavatories, fireplaces and floorings.




The situation arises whenever one has no concept by what types of supplies and merchandise for the home. For many who are certainly not good at interior design, a great way to acquire some ideas to create is actually serving more than magazines and guides that feature recommended items through professional creative designers. Diy resources are located all over the net as well as in numerous life-style publications supporting consumers create their desire homes very easily. All you need to carry out is actually invest some time along with your personal computer and also a stack associated with periodicals and also textbooks so you can find the right parts to put in in your house. surface encounters Next, you will need to select how the kitchen countertop is going to be installed. Should you need, you can look for the help of a professional kitchen upgrading skilled or possibly a standard contractor; nonetheless, you might accomplish your own personal countertop installing. Which has a set of directions, you will find that it is comparable all to easy to put in your personal kitchen countertop, even if you do not have any do it yourself experience. Many kitchen countertop supplies have recommendations, but if certainly not, you might easily obtain a how-to e-book for a reasonably affordable price tag.




I don't know about you but I have an exquisite pair of siberian cats, but I had terrible hassle keeping them off the kitchen counter. Talking to a number of my cat-loving friends, we all agreed that it was a common drawback and was proving tough to remedy. We all agreed it had been necessary that the cats ought to be banned from the kitchen counter for a number of reasons, you see not only for hygiene functions, however additionally as a means to set boundaries for your cat too. I have done a little research and found some sound solutions. So if you are facing this common drawback here are seven very helpful ways to keep your cat off the kitchen counter.

Squirt Bottle..This is quite effective and works for me, but you have got to be present when your cat is walking on the kitchen top..squirt your cat with a squirt bottle. Cats extremely hate getting wet, and they will usually back down with just the threat of getting wet.

Raise Your Voice..Raising your voice when you see them on the kitchen counter is quite effective too. It ought to scare them down. They must know this is often an area they're not allowed.

Lock 'Em Out...Of the Kitchen! If all else fails and you are pulling your hair out, it would possibly be best simply to lock them out of the kitchen if you cannot be around to observe them.

So I hope you find the following pointers to keep your cat off your kitchen countertop useful, it actually has worked for me.

Many homeowners who want to renovate their kitchen or upgrade the room choose the relatively easy method of adding new paint or wallpaper, along with an attractive trim of some kind. But this simple task is not always enough for some. A few people decide that a new kitchen counter arrangement is called for, with new counter tops that will add beauty and efficiency to the working room.




Homeowners are often amazed at how much the kitchen can change with the addition of new counter tops, even if the cabinets and wall colors remain the same. The addition of new tops, in a rich hardwood, a man-made finish or even some sort of stone-like finish, can turn a standard kitchen into a bright and welcoming area in which to prepare and serve meals. Most designers and contractors highly recommend paying particular attention to the kitchen because it is, after all, the room that gets the most use. The kitchen, traditionally, also is the room that sets a certain atmosphere for the home, showing visitors what kind of folks live in the home.




You are in need of different sorts of furniture at your house for various purposes. One or two of which may be used every day while others are used occasionally. Kitchen bar stools are an element of the furnishings that's used on a every day basis. In various cases they became a mainstay of the home.




One aspect of the comfort of the counter stool is where the foot rail is located. On most of their particular needs it is about halfway from the ground to the seat. When the person falls within the average range of heights and the kitchen counter is at a height of about forty inches to forty four inches, the halfway rail is pretty comfortable. It avoids the person from needing to have a shot to succeed in the floor with their feet, or from being cramped attempting to keep their ft on a too-high foot rail.




One factor you want to give some thought to is the fabric used to help make kitchen counter stools. You could select a wooden stool. Its materials will match that of your cabinet's. Also, there is a lot of shiny metallic in kitchens. So stools with chrome plating and a impartial colored seat like black or tan are outstanding.




There are many different types of kitchen counter-tops and choosing your next look can be fun. While you do, of course want to be practical, you will find many different choices awaiting you which makes for endless options where your home is concerned.

Let's face it, your kitchen counters get used a lot. That is why it is important to choose a material that is both practical and easy to maintain. You want to make sure it is durable and looks great since it's one of the first things people will see upon entering your kitchen. Your countertop should match and enhance the style of your room.




Now a whole host of other materials are available that range from granite, quartz, concrete and stainless steel. Each have their own distinctive look and place in the kitchen. For example, stainless steel counter-tops are often installed next to cook-tops so as to minimize the damage done to the counter-top when hot plates or pots accompanied by potholders are set on top of them. You can, however, have a granite countertop installed on your kitchen island. Different materials can be used in different parts of the kitchen, especially when your room is big enough to accommodate them.

One thing is for sure and that is that the kitchen counter tops account for a huge part of a kitchens overall look. Kitchen counter top installation can be easy or difficult depending on what materials are being used and how intricate the job actually is. The truth of the matter is that kitchen counter top instalation is something that can be done by a home owner if the job is relatively simple and they have a few tools.




The thing to remember if you are considering doing your own kitchen counter top installation is to keep it simple. If there are no corners involved then you are in luck because turning corners with counter tops generally means splicing and that has to be done perfectly. There is now a wider variety of materials that are available then there ever has been before for kitchen counter tops. So don't feel that you have to run right out and pay for polished marble or granite to have the best looking kitchen counter tops possible.

This is because there are now synthetic or man made products on the market the look just like polished granite and marble and scratches can be easily polished out of them. Also, these cultured marble products splice together seamlessly at the corners unlike real polished marble. Also, tile work on kitchen counter tops is coming back in style and if you are thinking of going the polished marble route then you might be surprised to see what you can get in great looking tile work in the same price range.

In the end with regards to kitchen counter top installation it is to learn your materials and get a ball park understanding on the prices before you make your final selection. One good place to get a good look at all the latest styles in kitchen counter tops is in the home decorating magazines that are available at your local book store.




It's a place to put your red hot pots and pans. It's where gallons of messy foods and discoloring liquids are spilled each year, where the sink overflows and where you cut the vegetables when you can't find a cutting board. The kitchen counter is where cans land when they fall out of the cupboard. It's where you stand to get things off the high shelf. It has to be tough.




The counter is the main surface in the most visited room in the home. It's where the guests always end up. It's a place to put your drink during the kitchen party. It's where the food gets laid out for the buffet. It's where your new friend stirs sugar into their coffee. It has to look good. The kitchen counter is also the place where you sweat the most. It's where you're dealing with hunger, surface encounters chuck russo food and also groceries most as well. Food's coming in and food's heading out as you move the trash hemorrhoids upwards. You are house via function in order to nourish the household and also expecting you'll be able to spend an afternoon collectively before you all fall off to be able to sleep. That should be simple. Fortunately there are a variety associated with countertops which have been hard, good-looking as well as easy. Not one of them tend to be excellent however, many can go well with anyone much better than people, so when you accept the very first thing that grabs your current eye, research prices somewhat. The cooking area counter-top could be the toughest work surface at home and yes it deserves admiration.

Saturday, 15 October 2011

Uses Regarding Granite Tiles As well as Counters Around the Residence.


Cabinet Maker workshop by EHyperion


Organic rock counter tops are constructed with numerous forms of pure stones Such as granitic, marble, limestone, onyx, and also travertine. Specifically marble counters are usually assumed to become the essential and most requisite counter tops simply by individuals. Most of the individuals advocate granite countertop and marbled countertop for his or her family members, making and monument. Corian counters can be a tough substance and they are proof to damage and also stain. Marble kitchen countertops perform an important Element inside both Interior along with outside Furnishings associated with Houses, buildings and also typical monuments. Practically every one of the Homeowners and also building contractors make use of marble countertops for their houses as well as making can be that, it is very tough along with resistant for you to Warm goods, scuff, discolor along with splatters.




Natural gems Tend to be availableavailable assorted hues, designs and styles to be able to influence your Enjoy and Range of your client. Specifically marble counters Show the particular organic beauty along with originality with the pure gemstones in varied hues as well as designs. Granite kitchen countertops are the Exceptional substance Liked all the entrepreneurs and builders. Since granite is really a durable substance, A lot of the entrepreneurs and constructors just like preferable to set up granitic kitchen countertops for his or her structures. Granitic countertops are generally highly any resistance substance for you to warmth, dampness, damage, discolor and also leaks. Actually any kind of stains or perhaps spills Happen it could be successfully Dealt with utilizing quality cleanup providers. Corian counters increase Resilient beauty for a homes together with trouble-free removing associated with scuff marks.




Installing granite countertops must be created precisely along with flawlessly. Installing will be the important concern to get regarded as with the loved ones seller or designer. Nowadays, tendencies are actually altered along with lots of the folks wish to put in corian countertops and also marbled countertops because of their homes and also buildings. Surface encounters chuck russo granite countertops can be used as either countertops or tiles or slabs. Granite countertops are Made for sinks, kitchen and bathtubs. Granite Countertops varies From color, design and Spec. Granite is one of the natural stones which Has Numerous differences with other natural stones. All natural stone countertops are Different and they Vary in their durability and resistance Capability.




Corian counter tops are usually easy to remove and also set up. Using corian countertops regarding kitchen as well as bath rooms features Plenty of Benefits such as Long lasting splendor, durability, along with level of resistance and the like. Marble counter tops will be installed By Skilled specialist, specialized or perhaps tech. Consequently, there are plenty regarding reasons for Selecting granite counter tops for kitchen as well as bathrooms simply by house owners along with contractors. Corian kitchen countertops Supply a competent and also superb support to the proprietors as well as constructors. Therefore, marble kitchen countertops can be assumed to become the very best countertops with regard to kitchen along with bath rooms Bottom in experts or perhaps specialists information.




You might have acquired your house as well as created a fresh one, consequently it is a time to spruce up the interior look at of your property by several stones or perhaps kitchen countertops. Pebble kitchen countertops give you a amazing look to your residence and boost the well worth of computer. Here is the initial time for it to run into your granitic or pebble countertops. However, you have experienced that lots of individuals are using corian kitchen countertops but additionally there is a want to learn more concerning them in more detail.




If you are actually serious to know the history of marble and also granite kitchen countertops then you must visit a lot of websites. Almost all of the internet sites supply whole information about your granitic or perhaps pebble counter tops. In addition they offer you numerous photographs along with movies to the much better comprehending along with which internet sites also provides the employment regarding corian counter tops throughout bygon period.




Right after under-going internet sites to be able to could have a definite concept concerning granites or perhaps marble counter tops. Nonetheless when you have lots of problem at heart and then inquire your pals as well as family members to possess greater ideas simply because they could have employ kitchen countertops and may reveal their own expertise with you. In addition it is possible to describe all your hesitation from your company involving countertops. Determined by your current preference you might use a lot of variance involving corian counters and in many cases it is possible to decide on marble countertop. In order to give a shiny look as well as looking for a wonderful end as well as adornment after that it is better to decide on marble counters.




The good news is which pricing of gemstone counter tops have got fallen for their recognition. It's simple to invest in these counter tops for that same price as Corian or even reliable surface area counters. Higher end custom-made counters tend to be entering the market industry enabling the costs to obtain better still pertaining to rock or designed counters. The greater custom-made countertop will be bare concrete or perhaps metal.




You’ll should do several shopping around very first to locate exactly what works finest for you plus your family’s needs. By way of example, the marble countertop would not work effectively for most bathrooms or even the kitchen together with a great deal of targeted traffic due to that obtaining scraped as well as discolored effortlessly. However it would work well for an location with out a lot consumption.




Yet there's a selection of kitchen countertops offered that will seem lovely, tend to be tough as well as as well, may improve the worth or perhaps resell of your home. Surface Encounters Chuck Russo you most likely will recover up to 74% of the cost of the countertops after the sale of your home. It would be better if the return was higher on the cost of the stone countertops, but on the other hand, it might make for a quicker sale. Another good reason would be that the buyer doesn’t have to spend money on updating the countertops and they may fall in love with the look of them.




Whenever a person perceives involving giving his / her residence an extraordinary look as well as touch, first thing will come may be the countertop. Despite the fact that you'll find models of counters obtainable in your marketplaces, however the majority prefer granitic counters due to various motives. There are several elements which are must be regarded even though generating your option on which sort of countertop to buy regarding. These types of components consist of consistency, resources used, colors, and also border treatments.



Thursday, 15 September 2011

foreclosure auctions


Invest Southwest MG000 12_09_10 by Mark Goldstein/IRC


You've no doubt seen all of them or study them. Glossy advertisements or four-color propagates in magazines and newspapers promising to teach you every one of the juicy details about successful real-estate investing. And all you need to do to learn all these real estate investing surface encounters chuck russo secrets is to pay a rather high sum for a one-or two-day seminar.




Often these types of slick real estate investing seminars claim you could make intelligent, profitable real-estate investments with zero money lower (with the exception of, of program, the hefty fee you buy the workshop). Now, how attractive is which? Make a profit from real estate investments you created using no funds. Possible? Not probably.




Successful real estate investment requires cash flow. That's the type of any type of business or perhaps investment, especially real estate investing. You put your money into a thing that you desire and plan is likely to make you more income.




Unfortunately too few newbies towards the world of real estate investing think that it's any magical form of business where standard company rules will not apply. Simply put, if you want to stay in property investing for greater than, say, a evening or 2, then you will have to generate money to make use of and make investments.




While it may be true which buying real-estate with simply no money down is easy, anyone who is even made a simple investment (such as buying their particular home) is aware there's a lot more involved in real-estate investing that will set you back money. For instance, what regarding any required repairs?




So, the number one rule people not used to real property investing must remember is to have accessible cash supplies. Before you determine to actually perform any property investing, save some funds. Having slightly money in the bank when you begin real est investing surface encounters chuck russo can help you make more profitable real estate investments in rental properties, for example.




When real-estate investing within rental attributes, you'll want every single child select only qualified tenants. If you have no income when property investing inside rental qualities, you might be pressured to take a less qualified tenant as you need somebody to cover you money so that you can take care of repairs or attorney at law fees.




For any kind of real est investing, meaning leasing properties or perhaps properties you buy to sell, having funds reserved can permit you to ask to get a higher price. You can ask for a greater price from the owning a home because you surface encounters chuck russo won't feel financially strapped as you wait for an offer. You won't be backed into a corner and forced to accept just any offer because you desperately need the money.




Another downfall of several new to real estate investing is, well, greed. Make the profit, yes, but will not become thus greedy which you ask with regard to ridiculous rental or resell rates on all of your real property investments.




Those not used to real est investing need to see real estate investing as a business, NOT a spare time activity. Don't believe that real property investing will make you abundant overnight. What enterprise does?




It will take about six months to decide if property investing set for you. If you might have decided that, hey I love this, then provide yourself a couple of years to actually start earning profits. It typically takes at minimum five years to get truly successful in property investing.




Persistence may be the key in order to success in property investing. If you've decided that real-estate investing is perfect for you, surface encounters chuck russo keep plugging away at it and the rewards will be greater than you imagined.













The manic depressive market wildly swings up and down on each new news story: The Fed is meeting at Jackson Hole on August 27 possibly to discuss QE3 (or not), and that news may pump up the stock market. But China's banks seem to be using Enron's accounting manual, Europe's banks need liquidity and are loaded with bad debt, and U.S. banks only temporarily TARPed over trouble. Gaddafi's regime in Libya appears over, but Libya's oil output may not fully recover for years. Venezuela wants banks to open their vaults and send back its gold, but Wells Fargo says gold is a bubble. Pundits say gold is a barbarous relic, but exchanges and banks are now using gold as money. The U.S. is headed for hyperinflation with skyrocketing stock prices, but on the other hand, we seem to be deflating like Japan and doomed to a deflating stock market for another decade. Whom do you trust and what should you do?



No one knows where the stock market or U.S. Treasury bonds are headed tomorrow, but in my opinion, here are some fundamentals to consider.



The Bad News Isn't Going Away



Until we have real global financial reform and restrain the banks, we won't have sustained growth. The stock market hasn't hit bottom. There's a crisis of confidence in banks and all currencies. We haven't taken effective steps to tackle the U.S. deficit through productivity. We haven't examined spending to eliminate fraud and waste, and we haven't addressed our need for more tax revenues by eliminating the Bush tax cuts (for starters).



Savers are punished by "stranguflation:" negative real returns on "safe" assets, declining housing prices, and rising costs of food, energy and health care. The Fed touts the falling cost of I-Pads, but how often do you buy one of those, and how often do you eat?



Good News (for Now)



The USD is still the world's reserve currency. Even though we devalued the USD, there has been a global flight to U.S. Treasuries pushing down our borrowing costs (yields). No one in the global financial community feels the U.S. has done its best to correct our problems, but severe problems in Europe, China's inflation, and Middle East unrest has money running to the U.S. Since we've devalued the dollar, we appear to be a bargain for foreign investors, even though they are terrified by our money printing presses and the potential for inflating commodity prices in the long run.



How did I play this? My own portfolio is currently more than 20% gold with some silver, and I bought out-of-the-money call options on the VIX when it was in the teens with maturities of 4-6 months. This is "short" stock market strategy, one could have also done well buying puts on the S&P a few months ago. In the first big stock market downdraft in August, I sold the options when the VIX hit the high 30's, and I'll buy more options again if the VIX falls again. Many investors are not comfortable with options, and this strategy isn't appropriate for everyone. The rest of my portfolio is chiefly in cash or deep value opportunities.



What Happens Next?



No one knows for sure, and anyone who tells you he or she does is selling snake oil. The situation is fluid. We tried to reflate our deflating economy. Our massive dollar devaluation may encourage investment, because it's protectionist. It reduces our cost of labor, among a few other "benefits." The problem is that the Fed has printed money, and we haven't done anything to position the U.S. for greater productivity. We're trying to inflate our way out of a problem without investing in productivity. This is a very dangerous way of attacking this problem. Even more "stimulus" would just be an attempt to inflate our way out of our long-standing deep recession. That's the foolish and unsuccessful strategy we've adopted so far. That could lead to runaway budget deficits (our deficit already looks intractable) and bring us to double-digit inflation. Even the European flight to US Treasuries may not save us from a deeper recession in that scenario.



If we don't overreact -- and we may have already overreacted -- our dollar devaluation results in our foreign trade situation first getting worse (as it has now) before it gets better. Now is the time (actually, we should have started years ago) to spend capital to increase U.S. productivity. The dollar's plunge relative to other currencies will eventually make us more competitive. This will be good for blue chip companies, in particular those that own real assets and manufacture items. The Fed and Washington may do anything, however, so one must watch the news.



What does this mean for the U.S. stock market? In my opinion, it is currently not good value and feels like the 1970s when we experienced a recession followed by inflation. One should consider staying mostly in cash and expect stocks become cheaper. One might miss an interim rally, especially if the Fed announces QE3 (more "stimulus" and money printing) or more bank bailouts, but that is like using Kleenex laced with sneezing powder. We will see stock prices even lower than they are today. The old paradigm dictated that stocks were a buy when P/E ratios were 13 or less (and many are well above that), dividends at 4%, and book values at 1.3 or less. (This excludes oil companies, which tend to trade at lower P/E ratios in general.) I believe we'll see much better deals in coming months. In 1978/79 P/E ratios sank below 7 for blue chip companies.



Should one buy U.S. Treasuries with long maturities? The long end of the bond market doesn't reward investors due to the potential of rising interest rates. If interest rates spike to double digits, then one can reassess the situation.



Long term investors should consider buying commodities or companies that own physical commodities. We're running out of key commodities especially related to agriculture and fertilizer. Washington's brand of the latter isn't the type we need.








Ashton Kutcher probably gets more pitches in Silicon Valley than Hollywood these days.


The movie actor and technology investor turned up the star power at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference this week in San Francisco, where start-up companies competed for his attention. Michael Arrington, fresh off his own Hollywood worthy drama, interviewed Kutcher on stage Tuesday.


Kutcher plays a tech investor in real life and in CBS' top-rated "Two and a Half Men" on TV. His character, Walden Schmidt, is an Internet billonaire who sold his company to Microsoft and now backs other entrepreneurs.


"There are some parallels to my actual life," Kutcher said.


On the show, Kutcher said he covered his character's laptop with stickers of his "dream portfolio" companies but CBS balked at giving exposure to companies that hadn't paid for the privilege.


Kutcher told Arrington that his investments were a "witch hunt" for the next big thing "that is so magic you can't understand how it works."


"I wonder what would happen if a pilgrim would have seen a computer back in Massachusetts 200 years ago. They would have killed the person as a witch because the computer would look like magic. That's the essence of being a good investor, they're on witch hunts," he said. "That's what I’m trying to do."


Kutcher is not your typical celebrity investor. He was a biochemical engineering major in college so he gets technology but, because he was a model at 19, he says it's nice to be appreciated for "something substantial."


On TV Kutcher is in the funny business. But in technology he's hunting for happiness. Kutcher says he picks technologies that have the greatest potential to create more love, friendship and connectivity in the world.


He has made 40 investments in companies such as AirBNB, Path and Skype but does not disclose many of them.


"I think sometimes for the early-stage companies that I've invested in, disclosing that I'm an investor can be detrimental to the story of the company," Kutcher said.


RELATED:


Ashton Kutcher: Entrepreneur, investor


Star investors (and other stars) come out


Ashton Kutcher at TechCrunch50: Blah, blah, blah


-- Jessica Guynn


Photo: Hollywood actor and Silicon Valley investor Ashton Kutcher and TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington at TechCrunch Disrupt. Credit: Araya Diaz / Getty Images