Monthly Archive for October, 2008

Coffee Tables Aren’t Just for Coffee

Published
by
Rod Ernest
on October 31, 2008
in Furniture
. 0 Comments
by Rod Ernest

Coffee tables aren’t just for feet, even though they make a great place to prop them up. They give your living room or family room a sense of intimacy and coziness. For instance, in rooms that are oversized, placing coffee-tables near a couple chairs and a sofa creates a smaller seating area that makes the room more relaxed and lived in.

The coffee table is also known as an accent table. This is because it can accentuate your room’s theme. If your family room’s decor is Early American, your accent tables can display antiques from the early Colonial days. The coffee table can also hold other home decor and art that are from the Early American period. Thus, coffee tables can accentuate a room’s theme and complete it.

Coffee tables are also used as end tables in some homes. Such homes may not have the space to have a coffee table a foot or two in front of the sofa or group of chairs. Placing them as end tables is a good solution, and they can still act as accent tables. End tables are also good for the placement of reading lamps when you need a little extra light for reading or hobbies, such as knitting, quilting, or needlepoint.

It might be hard choosing a table for your room because there is such a wide offering of styles. Matching the rest of the room’s decor should be foremost; you can’t go wrong doing that. If a room has splashy and bold colors, the end table should be just as bold, in a color that matches.

If is your room softer in hues and filled with natural materials, such boldness in style and color will not do. Instead, look to a simple, lightly colored wooden coffee table to match your decor.

Aesthetics aren’t the only job of the coffee table; they can be areas used for storage or organization. Oftentimes coffee tables aren’t very high off the ground, but they usually have at least one drawer. Some coffee tables act as mini shelving units, with shelves in the middle or along the sides. If you want a bigger storage area inside your coffee tables, consider old style trunks. In these, you can store seasonal items, such as blankets.

Since the accent table is so common in American homes, the coffee table book has come into its own. Coffee tables look good with oversized pictorial books on them. Many people purchase these books to decorate their tables because the covers are truly frame-worthy. These types of books are enjoyed visually and are rarely published or purchased for an in depth read.

Last but certainly not least, coffee tables can be quite comfortable, especially to your feet. There’s nothing quite as relaxing after coming home from a stressful day as falling into your comfy chair and propping your feet up. Coffee-tables provide that much needed prop, as long as you can find a space amongst the home decor items.

In many ways, coffee tables are the unsung heroes of the home decor world. They complete the look of a room by accentuating the decor. They’re also functional because they can serve as storage units or hold a much needed reading lamp. When you carefully consider the type of accent tables you want in your living room or family room, you’ll be pleased at what all this little piece of furniture can do.

About the Author:
Many Coffee Tables to choose from. A wide variety of stylish Coffee Tables in many shapes and sizes. Coffee tables for every outdoor furniture need.See our large selection of furniture for your outdoor areas at Best Outdoor Life.com.

Review of the Omega M-5000DLX Massage Chair

Published
by
Steve Esquire
on October 31, 2008
in Furniture
. 0 Comments
by James Knolan

The M5000 DLX massage chair is made by Omega Massage. Omega is known for its striking designs, advanced technology and effective massage therapy. We will take a look at the M-5000 and rate it is five separate categories including warranty, ease of use, ergonomics, key features and massage therapy. Here is our evaluation of the M 5000 DLX from Omega Massage.

Warranty Coverage & Customer Service: We know this is the least exciting subject of our review, but in the long run, one of the more important. Massage chairs are becoming more complex with both computers and more sophisticated movements. Although quality levels are always increasing, things can sometimes just go wrong. What is the warranty coverage for the DLX? Omega provides you with five years of coverage for structure, three years for parts and labor and ninety days of in home field service. This certainly is one of the best warranties in its class. On the service side, Omega is technically competent and issues are resolved quickly. Overall, we give the DLX a 19 for its warranty coverage and customer service.

Comfort & Ergonomics: The purpose of a massage chair is to ease your aches and pains to facilitate relaxation and wellness. To accomplish this, a massage chair needs to be comfortable. Another important element to comfort is ergonomics or how well the chair is designed to fit your body and where key controls are located. The DLX comes in oxide leather which is very comfortable to the touch as well as durable. There are adjustable head and shoulder pillows to support the head and neck. All chair controls are located on the remote control. Everything can be operated from the remote, including changing the music and volume levels. The M-5000 gets an 18 in this category.

Ease of Use: The electronics being incorporated into the devices of today are simply outstanding. There are more and more features available and that is great news for consumers. The challenge, of course, is designing these devices so that one does not need a PHD to use it. We like the DLX from an ease of use perspective. It has a simple design for its remote control. There are single-touch auto massage programs. A clear LCD screen to show what the chair is doing. They also have a hidden panel for all the manual massage adjustment as well as the MP3 player controls. We rate the M-5000 an 18 for ease of use.

Key Features: Here are the two key features of the DLX. The lower body air massage system and the 3 automatic massage programs for the back. The lower body air massage utilizes airbags to massage the buttocks, thighs, calves and feet. The seat massage provides an invigorating massage of the buttocks. The foot wells of the leg rest contain reflexology nodules that gently press up into the feet to stimulate full body relaxation. We mention the 3 automatic massage programs because the actual program sequence of these massages are outstanding. The automatic massages include: neck and shoulders, full back and lower back. What is impressive is the use of many massage techniques beyond the standard kneading and tapping. There are a variety of techniques by use of fast and slow motions that are very comprehensive and very relieving. The DLX gets an 18 for key features

Massage Therapy: The M-5000 comes with an arsenal of massage treatment to soothe and relax the most demanding massage enthusiasts. There are five automatic pre-programs. This includes specialized programs for the neck and shoulders, the full back and the lower back. There are 4 manual massage techniques that include kneading, tapping, kneading/tapping combination and a finger press. You can also choose from four back courses. The back courses cover specific regions you can target. The roller width is adjustable to 3 settings and the massage intensity is adjustable to 3 levels. The lower body air massage covers your buttocks, thighs, calves and feet. The massage therapy is strong and effective. The extra pad is given for a reason-to soften the massage. This is one of the most effective massage chairs on the market. Overall, we give it an 18.

If you need deep, penetrating relief, then this is the massage chair for you. Overall, we give it 91/100 points. It comes with an excellent warranty. It is well designed to be simple and easy to use. The air massage system is very soothing for the lower body and the reflexology foot massage is fantastic. The programming of the pre-set programs are simply outstanding. These provide thorough coverage of your back and penetrate deeply to relieve sore muscles. We like the included headphones which enables you to tune out the world and just totally relax. The M-5000 DLX is massage chair that will provide you with massage treatments to meet your long term needs.

About the Author:
Discover more regarding the M-5000 DLX Massage Chair and the entire line of Omega Massage Chairs at Massage Chair Warehouse. Check out why Omega Massage Chair are so highly rated. Continue your research with largest library of massage chair reviews available.

Make Your Own Patio and Garden Furniture

Published
by
Amanda Maseko
on October 30, 2008
in Gardening
. 0 Comments
by Amanda Maseko

A good collection of garden furniture is a good addition to a beautiful garden. It is important to select the furniture that would blend well into your overall theme you have created. The importance of style, design and durability when you choose your garden furniture cannot be overemphasized. Select furniture that matches the theme you have chosen.

Picture this - by adding a bar, a fireplace and some embellishment, your backyard can be turned into a cozy looking dining room. Exercise as much care when selecting garden furniture as you would when choosing your home furniture. Indeed, the way you sue the furniture will determine the final outlook you will achieve. Perhaps a large dining area for lavish parties sounds appealing to you. Make sure you don’t overcrowd your backyard though.

Modern garden furniture is normally made from wood, and metals. These designs can be both stunning and cozy. It is important to be able to spend time to maintain it or it won’t last very long. Take comfort to know that it is built with the durability to withstand the harsh weather outdoors. Maintenance and care are still very important aspects though.

Comfort is not to be compromised when choosing your garden furniture. It depends on what you have in mind - you can choose cushioned chairs, bench seats, love-seats to rocking chairs and lounges. Place small side tables to let your guests use them to place their drinks or snacks during a conversation. Outdoor furniture comes in a splash of vivid colors and you can definitely find one that is right for you. Purchase from a collection or you can pick from pieces and mix and match.

To host any form of outdoor social gathering, you need the type of garden furniture that would suit your goals. Check out those large tables that let you entertain more people at your next outdoor dinner party. Round tables are cool for a casual feel, while oblongs make for a more formal ambiance. A bar is essential if you desire an adult entertaining space. The good news, it choices are plentiful and there will always be one that fits your needs.

About the Author:
You can visit: inexpensive vacation packages to hawaii and all vacation packages to disneyland for more information.

This article will help select the best buy on a hd lcd tv.

Published
by
jonty playshard
on October 30, 2008
in Home Improvement
. 0 Comments
by Tvinfo56

I wasted a lot of time trying to prove to myself that the best choice of products are those with a deserved current marketshare.. hd lcd tv purchase that my family was going to make was to be as painless and hassle free as possible. Precision requirements require precision products to fully encapsulate customer enjoyment compromising on either just leads to lack of satisfaction.

A hd lcd tv that evolves from a commitment to excellence and human factor testing is a requirement to purchase. Strict tolerances are placed on each and every product throughout the manufacturing process to ensure brand dominance remains. The incidence of duds or lemons after this process is extremely unlikely.

Samsung Sharp Toshiba Panasonic LG to name a few majors all design assemble market and distribute premium quality technologically innovative digital televisions. Samsung Sharp Toshiba Panasonic LG also enjoy a huge reputation for their flat screen tvs and accessories. I would hate to count the number of trial and errors that Samsung Sharp Toshiba Panasonic LG goes through to perfect their product range.

Since their release there has been a significant uptake for hd lcd tv. Standaout products deserving of applause to the manufacturers of these phenomenal models. Presentation quality design and technical innovation abound with these products.

All hd lcd tv are facilitated by separating two outer glass panes with a thin fine inner layer of liquid crystal. Image rendition is a result of electrical discharge modulation within the liquid crystal confinement wafer. Because of this adopted manufacture teechnique LCD tvs are very price competitive compared to othe offerings.

My hd lcd tv got me diving in to a high definition digital television and it has lived up to the hype. Aesthetically pleasing for the wife and a viewing pleasure for me. Darn this is a good viewing platform and I feel like a bloody fool for not buying in earlier.

Increased resolution and higher visual definition on LCD tvs are a benefit over plasma tvs. Running costs for LCD tvs are less and they will last a lot longer than other technologies as well. hd lcd tv weigh a lot less making wall hanging a better possibility and they also dont exhibit screen burn.

You should make a genuine assessment of your needs before you commit to splashing out on a significant cash outlay. Failure to abide by this golden rule will almost certainly sour your results. Who doesnt want to have the best tv around with the best suitability for most environments so there is a huge demand for the hd lcd tv.

You will definitely get the cheapest tv deals on the web at least thats what I found. Whatever you do dont go for the latest special tv direct from china for irrespective of how enticing the deal looks or you will be throwing your money away. The most common question is where do I get the best deals on discount golf equipment hugetvsale.com asiaelectronics.asia (Australian) and hugetvsale.com hd lcd tv.

About the Author:
I wasnt too certain what TV to buy until I read this free HD LCD TV guide. It elaborates on television type differences best operating environments and has a few gems on where to buy HD LCD TV cheaply. Find out how to avoid making a disastrous mistake of choosing the wrong type of TV for your intended purpose.

Organic gardening appeal to some as a hobby

Published
by
Ornella
on October 29, 2008
in Gardening
. 0 Comments
by Ornella

Especially those who have green fingers. This is a pursuit, which not many people take up, so you are one of those lucky ones, who can make things grow! Organic horticulture requires particular skills: you need to know the type of dirt, what kind of plants you can place on them, how you will take care of those plants, aside from some other considerations that you must be aware of when you are serious about it.

All this may seem confusing to a beginner but if you are an experienced hand, then these facets are already well-known to you and you could comfortably start the organic way to produce things. This method is particularly special as well as hard and it will require you to double your effort as compared with regular gardening.

The fundamental rule of organic horticulture is that synthetic tools are used only when it is necessary and not otherwise. This will include the essential components such as the fertilizers and the pesticides. Procure all that you need for your horticulture from the earth and then use them for your efforts. This would enable you to produce anything you wish, like plants, veggies or any other green you wish. Do you get the picture? To look at it from a bird’s eye view, it is like working closely with nature or as others might say, this is like being one with nature.

In case you question if there is ever such a thing, you would be surprised to know that you can make it yourself. You can actually perform composting on the waste found in your garden. Things that you would need are fallen leaves and twigs and animal manure but it would depend of the type used and other elements.

It is not recommended to use synthetic pesticides in organic gardening. But if you can’t afford to pick the worms and other insects one by one by your bare hands, then you can go to your local grocery store and ask for an organic pesticide that is available commercially. The conventional way is to keep a vigil on your garden and as soon as some insects are located, kill them. Go for organic pesticide, when things tend to go out of hand and it is no longer manageable. You can also try to bring in the animals that eat those pests. This way, you’ll have some help in picking those pests up and this also helps the other animals satisfy their hunger.

This is indeed a very heavy and time-consuming pursuit, and best done with a partner, so if you do not have the time or cannot find someone to help you out, you might as well drop the thought till you have set up the infrastructure. Organic horticulture involves a lot of labor and effort, so you need to be ready to go through the grind. To ease your tiredness when you are already into it too deep, just think that what you are doing is serving nature. This is your way of paying back what nature has bestowed on you since the day you were born.

About the Author:
You can find more information about AeroGrow podshere.

Winter Care For Your Indoor Fruit Tree

Published
by
Jim Hofman
on October 29, 2008
in Gardening
. 0 Comments
by Jim Hofman

If you own an indoor fruit tree, you’ll be interested in knowing that your tree actually requires more care in the colder months than warmer months. Although this preparatory care isn’t very time consuming, it’s important for the health and growth cycle of your tree come spring and summer. Indoor fruit trees almost always grow more slowly during the cold months, and while that’s nothing to worry about, there are a few tips that’ll help your tree grow and thrive through the winter cycle.

Watch For Pests

The old saying “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is especially appropriate for indoor fruit trees. Two common pests for these trees are vinegar flies and spider mites. While spider mites are the more destructive of the two, it’s best to keep both away from your tree.

Spider mites will cause damage to the leaves of your tree, causing them to turn yellow and sometimes deforming them. If you suspect spider mites, use a horticultural oil, sprayed directly on the leaves. A citrus based oil product is equally efficient.

Vinegar flies are fairly common around any decaying matter, especially anything fermenting. Swarms may cause some damage to your tree, so it’s best to remove any dead fallen leaves, fruit which may have split, or dead wood. Also, to prevent vinegar flies, it’s best to avoid excess watering, which causes overly moist soil.

How To Water During Winter Months

The best time to water your indoor fruit tree is when the soil is completely dry, with no moistness at all. While this sounds almost too basic, it’s worth mentioning as many people tend to over water these trees. In winter, indoor fruit trees have a somewhat slower growth cycle and may need less watering. However, there’s no universal answer - you’ll have to check soil conditions and get a feel for how much water the tree needs. Typically, every week to 10 days is sufficient, assuming proper drainage conditions.

More Tips

There are just a few other tips to help your indoor fruit tree survive and thrive during the winter. First, make sure to remove any blooms which are wilting or brown. Next, prune any dead branches or stems. Finally, do your absolute best to keep the container temperature at or above 65 degrees. Sometimes rooms get colder than you think, and soil tempertures in containers are usually 10 degrees lower than air temperatures. There’s nothing wrong with using slightly warm water to help raise the soil temperature, if necessary.

Indoor fruit trees are very easy care, and just a few common sense precautions will ensure your tree is healthy and yields a productive fruit crop. It’s as simple as monitoring the tree and treating any problems that may arise. Keeping an eye on your tree during winter months will pay off as your tree becomes lush and productive during the warm summer months.

About the Author:
With proper winter care, Indoor Fruit Trees will yield a healthy, productive crop of fruit. For more information, care tips, and recommendations, stop by our comprehensive resource center for Indoor Fruit Trees . Click here to get your own unique version of this article with free reprint rights.

Buy And Sell Your Property Online

Published
by
Alex Paterson
on October 28, 2008
in Home Improvement
. 0 Comments
by Alex Paterson

Moving to a new town and sometimes just to a new house can be exciting and terrifying at the same time. No matter how you feel about the prospect of moving; travelling to the new town in advance just to find a rent flat or house is expensive. Even if you are staying in the same town driving through neighborhoods looking for a house to rent is time consuming and frustrating. Now you can search for property to let online.

It is easy to use the internet to find property to rent. To start all you need to do is use a search engine to find ‘property to let’ websites. Some focus on specific areas but many will cover wide ranges ensuring that you will find a site that will meet your needs. Now you choose a site and start to look. Most rental property websites will have spot for you to enter in the specifics of the property you are looking for. By filling in the search criteria you will narrow down the number of rental properties you must look through. When the list of rental homes and flats appears you will be looking only at homes that are within your budget and size requirements. From this shortened list you can pick two or three that you would like to look into further.

You can search for a property to rent online no matter what your budget is. You will find large five bedroom houses and small efficiency flats. The ‘property to let’ websites have it all. You can find homes in almost any town so this is the best way to find a house to rent if you are moving overseas or just to another part of town. With fuel cost rising no one can afford to drive around looking for houses to rent. If you have a large budget or if you are just scraping by using the internet to find houses to rent will make life easier.

A very large rent house can be difficult to find using conventional methods of searching. You would have to call dozens of homeowners until you found a house to rent that would fit your needs without exceeding your budget. The same is true when you are looking for a very inexpensive flat, you would have to use up your precious time traveling around town or talking to a realtor. Luckily there is a better way available.

All you have to do is enter your budget and the size of rental house you need into the ‘property for let’ website and it will narrow the search for you.

Finding a property to let should be fun and exciting. Now that you know how to search online it really will be. No more traveling to look at houses after house that won’t work for you. Now you can find the rent house of your dreams from the comfort of your computer room.

About the Author:
Are you looking for a property in UK? Do you want a stylish home? Alex Paterson a leading Internet Marketer and a real estate agent is proving all necessary resources to buy the best property in UK. Make your house more than a shelter at property to rent .

Wood Jewelry Boxes Come in Fancy, Classy and Interesting Designs

Published
by
Dane Masters
on October 28, 2008
in Furniture
. 0 Comments
by Dane Masters

Wooden jewelry boxes are never out of fashion and now produced in various styles and designs that will not fail to interest everyone. There are also designs made exclusively for children. So if you need to give gifts, jewelry boxes made of wood may be something you could consider.

We all know someone who can’t get enough costume jewelry in her collection. She may gather up vintage jewels or modern arrangements. You know that she has draws filled with these items and she probably can’t keep everything organized. Some wood jewelry boxes are large and designed for just such a person.

The armoire style wood jewelry box is my favorite, as it can also represent a furniture item. However, I know I will never own one because I have no need for it. But I am thinking of giving my sister one because she is a typical jewelry collector. She owns heaps of these items. I chose to buy her a spacious detached jewelry box which can contain all her stuff.

I cannot get over how beautiful this piece of furniture is. It was finished in cherry stain that will complement her bedroom’s theme. It amazingly has a place for everything, hooks to hang the necklaces and slots for everything. Now that all her stuff can be properly placed, with a bit of luck she will spend less time dressing up for her appointments.

Other wood jewelry boxes are much smaller. I chose one that looks almost like a cigar humidor for my husband. This men’s jewelry holder is excellent for keeping his valuables organized and separate from mine. We used to share a space but that got old very quickly. This container is clean and masculine in design and it has interesting spaces for his watches. This was the major selling point as far as I was concerned.

My daughter will be a teenager in a few months and I believe a wood jewelry box will be a very good gift for her. This box is a musical type that has white paint finish. This lovely piece is of Victorian design and had a bright red felt lining. She enjoys playing the musical box every time she opens it.

Three of the people I loved the most have received wood jewelry boxes from me to mark special occasions in their lives. I know how much all of them loved and appreciated their gifts. You too can give these wood jewelry boxes as gifts regardless of who is in your gifts list. Definitely, there will be a box designed to suit the personality of the recipient.

About the Author:
Dane Masters is an accomplished niche website author. to learn more about Fabulous Inexpensive Photo Gifts, please visit Newborn Gift Ideas for current articles and discussions.

Organic horticulture can very well pass

Published
by
Ornella
on October 27, 2008
in Gardening
. 0 Comments
by Ornella

Especially those who have green fingers. This is a pursuit, which not many people take up, so you are one of those lucky ones, who can make things grow! Organic horticulture requires particular skills: you need to know the type of dirt, what kind of plants you can place on them, how you will take care of those plants, aside from some other considerations that you must be aware of when you are serious about it.

All this may seem puzzling to a beginner but if you are an experienced hand, then these aspects are already well-known to you and you could comfortably start the organic way to produce things. This method of gardening is harder than regular horticulture as much more drive and labor is necessary to do it this way.

The basic rule of organic gardening is that you will only use synthetic products when it is absolutely needed. This includes using horticulture components like pesticides and fertilizer. Procure all that you need for your horticulture from the earth and then use them for your efforts. This would enable you to produce anything you wish, like flowers, vegetables or any other green you wish. Hopefully you are getting what we are trying to say, and that is this is one way to work in conjunction with nature.

In case you doubt if there is ever such a thing, you would be startled to know that you can produce it yourself. You can actually perform composting on the dead plats found in your garden. Things that you would require are fallen leaves and twigs and animal muck but it would count of the type used and other factors.

Organic horticulture requires least use of chemical substance pesticides. If youre not a master of killing insects one by one, go to the local store and get yourself some organic pesticide. The traditional way to go about it is to remain alert and kill the worms and other insects, as soon as you see them. You should only turn to the organic pesticides when it becomes too much and uncontrollable - and you can no longer handle it. You can also try to bring in the animals that eat those pests. This way you do not need to clear the garden of pests, and you are also helping to feed a hungry animal.

As is evident, all these things take up a lot of time and unless you can give as much time to this hobby, or get someone who can partner the responsibilities, it is wise to drop the thought altogether till such times that you are more organized with manpower and time. Organic gardening demands a lot of labor and effort, so you must be ready to go through the grind. To ease your tiredness when you are already into it too deep, just think that what you are doing is helping nature. This is your way of giving back what nature has bestowed on you since the day you were born.

About the Author:
You can find more information about AeroGarden seed Kithere.

MyShedPlans Review - Over 12,000 Shed Plans and Woodworking Patterns

Published
by
Eugene Walker
on October 27, 2008
in Landscaping
. 0 Comments
by Eugene Walker

What do you when you’ve decided a garden bench would look perfect in your landscaping?

What do you do if you decide to build a new shed for your backyard?

If your answers are:

- Go to the garden center and buy one,
- Hire a reputable contractor
- Buy a premade shed from lumbermills

You may be right! Then again, you may be wrong! If you would like to save 50% or more on your home projects, and feel the satisfaction of doing it yourself, this is where MyShedPlans.com comes to the rescue.

MyShedPlans offers the most complete home project resource you can buy on the Internet.

It is bursting with plans for over 12,000 woodworking projects! You will find plans for birdhouses, garden furniture, sheds, full size decks, and everything in between. If it can be made out of wood, it will most likely be here. After all, 12,000 pretty well covers the gamut of whatever you might like to build! Toys are included, too. All plans are complete from start to finish, and include material lists, detailed diagrams, and explicit step by step instructions.

Many different designs for each type of project are also included. For example, there are hundreds of designs for outdoor buildings, from small sheds all the way up to a complete stable. Choose whatever type of shed or storage house is right for you. Pick from fancy ones or more utilitarian designs.

What if you do not have carpentry skills?

No worries. it brings you up to speed with professional tips and tricks used by the pros. Learn how to handle carpenter equipment, follow the right safety rules, and how to do your projects professionally so that they will look good and last.

In addition to the woodworking projects, MyShedPlans brings you valuable information for all your home projects. You will discover professional guidelines for plumbing, electrical work, foundations, plastering, building codes, wallpapering, installing fireplaces, decorating, tile, stone work, working with cement and mortar, and so much more!

With MyShedPlans, you can finally be the handyman you always wanted to be. You don’t need to feel helpless if the faucet breaks. Install improvements like new lighting with ease. Got a new puppy? Make him feel welcome with his own doghouse.

You’ll always have the ideas and plans you need for your next project.

MyShedPlans is delivered via instant downloads. The plans are printable, so that you can pick out your project on the computer, print out the plans, and have them with you when you go to get materials and then work on your project.

It really is an awesome resource. And you can have it all, in one swoop, with a single, small payment. Save time and money, and get the satisfaction and pride that comes with accomplishment at MyShedPlans.

About the Author:
Highly recommended By Eugene Walker of PlanetofRock. Don’t build your shed until you’ve seen MyShedPlans. It also offers woodworking projects. Download your free garden shed plans now