By: Jason Lee

From the standard AA battery to the relatively unknown LR44 battery, everyone everywhere should embrace all things battery operated on February 18, also known as National Battery Day.

The  “battery” can trace its routes to Benjamin Franklin who coined the term. In 1800, another inventor, Alessandro Volta created a steady current for a length of time using zinc and copper plates and brine soaked paper disks. Eventually, this primitive experiment in electricity would lead the way to the batteries we know today.

So don't be negative because Mr. Electric® has some positive reasons to celebrate National Battery Day.

Whether you have four, six or eight cylinders under the hood, chances are you only have one battery. No car or truck can run without it. So when you get in your ride on National Battery Day, take a minute to thank the true workhorse of the vehicle; the battery.

When it comes to handheld and portable electronic devices, not a single one would work if it weren’t for the battery. These devices would do little good for people on the go if they stopped working every time they were unplugged from the wall. Thankfully, batteries that drain slowly over time allow for us to be portable and still be connected to the digital world. All of this is made possible by the battery.

Battery operated drills and saws have made working at the construction site or doing home renovations a breeze. Workers can cut boards and build for hours before simply changing out the batteries. Once the workday is done, workers can charge the batteries over night and start again the next morning. With the advent of cordless tools, tripping hazards can be avoided. Blown fuses and tripped breakers are a thing of the past, all thanks to the battery.

On February 18, go out into the world with a positive attitude and change those who are negative around you by reminding them of everything the battery does on a daily basis. Who knows, doing it may give you a charge!

Recent data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) suggests that the United States is entering a sellers market, and that homeowners are, for the first time in years, starting to face fierce competition for their properties upon entering the market. According to the NAR, home prices jumped more from the fourth quarter of 2011 to the same period in 2012 than they had over any year since the onset of the Great Recession. This has been fueled by a shrinking housing market, as shoppers are less apprehensive about making a big purchase and new home construction has yet to catch up to sales volume.

Homeowners who had been considering a move should look into selling their house now while the market is in their favor. Before doing so, however, residents should do all they can to make sure that their property is in the best possible shape before putting it on the market, and should start off by looking into a Maryland electrical repair service like John C. Flood to inspect if their house is up to code. By taking these steps before a prospective buyer calls a home inspector, you will be sure that no surprises come about that may give a buyer reason to lower their offer.