Abstract: A roofing and/or siding unit and methods are disclosed, the units being formed of an appropriately formulated flexible foamed PVC material, and having a size, overall shape, and exposed surface configuration modeled after a traditional building material unit for which the units of this invention may be substituted (for example shake shingles, or various types of roofing tiles). The units are manufactured by an injection molding process wherein one part of the mold utilized is made by taking a metal casting of the normally exposed surface of one of the traditional building units so that substantial duplicates thereof are produced by the molding process. Since the units produced are similar in size, shape and the like to the traditional type units, workers need no special training regarding their application, which in most applications requires no techniques differing from techniques utilized to apply the traditional building units after which the units of this invention are modeled.

Abstract: A segmented jump rope having handles is provided with soft, flexible sleeves overlappable with the handles and slidable to the center of the rope. The sleeves may have abutting ends, or one sleeve may be configured to mate within the adjacent end of the other. The segments of the rope are shorter than either sleeve, but the central segments may be longer and of greater diameter than the others for improved interaction with the sleeves to straighten the central arc of the rope.