Easy Ideas

Affordable and Applicable Home Improvement Tips

2009-10-05T10:26:00.001-07:00

Everyone wants to upgrade and renovate his/her house in affordable way. Budget is the major factor of consideration. If your budget does not allow you to start major renovation projects such as adding new room or changing floor or alteration in room dimensions you can also go for less expensive affordable home improvements. Minor changes may results in remarkable difference in your home. With less expensive improvement projects you can improve your home and also save money for major renovation project. There are various styles available you can chose such as Victorian, country and modern. Now day's modern style is most popular home dcor. Due to popularity modern home dcor has become expensive. But there are still some ways to upgrade your home in affordable way. You can take advantage of certain affordable home improvement tips for affordable home improvement.

Affordable Home Improvement Tips
Affordable home improvement tips allow you to upgrade your home in less expensive way. Following are some affordable home improvement tips.

Use of Inexpensive Home Decorating Items
Use of inexpensive objects to decorate your home is the most easy affordable home improvement tip. You can use inexpensive home decorating accessories to make your house look impressive. Such accessories include curtains, fancy cushions and table covers that look compatible with the pattern and main wall color. This will make your room warmer and modern. Even a good family photograph at suitable place can add character to your room.

Paint
Paint is also less expensive and easy way to give brand new look to your home. You can select any color of your choice. You can use paint on old furniture, walls and floors to give new look. You can also create different designs with paint.

Mirrors
Addition of mirror to any place can make your room look larger than its actual size. It is best for small rooms. In larger rooms you can also use mirrors. Mirrors look great above fireplaces, beds, dressers and in bathrooms. It gives instant fresh look without making complete changes in every thing. It is also a useful and affordable home improvement tip.

Fabrics
Fabric is easy to use in different ways. You can use it in lot of creative ways. It is not necessary that you must buy new fabric to use. You can even use old fabrics in your house. Normally everyone has old table cloths and scarves in their homes. You can change the look of old furniture by simply covering it with cloth. You can also make pictures by covering canvas boards with beautiful scarves or cloth. This is very cheap way to add look as compared to buying expensive show pieces from stores.

Old Furniture
Another affordable home improvement tips is simply change the setting of your old furniture and give a fresh look to your house. This can be done by simply putting same furniture in other room with different theme. You can make your furniture look different by painting it with different color or by covering it with fabrics.

Stenciling
It is also a simple home improvement tip to make your room alive. Stencils are easily available. It can easily paste on the walls. You need to paint them and remove them. It will leave a nice and clearly defined design to add character to your room. It can also used on fabrics and furniture.

Photographs
Beautifully framed photographs are also good option for adding value to your room. It is very affordable home improvement tip for those who have limited budget to renovate your room. The only cost is framing of photograph. Photographs can give pleasant effect to your room.

Working with what you already have
Utilizing all the things you already have is also an affordable home improvement tip. Most people purchased decorating items that does not match with furniture you have. To solve this issue you must try to purchase things that are compatible with other things you already have.

You can visit this site http://www.theyarelocal.com/articles/home_improvement_tips/index.php to know more home improvement tips.

Build a Homemade Windmill - DIY Wind Generators For Under $100

2009-10-05T00:56:00.001-07:00

Alternative energy options for homeowners are on the rise, just like the cost of conventional energy. You can build your own homemade windmill, also known as a wind generator and create your own free energy.

If you were to buy a commercial wind generator or solar array, it would cost you thousands of dollars. However, you can build your own wind generator for under $100 and generate over 1000 watts of power!

Homemade windmills are sprouting up all over the country and in areas with wind velocities as little as 6-8 mph. These wind generators create free electricity day and night, 365 days a year.
You can use this energy to power lights, computers, electronic equipment, pond pumps, night time lighting and for emergency power outages.

There is a ton of energy in the wind and the amazing thing is, power is proportional to the cube of speed. Meaning that if you double the speed of the wind, you actually quadruple the power output.
There are many good guides available to build your own homemade windmill, but a few of the things you want to look for are:

1. The homemade windmill plans have to be easy to read and follow.

2. The wind generator has to produce over 1000 watts of power.

3. It is possible to build the windmill for under $100 usd.

4. Not a copycat design of other wind generators.

5. Should be made from readily available materials.

6. It must be easy to build and assemble (even for us women).

7. It must be tough enough to endure heavy thunderstorms.

8. And the finished product has to look good. (Pesky neighbor approval).

If you keep these things in mind when looking for homemade windmill designs, you will not only have a better chance of completing your project successfully; you will also have a wind generator that packs a serious free energy punch.

Although wind generators do not have a huge foot print, they can have a pretty large sky print. The blades could reach nine feet or more from tip to tip and the tower reaches nearly twenty feet into the air. There are designs that reduce the blade diameter to six or seven feet and still produce the energy to make it worthwhile to build, so take your time looking for the homemade windmill best suited for your property.

Want to build your own wind powered generator? Of course you do! You can get a step by step guide at my website showing you how to build your own homemade windmill / wind generator and the greedy tax hungry government can't do a thing to stop you from enjoying FREE energy! Go to http://www.MylaMadson.com/offthegrid

Advantages Of Using A Sump Pump Cover

2009-10-04T15:25:00.001-07:00

Eighty five percent of homes in the US experience a flooded basement sooner or later - these are the estimates from home builders and insurance providers.

The sump pump was invented to handle minor basement flooding problems, and this solution came with it's own set of new problems. Questions about safety soon arouse with this machinery open and exposed. Also, small animals could get stuck in the sump pit. Unable to escape it could clog the system, as well as cause an unpleasant mess when it came time to cleanup.

These issues, of course lead to the sump pump cover being made available.

Installing a sump pump cover gives the security and peace of mind that no one can bump, step on, or otherwise damage the unit - leaving your basement unprotected. And no foreign objects will be able to enter the sump pit causing malfunction or inefficiency.

Today, more and more systems are sold with a complete line of accessories, which includes a cover. Other sources of sump pump covers are specialty home stores that sometimes carry these items sold separately from a pump unit.

Now days, it is fairly standard for sump pumps sold in the United States to include covers. If you are outside the United States, or in need of a cover for an older installation, check the specialty home stores near you.

Safety issues

Do not be tempted to leave the cover off after any routine servicing or maintenance. The system can run just fine without it, so long as it doesn't get damaged, or objects get caught in the sump pit possibly causing failure. You will probably never even know about any such damage until you need your basement sump pump the most.

One final advantage is the dust and dirt that is kept away from the workings. Keeping this dirt away helps keep the system from overheating and ensures a long service life of your sump pump system. There's really no disadvantage to using a sump pump cover. Without one, you risk premature failure when you need your sump pump the most.

Pumps-and-Filters.com presents Sump pump covers - if you don't have a cover now, you'll want one - See Sump pump covers

Pondless Waterfall - The History

2009-10-04T05:52:00.001-07:00

In the early 1990s, a rubber sheet material, manufactured by Firestone and Goodyear, became a popular construction material used in building ponds and waterfalls. One innovative entrepreneur in Chicago began pre-cutting various configurations of rubber and packaging it with a skimmer, filter, sump pump and tubing, creating a do-it-yourself kit.

It was not long before the word got out on how profitable pond construction was and even professionals were becoming "pond experts". Why not, if in one day you can dig a hole, pile dirt at one end, cover it with a rubber sheet, cover the sheet with rocks, fill it with water, drop in a sump pump, hook up a tube, and presto change-o, $6000 profit in 6 to 8 hours?

Well, the pioneers had a great thing going, but they made a fatal mistake, they started shouting "gold" and "jackpot"! Soon the rush was on. It is called competition and it came from every angle, manufacturer, supplier, retailer, wholesaler and especially installers.

As would be expected, this get-rich-quick fever turned into an epidemic, forcing up the price of pond liner kits to equal the cost of professional concrete construction. Since this craze started, proponents of liners maligned concrete construction, professing liner superiority over concrete construction. Making false statements about the integrity of reinforced concrete, they have attempted to elevate the benefits of rubber liners.

In searching for the facts about concrete ponds and waterfalls from reading the literature of the greed-driven liner pond industry, it cannot be found. You ask why? Because if the facts were known, who in their right mind would invest in a pond liner unless they were going to use it for a limited period of time.

The track record for pond liners speaks for itself:

More than 40% of all waterfalls will have serious structural damage within the first 3 years of construction.

An incredible 60% of homeowners say they are dissatisfied with the way their waterfall turned out upon completion of the project.

35% of liner ponds and waterfalls are leaking water within nine months of completion for one of several reasons.

65% of "do-it-yourselfers" say they wished they were informed of the pros and cons of liners from the beginning or that they had hired a professional.

These statistics are from the pond liner industry itself. I can confirm and attest to these numbers myself. I have built over 1,900 reinforced concrete waterfalls and ponds over the past 26 years and have ripped out and replaced scores of defective liner ponds and replaced them with concrete ones with lifetime warranties. Just prior to retiring, in August in 2007 I replaced a $276,000 liner pond and waterfall in Rancho Santa Fe, CA with reinforced 3500 psi concrete due to gopher damage! Pond liner installers provide no warranty against damage from rats, mice, ground squirrels, gophers, tree roots and sharp objects and this one refused to do anything to correct the problem.

Reinforced concrete pondless waterfalls have a lifetime warranty. Liner pondless waterfalls have only a one year warranty on labor, and a 20-30 year warranty against factory defects. But it has no warranty against damage caused by, mice, rats, gophers, tree roots, ground squirrels, sharp objects, etc.

Reinforced concrete pondless waterfalls use high-efficiency, above-ground pumps that are easy to service (3-year warranties).

The 1/3 HP pump is low profile, extremely quiet, and easily hidden with plants next to the falls, or the pumps can be placed in another part of the yard by extending the flexible PVC suction and return lines. The liner pondless waterfall uses a sump pump that is placed in the basin, and then buried with hundreds of pounds of gravel. In order to service this pump (only a 2 year warranty), all the stinky, slimy, rocks need to be first removed from the basin.

The pump in the reinforced concrete pondless waterfall produces 5,900 gallons per hour with a draw of only 350 watts (retail $430). A sump pump is supplied with the liner pondless waterfall kit (they advertise as the "premier" pump on the market ). However it produces 5,600 gal/hour (102 gal. less) at a whopping 912 watts power draw (50% more than an above-ground pump). It costs a whopping $530 more per year to operate (at $.13/kwh). The sump pump costing $600 retail, $175 more than a centrifugal pump. Many liner installers refer to it as "the best warranty in the industry" and it is only for 2 years, as compared to a centrifugal's 3 year warranty!

The rocks of a reinforced concrete pondless waterfall are all securely mortared in place (covering the concrete shell). Consequently anyone, especially kids, may climb on the rocks without them shifting, possibly causing serious injury. Rocks will move and shift in the liner pondless waterfalls and in just a few months, the unsightly liner is exposed in the falls and the perimeter of the pond.

During construction of the concrete pondless waterfall, many design liberties can be taken, such as altering the length, width or shape of the water feature as the project progresses. Unlike a liner pondless waterfall, the parameters have already been established by the manufacturer of the pond kit.

The concrete pondless waterfall can utilize the large, open basin to install an Aquafill automatic water leveling device. In addition, the basin can be made smaller because the space for water is not taken up by rocks as it is in the liner pondless waterfall basin. The only rock that exists is on top of the galvanized or plastic plank cover.

Wow! Check this out... reinforced concrete waterfalls are 1. secure & stationary; 2. permanent;3. they will last for decades; 4. Cost less to build; 5. Simple to operate; 6. Simple to clean; 7. Virtually maintenance-free; 8. Three-year pump warranty; and 9. More natural in appearance and less liability. Lemons or apples? You decide!

The liner revolution is fading fast, the truth of their limitations are coming to light and their track record is badly tarnished. Leaky liner customers are fighting back with litigation nationwide and are winning because they were not told the whole truth in the beginning.

Before wasting your hard earned money, do your research and use your own God-given common sense. Begin with the internet by searching "pond liners vs. concrete.

"A man with experience is not at the mercy of a man with an argument."

For more free information and photos go to: http://watergardenauthority.com/Pondless_Waterfalls.html Waterfall & Pond Construction Manual: Store Price $249 Now get a PDF file only $39.95 go to: watergardenauthority.com/Waterfall___Pond_Constructi.html

Douglas C. Hoover; CEO of Aquamedia Corp, Master Waterfall Builder, architect, engineer, freelance writer, author, designer & builder of well over 1,900 waterfall and ponds in CA (26 years). Author of "Waterfall and Pond Construction Manual" and developer of the "Water Feature Digital Design Library 4.0" Free downloads, no sign in- http://www.askdoughoover.com

How to Install Door Locks - San Deigo Home Tips

2009-10-03T20:02:00.001-07:00

Recent reports show that the majority of home burglaries occur due to an unlocked or faulty door. If your door is not safe and secure, you might as well just leave it open and invite the thieves in. No one wants to do that, so the next option is to fix the locks or replace them. You can do it yourself or call a NYC locksmith. If you are good at handy man tasks, it may be no problem to replace security locks.

The first issue you will find in replacing locks is choosing the best ones. There are a wide variety of security locks and styles on the market today. Most of your decision will be persuaded by the type of door you have. If you have an exterior door, you may want to consider a set of security locks. These locks would include a dead bolt. There are different types of dead locks available on the market. You can choose from one that locks internally with a lever, or you may want to go with the type that locks from the inside with a key.

After you have chosen the right type of lock, you will need to choose between a right- or left- handed style. The style is based on which side your door opens from. You will also need to consider if your door swings in or out when opening. For your locks to work efficiently, you will need to know these details. The next step after purchasing is to ensure you have proper tools. You will need basic hand tools like a hammer, screwdriver, and a chisel. You will want to start your installation by first removing the old lock or door knob. Make sure you clean up the surface of the doors and remove any caulk or grime that may be there.

Then it's time to start installing the new locks or door handles. You should first check to see if the new locks will fit inside the holes for the old. If they do not you may need to enlarge the holes with the chisel. You can mark the area with a pencil to ensure the right size. Once you have the new lock in the proper size opening, you will need to read the individual instructions for your new locks. Each type of lock will have its own exact way to be installed. Most are very simple, but some will require exact steps for proper fit. Don't worry, if it gets too complicated, you can always call your local locksmith for a little help.

Rob Hargreaves - An American Locksmith of leading locksmith company named Mr-locks. Call or contact me for all locksmith services.

The Shape of Steel Buildings is Changing

2009-10-03T10:20:00.001-07:00

Yes, the shape of steel and metal buildings is changing. Not so much in size and fundamental shape, but in more dramatic ways, such as design functionality and innovative technology , technology which makes them more user friendly ergonomic and energy efficient..

Today's metal building designs are such one might be inclined to say, that what ever the imagination can conceive in building design, can be accomplished in metal or steel buildings. These new designs are readily available from a multitude of manufacturers.

From simple outbuildings on a farm, to elaborate commercial complexes, steel and metal buildings are the new frontier of modern building construction. These new designs and manufacturing techniques are stepping up to meet and exceed the need of almost every type of building construction imaginable.

Even single family homes which were once almost exclusively built from wood construction methods have found favor in metal. With many new innovations in steel production, metal and steel beam construction is proving to be stronger and more cost effective then ever before. New home construction ideas have literally flooded the steel building industry.

With the technology to make exterior walls resemble those of more traditionally constructed homes by offering even more color choices and design configurations metal homes are ever increasing in popularity. Some companies such as Morton Buildings have their home designs listed on their website. One look at these designs will certainly convince you that the types of construction and design are almost limitless in the home metal building industry.

Because of steel's strength in span and load carrying ability, more and more open expanses in a home setting are possible. The idea that a metal home would be cold, hard and impersonal couldn't be farther from the truth. Although the overall construction is metal and beam construction, the interior fit and finish is in possibly more ways then ever before left up to the imagination of the owner. It can be done in traditional drywall, wood or any other home interior finishing materials.

Many types of metal home construction have concrete floor barriers between upper and lower floors, with traditional subflooring as well. This practice has benefits which can cut sound transfer up to 90% or more. Adding these kinds of innovations, opens up a large variety of choices in the types of heating and air-conditioning a home owner has to pick from , from in floor heating and cooling which is very efferent to more traditional forced air type systems.

Metal and steel construction for homes makes available more types of fit and finish options than conventional construction methods by their ability to be designed into the structure more efficiently then those same options might be in conventional construction.

Recently a metal home construction company took 20 people on a tour of 15 homes. The tour included homes of which half were of metal or steel construction and half were of more traditional wood construction. The homes were of comparable fit finish and size. All tours started on the interior of the home, where all participants were led in blind folded, to obscure which type of home they were in.

After touring the interior of the homes, by an overwhelming margin, those who took part found the fit and finish of the metal homes more pleasing and efficient then those of conventional construction. This is not to mention they usually commented on how sturdy the homes felt. Also, many times they were unable to tell from the inside which type of home they were touring, metal or conventional. You can find full details of this study at metalbuildings-r-us.com

At the end of this experiment, they were all questioned as to which home they would purchase if they had the option to do so. Seventeen out of 20 picked a metal home as the home of choice, especially once they found that, in most instances, the overall cost of constructing metal homes was less on a per square foot basis when compared to conventional construction.

Scott Best is a freelance Author in association with http://metalbuildings-r-us.com Scott Writes for many websites. With his unique perspective on many issues and topics Scott lends a high level of professionalism to the topics he writes about. Learn more about Scott at his site. http://scottbestarticles.com

Review of Energy Awareness Training

2009-10-03T00:54:00.001-07:00

My name is Anita and I'm a therapy junkie - or, rather, I was. Like many people, I spent much of my time looking for something that would 'fix' me. In particular, I wanted something that would cure the Irritable Bowel Syndrome that had plagued my life for over a decade, leaving me exhausted and demotivated.

As luck would have it, prior to the birth of my son, I worked as a health journalist, which meant I was able to try out, and review, a diverse range of complementary and alternative therapies over the years. Some treatments I found helpful, others less so, but none was completely effective. Some - like yoga and reiki - I stuck with, others came and went.

And then, earlier this year, a friend told me about the Energy Awareness Training offered by Stephen and Lynda Kane. The theory behind the practice is that it's possible to develop your awareness so you become able to distinguish between energy-promoting and energy-depleting choices - whether about foods and supplements, people, places or activities. These choices, of course, having a knock-on effect on every area of your life, from work and relationships to finances, home, health and happiness.

Inspired by my friend's enthusiasm - not to mention her glowing skin and bright demeanour - I decided to give it a go. After all, what did I have to lose? I signed up for the very next training session, which happened to be taking place in my home town. It seemed like a good sign...

Despite the details I had downloaded from the website, I realised that I had little idea of what to expect. As a health journalist, yoga teacher and reiki healer, I consider myself to have at least some awareness of my body's energy, but I couldn't imagine how we could learn to work with something so intangible. Would it all be hopelessly theoretical and vague?

I needn't have worried. The course was decidedly practical in nature, and the techniques taught were straight-forward, accessible, and, above all, extraordinarily empowering.

Over the weekend, we practised a series of exercises designed to increase our awareness of the energies within and around us, working initially with external aids, before graduating to more subtle 'body awareness' techniques. We learnt how to accurately discover what foods and supplements were 'right' and 'wrong' for us. And how the environment and everything in it, from material objects to directions we face and colours, affects us. We even learnt how to check out our emotional responses, bypassing our surface knee-jerk reactions to people and situations, to access the body's innate wisdom.

In particular, I was fascinated by the results of the food testing. Items I had religiously avoided for years came out as okay for me, including wheat and red wine, while many I perceived as 'good', such as bananas, tomatoes, peppers and potatoes, turned out to be affecting me detrimentally, as my experience has subsequently shown.

We were also led through several unique energy-cultivating exercises, known as 'weaves'. Reminiscent of tai chi, these sequenced movements strengthen and clear the body's chakras (energy-centres) and energy-field, retrieving lost energy and generating new awareness.

Perhaps most eye-opening, though, was the work we did with a special energy protection device called an Energy Egg. I couldn't understand how this white egg-shaped aventurine crystal could possibly work, but Stephen convincingly demonstrated how it protected against energetic stresses in the room.

All in all, the course was both enlightening and comprehensive, and, by the end of the second day, we felt we had been equipped with a complete holistic toolbox of energy techniques.

Two months on, my toolbox is in daily use and I can't imagine being without it. Best of all, though, my IBS has totally disappeared - and, as an added bonus, after years of feeling blocked, I've finally written the novel I'd always been meaning to write.

When I first looked at the Energy Awareness website, I remember one of the testimonials catching my eye. It described the training as 'life-changing' - I assumed the person was exaggerating. I don't any more. The Energy Awareness Training can change your life. I know, because it's changed mine.

2008, Anita Hall. Reprints welcomed so long as the by-line below is included and all links made live.

Anita Hall is a health journalist, yoga teacher and energy awareness practitioner. She has taken and recommends the Energy Awareness Training and the Rainbow of Happiness with the School of Energy Awareness at http://www.eat.energyawareness.org

Proper Stair Parts For a Good Stairway

2009-10-02T15:26:00.001-07:00

If you grew up in a home that has stairs you will most probably have the memory of playing in the railings of the stairs and sliding down the handrail.

This memory might not be possible if your staircase is not sturdy enough to support your weight. With this, you know that you will have to be careful in finding the right stair parts that you will use to create the proper staircase in your home.

If you have a home and it has two or more floors, then you should start considering the stair parts that you will need for your stairs. The stairs are present in your home for practical reasons. You will have to use the stairs to go to one floor to the other. For other homeowners, they use the stairs to add dcor in their home. This is also an important aspect especially if your staircase is big and visible in your home. If this is the case, then you will have to ensure that your staircase is not only safe but it should also be pleasing to the eyes of your visitors. In achieving this, you will have to ensure that you will get the right pieces that will help you get a sturdy staircase and also one that has interesting designs to match the look of your home.

The stair parts that you need are easy to find but this does not mean that you will already stop searching once you find one that you like. It is possible that you can easily find one type that you think fits your home but it will be better if you will continue searching and compare the pieces that you see in the market. If you are able to compare the stair parts, you will have a bigger chance of getting the one that you will really like. This will also be a good way to avoid future problems.

You can start thinking of the design that you like and get a professional help when it comes to constructing it. The carpenters will do their job this time but you can instruct them on the kind of outcome that you want from your own staircase.

Now, your home will only get the right staircase if you will invest on the stair parts that you will use. It would be best to start the search now and continue with it so that you can cover more types in the market and really get the kind that you can enjoy having. You should remember that the staircase is not only important because you want to play with its railings. The safety of your family will depend on it and it will also have a big impact in the look of your home.

For more information about Stair Parts feel free to visit http://www.elegantstairsandwoodfloors.com/
Eliza Maledevic Ayson writes for Jump2top.com - SEO Company

Kitchen Design For Your Home - Home Tips

2009-10-02T06:12:00.001-07:00

From Basic Barbecues To Designer Kitchens Luxurious Kitchen Granite Countertops Are The Focal Point.

Are you considering a great outdoor kitchen design for your home? If so, you aren't alone!

In fact, a growing number of homeowners are deciding to expand their outdoor living space by creating a functional yet beautiful outdoor kitchen design that allows them to spend more time in the great outdoors.

It should come as no surprise that the popularity of outdoor kitchens continues to rise. After all, installing an outdoor kitchen offers a number of benefits. Some of these benefits include...

* Providing you with more space for social gatherings or to spend time with your family

* Helping you keep your air conditioning bill down by allowing you to cook outdoors and preventing extra heat from building up inside your home

* Keeping the messes and smells involved with cooking outside, so your home can remain clean and smelling great

* Increasing the value of your home

In addition to offering all of these benefits, it is possible to create a great outdoor kitchen design without having to spend a significant amount of money.

While a luxury design could certainly cost well over $100,000 to complete, it can also cost less than $1,000 to develop a basic design. The final cost of your outdoor kitchen design will depend upon how many extras you decide to include with your project.

For example, an outdoor kitchen that contains all of the features you would find in an indoor kitchen, or one that features luxury items such as kitchen granite countertops, will be more expensive than a basic design that consists solely of a built in backyard barbeque.

When deciding on the outdoor kitchen design that is right for you, consider your short and long-term plans, as well as your budget. If your budget does not allow for more luxurious items such as kitchen granite countertops, look into other options that can be just as functional while allowing you to create a design that is well within your budget.

You also need to consider the amount of available space when planning an outdoor kitchen design. While your budget may allow for an extensive outdoor kitchen, putting one in a very small backyard may look awkward and overcrowded.

By using your outdoor space wisely and selecting a design that will complement the size of your space, as well as the style, you will be certain to create a beautiful and functional design that will bring years of entertainment to you and your family.

James Mahoney is the owner of Kitchen Designers Ideas.com. He has written many articles on kitchen design and puts out an information packed newsletter. Learn about kitchen design ideas and trends by visiting his site at http://www.KitchenDesignersIdeas.com

How to Replace your Broken Oven Element

2009-10-01T20:38:00.001-07:00

The oven element in your electric range can burn out at any time. Unfortunately it always seems to happen at the most inopportune times, such as the week before Christmas or Thanksgiving.

Most elements do give warnings before burning out. They will often have a bright spot that will be noticed by the homeowner, just prior to burning out. If your element has a bright spot replace it as soon as possible. Waiting for the element to burn out is inadvisable because the oven thermostat or other electric components can be affected.

In all aspects of this job safety must come first. Use only the manufacturers original parts, not a cheaper substitute. Only attempt this repair when you have enough time, and patience, to do it properly. Remember, you will be dealing with 240 volts - thats twice as much power as flows through your regular household circuits. Only attempt this repair with another adult present.

If you feel confident in your ability to safely replace an oven element then try the following method:

1 Disconnect range from electrical power, either by unplugging or turning off breakers. Pull range away from wall so all sides can be accessed.

2 Remove rear panel of range to expose the element wiring. Identify which element you suspect being burnt out.

3 Carefully remove the element wiring. They are usually screwed on connections. Avoid breaking the connections or stripping the screw head with your screwdriver.

4 Go to the front of the range. Locate the screws securing the element within the oven cavity. This may require a flashlight because they are usually covered in debris. Again use caution not to harm the screw heads. The screws may be very tight and will require patience to remove without harming. If the screws will not turn they will have to be drilled out using a high-speed drill. If this becomes necessary use caution not to chip the oven interior.

5 Remove the oven element. If its broken avoid touching the pieces with your bare hands. The pieces can be very sharp. Plus, the white powdered insulation contains harmful chemicals.

6 Proceed to a parts store to obtain a replacement. Make certain you have your make, model, and serial number. Manufacturers use a vast variety of elements. Each model, type, configuration, and wattage requirements will determine which element was installed in your range.

7 Install the new element and secure it with the screws. If the holes in the mounting plate dont align you will have to drill holes in the cabinet interior. Carefully drill holes in the cabinet using a high-speed drill. Use caution not to let drill slip to avoid damaging or chipping the interior liner.

8 From the rear of the range reconnect the element wiring. Dont bent the electrical connections or allow the screws to strip the threads. If the wiring is burnt the insulation must be cut back to expose undamaged wire. Cut the insulation back using a knife or wire-stripping tool.

9 With the new element installed plug the range back into the electricity. Start the oven and allow to run for five minutes. Disconnect the electricity and quickly feel the wiring insulation at the element connections. They should feel slightly warm, but not hot. A hot connection indicates a poor connection, or the possible failure of other components associated with the oven. If hot, it will be necessary to remove it and redo. Once satisfied with connections replace the rear panel and reinstall into counter.

10 Test the oven operation. All elements should go off and on as per normal.

11 Final step is to do a test run of the oven temperature. If you have an oven thermometer allow the oven to cycle off three or four times at a regular baking temperature. The thermometer should indicate same temperature at which the oven dial is set. As a confirmation bake something such as muffins or cookies as your test substance.

As the preceding has shown, replacing a burnt element is not a difficult repair. But, it is certainly one that should only be attempted by someone who is confident around electricity. If you are uncertain about your ability around high voltage, telephone an appliance repairperson for help.

An appliance repairperson can have your element replaced, tested, and operating in less than an hour. Less time than it will take you to find the part. Also, they will have all the tools and testers required to do the job quickly and safely.

Copyright 2006 Donald Grummett. All rights reserved. Need answers about repairs and maintenance of Household Appliances? With 35 years experience Donald Grummett can help. Visit http://www.mgservices.ca to learn much more invaluable information.

Life and the Little Things

2009-10-01T11:27:00.001-07:00

If you have ever read a New Age book only to walk away thinking "what the hell were they talking about" then this is for you. If you have ever tried meditation only to be drowned in your own thoughts then this is for you. If you have ever watched Oprah and been left feeling that somewhere along the line you missed the New Age boat then this is for you. Why? Because this is a not another article trying to turn you into a mini me Wayne Dwyer or a clone of Eckhart Tolle, it respects the unique divine creation you are. Repeat after me "I am enough" or put another way "I am therefore I need be nothing more." I am not here to make you do anything or to make you feel guilty you are not something more because as far as I am concerned the moment you were born 'you were greatness'. Let's talk about an authentic life where there is acceptance of our humanity, where the fact you had a not so charitable thought because someone cut you off in traffic doesn't cancel your "I am good person" card. Let's have a conversation about what it is like to walk through this world with all of its challenges as a mere mortal rather then a superhuman. Like two old friends on the back porch on a Sunday afternoon, with no where to be and no where to go, we will talk about the life and the little things.

To touch the stars you must feel the ground beneath your feet

'Before enlightenment chop wood light fire after enlightenment chop wood light fire.'

You have to deal with realities, there is no bill fairy or clean my house fairy or make my family love me fairy. No such thing, no short cuts or magic wands or New Age pills I could make something up if you want and I am sure someone out there would buy it but reality is hard to hide from. The bottom line is you cannot do anything about something you refuse to acknowledge exists in the first place. Some people think they are very clever and make up an alternative reality, but like I say "you can bury your head in the sand but eventually someone will come and kick you in the butt."

This is the interesting part most of the time the things we fear are actually not that bad it is our own insecurity and inability to deal with them which creates within us a mindset of helplessness. We have the ability to walk through life's challenges it resides in all of us and can be accessed at anytime. So why does reality scare us so much we run from our truths?

Admitting you are human appears to be a difficult thing to do in a society filled with expectations, assumptions and judgment. Standing naked in your truth or your reality can be tough but rest assured the risk far outweighs the pressure of being someone you are not or living a lie for a lifetime. What are your realities what don't you want the world to know?

Dealing with reality

So you finally said out loud "I am in debt and don't know what to do about it" or "I don't know how to have healthy relationships" what next?

Give yourself a pat on the back, it takes courage to stand in truth and you deserve to be acknowledged for yours, "well done!" Try this; sit on a chair and have a friend stand in front of you doesn't that feel a little bit intimidating doesn't your friend look way bigger than normal? Then stand up and face them how much more empowered does this make you feel? Reality is no different when you are down and out everything looks bigger than it is and when you stand up and face it suddenly it is not nearly as overpowering.

What happens next is little mind monsters try and intimidate you into sitting down. You will know them when they come by the way they use their words;

"Don't rock the boat don't make waves if you look at your reality we have to look at ours and that just isn't going to happen!"

"Why are you trying to do this just give up its too hard?"

"You don't deserve anything better I never had a good life why should you!"

It is not uncommon at this stage to let doubt and fear in, sometimes shame also creeps in and guilt 'how stupid am I' or 'if I had done something sooner I would not be in this mess.' Hindsight is a wonderful thing to have and everyone one of us at some point in our lives wishes we could go back and make different choices but that is a pointless waste of energy. Rather than beating yourself up for not being perfect pat yourself on your back for being honest about your imperfections. You may have made some choices which didn't have the result you desired but maybe you didn't have the right tools or knowledge or maybe you were a little too arrogant, think of it this way a mistake is a lesson waiting to be learnt.

When a lightning strike starts a fire which burns out a forest we look at the blackness and think "oh my how could the anything recover from this there is nothing left?" But what we don't appreciate is the fire is nature's way of clearing away the rotting undergrowth and giving the seeds that lay dormant underneath the opportunity to grow. When you face your reality no matter how bleak it may look there is always a seed of hope underneath waiting to bring new life in. Sometimes you have to face the darkness of the night to appreciate the beauty of the light.

The 'P' word

Pride the most useless of all our emotions, it is the anchor which keeps you where you are and away from that which can get you where you want to be. So someone thinks you should be able to do everything your self and you should not ask for help because it is a sign of weakness, tell them to talk to the hand because the ears are not listening. Forget New Age theory think about it logically, out there somewhere are the resources you need to build the life you want and you would rather stand in your pride than go looking for them....why in Creators name would you do that for? By all means hold onto your pride wear like a badge keep it to show company but when no one else is around and your reality stares you in your face pride is going to be a very poor companion.

Change meets with resistance

'Every action causes and equal or greater reaction.'

No man is an island, I know this society has led us to believe we are not dependant on each other but again this is rubbish. Whatever you do or say will impact someone somewhere and in some way it is the six degrees of separation you are always hearing about go rent the movie. So here's the scoop when you start to look at your realities and acknowledge them chances are good someone somewhere who has a vested interest in keeping the reality just as it is, is going to try and push you back down in your seat. This happens a lot with families living with a pink elephant in the living room, which everyone sees but pretends not to see. No one wants to deal with reality when you start talking about the pink elephant you make people uncomfortable because now they have to deal with it too! And chances are they are not ready to do that.

Important point it is not about anybodies else's truth but your own, you have to honor another's truth's even if they are a denial of the reality. Their resistance should be considered a road block which can be navigated with the knowledge you are honoring your self and the life Creator gave you by dealing with the things which may be stopping you moving forward. It is one of those "I love you but...." moments. However if the situation is one involving others you might want to travel gently through the terrain rather than going full steam ahead like a steam train, a little give and take never hurt any conversation.

Excuse me but can you help me?

We can say those words at a hardware store or a grocery store, we quite happily admit I don't know how to build a birdhouse or what aisle the canned beans are on but heaven forbid if we should utter them when it really counts when life has overcome us and we don't know what to do next.

"Excuse me can you help me please?"

Use the resources available to you and if you do not know what or where they are then ask someone who does. And if anyone brings out the little mind monsters to make you feel less for wanting more then hold onto the fact they are trying to keep you from standing because they can only feel big by looking down at you. This is not about you not being enough but about you not having enough, knowledge, skills or resources. You are always enough in Creators eyes no matter what your life circumstances, he /she simply wants you to manifest your greatness. Some people at this point might go well then if Creator is such goodness he/she wouldn't let us struggle like this, which is a fair enough question and it can be answered in a few ways. Firstly if Creator didn't believe in our greatness we would not have been given free will and the ability to make our own choices. He is someone saying "I believe in you" and is still saying it. Secondly there are human Angels among us people who can help us if we would only ask. Remember a parable which went something like this;

A man was stranded on an island for many years, one day a fishing boat sailed past "Hop in" they said. "No came the reply I am waiting for God to save me". The next week an airplane flew past and yelled "we will land and take you home". "No thanks' the man replied "I am waiting for God to save me." The next week a helicopter went by and the same thing happened. Eventually the next week God looked down and said "why are you still here?" "Because I have been waiting for you to save me" the man replied. To which God said "I sent you an airplane, a boat and a helicopter what more could you have wanted?"

I am sure it lost something in translation but you get the message Creator has not deserted you the resources are there but sometimes we are so focused on that one window of opportunity we don't see all the possibilities. Or we are so caught up with the drama we miss the boat so to speak. Having been a single parent for 14 years I can relate to stubborn pride and feelings of inadequacy, plenty of times I turned my back on help being offered and even more times I struggled on just to prove I could. But if I had known then what I know now I would have been knocking on any door I could find to access the resources I needed. It is an enlightened soul who seeks what they need and a fool who doesn't realize our greatest weakness is often our strength.

Grant me serenity

'Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.'

Some things are never going to turn out the way you want them too no matter what you give to them, there is no point denying this truth. Sometimes you have to accept people for where they are in their own growth and decide whether you honor them and you by allowing the situation to stand as it is. Always remember nothing is set in stone tomorrow is a new day and new beginnings can begin at anytime anywhere.

Here is another thing to keep in your pocket change does not have to involve monumental leaps of faith or drastic measures. Things do not have to be done yesterday and when one thing does not work there will always be another to try. Maybe you will have to take a few survival jobs along the way to your dream position and maybe those jobs will give you little lessons which will make sure when you do get the job you want you have all the knowledge you need to do it well. Stepping into the dream without building the foundation is like building a house with no nails eventually it will all come falling down. Maybe you do not need to confront your Mother with all of your grievances in a single day perhaps a little bit at a time will promote greater trust and communication. Understand some people are simply not aware of how their actions are hurting others until told we all have had moments where we have gone "I didn't know sorry."

More importantly this is a time to be gentle with yourself what this means is to talk to yourself as you would a friend going through a tough time. You would not criticize them for their mistakes you would encourage, support and urge them to keep going. When you stand in your truth and start to deal with life realities there are going to be moments of fear and doubt and you are going to need to be your own best friend. But remember once you accept where you are and who you are warts and all then from the ashes the seed of healing, hope and peace can begin to grow. There is never a better time to start than now

A ~ Accept who you are and where you are
C ~ Commit to change
T ~ take the first step

Life is going to challenge you throughout your lifetime this is the nature of being human, there are going to be ups and downs and things to overcome. As humans our greatest tool in building the life we want is our ability to learn and grow through our mistakes. All the great inventors reached their destination by trying and failing but all of them took what they learnt from each fall and used it to create a foundation of knowledge onto which they could build and this my friend is what you need to do.

Spiritual renovation what to do if your house is falling down

So you are trying to deal with life's realities and are seeking the help you need but you don't seem to be making any progress nothing appears to be changing. Well maybe you need a little spiritual renovation not the hallelujah type but an in house inspection to make sure your foundation doesn't have any cracks. When was the last time you had a spring clean of your belief system? If the answer is never this is the first place to start. Keep it simple write down all of your beliefs no matter how small or big then ask yourself two questions;

1. Does this belong to me or someone else?
2. Does this still serve my highest good or do I need to let it go?

Sometimes without realizing it we hold onto outdated beliefs given to us by our parents or things we learnt from our siblings or through our peers. At 10 maybe you were not good at math's this doesn't mean at 40 you cannot learnt to manage your finances. It is unlikely you have inherited your Uncle John's inability to do anything well more than likely you got handed down a family role which you were then expected to live up to. We grow and as we grow the usefulness of our beliefs needs to be re-examined, what served us at 20 probably will not be relevant to us at 40. Not only do we change but the world changes for example the good old days of the gold watch after 50 years of service are gone, these days after 2 years you are considered a long term employee. This does not mean throwing away all you hold dear, my belief in the greatness of the human soul will always remain with me. You have to a spring clean of your mind and soul every now and then because things change and you change and some beliefs are not going to work for you anymore.

This is also the time to update your spiritual toolbox, to seek new knowledge, new skills new ways at looking at things. Maybe in order to deal effectively with the realities of a dysfunctional family you need to find out what a healthy one is meant to look like. If you know speaking your truth will create drama then perhaps a basic conflict resolution course would be a good idea. If you lack the self confidence to look for another job work at bringing in new beliefs about what you are capable of, do a self esteem workshop. If the reality you face is so overwhelming you do not know where to start seek professional help from someone who does have the knowledge to help you build the skills you will need. I ask this question all the time the resources are out there why would you not access them if you are truly serious about creating an authentic abundant life?

Spiritually I think we all need to believe there is something or someone bigger out there. We all need to take the time to connect with our source no matter what or who we see this as being. It is difficult to hear anything in chaos or when we are anxious about life and it is almost impossible to hear our soul voice. Take a moment out from the chaos of the world to reconnect with the core truth the inner voice of soul. Take a breathe.. let it out and say out loud "in this moment everything is okay."

Another important thing to do is to bring in the lightness. When we get caught up in the seriousness of life we often lose the ability to laugh at the little things, to find joy in the small moments for some reason we do not feel we can have fun or be lighthearted. Often we feel guilty abandoning our troubles or believe serious events require serious adult behavior. Often it is a child oblivious social etiquette who brings the laughter and lightness to a situation providing a way to release anxiety and stress. Dealing with realities such a loss of any kind is a tough call and you need a way to release your feelings and what better way than to step into the lightness.

As the sun sets

Like two old friends on the back porch on a Sunday afternoon, with no where to be and no where to go, we have talked about the life and the little things. I hope this will be one of many moments we spend together, but as Richard Bach wrote;

'Never be dismayed at goodbyes because meeting again after moments or lifetimes is certain for those who are friends.'

Robin Newman Psychic/Medium
Creating futures changing lives
http://www.robinjpsychic.com or http://guidetolifeblog.com

Embrace the Idea About Learning - Shouldn't You Be Studying the Bible Regularly?

2009-09-30T04:03:00.001-07:00

Most Christians own at least one Bible, but the idea of studying it on a regular basis, is normally considered a difficult task for those to perform. If you really want to call yourself a Christian, shouldn't you at least understand, a few things in the Bible?

Maybe something about Adam and Eve, Noah's Ark, or what about that guy, what's his name, I think he died for our sins and wasn't he the son of God, what was his name... You might think I'm kidding, but very few Christians, know very little about the Bible.

How do we get Christians to embrace the idea that studying the Bible could benefit them or change their views entirely about their religion? I've always had problems with those who consider themselves practicing Christians, while trying to convert others to Christianity with a limited knowledge about the religion itself.

If you go to church every Sunday, there's a good chance that you will have to touch the holy book of scriptures, at least once. You might even pick it up and turn some of the pages while listening to the sermon. Is this the only time during the week that you will pick up the Bible? And does this bother you?

What about those who read the Bible regularly and don't take the time to interpret it literally. Read the Bible, word for word in order to get a simple understanding of each Bible verse. Don't try to read anything into it or look for hidden messages.

Wouldn't it be nice to be able to answer simple questions or understand what your church leaders are talking about? When they mention Paul or Isaiah, are you thinking about your cousin and his friend? Spend a little more time learning about your religion and you will reap the rewards that education has to offer.

There Are Plenty of Problems with the Bible and If You Need More Help, Click on This Link Understanding the Bible

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author and a inspiration to millions of people. He has been involved in religious research for almost 30 years, and his influence in the Christian community is growing. The Holy Bible, is the core to Christian beliefs and most Christians don't even question it. Was the Bible actually written by men?

His newest book," Did God Actually Say That?" Was written specifically for Christians who are interested in gaining additional knowledge about the Bible. This book provides Christians with advanced biblical knowledge, answer some tough questions and should be read by every faithful follower of Christ.

Click Here If You're a Positive Christian Person.

Tithing Education - Giving From Guilt

2009-09-29T22:50:00.001-07:00

If you're part of any organized religion and donate money on a regular basis, do you know where your money is going? Have you ever asked what they are spending the money on? Are you one of those people who feels that your pastor and church leaders know best and never even ask them, because you might feel inferior to them? Have you asked in the past and were told not to worry about it but still would like to know.

Before you give your hard earned money away, whether you're doing it out of guilt or pleasure, make sure you're supporting the right organization. You should never feel the need to donate money if you don't have it to give.

I went to a church that had funds for everything, building funds, starvation funds, church funds and even funds to fund of funds if they ran out of money. Okay I just threw that last part in their but all kidding aside, there's plenty of stuff to be done in our country, to help the starving, the poor and the needy. Why do we need to go to other countries?

I want to make a suggestion to people who can't afford to give their money away but feel guilty if they don't. In the Bible it tells you to give away 10% of your earnings to the church. The part that it doesn't tell you is what to do if you can't afford to give 10% to the church. I personally have known quite a few people who give money out of guilt and fear but will tell you that this is a requirement of their religion and its okay. God will take care of us and he always does.

I don't really believe God, the all powerful all-knowing and loving creator, wants us to suffer, if we just don't make enough money to survive. If you're planning on sending your child to a Christian private school and could only afford to send them to that school, using the money that you were going to tithe to the church, what will you do? Tithe the money to the church so that they can use it to feed hungry people in other countries or build a new church somewhere or help with your child's education.

Some of these decisions are made difficult by religious doctrine and these are the parts of organized religion that I have problems with. When do we use common sense, combined with a little education to seek the truth. Does your religion ask you to seek the truth but not to gather your information beyond their religious boundaries?

Only give what you can afford to give and feel good about it. If you don't feel good about giving your money away, don't do it. Take care of yourself, so that you can take care of others, if you choose to. Living a life of fear and guilt doesn't make sense.

Question Your Religion

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development.

Greg is currently working on a religious help library filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

My Message From God - Christian Spirituality

2009-09-29T17:35:00.001-07:00

This is a special article to me and I would like to share it with you. It seems like, every one that I have ever met, who refers to themselves as Christians, have received a special message from God.

I would like to share my message from God with every person in the world.

Why would God go out of his way to create evil people? To create people that wouldn't convert to his religion. To understand the true meaning of the one true religion. To have the ability to comprehend the truth and wisdom of Christianity.

I have been listening to Christians for years, talk about evil, the influence of the Bible on Christians, gifts from God, questioning their beliefs, lacking understanding for things that God doesn't give them or things that he takes away from them and excluding sinners from their lives.

I've been listening to Christians talk about love and caring, but excluding sinners, homosexuals and women from their church. Not allowing women to hold decision of authority or allowing them to perform certain tasks, inside of the Church.

I've been listening to Christians, quote from the Bible, with limited knowledge of the origins of that individual Bible verse, let alone the origins of their church or how Christianity was formed.

I've listened to them judge me for my beliefs and condemn others for theirs, while they are telling me about decision's they are making within their own lives, that don't support Christianity.

Just because you go to church, read the Bible or simply believe that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior, doesn't make you an educated Christian. It only makes you a Christian.

My message from God is simple. Learn more about Christianity and this will allow you to do one of two things. Either you will become a stronger Christian or you will relinquish your beliefs in Christianity.

Either way you will have learned more about Christianity and could consider yourself an educated Christian or simply an educated person.

Advanced Bible Study

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Click here if you're a Spiritual Chrsitian.

Rocking the Foundation of Christianity

2009-09-29T12:27:00.001-07:00

Whatever you build a house, you start with the foundation, if you're writing a book, it might be an outline for the table of contacts, but when were talking about Christianity, rarely do any Christians ever research the origins or how Christianity began.

Most Christians assume that Jesus was the one who started Christianity, however, he was Jewish and there is a good chance that he never even thought about starting a new religion. I know, Jesus is God and he knows everything and he knew that he was going to start Christianity. Okay, but what if.

That might not be entirely true. We don't have any proof that Jesus was actually a superior god like being. We can speculate or assume all that we want to, however there is very little evidence to support, that Jesus did anything that the writers of the New Testament, suggested he had done.

I would like to challenge most Christians, to do a little research and quite possibly start rocking the foundation of Christianity. It's much more important to understand Christianity than to call yourself a Christian. Will a little bit of research help or hurt you, as you study Christianity.

You can start by looking at the origins of the Bible, the Council of Nicaea, the Emperor Constantine, the missing years of Jesus in the early Roman Catholic Church.

To understand anything, you must understand its origins. Take some time out of your busy life, to start studying the foundation of Christianity.

Do Christians Believe Everything
You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:
Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development.

Greg is currently working on a Christian Article Library filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.
Thanks

When Do We Get to Meet God's Parents?

2009-09-29T07:16:00.001-07:00

If God is the creator of the universe, who is the creator of God? When I was born, I had a mother and a father and supposedly the two of them together had created me. One could not have created me without the other and therefore I am a product of my parents. I know who my parents are and I even know who their parents are but who is God's parents and were we made in the images of our parents or creators.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth but before that, we know very little about God. Did he have brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, grandparents and even God parents. If he did have brothers and sisters, did they create worlds like he did or she did, we don't know whether God is a man or a woman, transvestite, homosexual or a combination of all of these. We really don't know what God is, even though Michelangelo painted him on the Sistine Chapel.

In the book of revelations it mentions, Revelation 22:13 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." God says that he is the first and the last, does this mean that there was no one or no entity before him. It goes back to the chicken and the egg, what was first the chicken or the egg, no one knows. Well god knows doesn't he. I don't know why I keep referring to God as a he but bear with me on this one.

I wonder if God was disciplined as a child or even if he was a child. Maybe God was born a full grown person or even a mysterious entity in the form of a smoky cloud. That couldn't be, because God made us in his image and I'm sure that his mother and father look like us. Well, hopefully they look better than us, maybe someone like Brad Pitt or Jennifer Aniston. I hope that he wasn't an ugly person or entity. That would be discouraging.

I guess that's enough of the humor, I rarely hear anyone talk about, who created God. If God formed out of nothingness, why couldn't our earth have formed from nothingness, without God. If God did have parents, brothers and sisters, have they created other universes and what is the purpose of their creations. Are we just one big experiment, part of a big science project?

Anyone interested in using this article to make a movie, feel free to use this information at no charge, I would love to see the movie, when it's done.

Good Christian News

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If you're really seeking the kingdom of heaven, the glory of God and the true vision that Jesus had, check out some great Christian articles. These articles are designed to teach and educate Christians.

Good Christians Really Do Inspire Me

2009-09-29T02:35:00.001-07:00

One of the best Christians who I ever met, truly inspired me and everyone around him to become a better person. His son is now working at a church and his daughter is a teacher and they're not the only people who he inspired.

He inspired me to write this article, good Christians really do inspire me and others and he definitely was living his life, like Jesus did. He's the only person that I ever met, who didn't have anything bad to say about anyone, with the exception of one time. I actually heard him say that he hates that person, the person probably deserved it, but I still couldn't believe that the word came out of his mouth.

We all make mistakes, even he did, every once in a while. Whenever someone asked him about Christianity, he would try to avoid sharing his beliefs with them, unless they were persistent and then he would share all that he knew.

He never tried to convert anyone and never forced his opinions on anyone else. I asked him once," Did he actually read all of those books that he had in his library." He said that he actually did and I was shocked. He had three large library shelves that were each 4 foot wide and went almost all the way up to the ceiling, filled with books on Christianity and some on other religions.

He's the only man I ever met, that I would actually consider to be a good Christian. I don't know what it was about him, his honesty, compassion or simple kindness, but I valued his friendships and kept my ears open and my mouth shut... most of the time.

If you know someone like this in your life, I would advise you to take full advantage of their wisdom and let them inspire you to become a better Christian and if you don't believe in Christianity, these people can inspire you to become better person. A great life can be acquired, learning the wisdom from people who lead great lives.

Unbelievable Christian Bible Study Book

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Do you really know why you're a Christian, click on this way to get more information about Becoming Really Good Christians

Thanks for reading my articles

Check This Out - 1 Corinthians 14:34

2009-09-28T21:48:00.001-07:00

If you're a woman, you might not want to read this article. If you're a man who supports male chauvinistic ways, I guarantee that this is going to be an article that you won't want to miss.

I have watched women who believe in other religions, all over the world, consider men to be superior to them. I have watched men treat women as subservient and sometimes has subhuman beings, even though these women are someone's wives, sisters or daughters.

But the Holy Bible, come on I can't believe that this is the word of God. Read this and if you have to read it again, but is this really in the Bible, did God actually write this or is this something that was written by man, to make women live lives of servitude.

Here it is, read it for yourself, 1 Corinthians (TWB) 14:34 let your wives keep silent in the assemblies, for it has not been permitted for them to speak; but let them be in subjection, as the law also says. Is this what Christianity is all about or is this just part of what Christianity represents.

Are women really supposed to be quiet in the assemblies of God, in church or places of worship? Am I reading this right? Your wife's keep silent in assemblies, it doesn't say anything about men remaining silent in assemblies.

Oh yeah, for it has not been permitted for them to speak, what the heck are they talking about. Are you telling me that Christian women are not allowed to speak inside of their place of worship? Is that where these assemblies meet or are they talking about something else.

I would like to make a suggestion, too any Christians that are reading this article, this would be a great topic for discussion, at your next prayer meeting or Bible study group.

With religious text like this, you can understand why some women don't have equal rights to men. Its beliefs like these, that will eventually end up forcing large religious organizations to change or become part of our history.

Watch this Video on Women and Bible Problems

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site: If your interested in a different point of view READ THESE ARTICLES - Great Articles For Christians

Greg Vandenberge is a published author and a inspiration to millions of people. He has been involved in religious research for almost 30 years, and his influence in the Christian community is growing. The Holy Bible, is the core to Christian beliefs and most Christians don't even question it. Was the Bible actually written by men?

His newest book," Did God Actually Say That?" Was written specifically for Christians who are interested in gaining additional knowledge about the Bible.

Rethinking Today's Religions - Misleading Our Children

2009-09-28T16:37:00.001-07:00

When I was a young man, my parents told me about Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. Every Christmas, there would be presents underneath the tree from Santa Claus and on Easter I would get a basket full of candy and eggs. However, when I was 11 years old, my parents broke the devastating news to me, there was no Santa Claus or Easter Bunny.

As you can imagine, I cried for hours over the frustration and disappointment. For one, I thought that I wasn't going to get any more Christmas gifts, but my parents provided me with the needed psychological relief and told me that they were going to provide Christmas gifts for me, until I died. Even though I was upset, I was relieved and confused.

If my parents lied about this, could they have possibly lied about something else, anything else. Have you ever thought about this and is there a situation in your life today that could be an old habit that never got corrected. Some theme that your parents told you when you were a child that was a lie and they never told you the truth. Maybe they never told you the truth because they don't even know themselves that it's a lie.

Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny were obviously disappointments to me and most people that I've talked to about their experiences, with their parents and even their children. Why do we do this as parents to our children, even though we didn't like it when it was done to us. Hard to explain why we can't break certain habits and certain traditions.

I love Christmas and the joy of giving. Even though I am no longer a Christian, I enjoy going over to my relatives homes and spending Christmas or Christmas Eve with them. Now for the bad news, if you were raised to believe in Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism or any other large religious organization. Let me ask you this, do you think that it could be like Santa Claus, do you think the religion you believe in so strongly could be a story that has gotten out of control over the centuries.

I've spent a life time rethinking today's religions and can't find very many facts to prove any one religion is superior over another. Do your own research and find your own answers. Enlightenment could be as simple as gathering the right information.

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Greg is currently working on a self help library filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Could Christian Pride Get You in Trouble?

2009-09-28T11:33:00.001-07:00

There's a good chance that most of us know at least one person who seems to be very prideful. These people are often hard to deal with and can easily get their feelings hurt. When someone who has a lot of pride, gets trapped in a corner, they often come out swinging in full attack mode.

When a Christian has a lot of pride, and is faced with a problem about their religion, the opposition had better be prepared, especially if this person is large and intimidating. I'm not referring to every Christian here, I'm not even referring to every Christian with a lot of pride either, I'm referring to Christians who mix their prideful beliefs with factual evidence.

These people can often become stubborn and the more that you push or pull, the deeper they dig their heels in, until they can't even be moved in either direction. It's almost like they're feet are buried in a large concrete slab of cement.

Yes pride can get you into trouble, they key is, knowing how to get yourself out of trouble. When someone approaches you with a question about your beliefs that you don't have the answer to, simply respond with," I will have to do some research and get back with you."

Don't let your pride get in the way and create an enemy out of someone that could provide you with some useful information about other beliefs or even your own religion. Think about it, your pride can often dig holes that you might not be able to get out of.

Eliminate Bible Propaganda

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Click here if you're Interested in Christianity.

Does Anyone Have a Direct Line to God?

2009-09-18T20:15:00.001-07:00

I have heard Catholics tell me that the pope has a direct line to God. I don't really know if that's true, but if he does, or anyone else does, I would like to ask them to do me a favor.

I would like them to ask God a few questions, these questions aren't going to be difficult, and we could even make them in yes or no formats, but these answers need to be asked and only God can provide us with the answers.

The first question that I would like to ask God, would be about starvation, why are there so many starving people all over the world? Are we or are we not supposed to be fruitful and multiply? Is overpopulation creating more problems in the world today, than it might have 2000 years ago?

These questions above, could be a little difficult to answer, but they shouldn't be too difficult for someone like God. I believe that God can handle a few tough questions and if the Pope or anyone else has direct communication with God, I would like to suggest something to them, quit wasting your time on frivolous things and start asking God the serious questions, that every one is really interested in.

It doesn't make a lot of sense, to pray and worship to somebody who realistically won't answer or deliver the things that we are requiring. I realize that most religious people are told, that God only answers some prayers or that God isn't ready to answer your prayers yet.

Anyway, if gods not going to answer all of our prayers, couldn't he at least answer some of our questions.

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:
Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development. Check out one of his recommended authors, Don Miguel Ruiz

Thanks For Reading Our Articles

When Do We Get to Meet God's Parents?

2009-09-18T17:57:00.001-07:00

Anyone interested in using this article to make a movie, feel free to use this information at no charge, I would love to see the movie, when it's done.

Good Christian News

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Rocking the Foundation of Christianity

2009-09-18T16:57:00.001-07:00

You can start by looking at the origins of the Bible, the Council of Nicaea, the Emperor Constantine, the missing years of Jesus in the early Roman Catholic Church.

To understand anything, you must understand its origins. Take some time out of your busy life, to start studying the foundation of Christianity.

How To Spruce Up Your Patio - Creative Home Ideas

2009-09-08T07:04:00.001-07:00

Tired of the same boring patio? Why not give it a makeover? Here are some tips that you can use in sprucing up your patio:

Fill it up with chairs

One way of upgrading the appearance of your patio is through the addition of chairs. Choose high-quality chairs like Adirondack rocking chairs or Amish-made rocking chairs made from the finest hard wood. These chairs will provide you with the comfort and relaxation you need while staying in your patio. Also, when choosing a rocking chair, keep in mind the type of material used. Make sure that the wood used in the construction of the rocking chair is weather-resistant and sturdy. If you're not a fan of chairs, maybe you should buy a hammock instead. It is still comfortable to chill in, pleasant to look at, and inexpensive to purchase. Also, like the rocking chair, the hammock sways.

Put a cute tiny table

Where there are chairs, there are at least one table. Add a cute tiny table that is made preferably from the same type of wood material as the chairs. Matching chairs and tables will certainly add up to the flair of your patio. Choose a table that is simple yet stylish. Like the chairs, your table must be weather-resistant since it will be staying outdoors for a long time. The table is a good spot to place your cold drinks or afternoon snacks while you're enjoying a little sun outside the house. The table is certainly a good addition to your patio!

Buy an outdoor whirlpool bathtub.

Why not purchase your very own whirlpool bathtub? You will have the chance to experience the soothing sensation provided by the whirlpool effects of the water. It is recommended for people who are stressed by work or school because it relaxes the muscles and cleanses the skin. Since the tub is quite spacious, you can also enjoy it with your friends. You can catch up on the latest Hollywood gossips and the recent prime-time soap episodes while eliminating those unwanted dirt and dead cells off your bodies. Now that is relaxation!

Add some useful gadgets and pretty accessories.

Decorate your patio with some useful gadgets. Add outdoor heaters or fireplaces to add warmth in your patio during cold weathers. If you want, you can also add a mosquito-inhibitor or an insect-control unit that keeps insects and other pests away from your place. For an added personal touch, you can also put in some accessories like decorative planters, wall fountains, garden bells, and outdoor umbrellas.

Jerry Brecken is a freelance writer who is currently writing for My Rocking Chairs, a guide to selecting and buying nursery rocking chairs, and massage rocking chairs

The Right Weather For Home Exterior Painting

2009-09-08T04:18:00.001-07:00

If you have decided to paint the exterior of your home, then you have probably taken into consideration all of the basic preparations. Most people know to lay down drop cloths and to turn off certain appliances before painting. Still, there is one condition that many people skip over in their preparation: the weather. The weather on painting day can be the deciding factor in a successful paint job.

Rain should obviously be avoided during exterior home painting. Not only will rain immediately wash away your fresh paint job, but it is not safe to be outdoors (especially on a ladder) in weather conditions that could involve lightening. Outside temperature is another factor worth considering. In order for the paint to dry in the appropriate time span and for the texture to be even, painting should never be performed when it is less than 50F.

It is generally good practice to do your home exterior painting in the shade. This means you will have to paint strategically to avoid the sun. The sun can cause the paint to dry too rapidly, which leads to blisters, lap marks, and uneven texture. Ultimately, you'll end up having to paint the same area over again. You should avoid painting during windy weather conditions for the same reasons.

Before you begin home exterior painting, it is an absolute necessity to consider the weather while planning. The good news is that optimal painting weather happens to be pretty decent weather for just about any outdoor activity, which can turn this "job" into a good time.

More information on College Works Painting home improvement for your home is just a click away.

6 Plug-In Profit Advertising Methods

2009-09-08T02:56:00.001-07:00

Having a plug-in profit site gives you the opportunity to make a great deal of money. While the web site is fully automated and ready to receive traffic, it is up to you to create this traffic for your site. Here are 6 plug-in profit advertising methods to help you generate a heavy traffic flow.

1. Link exchange

Link exchanges involve you trading your link for someone else's. It is an agreement that you will put someone else's URL somewhere on your site in return for them putting your URL on their site. This creates a backlink for people to potentially be directed to your site from theirs.

2. Article writing

Article writing has become an extremely effective advertising method. Writing articles gives you the chance to write on anything you want. When writing on your niche, you can display your knowledge of the topic. Then, in the resource box you can place a link to your plug-in profit site. After submitting your articles to as many article directories as you can, you will have another backlink pointing to your site.

3. e-Book

Although it can be quite time consuming, creating an e-book can be a great way to display your expertise. What you can do is compile many of the articles you have written and put together a book. Within this book you can have certain sections pointing back to your web site or promoting specific products you sell. And the great thing about e-books is they will be on the internet forever.

4. Create a blog

A blog is essential for all internet marketers because of the possibilities it opens up. By having a blog, you have the ability to talk with prospects in an informal manner and build relationships. It also allows you to control the talk and strike up conversations based on the topics you want to talk about.

5. Post in forums

There are thousands of forums spread all across the internet and many of them are specific to a category or niche. This allows you to talk with others interested in your niche. Much like a blog, you have the ability to build relationships and gain respect and trust. In doing so, you will easily be able to direct traffic to your site.

There is a wide array of plug-in profit advertising techniques you can use for your site. The key is consistency and devoting a specific amount of time every day to advertising. In doing so, you will see your traffic volume increase drastically as well as your income.

Larry Strait invites you to visit his Home Based Business Directory for ways to start or expand your online business.

Attic Sheeting Water Damage

Remote Light Switches

2009-09-08T01:50:00.001-07:00

Remote light switches - switches which allow you to turn lights (or other appliances) off or on without having to manually toggle the switch - are getting pretty commonplace these days. From internet searches to infomercials to the shelves of your local home improvement stores, these devices are everywhere.

Wireless television remotes were first developed in the 1950's. By today's standard these mechanical devices were primitive. When you pushed a button it would hit a metal bar with an audible "click" (hence the term "clicker"). The television circuits would respond to the resultant frequency and the television would turn on, turn off, change channels, etc. Unfortunately, anything that resulted in the same frequency would have the same result as my family found out when we discovered we could manipulate the television while eating simply by the sounds of our knives and forks hitting each other or the plate (my brother was especially adept at this).

Technology improved and the number of practical applications for remote controls increased. Remote light switches typically send signals to receivers either wired to the device to be controlled itself or receivers which have been plugged into an outlet with the device then plugged into the receiver. The receiver is programmed to respond to certain remote control transmitters. When you push a button on the remote, the device responds to the transmitters as programmed. This technology is sometimes employed during remodeling of rooms and in the construction of log homes, when accessing the electrical wiring to the house directly can be difficult.

When was the last time you were in the basement and absent-mindedly turned off one light before you turned on another and you were literally feeling your way along the walls to turn on a light so you could see? Or the last time you hit your shin on something in the living room stumbling around in the dark? How about the last time you stayed out later than you planned and came home to a dark house?

Just think of how handy it would be to have remote light switches for these and all of the other applications you can think of! These devices are a must for every household!

To read more visit Remote Light Switches

Important Facts on the Electrical Wire Log Homes

2009-09-07T23:05:00.001-07:00

Electrical wiring for a new log home is always a thing that worries owners. As wood is organic it can easily get burned and so a perfect kind of electrical wiring is needed for a material like wood. The electrician performs his main task once the dry-in phase of construction is complete. The electrician should be contracted and he also should be consulted early in the construction process to approve and supervise wiring in the second floor system, roof system, and in the log wall system. All the wiring practices are to be approved by and supervised by your electrician.

In order to wire the outlet boxes many holes would be needed and so they should be drilled and this is to be done when your log erection crew is installing the logs and not later than that. The construction crew will want to mark the location of the holes when they drill these holes on the sub floor. You need to make sure the drilled holes go all the way through the sub floor. The outlet box holes are to be cut then.

A very good way to notch out an outlet box is something you should know about. That is to mark the outline of the box on the log wall, using the actual box as the pattern. Then you would need to drill a series of 1-inch to 1-1/2-inch holes within the perimeter of that outline using a butterfly bit or hole-saw bit. Cleaning the holes is to be done with a chisel. Then plunge the wiring hole to remove chips and sawdust with a stiff piece of wire. The dry in process is to see the holes being drilled and the outlet boxes being cut.

The wires need to be drilled through the rafter or rather the ridge beam when it comes to light fixtures and these wires should hang directly underneath the rafter. A block of wood is needed for rafters that run at an angle to mount to the bottom of the rafter. Even this block is to be cut at the angle of the roof pitch. This is done in order to create a bottom flat surface that is level with the house floor. At the bottom of the block is where the light should be mounted.

When it comes to the wiring for cable and phone lines as well as burglar alarms and so on you would need to consider the process of the wiring before and throughout the construction process and wiring runs coordinated with your electrician. All this wiring is normally run under the sub floor with legs branching upwards at windows or the doors, stud walls etc.

Wiring to overhead lights under a the roof system can run from under the sub floor, up through exterior door jambs and for that you would need to drill through logs above doorway, or interior stud walls, or over the top of the roof decking to the proper location, then down through drilled holes to the light fixture location.

Check out Christi Sealey's website. It will provide you with easy to understand information on building or buying your own Log Home or Log Cabin. Check it out at Your Log Home Guide. Don't make the same mistakes others have made that cost them big!

Freelance Article Writing For Magazines - How to Be a Superb Article Magazine Writer

2009-09-07T20:42:00.001-07:00

These days, more and more people are doing freelance article writing for magazines. This is good news because it gives you more opportunities to improve your craft, as well as earn extra money.

In some cases, freelance article writing for magazines even pay more than your regular job. If you want to succeed in this industry, then follow these tips below.

1) Start with what you're familiar with.

When you're just starting to do freelance article writing for magazines, it's best to begin with a title that you're familiar with.

Do you often read sports magazines or fashion magazines? When you read a particular magazine often, you're already used to the writing style and tone of the said magazine. This makes it easier for you to do a good job on that topic.

2) Use your connections.

Once you're already doing steady freelance article writing for magazines, don't be afraid to use connections. One of your co-writers or even employers could recommend you to more writing gigs, which in turn could help you create a name for yourself.

Freelance writers are usually highlighted in some magazines so writing a lot will give you more exposure (and more projects in the future).

3) Be original with your ideas.

A lot of magazines like giving their readers a different perspective. That's what your job is. Even though you're familiar with the writing style of a particular magazine, having a different point of view also gives you an edge. Magazines are always pushing forward and aiming for growth; freelance writers are usually their sources for new ideas.

Doing freelance article writing for magazines can be a profitable experience. I'm not just talking of money here, but also of career growth. You're trained to deal with different kinds of articles and situations which help you improve your writing style in the long run.

Want to easily earn a 5-figure monthly income through freelance writing jobs? Go to http://www.20daypersuasion.com/5figurewriter.htm and discover the secrets to earn massive amounts of money continuously by becoming a freelance writer.

Wet Insulation Paper

Travel Writing Course Solves Job Problem

2009-09-07T20:22:00.001-07:00

Did you know that a travel writing course is a good investment? As with any career or job, it's imperative to know what is going on in your chosen field. If you want to stay competitive, find a travel writing course that fits your schedule and sign up today.

Travel writing courses can be taken online, in class, or self taught. Find the right travel writing course for you. If you prefer to be in a classroom setting, check out your local community college, tech or trade school, adult education classes, or university. You'll find a course that suits you.

Travel Writing Course

1. AWAI. Offers The Travel Writers Life. You can learn about travel writing from the comfort of your own home.

2. Offbeat Trips. This is another travel writing course that can be done from the comfort of your own home. It's a bit more economical than AWAI's.

3. Writer's.com. Is for writers on the net. They offer a 10-week course taught by Amanda Castleman, a freelance journalist who specializes in travel.

4. Media Bistro. Offers plenty of courses to choose from on their website.

In addition to enrolling in a travel writing course, consider purchasing writing software such as WhiteSmoke. This software can help you with grammar, punctuation, and much more. If your grammar is not up to par, check out this writing software today. Read WhiteSmoke's Testimonials and decide if this software can help you improve your writing.

You can find more than just books at your local bookstore. They often have courses in travel writing. Some have three day workshops and or conferences. The best part is they carry a plethora of travel and writing books. Before you leave the store, pickup a book or two and learn all you can about travel and writing.

Remember that editors and publishers are busy people. If you submit inquiries that are full of grammatical and spelling errors, you just lost out on a potential writing opportunities. You may have an excellent style and voice, but your writing may be lacking in other areas.

If travel writing is your dream career learn as much as you can about it. Remember it's what you do with the knowledge that is important. You can take 20 different courses and still fail because you're not applying the lessons. Determination, perseverance, and a little work will take you far in travel writing. Find a course that's right for you, sign up, and watch your writing take-off.

Our website is dedicated to aspiring and experienced travel writers. You'll find inspiration, encouragement, and education on everything travel writing.

Sign up for our weekly blog recap. If you're about to travel this is a great way to keep up-to-date with the latest in travel writing. Also, check out our forum. If you have a question, login, and with a click of a button you'll have the answer to your question.

URL: http://www.Travel-Writers-Exchange.com

A Shingle Installation Tip

2009-09-07T17:34:00.001-07:00

If you're looking for shingle installation tips, you've come to the right place. But first a true story... 17 years ago, I worked for a small roofing company in Cape Coral, Florida. The boss had sold a new flat roof to a homeowner who had a leak on his lanai. The flat roof was very old and obviously needed replacement. But after one of our crews installed a new flat roof, the irritated homeowner reported that his roof still leaked in the same place.

The boss sent me out to take a look. The leak was showing up at a back corner of the flat roof, right at the base of a valley in the shingle roof. As soon as I saw it, I just knew it was a valley leak. I had seen that very same situation many times before.

Based on the location, I couldn't believe the boss hadn't sold a valley replacement along with the flat roof. I figured we would probably be stuck replacing the valley for free. But the Boss was the kind of guy who could sell ice cubes to Eskimos. He actually got the homeowner to pay for the new valley. I did the work and found that the valley metal had holes rusted all the way through it. Obviously, we had found the leak... Or so I thought. Next rain, the irate homeowner calls again. Same leak. Same place.

I went back for another look. The only other thing I see is a little dip in the shingle installation at the flat roof transition. The guys hadn't tapered out the layers of flat roofing very well. The shingle roof was only about 3:12 slope and I could see how a little dip like that could hold water and leak. So I reported to the boss that we had to redo the transition on our brand new flat roof. Since there was no way the homeowner was going to pay for that, we were going to have to eat that cost. So now both the boss and the homeowner were irate. That was until I did the work and it rained again. Same leak. Same place. They weren't just irate any more... It had turned to rage.

The official term for leaks like that is a "head-scratcher". Over the years I've become somewhat philosophical about them. I figure they exist to teach me patience... and keep me humble! Back then, though, I was more upset than the boss and the homeowner put together. In fact, I decided that if I couldn't find that dumb leak, I was going to quit roofing altogether. I went back over to the house one more time and sat down on the flat roof trying to figure out where the water was getting in. We had fixed everything it could possibly be.

That's when I noticed a nail sticking out of the shingles. It was several feet over from the top of the valley... but it was right in line with the leak. The rusty nail was the same color as the shingles and virtually impossible to see when standing up. It was also so loose I could pull it out with my fingers. It only took a few minutes to repair the nail hole... and it stopped the leak. The homeowner needed a new flat roof and valley, but it was the dang nail that caused the leak.

The lesson here is that protruding nails (or "nail-pops" as they are usually called) cause leaks. In fact, they are one of the most common shingle installation problems. They typically occur when the roofer is using a nail gun and a nail fails to seat all the way. Over a period of time, the protruding nail pokes right through the shingle above it, eventually causing a leak.

To prevent it, make a habit of glancing at the nails you just installed. Keep a hammer handy and smack down any that are sticking up. Also, take a look at the roof about a month after the shingles are laid. That will give time for the shingles to lay nice and flat. From the ground it's easy to see any shingles that are sticking up a little. Those are nail-pops. Just pop the shingle loose first thing in the morning when the shingles are cool and pound the protruding nails down.

Of course there's a lot more "shingle installation" information you need to know. To make the job easier and help you avoid big mistakes, go to: http://www.roofingsecrets.com

John C Bishop is the author of "Roofing Secrets: How to Avoid Leaks and Save Thousands of Dollars!"

Remodeling In Carlsbad

2009-09-07T14:51:00.001-07:00

What you are thinking about remodeling your house and you live in Carlsbad. Let me give you some advice about some local contractors and some of the people involved. I used a company called Service Magic to find a local heating and air conditioning contractor. All I had to do was go on the internet , type in some information about my self and what I wanted to have done to my home. This didn't seem that bad of a idea at the time. But look what I found out.

I went to their web site, filled in my information and with in minutes I had received the names of at least 4 contractors. Wow this is neat. I didn't even get to start calling any of them when my phone rang. It was one of the contractors secretaries. She introduced herself and asked what would be a good time for someone to come out to look at the work I wanted done.

I was surprised at the speed things were taking place but in a way glad that I had a reputable contractor from one of the largest construction referral services on the internet. I told her 10:00 would be fine. I got a call shortly after that from one of the other companies. He wanted to meet me that mourning at 8:00 if it was Ok with me. I told him of course, let's do this. Then the next one called and I thought great you can come at 1:00. Well you guessed it the next one was coming over at 2:30.

The first contractor showed up as scheduled at 8:00. We talked about what I wanted done and he whips out his note book and starts figuring out a price. This took place around 15 minutes into the meeting. This guys good I thought. Being a General Contractor in Carlsbad myself, for a job like this I would go back to my office and figure out a price and then double check my figures for a accurate estimate. It took this guy less than 5 minutes to create a proposal of around 10,700 dollars for every thing.

Well I was thinking to myself, the job should be around 7,000 dollars but what do I know about construction. I informed him that I would think about it and that I was going to meet with a couple of other contractors that day. He ask me who the other contractors were. I proceeded to tell him that I probably shouldn't tell him who they were. Well your not going to believe this. He put on his physic hat and told me who was coming over. The only thing he didn't know was what time they where coming over.

Oh I forgot to mention before he left he told me he would knock ten percent off the job if I signed the contract right now. I pretended like I was excited just to see his reaction. He looked at me like he had won the gold metal in sales. I told him thanks but I bet your new offer with the ten percent discount will be good for the next few day. Right I asked. He wasn't looking that excited any more as he replied with a Yes it will be good for a while. I thanked him and he went on his way.

My 10:00 never showed but his secretary gave me the old, " He had to go do a emergency job and could he reschedule tomorrow at the same time. I said that would be fine. As a contractor myself I have always put the work I had to do first and foremost.

About 12:30 I get a call from my next heating and air conditioning contractor. He is running late but will be there at 1:30. I appreciate the call and I will see you then. The only problem now is that I have another contractor coming at 2:30. That give the next contractor less than one hour before the next guy shows up. I never liked going over to someone's house and running into another remodeling contractor.

The next contractor was very informative and knew his stuff. I listened and learned. He told me he was going to have to go back to his office and would have a price back in the mourning. Great I told him as I hurried him out the door.

The last contractor of the day shows up and wants to know whose been over to the house, was it these guys or those guys. I told him I wasn't going to tell him who was over. Now this guy was a salesman. He did a little more probing before he let me in on the fact that his company doesn't do complete home installations. He made up some story that his company only replaces the forced air units. I could tell he didn't want to do the job once he found out I knew what I was talking about. So I said my good byes to Mr. Salesman.

The bad part about him was latter on that week his company sent us some mailers. The kind that doesn't have your name on it and everyone in the neighborhood get's one. I couldn't believe my eyes when I started to read this letter. It said we would be glad to give you an estimate on all your heating and air conditioning needs or services. " We Do Complete Installs". I told my wife we could have used this a few weeks ago. Then I recognized the name of the company and now knew that the salesman had lied to me for sure.

That night I started to think about what was going on here it seemed like I was being set up. Everyone knew what was going on but me. It seemed clear to me that these people knew each other.

Well as time went on we ended up hiring the first guy that came over. He seemed to have the best product at the most reasonable price. His company also did a great job. Keep one thing in mind here out of five contractors that I gave the opportunity to bid the job. Only three showed up and from them I only got two bids. Why didn't I get more bids? Quite frankly I was to busy working at the time and of course the other two guys were always going to show up and that kind of strung me along. My mistake.

Here's the kicker to all of this. Service Magic calls me up one day to tell me they would like to start sending me construction leads as a General Contractor.

I listened to what they had to say and was almost ready to sign up with them again. That's right, I was signed up with them when they first started until they changed the rules on me. The salesman that originally contacted me said if I paid them the 100 dollar sign up fee they would let me pick what jobs I wanted to do. That lasted about 5 months before I noticed that they were not sending me siding referrals to pick from. I called them up only to talk to someone who didn't understand the State Of California Contractors Licensing Board.

Well I wasn't about to reinvent the wheel. I simply told them that I should a least get my money back, right. They said they would look into it further as I never heard from them again about my 100 dollars. Well things have changed at Service Magic since I was with them when they started.
As a home owner you don't think you are paying Service Magic because all you do is fill out a simple form giving some information about yourself.

I found out that Service Magic sent all four of these contractors my original information. Each contractor then had to pay 55 dollars each to Service Magic for a total of 220 dollars. All I have to say is how are they getting away with charging this much money for sending a out a simple referral to these contractors.

The contractor unfortunately passes this expense on to his customers. You as the home owners end up paying these fees as a cost of doing business with them. Some contractors think this is a great way of doing business but you might think differently in the future if you start paying over 100 dollars for a simple construction referral.

Greg Vanden Berge has been in the home building and remodeling business for over 30 years. With this knowledge he has created a few websites that provide useful information for home owners as well as contractors. His main goal is to educate professionals in the home related businesses, dealing with problems that can easily be avoided with just a little bit of information

His website http://gregvan.com provides all kinds of answers to remodeling and new house building issues that could create major damage as well as possible damage to your pocket book

Visit us now for Home Improvement Tips

Article Writing Tips - If You're Going to Incite a Riot You Better Have Crowd Control

2009-09-07T14:19:00.001-07:00

If you're going to incite a riot with your article writing, you better have crowd control. Okay, I know you're probably scratching your head right now wondering just what the heck I'm talking about. Well, don't worry. By the time you're done reading this article, provided that I haven't incited a riot with it, you'll know just what I'm talking about.

There is nothing worse than an article that just sits there and does nothing. You know the kind I'm talking about. You read it and you just want to go to sleep. Sure, the facts are all there but they're presented in such a bland and boring way that it's just impossible to care. Those articles usually end up being abandoned after the first paragraph. I'd rather cut off my right arm than to write like that.

So every once in a while, I write an article that's just a little controversial...Okay, a lot controversial. And the result is that I usually get people a little worked up. Okay, a lot worked up. And what happens is the riots begin. I start getting comments like, "Are you out of your mind?" Well, if you're going to write like that, you better have crowd control. Okay, what do I mean by crowd control?

Essentially, I'm talking about having the facts to back up your article. If somebody is going to attack you for having some outlandish ideas, you better be able to defend them with some cold hard facts and not just a "Because I said so" answer. Those aren't going to wash and then you're going to lose the respect of your readers.

Being controversial and crazy is fine, but you have to do it within bounds. If I were to write an article claiming that the sun actually revolved around the Earth, I'd better have something solid to back that claim up with. If not, not only will I incur the wrath of those reading, I'll also look like a fool in the process. Oh, by the way, the sun DOES revolve around the Earth. Just kidding.

Point is, if you're going to write something to incite a riot, make sure you can handle the backlash that's going to come your way.

To YOUR Success,
Steven Wagenheim

Want to write articles that get people's attention and can earn you up to $200 per article written? Then check out my Complete Article Writing And Marketing Guide that you can find at http://www.honestincomeprogram.com/tcawamg.html - This is my own book that I wrote from over 30 years of writing experience.

Plant Attaches To Stucco

Types and Uses of Wall Mount Brackets

2009-09-07T12:11:00.001-07:00

Wall mounting brackets are a popular and commonly used device in homes, offices and public places like hospitals, and railway stations. These devices are used in mounting various electronic devices that need wall mounting or hanging for a proper display. The most popular and maximum use of mount brackets are in mounting LCD and Plasma Televisions.

Mounting Brackets Type

There are different types of mounting brackets depending upon their use and application. There are three main types of mount brackets available in market these days to mount LCD TVs, Plasma TVs and Larger display screens. They are:

Normal Mount Brackets - These are most popular and widely used mount brackets. They help us in placing LCD and Plasma TVs horizontally to the visiting level. Normal mount brackets are popular in home use, where people want to mount their Plasma or LCD TV to the wall, for a better viewing experience.

Tilt Mount Brackets - Tilt mount brackets are for places where people prefer viewing television in tilted position. They are mostly used at public places where the display devices are mounted on a height. They are even prone to theft and damage due to excess public interference.

Hanging Brackets - Hanging brackets are a different subtype of tilt mount brackets. The only difference is that they are mounted in ceiling, whereas other brackets are mounted on the wall.

Choosing a Mount Bracket for Your Need

Choosing a bracket for your LCD or Plasma TV is a crucial task. Because you need to match the perfect bracket specially designed and made for your brand and model. Any other bracket that is made for some other brand or model will not suit with your LCD or Plasma TV. You will need to select a mount bracket that is appropriate for your desired display position. You can easily get one matching to your needs from the stores dealing in mount brackets for LCD and Plasma TVs.

While buying mount brackets, you need to keep this fact in your mind that, they are going to hold your precious LCD or Plasma TV. Therefore, going behind a cheap mount bracket is not a good idea. Its betters, if you go for a trusted brand and dealer with maximum guarantee of your precious electronic devices.

Welcome to Mount Right - Plasma/LCD Bracket Type Plasma/LCD Screen Size Plasma/LCD Major Brand Video Cables & Leads Best Sellers 50% OFF SUPER SALE e-commerce, open source, shop, online shopping. For more information please visit: - http://www.mountright.com/

What Is Medium Density Fiberboard

2009-09-07T09:29:00.001-07:00

Medium density fiberboard, also known as MDF, is type of wood that is similar to particleboard. It is made out of wood waste fibers glued together with resin, heat, and pressure. Medium density fiberboard can be used for a variety of projects because of its characteristic it is smooth and uniform consistency. It also will not warp which makes it an ideal choice for cabinetry and molding projects. The MDF is often used in place of plank wood, particleboard or high density fiberboard because when sawed it produces a fine even edge. Because of how smooth the surface is, it takes well to painting and only needs a primer and two coats of paint to have an attractive finish unlike some other wood products that may require more sanding and additional coats of paint. Because it does not warp, it is also used quite a bit in bathrooms for cabinets or in other high humidity applications.

Home builders, cabinet makers and carpenters use medium density fiberboard for furniture, shelving, flooring, molding and doors. The wood is very versatile and can be used for a number of applications. It is used often for doors because it insulates sound and heat very well. Taken in conjunction with its smooth surface and ability to take paint well, it is an ideal material for doors. The wood is also very flexible in the type of treatments that it can take such as nailing, gluing, screwing or stapling. The only drawback to medium density fiberboard is the resin that is used to strengthen the wood. This resin contains formaldehyde so care should be taken when cutting it to reduce the amount of dust that is airborne. Try to reduce exposure to MDF whenever possible.

When medium density fiberboard is used for cabinets and other wood working projects, it is very often covered in a veneer or laminate of real wood to disguise the MDF, especially along edges that may be visible. MDF is also a great wood to use for those who are environmentally conscious. Because it is made from scraps and other waste products it is friendlier to the environment. Instead of these items going to a land fill they are recycled.

Find out all of the numerous MDF or medium density fiberboard uses. Our article and link resources can help you now.

Article Writing - Positive Author Questions To Ask Yourself

2009-09-07T07:59:00.001-07:00

Article writing can be such an intimate act as you're always sharing a piece of yourself with the world. It's so easy for your mind to derail as you wander from paragraph to paragraph that I wanted to give you a list of positive questions you can ask yourself to keep your mind upbeat and focused on the task at hand.

(Read the list of questions slowly and do your best to internalize the questions so that your mind can respond with answers that are real for you...)

Ask Yourself:

How come I am always able to get into a state of flow so easily?

Why is it that my writing always communicates exactly what I wanted to say?

What can I share with others that will really add value to their life or business?

How can I crank out a top notch article in half the time it would take anyone else?

Why do my readers love me?

How come I always get so much positive feedback after I've written a new article?

What am I thankful for as Im writing today?

Isnt it awesome that Ive been so blessed to have the education or experience that allows me to write with confidence?

Whos life will change for the better because of my articles?

How come I can always live in the moment? Why is it always been easy for me to live in the now rather than worrying about the past or the future?

What was it like the last time I entered a perfect state of being able to write at my best?

Why is it that I always feel like Im truly living my lifes purpose when Im writing?

How can I challenge my readers to make positive changes in their life?

Why is it that Im paid so well to write articles? How come I make so much money and get so much free traffic from my articles every time I write them?

Why is it that writing articles comes so easily for me?

How can I crank up the volume to enhance the impact my articles can have?

"No question asked, goes unanswered." Chris Knight

About The Author:

Christopher M. Knight invites you to submit your best quality original articles for massive exposure to the high-traffic http://EzineArticles.com/ expert author community. When you submit your articles to EzineArticles.com, your articles will be picked up by ezine publishers who will reprint your articles with your content and links intact giving you traffic surges to help you increase your sales. To submit your article, setup a membership account today: http://EzineArticles.com/submit/

Water Damaged Wood Floor

Avoiding the Health Risks of Anger

2009-09-07T06:52:00.001-07:00

Well, you should have thought about that first!

The womans voice was loud, too loud for the restaurant. We were trying to enjoy a relaxing meal when the argument erupted a few tables over- a couple in open disagreement.

I didnt want to think about it, he shouted at her.
By now my meal was loosing its flavor, disrupted by the unpleasant outbursts projected from across the room.

Its called anger. We all know it. Weve all experienced it. For some of us it happens rarely. Others dip into its dark shadows daily. But did you know that anger isnt just emotionally damaging?

Its true. Anger can do more than upset us emotionally. Anger can have deleterious effects on our physical bodies. It can actually produce heart disease and keep us from having a healthy heart.

Sound far-fetched? It shouldnt. Medical science has known about the harmful effects of anger for hundreds of years, but only lately have physicians been recommending people address their anger.

Dr. Kirk Laman, a board certified cardiologist, with a special interest in heart disease prevention suggests that we look at anger just as we look at other risk factors for heart disease.

Anger is a powerful emotion. If left unchecked it can actually cause a heart attack, said Dr. Laman. All of us are aware of the traditional risk factors for heart disease- smoking, high cholesterol, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Yet, recently the American Heart Association has recognized that emotional issues can also place us at risk for developing heart problems.

Numerous medical studies have cited anger as a cause of heart trouble. In the medical journal, Circulation (October 1995) anger was shown to precede and actually trigger a heart attack.

In the article they studied 1623 men and women, evaluating the amount and timing of anger in the peoples lives. These researchers were able to find a direct relationship between having anger and developing a heart attack.

In another study on anger (Circulation, May 2000), 12,986 people who carried more anger were twice as likely to have a heart attack, die, or need angioplasty or bypass surgery when compared to people who were less angry.

Indeed, anger isnt just an emotional issue. It truly can be harmful to our health.

What can we do about anger? Well, the first thing is to become more aware of when we are having anger. We can do this by becoming more aware of our hearts in general. We can also begin thinking more about stress reduction.

One useful thing to do is to set aside 20 minutes each evening for reflection. Journaling can also be helpful. Reflect how your heart felt throughout your day. Were you upset, frustrated? Just by spending time reflecting, you can begin to conquer the harmful feelings that over take your heart.

If youre someone who is angry a great deal seek professional help. Find a psychotherapist or counselor and begin developing the skills needed for creating a more healthy heart.

Anger is a risk, but you can avoid suffering from debilitating heart disease.

Kirk Laman, D.O., F.A.C.C. is a cardiologist, author, and public speaker. His unique message, How Heart Centered Living is the Key to Health and Well Being captivates and motivates audiences to improve their lives.

Dr. Kirk Laman is a board certified cardiologist with a special interest in preventative cardiology. Dr. Laman has written for the Detroit News, Medical Economics, as well as Lansings, Healthy and Fit magazine. He has been interviewed on ABC, NBC, and PBS television in Michigan. His book, How to Heal Your Broken Heart- A Cardiologists Secrets for Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Health: http://www.drlaman.com/book.html published by Advantage Press. In the book Dr. Kirk Laman offers readers a simple and easy way to begin the process of healing the psychological and emotions issues that trouble their hearts.

Dr. Laman is also an avid public speaker. He brings his twenty years of practical experience as a cardiologist and healer/pastor to the table as he offers useful lessons in heart felt living. Developing a deep connection with others in one of the key skills for success.

Book Review - The Highly Sensitive Person's Survival Guide

2009-09-07T04:15:00.001-07:00

The Highly Sensitive Person's Survival Guide: Essential Skills for Living Well in an Overstimulating World

By Ted Zeff, Ph. D.

Get ready for many suggestions and alternatives to life as usual when you read this book! Liberally sprinkled with real-life examples, you get to see how other HSPs like you have adjusted factors in their lives to suit them.

So many suggestions makes this a valuable book and somewhat overwhelming at the same time. Even with the author's own words encouraging you to take it slow and adopt a few things at a time, it holds the possibility of stopping a HSP in their tracks. You might want to read this one slowly, working on chapters with their suggestions one at a time.

What's very valuable about Zeff's perspective is his no-nonsense look at what really has to happen to be a happy HSP. He deals directly with the inner journey that is so important to reshaping life. He asks you to get clear on your goals, whether living the way you are now is either helping or harming you, how the impact of low self-esteem and not loving yourself affects you and how to constructively look at your beliefs to change your habits. He even gives a healthy six-month time frame to cement a new habit -- the longest I've ever heard quoted.

Valuable topics include:

Coping with time pressure
Calming your senses
Finding agreeable foods
Sensible exercise (at about 50% of your capacity, which is great for those of us who hate sweating)
Getting external support while you are changing habits
Thinking ahead to prepare in advance
Learning to be more in control and other attitude adjustments
The importance of routine and pacing your activity
Nurturing your sensitive soul
Finding health practitioners and healers

While highly instructive, Zeff's writing 'can be somewhat annoying. He is very repetitive in his points. For example, food choices, television and yoga seem to come up in every chapter. Additionally, his choice of words can appear somewhat judgmental in how he labels society and cultural norms. Still, I find some assurance in this as I know it was written by someone who is highly sensitive.

You may have heard or read some of this advice before cracking the cover of this volume. It is still good reading because perhaps for the first time, you are getting from someone who shares your sensitivity. That slight twist of perspective shows you how to take what the rest of the world does and modify it for your own peace of mind and body. That's a valuable skill to hone!

Then, there are areas included here that you might never have considered as alternatives otherwise, like Ayurveda. Exploring these choices can lead you in new directions and benefit you at the same time.

With each chapter ending with lists that recap the valuable points, you can easily morph this book into a refresher guide that keeps you in tune with your own nature. Read a list each day and you will keep valuable choices on the top of your mind. How much easier could it be to tune up your life?

Sarah Dolliver is the Founder of InnerVantage, the online community for inner-directed individuals (those who focus inward to restore). Her vision is to remove the stigma from being introverted or highly sensitive (HSP) to allow these individuals to lead rewarding lives that bring distinct contributions to the world. She educates, inspires and empowers them to use their gifts, talents and strengths as the basis from which they approach life.

Subscribe to the Awakening Your InnerVantage newsletter or get other free resources at http://www.InnerVantage.com

Sarah holds a Bachelor of Science in Management (Bentley College, Waltham, MA) and is a graduate of Coach U and The Graduate School of Coaching from CoachVille.

Article Writing Your Fast Track to Success

2009-09-07T01:43:00.001-07:00

Have you ever wondered what separates the big name guru's from the average small marketer? It's obvious, if you think about it. The big marketers all write. Whether it's articles or eBooks, they all take advantage of the power of the written word.

They know that authors are automatically considered authorities. The average person thinks whatever they read is true. The person writing it must be an expert. Listen to what Joe Vitale has to say about it. "The author is the author-ity." Pretty strong words from "Mr. Fire."

They also know that writing is extremely prestigious. Writing is the fast-track to fame. Our society places a high value on writers. Think about those two facts. While most marketers are trying to promote products and services, the savvy marketers are promoting themselves, through writing.
In their quest to stand head and shoulders above their competitors, they write. It just makes sense.
If given a choice between handing their hard earned dollars to an anonymous marketer or spending it with a recognized authority, the authority will grab the sale nine times out of ten.

So how can you get on the fast-track to fame and fortune? Start writing informative articles. It's the easiest way to get your feet wet and to start branding yourself as an expert. As your ability increases and your name starts becoming recognizable, try some more ambitious projects. Write a series of email lessons. Get started on your first free eBook.

Don't wait for everything to be perfect. Start writing and correct course as you go. You're not trying to be the next Shakespeare. If you are serious about your business and want to stand out from the competition, start writing today. It's your shortcut to fame and fortune.

John Colanzi wrote this article. If you liked it, there's more where that came from! Visit: http://www.johncolanzi.com to read more, and get your info. packed 506 page email marketing manual valued at $49.95!

Lower Basement Wall Staining

How to Goal Set and Track Your Progress

2009-09-07T01:37:00.001-07:00

Goal setting is the most important thing. If you don't have any goals in life you must be pretty bored. Some people sit around everyday and say they are content with going back and forth to work to the same job every single day, year after year. You see nothing happen and you can always guess where they will be because they never do anything out of their routine. You might be one of these people.

Setting goals helps you grow. It makes you feel good to set goals and work toward making them happen. Goal setting is healthy for your body and healthy for your mind. One of the things to consider when it comes to setting goals is that you do not want to sit around and talk about the goals you have. This will do you nothing but be discouraging.

When you set goals they have to be realistic and reachable or you will be discouraged. Always set goals that you really can reach and you see a way to meet them. It is important to write down the steps it will take to accomplish the goal. Decide how long it will take you to accomplish each task. This might be in days or weeks. Once you do this you will need to set a date that you will begin working toward the goal. Then you can set the project up on a calendar and write down where you should be with each task.

As you begin a project or a completion of a goal you must track the progress. As you meet certain milestones you need to treat yourself to something special because you are one step closer to doing something you feel is important. If you are running behind you might need to pick it up a step or extend out the deadline. Be sure that you are only running behind because you underestimated and you are really working according to task.

Goal setting is very important. When you set goals and lay them out with time frames and milestones you will be more motivated to complete them. As you reach certain milestones you will be motivated more than ever to reach the end of the project. This is a very positive way to work on projects especially if you have a hard time completing them.

Scott Wells invites you to read http://www.drugabusefocus.com/117/ where you can read about or share stories on drug or alcohol addiction. Help others or learn what it is like to be addicted to drugs or alcohol.

Taking Advantage of the Extra Space in Your Home - Home Tips

2009-09-06T22:57:00.001-07:00

If you intend to remodel your home, instead of just improving the decor and fixtures of your home, you could consider taking advantage of any extra space you have in your home.

This means that if you need an extra room, you could convert your basement and attic into additional rooms or game rooms that your family will really like and enjoy spending time in. many a times, this is a much better alternative than keeping these areas as dark and gloomy storage areas.

If you intend to remodel your basement, you have to first repair any water problems you have. This may take some time to get into operation; this is why it is better to get the help of a home inspector in solving water proofing problems. This way, you are sure that your new room will not have any water problems on completion.

Use the help of a professional designer

You have to decide what you intend to use your basement for depending on the conditions of the basement. Poor lighting suggests a dark room or home theater and an isolated atmosphere suggests a cushion for noisy stuff like a game room or hangout.

It is up to you to decide and make the right choice with the help of a professional designer. This way you will be able to make maximum use of the basements natural light with perhaps using large windows and glass bricks for added safety from thieves.

Remember that the basement may have few vents in it; so when remodeling, remember the need of good air circulation and place openings where needed. You could also install a carbon monoxide detector for safety reasons in picking up warnings of problems with venting.

Decide what you want to use your attic for

Besides remodeling the basement, you can remodel the attic for extra space. In doing so, once again, you have to consider what you intend to remodel the attic into. You can get ideas for this by thinking what you are in deficit of in the house; perhaps a bedroom, study room or a bathroom.

You can then get the help of a designer to design the place, and to give an estimate of remodeling costs; this way you will be able to decide if it is worth remodeling or not. Like if you intend to make a bathroom, consider if the costs incurred in building it like reinforcement in walls is worth the remodeling.

Also find out if local building codes and zoning laws permit an addition, your type of addition, the materials you intend to use, how you intend to provide access to the new structure and if reinforcement of walls and floor is required to hold any heavy equipment you intend to place in the additional space.

With all this covered, you should have no problems in remodeling your home, to use that extra spots in your home wisely.

James Tyler is the owner of Ace Builders, a residential remodeling company serving the Raleigh, North Carolina area. Tyler writes about issues relating to all types of remodeling and home improvement projects.

For more information, tips and advice visit http://www.acebuilders.net

Pour in the Sunlight With Some Brilliant Bathroom Remodeling Ideas

2009-09-06T20:11:00.001-07:00

One important aspect that people missed out on in the design of their bathrooms is the importance of sunlight. The tendency of some people is to place the bathroom in between rooms or corners of the house without regard whether or not it can get sunlight. The fact is sunlight can add to the beauty of a bathroom because it somehow brings nature closer to the owners. Moreover, it can help in saving up electricity during the day if the room is properly set up in such a way that it can receive sufficient daylight.

If it is too late for you to assign a specific area for your bathroom, do not worry. There might be a chance to rearrange. With the proper bathroom remodeling ideas, we can turn that bathroom a haven that you aspire. All it needs is simple rearrangement, a replacement from here and there and voila! You will surely have the sunlight smiling on you everyday.

Does remodeling a bathroom would costs a homeowner so much? As far as practicable, there is not much changes to be made. A brilliant remodeling idea should always be geared towards the cheaper way of achieving a goal. As a give away tip, mirrors can significantly help in getting in some sunlight. It is all up to you what kind of mirror and where to place it in order to make this possible. For more brilliant ideas how to remodel your bathroom, you should get an expert to do this for you.

Aikaz Run - Bathroom Design Advisor

For more information on how to design your bathroom to be amazing look, visit our Bathroom Design and Remodeling resources at http://www.bathroom-share.com

Article Writing - A Good Article Should Contain These Important Characteristics

2009-09-06T19:22:00.001-07:00

It is no secret that articles should be well written, free of mistakes and easy to read. There are many other things that need to be included to make article writing a positive marketing campaign. Since many sites depend solely on SEO or other articles to draw visitors they must adhere to a good set of rules for their writing. While every business may have different needs they all can adhere to similar writing rules, making SEO much easier to understand and put into place.

Taking the time to research the product and market can help create a good article. If the market is already flooded with particular content it would be a waste to write the same thing over and over again. So developing a good understanding of what is already written and floating around the internet is a good way to develop unique content. This will also give the site owner ideas and a good path to develop a well written article.

Other factors such as a call to action are also very important part of the article writing success. Having a clear message to the reader about the action that is desired is a good way to have them comply when they read the article. If this call to action can bring out an emotion or have the reader feeling strong about the product or service they are more likely to make the purchase or join by membership.

Articles are very profitable and good forms of marketing, however they must be good and interesting to the reader. This is possible, but it is always a good idea to employ the help of a professional to deliver professional content.

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Mark Abrahams is a full time internet marketer who has helped others to earn a living online.

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Seasoning Firewood - How to Get Longer Burning Firewood

2009-09-06T17:31:00.001-07:00

Seasoning Firewood is very important if you are looking to get most out of your firewood budget. This process works simply by allowing the natural elements like wind and sun to dry out the existing wood. The result over time is a better fuel source that will burn brighter and longer. For this reason, many people want to season their wood, but are unsure how to make it work. To help in this area, we have put together a few tips to consider:

1. Get a quality firewood rack.

One of the simplest and most effective tips to help cure your wood is to raise it off the ground. By raising the wood off the ground, you accomplish two things: (1) air and sun have a better opportunity of reaching the underside of the wood in the wood pile and (2) insects and other pests will be less likely to make a nest in the wood. Of all the options available on the market today, a good durable firewood rack is the best for helping create this scenario. Their sturdy frame will allow you to lift your wood off the ground letting you cure the wood more consistently and faster.

2. Find a quality firewood cover that will let the wood breathe.

A good firewood cover will help protect the wood from the rain and snow, especially in the winter months. However, one mistake that novices make is that they get covers that wrap the wood completely. This is a mistake as it reduces the opportunity to let the wind and sun to cure the wood during this time. For this reason, you should get covers that cover the wood, but allow it to breathe. This will give you the maximum advantage of being able to avoid mold or mildew growth and get the gains from curing the wood.

3. Cure the wood for the appropriate length of time.

Many new people make the mistake of thinking that all woods cure at about the same rate. This is not the case. Softwoods cure faster than hardwoods. Softwoods generally will take about 6 months to fully cure. Hardwoods will tend to take longer requiring at least a year. This is something to consider when you are buying wood. This means you will have to make your buying decisions for next year at least a year in advance particularly if you want to take advantage of hardwoods better burning benefits.

By keeping these different tips in mind, you are far more likely to get the most out of seasoning firewood.

For more information on the Best Firewood, try visiting http://www.bestfirewoodfacts.com to get some solid tips on firewood and firewood supplies.

Sports Psychology - How to Build Self-Confidence - 4 Things Parents, Coaches and Athletes Must Know

2009-09-06T14:47:00.001-07:00

There are many text books, self-help books, journal articles and magazine articles on building self-concept, self confidence and self-esteem. Because I coach many athletes, I tend to spend a lot of time helping these clients to strengthen their self-confidence.

However, believing in one self is useful and important for just about everyone. It is important for Barack Obama. It is important for kids. And it is probably important for you.

Over the years, I have studied and developed many strategies and techniques for helping people to believe in themselves. When people feel positively about themselves, they tend to grow and they are better able to have rich and fulfilling lives.

Dr. Albert Bandura, of Stanford University, identified four components or life experiences which contribute to building one's self-confidence.

Mastery Experiences-Having a history of doing well at some event, some skill or some task can help to grow your confidence in yourself. So, it is useful to remind yourself of times when you felt you mastered some task or some skill.

Vicarious Learning-Seeing someone else who you can relate to do well at something or succeed at something can help you to believe that you, too, can succeed. A child seeing his friend hit a baseball can start to believe that he can put his bat on the ball with some power too.

Modeling Someone Who Inspires You-When you see someone who you admire do something well, you can imitate his or her actions. Watching a singer perform a song brilliantly can inspire a young artist to do the same thing. This "modeling" can help to grow your self-confidence.

Social Persuasion-Receiving encouraging words from a parent, a coach or someone you trust can help you to feel like you can do something successfully. This, too, can strengthen your self-confidence.

People who do not get any of these kinds of experiences are likely to have little or no self-confidence.

So, if you want to build self-confidence in yourself, in someone you care about or your child, consider facilitating one or all of these kinds experiences. If you do, confidence can build in a short period of time.

Jay P. Granat, Ph.D. is a psychotherapist and the founder of http://www.stayinthezone.com He has written several books and developed several programs to help people perform to their fullest potential at sports, at work and at school. Dr. Granat, a former university professor, has appeared in The New York Times, Good Morning America, AP, ESPN, Golf Digest, The BBC and The CBC. He can be reached at info@stayinthezone.com. His books include Zone Tennis and Get Into The Zone In Just One Minute. He is also the author of How To Get Into The Zone With Sport Psychology And Self-Hypnosis, How To Lower Your Golf Score With Sport Psychology And Self-Hypnosis, 101 Ways To Break Out Of A Hitting Slump and Bed Time Stories For Young Athletes. Golf Digest named Dr. Granat one of America's Top Ten Mental Gurus. He was recently featured in a documentary film on long distance running. Dr. Granat writes a weekly column for three newspapers. He just released a new program for bowlers.

Question About Article Writing - How Do You Prepare to Write Articles? VI (Get Started)

2009-09-06T13:07:00.001-07:00

And then the fifth step is just get started writing. One of the things that I see so often is that people try to get everything perfect in their mind. You'll spend all day long perhaps trying to write out the perfect outline. And by then you're too tired to write.

And the next day, then you want to do some research and you want to have more better information and you don't get started the second day. And then finally you get started on the third day. And then it's wonderful. You write eight-hundred words on that topic which is fine.

However, what I find, it's so much easier to just sit down, take the information that you already have, or do a little bit of research and just start writing. One more thing. Article length. I like to make my articles somewhere between two-hundred fifty and five-hundred words long.

If you've been doing some article marketing, you're familiar with which article directories require a certain minimum. Some of them are two-hundred fifty. There's a couple that are four-hundred or five-hundred words long.

And so perhaps you make a decision. You know, I'm only only going to submit to article directories that take articles that are three-hundred words or more. Or two-hundred and fifty words or more. One thing that I have found in my own article marketing is that a three-hundred word article on average gets the same amount of response as a six or seven-hundred word article.

What that means for me is that instead of taking the time to write a six-hundred word article I can break that time into two chunks. And actually write two articles. Get twice the traffic in that same period of time.

Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed my brand new guide to article marketing success, 'Your Article Writing and Promotion Guide'

Download it free here: Secrets of Article Promotion

Do you want to learn how to build a big online subscriber list fast? Click here: Secrets of List Building

Sean Mize is a full time internet marketer who has written over 9034 articles in print and 14 published ebooks.

Rusting Heaters

Kitchen Remodeling - Poway Home Remodeling

2009-09-06T12:15:00.001-07:00

A custom kitchen is a beautiful thing. However, any kitchen remodeling ideas or kitchen renovation projects need to be well designed and planned before picking up the first tool in earnest! Nothing could be worse than having a horrible "OOPS" moment when you're two thirds of the way through your kitchen improvement work and realize the plumbing for the second sink you were planning is not there yet, but the new wall is already drywalled and painted. Stuff like this sounds pretty basic when you're reading about it, but you'd be surprised how often it happens, including my own experience with a do-it-yourself attempt to remodel a kitchen. Way too embarrassing to tell you about that!

To design your kitchen, you need to plan, plan and plan some more, including lots of sketches of your layouts, many discussions with your spouse or significant other and your kitchen contractor, if you've hired one. Discuss and visualize, over and over again what the new kitchen will look like and how it will function. Each time you do, you're likely to shake out something new to add to your list of kitchen design ideas.

You can design your kitchen or you can hire a contractor, who may or may not have a designer on staff. If you've hired a contractor don't assume he or she will look after everything; they may make assumptions that are not in keeping with your kitchen planning and they certainly won't be as attentive to detail as you are. Be with them all the way in the planning and management of the project, but stay out of the way of the actual hands on work. Nothing will irritate a tradesperson more than a customer's gratuitous suggestions on how to do the work!

The good news is, if you love kitchens and remodeling, really good kitchen designs and construction will add value to your home and improve the wow! factor. Not to mention your own state of mind just walking into a new kitchen renovation made from your own plans.

Paul Mollon is a veteran of more home improvement projects than he can remember. He has made lots of minor and not so minor mistakes while working on all manner of different projects. He strongly suggests a comprehensive kitchen remodeling guide will save you countless dollars and hours of frustration and headaches. Drop me a note for more information - pmollon@sympatico.ca

Sauna Heaters - The Choices are Many

2009-09-06T09:30:00.001-07:00

When incorporating a private sauna into your home, the type of sauna heater you plan to implement will influence several other crucial decisions you'll need to make before the building process begins:

Will your sauna be located indoors or outdoors?
Will you need a portable sauna that can be moved to a new location if necessary, or will this be a permanent fixture?
Do you have the necessary space for a dedicated room or separate enclosure for your sauna?
What are your must-haves for the design of the sauna? For instance, will you need a built-in shower or changing area?

The type of heat source you choose for your home sauna will determine the options you'll have for many aspects of the unit, including location, size, materials, and layout. Sauna heaters are designed to produce heat and steam for enjoyable sauna sessions. Often, rocks are placed on the heater to retain the heat; when water is poured over these stones, it adds to the production of humidity and steam. Some of the more commonly used sauna rocks are olivine and peridotite, both of which can be purchased at your local sauna supply store or online.

In general, there are four main types of heaters that are used for a majority of today's home saunas. Among these varieties, you'll find a wide range of pricing and performance. Each has its own unique advantages and disadvantages.

Wood-Burning Sauna Heaters

Inspired by the original heat sources used by the first Finnish saunas, wood-burning heaters are still preferred by many purists today. This sauna heat source can be a convenient option for outdoor saunas with a separate entrance away from the main home, since the sauna can be positioned near the wood pile. The resulting ashes are also much easier to clean up if the sauna is outdoors. One potential drawback of wood heaters is that they require quite a bit of maintenance and attention. Also, if you don't have the time or resources to cut wood to fuel the fire, you'll need to make special trips to regularly purchase kindling. One other shortcoming is that sauna wood heaters don't allow fixed control over their temperature.

Gas-Burning Sauna Heaters

A popular alternative for the budget-conscious sauna user, gas heaters are powered by either natural gas or propane. Natural gas is far more economical than standard electricity, although one potential disadvantage is that not all areas have natural gas available. Propane gas provides a more portable option, requiring no hard-wiring from the sauna to an electrical outlet. One benefit of sauna gas heaters is that they warm up very quickly. Note that you will need to enlist the services of a certified plumber to run any necessary natural gas lines to the sauna stove.

Electric Heaters

First emerging in the 1950s, electric heaters are now the most common sauna power sources in the United States today. Some of their most appealing features are their cost-efficiency and ease of operation. Most electric heaters for saunas are equipped with built-in thermostats and digital timers, making it easy to set and maintain specific temperature settings.

Infrared Sauna Heaters

Growing in popularity in recent years, the sauna infrared heater uses cutting-edge technology to directly penetrate the body with far infrared heat, rather than warming the surrounding air as other types of heaters do. As a result, infrared sauna users enjoy a more immediate and direct therapeutic benefit from infrared's radiant heat. Infrared saunas use a much lower temperature than other types of saunas, while still achieving the same levels of warmth and relaxation. Some other advantages of infrared sauna heaters are that they warm up quickly and are easy to install and operate. You will, however, need to hire a certified electrician to make sure your infrared sauna is wired according to the local building code.

About the Author:

Kevin Urban is the editor for http://www.sauna-talk.com, the web's premier informational site on home saunas. Visit the site for our recommended list of sauna books and a great selection of sauna accessories.

Permission is granted to publish this article on your site providing all links are included and clickable

Fixing Your Leaking Toilet

2009-09-06T06:50:00.001-07:00

Let me explain how a toilet works. First when you go to flush the toilet a little arm pulls a rubber flapper up and lets the water drain into the toilet bowl. The water draining into the toilet bowl forces the old water out along with the number two or number one waste and extremities.

If the toilet sounds like it is running there is a good chance that the seal between the rubber flapper and the plastic rain at the bottom of the toilet is broken somehow. The sound you are hearing is water running around this ring and in to the toilet bowl.

This leak is actually causing no damage to the toilet itself but is wasting water. Hence the water bill will be a little higher if you don't fix the leaking toilet. The best way to find out if this is actually your problem is to take the toilet tank lid off. Then stick your hand down into the toilet bowl and press gently on the rubber flap.

If the water stops leaking or starts running faster this is your problem. Turn the water off to the toilet. There will be a shut off valve on the wall under your toilet bowl in the bathroom. After you turn the water off removed the plastic flap and examine it.

You will be looking for a warped toilet flap or of some sort or grooves on the flapper itself. Take the toilet flapper down to your local home improvement store and buy a new one. Go home and replace the new toilet flapper and this should solve 90% of your leaking toilet problems.

There is one more thing it could be. With the toilet tank lid off, check to see if water is overflowing into the little round plastic pipe. This plastic pipe should have a small hose running from the float valve assembly into it.

If the water is over flowing from the toilet tank into this little plastic pipe you will need to adjust the float.

First thing you will need to do is while the toilet is running lift up on the float lever arm. If the water stops you can simply bend the metal arm of the float lever. The purpose of bending the arm will force the float deeper into the water there for stopping the water from rising over the small tube in the center of your toilet.

There are few parts to a toilet and most parts can be purchased at your local hardware or home improvement centers. Toilet repairs like this can be made simple and the parts used to replace are inexpensive.

Happy Toilet Repairing.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more House Building and Remodeling Library and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

Visit us and get more information on building and remodeling your homes and Some Great Plumbing Ideas

Article Writing Tips - How to Write Web Articles For Fun and Profits!

2009-09-06T06:45:00.001-07:00

When Internet marketing is your business or passion, writing articles relating to your niche can be of immense benefit. The following tips will help you understand how to write an article to pull in the visitors to your website.

1. Believe in yourself

The major obstacle in article writing is that many people believe they do not know how to write an article. This mental block should be removed in the first place. Articles written for the Internet or websites are simple and easy to create. It is vastly different from the articles you will read in magazines or journals.

2. How are online articles different?

Writing for magazines or journals calls for in-depth study of the subject. Journalists gather bits of information on a situation or subject and then use their creativity to present that information in an organized and interesting manner. But, when you learn article writing for the web, you will notice that most of the information required is available to you through the search engines. Your effort will be to use appropriate search terms and collect the information required.

3. How does that help?

In the process of learning article writing, the first step is collecting information. After you have gathered the information, decide how you are going to present it. Look for the number of words that you should be writing, the number of paragraphs and then conceptualize a flow. Now, you can just start writing as though you were writing to a friend conveying that information to him or her.

Fabian Tan is a well-known Internet Marketing expert and the author of the popular 59-page Report:

"Murder Your Job: How To Build Cash Sucking Autopilot Businesses In 30 Days Or Less!"

Head over to http://www.MurderYourJob.com to get your FREE copy now!

Also, quickly download his FREE "Explosive Traffic System" report that shows you how to generate 10,000+ unique visitors per month at no cost! => http://www.ExplosiveTrafficSystem.com

Attic Safety Handrail Framing

Manufactured Roof Trusses or Conventional Roof Framing

2009-09-06T04:03:00.001-07:00

Manufactured roof trusses are used in nearly 80 percent of all new homes constructed in America. The trusses are designed by structural engineers to ensure they meet roof load and building code requirements using a minimal amount of lumber, as opposed to conventional roof framing where choosing the size of rafters is often left to the builder. The result is often wasted lumber due to over building, if a 2 X 8 is good then a 2 X 10 would surely be better!

Ask anyone framing new homes today which is better and the answer will most certainly be trusses. Modern truss manufacturers can design and build trusses for the most complex roof and ceiling plans available in custom built homes.

Disadvantages of Conventional Roof Framing

Conventional roof framing requires the use of larger framing members to form the roof plane as well as the ceiling resulting in higher labor costs.
Each individual piece of the roof and ceiling must be figured out, marked, cut to length, then placed and nailed in the correct position.
Requires the use of interior load bearing walls.
May take several days to construct leaving the new home exposed to the elements for a longer period of time, increasing the chance for moisture damage.
Highly experienced carpenters must be used further increasing labor costs.

Advantages of Stick Framing

Building site space restrictions can be overcome with the use of stick framing roofs.
Most truss builders can't build an interchange hip, rolling hip, or turret style roof.
All framing lumber can be purchased locally and delivered the next day.

Disadvantages of Manufactured Roof Trusses

Trusses must be ordered two to six weeks in advance.
Uplift of improperly installed trusses results in drywall cracks and nail pops at the intersection of the ceiling and interior walls.

Advantages of Trusses

Carpenters with less experience can set trusses, lowering labor costs.
Fewer interior load bearing walls are needed due to the trusses longer free span.
Shorter lengths of two by four stock are used to build trusses reducing material prices.
Structural engineers design and certify roof trusses.
Trusses can usually be set in one day, the interior of the home is exposed to the weather for a minimal amount of time.

Types of Roof Trusses

Common
Raised Heel
Hip
Gambrel
Bowstring
Scissor
Room in Attic
Girder
Polynesian
Multiple Piece

Ceiling Styles

Flat
Cathedral
Vaulted
Studio Vault
Tray
Coffer
Barrel
Inverted

These lists of roof truss type and ceiling styles is by no means exhaustive, consult with your builder and local truss manufacturer for more complete details.

The author of this article has 29 years experience building custom homes in the west and southwest suburbs of Chicago. He has been a Master Roof Cutter for the past eighteen, with even more experience setting roof trusses. More information on Conventional Roof Framing and Roof Trusses is available on his website.

Prevent Pinhole Leaks & Slab Leaks & Conserve Energy by Controlling Your Hot Water Circulating Pump

2009-09-06T01:21:00.001-07:00

If you have had 1 leak, more will surely follow - you can do something about it before further damage is done and additional money is wasted.

Circulating hot water is the fastest way to wear out your pipes. In fact 90% of all pinhole leaks and slab leaks happen in hot water lines for the following reasons:

1. Chemicals in water are corrosive

2. Chemicals in water when heated are even more corrosive

3. Chemicals in water when heated and circulated through copper pipes that bend around corners and turn up walls and curve around electrical conduit and sewer pipes and are reduced in size as water passes through a building is extremely corrosive

In order to understand the solution it is helpful to know what causes the problem. With a little insight into how domestic hot water recirculation lines or recirc loops are built and how they work we can see that the answer is as easy as flipping a switch.

Apartments, hotels and larger homes have recirc loops designed to move hot water to the farthest fixture from the boiler or water heater in a reasonable amount of time. Each loop has a pump pushing water through a copper pipe 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Each loop has multiple joints and fittings that obstruct the flow of water. Gate or ball valves and flapper checks and expansion tanks and whatever else the plumber had on his truck the day he built the line create disturbances in the flow path.

Water likes to flow in a nice straight line with no obstructions. This is called laminar flow - nice and smooth. Anything in the flow path can disrupt the flow and cause an eddy to form. Eddies are the bad boys, the unwanted visitor, the black sheep of the family.

Create a little friction, add in some turbulence and the next thing you know you have a leak.

As your reading this please keep in mind there are things you can do to reduce or even eliminate leaks. They are relatively inexpensive and I'll tell you what they are in a minute.

When water pipes leak many things can happen - none of which are any good. Pinhole and slab leaks, mold, wasted water, wasted energy, property damage, resident/guest complaints and inconvenience all mean one thing.

It cost you time and money.

The only question left is how much? Please refer to Table 1 for an idea of how much a leak can cost.

Table 1: The Cost of a Leak

1 $200 You caught the leak early and it wasn't buried in a wall or under a slab

2 $1,000 The leak was in a wall and you caught it early and it was relatively accessible after tearing out some drywall

3 $2,000 Same as above except you didn't catch it early and mold and light structural damage had occurred

4 $10,000 The leak was underneath a concrete slab but you were able to pinpoint the exact location

5 $20,000 Same as above except you had to chase the leak into another rooms

6 $100,000 + The leak went unnoticed until someone got sick and you got sued

So there is the doom and gloom. What's the solution?

Good question. The answer is there are a number of things you can do. As you go through my list keep in mind that people only use hot water 15% to 20% of the time (based on a study by the California Energy Commission).

First, check your water pressure. 40 psi is high enough for most 1 or 2 story buildings. Be sure to check it in several places to find the lowest pressure in the building. Typically that would be the point furthest from the water meter. If you don't have a pressure regulator, put one in.

When implementing this strategy do it in stages. Drop the pressure by 5 psi at a time and wait to see if you have any complaints. Shower heads and aerators already restrict flow to 2.5 gpm or less. Newer fixtures like the Evolve line of low flow shower heads have pressure compensating technology built into them and work just as well at low pressure as they do at high pressure.

Second, turn off the pump when no one is using hot water. That's right. I said turn off the pump. As I mentioned earlier people only use hot water 15% to 20% of the time. The pump only needs to be on when people need water.

There are 3 methods of implementing this strategy:

1. The Manual Method

2. The Guessing Method

3. The Automated Method

Manual Method

Have someone go to the switch and turn on the pump when you need hot water and turn it off when you are done. Might be practical for a single family home (certainly not convenient) but impossible in an apartment or hotel.

The Guessing Method

Plug your pump into a timer and guess when hot water will be needed. This may be a practical solution if the number of people living in the house or apartment or with a limited number of guests in a hotel and everyone has the same predictable need for hot water. Unfortunately when hot water is needed during an off period the timer gets disabled and never turned back on.

The Automated Method

Think about your recirculation line as a closed loop. When there is no demand for hot water, no water enters or leaves the system. When a hot water faucet is turned on there is a "leak" in the system.

When water leaves the system more water is added from the city water line through a cold water make-up line (this is the technical name for the copper pipe that brings cold water to your water heater).

If a flow sensor is placed in the cold water make-up line, any indication of water movement would mean someone is using hot water.

If the sensor sensed a demand (i.e., someone turned on a hot water faucet) it could turn on the pump. The demand would be met and the pump could be turned off automatically when the demand ended.

That is precisely how an On-Demand Intelligent Pump Controller works. The pump is only on when there is a demand.

As it turns out, there are many benefits to automating your recirc pumps operation:

Drastically reduces pinhole leaks and slab leaks - if the hot water is not moving, it is much less corrosive

Energy is conserved - since people only use hot water 15% to 20% of the time, the pump will be off 80% to 85% of the time. That means the recirculation line isn't full of hot water and no energy is being lost. California Energy Commission studies indicate 37% less energy is consumed when an On-Demand Controller is installed.

Note: A sufficiently high speed pump is required (2,200 rpm or faster) to implement this strategy. If you have a high speed pump you will only need an On-Demand Controller. If not you will need a full system including a high speed pump.

In conclusion, cut your risks, lower your losses, reduce your energy bill and extend the life of you pipes and water heater or boiler by turning off you recirc pump with an On-Demand Intelligent Pump Controller.

Contact me directly at the email address below to find out if this solution will work for you or what other options you might have. To purchase the On-Demand Intelligent Pump Controller click on the link below.

Do it now and sleep better tonight knowing that one of your biggest headaches just got cured.

For information on the On-Demand Intelligent Pump Controller go to http://www.SavesYouEnergy.com

Mark Franklin is CEO of Saves You Energy, LLC a manufacturer and retailer of water and energy conservation products. As a civil engineer Mr. Franklin was involved in the design of multi-family and commercial projects worth in excess of $100 million.

Mr. Franklin has worked with companies ranging from the US Navy to Embassy Suites and Biltmore Hotels to Stanford Student Housing. Pinnacle Properties, United Development Group and ConAm are among the apartment ownership and management companies that have used his products. School Districts like the Blue Valley School District in Kansas and ESCOs such as Johnson Controls have utilized his technologies to reduce energy consumption.

Mr. Franklin can be reached at mark@SavesYouEnergy.com or visit his company's web site at http://www.SavesYouEnergy.com

Writing Articles to Increase Credibility and to Build a Profitable Business

2009-09-06T00:23:00.001-07:00

Writing articles has turned me into a writer in two different ways. First, it made me get into the habit of writing every day. Second, it helped me to improve my writing skills so that I am able to write a three to four hundred word article in less than one hour.

What you may not know about article writing is that it will help you to build your business, whether you work online, offline, or do a combination of both. I write articles to build my own list for my online business, to promote affiliate products, and to market for three small services businesses in my community.

By writing and submitting articles, you are making a permanent record of your thoughts, ideas, and information. Once these articles become indexed by Google and the other search engines, you will have established yourself as an expert in your field. Writers become authorities on the internet and others will come to you to get more information. Even the word author comes from the word authority, meaning one who is knowledgeable.

There is a method of article writing that has worked well for me. I ask people what they need help with, and then answer their questions by writing an article about it. This way many people get the answer to their question, and I build my credibility by giving them helpful and useful information. The information I provide will be the very best I am capable of writing, so I may take time to do some research on the topic, depending on how much I am already familiar with.

My article title is very important to how often my article will be read. I want to include my keywords so that people who are searching for information on the topic I am writing on will be able to find my article when they do a search on Google on another search engine. This means that I can be on page one of Google for my keywords, instead of having to pay for an ad.

At the very end of your article you will want to include information about your blog, web site, or an affiliate product. This doesn't mean that you should tell the readers everything about yourself, but instead you should gently invite them to download a free report or audio recording that will give them more reason to join your list and become a prospect for you. This will make your articles even more valuable, as more and more people get to know who you are and what you can do to help them.

Download a free teleseminar on building your online business by visiting http://www.EbookWritingandMarketingSecrets.com to learn how to write articles, blog, become involved in social networking and learn the technology needed to build a profitable online business. Connie Ragen Green has been online since 2005 and teaches people how to build their own online business in record time, offering free teleseminars weekly, as well as online courses in a workshop environment with webinars.

Roof Drain Stain On Stucco

Law of Attraction - How to Activate

2009-09-05T22:37:00.001-07:00

What is it?

The Law of Attraction Simply states that whatever we Focus on will be drawn to us.

But how does this Work?

Its best explained by briefly taking a look at Quantum Physics. Quantum Physics is the study of the building blocks of the universe. Quantum Physics has proven that everything in this universe is made up of atoms, and atoms are made up of sub-atomic particles sometimes called quanta. These sub-atomic particles are nothing but concentration of energy.

It has become clear that everything in this universe is made of energy. The only difference between an atom of Iron and an atom of gold is that the atom of iron has energy that is vibrating at a different frequency to the energy of gold. It is clear that the reason why the same particles grow together is because they are vibrating at the same frequency

Law of Attraction and Thoughts

In order to explain how the law of attraction works we need to understand what thought are. Thoughts are Vibrational Energy and a very potent form of energy. That means that it will be attracted to other forms of energy with the same frequency. when we hold a thought in our mind or a picture of an item we would like to attract then the picture in our mind (thought) is at the same frequency as the item we are attempting to attract.

How to implement the law of attraction

Step 1. Determine what it is that you would like to Attract

Step 2. Hold a picture in your mind. Hold the picture in your mind for as long and as often as possible

Step 3 See yourself enjoying the thing you would like to attract, e.g. If its a new car see yourself driving in the car waving to your friend.See yourself driving the car to a favorite place.

How to "activate" the law of attraction?

The simplest way to activate it is to hold a mental picture of what you desire as long as possible and as often as possible. Feel that you already have what you want with certainty; you will see it quickly in your real life. There are Self help books or motivation books which will explore this topic in greater details.

Discover How to Naturally Attract Abundance

http://www.bestselfhelpbooks.net

http://www.adrianasalmon.blogspot.com

Positive Action - Delete Your Personal History And Let Go Of Self-Limiting Beliefs

2009-09-05T20:02:00.001-07:00

Letting go of anything is never easy. We all form a set of beliefs about ourselves at a very early age. We may not even be sure where those beliefs came from - they've just always been there, and they drive the way we think and behave.

We use this belief system to justify what we do and how we feel. We say things like, "My parents were alcoholics," "My spouse left me," "I lost my job," "Things aren't like they used to be," and use them as reasons why can't get on with our lives.

We focus on the things that have been done to us in the past, and we form a bond with those experiences. But, all the excuses in the world will never be able to erase the past. We must accept it and move on.

Wayne Dyer uses the metaphor of the wake of a boat. The wake is the trail left behind the boat. It's not the wake that moves the boat forward.

The same is true with the wake of your life. If you stay in the wake and hang on to your past experiences - your suffering, your hurt, your anger, your successes or failures - it is impossible to move your life forward.

Here are 3 Positive Action steps that can help you let go of those feelings and beliefs:

Make a list of the things that are keeping you from moving forward. You can't just set it down and walk away from it - it will always be there to come back to. Pick it up, read it, embrace, it, understand it, and accept it. Know that you had to go through those things to be here now. Then toss it.
Remove all labels that you've placed on yourself. The labels limit you. You are not defined by what you have done nor what you have not done.
Write some affirmations (you may use these or write your own) and read them everyday: "I make a commitment to live in the moment" and "I am letting go of my past self-limiting beliefs."

Your history is no longer in your present physical reality. Let it go, and choose to live "now."

And, now I would like to offer you a free special report entitled, "Running 4 Your Life: How to Improve Your Physical, Emotional, Relationship, and Spiritual Health." Go to http://www.Running4YourLifeblog.net

Benefits of Article Writing

2009-09-05T18:08:00.001-07:00

Do you know the benefits of article writing and what they can do for you? Why is article writing even needed? Articles are one of the best ways to bring in a vast group of new targeted visitors to your site within days. Its an inexpensive technique to effectively market and promote your site and build on-way links.

Article writing can benefit you personally as well as financially. You can really advance and profit by writing articles. Having the honor of being an expert or high status writer on websites similar to EzineArticles and others, you can increase your profits greatly.

There are seven major ways to really benefit and advance from writing articles:

The first one is to make your name popular by consistently using the same or similar name. It is also called name branding or a calling card. Readers will know who you are and if your work is of quality they will come back on consistent basis. Part of improving your profits is improving your readership and name branding assists in doing just that.

The second way you can advance and profit with article writing is to build quality one way links which can also draw ranking and traffic to your work. Your ranking and importance in search engines will increase as search engines give good weights to quality one way links. Article directories are the best way to get top quality one way links.

The third way is if you write keywords rich articles, which will give you a great chance to get top positions for your targeted keywords. If you target high search volume keywords in your article, you can bring many quality visitors to your site by submitting your article to article directories, online magazines and related business sites etc.

The fourth way you can advance and profit with article writing is to produce very interesting articles that your readers want to read. Think about what is current and hip. You should strive for the latest cutting edge topics that are sure to interest readers. What do people what to know? Or what is there not enough information on? Looking at search engines most popular searches and keywords suggestion tools are great ways to find out what people are buzzing about. Stay current and in the know about celebrity gossip and be aware of what other people are inquiring about.

Articles that intrigue and keep visitors coming for new information. Getting your article published on sites and various newsletters that all ready have an enormous amount of traffic will really help you advance and profit.

The fifth way is by building a reputation. Building a great reputation will give you the consistent traffic that you need to really profit from article writing. If you keep at it its possible to get to the point where people look for your name to find out the latest information on the internet. Your name will be trusted and associated with top-notch article writing and abundant information.

The sixth way you can advance with article writing and profit is by the advertising blitz that it brings you for practically free. You sneak in your promotion and place ads at the same time youre posting an article. Advertising is one of the best ways to not only make a name for you but to also make extra money. Many ads bring traffic and we all know that traffic makes you money. The more traffic, the more clicks, and the more your profits will increase. You will have the quality article needed to advance and profit.

The seventh way you can advance with article writing is to help pre-selling of your products and services. Mostly visitors do not want to make a sale straight away.
Then want to get detailed information about your services and products before making a final decision. If you write an article about your services and products that will put visitor to make a informed decision. Also you get an edge over those who do not offer detailed info about their services or products.

The article is written by SEO Consultant and Specialist Abdul Hayi Mansoor. For further reading and tips please visit SEO Articles

Wood Rot From Stucco

Best Self Help Program - 11 Forgotten Laws Training

2009-09-05T17:21:00.001-07:00

Are you looking for the best self help program? The best one I've found is The 11 Forgotten Laws audio law of attraction training with Bob Proctor, from The Secret. In just a few short weeks, it's made a profound difference in my life.

We all approach self help programs with different needs. Although I'm happy with my life, I felt that I wasn't living up to my potential. I sensed that I could achieve more. Your needs will be different; perhaps you want to manifest a new job, a better income, or happier relationships.

"The 11 Forgotten Laws" is a new law of attraction training program. It's perfect for self help, because it's a six hour MP3 audio program, which you download to your computer. You can listen on your computer, or you can take it with you on your iPod, so you can listen while you're traveling or exercising.

With so many self help programs around, why do I consider that The 11 Forgotten Laws is the best?

Firstly, because it's practical.

It provides information in every session which you can put to use in your life immediately. The essence of the law of attraction is that you draw to you what you think about. That makes sense. However, applying this knowledge was always hard for me, until I started listening to this program.

I discovered that much of what I thought of as "thinking" wasn't thinking at all, and I really began to think, in the right way, and former problems just faded away.

Secondly, because The 11 Forgotten Laws is a conversation, it's not just an audio book. Bob Proctor chats with Mary Morrissey, so you get two points of view, and two sets of experiences -- many of their experiences will resonate with you, because you'll have similar experiences.

Thirdly, I value this program because it's laid out so well. It takes you to a whole new way of thinking and understanding step by step, with exercises you complete along the way.

If you're looking for the best self help program, I recommend The 11 Forgotten Laws. This audio training is a great investment in your future, and will help everyone around you too, as you change and start living the life of your dreams.

Have you tried and failed with The Secret? Here's a breakthrough: the 11 Forgotten Laws. It's complete training, with new, easy ways to bring prosperity and abundance into your life. Julia Denham has been working with the law of attraction for years; it works for her, when you discover the missing laws, it will work for you too. Visit her blog, The Law of Attraction and Prosperity at http://loa-prosperity.com/

Creating Your Own Opportunities With Work-from-Home Online Jobs

2009-09-05T14:39:00.001-07:00

Just 10 years ago, people would not have taken the opportunity of working from home using online technology seriously. Although there have been plenty of excellent home-based business ideas using the Internet appearing around that time, people were hesitant and even fearful to take the plunge. Today, however, things have changed. Working from home online is now one of the most convenient ways to earn an income. It's also the best way to create your own opportunities.

Where to find work-from-home online job opportunities

There are many genuine online work-from-home opportunities. The key is finding one that is a good match to your skills and interests, offers sufficient pay and is legitimate. Some of the best sources of information for online work-from-home jobs include:

Freelancing websites

The majority of the jobs online that you can work from home with are freelance jobs or project-based. Don't be put off by this. Many of the people who now work at home began as freelancers and project contractors. After being active in the industry for a while, they now enjoy a steady stream of income as a result of building their reputations and creating a good network of contacts.

Freelancing websites offer plenty of job opportunities for those who wish to work from home online. Jobs are arranged by categories such as industry, skill or even location, making them easy to find. Although there are sites that offer this service for free, many charge a small fee. Once you've become a paying member, you'll gain access to job notices or be allowed to bid on projects.

Job websites

Many people looking for work-from-home online jobs tend to avoid the bigger job sites, thinking that they only post permanent or on-site jobs. That's unfortunate because many of these sites also post freelance or project-based jobs, perfect for working at home. Many opportunities you'll find on these sites offer good income. Obtaining multiple jobs here is quite possible and is a great way to increase your income. Getting two or three good clients will also help you avoid 'dry spells'.

Online classified ads

Craigslist is just one example of a website that posts classified ads online. You may find plenty of job opportunities here but don't just limit yourself; there are others that you can use to search for work-from-home jobs.

Company website

More and more companies are offering project-based jobs and hiring private contractors. Industries such as customer service, computer applications and repair, health, medicine and publishing are quite active in this regard. An advantage here is that although you will not be hired as an employee, you will be assured of a reliable company to work with.

To find work-from-home online jobs being offered by companies, use a search engine and the appropriate keywords or visit company websites. Many of these work-at-home job opportunities are customer service jobs where you will be handling inbound calls. A few examples of these companies include Walgreens, Virgin Atlanta and J. Crew. However, there are others that may be a good match to what you're looking for, so search carefully.

Choosing your opportunity

Much of the success in a work-from-home online opportunity is dependent on what business or job you choose. Many of the unsuccessful attempts at running a home-based business or working from home are the result of wrong choices. Here are some factors to consider:

A good match

It's important to find a work-from-home online job that fits your skills, training and interest. If you know how to do your job, you'll become more productive and excel in your results. Furthermore, you will enjoy what you do.

A job you're equipped for

The kind of equipment required to perform the work-from-home job available is also an important consideration. Since it's an online job, you'll need a reliable computer and fast internet access.

You might also want to check if there are other equipment required in order for you to perform the job. Online medical transcription jobs, for example, will require headsets and a foot pedal to control the recorded file during transcription while a virtual assistant job may call for a fax machine, a printer and a separate phone line.

A legitimate online job opportunity

Probably the most important consideration you should keep in mind is determining if the work-from-home opportunity is a real one. Some job opportunities don't deliver on their promises while others are downright scams. Others make you put in a lot of effort for very little income.

To avoid failing in work-from-home online job opportunities, make sure they are legitimate. Check company backgrounds, participate in online forums or go to websites that review online income opportunities. That way, you will be able to avoid unnecessary expense or waste your time on a home-based job opportunity that will not give you the results you're aiming for.

Finding a profitable Work From Home Online idea is a matter of trying a few and selecting the one(s) that you are comfortable with. Persistence is key in finding this online business that will provide you with the necessary income that can take you out of the rat race. Visit my site and you will find many Legitimate Home Based Businesses that you may want to consider.

Sam Schneider is an expert in home based businesses and internet marketing. He owns several successful on-line businesses and helps other entrepreneurs fulfill their dreams through coaching and mentoring. His sites are full of great ideas about earning a decent living online.

Disaster Preparedness - What is a Christian's Responsibility?

2009-09-05T11:47:00.001-07:00

As Christians, what should be our role in disaster preparedness? This question has never been of greater significance than today. In fact, it is absolutely vital that we weigh in on this issue. We can no longer afford to sit on the fence and let others debate this topic for us. Each one of us needs to be fully persuaded in his own mind. We each must decide what Jesus Christ expects of us personally, based on what He says in His Word.

Many Christians are taught that doing physical works of preparedness is a lack of faith. That it shows a lack of trust in Jesus Christ, our provider. But is this really true? We are all familiar with I Tim. 5:8 which says, "But if any provide not for his own, and especially those of his own house, he hath denied the faith and is worse than an infidel." This scripture is referring to more than just "going to work" and "paying the bills", and "putting food on the table". The word "provide" actually means to "consider in advance, i.e. look our for beforehand." This is interesting. Jesus is telling us that in order to properly provide for our house, we must be able to forecast, in advance,the potential problems coming our way, and to act accordingly. This is putting our faith into practice. Otherwise we have "denied the faith".

God tells us in Proverbs 27:12, "A prudent man foreseeth the evil and hideth himself: but the simple pass on and are punished." This scripture tells us that those who cannot foresee in advance the coming evil are actually punished! That when the coming flood of problems arise, they will be swept away by it--because they did not prepare in advance for this disaster. Remember Noah? Hebrews 11:7 says, "By faith Noah being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house." The Holy Bible is our road map. This story is written for us! Almighty God in heaven is thundering to those of us who can hear Him. "The flood is coming, children! Start preparing!" Floods and storms and evil is coming. In fact, it is here now. What are you doing right now to prepare to save your family? Will you be able to provide for them when disaster strikes?

The world is standing on the precipice of an enormous, catastrophic collapse. Massive earth changes from a polar shift is bearing down on us. Terrible famine, horrible pestilence , apocalyptic warfare, and persecution of Biblical proportions is looming. Yet, why should we be surprised by all this? Isn't this what Jesus warned us about in His Word? Are we the "simple" who blindly continue along just waiting for the evil to overtake us? Or, are we the "prudent" who can foresee this and are taking steps to avoid it? If we are not preparing for the coming disasters, both spiritually and physically, we will fall. Not only will we fall, but our entire house will fall--and great will be the fall of it!

Furthermore, if you're not preparing because you are waiting for the "rapture", you're in big trouble. Because--there is no pre-tribulation rapture. Nor is there any Biblical evidence for one. The word rapture is not even in the Bible. Also, if you are waiting for an angel to come and knock at your door and whisk you off to safety--you better think again. It's not that this can't happen. It's not that this won't happen in a few special cases. But, its that Jesus expects us to act on faith before the event to show our faith. To witness our faith to others and for others. Doing nothing, and yet waiting for God to do it for us is displeasing to Him. "Faith without works is dead." We must "walk in the steps of our faith" by taking action.

Whether we prepare for a localized flood, power outage, hurricane, or earthquake-- or worldwide famine, pestilence or warfare--it's all the same. It take spiritual preparation to survive a spiritual crisis. And it take physical preparation to survive physical crisis. The Great Tribulation bearing down upon us is a literal physical one, and must be physically survived. But, it is also physically occurring for spiritual reasons. Therefore to completely survive, one must be prepared spiritually as well. The issue of spiritual preparedness will be covered in future articles. But for now, suffice it to say, without adequate physical preparations, we will not be able to provide for our house.

This is the purpose of this article and future articles. To help Christians prepare for the coming storm. To direct them to sources of food and equipment necessary for survival, as well as provide them with the knowledge and tips needed to make these challenging times more easily weathered. Pray about it, use the links at the end of this article, and take action!

C.L. Carr has been living off the grid, "in the wilderness" for many years Interests include, solar and non-electric living, gardening, survival skills, self-sufficiency and Biblical studies.. For more insightful information and strategies for survival please visit http://emergencyfoodpreservation.blogspot.com or http://survivalcentral.blogspot.com

Article Writing Tips - 3 Tips For Creating Magnetic Articles That Draw the Eyeballs

2009-09-05T11:45:00.001-07:00

Writing informative articles help you to build trust to attract visitors to your website. Trust is the most important component of Internet business, and the following article writing tips will help you create magnetic articles.

1. Establishing authority and expertise

This is one aspect which should rank on top of every other article writing tips. Web articles are written to position the author as an expert in the chosen field. Do not bother if you are writing for somebody else. The article would then be going under the name of the website owner and he becomes the author. Your article should carry authentic and relevant information for the reader. Repeating what has already been discussed several times can be of little help.

2. Setting the tone

Article writing tips are not necessary to understand this. Simply read through some Internet articles and then read some magazines or journals from the print world. You will see a different tone to which the articles are set. The best way to create effective articles for the Internet is to adopt the conversational tone. Imagine yourself to be speaking to a friend on the particular subject.

3. Breaking into smaller bits

Imagine having 500 words laid out on a page with no breaks at all. Web viewers are often looking for small bits of information. When you break up the content in a page into smaller paragraphs, the reader can concentrate on what he is looking for, and skim through the rest. Write in small paragraphs and include sub-titles to your article.

Fabian Tan is a well-known Internet Marketing expert and the author of the popular 59-page Report:

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Shaky Garage Door Track

Church Building and Church Buildings

2009-09-05T09:16:00.001-07:00

Church building is a term used to designate both the physical building of a church facility, and the spiritual building of a group of people into a unified body of believers. The physical church buildings are made of wood, stone, mortar, and brick, but the act of spiritual church building comes at the cost of evangelism, preaching, and teaching. Church building sometimes involves both acts together when a new building is being built and a new congregation is being pulled together. Those that build them with the eternal purposes of Jesus Christ in mind consider Church buildings a ministry in themselves.

A church building is the physical location where a group of Christian believers come together each week to worship God and fellowship with one another. Church buildings often require a great monetary sacrifice on the part of the church members, and often a church building project can last for years. Church buildings can be small or large and the capital necessary to build them varies as well. Sometimes a capital campaign is launched to generate giving on the part of committed church members. Other times church members that are craftsmen or artisans donate their time and services to help lighten expenditures.

Church building requires wise counsel and experienced help to pull it all together. Learning how to build a church to meet the needs of your particular ministry often requires experienced consultants that can offer peace of mind by helping you lay the groundwork both figuratively and literally. Knowing what you can afford to build and how you will pay for it are vital concerns for church building campaigns, and many times just making those decisions with wise counsel can reduce stress, uncertainty and effort. Church buildings are an integral part of a church's ministry to the community, and therefore much thought and planning should be undertaken. Church building is a blessed work and worthy of much prayer and forethought.

Church buildings are places where the Word of God is taught and people come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Acts 14:27 says, " And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles."The work of the Lord that occurs in a church building is holy, blessed work, and everything involved in that church building, from initial construction to the day to day care and cleaning should be right. Church buildings are where God's church, his people, grow up together in love.

For more information about church building and church buildings, visit:
http://www.christianet.com/christianbusinesses/churchbuilding/
http://www.christianet.com/

Self Esteem Issues - Their Growth and How to Overcome Them

2009-09-05T06:34:00.001-07:00

Self esteem is how we perceive our self, the way we value our self, the worth we put on our self as a person. Although this has nothing to do with how other people perceive us, it is about how we perceive other people to perceive us.

If we suffer from low self esteem we will feel very lowly about ourselves thus filling us with self doubt. We can end up doubting everything about us, including our appearance, intelligence, capability, how much people like us and the worth of what we have to say. We can feel very lonely and different from other people.

Low self esteem can be caused by many different things. It could be bullying or constantly being put down. Someone, very often a family member, telling the person that they are not doing well enough, that they are useless or worthless or a combination of all of those things.

Whatever the cause is, it makes little, if any, difference to how the person feels. The overwhelming feelings of being a lesser person, inadequate, useless or worthless, and above all different!

This can happen at any age. Sometimes it can be in the very early, formative years of a child possibly living in the shadow of an older sibling, but could just as easily be at a much later time of life caused through a controlling relationship

These feelings can have a devastating effect on the persons life, restricting them and stopping them from going to certain places. They may avoid some activities or associating with some people for very often the unnecessary fear of being ridiculed. This can stop them from making relationships or pursuing a particular career.

Abusing somebody, be it by bullying, controlling, putting them down by telling them how useless they are, or in any other way, will understandably give that person doubts about themselves. They will think why do people treat me like that? What is it about me that make others treat me like that? There must be something wrong with me. It is these negative thoughts that are the seeds of low self esteem.

When someone has those self doubts and negative thoughts it effects how they act. They avoid situations where they might feel uncomfortable. They act in a negative way and therefore, get a negative response from others making them feel even more negative. This starts a downward cycle of feeling negative, acting negative, getting a negative response, then feeling even more negative.

How other people perceive the sufferer is of enormous importance to them. Unfortunately, what they imagine others are thinking about them will invariably be negative.

So how can we overcome low self esteem? The first thing we should remember is that it will have probably taken a long time for our self esteem to have sunk so low. Going down that spiral of negative feeling, negative actions, getting negative response, making you feel more negative. So what we need to do is become more positive in the way we feel. As negative feelings grow so do positive feelings. To many of us the thought of changing from feeling and acting negative to positive is a massive step and so it is, but the good news is all we need to do is feel a little bit more positive and then allow that feeling to grow.

The thought of changing negative thoughts to positive ones for anyone suffering from low esteem can be very daunting, but all we need to do is start the process.

I have found with my clients if they can accept the fact that they are not as important to others as they feel they are, it can very often help them to start those positive feelings. It is a fact that the only people we are important to are those who love or care for us. It is ironic that it is these people that we all feel confident and comfortable with. To all others it is unimportant what we look like, what we wear, what we say or how we act, as they are unimportant to us. If we are walking along the street and we see someone fall over or walk into a lamp post we may feel sorry for them or have a little smile, but a few steps further we have seen something in a shop window and that person has gone from our thoughts forever because there are too many other things to think about, and that is how every one reacts.

If we accept what we are like is not that important to other people we need no longer worry about what they think about us, a very positive thought. It is only a start, but very often that first small, positive thought is all that is needed to allow the growing process to begin.

Add a relaxation therapy like hypnotherapy or aromatherapy to help the sufferer become more relaxed and calm, then those feelings can start to change and that negative, downward cycle can turn into an upward, positive one.

Henry is a fully qualified hypnotherapist specialising in emotional problems. For more information on low self esteem and hypnotherapy please go to http://www.hypnotherapycounselling.com

Persuasive Article Writing That Will Rapidly Boost Your Business

2009-09-05T05:25:00.001-07:00

Asking customers or potential clients to do something has never been any easier. Because of a small technique known as article writing, now business can covertly ask customers to make purchases, join sites and spend their money on their products without any face to face contact. Article writing makes this process very easy and can actually help persuade a visitor into a large purchase if written correctly. There are many tips and tricks to article writing and every business should have a good plan in place.

Articles written for a website can greatly differ and should be full of information that consumers are looking for. These articles do no good if they are not well written and on topic for the site and the products that they sell. Taking the time to devise a good article writing campaign can help readers understand about the site, those running it and the specifics about products offered. There are even ways to help build a call to action so that the reader's feels compelled to take action. This call to action should be clearly stated in the process, because the goal is to help the reader understand what is expected from them.

Article writing can also be implemented to help build a light and fun sense for the consumer or reader. In many cases this is an important step and can help the reader feel more at ease with the site and their buying decision. Article writing can actually help the visitor develop a relationship with the business much faster than a non-contact site.

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Basement Wall Staining

It's A Huge Test Being Positive

2009-09-05T03:58:00.001-07:00

Staying positive in the face of wiggy Karma, weird choices and life's journeys tell us a lot about our progress. One time I was watching a video of a woman named Helen Collier, who was putting a question to the group, "How do you know, you are in your Holy Christ Self?' What Helen said, I was so impressed with, was, "you know you are in your Holy Christ Self (also know as your higher self), when you are being positive. I realized what she said was so simple but it was also most accurate. Lately, I have gotten to remember how easy that advice is, but not so easy to keep. Maybe, I have gotten off course of the divine will at times and gone through some interesting things. We like to say, here on this Mission Saint Germain website, the path is practical not just always about the deep understandings of the Universal mysteries. In fact, I believe God and the Masters teach me most through my daily walks through life and especially the encounters I have with people. Then there is always that very interesting equation when we want something and another part of the Universe doesn't seem to want it to happen. Now, I remember something learned that was attributed to Buddha, Yes, that Buddha, the former Prince Siddhartha, that supposedly walked away from a palace and life of very lofty comforts, including leaving behind his twin flame and child, to wander, become an aesthetic and renounce worldly and physical pleasures.

Not sure, I'd be running to do that. But Buddha, wound up preaching the noble truths and one of the things he said was inordinate desire was the root of suffering. Now, just being a practical guy, trying to walk this path, here in the West, in California no less, I've got a few interests or indulgences. I try and consider to keep a Spiritual perspective about the things that I let my energy go to. Sometimes I wish I was surrounded by more people that are following the Spiritual path. It would make things probably more supportive to each other. Buddha also said, community or "Sangha," was one of the three jewels, we need to make it on the path with, because really we know it is not a worldly path, trying to keep right with the Ascended Masters teachings especially, but we do live in the world. So some of you might know, recently I attended a seminar on the Teachings and practices of Mother Mary. Forgive me if this story is getting too autobiographical, but I have not made too many confessions lately and its feels right to share from the heart in simple terms and ways. Well, on that third day of the Mother Mary class, the instructor asked us to give her some suggestions that the group could make prayers of intercession for, to the heart of Mary. Well, I said, "The Lakers" She maybe being from Australia and not LA didn't seem to understand, said, well what about this Lady, and I said not Lady, but Lakers as in Los Angeles Lakers pro basketball team. I guess I should point out she did not put the Lakers on the prayer list, they have been winning a lot lately and it has captured a lot of my interest, maybe too much, not sure if it has been the interest of my higher self, so much. Maybe I was crossing over into that inordinate territory Buddha warned about. Maybe that is why they call these things creature comforts, I don't know. But as long as they were winning I was feeling positive, so I was just going on that path.

Being positive has not been easy lately for a lot of people. A lot of things have been affecting people, the economy, business and coming by money has been tight, even our own faith in things can get tested, so more than usual I felt I needed something to keep me interested. These darn basketball games became my outlet, but I can't say it was always making me happy. I was still trying to do the right things in my Spiritual path, but soon i got the sense i was getting too attached to outcomes, which is another Buddhist teaching, non-attachment. On the other hand, I began to wonder, is it easy just to never have any passion for something you want? I needed some desires. It was a good test to learn about my interests, about getting fed up with things I wanted to change and being motivated to do things. Its interesting how easy it is to lose a certain harmony, a certain inner peace or balance we need to make it through tougher times. Times when there is an uncertainty that we feel uncomfortable with. Parts of us want to say, "I don't want to be positive! I want to be angry, I feel pissed or this is frustrating" but unfortunately or fortunately that doesn't help us. That was the test before being or feeling positive, could I maintain some balance about things and work on becoming positive. It was about taking steps. Well, one of the things we learned about at that Mother Mary seminar is we build up a certain positive momentum by disciplining our energies. We can store these positive energies like as a reservoir in our feelings and in our thoughts and especially in our outlook. But the key is we have to maintain it.

There is also a lesser-known Spiritual equivalent made available to us that is helped by keeping our harmony and by trying to be in a positive or receptive state. I don't think I was close at times to doing that. Mentally yes, "I got it" but I was having a tough time internalizing it. It was like my outer self was praying for something positive to happen first, but it was also a struggle within myself, if outwardly things were almost agonizingly progressing. It wasn't very much fun watching myself go through this, nor is it for any body. This is really where it separates belief from theory. I think that Spiritually one' s faith is tested sometimes severely when we are so trying and striving and my God do we need a break. I recently have been around four situations where people I know are either having their homes foreclosed on or are living (renting) a house that is being foreclosed. Now, that is stressful. Sometimes, I just feel able to come away from some situations where I really feel for people and all I can do is pray and let it go. I wonder how much we are really making it by God's grace. Wouldn't it be great if we could all get little faith envelopes where we open one of them up and in Gold lettering it says, "Hang in their Homer! Love, God I know that Saint Germain talks about we are all ministering servants to life and yet there is so much of a sense of surrender we have to accept.

I though again about Helen Colliers words about being in your higher self, when you are being positive. I decided to just devote more of my energy to notice when I was being positive about things and notice when I was slipping. Sometimes, I just have to feed my inner child, to keep me going. Maybe that is where the whole Lakers thing has come in for me. Recently, I went through a period where almost all the Limousine runs I drove, were resulting in a no-tip situation. We call those no FL's or No Financial Love. Now I was really beginning to think God and the Masters must love me because it has been said God chastises those he loves, but I also think we earn our true spiritual nature by how we deal with situations. I have to admit I was developing a pretty unappreciative attitude when the people were departing my limo with "thank you's" and no FL. Eventually, after gagging on my own sour-ness I just gave in started again to be just plain grateful that I would even have a job. It wasn't like magically tips started flowing back, but I did feel the grace of God's love flowing into me, again. I think I was probably getting a C+ on the being positive meter.

I even discovered to start using the Violet Flame to help me out again, though I actually was trying to do a Violet Flame decree service over the internet broadcast, while watching the TV screen with a Lakers game. Something transcending did happen though, I began to realize I had to give myself a break; I needed to not take things so seriously. They say, "Joy" is a mark of the Holy Spirit, so I decided to take myself out in the World and just look for opportunities to express Joy. I went to the Supermarket and I looked for people I could make eye contact with and Smile. I watched and waited for opportunities to be polite, like letting another car go before me or being patient and let someone ahead of me in line have their space. It seemed pretty simple, but I was getting a "Joy Buzz" from life.

Maybe the Soul and the personality have to find a way to make peace with the circumstances in life. Sometimes we are able to be present for the deeper understandings of life's mysteries and we can face responsibility for managing our minds and our feelings head-on. Sometimes, we have to care for ourselves in a gentle comforting way, while we make our way to solutions and keeping a sense of hope about things. That is, it seems to be is the whole usefulness of being positive, even if the actual feeling of positive seems to be a delayed action experience sometimes. I still have kept watching those Laker games with an eager zeal, though sometimes it is maddening, but I guess I'm not alone. I read a user's comments after a recently hotly contested game, saying he didn't know if his emotions could take it anymore. I laughed at that one, cause I knew what it felt like, but still it felt useful to be that interested in something. Maybe I needed it. If anything it will become some test of personal mastery, how I handle things. It will at least be a huge test to stay positive Do you think Buddha was a Laker fan in his time?

Please feel free to contact me, at sirronald@earthlink.net if you have any questions or comments. If you would like to see the pictures and illustrations that go with this article, click the following http://www.missionsaintgermain.com

Ron Henry writes a range of personal, down to earth articles focusing on a more insightful sometimes Spiritual, Mystical purposes and discovery. Hopefully these articles stand alone as inspiration and even sometimes, whimsy and wit to a contemplative side of Life.

Most of these and others have been posted in the navigation bar of http://www.missionsaintgermain.com that explores Ron's research and experiences with Saint Germain, Ron has perceived since childhood

Points to Keep in Mind Before Hiring a Carpet Cleaning Company

2009-09-05T01:18:00.001-07:00

When it comes to hiring a carpet cleaning company the first question most home owners ask is whether or not to go with a wet or dry carpet cleaning solution. There are advantageous to both but to make the most informed decision possible keep these quick points in mind.

1. Fast. Soggy carpets take longer to dry and require planning and preparation to schedule. If you need your Fort Worth carpet cleaned in a reasonable period of time then go with a provider that doesn't leave you walking in soggy socks for the next two days.

2. See Immediate Results. Ever wonder how you are supposed to know if there is a problem or stain remaining before the carpet is even dry? Using a Fort Worth carpet cleaning company that leaves your carpet dry allows you to see immediate results and have stains or other problem areas treated before the technician leaves the house rather than wait for a return visit.

3. Dirt. The longer the carpet is soaking wet the easier it is to track in new dirt or stains. Instead, go with a vendor that leaves your carpets as dry as possible to avoid adding the possibility of tracking in new dirt by mistake.

4. Bacteria and Other Growth. Soggy carpets attract bacteria, mold and spores that can irritate sensitive individuals and cause unpleasant odors. Use a service that provides quick drying service so you can smell how clean and fresh the carpet is before allowing the technicians to leave.

5. Workmanship. Reputable carpet cleaning companies provide more than carpet cleaning services; they commonly provide Fort Worth carpet repair services at the same time. A dry carpet allows you to view the quality of the repair or need for additional repairs while the technician is still working in the home. Poorly performed repairs can lead to wrinkles, discoloration or other problems that are hard to spot in wet carpet.

6. Longer Life. Soaking wet carpets might dry out but the pad remains wet for much longer; wet padding retains more dirt, bacteria and other mess that causes your carpet to look and smell bad over time. Wet padding reduces the bounce and comfort of the carpet while making it look flat and matted. Avoid compressing the carpet padding by using a Fort Worth carpet cleaning provider that leaves your carpets dry. Kiwi Services is a great example of carpet cleaning and repair that can leave your carpet dry and ready for company in less than an hour!

Kiwi provides Fort worth carpet cleaning services at best prices.

Article Writing and Marketing - How to Write 10 Great Articles Each Day!

2009-09-04T23:10:00.001-07:00

Do you have what it takes to write 1o articles a day? While many people will tell you many different article marketing strategies, your safest bet is to write a good quantity of articles on a daily basis. When concentrating on article writing and marketing, the main purpose of your article is both to inform your audience, and generate targeted traffic to your website.

Writing this volume of articles takes a tremendous amount of discipline. Depending on your writing and typing skills this process can take anywhere from 1 hour to over 4 hours. As you see spending this much time out of each day article marketing can be tedious.

The real key to writing 10 articles a day is to focus your efforts strictly on article marketing. It will be in your best interest to turn the television off, and remove any other distractions that may prevent you from accomplishing your goals. In addition to staying focused, it also helps if you have a general outline of each article before you begin the process.

The first thing I usually do is come up with 10 article topics and titles. Doing this before anything else really helps you save time in the long run. Article writing and marketing does not have to be a burden, and it can actually be quite fun once you get the hang of it.

Just remember to be patient and stay determined article marketing is one of the best sources for traffic generation that I have seen in a long time. The best part about article marketing is that there are no monetary costs involved!

Learn exactly how I write articles faster in just minutes and attract hundreds of salivating customers to my website everyday!

Visit: http://www.marketingprimetime.com/instantarticles for access!

Wood Rot At Post Base

Walk in Bathtubs - Remodel the Bathroom With Resale Value in Mind

2009-09-04T22:33:00.001-07:00

Our family was involved in the supply of siding and window materials in Denver for years. We saw some ethical contractors and some who charged people for materials and work in an unethical manner. Seniors and their children have to do a lot of work to find reputable walk in tub contractors. Like any purchase be sure to study the actual material specifications of several models. This is not rocket science.

It is a bathtub. It has to be provided by someone who understands - plumbing, electrical and remodeling construction of course. You also need someone who understands the special needs of those whose condition includes nursing care. Just take your time in researching and you will find the honest and reputable ones. Local contractors can always provide you with the back up service you need. Be sure you get a good material and installation warranty.

Be careful of those who might try and be playing with your emotions. Barbara Moore was a hospital chaplain and is trained in clinical pastoral education. This deals with how to help people make decisions when health becomes compromised. Find someone who really cares about your family. We provide one solution in metro Denver for families. Call if you would like to talk about your needs for a walk in tub. My parents are 86 and getting more unsteady in their steps. The walk in helps with that issue and also the massage can really decrease pain of getting older. This can be for those in baby boomer age as well. It is a great soak and jetted tub for anyone.

The Pet Safe Kitchen

2009-09-04T19:53:00.001-07:00

Do you know what dangers lie under your kitchen sink? Many of us are unaware that we have a virtual toxic waste dump in our kitchen. So many of the soaps, detergents and cleaners that we use on a day-to-day basis present a serious danger to our dogs, cats and other furry friends (not to mention yourself).

Eighty-one Thousand (81,000) chemicals have been registered with the EPA in the last 30 years, and fewer than 20% have been tested for toxicity! EPA studies indicate that elevated concentration of household chemicals persist in the air. Long-term exposure to chemicals inside our homes may be harmful to our families and our pets.

Has your dog ever tried to lick the dishes after you've rinsed them with liquid soap and water? Does your cat peak into the washing machine while your loading it or curl up on the wash fresh out of the dryer? Several years ago we had a cat that loved to jump into the tub right after we cleaned it and he would try to drink the water left in the tub (we would always shoo him out before he got the chance). The behavior of our furry friends, while often cute and endearing, can very often be dangerous to their well being. Many common household cleaning products contain chemicals which are dangerous to you, your family and your pet. Some things you can easily watch out for:

1. To protect your pet you should avoid sodium hydroxide, commonly known as lye. Found in dish-washing liquids, laundry products, oven cleaner, scouring products, and tub & tile cleaners, sodium hydroxide is immediately irritating to the respiratory tract if inhaled. Contact can cause severe damage to the eyes, skin, mouth, and throat. It can cause liver and kidney damage as well.

2. Have you ever sprayed air freshener around the litter box or caught your pet drinking from the toilet bowl? Both can be dangerous to your pet. Hydrochloric acid is often found in odor eliminators and toilet bowl cleaners. Hydrochloric acid can cause severe damage to skin. It can be harmful to health, just by breathing the fumes. If swallowed hydrochloric acid can be fatal.

3. Many all-purpose cleaners, cleaning wipes, de-greasers, floor polish, rug shampoos, toilet bowl cleaners, tub and tile cleaners, and window cleaners contain butyl cellosolve. It can cause irritation and tissue damage from inhalation. Butyl cellosolve is so hazardous a person who spends just 15 minutes cleaning scale off shower walls could inhale three times the acute exposure limit. Imagine what harm it can do to your beloved pet.

According to The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care by C. J. Puotinen, accidental exposure to toxic chemicals is the leading cause of death for America's dogs, cats and other pets (pg 323).

The Pet Poison Helpline (800-213-6680) recommends you keep pets away from cleaning products. Shut them out of the room while spraying bathroom cleansers, etc. They also suggest you close toilet lids to keep pets from drinking the water. This is very important if you choose to use automatic chemical tank or bowl treatments.

To protect your pet you may wish to start using "Green" products. Sloan Barnett, in her book Green Goes With Everything, suggests that "A green product is one that won't harm you, your children, your pets, or the environment inside the house or outside where your waste goes. And it won't hang around like an unwanted guest after you use it - on floors, carpets, counters, clothes, and so forth."

One of the most effective and well known "Green" product lines is Shaklee's Get Clean. It has been featured on the Oprah Show and on Rachel Rae. Get Clean products are nontoxic, natural and never tested on animals. According to Rachel Rae the products in the Get Clean starter kit "provide you with a combination of really great cleaning power but also they're non-toxic, they are economic, and they are safe for you, your home, and most importantly, the planet."

No matter how hard you try, it is still possible that your beloved pet comes in contact with something dangerous to her health. That is why the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) recommends pet owners keep a "Pet First Aid Kit" that includes:

- Fresh bottle of hydrogen peroxide, 3 percent USP (to induce vomiting)

- Turkey baster, bulb syringe or large medicine syringe (to administer peroxide)

- Saline eye solution

- Artificial tear gel (to lubricate eyes after flushing)

- Mild grease-cutting dish-washing liquid (for bathing an animal after skin contamination)

- Forceps (to remove stingers)

- Muzzle (to protect against fear- or excitement-induced biting)

- Can of your pet's favorite wet food

- Pet carrier

The ASPCA recommends you always consult a veterinarian or the Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) for directions on how and when to use any emergency first-aid item. We also suggest that you keep the telephone number of the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center-(888) 426-4435-as well as that of your local veterinarian in a prominent location. More information is available on the ASPCA web site, aspca.org.

The Pet Poison Helpline handles some 100,000 cases of pet poisoning each year. They have compiled a "Poison Proof Your Home" list. It includes items like:

Identify your plants. Are they toxic to pets?

Keep medications safely locked up behind cupboard doors. Do not leave them on counter tops or tables. This includes inhalers, dietary aids, dietary supplements or neutraceuticals!

Keep home fragrance products beyond their reach.

Keep rodenticides far away from a pet's access. Keep in mind that rodents can transfer the toxins to accessible locations. Certain rodenticide products do not have treatment antidotes.

Know what a product's active ingredient is and potential toxicity for pets.

Do not spray aerosols or use any heavily fragranced products (including plug-in products) around caged birds or other caged pets.

Never medicate your pets with human products without first speaking to a veterinary professional!

Keep open dishes of potpourri (liquid or dry form) out of reach.

Do not use insecticides around your pet without knowing their toxicological profile. Read labels and use products only as recommended.

Keep garbage behind closed doors.

Do not allow batteries of any type lying around. Dogs enjoy chewing on them which can result in serious harm if ingested.

(The complete list may be found at petpoisonhelpline.com).

Finally, remember there are a number of food products that are toxic to your pet. Products such as chocolate, chewing gum, raisins, grapes, macadamia nuts, onions, or garlic should never be left somewhere that your pet may be tempted to take a taste test. Often kitchens may contain many toxins to pets such as cigarette and other nicotine products, coffee grounds, alcoholic beverages, moldy dairy products, & chicken bones. Keep these items in closed cabinets, closed refrigerators or in closed trash containers, away from the reach of our curious little friends.

Have the phone number for your veterinarian easily accessible. It's also a good idea to keep the local pet poison control hot-line with your emergency phone numbers.

Our pets can provide years of affection and companionship. Take a few minutes today to make your home environment one that is safer for your pet. In the long run you will benefit in so many ways.

Wendy Re Boyd is the owner and president of Greener Living, an eco-consulting firm, located on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Greener Living helps families have greener, safer and healthier homes. Wendy is also a Shaklee Independent Distributor. She and her husband, Keats, together with their children, their Golden Retriever, rabbit and two cats reside on Cape Cod. You can learn more about Get Clean by calling (508) 428-6154 or by visiting http://www.Go-ing-Green.com or http://www.ilovegreenerliving.com.

Interview with George B. Wallace, author of "Oh! God? Is That You? I Have A Question"

2009-09-04T17:22:00.001-07:00

Chatting with us today is George Wallace, all the way from Hawaii. George recently published a controversial book that is sure to create headlines. Welcome to Reader Views, George.

Irene: Tell us the gist of your book Oh! God? Is that you? I Have a Question.

George: God is not human. Humans might say this. They do not believe this. Nearly everything they do and say and symbolize indicates that they do not believe this. This idea of a nonhuman God changes everything.

Irene: Please clarify you are saying that God is not human and people say He is not, and dont believe He is not. Are you meaning to say that people say that God is human? Im not quite following your answer above because it doesnt make sense of what you say later.

George: Simply, actions speak louder than words. Pay attention to what people do, and not what they say. In other words, watch the hands. People will agree, if not directly say, that God is not human. People will agree that He is beyond human. People will agree that He is not, cannot, be human. That He is beyond human comprehension. That is OK so far as it goes. They do not believe this in their bones.

Take a look in the materials provided to children in the indoctrination classes. Look at the picture books. Look at the pictures in books for older kids and even adults. Look at the walls in instructional areas and chapels at icons, paintings, and sculptures. Start with the Sistine Chapel ceiling. How is God portrayed?

Plus, there is the backup use of the cop out plea. Jesus was human. We can show you God as human because Jesus was human. Begin with the Nicene Creed, the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Ghost. If Jesus, Christ is God, how is he pictured? The last time I checked, this fine example of middle-eastern Semitic Hebrew manhood is often portrayed as a northern narrow faced European, fair skinned, sometimes with blue eyes and wavy red brown hair.

Irene: What inspired you to write this book?

George: The Ah Ha! moment when I suddenly realized the effects on humans of a God that was not human. Our words say one thing and all our symbols say another. This is a really mixed message. This realization continued to expand as with a layering of shells. One concept led to another, and soon I knew that I had to write in an attempt to keep things clear for my own mind. The book grew out of that writing.

Irene: Your book is challenging some belief systems. Tell us about some of the controversy that is around your writing.

George: The very idea that God is not human is quite controversial enough. The last few days of rioting in the Muslim world illustrate just how emotionally attached to such basic bed rock concepts we humans can be. Even if those concepts are irrational. The happy, fuzzy, warm idea that God is human is a fairy tale. This fairy tale is very comforting to most human beings that believe in a monotheistic God. To take it away outrages many.
Most are unwilling to even consider it. It rattles their bedrock of faith like an earthquake.

Irene: It is my understanding that its only some religions that believe in a human God. I also understand that some Christian religions believe that God and Jesus are the same. Would you please clarify this for us.

George: I did not research to discover the number and names of religions that believe in a human God. I think that in terms of numbers of believers, Christianity and Islam are about equal in numbers. Each of these is about equal in size to Hinduism, and Buddhism. In theory Christianity, Islam, the Hebrews, and possibly a few other splinter groups all worship the same God. Each exhibits different variants in this process. I am not an expert in how each of these religions shows God. Or, even if they try.

As to some Christian religions believe that God and Jesus are the same that was the argument in about 300 AD, which led Emperor Constantine to force the religious issue for political considerations (reduction of civil strife) and which brought about the Nicene Creed, the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Ghost. In my book, I left that question a bit unclear. I said that Jesus returned to God. I am unclear in my own thinking as to
Whether or not Jesus and God are the same. I simply believe that Jesus is now a part of God. Does that mean that they are the same? Can you split an eyelash finer than that?

My work was to briefly look at religions that did not think of God as human. It was the thought process that fascinated me as it is the thought process from which values for living and relating to other people are derived. I was not, and am not particularly interested in all of the perverse methods that people have found to mistreat each other over the thousands of years of human culture. I was interested in exploring basic issues. Questions like: Why would God create anything? What could possibly be the motivations that would move God to do anything? In the possible God-human relationship, where does Man really fit?

Irene: Why do you believe that many of the people are disbelieving what you write?

George: While we are early in our gathering of responses, those responses are definitely mixed.

Irene: Yes, I can image they are mixed at this point. I would image you would get different responses from different belief systems for example the Buddhists who dont believe in a God would have a different reaction than a Christian, lets say a Catholic, would. What are some of the responses you have been getting.

George: My readings about Buddhism are less clear than your statement that they do not believe in a God. There is their eternal search for enlightenment. Is enlightenment just another word for God? Ive met a few practicing Buddhists that have said to me that they pray to Buddha. Might this not reflect a drift in their belief about the nature of God?
Possibly it is a lack of clarity?

The last person to say to me that he was a Buddhist, also said that he wished that he had had my book years ago to give to his son. The implication to me was that his son was struggling with the concept of God.

Whenever dealing with the word Christian I tend to want to ask a lot of qualifying questions. What brand of Christianity? Catholic? Greek Orthodox? Russian Orthodox? Ethiopian Gnostic? Protestant? Main Stream? Sect? Who is your leader? Do you bite snakes? Do you speak "in tongues"? I have attended church services in about twelve different Christian denominations. At the moment, I have three books in the hands of friends. I await their written responses.

Irene: One of the points you cover is the effectiveness of prayer. Please give our reading audience your opinion on prayer.

George: The concept of God answering any prayer, or making some change in the real world based on the request of any human, is ridiculous. The value of prayer is entirely internal to and for the individual. God has a Plan. It is His Plan. We are a very small part of that Plan. Our limited purpose is to provide God with information. If He goes fiddling with the parameters of His Plan in the middle of the process, He gets incomplete or
inaccurate information. He would not do that because humans are simply not that
important to Him.

Irene: Why do people believe the opposite?

George: Because it is easier and much more comfortable to believe otherwise. They lie to themselves. It is a self perpetuating falsehood. Few persons ever truly want to accept reality and responsibility to and for themselves. It is so much easier to give responsibility to someone else. Especially someone powerful, like "God". God will take care me.
Whatever He says, goes. God wants it. God did it (to me). This is not quite sane.
It is quite similar to believing in a large invisible furry rabbit with magical powers as a personal friend and companion.

Irene: You have been referred to as an anti-Christ and demon infidel. Those are some pretty strong accusations. What does this do to you?

George: It generally makes me laugh. That any humans act so, and say such drivel, tells me that we humans are not so far removed from the apes as we would like to think.

Irene: Do you think their accusations could be coming from their own fears? And why?

George: I really, really want to say simply, yes. Because they are afraid. Afraid that they are wrong. That they have made a mistake. That they have bet on the wrong horse. I have a lifetime of study and experience in dealing with all ages of people from classrooms to boardrooms. This tells me that the louder the message, the more circumspection and suspicion is required. The loudest are the least secure. The most vociferous are the least secure. The most profane are the least secure. Most such
Are torn by internal strife, and are closest to a shattering of belief. They know this instinctively to be true of themselves. This is particularly true as shown in their personal actions. This is especially true when their personal self-interest is involved.

Irene: What is your personal image and belief around God?

George: God is a timeless eternal immaterial intelligence who questioned Himself and in that process created the Universe and initiated life for His own purposes. He needs to have done this only once. That humans existence is an accidental, random chance result. A result that derived from the evolutionary process of developing life. Life which follows the rules that God first established for the Universe. However, we are here, and God is perfectly willing to use us to further His purpose. What happens to us individually, or as a race, is not particularly important to anyone but us, and certainly not God.

Irene: How does that differ from the masses?

George: As a first estimate, I'd say that it is totally at odds with the beliefs of the masses. Most people refuse to believe that God did not plan everything around the human race. They believe that we are special, in Gods favor, and that God is there for us. Many insist that God created the Universe the way that they say He did. In other words, telling God how to do His job. Why do they do this? Because a document written by humans
said so.

Irene: What do you believe is Gods purpose for Himself?

George: In my book, I say that for God to have decided to make any change in the Perfection that was Himself, He had to Doubt Himself. God had to ask, Am I Perfect? All else came after that first question. Creation of the Universe. Creation of life. And so on. Gods Purpose is to seek Perfection.

Irene: You say that what happens to us individually, or as a race, is not important to God. How important is it to ourselves to improve and live a fulfilled life?

George: That question is the ultimate question that every human must eventually answer for himself, unless he / she dies first. Very large numbers of humans never face this question. They are too young and still gripped by their internal belief in their own immortality when they die. Unfortunately, I fear that the activity we so easily call war is our own unrecognized genetic programming that could have as a purpose to force a confrontation with this very question of life fulfillment. It functions as a built in safety valve. Face death. Face it squarely. You will ask different questions. You will have different answers. You will act differently.

Irene: In your book you say if a soul is banished to Hell that Burned souls would give God indigestion. Thats a pretty strong statement against the belief of some. What do you base your belief on?

George: I believe God uses us to gather information for His Purpose. He therefore uses all humans to do this. God wants the souls of all humans. All of them then go to God. God does not need to keep some souls in a freezer for later use like leftovers in a plastic dish. Similarly, He has no reason to burn some souls. God has no need to "punish" some souls, nor burn some souls. God has no need of overdone human toast. God has no
Need of Hell. Hell is a human construct. Hell is a lie. Hell is a Big Lie, created by human beings with the purpose of seeking control of other human beings. My literary effort of language is an attempt to break through the impenetrable shell most humans have created around their minds and beliefs. It is shock value. Maybe if they are shocked a bit, they will also consider a new idea.

Irene: After Father Leo Booth published When God Becomes a Drug: Breaking the Chains of Religious Addiction & Abuse in 1991 he hired bodyguards to protect him when he went out into the public. He was threatened with the loss of his life. Have you been threatened?

George: Not yet. I expect it to happen any day. As sales start to increase, it is inevitable that some unbalanced mental case will come into possession of my book. Such brain dead defectives are always waiting "out there" to take advantage for themselves that fabulous fifteen minutes of infamy. Luckily Hawaii has a higher level of tolerance than most Holy Book thumping places.

Irene: I would imagine there are many people out there that are outraged with your comments. How do you handle their objection to your beliefs?

George: I tell them that I'm looking forward to a debate with Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, and that I expect to win. I encourage them to watch when the show finally comes on TV. Other than that, I am on a relatively large island in the middle of the largest ocean on the planet. It reduces exposure to a large continental sized variety of nut cases.

Irene: On the other hand, Im sure you have a huge following from people saying things like its about time something like this was written. How much support do you have?

George: "Huge" is an overstatement. On the other hand, we've just started to seek out responses and sales have barely begun. It takes a while to build a marketing effort. I have had positive responses so far. One friend told me that he wished that he had had this book years ago to give to his son. I really appreciated that. Beyond this, I tried to make it clear in my book that I'm not interested in starting, or leading, a movement, or
A new kind of "church". Religion is too personal to me. I think that religion is a personal and very individual responsibility, best savored largely alone, or with immediate
family.

Irene: Thank you George for taking time from your busy schedule to chat with us. Controversy always creates a wave, and Im sure that once your book hits the crest it will create a flood. Is there anything else that you would like our reading audience to know about you or your book?

George: When I was in the early stages of writing this book, before it became a book, I was first writing for myself. Later I was writing for my children and grandchildren. A lot of me is in the book. It needs to examined as a whole. Think of reading the book as a very thorough interview process of and for a prospective major employee. Most people charged with that responsibility, choosing a high level administrator for their business,
or school, spend more time at that job than they spend thinking about and choosing their religion. Than choosing their belief system. That seems to me to be an misapplication of effort. http://www.OhGodIsThatYou.com

Irene Watson is Managing Editor of Reader Views
http://www.readerviews.com

4 Reasons Why You Should Have the Number 7 in Your Article Title

2009-09-04T16:58:00.001-07:00

If you are keen to use article marketing as part of your strategy to promote your website/blog/online business then you can't do better than incorporate the number seven into your article title.

Go to ezinearticles.com and search the number 7 to see how many others have got on board with this one.

The number seven is a very significant number for man (and woman). This number pervades our life.

Here are some reasons why this might be so.

1. There are seven days in the week, seven Ages of Man, seven dwarfs, seven deadly sins, seven colours of the rainbow, and seven heavenly virtues.

2. It has indications of power too. It is said that the 7th wave is always the strongest, and that the seventh son of a seventh son will have magical powers.

3. The memory span for remembering unrelated random digits is reckoned to be 7. Ask a large number of people to give you a number between 1 and 10 and most will give you the number 7 (try it).

4. There are seven wonders of the world and there were only seven planets as far as the ancients were concerned.

So what if you have more than seven top tips, seven bullet points, or seven reasons?

If you have twice as many points as seven (14), then split your article into two.

If you have less than 7 points, then try and think of some more, to make the number up to 7.

Seriously though, there's no better time to start an online business by building a website. The World Wide Web is the place to get a presence, and marketing your website using articles is one of the best ways to get your business out there.

And the number 7 truly does work - you're reading this aren't you?

Graham Yates wrote this article. To find out who he is and where he lives visit http://www.completely-crete.com/

An independent insider's view on Greek island Life.

Plywood Floor Repair

Basing Your Career on Your Passions Will Lead to Fulfillment

2009-09-04T14:40:00.001-07:00

If your prime motivation is the bottom line then maybe it doesn't make any difference as long as you're making money and providing for you and your family a desirable lifestyle.

But, if you long for a job or career you can love and do with a passion then it may be a little more difficult.

True, some people just fall into their lifelong passion with little or no trouble at all. Maybe they grew up in the family business, never knew anything else or cared to learn anything else and found contentment staying close to the nest. However, this is not the norm. Most of us seek to fly out of the comfortable nest and fly over the fence to see if the grass is greener.

It's never too early or too late to discover your passions and act on them but first determine what you're passionate about. When you understand your own passions (and this is not easy matter) a whole new world of possibilities opens up.

Step back and take a close look at where you are now and what brought you there. Perhaps, you're a plumber but long to travel. More than likely you'll make more money being a plumber, but if you're not happy each day and dread going to work, then the bottom line is not your motivating factor. See, you're learning about yourself already.

Look at your passions from all angles. In the case of travel, is it really the travel you love or is it exploring new lands and meeting new people. You could meet new people and make new friends in all kinds of endeavors.

Meeting lots of people as a plumber is usually limited. Maybe you enjoy making travel plans and scheduling cruises and flights which could lead to a travel or tour business. It's important to search your passions from different directions.

What you think your passions are could be just admiration of others who do what you think you would like to do. Would you like to become a writer but hate to sit down to a computer and write?

Do you admire a person who makes birdhouses for a living but you hate to be cooped up in a wood shop all day. Don't confuse your passion with admiration. And be prepared for the realization that doing what you love will not always put bread on the table.

You can bet people who are working at whatever their passion spent long hours to get where they are today. But, if it's truly your passion, getting there will be a joy. Explore your passions whether they're a love of animals, gardening or photography and take these passions to the next step.

Learn all you can about your passion. Take a class or a course, volunteer or intern in the field you love. See where the path leads. It could lead you right back to where you were in the first place but you owe it to yourself to find out. Enjoy the journey.

Zara Jones is a life coach based in San Francisco and enjoys writing articles for many journals and websites. Check out this great guide to Job Interview Techniques site which has a ton of great articles, guides and advice on improving you job interview chances.

http://www.jobinterviewtechniques.info

Stair Building Books

2009-09-04T12:03:00.001-07:00

Where do we go to buy stair building books? Do we go to the major retailers like Amazon or Barnes & Noble? I have found over the years the information in most of these books I have purchased from these stores has a lot of fluff with very little common sense stair building application.

I bought one stair building book that had information on handrails. The front cover looked great and I thought this was going to be a great book reading the reviews from Amazon. When I finally got the book in the mail, I would say about one third of it was math tables for building elaborate wooden hand railing's. These tables were not easy to understand along with the rest of the book.

Back when I bought the book on building stair handrails it dawned on me that most of the construction workers I have met during my 30 years of working in the field were not very good outside of basic math. Now I knew a lot of carpenters that could read a measuring tape and use a framing square pretty good. But when it came to advanced geometrical construction projects like a stair hand railing system this was out of our league.

Reading this book or should I say parts of it gave me an idea to write a book of my own, starting with basic stair building I took all the fluff or the hard to understand advanced stair building applications out of my book, How to Build a Straight Set of Stairs.

I put a lot of time into creating an illustration for every possible part of building a simple set of stairs. I have probably built over 2000 sets of stairs during my lifetime and have explained and taught basic and advanced stair building to other carpenters. Understanding what parts of the stair construction process they understood, I was able to improve my skills as a stair building teacher.

Most people do not need advanced stair building skills to construct a simple straight set of stairs. If you are building a straight set of stairs and would like a stair building book with lots of easy to understand illustrations along with simplified directions you have found it.

We're building more stair building books to help contractors, carpenters, handymen and homeowners understand the stair building process.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more building stairs books and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

Keywords to Use to Write a Great Article

2009-09-04T10:46:00.001-07:00

Here's a little trick I discovered and it's one of the reasons that I love ezinearticles. While you're viewing an article in the category appropriate for you to submit to, go to the list of most view articles below the main body of the article you're reading.

Open Notepad, save the file with a name like "Aweber keywords for articles.txt". Click on the first article in the list of most viewed articles over the last 90 days. In the body of the article, Right-click and then select "View Page Source". If you look a few lines down, you'll see that keywords that the author used to tag this article. Copy and paste those keywords in to Notepad.

Close the window with the page source. In your browser, go back to the list and get the keywords for the other articles in the "Most viewed" list and the "Most Published" list. Now when you look at these lists of keywords, you should see some keywords that are common to almost all of them. These are good keywords for you to use to tag your articles with. You should have 3-10 keywords that have been used in all of the most popular articles. Between this list and your list from your research at SEODigger and WordTracker, you now have several good keywords to use. Focus on these for your tags for the articles and for use in the headline and the body.

There is a term called "keyword density" which means what percentage of your article words are keywords. There are many different opinions on this, but you'll be safe with 2-3%. In clearer terms, if you have a 500 word article with a 2% keyword density, you'd use your keyword(s) 10 times throughout the article. You do want some keyword density, but make sure that it still reads well. Don't get so carried away that it sounds like rubbish.

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Prefabricated Garages Save You Time and Money and Reduce Clutter

2009-09-04T09:17:00.001-07:00

A new home for your car or somewhere to store the junk overflowing the house can be delivered to customer's exacting specifications virtually anywhere in the UK within just a few weeks from order thanks to the UK's concrete garages industry.

The choice of sizes is breathtaking with concrete garages (also known as prefab garages) ranging from the size of a phone box up to a small industrial unit. With the components of these garages being made off site, it is important that the size ordered is the size you will need in the future as it's far more economical to order larger garages at the outset than to amend existing garages in years to come.

There is also a choice of shapes - flat roofed concrete garages are the cheapest and feature a gentle slope to remove rainwater; the A shaped apex roofed garages provide a feeling of extra space and ensure rainwater falls off to each side, whereas the even more pointy Banbury style roof prefab garages feature a 25 degree pitch for a more traditional appearance.

Style is always important and prefab garages address that with a choice of finishes designed to look great next to all property types. The spar (pebble dashed) finish is the most popular finish on prefabricated garages as its subtle blend of colours matches many environments. Garages in brick and rock finishes are proving increasingly popular thanks to the launch in early 2008 of red brick and buff brick finish garages that cost little more than their spar equivalents.

A range of finishing touches enable those considering prefabricated concrete garages to personalise until their heart is content. Garage doors are available in various designs and finishes and are important as they often make up the most visible parts of such garages. Side access or personnel doors, roofs, windows and fascias are all available in a choice of different materials designs and colours. Security and maintenance free options are always an important consideration and as you would expect there are plenty available with these garages.

It's no wonder that very few prefabricated garages are the same.

One of the main reasons to choose these garages is that they are "prefabricated garages". With all components built in factories off-site, prefabricated garages are typically delivered and installed on the same day - avoiding all the potential delays associated with traditional build. Once the garages are ordered, there is little inconvenience to the home owner. There isn't even the need to take time off work as the trained delivery & installation teams will ensure your garage is built exactly as specified on the original order.

Prefabricated garages continue to provide fantastic value to many. On display at hundreds of display sites throughout the UK, customers can see the types of prefabricated garages there are to choose from. Local garage specialists ensure that the building ordered meets the customers requirements before passing it through to the manufacturer who will arrange the manufacture, delivery & installation and usually give all prefabricated garages a 10-year guarantee.

Compton Buildings are the UKs largest manufacturer of prefab garages and concrete sectional garages in the UK with display sites throughout the country. More details can be found at http://www.comptonbuildings.co.uk

Tricky Home Improvement Projects - Poway Remodels

2009-09-04T06:33:00.001-07:00

As homeowners, we have all gotten in over our heads and found ourselves overwhelmed by those tricky home repairs and improvement projects. Deciding we are fully capable of accomplishing a project, we often find ourselves wishing we had hired more capable hands. Contractors are skilled and experienced in their respective fields and are always on hand to provide excellent service to those in need.

Home improvement is often riddled with unforeseen problems that an inexperienced homeowner cannot anticipate. Contractors, with their abundance of experience, can often anticipate problems before they occur and find solutions to any problem that may arise. This is the difference that many homeowners do not consider before making the decision of whether or not to hire a professional.

With a great deal of problems that may arise, more complex projects such as home exterior painting should always be left to professional contractors. Sometimes, a homeowner will be skilled and experienced in a certain field, such as home painting, and in these cases, doing the work oneself may prove to be a better option. However, these skilled homeowners are few and far between, so for the majority of you homeowners, hiring a professional to do the home improvement work on your house will pay dividends in the end. Not only will the project look much better upon completion, but having a professional do the work will allow you to relax and trust that your project is in excellent hands. With so much experience and training in the field, contractors are valuable assets to any project.

More information on College Works Painting home improvement for your home is just a click away.

10 Tips For Proficient Web Content Writing

2009-09-04T04:33:00.001-07:00

Writing article for the web is different from academic writing as readers online seeks for information that focuses on keywords and they give preference to those articles that can be read fast and easily. It is vital that you seize the attention of the reader so that your article engrosses them. Many writers have the capability for penning down masterpieces, but they too at times land in a fiasco because most often they do not know there mistakes which in turn hinders improvement.

There are certain tips that an aspiring web writer in you should keep in mind while writing article for the web.

Be at ease

Choose an effective writing style, which is comfortable for you. This implies that while writing, just be you. This permits you to organize and express your thoughts properly. Thus, writing will come naturally to you.

Pen down

It is quite often that an idea comes to the mind. So, whenever an idea strikes your thought process, immediately write it down. This process will provide you a conduit for enhancing your imagination and thoughts and connecting it with the title of the article.

Read yourself

Reading high-quality articles will help you to develop writing skills because reading will provide you with an opportunity to know the pattern, format and style of article writing. The place o your work should be inspirational and it should be free from all the unnecessary setbacks, obstacles and distractions. Do not over stress yourself and be persistent and patient.

Mentally peaceful

It is better to write articles when your mind is at peace.The place of your work should be inspirational and it should be free from all the unnecessary setbacks, obstacles and distractions. Do not over stress yourself and be persistent and patient.

Meticulous research

Before you begin your article, make it a point to surf through endless websites and articles to get more information on the particular topic you are to write. The reader of your article wants interest, inspiration and information.

Efficient title

The reader of your article cannot open or read your article if the article has a poor title, despite being informative and engaging. The title of an article acts as a catalyst for successful promotion of the article. You should spend a lot of time in thinking about a suitable title for your article and make sure that the title grabs the attention of readers.

Apt subtitles

Subtitles are the synopsis of the written material. Just by looking at the subtitles, the reader will have a general idea about your article. This is useful because at times readers would want to scan the substance of your article to see that the information they want is there or not in your article.

Accuracy, precision and comprehensibility are the key elements

The reader of your article is dependent on the information you give, so, it is essential that the information you provide is factually correct. If you share a story, it should be from your personal experience; this will give authenticity to your work.

The main motive behind writing an article is that it should be able to convey the message to its readers. Therefore, it is advisable for you to use simple words, as your reader can be anybody such as young, professionals, students and adults. If you write for a targeted audience, like literary or scientific reader, then it is better to use words that are at par with them.

You should systematize your thoughts in short and crisp sentences. Try to eliminate unnecessary phrases or words without altering the meaning of your writing. Internet users seek for information and prefer articles that are easy to understand.

Keywords

Always include keywords in your article and in the title. Avoid unnecessary use of keywords; a balance should there between good writing and keyword density.

Proofreading

Make it a point to verify your article before uploading or submitting it to the sites. Make the necessary correction if you have committed any mistake like spelling, punctuation error or grammatical errors. If the site has a style sheet, make certain that you article is according to the style sheet.

Any article written for the websites should be easy to understand, well organized and concise. Provide the readers with information as competently as possible and follow the aforementioned points while writing an article to succeed as a web writer.

The author is dynamic web content writer and budding SEO. He has got the experience in writing quality content for various websites and getting them optimized too. You can view his website for more information.

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My Love - A Poem About One's First Love

2009-09-04T03:49:00.001-07:00

There are three main reasons why someone comes to Christ and receives Him as Lord and Savior of their lives and drives men and women to their knees before Him.

One reason is through a realization of the holiness of God and the unholiness, wretchedness of man and the complete realization that God is everything and you are nothing. Second reason is brought about with a very real and overwhelming fear of God's wrath and the final expression of His wrath being hell. Plus, the reality of what we really deserve from God is to spend the rest of eternity separated from Him in hell. Third reason comes about by falling head over heels in love with the loving Savior, Jesus Christ.

To fully realize how much Jesus Christ loves you and how much you mean to Him. My reason for first accepting Jesus Christ into my heart and life was reason number three. No one introduced me to Him, He just revealed Himself to me in a personnel, intimate way that I will never forget. At the start of my freshmen year in high school, all of my childhood friends moved away and I was left alone. In addition, I did not feel a lot of love at home from my parents and my one younger brother. I entered high school alone, feeling unwanted, unloved and consequently became depressed.

Looking back at my freshmen year, I would say the hardest part of being and feeling alone was not actually being alone or feeling disconnected from people but instead feeling that I wasn't valuable enough, for anyone to want to get to know me.

I always knew about God but I did not know Him; there is a tremendous difference between the two. Growing up, my parents would often take my brother and me to church. And during elementary school I would go to Bible class which was held once a week in a trailer and lasted about an hour. Church and Bible class is where I learned about God and some of the stories in the Bible. However, as far as I can remember, no one really taught me how to know God personally and intimately. Having no one to talk to during my freshmen year, I decided to take on the endeavor of getting knowing God by talking to Him.

My getting to know God started in conversations with Him, actually, I'm the one that did all of the talking so I guess it wasn't much of a two way conversation. Many times these conversations took place in an oak tree. However, whenever I talked to God I would request one desire, which was for God to take my life literally. Looking back, I realize that I wasn't getting to know God and certainly had no real clue to who He was. For God is the God of life and not death. And when one realizes God's love for them and embraces that love then one cannot help but to live life to the fullest. Jesus said, "..I have come that they may have life and life to the full." (John 10:10).

God is a rewarder of those who seek Him, no matter how one starts the seeking process. A couple of months into my freshmen year of high school, God sent me a friend and someone that He can talk through. His name was Ken Caster and he was a junior at my school. I met Ken while I was sitting alone at the lunch table in the cafeteria. As I was eating Ken approached me and sat down. He then did something that no one else had ever done, he asked me my name.

Ken did not immediately start preaching to me about Jesus. Really he didn't talk at me, spilling out theological and evangelical useful information. Instead, he simply started asking questions about me, he started to get to know me. I did not know it the time but it was at that moment I was talking face to face with God; for by just seeking to get to know me, Ken was displaying the character and heart of Jesus. For in every believer God lives and when we walk in obedience in accordance with God's holiness and His love then Jesus, who is also God (John 1:1-3,14), is manifested through the life of the Christian.

After several weeks from the first meeting with Ken I started going to Campus Life, there I met more of Ken's friends who quickly became my friends. Campus Life was a ministry which met once every other week. During the meetings there would be an icebreaker, then an open discussion about contemporary issues and how they relate to the Christian life. At the end of every discussion, a leader or someone would wrap up the discussion and the meeting would close with a social time. Someone working with Campus Crusade for Christ were in charge of these meetings. I am sure that during these meetings, Ken or someone told me about Jesus but I don't remeber anyone telling me the Gospel or salvation.

Towards the end of March of my freshmen year, Ken invited me to see a Christian comedian named, Ken Davis in concert. It sounded fun so I agreed. In April Ken and some of his friends picked me up and took me to the concert. During the show I could not remember the last time, if any, I laughed and not only laughed but laughed so hard, that at times it was hard for me to breath. Towards the end, when the laughing stopped, Ken Davis proceeded to tell us about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This was the first time when I heard about the Man, the God and the Savior that I would fall in love with.

At the end of his message Ken Davis asked everyone to bow their heads and not to think about anything. He asked, while heads bowed, to let the Holy Spirit move and allow God to talk to our hearts.

This night was the first night when God spoke and I listened. While my head was bowed God did speak to me, not with words but with His love and I began to feel and sense Jesus Christ's presence, His loving presence, all around me and inside of me, and for the first time in my life I did not feel alone. Then Ken Davis asked if anyone wanted to accept Jesus into their heart and if so to come up front.

Without thinking, I slowly stood up with my head still bowed and I slowly made my way up to the stage. As I was making my way up I began to lift my head and shame started sliding off me like butter and acceptance started to clothe me.

While I was walking down the aisle and up towards the stage, I did not look to the right or to the left but looked straight ahead then up towards the heavens, it was like I was looking straight into the loving eyes of the Savior.

For it was that night I saw the face of my love but it wasn't my fleshly eyes that beheld Him but my spiritual eyes that beheld Jesus Christ, my love. It was that night I knew I would never again be alone. After much rejoicing with Ken Caster and his friends I went home and headed up stairs to my bedroom.

In my bedroom alone but yet not alone I made a vow I said, "Jesus, I want to live for you no matter what. If it is cool or uncool, if it is the right thing to do or the wrong thing to do, I will live for you. Since then I started conversing with God and now I try to do the majority of the listening. When God speaks to me, many time I hear his words and feel His arms around me and His love warming my heart and spirit on cold, dark nights.

It was on one of those nights that I wrote my first poem called "My Love." Other poems would follow mainly about Jesus, which comes from my new heart that I received the night when I accepted Jesus Christ into my heart and life, at a Christian comedian concert in April of my freshmen year of high school.

My Love

I remember when I first fell in love,
your gentles like a dove,
your voice calling me
to be your love.

I remember when I first held your hand,
as I promised to cherish you
in this foreign land.

When times come when I feel lost and scared,
I hear your voice saying,
"You have nothing to fear,
remember you are mine,
All of this because I care."

For I know, I am the apple of your eye,
before you I was nothing but now I am something,
by the result of your love that will never die.

There was a time, long ago
when you proved your love for me,
and showed me once and for all,
You will never let me go.

For my sins you died upon a tree,
with powerful action,
on the cross,
you displayed your love for me.

When I heard you had died, I started to cry,
but tears of sadness turned to tears of joy,
when you arose and appeared by my side.

Soon you told me you had to leave,
to prepare a place for me,
where we will be together for eternity.

My love, there are still times when I feel discouraged,
when I grow suddenly afraid and loose all courage,
tough still I am quick to rejoice,
for you have promised me,
you will come back for me,
and with your sweet voice,
call me by name to join you in eternity.

Jeff Dalton
317-902-2266
http://www.gracereminders.com
Reminding people of God's grace with one word at a time

Garage Conversions - Safety and Value Issues for Real Estate

2009-09-04T01:09:00.001-07:00

Occasionally a garage conversion will be carefully done so that the exterior of the conversion closely matches and harmonizes with the rest of the home. The only giveaway is the presence of the driveway leading right up to the home. The quality conversion interior will be on par with the rest of the home, be adequately insulated, heated and cooled and will feature adequate windows and an exterior door to allow natural light, access and ventilation. By contrast, the cheap conversion will have few or none of these amenities.

Safety is a prime concern due to the possibility of fire. A garage conversion with no windows or exterior doors is a fire hazard since anyone caught in that area when a fire blocks their way into the rest of the home can be killed. And since garages are very often adjacent to the kitchen where most fires begin, the potential for disaster is very real and every second counts. Each room in a home must have a way to escape a fire. At a minimum, there must be a window that can be easily opened and is large enough for an adult to slip through in a hurry. A door opening to the exterior is a prudent addition.

An additional consideration is the quality of wiring and the type of heating in the garage conversion. Faulty wiring and/or unsafe use of appliances can start a fire. Free-standing unvented "space" heaters pose a threat from carbon monoxide poisoning.

A garage conversion creates a lack of covered parking space and usually results in decreased storage space. Only when the site is large enough, and building setback lines do not interfere, can additional covered parking be physically and legally provided.

Value Considerations Stemming from the Above

It stands to reason that a good quality garage conversion will bring more value to a home than a cheap one will. The very cheap conversion where the overhead doors have been blocked off and some inexpensive floor coverings added is probably best converted back to garage space, since the cost should be minimal to once again offer a garage. This minimal restoration cost can be offered as a price concession if the owner is unwilling to make the restoration prior to closing. But even the good quality conversion poses the problem of a lack of covered parking if a separate garage structure or at least a carport is not present. The owner and agent should anticipate a reduction in value for this factor. How much reduction to expect is a matter of patient research.

A garage conversion should always be inspected carefully by a qualified real estate inspector, and this will normally be included as part of the whole-house inspection process. In Texas, such inspectors are required to be state licensed. Such an inspection should reveal health, safety or structural problems and the cost to do the repairs can also be offered as a price concession unless they become a lender requirement as a condition of making the loan.

Harry E. Davis is a Texas state certified residential real estate appraiser in Texas and is webmaster of the FHA Appraiser Directory Appraiser and appraisals are available at Austin TexasAppraiser

Tips in Remodeling a Small Bathroom

2009-09-03T22:33:00.000-07:00

Being among the top players world-wide in the financial, commercial, entertainment and cultural industries, New York City has become the most densely populated city in the country. With such reputation, the cost of housing soars leaving smaller living spaces a more popular option. Making a home out of these amply-spaced to smaller units is a challenge to many. This includes making important features of the home seem much cozier such as remodeling a small bathroom.

When remodeling a small bathroom, a complete focus on space fused with the right amount of creativity is key to the success of the project. Another important thing to ponder on is that quality does not come cheap. But it does not mean that you would have to always stick with the most expensive service or product, it only means that you should take careful considerations before letting go of your hard-earned cash to be able to give the most value to the money that you spend.

There are various ways to make less space appear much bigger. Enlisted are helpful tips in remodeling a small bathroom:

First off, unless you have significant skills and experience in plumbing, carpentry and electrical works, or the project is not a major one; you should seek the expertise of a competent NYC contractor to help you. Following this first tip in remodeling a small bathroom would save you a whole of time and money in the long run.

Instead of having a tub, maximize the space by having a shower instead. Rather than the traditional shower pan construction, a simple one-piece pan would serve as a much sleeker option as well as a leakproof solution. But if you still prefer a tub over a spacious shower, then go for the soaking bathtubs that are smaller but deeper designs.

In remodeling a small bathroom, choose a lighter and cooler hue for the walls and delicate patters for wallpapers or tiles. Light colors have an airy feel to them creating an illusion of more space. To create a better impact out of these designs, install fixtures offering heavy lighting. Another way to better illuminate the small bathroom is through skylight features. A bay window is a good choice as its alcove may also offer additional storage space.

Two elements have long since been known to give an illusion of more space. Reflection
and vertical objects and designs such as unframed mirrors and tall bathroom products that have shiny surfaces can be used in remodeling a small bathroom. You can have two mirrors installed opposite each other or facing the window. And when shopping, choose a tall but compact model of toilet and either a wall-mounted or sleek sink.

Important considerations when remodeling a small bathroom are the storage of toiletries and room for decorative items. Choose to have spaces cut out into the walls to serves as additional storage or display area rather than having free-standing cabinets or shelves installed into the walls. Lesser things protruding from the walls would help make the space seem larger.

Eugene Makeev has been in the home improvement industry for a while. His skills and expertise, which have been polished through time, are now used to help New York home owners avoid the common pitfalls in home improvements by matching their needs with the right, prescreened NYC contractor. To know more about remodeling a small bathroom, visit Contractors New York

Article Writing - The One and Only Golden Rule

2009-09-03T22:08:00.001-07:00

There are many rules in writing your articles but there is only one Golden Rule and here it is as clear as possible. Without following this rule you will not write many articles. Without following this rule you will not write many articles and you will need to find another traffic generator.

People that follow the Golden Rule will never have to apologize for their actions tomorrow. The only Golden Rule in article writing is to take Action. It is a simple rule but here we will have a look at it from close up.

There is a saying that the best time to wash the dishes is the moment the wife tells you to. The truth is that you know you will only get more trouble if you do not. If article writing is your marketing method then there is no better time to start than write in the morning. If you write one article before you start the day and one when you end that will mean you have 60 articles a month. Pretty good and you do not even have to plan when to write them. More articles more list building links.

If you do it now, today will be yesterday before you know it. Our actions are the only things we can control. The consequences are not but our actions will influence them. Article writing is a method of marketing preached by many Gurus. If you believe them then action is the only thing you should take now.

Having a goal of writing 50 or 60 articles a month is one thing. It is like aiming at a target. Nothing will happen until you press the trigger. You can aim as high as you want but you still need to know when to release the trigger. Now is a good time to write the title of that first article.

The one that takes action is the one that will go ahead but in article writing it is the one who takes action , and then keep on doing it. Make a habit of writing at least one article a day or more. Do not skip a day as it will grow into 2 then 3 and before you kn0w it you only write once a week.

The only thing you must do when writing your articles is to take action and start. Now is a good time to write to have traffic tomorrow.

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Plumbing Repairs - Money Saving Tips to Help During the Recession

2009-09-03T19:52:00.001-07:00

Van Nuys plumbers face a serious challenge during the recession - how to help their clients prevent costly plumbing repairs during tough economic times. Instead of trying to increase the number of plumbing and sewer repairs they typically do, they are spending time educating consumers on how to prevent costly repairs. Here are some ways you can do the same thing for your home or commercial property.

Toilets cause plumbing problems on a regular basis, and a leaky toilet can waste enough water in a year to fill up a swimming pool. To conserve water, save money, and do your part, be sure to have some replacement parts on hand. The most common cause of a leaky toilet is a faulty flapper or tank ball. You need to have a supply connection, fill valve or cock assembly, flapper or tank ball, and a flush lever or handle in order to keep your toilets running in good order at all times.

Most of the homes in Van Nuys are at least forty years old, making it necessary to replace fixtures as they age. Plan to do this annually so that you won't be hit with a larger bill than you had budgeted for. Older homes require more maintenance in general, and your plumbing system is no exception to this rule. Put a few dollars aside each month in an interest bearing account to be better prepared.

Even in Van Nuys, where the weather is typically mild, plan on insulating pipes next to exterior walls in case you experience a colder than normal winter. This will also save you money on plumbing and sewer repairs.

And now I invite you to learn more about caring for your own plumbing system by visiting http://www.LosAngelesPlumbingandSewer.com to see how you can benefit from the expertise of Schuelke Plumbing, a family owned and operated full service plumbing and sewer repair company.

Hindutva - A Lifestyle in Political Arena

2009-09-03T17:03:00.001-07:00

Though Savarkar was a controversial figure (He was also accused of murdering Gandhi by instigating N R Godse without himself taking up arms.), this definition of Hindutva was taken up by the BJP in its political agendas. The Supreme Court of India also ruled that Hindutva is only a culture and, it cannot be compared to the prevalent Hindu fundamentalism. A Hindu can be of any religion. Embracing any particular religion cannot stop a Hindu from adhering to Hindutva. A Hindu believes that the celestial powers balance each other for the well-being of the world and humankind.

Hindutva: The Political Effects

Very soon, this idea was taken up for personal gains by the BJP and its allies: The Sangh Parivar, The RSS, VHP etc. Though BJP maintained its stand on the original meaning of Hindutva, it could not stop its allies from creating a divide that resulted into the demolition of the Babri Masjid. This was only because, the BJP never strongly asserted its viewpoint on Hindutva and used it rather for its vote bank, thereby ignoring its very ideology.

Other political parties also started making use of the term as a weapon against the BJP saying that the latter is non-secular political party. This further led to divide the Indian community, which always was under the shadow of religious and communal hatred (even before the independence.) After the beginning of the fashion of calling oneself secular by drumming the Muslim tune or by taking pro-Muslim stance, Hindutva entered Indian politics in a different tone (totally ignoring the essence of Hindutva).

One cannot take a look at Hindutva within politics in isolation. It has to be looked in the context of secular politics. Muslims are being taken for granted as vote banks by the politicians. They are being treated less as Indians and more as Muslims, even though they come under the category of Hindutva.

The Present Scenario

Now that the mentality of Indians has totally changed regarding the term Hindutva thanks to the follies of VHP, RSS, and above all, the BJP, Hindutva has been delimited to the word: Hindu (a so-called religion). Even if we think of it in cultural context, the question - Who is a Hindu - offers an answer very simple: The one who prays (to one of the thousands of deities, Mother Nature, and its elements like the rivers, the trees etc). Is there any philosopher related to Hindu who started this religion? Is there a single religious book that teaches what and how to implement? Of course, there is Bhagvad Gita, but then what about the Vedas, the Ramayana, the Mahabharata etc etc etc. When did and who started it. Lord Krishna dates back to 7200 BC as per archaeological studies. Ram was even a century before that.

The Future:

The concept of Hindutva is lost and there is no use trying to revive it. What was supposed to be a pure explanation has been spoiled to an extent that there is no scope of reviving the spirit. The position of India, thanks to its political moves has broken the society into many pieces. Earlier it was only two-three religions, now it is OBC, BC, SC, ST etc etc etc. The identity of an Indian is may be Indian abroad, but in its home country, people belong more to the castes than they are Indian.

Seeing all this, I do not think the army and other people who fight for unity need to lay down their lives for dirty politics of Indian politicians.

A child filling in the kindergarten admission form is asked for his nationality later, but is asked to fill in his caste first. This is the first step in letting the kids understand his caste while religion it already put into his mind as he tries to befriend others.

There was a time when people used to take pride in saying that they are Indians, now they obstruct the normal functioning of the country to get their caste registered under the special castes for additional benefits. Under such circumstances, forget the concept of Hindutva, we can see the spirit of being an Indian is also dimmed. Are not these the people who sell of their souls to devils in return for luxuries?

So where is Hindutva seen: In case of emergencies, such as war, fighting against terrorism, and the most recent example of Hindutva was shown in the Mumbai Seige. In other words, to keep Hindutva alive, are such events necessary. The second is cricket, where whole country unites irrespective of the religion and castes. All other games are again preceded by the caste-tag. For example, in a Newspaper I read, Mr XYZ, a dalit, won the race. Finally, the third sector where there are traces left for Hindutva is the Entertainment Industry. Nobody cares is SRK is a Muslim, Christian or a Hindu, forget about people asking about his caste.

I cant see an ending to this so am keeping the article open ended. You all are requested to suggested to write a proper ending to it, if at all it is possible.

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From designing and creating your message in the format that appeals most, we distribute it to your intended audience using: email campaign, web promotion, Internet marketing, and many more proven methods.

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Freelance Writers - How to Sell $25-$35 Per Article Writing Services to Clients

2009-09-03T15:55:00.001-07:00

Article marketing works. There's no doubt about it. And, to make money online as a freelance writer, it is one of the easiest services to sell to clients. Many freelance writers either overlook this easy way of making money online, or don't know how to market it effectively.

This article explains why article marketing works, and how to make money online as a freelance writer selling the service to clients.

Make Money Online: Why Article Marketing Works

In order to convince someone to buy something, you have to first convince them that it works. In marketing, this is known as pointing out the benefits to the buyer. In succinct terms, the benefit of article marketing is twofold: (i) it generates long-term traffic; and (ii) it increases on- and off-line sales.

How Article Marketing Works to Generate Long-term Traffic

Article marketing generates long-term traffic because when buyers conduct research online, they're searching first for information. If they run across an article you wrote for a client site, for example, that answers all of their questions, how likely do you think they'll be to make a purchase?

If you're an optimist, you said, "Very likely." If you're pessimist, you said, "Not very likely." For the pessimist, I counter with, what if you found a repository of articles on a site. While one article may not do the trick, 3, 5 or 10 might.

And, this is one benefit freelance writers can point out to potential clients - ie, fill your site with informative content -- and clients will be more likely to buy from you.

FYI, information never goes out of style. It is the number one thing consumers search for online. Hence, informative articles on a site - written in the right way (eg, written with search engine optimization (SEO) techniques in mind) - can drive traffic to a site for years.

An article written 1, 3, 5 or 10 years ago can still drive traffic - if it was written with SEO in mind. And, the more traffic a site has, the more sales it makes.

SEO Copywriting: Why Article Writing is the Perfect Job for Freelance Writers

More and more businesses are putting larger parts of their budgets into online advertising. And, article marketing campaigns are a big part of this.

When you lay out to clients how and why they need informative content on their sites - and you show them why you're the perfect person to provide it, it becomes a no-brainer for them to hire you to write that content.

Freelance Writing Rates for Articles: Charge $25-$50 and Make $30K to $50K/Year

You can charge $25, $35 or $50 or more for simple articles of only 350-500 words. Write five or six of these a day, and you can easily replace a job where you make $30,000-$50,000/year.

Making money online as a freelance writer is easier than it used to be - especially if you're an SEO copywriter.

About the Author: Yuwanda Black is a freelance SEO copywriter and the author of How to Make $250+/Day Writing Simple, 500-Word Articles. Ms. Black says, "You can make money online as a freelance article writer. I do it everyday -- charging $35-$100+ per article." Learn more about how to start a successful career as an SEO copywriter, or explore other freelance writing jobs

Car Runs Into Garage Damage

Separating From God

2009-09-03T14:24:00.000-07:00

If you quit going to church or your place of worship, would you feel like you are separating your self from the congregation, the people that go to church with you, or do you feel like you would actually be separating from God somehow. I believe some people think that God is actually in the church and if they were to quit going to church, they would actually lose a direct link to God. Most people believe what they are told and follow their leaders.

If you're a Christian, can you answer me this, What Church Did Jesus Belonged to? Was he a Catholic, Protestant, evangelical or some other form of Christianity, maybe, just maybe he believed in a different religion altogether. I often wonder if Jesus was a Buddhist or he learned something magical from the Egyptians. It's said that Jesus traveled to other countries, do you think it's possible that he learned some sort of ancient wisdom from a man or woman, instead of being born God.

Is this how he was able to perform the miracles written about after his death?

Jesus supposedly studied the Torah and was considered to be Jewish, but was he really. While Jesus was studying the Torah, did he gain knowledge and wisdom, or was he actually born knowing everything. How can we actually prove that Jesus knew everything?

Does it say anywhere in the New Testament about going to church on Sunday, when Sabbath is actually Friday evening or Friday at sunset to Saturday at sunset. Have you ever thought about why they switched days. The God from the Old Testament seem to get pretty mad if anyone did anything on the Sabbath, which was Saturday. One person decided that it would be better to go to church on Sunday and now we call it the Lord's Day. What really happened to the Sabbath?

It often gets a little more confusing, the more conscious effort you put into educating yourself about your religion and others throughout the world.

People often assume that I have separated from God somehow and could be going to hell, because I write some of these articles. I'm hoping that you will do a little more research about your religion and find your true North, your true direction in life, what it is you are actually here to do. Don't follow the faithful blindly, follow the intelligence willfully.

Life of Jesus

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Mastering Our Minds' Manipulators by John Bear 2001

2009-09-03T11:40:00.001-07:00

Your life is a product of what you think; it's not so much about what happens to you or what's going on around you, but how you react. John Bear aims to raise our awareness on the basic principles that govern our lives. He covers many areas that affect the quality of our lives and discusses how becoming more aware of these, gives us the opportunity to make more informed, and therefore better, choices. Without this basic understanding and awareness the reason for many of the choices we make, and subsequently, the results of those choices cannot be understood.

What is it that governs our decisions? Why do we have to have the latest gadgets bought on credit? Buy designer clothes we can't really afford knowing they are overpriced? What are the thoughts and impulses that drive us to succeed or not? Are we driven by fear and if so, fear of what? How do our choices impact the world around us?

The subjects raised may challenge your beliefs and if you decide to read this book require an open mind willing to give consideration to the thoughts put forth.

When we rely on sources outside of ourselves for our well-being we give away our own personal power. Governments, the media and institutions rely on this for their own gain above ours. Once they have won us over with promises and policies, it remains in their interest to only give information that benefits them and strengthens their position. Expanding your knowledge base and awareness through self education, exploring private investing and always questioning the information you are given is essential if you are to stand up and accept responsibility for your own life.

To sit back and complain about the state of your life, the economy or world has no effect except to leave you more exposed to the events that will happen. Remember it's not about what happens to you, but how you respond that determines the outcome, at the time and in the future. John Bear looks deeply into how the governing bodies of politics, religions and the media use their power to manipulate our thinking, so that they will profit and be secure in their positions, whilst we flounder with no choice but to reach out to them for help.

'Mastering our Minds' Manipulators' is an eye opening exploration into who we are, and what responsibilities we carry by being here. It encourages self education and awareness that allows you to make decisions in your life based on reaching out for the truth. You don't have to accept everything you're told, or believe that only one way is right. You will empower yourself by deciding you are no longer a victim of circumstance, 'For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.' Prov.23.7.

Absolute Wealth Education. Introducing a range of educational packages suitable for young and old. Homestudies, dvd's, books, ebooks, seminars etc. delivering knowledge and investment strategies that if implemented can provide individuals and families long term lifestyle and security . http://www.absolutewealtheducation.com

Article Writing - Uncover 6 Steps to Accelerate Your Article Writing

2009-09-03T09:38:00.001-07:00

Are you looking for ways on how you can speed up the process of article writing so you can be more productive? Then, let me share with you these 6 effective steps that can help you do just that:

1. Choose your topics wisely. As much as possible, stick with topics that you know very well so you can save time without doing time-consuming extensive research. Write about the things that you are an expert on or those things that you find very interesting. Just make sure that they are related to the products or website you promote.

2. Limit the length of your articles. You can be more productive if you produce short articles. Stay away with broad topics that require so much information. Instead, stick with those that you can discuss in 300-500 words. It would help if you will not use fillers and if you just offer the information you have upfront.

3. Do tips list articles. Tips list articles such as this one is very easy to produce. If you are very familiar with your chosen topic, you can write 2-3 500-word articles in an hour. This writing format will only require you to write a short introduction and the list of things that you already know.

4. Edit later. You can't waste time editing your articles while writing them. Let your creative juice flow smoothly and focus on putting your ideas into writing without minding your grammar and spelling errors just yet. You can edit your articles after you are done with the writing part. You can then check your grammar and if needed, you can also improve on the general flow of your copies.

5. Type faster. You can never be productive if it takes you 10 seconds to type a single word. That is why, I highly recommend that you improve your key boarding skills by practicing everyday using key boarding tools that are available online.

6. Make time for your writing. Allot at least 2-3 hours per day tapping on your key board. Ensure that during this time, you will avoid distractions that will keep you from being productive. Stay away from your phone, TV, radio, and other elements that can ruin your train of thoughts. When you condition yourself by doing this every day, I can guarantee you that you'll get the hang of it in no time.

By the way...do you want to learn exactly how to create a high income online business by meeting the needs of people in your niche through coaching, consulting, and teaching online classes?

Download my new recording: "How to Sell High Ticket Products Online" here: High Ticket Selling

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Or...do you want to learn how to increase your online income by adding coaching, consulting, and online classes to your existing practice or business? Find out how here: Internet Marketing Coaching

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Sean Mize teaches coaches, consultants, and small business owners how to package their knowledge and sell it in high priced coaching, consulting, and online class packages. Sean says "If you have an existing marketable service or skill that you can teach others, I can teach you to package it into a high-priced class or coaching program, guaranteed"

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How To Protect Your Kids at the Pool

2009-09-03T08:56:00.001-07:00

A university statistics professor in the United States, Steven D. Levitt, was struck by how many children had drowned in swimming pools. They were the kind of deaths that don't make the newspaper-unlike, for instance, a child who dies while playing with a gun. He got curious, and went looking for numbers that would tell the story.

After conducting a detailed scientific study, he concluded the following; "If you both own a gun and have a swimming pool in the backyard, the swimming pool is about 100 times more likely to kill a child than the gun is."

Drowning is one of the major causes of accidents involving children worldwide, resulting in serious injury and death. Thousands of tragic accidents involving swimming pools highlight the sad fact that kids and pools can be a very dangerous combination. A number of child deaths have occurred while parents have been looking away, or were not in the vicinity. Other heart-rending events have involved children's long hair being caught in pool water pump inlets, which have also led to drowning.

In a number of cases, accidents happened even though the child knew how to swim. The result of this study serves to highlight the significant hazard that swimming pools present to children, compared to other dangers. Toddlers, in particular, often do something unexpected because their capabilities change daily.

Submersion incidents involving children usually happen in familiar surroundings. In another study, 65 percent of the incidents happened in a pool owned by the child's family and 33 percent of the incidents happened in a pool owned by friends or relatives.

Child drowning is often a silent death - there's no splashing to alert anyone that the child is in trouble. Pool submersions involving children happen quickly. A child can drown in the time it takes to answer a phone. 77 percent of the victims had been missing from sight for five minutes or less.

Here are some easy tips you can use to reduce the risk;

Supervise

Never allow your youngster to swim alone without any adult supervision. It is vital that persons be

around, ready to help if needed.

Does Your Pool have a Fence?

Enclose your pool with a fence at least 4 feet (1.2 Metres) high, and a gate which can be locked. Do not leave the pool open and accessible, as children can fall inside. In many communities having a fence around a pool, with a lockable gate, is a legal requirement.

Cordless Phone

Always have a phone nearby the pool. This should ensure that nobody has to leave a child alone in the pool to answer the phone when it rings. A cordless home phone can be a good solution.

Social Gatherings

During social gatherings at or near a pool, appoint a "designated watcher" to protect young children from pool accidents. Adults may take turns being the "watcher." When adults become preoccupied, children are at risk.

Slips & Falls

A number of children are injured when they slip and fall around the pool on wet tiles or concrete; consider having your child wear a pair of anti-slip pool shoes when around and even in, the pool.

Life Saver

You should ensure there is always a life saving flotation device handy, such as; a lifesaver ring or foam flotation device near the pool. This could be very handy if an adult happens to be around to help rescue a child from the edge of the pool - but who cannot actually get in the pool and swim. However, do not use flotation devices as a substitute for supervision. Remove toys from in and around the pool when it is not in use, as toys can attract young children closer to the pool.

CPR

Every parent and guardian should be conversant in basic Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) techniques in case of any accident. Survival depends on rescuing the child quickly and restarting the breathing process, even while the child is still in the water. Seconds count in preventing death or brain damage.

Jump, Don't Dive!

Teach your children that diving should only be performed in special pools, or in designated areas. It's very easy to misjudge the depth of a pool, or mistake the shallow-end for the deep-end and suffer a serious neck or head injury.

Long Hair

If your child has longer hair, consider the use of a swim cap which will ensure their hair does not become tangled in pool equipment.

Small Water Bodies

Avoid leaving your kids alone even with small portable pools or other water bodies such as buckets or fountains. There is always a danger of drowning occurring even in small bodies of water.

Again, please watch what your kids are doing whenever they are near water. Supervise their activities and never leave them alone in or near any pool. If a child is missing, check the pool first. Seconds count in preventing death or disability. Go to the edge of the pool and scan the entire pool, bottom and surface, as well as the pool area.

Roger Hall of COEGA Sunwear develops tips and clothing that provide women and children with Style, Comfort and Protection. Find out how to protect yourself with more popular FREE Tips for active women of all ages, available at: =>store.coegawear.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=20

Utilizing Relationship Self Help Advice to Soothe a Troubled Relationship

2009-09-03T06:14:00.001-07:00

When you begin searching for relationship advice, you can find it in numerous places. You can find it in friends and family, who don't mind sharing their knowledge. You can find it through a therapist, who can listen to your problems. You can find advice in books and online. However, it's most important to remember that the best advice comes in the form of relationship self-help. What does this mean? It means you have to fix what is wrong with a relationship on your own; no one else can do it for you.

Think about this for a moment: why is that most people start out fine in a relationship, only to fail some time later? After all, most people just want three things in their life: happiness, success and most importantly...love. What is it that makes people fail in relationships so easily? It's actually the breakdown of three things that many people tend to forget over the course of the relationship.

When the relationship begins to breakdown, it's imperative to do relationship self-help on leaning these three things once more.

3 Relationship Self-Help Advices to Ponder

1.Staying Strong
There are very few people who like a needy, desperate person. Chances are you were a strong emotionally and spiritually and that was one of the things that attracted them to you in the beginning. Over the course of the relationship, it's likely a little insecurity slipped in and desperation about holding onto the relationship changed your perception a bit, causing you to act desperate and needy. It's imperative that you revert this course and find a way back to your former self.

2. Non Verbal Communications
Do you remember the times that you would sneak each other looks, knowing what the other person was thinking and feeling at that very moment? Does it seem like the relationship lost that vibe and fell into a routine of "Yeah, I know what you are thinking but...?" Did you constantly want to touch your significant other but now it's like no big deal? If so, then it's time to reclaim those feelings. Every now and then, do little non-verbal gestures that made a difference and let your other half know that you care.

3.Avoiding Conflicts and Talking Out Arguments
Does it seem like fights rule your relationship and nothing gets worked out? Conflicts do arise in a relationship so it's very important to talk out your problems. However, do it only after all the emotions have settled down. Don't forget that people often say things they do not mean in a fight so it's important that things are not taken too seriously in a heated argument. Instead, wait for everything to cool down and then speak. If it seems like no common ground can be found in an argument, it's probably best to let the matter rest.

How does this coincide with relationship self-help? Actually, when you have the ability to stop a conflict before it starts and couldn't do this before, you are helping yourself minimize the stress you feel along with any conflict that could arise from a heated discussion.

If you are truly serious about making a relationship work, seeking out relationship self-help advice is necessary. It doesn't mean that everything will change in an instant but it certainly won't change if you don't have the guidance to help you change. Remember this phrase: you can't make anyone else happy until you make yourself happy.

Are you thinking non-stop why you and your ex broke up? There is hope you could even fix your relationship and recapture his or her heart, mind and soul? Find out how using this unconventional method works like magic and why thousands have benefitted when they visit TheMagicOfMakingUp.com

What Does Christ's Church Look Like?

2009-09-03T03:39:00.001-07:00

If we know anything about the mind of Christ, then we must also know something about His mind for His church. In other words, if any of us have caught a glimpse of Christ then we should also have a pretty good idea of what His church should look like. Otherwise, if we can't imagine what Christ's church looks like, then how can we claim to know Christ?

So, if Christ were leading His church, what would that look like? My answer to this is... I don't know. Or at least I don't know from watching this play out before my fleshly eyes. This is the honest answer for anyone whose primary idea of "church" has been a building, a paid pastor and all the usual, western fixin's.

If your idea of church is not these things and yet you're still taking part in these things, then why? Maybe you know better... or maybe you're fooling yourself into thinking you know better. I'll believe you when you say "I know better" as soon as you start acting better.

But God's Spirit will lead us into freedom.

The first step toward freedom and obedience is to take care of our unfinished business with the Almighty. When our consciences are clear before God, then we will be free to confront any life-circumstance.

The same quality of freedom applies to God's people despite all the hardship or opposition that the world can assemble against us. Our successfulness or lack thereof is not ours to measure. It is our place to obey Christ directly and then trust Him to work out the end product of these things.

If we belong to Christ, then it is fitting that we should stumble around and fail miserably every time we try to live apart from Him.

by Patrick Roberts

http://www.BooksByPatrick.com

Patrick is an average Christ-seeker. His goal is to turn people to Jesus Christ.

Article Writing Tips - Where's the Beef?

2009-09-03T03:22:00.001-07:00

Know what I hate more than anything? I hate articles that are all bun and no meat. Now, I know what you're thinking. What am I talking about? What does meat and buns have to do with writing articles? Well, believe it or not, it has everything to do with writing articles and if you get nothing else out of this particular one, get this...if you don't give your readers meat to go with their bun, they will tune you out and never read anything you write again. Okay, so what's bun and what's meat?

Well, what you just read is the bun. It's the lead in to what the article is about. It prepares you for what you're about to read...kind of the same way that a nice looking bun prepares you for the juicy burger that's inside of it. Have you ever noticed that about fast food burgers? The buns look really nice. But if the burger inside doesn't taste good, are you going to eat there again? No, of course not. It doesn't matter what the bun looks like. You want meat to go with it AND you want that meat to taste good.

The best way to set up the meat with a nice looking bun is, in the first paragraph of your article, to tell the reader exactly what you're going to tell them. Make it very clear what you're going to teach them or inform them of in the body of the article itself. Now, the title of the article can help a lot in this case. Now, my title and intro paragraph were a little odd and cryptic. But that's okay too. See, that way, you build curiosity.

Ultimately, when the reader gets to the meat of the article, they want to learn something, even if it's a simple concept. I've seen articles written without any bun at all. The problem with that is there's no lead in. The reader just gets thrown stuff at him and he doesn't know what hit him. I mean, do you want to eat a burger with no bun? Of course not.

So, in summary, introduce your topic through a good title and intro paragraph and then give the reader the meat of the article where they will actually learn something. If you do this, you'll write articles that people will actually enjoy reading.

To YOUR Success,
Steven Wagenheim

Plaster Crack Wall Damage

The Solar Wind Blowing through Your Consciousness

2009-09-03T00:53:00.001-07:00

If you follow Space Weather (on the Internet), you may be aware of the solar winds caused by active sunspots facing towards Earth. On Space Weather they mention how these may cause auroras in the night sky, but do not mention what affects these winds have on Human Consciousness.

Last night in bed, I noticed myself bathing in a stream of very high-vibration energy and remembered that Space Weather had predicted auroras. Subjectively, I feel I was noticing this strong magnetic energy coming direct from the Sun.

The energy seemed very pure and clean; the frequency was off the scale of my normal range of experiences with energy I felt I was being downloaded with information. At present, I do not have the awareness to interpret this subtle Energy at these exceptionally high frequencies.

The flow of energy was so strong it woke me up; I lay there just feeling the energy, being aware of its nature and looking for the information it contained.

I raised my own vibration through Meditation, to see if I could match the Energy flow a bit like a radio tuner searching the frequency bands to tune in to the signals contained within the light of electromagnetic radiation.

As I raised my vibration, I could feel the Angelic presence of a pure light. It reminded me of the Kabbalah and the Tree of Life. The Kabbalah refers to the planets of our solar system as the Archangels, all radiating their influence down on Earth and touching each individual's life.

Astrology aims to interpret these subtle energies and their influence and to use crystals to adjust the power of each heavenly body in our lives. By adjusting the various influences it aims to change one's destiny or path in life.

The power last night was such that I feel this was more to do with the Ascension process and the moving of Human Consciousness into the New Earth.

As more people awake to the raising of consciousness and breathe their awareness into these more subtle levels of their being, we are seeing the Quantum Field, which underlies our nature, awaking and becoming aware of its own nature: it forms the junction point between all matter, consciousness, and spirit.

The Quantum Field also forms the link to wholeness, between the plants, animals and their environment so we see everything as a whole, in the Oneness of Life.

The flow of energy from the sun in this subtle form seems to be energizing the field of electromagnetic forces around the body the Human Aura. As this field of Love grows, it creates the power to attract into your life what you desire. It brings healing and wholeness to your body, so you feel charged up and full of life.

The flow of consciousness into matter has been going on for millennia but it is only now in human history that this conscious awareness is reaching these more subtle levels. We are now starting to think within the light. This is the ultimate refinement of consciousness and what computer designers have been trying to do for years.

As this happens, Human Consciousness flows naturally into Oneness; the light connects all things in your environment with you, in this electromagnetic world we live in.

Message channelled by George E. Lockett -- HealerGeorge(C) Copyright 2007, All Rights Reserved. Tel: +44 (0)1286 882701 George has recently published his new book, which contains many more articles and advice to bring Joy into your life. The book is titled: "A Journey into the Self -- the multi-dimensional nature of being human": HealerGeorge Web Site and New Book Description: What is this book going to do for YOU? For those who are seeking a complete energetic makeover, as you read it you will feel a stirring and awakening in the depths of your heart. For those who have questions about Shifts in Consciousness, Energy Balancing, and Healing within the body, you will find clear answers. Ask a question of HealerGeorge at: Ask HealerGeorge

Can You Make Life Easier With a Hot Tub Cover Lifter?

2009-09-02T22:05:00.001-07:00

There are many reasons to cover your hot tub, many of which are health related. The cover is great for holding the heat in and and debris out. In addition, the amount of electricity needed to keep the water heated is reduced which reduces your costs, and this way the cover eventually pays for itself. The risk of children or pets falling into the hot tub is reduced when a cover is properly used. And the list goes on. In fact, the only drawback to a hot tub cover is lifting it off of the tub.

The original purchased hot tub cover generally weighs between 20 and 30 pounds. Insulation within the cover collects moisture over time as it sits over the spa. This can increase the weight to close to 100 pounds. This makes it difficult to remove, especially if you're attempting to remove it alone. Oftentimes, hot tub owners opt to uncover part of the tub and leave the rest covered so they don't have to pick up the full weight of the cover. For those who wish to reclaim the use of the rest of their spa, hot tub cover lifters are available. A cover lifter assists you with the removal and storage of the spa cover.

Hot Tub Cover Lifters are Available in a Wide Variety of Styles

After deciding to purchase a hot tub cover lifter you need to make the choice between different styles and options. Some cover lifters will mechanically lift the cover for you while others assist you in safely a pulling or pushing the lid off without damaging it. Most of the styles available hold the cover off the ground to protect it from damage, which is an important feature considering the cost of replacement covers.

When shopping for your hot tub cover lifter it's important to have measurements available because you will need to know the measurement for the clearance between the hot tub and its enclosure. A general rule of thumb is to give a clearance of 2 feet between the hot tub and the fence or gazebo to allow all the lifter enough space, although there are some which only require 6 inches for those of you who have much tighter quarters.

There are different options for the storage of the cover itself as well. Some store the cover folded in half; this can make it easier for you to enjoy the view around you. Others store the cover standing upright which can work as a privacy board as well as extra protection from wind. When making your choices consider the amount of space you have and which one will best suit the surrounding of your hot tub.

Hot tub covers are a important item to protect both your spa and your loved ones, and a cover lifter makes using the cover easier and more convenient. Having the ability to move and store your hot tub cover in a safe manner will add life to the cover itself in this means not only saving you money but allowing you to increase the life your spa, thereby increasing the time that you are able to relax and enjoy life.

Visit us for more information on hot tub parts and hot tub accessories.

Secrets of Article Writing - How to Create Great Backlinks Using Testimonials

2009-09-02T21:12:00.001-07:00

I spend a lot of my time writing articles in order to generate traffic and to create backlinks to my website. When you create backlinks to your website, you increase the search engine ranking to your site. And as you are probably aware the higher your search engine ranking the more likely your site will generate traffic as surfers will happen upon your website address if it appears on the first page of any search engine rankings.

The more traffic you create the better it is for your reputation and your sales to. You should always aim for a top ten search result and what's even better is a top three.

So how do you go about creating backlinks using testimonials.

A simple and very powerful method is to ask other website masters in your niche to allow you to review and comment on one of their products.

Go to your browser and type in one of your keywords. You will be presented with a list of results and you can choose any one of the websites on the first page as a candidate.

You will need to send the chosen website master an email offering to review their product. Imagine how many testimonials you can clock up if your carry this exercise out regularly. And best of all it is almost cost free. And there are only so many methods that you can find that is cost-free and easy to do.

Here is a typical email message that you can create to send to your list of website masters:

Subject line: Would you like a testimonial?

Dear (first name),

Just like you, I run a website (your URL), and I know how valuable it is to receive testimonials. It appears we have related demographics, and I wondered if you could make use of another testimonial for your sales page. It is a well known fact that the more testimonials you acquire, the better it is for your credibility. Are you agreeable? If so, drop me a line.

With thanks,

(Your Name)

It's a bit too early to request a review copy of their product. You can ask for that later if it's not sent with the reply. If you send 10 or 15 e-mails of this nature, you should get a favorable response from about six of them. If you times this by a hundred, then imagine the number of inbound testimonial links you can create by carrying out this exercise once each week.

Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed my brand new guide to article writing to build your list:

Download it free here: Secrets of Article Writing

Want to learn how to increase your online income by effortlessly creating high priced products that your customers need and desire? Find out more here: Create High Ticket Products Fast

Janet Cole is a powerful coach and online mentor. She has over 510 articles in print and has published 10 ebooks.

Rusting Handrailing Nails

Make Money Through Internet Marketing Without Spending a Dime

2009-09-02T19:23:00.001-07:00

Internet marketing is definitely one of the smartest and most profitable ways to become a business person, because it has the power to literally skyrocket your income within a 6 month period without you having to spend a single buck. Indeed, there is not other business venture that can beat internet marketing in cost vs. benefit, as you can tackle this business and make big money with as little as $30 in your pocket. The only things you will really require to guarantee your success are:

1) Knowhow and brain power.

2) Effort and dedication.

This means that you have to commit yourself to learning and then working a little, so all you need is an educational resource (to ensure an efficient and profitable use of your time) and time dedication (at least few hours during the day at the beginning).

I know this sounds a bit hard for some people, because everyone expects internet money to be easy money, and up to some point this can be true, but not in the sense that you can make money doing nothing, but in the sense that you can make a lot of money spending and doing far less than you would within a traditional business model.

You are well aware that starting any traditional business will demand lot of money and effort right?

Well, making money through internet marketing demands exactly the same, only that you will need nearly zero money and less effort.

On top of that, making money through internet marketing is something you can do anywhere (at home, at your office, on the road) as long as you have access to the internet.

Believe me, I have tried pretty much everything to make money, and absolutely no other business has the potential to deliver a 10,000+ per month income starting with only your brain power and some hard work.

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