Monday, August 31, 2009

Stair Lighting Problems

Walking up and down the stairs in the dark could become a safety issue. If the stairs in the house are not that old, there should be a light switch at the top and a light switch at the bottom of the stairway. This is a three way switch and is designed to allow you to turn the stair lighting on as you walk up the stairs and then turn the stair lighting off, once you've safely reached the top of the stairway. And vice versa as she walked down the stairs.

If you don't have a light switch, there are motion sensor lights that are battery operated and can be installed easily in the stairway. These lights can provide you with peace of mind, while protecting your family from accidents.

Stairway accidents are nothing to joke about, I lived in a two-story house with four other people and was the last one to fall down the stairway. None of us got seriously injured and the stairway was built to meet local building codes and was inspected by a building and safety inspector. The stairs were built correctly and the stair lighting was no problem, but people still fell down the stairway and it always happens in the evening.

During the day time there were two windows that let plenty of light into the stairway and in the evening the stairway became quite dark, rarely was the stair lightning ever turned on. This could have been outright laziness but nevertheless, it was rarely used and eventually became a safety issue.

Lighting your stairway might not end all of your problems but it can and some of your problems. There are plenty of stair lighting systems available on the market today and some of the battery operated stair lighting systems can be installed by most homeowners.

Think safety always and do your best to solve your stair lighting problems as soon as possible to prevent injuries or accidents.

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 has just finished a Home Buyers Guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

If your looking for some more building stairs or home building ideas.

Meditating On Religious Scriptur

Choosing Hardwood Lumber

So you want to build a hutch or put down wood flooring in the living room. The question is which hardwood lumber is the best for the job. The answer is not difficult if you learn a little about the characteristics of hardwoods and what gives them their unique qualities.

What is Hardwood Lumber?

Hardwood is defined as wood coming from broad leaf trees or those that produce nuts. It is the hickory, oak, Walnut, Maple, and cherry trees that are most popular in North America. This is because the climate is just right for large production of such species of trees. The lumber that is created from these strong trees is given the generic name of hardwood.

Not all hardwood is the same. Industry groups have made great strides in standardizing wood by strength and grade. This helps consumers know which are truly the hardest and which are right for specific woodworking jobs.

For example, the hardest of the hardwoods is hickory and Pecan. It is measured by how many pounds of pressure is needed to mar the wood. In the case of these two woods it is approximately 1,820 pounds of pressure before the wood is marred.

On the other end of the hardwood scale is Aspen. It is classified as a hardwood, but requires only 350 pounds of pressure to mar its surface. In between are hard maple at 1,450 pounds and white oak at 1,360 pounds. This give you a comparison of which woods are best for flooring (the harder woods) and which make better material for building furniture. Cherry is just about in the middle of the hardness scale at 950 pounds of pressure to mar.

How Hardwood Can Change

Hardwood contracts and expands depending on temperature and moisture. This is because it tries to adapt to its environment. It was once a living thing and continues to have a life of its own to some degree. In order to minimize the amount of change to wood it is kiln dried to remove much of the moisture and stabilize it. This helps keep the finished wood product truer to the size and shape of when it was manufactured.

Leading manufacturers of hardwood lumber take into account changes in wood and the purpose for which it will be used in designing the lumber. For example, the Windsor plywood is often used as sub-flooring and for exterior wall bases. Dunn, Carter, Lowes, and Siegel lumber all stock their lumber rack with rough cut lumber for any job. Online retailers such as Lumber Liquidators have a huge supply of hardwood lumber mostly for finished flooring applications.

Careful consideration needs to go into the right type of lumber for your hardwood project, but equally as important is the finished look. Many hardwoods vary only slightly in their strength and durability, but as a consumer, you need to decide to you like the grainy look of white oak or the smooth finish of maple. Any type of hardwood lumber can be stained and finished with several colour variations, so look more at grain than colour when choosing what wood looks best to you.

Clinton Maxwell writes at large for http://www.insidewoodworking.com , a website with topics around 84 lumber , carter lumber and other areas. Sharing his passion in detailed publications like http://www.insidewoodworking.com/lumber/hardwoodlumber.html ,the reviewer demonstrated his expertise on things similar to hardwood lumber and carter lumber.

7 Secrets of the Millionaire Mindset

Ask anyone, "do you want more money?" and the answer is usually "yes!" More money can mean many things: freedom, fun, adventure, escape from bills, no more worries, a brand new BMW. Whatever it is we want, money is often the means to get it.

Why is it we don't have everything we want? We are definitely smart enough - we have after all sent a man to the moon, should we not be able to make a few extra thousand dollars? We certainly work hard enough - statistics have Australians working 40-60 hours per week. Americans have barely two weeks annual leave per annum. There is no lack of work ethic here.

So what keeps us from achieving the wealth we truly desire?

Is it lack of knowledge? No - there are thousands of books and articles on how to build wealth and there are thousands who have done it before - it is achievable. The answers are out there, for anyone to access.

Is it lack of desire? Surely not since most people express a true craving for more cash and can see the real benefits of building wealth.

The distinction between those who make millions and those who do not is not about intelligence, drive, work ethic, knowledge, skill, opportunity, or even luck. The difference lies almost entirely with beliefs and attitude. These distinctions boil down to seven basic secrets of what I call the "Millionaire Mindset".

Secret #1: Beliefs about Money

Millionaires have specific beliefs about money and wealth. This is the most fundamental and most important aspect of becoming (and staying) a millionaire.

Millionaire beliefs include:

* I deserve to be rich.

* There is more than enough wealth to go around.

* When I grow rich, so do others.

* I grow rich by adding value to people's lives. I do this by providing services, knowledge, or products that enrich others.

* Creating wealth is enjoyable and fun.

* If I desire it, I can achieve it, attract it, possess it, enjoy it.

* I am the captain of my own ship.

* I am not alone - in building wealth, I have many partners who assist me in the design, implementation, and administration of my products and services. We all benefit from the growth of wealth.

* Nobody suffers as a result of me being rich.

* Wealth brings the opportunity to assist others.

* I am very grateful for everything I have in my life already.

* I am on this planet to enjoy my life.

* I am already wealthy beyond measure.

How many of those beliefs do you share with the millionaires? Chances are if you do not have all the wealth you desire it is because you may have some limiting beliefs about yourself and money.

We develop our money beliefs primarily from our family and from our early experiences with money. Do you remember your first conscious thought about money? Was it a positive one? Quite often our experiences with money are negative or unsupportive, associated with guilt, blame, fear, jealousy and all manner of low-level emotional states.

Culturally we are also bombarded with messages about money. Have you heard of these ones?

* Money does not grow on trees.

* Money is the root of all evil.

* It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to pass through the gates of heaven.

* The meek shall inherit the earth.

* There is virtue in poverty.

When you think about it, these maxims are not at all helpful if you want to grow wealth. If you subscribe to these beliefs, then your ambitions will be in constant conflict with your underlying notions about wealth. The result? A stalemate. No wealth can be grown in these conditions.

Secret #2: Reasons for Building Wealth - The Carrot and the Stick

Millionaires have very specific and very compelling reasons for WHY they build wealth. These reasons keep them focussed on their goals. These may include the desire to experience freedom of choice, provide a solid education to their children, assist their favourite charity, eliminate personal debt, ensure a secure future for themselves, or simply to have fun.

Regardless of the particulars of 'why' they want to build wealth, all the reasons fall in to two distinct categories. These are the 'Carrots' and the 'Sticks'. Both 'Carrots' and 'Sticks' are essential components of the Millionaire Mindset.

'Carrots' are the juicy incentive. Just like the horse that has the carrot suspended out in front of him to keep him trotting along, aiming for the yummy treat, millionaires also have 'carrots'. These might be a new Jaguar, a house on the beach, overseas travel, a fancy wardrobe, a solid education fund for their children, the ability to donate to their favourite charity, a sense of freedom, a sense of adventure, the freedom of choice. The reasons are both tangible and esoteric. Basically the most important thing is that the 'carrots' feel good.

'Sticks' are the painful reminder of what they don't want. My aunt who is now very wealthy says the primary reason she worked so hard for financial independence is that she never wanted to experience again the poverty of her childhood. It was such a painful experience that it served as a whip, a 'stick', to drive her wealth creation activities. Other wealth creation 'sticks' might be the pain of oppressive debt, fear of retirement without sufficient funds, the worry of wondering from where the next meal will come.

Anthony Robbins claims that people will do more to avoid pain than they will do gain pleasure. This is a key observation in the development of the Millionaire Mindset. In order to carry through plans for wealth creation, the millionaire on the make needs to have both 'carrots' and 'sticks'. The sticks keep the feet to the fire, keep the awareness of pain as a spur to keep trying, to keep working the plan. The 'carrots' however provide the inspiration, the joy, and the rewards. The wealth 'horse' moves a lot more effectively if it has both 'carrots' and 'sticks' encouraging it along.

One last word about 'sticks'. If you have too many of them, your life becomes filled with fear - fear of poverty, fear of debt, fear of an under-funded retirement. This is no way to lead a life, and certainly a very anxious way to approach developing wealth. Some 'sticks' are a good way to get started, and then focus more on your 'carrots'. Not only are these much more fun to think about, they will make the process of building wealth far more pleasant and enjoyable.

Secret #3: It's not about the money

Every wealthy person knows that creating a fortune is never about the money itself. It is however about what the money can do. Money allows the experiences that provide pleasure. Ultimately building wealth is about feeling good - nothing more, nothing less. Can you feel good without building wealth? Absolutely! This is why a wealthy person feels good, feels 'wealthy', regardless of the balance of their bank account. For the wealthy person, accumulation of wealth is a process that is as enjoyable as the results.

Wealthy people are not hung up on outcomes or on the balance sheet. Wealthy people focus on the process of adding value to their clients, to their colleagues, to their employees, to their field of work. They know that in adding value, the laws of reciprocity dictate that value comes back to them in the end. In this way they can feel good at any given time. Creating wealth is as much about service to others as it is about feeling good in their own life.

Secret #4: Awareness is a key skill of wealth creation

Those who create and attract wealth have a heightened sense of self. They are keenly aware of what might be stopping their personal growth including personal effectiveness, limiting beliefs, low-level emotional patterns, and lack of knowledge or skill. They take active steps to eliminate blocks to their success.

Those with a Millionaire Mindset are also keenly sensitive to their environment. They surround themselves with people who support and assist them with their goals. They hire coaches, select mentors, and pay for the best advisers they can afford. They avoid individuals who are negative, pessimistic, or caustic in any way. They design inspiring surroundings that remind them of their personal vision and reflect their individual values. Everything around them is a reflection of who they are at the core and resonates with their vision of themselves already in possession of the wealth they desire.

Secret #5: Focus reveals opportunities

Along with heightened awareness, focus on key priorities operates like a giant floodlight: opportunities are revealed by the powerful, focussed light. Without clear focus, these same opportunities may still exist, but because awareness is unfocussed, the individual may not necessarily notice them.

Secret #6: Repeat baby steps

Having focus and heightened awareness is not enough to become wealthy. Inspired and deliberate action is required to create results. Wealthy individuals take measured steps in creating their outcomes. They know that some action is better than none and that baby steps in the moment lead to significant results over time.

Secret #7: Connect to joy, in the moment

True wealth comes in the experience of joy, in the moment. This is in fact a choice brought on by awareness of our connection to the whole of mankind, the whole of the universe. When we feel integrated and a part of the great experience of life, we can relax and savour the experience of the moment, now. A great sense of peace thus allows the flow of joy, happiness, and ultimately wealth and prosperity.

So how do you actually create wealth?

This is the question people always ask first when they want to escape poverty and make more money. It should in fact be the last question to answer. You cannot attract wealth if you do not have the right beliefs, reasons, focus, awareness, and attitude. Any financial project will flounder without these elements in place first.

With that caveat out of the way, how do you build wealth?

The simple answer is that there are a multitude of methods and strategies. You can employ one or many. These include:

* A traditional business enterprise

* Investing in shares, managed funds, bonds, etc

* Property investment

* An online business.

What we know for sure that there are very few 'jobs' that pay an extraordinary salary that turns in to massive wealth. Business and investment is really the key to wealth that does not depend on you actually turning up to deliver a service.

How do you get started on the technical side of things of wealth building?
First of all, pick the strategy that you will enjoy. If you are a technophobe, then maybe an on-line business is not for you. If you enjoy home making and decorating, maybe property investment is something for you to pursue. Whatever you choose, you have to enjoy it and make it fun!

There are plenty of good resources out there to teach you the nitty gritty of investing, business building etc. Don't feel you like you have to go it alone! Get advice, get help, get a coach, get a mentor. Educate yourself - read, read, read. Then take action - baby steps of course!

As a starting point, here are some great resources for you:

Rich Dad, Poor Dad - Robert Kiyosaki

Cash Flow Quadrant - Robert Kiyosaki

The E Myth Revisited - Michael Gerber

You Were Born Rich - Bob Proctor

The One Minute Millionaire - Mark Victor Hansen

Think and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill

There are plenty of more books, links, and articles on my website www.innercompass.com.au to help lead you in the right direction.

Now go forth and prosper!

I wish you a life of love, laughter, joy, health, and prosperity.

Best wishes

Copyright 2006 Zo Herbert Routh, Inner Compass

Cancer survivor Zoe Routh is the Head Coach at Inner Compass, a personal development organisation that helps busy professionals work less and achieve more. Inner Compass offers practical strategies and solutions to improve personal effectiveness and live an inspired life.

Zoe has worked with groups and individuals since 1987. She has worked as a trainer, coach and facilitator in helping people achieve their personal best.

Inner Compass offers articles, resources, and coaching programs to help busy professionals radically improve their personal effectiveness to live an inspired life.

http://www.innercompass.com.au

Home Improvement Tip - Fixing a Squeaky Floor

Question: I have a floor that every single time I step on it I get the most annoying sound. I don't know what it does to me or why it bothers me so much. My kitchen floor squeaks and actually moves up and down if you are standing on it. The whole floor moves. How do I stop it from moving and squeaking. Help Me Greg!

Answer: It sounds like you have a broken floor joist. You are going to have to go under your house. If you have a basement this will be a little easier to fix. It is my guess that you don't have a basement or you would have seen the broken floor joist by now.

Have someone stand on the floor in the spot that squeaks and have them move up and down while you are under the house. Don't have them jump up and down while you are under the house. This could cause more damage to the structural framing of the floor. Once you are in the right position under the floor you can have them start moving slowly. What you are looking for is one of the floor joist that are moving.

If you see one of them moving. Look to see where the damage is. Is it a split, crack, wood rot or a big knot in the wood that has loosened up and fell out. Once you find the damaged floor joist you can now think about repairing it.

If you don't see any floor joist moving. Have the person on top start moving a little bit more and you can even have them jump on it a few times until you see something out of place. If you still don't see any broken floor joist. Start looking at the sub-floor, this will be plywood of some form, 1 x 6 or 2 x 6 materials.

What you are looking for is movement of any kind. Is there a separation or movement between the sub-floor and the floor joist. If you still can't find the problem maybe it is time to call in a professional.

The main thing you are going to be looking for is movement of any kind.

Most squeaky floors are caused from the sub-floor rubbing up and down on a nail. If you have carpeting and you have a squeaky floor you can do your best to locate a floor joist and screw right through your carpeting into the floor joist.

For more help on fixing squeaky floors visit http://gregvan.com/wood_repair.htm

Thanks for the great question. I hope it helps.

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

Ask And You Might Receive Or Ask

The Importance of Goal Setting

The whole point of setting a goal is to help you bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be. If you set goals and work toward them diligently, you can have all the things you want. People who set and achieve their goals are people whove decided what they want, committed themselves to going after it, and havent let anything stand in their way short of violating the rights of others.

A proper goal gives you all the incentive you need to grow in your awareness of being a perfect expression of an Infinite power, designed for excellence and abundance. As you become more welcoming and aware of your relationship with God, and of all the potential thats been built into you, youll function more effectively in harmony with the laws of the universe. Living in synch with all of this will yield results youve never dreamed possible.

They say that awareness is curative. It gives deep meaning to life because it spells the end of your robotic existence no more walking in the deep ruts formed by your harmful programming and counterproductive thought life. These old ways of thinking arent ways youve chosen they were planted in your heart when you were young by your parents, teachers, and religious leaders. While some of these programs serve you well, many of them are harmful and ready to be replaced. The old way of living has kept you from a truly abundant life.

But, in order to truly change, your old habits have to be replaced with new, healthy practices. Having a solid goal in place serves as a constant help as you do this. In fact, without a specific goal, youre unlikely to ever make a significant change in your life. While youre on your way toward achieving your goals, you learn to choose which thoughts youll allow into your mind. Youll see the connection between these thoughts, the feelings and attitudes they produce, and ultimately the results they yield. Its not something someone else can do for you.

Ever notice how your life never really stays the same? Youre either improving it or damaging it your actions arent neutral. As a spiritual being, your spirit constantly seeks expansion and greater expression. When this deep desire is thwarted, you experience a feeling of dissatisfaction. That feeling is unpleasant enough to serve as a good motivator. We hate feeling unfulfilled, and work diligently to escape such an unpleasant feeling. Well do pretty much anything to satisfy this need.

This need for fulfillment goes way beyond just things and money although they are important. They give you comfort and opportunity. It goes beyond happy feelings or a sense of peace although theyre important, too. Our drive for complete fulfillment includes these things, but goes so much further its a deep desire for a big purpose, something that catapults you into creativity, into meaningful and effective service.

Great you were created to pursue worthy goals. How do you set them? How do you go after them? What can you do to make sure you achieve these grand goals?

Half the battle with goal-setting is determining exactly what it is that you want. Sounds easy enough you answer that question just fine at a restaurant, on your birthday, when you get your hair cut. But when it comes to the big what do you want question, minds go blank. We dont know whats okay to ask for. Whats too much? Am I overreaching? How am I going to feel if I ask for something thats beyond possibility?

Wow, such bad programming we pick up! Ask any little kid what they want to be when they grow up and youll hear answers like: the President, an astronaut, a gazillionaire, a cat, a rock star. Nothing seems impossible; nothing seems like itll come back to haunt you if it doesnt work out.

Deciding what you want is risky. Telling someone else can feel uncomfortable. You might feel like youve got to preface it with something like, Please dont tell anyone Can you keep a secret I know it sounds crazy, but But you know what? People who set and achieve awesome goals are risk takers theyve learned to be. They know that theyve got the privilege and duty to design their own lives, make their own decisions. They dare to dream, and dream big. The power is in going after what you want, not in going after what you need.

Think you dont have what it takes to meet your goals? Then heres some great news youve already got everything that could ever be necessary to produce amazing results in your life. Youve got access to all you need whether you see it right now or not. So, dont worry about that as you choose goals. Assume you have every resource you need, right at your fingertips because you do.

Andrew Cocks and Terry Zambri are Certified Life Success Consultants, Network Marketing and Internet Marketing Coaches. Their exclusive 3 step marketing system, combined with their unique home based business training program is creating massive success for their team. Visit: http://www.AndrewAndTerry.com/incomeaccelerationsecrets.html to learn how you can be coached by them for FREE.

Copyright, MMVVII- AndrewAndTerry.com. All rights Reserved

The Cultural Significance of Symbolic Art

Symbolic art is a universal cultural phenomenon. The symbolic significance that man assigns to external objects may reflect more about him than about objective reality. Ultimately all visual objects can have symbolic significance. Symbolic art can remind the viewer of resolutions or goals, inspire particular feelings and emotions, and harmonize attitudes and relationships. Carl Jung writes in Man and His Symbols, "The history of symbolism shows that everything can assume symbolic significance.... In fact, the whole cosmos is a potential symbol."

The meaning of symbolic imagery may depend on the age and gender of the viewer as well as the cultural context. Art can be chosen based on its symbolic significance with the intention of invoking particular feelings or emotions in the viewer. Art can also be chosen to remind the viewer of resolutions or goals.

Landscape symbolism is probably the most universal visual language in art. The sun or circle is the most basic symbol in existence. The sun is the source of warmth and life. Plato viewed the sun as symbolic of the psyche. Many religions have used the image of the sun as a symbol of spiritual illumination and wholeness. Other cultures view the sun as a symbol of the masculine principle or God Himself.

The moon is usually representative of the hidden aspects of life such as the unconscious or the dream world. The earth is often considered to be symbolic of matter and the feminine. Like the sun, water is often representative of the source of life or highest good. Similarly, mountains, rocks, trees and flowers all have symbolic meaning.

Other images replete with symbolic meaning include geometric forms and colors. More sophisticated levels of symbology are inherent in most traditional religious works and icons. Understanding artistic symbolism can deepen your experience of the visual world and greatly enhance your enjoyment of art.

Kathleen Karlsen is a professional artist, writer and design consultant residing in Bozeman, Montana. Kathleen is best known for her contemporary impressionism style and her colorful forest, landscape and flower paintings. Kathleen's original art and fine art gifts can be seen at http://www.livingartsoriginals.com

For an extensive article about flower symbolism see http://www.livingartsoriginals.com/infoflowersymbolism.htm - To see a selection of Kathleen's flower paintings, please visit http://www.livingartsoriginals.com/originalfloralart.htm

Raise Your Property Value With Grant Money

If you are considering selling your home, you should look into home improvement grants first. If you would wonder why receiving free government money to invest in a home that you will soon be leaving is a good idea, then you are about to become significantly enlightened about the benefits to applying this type of funding to your resale strategy. Interested? Please read on...

It is probably a safe assumption that if you are currently beginning the resale procedure, you know that you are about to take a serious hit while negotiating your selling price. It's no secret that at the moment, American housing prices are far below the actual realistic property values due to a poor economy. Obtaining free government money in home improvement grants to remodel and repair your home, before you sell, can significantly raise your property value. Applying this strategy prior to placing your home on the market can most definitely result in a higher selling price, hence helping you to recoup your losses in selling below actual value.

It has been reported, that many American citizens who initially set out to repair and remodel their homes for resale using home improvement grants, in the process found that were also eligible to receive government funded home grants, remodeled, raised their property values, applied for more grants, and wound up keeping their newly remodeled homes in the end. It has been accomplished by hundreds of American homeowners, and you can be one of them.

No matter what the situation, buying, selling, keeping your home, free government home improvement grants can raise your property value while keeping your bank account in tact. Before you visit the realtor, visit your local government grant awards agency.

Apply for Personal Grants.

See how much money you qualify to receive today and never pay back. Get Grants for Individuals

Repairing a Leaking Toilet

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

Another Crappy Rule In The Bible

Are There Really Home Water Filters That Work?

A lot of people seem to be of the opinion that home water filters won't really do enough of a job of purifying our drinking water to make them worth the expense. Then you will hear many of those same people turn around and ask, how do water filters work. It all just seems odd to me, that's all.

I mean, how can you tell me in one breath that you don't think that home water filters do an adequate enough job to protect you from the pollutants in our drinking water, and then turn around in the next an tell me that you don't even really have a full understanding of how the filter operates?

If you suffer from a lack of knowledge as far as how do water filters work, then how can you pass a judgment down upon them? You have to have a full comprehension of what these units can do, and you also have to have a working knowledge of exactly what kinds of contaminants the unit is going to have to face.

Home water filters have to have a well rounded filtering design due to how many different pollutants that it deals with. The most potent threat comes from the chemicals that are present in our water supplies. There can be literally hundreds of them present in trace amounts, and the majority of them all reach our homes at one point or another.

To understand how do water filters work against these chemicals you have to know that there is such a variety of them that you actually need more than on internal filter in order to be able to effectively block them all. For this your unit needs both a multi media block, and a granular activated carbon filter. Together they will block 99% of the chemical content of your water.

Your home water filters also need to be able to block parasites and cysts from you drinking water. For this you need what is called a sub micron filter system. There is also one more filter that you need if you are going to be successful in removing the only remaining threat which is lead and copper.

So, how do water filters work in removing these toxic metals from your water? The system will this time employ an ion exchange unit which will effectively trap these heavy metals, and it will replace them with sodium and potassium. This unit is also effective for keeping your waters pH level balanced,

Any unit that you may find that has all four of these filters in it is a water filter well worth the money that you pay for it, and to be honest with you there are units that contain all of these features that are really quite reasonably priced. Don't let anyone fool you into believing that you have to pay a small fortune for home water filters that are effective in purifying your water, because that is absolutely not the case.

Learn about other water filtration systems at my website that I personally use that can dramatically improve the quality of your water.

Dana Lakes is a passionate researcher of water purity issues that affect our health and well-being. She articulates her opinion at http://www.clean-filtered-safe-water.com. To learn about water purification systems that Dana recommends for your home or office visit http://www.clean-filtered-safe-water.com

To Install Gutters Or Not to Install Gutters

They divert rain water away from your foundation and landscaping. They protect the ground around your home from erosion. They keep water from pouring on your head as you enter and exit your home. They can be used to collect rain water for watering your lawn and plantings during drought times. Why wouldn't you want to install gutters on your home?

They leak. They clog. They overflow. They rob the plants around your home of a good soaking. They can cause tremendous erosion at the base of downspouts. They're ugly! They require maintenance from a dangerous rooftop or ladder. Why would you want to install gutters on your home?

There is no easy answer to the simple question: "Should I install gutters on my home, or not?" You'll simply have to weigh the pros and cons for your particular situation and decide for yourself.

The first thing to consider in making this decision is do you really need them? Take a look at the ground around your home. Does it slope away from your foundation? If it does you don't need gutters to keep water away from your foundation. If it doesn't you should probably look into some grading work before worrying about gutters anyway.

Next, take a look the landscaping surrounding your home. Can it be damaged by rainwater falling from the edge of your roof? This may be a tough question to answer at first thought. Go outside and inspect the areas under your eaves. If you find bare ground, mulch or lawn you should definitely consider gutters, or a change in ground materials that your rainwater will fall upon. If you find mature shrubbery, stone or any variety of hardscaping you probably don't have to worry about erosion. Consider the height of your roof. Water falling from the edge of a two, or three, story home will cause far more erosion and water falling from a single story home.

Do you have trees around your home? Are they taller than your roof? Will they eventually be taller than your roof? If you have, or someday will have, trees that will shed leaves onto your roof you should seriously consider making do without gutters. Consider installing an alternative to gutters, or invest in one of the better products designed to keep leaves and other debris from entering your gutters. And don't be fooled into thinking that coniferous trees (e.g. pines) don't count. They drop as much, or more, material onto your roof as do deciduous trees.

A clogged gutter or downspout is not only useless, it is dangerous. The overflow is likely to find its way into the fascia board to which the gutter is secured causing rot and possible infiltration into walls and other structural members of your home. Where the collected water hits a clog it overflows, pouring onto a concentrated area of your landscaping or hardscaping causing damaging erosion. Water is heavy. A full gutter can break free damaging your home, or worse.

Do you live in an area that compels you, or forces you, to ration water use? This factor alone can trump all others. Collected rainwater is superior to any other source of water for lawns and other plantings. It can be used to wash your cars or fill pools and other water features. You use it for washing clothes and bathing, even for drinking with proper treatment.

Can you get by with a simple diverter over your entryways allowing water to fall to one side or both? Can you simply deal with a bit of water shedding onto your head during storms? Can you deal with the mundane appearance of traditional gutters and downspouts? Granted, half-round copper gutters and round copper downspouts add elegance to Victorian and Gothic architecture, but standard aluminum "K" gutters and rectangular downspouts can do more to break the clean lines of modern houses than any other exterior accessory items.

Chances are you live in a home that already had gutters installed either for need or as an afterthought of conformity. If you are looking at having a new roof or siding installed think hard on all of these points before making a blind decision to replace your gutters and downspouts as well. If you are building new, consider the site and talk to your neighbors, especially if you are moving to an unfamiliar area. In the end, the decision is yours and yours alone. Make an informed one.

Mike Hudecheck
Pro-G Contractors
Roofing Siding Windows Doors
Delaware, Chester, Montgomery, Philadelphia Counties in Pennsylvania; New Castle County in Delaware; Cecil and Harford Counties in Maryland
http://www.progcontractors.com

Surviving As A Contractor In California

So you want to make big money making a living as a contractor in the state of California. Well now I bet you have seen contractors on TV or maybe you know someone who is a contractor. You see these men and women playing the part as Mr. or Mrs. Money bags. If you have the slightest thought that becoming a contractor will provide you with a life of riches think again.

Most contractors that I know and have worked with over the years don't think of there jobs as easy. They have to work everyday and a lot into the night doing estimates or meeting with potential clients because they are to busy during the day. The life of most contractors in the beginning will be difficult to say the least. But if successful you will make a great living for yourself and your family.

Now that we got the false illusion of the contractor answering his cell phone all day at some nice golf course having lunch talking about the money that he just made selling his oil stocks. We can start on reality. If being a contractor was that easy everyone would be a contractor. Right..... Well maybe not everyone.

I have been a contractor for over 22 years and in construction for 30 year. I have seen a lot of changes over the years. I remember when a few contractors that I worked for made a lot of money during the late 1970's. These guys had Ferraris and money to burn with one exception they had no idea how to save any of it. These guys went on vacations and bought extravagant toys for them selves. Out of most of the big framing contractors I worked for about 10 percent are still in business or actually saved their money during the good times so that they could make it through the bad times.

These contractors never thought it was going to end. Life on easy street that is. But it did and most went by the way side. I guess that is the nature of business. Especially the current economic business cycles that we seem to go through over the years. If you don't have the money to advertise or carry a payroll. Your business is going to suffer during the bad times. Sure there is credit and bank loans but you still have to pay that money back. IF you can't save your money stash some away for advertising.

Some of the best advice I can give a contractor anywhere especially in the state of California is " Don't Think The Great Times Of Easy Money Will Last Forever". Save some of the money you make just in case you need to get through the bad times. You will thank me for this latter, Some time down the road. Take this advice and put it into action starting right now.

Greg Vanden Berge has over 30 years of experience in residential home building and remodeling. This provides you with the comfort of knowing that you have a professional with the knowledge and skills to complete your construction projects in a timely manner.

Our low overhead along with our new online estimating system will provide you with the most competitive construction pricing in the area. We continue to educate ourselves about the new home improvement books and building systems in the construction industry. If we have any doubt that something might not work we don't use it. We have found some of these products to be the root of some major home building problems.

Click on the Home Remodeling Ideas to get more information and a possible online estimate for your home improvement project.

Effects Of False Prophets

Glass Sunrooms - What You Need to Know

If you're building a sunroom, more than likely it is going to have a lot of glass in it. In fact, many sunrooms actually are about 75-90% made of glass. Of course all the glass is wonderful for allowing you to enjoy the sun and almost feel that you are outside without all the bugs and nasty weather. However, while these glass sunrooms have many wonderful features, there are many things that you need to consider when you are having one installed. Before you start choosing the glass for your sunroom there are a few things that you need to keep in mind.

Consider the Location

First of all the location of your sunroom should be taken into consideration when you are trying to choose the glass. If you are putting a sunroom in a place where you want a great view to the outdoors, then floor to ceiling glass may be something that you want to consider. Also, if you want a great view of the sky, you may even want to be able to consider going with a sunroom that has a glass roof as well, providing you with more sunlight and a great view of the night sky as well.

Use Tempered Glass for Safety

When you are choosing the glass you need for glass sunrooms, it will be important that you go with tempered glass for your safety. You must have tempered glass, since it is much safer and works in the same way the glass in your car does. Going with tempered glass is important for a couple reasons. First of all, it is much stronger so that you avoid having a problem with the glass breaking. Also, tempered glass breaks differently than other glass. It actually crumbles instead of shattering, which means that you are safer if something does happen to break the glass.

Go with Insulated Glass for a 4-Season Sunroom

If you want to have a glass sunroom that you can use all year long, then you'll want to make sure that you go with insulated glass. You should never choose single pane glass for a sunroom that you want to use all year long. It won't keep out the heat of the sun or the cold during the winter. Double pane glass is going to be a bit more expensive but it will provide you with the insulation that you will need from your windows.

Look for a Warranty

Last of all, no matter what type of glass you decide to go with when it comes to the glass for your sunroom, you should look carefully for a good warranty. You want to make sure that your glass has a warranty on the seals and on the glass for breakage as well. A warranty can save you if something happens to your glass, so make sure you only go with glass that comes with a good warranty to keep you protected if something should occur.

For more information on sunrooms and sunroom additions visit TheDiyHomeGuide.com

Overcoming Internal Barriers to Your Goals

If you're like I am, you don't see yourself as having any fear of success. In fact, it's likely that you actively strive for success.

So despite this confidence, why do you find yourself plagued with self-doubt sometimes? Or, occasionally, you just don't feel motivated to work on your goal. Worse yet, sometimes you do things that actually impede the achievement of your goal. Are these signs that you'll never achieve that goal or is something else going on?

One way to solve this puzzle is to ask yourself some key questions:

Are you taking on too big a goal?
Sometimes when there's too much to do to attain a goal, we can't focus on what needs to be done and we become overwhelmed. Rather than focusing on the big goal, focus on the smaller steps that need to be accomplished one at a time in order to accomplish the big goal.

Are there signs that you are progressing toward your goal?
It can be discouraging to feel as though you're not getting closer to your goal. It's easy to lose the initial enthusiasm and motivation once the work gets going. It's especially easy to lose the initial excitement and anticipation if you don't see any results from your efforts. If the steps toward your goal don't provide rewards, build your own. Treat yourself to a special dinner, a night out, or whatever you want, after making a significant step toward your goal.

Are you having to make too many sacrifices to achieve your goal?
If you're a single parent holding down a full-time job, you may be sacrificing sleep or time with your children to get that Ph. D. Most goals demand some kind of investment of scarce resources (i.e. time, energy, money). For some, these resources are a small investment and for others they are major investments. Make sure your investment is worth your goal.

Now that you've started working on your goal, is this something you can accomplish?
Some self-doubts are realistic and some aren't. Make an assessment of the skills and resources needed to accomplish this goal. Next, assess your skills and resources. It may be helpful to ask a friend who can be objective and honest with you to help you with these assessments. If your skills and resources are less than what is needed and will never be enough to reach your goals, then your self-doubt is an inner sign of reality (like wanting to be the next "American Idol" despite being only an adequate singer). However, if your skills and resources match or will match the skills and resources needed to accomplish your goal, this exercise should help eliminate some of your self-doubt.

Is accomplishing your goal too far out in the future?
When goals take a long time to accomplish, we can find ourselves working on things that have nothing to do with our goals, and in effect, wasting our time and making the achievement of our goals take that much longer. In this case, it may be helpful to make the halfway point to your goal the new goal instead. For example, if your goal is to lose 40 pounds in 40 weeks, make a new goal of 20 pounds in 20 weeks. At the end of 20 weeks, when you've lost 20 pounds, create a new goal of 20 pounds in 20 weeks. Break up your goal whichever way works best for you and keeps you focused on the end result.

You may not always be able to handle external obstacles toward your goals, but you do have control over your internal obstacles!

I have been helping people reach their personal and professional goals for the past 14 years. There's nothing more satisfying than helping someone reach their potential for success. I would like the opportunity to help you reach your goals. I am a Professional Coach with a Ph.D. in Psychology and a specialty in Goal Achievement and Transitions. Check out my website: http://www.ParamountTransitions.com then call me for a free consultation.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Stair Lighting Problems

Walking up and down the stairs in the dark could become a safety issue. If the stairs in the house are not that old, there should be a light switch at the top and a light switch at the bottom of the stairway. This is a three way switch and is designed to allow you to turn the stair lighting on as you walk up the stairs and then turn the stair lighting off, once you've safely reached the top of the stairway. And vice versa as she walked down the stairs.

If you don't have a light switch, there are motion sensor lights that are battery operated and can be installed easily in the stairway. These lights can provide you with peace of mind, while protecting your family from accidents.

Stairway accidents are nothing to joke about, I lived in a two-story house with four other people and was the last one to fall down the stairway. None of us got seriously injured and the stairway was built to meet local building codes and was inspected by a building and safety inspector. The stairs were built correctly and the stair lighting was no problem, but people still fell down the stairway and it always happens in the evening.

During the day time there were two windows that let plenty of light into the stairway and in the evening the stairway became quite dark, rarely was the stair lightning ever turned on. This could have been outright laziness but nevertheless, it was rarely used and eventually became a safety issue.

Lighting your stairway might not end all of your problems but it can and some of your problems. There are plenty of stair lighting systems available on the market today and some of the battery operated stair lighting systems can be installed by most homeowners.

Think safety always and do your best to solve your stair lighting problems as soon as possible to prevent injuries or accidents.

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 has just finished a Home Buyers Guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

If your looking for some more building stairs or home building ideas.

Religion Articles

Protect Your Outdoor Floors - Homeowner Tips

Outdoor mats have many uses, and one of the most important is keeping your home safe from water, dirt, mud, and other debris. They stop people with dirty shoes from wrecking your carpet and other flooring by removing the dirt and grime before it has a chance to come in contact with your floors. Keeping your home clean is not a task most people enjoy and the right mat will help to minimize the amount you have to clean and give you more time to relax and enjoy your home. You can find outdoor mats made from many different materials and in sizes to fit any area. They are also great for use outside around pools and fountains to keep people safe as they walk around these slippery areas.

One of the most popular materials used for outdoor entry mats is fiber--natural fibers like coconut husk and jute, or synthetic fiber such as plastic. Fiber mats are excellent at removing dirt and debris. These mats use rough vertical fibers that scrape off dirt from shoes before it has a chance to get in your house. You can also find rubber mats with raised textured patterns that work in the same way. You can also find plastic versions that use different textures to clean the dirt off the bottom of your shoes before you enter your home. These types of mats are easy to maintain and clean. All of these types of mats--natural fiber, plastic, and rubber--work well outside the door to trap dirt. They are very durable and can withstand the harshest elements to provide many years of use and a clean home.

Vinyl is a popular material because of its durability, varying design, and ease of cleaning. Vinyl is a great material for multipurpose mats and it can be used in many places such as in front of doors, on decks and patios, and even around swimming pools. Vinyl is a great material for all of these places, especially around swimming pools because they can be designed to be non-skid which creates a safe surface for wet swimmers to walk on. Vinyl can also be made to be mold and mildew resistant which is great for damp areas. Vinyl mats are also great for use around fountains, container ponds, and other damp areas.

Outdoor Mats are also commonly used in high traffic areas to protect deck, patio, and walkway surfaces. Rubber is a good material for floor mats that are meant to protect high traffic entryways and other areas that are exposed to a lot of foot traffic. Rubber mats withstand the elements such as temperature extremes, rain, harsh sun light, and snow. They protect expensive wood or stone walkways and patios and keep them looking new for years. Rubber floor mats are very durable and will help to protect your outdoor flooring for many years. They are available in different patterns and styles from simple to elegant that will fit into any type of dcor. If you have invested a lot in your deck, patio or walkway, outdoor mats will help to protect your investment.

http://www.outdoorlightsandfurniture.com Julia is a professional landscape designer and gardener practicing in and around Boston. Helping people enjoy living life outdoors is a full time passion.

Spiritual Humor In Religion - Read This It's Funny

Well you probably heard of the problems that some people get into when they drink a little too much and start to drive their cars. This is known as drinking and driving irresponsibly and can be hazardous to your health but more hazardous to your pocketbook. Overdosing on drugs, spending too much money shopping, gambling excessively and last but not least, spending too much time at your place of worship can be hazardous to others. Over time, our loved ones seem to suffer the most from our excesses.

I suggest most people use religion responsibly and try not to overindulge in the excesses of your spiritual practice. Like an alcoholic drinking until they feel good, only to wake up feeling bad the next morning. And then starting the process all over the next day.

Now for the big question, "Are You a Religiousoholic?" Do you spend too much time at church? Do you surround yourself exclusively with people that share your same religious beliefs?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, there's a good chance you're a religiousoholic. Like alcoholics and drug addicts, there is help for you, once you've identified your problem, we can help. We call it our 5 step program. Alcoholics Anonymous has a 12 step program for recovery but we have eliminated a couple and rearranged others in hopes for a faster recovery.

Religionolism is no laughing matter and should be handled with the utmost delicacy. Start with the first step and work your way down the list and within a short period of time you should find yourself free from the religious tyranny of your institutionalized religion.

Step 1. The biggest problem you're going to happen during your recovery will be the temptation from religious followers, wanting you to come back. Like a drug addict, saying no to drugs,it's hard, you're going to have to be strong here. Learn to say no to organized religion and yes to religious freedom.

Step 2. Instead of reading Scripture, start reading about other religions around the world. You will find some weird things and new ideas, but the bottom line here is that you'll be able to see some similarities, and silliness between the religions.

Step 3. You can still spend time praying, just spend more time praying about how grateful you are, instead of praying for something you want, start spending a little more time thanking God for the things in your lives that you already have. I have spent a lot of time praying for things I never got. When I stopped praying for the things, I thought I needed, I started getting the things I really needed.

Step 4. Start spending a little more time believing in yourself, some religions seem to give all the glory and credit to their gods and very little to the people that are actually making the sacrifices. I have also noticed that when something goes wrong, some religious followers tend to punish themselves and it just doesn't seem fair. God gets all the credit when things are good and you blame yourself when things go wrong.

Step 5. Start showing a little more compassion towards people who don't think the same as you do or believe in your religion. Love and compassion are the true acts of a religious believer. I believe you'll find that in every religious scripture... somewhere.

Sometimes we get a little carried away in our beliefs and tend to beat up other people who don't share them with us. If you're part of a religion who discriminates, shows intolerance, bigotry or prejudice to other nonbelievers, maybe this isn't the religion you think it should be.

Dalai Lama - "All major religious traditions carry basically the same message, that is love, compassion and forgiveness, the important thing is they should be part of our daily lives."

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. If we could communicate better and understand different religious philosophy and cultures.

Just how big of a deal is Money Organized Religion. Your money is used for various things and some of them, you might not really want to spend the money on. Something to think about.

If you want to read something funny and get your daily laugh in, you need to read this, it's funny Using Religion Responsibility. It's based on overindulgence.

Home Building - Homeowner Tips

Like most people you have heard the nightmare stories from family and friends about the home they built or the remodel they did and how things didn't go right .The project took far too long and ended up costing more then initially discussed. The owner blames the contractor, the contractor blames the owner and it's the same old song and dance. What's the key thing usually missing in the scenario?

Communication between all parties

As an owner builder you may look at the process and think how hard can it be, hire a guy to do this another to do that and it's done right? most likely it's not. There are so many things that can be overlooked or go wrong, and you may be surprised to learn that most people working in the trades simply just don't care about quality nor do they care to work with other trades for the common good of the project. It takes someone to orchestrate, and someone with experience to get the job done right.

You may be hiring an architect and/or building contractor and more often then not they can't seem to get it right either, they simply don't understand that it takes a team working together towards a common goal. The goal being making sure your project comes together as you envisioned it, on time, and on budget. As a building contractor we have built many custom homes and in most cases struggled through the process using plans and specifications that frankly just weren't thought through completely.

Nine out of ten times the building contractor doesn't even see the plans until it is time to put the numbers together for the project.

On average most people looking to build will hand off their plans to about three contractors for pricing before they make a decision. Now let's assume the plans and specifications don't have all the necessary information needed to price the job out correctly, these three contractors now have to call the architect and the customer to get their questions answered, or they don't bother to ask any questions at all and the customer is left with the contractors interpretation of the plans.

We have seen time and time again where the customer says, "I thought that was included" and the typical response from the contractor is, "it wasn't on the plans", and or "you didn't ask for it.

Or how about this one, the customer states to the contractor, "why didn't you tell me I shouldn't use this type of stone in my shower?" the typical response is usually I didn't know, or you didn't ask. So many times the architect will call out for materials in their specifications that they saw or read about in a magazine without understanding the application process, what it takes to be installed properly, or how it will adhere to the other materials surrounding it.

The point is, there is so much to know about building a home correctly, it takes years of actually working with the materials, and doing the installations to understand the what, when, and how.

The bottom line is, if you're thinking about building yourself or decide to hire someone to do the build, hire yourself a consultant first, most likely it will save you time, money, and more importantly your sanity.

The Bible's Power Over One Child

I mentioned Sean in another one of my articles, the story of a young foster boy that we were taking care of. Sean's father was my ex-wife's uncle, and they were going through some tough times for a while and their three children ended up as wards of the state. We eventually ended up taking the oldest child because he was the hardest one to place and another home. His brother and sister ended up with a family that wanted to adopt them and eventually Sean went to live with them and I believe all three of them were adopted by this family. I don't know this for a fact though.

Sean was a emotionally damaged child. His parents would punish him with some strange and bizarre punishments. They weren't really physical punishments but seemed to leave the emotional scars on him and I often think about where he is and what he is doing.

We watched him for about a year and I learned quite a bit from this young man. He was in the third grade but was still at the first grade level for reading and math. I would spend a couple of hours each night during the week helping him with his schoolwork, I seem to have created some sort of allusion that I would be able to bring him up to the third grade level within a short period of time. Wrong. He must've had learning disabilities and of course I don't think I was that good teacher.

Sean was easy going, polite and extremely obedient. He would do anything to avoid getting in trouble and often blamed others for his mistakes. His punishments must have been more than he could bear before he arrived at our home. I think you're getting the picture about what kind of a child Sean was.

One day I found myself in a dilemma with Sean, I couldn't get him to tell me the truth, even though I knew he was lying. I forget what the problem was but I remember a hollow look in his face. It was almost like he wasn't really there. It was almost like he was just doing time, sitting on the bed, listening to me asking the same question over and over again, "Sean are you lying", but he wasn't even paying attention.

I normally would not punish my children for accidents, and never tolerated lying. I was trying to explain to him that he wasn't going to get in trouble, I just wanted to know the truth. He wasn't budging at all and stuck to his story. I remembered that his mother and father were Catholics and feared the church, almost as much as they loved it.

That's what I came up with my evil plan. I don't know where I come up with these ideas, but every once in a while one pops up in my head and I run with it.

I told Sean that I was going to bring the Holy Bible in, and if he could swear on the Bible that he was telling the truth, I would accept that and this would be the end of our conversation. I couldn't believe my eyes, as he started crying and screaming, frantically and excitedly as a yelled out, I did it, I did it, don't bring the Bible in, I won't do it again.

I couldn't believe that was all it took to get information from him. I have always been a pretty good interrogator and found myself gathering information from those people easily, but this was amazing. His fear of the Holy Bible got me thinking about how powerful this book actually is to some people. I remember when I looked upon this book, pretty much the same as Sean did.

It's just a book, like any other book. It's not made at a holy factory or a secret monastery in the Swiss Alps somewhere, it's made from paper and ink and can be damaged and destroyed like other books. I would be surprised if I threw the Bible into the fire, that it wouldn't burn. I would be even more surprised, if I seen three men standing in the fire, wait a minute that's another story in the Bible.

Is it possible for this book to actually control the lives of people. It seemed to control Sean, I wonder if I, could have actually been driving a nail home that his parents started. Could I have added to his belief, that the Bible is a book from God the creator of everything.

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 video library filled with great movies 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. Simple Words Create Powerful Beliefs.

Nothing Will Be Impossible

Different Types of Showers - Home Tips

Electric showers have gained more popularity than other types of showers due to its functional superiority. Stored water is not required for operating one. These showers comprise of an inbuilt system, which draws water from an inlet to feed the heating device. However, maintaining equilibrium in water pressure at the inlet is important to achieve maximum benefits from these showers.

Thousands of different shower models have swamped the market these days. Of these, Mira electric showers and the Triton showers stand out due to their added features. Irrespective of the model you prefer, it is of paramount importance that water supply pipes are fixed properly below the surface of the wall or the floor before installation. A separate electric circuit dedicated for the electric shower unit is an additional security feature advised by most designers and architects.

Many new innovations have come about. Standard fixed showerheads are being replaced quickly by the more convenient hand held ones. Large top showers with several sprays placed at different angles to treat different parts of the body at one time are also gaining popularity. These outlets can be activated or deactivated as per requirement.

If you are planning to buy showers for your house, several aspects need to be kept in mind. The heating systems already in place, the plumbing, electric supply lines and connections, the space available in the bathroom and moreover the tastes of the inhabitants should be evaluated. Once installed, these showers can turn bathing into a fulfilling and invigorating experience.

Written by James Chapman, a director of Bella Bathrooms Ltd who supply Showering products across the UK.

Bella Bathrooms is an online retailer formed by 2 plumbers from the North East of England. Having hands on experience of custom bathroom installation and products has enabled Bella Bathrooms Ltd to only select quality bathroom products for their online shop. They sell bathroom furniture, bathroom suites, showers and bath related products for consumers through the United Kingdom.

Better Health Through Positive Thinking

Mind over matter is more than a scientific mantra. Better health through positive thinking is no longer a new age superstition. Scientists and members of the medical community are embracing the concept that thinking positively leads to behaving positively which in turn improves overall health. At one time scientists refuted this idea in part because happiness and optimism are difficult to measure in scientific terms. However, today study groups as well as therapy sessions are proving that better health can be obtained through positive thinking.

Studies indicate that human thinking patterns affect human behavioral patterns. Therefore, better health can be achieved through positive thinking and positive behavior, which in turn results in better health. Patients who remain in a positive mood can manage pain and severe symptoms as well as change their lifestyle more effectively than patients who are feeling down. This means thinking positive means positive health benefits.

Healthy people tend to eat healthy and take time to do healthy activities so it makes sense that healthy people also have healthy thoughts. The same is true with health care putting forward a positive attitude will help your body assert itself in a positive way. This means looking at the positive aspects of every situation. Instead of dwelling on the negative a positive person tends to focus on the opportunities and solutions associated with various issues. In health care focusing on solutions is the easiest way to better health.

This technique influences health by decreasing stress, lowering blood pressure, reducing the risk of heart disease and even increasing life expectancy. Many groups, including cancer support groups and weight loss programs, are incorporating therapies designed to encourage thinking positive into their regiments for better long term results.

Medical professional have suspected that better health can be achieved through positive thinking yet studies are really just now being conducted. The health benefits of positive thinking are that they empower the patient to behave positively as well as be proactive about their health. The mind can not magically heal a broken leg overnight but it can allow the patient to feel good about the healing process, prevent the patient from feeling defeated and giving up on healing as well as make the time in recovery more pleasant and relaxing.

Your Healthy Outlook provides information related to men's and women's health issues. To learn more visiting: http://www.yourhealthyoutlook.com

Slow Market Home Pricing Advice

Homes are going to be sold in good markets and bad. When times are good, people often forget that bad times will be coming eventually. During good times, people often get caught up in the hype of the real estate boom. During tough times, houses will be sold eventually, or taken off the market and sold later. If you need to sell the home as soon as possible, for financial or other reasons, you will have to adjust your price with the current market and don't get greedy.

This is the hardest thing for most people to do, lower the price of their home in order to sell it in a slow real estate market. Don't get caught up in the value of your home, six months or even a year ago. Last year's prices are not going to be this year's prices and you need to get that through your thick skull. If the average homes in your neighborhood are selling for $250,000 and you have a swimming pool or done some upgrades, maybe a room addition. Your home is going to be worth more than the average selling price.

Most real estate professionals will price your home according to the length of time you have to sell it. If you're in a hurry to sell, they don't have time to test the market. The price of your home would need to be competitive or lower than homes selling in the area. Whether homes are selling fast in a good market for selling slow in a bad market, if you have time, you can ask a little bit more for your home. If the market hasn't reached the bottom, waiting could actually hurt you, because the prices of the homes in the area would still be dropping.

Listen to your real estate professionals advice when pricing your home. That's what you're hiring them for, they are in the real estate business. Your neighbors, relatives, friends and people you work with, will probably be guessing if you asked for their opinion on pricing your house.

Your house is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. Finding that person is the key to selling your home, finding that person as soon as possible could give you the illusion that you sold your home to cheap. Don't worry about it, your final objective is to sell the house.

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 has just finished a home buyers guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

If you really think your home is safe, check out these pictures about home water damage.

Meditating On Religious Scriptur

How Hard Is It To Build Straight Stairs in California

Thinking of doing it yourself. wondering if you can do it. The Contractor down the street made it look easy. But how am I going to build a set of stairs for my house. It starts with a little information, maybe a book, I know I will surf the net and get the info. Why bother with spending the time looking on the internet for a article or book on how to build stairs. I have done it and that's why I wrote a book and their are more books coming on how to build stairs.

My goal is to write a book on every way of building stairs. I am going to make the stair building books easy to follow with lots of simple illustrations. I understand that getting one book on stair building that explains how to build 500 different types of stairs with 3000 illustrations might not apply to you. These books are nice for a building professional or a master carpenter but are difficult to understand.

I have made these books easy to follow with the use of illustrations that only apply to the set of stairs you will be building. The book "How to Build a Strait Set of Stairs" is a complete stair building guide for a strait set of stairs with a 2 x 4 handrail. In this book you will have access to formulas for decimal conversions to fractions. Then you will be able to locate the exact mark for certain measurements. It isn't hard to build a straight set of stairs with this book and the website links provided for you.

If you feel comfortable with a hammer, tape measure and a circular saw. You will be amazed with the results. I have been helping people build stairs for almost 30 years with this easy to follow stair building system. I have trained other carpenters to build stairs with most of them telling me the same thing. How easy it was to build but they thought you had to be a master carpenter in order to build a set of stairs. The main reason for this way of thinking was that when it was time to build the stairs on the job guess who would build the stairs. The Master Carpenter of course.

You can do it with a little help from a friend. www.stair4u.com Get some help from the best home improvement contractor in California.

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.

When Google Doesn't Matter

My kitchen sink clogged up today.

No problem, I thought. I'll just call a local plumber to help me out.

Hopped onto Google.

Typed in "St. Louis Plumbers."

And I was presented with several excellent options.

The first hit was a plumbing company located a few miles from my house.

Naturally, I called them first.

And nobody picked up.

So I tried the next hit on Google. Also close to my house.

And nobody picked up.

Then I scrolled over to the sponsored links. I clicked on a promising looking website description, got their phone number, called, got a voicemail, pressed extension #2 for "Bruce..."

And nobody picked up.

"Damn it! This is ridiculous!" I exclaimed.

"Screw this -- I'm calling Roto-Rooter."

I took a wild guess and typed in roto-rooter.com.

Bingo!

I called their customer service hotline. An agent picked up the call on the second ring.

Woo hoo!

"I'm sorry to hear about your kitchen, sir. We'll take care of you!" she promised.

Heck yeah!

After I gave her some basic information, she replied, "We can have someone at your home within the hour."

"Really?"

"Absolutely sir! Let me check our schedule..."

Sure enough, the plumber was over right away. He took care of my clog, told me how to prevent it in the future and even gave me a free sample of Drano!

LESSON LEARNED: any number multiplied by zero is still zero.

In other words: it doesn't matter how great your service is if nobody can get a hold of you to find out how great it is.

Sure, quality is vital, but accessibility comes first. Without it, you may as well be winking in the dark. Because if you're not Available, customers are going to find Another company to hire.

LET ME ASK YA THIS...

If nobody's there to answer your customer's phone calls, does your Google ranking even matter?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS...

For the list called, "22 Questions to Sidestep Entrepreneurial Atrophy," send an email to me, and I'll send you the list for free!

2007 All Rights Reserved.

Scott Ginsberg, aka "The Nametag Guy," is an author, speaker, award-winning blogger and entrepreneur. As the creator of NametagTV.com, he teaches people how to GET noticed, GET remembered and GET business. To rent Scott's brain, call 314/256-1800 or email scott@hellomynameisscott.com

Need Help Remodeling In Carlsbad

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

Personal Development

Termites Can Ruin Your Home

There are three conditions that attract termites to an area:

Water is the first condition that attracts termites to an area. Termites generally cannot survive without a source of water present. Termites will always seek some source of moisture to survive whether it is in the form of a leaky faucet, sprinkler or rain.

Wood is the next thing that will attract termites. Termites will consume any material that contains cellulose. Since wood contains a great deal of cellulose, termites eat wood like no other. If a single piece of wood touches the ground, a colony of termites somewhere will know about it. Some subterranean termites will consume other materials such as vegetation, dung, and humus, but their primary source of food is wood.

The last thing that termites are attracted to is soil. Termites are subterranean, so they build their colonies in the ground. They love soil and will build elaborate tunnel systems, called galleries up to three feet below the surface. Termites will use soil to create mud tubes leading from their underground colonies to above ground food sources such as the wood in your home.

Being aware of the three conditions for termite survival can help you to keep destructive termites away from your home. Termites cost over $1 billion in damages to homes each year. They are one of the biggest contributors to home destruction. With the importation of the Formosan termite from East Asia, the amount of termite caused home damage continues to rise. A termite colony consists of anywhere from 250,000 to a million termites. A single termite queen can live between 30 and 50 years and can lay thousands of eggs per day. That means that a queen can repopulate her colony even after tremendous devastation. The best way to fight termites is to prevent them from ever touching your home.

So if you want to find more about pest control or even about New Jersey pest control or pest control Monmouth new jersey, please click these links.

Frozen Pipes - Home Advice For Repairs

First, it's important to know which pipes are frozen. If your water will not drain, this means your drain pipes are frozen. If no water comes out of the faucet, this means that your supply line pipes are frozen.

DRAIN PIPES:

What to do: If your sinks, toilets, showers or tubs will not drain, this means that your drain pipes could be frozen. If your drain pipe is frozen, open cabinet doors or cut into your walls or ceilings to allow the heat from your home to get to the pipes. To heat your pipes faster, a hair dryer is a great way to warm them up. Please use the hair dryer with care - if water starts leaking out, the hair dryer can short circuit.

Why it happens: Many times pipes freeze due to finishing off a basement. When the basement was unfinished, the pipes were exposed to the heat of the home. Once the basement is finished, the sheetrock and insulation blocks off the pipes from getting heat from the home. If the pipes freeze, the could cause damage to newly finished basements.

How to prevent it: A simple precaution for preventing frozen drain pipes can be as easy as cutting a 6x9 return air grate in the area to allow warmth into the joyced cavity. Always remember to insulate your pipes from the cold, but not from the heat in the house.

SUPPLY LINE PIPES:

What to do: If your water will not come out of the faucet or shower head, this means that your supply line could be frozen. Your pipes could be burst, so first you must shut your water off at the main. You will want to get heat to your pipes. The best way to heat them is to open cabinets and doors, cut holes in the walls and use fans or hair dryers to warm them up. Again, please use care when working with the hair dryer, if it gets wet, the hair dryer can short circuit. Warming the pipes is important, and the extent of the damage cannot be determined until they are mostly thawed.

Why it happens: Many times pipes freeze due to recently finishing off a basement or a change in insulation. The pipes in your home need to be insulated only from the cold on the outside, but not from the heat on the inside. If your pipes are insulated from the heat inside your home, they have no way of staying warm.

What do do after the pipes are thawed: If after the pipes are thawed, there are non leaks, many times full operation is returned. Sometimes scale and sediment move through the lines because of the glacial-like action of ice, which pushes sediment into blocked pipes. Because of this, ariators and shower heads may need to removed and cleaned for them to work completely.

If a leak develops because of burst pipes from ice, turn the water off again, and call a plumber. It is helpful to know exact location or even cut open walls to identify the exact location of a split pipe.

How to prevent it: If you are worried your supply lines are going to freeze because of past history or evidence to support that, some plumbers may recommend letting run to keep the water flowing - similar to a water tower. Please do not do this! This can be just as dangerous. The water usually cannot go down the pipes fast enough and it can develop layers of ice and plug the pipe, causing an unattended running faucet to overflow the sink. Another way to prevent a freeze is to take care of those leaky faucets. The dripping into the drain can cause an ice buildup and eventually cause a frozen pipe.

Amanda Klecker - Zell Plumbing & Heating

http://www.zellplumbing.com

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Why is Imagination Important?

Why is imagination important? is a question that deserves thoughtful consideration. Take a minute and consider the world you live in. Well, one thing is for sure - a hundred years ago, the world didn't resemble the world in which we live in today. Consider jet airplanes. Consider the skyscrapers in the great metropolitan cities of the world. Consider computers and the Internet. These developments just didn't appear mysteriously on the horizon one fine day. These amazing technological advancements occurred because people like you and me visualized these wondrous things in the recesses of their minds. Through the powers of their imagination, their visualizations became reality. Why is imagination important? can be answered by simply looking around our great, big wonderful world.

The answer to the question, "Why is imagination important?" is that imagination helps us to put our goals in perspective and it enhances our creativity. We must have the freedom to imagine because only through imagination can we bring our thoughts and dreams to fruition. Without imagination, we shall never come to realize our full potential, and therefore, never experience the happiness on earth we were meant to enjoy. By using our imagination to the fullest, we'll make this world a better place in which to live while improving social and economic conditions for ourselves and others.

The definition of the term "imagination," according to Funk and Wagnalls Encyclopedic College Dictionary, is "the process of forming mental images of the objects of perception or thought in the absence of concrete external stimuli; the picturing process of the mind." John Lennon, in his classic song from the 70's, Imagine, sings about people thinking of the world and imagining how the world would be without violence, hatred, war and persecution. Why is imagination important? has been illustrated over the years by such brilliant thinkers as John Lennon, John Kennedy and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Imagination is one of our greatest tools. When we use the powers of our imagination effectively, we can change our lives.

Why is imagination important? Imagination plays a major role in our everyday life. Daydreaming is not a waste of time - far from it. Daydreaming aids us in the development and fine tuning of our imagination. In order for us to achieve anything worthwhile, we must utilize imagination in order to formulate the concept, and subsequently move the concept into actual form. If we can visualize something, then we can take this vision and create reality from it. Our imaginary thoughts are the building blocks through which the productivity of our lives takes shape. We become what we dream. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that our thoughts remain positive!

If your thoughts are negative, your energy will not be sufficient to overcome these feelings, and they will eventually affect your life in a negative way. Why is imagination important? It's because the better we are able to connect with the positive thoughts of our imagination, the greater the chance that we'll be able to live a happy and productive life and experience the level of success that we dream of. If we use our imagination properly, we will be putting ourselves in a position to succeed, while providing living proof of the answer to the question, "Why is imagination important." The website www.the-warrior-within.org is an outstanding source of information, education and support in matters of this nature, and you are invited to visit the site and take advantage of all it has to offer.

Alberto Posse believes that every person has a potential for greatness, they just need guidance and some help, which is why he founded The Warrior Within, to help others succeed. Visit: http://www.the-warrior-within.org