Spiritual Books

Financial Burdens From Church Leaders

2009-10-02T09:42:00.001-07:00

I really can't believe how many people that don't have enough money and could be living below poverty levels, often he as much as they can to their religious organizations. It saddens me to see those who don't have enough to eat, giving money to their church, even though they needed more than God does.

I realize that the Bible tells its followers to give at least 10% of their earnings to their church or temple. The problem is, that the Bible doesn't provide any information for people that constantly give money to the church, even though they can't afford to. They need this money for food and to educate their children.

I guess it's okay, to form a dependency on your church, even though you could provide for yourself, if you didn't give away all of your money. There are plenty of churches that will provide their patrons with close, food and some of them will even provide shelter for the poor or homeless.

The financial burdens that are produced by some church leaders, make me sick. They make those who can't afford to give, feel guilty and this guilt eats away at them like a cancerous disease, working its way through your vital and important body parts.

I'm going to suggest something to the church leaders. Quit making people feel guilty, simply because you need more money to accomplish the things that you are planning to do. It doesn't really matter, if the stuff that you are doing is great for wonderful, if you're doing it at the expense of others.

I would also like to give some advice to those people who can't afford to give away their money. Quit giving it away. Save your money, feed your family, by your own clothes, and save up for your children's education.

Some of, the money that you are giving to your religious organization, might be squandered away on your church leaders programs. These programs might have nothing to do with God's desire for a better world.

Click Here For A Fascinating Journey Into Christianity - Great Book About The Bible

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

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Rocking the Foundation of Christianity

2009-10-02T09:39:00.001-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2009-10-01T22:27:00.001-07:00

I spent a large portion of my life praying for things that never seem to come about, like most of us. I would pray for a better life, help with solving certain problems, good health, a new car, to attract abundance into my life, wealth and happiness. I can tell you that I am in good health and have a better life than I used to but I never got the new car and seemed to have a hard time solving certain problems that I was praying for.

Now here's the catch in Christianity. If I pray for something and I get it, great God has blessed you and you must have done something good to receive what you had prayed for. If you don't receive what you prayed for within the next couple of days, maybe it isn't the right time to receive what you were asking for. If I receive what I have prayed for after that, God has answered my prayers and has given me what I needed at the right time. God knows best and I will continue to pray.

When I ask someone who prays often, how do you really know that God has answered your prayers. In Christianity, I'm talking about God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit. I'm not talking about Zeus, Krishna, or any other unspecified creator of the universe. How do you really know that your God has given you what you ask for.

Now think about this for a second, I know that as a Christian you believe in your God but what if, the Hindu god Indra has actually answered my prayer and blessed you. How do I know that Jesus is not one of the Hindu gods, hiding under another name. Could I actually be manifesting my desires from the universe somehow and I am actually God. Think about it, if this doesn't make sense to you, have you ever thought about why yours does.

The minute that I accept something as a fact, I have closed my mind to other possibilities. The world was flat at one time and now it is round. I do not accept the earth has being round, simply because someone has told me this. I can look at pictures, read books, watch movies and come to my own conclusion that there is a very good chance that the earth is round, but I can't seem to forget at one time people thought the earth was flat.

Most of us never even question what we are taught. If you were taught that Jesus, Krishna, Satan or any other god answers your prayers, that's what you probably still believe. Whether your prayers are being answered or not, does not guarantee the existence or deny the existence of God. What you're thinking caps on, Seek and You Will Find.

Eliminate Bible Propaganda

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

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

Click here if you're Interested in Christianity.

Good Christians Really Do Inspire Me

2009-10-01T22:21:00.001-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

Unbelievable Christian Bible Study Book

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

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

2009-10-01T09:46:00.001-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Rethinking Today's Religions - Misleading Our Children

2009-10-01T09:41:00.001-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development. Check out one of his recommended books, You Can Have It All

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

Anxiety Self Help - Methods That Can Work!

2009-09-14T21:35:00.001-07:00

If you have had anxiety for any length of time you will have gone through all the doctors appointments and all the counselors and therapists and most likely taken all the medication that your body and mind can stand only to find your self at the same horrible place you started at!

Having anxiety and anxiety attacks is an emotionally traumatic experience that only those who have had it understand, all the drugs and medications in the world will not cure your anxiety problems either, because they do not treat the reason behind the anxiety, they just block the symptoms temporarily.

There are numerous natural methods that can help you get control of your anxiety from meditation, acupuncture, aromatherapy, as well as plenty of herbal remedies!

The problem lies in knowing which one is suitable for you, and that can take quite a bit of trial and error on your part! Anxiety can be with you in some form for the rest of your life, what really matters is how you deal with it so that it does not interfere with your daily life and activities. Once you have your anxiety under control although it will probably still be lurking there you can get on with your life and enjoy the things you like doing without fear or apprehension!

I have personally had anxiety problems for all my life, and although I feel fine now, I know that they are still there, but thankfully I am now easily able to control them so that I can get on with things and go places I never would have been able to go when I had anxiety problems!

If you are having severe anxiety attacks or you worry or panic unnecessarily, and you want to put an end to it for good then Click Here to find out how you can cure your anxiety attacks once and for all, so that you can live the life you deserve free from anxiety! http://www.anxiety-online.info

Perceptions of Self - How You See and Treat Yourself is Expressed in Your Reality - Part 1

2009-09-14T21:29:00.001-07:00

Many individuals do not recognise that their self-esteem or self-worth needs improving. As long as they have the personal good looks, status and material needs they think that is all that they need for success and no one else is the wiser to what is going on in their inner world! It goes deeper than an outer faade. Self-esteem and self-image is an outer reflection on their inner level of self-love and self-worth. Their level of worth is expressed in their quality of life, within their experiences and what is happening in their reality.

Human self-esteem problems, issues and challenges can be broken down into four primary categories:

1. Recognise and address your issue
2. Acknowledge and respect yourself
3. Stand your ground with assertion and empowerment
4. Release disempowering events, things and people

Let's take a look at each individual category:

1. Recognise and address your issue. The most important factor for you to be able to raise your self-esteem is for you to uncover the issue that is giving you a low self-worth in the first place. Nobody and nothing outside of you can do it for you. Dressing well and living in a nice environment only addresses a perception of your worth on the outside - it is a faade, if you have imbalances within you, or conflicts with those you live and work with, you are just covering up an unfinished business. Even if you are successful at your work, your life's experiences, your health and the quality of your relationships will tell you how much self-love, self-worth and self-acceptance you have. Once you realise that you have a low self-worth you must be ready and willing to do something about it.

2. Acknowledge and respect yourself. You need to be aware that you attract to you what you are within. You need to acknowledge yourself, accept yourself, love yourself, honour all of your experiences and choices without regrets and to have compassion for yourself etc. Eg. If you do not respect yourself, you will attract others to you who will treat you in a very disrespectful manner. You were born with 100% worth and that is up to you to claim your worth. A lower self-esteem or worth is due to allowing others to belittle you, to influence you into thinking that you are not 'good enough' or you do not deserve to be, do or have something. You have taken on their old truths as your own. You now believe that you are unworthy, it is an old truth and that is how people will treat you. If you feel that you don't deserve, or are unworthy or you do not love yourself in anyway - it is a truth that you have formed, your masquerade story, which is now your lie. It is only your perception on how you see yourself and therefore how you treat yourself either with belittlement emotionally or physically. How you see and treat yourself is reflected back to you as 'like attracts like' scenario in your health, relationships and abundance aspects.

3. Stand your ground with assertion and empowerment. Once you make a conscious choice to raise your self-esteem and self-worth - be alert to sabotage or you will retreat from exploring this empowering journey fully. The level of your self-worth also relates to the level of your assertion and empowerment. Once you begin to practice self-worth strategies you will soon develop more assertion and empowerment qualities. You will not be so timid in standing your ground towards others manipulations. Once you begin to stand your ground, your family, friends and workmates may dislike it as your personality-identity changes. The sabotage is: when you have a low self-worth, people usually walk all over you and when you hold high regard for yourself and honour yourself and stand in your power, you will not allow them to wipe their feet on your worthy doormat. This can create a conflict in your relationships and you are in danger of retreating if you are not prepared to get out of your comfort zone and 'stand alone'. Change may cause a conflict in the beginning, but if there is unconditional love present with that relationship they will come around to support you, otherwise they will leave your life, because they cannot get what they want from you. If you give up on continuing to raising your level of worth due to family or social challenges, you can retreat back into appeasement, obligation and compromise. If you are not prepared to release anything and anyone who is feeding off you or stealing your energy in order to support their self-absorbed needs you may stop trying to improve your perception of self. That means, if anyone who cannot support you and allow you to choose your own journey, those who do not respect you for who you are and who you can become or those who try to control you through their agendas to get what they want - let them go, they don't serve you in an empowering way. That is conditional love.

4. Release disempowering events, things and people. The greatest gift anyone can give to you whilst you are choosing to raise your self-worth and your consciousness is their love and support - with compassion but without judgement and agendas - no matter what you choose to do, even if it seems a silly or wrong choice for them. Whatever path you choose to walk down is appropriate for you, for that is what you need to experience to develop your growth and awareness.

True compassion is not just about sadness and pity - it is allowing you to choose your journey without others trying to control you, without others trying to change you or to enforce their righteous ways upon you. Having an agenda or expectation of trying to enforce and change you or what they think you should be, do or have, places limitations and controls onto you. They will disempower you if you allow others to control you, which will result in you retreating into submission or resisting and rebelling with conflicting drama games. Any self-absorbed limitation combined with conditional love suffocates relationships - causing conflict and breakdowns within relationships, as well as your health and abundance levels. This also means that you need true compassion for yourself for all the choices and experiences that you have had. To be able to raise your self-esteem is to release anything or anyone who does not serve your growth.

As you let go of things or people who do not serve you, you may feel that you are left stranded or alone with only a few to support you. As you stand in your power, you will attract other people into your life who will respect you for who you are, you will attract new relationships based on unconditional love into your life and you will attract more abundant opportunities.

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Book Review - "7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens"

2009-09-14T08:13:00.001-07:00

I just finished reading "7 habits of highly effective teens," by Sean Covey. This book is written by the son of the famous author of "7 habits of highly effective people," Stephen Covey. The author attempts to shed light on some issues that teens face and how they can best overcome them. As the CEO of a teen jobs website, I read dozens of teen related books each week. In my opinion, this is one of the most engaging and entertaining teen related book I have ever read.

This book will provide meaningful content for teens, such as advice for improving their self image, how to build friendships and how to resist peer pressure. What I like most about the book is the way the ideas are presented and the format. The author uses a lot of graphics, cartons lists, quotes and other elements to really hook the reader and compel them to keep reading. Another great part about the book is the real life examples that the author writes about. There are real stories of teens that have been faced with huge obstacle and the incredible stories about how they overcame adversity. This part of the book was very inspiring to me.

The one criticism that I have is the fact a lot of the tips and suggestions are quite obvious and really basic common sense. I would have liked to see more of an emphasis on the real teen stories, as I think a book can be written on that topic alone.

In closing, I highly recommend this book to teens and parents of teens.

Dan Keller is the CEO of the popular Teen Jobs site and runs a Teen Forums site as well.

Life and the Little Things

2009-09-14T08:09:00.001-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dealing with reality

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The 'P' word

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

Change meets with resistance

'Every action causes and equal or greater reaction.'

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

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

Excuse me but can you help me?

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

"Excuse me can you help me please?"

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

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

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

Grant me serenity

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

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

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

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

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

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

Spiritual renovation what to do if your house is falling down

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

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

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

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

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

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

As the sun sets

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

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

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

Take an Online Group to Improve Your Spiritual and Emotional Life

2009-09-13T18:59:00.001-07:00

Interested in learning how to hone your intuitive skills, interpret dreams for social improvement, or improve your health through holistic means? If your local community college or learning annex doesn't offer the proper workshops, consider taking an online workshop with the Association For Research and Enlightenment. Founded by Edgar Cayce in 1931, the A.R.E. serves to educate people around the world on transpersonal topics like reincarnation, dream interpretation, holistic health, and ancient mystery and prophecy.

In recent years, the A.R.E. has extended its educational opportunities with online "eGroups" designed to bring together enthusiasts around the world to learn and discuss specific topics. eGroups are held throughout the year in four-week increments and are led by experts in various fields. A four-week eGroup may normally consist of a weekly lesson and exercise, with or without audio/visual materials to download, followed by discussion via message board among participants. Interested parties may consider to join an eGroup on a variety of topics, which may include:

Channeling Your Higher Self: Learn to channel higher guidance and tap into spiritual assistance to help improve your earthly life. You'll learn the finer points of meditation and inner awareness to find your own peace.

Creating the Life Of Your Dreams: Apply the universal laws of positive attraction to manifest your own destiny. Before "The Secret" became not so secret, the Edgar Cayce readings touched upon similar topics. This eGroup will show you how.

Remote Viewing: Would you like to see events happening halfway around the world, from your own home, without turning on the TV? Remote viewing is the psychic practice of "seeing" into the past, present, and future. This eGroup will help you develop the skills you need.

Creating Harmony in Your Home With Feng Shui: Utilize the ancient art of Feng Shui, or object placement, to create more productive work environments and harmonious home living.

A.R.E. eGroups are held throughout the year at a nominal fee which includes access to private message board and other materials. For more information, visit the A.R.E. Web site at http://www.edgarcayce.org

Kathryn Lively is a freelance editor who writes articles on travel and the Internet.

Thriving in a Feng Shui Kitchen

2009-09-13T18:56:00.001-07:00

Kitchens represent the health and wellness of a family. It's where you are nourished through the food prepared there and through the nurturing of family connections. According to Feng Shui, an ancient Chinese philosophy of creating balance to improve wellbeing, the kitchen also represents a family's prosperity. The Chinese relate the nourishing power of the stove to the ability of family members to earn money. So, it's not far off to say that it's probably the most important room in a house.

Maximize the Energy Flow
Since kitchens have predominantly angular lines (from cabinetry to appliances) bringing in softer shapes and textures help to create balance. A round kitchen table creates more harmonious family interactions and allows the ch'i (or energy) to flow more freely throughout the room. Curtains, area rugs, and other fabric also add softness to the space.

Avoid Rushing and Stagnant Ch'i
Rushing ch'i occurs when the kitchen door and back door are aligned. If possible, move furniture or a large object, such as a plant, to force the ch'i to flow around the room. Stagnant ch'i - even more detrimental to a kitchen - occurs in dark corners and areas with dirt, piles of clutter, and stale odors. Fix these areas to keep the energy flowing in your family.

Maintain Cleanliness
For obvious reasons, it is important to keep your kitchen clean. Leftover food, crumbs and dirty dishes attract bugs, while spills can create a physical hazard. However, on a symbolic level, the dirt is attracting poor health and finances. So keeping your kitchen clean has a greater impact than you would think.

Incorporate the Color Green
Plants bring the message of vitality and life to a kitchen. Also consider incorporating the color green, as green - representing Wood energy - complements the Fire and Water elements, which are present in a kitchen.

Whatever you can do to improve the Feng Shui of your kitchen, the more your family will benefit in all areas of life.

http://www.luminous-spaces.com

Maureen K. Calamia is founder of Luminous Spaces, a Feng Shui consulting firm based in Saint James, New York. From simple recommendations, to renovation and building projects, Maureen works with her clients to create spaces that promote physical and psychological health. Incorporating nature into the built environment, Maureen provides guidance on the use of layout, the five Chinese elements, objects, colors, materials, shapes and textures. Through the ancient principles of Feng Shui, Maureen restores balance and harmony. How an environment feels is just as important as how it looks.
Maureen offers a unique perspective in her work. By balancing her twenty years in a traditional corporate marketing career with her passion for studying Eastern philosophies and esoteric thought, Maureen has integrated her ideology into a thriving business. As a certified Feng Shui consultant, writer and a speaker at workshops and business meetings, Maureen works with corporations, non-profit organizations, small businesses and individuals who want their buildings to emanate positive energy for its clients, employees and inhabitants. Maureen teaches lectures and workshops on Feng Shui all over Long Island, including the New York College of Health Professions. She is a regular guest speaker at SUNY at Old Westbury, Long Island, NY. She authors a monthly Feng Shui column in Canvas LI Magazine (http://www.canvasli.com) and suite101.com. Maureen continues her study of Feng Shui, Space Clearing, eco-friendly products and systems, and related topics.

The Weird and Wonderful World of Wonky Cakes - How to Make and Decorate a Wonky Cake

2009-09-13T05:41:00.001-07:00

Wonky cakes are designed to be exactly the opposite of traditional cakes, with their straight sides and flat tops. Instead Wonky cakes have both sloping sides and top. This type of cake is usually round, and preferably a fruit or Madeira mix - and ideally four inches deep. An electric carving knife comes in handy when cutting cakes. It makes a clean cut and is quick to use. Some types of cake start to crumble when cut, so freezing them for an hour or two will make them easier to handle.

There are two ways of making cakes look 'wonky' one design is more extreme than the other, as not only are the cakes wider at the top than the bottom, but they also look as if they are about to topple over! To arrive at this shape place a thin cake board, 2" smaller than the size of the cake - or use a saucer, of the same size - in the centre of the top surface of the cake.

Then, starting at the edge of the card carefully cut the cake so that it gently slopes from the top down to the base, which should be end up 2" wider than the top. Next turn the cake upside down so now the wide surface is now at the top. Then cut the top edge of the cake into a small curve. Your cake should now resemble a traditional plant pot.

The method given above, is a relatively easy way of cutting cakes into a type of Wonky cake. A different style is to use the same design as above but with the cake cut at an angle - giving the it a topsy-turvy look. When cutting a cake to make it 'wonky' the angle of the cut must be quite acute, otherwise it will look as if the cake should to be level, but something has gone wrong! It is a good idea to make a paper pattern of the height and width of the cake and try out the angle on paper before you begin cutting. Using this method will leave a spare piece of cake - this can always be frozen and used for trifle or truffles in the future.

Another method entails cutting the cake at an angle, then removing and reverting the top section. For instance, on a four inch deep cake, make a small mark one inch from the base of the cake. On the opposite side of the cake - one inch from the top - make another mark. If necessary, make several more marks to use as a cutting guide. Next carefully cut from the base mark to the top mark. Remove the top layer and coat the surface of the bottom layer with either apricot jam or butter cream, depending on the type of cake. Now, instead of replacing the top section back in its original position, revert it, so that the narrowest edge of the top section now rests on the narrowest of the bottom layer of cake. The cake should now slope from two inches at one side to six inches at the other.

If Wonky cakes are being stacked on top of each other, place each cake, apart from the bottom cake, on a thin cake board he same size as the base of the cake. The cakes - apart from the top cake - will need plastic dowels in to support the weight of the cake, or cakes, above. Dowels are always cut level with the top surface of a cake - after it has been iced. And remember, the dowels on a Wonky cake should be cut at the same angle as the cake.

A Wonky wedding cake will be a talking point at any wedding - and in years to come, although other memories may fade, the Wonky Wedding Cake will always be remembered!

Pat Lock is a cake decorating expert with over 25 years experience who runs the excellent Cake Decorating Ideas website. She has won awards at the prestigious international competition at Hotel Olympia, London and is also an accomplished author.

Creating Prosperity, Energy, Health and Fame As Well As Much, Much More Using Feng Shui - Part 3

2009-09-13T05:36:00.001-07:00

Fire Element: Sitting direction is South and the best shape would be a triangle. The best colors would be green and/or red. The worst colors to use here would be yellow, blue or black.

Water Element: Sitting direction is North and the best shape would be circular or what is called modular. (The best way I can describe this shape is imagining it like waves.) The best dominating colors would be black, blue or white. The worst colors to use here would be green or yellow.

Earth Element: Sitting direction is Southwest or Northeast and the best shape for this building would be a square. Keep in mind that rectangular shapes also work well. The best colors would be red or yellow. The worst colors to use would be green or white.

Wood Element: Sitting direction is East or Southeast and the rectangle is the best shape here. The dominating colors are blue or green. The worst colors to use would be red or white.

Metal Element: Sitting direction is west or Northwest and the circular shape is the better one but please note that a rectangle shape would work as well. The best colors are white or yellow. The worst colors to use are red, blue or black.

Do you know how to come up with the sitting direction of the building? So much to learn! Find the main entry way to the building then grab your compass and find the facing direction of the building. The opposite of the facing direction is the sitting direction so if you are facing north, the sitting direction would be south.

Why not take advantage of all the ways attainable by you to learn all you can about how to improve your prosperity?

Veronica Zambrano

http://ezvzmr168fengshui.blogspot.com/

http://www.ezvzmr168.blogspot.com/

Discover Why Buying a House is the Best Decision You Will Ever Make

2009-09-12T16:38:00.001-07:00

It is the dream of every individual to buy a house. A house is not just a place where you store your things and live, it is a place where you spend a great amount of time and it is a place which is synonymous with words like comfort, safety, warmth etc. Living in rented houses means you are living in someone else's home and paying them money for it. It is better to buy a house taking a loan at least. You can repay the loan installments and the amount will be something you can handle easily.

Why to buy a house?

- To buy a house is to get you an asset.
- Asset value increases as days go by therefore it is an investment.

Ways to buy a house: -

1. You can buy a house out of the savings you have. This sort of an outright purchase will work out to be the most economical but to have so much money in your bank account will require regular and proper savings planning.
2. You can get a loan from someone you know from your bank and then buy a house.

Buying a house is not a very big deal these days as the government is coming up with various schemes and has also reduced the interest rates of home loans so that people can buy a house wherever and whenever they want. Ensuring that you make all your payments on time and that you have never default your bank increases your chances of getting a home loan. Once the loan is granted you must ensure that you pay your EMI or monthly installments on time.

A house is something you don't buy very often and so a lot of care and thought must be applied before you purchase the house.

Important things to remember before you buy a house:

1. Check the entire house properly. There shouldn't be too many cracks and creaks incase it is a second hand home.
2. Always ensure that the home is something you like and has enough number of bedrooms that you require.
3. Keep an eye on the neighborhood and try and meet the neighbors once. This will help you in many ways. They will be able to give you first hand information about the locality; its advantages and disadvantages. You will be able to see them and will know if you can live next to them or no.
4. Check out if there is ample water and other basic facilities available there.
5. Run a complete background check on the property as sometimes fraudulent brokers tend to sell the same house to many people.
6. Take the stamp papers of the house to your lawyer and let him have a look and confirm that all is well.
7. Buying a home is not a decision to be made in a minute and so take your time look at every aspect of the house. If you believe in Feng Shui or Vaastu Shastra you can get an expert to come over and have a look at the property before buying it.

Benefits on buying a house: -

1. You have a place of your own.
2. It is an investment as the prices of real estate is always on the rise.
3. Saves taxes and your hard earned money.
4. You can give it out on rent and make some extra money from it.
5. It is something that you can pass on to your kids.

Buy a house as soon as you can and enjoy its benefits!

Visit DIY Home Improvement Ideas for more excellent home exterior Design info and DIY guides from interior home decoration to decorating a bedroom plus more.

Candy Manufacturing Technology and Candy Manufacturing Techniques (Part 2)

2009-09-12T16:36:00.001-07:00

Wholesale candy stores, manufacturers, and end consumers will find this article interesting.

The focus is on the following techniques, manufacturing equipment and processes:

Raw material mixing and cooking
Aerating of the raw ingredient mixture
Equipment used in molding to a final end shape
Stamping to shape
Drawing to final diameter
Cooling to final temperature
Coating for color, texture or taste
Decorating for a pleasant look
Mixing and Cooking

Cooking vats

These are used for raw material mixing and cooking. These are very technical pieces of machinery and frequently include cookers and mixers with temperature controls, moving arms and tables. These types of devices are often used in hard and chocolate candy production. They have multiple speed agitators, sophisticated hydraulic lifts, and digital controllers with alarms to control temperature, complex and highly advanced atmospheric gas burners as well as tilting functions. The higher end cooking vats are insulated and designed of aluminum that is foam fitted and have no rivet joints. The vats are one of the first pieces of machinery used in many candy manufacturing processes.

Aerating

Aerated chocolate, marshmallows (like Easter Peeps), and snowballs are excellent examples where aeration technology is used. A specifically designed mixing head is used for each manufacturing process. Perfect temperature control during the aeration process is also provided by these machines.

Molding

Polycarbonate injection molds, thermoformed spinning molds and silicone rubber molds are three very popular molding techniques. The molds are often used in the manufacture of chocolate.

Stamping

Stamping is a process that involves dies that cut the processed mixture of cooled material to shape from a flat slab. An example is in the processing of chewing gum or taffy.

Drawing

The drawing of the sweet mixture is similar to the drawing of plastic or a metal. A bullion is pulled through a series of forms and dies. This reduces it in size by forming its perimeter to a shape that is dictated by the dies. In a more sophisticated manufacturing line the dies are temperature controlled.

Cooling

Cold water is often used to cool the equipment that is in contact with the candy. Through this the product is kept cool as it is manufactured. An example is in the cooling of forming and drawing dies. Other solutions may include the use of a refrigerant.

Coating

The coating of produced items is done using enrober machines. The delicious thin coating found on candy bars and coated cookies are frequently applied with an enrober. The high end of these machines is extremely sophisticated and can be quite large and complicated. The enrobers are manufactured using stainless steel and designed to run 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Enrobers contain pumps and top of the line ones are packed with sophisticated electronics which aid in the ability to optimize raw material consumption minimizing waste and cost. This is a huge money savor.

Automatic Decorators

These decorators are used in decorating candies and cookies. They can also be used in the decorating of snack cakes. The decorators apply chocolate or icing designs on cookies, cakes, baked items and chocolate. Designs such include thick to thin, straight lines to single lines, zig zag lines to curves, and double/triple loops, x-ing or hatching and simple or random designs are all possible. Designs can often be modified quickly to offer a great choice of decorated product. Decorators can be custom designed to accommodate many styles, speeds and sizes of conveyors or enrobers.

Whether you are a manufacturer, an end consumer and lover of candies or wholesale candy store this article should help you better understand what goes into the manufacture of the product you are involved with.

Joel Bernstein
BS Management Science Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)
MBA Rutgers University.
Joel Bernstein writes about Chocolate Candy and confectionery products. Candy is great to write about because it is a happy topic that people enjoy. Enjoy this article about candy manufacturing. Candy manufacturers, end consumers and Wholesale Candy store owners should find it interesting.

The Essential Oil of German Chamomile - The Blue Chamomile

2009-09-12T03:05:00.001-07:00

German Chamomile (Matricaria recutita)is in the daisy family (Asteraceae or Compositae). Referred to as blue chamomile, it has a deep blue, almost black color to the oil. Hildegard referred to this oil and used it in a gentle ointment for intestinal pain. She instructed that chamomile be mixed with water and lard or oil. As it cooked, flour would be added to make a porridge that would then heal the intestines. The German chamomile is primarily oxides whereas the Roman chamomile is made up of esters.

Traditionally this herb has been used for thousands of years. The Egyptians, Moors and Saxons all counted it as a sacred herb. It was used for nausea, anorexia, and vomiting in pregnancy, for flatulence, nervous bowel, tension headaches and sleeplessness.

Today we would find chamomile to be excellent for skin care and it is used in many cosmetics, soaps, and perfumes, massage blends, skin creams and bath oils. As a digestive aid it is good for anything that arises from a nervous origin including colic, indigestion, nausea and nervous stomach. Since chamomile is so mild, it is suitable for treating children's digestive upsets. Chamomile has a very calming and sedative effect on the nervous system making it good for headache, insomnia, nervous tension, migraine and stress related complaints. The fragrance of blue chamomile assists in seeking spiritual understanding. When confusion seems to be prevalent in one's spiritual life, the fragrance of German chamomile can help bring us understanding. We already know the answers we seek; we just need to be still enough to hear God's wisdom. For emotional healing it is used to encourage communication, relaxation, understanding, organization, empathy, patience, and calm and to soothe.

The main effect of the German Chamomile is anti-inflammatory, anti-allergy, stabilizes emotions, and it helps most skin conditions. It mixes well with bergamot, Roman chamomile, clary sage, lavender, cypress, frankincense, geranium, marjoram, lemon, grapefruit, niaouli, pine, ravensara, rosemary, tea tree.

This essential oil can be diffused, added to food or water as a dietary supplement, or applied topically on location. I do not find it to have a very pleasant aroma-the Roman variety is not only milder but sweeter in fragrance. The German variety is non-toxic, non-irritating and non-sensitizing.

To learn more about German Chamomile and other essential oils you might want to consider becoming a certified aromatherapist. Educational courses in healing energy and aromatherapy can help you understand how essential oils heal the body/mind/spirit.

Check this out for more information on learning to heal through the art of aromatherapy as a clinical aromatherapist. http://www.ISHAaromatherapy.com For educational courses on healing energy and the laying-on of hands, you can go to http://www.HTSpiritualMinistry.com You can also read more about aromatherapy and German Chamomile essential oil in Linda Smith's books: Called into Healing, Reclaiming our Judeo-Christian Legacy of Healing Touch, and Healing Oils Healing Hands, Discovering the Power of Prayer, Hands On Healing and Anointing. You can find these books and much more on my web site at http://www.ISHAhealing.com/HealingStore/tabid/348/Default.aspx

How and Where Can I Find a Reputable Farm Where I Can Buy Raw Milk?

2009-09-12T03:02:00.001-07:00

Once you have made the decision to switch to raw milk, your next problem is going to be finding a reputable source for good, safe, quality milk. How can you do that?

Well, first you want to do a search online for dairy farms in your area. There are various sites where you can get this information. Sometimes you will also find ads on health food or agriculture sites where people will advertise if they have raw milk available. Just search for locations near you and make note of the ones you find.

Once you locate one or more farms, and these will usually be small family-owned farms, go ahead and contact them by email or phone and request more information.

What type of information do you need to ask about? Well, you will first of all want to know what type of cows they have. There are a number of breeds of dairy cows and they may have Jersey, Holstein, Ayrshire, Guernsey, or some other breed of cow. Some people even milk Angus cows and they are said to have milk similar to a Jersey.

Is one type of cow better than another? Not really, but their milk will be slightly different. Jersey milk is rich and creamy and has a high butterfat content. Guernsey is very similar. Ayrshire follows close behind with very white creamy milk. The fat in the Ayrshire's milk is extremely small and so it is not only excellent for drinking but also for making cheese, butter, or ice cream. Holsteins have less cream in their milk.

Next, you will want to ask the farm about their milking process, how the cows are milked and how soon after milking does the milk go into the refrigerator to be cooled. The sooner the better. If you are offered a tour of the farm that would be great. You can see where the cows are milked and all the equipment used. They may even offer to let you come by when they are milking so you can watch.

You also should ask what the cows are fed, and the optimum feed will be either all of mostly all grass and hay with minimal grain perhaps at milking time. No antibiotics or hormones should be used, and no pesticides should be used on their pasture.

Once you are satisfied with the answers to all your questions, you can now safely buy raw milk from the farm. If you need more information about raw milk, all you have to do is click here.

Email Etiquette

2009-09-11T13:00:00.001-07:00

* Have you ever received an email message from someone you don't know?

* Have you ever received a message or chain letter that someone forwarded to you and deleted it without opening it?

* Have you ever received a message without a subject in the subject line?

* Have you ever received a message with LOTS of graphics that takes forever to download?

If you've ever been frustrated by any of all of the above situations, you know how challenging email can be. And you know what you don't want others to feel or think about you- based on the email messages you send. I have some helpful tips for you to use to ensure that others won't be frustrated by messages sent from you!

1. If you send a regular email based newsletter (like this ezine), offer it in both html and a regular text version. With so many people downloading their email on their PDA's and cell phones, a text only version allows them to download and read what you've sent. (It's also nice for those folks still on a dial-up Internet connection.)

2. Use one email address for work related messages and another for your personal messages. And keep them separate. When sending messages from work to clients, customers or any work-related message, only use your work email address. This way your address can be added to their "safe list" and you messages will get through. (this is a good time to make sure your work related email address is professional....so....if it's currently hotbabe@yahoo.com, consider making a change!) Your email address is a powerful marketing tool, if you have a website, use the URL of your website in your email address. For example, my email address is laurie@harmony-life.net, it has both my name and the name of my website in it. Having an email address like this encourages others to visit your website by letting them know you have one.

3. Keep the subject in your subject line short and sweet. Each email program shows different amounts of the subject. Try to keep your subject to no more than 6-8 words and you can be sure it will be seen in it's entirety.

4. Most people don't read long messages or blocks of text. Use headlines and bold lettering for the first sentence in each paragraph so folks that "skim" will get an overview. Keep your messages concise and to the point.

5. Users decide which messages to open based on who they're from and what they're about, based on the content of the subject line. The From and Subject lines are critical. The From and Subject line should include your company name, the name of the newsletter (if you're sending one), and a brief overview of the message contents.

6. Don't add people to your mailing list without their permission. Instead, send a message with an invitation to join your list. You can even include a live link in the invitation for to click on to be taken to the opt-in right away.

7. Once someone has joined your list, send them a thank you message letting them know what they signed up for, when they can expect it and how it will be delivered. This is also a good time to ask them to add your email address to their "white or safe list". (A white or safe list is located in their email program and it allows them to add email addresses that they want to receive. Email addresses that aren't added will often be sent directly to the Junk folder.)

8. Send messages regularly but don't bombard people daily or every few days, you'll become a nuisance and that is a way to ensure your messages stop being read.

9. Keep it friendly. Take a few moments before sending your messages to read them to yourself out loud. Why? Written language often comes across colder and shorter than it's intended. When you read it out loud you can hear how it sounds and make the necessary changes.

Making these changes or even just a few of them will ensure that your email messages are opened and read. After-all, that is why you wrote them- right?

Remember, like anything else, good ideas are only that- good ideas, if we don't take action and get proactive.

Just do it!

Feng Shui Teacher and Entrepreneur Laurie Bornstein, "The Feng Shui Marketing Queen" is the author and creator of 'Simple Feng Shui Series', her FREE monthly ezine filled with articles and tips on how to live and work in balance, visit http://www.fengshuimarketingqueen.com to learn more.

Mediterranean Cheeses

2009-09-11T12:58:00.001-07:00

I used to think that Mascarpone was a little horse wearing a blindfold, then a clever person told me it was a cheese, but later an even cleverer person said it wasn't actually a cheese at all, so I asked if it really was a small horse. 'No', they said 'it's a curd', so now I'm not sure if it's a horse, a cheese or a native of a much troubled area of Asia.

Some of the less confusing cheeses of Italy are Ricotta, a firm, white cow's milk cheese, Mozzarella, a soft buffalo milk cheese and Parmesan, the ever popular, hard cheese of Parma. It is believed that Parmesan has been produced in the area for at least seven hundred years and the basic methods of production haven't really changed.

The Mediterranean bowl is a hotspot for cheese making, and each area has its own favourites. The hundreds of different cheeses are derived from goat, cow, sheep and buffalo milk, and each has its own distinctive flavour. My personal favourite is Feta, the soft, crumbly Greek cheese that brings to life any salad dish. This is one of the oldest cheeses in the world, made as long ago as six thousand years. In 2002, the Greeks won an importation battle of denomination, and earned the sole right to name their cheese 'Feta'. It is made from sheep milk or a combination of sheep and goat milk. It's worth visiting Greece solely to enjoy a Greek Salad drizzled with Olive Oil. Why is it that when you try to reproduce these tastes in your own country, it's never quite the same? Of course, Greece produces many other cheeses, but none are as popular as Feta.

Spain too has its fair share of cheeses to choose from, the most famous being Manchego, made from pasteurised sheep milk in the La Mancha region of the country. This may need an acquired taste, but it should smell of roast lamb when cut. It is sold at various stages of maturity. At thirteen weeks it is considered 'curado' (cured), whilst after three months it is 'viejo' (old). Other well known cheeses of Spain are the hard Queso Iberico, Zamorano, made from ewe's milk and Picos de Europa, the blue cheese which is also known as Valdeon and eaten with honey for breakfast.

Portugal, having a small section of Mediterranean coast has Serra de Estrela, its most famous cheese which has been produced by shepherds in the mountainous region of Biera for centuries. This cheese can still lay claim the title of hand made, as the curds are parted by hand as they always were. This is a very soft cheese that has a sweet yet almost burnt flavour.

The French love and produce numerous cheeses, but one of the best in my opinion is Neufchatel, a soft, white table cheese. I'm cheating a little here as the cheese actually originates from Normandy, but this cheese does warrant a mention. Its grainy texture hides a delightful taste of mushrooms. As it matures, it develops salty taste that isn't for everyone. Amongst the endless list of French cheeses are Brie, commonly known as the queen of cheeses, Roquefort, the king of cheeses and Camembert which dates back to the eighteenth century.

The ideal way to taste cheese at its best is to go to the country and enjoy it along with other local products. Often, the wine chosen to accompany the cheese can make a great difference, and vice-versa. This is where local knowledge comes into its own, and in my experience, the people of the Mediterranean are only too willing to help you enjoy your experience.

The Author is the founder of http://www.yourholidayrentals.com providing worldwide holiday accommodation The original article, along with other interesting articles can be found at http://www.yourholidayrentals.com/inspiration/

Gong Xi Fa Cai - Finding the Perfect Chinese New Year Cards

2009-09-10T23:15:00.001-07:00

In its way, Chinese New Year is no different from the New Year celebrated on January 1 by so much of the rest of the world. It is time of well wishes and love. People hope for good fortune, happiness, health, and wealth for the coming year. A lot of people offer these good wishes by sending their loved ones Chinese New Year cards.

This is a common practice no matter what your culture is or when your new year celebration takes place. You want the people you love to know you are thinking of them. You want them to know that you are wishing them well.

When choosing a card to send someone for the Chinese New Year you have a veritable wealth of fantastic cards from which to choose. It all depends on your relationship to the recipient. Sending New Years cards to friends and loved ones is a time honored tradition.

The same is true for those who celebrate Chinese New Year. Of course, with the advent of ecards and holiday greetings sent through the Internet, they are becoming immeasurably more possible. The only real difference here is the style and sentiment of the cards in question.

Many cards celebrating the Chinese New Year are decorated with the things you see during the two week celebrations associated with the holiday. For example, both paper cards and electronic cards often incorporate fireworks displays. These are common practice during Chinese New Year, which is why such cards are so popular.

Dragons, Chinese characters, and the symbolic foods popular during Chinese New Year also make for great greeting card designs. Basically, any type of design which is special to you and/or your family will provide just the right sentiment.

If all else fails, you should always feel free to design a card of your own. You can even include your own hand written fortunes and well wishes, which provide an extra, personal touch to the whole affair. This can be ideal, and it certainly presents you with a way to show your loved ones exactly how you feel.

Henry Fong

Feng Shui Consultant.

Feng Shui Absolutely

Chinese Cooking Utensils

2009-09-10T23:12:00.001-07:00

There are quite a few traditional utensils that have been used in cooking for thousands of years in China. Some of them are still seen in most of families, some can only be seen in rural areas, or may be disappearing in the modern world. But to cook authentic Chinese food that always tastes like grandma's, some of the utensils simply cannot be replaced by what you see in American stores.

Chinese Wok

Deep pan with round bottom used in several ways. Comes in iron, stainless and stainless with layer of copper on the bottom. Iron heats most evenly, but should be seasoned before using or food will stick.

To season: Fill pan with water. Add soap and soda and bring to boil. Pour off water, wipe dry. Place pan over strong heat. Add oil and rotate till pan is coated. Pour off excess oil. Place pan over weak fire and wipe with dry cloth.

To clean: After using pan, wash while still hot. Wipe and place over heat to dry completely.

Knife

Heavy and wide. All purpose - for paring, cutting, slicing, chopping and carving.

Iron Palette

Comes in square or round front. Rounded ones are easier to use with Chinese wok. Use for frying, sauting and basting.

Iron Spoon

Use back side for mixing food with minimum breakage.

Steamer

Used for steaming buns, chicken, meat, fish. Place over Chinese wok filled with boiling water. Buy one size smaller than wok. There are new styles of steamers on the market made of different materials. But Chinese believe that the traditional steamer works the best.

Slotted Spoon

Used for deep frying and boiling to get rid of excess oil or water.

Wire Sieve

With handle. Used for boiling noodles, dumplings, etc.

Steamers for Pastries

Small in size - about 15cm (6") in diameter. Used in same method as large steamer. Serve hot pastries in steamers. Typical foods served are small meat buns (small steamer meat buns, or Xiao Long Bao Zi), steamed meat dumplings (Shao Mai), etc.

Moulds for cookies

Made from wood with various carved designs. No longer popular in the modern society since people tend to buy cookies off the shelf. Some may still use the moulds for major holidays, or just Chinese New Year.

Bamboo Brush

Used for washing hot wok. Guess only people in some rural areas still use this type of brush. More people use regular washing cloth found on market.

Rolling Pin

Used for preparing noodles, dumpling skins, Chinese pancakes, and more. With the busy daily life nowadays, most of time people choose to buy ready to cook fresh noodles and dumpling skins from the small vendors seen on the street to save us time. Choose ones made from sturdy wood.

Copyrighted: You may freely republish this article as long as author bio and active hyperlinks are kept intact.

Jacklyn Chen - Webmaster of news-blogs.com, satellite info, and emobile-news.com. She is a full time mom who works very hard to make living with multiple web sites. She is seeking for success in singing career in China.

Should I Hire A Caterer

2009-09-10T09:38:00.001-07:00

So you have decided to throw a party. Great, now its time to consider all of the things you must do to make it a success. You need to make a guest list, plan decorations, arrange for a DJ, etc, etc. The list goes on and on but one of the most important tasks is arranging for the food. Food and drink will make or break your party. The question you must decide is are you going to hire a caterer or are you going to handle the food yourself. There are pluses and minuses to both.

Catering Yourself

If you decide to cater the party yourself, you will of course save money. Caterers can be expensive and they make up a considerable portion of a parties budget. If you are having a relatively small gathering, it is probably not worth hiring one. You might be better off just buying a few party trays from your grocery store or a favorite restaurant.

Another reason to not hire a caterer is that you will be able to serve exactly what you want, not just what the caterer has to offer. You can have the exact foods that you and your guests like in the amounts that you want.

Hiring A Caterer

Hiring a caterer does have advantages however. Sure they can cost you money but their expertise can come in handy. If you order the food yourself you might over order, wasting money. Even worse you could end up ordering too little and run out of food or drink. That would be a party nightmare, quickly putting an end to the festivities. You want to see a crowded room empty quick, just tell your guests that there is no more food or drink.

Another advantage of hiring a caterer is that it will allow you to completely enjoy your party. No running back and forth to the kitchen or checking to make sure your appetizer tray is full. You can spend your time mingling with your friends or business associates. What good is throwing a party that you cannot enjoy.

Lastly, honestly answer this question. Do you have the expertise to pull it off? Caterers have the experience necessary to make sure that your party goes off smoothly. The food will be ready on time. The drinks will flow smoothly. They have thrown hundreds or even thousands of parties and they will make yours run like clockwork.

Hopefully this article has helped you decide on the direction you want to take your party. Decide carefully, it is an important decision that could make or break your event.

For more information on catering, visit the Caterer Directory.

Park Your Car in the Garage? What a Novel Idea!

2009-09-10T09:35:00.001-07:00

Do you hate running out in the rain to your car? Do you look forward to scraping your windshield in the frost of the morning? Wouldn't it be great to park your car in the safety and warmth of your garage? We organizers always think it's interesting on how a valuable investment, such as a car, sits on the street, vulnerable to theft and wear, while the garage interior houses all sorts of things that are worth - not that much...

Now is the time to take advantage of the last few days of clear skies. If you jump on this opportunity you can prep yourself for a stress free winter.

Here's how:

Pick a day for a family garage-a-palooza. Invite an organizer, friends and/or family to help. Schedule a pick up or drop off with a friendly donation organization. When the day arrives, eat a hardy breakfast, get dressed up in your grubbiest clothes and grab the tools -- empty boxes, garbage bags, tape and markers for labeling. Take a quick stretch to get warmed up for the big job ahead.

Ok! Ready, set and go! Set aside staging areas for trash, donate and keep. Labeling them with duct tape on the ground helps keep you focused. Begin at one corner of the garage. Ask yourself questions like "Do I need this", "Do I LOVE this", and "Do I use this". Keep in mind the last time you used a particular object - if it was more than a year ago it is probably safe to say goodbye. Remember, your reward will be huge! Consider this; how long has "clean up the garage" on your "to do" list?

Once you have cleared, sorted and had your donations and trash items picked up, it is time to put the "keep" items back. When it comes to garage - think vertical. Tall shelving units like post industrial shelving will allow you to take advantage of the ALL the wall space. Clear bins for storage will save your stuff from the mold and dampness of many garages as well as giving you a visual reminder of its contents. And don't forget to label, label, label. There are also many storage solutions for tools and bikes available at home improvement stores and organizing stores.

Sweep the garage down, hang some hooks for extra winter coat storage, check that all the lights are as bright as they can be and congratulate yourself! Whew, what a great feeling - no more freezing fingers and late mornings this winter! And your vehicle has a clean, safe home, perhaps for the first time!

Interested in more ways to clear clutter and gain control of your environment? Get our free eBook: The Getting Started Workbook: Overcoming Fear, Procrastination and Overwhelm When Starting An Organizing Project at http://www.emptyyournest.com

The Consciousness Banyan Tree

2009-09-08T06:55:00.001-07:00

Vague and mystic terms like consciousness, will and emotions can be explained in more concrete terms through the intuitive algorithm (IA) concept. IA suggests that phenomenally intelligent nerve cells make the mind a powerful information processor and can explain universally recognized human behavior, including its unique foibles. For IA, consciousness can be likened to the feel of breeze on the leaves of a banyan tree. The neural correlates of consciousness logically point to the perceptions of the leaves and not to the processes of the tree. All the nuclei, the intelligent groups of nerve cells, within your brain bear a strong resemblance to the banyan tree, with its spreading branches (dendrites) and numerous roots (axons).

The branches of nuclei perceive patterns in the environment on the periphery and dispatch recognition signals through their roots. There are receptors on the branches of your olfactory tree, which evaluate molecules in the air. Its roots, (axons of those cells) transmit messages, indicating the recognition of the fragrance of orange, or the smell of sweat. Similarly, the branches of the somesthetic association tree perceive the sense of touch and its roots signal recognition of a touched object. In practice, if this recognition-of-objects-by-touch "tree" is injured, you cannot recognize a pair of scissors by touch, when your eyes are closed. If the recognition-of-touch tree remains intact, you will still be able to feel the scissors. By recognizing and responding to patterns, these trees process the vast reaches of your intelligence.

IA suggests that those trees store and use memories of combinations for recognition. Among many such nuclei, smells were recently reported to be recognized through a coding process, where the olfactory tree recognized different combinations of receptor signals. If the tree had receptors, identified as A, B, C and so on to Z, it could then fire, when it received inputs at ABC, or DEF. It recognized those combinations. The tree could identify ABC and would be inhibited for ABD. The experiments of the scientists revealed that even slight changes in chemical structure activated distinctly different combinations of receptors. The olfactory tree stored such codes and indicated that octanol smelled like oranges, while the similar compound, octanoic acid, smelled like sweat. A Nobel Prize acknowledged that discovery in 2004. IA suggests that the intuitive intelligence of the olfactory tree derives from its capacity to remember and sensitively recognize trillions of combinatorial codes.

It is established that the wisdom of nature is founded on the accumulation, over millions of years, of unbelievably large lodes of such operating instructions. If the total DNA codes in a grown human body (each cell contains a sequence of over 3 billion chemical nucleotide bases) were crammed into 500 page instruction manuals, those books would fill the 450 kilometer Grand Canyon fifty times over! Such massive archives of actionable instructions also operate within the banyan trees of your nervous system. Vast galaxies of subterranean knowledge, stored as similar combinatorial codes, manage your perceptions, emotions and drives. Those codes manage your every activity, not you.

The banyan trees within your brain translate a complex and timely knowledge of your world within a few thousandths of a second. Walter Freeman, the famous neurobiologist summed up that amazing competence. "The cognitive guys think it's just impossible to keep throwing everything you've got into the computation every time. But, that is exactly what the brain does. Consciousness is about bringing your entire history to bear on your next step, your next breath, your next moment." Science is yet to make the obvious announcement that your nervous system uses combinatorial codes to store cubic miles of data within your nerve cells. They have also not yet discovered that intuition, an elimination algorithm, can instantly extract the best and most appropriate answer from that information.

Just as naturally as lilies bloom in the field, your words of love, or anger originate from one of the intelligences residing in the myriad banyan trees within your brain. Both your experience and the findings of science suggest that you have a separately identifiable existence as you perch on one of those trees as an intangible awareness. That proof lies in the significant time lag between actual neural processes and your awareness of them. Your experience will show that your awareness of speech comes only after your network speaks. Within the blink of an eye, the system gathers ideas, locates words, arranges them grammatically and moves your muscles to enable speech. You become aware of your choice of words after they are uttered.

The same time lag, highlighting the distinct separation between neural functions and conscious awareness was measured by the famous experiments of Benjamin Libet. These tests were deceptively simple. He timed the neural cues in subjects while they voluntarily pressed a button. Each time they decided to press down, they were also to note down the location on a computer screen, of a dot, which changed its position every 43 milliseconds. The exact moment of a conscious decision to act, was compared to measurable activity in the system for the initiation of that muscle movement. After many experiments with many subjects, Libet discovered that activity in the motor areas began 350 milliseconds before the subject consciously decided to press the button. Since the motor activity begins before conscious awareness, it is obvious that it is not the intangible you, but the system, which decides to move even your little finger.

Those numerous banyan trees intuitively interact within your nervous system. They have access to vast coded archives of routines followed, during millions of years of experiences, in achieving varied objectives. Each living moment, the system simultaneously evaluates many strategies for applying these routines to cope with the challenges of life. Specific trees are dedicated to specific strategies. One navigates aggressively. Another follows defensive strategies. Yet another seeks relaxation of the stresses of life through play. Yet another jealously seeks to be the best in its community. Still another is caring and protective of the tribe. The emotions of anger, fear, laughter, envy, or love define some of these focused strategies. Specific trees, (organs in the limbic system, in the mammalian part of your brain), are activated for fear, anger, guilt, or love. Operating as a strategy hub, the limbic system makes swift choices between competing and conflicting strategies to allocate control of the whole system to a single tree.

The chosen tree primes your brain to adjust to its distinct inherited mode of behavior. If you suddenly have to walk a plank five hundred feet above ground, the defensive tree will urgently signal fear. Registering those frantic signals, the strategy hub will switch control to that tree. With fear in control, the tree will stiffen you into immobility, instantly suppressing your normal ability to stroll down a plank. Instead of walking, you would prefer to lie down and hold the sides. Even while fear can debilitate you, love can inspire you to achieve impossible tasks. Your behavior is decided by the tree which takes charge of your system. You are merely a belated observer of the current strategy, whether it be fearful retreat, aggressive attack, or jealous outburst.

You have one advantage. Superior to the ancient marble sized nuclei in the mammalian regions, a giant tree resides in the prefrontal regions of your brain. Originating as an investigative entity with millions of years of evolutionary knowledge and experience, it occupies cortical regions recently augmented to house a new human competence. It is the broadest tree in the network and is logically the fabled "deep wisdom within." Science points to this tree as the seat of your consciousness. Sages from ancient times have sung praises of a control of your mind by this tree. Untouched by emotions and impregnable to the cuts and thrusts of capricious fortune, it exists with the pure perception of a rational intelligence, which sees both success and tragedy as similar situations. It is undisturbed by the worries and fears of its lesser siblings.

The consciousness tree processes your perceptions and its roots deliver the will and views of your spirit. It dispenses the verdicts of your conscience, telling you what is right and wrong. Other siblings in the limbic system deliver the fears and desires of the flesh. Sadly, the gentle will of your spirit competes with a slew of searing emotions. Inherited combinatorial codes are designed to permit a single group of linked emotions, or will, to control your attention, conscious thoughts and movements. If the guilt, or anger of lesser trees dominate, you will then feel guilt, or anger to the exclusion of all else. Those trees make your decisions. Their output patterns produce motor instructions, which direct attention, or movements.

You have only this uniquely subjective awareness of what the system perceives to be the outcome of the intuitive process. It is at the leaves (synapses) of the consciousness tree that electrical impulses enter the boundaries of your ethereal awareness. Combinatorial codes process everything else. You exist in a transcendental information dimension, where neural perceptions of the network touch the leaves of the branches of your consciousness tree. But the great mystery remains that, while nerve impulses course through the whole system, only the neural correlates of consciousness generate your mystic awareness. Could those leaves be a cosmic information interface?

In the website Effective Mind Control Abraham Thomas suggests that, since the human mind is a pattern recognition entity, your rational prefrontal regions can effectively control your mind by inhibiting your lower emotional levels of consciousness.

Keep Believing in You

2009-09-08T06:53:00.001-07:00

January is just about done (can you believe it), time waits for no man. I hope everyone is following their plans, guidelines or whatever you label your project to be. I know it can be overwhelming but if we want to get to our goals we just have to woman/man up and do what we have to do. That's were changing your mindset comes into play.

Since to the beginning of the New Year I have just been taking it one day at a time, everyday I'm doing something that relates to my business, even when I don't feel like doing it, because if I don't do it it will just sit there waiting to be taken care of. Whenever you get that thought in your head to go take care of whatever project you may have going on, that's when you go tackle it and take care of business (you don't have to get it right you just gotta get it going).

Changing your mindset does not mean you stop being who you are as a person its just means you are looking at things in a different light, you now believe in your dreams/goals, you know that you deserve nothing but the best, You basically giving yourself an upgrade on the inside a makeover on the inside your mind and heart.

I'm am so happy and excited of this New Year 2009 because I feel the change in myself, I'm really proud of the accomplish Ive made in the past 5 months not just with my business but with myself.
I want you to have the same changes I'm having, and to feel the changes within yourself that you are headed in the right direction.

This is your friend DawnW wanting nothing but the best for you, I love and appreciate you have a wonderful week.

God Bless
Dawn W

Dawn is a part-time Network Marketer, she shares her marketing skills, and business oppurtunites with others who are looking to change their mindset and really learn how the Online Marketing industry works, so they can take their business to the next level.

http://MeetDawnW.info

http://imdawnw.com/classroom.aspx

Installing a 32 Inch Back Door

2009-09-08T04:56:00.001-07:00

In some older houses you will find a 30 inch back door. Have you ever tried to move a refrigerator or some large furniture through a 30 inch door? Keep in mind most bedroom doors are 30 inches wide and are in 36 inch hallways. 30 inch doors and bedrooms make it tough to move some furniture in too.

Let's start with the price difference between a 30 inch door and a 32 inch door. The cost difference is usually going to be around $20. If you are building a hundred homes this could become quite an additional expense. So we can understand why the home builder installed a 30 inch door in the back of our home.

He got the extra money in his pocket, you got a headache.

Here's the big problem. If you ever want to install a larger door you will need to replace the structural door framing. Now this is where you could run into a little bit of an expense. Changing the framing for a wider door could become quite costly. It could actually cost over $1000 in some cases.

Now if the homebuilder would have originally installed a 32 inch door in your house it might have ran him as high as an additional $45. How can this be? I will give you the first clue. There is a good chance the homebuilder will not be moving into any of these houses. If for some strange instance he did move into the house, he would learn the same lesson whenever he needed to move a large item into the house.

I'm a contactor and learned this lesson in a long time ago.

If you are building a new home you might even want to consider installing a 36 inch back door. This door will give you plenty of room when it comes to moving large items in or out of your house. The cost difference between a 36 inch door and a 32 inch door is usually around $20 also.

When building a new home most people don't give very much thought about their interior or exterior doors. Here's a simple chart I made to help with some basic door decisions.

Bathroom Doors Should Be 28 Inches Wide Minimum.
Bedroom Doors Should Be 30 Inches Wide Minimum.
Front Doors Should Be At Least 36 Inches Wide
Back Doors and Garage Doors Should Be At Least 32 Inches Wide

If you are a professional football or basketball player don't use these numbers above.

If you have large sliding glass doors or French doors throughout your home and can use them to move large items into the house you can install whatever size doors you choose that are comfortable to walk through.

Give some thought when installing a new door on your next project and keep some of the above tips in mind..

If you are designing a home give some thought to the stairways and hallways in the home as well.

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 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 Bay Window Ideas

Greg Vanden Berge Quotes

Finding Homes Using the Internet - Home Shopping

2009-09-08T04:52:00.001-07:00

You can simply type the words real estate or homebuying into any search engine on the World Wide Web and you will come up with hundreds, maybe even thousands of websites that are extremely helpful and full of great information. Like the one you're on right now.

Finding homes with the internet, combined with a skilled real estate salesperson, provides you with the most effective technology available today. Most websites start out, having you select a state you would like to search in and then, select a city, with your price range.

By answering their questions, this narrows the search down to all of the homes available in the area. The internet has made home shopping very simple. Considering what you had to go through in the 1970s. You found a realtor or by looking in the yellow pages, sometimes you found a good realtor and if you are lucky, maybe you would find you a good home.

Most of the time, the first homes you would look at, were owned by the real estate professional you were working with.

There are however a couple of problems with using the internet to find your dream home. Some of the verbage used and photographs taken can create a wonderful illusion of a tropical paradise but the reality, it's a regular home in a decent neighborhood.

Some of these photos are taken by skilled photographers who take advantage of every angle and tend to give an illusion of grander. When you actually start driving around and looking at these homes, only then will you get a reality check, of what the home actually looks like. You'll get used to it.

After you've looked at a few of your future dream homes, you will get a better idea of what I'm talking about with these wonderful pictures and the extraordinary home descriptions like "Beautiful Three Bedroom House with an Ocean View." When reality it's a two-bedroom house with an extra closet for the third bedroom and the ocean is 45 miles away, but you can see it on a clear day if you actually climb to the top of the largest tree on the property.

Take your time when searching for your dream home and don't let any one push you into making a decision if you're not ready. If you find your real estate professional a little too aggressive or pushy, get out of your contract, if you've signed one and find another, more helpful real estate salesperson to help you with your home purchase.

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.

Find other real estate tips and great advice, from another one of the Internet's best website creators.

Personal Development

Festering Emotional Wounds - How Disturbing Memories Can Remain Bothersome For Years

2009-09-07T23:15:00.001-07:00

Imagine being about 6 years-old, when you ask a friend to play with his or her toy. He or she says, "No." As an adult, you know that if this scenario had happened in your life, it happened because 6 year-olds are basically selfish and do not know how to share. As a 6 year-old, however, you would not have known that that was the real reason. As a way of making sense of the senseless, you might have adopted a negative belief about yourself, as it related to the situation. In other words, you may have suggested to yourself that "I am not good enough." Or, "I am not likeable."

This interpretation may have meant little, except when later, a parent says, "No" and a teacher says, "No." Now, one may begin to use this random life experience, in order to support this erroneous set of beliefs that "I am not good enough" or "I am not likeable."

Within adolescence, a teacher may say, "No" or a date may say, "No." Now, as one enters early adulthood, one may not simply think these things to be true, but one may begin to feel them to be true. The beliefs that we feel to be true tend to guide our actions. If we feel it to be true that "I am not worthy" and "I am not likeable," we are probably not heading in a direction that is consistent with our desires.

The things that we feel to be true tend to guide our actions, as we allow things to happen and do things, consistent with the beliefs. Although these beliefs seem to offer an explanation, however, their assertions are not true. Yet, it may be initially difficult to believe otherwise, since these initial beliefs seem to offer a plausible explanation. The truth, based upon the wealth of one's other life experiences, however, insists that despite what happened, "I am worthy" and "I am likeable." In great part, therapy is a way to resolve disturbing memories, in order to release the erroneous beliefs. As a result, one is finally able to begin to embrace the truth that "I am worthy" and "I am likeable." These new, healthier perspectives begin to guide one into the more positive direction of one's intentions.

http://www.ThePsychologist.com Gerald Solfanelli is a Pennsylvania licensed psychologist and certified hypnotherapist in full-time private practice. As a presenter for PESI, he provides national continuing education workshops for mental health and educational professionals. He also hosts his own website that helps visitors simplify their overall healthcare, by improving their emotional health with popular psychology-related links, best-selling e-books, hypnosis and other FREE self-help programs.

Included within his site is also a FREE hypnosis for smoking cessation instant audio MP3 download, links to discount coupons for other quit smoking aides, and free e-book access to best-selling quit smoking publications. Solfanelli is a member of Pennsylvania's Pre-approved Tobacco Cessation Registry. His American website is accredited by the HON Foundation, a non-governmental agency in special consultative status with the United Nations that promotes health trustworthy information.

The Importance of Goal Setting

2009-09-07T23:12:00.001-07:00

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.

Attic Odors and Strange Smells

2009-09-07T21:24:00.001-07:00

If you've ever opened up your attic access hole, only to find one of the worst odors you have ever smelled in your whole life, I've been there too. What causes these horrible smells and what can you do about them?

Let's start with the cause of these smells, moisture, dirt, mold, mildew, dead animals, animals that make their home in your attic and the biggest problem of all is normally poor ventilation.

Poor ventilation is the biggest problem with musty smells in the attic. These smells are often caused from moisture accumulating in the building materials over time. If there is enough moisture in the attic, the wood will start to rot but this wouldn't be a normal situation, unless there was a roof or water leak.

Roof leaks can cause a constant supply of water to one part of the attic. This constant supply of water will eventually rot the wood and damage the ceiling. Water leaks from pipes can provide a steady supply of water and the situation can attracts termites and mold. Not a good thing.

One of the worst possible smells or odors in your attic would be a dead animal. Don't under estimate the size of some of these animals, they have found dead raccoons, cats, snakes, large birds, squirrels, rats and mice in some attics. These animals usually enter through damaged access holes or vent blocks, roof vents, large gaps, holes and even fireplace chimneys.

Once these animals die, their bodies start to decompose and produce one horrible odor. Once the body is completely decomposed, the smell usually goes away if the attic is ventilated properly. These smells can seep into the homes living area, often creating a room that no one wants to enter.

Home peststhat make their home in your attics, often create smells from urinating and defecating in the areas around their nest. Large birds like owls can become a problem over time.

Now that we've figured out some of the causes for attic odors and strange smells, what can we do to prevent this from happening and if it's already happened, how can we get rid of the smell.

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 having problems in your attic, find out more at pest control books and home building ideas.

Religion Articles

Developing Wealth Building Habits

2009-09-07T21:23:00.001-07:00

If you want to be successful, you need mentors or in other words find people that have succeeded. These people can include the ultra rich like Bill Gates or Warren Buffett, but don't forget about the people around you that have created good wealth building habits.

Some of the people have great advice and will need to be listened to very intently, while others need to be put on a list and never spoken to again. If you're going to be developing wealth building habits, you're going to need some advice from wealthy people. Let me make myself clear, when I'm talking about developing wealth building habits, I'm not talking about spiritual, knowledge, Biblical or religious wealth. I'm talking about making money, as much money as you desire or feel you need.

Wealth building habits start with you. Ask yourself this question "how bad do I want or desire wealth?" Really, really, really bad or are you the kind of person that would like to be rich, but that's as far as it goes. Developing any of these habits does not include sleeping in until 11 o'clock in the morning and then complaining the rest of the day about your finances.

Bill Gates used to work 16 hours a day. How many days a week did he do that? These are the questions you're going to find the answers to. If you're interested in making $50 million, you need to find someone who can teach you, how to make $50 million.

It won't be necessary to contact Warren Buffett but I would advise you to gather as much information about him as possible. Wealth building habits start with learning about wealthy people. If they get up at four o'clock in the morning and read the newspaper until six o'clock, then exercise for 30 minutes and start working at seven o'clock, you need to start doing this also. Developing good wealth building habits over time are what most successful businessman and women have been doing for years. Study their habits and start changing yours.

If you do something every day, it will usually become a habit within 30 days.

Greg is currently working on a self help 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.

Meditating On Religious Scriptur

Motivating Others - The Secret!

2009-09-07T15:42:00.001-07:00

Can you really motivate others? In a word: NO!

I know that sounds weird coming from someone who makes a living in the business of motivation and engagement in the workplace; but I'm not going to waste your time with lies, platitudes, useless slogans and metaphysical crap. The fact is there is no secret when it comes to motivating others. You can provide external motivation, inspiration and incentive but ultimately all effective motivation is internal. If you want to motivate others you need to employ some simple protocols that are too often ignored by organization leaders:

Find out what personally motivates each individual on your team.
Empower people with the resources and opportunities that support each person's vision of success & happiness.
Make sure everyone knows how important his or her role is in the success of the organization.
Hold each person accountable for his or her role in personal and organizational success.

One more thing: Get rid of anyone who will not accept personal responsibility for his or her own success and happiness!

I define power as your ability or capacity to act or perform effectively. Give everyone in your organization the opportunity to perform effectively and the organization becomes more powerful. Simple, not easy!

Too often power is confused with control. Power is not control; control is an imposition of will. Power is effectiveness and a person is most effective when he knows his work is generating personal success and happiness.

But...some managers say it's impossible to know the individual needs of everyone in an organization. Divide and conquer! External motivation is a process of effective coaching and mentoring and that's best done on a small scale. You can manage the scale in two way.

Delegate closer contact to smaller groups. Hold each management level accountable for knowing what motivates his or her immediate team.
Make some time for nearly everyone you want to motivate. A little meaningful contact makes a large impression.

I'm not advocating an uncontrollable system of appeasement where everyone gets everything he thinks he's entitled to. Control should not be confused with power, but control is necessary to some degree at every level of an organization. Every individual is, however, entitled to at least one thing and that one thing is opportunity. A motivated person who doesn't see opportunity in your organization is going someplace else; you don't want to lose self-motivated people!

An effective organization understands the motivational drives of its people and strives to provide the opportunity for the individual to satisfy his or her drive for success. That drive converts directly to productivity and profit.

Understand what motivates individuals in your organization.
Establish effective coaching and mentoring that supports individual success.
Provide opportunity for individual development and success.
Hold individuals accountable for supporting organizational success.

You may not be able to motivate others, at least not on an internal level. You can provide external motivation based on the needs of the individuals on your team. Make sure external motivation is in synergy with those needs and the mission of the organization. Be a motivational example for others and you've got real power!

Jim Bouchard is America's Black Belt Powervator; speaker, coach & author of Dynamic Components of Personal POWER!

Visit: http://JimBouchard.org
Download your FREE white paper: The Actual Value of Motivation and Engagement in the Workplace: http://www.jimbouchard.org/BusinessPOWER.htm
Book Jim for your next corporate event, conference, convention or retreat. Call 800-786-8502

Hindutva - A Lifestyle in Political Arena

2009-09-07T15:38:00.001-07:00

Though Savarkar was a controversial figure (He was also accused of murdering Gandhi by instigating N R Godse without himself taking up arms.), this definition of Hindutva was taken up by the BJP in its political agendas. The Supreme Court of India also ruled that Hindutva is only a culture and, it cannot be compared to the prevalent Hindu fundamentalism. A Hindu can be of any religion. Embracing any particular religion cannot stop a Hindu from adhering to Hindutva. A Hindu believes that the celestial powers balance each other for the well-being of the world and humankind.

Hindutva: The Political Effects

Very soon, this idea was taken up for personal gains by the BJP and its allies: The Sangh Parivar, The RSS, VHP etc. Though BJP maintained its stand on the original meaning of Hindutva, it could not stop its allies from creating a divide that resulted into the demolition of the Babri Masjid. This was only because, the BJP never strongly asserted its viewpoint on Hindutva and used it rather for its vote bank, thereby ignoring its very ideology.

Other political parties also started making use of the term as a weapon against the BJP saying that the latter is non-secular political party. This further led to divide the Indian community, which always was under the shadow of religious and communal hatred (even before the independence.) After the beginning of the fashion of calling oneself secular by drumming the Muslim tune or by taking pro-Muslim stance, Hindutva entered Indian politics in a different tone (totally ignoring the essence of Hindutva).

One cannot take a look at Hindutva within politics in isolation. It has to be looked in the context of secular politics. Muslims are being taken for granted as vote banks by the politicians. They are being treated less as Indians and more as Muslims, even though they come under the category of Hindutva.

The Present Scenario

Now that the mentality of Indians has totally changed regarding the term Hindutva thanks to the follies of VHP, RSS, and above all, the BJP, Hindutva has been delimited to the word: Hindu (a so-called religion). Even if we think of it in cultural context, the question - Who is a Hindu - offers an answer very simple: The one who prays (to one of the thousands of deities, Mother Nature, and its elements like the rivers, the trees etc). Is there any philosopher related to Hindu who started this religion? Is there a single religious book that teaches what and how to implement? Of course, there is Bhagvad Gita, but then what about the Vedas, the Ramayana, the Mahabharata etc etc etc. When did and who started it. Lord Krishna dates back to 7200 BC as per archaeological studies. Ram was even a century before that.

The Future:

The concept of Hindutva is lost and there is no use trying to revive it. What was supposed to be a pure explanation has been spoiled to an extent that there is no scope of reviving the spirit. The position of India, thanks to its political moves has broken the society into many pieces. Earlier it was only two-three religions, now it is OBC, BC, SC, ST etc etc etc. The identity of an Indian is may be Indian abroad, but in its home country, people belong more to the castes than they are Indian.

Seeing all this, I do not think the army and other people who fight for unity need to lay down their lives for dirty politics of Indian politicians.

A child filling in the kindergarten admission form is asked for his nationality later, but is asked to fill in his caste first. This is the first step in letting the kids understand his caste while religion it already put into his mind as he tries to befriend others.

There was a time when people used to take pride in saying that they are Indians, now they obstruct the normal functioning of the country to get their caste registered under the special castes for additional benefits. Under such circumstances, forget the concept of Hindutva, we can see the spirit of being an Indian is also dimmed. Are not these the people who sell of their souls to devils in return for luxuries?

So where is Hindutva seen: In case of emergencies, such as war, fighting against terrorism, and the most recent example of Hindutva was shown in the Mumbai Seige. In other words, to keep Hindutva alive, are such events necessary. The second is cricket, where whole country unites irrespective of the religion and castes. All other games are again preceded by the caste-tag. For example, in a Newspaper I read, Mr XYZ, a dalit, won the race. Finally, the third sector where there are traces left for Hindutva is the Entertainment Industry. Nobody cares is SRK is a Muslim, Christian or a Hindu, forget about people asking about his caste.

I cant see an ending to this so am keeping the article open ended. You all are requested to suggested to write a proper ending to it, if at all it is possible.

DreamSkape India caters to a range of business communication and Internet Marketing requirements. Some of our most used services are: Internet Marketing, Online Advertising, Content Service (graphic design, video tutorial, and ebook), and Business Presentation and Reports for corporate communication.

From designing and creating your message in the format that appeals most, we distribute it to your intended audience using: email campaign, web promotion, Internet marketing, and many more proven methods.

To make sure your message reaches all your intended audience, trust DreamSkape India.

The Bible's Power Over One Child

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

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 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.

Are Christians Really Interested

Finding Something You Don't Like About Yourself - Creating Habits

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

Finding something you don't like about yourself is usually very easy for most people. Most of the time you don't even have to ask your family or friends because you have heard them complain about the same thing for years. How many times have you heard someone mention, I need to lose weight?

Here's a list of things people don't like about themselves. If you're one of those people that has a hard time finding something wrong with yourself, you could always ask one of your friends for some suggestions. I'm sure they would like that.

1. The need to lose weight. This of course is one of the worst problems with Americans. Most people need to lose weight and let's not forget there are some people that need to gain weight.

2. The need to stop gambling. As more Indian reservations are allowed to build gambling casinos and of course as the Internet gambling gets larger, I've noticed some people with gambling problems.

3. The need to stop drinking alcohol. The abuse of alcohol has been going on for many years. These people have an excuse for why they drink and most of the time it doesn't make sense.

4. The need to stop smoking. This could be one of the most difficult things I've ever seen my friends and family deal with.

5. The need to stop excessive behaviors. For example, gossiping, cruelty, bullying, lying, cheating, stealing, partying etc. You get the idea.

6. Don't forget the dreaded shopaholic. Most shopaholic's seem to have large credit card debt and can't seem to stop this vicious circle of buying and owing money to their creditors.

7. Working long hours or the workaholic. Sometimes this is a necessity but I would suggest that you change your lifestyle if possible. Reevaluate your reasons for working so hard.

8. Religious fundamentalists. People that spend too much time at their place of worship and soon find themselves feeling guilty if they're not doing something spiritual.

9. The need to be on time. This would include people that have problems giving themselves enough time to get ready for work or school.

10. The need to stop doing drugs. I thought by now, approaching my 50s, that drugs would no longer be a problem in the United States, but it is. It's one of the most damaging things people can do to their lives.

There are plenty of things that people would like to stop doing or start doing. If you're a smoker and you seem to shop excessively near the casinos, I would advise you to start with something small and work your way up to the big stuff.

What are you going to change today about your life? Make a list of things that you're not happy with about your life and start making the changes today that you need to create the life you deserve and desire.

Greg is currently working on a personal development 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.

Questions To Ask Your Pastor

Inner Drive

2009-09-07T08:11:00.001-07:00

What I am about to share with you is probably the single most important thing I will ever share with you. Listen carefully because I know it to be true. If you do not have a powerful mindset but also an even more powerful inner drive, you will never be successful. The great news is it can be developed. It is not one of those things you either have or you don't, it is actually the exact opposite. So what am I talking about?

Recently I found myself in one of those positions I like to call "a cross road of life". I was faced with a major obstacle that for a second seemed impossible. Now, I said for a second because it had been a long time since I really was faced with an obstacle of such magnitude, but the importance of overcoming it had so much value. Failure was not an option. For a brief moment, I had forgotten what had got me to where I am today... my inner drive. Recently, I read an article in Mens' Fitness about the human wrecking machine Lance Armstrong and even though he is truly an awesome freak of nature . They said it is not his amazing physical attributes you have to fear, but his inner drive.

"There is no such word as can't!!!"

So I went to work and I went back to the basics. I did a tune up on my PURPOSE. My purpose for me has always been my kids. Recently I decided to take it one step further and said, "what if I make it about the neighbors kids, your kids," now my purpose has become that much stronger. Recently I had the honor and pleasure of hearing Author Andy Andrews,No Relation to me, speak. He said something that really hit home with me.

"I expect you to do well because my kids are depending on it. What you do affects my kid's future so I expect it of you". Andy Andrews

Wow, pretty heavy but oh so true! So here is the deal, if something is important enough you WILL get it done. If you find yourself continually falling short, not achieving your goals, you need to take a good look in the mirror. You will find that the problem is right there in front of you. Only you are responsible for your successes and failures.

I am here to tell you if you have not set your purpose, if you have not gotten it crystal clear, if you have not made it of the utmost importance to you, you will always fall short of your goals. It will always come back to your purpose and a strong purpose will create an unstoppable inner drive that will in turn develop a winning mindset. Thus I give you the formula for success. I promise you champions, if you have these 3 things.

1. Purpose
2. Inner drive
3. A winning mindset

You will not only have success in everything you do, you will be leader and you will be someone people will look towards and aspire to be.

"Dream it, believe it, achieve it, and remember it!!!"

Oh, by the way, I did conquer that obstacle and it was the sweetest victory to date.

Hope that helps.

Real is an expert at helping people achieve their dreams & Goals. You might recognize him as Lt. Taggert from the ABC Show General Hospital

http://www.realandrews.com

http://www.realmlmsolutions.com

"THERE IS NO SUCH WORD AS CAN'T!"

"Oh by the way. YOU are a CHAMPION!"

Attitude - Is it Really the Difference Maker?

2009-09-07T08:08:00.001-07:00

What is attitude? We hear this term from all motivational speakers. We have heard from our mothers, fathers and teachers when they have said, "Your attitude stinks," or "Young man, you'd better change your attitude." Let's see what Webster's says about attitude: " A manner or posture of carrying one self. A state of mind or feeling." It is interesting that this attitude is both a state of mind as well as a reflection of how we carry ourselves on the outside. In other words, attitude is an inward feeling expressed by outward behavior.

Some say attitude is everything. That one can have everything he or she desires by changing attitude. But is that an overstatement. John C. Maxwell in his new book "The Difference Maker," says, "The right attitude cannot make you something you are not, but it can enhance everything you have and all that you are."

I have been training, motivating and empowering sales teams for more than 25 years and I must say I agree with John Maxwell. One must have skills and competence in certain areas one is attaining to. A good example is you can have the best attitude in the world, and visualize and write powerful positive affirmations to be a brain surgeon. But if the good Lord did not give you the gift of exceptional intelligence and you failed all your natural science courses in college, I doubt having a great attitude will get you to your goal.

I will admit as a VP of Sales hiring sales folks they must have the skills, experience and competency to do the job. But the very next thing I look for is attitude. I want team players, problem solvers and folks that care about building and encouraging those around them.

So how big is attitude? Is it the little difference that makes all the difference in the world?

W. Clement Stone puts it this way, "There is little difference in people, but the little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative."

The following are some Barriers for us to break through when it comes to attitude:

1. Discouragement: You must win over discouragement by speaking positive to yourself and others. Put positive people around you. Have the right expectations.

2. Change: Embrace it and confront it head on. Change will always be in front of you it is a part of life. Re-frame it and look for positive improvements.

3. Problems: Be a problem solver. Start off with evaluating, analyzing, assessing alternatives, and bring forth positive recommendations.

4. Conquer Fear: Fear is the other side of faith. You must confront it and go through it to get your miracle.

5. Accept Failure: I had a boss who used to say, "I worry about you if you and your team are not failing, it tells me your are not trying new innovated things so you must be playing it safe and predictable." How are we going to grow and take on new challenges if you are afraid to fail? Step out and don't take it all so seriously.

Does attitude make ALL the difference in the world? Maybe not ALL but it is sure close. You see without it you will not be able to grow and stretch beyond your current God-given talents. You ask how? Well you see, none of us will get ahead in life unless a lot of people want us to. A positive attitude is your most valuable asset every day. It helps in little issues and provides for a positive framework in which to approach life.

As the famous Yogi Berra said, "Life is like baseball; it's 95 percent mental, and the other half is physical." A positive attitude is a difference maker so pass it on and have a blessed life.

Len Strickler is best described as a motivational coach, teacher and speaker who is unquestionably passionate about building, training, and leading remarkably successful sales teams that deliver fast-to-market results. As a sales executive, he has spent more than 25 years helping high-tech, global companies capture revenue to support product innovation activities, seize a competitive advantage, and generate profit fast. He thrives on the challenges and adventures of working in a global environment. He integrates a powerful mix of visionary leadership, collaborative team approaches, innovative thinking, and sales team mentoring and training to deliver enviable sales results for companies interested in shattering sales performance records.

Are you ready to take your company to the next level? Let Len help your company or team "Break Through The Barriers!" Book him today to speak at your next event!

New Versus Old Lumber - Structural Failure

2009-09-07T06:40:00.001-07:00

During my 30 years of remodeling and building new homes. I have ran across quite a bit of structural framing failures. I find myself answering this question a lot when explaining to a homeowner about the structural failure I am repairing on their home, "Why Didn't They Use Better Lumber" or " Why Didn't They Use Larger Lumber." I really have a hard time answering these questions because I honestly don't know the answer.

However I can try to use some logic and reason to give these people an answer that seems to make sense to both of us. Why didn't they use better lumber, quite simply because, with most older homes that were built before the 1970s they actually do have better lumber. Now you're probably thinking how can these homes have better lumber when the lumber is old versus the new lumber used in a brand new house.

Most of the structural repairs I have made over the years has nothing to do with the lumber and whether it was new or old. A large number of these repairs were caused by neglect and poor maintenance.

The lumber in most older houses are from older growth trees. Some of these trees were extremely large and only the premium parts of the trees were used. The premium lumber is cut farthest away from the center of the tree. Now the larger the tree it makes sense that there will be more premium lumber.

A large majority of the newer lumber used in home construction comes from trees about 6 inches in diameter. Now you're probably wondering how can they cut a 2 x 8 piece of lumber out of a 6 inch tree. Of course they cannot, the larger lumber comes from larger trees.

Most 2 x 4's that are less than 8 foot long can be cut from these trees. This scrap or waste that comes from cutting these two by fours will now go into engineered building materials like particleboard, oriented strand board and engineered beams. Another name for an engineered been would be a paralam.

I hope you're starting to get the picture now when it comes to using new or old lumber. There are companies that are going into old logging rivers and retrieving old growth lumber. These were logs that sank to the bottom of the river's and were never retrieved because it was too costly.

The old growth lumber is quite expensive. Who's to say what problems we will happen in the future from the newer products created with modern day technology. When it comes to building houses it is not an exact science and as contractors we have been repairing the damage from poor engineering for years.

When I use the word poor engineering I am not pointing fingers at engineers. We now have more knowledge about home construction then we had years ago.

New versus old lumber, who wins the battle. Only time will tell.

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 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 Structural Repairs.

Another Crappy Rule In The Bible

Inerrancy of the Bible - Are There Mistakes in the Bible

2009-09-07T06:38:00.001-07:00

What does the word inerrancy main? Inerrancy would refer to text that is accurate and totally free of any errors or without any mistakes. Does this sound like any book that you have ever read or have knowledge of. Maybe there is a one sentence book that could fall into this category.

Most books however and even this article has mistakes. If I made a decision to base my life, my entire life and that of my children and grandchildren, I would want to make sure that it was accurate as possible.

Is the Bible, 100%, 90%, or even 50% accurate. Are these stories that were written by people many years ago and the lessons have been helpful but now need to be rewritten.

Does the Bible actually contain the will of God? Some scholars believe that certain sections of the Bible meet this criteria while others do not. How can these people judge if they are not God and how can we believe in this stuff is not true.

If the Bible was inspired by God but written by men, this could actually mean that God had complete control over writing the Bible or does this mean that the man wrote the Bible with gods inspiration. I'm inspired by God daily and often write about it, but don't seem to have enough followers to make it into the biblical Hall of Fame. I'm writing with inspired beliefs right now.

If there are errors in the Bible, how extensive or how many errors are there actually. There are actual stories that can be documented as historical facts. This doesn't mean the rest of the Bible is factual, nor does it mean it is historically inaccurate.

The Bible has some errors in it and some facts that we can prove but leaves us with the question, is this a book from the Creator of the universe or a book written by men, to make us believe, it was written by God and if so why are we still believe being in it. Why do some people read this book and other religious text daily? What motivates them to read holy Scripture regularly but doesn't seem to allow them enough time to find out if they are reading accurate information.

The biggest problem I have with the inerrancy of the Bible is the fact that most people tend to ignore certain truths and cling to their childhood beliefs about religion. If this is not the way or the truth, I would want to start looking for it, instead of following someone else's dreams or religious doctrine.

Should The Bible Be Edited

Estate Planning - The Life Estate

2009-09-07T00:48:00.001-07:00

The life estate is something every first year law student learns about when they study the arcane and often bizarre history of property law that harkens back to the days of English knights, lords and serfs, and the transfer of property through the ceremonial throwing of dirt clods with oaths of duty to accompany. The life estate is about as old as they come as instruments of wealth transfer go and students love it, because it is relatively easy to understand. Apart from what students love and what is easy to remember, however, the life estate still has practical value today in your estate planning and assets management schemes.

The basic idea of the life estate is that a person can be left a piece of property for life, and upon their passing, the property in question can go to whoever is designated to receive that property afterward. The individual or group who receives the property after the life-tenant passes is called the remainderman or remaindermen, which is useful only in that it helps one to remember that the person who remains gets the property. If, for example, one wants to leave a family estate that has been with the family for many generations to their spouse and then have it immediately pass on to their children or another relative who will maintain the estate for the generation to come, then a life estate might be the perfect vehicle to do so. Another example is the same family estate, left to a surviving spouse until the surviving spouse either dies or remarries. Again, the aim is to ensure that the estate stays in family, a contingency which is threatened by the remarriage because that creates a new marital joint-tenancy, absent any other provision. Often the life-estate was used to keep assets, like the family home, headed down a single line of familial ownership.

However, the life estate has other uses, for example, it can leave an asset to be owned by one person until the death of third person. If an older relative has become incapacitated, such that it is difficult for them to make decisions for themselves, then the asset can be left in the care of another for the incapacitated person's lifetime. An example might be, that Blackacre (the fictitious name for a piece of property used in law schools everywhere) is left in the care of cousin Tilly, until great aunt Nelly's death. Thus, Tilly is allowed to make Nelly comfortable at Blackacre (the family home) until Nelly passes on. In this instance, Nelly's life is what is called, the measuring life of the life estate, and Tilly's ownership ends when Nelly is gone.

On the whole, the life estate may be falling out of use for a number of reasons and being replaced by the much more fluid instrument of the trust. But, the life estate still captures, from time to time, our instincts regarding how property is to pass from one generation to another and that is why it is still relevant even for an estate planner who uses it very rarely. It helps us to ask and to get the answer to very difficult questions, which is part of the act of estate planning. Both the client and the attorney must face tough questions, and the life estate (even if it is sometimes regarded as a legal relic of the past) tells us how people used to answer questions of intra-generational wealth transfer and why. We may use different instruments to bring about our legal ends (or we may not), but even if we do, the life-estate still has relevance in helping us think about the questions that underlie the choices to be made in estate planning.

Ronald Hudkins is an advocate for consumer awareness. He has noted that more than 70% of the American public fails to make appropriate estate plans prior to death or incapacitation and as such; authored an Ebook "Asset Protection and Estate Planning for All Ages" It is available for free download at http://stores.lulu.com/rhudkins

Why You Should Buy Everyone You Know a Copy of the Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude

2009-09-07T00:45:00.001-07:00

I am a huge lover of books. Huge. I have surrounded myself with bookshelves filled with fiction, non-fiction, historical biographies, autobiographies, quotes, National Geographic Magazines, old text books, and so on. I leave no genre untouched and no genre leaves me untouched.

One of my favorite books to return to again and again is the one I'd love to tell you more about: Jeffrey Gitomer's Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude - How to FInd, Build, and Keep a YES! Attitude for a Lifetime of Success This is one amazing little book.... It's a little gold powerhouse and I love everything about it. I love the artwork, I love the quotes, I love the positive attitude of the author, and I even love that the book is 199 pages long instead of 200. It would have been terribly easy for the author to have said, "199? Let me go back and breath a little more wind into one or two of the paragraphs..." But 200 would have been far too typical and far too ordinary for such an exceptional book.

I have three daughters who are, like most young people, very busy. Between school, jobs (for 2 of them), boyfriends, friends, and homework - my girls are coming and going just about all day and all night. Because I read a great deal of books (I honestly couldn't keep a running count if I wanted to), I occasionally come across books I very much want them to read. They know where to look for what I term "exceptional books" - on an antique bookshelf in our home office. They know that the books they see stacked on this special family heriloom are "exceptional" and that "mom" would love for them to read them. It never fails to touch me when I see one of them walking through the house with one of these books in their hands or when I find them sprawled across a bed or floor reading one.

After each had finished reading this Jeffrey Gitomer book, they noticed that I still kept it on the antique shelf along with newer books. My oldest finally asked me why I hadn't moved what she called "The YES! Book" to another shelf. I told her the reason was that I would be recommending it for the rest of my life AND that they should return to it often for a YES! fix.

You become what you think about all day long. - Earl Nightingale

When I first read "Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude," I felt like I could tackle hell and all its demons with a toothpick - before I'd even reached page 20. I carry a notebook in my purse where I keep track of books I want to buy, At the top of the list there's a standing order: Anything written by Dean Koontz, Mitch Aplomb, John Grisham, Nicholas Sparks, and Jeffrey Gitomer. The "and Jeffrey Gitomer" was added after I read this book. If Mr. Gitomer writes it, I will read it.

He has a special way of looking at the world and a special way of sharing this view with his readers. I actually consider myself a very positive person, but I was encouraged to be even more so after reading this wonderful book. As he points out with a brilliant combination of wisdom and wit, most of the things we complain about simply aren't worth the attention we give them. We're making stars out of them when they should be fading way into the background.

As I said, I read countless books each year, but if I were to make a list of the Top 10 Books That Will Change Your Life, this book would not only be on the list, it'd be riding very, very high.

As Jeffrey Gitomer, himself, says, "At the beginning of any task, more than anything else, your attitude will affect its successful outcome." Our attitude is as pivotal to our success as anything, more so than most. This book will help you succeed in any and all areas of your life - at home, at work, and at play. You'll feel, and enjoy its benefits in every aspect of your life for the rest of your life.

I'll close with one of my favorite snippets from the book. It's in a section that deals with being more positive at home and in your relationships. The following "Attitude Actions" are given in response to the question, "How can I be more positive at home?"

Praise others.
Don't belittle.
If "familiarity breeds contempt" lives at your house, kill it.
You know the buttons. Don't push them.

I also love his "note" that follows these tips: "Home attitude determines work attitude."

Read this delightful, fast-paced, hilarious book today - each of your tomorrows will thank you for it.

As someone once said, "Self isn't something one finds, it's something one creates." So, why not create a masterpiece?

My name is Joi and I'd love for you to follow me to Self Help Daily. See you there!

Advantages of Framing With Steel Studs

2009-09-06T23:21:00.001-07:00

I have heard all sorts of stories over the years of the advantages in framing with steel versus wood studs. One time I even heard you could build an entire house with the amount of recycled steel from a large automobile such as a Cadillac. I find this hard to believe unless you're building a very small home.

My personal favorite for framing with steel studs is that they are extremely straight. I have built nonbearing partition walls using 12 foot 3 1/2 inch wide steel studs and after the drywall you can lay an 8 foot level to check it for straightness on the wall with amazing results.

If you use 3 1/2 inch wide steel studs with 5/8 of an inch drywall you will get an extremely durable and sturdy wall. Framing was steel studs is common in office renovations or remodeling. Most of the steel stud framing is done via the drywall contractors.

Steel studs and termites do not mix. You'll never have to worry about these little buggers or other uninvited house pests damaging your walls.

Over the years I have heard stories that steel framed buildings are earthquake and fire proof. They might be more resistant to fire than wood but keep in mind when metal is hot enough it will bend and warp making it unusable.

When I hear people talking about a fireproof building built with metal framing components my first thought is all of the other materials used in building the house that are not fire resistant. Don't get a false illusion when buying a house framed with steel studs and think it is 100% fire proof.

As far as steel framed buildings being earthquake proof this is another story. I really can't comment too much on earthquake damage to a steel building. The problem with earthquakes is they seem to create fires. So even if you're building does survive an earthquake it could get damaged by a fire in the area.

I have framed more wood homes than steel homes over the years and my steel stud construction is limited to nonbearing partition walls usually located in office buildings. I love framing with metal because of its light weight and ease of construction.

I still love framing with wood. There is something about what framing that I have always loved and always will.

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 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 House Framing Ideas

What Happens To Nonbelieving

Planning Your Bathroom Remodel Budget - Home Improvement Ideas

2009-09-06T23:17:00.001-07:00

As a bathroom remodeling contractor, I get calls from people, that have no idea what they want or how much anything is going to cost. Here's some simple tips that can be very helpful when planning a bathroom remodel budget.

Bathroom Remodeling Investment

In 2008, the average mid-range bathroom cost around $16,000 and you could recoup around $12,000 of your original investment upon the sale of your home. According to a popular remodeling magazine, larger bathrooms using expensive fixtures, tile, bathtubs, woodworking, toilets and showers had an average of $52,000. Upon the sale of a home, you could recoup around $36,000 of your original investment.

Finding out How Much Things Cost

My first suggestion, would be to visit your local home improvement center, lumber yard or plumbing supply warehouse. Larger stores like Home Depot and Lowe's, seemed to provide you with value pricing but don't have a large selection. While doing some research on the Internet I noticed that some of their pricing is outrageously, outrageous. Some plumbing supply warehouses can provide value but beware others won't.

Create a List of Bathroom Remodeling Parts

You can get a good idea of your bathroom remodel costs for your budget by making a list of bathroom parts with pricing and then adding them up for a grand total. If you're a total bathroom remodel budget is $15,000 and you have a $6,000 bathtub with $4000 worth of tile, you could have a budget problem.

Figuring out the Labor

You will have to contact a contractor to get an actual cost for the labor. Sometimes you can double the cost of your bathroom remodeling parts to get a rough idea. If you have a list or a couple of lists and a few pictures of some sample bathrooms, this will make the contractor's job easier and often they can give you a labor price within a few days.

Give Yourself a Cushion

I would suggest leaving yourself a small financial cushion for any additional remodeling items. For example, you could see a different toilet, or instead of painting the walls, you now choose to wallpaper, you could incur additional expenses that you haven't planned for. If you know exactly what you want and stick to the original bathroom remodeling plan, you shouldn't need the cushion.

Financial problems often transfer into construction problems, so spend some time figuring out, how much money you want to spend on the bathroom remodel and try not to go overboard on the budget. I hate to see homeowners struggling with home improvement loan payments. Try to create a bathroom remodeling budget that is realistic and will not create a financial burden upon you or your family.

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 bathroom remodeling or home building ideas.

Religion Articles

Home Work - Wisdom Behind the Monster

2009-09-06T17:22:00.001-07:00

Is home work really such a bad thing, a monster to be feared, an act to be condemned? I don't think so, for the fact that it is the "home work", that really teaches one "to be there - in that instant", for our ever wandering aimless mind. Teachers / Lecturers / professors ( call what you may !) who religiously gave home work were never in the good-books of students and parents alike. He/ She was always scorned for "passing the buck" , and washing his / her hands off the responsibility of "teaching". Little does the parents ( past , present and most likely the future too) realise that "Home work is also a part of the learning process". Now, Isn't that supposed to be a teacher's final objective.?. How can he / she be blamed for "doing the job"?

Few things happened in the past week, that triggered these thoughts in my mind.Basically, I am not surprised by emails, especially those who request information and guidelines to be an independent freelancer. I am only too willing to help them.For this i have set up an Orkut Community, for open sharing of concerns. Yet many prefer to be anonymous.Please be assured,all the freelancers can 'grab' an average of 5 projects a month, and still there will be projects waiting in queue to be awarded. Freelancing is a huge sector, where every skill has a market, and there is a client for every market.

Normally, when I receive a request form a reader (read aspiring freelancer), I try to provide relevant links and referrals so that he / she knows where to start. I also make a point to tell them that it is important they do an extensive Google search on the industry they are familiar with / have expertise on. Being a Virtual Assistant, I am able to share the "aspects" in being a freelance VA , but i may not be the right person to answer industry specific technical queries with respect to Virtual Assistance.

After the initial pleasantries , mail requests takes a turn saying ,

"I have done [Edu.Qualif], I am working in [ This industry] for the [n] years and I also know [Some application / etc]. Can you help me with what kind of jobs I can do online as a freelancer. Then I can also become a freelancer like you."

Now, correct me if I am wrong, isn't this sender asking me to send job profiles along his way ? ( oh! By the way . . . you can recruit a VA to do just exactly this for you.)

This is where the 'concept' of Homework kicks in. Having the desire to do something off the beaten track is good. But unless this desire is fuelled by the inherent urge to seek answers.( ie without waiting for the answers to drop on your lap), there is no room for development.

As I said earlier "Home Work" is a part of the learning experience. So, don't harbour the tendency to shy from homework. Google throws more than what we ask for. Now how hard it is to sit through the rubble and sift for something that could be an answer to your question.

I am a freelance Virtual Assistant from Bangalore.

Contact me at http://deepagovind.blogspot.com/2008/01/get-quote.html with your requirement, and I shall get back to you with 1 business day. I am sure, we will be able to work things out together.

Brainwave Entrainment to Fall Asleep - Fact Or Fiction?

2009-09-06T17:21:00.001-07:00

Brainwave Entrainment (sometimes known as Brainwave Synchronization), is the term used for bringing brainwaves into a certain state. Whether that state is Alpha, Delta, Beta, Gamma; there is some real truth in the ability to sync both hemispheres of the brain for a desired result.

Many scientific studies have been going on for years, researching binaural beats, which are tones release to the ear through the brain, and helps "synchronize" the two hemispheres to a certain state. Mainly here we are focusing on the Deep Delta state, that which is mostly associated with sleep.

When we are in the Delta brainwave state, we are in a deep dreamless sleep. Sometimes it is hard for many people to enter. Think about it. Do you wake up in the middle of the night? Or do you find that it's hard for you to go to sleep?

According to multiple products, it is able to produce delta brain signals and put the listener to a deep state of relaxation and sleep. Many scientists are still researching this, and there are still some unanswered questions. Only you can decide.

Because of today's society, unfortunately many people are taking prescription drugs or over-the-counter medications to help them fall asleep. What they don't realize (the sad part about it, most do) is that there are many side effects that can occur that have nothing to do with the symptom. Brainwave Entrainment is an alternative to sleeping medication in that it has no reported or proven side-effects.

Brandon is a Hypnotist who is the owner of http://www.HypnoticSubliminals.com

Structural Framing Beams

2009-09-06T15:40:00.001-07:00

Let's start with the beams. They can be Glulam, Parallam, Microlam or even wood beams. What are all of these and why do I need them in my house. The beams are used to hold up parts of the house and are located in your walls, roofs and floors. Beams are used to transfer a load from one point to another.

Structural framing beams allow the architect to create large openings, floors and roofs in your house. The beams are also used to support the weight over the doors, windows and other openings in your home. These beams support massive amounts of weight in some cases and are even made of steel if needed.

Another growing problem is the lack of old growth trees in the forest. If we just used wood beams with out using the new engineered beams we would have to cut down a lot more of the bigger trees. So you can add these guys to your Christmas list. The lumber or wood engineers have come up with all sorts of alternatives for new building products. These new beams are just some of them. Keep up the good work guys...

Glulam is a engineered wood product comprised of wood laminations, or 2 x 4s that are bonded together with strong, waterproof adhesives. If you use a Glulam beam on the buildings exterior you will have to order a exterior Glulam beam. In this case the manufacture will use special exterior rated glues for the beam.

When ordering any wood engineered beams specify to the lumber yard what you are using the beam for. Exterior or Interior of the building. If you use a interior glulam over time there is a good chance of the beam delaminating or cracking apart.

Parallam is made from almost all of the wood on the log using veneer strands that are aligned parallel for maximum strength. The end product is a rectangular beam; which is longer, thicker, and stronger than solid-sawn lumber. They are often used as beams, headers, columns, and posts, among others uses.

Microllam is an engineered wood product that uses multiple layers of thin wood assembled with adhesives. It offers several advantages over typical milled lumber: it is stronger, straighter, and more uniform. It is much less likely than conventional lumber to warp, twist, bow, or shrink due to its composite nature. Made in a factory under controlled specifications, Microllam products allow users to reduce the onsite labor. They are typically used for headers, beams, rim board, and edge-forming material.

These beams come in all sorts of different lengths, widths and heights. They are engineered to hold amazing amounts of weight. They really are great engineering marvels.

Tip: I have had to replace almost all of these types of beams over the years due to some form of damage. Like anything else in your home if it is used improperly there is a good chance your are going to have some sort of failure. I have seen people add weight to these structural beams with no thought of them ever failing.

If you are planning on building a room addition, rebuilding your roof, adding a floor or any other type of construction where you are adding a addition load to your house. You might want to consult with a building contractor or structural engineer.

Thanks Greg For Another Super Article On Home Building. For more great articles visit Greg at http://gregvan.com/

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. Causes of Structural Failure

Another Crappy Rule In The Bible

Planning Your Bathroom Remodel Budget - Home Improvement Ideas

2009-09-06T15:37:00.001-07:00

Bathroom Remodeling Investment

Finding out How Much Things Cost

Create a List of Bathroom Remodeling Parts

Figuring out the Labor

Give Yourself a Cushion

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 bathroom remodeling or home building ideas.

Ask And You Might Receive Or Ask

The Latte' Factor - Never Too Late to Learn to Save (Even With Pocket Change)

2009-09-06T09:42:00.001-07:00

In my early adulthood, when I was finally able to afford, at least some of the things I wanted and/or needed, I became a big fan of frivolous spending. I had to have that new issue of Esquire, that personal trainer at the gym (not just the gym), an office in a better location, a more trendy breed of dog or cat, live in a nicer neighborhood, and, of course, later, "My morning Starbuck's". I "had arrived". The "American Dream"...or so it seemed, for awhile.

I am not proud of having been a male version of Madonna's "Material Girl", but I was young, in my thirties and early forties, and was naive enough to believe that peer pressure at least ended after high school, and certainly after college. Not so. It became worse. If my friends bought a better house, I sure better call my Realtor immediately. They got a Lexus, time for a Mercedes. It all seemed like fun and games and, in fact that is all it was. A proverbial game of "show off".

Then came the 1994 Northridge Earthquake. Within twenty minutes, all that I had acquired as a material consumer was gone. And insurance didn't come close to covering my collectibles, antique furniture, family albums/videos, memorabilia from as far back as kindergarten, etc. I was left with my car, and a few boxes of clothes, and a one year old golden retriever puppy named Otis who saved my life (barked wildly before the earthquake), I thought to go out to do his business, but to alert me at 5 a.m to get out of harm's way.

Fifteen years have passed and I learned something I never had before, and never thought I might learn. It is called "humility". Please do not confuse humility with sainthood, far from it. Rebuilding one's life from scratch midlife, after "having it all" teaches a few lessons, and, I am certain I am not

unique in this situation. When I say "having it all'; I don't mean the Forbes 400. I mean whatever I wanted, I could generally afford it.

At least I had my health. For awhile. But then that went too for a number of years. This was a motivating factor in my going back to college as an adult, and reading voraciously when not in college, visiting the library often.

One of the most interesting books I ever read was not within the genre of books I usually consume. The book is titled "Start Late, Finish Rich" by David Bach. In it, he talks at length about something called "The Latte' Factor". Strange name I know, but it describes how the American consumer is taught from birth to consume all he/she can in this material world, that life is short, get it while you can, carpe diem, etc.

Then he calmly suggests ways to counteract that. Do we really need that magazine subscription, must we have a latte' and bagel each morning at Starbuck's. Do we have to even buy his own book if its available at the library. Must we have a car that is made to "show off"when a pre-owned Honda, Saturn, etc. does the trick. I have a wonderful eight year old 4-door Saturn now and it rides better than my old fancy German car ever did. Better gas and reliability as well.

When you add it all up, just the small non-necessities, that we don't need, or, in the case of Starbuck's could make coffee at home with flavored creamer for pennies and a bagel for a quarter, nix the magazines, etc. We are talking saving anywhere from $800-2000 or more a month. If that is put into an IRA, even if you are in your fifties now, you will be wealthy by the time you are of retirement age.

Gifts need not be expensive. He recommends memorable personalized gifts that people see daily and enjoy and think of you when they see or use them.

He recommends losing the credit cards and paying as you go, cash, check and/or debit card. I began doing that, and noticed a huge difference in my extra cash at the end of the month. I never used to budget. I do so now.

There is much more to the book, but the bottom line is that The Latte' Factor need no longer be a part of our lives. Yes, at first it seems strange and a little boring, but it is a self behavior modification in which, once done, we never go back. And we are happier and more prosperous in the long run for it.

Rick London is a cartoonist, freelance writer, and e-tailer, and was founder of the Internet's top-ranked award-winning London's Times Cartoons which is known to feature the Funniest Cartoons On The Internet and owns a number of critically-acclaimed e-shops featuring his images on funny gifts He offers personalization for $2 and most gifts are in the $15 range.

Motivation Can Combat Bankruptcy

2009-09-06T09:40:00.001-07:00

Personal financial management skills have never been so important in the history of mankind as they are now. The liberal terms and superfluous marketing techniques employed by credit card providers has made bankruptcy a term so popular that even grandmothers can tell you its meaning and even quote some sections of the ACT regulating bankruptcy.

Found in this article are the hidden potentials of motivation to help shield you from bankruptcy. Motivation is the working force of every strong desire. Without motivation, you will agree that all your desires to get out of debt and possibly avoid filling in for bankruptcy will all be in vain. Below are some tips that when backed up with motivation will help you get out of that debt that may lead to bankruptcy fast.

Self-control/Self denial and Discipline: Any human being on earth who does not have self-control, self-denial and discipline will find it very difficult if not impossible to make it in life. Credit/debit cards are like loaded gun given to a drunk. A person who lack self control and is not able to discipline him/her self is likened to a drunk handling a gun that is well loaded in the gathering of people. Self control and its associates will help you forgo certain things that are not essential (i.e luxuries). This self-control cannot be found outside motivation. A depressed, stressed and frustrated individual can never be disciplined or have self control.

To get yourself motivated, simply remind yourself that you love yourself so much that you cannot afford to risk losing all the benefits that is associated with clean financial records. Keep an eye on maintaining a clean financial record ( i.e making it your goal) i bet you will always be motivated to have self-control.

Financial Literacy: If you really want to manage your credit and avoid bankruptcy, or even get out of a near bankrupt situation, financial education is one thing that you must seriously consider. I am not saying that you take up a course in finance or accounting. No, what i mean is to always use other peoples' expertise (OPE). You can find quality financial planner online or offline. Discuss whatever venture/purchase you want to make with him/her. Ask for their opinion. In fact, ask them to tell you the financial implications of what you are about doing. Though there is nothing wrong with you being a little friendly with "figures" but you can still get away with it.

Developing a thick skin to compelling adverts: Advertisers and marketers are always researching ways to make people spend even when they don't want to spend. This is their job and they are obliged to it. And it is your sole duty to learn to say no to certain fantastic offers.

Record keeping: This will help you in the area of being disciplined. By keeping records of all your financial transactions, you can effectively and efficiently manage the possible temptation posed by advertisers

Applying common sense and being focused: Make a rational judgment as to what and what you need to buy and what not to buy.

Okwuduche Chinweike is an accountant who found joy in helping people come out of the shackles of financial illiteracy. This he does at http://motivationmotive.com/personalfinance

You can also meet him at http://www.accountantnextdoor.com for some healthy financial tips.

Finding Homes Using the Internet - Home Shopping

2009-09-06T08:09:00.001-07:00

Most of the time, the first homes you would look at, were owned by the real estate professional you were working with.

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.

Find other real estate tips and great advice, from another one of the Internet's best website creators.

Questions To Ask Your Pastor

Dog Creates Remodeling Nightmare

2009-09-06T08:08:00.001-07:00

How many homeowners normally leave their dog in the backyard or they have full time access to the backyard through a doggie door. You're probably wondering how can a little dog create a remodeling nightmare for any contractor.

This wasn't the case this dog was a large Labrador retriever and tore up everything in the backyard constantly. The house remodel we were working on was a two story room addition over a single story house. This job lasted around six months and the dog was a daily reminder of how much attention a large dog actually needs.

Let's start with the first item of value the dog actually destroyed. It was my favorite tool bags of course that I have taken care of for over five years and deeply appreciated the fact that they were broke in just the way I wanted them to be. Kind of like a baseball mitt that doesn't quite fit right because of how stiff it is until you break it in.

While the homeowner of course apologized and never even offered to replace them. Oh but after that he did mention never to leave anything lying around in the backyard. Lesson learned of course and never forgotten. Well to make a long story short this large dog could chew up tools, lumber, plumbing pipes, electrical wire and was even able to destroyed the plywood fencing we would use to keep him away.

I'm going to stop right there with the remodeling nightmare created from this dog in hopes that other contractors can learn from my valuable lesson. As a contractor you should never assume that a homeowner will replace any damaged or broken tools and materials.

As a homeowner with a dog reading this article, think about having a place to enclose the dog if necessary while remodeling work is done on your home.

I love being around dogs and other animals but sometimes a problem like this can make life extremely miserable for both parties.

Greg Vanden Berge has been building and remodeling for over 30 years and his information has proven valuable to most contractors and homeowners all over the world. He usually tries to write at least two articles a day on home improvement or remodeling problems.

Greg is in the process right now of working on a home inspection website that will revolutionize the home inspection business. He is also working on a book to help homeowners and contractors as well as other home related professions in dealing with the home inspection process.

You can visit the home inspection website currently under construction at Home Inspection Help

Using Words In The Bible Effecti

Say What You Mean, and Mean What You Say!

2009-09-06T02:04:00.001-07:00

"If you can't be direct, why be?" - Lily Tomlin

When I read this quote, I immediately thought of all the women I coach. I'm constantly saying, "Quit beating around the bush trying to be a nice girl. If you want to be heard, you have to "say what you mean and mean what you say." Then low and behold, I saw this little nugget of wisdom, from Lily Tomlin no less, one of the greatest women comediennes of our time. She really must be into liberating women from the old stereotypical molds if she writes statements like this!

Beating around the bush and never coming straight out and asking for what you want only serves one purpose - it flushes out any stray animals that might be lurking in that certain piece of shrubbery! I know I've said it often enough, but it bears repeating. "Say what you mean, and mean what you say."

There are at least two current generations of us women who have been trained in the art of sugar coating and what I like to call verbal dancing. We 'dance' around the subject we most want to discuss, thinking that the other person will get what we are alluding to and eventually we will get what we want. NOT! The only thing you get from a conversation like that is frustration. It doesn't matter that the other person might be our partner or business associate; we still camouflage our words with honey so they can slide into the ears of the listener more easily. Heaven forbid we rock the status quo by actually saying what we REALLY want to! After all, how could we survive should that other person not like us after they find out what we REALLY think? Here's a better question for you. How's that sugar coating working for you?

Listen up ladies because I've got something to say to you here! Every time you sugar coat or dance around an issue, you diminish your capacity and self worth. You give away your power, your integrity, and your dignity. And most of all, you wind up being frustrated, resentful, and resigned because you're not getting what you want. You don't have to be and act like the 'good ole boys' to get where you want to go. You can be yourself. Be the feminine woman that you are, be direct, and be taken seriously when you say what you mean and mean what you say.

I have another newsflash for you ladies! This is 2008, not 1898! Our role in society has changed from being that subservient, co-dependent, clinging vine that our mothers and grandmothers were expected to be. It is time for us to claim our birthright - to one of being an empowered woman, stand in our dignity, own our power, and have our opinions matter. Instead of being filled with anger and resentment because we feel we haven't gotten our fair shake in the world, why not stand up and stake our own claim to greatness? And I'm not just talking about becoming the President or CEO of a huge corporation here. I'm talking about standing up and 'being' important in our own lives - of mattering to ourselves!

It is up to us to make the choice to quit spinning our words out of fear of repercussion, to calmly and clearly stating our wants and desires without fear of rejection from others. I know it can be done. I learned how to be direct and say what I mean, and so can you.

This week, I want you to ask yourself these 2 questions:

1. What is the price I pay for sugar coating my conversations?

2. Is that how I really want to spend the rest of my life?

Simply being you may not always be the easiest road to travel, but it is whole lot less exhausting!

Sign up to receive my FREE Report, '50 Ways to Take Back Your Power Right NOW', my FREE ezine 'Monday Morning Coffee with Cookie', at http://www.SuccessSource.biz all brought to you by Cookie Tuminello, Your Personal Power Mentor! Visit People Pleaser No More today to get your copy and check out my "People Pleaser No More" program.

Affirmations For Health and Fitness

2009-09-06T02:01:00.001-07:00

There has been a lot in the media in the last few years regarding affirmations and how you can use them to make changes in your life.

An affirmation is a positive statement of fact that one makes to manifest their desired future.

Scientific Evidence

There is much scientific evidence that these positive statements are effective in improving physical health. They tell your subconscious mind to get to work making all the systems of the body function properly.

Change Your Energy

When you change unhealthy thought patterns, and start making positive statements about your health, you change the energy that flows to your physical body from your energy source, or subconscious mind. This is turn can actually change your physical body.

Here are some of our favorites that you can use to help you on your journey towards a healthier, happier life.

All the systems of my body function perfectly.
I am perfectly healthy in body, mind and spirit.
I am well, I am whole, and I am strong and healthy.
I never get sick.
I am healthy, happy and radiant.
I radiate good health.
My body is a safe and pleasurable place for me to be.
My sleep is relaxed and refreshing.
I have all the energy I need to accomplish my goals.
My body is healed, restored and filled with energy.
I have abundant energy, vitality and well-being.
I am healthy in all aspects of my being.
I am always able to maintain my ideal weight.
I am filled with energy to do all the daily activities in my life.
My mind is at peace.
I love and care for my body and it cares for me.

When you make these statements, joyfully envision your body in perfect health. Close your eyes and picture your healthy, vibrant new you.

If you make this a daily practice, in a short time you will no doubt see significant improvements in your body, your health and your life!

Katie Hayes writes about health and fitness topics. Read more about affirmations, positive thinking and the happiness-health connection at http://www.health-and-fitness-source.com

Is Money a Big Part of Organized Religion?

2009-09-06T00:26:00.001-07:00

Where do you think most modern day religious organizations would be without money? Is money really a big part of modern day organized religion or is that something in the past. Why do certain scriptures require their believers to donate a portion of their earnings?

Does this money improve the lives of religious believers? I'm asking these questions because most people won't. Most people don't even no where the money they earn is going. If you donate money to a religious organization and they choose to hire someone to install stained glass windows throughout the sanctuary, is this really going to help the congregation. Is this a want or a need?

When does a religious group become too powerful for its own good. Do you think the Catholic religion, which at the time of me writing this article, is the largest organized religion in the world, by itself, is very powerful or driven by finances. This organization has seeked wealth and power for centuries, creating an establishment that has its hands in everything all over the world.

Is it fair to have religious leaders living a life of luxury, while some of their followers suffer and go without food or shelter. Should some of this money go towards the aid of others who choose not to believe in the religious culture of their patrons?

Why do some people give money to their religious organization, even though they can barely survive. Are these people driven to contribute money because someone makes them feel guilty? Some of these people give money and time, even at the expense of their own family. It's just not fair, when I see people who are barely scraping by but give faithfully to an organization that promises them a better life after they die.

Your rewards for living a good life on Earth will be received after you die and are allowed to enter the kingdom of heaven. Does anyone have any proof of this? If you choose to base your life entirely on faith instead of seeking knowledge and wisdom, or even questioning your religious doctrine, you're not doing yourself any favors.

Money plays a big part in organized religion and honestly does a lot of good throughout the world. Christianity has had a large impact on the United States of America but only time will tell if it was a good thing or not.

If you have extra money and desire to give it to a religious organization of your choice, feel free, but if you're giving 10% of the money you've earned and really can't afford to, I wish you would take the time to research what your church actually spends it's money on. If your church is building another church in Mexico but you don't have enough money for food, clothes or other necessities, I would suggest that you let other people donate their extra money instead.

It might not be mentioned anywhere in your religion, but I'm sure your God or the ultimate Almighty power of the universe you believe in, does not want anyone to suffer or go without, because your religious organization chooses to make you feel guilty if you do not contribute a certain amount of money, for whatever reasons they can possibly come up with.

If everyone that believes in this interpretation has the keys to the kingdom of heaven, wouldn't Jesus be suggesting a life kind of like Mother Teresa but without any money. She wouldn't be allowed to ask any wealthy people for money, let alone use it if she acquired it somehow.

Have you ever ask yourself is there any Hope in Religion .

Would it be safe to a sound that by asking for money from a wealthy person would mean I would not be going to happen. Does it say anything in the Bible about using money from a wealthy person for great earthly deeds and you get to go to heaven but he does not. If this is starting to sound a little confusing, welcome to my world. There are very few people that follow organized religion, that even ask these questions, let alone seek the answers and find the truth and keeping an open mind to future information that possibly could change the old answer that they accepted as a truth but now realize, the possibility that the old information could be wrong.

If you were a religious leader and could not answer some of the major questions that you yourself had, would you continue living a life of confusion or seek relentlessly to find the answers until you are satisfied. Knowing that if you were satisfied with the answers to your questions and now your religious beliefs have changed considerably, would you retire or quit working with the religious organization you were involved with.

This is one of the biggest obstacles for most people that seem to get comfortable in their religious environments. If the interpretations of a you Bible verses are incorrect and can be proven, either scientifically or through translation errors, does this mean that there are more verses in the Bible that could be incorrect or misleading.

Are Christians Really Interested

Putting God on Trial

2009-09-06T00:22:00.001-07:00

I was listening to something interesting the other day when someone mentioned putting God on trial for some of the atrocities in the world. If God is the creator of the universe and all that is, or all that ever will be, how can we put him on trial, he's our creator. We can't put our spiritual master on trial can we, he'll just escape anyway if we convict him, won't he. He's got to be smart enough to break out a prison.

As a child I often thought about God and why he would allow such suffering throughout the world. It never made sense to me when I was child and it still doesn't make sense to me today. Why would the creator, want us to suffer, with even the littlest of problems. Other religions have explained it as if God was teaching us a lesson and that's why we have hardships in our lives.

Do you think God ever went through these hardships? Did God have problems finding a job or gathering some food? Does God even eat? Okay now I'm getting off the topic here,(I wonder what God does eat)... if children do something wrong, most of the time their parents will discipline or correct them. If adults to things wrong, the government will discipline and reprimand them. Sometimes these punishments can be severe. It depends on the crimes committed.

If man has to be put on trial for committing crimes like murder, genocide, and general atrocities towards mankind, should God also be put on trial or is he above man because he's God. I can't imagine the creator of the universe ever being put on trial for man's crimes against humanity or other men, but it seems like someone who is all powerful and all knowing could help his children out of this little mess that we're in today.

Couldn't God help us like we help our children. We as parents might not have all the answers, but we do not claim to have them. We are not all powerful and all knowing, like we would assume God to be. When is God going to help us solve some of our major world problems, like genocide and starvation.

Putting God on trial might not solve all of our problems today but it would be nice to have some help with our problems. If he created us to please him, do we have to go on trial one day, for all the things we did or ignored while we were alive. Something to think about isn't it.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing and personal development. Check This Out What Happened to the Wise Men's Gifts

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.

Another Crappy Rule In The Bible

The Truth About Gossip

2009-09-05T18:13:00.001-07:00

Connecting with others is one of the most rewarding things about college. The times sitting around the dorm rooms swapping stories are some of the most memorable times for me.

As any woman knows, the gift of gab is KEY to your success if you want to survive dorm life. The chat sessions that we held in the dorm at all hours in the morning were some of the most fun and interesting times in college. We would order pizza and pig out while talking about who had lost or gained weight, and all of the interesting things that had gone on in our life, like our past romances or who we were dating at the time, or what good looking guy was our next ambition. But, often, when one of the regulars werent there, wed start gabbing about them, and what awful thing they had done this week. Since I was usually there during the sessions, it never occurred to me that I would be the subject of such talk. It just never crossed my mind. After all, I was so well liked, or so I thought!

After a run one day I came out of the shower to hear my name mentioned by one of my suite mates. To my horror, it wasn't just my suite mates, but my roommate and a whole room full of girls from the hall. As I stood in the bathroom listening to the talk and laughter in the room next to me, I quietly steamed. I heard about how often my boyfriend would let the phone ring 1000 times, how messy I was, how I was too loud and so on and so on. I couldnt believe that these were the same girls with whom I had confided my entire existence. I was in SHOCK that I was the subject of so many peoples disgust! They had been so nice to me in person, and now this?

I had no other choice than to confront them, head on. So, with my towel around my hair, and one around my dripping wet body, I quietly walked in the room during their lets talk about Mary gossip hour. The gasps of horror filled the room and now it was THEIR time to be shocked. And rather than yell and scream, I simply said: You know, Im really sorry that I have offended all of you like I have. And it is hard to believe that I had to sit here and hear all of the things that I have done wrong. But do you all realize that yesterday, Anne, you were talking about Kathryn? And Kathryn, the other day, you were talking bad about Lynn? And Lynn, you were dissing Elaine? And Elaine you were in disgust with Liz? So cant you see, all of us are sitting here right now, talking bad about ME, because Im the one that wasnt the room? But, if one of you left, that YOUR name would quickly be smeared all over the place? Is this how we want to be? Is this how we want to treat one another?

No one said a thing, but the words lingered stiffly in the air as everyone looked uncomfortably around the room. I quietly left as everyone was left with their own embarrassment of being exposed.

After that, things changed for me. Any time a gossip session started creeping up into the conversation, I remembered the time when I had been talked about so horribly. I remembered how bad I felt finding out that my friends were really disgusted with me and rather than tell me to my face, they opted to talk to others about it. I learned that I would always find people who were different from me, and it didnt matter that I understood what they did or not, that they were entitled to think and to act like they wanted to. I learned that even with our best friends, that we would sometimes disagree. I learned how important that loyalty was and what a great quality it was to develop. I learned that others would respect an individual who chose NOT to gossip and chose to stand apart from the people who do. And I learned, that I wanted to be that kind of person.

That day of gossip changed my life. I cant say that Im perfect now, but I do try to remember those lessons that I learned that day. I realize that I cant change or control anyone else, but I am in control of how I conduct myself. I also now have living proof that the words my mom told me so long ago were ones that I would want to live by: if you cant say anything nice, then dont say anything at all.

Mary Gardner, The Charisma Coach! is an Executive Communications Consultant and Trainer. She works with, coaches and trains individuals, sales teams, executives, and celebrities. She owned and operated one of the first coaching institutions on the east coast, CCI, in NYC, Philly and NJ. Mary has appeared on ABCs 20/20 and has self published a book on public speaking. Mary is married to Sway and is mommy to Jeremy 5, and lives in Orlando, FL.

Contact: http://www.marygardner.com

Samuel L Jackson - The Famous Hollywood Actor

2009-09-05T18:10:00.001-07:00

SAMUEL L. JACKSON (Abel Turner) Respectfully labeled as one of the hardest working actors in Hollywood, Jackson is an undisputed star as demonstrated by the fact that his films have grossed more money in box office sales than any other actor in the world. The recipient of worldwide acclaim and notoriety, Jackson has been honored with a variety of awards from some of the most prestigious organizations. He won the Best Supporting Actor award by the Cannes Film Festival in 1991 for Jungle Fever, the Silver Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival in 1998 on behalf of Jackie Brown, he has received three Golden Globe nominations for Pulp Fiction, A Time to Kill and Jackie Brown, five NAACP Image Award nominations and one win in 2005 for his performance in Coach Carter,and most recently he has garnered two People's Choice Award nominations in 2006 and 2007 for Favorite Male Actor. Jackson made an indelible mark on American cinema with his portrayal of 'Jules', the philosophizing hitman, in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. In addition to unanimous critical acclaim for his performance, he received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations as Best Supporting Actoras well as a Best Supporting Actor award from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

Among his many award-winning performances, Jackson made movie history with his portrayal of a crack addict in Spike Lee's Jungle Fever when he was awarded the first and only Best Supporting Performance Award ever given by the judges at the Cannes Film Festival. Jackson was most recently seen in Iron Man in a surprise cameo appearance and in the Doug Liman directed sci-fi action film, Jumper. In late 2007, Jackson had a starring role in the acclaimed drama Resurrecting the Champ, and a supporting role in the horror film 1408, based on the Stephen King novel. Earlier this year, Jackson starred in the Craig Brewer film Black Snake Moan, and Irwin Winkler's MGM war drama Home of the Brave.

This fall, in addition to Lakeview Terrace, Jackson's films will include the Dimension Studios comedy "Soul Men" with Bernie Mac and then on Christmas day, Jackson will star in the Frank Miller action drama The Spirit, where he portrays the nemesis, 'Octopus.' Other film credits include Cleaner, Snakes on a Plane, Coach Carter, Star Wars trilogy, In My Country, The Man, The Incredibles, S.W.A.T., Formula 51, Changing Lanes, Caveman's Valentine, Red Violin, Shaft, Unbreakable, 187, Eve's Bayou, Jackie Brown, The Negotiator, A Time To Kill, Die Hard with a Vengeance, The Long Kiss Goodnight and Deep Blue Sea. On the small screen, Jackson serves as Executive Producer for the animated series for Spike TV, "Afro Samurai" which premiered in 2007 and will be returning for a second season in January 2009.

He also just secured a first look television deal with CBS and their properties to produce and develop upcoming projects. In addition, Jackson has a production deal with New Line Cinema to produce and develop projects in which he has the option of starring. His first film project for the studio, in which Jackson will produce and star, is called Man That Rocks the Cradle. More details about movie and celebrities are available from the following site

http://filmsdunia.blogspot.com/

Removing Interior Walls

2009-09-05T16:52:00.001-07:00

Here's a word of advice for any contractor, Carpenter, handyman or homeowner that is planning to remove an interior wall from your home or someone else's. Beware of removing interior walls, to eliminate your fears of the house collapsing. Some of the interior walls inside of the house are important structural components of the building.

Some of these walls hold up floors, roofs and other loadbearing sections that could create safety problems within the structure of the house itself. This is an area where an expert with framing skills should be consulted. What is the definition of someone with excellent framing skills? Some one with at least 10 years as a master framing carpenter.

My home building experience consists of three decades for over 30 years of assembling some of the most difficult sections of a home. During these years I have seen damage done to houses from removing structural interior walls. Most of this damage could be repaired with a little structural engineering. Some of the damage could not be repaired and caused other damage to different sections of the house. The damage caused in some cases to the floor and the roof framing had to be completely rebuilt.

I'm not telling you about every single thing I have ran into but you would be surprised if I started to make a list of all the homeowners and professionals in the building industry or home selling and buying business that contacted me to remove a structural component of a building. There have even been a few of these people that told me everything was going to be okay just go ahead and remove the structural building component.

Needless to say I would leave these people very irritated but I'm sure they found someone to do the job. The bad news is I was normally the person they would hire to go back and repair the damaged building after these people were gone and out of business. There have been cases where people have removed an interior walls against my better judgment and over the years of driving by in these homes I personally got to witness the structural damage that was occurring on the outside of the house.

I have no idea what the inside of the house looked like but could only imagine. My advice again when removing interior walls is to hire an experienced contractor or at least get some advice from an experienced framing carpenter. This does not include your basic know it all that has basic construction experience like your father in law, parents, friends, golfing associates or people you work with that tell you not to worry about it, just do it, everything will work out just fine.

Visit us and get more information on building and remodeling your homes and What Does A Shear Wall Do

Should The Bible Be Edited

Success Starting in Your 40s

2009-09-05T16:48:00.001-07:00

You're going to find it hard to believe, but very seldom does an individual peak with creativity until they reach the age of 40. The average individual usually makes the most money between the age of 40 and 60. This doesn't have anything to do with retirement. Most highly creative people keep producing until they die.

If you're 55 years old and looking for a new career or can't seem to find a job in the profession you have worked at your whole life, don't be alarmed or fearful. Do you think you could start your own business? Is there something, you have always wanted to do but have put it off until retirement, or until you had enough time to do it?

Why wait, if you can't find a job in a business you never truly enjoyed, maybe you can find a new job doing something you love.

I have worked in construction for 30 years and at 44 years old started to pursue a career in writing and plan to create award winning websites and best selling books, for the rest of my life. This doesn't mean, I won't work in construction ever again, but I will become a best selling author within the next 20 years.

Most people don't take the time required to learn a new profession. If you're sincerely interested in another career, and you're 50 years old, there is plenty of people out there to give you hope and inspiration.

If you would like some proof, here's a couple successful American businessman who succeeded after the age of 40. Henry Ford is probably one of the most popular and became extremely successful after the age of 40. Andrew Carnegie, an American industrialists who transformed the steel business and did not start reaping the rewards of his efforts until he was well past the age of 40.

I gathered this information from the book "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill. There is a section in the book where he talks about people after the age of 40 with phenomenal success. Anyone who's interested in gaining wealth through spirituality or finances should read this book.

I've often heard the statement, "People Often Over Estimate What They Can Do in a Year and Often Underestimate What They Can Do in a Decade." If you want to accomplish something after the age of 40, I would advise you to start with a plan and then put that plan and the action. Your plan could take five to 15 years to achieve or longer but think about the rewards, whether spiritual or financial.

Gregory Vanden Berge is working to promote personal development ideas and spiritual reform. He has started a web site for videos and articles based on current information about subject he is very familiar with.

"Education has freed me, to pursue other ideas and release me from the bondage and fear of organized religion."

Gregory Vanden Berge

Nothing Will Be Impossible

How to Improve Your Motivation

2009-09-05T10:34:00.001-07:00

Latest scientific researches on mind proves that hypnosis is the best way to improve the motivation. In the article below, I will discuss how you can improve your motivation through simple, but powerful hypnosis plan. So, how can hypnosis help you to become a highly motivated person?

Well, you will achieve this using Motivation for Success Hypnotic Induction. Lets go direct to the point. You are going to accomplish your three goals using Motivation for Success Induction:

1. Being motivated for success - You need to have a positive outlook and attitude about yourself. The induction will help you to become confident and remove the barriers that holds you back from reaching you goals.

2. Achieving success - You need to program yourself to achieve goals. The induction will help you to focus on your major goal and put all of your energy into it.

3. Enjoying success - You need to assimilate success into your life and enjoy it. The induction will help you to feel happy and successful in the choices and actions you make.

Now, it is time to start using the Motivation for Success Induction. Below, I have created an easy to follow, proven and powerful Motivation for Success Induction for you. If you use this induction with the plan below, then you will have high motivation forever. This is a promise.

Here is what you should do now: Firstly, record the induction below with your own voice and follow this induction daily for about 30 days. Then, when you notice a significant change in your motivation, use this induction whenever you feel the need for reinforcement.

OK, now start following the induction below and pay attention to each suggestions and sentences carefully.

Motivation for Success Induction begins:

- Imagine that nothing holds you back from reaching your goal and becoming the successful person that you want to be. Imagine a prefect kind of day, a day that you awaken to and just know it's going to be the kind of day where everything is just right, everything just falls into place. Your feelings are good, you feel at peace, you feel content.

You have been comfortable and protected within the boundaries that you yourself have created, you have been comfortable and safe, and now you choose to expand your comfortable space. Just imagine yourself pushing back the barricades, and instead you are expanding you horizons, expanding your goal, reaching forward higher and higher, feeling comfortable with your new goals, feeling comfortable with your expanded boundaries.

You feel safe, secure, and pleased that you have the control and power within you to change, to change your limitations and be the successful person you want to be. Your feelings are good, you feel at peace, you feel content. Now just imagine taking this special day and placing it just a little bit in the future, a day or two, a week, a month, just a little in the future, imagine that you have resolved many conflicts, many problems, and they are now in the past.

Imagine a smile on you face, you are at peace, content, you have found solutions to problems and you have resolved them. You are now free of past burdens, you are confident, self-assured, you feel centered and strong, now just imagine a goal or project that you would like to accomplish. Your goal is [write your goal here]. See yourself put all other minor goals aside and just focus on one goal or project. See yourself put energy into your work, see yourself complete it. you see new opportunities, you see new challenges that are more exciting than the old ones. You see yourself with renewed energy, you are enthusiastic, you focus, concentrate and new ideas develop from the old, new energy and positive feelings emerge, you are successful.

Motivation for Success Induction ends.

Remember: Hypnosis is the best way to improve your motivation. So, if you follow the Motivation for Success Induction, you will have high motivation for your entire life.

Orkhan Ibadov is a professional hypnotist who teaches you hypnosis and self hypnosis techniques. Orkhan invites you to learn more hypnosis secrets on his popular hypnosis site at http://www.hypnosisblacksecrets.com

What Are Business Ethics

2009-09-05T10:32:00.001-07:00

Business ethics are a matter of much debate. Every MBA entrant is taught the meaning of them, and yet many will never follow these guidelines in their real life careers. It has become a vast and complex field, and is the subject of much research. Business ethics encompass a large and significant portion of what it takes to do business today. Under the umbrella of business ethics comes:

The social responsibility that a business is supposed to have towards the community in general, particularly the one in which it operates or has any interests. An example of this would be the Exxon Mobil oil spill. It is the responsibility of a business to protect the interests of the people, animals and environment where it uses resources. Due to improper handling of the issue, it became a public relations nightmare for the company. Exxon has now been ordered to clean up the area which it should have taken care not to damage in the first place. Indifference to business ethics in this case, caused a negative public image for the company and a huge lawsuit.

Issues regarding a companys responsibility towards its shareholders. This is a heavily regulated area but one that requires a lot of government intervention due to certain unethical practices adopted by many companies in the past. The concept of increasing shareholder value is part of the fundamental principles of a company and if business ethics are not brought into play here, the business can collapse due to the pressure exerted by shareholders.

Inter-company dealings and negotiations. Often rivalries in business can turn ugly due to the amount of money and ego riding on them. Hostile takeovers and business espionage are some of the examples of unethical behavior within the business world. If discovered, these deeds can be punishable by law or simply public opinion. To allow for fair play and keeping the best interests of the consumers in mind, the government regulates a great deal of what goes on in company dealings. Microsoft has been the target of much abuse and outrage due to its allegedly monopolistic techniques of doing business. While this has not sunk the IT giant, many say that it may have long term repercussions. The government has also stepped in to make sure that other businesses and consumers are not harmed.

Stakeholder protection. Every business has stakeholders other than its owners the employees, the stockholders and the general public. The business has to ensure that the rights and interests of all of these groups are adequately protected in the course of its operations. The recent outcry about the harassment and bad working conditions of employees in Wal-Mart led to the generation of a lot of negative press about the outsized department store. This gives the competition the lead and rivals take the opportunity to get ahead while the company is busy trying to do some damage control.

Fundamental business practices of a company. Underhanded dealings, the use of substandard products, spreading misinformation about the product, hiring illegal workers at lower than minimum wage, etc. prove that a business is run in an unethical way and that it is not a high quality work place or service provider. For instance, cigarette companies that spent most of the seventies telling people that it was not unhealthy to smoke, though they knew this to be untrue. In a recent judgment, one such company was forced to pay out $28 billion.

William King is the director of Wholesale UK Dropshipping & Wholesalers Trade Suppliers, Wholesale Dropshipping & Dropshippers Directory, Wholesalers Products & Dropshipping Supplies Directory, and UK Wholesalers & Wholesale Dropshippers. He has 18 years of experience in the marketing and trading industries and has been helping retailers and startups with their product sourcing, promotion, marketing and supply chain requirements

Moisture Against Gravity - Destroying Walls

2009-09-05T09:23:00.001-07:00

Well I'm going to start this article with a little information on a job I did once.

I had been repairing a rental house for one particular homeowner for about three years when all of a sudden I got a phone call from him telling me the rental house was destroyed and he had never seen nothing like this. He sounded so upset over the phone I told him I would meet with him immediately.

On my way to the house I was trying to get an idea in my head what the house was going to actually look like. Since I have been repairing rental properties for over 20 years at this point of my career, nothing really shocked me. I had pretty much seen everything that could possibly be done to rental property by the tenants that lived there. There is a lot to be said about taking care of it as if it were your own.

He was waiting for me at the front door and he looked thoroughly disgusted. As I approached him he was shaking his head and yelling at the same time can you believe these people, can you believe what they did to my house. I was expecting to see the front door ripped off and all the windows broken out of the house but this wasn't the case.

As he led me through the home and I could see the usual clothing on the floor, broken cabinets, a few holes in the walls and of course that awful smell of mold and mildew. All of this stuff was nothing new to me because I'm the guy they call to fix it when a renter moves out of the property.

As I entered one of the bedrooms I got my first glimpse of something I had never seen before but heard stories about and could not believe my eyes. Looking at the walls in the bedroom about 3 feet from the floor all the way around the room, the plaster was soft. It actually looks like someone shoved popcorn into the wall somehow.

The homeowner wasn't even looking at this because of the rest of the damage in the home. I started to explain to him I'd never seen nothing like this but I could guess it was water damage somehow since the plaster was soft. I could actually stick my finger into the wall, that's how soft the plaster was.

My first thought was to examine the carpeting a little closer to see if it was wet. Well it was damp but it wasn't as wet as I would've expected it to be with the amount of water in the walls. With a little more home inspecting I had found the culprit, it was a broken water bed. The water bed was now in the backyard looking innocent.

I couldn't believe a broken water bed could do this much damage so I looked around for broken or leaking water pipes and could not find any. The other bad news I had to inform the homeowner was that the water had damage the bathroom and closet walls also. These walls of course were on the other side of the bathroom walls that were damaged.

Well the point of this story is that water will actually wick its way up or worked its way up into a wall. I had to remove 4 feet of drywall all the way around the room. The plaster or drywall actually acts like a sponge pulling the water into the walls. Hard to imagine that gravity in this case seems to reverse. I would've never thought that water would've traveled so far up the walls creating that much damage.

To repair the rental property I had to remove the damaged drywall, remove the carpeting, dry the wood framing out and put the whole thing back together.

I'm still amazed and will remember that project for as long as I live.

Visit us and get more information on House Water Damage

Personal Development

Creating Your Electricity

2009-09-05T09:20:00.001-07:00

Creating your own electricity and generating your own power has always been one of my dreams. Having a self sufficient home, not only a house that takes care of itself by generating its own electricity through windmills or solar panels but the satisfaction knowing that no matter what happens to the electrical companies you will always have electricity at your home.

What a wonderful feeling it would be to get a check back from the utility company instead of paying them every single month. I don't know about you but my utility bills are ridiculous and seemed to be going up in price constantly. I can't believe all the fees they have been charging for years to all of their customers. If you add all the fees for every person in the city or county this comes to a large, a very large number and it's getting worse not better.

Generating your own electricity with solar or wind power is definitely green thinking. This is going to be the wave of the future as fuel used to create electricity continues to rise in price. I really can't imagine what the price of electricity is going to be like in 10 years as the mass consumption continues to rise in developing countries.

We have got to start taking care of our own needs through solar or wind power. We have got to start creating our own electricity to become self reliant. The more self reliant we become as a nation the less dependent we will be on major corporations, especially large power conglomerates.

Creating our own electricity can also be used for electrical cars that can be purchased in the future. Think of the money you will say in fuel costs as the price of gasoline continues to increase as well as less pollution into our environment.

This is definitely the wave of the future and common sense tells us this. I suggest you read this article again if you haven't figured out some of the problems coming our way in the future.

Think green and together we can start saving the planet.

While searching for new alternatives and trying to get some advice on creating your own electricity I came across a book you can purchase in digital format. This book seems to have quite a bit of information on creating your own electricity for a totally self sufficient home.

This book has been created in digital format to reduce the consumption of trees and the waste involved in creating a regular book. What a wonderful idea for helping our environment in quite a few ways.

For more information visit http://www.gregvan.com and look for Get Earth4Energy Here Create your own electricity! Save 1000's with Earth4Energy

Are Christians Really Interested

Getting Comfortable With Change: 5 Easy Steps

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

"Change the way you look at things, and the things you look at change." - Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

When something happens to you that might be labeled as negative, how do you react? The initial reaction for most of us is to run or hide, look for someone to blame, come up with excuses, wonder what we could have done differently, shift into a fear mode or do all of the above.

Whether the situation revolves around health issues, finances, work or relationships, the tendency is to dwell in the past or worry about the future. When we have one foot in the past and one foot in the future, it leaves nothing for the present! We spend our time, fearfully saying "What if .... happens?" And it's this focus on the future that causes feelings of fear and anxiety.

Here's a quote from The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle that applies to this topic: "Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry - all forms of fear - are caused by too much future, and not enough presence. Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness, and all forms of nonforgiveness are caused by too much past, and not enough presence."

Fear-based thinking is widespread in our society; fear of failure, of rejection, of poverty, of the unknown and of death. If we were to sum all this up in one word - it would be fear of change. We fear change because it takes away our feeling of security. So how is the best way to handle change, deal with so called negative circumstances and banish fear? There are five things you can do:

1. Practice gratitude. Make a list of all the things for which you are grateful. Doing this practice attracts more positive things into your life. Add to your list everyday.

2. Put both feet in the present! When you catch your mind drifting in to the past or the future, gently bring it back to the present moment. Put your attention on where you are NOW. Get quiet and ask your inner guidance for clarity and direction.

3. Accentuate the positive. Look for the opportunity in the situation. Drop negative words like not and don't. So rather than say, "I don't want to be broke", say "I want to be financially secure" or better still say " I am financially secure" or best ask, "In what ways, am I financially secure?"

4. Create a clear vision of what you want. Imagine it happening and experience the feeling of what it would be like to live your vision.

5. Let go of the outcome. Clinging too tightly to a particular outcome limits other possibilities . Know that following the previous four steps is attracting what you want, so just relax!

Following these five steps takes practice and diligence. It is natural to slip back into old patterns when unexpected events happen - that's okay. Just shift your thinking to these new steps when you catch yourself staddling the past and the future. You'll know when this happens because your body will tell you with various reactions!

As a Life Transition Coach I work with clients to identify what's most important to them and to prioritize around these values. I help my clients identify and remove obstacles in the way and bring clarity and focus to their dreams. What is your dream? Are you undergoing a major transition and not clear where to turn? Call (972-306-4489) or email me, (coach.v.miller@verizon.net), to set up a complimentary, no obligation 30 minute telephone coaching session. Download my FREE e-Book, 12 Fun Ways to Change Your Life, or sign up for my FREE monthly newsletter at http://www.thrivingthroughchange.com

What Do We Mean by "Spiritual Relationships?"

2009-09-05T03:01:00.001-07:00

"WIFFM" is the primary motivator for many people in their relationships. WIFFM is a marketing term for "What's In It For Me?" We have been taught to value people for how good they will look on our arm, how close they come to our fantasy of the ideal lover, or how we imagine they will fulfill our desires. It's about how it all looks, right? Except that when we focus on the outside, nobody is going to be good enough because everyone is flawed. Everybody. This is why we love the tabloids -- we get to see seemingly perfect celebrities with their defects hanging out.

One characteristic of a spiritual relationship is that instead of focusing on the other person's exterior, we focus on the perfection within. Just as we all have not-so-beautiful parts on the outside, we all have a perfect core inside at our center. When we want our relationship to have a spiritual component, we attempt to keep our attention on this perfection within, rather concentrating on what's outside.

The great Tantra Master Osho once said regarding relationships, "The Other is always right." I was stunned when I first heard this. Like most people, I had been constantly pointing out when I was right and my partner was wrong, all in the name of "communicating honestly." In retrospect it was all a thinly disguised power struggle.

I argued with Osho's statement in my mind, and then decided to see what I could learn from it. As a technique, I recommend it highly. You don't have to agree with it to experiment. Practice interpreting that the other was right and you were wrong next time you are reviewing a fight or disagreement. The ego spends all its time proving that it is superior. See what happens from the perspective of love.

When you begin this discipline of seeing what is right about the other person rather than what is, according to you, wrong, you may start to experience your partner as your teacher, or guru. Some of the other attributes of spiritual relationships that people have mentioned are a placing a high value on listening, integrity, emotional openness, sensitivity, truth, having a raise the bar attitude, and having a passion for learning and growing. When people's lives are dedicated to something higher than just getting their own needs met, their relationships will follow suit. This can show up as a dedication to make the world a better place by working for the environment, helping kids, or serving some other higher calling. Your relationship will be dedicated to something more important than merely trying to get your needs met, and this is what we call a spiritual relationship.

Catherine Auman 2008

Catherine Auman, MFT is a spiritual psychotherapist based in Los Angeles, California. She has advanced training in both traditional and alternative methodologies based on ancient traditions and wisdom teachings. Visit her online at http://www.catherineauman.com

Planning Your Bathroom Remodel Budget - Home Improvement Ideas

2009-09-05T01:42:00.001-07:00

Bathroom Remodeling Investment

Finding out How Much Things Cost

Create a List of Bathroom Remodeling Parts

Figuring out the Labor

Give Yourself a Cushion

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 bathroom remodeling or home building ideas.

Using Words In The Bible Effecti

Repairing a Leaking Toilet

2009-09-05T01:39:00.001-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Happy Toilet Repairing.

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

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

Are Christians Really Interested

5 Books to Read on the Quest For a Better Life

2009-09-04T19:42:00.001-07:00

When I was thinking about writing on this subject, I thought about how subjective this actually is. Anyone who is on the quest for a better life most likely has their bookshelves overflowing with "self-help" or "personal growth" books. And if you're just beginning the journey on your quest for a better life, then you may be looking for someone to help you find the best books out of the thousands that shout down at you from the bookshelves in the personal growth section of your local bookstore.

You may also have gotten recommendations from friends and associates claiming, "You've got to read this book. It's changed my life!"So either you said, "I'm so happy for you," and ignored their request, or you ran to the bookstore or Amazon.com, bought the book, only to leave it languishing on your already full bookshelf. Or you read it and said, "What's the big deal? I don't get it."

Therefore, choosing a reading list for you is a difficult task. The books we read are a very personal choice. We listen to recommendations, yet, what affects others may not affect us in the same way. Additionally, your quest might be to improve your physical well-being, your wealth, your relationships, your business, or your mental or emotional health. Whatever your focus is on, will ultimately determine the books that will have the greatest impact on you.

That said, the ones I have chosen are classics, so millions of people have endorsed them. Still that doesn't mean they will change your life, but they may have some impact on you, at least to get you thinking and reading, and maybe lead you to other books that will support your quest for a better life.

So here is my list. With these 5 books, you can't go wrong. They may become some of your top favorites as well.

You Can Heal Your Life, Louise Hay
Written in 1984, this book on using your thoughts and feelings to affect your health not only is a classic in its genre, but launched the powerful Hay House empire that's published millions of life-changing books. Originally printed as a small booklet, Hay created a list of physical maladies, their probable psychological cause, and a new thought pattern to shift it. For example, most pain in the feet has to do with obstacles in mobility and direction. The new thought is "I move forward easily in life." These thoughts also launched the explosion of the use of affirmations to shift thoughts. The expanded version goes deeper into why we think what we do and how we can heal all areas of our life by changing our thoughts.

Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill
Few people in the personal growth movement, or even in business for that matter, have not read Hill's 1937 classic on the use of the mind to improve our financial state. Just the term "think and grow rich" has spawned numerous clones like write and grow rich, speak and grow rich, and meet and grow rich. Hill spent a lifetime researching millionaires and distilled his findings into philosophies and formulas that led the great men he studied to success. He encourages readers that they too can reach the same levels of achievement through the power of thought.

The Power of Intention, Dr. Wayne Dyer
This book may not be on everyone's list of classics in the personal growth field, but Dyer is one of the most prolific authors in this field. His PBS appearances have vaulted him into an almost cult status. His authenticity captures his audiences wherever he appears and jumps off the pages of his many books. I like this book because it takes goal setting to another level. Dyer's definition of intention is: "intention is a force in the universe and everything and everyone is connected to this invisible force." From that place he guides people to allow their dreams to come to them rather that go after them with drive and hard work.

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey
Another classic, published in 1989, this book put Covey on the map as a powerful leader in personal change and effectiveness. His groundbreaking book launched memorable buzz words and phrases like "begin with the end in mind," "think win/win," and "seek first to understand, then to be understood." You can't be anything but more effective if you follow the sound, practical guidelines Covey presents.

The Aladdin Factor, Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen
Six years before their Chicken Soup fame, Canfield and Hansen collaborated on this brilliant, yet simple book on how to ask for anything. They teach the reader how to ask, who to ask, and what to ask for. They show you how to ask at home, ask at school, ask at work, ask at the world, ask yourself, and ask a higher power. That about covers it. If you know how to ask, who to ask, and what to ask for in your life, there's virtually nothing you can't have or do. It's a very powerful book you must add to your collection.

All of these books are available at your local library or at www.Amazon.com.

Lifestyle Mentor, Personal Coach, Author, Educator, and Entrepreneur, David B. Bohl is the creator of Slow Down FAST. To learn more about this step-by-step strategy for Living YOUR Life YOUR way, and to sign up for his 9 FREE Tips for Finding Happiness in a Fast-Paced World, free teleseminars, free Special Report, free bi-monthly ezine and more, go to: http://www.SlowDownFAST.com

One Personal and One Professional Goal For 2009

2009-09-04T19:40:00.001-07:00

Good bye 2008. It is over and it is gone. Only what we did in this year remain, as a witness for this great year that have slipped away from us. The year which made us jump with joy, made us take crucial step's and decisions of our life and spent a life we always wished to live. Lot of happiness and achievements, and it is time to tell a fair well good bye to 2008, and whole heartedly welcome 2009 to our life.

Welcome 2009. As fresh as it could be. A new year to go for our life ambitions. Life passions. A new year to see our dreams being fulfilled. A new year to achieve the impossible. A new year to bring out the best out of us, and make it the best life we ever had in our life.

Life Resolution New Year resolution is part of our rituals for January 1. However, study shows that 95% of those who make new year resolution fail to keep them up for more than 2-3 weeks. Today I want to ask you not to keep a New Year resolution, but a Life Resolution. We are going to pick 2 Life Goals for 2009 - one from our personal life and one from our professional life, and go through a life journey to achieve them. This is the first installment of power article's in sijith.com and the whole 2009 will be dedicated to article's in achieving these life goals we are going to set today.

Let us pick the best two goals for 2009 that would make 2009 the best year for us ever.

One important point here: You commit one thing to me. "I am going to allocate a weekly quota for these goals and commit that I will not take any other personal/professional goal, unless my primary goal quota is complete."

Question ? What if I have two goals in each category.

Answer: It is perfectly fine to have two or more goals for each category. BUT, you should make one of them as primary for each category, and other's as secondary. You are going to work towards the secondary goals, only if your weekly quota for these goals is achieved.

Personal goal 2009:

I want you to do an exercise here. Take a paper/pen. Write down one personal goal that if you achieve will totally change the way you live. It could be something as small as mending a broken relationship, or could be something big, say changing your dietary habit or come out of a bad habit or improving your financial life or learning a foreign language. Just one goal - not more nor less. Just one personal goal, that could change your life and turn your dream into a reality. This goal could be also a spiritual goal or any goal that would improve your inner/personal life.

Now that you have this ONE personal goal written down, I want you to do the second step.

Write down 5 steps that if you do one at a time, you will achieve the above goal. Let me explain you with an example.

Imagine your goal is: "To learn a new foreign language".

So here is how, I would break down the goal into 5 steps. (For each person, the steps would be different. Identifying what works for YOU is the most important part here).

Sub Goal 1: Join an institute teaching this foreign language.

Sub Goal 2: Decide on a syllabus for 2009 that if I complete them, would reach my target.

Sub Goal 3: Buy/Get the required books/resources that I am going to use for this goal.

Sub Goal 4: Decide how much hours/time I am going to spent every week for this goal.

Sub Goal 5: Commit to stick with my goal and constantly check my goal progress.

Professional goal 2009:

Now let us come to a professional goal. This is a goal that would make a real real positive impact on your professional life. This is THAT goal if you achieve, would change your professional career life, and achieve what you always dreamt in your life in your career.

I want you to write this down. How you are going to achieve them is not important here. What you want to achieve is important here.

Here is an example of a professional goal:

"I improve my communication and interpersonal skills"

Sub Goal 1: Join a toastmaster's club and start a public speaking course.

Sub Goal 2: Work with a professional mentor to identify the area's of improvement.

Sub Goal 3: Spent sometime every day for exercise. Join yoga classes or a gym.

Sub Goal 4: If you look to become a manager, work towards achieving managerial skills/qualification. Like improving relationships, increasing personal contacts, etc.

Sub Goal 5: Proactively invest time in one project that would make a difference and help me towards my life goals. (This is a quadrant 2 activity and we will cover about four quadrants of time management in one of the future article).

The above goal/sub goals is just shown for an example. You can choose them based what you want in your life, and how best you want to use 2009. Here is a criteria for choosing your goals : "It is the ONE goal that would change my life, make 2009 the best year ever I had, and take me closer to achieve my life dreams."

Let's can take our time, and work towards our goals. Let us bring out the best out of us. Let us go for to achieve the impossible and get want you dreamt in your life. Believe me, you are in the process of changing your life, and changing the life of people's aroundyou, and let us be excited that we are in the process to make 2009 the best year ever we had in our life.

Wish you all the best and New Year greetings to all the readers.

I maintain my personal success blog website http://www.sijith.com, and you can visit this website to read more success articles.

Sijith Salim

Hiring a Contractor For Bathroom Remodeling - Remodeling Contractors

2009-09-04T18:12:00.001-07:00

Well here's the age old question, how do we go about finding a decent bathroom remodeling contractor.

Here's some things you will be looking for in a contractor.

1. Is Your Contractor Fair and Honest?

2. Does Your Contractor Have Experience Remodeling and Designing Bathrooms?

3. Can You Actually Find a Contractor Who Will Complete the Job in a Timely Manner?

4. Do You Think the Workers Will Be Able to Clean the Job up Daily?

5. Will the Contractor Show up on Time?

6. Is the Contractor Going to Work At Least Eight Hours a Day?

7. Does the Contractor's Crew Have Experience?

8. Is Your Contractor and His Crew Courteous?

If you find a contractor for your bathroom remodeling project that has answered yes to all questions above, hire that person immediately. Most contractors can sincerely answer yes to half of the questions above. If you're looking for the ultimate bathroom remodeling contractor, you could be searching for quite a while, you're looking for some one that is competent and you feel comfortable with.

When hiring a contractor, look for someone who has your interest in mind first and not theirs. Find someone who is willing to help with the designed process of your bathroom and the remodeling. If you find a contractor to be arrogant or controlling, there is a good chance, your bathroom might not turn out the way you envision it.

When hiring a contractor for your bathroom remodeling project or any home improvement project, the most important thing to keep in mind is, whether or not you feel comfortable with this person or not. Never hire a contractor you're not comfortable with.

If a contractor is referred to you by someone you trust, this does not guarantee you will be happy with the bathroom remodel. Most referrals that I have gotten over the years are like rolling the dice, I believe I would have done just as good picking a name out of a hat.

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 and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

Another Crappy Rule In The Bible

Installing a 32 Inch Back Door

2009-09-04T18:08:00.001-07:00

He got the extra money in his pocket, you got a headache.

I'm a contactor and learned this lesson in a long time ago.

When building a new home most people don't give very much thought about their interior or exterior doors. Here's a simple chart I made to help with some basic door decisions.

If you are a professional football or basketball player don't use these numbers above.

Give some thought when installing a new door on your next project and keep some of the above tips in mind..

If you are designing a home give some thought to the stairways and hallways in the home as well.

Visit us and get more information on building and remodeling your homes and Bay Window Ideas

Ask And You Might Receive Or Ask

The Power of Truth

2009-09-04T12:14:00.001-07:00

Everything you need to succeed is found within you. How you see yourself and your ability to succeed will be "make or break" of your business. I've seen some amazingly talented people give up because they allowed two words to take over their psyches. These words have had a profound impact on their lives and businesses. The words are, "I can't."

"I can't" are the two most debilitating words in the English language. "I can't" usually starts with the all to familiar "You can't," or "You'll never". These words seem to carry an intrinsic power. For some, it's a call to stand up and say, "Yes I can! Watch me!" For others it's call to sit in the ashes of self-defeat. Which one are you?

For years I allowed, "You can't" to get in the way of my success. There was a time when I believed I would never be a success. My self-esteem was so low I didn't think I could get up again. Then I realized the Power of Truth. The choice to get up or stay down had been given to me. My success or failure was up to me, no one else. I became fully aware that I had the power to choose. I chose to stand. After I made that decision. I made several changes in my life in order to keep my mind set on belief instead of unbelief.

My rules to stay standing are:

1. Start where you are. Don't think about past failures. Start right here, right now, today. Move ahead one-step at a time.

2. For every negative thought that comes into your mind create an opposing positive thought. Say it out loud. Write them down and keep them front of you. Read them daily.

3. Commit to your goal. Write down your goals. Make sure they are manageable and commit to making them happen. Keeping them visible is a great way of keeping them real.

4. Be in good company. Stay around positive people. Read positive material. I highly suggest joining online groups to provide support and accountability.

5. Trust the Power of Truth. No matter where you go there are going to be those who will want to knock you down. Connect with your inner power. Remember who you really are. Don't go back to the ashes.

Make the choice to stand.

Jill Betz Freeman is the CEO of ROAR! Growing Your Business With Pride. She is passionate about helping entrepreneurs and small businesses grow. Jill has over 15 years of experience in sales, marketing, business development, customer service and corporate training. Shel is a saavy, vivacious, straight on consultant and trainer who is commited to working with companies, business owners and sales professionals who want to increase their bottom line. She has trained sales people involved in diverse industries such as healthcare and engineering. Stacy Kelly, CEO of PM Squared in Houston TX said, "Jill is the go-to person for sales advice." Beth Felege, BSN and Clinical Liason for a major skilled nursing company praised Jill as being, "the person who taught me the most about sales."

Check out ROAR! at http://www.roarcorps.com and contant Jill for more information about services.

Dr Wayne Dyer's "There is a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem"

2009-09-04T12:10:00.001-07:00

After reading and rereading the latest books by Eckhart Tolle and watching the 'New Earth' webcast on Oprah.com, I found myself rediscovering what I consider a classic by Dr. Wayne Dyer titled "There is a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem."

I first read "There is a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem" about 3 years ago and the way I look at my daily existance has never been the same since. I have actually read this book several times and continue to read it periodically because I find something new everytime I read it.

There is a great deal of information in this book. The concepts in "There is a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem" did not really sink in the first few times I read it. From the early nineties and on, Dr. Wayne Dyer's self help books have been more spiritual like "Your Sacred Self" and "Real Magic" but "There is a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem" was truly a breakthrough in brining an understanding to the transformation from the mind to the soul.

So what is "There is a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem" about? Its about making peace with yourself. Being at peace with yourself allows you to see that every situation that comes up is part of the divine order of things that is neither positive or negative. In other words, things happen for a reason but they are what they are regardless of how you view them.

"There is a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem" is also about creating an energy field around yourself that attracts the right people and circumstances. Its not about getting ahead in the rat race but is about being at a place where the rat race does not exist.

What makes "There is a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem" so appealing is not the content itself but how he delivers you the content. Dr. Wayne Dyer uses powerful examples in his own life as well as people he has touched through his books and seminars. Like Dyer's other books there is a lot of autobiographical testimony which I believe adds to the books message.

Dr. Wayne Dyer continues to write powerful and inspiring books like "The Power of Intention" and "Inspiration" but "There is a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem" is truly a milestone in his long career.

Visit Brian Blades at his blog, http://www.themanifesters.com, as he and his blog partner, James Chance muse about manifesting wealth and abundance.

Also visit Dr. Wayne Dyer Seminars resource page at http://www.squidoo.com/drwaynedyerseminars where you can get the latest info for tickets to see Dr. Wayne Dyer Live.

Inerrancy of the Bible - Are There Mistakes in the Bible

2009-09-04T10:37:00.001-07:00

Is the Bible, 100%, 90%, or even 50% accurate. Are these stories that were written by people many years ago and the lessons have been helpful but now need to be rewritten.

If I Hate My Brother

Putting God on Trial

2009-09-04T10:33:00.001-07:00

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing and personal development. Check This Out What Happened to the Wise Men's Gifts

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.

Should The Bible Be Edited

Where Did the Bible Come from?

2009-09-04T04:31:00.001-07:00

In the year 325A.D the emperor of Rome, Constantine gathered a group of church bishops and other leaders who believes in Christianity. The purpose of the meeting was to define the true God for all Christians and eliminate any confusion within Christ's church.

By the end of this council, Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit were considered one and the same. Before the council, there was confusion about, whether they should believe in one God, two gods or three entities.

Here's a statement from got questions, a popular Christian website, "The Council of Nicea affirmed the deity of Jesus Christ and established an official definition of the Trinity-the deity of The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit under one Godhead, in three co-equal and co-eternal Persons."

This was a pretty interesting article, if you've got time to read it, I would also suggest checking out Wikipedia for more information about the Council of Nicaea.

Here's Some of the Problems I Have with This Small Group of Proclaimed Christians.

If I'm reading this statement correctly, a group of people or religious leaders, 1700 years ago decided that Jesus, God the creator of everything in the universe and the Holy Spirit are the same. What does this mean to you? To me it establishes as a fact that a group of men, at a meeting, under the control of the Roman empire and the Emperor Constantine, made an agreement within the Council of man, not gods, that the Trinity was now a fact.

If this one thing was created by a group of men, doesn't it get you thinking about other things in your religion that might be false or even misleading. These are some of the facts that most Christians tend to either ignore or don't even have a clue that they exist.

I believe more Christians and other organized religions should inspire their followers to learn more about how their religions were formed and where they came from. I cannot verify that the Council of Nicaea ever took place, I'm basing this information on historical writings from man, that I either gather on the Internet or through books. I don't know if any of this is true or false, always use religion responsibly.

I don't need to believe the information, I don't need to believes the information in the Bible, I need to research and gather more information and with this information I can make an educated guess, and be happy with that, I suggest you do the same.

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

The Solar Wind Blowing through Your Consciousness

2009-09-04T04:28:00.001-07:00

If you follow Space Weather (on the Internet), you may be aware of the solar winds caused by active sunspots facing towards Earth. On Space Weather they mention how these may cause auroras in the night sky, but do not mention what affects these winds have on Human Consciousness.

Last night in bed, I noticed myself bathing in a stream of very high-vibration energy and remembered that Space Weather had predicted auroras. Subjectively, I feel I was noticing this strong magnetic energy coming direct from the Sun.

The energy seemed very pure and clean; the frequency was off the scale of my normal range of experiences with energy I felt I was being downloaded with information. At present, I do not have the awareness to interpret this subtle Energy at these exceptionally high frequencies.

The flow of energy was so strong it woke me up; I lay there just feeling the energy, being aware of its nature and looking for the information it contained.

I raised my own vibration through Meditation, to see if I could match the Energy flow a bit like a radio tuner searching the frequency bands to tune in to the signals contained within the light of electromagnetic radiation.

As I raised my vibration, I could feel the Angelic presence of a pure light. It reminded me of the Kabbalah and the Tree of Life. The Kabbalah refers to the planets of our solar system as the Archangels, all radiating their influence down on Earth and touching each individual's life.

Astrology aims to interpret these subtle energies and their influence and to use crystals to adjust the power of each heavenly body in our lives. By adjusting the various influences it aims to change one's destiny or path in life.

The power last night was such that I feel this was more to do with the Ascension process and the moving of Human Consciousness into the New Earth.

As more people awake to the raising of consciousness and breathe their awareness into these more subtle levels of their being, we are seeing the Quantum Field, which underlies our nature, awaking and becoming aware of its own nature: it forms the junction point between all matter, consciousness, and spirit.

The Quantum Field also forms the link to wholeness, between the plants, animals and their environment so we see everything as a whole, in the Oneness of Life.

The flow of energy from the sun in this subtle form seems to be energizing the field of electromagnetic forces around the body the Human Aura. As this field of Love grows, it creates the power to attract into your life what you desire. It brings healing and wholeness to your body, so you feel charged up and full of life.

The flow of consciousness into matter has been going on for millennia but it is only now in human history that this conscious awareness is reaching these more subtle levels. We are now starting to think within the light. This is the ultimate refinement of consciousness and what computer designers have been trying to do for years.

As this happens, Human Consciousness flows naturally into Oneness; the light connects all things in your environment with you, in this electromagnetic world we live in.

Message channelled by George E. Lockett -- HealerGeorge(C) Copyright 2007, All Rights Reserved. Tel: +44 (0)1286 882701 George has recently published his new book, which contains many more articles and advice to bring Joy into your life. The book is titled: "A Journey into the Self -- the multi-dimensional nature of being human": HealerGeorge Web Site and New Book Description: What is this book going to do for YOU? For those who are seeking a complete energetic makeover, as you read it you will feel a stirring and awakening in the depths of your heart. For those who have questions about Shifts in Consciousness, Energy Balancing, and Healing within the body, you will find clear answers. Ask a question of HealerGeorge at: Ask HealerGeorge

Planning Your Bathroom Remodel Budget - Home Improvement Ideas

2009-09-04T03:01:00.001-07:00

Bathroom Remodeling Investment

Finding out How Much Things Cost

Create a List of Bathroom Remodeling Parts

Figuring out the Labor

Give Yourself a Cushion

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 bathroom remodeling or home building ideas.

Religion Articles

New Versus Old Lumber - Structural Failure

2009-09-04T02:59:00.001-07:00

Most of the structural repairs I have made over the years has nothing to do with the lumber and whether it was new or old. A large number of these repairs were caused by neglect and poor maintenance.

When I use the word poor engineering I am not pointing fingers at engineers. We now have more knowledge about home construction then we had years ago.

New versus old lumber, who wins the battle. Only time will tell.

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 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 Structural Repairs.

Impact Of Christian Mentors

Defending God by Offending Satan

2009-09-03T20:53:00.001-07:00

Did you ever have rules as a child, or even at work that were just never really enforced? The kind that at first you followed, but as time went on and you saw other people not really paying attention to it and you noticed that no one really cared, so then you thought , "well, it must not really be any big deal"? Do we, as Christians, let our morals and beliefs become justified in the same way? 4 Reasons that I believe may be impacting Christians in how they establish and maintain moral value systems for daily life.

Cultural Confusion - "He who is a slave to the compass has the freedom of the seas"

- Morals are considered being old-fashioned, and that having morals just adds unnecessary baggage to our already complicated lives.

- Many beliefs and doctrines exist in our society to accommodate every lifestyle and help people justify their behaviors... which confuses most people into believing that there is No Absolute Truth, but rather what truth for you is truth for you, not necessarily for me - & vice versa.

- Our society in schools and workplaces is teaching "respect the individual" and accept "diversity", such as same sex marriage (homosexuality), and even the legal system is supporting this with the introduction of new "diversity" laws.

- Being politically correct in our speech is helping to mask the ugliness of the truth.

- Special Interest groups minorities are "squeaking the loudest" in Washington and across our nation in schools and courts.

Cultural Fears - Acceptance

- If we don't conform, or if we actually stand up for what we believe in we fear rejection

- Job Loss or no advancement, etc.

- We want to be accepted, we want to fit in, and peer pressure is stronger than ever

- We don't want to be put down

- Possible legal consequences like discrimination, harassment, hostile work environment

Denial & Justification -

- It's not really that bad

- I can control it if it ever does get that bad

- "It's just a necessary evil" to fit in, for my career sake; part of the territory

- I haven't seen it or heard it, so it can't be true (while we intentionally look the other way to avoid it)

- Everyone else, even others at church aren't saying anything... or think it's ok... or watch it, listen to it, play it, etc.

- My spouse / kids / I would never be sucked into thinking / believing like that

Desensitization - Cogs on a gear or bicycle chain/sprocket wear down, and we don't seem to notice until the chain starts slipping and we're no longer moving forward.

- Look at our Movies and TV programs, and our...

- Music

- "Literature" books in the schools

- Magazines

- Ads

- Video & Computer Games

- Internet

- Even News stories

We have become reactive instead of proactive...

- We have become more involved with justifying ourselves, instead of proclaiming Christ
- Debating our faith, rather than practices our works and standing on our faith and defending it
- Arguing to convince Satan and others of our beliefs and values instead of preaching the Gospel of Christ to a dying confused world
- We need to actively stand up and Offend Satan

- Offense marches on, moves forward, finds a way over-under-around-through an obstacle...
- Defend is an action word - it means to DO something to correct, protect, & serve
- Face the opposition, and stop looking the other way hoping that they will just go away
- Pick up the Sword, the Shield, the Armor, and trust in God to win the battle through you... you see, this one step takes all of the pressure off of us.

God knows that we can't win without Him, and He loves us anyway. If you trust Him to work through you, then it's not any personal risk no matter what happens, because you know that it's God, not you!
- The cup isn't at fault if the coffee is cold, it's only job is to hold the coffee and provide drinking access to it; not make it, not pour it, not make it taste better... and neither are you at fault or risk if someone rejects the Word... your only job is to hold it and share it, provide access to it for others. You are the vessel.
- Would you expect a paycheck without a job?
- Would you expect a Medal of Honor for hiding and avoiding the draft?
- Then don't expect Heaven as a reward for accepting the world, not even for accepting it through remaining silent.

We are saved by Grace... yet we must have faith after hearing... and we must have enough faith to do something about it and demonstrate our acceptance of Christ in our lives by being baptized as we are commanded... and then we coast into cruise control and grace saves us, right?

NO, of course not! How can we know Him, and not speak about Him? Yet faith without works is dead... where are your works? Where are your values made and maintained? Where is your head, your heart, your soul... in Him, or in the world?

If you have an interest in the Bible, missions work, or religious matters, you will most likely enjoy and learn much from these sites: http://www.missionsworks.org You may also want to visit my blog: http://360.yahoo.com/brantdeth

The sites are designed to teach, but also to provide numerous resources on the Restoration Movement that took place in America's early history. There are several resources that you can access from the site, as well as some very basic biblical teaching that may enlighten you or others about just what the Bible tells us, without interjection of man's creeds or opinions

Keep your eyes open for my new book "In Pursuit..", schedule for release later this year. The book briefly addresses some of man's theories (Darwin, Uniformitarianism, Existentialism, and others), the age of our earth (and universe as a whole) by genealogical and secular historical perspectives, and other interesting aspects of our being. You will follow through to self-discovery, using the Bible as the focal point of the Truth, Peace, and Hope that questions your pursuit, and promises attainment. Your will laugh, learn, and be enlightened

At some point, though not ready yet, MissionsWorks.org will also provide an interactive living map of where missions works are being performed globally

Any thoughts, comments, or feedback is always appreciated! What would you like to see me write about? Let me know! God Bless You!

Dr. D

How to Stay Positive No Matter What

2009-09-03T20:50:00.001-07:00

Now more than any other time in our recent history is as important that we find ways to stay positive no matter what. Why? Because your success depends on your mindset, not on the economy or on the marketplace. How do I know this to be a fact? I've interviewed hundreds of top producing real estate agents all over the USA and Canada, and when I asked them the secret to their success, unquestionably and without a doubt and independent of each other, they all said the same thing, "My mindset."

These are top producing real estate agents that have been in the business for sometimes 10, 20, or even 30 years. They've been through up times, down times, and all kinds of different markets, and they said without a doubt it was their mindset, and I feel that this is kind of a best kept secret. I think when times get tough, people start to look outside of themselves for answers and what they really need to do is look inside themselves and ask themselves the question, "How can I stay positive, how can I stay hopeful, how can I stay optimistic?" And this article will provide you with some tools to make it easier to be in a positive mindset no matter what.

The first tool is to really stop watching, or listening, or reading the news. Why, because the news is based on negativity. The news amplifies fear and negativity in order to capture more listeners, more readers, and more viewers. The media is a business like anything else and there's a saying called, "If it bleeds, it reads." So the more scared they can make people, the more people will buy more newspapers to find out what's going to happen, or turn on the TV more, or in some way stay fixated because they're in fear, they stay fixated on what the media is telling them.

The second tool is stop being around negative people. Your colleagues are going to want to constantly come up and talk to you and tell you how bad it is. Maybe your clients or prospective clients are going say to you on the phone how bad it is, and even friends will do the same thing. You will go through a day and everybody will want to tell you how negative it is. Here are my suggestions. First, avoid those kinds of people that are negative and second, if you're stuck with them in an elevator or your car, I suggest you do what a former client of mine does. When the other person is talking negatively, my client just tunes them out and just says, "Well that may be true for you, but that's not true for me." It's like an inner mantra "It may be true for you, but it's not true for me." You're creating your own inner environment.

The third tool is a technique that I've used with my clients this past 12 years as a real estate business coach. It's a very powerful tool called The Stop Technique, and there's three steps to it, and the first step is just called Stop. The way it works is that if you start to notice your mind going in a negative direction such as, "Oh I can't succeed in today's economy. Oh I just don't have what it takes to be successful or to make money. I have to work really hard and struggle and sacrifice." Any of those negative thoughts that will bring your energy down, your job is simply to catch those as early as you can in the beginning and say, "Stop." Take a deep breath, and then put in a positive new thought.

You can put in your choice of however many positive new thoughts you have ready in your aresenal. If some of your negative statements are about yourself like, "I'm not good enough, or I'm not smart enough, or I'm not experienced enough," or whatever those kind of disproving thoughts, I would say a really good generic thought to put in, an empowered belief to put in is, "I love and approve of myself unconditionally." That takes care of those self judgmental statements. Another kind of self limiting belief is something that you continually tell yourself, "Oh well, to succeed I'm going to have to really struggle, and sacrifice, and stress out, and work hard, and then I won't have a life." If that's been your primary belief then you put a stop on that when you hear it coming, and in inside you're saying to yourself, "I'm not going there. I'm not going there." You take a deep breath and positive new thought could be, "I'm committed to working smarter, not harder."

One of the things that's great about this technique is that it really forces you to become aware of what you're thinking from moment to moment, and it's what you're thinking from moment to moment that will create a negative or positive mindset. If you're continually thinking negative thoughts either about yourself, or the market, or about money, or any of that, then guess what, you're going real fast into a negative mindset. Then what happens is what you believe tends to come true, and it becomes a self fulfilling prophesy. For example if you tell yourself, "I don't have what it takes to succeed in today's market," and you tell yourself that over, and over, and over again, your thoughts will create your reality and then you'll find that you don't have what it takes.

Henry Ford said, "Whether you believe you can or you can't, either way you're right,". The way to create a positive mindset is to continue to bring your thoughts back to, "I can do it,". You need to have unwavering faith in your ability to be successful. The way you do that is to retrain your mind. The stop technique is the most powerful technique for retraining your mind, but you may have to use it a few hundred times a day at the beginning. Your mind has been going down that negative track in a very undisciplined way for a long time and like wild horses that have been all over the place, you now have to reign them in and that is going to require a lot of vigilance at the beginning.

Dr. Maya Bailey, author of, Law of Attraction for Real Estate Professionals, integrates 20 years of experience as a psychologist and 12 years as a business coach with her expertise in the Law of Attraction. Her powerful work creates a success formula for real estate professionals ready to double and triple their incomes. Get Dr. Maya's free report, 7 Simple Strategies For More Clients in 90 Days, by visiting http://www.90DaystoMoreClients.com Also, check out her new Success Program, designed to help you get focused , motivated, stay on track and create a Positive Mindset, no matter what. http://www.positivebuzzsuccessprogram.com

Is Money a Big Part of Organized Religion?

2009-09-03T19:34:00.001-07:00

Have you ever ask yourself is there any Hope in Religion .

Ask And You Might Receive Or Ask

Dog Creates Remodeling Nightmare

2009-09-03T19:31:00.001-07:00

As a homeowner with a dog reading this article, think about having a place to enclose the dog if necessary while remodeling work is done on your home.

I love being around dogs and other animals but sometimes a problem like this can make life extremely miserable for both parties.

You can visit the home inspection website currently under construction at Home Inspection Help

Ask And You Might Receive Or Ask

5 Books to Read on the Quest For a Better Life

2009-09-03T13:10:00.001-07:00

So here is my list. With these 5 books, you can't go wrong. They may become some of your top favorites as well.

All of these books are available at your local library or at www.Amazon.com.

A Choiceful State of Being

2009-09-03T13:08:00.001-07:00

Julia Cameron in her world famous book The Artist's Way writes about, and for, blocked creatives. That describes not just the writers and artists for whom she initially intended her book, but all of us at one time or another. Being blocked is a fearful state of being.

What keeps us blocked and unable to find creative solutions to our challenges is being in this fearful state. It's like a catch 22 - you can't find solutions to your problems because your problems keep you in a state of fear where you can't find solutions to your problems. As I've written before, when you are experiencing fear you are accessing a portion of your brain called the Reptilian Brain.

This part of our brain is the first brain we had in our evolvement and we still have it for a good reason. It allowed us to survive back in the days of dinosaurs and still serves us in our modern day survival.

To this part of our brain everything is either something to flee from or something to fight. Either fight or run. Notice that there is not an array of choices here. In today's world this translates into the form of the threat usually being a person, rather than a dinosaur. We still react the same by either wanting to fight or run away. Now, however, the fighting may be verbal and the flight may take the form of avoidance.

Luckily for us our brains evolved and we now have additional portions of our brain which we can utilize. The cerebral part of our brain is one of these "new" areas and is where we get creative.

It's where we visualize, create, and and are able to find new opportunities as we "see" choices and solutions.

Using our cerebral brain puts us in a choiceful state of being.

When we move our awareness out of the Reptilian part of our brain and into the cerebral cortex we begin to find choices that are far better than the limitation of only fight or flight. We begin to see choices that lead to collaboration, win/win solutions, harmonious relationships, and most importantly, peace.

Sounds great, doesn't it? But when your consciousness is in the limitation of the fear based Reptilian brain, how do you move it into the creative cerebral cortex? It's quite simple, actually.

Visualization
When you visualize you are automatically moving your awareness out of the Reptilian brain and into the cerebral cortex, activating this creative portion of your brain. Any form of visualization will work. Here's a few suggestions:

Draw a diagram or mind map of the situation. Begin with diagramming the issue and as you work with it and your awareness moves into your cerebral brain, you'll begin to see alternatives and choices. Include them in your diagram or map.
Close your eyes and envision the situation as if it is on a stage and you are the director. As you are watching the players - including yourself as the star - how might you make changes to the plot for an equitable outcome?
Use a visual tool such as a Tarot card. Select a card at random from the deck and describe what's happening in the picture on the card. What are the choices the people on the card have in regards to their situation? How does this relate to your situation?

Living in a choiceful state of being gives you and everyone around you the gift of living in harmony rather than conflict, collaboration rather than competition, and inevitably, peace.

Kathy Wilson helps people get their life unstuck using a multi-faceted approach. She and her clients utilize life coaching, spiritual consulting, NLP, vibrational healing, and teaching... whatever is in her client's highest and best interests. She's a Certified Professional Coach, spiritual teacher, Reiki master, vibrational healer, and author of An Inner Journey: Living Your Life Purpose. For information about her products, services, and classes, visit her websites: http://www.under-one-roof.net and http://www.aninnerjourney.com

New Versus Old Lumber - Structural Failure

2009-09-03T11:55:00.001-07:00

Most of the structural repairs I have made over the years has nothing to do with the lumber and whether it was new or old. A large number of these repairs were caused by neglect and poor maintenance.

When I use the word poor engineering I am not pointing fingers at engineers. We now have more knowledge about home construction then we had years ago.

New versus old lumber, who wins the battle. Only time will tell.

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 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 Structural Repairs.

Greg Vanden Berge Quotes

What Does a GFI Do? - Electrical Problems

2009-09-03T11:51:00.001-07:00

In your bathroom you should have a GFI electrical outlet. Most new homes or newly remodeled homes require you to have GFI electrical outlets in the kitchen. Most older kitchens do not have GFI electrical outlets. GFI stands for ground fault circuit interrupter.

Why not call it a GFCI instead of a GFI electrical outlet? Well it is called a GFCI in some instances. GFI is short and is the most common name used by most electricians and builders for this type of outlet.

GFI 's come in 15 amp and 20 amperage outlets. GFI outlets must be wired properly. Make sure you're using the proper wire size when hooking up the GFI outlet.

How do I know which size wire to use? This all depends on how far away you are running it from the electrical panel. There are charts you can use to figure this out. If you are not running the electrical wire more than 80 feet from the electrical panel you can use 12 gauge electrical wires for a 20 amp GFI. This is a general rule of thumb for most electrical house wiring.

If you're going to be using a 15 amp GFI and you are going to be less than 80 feet away from the electrical panel you can use 14 gauge electrical wires. Again this is just a general rule of thumb for most electrical house wiring.

A GFI is a light duty electrical plug used in bathrooms, kitchens and the exterior of your house. The sole purpose of the GFI is to shut the breaker off faster if there is any moisture or light load problems.

Let's say for instance you have your hair dryer plugged into the GFI outlet. The hair dryer somehow falls into the sink while it is on or plugged in. The GFI outlet will instantly shut off because of the sensitivity of the breaker inside of the plug it self.

The GFI plug has a test button and a reset button on it. If you are continually resetting the GFI you will wear it out eventually. I have had GFI plugs after resetting the button about 10 times break and no longer able to use them.

The GFI electrical plug is a great idea and if you don't have them in your bathroom or outside of your home it would be a great idea to have an electrician install them for you.

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 Home Building Library and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

San Diego Termite Damage

Effects Of False Prophets

Secret Code to Success

2009-09-03T05:41:00.001-07:00

What makes a person rise above the ordinary and achieve greatness?

What is that thing, that spark that makes someone so magnetic and full of vitality?

The answer lies in their S.M.I.L.E.

S - Self esteem. This is the basis for everything you do in life. A healthy self esteem is the key to unlocking your true voice, your path to fulfillment and greater joy. So, how do you develop strong self esteem?

Start with your beliefs. Your beliefs create your perceptions, which create your reality.

As Tony Robbins says, Change the story you tell yourself and you can change your life.

M - Motivation. Discipline is easy when you're motivated. Achieving goals is easy when you're motivated. You'll also be much better at overcoming obstacles like procrastination, fear, anxiety and all those other self defeating habits when you've found your motivation.

So what's the easiest way to tap into this energy? Find your passion in life! Tap into your true calling, the one thing that will get you excited and ready to jump out of bed every morning looking forward to the day. Find this and motivation will appear almost as an afterthought.

To find your calling, spend some quiet time alone and listen to your thoughts. Keep a journal or work with a life coach to uncover your hidden gifts and talents. Magic happens when you find the answer to this question!

I - Imagine. Visualize the life you want to create. See it as if it were already real. Write down your vision in present tense. Create a life goals board and keep it on your desk. Imagine often and in depth.

For example, if you visualize a new car, think about what it looks like, what it smells like, what the interior feels like. The more senses you can get involved, the better.

Why is this so important?

Because if you stay focused on a clear vision of your future, the universe will conspire to make it a reality.

L- Leverage. Leverage any and all of your talents, resources and skills. Many, if not most, of those who have achieved greatness have surmounted extreme obstacles and challenges to obtain success. They looked at whatever they currently had to reach their goals. If you don't have money, find time or use your creativity to move to the next level. There is always a way, it's just a matter of maximizing everything you have within your grasp.

E - Environment. First, surround yourself with people who are on the same journey as you. This will provide you with needed encouragement and support.

Next, find mentors who have achieved what you want to accomplish. They can challenge you, help you develop your potential and turbo charge your path to success.

Finally, create a dream team of experts who can complement your weaknesses or allow you to focus only on the most important aspects of your growth. For instance, if you're starting a business you would want an accountant, lawyer and insurance representative on your team.

In short, provide an environment that nurtures your inner spirit, change and personal growth.

So now you know the secret code to success.

All you have to do is focus on your S.M.I.L.E.!

Want to discover even more about the secret code to success?

For a FREE subscription to the premier online self growth magazine for women, visit http://www.RediscoveryWomen.com Filled with articles, videos and audio covering all types of self growth areas, you'll find the secrets to success...and the key to tapping into your unique gifts and talents.

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Changing Habits Can Change Your Life - Goal Setting

2009-09-03T05:39:00.001-07:00

Creating super habits are easier than you could ever imagine. Most people have something they would like to change in their lives. If you ask anyone, they are usually able to answer this question, "If you could change anything about yourself, what would you change." All the self help and personal development programs and books available today are full of useful information that nobody seems to take advantage of. You've seen the TV commercials and listen to other people tell their stories, about how they lost weight.

Are you one of those skeptics that find these stories hard to believe. Do you think it's possible to create a life changing habit within 30 days? If you don't think it's possible, have you ever tried to change something about yourself you don't like.

If you haven't tried, how do you know it's impossible. If you have tried to create change in your life, did you quit, did you quit shortly after you started. This is often what most people do. They either quit before they start and never even get started, or they quit within a short period of time after they started. Usually these people have an excuse, most of the time their excuse is quite simply, it was harder than I thought.

Creating super habits in 30 days is possible and you don't have to be an over achiever to accomplish this goal. Creating these habits will require some effort on your part but the rewards most of the time are worth the effort.

I challenge you to change something about yourself you don't like within the next 30 days.

Go to the next step for more information.

Finding Something You Don't like about Yourself

Window Header Framing Problems

2009-09-03T04:34:00.001-07:00

As a building contractor it is my job to assemble the house to meet the specifications from the architect and the structural engineer. I do this by looking at the building plans and installing the specified lumber sizes. I can take it upon myself to install a larger size wood beam or window header adding an additional cost to the job of course. I don't think so.

It's not uncommon for a framing contractor that has an additional 5 foot scrap piece of 4 x 8 left over that he now has no use for. He can then choose to use the 4 x 8 instead of a 4 x 6 for the window header. This type of building is common and acceptable.

If the structural engineer calls out for 4 x 6 window and door headers do not take it upon yourself to replace the 4 x 6 with a 4 x 4. I have seen too many framing contractors or carpenters make an on-the-job judgment like this.

A good example would be a single story house with 2 foot wide windows that require a 4 x 6 window header. As the carpenter builds homes over the years he can come to his own conclusion that a 4x4 will work fine for this application. Again keep this in mind as a framing contractor and a carpenter you are assembling the home not designing it.

Do not change the sizes of any headers or beams.

A long time ago carpenters used a standard rule of thumb, you could go up two sizes larger than the window opening for your header. Let me give you an example of what I'm trying to explain.

A 4 foot wide window opening would require a 4 x 6 window header. A 6 foot window opening would require a 4 x 8 window header. This should give you an idea of what I mean by going up two sizes larger than the window opening to figure out the lumber necessary to use for your window header.

This rule of thumb does not necessarily apply in today's building industry. The reason for this is structural changes from earthquake damage. The structural requirements that are required for building a home require a lot more metal bracing and strapping. Therefore some of the lumber requirements for beam sizes and window headers will be different.

This message is for general contractors, framing contractors and carpenters. When installing a window header and you take it upon yourself to change the size you also assume the responsibility if the building fails. This type of mistake is common and you guys know what I'm talking about.

It's not worth it. Keep in mind you are the assembler and not the designer of the building you are working on.

Visit us and get more information on building and remodeling your homes and House Framing Structural Repairs

Does God Make Mistakes

Luck is What Happens When Preparation Meets Opportunity

2009-09-03T04:31:00.001-07:00

You must be ready when an opportunity comes before you, opportunity often comes in the form of work and that's why most people seem to miss it. Most people are too busy looking for the easy path through life. They seem to lay around waiting for the opportunity of a lifetime,... to simply fall at your feet.

Why would you want to spend so much time complaining about something, or someone? Other people can help you along the way, if you let them, but it's up to you, ultimately, to become the most you can possibly be. I have had plenty of opportunities in my life and have took advantage of some, while letting most of them pass by.

I'm no different than most people but now seem to be aware of my surrounding opportunities, all the time.

How many times do you wish for an opportunity to come along? It's probably one that you missed already, at some point during your life. Are you going to be prepared for the next opportunity when it comes along? These opportunities seem to repeat themselves throughout our lives and if we're not in the right state of mind, we often overlook them and let them pass by, time and time again.

You need to prepare yourself in advance for the next opportunity. If you are prepared and have your eyes open, you will be able to see the next opportunity that comes your way. Preparation will increase your chances for success and good fortune always.

Opportunities come in all shapes and sizes. Be on the lookout, when you're walking to the grocery store, taking a break at work, reading the newspaper, talking to your neighbor, walking down the street or even while you are sitting alone, letting your mind wander away. Your chances for success could come while your in your quiet places, or relaxing. Be prepared.

Greg Vanden Berge Quotes