Home Remodeling Business
July 30, 2005
Need for home remodeling
The need for home remodeling is on the rise as many people like the neighborhood they live in and the affordability of their existing homes. By incurring a little cost they can remodel their old houses to increase space and add new amenities. The need for remodeling is detailed below.
Financial gains
While home remodeling can be an expensive affair, it is reasonable as compared to purchasing a new house. Shifting into a new house incurs costs in the form of moving expenses, closing costs and the agent’s commission, which is saved here. Remodeling adds equity and capital gains can be deferred till the property is sold. In addition, tax laws make remodeling more attractive to the investor by limiting the tax write-offs allowed on new investment property.
Convenience
Besides the cost, even the inconvenience of shifting into a new neighborhood is removed. Often families are adjusted to the comfort of staying in a familiar neighborhood, which is well connected to facilities. Home remodeling provides the comforts of a new modern home in the same space.
Impressions
Most people form impressions about you and your home in the first 5 minutes of being there. To create a look of class and a feeling of warmth, home remodeling is a must. Home remodeling not just creates a good impression for the visitors; it creates a good feel and increases the equity of your house to potential buyers also.
Space
It is understood that the need for space has increased from 1400 to 1500 sq. ft in the last century to over 2000 sq. ft today. While changing into a new house can be expensive, remodeling the house helps increase space within budget. A minor change in the layout can help enhance space and increase place for extra cabinets, storage space and shelves.
Utilities
With the change in times, needs have evolved too. Today families cook together in kitchens, and thus storage space, appliance counters, separate countertops etc. are required. Luxury baths and walk-in closets have also become a norm. These evolving needs can only be answered by remodeling the house to modern tastes. Home remodeling allows homeowners to enjoy the comfort of their old home with amenities like better lighting, modern appliances and more storage space. It allows homeowners to enhance function, safety and quality of their interior spaces.
Dan Noyes
Marketing, Head
Home Remodeling Business
Sterling Silver Jewelry Today
July 30, 2005
Sterling silver jewelry: silver and gemstone rings, sterling silver earrings, bracelets and pendants are some of the hottest fashion accessories today! Sterling silver jewelry is enjoying an unprecedented popularity with today’s fashion conscious public. You know how beautifully sterling silver jewelry complements fashionable clothing and how it sparkles and shines; now here is the rest of the story.
Silver has been used since ancient times, but has not survived as well as ancient gold because it tarnished and decomposes. There have been times, however, when silver was “in”; we are going through such a vogue today.
Silver is the most common of the precious metals. Fine silver is pure silver, which is seldom used for jewelry because it is too soft. Sterling silver is 925 parts silver to 75 of copper, the alloy most often used. Silver weighs about half as much as gold, has greater flexibility, but is not as malleable, it has always been less expensive as well. A comparable piece of gold jewelry might cost four or five times that of a piece of sterling silver jewelry.
The current fashion trend toward black clothing has made silver jewelry more popular than ever. Silver likes to be worn; it stays cleaner & shinier through movement and friction. So sterling silver is a perfect accessory for today’s fast paced lifestyles. Much like gold, sterling silver needs to be cleaned.
Care and Cleaning of your Sterling Silver Jewelry
1.) For daily cleaning it is recommended to use a simple jewelry polishing cloth that is impregnated with special jewelry cleaner. These are widely available and are very easy to use. Store your cloth in a plastic zip-lock bag, and keeping your jewelry drawer or armoire. It is a good idea to have one cleaning cloth for gold and one for silver.
2.) For a slightly more “in-depth” cleaning you may want to use a liquid jewelry cleaner.
3.) For cleaning badly tarnished silver, here’s a neat little trick
a) Cover the inside bottom of a heatproof glass dish on bowl with a piece of aluminum foil, shiny side up.
b) Place the tarnished silver in the bottom of the dish, contacting the aluminum foil.
c) Add 1 heaping tablespoon of baking soda, and then slowly pour boiling water to cover the piece. The tarnish will gradually collect on the aluminum foil.
d) Remove your silver, rinse thoroughly, and polish.
Here are Some Tips for Greater Enjoyment of your Sterling Silver Jewelry
1.) Are your silver chains all tied-up in knots? If so, here’s a nifty little trick for straightening them out. Dust your chain with a little talcum powder and then try to unknot it. If the knot is stubborn, place a small drop of baby oil on a sheet of wax paper. Lay the knot in the oil and work it out with two pins; then clean the chain as instructed below.
2.) Always apply make-up, perfumes, oils or colognes before you put on your jewelry.
We hope you have enjoyed this special report. Please feel free to share it with your friends!
For more information on jewelry and gemstones, we cordially invite you to visit http://www.morninglightjewelry.com to pick up your FREE copy of "How To Buy Jewelry And Gemstones Without Being Ripped Off." This concise, informative special report reveals almost everything you ever wanted to know about jewelry and gemstones, but were afraid to ask. Get your FREE report at http://www.morninglightjewelry.com
Setting Financial Goals - Part 2
July 30, 2005
In my earlier article "Setting Financial Goals ? Part 1" I identified the 4 simple steps to setting up achievable financial goals. I mentioned that your financial goals should be broken down into smaller more manageable goals and then written down to help you visualize them. This article expands upon that information.
Writing your goals down has an additional effect besides allowing you to properly focus in on their success. In some cases you will discover that some of your goals are unfortunately so broad focused that they are unobtainable. However, don’t despair, as you will also be able to identify the smaller more tightly focused and thus achievable goals very quickly and easily. When writing down your goals don’t be afraid to dream about riches or retiring early in life just be realistic in your expectations.
Goals are more easily obtainable when they are broken down into separate steps or categories based on time frames. When you place a time frame on your goals you are programming your mind to subconsciously motivate itself to succeed in fulfilling your goals. There are 3 time frames that are generally recommended for goal setting. They are short-term goals (within 1 year), intermediate goals (3-5 years) and long term goals (5 years or longer).
A short-term goal generally takes one year or less to achieve, based on the date the task is needed, the total estimated cost, and the required savings. An intermediate-term goal is the type of goal that can’t be accomplished overnight but doesn’t require many years to accomplish. Examples might include buying a car, getting an education or paying off your debts like credit cards. Normally an intermediate-goal is anywhere from 1-3 years. Finally a long-term goal is a goal that requires an extensive time commitment (5 years or longer) in order to get accomplished or fulfilled. Examples of long-term goals might include college education for a child, retirement plan or purchasing a home. Whatever the case, these goals generally require longer commitments and often more money in the end.
As we stated before you will need to accurately identify what your financial goals are in order to have them come true. You will need to identify the necessary steps that need to be taken in order to achieve your goals. Examples of such steps include the following:
· Start placing 5% or 10% of your paycheck in a savings account.
· Educate yourself on different investment strategies such as IRA’s, stocks, mutual funds and various other personal investments. There are many more and all can assist you in short and long term goals.
· Make a budget for yourself that leaves you with some extra money (remember the 5% or 10%) and stick to it.
· Take every opportunity to use coupons. It seems like small savings, but when added together you could save 20-30 dollars at each trip to the grocery store.
· Shop around for bargains and do not live outside of your means.
· Work with a credit counselor to get help in lowering your monthly expenses and get rid of your debt.
These are just some of the things that you can do in order to realize your financial goals. If you truly set your mind to it and visualize the successful completion of your goals you will find that they are more attainable in the long run.
Timothy Gorman is a successful webmaster and publisher of Best-Free-Insurance-Quotes.com. He provides insurance information and offers discount auto, life and home insurance that you can research in your pajamas on his website.
Other websites operated by Tim
Cellular-Phone-Solutions.com - Free information and resources regarding cell phones and cell phone plans.
Military-Loans-Online.com ? Which provides free money saving loan quotes on all of your loan needs to include home equity loan information.
Embroidery Digitizing Software
July 30, 2005
Embroidery Magic 2 software is very easy to use to make lettering, it is also easy to learn to use the digitizing part of the program but to digitize a good design takes learning, skill and practice. An example of what I am saying is that - for a artist to paint a picture, all it takes is some canvas, paint and brushes (these supplies and tools are easy for anyone to use but it takes learning, practice and artistic skill to paint a beautiful picture. The EM 2 program is easy to use but to digitize a good design takes learning, practice and skill.
By the way, one of the best ways to actually learn how to digitize a good design (not the same as how to use the software program) is to watch a good design stitch out and see/learn why the digitizer does this and that as the design stitches - we have lots of good designs (learning tools) as you may have noticed or our web site.
Embroidery Magic 2 is a “free standing digitizing software program - ie - it works on it’s own on your computer” and saves designs on/to your computer in the dst format - dst is a standard format that converts well to almost any format or can be used directly by most software that sends a design to an embroidery machine via a memory card, floppy disk or direct connect. Most any software or boxes that send a design to a card and can use the dst format will work. If the software that sends the designs to the machine can use dst then conversion is not required, otherwise the design or lettering must be converted to a right format for the machine so it can be sent to a card or machine. There is a very good conversion program available for free if you need it. Just email us for the link after purchasing the EM 2 software.
Sandy Carter is the author of embroidery articles at embroidery designs by Thread Artist. She has an article about embroidery software for digitizing and lettering fonts at embroidery software. There is free embroidery digitizing Tutorial at this web address - embroidery by Thread Artists
The Two Choices We Face
July 30, 2005
Each of us has two distinct choices to make about what we will do with our lives. The first choice we can make is to be less than we have the capacity to be. To earn less. To have less. To read less and think less. To try less and discipline ourselves less. These are the choices that lead to an empty life. These are the choices that, once made, lead to a life of constant apprehension instead of a life of wondrous anticipation.
And the second choice?
To do it all!
To become all that we can possibly be. To read every book that we possibly can. To earn as much as we possibly can. To give and share as much as we possibly can. To strive and produce and accomplish as much as we possibly can. All of us have the choice.
To do or not to do. To be or not to be. To be all or to be less or to be nothing at all.
Like the tree, it would be a worthy challenge for us all to stretch upward and outward to the full measure of our capabilities. Why not do all that we can, every moment that we can, the best that we can, for as long as we can?
Our ultimate life objective should be to create as much as our talent and ability and desire will permit. To settle for doing less than we could do is to fail in this worthiest of undertakings.
Results are the best measurement of human progress. Not conversation. Not explanation. Not justification. Results! And if our results are less than our potential suggests that they should be, then we must strive to become more today than we were the day before.
The greatest rewards are always reserved for those who bring great value to themselves and the world around them as a result of who and what they have become.
To Your Success,
Jim Rohn
Reproduced with permission from Jim Rohn’s Weekly E-zine. Copyright 2005 Jim Rohn International. All rights reserved worldwide. To subscribe to Jim Rohn’s Weekly E-zine, go to http://Jim-Rohn.InspiresYOU.com
Child Abuse - Survey & Comments
July 30, 2005
Beyond cases reported to authorities, little knowledge exists on the types, amount, and effects of childhood victimization. Through a national survey of adolescents, researchers examined the prevalence of sexual assault, physical assault, physically abusive punishment, and witnessing an act of violence and subsequent effects on mental health, substance use, and delinquent behavior problems. Gender and racial/ethnic specific findings are translated into national estimates.
Research findings include (from the U.S. Department of Justice):
1. Rates of interpersonal violence and victimization of 12 to 17 year-olds in the United States were extremely high, and witnessing violence is considerably more common.
2. Black and native American adolescents were victimized more than whites, Hispanics, and Asians in each type of victimization. Much of the violence experienced by youths is perpetrated by peers or someone the victim knows well. Most sexual assaults (86 percent) and physical assaults (65 percent) went unreported.
3. A clear relationship exists between youth victimization and mental health problems and delinquent behavior. For example:
~ Negative outcomes in victims of sexual assault were three to five times the rate observed in non victims.
~ Girls who witnessed violence were nearly twice as likely as boys to experience post traumatic stress disorder.
This nationally representative sample does not include adolescents from homes without telephones and certain high-risk adolescents (i.e., those who were homeless or housed in jails, juvenile correctional facilities, or inpatient mental health treatment facilities).
These are disturbing statistics and are supported by the well known syndrome that rape cases go largely unreported. Many times, children are embarrassed to report abuse, especially sexual abuse, which allows the perpetrator more time to continue with the child (and others). The National Center for Child Abuse and Neglect estimates that there are almost one million children in the US that suffer life threatening physical violence each year.
Some parents believe that physical violence is a way of changing the child’s behavior. They do not realize how much damage can be done to the child both physically and emotionally. Acting from "innocence," such parents can do irreparable harm to their own progeny.
It is essential that parents and family friends become aware of the abuse schemes that exist. That they observe any changes in the child’s behavior. And, most importantly, is is absolutely necessary that parents be open with children and that children know they can be open with parents!
This and much more, abstracted from the book "Empowering Children." If you want to read more, see:
http://www.buybooksontheweb.com/description.asp?ISBN=0-7414-2331-6
Dr. Malkin holds a B.Sc. in Business and a Masters and Ph.D. in Religion. He has made hundreds of visits to schools with a moving and effective motivational presentation, urging teens to do their personal best. His mentoring programs have empowered many, many children. His quest for years has been to teach the power of Right Action, working towards the goal of a better world.
