Are Toxins Around Your Children?

If you are like many people you live life to the fullest and take each day as a new day. You take care of yourself and your children as best as you can.

What if I told you that your home may be filled with toxins that are harmful to you and your children? Many people have no clue about the dangers that are present in their homes and the effects of chemicals and toxins.

American's suffer from more degenerate disease then ever before. There is a definite link between the Epidemic of Degenerative Disease and the increase in the development of synthetic ingredients used in personal care products and home care products.

Many homes are now considered as a toxic waste dump. The average home today contains 62 toxic chemicals. That is more than a chemistry lab! More than 72,000 synthetic chemicals have been produced since World War II, and those are the same chemicals that have been found in many homes across the nation!

Here are some facts about products that are found in many homes.

• Bleach has been linked to reproductive problems in men and learning and behavioral problems in children.
• Everyday household cleaners are the number one cause of poisoning of children.B44
• Behavioral problems have been linked to exposure to toxic chemicals and molds.
• Carpet cleaner solution is extremely toxic to children. The fumes given off by carpet cleaners can cause cancer and liver damage.
• Laundry detergents, household cleaners and pesticides have been linked to breast cancer.
• Glass cleaner's may contain ammonia. Fumes from ammonia can irritate skin, eyes, and respiratory system.
• Toilet Bowl Cleaners are one of the most dangerous cleaning products. Can contain chlorine and hydrochloric acid. Harmful to health simply by breathing during use.
• Formaldehyde, phenol, benzene and toluene are found in common household cleaners, cosmetics, beverages, fabrics and cigarette smoke. These chemicals are cancer causing and toxic to the immune system.
• An EPA study stated that the toxic chemicals in household cleaners are 3 times more likely to cause cancer than outdoor air.

These are proven facts and back-up the real dangers in many products in our homes. If you use store bought window cleaner, disinfectants, carpet cleaners, make-up or even degreasers and stain removers all have been linked to contain very dangerous chemicals and toxins. These toxins have been linked to cancer, immune system disorders, liver damage, and many other very common health issues many American's face today.

So, what can people do to protect themselves and their families? Remove all toxic products from their homes! By removing those products and utilizing natural or organic made products, you will increase your chances of a healthy life and improve your health greatly!

Safe Wellness Products combines the best of science & nature come together to create healthy lives and toxin free homes! If you are concerned about you or your families health and wellness, we can help you create a more earth friendly home and eliminate toxins from your home!

Visit http://www.safewellnessproducts.com today to learn how you can protect yourself and family from toxins!

Stairs And Walkway

What You Need To Know About Construction Contractors

If you are planning a new home or office then first step you have to take is finding a contractor who can help you in every sphere of construction process. You need to follow some simple tips and techniques for successfully completing your construction or remodeling work.

Plywood Backing On Wall Inshower

Five Deadly Sales Letter Mistakes

To be effective your sales letter must be opened, read, believed and acted upon. In order to do this it must attract attention, warm the interest of the reader, create a desire for your product or service and cause your prospect to take positive action.

An effective sales letter, not surprisingly, achieves the same objectives as an effective salesperson. And just as there are certain mistakes a salesperson wants to be sure to avoid in the selling process, the same holds true for the writer of sales letters.

So today I present Five Deadly Sales Letter Mistakes. Eliminate one or more of the common blunders described here and it's a good bet your response rates will improve.

Deadly Sales Letter Mistake16CD # 1 Writing Your Letter For the Hundreds or Thousands of People You Will Be Mailing It To Instead of One Special Person. One sure way to generate an apathetic response to your sales letter is to write for the group or list of people you will be mailing it to.

Approaching your letter with a crowd mentality instead of focusing in on a single, real, living, breathing prospect will greatly impair the ability of your letter to make a genuine connection with the reader.

The sales letter is the most personal, one-to-one form of advertising there is. As is often said, it's the only form of advertising that begins with the word "dear." So it should read like one person sitting down writing to one other person. And heres a crystal clear example of exactly what I mean by that statement. Its from a letter by the brilliant copywriter and nonpareil advertising man, Maxwell Sackheim:

Thank you very much for having written to me for my latest catalog. A copy is being sent to you in another envelope and should reach you in a day or two.

When my catalog arrives I hope you will give it as friendly a welcome as if I were visiting you myself. Ive tried to put into it just the words I would say to you if you were to come here personally, or if I were to come to your home and spend an evening with you.

Deadly Sales Letter Mistake # 2 Thinking that Your Prospect Wont Read a Long Letter. The key question is, what makes for a long letter? To which the answer is, any letter that is uninteresting is a long letter! Even the one-page letter that many salespeople and amateur marketers arbitrarily limit themselves to can seem long.

For example, a number of years ago Kevin Costner made an interminably boring and bloated movie entitled Waterworld that the critics panned and audiences ignored. On the other hand, Stephen Spielbergs inspiring and unflinching film about the Holocaust, Schindlers List, was more than three hours long and it was a huge critical and financial success.

Heres my point: People read long books, take long trips, and watch long movies and plays. And evidence abounds that people read long letters. But people wont read boring letters, dull letters, obviously self-serving I-me-we-product-oriented letters.

Offer the right product or service at the right price to the right audience and if you have enough to say and say it interestingly enoughyou can make a five-page letter pull a better response than a two page letter.

Deadly Sales Letter Mistake # 3 Being a Slave to the Formal Rules of Correct Grammar. When you were in school, teachers and professors were paid to read your work and they dutifully corrected your writing according to the formal rules of grammar.

In the real world its a different story. When writing a sales letter you want your work to have a conversational readability to it. And in most instances that means writing in an informal style. Because thats how the vast majority of buyers and sellers communicate with one another.

As a result, youll break a number of formal grammatical rules. Youll start sentences with and or but. Instead of complete sentences youll sometimes use a sentence fragment. But thats OK. And every now and then youll dangle a participle or end a sentence with a preposition.

If all of this seems totally against the grain consider this true story. Winston Churchill, a Nobel Prize Winner for literature, was corrected by one of his proofreaders for ending a sentence in a preposition. To which Mr. Churchill replied, That is the type of nonsense up with which I will not put!

Your objective is to generate a lead or advance or close the sale. Not one of your prospects is getting paid to read your letter. This time your grade will be determined by how well people respond.

Deadly Sales Letter Mistake # 4 Giving The Reader a Reason For Not Reading. Beware of the so what reaction of your typical prospect. Simply stated, they dont care about you, they dont care about your product or service and they dont care about your company.

Indifference is the order of the day. So you must grab hold of your prospects mind with a startling statement, a provocative question; some volley of words that will stir them from their apathy and make them pay attention to your letter.

But capturing the prospects attention will do you no good unless you hold onto it. And you do this by focusing your copy on one or more of the fundamental urges which motivate people fear, exclusivity, greed, guilt, the desire for love, beauty, health, salvation and so on.

Among these you must find or create the symptom or symptoms which your product or service cures. If your letter does not clearly and convincingly articulate your cure you have given your prospect an excellent reason for not reading it.

Deadly Sales Letter Mistake # 5 Not Offering Proof That Your Product or Service Does What You Say It Will Do. Not only is your typical prospect indifferent, in the vast majority of situations he is also highly skeptical. Thats why you always want to offer the reader proof that your product or service will do what you say it will do. This will serve to validate your claims and minimize your prospects skepticism. Most important, it will establish your salesperson the sales letter as a more credible and believable source of information.

The proof you offer up in your sales letter can take several different forms. Here are two forms of proof that I have found to be very effective:

5B31. Customer Testimonials A testimonial from a satisfied customer with a well-known, well-respected company is some of the most valuable proof you can offer. But make sure that the testimonial copy speaks to specific and relevant issues and concerns your typical prospect is likely to have.

For example, you sell training services and you know that one of the biggest concerns your prospect has is whether or not the training will produce meaningful, measurable results. So you go through your thick packet of glowing testimonials and find a statement that speaks directly to the prospects concern. This is what it says:

When you compare 6 months of results prior to your training with the 6 months after, we have improved our market share by $2,261,000 and have established numerous new dealer relationships. Thanks to you, we are the only district in our region to experience any type of retail growth."

2. Tell A Success Story As a salesperson you know that stories sell. Thats because, as skeptical as the typical prospect may be, she knows that few people will stoop so low as to fabricate a story.

Like any good story yours has to have some drama to it. And of course the hero of the story is you, your company and your product and/or service. Heres an example of what I mean. Its from a letter I wrote for a broker at a commercial real estate firm and this is exactly how the letter opens:5B8

"They had accepted our purchase price. But when the building inspection revealed many small details that needed repair their response was, No way, this is an as-is purchase.

"My clients just did not have the time to "lock horns" on this issue. Fortunately, they didn't have to. As their representative it was my job to get them what they wanted.

"I persisted. In phone callafter phone call after phone call. In meetingafter meetingafter meeting. I met with the broker. The property manager. The corporate ownership's management. Their attorneys (ugh!). I persisted. And, I negotiated.

The bottom line? My clients got everything they wanted; every repair they asked for. Some $40,000 worth!"

Stories sell, in person and on paper. They sell because they offer the prospect believable and credible proof that your product or service will do what you say it will do.

Your sales letter is the pen-and-ink embodiment of YOU, the professional marketer or salesperson. So when writing your sales letter think of yourself first and foremost as a salesperson, not a writer. And that means communicating with the prospect in much the same way and selling to him or her using many of the same tools as you would in a face-to-face meeting.

2006 Ernest Nicastro

About the author
E594rnest Nicastro, a direct marketing consultant, copywriter and lead-generation specialist, heads up Positive Response, an award-winning marketing firm specializing in B-to-B marketing and lead-generation. He also publishes a free monthly newsletter, AIM For Positive Response. For more information visit http://www.positiveresponse.com. Contact Ernie directly at ENicastro@positiveresponse.com. or by phone at 614.747.2256.

2006 Ernest Nicastro
You may reprint this article online and in print provided the links remain live and the content remains unaltered (including the "About the author" message).

Bathroom Toilets

Signs of a Cheating Spouse

One of the worst feelings is the world is suspecting that your spouse is cheating on you. If you are worried that your spouse may not be being faithful or having any sort of nagging doubts it can consume you and cause a wide variety of emotions including pain, anger, sorrow, despair, distrust, feeling like there is something wrong with you and many other different emotions. Here are some common signs of a cheating spouse that may help you to determine whether or not your fears are true. Not everyone who is cheating will display all of these signs and not everyone who exhibits these signs is actually cheating. However, these are some of the most common signs of a cheating spouse and if your partner exhibits any of them it can be a good indication that they may not be being faithful.

First, you may notice that your spouse starts spending more time away from home. It could be that they are called into the office to work more frequently or they may suddenly be making frequent trips to visit new "friends" that you have never met. It could even be something as simple as when you try to reach them during their lunch hour they are frequently unavailable when before you could get through every time. Don't make the mistake of thinking that cheating can only happen at night since many people carry on affairs during the day when it is easier to hide their activities from you.

Another sign of cheating is if your spouse suddenly registers a new email address with a different password than usual or if they get a new cell phone or pager out of the blue. The internet has made cheating easy since people can just stay in touch through email without arousing your suspicions as much as if they were trying to talk on the phone. The same goes for text messaging on cell phones. It is a way to be in touch with each other without having to talk in front of you which makes it easier for them to hide their cheating. If you notice that your spouse quickly deletes all of their text messages or closes windows on their computer when you walk into the room it could be a sign that they are cheating.

When you run into friends or acquaintances who are mutual friends with you and your partner you might notice that they act strangely toward you. This can happen if they know about the cheating but don't know whether or not to tell you or just don't want to get involved.

You may also notice that your spouse starts to pay more attention to their appearance and grooming. They may buy new clothes or start dressing up more even for regular day to day activities. Even subtle changes like suddenly starting to wear perfume or cologne when they didn't before can be a sign that they are being unfaithful. Any sudden or unusual change in habits can often signal that there is something going on and that they are dressing up to impress the person they are cheating with.

There are also more obvious physical signs of cheating that are easy to spot like the classic lipstick on the collar, coming home smelling like perfume or cologne, coming home with their shirt buttoned crooked or on inside out, etc. Also pay attention if your spouse suddenly starts doing their own laundry since it can be a sign that they are trying to hide physical signs of an affair from you.

Not knowing for sure is one of the hardest parts of suspecting that your spouse is cheating on you. Even if they are showing all the signs of cheating you still can't know for certain unless you find concrete evidence that something is going on. If you would like to learn how to find out for sure whether or not your partner is cheating and put an end to the suffering, self-doubt and lies, I would recommend checking How to Catch a Cheater for resources that can help you discover the truth. Learn more at http://catchacheater.s1so.com

Octagon Stain Glass Window

Golf Caddies An Endangered Species

Golf caddies are an endangered species in the world of modern golf. It seem that the only time you see a caddie is at PGA events on the television. In this setting you see that caddies are an integral part of the team. You observe them giving valuable tips and insight to the pro as well as carrying the bag, maintaining the golf clubs and accessories. You wonder where the pros find their caddies since there aren't any at the local courses or country clubs. Its kind of a joke about golf being good exercise these days when everyone rides around on electric or gas powered golf carts.

Having worked as caddie for my grandfather and his friends I have an appreciation of what golf has lost in terms of tradition and richness. No one knows who was the first caddie but considering the ancient history of European golf the first caddies where most likely the servants of noblemen. Of course many golfers know the history of St Andrews caddie William Gunn, locally known as Caddie Willie. He was a professional caddie that spent his entire life the famous golf course. He was an encyclopedia of golf swing tips, course layout and putting tips that he provided to all his clients,

In the past being a caddie was the fastest way to learn the game of golf. Many caddies went on to become pros themselves after spending their youth on the local links. They learned what a good golf swing was and what proper dress and etiquette is required to be a golfer. In 1913 a caddie by the name of Francis Oimet won the US open defeating Harry Vardon and Ted Ray two world famous and accomplished golf pros. When interview by the press he readily stated that the secret of this success was being a caddie for several good golfers who showed him the ropes. He developed his good golf swing and list of putting tips from his clients. Almost all of his golf instruction he learned as a caddie.

Apparently the first golf cart was invented in 1940 and ever since the golf caddie was doomed. Golf carts are now everywhere and come in electric and gas versions. However golf carts do a lousy job of giving golf swing tips or putting tips to the golfers they serve. They also do a poor job of providing course advice as well. Occasionally you will see a few players pulling their own carts on the courses in an effort to get the exercise benefit that once accompanied the game. However most of us cannot remember when we saw the last caddie following walking golfers. Sadly golf has lost much of its character now that golf caddies no longer ply their trade on the local golf courses.

James Kesel, MS, is the publisher of Good Golf Swing website. Providing information on golf swing tips, putting tips, golf training aids, golf instruction and the latest and best golf ebooks.

MoldRemoval

Keep Your Brand, Your Legacy, and Your Income Growing Long After You're Gone

How can Elvis Presley earn much more dead than alive--$45 million per year to be exact? No, it's not because of inflation.

Those after-death earnings are more incredible than his frequent Elvis sightings and "Weekly World News" reports that he's still alive, hiding out from fans--aged, obese, bald, suffering from osteoarthritis of the pelvis, still "all shook up"but still the King.

How about Peanuts comic strip creator Charles Schlutz who, though now dead, earns $35 million annually? Ask Peppermint Patty. Maybe she knows Schultz's gifted investment advisor.

Consider ex-Beetle John Lennon. He gets by in death on a mere $22 million annually, according to the media.

Andy Warhol, a central figure in Pop Art, survives on $16 million per year in his afterlife.

Theodore Seuss Geisel, the Doctor Seuss of "Cat In The Hat" fame, exists on a paltry $10 million per year. Online sales of "Cat-In-The Hat" merchandise help.

But life is never fair. Why? Deceased musician Kurt Cobain overtook Elvis Presley's number one ranking in after death earnings this year.

Kurt earns $50 million annually while second place Elvis has to make do with $45 million. No wonder he's "all shook up." It's tough at the top--even for deceased celebrities.

Now what does all this have to do with business and professional people like you and me not yet famous nor deceased?

To keep building your brand, legacy and earnings while you're alive and after you're dead as well, there are five things you must do:

1. Select excellent financial advisors and solid business thinkers. This is essential for successful people. Avoid gold diggers, hucksters and flakes.

Although Johnny Carson made $15 million per year, four wives and his financial advisor, whom he called Bombastic Buskin, diminished his wealth significantly.

2. Create your own brand. You areor must become a brandfor success.

3. Understand and use all of the market segments and niches available to you in your business or profession. Focus upon the ones that are right for you.

4. Use information technology creatively and boldly to build your business and expand your markets, here and internationally.

5. Establish and live by your spiritual beliefs. Keep your head screwed on straight.

This requires having and holding strongly-held spiritual beliefs and practices which guide your decisions, motivate you, and provide your moral standards.

Joel Osteen is Senior Pastor, Lakewood Church, Houston, TX. Each week 46,000 people attend that church. This church teaches Christian doctrine in creative, contemporary ways.

He gives eight pieces of advice to improve spiritually:

1. Enlarge your vision.

2. Develop a healthy self-image.

3. Discover the power of your thoughts and words.

4. Let go of the past.

5. Find strength through adversity.

6. Live to give.

7. Choose to be happy.

8. Remember that one of God's Bible names is El Shaddai. El means "God" and Shaddai means "all sufficient." God is all sufficient.

We need to trust in God to provide for us. God's name is "El Shaddai," not El Cheapo," Osteen reminds us.

John J. Alquist is a speaker, author and consultant. He and his wife own and operate Alquist Enterprises, which provides John's professional services as well as two network marketing businesses--one national, the other international.

John is a strong believer in globalism, Internet business proficiency and self-employment. He has a solid marketing management background. John's website is http://www.tell-it-well.com He has three blogs, including http://alquistauthor.blogspot.com

MoldRemoval

Home Fire Safety - Interior Stairway Design Fire Safety Guidelines

INTRODUCTION
This article is about custom home designing fire safety in an interior stairway.

As to home fire safety in home building plans, much codified ado is made of fire-blocking wall and floor structure, but not much at all on stairway design and stairway construction.

Comment: This codified ado even sort-of includes home fire safety in regard to stairway structure. See IRC 2003, R311.2.2 "Under stair protection. Enclosed accessible space under stairs shall have walls, under stair surface and any soffits protected on the enclosed side with -inch (12.7mm) gypsum board." For fire safety in stairway design and stairway construction, it's a beginning. Note, please, that there's no mention of fire-rated gypsum board and heavier weight material as are referenced elsewhere and have been for quite a long while for garage wall and ceiling surfaces abutting habitable space.

IMPORTANT DIGRESSION
And there are the high-value references to smoke alarms in home fire safety building codes nationwide, references albeit at minimum levels of materials and methods, in the author's opinion.

Comment: Minimums? That's what this custom home designer thinks. Following are designer house plan set stipulations that may be written into smoke alarm methods and materials to extend home fire safety codified minimums. Each alarm shall run on both permanent 120V and replaceable battery, shall feature a combination of ionization and photoelectric sensors. None shall disconnect by wall switch. Each shall connect to a 120V line as first load on a frequently used lighting circuit with overcurrent protection at the panelboard suitable for a double tap. For sleeping areas, an alarm shall be installed according to manufacturer's specifications on either side of any passage between a sleeping area and a path to egress

HOME FIRE SAFETY - STAIRWAY DESIGN AND STAIRWAY CONSTRUCTION PROLOGUE

So, what about the eminently more airflow-permissive stairwell itself?

In a house aflame, a residential interior stairway can occasion two events: the passage of both occupants to safety and firemen for the sake of safety and the passage of smoke and flame between interior floor levels.

Comment: It might seem as though interior stairway design and stairway construction, this key locus of interior structure in interior fire conditions good (human transport) and bad (smoke and fire transport) is at least largely forsaken by residential building authorities having jurisdiction.

WHAT TO DO? WHAT TO DO?
In regard to stairwells, that is stairwell design and stairwell construction, what's at stake is fire-degraded stairway construction, wood stud walls and wood ceiling joists collapsing within the stairwell, engaging stairway and its contents, including people contents, and thereby precluding occupants' easy physical movement between floor levels.

HOME FIRE SAFETY - INTERIOR STAIRWAY DESIGN FIRE SAFETY GUIDELINES
A residential, interior stairway, other than a spiral stairway - below the stair stringer shall be sheathed from outer stair stringer to outer stair stringer including header cleat with not less than 1 layer of 5/8" Type-X gypsum board glued, screwed, and taped. It shall be mudded not less than 3 coats, paying particular attention to screw pocks which shall be taped, too.

Where walls run below or immediately next to outside stair stringers shall be framed at walls with lightweight, or cold-formed. The steel frame shall be sheathed on the exterior with 1 layer-5/8" Type-X gypsum board glued, screwed, and taped. It shall be mudded not less than 3 coats, paying particular attention to screw pocks which shall be taped, too.

If continuous Type-X envelope cannot be applied on the vertical below a staircase, then contractor shall frame with lightweight, or cold-formed, steel shall sheathe the interior with 2 layers-5/8" Type-X gypsum board glued, screwed, and taped. Where applicable, the exterior sheathed with 1 layer-5/8" Type-X gypsum board glued, screwed, and taped. It shall be mudded not less than 3 coats, paying particular attention to screw pocks which shall be taped, too.

Where stairwell wall extends above a stair stringer as, for example, a stairwell, or below a stringer as, for example, a mid-landing, contractor shall frame the wall in lightweight, or cold-formed, steel. The frame shall be sheathed on the interior with 2 layers-5/8" Type-X gypsum board and, where applicable, on the exterior of the wall with 1 layer-5/8" Type-X gypsum board glued, screwed, and taped. Sheathing shall be mudded not less than 3 coats, paying particular attention to screw pocks which shall be taped, too.

Sheathing shall be sealed at a protrusion with fire-stopping materials conforming to not less than most current ASTM E84 and E814, which sealing shall not necessarily exclude consideration of tumescent sealant at under-stair in closet, cabinet, niche, alcove, bookcase, or similar. Steel frame shall be sheathed continuously, fastened, and mudded at all abuts before other finish clad is applied, that is, the first exterior clad to steel frame below a staircase shall be at least 1 layer-5/8"Type-X gypsum board applied as above.

A high-voltage electrical outlet, device, or appliance shall not be sited anywhere below a stairway.

In sum, the steel's there to break down more slowly when engaged, purposely to wrack and sag but not to cinders and ash; the extra layers of Type-X are there to better hold its form and hold flames from you on your way up or down the steps.

Before The Architect designs and drafts custom home plans nationwide. Its principals Ralph and Jean Pressel have worked hands-on together since the 60s in custom home design, drafting, consulting, plus building and repair in every major trade. Home Design Standards - Home Building Standards and the website http://www.beforethearchitect.com are enterprises of Before The Architects principals.

Add Some Light With A Shed Dormer
Which Roof Do I Choose