The Dot Com Miner

Zero Tolerance Learning from Momma Momma’s Rules

Our Daily Chores

When one has a larger family (in order to keep peace, harmony,
and sanity), structure and self-discipline become almost
mandatory for all parties therein. In addition, having come from
an abusive past, dissention of any kind threw mom into a
tailspin. Perhaps as a result, she was always teaching about
what love is and anything less was never going to be acceptable.
Though, her plan of defense accomplished multiple purposes at
the same time; keeping both house and home together for however
the Lord might call upon our family next.

And being that mom also had the gift of teaching, one always
knew there was purpose and benefit in her rules. The lessons
that constituted our daily chores went something like this …

People tend to be polite, not only to others they do not like
but even to those that actually make them angry. They’ll even
work at it, as to how to remove themselves from a situation in
which they really feel like exploding. And, most generally, that
is considered to be a good thing, to maintain one’s composure
amidst adversity. However, they tend to take those bottled up
frustrations home with them, then take it out on ones they love
the most; which makes no sense. Why would you work harder toward
giving a right response to people you don’t even care about than
you do when upset with those you love? And, why would you want
to keep hurting the people you really love and need?

Family is to stick together, to love each other, and to be there
for each other. When you make family your enemy, you will always
eventually lose. Besides, you may need them to be there for you,
some day.

It is never ever ok to hurt the people you love. Acts of
unkindness would be responded to with penalty and fighting met
with even further resistance; no exceptions.

1.) Part of being a valuable member to society is to take
responsibility for your own actions, instead of leaving whatever
mistake or mess you make for others to have to deal with. And,
not only is not very loving to expect mom to be your maid but,
in the real world, there will be no one to fix your messes or
mistakes.

So, a good place to begin learning accountability is this … if
you make the mess, it is yours to clean up. In fact, this
doesn’t even count as a chore. This is your responsibility as a
person, in addition to chores.

2.) Laziness is an ugly spirit, void of love; exemplary of one’s
lack of wanting to be a participant of the whole. Not only is it
unkind and sometimes hurtful to neglect at other’s expense, but
it is also dirty, unsanitary, and thoughtless of anyone besides
themselves. Therefore, it will not be tolerated.

Every child is to have one age appropriate chore assignment per
day, at least week days (whether that assignment includes more
than one chore or not); excluding the kitchen.

Then, if an additional family project is needed, it might be
taken up on a weekend (everyone pitching in); wherein mom made
working together fun and the job got done faster, too.

Being a part of a family is not something you can opt out of,
just because you don’t feel like it. Parents don’t even get to
take a day off from being a parent when they’re sick. So, a
child’s lack of initiative is not be a viable excuse. If said
chore is not done on the given day, unless otherwise pardoned,
that child could be gotten out of bed at mid-night, if need be,
to get it done.

Note: the daily chore should be lighter provided item #3 is also
implemented.

3.) Learning to work as a team is a necessary tool for life.

Upon age of ability to learn, every child would have a part in
the preparation of meals and or clean up of the kitchen; without
complaint.

Those who participate in the preparation of a given family meal
may or may not be excused from cleanup, depending upon fairness
and necessity.

Children may have the option of choosing their particular
kitchen chore(s), provided that works toward the benefit of the
whole; final decision is up to adult(s), which decision may or
may not alter daily and may also depend upon an individual
child’s need to learn a new task.

No one is excused from kitchen detail, unless otherwise
pardoned, until the entire project is complete. Therefore, it is
to the benefit of the whole to help each other toward completing
needed tasks. And, it goes much more smoothly when everyone
makes up their mind to get along.

4.) If children have such excessive penned up energy but what
they can’t seem to stop picking on each other or a general
running off of the mouth which seems to be controlling them,
these precious angels must have a serious physical problem they
need our help with.

Therefore, except a stronger response is deemed necessary, each
and every verbal and physical unkindness will be met with an
additional chore that is to commence being accomplished from the
moment so assigned. Of course, this law of consequences is only
offered as a means to help them work off some of that penned up
energy.

In such event, the first chore is to be minute. Then, if the
behavioral issue is not immediately resolved, kindly let them
know they can complete another chore when they get that one
done. This procedure is to be continued, slightly increasing the
degree of pressure, with each offense, until a task can be
completed (from start to finish) without sounding off or
otherwise having acted out.

The remarkable thing is that most children catch on really fast.
And, you thought it couldn’t be done.
© 2005 by Joyce C. Lock
http://www.angelslight.org/viewauthor.php?id=8
http://our.homewithgod.com/heavenlyinspirations/ This writing
may be used in its entirety, with credits in tact, for
non-profit ministering purposes.

Today more than ever before, we are witnessing a crises of consciousness over the validity of war versus the power of humility, integrity, understanding and diplomacy. Simultaneously those who are spiritual seekers ponder the purpose and mission of their immortal souls.

The experience of pondering and subsequently creating and maintaining a new paradigm for world peace is a monumental undertaking, however, it can be a wondrous opportunity to exercise and experience ourselves as the powerful spiritual beings we are. A paradigm shift teaches us about working with chaos and things turned upside down. The old paradigm needs to be examined and shifted before a new paradigm can evolve-this is the lesson we need most to learn. Doing the same thing over and over because that is what we have always done or because it seems expedient doesn’t mean ‘it is right.’

Through times of searching and integrity conflict, escaping is easy; holding onto one’s convictions of integrity and spiritual truth is difficult. Instead of giving up your convictions that, war is never the answer, we need to learn how to navigate in a new way. It is there-in the rough spots-that we learn how to deal with the resentments, the frustrations and the humiliations that come with life and work. It is there that we will find balance.

Pema Chodron, an American Buddhist teacher calls this, “The squeeze.” She defines it as “a point where we are not able to take it or leave it, where we are caught between a rock and a hard place, caught with both the up-lift of our ideas and the rawness of what’s happening in front of our eyes…” and, that, she says, “is a very fruitful place.”

There are many wonderful opportunities in life and work to experience this “fruitfulness.” As humans, we are often caught between that “rock and a hard place.” And when caught, we want; to run; to retaliate; to reach for something to fill the emptiness; to have an affair; to bail out; to do whatever it takes to have the feeling of fullness and comfort again. When we are challenged this is precisely the time we need to hold on. When our fears tell us; to escape; to retaliate; to take the easy way out; we need to check with our integrity and spiritual compass. This is where security can be found-in the fruit of our commitment to a higher purpose.

When one stays committed to one’s truth, humility, integrity and spiritual compass a new paradigm, in the midst of things falling apart, comes into focus. The space occupied by fear and letting go of old thinking shifts and is replaced by the new paradigm.

For centuries we have engaged in war to solve divergent ideologies. In the face of truth-that war has never solved the issues-many people continue to cling to the belief that war will solve ideological conflicts. So, instead of clinging to old beliefs or jumping ship, we need to learn how to navigate into a new paradigm-through mountains of old thinking, through overzealous decisions, through red tape, and even through the scrutiny of our family, friends, and colleagues. And through it all, we will learn and will be inspired by the sacred fires of courage and conviction.

The time has come for humanity to soften the “artificial boundaries” that separates nations, communities and families from each other. By staying connected to truth, humility, integrity, and a spiritual compass we can open doors and minds to new ways of being together in a growing world community. We can create a culture of healing-and through healing the culture, we will heal ourselves.

And as we all shift our consciousness and heal we move out of “The Squeeze.” Moving out of “The Squeeze” means we have changed our perceptions about it. We have realized “The Squeeze” is something we need to relax into. We need to breathe into it, understanding that from this breath, we will find new seeds of compassion-for ourselves and those around us and that ultimately, we will teach others that war is not an option.

World peace begins with each individual achieving a state of peace within oneself. We can begin to do that for ourselves by becoming aware of the “negative” influences in our lives and choosing consciously to eliminate or shift those influences.

Begin your consciousness shift by replacing your perception of a negative event that is occurring by saying the words “ONLY LOVE IS REAL.” This phrase sends “positive” energy to the perceived negative event as you stand as an observer in non-judgment. It will also help shift the perception that for good to exist, evil must also exist (polarity theory)-the place where the “The Squeeze” exists. As your perception shifts, you will perceive less and less negativity. This process therefore acts as a barometer to measure your own sense of inner peace. The less negativity you perceive, the less you will find yourself needing to affirm “Only Love Is Real”. We know “Only Love Is Real” because Love heals and creates; all other reactions and actions to life situations destroys.

Be aware that the news media has a profound impact on your perceptions. Do whatever you need to do to protect yourself from exposure to “negative” or fear-based stories in the media. This might mean giving up watching or listening to newscasts or reading newspapers, or it might mean that you filter your exposure to the news media and become very selective about what you read, listen to, or watch.

The media bombards us with negative reports of world events and therefore we get pulled into the negative energy. The media seldom reports “positive news” events. If we only have the media as our benchmark of what is happening on our planet, it would be easy to believe that only evil exists and that retaliation and pharmaceutical prescriptions solve every problem known to humans. The truth is; the reports of so-called negative occurrences that permeate newscasts are in most cases isolated incidences. Most of what happens on this planet falls into the “good news” arena, but positive news is not reported as the lead story, because it doesn’t sell newspapers or advertising for newscasts. “Good news” stories are used for fillers rather than the “lead story.”

We have become conditioned to want to hear about the horror stories that the media has become so good at reporting. This conditioning is so insidious many people become addicted to the adrenaline rush created by the sensationalism. The act of bringing your awareness to the negativity that permeates the news media will help shift your consciousness and create a new paradigm.

If a large number of people (critical mass) stopped exposing themselves to the “negative energy” generated by the news media and stayed focused on “ONLY LOVE IS REAL” whenever exposed to a report which reinforces the negative paradigm, we could shift the consciousness of the planet to a perception that “ONLY LOVE IS REAL.” This would be a giant step toward achieving a state of peace.

The following prayer is the foundation for taking your consciousness shift to the next level.

“Mother-Father God, we ask that all our elected representatives, appointed officials and business and world leaders be surrounded with and protected by Your Light. We ask that their every thought, word and action come from their Higher Selves and serve the highest good for our country and the world. Acknowledging our oneness with each other and with all creation, we ask this in Your Name. And so it is.” –Carol Hansen Grey

Dorothy M.Neddermeyer, PhD specializes in: Mind, Body, Spirit healing for Individuals, Special Issues and Professional Coaching. As an inspirational leader, Dr. Neddermeyer empowers people to view life’s challenges as an opportunity for Personal/Professional Growth and Spiritual Awakening.
http://www.gen-assist.com

OK, so I lied about the fun part.

Maybe piano playing is the just 2nd most fun thing adults can
do. But 2nd place isn’t bad when you consider the popularity of
the competition.

But there’s no question at all that it is MUCH safer than sex.

How so?

Piano playing has no threat of easily transmitted diseases,
unless of course you lick the keys.

To date, piano playing is not known to cause pregnancy.

Piano playing does not lead to jealousy, rage, spousal abuse,
or murder. No love triangles here - there’s plenty of notes and
songs to go around.

Piano playing is generally not done in fast cars leading to
accidents.

Very few pianists talk on their cell phones while playing the
piano with both hands.

Piano playing is generally not done under the influence of
foreign substances. Very few piano players sniff glue or inhale
helium. But the few adults that do play under the influence find
that falling off the piano bench is really not that big a deal.

Piano playing does not often lead to 911 calls or other forms
of emergency action.

OK. So piano playing is safer than sex. What about the fun part?

Playing the piano in a social setting is a great way to make
friends and create bonds as you sing around the piano with
others. Social and happy people are always popular.

Piano playing gals and guys can create their own music in their
own way. They can create moods that excite, moods that empower,
and moods that heal and sooth.

Piano playing is a great relaxation tool after a stressful day
at work or at school. Many professional people - medical doctors
particularly - relax after work by playing Beethoven, Brubeck,
or the Beatles on the piano.

Piano playing is no-cost therapy: anger can be taken out not at
a boss or a teacher, but by pounding the keys. Saves thousands
in psychotherapy costs, and keys are relatively cheap to replace
compared to months or years with a psychiatrist.

And hey - everybody knows that the right kind of music leads to
romance, so…maybe I wasn’t lying when I said it was more fun
than sex!

As little boys grow up, their fantasies and imaginations develop and are indulged by the thoughts of ordinary people possessing super human powers; therefore, a superhero party is a guaranteed hit.

Starting out in comic books, then moving on to television shows and finally ending up in toys and movies, superheroes are represented in all aspects of entertainment. A child has several options to indulge his fascination. Whether your little boy or girl is climbing up the walls like Spider-man, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound like Superman or turns green with anger like the Hulk, there is a superhero party waiting for him or her.

From plates to napkins, and cups to goody bags, there is everything you will need for your party at www.partysuppliesetc.com. What about allowing the children to dress up as their favorite characters? Supply Spider-man masks and web blasters for a Spider-man-themed party (just make sure that it’s an outdoor party because the “webbing” gets everywhere). Supply green face paint for your Incredible Hulk party. Maybe your child is into X-Men. Have different X-Men costumes on hand so that guests can dress as their favorite X-Men character.

Also, look into hiring somebody dressed like the superhero to come to the party. What better way to excite a child than allowing them to actually meet their hero face to face? Little boys are filled with enough energy to outlast even the most active parents.

There has to be a lot of activities to keep the guests occupied. Consider having races where all the children can participate at one time or in teams. If you have sufficient yard space, set up an obstacle course that all of the guests can compete in at once. Avoid games that require standing in line and waiting turns. Whatever activities are planned, rest assured that the kids will have fun because they’ll be together, and that always equals a good time.

Mrs. Party… Gail Leino is the internet’s leading authority on selecting the best possible party supplies, using proper etiquette and manners while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. Free Party Games to complete your birthday party.

Budgeting. It’s a word we’re all familiar with. Everyone knows what a budget is, right? Yet how many of us actually make and stick to a solid monthly budget? The truth is that most of us start out with the best of intentions, but an unexpected expense comes up and busts our budget. Then we give up and go back to juggling our finances and worrying about having too much month left at the end of the money. However, if you are striving to create a budget for the purpose of systematically paying off your debts or to start a savings and investment program, then it’s critical to develop a workable and realistic budget.

So what’s the problem? Why do most of us fail at the simple task of creating a budget so we can live within our means? The simple truth is that most budgets don’t work because they fail to account for irregular or variable expenses. Everyone knows how much their rent or mortgage payment is. It’s the same amount month after month. If your rent is $1,000 per month, that’s a no-brainer. The same is true of many other fixed expenses, such as auto loan payments, cable TV subscriptions, insurance premiums, and so on. It’s easy to budget for these expenses because the amounts don’t change from one month to the next.

Besides expenses that are the exact same figure each month, there are numerous types of expenses that vary a little from one month to the next, yet we still have a pretty good idea what we spend each month. A good example is our grocery bill. Most of us have a fairly clear picture of how much we spend each week at the supermarket. So, we can insert a realistic figure into our budget-in-progress and not be too far off the mark. The amounts may go up or down slightly each month, but we usually know the range we’re dealing with. Other examples of this category include telephone bills, utility bills and gasoline (when prices are stable, that is).

The real culprit in busted budgets is the variable or irregular expense. How much will you spend on car repairs over the next 12 months? What about medical bills? Home maintenance costs? It seems that bills for these types of expenses hit us out of left field, and there goes our budget. Before long, we’re using food money to cover a new set of tires for our car and the whole budget comes crashing down.

So what’s the solution? There is no perfect answer to this problem. But we can come to a close approximation by using the simple technique of monthly averaging. Start by gathering 12 months’ worth of checkbook registers, bank statements, and credit card statements. Write down (or enter into a spreadsheet) how much you spent each and every time your money went toward something that was not a fixed expense. Group these expenditures into categories, such as auto, home maintenance, clothes, etc. Don’t try to break it down too far. What you want is a handful of useful categories. Then keep listing each of these expenses under their relevant categories for the full 12-month period.

When you are done with this exercise, you should have an excellent idea of your total annual expenditure for these variable expenses. For example, if you add up all the automobile repair or maintenance expenses for the year, and the figure comes to $1,200, then divide by 12 to get the result of $100 per month average. That’s how much you need to allow in your monthly budget in order to build up enough reserves to handle an auto repair when it comes up. Again, this method isn’t perfect, because an expense may come up that exceeds your estimated outlay, but at least it takes into account a closer approximation to reality than simply guessing, or worse, ignoring auto maintenance in your budgeting.

The trick here is to set up a separate savings account in which to set aside these “extra” funds. Let’s say the “extra” $100 goes into the savings account for six months, and then you get hit with an auto repair for $400. You pull the money from your $600 savings that was purposely built up for this type of expense. This way, you’re automatically setting aside amounts intended to cover each type of irregular expense that you encountered over the previous year.

Most people are shocked when they perform this 12-month analysis of irregular expenses, and it immediately becomes clear why their budget is always breaking down. This technique leads to the discipline necessary to recognize that “extra” money is seldom really extra. If we think we have our bills covered, and there is some cash burning a hole in our pocket, our tendency is to spend it on something fun. But if we know that there really is no cash left over, because we haven’t yet set aside the extra $100 needed to keep our car on the road, then we’ll be less inclined to spend it on pizza, beer, and movies.

Budgeting can be successfully accomplished by this technique of monthly averaging, especially if we consistently apply it year after year. As we move forward, our understanding of our true expenses becomes clearer and clearer, and we are no longer surprised by the occasional unexpected expense.

The best way to implement this approach is to set up a regular savings program, where the amount you’re setting aside to cover irregular expenses gets automatically deducted from your paycheck and forwarded to your savings account. If the money is deducted from your paycheck before you even see it, then you will be less tempted to skip this critical part of the budgeting process, and you will greatly increase the chances of making a budget work over the long term.

Charles J. Phelan has been helping consumers become debt-free without bankruptcy since 1997. A former senior executive with one of the nation’s largest debt settlement firms, he is the author of the Debt Elimination Success Seminar, a five-hour audio-CD course that teaches consumers how to choose between debt program options based on their financial situation. The course focuses on comprehensive instruction in do-it-yourself debt negotiation & settlement designed to save $1,000s. Personal coaching and follow-up support is included. Achieves the same results as professional firms for a tiny fraction of the cost. Visit www.zipdebt.com for more information.

Copyright 2006 Dr Joe Rubino

Extensive studies show that more than 85% of the population suffers from some degree of diminished self-worth, lacking self-esteem and insufficient confidence. For most of the people who lack a positive self-image, the future looks like a mere extension of their troubled past. Their expectation of what is to be is consistent with what has been with a slight and predictable level of improvement.

Because of their lacking self-esteem and confidence, most are resigned to a life that lacks the excitement and passion that characterizes the lives of those who feel worthy of tapping into the best things life has to offer. People who possess a positive self-image typically have an optimistic expectation of what is ahead of them and as a result, they realize this expectation as a self-fulfilling prophesy.

In contrast to the state of resignation that typifies those with diminished self-esteem and lacking confidence, consider the possibility that the future lives as the realization of a promise a promise you make to yourself and to the world. The future will result from your expectations and the quality of your future will be impacted by the commitment you have for it. It lives as a possibility. In other words, you get to invent it. In fact, you are the sole designer and architect of what is to be. And the result will be entirely consistent with your expectation and your self-image.

In other words, our future will be directly related to what we expect for it to be. If we doubt our self-worth and expect our future lives to be worse than our current situation, we will sabotage ourselves into making it turn out in alignment with this self-fulfilling prophesy resulting in diminished self-esteem and self-confidence. If we limit our expectations and plan on more of the same results we have to date experienced, our apathy will generate a future consistent with this expectation. To the contrary, if we believe in ourselves and our expectation is that our future will be better than our present situation, self-motivation will result to bring about the positive outcome we envision.

If we feel good about ourselves and expect to live happy, fulfilled, and successful lives, we will take the actions consistent with realizing that expectation. We will therefore generate the opportunities that will result in rich relationships, abundance, and joy being attracted to our lives - because we believe we deserve it and act on this belief.

We get what we expect and attract prosperity or lack, joy or sorrow, rewarding relationships or angry, frustrating ones all as a result of whether or not we feel worthy. Just as we can doubt our abilities to succeed and our attractiveness as worthy of rewarding friends and intimate relationships, we can also instead choose to take full responsibility for expecting all aspects of our lives to be the way we want them to turn out.

Realize that you have consciously or unconsciously attracted everything that shows up in your life to you. If where you are in life, the relationships you have attracted to you, your physical, financial, emotional and spiritual states are not what you desire, decide now to alter your course. Decide that you deserve better. Get in touch with the erroneous decisions you made at an early age. Reframe how you see yourself and resolve to act from a declaration of who you are (just because you say so) instead of the unlovable, somehow defective or unworthy image you made up or bought into long ago.

Change your expectations. Design a life plan consistent with your new expectations. Make requests of those who can support your efforts in some way. The future exists for each of us as a possibility. When we do the necessary work to heal our troubled past and put the self-interpretations that do not support us behind, we can courageously decide to design our future lives deliberately to be in alignment with joy, abundance, fun, fulfillment, and self-love. When we train ourselves to first expect positive results and then to act in accordance with what we expect, we set the stage for a bright and promising tomorrow. We have the personal power to create our future on purpose. The future can unfold out of our declaration of how we see ourselves and what we expect it to be like. To the extent that we take responsibility to expect great things in our lives, ensure we give off positive, attractive, loving energy and then get into action to bring about our expectations, we will be the force behind the realization of a rewarding happy future characterized by soaring self-esteem and confidence.

So, my challenge for you today is to write out a clear and specific vision of exactly what your life will be like in every area including your relationships, health, wealth and finances, occupation, recreation and social life, and personal and spiritual development. Commit to resolving any past issues that continue to erode how you feel about yourself. I wrote “The Self-Esteem Book” and the accompanying “The Self-Esteem Workbook” to support you to learn the tools that will allow you to reinvent your life and how you see yourself. Know that all that it takes is the courage to begin the process of restoring your personal magnificence and start living full of self-esteem and confidence.

Dr. Joe Rubino is an internationally acclaimed life and success coach and the author of 11 best-selling books and audio programs available worldwide in 19 languages. He is the author of the best selling, “The Self-Esteem Book: The Ultimate Guide to Boost the Most Underrated Ingredient for Success and Happiness in Life” which has been called “the most transformational self-help tool available to support people to restore their self-esteem.” To learn more about this life-changing book, to learn more about Dr. Joe Rubino and to sign up for Dr. Joe’s Ezine, visit www.theselfesteembook.com

If you are not that keen on wearing the ubiquitous mini skirt that is being forecasted as a sure-fire fashion staple for Spring 2006, summon up your inner athlete and go with a short, pleated tennis-inspired skirt made of comfortable, wearable sweatshirt fabric instead. This fashion-forward key constituent of the preppy trend will make you look sporty chic when a casual look is in the cards.

The ‘tennis whites’ look, however, is passé. The flirty, pleated white skirt may be considered a classic in the strictest tennis circles but you could alternatively add a little punch to your sporty wardrobe by going in for some interesting fashion variations. Tennis skirts are now available in a variety of sporty colors, silhouettes and cuts, and look fabulous in soft and vibrant hues like peach, aqua, olive green and ruby red.

This is a very informal sporty style, so it is best to pair tennis-inspired skirts with preppy items like the classic polo shirt or a tennis tee. Fashion critics advise not to pair it with sneakers off the court. These little skirts look great when worn with strappy wedges, Speedo sandals or even round-toed pumps.

Although fashionistas and others in the know often declare that for pleated and multi-layered skirts, the shorter the better, it is advisable to keep the length at mid-thigh and team tennis skirts with a modest sports t-shirt if you intend to wear it for a serious game of tennis. Indian player Sania Mirza was recently in the eye of a storm due to her midriff-baring tennis attire. India’s Sunni Ulema Board, a Muslim organization, issued an edict in October 2005 demanding Sania to cover up during her tennis matches, and described her tennis clothes as “un-Islamic.”

Skirts provides detailed information about skirts, leather skirts, denim skirts, long skirts and more. Skirts is the sister site of Best Prom Dress.

Laminate flooring imitates the aspect of traditional wood. Their biggest advantage is that they are very easy to install and very durable. Laminate flooring are suitable for many of your rooms: hallways, family spaces, bathrooms, kitchens. Also they are perfect for an active home.

At first look, laminate flooring seems to be a natural wood floor but in fact is a layer of paper under a tough protective film that is glued and pressed to a high-density backing board. There are also types of laminate planks that are installed over a moisture barrier which levels any uneven areas of the floor. You don’t need any glue or nails for them because the planks snap together.

Before choosing a laminate flooring material you should think about the type of traffic in your house. One other advantage for laminate flooring is the durability. So this type of floor is one of the best choices for households with heavy foot traffic, kids, or pets. But, best of all, laminates will look like new for years.

Laminates are also highly resistant to stains, fading and moisture and many laminate flooring manufacturers offer warranty protection against them for a long period of time (usually from 10 to 25 years).

If you already have a type of floor this doesn’t represents a problem for you. Laminate flooring can be installed over floors like wood, tile, vinyl or linoleum because most of them are floating which means they do not fasten directly to the subfloor. Also, at this moment, many manufacturers offer snap-together laminate flooring systems.

A typical laminate flooring is and extremely economical solution, if you take in consideration the costs of alternate flooring solutions. Solid hardwood floors will require 4-5 refinishings and carpets and vinyls will need to be replaced at least twice (depending on traffic loads), while laminates don’t require anything.

Laminates come in different styles an types. You can find transition strips, end caps, stair nosings, moldings and baseboards. Almost anything you need you can find at a laminate flooring manufacturer. There are companies that offer floor registers for heating and air vents.

Laminate flooring provides a much cleaner and healthier living environment when compared to other floorings such as carpets, with regular cleaning cycles. It accumulates less dust, pet dander, allergens and it doesn’t hold residual stain contaminants on the surface. Allergic people will often be recommended to remove the carpets from the living space.

In conclusion laminate floors are a very good choice for your home because there are durable, resistant, economical and easy to install.

Laminate flooring enthusiasts unite! Installation, maintenance, selection, e.g., Harmonics, Pergo, Shaw, Mannington - you name it, we are talking about it. Join us at http://laminateflooring.oncloud8.com

There is a great deal of focus on college basketball this week; however the NBA is also in full swing with just over a month remaining before the playoffs begin. Below is a look at both national TV games for Thursday night on TNT.

DENVER (-1, 211) at PHILADELPHIA (TNT)

The Nuggets finished last season as one of the hottest teams in the league and Denver is once again making a stretch run this year with a solid 7-3 SU/ATS record over the past ten games, including 3-1 SU/ATS over the past four games. Overall, Denver is now 15-3 ATS in March the past two seasons.

The Nuggets might be without two of their top forwards tonight as both Kenyon Martin and Eduardo Najera are questionable due to injuries. Martin averages 14.0 points per game and is third on the team in rebounding (6.8 rpg). Najera averages 24.8 minutes per game and is fourth in rebounding (5.6 rpg).

Despite the recent absence of these two key rebounders, the Nuggets have still played well as Denver is 2-0 SU/ATS the past two games without Martin and 4-2 SU/ATS in the past six games which Najera has missed.

Philadelphia is coming off a 104-101 road loss at Boston last night in which the Sixers blew a five-point lead with just 1:34 remaining in the fourth quarter. Philadelphia struggled to contain Boston’s Paul Pierce who recorded his sixth career triple-double. It was the second straight loss for the Sixers; however Philadelphia is still a decent 5-3 SU/ATS since the All-Star break.

Philadelphia won the first meeting this season at Denver, 108-106, as a 4-point road underdog. Both defenses struggled as the Sixers outshot the Nuggets 50-46 percent from the field. Philadelphia was led by Allen Iverson’s 36 points and Chris Webber’s 32 points, while the Nuggets top scorer was Carmelo Anthony who poured in a game-high 45 points.

SAN ANTONIO at PHOENIX (Pick) (TNT)

Phoenix enters this game with an eleven game winning streak and overall the Suns are a strong 14-1 SU (10-5 ATS) since the end of January. Phoenix did suffer a major blow on Monday when point guard Steve Nash rolled his ankle and did not return versus New Orleans.

Nash was injured late in the third quarter, however the Suns played incredibly well without their superstar as Phoenix outscored the Hornets 30-9 in the fourth quarter with Nash on the bench. Nash is questionable tonight and he leads the team in assists (10.8 apg) and is second in scoring (19.4 ppg).

The Spurs had their seven game straight-up winning streak snapped on Tuesday with a 98-85 road loss versus the L.A. Clippers. The defeat came the night after a big win over the Lakers, 103-96. Overall, San Antonio is still 7-1 SU (6-2 ATS) since the All-Star break.

The Spurs and Suns have split the two head-to-head meetings this season, with the home team winning both games straight-up. The Suns lost 97-91 at San Antonio on November 19th, but Phoenix covered as a 9 -point road underdog in that game. The Suns also covered as a 1-point home underdog when they won outright 91-86 on January 7th in the most recent meeting.

STEVE MERRIL is a professional sports handicapper and a documented member of The Professional Handicappers League. Get his Premium plays here.

Steve Merril is a documented member of the Professional Handicappers League.
Read all of his articles at http://www.procappers.com/Steve_Merril.htm

Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains, former Great Plains Software Dynamics and eEnterprise are Dexterity-written applications. Also small business line: Microsoft Small Business Manager or Small Business Financials is written in Dexterity and uses the same code base as Great Plains.

The history of the Dexterity. Great Plains Dexterity - is proprietary programming language and technology, designed back to earlier 1990th with the goal to build platform independent graphical accounting package - Great Plains Dynamics. Dexterity itself is written in C (following popular those days hope - that C will provide platform independence). You can install Dexterity from Great Plains 7.5 CD #2. Obviously it requires a lot of learning / training, but it allows your custom piece be seamlessly integrated with Great Plains interface.

• Native Dexterity Cursors. Dexterity was designed as platform independent programming language and so if you want your code to be operable on all currently supported databases - you use Dexterity ranges and loops to manipulate the records

• Great Plains Dexterity with SQL Stored Procs Nowadays, most of Great Plains installations are moved to SQL Server - so you can use Dexterity for custom forms drawing only and make the buttons run SQL stored procedures.

• COM Objects calls. Beginning with version 7.0 Dexterity supports COM objects - you register them as libraries in Dexterity. Refer the manual. This technique allows you to call such nice things as web services across the internet.

• Dexterity Forms - if you like VBA and are comfortable to do all the business logic in VBA - you can use Dexterity as new forms creator/editor. This is OK - but you have to purchase VBA/Modifier and Customization Site Enabler from MBS.

• Great Plains Alternate Forms. These are modification to existing forms - the ones found in DYNAMICS.DIC. The most popular customization are made on SOP Entry form. If you are designing your customization - we recommend you to avoid alternate forms - the problem is customization version upgrade. In the case of alternate form - customization should be redone.

Some restrictions. Great Plains is actually integration of multiple dictionaries: DYNAMICS.DIC, ADVSECUR.DIC, EXP1493.DIC, etc. In your Dexterity customization you can deal with one dictionary - DYNAMICS.DIC. If you need cross dictionaries customization - consider using SQL Stored Procs for crossing dictionary borders and pulling data/making changes in the other dictionary.

You can always have us help you with the customization. Call us: 1-866-528-0577, 1-630-961-5918.

Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer in Alba Spectrum Technologies - USA nationwide Microsoft CRM, Microsoft Great Plains customization company, serving clients in Chicago, California, Texas, New York, Georgia, Arizona, Louisiana, Michigan, Florida, Canada, UK, Australia, South Africa and having locations in multiple states and internationally ( http://www.albaspectrum.com ), he is Dexterity, SQL, C#.Net, Crystal Reports and Microsoft CRM SDK developer.