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Thursday, April 5, 2012
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Home Improvement: Various Types Of Flooring For Homes
Various Types Of Flooring For Homes
Floors are usually the part of the house that initially attracts the guests' attention. When the guest steps his foot on your floor, he will most probably notice and check what kind of flooring you have. It's as important as your wallpaper, ceiling and home decorations. Choosing the right flooring for your home may seem like an overwhelming decision to make. It requires careful planning as you would like to show your personality and style with a touch of practicality.With numbers of flooring available, it seems so hard to choose. ?You seem to like them all and all look perfect for your home. Now, the question of which to choose arises. The answer to this question depends on many things. You should consider the size of the family and the traffic the floor will receive. Will the floor be safe if you have any children? How much maintenance does the floor require and how long do you expect to have the same floor??
Nowadays, different designs and types of flooring have come out; as the need arise and with the desire to meet the standard of the owner. Home owners may think of using the same type of flooring in all areas of the house but some have their preferences for each room. Flooring comes in various types. It can be hard, wood, fiber or sheet. It is best to study these flooring types first before deciding on which to get.
Hard floors are durable and do not require much maintenance, elegant and are resistant to heat. Common types of hard floor are ceramic and natural stones.
Ceramic tiles were originally used only in kitchens and bathrooms. With the new designs of ceramic styles, it is now possible to use these even in your living room. Ceramic comes in three basic types: glazed, unglazed and porcelain. Glazed ceramic tiles are designed with glass coated with mineral stains. Glazed ceramic tiles come in semi-gloss or high-gloss finishing. Unglazed ceramic tiles have different texture and are very hard. Porcelain is the hardest as it has a higher breaking strength. Ceramic tiles are easy to maintain. They are durable and dents, dings and scratches are minimized. One thing you have to remember is never to use ceramic tiles over a floor with structural movements. Though ceramic tiles are durable, they are prone to cracking. It is also not good for homes with children as it can be slippery when it gets wet.?
Natural stones such as granite, marble, limestone, travertine and others are commonly used as living room flooring. It has its natural beauty, elegance and durability. It adds motif and style to your living room. It can create a dramatic appearance to your flooring with its being natural. Because of these things, natural stones are not as affordable as other floorings. It also requires sub flooring which requires additional expenses.?
Wood floors are long lasting. It requires easy cleaning as it doesn't retain dust particles. It is commonly found in older houses. It works naturally well with many interior designs. However, it requires frequent vacuuming and sweeping. Although, it doesn?t retain dust particles, wood floors are prone to scratches and dents. Two common types of wood flooring are the natural and synthetic wood.
Natural woods come in different styles and patterns. Parquet square is the most common type. It comes in square boards that form its pattern. The big advantage of using parquet square is that it is replaceable. Another type of natural wood is the plank which gives a classic look to the flooring. Although planks do not require sub flooring, these are more expensive that other wood floors. Strip floor is another type of natural wood floor. These are long narrow boards that are prone to buckling. Thus, sub flooring is highly recommended.
Laminated floorings are the most common type of synthetic woods. This type of flooring works well in areas exposed to moisture. These are laminated so they do not require finishing. The good thing about laminated floorings is that it is fire resistant, do not fade nor stain.
Fiber floors provide more comfort than other types of flooring. It absorbs noise making it perfect to be installed on the second floor of the house. It is available in different colors making the house more stylish. It doesn?t scratch however it is not as durable as hard flooring. To extend its life span, carpet padding is necessary. It requires maintenance as it gathers dust particles and when wet with water or any liquid, a stain is formed. There are two types of fiber flooring: natural and synthetic.
The types of natural fiber flooring are coir, sea grass, sisal, and jute. These fiber materials give a comfortable feeling and are best for homes with children. However, durability is not guaranteed.
Sheet floors are considered to be the most affordable. The two most common types of sheet floors are the linoleum and vinyl. ?These floorings also come in various color and designs. Because these are the most affordable, these flooring are also the least durable. It requires constant care and constant maintenance as these flooring easily absorbs dirt and dust. These types of floorings aren?t hard to replace. With extra care and maintenance, these could last longer than usual.
Indeed, careful planning and studying is needed on deciding which type of flooring the best for your home or office. Anyhow, after the flooring of your choice is installed, you will definitely be overjoyed realizing that it?s the surface you, your kids, family and friends will be standing and walking on.
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Justin Bieber Drops New 'Boyfriend' Video Tease
Pop star experiences the elements in a second scintillating teaser for the much-anticipated clip.
By Jocelyn Vena
Justin Bieber's <i>Boyfriend</i>
Photo: Walmart/ Island
Justin Bieber shared a new teaser on Tuesday (April 3) for his highly anticipated "Boyfriend" video.
He tweeted out the short tease days after he dropped the first tease on Friday. The new footage from the Colin Tilley-directed clip focuses on Bieber as he motionlessly floats underwater. Another shot from the blink-and-you-might-miss-it preview features the teen star, in a leather hoodie, standing in front of a burning tire swing.
The first tease featured a shot of Bieber looking at the camera as ladies' hands caress his face and chest.
And that's it. So, what does it all mean? Fans will have to wait until the video's release to find out.
When MTV News caught up with Bieber on the set of his "Boyfriend" video, he shared that the elements would play heavily into the theme of the video. "The concept of this video, I mean it's not like a steady concept," he said about the clip. "It's not like 'Justin follows this girl to this spot.' No, it's a bunch of amazing scenes: Like a fire scene, we have an ice scene.
"It's kind of like bouncing back and forth," he said. "And then there's scenes of me and just a bunch of girl dancers, and just some great shots, great artistic shots, great shots of me smiling. It's fun."
"Boyfriend" is the lead single off his forthcoming album, Believe, set for release later this year. It was produced by Mike Posner and Mason Levy.
Anticipation for the album seems to be quite high. The song sold 520,000 downloads in its first week. What does that mean? Well, it places Bieber at #2 in all-time first-week singles sales, behind Flo Rida's record-holder "Right Round," which moved 636,000 units in its first week.
What else do you think we'll see on Bieber's "Boyfriend" video? Leave your comment below!
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Finding the Best Media Outlet for Your Product's Launch
I once had a client who was launching a really terrific golf product. We were discussing what the best plan was to get the word out about his item, and he told me he wanted to send out the initial wave to editors of business magazines.
Not a terrible line of thinking, except for one problem: none of the magazines he mentioned reported on anything remotely close to golf products. The editors would see our press release and immediately toss it ? why wouldn?t they? It didn?t fit in their magazine.
When considering where to announce the launch of your product, it?s important to consider where it REALLY fits. You can take the shotgun approach all you want, where sending out as many press releases to as many people as you can might get some bites. But for a real focused effort, you may want to try another tactic entirely: hyper-targeting.
All Around
Hyper-targeting is everywhere these days, though you may not be aware of it. We?ve heard and seen examples of it on sites like Facebook, where an ad will pop up and be oddly specific to your tastes and needs. Websites are constantly trying to figure out new ways of finding out what you?re interested in to sell to you more directly.
But it?s not just on social media, nor is it simply contained to the Internet. Hyper-targeting happens anywhere a group of people with shared interest congregate.
For instance, when you go to a baseball game, do you expect to see ads featuring gardening or space exploration? No, you expect to see ads that have something to do with baseball. ?I need this TV to help me watch baseball better,? things like that. That?s the essence of hyper-targeting: know what your audience likes and show them where to buy stuff that relates.
When choosing an appropriate outlet for your launch, it is important to think of your audience, much like my client did. However, just because you know your audience doesn?t mean everything they read or use will be an appropriate medium. It?s important to do this research as well.
The benefits of hyper-targeting over a shotgun style? You?ll most likely find your audience already has a vested interest in paying attention to your message. If you try to market a golf product to ?middle aged businessmen,? you might have some luck, but not all businessmen play golf. However, all golfers play golf (to some extent). Immediately after telling them you have a new golf product to check out, they?re interested.
Now, all you have to do is convince them they need to buy it!
What?s been the most successful media outlet for your product?
Tags: baseball game, business magazine, business magazines, businessmen, editors, facebook, golf product, golf products, initial wave, launch, press release, shotgun approach, space exploration, tactic, tastesThis article is written by Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases, the online leader in affordable press release distribution. Grab your free 160-page copy of the Big Press Release Book ? Press Releases for Every Occasion and Industry here: http://www.ereleases.com/insider/bigbook.html
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Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Video: Tech IPOs: Risk vs. Reward
Groupon is seeing its biggest decline since it first went public. Discussing whether the risk of investing in IPOs is worth the reward, with Herman Leung, Susquehanna Financial Group analyst and Doug Creutz, Cowen analyst.
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The Lies We Tell Ourselves About Sex | Psychology Today
The New York Times' Op-Ed columnist, Maureen Dowd couldn?t resist jumping into the conversation about women?s sexuality, S/M and why some very smart women enjoy surrendering to a powerful man, in her recent op-ed?She?s Fit To Be Tied (NYT?s April 1, 2012).
Even with this article that openly discusses the legendary Story of O and the suddenly hot 50 Shades of Gray, we are still dancing around the lies we tell ourselves about sex. We are sex-obsessed. We are obsessed with wanting it in all its flavors, deny that we want it, and then hide it when we get it the way we want it. It?s takes a lot of guts to be a normal real person in the real world living a fully integrated life, i.e., embracing your sexuality.
It?s fine for creatures of fiction to go off the deep end ? la Story of O or Beauty in Anne Rice?s contribution to erotica and have nothing else to do but devote themselves utterly to sex. But real people, the ones who dare to step outside the sexual box, are in fact indistinguishable from everybody else. They are housewives, farmers, doctors, lawyers, nurses, ?cops, factory workers and high flying financiers (oh how bodice-ripper writers love those financiers?thank you Goldman Sachs).
Even though sexual desires are absolutely normal, as soon we have the nerve to admit them, even to ourselves, we immediately have to plaster it over with shame and denial. Take Kathy, one of my sexuality coaching clients, who called me the other day filled with frustrated longing.
?I want to be shameless,? she cries. ""I" the professional, "I" the parent, "I" the daughter, and "I" the secret slut... I have denied myself so much for so long, that I don?t know what I want anymore. I want to be shameless. Yet without the scaffolding of shame, self doubt, second guessing and fear of failure, I don't know who I would be. Some days shame feels like all I have.?
Kathy?s misery echoes exactly the same anguish I hear over and over from women and men. We are confused by society?s multiple conflicting messages. Give into your desires; don?t you dare. ?Be faithful; try swinging. You don't need a partner; you are nothing without one. Be monogamous; try polyamory or open marriage. Then there?s the old standby: cheating.
It?s making us all a little crazy. We?re fragmented. We?re taught to box off our sexuality from the time we?re little kids (U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jocelyn Elders was pilloried for advocating masturbation). I mean, we?re talking about cutting out the core of one of the most basic and necessary of human behavior from the rest of our lives. That leaves most of us isolated, angry, anxious or in therapy trying to identify what?s wrong and then attempting to reconnect to what?s been sealed off. No easy feat. Most of us ping pong between salacious voyeurism and repentance and repression. We?re programmed to fear our desires, to treat them as alien invaders that threaten the very fabric of a ?normal life.?
We don't have real language or real live people to help us even think about this in a rational context. All we have are fetishized images that keep us in perpetual heat while the gatekeepers of ?morality? slam the door on sex ed and information. We are a country at war with sex.?
It takes the kind of courage needed to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, to live out loud. The truth is, we?re all at risk for becoming The Scarlet?s Letter protagonist Hester Prynne. If people knew what we did behind our closed bedroom doors or in private sex clubs that exist in every state in this great nation, we can be pretty sure that there?d be hell to pay. Anyone who?s been outed knows the stakes: lose a job, get booted from the PTA, and worse, publicly shamed.
I know whereof I speak on this one. I outed myself. I figured what was there to be ashamed of exactly. That I was happier? A better wife and mother when I finally unearthed my deeply buried sexuality? Yeah, well... I penned a funny memoir of my midlife coming of sexual age for a well regarded, crunchy granola, squeaky clean publishing house. They knew exactly what I was trying to say: I am "Everywoman," with two kids, a 30-year-old marriage, money problems, and my mother. That I could dive into the ?sexual underground,? find out that I, a powerhouse of a CEO, really liked the freedom I found in ?surrender? and l could get home in time to cook dinner and have quality family time. I found healing on my journey, and I wanted to share it with the world.
Not everybody found my journey or my determinatin to tell it in my memoir? Shameless: How I Ditched The Diet, Got Naked, Found True Pleasure and Somehow Got Home in Time to Cook Dinner (Rodale) amusing. A lot of things most people fear will happen if they open up, happened. I lost my job. I lost some friends. I had my first anxiety attack. Some people called me names.?
When a man recently asked me about the consequences of coming clean, the color drained from his face and he whispered, ?It?s my worst nightmare.?
I set him straight. Yeah it was awful for a while. But I found new friends, reinvented my career, my family stayed intact and I?m content in ways I could never have imagined. I stopped hating myself. I love the sexually confident woman I?ve become. I love how that has infused everything I do with a joy I didn?t know I possessed. So there.
I also told him thousands of people contacted me and called my bravery inspiring. They asked me for advice. I?ve become a how-to maven on being a fully integrated human being. ?Don?t worry so much,? I told him. ?There?s a giant community of like souls out there. You just have to know where to look.?
We're permitted to express fascination with Shades of Grey but not the story of a real woman who reaches for desire and fulfills it without destroying her marriage or sending her kids into long term therapy. We can't seem to get morning television to cover any real people trying to figure this out, unless of course it's a big political or Hollywood scandal.
The closest we come to real people trying to figure this out is a quasi-freak show called Strange Sex on The Learning Channel. Isn't it fascinating that a farmer and his wife in the Midwest going to a sex club is ?strange sex??
I don't see an end to our cultural compulsion to talk endlessly about the "naughty and dirty parts" of sex. Until we stop telling ourselves lies about what we desire, and that it's okay if we are lucky enough to get it. We are going to keep pointing fingers and covertly lapping up the tales of the sexual renegades, fictional or real.
Let me be unequivocal: there is nothing politically correct or expected about sexuality.? There are mainstream people out there, just like me, who are living the stories that we know people devour when we call it make believe.? Because if it was ?real? then what?
What if we could live sexually integrated lives? What if we could have all kinds of marriages and still be good people? What if our neighborhoods were made up of couples who were openly monogamous, monogamish, poly, or open in their containers? What if we knew that the Smiths like to play bondage games and that the Jones enjoyed nude beaches? What if it all stopped being ?Strange Sex??
I know what it is to finally become an integrated woman and live to my full potential. I want that for all people. We?ve got the science. We?ve got the social theory and the countless talking heads. We?ve got the porn, the novels, and the cable television series. We?ve got everything except real live people to identify with.
You know what I mean; people like me. A wife, mother, professional, who is a size 12 and just turned fifty. I also like to wear a lot of Eileen Fisher. I?m that woman. What about you?
What to do after reading this article?
Please leave a comment, "like it" and share it with your social networks. To learn more about Pamela Madsen, please visit her website.
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Clippers get first six-game win streak in 20 years
Dallas Mavericks' Vince Carter (25) attempts to get a shot off against Los Angeles Clippers' Eric Bledsoe, Blake Griffin (32) and Bobby Simmons (21) in the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, April 2, 2012, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Dallas Mavericks' Vince Carter (25) attempts to get a shot off against Los Angeles Clippers' Eric Bledsoe, Blake Griffin (32) and Bobby Simmons (21) in the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, April 2, 2012, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Los Angeles Clippers' Eric Bledsoe, bottom right, goes up for a shot as Dallas Mavericks' Ian Mahinmi, left, and Dirk Nowitzki, right rear, defend in the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, April 2, 2012, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Dallas Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki walks to the bench late in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday, April 2, 2012, in Dallas. The Clippers won 94-75. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Dallas Mavericks' Vince Carter (25) attempts to get a shot off against Los Angeles Clippers' Eric Bledsoe, Blake Griffin (32) and Bobby Simmons (21) in the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, April 2, 2012, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Dallas Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki, of Germany, falls to the court after being stripped of the ball by Los Angeles Clippers' Eric Bledsoe, right, in the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, April 2, 2012, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
DALLAS (AP) ? Randy Foye kept knocking down shots for the Los Angeles Clippers and the Dallas Mavericks did nothing to stop him.
Foye tied a team record with a career-high eight 3-pointers while scoring 28 points for the Clippers, who have their first six-game winning streak in two decades after a 94-75 victory over the Mavericks on Monday night.
"I was waiting for somebody to knock (Foye) down, do something. We just didn't do it, and really that's on me," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. "If we're not aware and if we're not going to be physical with a guy that gets it's going like that then it's on the head coach."
After Brandan Wright's tip-in capped an 8-0 run to get Dallas within 76-62 with about 7? minutes left, Foye responded with a 3-pointer. Jason Terry then made another basket for Dallas, only to have Foy make another 3, his eighth to match the franchise record.
"I was just trying to be aggressive," said Foye, who made 8 of 15 from 3-point range and 10 of 19 shots overall.
"We got him in some rhythm," Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said. "They went zone, they lost him a few times on that left wing. They load up so much on Chris (Paul) and Blake (Griffin)."
Quentin Richardson made 8 of 11 from long range while scoring 36 points for the Clippers at Boston on Feb. 4, 2004.
Griffin had his streak of six consecutive 20-point games snapped, but he still put up his 33rd double-double this season with 15 points and 16 rebounds.
Caron Butler, part of the Mavericks' championship team last season, had 13 points for the Clippers, who had lost 10 consecutive games in Dallas since 2006. Nick Young had 10 points, while Paul had eight points and 10 assists.
Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks with 19 points, while Terry had 15.
Los Angeles entered the game fourth in the Western Conference, just ahead of the defending NBA champions.
Had the playoffs been starting, it would have been a first-round game ? in Los Angeles. Good thing for the Mavericks there are still more than three weeks left in the regular season.
For the Clippers, they took two of three in the season series against Dallas.
"A win like this shows that we're growing," Foye said. "It means a lot to play this well and beat the champs."
The loss dropped the Mavs to sixth place in the West. They are now a half-game behind Memphis, who they play twice in their next three games, including Wednesday night at home.
Dallas was without veteran guard Jason Kidd (strained right groin) and forward Lamar Odom (stomach illness). Kidd isn't expected to play this week, meaning he could miss his third four-game stretch this season.
As usual, Griffin had some highlight-reel dunks. He punctuated his night with a high-flying gem in the closing minutes. On one of Foye's missed 3s, Griffin came charging into the lane and cut in front of Nowitzki for a one-handed putback slam.
Griffin's first dunk came 5 minutes into the game, when Butler had a steal and pass to Griffin for a breakaway jam. Griffin made the shot even as Delonte West, filling in as the starter for Kidd, reached over and slapped down on his head.
The Clippers were already up 25-15 in the first quarter after a 3-pointer by Foye.
"We just couldn't get the ball to fall for us and Foye was hitting dagger after dagger," West said. "All those 3's, it takes a lot out of you.'"
Young's only points before a late 3-pointer had been seven in a row in a 75-second span midway through the second quarter for a 35-23 Clippers lead.
Dallas had only 33 points at halftime, its second-lowest scoring first half of the season, and things didn't get any better after that.
Vince Carter drove for what he thought was a layup early in the second half, but was called for charging. While Carter ran down the court in disbelief, replays showed that Griffin appeared to have his feet set when he took the contact.
Butler then hit a 3-pointer over Carter, and Foye drove for a short high bank shot to push the lead to 52-35.
"It's a good game because we need wins and it helps us in the West standings," Griffin said. "At the same time, just because we won like this doesn't mean that if we had to come back it would be a rout. They're a tough team, they're a veteran team, they're missing some guys, so we've just got to keep on working and keep on plugging."
Notes: The Clippers left the floor at halftime with a 49-33 lead, but officials reviewed an earlier basket by Kenyon Martin that they determined came after the shot clock ran out. So the halftime score was really 47-33. ... Los Angeles' six-game winning streak 20 years ago began with a win at Dallas. ... The Mavericks scored 29 points in the first half at San Antonio on Jan. 5, their eighth game this season.
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