Welcome to Michael's Article Collection

No Dogs or Cats Allowed!

The lease says specifically that no dogs or cats are allowed in your apartment... but the animal kingdom has lots of choices, including one which may be acceptable to landlords and other owners.Face it, animal lovers can find it difficult to live without a faithful companion. Don't think that dogs and cats are your only options for pets. Many apartment complexes do allow some caged animals. The. . .

Online Shopping – Is It Really So Great?

Online shopping - is it really so great? That is the question among many consumers in the United States. There are many that would rather go to the local shopping mall to make their purchases. Perhaps it is the socialization aspect or the smell of the mall that attracts them. Yes, I know people that like the smell of the mall! Other consumers are still intimidated by the Internet and afrai. . .

Beaches, and Three-Quarter Fried Chickens

MACON,GA.- Pretty soon, I’m taking my family over to Tybee Island. We started going there back in 1986, and have continued to do so each summer since. We’ve had some great times there over the years, and, even though Will and Alison are almost grown, I still think they enjoy it just as much as they did as kids. I kinda get a kick out of that, if the truth be known.Each time we go there, my mind. . .

Marketplace Overtaking Rent Control,

Rent control is one of those concepts that seems like a good idea, at least until you think about it for more than 60 seconds -- an unusual event in an era of bumper-sticker philosophies and instant analysis.The modern rent control era began with the federal Emergency Price Control Act of 1942. Such legislation was enacted while the country was at war both in Europe and Asia, and there was a ne. . .

Rental Maintenance and Repairs: Who Pays The Bills?

Renting property is an arrangement where the needs of owners and tenants generally overlap: The tenant wants a clean and safe home and the landlord wants rent and someone who will care for the property. All in all, a good trade for everyone -- until it comes time to make repairs.So if the sink leaks, a light-bulb is out, or the oven burner is shot, who pays?The answer depends on several factors. . .

The Minefields in Your Lease

In some markets across the country -- San Francisco, New York and Washington, D.C., for example -- the renters' market is so hot that properties are snatched up the same day they become available. In fact, many landlords in these markets find themselves negotiating among multiple offers.In climates like these, propsective tenants often feel pressured to sign on the dotted line. The reality is t. . .

Dealing With Noisy Neighbors the Pacifist Way

Joe Landlord just received a phone call about a busted water pipe in apartment 3c, an overflowing washing machine in 2d and a broken window in 4a, so Suzy Tenant’s complaint about the “noisy neighbors” will remain low on his list of things to attend to. Perhaps, at a better time, Joe Landlord will be happy to help Suzy with her noisy neighbor dilemma. Sometimes, though, there just never is a “b. . .

Your Responsibility To Promptly Submit Repair Requests To...

As a tenant in a rental community, you have some advantages over homeowners. For example, you don’t need to worry about making simple maintenance repairs. What you DO need to worry about is submitting repair requests in a timely fashion. If you wait too long, YOU could be responsible for costly repairs.Let’s visit Suzy Shmoe - a resident of Hypothetical Apartments. Suzy has a leaky washer. When. . .

Why Does My Cat Drink Dirty Water?

You know that cats should always have a supply of water, especially if you are feeding them dried food. There on your nice clean kitchen floor is a bowl of nice clean fresh water, in a nice clean bowl.What does your cat do? Maybe gives the bowl a sniff and walks away from it, or just ignores the bowl completely, as if water were the last thing a self respecting cat would consider drinking. "O. . .

Can This Happen To Your Family?

I would like to introduce you to the Blaine family. A typical family with typical problems in today's world. Tom, 39 is the head of the human resources department of the local school district. His good friend, the business manager, is embezzling money. He has to fire him and hire a replacement. The secretary messed up payroll. And he is seeing a teacher, a women he is attracted to. His wife Amy. . .

Secrets Of Successfully Sitting Exams

Many people work hard studying various subjects to sit for examinations in them. Fine. Hard work is usually a necessary condition for passing exams. Unfortunately it does not follow that it is a sufficient condition! Exam technique can be almost equally as important. It can make all the difference between success and failure or between poor grades and good grades.As students, we often complain . . .

How To Fight Cultural Differences In Marriage And Stay Ha...

When people plan to marry, they expect to find in their partner not only a lover but a friend also. A person with whom they can share their opinions, their emotions, thoughts and fears. In marriage we are looking for a partner who will be able to understand our values, our likes and dislikes. If a man and a woman are born and raised in the same country, most likely they are familiar with the sa. . .

Is YOUR Home A Safe Home?

Do you or one of your family members suffer from allergies, asthma, add/adhd Heart disease, cancer, or respitory problems? It could be from the toxins in your home! Did you know that there are more Toxins in your home than in the outside air? Chances are, the cleaning products And hygienic products you use are making you and your family sick. In the past 10 years, there has been a 42% increase. . .

The Simple $10 Debt Elimination Solution

Ask a friend what resolutions they made for 2004 and your bound to hear them reply “Pay off my credit cards.” Ask them how they planned on reaching that goal and many of them will not have a clear cut answer. The obvious first step to paying off credit card debt or paying down credit debt load is to cut back or eliminate the use of your credit cards. For some people this first step can often. . .

Think Green

This month, our theme is Think Green. Spring is just around the corner. Even though there is still snow on the ground in many parts of the country, here in the South our daffodils have already begun to bloom. You too, can enjoy a little bit of spring indoors. Use your green thumb to try planting some seeds in a terrarium or forcing some bulbs. Did you know that the shamrock, or three-leafed clo. . .

A Healthy Summertime Snack For Your Kids

Oh, for the lazy days of Summer.... As If!Nowadays we all rush around trying to balance two jobs, the kids and running the house. Many of us are taking classes on top of that.The end result is we often just grab whatever is handy to snack on. Chips or sweet snacks like cookies or snack cakes. Not very healthy,eh? Try this instead. Take a few minutes and buy a package of tropical fruit mix at th. . .

When Mother Comes to Visit

My mom came to visit us for a few days. I know what you're thinking. I know it's happened to you, too. Just when someone comes to visit, All Hell decides to break loose. And especially if it's your mother, All Hell delights in knocking everything just enough out of whack to showcase your utter incompetence for her eyes.But All Hell didn't break loose this time. We drove my mom home from th. . .

To Know You Is To Love You

How do you show someone you love them? Do you buy them expensive gifts? Spend quality time together? Make personal sacrifices just to see them smile? Dedicate a song to them? Write a love letter or note of encouragement? Become their cheerleader? Those are wonderful things to do but my question goes deeper then those types of activities, even beyond your romantic partner. Think about yo. . .

Proper Medical Identification Could Save Your LIFE

Everyone with a medical condition or allergy should have a medical id alert bracelet. There are many places that you can find a wide variety of medical alert jewelry styles, especially on the internet. Most are custom-engraved, stainless steel medical ID bracelets or necklaces. Each one should be able to hold between four to six lines of medical information (for a variety of conditions, disease. . .

Thumbs Up

Do you remember how sensitive you felt about being "different" in some way when you were kid?Maybe you were shorter than your classmates. Or taller. Or had darker hair, or lighter hair. Or maybe you wore glasses.Well…my difference was thumbs. That's right, thumbs. I know it sounds silly, but for a long time I envied the other girls who had petite thumbs. And yet, it wasn't until we were comple. . .

The English were always Philistines, Sir Roy!

Sir Roy Strong, the eminent English historian and former director of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, has ridiculed the television programme ‘I’m a celebrity… Get me out of Here!’ in a recent article in ‘The Daily Mail’.“It made we feel utterly ashamed to be British”, he lamented. For those of you lucky enough not to know what this progra. . .

Are You Too Critical?

First of all, Criticalness breaks up more relationships, than anything else. And that criticalness is usually over the children or money!Criticalness can be seen in eyes that slant down. They notice anything that is out of line and can spot problems and the flaws. Yes, they are naggers, faultfinders. They cause fear in other people. They make people afraid of them.Your son asks you a quest. . .

Cheekybrats & Mothers

By keeping your baby nearby you and by listening to him and responsively meeting his needs with promptness and love, you will come to know your baby better than any one else ever could. . . you will be the expert on your baby. All the advice in the world won't change what you feel in your heart your baby needs. Go with that feeling. Cheekybrats is designed to bring you the essential baby produc. . .

How To Run A Successful Fundraiser

This is the first article of a multi-part series on this topic. Part One of this SPECIAL REPORT is about: Organizing Your Group Would you agree that it's easier complete a job when you have a blueprint to follow? Yes? Also, the exact opposite maybe true which brings us to the old axiom: "Fail to plan, plan to fail" Usually most groups avoid planning because they view it as difficult or tedious . . .

Eggs-travagant Eggs

Wonderfully simple to do and oh so impressive!You don’t need a $40 Easter egg decorating kit with pages of instructions to impress your family and guests this Easter – achieve sophisticated elegance with colors taken directly from nature. Simply decorated from a myriad of plants and flowers, you can create a beautiful range of natural colors and textures. Try this technique – it’s simple enoug. . .

Never Pay Full Price for a Book!

Are you an avid reader? Are you trying to instill a love of reading in your children? My whole family loves to read! Right before bedtime every night, every one of us can be found with our nose in a book! It would be very easy for us to spend a fortune every month on books. But, since we don't have a fortune to spend every month, over the years I've found several ways to get good books and neve. . .

How to Buy Used Baby Clothes Online!

There are multitudes of ways to purchase used clothing for your baby. In this article I will cover only the online options available in the hopes that it will help you to maximize your spending money with the least amount of hassle, stress or risk. I hope to cover some of the key issues of buying used clothes online such as private sales versus online stores, the use of PayPal and other forms o. . .

The Fundamentals of a Great Marriage

There are two types of marriages. A marriage in which a couple is married and cares about each other and another in which the couple loves each other and supports the development of each emotionally and spiritually.I met my wife in Russia. Our romance was something of a whirlwind romance. There are times when you just know something is right. You do not know why you do it - you just know you mu. . .

Gone With the Wind Almost Did Not Make It

Corporate America has been shaken recently by lawsuits and criminal charges of fraud by Enron, Martha Stewart and Tyco. Huge companies who lied to stockholders, the SEC and the government. They all took stockholders’ money and then violated their trust by mishandling it for the profit of top officers. Good old common greed at work at its best. But isn’t that what’s becoming of America? It’. . .

Senior Health Care Insurance

Health Insurance For Seniors On The NetWhen a good friend of mine inquired where he could obtain information about medical insurance for his out-of-state, elderly mother, I told him to try the Internet.He reported back to me about a week later, in desperation: "I am giving up, I am too confused." He had taken on an overwhelming project with his widowed mother, living in another state. As the on. . .

Walking on a Path of Life

We set out walking along a route where one foot walks on a sidewalk that is slowly accenting to higher levels, whilst the other foot walks on the road. We will get to a point where we have to make a choice. Do we raise ourselves up onto the side walk and continue to ascend, or do we keep both feet on the road, on the lower level? If we stay on the road, we will keep in the gutter and when it ra. . .

Nursery Decorating Ideas: Creating a Timeless Retreat…

Decorating a baby room is a wonderful opportunity to create a carefree hideaway - a place of slumber and lullabies. BABY ROOM THEMES…From Tropical Jungle to Noah's Ark, Teddy Bears to Winnie the Pooh: There are many delightful baby room themes to choose from - any one will spark enthusiasm and generate exciting nursery decorating ideas.But decorating the baby room can be daunting: There's so mu. . .

Nervous Cats, Wining the Trust of a Timid Cat.

Nervous cats hide from people, they do not readily present themselves for petting, and may seem downright scared of you. Probably, this was not exactly what you had in mind when you decided to get yourself a pet. So, is it at all possible for nervous cats to overcome their timidity and learn to trust you? The answer is yes, but you will need patience, patience, and patience.It is usual for a k. . .

Family Law

A frustrating lack of permanence plagues modern relationships. Approximately one of every two marriages ends in divorce and the average length of a marriage before divorce is only five years. Many couples today chose cohabitation over traditional marriage. What happened to the idealized family depicted in Father Knows Best, Leave it To Beaver, The Donna Reed Show and Ozzie and Harriet?No simpl. . .

Teen Advice On-line

There is no doubt about it. We are an electronic society. From our cable television sets to our satellite radios, our cell phones to our beepers, our global positioning devices to our palm pilots, and of course the world wide web – we are a truly connected society. There are opportunities for educational and interest driven activities all around us but no where are they more readily availa. . .

Love Discrimination

Why is it people, especially the media, thinks that looking for love on the internet is shameful? The discrimination is particularly evident if you are looking for a foreign bride. I met my wife, Eileen, who is Filipina, on the internet. The narrow-minded nay sayers like labeling this media as “mail order bride” They seem to believe these ladies are enslaved by Western men who are seeking a for. . .

Triumphing Over Tantrums

Before you had kids you probably witnessed an out of control child having a temper tantrum at the store. More than likely you thought or said, "If that was my child, I would ______". Well now here you are with children of your own dealing with these exact situations. Temper tantrums are a normal part of life with toddlers and preschoolers. Almost all young children have tantrums occasional. . .

And You Always Will

I opened the dishtowel drawer for about the sixth time, hoping the towels had somehow magically appeared.The brand new towels still weren’t there, of course.“What did Mom DO with them?” I wondered aloud.I knew they had to be around somewhere because I had given them to her for Christmas only a few months ago. Not that the towels were so terribly important. It’s just that when you’re expecting g. . .

Falling Out of Love with Wholesale Warehouse Discount Clu...

I used to love the thought of going to the local wholesale warehouse club, where the products are stacked up to the warehouse ceiling and the shopping carts are brimming with rolls of toilet paper and cases of cheese snacks. Where else could you pay a memberbership fee of a thirty or forty dollars per year and have access to products by the caseload at a discount? After joining such a club I re. . .

Learn To Save Hard Cash This Festive Season

Time was when shopping was a painful experience, a chore to be lived with. Cash Back schemes have now brought the fun back into shopping. One can now shop online and purchase all that you need without even leaving home. What’s more, these online purchases also pay you back a certain amount on your purchases. Online purchase stores are now offering its customers up to 40% Cash Back on every purc. . .

Doing Dinner: Confessions Of A Radical Mother

I love slow living. It's peaceful, meaningful and downright radical in a go-go world. According to a recent article in (appropriately enough)Time magazine, groups of harried parents across the USA are joining a wave of slow living advocates by doing something really revolutionary--having one sit-down dinner at home with their kids each week. I don't know whether to applaud or cry. The idea that. . .

The One That Got Away

For years I have been listening to those commercials advising me to get my precious "Kodak moments" on film. And they always make it look so easy too. Well, all right then, if it's so easy, why haven't I been more successful? It's certainly not because I don't have opportunities. In fact, I had a wonderful opportunity one winter day a few years ago.Throughout the night it had been snowing here. . .

Wolves, Goats, Martyrs and War: a History of Valentine's Day

Valentines Day is one of the most enigmatic of holidays, having appeared in many forms. But all “Valentine’s Days” have drawn suspicion. In fact, after hundreds of years of attempted reform, Christian observance came to an end when the Catholic Church purged St. Valentine’s Day from its calendar in 1969. Still, the holiday continues to inspire an annual avalanche of cards, not to mention the ma. . .

How to While Away a Winter Sunday Afternoon with the Kids...

1. Take care of the birds. First spend some time learning about birds. Check out the bird photo library (http://birding.about.com/library/weekly/aa020100a.htm). Download free kids kit "Learn about Backyard Birds" (http://www.birdfeeding.org/kids.html). Go here (http://birding.about.com/cs/kidssongs/index.htm) to learn bird songs and calls. EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE FOCUS: Learning how hard the w. . .

Too Good to be True

The whole thing had started about a week earlier when I was paging through a pet catalog and came across a section devoted to dental supplies. “Simply squirt into your pet’s mouth and the specially formulated solution goes to work immediately to kill bacteria and improve dental health,” said the description.At that moment, one of my cats — who was sitting on my lap — turned his head in my direc. . .

Spend More Time With Your Family This Holiday Season: Hos...

Too often we forgo entertaining because of the mere thought of all of the preparation that is involved. And more is not better. Often we try to out do each other with lavish parties and expensive gifts. Stop and remember for a second what was important from your own childhood. Was it an outing? Baking cookies with your grandmother? Building a snowman with your dad? We need to connect. This. . .

"Contested" And "Uncontested Divorce"

A divorce case is contested if the parties cannot agree on every one of the issues involved in their particular situation. Common areas of disagreement include, but are not limited to: grounds for divorce, custody of the children, visitation rights, division of the assets of the marriage, child support, maintenance (alimony), payment of family debts, contribution toward educational expenses (co. . .

Holiday Gifts Under $20 for Busy Families

HOLIDAY GIFTS UNDER $20: LOOKING FOR THE PERFECT GIFT FOR A BUSY FAMILY? THINKBIN HAS THE ANSWER Do you know a family whose kitchen counters are cluttered with appointment reminders, school notices and sports schedules?If so, the Thinkbin™ Wall Calendar enables families to get organized in five easy ways: Cuts down on the number of “little slips of paper” with a large layout and plenty of roo. . .

New Year’s Resolution — Why Not Resolve To Take Back Your...

It’s time once again for the dreaded New Year’s Resolutions. Most of us make them; few of us keep them for more than a few months. New Year’s resolutions range anywhere from loosing weight to being more organized to finishing your education and the list goes on. But, have you ever thought about resolving to get your life back? “What does this mean?” you ask.Getting your life back means taking c. . .

I Saw An Angel At Work

Sometimes you have to see something to believe it. Like angels. Unfortunately, angels are adept at not being seen, yet many people believe in them. I saw an angel at work last year. No, I did not see the halo. Or the feathered wings. Or a flowing white gown dancing in the wind. But there was no mistaking the unique handiwork. When Little Lady was just one-and-a-half years old, we were vi. . .