10 Reasons to Switch to Organic Bedding and Clothing

When Organic food was first presented to the public, there were few choices and some of the products simply did not appeal to the taste buds being bland or too "natural." Now the choices are endless and appeal to almost every palette.

The same was true for Organic clothing and bedding. Initially Organic bedding and clothing was a repertoire of boring color schemes and water shades. Presently, thanks to environmentally induced dyes, there is a wide array of colors available to please even the most discerning adult or child.

The reasons manufacturers are enhancing and promoting the organic market are not too difficult to figure: people have become more aware of health issues and they like their products to be as free as possible from pesticides, fertilizers and additives.

But organic clothing? And bedding? Why would you bother to spend more on the organic products you do not even ingest?

Here are some reasons:

1. You avoid contact with chemical surface treatments. You or your children may be spending a third or more of your life in bed, by switching to an organic mattress and organic bedding will immediately reduce your exposure by that amount. Further, most mattresses that are non organic are treated with boric acid as a fire retardant. Boric acid is also used to kill rats--not a good substance for you or your children to be sleeping with.

2. You support ethical and safer working practices. Farmers working on organic farms are exposed to fewer chemicals. Millions of pounds of pesticides are applied to US agricultural corps, lawns and gardens each year. You can help reduce this practice by buying organic.

3. You support organic farming. By choosing organic clothing, you divert your disposable income towards supporting organic agriculture. Organic growing techniques involve crop rotation, which encourages biological diversity, a healthier ecosystem and a healthier work environment.

4. You support the use of natural color and natural dyed fabrics. Natural dyes are generally much less polluting than synthetics. Dyeing fabrics and yarns consume a great deal of energy and produces toxic waste. You can support the use of natural colour and natural dyed fabrics.

5. You support fair trade practices. Certified organic cottons from other countries are produced to industry standards for labor and free trade. You can support moral and ethical trade practices. Organic clothing and bedding are certified sweat shop free.

6. You reduce the allergens present in the environment. Certified organic cotton is farmed without the use of pesticides, genetically modified seed or synthetic fertilizers and materials. You can help reduce the allergens present in the environment.

7. You save on toxic waste. Organic fabrics can be composted with safely, without contributing to toxins in the soil. You can save on toxic waste and aid provide for better health of our planet.

8. You support global biodiversity. Organic farming aids biodiversity at every level of the food chain, by using crop rotation, fewer pesticides and fertilizers and by adopting wildlife-friendly habitat management techniques.

9. You save energy. Organic farms tend to use less energy, instead focusing on careful ecological management and natural balances to solve pest problems.

10. You can be part of the solution rather than part of the problem. What you wear and use says something about you. You don't need to promote the branded products with a cool slogan printed on it!
Further, if you have children, you are promoting better health and lifestyles for them. Organic clothing and bedding is known to create lesser skin rashes and allergies in children. Traditionally manufactured cotton is weakened by excessive use of chemicals and dyes. Organic cotton is untouched by harmful chemicals and thus provides the child with a soft touch with a longer life, saving you money in doctor bills and replacement costs.

Nest Organics in Asheville, NC has a great online store for all your home organic needs, from mattresses, bedding, furniture, organic dining, organic kitchen ware, organic clothing and more. Check them out for a wide array of organic products that can be ordered from the convenience of your home!

Gray Line Asheville's Trolley Charters

Taking the Gray Line Asheville Trolley Tour is one of the best ways to get to know the city that everyone is making plans to visit. This guided tour runs to all the hottest destinations in Asheville, North Carolina including Pack Place, the historic Montford neighborhood and The Asheville River Arts District. With unlimited hop-on, hop-off privileges, it’s the only form of ground transportation in Asheville worth considering. No parking hassles, traffic issues or getting lost…you get just to kick back and enjoy everything this amazing mountain town has to share.

Asheville, NC has become known as a cultural mecca, drawing travelers “in the know” for several years now. Quickly becoming hailed as one of the creative centers of the southeast and indeed the nation, Asheville offers something for every personality and walk of life. The famous art deco architecture of downtown set against the backdrop of the ancient and beautiful Appalachian Mountains is truly a sight to take in. The inhabitants of the town and surrounding area are as eclectic as the studios, art galleries, independent restaurants and shops that line Asheville’s streets and avenues.

Gray Line Asheville is the perfect way to organize a summer party or gathering of friends of any kind. Keeping everyone on the same page is easy, as the trolley tour of Asheville makes a continuous circuit throughout the day, and unlimited hop-on, hop-off privileges means everyone can find their way back to each other, while enjoying some of the best sightseeing in Asheville. A few can hop off at The Haywood Park Hotel and walk around the shops while others explore the galleries and studios in The River Arts District.

Asheville is a dream destination for any group of folks, whether it’s school group, family reunion or just a group of friends getting together to enjoy the summer. The Historic Biltmore Village area is rich with some of the cultural heritage of the city, and blends nicely with the traditional Appalachian feel. Folk art abounds as this area is famous for it. The newly revitalized Asheville River Arts District is now home to some of the most eclectic and skilled contemporary artists in the area.

An excellent way to plan for a group of party-goers is a fun-filled bus tour of Asheville on a Gray Line Trolley. The Renaissance Hotel, The Grove Park Inn, Biltmore Village and Haywood Park Hotel are all destinations along the way on the Gray Line Asheville schedule. Take the whole trip or get on and off at any of the stops all day and enjoy the many restaurants and events taking place throughout the city.

Private trolley charters are a dream come true for any party planner. Sure and easy ground transportation to all the places in town you need to get to including entire downtown Asheville area, with no hassles about finding a place for everyone to park and keeping the group together. It’s a fun and easy way to get people from one spot to the next or anywhere in between.

A complete page of rates, routes and schedules can be found on the web at www.graylineasheville.com. Making arrangements for a charter is easy and hassle-free, and the kind folks at Gray Line Asheville take great pleasure in being a part of your western North Carolina travel experience. For party charters, historic sightseeing in Asheville, and transportation around the city there really is nothing better than a Gray Line Asheville Trolley Tour.
Posted by jack moe at 7:45 AM
Labels: Biltmore Village, Grove Park Inn, Haywood Park Hotel, Pack Place, Renaissance Hotel Asheville, River Arts District Asheville, trolley tours, trolley tours of asheville
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Eight Reasons You Should be Buying Organic Clothing for your Children

Organic clothing - especially organic kids clothing - is better for the environment, for personal health, as well as the health of our planet. If you are considering buying designer cloths remember that selecting 100% organic baby products when you're shopping for your kids is one of the noblest things you can do for him or her, for their health today and for their health through their entire lives.

There are eight good reasons to make the organic clothing decision.

1. Organic fabrics can be composted with safely, without contributing to toxins in the soil.
You can save on toxic waste and aid provide for better health of our planet.

2. You can save energy on the planet by buying organic clothing and products.
Organic farms tend to use less energy, instead focusing on careful ecological management and natural balances to solve pest problems.

3. Natural dyes are generally much less polluting than synthetics. Dyeing fabrics and yarns consume a great deal of energy and produces toxic waste.
You can support the use of natural colour and natural dyed fabrics.

4. Organic growing techniques involve crop rotation, which encourages biological diversity, a healthier ecosystem and a healthier work environment.
You can support global biodiversity by buying organic cottons.

5. By choosing chemical-free, organic fabrics, you help to reduce the background level of potentially allergenic chemical compounds. Certified organic cotton is farmed without the use of pesticides, genetically modified seed or synthetic fertilizers and materials.
You can help reduce the allergens present in the environment.

6. Organic cottons are certified sweat shop free.
You can support principled and safe working practices.

7. Certified organic cottons from other countries are produced to industry standards for labor and free trade.
You can support moral and ethical trade practices.

8. By selecting natural/organic clothing, you divert your throwaway income towards supporting organic agriculture, which will help more farmers to employ environmentally friendly farming methods. You can support organic farming.

This last point is particularly important. Organic materials are grown without the use of pesticides, at all. It's against federal regulations to label a product as 100% organic if any pesticides, chemical fertilizers, or synthetic materials are used in the making. When you choose to dress your youngsters in organic kids clothing, you're making sure their delicate skin is covered in pure, non-irritating material.

Fortunately more and more stores are providing alternatives to the non-organic cottons and artificial materials found in the large chain and designer stores. Many of these alternative stores now have web shopping sites so you can buy the products having the convenience of your own home. NestOrganics.com is one such store with a wide variety of organic selections for the baby, your children and environmentally safe products around the house. Check them out the next time you are ready to purchase your child new clothing.

Ace Whitewater has unprecedented 2 deaths on the Gauley River in 3 days

Ace Whitewater, aka Ace Adventure Center or American-Canadian Expeditions Ltd, has had 2 deaths in three days of rafting the Gauley River this year. Previous to the three rafting deaths this year there had been 3 deaths in the last three years on the Gauley, two of which occurred on an ACE Whitewater Tour.

"It is sad and everyone is shell-shocked and searching and looking to see if there is anything we can do," said Mark Lewis, president of the Fayetteville-based West Virginia Professional River Outfitters. "To have three in one season is unprecedented to us.”

ACE Adventure Center’s own website explains that “The University of Colorado studied rafting safety for the years from 1990 to 1997. The University determined that the total fatalities (drowning and health related) during this time period was 0.23 fatalities per 100,000 user days. That is 1 death occurred per 428,953 user days. The average rate from drowning per 100,000 user days is 0.15 or 1 death per 674,069 user days. Non drowning deaths, encompassing heart attacks, respiratory problems, and other health problems, resulted in 0.08 deaths per 100,000 or 1 death per 1,179,621 user days.

By these statistics, for ACE, the American-Canadian Expedition Ltd, to have 2 deaths in just 3 rafting days would seem to raise a red flag in the industry as an extremely high number of fatalities in a single season and very few user days. Checking ACE’s safety record is also disturbing, the last posted DNR required records for accidents during the season, show that the American-Canadian Expeditions, (ACE) have the highest injury rate of all outfitters in West Virginia year after year. (http://www.wvdnr.gov/LEnforce/White/RiverMgt/wvww_pubs.shtm ) And now they are responsible for guided trips on the Gauley resulting in 66% of all deaths on the river by commercial outfitters in the last 6 years.

Ace Adventure Center likes to paint themselves as pioneers of extreme rafting trips and unusual adventures. There websites reports about Extreme Upper Gauley, Trip #17 that
“ACE pioneered this whitewater rafting trip over 15 years ago. At that time, using 12-foot rafts on the Upper Gauley was unthinkable.” Ace Adventure Center also pioneered the technical summer Gauley Rafting trips for boy scouts and other youths that resulted in a death on a scout trip in 2006.

Jerry Cook, the major partner at ACE Adventure Center, also pioneered a
trip that ended at a Class VI rapid (Big Wesser Falls) on the Nantahala
River in North Carolina in the eighties. The ACE website defines
Class VI as:
"Class VI
Nearly impossible and very dangerous. Can be run only by teams of
experts with significant danger to life."
(www.aceraft.com/rapids.html )

The three deaths this year were reported as follows:
In the first accident, on Saturday, Sept. 12, Eric Clark, 40, of Circleville, Ohio, died after going into cardiac arrest. In the second accident, on Sunday, Sept. 27, on an ACE Whitewater guided trip, Eric L. Hampton, 32, of Louisville, Ky., was on a raft that flipped at Pillow Rock, the largest Class V rapid on the Upper Gauley River. The rapid is sandwiched between giant boulders strewn into the steep, rugged canyon directly below Carnifex Ferry Battlefield State Park. In the third death, also on an ACE Adventure Center guide trip on Friday, Oct. 2, a 30-year-old Fishers, Ind., man, Shane Loveall, died at Summersville Memorial Hospital after he fell from a raft into the Class V rapid called Lost Paddle and became pinned under water.

These unusual amounts of injuries and deaths on ACE Whitewater’s commercial trips may force Jerry Cook and the ACE Adventure Center to re-prioritize its passion for pioneering for a passion for safety although that has not appeared to be its major concern after the previous season’s fatalities. Ultimately this extreme season may prove to provide a challenge to the limit of liability imposed by the West Virginia Legislature. It may finally lead to the much needed stricter regulation of the West Virginia's whitewater rafting industry in the interest of safety and standards, to provide more consistent trips and the implementation of a guide license and standard training for guides, to help protect the state's large visitor base.

Speaking of Nine creates new Website

SpeakingOfNine.com has created a new website that combines their various blogs and activities into a unified website that connects them together.

People interested in:
consciousness, ufo, david wilcock, alex collier, opalescence, end times, 2012 prophecy, spiritual direction, galactic federation, channeling, nine spiritual gifts, starfleet starships, awareness, Nine, Pleiadian, Renegades, ascension, extraterrestrial, contact, first contact can now get current information on the sites.

The various blogs are:

Renegade Thoughts
Pleiadian Ruminations from Nine

Changing Address: notes about our galactic history

Anica's Notebook: Pleiadian knowledge, human observations

Opalescent Words: the Renegades' 2008 archive

Garden of Unknowable Things: a renegade Pleiadian lexicon

Bends of Light: conscious comments through the lens of Nine

Now for the first time there is an easy way to access all the blogs, publications, forums, shopping, the science of nine and ideas associated with Nine. Check out SpeakingOfNine.com and see the difference!

10 Life Situations where Pre-paid Legal Services make Sense.

If you want to learn how you can be beating craps odds like Ace Hoyle does, go to his site AceHoyle.com and read all about it. Here you’ll also find out all you want to know about online black jack games and how to play a free texas holdem game. Stop by today and you’ll see why AceHoyle.com is the site that’s bringing online gambling to a new level!

The 10 Life Situations where Pre-paid Legal Services make Sense.

Everyone knows in today's legal world you will only receive as much justice as you can afford. It's equally true that if you don't know your rights you don't
have any in a court of law. With that in mind here are the ten best situations where you might want to consider purchasing a pre-paid legal service. Have you or are you considering:

• Received a speeding ticket?
• Been audited?
• Purchased a home?
• Tried to return a defective product?
• Lost a security deposit?
• Signing a contract?
• Preparing a will?
• Preparing a deed?
• Filing bankruptcy?
• Needing help with Bill Collection?

Even though most people find themselves in these situations, the majority do not seek the advice or help of a qualified lawyer. Why?
• They fear it may cost too much.
• They may not know where to begin.
• They feel that the process is too intimidating.

By purchasing a prepaid service these life situations become suddenly manageable. Other possibilities for creative use of a pre-paid services might be if you are a real estate agent and need to prepare deed for real estate transfer. You can save your clients money by having them sign on to a pre-paid service that provides deeds. The client can then obtain the deed at significantly less cost than hiring an attorney. On top of that the real estate agent receives a commission on each plan sold.

Many pre-paid services will provide a free will just for signing on for a year. By checking the details of the plan that is being presented to you, a person can save typically more than 25% of their legal bills and in some cases get free legal services. This can be significant for larger cases or for bill collection and tax auditing services.

Some people have complained that they would not purchase pre-paid legal services because they don't know if they would ever use it. However, pre-paid legal services could be compared to health insurance. You don't know if you will ever get sick, but most people don't mind paying the monthly fees because they might get sick or be in an accident, or have a family member suddenly become hospitalized.

Pre-paid legal works in the same way. In our litigious society, we never know who might suddenly sue us, or when we might be in a auto accident and need representation or other legal troubles. The best part of becoming a member is that you can start clearing up all the things you have been avoiding, like wills, contracts, or bill collection and save money in the bargain.

A good place to start investigating pre-paid services would be http://www.bestlegalleads.com Their team of experts can answer many of the questions you might have about purchasing legal services. With pre-paid legal you can finally rest easy and tell people to talk to your lawyer or "have your lawyer talk to my lawyer about this," and mean it!

Asheville Vacation Options

Asheville, North Carolina is one of the nicest places to take a vacation. A vacation in Asheville is something people from all over the world are enjoying every year. There is so much to do in this lovely little mountain town, and the people are wonderful. The community is welcoming, creative and courteous. Asheville is a very diverse place, with many different kinds of folks all living together in a beautiful part of the Appalachian Mountains. The city offers a tremendous amount of different things to do and places to see. The history and geography of the area come alive and fill the region with an deep sense of peace and vibrancy. Asheville itself is a wonderful little city, and boasts all the things a larger metropolitan area has to offer while still retaining its small town roots and feel. Restaurants, night clubs, art galleries and boutiques are nicely juxtaposed against a mountain landscape full of outdoor adventures, hiking trails, beautiful national forest and breathtaking vistas.

One of the most enjoyable things about the area is the multitude of places that Asheville offers in the way of places to stay. The traditional bed and breakfast is a wonderful option, and there are many different choices for old fashioned places to stay in the city and outside of the city limits. Renting a mountain cottage is certainly another great option, and offers a little more privacy and closeness to the natural world. Enjoying a cabin rental is also another way to enjoy the proximity of the national forests and still have all the comforts of home. All these options have their benefits and it all depends on what kind of experience you are looking to have when visiting the mountains of WNC. Western North Carolina is more than just Asheville, but Asheville is the largest and most enjoyable city of the area and boasts all the luxuries and experiences of visiting a larger city without having to feel like you are in a metropolis.

Staying at a bed and breakfast is wonderful because you get to experience the luxury of staying at a hotel or motel, yet get the feel of a true country house. The food is usually out of this world, and the settings tend to be luxurious yet with a rustic feel. Having someone there to help you get a feel for the area and point you in the direction of places to go and things to do is very helpful, and it's nice to get to experience true southern hospitality.

Staying at a nice country cottage rental is always a wonderful alternative. The stay can be a little more extensive and you can feel like you are on a retreat if that is your intention. Perhaps a great choice for someone who has already visited the area and knows their way around, a cottage rental in the mountains is a wonderful way to experience the tranquility of nature and get away from it all.

Renting a mountain cabin is another great way to truly sink into the experience of the area. Enjoy the bounty of nature in this rustic setting while being near the city to be able to enjoy all that the urban environment has to offer.

There are many options for people visiting Asheville, NC, but any way you choose to experience it, this town is magical. Of the many companies offering to assist you in choosing a place to stay in this lovely mountain town, there are few better choices than http://www.vacationinasheville.com/.

Fractional Ownership Clubs

Fractional ownership clubs are a great alternative to traditional property ownership. There are a lot of advantages for people looking to buy a second home. Many people want to own a second home, but there are an awful lot of responsibilities that go along with purchasing a second house. Maintaining two properties is a lot of work and a lot of responsibility. There are many costs and a whole myriad of things that need to be done to keep up with a piece of land. Maintaining the home, the yard, the details and all the finances are just a few of the burdens associated with second home ownership. There are some options, and fractional ownership is one of the best for many reasons. Here are a few reasons why fractional ownership clubs are easier and more enjoyable that traditional second home ownership.

Maintenance is one of the main problems with owning a second home. The structure and the grounds must be kept up to keep the place in good shape. If you are only going to be spending a little time at your second home, then it becomes more of a burden to keep the place up. Instead of being able to just enjoy your vacation home or second property, you are constantly having to worry about taking care of the place. With fractional ownership, you have no worries where that is concerned. There is a dedicated team of maintenance personnel and landscapers to take care of the property for you. The administrators of the fractional ownership club take care of the planning and work that goes into the upkeep of the property, so every time you decide to visit your place, you can just go and enjoy it.

Having a personal concierge service team is luxurious. A good fractional ownership club will have top quality concierge service for you. This makes enjoying your home the best of both worlds. It is like having a private residence, but also like staying at a top notch vacation resort. Imagine arriving at your vacation house or second home and having the refrigerator stocked with all of your favorite foods. A concierge will know all the events and things that you enjoy and be able to make a note of it for you so that when you visit you can enjoy all the things the area has to offer. Every little detail will be attended to by a custom concierge and you would never have this in traditional second home ownership.

Security is never an issue with private residence clubs. When you are away from you home, the staff of the club will always be there to take care of the property, and vandalism and break ins are nothing to ever worry about. There is always someone there looking after your property.

The financial investment is sound. Property values will not fluctuate as much and you can know that your investment is safe. Being a member in a fractional ownership club is great because you get all the benefits of a first class resort and all the benefits of ownership of the property. You get the best of both worlds with less stress and worry.

Traditional home ownership and time shares are not nearly as good as fractional ownership. There are endless perks to enjoying this type of property ownership. There are many places of this kind around the world. You can go to http://www.thecharlestonclubdi.com/ to see an example of a fractional ownership club and learn more about it.

Affordable Legal Help

Affordable legal help is something everyone needs at some point. Finding affordable legal assistance online can save you a lot of time and money. Many people can not afford to keep a lawyer on retainer or go out and hire a high priced law firm when things come up that require professional legal assistance. The system has become very complicated and trying to navigate the legal system on your own can be a truly daunting experience. Small details and major issues will come up that baffle the lay person, and only an experienced lawyer is going to be able to get you through certain situations. Nobody likes to think about those hard times that come up, but when they do, finding reliable and affordable legal help is absolutely crucial to keeping yourself sane and coming out of the difficult situation on top.

There are a variety of reasons a person might need to find and hire a decent lawyer at some point in their life, and many are not very pleasant to think about. Unfortunately, these situations come up, and the need for assistance in these difficult legal matters may arise. Needing a lawyer for family disputes is a sad situation, but it does arise, and when it does you will want to take as much stress off of yourself as possible. This situation is already difficult enough without having to add the challenge of dealing with expensive law fees. On the other hand, you want to make sure you are getting quality legal assistance, so that you are protected in the case and come out of it all on top of the situation.

Family disputes can come in many forms, and having affordable, quality legal assistance is important. In these difficult situations, having reliable legal assistance can help you get through it all. Child custody battles, alimony, divorce, visitation rights and many other family related legal issues are common things to have to deal with. It is unfortunate that they come up at all, but they do arise. When they do, having a decent lawyer can save you from serious problems.

Child custody disputes are some of the worst legal problems that can arise. It is very sad when this situation comes up, but it does and it is very difficult. Sometimes, parents will reach a point ion their relationship where they can not resolve the situation and legal help is required. Occasionally one of the parties will have resources the other does not, and then it is very important for the other person to be able to get a good, quality lawyer at an affordable price.

Visitation rights are another child-related legal situation. This is a situation where the custody has been settled, but one party is not satisfied with the outcome of the visitation rights. This can seem very unfair, and a parent is never going to be satisfied if they are denied the right to see their child. That is often not the best situation for the child either, but unfortunately this is not always taken into consideration by the parents in the moment.

Many of these situations arise in the first place from divorce proceedings, and having a decent lawyer at this point can stop problems before they arise in the first place. When the unfortunate need for a divorce lawyer arises, having an affordable lawyer can save your assets and your rights when it comes to many things.

There are many options for finding legal assistance, and finding help online is one way. The website http://www.bestlegalleads.com/legalhelp.html is a good example of a website that offers affordable legal assistance for a variety of different issues.

Illustrated Online Tourist Maps

When visiting Asheville, NC, the best way to find your way around is with an online map. An illustrated online map of Asheville makes enjoying this mountain town very easy. The advantages of using an online guide to the city instead of an old fashioned paper one are many. They are easier to read, always updated, available anywhere you can get the internet and often full of other information as well. Locations, points of interest, historic sites, tourist attractions and other things are shown on an illustrated map that others street and city guides do not always show. With a folding paper version, there is always the risk that certain things are no longer there, or roads have been changed or added. Cities are constantly changing and morphing as growth effects areas. Asheville is a particularly popular city, and as the population increases, so does development. This means that roads are being changed, highways are being altered and new developments are constantly taking place. Using an online map ensures that you always have the most up to date information.

Finding the places that you are looking for is easier and a lot more fun on an online map of Asheville. The ability to zoom in and out, scroll in any direction and see the names and places that much easier is a great thing. Sometimes using other kinds of atlases can be difficult because of the fact that they are written small and everything looks the same. An illustrated map of asheville is more enjoyable and simple to use. Even if the place you are going is not listed on the page, you can use other nearby landmarks to find that spot. Illustrated atlases help you get a feel for a city more than street versions, and often make the act of exploring a new city that much more enjoyable. A tourist map of Asheville can show you the neighborhoods as well. In the case of Asheville, finding Biltmore Village, the River Arts District and other important places and areas of the city is easy on an illustrated guide.

Another great thing about using a vacation map of Asheville, is that it that much easier to find Asheville attractions, restaurants, shops and other things like historic sites. These spots can be easily marked on the page and found with no problems at all. There are right there, and you can zoom in or out to get the specific street names or the big picture. Getting lost in a town you are unfamiliar with is scary and annoying. Making sure you can enjoy your adventure and get the most out of your visit is always going to make things more pleasant on a trip. Taking that stress out of the equation is important to making sure that everyone enjoys the city without worry.

The ability to zoom in and out on the atlas is a great convenience. Being able to see the city layout from a birds eye view makes getting a feel for the place that much easier. Understanding the shape of the town and how one neighborhood or area borders another is a great way to get an idea of where things are and how to get from one place to another. Seeing how the highway runs through or around and where streets intersect up close of from a larger perspective makes finding your way around so much easier. You can really get an idea for how a town is laid out this way, and it feels much more familiar when you are there navigating the city streets. You can use a lot of maps to navigate Asheville, but http://www.illustratedmapofasheville.com/ is a particularly good one.

Considering Solar Power

These days using renewable energy is extremely important. Solar power is one of the most environmentally friendly ways to power your home. Using solar power is a great way to reduce energy bills, increase the environmentally friendliness of your home and still lead a modern life with all the conveniences. Everyone is looking for ways to be greener and more energy efficient. There are many reasons to embrace alternative energy production methods. Reducing our dependence on oil and coal as fuel sources is crucial to the health and safety of our selves, our families, our communities and our country, not to mention our planet. Alternative energy and heating technology is a very important step in this process. Wind, solar and hydroelectric are all great options, but solar power is one that relies on an energy source that is available to everyone.

Photovoltaic cells are continually being improved and the technology being refined more and more every year. Using solar power has never been easier or more cost effective. There are many companies that are dealing with solar power and other alternative energy sources and finding someone who has the expertise to assist you in making the transition is easier than it has ever been. Green power is the way of the future, and it is only a matter of time before it is the standard. Our impact on the world is becoming more and more serious every year, and we must begin to find other ways to generate electricity. Heating our homes and powering our lives with oil and coal is not sustainable and finding alternatives is something we must consider to be the highest priority in our development as a people.

Solar power is great because it is so clean. The earth bombards us with so much energy every single day, and it just goes to waste. Harnessing that energy is just smart. PV cells once installed are simple, clean and effective. This method of generating electricity is so much safer in so many ways for everyone in the world. Wars need not be fought over solar energy, and it does not require the destruction of forests, mountains or rivers to be achieved. Using solar power is one way to take responsibility and change the way you effect the planet.

It seems only logical that solar panels will eventually be found on top of every building in the world. Supporting this technology and embracing it will ensure that further research and development will be undertaken and the technology becomes more and more available, effective and affordable. All buildings have a roof and this wasted surface can easily hold a panel to catch and harness that precious energy that is showering down on us all day long. Solar power is already there, we only need to reach out and grab it.

In places where coal mining is common, people are well aware of the destruction that goes along with using this outdated resource. Coal mining is a dirty and dangerous business, and the people and ecosystems in the places where coal is mined suffer a needless plight. Mountains are destroyed, homes are destroyed and communities are poisoned because of some of the methods employed by the coal mining industry. Solar energy is one way to end this horrendous practice and bring a cleaner method of energy production to people who desperately need it. There are now many companies such as http://www.atomicsolar.biz/ that are dealing with solar power and alternative energy.

Benefits of Professional Landscaping

Summer is here and there are always too many outdoor projects to take care of. Lawn and yard maintenance can be so difficult and time consuming that hiring a professional is always easier. Figuring out which plants to put where, how to get that tree stump out of the yard, what to do with certain spots in the yard and other minor and major details can be overwhelming to someone that has little experience doing landscaping or little time to do it. Hiring a trained professional is the answer to these problems and can make your life so much easier and worry free.

Everyone wants to come home to a beautiful yard. Stepping out of your car or walking up to the door can be so much more enjoyable when your little sanctuary is beautiful. Before you even walk into your house you can begin to feel that sense of relaxation and peace of mind that comes with having an attractive and beautiful home. Backyard retreat areas become little paradises when you have a nicely landscaped yard. With a little stonework and some professionally designed plant beds, your yard can become a place that recharges and rejuvenates your spirit. The energy and spirit of your own property can become a place of peace and tranquillity, helping you to more fully enjoy your property.

Beautifying your property with simple things like a little weeding and mulching, or with major projects like timber work or tree removal can do wonders to improve the property value of your home and land. An attractive yard is the first thing people see when they arrive at your home and landscape restoration can be one of the things that increases the value of you house and the value of the property you own. If you are thinking about selling your property, then definitely consider doing some landscaping to increase the appeal of your property and to improve the likelihood that you will sell the property. Landscape design is one of those things that can almost be subliminal, but matters quite a bit in how someone feels when they arrive at your house.

Having a beautiful yard can also increase the attractiveness of your entire neighborhood. It's nice to drive down a street that has beautifully manicured lawns and gardens. It gives the sense that the people who live in this neighborhood actually care about the place they live and take the time to make it a beautiful, attractive and inviting place.

Businesses can benefit tremendously from landscape design. A beautiful exterior can make a business much more inviting to customers and give a sense of professionalism to any building. It is like having an advertisement outside your establishment that conveys a welcoming message. Businesses that have beautifully landscaped exteriors are more likely to bring in customers because the entire feel of the environment is improved and people are naturally drawn to attractive places. Putting your businesses exterior on maintenance programs is a great way to have a beautifully landscaped property that you never have to think about.

Hiring a trained and competent professional is one way to ensure that your yard and landscape installation lasts a long time. Knowing which plants to put in what places is important to making sure that the plants thrive and flourish. Some plants do better near each other. Some plants do better with a lot of shade. Some plants do better in full sun. Some plants need to be trimmed in certain ways or at certain times. It's hard to know all this information, and having a professional to make these choices will ensure that the hard work that goes into your lawn and landscape will last a long time. There are many great landscaping companies you can find online such as www.landscapesasheville.com.

Online Gifts for Redecorating

Redecorating for summer is a wonderful way to welcome the warm weather and bring the energy of this vibrant season into your space. Shopping for accents online is a time and money saving way to redecorate. Recreating your sacred space, whether it be your living room, kitchen, bedroom, office, store or any other place you care to give a little attention to, is a wonderful and fun way to spruce up the place, and bring some new and life giving energy into your world.

It's easy to redecorate when you shop at an online gift shop. There are many reasons to create a new look or design for your place. Maybe you are feeling stagnant and wish to renew your own energy. Redecorating is a great way to pull yourself out of a funk and bring new power and energy into yourself. Perhaps you are just bored with a scene that you have been looking at too long. Another great reason is to change a space with the seasons. Seasonal changes are inspirational and can help you to appreciate the unique gifts that are brought with each unique season and time of the year. All in all, redecorating is a great way to bring health and happiness into a space and create a nice fresh change for the better.

There are many different simple items that are perfect for helping to transform and freshen any space up. They are simple, inexpensive and very effective for making a new energy flow gracefully through a home, office or public space. Candles, scented candles, potpourri, new furniture, and other simple items make great additions to any space and work well for recreating energy and bringing new life.

Candles are a great item and can go anywhere. With all the electric and artificial light being used to light indoor areas in these modern times, it is nice to have a little natural light to bring a more organic feel to indoor spaces. They create ambience and naturally relax anyone who enters the area they are gently flickering in. scented candles are often made with specific scents that are good for particular things. Perhaps you are looking to create an atmosphere of relaxation in a particular spot. Then there are scents and aromas designed for just that purpose. Maybe you want to energize and invigorate people who walk into a particular space. There are other fragrances that are good for infusing people with a natural energy boost. Scented candles are a perfect and simple way to change the energy and ambience of a stagnant space.

Potpourri is another simple and inexpensive way to subtly change that energy and bring new life to a room. The sense of smell is a powerful pathway directly to the brain, and keeping certain kinds of potpourri around a home or business place is a wonderful way to recreate the energy of that space. It can be almost imperceptible, but very effective for altering and enhancing a mood. Plus, potpourri is often found in a variety of vibrant colors which can also help to lighten, enliven and effect moods in a positive way.

Finding some new furniture is a wonderful way to change the ambience of a space. Offices and business places can especially benefit from these changes. Often times we choose to decorate offices and businesses with utilitarian furniture and pay too much attention to the functionality of items and not really notice the style. This can have a subtle effect on anyone who enters that space. Using natural woods and more beautiful handmade furniture can enhance an office tremendously.

Using an online gift store is a quick, easy and inexpensive way to find some wonderful items for redecorating you home or office.

Artists Networking Online

A social networking site for artists is a great idea whose time has come. Using these tools to promote artists and create online artist directories is a wonderful idea. Social networking sites have been in existence for quite some time now, but using the model to create a site to promote visual artists is a wonderful concept. Music sites, dating sites, business networking sites and many others have been created for a multitude of purposes, but having a networking site simply for the benefit of painters, sculptors, illustrators and other visual artists is an important development in the world of networking for artists.

The ability of a painter, illustrator, sculptor, jeweler or other visual artist to network with other visual artists, gallery owners, art enthusiasts and collectors online is a great idea. This global network enables collaboration and commerce over vast distances, and helps create a large community of artists and people in the art world. The idea of having an artist directory online and an online portfolio will create easy avenues of communication between people looking to create, purchase and show art. Other sites are dedicated to music, dating, social networking, business networking and other reasons already exist, but the need for this innovation of a social networking site for artists online has never been greater.

With a touch of the keyboard or click of the mouse events, shows, artists, galleries and everything else related to the art world is right there. Reading biographies of the artists, understanding method and techniques and seeing the work are all very inspirational and can help tremendously to facilitate communication and collaboration across mediums and genres. Different artists living and working in completely different areas can get together for shows, collaborate on projects, trade ideas and perhaps create new works together. People looking to book shows or purchase art for venues or other places can easily find artists and peruse different styles to find what they are looking for with ease.

Many artists are not businesspeople, and do not know how to properly market and sell their work. Something as easy as a social networking site makes this very easy, and enables an artist working in visual mediums to be able to show and sell their work themselves, and control the pricing and flow of business. It’s a great tool and a great way to help the artist move into the world of business, which is a difficult transition for many artists. This gives the artists a sense of control over their business and helps them practice the skill necessary to promote their artwork from a business aspect.

An artist’s directory online is not the only advantage of a social networking site for artists. A page dedicated to events is also a great way to keep things moving and get people who appreciate arts to know about things happening. Contests, competitions, calls for artists, gallery openings and potential jobs and commissions are all things that can find their way into an events page on a social networking site dedicated to the visual arts.

A social networking site for artists is an ideal way to create collaboration, commerce and artist’s directories for artists working all over the world. This will enable each artist to create a profile that will serve as an online promo pack, bio and virtual gallery to show work, talk about process and technique and share inspiration with other people interested in seeing, showing and purchasing artwork.

Cremation Urn Memorials

A beautiful cremation memorial can be a great way to deal with the process of grieving. A memorial with a custom made urn as the centerpiece can be a beautiful way to honor the departed. Cremation memorials are a wonderful way to keep the memory of a passed love one alive and to help the surviving relatives and friends deal with the difficult emotions of such a trying time with grace and creativity. More than just placing a funeral urn on a mantel, creating a shrine to the special someone will help the friends and relatives that the person who has passed has left behind. A cremation memorial can include much more than just a cremation urn.

A cremation memorial erected indoors can include memorial textile art, photographs, memorial paintings, sculpture and many other types of keepsakes and mementos of the deceased. Perhaps a shelf or table in a specific location will serve as a small altar, and objects and images that were special to the departed can be displayed together to give a sacred place the memory of the special person. When erecting a memorial inside with a handcrafted funeral urn as the centerpiece, a lot of creativity can be used and expressed. The location and how you arrange the items to serve as the memorial objects can be done in almost limitless possibilities. Weather and the elements do not come into question here, and fragile items can be used along with any other items you can think of.

Outdoor cremation memorials with a one of a kind cremation urn as the centerpiece have to be a little more secure and the items placed there must be able to withstand the elements. Metal art urns or stone cremation urns may be more suitable to outdoor memorial shrines. These materials are sturdier and have a better chance of surviving the elements and weather. If a covered area is being used, a little more flexibility is possible, but you still want to use sturdy materials for the objects you display. Selecting an outdoor memorial site is also a great way to allow others who may want to visit it to be able to have some quiet time with their memories of the deceased.

There are many objects that can be used in conjunction with the creation urn to honor the memory of the departed. Memorial glass is beautiful and can incorporate some of the ashes of the departed in the artwork itself. Memorial textile art is a great way to include items and objects from the life of the dearly departed. Photos, jewelry or other trinkets can be sewn into a quilt or blanket and preserved for a long time in this way. Memorial jewelry can be custom made to specifications and given out to friends or family of the deceased, or displayed as part of the memorial itself. A custom painted portrait or other painting can be created to honor the deceased, and displayed along with the shrine.

Creating a cremation memorial with a hand made funeral urn as the centerpiece is a great way to move through the process of grieving in a creative and healthy manner. Memorial objects such as jewelry, art, photographs and paintings can be used to complete the memorial. This can be a healing process for the people creating it, and can be a great way to honor the departed loved one.

Purchasing Hiking Shoes Online

Summer is here and it’s time to think about getting out into the woods for a hike. Purchasing your new hiking shoes online is simple and affordable. Once you know what you are looking for, getting a new pair of hiking boots online to replace your old ones is easy and can save you a lot of money. Online shoe stores are a great place to find shoes and other accessories. Often times you will find a huge selection including the all the brands you could possibly want. Finding a variety of hiking shoes online should be easy, and you just might find some other items you want to go with them.

Online shoe stores can offer a wide selection and great prices because they don’t have the overhead that other stores with a street location do. Finding a new pair of hiking shoes from an online shoe store can save you a lot of time and money. Forget about fighting the crowds at the local shopping mall or trying to find a parking spot downtown, just turn on the computer and peruse the option from the comfort of your own home. Discount online footwear retailers have everything the other shops do and more. Usually you can find much better prices and a great selection. Always make sure to check the return policies for any online shoe store you deal with. Any reputable online footwear retailer will have a great track record with customer service and be able to accommodate your needs.

Hiking boots are an important part of your outdoor equipment. A good pair of hiking shoes can increase your enjoyment of the trail, while reducing the risk of injury and discomfort. Hiking shoes are specifically designed to perform on the rugged terrain of the mountain trail. It is not a good idea to wear your tennis shoes, running shoes or other sneakers for hiking any serious distance. All athletic footwear is made for a specific purpose and should be used for that purpose only. Hiking shoes come in many shapes and sizes these days, and often are geared toward a specific terrain or environment. When choosing a hiking boot or any athletic footwear, it is important to focus more on the performance of the shoe than on the looks, color or design.

Hiking shoes are made to give a lot of lateral support to help avoid a twisted ankle while still being lightweight enough to be worn over miles of rugged terrain. A good hiking boot will provide a lot of traction on the sole to keep your feet where you place them for safety and ease of motion. Various levels of water resistance and waterproofing are available depending on the terrain and environment you plan to be hiking through.

Like most shoes, a hiking shoe should fit snug but not be too tight. Your feet should not feel pinched across the top or sides, but the heel shouldn’t slide when you walk. Most hiking boots are made to be flexible and comfortable and give a full range of motion when moving through the trail. Your toes should not push against the front of the shoe, and the shoe should fit snug and comfortable without being tight.

Finding a pair of hiking boots or any shoes online can be fun and enjoyable. Using an online discount shoe store for your footwear needs is a great way to save time and money when shopping for shoes.