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Yes, the pun is intended in the title! While casinos and gambling (think Vegas and poker tournaments!) have been around for a long time – this glitzy and exciting world of chance entered the technological age within the past decade or so, and an online casino is as near as your computer internet connection.

Just think of all the time and money you will save in travel and accommodation expenses! Yes, this means you will have that much more money which you can invest toward playing all your favorite online casino games.

Perhaps you have never traveled to Vegas or Atlantic City, but you have always been intrigued by the idea of trying your luck with a slot machine, or roulette, or blackjack. Well, guess what? Now you can, from the comfort of your own home!

Not only that, but you can access online casino gambling any time, 24/7, whenever it happens to fit into your schedule. Join a poker table over your morning coffee, while you’re still in your pajamas … or play craps at midnight with the other night owls.

Of course, caution is advised – just as you can become addicted to gambling in a physical casino, you can become addicted to online gambling. As a matter of fact, an online gambling addiction may develop even more easily and quickly. This is due to the ease of access, as well as the false sense of security you can experience through the virtual setting – as if you are just ‘playing’ a game, not actually participating in a game which can drain your finances.

There are even online gamblers anonymous groups which have been established to assist people in overcoming a gambling addiction. A key point to remember is that you are ultimately responsible for your own behavior and choices. Don’t be like the woman in Canada, who recently blamed the casino for her addiction! To that end, Puncho Stewart offers FREE online casino games which you can play just for the fun of it, rather than involving the risk of losing money and incurring debt.

With the Oscar success for the late Heath Ledger who plays the character of the Joker in  Warner Bros. “Dark Knight” it’s anticipated that the Batman costume line, including Ledger’s own incarnation of the villianous Joker, will be among the leading Halloween costumes this year.

Critics have put Ledger’s performance as the show’s villainous “Joker” in the category of onscreen brilliance, which is a pretty big accolade, considering the number of well-seasoned actors who have played the roll in the Batman film and TV series, such as Jack Nicholson.

Both adult and child’s Dark Knight costumes are available and, in addition to the Joker, there is of course the Batman costume for the trick-or-treaters who prefer to be the good guy.

Not in to the darker side of dressing up?  There are plenty of other options, including some very fancy Mardi Gras costumes—feather masks; beaded masks; flowing Venetian gowns; court jester costumes, and all the accessories you can imagine for a fun and lively costume that says “party” like no other choice available and can also be worn for other occasions.

Are you already thinking of costumes for next year’s Christmas shows or celebrations?  It’s not too soon to start reserving.  Most online retailers carry a wide selection of Christmas costumes ranging from angels to wise men and everything in between.   There are also plenty of Santa and Mrs. Claus costumes to choose from; elves; rain deer; and plenty of classic Christmas costume accessories.

Depending on how big your company is and how many employees you have, you likely have very specific budget and space constraints in mind when it comes to revamping your office workspace.

Check out the wide array of options from the folks at Weeks-Lerman, where you’ll find a good supply of office furniture and office products from the world’s leading manufacturers.

If you have a crew of more than 10 or so currently working in open office work stations, you might consider an open office work station design. These plans are cost-effective options for large or small spaces and come either fully-enclosed from floor to ceiling, or partially enclosed.  Their glass walls with partial privacy windows provide good sound proofing and a feel of privacy without putting folks behind closed doors.

The company also offers traditional wood office desks, chairs and other office supplies that are also perfect for the home office or larger spaces as well.

In addition, Weeks-Lerman also offers space planning services.  The company’s space planning specialists will work with you to create custom plans for integrating your office furnishings and equipment to help you achieve a good balance of work, economic and ergonomic elements.

Making your own adorable ribbon baby bows for the hair and baby headbands is easier than you think.
These make great gifts for your friends, co-workers, or anyone you think of who might have a little girl at home or one on the way.  They are relatively easy, cheap and fun to make, and if you have extra time and are inclined, think about making a whole bunch of them and selling them at flea markets, church or community events, or even your children’s school events.

Here’s a great step-by-step guide from the folks at e-how.com:

1.    Place stretchy ribbon about two to three inches wide around a babies head to measure the length.
2. Cut the ribbon to your desired length
3. Take two kinds of ribbon to use for a decoration bow and, without cutting from the spool, loop at least three or four times.
4. After you have the ribbon looped to your desired lengths, cut it and sew it together in the middle to hold your bow together.
5. Sew the bow to the headband, either in the middle or on the side; both look cute!
6. Use a glue gun to attach a smaller hair bow perhaps, or a jeweled item, or a soft, fuzzy decorative animal, to the center of your ribbon bow.

That’s it.  You’re done.  You can also consider using these same steps to create a cool decoration for a flower hat or a headband to wrap a plain straw hat.  Just measure the length of the hat as your guide and, if you like, use silk flowers or other items instead of ribbons or bows.

If you’re like a lot of folks out there, you bought a home a few years ago to get in on the real estate market before things went sour.  And, in the process, you opted for a fixer-upper to save money.

Now you’ve got a little time invested in the home and you’re finally getting around to remodeling the bathroom, which is a great idea for updating your home’s appearance and boosting its value.

But let’s say you bought a home with a 1960s bathroom vanity.  Are you are more interested in a modernized look?   How do you safely remove bathroom vanities in order to replace with new bathroom furniture or other items?

Here are the steps for removing an old vanity as recommended by Kevin Ireland, formerly the editor for American Woodworker magazine, now a writer for corner.hardware.com.:

1. Turn off the water supply and disconnect the water and drain lines using an adjustable wrench, and disconnect the supply tubes for the hot and cold valves.  Put a pan or bucket under the sink to catch water.
2. Remove the sink or vanity top, using either a pry bar to separate the top from the vanity, or by removing any tables holding the sink in place. Slowly work the vanity out onto the floor and take it out of the bathroom.

3. Once the old vanity is removed, check for damage and consider repairing any rot from previous leaks by replacing the plywood or flooring.  Do this before you put in a new sink because it’s easier to do than cutting vinal, tile or wood flooring around the it later on.

Repair drywall if needed.  Check for water damage and repair or replace the drywall if necessary.  (If you do have to repair damage, our articles on hanging and finishing drywall will be helpful.)
Using a carprenter’s level, level the floor where the new vanity will sityou’re your floor isn’t level, use a plywood base for the vanity.

Locate and mark the studs in the wall and mark them.  This will make it easier for later when you begin installation. Use vertical lines on the wall where the cabinet’s edges will be; mark where the piping will go usijng horizontal and vertical centerlines on the wall, making sure these reference lines are level and plumb, respectively.  On the wall, measure from the mark for the nearest cabinet edge to the center of the drain line, and from the center of the drain line to the floor. Finally, measure the distance from the reference lines to the center of each of the supply pipes. Then transfer all three pipe locations to the back of the vanity, as shown in the drawing.

3. Cut holes in the vanity for water and drain lines. Mount a 1/4-inch twist bit in an electric drill and drill pilot holes at each of your layout marks. Then, mount a hole saw in your drill that is at least 1/2-inch larger than the widest part of your water and drain lines. To eliminate unsightly torn edges, drill part way through from the back, and then shift to the inside of the cabinet to finish the holes. Use the pilot holes to align your hole saw when you start drilling each hole.
4. Use galvanized screws to secure the vanity to the wall making sure holes and studs are alligned.

5. Install the faucet and sink according to manufacturer’s instructions, tightening the fittings with adjustable pliers. Run a bead of adhesive silicone caulk around the top edges of the vanity cabinet, around the top rail at the back of the cabinet and around the back-splash.

6. Connect the plumbing and add trim. Working from inside the vanity, wrap Teflon tape around the threads on each water supply valve. Attach the supply lines to the supply valves, and tighten them a half turn past hand tight with adjustable pliers. Attach the sink trap to the drain line and to the tailpiece, following the manufacturer’s instructions, and then add the pop-up control rod. Use clear silicone caulk to seal the seam where the top edge and sides of the back-splash meet the wall.

What are the cost benefits of installing crm for small business owners in an economy where your bottom line is consistently in danger of being eaten way by current economic forces?

What are the keys to finding a cost-effective small business CRM that will help you achieve a boost in your bottom line, more customers, and better in-house staffing management?

And, What exactly is crm anyway?  In general, it’s the process a company uses to monitor and organize its contacts, current and prospective customers, and its general purpose is to help you improve our service goals by streamlining the way you interact with a customer, invoice them for services you’ve provided, and sort out their future needs.

CRM software works by collecting demographic and behavioral data about your current and prospective customers and using the data to create sales opportunities for you and your employees.

Arthur Middleton Hughes from the Database Marketing Institute suggests that for CRM to pay for itself, a company must already be profitable and expect changes in revenue as a direct result of crm applications, to come in slowly developed incriments, not all at once.

Here’s what he suggests you do if you are considering purchasing a crm software program but perhaps don’t have the money to spend on it, which can be upwards of $2 million for the software.

•    Consider the possibility of building a data mart, instead of a warehouse. Data marts can be built for $1 to $2 million, and can be maintained for a half million per year. They don’t need million-dollar software, but they can produce the same results as CRM at a fraction of the cost.

•    Communicating with customers is always a good idea, and almost always profitable. You may not need a warehouse to do it. Think small. Think tests. Work with what you have to see how much impact you get from simple, inexpensive communications. Based on that experience, decide whether you need a warehouse or not.

•   Don’t go into CRM until you have experimented with something simpler and are sure that you need a warehouse.

You’ve heard about it and now you’ve starting thinking about learning the Alexander Technique.

This form of body/breath training uses very simple body reeducation and coordination training through physical and psychological principles to assist with enhancing everything from breathing to better posture and relief from chronic pain.

Alexander Technique New York classes are all based on the same fundamental principals taken from founder F. Matthias Alexander, who, at the turn of the century, created a set of principals for establishing self-perception and manipulation of movement in an effort to alleviate back pain, promote rehabilitation after an accident, improve breathing for actors and musicians, and even address that more modern ailment known as repetitive stress syndrome..

Interested in becoming a certified teacher?  You usually are required to complete certified training program of 1600 hours of class instruction over a minimum of three academic years with a student/teacher ratio no greater than five-to-one.

The AMSAT (American Society for the Alexander Technique) maintains the nation’s highest standards for teacher training and certification for the Alexander Technique and estimates that there are more than 600 AMAT-certified teachers nationwide, and roughly 23 AMSAT-approved teacher-training programs in 11 states.

One of the most comprehensive sites devoted to providing information to those interested in becoming a certified Alexander Technique instructor is http://thealexandertechnique.net/, where you will find access to a good number of links and information about the process.

Thinking of turning over the management of your IT network to a professionally managed, Fairfield, CA IT services company?  If so, you’d be making one of the best investments in the future of your company you can make and taking precautions for protecting your business data.

Fairfield, CA IT services can include a wide range of options for you as a small business owner, from executive business assessment; network planning and installation; consulting and project management; OS migrations, and Fairfield, CA disaster recovery services.

It’s possible you haven’t even thought about what you might do in cases of an emergency, and, if not, you have not considered the importance of protecting your company’s data and IT infrastructure.

But in fact, disaster protection and recovery service providers estimate some pretty startling facts: They estimate that a large percentage of big spend between 2% and 4% of their IT budget on disaster recovery planning, and that companies who experienced a major loss of business data, close to 43 percent never reopen.

IT disasters are classified in two categories: natural, as in floods, fires, hurricanes and earthquakes; and man-made disasters, caused by human error, whether deliberate, as in viruses or theft, or unintentional.

Are you amidst the sometimes overwhelming process of choosing new granite for your kitchen or other home-design projects?  You can be sure that granite slabs are a solid choice for kitchens, bathrooms and other areas because of their longevity and ability to withstand wear and tear.

But there are so many forms of it on the market to select from it’s sometimes difficult to decide.  There’s the stunning river gold granite with its highly defined horizontal grains that really do seem to emulate the look and feel of rock under flowing river water. .

Your  kitchen accessories will get a whole new lease on life once they are set against a backdrop of these fabulous tile countertops.

Wholesale granite slabs of this type and many others on the market are usually available in slabs large enough to create countertops or flooring without any seams.  You’ll want to rely upon the services of a professional granite and or marble tile installer to help you with the cutting, polishing and installation of your new countertops if you are a novice.
Many of the country’s leading granite wholesalers are importing the highest-quality granite from India, Brazil, Italy, Turkey and even Pakistan, offering colors and patterns to match your home’s particular theme and style.

In addition to granite, you will also find many suppliers offering onyx, marble and travertine—all great materials for home design projects with the same long-lasting durability of granite and the sleek colors and finishes you would look for in granite.

The Theatre Arts and Music Departments at Cerritos College in January launched first Portable Event Staging Program this spring, the first program of its kind in California where students can train for entry level jobs as stage technicians in the entertainment industry.

The program is being funded through a grant from the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act.  Students enrolled in the program will learn how to set up, operate, and strike audio, lighting and staging equipment, including risers, lighting, sound, construction of rolling stages, crowd control barricade equipment  for concerts and other live entertainment events.

According to Cerritos College officials, “The new Portable Event Staging Program here at Cerritos College marks a departure from the traditional approach to education and moves to a new learning model based on the practicalities of the job market.”  Students enrolled in the program will take part in real, hands-on learning rather than classroom instruction, and for their “final exams,” students will work on production of multiple outdoor live concerts this summer, where they will put their training and technical skills to use in a real-world context.

A technical, hands-on training program specifically for this career did not exist at any regional academic institution, officials at Cerritos College says, and this new Portable Event Staging program was created to meet the job market shortage of trained stage technicians across the Southern California region.

For more information on the program, visit www.cerritos.edu/entertainment-technology or contact the Theatre Arts Department Professor Susan Watanabe (562) 860-2451 ext. 2643 or go to www.cerritos.edu.