Fantasy Football Fans will want to remember the name Deion Branch. When preparing for your fantasy football drafts this summer, don't let the New England receiver slip too far in your ratings or in your round-by-round projections.

He is a star in the making.

Branch's 35 catches and four touchdowns in 2004 may make him barely visible on many people's radar screens. Others may look for him to slip into the lower rounds, because of these modest numbers. Don't make this mistake.

Only the most astute talent evaluators will remember that Branch missed seven games. Even they, however, will remember his stellar performance in the Super Bowl, which earned him MVP honors. He tied a Super Bowl record with 11 catches for 133 yards. More impressive were his circus-style catches.

Branch is small but quick, as evidenced by his 13-yard-per-catch career average. This was just his third year in the league, and he is certainly a star on the rise.

If you have 12-16 teams in your league, look to nab Branch in the seventh or eighth round. He will be a steal here, but if you wait longer, you may let an amazing sleeper get away. Branch is just the type of player that the men in my novel, The League, look to steal in their drafts.

Of course, he's also the type of player a madman trying to win $30 million looks to eliminate. Learn more about this intriguing novel at http://www.sportsnovels.com.

¶ 10:15 PM 0 comments

If you are having trouble with relationshipson the job, in your family; or experience low self-esteem, panic attacks, anxiety, depression, alcohol/drug abuse, nightmares, suicidal thoughts or attempts, shame, guilt, baseless crying, angry outbursts, inability to recognize your feelings, mood swings, emotional shut down, numbing out, arthritis/joint pain, chronic/acute fear, headaches/migraines, eating disorders, PMS, gastrointestinal/gynecological disorders, chronic fatigue syndrome, MS or fibromyalgia, you are not alone. Many men and women experience this kind of pain. Many, if not most, do not know sexual abuse/incest is the cause of their emotional/ physical pain. They attribute these maladies to their inadequacy for the rigors of adult life or genetic abnormality.

Family violence research reveals sexual abuse is as high as 62% for females and 31% for males. Whether the abuse occurred once or several times is irrelevant, because the damage is incurred immediately. The damage is profound, extensive and pervasiveit is a soul injury. Time, money, pills, surgery, marriage, children, moving, jobs, divorce, perfectionism can not heal the pain.

Talk therapy is inadequate to uncover the emotional pain, and heal the trauma trapped in muscles and tissue. To fully appreciate the depth of this pain, I will quote one of my clients, "Even my blood hurts." A multifaceted healing process specifically focused on sexual abuse recovery and diligent work is the most effective; wherein the survivor can replenish their emotional and spiritual identity and empowerment.

¶ 9:21 PM 0 comments

How do you remove permanent marker stains from carpet? Well, the bad news is that it's called "permanent" marker for a reason. Depending on how new and how deep the stains are, you may not be able to remove them completely.

You can almost always lighten stains, though, and sometimes make them unnoticible. There are other things you can do to hide the stain as well. Start with the method here to get out as much as you can.

First, thoroughly vacuum the area. This removes any loose dirt, dust or other substances that might give you trouble when you work on the stain.

For the carpet stain removal solvent, use rubbing alcohol or a non-oily hairspray. Use a small amount on a clean white cloth, and dab at the stain. You should see transfer of the stain to the cloth. Use another dry cloth to blot up the solution between applications.

Just apply the solution and blot it up several times. Then rinse the spot with clean water and blot that up. Finally, dry the area thoroughly.

Get Out The Remaining Stain

If you couldn't get it all out, and if the stain isn't too deep, it's time to cut out some carpet - just a little. Try snipping away the stained edges with small scissors or with a razor blade or exacto knife. Use tweezers to carefully pull out severely stained fibers.

When you try the latter, you might want to remove clean carpet strands from another, hidden area in the room, and then glue them into the stained area. Then leave a heavy object on the spot for several days before walking on it. That's how you remove permanent marker in all but the worst cases.

¶ 7:54 PM 0 comments