Title:  Basic Formatting Rules for Building a Successful Ezine - Part 1
Author:  Max Shifrin
Copyright: 2001

Article Originally Written: July, 2001

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Basic Formatting Rules for Building a Successful Ezine - Part 1
Copyright 2001, Max Shifrin
Fun Ezines.com
http://FunEzines.com



Just as in life, there are three tiers of wealth in the ezine
industry. There is the lower class who have fewer than 500
subscribers. There is the middle class with 501 to 100,000
subscribers. And finally, there is the upper class who have
more than 100,000 subscribers. Some of the really rich have
a subscriber base in the millions!

70% of ezines will never escape the lower class. And less than
5% of the publishers will ever rise to the upper class.

There are some simple rules you can follow to get from the
lower class to the middle class, then from the middle to the
upper class. First thing you must do is understand the rules
and then make the determination as to whether you really want
to be in the middle or upper class. As in life, the middle and
upper class do not escape the bonds of the lower class until
they make the determination that they are willing to work hard
and do what it takes to succeed.

The basic formatting rules of a successful ezine are geared to
take you solidly into the middle class in the ezine publishing
world.


BASIC STRUCTURE: When I speak of the word "structure", I suggest
this literally. Your ezine must have a "structure" to it, and
this structure must be maintained from issue to issue. Your
readers come to understand your basic structure, and in this
understanding they take comfort. If your structure changes from
issue to issue, your subscribers will take the cue and change
to another more stable ezine.


HTML MAIL OR STANDARD TEXT: Some publishers like HTML mail,
while others prefer standard text. A few even provide their
readers a choice of formats though this requires more work.
Considering both formats are used among the really rich, I
cannot say one would be better than the other. There are
however three considerations for making a format choice here.
One, HTML mail can seldom be read offline. Two, HTML mail can
sometimes be difficult to load on slow machines. And three, if
you choose to switch from one to the other, you would be better
off offering both formats instead. (Hint: If you construct your
ezine in your email application, and you have the choice
available to you to set the font or color inside your email,
you are using HTML email.)


STANDARD FONTS: While you may read your own email in Times New
Roman for example, the majority of your readers may not have
your tastes or your settings. You should always use Courier or
Courier New to format your ezine. Why? Because Courier is a
fixed-width font, and Times New Roman is a variable-width font.
An ezine formatted in Times New Roman and read in Courier
always looks funny, just like this
sentence does. This makes the publisher look unprofessional,
which often causes people to unsubscribe.


STANDARD WIDTHS: Carrying on the idea with using Courier as
your standard font, let me emphasize the importance of putting
a hard carriage return (hitting the Enter key) at the end of
every line. Since you are already using Courier as your font,
this becomes easy. What you want is to set your standard width
between 60 and 70 characters wide. I tend to stick with 65
myself. The reason again here is that text email readers have
a setting inside of them to "Wrap Lines at X Characters". The
default setting is usually 65 characters. The easiest way to
assure the set width is to use this little trick to measure out
65 characters:

123456789-123456789-123456789-123456789-123456789-123456789-12345

Though I write my ezine in Microsoft Word, I always copy and
paste it to Notepad before pasting it to my email software. The
reason I do this is because in Notepad, the standard font is
Courier. I maximize Notepad and turn Word Wrap off. In doing
so, now I can see the whole issue and know for a fact that I
have hit Enter at the end of every line. If I did not, then
the line will stretch across my screen to infinity!


SECTION AND ITEM DIVIDERS: Within the general formatting of an
ezine, you should always provide clear breaks between sections
and items. Your reader does not want to be confused as to which
section of the ezine he is in and does not want to be confused
about where one story ends and the next begins. If this happens
too much, they will simply unsubscribe to your publication.

There are several ways to go about defining clear dividers.
Some people use lines and some people use white space. I tend
to use a mix of both. White space is achieved simply by hitting
Enter a number of times to create several blank lines. Whether
using lines or white space for your dividers, you should always
make a distinction between a section divider and an item divider.
They should not be the same, but easily distinguished from one
another. A section is defined as a general set of items.

Another way people define section and item dividers is with
ASCII art which I am going to talk about next.


ASCII ART: Ascii Art is defined as a set of keyboard characters
used to make a picture. The most common of Ascii Art is the
Smiley :-)

A reader told me once that Ascii Art inside an ezine makes you
look like an amateur. He said that I provided good content and
the Ascii Art detracted from the overall quality of my ezine.
The issue came up because I had in place a questionnaire for
people who unsubscribed from my ezine. One person told me that
the extreme use of Ascii Art was the only reason they were
leaving, so I sent a poll to all of my readers. Over 60% of
my readership replied, and 99% of those people did not like
the Ascii Art themselves and asked that I do away with it.

The nasty thing about Ascii Art in an ezine is that in order
for it to look pretty, you must use Courier to format the ezine.
Then when the reader opens it in Times New Roman, it turns your
art into pure gibberish.


IN CONCLUSION:

In Part One, we have covered the basic structure, the use of
html email or standard text email, standard fonts and widths,
section and item dividers, and the use of Ascii Art in an ezine.

If you want to grow your ezine into the middle class by breaking
the plateau of your 500th subscriber, then you should take a
good hard look at your formatting points.

The whole premise of formatting and the individual points of
formatting revolves around one central issue. That issue is
simplifying the experience for your readers. If you make it
easy for your readers to read your publication, your readers
will make it easy for you to grow the size of your subscriber
base.

In Part Two, we will continue to move forward with a look at the
table of contents and static content, URL and email hyperlinks,
and advertising in an ezine.



Resource Box:
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in helping ezine owners build their subscriber base. For a limited
time Max offers you *Free Website Hosting* if you only try out the
service.  If you don't like it,  you still get to keep the hosting
for at least 6 months! With absolutely NO obligation!  For details
Visit: http://www.funezines.com/clients_signup.cgi      Right Now!
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Posted: Fri Dec 28 00:44:17 EST 2001


For more articles by this author, please visit:

http://ThePhantomWriters.com/free_content/c/index.shtml#Max_Shifrin

Title:  Basic Formatting Rules for Building a Successful Ezine - Part 2
Author:  Max Shifrin
Copyright: 2001

Article Originally Written: July, 2001

Article URL:
    http://ThePhantomWriters.com/free_content/c/s/formatting_rules_2.shtml

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* You must forward a copy of the ezine or newsletter that
   contains the article inside to the author at:
   mailto:max@...
* If you post this article on a website, you must set the
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Basic Formatting Rules for Building a Successful Ezine - Part 2
Copyright 2001, Max Shifrin
Fun Ezines.com
http://FunEzines.com



Just as in life, there are three tiers of wealth in the ezine
industry. There is the lower class who have fewer than 500
subscribers. Then there is the middle class with 501 to 100,000
subscribers. And finally, there is the upper class who have
more than 100,000 subscribers. Some of the really rich have a
subscriber base in the millions!

There are some simple rules you can follow to get from the lower
class to the middle class, then from the middle class to the
upper class. First thing you must do is understand the rules and
then make the determination as to whether you really want to be
in the middle or upper class. As in life, the middle and upper
class do not escape the bonds of the lower class until they make
the determination that they are willing to work hard and do what
it takes to succeed.

The basic formatting rules of a successful ezine are geared to
take you solidly into the middle class in the ezine publishing
world.

In Part One, we covered the basic structure, the use of html
email or standard text email, standard fonts and widths,
section and item dividers, and the use of Ascii Art in an
ezine. You can get an autoresponder copy of Part One by
sending a blank email to:

    mailto:articles@...?subject=art002

In Part Two, we will continue to move forward with a look at the
table of contents and static content, URL and email hyperlinks,
and advertising in an ezine.



TABLE OF CONTENTS AND STATIC DATA: In the newspaper industry,
there is a term called "above the fold". What this refers to is
when a newspaper is folded in half, the top of the front page
is what catches the readers attention first. Newspaper editors
spend a great deal of time determining just exactly what will
appear "above the fold", as this is the information that will
drive impulse buyers at the newsstands.

On the net and in email, "above the fold" is the first thing you
see in your presentation before someone scrolls down. Just as in
the newspaper industry, part of this space should be devoted to
telling what it is they are looking at. If you keep this portion
of the ezine the same from issue to issue, then your reader will
open the ezine and know exactly who you are and what they want
to do to begin reading your publication.

Generally, I try to keep three pieces of information above the
fold.

First. I want to include an Unsubscribe email address. I really
don't want them to unsubscribe, but people will drive you nuts
with demands to unsubscribe them, unless you are willing to make
it absolutely obvious to them how to do so on their own!

Second. I want to include the name of my ezine, the publication
date and the issue number, and if I am into sharing my number
of subscribers, I like to place this information as well.

Third. I want to tell my reader how to find what they are
interested in finding. I have published many ezines, and in
each the Table of Contents varied in its style and presentation,
but it was always there. In some cases, I simply outline the
sections in the ezine, and in other cases, I outline the
sections and tell the name of the article that is included
in each article section.


URL HYPERLINKS: It is all about simplifying the adventure for
your readers.

If you are sending HTML email already, you can skip this part.
If you are sending text mail, you have two methods to consider.
The question of which method to use resides in how many of your
subscribers are AOL members.

Most email applications will take a link that has the "http://"
printed in front of it and make it a hyperlink already. AOL
demands to be different. For your AOL subscribers, you have to
make a choice. To give them hyperlinks that they can click, you
must format it as:

    <a href="http://mylink.com">http://mylink.com</a>

For the remainder of your subscribers, you only need to present:

    http://mylink.com

For non-AOL subscribers, the first option can become quite
unattractive and challenging to read, especially with long
URL's. For your AOL subscribers, the second option must be
copied to their browser. If you leave the "http://" off of the
link, all readers would have to cut-and-paste the link to their
browsers.

Given these options, most successful publishers choose the
second option, because it simplifies the process for the
majority of their readers.


EMAIL ADDRESSES: The same rules that apply to the "http://" tag
also apply to an email address. You can choose either to make
the email address a hyperlink or you can choose to let people
copy-and-paste the email address to their email application.

I recommend always making the email address a hyperlink. It is
only a matter of simplifying processes for the majority of your
readers. The method that you would employ to do this is to
attach the text "mailto:" directly in front of the email
address, with no spaces in between the two.

With the email address as a hyperlink, the reader can simply
click on the link and their email software will open to a new
message that is properly addressed.


ADVERTISEMENTS: Advertising in ezines is common practice. These
advertisements are the lifeblood of the publisher, and can take
the form of ad swaps, in-house ads and paid advertising.

Whatever the format, readers tend to carry on about how they do
not want advertising in your ezine. Yet, readers do understand
the importance of advertising in their reading materials. So
while they openly argue that you should do away with them, they
fully expect the ads to be there.

Internet-wide, the arguments of whether advertising should be
permitted or not, has generally been muted. On the other hand,
consumer advocates have launched a fight against a certain kind
of advertising that you should be careful to avoid. The argument
has risen to prominence in this era of pay-per-click search
engines. The concern is in attempting to pass off advertising
as content.

If your goal is to alienate your readers, then by all means,
go ahead and try to pass off advertising as content. However,
if you are like most publishers, and consider each of your
subscribers to be as important as the next, then take steps
to distinctly identify advertising as advertising.

You should always set that advertisement apart with special
advertisement divider bars. One technique I have used in times
past was to identify the "advertisement starts here" bar and
the "advertisement ends here" bar.

Whatever method you use to distinguish an advertisement from
content is fine. Just be certain that you do so.


IN CLOSING: Formatting your ezine consistently is one of the
most important steps you can take in developing your subscriber
base. It is not so much that one format is superior to the next;
it is that a standard format will take you further than no
format at all!

Each of us will reach our own conclusions about how we want to
format our own ezines. And often times, we will tweak those
formats many times in the life of our ezine. Tweaking the format
once every six months or completely overhauling the format once
a year is fine. The real killer of an ezine is changing the
format from week to week, issue to issue.

If you want to grow your ezine into the middle class by breaking
the plateau of your 500th subscriber, then you should take a
good hard look at your formatting points. While getting to the
upper class in the ezine publishing world cannot be done with
formatting alone, you certainly cannot get there without
stabilizing your format. After all, only the rarest of ezines
can ever reach the middle class without a stable format.

The whole premise of formatting and the individual points of
formatting revolves around one central issue. That issue is
simplifying the experience for your readers. If you make it
easy for your readers to read your publication, your readers
will make it easy for you to grow the size of your subscriber
base.



Resource Box:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Max Shifrin, the owner of http://www.FunEzines.com  specializes
in helping ezine owners build their subscriber base.   Max uses
massive promotions to generate hundreds, even thousands of sub-
scribers every month for over 100 ezines! Want Max to grow your
Ezine? Visit: http://www.funezines.com/clients_signup.cgi  Make
sure you subscribe to Max's Popular Marketing & Publishing Ezine
Send an email to: mailto:promotion-tips-subscribe@...
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Posted: Fri Dec 28 00:50:29 EST 2001


For more articles by this author, please visit:

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Title:  Caught In the Cross-Fire of the Spam War
Author:  Bill Platt
Copyright: 2001

Article Originally Written: December, 2001

Article URL:
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Caught In the Cross-Fire of the Spam War
Copyright 2001, Bill Platt
The Phantom Writers
http://ThePhantomWriters.com




LET THERE BE LIGHT: To understand this story, we must return
to the beginning --- September 5th, 2001. One of my associates
had placed a free ad in a newsletter that she had just
subscribed to. For that effort, she was accused of spam! Mind
you the person filing the complaint was not the editor of the
newsletter, but rather a subscriber of the newsletter.

The man was frustrated because he was having difficulty getting
unsubscribed from the newsletter, so he filed a complaint
against everyone who was listed in the body of the message,
rather than just the list owner. It was his frustration,
anger and ignorance that fueled this nasty little affair.

My friend lives in a very small town in Canada that has only one
ISP. The Upline Provider for the local ISP was demanding her
account to be turned off permanently because of this accusation
which was later dropped. The local ISP stood their ground on
behalf of their customer --- my friend --- though this action
could have seriously hampered their ability to provide their
customers with Internet access.

Even in dropping his claim against my friend, the person who
filed the complaint insisted that my friend was somehow still
responsible for his inability to unsubscribe from the newsletter
in question!

The person who filed this complaint was using a system designed
by programmer Julian Haight to combat spam email called
SpamCops.net.


INTO THE PIT: In my original copy written September 10th, I had
compared the tactics of the few diehard SpamCop anti-spammers
to the tactics of a terrorist.

In the wake of September 11th, it did not seem appropriate to
refer to the SpamCop fanatics as terrorists. However closely
the tactics used by the SpamCop fanatics coincides with the
tactics used by the al-Qaida terrorist network led by Osama
bin Laden, SpamCop does not resort to murder.


Due to SpamCop.net's unwillingness to provide a real person
contact for the resolution of complaints, I was forced to turn
to their discussion board to find the resolution I was seeking
--- a resolution, which by the way, was never found.

My major complaint was that for someone to file against another
simply because their email address or website appeared in
someone else's ezine was improper.

Many members had knee jerk reactions to my questioning their
system from within their inner sanctum. Many resorted to name
calling and angry retort until a list administrator called them
down. After the list administrator directly addressed their
inappropriate comments, I received three open apologies from
members of the group.


PUBLISHERS BEWARE. Over the course of the next few days, I
watched their discussions. I was appalled to learn that many
of them put email addresses in circulation just so that they
can torment others with spam accusations.

As an owner of several discussion lists and newsletters, I now
make it a standard policy to bar participation in my groups by
someone sporting a SpamCop.net email address.


I had tried to observe their group with an open mind, as I too
find spam mail to be annoying. I receive nearly 50 pieces a
day from four to five people, who send me the same ads day
after day. What is really annoying is they send the spam to
my autoresponders with a fake address, so I get another 50
messages a day telling me that I used an invalid email address
in my autoresponder message. All have spidered my website to
get the email addresses.


A SPAMCOP SPEAKS. In all fairness, I was leaning towards a
semi-favorable opinion of the SpamCop program until "Jerry"
lashed out.

In his message, Jerry told me things which will just make you
want to explode in frustration.

He said of the innocent who get caught in the cross-fire of the
spam wars:  "They should stay home."

He went on to say, "it is far better for thousands of innocents
to burn in Hell than one spammer prevail."

And, "Truth, Justice, and the American Way - or lack thereof -
is irrelevant. Spammers must believe there are no loopholes, no
gray areas, that the righteous will be sacrificed (in vast
numbers if need be) in order to expunge the evildoers."

In conclusion, it was stated, "Spam, like the one true faith,
is in the eye of the beholder. Again, if it looks like a bird,
it might be a duck. Better the condor dies than risk a quack."

These of course are just excerpts. If you would care to read
his entire message to me, you may do so at the bottom of this
page:

    http://shopmystate.com/niba/BillP.html


NO SAFE HAVEN: On two occasions, I have found myself squarely
in the cross-hairs of the radicals or the angry that wear the
shield of SpamCop. I publish articles for free-reprint on the
web --- much as this article has come to you today.

The SpamCop's suggested that I was hiding behind the free-
reprint rights connected to my articles. They suggested that
I was encouraging spam by making my work available to be
published by anyone. In response to their suggestions that I
am the enemy, I have added one term to my Terms of Reprint:

* You may not use this article in UCE (Unsolicited Commercial
   Email). Email distribution of this article must be opt-in
   email only.


Despite this step, I have been accused of spam twice because my
article appeared in a newsletter that a complaint was lodged
against. In both cases, the SpamCop member did not file a
complaint against the person who was responsible for the
newsletter --- they filed against everyone who was in the body
of the email.

Their complaint was received by the editor of the newsletter,
the article writers, the advertisers, and anyone who was
fortunate enough to be mentioned in the resources section or
the Letters to the Editor. We each had our ISP and Upline
Providers contacted if our email address appeared in the
body of the newsletter and our webhosts contacted if our
domain appeared within the body of the newsletter.

The only way I can completely avoid spam complaints against my
domains is to stop writing altogether. I am a writer. That is
what writers do, we write. To please the SpamCop's, I must quit
being a writer or just "stay home."


POLICING THE POLICE. This is silly. If we cannot trust the cops
to make sure they nab the right person, who can we trust?

There is in fact a movement afoot to bring SpamCop down called
"Arresting SpamCop":

    http://www.niba.shopmystate.com/


While some of the SpamCop members are simply tired of the
same kinds of spam that irritates us, there are others within
the movement who have an axe to grind with everyone who crosses
their path.

To suggest to a SpamCop member that folks should be trained in
the nuances of who to complain against in a complaint, you can
expect a reply like this. "Jerry" answered my suggestion
precisely this way:

"SpamCop users are literate, intelligent, virtually all college
educated, well-versed in spam, and are more computer-savvy than
99% of the world's population.  It is presumptuous and arrogant
in the extreme to imply they need a Learning Annex class to
detect spam."

The question I have is to whom the term "arrogant" should be
applied?

This is what my webhost said about my last SpamCop spam
complaint, "As far as I know spam is generally considered to be
high volume unsolicited email. So, as long as you are not doing
that then I am not sure why it would be called spam."


CONCLUSION: While the anti-spammers rail on the ugliness of
spam, it seems they are perfectly willing and likely prefer
that the only people permitted to send email should be those
they directly give permission to.

Personally, I find the practices of the radicals of SpamCop to
be more offensive than the activities of the spammers. It is a
terrible thing to say, I know, but the spammers simply irritate
me and the SpamCop fanatics try to oppress my activities.


Osama bin Laden brought external terrorism to the United States
on September 11th, 2001. But the truth is that terrorists have
long existed in our country on our own soil, and great numbers
of them proudly were the shield of SpamCop.

We all must make a choice, do we "stay home" or do we fight the
oppressors who seek to diminish our freedom.


For other stories on this subject:
    http://www.niba.shopmystate.com/
    http://www.smithfam.com/news/june01m.html
    --------------------- URL WRAPS ----------------------
http://unlimited.net.nz/unlimited/unlimited.nsf/ArchiveByDate/753E5579AF08A709CC\
256AC3006ED14B
    --------------------- URL WRAPS ----------------------




Resource Box:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Bill Platt is the owner of http://ThePhantomWriters.com .
Consider employing our team of professional wordsmiths to weave
articles developed to reach your target market. We can help put
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ghosted articles that will drive targeted and motivated buyers
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Posted: Tue Dec 25 01:09:13 EST 2001


For more articles by this author, please visit:

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Title:  Leveraging the Value of Your Ezine Subscribers
Author:  Max Shifrin
Copyright: 2001

Article Originally Written: July, 2001

Article URL:
    http://ThePhantomWriters.com/free_content/c/s/leveraging_subs.shtml

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Leveraging the Value of Your Ezine Subscribers
Copyright 2001, Max Shifrin
Fun Ezines.com
http://FunEzines.com



Since you came to the web and began to explore the subject of
making money on the internet, you have heard from dozens of
sources that what you really needed to do was to start your
own newsletter. Chances are, you have heeded that advice and
started your own ezine.

Now, you are probably struggling each month with the questions
of how exactly you are going to make money with your ezine and
how you can grow your subscriber base to the point where your
ezine is a profitable part of your business venture. Publishers
from around the world, in every imaginable niche of web
publishing ask themselves and others these same questions
every day.

Many people will step forward and present to you techniques
to draw subscribers to your ezine, but I want to talk to you
instead about strategy. Techniques are fine, they are the
methods that you will employ to reach your goal. Strategy is
much more. It is the science and art of conducting a campaign
on a broad scale. The "science" is rooted in the ability to
"measure" your progress and your results.

Many people have been bemoaning the demise of the advertising
industry on the web. What this means to the publisher is that
fewer companies are interested in spending money on advertising.
In theory, this is an accurate assessment, but there is really
much more to it. There are advertisers out there ready to spend
money, but they want to know the dollar value of the audience
they are targeting. They need to be able to "measure" the risk
they take when they advertise.

In the previous internet business model, one visitor was as
good as the next, and people bought and sold advertising based
on the number of visitors or readers. Today, advertisers want
to know the value of a visitor or a reader before they plunk
down their advertising dollars. Who can blame them? It is just
good business practice.

The dot-bombs bombed because they failed to provide a measurable
return value to their advertisers. They did not exercise solid
business strategy in the development and the growth of their
businesses, and paid the dear price of bankruptcy for their
failure to employ the science of business to their enterprises.

    So far at least 555 substantial Internet companies around
    the world have shut down since January of 2000. Of that
    number, 330, or almost 60 percent of the total, have shut
    down in the first six months of 2001 alone.
    -- webmergers.com

    More than nine times as many Web companies shut down in the
    first half of 2001 as in first half of 2000, or 330 compared
    with 36 in the same period last year.
    --Reuters

Another reason the dot-bombs failed was because most of them
relied on only one revenue stream. Unfortunately for them,
they had placed all of their eggs in the "advertising revenue"
basket. So when the advertisers began to pull back on the reins,
the dot-bombs had no other choice but to close their doors.

A successful ezine is one that employs multiple streams of
revenue. Often times, the most lucrative area for an ezine
publisher is not advertising revenue, but back end sales and
special offers. When you started your ezine, it was to support
the business model that you have set up for your primary
business. Sell your own products and services, and offer
special purchase deals to your subscriber base. The potential
profits from this type of activity far outweigh the profits
you will see from advertising in most every case. Use this to
your advantage. Once someone has purchased anything from you
one time, he is much more likely to buy from you again. Find
ways for your past customers to buy from you again. Leverage
your advantage.

Once you have earned sales from your subscriber base, it is
time to apply the "science" of business to your ezine. Remember,
the "science" is the ability to measure progress and results.
In order to do so, you must have a formula that you can apply
to your business.

Here is a formula for calculating the value of your ezine
subscribers:
    (Ad Revenue + All Sales to subscribers) /
    Number of subscribers =  VALUE.

You should also calculate this formula with time as a measure.
Whether you employ this formula on a per-issue basis or on a
per-month basis is not important. What is important is that
you determine a standard time measurement and apply the formula
to your ezine at the appropriate intervals. I recommend that
you employ this formula at one month intervals. I also recommend
that you refigure all of your totals after one year. In this
manner, you will be able to determine an average monthly value
and a average yearly value for your subscribers.

The "Value of your Subscribers" is the most important "measure"
that you can apply to your ezine.

It has two very important roles for the strategic planning for
your ezine and business venture. Once you know this value,
you know how much you can afford to spend to increase your
subscriber base. This is directly proportional to the planned
growth of your ezine and business. It really is a science.

For example, if you know that the value of your subscriber is
one dollar, then you know that you can realistically spend $100
to get 100 new subscribers, and still break even. If the value
of your subscriber is one dollar per month, even better. Your
subscriber is now worth $12 per year, and the $100 you just
spent to acquire 100 new subscribers is worth an additional
$1200 per year to your business.

The number representing the "Value of your Subscribers" has
one additional benefit. If you develop a press kit telling
potential advertisers the value your subscribers represent
to your business, then advertisers will have the information
they want and need to be able to open their wallets and spend
advertising dollars in your ezine.

To understand the science of measure as it applies to your
business model is the most important step in successfully
developing the strategic planning you need to grow your ezine
and business beyond your wildest dreams.



Resource Box:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Max Shifrin, the owner of http://www.FunEzines.com  specializes
in helping ezine owners build their subscriber base.   Max uses
massive promotions to generate hundreds, even thousands of sub-
scribers every month for over 100 ezines! Want Max to grow your
Ezine? Visit: http://www.funezines.com/clients_signup.cgi  Make
sure you subscribe to Max's Popular Marketing & Publishing Ezine
Send an email to: mailto:promotion-tips-subscribe@...
-----------------------------------------------------------------


Posted: Fri Dec 28 01:14:06 EST 2001


For more articles by this author, please visit:

http://ThePhantomWriters.com/free_content/c/index.shtml#Max_Shifrin

Title:  Tips for Decorating Your Living Room
Author:  Helen Marakis
Copyright: 2001

Article Originally Written: June, 2001

Article URL:
    http://ThePhantomWriters.com/free_content/c/m/decorating.shtml

Article Autoresponder:
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Formatted to 65 Characters per Line
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-----------------------------------------------------------------

Tips for Decorating Your Living Room
Copyright 2001, Helen Marakis
Portara, Inc.
http://www.portara.com



In the home, the living area, or the receiving room, is one of
the busiest rooms. It's also the room guests initially see and
form a lasting impression about the home. Hence, the living area
should be well-decorated, well-laid out and inviting to guests
and family members. It should project a homey, comfortable yet
elegant image.

The Greeks were inspired by lofty ideals of beauty. And these
same ideals can be imitated and applied to create and decorate
an elegant home, an elegant living area in particular. With a
combination of imagination, good taste, statues and lamps, any
living area can be transformed into one that exudes elegance
and coziness at the same time.

There are several ways you can decorate your living area to
create an inviting place and cause a lasting impression to
your guests:


REARRANGING FURNITURE. Your lifestyle or taste determines what
the focal point of your living area is. If you have a fireplace,
you can rearrange your furniture around it. Or if you have a
piano, and this is the focal point of your living area, your
furniture could be set around it.

When rearranging your furniture, also consider traffic in your
living area. Does the arrangement of your furniture allow free
movement and flow? Does it give an uncluttered look?

It is always good to arrange furniture in off-square angles.
This makes the room warmer and more casual. And instead of
placing large sofas directly against the wall, why not place
it a foot or so away from the wall and put a lamp or plant
behind it instead?


COLORS TO CREATE WARMTH. Colors have psychological effects on
people and their moods. When applied in your living area,
colors can intimidate, invite or irritate. Decorating using
colors is also an inexpensive way of decorating because it only
involves painting or papering walls.

You want your living area to be warm and inviting, and one of
the warmest and most relaxing colors is green. Green has several
shades and it's one of the most flexible colors around. But
whatever color you pick for the color of your walls, make your
carpets and furniture coordinated.


MIRRORS FOR SPACE AND DEPTH. Create space and depth for your
small living area by positioning a mirror on a wall. Your
mirror should reflect something pleasing to the eyes. If you
have more wall space, try adding small painting on either side
of the mirror.


ADDING SMALL FURNITURE. To create a "lived-in" aura for your
living area, position small furniture in the room. This can be
a small bench, or a low sofa table. Place magazines, journals
and newspapers under the table. Placing flower vases, baskets
and small plants on your table also creates beauty and livens
up the room.


STATUES FOR ELEGANCE. Corners and tabletops are good places for
small statues. Statues, especially marble ones, provide aesthetic
quality to your living area. The statues at Portara portray the
Greeks of ancient times -- symbols, deities, objects associated
with everyday life. The Greeks used marble for sculptures for its
strength, durability and beauty. Portara continues this Greek
tradition by creating long-lasting, and genuine statues and
capturing the beauty of the Early Cycladic Civilization in its
reproductions. Elegant yet down-to-earth, these statues lend
warmth to any living area.


UNIQUE LAMPS. Alternative to statues are lamps. Place them in a
corner or a tabletop and they can accentuate your living area.
Second to color, light creates moods and sets the tone of your
living area. Portara's lamps are not your ordinary lamps. They
are unique lamps -- created from polished minerals and stones.
These minerals and stones can emit light after exposure to day
light or the light from normal light bulbs. When the chemicals
in minerals or rocks react to light, this reaction causes the
minerals or rocks to glow. The visible light emitted is sometimes
very colorful and it is often very different from the normal
color of the mineral. These unique Portara lamps will accent
your living area.

Decorating your home, particularly your living area, allows
you to combine creativity, elegance and good taste. Make good
use of space, accessories and furniture available to you so
you can create a living area that is inviting, relaxing, homey
and elegant.



Resource Box:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Helen Marakis owns Portara, Inc. (http://www.portara.com/?1),
a company that combines Ancient Greek history and art through
its unique sculptures, dolls and semiprecious stones that are
hand-crafted and hand-finished. Portara, Inc's products are
being sold for the first time in the United States and come
with a 60-day money back guarantee.
-----------------------------------------------------------------


Posted: Fri Dec 28 01:42:51 EST 2001


For more articles by this author, please visit:

http://ThePhantomWriters.com/free_content/c/index.shtml#Helen_Marakis

`
Title:  Looking Ahead Towards Profit in 2002
Author:  Max Shifrin
Copyright: 2001

Article Originally Written: December, 2001

Article URL:
    http://ThePhantomWriters.com/free_content/c/s/profits2002.shtml

Article Autoresponder:
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   contains the article inside to the author at:
   mailto:max@...
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-----------------------------------------------------------------

Looking Ahead Towards Profit in 2002
Copyright 2001, Max Shifrin
Fun Ezines
http://www.FunEzines.com



Each year at this time, a lot of ink is spread talking about
New Year's Resolutions. In most cases, this ink goes wasted as
resolutions are soon forgotten or dismissed.

The reasons for this yearly collapse of personal discipline are
many-fold.

One, people draw up their resolutions based on old habits they
wish to break. Old habits are hard to break simply because they
require a constant daily effort to overcome what is ingrained
into the lifestyle of the person. It is easy to say to yourself,
"Well, I can skip a day." Once a single day has been skipped,
it becomes much easier to skip another. Before long, the days
have been skipped so many times that there seems no point in
trying to pretend anymore.

Two, people may know the reasons why to change the habit, but
they don't have one reason that is powerful enough to drive
them to change.

Three, people make resolutions to change what they do not
possess a true desire to change. Sure, you tell yourself that
it is important, but do you feel it important with every fiber
of your being?


Now, I will bet you are asking yourself what this has to do
with the profitability of your ezine and website.

Well, let us take a look at the passing year. How much did
your ezine and website earn in sales this past year? How much
in profits?

If the answer to either of these questions is zero, then I
implore you to make only one resolution this year --- to start
earning money and profits from your online endeavor.

Without reading your ezine or visiting your website, I know
that you are offering real value to the world. I also know
that in order to maintain this level of value, there must be
some sort of incentive to drive you forward. Without the
incentive of sales and profits, there are few things that can
qualify as an incentive that you can feel important with every
fiber of your being!

This is the most important ingredient to your success online
or offline.

You must possess a reason strong enough to propel you forward.
You must feel its importance with every fiber of your being.
And you must reaffirm your dedication to your goal each and
every day without miss.

Thousands of people online already possess these three distinct
traits which will work towards their success. Yet, many of them
may be trying to reach through their monitor right now in a
frivolous effort to slap me in my head. I can hear them now,
"I know this. I need to find out how to make money!"

Folks, there are thousands of affiliate programs available on
the web that you can participate in. The unfortunate truth is
that most of these affiliate programs will never earn you more
than a few dollars!

Unless the affiliate program restricts who can distribute their
wares, affiliate programs only serve their masters! Amazon.com
is often thought to be the largest affiliate program online
with "over 500,000 Associates of all sizes and virtually every
area of interest."

With an estimated 141 million users online around the world and
120 million in the United States alone (Jupiter Media Matrix -
http://www.jmm.com), you are looking at an availability of only
282 customers per Amazon.com affiliate!

As you can see, Amazon is deeply concerned about your personal
success. Tsk, tsk. Your odds of earning a decent income from
being an Associate in the Amazon program is nearly zilch. Most
affiliate programs on the web have nearly the same concern for
your well-being as does Amazon.

The secret to making money online is simple. You must have your
own products or service, or the program you choose to affiliate
with should not have thousands of other affiliates that you
must compete with also. For the products and services that you
distribute, there must be an opportunity to develop high demand
with very limited competition.

You could create your own ebook to sell, but the truth is that
you would just be another of tens of thousands of ebooks
competing for the same dollars. Besides that, an ebook is a
one-shot deal in most cases. As Amazon is struggling with, the
online success stories always offer something that people will
come back and buy more of, again and again.

Subscriptions and contractual services continue to deliver
payday to many thousands of successful online entrepreneurs.

So the question you need to be asking yourself right now is
this. What product or service can I develop that can be
marketed as a subscription or contractual service? And how
can I do so at a profit?

Let me give you a couple of tips. Make certain that there are
not others offering this product or service right now for free.
And more importantly, start small and grow as your business
grows.

At all times, you should stay focused on the bottom line. What
good is a million dollar business that does not earn profits?
About as good as a DrKoop.com, Themestream.com or other Internet
domain that currently resides in the waste bin of what could
have been.

This New Year, do not simply make a New Year's Resolution. Find
a reason strong enough to propel you forward. Believe and feel
the importance of your purpose with every fiber of your being.
Reaffirm your dedication daily. And make this years resolution
more a matter of resolve. Resolve to make your web property
profitable in 2002.



Resource Box:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Max Shifrin, the owner of http://www.FunEzines.com  specializes
in helping ezine owners build their subscriber base.   Max uses
massive promotions to generate hundreds, even thousands of sub-
scribers every month for over 100 ezines! Want Max to grow your
Ezine? Visit: http://www.funezines.com/clients_signup.cgi  Make
sure you subscribe to Max's Popular Marketing & Publishing Ezine
Send an email to: mailto:promotion-tips-subscribe@...
-----------------------------------------------------------------


Posted: Fri Dec 28 15:12:03 EST 2001


For more articles by this author, please visit:

http://ThePhantomWriters.com/free_content/c/index.shtml#Max_Shifrin

Title:  Are Announcement Lists Effective?
Author:  Bill Platt
Copyright: 2000

Article Originally Written: March, 2000

Article URL:
    http://ThePhantomWriters.com/free_content/w/p/announcement_lists.shtml

Article Autoresponder:
    mailto:announcement_lists@...

Author Contact Email:
    mailto:bplatt@...

Formatted to 65 Characters per Line
Word Count: 872 words

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Publication Rules

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* You may not use this article in UCE (Unsolicited Commercial Email).
     Email distribution of this article must be opt-in email only.
* You must forward a copy of the ezine or newsletter that
   contains the article inside to the author at:
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* If you post this article on a website, you must set the
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-----------------------------------------------------------------

Are Announcement Lists Effective?
Copyright © 2000, Bill Platt
The Phantom Writers
http://ThePhantomWriters.com



When you start an ezine, you realize after a few short weeks
that you will actually have to promote it in order for it to be
successful. But how do we do that? We have all asked ourselves
that question. When you begin to seek out solutions, most of us
quickly discover Announcement Lists. But, how effective are they?

New List Announcements are great, but you can only use them once!

When you start out with a new list and begin promoting on the
announce lists, you are thrilled by each new subsciption. But
after some time passes, you begin to notice that your new
subscriptions are waning. Most list owners will reach this point
and start playing with their ads a bit. This is a good excercise,
it will help you learn to craft a better ad. Let me give you some
of what I learned when I started trying to create a better ad.

You can learn alot by watching your own methods for looking at
announcement posts. If there are certain things in an ad that
trigger certain reactions in you, then you can be fairly certain
that other people will react the same way.

Take for example white space. White space is wonderful. It is much
easier on the eyes than an ad that runs along for miles without a
break. It provides a clean appearance and seems more professional.

Subconciously, we may be equating white space or the lack thereof,
to the different subconcious reactions we have towards a clean
person versus our reactions towards a bum in an alley way. By
paying attention to my own reactions to various ad styles, I have
learned that you do need that white space to break things up, or
people will skip your ad altogether. My ad efficiency increased
by 25% by learning just this one lesson.

You need to try to cycle your ads and try different things. Each
week, try a different approach for your ads. By doing this, you
will begin to see what works best for your particular ezine.
Different ezines will need a different style of ad, to represent
the differentiation of subject materials and the people who read
them. Despite the differences of the various genre, some tactics
will be effective for all of them. The remainder of this article
will continue to address some of those constants.

Some of my early growth explosions came as a result of using
testimonials in my ad copy. I know you have heard people talk
about that before. I know, because I have read more articles on
the subject of using testimonials than for any other subject
material.

I highly recommend that you will want to include the single best
testimonial you have received from your subscribers. It is not
important how many testimonials you have, as long as you have one
that is really descriptive and informative. It only took me one
ad with one testimonial to understand the importance of using
testimonials in my ad copy.

Because my own newsletter appeals to such a wide audience, I
wanted to make sure that I was able to include testimonials from
folks from every level of computing experience. I have found the
four best testimonials from my readers, and the testimonials
represent all levels of computer users from the new computer
user, to the experienced computer enthusiast, to the computing
professional. Two of the four testimonials address the new user,
each from a different perspective.

Depending on where I place an ad swap or announcement, I have
enough range in my testimonials to provide incentive to anyone
to subscribe to my ezine. I have even updated my subscribe page
to include all four testimonials, so that anyone contemplating
subscription, will discover at least three more reasons to
subscribe.

My readers tell my story the best, and the vast majority of folks
who will be reading my ad want to know what my readers think of
my ezine, before they are willing to consider subscribing. If you
would care to see my testimonials in action, please feel free to
visit my subscribe page to see for yourself:

   http://topica.com/lists/WindstormComputing

The point is, you need to try out different ads all the time. In
their order of importance, the two ad structures that provided
the best returns from my announcement ads have always come from:
1. testimonials, and
2. ads that included tips or materials from my newsletter,

Announcement lists are a great source for testing out your ad
structure, and discovering what works and what does not work.
But, in time, you will notice that what has worked before, does
not seem to have the same pull that it used to. It is at this
time that you need to start exploring the other great avenues
available for producing new subscriptions.

The other day I was cruising around, and I realized why, after a
time, why we get such a slim return from our postings on announce
lists... Between all 20 or so lists that I submit to, there are
maybe 2000 subscribers between them, and my bet is, most of those
subscribers are people like you and me looking for their own
subscribers!



Resource Box:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Bill Platt is the owner of http://ThePhantomWriters.com .
Consider employing our team of professional wordsmiths to weave
articles developed to reach your target market. We can help put
your business on the road to Internet success, with custom,
ghosted articles that will drive targeted and motivated buyers
to your domain for years to come. Our archives of Free-Reprint
Articles are available on-site for your use.
-----------------------------------------------------------------


Posted: Sat Dec 29 18:51:49 EST 2001


For more articles by this author, please visit:

http://ThePhantomWriters.com/free_content/w/index.shtml#Bill_Platt

Title:  Are Announcement Lists Effective?
Author:  Bill Platt
Copyright: 2000

Article Originally Written: March, 2000

Article URL:
    http://ThePhantomWriters.com/free_content/w/p/announcement_lists.shtml

Article Autoresponder:
    mailto:announcement_lists@...

Author Contact Email:
    mailto:bplatt@...

Formatted to 65 Characters per Line
Word Count: 872 words

-----------------------------------------------------------------

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     Email distribution of this article must be opt-in email only.
* You must forward a copy of the ezine or newsletter that
   contains the article inside to the author at:
   mailto:bplatt@...
* If you post this article on a website, you must set the
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   the URL where the article is posted.


-----------------------------------------------------------------

Are Announcement Lists Effective?
Copyright © 2000, Bill Platt
The Phantom Writers
http://ThePhantomWriters.com



When you start an ezine, you realize after a few short weeks
that you will actually have to promote it in order for it to be
successful. But how do we do that? We have all asked ourselves
that question. When you begin to seek out solutions, most of us
quickly discover Announcement Lists. But, how effective are they?

New List Announcements are great, but you can only use them once!

When you start out with a new list and begin promoting on the
announce lists, you are thrilled by each new subsciption. But
after some time passes, you begin to notice that your new
subscriptions are waning. Most list owners will reach this point
and start playing with their ads a bit. This is a good excercise,
it will help you learn to craft a better ad. Let me give you some
of what I learned when I started trying to create a better ad.

You can learn alot by watching your own methods for looking at
announcement posts. If there are certain things in an ad that
trigger certain reactions in you, then you can be fairly certain
that other people will react the same way.

Take for example white space. White space is wonderful. It is much
easier on the eyes than an ad that runs along for miles without a
break. It provides a clean appearance and seems more professional.

Subconciously, we may be equating white space or the lack thereof,
to the different subconcious reactions we have towards a clean
person versus our reactions towards a bum in an alley way. By
paying attention to my own reactions to various ad styles, I have
learned that you do need that white space to break things up, or
people will skip your ad altogether. My ad efficiency increased
by 25% by learning just this one lesson.

You need to try to cycle your ads and try different things. Each
week, try a different approach for your ads. By doing this, you
will begin to see what works best for your particular ezine.
Different ezines will need a different style of ad, to represent
the differentiation of subject materials and the people who read
them. Despite the differences of the various genre, some tactics
will be effective for all of them. The remainder of this article
will continue to address some of those constants.

Some of my early growth explosions came as a result of using
testimonials in my ad copy. I know you have heard people talk
about that before. I know, because I have read more articles on
the subject of using testimonials than for any other subject
material.

I highly recommend that you will want to include the single best
testimonial you have received from your subscribers. It is not
important how many testimonials you have, as long as you have one
that is really descriptive and informative. It only took me one
ad with one testimonial to understand the importance of using
testimonials in my ad copy.

Because my own newsletter appeals to such a wide audience, I
wanted to make sure that I was able to include testimonials from
folks from every level of computing experience. I have found the
four best testimonials from my readers, and the testimonials
represent all levels of computer users from the new computer
user, to the experienced computer enthusiast, to the computing
professional. Two of the four testimonials address the new user,
each from a different perspective.

Depending on where I place an ad swap or announcement, I have
enough range in my testimonials to provide incentive to anyone
to subscribe to my ezine. I have even updated my subscribe page
to include all four testimonials, so that anyone contemplating
subscription, will discover at least three more reasons to
subscribe.

My readers tell my story the best, and the vast majority of folks
who will be reading my ad want to know what my readers think of
my ezine, before they are willing to consider subscribing. If you
would care to see my testimonials in action, please feel free to
visit my subscribe page to see for yourself:

   http://topica.com/lists/WindstormComputing

The point is, you need to try out different ads all the time. In
their order of importance, the two ad structures that provided
the best returns from my announcement ads have always come from:
1. testimonials, and
2. ads that included tips or materials from my newsletter,

Announcement lists are a great source for testing out your ad
structure, and discovering what works and what does not work.
But, in time, you will notice that what has worked before, does
not seem to have the same pull that it used to. It is at this
time that you need to start exploring the other great avenues
available for producing new subscriptions.

The other day I was cruising around, and I realized why, after a
time, why we get such a slim return from our postings on announce
lists... Between all 20 or so lists that I submit to, there are
maybe 2000 subscribers between them, and my bet is, most of those
subscribers are people like you and me looking for their own
subscribers!



Resource Box:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Bill Platt is the owner of http://ThePhantomWriters.com .
Consider employing our team of professional wordsmiths to weave
articles developed to reach your target market. We can help put
your business on the road to Internet success, with custom,
ghosted articles that will drive targeted and motivated buyers
to your domain for years to come. Our archives of Free-Reprint
Articles are available on-site for your use.
-----------------------------------------------------------------


Posted: Sat Dec 29 18:52:02 EST 2001


For more articles by this author, please visit:

http://ThePhantomWriters.com/free_content/w/index.shtml#Bill_Platt

You may reprint this article in your e-newsletter or on your Web
site. Please keep the article intact, include byline and resource
box, and notify me prior to publication. I would also appreciate a
courtesy copy of the newsletter or URL when the article is published.
Send to kate@....  Thank you in advance.

This article may also be retrieved by sending a blank email message
to insulin@....

***********************************************

© 1999  Kathryn A. Graham

Insulin Resistance - The Killer
Don't Wait For Your Doctor To Save Your Life!

Have you been diagnosed with clinical depression? Heart disease? Type
II, or adult, diabetes? Narcolepsy? Are you, or do you think you
might be, an alcoholic? Do you gain weight around your middle in
spite of faithfully dieting? Are you unable to lose weight? Does your
child have ADHD? If you have any one of these symptoms, I wrote this
article for you.

Believe it or not, the same thing can cause all of the above
symptoms.

I am not a medical professional. I am not a nutritionist. The
conclusions I have drawn from my own experience and observations are
not rocket science.

A diagnosis of clinical depression is as ordinary as the common cold
today. Prescriptions for Prozac, Zoloft, Wellbutrin, etc., are
written every day. Genuine clinical depression is a very serious
condition caused by serotonin levels in the brain. I am not certain,
however, that every diagnosis of depression is the real thing. My
guess is that about 10 percent of the people taking these drugs
actually need them.

I am not saying that the other 90 percent do not have real and very
distressing symptoms! I am saying that I believe that 90 percent of
the people diagnosed with clinical depression actually do have normal
serotonin levels. They have a very real condition, all right, but it
isn't depression.

The condition they have is called insulin resistance. Left untreated,
it will cause weight gain (around the middle of the body) and
depression-like symptoms. Over time, it will cause problems with
concentration and alertness. In the worst cases, it will cause
diabetes, heart disease, and eventually, death.

The problem here is elementary physiology. The human body uses
insulin to store glucose in cells (as fat). Most of us know that
glucose is sugar, but very few of us know that the body cannot
distinguish between starches and sugar. Your body cannot tell the
difference between a piece of white bread and a handful of sugar.
Whole wheat bread is better, but only because it is absorbed into the
blood more slowly. All carbohydrates - including, but not limited to,
rice, corn, potatoes, and even carrots - are converted into sugar in
your body. In fact, there is a school of thought that says that a
baked potato is actually worse for you than eating raw glucose. From
my own experience, I think that school of thought is quite correct.

In some people, particularly after years of abuse, the body stops
utilizing insulin well. To compensate, the pancreas makes more
insulin. The results include weight gain, an increase in
triglycerides, lousy cholesterol ratios, climbing blood pressure. In
extreme cases, the pancreas eventually becomes exhausted and insulin
levels fall, creating Type II diabetes.

In short, I am talking about a recipe for suicide.

Insulin resistance is deadly, but why does it also make you feel
lousy? Blood sugar! First, you eat something that makes blood sugar
rise - some sort of carbohydrate. Maybe it was a candy bar. Maybe it
was a sandwich (two slices of bread!). Maybe it was a baked potato,
or rice, or a serving of corn. Maybe it was a breakfast pastry or
bowl of cereal. After you eat, blood sugar rises for about twenty
minutes, which makes you feel quite good. Meanwhile, your body is
busily trying to utilize this food. Wups! The insulin isn't working.
Make more. And more. All of a sudden, you have too much insulin
floating about and your blood sugar drops through the floor. You feel
worse than sleepy. It's a groggy feeling, like you've taken a
barbiturate - you can't keep your eyes open. If you can, you go to
sleep. If you can't, you suffer. Either way, it's over eventually.
Afterward, you actually have a slight hangover, like you've been
poisoned. Well, your own body has poisoned you. Worse still, you are
now ravenously hungry - so you do it again.

If I have just described you, then you are insulin resistant and
addicted to carbohydrates. It wasn't your fault. You did as you were
told by the folks who should have known better. Don't beat yourself
up about it. But it's going to kill you if you don't change it.

The lousy feeling of low blood sugar mimics depression. That
uncontrollable sleepiness mimics narcolepsy. But how does this
explain alcoholism? As in the other two cases, it doesn't.
Alcoholism, like clinical depression and narcolepsy, is a real and
incurable disease. But carbohydrate addiction can certainly cause
problem drinking! Nothing on this planet can be converted to pure
sugar faster than alcohol, so nothing makes you feel better faster
when your blood sugar is below the floor - very briefly. Then your
blood sugar crashes, and you need another drink to feel better again.
And another. And another. The next thing you know, you are looking at
a DWI, which is totally bewildering because you did not set out to
get drunk!

Are you an alcoholic? It's possible. It is also possible that you are
not. If not, should you ever drink? Not for a long, long time. You've
got healing to do. You will also need to accept the fact that you
will never, never be able to drink like other folks. I find I can
manage a glass of dry wine a couple of times a week now. That's it,
and I do it only at bedtime. That way, if it gets me, I just go to
bed instead of having another drink. I was never a heavy drinker,
fortunately. My carbohydrate addiction took other forms. My father
drank a quart of Vodka a day for fifty years. Was he an alcoholic? I
used to think so, but in the light of what I've learned over the last
year, I'm not so sure now. He didn't like to get drunk, and he was
appalled when he did. Was he a carbohydrate addict? Well, he was
certainly a depressive. He was diagnosed a narcoleptic, too, but I
remember he always fell asleep after meals. He was fat, and he gained
all that weight right around his waist. You tell me.

So what is the answer? Stop eating the carbohydrates! And please,
please get over the irrational fear of dietary fat. Your body needs
fat to function. There are dozens of low carbohydrate books out
there, and most were written by physicians. Buy several and read them
carefully. Then pick the plan that works for you. Everyone's body is
different. I personally follow the Atkins Diet, which is the most
severe of the popular plans today, but my insulin resistance was
quite bad. Fortunately, I caught it before I'd done any permanent
damage to my body. I am not, thank God, diabetic, but I believe I
would have been eventually if I had not found this way of life. My
pancreas was certainly working overtime.

What do I eat now? Lots and lots of meat and cheese. Reasonable
amounts of green vegetables and salad (with real dressing, containing
real fat). No sugars of any kind (not even fruit). And no starches.
Needless to say, I do take a major handful of vitamins daily.

I also have occasional treats. I make my own chocolate, for example,
using Baker's Unsweetened chocolate, real butter, vanilla, pecans,
and a sweetener called Splenda (which I can't distinguish from real
sugar, but doesn't cause an insulin response). Any woman over the age
of twelve years who reads this article will understand why I can't
survive without chocolate! Fortunately, I don't have to.

Am I in ketosis? I certainly hope so. Ketosis is that state where
your body burns fat instead of carbohydrates for energy. The word
comes from the appearance of ketones in urine (ketones are a normal
byproduct of fat burning). Unfortunately, many people confuse what
Dr. Atkins calls "benign dietary ketosis" with keto-acidosis, which
is lethal for a diabetic. The difference to remember is that keto-
acidosis is a result of uncontrolled high blood sugar in a diabetic.
On this diet, it is just about impossible to have high blood sugar.
My blood sugar remains well within normal limits and stable now,
regardless of how much food I consume.

So what has happened for me in the ten months since I made this
drastic change? Well, my triglycerides have dropped from 256 to 69!
My cholesterol is 150 with an excellent ratio (used to be about the
same, but with much lower HDL). My blood pressure has dropped from
145/110 to 107/70. My energy levels have surged. I get through a 13-
hour work shift in reasonably good shape now - with none of this
feeling like I'm going die around mid-afternoon. If I get hungry, I
eat something immediately, so I am never uncomfortably hungry. My
migraines have just about vanished. I have taken antidepressant
medication for most of my life, but I haven't touched the stuff in
many months, and I am no longer even slightly depressed. Frankly, I
haven't felt this good in thirty years! My exercise endurance is
better than it ever was eating carbohydrates - so much for that
mythical nonsense.

Last, but far from least, I've lost 70 pounds. According to my weight
in the past, I've still got about 40 pounds still to lose, but I
don't think so. Because the weight I've retained is mostly muscle (if
you eat high protein, you don't lose muscle), I actually look - and
my clothes fit - like I've got about 10 pounds to go. I would
certainly no longer describe myself as obese!

Is this diet hurting my health? My doctor certainly doesn't think so.
In recent years he has seen enough results from low carbohydrate
diets to recommend them to just about all his patients, obese or not.

Will it work for you? That is difficult to say. You will see dramatic
results if you are, in fact, insulin resistant. If you are really
depressed or narcoleptic, you may not. Unfortunately, the only test
for insulin resistance is so unpleasant that doctors almost never
recommend it. It is far, far easier to just give a low carbohydrate
diet a try and see how you feel after about two weeks. Give it a full
two weeks. There is an adjustment period, and you will feel worse
briefly, but for most people, that's over in a couple of days.

It could save your life. It could do nothing at all, but what have
you lost in that case? Only a little time and effort! You must decide
if it is worth enough to you to give it a try.

Let me offer one word of caution. If you are already an insulin-
dependent diabetic, either Type I or Type II, this will lower your
insulin requirement more than you would believe possible. Most Type
II diabetics can stop taking insulin altogether. This is more than a
good thing, but you must start this only under the very close
supervision of a doctor, so that he can adjust your insulin intake
downward to avoid insulin reactions that could result in your death.

There is one more disease I want to talk about, because it is hurting
America's children terribly - Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity
Disorder. I don't know what percentage of children between the ages
of five and twelve are actually taking Ritalin, but the figures are
appallingly high. Recent research has shown that kids who take Omega
3 fatty acids show a dramatic improvement in ADHD. This makes sense,
because ADHD only started appearing in huge numbers about fifty years
ago, and in the last fifty years, the average American's consumption
of cold water fish (a primary source of Omega 3) has dropped by 80
percent. Personally, I am not fond of fish. I'd rather take the
pills. Either way, you need Omega 3 fatty acids, and children need
them even more.

I also believe that there is also another factor at work here. Have
you ever watched a small child drink a soda - and watched what
happened afterward? The kids I've seen act psychotic. They bounce off
walls for a few minutes, then they become downright mean. Classic
ADHD! This is caused partly by caffeine, but mostly by sugar. A
peanut butter and jelly sandwich is not an appropriate meal for a
small child, but we've been brainwashed for years to believe that a
high carbohydrate diet - I mean ridiculously high - is actually good
for our kids. That is not true!

I would never recommend putting a child on a severely restricted
carbohydrate diet, unless they are already insulin resistant. If the
child is not obese, then a balanced diet is the way to go. I mean
equal portions of protein, high fiber vegetables, and one starch
(rice, corn, etc.). No deserts and very little bread! Absolutely no
drinks containing sugar or caffeine! If you feel you must provide
your child with a sweet, make it a banana or an orange. If you help
your children form this dietary habit young, the chances are far less
that they will ever develop ADHD or insulin resistance. In addition,
you are going to spend a lot less at the dentist's office!

The American Medical Association has recommended a diet ridiculously
high in carbohydrates and low in fat for more than thirty years. Many
people in this country follow this diet, and it is a perfect recipe
for causing a normal, healthy person to become insulin resistant!
These folks would be wise to remember that the average physician has
less training in nutrition than a two-year dietician.

During these thirty years, what results have we seen?

A hundred years ago, the average American consumed less than seven
percent of the sugar he eats (and drinks) today, and Grandma kept a
can of lard on the stove. The typical breakfast was bacon or sausage
and eggs - fried in lard. Nobody had ever heard of margarine or fake
eggs. Heart disease was nowhere near as prevalent as it is today.
Cancer rates were much lower. So it is very unlikely that cancer
rates will climb drastically with an increase of fat in our diet.

As for the deterioration in our cardiac health, we have assumed it
was due to lack of exercise. Partly true. But people owned just as
many cars thirty years ago as they do today, and it wasn't
as "fashionable" to exercise. So exercise cannot be the whole story!

After thirty years of high carbohydrate and low fat, obesity and
diabetes are major epidemics, and heart disease is now the #1 killer
in the United States! Type II diabetes is becoming a common diagnosis
in children! Am I the only one who can see the connection here? I
don't think so. My doctor sees it. A lot of other doctors have
written books about it. Nevertheless, the American Medical
Association stubbornly refuses to change their recommendation for a
healthy heart. Their so-called "food pyramid" completely ignores the
fact that muscle needs protein, and the heart is a muscle.

Why? I don't know. I am sure that most of the doctors involved are
sincere. However, I do also suspect that admitting that the so-
called "heart healthy" diet actually causes diabetes and heart
disease would make it possible for the families of victims to sue.
And the United States is the most litigious society in the world.

I don't think the AMA can afford to admit they goofed.

**************************************

At a tiny 5'1", Kathryn A. Graham is a licensed private investigator,
pilot, aircraft mechanic and handgun instructor in Texas. Also a
prolific author, she has written numerous articles, short stories and
a science fiction novel.

http://www.kathrynagraham.com/

© 2001  Kathryn A. Graham

You may reprint this article in your e-newsletter or on your
Web site. Please keep the article intact, include byline and
resource box, and notify me prior to publication. I would also
appreciate a courtesy copy of the newsletter or URL when the
article is published. Send to kate@....  Thank you in
advance.

This article may also be retrieved by sending a blank email to
handguns@... .

Word Count:  950

Category:  Politics, Freedom, Libertarian

************************************************************

Handguns - A Moral Imperative
Have We Been Duped?

You’ve been lied to, friends and neighbors. You’ve been lied
to by some of the slickest and most dangerous conmen you will
ever encounter. The lies have been coming thick and furious for
so many years that you have trouble seeing the truth – in spite
of all your brains and good, old-fashioned common sense.

You’ve been told violence is a terrible thing. You’ve been told
that folks are killing each other all over the world, and they
will certainly stop if we can just control this terrible flood
of weapons and keep them in the hands of the officials who should
properly have them. Most recently, the U.N. is trying desperately
to improve everybody’s life by getting firearms off the open
market. The world will be a safer and kinder place if they can
just manage it.

If you truly believe that, my friends, please allow me to sell
you some oceanfront property in Utah.

Is violence a terrible thing? Yes, it most certainly is. Is violence
morally wrong? Of course. Will it go away? Not before Hell freezes
colder than a well digger’s backside in January! It is the human
condition.

Well, then, should we contribute to violence by allowing firearms
to be sold?

This is the trickiest question of all. You see, firearms do not
contribute to violence. Only people can do that. And taking firearms
off the general market will have appalling sociological consequences.


That’s right. You heard me correctly. I said “appalling consequences.”


I know you’ve all heard the argument that if you outlaw guns,
only outlaws will have guns, so I won’t talk about that today.
Let’s play a little game instead. Let’s pretend that every single
gun on this planet can be destroyed. Let’s pretend that enterprising
souls won’t make any zip guns in their garages. Firearms are
completely gone – history. Not so much as a slingshot left. It’s
over.

This would be the end of a terrible chapter in human history,
wouldn’t it?

Oh, no. It wouldn’t be the end of Hell. It would be the beginning!


It would be Mayhem. You, your wives, your kids, and your friends
– you would all be at the mercy of every gorilla with a knife,
a club, a set of brass knuckles, or even a good-sized rock. No
one alive today remembers when might was right, but we’d learn
about it again in very short order. Pool cues and fire pokers
would be the order of the day. No woman would be safe, ever again,
and damned few men. You’d stop carrying a wallet and shift to
a money belt, and then it would just be a question of time before
everything you own was taken from you, and probably your life
as well.

It would be absolute horror, and it would be inevitable.

Okay, bad idea. So let’s keep a few guns, just for the cops and
the military. That should solve the problem, right?

Wrong.

The founding fathers of this country knew what they were doing
when they wrote the Bill of Rights in 1781 AD. In that day and
age, it was unthinkable for a grown man not to have weapons,
so why did they need to specifically state that the right to
keep and bear arms was sacred?

They said this because most of them had come here from Europe,
from countries where they had good reason to fear governmental
authority. Most European countries were already beginning to
disarm their citizens, and an intelligent man didn’t need a roadmap
to see where this was going. An armed government and a disarmed
populace is an absolute guarantee of tyranny.

This is what the U.N. wants to do to you. They want you to surrender
your arms meekly and beg the protection of your government. They
want to permanently forbid you to sell arms to less fortunate
men and women anywhere in the world who are shedding blood to
resist tyranny. Of course, keep in mind that the men and women
who are trying to make this decision for you are all representatives
of various governments themselves, and many of those governments
are very repressive indeed. Small wonder they want their people
disarmed and kept that way! It might help to keep their collective
hides unperforated for just a bit longer.

I believe it is time to remove our nation from the United Nations,
and to remove the United Nations – forcibly if necessary – from
U.S. soil. Have you written your congressman to say so?

Is it moral to carry arms? You bet it is! When I enter your home
or your business with a firearm, concealed or otherwise, I am
tacitly agreeing to share with you the responsibility for defending
your property and your family. When I eat in the same restaurant,
I am prepared to shed my blood in your defense. There are survivors
of the horror at Luby’s in Killeen, Texas, who would appreciate
what I am saying here.

I will never, never need to ask some poor cop to die for me.
I value my own life enough to defend it myself. I carry arms
proudly, as a free American.

Do you?

***********************************************
At a tiny 5'1", Kathryn A. Graham is a licensed private investigator,
pilot, aircraft mechanic and handgun instructor in Texas. Also
a prolific author, she has written numerous articles, short stories
and a science fiction novel.

http://www.kathrynagraham.com/


********************************
Kathryn A. Graham, private investigator, aviation consultant,
political activist and prolific writer.
http://www.kathrynagraham.com/

© 1999  Kathryn A. Graham

You may reprint this article in your e-newsletter or on your
Web site. Please keep the article intact, include byline and
resource box, and notify me prior to publication. I would also
appreciate a courtesy copy of the newsletter or URL when the
article is published. Send to kate@....  Thank you in
advance.

This article may also be retrieved by sending a blank email to
wicca@... .

Word Count:  2,550

Category:  Religion & Spirituality

***********************************************************

Witchcraft & Christianity
Why Do Some Christians Fear Witches?

During my 28 years as a practicing Wiccan, or "witch" if you
prefer, I have had occasion to ask myself this difficult question
many, many times. With the recent political controversy over
the United States Army permitting pagan services to be held on
military bases in Texas and around the world, the question suddenly
has more than its usual immediacy for me and for my brothers
and sisters in Wicca.

First, let me get the usual questions out of the way. Wicca is
a real religion, born in the 1950s as a recreation of the Old
Religion of Northern Europe, which some believe dates back about
25,000 years. In the mid-1980s, the U.S. Courts accepted Wicca
as a legitimate religion and granted us 1st Amendment rights
and freedom from taxation. So the point is moot, really. The
same U.S. Constitution that protects Christianity protects our
religious freedom – and a good thing, too. We are the fastest
growing religion of the 20th Century.

We do not believe in an evil deity, and would not worship one
if we did. We do not practice human or animal sacrifice. The
most sacred commandment our religion demands of us is to harm
no one. If you think about that last statement carefully, it
pretty well covers most of the Biblical Ten Commandments - the
important parts, anyway. Even more important, we do not attempt
to convert our friends and neighbors to Wicca. Our faith teaches
us that when they are ready for what we have to teach, they will
seek us out.

What about me, personally? Am I a New Age nut? Well, that depends
on what you mean. I'm an environmentalist, certainly. I am also
a feminist. On the other hand, I do not do illegal drugs of any
kind. I am a computer technician working for one of the largest
employers in the United States. I am a Microsoft Certified Systems
Engineer. I am an aspiring science-fiction writer and screenwriter,
actively peddling stories and novels to the publishing industry
in New York and motion picture scripts to Hollywood. I am a licensed
pilot and a licensed aircraft mechanic. I am a licensed private
investigator. My favorite hobby is reading physics textbooks,
and I apply such knowledge to my science fiction. I am a veteran
of the United States Air Force, the United States Air Force Reserve,
and the Texas Army National Guard, and during the time I served,
I held a top-secret security clearance. I served my country well
and was honorably discharged. I've been arrested only once in
my entire life, as a 17-year-old runaway, and I've had a grand
total of three traffic tickets in almost thirty years of driving.
In what way am I such an evil and dangerous neighbor?

Why have I been forced to practice my religion in secret for
most of my life? Why, during my active duty years (early to mid
1970s), was I forced to record "No Pref" on my dog tags? Am I
a pacifist? Hardly! Women have never been drafted in the United
States, so why would I have enlisted voluntarily (and during
the Viet Nam war!) if I were a pacifist?

Why does publishing my real name on this article cause me to
risk the loss of my job, vandalism to my home and my car, harm
to my animals (and children if I had any)? Does this make any
sense to a rational human being?

Where does the knee-jerk hostility to the word "witch" come from?


Not from the word, certainly. "Witch" is a corruption of "witcraft,"
or "craft of the wise." In fact, my religion is sometimes called
"The Craft of the Wise," or just "The Craft." There is nothing
sinister there. Do we practice magic? Yes, most of us do. Do
we have supernatural powers? Of course not. Oddly enough, those
who believe the practice of magic is so evil are often those
who most sincerely believe in faith healing. Just think about
that honestly for a moment, and try to explain the difference
to me. I'm waiting . . .

Let’s get back to the Craft of the Wise. During the Christian
Inquisition, nobody really knows how many accused witches were
burned at the stake. It is known, however, that a number of village
wise women were accused of witchcraft and burned for curing fevers
with nasty stuff like moldy bread. Were they followers of the
Old Religion? Probably - although I wasn’t there, and I honestly
have no idea. Were they wise? You bet they were! Did you ever
hear of penicillin? How many centuries of medical knowledge were
lost because of a bunch of frightened priests?

So where did the idea come from that we were (and are) Satanists?


The most obvious answer is that the moldy bread cure worked,
and was unexplainable. A number of other herbal and common sense
remedies were surprisingly effective, as "alternative" medicine
is re-discovering today. The only way the church could admit
these cures worked (and it was a little too obvious to deny)
without admitting this was a really good thing was to make the
claim that the women practicing these cures had made a pact with
the Devil. Heavens, they couldn't be physicians! Medicine was
firmly in the hands of the priests, and the practice of medicine
was expressly forbidden to women. At the time I write of, formal
medicine consisted mostly of applying leeches to the sick.

Were the village wise women the only problem? No. During this
early medieval period, when the Christians were converting Northern
Europe at sword point, a lot of dirty tricks were played. The
country folk, whom we believe to be the ancestors of modern Wicca,
worshiped a Goddess we consider the Mother of Life, and a God
we call the Horned Hunter, or God of Death. For us, death is
merely a door to rebirth, so there is nothing at all fearful
for us in a God of Death. In an effort to make non-Christianity
something horrible, the monks who drew the medieval Biblical
illustrations "borrowed" our Horned Hunter when they drew depictions
of the Christian Devil. You needn't take my word for this. Any
educated person knows that the Greek Pan predates Christianity
by some considerable period of time. Take a good look at a drawing
of Pan in your nearest encyclopedia. Look familiar? He should.
You've been looking at him in biblical illustrations dating back
to your first Sunday school. Pan is the Greek form of our Horned
Hunter. They are one and the same god. Read your mythology. Pan
was never evil, just playful.

If all that weren't enough, Exodus 22:18 was horribly mistranslated
in the King James Version of the Christian Bible. The original
"Suffer not a poisoner to live among you" became "Thou shalt
not suffer a witch to live." Some pretty bloodthirsty fundamentalist
preachers want to enforce that mistranslation literally, even
today. In August of 1999, Rev. Jack Harvey of Killeen, Texas,
was quoted as stating publicly that all witches should be killed.
He organized a “March Against Wickedness” for that Labor Day
Monday in Killeen (which flopped pitifully), and I believe he
was hoping and praying it would erupt into real violence, because
he advised members of his congregation to carry guns, in case
some of us witches decided to snatch his kids.

Can you spell “bizarre?” We would never, of course, kidnap children,
but could someone please explain to me why we are supposed to
want them? And, in particular, why we would want his offspring?
I thought the idea of sacrificing Christian babies was discarded
when the Nazis falsely accused the Jews of it. This is more of
the same bigoted excrement.

In terms of our current century, Hollywood hasn't helped us much,
either. Sick, twisted individuals who worship evil have always
existed, and sadly, I'm afraid they will for a very long time
to come. They pervert the Christian cross by inverting it, and
sometimes, they invert our sacred symbol, the pentagram, as well.
Hollywood directors just can't seem to get it right, though.
They consistently show evil ceremonies prominently displaying
the pentagram right side up.

When the pentagram is displayed properly, the symbolism is that
of a man standing upright within a circle, meaning uprightness
and spirit over flesh. In other traditions, the five points represent
the four elements (fire, air, earth, water) surmounted by aether
– or spirit. In any case, spirit is on top. Needless to say,
the symbolism of an inverted pentagram is obscene to us, just
as the symbolism of an inverted cross is obscene to you if you
are a Christian. Because most Christians have seen movies in
which evil ceremonies were presided over by an upright pentagram,
they are upset and frightened when they meet a Wiccan wearing
one. That's understandable enough, but it should be corrected
by education.

Other reasons for fear again date back to medieval times. The
reasons have mostly been forgotten, but the fear remains. During
medieval times, life was unpleasant. In fact, it was downright
horrible for the peasants. Christianity taught the peasants that
it didn't matter, that the material world was to be shunned in
favor of a reward in the Christian Heaven. Wiccans did not, and
do not, agree. I can still remember my first teacher telling
me that it would be difficult to cultivate my spiritual nature
until at least my basic physical needs - as in food, shelter,
warmth - were met. We are taught that achieving success at another's
expense is wrong (remember we are permitted to harm none!), but
success in itself is actually a virtue. In medieval times, daring
to hope and work for success was dangerous thinking. It might
even have led to a collapse of feudalism. So the Christian hatred
of that tenet of Wicca was one part envy, one part fear.

Another envy/fear combination had to do with the fact that Wicca
is fun. The Old Religion is filled with laughter and playfulness.
Our ceremonies are wonderful parties, full of happy tipsiness
and flirtation. By comparison, medieval Christian practices were
rather grim. Somehow, the Christians who were trying to convert
us had to convince us that slipping off into the woods for a
bonfire and a roaring good time wasn't such a good idea. Do what
they would, though, they couldn't get us to give up our fun.
Quite logically under the circumstances, they "borrowed" from
us. The use of song and chants in ritual (although why the church
couldn’t manage happy song, I can’t say), incense (borrowed from
Mithraic ritual)– even some actual elements of ritual itself.
You can hear echoes of our cakes and ale ceremony in Christian
Communion. Oh, I don't doubt that Jesus of Nazareth had bread
and wine during his Last Supper! That's as may be, but I don't
think the contents of his last meal became a central part of
Christian ceremonies until Christianity clashed with the Old
Religion in Europe.

Where did Jesus get the idea in the first place? Mithras, who
died following a ritual meal of bread and wine? Or the cakes
and ale of the Old Religion? Scary question, isn't it? For the
record, I believe it was Mithras, as he was the secret god of
many of the Roman troops occupying Palestine at the time of Jesus
of Nazareth. Nevertheless, enough Roman troops were European
“barbarians” that it is just possible that some elements of our
faith were known to Jesus himself.

20th Century Christian practices never struck me as being a barrel
of laughs, either. Wiccans are still having fun. So there is
bound to be some ongoing envy, if not outright fear.

Please do not misunderstand. I am not bashing Christians! Those
who practice their faith honestly have no part in this hatred
and fanaticism. Most are decent men and women, and I am proud
to call many of them my friends. When the Rev. Jack Harvey called
for a Christian boycott of the Armed Forces over this pagan worship
controversy, Rev. Pat Robertson had the courage to publicly withdraw
from the boycott and state it was wrong. I refer only to the
dignified lack of humor in the Christian faith as it has been
practiced down through the centuries. It does not speak to my
heart at all.

Also, if I am to be completely honest, I must admit that pagans
aren’t completely innocent in the dirty tricks department. The
so-called Cult of Mary, which existed within Roman Catholicism
for so many centuries, was actually a secret form of “safe” Goddess
worship.

I wonder how many Christians know how many of their holidays
were originally ours?

Samhain, our New Year celebration, when the walls between the
worlds are at their thinnest and our beloved dead walk and feast
among us, became Christian All Hallows or Halloween. One ceremony
used by pagans to encourage a rich crop (although not at Samhain,
which is after the harvest) was the sweeping of brooms over the
planted fields. To early Christians watching from a distance,
it must have looked like the witches were riding on the brooms
or trying to do so. Since Samhain was known to be the witches’
most important holiday, witches riding on broomsticks became
the symbol of Halloween. Not so surprising at all.

Yule, or the winter solstice, when we celebrate the birth of
the Sun God to Mother Earth and Father Time, was borrowed for
the birthday of the Christian Jesus. Most Christian scholars
agree that Jesus was actually born in the spring. The Yule log,
the tree, and even the Nativity Crèche were originally pagan
customs. If you have Wiccan friends, and you thought they were
only protecting themselves by displaying a Nativity Crèche at
Christmas, you were wrong. We had Nativity Crèches long before
you came along to convert us!

Imbolc, our festival of light, when we celebrate the start of
the Mother's return to us, along with the birth of new lambs
and flowers awakening under the snow, became Christian Candlemas.


Beltane, our famous (and infamous) fertility celebration when
we leap the bonfires in joy at the arrival of summer, became
May Day, famous for playful fertility celebrations throughout
the Christian world.

Lammas, or August 1st, when we celebrate the fruitfulness of
the land - well, how many Christians have celebrated the rich
harvest to come down through the centuries?

There are many, many more examples of "borrowing."

And therein lies the real root of the problem.

The thing a few fanatical Christians fear most of all is being
forced to admit our kinship, because after nearly 2,000 years
of borrowing, we aren’t so very different anymore.

***********************************************
At a tiny 5'1", Kathryn A. Graham is a licensed private investigator,
pilot, aircraft mechanic and handgun instructor in Texas. Also
a prolific author, she has written numerous articles, short stories
and a science fiction novel.

http://www.kathrynagraham.com/


********************************
Kathryn A. Graham, private investigator, aviation consultant,
political activist and prolific writer.
http://www.kathrynagraham.com/

© 2001  Kathryn A. Graham

You may reprint this article in your e-newsletter or on your
Web site. Please keep the article intact, include byline and
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appreciate a courtesy copy of the newsletter or URL when the
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advance.

This article may also be retrieved by sending a blank email to
goodforthegoose@... .

Word Count:  1,550

Category:  Political, Freedom, Libertarian

****************************************************

Good For The Goose is Good For The Gander!


If you believe passionately in political correctness and cannot
bear to see it used as a weapon in a war against the idiots who
originated the whole politically correct idea, do please leave
now.  And you needn’t return.  Folks with no sense of humor give
me a severe pain somewhere south of my belly button.

I hold a concealed handgun license in the State of Texas.  I
am also licensed as a concealed handgun instructor in Texas.
  Contrary to the belief held by most residents of the other 49
states, Texas has some of the strictest gun laws on the books
anywhere outside of New York City.  I mention this only to illustrate
that I have absolutely zero criminal history in a state where
at least ten percent of the population can expect to spend a
year or more in a penal institution at some point in their lives
– and it seems that more than half of the population has something
to be found in the way of criminal history, whether violent or
otherwise.

This makes me a minority!

Forget that I’m a woman (we are 52 percent, after all, even if
it isn’t fashionable to mention it).  Forget that I’m a small
business owner.  I am not a criminal.  I own – and carry – a
gun!  Voila!  I am a genuine, card-carrying minority.

It gets worse.  I am a minority who is hated and feared by the
majority.

It’s a very good thing I don’t have children.  If I had kids,
the venerable American Medical Association would advise you to
ask my children (if you were too embarrassed to ask me) about
the guns at my house – and forbid your children to play with
mine if mine were to answer the “gun question” in the affirmative.
  Oh, yes.  Absolute fact.  And you don’t even want to contemplate
the lawsuit that would have occurred the first time that happened
to any child of mine!  Luckily for those hapless parents, it
won’t ever happen to me or to my non-existent kids.  You may
not be that fortunate.

Nevertheless, I am a full-fledged victim of discrimination.
Yes, you heard me right, folks.  I am a victim of  discrimination
every bit as severe and as real as that which was directed at
people of color in the 1950s.  I am discriminated against because
of my deeply held belief that self-defense (and defense of the
genuinely helpless) is my right and my sacred duty.

How does this discrimination work?

Well, aside from complete morons like the American Medical Association
(who don’t even pretend not to discriminate), it works like this:

Texas law states that a business owner may forbid firearms carry
even by licensed individuals on his/her premises if they are
posted properly.  Fair enough.  That’s just freedom, no matter
how vehemently we may disagree with the businessperson’s decision
to totally exclude firearms (except, of course, for the firearms
belonging to those individuals who will ignore the law, anyway).
  However, Texas case law has also established that a gun owner
is responsible at all times for properly securing his or her
firearm.

Add to that the fact that the Attorney General has ruled that
the business owner’s “premises” specifically excludes parking
areas – and we have come to the crux of the problem.

Because of the Attorney General’s ruling, there is no immediately
apparent problem.  In fact, in theory at least, there is no problem.
  I disarm in the parking lot, lock my firearm in my vehicle,
and go transact my business, right?

Are you out of your bloody little minds??

Does anyone here really believe that a locked vehicle is secure?
  Boy, have I got a news flash for you!  It takes less than five
seconds to enter one – and that’s if you’re polite enough to
avoid breaking the window.  The younger the perp, the faster
the job.  And if you think you might have a rough time with the
law if your firearm is stolen and used to commit a crime, you
don’t even know what a rough time is until that firearm is stolen
by a minor in Texas!

In practical fact, therefore, a business owner who excludes firearms
excludes me – because, idiot that I am, I do honestly try to
obey the law.

So I am a genuine victim of discrimination.  I belong to a class
of people who are being deliberately excluded from a fairly large
number of businesses in my state.  This class of people consists
of those who (a) have no criminal history, (b) obey the law even
when it’s silly, and (c) carry a firearm for self-defense – and,
just incidentally, for defense of that business owner’s business,
although he is obviously too ignorant and frightened to see it
that way.

Now let me get to the fun part of this article.

The very liberals who want to take your guns wrote the strict
laws against discrimination in this country!

What is happening is actually against both state and federal
law.  So what can be done to redress the situation?  Well, obviously,
the business owners can grow up and stop being scared of law-abiding
citizens, but it won’t be quite that easy.  For example, carry
is forbidden inside any U.S. Post Office, which would almost
be a funny knee-jerk reaction if it weren’t so awfully pathetic.


Carry is also forbidden in the secure parts of a commercial airport.
  I may disagree, but I don’t see that changing any time soon.

On top of that, there are even one or two prohibitions I actually
do agree with – like hospitals.  Defending my life inside the
halls of a hospital – at the expense of countless helpless patients
(when the oxygen system in the walls goes bang!) – is not a picture
I like to contemplate, and it would kill me just as dead, anyway.
  So that particular prohibition makes sense.

There are effective ways to deal with the problem, though, and
they would allow for pretty much all circumstances.  What about
business owners actually providing security for customer’s  firearms?
  Why not?  They provide wheel chair ramps, don’t they?  And Braille™
markings on elevators!  If the disabled are a class of people,
then so are we!

It isn’t necessary to go to any great expense for this.  A bank
of lockers in a small alcove near the business entrance would
work.  The gun owner steps into the alcove, disarms, locks his
handgun up and pockets the numbered key.  When his business on
the premises is concluded, he steps into the alcove, opens his
locker and re-holsters the firearm before departing (the key
is retained by the lock for the next user).  The firearm is reasonably
secure for the duration, and folks are not running around the
paranoid business owner’s premises with firearms all day long.
  Problem satisfactorily solved – and cheaply, too.  These locker
systems are used in most post offices today (for small parcels),
and airports (a larger type, for luggage), so they are available
and fairly inexpensive.  On top of that, the business owner can
charge a dime or even a quarter for the rent of the locker.

Everybody wins!

Now is anyone so foolish as to believe that business owners are
going to do something so logical without having their figurative
heads knocked together??

Don’t answer that question.  The foolish optimism of my fellow
man never fails to astound me.  Take it on trust from your cantankerous
old grandma’ here – it ain’t gonna’ happen!

So what can we do?  Well, my friends, that is exactly why we
have a civil court system in this country.  That’s why we have
civil rights attorneys, too.  If we have to put up with them
(apologies to attorney friends), then we might as well use them!

Let me issue a challenge here.  Are any Texas concealed handgun
licensees reading this?  Write me!  Let’s get together and plan
a class action civil rights lawsuit right out of the 1960s!
If you climb on board, I’ll donate your next renewal class for
nothing – you will need just your fee to the state!  It’s a contribution
I would be pleased – and proud – to make to this effort.

Are there any readers licensed in other states?  Any instructors?
  Go for it in your state!

Are there any Second Amendment friendly attorneys out there?
  Step up and volunteer to take these cases on contingency!  I’ll
do your classes free, too, if you live in Texas.

Let’s get some real class action suits going, people!  Let’s
use the system for ourselves this once!

It can be done, and it can be won, first in state – and then
in federal – court.

The simple truth is that if you aren’t willing to fight for your
rights, you deserve to lose them.

***********************************************
At a tiny 5'1", Kathryn A. Graham is a licensed private investigator,
pilot, aircraft mechanic and handgun instructor in Texas. Also
a prolific author, she has written numerous articles, short stories
and a science fiction novel.

http://www.kathrynagraham.com/

********************************
Kathryn A. Graham, private investigator, aviation consultant,
political activist and prolific writer.
http://www.kathrynagraham.com/

© 2001  Kathryn A. Graham

You may reprint this article in your e-newsletter or on your
Web site. Please keep the article intact, include byline and
resource box, and notify me prior to publication. I would also
appreciate a courtesy copy of the newsletter or URL when the
article is published. Send to kate@....  Thank you in
advance.

This article may also be retrieved by sending a blank email to
tenprinciples@... .

Word Count:  850

Category:  Political, Activism, Freedom, Libertarian

********************************************************

The 10 Principles of Resistance


The art of resistance is not the art of revolution.  I do not
now and will never advocate the initiation of force against any
human being or government.

My response to force initiated against me is another matter altogether.
  I maintain that there are many different kinds of force that
can be brought to bear on a citizen of this country, particularly
in these difficult times, and it is equally true that there are
many forms of resistance.

The following are ten suggestions I have for those seeking a
starting point for bringing about change in our society, but
they are only suggestions.  Please feel free to elaborate on
these principles and adapt them to your own personal brand of
activism.

1. Persons who choose to carry arms today are often stigmatized
by their neighbors and acquaintances as psychotic.  Keep resistance
alive!  Carry the most lethal arms that you feel comfortable
with. Your personal weapon of choice may be a .45 caliber handgun
or a tiny penknife, but choose it and carry it. Obey your local
laws, but allow no one to tell you that self-defense or defense
of another is wrong!  It is our right under the U.S. Constitution.


2. Pressure is often brought to bear on parents today to teach
their children total non-violence.  Keep resistance alive!  Teach
your children the moral and honorable use of force to defend
themselves or another person.  Teach them safe handling of real
firearms at a real shooting range.  Teach them sufficient martial
arts so that they can never be truly disarmed.  Teach them self-control,
self-reliance, tolerance and compassion, but do not teach them
to be victims.

3. When tolerance itself becomes politically incorrect, remember
the Pilgrims!  They were fleeing religious intolerance.  Keep
resistance alive!  Lose no opportunity to remind others that
Islam is a peaceful religion.  Buddhists teach a gentle and humorous
view of our Universe.  Witchcraft is an Earth-based religion
having nothing to do with Satanism, and whose initiates are sworn
to harm no one.  An openly gay man was one of the courageous
four who gave their lives so that Flight 93 could not be used
as a weapon against our nation’s capitol.   Many men and women
of many different races and lifestyles and belief systems have
built this country, and they all deserve the freedoms it promises.
  If we want true freedom, we must extend true freedom to our
neighbors.

4. The state often tries to convince us that the group is more
important than the individual.  Keep resistance alive!  When
you are told you must surrender your individual freedoms for
the safety of the group, gently but firmly refuse to do so.
If safety wins out over freedom, then terror has won.

5. When your neighbors and friends try to tell you that your
efforts are in a hopeless cause, and that peaceful change is
no longer possible in our country, don’t buy it!  Keep resistance
alive!  Keep writing your congressional representatives.  Make
speeches.  March on the Capitol.  Come up with new and different
ways to make your voice heard.  If even one person hears you,
your efforts are not in vain.

6. The state often tries to tell us that it knows best what is
right and what is wrong for all of us.  Keep resistance alive!
  Allow no one to dictate to your conscience.  You know what is
genuinely right and genuinely wrong.  Live by it.

7. When you are called to serve on a jury, you may find that
the accused being tried is actually guilty – but of breaking
a totally silly law.  Keep resistance alive!  Refuse to vote
for conviction, and tell the court why.

8. The state wants us all to conform to certain global standards.
  Keep resistance alive!  March to your own drummer without apology
to anyone.

9. When you are attacked by force – whether by sexual assault,
a robbery, a hijacking, or anything else – keep resistance alive!
  Never meekly submit.  Use every scrap of intelligence at your
command, and every bit of violence you can muster, to turn the
tide back in your own favor.  Send a clear message to those who
would use force against us!  You may very well die in the attempt,
but at least it won’t be with a whimper. Remember Flight 93!


10. Keep resistance alive!  Find others of like mind.  Trade
ideas.  Work together for our future and for the future your
children will inherit.

Always remember that this country was founded by men and women
who weren’t afraid to die for an ideal.

Keep resistance alive!

***********************************************
At a tiny 5'1", Kathryn A. Graham is a licensed private investigator,
pilot, aircraft mechanic and handgun instructor in Texas. Also
a prolific author, she has written numerous articles, short stories
and a science fiction novel.

http://www.kathrynagraham.com/


********************************
Kathryn A. Graham, private investigator, aviation consultant,
political activist and prolific writer.
http://www.kathrynagraham.com/

© 2001  Kathryn A. Graham

You may reprint this article in your e-newsletter or on your
Web site. Please keep the article intact, include byline and
resource box, and notify me prior to publication. I would also
appreciate a courtesy copy of the newsletter or URL when the
article is published. Send to kate@....  Thank you in
advance.

This article may also be retrieved by sending a blank email to
difficultchoices@...  .

Word Count:  1,450

Category:  Politics, Freedom, Libertarian

***********************************************************

Difficult Choices


I am a veteran and a patriot.

Such a remark often makes a writer the target of ridicule or
worse, but I refuse to withdraw it.  It happens to be the plain,
unvarnished truth.  In September of 1972, on my own 18th birthday,
I raised my right hand and swore solemnly to protect and defend
the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign
and domestic.  I served my country faithfully and was discharged
with honor.

I am a veteran and a patriot.  That has not changed – yet that
very oath I was so proud to swear has troubled my sleep for many,
many years now.

In my youth and foolishness, it never, never occurred to me that
those words meant exactly what they said.  “ . . . all enemies,
foreign and domestic.”  I was too young, too innocent, to really
believe that the Constitution could possibly have domestic enemies.
  If I considered that phrase at all, I would have thought of
something like Robert Philip Hanssen of the FBI – a traitor,
a criminal and a spy – not other ordinary citizens like myself.


I took that oath for the purpose of serving in the U.S. military
– therefore, the enemies expressly mentioned in that oath had
to be foreign.  Didn’t they?

My discharge from duty with the armed services did release me
from that oath, didn’t it?

Or did it?

Today we watch the painful, day-by-day erosion of the freedoms
promised us in the Bill of Rights.  Those lawmakers who propose
and pass legislation that strangles or even negates those rights
– they are not foreign.  The police who all-too-often trample
on what few rights are left, rather than protecting and serving
us, are just as American as you or I am.  They may indeed be
criminals, but they stand accused of no crime.  No warrants exist
for their arrest.  Yet they are the worst enemies – domestic
enemies – that our Constitution has ever faced.

I am a veteran.  I am not afraid of the word “duty.”  Where does
my duty lie today?

If I am to embrace the concept of “freedom,” then I must answer
this difficult question for myself.  No one can give me the answer.
  I can’t suck up to the state nanny and beg for an answer.  I
must seek the one and only answer that satisfies my own mind,
my own heart and my own conscience.

The only answer I can live with is no compromise!  The Bill of
Rights means precisely what it says – every word – and every
law that has been passed contrary to the Bill of Rights is null
and void under the highest law of this land.  Every individual
who has voted for or attempted to enforce such a law is himself
(or herself) a criminal.  Cut and dried.

The Bill of Rights was written to protect the rights of individuals,
not groups.  Every word in the Bill of Rights concerns an individual’s
right to something – whether to freedom of speech, freedom of
religion, right to due process, or what have you, these are each
and every one individual rights.   There should be absolutely
no doubt in anyone’s mind that the Second Amendment protects
the individual right to keep and bear arms, not the right of
the military to do so.  That means that the individual’s right
to self defense is sacred.

Period.  No compromise.

So if I strap my Kimber in plain view on my right hip and stroll
down the streets of my city, it is absolutely legal under the
highest law of this land.

Of course, cold reality says that if I do so this week, the police
will arrest me and remove me from circulation for some considerable
period of time.  There is even a colder reality that says that
a poorly trained and frightened police officer could very easily
shoot me stone dead at his first glimpse that I am carrying a
firearm.  The fact I would not be threatening him – and that
this young cop would probably feel terrible about it afterward
– is cold comfort indeed.

I may yet do this one day.  It would certainly be the easy way
out.  No more worries, no more struggle.  And my conscience would
be clear.

Or would it?

While I live and remain free, I can educate others about firearms
and about their constitutional rights.  While I live, I can continue
the fight to restore the country I love.  Dead – or imprisoned
– I am just one more statistic, one more episode of police overreacting
to a perceived threat.  By the time the press gets through with
me, I will probably have fired at least three magazines of .45
hollow points at the poor young cop.

Just for the record, if the local police or ATF try that dodge
concerning my demise, I ask my readers to remember that I am
a better shot than that.  If the officer who shoots me is still
walking around and breathing without a respirator after my death,
count on one plain and simple fact – I didn’t shoot at him.
Period.  If there are other police on the scene, it’s starting
to look like a better bet to check their ballistics.  Friendly
fire seems to be killing more cops than criminals are killing
these days, and that is a sure sign of uncontrolled panic on
the part of society’s finest.

Now I am faced with the most awful decision of all.  Believing
as I believe, it is itself a compromise for me to obtain my concealed
handgun license.  I should carry as I believe – asking no one’s
permission.  Or should I?

As I stated before, while I am alive and free, I can continue
the struggle.

I do have my concealed handgun license.  I scrupulously obey
the laws concerning concealed handgun carry in my state. I now
have my instructor’s license, too.  While taking my instructor
training, I was pleasantly astonished to learn that many of my
state police believe in the Second Amendment – and quite passionately.
  They are our friends, not our enemies.

I will teach a class every time I can find enough students for
a reasonable class.  I will give discounts and even free classes
to those with a sincere desire for this license, but who are
strapped for cash.  And in every single class I teach, I will
encourage the exemplary students to obtain their instructor’s
licenses, too – and pass the work on.

Do the math!

If I can do this or any reasonable portion thereof, it won’t
be many years before half of my state will be “packing iron”
– and at least that half will have lost the infantile terror
of firearms that seems to go along with those who want to disarm
us.

While I remain alive and free, I can spread the word and teach
the principles of true freedom to anyone with the slightest inclination
to listen.  I can volunteer time and my personal assets to help
elect true Libertarians to office (believers in Libertarian philosophy
– not necessarily party members) – and remove the statist criminals
from their positions of power and privilege.

What helps more to advance our cause?  Becoming an obscure statistic
forgotten almost overnight?  Or training a large number of people
in the safe and effective use of firearms and applying every
ounce of determination, intelligence and courage that I have
to political campaigns that advance our cause?

Do I believe in no compromise?  Absolutely!  I argue for the
repeal of every single gun law ever passed every single time
I get the slightest chance to bend a legislator’s ear, and I
will continue to do so for as long as there is breath in my body.


If the day ever comes that the state attempts to confiscate my
firearms, they will find themselves armpit deep in blood.  Absolutely
no question at all about that!

But until that day comes, I have found my answer, the one I can
live with.  I obey the illegal laws so that I can remain alive
and free to work and to teach.

I will sleep tonight.

***********************************************
At a tiny 5'1", Kathryn A. Graham is a licensed private investigator,
pilot, aircraft mechanic and handgun instructor in Texas. Also
a prolific author, she has written numerous articles, short stories
and a science fiction novel.

http://www.kathrynagraham.com/

********************************
Kathryn A. Graham, private investigator, aviation consultant,
political activist and prolific writer.
http://www.kathrynagraham.com/

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your website. If you intend to publish this article, please
ensure that the author's bylines and copyright remain intact.

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Word Count: 566

-----------------------------------------------------------------
- BEGIN -

THE ULTIMATE SALES ORGANIZATION
© 2001 by Chris Bradford
chris@...

If you want a great sales organization to emulate, you
only have to look as far as your local church. Consider
these points:

PRODUCT OR SERVICE: What does a church have to offer, but
faith? They sell faith to millions of members nationwide.
This is not a tangible. It is not even like a life insurance
policy. A life insurance policy leaves money for your family
when you are gone. Faith leaves only hope. If they can get
people to buy faith alone, shouldn't you be able to sell
people your opportunity or products?

FREE DISTRIBUTORS: Religious organizations have many
thousands of organization members out beating the bushes
each week, trying to bring in new recruits. Best of all,
they do all this without compensation! If religious
organizations can fire up thousands of people to go out and
promote their interests for free, why is it you have so many
problems firing up your downline when they get paid for
their efforts?

How is it a religious organization is able to accomplish
these feats? It is simple. They have it down to a system.
One that has been tried and proven for centuries.

Take your typical church service.  Almost all of them are
the same. They start out with singing to get the crowd fired
up and motivated. Then they immediately hit them with the
collection plate, when the excitement of the singing will
insure they are willing to give the most. They then follow
up with the sermon, which usually has a fiery message and a
strong close, and then almost beg those who are willing to
join to come on down and sign up!

Why is it most church services are so similar? Because, it
works! Wouldn't this be a good model for an opportunity
meeting? Of course, the singing might be a little awkward,
but you could replace it with a very strong motivational
speaker.

What happens when you go to a church you are not already a
member of?

You walk in the door and are immediately approached by
people welcoming you to the service. They are warm,
friendly, and not overly pushy. But, they let you know they
are happy there and they feel you will be too.

They talk to you about your possible involvement, and how
you will fit into their organization. They will often even
offer you a position on a committee or some other area of
responsibility, to draw upon your ego and encourage you
joining.

After you join, it is almost certain you will be offered a
position of responsibility. This is to get you involved, to
make you feel needed and obligated to participate, and, of
course, to draw off your ego.

You are invited to functions to socialize with the members.
This helps you develop relationships with other members,
creating a new circle of friends with whom you will want to
spend your time, and making it more difficult for you to
leave the flock.

Don't misunderstand the purpose of this article. I am not
belittling churches, I admire them for not only for their
marketing abilities and what they add to the community, but
for the hope they offer their members, of which I am one.
But, if we want to be successful with our marketing efforts,
who better to emulate than one of the greatest marketing
organizations in history, your local church.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chris Bradford and Brande McCree are the publishers of MLM
Success Today, a weekly newsletter offering original articles
written by its publishers for both the experienced and the
beginner network marketer.
http://www.mlmsuccesstoday.com/news/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chris Bradford
MLM Success Today Weekly Newsletter
http://www.mlmsuccesstoday.com/news/

Title:  Goddesses and Heroes of the Ancients
Author:  Helen Marakis
Copyright: 2002

Article Originally Written: January, 2002

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Goddesses and Heroes of the Ancients
Copyright © 2002, Helen Marakis
Portara, Inc.
http://www.portara.com



With the coming of the Olympic games once again, I am reminded
of the history behind the legends of the gods and goddesses and
the games themselves.  In the history of my culture, truths
were passed down from one generation to another in the manner
of tales, riddles, and stories since time immemorial. Partly,
this is because the crucial truths of life served in this way
for the children to learn, and children love and remember
stories better than lessons, and partly because riddles were
considered the wealth of the wise and good exercise for the
mind.

Many of the historical facts of ancient Greece were incorporated
into these stories, as well as basic truths and lessons of life,
and then many of these were turned into various forms of art
such as sculpture and paintings to last for millennia. These
stories were most often told surrounding the Greek family of
Gods, each with their own personality and positive and negative
attributes. Originally worshipped, as well as popularized in
the widely told stories and fables, the fall of the religions
which had for so long held court in the region came over time,
slowly and surely like a deep fog over the ocean as it slowly
creeps up onto land.

One scholar puts it:

"The religions of ancient Greece and Rome are extinct. The
so-called divinities of Olympus have not a single worshipper
among living men. They belong now not to the department of
theology, but to those of literature and taste. There they
still hold their place, and will continue to hold it, for
they are too closely connected with the finest productions
of poetry and art, both ancient and modern, to pass into
oblivion."

A thing of beauty truly is a joy forever, and so many of the
lovely classic statues and artistic renditions of the gods
and goddesses of Greek mythology are still revered in places
like the Louvre today. Firstly, as memories from an earlier
time when mankind in ancient Greece and Rome were at the cusp
of creating what we now know as civilization, and secondly,
as things of lasting beauty that bring joy to our daily lives
in our museums, history books and homes. The word classic
itself, derived from the Latin, Classicus, literally meaning
"of the highest class" (of the five into which Romans were
divided), had come to spell excellence in both person and
sculpture, as well as the tradition that the making of a
classic statue embraced.

And, even coming from the background of knowing these were
my ancestors, I am still stunned sometimes at the amazing
realization that this single point in time yielded so many
of the arts and sciences we have today. Congress and most
of our political theory, Theatre, the profession of the
Physician, the position of the lawyer, the institutions that
are our libraries, literature, and the court system in general,
even the phrase "Classical education" and the concept of
Psychoanalysis, all originated in that small time period
among several hundred of the greatest thinkers, perhaps,
that ever lived.

  Scholars tell us that Fifty percent of everyday English words
possess a Greek or Latin origin, and are expressed in a sequence
of symbols, our modern alphabet, that came to use and reached
their final form in the ancient Latin world of the same time
period.
When we imagine the world today as it is without all of these
advances it is hard to conceive the different place in which
we would be, if, for instance Sophocles had not written his
play Oedipus that went on to inspire Freud.

Olympiad Games

The history of the Olympic games began in Greece in antiquity
as a way of bringing unity and competition to the region and
as a part of a religious festival in honor of Zeus, the Father
of the Greek Gods and Goddesses. The games of antiquity are
slightly different from our modern games, in that only adult,
free men, who spoke Greek were allowed to enter. There were
also fewer events and the contests came to be held each time
in the same location, Olympia, rather than moving around as
they do today.

Just like our current games, however, the young men who traveled
to represent their hometowns to compete were heroes in their own
right who helped to put their cities on the maps of the day and
brought great honor to their families and regions.

Olympia itself was a rural sanctuary holding special meaning
for the Greeks in the Western Peloponnesos region. It was named
after Mt. Olympus, the highest mountain in the region, which in
Greek mythology was the traditional home of the greatest of the
Greek gods and goddesses.

In the hierarchy, the gods and goddesses represented all the
ups and downs mankind could possibly experience, and so a mother
could come up with a story at a moment's notice to tell her
children should they misbehave about a god or goddess in the
family that had made the same mistake and what had befallen
them.

Some of the names most people are familiar with include
Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty and sexual love, (from whom
we get our modern word "Aphrodisiac"). Apollo, the god of
personified youthful masculinity; Euros, the god of the east
wind; Persephone, goddess of the underworld; Poseidon, god of
the sea; Demeter, goddess of corn and grain, as well as earth,
vegetation, and agriculture; Kronos, god of time and father to
Zeus and several of the goddesses. But there are literally
hundreds of lesser and greater gods, most of who explained some
form of the human condition, or of life as the Greeks knew it.

The story of Demeter illustrates this well in the story of her
daughter being kidnapped by Hades of the underworld. When she
disappeared, it is said that the whole earth started to brown
and die since Demeter was in such grief that she was ignoring
her duties as caretaker of the earth and vegetation. When her
daughter was returned (by intervention of higher gods who were
worried for the condition of the earth),  a deal was struck
whereby if the daughter had not eaten anything in her dwelling
time in the underworld she could stay in the company of her
mother. But it was found that the daughter had eaten a single
pomegranate seed, and therefore she was required to return to
Hades and the underworld for three months of every year. And
it was, the story goes, because of this indiscretion that the
earth browns in Greece in perpetual cycle for that same three
months of every year to this day.

My ancestors have left behind for all of us a rich history of
literature, of stories such as these, of statues and gods and
muses, mythological beasts and simple pleasures, all that we
may more fully understand the natural and everyday world in
which they lived that we still live in today. And one of the
finest and longest running of their traditions was the Olympic
games that all countries, all colors, all races, and all
nations, Greek or not, enjoy in this century. It is a rich
history they have imparted, and it is yours and mine for the
keeping.




Resource Box:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Helen Marakis owns Portara, Inc. (http://www.portara.com/?5),
a company that combines Ancient Greek history and art through
its unique sculptures, dolls and semiprecious stones that are
hand-crafted and hand-finished. Portara, Inc's products are
being sold for the first time in the United States and come
with a 60-day money back guarantee.
-----------------------------------------------------------------


Posted: Fri Jan 18 03:50:32 EST 2002


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Word Count: 291

-----------------------------------------------------------------
THE CHOICE IS YOURS
© 2001 by Chris Bradford
chris@...


What are your friends and family going to say at your funeral?

Will it be things like:

"He tried hard but never made it."

"She could have done better if she had tried."

"She never did much with her life, but she was a good person."

"He didn't leave his kids one dime, and his widow is going to
have to work at a hamburger joint to make ends meet."

Or are they going to say things like:

"She was extremely successful. She helped her family and her
friends."

"He started out with nothing, and ended up making millions."

"She gave so much money to charity that no-one ever knew about."

"His wife and kids will never have to work again."

"She helped so many people teaching them how to make money and be
happy."

"He made things happen."

On September 11th, 2001, we the people of the United States
learned how easily life can be snuffed out. There were hundreds
of heros who risked it all, and many who lost it all during this
disaster. But, there are thousands more who will be remembered
not for what they accomplished in life, but rather, simply for
their method of their death.

Think about it people. At your funeral do you want your claim to
fame to be how you died? I don't. I want to be remembered for
what I did in life.

Some wise man once said that we each will have 15 minutes of
fame. Will your 15 minutes of fame be lying in a box in front of
weeping friends? Or, will it be you standing in front of a
cheering crowd as you share with them how you became a network
marketing success?

The choice is yours.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chris Bradford and Brande McCree are the publishers of MLM
Success Today, a weekly newsletter offering original articles
written by its publishers for both the experienced and the
beginner network marketer.
<http://www.mlmsuccesstoday.com/news/>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chris Bradford
MLM Success Today Weekly Newsletter
http://www.mlmsuccesstoday.com/news/

Please feel free to use this Article in your newsletter or on
your website. If you intend to publish this article, please
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Should this article be too long for your newletter, you have my
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Word Count: 396

-----------------------------------------------------------------
HOW MANY PRESENTATIONS DID YOU MAKE TODAY?
© 2001 by Chris Bradford
mrmarketeer@...

If you are like most network marketers, your answer will be zero.
This is not a good way to build your business.

The only way to build your business is to promote it to others.
I see so many people who spend so much time getting ready to
produce that they never get around to actually producing. They
then become discouraged with their lack of success and start
looking for an opportunity that might be more profitable. If you
are one of these people, then I have some very sad news for you.
There are no network marketing companies that will pay you for
"getting ready" to produce. The only way for you to get a check
is to actually produce, and this requires you making
presentations.

Usually, those who spend a lot of time "getting ready" to produce
are stalling. Simply put, they are afraid to make presentations,
and they fear rejection. So, instead of making presentations,
they spend all their time "getting ready."

What is your reason for not making presentations? If you can come
up with a single answer to that question, you are making excuses.
There are no reasons for you not to be making presentations.

Some might claim they don't have any leads. Your community does
publish a phone book, doesn't it? You can get a list of members
in any organization you might be a member of, like your church or
the PTA, can't you? These are all leads! Why don't you call them?
If you have no other leads, there is no reason whatsoever not to
use these sources of leads and start making phone calls!

Some might claim they are looking for the real business builders
and don't want to waste their time with lesser producers. Real
business builders want to associate with other real business
builders. A real business builder is someone quickly creates a
huge organization. To quickly create a huge organization, your
qualifications for membership into your organization must be
simply 1) they can breathe, and 2) their check will clear. Real
business builders do not restrict themselves to recruiting only
real business builders. They will recruit anyone. So should you.

In the network marketing business, there is no way you will be
successful without making presentations. So, whatever your
excuses are for not making presentations you need to overcome
them, and overcome them quickly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chris Bradford and Brande McCree are the publishers of MLM
Success Today, a weekly newsletter offering original articles
written by its publishers for both the experienced and the
beginner network marketer.
http://www.mlmsuccesstoday.com/news/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chris Bradford
MLM Success Today Weekly Newsletter
http://www.mlmsuccesstoday.com/news/

© 2002 Kathryn A. Graham

You may reprint this article in your e-newsletter or on your
Web site. Please keep the article intact, include byline and
resource box, and notify me prior to publication. I would also
appreciate a courtesy copy of the newsletter or URL when the
article is published. Send to kate@.... Thank you in advance.


This article may also be retrieved by sending a blank email to
apologies@....

Word Count: 1,620

Category: Political, Activism, Freedom, Libertarian, firearms,
handguns, Second Amendment

***********************************

What’s With These Apologies?


It’s always the same refrain, over and over again.

The Latin expression “ad nauseam” means “to the point of nausea.”
My nausea threshold is pretty low early in the morning, I must
admit. To add insult to injury, I always have to ask the same
question – and endure the endless, whining answers – every time
I teach a new concealed handgun class.

“Why do you want to carry a firearm?” I ask a new crop of students.


“Well, I wouldn’t, except . . .”

“I won’t actually carry it, but sometimes I have to drive through
really bad neighborhoods . . .”

“I don’t want a gun, but my husband thinks I should have one
. . .” <smart husband!!>

And so on. Ad nauseam . . .

Each student acts somehow furtive, somehow ashamed, as though
they are doing something they wouldn’t want to tell their mothers
about.

Their mother’s mothers would be turning in their collective graves
over this ridiculous attitude!

A firearm is a tool, and our grandparents and great grandparents
knew it very well. Yes, a firearm can certainly kill. So can
a power saw, and I know what I’m talking about. I almost watched
my adopted brother bleed to death from such a horrific accident.
Screwdrivers and ice picks are among the most popular murder
weapons. And an automobile is the deadliest machine of all! Automobiles
kill many, many more people than those killed by firearms each
year.

So which of these devices do you think we should ban?

Tools, including firearms, do not get up and do evil deeds by
themselves. I tell my concealed handgun students, again and again,
there is no such thing as an “accidental” discharge. There is
only a negligent discharge. If you learn the safety rules, and
make them a part of your every instinct, firearms are no more
dangerous than any other tool. And they are far more useful!


Oh, I can hear your collective gasp of horror all the way down
here in Texas. Yes, dammit, firearms are useful!

You constantly hear claims that firearms are killing kids left
and right. The simple truth is that more kids are killed playing
high school football each year than die from firearms related
incidents, including suicide! Another fact that might interest
you is that zero percent – that’s zero percent – of kids who
are given firearms and proper training in their responsible use
ever commit crimes with those firearms. The firearms used in
juvenile/young adult crime are all illegally obtained anyway.


Yet firearms are used by law-abiding citizens to prevent a staggering
2,500,000 crimes each and every single year! And on almost every
single occasion, no shot is ever fired.

Now tell me the truth. If someone told you about a tool that
could prevent 2,500,000 crimes per year, and didn’t tell you
it was a firearm, you would definitely call that a useful tool,
wouldn’t you? Of course you would!

So why does everyone choke on the idea that firearms are useful?


My students have come to me because they each have made a decision
to take responsibility for their lives and the lives of their
loved ones. It is a difficult and courageous decision, the mark
of a true adult. They have faced and accepted the reality that
police nearly always come anywhere from minutes to hours after
the crime is committed, and therefore are incapable of protecting
the victim.

The men and women who come to me for concealed handgun instruction
have recognized this, and they have decided not to be victims.
They have decided, like the courageous five aboard Flight 93,
not to go quietly to the rear of the airplane and call home.


They have decided, like the founding fathers of this country,
to bear arms for lawful and moral purposes. This is not an act
of cowardice. It is an act of great courage. Our forefathers
who took up arms pledged their lives, their fortunes and their
sacred honor. Those were not mere words then, and they are not
just words now. Everyone who chooses to bear arms today is making
the same pledge.

You don’t believe me? Well, look at it this way. If I observe
an unarmed citizen in life and death trouble, and I am armed,
I have a moral obligation to step in and at least try to save
his or her life. In doing so, I am almost certainly risking my
own life on his or her behalf. If I am so unfortunate as to be
forced to shoot someone in the course of offering said citizen
my aid, I will be paying lawyers and fending off civil suits
for the rest of my days – which should effectively wipe out any
fortune I am ever able to accumulate. Finally, the very subject
of firearms is so emotional that it is entirely possible that
a jury may convict me of an actual crime even though I was acting
in clear self-defense or defense of a third party. This may not
touch my “sacred” honor, but it certainly affects my public honor
if I am so unlucky as to be convicted of murder!

So choosing to bear arms is indeed an act of great courage. It
is a decision and a stance that any human being should be proud
of.

Yet my students do not come to me with pride. They come to me
furtively and ashamed, desperately making excuses for their decision
as if the mere association with firearms will somehow damage
their integrity as human beings. Before I can even begin to teach
them what they must know to bear arms safely and legally in this
state, I must teach them that armed self-defense is their right,
not a privilege they must ask for – and never, never something
they should apologize for. They are requesting a concealed handgun
license from the state for the sole purpose of remaining out
of jail, but they were born with the instinct and the right to
defend their own lives. This instinct is not immoral, and it
never will be. And there is nothing nobler than the decision
to risk your own life to defend someone else.

It is interesting to watch the process. They sit a little straighter
now.

The next step is to teach them Texas law and a few simple rules
for resolving conflicts without violence. We cover some firearm
safety rules, and they take a range test so unbelievably easy
it only proves that they know at which end of the range the target
is located. That test is meant to be easy. It should be easy
for an 80 year old grandmother to pass. It was designed that
way!

After the state requirements and testing are completed, they
take their first steps on a lifetime journey together. I would
not presume to tell my students what is right and what is wrong.
I tell them about Texas law, that’s all. But I do have an obligation
to make them think about right and wrong. They must begin to
set their personal boundaries and define what they are and are
not willing to do.

In the midst of a firefight is not the place to make these philosophical
decisions!

For example: If a burglar broke into your house tonight and tried
to make off with your VCR, would you confront and try to stop
him? If he attacked you then, would you shoot to defend yourself?
You had better know the answers to these and many other questions
before you choose to keep and/or carry a firearm. When the situation
is happening, it is already much too late to think it through.
I ask my students to try imagine every possible circumstance
and decide what they would and would not do. The thinking process
is never complete. It is ongoing.

There is self-defense, and there is murder. Much of the time
that line is clear and obvious. But many circumstances can blur
the line between self-defense and murder to the point where there
is no clear cut right and wrong answer. Personal boundaries must
be set in that gray area. In fact, I can’t imagine any decision
more personal except possibly the decision of what deity to worship.


That idea sinks in, and my students leave the classroom with
a lot of thinking to do.

What they do not yet realize is that the thinking they will do
over the coming months and years is going to change them forever
– and for the better. It never fails.

That is the hidden virtue of firearms. We do very little moral
thinking in our society. Most kids today are actually embarrassed
at the mention of “right” and “wrong.” Yet concepts of right
and wrong, of duty – and of sacrifice – go hand in hand with
the idea of lawful carry. Training your kids in the use of firearms
offers a golden opportunity to teach them moral values.

Thomas Jefferson, one of the great architects of our nation,
understood this very well. In 1785, he wrote a letter to Peter
Carr, then attending school in Paris, in which he offered warm
advice on how best to seek success, both in college and in life.


In Jefferson’s own words: “A strong body makes the mind strong.
As to the species of exercise, I advise the gun. While this gives
a moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise,
and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball, and
others of that nature, are too violent for the body, and stamp
no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be the constant
companion of your walks.”

Excellent advice.

***************************************

At a tiny 5'1", Kathryn A. Graham is a licensed private investigator,
pilot, aircraft mechanic and handgun instructor in Texas. Also
a prolific author, she has written numerous articles, short stories
and a science fiction novel entitled Flight From Eden.

Ms. Graham is the Texas Director for Armed Females of America.


http://www.kathrynagraham.com/


********************************
Kathryn A. Graham, private investigator, aviation consultant,
political activist and prolific writer.
http://www.kathrynagraham.com/

Please feel free to use this Article in your newsletter or on
your website. If you intend to publish this article, please
ensure that the author's bylines and copyright remain intact.

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Word Count: 1307

-----------------------------------------------------------------

CONVERSATION WITH A TYPICAL NETWORK MARKETER
© 2001 by Chris Bradford
chris@...

<phone rings>

CHILD ANSWERS: Ha-woh?

EVELYN: Hi there. This is Evelyn, is you mommy home?

CHILD: Mom-me?

EVELYN: Yes, your mommy. May I speak with her?

CHILD: O-tay. (Child heard running through house screaming
        "Mom-me! Mom-me! Phone!"... to which mom replies.. "Who
        the heck is calling now? This phone drives me crazy! I
        told you to tell them I am not home!)

Mom: Hello???

EVELYN: Hi Sally. This is Evelyn. I just realized I had not heard
         from you in a while and I am wondering how you are doing?

SALLY: I would be doing fine if my husband would help me watch
        after the kids.

EVELYN: I want to check to see how you are doing marketing your
         business, and see if there is anything I can do to help you.

SALLY: I am doing fine. I spoke with one lady this week about it.

EVELYN: One lady?

SALLY: Yes, I met her at the package store. She was talking about
        needing a job. But, she said she needed regular income.

EVELYN: That is the way it goes sometimes. What else have you
         done?

SALLY: I have been working on my web pages.

EVELYN: You was doing that last month when we spoke. Those must
         be some web pages!

SALLY: Yeah, they are. I have 47 of them now, including my AOL
        home page, one on Yahoo, and a bunch of other free places.

EVELYN: How are you driving traffic to those sites?

SALLY: I tell people I chat with on-line about them and people
        will find them in the search engines.

EVELYN: Oh, so you tell a lot of people about them?

SALLY: Yeah, at least one or two every day.

EVELYN: Have you tried placing any on-line classifieds?

SALLY: Yeah, I placed three last month. They don't work. I didn't
        get a single recruit.

EVELYN: What else are you doing to market your business?

SALLY: I designed a great flier.

EVELYN: Really? Where have you been distributing it at?

SALLY: I haven't yet. It is going to cost about $20 to get them
        printed. I was going to do it this week, but my husband
        Frank and I was tired, and decided to rent some movies
        instead. We needed the break.

EVELYN: So you are going to print and distribute them next week?

SALLY: Our bills are due next week, and Wal-Mart is having a big
        sale on candles. So it will probably be the week after
        next. Frank is talking about going fishing that weekend,
        and if he does he will take our extra money. But I think
        it is going to rain. It just feels like rain to me.

EVELYN: Have you been handing out your drop cards and business
         cards?

SALLY: Sometimes. I keep leaving them in the car. But when I
        remember I take them in stores and other places and leave
        them, or hand them to people.

EVELYN: How many of them have you given out or put out in the
         last week?

SALLY: At least 4 or 5.

EVELYN: Well, that is a good start.

SALLY: Evelyn, pushing this network marketing stuff ain't easy.
        I just can't seem to find anyone interested. I ain't
        making any money at all. Nothing I do seems to work.

EVELYN: Sally, it sounds to me like you just haven't told enough
         people about the products or the opportunity. Are you a
         member of any groups, civic clubs or churches?

SALLY: Yeah, I take the children to church every Sunday, and I am
        a member of the homeowner's association for our
        neighborhood. The association meets once a month.

EVELYN: Have you told your friends at your church and at the
         association about the business?

SALLY: No. I don't feel right pushing my friends to do business
        with me.

EVELYN: Have you tried to cold-call people from the phone book or
         yellow pages?

SALLY: No. I am not good on the phone. Besides, nobody buys from
        telephone solicitors.

EVELYN: Who is your long distance service with?

SALLY: Some company out of Atlanta.

EVELYN: How did you find them?

SALLY: They called me one day with a great deal. But that is
        different.

EVELYN: How so?

SALLY: They are telephone people. It would be a little silly for
        them to send you mail.

EVELYN: Have you approached people in your community that meet a
         lot of people everyday and asked them to help you promote
         your business? People like cashiers at convenience stores
         and such?

SALLY: No. I don't know what to say. Besides, them people don't
        speak very good English. They can't sell to people if they
        can't talk to them.

EVELYN: They work at a store, don't they?

SALLY: Well.. yes. But they don't talk to people. They just take
        your money. I was talking with one the other day. He told
        me that many of his customers come in and buy stuff
        without ever saying a word to him.

EVELYN: Did you tell him about your business?

SALLY: No. When he told me that, I knew it would be a waste of
        time.

EVELYN: Have you tried teaming up with Jane and you two working
         the business together? She lives in your area and is
         doing very well. She was the top distributor for our
         organization last quarter and she loves to mentor people.

SALLY: I spoke with Jane, but she is too pushy. I was at one of
        the little league games the other day and she was trying
        to push everyone into joining her business. She was
        handing out cards... leaving them on the benches... just
        all kinds of stuff. You just don't do that at little
        league games. It is embarrassing. She even told the coach
        for the other team that he would be good at her business.
        Imagine that! Trying to get the coach from the other team
        to join your business! To me, she seems like a traitor or
        something!

EVELYN: If what she does works, isn't it worth considering?

SALLY: You just don't do business that way. It is not right.
        People are there to spend time with their children, not to
        have someone try to push them into joining their business.

EVELYN: I see. Have you considered running a classified
         advertisement in your local paper?

SALLY: Our local paper is too expensive.

EVELYN: Really? How much do they charge for a classified ad?

SALLY: I am not sure, but I know they are expensive. All
        newspapers are expensive.

EVELYN: Do they have an ad mag in your area, like a Thrifty
         Nickle or Penny Saver? They are often much less
         expensive.

SALLY: Yes. But nobody reads them things.

EVELYN: Well, it seems to me that you are doing everything you
         can. Even though you have no distributors yet, I want you
         to know I do appreciate you as a customer.

SALLY: Thank you. I just love the products. That new cream the
        company has really makes me look years younger. All my
        friends have commented about how much better I look, but I
        wont tell them my secret.

EVELYN: Maybe you should.

SALLY: Why? And have them looking better than me? Besides, they
        will just think I am trying to sell them something.

EVELYN: I see.

SALLY: Evelyn, I appreciate you calling. Believe me, I am going
        to really get busy building this business. I need the
        money. Frank and I want to take a cruise next summer, and
        we want to pay off our credit cards first. If you can
        think of anything at all to help me build my business,
        please let me know. I would do anything.

EVELYN: Sally, just keep plugging away. I will let you know if I
         come up with anything that might help you. Bye, bye.

SALLY: Bye, bye.

<click>

Now for the $60,000 question.....

Are YOU Sally?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chris Bradford and Brande McCree are the publishers of MLM
Success Today, a weekly newsletter offering original articles
written by its publishers for both the experienced and the
beginner network marketer.
http://www.mlmsuccesstoday.com/news/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chris Bradford
MLM Success Today Weekly Newsletter
http://www.mlmsuccesstoday.com/news/

Please feel free to use this Article in your newsletter or on
your website. If you intend to publish this article, please
ensure that the author's bylines and copyright remain intact.

Should this article be too long for your newletter, you have my
permission to break it into two or more parts, provided the
copyright and resource box appears in each part when published.

Notice of publication is appreciated, but not required.

You are NOT permitted to use this article in unsolicited
commercial e-mail. (SPAM - UCE)

Join the MST Content Announce Group. Send an e-mail to:
MST-ContentAnnounce-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

A complete list of available articles is available by
autoresponder. Send blank e-mail to:
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Word Count: 459

-----------------------------------------------------------------

LOCAL PROSPECTING FOR NETWORK MARKETERS
© 2001 by Chris Bradford
chris@...

Do you feel you have beat all the bushes in your area and there
are just no more prospects to be found? Consider these sources:

Business Opportunity Ads: These are almost everywhere. You see
them in your local newspaper. You find them in your local Thrifty
Nickle, Penny Saver, Trading Post, or other similar ad mag. You
see the signs nailed to telephone poles and stuck out of business
corners. Get their phone number and call them. What they are
doing might not be working for them the way they want it to. Or,
your opportunity may be something they can market along with what
they are currently marketing.

Real Estate Agents: Their cards are everywhere! These people are
prime prospects for network marketing. Just because someone has a
real estate license and sells a few houses does not mean they are
happy or that they are making money. Most people in real estate
don't want a regular job, or can't have one because of family
circumstances, but they do want to make money. Give them a call
or send them a letter. If you work real estate agents alone you
will have more prospects than you can handle.

Cashiers: Cashiers at convenience stores, car washes, and other
popular stores are great prospects for many network marketing
opportunities. They develop relationships with quite a few of
their customers. All they have to do is to slip a circular, drop
card, or business card into customer's bags. If they do not want
to join the opportunity themselves, you might be able to work an
arrangement with them by furnishing them the supplies and paying
them a fee per lead or sign up. Don't try this in a Sears store.
Pick local stores, convenience stores, local video rental stores,
car washes, and similar establishments. Don't forget about
waitresses at local restaurants too!

Tradesmen: Plumbers, pest control technicians, and heating and
air-conditioning technicians all visits many homes and develop
a level of trust with their customers. Do you sell air filters
or water purifiers? These are perfect for you. If you sell other
products, try approaching the service technicians individually
instead of the business owner. They are more likely to want the
additional income.

Apartment Managers: They deal with many people on a day to day
basis and usually have established some level of trust with their
residents. Don't forget about their maintenance staff!

Self Storage Facility Managers: These are just like apartment
managers. Sign them up!

The bottom line is, when you think you are running out of
prospects think of those in your community who meet people on an
everyday basis and who could profit from your opportunity. You
might be surprised with the list you can come up with.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chris Bradford and Brande McCree are the publishers of MLM
Success Today, a weekly newsletter offering original articles
written by its publishers for both the experienced and the
beginner network marketer.
http://www.mlmsuccesstoday.com/news/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chris Bradford
MLM Success Today Weekly Newsletter
http://www.mlmsuccesstoday.com/news/

Please feel free to use this Article in your newsletter or on
your website. If you intend to publish this article, please
ensure that the author's bylines and copyright remain intact.

Should this article be too long for your newletter, you have my
permission to break it into two or more parts, provided the
copyright and resource box appears in each part when published.

Notice of publication is appreciated, but not required.

You are NOT permitted to use this article in unsolicited
commercial e-mail. (SPAM - UCE)


-----------------------------------------------------------------
[ START ARTICLE ]

Kicking Away The Negativity Professionally
© 2002 by Marey Hoeppner
MDAForYourSkin@...


When I started in network marketing two and half years ago, I had
alot of learning to do.  I am still learning, but we all are.  Every
day we learn something new.  One important thing that I have learned
about is NEGATIVITY.

NEGATIVITY where does that lead?  To NEGATIVE results.  Everyday we
all approach negativity.
Almost every single one of us end up letting that negative stuff get
to us.  Of course we are all only human and we all make mistakes that
we regret later, but we do learn from them.

If I flat out asked you, what do you do when someone comes to you and
starts talking negative about what you do, what do you say to them?
Let me answer this myself.  I have found myself at times letting it
get to me, I won't lie.  I have went right down to there level and
ended up being negative just like them.

Now what did that show?

I will tell you what it showed.  It showed me being unprofessional
and unethical.  Just like they were being.  When you let them get to
you, your letting them achieve their goal.  Which usually dampens
your day.  That my friend, is no way to run a successful business.

What I have learned to do is, kill them with your professionalism.
No matter what anyone says to you, keep positive.  Let them know that
no matter what they say, it's not going to bother you.  But do it
without saying it.

Remember this, most people who are being NEGATIVE have had bad
experiences with trying to work at home or have failed trying.
Instead of blaming themselves for their own failure, they become
NEGATIVE toward others who are trying to be successful.  When this
kind of NEGATIVITY starts lurking around you, just keep POSITIVE and
you will prevail!

Only YOU know what is right for YOU and only YOU can control your
success.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mary Hoeppner is a stay at home mom earning a living marketing a fine
line of nutritianl products and publisher of the Home Business
Newsletter. To subscibe, send a blank e-mail to:
HomeBusinessNewsletter-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please feel free to use this Article in your newsletter or on
your website. If you intend to publish this article, please
ensure that the author's bylines and copyright remain intact.

Should this article be too long for your newletter, you have my
permission to break it into two or more parts, provided the
copyright and resource box appears in each part when published.

Notice of publication is appreciated, but not required.

You are NOT permitted to use this article in unsolicited
commercial e-mail. (SPAM - UCE)

Join the MST Content Announce Group. Send an e-mail to:
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A complete list of available articles is available by
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Word Count: 736

-----------------------------------------------------------------

NO CLICKEE - NO PAYEE
© 2001 by Chris Bradford
chris@...

Marketing on pay-per-click search engines can be a little scary.
You pay your hard earned money in advance. You submit your
listing. Then, you pray that some of the people who click on your
listing will actually buy something from you. There is little
more disappointing than to watch you funds dwindle as the curious
click away without spending a dime.

Here are a few things you can do to get the most out of the
dollars you spend on pay-per-click search engines.

HIGH-PRICED KEYWORDS - NOT! Stay away from high-priced keywords.
My logic is that I had rather purchase 20 keywords that get
searched for 1,000 times a month than one keyword which gets
searched for 20,000 times a month. Why? Because, with the one
keyword that gets searched for 20,000 times a month you are
likely to pay $2.00 a click. If you get clicked 1,000 times, it
will cost you $2,000. With the lesser searched keywords, you can
often get them for a penny a click. If you get clicked 2,000
times, it will cost you only $20. Either way, your listing is
still getting 20,000 exposures, and you are still getting 2,000
clicks. I had rather pay $20 for those clicks than $2,000.

DISCOURAGE CLICKS! Many people advertise so that their listings
attract the most clicks possible. With all the hype, they are
swamped with the curious. When paying per click, the curious cost
money. Drop the hype and be totally honest in your listing. You
will get far fewer clicks, but those you do get will be very good
prospects for what you have to offer. Thus, your cost per
qualified lead will be much lower.

If you use hype at all, keep it in your title. This is what grabs
the viewer's attention. In the description, tell them what you
are advertising so they can decide if they want to click or not.

THINK BROAD! If you are advertising a microdermabrasion cream,
your first choice of keywords might be "skin care". But, what
other keywords are suitable?  "Bath & beauty", "skin blemishes",
"dry skin removal", "skin treatment", might all be keywords that
get a hundred or more hits a month. If you are advertising
prepaid legal, try "evictions", "landlord tenant law" or "child
custody". All of these are common problems people might do
searches for.

Regardless of your keyword selection, be sure to fully describe
what you are offering in the description. If you advertise
prepaid legal under "evictions", make it clear that you are not
offering to handle evictions, rather, you are offering tenants an
inexpensive way to get legal advice.

STUDY YOUR COMPETITION! Recently, I was investigating a keyword
and found the first two listings had questions as their titles.
One was something like: "Can you really get rich doing this?".
The other read something like: "Can we help you fulfill your
dreams?". I purchased the number three spot and my title read "No
question about it! etc. . . . ". Which title was most
interesting? Mine was, because I played off the other titles. The
titles of the number one and number two positions became part of
my advertisement.

There are other ways you can use your competition's listings to
help your odds of getting noticed. Play opposites. If their
titles hype it up, you should offer a very realistic title. If
their titles are realistic, you should hype it up. If their
titles are in all caps, try using all lowercase.

DON'T BID FOR #1! There is no reason to be the first on the list.
People will generally read the first ten or more titles. I want
to be in the top ten, not number one. Very often, the cost of a
listing in the number eight spot is less than a fourth the cost
of the number one position.

FORGET BEING CUTE! Often, advertisers get so involved with being
cute they forget the real purpose of their advertisement is to
sell products or services. You should write your description so
that it appeals to your marketplace. Think as if you are the
consumer. What would you be looking for? What is it you need or
want? What information is important to you? These are the
questions your description needs to answer once you have the
viewer's attention.

By following these few simple rules you will get the most bang
for the buck out of your pay-per-click search engine dollars.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chris Bradford and Brande McCree are the publishers of MLM
Success Today, a weekly newsletter offering original articles
written by its publishers for both the experienced and the
beginner network marketer.
http://www.mlmsuccesstoday.com/news/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chris Bradford
MLM Success Today Weekly Newsletter
http://www.mlmsuccesstoday.com/news/

Please feel free to use this Article in your newsletter or on
your website. If you intend to publish this article, please
ensure that the author's bylines and copyright remain intact.

Should this article be too long for your newletter, you have my
permission to break it into two or more parts, provided the
copyright and resource box appears in each part when published.

Notice of publication is appreciated, but not required.

You are NOT permitted to use this article in unsolicited
commercial e-mail. (SPAM - UCE)

Join the MST Content Announce Group. Send an e-mail to:
MST-ContentAnnounce-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

A complete list of available articles is available by
autoresponder. Send blank e-mail to:
MLMSuccessToday@...

Word Count: 510

-----------------------------------------------------------------

WRITING A GREAT SUBJECT LINE
© 2001 by Chris Bradford
chris@...

"Fed up trying to write your own aut"

Is the above your subject line? If it is, you planned it very
poorly.

The complete subject line was:

"Fed up trying to write your own autoresponder messages?"

But few will ever know it. Keep reading to find out why.

I am a member of several Safe Lists.... so I get TONS of mail. I
really enjoy looking through the advertisements but I find it
aggravating that few seldom ever tell in the subject line what
the message is about.

At the same time, as an advertiser in such lists, I pay close
attention to the subject lines to see what really stands out. Due
to the sheer volume of mail subscribers to such lists receive, a
subject line has to be both noticeable and tell the subscriber
why the message is worth reading. In any case, your posting to
such lists are likely to be passed over, but much more so if you
do not have a subject line that meets these criteria.

The problem with developing a great subject line is further
compounded due to the logical limit of characters you can use in
the subject line. Most E-mail programs will allow 60 or more
characters to be placed in the subject line. (A character being
any letter, number, or space.) But, how many actually show up to
the subscriber when the subscriber is scanning the titles?

I use Pegasus Mail as my primary e-mail software, and I also have
AOL. When I list my mail on AOL it is obvious that 60 or more
characters can be viewed in the subject line. On Pegasus Mail,
only 32 characters can be viewed in the mail list.  Of course,
you can see more characters on the subject line when you actually
open the mail, but at that point your subject line has already
done its job. Thus, unless I find a commonly used mail reader
that shows less than 32 characters on the subject line when
listing mail, I consider 32 characters as the logical limit.

I feel it is important to format your subject line so it is
noticeable and your most powerful message appears in your first
32 characters. This is not to say that you can not use longer
subject lines. Rather, your most powerful message needs to appear
in the first 32 characters, and the remainder of the subject line
be dedicated to your lesser message.

How to accomplish this is a subjective question. The key is to
tailor your subject lines to the list you are posting it in. If
the majority of the subject lines in your list use special
characters, to be noticed, you should refrain from using them. If
few use special characters, you should use them. If the majority
use all caps, you should not. If the majority uses initial caps,
all caps should be effective.

After looking at the message that the above subject line was part
of, maybe the sender should have said instead:

>WINNING AUTORESPONDER MESSAGES< YOURS TO COPY!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chris Bradford and Brande McCree are the publishers of MLM
Success Today, a weekly newsletter offering original articles
written by its publishers for both the experienced and the
beginner network marketer.
http://www.mlmsuccesstoday.com/news/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chris Bradford
MLM Success Today Weekly Newsletter
http://www.mlmsuccesstoday.com/news/

Please feel free to use this Article in your newsletter or on
your website. If you intend to publish this article, please
ensure that the author's bylines and copyright remain intact.

Should this article be too long for your newletter, you have my
permission to break it into two or more parts, provided the
copyright and resource box appears in each part when published.

Notice of publication is appreciated, but not required.

You are NOT permitted to use this article in unsolicited
commercial e-mail. (SPAM - UCE)


-----------------------------------------------------------------
[ START ARTICLE ]

MAREY"S FIRST ARTICLE
© 2002 by Marey Hoeppner
mdaforyourskin@...


Are You Looking For The Impossible?

Now that I have your attention and have your curiousity going.
What is the impossible you might ask.  Let me start by telling
you a little story on exactly what I mean by the Impossible.

Dreamer decided one day that he was tired of the 9 to 5.
Tired of getting up early, tired of going to work for someone else
and
tired of the rat race, because it wasn't getting him where he wanted
to be.

He wanted to be successful, free to do what he wanted, not
work hard for it or invest alot of money.  So he decided he needed a
good
home based business that would do just that.  He thought for sure
there
was a way to get successful without working hard or investing alot
into it.

Dreamer found several business's, hardly any investing to do, the
products or services were great, the pay plan seemed wonderful and he
liked the people.  Everyone was telling him what he wanted to hear
and that was exactly what he was looking for.

After a month or two Dreamer would realize that he wasn't going
anywhere.
So he would venture out yet to find another home business that suited
him.
He did this for a couple of years.  He had been with practically
every company out there and still wasnt where he wanted to be.  Do
you know why that is?

Here is a simple answer.  Dreamer was looking for the Impossible.  He
wanted
something that was going to make him successful quick, a get rich
quick scheme.  The reason he never found it, is simple also.  There
is no such thing!

Becoming successful takes alot of time, effort, persistence,
determination, and just like with any business, it takes money also.
One major thing besides all of these things is, you have to believe
in the business your in.  When you have all of this, that is the only
way you WILL ever become Successful.

Let me end this with asking you again.  Are you looking for the
impossible?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mary Hoeppner is a stay at home mom earning a living marketing a fine
line of nutritianl products and publisher of the Home Business
Newsletter. To subscibe, send a blank e-mail to:
HomeBusinessNewsletter-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hello,

The moderator of the MST-ContentAnnounce group has changed the group's name.
This means that both the group's email address and the group home page
location have changed.

The group email address:
GH-ContentAnnounce@yahoogroups.com

The group home page location:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GH-ContentAnnounce

If you have links which point to this group or an address book entry
for the group, you should update them, as the old addresses will no
longer work.

Regards,

Yahoo! Groups Customer Care

Hi Yall,

A lot of changes have taken place. A while back, Brande and I took
what we thought would be a couple of weeks off. She moved to Atlanta,
we got married, moved to a new place, etc... (Yes, we did meet on-line.)

That couple of weeks turned into many months as we got involved with
our new lives. Now we are back and ready to go!

We have a number of articles that have been submitted that we will be
releasing over the week or two. Feel free to send in your new
articles. We are back for good!

Oh yeah... we changed the name MLM Success Today to Great Heights, to
better serve the entire home based business industry.

We look forward to seeing your articles.

Chris

Publishers:

Feel free to use this article on your websites, in ezines, or print
publications. Please send the url or sample copy of your publication if
applicable. Please keep the article, byline, and resource box in tact when
publishing.

Word count: 284
================================================================================\
=

6 Points to Make Your Postcards Pop!
By Mitone Bennett

If you're short on cash, but long on the need to advertise
(and who isn't?), then postcards are the answer to your
promotional prayers! They're less expensive than other
direct mail pieces, both in printing costs as well as in
stamp costs. But don't think just because they're
quicker and cheaper that you should spend any less
time on their creation! With the right ad copy and
colorful graphics, an inexpensive investment in
postcards is a good way to expand your bottom
line! Don't forget to follow these few tips to increase
your response rate:


1. You've only got 5 Seconds to convince your customer
     to keep your card! Full color postcards will grab her attention;
     heavy use of the word "YOU" will make her feel special.
2. It does no good to send one card. (Believe me, I know
     from personal experience!) It's best to back up your first
     mailing with a second and third to keep your Branding
     FRESH! And when cards are only 12 cents apiece, it
     won't be too expensive!
3. Make sure you send your cards to the right people! Use
     a targeted mailing list, or your own database of previous
     customers. You can find a good mailing list by researching
     "mailing lists" at yahoo.
4. Tell EXACTLY what it is you're selling right away! Remember
      the 5-second rule.
5. Do not put too much on a postcard. The best thing to do is
     just sell one product per mailing.
6. Both sides of your card should sell. Don't neglect the
     "address" side, as that is the one folks look at to see if the
     mail is theirs!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-----------------
Mitone Bennett is a Web & Graphics Designer, as well as the
Marketing Director for a huge Bed & Breakfast in Southwest
Kansas. Read more marketing ideas at her site http://mitone.com .
Be sure and enter her Business Card Makeover Contest while
you're there! Reach her at moi@... .

We hope that the following article may be informative and
helpful to your e-zine readers, or on your web site.
If you'd like to check out Craig's other articles ( internet marketing,
self help, writing and money management,) drop by at:
  http://www.bridgeniche.com/ebooks/Ebooks.htm

"We share what we know, so that others may grow".

HOW TO SET AND ACHIEVE REALISTIC AND EFFECTIVE GOALS  (PART ONE)

by Craig Lock


Oh no, not another article on goalsetting!

It's the beginning of March already and have you put your
January 1 goals into ACTION, or were they just New Years
resolutions - merely WISHES? No matter, now is a good time
of year to reflect on life, our family's lives, our journey  -
where we've come from and where we are headed.
Who knows!

'There is one quality which one must possess to win, and
that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one
wants and a burning desire to possess it.'
  - Napoleon Hill  (author of  the classic book, 'Think and Grow
Rich')

'Nothing happens, no forward steps are taken until a goal is
established.'
-  David J. Schwarz (author of 'The Magic of Thinking Big '-
an excellent book by the way!)

' Your life is controlled by your thoughts. Your thoughts are
controlled by your goals.'
- Earl Nightingale

' When we have no personal goal which we are interested in,
and which means something to us, we are apt to go round in
circles.'
- psychologist Maxwell Maltz

'The key to peak performance is not potential or skill,
but motivation and dedication....having clear performance
goals and putting in the training effort to achieve them.'
- Dr Sven Hansen  '

I would like to repeat the critical importance
of committing your plan to writing. It cannot be over-
emphasised!'
- Paul J. Meyer of Success Motivation Institute

'Learn how to set your goals:
a. Write down your goals
b. Give yourself a deadline
c. Set your standards high.'
- Napoleon Hill  and W. Clement Stone (co-authors)

  UNDERSTANDING GOALS
Setting goals is the first step towards ACTION. They get you
into motion.  The energy of motivation should be harnessed
by being transformed into clear goals and a clear PLAN to
achieve them. Goals are dreams which come true
...and they are far easier to achieve once they are focussed.
Goals therefore help to fulfil one's PURPOSE in life by giving
expression to your core inner values, the 'real YOU'.
Psychologists have found that helping people to develop
personal goals has proved to be the most effective way to
help them cope with personal problems by:

1. Crystallising one's purpose in life - through adding meaning .
2. Helping make difficult decisions.
3. Giving direction to your life and keeping you on track by
     concentration.
4. Resolving conflict
5. Building confidence and
6. Adding to your self respect (or sense of value = self worth)

The power of imagination in goal setting comes from having
  BIG HOPES AND DREAMS. I believe too often we
underestimate our capabilities. Use the amazing power of
your CREATIVE IMAGINATION to think what you REALLY
WANT OUT OF LIFE..
Then visualise your dreams actually coming to pass.

Albert Einstein once said, "Imagination is more powerful than
knowledge".
Very true, as I believe the human imagination is our greatest
asset.  Thoreau once wrote these beautiful words:

'If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams
and endeavours to live the life which he* has imagined, he
will meet with a success unexpected.'
(Sorry ladies!) *
* Only joking - you can have dreams too and achieve them
even better than us "mere males"
(and please don't beat up " Mr un- PC" Thoreau for
neglecting you).

'Be true to your ideals, no matter what may happen now.
Then things will take a turn and the very things you wanted
to happen will happen.'
- anon

That one has just inspired me as I write this.
                                                  *

Summary:

Set realistic, yet achievable goals. Ones that stretch you...
because we are all different, what is achievable for one
person might not be so easy for another.  Also, because
we are all unique creations with different hopes, desires,
aspirations and dreams, what goal is important to you may
be totally inappropriate for another individual's life direction.
I believe setting goals is vitally important in achieving what
we want out of life
...and setting even small daily goals  are a great help in
a daily action plan to move your life forward.  I find it
very satisfying ticking off even small routine tasks,
like paying bills (well that is a big goal for a "starving" writer!).
These small immediate goals are stepping stones to our
bigger goals " down the track".

WRITE THEM DOWN, because putting them down on
paper makes for more COMMITMENT.
  It focuses your thinking on what you
want to achieve, like a magnifying-glass (that's called a simile,
by the way!).  Doing this
chrystallises (nice big word) our hopes, aspirations and
dreams.  They keep us on track towards our medium-term
and long-term goals - the "grand plan or vision" for our
lives.This is most important...
Re-evaluate your progress from time to time. Doing this
keeps you on track to see how you are progressing
towards the "big picture". I find it extremely satisfying
looking back and ticking off  the goals I have achieved.
( Of course , I don't achieve all of them,  but am working
hard on that.)

It can be very encouraging seeing how far you have come ,
when you look back at your first "teeny-weeny" goals and
doing this is a great motivater to me.
Goals are the first step in a positive plan of action.
And always remember,
every great journey  down the "river of life" starts with
one small first step.

YOU CAN ACHIEVE ALL YOUR PERSONAL GOALS.

So
WHAT'S STOPPING YOU FROM TAKING THAT FIRST
STEP RIGHT NOW?

Craig Lock

P.S:
As the ancient Chinese philosopher said so well,


"A journey of a thousand miles starts with a ...
broken fan belt and a flat tyre"...
er sorry...

a single step.


  Authors Note:

Craig Lock has written extensively in the field of self help.
This extract is from his first published book HANDBOOK
TO SURVIVE - a collection of writings on various subjects
to help every man or woman survive in a rapidly changing,
uncertain world.

Craig's various books are available at:
http://www.nzenterprise.com/writer/books.html
http://www.novelty-gift.com/ebooks.html
and
http://www.bridgeniche.com/CLOCK/zaniestbooks.htm

* Hard copies and e-books: Fiction and non-fiction, novels
travel, humour, inspiration, self help and money books

All proceeds go to needy and underprivileged children - MINE!

P.S: DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE WORLD ENDING TODAY,
IT'S ALREADY TOMORROW IN "LITTLE, SCENIC AND
TRANQUIL"  NEW  ZEALAND

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF INTERNET MARKETING

by Craig Lock

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach
him to use the Internet, and he won't bother you for
weeks."
- anon

Introductory Thoughts:

I hope that the following article based on our
experiences may be informative and/or
helpful in your online marketing.

A successful online business isn't built overnight; but is the
result of many late nights. If anyone says that they can
teach you to make a substantial amount of money without
hard work,  realize they are talking through "a hole in the
head and are out of their trees".

After four and a half years doing it, here are my TEN
COMMANDMENTS setting out how to conduct business
online (in spite of the recent demise of so many "high-profile
dot-bombs"- ready availability to large amounts of capital,
  I believe, can be a big disadvantage to the small/home
  business  cyberentrepreneur):

                                        *
Now time to "get straight into it"...

1. Understand that technology should help you achieve
your business and personal goals.  It is merely a tool to
move you forward with your vision:  a "means to an end"
to HELP and enable you, rather than being an end in
itself, (or perhaps even be a disabler to "untechnos"
like me).  So make modern technology work to it's highest
potential for you and your business. Spend time learning
about various computer programmes and applications
(hard though it may be for the 'technically challenged').
Then "use it repeatedly , so you don't lose it!" Accept
that the vast majority of www. users are not "technofreaks"
(like my "geek associate", Bill) and have great difficulty
learning new computer procedures. Well, I certainly do
(just ask Bill)!. However, by making a conscious effort
and with discipline and effort the habit ingrained makes
it easier and easier, as your confidence grows in leaps
and bounds.

2. Don't take the competition for granted...and don't
"knock" them. Never ever! Accept that no business can
be the best in every facet. The convergence of computer,
media, entertainment and communications means the
underlying structures  of the computer world will change
rapidly and soon... or so my "technogeek" associate,
Bill (not Gates) says. The TV/computer/music center is
not far away, I hear.

The net is a world wide market-place, so don't be too
zenophobic (now that's a really big word, that I tried
very hard to bring in). I think many Americans (and New
Zealanders too) think that theirs is the only country on
earth in which to trade and is the centre of the world...
and we're nearly falling off the bottom near Antarctica!

However, we can all compete fairly ("fairly")  against
the competition by transcending international boundaries
on a "global level playing field" - whereby even the
"little guys" can take on the big corporations around
the world (except for their massive marketing budgets,
of course!) . It may mean adjusting your marketing efforts
to take into account some cultural differences (like my
rather 'weird' sense of humour, or different spelling -
although it's the same English language).  However, I believe
people around the world have more in common than their
differences. Common aspirations, eg. security, to do their best
for their children, etc. Enough philosophical digression, Craig...
and back to your point...

Here in "Sleepy Hollow" (with one of the highest unemployment
rates in the country) in little provincial New Zealand near
the bottom of the world, we sell our various products
around the globe in response to customer needs.

3. Consolidate your business by focusing on what you
do best. Don't try to be "all things" to your customer,
nor try to offer too many products. Concentrate on
perfecting and marketing your "best sellers" in your
CORE business  activities.  That is the area which
produces the most profitable results for your organization.
(remember the "80-20 rule" - 20% of your activities
produces 80% of your results/profit and vice versa!).
For us it's creative writing courses.

Define your "USP" (or "unique selling proposition") -
a "fancy" term loved by "those marketing types". What is
the key, that makes your product or service really special?

Now for one rather more philosophical...

4. Honour your parents,  your teachers and your
communities and especially your family.   Family is most
precious of all and strong and stable family units make
for a strong and stable country.  Parenting, I believe is
the most noble occupation of all - and parents want their
children to be safe on line, so supervise them closely.
Teach them responsibility in internet usage... so they
don't push your telephone bill sky high (as my dear boys
do - but then that's the price of having and educating
children - a tax on sex!). Teach your children well (as
Crosby, Stills, Nash ... and Young used to sing so
melodiously) and wisely. Let them learn that the net is a
great EDUCATION tool for the present and the future
and they could be learning "practical skills on the job"
and preparing for a future technological career.

5. Do not send spam (sending masses of unsolicited
e-mail) - under any circumstances. You are likely to be
cut off by your server. I find it rather irritating receiving
"mountains" of spam and simply delete all unsolicited e-mail
selling products and services... and wouldn't you do likewise;
because it just clutters up your mailbox?

6. Do not launch your product before the market is
ready for it. Test the market first by doing a survey.
Ask yourself: Is there a NEED for your particular product?
In what way is it distinctive (and superior) to the
competition (world-wide, remember!)? Have all your
systems in place to market it... then always remember,
all products have a definite life cycle...and some are
relatively short.

7. Take the business of internet marketing seriously.
The world online population is exploding daily and
exponentially (big word, eh...but what does it mean?).
I'm not sure how many people are online world-wide,
but think it may be in the order of 150-200 million at
present and increasing daily. In addition, I "guess"
there are a similar number of web sites (and many more
pages) "up there in cyberspace". So the competition is
"pretty stiff"! As the "cyber-revolution" gathers momentum,
imagine if everyone is online one day?  Impossible perhaps,
but who knows! What will that do for your business and
you?  An unlimited target market for your PRODUCTS -
if you are still going strong by then. VERY EXCITING!

8. Have an effective web presence. Your site should
explain immediately what the visitor will get for their time
online. If it is not clear WHY they should stay, they'll
leave before they try to find out. Therefore make your
site as interesting and informative as you can. I've seen
many sites, where I don't know the webmaster's objective,
their purpose. Are they purely for information, or trying to
sell something? Make sure your site loads quickly,
because people soon get tired of waiting in today's fast
/instant (coffee) world.

9. Always remember MARKETING YOUR PRODUCT
EFFECTIVELY is the key to the success of your business.
If you don't get adequate results, you'll soon be out of
business... as recurring bills in the post-box without
income to pay them soon take all the fun out of your
venture into "cyber" self-employment.

I spend at least two hours a day purely on internet
marketing: mainly through my various article submissions.
Most effective!

Don't forget to use traditional methods of marketing to
promote your business, as in advertising (radio, news-
papers, brochures, and the most effective of all, word
of mouth in your local community). The two strategies
(both on-line and off-line), I believe, work best together
in your marketing plan. I plan to do more off-line advert-
ising, by allocating a portion of revenue to marketing, as
it comes in.

Even if you have the greatest product in the world, you
will never sell anything if you don't tell people about it.
It's like having a billboard in the middle of a forest or a
desert. An example: Just because you have a phone
number in the phone book, doesn't mean that a stranger
will call you. So it is absolutely vital that you advertise
effectively to bring people to your site; because without
advertising, there will be no TRAFFIC... and without
prospects there will be NO SALES. And without sales
there will soon be no business!

....and finally and most importantly,.

* 10. Use the Internet to build a better world.  We are at
the forefront of one of the most innovative and far-reach-
ing inventions in human history.  The net is the most cost-
efficient, INSTANTANEOUS, EXCITING and effective
way of marketing products and services around the globe
through modern telecommunications. We live in one of
the most exciting times in human history; so exploit the
AMAZING POWER of the internet to reach hundreds
of thousands of people and perhaps even millions
around the world. Use your creative energies and imagin-
ation to the fullest, by thinking of new ideas of how to
market your particular products. I keep a notebook by
my bedside and leave to my creative subconscious mind
just before I go to sleep. And we all have great powers of
imagination as the source for creative ideas, through the
amazing power of the human mind.

SUMMARY:

I believe INTERNET MARKETING is the KEY to internet
success, especially if you have a limited marketing budget,
like us. As mentioned, I allocate at least two hours a day
purely to internet marketing, through submitting my
articles on numerous subjects to various ezines and
publishing resources. I find it by far the most effective
way of free advertising to get traffic (= SALES) . Always
remember to have a resource box at the end of each
article, together with your web site address.

Carefully monitor what's  working for you and what's
not on a regular basis. REVIEW YOUR STRATEGIES
REGULARLY.

FOCUS ON WHAT ACTIONS GET THE BEST RESULTS.

Remember Bill Gates's wise words: "There'll be two types
of business in the year 2000 : those online... and those
out of business.

A few final words to summarize...

There are no 'magic secrets', and there is nothing mystical
about making money online.  Other than the advertising
budget, it's a level playing field  around the world and
anyone, like the self-employed entrepreneur working from
home, like you and I, can compete with the "big guys".
And we have ONE BIG ADVANTAGE:  These corporations
are too unwieldy to react swiftly to changing circumstances
and markets.  So we "one and two man bands running our
technology through number eight fence wire* have got the
jump on them".

* Only joking, but Kiwis (New Zealanders) have a reputation
for ingenuity (big word) - mainly caused by our geographical
isolation near the bottom of the world.

(Note correct word order!)

With heaps of hard work, dedication, discipline and a
little perseverance,  I believe absolutely anyone can
achieve online success, even taking on the big corporations.
At Eagle Productions, working in association with Bill
Rosoman of the New Zealand Enterprise Centre and
Nugrow Technologies, we've done it all on an absolutely
"shoestring" budget (no-one could believe the story!),
lots of hard graft and heaps of pure faith. We have been
reasonably successful to date (the past four years),
but have hopes of far greater success in the future.
No matter, we are enjoying the journey in a totally
new field and are having great fun learning and
extending ourselves each day. I hope you too take
pleasure and have great success as you travel along
your very individual journey in "cyberspace".

No matter where you may live on this planet, cyberspace
can produce income to so many "budding netrepreneurs" .
The www gives 'ordinary people' without much capital,
like you and I, a great BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY: the
opportunity of self employment(and of a life-time) by
reaching out to a GLOBAL market-place.  Each one of us has a
responsibility to ourselves and our families. It is up to each
one of us to reach out and help many people around the
world through being innovative and original in our ideas...
and the money we earn from selling our array of unique
products can be used for many good purposes, like
perhaps even helping others achieve their dreams. In
doing that, WE WILL BE MAKING THE MOST USE
OF OUR UNIQUE (God-given) ABILITIES.

The successful cyber entrepreneur of today could well
be the equivalent of the Rockefellers, Vanderbilts,
Kennedy's, Paul  Getty's and  Henry Ford's of yesteryear,
especially in the new ENTREPRENEURIAL (nice big
word) AGE, which I believe, is even more important (and
a more appropriate term) than the information age.

What you do today could repay you a hundred-fold
tomorrow...and there is just one rule:

If you really BELIEVE in your product, then get onto
the playing field (or perhaps you Americans call it "the
ball-park")  of cyberspace. Then as the famous shoe ad says,

JUST DO IT WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT AND BE
HAPPY!

GOOD LUCK

Craig Lock

P.S: * "We can all use the internet to reach out to the
"global community" and build a better world in this new
"Information Revolution" that is upon us. Let's use it
wisely, respect our diversity and unique cultures; but
celebrate a new world in union. One where, like your
founding forefathers in America, you can first celebrate
the Independance Day of the strong burning creative
spirit that lies deep within every one of us. If this spark
is set alight, it is a flame that will burn long and brightly
for future generations and make your personal VISION
of the future a REALITY...
and perhaps even fulfil YOUR UNIQUE DESTINY on this planet."

Craig Lock

"You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm."
                         -  Colette

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where
there is no path and leave a trail."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson


About the author:

Craig Lock has been successfully marketing products online
for the past five years. Craig is a writer, who believes in
sharing information, as well as encouraging and helping
others to find their talents and gifts, to strive for and
accomplish their dreams in life - whatever they may be.

Creative Writing Course
http://www.nzenterprise.com/writer/creative.html

Craig's various books are available at:
http://www.nzenterprise.com/writer/books.html
http://www.bridgeniche.com/CLOCK/zaniestbooks.htm

THIS ARTICLE MAY BE FREELY PUBLISHED