Please enjoy the many informative articles that we have found for you.    

This month's feature article: 

Archived Articles - Feel free to view all articles below

DEALING WITH A STRESSED JOB MARKET

Know the Corporate E-mail Culture Before You Power Up

In a recent survey conducted by Vault.com, 80% of employees

say that e-mail has replaced snail mail, 72.5% say that it

has replaced the fax, and 45% say that it has replaced the phone call.

There is no doubt that it is a very effective

and widely used business tool. There is also no doubt that there are

certain rules and courtesies that apply to business e-mail.

What employees often overlook is that a definite corporate

e-mail culture exists. And it varies greatly from company to

company. There is not one corporate "address" code anymore

than there is one corporate dress code.

In some companies, employees do all their inner office

communication electronically and would never think of getting

up from their desk to walk over to a coworker’s cubicle for a

conversation. In other companies people can use their

computers to manage their private life, whereas in others,

that’s a hanging, or at least, a firing offense.

It is in your best personal and professional interest to know

the fine points of your company’s e-mail culture. As a new

employee within an organization or within a department, observe

and investigate before you power up.

Here are a few points to consider:

What is the tone of the e-mail between colleagues? Is it

strictly business or is it informal, friendly and used for

inter-office socializing?

Is the flow of communication from the top down only or are

employees encouraged to send their questions and comments via

e-mail to the senior executive?

Does everyone want to be copied on everything or should e-mail

be sent selectively?

Is there an expectation that e-mail will be checked

periodically, hourly or constantly?

Do coworkers converse face-to-face or do they let their fingers

do the talking?

Does the company exercise the right to access everyone’s mail

within the organization?

Is there a written policy about Web surfing and personal e-ail?

Some of the above may seem like insignificant details, but they

can be major issues within an organization. Tread carefully if

you don’t know. One misstep can cause great damage to your

career.

© Lydia Ramsey, 2002. Lydia Ramsey, author of MANNERS THAT

SELL, keynote speaker and seminar leader, is a leading

authority on business etiquette and protocol. For more FREE

business etiquette tips, e-mail her at <mailto:lydia@MannersThatSell.com>,

or visit <http://www.mannersthatsell.com/>

or call 1-866-688-2527.

Valentine's Day-ting

By Eve Hogan

Copyright 2002 Eve Hogan.

Whether you are celebrating Valentine's Day on a first date, are

newly dating or have been together for a long time, the key is to

make the other person feel special.

While you don't want to overdo the romance if your Valentine's

Day date is a first date or falls early in the relationship, if

you've been together for a long time then a heavy dose of romance

will do you good! In any case, this isn't a typical day deserving

of the typical date. If you are going to go out, do something

different, something special or a little out of the ordinary.

Webster's defines romance as "a tendency of mind toward the

wonderful and mysterious, something belonging rather to fiction

than to everyday life."

Romance is the stuff that makes your relationship seem special

rather than mundane. While we certainly don't want Valentine's

Day to be the only day of romance during the year, it certainly

should be a special day!

Nothing is quite as romantic as nature: water, fire, snow, stars,

sunset, beaches...

A walk on the beach can easily be substituted for roaring

fireplaces or a candlelit room. A sunset cruise could be

substituted with a horse and carriage ride through a snow covered

park. Honoring all that is wonderful and mysterious in life is

romantic. Sharing the silence of a canyon, a campfire in the

backyard, watching waves break by moonlight, seeing fireflies

dance in the trees, making time to honor the magical things of

life and sharing them with your sweetheart, these are moments to

live for!

Recreation re-creates relationships, so do something playful that

stimulates and invigorates your sense of joy. The word "elation"

is the core of rELATIONships, and Valentine's Day, or better yet,

Valentine's Month is a great reminder to celebrate your love, or

love's potential!

Ideas for Valentine's Day Dates:

* Go for a sunset or dinner cruise, or on a paddle wheeler.

* Go whale watching!

* Go for drinks or dinner in an old quaint lodge with a roaring

fire.

* Build a snowman or make snow angels.

* Go ice skating!

* Take a picnic to a lake, beach or riverside.

* Go to an observatory to watch stars or climb up on your roof

with a bottle of champagne to watch the night sky. (Be careful!)

* Hire a chef, waiter and/or musician for a private, but fancy,

dinner for two at the place of your choosing.

* Do an art project together. Play with clay, write a poem --

each taking alternating lines.

* Go ballroom dancing or swing dancing (or take a class

together!).

* Go to a comedy club. Laughter is great for a relationship.

* Rent a bicycle made for two.

* Take a hot air balloon ride.

* How about a helicopter ride at sunset with a bottle of

champagne.

* Go wine tasting.

* Roller skating like you did in 6th grade!

* Take a Ferris Wheel ride.

* Go to a classical or jazz concert.

* Play Twister.

* Snuggle around a campfire -- even if it's in your backyard!

* Take a ride in a horse drawn carriage.

* Go whale watching.

* Take a sunset boat cruise.

* Get His and Her massages at a Day Spa.

* Go for a hike to a romantic overlook/view.

Most especially, use your imagination! Don't let this opportunity

to kindle love, or rekindle love, go untapped!

If you are thinking of proposing on Valentine's Day you can use

any of the dating ideas and turn it into the perfect romantic

setting for popping the question. Here are some fun and different

ways to ask...

* Put the question inside a fortune cookie.

* Pull out a map of the star constellations and connect the dots

to outline an engagement ring.

* Write the question into a romantic poem or hire a musician to

serenade you with a song that asks for you.

* Make a website that has pictures of the two of you, asks the

question in a headline and only provides a "Yes" button... (if

possible show the page to her in person though!)

* Give her a box of chocolates with a ring inside one of the

little chocolate compartments... (make sure she opens the

chocolates in front of you!)

* Hide a ring in one of those "hide-a-key" rocks and pretend you

found the rock on a hike or put the ring in a "hide-a-key" box

and say, "The key to my heart has been in hiding, but it is now

in your hands..." or some other sweet, yet creative, sentiment.

* How you decide to ask can depend on where you decide to go.

Just like we have theme weddings, you can have theme proposals...

If you are scuba divers, you could propose underwater on a

slate... or when you're 30 feet under, pull out a ring that you

have hidden inside a shell.

Think romantic (out of the ordinary) and creative, and the ideas

will be unending! Never fear, however, few women would be

disappointed over the sweet and traditional simplicity of "Will

you marry me?" after a dinner date!

Single and wondering what to do for Valentine's Day?

Treat yourself special! Do the things you don't normally do for

yourself:

* Get a massage.

* Get a facial.

* Treat yourself to something new.

* Buy yourself flowers.

* Take yourself to that movie you've been wanting to see.

* Call old friends to say hello.

* Curl up with that great novel you've been wanting to read.

Take advantage of the opportunity to practice random acts of

kindness:

* Go onto an online dating site and send complimentary

Valentine's notes to total strangers. You can even say, "I'm not

interested in dating, but wanted to tell you that you sound like

a nice person..." or some other kind words. You never know what

will come out of it, but in any case, your love and kindness will

undoubtedly have a ripple effect on the planet!

~~~

Eve Hogan is WZ.com's Dating WZ-ard, a relationship advisor,

wedding officiant and author of several books, including "Virtual

Foreplay: Making Your Online Relationship a Real-Life Success"

and "Intellectual Foreplay: Questions for Lovers and

Lovers-to-Be." For info about her books, seminars and

teleclasses, see http://www.HeartPath.com Sign up for her free

"Dating 45-Second Newsletter" at http://wz.com/Dating.html or

send an email to: mailto:subscribe-wz-dating@ezines.wz.com

We hope that the following new article may be informative and/or helpful for your e-zine, or on your web site.

Craig Lock's other articles (internet marketing, self help,
writing and money) are available at:

http://www.bridgeniche.com/ebooks/Ebooks.htm

Please feel free to publish them in your ezine or web site.  

"I share what I know, so that others may grow".

 HOW TO BECOME FINANCIALLY FREE -

THE STEPS TO ACHIEVING FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE

 by Craig Lock

 Introduction:                    

This piece is a summary of my booklet THE ROAD TO FINANCIAL
INDEPENDENCE, as well as incorporating thoughts and extracts 
from my books, THE MAD MONEY BOOK and STEPS TO SUCCESS, 
PROSPERITY AND HAPPINESS.                                                                                    

The ordinary (and perhaps even lazy) person's sure and steady way to 
wealth and happiness. The "secrets" to better money management 
and perhaps even "riches". No, really there are no secrets. It's all simple and basic common-sense.

 Well now is a great time of the year to reflect on past happenings 
and plan ahead for 2002. 

Some points to "kick off"...

I have seen statistics that reveal that 95% of Americans after working 
all their lives retire with less than $2500 in cash. Amazing! Don't 
be one of the 95% of the population, who depend on the government, 
charity or family to maintain a bare minimum standard of living on retirement.

Now, how to do it...

Find a quiet place (like the woods or a deserted beach) and let that 
still inner voice, your intuition talk to you. What do you really want 
most out of life: Is it happiness, health, money, financial security or 
doing good deeds, being a good parent, wife, husband, etc.?

Set goals for ALL areas of your life: family, work, leisure, personal, 
sport, hobbies, spiritual and so on.

Ask yourself these vitally important questions:

Where do you plan to be in 1,2,3 and 5 years time?

Let your imagination "run riot". Think even "the impossible" -  it may 
be far closer than you think!

"Dream the impossible dream."

 "Whatever the mind can conceive, can be achieved." 
- JW Von Goethe, German philosopher

"Whatever is ardently desired, enthusiastically act upon, must inevitably
come to pass."
- Paul J. Meyer, Success Motivation Institute

It may be purely having 'heaps' of money (and wealth can do many good deeds)...

Then evaluate your savings and investments:

Where are you NOW and HOW did you get there?
Oh, "shucks"!

Where you do want to get to, to be in the future? 
WHAT do you want to be in 1,2,5,10 years time?

Financial Success:

"Success has been defined as the "progressive realization of a worthy
goal." Financial success therefore involves establishing a measurable 
financial goal with a specific time frame and progressively achieving 
it according to a pre-determined strategy. However, 95% of the population 
will not be financially secure; because, simply, they do NOT SAVE enough. 
They fail to PLAN their lives. Most people spend more time planning 
a Christmas party, or a holiday, than they do planning their lives.

Realize success is within you. You can do ANYTHING, if you really 
desire it and you believe in yourself. The desire will eventually reveal 
the means of attaining it - through the incredible power of the 
subconscious mind. It all depends on you and the QUALITY of your 
THOUGHTS. 

Now for some practical steps on becoming financially independent...
and perhaps even one day attaining wealth... 

NB: PAY YOURSELF FIRST. SAVE SOMETHING FROM EVERY PAY CHECK.

TRY TO SAVE AT LEAST 10% OF YOUR INCOME.

"Whoa, mate - impossible!"

 Use the magic of compound interest. The doubling dollar: at 7% interest, 
your money will double every 10 years.                                                                 

SELECT AN EFFECTIVE SAVINGS PROGRAME

Create your own opportunities. Seize opportunities when they are 
"presented"- they are everywhere. 

"A pessimist is someone who complains about the noise, when opportunity knocks." 
- Frank Newman 

Make more money by not spending it (on luxuries, like take-always... 
except for "special treats"). Give up smoking and excess consumption 
of alcohol. Then invest the savings. Live as economically as you can, 
focusing on gaining greater value out of each dollar spent. But still 
buy occasional luxuries, if they give you pleasure.
We have to have some pleasures and extravagances (big word) in life, 
don't we?

Pay off your debts as quickly as possible. Excessive debt eats away 
capital - it is the fastest eroder of your money. Save up an emergency 
fund for contingencies (nice word that!)...but don't focus on what
might happen; because it usually doesn't it. However, an adequate 
emergency fund can give one a sense of security. 

Have adequate insurance to protect all contingencies: Life, disability, 
income, general (house, car, boat, etc.). This equals more peace of mind. 

Manage your assets well.
Don't speculate. "Easy gain, easy lose". There are many "get rich 
schemes"; but it's so easy to "go broke" too. 

As famous American novelist, Mark Twain once said, 
"There are two times in a man's life, when he should 
not speculate: when he can't afford it and when he can."  

If you must, do it (speculation, I mean) in moderation and purely as 
entertainment with what you can afford to lose. That's a good attitude
to adopt.

Pay off all debt as soon as possible: credit cards, mortgages. Did you
know, that on a average mortgage, you eventually pay back over 20 
or 25 years about three times the original amount borrowed!
WOWEE!

Some more money management tips:

# Avoid excessive borrowing.  

# Do not borrow money to buy consumables.

 # Borrow from the most cost-efficient source, i.e. the financial institution 
with the lowest interest rate.

# Sell an asset, if the return from it is less than the interest on 
the loans taken out to buy it.

# Turn to the "experts" for financial advice. Consult a "professional" 
with regard to money matters.

# Manage your time effectively. Ask yourself, "what is the best possible 
use of my time right at this moment?"

Time is like money, you can either spend it or invest it. Also most people 
have a shortage of it. In fact, time is even more precious than money.
"Time is the most perishable commodity of all. If you don't
use it today, you cannot use it tomorrow."

# Grow as a person daily.  Study the subject of money. 
(The reason I write my books is to share knowledge to help others).
Plug, plug! Read, listen and think. The person who listens to others
learns something, while the talker learns nothing. "Still waters run deep". 

# Market yourself: Don't sell yourself short, nor "hide your bright light 
under a bushel".

# Project a good image at all times.

 # MOTIVATE YOURSELF DAILY by reading inspirational words from great 
writers (and ordinary people, like your author!).

N.B:

#  Don't overuse credit cards. They are "financial cripplers".

# SET YOURSELF A WEALTH TARGET and dedicate yourself to achieving it. 
You must really WANT to be financially free - with a passion.

# Regularly review your progress towards achieving your various goals. 
Are your plans effective? Change 'tack' if you are getting nowhere, 
or perhaps even change your goals. What are your goals in life? What 
drives you?

SUMMARY:

N.B:

* Firstly, get rid of as much DEBT, as soon as you can.

* Without financial independence, you are a slave to money.

* Adopt that ATTITUDE, that mind-set.

 * Accept that achieving financial independence will take time, dedication 
and lots of hard work... but will be worth it in the end.

* Remember, money isn't everything. It has been said that "money is 
the root of all evil", but only an obsession and love of money for
it's own sake, I believe, is bad (see the exact wording in the Bible).
I see money, as a "means to an end" giving one CHOICES in life.
Substantial amounts of money can be used for good, ie. charitable purposes, 
if that is your wish... but always remember that "charity begins at home". 

* Nearly everyone has the ability to be financially successful, but very few
people have the DESIRE, as well as the COMMITMENT to make the sacrifices 
necessary to achieve wealth.

 To recap... in a line...

 THE THREE LEGS TO GROWING RICH

 Like the three legs of a stool. All are equally important in ensuring 
financial independence. The key:

MAKING MONEY + SAVING IT + INVESTING WISELY = FINANCIAL SUCCESS

 Have a PLAN, then put it into ACTION. "People don't plan to fail, 
but fail to plan." 

Success is a process... as life is the journey, 
not the destination. So take pleasure in it. 

Craig Lock

 About the Author:
Craig Lock has been involved in the personal finance field for over
twenty years in various countries. He is now an
author of five published books with another twelve being published and
marketed on the Internet. Craig has studied and written extensively on
money matters: articles, brochures for financial institutions and books.

For valuable money information to help you 
make and save your hard-earned money 

 Get out of debt **
 - Learn how to invest

 - Retire early

 - Take control of your finances

See: The Million Dollar Money Tree 
http://www.nzenterprise.com/money/welcome.html

Money Management Course (online):
http://www.nzenterprise.com/writer/online.html

The various books* that I "felt inspired to write" are available at: http://www.nzenterprise.com/writer/books.html
http://www.novelty-gift.com/ebooks.html
* Hard copies and e-books: Fiction and non-fiction, novels ,
travel, humour, inspiration, self help and money books *

  THIS ARTICLE MAY BE FREELY PUBLISHED

 "I share what I know, so that you and your money may grow
"If you have knowledge, let others light a candle to it." 

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

#######################################################
http://www.web-source.net/syndicator.htm

########################################################

Post Articles: mailto:article_announce@yahoogroups.com
Subscribe: mailto:article_announce-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Unsubscribe: mailto:article_announce-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
Change subscription: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/article_announce
List owner: mailto:article_announce-owner@yahoogroups.com 
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ 

What Does Adversity Do For You?

Napoleon Hill wrote, "In every adversity, there is the seed of
an equal or greater benefit".

Doesn't it just seem that the more you try to get things
accomplished, the more problems and obstacles that somehow,
just crop up and are required to be dealt with along the way?
Becoming a success doesn't just happen.

Everything seems to be going along pretty well, when all of a
sudden....up comes this major roadblock.... seemingly, out of
nowhere to try and trip you up.

Unfortunately these hindrances just don't come to us complete
with big signs that would explain why they are there, and further more,
just what steps we need to overcome these unwanted obstacles.
Evan Hunter, a now world famous Novelist, had a dream.
Mr. Hunter was a radar man aboard a Destroyer in the US Navy.
He had a lot of free time after his watch was over and decided that
he was going to start on his road to fulfilling his dreams.

He began to write mystery stories and sent them to magazines
hoping they would get published. Every one he sent, was returned as
being rejected. In fact, it got so bad, that his shipmates ran pools
betting on when his next manuscript would be returned.
Mr, Hunter, who is now 74, said, "I never got discouraged though".
All the rejection notices: only fueled even further his desire
to become a famous writer.

After the Navy, he earned a degree in English. Then, found a job
that would help him get experience in achieving his goal.
He kept on writing, kept on getting rejection notices, but
finally...sold 1 manuscript.

The sale netted him $12.60, before taxes!

All those years of writing, getting an education, and countless
rejection notices had earned him less that 12 dollars for his efforts.
Just think about all he had gone through, all the work he had
done, and how that skinny little check must have made him feel.
Would you have gotten discouraged by this time?

But, Evan Hunter is a man who believes that optimism is the
only way to go! He looked at that adversity, recognized it for what
it was, then found that seed of an equal or greater benefit!

He began to take a very hard look at his technique. Instead of
writing the standard fiction, Mr. Hunter decided to draw on his own
personal life experiences and began to write what he knew about.
"The Blackboard Jungle", published in 1954, became an
immediate success. Then it wasn't very long before he was getting
2 to 3 books a year published and had achieved world class fame.
Here's a man who overcame a lot of adversity trying to achieve
his life's dream. He welcomes challenges. He believes that it forces
him to stretch his efforts and further forces him to streamline his
work efforts.

Always Remember This:

It's NEVER what happens TO YOU that
really matters. What is so much more important is,

HOW YOU REACT to those events and obstacles in your path.

Have you got a stumbling block on your road to success today?
If so, that's good! Look for that seed of an equal or greater
benefit. It's always there, you just have to find it.
The path to your success may not be easy. In fact, it will most
likely be littered with debris, detours, and a myriad of challenges.

How you react to those challenges is everything!

Learn to recognize adversity for what it really is. A challenge in
disguise, sent to spur you on to greater and greater heights and future
accomplishments.

Dave Cole

Dave is editor/publisher of the Prosperity: The Choice Is Yours
e-zine. Subscriptions are always free. Read the current issue
online today! http://choosetoprosper.com

This article may be reproduced or re-published by any
interested party only on the condition that the wording
and credit box remain intact and un-changed.

Post Article: mailto:article_announce@egroups.com
Subscribe: mailto:article_announce-subscribe@egroups.com
Unsubscribe: mailto:article_announce-unsubscribe@egroups.com
List owner: mailto:article_announce-owner@egroups.com
URL: http://www.egroups.com/group/article_announce

Because of the tragedy on September 11th we would like to share this with you.

VOLUNTEER AT GROUND ZERO

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

(Permission to repost...)

I was at work in midtown Manhattan (I’m a trader at a hedge fund) watching the events unfold on CNBC; upon hearing that trading was to be suspended for the day, my firm emptied out.

I decided to head downtown to see if I could volunteer my help. As all subways, buses, and taxis had ceased operation, I walked/jogged the fifty some-odd blocks to Canal Street. A huge plume of smoke loomed in the distance as hordes of people briskly made their way past me, away from the demolished financial district and toward home, the bridges, GCS and the Port Authority. On the way, many individuals were crowded around windows showing CNN and other news stations, and many bodegas were hanging out free water to anyone walking/running by.

At Canal Street I asked a few police officers where the volunteer point was, one of whom directed me to 2 Lafayette Square, in front of the downtown courthouse.

The few blocks between Canal and the designated volunteer site were absolutely filled with cops, firemen, National Guardsmen, ATF, NTSB, and other personnel, as well as hundreds of police cruisers, ambulances, tow trucks, fire vehicles, Humvees, etc. At this distance - the plume of smoke was terrifying, huge and thick, black and gray, blowing toward the southwest of Manhattan.

By now (about 12 noon) drenched with sweat, wearing khaki pants, a blue polo shirt, loafers, and carrying my work bag, I arrived to the volunteer site where about 200-300 people were already standing. The organizers asked us to divide into blood donor, ex-military, and medical groups. I joined the ex-mil crowd whose job, ‘search team,’ would ostensibly be to locate the survivors and the dead in the blocks around the WTC - not in the actual building debris.  We were given dust masks, designated t-shirts, gloves, tourniquet cords, and bottles of water for the trip into “ground zero,” as they’d begun calling it. And, while waiting the masses of us (except for “Blood,” for donors) were given down-and-dirty first aid lessons. Among the members of the ex-military group were many former infantrymen like myself, but also individuals representing backgrounds ranging from special operations to finance across all service branches, regular and reserve.  There were a few Vietnam vets, a few young kids who’d just recently completed their enlistment term, and a USNA grad among us.

We wound up standing in our groups for several hours, as Air Force jets flew overhead, protecting NYC airspace. It’s became a little frustrating, as all many of us could think of were the windows of opportunity to rescue some of the critically injured in small pockets that we were losing.

It was nothing if not surreal, the idea of this city - my home area and where I work - requiring military defense. Also, that in this day and age, in this country, that hordes of typically unflappable New Yorkers would have reason to quickly crane their heads up or duck in terror whenever an unusual sound (in this case, that of the roar of fighter jets or fast, low-flying military and governmental helicopters) came from overhead.

At one point as we waited for transportation into ground zero, the wind shifted and a strong gust of the smoke plume came through 2 Lafayette Square. To say that we were caught off guard and shocked is an understatement; everyone, myself included, was wearing their mask around their neck. Far more than a plume of brown cigarette-styled smoke or even the nasty stench of an oil fire, this smoke was, in a word, noxious: my eyes welled up with tears and clamped shut as if accidentally poked, and some people visibly gagged. After that, even though the smoke thankfully didn’t come through the volunteer area again, everyone kept their masks on.

After a few hours, the ex-military group, 100+ of us by my hasty count, got on the buses to go into devastated financial district - it was about 3:00.  The leaders of our group, among whom were some police, etc., laid down some ground rules: if you can’t take it, get back on the bus - it’s not a test or competition; do not tell any survivors of the other bombings or casualty estimates; do not photograph the dead; etc. I was quite sure that at this point, 5 or 6 hours after the collapses, that tourniquets were a foregone conclusion, but hoping that at the very least we might find someone who’d been hiding under a vehicle or perhaps in a stairwell. With that we drove into the damaged area.

I’ve worked on Wall Street, a good portion of it in the financial district (for a period of time on Broad Street two blocks from the WTC) since 1996, and so I was almost paralyzed with shock at seeing the alien landscape. In fact, I’d come through the WTC on my way uptown in switching from the PATH train to the 1/9 Uptown subway at 7:00am that very morning. Now, the streets, sidewalks, vehicles - everything, in a word - were covered with pulverized concrete, ash, and papers. Excel spreadsheets, brokerage research reports, hand-scribbled Post-It notes, and most heartrending to me, the occasional photo of wives, husbands, or children that had been taped to someone’s computer monitor or sat on their desk for weeks, months, maybe years. It was, and is even as I type this, emotionally devastating beyond description. The ash, dust, and concrete ranged from about 1 inch deep 4-5 blocks away to what must have been over two feet deep in places, and odd bits of office furniture (wheels to rolling chairs, paper catches from printers, etc.) were scattered around the streets. Flattened vehicles, all four tires flat and with windows devoid of any glass whatsoever lined the streets. Large chunks of concrete, steel, and shards of glass were (perhaps still are, as I write this) also scattered throughout what I can only describe as now an entirely unfamiliar, unidentifiable landscape, as were other, unspeakably awful reminders of the collapse which I simply will not discuss. It was in two words, gruesome and mind-numbing, by far the worst thing I’ve ever seen in person or in photos, and hopefully the worst I will ever see.

We came to stop at the corner of Greenwich and Jay Street, where we were relegated to a courtyard and told to prepare both mentally and physically (hydrating and resting in the shade) as firefighters, cops, U.S. Marshals, the FBI, ATF, the National Guard, Marine Corps, etc., were feverishly preparing for renewed attempts to search the rubble for survivors, herding the occasional stunned or hiding straggler into the Red Cross area, and towing destroyed vehicles out of the area.

Just as we were starting the grisly task, at about 5:12pm, about two or three blocks away from us a loud crunch gave way as Seven World Trade Center (the building across the street from the towers) collapsed as a result of the heavy damage it had sustained earlier in the day. Because it - a stout, fortress-like building - fell sideways, several streets were blocked, huge clouds of dust kicked up and immediately engineers sought to re-open several routes to the WTC. Sent back to the courtyard, we waited for several hours until word was passed down that with the structural integrity of many other local buildings in question, and with the long night of opening blocked streets ahead, we’d be best off returning tomorrow. I returned the next morning, but was turned back by the NYPD - they’d had thousands of more volunteers come during the night, more than they could use, and were turning folks back to instead give blood and keep the streets clear.

I personally know two people who worked in the WTC; one emailed me late Wednesday night to say that he was alright, and the other is, at last I heard, still missing. But I also saw total strangers selflessly loaning cell phones to one another to contact their families; some literally giving the shirts off of their backs to workers for bandages; and others of all ages, teenagers and the elderly, bringing personally-owned shovels, flashlights, canned food, and other items downtown for whoever might need them. Also deli owners opening up their bottled water inventories for pedestrians fleeing the city on foot, and so many blood donors that the wait to give was over 5 hours. Chalk a few up there for the brotherhood of mankind, the resilience of America, and reasons why I’m damned proud to be and American and, specifically, a New Yorker.

God bless America and freedom loving people everywhere.

Peter C. Earle

USMA ‘96

pce369@hotmail.com

 This is a Free-Reprint article. The only requirements for publishing this article are:

* You must leave the article and resource box unedited.

* You must forward a copy of the ezine or newsletter that contains the article inside to the author at: mailto:jcolanzi@johncolanzi.com

* If you post this article on a website, you must set the links up as hyperlinks, and you must send us a copy of the URL where the article is posted.

Featured articles:

The Power Of Patience

by John Colanzi

Have you ever wondered why some marketers make money so easily?

They’re probably not any smarter than you.

So why are they making money, when you seem to struggle to get an occasional sale.

I asked myself that for the longest time.

Finally I realized the marketers making money had a core program and stuck with.

In contrast, I’d make a few sales and then hopped on the next program.

I made money, but boy was I working for it.

Finally I decided to pick a program and stick with. If sales were slow I’d stick it out.

I decided on my vehicle and started to promote.

Then I started to have my doubts.

I had 19 sign ups on my first level and no sign ups on my second level.

Man, it’s going to take me forever to build a downline by myself.

That’s ok, I’m here for the long haul.

Quess what happened?

I kept signing up first level members and all at once I started noticing my second level growing.

Wow, maybe somebody’s going to give me a little help!

I decided to stick it out. Now there were two of us building a downline.

A few days later I noticed my second level growing faster than my first.

Wow, maybe it does pay to be patient!

Where am I now?

My downline is starting to put me to “shame”.

Patience Paid Off!

In the words of Napoleon Hill, “Don’t stop three feet short of your goal.”

Patience and Persistence will go a long way in helping you on the “ride up the hill.”

Wishing You Success,

John

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

Copyright © 2000 - 2001 John Colanzi.    

Special Notice: Free bonus for you. If you’re looking for

“the secret” to making money on the Net... visit our Free

online marketing library. You’ll be glad you did! http://johncolanzi.

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

########################################################

Would You Like to Create an Ebook? Have You Struggled With Design?

Ebook Starter is a complete ebook design kit including a guide to

creating and marketing an ebook and over fifty predesigned ebook

templates and book covers.

http://www.web-source.net/ebookstarter.htm

########################################################

Post Article: mailto:article_announce@egroups.com

Subscribe: mailto:article_announce-subscribe@egroups.com

Unsubscribe: mailto:article_announce-unsubscribe@egroups.com 

List owner: mailto:article_announce-owner@egroups.com

URL: http://www.egroups.com/group/article_announce

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

Prior Month's Articles

The Secret to better Customer Service

by Marti Talbott

As a Customer Service Supervisor for more than eight years, I've handled the
worst kind of customers and trained my share of Representatives.  The truth
is, contact with a Rep is often the deciding factor between keeping and 
losing your best customers.

The following are a few simple rules for providing better Customer Service:

1)  It goes without saying that product training is the most important aspect 
of good Customer Service.  Spend time making sure your Reps know all the 
answers and can explain them well.  Keep them in the know about changes in 
policies as well a products.

2) Teach Reps to be good listeners. Never interrupt a customer even if he's 
angry.  If he is allowed to get it off his chest, he'll be more receptive to 
the solution.

3)  Require that your Reps take notes.  A busy Rep means forgotten requests 
and an unreturned call equals a lost customer.  It also assures the customer 
that the Rep is listening.

 4)  Teach them to slow their speech a little when answering questions.  
Statistically, people cannot hear and process information as quickly as 
others speak.  This trick also keeps the Rep from having to repeat 
instructions.

5)  It might not be fair to other employees, but pay them well and give your 
Reps more breaks even if it's just a switch in duties.  Learn to spot the 
signs of stress (raised voices, clinched fists, tightened jaw muscles, etc.) 
and offer time to adjust.  They'll handle the next customer better and work 
for you longer, which in turn keeps you from having to spend all your time 
training new Reps.

How do your find the best Reps?  Give them a test before you hire them.  
Actually, this can be done by phone which saves your Human Resources 
Department a great deal of time.  Ask a series of questions, then ask 
something like, "A customer calls to complain that he didn't receive the 
literature you promised to send a week ago. You're positive you sent it, so 
how will you resolve the situation and explain the error to your supervisor?" 

The answer you're looking for is the one that takes care of the customer's 
needs first.  The explanation to the supervisor is virtually unimportant, yet 
you'll gain some important insight into the prospective worker's thinking and 
priorities.

Marti Talbott, author of:                                                                
"A Shattered City - Earthquake in Seattle"
www.carsonbooks.com                                                                             Return to Newsletter

How The Rich Protect Their Assets During A Bear Market 

Do you see Bill Gates or Warren Buffet worrying about the stock?
market?  No.  Because they prepare before the events occur.  I am going 
to tell you exactly what they do to profit during a bear market.  
Let me caution you now, this is a simple overview and does not address
 your individual needs.  It will however give you a basic plan and overview 
on how to plan for a volatile market.

First, prepare for the future.  Invest 70% of you money in stocks that 
have proven themselves over a ten-year period.  I'm talking about 
Boeing, Wal-Mart, IBM, and Dell.  These are examples of S&P 500 
companies that form the back bone of the US stock market, and 
have provided modest returns between 8 to 10 % for years.  If you 
are a novice, I highly recommend you choose a good index fund that
invests in the S&P 500 companies.  Why?  If you look at the history 
of the stock market, you will find that no matter how smart the broker is, 
they will never out perform the S&P 500 over the long-term.  
Investing your money in the latest dot com may have led to huge profits
 in the short term, but right now there are a lot of **used to be millionaires** 
that are wondering what happened.  Why are they used to be millionaires?  
They invested their money in the latest craze and not the companies with
 the best management structure.  I'm not saying that you can't become 
rich by investing in a new company.

You definitely can.  Imagine if you'd purchased stock in Microsoft when 
it first hit the market.  But, the people who did and are millionaires right
now, listened to well informed brokers.  What do brokers do for you?  
They advise you to invest your money In companies that have a
great **management structure**.  Are you catching on.  Remember, 
you must invest for the long-term before venturing into the more 
complicated forms of investing.

 Part 2 of this series will provide guidance on how to invest the remaining
30% of your income to protect yourself during a bear market.

 =================================================================

Steven M. Strowder is the author of two e-zines: Achieve 
Financial Freedom and EntertainmentMust.  Learn to create a 
lifetime of wealth and how to enjoy it.

To subscribe: mailto:financialfreedom2-subscribe@listbot.com

To subscribe: mailto:entertainmentmust-subscribe@listbot.com

Visit: http://entertainmentmust.vstoremisc.com

Contact: mailto:strowder@hotmail.com

BE CONCISE

By Dr. Donald E. Wetmore

Concision. (Sounds like I made up another word.) It’s the
idea of being concise in our ongoing communication with
others, both written and oral.  Many take forever to say so little. 
These are the same people who spend a lot of time in meetings. 
Some who may have little to say use lots of words to say what could be
said in a few words. It is boring. It wastes time. It reduces productivity. 
Theirs and yours. I do not suggest that all of our communications ought to be
reduced to one or two words. There ought to be time in the workplace for idle chat. 
It leads to relationship building and a better quality of life. However, it is sometimes more productive to simply say “blah” rather than “blah, blah, blah”.

As a practical matter, it is becoming more and more important to be concise as 
we drown in this era of information overload. We get more information impressions in
one day than our great-grandparents 100 years ago got in a lifetime. Think about it. 
100 years ago, you may have looked a seed catalog, a shared newspaper, and an occasional book, if you owned one. Today, we have information coming at us from all directions. The average working businessperson receives, on average, 150 new communications each day via telephone, voicemail, mail, fax, and email. When email became available a few years ago,
it was supposed to take the place of a lot of other communications, including first class mail. 
The truth is, all other forms of communication have held their volume (or even increased) 
and we now have email to deal with on top of it all. Want to be more concise in your communications and save time? Here are two suggestions.

1. Think before you communicate. Before you make that call 
or meet with someone, think out what you how hope to accomplish. 
A lot of extended, unnecessary communication is in search of a purpose 
of the communication in the first place. When you know what you are
 trying to accomplish, when you achieve, it is over and you can move on.

2. Practice. When you write an email to someone, look it 
over before you send it. See if you can say what you need to say in fewer
 words. I use this technique in a communications class I teach for MBA 
students. I ask them to write a five-page paper. They submit it, I return it, 
and ask they re-write the paper in four pages, but cover all the essential
 points from the five page paper. They later re-write the same paper as 
a three, two, and one page paper. Each must contain all that was covered
in the original five-page work. It’s a tough assignment but with practice,
they get better at saying more with fewer words. You can too. If you 
write something, re-write it several times, each time making it shorter
 than the previous attempt. The more you practice, the better you’ll get.

Would you like save at least one hour a day? Get your free
copy now of our short article, “One More Hour Per Day”. To
get yours, email your request for “hour” to: ctsem@msn.com
Would you like to receive free Timely Time Management Tips
on a regular basis to increase your personal productivity
and get more out of every day? Sign up now for your free
“TIMELY TIME MANAGEMENT TIPS”. Just go to: http://www.topica.com/lists/timemanagement and select
“subscribe”. We welcome you to our list!

Dr. Donald E. Wetmore
Professional Speaker
Productivity Institute
Time Management Seminars
60 Huntington St., P.O. Box 2126
Shelton, CT 06484
(800) 969-3773 (203) 929-9902 Fax: (203) 929-8151
Email: ctsem@msn.com
Visit Our Time Management Supersite:
http://www.balancetime.com
Professional Member-National Speakers Association
Copyright 2001 You may re-print the above information in its
entirety in your publication, newsletter, or on your
webpage. For permission, please email your request for
“reprint” to: ctsem@msn.com

Inspirational Articles:

Integrity
By Paul Bauer

Last night, I saw a powerful new movie called The Insider. It's about a man who risked everything to tell the truth because he knew it was the right thing to do. If you want a refreshing lesson on why being true to our nature is important, please see this movie!

How often are you faced with the option of speaking your Truth or backing down and "being a nice person?" When you see this movie, you'll think twice about the next time you're in a situation that requires you to do the right thing. Not the popular thing, not the easy way out, but having integrity within yourself and honoring this value.

Integrity can mean many things, but at its root, Integrity means the quality of being complete or unbroken - wholeness. The power of this movie is that the central character is forced to make a decision - a difficult decision that could break anyone, to sign a confidentiality agreement that states he will not divulge any information to anyone about his work at Brown & Williamson Tobacco Company. One of many companies that have been contributing to hundreds of thousands of people dying from lung cancer and related illness each year! (This is a TRUE story.)

The main character, Wiegand, is forced to struggle between telling the truth - a truth that could save thousands of lives - or remaining quiet. If he remains quiet, thousands WILL die. If he tells the truth, he risks being imprisoned for breaking the confidentiality agreement (which is enforceable by law), losing his severance package and benefits (the golden handcuff) and unexpectedly, his marriage.

In this apparent no-win scenario, he decides to honor his integrity and tell the truth - no matter what the consequences are. He sees that remaining quiet would not only break his own integrity, but add to the already long list of atrocities put on the American public by the tobacco industry.

What difference does this make to Me, Paul?

Many people go through their daily lives and are faced with honoring themselves or someone else they think rules their lives. When given this choice, ask yourself "What's the right thing to do in this situation?" The thing that when you go to sleep at night you can say to yourself "I did the right thing."

There's an old quote that Abraham Maslow taught Wayne Dyer and it says: "Learn to be free of the good opinion of others."

Let's take this lesson one step further....Learn to be free of the good opinion of your own ego.

I have a question.

Are you willing to listen to your Heart and intuition and be true to yourself, even when it hurts? Are you willing to do the unpopular thing especially when it's needed? Do you now work for a company that routinely rapes the land with pollution, or for a drug company that uses animals for testing and even worse uses humans as guinea pigs? Does this sound too opinionated? Only to those unwilling to really look at what is needed to honor our Earth, our children, ourselves.

Have you ever considered the consequences of your decisions? Do you purchase toxic products from companies like Monsanto (maker of Nutrasweet - a known toxic compound that slowly poisons the body - and they are now trying to "bioengineer" crops such as corn, soybeans, etc. that create dangerous side effects)? Do you smoke? Do you allow your children to watch violence on TV thinking "Oh, they'll get over it?"

Every seed we sow grows, so we need to be aware - fully conscious of what we are planting in our own minds and the minds of those who you influence.

What can I do today to have more integrity?

Sit for a moment, and ask yourself:

Why am I here?

What am I here to do?

How can I best use my creative talents and speak my Truth?

How can I honor my intuition - my Heart - and honor this sacred Earth I live on - to help protect it for my children?

As you go about your daily life, listen to your Heart, remember that integrity means the state of being complete, connected to your own self. What can you do as you are reading this, that will honor your own integrity?

Ask yourself: What do I need to be truthful about that will honor myself and free up energy within me?

Listen and trust...

The rest is but mere details...

May the warm sun of your imagination flow easily, effortlessly as you make your Dreams real...

Paul Bauer is the creator of Dream-Minder, software that "Frees Your Mind and Lifts Your Spirit." If you would like to learn about software that helps you live the wisdom that you've just read, visit http://www.dreamsalive.com/dresof.htm.

Article Title: Sticky Sites: Calendars

Author: Richard Lowe, Jr.
Contact Author: articles@internet-tips.net
Publishing Guidelines: May be freely published w/bylines
Web Address: http://www.internet-tips.net
Autoresponder Address: article-091@internet-tips.net

Good webmasters are always looking for ways to make visitors feel
more comfortable with their sites. They are also receptive to adding
anything which causes their visitors to come back time and again, as
long as it fits with their theme and works well with the site.

One way to get people to come back to your site is to add things that
they can use from day-to-day. This way, they will want to visit your
site to, at the very least, perform the function that you've provided.

Some calendars allow your visitors to create their own events, and
the more complex ones even allow them to create their own password
protected calendars. The simpler versions are configurable by the
webmaster, and are mostly useful for showing events which pertain to
the web site. Each of these different types can find good use on just
about any web site.

Some good calendaring systems include the following.
- Calendars.net allows you to create your own on-line calendaring
system which your visitors will love. These do not allow your
visitors to add their own events, but they do allow you to display
your events in a nice format. Good for showing
- Dayplan.com - Very nice calendaring system which allows you to
create everything from simple calendars to full fledged group
scheduling systems.- When.Com - Another good, very flexible system.
A simple, webmaster configurable calendar is useful for showing
events for the web site or group. For example, the webmaster might
schedule chats, conference calls or other events, and use a calendar
to show his visitors when these things occur. In this case, nothing
fancy is needed since the only purpose is to communicate information
to the visitors.

You can also use one of the above services (and there are many others
available) to define calendars which your visitors can tailor and
manipulate. Generally these allow your visitors to define their own
calendars for their own purposes. This type of calendar is typical
for making a site more sticky, since it provides an additional reason
for people to return.

Personally, I prefer using scripted calendaring solutions directly on
my own web site. This allows me to have complete control over all
functions of the calendar, including format and functions. Generally,
I will virtually always prefer a local solution than a remotely
hosted solution, all other things being equal. The cgi-resources.com 
site contains a couple of dozen different scripted solutions for calendaring. 
This is a great place to start your search for a product to do what you need.

There is not much else to say about including calendars on a web
site. They are a simple and effective way to communicate important
dates to your visitors. You can also provide configurable versions to
add stickiness to your site. NOTE: The following information must be 
included if you reprint this article:

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

Richard Lowe Jr. is the webmaster of Internet Tips And Secrets. This
website includes over 1,000 free articles to improve your internet
profits, enjoyment and knowledge.
Web Site Address: http://www.internet-tips.net
Weekly newsletter: http://www.internet-tips.net/joinlist.htm
Daily Tips: internet-tips@GetResponse.com
Claudia Arevalo-Lowe is the webmistress of Internet Tips And Secrets
and Surviving Asthma. Visit her site at http://survivingasthma.com
List of articles available for reprint: article-list@internet-tips.net

Last Months Feature Article:

Cynthia Irvin
"Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken bird that
cannot fly."
-Langston Hughes

Just a reminder that love is more than sex.

John Blanchard stood up from the bench, straightened his Army
uniform, and studied the crowd of people making their way through
Grand Central Station. He looked for the girl whose heart he knew,
but whose face
he didn't, the girl with the rose. His interest in her had begun
thirteen months before in a Florida library. Taking a book off the
shelf he
found himself intrigued, not with the words of the book, but with the
notes penciled in the margin. The soft handwriting reflected a
thoughtful soul and insightful mind.

In the front of the book, he discovered the previous owner's name,
Miss Hollis Maynell. With time and effort he located her address.
She
lived in New York City. He wrote her a letter introducing himself
and
inviting her to correspond. The next day he was shipped overseas
for service in World War II.

During the next year and one-month the two grew to know each other
through the mail. Each letter was a seed falling on a fertile heart.

A Romance was budding. Blanchard requested a photograph, but she
refused. She felt that if he really cared, it wouldn't matter what
she looked like.

When the day finally came for him to return from Europe, they
scheduled their first meeting - 7:00 PM at the Grand Central Station
in New York.

"You'll recognize me," she wrote, "by the red rose I'll be wearing
on my lapel." So at 7:00 he was in the station looking for a girl
whose heart he loved, but whose face he'd never seen.

I'll let Mr. Blanchard tell you what happened: A young woman was
coming toward me, her figure long and slim. Her blonde hair lay
back
in curls from her delicate ears; her eyes were blue as flowers. Her
lips
and chin had a gentle firmness, and in her pale green suit she was
like springtime come alive. I started toward her, entirely forgetting
to
notice that she was not wearing a rose. As I moved, a small,
provocative smile curved her lips. "Going my way, sailor?" she
murmured. Almost uncontrollably I made one step closer to her, and
then I saw Hollis
Maynell. She was standing almost directly behind the girl.

A woman well past 40, she had graying hair tucked under a worn hat.
She was more than plump, her thick-ankled feet thrust into low-heeled
shoes. The girl in the green suit was walking quickly away. I felt
as
though I was split in two, so keen was my desire to follow her, and
yet so deep was my longing for the woman whose spirit had truly
companioned me and upheld my own.

And there she stood. Her pale, plump face was gentle and sensible,
her gray eyes had a warm and kindly twinkle. I did not hesitate. My
fingers gripped the small worn blue leather copy of the book that
was to identify me to her. This would not be love, but it would be
something precious, something perhaps even better than love, a
friendship for which I had been and must ever be grateful.

I squared my shoulders and saluted and held out the book to the
woman, even though while I spoke I felt choked by the bitterness of
my
disappointment. "I'm Lieutenant John Blanchard, and you must be Miss
Maynell. I am so glad you could meet me; may I take you to dinner?"

The woman's face broadened into a tolerant smile. "I don't know
what this is about, son," she answered, "but the young lady in the
green suit who just went by, she begged me to wear this rose on my
coat.
And she said if you were to ask me out to dinner, I should go and
tell
you that she is waiting for you in the big restaurant across the
street. She said it was some kind of test!" It's not difficult to
understand and
admire Miss Maynell's wisdom. The true nature of a heart is seen in
its response to the unattractive. "Tell me whom you love," Houssaye
wrote, "And I will tell you who you are."

Archive Article      A Woman's Path to Confidence

Tip of the month:

Article #2

Career Freedom, Three Keys to Maximizing Your Options

The executive recruiter is on the other line. It's the third time this month you've had a call from someone wanting to offer you better work for a better boss.

Maybe It's a Dream. Maybe It's Not

For some people it's reality. They are the ones who constantly use the three keys to maximizing their career options. They have found a way to get more choices than 97 percent of the rest of us.

The three keys to maximizing your career choices and your worth in today's market are:

1. People Power (using influence, support network or connections)

2. Results (that stakeholders see)

3. Skills (current and relevant)

People Power

The first and most valuable key to maximizing your career options is often the least talked about: your power. It's your ability to influence others to do what you want while avoiding things you don't want to do.

How do you get more power? By being so connected with other powerful people that you have an army of powerful people poised to help you get done what you want to get done any time, any place.