================================================================= A Better Life: ItsYourFuture! Be Happy Be Healthy, Live Long and Prosper ================================================================= Vol.2, No.12, June 15th., 2000 ISSN 1442-5211 CONTENTS IN THIS ISSUE ---------------------- 1. Our Sponsor 2. Welcome - From the Publisher 3. Our Motto 4. BE HAPPY: the MIND-ATTITUDE Inspiration: "Information, Please" Humor: Troubles With Children, Parts I and II Romance: Thinking Like a Romantic 5. BE HEALTHY, LIVE LONG: the BODY-HEALTH/FITNESS/NUTRITION -Want Want A Fitter, Better Looking Body? Weight And See! -Grandma Was Right! -Super Broccoli -Glen's Food Fit for the Fit Recipe: Jamaican Beef 6. PROSPER: MONEY-CAREER/BUSINESS/INVESTING/HOME BUSINESS - A Free Online Conference - Valuable Read of the Week: The Power of Focus 7. Our Companion Ezines 8. Classified Ads. 9. Privacy Policy, Disclaimer and Copyright Notice 10. Contact Information ================================================================= 1. Our Sponsor: ================================================================= Make Your Site Sell ! The Most Important Free Download You'll Ever Make. Over 800 pages of some of the most unique marketing techniques online. POWERFUL... http://www.sitesell.com/itsyourfuture.html ================================================================= 2. Welcome from the Publisher ================================================================= "Whose life have you touched today?" This week, we have another heart-warming story in our Inspiration section, entitled "Information Please". It harks back to an earlier technological age that many of our readers will not have experineced. That doesn't matter, because the human message is timeless. The story ends with the question, "Whose life have you touched today?" In my own small way, I hope the words we print in these pages reach out to help, reassure, support and inspire. But I know in my heart, that producing this ezine not enough. I know that most of our readers are from the First World, and that as a group we enjoy one of the greatest standards of living in the history of our species. For all our problems and shortcomings, we are uniquely blessed. Many are not so lucky. They live with hunger, disease and oppression daily. The underlying motivation of A Better Life:ItsYourFuture!, is to support and encourage those who want to take control of their own future- in how happy they choose to be, in their health, and in the realm of personal finance. For most of us, our problem lies in not taking advantage of the wealth and opportunities that lie all around us. For many in the world, the opportunities are much smaller, and much further out of reach. Over the last year, I've been drawn back a number of times to a website that helps change the lives of many people. Its called Life in Africa, and its purpose is to help individuals set up small enterprises to support their families. The amounts of money involved are a pittance to us, and beneath the normal banks' dignity. Very briefly, supporters of Life in Africa donate money. The money is used to guarantee small loans to individuals who can make a good case. Most of them are women, trying to help provide for their families. As the loan is repaid, the money is recycled- further loans are guaranteed, helping even more people. By self-selection, readers of A Better Life:ItsYourFuture! are a wonderful group of motivated, supportive, compassionate people. I'd like to propose that, as a community, we work with the Life in Africa Foundation to support the endeavors of those with the initiative to develop ways of helping their families. I'd ask you to have a look a few webpages.... http://www.lifeinafrica.com/give/borrowers/may00.htm will show you the kind of people we can help. http://www.lifeinafrica.com/microfinance/microfinance.htm will tell you how microfinance works. http://www.lifeinafrica.com/report.htm will show you how some individual donations are working in practice. Have a look at how $100 donated by a couple called Bruns, has guaranteed 4 loans worth a total of $599 in just 6 months. Next issue (July 1st), I'll invite all our readers to make a small donation by credit card. Money that for us only means a couple of magazines or a Big Mac Meal. I'm talking $5, $10 or $20. Nothing to us. The total amount will be forwarded to the Life in Africa Foundation as a donation from the readers of this ezine. So that you know 'the right thing has been done', I will publish a list of donors, and the amounts they donated, in the July 15th issue. >From then on, we'll keep you up-to-date on a monthly basis with information on the people who are being helped, and their projects that have been made possible by your generosity. I for one, will feel a little prouder of my answer, when I see the question, "Whose life have you touched today." John ================================================================= 3. Our Motto ================================================================= Our Motto is- "Be Happy, Be Healthy, Live Long and Prosper." >From this Motto, we can define the three areas in which we intend to assist our readers. ================================================================= 4. BE HAPPY: the MIND-ATTITUDE ================================================================= Quote: "The person who seeks all their applause from outside has their happiness in another's keeping." - Claudius Claudianus Inspiration: "Information, Please" ---------------------------------- When I was quite young, my father had one of the first telephones in our neighborhood. I remember well the polished, old case fastened to the wall. The shiny receiver hung on the side of the box. I was too little to reach the telephone, but used to listen with fascination when my mother used to talk to it. Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived an amazing person - her name was "Information Please" and there was nothing she did not know. "Information Please" could supply anybody's number and the correct time. My first personal experience with this genie-in-the-bottle came one day while my mother was visiting a neighbor. Amusing myself at the tool bench in the basement, I whacked my finger with a hammer. The pain was terrible, but there didn't seem to be any reason in crying because there was no one home to give sympathy. I walked around the house sucking my throbbing finger, finally arriving at the stairway. The telephone! Quickly, I ran for the foot stool in the parlor and dragged it to the landing. Climbing up, I unhooked the receiver in the parlor and held it to my ear." Information Please," I said into the mouthpiece just above my head. A click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear. "Information" "I hurt my finger..." I wailed into the phone. The tears came readily enough now that I had an audience. "Isn't your mother home?" came the question. "Nobody's home but me," I blubbered. "Are you bleeding?" the voice asked. "No," I replied." I hit my finger with the hammer and it hurts." "Can you open your icebox?" she asked. I said I could. "Then chip off a little piece of ice and hold it to your finger," said the voice. After that, I called "Information Please" for everything. I asked her for help with my geography and she told me where Philadelphia was. She helped me with my math. She told me my pet chipmunk, that I had caught in the park just the day before, would eat fruit and nuts. Then, there was the time Petey, our pet canary died. I called "Information Please" and told her the sad story. She listened, the said the usual things grown ups say to soothe a child. But I was unconsoled. I asked her, "Why is it that birds should sing so beautifully and bring joy to all families, only to end up as a heap of feathers on the bottom of a cage?" She must have sensed my deep concern, for she said quietly, "Paul, always remember that there are other worlds to sing in." Somehow I felt better. Another day I was on the telephone." Information Please." "Information," said the now familiar voice. "How do you spell fix?" I asked. All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. When I was nine years old, we moved across the country to Boston. I missed my friend very much. "Information Please" belonged in that old Wooden box back home and I somehow never thought of trying the tall, shiny new phone that sat on the table in the hall. As I grew into my teens, the memories of those childhood conversations never really left me. Often, in moments of doubt and perplexity I would recall the serene sense of security I had then. I appreciated now how patient, understanding, and kind she was to have spent her time on a little boy. A few years later, on my way west to college, my plane put down in Seattle I had about half-an-hour or so between planes. I spent 15 minutes or so on the phone with my sister, who lived there now. Then, without thinking what I was doing, I dialed my hometown operator and said, "Information, please." Miraculously, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well. "Information." I hadn't planned this, but I heard myself saying, "Could you please tell me how to spell fix?" There was a long pause. Then came the soft spoken answer, "I guess your finger must have healed by now." I laughed, "So it's really still you," I said." I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during that time." "I wonder," she said, "if you know how much your calls meant to me. I never had any children and I used to look forward to your calls." I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and I asked if I could call her again when I came back to visit my sister. "Please do," she said. "Just ask for Sally." Three months later I was back in Seattle. A different voice answered,"Information." I asked for Sally. "Are you a friend?" she said. "Yes, a very old friend," I answered. "I'm sorry to have to tell you this," she said." Sally had been working part time the last few years because she was sick. She died five weeks ago." Before I could hang up she said, "Wait a minute. Did you say your name was Paul?" "Yes." "Well, Sally left a message for you. She wrote it down in case you called. Let me read it to you. The note said, "Tell him I still say there are other worlds to sing in. He'll know what I mean." I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant. Never underestimate the impression you may make on others. Whose life have you touched today? Humor: Troubles With Children Part I ------------------------------------ A couple with three children waited in line at San Francisco's Pier 41 to purchase tickets for a boat trip to Alcatraz. Others watched with varying degrees of sympathy and irritation as the young children fidgeted, whined, and punched one another. The frazzled parents reprimanded them to no avail. Finally they reached the ticket window. "Five tickets, please," the father said. "Two round trip, three one way." Humor: Troubles With Children Part II ------------------------------------- Several years ago, as I returned home from a business trip a storm hit, with crashing thunder and severe lightning. I arrived home about 2 a.m. and found my two children in bed with my wife, Karey. They were apparently scared by the loud storm. So I slept in the guest bedroom that night. The next day I explained to the children that it is O.K. to sleep with Mom when there is a bad storm and I am away, but when I am expected home they are not to sleep with Mom. They just said, "OK!" After my next trip, Karey and the children picked me up in the terminal because the plane was late. They, along with hundreds of other folks, waited for their arriving passengers. As I entered the waiting area my son saw me and came running up to me shouting, "Hi, Dad! I've got some good news!" I waved back and replied loudly, "What's the good news?" Alex boldly shouted, "While you were away nobody slept with Mommy!" The airport became very quiet. Everyone in the waiting area looked at Alex, glanced at me, and then, searched around to see if they could figure out who was his Mother! ----------------------------------------------------------------- Want more clean jokes? Subscribe to Dave's Daily Chuckle! daily_chuckle-subscribe@egroups.com or visit http://www.Daily-Chuckle.com ----------------------------------------------------------------- Romance: Thinking Like A Romantic --------------------------------- by Michael Webb In the hundreds of interviews I have given, one question comes up almost more than any other. Perhaps you have the same one for me. The reporters want to know where I get my ideas. The answer is quite simple: everywhere! Very few of us are natural romantics. However, all of us have the capability of being romantic, it just takes a little effort and practice. After years of doing romantic things on a nearly daily basis, the way my mind processes information has changed. When I read the newspaper, walk through a store or watch a movie, my mind latches on to ideas that could be used to express my love to my wife. As I mentioned in a previous column, even the junk mail can be a source for romantic inspiration. Just like a poet, song writer, architect, artist, fashion designer or homemaker has trained their minds for new ideas and concepts for their profession, the same can be true with romance. After struggling at the beginning of my romantic days, now several new ideas come to me each day. In fact, I have so many ideas that I will not be able to use all of them in my lifetime. I challenge you to write down one romantic idea each day for the next week. You will discover that it is a lot easier than it seems when you actually put your mind to it. You might even be able to write down several each day. Once you train your mind to think as a romantic, the ideas will begin appearing without any effort at all. Then hopefully, you can begin sharing your ideas with me. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Michael Webb is author of The RoMANtic's Guide: Hundreds of Creative Tips for a Lifetime of Love, available from Amazon.com Get this wonderful book for your loved one, at a discount! http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0786884347/itsyourfuture For more of Michael's FREE tips, visit http://www.TheRomantic.com ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- FREE long distance phone card (40 min.) - no obligation 40 MINUTES FREE JUST FOR JOINING DAYTIPS' EZINES ///////////////////////////// \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ It's a no-brainer! Join today -->> http://DayTips.com/aec/ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ///////////////////////////// AOL Users Click Here ----------------------------------------------------------------- ================================================================= 5. BE HEALTHY, LIVE LONG: the BODY-HEALTH/FITNESS/NUTRITION ================================================================= Quote: "You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try." - Beverly Sills Want Want A Fitter, Better Looking Body? Weight And See! -------------------------------------------------------- Many of us have been brought up thinking that the exercise we need to lose weight is aerobic. Like running, cycling, walking, swimming etc. Many of us also were brought up in a world where the only people who lifted weights were serious athletes, or guys looking for a nicely-muscled, good-looking body. Times have changed. Now we know that fat is burnt in the muscles, and that the greater out lean muscle mass is, the higher our metabolic rate is. The higher our metabolic rate is, the more fat we burn. This means that an ideal regime to promote fitness, health and fat loss, would incorporate diet with both aerobic and weights (anaerobic) training. Use all three, and you'll have a fitter, stronger, healthier and better-looking body. Weight and see! Grandma Was Right! ------------------ Chances are your Grandmother of Great-Grandmother used to spoon out a daily dose of cod-liver oil to her kids- and didn't they hate it! Over the next couple of generations, as we got more into science and technology, the old cod-liver oil dropped off the radar. Over those same couple of generations, diseases and medical conditions of all sorts went on the increase. Heart disease, cancer, arthritis andd diabetes to name a few. Now, the scientists are telling us that an important part of our diet is Essential Fatty Acids, and that we are particularly deficient in the Omega-3 EFA's. According to Dr. Gary Wikholm, "Essential fatty acids serve to facilitate cellular communication, keep the blood flowing smoothly throughout the body, protect the body from cancer, and regulate blood sugar...The richest sources of omega-3 fatty acids are flaxseed and some types of seafood...salmon, mackerel, herring and other types of cold water fish." This is not the easiest article to read, but it is well worth the effort. Super Broccoli -------------- New evidence that diet has a huge impact on disease rates is continuing to pile up. Years of research in the US and UK has established that broccoli has a cancer-fighting quality. Broccoli contains a chemical called sulphoraphane, which when released in the gut, increases the production of glutathione transfrease, an enzyme which helps destroy cancer-causing food substances that can lead to colon cancer. Now, scientists in the UK have debveloped a type of super- broccoli. "We have produced a vegetable that has 100 times more sulphoraphane than normal and, according to laboratory tests 100 times as much anti-cancer activity", said plant biologist, Dr Richard Mithen. It is hoped that tests will show that the super- broccoli will help prevent colon cancer, and help slow down existing cancers. It is hoped to be on the market in two years. Glen's Food Fit for the Fit Recipe: Jamaican Beef ------------------------------------------------- with Glen Esse -------------- 1 tablespoon OIL 500g. MINCED BEEF 1 ONION peeled and chopped 1 clove of GARLIC 1 425g. tin TOMATOES 1 425g. tin CORN KERNALS 1 teaspoon SUGAR 1 teaspoon CINNAMON ¼ teas. Ground CUMIN ½ cup RAISINS Chopped green ends of SPRING ONIONS Heat oil in a 2 litre saucepan and stir fry until brown, the BEEF, ONION and GARLIC. Add the rest of the ingredients, cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes adding a little water if the mixture gets to thick. Serve with RICE and GREEN VEGETABLES. You can make this recipe quiet exotic by adding slices of pineapple ( fresh or tinned ) that have been seared in a pan. This gives the dish a real sweet and sour twist to it. Quote for the day : WHETHER YOU THINK YOU CAN OR YOU THINK YOU CAN'T YOU ARE USUALLY RIGHT ! ----------------------------------------------------------------- DESSERT DU JOUR: Free dessert recipes delivered via email. Mouth-watering! Scrumptious! Gotta HAVE it! Chocolate, cheesecakes, cookies, pies, bars, chewy treats, and so very much more! To subscribe, simply send a blank email to mailto:dessert-subscribe@topica.com ----------------------------------------------------------------- ================================================================= 6. PROSPER: MONEY-CAREER/BUSINESS/INVESTING/HOME BUSINESS ================================================================= Quote: "Almost everybody walks around with a vast burden of imaginary limitations inside his head. While the burden remains, personal success is as difficult to achieve as the conquest of Everest with a sack of rocks tied to your back." - J. H. Brennan The Best and Brightest E-Business Sites- Free Online Conference --------------------------------------------------------------- We all have our own ideas as to what constitutes a good e-commerce site.. Now we are being give the opportunity to look at some of today's best, brightest and most successful e-business websites through the eyes of an expert. The expert is Larry Chase, publisher of one of my 'required-reading ezines'- Web Digest fro Marketers. Larry is also the author of Essential Business Tactics for the Net. In a FREE online conference, Larry will "share his knowledge of what makes these sites hot, and give tips on how you can translate another company's success to your own business model." The Seminar is being held at two times, 10am EDT and 4pm EDT, on June 21st. The location? Your office! When you submit your registration, you will be sent instructions on how to access the conference from your desktop. Find out more at this address; http://www.landmark.com/larry Valuable Read of the Week: The Power of Focus --------------------------------------------- a book by Jack Canfield, Les Hewitt & Mark Victor Hansen Focus is a vital ingredient in success of any sort, and focus is necessary if you want to succeed in your Web Marketing endeavors. I'm often remided of this, when 'a quick look at the email' becomes a 2-hour session, as I follow numerous cyber-rabbits down a succession of cyber-burrows'. Unless we are focussed on the important things, the unimportant ones will rob us of our time, and of the things we could have achieved. Canfield and Hansen are best known for selling 50,000,000 copies of the heart-warming Chicken Soup For The Soul series of books. Now they turn their attention to the subject of success, and the importance of focus. Jack Canfield explains... "Several years ago, Mark Victor Hansen and Les Hewitt and I discovered that we had independently stumbled upon a series of practical strategies that when applied by anyone in any walk of life would actually work to help people create the life they said they wanted -- more success, more money, and more time off to spend with their families and friends. We actually created a seminar that promised to double people's incomes and double their time off in less than two years! Many people achieved the goal in one year! We were so excited that we decided to put the strategies we taught in the seminar into a book, which we eventually titled The Power of Focus". I'd recommend you read this book. You can buy it at a discount at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1558747524/itsyourfuture ======== FREE DAILY TIPS NEWSLETTER ======== Household, Cleaning, Gardening, Shopping, Senior Citizen, PLUS a Daily GRIN, QUOTES, and MORE. To subscribe, send a blank email to: tipsdujour-subscribe@topica.com , or visit the parent http://www.recipedujour.com Web Site. =============== TIPS DU JOUR =============== ================================================================= 7. Our Companion Ezines: ================================================================= Web Marketing Ezine is "The Human Face of Web Marketing" each week, we provide Marketing, Advertising, Promotional and E-Commerce Resources for Today's Web Marketer. For your FREE subscription, mailto:webmarketing-subscribe@itsyourfuture.net Successful Thinking? We can all use some of that! To receive your FREE subscription to Successful Thinking' just send a blank email to mailto:success-subscribe@itsyourfuture.net ================================================================= 8. Classified Advertisements: ================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------- DID YOU KNOW that it takes 144 muscles to frown and only 32 to smile?? :=))))))) Sooooo.. Why are you workin' so hard? You're invited. Do it Today!! 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