Most Mailed Direct Mail Letter

Last Tuesday copywriter Martin Conroy died. He was 84 years old.Martin is renowned for creating what might well have been the most mailed direct mail piece of all time. With only minor changes this piece ran continuously from 1975 to 2003.

Barely two pages long, it was the major circulation builder for the Wall Street Journal.

See this letter in Ken Mc Carthy's blog

Story telling is perhaps the most powerful copywriting technique.
Easy Web Video Software

Website for Canadian Retired Workers

These days, people are retiring younger and living longer. A newly retired 60-year-old may not want to work a 60-hour-week any more, but may still want to find employment. This is where Retired Worker comes in. This is a free site for job seekers and has several short term assignments.

http://www.retiredworker.ca/
Canadian Long Distance Discounts
Niagara Falls Accomodations

Cell phone pinpoints location

Even if you are not making or receiving a call your cell phone (or mobile as it is called in the UK) can indicate where you are. The phone transmits a signal which enables investigators using cell site analysis technology to locate your call.

Cell phone companies maintain records of which beacon a particular phone was locked onto at any particular time. With this technology it is possible, if an ideal situation exists,to identify the location of an individual phone to within a few hundred yards.

In the UK this cell site analysis is said to have helped detectives solve a number of high profile cases like the 2002 Soham murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. Jessica Chapman's phone indicated where its signal died on the night the girls disappeared.

Niagra Falls Vacation

Soiling O..J. Simpson's Dirty Book

Do you wonder about a hot news story after it has gone off the news radar? I do. I was curious to know what will happen to O.J Simpson 'Book of What Ifs'. If I Did It, was supposedly a description by O.J. of how things would have gone down in 1994 if he had killed his former wife and her friend Ronald Goldman. Since I am interested in publishing I know that all the hype surrounding his book probably meant that there were thousands of copies of his book already printed and waiting to bound out of warehouses as soon as enough of a frenzy was built up.

Well it turns out HarperCollins had printed some 400,000 copies of the book before Mr. Murdoch decided o kill the project. Now what do you do with all those books. You know they usually intone over your dead body ' Dust to dust. ashes to ashes'.In the end everything comes down to soil. So Harper Collins has by one estimate 200 tons of paper to get rid off.

Publishers normally,I found out go to professional shredding companies to get rid of books that no longer sell.Do you know that the association for these shredding companies actually call themselves the National Association for Information Destruction.

I wonder if George Bush knows about them. He could use them to dispose of any uncomfortable information in the run up to the Iraq war. Apparently, Random House recently purchased its own Bollegraaf system for shredding and baling at its own book-destruction facility in Indiana. After being professionally shredded the former books go to landfills. There it gracefully decomposes over years.

Walt Whitman, the great American poet, muses in "This Compost," :

Now I am terrified at the Earth, it is that calm and
123456patient,
It grows such sweet things out of such
123456corruptions …

Now Harper Collins,there's your idea. Out of your corruption to produce such a hideous book you can turn it into a sweet thing --lush, fragrant soil from compost. Here's a great way to save the earth and your tarnished reputation Harper Collins . Sell OJ compost!

There are probably at least 400,000 dedicated compost-makers among our 250 odd million Americans. Day after day, in good or bad weather these trusty folk leave their homes and throw kitchen and garden waste into a compost heap. They wait a few months before they harvest the matured rich, dark crumbly soil. Then they dutifully spread on their flower and vegetable beds.

My suggestion is that Harper Collins put out feelers to the nation's compost-makers and invite them to a national shred out of O.J's If I did It. Give out one copy apiece of If I Did It to individual organic gardeners . Get them to sign a pledge not to read the book or sell it on eBay. Or each person could collect a shredded copy and put it to work improving the nation's soil.

Haimdat Sawh - Business Consultant

Haimdat Sawh is an accomplished, experienced business consultant working in Tallahassee, Florida. He specializes in Business Process Analysis, Negotiation and IT Technical Support. He is, however, also experienced in Document Management, Financial Analysis and Software Quality Assurance Testing. A self-starting, goal-oriented strategist, Haimdat is a confident, assured professional whose strengths are his reliability, perseverance and vision. With over two decades of experience both in the US and internationally he has consistently demonstrated his skill in organizing complex projects.

Haimdat's clients have universally praised his ability to put together professional teams and competently define and delegate individual team member tasks. As one former client observed, "Haimdat thoroughly understands the process of integrating technology into the office environment as well as the need to get people working quickly and harmoniously on the tasks that are critical to the success of any mission."

Since the late eighties Haimdat has kept on top of office software data management and he brings this cutting edge thinking to his business projects. Many clients have benefited from Haimdat's skill and experience in almost instant and accurate documentation of decision making. A love for writing and revision leads him to create precise task and job descriptions. This has made Haimdat invaluable to the success of the businesses in which he worked.

Currently working with Infinity Software, Haimdat has also worked with Price Waterhouse Coopers Tampa FL and the American University in Washington DC in the US. An advisor and project manager for the late President of Guyana, Dr. Cheddi Jagan, Haimdat Sawh served his government as Commissioner of Insurance from 1992 to 1994. In Guyana.He was also a Manager for Guyana's largest Commercial Bank.

Born in Guyana, Haimdat has had an international, multicultural life experience in four Caribbean and South American states (Guyana, Suriname, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago). He has also lived and worked in Tampa and Tallahassee in Florida, Washington, DC and Amsterdam, Netherlands. The son of a well known Caribbean missionary, Haimdat also has a long and successful association with church groups both in the US and abroad.

Among his accomplishments while working for the Jagan administration were: collaborating with the Attorney General and Minister of Public Affairs to rewrite Guyana's Tender Board Legislation; sourcing power generation suppliers for the Guyana market and guiding the ideal nominee through the intricate bidding and acceptance process ; successfully managing the bidding process for the Guyana National Lottery and reviewing and processing foreign national applications for business enterprises

In the US, Haimdat started his career as Manager of the American University's customer service, records and data processing departments. His other career achievements include: serving as a Global Financial Systems Specialist for Price Waterhouse Coopers ; Project Administrator III for the Fresh Citrus Application System ; managing the Quality Assurance testing for Florida Residential and Property Joint Underwriters ePass system ; supervising and managing databases, software documentation, networks and communications for Florida Agency for Health Care Administration Area 2B Medicaid office ; and managing the maintenance of Florida's Primary Care Network

Sean Taylor, Director of Tropitaste International describes Haimdat as "the ideal project manager to have in your corner. He is tough, relentless in his pursuit of excellent work and someone who keeps the communication channels open all the time". President Cheddi Jagan had this to say about Haimdat, "He was one of the Guyanese who came back to rebuild his country ."

Haimdat's work experience since the late eighties have been challenging and high pressure but he has been able to maintain a zen like calm amidst the storm of this fast paced work environment. All his colleagues attest to his relaxed workplace style. His sense of humor and his willingness to listen and reflect have endeared him to both fellow workers and clients.

For relaxation Haimdat follows cricket, reads devotional literature avidly and enjoys interaction with his family. He also writes online in various blogs.

His personal philosophy is to seek to give of his talents unstintingly while being open to learn from all whom he meets whatever their station in life.

You can contact Haimdat Sawh for consultation by visiting his website http://hsawh.pbwiki.com.

Milton Drepaul

Cinnamon-More than a Spice

We are coming to the end of Diabetes Awareness Month and I have a tip for those who want a simple way to lower your blood sugar level.

Adding some cinnamon to your daily routine will do more than just add more flavor to your cooking.

Recent preliminary evidence shows that cinnamon may help reduce blood sugar. This would definitely be a boon for diabetics.A December 2003 study in Diabetes Care reported on people with type 2 diabetes who were given differing daily amounts of cinnamon (1, 3, or 6-gram capsules).

Irrespective of the amount of cinnamon they received, the study group reduced their blood glucose levels by 18 to 29 percent compared to those receiving a placebo. In addition this group also showed a reduction in their LDL ("bad") cholesterol.So if you are diabetic, you may want to add one-quarter teaspoon of cinnamon to your diet twice daily. Then check to see if you also receive this positive effect. I have found success using cinnamon. I add to tea which is sweetened with stevia. Stevia also has positive benefits on the blood sugar level.
Sport Nutrition

Develop a Brilliant Memory

Since I was a student in college I have been fascinated by the idea of having a good memory. I recall spending a few shillings (yes , in those days in Jamaica they used those) to buy a small booklet on memory.

Now that I am so much older I still hanker for that elusive system that gives great memory. Today I feel one reason why we do not remember is the fact that we hardly live in the now,the present. We are either recalling the past or being anxious about the future. I think if we are calm, centered and focused on what we are experiencing now we would remember more easily.As an EFT practitioner I often use EFT to deal with fears relating to memory. I recommend this simple but powerful technique.

Today I read about the latest book by Dominic O'Brien, eight times World Memory Champion.

Mark Tyrell of Uncommon Knowledge tells this anecdote about O'Brien's formidable skill . At a memory conference in the 80's he was given a list of all the attendees' names. After quickly scanning through the list he asked all of them to stand - all one hundred and fifty .O' Brien then recited each name, in the order it appeared on the list, and each person sat down as they heard their name. There was not a single mistake.

O'Brien's 1993 book 'How to Develop a Perfect Memory' , tells of his gambling exploits, where he used his own highly developed memory to card count in Black Jack in casinos here and abroad. Co-incidentally, this week I have been reading Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions by Ben Mezrich

O'Brien's latest book is 'How to Develop a Brilliant Memory Week by Week' .O'Brien shows how developing your memory can enrich all aspects of life. Better memories give us more independence. We don't have to rely on notes, Friends, electronic PDAs to remember anniversaries, appointments, facts, figures. Giving speeches becomes much easier if we don't have to be chained to note cards.

This book is really a year long course broken down into 52 weekly lessons.The lessons are followed by self test exercises . As you progress you can monitor how well you are doing. This course gives reliable strategies to increase your mind's capacity.

Learn from a memory champion. Take the course and enjoy life more.

Water

"In the world there is nothing more submissive and weak than water. Yet for attacking that which is hard and strong nothing can surpass it."

Lao Tzu, Chinese Taoist philosopher, b c.500 BCE

Despite being applied firmly , pressure, by itself,often does not work. A gentler approach over a longer period of time often gives more enduring results.

Even though gentle ,almost innocuous methods of attacking the toughest problems appear laughably weak at the beginning, they may well prove unbeatable over time.

Niagara Falls

Save Linny, save the world.

Wendi Friesen, hypnotist and marketing genius sent me this. Read on.

"I try to avoid our storage room, but just a few days ago, I glanced at Linny gazing upon the shelves of our CDs.

I shook my head and could only sigh.

“Linny, what are you planning on doing with that hammer?”

She looked up at me sheepishly and replied “Well, Wendi my queen and master (they are required to address me that way) I was hoping to be able to give them to deserving people some day, at a very reduced price”.

“Linny, I do believe that this is a good idea, however, you know what happens when a staff member lets the shelves get piled up with scratch and dent merchandise, don’t you?”

She could only nod, and hang her head. She obediently went to get the duct tape and rope, returned promptly and sat herself down.
How does this story end?

Great Online Dictionary Resource

Writers need good dictionaries. This is especially true
if you write on a wide range of topics.Many bloggers find
themselves commenting on medical articles or financial topics.

In the old days this situation could lead you into the expensive

'hobby' of collecting specialist dictionaries.Not only that, think

of the space those volumes would occupy.Also imagine the time

and hassle of looking up words in each volume.

Sport Nutrition

Well, I've found an elegant and simple solution. It's also free.
Just go to Onelook.com. This website has indexed 931 dictionaries.
Enter the word you want the meaning or translation for and enter
'search'.

Even if you are not quite sure of the spelling you can enter
partial search. Just follow their instructions for 
partial-word wild card search

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The Secret Psychology of Wealth

The Best Experience

Microsoft lost its way, Mr. Berkowitz says, because it became too enamored with software wizardry, like its new three-dimensional map service, and failed to make a search engine people liked to use.

“A lot of decisions were driven by technology; they were not driven by the consumer,” he said. “It isn’t always the best technology that wins. It is the best experience.”

From " Looking For A Gambit to Win at Google's Game" in New York Times