BLAINESWORLD
#707
4.19.2010

In this issue:
1. Reflections
2. FYI
3. Birthday gift
4. Reviews . . .  THE JONESS, etc.
5. TV alert
6. Rules
7. Websites
8. Computer tip
9. Simply put, Part 2 of 2
10. A quote I like
11. Thought for the day
12. Advance planning department

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1. Reflections

A. Cynthia, my beautiful bride, and I will sometimes pause when we're
together and ask the following question: How great is this?

It could be when we're seeing the mountains while driving through
Asheville . . . having a nice dinner . . . visiting the Drumming Circle
on Friday nights . . . taking a walk around the lake in our development,
etc. . . . we find that the more we do this (thinking about how fine things
are), the better!

What we do together and/or individually doesn't even matter . . . it can
be:

* Revisiting a restaurant we went to when we first thought about moving to the
area . . . that's what we did when we recently went to Province 620  . . . my
tilapia was delicious, as was Cynthia's salmon  . . salads were also very good . .  . for
more information, please click:

http://www.province620.com/

* Having ice cream at Kilwin's.

* Or attending Asheville's first ActionFest . . . on one afternoon, we went
to a stunt demonstration in the Carolina Cinema's parking lot . . . it
was hosted by producer-director Aaron Norris (Chuck's brother).

It featured the appearance of Kinnie Gibson, who demonstrated
his rocketbelt . . . yet for us, the highlight was watching a stuntman
jump from an airplane . . . it was impressive that he could land almost
exactly on his desired landing spot, despite it being very windy that day.

Throughout the weekend, action films were being shown . .. and Chuck
Norris received a Lifetime Achievement Award on Sunday night.

For more information about ActionFest, please click:

http://actionfest.com/

B. Professionally, I got to attend a great SCORE seminar on Survival
Marketing--presented by Don Sinclair . . . he shared such useful tidbits
as the following:

* Customers don't come unless there's something in it for them. (Radio
station WII-FM or what's in it for me.)

* The key to Disney's success is to get everybody to tell others about how
much they enjoyed their visit.

* The lifetime value of a customer at Ingels (a local supermarket) could be
up to $250,000. So if a customer is given a hard time on a return and goes
elsewhere, the store could obviously lose a lot of money.

* A customer's complaint make him or her a 1-person focus group. Consider
the complaint as a gift. Treat the person bringing you the complaint as your
mom. Or anybody else you care a lot about.)

* Call every customer after a first encounter and ask how it went. Depending
on what you're told, say, "I thought this would be your response."

* Harley-Davidson gets folks to tattoo logos to their body. They rarely
need to advertise.

* Underpromise and overdeliver.

C. CONGRATULATIONS to:

* Chic and Joni Dowburd on the birth of their latest grandson, Cameron
James Young, who entered the word at 6 pounds, 9 ounces and 20
inches long.

* And to Sue Russeck on the birth of her first grandson, Henry Rae, who
weighed-in at 7 pounds 12 ounces.

* Tom Gallagher on passing the North Carolina State Bar Exam.

* Steady Moono on the publication of a book he co-authored, THRIVING
IN THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND BEYOND: STRATEGIES FOR
ACADEMIC SUCCESS AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT.

D. CONDOLENCES to Fred Cantor and family on the passing
of Sara Cantor.

Sara was the beloved wife of Fred Cantor for more than 62 years. She
was the devoted mother of Alan Cantor (Ronna), and the late Joan Cantor
Weiss; dear sister of Libby Kohn, the late David Ginsberg, the late Beatrice
Ginsberg, the late Samuel Ginsberg, and the late Edith Flick. Mrs. Cantor
was the loving grandmother of Jillian, Rachel and Saul. She also is survived
by four loving great-grandchildren. She was the loving daughter of the late
Julius and Lena (Diamond) Ginsberg.

Contributions in her name may be made to the Joan Cantor Memorial
Scholarship Fund at the Center for Advancement in Cancer Education,
300 E. Lancaster Avenue (Suite 100) Wynnewood, PA 19096. 

***** BLAINESWORLD BEST AWARD *****

This week, it goes to Richard Wasserman--who owns Wasserman
Jewel Galleries, located in both New York City and Short Hills, NJ.

I first met Richard several years ago when buying Cynthia's engagement
ring . . . he impressed me then with his knowledge, as well as his
friendly nature.

We've kept in touch since then, and I have bought a few other pieces
of jewelry from him . . . at all times, I've appreciated his low-key
approach . .. he's never pushy but always helpful . . . in addition, he
is excellent on follow-up.

Sometime before Valentine's Day, I wanted to purchase a necklace
for Cynthia . . . we had seen it a store in Asheville, but the manager
there underwhelmed us with his attitude . . . we also thought his
price for the item was on the high side . .. what's worse: we asked
him to get back to us when the item would next be in stock--and
he never did.

So it was then that I called Richard, inquiring if he could help . . . he
actually designed a piece for Cynthia, finding out from her what exactly
she wanted . . . that was all done via phone, email and fax--at a price
that was actually lower than the item we had already seen.

For more information about Richard, your best bet is his website:

http://www.wassermanjewelgalleries.com 

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2. FYI

We recently had a problem with our dishwasher . . . the repair was
a relatively minor one and lucky for us, the machine was still under
warranty.

We were impressed with the person who came out to make the repair:
Lewis Young who heads his own company, Able Appliance Service
in Swannanoa (828.296.1017) . . . he was both competent and
knowledgeable, but what I particularly liked was the following two
pieces of advice he shared:

* Always use a rinse agent . . . I must admit to often not bothering
to do this, which was a big mistake on my part . . . he recommended
JET-DRY, which I immediately purchased . . . I could see a difference
the very next time we used the dishwasher, in that the dishes seemed
cleaner . . . but more importantly, they dried much quicker too.

* Use less dishwashing liquid . . . he said that's the biggest problem
he found when repairing machines; i.e., people would use too
much . . . he recommended just 1 and 1/2 teaspoons, and that's what
we have been using--successfully--ever since his visit.

Lewis also repairs all home appliances, water heaters and disposals . . . we'll
certainly call him when and if we next have a problem with any of these
items.

FYI, part 2

* CORRECTION from Kim in North Carolina:

Thank you for thinking enough of us to put us in your newsletter. There is a correction
for the hiccups. It is have someone plug your ears firmly while sipping on water. It works!! 

(I had put down to plug your nostrils. Oops!)

* Marty in New Jersey had this spin:

I've also heard that if you hold your breath while counting to 1,000, you'll never hiccup again!

* John in New Jersey, commenting on something I posted on Facebook:

NOW is the time to make a stand against Big Government. Show where you stand..
BURN your Social Security Checks, Your library cards, your Drivers licenses (Won't need them,
the damn government built the roads.) And while you are at it . . . STOP Holding your TEA
PARTY rallies in public parks . . . don't you know TAXES are used to pay for them? and get
more of your kids out of the public schools for God's sake! Close down the Colleges! Go out 
and buy your own F-16 and tanks and Black Hawk helicopter and fight your own war against
terrorism. Down with Big Government.

* Glenn in Pennsylvania:

Some more original ones from me, and they are true:

My mother baked bread for years, then our family bought a general store with a small deli.
We went from Bread to Wurst.

I am the early riser in the family. When my wife awoke, I started making up bad poems.
My wife went from bed to verse.

If I told them repeatedly it would be reverse. If I wrote poems about undersea creatures,
 it would be subverse, and if they were about the carefree life of a bird, it would be free verse

Here’s the most painful one:  if I wrote a few stanzas about my bad habits while relaxing
on an Italian beach, it could be visa versa.

* Tina in Indiana:

Does anyone want free chips? Enjoy!

Sending this to everyone!! This is a great coupon if you like Doritos!!! It truly is FREE!!! There
are six coupons on each sheet . . . can print or forward as many as you like!! No gimmick!!
I got this from one of my employees and my boys are loving it (since I NEVER buy chips!)
It works on any flavor and since it’s good for up to 5.00, it works on the family size bag
as well!

ALAS:

You won't find the coupon because this offer is a scam . . . typically, if something sounds
too good to be true, it is . . . for more information, please click:

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/nothing/doritos.asp 

* In contrast, this one is legitimate . . . you can get a Blizzard for a quarter from
Dairy Queen through April 25 by clicking:

http://www.idq.com/content/BOGO_Coupon/DQ-BlizzardCoupon.pdf

* John in Georgia:

This is perhaps one of the most funny things a friend has sent to me lately. If you
are under 60, you might not get it all, but it's great.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1_W0LCHwK4

* Robin in Pennsylvania:

HATED Greenberg. Perfectly well done and good performances. Perfectly unendurable!  
Reminded me of Rachel Getting Married.   

* Bill in Pennsylvania:

TCM alert . . . "I'm ready for my close-up Mr. DeMille" . . . Sunday evening
at 10:00 p.m. on TCM.

Sunset Boulevard with Gloria Swanson, William Holder, Nancy Olsen, and of course
Cecil B. DeMille.  Directed by Billy Wilder. A must see!  

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3. Birthday gift

Two old guys are talking. One says to the other: "My 85th birthday
was yesterday. The wife gave me an SUV."

Other guy: "Wow, that's amazing! Imagine, an SUV! What a great gift!"

First guy: "Yup. Socks, Underwear and Viagra."

_________________________________________________________

4. Reviews

A. You may not see too much advertising for THE JONESES and, also,
it may not be too long in the theaters . . . that's too bad, in that it's
a thought-provoking satire about how our buying decisions are
influenced by what others are doing . . . David Duchovny and
Demi Moore are excellent in the leading roles  . . . this film caught
me off-guard; I wasn't expecting much from it--but left pleasantly
surprised . . . rated R.

B. THE YOUNG VICTORIA is now out in DVD format . . . my review from
BLAINESWORLD #693 follows: 

Enjoyed THE YOUNG VICTORIA, an interesting costume drama about
Queen Victoria that is set in 1837 . . . she starts off as a very popular ruler,
but quickly loses favor with the public . . . (remind you of a more contemporary
political situation?) . . . with the help and love of her husband, though,
Victoria manages to turn things around . . . Emily Blunt continues to impress
me as an actress; she is excellent here . . . I also enjoyed the work
of Rupert Friend as her husband . . . rated PG.

C. Several years ago, a friend told me about somebody named David
Sandler . . . he had taken Sandler's sales training course and told me it
was fantastic.

I then wanted to read more, but was told that information was not available
in book form; i.e., until now . . . thanks to David Mattson, CEO and a partner
at Sandler Systems, Inc., I was able to read THE SANDLER RULES . . . its
subtitle says it all: 49 TIMLESS SELLING PRINCIPLES AND HOW TO APPLY
THEM.

Mattson first describes the rules, many of them having catchy titles such as the
following: You have to learn to fail to win; A decision not to make a decision is
a decision; Answer every question with a question; and Close the sale or close
the file.

But best of all, the author includes many real-life examples that help clarify each
of these rules . . . for example, on making sure the prospect is 100 percent
comfortable with the proposed sale, use a dialogue similar to this one:

* You: Bill, I look forward to working with you and your company. My technical people can
meet with your development team next week. Before you sign the contract and we schedule
that meeting, let me ask you a question. What could come up that would cause you to call
me and tell to put the contract on hold?

Bill: I can't think of a thing.

You: And you're absolutely sure a six-week implementation schedule rather than a four-week
schedule, as you had hoped, isn't going to be a problem?

Bill: I'm certain. We're eager to get this project off the ground but two weeks longer
for implementation is perfectly acceptable. Let’s get it going.

I also liked this approach to use before starting a conversation with a business owner
about reviewing a current program:

 * You: If you are like most business owners, as soon as I mention employee benefits programs,
you're going to tell me, “We're already working with someone” or “We're covered.” Would 
you be willing to put those on the shelf for two minutes while I explain why I called and then
decide if there is a reason to talk further?

By bringing up the put-off first, you diminish its impact and let the prospect know that it isn't
going to work with you--you're not afraid of it. This approach distinguishes you from all the
other salespeople who found themselves trying to “overcome” the put-off. Notice that this
strategy is based on a lesson you learned in a previous call.

Matson effectively backs up many of the rules with a set of behaviors that need to take
place for the salesperson to be effective . . . this one struck me as being perhaps
the most important:

* You can lose a sale by talking too much. But you'll never, ever lose a sale by listening too much.

Do read THE SANDLER RULES if you want to learn a method of selling that will
lead to more success and less stress--a powerful combination.

D. Sometimes I'll listen to a book and early on, get one idea that makes it
a worthwhile investment of my time . . . such was the case the THE ELEMENTS
OF INVESTING by Burton G. Malkiel and Charles D. Ellis, in which the point was
made to save regularly and start early.

The authors then convinced me of how powerful this can be via the example
of Ben Franklin:

* He gave $5,000 to both Philadelphia and Boston and told both cities to
invest this money wisely. They could then spend half of what has been
saved 100 years later, and the other half 200 years later on public works projects.
Turns out that after 100 years, Philadelphia and Boston got $500,000 to spend and
after 200 years, each city got to spend $20 million!

Everything from then on just added to my appreciation of this small, oh-so-powerful
book on investing . . . I learned much more than I thought I already know
about such other principles as these: Use company- and government sponsored
plants to supercharge your savings and minimize your taxes; Diversify broadly
over different securities with low-cost "total market" index funds and different
asset types; Rebalance annually to the asset mix that's right for you; and
Stay the course and ignore market fluctuations.

Among the other tidbits  I picked up were these:

* Never pay more than 1/5 of one percent in overhead per year when you buy
index funds.

* Past performance is not a goo indication of future performance. What is a good indicator
are the fees. The higher the fees, the lower the return.

* Brokers have one priority: To make money for themselves. Their goal is not to
make money for you,but from you.

* A broker has one goal: To have you take action. Any action.

* Annuities have one big advantage: You won't outlive your money.

This is a particularly good book for beginning investors, so if you have any
children or grandchildren in these categories, choose this as an ideal
gift recommendation.

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5. TV alert

A. BAGGAGE, hosted by Jerry Springer, is a DATING GAME-like 
show, in which contestants reveal stuff about themselves to
potential suitors . . . for example, being "almost divorced" or
"my breasts each have a different size" . . . daily at 7:30 p.m.
on GSN.

B. PARTY DOWN, back for its second series on STARZ on Friday
at 10 p.m., is (to quote TV GUIDE), "a droll comedy of survival in the
backwaters of Hollywood, building slow-burning farce around the jobs
of a band of cater-waters/showbiz hopefuls waiting for that
big break."

C. THE WILD GIRL stars Brian Austin Green (remember him
from the original BEVERLY HILLS 90210?) in a period piece set
in the rough-and-tough Depression era . . . Saturday at 9 p.m.
on HALLMARK MOVIE CHANNEL.

D. THE STORY OF US premieres on Sunday at 9 p.m. on
HISTORY . . . this far-reaching series looks at the inventions,
conflicts and even natural phenomena that helped shape the nation.

_________________________________________________________

6. Rules

Some colleges still  require all first-year students to live in a single-sex
dorm. A few even have restrictions concerning guests of the opposite sex.

At one such institution, on the first day of classes, the Dean addressed
the students--pointing out the rules:

"The female dormitory will be out-of-bounds for all male students, and the
male dormitory to the female students. Anybody caught breaking this rule
will be fined $20 the first time."

He continued, "Anybody caught breaking this rule the second time will
be fined $60. Being caught a third time will cost you a fine of $180. Are there
any questions?"

A male student in the crowd then raised his hand and inquired, "How much
for a season pass?"

_________________________________________________________

7. Websites

A. Somehow, Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" had escaped my radar screen; i.e.,
until just recently, I had never heard it . . . yet despite that being the case, it has
become YouTube's most popular video--of all time . . . to now see it for yourself,
please click:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrO4YZeyl0I
 
As to the reasons behind the popularity of the above, please click this
link for an interesting analysis:

http://tinyurl.com/y3vgcma

B. This is one of the most incredible baseball plays I've ever seen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2tUCExoiL8

Even if you're not a fan, you'll be amazed . . . and so will any fans/friends
you forward this to . . . (while you're at it, send them the whole issue--and
invite them to get a FREE subscription).

C. BLAINESWORLD, the website, remains up and running . . . to view
it, please click:

http://www.blainesworld.net

Ever wonder what happens to your name; e.g., if you subscribe to this
newsletter? To find out more, click "Newsletter" on the left, then
"Privacy Statement."

D. Are you on Facebook? In the unlikely event we have not yet contacted
as friends there, please feel free to send me an invite by clicking:
 
www.facebook.com/blainegreenfield

_________________________________________________________

8. Computer tip

Here's something to think about if you post stuff on Facebook
Twitter or even your website for that matter: NEVER indicate
your whereabouts; e.g., where you will be at any particular moment.

Think about it . . . you're telling the world (and any would-be burglar)
that you won't be home, giving dates and times too.

Here's another dumb thing to do when you think about it: Include certain
pictures of your home . . . doing so actually gives information about
where big screen TVs and other high-ticket items are located.

For more information, please click:

http://tinyurl.com/y8x76ds

_________________________________________________________

9. Simply put, Part 2 of 2

(Concluded from last week.)

NICKNAMES:

If Gloria, Suzanne, Deborah and Michelle go out for lunch, they will call
each other Gloria, Suzanne, Deborah and Michelle. But if Mike, Dave, Rob
and Jack go out for a brewsky, they will affectionately refer to each
other as Bullet-Head, Godzilla, Peanut-Head and Useless.

EATING OUT:

When the check comes, Mike, Dave, Rob and Jack will each throw in
$20 bills, even though it's only for $22.50. None of them will have
anything smaller, and none will actually admit they want change back.
When the girls get their check, out come the pocket calculators.

MIRRORS:

Men are vain; they will check themselves out in a mirror. Women are
ridiculous; they will check out their reflections in any shiny surface:
mirrors, spoons, store windows and even if they had it handy, Bruce
Willis' head.

THE TELEPHONE:

Men see the telephone as a communication tool. They use the telephone to
send short messages to other people.  A woman can visit her girlfriend for
two weeks, and upon returning home, she will call the same friend and they
will talk for three hours.

DIRECTIONS:

If a woman is out driving, and she finds herself in unfamiliar
surroundings, she will stop at a gas station and ask for directions. Men
consider this to be a sign of weakness. Men will never stop and ask for
directions. Men will drive in a circle for hours, all the while saying
things like, "Looks like I've found a new way to get there." and, "I know
I'm in the general neighborhood.  I recognize that 7-11 store."

ADMITTING MISTAKES:

Women will sometimes admit making a mistake. The last man who
admitted he was wrong was General George Custer.

GROCERIES:

A woman makes a list of things she needs and then goes out to the store
and buys these things. A man waits till the only items left in his fridge
are half a lime and a beer. Then he goes grocery shopping. He buys
everything that looks good. By the time a man reaches the checkout
counter, his cart is packed tighter than the Clampett's car on Beverly
Hillbillies. Of course, this will not stop him from going to the
10-items-or-less lane.

TOYS:

Little girls love to play with toys. Then when they reach the age of 11
or 12, they lose interest. Men never grow out of their obsession with
toys.  As they get older, their toys simply become more expensive and
silly and impractical. Examples of men's toys: little miniature TV's.
Car phones.  Complicated juicers and blenders. Graphic equalizers. Small
robots that serve cocktails on command.  Video games. Anything that
blinks, beeps, and requires at least 6 "D" batteries to operate.

PLANTS:

A woman asks a man to water her plants while she is on vacation. The man
waters the plants. The woman comes home five or six days later
to an apartment full of dead plants. No one knows why this happens.

TIME:

When a woman says she'll be ready to go out in five more minutes, she's
using the same meaning of time as when a man says the football game's
just got five minutes left. Neither of them is counting time outs,
commercials, or replays.

CONVERSATION:

Men need a good disagreement to get talking, e.g., "Wow, great movie."
"What are you, nuts? No REAL cop would have an Uzi that size." "Well,
maybe he got it because he knew about those Mafia guys," etc. Women, not
having this problem, try to initiate conversations with men by saying
something agreeable: "That garden by the roadside looks lovely."  "Mm
hmm."  Pause. "That was a good restaurant last night, wasn't it?"
"Yeah."  Pause. And so on.

FRIENDS:

Women on a girls' night out talk the whole time. Men on a boys' night out
say about twenty words all night, most of which are "Pass the Doritos" or
"Got any more beer?"

RESTROOMS:

Men use restrooms for purely biological reasons. Women use restrooms as
social lounges. Men in a restroom will never speak a word to each other.
Women who've never met will leave a restroom giggling together like old
friends.  And never in the history of the world has a man excused himself
from a restaurant table by saying, "Hey Fred, I was just about to take a
leak. Do you want to join me?"

TO SUM UP:

A married man should forget his mistakes. There's no use in remembering
the same thing!

_________________________________________________________

10. A quote I like

I come to the office each morning and stay for long hours doing what
has to be done to the best of my ability. And when you've done the
best you can you can't do any better.--Harry S. Truman (1884-1972),
33rd President of the United States

_________________________________________________________

11. Thought for the day 

Getting a job (a modern fable)

An unemployed man went to apply for a job with Microsoft as a janitor.
The manager there arranges for him to take an aptitude test. After the test,
the manager says, "You will be employed as a janitor at minimum wage,
$8.55 an hour. Let me have your email address so that I can send you
a form to complete and tell you where to report for work on your first day."
   
Taken aback, the man protests that he has neither a computer nor an email
address. To this the manager replies, "Well, then, that means that you
virtually don't exist and can therefore hardly expect to be employed
by Microsoft."

Stunned, the man leaves. Not knowing where to turn and having only $10.00
in his wallet, he buys a 25 lb. flat of tomatoes at the supermarket and in less
than two hours, he sell all the tomatoes individually at 100 percent profit.

Repeating the process several times more that day, he ends up with almost
$160.00 before going to sleep that night. It dawns on him that he could quite
easily make a living selling tomatoes.

Getting up early every day and going to bed late, he multiplies his profits
quickly. After a short time he acquires a cart to transport several dozen
boxes of tomatoes, only to have to trade it in again so that he can buy
a pickup truck to support his expanding business. By the end of the
second year, he is the owner of a fleet of pickup trucks and manages
a staff of a hundred former unemployed people, all selling tomatoes.

Planning for the future of his wife and children, he decides to buy
some life insurance. Consulting with an insurance adviser, he picks
an insurance plan to fit his new circumstances. At the end of the
telephone conversation, the adviser asks him for his email address
in order to send the final documents electronically. When the man replies
that he has no email, the adviser is stunned. "What, you don't have email?
How on earth have you managed to amass such wealth without the Internet,
email and ecommerce? Just imagine where you could be now if you had
been connected to the Internet from the very start!"

"Well," replied the tomato millionaire, "I would be a janitor at Microsoft!"

By definition, a fable must have a moral. This one has four:

1. The Internet, email and ecommerce do not need to rule your life.

2. If you don't have email, but work hard, you can still become a millionaire.

3. Since you found this story on the Internet, you may be closer to becoming
a janitor than you are to becoming a millionaire.

4. If you do have a computer and email, you have probably already helped
a bunch of other guys at Microsoft get rich.

Author unknown
(if you know who wrote this and/or the source, please let me know)

_________________________________________________________

12. Advance planning department

A. North Carolina events: 

* Asheville SCORE is offering an Advanced Internet seminar this Thursday
from 6-9 p.m. at the A-B Tech Enka campus . . . for more information, please click:

http://www.ashevillescore.org/internetadv.htm

* Yours truly is presenting on Positioning: How to Differentiate Yourself
from the Competition  

Successful companies utilize the concept of positioning; i.e., they make themselves
different from the competition. Come to this informative and engaging seminar
to learn how this is done. In addition, you will gain specific techniques for how
you can learn to differentiate yourself as a business and/or individual. (3 hrs)

Total Registration Fee: Free

Thu, May 06, 69 p.m.

2046 Small Business Center, Enka Site Course #: SBC-1009-700

For registration information, please click:

http://www.abtech.edu/ce/registration/default.asp
B. Pennsylvania/New Jersey events:

* Mei in Pennsylvania:

My Dance class at school will be performing a dance show. The show will have numerous
dance routines and will have something for everyone to enjoy. The tickets are only $5 at the
door. All the funds we collect are being donated to the American Red Cross to help out the
victims in Haiti, Chile and New Orleans. Please join us for this awesome event. Trust me,
you don't want to miss this. Hope to see everyone there. Thanks.

Wednesday, April 28
7-8 p.m.
Bucks County Community College, Newtown, PA

* Edie in Pennsylvania:

Come see my friend Jim [Donovan] as he speaks from the heart (and a lifetime
of experience) about living full out! He inspires me BIG time!

Ageless Living Workshop- Live
Location:10 Beulah Road, New Britain, PA 18901
Time:10 a.m., Saturday, May 22nd

C. National events:

* FREE INTERIOR DESIGN TELESEMINAR: 

How To Make Any Home (or room) Feel & Look More Spacious
(no sledgehammer required)
Thursday, May 20, 2010, 7:30 p.m. EST

No matter the size of a home, almost everyone at some point faces a room
or rooms that they wish were somehow larger, wider, longer…bigger. Whether
a key space like a family or living room, a kitchen, a dining room--or a bedroom
or home office, sometimes you just need more space! Join us for this
fascinating seminar that pulls out from the matrix of design principles the
key steps to manipulate an interior in order to make if feel and appear larger. 

Donna Hoffman is a client-loved and industry-respected interior designer who
has been featured in “Real Simple,” “Bucks Living” & “Tempo” magazines,
and whose work has been published in a textbook for new designers.
To register or for more information, go to:

http://www.interiorsbydonnahoffman.com/seminars.htm. 

When registering for this teleseminar, input the coupon code "SPRING"
in the shopping cart to waive registration fee. Or you can email Alison
Oxman at alioxman@optonline.net if you need assistance registering.

_________________________________________________________

PS. To celebrate Earth Day on Thursday, make sure you check out
the spectacular photos at this website that Christina in North Carolina
was nice enough to tell me about:

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/21apr_firstlight/

Also, methinks that we all need to pray for the folks affected
by the earthquake in Haiti, as well as for our remaining soldiers
in both Iraq and Afghanistan . . . while we're at it, include those in Israel
and her neighbors who are seeking peace . . . and perhaps most
importantly: Make it a great week, too!

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