MAKE A NOTE!! -- July 6th, 2005

CIRCULATION - 49,194 (From Around the World! :-)

WEB SITE VISITORS - 102,524

A Free Twice Monthly (1st and 3d Wednesday of each month) Ezine with (Hopefully) Useful Info on a Wide Variety of Topics

NEXT ISSUE TO BE PUBLISHED ON/ABOUT JULY 20TH, 2005

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In This Issue:

NOTE: Each entry has a suggested "POST IT..." location at the end. We recommend that you print out the ezine, cut out each entry, & post it in these locations to make it easier for you to find when you need it. And if you like what you read, be sure to pass it on to someone else who can use it.

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My Favorite:     Books 

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GasBuddy.com

The news tells us that there are a lot of people hitting the road this summer. Here's a way to help you find the cheapest gasoline in your area (covers USA and Canada). At www.GasBuddy.com, you type in your zip code (or click on the region) and it will pop up with the gasoline prices as reported by consumers like you. Now, because they do get the info from consumers, it is only as good as those reporting, but the ones in our area seemed pretty accurate. Do some reporting yourself to help get the info out there. If you are heading somewhere on a trip, estimate where you might stop on the trip and check out the prices on stations near your travel route. To check it out for yourself, go to... www.gasbuddy.com

POST IT...near your computer and with your maps.

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Living Donor Kidney Transplants

There is a new program for those looking for a kidney transplant. The Paired Kidney Exchange Transplant is a wonderful idea for someone who needs a transplant AND has a living donor willing to do it who is NOT a match. Yes, you read that right. Johns Hopkins, and a few other hospitals around the country, are linking pairs of people up. It works like this...let's say John needs a transplant and Mary is willing to give one to him, but she isn't a match. There is also Sarah who needs a transplant and Bill is willing to give, but is not a match. BUT if Mary is willing to give one to Sarah, and Bill give one to John, AND they are a match, then everyone comes out ahead. For more info, go to this link on Hopkins program. Save the life of someone you love, and a stranger's at the same time. http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/Transplant/Programs/InKTP/paired_kidney.html
 

POST IT...on your computer, and in your medical dictionary under "kidney."

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Futons vs. Sofa Beds

Futons have come a long way since I was in college. They used to be glorified sleeping mats. But not anymore. Even when our sofa bed was new, it wasn't very comfortable. Folding the mattress up made it lumpy, and the support bars made it even more uncomfortable. So, for the sake of our house guests, we decided to shop for a futon bed. Futons really look like a nice couch now, but because the "mattress" only "folds" to a 90 degree angle, it maintains its firmness. The mattresses are as comfortable as a bed, and you can even find them with springs. The wooden (or sometimes metal) frame of the futon folds flat like a recliner, and has slats that run completely down & across the frame to support the mattress without bumps. You can even get a queen size, or matching coffee tables. When it isn't being used as a bed, the covers are usually washable, and come in a huge assortment of fabrics and colors. For more info, you can check out this site... www.ellensfutons.com If you are in the DC/MD area, I do highly recommend Ellen's Futons; their service and products are both outstanding. If you aren't in the area, be sure to check with the Better Business Bureau website before going to any store... Www.bbb.org

POST IT...under "furniture" in the yellow pages.

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Make a Note Poll Results

Thank you to the many people who took part in our Make a Note poll. We had about 100 people respond, so I think the results are a fair sampling of how people feel about the issues involved. Here are the results. First, only 17% of you said you would be interested in a Make a Note book. It isn't that people don't appreciate the info, they just like using the search feature on our web site. The rest of the poll had to do with regular mail, email, forwards, and Christmas mailings. The latter we'll save for an issue closer to Christmas. When it comes to special occasion cards (birthdays, Easter, etc.) 84% said that they preferred a regular mail card to an e-card, but that either one would be welcomed. Only 16% said they preferred getting e-cards for the special occasions. For regular correspondence 90% said that they preferred email, but that either email or regular mail was fine. Finally, the category that generated the biggest response...we asked people what they would tell their friends & family about email forwards. If you are someone who forwards things, take note...with the exception of a handful of people(as in less than about 10%) who said they enjoyed them, everyone else said they just didn't like to get them AT ALL. The forwards that people hated the most were the ones that said to forward on to a certain number of people or else. Probably the second most commented on problem was people who sent forwards that were hoaxes, without checking an urban legend site like www.snopes.com  Comments included the fact that most forwards have already been seen many times already, they didn't like crude things that kids might see, or cutesy/mushy stuff. The vast majority also said that most of the time they just delete forwards without reading them. If, after seeing our poll results, you still insist on sending forwards, then our readers say the least you can do is not show all the addresses of people you are sending it to, OR leave people with a thousand emails to open before getting to the actual forward. So I'm going to teach you how to do it, for those of you who want to continue the forwards in spite of the poll results (although these skills can come in handy for other emails). To avoid sending an email that shows everyone's addresses...if you use Microsoft Outlook, open Outlook, click on View, then make sure there is a check next to the BCC Field, then enter all the addresses in THAT BCC box when you open a new email. You will be able to see the addresses, but no one who receives it will see them. If you have Microsoft Outlook Express, open a new email to send, click on the "To:" next to the box where you would normally put the address, then click on the person's name, then click BCC, and if you are doing several you can hold down the CTRL key while you click on ALL the addresses you want to send it to, then click on BCC. Check with your email program tech line if you have a different system than Microsoft. To avoid sending multiple emails that need to be opened before getting to the REAL forward (or if you would like to cut and paste this article to forward to your forward-happy friends;-)...open your email until you get to the item you would like to forward, put the cursor at the beginning of the material, left click your mouse and hold it down as you drag the cursor to the bottom of the item you want to forward (it will highlight everything you drag over). When you get to the bottom, take your finger off the left click button. Go to the top, the toolbar, and click "Edit,", then "Copy." Open up a fresh email page, left click your cursor at the top of the email if it isn't there already, then click "Edit" and "Paste." Then send to the people you want. We know the people who send a lot of forwards (esp. Newbies to computers) mean well, but I'm sorry folks, the vast majority of people don't want them in their inbox.

POST IT...by your computer.

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Recipe: Black Bean Salsa from Emily S.

This recipe was a huge hit at the Vacation Bible School volunteer snack table; everyone was asking for it. So we thought we'd share it with you.

POST IT...in your recipe box, and on your shopping list.

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Back Issue Treasure: June 15th, 2000 Issue (Summer Tips-Protect Yourself AND Your Children from the Sun and Dehydration, Cheaper Antibacterial Liquid "Soap," Sunday School Teacher of the Year Contest, Do It Yourself VIN Etching to Save $$$ On Car Insurance, Stroke Help, & More) 

Sunday School Teacher of the Year Contest, Do It Yourself VIN Etching to Save $$$ On Car Insurance, Stroke Help, & More) Head to this back issue to find out how and why you should protect your children from any kind of tan. You can also learn how to avoid dehydration. Lots more playing with other kids and in the dirt, may mean you might want to check the article on cheaper antibacterial soap. Don't forget to nominate your Sunday School Teacher of the Year; find out how in this back issue. You can also save money on your car insurance and learn about help for strokes...all this and more in this back issue.

To retrieve this back issue click HERE.

POST IT...by your computer.

MORE BACK ISSUES

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Missing Children: Dylan Groene

We featured Dylan and his sister in our 5/18/05 issue. Thankfully his sister was found this week still in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, but Dylan is still missing, so we decided to run a rare repeat. Dylan (9-yr-old, white male, blonde hair, blue eyes, 4', 60 lbs) was discovered missing on the evening of May 16, 2005 after his mother and 2 other people were found murdered in their Coeur d'Alene, Idaho home. The parents are divorced and police are saying the father is not a suspect. Let's not give up hope for Dylan. For more info go to... http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,161640,00.html  For a poster to print out, especially if you are in the Idaho area, go to... http://www.ncmec.org/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewPoster&caseNum=1014751&orgPrefix=NCMC&searchLang=en_US  Or go to www.ncmec.org  Click on "More Search Options", then enter their last name in the search box. POST IT...in your car and business if you are in the area.

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Final Words

JOKE (Thanks to Beverly P.)

"Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after you've had a baby. Somebody doesn't know that once you're a mother, 'Normal,' is history."

--Elaine Long

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Sponsorship Information

If you are interested in helping to sponsor our ezine, or others in the Dollar Stretcher family, drop an email requesting additional info to: mailto:marketing@stretcher.com?subject=MAN.

It may be more reasonable than you realize. And check out the other free helpful ezines offered at

http://www.stretcher.com/menu/subscrib.cfm

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AT&T's Community Port

AT&T has a site about WorldNet members, like us, who have created their own personal web pages.  If you think our site deserves to be featured on AT&T's Community Port , send them an e-mail about it, at communities@att.net.  Be sure to include the page's URL http://home.att.net/~make-a-note/index.htm and why you think our site is special.

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