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Magical is the word that we utter in our babyhoods; a word that signifies warmth, love, and unbounded joymom. A truly wonderful woman, she is bound to us with an unbroken bond, and to express our love for the amazing woman, we give her gifts.

Gifts are a small token of appreciation for the millions of sacrifices mothers make for us; for the selfless love that they shower on us and for the overflowing affection with which they guide us.

Companies have options of choosing between customized or personalized gifts. Research shows that jewelry boxes, custom inscription plaques, engraved pens, customized clocks and wrist-watches, food, wine, flowers, body and bath products, book gift baskets, clothes, home comforters and home decorations prove to be excellent gifts for moms.

Red Envelope, Things Remembered, Generous Gems, Limoges Jewelry, Sundance, Personalization Mall, Patagonia, Ever After, JC Penny, Personalized Boutique and American Bridals are some companies that provide a huge range of beautifully crafted and designed rings, bracelets, pendants or necklaces.

A personalized chess set of black marble and white onyx with names engraved on it by Cyber Gift Center is unique, while a truly marvelous shiitake mushroom log that produces mushrooms for years is available at Red Envelope. Red Envelope also offers a beautiful monogrammed dinner set or hooded robe.

Gifts like a lotus lantern, Italian herb garden or a porch swing are beautiful and functional — suitable as gifts for all occasions.

Beautifully designed and arranged gift baskets like fruits, dried fruits, cookies, chocolates, coffee, bath products, books, tea, pizza and much more can all be found at companies like Gourmet Gift Basket, Warm Sentiments, Wine Country Gift Basket, Harry and David, Nostalgia Basket, Book Basket, Design-it-Yourself and Adorable Baskets. These companies also offer customized gift baskets that you can design yourself.

Gifts For Men provides detailed information about gifts for men, birthday gift for him, anniversary gift for him, gift basket for him and more. Gifts For Men is the sister site of Wholesale Embroidered Hats.

Why We Start Diets on Monday

The biggest problem with any attempt at change is where to begin? There are so many things to think about, so many distractions, so many reasons why it won’t work. Have you ever noticed everyone seems to start a new eating plan on Monday? Why not start on Wednesday afternoon, or Friday morning for that matter?

We’ve grown up counting the days, weeks, and years off like worry beads. Birthdays mark one year older and wiser, New Year’s Eve marks a new beginning, the first day of the month and first day of the week; they all mark a new beginning. There is no reason you can’t simply decide to begin right here, right now. So, let’s start now. Really, I’m not kidding. You can decide to start at any time. You don’t need to wait until Monday. “But, I always start a new diet on Monday!” Ah, but this isn’t a diet, this is a lifestyle change. A lifestyle change isn’t about being ON or OFF a program, you are just living, and this is about beginning from this day forward, whether today is Tuesday or Saturday doesn’t matter.

That’s why lifestyle changes work best for long-term weight loss. It may seem like it takes longer to lose weight by changing your usual habits, but it doesn’t. Think about all the diets you’ve been on, all the days, weeks, months you’ve wasted dieting, that have added up to a big fat nothing, except maybe more weight. That to me seems like taking a very long time, in fact, the chances are you’ll never truly succeed with any ON again, OFF again program. They don’t work over the long-term because as soon as you go back to your usual habits, your usual weight comes right back. How could it be otherwise? In contrast, a lifestyle change may take a month to see much difference, but once you do notice a difference, once you’ve lost that 10 pounds, it’s gone for good (unless of course you run right back to your old lifestyle).

Practice makes perfect. Since there is no way to be perfect, it’s far better to decide you’ll do your best and then proceed about doing it. Eating something “off plan” is not a lapse, it’s a life, it happens. We all have treats at birthdays and too much to drink New Year’s Eve but we don’t continue that pattern the next day, so why think you must eat perfectly from now on? It won’t work if you set yourself up to fail by expecting perfection. Better to work on making one small change at a time.

Choose to Make One Small Change, Then Another

Fad weight loss diets work over the short-term because you are drastically changing your habits, but drastic changes rarely stick. Who wants to live a life of deprivation? Not me. Instead, decide right now to make one small change. Choose something in your lifestyle that could be improved on and improve it. This is an ongoing process. As you lose some weight, you’ll need to decide again and again whether you want to make any additional changes.

I lost 80 pounds in nine months over 17 years ago. Over the years since then as my diet and daily habits shifted so did my weight. A few times I noticed I had put back on 10 or 20 pounds. That’s when I’d begin to notice my clothes don’t fit well and I either must buy bigger clothes or make some changes. I’d rather make changes in what I’m eating.

My diet had shifted from a very healthy one to a pre-sweetened cereal for breakfast, cookies for lunch and grab what I can find for dinner lifestyle. Slowly the weight came back and despite thinking I wasn’t eating that many calories, I actually was eating far more than I realized, plus the nutrition was poor quality. Your body needs quality food. Without it, you’ll continue having hunger pangs despite having just eaten. Until you get some real nutrition you can expect to continue feeling hungry. The nutrition I was eating was poor and my body reflected that, plus I had stopped exercising completely.

How to Lose 10 Pounds Without Really Trying

I turned it around by returning to regular, consistent exercise (No. 1 best way to lose weight and keep it off is to exercise consistently), and I switched from pre-sweetened cereal to Grapenuts, oatmeal or other whole grain cereals. I still like cereal and eat it most mornings. I started to snack on fruits and vegetables instead of store bought cookies, and I started to eat quality protein with vegetables and salads for dinner.

I still eat dessert most every night but now it’s one-third the quantity it was when I had let my weight creep up. Small changes, but basically I’m still eating and living the same lifestyle. My choices are slightly different but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t ever eat pre-sweetened cereal again. It does mean I know if I do eat Corn Pops (one of my favorites) I’ll likely be hungry for something sugary sweet by 10 AM and keep that preference all day. It’s also very likely if I eat sugary foods (highly processed like chips, pastries) for three or four days in a row, then it’s going to be tougher to switch back to a healthier lifestyle. Consequently, I make an effort to not let the worse eating become a habit by nipping it in the bud.

I still order a giant double-cheese burger with a family pack fry if I go to Dairy Queen but it’s about twice a year instead of once a week. I tried to order a smaller burger and it didn’t satisfy me, but cutting back the frequency was painless. Switching from eating at Dairy Queen once a week to more like twice a year makes a big difference. Another change I made was the Thursday night Chinese food take-out habit. No big deal except I’d buy enough for three days, so I was eating Chinese again, far too often. This is store bought, highly sugared Chinese food not clean healthy Chinese fare as you might cook yourself or get in a better quality restaurant. In fact, Chinese food is very healthy if it’s not Americanized but I was eating breaded and sweetened things like Orange Chicken (you won’t find that in any Asian country) and deep fried shrimp with that red sauce (tomato candy).

Examine your usual eating habits and see where you might make small changes. Keep a notepad handy and jot down everything you eat for one week. It’s not easy to do, but it’s so valuable to really discover what you usually eat, and then make small changes either in frequency or quantity of those things. If you always eat french fries, then maybe once a week you could instead have an orange. Not the same I know, I’m just tossing out ideas. It’s up to you to decide what you’ll have instead.

Remember, it’s not about simply stopping your usual routine but switching to a new routine. No matter what you decide, start now. You aren’t going to be eating perfectly, you’re just going to work on eating a bit better, so get started.

~~ Kathryn Martyn, Master NLP Practitioner, EFT counselor, author of Changing Beliefs, Your First Step to Permanent Weight Loss, and owner of OneMoreBite-Weightloss.com lost 80 pounds over 17 years ago. She maintains her weight using the techniques she teaches in her 8-week Ending Emotional Eating online weight loss program, private coaching practice and her popular workshops.

Get The Daily Bites: Inspirational mini lessons and tips for using EFT and NLP to end your struggle with weight loss.

So you have made the decision or are thinking about starting your own Online home based business. There are plenty of people who make money Online harnessing the global and technological advantages of the internet. And with current job and market tends of downsizing and people demanding a better quality of life, a home based business has never seemed like a better idea.

In determining whether an Online home based business is best for you, you need to decide whether you have what it takes start a home based business. Starting an home based business Online requires learning a set of skills that many of us having never used before. Some factors include learning about the technology associated with websites, the coding, using autoresponders, and advertising your Online home based business using pay per click campaigns. The learning curve can be quite steep, and the information overwhelming, but, if you take the time to slowly learn each part of utilising the internet, you are sure to be a success in your Online home based business.

Depending on your level of commitment and your experience, the decision of whether to start part time or full time in your Online home based business inevitably comes up. This is a decision that you will have to make, but in my experience, it is better to start an Online business part time. Simply because initially cash flow will be minimal in your home based business, and you may need a supplementary income to fund your part time Online home business opportunity. Having said that, there have been many people who have taken a part time Online business opportunity and ran with it full time and have built up a considerable home based business in no time.
Starting a home based business Online involves choosing what products you are going to utilise in creating an income. Whether it be starting an ebay store, affiliate programs, MLM, or even creating your own product and retailing it Online, you must be sure that you have researched your market thoroughly. Using the internet to research is a great tool, but it doesn’t substitute getting out there and asking real people too about the opportunity/product your are evaluating.

The next step in starting your Online home based business is to learn from the best. There is someone out there who knows more about what your doing Online, or knows a lot more about doing business than you, find them and ask them to be your mentor/coach. To your surprise there are many people who are genuinely interested in helping other people succeed. In the home based business arena, there are many who making money Online, and if your going down the path of reselling affiliate programs, or joining an MLM opportunity, one of your priorities is to seek a mentor who will be able to provide you with simple turnkey step by step systems in which you can use to grow your online home based business.

Alvin Narsey (http://www.parttimeincome.org) is a Professional Network Marketer who LEVERAGE’S the Internet for his Online Home Based Business by employing the best AUTOMATION SYSTEMS which allows him to put his business on AUTOPILOT. Take a F-R-E-E TOUR to learn how YOU can achieve your dreams the same way. CLICK HERE FOR A FREE TOUR! http://www.parttimeincome.org

Different types of loans are available for almost every aspect of your life: personal loans, car loans, secured and unsecured loans, home loans, homeowner loans, student loans, graduate loans and career development loans (CDL). If you’ve suffered from credit problems in the past and now hold sub-prime characteristics, then you will be eligible for adverse credit and adverse loans.

You can always borrow money these days, but it is crucial to read the small print as the difference between interest rates is enormous and stories of people forced to pay off amounts which are five times the amount of their original loan are not uncommon.

There are also numerous stories on unemployed couples being sold loans, such as the case of Julie and Kevin Davies, reported by the BBC. The couple were already experiencing difficulty in paying off their existing debts of £4,000, when they were sold another £20,000 loan by Lloyds TSB.

Loans of £1,000 to £25,000 can be taken out and repaid over a period typically varying between six months and 10 years depending on your credit history and available finances. Loans are usually secured or unsecured. Secured loans are tied to your house, so you can be forced to sell the house if you are unable to make the repayments. Unsecured loans do not impose the same restriction, though a default on repayments may result in being “credit blacklisted”. Once blacklisted, you may get future credit card, mortgages and hire purchase applications rejected, as well as face a potential higher rate of interest for all existing debts.

It is absolutely crucial that you shop around for a loan and not just through the high-street banks. The internet offers a wealth of information available and there are many sites which compare the prices of products, and to really ensure you get a good deal - compare the different comparison sites. In the UK moneyfacts, moneyextra and ( moneynet ) offer price comparison services for a wide range of loans, amongst other financial products. These sites also offer consumer information guides, which you can either print directly off the website or download on to your computer.

Do read all the terms and conditions carefully and ask friends, family and your financial adviser / bank adviser if you don’t understand a particular statement. The annual percentage rate (APR) is particularly important and can make a difference of thousands of pounds over the term of the loan.

Unsecured loans can be purchased from building societies and banks, as well as certain high street shops. Unsecured loans may be taken out for something specific or simply to make life more ‘comfortable’. The process usually involves:

* Requesting a typical amount for the loan

* Discussion of interest rate (APR) and possible loan payment protection insurance

* A credit check, you may wish to get one of these first, so you know what to expect

* Reading the terms and conditions and then signing the agreement

* Money can then be transferred into your account

In the discussion of secured versus unsecured loans, moneynet explains that although secured loans can offer lower interest rates and repayments, many people do not wish to jeopardise the potential loss of their home in the default of a repayment of a secured loan. In unsecured loans, pay attention to the difference in APR, term of the loan and any additional charges such as an early settlement charge or redemption penalty.

Resources:

- Mortgage and loan comparisons
Personal finance blog Cashzilla

About Rachel Lane:
Rachel writes for the personal finance blog Cashzilla:
Rachel is a disillusioned, disaffected and broke graduate, exploiting new media for financial therapy.

E-mail: rachel@positiveinterest.com
or online@moneynet.co.uk

Phone: 0131 561 2251

When it comes to acne product quality, savings and efficiency, research is a consumer’s most valuable tool.

And brands like ZEN MED and Proactiv have been well-researched. ZEN MED Derma Cleanse is a completely natural acne treatment featuring topical creams to unclog pores, herbal tablets to purify, add essential vitamins and fight bacteria from within. Proactiv with Benzoyl Peroxide, consists of cleansers and cream to cleanse pores leaving only a slightly dry skin.

Exposed, another herbal product has produced few side effects and is especially suited for those who may find Proactiv somewhat harsh. Among natural products composed of essential oils such as Tree Tea Oil, vitamins, and herbs, Desert Essence, Kiss My Face, PhytoMe, Bio Skin Care, Burt Bees, and St Ives offer a variety of cleansers, toners and scrubs, which gently clean pores.

Affordable favorites among teens are Clearasil, Clean &Clear, Cetaphil, and Neutrogena, for face and body in cleansers, lotions, pads, toner, face washed and more. Those with sensitive skin have found Cetaphil cleansers especially soothing, while those with oily skin have preferred Clean & Clear and Neutrogena. Those who have tried Murad and Klear Action products found a clear difference and felt improvement within weeks.

Products, such as Actimine, AncEase, and 10 1E Acne Getaway, which are based on essential ancient Chinese herbs, have also been highly rated in clearing acne-prone skin.

With so many choices available, a smart consumer will shop around to find her best route to a flawless complexion.

Acne Care provides detailed information about acne care, acne care skin tips, acne skin care centers, and more. Acne Care is affiliated with Acne Skin Care.

There are innumerable brands available of which the following are worthwhile: (1) Globalstar, (2) Iridium, (3) Inmarsat, (4) Thuraya, (5) Pelican, (6) RBGAN, and (7) NERA. The price of a satellite phone handset ranges from $275 to $9500 depending upon the type of services provided. A voice and slow access data phone handset will attract the minimum price whereas a high quality voice together with a real fast data transfer will cost much more, may be from $5500 to $9500. Data cables, SIM Cards etc., cost you more. The rates are on the basis of (1) rate of incoming calls and, (2) rate of outgoing calls per minute. Most companies do not charge, or, charge very little connection charges. In addition they also slap on you a service charge every time you renew.

In case you want to rent, may be you are called to pay $45 to $ 475 per week towards rental; depending primarily on the type of handset you want. Whether you use it or not, you may have to pay an average daily minimum usage of 3 minutes, and in some cases, even more. Some satellite phone companies require you to pay weekly insurance, which, in all probability, will cost you between $25 to $45 per week!

Iridium does not charge you any connection charges. However, they charge $.21 towards monthly subscription. Suppose you talk from your Iridium handset to another Iridium handset within the United States, you may have to shell out $.50 per minute. In the event of the call being an international one, you may have to pay $1.50 per minute. In all other cases where you talk from your Iridium handset to various other satellite phone systems, the charges are an exorbitant $8.50 per minute.

Paul has been providing answers to lots of queries through his website on a wide variety of subjects ranging from satellite phones to acne. To learn more visit http://www.askaquery.com/Answers/qn1686.html

You are welcome to republish the above article only if you add our hyperlinked URL.

Virgin coconut oil started her journey a very long time ago. It was stated in an ancient book of Ayuverda, that thousands of years before century (B.C.), people exploited this oil, for consumption as well as for cure.

For people in Indonesia, Polynesia, Micronesia and other tropical parts of the world, coconut is very essential. They took advantages of its meat and water, processed it for coconut cream and coconut oil to enhance their quality of life.

And this went on for thousands of years…

Around 1945, virgin coconut oil reached its golden years. In some Asian Pacific countries, the commodity became one of the most wanted goods. Coconut water also played an important role in the World War II. It helped cure many of the injured Alliance troops. They actually used the water from coconut as a cold compress for wounds!

After the war, the Americans and English transformed virgin coconut oil into margarine. Some business-oriented parties in both countries started a campaign against this oil. They intended to stop the dependency for tropical oils. The next thing, they promoted corn oil and soybean oil for exchange…

In mid 1950’s, heart disease became a nightmare in the United States and this is the turning point of all the negative campaigns against virgin coconut oil…

The situation got worse when a young scientist named David Kritchevsky issued the results of his pre-clinic test on rabbits. The results showed that cholesterol blocked the artery and this had caused the heart disease. He claimed that corn oil and soybean oil could reduce cholesterol and coconut oil is quite the opposite.

The negative campaigns against virgin coconut oil (or should I say wrong accusations..?) went on. Those people blamed this innocent oil for something she did not do…

If you want to know the complete story of virgin coconut oil and its struggle to crush all envious claims against her, I suggest you read it at the virgin coconut oil story

Don’t worry, it’s a happy ending story…you’ll love it!

F. Aziz is the owner of http://www.all-about-Virgin-Coconut-Oil.com. Visit all-about-Virgin-Coconut-Oil.com and see how this miracle oil could amazingly help you improve your health.

Why should I bother using humor in my public speaking? Can’t I just deliver my information and sit down? You sure can and that’s what most people do. The problem is that most people are not effective public speakers. They are nighty nite, snooze inducing, say your prayers, hit the sack, unlicensed hypnotists. They are ZZZZZs presenters. They might be experts in their field and be able to recite hours and hours of information on their topic, but is that effective?

According to Bob Orben, Special Assistant to President Gerald Ford and Former Director of the White House Speech writing Department, ‘Business executives and political leaders have embraced humor because humor works. Humor has gone from being an admirable part of a leader’s character to a mandatory one.’

A survey of top executives who earned more than $250,000 per year was conducted by a large executive search firm. The survey found that these executives believed their communication skills were the number one factor that carried them to the top. Mastering the use of humor and other high-explosion techniques puts a fine polish on your public speaking skills which can help propel you to the top of the speaking profession.

There are many benefits you can derive from using humor when speaking. Keep in mind that these benefits only help you reach your ultimate purpose for making the presentation. They are not purposes themselves unless, of course, you are only interested in entertaining.

Using Humor in Public Speaking helps you do the following:

* HELPS YOU CONNECT WITH THE AUDIENCE.

* MAKES YOU MORE LIKEABLE.

* AROUSES INTEREST.

* KEEPS ATTENTION.

* HELPS EMPHASIZE POINTS AND IDEAS.

* DISARMS HOSTILITY.

* OVERCOMES OVERLY FLATTERING INTRODUCTIONS.

* GETS YOUR POINT ACROSS WITHOUT CREATING HOSTILITY.

* HELPS RELATE FACTS AND FIGURES.

* MAKES A POSITIVE IMPRESSION.

* SHOWS THAT YOU DON’T TAKE YOURSELF TOO SERIOUSLY.

* HELPS PAINT PICTURES IN THE AUDIENCE’S MIND.

* MAKES INFORMATION MORE MEMORABLE.

* LIGHTENS UP HEAVY MATERIAL.

* YOU WILL BE ASKED BACK.

* YOUR SPEAKING WILL GET YOU HIGHER EVALUATIONS OR MORE SALES.

* YOU WILL MAKE MORE MONEY.

* YOU WILL MAKE PEOPLE HAPPY.

This is my favorite benefit. I get great satisfaction from knowing that I have brightened someone else’s life. I had an executive come up to me after one of my humor seminars and say, ‘You opened up a whole new world for me.’ I almost cried right on the spot. I’ll never forget it.

Copyright © 1998 - 2005 Advanced Public Speaking Institute

Tom Antion provides entertaining speeches and educational seminars. He is the ultimate entrepreneur, having owned many businesses BEFORE graduating college. Tom is the author of the best selling presentation skills book “Wake ‘em Up Business Presentations” and “Click: The Ultimate Guide to Electronic Marketing.” It is important to Tom that his knowledge be not only absorbed, but enjoyed. This is why he delivers his speeches laced with great humor and hysterical jokes. Tom has addressed more than 87 different industries and is thoroughly committed to his clients’ needs. http://www.antion.com

Advanced Public Speaking Institute
3105 Sergin Ct.
Virginia Beach, VA 23452
(757) 431-1366
Fax (757) 431-2050
Contact: cmckinney@public-speaking.org
http://www.GreatPublicSpeaking.com

Visit our Blog at http://www.GreatPublicSpeaking.BlogSpot.com

Does your family suffer from allergies caused by dust and particles in the air? Want to know about air filters and what they can do to help you? First, it is advised that you replace indoor air with outdoor air. But how? You can open windows and doors, but still the risk is the air-borne problems. One of the best solutions is to keep a healthy and clean house to minimize and control unwanted substances. Usually, common airborne particles can range from .001 to 100 microns in size. Very small air-borne particles are so small that you may have a hard time removing them.

Cigarette smoke and household dust can eventually enter the lungs and may create complications. Air filters and cleaners are devices which help remove particles from the air, but not all. There are two groups of air cleaners. The first group is the portable air cleaners. They are also known as table-top models, and they are created to clean air in small places and locations but not the entire house. These air cleaners have filters and use electrical attraction or ozone to get rid of the minute particles from the air. The finer the particles, the better it is in removing these unwanted substances. HEPA or high efficiency particulate arresting filters is the best kind.

Almost 99 percent of the particles which are as small as 0.3 microns in size are captured. However, gas molecules like those from cigarette smoke and radon can still pass through the filter. Some companies have decided to use an activated charcoal or carbon filter to take care of the job. Pleated filters are also called “mean” filters and they are composed of materials, which are similar to that of the HEPA. However, particles and dust may still get in. Remember, that the pleated filters capture smaller particles.

It is said that it removes 40 to 96 percent of household dust. Electrical attraction is utilized in electronic cleaners. Here, electrostatic precipitation, static charge, or particle ionization is used to capture particles through a foam pre-filter. With this, the larger particles are removed. Then the particles are charged by a high-voltage wire and are then attracted to the precipitating cell.

After this, a carbon filter gets rid of the odors and other particles. An electric cleaner utilizes cellulose fibers and polyester having a static charge to capture particles aside from the carbon and the pre-foam filter. Ozone generation is another type of air cleaner that also uses a high-voltage electrical charge to convert oxygen to ozone. With this, gas molecules and some substances or microorganisms like mold can be demolished by the high concentrations of ozone present. However, a negative ionizer also uses a foam pre-filter as well as a carbon filter. But, the difference lies in the wires. It has charged wires which, in turn, create ions.

Consequently, the fan blows these charged particles into the room and they are sucked in again. These different kinds of air filters and cleaners may give you a background on their features and which will best suit your needs.

Kathryn Whittaker has an interest in Health related topics. To access more articles on air filters or for additional information and resources visit this air filters related website.

Are you sick of spam relentlessly spewing into your emailbox? So was I, until I learned how to knock it out, or at least slow it down, with my one-two punch. Do both of these things, neither of which will cost you a penny, and enjoy a distinct decrease in the amount of garbage in your inbox.

Here we go:

#1 Mail Washing

First, hit the spam with Mailwasher, available free at www.mailwasher.net. This easy to set up little program lets you preview email before downloading it. You see all the usual details - sender, subject, size - but with one big difference: you can decide BEFORE downloading if you want it.

You get, I’m sure, many emails that you wouldn’t have downloaded if only you’d known what was in them. That’s just one thing Mailwasher can do for you. Its real power is in its ability to ‘bounce’ unwanted messages (spam) right back to the person who sent it, marked ‘message undeliverable.’

To the spammer it looks as if your e-mail address is no longer active, and hopefully, the next time they ‘clean’ their list, your email address will fall off. But even if it doesn’t, Mailwasher adds the spammer’s address to a blacklist. The next time they spam you, it’s already marked for deletion. (You can always unmark it.)

When you’re finished ‘washing’ your mail of spam and unwanted downloads, click ‘process mail’ and whatever messages are left will be downloaded as usual when you log on through your e- mail program, which you can do directly from MailWasher.

I have over 20 email addresses, so you can imagine the flood of spam that poured in my mailbox every day. Now I run them all through Mailwasher first, and it has made a huge difference.

To further reduce spam, Mailwasher has another trick that your regular email program doesn’t. It learns. There are all kinds of settings, filters, sorts and alerts. The more you use it, the more it learns what you do and don’t want to see. It does lots of stuff that I haven’t even tried yet. But for what I need - quick and dirty spam elimination - it does great.

Best of all, it’s free to try. If you like it, the author asks that you pay him whatever you think is fair. How much you pay him is up to you, but the funds go to future development of the product. Considering how useful this program is, I think that’s a very worthy cause.

#2: Email Encoding

Once you’ve got Mailwasher going, you’re on your way to getting off the spam lists. To stay off, don’t skip this second step!

One of the ways that spammers get your email address is through harvesting programs that crawl the net snatching email addresses off of websites, message boards, newsgroups. Anywhere they can find something that looks like an email address, they grab it. And the way that they know it’s an email address is by looking for ‘mailto’ or the ‘@’ symbol.

There are programs available - also free - that will encode your email address for you. This converts your ASCII email address into its equivalent decimal entity. For example, the letter “a” equates to: “a” (without the quotes), the letter “b” equates to: “b”, and so forth.

Here’s an example of an email address:

“johndoe@ someserv er.com″

which appears as: johndoe@someserver.com

To make the link clickable, you need to include the HREF tag, i.e.

“
nospam@my server.co m”

which appears as: nospam@myserver.com

Try it. Copy either of those expressions (WITHOUT the quotes), save it in an HTML file, and open it in your browser. It looks and acts just like any other email link, but the spam bots only see numbers and characters.

Here are a few free email encoders:

(JavaScript
utility)

(JavaScript
utility, doesn’t include HREF tag)

(emails the results to
you)

Encoded e-mail addresses can be read and translated back into the original ASCII text by almost any web browser, so you can use encoding wherever you can use HTML. I’ve replaced regular email links with encoded links on all of my websites.

Unfortunately not all forums will let you use HTML. In those cases, you’ll have to rely on putting the NOSPAM in your email address, or using only “throwaway” email addresses such as from Yahoo or hotmail when posting to public places. Another trick: spell out your email address, i.e. my email address is “sharon at geolocal.com” or “sharon at geolocal dot com.” Not as good as being encoded and clickable but better than nothing.

Of course, spammers are a clever bunch. Whatever we come up with, they’ll find a way around. Pretty soon they’ll probably program their nasty spam bots to translate encoded emails for them.

The only answer for that is to replace email links with an IMAGE of your email address. Only human eyes can see that an image is an email address, so it can’t be harvested. But, *don’t* link the image to your email address unless it’s encoded - that would defeat the purpose, which is to make your email address unreadable by the spam bots.

The downside is that human eyes will have to manually type your address to send you an email. Unfortunately, that includes people you WANT to hear from. There’s no way around that. Hopefully one day we won’t need to go to such lengths to avoid what has become the scourge of the internet.

So, to summarize:

1) use Mailwasher to delete and bounce spam, which hopefully will get you dropped from spam lists, and

2) encode your email address on web pages and other places where it can be harvested. Try the one-two punch and see if it works for you. If nothing else, it will give you the satisfaction of knowing spammers are getting useless messages in their mailboxes too.

Sharon Fling is the author of “How To Promote Your Local Business On the Internet”, and publishes an electronic newsletter that gives business owners tips, tools and resources for targeting local customers. For more information, visit http://www.geolocal.com or send a blank email to: subscribe@localbizpromo.com?subject=TRAART