Hand Dryers and H1N1 - Fearmongering or Fact?

I don't know if you've seen the latest email about preventing the flu. It showed up recently in my mailbox, which - naturally - caused me to say "Yeah, right! Here we go again!" Without a second thought, I went to my favorite online resources and expected to find that this was just another hoax.

Well, maybe and maybe not. It's a newly circulating email and the regular investigators are still investigating. So, for now, I'm on my own.

The email states that using hand dryers, instead of paper towels, just blows the germs around. This, according to the message, increases the spread of H1N1 in public places. It's not the dryers themselves, apparently, but the unclean filters in the hand dryers. Okay, makes sense - I suppose.

Hand dryers pull air from the room, heat it, filter it, and blow it onto wet hands. If the filters are dirty, they - theoretically - aren't doing much more than pulling germs from the air, heating them, and blowing them onto wet hands. But ... and here is where my skepticism jumps into the mix ... does the heating element get hot enough to destroy bacteria? Does the 'crud,' rumored to be collecting in the filters, consist of non-cremated bacteria, i.e., active bacteria that can spread disease? Or is it simply dust, etc. from the room air, toasted into a harmless, albeit gross, amalgam of schmutz?

Not to mention, aren't we breathing all of that schmutz while we're standing at the sink pretending to scrub our hands? What makes paper towels so much more antibacterial? Aren't they housed in the same room with all of that bacteria-laden air we're breathing and blowing around? Five'll getcha ten that those itsy-bitsy germs can work themselves into the paper towel container like a mouse through a crack in the wall.

I guess we'll have to wait and see what the experts have to say. In the meantime? I have an overwhelming urge to go wash my hands!

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Jules

Spam Email - Do Not Unsubscribe!

Got an interesting spam email the other day. It was offering a chance to buy email addresses at the rate of about $0.50/million - or something equally ridiculous. Sounds cheap, right? The message then mentioned that there were about 500 million addresses in the database.

Even if any of the numbers were accurate, that's about $250.00! No longer inexpensive - at least not to me. Presuming, to begin with, that I was in the market for buying email addresses.

As I continued to read, the message noted that the database has a 60% bounce rate. That means - at best - only 40% of the addresses are valid. In other words, I would be paying $250.00 (or more) for $100.00 (or less) worth of information. Just keeps getting worse.

The next caveat in the email was, to paraphrase "You need to send an opt-in message, before using any of the addresses; as you always should anyway." Just good business practice, right? Well, maybe that was the point . . . and maybe not.

At the bottom, the very, very bottom of the spam I received was a link to unsubscribe from further mailings by this particular spammer. Bingo! I now knew that my email address was in that for-sale database that this yutz was trying to scam me into buying.

This message was a fishing expedition! If I was foolish enough to unsubscribe, the spammers would have immediate confirmation - from the source - that my email address was valid!

I blocked the sender and deleted the message - with extreme prejudice! And recommend that you do the same!!

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Jules

Enough is Enough, is Too Much

I have been avoiding the Heene story. My first thought, seeing the breaking news story, was "Yeah, right!" And, with that thought, we changed channels. Who'd have thought we'd still be hearing about this disfunctional family? Certainly not me.

The more I hear and read about this man's desperate need for media attention, the more I wonder why everyone doesn't just shut up about him. It's obvious that he'll do anything - including encouraging his children to lie - to get his face on TV. By continuing to pay attention, he wins and receives the message that it's okay.

Frankly, I worry for the kids. It doesn't appear that they have even one responsible parent. How sad!

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Jules

Blog Action Day 2009

This will be my third year participating in this exciting event. Imagine! Thousands of bloggers, around the world, united - if only for one day - in one idea. For 2009, the topic upon which we are all focused is Climate Change.

For those of you unfamiliar with Blog Action Day, let me simply quote the source:

Founding Story

Blog Action Day was founded by Collis & Cyan Ta'eed in the summer of 2007. With the support of their team at Envato in Australia as well as numerous volunteers, they recruited over 20,000 bloggers to write about the issue of Environment on October 15, 2007 - making the first Blog Action Day an immediate and quite unexpected success.

In 2009, Collis & Cyan asked the team at Change.org, the world's leading blog network for social issues, to take over responsibility of Blog Action Day and expand its reach. We were honored to accept the offer.

Preparing for Blog Action Day 09 has been a true team effort, and we would like to thank the many people who have made it possible, including Happy Cog West for the beautiful site design, Brian Potstra for the pixel-perfect logo, and Seth Brau for the awesome animated Blog Action Day 09 video.

If you have a blog and an opinion - please join us.

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Jules

Your Prayers are Needed

This is one of the things that social networking does best -- rally the prayers of those who care around people, families who need them.

A young woman was in an automobile accident yesterday and her family is praying for her return to them.

Please - I know the power of prayer - help this family, as so many of you have helped Mark and me. Pray for Kimmi and her family.

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Jules

Comodo Internet Security Pro

JMark Afghans, etc. is proud to announce that we are now affiliated with:

In this day of worms, trojans, viruses, and the armies of morons who troll the Internet looking to cause trouble and damage, it's not just important to have protection. It is critical. Trust me on that one.

Starting with a solid, reliable firewall, Comodo protection adds anti-virus and wi-fi coverage to the package. Top that with live, expert support and you've got security that will help you surf happy and sleep peacefully.

Don't risk your data, your personal information, or the computer on which you depend. Take a look at Comodo. You'll be amazed!

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Jules

Weight Loss Pills

In my never-ending crusade to determine whether the latest 'popular' weight loss pills are effective, dangerous, or just ... junk, I have noticed a pattern.

Sites jump up, in your face, to tell you that Pill ABC is the best, most effective item on the market. All of this, after telling you, last week, that XYZ Pill was the only way to lose weight.

Some of those sites have links to more information about Pill ABC that are designed to make you feel that they have reviewed, tested, and confirmed their claims. (Okay, that's what virtually all of them do.) Why? Because many of them make serious money doing just that.

They are filled with testimonials that sound like a cheap ad campaign. The worst ones offer links to sites where they make money just because visitors clink that link. I seriously doubt that they do any research.

The bottom line is always the same, at least from where I'm sitting:

• Check out the ingredients
• Determine their safety
• Investigate the interaction between the ingredients

Bottom line: eat right, get some exercise, and don't believe that one pill can undo years of neglect.


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Jules

HID Kits

Today, I learned something new; a situation that I just love.

Looking for something entirely unrelated, I found a site offering hid kits. Obviously, just looking at the webpage, I could see that HID kits have something to do with vehicle headlights. But, what? And what does HID stand for?

First, HID stands for High Intensity Discharge. I immediately thought of the cool, really bright headlights that you see periodically on cars and trucks. Assuming these were halogen, I read on and found that I was (again) in need of more information.

Then, I found the comparison image. Just look at the difference between halogen lights and HID xenon lights. Which would you prefer?

Me, too!

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Jules

Fat Burners

Looking for the best way to lose belly fat? Me, too.

At my age, sadly, it's common for women to carry an extra layer of ... something unpleasant {groan} ... around the middle. It isn't something we like to admit or see, but it is a part of nature. In fact, it's documented - along with the discovery that the mother's brain shrinks during pregnancy. (Whoever wrote "I enjoy being a girl!" -- wasn't.)

If you believe the claims, it would be easy to swallow a pill and remove the fat. I disagree. Strongly!

I lost my ring-around-the-middle years ago without even trying, truth be told. It involved dietary changes, serious physical effort, and great genes. I didn't do it intentionally.

When Mark was seriously ill, heading toward hospice, I was carrying a wheel chair every place we went. In and out of the back of the truck, upand down stairs, it went with us everywhere. I ate, when I could and what I craved, protein and carbs. (I made a meal of chicken breast, poached in tomato juice with veggies and pasta that was amazing.) As my body always has, I dropped weight and built muscle.

Can you get that from a pill? Websites will tell you that you can.

Can you get that from a pill -- safely? Websites will tell you that you can.

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Jules

Apidexin Review

I've been reviewing diet pill review sites recently. Some are good and provide a (fairly) objective look at different products. Others, sadly, are filled with what they call reviews and links to sites where they get paid for sending customers. Rather annoying.

That said, I have also been looking into a product called apidexin.

Apidexin isn't exactly unique. It contains a combination of ingredients that are also found in several other products. In fact, I've probably looked at some of the other items on the market, and their ingredients, before.

As with so many diet / weight-loss products, many of the active ingredients are thermogenic. Singly, they may not be risky. In combination, they may cause a dangerous elevation in body temperature.

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Jules

Grand Canyon Posters from JMark Afghans

I love creating! Whether it's a new afghan design (and there are a few of those in the works) or mugs, aprons, and posters on Zazzle. Taking a blank canvas, as it were, and watching something new emerge is amazing to me.

My latest creation - oooh I love that word - is a set of posters, featuring some of my favorite Grand Canyon Pictures. I chose a dark green border to accent, but not overwhelm the view. The view is ... everything!

With a collection of five coordinated, but unique images, they make a wonderful addition to any room - as a set, in smaller groupings, or just one, perfectly placed image.

The first two I created, titled "Grand Canyon Poster 001" and "Grand Canyon Poster 002" (brilliant, aren't I?) are slightly different views of the same location. By changing the camera angle and position, just a bit, the images appear to come from different locations. Yet, they complement each other beautifully.

Please wander by to see the rest. Choose your favorite poster - or choose them all. They were designed to need no frame, although custom framing is available.

Or start with our new collection of Grand Canyon products. (Not all of them are new, but the collection is finally pulled together for easy browsing.) I'm going to be adding to my Grand Canyon mugs, with a collection that includes different images and unique quotes.

Don't miss it!

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Jules

Padron Cigars

I have been a smoker for as long as I can remember. Growing up in a different time, I even smoked through pregnancies. In fact, the only time I can recall giving it up was during a particularly brutal bout with viral pneumonia.

For my lifetime, or as far back as memory serves, Cuban cigars have been illegal in this country. I have heard of the quality and that anyone who has ever smoked one will never be happy with any other cigar. When I think of particular items, Padron cigars come to mind first. They have been touted as one of the best ... period.

You can imagine my surprise when I found Padrons for sale, legally, on the internet. It intrigued me, to say the least. So, I had to do some investigating.

Apparently, beyond coming out of Cuba, what makes a Cuban cigar is the tobacco itself. A smoke shop I found online, located in Pennsylvania, is offering Cuban Padrons, "handmade with long-aged Cuban seed tobaccos" that were grown entirely in Nicaragua. They carry a number (large number, actually) of cigars from various manufacturers.

After exploring the online store, I have to admit that what I've smoked in the past could barely be called a cigar (yes, I've smoked a couple of those, too) compared to what this shop offers.

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Jules

Herbal Weight Loss Pills

The latest marketing trend in diet supplements seems to be "herbal weight loss pills." My guess would be that emphasis on the word herbal is supposed to make supplements sound safer, healthier, or simply better for you. As we all know from Ephedra, this may not be the case.

Herbalism has been traced back more than 25,000 years to cave paintings in France and herbs found on the body of a 5,300-year-old frozen man. Ayurvedic medicine dates to the 2nd millenium B.C. and is still practiced today. According to some sources, early man observed the behavior of sick animals, which ate plants that they avoided when healthy, and developed methods for using plants to treat symptoms and illnesses in humans.

With the discovery of chemical remedies in the 20th century, herbalism became the stuff of backward folk. Although, areas of the world without the ability to purchase these wondrous new man-made treatments continued to rely on plants and their extracts.

Now, more than 100 years after the discovery of aspirin, Western society is once again embracing the power of nature. Over-embracing, if you ask me.

An evergreen tree, Pausinystalia yohimbe, found in western Africa is on the verge of extinction, due to the current 'popularity' of an alkaloid found in its inner bark. A central nervous system stimulant, yohimbe products claim to improve anxiety symptoms, fat synthesis, and - the primary demand - sexual enhancement. Because of the long list of potential side effects, and the fact that the effective dose is very close to the toxic dose, no reliable herbalist would recommend extended use.

The most frightening warning, to my mind, is the dietary don't list. Because yohimbe acts as a short-term MAO inhibitor (MAOI), a major class of drugs used to treat depression, there is a known interaction with foods containing tyramine. Tyramine is produced during digestion of foods containing the amino acid tyrasine and causes dilation of blood vessels. Combining MAO inhibitors or yohimbe and foods containing tyramine can cause a dangerous rise in blood pressure. (Patients on MAOIs are closely monitored and must maintain a low-tyramine diet.)

The list of foods to be avoided varies from source to source, is lengthy, and includes: alcohol and fermented beverages; aged cheese; salami, sausage, bologna, pepperoni, frankfurters, bacon, smoked ham, pickled herring, liverwurst, salted dried fish, shrimp paste, unfresh meat or liver; Brewer's yeast, yeast extracts, yeast supplements; sauerkraut; bouillion cubes/powder, meat tenderizers, dry packaged and canned soups, gravy, sauces, stew mixes, instant soup dry powder bases, Soy Sauce and Teriyaki; ginseng; overripe avocado, Broad fava beans, Italian beans, chinese pea pods, beans pastes, fermented bean curds, fermented soya beans, soya sauce, soya bean pastes, Tofu, Miso soup; protein dietary supplements. Caffeine, chocolate, soy sauce, spinach, peanuts, coconut, Brazil nuts, canned figs, raisins, raspberries, red plums, cottage cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, cream, yogurt, and milk are believed by some to be safe - IF consumed in small amounts, IF properly stored, and, in the case of dairy, IF eaten well before the expiration date. Basically, anything that has been fermented, salted, aged, smoked, dried, or pickled; that contains yeast or meat extracts; or that may have been improperly stored is not allowed.

Fit that on the warning label!

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Jules

Acne Remedies

At my age, I didn't think I'd be researching how to get rid of acne. But, here I am!

First, the term acne covers a lot of territory - everything from blackheads to severe lesions that can leave scars. In a nutshell, acne is what happens when oil and dead skin cells block the opening to a hair follicle. Most people, nearly 100%, will have some sort of breakout, usually starting in their teens as hormone production increases.

These hormones that are responsible for physical maturation also trigger sebum production. Sebum is an oily substance generated in the sebaceous glands attached to hair follicles. It is responsible for the oily skin and hair experienced by teens (and many adults). Gently washing the face, twice a day with a mild soap, is usually sufficient to deal with this oil production.

One form of acne, with which I am all too familiar, is called acne mechanica. It develops in response to, among other things, covered skin and/or constant pressure. What that means, for me, is keeping my hands off my face and not resting my chin or cheek on my hands while I'm staring at the computer screen. To make matters worse, I've developed a habit (since we moved) of sleeping with one arm draped across my forehead, right along the hairline. You can guess where most of my most recent breakouts are occurring.

Before trying acne treatments - over-the-counter or online - it's important to know what's causing the acne. For more than a few breakouts or blackheads (or sleeping with your arm over your face), that's something only a dermatologist can determine. Overly harsh treatments can do more harm than good.

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Jules

Spoofing Emails ... Again! and Again!

Like most people I know, I love getting mail. No longer! I now hate - with a passion - looking in my inbox.

Thanks to these spammers/ spoofers/ friggin' jerks, I wake up every day to at least 200 new delivery failure notifications. And, despite reporting the IP address, they just keep creating new websites, with dozens of subdomains - all pretending to be JMark Afghans. In the words of Queen Victoria: "We are NOT amused!"

If I weren't so busy trying to quantify and report all of this, I think I'd just sit down and cry. Or perhaps screaming would be more effective.

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Jules

Spoofing Emails ... Again!

Once again, JMark Afghans, etc. has been spoofed! If you don't know what that means, in a nutshell - someone (in this case, many someones) sent spam/junk email out with a fake jmarkafghans.com email address as the sender and/or reply-to. It appears that the message came from JMark Afghans, etc., when in fact it didn't. To give you an idea of how busy these little )*@&$% miscreants were this weekend:

As of 10:00am today, we have received more than 750 - yup seven-hundred-fifty - delivery-failure notices for emails that we did not send. Apparently, there is a lovely new scam being perpetrated at IP address 119.67.72.151. Heaven only knows how many emails made it through, since many of the failure notices we received contained more than one addressee!

All of the websites to which these messages send recipients are exactly the same. Diamond Replicas is the title on the three that I was able to trace back. The IP address hosts over 70 domains, so I guess we were lucky to only get hit by 3 of them.

According to what I read, when you access the checkout / shopping cart, you are giving all of your credit card and identifying information out over an unsecure connection. You can imagine the damage they can and will do, once they get that information.

I reported everything I could and, hopefully, the IP and related sites will get taken down soon. In the meantime ...

• If you didn't subscribe to our mailing list and/or newsletter, you will never receive email from JMark Afghans, etc.
• If you did subscribe to our mailing list and/or newsletter, but didn't respond to the opt-in email message, you will never receive email from JMark Afghans, etc.
• If you ever receive a plain-text message from an individual at JMark Afghans, etc., it wasn't us!

We never, ever send plain-text messages and never have. There are absolutely no, none, zip, nada, zilch individual email addresses associated with our business. There never have been and, because of this sort of fraudulent behavior by no-goodniks, there never will be.

With that said, should you ever receive any unsolicited email claiming to be from JMark Afghans, etc., please forward it immediately to me. My email address is at the bottom of every page of the website.

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Jules

Preparing for the GMAT

We 'talked' recently about getting a Masters degree in Business Administration and the requirements that must be met in order to enroll in a degree-granting program. One prerequisite for virtually all MBA programs is the GMAT®, the Graduate Management Admission Test®.

Designed to predict academic performance in applicants to an MBA program, the GMAT® is neither easy nor inexpensive. This makes GMAT prep a critical step in the process. So, why not go to the organization that employs the people who designed the adaptive testing algorithms behind the GMAT®?

What I really like about the Knewton program is that you can, basically, test-drive before you buy. There is a free 7-day trial offer that allows prospective applicants access to online classes, a full-length sample GMAT®, and practice problems and tests. If that weren't enough, they also provide explanations and test tips.

If you're considering an MBA, why not start here?

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Jules

Fun Tyme Entertainment Award

Happily (joyously and amazingly), for the second time in as many months, JMark Afghans, etc. is proud to display the latest award we have received for our website! (I must say "WooHoo!!" - very, very loudly!)

On July 31, 2009, we were presented with a Silver Award by the Fun Tyme Entertainment Awards Program.

I have seen the sites that were also granted Silver Awards this year, and I am honored to be included in their company. It makes the hard work worth it.

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Jules

Public Speaking Anxiety

Do you suffer from public speaking anxiety? I did for years and years and years - thanks to a rather belligerent speech teacher from junior high school. She had no idea how to teach; how to encourage. Instead, she berated, belittled, and embarrassed her students. The ones, like me, who were shy were a particularly favorite target. I can still recall the blind panic I felt - every day - before walking into that classroom.

It was so debilitating that, at the age of 25, I was still paralyzed in front of strangers. Forget giving a speech! That was just never going to happen! Finally, sick and tired of being afraid, I signed up for a speech class at the local community college. I knew the instructor from another class I had taken, so there was a built-in comfort level. That class became a huge turning point in my life.

I still get nervous in certain situations and am not fond of large groups of strangers, but - through sheer stubbornness and force of will - I've conquered most of my fears.

The reason I mention this is that, in my recent WWW travels, I stumbled across a site that offers help to people like myself. Their herbal supplement is designed to enhance memory, reduce anxiety, and increase the body's resistance to stress. Definitely something I could have used, back in the day. (Except for the St. John's Wort.) But, what I found most helpful was the advice section.

From preparation advice to specific guidelines, based on the situation, it is sound and helpful information. I spent quite a bit of time reading the sample interview questions, along with the recommendations - and I'm not even interviewing. Then, there are the types of speeches and toasts for which suggestions are included. Just a great, to me anyway, jumping off point.

Most of the information is basic - be prepared, at the top of the list. But, when faced with a stress-inducing situation, the basics tend to be the first things we forget. This is an informative site with valuable assistance, covering a variety of situations. I don't think I've seen anything quite like it before.

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Jules

Monthly Buy.com Sales

The one thing I love, almost as much as I love Mark, is finding a good sale! Buy.com is a great place to start looking for what I need. And for what I didn't know I needed - at prices that are very difficult to ignore.

This week's amazing deals run the gamut from LCD monitors to digital cards to ... oooh, I really need an antenna for the computer. See?! It doesn't matter what you're looking for, or what you didn't remember to pick up yesterday. There are great bargains to be found.

And who doesn't need a bargain these days?!

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Jules