Rewind the Fifties

Last night while my son was on the phone with an old friend from junior high school (and you know how long ago that was because they’ve been called “middle” schools for eons), his friend mentioned one of her goals was to read every book on Oprah’s Book Club list. He told her one of his mother’s goals was to write a book that would be on Oprah’s Book Club list.

While he was doing a google search to find the article I’d written about him he ran across an article he didn’t know about that I’d recently written for Rewind the Fifties. I didn’t know they had published it. (Of course, now I’ll be looking for payment…)

This morning when he showed it to me he said all he had to do was read the first paragraph to know I’d written it!

Check it out at www.loti.com/country_star.htm. It’s short—and about the “sweetest” thing I could write about my growing up years. And yes, it’s non-fiction. (I think my daddy would have loved it!)

Drop me a note at: linda@lindajhutchinson.com or leave a comment here and let me know what you think about the article.

National Geographic: ESP or Common Sense?

If you have any doubts about whether or not our government knew of the potential for chaos and catastophe of Biblical proportions on our Gulf coast, click on this link. You will be directed to an article in National Geographic magazine written well ahead of Hurricane Katrina.


http://www3.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0410/feature5/index.html?fs=www7.nationalgeographic.com

Linda J. Hutchinson
www.lindajhutchinson.com

Ben Stein, Hurricane Katrina, & President Bush

The article below was written by Ben Stein. I did not plagiarize it--at least originally. It was sent to me in an email and is being spread around the world as forwarded emails. The comments written in italics are my comments and my opinions. I'll take responsibility for them.

While I respect Mr. Stein for his vast accomplishments and intelligence of thought, I must disagree with him on some points.

Linda J. Hutchinson
Freelance Writer/Copywriter
http://www.lindajhutchinson.com/

The American Spectator
By Ben Stein

Ben Stein is a writer, actor, economist, and lawyer living in Beverly Hills and Malibu. He also writes "Ben Stein's Diary" in every issue of The American Spectator. Published 9/2/2005 11:59:59 PM

A few truths, for those who have ears and eyes and care to know the truth:

1.) The hurricane that hit New Orleans and Mississippi and Alabama was an astonishing tragedy. The suffering and loss of life and peace of mind of the residents of those areas is acutely horrifying.

True. I agree wholeheartedly.

2.) George Bush did not cause the hurricane. Hurricanes have been happening for eons. George Bush did not create them or unleash this one.

True. He may be the most powerful man in the world, but he doesn't yet have enough power to control the weather. Thank God and the wisdom of our forefathers for not granting that power, if and when, controlling the weather becomes possible. Pray that our elected Congress, when and if, controlling the weather does become possible, will have the courage and conviction to ensure such power is not used for evil and/or merely for profit, or against mankind of any nation, ethnicity, creed, sexual orientation, or religion.

3.) George Bush did not make this one worse than others. There have been far worse hurricanes than this before George Bush was born.

True. See response to #2. He does not have the ability to make a hurricane, nor does he have the ability to make it worse.

4.) There is no overwhelming evidence that global warming exists as a man-made phenomenon. There is no clear-cut evidence that global warming even exists. There is no clear evidence that if it does exist it makes hurricanes more powerful or makes them aim at cities with large numbers of poor people. If global warming is a real phenomenon, which it may well be, it started long before George Bush was inaugurated, and would not have been affected at all by the Kyoto treaty, considering that Kyoto does not cover the world's worst polluters -- China, India, and Brazil. In a word, George Bush had zero to do with causing this hurricane. To speculate otherwise is belief in sorcery.

Background information on the Kyoto treaty:

From CNN.com on the Kyoto Treaty:

"Asian and European nations have strongly criticized Bush's decision in 2001 to abandon the Kyoto treaty, which commits 37 industrialized nations to cut gas emissions. Bush has criticized the treaty, saying it set unrealistic goals and could damage the U.S. economy. But other nations worry about scientific concerns that climate change could lead to severe floods and droughts, rising sea levels and an increase in malaria and respiratory disease."

My response to Mr. Stein: At the very least, mostly/partly true. Most of us don't understand the concept of global warming well enough to weigh in on this. However, any and all treaties that take jobs away from Americans, on American soil, contributes to the same form of poverty that caused many in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and elsewhere in America, to be unable to flee from hurricanes, tornadoes, cyclones, or other damage-causing/life-altering weather-induced phenomena.

Whether global warming exists or doesn't exist, the USA is a world polluter. We, as inhabitants of earth, must accept that polluting our world, whether it affects the weather or not, will affect the health of earth's inhabitants. We have a responsibility to reduce pollution to and in our environment.

We as a people must take responsibility for ensuring clean air and water, just as we must take responsibility for enabling our fellow man to work for his/her needs and chosen lifestyle, even as we must accept that some will attain higher or lower levels of success. We must also accept that "success" means different things to different people.

6.) George Bush had nothing to do with the hurricane contingency plans for New Orleans. Those are drawn up by New Orleans and Louisiana. In any event, the plans were perfectly good: mandatory evacuation. It is in no way at all George Bush's fault that about 20 percent of New Orleans neglected to follow the plan. It is not his fault that many persons in New Orleans were too confused to realize how dangerous the hurricane would be. They were certainly warned. It's not George Bush's fault that there were sick people and old people and people without cars in New Orleans. His job description does not include making sure every adult in America has a car, is in good health, has good sense, and is mobile.

George Bush is responsible for the competence of the leaders of FEMA. He chose these leaders. His chosen leaders are/were responsible for ensuring that leaders of FEMA at the state level were competent, willing, and able, to effectively deal with a natural disaster. FEMA is not new. It has been in place for many years. Enough years to be better prepared. FEMA, whether at the state or national level, is responsible for having not only evacuation plans in place, but plans for emergency responses to natural disasters.

Those FEMA leaders knew, or at the very least had or should have had predictions based on models, of the likely percentage of poor, sick, and/or "confused"/incapacitated, populations within the areas expected and predicted to be affected by Hurricane Katrina. They should have had plans for rescue operations in place. Calls for assistance from military and civilian rescue teams from outside of the affected area should have been placed well in advance of Katrina making landfall.

Response teams of both military and civilian rescue operations should have been standing at the ready at the fringe of the expected target area. Volunteer disaster teams from all denominations of churches from several states were there, waiting and ready.

7.) George Bush did not cause gangsters to shoot at rescue helicopters taking people from rooftops, did not make gang bangers rape young girls in the Superdome, did not make looters steal hundreds of weapons, in short make New Orleans into a living hell.

So long as our children know they can make more money selling drugs and stealing than they can from working, there will be gangs. As long as our children continue to believe there is no hope for a better life, there will be gangs. As long as our children are affected by their parents, who had no hope for a better life, a continuum pervades.

Not all of the rapes and murders were committed by gang bangers. Not all of the rapists lived to brag about their escapades. Justice for some came quickly.

The hope of those shooting at rescue helicopters was the same as that of the insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan--to continue the chaos to allow more time for pillage.

In this instance, the shooters were additionally incensed by the desperation, the death and dying, all around them.

There were rapes and murders after the tsunami.

I do not condone aberrant behavior. I believe desperate people do desperate things.

8.) George Bush is the least racist President in mind and soul there has ever been and this is shown in his appointments over and over. To say otherwise is scandalously untrue.

I agree. I also believe furthering his personal portfolio of income producing properties and agendas has shown in his appointments, over and over.

9.) George Bush is rushing every bit of help he can to New Orleans and Mississippi and Alabama as soon as he can. He is not a magician. It takes time to organize huge convoys of food and now they are starting to arrive. That they get in at all considering the lawlessness of the city is a miracle of bravery and organization.

Brave men and women will always "go in" where help is needed the most. One does not need to be a magician to study the models of expected loss ahead of a natural disaster. He knew days ahead of time the expected ferocity level of Katrina AND the expected path and level of destruction.

I believe Americans, both ordinary and those with 'star' power, who have gone in to help, understood the potential danger--and went there voluntarily.

I received an email from a friend in Houston yesterday. She witnessed the church groups feeding and clothing the evacuees long before even the Red Cross got organized enough to start helping. She told of airline executives who, when told their services weren't needed, continued to ferry evacuees out on "mercy" flights. Due to contractual obligations I cannot quote her here, but you may read her comments on my blog at www.seniorweblogs.com.

If actors, actresses, musicians, singers, stand-up comedians, and other humanitarians can and will drive in, regardless of the lawlessness, with planes and truckloads and buses of food and water and diapers and every manner of other needed items, why can't Mr. Bush--who is the most powerful man in the world with legions of trained professionals under his thumb--get water and food to dying victims of Katrina, who's only crime was poverty, sickness, age, and/or various levels of confusion?

There is no excuse, Mr. Stein. There is no excuse, Mr. President.

10.) There is not the slightest evidence at all that the war in Iraq has diminished the response of the government to the emergency. To say otherwise is pure slander.

False. There weren't enough National Guard members to help with the disaster because the bulk of the area's National Guard is stationed in Iraq. There isn't enough money in the treasury allocated to fight wars AND to help our own citizens during a cataclysmic event on our own shores.

Colin Powell has been most honest in stating "it was economics".

11.) If the energy the news media puts into blaming Bush for an Act of God worsened by stupendous incompetence by the New Orleans city authorities and the malevolence of the criminals of the city were directed to helping the morale of the nation, we would all be a lot better off.

It is not the job of media to raise morale. It is the responsibility of media to report the news. If the truth hurts, we need to fix the problem, starting with our elected officials.

12.) New Orleans is a great city with many great people. It will recover and be greater than ever. Sticking pins into an effigy of George Bush that does not resemble him in the slightest will not speed the process by one day.

The first two sentences are absolutely correct--I believe it and I've never even been there. The last sentence...well, if it will help him pull his head out, I'm all for it.

13.) The entire episode is a dramatic lesson in the breathtaking callousness of government officials at the ground level. Imagine if Hillary Clinton had gotten her way and they were in charge of your health care.

Leadership is from the top, down. Hillary Clinton wasn't allowed to be in charge of our health care because Congress did its job.

God bless all of those dear people who are suffering so much, and God bless those helping them, starting with George Bush.

"God bless all of those dear people who are suffering so much. God bless those helping them." I'll reserve comment on where it starts.

Ben Stein

Comments and opinions in italics are those of only one American. Me. I'm entitled to share my opinions, as is Mr. Stein, because we live in America.

Linda J. Hutchinson
Freelance Writer/Copywriter
http://www.lindajhutchinson.com/

One Mixed Up American's Thoughts

Sadly, I have nothing new to report on the legitimacy of the “Paramedics”.

It seems I may have been scammed by con artists posing as uniformed paramedics taking donations outside a local WalMart on Wednesday. I gave them cash and my business card. They gave me a flyer with totally useless information on it. However, I couldn’t check them out until I got home. You may read the full text of the story at www.lindajhutchinson.com/blog.

Checking today, I’ve found the website listed on the flyer still doesn’t exist. The phone number still isn’t working. I’ve heard nothing from 10-TV, which I notified with the possible scam information. Although they are now warning about scam activity in every newscast.

If the pollen count is down in the morning, I’ll venture out and pay a visit to the address given on the flyer. I may even visit the closest police precinct, flyer in hand. You can be sure I’ll direct law enforcement officers to the WalMart surveillance tapes if I can’t convince myself the men in uniform were/are legitimate.

On a more positive note, here in Columbus, Ohio, local Lonestar Steakhouse restaurants will be donating ALL receipts from meals purchased on Labor Day to the Red Cross. School children in one area elementary school are “buying” the opportunity to wear hats of their choice at school. They’ve raised $3400 for the Red Cross, at about $1 per day per student. 10-TV’s Show You Care program has gathered $64,000 since Monday. Other school children were taking donations before school this morning. At a local middle school, kids have given up their lunch money this week, to be donated to the Red Cross.

From Nova Scotia, Canada, Betty Dobson of Inkspotter Publishing (www.inkspotter.com) is donating a portion of all sales to the American Red Cross. In an email from her earlier this evening she said the images of the destruction have brought tears to her eyes. She wishes she could do more. She is a publishing company of one. (She puts out a wonderful free monthly newsletter for writers, if you’d like to sign up. She’s also one heck of a writer!)

Having watched hours of newscasts, I’m unable to comprehend the depth of frustration, helplessness and hopelessness, our Gulf coast neighbors have suffered and are continuing to suffer. I’m angry at our nation’s leaders for taking five days to respond. We got food and aid to the tsunami victims half a world away faster than we are getting food and water and medicine to our own citizens, within our own borders. If it weren’t for American citizens, church and civic groups, doing everything they can, and the positive training our school children are receiving in learning how to give, I’d be one ashamed American right now. My opinion of our President has sunk lower than even I thought possible.

We were planning on going to our farm in TN this weekend. With the hike in gas prices we decided not to make the trip. Writer friend Ronii Grace (www.thehatlady.blogspot.com and http://legacyofsilence.com) and her husband have offered to drive over to our place and check for damage from the remnants of Katrina. They’ve recently moved to KY from OK. I’m feeling blessed to have made such good friends over the Internet.

And so, I’m as confused now as I was when I began this entry to my blog. Confused, angry, frustrated, mourning for the dead, praying for the survivors.

After hubby got home from work tonight, he got a call from his boss, asking him to work this holiday weekend. The extra money will increase our donation to the Red Cross to help our neighbors to the south. Our prayers are already with them.

Delegating Is Good For the Soul?

I’ve been on a mission. A mission to tame the stacks of paper that accumulate while we sleep. Surely, those nasty little elves must come into our home in the middle of the night to add to the stacks!

There is a stack for potential sites to publish my work. This is left over from before I started the Master List of Markets in my Word program. This new list is alphabetized by genre and really is a neat thing to have.

There is a stack for information gathered that might be handy when writing articles. This stack is left over from before I started the Master List of Saved Info in my Word program.

There is the stack of paperwork gleaned from virtually everywhere regarding publishers who might be interested in one of the two novels in process. Of course I now have a Master List for that, too.

And there is the stack of prescription receipts and general paperwork. UGH! And the stack of junk mail. And the stack of ads and “offers” from our vendors. And the stack of miscellaneous paperwork.

I’m please to say each piece of paper is now in a designated file folder, neatly labeled and alphabetized for easy retrieval, dutifully separated into “business” and “personal”. OR, it’s been sent to that place where used paper goes to compost and recreate itself.

And since I’ve waded through these piles that would have easily measured two feet high, I’ve let hubby know I’d be more than happy to let him organized the basket full of receipts. After a short period of “confusion” about how it should be done, he’s gone to work on his project.

In honesty, I’m not sure which task is/has been the most daunting. That basket of receipts is from the beginning of the year and must be separated by cash, debit card, and four different credit cards. Some of the print is barely legible.

Just wait until I tell him AFTER the sorting is done, that each pile must be matched up to the bank/credit card statement by month. Then it must be posted in Quicken by category.

I wonder just how long before he decides to let me finish the task…

We’re up to our necks in packing boxes here in Ohio. Hubby has assembled a crew willing to help with the lifting and hauling. Since the temperatures have been soaring in the mid-nineties with a heat index of 104+ all week, the refrigerators at both the old and new apartments have been stocked with bottled water to keep us hydrated.

I’m forcing myself not to think about how hot it is at our farm in Tennessee. I used to envy my friends who had summer and winter homes, a time share here and there. Not anymore. It’s tough having more than one home. I now understand why one acquaintance insisted on using the same wallpaper in each of their homes.

I’ve spent several hours this past week with lists of contacts. Changing one’s address at the post office doesn’t suffice anymore. There are Internet routers and cable boxes to return so we can get new ones at the new address, bank accounts to manage, and prescription services to move from one pharmacy to another. As we age, it seems there are a multitude of doctors and other medical providers who must be notified. Emails have been sent to editors, other writers, organizations we belong to, and family and friends, notifying them of the change of address. Thankfully, we’ve kept the same cell phone numbers for the last ten years! Even our cat has a contact list to be managed!

We’re in good company, though. Our friend Ronii and her family made it safely from Oklahoma to Kentucky yesterday, with all of their worldly goods. And Lee, a long-term friend in Washington state has sold her big house and will be moving to smaller quarters on the 11th. I’m sure there will be plenty to commiserate!

Blatant Self-promotion

Check out my article that was published in Hard Hat News print magazine in June. Here's the link: http://www.hardhat.com/hh0610/THRU.html

Let me know what you think! linda@lindajhutchinson.com

BTW, the pictures were taken with my 35mm, nineteen year old, Vivitar.

Progress...Sheesh!

We finally replaced my old computer yesterday. I’d had it for about six years and I really wasn’t ready to give it up. But, I’d been using hubby’s all the while we’d been in Ohio and had gotten quite accustomed to having things work correctly—without double screen images that jiggled as I tried to read them, with images that loaded in less than 3 minutes, and to not being told I was out of memory.

The only reason we hooked mine up is that Michael will be working vacation relief for the next two weeks. He’s doing the superintendent’s graveyard shift at a large Kroger grocery store remodel. This meant I couldn’t pound away at the keys in my make-shift office in the bedroom of our small apartment during the day, because he’ll be sleeping. (I REALLY miss my office back at the farm!) And I couldn’t get my trusty drill and poke holes wherever necessary to run new cables. I had to work with what had already been installed. That’s tough for a woman who believes every woman should own a reciprocating saw, a six foot level, and a worm drive circular saw—and know how to use them.

Since we had brought my office furniture from the farm over the Memorial Day weekend, we hooked my old HP up in the living room. It felt comfortable to have my desk and chair and bookcase. I’d already removed a couple of dead moths from the Brother printer/scanner/fax/copier, but it still wasn’t working. That was sort of depressing, but my computer was still—I won’t say “humming” because that would be an outright lie—but it was ker-chinging and ker-chunking along.

It was the software that was the primary issue. I couldn’t load FrontPage 2003 because my MS Office was too old. And I couldn’t load it up with new software because there wasn’t enough memory. Like a favorite blanket, the time had come to give it up.

Off we went to BestBuy on the Fourth of July. Sad, isn’t it, that we had nothing better to do on a three day weekend? Anyway it all boiled down to whether I wanted a Celeron or AMD processor. My geeky kid hates Celeron and loves AMD, and since I have to call him on a semi-regular basis with computer issues, thought it best to go with the AMD. Because we’re saving up for retirement, rather than slapping the purchase onto a credit card, we waited until the bank opened on Tuesday so we could pay cash.

For a price less than what it would have cost to purchase more RAM, a new monitor, new MS Office, and new QuickBooks to load into the old PC, I now had a whole new system sitting on my Mission style desk. It looked good.

My old computer had been easy to network to Michael’s computer. I loaded the router software into it and it accepted it and did exactly what it was supposed to do. Hmmm.

After about five hours of total frustration, and I mean the near-tears kind of frustration, I was finally able to get all the network IDs and various settings to match up. The router software finally loaded onto the new computer and at 9:00 last night, I was fully hubbed to the network. It took much digging through the archives of my mind to find just the right files and pieces of information to make it all work, but finally it did, and I was up and running on my new computer.

My printer still doesn’t work—I’ll be taking it apart next to see what else may have nested in there while it sat unused at the farm.

The Dung that is My Web Host

I'm your standard run of the mill Taurus. I'm stubborn, plodding, and can be patient to the point of causing excrutiating pain to my nemesis. My nemesis is my web host.

The past five days have been a tornado of emotions; anger, humiliation, more anger, frustration, and--finally--acceptance that I'd been duped and now need to move on. My patience has been tested to the core. Perhaps it's the knowing I've been paying a company to shaft me that has been the most painful.

A year ago, with the help of my former daughter-in-law, we built a small website that was to focus on my writing ambitions. A few weeks ago I changed it completely after taking the free online classes at GNC (for details, see "Exercising My Mind" at www.seniorweblogs.com). I was using it for marketing purposes.

Five days ago my new website disappeared from the 'Net. I have no idea why it disappeared, but it was probably due, at least in part, to operator error--mine. In the course of asking for "help" from my web host I discovered they don't give "help". Since then, I've also discovered they were only "renting" me the domain name I thought I had purchased, have retained ownership of the domain name, and are now holding it hostage.

When my traipse through the dung is finished, I will be changing hosts. There may or may not be a domain name change. I'll post updated information at all three of my blogs.

During this ordeal I've been fortunate to have had the support of the fabulous women writers in my critique group, my loving husband, and a man I've only met through the web development classes--who is a tech/web genius and has vowed to stick by my side until this mess is unraveled. I know God has watched over me and there are good things to come. This is merely a stumble on the road to success.

When choosing the next web host, I will be asking many more questions than I did with this one. I'll be making sure the new host has customer support via telephone. I'll be purchasing my domain name--and receiving written confirmation that I own it. This time around I have something I didn't have a year ago; a multitude of trusted online friends to call on for guidance.

Revenge isn't my goal, which is why I haven't posted the web host's name.

Website Down

My website is still down. Since it's 2:42 on Thursday morning, it's now been down for 3 days. I've received 2 emails from the host; one asking me if I had typed in the correct URL, and one saying they were not able to re-create my problem. What is so hard to understand? The site isn't there! Every error message tells me it is the host's problem.

Since they have no telephone customer support, and return emails seem to take at least a day, I've given them until noon June 30 to fix the problem or I'm going to another host--one that has phone support.

I've been very careful to not give the name of my host, but if I do have to go to all the trouble of transfering my domain name and site, I will tell everyone I know just how bad the service is. And I WILL name names. My writing business is dependent on having a website up and running.

Other news: I plan to be the first customer at the new Walgreen's store in Lancaster, OH, opening Thursday, June 30. I'll need to be there by 7--I can get in early only because my husband built it. Since I must be politically correct in shopping at the stores he builds, it's only fair that I get to be the first!

My website is still down

This is day 3 of my wait for customer support from my web host. I'll readily admit the problem is most likely "operator error", but I fail to understand why my host (who accepts my money every month) has not contacted me to help fix the problem.

I've attempted to upload the site again, to no avail. I've attempted to locate my site, to no avail. It is as if it just vaporized.

Is there a host out there in cyberspace that knows what good customer service/customer support is? I'm ready to take my small business down the road IF such an animal exists.

Website is down again

My website is down once again. I'll have it back up and running as soon as I can FINALLY get some customer support--or go to another host. Please bear with me.

Globalization

I've spent considerable time attempting to understand "globalization" and the trickle down effects it has on local communities. I'm dating myself, because "trickle down" is a Reagan-era term. Just about the time I think I understand "outsourcing" and "offshoring", I find another article that adds a new wrinkle to my understanding.

I don't often post the work of others. And I never intentionally plagerize. However (the proverbial "but"), when my brother-in-law sent the following to me yesterday it made globalization so easy to understand I wanted to pass it along.

There was no signature line and I have no idea who the author is. If you know who wrote it, please fill me in and full credit will be given.


INTERNATIONAL THINKING AT ITS BEST!

Question: What is the truest definition of Globalization?
Answer: Princess Diana's death.

Question: How come?
Answer: An English princess with an Egyptian boyfriend crashes in a French tunnel, driving a German car with a Dutch engine, driven by a Belgian who was drunk on Scottish whisky, (check the bottle before you change the spelling) followed closely by Italian Paparazzi, on Japanese motorcycles; treated by an American doctor, using Brazilian medicines.

This is sent to you by an American, using Bill Gates's technology, and you're probably reading this on your computer, that uses Taiwanese chips, and a Korean monitor, is assembled by Bangladeshi workers in a Singapore plant, transported by Indian lorry-drivers, hijacked by Indonesians, unloaded by Sicilian longshoremen, and trucked to you by Mexicans.

That, my friends, is Globalization.

Anonymous Author

I would love to give credit where credit is due. Since the above was inbedded in an email, I have no idea who the author is or how to trace it back. Hope you enjoyed it just the same.

The Hooker

I'm always on the lookout for new and different ways to market my freelance writing and copywriting business. I scour the online job boards regularly, and respond to many of the listings.

A couple of weeks ago I responded to a generic advertisement for copywriters who could write short articles for newsletters, which were to be sent to the advertiser's clients.

I responded to this ad and several others with my standard inquiry, included the addresses for my website and blogs and a couple of samples of my work. I expected their response to say they were looking for someone to write articles on a regular basis. These assignments generally don't pay much, but if there isn't a lot of research to be done for the articles, the volume makes up for it. This often turns into a steady income stream and another client to list on my website.

The first response I got was a very long (cut and pasted) email explaining that she was looking for freelance writers who didn't have huge egos and expect to be paid the "ridiculous" fee of $85 an hour, to write short articles to include in her newsletters. As I continued reading the first page, about three-quarters of the way down, she mentioned that she didn't use the term "prostitute" very often, but it was "sometimes necessary". She went on to explain that whoever she hired must be open-minded.

My interest piqued, I read on. She made it clear her business wasn't "prostitution per se" (her words), but to sell books on how to open and operate an escort service. The information she would sell included: how to open a legitimate merchant bank account, how to apply for and be granted the ability to take credit cards, how to legally advertise in phone books and newspapers, and how to avoid arrests.

She must have known what she was talking about because her books were selling for $70 each, or one could purchase the whole "system" for a mere $380. A link directed me to her website where she had no less than a dozen "testimonials" from satisfied customers.

While the possible ramifications of aiding and abetting a crime ran through my head, and without any intention of actually writing for her, I responded.

It seemed very important to her that whoever she hired owned adequate equipment in the way of computer system, phone lines, printers/scanners, and a litany of other demands. I assured her that I owned all the necessary equipment, and to prove I "wasn't afraid to" give her my phone number--as stipulated in her email--I gave her my cell number.

Her response to this email was so defensive, I couldn't help myself. I shot her another email, again stating my qualifications to write for her, even though I "had no interest what-so-ever in opening or operating an escort service". She shot back telling me that she was not only NOT going to hire me, but I had been blocked from ever emailing her again.

You just can't please all the people all the time. I wonder how much she charges per hour for her "work".

A Writer Writes

I'd never really thought much about blogging until I received the invitation from AARP to blog for them, and to assist in the start-up of their new blog site. It has been fun, encouraging, engaging, inspiring, occasionally daunting, and sometimes stressful. Stressful only when the week is ending and I haven't fulfilled my weekly obligation of writing three posts. You can view my AARP blog at www.seniorweblogs.com. I'm hutchlj. The daunting part comes in when I realize I'm old enough to write for AARP.

I've always loved to write. Even when holding down a full-time job and raising my children, any time there was an opportunity to write press releases or newspaper or trade journal pieces for my many volunteer/community activities, I jumped at the chance. It wasn't until this past year that I've been able to turn that love into a full-time vocation. My husband Michael is my biggest supporter.

Creative non-fiction, essays, ghostwriting, magazine and trade journal articles, and copywriting, pay the bills. In my spare time I fully immerse myself in the writing of my novels. I have two mysteries in process.

At present I'm taking three online classes in website design so I can renovate my author's website. It will be undergoing major changes in the next few weeks. Stop by and take a look from time to time. www.lindajhutchinson.com

I'm also attempting to paint portraits of my grandsons. I can't seem to get the five year old's mouth just right. My daughter says it's because his mouth isn't running...