FREE eBOOKS
by Delvin "MadDuck" Shrout

    Coming soon to your favorite desktop!! .....more

ADDICTED AMERICANS
by Marie Villarreal

In the interests of full disclosure, I admit that my current addictions are to L'Occitane lavender scent from Provence, Shalimar from Paree, prime time television, anything sweet, and raw almonds. But after watching the Super Bowl, that veritable monument to American addiction, I stopped to wonder if there isn't anything that we Americans aren't addicted to. .....more

IS IT FAUX OR FAKE?
by Charlie "Chuck" Odessa

I begin my gripping by taking a snipe at the fashion world. As Hans Christian Anderson began his story, "Once upon a time there lived a vain Emperor whose only worry in life was to dress in elegant clothes changing them almost every hour. He loved showing off to his people. .....more

MY BROTHERS' KEEPER
by Martin "Marty" Crenshaw

I have known Joe Coraldi, a Monk, for a long time. Recently he turned 93 years old. Besides one fall a couple of years ago. which broke his nose and put out some teeth, he is in general good health. I met him several years ago through relatives of mine when he called them to compliment an article of mine, which ran in the local newspaper. He and his Abbot were so impressed that they invited me to their rectory quarters for a benediction. .....more

DON'T SWEAT YOUR WEIGHT LOSS!
by Alcamo "Al" Passagento

Our last article on dieting the fast way has generated a lot of e-mail! .....more

THE BIRTH AND DEATH OF THE SENSATIONAL JOURNALIST
by Marie Villarreal

Whenever my local paper prints something that angers its readers, they always fire off letters to the editor certain to contain two things, the words, "you're trying to cultivate sensationalism," and the phrase, "you're just trying to sell more papers." But it's a red herring to say that newspapers choose news items with an eye to selling more papers. If they weren't to do that then how would they survive to service you better? And it is true that they mostly print news to fill up the white space between the advertisements. Advertising is what oils the wheels that make the machine go round. .....more

A ROSE FOR THE ACTOR AND COGNAC FOR THE BARD
by Genviev Pannos

Much older now than when he first appeared in 1949, a gentleman arrives in the churchyard. There, each year about this time, at Edgar Allan Poe's graveside, he carries out a tradition in the very early hours of January 19th, Poe's birthday. Dressed in black and wearing a white scarf, he leaves three roses and a half bottle of cognac. No one has tried to identify the mysterious stranger but they do try to guess the symbolism in the graveside tribute of roses. The cognac, just a half of a bottle, seems to have no direct significance to the poet nor does reference to it appear in his works, according to Jeff Jerome, curator of the Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum. .....more

HEADING OFF PROBLEMS - Part 3
by Mac Meguire

PART 3 - We have come to the end of our series on troubleshooting your vehicle. I placed the most expensive of your repairs just before the end to avoid your going into shock and possibly losing you as a reader. The TROUBLESHOOTING section is to bring you down to earth slowly and allow you to breathe easier. .....more

THE EDITOR; BANE TO WRITERS
by Jericho Van Orman

Seasoned readers of Our newsletter, PressPoints, will be aware of how earnestly we avoid even the slightest mention of anything topical. It isn't pusillanimity but simple common sense. Writing a week ahead of publication, how could I possibly advise you to buy any money making stocks when, for all I know, the shares might have come down a tad in value before you can act on my advice? .....more

WHY YOU MIGHT WANT TO ABANDON YOUR NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS
by Roy "Cliff" Evans

If you've already abandoned your New Year's resolutions, you're not alone. Research shows that while people are well meaning when they make resolutions -- almost always targeted at self-improvement -- they often set themselves up for failure by committing themselves to too much change too quickly. Then, when the desired changes such as weight loss or quitting smoking don't occur immediately, people get discouraged and revert to what is familiar. .....more

WHY DO WE OR DON'T WE GAMBLE?
by Ha3ry Giusto

Well, last month I promised you a survey and here it is. Some of my questions fell on deaf ears but most of them were answered in more depth than I had anticipated. Generally I found that most people were interested in the subject and the questions and eager to supply answers. To avoid any bias in these results I carefully avoided questioning anyone I saw gambling and did not include in my survey anyone I knew in advance to be a gambler. So, let's take the apron off the table and get answers to some questions. Here are the surprising results. .....more

THE GREATEST RACE ON EARTH
by Nathaniel "Nate" Yaekel

This installment of the logistics of the Great Iditerod Race is the last in my series, except for the running of the 2002 Race, an article that I'll write FOR our April PressPoints Newsletter. In this month's issue, we'll continue where we left off in the February Issue. .....more

THE AGE OF FABULOUS WOMEN
by Garrison "Garry" Minstone

March is fabulous women's month. But back when I was in high school girls hardly ever played sports. Swimming was about the only sport I remembered them being able to indulge in. So now I watch with awe and joy as those young Olympic women fly into the air on snowboards, turn somersaults on skis, or race down silvery ice on thighs as powerful as steel girders, or shoot and ski and race and pant and sweat and win and lose in front of the entire world. Yes, I keeping thinking, we have finally entered the age of fabulous women. And I'll tell you that that doesn't hurt my feelings none! .....more