I think that is the situation with a lot of people especially with the uncertainty in Iraq. Whatever is going to happen I wish they would just get on with it. We have a nephew who was supposed to be home from the Marines since his four years was up. At least he is still on Okinawa and not in the Middle East. Whatever your thoughts about the war please support our soldiers.

Thank you for agreeing to receive our ezine. Please feel free to forward this issue to your friends. Comments and article submissions are always welcome. Our email address is solidgoldhome@charter.net. If you wish to subscribe or view past issues please visit our website at http://www.solidgoldhomebusiness.com.

Wayne and Carolyn Patterson

----------------------------------------

Article – Are Your Toes Bruised?

Commentary – Here a Lawsuit, There a Lawsuit, Everywhere a Lawsuit

The Necessity of a Website

Article – Identity Theft, How to Avoid Online Scams

Computer Tips and Downloads

Interesting Links

Fr*e ebooks

------------------------------------------------------

Are YOUR Toes Bruised?

by Cathy Bryant

What a question! What's THAT supposed to mean? I ask the question because so many people today who profess to be interested in operating their own business spend far too much time "tire-kicking." While I would never underestimate the importance of exercising due diligence when investigating any type of business or income opportunity, there comes a time when you simply have to make a decision and act upon it. Let's face it...no one business is right for everyone. We all have different interests, different abilities, different financial goals. But one thing's for certain...you'll never get off the ground if you sit on your hands!

Take my own experience, for instance. I started with an idea, a concept. I wanted to help others learn that with a little knowledge and a lot of sweat equity, anyone with the desire can earn an income from home. This is not the first business I've operated from home; far from it. My first foray into the home-business scene was with a direct sales company called Discovery Toys. At that time it was in its infancy (as a matter of fact, I was the very first representative in my home state of Mississippi). For those of you not familiar with Discovery Toys, it markets educational toys and games through a variety of sales methods. It also provides an opportunity for residual income by building your own sales force. I chose to only do sales, and I did very well with it. Why? Not because I sat around wondering IF it would work; I just did it!

Another business I operated from home was as a tutor for young children whose parents wanted them to learn how to use a computer. I invested in a computer and software and marketed my business to day cares and preschools as an optional service to those parents willing to pay for it. Once again, I took a chance...and it paid off. But it didn't happen by accident, and it didn't happen overnight.

You can spend your time analyzing the daylights out of each and every venture, but I can assure you that if you do, at some point you'll convince yourself that it just won't work! And you know what? It WON'T work unless you are confident in your ability to succeed.

Here's another news flash...when you do start your own business, you're going to make some mistakes. If you're not willing to learn from those mistakes and use that knowledge to improve yourself and your business, then maybe you'd just better stay in that 9-to-5 job.

Operating your own business involves risk-taking and decision-making; no one can tell you exactly how to run your business. If you're looking for someone to answer every question for you, make every decision, and show you EXACTLY what to do every step of the way, you don't need to be in business for yourself.

Getting started is the hardest part, but once you do, don't look back. You'll get discouraged and want to give up, but you have to hang in there. The rewards are many. Like...not having any more bruised toes!

Cathy Bryant has been teaching others how to succeed in their own home businesses since the last century! Visit her website to learn about a wide variety of home-business options, and subscribe to her unique newsletter, the HomeBizJunction Herald. http://www.homebizjunction.com

---------------------------------------------------

Here a Lawsuit, There a Lawsuit, Everywhere a Lawsuit

Over 95% of all lawsuits filed in the entire world are filed in the United States. A recent survey placed the fear of frivolous lawsuits in the top ten concerns of small businessmen. This is understandable when lawsuits are filed because eating at McDonald’s has made you fat! Now you can even be sued for making a police report. Consider the following news story from Clemson, SC. I personally know some of the people being sued.

Police in Clemson, S.C., received a report that a man in a vehicle had tried to run down a pedestrian. When officers arrived, they spotted Ron Brown, 23, racing away from the scene. They gave chase, but Brown refused to pull over. With police on his tail during the 4:00 a.m. pursuit, Brown drove into a construction site -- and drove off the end of a bridge under construction. Now his father, Bob Brown, has filed a wrongful death suit against the City of Clemson, whose police chased his son and "forced" him to drive into a "dangerous construction zone"; the Thrift Brothers Construction Co., which did not have sufficient signs and barriers to stop a crazed man who was fleeing the police; the South Carolina Department of Transportation, for failing to properly "inspect and supervise" the construction company working on the highway bridge; the apartment complex where the chase started; and the apartment complex employee who called the police in the first place. It asks for unspecified "actual and punitive damages."

Now you can be sued for just making a police report. I don’t know if the Apartment complex will provide their employee with an attorney. If not he could face thousands of dollars in legal costs. The American Bar Association says: "Americans have come to view legal assistance as a necessity. The best way for the majority of Americans to be able to assure themselves of legal assistance when they need it... is through a prepaid legal plan." Check out the remarkably simple solution to your legal problems at

http://www.prepaidlegal.com/info/carolynpatterson

----------------------------------------

The Necessity of a Website

From landscape designer to cartoon artist, from an accountant with special knowledge of tax havens to a trainer (of just about anything), you can use the Web to build your client base.

The possibilities are endless. And whether your clients are "local" (ex., a fitness trainer) or "global" (someone who indexes books) in nature, the Service Sellers Masters Course shows you how to use the Net to build a client base in a fast, cost-effective way... whether you are starting from scratch or already in business offline.

The Service Sellers Masters Course details the process for building a Web site that positions your service for success on the Net. Everything is covered -- from positioning... to building a credible relationships through high-value trust-producing content... to submitting and tracking results at the Search Engines... to publishing an e-zine... to using word-of-mouth "buzz" and lots, lots more. To get your fr*e copy of the Service Sellers Masters Course send an email to

tsmssolidgold2@sitesell.net

---------------------------------------

Identity Theft – How to Avoid Online Scams

by Wayne Patterson

The internet is rapidly becoming the weapon of choice for the scam artist. It allows them to perfect their sting while contacting thousands of potential targets with little chance of running afoul of the long arm of the law. Using the anonymity of the web and the ability to cross state and international boundaries with the single click of a mouse they have insulated themselves from retribution- well almost. This article is for those of you who participate in online auctions, a ripe area for the scam artist.

By now you should all be aware of the Nigerian scam where a rich Nigerian promises to reward you for helping him move millions out of the country. The reason it is continuing is because there are still people who will fall for anything. Recently a man in Czechlosvakia who had lost his life savings to the scam stormed the Nigerian Embassy and shot two people, killing 50-year-old Nigerian consul Michael Lekara Wayid. Taking advantage of the Iraq conflict a similar letter is now circulating purportedly from the son of a slain Iraqi businessman. Typical copies of these letters are posted on our website at

http://www.solidgoldhomebusiness.com/Nigerian-scam.html

These letters are obviously fakes. However a new wrinkle has been added that is fooling thousands. Auction sellers are being paid with cashier’s checks that are for more than the purchase price. The checks are authentic enough to fool bank tellers who assure customers that the checks are legitimate. Since the bank has placed the money in their account most customers fell safe in refunding the overpayment, usually to an overseas Nigerian account. However, weeks later, the bank notifies the victim that the check was a forgery and makes them pay. This scam originally was targeted to people selling large ticket items such as cars but was so successful that it has been expanded to smaller items. Shaun Mosch was a typical victim and has started a website to inform the public. You can read Shaun’s story at http://www.geocities.com/scamvictimsunited/

Another common scam revolves around bogus emails purportedly from Earthlink, Ebay, PayPal, AOL, or any other firm that you have an online account. The latest e-mails tell recipients that their PayPal accounts have been randomly selected for maintenance and placed on “Limited Access” status. The message, which appears to come from info@paypal.com, instructs the account holder to enter credit card and bank account numbers in an online form embedded in the e-mail. The email contains the official PayPal logo an authentitic looking fine print. AOL spokesman Nicholas Graham said so-called “billing scams” are an unfortunate fact of cyber life. “They’re like the nasty colds and flus of the Internet.”

Internet providers will never send you an email asking for personal information. Don’t let familiar logos copied from the official sites lull you into a sense of security. Like the cashier checks, crooks are getting better at forging sites that will trap the unwary.

-----------------------------------------

COMPUTER TIPS

Windows CleanUp! Utility homepage http://cleanup.stevengould.org/

Free Computer Help.. Good Site

http://www.computerhope.com/

------------------------------------------

INTERESTING LINKS

The EzineXchange - Your Source For Free Newsletters http://ezinexchange.com/index.html?m=69207902

http://www.trafficschoolonline.com/?lcode=4013 - An online traffic school now available in some states.

http://www.stellaawards.com - Your source for the true story behind the ridiculous lawsuits being filed in our courts.

----------------------------------------

FR*E EBOOKS

For The Bluelight Special send a blank email to

bluelightspecial@sendfree.com

For Ebay Marketing Secrets send a blank email to

solidgoldebay@sendfree.com

------------------------------------------------