Replies

Before I Go...
When my life has reached its very end, And I take that final breath; I want to know I've left behind, Some "good" before my death.
I hope that in my final hour, In all honesty I can say: That somewhere in my lifetime, I have brightened someone's day.
That maybe I have brought a smile To someone else's face, And made one moment a little sweeter While they dwelled here in this place.
Lord, please be my reminder And whisper softly in my ear ... To be a "giver," not a "taker," In the years I have left here.
Give to me the strength I need, Open up my mind and my soul That I might show sincere compassion, And love to others before I go.
For if not a heart be touched by me, And not a smile was left behind ... Then the life that I am blessed with, Will have been a waste of time.
With all my heart, I truly hope To leave something here on earth ... That touched another, made them smile And gave to my life ... worth.
~ Author Unknown ~
Please Send This To All Your Friends

Talks have been on and off about ways to control the spam storms that affect all of us. The idea of e-mail postage is getting a closer look from Microsoft and Yahoo, the owners of the two largest e-mail systems in the world.

Last month, Bill Gates, Microsoft’s chairman, told the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland that spam wouldn't be a problem in a couple of years, in part because of systems that would require people to pay money to send e-mail. Yahoo is currently evaluating an e-mail postage plan being developed by Goodmail, a Silicon Valley startup company.

Currently, there is no cost or hurdle to sending e-mail. Yahoo’s manager for communications products, Brad Garlinghouse, is reported to be very intrigued by the idea of postage as it would force mailers to send only those offers that a significant number of people might buy.

The talks have included ideas about creating technology standards to help identify the senders of legitimate e-mail, thus forcing spammers to identify themselves or risk users discarding all anonymous e-mail.

One of the ideas being discussed is to allow each recipient to set the price for an e-mail to enter his or her mailbox. They would have the option to waive costs for friends, relatives, and other senders that the user wants to receive e-mail from.

Some experts have concerns that big-time spammers might still opt to pay the postage because of the income generated from mass mailings.

It is too bad that just a very small number in any group, as always, can ruin a great thing for every one else. Hopefully some of the best anti-spam ideas being discussed will be implemented so we can all live without tons of junk e-mail flooding our inboxes!

So don't be surprized to see some kind of developments along these lines in the not too distant future.