The Window

              A young couple moves into a new neighbourhood.

              The next morning, while they are eating breakfast, the young woman sees her neighbour hangs the wash outside. “That laundry is not very clean,” she said. “She doesn’t know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she need better laundry soap.”

              Her husband looks on, but remains silent.

              Every time her neighbour hangs her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comments.

              About one month later, the woman is surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and says to her husband: “Look! She has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this.”

              The husband says, “I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows!”

              And so it is with life: What we see, when watching others, depends on the purity of the window through which we look. Before we give any criticism, it might be a good idea to check our state of mind, and ask ourselves if we are ready to see the good, rather than looking for something in the person to judge.

Shades Of Sunset

For every ailment under the sun, there is a remedy or there is none. If there be one, try to find it. If there be none, never mind it. - Unknown

Old Age

Here’s one person who is comfortable with old age. And how true of what he said.

Old Age, I decided, is a gift. I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometime despair over my body, the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the sagging butt. And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror (who looks like my father!), but I don't agonize over those things for long.

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less grey hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend.

I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon?

I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60 & 70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love I will.

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set. They, too, will get old one day.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning grey, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer the usual question, yes, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day. (If I feel like it)

- Author Unknown

A Hot Cup Of Tea To Calm Those Sniffles

The claim: Hot liquids can ease symptoms of a cold or flu.

The facts: Like ice for a burn or a lozenge for a cough, a cup of tea is an age-old balm for the sniffles, sneezing and stuffiness.

              Hot liquids, it is said, help loosen secretions in the chest and sinuses, making them easier to expel and ultimately clearing up congestion.

              The fluids are also meant to reverse dehydration.

              However, only recently have scientist examined whether the effect is real in December, researchers at the Common Cold Centre at Cardiff University in Britain looked at whether hot beverages relieved the symptoms of 30 people suffering from the flu or common cold any better than drinks at room temperature. They found that t the contrast was marked.

              “The hot drink provided immediate and sustained relief from symptoms of runny nose, cough, sneezing, sore throat, chilliness and tiredness,” they reported, “ whereas the same drink at room temperature only provided relief from symptoms of runny nose, cough and sneezing.”

              While this was the first study to look specifically at the effects of hot drinks on cold and flu symptoms, others have looked at hot foods like chicken soup and had similar results.

              Chicken soup also contains cold-fighting compounds that help dissolve mucus in the lungs and suppress inflammation.

The bottom line: Research confirms that a hot beverage can reduce congestion and other cold and flu symptoms.

- The New York Times 

The Way To The Perfect Life

Life demands that we grow in every way: mentally, psychically, and spiritually. We must develop our full potential as human beings and use these gifts for the benefit of ourselves and others. There is a perfect ideal for man to reach in life and the Cosmic directs, guides, and urges us along the path to attain this ideal. No experience in our life is insignificant. Each change and experience we have always has a purpose in moulding our character and bringing forward various latent aspects of our personality.

Like the rose in full bloom whose each and every petal must unfold, and so must every one of our faculties and abilities be developed.

When change and experience come into our lives, we should try to gain the most from what they offer. We should welcome certain changes from which we know we can gain much needed experience.

The way to the perfect life is something which we individually have to discover and then set out to master.

- Author Unknown 

Missing The Picture

              Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson went on a camping trip. After a good meal and a bottle of wine, they lay down for the night and went to sleep. 

              Some hours later, Holmes awoke and nudged his faithful friend. “Watson, look up and tell me what you see.” 

              Watson replied, “I see millions and millions of stars.”

              “What does that tell you?” 

              Watson pondered for a minute. “Astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, I observed that Saturn is in Leo. Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three. Theologically, I can see that God is all powerful and that we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. Why, what does it tell YOU?” 

              Holmes was silent for a minute, then spoke. “Watson, you idiot. Some jerk has stolen our tent.”

Leo Buscaglia on Death

Death teaches us that in the long run nothing belongs to us. Even if we desire to form permanent attachments or possess, we in truth cannot. Things will break in spite of us. People will depart when it is their time no matter how loudly we protest. A knowledge of death can give one a deep feeling of freedom – both from attachment to self, as well as attachment to others and things. The less we are attached to, the less we have to worry about. 

Death also teaches us the impermanence of all things. All things change. All things die. This is true in nature as well as in human life. Even granite mountains crumble into dust just as the most beautiful of past kingdoms have left only silent stones to surround their mystery. To be attached to things or people, both of which will surely vanish, can only bring despair, for eventually one is left with only a handful of dust or a frail memory. 

When we can embrace death as simply another aspect of the life cycle, we will give appreciation and value to each life encounter knowing that it will never occur again. And each of these moments will be the source of what we shall know as our lifetime. 

Death is the greatest of life’s teachers. It is only the ignorant and those who are afraid to live who fear it. The wise accept Death as their intimate friend and most gracious teacher. To be fully active an fully functioning as a person we must make death a life long friend. 

We can think of death as something that stalks us all our lives or we can see it as a reminder that our time is precious. 

- Leo Buscaglia 

Death

Most people do not like to talk about death. Those who are superstitious believe that it is bad luck to talk about death while those who fear death feel that if they leave death alone and not talk about it, they will be safe. 

Death is a fact of life. Whatever your station in life, the time will come when death takes you by the hand.

It would be best to be able to die in your sleep. But unfortunately, we do not have a choice or say in this matter. 

Death is not to be feared. Death is to be understood. Death and life are but the two ends of the same process. We were born, and we die. All living things are subject to this life process. 

Humour

How To Survive A Heart Attack

How to survive a heart a heart attack when alone?

Since many people are alone when they suffer a heart attack, without help, the person whose heart is beating improperly and who begins to feel faint, has only about 10 seconds left before losing conscious.

What to do?

Answer: Do not panic, but start coughing repeatedly and very vigorously. A deep breath should be taken before each cough - the cough must be deep and prolonged as when producing sputum from deep inside the chest.

A breath and a cough must be repeated about every 2 seconds without let-up. Until help arrives or until the heart is felt to be beating normally again.

Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing movements squeeze the heart and keep the blood circulating. The squeezing pressure on the heart also helps it regain normal rhythm. In this way, heart attack victims can get to hospital.

- Source Unknown 

Drinking Tea

The video is a bit long but a good lesson on Life

The Silent Treatment

A man and his wife were having some problems at home and were giving each other the silent treatment. Suddenly, the man realized that the next day, he would need his wife to wake him at five AM for an early morning business flight. Not wanting to be the first to break the silence (and lose), he wrote on a piece of paper, “Please wake me at five AM.”

He left it where he knew she would find it. The next morning, the man awoke, only to discover it was nine AM and he had missed his flight. Furious, he was about to go and see why his wife had not awakened him when he noticed a piece of paper by the bed.

The message on the paper read, “It is five AM. Wake up.”

Love

Love is friendship that has caught fire. It is quiet understanding, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad times. It settles for less than perfection and makes allowances for human weaknesses. 

Love is content with the present, it hopes for the future, and it does not brood over the past. It's the day-in and day-out chronicle of irritations, problems, compromises, small disappointments, big victories and working toward common goals. 

If you have love in your life, it can make up for a great many things that are missing. If you don't have love in your life, no matter what else there is, it's not enough. 

- Ann Landers 

True Love Can Indeed Last A Lifetime: Study

Brain scans show love and passion still burning brightly after 20 years.

Cynical about love?

              Scientists have discovered that people can have a love that lasts a lifetime.

              Brain scans have proven that a small number of couples can respond with as much passion after 20 years as most people exhibit only in the first flush of love, Britain’s Sunday Times newspaper has reported.

              The findings overturn the conventional view that love and sexual desire peak at the start of a relationship and then decline as the years pass.

              A team from Stony Brook University in New York scanned the brains of couples who had been together for 20 years and compared them with those of new lovers.

              About 10 per cent of the mature couple exhibited the same chemical reactions when shown photographs of their loved ones as people commonly do in the early stages of a relationship.

              Previous research suggested that the first stages of romantic love - a roller-coaster ride of mood swings and obsessions that psychologists call limerence – start to fade within 15 months. After 10 years, the chemical tide has ebbed away.

              Those research also laid out the “fracture points” in relationships as 12 to 15 months, three years and the infamous seven-year itch.

              The latest scans of some of the long-term couples, however reveal that elements of limerence mature enabling them to enjoy what a new report calls “intensive companionship and sexual liveliness.” 

              The researchers nicknamed the couples “swans” because they have similar mental “love maps” to animals that made for life such as swans, voles and gray foxes.

              The reactions of the “swans” to pictures of their beloved were identified on MRI brain scans as a burst of pleasure-producing dopamine more commonly seen in couples gripped in the first flush of lust.

              “The findings go against the traditional view of romance – that it drops sharply in the first decade – but we are sure it’s real,” said psychologist Arthur Aron at Stony Brook.

              Dr Aron said when he firsts interviewed people claiming they were still in love after an average of 21 years, he thought they were fooling themselves.

              “But this is what the brain scans tell us, and people can’t fake that,” he said.

Trivia

Here’s a little Trivia for you. However, I can't guarantee the accuracy of all the points. :-) 

Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king in history: 

Spades - King David 

Hearts – Charlemagne 

Clubs -Alexander, the Great 

Diamonds - Julius Caesar

If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.

In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase......... "goodnight, sleep tight."

It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which 

we know today as the honeymoon.

In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... So in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them "Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down." It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's" 

Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle" is the phrase inspired by this practice.

(On the temperature of water in wells) The reason why the water in wells becomes colder in summer is that the earth is then rarefied by the heat, and releases into the air all the heat-particles it happens to have. So, the more the earth is drained of heat, the colder becomes the moisture that is concealed in the ground. On the other hand, when all the earth condenses and contracts and congeals with the cold, then, of course, as it contracts, it squeezes out into the wells whatever heat it holds. - Lucretius 

Luckiest Guy

Wow! Lucky guy indeed!

Eat Right, Live Well – Part 4

Part 4 - For Maintaining A Healthy Weight (Last Part)

Losing or maintaining one’s weight is always a popular New Year’s resolution. To keep the kilos off this year, dieticians share some simple tips to help you keep this commitment.

1. Don’t skip meals
            Many people often try to skip a meal especially after indulging in a huge buffet spread or a heavy breakfast. That is not a good idea as the cycle of over-eating in one meal and skipping the next will cause big fluctuations in your blood glucose level and lead to even bigger hunger pangs and food cravings.
            To satisfy these hunger pangs and cravings, it is likely that you will again over-eat which will only perpetuate the unhealthy cycle.

2. Downsizing
            Where possible, order smaller portions and avoid “up-sizing” your meal. Share appetisers and desserts with your family or friends. When eating at home, portion control can also be achieved and it is as easy as using a smaller dinner plate.

3. Calories, calories, calories

              Being aware of the daily amount of calories you are consuming is always an effective way of keeping your weight in check. When one gains weigh, it is because the amount of calories consumed exceeds the amount of calories burned through daily activities and exercise.

              An easy way to check the number of calories in a food product is by reading the nutrition information panel on the packaging. If you are dining out, it is hard to estimate the number of calories in your dish, choose the food option that is likely to be lower in calories.

              If you are careful about selecting healthier choices, keep to reasonable sized portions as over-indulging on healthy foods also means additional calories you do not need.

4. Shop smart

              Before hitting the supermarket, prepare a shopping list and carefully consider each item that you include in the list.

              Stick to the list when navigating the supermarket aisles and avoid impulse buys. Timing your shopping trip well can also influence your purchases. For example, avoid going to the supermarket when you are hungry, for that is when snacks and confectionary look the most tempting.

5. Snacking between meals

              Snacking is not necessarily a bad habit provided you are smart about when and what you snack on.

              If your work is demanding or if you are physically active, light and healthy snacks in between meals can help to fuel your brain and body.

              These snacks can also prevent hunger pangs that may lead to over-eating during meal times.

              Remember to enjoy your snacks not too close t o main meal times. Good options include whole wheat crackers, trail mix, a light sandwich, fruit, yogurt or juice.

A Shadow of the Light

It has been written that, “A glass of wine once lost a kingdom; a nail turned the tide of a mighty battle, and a woman’s smile once destroyed the homes of a million people.” So It happens that little things have at times changed the course of human events. And a legend also relates that the untiring determination of a tiny spider spinning a web in an old barn gave Robert Bruce of Scotland renewed courage to return to battle and thus succeed in his mission.

But the majority of us are not marked for such historical destinies and the role we play upon the stage of life may make little impression upon the tides of a nation’s progress. Yet who can say how much the little things we do today may deeply affect the tomorrow of someone we may never know?

Greatness does not always mean fame, wealth, or power. Greatness requires more than these trappings. It is that subtle something in the innermost recesses of the self which glows like a ray from an invisible candle shedding the light of illumination into the dark night, and leaving in its wake an unforgettable essence only the heart can comprehend.

- Merle A Allison 

Why I Fired My Secretary

              Last week was my birthday and I didn’t feel very well waking up that morning. I went downstairs for breakfast hoping my wife would be pleasant and say, “Happy Birthday!”, and possible have a present for me.

              As it turned out, she barely said good morning, let alone “Happy Birthday.”

              I thought…. Well, that’s marriage for you, but the kids will remember.

              My kids came into breakfast and didn’t say a word. So when I left for the office, I was feeling pretty low and somewhat despondent.

              As I walked into my office, my secretary, Jane, said, “Good morning boss, Happy Birthday!” It felt a little better that at least someone had remembered.

              I worked until one o’clock and then Jane knocked on my door and said, “You know, it’s such a beautiful day outside, and it’s your birthday, let’s go out to lunch, just you and me.”

              I said, “Thanks Jane, that’s the greatest thing I’ve heard all day. Let’s go!” 

              We went to lunch. But we didn’t go where we normally would go. We dined instead at a little place with a private table. We had two Martinis each and I enjoyed the meal tremendously.

              On the way back to the office, Jane said, “You know, it’s such a beautiful day… We don’t need to go back to the office, do we?”

              I responded, “I guess not. What do you have in mind?”

              She said, “Let’s go to my apartment.”

              After arriving at her apartment, Jane turned to me and said, “Boss, if you don’t mind, I’m going to step into the bedroom for a moment. I’ll be right back.”

              “OK.” I nervously replied.

              She went into the bedroom and, after a couple of minutes, she came out carrying a huge Birthday Cake.… followed by my wife, kids, many of my friends and all my co-workers, all singing “Happy Birthday.” 

              And I just sat there … on the couch … Naked!

Trivia

Here’s a little Trivia for you. However, I can't guarantee the accuracy of all the points. :-)

Elephants are the only animals that cannot jump.

Honey is the only food that doesn't spoil

Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.

The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.

The winter of 1932 was so cold that Niagara Falls froze completely solid.

The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV was Fred and Wilma Flintstone

The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.

If you were to spell out numbers, you would have to go until one thousand before you find the letter "A"

Emotional pain

Emotional pain is an inevitable reality of life. Pain need not only mean discomfort but can also be utilized as a positive force for growth in humanness. A life without pain, if such a life were possible, would be but part of a life; for pain and joy are interrelated, at times dependent one upon the other, in certain circumstances growing one from the other.

Emotional pain is largely self made. It does not arise, as we so often presume, from the actions of others, a negative situation or an unhappy occurrence. It is our personal reaction to these things. It is not others and other things which caused our unhappiness. It is ourselves. In a very real sense, we are directly responsible for our pain. 

We may either agonize over our human condition and curse our friends, family, society and God, whom we feel are responsible for it, or we may choose to accept it and do something constructive and personal to ameliorate it. 

One decision will continue to create useless pain, the other will bring solutions to it. We may feel hopeless depression at the thought of our inevitable old age and death, a depression which will deprive us of present possibilities for life; or we may see the existence of these phenomena as an incentive to improve the quality of our lives now. 

A personal rejection may be taken as an insurmountable barrier and a reason for self-pity and hate, or as an incentive for looking more closely and critically at our behaviour as a means of correcting and thus, attempting to change the behaviour of others towards us. The choice s are ours to make. 

- Leo Buscaglia 

Today

Today I will delete from my diary two days: yesterday and tomorrow. Yesterday was to learn and tomorrow will be the consequence of what I can do today.

Today is the last opportunity I have to live intensely, as no one can assure me that I will see tomorrow’s sunrise.

Today I will be brave enough not to let any opportunity pass me by.

Today I will invest my most valuable resource: my time.

Today I will spend each minute passionately to make today a different and unique day in my life.

Today I will defy every obstacle that appears on my way.

Today I will take the time to be happy and will leave my footprints and my presence in the hearts of others.

Today I invite you to begin a new season where we can dream that everything we undertake is possible and we fulfil it with joy and dignity.

Today I will face life with the conviction that this day will not ever return.

- Source Unknown

Lucky Moments

Perhaps this is what luck means!

Eat Well, Live Right - Part 3

Part 3 – Food For Indulgent Treats

Indulgence does not have to come at the expense of your waistline. Dieticians recommend some not so naughty but nice foods for those decadent moments.

1. Dark Chocolate

              If the very idea of having to give up chocolate upsets you, do not despair. Dark chocolate is an excellent alternative to milk chocolate.

              Dark chocolate retains higher levels of flavonoids from natural cocoa, and falvonoids are a source of antioxidants and are good for the heart.

              Dark chocolates should have a minimum of 35 per cent cocoa solids in relation to all the other ingredients in the product.

              You do not need to consume large amounts of cocoa-rich products to reap the benefits. Try 20 to 50g – about two to five squares – of dark chocolate up to three to four times a week. At about 75 calories for four small squares of dark chocolate, it is a treat you can indulge in without feeling guilty.

2. Gelato 

              Gelato can be a healthy and delicious substitute for ice cream because gelato recipes usually include more milk and less cream. Therefore, they contain less fat and calories than regular ice cream. An occasional one to two scoops of gelato in place of regular ice cream can be a healthy indulgence.

3. Nuts

              Instead of grabbing a pack of potato crisps, go for roasted, unsalted nuts as they can be just as satisfying. Nuts are high in protein, a good source of fibre and have beneficial monounsaturated fats, calcium and iron.

              By choosing a mixture of nuts, you will get a variety of important vitamins and minerals. Choose the unsalted or lightly salted versions that are not fried or roasted.

4. Dried fruit

              Snacking on dried fruit is not only a smart way to enjoy more fruit but also a great way to satisfy your craving something sweet. Dried fruit also make good snacks-to-go.

              Choose those with little or no added sugar. Apricots, berries (such as cranberries) and raisins are often dried with just their natural sweetness.

              Dried fruit have a greater nutrient density, fibre content and antioxidant content than fresh fruit. Being nutrient-packed, be aware that dried fruit are also higher in calories. They can be added to a trail mix of nuts and sees, or to fresh fruit salads for a splash of colour and a healthy dose of nutrients.

5. Red wine

              The number of social events on your calendar show how you can easily rack up many extra calories from alcohol. Make a simple swap. Red wine can be a healthier choice at about 120 calories per glass.

              Research suggests that a glass of red wine a day may help to lower the risk of heart disease, thanks to the phytochemicals found in the skin and seeds of grapes used to make the wine.

              If you drink alcohol regularly, consider switching to red wine (women up to two 100ml glasses a day, and men up to three glasses a day).

Calm

In my younger days, in my quest for knowledge and answers, I subscribed to a magazine which explores the spiritual and mystical aspects of life. Some of the articles touched and influenced my outlook of life, and I have kept them. It’s my pleasure to share them with you now. 

I would like to clarify that the word ‘spiritual’ used here has nothing to do with religion. A religious person may be spiritual as well, but a spiritual person is not necessarily religious. 

Calm 

Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom. It is the result of long and patient effort in self-control. Its presence is an indication of ripened experience, and of a more than ordinary knowledge of the laws of operation of thought. An individual becomes calm in the measure that he understands himself as a thought-evolved being, for such knowledge necessitates the understanding of others as a result of thought, and sees more clearly the internal relations of things by the actions of cause and effect. He ceases to fuss, worry and grieve, and remains poised, steadfast, serene.

The calm person, having learned how to govern himself, knows how to adapt himself to others; and they in turn revere his spiritual strength, and feel that they can learn from him and rely upon him. The more tranquil one becomes, the greater his success, influence, and power for good. 

The strong, calm man or woman is always loved and revered, like a shade-giving tree in a thirsty land, or a sheltering rock in a storm. Who does not love a tranquil heart, a sweet-tempered, balanced life? It does not matter whether it rains or shines, or what changes come to those possessing these blessings, for they are always sweet, serene, and calm. That exquisite poise of character which we call serenity is the flowering of life, the frontage of the soul. It is precious as wisdom, to be more desired than gold. 

Many people ruin their lives and mar their happiness by lack of self-control. Humanity surges with controlled passion, is tumultuous with ungoverned grief, and is blown about by anxiety and doubt! Only the wise man, whose thoughts are controlled and purified, makes the winds and the storms of the soul obey him.

- Author Unknown 

Calmness comes from within. It is the peace and restfulness of the depths of our nature. The fury of storm and of wind agitate only the surface of the sea; they penetrate only two or three hundred feet; below that is the calm, unruffled deep. To be ready for the great crises of life we must learn serenity in our daily living. Calmness is the crown of self-control. - William Jordan 

Calmness is the rarest quality in human life. It is the poise of a great nature, in harmony with itself and its ideals. It is the moral atmosphere of a life self-centered, self-reliant, and self-controlled. Calmness is singleness of purpose, absolute confidence, and conscious power, ready to be focused in an instant to meet any crises. - William Jordan

Calmness is the cradle of power. - Josiah Gilbert Holland 

A Letter Of Appreciation

A letter which a lady wrote to Tide detergent company:

Dear Tide,

              I am writing to say what an excellent product you have! About a month ago, I spilled some red wine on my new white blouse. My inconsiderate and uncaring husband started to berate me about how clumsy I was, and in general, started becoming a real pain in the neck. One thing led to another, and somehow I ended up with a lot of his blood on my white blouse.

              I tried to get the stains out using a bargain detergent, but they just wouldn’t come out. After a quick trip to the supermarket, I purchased a bottle of liquid Tide with bleach, and to my surprise and complete satisfaction, all of the stains came out!

              In fact, the stains came out so well that the detectives who came by yesterday told me that the DNA tests on my blouse were negative, and my attorney called to tell me that I would no longer be considered a suspect in the disappearance of my husband.

              What a relief! Going through menopause is bad enough, without being considered a murder suspect! I thank you, once again, for having such a great product.

              Well, ‘gotta go. I have to write a letter to the Hefty plastic bag people.