| Saturday - September 19, 2009 Overheard at Joe's Cigar Bar: "Did I give you my card? Come over here!" This was said by a guy with a baseball cap pulled over his forehead. He was talking to Lea, the young lady who works the counter. I held my breath, watching Lea. She looked at him, turned around, and walked the other way. Good for her. There are bullies everywhere. Most of them, like this guy, begin by taking advantage of your civility. They want to surprise or press you into doing something you don't want to do. A small thing, but a start. If you let them continue, they will abuse you in every way they can. And the longer you put up with it, the more difficult it will be to break free of their power. The best time to beat back a bully is the very first time he says something that makes you feel uncomfortable. Lea's response was a good one. But most bullies will see walking away as a retreat and will come back at you again. That's what this guy did. The next time she came near him to refill his drink, he reached over the counter and grabbed her hand. "You walked away from me," he said. Lea was scared. She didn't know what to do. She stood there, embarrassed. "Take your hands off her," I said. The bar was as quiet as a John Hancock commercial. "Are you talking to me?" I walked over and gripped the hand that was on Lea's. He pulled it away. "Don't touch me!" he said. I stared at him for a few seconds, smiled, and went back to my chair. He was well mannered after that. When a bully confronts you, resist him right away. You don't have to play the tough guy, like I did. It is usually enough to say something simple and deliberate. Trouble is, it's hard to think when you're in a situation like that. So I'll give you something you can memorize and use if this ever happens to you. Say, "Why are you trying to bully me?" And then -- regardless of how he answers, even if he apologizes -- shake your head derisively, turn your back, and walk away. It will show him that you are not an easy target. He'll leave you alone and move on to his next victim.
Women, and even men nowadays, spend a small fortune on creams and lotions to keep their skin youthful looking. But there's something you need to know that you won't hear from the billion-dollar skin care industry. Taking care of your skin from the inside with a healthy diet is far more important than using the most expensive anti-aging products. Vitamin C, for example, helps build collagen, the connective protein that makes up 75 percent of skin. And as you age, you lose collagen -- which is one of the reasons you get wrinkles. But you can help replenish lost collagen by eating vitamin C-rich foods like strawberries, red peppers, citrus fruits, and tomatoes. At the same time, you'll be getting much needed antioxidants that prevent chronic disease. No high-priced skin cream can do all that.
Reader Susan Colby is coming to a major transition point in her life. "I am getting a divorce," she writes. "I am almost 60. I have no formal university education, just a couple of years of junior college. I've worked as a magazine editor and photojournalist for 15+ years. The magazine I worked for recently 'died.' My funds are tied up in real estate." But she isn't letting all that get her down. She views these changes as an opportunity to "reinvent" herself. She asks if I think she should go back to school to get a degree in journalism ... or move on to something else entirely that fits in with her interests: the slow food movement, local foods, the environment, and giving back to the community. Susan, don't go back to college for a degree. It won't do you any good. You are having a tough time getting a job now because you are, as you point out, in a declining industry. The print media business is shrinking, and thousands are being laid off every year. As a 60-year-old, you are automatically put at the back of the hiring line. It doesn't matter that age discrimination is illegal. Businesses don't like hiring people our age. We are seen as less pliable than recent college graduates. And we cost more. As an experienced writer and photographer, you have very valuable skills that are in great demand in the online information-publishing industry. In fact, many of your fellow professionals are moving online due to industry changes. In Chapter 8 of Changing the Channel, MaryEllen Tribby and I explain that readership of print magazines and newspapers has been falling for the past two decades. And that drop has resulted in lost ad revenue. "At one time, for example, The New York Times was the only place that summer camps for obese children could effectively advertise. The New York Times still works for such advertising, but today there are dozens of Internet sites on camping that work just as well, or better. Thus, the advertising dollars spent to sell these summer camps may be the same, but the amount going into old-fashioned print is diminishing." Instead of going to college, enroll in a good online program that will teach you how to write advertising and editorial copy for the online information-publishing industry. There are several good ones out there. The one I always recommend is the one I helped develop for American Writers & Artists, Inc. Their veteran publication, The Golden Thread, was recently joined by a new service, Writing for the Web. This e-letter focuses exclusively on tips and strategies for creating powerful online marketing copy that sells. Copywriting is a financially valuable skill that companies are willing to pay top dollar for. And with your background, it seems a perfect fit. Because they're directly tied to a company's profits, copywriters can make upward of six figures. One copywriter I trained earns around $450,000 a year. Another commands $10,000 per promotion. There's really no limit to how much you can make ... provided you're willing to put in the effort. What's more, the demand for good copywriters is enormous. According to the Direct Marketing Association, U.S. direct-marketing sales are expected to surpass $2.16 trillion by the end of this year. That means a lot of companies are counting on good copy to sell their products and services.
Here's more bad news for the 300 million people around the world who are losing the battle of the bulge. Being overweight may add pounds everyplace but where you need it most -- your brain! As strange as it sounds, researchers discovered that overweight people had 4 percent less brain tissue than their normal-weight counterparts. The news was even worse for the obese. They had 8 percent less. According to the researchers, this shows "severe brain degeneration." And that puts them at a higher risk for Alzheimer's and other diseases that attack the brain. In looking at the brain scans of the test groups, the researchers found that the brains of overweight participants looked eight years older than the brains of normal-weight controls of the same age. The brains of obese test subjects looked a shocking 16 years older. The parts of the brain that showed the most degeneration were those that affect planning, attention, and executive functions; long-term memory; and movement. The results of this study are another strong indicator that, for most people, cognitive loss with aging is not a given. It's dependent on lifestyle factors that can be controlled -- like maintaining a healthy weight.
I like quick and easy when it comes to my health. And I can't stand following recipes. But when I found out that Dr. Sears has a recipe for an arthritis remedy that involves gin, I thought I'd give it a chance. And I've been passing it on to my friends with arthritis ever since. Here's what you need for the "gin-soaked raisin cure" for arthritis: - 1 lb golden raisins
- Gin (approximately 1 pint)
- Glass bowl
- Glass jar with lid
Spread the golden raisins evenly on the bottom of the bowl and pour in enough gin to completely cover them. Stir the raisins occasionally until all the gin is absorbed. It may take 5 to 7 days. When the gin is absorbed, transfer the raisins to the jar, put the lid on, and keep it closed. Do not refrigerate. Dosage: Each day, eat nine raisins -- exactly and only nine raisins a day. If you don't imbibe, don't worry. Almost all the alcohol in the raisins will have evaporated by the time you start eating them. In two weeks, you should notice less pain and more mobility in your affected joints. Want to learn more about this remedy ... plus how to cure a migraine with a dish towel? Click here.
THB Editor Melanie Segala asks you to think before blindly "going under the needle" for the new swine flu vaccine. The government says it's "a-OK." But as Melanie points out, the possible side effects (noted by many physicians and health experts) are just too dangerous. Many of our readers feel the same way. Here's a comment from one of them: "The swine flu vaccine, in my opinion, is dangerous. I believe the Medical Establishment uses the general public to test their new vaccines and medicines. "Years ago, the dead virus was injected into people. Now, we are injected with live viruses. So if your health is not great, you are at risk, to say the least. The AMA and the drug companies have total control over what is and isn't best for the U.S. public, concerning our health. The money, propaganda, and lobbyists these companies have to support and defend their products is unbelievable. "So what can we do? We are on a fast track to losing our rights -- even the right to choose what medicine we wish to take, which may kill you."
[Ed. Note: Michael Masterson welcomes your questions and comments. Send him a message at AskMichael@ETRFeedback.com.] | 
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