Welcome to the CATLINES MEWsletter! For cat-lovers and "biz-kittens"--home-business newbies/workers --------------------- Remember to celebrate Earth Day, Monday, April 22nd! REMEMBER to help provide for the kitties by visiting our sponsors!  Thanks. ********************** Proud Members: This ezine is listed at Ezine Publishers Association Inc.  (EPAI) Join Free At: http://www.EzinePublisher.org ********************** THE CATLINES MEWSLETTER vol. 1 Issue 2April, 15, 2002 Published monthly by http://www.catliness.com hosted by Jeff at: http://www.hookedonthe.net Editor:Lauren Merryfield, Ph.d. =======>^..^<===== --------------------- If you are receiving this newsletter, either you subscribed recently or received a copy from a friend.  Thank you for joining! >^..^<     >^..^<     >^..^<    (3 kitty heads, representing Jaspur, Mikey and Gabrielle, suPURRvisors and helPURRs in these adventures into catliness.) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Exciting offer! You won't believe it! FREE INTERNET SUPER STORES! Earn Big Income! How? By giving away SUPER STORES for FREE! Try it FREE! Good for fundraisers, too! http://www.freestoreclub.com/go/catly >^..^< >^..^< >^..^< And now! ... 3cats present... THE CATLINES MEWSLETTER ===================== Table of contents: 1:mewsings from the food bowl (editorial) 2: Kitten Kabootle's Kubbyhole (catly writings) 3: kibble nibble (funny definitions or word scrambles)  4:biz-kittens' busy box (newbie work-at-home or general biz articles)  5: look what the cat dragged in (jokes, quotes, very brief verse)  6:from the catbox (questions, comments from readers) --------------------- BE SURE TO TELL YOUR FRIENDS TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE CATLINES MEWSLETTER! SEND THEM TO: http://www.catliness.com to sign up. --------------------- 1:mewsings from the food bowl (editorial) A hearty "meow!" to you!  I hope you and your cats are doing well and enjoying springtime!  Jaspur, our eldest, the black one, seems to be yowling "Who let the cats out?!!"  hint, hint.  Sorry, I keep telling him.  The last time he accidentally-on-purposely slithered past the door, he had it out with one of the friendly neighborhood cats who told him "Hey!  Who are you?  You don't belong in Kitty City!" These guys have seen each other through the window, and the Kitty City cats mind their own business, until one pops out, in war mode, as Jaspur tends to do. His long black tail met teeth, and we took our feverish kitty to the vet, due to an abscess.  He didn't like the drain they put in and kept flopping his tail on my legs saying "Ma-row!" Take this thing out!  Not today, Jaspur. Did that cure him?  No.  Did the advice of vets "Oh, he'll get over it," come to pass yet?  No!!!  The other two, Mikey and Gabbie Girl, seem to have gotten it, but not this wiley one! Thanks for joining us and we look forward to  showing you what the cat dragged in next month! Meows and purrs, Lauren Merryfield, catliness.com --------------------- Win Prizes, Have Fun! Come play the FREE "Pop the Balloon" At Merrie's Mini Mall http://merriesbiz.com --------------------- 2: Kitten Kabootle's Kubbyhole (catly writings) --FROM THE "CAT SCRAPS" FILE:  FITS YOUR CAT TO A "TEE" (author unknown to this editor; pronouns revised to make more sense.) If cats wore t-shirts, here is what they might say:   "Purrfection cannot be improved"   "If you don't like my attitude, you should see my human"   "Menopaws, This is the hottest I've been in years."   "Take my advice.  I'm not using it."   "I'd like to help you out.  Which way did you come in?"   "Cats know how you humans feel.  We don't care, but we know." (said by a less-socialized cat)   "Dogs have owners.  Cats have staff."   "Thousands of years ago, cats were worshiped as gods.   We have never forgotten this." ********** (The following article appeared in Petwarmers, June, 2001.) TRAINABLE CATS?      For two years, I have been one of eight who has served as a volunteer facilitator for a pet-loss support group held at the Seattle-King County Humane Society.      Our coordinator was being given special recognition at the annual meeting, as she stepped down from over nine years of dedicated service.  I wanted to be there for and with her!      Beyond that, I had read in their newsletter of the opening of a brand new cat room which I HAD to visit!  It is similar to one my husband and I visited last year where we found Mikey, our youngest kitty.  To a cat person, and to cats, I believe, it is the closest thing to Cat Heaven.      Several cats are selected for pre-adoption, spending their time with each other in an area far superior to a caged confinement.  Besides having each other around and all the potential ownees (notice that I didn't say owners) to pet them and play with them, their food, water, litter boxes, climbing and resting areas were all there to be shared.  What a neat way to prepare these kitties for their new homes!      Sliding the glass door to the left and stepping in, there I was among seven or eight cats.  My husband, Jim, showed me a large, long, tabby kitty.  There was a feisty one in a basket, and a white cat with pink ears (sounds like a description of a bunny to me), but when I touched it, it was all cat!      As we were making our way toward the door, a young dark tabby thought it might be a good time to wander out.  Sorry, kitty.  We headed him in the other direction and snuck out.  Yeah right!  That young cat knew what we were up to.  He'd try again later with someone else -- perhaps go home with someone!      Oh yes!  The annual meeting and dinner!  We hurried to our places and were so proud when our friend received her award -- a beautifully framed copy of "Rainbow Bridge", which is special to our pet-loss support group.      The theme for this year's annual meeting was cats.  After all, the Humane Society staff wanted us all to know that they indeed were not "dogcentric."      Our keynote speaker was Anne Gordon, who has trained cats for films and television, including "Homeward Bound."      Training cats?  I didn't think those two words could be arranged in the same sentence!  Not only did she explain how cats can be trained, but she brought her cat, Raider, to show us just how it was done.      We were shown how the promise of a reward could be given by using a clicker to reinforce improved behavior, and when the desired behavior occurred, the primary reward, food, of course, was given, only when accompanied by a buzzer sound.  Cats are trained to respond to certain sound stimuli so that multiple trainers can be successful.      Raider responded to sit and stay commands (no, she really wasn't a dog) and waving and finally putting her paw around a glass as if she might carry it with her.  It took several reminders for us not to applaud or laugh loudly, since Raider worked best in a quiet environment.      Cats having their own minds as they do, even Raider occasionally did her own thing.  It was explained to us that several cats are used for anything from a short commercial to a full-length movie since cats cannot be depended on for doing what they're told even after being well-trained. More than one Sasha in "Homeward Bound?"  More than one Morris?  It's true.      Certainly it was amazing to learn just how trainable cats can be, but fear not, if you have cats that would never make it in the movies, you're not alone.         -- Lauren L. Merryfield   <catly @ earthlink.net> __________________________________________ Lauren is a member of the Cat Writers' Association and volunteers with the Seattle/King County Humane Society.  She loves the hands-on approach to "seeing" cats!  Anne Gordon is the owner of Anne's Animal Actors and is the author of "Show Biz Tricks For Cats." __________________________________________ To JOIN (it's free!), send an email to: join@petwarmers.com _____________________ _____________________ 3: kibble nibble (funny definitions or word scrambles) Answer to last month's word scramble, did you get it, or did your cats have to tell you? I love cats! Kittens: self-propelled barbed wire in a dewy-eyed mohair sweater. --author unknown --------------------- LOVE ANIMALS? Want to OWN Your OWN Business? Save on Vet Care, Pet Services & Supplies, Plus a Pet ID Tag & 24 Hour Location Service. Participating Vets and animal hospitals in most major markets. Earn $100k a YEAR in the Pet Industry http://businessworldlist.com/cgi-bin/ads.cgi/katydid_1000 ---------------------  4:biz-kittens' busy box (newbie work-at-home or general biz articles) Plop, Drop, And Flop By Rod Davis The increase in Internet businesses have again brought a wave of inexperienced marketers. We've all been there at one point or another. You find a great affiliate program, plop them onto the Internet, drop that long affiliate URL into the search engines and then wait for success only to be met with yet another flop. So how do they do it? How do those experts claim five figure monthly  incomes from their Internet businesses. Well, as Shakespeare would say, the presentation's the thing.  As with all businesses online or off, it takes more than a casual approach to truly make a business work. It's not that this issue hasn't been addressed; it's simply that it doesn't seem to be sinking in. Many beginning opportunity seekers are misled by many ads and marketing pitches. This is mostly due to the smoke and mirrors approach that companies who are selling business opportunities project. If you are looking to build a solid foundation for your business, follow these time-tested rules of the Internet roadway: 1.      Decide On A Website Theme. Build a first level domain website around a theme.  First you build the website and then find the affiliate programs. Not the other way around.  It's important to fold the affiliate programs you select into an information resource site that will pull traffic and keep them coming back. Don't just build websites based on their potential to make fast money.  Build a website based on your interest in the theme and over the long term it will be much more successful. 2.      Fill It With Useful Information And Resources. Create dynamic resources that will make your website sticky and memorable.  A useful informational based website that will rank well with the search engines and build confidence in the consumer.  Look for experts in your field to participate in exchange for exposure.  In fact, join their affiliate programs and get paid for that exposure! 3.      Carefully Select Affiliate Programs. Now it's time to select the affiliate programs.  Select programs that pay well, have a solid reputation, and will fold seamlessly into your new theme related website.  Resist the temptation to sell these products with ads.  Instead look for endorsements or write articles that sell the product in the resource box. 4.      Start A Newsletter. A newsletter allows you to capture visitors as they arrive so that you may resell to them through your newsletter. Most of us know this.  The newsletter also allows you to fold your affiliate programs into the information provided within the newsletter for ordering.  If done correctly, this information will blend and make sense to your reader rather than "sell" the product by more aggressive approaches. 5.      Now Submit To The Search Engines. Now it's time to submit to the search engines.  By creating a strong, deep, informational site, you stand a good chance of getting ranked well.  With just an affiliate link off a website, you stand to never even get listed in the search engines.  Stand out from the crowd by being useful to your audience. It's not a difficult formula.  It does, however, take time and persistence, as all successful manoeuvres do.  If your looking for long term success utilizing affiliate programs as a revenue source, this is the road to follow.  In time, you will find that you have created a successful career that doesn't just make great money, but makes you happy as well. ________________________________ Rod Davis is a Web Developer and Internet Marketer who specializes in helping small and home businesses get a jump- start on the Internet. He writes a powerful monthly Internet marketing tips newsletter at http://www.110thstreet.com and has launched his second minisite at http://www.satellitedishtelevision.com. ********************** Two and Two Make Five by Pamela Heywood This is not bad a lesson in maths, this is about getting more profit from your business through co-operation and teamwork. Do this successfully and you'll create something where the value of the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. It's a true story that will show you exactly how to make two and two add up to five, or more. At around 7 p.m. on May 3, 2001, I was taking my dog, Holly, she's part Rottweiller, part dog (sorry, I mean Shepherd), for her evening constitutional along the local lane. We were almost home, not 50 yards from the bridge at the end of my driveway, when we heard a squeak coming from the undergrowth. It's not unusual for the lizards to squeak. Sometimes, when I whistle the cats, the lizards answer me back. The first time, I nearly jumped out of my skin! "Who's there?" The squeak resounded again. This time, however, both dog and I cocked an ear each and glanced at each other askance. Now, I have no idea what she was thinking, but I suspect, much the same as me as she dragged me off in the direction of the sound. "That ain't no lizard!" Down ditch and up bank, we caught our first glimpse of the owner of the voice. A contender for the title of World's Smallest Kitten and, we were just in time to see it scurry back up to huddle with two better qualified entrants. All alone, middle of nowhere. Oh bother! Now what do we do? Well, to cut a long story short, I decided they were far too young to be out on their own and went and collected them. I took a cardboard box and if it had been only a shoe box, so small they were, I could have lost all three of them in it. Brought the box home and, looking at the comparative sizes of half ounce furballs to 55 lb. muscle-bound mutt, decided the box should go up on the table, out of reach. Wrong answer! Holly paced the floor of the hallway, back and forth by the side of the table like an expectant father waiting for news of the birth. And she howled and she whined and she cried. (Maybe because there were no cigars in the house?) When I could stand no more, I got the box down, crouching close to see what she would do. Now, bear in mind that one of these little things had already tried to bite the end off my finger - it was a nasty nip for one that size. And they came fitted with sharp grappling irons on each tiny hoof. I thought Holly was pretty brave to shove her snout straight down into the box, let alone pick up our noisy friend, ever so gently, place him on the floor, roll him on his back and then started to lick his now not-so-private parts with a tongue that could bath an entire kitten in one swipe! She knew, instinctively, what, at the time, I did not. That *mother* has to do this to stimulate said apparatus to work. The box stayed on the floor and the dog didn't leave the side of it for the next three days and nights together. If someone within so much as hiccuped, she was there, snouting around to check on her newly adopted charges. She stopped short of attempting to breast-feed. Oh, the kittens tried, but Holly yelped as those needle sharp teeth impaled on tender flesh! I therefore got the job of shoving milk in one end with a syringe at two hourly intervals. I wiped little hands and faces with a damp cloth, then held each kitten up for Holly to take care of the other ends. It was like a factory production line! And it was truly magnificent to watch, be a part of and to learn from. Do you see what I am getting at? Those kittens obviously could not have survived without food. But they also would not have survived without the dog's attentions. Neither task was more, nor less important than the other. Neither of us was competing, we simply HAD to work together to get the job done. The result is the lives of those three tiny, helpless mites who are now growing up to be very fine and strong young cats. (OK, a little confused about their identities. How many cats do you know who come when their *mother* barks? :-) It has also done masses to cement the relationship between me and the dog. The responsibility she took on has changed her personality entirely from self-centred to co-operative and caring, but I think I learned more than anyone. Teamwork is not always about competition and scoring points. It's not about bosses and subordinates, there should be harmony, although there may well be leaders. It's not about *what's in it for me*, nor even you. It's about what can be achieved together that's bigger than itself and goes out beyond itself, yet still brings back much more in terms of repayment and satisfaction. Apply these principles to your business, team and client relationships, to your joint ventures, to your reciprocal linking strategy, to your viral marketing ... and watch your results add up to way beyond the sum of the parts. "The universe operates through dynamic exchange ... giving and receiving are different aspects of the flow of energy in the universe. And our willingness to give that which we seek, we keep the abundance of the universe circulating in our lives." ------Deepak Chopra About the Author: Pamela Heywood is a former accountant and journalist, with a career spanning over 20 years and two countries. Publishing successfully online since 1999, she was recently interviewed by Top UK Broadcaster, Peter Twist, for "Internet Success Interviews". http://www.roibot.com/w.cgi?IM8301_int For daily expert advice in making your small business a SUCCESS, subscribe here: mailto:tucats.resbox@aweber.com Copyright 2002 Pamela Heywood. All rights reserved. Published here with permission. ********************* The Network Marketing/Pyramid Scheme Phobia Epidemic:In Search Of A Cure Part I  by Lauren Merryfield, Ph.D. How can I find a cure for the mistrust and fear, in epidemic proportions, surrounding a phenomenon which can work well for some persons, is not illegal in absolutely *every* instance,  which deserves a second or third look? How can I create an acceptable, convincing means of helping reluctant persons break the cycle of mistrust and fear, resulting in more willingness to change their minds? How am I different from many of my contacts regarding network marketing opportunities or pyramid schemes--the ones who blanketly just say no?" Okay, I realize I cannot save the network marketing industry or come even close, however, one thing I can do, is offer some bait.  Whether the fish will bite and/or become hooked, is not entirely up to me. I am sitting here, post-blitz,  having struck out more than three times in sending a  sensible offer out to my "warm" market--family and friends.  I am aware that on one hand, some marketers have seen these folks as our best bet for starters, on the other hand, these are the very contacts now being considered the "pukeys" among our possible prospects, by marketing experts. On one foot, these might be two extremes.  On the other foot, there may be some truth in either direction.   On the third foot (are we now dealing with an octopus?) I don't want to rule them out altogether.  I genuinely desire to give them helpful opportunities toward enhancing their lives. I actually *know* people who have family members and their best friends (sometimes one and the same) as their best customers, business partners and even pillars of their support system.  At times, I applaud them for knowing how to  get what they want in ways that don't hurt anyone--a win-win situation.  At other more cynical moments I wonder "hmmm, who did they manipulate today? I wonder which political party they're in?" Being new in home-based business, proudly the very first "biz-kitten" of the CATLINES MEWsletter, I have already gotten on the rollercoaster, though you'd never get me on a physical one any wilder than Disneyland's "Pirates of the Caribean", my favorite ride there, mostly due to its having such character! When things are not working so well, (mental gravity may be at work there,) my first reaction is to blame myself for signing up for the business and for trusting that it would be okay. I must be too gullible.  How could I be so stupid, and other such self-deprication erupts.  Next, my mind goes into the blame game--After all, it's "their" fault in every way.  I've been ensnared by the tentacles of the spam-sham-scam-thank you ma'am-flimflam bug, so what was I thinking? In many cases, wherein I had an upline "sponsor" who only existed digitally, or was an inactive human, it was easy for me to stay in either of these modes. One day, while engaged in one of my favorite home-business opportunities, I whined, in the victim mode, that "they're all bad opportunities!"  "I guess I will have to get out."  "No one in my family or group of friends trusts my judgment about these supposed opportunities, and maybe they're right!" (nearly slamming the 500-pound phone down on the listening ear of my seasoned sponsor. (Had I done the equivalent of Evander Holyfield's deed to Mike Tyson?) Oh no! "Lauren," he told me on another day, (yes, he really did call me back). "You're doing something wrong." Oh know, I thought, a lecture, a slingshot of shaming aimed at me. He was going to get back at me.   Here it comes! "Lauren," he continued patiently and quietly, "You are not listening to yourself.  Look how you have allowed others to have power over your thinking.  Do you see what you're letting them get away with?  Some people thrive on keeping others down, so they'll assure themselves of having some company. They don't have the courage to climb out, so they want to drag you down.  You are a threat to them." Sigh.  "I know, I know" I wanted to chime, as my daughter did so expertly in her teenhood.  But wait! It didn't seem to matter what I knew, inside, if I wasn't connecting to it.  I needed to turn on the light, pick up the phone, open my mouth and utter something--to a stranger, perhaps.  All the conjecturing, blaming, and otherwise projecting my own fears would not put a check in the mail, bearing my name.   (Would I ever be rich by now if such thinking paid!). "They won't listen to me!  It doesn't matter how sensible my words are, (especially my written ones which are almost always superior to my speech). How do I make them listen?  How do I get them to at least sign up, so they might change their minds?" I went on. "Lauren, you can't make anyone join you or change their minds. Manipulation, for your own benefit, does not work well in the long run," he advised. I don't like advice, after all, I've heard it said that "the worst vice is ad-vice."  Though on some level, I was listening, still I resisted. "Lauren, I believe in you.  I know that when you get past all of these monstrous fears, you have the potential to be a great business-person."  Now I was bewildered more than fearful. "What do you mean?" I entoned, (another one I learned from my daughter when she was younger).  "I'm terrible at business.  I'm bad at math, I'm too shy about the phone, I spend too much time reading (including email), I seem to be good at finding other things to do and not getting a round tuit," I groaned. "And I'll just end up with scams anyway.  Other people are successful, but I won't be.  They're right."  I neither believed him nor myself, regarding my having potential. "Lauren, the reason that I know of your potential is that you are questioning.  Yes, you have feelings of mistrust and fear, but you are asking questions.  You are seeking solutions.  I hear you moaning and groaning your way through.  That takes a lot of work, but you are working.  You are making progress."  Hmmm. It didn't feel very good.  What he was trying to get through my thick skull was that I was neither stagnating nor drowning.  I was fueling for eventual take-off.  This could be really frightening--or very life-style heightening! Just then my mind went to the day when my daughter, Lynden, was born.  I will not lie, saying there was no pain.  In fact, if I had gone into labor without any preparation, I might have screamed, howled and clamored,  in a manner like tv births.  But wait!  I took Lamaze training.  I learned how to breathe through the contractions, to ask my husband or hospital staff for whatever I needed that would help me--mostly catnaps and sips of water. My daughter arrived.  I didn't scream.  I kept throwing off the black mask that kept reappearing on my face to prevent hyperventilation.  I began to panic during the transition phase, hearing myself ask, "Can't you turn those contractions off?"  Certainly, I was ashen-faced with exhaustion; I could hardly pick up my fork at suppertime.  However, my daughter had made it and I had not given up.  I longed to hold her, hear her voice, touch her tiny body, with the moist clump of dark hair sticking up on the top of her head.  I would have done *anything*--I was highly motivated! The saying "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again," comes to mind. How many people do I know who can quote this, but don't seem to put it into practice.  These are usually the same people who can recite the golden rule, too, though, in action, how it functions to them is "Do to others whatever will bring you gold by taking away theirs"--in other words, put people in an I-win, you lose, situation.  They don't appear to be positively motivated, nor determined to find a win-win situation in the long run. If my three cats, Jaspur, Mikey, and Gabrielle, had only been ideas in my mind "I'd like to adopt another kitty"or "I want to save some of those stray, abandoned or abused kitties out there"  (with no inquiries, no decision to add them to our family, no follow-through on picking them up and bringing them home), they might be in some abusive home, passed around to others, allowed to go back into the wild where they would surely be killed, or, Heaven forbid, euthanized because "there were too many kittens," My family and the cats would have all been in lose-lose situations.  We would not have the reciprocal blessings we now enjoy.  Valuing their lives as much as our own, making a decision to provide a safe, loving home for them, and carrying it all through to completion, we are now in a win-win situation, even during those times when the racing, yowling, thumping on the floor, and other middle-of-the-night antics could convince us that one of them would be found lifeless the next morning. I may never be financially rich, however, I am willing to work toward richness of heart and mind as I encourage others to do the same--and perhaps some among us might even make some money along the way!I can and will do my little part in contributing to a cure for the mistrust and fear surrounding home-based business. _______________________ Lauren Merryfield, Ph.D. is the editor of The CATLINES MEWsletter, whose sign-up link can be found at her website: http://www.catliness.com . Her articles have appeared in several magazines, usually human-interest or animal-interest in scope.  This is her first article written for the "biz-kittens" subscribing to the newsletter.  This article, copyright ©, April 15, 2002, may be republished as long as it is kept intact, including this bio, with no changes (beyond formatting) made. NOTE: (Part II next month) ______________________  5: look what the cat dragged in (jokes, quotes, very brief verse) "You can't look at a sleeping cat and feel tense."                                 - Jane Pauley ********************** If a dog jumps in your lap, it is because he is fond of you; but if a cat does the same thing, it is because your lap is warmer." --Alfred North Whitehead ********************** Q: How many internet mail list subscribers does it take to change a light bulb? A: 1,331: 1 to change the light bulb and to post to the mail list that the light bulb has been changed 14 to share similar experiences of changing light bulbs and how the light bulb could have been changed differently. 7 to caution about the dangers of changing light bulbs. 27 to point out spelling/grammar errors in posts about changing light Bulbs. 53 to flame the spell checkers 156 to write to the list administrator complaining about the light bulb discussion and its inappropriateness to this mail list. 41 to correct spelling in the spelling/grammar flames. 109 to post that this list is not about light bulbs and to please take this email exchange to alt.lite.bulb 203 to demand that cross posting to alt.grammar, alt.spelling and alt.punctuation about changing light bulbs be stopped. 111 to defend the posting to this list saying that we are all use light bulbs and therefore the posts **are** relevant to this mail list. 306 to debate which method of changing light bulbs is superior, where to buy the best light bulbs, what brand of light bulbs work best for this technique, and what brands are faulty. 27 to post URLs where one can see examples of different light bulbs 14 to post that the URLs were posted incorrectly, and to post corrected URLs. 3 to post about links they found from the URLs that are relevant to this list which makes light bulbs relevant to this list. 33 to concatenate all posts to date, then quote them including all headers and footers, and then add "Me Too." 12 to post to the list that they are unsubscribing because they cannot handle the light bulb controversy. 19 to quote the "Me Too's" to say, "Me Three." 4 to suggest that posters request the light bulb FAQ. 1 to propose new alt.change.lite.bulb newsgroup. 47 to say this is just what alt.physic.cold_fusion was meant for. Leave it here. 143 votes for alt.lite.bulb. --------------------- Get HookedOnThe.Net with affordable, professional web hosting and design. We offer a range of hosting packages on both Unix and NT servers, plus domain registration and even web design.  We offer everything you need for your web presence.  Get all the details at: http://www.HookedOnThe.Net/ _____________________  6:from the catbox (questions, comments from readers) We had a suggestion to leave more "white space."  I appreciate this comment since my stomach was so tied up in knots, in forming the first issue, I probably scrunched it into a tight wad, similar to my stomach, haha. Thanks. We also had an ad submission through the feedback link.  I took this leniently this time, but please use the proper email link for submitting ads, as seen below.  Doesn't confuse the cats, but it confuses me.  LM --------------------- Proudly Announcing... Monday April 8, 10:09 am Eastern Time Press Release SOURCE: VarTec Telecom, Inc. VarTec Telecom Finalizes Acquisition of Excel Communications; Deal Creates $1.7 Billion, Privately Held Telecommunications Entity DALLAS, April 8 /PRNewswire/ -- VarTec Telecom, Inc. today announced it has finalized its acquisition of Excel Communications' North American operations from Bell Canada Enterprises (BCE Inc.). Final regulatory and other approvals have been received. The transaction creates a $1.7 billion, privately held company with the ability to offer comprehensive telecommunications services through diverse channels that include a network of independent representatives and value-added resellers across North America. ``The acquisition of Excel allows us to maximize our growth and global expansion, while offering customers comprehensive communications services and the best value in the industry,'' said VarTec founder and chairman A. Joe Mitchell Jr. ``The additional capacity of Excel's network will double the total number of VarTec switches, opening new revenue opportunities and strengthening our position as a leading telecommunications provider in the marketplace.'' VarTec and Excel executives agree that the two companies are ideal partners because of the complimentary business units and offerings that will be efficiently streamlined through integration initiatives. The new organization provides additional marketing channels to VarTec and a complete new suite of income-generating opportunities to Excel's independent representatives. About VarTec Telecom, Inc. VarTec Telecom, a leading provider of local and long distance service, is considered a pioneer in ``dial around'' long distance service. The company offers services to both consumers and small business customers. The flagship residential product, FiveLine®, offers one of the most competitive rates in the industry. VarTec also offers local service through its highly competitive OneChoice® offering. VarTec Telecom also operates VarTec Telecom Europe, which manages multiple customer service centers and switch sites. VarTec Telecom was recently named one of the Top 500 privately held companies by Forbes Magazine. To learn more about VarTec Telecom, visit the Web site at www.vartec.com . About Excel Communications, Inc. Excel Communications, Inc., a provider of telecommunications products and services, utilizes network marketing as its primary distribution channel. The Dallas-based company offers subscribers long distance, paging, wireless, Internet and e-commerce services through a nationwide network of Independent Representatives. Excel also owns and operates a nationwide, facilities-based telecommunications network. The company has operations in the United States and Canada. For more information, visit www.excel.com . SOURCE: VarTec Telecom, Inc. ============================= To join, hold the phone at: http://www.globalsuccess2000.com/catly It won't cost you anything to look, but it sure could cost you a lot not to. ---------------------- a catly site! The CATLINES MEWsletter is a member of the Ezineville Club @ Village of Tidbits. To become a free member visit Ezineville Club @ http://www.villageoftidbits.com ---------------------  >^..^< >^..^< >^..^< --------------------------- the CATLINES MEWsletter is published by Lauren Merryfield, Ph.D., co-owner of catliness.com. We are proud members of the International Council of Online Professionals (I-cop) http://i-cop.org/cgi-bin/mem/jl.pl?1060 ======================== Sub and unsub info: You may subscribe or unsubscribe to the CATLINES MEWsletter by going to our website: http://www.catliness.com and filling out the form. 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