menTHE USE OF SPIES

 1. Sun Tzu said: Raising a host of a hundred thousand
  men and marching them great distances entails heavy loss
  on the people and a drain on the resources of the State. 
  The daily expenditure will amount to a thousand ounces
  of silver. There will be commotion at home and abroad,
  and men will drop down exhausted on the highways. 
  As many as seven hundred thousand families will be impeded
  in their labor.

 2. Hostile armies may face each other for years,
  striving for the victory which is decided in a single day. 
  This being so, to remain in ignorance of the enemy's
  condition simply because one grudges the outlay of a hundred
  ounces of silver in honors and emoluments, is the height
  of inhumanity.

 3. One who acts thus is no leader of men, no present
  help to his sovereign, no master of victory.

 4. Thus, what enables the wise sovereign and the good
  general to strike and conquer, and achieve things beyond
  the reach of ordinary men, is foreknowledge.

 5. Now this foreknowledge cannot be elicited from spirits;
  it cannot be obtained inductively from experience,
  nor by any deductive calculation.

 6. Knowledge of the enemy's dispositions can only
  be obtained from other .

The Garden

The gardener does not love to talk.
He makes me keep the gravel walk;
And when he puts his tools away,
He locks the door and takes the key.

Away behind the currant row,
Where no one else but cook may go,
Far in the plots, I see him dig,
Old and serious, brown and big.

He digs the flowers, green, red, and blue,
Nor wishes to be spoken to.
He digs the flowers and cuts the hay,
And never seems to want to play.

Silly gardener! summer goes,
And winter comes with pinching toes,
When in the garden bare and brown
You must lay your barrow down.

The Cow

The friendly cow all red and white,
  I love with all my heart:
She gives me cream with all her might,
  To eat with apple-tart.

She wanders lowing here and there,
  And yet she cannot stray,
All in the pleasant open air,
  The pleasant light of day;

And blown by all the winds that pass
  And wet with all the showers,
She walks among the meadow grass
  And eats the meadow flowers.

ENVELOPE STUFFING SCAMS

It seems like every mail order publication has at least one ad in it 
promising hundreds of dollars a week, just for stuffing envelopes. Some 
even promise to pay $4 or $5 per envelope stuffed! So, many people send 
off their hard earned money for the "registration fees" so they can get 
started on this easy work. Then they are disappointed when they discover 
they've been duped.  
Here's why the envelope stuffing programs are nothing more than scams.
First of all, the idea of paying someone to stuff envelopes is ridiculous. 
Why pay someone even 50 cents to stuff an envelope when you can get an 
envelope stuffing machine for a few hundred dollars? There must be more 
to what you'll have to do then simply putting a paper in an envelope.
In fact, there's more. The most prevalent envelope stuffing con game goes 
like this. You pay your "registration fee" _ usually around $30.00, pure 
profit for the scam operator.  
The operator will then send you a copy of the ad you originally responded to, 
along with the wording to a classified ad, telling people about how much
 money they can make stuffing envelopes, and to send a self-addressed 
stamped envelope for information. When you receive someone's SASE, 
you send them a copy of the ad.  
You have just "stuffed an envelope." If the poor sucker sends in the 
registration fee to the operator (like YOU did), the operator will send 
you $1 (or whatever was promised in the ad) for "stuffing the envelope."  
The operator is left with expenses of around $2 and a profit of $28.
Basically, you are doing all the advertising work for the operator for 
extremely low pay. You should expect a response rate, if you're lucky, of 
1/4% to 1/2%. At 1/2%, you'd have to get 200 responses to your classified 
ad to get $1. Good luck.

The Man, the Boy, and the Donkey

A Man and his son were once going with their Donkey to market.
As they were walking along by its side a countryman passed them
and said: "You fools, what is a Donkey for but to ride upon?"

So the Man put the Boy on the Donkey and they went on their
way. But soon they passed a group of men, one of whom said: "See
that lazy youngster, he lets his father walk while he rides."

So the Man ordered his Boy to get off, and got on himself.
But they hadn't gone far when they passed two women, one of whom
said to the other: "Shame on that lazy lout to let his poor little
son trudge along."

Well, the Man didn't know what to do, but at last he took his
Boy up before him on the Donkey. By this time they had come to
the town, and the passers-by began to jeer and point at them. The
Man stopped and asked what they were scoffing at. The men said:
"Aren't you ashamed of yourself for overloading that poor donkey
of yoursu and your hulking son?"

The Man and Boy got off and tried to think what to do. They
thought and they thought, till at last they cut down a pole, tied
the donkey's feet to it, and raised the pole and the donkey to
their shoulders. They went along amid the laughter of all who met
them till they came to Market Bridge, when the Donkey, getting one
of his feet loose, kicked out and caused the Boy to drop his end
of the pole. In the struggle the Donkey fell over the bridge, and
his fore-feet being tied together he was drowned.

"That will teach you," said an old man who had followed them:

"Please all, and you will please none."

The Serpent and the File

A Serpent in the course of its wanderings came into an
armourer's shop. As he glided over the floor he felt his skin
pricked by a file lying there. In a rage he turned round upon it
and tried to dart his fangs into it; but he could do no harm to
heavy iron and had soon to give over his wrath.

It is useless attacking the insensible.

HOW TO MAKE MONEY AS A PARTY PLANNER

Let's Plan A Party! "MAGIC" is the buzz word that usually describes what 
this business offers. No - the Party Planning business we're talking about 
has very little to do with Goof-Doop The Clown or serving cake and ice cream 
to 6-year old kids.

CORPORATE SCENE 

For a Party Planner, this is where the money is. And if you have the knack 
for organizing fun things for grown ups, you're in for a big - $100 Million - 
surprise. And it's a business worth celebrating.

BROKER MENTALITY 

This is a business you can virtually start with little or no capital. All 
you need is a great idea and a client who wants to have fun. The best way 
to implement this business is to act as the broker for all services entailed 
in any given event.

You do not prepare the food, you hire a caterer. You do not sing or dance, 
you hire entertainers. In fact, in some real big parties, you can negotiate 
with talent agencies to have celebrities attend your party.

For example, you can have named stars "drop by" your party for around $10,000 
or better. If your budget cannot afford the real celebs at $10,000 a piece, 
then you can hire look-alikes for $200 a night. Do not introduce them in the 
party, just let them roam around and mingle with the guests.

THEME PARTIES 

You can also plan an event around a theme, depending on the reason for the 
party and the number of people attending.

You can build festivals around parties. If the party is an extension of a 
convention, work around ideas that are conducive to people in that trade or 
industry.

START-UP 

To get started, line up businesses that are involved in parties: florists, 
videographers, caterers, hotel managers, equipment rental companies, and 
others.

Set your rates based on the price lists of these related businesses. These 
tie-in companiwes will dictate the way you structure your prices.

Once ready, compile a mailing list of potential corporate accounts in your 
area. If you live in a city with a convention center, it would be ideal to 
do some networking and get referral business. 

BILL COLLECTORS OFF YOUR BACK

BILL
 COLLECTORS OFF YOUR BACK





 Sometimes, the formal and legal declaration of personal bankruptcy is the best way to go when you're "snowed under" with bills, and you just can't see your way clear to survive.



 Actually, bankruptcy allows you to make a fresh start. Generally, it takes only a small amount of monxey, a careful evaluation of your assets and your liabilities. In many cases, a lawyer is not necessary.



 If you have very few assets, mountains of debt, and not enough income to meet your obligations, then your best bet is almost always the filing of straight bankruptcy. What you'll need is the proper forms "S3010 Bankruptcy forms, for an Individual Not Engaged In Business." These can be purchased from any full-line office supply store, especially in an area serving attorneys' offices.



 You'll need to know which district you love in for Federal Court purposes - so look in the white pages of your telephone book under U.S. Government - Courts - and take down the address of the nearest U.S. District Court. Check it out to be sure that your residence is in this court's jurisdiction.



 You then fill out the forms you purchased, listing all of your creditors - those with priority being listed first - meaning those who have extended credit to you against some sort of security or collateral, followed by those who have extended credit to you on just your signature or reputation. You must be sure to list all of your creditors because any that you fail to list, will be able to sue you and collect even after the bankruptcy has been adjudicated. At the same time, be sure to include the names of anyone and everyone you may have co-signed a note or a loan for, as well as anyone who may have co-signed for you.



 The laws governing personal bankruptcy vary in all states, but generally, a bankruptcy judgement will not take away the house you live in, basic home furnishings, a car that's necessary towards your gainful employment, nor the tools of your trade. Check these things out to be sure against the list of items regarded as the necessities of life by your state.



 When you've got all the forms filled out, and notarized, you take them to the Clerk of the U.S. District Court in your jurisdiction. You pay the clerk $50, and from there, you're home free. The clerk notifies your creditors, and reminds them that being as you've filed bankruptcy papers, they cannot bother you about your debts anymore.



 However, they are invited to your hearing. Usually they don't show up, because by that time, you have very few, if any, nonexempt assets left that they are really interested in.



 But, whatever assets you do have that are nonexempt, will be sold by the Court to appease your creditors. Any money realized from these sales is then added to the total amount of money you may have turned over to the court at the time of your filing, and divided equally amongst your creditors according to priorities.



 After all of this has taken place, and usually about 3 months after you've been adjudged bankrupt, you can start all over again to incur debt, pay bills and establish a new credit rating. However , you should be especially careful about talking with your old creditors because they may attempt to maneuver you into signing a "reaffirmation" of your old debt. The thing to do is to be sure that you carefully read anything you affix your signature to, and don't agree to pay on any debt that has already been discharged through your bankruptcy!



 In some bankruptcy filings, it is definitely advantageous to hire an attorney to represent you. This is especially try for people who have assets such as real estate they want to protect, and/or people who has been operating home-based businesses or been accused of fraud. Remember this, if you decide to process your bankruptcy without a lawyer, then it is your responsibility to fill out all the necessary forms accurately and completely, and every bit as precisely as if you had paid an attorney to do it for you. Leaving out a creditor's name or address or forgetting a loan that you co-signed for, will surely bring on litigation against you even after your bankruptcy has been adjudicated. Be sure you understand all the papers, ask the Court Clerk for advice, and if you run into problems, then take it in to an attorney.



 Besides the regular bankruptcy laws, there's also a little-known and little-used method of getting reorganized with your debt, particularly when you've got a steady job and just need more time to straighten your indebtedness out. This is the wage-earner's provisions of Chapter XIII of the Federal Bankruptcy laws.



 Basically, these provisions allow you to make new arrangements with your creditors and pay off all your debts over a new 3-year period of time. When you filed for indebtedness relief under the provisions of this law, nothing is recorded permanently on your credit record. You get to keep all your assets, but you must pay off all your debts. But, so long as the Court grants you relief under these provisions, and you pay your creditors according to the repayment schedule agreed upon by the Court, your creditors cannot bother you. Even if they have begun a suit against you, once the Court has given you relief, they cannot touch you! Once you've filed under these provisions, your creditors are immediately restricted from even contacting you, and get only what the referee or trustee doles out to them.



 Often-times, if a creditor threatens to sue you, the most effective thing you can do is to tell him frankly that if he sues you, you'll have no other alternative except to file bankruptcy papers. In many instances, this will cause him to take a second look and to do whatever he can to assist you in paying him the money you owe, but over a longer period of time, and at smaller monthly payments. The absolute bottom line is that your creditors know only too well that if you do file for bankruptcy, their chances of receiving even half of what you owe is practically nil. Thus, it's in their best interest to do everything they can to help you to continue making payments on the amount you owe, regardless of how small those payments may be.



 When a creditor does sue you, and gets a judgement against you, he can then get a court order directing the sheriff to seize your personal property and sell it, with all monies realized going to the creditor to satisfy your debt. When they see this about to happen, many people connive to make themselves "judgement proof." In other words, they hide their assets or move them out-of-state before the sheriff or marshall arrives. This is illegal, but is done as often as not.



 Many creditors will attempt to "garnishee" your wages. This is done by getting a court order directing your employer to set aside part of your wages or salary every pay period and turn it over to him. First, of course, he has to find out where you work; and even then, in most states, there are limits set relative to how much a creditor can garnishee for your wages.



 If you have no job, and no visible assets, or you live in a state where your wages cannot be garnisheed, your creditors actually have very few ways of ever collecting from you.



 Many techniques used by creditors and collection agencies are illegal. A creditor or agency can write letters to you; call you once a day in quest of a payment; and even knock on your door to ask about a payment. but he is forbidden by law to harass you or invade your privacy, or use deceptive means to get you to pay your bills. He cannot use foul and abusive language over the telephone, tell anyone besides you the reason for his phone call, inconvenience you or in any way threaten your job or your reputation in the neighborhood where you live.



 Still, the best idea for reorganization and settlement of your debts when you find yourself in an untenable position, is in-person visits and explanations of your situation with your creditors, and a desire to explore other possible ways of mutual satisfaction without involving collection agencies or bankruptcy. Give it a try - it's a lot easier than most people realize.ws, there's also a little-known.

PAPER RECYCLING

PAPER RECYCLING BUSINESS


 One of the easiest - and in fact one of the oldest ways of making extra money - is by collecting old newspapers and selling them to a recycling plant in your locale.

 Believe it or not, you can develop a very respectable income collecting and selling paper to the recycling centers. It certainly does not take any education, specialized training or experience; it's as simple as saving your old newspapers and turning them in to a central collection depot.

 Some "paper recyclers" are making more than $100,000 a year in this business. If other people are doing it, then there's no reason you can't do it! About the only equipment you'll need is a pickup truck or trailer that you can pull along be hind your personal car. We even found one "old timer" who was collecting paper in this era with a pushcart! While interviewing him, we found that he was deliberately choosing not to expand, although he very definitely could have.

 The prices being paid for paper these days by the recycling centers will astound you (and remember that the quotations we give here may have escalated sharply since our research). For instance, old news papers are commanding $50 per ton and more; used cardboard, $75 a ton; and high grade office paper as much as $120 per ton. This kind of money for used paper that you can generally pick up for free can move you onto Easy Street in a hurry. Everything, of course, depends on how well organized you are, and how hard you work at building your business.

 Make no mistake about it, we live in a paper world. Americans use 200 million tons of paper each year - for everything from daily newspapers to books and cardboard boxes. After quick use, we throw away at least 100 million tons of this paper, almost all
of which could be recycled. This means that there's about 8 billion dollars worth of paper out there that can be collected and recycled each year. So if you are looking to start a business with real profit potential, what are you waiting for?

 Just look around your own home. In the garage or basement, for instance. What do you do with the old newspapers after you've read them? How about all the mail you get each week? Chances are this waste paper just piles up in some corner of the garage or
basement until one of the kids asks if he can haul it off for the school or cub scout paper drive. Or maybe your wife and kids get ambitious some weekend, clean out the garage and haul it all off to the collection truck at one of the local shopping centers. (We said maybe!)

 It's true that selling stacks of newspapers you've accumulated during the past couple of months or so won't make you rich. In fact, it's doubtful your own accumulation of paper will add up to a ton a year, and that certainly won't amount to much in extra
income. But think about the tonnage involved in the stacks of old newspapers you could collect from your relatives, friends and neighbors. You could easily collect a l00-pound sack of old newspapers from the people in your neighborhood each week - and that's your immediate neighborhood.

 And then think about the total extra income you would have when you have hauled all this paper down to the recycling depot. If you're serious, and get yourself properly prepared, you can easily make $300 or more every weekend, and it won't involve all
your time. Some planning and effort on your part are the prime requisites.