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WITandWISDOM(tm) – July 1, 2004 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: "Target the Heart of Your Customer, not his Wallet." - Rick Beneteau Source: DailyInBox: Quotes From The Masters, http://your.dailyinbox.com/qftm/ ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: There's a story told about an elderly lady in Arkansas. The state voted to increase welfare payments to indigents. Hoping for a tear-jerker story, a television interviewer went into the back hills where many welfare recipients lived. The old woman he chose to interview lived in a one-room shack: draughty in winter; stifling in summer. Her bed was a few rough planks nailed together, with a pine-needle mattress. A couple thin blankets, and a fireplace, did little to protect her from the cold. Her furniture, a table and two chairs, were fashioned from the same rough wood as her bed. Some shelves held a few cans of food from the general store, a three mile walk down the road. Several jars of preserves and a few squash completed her larder. She had no fridge or freezer. The fireplace provided heat for cooking. With no phone or television her only connection with the outside world was an old radio that pulled in two or three local stations on a good day. The old woman had one convenience, running water. A crystal clear stream gurgled a short distance behind her home. A small garden near her back door provided fresh vegetables during the summer, and some squash and turnips for the winter. A tidy flower garden brightened the front of her house. The television crew arrived and set up their big expensive cameras. Their mobile station broadcast pictures of the woman and the place she called home. Eventually the interviewer asked the old woman, "If the government gave you $200 more each month, what would you do with it?" Without hesitation the woman replied, "I'd give it to the poor." Source: Fun 'n Faith, A Weekly Newsletter, http://www.peggiesplace.com/ ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: Warning Labels Part 1 of 2 [Jul 1, 7] You have probably heard about the lawsuit over a spilled cup of coffee. However, there are many other silly lawsuits involving products that have received far less attention. For example, did you know a man received $50,000 when he sued a small company that makes basketball nets because he claimed the company was responsible when he caught his teeth in a net while dunking a ball? People who make products hear about these outrageous lawsuits, and they often decide to slap common sense warnings on their product... "just in case." In 1997, Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch (M-LAW) began a contest to expose how frivolous lawsuits, and a concern about potential frivolous lawsuits, have led to a new cultural phenomenon: the wacky warning label. Over the years, M-LAW has received hundreds of warning labels from people around the world. M-LAW verifies the authenticity of each label and selects the "Top 5" for each year. Following is a list of some of the best labels from the first five contests: A warning on an electric router made for carpenters cautions: "This product not intended for use as a dental drill." A warning label found on a baby stroller cautions the user to "Remove child before folding" A prescription of sleeping pills says, "Warning: May cause drowsiness A sticker on a toilet at a public facility in Ann Arbor, Michigan actually warns: "Recycled flush water unsafe for drinking." A massage chair warns: "DO NOT use massage chair without clothing... and, Never force any body part into the backrest area while the rollers are moving." A snow blower warns: "Do not use snow thrower on roof." A dishwasher carries this warning: "Do not allow children to play in the dishwasher." A CD player carries this unusual warning: "Do not use the Ultradisc2000 as a projectile in a catapult." An "Aim-n-Flame" fireplace lighter cautions, "Do not use near fire, flame or sparks" A label on a hand-held massager advises consumers not to use "while sleeping or unconscious" Submitted by John L. Hoh, Jr., http://www.geocities.com/hohjohn/ ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: A missionary family serving in the Belgian Congo had just finished their meal. Then came time for family devotions. One of the boys wanted to know what the Bible meant when it spoke of Christians being the salt of the earth. The explanation satisfied him at the time, but when he was being tucked into bed, he asked, ?If we are the salt, who is the pepper?? From: Serve Him With Mirth by Leslie B Flynn This is a free e-book download. http://www.gospelcom.net/guide/resources/mirth.php ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: Percentage of teens who want to be doctors, the top profession named by teens polled: 10 Median annual wage of a family practitioner: $130,610 Percentage of teens who want to be actors: 8 Median annual wage of an actor: $23,470 Source: Health, June 2004, http://www.health.com |