Issue #46 June 8, 1999
Topics: Y2KWomen Website Update and ROW: Tabletalk Magazine
Update: Thanks to all of you who sent in additional information
on Emergency Duffel Bags! I'll post it this week and let you
know!
Dear Friends,
I am so excited to let you know about the new changes in the
Y2KWomen website! I think you are going to be very pleased! Here
are the main additions:
New Discussion Group!
The biggest addition to the site is a new Discussion Group for
Women, a.k.a., Discussion Forum or Bulletin Board. For those of
you who might be a little intimated by participating in a
Discussion Group (I was, at first!), don't panic. Let me explain
how it works. (I think you're going to love it!)
Unlike a Chat Room where you have a bunch of people talking
(that is, typing!) to each other in real time, in a Discussion
Group, once you've registered, you can post comments, concerns,
questions, etc. and then come back later and see who's
responded. You can also respond to posted messages and/or give
valuable information about topics of special interest.
For example, there is a group (forum) for Commercially Prepared
Food Storage. On that forum, "Starlite" asked this question:
"Hello, could someone tell me what the best brand (to buy) for
storage, of spices and herbs is? I have a catalog from Penzeys
which looks interesting but I have never heard of them. Thanks
for any information that you can give me." A little while later
"Pat" responded with this message: "Hi, Starlite. I just ordered
a catalog from Penzey's after hearing wonderful things about
their products and prices! Don't think you could go wrong with
them. For anyone else interested, their URL is penzeys.com."
(Now please realize, I haven't personally checked out these
recommendations. However, I trust that on the Discussion Group
people will give their honest opinions on things that may - or
may not - be helpful.)
As the replies continue (a thread) you'll find all sorts of
helpful information available. It just takes a little practice.
And if you only want to read what's been written by others, you
can just do that!
So as an example, the first category is: Caring for people with
special needs. Under that category, you'll find these forums:
Discuss caring for elderly - infirm, Discuss caring for elderly
- Alzheimer's, Discuss caring for children with developmental
disabilities, Discuss caring for children special medical
conditions.
Here is a list of the categories (check out the Discussion Group
page to find out all the forums under each category): Community,
Family Communications, Female Concerns during Y2K, Financial,
Food (Recipes), Water, Medical, Waste treatment, Pets, Single
women, Single parents, Minority concerns, Church,
Emotional/Spiritual, Ethical, Home Decorating, Gardening,
Practicing Non-electric living, Discussion Group Support (a
forum for Technical Support with answers to common questions
about using the Discussion Group). There is also a forum where
you can list other categories or forums you would like to see
added that I hadn't thought of!
Each group will have a moderator (right now it's me and my
friend Ruth). As moderators, we can go in and clean up, change,
or delete anything that doesn't seem appropriate or best for the
group. As things get busier, I'm hoping to find some volunteer
moderators who will be able to moderate a particular topic of
interest (if you're interested send me an email to
karen@y2kwomen.com but please put "Moderator" in the Subject
area and let me know what forum you're interested in).
Another feature that I hope you'll find helpful is a place for
"Announcements" at the top of each of the forums. So if there is
something special during the week that comes up that I'd like to
let you know about, I'll post it in the Announcements. All you
have to do is click on it and you'll get the latest information.
Also, starting tomorrow I'll have on my home page information
for first time users to click on so if you're not familiar with
some of the terms you can find out simply and easily. If you're
an experience Discussion Group user, you can go straight to the
forums.
Anyway, it's still brand new to me, too so hang in there with
me! I think you'll find this to be a very valuable resource. To
get started just go to the home page and click on the Discussion
Group link on the side bar.
Karen's Calendar
Another addition to the site is a link to my new public calendar
on Yahoo. Many of you have asked to find out my speaking and
radio commitments so I'll post everything here. Because it is a
free calendar put out by Yahoo, it has a lot of advertising on
it, which I'm not crazy about, however, it syncs with my
PalmPilot so I only have to keep one calendar (I'm lucky I can
keep up with that!). When I'm doing a local radio show, I'll try
and give the call letters and numbers for the radio shows. Many
of the nationally syndicated shows have a real-audio function on
their websites, so if they have that, I'll try and post that too.
Tuesday: New Delivery Day for "Dear Karen"
I just realized this is my 46th issue of "Dear Karen"! And I
have to be honest with you... more often than not, I wait until
Sunday night to write it! My strategy is to collect information
and draft it over the course of the week but I usually try and
write it so it is as current as possible. However, with my
traveling schedule and family commitments on the weekend, I feel
like I'm not always doing it justice. (I'm not the type who can
write up a bunch of stuff and have it in the can ready to go out
at any time - actually, what I try to do is think about what is
prudent, reasonable and relevant from week to week.) So I've
decided to write it on Mondays and since it gets delivered in
the middle of the night, you should have it on Tuesday.
ROW: Tabletalk Magazine
If you are not interested in spiritual things, do not read this!
PO Box 547500
Orlando, FL 32854
1 800-435-4343
or
Special 6 month subscription for Y2K women: $5.00
KA: For those of you who know me, you know that I spend about 25
hours a day looking into Y2K and emergency preparedness.
Recently, someone wanted to know what kept me going and so I
thought I'd tell you about something that is very influential in
my life.
You see, I do have a strong Christian faith but as I move into
the new millennium I, too, need the strength to start each day
anew with hope and faith that we will get through this.
(Honestly, it's not fear of the future that drains me but the
everyday challenges of being a wife, mom, full time working
mother, etc. that sometimes makes me want to scream "Calgon,
take me away!!")
One of the resources that I have used over the years is a little
magazine called Tabletalk - a daily devotional that helps me to
get perspective. Last Thursday I read the following article that
helped me to put things into perspective when I was struggling
with being frustrated knowing that people have an opportunity to
prepare now but many aren't doing anything to help themselves or
their communities.
I spoke with the people at Tabletalk and if you call and order
they will send you the next six issues of Tabletalk magazine for
only $5.00 (make sure to tell them you want the June issue so
you can get the June edition included).
But I'll warn you up front: Tabletalk doesn't dole out nice
platitudes and simple cliches. The focus is on looking at God's
holiness not just making us feel good. But as I've grown over
the years (I'll admit, two steps forward and one step back!)
I've found that focusing on God's holiness does, in fact, make
me feel good as I put into perspective His sovereignty and
holiness. If you are hungering for something a bit deeper in
these uncertain times, I recommend you take a look at Tabletalk.
Tabletalk Magazine, Thursday, June 3, 1999, (used with
permission) R. C. Sproul, Jr. Editor
"The only way to encourage those who are overcome by struggles
and trials is to direct them to God Himself. When the Jews were
taken into captivity in Babylon, they were surrounded by an
enemy more powerful than any they ever had known. And though
they had the great history of Moses' deliverance of their
fathers from Pharaoh's bonds, they were still afraid. They were
afraid because they looked at their circumstances instead of
looking at God.
"The Lord told Isaiah to go to all the cities of Judah and
declare, 'Behold your God!' The only thing that was going to
bring the people comfort during their darkest days was to fix
their eyes on God and trust in Him even when everything seemed
hopeless. The same is true for us today. We can find comfort in
the midst of our difficulties only when we take our eyes off our
distressing circumstances and look to God, to His goodness, His
power, and His wisdom.
"These are the three attributes Isaiah called attention to as he
addressed the Jewish people. Why should they be afraid of being
abandoned when the Lord their God, who is like a gentle
shepherd, had promised to lead His people and care for them? We
can find much comfort in the Lord when we remember that He is
not only powerful and sovereign, but that He is so good to us.
He loves His people. He cares for His children and never gives
them a stone when they ask for bread. What comfort it is to know
that we are cared for by the Sovereign of the universe, that we
are not simply characters on a stage to be manipulated by Him,
but that we are His children whom He loves so much that He
sacrificed Himself for us.
"Such goodness, power, and wisdom have no comparison. No nation
can stand against God; they are 'as a drop in a bucket, and are
counted as the small dust on the scales.' He can level mountains
and part seas for His people, and when He has purposed
something, no power on earth can stop Him. He always knows what
is best, and we can trust that He always does what is best. And
though we might not understand His purposes, and this might
cause us to doubt, we can be sure that He is not lessened by our
limited reasoning, for His ways are higher than ours and His
power is greater than ours. Let us, then, behold out God and be
comforted in the midst of hard times."
Isaiah 40:9-17 Lift up your voice with strength, lift it up, do
not be afraid; say to the cities of Judah, "Behold your God."
***************************************************************
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(c) 1998-1999 Karen Anderson
PO Box 656, Colleyville, TX 76034
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-- shellie (shellie01@hotmail.com), June 08, 1999