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Ezine WebRing To join our netring simply go to http://www.ringsurf.com/netring?ring=chatzine;id=2;action=addform and submit your site. When your site is accepted simply add the HTML to your page, if it is not added within a week your site will be deleted from the ring because it will leave a dead end within the ring. And we all know that RINGS do not have dead ends, the ends meet! Once you've recieved the HTML if you have any questions you can email me at ch_zine@hotmail.com and I'll be happy to help. -MichiganStorm™ TOP

Horoscopes By Texas Storm   Borrowed from  Taurus ..... April 20 - May 20 A change is gonna come, as they say, this week. They normally just say the 'a change is gonna come' bit, they're usually quite unspecific and most definitely unhelpful when it comes to saying exactly when that change'll be comin' round, so this is slightly more helpful than what 'they' say. The change, thankfully, does not involve George W. Bush becoming your live-in lover. Which is another case in which we're more specific than that nebulous 'they'.     Leo ..... July 23 - August 22 You begin to think Java-enabled devices are a bad thing when your stereo begins to refuse to play any of your music. When it insults your taste in clothing (though it may have had a point, with the paisley), that's the end of the line, and you'll gain a Java-enabled embedded cement block propping up your garden tools. Virgo ..... August 23 - September 22 Well, we're still hoping you've got a load of hyper-intelligent chimpanzees reading these to you this week. Try getting them to feed you grapes, that's always interesting, especially if they're like the hyper-intelligent chimpanzees I've seen. If you still haven't received your cheque and hyper-intelligent chimpanzees, try buying a bunch of grapes (or bundles or gaggle or however they're known when one or more grapes get together in a group) and whipping them at people passing by your house. Peeling them and whipping them at people pretty much simulates what the chimpanzees do with them, too. Try it and you'll see why I think it's so cool. Gemini ..... May 21 - June 20 You're beginning to think your membership in the Knights Templar is a bit of a sham. Why, you ask? Well, for a start, you don't feel a whole lot more intelligent and knowing abouts the ways of the world. And when you ring up Jennifer Lopez or David Hasselhoff (whose numbers you get from the special booklet you get with your membership, and according to your preference, obviously, my deepest apologies, ladies) and tell them to "hop to" they do nothing of the sort. In fact, they pretend like they don't even know who Jennifer Lopez or David Hasselhoff are. And sound quite a bit like your mum, come to think of it...    Capricorn ..... December 22 - January 19 This would appear to be the horoscope at which I get stuck this week, like a flounder without a tin of baked beans. There is a decidedly lemon tang to your week. Note that that is not Tang(tm), the drink popularized by astronauts and such-like of the 1980s, but tang. Because we all know Tang(tm) was supposed to be orange flavored, or something.  Cancer ..... June 21 - July 22 If you're feeling really ambitious this week you might want to start throwing up your Christmas decorations. That would be 'throwing up' in the sense of tossing them casually. Err. Like with a throwing motion. Not in any other senses we may have inadvertently or intentionally (who knows, maybe we're devious) brought to your mind with any of the preceding descriptions. Belgium will refuse to acknowledge your existence this week. Pisces ..... February 19 - March 20 Saturn in your sign this week causes you to have the wildest craving for creatures (edible, of course) made out of jelly. To eat. Though, of course, jelly-creatures are predisposed to be squished, rolled around ones fingers, bounced off the table, to the chagrin of those other people sharing the table with you and un-armed, themselves, with jelly-creatures. So of course you're free to play with them a bit before eating them, unless barred from doing so according to any special statutes of any NATO agreements that you may find yourself falling under. This is despite the fact that, when questioned, Saturn professes they were no where near your sign this week.   Aries ..... March 21 - April 19 Your homemade television (made out of spare monkey parts, tree bark, and a mango, or something you thought a mango would look like) catches fire, due to faulty wiring and a parrot and you spend Wednesday watching flaming former television parts and leaves rain down on the rhinoceros, who manages an un-rhinoceros-like puzzled expression. You scramble to another, less burnt part of the tree. A few monkeys that have become quite attached to you (not literally) follow.   Libra ..... September 23 - October 22 You're about as subtle as a bag of nails during a rain storm this week. What this means is anyone's guess, though I'm suspecting it's something you'd rather not be too close to. Scorpio ..... October 23 - November 21 Like a deep, deep river, or perhaps like an ocean, one of the really deep ones, immeasurable in it's depths (the river or the ocean), with warm currents of air occasionally sniffling overhead, you also do not have a horoscope. Still. Not sure where depth comes into it, but hey, I don't have to explain it to you, you don't have a horoscope.    Sagittarius ..... November 22 - December 21 Out of spite, you'll lock yourself out of your house this week. Of course, if you'd put more thought into it you might consider showing your spite in a manner that allowed you to stay indoors, and perhaps let the intended receiver of your spite know you were spiting them (not to be confused with smiting them, lest this get violent). What you can think of, sitting on your cool-ish, possibly damp flagstones, is that spite is spelled very similarly to 'spit'.   Aquarius ..... January 20 - February 18 A week that starts out promising enough will start to spiral downhill on Monday afternoon with your water from the water cooler tasting a bit stale-ish to the grand finale on Saturday morning, during the course of which you get impaled by one of the Spice Girls at a rock benefit you're supposed to attend, in the hopes that it will revive your dead pop career that never was. While you may think being impaled by a Spice Girl couldn't be all bad, let me tell you. It hurts. A lot. TOP

The Chathouse ~Chat Dominatrix~ Another Day in Chat I surfed through a few rooms last week looking for chatters to answer the question asked in the Ezine's Q&A. I found a few rooms that couldn't be bothered with saying hello yet alone answering a question, and some that couldn't spare the time to say hello, but made the time to be rudely arrogant. I also found some that not only answered the question, but gave their opinions and thoughts on the Chathouse or Ezine, too. ((Which is always welcomed)) As frustrated as I felt at the time, I won't sit here and slander the rooms I found to be cold and rude, because I know all too well that I could return to the very same room 2 hours later and quite possibly be graciously welcomed and get every chatter to answer the very same question for me.  Now this could be because the non-answering chatters are now in a better mood, or because they are no longer in that serious PM conversation or the co-worker finally left their office and they are free to chat again, maybe their baby is finally down for a nap, or maybe it's because there is now a completely different group of chatters in the room. I know that most chatters when logging on, don't set out to be rude and cold. And I also understand that I don't know what is happening on the other side of the computer screen the very moment I walk into a room and ask for answers and input from you. I hope we can get more chatters to understand this very simple thing, and to maybe give that "cold" room another try 2 hours or so later. Of course this is not at all to say, that we don't have some down right rude people chatting here. Some think that because they have already made a handful of friends, and have no need or want to make anymore, that they have the god-given right to be rude an obnoxious to any and everyone else. For these people I ask you to have patience and to take pity on their medical & emotional disability. For it must be a burden to go through life with a heart so small that only a handful of friends can fit into it. To be so limited in their emotional capabilities surely must be hard enough on them without us reminding them of what uncaring and small hearted human beings they are. And last but not least, I did want to thank all the chatters that graciously let me interrupt there chat time to have them answer the Ezine's Q&A. And a special Thank You, to the Ladies Room, where I can always be sure to find a few good laughs! Chathouse News Room News/Gossip I'm still looking for volunteers to email in and keep us up-to-date on the goings-on of their room. So far I've only gotten two rooms to email in, ((the Loft and the W.W.Wing)) both of whom I'm waiting to hear from again, and hopefully soon! Worth A Whipping This is one of those handles that when you first see it, you stop and reread it just to be sure you read it right the first time. ~L~  And Ladies, clicking on his profile you'll see that not only does he have a sense of humor, he is also very adorable! ~W~ #1 WaxingMyWallaby (#1602280)  Added  Quotes Two quotes were picked this week to be added to the Random Quotes.  The first was sent in by Sandman  ² "You're not going insane, you're going sane in an insane world." The second one was sent in by mikeoh ² "Having a great time, wish you were her" To submit your favorite quote, joke, bumper sticker or motto for a chance to win and be added to the Random Quotes, email it in, along with your handle to, quotes@chathouse.com New Chatters RantMaster's Theater   The News Page chatdominatrix@hotmail.com TOP

Citizens for Constitutional Government My Two Cents by My2CentsDealW/it! Dear2c@hotmail.com My Two Cents on Rudeness I came across this question in one of the Forums: "Why are people so rude?" Interesting question and one that I have given some thought to as well. Being the habitual 'people-watcher' that I am, I have come to a couple of basic conclusions in answer to that question. The answer rarely depends on the situation and circumstances at the time of the rudeness. More often, the answer lies in basic human nature, although some people are just basically rude in general. This rudeness in general seems to be increasing at an alarming rate, but is still the exception -- for now.  In a forum such as the War Room (issue-based debate), rudeness is almost always resorted to by those who cannot support their arguments or opinions. Rudeness is the last resort of the weak-minded and undisciplined. However, rudeness is also manifest in those who CAN support their positions and debate them in a disciplined/civilized manner. The latter seems most often to be the result of frustration with those of the former. Even the most disciplined, civilized and well researched debater will eventually be drawn down to the level of rudeness by those who use rudeness to mask their inabilities for rational thought and good mannered debate. Rudeness is also used as a weapon. Civilization, good manners, respect and other 'moral ideals' are self-imposed by us as human beings for stability and safety of the race as a whole. Human beings are also strongly individualistic by nature as well. Therein lies the root of the problem. The clash between the self-imposed 'moral ideals' and the natural desire for individuality. Now you are probably asking, 'What does that have to do with rudeness?', so let me bring it into focus. In the battle between 'moral ideals' and individualism people will embrace one more than the other to varying degrees. Those who cherish the moral ideals and recognize the need for them on one end. Those who rebel against the imposed ideals and embrace their individuality on the other. Rudeness is the tool of those on the individual end of the scale, simply because rudeness goes against all that is civilized/moral. Therefore those on the extreme end of the scale towards the individual will more often resort to rudeness to express their individuality and rock the boat of civilization and imposed moral ideals. As you move more toward the civilized end of the scale, the rudeness decreases, but never goes away completely. Why is that? No matter how civilized, moral or disciplined one is, there is still the natural need for individualism within us all. Inevitably, even they will resort to rudeness when dealing with those who use rudeness as a mask and/or a weapon. The natural desire of the individual will always have the advantage over the imposed moral ideals of civilization. Civilization is, and ever shall be, under attack by the very people who created it. The human being is a complex creature. We desire order AND chaos, civilization AND anarchy simultaneously. Most recognize and accept that ONLY order and civilization can assure our survival. However, we all still desire the chaos and anarchy of individualism to varying degrees. So, the short answer to the question is: Rudeness is the shield of the unenlightened and intellectually challenged, but it is also the weapon of the individual against order and civilization. Rudeness is a measure of how civilized we are and as it becomes more prevalent and common place then civilization and order are deteriorating. In observing the levels of rudeness in society today, compared to say 50 years ago, you can see how far we have declined as a civilized society and how quickly we are moving towards Anarchy and Chaos. That's My Two Cents, Deal With It! Citizens for Constitutional Government So, what have you got to say? Let me know and I'll tell you if it's worth 2 cents! Dear2c@hotmail.com *note: all names and handles will be changed or removed to protect the pathetic* TOP

~*Chat Diva*~ & Co. I made a short visit to Joe's Diner on the Next Level where I tried to catch up with a few friends and did indeed have the unsuspected pleasure of finding one or two of them around. I say unsuspected because it's rare that I see anyone I know in that room anymore, or anywhere through-out the Chathouse for that matter. Where have they gone? Well, my point, I went through the forum while visiting because it's not often I get to read those and chat simultaneously, hell it's not often I get into Chathouse space at all anymore. There I go, straying again. While I was going through the forum I found some posts referring to our Wrestling Debate and was shocked to see someone making implications that just because someone answered a simple question, one that called for opinion and not fact, that they were jealous of these people and that's why they have such poor opinions of some. When you answer any question with your opinion, such as these, it is just that - your opinion. Nobody believes that stating an opinion in reply to an answer that asks "what do you think..." is a cause for hostile rebuttal. However, if you'd like to debate any opinions about the WWF and it's wrestlers seen here, please do so in an adult fashion and simply answer the questions yourself, sharing your opinions and mail them in! thechatdiva@hotmail.com We'll be sure to share your opinions with anyone who might be interested and if certain readers disagree or believe that you answer the way you do because of jealousy or stupidity don't be surprised if you're attacked in your forum because I'm sure that asking certain chatters to be adult about anything is a mute point! However, if the majority of the chatters want to rebut and share their thoughts I think they'll do it the proper way, in an email to us! WWF DEBACLE - look what I found in my mail box! p®¡ññ¥'s answers: 1.Your favorite Wrestler(s) and WHY? Chris Jericho*fanning face*oooooh, baby......gorgeous*nods*and a really good wrestler, too.......and funny as hell.....charming...witty...sarcastic...oops, sorry....yups, I like him.....n the Rock too.....n Kurt Angle......you hate to love him, and love to hate him. 2. Lease favorite Wrestler(s) and WHY? X-Pac...lose the diaper. Stephanie...not exactly a wrestler, but I just hate her. Booker T.....if I hear suckah one more time, I'm going to scratch my own eyeballs out. 3. Favorite WWF couple? Steve Austin and Vince MacMahon*l*no, really...um...Matt and Lita....or maybe Perry Saturn and Moppy*l* 4. Who would make a great couple, given the right story line? Chris Jericho and me*l*um...lemme think...Steph and Kurt Angle....maybe his muscles will be big enough to suffocate her while they hug? 5. What wrestler do you feel is the most ATHLETIC? prolly Kurt Angle.....though HHH is pretty muscle-y......but muscles have nothing to do with it 6. Best Storyline? Shawn Stasiak trying to impress Stone Cold......if he runs into one more thing, I'll die of laughter*l* 7. Worst Storyline? DDP and Sarah.....get over it already 8. You're favorite finishing move (doesn't necessarily have to be done by your favorite wrestler)? Walls of Jericho.....Cross-Faced Chicken Wing*lol*nope*l*.....I liked the Razor's Edge, too 9. Who would you most like to see join/rejoin the WWF from WCW or ECW? I agree with Seether......SHAWN MICHEALS(grrrrrrr)......but.....since he's not with WCW....Nash or Hall......why didn't they come over with the rest?*sobs* 10. Who would you expect to be most like their WWF character IRL? Mick Foley seems nice in and out of the show....... Stephanie's probably a spoiled brat..... Trish is probably a slut...... JR seems to be pretty real....... and I'll bet Chris Jericho is just as witty IRL too*big smiles*l* Well, I've read around a bit and supposedly Nash, Goldburg and Steiner all have contracts they need to fulfill before going into business with the WWF. Whether or not this is true is beyond my knowledge. I would have thought that their contracts would have been part of the deal between WWF Inc. and Times Warner, but who knows? Thank you Prinny for taking the time to send us your opinions! TOP

Q & A MichiganStorm™ The Game: The game Honesty is based on Truth or Dare, but without the dare. When actually playing the game one player asks a question and all have to answer honestly, including the player who asked the pending question. For the new Ezine version of the game I will ask a new question each week and all ChatHouse® chatters are welcome [and invited] to send in a response. The following week not only will a new question be asked, but the answers to [any] previous questions that we recieve will also be posted, including my own. Please send all answers to ch_zine@hotmail.com and be sure to include the handle under which your input should be posted [if a handle is not submitted, there will be no handle posted with the response]. If you have any questions you'd like asked in our Q & A section, please send them to the same address! Thank you. This Weeks Question: if you could elimnate just one of the evils in the world what would it be and why? [Submitted by Sally Brown] The Answers:Last Weeks Question:What is the worst thing you would REALLY do for a cold million in cash? The First Floor • KILL MY EX-HUSBAND..wait..i'd do that just for kicks *S hummmm...HAVE WILD ANIMAL SEX WITH PEE WEE HERMAN *s -Sally Brown •Have sex with Sally Brown? -deano_man •The real Question iss...what WOULDNT i do? -Koolwhip •worst thing for a million dollars? Screw Bill CLinton and Gary Conduit! -sxyclwngrl •If I had the oppurtunity I would do almost anything. I want you to ask questions like "MurelMd> Would yo ube interested in trying for a million dollars." *BIG SMILE* -MurelMd> Downstairs •Dominatrix - I'd even f*** Hilary Clinton for a million *LOL* -*HARDCORE* •Well, Chat Dominatrix, I just can't think of anything real dramatic that I would be willing to do for a million dollars. I have all I need, I love Those in my life so...I just can't imagine anything too interesting. *quiet smile* -Falcon's forbidden prey •I'd kill someone -SilenceIsGolden •hmmmm.....the questoin is : what WOULDN'T i do for 1 million dollars?! -Freak •Dom...I'd sit in a vat of human feces for a million bucks -Michelangelo The Hall •Easy...Nothing... *S* I dont want a million dollars...To many problems then...*S* -~Passion4u~fm~ You may have noticed many of the answers are addressed to Chat Dominatrix, this is because she took some extra time to help me get some answers for this weeks Ezine, thank you Dominatrix! TOP

Poetry Corner [Poetry taken from the Poetry Corner forum at Chathouse.] Locked In A Nightmare Locked up in a nightmare, afraid to scream. Always wanting out, But just getting pushed back in. You cry my name to hold you, scared I'll disappear. Although you may not always see me here. Locked up inside a nightmare, afraid to die. You're wanting me to help you, but I can't be your guide. Lots of love inside you. I see it from your eyes, It penetrates the smoke screens of the violent lies. Locked up inside a nightmare, afraid the end is near. You grab me to kiss you, and I'll always miss you. But it's the end of this f'n lullaby, Locked up inside a nightmare with a sigh. POSTED BY Dark Whispers *F* Untitled When time is slipping through your fingers in streams like the grains of sand in the hourglass of life in dreams When days turn to weeks before you know a month has gone with no idea of why you've hidden nor what you've done for so long When you feel lost and alone so confused and worn out yet you still don't know what this life is really about When things only get worse and you've no where to turn with a heart so heavy you've one thing to learn... I am here. Not always easy to find I don't always keep in touch but you're always in my mind. I've hidden too I've stayed away but I'm still with you each and every day. ~ * ~ This poem isn't the greatest, hell it's not even really "good", but it's from me and to a few friends who I feel distanced from a lot lately and who I need in my life and sometimes feel that perhaps they need me too. *S* - POSTED BY MichiganStorm™[*This poem is here only because a very good friend of mine asked me to put it in the Ezine.] TOP

Homepage Help MichiganStorm™ Well, seems it's been a while since we've posted anything, so instead of throwing new things at you I'm just going to toss a few links that might come in handy out there for you. These links are for backgrounds, graphics, tutorials and homepage tools and I hope there's something here you can use, but remember, no matter how many "cool" things you find you shouldn't overload your pages because it will effect loading time. I would also suggest that if you're just starting out and have no experience with web design that you begin by reading the first article in Issue #66 then if you're totally sure you're ready to begin move on to the second article in Issue #67. If you're serious about starting this new venture, you might find some worthy tips and help in both those articles! Now, some of the links I'm going to share with you here have been in the previously mentioned articles, but *shrugs* I'm trying to be helpful *S*. kagraphics has an extremely easy to use "color picker". You just click on the color you want and the page turns that color as well as putting the HEX code for the color in a little box where you can highlight it and copy it for use in your codes. HEX CODES there are a few faults with this page. You have to highlight grays 10-23 to see them because they've used a black background, but that's no big deal really, if you can copy and paste you can highlight. Another mistake I noticed right off was that because they used a black background the darker colors are shown in white and I think it's due to this that they give the wrong code for black! Instead they give you the code for white [#FFFFFF] instead of [#000000] black. Draac.com has a marvelous display for getting just the color you want, though it seems a bit small there are a lot of colors with code there! And that's not all, Draac.com also has HTML tutorials!!. Just go to www.draac.com and check out the site, they have half a dozen tutorials for the new designer as well as some pretty cool stuff for the old ones! www.webring.com which, like GeoCities, has merged with Yahoo. Once you reach Yahoo! WebRing just scroll down to where it says "Find A Ring" and in the little search box just type Backgrounds and you'll get quite a few matches, from there you're free to explore each webring and visit many sites or even join a ring. Or you can go to the site that sponsors our webring, RingSurf and search it the same way or join a ring! The Playground is my small background site, all mutes, tiles, borders and sets are free for your use all I really ask is that you sign the guestbook so I can visit your site! [the site is not "finished"] Starlight Gallery is where I found the muted background used on one of the example pages. grsites has a bazillion tiled backgrounds, though they refer to them as textures they are tiles. Wendy's Backgrounds once you arrive you'll have to scroll a bit down the page, scroll past her links for her business and a few biblical links and you'll come to the banners she asks you to link back with, just a short scroll further and you're there! She has a wonderful selection, be sure to link back!! Twilight Dreams Design has tons of great gothic, wiccan and fantasy borders and muted tiles! I've had this page bookmarked for as long as I can remember. I love this site and I adore this womans work! www.magickalmoon.com Jan's Designs Disney Designs.com Blue Realm Spaced Graphics this is a fellow chatters graphics site with animations and more! www.boogiejack.com: Here you will find intense HTML tutorials along with free graphics, webmaster tools, computer tips, virus-hoax alerts, a few different HEX color charts and more. www.geocities.com/researchtriangle/node/1533/htmlhelp.html: This site is made by the first person to ever help me with HTML! Her site has tons of HTML help in easy to understand formats! www.tigerherbs.com/eclectica/freedom/htmlhelp.html: This site doesn't have HTML tutorials, but what it does have is about twenty links to sites that have HTML, Java, CGI and other tutorials! I hope these help some and next week I hope to have more links and more helpful hints! TOP