The weather here in Perth has been warm and sunny and I was thinking how wonderful it is to have the time to spend in my own garden. 
I'm sure the vast majority of people on this planet never get to enjoy that pleasure. 
They may have to grow their own food in which case it's just plain hard work or the weather is too cold or too hot and dry for gardening. 
The article in the next column about the village of 100 is a painful reminder of how far we still have to go before we can all enjoy our own garden just for pleasure.

On the same theme of gardening this month is the annual Tulip Festival in the Netherlands. This is a nation which bursts into color every Spring, with its renowned display of tulips.  Showcasing 6 million bulbs is the Keukenhof, home of the tulip festival. 
It is about thirty miles from Amsterdam, and it is promoted as the world's largest garden.  Paved footpaths wind throughout 70 acres of lawns, lakes, woodlands, streams, and shrubs, all edged with rivers of bloom.  For seven or eight weeks every spring, these famous gardens draw an estimated half a million visitors to see a changing display. 
Wishing you all a the best for April.

Dr John K. Flynn B.D.Sc.
The Xerostar Times Editor 
"Caring for creative people"
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Click the play button if like MIDI Music 
Tulips from Amsterdam Over there by the windmill Once Fisher's Girl Brass Ring Polka 

Music Score  and/or initial Midi Sequences provided byAnny de Leeuw/Amsterdamse Blaas Kapel
Sequenced by Anders Bakke,© Accordion Man

If the music sounds like it belongs in a kids
cartoon then you should read the article in last month's edition entitled:
"The 7 essentials to enjoy MIDI music." 
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The article will show you how to set up your computer for maximum enjoyment of MIDI music.
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If you enjoyed this music Click Here for more!
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A website where you will find a huge choice of ezines covering every interest.   Click Here
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Businesses have been using research methods  and interviewing techniques to ensure that they are hiring creative individuals. 
Here you will find a short description of the different methods and techniques. 
See how you measure up as a creative individual.

We hope this MIDI-eBook will be an inspiration to all readers. We would appreciate some Feedback
.

A recent testimonial:
I played around with the Xerotron for 2 hrs this AM and it seemed like just minutes. This is wild!!!  I am going to both enhance my skills and have some fun at the same time. Thanx a million!!!
Rolf J. Minneapolis
To read more about this program Click Here
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Note: this article is in stark contrast to my editorial
written in the February edition. It behoves us to read both sides to an argument before making up our minds. 
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That's exactly what Phillip M. Harter, a medical doctor at the Stanford University school of Medicine, attempted to figure out. This is what he found. 

57 would be Asian 
21 would be European 
14 would be from the Western Hemisphere 
8 would be African 
52 would be female 
48 would be male 
70 would be nonwhite 
30 would be white 
70 would be non-Christian 
30 would be Christian 
89 would be heterosexual 
11 would be homosexual 
6 people would possess 59 percent of the entire world's wealth, and all 6 would be from the United States. 
80 would live in substandard housing 
70 would be unable to read 
50 would suffer from malnutrition
1 would be near death 
1 would be pregnant 
1 would have a college education 
1 would own a computer 

The following is an anonymous interpretation: 
Think of it this way. If you live in a good home, have plenty to eat and can read, you are a member of a very select group. 

And if you have a good house, food, can read and have a computer, you are among the very elite. 
If you woke up this morning with more health than illness...you are more fortunate than the million who will not survive this week. 

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation...you are ahead of 500 million people in the world. 

If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death...you are fortunate, more than three billion people in the world can't. 

If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep...you are richer than 75% of this world. 

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace...you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy. 

If your parents are still alive and still married...you are very rare, even in the United States. 

If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not. 

If you can hold someone's hand, hug them or even touch them on the shoulder...you are blessed because you can offer a healing touch. 

If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you, and furthermore, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read at all. 

Have a good day, count your blessings, and pass this along to remind everyone else how blessed we all are? 
 

We are pleased to announce the birth of our 
latest innovative software!
It's called "The Baby Name Generator" 
Available now for download at our new web site. 
http://www.baby-name-generator.com
To go there now  Click Here
.

Do you often write letters or articles on your computer?

If you're like me, you're writing is often interrupted because you need to find a special word. 
With Word Web Pro the interruption is very short because you always find the right word - quickly. 

You will appreciate the Word Web Pro.  It's a
Dictionary - Thesaurus that you can download
and install on your PC. It has a 160,000 word database.

The main advantage of this utility is that it allows instant lookup. There are heaps of synonyms or antonyms at your finger tips. It's much faster then getting out your old Webster or Roget's and wasting time, searching for ages.

I can highly recommend this program to anyone who is serious about writing.
It's well worth the tiny price tag of $14.65.

To read more about this useful tool click here
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A slightly different angle on the problem of web rage.
Most of you will experience web rage sooner or later
either as a victim or a perpetrator.
It's upsetting to read verbal abuse aimed at you by anonymous writers. They have often misunderstood
your good intentions or are over-reacting to a small problem. They will write things that they would never say to your face. 
I must admit I have been guilty of web rage myself.
Recently I was wrongly accused of spamming by an individual who thought he had all the facts.
I had to defend myself from a multitude of serious threats and immediate action was required.
Things can get terribly frustrating when you communicate by email, but there is no excuse for poor behaviour - anywhere.

We need to stop ourselves from making an immediate reply to a whatever is annoying us.

However the prevalence of scammers out there has created a new race of web users that I can relate to.

They are the ones like you and I who have been trying for months or even years to make an honest living on the internet and have fallen victim to one scam after another.

These people find a creeping paranoia overcoming their better judgement, tend to jump to conclusions and can no longer recognise a genuine honest business offer when they see it. Cynicism takes over and spoils the simple pleasure of reading the copy of a well meaning entrepreneur..

Newbies are often ignorant of netiquette, and can resort to rude behaviour.  They can be told once politely of the need for decorum.

After that, ignore them with a little program called 
"Bounce Spam". It makes their email appear to be undelivered.  Not getting a response is the best cure. After a while they get the idea and the problem will disappear. 

In most cases it's better to wait, or not answer at all.  If you answer immediately, it is often when you are too emotional and you will only escalate the argument.

If you must answer then try to throw in a little friendly humour - it does help to reduce the tension.

Web sites such as iCop and Scambusters are helping provide some justice and turning paranoid net-newbies into mature web users. Write to them if you need to let off some steam and tell them of your experience.

As someone once said, don't try to fight fire with fire - even the fire department just uses water.
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For example the first edition was Xerostar1200.exe
So the February edition is at:
http://midi-ebooks.com/Archive/Xerostar0201.exe