ALS Walk at Pittsburgh Zoo, Sept 15th

Would you like free admission to the Pittsburgh Zoo? You can have that and help out those affected with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease.

4 years ago, my father-in-law took up the cause to help fight this debilitating disease. He has walked in the Pittsburgh Walk to D'Feet each year, regardless of the weather conditions. The first year he walked along with his team in a downpour.

I invite you to join Jesse's team for this year's walk on Saturday, September 15th. All participants need to be registered and in the zoo by 9:00 am for free admission to the zoo for the day.

If you cannot join us for the walk, a donation of any amount would be greatly appreciated. Those who work at companies that match donations, please check on your company contributing to ALS.

See Jesse's web page to sponsor Jesse's team or to join the walk. The picture you will see is from last year's walk. Jesse always starts out walking, then finishes in his wheelchair. I think he would like to do the entire walk on foot, but he doesn't want to slow down the rest of his team.

Thank you for your support! Hope to see you there on the 15th. Here is the link to Jesse's Team page: http://web.alsa.org/site/TR/?pg=personal&fr_id=2080&px=1591150

Freelance Graphic Design

Many times I am asked what it means that I am a "graphic designer" or precisely what type of graphic design work that I do. The way I see it, there are two types of graphic design: the large agencies who produce television and magazine ads, and direct response, which gives a clear message, calling its readers to take action.

Small business owners often do not have the time or resources to market their products and services. That's where I come in, designing sales letters, newsletters, brochures, e-mail blasts and other marketing materials.

I have never been very good at artwork, and with direct response graphic design, I don't need to be. I do not produce glitzy ads that sell to the mass market. Rather, I produce promotions that can bring in sales for a fraction of the cost.

Store Your Photos on a CD

Digital cameras have simplified picture taking and have, many times, caused an overwhelming amount of photos. I recommend burning the photos onto a CD for the following reasons:

• Storage - so that the images do not use up a lot of space on your computer
• Security - having a backup in case your computer crashes and you lose data
• Organization - by organizing the photos into files by date or occasion, you will have quick access to what you are looking for

Burning the files onto a CD may seem like a large task, but it really is quite simple. Here are the steps that I follow using Windows XP:

• Create a folder with the photos that you want to save and place it under the "My Pictures" folder
• Insert a blank CD (CD-R or CD-RW) into drive
• Right-click on the new folder you created and click "copy"
• Open "My Computer" and double-click on the recording drive where your CD is
• Click on the option "Write these files to CD"
• The computer system should burn the files onto the CD
• Remember to label the CD with the photo files you have included

I have been using basic CD's for this process. However, if you are concerned about the shelf life, archival-quality CD's are available from photography suppliers.