I apologize for making it difficult to reach me, but there is a reason for not having a simple "click here to email me". I turned my email address into a graphic, which the spambots can't interpret. . Lately I've been getting them written in Spanish and Chinese and it has forced me to switch ISPs.

Abusers of the internet use "spambots", programs that surf the net collecting email addresses formatted as "mailto:joesmith@xxx.com". "Joe Smith" appears in blue and is underlined. It can be clicked on to send mail. These they sell to bulk emailers ("2 million names for $19.95") who then send unwanted spam messages to us. We can all do something about this nefarious practice. Do not reply with "remove" in the subject; you will only verify your email address. Forward all unsolicited mail to "uce@ftc.gov", a government agency trying to stop this annoyance. For tips on how to hide your own email address, go to:

"http://www.turnstep.com/Spambot/html/html"