The Secret by Rhonda Byrne

Below is a guest review of "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne.

Only for the open-minded, July 14, 2008
By P. Ryder (East Coast, USA)

It is amazing to me how a "law of attraction" book can be so polarizing to its readers. Whether it is The Secret, or Think and Grow Rich, or The Science of Getting Rich, et al; readers either love the law of attraction and embrace its principles or loathe it as being pseudo-science new agey nonsense.

A friend of mine introduced me to The Secret and I was quite skeptical. She relayed several stories of how the law of attraction had been working in her own life (since even before her reading The Secret; she has been a student of the metaphysical for some time) and it seemed interesting but not compelling enough for me to look into it. I frankly thought she was just *lucky*.

Then for my birthday she gave me the book and The Secret Gratitude Journal. I read the book over the span of a week and began using the journal a few days later. Encouraged by a few small positive changes (and unusual, um, coincidences) that took place, I borrowed the DVD. The three tools together were very powerful! I have put the principles into practice, and they are indeed working for me. Others have explained their situations eloquently and articulately, so I won't go into detail. But just quickly: my husband took me on an unexpected vacation just weeks after we came back from a planned trip, I sold my car for more than I asked for, I bought my new car and was able to effortlessly negotiate a ridiculously low rate for my auto loan - just to name a few...all in the space of the two months since I read the book and started using the mindset expressed within it.

The Secret is not the be-all and end-all of law of attraction studies; I have been now reading Wallace Wattles and Deepak Chopra among others and finding complementary principles with which to work. No, I do not think the universe revolves around me nor do I think that we attract everything to us. (For example, in the case of mass murders, etc., I think the opposing forces strongly attracted the event and the victims were caught in it. That's my "short" answer for purposes of the review. This isn't a message board so I will not elaborate here.) But I do think that how we think about ourselves and our circumstances does have a major affect on what plays out for us.

If you at all open to new ideas (or, in this case, old ideas in a new package) then you owe it to yourself to at least have a look at The Secret your local library. Take what you can, leave the rest. If you can be grateful for what you have, it makes it that much easier for good things to come your way. Just don't take the book so literally that you sit and waste your life daydreaming. Visualization without action is simply wishful thinking. Read the book, read other books on the same subject, and then DO SOMETHING. If you act from the heart, I think you will be as pleasantly surprised as I have been.


The Author speaks on YouTube.

If anyone else has any comments and has read the book please let me know.

Thanks.

2008 Baseball - Homerun Derby Sweetness

Last night was the 2008 Major League Baseball Homerun Derby and it was a stunner. Josh Hamilton did a magnificent job and his story is one for the legends book. I was excited to see history take place for this special event in Yankee stadium. It was the perfect backdrop for another great night in baseball.

I am a big fan of Minnesota Twins baseball as well. Justin Morneau won the homerun derby and in his honor I would like to feature an author that writes about the "best" of baseball, author John Nemo and his book "The King's Game".

Some of the reviews of his book are:

PRAISE FOR THE KING'S GAME
"It's Game 7 of the World Series, and John Nemo provides a pitch-by-pitch narrative that not only showcases his baseball knowledge, but also shows a deft writing skill. Cody King, a tortured soul, relives his life while trying to keep runners off the bases. So much pain, brief moments of happiness and misguided faith: Will King be saved? The answer to that is a powerful metaphor."
- Tampa Tribune

"A compelling, play-by-play story ... As a fatherless son, Cody King grips tightly to his game, desperate to stave off further rejection and running away from his heavenly Father. With the feeling of being at the game, readers will watch Cody's life - with its shocking revelations, tragic losses and career struggles - unfold before their eyes. Finally, he must face the most important decision of his life - before it's too late. The King's Game ... offers the message of salvation loud and clear."
- Christian Retailing

"The King's Game is definitely more than just a simple book about baseball. It's clearly written with a warm perspective on life, too. It's easy to put yourself in the story, which is the objective of any good tale."
- Associated Press

"At its start, The King's Game makes you wonder if a 'real' pitcher could engage in that many - and that interesting - reveries. By its end, John Nemo makes you positive nothing could be more real. This may just be the only time a baseball game moves too quickly."
- SportsIllustrated.com

"A rich, well-told, thought-provoking tale about the precious moments we have on this earth and the role baseball can play in shaping our lives."
- The Tennessean

"The King's Game is a very interesting elaboration of Michael Shaara's For Love of the Game, and, for my money, Nemo's knowledge of baseball beats even Shaara's."
- Tim Morris, Guide to Baseball Fiction

“John Nemo hits a first-pitch home run with The King's Game. Richly sprinkled with characters I felt I had known all my life and scenes I could easily envision.”
– The Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News



Watch the video and let me know your thoughts of Major League Baseball. I know it has a lot of issues but last night is what the game of baseball is all about - a kid on comeback with a second chance at a game he loves - PRICELESS!

Gas for $2.00 a Gallon in 30 days!

This morning I received an email from Northwest Airlines talking about how we can have Congress lower gas to $2.00 a gallon in 30 days. I have read articles from previous economists and saw 1 article on the Drudgereport that came from Bloomberg regarding this issue. I have not seen any media ever discuss it so I thought this did not have any merit.

Now I have received an email from Northwest Airlines to ALL their frequent flyer members about how we can demand Congress to change the system. Saudi Arabia has acknowledged that oil prices are higher than what they should be due to oil speculation. This speculation has increased because of the devaluation of the U.S. dollar. When inflation increases the speculators begin to buy more commodities such as Gold and Oil. Currently the price of crude oil is over 50 times more than what the current supply and demand should be which is at roughly $60 per barrel according to Saudia Arabia.

They have increased production and have met demands of the world consumption. However, because crude oil is a commodity and the U.S. dollar has decreased the speculators have driven up the price of the barrel which is affecting everyone. Congress can stop this by capping speculation of commodities to no more than 7 times the value of a commodity. This would apply to gold, oil, corn and many other commodities. In doing so the price of crude oil would decrease to $60 per barrel and gas prices would be at $2.00 per gallon which is what they should be.

To make a difference please go to www.StopOilSpeculationNow.com and fill out the easy form to email your senators and congressman. They have the power to cap the speculation markets and therefore restore gas prices to current supply and demand levels. Please tell everyone and we CAN make a difference.

Thank you!

Letter from Northwest Airlines:

Dear John Marino,
An Open letter to All Airline Customers:
Our country is facing a possible sharp economic downturn because of skyrocketing oil and fuel prices, but by pulling together, we can all do something to help now. Visit www.StopOilSpeculationNow.com.
For airlines, ultra-expensive fuel means thousands of lost jobs and severe reductions in air service to both large and small communities. To the broader economy, oil prices mean slower activity and widespread economic pain. This pain can be alleviated, and that is why we are taking the extraordinary step of writing this joint letter to our customers.
Since high oil prices are partly a response to normal market forces, the nation needs to focus on increased energy supplies and conservation. However, there is another side to this story because normal market forces are being dangerously amplified by poorly regulated market speculation.
Twenty years ago, 21 percent of oil contracts were purchased by speculators who trade oil on paper with no intention of ever taking delivery. Today, oil speculators purchase 66 percent of all oil futures contracts, and that reflects just the transactions that are known. Speculators buy up large amounts of oil and then sell it to each other again and again. A barrel of oil may trade 20-plus times before it is delivered and used; the price goes up with each trade and consumers pick up the final tab. Some market experts estimate that current prices reflect as much as $30 to $60 per barrel in unnecessary speculative costs.
Over seventy years ago, Congress established regulations to control excessive, largely unchecked market speculation and manipulation. However, over the past two decades, these regulatory limits have been weakened or removed. We believe that restoring and enforcing these limits, along with several other modest measures, will provide more disclosure, transparency and sound market oversight. Together, these reforms will help cool the over-heated oil market and permit the economy to prosper.
The nation needs to pull together to reform the oil markets and solve this growing problem. We need your help. Get more information and contact Congress by visiting www.StopOilSpeculationNow.com.
Robert Fornaro
Chairman, President and CEO
AirTran Airways

Bill Ayer
Chairman, President and CEO
Alaska Airlines, Inc.

Gerard J. Arpey
Chairman, President and CEO
American Airlines, Inc.

Lawrence W. Kellner
Chairman and CEO
Continental Airlines, Inc.

Richard Anderson
CEO
Delta Air Lines, Inc.

Mark B. Dunkerley
President and CEO
Hawaiian Airlines, Inc.

Dave Barger
CEO
JetBlue Airways Corporation

Timothy E. Hoeksema
Chairman, President and CEO
Midwest Airlines

Douglas M. Steenland
President and CEO
Northwest Airlines, Inc.

Gary Kelly
Chairman and CEO
Southwest Airlines Co.

Glenn F. Tilton
Chairman, President and CEO
United Airlines, Inc.

Douglas Parker
Chairman and CEO
US Airways Group, Inc.