The Path: A Spiritual Journey

Heather and Verne Thomas

Table Mountain Press (2005)

ISBN 0976285800

Reviewed by Deah Jackson for Reader Views (3/06)

I have to say that I was skeptical of an educational novel or religious fiction as some have categorized this book. But if any book is an educational novel The Path: A Spiritual Journey is just that! To me, I would call it an educational page turner, so that more people would pick up this fantastic book. The Path follows the journey of a young Jewish boy Nathan, who experiences tragedy early on in his life and goes on a life journey. Along his journey, Nathan meets and encounters different people who become his teachers/mentors and also finds and experiences love. I dont want to give away too much of the plot but it is such a great story with an excellent message about how more similar than different religions are, and about faith.

I was surprised how much I learned about other religions by reading this book. The authors must have done so much research gathering accurate and historical information, and then weaving it into the story line. One would think that the story would be lost with all of the information that is contained in this book, but that is not the case. I almost cried within the first several chapters, and rooted for Nathan coming into his own and finding his place throughout the whole story. It is a story that will pull you in emotionally and intellectually.

I would recommend this book for anyone who wants a good read, or anyone who wants to learn more about other religions - basically anyone. I wish that my Philosophy and Religion professor knew about this book when I took the course my sophomore year in college, because I got so much more from reading this book than 16 weeks in a college course!

All I can say is that when I finished The Path, I was pleasantly surprised, educated and finished the book a more inspired and open-minded woman! Five stars!

Deah Jackson is a Reviewer for Reader Views.
http://www.readerviews.com

Are you one of those people who becomes ecstatic when you receive any gift no matter what it is? All of us are like this! Why do we get so happy? It’s because we know that the buyer has gone through great lengths to search for a suitable present they know will please us.

Gift certificates, pre-paid gift cards, and even cash are given more often as gifts these days. This is because our busy lifestyles, work and family schedules, and driving the kids all over town leave little time for in-store gift shopping. As a result, many of us to turn the Internet, but still feel that online shopping lacks that personal touch.

In reality, you don’t have to that way. It might take a little more work, but shopping online enables you to not only find the perfect gift, but also get it personalized for your friend or loved one.

Here are ideas for personalized gifts for both children and women.

Personalized Gifts for Children

Kids love gifts! They have a way of bringing smiles and laughter from any child. Children will tear open any package, even if it is not for them. Although children rarely appreciate the gifts they receive, their parents do. Furthermore, gifts bearing the child’s own name make treasured keepsakes.

Many online bookstores sell children’s books that can be personalized. Gift book categories include books for babies, toddlers, and older children. Holiday books and special books can also be found. Simply choose a story that matches the interest of the child. On the order form, fill in the personalization information.

Most books can be personalized with the following information: age, boy or girl, date of occasion, first name, nickname, last name, home town, state, name of older child (brother, sister, friend, or sometimes a pet), names of other friends, a dedication, and whom the book is from.

Once the book order is received, the book printer replaces all the names and places in your chosen story with those of the child! The recipient becomes the star of the story. The action takes place in the child’s town, with his or her friends as the co-stars. The book is then hardbound and shipped.

To find a store online, search for “personalized children’s books.”

Personalized Gifts for Women

Women love gifts as much as kids. This is especially true when lots of thought and consideration have been put into a gift. Men who are tired of buying the same chocolate, wine and flowers gifts should consider a personalized gift for their special woman. Imagine a completely personalized romance novel, with your sweetheart as the star! Much like the children’s books described above, her personal information is inserted into a mainstream romance novel. However, the degree of personalization is much more detailed.

In addition to the basic information such as name, town, kids, pets, etc., you can include your name as the main male character (if you are the giver), her favorite music, perfume, physical characteristics, her car, where she works, and much more. Several sites also offer the romance stories in “mild” or “wild” flavors, depending on your (and her) tastes. If you thought roses made her grateful, wait until you make her the star of her very own romance novel.

To find a store online that offers this service, search for “personalized romance novels” or “personalized romance stories.”

Most of us are just happy to get some attention not only on a special occasion, but also at any time! You can bring a smile to a friend or loved one’s face all through the year when you surprise them with a personalized gift they will never forget. This will bring special memories that will last forever.

Copyright 2006 Monique Hawkins

Dear fellow entrepreneurs, while reading some very informative information on the internet, I came across a really intriguing concept of creativity and imagination. In it’s application to marketing strategies, imagination is often one of the most powerful aspects that can be applied to internet business ventures. In just a few words, I’ll explain the power that lies within the use of creativity and imagination. Keep in mind that nothing “under the sun” is new. Everything in existence has always existed, and facts and substances are continually changing and shifting. All that is necessary to exercise creativity is to borrow from what already exists and rearrange the material into new combinations. This process is called Imagination.

Now imagination in it’s nature is both interpretative and creative. This means that it can receive impressions and ideas, and it can also use these impressions and ideas to form new combinations of the same. So, any person of average intelligence can take information from endless sources and transform this information into endless new combinations. Having infinite new combinations or ideas is, without debate, one of the most valuable tools a person can possess in their business. A remarkable example of how this concept has been applied, can be found by examining the efforts of Thomas Edison. The invention of the incandescent electric light bulb was nothing more than a combination of two old, well-known principles. He then simply arranged the two principles into a new combination.

So you can see, both the simplicity and the power in the concept of creativity and imagination. Therefore, in each of your business transactions, it is very important for you to apply this powerful concept by prompting your imagination to make new connections between multiple principles and apply them to things that are unique to your situation.

I hope this information helps you to create new business heights. Joe Clinton.

For priceless and truly informative details on internet marketing, go to http://www.internetprofitmentor.com. Don’t forget to sign up for the free course that teaches you completely and thoroughly how to create your own internet business that creates money for you while you sleep.

I enjoy helping others learn valuable information that I’ve learned over the years.

Reviewed by Cathy Yanda for Reader Views (1/06)

“The Mouse That Roared”
By Dwayne Murray, Sr.
Madbo Enterprises (2005)
ISBN 0976985500

This book grabs you at the beginning and doesnt let go until the last word is read. It begins with a young boy, Doug Gunner, finding his father in bed with someone other than his mother. It also introduces you to Sandra Lyte, a beautiful young lady entering her first beauty pageant. Their two stories will intertwine until the very end of the novel. Doug grows up to be a drug dealer and an abuser with whom Sandra falls in love and has two children. Sandra, knowing what Doug is, believes, as many women do, that she can change him and life will be wonderful. When she finally realizes that she needs to leave to save her life and the lives of her children, its too late. Doug will do anything to make sure they do not leave alive.

After everything Doug puts Sandra and her friends through, she never gives up. Her words to her children at the end sum it all up, You will never leave my heart or my soul simply because we are one and no one will ever separate us. Some might say this story is about Sandra Lyte, but it isnt. Its about everyone she meets. The author is very adept at creating the histories of these magnificently beautiful people and bringing them to light. You will not find a character in this book whose motivation you do not understand

The Mouse That Roared is a rich story that will hold onto you long after the pages are closed. It is a surprise to find that this wonderfully crafted novel is written by a very talented first-time novelist, Dwayne Murray, Sr. Lets hope he is busy working on his second book because once you finish this one you will be eagerly awaiting the next.

Cathy Yanda is a book reviewer for Reader Views based in Austin, TX http://www.readerviews.com

Buying gifts for friends or loved ones is not always easy. Even those closest to you are often hard to buy for when it comes to gifts. You may not know what they like and dislike, or what they need and don’t need. If you’re not careful, a joyful gift-giving experience can turn into a nightmare of panic! The good news is you can often find great, affordable gifts online that are sure to be adored for years to come. Use this checklist as a guide.

Get Organized

Keep an up-to-date list of birthdays, anniversaries, graduations and other special occasions where gifts are involved. You’ll be surprised at how keeping a list of these dates will help you stay ahead of the game.

Shop Early

Buy gifts online a month or two before the occasion. You can take your time to find gifts that are unique and affordable. Whether shopping for jewelry, electronics or household items, you will need to allow time for searching and shipping. Searching online can mean sifting through hundreds of products to find that perfect gift. And, shipping could take several weeks. So, allow enough time for both.

Gifts that Make a Difference

You’ve decided to give an unusual gift this year - one that will really make an impression. But, you aren’t sure what that gift should be. Be mindful of the person who will receive the gift. Do they have an old vehicle they’re trying to fix up? Check out the automotive parts section of an online shopping mall. Even a car alarm or a radar detector might work, depending on the person!

Are you buying for someone who has a home office? Try a new office telephone. Buying for your wife? Try lingerie or other clothing garments that she’ll adore. Younger kids always enjoy toys, while a teenage boy might like a sports product with his favorite team player. Leather goods always make great gifts as well.

More Gift Ideas

What hunter wouldn’t like a new set of knives? Women and teen girls are easy to please with a new handbag that matches their favorite outfit. A movie fan will enjoy a new DVD player. Or, the pets section of a site might reveal some great gift ideas for a pet owner. The possibilities are endless.

Amazing Gift Prices

An advantage of an online mall is you get the benefit of hundreds or thousands of gift items while shopping at one location. And often, these gifts are priced at “flea market” prices! The items are often sold at wholesale prices, and the manufacturer may dropship the items as well.

With so many choices, buying gifts for any occasion can be fun and affordable. With the Internet, you have a world of gift ideas at your fingertips!

The Great Pretender
By Millenia Black
New American Library (2005)
Reviewed by Ellen Hogan for Reader Views (2/06)

The Great Pretender is the story of one man with two families. Reginald Brooks decides he can’t live the way he has been with two separate families and tells his wife about his mistress and their child. The rest of the book deals with the ramifications of his revelation.

Millenia Black weaves her story around plot twists and turns. Through out the book all the main characters secrets are revealed. She keeps the reader guessing from beginning to end. Blacks characters are very believable and the reader finds herself feeling empathy for all those involved.

This book is for anyone, it is not geared toward any one group of people. Once you get hooked into the story, you just have to keep reading to see what is going to happen. While I really didn’t care for the subject matter it was a very well written book and kept my interest.

Millenia Black is a compelling storyteller. Heralded as a double life and relationship expert, she’s been a featured guest on radio shows across the country. “The Great Pretender” is her debut novel. When she’s not writing, her hobbies include enjoying the music of Nat King Cole and Judy Garland, and watching old Hollywood classics.

Ellen Hogan is a reviewer for Reader Views http://www.readerviews.com

One of the most common perceptions of non-artists about how creative people work is that seized by inspiration at the most unlikely times, they rush to their notebook, easel or computer and create furiously for hours until theyre burnt out, exhausted and unable to create anymore.

Then, after suffering an unpredictable and turbulent period of some form of creative block, suddenly the next day/ week/ month/ year their inspiration grips them once more and they again create manically. And so the pattern continues.

Indeed throughout history there are many examples of creative people who appeared to operate like this. But almost without exception this manic creativity is accompanied by its dark twin - long periods of debilitating anxiety, creative paralysis and depression.

The list of artists who created a handful of masterpieces - in whatever creative form - then took their lives at a young age to apparently escape their demons is tragically long.

What then is the alternative? If, as creative people, we are gripped by a sudden idea or flash of enlightenment, should we let it pass or ignore it? Of course not. Carrying around a notebook of some kind - and using it to jot down thoughts when they do appear - is an invaluable tool for anyone wishing to catch those precious ideas.

But instead of then simply going about the rest of our lives waiting powerlessly for that mysterious creative urge to strike again, we can gently encourage it, and develop the ease at which were able to create.

The idea of cumulative creativity - creating a little each day to add to your current projects - is an old and much trusted one, but something still overlooked by many of us who aspire to be more productive in our creative lives.

Maybe its a deep seated belief that true creativity equates to spontaneity and anything that is done by a ritual or under a disciplined regime is somehow not genuine or authentic?

This argument however quickly loses credibility when we consider the many benefits of developing ourselves in the ways of cumulative creativity. Here are some of the main ones -

1. You allow your creativity to flow in the natural way it was intended to. By giving your natural creativity permission to be free, and a daily forum in which it can express itself, it inevitably flows more easily. By being less of a perfectionist - creating something that is the best you can at any one time, rather than despairing that every line or brush stroke you make is not quite perfect - you allow your creativity to run forth without restriction and produce work that never before would have been possible.

2. You steadily build up a body of work. By creating consistently, however little each day, after weeks, months and years, youll develop a substantial body of work. Then when you come across the opportunities to show your work to the world in whatever form, youll not only have plenty to offer but youll also have the credibility of being a practising artist with a large and growing body of work, as well as being able to give your audience a greater representation of your work.

3. You develop discipline and gain momentum in all parts of your life. By creating regularly, by setting time aside each day to create, you develop discipline and strong creative habits. As well as allowing you to create more easily, and having your creative abilities more on tap, this also means you can begin to apply these traits to get more of what you want - and ultimately to bring more happiness - in all areas of your life.

4. Its the only sure way to develop as an artist. The only way to learn about your creativity and to grow it in the ways that will serve you best is to keep using it. Want to learn how to best express yourself through painting? Find some pictures of paintings that appeal to you, buy some canvases and paints yourself and keep painting until you begin to feel that youre getting closer to what you truly want to express. You WILL get closer, but only by creating over and over again, learning what works and what doesnt, and each time creating your new work as a more mature and accomplished artist.

5. Its less stressful! Its actually more stressful to not be creating, and to fall into the negative patterns, doubts and mental turmoil that go with it. By creating regularly, whether its five lines of a story or a few scribbles on a page, you keep at bay the negative thoughts and increasing anxiety that comes from not creating, analysing why youre not creating, then creating even less!

Copyright 2006 Dan Goodwin.

Creativity Coach Dan Goodwin is the author of Create Create!, a FREE twice monthly ezine for people who want simple and powerful articles, tips and exercises to help them unleash their creative talents. Sign up right now and get your FREE Explode Your Creativity! Action Workbook, at http://www.CoachCreative.com.

Janets brilliant career was about to sink. If the constant river of negative complaints to Human Resources didnt subside, she would soon be floated out of her job and her career beached.

To prevent Janets pending disaster, her superiors hired coach Bill Tidd for her. Bill is the director of the Saint Lukes Health System Employee Assistance Program and the new Performance Plus leadership coaching program in Kansas City, MO.

My job as coach, says Bill Tidd, is to take people from where they are to where they want to be. The Harvard Business Review in November 2004 states that coaching is like the wild west of yesteryear; this frontier is chaotic, largely unexplored and fraught with risk. However, the feature article went on to say that the coaching process is immensely promising for leaders.

Corporate America is catching on to the value of a trusted person who can serve as coach. Coaching moves leaders and everyday folks alike from the best they can do at the moment to the point of success they desire. Examples abound. Sandra Wimpelberg, internal executive coach for the American Baptist Churches of the Central Region credits personal coaching with turning her life and ministry right side up. Coaching is an exciting journey of discovery and tapping into potential that I didnt know was there, states Wimpelberg.

Even President Bush has been encouraged to get a coach. Jim Hoagland, Washington Post columnist, on September 29, 2005 says the President is in need of a blunt friend.

None of us know all there is to know about ourselves, let alone what to do or not to do to stop blocking ourselves from getting where we want to be. Left on our own, we tend to keep doing the same things wondering why we dont get results we want. The coach is that blunt friend who calls you back to reality and makes the difference in your journey to success. Writers have editors, athletes have coaches, CEOs have stock holders and Boards of Directors. Alone, we only go so far in the world of success. Do you need a coach?

So, what happened to Janet? Coach Bill asked her to take the Kolbe A Index, an assessment tool which gave Janet feedback about her functional capacities at work. She was lacking in her focus on implementation of projects she and her team had put into motion. Before the last plan was in place and carried out, Janet would be issuing directives to pushing her team to initiate more new programs. Her team was overloaded, confused and frustrated. Janet was not able to understand their concerns, thinking the team was slacking off. In turn, her co-workers complained repeatedly to Human Resources about Susans poor leadership

With this understanding, Coach Bill worked to strengthen Janets leadership style. He helped her devise a plan to enable Susan to work with her team to finish what they had started before taking on the next challenge. Janet worked the coaching plan. She regained trust and respect from her team and gave them the leadership they needed. She also saved her career.

A coach can help brilliant careers stay afloat and moving. All you have to do is hire a good one, then use them for all they are worth.

A licensed psychologist, Paul W. Anderson, Ph.D. has coached people in their careers, relationships and business aspirations for many years. He helps women believe in themselves and men use their emotional intelligence. He is experienced in working with family business snarls and people in personal chaos who need strategies that will turn their best into success. You may reach him at http://www.bulletproofcoach.com

If youre the kind of person who likes to have a golden tan, but thinks tanning beds are too expensive then make sure you keep reading this article, because I have something to tell you that may be of great interest to you.

But before I tell you that, I want to show you some simple mathematics. Dont run away, it will be fun, I promise!

Lets say you go to a tanning salon three times a week to get (and maintain) your glorious golden tan. And lets say it costs you $10 for your tanning session (although some places can be cheaper or more expensive). That equals $120 a month, agree?

Now what if I was to tell you that you can get your own private tanning bed in the comforts of your own home for almost half this amount?

Its true. If you were to get your tanning bed and arrange to pay it off monthly, you could make huge saving from having to go to the tanning salon three times a week. And I havent even worked out how much gas your car uses up travelling to and from the tanning salon three times a week.

Im sure you would agree that having your own tanning bed I much nicer than having to go to the salon. You can tan whenever you like, because you wont have to drive to your own tanning bed room, would you? You can also stop worrying about all those other people who are using the same tanning bed as you.

This is why it makes so much sense to get your own tanning bed. And if your biggest reason for not getting a tanning bed is the cost, then think again. Because nowadays you can work out payment plans with nearly all of the tanning bed retailers. These monthly payments often work out much cheaper than travelling to the salon.

Food for thought, Im sure youd agree.

The cost involved in applying for a new passport is pretty high, even more so if you delay. If you put off the application process until near your travel date, you could find yourself paying an additional $300 or more to process your passport in time for your journey.

The fees for anyone 16 years or older are as follows: $55 for the passport application fee and $12 for a security surcharge paid to the U.S. Department of State Passport Services and $30 for an execution fee paid to the passport acceptance facility.

Processing time for regular service is six weeks. This is not guaranteed by Passport Services. Many factors can increase this time frame such as traveling during peak season or erros on your application.

You can request that your passport application be expedited if you only have a couple of weeks before departure. There is an additional fee of $60 for this service. As with regular processing, this time frame is not guaranteed.

You have two options if you need to obtain a new passport from a few days to as little as 24 hours. One, you can make an appointment at one of only 14 passport agencies in the U.S. and rush there to wait in long, cramped lines to get your passport.

Your second option is to use a passport expediting service. They can get your passport processed and returned to you on the same day if you need it. Fees range from $59 for 10-day service to $149 for same-day service. Overnight postage is extra. You will, of course, get your passport on time. It’s guaranteed.

As you can see, waiting to the last minute can cost you a lot more money, time and unnecessary stress. There is a very easy way to avoid all this. Apply early. Send in your passport application at least three months prior to your departure date. You’ll be glad you did.