While this video does somewhat summarize our economic plight (even though I am totally FLOORED that the individuals who set us up to be here are all back in power), my personal “I am mad as hell” is over the BP Oil well saga in the Gulf of Mexico.

Americans…WHERE ARE YOU??  WHY are we allowing this to happen in OUR WATERS to OUR SHORELINES????

Our President said yesterday:  

“The American people should know that from the moment this disaster began, the federal government has been in charge of the response effort. As far as I’m concerned, BP is responsible for this horrific disaster, and we will hold them fully accountable on behalf of the United States as well as the people and communities victimized by this tragedy,” Obama said.

“But make no mistake: BP is operating at our direction.”

HMMM..is that so? Why then on the news did I hear a government official saying  ”If the government is responsible..we wouldn’t know what to do.” Why prior to yesterday did we the President say over and over again  “BP is responsible.”

If BP is operating at “our direction” then why has the thing not been plugged. A good friend, Builder-Scott, said they should detonate a charge down there and cave it and close it off….that could have been done 30 days ago before MILLIONS OF GALLONS of OIL POLLUTED everything. We have allowed BP to call the shots, and their prime motivation is to salvage their investment in the well..not save our environment, people’s livelihoods, our shorelines and our waters and wildlife.  Is that operating at “our direction”???  If so “our direction” is either BADLY MISGUIDED or has some special interest going on with BP.

Ever watch those silly sci-fi movies like Asteroids or Armageddon??  The government always faces a crisis of destruction of the world and quickly puts together a “brain trust” to solve it. If they can do it in movies why not in reality??  Where is our brain trust? Maybe we could just blow it closed….We are facing an environmental ASSAULT in our country, where is the government in protecting us?

I don’t know about you, but I AM MAD AS HELL AND I AM NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!

Click here to view the embedded video.

I bought a bird feeder. I hung
It on my back porch and filled
It with seed. What a beauty of
A bird feeder it was, as I filled it

Lovingly with seed. Within a
Week we had hundreds of birds
Taking advantage of the
Continuous flow of free and
Easily accessible food.

But then the birds started
Building nests in the boards
Of the patio, above the table,
And next to the barbecue.

Then came the poop. It was
Everywhere: on the patio tile,
The chairs, the table ..
Everywhere!

Then some of the birds
Turned mean. They would
Dive bomb me and try to
Peck me even though I had
Fed them out of my own
Pocket.

And others birds were
Boisterous and loud. They
Sat on the feeder and
Squawked and screamed at
All hours of the day and night
And demanded that I fill it
When it got low on food.

After a while, I couldn’t even
Sit on my own back porch
Anymore. So I took down the
Bird feeder and in three days
The birds were gone. I cleaned
Up their mess and took down
The many nests they had built
All over the patio.

Soon, the back yard was like
It used to be …. Quiet, serene….
And no one demanding their
Rights to a free meal.

Now let’s see.
Our government gives out
Free food, subsidized housing,
Free medical care and free
Education, and allows anyone
Born here to be an automatic
Citizen.

Then the illegal’s came by the
Tens of thousands. Suddenly
Our taxes went up to pay for
Free services; small apartments
Are housing 5 families; you
Have to wait 6 hours to be seen
By an emergency room doctor;
Your child’s second grade class is
Behind other schools because
Over half the class doesn’t speak
English.

Corn Flakes now come in a
Bilingual box; I have to
‘press one ‘ to hear my bank
Talk to me in English, and
People waving flags other
Than ‘Old Glory’ are
Squawking and screaming
In the streets, demanding
More rights and free liberties.

Just my opinion, but maybe
it’s time for the government
To take down the bird feeder.

While waiting for my license to be processed, someone sitting next to me said”I’ve been here two hours, if I was an illegal alien I could have had my license in 15 minutes!”  Following that line of thought:

And if you are a detained terrorist in Gitmo, you now have more rights that US citizens…….

Not wanting to have an expired license, I took a lunch hour to try to get in..too crowded and too long to wait. The people working there were extremely rude and I left.

I tried again at a different location. Not too busy, should be in and out in a heart beat. WELL>>> I find out a new law passed here January 1st requiring a LOT of documentation to renew your license. I decided to gather it all and go for my appointment and all would be good. But NO..

I have to prove the legal history of my name change (over 30 years ago). They asked me for my marriage license, and being divorced it isn’t a record I kept up with too well. Then they said if I could provide my certified divorce decree stating I was going to keep my  married name that would suffice. Since I was divorced in the county I live in I left their office to obtain a certified copy of my decree (over 10 years ago) to see if it would suffice and I could finally get my driver’s license. It cost me gas, time and $4.00…I returned to the Driver’s License office only to be told it didn’t suffice and I would have to get my marriage license (which by the way was presented when I originally changed the name on my license). I tried that as an argument, but was told they didn’t SCAN that documentation back then and I would have to have it now. It didn’t matter that my maiden name and married name appeared on all of my documentation, it didn’t appear on my birth certificate (big surprise-who is born already married?) so I was out of luck.

HMMMM>>>> scanning…they require a birth certificate, social security card, two proofs of residence, a voter’s registration card (and a marriage license). All of that will become part of their data base. Heaven help us if they ever get hacked, because your WHOLE identity will be residing in that data base. Maybe they already did get hacked and have lost all of their stuff. Or maybe it is a way for Big Brother to track every move you make. In any case ladies, be prepared. I surely was not. It seems a bit discriminatory…men don’t have to provide a marriage license or divorce decree. Who new Big Brother was a chauvinist!

To present “The Secret” as a scientific “Universal Law” is a great marketing strategy. It enables people to BELIEVE in it because they think it has some basis in Science. They say it works EVERYTIME for EVERYONE. If the law is based on thought plus emotion (and in the book, inspired action) there is no way to prove or disprove the law. Everyone is unique, and thoughts and emotions cannot be measured. When the law doesn’t work for someone, it is clearly their own fault, some little negative thought snuck in, or they didn’t envision their desire just right. This will be just another self-esteem issue growing out there.

As I mentioned in the first post on this topic It certainly isn’t new.  This  is from sometime around 1410 BC:

“As a man thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7)

Our primary purpose in life is to bring GLORY to our Lord and your  imagination is extremely powerful. God created us  as a visual beings for the most part and  choosing the right images in your mind’s eye is important because your life will move in the direction of your thoughts. The way you see yourself and life  in your mind’s eye, over time, will drop down into your heart and become your reality. Only good thoughts and our overall attitudes will improve and even the lousy parts of life can be tolerated. As Christians we have to strive to get  better at it everyday, so our thoughts can be pleasing to the Lord.

Here is another scripture inspiring us us to think good thoughts:

  “Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable-if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise-dwell on these things.”  Philippians 4:8. The book of Philippians was written by Paul sometime between 60-62AD.

Positive thinking is NOT a new concept.  It is one from the Old and New Testament. What is the difference between the Believer’s view of positive thinking versus “The Secret”? 

“The Secret” requires nothing but positive  (and seemingly selfish)  thought to attract what you want, which seems to be primarily MONEY . It appeals to the GREED in everyone, what could possibly be more exciting  than thinking yourself rich? “The Secret” implies that the “Universe” owes you everything you could possibly want.

From a Christian perspective,  we strive to please the LORD out of love, and we know the blessings He has in store for us can only be received by completing the premise to the promise. We need to think good thoughts as it will help us stay on the right path. The PRIMARY premise to all promises of the Bible is FAITH.  ”Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).  Just what can FAITH do for you?? (Note another primary premise along with Faith to receive  the Promises of the Bible is that what your request or attempt be in God’s Will).

If thou can believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. Mark 9:23

According to your faith, be it unto you. Matthew 9:29

Mark 11:22-24   Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.

That’s it for now.

“The Secret” has taken the world by storm. It has sold millions of copies and among others it has been featured on Oprah, Larry King Live, and TIME Magazine.”Have you seen that headline? If you spend any time online you surely have. “The Secret” is everywhere on the Internet. “Home based” Internet businesses have been cropping up daily based the principals of “The Secret” and the “Law of Attraction”. 

There are thousands of forum posts about it, and people connecting it to Biblical principals. The purpose of this series is to delve into the common sense and Biblical aspects of “The Secret”.  I hope you find it inspirational and a help in your own life.

This Series is dedicated to a GREAT friend, and my Christian Mentor, Jerry Hubbard. 

 And for non-believers I offer this quote:

“I would rather live my life as if there is a God, and die to find out there isn’t, than live my life as if there isn’t, and die to find out there is.”
Albert Camus

 I had wanted to really write a book on this subject, but time seems to never be on my side. I just can’t seem to attract more time, if any of  you have let me know it works. First let’s talk about The Secret:

“The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne can be found in bookstores around the world. It was also made in to a film in 2006 by Prime Time Production and is a series of interviews and dramatizations of “The Law of Attraction”. Rhonda Byrne claims to have been inspired by “The Science of Getting Rich” written in 1910 by Wallace D. Wattles, and by works from Esther Hicks, an American spirit channeler, motivational speaker, and author.

A widely reprinted editorial in the Los Angeles Times entitled “Self-help gone nutty” by Karen Klein,  says that the “The Secret” borrows some of  Vincent Peale’s ideas, and that The Secret suffers from some of the same weaknesses as Peale’s works.| accessdate = 2007-01-13  The article has a humorous “flavor” and is a fun read. I love the comment on Rhonda Byrne’s “Food is not responsible for putting on weight. It is your thought that food is responsible for putting on weight that actually has food put on weight.”  The article is well written and humorous, worth looking at.

So the seed was planted by “The Science of Getting Rich” authored in 1910.  “The Master Key System” by Charles F. Haanel published in 1933 follows along a similar path. “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill originally published in 1938 also has some of the same ideas. The article referenced above claims some of the ideas seem borrowed from Norman Vincent Peale, who wrote the “Power of Positive Thinking” which was published in 1952 where it stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for 186 consecutive weeks. The book has sold around 7 million copies (amazon.com) and translated into 41 different languages. 

The concepts presented in “The Secret” aren’t new, and in fact date back to even earlier years than these. People have been seeking an “easy” way to succeed or a force to blame when they don’t since the history of man. 

The basic premises for those who haven’t read or watched “The Secret” are: 

1. There is a “Universal Law of Attraction”, that thought plus emotion focused on a specific want will “attract” it to you.
2.  The Universe will deliver what ever you attract.
3. This Universal Law works every time for everyone.
4. You are responsible for EVERYTHING in your life through this law, even if it is “unconsciously” thought of.
5. Keep an Attitude of Gratitude for everything good in your life.
6. Maintain ONLY positive thoughts.  

There are classes available to teach you how to use “The Secret” in your own life, some even approved by Rhonda Byrne herself. Thousands of money making schemes based on it proliferate the Internet. I am an online marketer myself and receive thousands of emails trying to sell me products based on “The Law of Attraction”. Here’s one of the better samples:

“Scientists have proven over and over that Universal laws work each and every time. 

For example, the Law of Gravity works every single time.(This is a law of physics..meaning a Universal PHYSICAL Law) You drop a brick. It hits the ground very quickly. (Watch out for your toes when you do this!) 

It doesn’t matter if you believe in the Law of Gravity, it still applies to you. (YES ..because it is a PHYSICAL LAW…) 

Just like there is a Law of Gravity, there is a Law that determines what you get in life. That Law has been working for – or against – you since you were born. You may not have known about the law. You might not have paid attention to it or even care about it. Might not even believe it’s true. But this Law applies to you anyway. (YEAH RIGHT..then why am I not a millionaire?? and did I really bring on all of the bad stuff in my life??? Not by MY choice!) 

If you’re not getting everything you want out of life, then the Law is definitely working… its just not working to your benefit. (OH REALLY??) 

If that’s the case, then I urge you to to this site ASAP so you can find out how make this Law work for you. Here’s how to get everything you want: 

Yes Antonio & Shawn!  I’m ready To Stop Living on Auto Pilot and Take Control Of My Life!  I’m Claiming My Copy of Using Law of Attraction To Get Anything I Want For Only $47  (Special Offer – Today Only $7!)” 

Isn’t that great? I can learn all I need to know for $7 to have the perfect life and attract EVERYTHING I want. Now that is incredible. To me, it is incredibly STUPID.

That’s it for now.

Blogs and content pages are another part of Online Marketing. Good Content will bring you good, targeted traffic. If you use them to show AdSense or other pay per view advertising they can also bring another revenue stream. Subscribers to your Blog are a list..of your own. Maybe not in the way you ordinarily think of lists, but Blogs can be a great sales tool for developing TRUST and yes, making SALES. They can be on any topic but do the best job for niche markets and getting good organic listing positions on search engines..which is the GOAL of using content for marketing purposes. Good content breeds trust…makes the author appear knowledgeable and perhaps even an “expert” on their topic.  Combine good content (Blogs, Articles, even well written sales pages) with some specialty forum postings, some social bookmarking and you are on your way! I find this to be the most HONEST and helpful to the buyer as a marketing method.

Social Marketing…is social bookmarking. What is it? It is an excellent way to get more traffic..that is what it is really all about. Sites like Delicious, Digg, Spurl, and many many more can help you get targeted traffic to your site. I offer a free email series on Guruette On The Net to help you get started.  I hope you will check it out. It is meant strictly to be helpful to you in your quest for success online.

Have an awesome day, God bless you!
Marianne
Guruette On The Net

You BET there is. Social Network Marketing requires relationship building. If you are new to the art, it takes time. Just because you have “friends” on FaceBook, MySpace etc doesn’t mean they will follow you anywhere. It takes time to develop a trust factor that will make anyone of your “friends” interested in what you have to say. All the while they are trying to make YOU interested in what they have to say. Some things to consider before TRUSTING your “friends” in social networks. Do they seem to REALLY know what they are talking about? Does their “advice” follow mainstream marketing? Do you really like them? What REALLY makes you TRUST them??

Online marketing on the other hand is what we have all become used to. It is a combination of  promotion and marketing for driving traffic to one’s web site.  It is sales pages or lead capture pages promoted on traffic exchanges (by the way..they work. #1 method of promoting GDI..longest running and most popular MLM business online today) safelists, auto-responder series, articles, classifieds, PPC, whatever you find that will send people to your site. One of the most well known expressions online is “The Money Is In The LIST”. Right…. Who’s LIST?? If your lead capture page is really enticing, and I sign up and get your first autoresponder letter and I don’t know you from a hole in the ground, what is my incentive to stay on your “LIST”?? Do I TRUST you just because you had a good lead capture page??  While I agree, it is  always worth a shot to try to develop your own list, it TAKES TIME to gain the TRUST of those you entice to join it. Maybe they just want whatever freebie you are offering.

That’s it for now. Stay tuned for Part 2. .

Have an awesome day, and God Bless YOU!!!!
Marianne
Your Guruette On The Net

I had asked for comments on this Blog-I had ONE honest response form an ESTEEMED member of HelloHello, telling me with a title like “The Blog Of What’s Happening Now” I was missing out on the value it could provide and mostly turning it into a BIG advertisement. What he said is of course correct. I have Google Analytics on this Blog, and the most traffic comes from searching for TVI EXPRESS…so…my advertising pays off, it brings them here. AND, let’s face it I AM trying to make money.

If you are trying to make money, too, let me tell you HONESTLY..it takes massive traffic to do well. You CAN make money without a list (as I mentioned..Pay Per Click is used by the REAL Internet Millionaires) but for most of us a list is really helpful. Article writing, traffic exchanges, safelists, email marketing, classifieds-whatever it takes to DRIVE traffic is what you need to succeed. You also need a page that converts well, if you built it you need to test it. If it is an affiliate site-they are providing the conversion factor, so you need to like it yourself to promote.

If you want to know the REAL skinny about making money online, ask me. I will share HONESTLY. It is NOT easy, so don’t be fooled. You won’t make $268,942 in 30 days…the program that says you will is deceiving you-even if they DID it-odds are you won’t.

I will working with Xtream Global Marketing through my partnership with DW Traffic Exchange to offer some HONEST training and traffic tips for online marketers. I hope you will come a long for some excellent traffic and fun!

Have a Great Week-see you in the ads!