Yesterday I wrote at 2 die, 19 sickened at Sweat Lodge in James Arthur Ray’s Sedona Spiritual Warrior Retreat: SEDONA, Ariz. – A sweat lodge became the scene of a police investigation when more than 20 people became ill and two later died.  Self-help author James Arthur Ray (who appeared in The Secret) rented the facility as part of his Spiritual Warrior Retreat.

Today’s news:  Sweat lodge victim’s family says she was in shape.  I notice a few things that seem out of place in the story, but since I wasn’t there, I can only go on what the media reports (uh oh). Continue reading →

Lead us from the unreal to the real
Lead us from darkness to light
Lead us from death to immortality,

Last week I deleted more than 200 old emails from the begining of the year.  These are mostly notes about websites that people want me to look at, or business opportunities friends are trying to rook me in inviting me to, or Paypal receipts waiting to be printed, or emails from publicists about their clients’ latest books and cds, with articles to be considered.  I open the emails when they come in, then I save them as new until I have time later to go through them.  Since the beginning of the year, for the first time I got 300 emails behind. And that’s without making time for a personal life!  My friend Beth has 1,000 emails waiting to be read, and even she makes time for vacation cruises every few months!  I could learn from her, however I don’t want to be 1,000 emails behind. Continue reading →

Knock, Knock is a 2 minute video of Daniel Beaty reciting Knock, Knock: “For the children of fathers who are locked down”:

As a boy, I shared a game with my father.  Played it every morning until I was three.  He would Knock knock on my door and I pretend to be asleep, until he got right next to the bed then  I would get up and  jump into his arms “good morning Poppa”  and my poppa– he would tell me that he loved me.  We shared a game—– “Knock knock”.  Until that day when the knock never came, and  my mom takes me on a ride past corn fields on this never ending highway— until we reached a place of high rusty gates.  A confused little boy I enter the building, carried in my momma arms— “Knock knock” Continue reading →

SEDONA, Ariz. – A sauna-like sweat lodge at an Arizona resort meant to provide spiritual cleansing became the scene of a police investigation Friday when more than 20 people became ill during a two-hour session and two later died.  In all, 21 of the 64 people crowded inside the sweat lodge received medical care.  Authorities haven’t determined the cause of the deaths and illnesses; tests for carbon monoxide and other contaminants were negative. Self-help author James Arthur Ray (who appeared in The Secret) rented the facility as part of his Spiritual Warrior Retreat. Sweat lodges, like that held on the final day of the Angel Valley Spiritual Retreat Center, are commonly used by American Indian tribes to cleanse the body and prepare for ceremonies and events. Stones are heated outside a lodge, brought inside and placed in a pail-sized hole. The door is closed, and water is poured on the stones, producing heat aimed at releasing toxins. Continue reading →

A girlfriend and I were talking today about my earlier post Praying Parents Get Jail For Child’s Death.  We’ve both had family members who were involved with religious cults, and even had a brush or two ourselves.  I began going to a few websites I know where former devotees of religious cults have discussion forums.  Posted on the site, and on many cult awareness type sites are the words:

WARNING! The Cult Awareness Network (CAN) was bankrupted and bought up by Scientology. We strongly recommend you do not contact them for assistance. Continue reading →

Age discrimination allegations by employees are at a record high the article says.  A recent Supreme Court ruling said it is not enough for employees to show age is a motivating factor in a demotion or layoff. Rather, workers must prove it’s the deciding factor in the case. Which is all well and good, but most cases aren’t about age at all, but rather about attitude and presence.  And attitude and presence are things we have personal control over, regardless of age. Continue reading →

Free at last

The headline reads: Praying Parents Get Jail for Child’s Death.  A Wisconsin couple who prayed rather than seek medical care for their 11-year-old daughter were sentenced this week to 6 months in jail and 10 years probation in the girl’s death. Madeline Neumann died of an undiagnosed but treatable form of diabetes. The parents were convicted of 2nd degree reckless homicide.  In sentencing the couple, Judge Vincent Howard said the Neumanns were “very good people… who made a bad decision.” Prosecutors said the couple had a legal duty to take their daughter to a doctor but relied totally on prayer for healing. Continue reading →

This week I’ve been  getting my quarterly financial documents together for my tax accountant. Until last year, I used an accountant who let me just hand her a box full of papers.  Now I use someone who’s really on the ball and makes me give her my work in organized fashion.  I created a checklist from her email that told me what she needed me to compile for her.  I know if it’s something I only do every 3 months, I could use a To Do List that I can check off to make sure I remember it all.  Even so, this month I seemed to have a hard time deciphering the list, so I put it off until I felt like giving it my full attention.  That time came yesterday. Continue reading →

I had a very productive day yesterday.  After I spent the weekend painting furniture, I was ready to get back in the office and I got a lot of work done, even for a Monday. I spent the morning compiling quarterly documents for my tax accountant, and making my way through the emails that had come in over the weekend.  I’ve been spending time visualizing PayPal donations and so I wasn’t surprised that I had a half dozen waiting for me.  In the afternoon, I ran to the post office, the bank and the produce stand for broccoli, onions, carrots, scallions, mushrooms, tomatoes, romaine and lemons.  I like squeezing lemon juice on my vegetables. It used to be butter on everything; now it’s lemon and parsley – evolution! Continue reading →