Shopping: Be WaryWritten by Ken McIsaac
You may not get what you expect!Retailing has become very competitive in recent years and too many corporations, including some large retail chains, are using trickery and deception in marketing. Misleading advertisements, displays and labeling, and other sly tactics are too common. Beating competitor and consumer, preferably within limits of law, seems to be a retail marketing trend. There are many ways: Store displays that attempt to sell items that appear to be on sale but aren't. Switch and bait selling. Marketing to kids. The use of shock to increase ratings and sales. Encouraging credit, gouging those that can’t afford exorbitant charges when interest rates are at 45-50 year lows. Then there is small print, hidden charges, planned over-consumption, self awarded awards, junk mail, telemarketing, loud repetitive commercials, stupidity cards.
| | Impractical MagicWritten by Sam Stevens
Witchcraft is a messy, expensive, time-consuming, and inefficient way to achieve your aims. I know, because I've tried it ... For instance, I once tried to increase my abundance by applying principles of Feng Shui. So, I bought a $40.00 book which instructed me to enhance my "prosperity" by putting chimes on porch, an aquarium full of gold fish in front hallways and a jolly statue of a Buddha at front door. Before I knew it my phone was ringing off hook with people asking to" reserve a table for four at seven." Unfortunately what I really wanted was writing gigs! I have also tried "clearing" my space, Native American Indian Way by doing a "smudge". This means walking around your house in a counter-wise circle with a flaming bundle of North American grasses. Well, I must of done something wrong, like perhaps accidently eliminate good vibes that were already in my house, because before I knew it, a bunch of nasty energy invaded my space - an angry landlord, neighbours and members of fire department all demanding to know what strange reek was and why I kept setting off fire alarm. It didn't help that I was doing this ritual "sky clad" which is witch-talk for buck-naked. Most spells demand that you create a talisman or magical object of some kind and carry it around with you at all times. Of course, at no time, in any book I've ever read about witchcraft, does it tell you what to do when you lose talisman and usually talisman is something really small and complicated like "a chestnut that has been filled with mercury and had hole sealed up with red wax." You lose something like that, which represents all your good luck and you really do spend a couple of weeks wondering what's going to happen next. You get so anxious that your subconscious manifests worst case scenario anyway.
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