1. The housing market will continue to drop in October but bounce back in the year 2009. Now is the time to invest your money. A home purchased in a bank redo will rise in value during the next two years! Keep a level head when all others are panicking and you can become as rich as The Phantom.
2. The War in Iraq will end. All wars end and so too will this conflict. By 2009 the War in Iraq will be over, BUT, it will not be a time of peace. Now is the time to reflect on ways to do things at home, here in the good old United States of America. The future will NOT be a good time visit overseas. Things will change for the better in time though.
3. A new set of small cars, electric and fuel will be on the market soon, and affordable for the average family. Invest in the new electric technology (which is nothing new, by the way, as Tesla many years ago had a grip on this, but died in poverty alone in an apartment room long ago, nearly penniless) - you could start electric recharging facilities. For a few dollars your car can be recharged. Follow the trend to make not only economical boxed but look to make the small electric cars "fun cars." Think of sports car-like vehicles that are featured at Disneyland's Autopia. Fun cars with incredible mileage capabilities will sell. Think of the power to weight ratio and you can be become rich in the new economy.
4. The world of politics is an ever changing world that doesn't really change things at all. It is an illusion, what the Hindus call "maya." Obama's star is fading as the luster of campaign becomes tarnished even at this early date. But, if he should get into The White House look at few real changes. This goes for McCain, Hillary or anyone else. The US Presidency is now becoming just symbolic. But, this means great opportunities for new groups and people to sway the government. This is a good time to enter politics on a local or state level. 
5. The coming Olympic Games will be marred with all kinds of problems. Do not invest in the Games, as it be a poor investment.
6. The price of gasoline will drop. As the summer ends the price will fall by at least fifty cents per gallon by October. It will fall back even more as winter comes. The bubble will pop but, do not rejoice for high prices will be back as the problems of war and peace come to a head with...IRAN ! A new leader will come for that land. Invest in oil development and railroads.
7. The coming winter will be a wet one. Be read to leave your home to floods if you live near a river. Have a flashlight, radio, batteries, canned food and blankets ready. In the months of November, December, January and February keep a half tank of gas in your car to evacuate if ordered to do so. Being forewarned is being forearmed.

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VENTURA LITERARY FAIR: July 26, 2008

The signature event of the California Literary Society will be held at the Crowne Point Hotel on the beach at Ventura, California. The exhibit starts at 10AM and is FREE to the public. Lectures, books and exhibits will be present. The 50 exhibitors will include sellers, authors, publishers, literary groups, book clubs and non-profits. Lectures will include talks on writing and publishing your book.

One of the speakers will be that great friend of The Phantom Bookshop, Professor Richard L. Senate. All who support literacy and book should attent this event. Admission is free of charge and the hotel is just steps away from the historic pier, art galleries and bookshops.

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THE GREAT SECRET
by W. Mansfield-Gibbs

The Great Depression that hit the nation in the 1030's is hardly remembered today and when it is, its all defined by such iconic images such as "The Grapes of Wrath" or the old "The Waltons" TV show.

The REAL Depression was an awful experience that hit almost everyone in the nation and most families have many stories of that traumatic era. Many older people can tell you all about it. They still, even in the year 2008 have a "Depression Thinking Mentality" that they will go to the grave with. That is how bad it was. Will it happen again in the late 2000's and beyond. Perhaps. But it will be a quite different depression than was experienced in the early 1930's. It will still be bad. It is possible this could happen. The Phantom personally believes it will occur. You will have to either learn to live by FEAR or FAITH. The Phantom chooses FAITH....NO FEAR!

My mother's family were comfortable members of the middle class before the stock market crashed in 1929. Her grandfather had been a policeman and her dad owned a small corner market in San Diego. When times got hard and people couldn't pay their food bills, my grandad gave them food on credit. It wasn't long before he lost the store and they were reduced to poverty. One family she talked about had to kill and cook their own family dog to keep from starving! Think it could not happen here? Count your blessings, folks. Mom and her brothers and sisters were constantly trying to make a few pennies of find some food. For her, a simple single potato that could be baked and eaten was seen as a real treat.

In this way, she met an old lady from Europe who told fortunes and read cards. The woman couldn't get around much so she had my mother go to the market and buy things for her. In return she gave her a few cents. Once, she remembered picking up a package for the woman at the butcher's shop. She look into the wrapped bundle and found that it contained chicken's feet! Not drumsticks, but just the feet that could be boiled into soup stock. The old woman taught her to read cards and gae her some free readings. But, perhaps the greatest gift she gave her was how to get anything you want in life. It was called "The Great Secret."

I have found that others today are telling the "great secret" or at least their variation on this formula for success. The way my mother told the secret was that it could also have a "down side." I don't think today's tellers of "the secret" include this in their boks and lectures and DVDs. Not good for book and DVD sales. In short, the secret is this:

1. Pick out what you want in life—-it should be something specific, not general.
2. Get a picture of your desire and clip it to a magazine or newspaper.
3. Hang it up so that you can see it everyday.
4. Now, imagine you already have it and you can visualize it like a memory.
5. Do this each day, several times a day and it will come to you!

Sounds simple, but it really works. The secret is this may take some time. It may take up to a year or more. My mother gave it a try. She always wanted a mink coat. She got a picture of it from a magazine, and pasted it into her "dream book" and looked at it each day. She imagined it was in her closet. She thought about feeling the fur with her hands and getting it in a nice box as a gift. She could never in her wildest dreams have been able to purchase something like this in the late 1930's. Nine months passed, then the dream came true!

She met a well-dressed man at a dance hall. He was a dark, dashing fellow who had a wonderful new Packard automobile. They danced together and she found he was a magnificent dancer.  He was always asking about her and didn't share much about himself except that he was from the east coast. He always had lots of money to spend and they went to the best places, like the Brown Derby in Hollywood. They went to plays and films. She never told him of her dream of having a mink coat—that's part of the secret, and it must be kept a secret and not disclosed. In time she met some of her friend's associates and learned he was a gangster! The shiny automatic pistol he always kept with him should have been a clue. Once she learned this, and that he may have been involved in some really nasty things, she tried to break up with the man. Her resistance to his advances seemed to stimulate him and he even asked her to marry him! He gave her a large gift-wrapped box. She opened it. It was a mink coat! She could not accept it, but she had gotten her wish.

Was the story true? It's hard to say, but my mother was a good looking woman in yer youth and the mafia was involved in Hollywood at the time, so it is possible.

I resolved to try the great secret for myself. The selection of a target was hard because it had to be something I really wanted but that I could not afford.  I selected a trip to Hawaii. The kicker was that I modified my wish that I would get this trip for free! I got a picture of Diamond Head and the beach at Waikiki and framed it my apartment. I read travel books and studied the maps of Honolulu. I imagined myself walking the streets and visiting the museums. I imagined myself at the historic Palace having a Blue Hawaii drink and feeling the trade winds. I thought about it so hard and long it was almost as if I had been there and it was a memory. I had never really left California at the time.

Not long after I started the experiment I met my future wife. I must admit I had never met a person like her before. We seemed so comfortable together; it was almost as if we had known each other for years. After we were married, her father, Karl took us all on a family trip to—-you guessed it—-Hawaii. We stayed at a hotel in Honolulu that had a view out the window of Diamond Head. Her father paid for everything on the trip, even the Blue Hawaii drinks and the tours. It sounds good but we had no free time of our own. Only once we managed to break away and walked along the beach to the old "Roayl Hawaiian Hotel" where I had a drink at the bar. I had gotten my wish, but it was a bitter sweet trip. The experiment proved that the great secret was true. So use this secret with care, because you may get what you wish for!

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THE PHANTOM'S WRITING CONTEST

There are lots of contests for new writers on the net. Most expect you to pay for the right to enter. The Phantom's Mask is different. All we want is your stories. Do you get anything if you win? Yes. The story will be published in newsletter for all to see. I will be evaluated by writers and you will win a 10% discount on purchases from The Phantom Bookshop. The rules will change with each month so do be aware of the changes. The stories are short, so brevity and creativity are the keys.

RULES FOR THE AUGUST PUBLICATION

1. The Story must be original.
2. This month's genre is "mystery" to honor the birthday of the great writer Erle Stanley Gardner.
3. The limit is 800 words.
4. The work should focus on the City of Ventura in some way.
5. The due date is July 30, 2008, at noon.
6. The next issue of The Phantom's Mask will be on the 7th of August, 2008.

Next month will have a different genre. Science Fiction, to honor the birth month of the great author Ray Bradbury.


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MOVIE REVIEWS WANTED

Have you been to a movie recently? Was it worth the price of admission? If you would like to comment, The Phantom's Mask has a place for you! We do not want to know if it is good or bad, but why it is good or bad. If you wish to be in our movie review contact us at
phantom@phantoms.com 

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BOOK REVIEWS WANTED

If you would like to review a new book or even a classic book, The Phantom's Mask is your forum to tell what you think of the book. All book reviews will be considered.

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QUOTE TO REMEMBER: "A good book is the purest essence of a human soul." —-Thomas Carlyle, 1840.

Become a member of the Phantom's Family by signing up for THE PHANTOM'S MASK and it's sister publication GHOSTWATCH.