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Just wow

Listening to politicians rant about nuclear energy chaps my hide in a big way. Did you hear the debate last night? McCain had the gall to mock Obama for wanting nuclear energy to be safe! I could not believe my ears.

The problem with nuclear debates, is there is a secret code that politicians have to abide. “I’m against nuclear” really means “I’m a peace loving pot smoking long hair hippie who believes in free love and working against THE MAN cause that nuclear stuff, it’s just not right.”

So even if nuclear is a horrible idea (it is, see below) a politician can’t SAY that it is horrible for fear of being tarred with the brush used to mock politicians like Kucinich.

I have enough of a background in this stuff to know that their positions on nuclear are full of baloney, disguised rhetoric, and just plain wrong, but I don’t know enough to lay it all out there and convince you. Fortunately, I don’t have to.

I got an email today form the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI). It is copied in full below, with links intact. Anyone fearless enough to abandon left right mythos can read on their own and see why nuclear is a bad idea left right center up down and all around.

The issues of renewable energy and energy independence have taken center stage in both media and political conversations lately, but the means of achieving various energy goals have proven to be rather controversial. Proposed options dominating news headlines include clean coal, nuclear energy, and offshore drilling. Is there an energy path that we can all agree upon?

The answer is yes, and this morning Rocky Mountain Institute and Chief Scientist Amory Lovins were featured in a New York Times blog in response to last night’s Presidential Debate. Energy efficiency, a solution at the core of RMI’s work, was discussed as a viable and economically profitable resolution to both energy and economy issues. New York Times writer Kate Galbraith points out that RMI and Amory Lovins have consistently advocated the benefits of a soft-path approach to energy, with efficiency at it’s core. You can read the article here.

When it comes to nuclear power specifically, every dollar invested in new US nuclear electricity will save approximately 2-11 times less carbon, and will do so roughly 20-40 times slower, than investing in the same dollar in energy efficiency and “micropower” (cogeneration plus renewables minus big hydro dams). Buying new nuclear capacity instead of efficiency causes more carbon to be released than spending the same money on new coal plants!

These conclusions and the empirical evidence supporting them are summarized in “Forget Nuclear,” and fully documented in “The Nuclear Illusion,” available for download here, which is to be published in early 2009 by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences’ journal Ambio.

Hopefully our vision will help put these widely publicized issues into perspective and move us all toward a better understanding that takes us beyond politically divisive issues to collective and viable solutions.

I was listening to an old This American Life (TAL) episode last week, episode #84, originally broadcast over 10 years ago.

Breaking form for TAL, instead of picking a topic and playing a variety of stories on that theme, they have an hour long episode about Chicago’s first black mayor, Harold Washington.

It’s an interesting episode, it uses this one story to dig a little bit into American politics and race, and it makes a lot of good points that might make one really hopeful. They even make the connection between Chicago 20 years ago, and the candidacy of the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, Senator Obama.

But the one gem that I love most of all is a quote from Mayor Washington about fairness. It seems that in Chicago, (and everywhere else in the world) to the victor belongs the spoils. The group that puts a mayor into office gets a bigger slice of the pie. But that was not how Harold rolled. He insisted on being fair. Every program and initiative he pushed through benefited whites and blacks equally, much to the chagrin of some of his supporters. They expert a speech from the mayor, he says:

“No one, but no one in this city, no matter where they live, or how they live is free from the fairness of our administration. We’ll find you and be fair to you wherever you are. “

(Listen to the clip here) I recommend having a listen, he is a great orator, and the clip is only 1 minute 30 seconds.

That quote tickles me to pieces, but it occurs to me that the internet and Advice Network embody this idea as well. For the first time ever, we are all free to get our name, or ideas, and our advice into the world.

I’ve gone through my feeds and selected 15 articles that will keep you going through the weekend and get you excited about Monday. Don’t just read them, find out how you can apply them to your online business…

• Freelance Folder – How to Get (And Keep) a Business Mindset
• Get Slightly Famous – Be an Advocate to Get Attention and Accelerate Your Business
• Million Dollar Leverage – Quick Check: What’s Stealing Your Focus?
• Four Hour Work Week – From Al Gore’s Chief Speechwriter: Simple Tips for a Damn Good Presentation
• Men With Pens – When Encouragement Hurts: How to Praise Others Properly
• Makepeace Total Package – How to Find Customers in a Web 2.0 World
• Michael Stelzner – 3 Ways to Appeal to Readers & Skimmers
• Direct Creative - E-mail Marketing Tips from the Pros
• Michel Fortin - Are Bottlenecks Clogging Your Sales?
• Bad Language - How to Improve Morale and Confidence
• Chris Garrett – Sometimes You Have to be Prepared to Fail
• Website Conversion Expert – It’s Always Your Choice
• Unlimited – When the Market Cycle Turns a Corner, Think About Changing Your Course
• Baymard – What Every Entrepreneur Ought to Know About Traditional Advertising
• Dosh Dosh - Want Your Ideas to Spread Easily? Try Narrowing Your Message Focus

I know, that’s quite a lot of reading, but if you pace it you’ll be fine. Don’t bother with the articles that don’t apply to you – but drink in the information that does. Wishing you a successful weekend – Advice Network.

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Much like Ryan Healy, I love to read. I read when for at least an hour a day, every day. I can’t wake up in the morning without reading a chapter or two of the latest book and I can’t fall asleep at night without reading more.

The great thing about reading is that it isn’t only educational, it’s thought provoking. Sure, I learn from the text…but it goes beyond that, it gets my mind twisting and turning – helping me generate great ideas that weren’t necessarily attached the the book I was reading in any way.

Books are extremely powerful…and here are the 12 that I’ve found to be the most impactful in my life.

The Bible
This is the most important book of my life. Aside from my faith, it has so many great stories and teaches some very solid principles for success. If you look at the message and apply the text, you will be richly rewarded.

Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
This was assigned reading for me when I was in high school. Little did I know that it would create in me a never ending lust and appreciation for knowledge and books.

Night, by Elie Wiesel
An incredibly powerful story of a Jewish boy who survived the Holocaust, but had to deal with the guilt and sadness of losing his family. Wiesel’s incredible journey through life and quarrels with God make our problems seem so small, yet he is able to see the good in life regardless of what he went through.

How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie
This book taught me so many life skills that would have otherwise been unrefined. Carnegie’s book is simple, yet powerful…a very worthwhile read.

4-Hour Workweek, by Timothy Ferriss
This book inspired me to become an entrepreneur.

Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer
Although we may feel we have true “needs” all around us, we really don’t. This book is about a young man who saw the problems with our society and lived in stark contrast to the commercial and materialistic ways. Perhaps he takes it too far, but his story still shows us that the best things in life are free.

The Catcher in the Rye, by JD Salinger
Okay, so I didn’t learn anything profound from this book. But it’s some of the best writing I have ever seen and tells a story that is highly addictive.

No Great Mischief, by Allistair McLeod
I have three brothers…this book, along with my mother, taught me how powerful family relationships are and that they can never be forgotten.

Neuromarketing, by Patrick Renvoise and Christophe Morin
This was the first book that really caught my attention as being “different” when it comes to marketing. A truly spectacular read.

Baseball Love, by George Bowering
What an incredible conversationalist! Bowering is able to weave in personal experiences from his childhood and years as the Poet Laureate of Canada with his deep and passionate love for a sport – baseball.

Gifted Hands, by Ben Carson
It’s amazing what type of journey some people take to get to the top. Dr. Ben Carson, one of the top neurosurgeons in the world, went through numerous ups and downs before reaching the top. His faith in God and ability to learn from his mistakes are what really set him apart.

Guinness Book of World Records
Every year as a kid, I would read the records one-by-one…trying to think of ways that I could make my way into the book. I’d build massive LEGO towers only to run out of pieces, try my hand at sinking hundreds of free-throws in a row in basketball, and search for ways of being a childhood movie star. Okay, so I was a bit unsuccessful…but the fact remains, this book would inspire me year after year to push my boundaries.

Those are 12 books that changed my life…now it’s your turn!

Check out Ryan Healy’s blog for more details.

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Easter is a great time to spend time with family and friends, chow down on some chocolate, and relax…but it’s also a good opportunity for you to catch up on the things that you would otherwise never get around to doing.

While accomplishing these tasks might not immediately grow your business, they have the potential to help you out in the long-term. Sometimes the back-burner tasks are very important to your success, but dealing with them now you have the opportunity to prepare your business for growth.

Here are five things that you can do on your long weekends, evenings, or other free time:

1. Passive Income: Have you been wanting to write an eBook, develop an eCourse, or put together a webinar? Why wait?
2. Writing: Start a blog, publish articles online, write a report, develop autoresponders, or even get around to those emails that you haven’t dealt with in over a week.
3. Reading: How many great books have you purchased but not got around to reading? Reading is great for education, motivation, and brainstorming.
4. Goal Setting: By taking the time to set goals, you can re-focus your business so that you can keep in growing long into the future.
5. Analyzing: Step away from your business and take a look at how everything is working. Sometimes you can get so busy that you don’t realize how much time you’re wasting on meaningless tasks. By analyzing your work day and marketing strategies you can set yourself up for improvement.
6. Web Development: Remember that time you thought of a great thing to add to your website? Did it ever happen? A long weekend is a good opportunity to make some tweaks and adjust your website to better fit your needs.
7. Thank-You Notes: How many times do we forget to send thank-you notes to the people that help us out in our everyday lives? A thank-you note is easy to put together and can go a long, long way in establishing strong relationships.
8. Exercise: A healthy body is instrumental in creating a healthy mind. Don’t just go for a run on your day off, make plans to have a good exercise schedule when you get back to work.
9. Purchase Odds and Ends: You likely have a short list of supplies somewhere listing all the things you’d like to have to help you be more organized and efficient. Go treat yourself and buy those things.
10. Spend Time With Family and Friends: Sure you can catch up on work, but relationships are the essence of life – cherish them.

By spending your long weekends right, you can set yourself up for success when you return to work. Your business success can either slow or grow during a break – the choice is yours.

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I was browsing FreelanceSwitch today and found a post on cutting your expenses in your business. In the comments section I discovered a link that might just be able to save you a lot of money.

If you’re running a freelance business of any kind, you probably know that expenses can add up quick. Thankfully, FreeApps.co.uk offers links to the coolest free applications on the web.

On the site you’ll find a great antivirus software that works, a program that replaces MS Word, a replacement for Adobe Reader, and numerous other useful programs – ALL FOR FREE!

Check it out, you won’t be disappointed!

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While you’re looking for free things, you might want to consider signing up for a FREE MacBook in Advice Network’s big contest giveaway.

I’ve been thinking about the idea of quantity versus quality lately and I’m starting to wonder – what does our culture value more? Obviously people pay more for quality, but I’ve seen so many more cases of people deciding that they would rather sacrifice quality in order to either pay less or receive more.

You’ve probably seen it too…fast-food meals, grocery story flowers, low-octane gasoline, and so on.

Since when has it become normal to sacrifice health, beauty, and longevity for cheapness? Unfortunately, I think it’s too long. Many North Americans find themselves in a rut, not making enough money to pay for things to be done right but not having enough time to do it ourselves. Have we given up?

I might be overreacting, but I am still waiting for the day that the best value is chosen over the lowest price.

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John Brougher of FreelanceSwitch.com posted a very interesting interview today with NY photographer Tara DiGiovanni – something that I felt many of you would be interested in reading whether or not you’re a photographer yourself.

Tara DiGiovanni is a New York City photographer that has worked with numerous high-end clients such as Kenneth Cole and Time Out New York magazine. She is very well-respected in her field and any entrepreneur can certainly learn a number of lessons from the way she has built her business and reputation.

Without further adieu, the interview (for full transcript, click here):

John Brougher: Tara, you produce some fantastic pictures. When did you decide that photography was what you wanted to do professionally?
Tara DiGiovanni: Taking pictures was always something I was driven to do. I remember braiding my younger sister’s hair and photographing her in elementary school. I took every high school photography class that was offered, more than once, but it never occurred to me back then that this could actually be a profession.

Influenced by some of the artist types in my school, I decided that it would be a good idea to visit some art colleges that offered photography as a major. This experience was life changing. I began to see that this was a totally realistic approach to my future. Parsons School of Design accepted me into their Direct Entry Photography program, where I studied for the next four years.

JB: How was your first few years as a photographer? Did you have any trouble finding clients and starting your business? Did you have to do the stereotypical early photo gigs–weddings and such?
TD: Starting out in this field was extremely difficult. I didn’t have enough experience or means to promote myself and I hadn’t yet met the right contacts that needed my services. After intense searching, I landed my first freelance job at Time Out NY, shooting the “Public Eye” and “It Happened Here” weekly feature. This was exciting and I got to experience many things, but still it wasn’t the most dependable source of income. Occasionally Time Out would have me shoot stationary objects such as Pop Burger’s new mini burger, or rhinestone encrusted cell phones. This awoke my interest in still life photography. I accepted a fulltime staff photographer position at a watch company, where I started shooting their catalogs and add pieces. It was clear that this was the direction that I wanted my career to take. During my time in this position, I learned how to light and compose different materials and retouch as well.

As time went on, friends and contacts in the industry began calling me up for some interesting freelance work. This led to the opening of my photography studio, where I concentrate on freelance jobs and personal projects.

JB: What is it like as a freelance photographer in a city like New York? Do you find it offers more opportunities or challenges?
TD: Location is definitely important in this business, and New York City offers lots of resources and opportunities for photographers. It is also very competitive and finding a proper space for work or anything else at that matter can be difficult. I’m mostly inspired by it all and feel the positives outweigh the negatives. My surroundings and influences push me in a positive way to grow and improve.

JB: What advice do you have for budding photographers and other freelancers?
TD: The most valuable advice I can offer a budding photographers and freelancers is to stay focused, gain a mentor, study other photographers work that you admire, learn Photoshop and spend a huge amount of time self-promoting.

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I was reading one of my favorite blogs: Treehugger, an amazing compendium of green and environmental news and commentary.

One of the things I like about Treehugger, they try to avoid a shrill or alarmist tone. There is a lot of positive environmental news. In that vein, they posted today about a project called One Square Foot.org.

At One Square Foot you answer trivia questions while ads are displayed on the bottom of the site. For every 4 questions you get right, they buy (you guessed it) 1 square foot of rainforest, to protect it from destruction.

I don’t know about you, but I love answering trivia questions, and saving the rainforest floats my boat, so this site is downright incredible.