Finding Passion
You ever hear the phrase “can’t see the forest for the trees”? That has been me for the last while. You see, any material I have explored about being in business, either online or off, tells me I need to identify my passion and then run with that as the base for my business.
Great idea, but, my problem has been, I have so many areas which has my interest. I felt like I was thrashing about trying to find something to set my hat on. For a while it seemed like I had taken on mission impossible. I just wasn’t single focused enough to do this. I should just throw up my hands and run off into the proverbial forest.
Ah, the forest… suddenly I saw the trees. My passion quite simply is — information. My nature has always been that I get a subject in my head, I will explore it almost single minded. So, why wouldn’t I share that information in this the information age?
I’ll need to break what I’m exploring down into various niches and may have to start new sites to keep myself somewhat organized. Since my interests are, and always have been, limitless I shouldn’t have any problem finding topics to explore and share.
I know, sage wisdom is that I should narrow that passion down a whole lot more. Did I ever claim to follow sage wisdom or narrow paths?
Now I can have fun and develop a business(es). Who would have thunk it, me having a passion for information? Man those trees are big in that forest. I’ll be they are at least 50 years old.
Stay tuned.
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Anti-Project Hero Profs Offside
Sixteen professors at the University of Regina have written a letter protesting their institutions involvement in Project Hero. This scholarship program provides children of fallen Canadian soldiers with free tuition for their post-secondary education. Several post-secondary institutions across the country are taking part in the program.
The 16 profs in question believe the University of Regina should withdraw from the program. They denounce the program as “a glorification of Canadian imperialism in Afghanistan and elsewhere.” and “support for Project Hero represents a dangerous cultural turn. It associates heroism with the act of military intervention. It erases the space for critical discussion of military policy and practices“.
Are these people so far up on their ivory towers they don’t know how to find their way to a simple dictionary? I managed to find one and discovered that one of the meanings of ‘imperialism’ is: the policy of extending the rule or authority of an empire or nation over foreign countries, or of acquiring and holding colonies and dependencies.
The last time I looked, Canada’s mission (and indeed NATO’s mission) in Afghanistan was to secure the country in order to allow the elected government of Afghanistan to establish themselves as the properly constituted government. In order to accomplish that end, Canada and other countries are needing to work with the civil authorities to assist them in establishing the various elements of good government.
The bottom line is, when Canada (and eventually the other NATO forces) withdraws from Afghanistan, the Afghani government is free to use or not use the assistance they have received. In fact they are free to exercise their sovereignty now, which is why Karzai’s demands in regards to safeguarding civilians are being taken seriously. That is not imperialism.
If those 16 professors believe differently, maybe they need to climb out of their ivory towers long enough to visit the real world. It scares me sometimes when I hear the bunk that so called learned people are free to try to indoctrinate our young people with.
As for their claims of associating heroism with the act of military intervention. How quickly they forget the soldiers who serve our country are committed to defending this country and carrying out the mission(s) given to them by our government.
If these ivory tower dwellers wanted to go after the government over their efforts to equate any questioning of the mission given our soldiers to a lack of support of the troops, have at it.
By trying to go after a program designed to give back to those children who have lost their parent as the result of missions given to our soldiers, the ivory tower dwellers are trying to take out their displeasure at the mission on the children. Go after the government, not the innocent survivors.
As for their dislike of the program’s name. I’m reminding of something I read when researching the origins of the Victoria Cross. When Queen Victoria was commissioning the creation of the Victoria Cross she was reported to have said she didn’t want the medal engraved with the word ‘bravery’ because she believed any man who went into battle was brave. Instead the medal carries the words ‘For Valour’.
When I return to my trusty dictionary and look up the word ‘hero’ I find: a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities. Notwithstanding the slightly sexist language, it seems once more we cross paths with the word brave in relation to being a hero.
I don’t believe it is a very big leap to see all our men and women serving our country and in particular those serving in combat as being heroes. Some of those heroes have ended up dead, 141 to be exact. Some of those dead heroes left young children behind. Young children to whom a grateful country should be proud to make sure they receive a future education.
So, those 16 ivory tower dwellers need to exercise their democratic right to disagree with the government who sent those men and women into harm’s way by directing their complaints to the government. Leave the innocents alone.
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7 Steps to Cranking Out Content
The oft repeated phrase in SEO is “content is king”. It is, consistent, well written, targeted and useful content is sucked up by the search engines as quickly as it can be written.
My brother often talked about how my mother would spend hours chasing quarters in business while the dollars flew by over her head. It was true, she spent more time rearranging the stock on the shelves than worrying about getting the stock sold to customers or giving the customers something to come into the shop for.
It is true for many trying to make a dollar online too. We design and redesign, tinker and tweak while the job of writing content continues to beg for attention.
So how do we crank out this targeted, well written and useful content? We need to:
- Get stuff out the door.
- Focus on keywords but make it natural
- Get input from coaches
- Group your assignments
- Protect your hands
- Develop and refine your system over time
- Hire writers if you can’t do it yourself
For more information on each of the above points view this article at Solo SEO.
I’m as guilty as the next person for not getting consistent content written on my blogs. In the coming weeks, it is my intent to change that. Come on for the ride.
visit the Patti Network News to see where else I’m writing.
7 Steps to Cranking Out Content
Coulter’s People Brought On the Cancellation
Ann Coulter, a self-proclaimed Conservative bigot, ran from her speaking engagement at the University of Ottawa on Tuesday evening. She didn’t physically run, she just threw in the metaphorical white towel.
While initial reports claimed the police and the University were the cause of the event being cancelled, it is looking more and more like Coulter’s own people threw in the towel.
I’m saying she’s ’self-proclaimed’ as Conservative mainly because I can’t imagine any true conservative with a brain in their head wanting her held up as an example of conservative thinking on either side of the border. If she truly is an example of conservative thinking, I am understanding more and more why Canadians wont allow Harper a majority government.
The more I’ve read about this incident the more I believe this whole thing is a publicity stunt for a two bit red-neck hack who brings new meaning to ‘dumb blonde’. Prior to her scheduled visit to the University she received an email from the vice-president of the university cautioning her to be aware of Canadian hate laws which differ from laws in the USA.
Given Coulter’s reputation and history, his caution wasn’t really uncalled for. Coulter’s a foreign national, it would have been inhospitable not to have given her a heads up. While potentially true, using even the veiled threat of criminal prosecution wasn’t really wise. Telling someone local laws warrant review and caution sends the message that violating the law has consequences, that didn’t need to be spelled out.
Had organizers of the event been more focused on the speaking engagement taking place and less on capitalizing on the controversy, the event would have gone ahead. Police called to the scene had a duty to call in enough support to get the crowd under control.
While Coulter is claiming “the auditorium was surrounded by thousands of rioting liberals — screaming, blocking the entrance, throwing tables, demanding that my books be burned, and finally setting off the fire alarm” the reality is that the crowd included those who had turned up to hear her and posed no threat at all.
Journalists at the scene report no more than a few dozen were actually protesters. The bigger concern was that more people had showed up trying to get into the hall than the hall would hold, the venue should have been larger.
Coulter also claims elected officials were banned from attending her speech. Pony up there girl.. what elected officials and by who? Speaking of elected officials, now if she really wants to slam a lack of freedom of speech in this country, she doesn’t need to go farther than Conservative Prime Minister Harper… never have we had a government more prone to the stifling of free speech than his.
So, since Coulter claims to be a conservative, she should have some common ground to have at it with Harper. She could get lots of real publicity by taking him to task for his stifling of free speech since he’s been in power. She wouldn’t even have to make up lies to get it.
Word to the wise though, Jason Kenny would likely find a way to get her frog marched back across the border if she tried it.
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Opposition Goes After the Stalling
Every now and again it becomes necessary for those elected to conduct the business of our democracy to be reminded of who they are supposed to represent. The people elect a Parliament who then forms a government and an official opposition based on which party received the most seats.
This seems like a pretty basic principle to know and to understand. The Prime Minister is subject to the will of Parliament, who is subject to the will of the people. When the Opposition parties voted on a motion back in December ordering the government to produce unredacted documents pertaining to the detainee issue, the response should have been pretty straightforward in adherence with the basic principle of Parliament.
The government has tried to throw a blanket claim of ‘national security’ around the affair and are refusing to release the documents. They didn’t even bother trying to go through the motions of trying to reach an agreement with the majority vote, they just stonewalled and then Harper prorogued the House.
Eventually the birds have to come home to roost and Parliament had to reconvene. Harper seemed to think that the December motion would be ignored, the Opposition rendered unable or unwilling to act. He’s wrong. Last Thursday the Liberals, followed by the NDP and the Bloc, rose to call on the Speaker of the House to rule on the motion. They have motions of their own which could lead to the Government being found in contempt of Parliament.
We already know Harper holds Parliament in contempt, this would just formalize the knowledge.
The Conservatives are clinging to their claim that they and only they can decide what is in the interest of national security. They claim the reason they have stonewalled the motion of December 10th is that it didn’t make provision for security issues and would have required the documents to be released into the public domain.
I’m going to be nice and call that disingenuous. If they truly believed that and at the same time truly respected the supremacy of Parliament, they would have engaged the Opposition parties in negotiating an appropriate handover. Precedent was set in 1990 when the Mulroney government was in power. Parliament secured the release of documents to a House committee in camera and under a publication ban in regards to the sensitive information.
The Conservatives claim they are taking “unprecedented measures” by appointing Iacobbucci. They are somewhat right on that. Appointing a judge, n0 matter how well respected, is not the appropriate response to the will of Parliament. It is the response of a Prime Minister who is determined to outrank the will of Parliament and ultimately the people.
Parliament’s job is to represent the people by calling the government to account. The Prime Minister has a duty and responsibility to answer to Parliament. While successive governments over the last several decades have tried to centralize power in the executive branch aka the Prime Minister’s Office, none have taken it as far as this government.
In many ways, the detainee issue should have been just a blip on the public radar. Harper has made it an issue which needs to be pursued and at the same time has created a new issue. Well not so much new as one which is overdue for being dealt with.
It is overdue for the PMO to learn they serve Parliament and the people. The big question here is how long as Canadians going to continue to tolerate anything less?
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We Will Remember Him
They shall grow not old, as we who are left grow old
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning
We will remember them
In memory of our fallen Canadian:
Cpl Darren James Fitzpatrick — Afghanistan March 20, 2010
Always Caring — Always Canadian — Never Defeated
Support Our Troops — Wear Red on Fridays
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We Will Remember Him
They shall grow not old, as we who are left grow old
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning
We will remember them
In memory of our fallen Canadian:
Cpl Darren James Fitzpatrick — Afghanistan March 20, 2010
Always Caring — Always Canadian — Never Defeated
Support Our Troops — Wear Red on Fridays
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Playing Games With Democracy
On Tuesday Parliament passed a motion which would ban the practise of MPs sending ‘10 percenters” into ridings of other MPs. The motion was initiated by the Liberals and solidly opposed by the Conservatives. The final call on the motion will be made by the Board of Internal Economy, the secretive committee charged with controlling the spending on the Hill.
The government’s response to the motion is that they consider it to be ‘non-binding’. Excuse me? Is Parliament supposed to reflect the will of the people or doesn’t it? Who the blazes is paying those clowns than the people?
Parliament has spoken, therefore neither the government nor the internal board of economy should have any option but to comply.
I suspect there are a lot of Canadians like me who would love to see the practise stopped completely. I’m in a riding where the Conservative incumbent sends a constant stream of his junk mail into my mailbox. When I even bother to look at one, it is usually nothing but self-serving drivel. Save the taxpayers millions and outlaw them all. Let the parties pay for their own self-serving drivel.
But I digress, sort of.
The government initially responded to the motion by calling it ‘non-binding’ and they would ignore it. Then they reversed themselves and said they would support it if it applied to all parties but they don’t have a majority on the internal board of economy.
When the question was put to the panel on CTV’s Power Play yesterday, the responses show the level of game playing going on.
Pierre Poilievre from the Conservatives wouldn’t commit one way or the other, he threw in that the Cons (largest users of the 10 percenters) were going to support eliminating subsidies to political parties. When pressed by Tom Clarke if this support would be through the introduction of a bill in the House or how they would do it, the trained parrot that he is just kept repeating the government was supporting the elimination but nothing about how.
Joe Comartin from the NDP (2nd largest user) avoided saying that the NDP would halt the practise. The closest he came was that if the other parties stopped so would they. Was instructions to stop the practise in play? Comartin’s response was only Jack Layton could make that decision and none had been made. They voted for the motion, do they support it or not?
Wayne Easter from the Liberals (least user) stated unequivocally that directions had gone out to stop the practise while noting that there may be some in the system which can’t be pulled back. He said they had contacted the post office and tried to stop any waiting to go out. Apparently they support the motion through action.
So what was the sense of the motion other than grandstanding if some of those who claim to support it immediately start waffling? As for the Board of Internal Economy, this is a body which determines the spending of taxpayers money. Where do they get off at being secretive about their discussions and decisions?
It is no wonder so many are cynical and disconnected from the political process in this country. They’d rather watch hockey least, it is in fact a game and doesn’t masquerade as democratic government.
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Spring Seems To Have Arrived
Forgive me if I appear to be confused if spring has come to my little part of the world. We’ve had so little snow this winter the line is severely blurred. I can’t remember the last time we had a winter in which I spent more time wearing my shoes than my boots.
I’m not complaining mind you. I am the first to refuse to go out the door when the snow falls or the conditions are icy. I spent too many years travelling in all kinds of weather on a 200km a day commute to Toronto and back. When I left that job I was determined I would not ever be required to spend hours white knuckling my way home in snow or ice storm.
That made it really lucky for me when I did start travelling to Oshawa twice a week the boss didn’t complain when I told him flat out that he would not see me when there was a storm. He actually preferred I take the safer path. God bless the guy!
Well, spring is seen as a time of rebirth and renewal. It appears this spring is going to serve that purpose for me. The twice weekly commute stops the end of this month, leaving me a couple of days a week to pursue projects I’ve been trying to do in my spare time. (which is very limited)
In addition to writing this blog more frequently, I will be working harder on my other blogs. If you are curious about what my other blogs are, you can visit Patti’s Network News where you can always find which blogs I have and what I’ve posted on them recently.
It is my objective to grow these blogs and get into some other projects, like writing info products, in order to establish my income online. I can no longer afford to just tinker at this goal. It is either a goal that I care about reaching or it’s time I dropped the dream and get a job working for someone else.
I have a range of knowledge on several subjects and the ability to research and learn more. It will be my goal to share that knowledge and learning with others.
So, into the deep end I’m plunging.
What was your last plunge into the deep end? Did it work for you?
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How Much Is This Conservative Stall Going to Cost?
Back in December the majority of Parliament ordered the government to produce in their entirety the documents related to the Afghan detainee issue. Harper made clear he was going to defy that order and went so far as to prorogue Parliament in order to try to squash the issue.
He claimed the prorogue was to recalibrate the government’s direction and agenda. Having since seen that ‘recalibration’ via the Throne Speech and the budget, I don’t think anyone really truly believes the government did anything but stall and enjoy the Olympics.
So, parliament returns and in order to further flip the bird at the supremacy of parliament Harper, through his minion Rob Nicholson (Minister of Justice), is stalling by appointing respected jurist Frank Iacobucci to review the documents and rule if the documents are able to be released or not.
Other than Harper demonstrating his continuing disdain and disrespect for Parliament there is no reason for these documents not being released to the Opposition for review behind close doors. MPs of all stripes are required to maintain confidentiality of documents they are privy to as was the Military Commission who was originally charged with investigating this issue and blocked by the government from access to necessary documents in full.
So, from what I see, Harper continues to abuse the powers of his office, disrespect the supremacy of Parliament and behave like he has a right to ignore anyone but himself. I’m disappointed in the Opposition allowing this farce to move forward at a cost of $500-$600 per hour (pay to Mr. Iacobucci).
Backing away from enforcing the original motion for fear of Harper pulling the plug and calling an election is no excuse to allow Harper to continue to do as he pleases. Power is conferred and the Opposition continues to confer power to Harper that is not his to have.
Is no one smart enough in the Opposition ranks to come up with a counter proposal to an election and enough political will to unite against this usurper of power? There is little wonder why the polls have us languishing around in a virtual deadlock between the parties.
The country hungers for alternatives. When is someone going to deliver them?
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