I'm Thankful for My Less-Than-Spectacular Life

Happy Thanksgiving! As I write this in the early morning hours of Turkey Day, the one thing you have to do is think about the things for which you are thankful. Actually, I've been doing this for about a week now, as my life could be a whole lot worse than it is right now. I could be single. I could be homeless. I could not have anything to eat for holiday. I could have no way of earning an income. Although, in the big picture and on a global scale, my life is probably pretty fantastic. So, I'm thankful for a lot of little things, things that some might not consider something that's worth gratitude, but my life could be a lot worse.

I'm Thankful that I Don't Have Television

I did just write an article about the stupidity of World Television Day, but that's not why I don't have television. I don't have television because my fiance and I were ripping it off from the cable company, until the cable company came and disconnected everyone who was ripping it off. Ever since then, we haven't bothered, and that was almost two years ago now.

It's the holiday season again, and I don't have a television to remind me about Black Friday sales, the gift of giving, and all those commercials that essentially tell me that I need to buy people expensive stuff for Christmas. It's nice not to get bombarded. It was particularly nice during the 2012 election, when I didn't have to bother with any of the political ads. I'm thankful that I won't have to deal with political ads during the upcoming 2014 midterm elections also. Granted, it would be nice to have television so I can watch Survivor when it actually airs, or the live performances of The Voice when they are live. But, those are small prices to pay to avoid commercials and to waste less time getting caught up in new shows and reruns.

I'm Thankful for My Cat Because He Almost Died

About two weeks ago, my cat Flop-a-Set had a urinary tract blockage. He was howling on the top of his lungs, having trouble going to the bathroom, and throwing up his food. My fiance and I were going to take him to the vet first thing in the morning. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it), the floodgates opened overnight and he peed in our bed. The next day, he was a completely different cat. He was no longer howling. He kept his food down. He didn't mind being pet. Although, he didn't continue to use the litter box regularly, and went in our bed the next night as well. So, we took him to the vet to figure out if he was still sick or not. My fiance and I were getting tired of the limbo, and it was clear that something was wrong and not entirely fixed.

After a vet visit, some antibiotics (which he does not like), and a new diet (which he eats, but doesn't like as much as the old food), Flop-a-Set is 100% again. He has used the litter box every time and has much more energy than ever before. He's louder. He plays a lot more and is more active when he does play. He runs around the apartment more often. He's on the new diet for life, and the antibiotics are almost done, so I am thankful that I still have a big fuzzy kitty.

I'm Thankful that I'm Never at Income Zero

Income zero is my term for not having any means of making money. Some people fall into that position and its a tough one to be in. I'm thankful that I'll never be in that position because as a freelancer and entrepreneur, I'll always have a source of income as long as I have one client paying on time. One client may not be able to pay the bills, but one client puts me in a position to get two clients. Having one client means that I'll have at least one good reference and recent work to vouch and to demonstrate my skills. Sure, my career choice is much tougher than most, as I don't make a much as I could if I got a normal job. Plus, I have to spend time marketing myself, doing my own accounting, covering business expenses, and make my own sales on top of the work that clients actually pay me to do. But, I'm thankful that I'm capable of doing all that and that I'm skilled enough in writing and marketing that people are willing to pay me to do it. I'm thankful that I am committed and courageous enough to be a freelancer.

Why I Love Poker

I love poker. Unfortunately, I haven't played online in a while. The site that I use did a complete overhaul of their software. Not only is the layout completely different, albeit better, but part of the overhaul meant changing their server provider. So, you had to take a "scenic route" to get the update by going to the website, re-downloading the software, and logging in using your email address instead of your screen name. Getting used to the layout was difficult, but doable, but because downloading the update was somewhat convoluted, I lost all of the lovely fishies that I could take advantage of in the sit-n-gos. I also lost my sit-n-go action, as with the launch of the new software, the only place for action at my stakes were the six-max cash game tables. Quite the opposite of my bread and butter. I'm waiting the whole thing out so that more fishies join the site again. Anyway, I digress. To celebrate my love of poker, and perhaps inspire me to get back in the game, I am watching/listening to my favorite episode of High Stakes Poker. It's Season 4, Episode 1. How can you not love the deuce-seven game?

How My Love of Poker Started

My fiance (my boyfriend at the time) first taught me how to play poker back in 2010. When I first learned, I didn't take the game too seriously. My intention was to know how to play so I could play with our friends. I had no interest in studying the game or in doing anything to improve my skill. That changed when I started watching poker on television.

Since my boyfriend/fiance and I liked poker, poker was something that both us could agree on watching. It was when I started watching tournaments, like the World Poker Tour, and saw that there were hardly any women playing. I didn't like that so few women were playing, so I decided that the only way to fix that was to take poker seriously and to do what it takes to get to the level of playing in the WPT. After all, you need to be the change that you want to see in the world, and I've loved the game ever since.

It Took Me a Little While to Get to Real Money

When I decided to get serious back in 2010, I was also scared to start playing with real money against real people. I needed to learn more and to practice more first. So, I started with a computer game playing AI called Governor of Poker 2. This actually turned out be a really great game because the plot is amazing!. The final boss is the governor of Texas, who wants to ban poker from the state. To beat the game, you need to play the governor in a heads-up Texas Hold 'Em match, best of three. If you win, then you get to become the governor of Texas and poker remains legal. I think all higher offices should be determined through heads-up poker matches.

Anyway, once I beat the game and felt more comfortable, I moved over to play money tables on Pokerstars and Full Tilt Poker. I focused only on sit-n-gos and spent my time building my "bankroll". I started with hold 'em, but I did spend some time playing eight-game sit-n-gos, which I really enjoyed and wish I could play again. But, I live in the United States and I can't use Pokerstars to play the eight-game sit-n-gos, and Pokerstars is the only site that has them. Sure, I could do the play money tables, but at this point in my poker adventures, play money is rather boring. Anyway, I built my "bankroll" and got to a point after a year or so where play money wasn't fun anymore.

Real Money is a Completely Different Beast

It really is. I joined a poker forum to post hands and to discuss strategy, although since I haven't been playing in a while, I haven't been posting much lately. The forum has helped a great deal, and offers tons of strategy articles that I still need to read. My initial goal when I started with real money was to double my deposit. The closest I got was a 50% increase, and right now I am at 20 or 25% decrease from the initial deposit. I'm down, but I still love poker. The swings are part of the game.

Choose a College Major You Like

It Makes Little Difference in the Long Run

Results from the latest study by ACT found that 1/3 of college freshmen are choosing a major that's a 'poor' fit for their interests. Although the study of more than 1.2 million 2013 high school graduates also found that another 1/3 are choosing a major that's a good fit for their interests, I do worry for the four million freshmen across the country that are only making their college experience harder by choosing a major that doesn't fit their interests.

When I was a student at Saint Louis University (I graduated in 2010), I met too many students who were majoring in things like biology, chemistry, and biochemistry but hated their majors. They were only majoring in these things because they were told at one point that there were jobs in these fields. They may have only been majoring in these things because they were pre-med, and were opting for a major that seemed complimentary to medicine (pre-med itself isn't a major). However, there's no requirement that if you're pre-med you need to major in biology or chemistry. Some may say that majoring in the sciences is better because it prepares you better for medical school, but statistics show that as long as you meet the requirements for entry and keep your grades up, a pre-med philosophy student isn't any less prepared for medical school than a pre-med biology or pre-med chemistry student.

Spend that Time on Something You Like!

The pre-med example is just one that illustrates my ultimate point: your major doesn't necessarily determine your job prospects or how employable you'll be once you graduate. If people can get into medical school without needing to study a hard science, then people don't necessarily need this degree or that degree to get a job. Granted, some fields do require a specific degree. You're not likely to get an engineering job without an engineering degree, and you're not likely to be a physical therapists without studying physical therapy, but for the most part companies with open positions aren't going to focus on the major. So, why not spend the four years majoring in something you like? Four years is a long time to spend studying something you aren't interested in only to prepare yourself for something that you might not be interested in either.

At SLU, I doubled majored in international studies and political science with a double minor in communication and Russian. It's a mouthful. I just tell people I studied in political science. After I graduated, I took a temporary job making cold calls. Next, I became a freelance writer writing about everything from recruiting to nitrogen tire inflation, from government trends and initiatives to small business technology. After that, I started my own content marketing agency. That didn't end up working for me, which was fine because I hated having to convince potential clients over and over again that they couldn't talk about themselves on their company blogs and that the needed to create content that potential customers would like, not just stuff that advertised and made a sales pitch. I like content marketing when it works well. I hate it when it's not working well and now you have to evangelize and give advice. But, they aren't paying you for that advice and they didn't ask for it in the first place. Because they didn't ask for it, it's unlikely they'll implement it.

I digress, but within that whole story I didn't really need or rely on my political science degree. None of my clients cared I had the degree. The telemarketing job overlooked the fact that I didn't have business degree, even though everyone else they hired with me had one. I didn't need a degree, let alone one in political science, to become a freelance writer or to become an entrepreneur. I have the professional background that I have because I was a good writer, spending three years at SLU writing for the college newspaper and having a few journalism internships to boot. At this point in my life (I turn 26 in January and I only graduated three years ago), no one is going to care about my major no matter what I choose to do with my life. Yes, they will care that I got a college degree, but employers care about the fact that I got the degree and they care about the skills that I have. Since major won't matter, even as soon as three years out of higher education (of course, major makes a difference if you want a masters and/or PhD), then choose something you're interested in.

Then Why Do Employers Specify Majors on Their Job Postings?

They do it because they need a way to weed out bad applicants and to deter them from applying, although a requirement like 'four-year degree in marketing" rarely stops anybody. The average job seeker spends 76 seconds looking at a job description, with much of that time typically spent reviewing job title, compensation, and location. If you think that's bad, then consider that the average hiring manager spends six seconds on a resume. Four of those six seconds are spent looking at four main parts of the resume:

• Job titles (42% restrict their hiring based on previous job titles, and these are just the hiring managers that don't have a problem filling an open position)
• Companies You Worked At
• Start/End Dates
• Education

This means that, on average, the hiring manager is spending one second looking your educational background. This is one-third of the time spent looking at your work history. Even if majors were designed to deter people or to encourage certain people to apply, it's not something hiring managers are really spending time evaluating, even when they do look at education. They have other things in mind when looking for the perfect candidate (besides, you know, finding perfect person with everything the employer wants).

Trust me, as someone who has covered the recruiting industry for a year-and-a-half, they don't care about degrees and college majors all that much. They're not good indicators of success in the position, and are hardly ever used as factors to decide on one candidate over another. As the research has shown, employers are worrying about having college graduates who are ready for the workforce and who can write a sentence without spelling and grammatical errors. They're more focused on filling positions with people who can do the job and don't need a lot of training to do it. Studying history, philosophy, anthropology, or another "useless" subject isn't going to hurt your chances of getting to this point than studying something "more practical." Granted, employers are also worrying about things that are outside of your control, like only hiring people who have the same exact job title on their resume, but you also need to be spending time in college developing skills through internships and extra-curricular activities. Simply getting the degree isn't enough and won't necessarily prepare you adequately for the workplace.

If You Want a Practical Degree that Gets You a Job, Then Go to a Trade School

If all you're after is the security that you'll be employable and jobs in your field once you get out, then go to a trade school. Study something like auto repair, veterinary assisting, medial billing & coding, or nursing. These are practical jobs that are never going away, and attending a trade school ensures that everything you do there will have to do with whatever trade you choose to study. You don't have to make room for three semesters of theology or four semesters of foreign language at a trade school. Plus, you finish faster and have to do fewer papers and exams to do it. Why spend four years getting a job when you can do the same thing at a trade school at two, and for much cheaper too? Better yet, there's a lot of jobs that don't even need a college degree. If you're just after earning money, then there are plenty of ways to do that without spending the time and money to go to fancy university in the first place.

College is supposed to be about more than getting a job. College is also supposed to be about exposing yourself to new things, developing your critical thinking skills, meeting new people, and being able to do things that you might not be able to do outside of college. College should be fun, and fun doesn't have to exclude your classes. I got a degree in political science and have turned out just fine in the real world. You don't necessarily need to get a degree in a field that you plan to work in. You really need to get the degree, and get a lot more skills and experience on top of that.

9 Empowering Songs for Kicking Ass and Taking Names

I first came up with this blog post idea a long time ago when, in my SuperBetter account, I created "listen to an empowering song" as a power-up. I had a few on my iPod, came across a few more, and decided it would be cool to put them all together in a list post. After all, empowerment is about getting ready to kick ass and to take names, so why not help others be able to do the same? In doing a little research for this post, I found lists and songs that were dedicated to empowering women after a breakup! It sends the message that a man will empower and validate us, so when we are without one, we have to find out how to do it on our own. I also found lists and songs that I didn't think were all that empowering at all, like Adele's Rolling in the Deep (Sorry Adele, but this does more fall into the 'empowerment after breakup' category). Besides, we shouldn't only be looking for empowerment and self-confidence when we're newly single. We should be doing that all the time and looking for ways to channel that energy besides being someone's girlfriend or wife. So, I'm changing that by creating my own list of empowering songs that are actually empowering (I fail to see how Somewhere Only We Know by Keane is empowering) and can actually be applied perhaps when we're in a happy relationships. Here are nine empowering songs for kicking ass and taking names. I know that some of these artists have done more than one empowering song, but I wanted to feature each artist only once.

Roar - Katy Perry

An obvious choice for an empowering song. I prefer the lyric video to the official one. I don't think the jungle theme showcases the message of the song all that well. I don't think Olivia Henken did it justice on season 5 of the Voice.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9SeJIgWRPk]

Hair - Lady Gaga

It's not one of her most popular hits, but this song is one of my favorites from her. I want someone to sing this on the Voice.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Okq8xHrIZ8I]

#thatpower - will.i.am ft. Justin Bieber

Not only is this great song, but the music video is awesome too. The choreography is so deliberate, like what it takes to succeed in life.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGIgXP9SvB8]

Feeling Good - Nina Simone

The version by Michael Buble isn't bad either, but I do think the original has much more character and emotion to it. I also think that it would be harder to sing if you had to sing it live.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHs98TEYecM]

Counting Stars - OneRepublic

No more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars. Or, in my case, words. I want to be counting words.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT_nvWreIhg]

Try - P!nk

This song applies to love and relationships, as that's what P!nk is singing about, but you need to try in life also. You can't be afraid of failure or uncertainty. Well, you can be afraid of those things, but you shouldn't let your fear getting in the way of doing things. Let P!nk tell you all about it. Another video with great choreography.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTCDVfMz15M]

Girl on Fire - Alicia Keys

Around the time this song came out, my cat accidentally lit his tail on fire by sweeping across a lit candle. My fiance and I put it out frantically, while my cat wasn't too pleased that we pet him the wrong way. Now, the lyric goes, "This kitty's on fire!"

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J91ti_MpdHA]

Dog Days are Over - Florence + the Machine

Now, Pentatonix did this song justice when they performed it on the Sing Off. They made it their own while keeping the intensity and character of the song.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWOyfLBYtuU]

Walk Tall - John Mellencamp

Not only is this an incredibly inspirational and empowering song, but the music video is beautiful too. Mellencamp may have been singing for a long, long time (although this song came out in the early 2000's), but this song is timeless.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjNn9_bfp6k]

Bullet Journal, New Gigs, and Getting Things Back Together

Been spending my time over the past few weeks working to get everything back together. I think much of it crumbled from under me because I wasn't spending enough time working, and because I didn't spend any time planning my branding. For my branding, I just threw something together, never really thought about, and so the mantra, positioning, and statement weren't as solidified and unique as they could of been. I don't think I would have gotten into trouble if I had planned those things because I would have had more concrete ideas about Stirring Media as a brand and business. I'm now spending time thinking about the business' brand as well as my own personal brand.

One Month of the Bullet Journal

I've given the Bullet Journal note-taking system for over a month now, and I like it very much. I actually find it to be a good complement to my inferno of productivity because it's two to-do lists instead of one, and also that the Bullet Journal can accommodate scheduling and longer lists. Longer lists can be lists that all have to do with one topic i.e. I have a list of the web pages I need to write for one client's project, but there also a tidy, safe place to keep my big-fat lists that come up from time to time. The big-fat list often contains many little things that I need to get done, most often things like updating my social media profiles or figuring out how to set up Google Authorship when you contribute to several blogs and publications. I would highly recommend the Bullet Journal for anyone who has never been particularly satisfied with the selection of planners and calendars that are currently available on the market.

Two New Gigs!

I"ve gotten two new news writing gigs, and I am very excited about both of them! One I started last weekend, and the other I'll be starting over the next few days. For the first gig (which needs to stay nameless because it hasn't yet launched), I essentially find news stories, read the story, write a 300-character summary, and upload the summary to the content management system. Kind of like a dream job for me, because I have to cover anything and everything, and the sooner I can summarize a breaking news story, the better. I work on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights, so the only downside is that Friday night is particularly slow. It's the weekend for the whole world, and not much is happening on a Friday night or Saturday morning. Saturday and Sunday are a bit better, primarily because all the sports games are finishing up during my shift, and I can easily write a few summaries by simply reporting on a college basketball or professional hockey game that just finished.

My second gig is with News Headquarters, where I"ll be doing some general news article writing for one of their sites (not sure which one yet). The work sounds similar to the articles I wrote for Technorati, although this time I'll be getting paid, where I find a story and then create something new using a variety of sources. On the surface, it sounds like article rewriting, or rehashing, as I like to call it. The job totally can be, and that's the easy way out to do the job in my opinion. However, I do think that this practice could be done in a way that doesn't involve selling out your soul, where the sources and story are used to offer a new perspective instead of just write another article saying what everyone else has said. It means you have to be more creative and try to present an angle that hasn't been presented yet. I think that's where you'll differentiate yourself while creating something that will actually generate buzz and properly newsjack a story. Perhaps I should just think of this gig as getting paid to piggyback on the news.

Why You Should Hire Me to Manage Your Social Media

Social media is a daily time commitment. If you, or your company, isn't willing to commit the time, then one of two things need to happen. Either limit the number of social networks you use to something that's manageable, or outsourcing your social media marketing. If you are choosing the latter, partly because you don't just want to use Facebook, then consider hiring me to do the rest! Here's why you should hire me to manage your social media:

I Have Proven Results

One of my social media marketing clients is a nitrogen tire inflation company called Nitrofleet99. When I started working on their social media presence, all the company had was a Facebook profile with about 15 fans. This was in June 2012. To date, November 2013, Nitrofleet99 has 383 fans on its Facebook page, an accomplishment based on some Facebook advertising but primarily on a content amplification and promotion strategy that focused on consistent and regular engagement. Part of consistent and regular engagement is updating your social media profiles every day while planning this content in advance. This strategy enables me to spend the day-to-day work engaging with followers while the research of appropriate content takes place well before this content is scheduled for sharing.

Since June 2012, I've also added a Twitter account and a Google+ account for the company. Not only do these presences exist, but both the Facebook page and the Google+ profile have ranked on the first page of Google for the term, "nitrogen tire inflation."

I Understand that Social Media Can't Work in a Silo

Part of what makes social media marketing difficult and time-consuming for businesses is that they consider it separate from the website and other marketing efforts. This is a huge mistake, as isolating social media means that your marketing efforts can't drive visitors and leads to the website (and the company), while eliminating a huge opportunity for the business to amplify the content and promotions happening on the website or in the email newsletter. My previous employer, for example, has a lot of great videos on its blog featuring different customers and services of the customer. However, these videos can only be found on the blog and can't be found anywhere on social media, YouTube in particular. Why my previous employer won't share these things on YouTube, or any other social network, is beyond me. Why are you creating this content if you don't amplify it through social media? By keeping these things to one or two platforms, instead of strategically using all of them to reach as many people as possible, you are essentially leaving leads and visitors on the table for your competitor to grab.

If You Need Content to Share on Social Media, I Can Do That Too

There's a 50/50 rule in social media marketing: 50% of what you share needs to be your own content, while the other half is the content of others. Most companies are surprised that their social media marketing efforts aren't entirely about the, but others do realize that your social media marketing doesn't matter too much if all you're doing is sharing other people's content. No one is going to be come a fan or follower (and they certainly won't become a customer) if you don't have any original research, or thought leadership, or helpful information of your own to offer. This is where I can come in. I can create blog posts, white papers, press releases, newsletter articles, essentially anything that would be awesome to share on Facebook or Twitter that you can slap with your company's branding. After all, the goal to accomplish with social media marketing is to show that your company is the one that can address the needs and pain points of your customers. By only sharing the content of others, you're really saying that it's your competitors and these other thought leaders who really know what they are doing.

I'm not an intern or college student whose a good fit for a social media role because I'm young or a digital native. I'm a good fit for the social media role because I know what I'm doing, and I've been doing this long enough to know how to understand a brand so that results happen on social media. I know how to use Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn/Google+ to achieve the results the client wants to see.

5 Recent Research Findings that Challenge Notions of Politics and Society

Of the many things that go unreported in major news outlets, one of those things are the research findings from major universities. Granted, research does get coverage from time to time, especially if its proven that video games are good for you. And, granted, not all research coming out of a major university deserves press coverage. But, this doesn't mean that there are excellent studies and findings taking place that aren't worth talking about, or considering because they challenge traditionally held notions of politics and society. Here are five recent research findings from major universities across the globe that shed light into how our world, and our government, really works:

Anti-Muslim Bias Tracked in Mainstream Media

Research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill suggests that organizations with negative messages about Muslims drowned out positive and moderate messaging in the mainstream media. Christopher Bail, an assistant professor of sociology who conducted the study, said that this emphasis by the mass media gave fringe organizations the chance to build networks and to raise funds. It also give little attention to public condemnations of terrorism of Muslims, even though the vast majority of organizations depict Muslims as peaceful, contributing members of our society.

Although the article doesn't expound upon the methodology, I suspect that plagiarism software was used for this research because the software makes it easy to track how many times a certain news release was posted, or copied, on another website. This methodology may also omit news articles that reference these news releases or use them as a source, but don't copy the text of the original release.

Remember the Lowe's Advertising Fiasco Over "All-American Muslim"?

Recent Examples of Anti-Muslim Bias in the Media

Women in U.S Congress Deliver More to Their Districts than Male Counterparts

Whatever women do, they must do twice as well as a man to be thought of as half as good. Luckily, that's not too difficult. - Charlotte Witton

Apparently, 2011 research from the University of Chicago proves Witton's words to be true in politics. In Congress, women outperform men in two main areas: sponsorship/co-sponsorship of legislation and obtaining federal discretionary spending for home districts. The authors don't go so far as to way that women are more innately talented in politics than men, as women who fill the seats of their deceased husbands do not outperform their male colleagues. They argue that the more discrimination a woman has to overcome to get elected, the more motivations and qualifications they need to win the election and to keep their seat in Washington. The researchers call this phenomenon the "Jackie (and Jill) Robinson Effect," where famed baseball player Jackie Robinson needed to be the absolute best to overcome the racial discrimination of his time.

Because of This, Our First Female President will Be AMAZING

Less than Half of Americans Think It's a Good Thing to Have More Women in Congress

Grandiose Narcissism Makes a Memorable President

What do Theodore Roosevelt, Andrew Jackson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy have in common (besides at one time being president of the United States)? They all have a distinct trait called grandiose narcissism.

Grandiose narcissism, as defined by research from Emory University, is an extroverted, self-aggrandizing, domineering, and flamboyant interpersonal style, and it's a personality style that's associated with greatness in the presidency. After all, the presidents listed as having this type of narcissism are the ones that are most often discussed and taught in history class. Few people know anything about Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore, the two presidents who scored low ratings for grandiose narcissism. Although this type of narcissism makes a memorable president, it doesn't necessarily translate into a well-liked or an uncontroversial president, as grandiose narcissism is also associate with rule bending, cheating, and impeachment resolutions.

Jumbo: It's Why American Soldiers Were in Vietnam, and Other Fun Facts

The Least and Most Narcissistic Presidents, If You're Curious

Haiti's Poorer than Medieval England (If Medieval England Were Around Today

An annual salary of $400 (as expressed in 1990 international dollars) is commonly used as a measure of “bare bones subsistence.” It was previously believed that this figure was the average income in medieval England. However, new research from the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom found that the average income for this time period was closer to $1000/year, since a majority of the population in that time period could afford a varied diet as well as the occasional luxuries. This new figure for average per capita income also means that England in the Middle Ages was wealthier than Haiti today, along with 12 other countries in Africa and Asia (still expressed in 1990 dollars). Haiti, according to 1990 dollars, has an average per capita income of $686/year.

The authors note that these figures do not consider income distribution, where many in medieval England still live a bare bones existence while others were far better off than a varied diet and occasional luxuries.

What Happened to Caring about Haiti After the Earthquake?

Just How Dark Were the Dark Ages? [Video]

Political TV Ads are Overrated, In a Sense

Political advertising is powerful; no one needed research from Penn State to prove that. However, that their research did find was that people tended to overestimate the impact these ads have on others, especially negative political ads. With positive political messaging, people thought the messaging had more of an impact on themselves than on others. Either way, the researchers concluded that the more political ads someone saw, positive or negative, the more likely that person was going to perceive that these ads were affecting people.

I read in Dollarocracy: How the Money and Media Election Complex is Destroying America that although constituents hate political ads, especially negative ads, the messages of these ads still stick with viewers. Viewers recalled the messaging, particularly if they didn't like the messaging in the first place. Political ads may annoy us during the election season, but they aren't going anywhere anytime soon because they work.

Almost $1 Billion Were Spent on Political Ads in the 2012 Election

A Look at Political Ads from a More Recent Election

Creating a Wiki, or Sticking with a Blog?

Many months ago, I came across wikis for several of my favorite video games, only to find that there really weren't any wikis about current affairs or business topics. A couple have been started, covering things such as green politics, politics in Canada, and business in general, but none of the wikis look taken care of or look like they've been updated recently. It seems like there are many different tools out there that you can use to start a wiki, and the right tool depends on why you want the wiki and who will be using it. MediaWiki is what Wikipedia uses, but I like Wikia because you can start right away (or take over an old one) and it looks a bit more intuitive in how to use it and what you need to do. I really like the idea of creating a wiki, but for a topics like business and politics, it seems like you might be better off buying a whole bunch of books or starting a blog and then covering anything and everything possible. Although, buying books can be expensive (even if you buy only ebooks, it still adds up) and taking the blog route seems very similar to the wiki.

Difference Between Wiki and Blog

WIkipedia points out that the major difference between a blog and a wiki (I know Wikipedia isn't really a reputable source, but who better to source on this topic than the inventor of the wiki?) is that "the content is created without any defined owner or leader, and wikis have little implicit structure, allowing structure to emerge according to the needs of the users." This makes sense once a wiki is established and has a ton of readers and contributors, but any wiki that's starting out would need to have a leader and some structure, right? If no one is leading the way to start the wiki, to get a few articles up, and to tell people about the wiki, then how does anyone expect the wiki to get started and to get to a point of self-sustainability? Someone needs to be the start and the face of the new wiki until there's enough people involved to add new content, to edit existing content, and to make sure the wiki isn't trolled or that someone doesn't add an irrelevant article.

I Might Just Stick with the Blog

I don't like that wikis have a lack of leadership and structure. I understand that those are needed to make them work, and that those criteria have worked for them. But, I wouldn't want them a part of my wiki, and if they aren't a part of the wiki then it's not really a wiki. After all, the main reason I'm pursuing this is to build identity capital and to build my personal brand as someone who is well-versed in current events and politics. A wiki can't do that since it's meant to be a community as much as it is a communal resource. The wiki also only works that way if it's for a specific group of people, such as a non-profit group or a company. Then, I can attribute the wiki idea to myself as something that I contributed to a larger group (and that someone in the larger group could corroborate). Yes, I want the blog to benefit someone besides myself, but I'd also like to build a brand with it and make it the obvious go-to resource on current events, or world news, or business, or something like that. Still deciding because I'm still thinking about the brand name, mantra, positioning statement etc.

But, prepare for, yet again, a change in tone and topic (and A LOT more on this blog).

5 Countries Threatened by Climate Change

It's easy to say there's no scientific consensus on climate change when it's not your home that's in jeopardy. Even though the United States isn't going to be swallowed by rising sea levels (well, not exactly true when you consider Kivalina, Alaska), the country as a whole isn't at risk of nonexistence. We may lose a few states and a few stars on a flag, but America itself will still be around. However, the same can't be said for many other countries, particularly island nations, where rising sea levels are forcing populations to evacuate within the next 10 to 100 years, if not tomorrow. Below are five countries that could disappear from the face of the Earth, literally, because of climate change:

Kiribati

Rising sea levels don't just cover low-lying atolls like the 23 that make up the Republic of Kiribati. Rising sea levels also flood homes, kill crops, and ruin freshwater sources, and it's these problems that are forcing the population of 102,000 to consider emigration as the alternative. Currently, the main solution under consideration is to move to Viti Levu, Fiji’s main island, as President Anote Tong projects that the country may be inhabitable by 2050. The church group that owns the land has offered it to President Tong for $9.6 million, and the president will purchase the land for food security first. Eventually, the land will be used as the permanent home for the population.

Kiribati Man Could Be First Climate Refugee, Seeks Asylum in New Zealand

It's Actually Pronounced Kirr-i-bas

The Maldives

Mohamed Nasheed, former president of the Maldives, gives his grandchildren a 50-50 shot at inheriting an inhabitable country. Those odds aren't the best considering that Nasheed has children, but not grandchildren. Unfortunately, the Maldives isn't as easy to save as Kiribati, as the country has four times the population (spread over several hundred islands) and many more competing interests in how to save it and in what to keep alive. There's an interest in solar energy, but a lack of capital and expertise to execute that plan even though the country's dependence on diesel is bankrupting the country. There are many international investments into the tourism industry, but the industry also puts a huge strain on the remaining land and resources. The fishing industry is vibrant, but also threatened by the tourists who visit to eat the catch. Nasheed maintains that if the Maldives can't be saved, then coastal cities such as Tokyo and New Orleans are doomed as well, as a three-foot increase in sea levels is enough to submerge much of the entire country.

There's Already a Documentary on The Maldives and Its Upcoming Disappearance

Maldivian Government Holds Parliament Session Underwater to Draw Attention to Climate Change

Fiji

Unfortunately for Kiribati, Fiji may be just another temporary solution that buys time, as Fiji is also threatened by climate change and without a solution (although one is being finalized). Although Fiji's larger islands have mountains as high as 4,000 feet about sea level, the country isn't just worried about the rising sea levels. Fiji is much more concerned about natural disasters that destroy homes and flood communities, leaving this already-fragile population more susceptible to water-borne and nutrition-related illnesses. Coastal and beach erosion also affect the nearly 900,000 people who live here, where saline intrusion into mangroves and freshwater will only make it harder for people to overcome the diseases and to survive on the land.

Fiji Has Already Relocated Villages

Australia and New Zealand Won't Reduce Carbon Emissions

Republic of Cape Verde

Not every island nation threatened by climate change is in the Pacific or Indian Oceans! The Republic of Cape Verde is off the western coast of Africa and its 10 volcanic islands are at risk of both drought and extreme flooding. Despite its name, Cape Verde is a dry country with only a few rainy days each year. Climate change exacerbates freshwater resources (half of the country already lacks access to a public water supply), like it's doing in many other countries, while rising sea levels encroach the coastline and severe storms leave the country's half a million people vulnerable to flooding. And, they are vulnerable, as 80% of the population lives along the coast. Poor countries like the Republic of Cape Verde are the most likely to be hit by climate change, and if they are hit, they will suffer the most.

Other Coastal African Nations are Losing Coastlines... and Entire Communities

Cape Verde's President Says, “What is happening to us will happen to all of us tomorrow.”

Federated States of Micronesia

A three-foot rise in sea level may submerge the Maldives, but that same sea level rise will render much of the Federated States of Micronesia uninhabitable. Even though this rise is projected to take place over the course of the next 90 years, countries like Micronesia are already seeing their homelands eroded away. Three feet is a lot for island nations that are only several feet above sea level. For example, cemeteries have been taken by the sea. and many islands are now just a beach as the tide touches the roots of coconut trees. Sea walls may be an option for some places, but the Federated States of Micronesia includes over 600 islands, and many of these islands are small atolls where a sea wall won't make a difference.

Ocean Levels Will Still Rise 3 to 6 Feet by 2100, Even if All Carbon Emissions Ceased Tomorrow

It's Not Entirely Up to the Western World - Island Nations Have Pledged to Do Their Part

The Value of an Accountability Buddy

In case you haven't yet noticed on this blog, Hacking Your Education: Ditch the Lectures, Save Tens of Thousands, and Learn More than Your Peers Ever, is a great book. It's worth checking out if you're interested in ways to continue learning, to get an education without spending a ton of money on college, or to do things that help you figure out your passions and what you want to do with your life, The idea of an accountability buddy also came from this book, where you have someone (or maybe a small group of people) hold your feet to the fire in regards to your goals and/or your to-do lists.

Losing Your Accountability Buddy is Tough

About six months ago, the coaching program with my business coach ended, and I think things went downhill since then. The most valuable thing that my business coach provided me was accountability, which is difficult to have by yourself when you're an entrepreneur or self-employed. You can't rely on your clients and customers to do this, and you may not necessarily have a boss or business partner to hold you accountable if you're an entrepreneur or self-employed. Without an accountability buddy, all you have is yourself and when you only have yourself, it gets easy to put off a task, to make an excuse, or to say that you're going to do something else that's equally productive instead.

I loved having a business coach to hold me accountable because I know that she cared about me, and I cared about her. When it came to my goals and to-do lists, I was much more motivated to get things done because I was left with two choices when I didn't do something. I could either tell my business coach I didn't do it, or lie to her about doing it. Since I never liked either of those choices, the best option was always to do what I needed to do and what I set out to do. After all, there's nothing to it but to do it! I lost much of this motivation when my coaching program ended, as I no longer had someone who was going to ask questions and to check up on these things.

I Have an Accountability Buddy Again

Starting in January 2014, I'm restarting my business coaching with my business coaching (I'm only putting it off because I need to save money for my end-of-the-year expenses, such as the holidays and my coworking membership). Even through I'm not officially under her tutelage for another two months, just knowing that I'm going to have to talk about these next two months in January and show something for myself is enough to keep me productive and pushing forward. I haven't been this motivated in a long time, and it's great to be energized with visions of accomplishment. What I really need is a trusted adviser who can keep me on track without micromanaging and who can who can ask the tough questions without being condescending or placing blame. My business coach fits the bill, and is also wonderful because she's shared with me several great resources that have helped me improve my business and business knowledge.

I do have a few goals set for the next two months, so it's not as if I'm wasting this down time. I do need to refine these goals and actually get them down on paper, but I at least have an idea of what I'd like to achieve in these last two months of 2013. I can't believe the year is almost over! I've come a long way, so I need to do what I can now so I can go further in 2014. An accountability buddy can help me with this.