Forgetting Wikipedia

The E.U.'s 'right to be forgotten' law hits Wikipedia.  The BBC reports a Wikipedia entry has now been removed from Google search results. People have had varying responses to this law.  Are link removals reasonable, or do they amount to censorship? It is admittedly a difficult issue. As an update, Google so far has received 90,000 requests for links to be removed, connecting more than 300,000 pages. More than half of these requests have been approved, Google told its European data watchdogs.

Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia, has long expressed his concerns about the "right to be forgotten". Speaking on BBC Radio, Mr. Wales said: "The law as it stands right now is quite confusing."

"We have this one ruling of the ECJ which is very open-ended and very hard to interpret.  I would say the biggest problem we have is that the law seems to indicate Google needs to censor links to information that is clearly public - links to articles in legally published, truthful news stories.

That is a very dangerous path to go down, and certainly if we want to go down a path where we are going to be censoring history, there is no way we should leave a private company like Google in charge of making those decisions."

-Jimmy Wales

Conflict Between Hamas and Israel Unfolding in Gaza

 If Ever the World Needed a Statesman or Stateswoman, It's Now!

If ever an issue defies a solution and challenges the concept of collaboration to its very core, it's the conflict between Hamas and Israel that is unfolding in Gaza. In fact, a person is hard pressed to imagine a confrontation more intractable. What we're witnessing has deep, deep roots in history, religion, identity, land and the very right of existence. It is filled with such resentment and sense of grievance from generations of conflict that any hope for finding a middle ground often seems both futile and hopeless. As a result the debate has polarized. It is characterized as black and white, with each side pointing to clear evidence of how the other side is at fault for what is a terrible situation. Somehow, somewhere, somebody has to rise above the conflict and help find a two-state solution that meets Israel's right to exist in peace, while providing a stable, independent and viable homeland for Palestinian people. If ever the world needed a statesman or stateswoman, it's now.

For a glimpse of the suffering, especially the many children in Gaza who are victims of an adult world dominated by people in positions of power incapable of goodwill, you can watch this video.

Who is at Fault? A Look at Incoterms®

Bid bond, standby letter of credit, performance bond, charter party bill of lading, conference vessel, Incoterm®, FOB

An exporter submitted a bid to supply soybeans for approximately $6.5 million to a buyer in the Middle East. To fulfill a condition often required in these transactions, the exporter had to post a bid bond equal to 2 percent of the bid amount, or about $130,000. Since the buyer in the Middle East agreed to accept a standby letter of credit in lieu of a bid bond, the exporter asked a bank to issue the standby letter of credit. The bank agreed, and the exporter received the contract.

The terms of the contract required the exporter to post a performance bond equal to 10 percent of the contract. Again, the bank issued a standby letter of credit, this time for $650,000.  The standby letter of credit was payable against the buyer’s statement that the exporter had failed to complete the transaction according to the terms of the contract.

The buyer, in turn, opened a letter of credit for $6.5 million to the exporter payable against a charter party bill of lading. A charter party bill of lading represents a bill of lading issued by a shipping company that contracts to ship the goods from point A to point B. The vessel does not have a schedule of ports or dates as a conference vessel does. In most cases, the chartered vessel carries only one shipment; in this case, filled with soybeans for the buyer.

The parties agreed to the Incoterm® FOB New Orleans. After shipment, the exporter presented the required documents and received payment of $6.5 million from the letter of credit. One month later the buyer demanded payment of $650,000 from the standby letter of credit (performance bond). He claimed the goods did not meet the specifications of the contract. Later, the seller discovered the goods had deteriorated in quality. The exporter denied responsibility because he claimed the goods met specifications at the time they arrived at the port, but deteriorated while in storage at the dock. The vessel, chartered by the buyer, arrived two weeks late. If the buyer had scheduled the vessel to arrive on the date agreed, the exporter argued, the goods would not have deteriorated.

Who was at fault? This is an example of the use of an Incoterm® which required the exporter to bear the responsibility of loading the goods (FOB) but no responsibility for contracting the vessel. Only after the intervention of a dedicated bank officer, who made a trip to the Middle East on behalf of the exporter, the buyer agreed to retract their demand for payment on the standby letter of credit.

Connect & Collaborate - Frank Strang

Revitalization and business development are not just American concerns. Of course not. While it may be difficult for some Americans to conjure up ideas of what that might look like overseas, examples are plentiful. Leave it to a world traveler like musician Jim Salestrom to stumble upon gems of redevelopment and revitalization like Saxa Vord. Yes, that picture up there - nestled in the Shetland Islands of Scotland, Saxa Vord resort makes use of an old military base.  The resort is owned and operated by Frank Strang, an investor and visionary. When the Royal Air Force moved out of Saxa Vord in 2005, Strang purchased the base intent on creating a stunning resort location from the base housing.

Without the RAF, Saxa Vord and neighboring, close-knit community of Unst lost much of it's workforce and a resulting decline in business. Now the resort plays host to vacationing locals and other adventurers, with hotel accommodations, a restaurant, and local Valhalla Brewery as well as a distillery, producing Saxa Vord's own Shetland's Reel gin.

In this week's show we talk, overseas with Frank Strang as well as Jim Salestrom about concepts of redevelopment here and abroad. Thanks to Salestrom's extensive travels and connections, we are honored with this insider's look at redevelopment success.

Listen Saturday at 1:00 PM on KNUS 710 –  Please let us know what you think of our program, either by commenting here or on Facebook at Connect & Collaborate with ICOSA or join the discussion on Twitter @ICOSAMagazine.

Children in the Hot Seat

We've all heard the tragic stories of a child being left in a hot car, and the horrifying results. On average in the United States, 40 children die each year, left in hot cars. Due to the combination of hot summer temperatures, and the notorious lack of shade in most parking lots - the temperature inside a car can heat up from a safe temperature to 94.3 in just two minutes. After an hour, the inside of a car could be 123 degrees, on just an 80 degree day. Albuquerque, New Mexico high school student Alissa Chavez (17), has invented a device to alert parents if their baby is left in the car. Heartbroken over news of children left to die in their car seats, Alissa set out to create an effective warning system. Her design includes a pad that slips into the seat of an infant or child car seat, which detects both the weight of a child and increased heat levels. If the seat starts to get hot, an alarm goes off on a key fob, on your cell phone via a related app, and in your car to alert passersby.

The project started as an eighth grade science fair project that took her to regional and state level competitions. Since then she's been working with engineers to perfect the design, and now a prototype for the product she calls the "Hot Seat".

Funds for development are being raised with crowdfunding source, Indigogo, which as of this writing, has well-exceeded the $5,000 goal with a total of nearly $14,000. Alissa hopes to launch the prototype by the end of this summer.

Watch a brief video of Alissa's presentation here.

For some, it's hard to believe that a parent or caregiver could forget about their child inside a car, but something as simple as a change in one's daily routine can throw off simple memory cues, like dropping of your child at day care. Until the Hot Seat is available nation wide, it's recommended to put something you need, like the left shoe you're wearing, or purse or cell phone in the back seat with the baby so you'll always be reminded.

Tesla and Panasonic are Changing the Auto World

Panasonic agrees to partner with Tesla on the new Gigafactory.  Tesla Motors has a bold vision of mass-producing electric vehicles. According to this week's press release, the Gigafactory is being created to enable a continuous reduction in the cost of long range battery packs in parallel with manufacturing at the volumes required to enable Tesla to meet its goal of advancing mass market electric vehicles. Even though customers are still lining up to get a Model S (which costs between $70,000 - $100,000), the company is now focusing on reducing costs in order to make the SUV Model X and the company's third production vehicle, which is being aimed at a wider audience.  At around $35,000, the Model III can compete with the BMW 3-Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedans. With both companies looking for innovative ways to mass-produce Lithium-Ion batteries, this joint venture combines complementary expertise and resources. Tesla will provide the location and facilities and Panasonic will install the manufacturing equipment, machinery, and tools in the new U.S.-based factory. Though Panasonic's exact financial contribution has yet to be determined, Tesla has estimated the factory will cost up to $5 billion by 2020.

“We will reach a plan that is profitable,” Panasonic Chief Financial Officer Hideaki Kawai said at a news conference in Tokyo. “We will do step-by-step investment to meet the gradually growing needs.”

The Economist writes that the Model III is expected to almost match the nearly 300-mile range of the bigger Model S, without taking as long to charge up. To do that and hold the selling price down won’t be easy. Industry analysts believe that the 85 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery now used in the Model S costs Tesla almost as much as the $35,000 at which it plans to sell its smaller sedan.

 JB Straubel, Chief Technical Officer and Co-founder of Tesla Motors says, "the Gigafactory represents a fundamental change in the way large scale battery production can be realized. Not only does the Gigafactory enable capacity needed for the Model 3 but it sets the path for a dramatic reduction in the cost of energy storage across a broad range of applications."

Bloomberg reports Panasonic shares rose 0.6 percent to 1,257.50 yen in Tokyo. Tesla slid 0.8 percent to $227.13 at 10:37 a.m. in New York, and had surged 52 percent this year through yesterday.

Read the Full Press Release Here:  http://www.teslamotors.com/about/press/releases/panasonic-and-tesla-sign-agreement-gigafactory

The Emerging Work World

Participate and Share

In the early 2000's, I read a riveting blog post by a young guy who talked about having to leave himself in the car every day as he went into work. It ended with, "And in the evenings I always hope I'll get off in time to come back out and reunite with myself... before I'm gone."

We are living at the intersection of two opposing work worlds, The Industrial Age, which is still strangely dominant in the front office of most companies. And the Participation Age, which is emerging as the new standard for how we work.

In the production area, we have replaced Industrial Age assembly lines and smokestacks with things like nanotechnology and clean rooms. But the front office looks pretty much the same way it did a hundred years ago, with managers in ties making all the decisions. These Industrial Age management practices, which recreated humans as extensions of machines, are colliding with the emerging Participation Age workforce that wants to Make Meaning at work, not just money.

The hallmarks of the Participation Age are simple, participation and sharing.

Companies are discovering that if they invite everyone to participate in the building of a great company, and to share in the rewards, both the company and the people, profit more. The Participation Age is also creating workplaces with a soul. This isn't woo-woo crap; these are hard-core success strategies. And it isn't a fringe idea. Those who embrace the Participation Age will thrive; those who don't will be left behind.

What does a Participation Age company look like?

Imagine a company with no departments, no corporate ladder or promotions, no HR department, and no written policies--just a few written beliefs. And with no managers, just a very few leaders, who lead because people are following them, not because they have a title on their door. Could you imagine a company with no office hours, even in manufacturing, with self-managed work teams who own the decisions they will have to carry out? Or unlimited vacation, and profit sharing for everyone? Is it possible this way of doing business would work better, for both the company and the people who work there?

Well the good news is this isn't something we have to imagine. Participation Age companies are springing up all around us, in every size, and in every industry. We have worked with many and have identified thousands that have either fully transitioned, or are racing to embrace the Participation Age as fast as they can.

To that end, managers (those who embrace authority and control) are disappearing in favor of exponentially fewer leaders (those who embrace participation and sharing).

And employees, who are treated like children, herded into Office Day Care Centers, and supervised, are being replaced with Stakeholders; self-motivated adults who are able to make decisions and don't need to be managed, just led.

To the leaders of some companies this may all sound like sappy HR stuff to placate the workforce. But in future posts we'll show how Participation Age companies outperform the overwhelming majority of companies still hostage to Industrial Age front-office management.

They grow faster, are more stable, have higher profits and higher productivity, and have exponentially lower employee turnover.

In future posts we'll look at many successful Participation Age companies, and we'll talk about how to find one to work for, or how to build one yourself. There are a few dozen giant corporations, hundreds of big ones, and tens of thousands of small to medium sized companies racing to embrace the Participation Age, or who are already there. Don't settle--find one you can join as a Stakeholder; or build one yourself.

The emerging work world is waiting for you. Come join us in The Participation Age!

Article as seen on Inc.com

www.ChuckBlakeman.com

Uganda Women Leadership Conference, Part 2

U.S. Ambassador DeLisi is hopeful as he and his wife celebrated a group of young Ugandan fellows at their residence who will spend the summer in the United States growing their global networks to build film schools, launch small businesses and pursue careers in human rights.  The Honorable Minister Nsereko is hopeful about the public health partnerships we are forming together as she invited us to a ceremony in a rural province where they distributed some of the $400 thousand worth of medical supplies that we shipped over in partnership with Project Cure. And there is even hope for me that I will learn from my mistakes as my iPhone was stolen out of my hands once again as I sat in a cab with my window down in a Kampala traffic jam at night on the way to the airport.  There is hope that next time I will roll up my window like the taxi driver suggested!  Later that evening, I was reminded over a Skype back home that despite the “tragic” loss of my iPhone someone will at least eat better this week from its sale on the black market; a potent reminder that my very worst day is many people’s best.

The hope at the reception that the First Lady of Rwanda hosted for the Women’s Leadership summit as we arrived in Kigali was palpable.  A parliamentarian, a deputy chief of staff, a minister of youth services, the head of a foundation, all gathered to greet us; all women.   These are powerful women making positive change in a country with one of the largest percentages of women in parliament in the world.   There is hope that my own country can humble itself to learn from Rwanda where in 2014 there should be more than one woman running for President.  Jus’ sayin’!

The 300 children from the local villages that we hosted at Entusi on the second day of our summit for a basic health clinic arrived with hope that someone would pay attention to them. And we delivered. Everyone left with something. More importantly, every child who made their way through the clinic felt important and felt welcome. They had a seat at the table. For many, this was the first time they had been ever invited anywhere.

And so, our Second Annual Women’s Leadership Summit concluded yesterday and as 20 extraordinary women began making their way back to their families and their work in Kampala and Kigali and Colombia and Nigeria and the United States, Africa had changed each of us.   It always does, right?

Despite the enormity of the challenges that confront us from girls in captivity to the unforgiving conditions of poverty; despite the very different backgrounds and life experiences of each of the women who came together over this past week; everyone left with something in common.  They all left with hope.

On Lake Bunyonyi at the Entusi Retreat Center on June 11^th, there was a sense of hope that was so pervasive and so thick that you could almost touch it.

Twitter: Global Livingston Institute

Facebook: Global Livingston Institute

The Hazards of a Busy Lifestyle

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." - Ferris Bueller, amateur philosopher.

We all know these words, or some variation of them, but not many of us take them seriously enough to do anything about it.  Recently some data came to light that highlights how a busy life could present problems, and may be a symptom of other underlying issues.  As it turns out, people will go to great lengths to find something to keep themselves busy in order to avoid being alone with their thoughts, even if that something else involves electrocuting ourselves!

"The pain keeps me from thinking about my failure as a person!"

The study backs up a previously held notion that people can't stand to be alone with themselves, but it also hints at a lot of other issues as well.  It turns out that people are pretty critical of themselves, and will tend to harshly judge themselves when left with just their wandering mind.  When the problems dredged up don't involve easy solutions, they can become recurring issues that can lead to depression.  When someone is constantly busy, however, they can keep their brain busy and away from self-doubting thoughts.

It may be difficult, but in the end it turns out better if an individual is able to be comfortable with themselves in their alone time.  Research has shown benefits of increased empathy to higher problem solving ability.  The ability to come to terms with one's self, can make a huge difference in an individual's morale and productivity, or put more Ancient-Greeky “No one is free who has not obtained the empire of himself. No man is free who cannot command himself.” - Pythagoras

Originally posted here

Is This the End of Unlimited Data Plans?

Verizon to Throttle Unlimited Data Customers.  When smartphones first came out, mobile phone carriers were competing with each other to sign users up. Unlimited data plans were a way of enticing users to sign up with them as opposed to their rivals. Since then, data usage has gone up, users have become locked in, and now the companies see an opportunity to make more profit off of you. So far, Verizon has managed to squeeze the most money out of its customers.  They all, however, have been aggressively pushing users onto limited data plans that offer a certain amount of data per month (for a high price) and then charging extra fees if users go over. As a long-time Verizon customer with a grandfathered unlimited plan, I feel upset about Verizon's new announcement.  It appears to signal the death of the unlimited data plan I know and love.

"Starting in October 2014, Verizon Wireless will extend its network optimization policy to the data users who fall within the top 5 percent of data users on our network," the Verizon announcement said. "They may experience slower data speeds."

They call it "network optimization", but it's really just throttling anyone that uses more than 4.7 GB a month.  Verizon's FAQ claims this isn't "throttling" because it's not 100% all the time - though optimization applies for the full billing cycle after you connect to a cell tower that's experiencing "heavy demand".  What makes this network optimization policy especially unsavory is that it's not applied universally.  Customers on the expensive and limited plans won't be slowed down at all - though they still have to pay a high price for data even when connected to towers with low demand. As Ars Techinica reports, throttling eases congestion - but data caps apply even when there's no congestion.

Verizon has been leading the way, and the others are likely to follow. This unfortunately leaves customers with little choice but to just accept it.

Please let us know if you find any alternatives.

Uganda Women Leadership Conference, Part 1

Two days ago at Entusi, one of the women leading the “Bring Back Our Girls” campaign from Nigeria told her story at the Second Annual Women’s Leadership Summit. Florence wants to know why the world community can activate vast pools of resources in an international search to find a missing airplane and the tragic disappearance of hundreds of people with families and friends who want them home; but is not as inclined to activate and engage those same resources to find hundreds of missing girls in Nigeria with family and friends who also want them home.  

And at the end of her very compelling, impassioned talk the women sitting around the table all reacted differently. Not surprising as we had a most extraordinary delegation of women leaders this year from Uganda, Rwanda, Nigeria, Colombia and the United States. Some shed tears; some were angry; some were vocal and others were very quiet and reflective. But here’s the deal. When you cut through all of the emotion that filled the room on this very extraordinary morning on Lake Bunyonyi in Southern Uganda, there was one common thread that tied us all together. And that was hope. And it dominated us.

I started to think back on my month here in East Africa teaching an interactive graduate class with students from the University of Colorado Denver and hosting our Second Women’s Leadership retreat at Entusi. And with each story and each interaction, hope seemed to be the common theme this time around at every stop.

We found hope when we ventured into the Katanga slums, where the absence of public health is almost as pronounced as the raw sewage that runs through the community. And I ran into a family I have known there for years. The mom invited us into their home. Her two-year old daughter wanted a balloon animal and her elderly Mom needed some medicine as she is dying of cancer. But what she really wanted me to know is that she just got a job. And in the midst of the chaos in which this family lives, this woman had hope.

We found hope when we traveled North to Lira and visited with the young adults who are former child soldiers. Despite the tragedy and despair rooted in their past, many of them are moving on with their lives. One girl is in her senior year of high school and over lunch we told her that we were going to support her to pursue her career in nursing when she graduates. Walter moved back with his mom and is finishing high school in the village where he is originally from.

And everywhere in Kampala, despite the poverty and corruption and typical dysfunctions of the developing world, hope was there as well, albeit subtly. It was at Halals, where my Muslim friend Eddie runs the best local restaurant on the planet. Business is good and the rice, beans, g-nut sauce and chipatti’s are to die for. Based near the slum, you can feast over an amazing meal and orange Fanta and get out the door for less than 5,000 schillings ($2 USD). Simon has graduated from college after four years of support from the Global Livingston Institute and has his first job working for an international business. Martina is in her final year of college and is going to help manage the new campus that we have acquired in Kampala.

Stephen Colbert Interviews Elon Musk

"Humanity has the stars in its future, and that future is too important to be lost under the burden of juvenile folly and ignorant superstition." -Isaac Asimov

Lowering the cost of spaceflight is imperative to expanding the exploration of space. Elon Musk's SpaceX has been developing exciting ways to reduce this cost.  For an entertaining dose of science & technology, check out Stephen Colbert's interview from last night's show.

The Colbert Report Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,The Colbert Report on Facebook

The Colbert Report Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,The Colbert Report on Facebook

Connect & Collaborate - Paul Lundeen

A focus on education is paramount for the future of Colorado. Determining the issues of funding, charter schools and curriculum, also determines the success of our state for generations to come. We must do the best we can for students of today, for a better tomorrow. With a real focus on education, we talk with Paul Lundeen, Chairman of the Colorado State Board of Eduction, and unopposed candidate for the Colorado House of Representatives in District 19.

Lundeen brings varied experience, as a journalist, to small business owner and years in education to his role in politics. On Saturday's Connect & Collaborate program, we will discuss Lundeen's work to  advance the cause of charter schools, and choice in education. He is also an advocate of “Smaller Government, Freer People”, and encourages a free market approach over government bureaucracy.

We focus the majority of the show on education issues, so if you want to learn more about Colorado education concerns, tune in Saturday a 1:00PM on KNUS 710 –  Please let us know what you think of our program, either by commenting here or on Facebook at Connect & Collaborate with ICOSA or join the discussion on Twitter @ICOSAMagazine.

NFL Fantasy Football Revolution

The NFL is the first and premier U.S. sports league to launch a pay-to-enter fantasy sports contests. With NFL training camps starting tomorrow, it’s time to watch and pick your fantasy football team. The potential revenue for hosting this American past time is huge. Entry fees range from $10.99 to $124.99. Rewards are prizes that include pro football memorabilia. NFL fantasy football is only available in 43 states. Why? State gambling laws are different from state to state. So sorry Charlie, you can’t play if you are in Arizona, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, North Dakota, Montana and Washington. So what is Fantasy Football? I believe it is best explained by Jim McCormick, an IDP and fantasy football analyst for ESPN.com. Here is his breakdown, verbatim:

The Basics

Fantasy football participants are "owners" and "managers" of teams that engage in competitive leagues, accruing "fantasy points" based on the statistics of real football players. The vast majority of leagues are scored on a weekly basis, matching up teams in a head-to-head scenario in a rotating schedule. The teams in the end with the best records make it into the fantasy postseason (often held from Weeks 14-17 of the NFL schedule).

The goal is to collect the most productive players across a variety of positions. In a standard league, you are asked to fill out your starting roster with a quarterback, two running backs, one "flex" player (a slot for either a running back or wide receiver), two wide receivers, one tight end, one team defense/special teams (you draft the entire Pittsburgh Steelers defense and special teams, for example) and a kicker. To fill out your roster with depth you are afforded seven bench spots. This may seem like an absurd number of players to manage at once, but as the season wears on you'll wish you had even more room on your roster.

Fantasy leagues can adhere to any variety of rules and settings desired, but for the sake of simplicity, I suggest perusing the scoring settings in the ESPN standard leagues. Before you join any league, it's imperative to have a sound understanding of the scoring and roster settings so that you can capably build a successful team. The players make up a marketplace, so consider the players as commodities; that their value fluctuates based on the rules and regulations of a given league. In the Draft Kit you'll find a number of helpful scoring-specific guides.

The draft marks the beginning of the fantasy football season. Often held in the weeks leading up to the NFL season, the draft is when you initially construct your roster. Most leagues are comprised of 10 to 12 teams and the drafts are conducted in either "snake" or "auction" formats. Pick by pick, you build your team and fill out your roster. Draft day for many leagues has become a holiday of sorts, with spirited trash-talking and camaraderie becoming core traditions. Once you get a good grasp on the elemental rules and settings in fantasy, take a few minutes to read Christopher Harris' valuable take on drafting strategies.

NFL and ESPN offer fantasy football leagues. You can check out which one suites you better online.

Click here for NFL Fantasy Football

Click here for ESPN Fantasy Football

Vestas Hires Workers as Wind Sales Increase

While fracking is dominating the political conversation, the wind power industry is quietly on the rise. Vestas, the world's biggest wind turbine manufacturer, is seeing a growing surge in orders and is hiring more workers to meet the demand.  The company is announcing 800 new hires in Colorado of a planned 1,500 new jobs this year.  Vestas has four factories in Colorado and will employ 2,800 people in the state by the end of the year. According to the Vestas website, the total year-to-date announced order intake was 2,704 megawatts.

“We have received U.S. orders of 740 MW in the last month alone, so our North American factories are very busy, as are factories overseas,” Vestas spokesman Adam Serchuk told ThinkProgress. “As far as I can see this will be the case at least through the end of 2015.”

Wind power, in addition to adding jobs to the economy, also has many other benefits. According to the Interwest Energy Alliance, Colorado farmers, ranchers and other landowners receive upwards of $7.5 million by hosting wind projects on their land while communities also gain benefits from a broader tax base. Wind farms pay out millions a year in taxes which pays for roads, schools, and other critical public projects.

Despite being on the rise, the industry has suffered setbacks in recent years. Investment in domestic wind energy projects was low the last couple years, as Congress has failed to consistently renew the 2.3 cents per kilowatt-hour Production Tax Credit (PTC). In early 2013, Vestas was forced to lay off hundreds of workers in Colorado due to this inconsistency, and the company continues to monitor developments closely as details for future incentives are being hashed out. Spokesman Adam Serchuk said they are optimistic everything with the PTC will be sorted out.

“As every company must remain adaptable, we may adjust if the market environment significantly changes, but the recent number of large orders in the U.S. and elsewhere is a good indication that demand for our products is robust.”

Build Your Business Around Tools, Not Talent

Many business owners get their first taste of success simply be being talented; they’ve got the goods. But the ones that go on to build highly successful companies will not do it on their talent, or even the talent of others.

Too many business owners are involved in talent shows – building their businesses on being center stage and showing their customers how they good they are. Why shouldn’t they? It’s those unique abilities that first allowed them to get ahead. But talent is not a good thing to build a business around.

Tools, Not Talent

In 1977, Ms. Fields’ first venture was a tiny little shop in Palo Alto, CA where she made the cookies by herself. She attracted customers because of what she personally could do. But early on she did something very strategic and simple to build a great company, that all of us should do, whether we want a billion dollar corporation or just a great local cookie shop; she started building her business around tools instead of around her talent.

Rather than rely on her on ability to make cookies, she wrote the recipe down so that others could replicate her genius. Her talent went out of her head (talent), through her heart (passion) and out her hands (process) on to a piece of paper, freeing her to build a great company. The simple tool she created with that recipe gave her a business that could make money without her being there. In ten years the company grew to over $100 million sales and a staggering 18% ($18 million) profit.

Our Secret Sauce

Too many business owners keep themselves deeply inserted into the process, unwilling to divulge the secret sauce that is behind their talent. In many cases, they’re just too busy being successful to even figure out how to pull that secret sauce out through their hands on to a piece of paper. And sadly, many are sure that simply no one else could do what they do; their talent is unique and cannot be transferred to the hands of someone else.

Others Can Paint Your Mona Lisa

There are painters who, if given the proper tools and training, are able to produce such perfect replicas of the most cherished paintings on earth that only a few experts can discern they aren’t the originals, and then only after studying them closely. Even the greatest of talent can be replicated.

It was your talent that designed your Mona Lisa, and maybe that initial “design” talent is not replicable. But the ongoing delivery of that Mona Lisa is easily replicated if you are willing to write your recipe down, turn your talent into a tool or process, and train others to use it. You just have to get over yourself and the idea that no one else could deliver on the unique process you’ve devised.

Be Your Creative Self – Let Others Make the Cookies

Go ahead, be a wildly talented, creative genius. Come up with amazing things or transformational services that make people come running. Then get your ego and yourself out of the way and take the time to figure out how to train others to do it.

In 10 years, Ms. Fields was able to expand from one cookie recipe to 14, and from one store to a few hundred, because she was no longer making the cookies. But she had to get over herself and believe somebody else could do it.

Build your business around tools, not talent. Write down your recipe. Train others to make the cookies, and instead of making the cookies, use your creative genius to develop more recipes and expand your business.

by Chuck Blakeman, Author of the #1 Rated Business Book of the Year, Making Money is Killing Your Business and Top 10 business book, Why Employees Are Always A Bad Idea

Level(3) Communications

 Connecting and Protecting the Networked World

Colorado governor John Hickenlooper envisions this state to be the next Silicon Valley. Companies like Level(3) are headquartered here, which makes that vision and technology collaboration possible. To increase competitiveness and success you must be able to access and exchange vital information. As most world trade centers will tell you, international commerce can take your company to the next level. Globalization has obliterated the distance obstacle, so there are more global business opportunities. In order to have international growth you must first evaluate your communication tools. Level(3) offers global business opportunity solutions, such as audio, web and video services in a secure digital environment. These combined services make a digital meeting as valuable as face-to-face meetings, without having to leave your office or even your home office. These are collaborative services as collaboration is the key to efficiently accomplishing tasks, minimizing replication, while reducing the time, money and effort needed to complete complex projects. If you are collaborative these Level(3) tools are services you will need, even if you are staying local. Here is a more in-depth look at those services provided by Level(3).  

Business Solutions

• Audio:

Quickly and efficiently connect geographically dispersed employees, customers and partners for instantaneous business communications with our reservation-less and operator-assisted audio conferencing solutions.

• Web:

Our web-based conferencing solutions enhance traditional audio meetings by making them more interactive and productive. An excellent option for making presentations to your customers, setting up training programs, and issuing corporate press releases. Its working environment enables shared, strategic decision-making, conference management, control of presentations and recording of all your meetings in a simple and user-friendly format.

• Video:

Participants can experience the immediacy, impact and personal touch of video conferencing. High-definition video enables viewers to actually identify participant facial expressions. Included in the collaboration video portfolio is the Level 3SM Telepresence solution that is not just video conferencing, but the ultimate "immersive" video conferencing experience.

Produce for Sale in Denver's Food Deserts

A recent decision by the Denver city council will improve access to fresh produce throughout the city and in particular neighborhoods that are considered "food deserts'.  On Monday night, the council approved a local ordinance allowing gardeners to sell surplus produce from their own yard or community garden plot. It's the sort of thing that went on without question, years ago. Sometimes a neighbor drops of extra zucchini as a favor, other times, you offer to pay for the trouble they went through to nurture tomatoes and kale. However, in the past twenty years, regulations became more common than sense, and selling food without a license became something to avoid.

This new ordinance though, will make fresh food more available in neighborhoods where grocers are scarce, or small enough that shoppers can't count on the vegetables to still be fresh. It's a step in the right direction of addressing 'food deserts' in urban areas, to provide a greater abundance of fresh, healthy foods.

Not to be ignored, is the benefit of added income for a hobby gardener to simply sell what they grow. They only need to purchase the appropriate permit from the city, at twenty dollars, for the right to make a little money from one's surplus.

Source: The Denver Post

Novartis and Google Develop Smart Contact Lens

Google has announced this morning it has struck a deal with Swiss pharmaceutical firm, Novartis.  The firms are planning on creating "smart" contact lenses that would help diabetics track their blood glucose levels. With over 358 million diabetics worldwide, the market for blood sugar testing is expected to be worth $12 billion by 2017, according to research firm GlobalData.  

Helping diabetic patients manage their disease by providing a continuous, minimally invasive measurement of the body’s glucose levels via a “smart contact lens” which is designed to measure tear fluid in the eye and connects wirelessly with a mobile device

Such potential profit could lead to further technological innovations. In this morning's press release, the companies are also announcing their aim to restore the eye's ability to focus - such as for those that need glasses in order to read.  Who knows what will come next, though it is easy to imagine a next-gen Google Glass type technology that is as non-invasive as a contact lens.

“Our dream is to use the latest technology in the miniaturization of electronics to help improve the quality of life for millions of people,” said Sergey Brin, Co-Founder, Google. “We are very excited to work with Novartis to make this dream come true."

http://multimediacapsule.thomsonone.com/novartis/foresight-announcement

Tell the FCC to Keep the Internet Free

Today is the last day to have your voice heard in the FCC's initial round of public comment on net neutrality.  Many internet experts believe Tom Wheeler's proposal threatens the truly open internet we all know and love. The proposal tries to change the rules of the internet. Historically, internet access has always been neutral. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) did not block sites or engage in “technical discrimination,” treating traffic from some sites or applications better than others. They did not offer “paid prioritization” — fast lanes for those willing to pay extra. Up until this year, the FCC guaranteed net neutrality, but the new proposal would change that. Though it forbids outright blocking, it still permits technical discrimination and paid prioritization. It also permits ISPs to negotiate exclusive deals, offering only certain companies access to the fast lane, while relegating all of their competition to the slow lane. Finally, it has loopholes permitting access fees and discrimination through interconnection and mobile access.

Please support efforts to maintain a truly open internet.  File a comment with the FCC and tell them to support reclassifying ISPs as Title II common carriers.

John Oliver presented this issue on his new show, Last Week Tonight, and encouraged viewers to "prevent cable company f@%kery" by commenting at http://www.fcc.gov/comments Over 647k comments have been submitted already.

In order to ensure accurate wording of an admittedly complex topic, this statement from Reddit was used as a reference resource.