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Martin Luther King, Jr. famously said this in response to questions about civil rights and the law. The point was that morality and the law are not always on the same side. I often think about this as I ponder the social and political issues of our time. The question that comes to mind is: What about now?
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This is the story of John T. Unger, a working artist who actually makes a good living. Despite the recession, each month in 2009 he’s made more money than in the same month last year, in addition to more than he did in every corporate job held long ago.
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Today is Blog Action Day, where the blogging world (such as it is) unites to write about a single topic. I know, so conventional—but in this case, I don’t mind going with the flow. The theme this year is Climate Change, so I thought I’d contribute something about travel and its impact on the world ...
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Just say no. Assert your boundaries. You can't do it all. There's a time and a place for everything, sure, but is that always the best advice? Whenever I hear things like “Say no five times for every time you say yes,” I think... “Really?” I take the opposite approach, and it generally works out just fine.
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This site update comes to you live from Portland, Oregon. Welcome to Autumn! If all goes well, I expect to turn in the manuscript of my first book to the publisher by the end of the month ...
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My travel goal takes me to a lot of places, and the trips don’t always play out the way I expect. Things go wrong. Some trips are thrilling, some are boring, and most are somewhere in between.
Someone asked me recently, aren’t you on The Amazing Race? I saw you jumping around in taxis in Thailand.
Wrong guy.
My answer: “No, I’m doing my own Amazing Race. It’s better than the one on TV.”
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In 2005, U.N. Secretary General Koffi Annan was struggling with a series of scandals and other challenges in his administration. I read this short quote in a magazine interview with him and wrote it down in my notebook:
Question: Senator Coleman says you are 'damaged goods.' What do you say to him?
Answer: Watch and see.
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Friends in Portland, if you’ll be around on Friday, October 23rd, I’d like to invite you to a benefit dinner and auction for a cause I am proud to support. The Short Version:
What: Dinner and auction for Sisters of the Road, a local non-profit that serves the homeless population in Portland.
When: Friday, October 23rd, 6-10pm (includes dinner, drinks, auction, and something called a “hoedown”)
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Note: this is a modified excerpt from the Unconventional Guide to Working for Yourself. This week I’m staying in one place and working on my book. Have a great Thursday!
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In 2008 I earned Executive Platinum status with American Airlines the hard way– through lots of flight hours logged all over the world. In 2009 I also earned the same, highest-level status with Northwest, Delta, and Continental, but I flew less than 10,000 miles with each of them.
On a recent Atlanta-Miami flight operated by Delta, my upgrade cleared three days ahead of the flight. I watched as more loyal Delta passengers waited at the gate thirty minutes before departure in hopes of getting a seat up front. Is it fair? Depends on how you look at it, I suppose– but travel hacking is all about gaining some kind of advantage over the system.
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Earlier this week I published an article for Business Week on How to Negate the Competition by Owning Your Space. I always appreciate the chance to write for traditional magazines and newspapers, and I wish them well in their transition to the world of the social web.
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As I mentioned in last week's survey invitation, when you’re trying to build a business, blog, non-profit, or pretty much any venture, regularly checking in with your peeps is an important way to make sure you know who they are and what they want.
This is especially important when it comes to a) transition points in the growth of your community, or b) product development at any time. Surveys allow you to take the pulse of a large group of people in a short period of time -- and because of how sampling works, you don't actually need to hear from all of them to know what most of them are thinking.
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This video update was recorded live after my recent half-marathon in Forest Grove, Oregon. A tired runner (me) and the sound of cowbells (for someone else who finished the race mid-video) is included at no extra charge.
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Greetings, friends and readers. This week I’m holed up on the Oregon coast working on my book. Updates will continue as usual, starting with this weekend one where I write about the small business behind AONC.
Since I wrote about $100 businesses last Monday, I’ve heard a lot of fun stories from readers ...
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This is the second place entry from the Unconventional Writing Contest. It was written by Adam Baker live on location from New Zealand. You can learn more about Adam at the end of the post… or just by reading about his adventure in this article.