Check out...

Check out my first piece of print media in tomorrows YES Weekly. You can read it at their site as well. Thanks Brian for this opportunity to expand my writing. Cherry officially popped.

Making Money On Your Blog

One incredible thing has happened since January of this year. I got laid off from work. I posted to this very blog that I was a house painter and I need some work. I have steamrolled that into my own business and it all came from this blog. The argument that you can't make money from your blog is changing or has changed for me. Almost 100% of my work comes from the blog community, readers I didn't know I had, or friends of bloggers that I know. I make zero off my blog, but I pay my bills through my blogging. I think the key here is that I have not tried to make money blogging, it just happened. I used my blog as a marketing tool to advertise my business. This is how you can make immediate money blogging. I do think that you can make money in running ads, but that requires a lot of readership. Not all of us have this. For those that do money is there to be made, for those that don't-market your business. I felt ashamed and embarrassed at first. I felt like I was pleading and begging. It wasn't what I was doing at all. I soon realized this.

Another way to make money off of a blog is fundraising. Yesterdays Hoggfest was put together mostly on the internet. People in the community spread the word and had a central place to point others for gathering help, donations and volunteers. It was beyond a success. The use of a blog, a wiki and e-mail has revolutionized the way people do business and organize events. Look for another online event here in Greensboro, this October. A large and diverse group are putting together ConvergeSouth2005.

If you need some paint work done e-mail me and I'll get you a bid. Please check out ConvergeSouth and see if you can be of assistance.

Friends Finding Friends

One of the pluses to using my actual name to blog is people can find me. I am sure this can be a downfall as well. Twice in the last eight months, friends from my past have found me via my blog. More accurately they searched google and dropped me an e-mail. Both people are old band mates from NJ. Both people I have not spoken to in probably ten to fifteen years. The most recent has video footage of my first ever pro show from May 17th, 1986(my thirteenth birthday). I can't wait to see it and all the other stuff he has on video. This is a shining example of the power of the internet. I probably would not have run in to these people ever again, but with the internet I have regained contact with old pals. What a cool world to have this tool.

Hoggfest-Greensboro's Shining Community

Yesterday was the long anticipated Hoggfest. For those that didn't know about it, Hoggfest was a fundraiser and charity event for Jinni Hoggard. Jinni has been struggling with breast cancer. She has, through all of this, walked tall and shared her experience with the community via her column in the News and Record, Jinni's Journal(What's up with Jinni?). Jinni writing a public journal in itself is such a selfless act of courage. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to go through what she has, all while raising three great kids and dealing with David(Oh, I'll just make it four kids).

What I witnessed yesterday at Hoggfest, was a great outpouring of love and care for a family of such wonderful people, it almost put tears in my eyes. What happened yesterday was the very definition of community. So many people, who did and didn't know the Hoggards, came out to volunteer, donate, participate, and play some really good music. All of this for a family, in my personal experience, that gives themselves to the community whenever possible. The community gave itself back yesterday, an outpouring of love and unity I haven't witnessed since the days I spent in NY right after 9/11.

In disclosure, I did help in some of the planning and volunteering for yesterdays event. I would like to thank everyone that helped to plan and who donated and participated yesterday. You should all walk with a swagger today that says I am a good person, who helps good people, and you should feel good about what occurred at yesterdays event. A personal note of thanks goes out to Adam at Jagermusic, who donated a lot of merch to the event for raffles and auction. One of the items was a Custom Jager Skateboard. They only make 200 of these a year and you can't buy them anywhere. Also, I would like to thank my folks at Scully Travel for donating three cool vacation getaways. These were hot items.

If you didn't get out yesterday, you missed a truly wonderful event. David has all the round ups over at his site HoggsBlog. The plan is to have this event yearly, for someone different in the community that needs some help. That idea was from none other then the Hoggards. Much love to the Hoggards. You are some very special people. All of this from a city that I wanted to leave a little over a year ago, to move back to NYC. Now you couldn't pay me to leave. Well, it depends on how much, but you get my point.

Nine Inch Nails cancels MTV Performance

NIN canceled their upcoming MTV performance, on the MTV movie awards, due to what MTV calls blatant partisan politics. Read the whole story here, via Reuters. They had planned to perform in front of a straight forward picture of George W. Bush. MTV objected and NIN pulled their performance. Way to go Trent. Your artistic freedom should not be negotiable.

Yes Weekly Posts It's Story on Greensboro Blogs

Over at YESweekly, the cover for tomorrows issue is up. If you were at the blogger meet-up last week, you may be on the cover. Brian Clarey writes this article on our thriving community. A standing ovation to YES for covering our world, in a well written article.

Baton Caught and Answered

I have been passed the musical baton from JW, so here it goes:

Total volume of music files on my computer: Not too much. Mostly stuff I have played on over the years. I haven't been into the downloading thing, being an ex-musician an all. I believe in buying CD's to support the artist. Downloading responsibly is OK too.

The last CD I bought was: A Perfect Circle- aMotion. That changes today as the new Audioslave comes out.

Song Playing Right Now: Silence. I usually listen to music in the car and when I am alone. Late night is not an option because my six year old would wake up, and that's a song I don't wanna hear this time of night.

Five Songs I Listen To A Lot Lately(In no particular order) :
1) Jane Says by Janes Addiction
2) So Watcha Want by The Beastie Boys
3) Hurt by Nine Inch Nails performed by Johnny Cash
4) John The Fisherman by Primus
5) Imagine by John Lennon performed by A Perfect Circle

I am adding a new category.
Ten Favorite Albums of All Time: (In no particular order)
1) Joe's Garage- Frank Zappa
2) Check Your Head- Beastie Boys
3) Reign In Blood- Slayer
4) Undertow- Tool
5) Nothing's Shocking- Janes Addiction
6) Frizzle Fry- Primus
7) Vulgar Display of Power- Pantera
8) Rage Against the Machine- Rage Against the Machine
9) The Downward Spiral- Nine Inch Nails
10) August and Everything After- Counting Crows

I hope this is everything that JW expected. I would however like to see JW headbang. I can't imagine.

Now to pass the baton to Patrick Eakes, Roch Smith Jr(you can post in the comments, since you don't have a blog), Ed Cone, Little Urbanity and Rusty Sheridan.

The Big Link X

This weeks Big Link. Thank you all for participating in last weeks, where I was the big link.

All I Want For My Birthday

All I want for my birthday is a free media, which I am obviously not getting at this moment. British Parliament member George Galloway is testifying in front of Norm Coleman's(R-Minn.) Senate sub-committee on the oil for food scandal. CNN and Fox covered the opening statements live. All the sudden, after Galloway started ripping the Republicans on the committee, CNN had Wolf Blitzer talk over Galloway's testimony, and whatever Fox mouthpiece was on did the same. I got it, I'll go to C-SPAN's Senate channel. They are covering the vote on the Allen Amendment for the Highway Bill. What!! No live coverage of the full testimony? Where's the coverage? An opposing view of our government is not a bad thing. Yes, it makes them look bad, but for things they should look bad for. I am sad this birthday, for my birthday wish was not granted and our free media is dying along with our constitution.

My First Idea

A few weeks ago, Anonymoses asked me to contribute to a new site called IdeaConsulants. I accepted and today I gave birth to my first idea. Yes, I am starting to blog like a Tasmanian Devil. My site here, Greensboro101, Pricey Harrison's blogpage, and now IdeaConsultants. I also have a diary at Daily Kos. Believe it or not, I put in my resume for a Blog Writer(real estate blog) job listing yesterday. Paid to blog, now wouldn't that be sweet.

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

100-0 Final Score?

Yesterday, The Emergency Supplemental Bill with The Real Id Act attached passed the Senate 100-0. No debate on a highly controversial bill, that deserved a lot of attention and got none. Lux.et.umbra has more coverage at his site. The filibuster wasn't the big issue in Washington, this was. The filibuster was a smokescreen for the Real ID Act. It may be time to look at some real estate in Canada, or elsewhere. I refuse to carry a National ID. Come arrest my ass, I don't care. Please contact your states Governor to oppose the Real ID Act portion of the Emergency Supplemental Bill. Your freedoms are at stake here.

Evolution vs. Creationism

There is debate in Kansas over what is to be taught in schools, Evolution or Creationism. CrooksandLiars.com has a great round up here. My thoughts are that they are both theories. Neither completely proven. Why not teach both? After all our kids are under educated compared to the rest of the world. Our educational system has been in decline for a while. We should teach our kids how to see two sides to every story. Instead, we show our kids what they should be brainwashed into believing is the truth, to make our country seem proper and humane. I was never taught about the Japanese camps set up during WWII. I learned later. As ugly a past, and present, that our country has, we should be good role models and teach our children about the truth. Kansas is a shining example that most of us don't care what our kids learn, as long as they uphold our religious morals.

The Big Link VIII

Check out this weeks BIG LINK.

Update on National ID(Real ID Act)

There has been some vicious arguments on the Senate floor in regards to the house approved Real ID Act(HR418). For those who don't know how I feel you can read my thoughts here. There is a pretty good comment stream as well. The bill has been incorporated into the Supplemental Appropriations Bill(which covers Tsunami relief and military funding). There is an argument over this being a separate issue(immigration) and the need to debate this highly controversial bill. You can read all the debate at Library of Congress Thomas Legislation site, starting with this argument. And you can continue the argument with these links, linky, links. Some of these pages overlap, and some of these pages do not contain just Real ID Act arguments. It is an interesting discussion. I hope it is removed from the supplemental appropriations bill and is put on the floor for debate. Otherwise the Republican's have slipped this legislation into a must pass bill, with no debate and little objection.

This is what pisses me off about the way our government works(or fails to). Why can't we have bills about one topic, without attachments? I understand that legislation is give and take between our mostly two party system, but why can't a bill just pass or fail based on the sole legislation it is based on? Why must we buy pork on the defense budget. I doubt that is all the soldiers are eating. I urge everyone to write your congressmen and representatives opposing this bill, it is pure evil, and has little to do with immigration. I do agree it addresses immigration, but it does at the expense of your liberties and freedoms.

Major League Baseball Blogs

MLB has set up a new fan service called MLBlogs. You can set up a blog at mlb.com to talk about "Everything From Baghdad to Baseball." They run on an improved version of Moveable Type. They cost $4.95. There are limits on bandwidth and some other downsides. Check it out for yourself here.