Leadercast 2015 - CMDR Rorke Denver

CMDR Rorke Denver

Navy SEAL Commander & Author

By Leadercast

Commander Rorke T. Denver has run every phase of training for the U.S. Navy SEALs and led special-forces missions in the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and other international hot spots. He starred in the hit film Act of Valor, which is based on true SEAL adventures. His NY Times Bestseller, Damn Few: Making the Modern SEAL Warrior, takes you inside his personal story and the fascinating, demanding SEAL training program he oversaw. Some people are born to lead. Rorke Denver is one of those people. Throughout his 13-year career as a platoon commander and training leader with the Navy SEALS, he constantly found himself leading in the face of danger. Denver led more than 190 combat missions and never lost a member of his team. His amazing leadership and bravery led to him running all phases of U.S. Navy SEAL training. Rorke communicates about leadership with unparalleled passion and intensity, rooted in his desire to see everyone lead to the best of their ability.

Biography

 by CAA Speakers

Commander Rorke T. Denver has run every phase of training for the U.S. Navy SEALs and led special-forces missions in the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and other international hot spots. He starred in the hit film Act of Valor, which is based on true SEAL adventures. His first book, Damn Few: Making the Modern SEAL Warrior, takes you inside his personal story and the fascinating, demanding SEAL training program he now oversees.

After completing the SEALs’ legendary Basic Underwater Demolition program in 1999 (BUD/S Class 224), Denver began an action-filled 13-year career as a platoon commander and training leader with America’s premier special-operations force. As assistant officer in charge of BRAVO Platoon at SEAL Team THREE, he was deployed to SOUTCOM, the Central and South American Area of Operations, where his platoon was the “alert” SEAL team for maritime interdiction, hostage rescue, counter-insurgency and counter-narcotics. As SEAL officer aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard, Denver led his group’s response to a murderous uprising in the Ivory Coast nation of Liberia, launching advanced-force operations, conducting hydrographic beach reconnaissance and helping to get U.S. Marines safely ashore. At Special Boat Team TWELVE, he started the Maritime Capable Air Deployable Boat Detachment, which specialized in parachuting large assault boats from U.S. aircraft.

In 2006, Denver was officer in charge of BRAVO Platoon of SEAL Team THREE in Iraq’s Al Anbar Province in one of the most combat-heavy deployments of any regular SEAL team since Vietnam. Stationed in Habbaniya, his team conducted more than 190 missions including sniper operations, direct assaults, special reconnaissance and ground patrols. Two of his teammates were killed in action, including Mike Monsoor, who received the Medal of Honor for jumping on a live grenade to save his teammates. Denver’s team has been widely credited with propelling the “Tribal Awakening” that helped to neutralize Iraq’s Shia insurgency. Denver was awarded the Bronze Star with “V” for valorous action in combat.

After returning to the United States, Denver was appointed flag lieutenant to Admiral Joseph Maguire, commanding officer of Naval Special Warfare, traveling to Afghanistan and briefing Congress on SEAL operations. In 2009, he became First Phase officer of SEAL Basic Training including Hell Week, then rose to Basic Training officer. He went on to run all phases of training including advanced sniper, hand-to-hand fighting, communications, diving and language.

Denver is an honor graduate of the United States Army Ranger School. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Syracuse University, where he was an All-American lacrosse player and captain of the varsity lacrosse team. He earned a Master’s Degree in Global Business Leadership from the University of San Diego. He lives with his wife and two young daughters in Colorado. In his off-duty hours, he enjoys surfing, hunting, fly-fishing, reading and playing on the living-room floor with his amazing girls.

Letter of Credit Rules: Comparing Apples with Oranges

UCP, Letter Of Credit

---

LETTER OF CREDIT RULES

The rules for Letters of Credit, the UCP (Uniform Customs and Practices for Documentary Credits), states, “The description of the goods, services or performance in a commercial invoice must correspond with that in the credit” (Article 18 c). Banks typically have interpreted this to mean a verbatim description, letter for letter, and punctuation for punctuation, in accordance with the letter of credit.

The UCP further provides, “In documents other than the commercial invoice, the description of the goods, services or performance, if stated, may be in general terms not conflicting with their description in the credit” (Article 14 e).

APPLES, ORANGES AND FRUIT

Note the use of the words, “not conflicting.” If a letter of credit states “Apples” as the merchandise description, then the invoice must read “Apples.” Other documents, such as the bill of lading, may state “Fruit,” and be considered acceptable because "Fruit" does not conflict with “Apples.”

A bill of lading which states, “Oranges” does conflict and is unacceptable. Interpretation of this policy is more difficult for a banker who has no knowledge of the merchandise or if the merchandise is highly technical.

In recent years I have seen documents prepared by freight forwarders showing all documents, not just the invoice, with the merchandise description identical to the letter of credit. Undoubtedly, this safe method leaves no need on the part of the bank to interpret the description from document to document.

An uncertain bank will take the safe, conservative approach, and ask for replacement documents, refuse payment, or obtain a waiver of the discrepancy from the applicant, if the documents do not strictly match the letter of credit.

Mobile Apps Track Your Location More Often Than You Think

A Carnegie Mellon University study shows that roughly every three minutes or 50 meters location data is collected by mobile apps. Over a two-week time frame the research concluded that a dozen or so popular Android apps excessively collected location data. Apps such as Groupon, the Weather Channel and Google Play are mentioned in the article below, written by Elizabeth Dwoskin. The research comes at a time of increasing concern about electronic privacy. A 2014 Pew survey found that more than 90 percent of Americans feel they’ve lost control over personal data. While savvy users understand that using mobile devices entails some privacy tradeoffs – for example, a navigation app will reveal their location to the app’s publisher – most don’t realize the extent to which such information is collected and distributed, the researchers said.

The researchers recruited 23 users of Android version 4.3 from Craigslist and the Carnegie Mellon student body. Participants were allowed to use their own choice of apps after installing software that noted app requests for a variety of personal information; not only location but also contacts, call logs, calendar entries, and camera output. They weren’t told the purpose of the study and were screened to weed out people who had a technical background or strong views about privacy.

The researchers found that even apps that provided useful location-based services often requested the device’s location far more frequently than would be necessary to provide that service, the researchers said. The Weather Channel, for example, which provides local weather reports, requested device location an average 2,000 times, or every 10 minutes, during the study period. Groupon GRPN +0.46%, which necessarily gathers location data to offer local deals, requested one participant’s coordinates 1,062 times in two weeks.

“Does Groupon really need to know where you are every 20 minutes?” asked Norman M. Sadeh, a Carnegie Mellon professor who co-authored the study. “The person would have to be accessing Groupon in their sleep.”

Groupon and the Weather Channel did not respond to requests for comment.

App publishers have ample incentive to gather as much location data as they can. Marketers pay 10% to 20% more for online ads that include location information, said Greg Stuart, chief executive of the Mobile Marketing Association. In previous research, Sadeh and his colleagues found that when an app requests location, 73% of the time it shares the information with an advertising network.

Location data can make ads more relevant to consumers, by making it possible to draw inferences about what audience members are interested in, Stuart said. The data can be used to show an ad for a store to a potential customer who is nearby, a technique that boosts store traffic 40%, according to Mobile Marketing Association research. Or it can be used to present ads for store items to shoppers who are already inside. Users often aren’t aware that their location played a role in being shown a particular ad, Stuart added.

Among the software that handled the most location data were programs pre-installed on the device that couldn’t be easily deleted. Google Play Services, which distributes information to a variety of apps, computed location an average 2,200 times during the study period.

Google declined to comment.

In addition to tallying app requests for personal data, the Carnegie Mellon researchers explored a conundrum: Despite these widespread worries about information leaks, few users take actions that would plug them, such as downloading privacy software or adjusting their device’s settings.

The researchers sent to study participants a daily message – a “privacy nudge,” as Sadeh called it – telling them how many times apps collected their personal data. After receiving the nudges daily, 95% of participants reported reassessing their app permissions and 58% chose to restrict apps from collecting data.

Privacy nudges no longer can be implemented on Android. Operating system updates since the study was concluded removed the software that gave the researchers access to logs of app requests for personal information.

Letter of Credit Non-payment Resulted in Paper Slippers Becoming a Tax Deduction

Letter Of Credit, Beneficiary, Applicant

LETTER OF CREDIT ISSUED FOR THE PAYMENT

A New York bank issued a letter of credit for the importation of paper slippers used in medical clinics and hospitals. The patients donned the disposable slippers as they strolled through sanitary areas of the hospital. The merchandise description on the letter of credit read as follows: “paper slippers with soles double-stitched.”

"DISCREPANCIES" IN THE DOCUMENTS

The documents presented by the beneficiary did not properly indicate double-stitched soles. The issuing bank inadvertently overlooked this requirement and honored the beneficiary’s request for payment.

When the applicant received the slippers and inspected the incorrect documents, he rejected them, demanding that the issuing bank refund their money. Since the bank had already paid the beneficiary, the bank became the unwilling owner of single-stitched paper slippers with little hope of selling them to recover their loss.

DONATE THE SLIPPERS

An official at the bank ingeniously suggested they donate the slippers to a Veterans Administration hospital and capture a tax deduction. The savings resulting from the tax deduction nearly compensated the bank for its loss.

Another lesson learned, thanks to Jim Harrington.

Growing up in the shadow of Everest

Google maps has reached Everest. Earlier today Google published photos of a 10-day trek through the Khumbu region. The article below is that story.

Apa Sherpa is a Sherpa mountaineer who holds the world record for reaching the summit of Mount Everest 21 times—more than any other person. In 2009, Apa founded the Apa Sherpa Foundation, a nonprofit that works to provide better educational and economic opportunities to the young people of the Khumbu region. In March 2014, Apa Sherpa, Google Earth Outreach, and the Nepalese nonprofit Story Cycle, embarked on a 10-day trek through the Khumbu region, supporting local people to enhance the digital representations of their communities on Google Maps. We hope the project will empower the Apa Sherpa Foundation, Story Cycle, other nonprofits, and Sherpa community members to tell their stories through Google Maps. -Ed.

I was born in 1960 in Thame, a small town in the Khumbu region of Nepal, which is home to Mount Everest, the world’s tallest peak. Even though I grew up in the shadow of the mountain, I dreamt of being a doctor instead of a climber. That dream was never realized. When I was 12, my father passed away, and I had to find work to support my family. So I began carrying goods up the mountain as part of an expedition team. At 30, a dream that had never been mine came true: I summited Everest for the first time as a porter.

Our region is famous for being home to Everest, but it’s also the home of the Sherpa community and has been for centuries. The region has much more to offer than just the mountain. So last year, I guided the Google Maps team through my home region to collect Street View imagery that improves the map of our community. Now you can find Thame on the map and explore other communities nestled at the base of Everest, like Khumjung and Phortse.

Phortse Thakiri Chholing Gomba, Monastery, Nepal

Partnering with Google Maps allowed us to get important local landmarks on the map and share a richer view of Khumbu with the world, including local monasteries, lodges, schools and more, with some yaks along the way! My hope is that when people see this imagery online, they’ll have a deeper understanding of the region and the Sherpa people that live there.

Map of Thame, Apa Sherpa’s hometown, before the Google Mapping project [above] and added locations [below]

When people ask what it feels like to reach the top of Mount Everest, I say “heaven.” But I haven’t summited the mountain 21 times because I love climbing. I earned this world record in pursuit of a greater goal: to provide a good education and a better, safer life for my kids. My hope is that my children and future generations have many choices for employment outside of mountaineering. Through the Apa Sherpa Foundation, I now work to improve educational access by funding the Lower Secondary School in my hometown to give children other options for their future, so they can pursue their dreams to be doctors—or anything else they want to be, like mine, so many years ago.

Your online trip to my home awaits you on Google Maps. And if you ever get the chance to visit the Khumbu region in person, come stay at the Everest Summiteer Lodge that I built with my own hands. We’ll be ready to welcome you.

Namaste, Apa Sherpa

Be skeptical of government-owned broadband networks

Vastly expanding the reach of taxpayer-funded broadband networks, and overriding common-sense state technology laws — as President Obama recently proposed — is the perfect example of the old adage, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." Colorado businesses and taxpayers must turn a skeptical eye toward municipal or government-owned networks (GONs) and, fortunately, our state laws allow local citizens to vote before such an expensive investment is foisted on them. The robust and excessively rosy claims for GONs — which the president echoed in his announcement — are centered on assertions that that they work well and cost taxpayers nothing. These claims simply don't stand up to long-term scrutiny, as demonstrated by the experience in cities around the country.

Expect this debate to heat up fast nationally and here in Colorado. In fact some local government advocates are proposing to eliminate your right to vote on GONs, hoping to duck the in-depth scrutiny that comes along with a local election.

Consider these basic facts that some government advocates don't want you to know:

Look at history. GONs routinely disappoint consumers and taxpayers. Many municipal networks are more expensive to consumers than services offered by private network providers. In fact, advocates often say that there is no cost to taxpayers at all, despite ample evidence to the contrary. And when things go awry, local taxpayers foot the bill - which results in higher taxes, precious local funds diverted from other priorities, or both.

Consider the costs. Local governments routinely tell their citizens that budgets are often too tight to adequately fund public safety, transportation or education, to name just three essential government functions. Adding GONs to the mix is one more (and very expensive) demand on local tax dollars.

Can the private sector do it better? The past troubles that GONs have had are public record and well-documented. A solution that reduces the risk to taxpayers and local budgets is to partner with the private sector to bring cutting-edge broadband services to more Colorado communities. Effective routes to do this include providing tax incentives to build out networks, updating ordinances to reflect ever-changing technologies and speeding up permitting processes. Companies have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in Colorado over the past three years — including Comcast's WiFi investment for downtown Denver, and the gigabit network CenturyLink is deploying in Denver and Colorado Springs. Sustainable broadband deployment is assured when the private sector can respond to changing technologies and provide state-of-the-art service — a level of agility that government just doesn't have.

The desire here in Colorado — and across the country — for high-speed, low-priced broadband access is understandable and we applaud President Obama for drawing attention to this issue. But as with every major taxpayer investment, the risks and rewards must be weighed by taxpayers and local elected officials. Local governments can and should aggressively advocate for the rollout of broadband in their communities, but it's clear that government is not best suited to build, subsidize, manage and maintain its own network.

That's why a robust local dialogue leading to an up-or-down vote is the best route to ensure that taxpayers know what they're being asked to buy — and, potentially, bail out. Coloradans should push back hard against a Washington-designed solution being sold as a broadband panacea.

Jeff Wasden is president of the Colorado Business Roundtable.

Originally published at the Denver Post.

Google to Invest $1 Billion in SpaceX

Google is in the final stages of investing in SpaceX to create an internet-beaming satellite constellation, as first reported by The Information. While the deal is still in the works, the apparent aim is to support the development of SpaceX satellites that will beam low-cost Internet around the globe --- connecting billions more people.

"The price and terms Google and SpaceX are discussing couldn’t be learned although one person familiar with them said Google has agreed to value SpaceX north of $10 billion and that the size of the total round, which includes other investors, is very large." writes Jessica E. Lessin

While SpaceX continually makes headline with its bold advancements, they have not taken on a big primary round of investment in many years. SpaceX’s current investors include Founders Fund, Draper Fisher Jurvetson and Valor Equity Partners.

Elon Musk spoke about SpaceX's plans for the satellite-enabled Internet system last week in an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek , which described the program as "hugely ambitious."

Hundreds of satellites would orbit about 750 miles above earth, much closer than traditional communications satellites in geosynchronous orbit at altitudes of up to 22,000 miles. The lower satellites would make for a speedier Internet service, with less distance for electromagnetic signals to travel. The lag in current satellite systems makes applications such as Skype, online gaming, and other cloud-based services tough to use. Musk’s service would, in theory, rival fiber optic cables on land while also making the Internet available to remote and poor regions that don’t have access.

I'd Swim across the Pacific to Avoid Using a Letter of Credit

Letter of Credit, Open Account, Documentary Collection

As I found my seat on the plane in O’Hare Airport to return to Denver, I introduced myself to the passenger next to me. He introduced himself as the controller of a meat packing plant in Colorado. My international banking instincts caused me to ask, “Do you export your product?”

He replied, “Yes, we export boxed beef.”

I next probed, “How do you get paid?”

“Cash,” was his short answer.

Letters of Credit and Other Methods of Payment

In my experience, most exporters use all or most of the various payment methods: cash, letters of credit, documentary collections and open account. Industry and market conditions often dictate the choice. When asking the question, “How do you get paid?” I expect answers such as: “We get paid by cash when selling to countries A and B, Letters of Credit in country C, and open account to our established distributors in countries D and E.”

My fellow passenger’s short answer caught me off-guard because I expected a more elaborate response. “Cash?” I asked. “Don’t you ever ship on a letter of credit?”

“No way,” he said with conviction. “If I can’t collect payment on a letter of credit, I’m not swimming after the boat to get our goods back.”

Leniency with Payments Can Be a Competitive Advantage

He implemented a hard and fast credit policy. One has to admire the quality of his foreign receivables. He slept well at night and never had to inform his president of a slow paying customer overseas. However, one has to wonder if this policy didn’t limit their ability to expand their export markets. Certainly they had competitors who offered more lenient terms. Competing involves more than just pricing. Payment terms often dictate the success of an overseas sale.

---

How Your Language Affects Your Future Choices

“To abstain from enjoyment which is in our power, or to seek distant rather than immediate results, are among the most painful exertions of the human will” -

Nassau William Senior

Have you ever put off finishing a project until the last second?  Or wondered why you're bad at saving your money for retirement?  Chances are that you have, and it may have to do with a disconnect from "your future self."  The disconnect comes from this unconscious belief that the person you are today is a separate entity from the person you are in the future.  The future you wants to retire at 55, but today you wants to take a trip to Hawaii.  The future you should be a successful CEO, but the present you doesn't want to work past 5:00.  We have these notions on how we want the future to be, and a lot of times we are incapable of reconciling our present actions with our future wants.

What does this mean?  Keith Chen , an economics professor at UCLA, proposes a rather interesting idea.  As a native English-speaking Chinese person he often wondered at the differences between the two languages, and in particular the difference in their future tenses.  Upon doing a some further research, he realized that this difference in tenses was visible across the board in many languages.  Where in English one say "it will rain tomorrow" in German one would say "Morgen regnet es" which translates literally to "It rains tomorrow."  This way requires that English speakers make an inherent distinction between the present and the future, in a way that German does not.  This leads us to distinguish the two by saying that English has a strong future-tense while German has a weak-future tense, and it is believed that this difference could be what causes the present-future disconnect.

This may seem a little far fetched, but the effects of language on perception are well known.  Keith takes this idea and applies it to economics.  He believes that the separation of present-self from future-self affects us not only on a personal scale, but influences the amount of money that whole countries save.  Not only does this apply to savings, it correlates to the amount of risk that citizens take in their daily lives. For example, those countries with a stronger future tense are statistically more likely to engage in impulse buying, smoking and engaging in unprotected sex. Hopefully by knowing this information, an individual can act more consciously in the way they make their decisions and we can all do a better job of preparing for our future.  The full TED talk by Professor Chen can be seen below.

Life on the Oil Rigs

Life on an oil rig is no picnic, and much of what goes on on the rig is a mystery to the common man.  Workers on an oil rig can spend weeks at a time on the job, and many rigs employ a 14/21 schedule meaning 14 days on followed by 21 off.  Its a tough job, but it can be a very rewarding one.   What actually goes on out on the rig is somewhat of a mystery, but thanks to a Washington-based oil company's recent contest, we are treated to a unique look at what life on the rigs can be.  

The photos depict a side of life on the oil rigs not typically imagined by those outside of the industry.  It appears that while working on one of the most industrial settings there is a surprising amount of wildlife.  While workers in the Middle East work to save the life of a trapped sea turtle, others on a bus in Russia have to deal with overly inquisitive bears.  It's amazing to see that while working what has to be one of the most demanding jobs, workers are still able to reflect on beauty in their work.

Click the Photo for the full gallery at The Journal.

Carbon County Wind Farm Moves Ahead

Carbon County, Wyoming, is the proposed site for the largest-to-date onshore wind farm in the United States.  Power Company of Wyoming  proposes to build up to 1,000 turbines in Carbon County, a proposal which has been approved by the Industrial Siting Council 7-0.  Known as the Chokecherry and Sierra Madre project, the proposed $5 billion plan could produce up to 3,000 megawatts of electricity, or 10 million megawatt hours annually. The ruling by the Industrial Siting Council moves the plan one step closer to becoming a reality, and it seems to be proceeding without much opposition.  During the two day hearing, council members noted that no one spoke in opposition to the project.  According to Richard O'Gara, a Cheyenne Democrat, "It was probably the most professional presentation I've ever seen. There was virtually no opposition."  This sentiment seems to be the same across party lines.  Siting council chairman Shawn Warner, a Powell Republican admits to entering the presentation a little apprehensive about such a large project.  It seems his fears were assuaged though, as he says "They did a first-class job in submitting what was required, they literally left no stone unturned."

The project's final aim is to sell electricity to Arizona, California and Nevada, three states that have renewable-energy standards requiring them to utilize renewables to bolster their supply of generated power.  The plan predicts an 8-year construction once the approval process is finalized.

Read more about the project here.

ICOSA Hosts City of Denver Community Planning and Development Workshop

On July 30th, ICOSA played host to the City of Denver Community Planning and Development department and Urban Land Institute.  That morning a variety of city planners and volunteers spent their day at the ICOSA facilities touring the area and working on plans to revitalize the 40th station area.  The 1/2 mile area surrounding the station includes portions of the Swansea, Northeast Park Hill and Clayton neighborhoods. The evening event was open to public, and was attended by roughly 100 neighbors, community leaders and business owners.  The meeting's agenda focused on what the neighborhood could be like in 5,10 and 20 years and what type of housing, employment or neighborhood amenities could be implemented. The group also discussed how can the area can be improved with foot, bike and vehicle or bus routes and the positive and negative health impacts could be.

Presenters discuss possibilities for the future of the area

The morning brainstorm sessions were the focus of the evening meeting, making residents aware of the possibilities in the area and gathering feedback on what the area residents would like to see happen.

The RTD's East Rail Line, otherwise known as the Eagle P3 Project will connect Downtown Denver to Denver International Airport and is scheduled to open in 2016.  In a report from TRD FasTracks, released for July-October 2014 the Eagle P3 project has added more than $954 million to the Colorado Economy.  Since groundbreaking, the Eagle P3 Project team's contractor, Denver Transit Partners, has also employed 4,800 employees.

Presenting to the community about the proposed future

The next public meeting will be held at ICOSA (4100 Jackson Street) on Wednesday, August 13th from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.  At this meeting it will focus on community design around the 40th and Colorado station. Discussion will include proposed land uses, connectivity, station access, building heights, storm water quality and other important considerations.

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.

Level 3 connection for First Quantum

Previously Published by Mining Journal, June 24, 2014 Expanding mining house First Quantum Minerals Ltd has engaged NYSE-listed Level 3 Communications to fully connect its global portfolio of operations and project sites.

Level 3 said it was contracted by FQM to consolidate “a number of its legacy communication providers globally”, using the technology company’s Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) network to link offices and datacentres in Europe, North America and Canada to operations in remote parts of Finland and Western Australia.

A combination of fixed-line and satellite technology, and an extensive regional partner network, would enable Level 3 to ensure FQM mines in Africa and South America also remained reliably connected via a “robust network [that] supports the use of data-intensive applications and provides on-site staff with critical business applications, as well as high-bandwidth Internet connectivity”.

Level 3 Communications had a market capitalisation this week of US$10.6 billion.  

Mining Journal > Mining ICT > Level 3 connection for First Quantum

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

When the going gets tough, the tough get...prejudiced

Amy R. Krosch and David M. Amodio research suggests economic scarcity alters the perception of race.  I took a look at the abstract posted on the Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States website; "Racial disparities on socioeconomic indices expand dramatically during economic recession. Although prior explanations for this phenomenon have focused on institutional causes, our research reveals that perceived scarcity influences people’s visual representations of race in a way that may promote discrimination. Across four studies, scarce conditions led perceivers to view Black people as “darker” and “more stereotypically Black” in appearance, relative to control conditions, and this shift in perception under scarcity was sufficient to elicit reduced resource allocations to African American recipients. These findings introduce a “motivated perception” account for the proliferation of racial and ethnic discrimination during times of economic duress." 

Maya Rhodan at "Time" picked up this story and wrote;

"People perceive race differently during an economic downturn, a recent study suggests, and become subconsciously more prejudiced against dark-skinned people when times are tight.

Researchers at New York University discovered that people with lighter skin were more likely to perceive Afrocentric features as more pronounced or “darker” during an economic downturn.

That kind of perception is likely to increase discrimination against people of color, the researchers found.

“Our research reveals that perceived scarcity influences people’s visual representations of race in a way that may promote discrimination,” the authors note, in an upcoming issue of theProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America journal.

In a series of four studies, participants were asked to identify whether select images depicted black people or white people, while researchers manipulated select economic conditions.

In one study, participants were first asked to express agreement or disagreement with “zero-sum” beliefs like “When blacks make economic gains, whites lose out economically,” and then asked to identify the race of the people featured in 110 images—people whose skin color varied greatly.

The study’s results showed that those with stronger “zero sum” beliefs were more likely to consider the images of mixed-face subjects as “blacker” than they actually were.

New York University researchers Amy Krosch, a doctoral student, and psychology professor David Amodio found similar results when participants were asked to identify whether someone was black or white after being shown words related to scarcity like “limited” and “resource.”

The remaining studies threw economics into the mix—asking subjects how they would divide $15 between people represented by two images— and not only were images of darker-skinned people deemed “blacker” than they actually were relative to the average skin color, they were allocated fewer funds.

Economic scarcity, the researchers note, has been proven to influence how people treat those outside of their own social groups in previous studies. But with the economy still recovering from the detrimental recession of 2008-9—which had a more adverse effect on blacks than whites—the findings suggest that institutional inequality may not be the only culprit, but also individual prejudices toward racial minorities."

When I read about discrimination I think about my own experiences with that subject, both at work and socially.  Reading and watching the video above I think about "friends", acquaintances, and co-workers who say discriminating remarks, after reading this I can relate those prejudiced remarks with the financial struggles of the people who had those comments. Discrimination in the work place is a highly charged subject, probably because it has a financial impact on the discriminator.  Have you ever seen the posters in the lunch area that tell you what and what not to do?  If not here is a link. Or if you really want to be pro-active ask your HR department for discrimination education, you will be surprised on what you should not be saying.

10 Skills You Must Have in 2020

The Institute for the Future (IFTF) is an independent, nonprofit strategic research group with more than 40 years of forecasting experience. IFTF has come up with six drivers of changes, which are extreme longevity, rise of smart machines and systems, computational world, new media ecology, superstructured organizations and globally connected world. These six drivers of changes mean there are 10 skills the future workforce will need to be successful. The 10 skills are sense making, social intelligence, novel and adaptive thinking, cross cultural competency, computational thinking, new media literacy, transdisciplinarity, design mindset, cognitive load management and virtual collaboration.

This information is best understood in an infographic developed by NOWSOURCING.

Driving Force Radio - Lost Boys of Sudan

In one moment, everything he knew in life was gone. His parents, his village and everyone he had ever known. Arok Garang was only seven-years-old, in 1982 when government militias systematically attacked a number of small villages in the South Sudan, killing anyone in sight. The day his village was struck was the day he became an orphan, along with thousands of other boys.  Together they did the only thing they could to survive. They ran.

After the attacks, more than 20,000 boys were left to fend for themselves with no food and no clean water. It was the dry season. So they began a thousand mile journey on foot, encountering wild animals and little food. Some children were eaten by wildlife, drowned, or died of dehydration and other symptoms along the way to Ethiopia where they hoped they would be safe. The journey took years.

They finally made it to Ethiopia in December of 1989, where the United Nations did what they could to provide the boys with food and clothing. After 18 months there, another war broke out and the boys were told, at gunpoint, to go back to the Sudan. It was not safe to return, they made their way to Kenya instead.

Among many trials, including the rainy season and the threat again, of wild animals and the environment, it took a year to get there.

This writing cannot do justice to his story, you will want to listen to his account about how he was rescued, his journey to America and what he is doing now to give back. Arok founded Seeds of South Sudan to help his community rebuild, by way of education and health care.

Arok, an orphan boy with no family, no place to call home, and no resources to his name, is making a great impact on the world. Listen to his story. Be inspired to do all you can!

Listen to this week’s Driving Force Radio, Saturday morning at 10:00 on KNUS 710.

You can also listen to the podcast here, or watch our video version below.

[youtube width="540" height="360" video_id="AoYkFQ4yjFU"]

Part One

[youtube width="540" height="360" video_id="rcqJMolIV4M"]

Part Two

Leader to Leader: Hedrick Smith Discusses Who Stole the American Dream

Pulitzer Prize winner Hedrick Smith stopped by the ICOSA Studio to discuss his new book Who Stole the the American Dream, an insightful guide that documents the dismantling of the American Dream over the last four decades, as Gayle Dendinger hosts this episode of Leader to Leader.

This is a book full of surprises and revelations—the accidental beginnings of the 401(k) plan, with disastrous economic consequences for many; the major policy changes that began under Jimmy Carter; how the New Economy disrupted America’s engine of shared prosperity, the “virtuous circle” of growth, and how America lost the title of “Land of Opportunity.” Smith documents the transfer of $6 trillion in middle-class wealth from homeowners to banks even before the housing boom went bust, and how the U.S. policy tilt favoring the rich is stunting America’s economic growth.

Smith talks to a wide range of people, telling the stories of Americans high and low. From political leaders such as Bill Clinton, Newt Gingrich, and Martin Luther King, Jr., to CEOs such as Al Dunlap, Bob Galvin, and Andy Grove, to heartland Middle Americans such as airline mechanic Pat O’Neill, software systems manager Kristine Serrano, small businessman John Terboss, and subcontractor Eliseo Guardado, Smith puts a human face on how middle-class America and the American Dream have been undermined.

This magnificent work of history and reportage is filled with the penetrating insights, provocative discoveries, and the great empathy of a master journalist. Finally, Smith offers ideas for restoring America’s great promise and reclaiming the American Dream.

[youtube width="560" height="315" video_id="8SIehCLhIjU"]