Are You Getting a Little Too Much Information?

Date August 16, 2007

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Perhaps some of you have experience the following problem, like I have: Before starting any project we have to get some more information. And then some more. And more still. And then, because we’re still not confident enough to start we buy yet another book, ebook, report, or visit yet another website.

Maybe we even use the “looking for more info” as an excuse not to start and spend all our free time web surfing.  Looking for the magic bullet that will suddenly cause our excuses to dissolve and make the project easy.

Rich Schefran,  a well respected business coach, has a fascinating post on this subject. It’s primarily oriented towards entrepreneurs, but I think anyone can benefit.

If you’ve ever experienced even a twinge of information overload, here’s a unique solution that will get to the root cause of the problem once and for all.

From what I can see, most recommended solutions are Band-Aids at best. That’s because they only deal with the symptoms you’re feeling and not the root cause. So they never really eliminate the problem once and for all.

Since the cause of information overload isn’t obvious, let me ask you a question.

Back when you were in school, did you ever get nervous before a test?

Here’s the rest…

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So Where Are You?

Date August 7, 2007

On the main site we have a lot of articles on goal setting. Some cover the basics, other cover concepts such as gratitude, and so on. I think it’s something that we can all focus on a little bit more or differently.

Here’s  another view of the topic by an expert, which you may not have seen before. I certainly haven’t. Here’s a clip, but you should hop over to his blog, HypnoticMarketing, and read the whole thing:

At lunch with the staff, I stood up and told them something that I felt inspired to share.

I put a dot on the whiteboard on the wall and circled it.

“You are here,” I said.

I told them the whiteboard is like the map at the mall where all the stores are listed and a little box says “You are here” to give you your bearings.

“Where do you want to go from here?” I asked.

Yes, where DO we want to go from here?

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Say no to Pagerank

Date July 25, 2007

Pagerank? What’s that? It’s a system that Google uses to rate the “importance” of any given page. Google updates it every few months and it drives a great many people completely batty as their pagerank goes up or down a point or two.

If you’re not a webmaster you don’t have to even think about it. :)

So some people are trying to spread this concept: “Say no to pagerank!”

More info and complete instructions here: Dean Hunt’s Blog. One great reason to join the list is to get a lot of links to your site. Here are the sites that have signed up as of this posting.

Buzz Marketing Blog
Young Entrepreneurs Blog
No Nonsense Business Advice
Sell your blog
CS Developer
Aplliance Journal
Madkane Humor Blog
Find New Leads
PHPied
UK SEO Directory
Bikinifigur: Abnehmen ohne Hunger
Bob Meets World
BlueJar Webmasters Guide
All Sux Dot Com
CodingPad
The Next Post
Tech Blog
Reality Wired
Tom Wilson Google Blog
Price Filter
a few loose screws
Clickon Web Design
Woody Maxim
Crystals Quest
What Simply Works
Affiliate profit center
Internet Marketing Blueprints
Cash 4 blogging
Hits USA
Wendy Haney
Sheterk Marketing
How To Build a website blog
The Block Party
Search4article
Best Online Earning Strategies
That’s what i’m talking about
Web Urbanist Media and Art
Fundraising Ideas
Chatsquatch
Money Spinning
Blogging at Flixya
Blogging Tips
He Said What
Things That Are Fun
Wii Contests
Classic Rock News
Elee Marketing Guide
Viral and Buzz
Azzfan - Make Extra Money
Shadow Scope
The App
Travel Blog
Your favorite blogger
Master Resell Rights
Entrepreneur Wannabe
Adsense Track
TonNet
The Online Business Blog
Net Frontier Marketing
Jean Ghalo Blog
Dott Com
GadgetTastic
Design Creatology
Affiliate Master Tools
4mostTip
The Day of a Mum
MonoMom
InterSites
Homeschool Diva
CyberCa$hology
Conservatory TV
Get Ahead in business
Online eBiz
Hin’s Photo Blog
Hin’s Tech Blog
Cynthia D. Wilson Speaks
Gadget, Computer, and Electronic Blog
General Health Topics
MommyZabs.com

Life on the road
Paul Bradish
Skimbaco - The Lifestyle
4 fab moms
UC Web Host
Real Estate Investing Blog

So are you going to join the list? Go here

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Cam and the FDA and CODEX

Date April 27, 2007

The title of this post looks like something I’d type into google…

Anyway…

Connie took the time to make an interesting comment to my last post on this FDA and CAM issue. Go and read it, I’ll wait….

Ok, one last time - in my opinion this thing the FDA is doing is not significant and does not warrent the hysteria that is being generated.

I’m not saying the FDA is either a good thing or a bad thing or is capable or incapable of generating truly onerous rules and regulations.

In her comment Connie references something called CODEX. This is apparently the Codex Alimentarius Commission:

The Codex Alimentarius Commission was created in 1963 by FAO and WHO to develop food standards, guidelines and related texts such as codes of practice under the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme. The main purposes of this Programme are protecting health of the consumers and ensuring fair trade practices in the food trade, and promoting coordination of all food standards work undertaken by international governmental and non-governmental organizations.

Here’s the CODEX in full

Here’s the Democracy in Action petition, copy it into your editor, make sure the wording agrees with your understanding, copy it back into the form, and send it. or not.

The FDA Proposal

Nap time…

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CAM and the FDA - Part 3

Date April 26, 2007

Ok, it’s official. I am now no longer worried or concerned about the FDA proposals regarding Complimentary and Alternative Medicine. An attorney at USANA, a nutritional supplements company (whose products I’ve been using for years) has analyzed the FDA proposals, in detail, and come to these conclusions:

—snip—

….

We’ve researched the information from the link you provided below, as well as the Food & Drug Administration’s recently issued Draft Guidance for Industry on “Complementary and Alternative Medicine (’CAM’) Products and their Regulation by the Food and Drug Administration” (the “Draft Guidance”), and we can assure you there is no need for concern in this case.

The information about the Draft Guidance that various activist organizations are circulating on the web is inaccurate and misleading. While it’s true the FDA issued the Draft Guidance almost three (3) months ago (this is NO secret, as it was published in the Federal Register for public comment), it’s completely untrue that the FDA is using the Draft Guidance as a means of “legal trickery” to limit consumers’ access to natural health products (like vitamins, minerals and herbs) or natural health therapies.

The FDA’s intent in issuing the Draft Guidance is only to address industry confusion as to when certain CAM products are subject to regulation under the Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act (the “FD&C Act”) or the Public Health Safety Act (the “PHS Act”).

The Draft Guidance, when finalized, will not have the binding effect of a law or regulation, and it’s very clear it will not directly or indirectly limit consumers’ access to natural health products. In fact, the Draft Guidance merely confirms that foods (including dietary supplements) are already regulated under the FD&C Act (as foods), and unless an individual or company makes medicinal or drug claims about these food products, the FDA will continue to regulate such products as foods under the FD&C Act.

If an individual or entity were to market a food (including a dietary supplement) as a CAM product, the FDA could stop the sale of the product as a food because it is being marketed as an unapproved drug; but the FDA already has the authority to do this, and the Draft Guidance does not affect the Agency’s authority in this regard.

In light of this information, we don’t believe there’s any need for our Associates to be concerned about the Draft Guidance or to take any action regarding it. Rest assured we’ll continue to monitor this situation carefully through our industry trade associations, and if they believe it’s necessary to engage our Associates in any grass-roots efforts relating to this matter, we’ll take necessary action to involve our field in the most effective way possible.

—snip—

USANA has been around for a few years and is a publicly traded company (USNA, on the Nasdaq.) Their analysis mirrors that of my own (not that I know anything) and that of my own attorney (who I married 10 years ago.)

So let’s all chill, take a deep breath, and relax. This issue isn’t going anywhere.

That said, always do keep on eye on what your government is doing (U.S. or anywhere.) Its workings are always in someone’s interests, but those interests might not be yours.

edit: The quoted material in this post came from a mailing list that I subscribe to. The owner of the list had sent a question to the USANA legal staff, regarding the FDA proposal, and the reply was posted to the list.

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More on the FDA and Alternative Medicine

Date April 18, 2007

A few days ago I sent a note to the gems4friends newsletter (and posted here) regarding an proposal by the FDA regarding complimentary and alternative medicine.

As it turns out the proposal is in regards to complimentary and alternative medicine products. So far it doesn’t look like CAM practice is in the pipeline, though I’m sure someone is thinking about it.

Now I’m no fan of government regulation, but we all need to know what is and isn’t and base our opinions from there. I don’t know where the FDA will go with this proposal, but the trend, as with all bureaucracies, is for more and more regulation. I’m still in favor of sending the petition (mentioned in the other post,) but make sure you like its wording, first.

Here’s the FDA Proposal, it’s pretty short and fairly clear. Check it out. Basically they say they want to clear up confusion regarding CAM products.
The FDA dockets page is here, and their home page is here.

Here are a couple of books from Amazon on the FDA (there are a number of others, as well.) I haven’t read these, though the first is in my shopping cart for future reference.

Update: Here’s an article from the Santa Cruz Sentinel which provides some background to the proposal.

Here’s a post from OrganicConsumers.org analyzing the proposal.

Here’s one from WND.com that discusses related topics, such as other efforts to ban supplements. (warning - this site isn’t safe for those on the left side of things.) WND gets a little paranoid at times, but I guess that puts it in the same class as the TV news shows.

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Alternative Medicine and the FDA

Date April 16, 2007

Earlier today I received a note in my inbox about an idea the FDA is discussing, regarding the regulation of complimentary and alternative medicine.

The libertarian in me thinks that we have WAY more than enough government interference in our lives and in business. My nanny state friends will argue that the FDA protects us from the shady practices of the vile corporations.

Obviously there are a few other opinions out there.

Here’s the email I received. If this is of interest to you (and what our government does should be of interest to you) click on through to the site and sign the petition.

Speak Up For Health Freedom
by Owen Waters

You wouldn’t think it could happen in the USA.

“The land of the brave and the free” is about to become a lot
less free unless enough of the brave stand up and voice their
opinions by April 30th.

The Food and Drug Administration plans to pass laws to
“protect” you from alternative health care, complementary
medicine and natural supplements.

If the FDA passes these proposed laws, you will no longer be
able to buy vitamins, visit a chiropractor, acupuncturist or
massage therapist… UNLESS you first obtain permission from a
medical doctor.

Now, I don’t know how much your M.D. knows about natural
health care. Most of the doctors that I’ve met so far know
nothing beyond how to select the most capable, poisonous drug
to SUPPRESS the symptoms of illness. I have yet to hear one
talk about actually CURING an illness.

If this legislation passes, you will no longer be free to make
your own natural health care choices. The medical doctor from
whom you will HAVE to seek permission will have no knowledge
whatsoever of the many natural therapies which actually help to
CURE illnesses.

Make no mistake about it. While medicine has made great
strides in the last few decades, we are still very much in the
MEDICAL DARK AGES.

Alternative and complementary medicine IS the future. It is
from these fields that the miracle cures of tomorrow will
emerge… unless these emerging alternatives are squashed and
you are left in the tender care of the poisonous drug industry
and their Medical Doctor sales force.

In fact, this thinly-disguised ploy for power over your body
sounds more like the brainchild of a greedy drug industry
rather than the public servants whose duty it is to protect
you. With this legislation, they plan to protect you so
vigorously that, should you try to work around it, you will
face fines and prison.

Time is running out. The period for public comments on this
proposal ends on April 30, 2007.

The Health Freedom USA organization has made the public
comments process easy with a pre-defined petition to the FDA.
Just add your name to the list and you’ll be joining hands with
millions of caring people just like yourself.

Either visit their web site at www.HealthFreedomUSA.org or,
better yet, use this direct link to their active campaign

There is a petition already filled out for you to send. If you know something about the subject you might want to edit it a bit, so that not everyone sends the same canned response. Adds credibility that way.

Comments?

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Aromatherapy and Dogs

Date March 28, 2007

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Soothe that Tired Back

Date March 12, 2007

Is your back a little tired? Is it in need of some tender loving care?

Check out the back massage page I just posted, complete with video!

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Time for a Foot Massage

Date March 12, 2007

Want to learn how to give a killer foot massage? Check out the page and video that I’ve just posted here.

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