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BoomerBikerOnline.com
Tip of the Week # 13 The Writers Strike and Homemade Bio-Diesel These are the two newsmakers that have piqued my interest recently. And even though these topics may appear, at first glance, to be unrelated, further examination reveals that striking writers and homebrewed diesel have more in common then you'd expect. First the Writers: For approximately the past three weeks, card carrying members of the Writers Guild of America -- the WGA is a labor union that represents creative talent in the entertainment industry - http://www.wga.org - have been picketing the major studios out in L.A. Simply stated, the WGA and its members are fighting for their members' Internet rights. · Writers want a bigger cut of the profits when their material is re-distributed via New Media Platforms. · WGA writers are also protesting attempts by the big studios and production companies to have short-form content written non-guild for use on cell phones, the Internet and other possible distribution. · WGA writers are also fighting for compensation for written material, such as blogs, myspace-type profiles for series characters and season recaps, where the writing is either non-guild or for no additional compensation. Currently, the studios and the writers remain deadlocked while the viewing public is forced to watch re-runs. In a November 20, 2007 article in the Los Angeles Times, Entertainment Staff Writer Patrick Goldstein, who has been covering the strike, made this observation: It's telling that the current strike is about new media yet both sides seem to be following old-school models. The WGA is fighting the good fight. But the glory days of "Norma Rae" are gone. Real change in today's world comes from the energy and ideas of entrepreneurs, not from labor negotiations. To take control of their work, writers have to cut out the middleman. Goldstein goes on to observe that in order for today's writers to further their work, they must strive to become financially independent by creating a world that operates under a radically different set of rules from the vacuous studio assembly lines. You can read Patrick Goldstein's complete article here: Convergence and the Internet: Because the Hollywood studios have chosen to ignore change and conduct Business as Usual, the now find themselves in danger of suffering the same fate as what happened over the past 10 years or so in the newspaper business! In the mid 1990's the vast majority of newspapers in this country failed acknowledge the growing power of the Internet or to react quickly enough to changes in the way media is produced and distributed. Instead, they chose to downplay New Media and failed to make sufficient capitol investments in developing digital technology. And as a result, today, most newspapers are scrambling to play catch-up while others are simply trying to survive. Filmmaker-Entrepreneurs: Hollywood's world is rapidly changing. These days, anyone with a good idea, an Apple computer and a couple thousand dollars worth of digital video and audio equipment can make a movie. Hollywood is quickly becoming the new Silicon Valley and the studios should be very afraid. And once the independent financiers start going directly to writers, things could change really fast. So, even if the WGA strike is settled soon, dramatic change is coming to Tinsel Town. As more outside money pours into Hollywood and as our computers begin to merge with our TV sets, the studios will have less control over content than ever before. It is now abundantly clear that digital content has become one of the most valuable products of the 21st Century. And those of us who develop or possess the skills to produce original content are the ones most likely to succeed. Therefore, ultimate goal of today's Filmmaker-Entrepreneur should be to create a world that operates under a radically different set of rules from the vacuous studio assembly lines. How? By making sure we cut deals to own a piece of our own work and eliminate the studio as middleman by distributing digital content via the Internet. Homemade Bio-Diesel · Are you sick and tired of those feelings of helplessness that engulf you each time you stand at the pump fueling your vehicle? · Does the thought of $4.00/gal gasoline make you sick to your stomach? · Do you feel hostage to Middle-Eastern oil? · Have you ever wished that there were something you could do about it right now? WELL, THERE IS! … ……. and you're currently sitting right in front of the main tool that you'll need to ensure your success. It's your computer -- and the Internet and the wealth of information that's instantly at your disposal. And this is where you'll discover the relationship between the writer's strike and homemade bio-diesel. Striking writers or $100/barrel crude, the solution for both problems is the same. These days, we've all got to refine our ability to think outside the box and exploit the power of the Internet. Doing so will provide us with a global network of support from like-minded individuals and all the information we need to come up with a viable solution to our problems. So, if you're tired of the price you're paying at the pump, you should consider brewing up a batch of your own -- bio-diesel that is. And even if you don't drive a diesel vehicle, I'd bet you wouldn't have any problem selling all you can make to someone who does. That's one way that you can take immediate action to lower your personal transportation costs while helping clean the environment at the same. Here In Florida, where I live, our Governor, Charlie Crist, has worked hard to present himself as a crusader for the environment. Our green governor recently returned from a fact-finding junket to Brazil where he went to learn about their national bio-diesel program. Upon his return to the Sunshine State, Governor Crist cheers that Florida will find "gold in green." But closer examination of Florida's fledgling Bio-fuel industry reveals, lawsuits, leases and loans plague the industry slowing growth. Furthermore, baring drastic intervention from lawmakers, Florida's bio-diesel production will remain but a trickle for the foreseeable future. So, I personally think it's high time we took control of the situation and started making our own bio-diesel. And, based on the research I've done recently, the process is fairly uncomplicated and the chemicals and other materials needed for the process are readily available and relatively inexpensive. Basically, the process of homemade bio-diesel involves collecting used cooking oil from restaurants and combining that with specific portions of lye and other chemicals. The finished product will run fine in any conventional diesel vehicle with no modification, unlike all the mechanical vehicle modifications (heating coils, special gas tanks and filters, etc.) needed to convert a conventional diesel vehicle to run on unrefined used vegetable oil. Granted, brewing up a batch of homemade bio-diesel isn't for everyone, but now that you know it's possible, aren't you curious to find out more? If so, here are some links to more information about homemade bio-diesel: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8349059778089070377&q=biolyle http://pathtofreedom.com/pathproject/offthegrid/biodiesel.shtml http://www.pathtofreedom.com/interactive/download.shtml#guides http://www.veggieavenger.com/co-ops.php And finally, now that you've completed reading this week's tip and you've hopefully been enlightened to the benefits and advantages of thinking outside the box, I now offer you a couple of my pro-active suggestions for writing and homemade bio-diesel: Creative Writing: · Start a website or a blog to share your observations thoughts and philosophy · Start a home-based communications business on the Internet · Become your very own Spielberg of the Internet - create audio and/or video content · Create a product an intellectual product and participate in e-commerce · Start a hyper-local newsgathering v-log · Create your very own community --a gathering place for like-minded individuals Homemade bio-diesel: · Start a co-op -- share the work and share the profits · Start a cooking oil removal business and sell the used vegi-oil to your co-op · Use it as a revenue generator for a club or non-profit project · Burn it in your personal vehicles · Start a home-based business · Use it to offset your business's fuel costs · Make it and sell it to supplement your retirement · Or simply make it because it's the right thing to do and is good for the environment. · Take the knowledge you've learned here and enlighten others. Please try this - Start keeping a notepad and pen on the nightstand beside your bed and on the nights when you find yourself lying awake in your bed unable to sleep, reach for the light on the nightstand, then grab paper and pen and challenge yourself to come up with some of your own pro-active suggestions to add to this list. This process is guaranteed to put anyone back to sleep. And I'm also confident that by now, you've surely had plenty of time to convert that bulb in your nightstand from tungsten to fluorescent -- HAVEN'T YOU! Respectfully, Bruce Hosking and the rest of the "Gang" @ BoomerBikerOnline.com 2174 Nursery Road, Suite 110 Clearwater, Fl. 33764 USA 727-729-4270 To unsubscribe or change subscriber options visit: http://www.aweber.com/z/r/?ThisIsATestEmail
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