“Cowardice asks the question – is it safe?
Expediency asks the question – is it politic?
Vanity asks the question – is it popular?
But conscience asks the question – is it right?
And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular; but one must take it because it is right.”

Martin Luther King, Jr. may be best known for telling us that he had a dream, but it is very important to remember that you need to transcend these dreams and do something to make them a reality. This relates not only to social justice and human rights, but also concerns on a more personal level. What are you doing in your own life, with your own friends and family, to make your dreams a reality?

In the quote above, MLK reminds us the road is not always safe. Courage is not being able to see what is around the corner, but moving forward regardless. You can also get caught up in public opinion and in your public image, but sometimes the most popular choice isn’t the right one. You have to decide for yourself what is the ethical thing to do. What is the right thing to do?

Think about this from an everyday context. If you are faced with an opportunity to make a good deal of money, but you don’t agree with the ethics behind such a project, should you take it? I’d argue no. I’d be happier with myself if I made a humble but honest living rather than involve myself in something that contradicts my personal value system.

You may or may not be expected to take that extra step and attempt to save the world, but you can make sure that you are “right” within yourself. This may or may not be the safest, most lucrative, or most popular position, but if you can’t look in the mirror and be satisfied with who’s staring back at you, what’s the point?

I’m glad that I was able to watch this movie the night before the Academy Awards. I had heard about The Hurt Locker last summer, but it got lost among giant battling robots and other epic blockbusters. That’s a shame, because this really is quite the gem.

It’s far from being your conventional war movie. You never really get to see a clearcut antagonist nor is there a very clear narrative being shoved down your throat. Instead, the film is presented in an almost documentary-like fashion, following a group of special soldiers as part of the war effort in Iraq. Instead of fighting insurgents, per se, this special ops company goes around defusing IEDs, or improvised explosive devices.

Quite unlike Inglorious Basterds and other films like it, The Hurt Locker is more about creating atmosphere and depicting the addictive nature of war. You really do feel a great deal of tension throughout the film and while there is no primary conflict, villain, or even clearcut character development, this movie offers a thoroughly thrilling experience. There’s just enough shaky camera work to keep the tension alive.

Michael Jackson’s This Is It (2009)

One of the biggest stories of last year was the unexpected passing of pop icon Michael Jackson. He was set to host an epic concert series and while those concerts will never come to be, we are offered a backstage glimpse at the rehearsals through This Is It.

If you’re expecting a conventional documentary with a sense of a narrative, you won’t find it here. Instead, this movie is more about giving you a sense of what the concerts would have been like if they were to have happened. You get a sense of the choreography, the set design, and other creative elements that would have come to fruition.

Yes, the show is more complex than Filipino Thriller. Seeing the build-up process for the Smooth Criminal segment, for instance, was great. It brought it us back to the legendary music video and how it would have been recreated on the stage. This is It is a must-watch; it’s far from being a great film, but it is our last look at the King of Pop.

Julie & Julia (2009)

I’m no chef. My specialty would probably consist of instant noodles and cold cut sandwiches. I’m much more inclined to dine out than to cook at home, unless someone else happens to be doing the cooking.

That’s why I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from Julie and Julia. In it, Julie Powell (Amy Adams) attempts to prepare every recipe in a cookbook written by Julia Child (Meryl Streep) in one year’s time. That’s over 500 recipes. Amy Adams is adorable in her role, fighting through hardship and rejection, making for a truly believable character that could just as easily live above the pizza parlour on your block.

What kept the movie interesting was showing the parallels between the journeys of Julie and Julia, even if they were decades apart from one another. Based on a true story, Julie & Julia is a heart-warming and endearing film, but I wouldn’t say that it’s anything special. However, it does demonstrate, for the umpteenth time, that Meryl Streep can act.

A grin. A smirk. A hearty laugh. A smile. Sometimes, it’s the simplest things in life that are the most important and it is from these little things that we can derive the greatest happiness.

They say that the mind can dictate what the body does, but the reverse also appears to be true. It’s been said that even if you don’t feel like doing it, you should smile more often. By smiling, you send certain feedback to the brain and you are more likely to feel happy. I don’t know how much credence we can give to that science, but there’s no harm in trying. When you smile, the world smiles back at you.

Yes, life can be challenging. You may be facing some financial hardships due to the current economic climate. Perhaps you had an unfortunate fight with a significant other and you’re feeling down in the dumps. That’s a part of life and, if it were not for these challenges, we may be able to best appreciate all the good that we do have in our lives.

If all you do is chase happiness, it’s quite possible that you’ll find yourself in a worse position than when you started and your life may start to feel empty by comparison. It’s about balance. You have to balance achievement, vocational success, family life, social interaction, societal needs, and so much more.

So, going back to the title of today’s post, what makes me smile? I can’t help but smile when I take in a good story, whether it be in a book, in a TV show, or in a movie. I smile when I’m enjoying good times with my friends and my family. I smile when I recognize a recent achievement. And I sometimes smile when I open up an unexpected box from the courier, thanks largely to my work as a freelance writer. I may not be able to keep the contents, but it’s almost like Christmas morning over and over again.

Life is hard. That’s a fact. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t take the time to smile. What makes you smile?

Dragon Blogger has been quite successful with his social media ventures, but this can open up a big can of worms. For instance, it can difficult to cull through over 4000 Twitter accounts to find those who don’t follow you back. To streamline that process, Dragon Blogger recommends you use JustUnfollow. It’s a simple service that works, but it is limited to 50 unfollows per day.

Jeremy Toeman might be a bit of hypocrite. While he goes at length to explain why tablets suck, he did decide to place a preorder on an Apple iPad. Why on Earth would he do that if he dislikes tablets so much? By his own admission, he could be drinking too much of the Kool-Aid. Then again, the iPad is really more like a big iPod touch than a true tablet.

RT Cunningham reminds us that getting something cheaper does not necessarily mean that you’re getting the best deal. He tells us that Philippine Airlines is better than Hawaiian Airlines. Ironically, I chose Philippine Airlines for my Las Vegas trip because they were the cheapest. Even so, I was more than pleased with the service I received.

Sharon Hurley Hall is a firmly established freelancer and she does quite well for herself. Even so, we all have to start somewhere. If you’ve considered going into business for yourself, Sharon explains how you can earn your first dollar as a freelance writer. I got my first dollar finding a writing gig through Craigslist. How about you?

Tim Wasson keeps us on the subject of freelancing, asking a very important question. Should you have a public price list for your services? Myself, I choose not to have a standard price listed on my freelance writing site, because each project is a little different and needs to be priced accordingly. It’s not like I’m selling the exact same iPod to everyone.

I guess you could say that I started from a rather fortunate position. When I decided to embark on this freelance writing journey, I had enough money saved up that I didn’t need a full-time income right away. It also helped that the startup costs were remarkably minimal, because I already had a computer from which I could work.

If you’re looking to open a brick-and-mortar store or start some other kind of business, however, the startup costs can represent a major prohibitive factor. Thankfully, the government can help you in this regard. This review of Grants-Loans.org will describe some of the resources that are available to you if you’d like to start or expand your small business.

How to Get Government Grants

Just as there is a process to apply for student loans and grants when you want to go to school, there is also a lot of bureaucratic red tape to endure when you want a business-related grant too. You could try to solicit some seed money from venture capitalists, of course, but it’s nice to know that the government is there to help you.

When you go to Grants-Loans.org, one of the first tools you’ll want to use is the grants and loans wizard, accessible through the main link in the left sidebar. Going through that utility, you’ll learn whether you are eligible for Canadian government grants. Even if you are running an online business, the wizard will want to know your province of operations.

Following through on this wizard, you’ll learn what government programs you can use for your new or existing small business, leading you to the appropriate place to apply for these programs.

How Much Money Can I Expect?

Naturally, the amount of government funding you can get will range considerably. For instance, Koolhaus Games of Vancouver received more than $30,000 in government funding to “develop new technologies to enhance video games.”

By contrast, a canoe manufacturer was able to get a $300k+ loan from the government to purchase equipment and facilities. It really is dependent on your specific needs and the project at hand.

More to the Helping Hand

In addition to working as a “middleman” between you and the government in relation to small business loans and grants, Grants-Loans.org also has an impressive section filled with small business resources.

These articles can be a good place to start if you want to learn some tips related to cash flow, business acquisition, or even human resources.

Money Is Just the Beginning

Many people with regular jobs will tell you that they aspire to own their own businesses and be their own bosses. That’s a fair dream to have, but so many of these people do not take the necessary steps to realize their dreams. They say that they don’t have the funding to get started, so they remain in stagnation.

You also have to realize that money is a means to an end. If you can get some government funding through loans or grants, that may be your window of opportunity toward true entrepreneurship. Know that it can be a risky business, but the rewards can be positively immense.

I’m not entirely sure what is more frightening: the “item collectors” from the TV show Hoarders or the army of Orcs known as the Horde. Whatever the case, you’ll want to know the difference between hoard and horde.

One of the best ways to learn what your audience wants to know is to ask and that’s exactly what I do with these Grammar 101 posts that I write from time to time. Last month, I was asked to clarify today’s word pair. The problem, it seems, is that both words are pronounced exactly the same way, but they have entirely different meanings.

Just as people may confuse complement and compliment, mixing up hoard and horde can be surprisingly common when those terms enter the conversation.

Hoard can be used as a verb meaning to collect, save, and potentially hide items for future use. Going back to the popular television series Hoarders, you can see how the people featured in that show have amassed a large number of objects. They are hoarding these things. The same can be said about squirrels who collect nuts for the winter. They are hoarding food for future use.

Interestingly, hoard can also be used as a noun, referring to the actual collection of items that has been amassed by the hoarder. This is typically used in an archeological perspective, discussing a collection of valuables that may have been purposely hidden in the ground. The idea, I suppose, is to minimize the possibility of theft.

Horde is a noun that usually refers a large number of warring individuals. If you can imagine a wandering gang of barbarians who go around raiding villages along the way, you could say that these barbarians are a horde. In like manner, the attacking army of orcs in Lord of the Ring (or the Warcraft video game franchise) can be called a horde as well. A horde is typically nomadic in nature.

It’s understandable that some people can have a hard time deciding whether to use horde or hoard, just as they may have trouble with there, their, and they’re. Do you have a suggestion for a future Grammar 101 post? Don’t hesitate to ask via the comment form below.

“Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope… and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”

It’s a common sentiment that is expressed by the masses. They recognize that there is a problem, an injustice, or some other situation that they would like to see changed, but they are frozen in inactivity. That’s because they say, “I’m just one person. What can I possibly do?”

That’s true. It is indeed nearly impossible for a single person to effect widespread change across a society, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try. In an effort to leave some sort of lasting legacy, you want to leave the world a better place than had you never existed in the first place. To do this, you probably have to work with others.

The concept expressed by Robert F. Kennedy above was later echoed by former Vice President Al Gore. If you want to go far, you have to go with others. It’s up to you to determine what social cause is most important to you, but know that you can combine your “tiny ripple” with others create a “wave of change,” as it were.

Whether or not you agree with his political position, you likely recognize the impact that Robert Kennedy had on the nation. He inspired America and while he may have been overshadowed by another famous Kennedy for part of his political career, he was able to get something done.

Getting together with like-minded individuals is increasingly easy today, thanks to social media and the Internet. If you feel strongly about something, then do something about it.

There’s an ongoing joke that comes up from time to time during our little Dot Com Pho gatherings. Most of us are not employed by a conventional company in a conventional kind of way. Some may say that this makes us a part of the “unemployed” demographic, but John Chow is quick to point out that isn’t exactly true. He’s not unemployed.

He’s unemployable.

If you follow the story of the so-called dot com mogul, he’ll tell you that he has only held one regular job in his entire life and he lasted there less than a week. Working “for the man” simply wasn’t in the cards for him and he has managed to find a great deal of success working for himself instead. He has a popular blog on the Internet and he finds other ways to make money online too.

Working for Me, Not Working for You

Taking this kind of career path is not exactly conventional, but it’s a path that has worked for many members of the Dot Com Pho crew. Some run successful websites, others dabble in arbitrage, and here I am as a professional freelance writer.

John says that he is “unemployable,” because no one in their right mind would actually hire him to do a job. They have no problem throwing money at him for advertising and marketing opportunities, but they wouldn’t want the “root of all evil” as an employee. He wouldn’t be reliable, he wouldn’t want to commute to an office, and he’s not exactly one to respect authority.

The Dot Com Lifestyle

Whether or not you like your job, there are many people out there who dream of leading the dot com lifestyle. If it were at all possible, they’d like the ability to work for themselves in some capacity. However, by taking this path, you can run the risk of becoming “unemployable” in some way.

For me, while I pride myself in having a strong work ethic, I haven’t updated my resume in nearly five years. I don’t need to update it, because I’m not applying for any jobs; I run my business and, should a client require more information, I can direct them to my freelance writing site for testimonials, writing samples, and the like. It’s not a resume, but it can serve a very similar purpose.

Drinks at Lunch, Work on Weekends

If you are planning to embark on a “dot com lifestyle” journey or if you have already done so, do you worry about being unemployable? Do you find yourself slowing turning into the Charlie Sheen character from Two and a Half Men, working from home and adopting some bad habits, but finding a way to generate some decent income along the way?

In your opinion, is this still an honest living, like how a regular job is?

New Interviews and Performance Reviews Every Day

Maybe it’s because of the nature of being a freelance writer, but I don’t think that I’ve fallen into the “unemployable” end of the spectrum just yet. In some ways, it’s like I hold several part-time jobs with all of my ongoing clients.

However, the critical difference is that I am able to maintain a business partnership with my clients rather than the subordinate relationship that regular employees may have with their employers.

Just as there are several advantages to working for yourself, there are just as many different choices you’ll need to make and responsibilities you’ll need to handle. For the Internet entrepreneur looking to make money online, selecting the right hosting solution for your websites can be of monumental importance.

When you have a smaller website like Beyond the Rhetoric, an inexpensive shared hosting option can be perfectly suitable, but what if your traffic starts to increase exponentially? This sounds like a good problem to have, but it is a problem nonetheless. In this review, we’ll take a look at the dedicated hosting that you can get through Hosting.com. That should be able to handle larger volumes, right?

Why Get Dedicated Web Hosting?

Whether you’re looking to make some passive income as a freelance writer and you’re using the web space for some other objective, a dedicated server is much more powerful than the usual shared hosting that you get with cheaper plans.

With shared hosting, your websites are stored on the same server rack as several other customers. Depending on your chosen web host, this could result in a lot of heavy congestion, especially if your server neighbors are utilizing the majority of the resources. If you pay the premium for dedicated servers, however, the resources related to that server are entirely yours. This gives you faster speeds and the ability to handle higher levels of traffic.

How Much Does It Cost?

You can usually find shared hosting (or even cloud-based shared hosting) for under $10 a month without too much trouble. Dedicated servers, on the other hand, can be much more expensive than that depending on your specific needs. Visiting the sites of most web hosts, you can browse through their available packages. Not so with Hosting.com, unfortunately.

When I went looking for more information, I could see some sample configurations which are indicative of what you can expect with dedicated servers through Hosting.com, but there was nary any mention of a specific price.

Instead, you would have to ask for a quote to find out the cost. This can be an immediate deterrent to casual passers-by and a price list really is something that Hosting.com should include on the site.

Help Where It Belongs

We should all count our blessings that we have the options that we do and that’s why it’s so important to give wherever we can. Thankfully, the folks at Hosting.com feel the same way.

The web host is contributing to the Haiti relief effort as part of a larger movement in the “normally fiercely competitive” hosting community. All proceeds are going to the American Red Cross and the funds will be used to mobilize relief workers, send supplies, and provide financial resources for recovery.

If nothing else, this helps to demonstrate that Hosting.com is committed to more than simple profit. That’s a definite plus in my books.

Seth Godin takes us on a trip through time, re-publishing a blog post that he wrote years ago. In it, reminds us that life is what you make of it. If you’re going to university or college, make sure you take advantage of every opportunity available.

Gus Fosarolli, who you may know better as Gus Digital, just celebrated his 41st birthday this past week. While some people may get depressed over such a proposition, Gus is taking it in stride and with a big smile on his face. Life is a gift, so we should all enjoy every minute of it.

Shelly Tucker, like the rest of us, can get caught up in the day-to-day. Thankfully, she was able to take a few moments to appreciate art for its own sake at the Take 190 West art festival, featuring terrific artwork by children. Pictures don’t do them justice.

West End Girl takes a moment to describe her ten intentions for 2010, which aren’t the same as the resolutions we make while singing Auld Lang Syne. She aims to be truly kind to herself, to cultivate inner peace, and to be a leader. Perhaps most importantly, she wants to “spend more casual, spontaneous, unstructured time with loved ones.”

James Chartrand poses a rather morbid but incredibly important question: what happens to your website when you die? People will often bestow their physical belongings to loved ones, but how do you handle your digital valuables? What happens to your domain? Are you going to just let it expire?