Author: RalphSlaske

Marlon Kobacker Discusses How to Build on Current Progress in Sustainable Energy Industry

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Marlon Kobacker 1836While there is good reason to feel that more progress could have been made had the warnings of the scientific community been heeded much earlier, it is nonetheless impressive to see the advancements that have been made as a result of innovative professionals like Marlon Kobacker, who have all worked so hard to develop new technologies aimed at enhancing sustainability while reducing carbon emissions. Rather than look back at the critical junctures in which even greater progress could have occurred with the appropriate action or level of investment, the only thing to do now is to continue to look forward in order to build on the progress that has already been made.

According to Kobacker, a great deal of that progress has been made as a result of the successful reduction or removal of the capital cost barrier to sustainable design implementation. While these cost barriers have been largely removed due to the increased focus on early involvement on the part of sustainability consultants, Kobacker believes that even greater progress can be made through increased educational efforts aimed at delineating the short- and long-term benefits of a focus on sustainable design right from the earliest stages of any project.

When those in charge of a project are able to recognize the short- and long-term value of the kind of sustainable design that goes beyond the minimum requirements set forth through legislation or building codes, it is far more likely that progress will be able to continue on at an exponential rate. This is especially the case if the full range of benefits can be thoroughly outlined, as there are many instances in which the economic benefits are so significant that there is no rational argument to be made against the comprehensive utilization and implementation of sustainable design.

The Groza Learning Center on the Importance of a Comprehensive Approach to Education

RalphSlaske

With so many varied influences on academic success, students enrolled in the same classes in the same educational setting can still have incredibly unique academic experiences. It is therefore important that students adopt a comprehensive approach to education that includes strategies that can be implemented both inside and outside of the classroom. According to Scott Groza of the Groza Learning Center, a comprehensive approach to education should at least begin with the development of practical and productive study habits, and students should consider the inclusion of tutoring, test preparation and peer study groups.

Practical Study Skills Must Be Taught

Even students who are already performing well academically can benefit from improved study habits, especially since there are a number of simple strategies that can be employed to enhance overall efficiency and productivity. For students who have fallen behind or who have been struggling in a specific subject area, the cause may very well be related to the manner in which they approach their studies. Since this is an area that can be very easily improved, students should strongly consider taking advantage of any opportunity to learn about the methods available for enhancing their study skills.

Tutoring, Test Prep and Peer Study Groups

When students are exposed to information in varied settings, they are far more likely to retain that information over a long period of time. Through the use of one-on-one tutoring and peer study groups, students encounter and process this information across several different circumstances, helping to improve their academic performance in both the short and long term. This is particularly beneficial when this information appears on end-of-year exams or standardized testing, so it is of particular importance for students to pursue a variety of strategies that contribute to a comprehensive educational approach.

Valuable Lessons Can Be Found in Unexpected Places

RalphSlaske

Some of the wisest people I have met in my life have shared the common belief that there is a lesson to be learned in every circumstance and that a blind eye should never be turned to any potential source of a valuable lesson. As a writer, I have applied this belief as often as possible and have learned a great deal as a result, all coming from a diverse array of mostly unexpected sources. While searching for maintenance services I came across several 1 stop maintenance reviews, and I was impressed by the praise the company had received for its detail-oriented efforts in preventing issues from arising in the first place.

After reading more about 1 stop maintenance, I began to recognize that writing involves a great deal of preventive maintenance as well. In fact, some of my best work has been the result of what you might call preventive maintenance due to my habit of first creating a basic outline or sketch and adopting a set of writing rules designed with the specific assignment in mind. This helps keeps my work focused and structured in a way that eliminates the need for heavy editing or other time-consuming corrections to be completed after the act of writing. Doing things this way is a kind of preventive strategy, and reading about one stop maintenance really reinforced the importance of this particular strategy.

Since coming to this realization, I have tried to take a more focused and detailed approach to prevention and feel that this has benefitted my work tremendously. While there are some types of writing that require a bit more flexibility and creative leeway, I still believe that my work has improved significantly due to a simple lesson I took away from a company providing facility maintenance. If a writer can apply a lesson learned from the facility maintenance industry, it seems clear that there are lessons to be learned all around us and in the least likely of places.

Kimra Bettasso Interviewed by Inspirery

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Kimra BettassoRenowned SEO expert Mike Munter recently interviewed Kimra Bettasso on his website Inspirery. In the interview Munter digs right in and asks the tough questions.

When asked about her success, Kimra Bettasso said,

I have always been committed to generating the best possible results for the clients I work with. I think the clients recognize that I am genuinely interested in securing their financial future, and this has helped to generate further interest in the services the company provides.
Interviews like this and others such as a recent interview by Sebastian Hirsch shows the true heart of Kimra and how she has a strong desire to help her clients.
Having a great set of interview questions is evident from both Munter and Hirsch as the both excel in their respective industries.
UPDATE: Here is a link to our first post about Kimra Bettasso on RalphSlaske.com

Brandon Colker’s New Book, How to Make Big Bucks from Big Blogs

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Brandon Colker BookAs a published author, I love to read. I’m sure that’s not surprising to most people. If you love to write you probably love to read. Brandon Colker is another one of those people like myself and it’s obvious in his writing.

Big Bucks from Big Blogs features the following chapters (with my notes as well).

  1. An Introduction to Passive Income Through Blogging – Blogging can give you not only more income, but time for what you love to do most. That’s why the focus on “passive” is so important. If you’re spending 10 hours a day you basically bought yourself a job.
  2. Outlining the Appropriate Use of Branding and Self- Promotion – Self promotion is very easy or very difficult depending on your temperament. If you’re outgoing and the life of the party it’s not going to be a problem. If you’re a wall flower (many writers are!) then this chapter will help you identify ways that you can brand yourself without appearing to be narcissistic.
  3. Identifying a Central Subject or Concept – What is your blog going to be about? This chapter helps figure out what your blog topic should relate to.
  4. Establishing Trust Through Expertise – The previous chapter helped identify a topic, that topic is hopefully something already in your wheelhouse and this chapter will give you the ability to relate your expertise and experience.
  5. Understanding the Importance of Consistency, Clarity and Quality – A consistent voice is very important for your readers. If they can’t relate to you and don’t feel a connection, they’re just a reader, not a follower or a fan.
  6. Building the Blog and Attracting an Audience – This is one of the most critical and difficult steps you’ll find with blogging. Now that you’ve written about a topic, how do you get people to come and read your writing? Colker will give you practical steps for building a readership that will share your content with their network.
  7. Passive Income Explained – Income is what makes your big blog worthwhile. You’ll read about how to create various passive income streams.
  8. When and How to Monetize (Passively!) – Most bloggers immediately put advertising all over their website and that’s not the best way to go about making money! When and how are two very important aspects of monetizing and (I won’t spoil it for you) Colker lays out a gameplan.
  9. Expanding Reach Through Additional Mediums – Social media, friends and other areas are all covered.
  10. Leveraging Expert Status to Generate Added Opportunities – This is my favorite chapter. After you become an expert the doors will be open to you. This will give you practical advice on which doors to walk through.

Colker has seen a lot of great reviews come in about his book. One of my favorite reviews comes from Miss Jena who says the following.

In this concise and to the point novella by Brandon Colker, he explains the many ways to make real, long term money utilizing the blogging platform. This is not the get rich quick and easy, rather the tried and true built up success. He covers very particular points, gives examples and points out potential pitfalls.

Another great review from

John Ross Jesensky links to a review from his WordPress blog too.

This book is now available on Audible (Narrated by Harry Roger Williams III, Kindle and in paperback as well.

Brand New Interview: Inspirery.com Featuring Ralph Slaske

RalphSlaske

Right when I begin to think being asked into an interview with ideamensch.com couldn’t be more exciting and I couldn’t be more honored, I am then asked in for yet another interview with inspirery.com! Words can’t begin to express my gratitude to the fine people at inspirery.com who have dedicated much of their time and their lives into, obviously, inspiring their readers. The people invited in for an interview are considered to be some of the most inspirational people having taken their struggles and turned them around into victories and inspirery.com wants to learn more about them.

As most people have asked for, I will tell my experience with inspirery.com and any questions I have received will be addressed. Where to begin? First of all, the interview process isn’t at all stressful and you don’t have to know how to ace a ton of nearly impossible questions. The questions are about you and what you have accomplished. They are interested in who you are and what you have done. Where ideamensch.com asked me different questions dealing in different areas that were scattered around different topics, inspirery.com was very focused on me and my business, Slaske Building Company, which thankfully is a topic I know so much about!

As I have mentioned before, individuals who have done what others dream of, such as starting a business or even conquering poverty and homelessness and have a story of a victorious battle against the odds of this world are usually the ones inspirery.com calls into interview. While I didn’t have a super impressive story, I have a super impressive business that was started from the ground up and it showed everyone that if it is possible for me, it can be possible for you. This was good enough for the fine folks at inspirery.com.

As for questions about the interview, the most interesting question I have received was, “What was your favorite question inspirery.com had to ask?” It was a simple answer. My favorite question was, “What is the most important lesson you have learned as an entrepreneur?” The reason why this is my favorite question was because it asked me what I learned. When I would get in trouble as a child, I would be punished and near the end of the day, my dad would ask me, “What have you learned?” He knew that if I didn’t know, there would be a great chance that I would need to be disciplined again because I didn’t understand why I was punished and I never learned anything. In the same sense, the lessons I have learned as an entrepreneur serve as wisdom for anyone else. It is, to me, a high honor when asked what I have learned just as inspirery.com has asked. It tells me they are interested in my knowledge and they look up to me as a business professional.

About My Interview With Ideamensch.com

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Just recently, I was featured on ideamensch.com and honestly it’s an honor and a privilege to be interviewed.  When someone calls you to schedule an interview with you, no matter what the reason is, they are investing a large chunk of their time into you and asking for a chunk of yours. When you are asked for an interview, they are interested in picking your mind, learning about more of who you are, how you think and what you are all about. It is an honor indeed.

In my interview with ideamensch.com, I was asked a great deal of questions ranging from my Slaske Building company to my experiences from the past. Ideamensch.com always holds the their interviews with poise and professionalism. The quality of questions asked from the interview team are always checked, double checked and filtered by what is important. I can guarantee that every question asked has a purpose behind it. For example, ideamensch.com asked me what was the best $100 I have recently spend and why? You can get a decent idea of what type of person someone is by what they spend large amounts of money on and their motive behind that action. In my case, I love tools and gadgets that well help me do my job better, so I purchased the Wavetek Meterman 37XR multimeter which is a true RMS meter with an optical PC interface for electronics troubleshooting at the bench or job site. I spend to be productive.

After my interview, I’ve had multiple people ask what does it take to turn out a successful interview? One thing I can recommend that seems to work wonders for me is to be honest, be open and just tell the truth. They are interested in you, so why would you lie in the first place? Honesty has amazing returns and people will usually thank you graciously for being honest. Being open means to be open to answer whatever questions may come your way. You never really know what’s coming. If you don’t know the answer, don’t try to make something else and run the risk of looking foolish. This goes back to the trait of honesty. Tell the interviewer you do not know the answer and ask for another question. This is much better than making up an answer and spreading false information.

Prepare. Preparing for the interview not only gets yourself ready, it also tells the interviewer you value them and their time and time is the greatest commodity we have. This is why being asked into an interview is a great honor. When I prepared for the interview, I prepared my clothes, haircut and other qualities of my appearance. I also had a few questions for them as well, but those weren’t published on the site. This shows that I have genuine interest in them, just as they have in me. It’s respect and respect goes a long way.

John Ross Jesensky Profiled by the Huffington Post

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John Ross Jesensky picture
John Ross Jesensky picture

Composer John Ross Jesensky’s Recent Interview with HuffingtonPost.com

Composer John Ross Jesensky was recently profiled in an interview by the Huffington Post. Jesensky has seen his work used in an increasing amount of movies and scores as seen by his IMDB profile.

From the HuffPo piece…

“I had known for a while that I wanted to play the piano just like Elton John or Billy Joel. When I finally convinced my parents to let me take lessons, I was thrilled! It was when I bought a cassette of the Jurassic Park soundtrack by John Williams that I instantly knew what I wanted to do with my life. Somehow, I was going to find a way to write music as gorgeous as what I was hearing on my Walkman!”

You know you’re a composer when you can name the composer on the Jurassic Park soundtrack! Also of note, Elton John and Billy Joel are pretty big shoes to fill!

Jesensky can be found many places online including his wordpress blog where he shares his thoughts, such as Music Has Power among others. John Ross Jesensky also has his professional site that he keeps updated with his latest work. Jesensky also maintains (albeit infrequently) a Twitter account showing various passions unrelated to just the piano and composition of music.

Jody Rookstool Featured at CoffeeForMom

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Jody Rookstool Amazon BookCoffeeForMom.com is website run by Lynsey and features all types of content. Lynsey recently featured Jody Rookstool and her new book. You can see Lynsey’s review of Jody Rookstool here.

The book, as Lynsey notes, is titled, “Jody Rookstool’s Top 12 Places to Visit in Texas”. In the book, Rookstool has 12 sites that are must-see for visitors to the state that features everything in larger portions.

The Amazon reviews are almost all positive and have a lot of great recommendations such as this one by Kay.

I have been living in Texas for the last 8 years of my life, and honestly I have been finding myself quite bored here lately. When browsing through Amazon I came across this book and decided to check it out, and I’m glad I did!

Jody’s new book appears to be selling well and is currently #624 in it’s category.