Hence all the nervousness. And clashing minds. Coming to grips is never easy.

Yesterday, I reported on the Thong Girl (a little late, it looks like – I’ve been on vacation), which has since been removed from Google Maps. It’s good to know that Google is at least offering those caught in whatever inglorious act to opt out of their surveillance. For a small fee of a slightly bruised dignity.

The street-level camera views have frozen moments in front of adult book stores, of sunbathing, of cats looking out windows, of urination on the street, of a man climbing security scaffolding – locked out of his apartment, we’ll assume. Because it provides a mirror of humanity, catching humans doing human things, it becomes a sort of reality art form.

If you were writing fiction, there are lots of guiding maxims, all of which limit the writer in some way, heightening his art. Nonfiction has a different set of rules, less limiting, and the best maxim for one in the business of making things up is "the truth is no excuse." This means that just because it happened in real life, it doesn’t mean it’s believable.

This makes fiction abstract art because, though intended to capture some slice of human existence, it can’t be too true to reality, and can be inappropriate for examining the hard foundation of gritty existence. Nonfiction – and pictures of humans doing human things – transcends in that way. 

And while we can make a case for the benefits of indexing this slice of the world’s information, it’s most definitely time to push Google, and all of us, to consider if that’s what we really want. Taking a good hard look at yourself, even if healthy in the long run, just plain sucks in the grimy, stunningly honest interim.

You can blame Joe DiPasquale, founder and CEO of CollegeWikis for the preceding digression. He lets Sonia Arrison at TechNewsWorld in on a fascinating (and incredibly academic) concept:

People’s expectations will change. Things will become less shocking; this is the acceleration of the acceptance of humanity.

That’s nice and Pollyanna. It would be great to see that happen – that after coming face to face with itself, after seeing all the laugh lines, the crows’ feet, the scars, the blemishes, the things we try to cover with make up to create a better public face, we understand, know, and like each other better.

That’s a nice fiction I can crawl into and love.

But here’s what’s really going to happen: People are going to be angry and shocked, judgmental of those they see on the street doing things they think are untoward. People will be stoned, figuratively and literally, and the smart ones will learn to pay more attention to their upbringings. The guiding mantra will be "if you wouldn’t want your Mom to see you do it, don’t do it in public." Eventually, people may lose interest in that long, hard look.

What will be really interesting is whether the government steps in on behalf of the public to delay or derail this collective self-examination. The official legal stance on this, which is what reporters (and, unfortunately, the Paparazzo) lean on, is that photos taken in the public domain are fair game – anything you can see outside, you can take a picture of.

And that’s not going to be a pretty Constitutional fight. 

Optimism shows investors that a company is confident about the market opportunity, its ability to execute on the opportunity, etc. Over-optimism, however, leads investors to believe that the management team does not fully understand the opportunity or the tough road ahead. As such, business plans must be sure to limit over-optimism and show investors they are realistic and credible.

Realism, the opposite of over-optimism, should be used in business plans to portray sobriety and credibility to investors. Realism should manifest itself in management team bios that tell the actual accomplishments of managers, rather than fluff. It should manifest itself in credible market forecasts and sober assumptions of the company’s growth.

While business plans must excite investors so they take action, if they are too optimistic, investors will discount their merit. Conversely, if they are too sober, investors may not feel they will get an adequate return on their investment. As such, business plans should present a compelling, optimistic picture, but continuously refer to hard facts and realistic assumptions to build credibility and genuine excitement.

As President of Growthink, Dave Lavinsky has helped the company become one of the premier business plan development firms. Since its inception, Growthink has developed over 200 business plans. Growthink clients have collectively raised over $750 million in financing, launched numerous new product and service lines and gained competitive advantage and market share. Growthink has become the firm of choice for venture capital firms, angel investors, corporations and entrepreneurs in the know. For more information please visit http://www.growthink.com.

Before that, Airbus only had orders for 10 A350s. Qatar’s deal for the 60 A350s is worth about $10.6 billion. Today, Airbus announced that ALAFCO has ordered 12 A350s with options on six more, and Jet Airways has ordered 10 A330s with options on 10 more.

Airbus Chief Executive Noel Forgeard believes that the company will have between 110 and120 orders by the time the Paris Air Show is over. Boeing already has 260 orders for its Dreamliners, which are supposed to be delivered in 2008. According to AP,

Forgeard said the European aircraft maker would deliver at least 360 planes this year. Airbus had said earlier this year it expected to deliver 350 to 360 planes in 2005, after delivering 320 in 2004.

The A350 is designed to compete with Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, and the United States and the European Union have filed complaints against each other at the World Trade Organization over what both say are unfair subsidies to the aircraft makers.

The EU filed a complaint claiming that Boeing gets illegal aid through military contracts. The U.S. on the other hand had already accused Airbus of getting illegal aid.

The U.S. and EU had been having talks and trying to negotiate on this matter for months, trying to avoid this legal action with the WTO, but that changed when the U.S. backed out of the talks and went to the WTO. So naturally, the EU did what was expected and filed a counter complaint.

Mr. Forgeard is set to become a co-CEO of Airbus parent company EADS. He said that he has no intention of retaining control over Airbus when he assumes his new role. EADS hasn’t had a CEO for a month.

Chris is a staff writer for WebProNews. Visit WebProNews for the latest ebusiness news.

If you find yourself in an emotional slump, here are three things you can do to regain a positive, optimistic outlook:

1. Write out an action plan that includes job-search activities in these four areas:

* Search and respond intelligently to online and print job openings. To optimize your results take the time to customize your cover letters to each opportunity.

* Research potential employers to contact proactively in search of not-yet-posted job leads. Make sure your research includes contact names of key executive within the organizations. Again, customize your cover letters to illustrate your interest in their company and/or industry.

* Contact members of your personal network of friends, former colleagues and professional association members to let them know of your search. Continually build your network through new professional associations, job fairs, trade shows and business networking events. Involve yourself with others who will tell you of job leads in the “hidden” job market.

* Invest in an online resume distribution that allows you to target your resume to employers and recruiters most likely interested in your qualifications. You’ll see quick results allowing you to jumpstart your interview activity level.

Once you have your action plan, schedule these activities just as you would if employed on the job. Plan your work and work your plan.

2. Choose an accountability partner and support group. These are essential to keep you motivated and on track with your action plan and schedule. An accountability partner helps you reach your activity goals. A live support group (vs. online chat group) keeps you actively involved with others who understand your situation and can lend emotional support. Caution: avoid negative groups of job seekers who will drag you down by their pessimistic outlook.

3. Allow yourself to enjoy simple pleasures. Spend an evening with a great book. Take a walk on a sunny afternoon. Play football with your son. Meet a friend at a coffee shop for a long chat. Often job seekers think they don’t deserve any fun until they’ve found a job. The truth is there is more time for simple pleasures while unemployed than any other time in life. Once you’ve put your job-search action plan into practice and you’ve spent your time wisely in productive activities, reward yourself a little. You deserve it!

Deborah Walker, CCMC

Resume Writer ~ Career Coach

For more tips on resumes, job-search strategy and interview skills, check out the article archive at my website: www.AlphaAdvantage.com

Email: Deb@AlphaAdvantage.com

Toll-free phone: 888-828-0814