Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from October, 2020

America is an Idea, Not a Location

  Are United States and Chinese Economic Policies Just the Same? Singapore xavier-unsplash Introduction On Medium there is a lot of advice given by the writing community to the writing community. Many stories are published about how to be successful, using money as the measure of success. Digging deeper is seen as perfectionism. a fault, an obstacle to success, a function of procrastination.  Frequent advice is to publish a story a day and don’t get hung up on perfection. Continual production is the secret of success. One is encouraged not to think about quality, only about quantity, only about getting your name out there every day so that the public knows you. And as one does so quality will naturally follow, so we are told. nad-unsplash As one who was raised in a business in a home that incorporates a production process, I disagree. My belief is that one should first focus on quality and then quantity. Production whether applied to writing or making ceramics is a process. If one tak

Korean Dramas Take an Honest Look at Systemic Corruption and the Individual

  Netflix, CC BY-SA 4.0 < https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 >, via Wikimedia Commons It takes a special effort to watch a subtitled drama, especially one that relies heavily on dialogue, not only as spoken between the characters but as thoughts taking place in their minds.  The Korean Drama, Stranger, is well worth the effort as it takes on systemic corruption, the psychology of cultural hierarchies, and the impact of individualism through well developed characters. Two central characters in Stranger represent what we naively expect from a system of justice as they go against the grain in which corruption has become the acceptable norm. A series speaks as much through its visuals as it does through the action of the plot. Stranger effectively uses peacefully designed Asian interiors as a subliminal rest-bit. Perhaps this is more evident to those of us exercising our intellectual capacities to read the subtitles in the rapidly evolving dialogue. In an increasingly g

How I Became an Independent Researcher of The Tangled Net Of Economic Development Funding

  samanta-santy-unsplash Rarely do I find myself in a state of seemingly unattached free-form physical depression of the sort that makes one’s energy lethargic and body heavy as I have been feeling over the last two days, as I commence this story. “Seemingly” is the key word here for even when I find myself in such a state, I have realized that the reason for my depression is staring me in the face and I am resisting acknowledging it. The time before the last two days when I remember falling into such a state was in the year of 2009. Then I was on the verge of tears, a state which took me by surprise. I had no idea why I was overcome by such strong emotions until I took an look into the not so distant future when the next day I was to attend a Maine entrepreneurial networking event called “The Juice Conference”. That was the obvious cause, why did it take me so long to recognize it? My emotional state was an effect of deconstructing a wall between myself and my feelings about the Maine

A Special Vintage sale as we seek a co-applicant for Apprenticeship grant

Purchase Baby Penguin online HERE A recent post is about an apprentice grant for which we are seeking an apprentice  to be our co-applicant. The grant will be used to train the apprentice in making our products as independent contractor who can work in their own studio, a lifestyle that allows for an individualistic blend of home and work, adaptable to the requirements of sheltering in place.  The ceramic making process is an engaging activity, especially when done in a home studio. The apprenticeship grant will set up a year long training plan, involving training in making many of our products which can create a steady stream of income. As co-applicant we will work together to establish the terms. There is still time! Preferred deadline October 10, absolute deadline November 1st! Please contact Elise at 207 350 3558 or mackenzie@andersendesign.biz for further information. In the meantime , we need to raise some immediate cash to cover for a series of unexpected expenses.   We have

American Political Divide Tugs at the Seams of SBIR STTR Act.

 A disconnect at the core and failed implementation reflects the partisan divide in contemporary politics katie-moum-unsplash Yesterday, I had my scheduled appointment with the agent listed as a federal contact for help with SBIR grants. I did as the instructions said and dialed at 3:45 and my phone call went immediately to hold, with no message of introduction. I assumed that was the way it works with the government. About two and a half hours later I checked my email and found a message sent at 3:47 by the agent. saying he was standing by on the call and to dial back within three minutes. I wonder what he thought I was doing during that three minute window of opportunity? I replied that I had been waiting on hold for two and a half hours and included the instructions which say that I am to call the agent at the designated time and asked for a new appointment. The response I received said “I’ve reviewed your abstract and don’t feel it will be a good fit for the 8.6 topic area.” and I