Monthly Archives: September 2010

Is this politics in America? Is this what they are doing that screws it up so badly?

Posted by cricketdiane on

Over on a CNN show yesterday, there was a statement made by a political strategist. I wrote it down -

“Americans are only interested in watching the news to confirm what they already believe.” (probably paraphrased but its durn close to what he said.)

Well, either that is a possibility or it is a belief widely held by political strategists that are advising our political parties and political candidates, which is actually more likely.

That means, in the rarefied air where a political candidate or politician lives, he or she is being advised by those they trust – to find what people want to believe and then tell them that.

Hmmmm……..

So, however they arrive at what they think people believe – by polling any one thousand people in the US and asking them a bunch of questions when they would really rather be doing something else, or by some online polling or phone polling of some specific group they are targeting for votes – it would seem that some group of predominant beliefs would emerge, accurate or not.

Then, the political strategists would take these key issues and weave them into the campaign points to match what people want to believe. Is that it?

But once in office, the candidate (who didn’t actually believe nor stand for any of that stuff to begin with) could vote or stand on an issue any damn place they want, or follow the party’s guidelines about how to vote or what to say on any given issue in order to keep that funding stream alive.

So we are being led and suffering the polled opinions of a thousand people in America who answered leading questions structured to get the desired answers by the political strategy companies who created the questions?

Does that make any sense?

- cricketdiane

***

It reminds me of the time in our country when the only music hardly made available was being decided by corporate executives who used numbers for their decisions also not based in reality. Based on the playlists at radio stations which they were pressuring to play only those songs and artists who they were publishing and promoting, the excuse was made to exclude all other types of music, all other songs, all other genre of the same types of music, all other artists and all other opportunities for any full palette of music to be offered for sale, publication or listening time on the radio.

And, then there were companies who started getting a more comprehensive range of sales data and information by offering a range of music not heard on radio stations. And, the Japanese bought out the recording companies who had been holding back, shelving and archiving music and artists without ever releasing any of it to the public. It was as if these new company executives from Japan turned out those shelves and archives to the marketplace with all kinds of music and performances and artists that, as it turned out – the public did want to hear and does enjoy.

Using these new information systems, it became obvious that there were a lot more audiences who wanted different types of music than the original recording company executives ever imagined. They had been excluding those majorities of people in the marketplace by excluding music that was of interest to them and consequently, in that process of exclusion – had robbed the lifetimes of opportunities to the listening audiences and the musicians as well while robbing themselves of potential profits from it.

Serves them right for doing it that way and only that way for so long.

However, in our political arena – we seem to be facing the same thing. An exclusionary process seems to occur which constructs the questions to suit themselves, uses the answers about the beliefs of only a few and then tailors their campaigns and talking points to suit the same thing. There is no integrity in that. There is no thinking through what is best for our country doing it that way. There is no leadership in doing that. Those are no leadership skills. In fact, those are simple sales skills used by salesmen who have no integrity and are trying to pass off a lemon to an unsuspecting buyer. And, doing it that way always, always undermines the true power of leadership sooner or later.

So, what these people whose companies are engaged in political strategy and advice to our candidates and politicians are saying is what?

1.  There aren’t enough people in the United States that agree with anything to get their votes based on a true stand about anything?

2.  People in the United States don’t want honesty and integrity in their politicians or political leaders?

3.  Voters in the United States only cast their votes based on hearing what they want to hear coming from the candidates and anything else will change or bar their vote to that political party or candidate?

- or -

4. We, in America are too stupid to know the difference between reality and a sales pitch geared to make us think what they want us to think?

- or -

Possibly -

could the strategists be wrong in their belief that “perception is reality”. If they kick the shoes under the bed at their house, and they want to believe their shoes are by the front door – do their shoes magically appear at the front door?

If the news shows cover the photo of their shoes by the front door where they were last week, even though they are under the bed now – does it make it so?

See, what I notice – is that we live with their decisions – once they get in office. That’s what I’ve noticed.

On Larry King yesterday, there was the Republican gal, Coulter – the Democrat guy, Mark and Mr. King having a fuss. But when the statement was made, “perception is reality” – they all agreed.

Where in their lives does that work that way? Do they all perceive the people of the United States as being that slow and that stupid? But, it was the only thing that the three of them agreed with and re-said while shaking their heads yes – like three bobbing head monkeys. What is that?

They had argued their asses off about every other single thing. So, in our nation apparently – we all agree that “if you believe it is so – and perceive it as such – then therefore it is?” – is that the truth of it?

Surely not -

I’ve yet to understand when tv news became an opportunity for two experts from political strategy camps (or three or four) to have a fuss about it on national television as “political coverage”. But, there it is.

And, it doesn’t mean anything. Because in their world, only the nonsensical makes any sense to them if they believe that perception management is the key to every political race, every political candidates’ future and every opportunity for leadership in our country. Maybe that’s the way it was during the Nixon years, the Reagan years, the Bush years, before the internet and before people actually talked with one another by text and blackberry and iphone and cellphone and email. (and blogs).

Maybe they are right – but are they doing it that way because they think it works or because that is what worked fifteen years ago or thirty years ago even though it isn’t appropriate anymore?

When a child comes home from school and can’t read the back of the cereal box by third grade or sixth grade or tenth grade after being taught in American schools, I don’t think perception management makes any damn difference. And, when that school isn’t safe, is a war zone of bullying and derision, has food that isn’t safe to eat, textbooks that don’t teach what they were designed to teach and teachers that aren’t getting the job done while the students are available wanting to learn – I refuse to believe that is a high standard of education regardless of what some political strategists, political party talking points, or political dissemination of information tells me.

It either is or it isn’t – true and based in factual reality.

When any member of my family, any neighbor, any part of my extended family, me, or any of my friends goes into a hospital and comes out with sicknesses or consequences from mistakes that they didn’t have when they went there – I don’t care how many people tell me our health care providers are topnotch – reality says something else. The politicians can say every single day on every news broadcast that the health care systems in America are high quality – but when I look at the statistics and calculate the odds of going in with one health problem and coming out healthy – these facts tell a different story. Which one am I going to believe – the one based on perception management – or the one based on reality?

Which one yields solutions that work – twisting people’s perceptions to fit a desired result or dealing with reality exactly as it exists today? It is no wonder our leaders come up with these hedgehog solutions that don’t work but one day a year when it puts out a shadow somewhere.

I still say that if a simple rule were passed in our state legislatures and in the Congress and Senate – that unless a rider, attachment, amendment or an addition to a bill pertains to the subject matter specifically of that bill – it can’t be added to the bill, there would be an entirely different reality in our leadership and legislating process. It might even start to make sense.

- cricketdiane

***

Financial projections – best guesstimate of what would make a profit for the America the Beautiful Show events – NYC and elsewhere

Posted by cricketdiane on

1. Building the America the Beautiful Show

America the Braniacs Dream

***

The America the Beautiful Show – main website

http://www.americathebeautifulshow.com/

America the Beautiful Show – flash website

http://www.americathebeautifulshows.net/

****

What if -

As a sponsor – you have the right to hang your hat on this thing – to use it as an excuse, theme, subject matter for your own news stories, human interest stories, the right to use it in your ads, as an excuse for tv segments where you and your company are describing why you are involved with it as a sponsor / why it is important, etc. (or however it would best display your company and its focus.)

This isn’t the Olympics, but it could be just as powerful for our nation right now. It is a great tool for our nation to rebuild the economy from the ground-up in communities across the country.

You would have the right to send your companies’ bloggers, filmmakers, and photographers to the event and its companion events, to get photos from backstage areas to use in your ads and your company’s name as a sponsor would be on every program, in every info packet sent home with audience members and on the website about the show on the sponsors page.

1. so, from there on out when anyone looks up the America the Beautiful Show event in NYC – the articles written about it with info about your company supporting it as a sponsor and why it is important to you – will pop up in the search results throughout the rest of the country when they start to put together the event and throughout NYC in following years as they put together future events.

2. everybody in New York City will know of your company right now – provided that you use this vehicle as a positive excuse to get on the news talking about it. You can also save the money for sponsorship, by getting on the news to explain why your company decided to focus on something else right now – meaning, that it isn’t required to stir up negative controversy to get on the news using the America the Beautiful Show without paying to be a sponsor.

3. on every info package (60,000+) going into the community from the show with audience members who will be encouraged to pirate and bootleg the package into the community, you and your company information will be on it and exposed to vast ranges of people and potential customers you’ve likely never reached any other way. It will be on every cd, flashdrive, sd card and hard copy o f the information and on the website as a sponsoring organization of the event coming to fruition.

4. Your bloggers and film crews can use the info gathered at the show events to help promote your company online and in future news stories in coming years, your photographers can use the photos from the show and its companion events to help promote your company.

5. You and your company are welcome to create companion events surrounding the America the Beautiful Show to help promote your company; i.e. dinners, barbecues, children’s programs, luncheons, innovation conferences, seminars, workshops – which will be added to the event information online and in the press about the America the Beautiful Show – as well as included on its website events schedule.

***

Primary Sponsors (300)
$115,000 + 1 printed page for info packet of critical local resources (60,000 copies)

Advertisers (200)+
$3,200 + 1 printed page for info packet of critical local resources (60,000 copies)

B/W printed page ( @  .02 – .05 / copy)
Times New Roman font – info about local resources on front side – can include your company info small on bottom of page (and, if you want – cover the back with it – but printing cost will be higher.)

The America the Beautiful Show team will need to get delivery of this printed information to them (60,000) copies at least a month before the show dates to include it (in the package of information given out at the show) – will be collated through a local print shop or subcontractor for the show).

* Or, for about the same amount of money – your company can buy one full page ad one time on the back page of the business section of the New York Times, or the LA Times or the Wall Street Journal.

* Or, for about the same amount of money – your company can pay for one ad banner on the wall at one NASCAR race.

* Or, for about the same amount of money – your company can buy one advertisement to run in a time slot on cable or basic television shows one time for thirty seconds.

******

4 days – (14 shows)

3 days – 11 shows

23 performers plus color guard
(individual musical bands or groups, individual singers, choirs, performers, military band, speakers and emcee) plus color guard

A couple July Fourths ago – the 2009 event on the lawn in Washington, the show was set up with a similar flow and structure to the event as suggested in the website. People seemed to enjoy it.

$50,000 each
times 23
___________

{videos, dvd, cds
{upload to phone of show
{reality tv show segments of the making of the show
{reality show based on teams putting together the show
{dvds and paid content uploads of companion events info
{flashdrives, sd cards, mini sd cards, phone upload apps, cds
of information packages given away at the show

Added – financial projection for the events & sponsors benefits

example – NYC -
general projected costs

what advertisers get

sponsorships – for city government, hospitality and tourism organizations, corporations, non-profits and fund-raising organizations, businesses, retailers, manufacturers, service companies, banks, realtors, government agencies, economic development groups

appropriate for any business, corporate or government entity / non-profit organization who wants 10 million people in New York to know about them, and for any business or corporation beyond New York who wants those in NYC to know of them.

only have 300 slots for sponsors

open number for advertisers (200)+

open # for vendor participants with a percentage going to show revenues (& artists / performers)

5,000+ businesses in NY
only 300 prime slots for sponsors from NYC and anywhere in the world combined

Javits Center 3,200 seat Special Events Theater
4 day event (14 shows) – 3 earlier shows on the first day could be added

23 speakers & performers (either groups or individuals) plus color guard

Copies of the information package (60,000 copies) will be given to all ticket holders / audience members and to all show participants and performers, to each band member, to all stage personnel, to all administrative personnel, to all sponsors’ teams and advertisers, to all security personnel, and to other personnel that worked to create the show, to each business leader and official, to the emcee and colorguard members,

The kinds of information that will be placed into the information packages can be found here -

http://cricketdiane.wordpress.com/2010/09/23/information-to-give-away-at-the-america-the-beautiful-show-events-info-needed-to-survive-unemployment-and-economic-distress/

For the 300 sponsors and 200 advertisers -
Their company info would be on one of the info pages in every package. At the bottom of the front side of the page and across the entire backside of the page, if the company does it that way..

If the 3,200 seat theater shows (14 shows across 4 days) are completely sold out at $10 per ticket, then there will have been audience totals of 44,800 people with ticket sales $448,000 (not including any percentage paid out to the ticket vendor contracted for ticket sales).

Participation for sponsors and advertisers is in return for money plus printed materials to give away at the show with at least a single printed page containing critical local resources (as those found on the website – also a copy of the list is on the blog at wordpress). Each participating sponsor and advertiser can sign up with the America the Beautiful Show team for which of those bits of critical resources their page will cover, so there won’t be duplication. (60,000 copies). Advertising and information for the sponsors’ company or advertisers’ company can be placed on the back in color or b/w depending on the company choice in the matter.
60,000 copies @  .20 per sheet  =  $12,000

60,000 copies @  .05 per sheet  =  $3,000

60,000 copies @  .02 per sheet  =  $1,200

These costs and arrangements for printing are done by sponsors and advertisers, then delivered to the show team for having them collated and placed into their final presentation form through a local printshop or book-making shop. (all pages will be a standard page size – 8.5 x 11)

If they are bound for the project, I would suggest a 3-ring binder, or simple thin printed cover with the show information on the front. Yes, it would be 500 pages. And, hopefully every single bit of it will be bootlegged and printed and re-printed into bulletin boards and places in the community where it is needed (with the company information on the bottom of every page that is re-printed with that set of resources on it.)

Costs – guesstimating – Revenue Streams -

Ticket sales
@ $10 per ticket times 44,800 audience participants (with 14 shows sold out).

$448,000 (revenue)

**

300 sponsors
@ $115,000 each + their contribution of 60,000 printed info copies each

$34,500,000 (revenue)

**

200 advertisers
@ $3,200 each + their contribution of 60,000 printed info copies each

$640,000 (revenue)

**

25 performers, performing groups, emcee, musical bands, military bands, speakers
performing all 14 shows across a 4 day event – (total at this rate as a flat fee for all four days)
@ $50,000 per group or individual

$1,250,000 (cost)

(does not include color guard – that also are paid)
does include:
emcee
military bands 2 (or 3)
speakers / personalities – 11
musical performers – 7 (or 8 bands, choirs or singing performers)

**

3 – 5 administrative people to keep up with everything over period of months
=  6 – 9 months @ $30,000 each (total wages for the entire term)

$150,000 (cost)

**

3 principles for one year salaries -
@$50,000 each

$150,000 (cost)

**

4 days (or 5 including setup and breakdown times – one half day on either side)
200 security personnel across 4 days @ / 50 per day
144,000 security hours @ 50 personnel times 4 days

$1,080,000 (cost)

**

insurance to cover show & to cover the business -

$100,000 – $125,000 policy for show plus $50,000 policy for business
possibly a bond will be required to cover the show to insure that tickets are redeemable, in the event that the show is canceled – or that can be covered through the insurance policies for it.

$175,000

**

Other revenue streams -

+ external events
+ tickets to luncheons, parties, special dinners / barbecues and workshops hosted by the show
+ cd sales, vendor sales percentage, info packets on digital forms, dvd sales, phone app sales
+ iphone and mp3 uploads from the show and thereafter
+ polo shirt sales with Show logo, hats, t-shirts, banners, takehome souvenirs of the America the Beautiful Show can-do attitude and American banner themes, signed show posters with personalities and bands, etc.

+ income from making a reality show or selling broadcast rights to the show events and performances, clips, etc.

Unknown (revenues)

**

Venue Rental – Javits Center Special Events Theater – 3.200 seats
(not necessarily an accurate figure – may be hovering around $500,000 or more)

$150,000 (cost)

not small sized and neither massive – the America the Beautiful Show held in a smaller place wouldn’t get enough advertisers and sponsors for it to make any money. In a massive stadium sized venue, it would increase the scale of security, insurance, costs and the logistics of making packets of info – impossible and too costly.

**

Ticket Vendor Costs -
@ 25% – 40% of ticket value?

**

Personnel for producing the actual show -
50 employees or subcontractors – including required stage hands, lighting, sound, contractors, etc. that might be needed to put on the show -
@ $65 / hour average

$3,250 per hour worked +/-
times 4 days events (and possibly one day on either side for a total of 6)
(to cover 7 am through 1 am +/-)

18 hours / day x 4
72 – 80 hours total (for 6 days including set-up and break-down  =  108 hours)

$234,000 – $260,000 / 50 employees or subcontractors (@ $65 / hour average)

$351,000 per 108 hours @ the same rate (this number is probably too low) – (cost)

***

Advertising Costs -
one half page NY Times ad – 63 column inch rate times $1,727 (Sunday) unit rate
back page business section – add $8,900

tv commercials?
news segments?
touring show>
live tv event of shows?
make film or tv show from the whole thing, building the event – etc. – all the way through
subway placards
Times Square billboards
tv news and talk shows, am news shows, radio talk shows
magazine articles – including The New Yorker, and Vogue
blogs

make all New York building tops look like part of one single US flag as seen from above in airplanes and photos of it

largest American flag draped down the side of an entire sky scraper in New York with America the Beautiful Show banner on the side

The Statue of Liberty made of clear acrylic with a turquoise tone perched here and there around the city above traffic – from building balconies – on street store awnings – standing in architectural building elements – sitting on building tops looking down on the city – in different poses but in every other way – the Statue of Liberty lady

also – The Statue of Liberty done by any artist that wants to do it three-dimensionally in fine pottery 6 feet tall to stand in the city, in fine woodworking to sit on a park bench, in cast bronze or metalwork lifesize – to regular people size to stand near the Javits Center or elsewhere, have the sculptures made of all kinds of different things by individual artists with the sculptures showing up around the city and in lobbies of well-known places like Central Park and Union Station unexpectedly.

Note – There was an artist who did 3-dimensional sculptures of people using clear cellophane tape and then they were placed on top of the overhanging traffic light struts, from balconies – all over the place. The Statue of Liberty lady could show up everywhere – even seated in the subway train – created in ceramic or pottery with wild salt glazes of turquoise and white but in every other way – ready to talk to the commuters with eyes sparkling, torch and tablet.

(costs)

**

Other Equipment Rental -

Unknown (cost)

**

Public Relations Costs -
@ the contracted rate for hiring a firm to do this work for the America the Beautiful Show, for its business and for the events

Cost of printing two foot wide banners the length of building (or Javits Center or skyscraper or Empire State Building) with American Flag them to place on all four corners of a building for a part of public relations for Show

Unknown (cost) – may be unnecessary if the team can accomplish this

**

Costs of External Companion Events Sponsored by the America the Beautiful Show exclusively

after show party

cost of a flag large enough to drape down the entire side of a skyscraper

massive toga party in Central Park

(costs)

**

Sales Team Costs - if a sales team is used for interacting with sponsors and advertisers

**

Accountant for the Show and Business Team activities -

Attorney to draw up documents and file any necessary permits and legal entity registrations for the America the Beautiful Show team

(costs)

**

Taxes, permit fees, business licenses, LLC registration or incorporation fees, etc.

Sales force commissions

(costs)

(see below for info about Javits Center and NYC businesses)

***

About New York – and the number of businesses in New York City

The economy of New York City is the biggest regional economy in the United States and the second largest city economy in the world after Tokyo.[1] Anchored by Wall Street, in Lower Manhattan, New York City is the financial capital of the world[2][3][4][5][6][7][8] and is home to the New York Stock Exchange, the world’s largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies. New York is distinctive for its high concentrations of advanced service sector firms in fields such as law, accountancy, banking and management consultancy.[9]

The financial, insurance, health care, and real estate industries form the basis of New York’s economy. The city is also the most important center for mass media, journalism and publishing in the United States, and is the preeminent arts center in the country. Creative industries such as new media, advertising, fashion, design and architecture account for a growing share of employment, with New York City possessing a strong competitive advantage in these industries.[10] Manufacturing, although declining, remains consequential.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_New_York_City

In 2005 there were 602 stand-alone headquarter operations for major companies in the city.[30] Many international corporations are headquartered in the city, including more Fortune 500 companies than any other city.

Plus all the businesses in the US and around the world that want to be seen by New York.

New York population — 18,976,457

According to nyc.gov and wikipedia.org

(from google search)

***

New York has 1,779,932 small businesses, according to the most current federal data available.

These small business statistics for New York do not include all self-employed individuals working in New York. According to the latest Federal data, the number of self-employed persons in New York (including incorporated companies that file via Schedule C) was 930,238.

http://www.gaebler.com/Number-of-Small-Businesss-in-New-York.htm

***

http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/profiles/

The Office of Advocacy’s Small Business Profiles for the States and Territories supply data on small businesses in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The publication also provides national-level data and limited data on the U.S. territories. The usefulness of the publication is the great detail it provides about small businesses at the state level. The following topics are covered: the number of firms, demographics of business ownership, small business income, banking, business turnover, industry composition, and employment gains and losses by size of business. Detailed historical data may be found in the Small Business Economy.

***

About Javits Center -

http://www.javitscenter.com/images/file/JavitsCatalog2009.pdf

and -

http://www.javitscenter.com/

***

My Note -

A little while ago today, I made a twenty-seven minute video of me working on these details a bit and talking with the camera as I went along. It took awhile to get it divided into three parts and I’m uploading it to the America The Beautiful Show YouTube site right now. I’m not sure if it will be viewable or not. Mostly, it shows the things found on this post during part of the time that I was working on them.

If it doesn’t work to be viewable, I’ll figure out something else. The exact numbers for costs can be corrected from where they are roughly guesstimated above.

- cricketdiane

The first part – (of twenty-seven minutes total)

part two (of three) – video created 09-25-10

part three

***

Information to give away at the America the Beautiful Show events – info needed to survive unemployment and economic distress -

Posted by cricketdiane on

After hearing an ad on the tele the other day with the question, “tell us what you do” – I thought for a couple days about that and how to make a simple sentence that could explain what I’ve been working on for most of my life and explain what I do. So this is it -

“I am an information specialist with a focus on solutions.” – cricketdiane

Now, that just sounds like bull, but actually it does describe it accurately. With the blog I’ve done that and in person I’ve been doing that since the time I was no more than a little kid trying to learn things. But, the point of learning all these things has been specifically to find and develop solutions generally. And, that I’ve become expert in doing to some extent.

However, the main emphasis that I have right this minute is to continue the development of materials for the America the Beautiful Show website and events projects using the information that I’ve acquired from living in America throughout my adult life “without” – to help those who are finding themselves there now.

In this respect, today I made a list on 3×5 cards of things that would be helpful information to include in packages given out at the America the Beautiful Show events. These are the things that I’ve discovered over many years that would’ve been very helpful or necessary to know in order to survive not having a real job.

So, here is the list – (and then I’m going to put it on the website) -

The first three things are the most critical that I learned which were absolutely required -

1. It doesn’t matter if you have a job or money – you’re still worthwhile and your life is valuable – who you are is important with or without money.

2. It may take a long time to do this – that is okay but it can be very frustrating. Talk to somebody, talk to anybody or write about it and get it out of your system.

3. If you were rich and had everything money could buy – what would you want to include in every day? Go ahead and do those things now. Gardening? Meeting new people? Getting out to see the world? Hobbies? Charity work? Writing a novel? Creating new music? Building something? Inventing something to change the world for the better? Singing? Making videos or becoming a tv personality? Go ahead and do it.

****

The main list of things that would be helpful information to give away at the America the Beautiful Shows -

1. Spend an hour a day learning – and online learning resources, open courseware online from universities, webinars and information rich learning possibilities list – community and online

2. List of public access computers and internet – libraries, work  centers, workforce incentive centers, cybernet cafes, schools, adult education and community centers computer labs available for public access – addresses, contact info and times available

3. List of libraries, times, resources there, loan time for materials, library phone numbers and online addresses for renewal and for reference / research – about community meeting rooms and public notice bulletin boards, special programs, reference – ask a question phone number for the refdesk librarian, Friends of the Library program, kids and family programs, library computers and make it an every other week event to have library day for your family

4. Labor Department, workforce incentive locations, Dress for Success programs, build a resume workshops, temp employment agencies in the area, Labor Department programs, training and testing, phone numbers, dates for programs – map to get there ( for all of the above)

5. SBA, SCORE, Startup resources for small businesses, bank, financial companies, mortgage companies, realty companies and Chamber of Commerce phone numbers, locations, explanation of help available at these – classes, workshops, information, resources and how to access – phone? online? Also special seminars, workshops, public info resources being made available in the immediate future at those locations. There are explanations of mortgage classes available, buying a house info sessions, business brokers offering seminars, economic development groups offering classes and seminars for starting businesses, financial education efforts being made through banks and the Treasury Department locations, etc.

6. Convention centers and trade centers nearby with schedule list of coming events with times and map to get there (same for fairgrounds and business centers like Galleria) – where to find the online addresses for event schedules and where to purchase admission for events, where to find vendor and booth fees and participation info for events held there.

7. About shoes, weather, clothing, using cable / internet resources, weather channel info, about coats, heat stroke, warmth for winter, new thermal lightweight clothing, how to carry clothes separately when going to a job interview or business presentation when walking and taking the bus instead of driving, ride share / carpool resources locally; info about telecommuting and flex-time work possibilities to ask employers and potential employers about, telecommuting / teleconferencing tools and online resources, Skype and Cisco, etc. – cellphone comparison charts, including email, internet svc, text messaging, phone costs, where to buy a computer or software locally, how to ask an eight year old or an eighteen year old for help with computing, texting, emailing or archiving.

8. Computer how-to classes at computer stores, trade schools, tech schools, online, Geek Squads locations, adult ed and community center computer how to classes, dumb question phone numbers for computer stuff, where to find an online computer geek or tech help to ask a question, computer clubs locally where information can be asked about computers, business and resources to get trouble-shooting help / answers about computers and software. How to read an information specs about a computer as found in any computer store or advertisement – what it means in simple terms.

9. Motorcycle safety, defensive driving quick list of how to, check tire pressure for safety and better gas mileage info, repair it yourself places locally, electric cars info, natural gas cars / natural gas fueled trucks info, where to buy ethanol at local gas stations maps, natural gas fill-up stations locally for vehicles – golf cart and ATV dealerships, electric car and truck dealerships locally – local skate parks, skateboard parks, REI, Bassmasters, Sports Authority, rock climbing, swim centers & hiking trail / wildlife trail areas, bicycle shops and bicycle safety chart for riding with the traffic – shoes and clothing necessary for bikes as primary transportation

10. Natural gas safety before winter startup – Natural gas company can come out and check it – weatherproofing and insulation improvement help through stimulus funds, solar hot water and solar panel systems info to briefly understand how they work, where to purchase solar and wind powered electricity generating systems, how to finance, how to get them for local schools, churches and businesses, online info sources about generating power with solar and wind, about flexible solar materials and where to find those to purchase (online and locally)

11. About online bill paying, online banking, averaging payment plans for electricity and natural gas programs to make even payments throughout the year, water saving measures, indoor air quality info – how to choose a good air cleaner, what are hepa filters, how much air volume to move for what size space to clean the air in homes, offices, and small business suites, savings from bus / mass transit / subways / carpools chart – biking / motorcycles / cars chart visually comparing costs to use everyday, mpg = how much are you paying per mile based on the price per gallon based on  how many gallons per mile you are getting from your vehicle.

12. About credit, credit cards, how to understand the interest on credit purchases chart, how to access programs to work out or re-work mortgages, emergency help food banks and social net resources, anger management classes, free therapy resources, Families First and similar free and sliding scale therapy programs, career counseling and retraining services (labor department and at local colleges), diabetics clinics and nutrition / cooking classes, local gyms, swim centers, public parks and recreation department programs and contact information / schedules.

13. how to get a real estate license, how to get a business license, how to get a vendors’ permit, how to rent kiosks at malls, how to get a booth in art shows, festivals, trade shows, at 5K runs and other events, where to find the contact info to ask if a resale or tax id number is required as a vendor, ask an IRS question phone numbers, how to find the certified public accountant organization locally to find a certified accountant for business help on the financial bookkeeping  and to understand the kinds of information that will need to be tracked for a specific business and its taxes.

14. how to look up patents online, online addresses for the patent office and for trademarks, access to the Secretary of State office info online to register a corporation or to get professional licenses that are required – with the online address and phone numbers, physical address and map to location, where to find copyright office online and simple explanation of the difference between copyright, trademark, patent and State registration of business elements, WIPO information, costs of a provisional patent and patent fees generally chart, list of patent and corporate attorneys particular to small and startup businesses locally, patent process generally explained in overview, and an explanation of why to get an attorney’s help to draw up legally binding deals in business or in sales of things for royalties, such as creative works, designs, patents, copyrights, writings, music, inventions, product designs, etc.

15. List of dance locations, square dance, “folk dance” public dance events, public dance studios and classes, parents without partners clubs and phone numbers, bridge and canasta clubs, karaoke and open mike nights at clubs around the area, comedy clubs with open mike nights there, public calls list for choirs, actors, musicians – where to find locally, where to find online; Sunshine Directory of arts festivals, online calendars of events and convention / trade shows ahead of time in order to be in them as exhibitor or vendor, Comic Cons, independent film calls and festivals / film groups, role-playing groups locally, public broadcasting classes, Anime and Manga groups / conventions, finding local historical re-enactment groups online, Chess Clubs, Co-ed sports, car rallies, autocross, car shows and local car club contacts, local garden clubs, sales and business networking groups, Toastmasters, how to find local groups and activities – where they are listed in the community and online – where to call and ask, musician resources and local bulletin boards with musician info and trading – online and in physical locations around the immediate area, – how to find local groups of various kinds information online. Simple information about using search engines online effectively.

16. Local writers’ groups, literacy classes, GED classes, MENSA, local language resources, French, Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese, Japanese, Swedish, Portuguese, Latin, etc. – translators services, classes, online resources for language, library and college libraries’ how-to language check out materials, language clubs and local language labs available to the public, writing clubs and workshops – online and in person locally, business and technical writing workshops, proposals and presentations workshops, National Endowment for the Arts and nonprofits’ grant-making / grant-writing workshops dates and info, explanation of how to make a non-profit (brief overview about registration with IRS and needing a business license for it just as for a profit-making business), Rosetta Stone and how to use language resources for translations online, on the computer – brief overview of how to use “read it to you” and verbal input / language translation software found on most computers and internet addresses for online language translating and training in languages

17. Common sense safety – awareness of surroundings, park and walk where it is well traveled and well-lighted, etc.; home safety list and emergency kit handy make it yourself list, where to call Ask-a-Nurse / Poison Control Center phone numbers locally, list of local hospitals with emergency rooms and doc in a box locations – list of things to bring with you to social service / to doctors’ offices generally / to the emergency room / to have handy in case an emergency requires fleeing your home, common sense car safety and create an emergency plan info for your family – carry card to fill out with emergency contact phone numbers and email addresses just in case to have in the car or wallet or purse and in children’s backpacks (and especially to incorporate in something carried by young adults and teens).

18. gun safety and hunter safety courses schedule in the local area with locations and contact phone numbers, gun ranges locally, paintball ranges, laser tag locations, gun and survivalist / army surplus store locations, motorcycle dealerships, atv safety info and driving classes locally, how to get water from thin air by condensation in an emergency situation / purifying water in an emergency easy how to, hiking tools, about shoes for walking (how to select them for everyday hiking to the grocery store on sidewalks and cluttered overgrown road shoulders), how to select shoes for biking to work, “don’t buy what you can’t zip yourself or can’t walk a mile in comfortably” list; info on how to carry groceries, cellphone, mp3 player, all home at the same time notes and about using backpacks, rolling backpacks, rolling frame grocery carts that fold up, using baggage cart frames to carry groceries, rolling icechests, carrying groceries in rolling luggage, – selecting umbrellas and about sunshine, uv protection and all-weather wear for walking in the real world conditions of city and suburban streets to get things done.

19. Networking, social networking and community networking, online networking, creating the 30 second pitch notes how to, online create a business info, how to sell to the rest of the world, where to find info at the US Department of Commerce export help / VAT / taxes and tariff info, how to deal with auctions (online and in person) as buyer or as seller generally, where to find lists of local auctions, dates and times, phone contact numbers for them and online addresses, antique festivals, collectors’ auctions, finding powwows and bike rallies/ motorcyclist rallies and rides info online, where to find local clubs and organizations in the area online.

20. how to construct a video tour of where you live – what to include, video tutorials online and stop motion animation tutorials online, computer programming how to online, build your own computer info online, build your own website / online storefront info and hosts addresses online, WIX, Intuit, GoDaddy, Livestream, YouTube, Etsy, Ebay, etc.

21. Basix food prep safety, books you need – dictionary / business white pages phone book with the blue government pages in the back / basic cookbook to look up how to do things as needed; the agricultural extension office help, information and available resources – phone number, address and website address for the local and regional agricultural extension office, gardening info, master gardeners program locally and explanation of how houseplants make air better indoors, grow a green thing campaign to improve CO2 management in cities and suburbs; get a camera, make an ireport, weather channel viewer created content, current tv viewer created content and VCAMs,  places to put video materials online and in the community publicly, G4, viral videos, photography classes and tours locally, photography contests, national parks calls and contests for photos, selling photography, create a “how to” video for YouTube or as a product to sell, make math fun, science at home, chemistry is just cooking, invent something, create something, write something, – video journal what you create, problems needing to be solved, do something new, do what nourishes you (in order to keep going) at least once every week whether it is swimming or gardening or taking a walk in your neighborhood, enjoying a card game with friends or going out to a movie; add a drive, add a picnic, add a museum, add a trip to a planetarium or to a national park or history event.

- cricketdiane

***

Now, believe it or not – these are the things that are required to know how to find or access, if you don’t have a job, find yourself unemployed, end up unemployed for any length of time past getting an unemployment check, lose your business, lose your home, and / or don’t have any money.

If you added all the other things that would be handy to know, the list really would be extensive. Six years ago, when I moved to the place where I live now, there was rarely anyone walking to go anywhere near here. In the last 3 – 4 years especially, that has changed dramatically and it is common to see many people walking to get their groceries, to go get on the bus, or to go to any number of stores and restaurants within a two mile radius including the local Wal-Mart store. There are more bicycle riders, more skateboarders using the parking lots at night, more people walking for necessity or for pleasure and exercise, more people walking as a family or a couple, more runners and joggers, more motorcyclists and more people who carry their packages home walking to get there after going shopping.

It changes the way you have to think about things to do it that way. It also changes the way you have to do things, when to go on the bus for a job interview or business presentation requires a two-hour trip on the bus to get there (even to somewhere close by) and some measure of walking to get to the bus and from the bus to the door of the location. That makes it different and dress high heels, just don’t get it. The heat can destroy even the nicest clothing, well-pressed and wrinkle free upon setting out. The cold can bring a wind chill with even the slightest wind on a cool day that would never be recognized in a car. It means that the way things are carried there or home is different, too. A large portfolio isn’t even acceptable on many bus systems. Some bus systems have bicycle racks on the front, but some do not. And, adjustments have to be made in how money for a taxi is prioritized against possibly not having any money all week or for the next two weeks because of doing it.

Those are only a few examples of the kinds of information people need right now or will be needing in the immediate future as the economic crisis and large numbers of people being unemployed continues unabated. My idea is that much of this information could be gathered and given out at the events for the America the Beautiful Show as a giveaway package for every member of the audiences, to every sponsoring organizations members, to every show participant and at the same time construct and host a show with entertainment for people to enjoy. Then, at the very least everyone would have access to the same information and resources that are now necessary for survival and for rebuilding the economy from the ground up in communities across America. The above list contains the tools that are required for people to reconstruct their own economic well-being and financial opportunities, as well as to have some helpful information that it can be devastatingly expensive to not have.

I’m going to place this information on the America the Beautiful Show website and then try to get it updated today. I made a quickie video of working on the list in the first place, but it is very raw footage and as much as it was intended to get added to the YouTube site for the project, I don’t know if I can live with the way it looks or that I have the courage to upload it as it is. Since I don’t have any editing software for it – either the clip goes as is or not at all. So, I don’t know. Maybe . . .

- cricketdiane

***

Quickie note – you may have wondered why I put gun and hunter safety on the list along with the locations of gun / shooting / target ranges found locally – well, sooner or later, everybody thinks getting a gun will solve problems and shooting yourself in the foot is very expensive when you don’t have any money. It is better to know how to use the durn thing, understand its devastating power with some respected professionals helping you to handle it and then go shoot at the target range when you feel like shooting something.

It is stupid to say, just don’t go get a gun or to pretend that poor people who are out of work don’t have access to them and should be discouraged from that avenue. The fact is, if people have the other resources available to them which work, they won’t have near as much need to go around shooting up anything. But, that is only the case when they realize that all of it is available to them to use if the need arises. In the countryside, there were many years when the things that were hunted, including squirrel, rabbit and deer fed our family – not when I was growing up, but after becoming an adult woman with husband and children.

And, I do know that when possibilities for viable solutions exist that can be worked on, worked towards, worked with and some evidence found that it can work – the despair goes away. The anger and bitterness becomes less and less. The feelings of isolation, loneliness and worthlessness disappear. All of those feelings are a natural consequence of grieving the loss of a job, the worries about money or the lack thereof, long term unemployment, filling out hundreds of job applications to get nothing and not one job, of losing a home to foreclosure or of having to declare bankruptcy and close a business that has taken years to build. But, those same feelings also go away and resolve naturally when positive efforts are being made to right the ship, so to speak – financially rebuilding, fitting into the community in other ways, making new relationships and opportunities, building a new lifestyle in positive ways and not continuing down dead ends like spending the next fifteen years filling out online job applications that don’t yield a job.

***

http://www.americathebeautifulshow.com/index_files/AmericatheBeautifulShow37.htm

http://www.americathebeautifulshow.com/index_files/AmericatheBeautifulShow38.htm

Well, I put the article written here (list) on one page of the website – maybe it was on 25 – or 24 . . . . I think it was maybe on 24. But you can read it here anyway – so there’s no point worrying about it. It might do better as more of a list style for the website, though – in order to be easily usable.

I’ll have to fiddle with it some more tomorrow. I’ve just about had all the fun I can stand for one day.

- cricketdiane

****

Making a business out of something or creating your own job

Posted by cricketdiane on

Other ways to get money or create your own job or company -

I’ve been thinking about all those jobs that I’ve seen for people to analyze derivatives and other financial products like CDOs and mortgage-backed securities, bonds and other commercial paper.

And, the financial crimes units of the FBI, Treasury Department, Secretary of State’s office, and State offices of the same things, the SEC and whoever else is keeping up with all that would also have job openings for those that could trail those things. However, I have seen pictures of a couple people here and there who’ve appeared on the news in the last three years that have been doing those jobs and it doesn’t look like it favored their well-being. They had a genuine moon tan with such a stressed-out, sleep deprived blue tone that I wouldn’t guess the work or work environments were good.

Anything that could sell to banks, bankers or financial companies would likely make a business that could succeed since they have all our money. That, I’ve noticed anyway. There has to be software needs they have which haven’t been satisfied yet.

The best of what I’ve learned about business came from my children. With three dollars from their pooled allowance, two of them took candy bought in a large package of snack sized candy bars and sold at school one day for 50 cents per candybar. Their profits were something around a thousand percent. They had a very captive audience who wanted little else during the school day than a fifty cent candy bar. They sold them faster than they had expected and were ready to go back to school the next day with several bags when it was discovered what they were doing.

Unfortunately, schools frown on students bringing candy to school to sell. It isn’t the fact that it is candy. It is, (and was) the fact that it is against the rules for students to sell anything at school unless the school has made arrangements for them to sell it, such as the ticket books of buy one, get one restaurant dinners and greeting cards and booster cushions and $5 candy bars, or whatever else the school has been conned into selling to raise money. It seemed to me that my children had the right idea. They wanted more money. They knew what the other students wanted most. They sold it to them for a price that was reasonable to them, even though 50 cents for a snack sized candy bar made it possible to make a profit, the other kids were seeking them out to get one. That seems right to me.

There was a story on CNN yesterday about an elementary school that is teaching business and money things to their students (even first graders.) It makes sense. There are only about two things that every single student is definitely going to end up doing in their lifetimes one way or another – and one of those is parenting (even if it is no more than dealing with other people’s children) and the other is making money in some way. Everyone definitely needs to know how to do those things effectively. It does require math and science, among other things. But, our nation has changed from a need to understand how many bushels end up in a truck bed to having a need to know how to use the computer effectively for any job that could possibly be available. And, it helps to know how to balance a checkbook.

The needs that are still unmet are everywhere. As I watched the story about air quality in Paris the other day, it concerns me that there is all kinds of money to study, research, monitor and analyze air quality but little money sits available for implementing solutions. There are concrete products and paints now that are capable of neutralizing air pollution, but it is little used anywhere. The money to do that simply isn’t there. But, studying the air pollution for the fiftieth year in city after city, country after country even now can continue to provide proof day in and day out that the air quality sucks damn near everywhere. And, it is getting worse rather than better.

Where are solutions to that? When there are solutions that have been developed, who takes those into a manufacturing business and gets them implemented in those same communities where the air quality is known to be such a chemical stew? When do the funds get placed for implementing the solutions that have been found to these known problems across the US? I repeated a story in my last post about the man who engineered his car to get over 100 miles per gallon. This is the second record setting he had made with it for mpg. So, why don’t all our cars get that? Why can’t we do that? Would that be so hard?

I don’t have a car. But, if I were to have a car, it would be nice to have one that doesn’t get the air quality worse than it already is and has a hundred miles or more coming out of every gallon of gasoline or diesel fuel used in it, if that is the kind of fuel it is using.

After going over to the CNN site to try and find that story about the children learning business in elementary school, I remembered something about air quality and politics that could make probably a ton of money. Everytime I’ve turned on the tv, it is covered over in gossip about the political races. That must be the best money right there. To pass around the gossip about the politics about fourteen more times, probably has money in it. Personally, I don’t like it, but apparently there are vast numbers of people who do like it and want every juicy detail they can get. And, I still think somebody ought to get on the other side of the table with Rush Limbaugh and just fuss. That would be a good show, if they could hold their own with him at all. I’d probably not waste time listening to it, but a lot of people would love hearing it.

There ought to be better ways to make money than I posted the other day, but not one comes to mind. I had made a list earlier today, but really the only things on it are the derivatives analysis, financial crimes division jobs or subcontracting them as a business, DA’s offices which are covered over in paperwork since every misdemeanor for spitting on the sidewalk is being pursued probably need help and making a business out of building toilets made of gold for bankers are about it. Software and apps store stuff is still selling, much of which can be built at home on any computer with a bit of patience and putting up with tedium. There are tons of blogs with ads covering them which must be making a ton of money and tv ads for things that would only continue running if they were making money.

As much as everything looks like only 9% of the jobs lost in our economy have been put back into place (as someone said on a news story yesterday), the fact is, either the financial analysts and some economists are lying again or the Recession ended last summer as they’ve insisted. And considering that only 9% of the jobs have been put back in place – I’d say they’re either lying or grossly mistaken and I’m not sure which it is. The other fact is, we live in a consumer-driven economy. That hasn’t changed but the wherewithal for consumers to use for driving the economy certainly has changed for the worse. It was only going to be a matter of time before that part showed how damaging it would be.

The other day, I was figuring up how long 99 weeks of unemployment would be if a person had been laid off in Spring or Fall of 2008. And, those lay-offs continued through 2009, so those 99 weeks for some people would continue well into next year. But, at whatever rate a person’s unemployment checks would cover of their original paycheck, and not having to pay for daycare or after school care for their children, the savings in transportation costs and not having to eat out for lunch everyday – maybe families (provided that at least one spouse is working full time and the other drawing unemployment for 99 weeks) wouldn’t even have noticed there is a real problem yet. My guess would be about three months after the unemployment checks have stopped and there still not being any jobs – people would notice something is very wrong. Just a guess. (which would be about now sometime.)

Oh yeah, that reminds me – looking at the CNN site again for the elementary school kids learning business story / video – that there have been a number of stories about US cities buying cameras for trains, buses, city streets, city and government buildings, etc. – again they are on another buying spree of goodies from the Homeland Security menus. If anyone starts a business in selling those cameras to them – or gets a job in the sales force of those companies with those cameras and software – they’ll make money right now. And, making a place for people to advertise for the adult stuff that was just taken off Craigslist – unfortunately will make a bunch of money for some enterprising somebody.

I still say that if prostitution, illegal drugs and credit default swaps were included in the GDP and taxed at 30% like everybody else is having to pay – there wouldn’t be a national deficit nor a revenues problem in the states’ coffers and that of the federal government. It is a fact. There is something like $600 Trillion dollars of credit default swaps in the world, no telling how much of that in the US or generated from the US. That is, Trillion with a ” T “. Not only are there premiums being paid on them which aren’t taxed with sales tax or anything else, but there are financial products being made which are not being subjected to the same taxes that anything else would be and all that money changing hands which is never touched by the taxman.

Hmmm……

Now, that’s just wrong. And, those people involved with creating the exotic credit derivatives and funky financial products are generally the same ones claiming that the deficit should be fixed. Okay – let’s fix it. Tax every credit derivative that is created for 30% of its value and put a tax on every premium being paid for it the same way that taxes are paid on every other property, product, sale, service, car, truck, horse and anything else that moves.

Place a tax on every sale of sexual service made and on every bag of dope sold from marijuana to cocaine and there won’t be a federal deficit anymore. Our nation doesn’t include most of the products that are being sold day in and day out by the hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions per hour – by excluding financial products, prostitution services and recreational drugs from the equation. But, they are the only ones doing business on a daily basis – in fact, many times per hour. Leave it to Wall Street, and what do you get?

They want to fix it – let’s fix it.

There is not one reason in the world to require the rest of the nation to suffer any longer from the perversions and excesses of the egomaniacs at the top with their unfettered greed, sidestepping the tax bills the rest of us endure, providing not one thing to the collective good where they’ve harvested every last dime they have. And, when it is time to hire – they want to hire from somewhere else in the world where they can pay nothing or nearly nothing to get the same job done as any of us could do. They’ve hoarded their money and power long enough and to the detriment of us all.

Not one of them has worked any harder than I have or you have or anyone else has and most of them, have done the least of any human being I’ve ever met in my life. And, they’ve done the least good with it while they’ve had it of any human group since the Lucretia Borgia set was running things. If the tax write-offs hadn’t been available or some intrinsic power to be had with it, these same power-mongering, money-hungry bastards wouldn’t have ever given one single dollar to any charitable cause whatsoever. In fact, they are insatiable. There will never be enough for them to be satisfied. May as well tax their ill-conceived perversions while they’ve still got the money they cheated our nation to get.

Yes, that’s so harsh. But it is true. When they leveraged our companies to pay themselves ridiculous salaries and exorbitant bonuses, they cheated us. These weren’t the men who built these companies. They just robbed them and then robbed us. They robbed pension plans. They robbed company resources, assets and future earnings – and then had us bail them out while saying we all caused it. . . . fuck that.

***

Can you imagine how much money the state of Georgia could raise if they taxed every single pill of Ecstasy that is being sold on any given day in this state? There wouldn’t be a budget shortfall – in fact, I would bet this state would have a budget surplus in a very short period of time at the rate these one single kind of pills are being bought, sold, distributed, re-sold and finally purchased by somebody that is up to no good and doesn’t really need it to be giving to any woman anywhere anyway. At colleges and universities alone, our state would make up its deficit before the football season is over if every pill of Ecstasy were taxed. For what is sold at Harvard, there would probably be enough money in taxes on it to pay off the next two years of the Federal deficit, for that matter.

See, what I don’t get is – why would we tax tires but not tax illegal drugs that everybody is buying on a daily basis across this country? It doesn’t make sense.

Why do I have to buy a business license to sell three pieces of art at an art show for a day, when there are business men making credit default swaps for millions of dollars in premiums and valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars who don’t have to have a license to do that, or pay sales tax on it or any damn thing else? Why is that? What makes sense about that? And, I’m the reason our nation is in trouble?

They don’t even have an inventory tax the way other businesses do that manufacture things out of thin air. They get to create some complex financial instrument that is worth millions of dollars without ever paying one dime to the government for creating it, manipulating it, selling it, maneuvering it, trading it, re-selling it, profiting from it, borrowing against it, receiving money from it quarterly as premiums are paid, and when it loses money, the taxpayers’ treasury is covering those losses. What kind of shit is that when I have to and you have to – go down and get a business license and a permit to even sell shoelaces on the corner or in a festival or at a storefront? How is that right when our nation is bankrupt and every state budget has been cut to the bone from revenue losses?

Honestly, hedge fund managers that have made over a billion dollars last year, got to pay 17% for their income taxes by maneuvering. How does that fix anything? Obviously, they haven’t and their friends up there at the top with them haven’t put money into the businesses of our national economy coming back around or it would be back around already.

In fact, these same people as investors in any business, won’t put their money into it unless they can be damn well guaranteed to get 3- 5 times their original investment back out of it within two to three years. Most businesses don’t even break even by the three year mark – but these guys have to have their money back times 3 or times 5 before the business can even get some standing in the marketplace. That isn’t investment in the future earning of America. That is some barbaric game of gouging the businesses and start-ups in the same way that traditional loan sharks would do to individuals during years of racketeering and crime.

I actually didn’t know those things until looking at some of the solar businesses and business startups in the raw materials used in solar cells and solar panels. It seemed odd that so many of them would go bankrupt two years out from their start until I noticed in a news story about the investors pulling their money out right at the same time. Then, I was on a site about venture capitalists, seed capital and angel investors where the national associations have their membership and information.

Across several of these places, there was information about what investors wanted back out of the deal for putting their money into it and at what point they expected an “exit strategy”. Although none of these sources that I read, including some business magazines’ information about it – called the return on those investments a loan interest of 30% – 50% for the borrower, that is still what it would be if the investors expect a return of 3 – 5 times the amount they put in to be returned to them 2-3 years later. From the assets of the business that has not gained its full market share, that would be devastating and apparently, it cuts a path straight to the bankruptcy courts all over the US and the world every single day for these businesses. That isn’t funny and it isn’t okay. It also isn’t making any real foundation for any national economy.

Nor is that manner of using money, creating anything but failure, bankruptcy, short-sighted economic wastelands and desperate unemployment where there could have been prosperity and opportunities for many. But those investors, hedge fund managers, and brokers made out okay doing it that way – they are doing it that way even today – so what if a tidal electricity generating project is made bankrupt by it and companies bankrupted by it that manufacture the raw materials to make solar panels economically feasible and accessible in the marketplace?

So what if its destroyed America’s competitiveness in the world marketplace and taken away our ability to successfully innovate, invent or create viable companies. That isn’t going to matter to the people who are lining their pockets with the money, that are buying our legislators and politicians with their lobbyists and campaign donations, and who are regularly sidestepping our tax laws with every trick in the book despite having hundreds of millions, even billions of dollars. They are the only ones that can afford to buy solar panels right now as it is – but they are proud of the amount of gasoline their cars use and the bragging rights to how much electricity they can use in their massive homes and offices where only one person lives. So what if they pay less than minimum wage to their landscapers, house servants, maids, chauffeurs, cooks, yacht crew members, stable hands and gardeners because they are illegal immigrants?

That’s the American dream, right?

Well, I might as well rant about it and get it out of my system . . .

Between the short selling against stocks with nothing put up on the deal in the first place, the gossiping every little tidbit of financial insider opinion and calling it “the news” and the buying of the ratings agencies that are supposed to be basing their evaluations on objective criterion to the use of investment capital to raid a company of its earnings and its opportunities to succeed in the marketplace (in fairly short order) – I think there are vast problems with the economic foundations of our nation regardless of what the economists and financial “experts” are saying.

And, these things are not going to get fixed by anything they’ve done so far, in Washington or London or in the European Union or in Germany or anywhere else for that matter. Japan is reeling from it. Greece, Portugal, Spain and Ireland are reeling from it. The US is still reeling from it. The England I’ve read about is still undermined because of Wall Street, and its “players” and the bankers and the financial “wizards” doing things this way – and so are the rest of the economies in the world who are almost all, still being impacted in negative ways by the Wall Street investment community money games-playing bullshit.

We’ve got commercial properties sitting on the books and being leveraged against, for values that might have been true three years ago – but not even close to accurate for the market values of the last two years. And, if they had to sell those properties today or next week or even next year, those values wouldn’t even satisfy a third of the notes against them for the most part and certainly wouldn’t get the full value as it appears on the books nor even the value on the loan papers when the loans were made. Half or more of the residential real estate in the United States costs more than most people could make to pay for it and many of those properties sit vacant without buyers in communities utterly destroyed by financial games that have been played with them in the investment and finance community.

The foreclosure process has even made money for some of those people holding the mortgage-backed securities and credit default swaps against them while people are losing their homes, their livelihoods, their children’s schools, their churches, their communities and the equity they had put into every hard earned cent and effort of it. How is that okay? How is any part of that right? And, then I heard the real estate roundtable folks in Washington discussing in an interview a few months ago, that they just need to find foreign investors and families from elsewhere to come buy these houses that are supposed to be our homes. We’ve invested in these communities. We’ve paid taxes. We’ve worked to make our lives and our families successful here. We’ve spent time and effort in doing it and in being good citizens and decent neighbors and decent human beings and good Americans. How dare they sell the very shelters available for our citizens to have a place to live out from under anyone in our country owning them?

I don’t think that the people in Wall Street, or in the investment and finance community get up in the morning and say, let’s see who we can screw today. But, after watching the Enron story several times, maybe they do. Maybe they get off on it. But, I also can see that they don’t know what to do to fix it, even if they see there is something wrong with the way things are being done now. In a normal market economy of supply and demand, the house prices would’ve gone down to reflect the amount of wages available to pay for those homes. In a normal market economy, when the marketplace values fell for commercial real estate, those values indicating an oversupply of commercial and office space in the marketplace, would have gone down. The wages for employees in companies doing well would have increased across the board rather than getting rid of everyone that was doing a good job to hire someone with less experience, less education, less ability to get up to speed because of just walking in the door and less able to do the job as well as the one that was let go – simply to cut costs and put those funds into the pockets of those at the top.

In a normal market economy of supply and demand, investors would put their feet down into a company and put in roots for the long haul of fifty or a hundred years – not two or three – with income generating from it for a long, long, long period of time for themselves and everyone in it. In a normal market economy, companies would not be able to leverage their assets against buying open stocks, buying into hedge funds, buying bonds and default swaps or any other freaky financial procurement strategy to cover losses that are going out the front door when sales are slim. They would have to meet the marketplace with genuine innovation instead.

That builds lasting companies. Treating employees as a strong tangible asset with an investment and loyalty to them over a long period of time, costs far less than trading in the well-seasoned and capable for those walking in the door with no idea of what works and what doesn’t, just to save a few thousand dollars over the next six months. Executives that are getting all the money from the companies’ revenues and even shareholders doing that, are robbing the companies’ employees of the natural sequence of being well-rewarded for loyalty to the company and a job well done. It is no wonder that our companies failed and our communities lay in waste.

Perhaps it is like I watched on the Apprentice the other day in their season opening segment – that everyone is expected to be operating as cut-throats against one another in order to win – even while calling it “working as a team.” Maybe to be on the Donald Trump show, as much as I like him and admire the businesses he has built, means not to learn any more than how to be a candidate for Jerry Springer or tear down everyone around you. But, maybe that is how business in corporate America and Wall Street is. Maybe they expect that everyone else is doing it that way too – or should be doing it that way, if they’re not. So far, the only thing I’ve learned from the Donald Trump Apprentice show is how shitty people can be to one another.

Oh, wait – no, I already knew that. I have family that is like that – and a few neighbors that have been that way, and had friends like that – and I don’t waste my time around them anymore because it is an absolute waste. It isn’t interesting or entertaining and certainly didn’t teach me about business, or success or accomplishing something amazing nor was it anything enjoyable. Was the lesson supposed to be, how to work as a team when everyone on the team is slitting each others’ throats and intentionally thwarting the efforts of the team in order to make someone else look bad? Is that how it is in corporate America today? Is that why our companies can’t function as well as they might, because they are an internal war zone of people vying for each other’s throats? And that is acceptable?

So, our society is teaching poor people (and women) how to be assertive and teaching business people in corporate America to be aggressive to the point of killing each other while our competitors in the real world are walking all over us? Yeah – good move. Whose plan was that?

- cricketdiane

***

After hundreds of online applications for jobs have been filled out and you need some money now – maybe . . . create your own job – maybe, something among these ideas will work or inspire –

Posted by cricketdiane on

My Note -

I was watching the news about the poverty rates and the higher than the national rate of unemployment in Georgia and watching a young woman on the 11 Alive News who said she had filled out over 100 online applications without getting a job. That is about what I’ve noticed, too as my daughters have done the same thing . . . From my own experience, they could keep filling out those applications for the next fifteen years and never get a job from it – so, I thought maybe some ways of deriving an income in other ways might make a good list of information to post on the America the Beautiful Show website and also here -

- cricketdiane

***

Billboards pay to rent the space where they stand. It is part of the costs of that business.
Relay towers for cellphones also do that. Satellite relay points do that, also. Once, where the sides of buildings were painted to say Coca-Cola or See Rock City – payments were made to those owners of the barns and properties to have them there. The utility companies pay for some right of ways and it is possible that renting space for housing servers at a location could be an income as well.

The one-of-a-kind dolls on Ebay are beyond making a few clothes for a Barbie doll. There are fashion size dolls, like Barbie that are repainted and clothed to look like anime and manga figures with the hairstyles and fashions appropriate to them. There are fantasy dolls, angels and fairies made to look like they could fly from your hand. Hand-poured porcelain dolls are made to look like real babies with hand-made clothing and hand-painted for collectors, too. A search on Ebay with the term OOAK will yield a good look at the market for these and the creativity that is going into them. They do sell very well for the people willing to go into making them.

This is one of my favorites – they are awesome – they listed on Ebay at one time – this is their site – click on any of the photos, absolutely amazing.

http://www.geocities.jp/crystal_castle_dolls/ooak.htm

http://www.geocities.jp/crystal_castle_dolls/sephiroth.htm

New options include creating security grates for commercial air conditioners to keep people from robbing the copper from them which is needed by every church, business, office building, and shopping center whose air conditioner sits on the ground near the buildings. One church in Atlanta had the copper stolen from its air conditioners three different times, each time after replacing the units that had been destroyed when thieves took it apart to get the copper from it.

About $1500 can be made at many art shows by doing face painting for the children and adults attending the show. Any of the vendors providing options for the family to do with their children or specifically for the children to enjoy generally end up making money. There are usually big bins with polished rocks by the handsful that attract children and adults alike to buy a few pretty rocks and booths with a quickie art project that can be done by children and adults for a couple dollars usually has more participants than any other vendors and goes home with money.

Prizes for certain contests of skill can provide immediate money from chess tournaments, backgammon and billiards tournaments, some open-mike comedy events, some of the gaming events for video and internet action games like Warcraft and some karoke contests. There are also ongoing championships for a variety of games, sports fantasy leagues and stock picking contests. There is, of course – bingo – but where one person wins each game, everyone else loses and it is not a good place to meet people since most participants are simply there to play bingo.

Once a lady told me about making a hundred t-shirts with some art and sayings using fabric crayons at home, renting a table for $40 at a run for GayPride downtown, and selling every single one of them in less than an hour. She charged $15 or more for each shirt, no two were alike, her original investment was in the t-shirts, dye crayons and vendors’ table. The designs were her own but appropriate to the event. There are many events which could apply to this.

Online, there are viral videos making money fairly immediately. And, viewer created ads that are requested by companies to advertise their products which pay from $5,000 to $60,000 to those chosen by the companies – VCAMS. There are some writing opportunities that are paid online and some blogging for magazines, news, companies or specialty subjects that want writers. The science specialties needs writers that can translate their world into one that the rest of us could understand using the work they are doing as the subject matter. And, there are regional newsletters, blog sites, news sites and magazines that are paying people to find info about areas, cities and subject matter to blog about them. Some want photos and some do not. The payments have to be arranged with each one separately but many of them have a request for writing and bloggers on their sites online.

http://current.com/participate/vcam/

There is a need for people to write the fantasy fiction stories that has had an open call with pay for a long time – online submissions of materials can be made, but characters in the story follow along certain lines, there are vampires in urban environments types of storylines desired and the components of romantic twists and longings to incorporate in them. Several book companies have posted online, the submission guidelines and payments they will make for these. Young authors and adult authors who can write in this style for their submission requirements can get an income from this within a few months, or sooner if the process is started before writing them.

Clip-art and photography are still widely sought, but not always for the pictures of the pretty mountains. Strangely enough, photos and clip-art of a variety of everyday things, interesting things, interesting designs, photos of people doing things (like cooking, cooking outside, camping, barbecuing, boating, skateboarding, shopping, doing things), line art of buildings and places, and line art of everyday items from clipboards to post-it notes, art for t-shirts, art for tattoos, art for coffee cups are still all desirable and money is paid for them. Finding the right place to pitch these designs and photos to will take some effort online, or with some phone calls, or by consulting the library’s copy of the art market or writers’ market books.

Many builders, developers, construction contractors and subcontractors, remodeling contractors, some realtors, some real estate investment teams employ right hand assistant. There are also many investors in real estate and some realty firms that will pay a finders’ fee to locate certain kinds of properties, both commercial and residential that give them the first opportunities to acquire it or interact with it. Some of these finders fees can be a percentage and some are a flat fee per deal, but they have to be arranged with the group before finding properties for them.

Collectors of some things will pay finders’ fees also, but they usually want to acquire a very specific list of items in certain conditions. Photos can be made of the items as they are located and sent by email or instant messenger for their approval before moving forward with the find to purchase it for them. Depending on the value and desirability of the items for their collections, it can be enough money to make it worthwhile and count as an income.

http://hubpages.com/hub/House-Finder–Property-Locator–and-Photographer

During the foreclosure process, after the sheriff has served the papers, someone has to come into the property, clean it out, clean it up and do something with the things that were abandoned there. In the last few years, this has become a source of business for many people in local communities, but there are so many homes and businesses in foreclosure (about 95,000 in August alone nationally) – that there is room to serve this need even more. The banks and mortgage companies typically are required to hire people to come in and take everything out and some have indicated on the news that keeping the pools clean, the backyards and lawns kept, making repairs and securing the properties as well as cleaning them out – are all having to be satisfied in some manner over a period of time until the property sells (which in many cases, hasn’t happened yet for homes sitting empty the last three years, and maybe for the next three.)

Clip books of articles pertaining to a business or subject matter, political party, industry, political policy or organizations’ focus have made book- making into a new art form for one companies’ product line and for the amount of information appearing online any given day, there are needs for this which are yet to be satisfied. The compiling of stories and information specific to an industry, business or political viewpoint is not necessarily done by staff and many companies hire or subcontract (outsource) that collection of information they want. Arrangements can be made with individual companies and organizations or a business started specifically to do the compiling of such information and then approach them as customers.

Although it is possible to sit by the tourist areas, the boardwalk or riverwalk, at the mall or in a central park during an event to draw caricatures, portraits or paint t-shirts, generally these require permits and sometimes a vendors’ license to do it. If there is a show or festival in progress, they usually have a fee required. If there is not a show in progress, the city usually has a fee and permit required provided that there are sales of those caricatures, portraits or whatever it might be. Some street musicians are also required to get permits before offering a public performance on a sidewalk, in a central city park or town square as well. The best money for doing music comes from either offering DJ services (but the equipment must be purchased or leased until it can be purchased and transported to the location), or putting together a band that can play local favorites very close to their original sound to play for parties, bars, danceclubs and festivals. Some people have made immediate money by playing the piano or guitar or saxophone at local assisted living centers once a week all over town, each on a schedule almost like a very localized tour playing old favorites and a list of “standards”.

Industrial photography is very competitive, however, businesses need good photos of their business, their employees working, their products, their locations, their activities and generally, photos they can use in the news and press releases. These are business everywhere from small to large. Where most large businesses have photographers on staff or a public relations and advertising firm that can do most of this work, the medium and small businesses rarely do and the outsourcing of these needs can be an immediate source of income by simply going to them and asking. It requires a notebook with clear pages each containing a photo or photo-album with photos of other businesses and business activities to show them.

One book of photos describing the remodeling projects done by a subcontractor was made available at local hardware stores and home improvement stores paint departments and there was
one photo book at those same locations that I’ve seen which described faux finish painting and trompe l’oeil painting finishes done by a local team of artists. When someone would ask about having someone do these finishes for their bathroom or foyer, the book of their work was right there to see. It may have attracted a lot of people to have the local artists come out to do it rather than doing it themselves.

Greeting card companies will pay for slogans and for art – some pay for both as one package from the same person and some pay for one or the other from different people. There was a man I knew some years ago, whose sole income was derived from writing the slogans and sayings for greeting cards who made $60,000 a year from doing only that. The companies have guidelines published online at their companies’ websites and most have papers to be signed before the submissions can be made to protect their interests. It is normally not an immediate source of money until its initial stages of submission and interaction have occurred which can take several months and sometimes, when they are flooded with submissions – can take several years, if ever. It is important to re-submit artwork, photos, slogans and card designs rather than accepting the auto-rejection letters and shelving the designs. Not for the faint of heart.

One man made arrangements to create postcards that would be sold in Florida beach tourist locations by doing the artwork and catchy cartoon style for them with interesting slogans and then making a deal with printers to produce them for a share in the profits from them. Then, he arranged for the stores to have them for sale and delivered them himself. The need for a large publishing house to say yes, was taken out of the equation. Another man I knew, took a photo of Saddam Hussein from the news, made line art out of it using Photoshop, placed a target over the face and xeroxed it – placed six in a bag and sold them at local convenience stores during the first Gulf War after Iraq had invaded Kuwait. He made about a dozen packages of six to begin with and placed them at a local convenience store that agreed to have them – they were sold out in less than two hours and called for more. He made immediate money from the sales and for about two weeks, they did very well. People have done the same thing online with t-shirt, hat, bumper stickers, posters and coffee cups using artwork, slogans or sayings that were popular at the moment from the Presidential election to the Tea Party movement and anti-BP statements after the oil spill debacle. Cafepress, art.com and deviantart allows one of a thing to be made and shipped to them.

http://www.magcloud.com/
Make your own actual magazine – cost per issue to have hard copy – around $10.00

http://www.cafepress.com/
Make unique t-shirts and gifts where they can be ordered one or more at a time – storefronts

http://www.deviantart.com/
Make single prints of your artwork and designs available for purchase – they deliver them as the purchase is made

Wireframe models, dimensional models of buildings, vehicles, cities and objects are still desired by and paid for – they are needed by many different businesses from architects to civil engineers, city planners, other engineering firms, industrial engineering and design firms, tech firms, and for policy makers to use selling the city elsewhere for businesses to locate or re-locate there. The models are generally very specific and detailed – although some are needed at different stages of construction.

http://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=navclient&gfns=1&q=wireframe+models

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wire-frame_model

CGI – Computer Generated Imagery – used in films, presentations, etc.
Recent availability of CGI software and increased computer speeds have allowed individual artists and small companies to produce professional grade films, games, and fine art from their home computers. This has brought about an Internet subculture with its own set of global celebrities, clichés, and technical vocabulary.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_generated_imagery

Companies pay big money to get people to do these because they are tedious and time-consuming. The digital formats that are needed by the businesses can be very specific as well for them to use in publications or for CAD programs they have or for digital display systems that are intended for the final or interim uses of it – such as slides for the project, or movies to show off their work at a trade show or conference, or to be used in actual designs and modifications of something they are designing specific to it. When an air conditioning system is added to a building, the company selling that system needs to be able to show it as it will be installed in and throughout the building.

Therefore, they (among others) often need a three-dimensional, CGI or wire frame model of their building customer’s location specifically and their system as it will be installed as a template. Those kinds of problems are occurring everyday in the business world which require 3-dimensional and wireframe models of all kinds of things from the everyday and mundane to use for scale or for comparison and designwork – to those things that can be used in a slide show or presentation like a digital dimensional representation of a specific community or roadway and traffic patterns with the buildings and entrances located, cars and walkways. It is worth finding out about, if good at creating these detailed digital representations. There is good money in it and much of what is needed and desired by these companies can be found online. And, although some of it is being outsourced to companies in India and elsewhere, not all of it is possible there, so the market globally is still very open and challenges needing solutions that require these models appear every day a multitude of times in businesses across the world.

There used to be milliners and hat designers who made beautiful hats for women to wear with feathers and ribbons and draping net because women desired them. This is still a good business today as an online store, or as a booth or vendor at an art show, crafts festival, Renaissance fair, fantasy/sci-fi convention or as a role-playing support vendor business – much as the costumers are in general. Beautiful velvet cowl-hood capes with miles of fabric and lined with satin are still desired by Goth admirers, Renaissance costumers, and customers alike – they are used over Victorian dress for plays, role playing events and historic re-enactments, for Civil War antebellum historic re-enactments, for Renaissance fair costuming, for plays, for Halloween parties occasionally – and for women to wear over their beautiful evening attire to go to holiday parties during the winter season – Christmas and New Years parties, for fund-raising charity balls and Gothic cruises.

Some festivals have vendors that offer fairy wands and floral headbands with streamers of ribbon floating down the sides or back that anyone can buy for women or children to wear and have something to take home from the show. Many of these hand-made one of a kind floral bands and fairy wands use ribbon and silk flowers, a bit of glue and some simple light catching beads on the ends of the ribbon to make them and they are fun and beautiful. People like them and feel beautiful wearing them.

The curve appeal show and convention has many online sources of fashions, lingerie, shoes, elegant wear, glamorous everyday wear and business attire for people who are not a size six with makeup makeovers, parties, convention events themed specifically to make it easy to find plus sizes, beautiful garments in sizes not offered in many local stores with any real range of style and exciting interconnections between people just as they are. It could be done in every city and every state. Online clothiers can advertise there and link there to make it easy for people to find the things they want and need. And, I wish they offered larger sized furniture as well. Chairs made to suit an ergonomic chart that includes only an average measurement between the butt and the knees doesn’t suit most people’s size at all, regardless of which side of the chart average they find themselves. Just a thought, but there is a definite need there.

Did you know that it’s a documented fact that 40 percent of the women in this country are size 14 or larger? Project Curve Appeal Incorporated is on a  mission to correct the distorted perception of curvier women around the world, while empowering, educating and motivating them to celebrate their beauty, embrace their curves but also lead a healthy lifestyle. Project Curve Appeal was created by our parent company Pink City Entertainment, but has since morphed into it’s own corporation and a full blown international movement impacting the world like never before. We specialize in uniting plus size women, all respectable trendy vendors that cater to them, men that love them, size acceptance groups that support women with Curve Appeal and other organizations with similar missions through our  events, conventions and social media sites. Read more…

http://www.projectcurveappeal.com/

Comic Con and Dragon Con outfitters – costumers are still needed to make costuming specific to the characters and sci-fi/fantasy emphasis of these shows. Plays, screen and movie costuming is still needed but the places where movies, tv shows and online video content are made now are all over the country. The kinds of costuming that are the most needed are in the elements group of poured rubber costume additions, metal look costume enhancements and skin-tight comicbook style superhero costuming beyond the traditional characters. The video gaming industry has yielded a host of characters, as has the anime and manga character groups which have only a few real designers translating those characters’ costuming into actual clothing that people can wear. These are especially desired for events like ComicCon and DragonCon, for role-playing events and for publicity events like parades.

Masks are another good business possibility since many of them are created specifically for a party, for a parade, for a carnival or dance, for a play or festival, or for a sci-fi/fantasy convention. They can be sculpted by hand and created with poured components into molds in a fairly simple but messy process. More of a garage shop effort than something to do in the spare bedroom. Some of the components require very, very good ventilation and a dust-free environment, so it is definitely not something to create in a small apartment or spare room in the house. Many of the chemicals’ vapors can linger in the area where the masks are made or poured or cured, read all the safety information on the containers and follow it.

http://www.monstermakers.com/content/howto.html
More Info – (There are brief instructions on the how to pages found above)
For more detailed information, get the Mask Makers Handbook, which features complete step-by-step instructions in a lavishly-illustrated, easy-to-read format.

google search – using the terms -
costume needed
to find the current requests for costumes and what people will pay
also – they can be posted here – (as well as other hand-crafted or one of a kind items)
http://www.etsy.com/

There was a lady once that set up a place to create pastel portraits in a hotel lobby, by agreement with the hotel at the beach (Palm Springs) and she made appointments with people who wanted a 16 x 20 portrait done in pastels during their vacation. She had enough appointments to keep her busy every week throughout the tourist season and she said the hotel charged her a small percentage of the sales to have her table there in the lobby. It isn’t rocket science to figure out that ocean pictures sell better at the beach, mountain pictures sell better in the mountains and pictures of the Statue of Liberty could probably sell just about anywhere. Certain leather goods are desired by the motorcycle riders who try to find them when they attend shows, meets, events, rides or rallies and people going to Indian powwows probably want to take home something with native American Indian music or tribal designs on it.

There are also floral shows regionally and in many large cities which host an area for artists to display stained glass, prints, original artwork, watercolors, paintings, notecards and specialty items, even sculptures of flowers and floral themed artwork. Some of these are expensive to have a booth, but some allow booth spaces to be shared between exhibitors and some of the shows which are not held in large convention or trade centers are very reasonable in their fees to artists. They especially love flowers paintings of specific kinds of flowers as well as those displaying fine arrangements of flowers in still life compositions in modern, unusual, romantic and traditional styles.

Give Computer Lessons –

Host how to lessons for the computer at adult education locations as a workshop, at senior centers, at libraries (as long as there is no charge for it) arrangements can be made with the library for their community meeting rooms, or at stores locally that are willing to let you offer it. Show off the basics that would make it easy to understand and enjoyable to use.

Online, blogging, videos, video ads made by regular people and viral videos

Other ways to do business exist that don’t appear in business how-to books, including the fact that a multitude of people have made money by placing an online site or blog with affiliate advertising or google adwords or other advertisers ads. There is a desire for video content about businesses and written information about businesses online, blogs about gaming are desired and blogs covering local and national events are needed. At Davos, there were bloggers. At the National Republican Convention and National Democratic Convention, there were bloggers. The many trade shows, conferences, conventions, science and inventors conventions and shows, science fairs and professional conferences, climate change conferences need bloggers. Some of these blogs are making enough money through advertising to make it worthwhile and the income is fairly immediate.

One of the new business models uses online resources to make reservations for restaurants in big cities where people can make their reservations online rather than by phone. Another good business is the leasing of bicycles or electric cars to use in the city based on European models and although it is commonly done in tourist areas, now it is much needed in big cities near subway and mass transit hubs. Some of these are rented by the hour or by the day and are parked wherever they end up and then rented again from there by online arrangements. All the fees and arrangements for pickup and scheduling are done online.

It is also obvious that to sell water in a place with a captured audience like a game, art show, air show, festival or concert where it is hot and people are thirsty makes sense. A bottled water bin with ice is all that is needed and a vendors’ table, sometimes a rented canopy or entry fees to the show as an exhibitor or vendor. At 5K races, there are often vendors for the crowds as well as race participants where foods can be purchased or goods related to the run like t-shirts and caps. These make more money than the vendors’ tables fees at most events. The requirements for participation and deadlines for getting these tables can be found online at the websites for the events or at the City or County offices where the events are being hosted. Some require a business license or permit to be purchased beforehand and some do not – almost all require that sales taxes be collected and remitted, so definitely check on how to do that.

International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association
http://www.licensing.org/events/index.php?resultSetSize=25&orderBy=start&orderDirection=ASC&resultStartIndex=0&month=&year=&eventTypeId=

The conventions / trade shows for licensing of characters and brands if very expensive to get a booth, is likely well worth it. Some business enterprises have simply started here rather than going the long way around to approach manufacturers and businesses about co-branding or licensing their characters, novelties, brand, style or name.

The other great show for being really expensive but likely well worth it – costs about $1500 for even the smallest booth – is this one -

http://decor-expo.com/
(DecorExpo Atlanta 2010 was cancelled)

But it is attended by home decorating firms, hotel decorators, interior designers whose contracts include fast food chains, restaurants, hotels and malls, office lobbies and office complexes, among other things. When they attend this show, it is with the mindset of harvesting the best of the opportunities to have art and furnishings specific to their projects available to them on a massive scale. And, they like artists of certain styles and compositions especially where the art can be used to complement the experiences of diners, vacationers, tourists, customers, business people, executives, and the public along with creating exceptional and unique environments and interesting customized public spaces. They always have a need for some amount of dimensional art as well from modern enamelled metallic bas-relief wall sculptures lit from behind for board rooms to massive mobile art and kaleidoscopic light interplay mobiles for atriums, malls and office building lobbies.

There are also shows that focus on coffee, coffee themed items, on tea and tea-themed items among others where very specific designs, prototypes and items specially suited to them can be offered and companies involved with it can be found as well.

Building databases – compiling information -
Composing poser dimensional characters models for use in sci-fi and fantasy gaming, animations and architectural renderings

One man created a comic strip online with a main character, then working through chatrooms and Ebay, Myspace and Facebook, garnered his audience for the character which was then sold for licensing that gave him an ongoing income from it.

http://www.renderosity.com/
dynamic place for digital art to be displayed and sold or licensed

Poser-style figures for yoga exercises needed – NewTek Discussions
8 posts – 4 authors – Last post: Jul 27, 2009
I’ve only played around with Poser and importing some models into LW. …. I only needed to work with the top part of the body eventually …
www.newtek.com/forums/showthread.php?t=100482

***

guru.com
http://www.guru.com/

1.
TurboSquid 3D Models
More than 250,000 Stock 3D Models. Free Conversion, Quality Guarantee.
www.TurboSquid.com

http://www.renderosity.com/
dynamic place for digital art to be displayed and sold or licensed

independent production companies that serve the home and garden channel, the discovery channel networks, the science channel and food networks, etc.

scriptwriters guild storyline registry

Welcome to WGAWRegistry.org, the official script and screenplay registration service of the Writers Guild of America, West and world’s number one intellectual property service.

Since 1927, the Writers Guild of America, West Registry has been the industry standard in the creation of legal evidence for the protection of writers and their work. When you register your script prior to submitting it to agents, managers, or producers, you document your authorship on a given date should there be unauthorized usage.

The WGA, West is the home to more than 9,500 of Hollywood’s leading TV and screenwriters, but you do not need to be a WGAW member to use this vital Guild service. Registration can be used as a supplement to a U.S. copyright, and it’s fast, easy and convenient to register online.

For more information, go to our details page or read our FAQ.

http://www.wgawregistry.org/webrss/

seems like it was pretty pricey to become a member
however – it doesn’t require membership to register a storyline or script

Each registration submission costs $20 (or $10 for WGA members in good standing). Please fill in your credit card information.
We accept Visa and MasterCard.
Remember, this is a secure site. Your information is kept strictly confidential.
* Indicates required field

https://www.wgawregistry.org/webrss/dataentry.asp

***

“In the Neighborhood of Now”
Title for this on the blog and maybe on the website – needs something doing with getting money

****

My Note -

I stumbled on this from last year and thought it was an interesting example of the kinds of database compiling that can make money immediately.

- cricketdiane

***

FCC posts  Help Wanted  for white spaces database managers
By Matthew Lasar | Last updated November 27, 2009 1:30 PM

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/11/help-wanted-white-space-database-managers.ars

In another significant leap forward in the Federal Communications Commission’s campaign to get unlicensed broadband, or  white space  devices, into the market, the FCC says that it is now accepting proposals from companies that want to run the databases that will prevent these gadgets from interfering with other broadcast services.

There’s money in this, in case you were wondering.  Database administrators may charge fees to register fixed TV band devices  and  to provide lists of available channels to TV band devices,  the Commission’s Public Notice notes.

(etc.)

There was a lot of discussion about who would run the databases last year, but the FCC finally determined that they should be privately owned, and allowed to take payment to provide channel data and register fixed devices. The Commission’s Order pretty much lays out what are presumably the data fields to be used. Here are some samples: this one for the fixed TV band device table:

(1) FCC Identifier (FCC ID) of the device
(2) manufacturer’s serial number of the device
(3) device’s coordinates (latitude and longitude)
(4) name of the individual or business that owns the device
(5) name of a contact person responsible for the device’s operation
(6) address of the contact person
(7) email address of the contact person
(8) phone number of the contact person.

And for TV licensees:

(1) transmitter coordinates (latitude and longitude)
(2) effective radiated power (ERP)
(3) height above average terrain of the transmitter (HAAT)
(4) horizontal transmit antenna pattern (if the antenna is directional)
(5) channel number
(6) station call sign

***

Classes in public broadcasting - can be found in most cities for about $100 per session which then allow the creating of broadcast materials to go on public broadcast channels. Google searches can turn up where and when these are scheduled. They are held all over the country.

***

(Field Asset Services – mortgage industry)

Field Service Reps Needed Bank Owned Distressed Property

http://hubpages.com/hub/House-Finder–Property-Locator–and-Photographer

Field Service Reps are needed in Property Preservation home inspection Services, there are many types of property inspections. It is important to note that these inspections help Mortgage companies, lenders, insurance companies make decisions on their properties with the information received from an inspection.

Here are some tips to get started as a Home Inspection Photographer with Photo Inspections

* Locate properties for sale takes time and effort, knowing what types of houses are a good investment is what makes for a good property locator.

* It may take driving around your local neighborhoods in order to find unlisted properties that look distressed and neglected.

Subvending is going to be the result of the many failed banks in 2010,  many foreclosure cleanup businesses will want to hire field service reps for REO properties, If you have a real estate service business you can provide yard maintenance, winterization, boarding and more. To get more work you will want to contact the asset managers of FDIC institutions.

Photo Inspections needed for Home Inspector photography is a process of locating abandoned, boarded up, distressed properties and homes for sale or bank owned properties, take photos of the house and write down the surrounding area.

* Keep track of which street the house is located on and any near by cross streets. Write down any land marks (eg. shopping center, school or park) near by. Start a notebook and keep track of all the houses you find, believe me it is easy to locate 20 houses in one day and so detailed record keeping is essential.
* Another tool is to build a buyers list, make a list of those ads in the paper that says   We Inspect Houses  and keep a list of real estate investment groups in your area. This way once you find the homes you will have a list of who to contact that will be able to give you a finders fee, referral fee or commission once they purchase the property.

( . . . .)

http://hubpages.com/hub/House-Finder–Property-Locator–and-Photographer

***

We regret to inform you that we recently made the extremely difficult decision to cancel DECOR Expo Atlanta due to a lack of exhibitor support. Please stay tuned for future show announcements. —The DECOR Expo Team

http://decor-expo.com/

DECOR Expo 2010 Canceled
Posted by DECOR Editors at 10:35 am on August 18 2010

http://decor-expo.com/2010/08/decor-expo-2010-canceled/

***

This post from a blog notes two current calls for Urban Fantasy novels which run about 100 – 150 pages (more or less) and more of these can be found at the Writers’ Market sites and books of the same name at the library.

*(the following information is acredited and referenced to Emma Shipley, page 2, Writer’s News, March 2010 issue)
First up is Juno which is part of Pocket Books which in turn is part of Simon & Schuster, a big publisher in the US.

They publish  urban or contemporary fantasy with strong female protagonists. We are currently looking for novels from 80,000 to 100,000 words in length and completed manuscripts will have an advantage. This is a fantasy imprint. Techno-thrillers, suspense, crime, science fiction, action, adventure, etc without an element of  the fantastic are not fantasies. Nor we are we interested in young adult, teen, or children’s books.
Email submissions are only accepted in doc or rtf attatched.
Submitt 3 chapters or equilivant sample, short cover letter in the body of email.  This is your chance to sell both yourself and your book. It is what will make us open that attatchment or put it off as long as possible.
For more info – Paula Guran, Editor: editor@juno-books.com.
submissions@juno-books.com
Website – www.juno-books.com

*(the following information is acredited and referenced to Emma Shipley, page 11, Writer’s News, March 2010 issue)
Next up is Hearts of Fire -  currently accepting submissions in all genres, including romance (all genres); paranormal (witchcraft/vampires/werewolves); mystery/action/suspense; sci-fi/fantasy; drama; horror; shorts stories; and erotica. However we want manuscripts to be edited very carefully. Only send us your best work.
To submitt email complete manuscript as an attachment to: submissions.heartsonfire@yahoo.com
In subject line write ‘Submission: *title of manuscript*.
The body of your email should include the following: a brief synopsis (two or three paragraphs will suffice), title of book, your name, your pen name (if any), email address, postal address, telephone number, genre and word count.
For more info – Melissa Miller – email – heartsonfire@live.com
Website – www.heartsonfirebooks.com

(from)
28 April 2010 01:31

http://valkyriansanctum.blogspot.com/2010/04/urban-fantasy-and-paranormal-publishers.html

****

Urban fantasy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As the term suggests, urban fantasy describes a work that is set primarily in a city and contains fantasy elements. Urban fantasy sometimes features problems with inner city life, such as gangs and city management.[3]

Works of urban fantasy may be set in contemporary times or include paranormal romance,[1] but these characteristics are not necessary for the work to be considered urban fantasy. Tee Morris’s The Case of the Singing Sword: A Billibub Baddings Mystery, which follows a dwarf detective in 1930s Chicago, qualifies as a non-contemporary example of urban fantasy according to 1990s critic John Clute.

The city in which the story takes place may exist in the real world, or it may be fictional. For example, Charles de Lint’s Dreams Underfoot (1993) and its sequels are set in the imaginary city of Newford.[4]

Adult fiction

Many urban fantasy novels geared toward adults are told via a first-person narrative, and often feature mythological beings, paranormal romance, and various female protagonists who are involved in law enforcement or vigilantism.[5][6] Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake series—which follows the investigations of a Federal Marshal during paranormal cases—has been called a substantial and influential work of the genre.[7] Kim Harrison’s Rachel Morgan novels, taking place in an alternate history setting, feature a bounty-hunting witch who battles numerous supernatural foes.[8] The Better Part of Darkness, by Kelly Gay, explores the challenges a police officer faces while trying to balance her paranormal cases with life as a single mother.[9] Greywalker, a series by Kat Richardson, follows a woman who conducts investigations in a paranormal plane of existence.[10]

In addition to books which present largely independent characters, certain stories feature men and women who are regularly partnered on adventures—often with an underlying romantic element.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_fantasy

****

Elfwood - Science Fiction and Fantasy Art, FanArt & Stories
Fantasy and creature art; the Wyverns Library contains various creature specific stories.
http://www.elfwood.com/

and also -

Epilogue.net – Epilogue is a free fantasy art gallery and community of … – epilogue.net

http://www.epilogue.net/index.php

***

Category:Fantasy genres
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Fantasy_genres

A list of the different types of fantasy marketing right now.

***

Object-oriented programming (OOP) is a programming paradigm that uses  objects  – data structures consisting of data fields and methods together with their interactions – to design applications and computer programs. Programming techniques may include features such as data abstraction, encapsulation, modularity, polymorphism, and inheritance. Many modern programming languages now support OOP.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Object-oriented_programming

I’ve heard there is money paid for code bits specific to certain computing tasks – it would be worth looking to see it that is still the case in some of these programming languages – OOP and Java, etc.

***

How to Make a Latex Monster Mask
By Arnold Goldman

WANT MORE INFO?
For more detailed information, get the Mask Makers Handbook, which features complete step-by-step instructions in a lavishly-illustrated, easy-to-read format.

http://www.monstermakers.com/content/howto.html

This page has a brief explanation overview with pictures. Very nifty.

****

These are stories that inspire me to invent solutions – and pursue them -

September 9, 2010, 7:30 am
Washington State Man Drives 1,400 Miles Without Refueling
By NICK KURCZEWSKI

Craig Henderson of Bellingham, Wash., which is about 90 miles north of Seattle, planned to drive his home-built car from the Canadian border to Mexico without stopping for fuel. Before leaving on Aug. 29, he’d carefully calculated that his streamlined car could travel the more than 1,400 miles on 14 gallons of diesel.

Of course, things didn’t go exactly as planned. By the time Mr. Henderson arrived at the border at Tijuana three days later, the bright-red coupe, called the Avion, had used only 12.4 gallons of fuel, for an average of 119.1 miles per gallon.

(etc.)

Designed and built by Mr. Henderson and his friend and fellow engineer Bill Green, the Avion – French for airplane – has a fiberglass exterior and gullwing-style doors that swing up and out from the body. There is room for only two adults. A 3-cylinder diesel engine from a Smart Fortwo is mounted behind the passenger compartment. Power is delivered to the rear wheels using a 6-speed semi-automatic transmission.

http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/09/home-built-car-drives-1400-miles-without-refueling/

***

http://www.popsci.com/diy/article/2010-09/micro-grill-sears-hot-dogs-and-s%E2%80%99mores-recycled-mint-tin

Altoids-Sours-BBQ-Grill.jpg
Working Altoids Tin Micro-BBQ Grills Tiny Hot Dogs and S’mores to Order
By Rebecca Boyle Posted 09.03.2010 at 2:30 pm

****

http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/prototype-this-make-your-own-toys-with-the-3d-printer.html

Make Your Own Toys With the 3D Printer

Ever wanted to make your own toys? With the 3D printer, your number one childhood dream just became reality.

http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/prototype-this-inventors-heaven.html

Prototype This: Inventor’s Heaven

When good inventors die they go to a place called “Inventables.”

http://www.inventables.com/

That is a crappy title for an incredible website that shows a library of new materials to use for inventing new things.

- cricketdiane (my note)

***

The guys that built a new type of tank / all -terrain tracked vehicle in their backyard and blew the Army into a love affair with the new approach – its fast, lightweight and maneuverable but can be made armored, too. The video of the original one which they drove is below in a YouTube clip that is well worth watching – Amazing.

http://www.howeandhowetechnologies.com/vehicles.php

http://www.howeandhowetechnologies.com/press.php?p=news

MS2 incorporates all the same features and specifications of MS1, but includes manual controls for manned operation…
More Details >>

http://www.howeandhowetechnologies.com/ripsawms2.php

***

Friday, July 11, 2008
The Howe Brothers

Ripsaw Showcases Local Brothers’ Talent
By Joe Hessert

Identical twin brothers Mike and Geoff Howe have been building things together since they were children growing up in Augusta. “We were always taking stuff apart and putting things together,” said Mike in his office at Howe & Howe Technologies located on route 236 in Eliot. “We really didn’t receive toys as kids,“ added Geoff with a smile, “we got tools.”
Their first project together of any size was a log cabin that they built when they were eight.
And now the brothers have a new project. The federal government, at the urging of Senator Susan Collins, has invested three million dollars to support the Howe brothers as they develop, construct, test and procure their 6,500 pound robotic “Ripsaw MS-1” vehicle that does zero to 50 mph in 5.5 seconds and has no problem hurdling over sand dunes or crashing through small buildings.
( . . . .)

Caption:Mike and Geoff Howe stand with the Ripsaw in progress. (Weekly Sentinel photo)
Posted by Sveta at 7/11/2008

http://theweeklysentinel.blogspot.com/2008/07/howe-brothers.html

****

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_iup2jXQqI
World’s fastest tracked vehicle

Ripsaw MS1 UGV: Ultimate Armed/Weaponized Tracked Tactical Robot?
On August 23, 2008, in Future Infantry/Soldier, by David Crane

By David Crane

August 14, 2008
The original Ripsaw UGV (non-militarized) prototype could hit 50mph in about 3.5 seconds, since it was lighter, but it wasn’t as strong/rugged. The original speed goal for Ripsaw was approx. 80mph, but the Howe brothers have discovered that driving UGVs remotely can get scary and precarious at speeds above 50mph.

The Ripsaw MS1 UGV large-format tracked tactical robot can move at relatively high speed over all terrains with a lot of power and authority, due to a number of design aspects/factors. One of these is its unique lightweight, rugged tubular chassis construction. The Howe brothers got the tubular-chassis-construction idea from NASCAR race cars. “The most unique thing about Rip Saw MS1 UGV is that it’s the same technology that’s used in Nascar or Monster Trucks. It’s built with a tube chassis, which allows us to decrease weight and increase strength,” say the Howe brothers. The high-horsepower/high-torque engine requires a custom, heavy-duty transmission (larger, more rugged components/parts) and drivetrain, which is provided by New England Transmission.

The Howe brothers are all about simplification. The entire vehicle is comprised of only 8 components, including the engine/motor and tubular chassis. The chassis itself can be lifted from the engine in less than an hour. To replace the engine, just drop it (engine) out, and lift the chassis off. Streamlined maintenance is therefore one of the the vehicle’s selling points. While the chassis itself requires more than 1,000 tube cuts, Ripsaw inventor Mike Howe innovated a tube-cutting process that cuts down fabrication time of the Ripsaw’s roll cage by 300-400%. Previously, it would have taken hours to cut and prepare a single pipe. No longer.

The Ripsaw MS1 tactical UGV utilizes a powerful oversized and customized 650-horsepower Duramax 6.6L V8 diesel engine that delivers 900 ft./lbs of torque. Factory horsepower for the engine is 375hp, so the Howe brothers have suped it up a good bit. The engine fits inside a 3×3-foot (3×3”) space in the chassis.
One of the most interesting aspects of the Ripsaw MS1 UGV to DefenseReview is its unique, custom suspension system. Ripsaw utilizes an impressive custom-designed, in-house-developed) Baha-off-road-type, caterpillar-like independent suspension system that has an impressive 18 inches of takeup. The Howe brothers call it a dual-acting dog-leg suspension.
Videos:

Ripsaw MS1 UGV Demo

Original Ripsaw UGV Finished

Company Contact Info:

Howe and Howe Technologies Inc.
518 Turkey Street
North Berwick, ME 03906-5736
207-439-0990 Office
info@howeandhowe.com Email
http://www.howeandhowe.com Website

http://www.defensereview.com/ripsaw-ms1-ugv-ultimate-armedweaponized-tracked-tactical-robot/

See it in action – these guys built this phenomenal machine in their backyard shed, didn’t they?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_iup2jXQqI
World’s fastest tracked vehicle

***

http://www.zcorp.com/en/home.aspx

# Free Webcast Series – 3D Printer Selection Criteria
# Free Webcast: 3D Printing Across the Organization
# Free eBook – Rapid 3D Modeling
# Webcast: 3D Printing as a Design Tool at Foster+Partners
# Free Webcast: How 3D Printing Works
# Customer Case Studies

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/questex/cadalyst-zcorp/
# Free eBook – Rapid 3D Modeling

*********

Making Water From Thin Air
Audrey Hudson Email 10.06.06 (2006)

A company that developed technology capable of creating water out of thin air nearly anywhere in the world is now under contract to nourish U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq.

The water-harvesting technology was originally the brainchild of the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which sought ways to ensure sustainable water supplies for U.S. combat troops deployed in arid regions like Iraq.

“The program focused on creating water from the atmosphere using low-energy systems that could reduce the overall logistics burden for deployed forces and provide potable water within the reach of the war fighter any place, any time,” said Darpa spokeswoman Jan Walker.

To achieve this end, Darpa gave millions to research companies like LexCarb and Sciperio to create a contraption that could capture water in the Mesopotamian desert.

But it was another company, Aqua Sciences, that developed a product on its own and was first to put a product on the market that can operate in harsh climates.

“People have been trying to figure out how to do this for years, and we just came out of left field in response to Darpa,” said Abe Sher, chief executive officer of Aqua Sciences. “The atmosphere is a river full of water, even in the desert. It won’t work absolutely everywhere, but it works virtually everywhere.”

(etc.)

The cost to transport water by C-17 cargo planes, then truck it to the troops, runs $30 a gallon. The cost, including the machines from Aqua Sciences, will be reduced to 30 cents a gallon, Roy said.

Several systems on the market can create water through condensation, but the process requires a high level of humidity.

Aqua Sciences’ machines only require 14 percent humidity, Roy said. “That’s why this technology is superior and why they are getting the contracts.”

Read More http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2006/10/71898#ixzz0zrDrLWWS

http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2006/10/71898

***

http://www.aquasciences.com/

THE TECHNOLOGY

Aqua Sciences™ atmospheric water extraction machines can be furnished and installed in disaster sites, urban, rural and isolated communities to capture, purify and dispense water of superior quality on demand.

Current machines can provide between 350-1,200 gallons of water per day with a target price of approximately $0.25 per gallon dependent upon actual conditions and costs.

Machines may be powered by electricity or a self-contained diesel generator and are environmentally friendly due to lower energy requirements and no harmful or toxic by-products.

http://www.aquasciences.com/technology.html

****

Tina Casey
Suck on This: Cheap Organic Plastic Solar Cells

September 17, 2010 in General Technology, Manufacturing, Solar Energy

The University of Cambridge has come up with a low cost organic solar cell that opens up some intriguing new possibilities in solar energy design. Although the Cambridge team is focused on bringing large scale photovoltaic devices to the market, the new technology could also lend itself to a smaller canvas, yielding such products as solar-energy generating umbrellas and canopies.

Organic photovoltaics are simply solar cells made with organic polymers (long chains of molecules), which are based on carbon, in contrast to silicon solar cells which are made from – well, silicon, which is a metalloid. Despite their low production costs, organic photovoltaic cells have not shown much commercial potential due to their low efficiency. At least, that was the case until the University of Cambridge got involved. The team has come up with a commercial model that combines efficiency improvements, a longer lifespan, low-cost (and low-toxicity) raw materials, a cost-effective manufacturing process, and a product line that focuses on economies of scale and ease of  installation.

Organic photovoltaic cells can be spray-painted onto just about any plastic substrate, and that’s where things could get fun. There are new developments in silicon-based solar spray-ons, too. Solar “paint” could be applied in a variety of colors and patterns to buildings, infrastructure and decorative objects instead of just creating acres of monotonous solar panels, and the plastic substrate could be made from a variety of bioplastics, rather than petroleum based plastics – even bioplastics made from wastewater.

Image: Plastic straws by Horia Varlan on flickr.com.

http://cleantechnica.com/2010/09/17/suck-on-this-cheap-organic-plastic-solar-cells/

****
New Vertical-Axis Wind Turbine Unveiled
September 17, 2010 in Clean Energy, Products, Wind Energy

Yeah, that doesn’t look like your normal wind turbine, does it? But this new wind turbine by Sauer Energy is not 100% unique — it features some great new innovations, but is built on an existing wind turbine design that seems to becoming a more and more popular, a vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) design.

http://cleantechnica.com/2010/09/17/new-vertical-axis-wind-turbine-unveiled/

Inventor makes water out of air 1:40 Rough Cut

Oct 28 – A French inventor has come up with a windmill that turns thin air into water and says his creation could offer hope to millions of people around the world who do not have enough water.

http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoChannel=6&videoId=113820

****

A Solar Still is a device to desalinate impure water like  brackish  or saline water. It a simple device to get potable/fresh distilled water  from  impure  water, using solar energy as  fuel, for  its various applications in domestic, industrial and academic sectors.

Solar Still Water

A solar still consist of shallow triangular basin made up of Fiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP). Bottom of the basin is painted black  so as  to absorb solar heat effectively. Top of the basin is  covered with transparent glass tilt fitted so that maximum solar radiation can be transmitted in to the still. Ages of the glass are sealed with the basin using tar tape so that the entire basin becomes air tight. Entire assembly is placed on a structure  made of MS angle. Out let is connected with  a  storage container.  Provision  has been made to fill water  in  the  still basin.  A window is provided in the basin to clean the basin  from inside. Water is charged in to the basin in a thin layer.

Solar Stills have got major advantages over other conventional Distillation / water purification /de-mineralisation   systems    as follows :

1. Produces pure  water
2. No prime movers required
3. No conventional energy required
4. No skilled operator required
5. Local manufacturing/repairing
6. Low investment
7. Can purify highly saline water (even sea water)

Solar  stills  is an useful devise to get fresh/  distilled  water which is required in
Industries     for industrial processes
Hospitals and Dispensaries     for sterilization
Garages and Automobile Workshop
for radiator  and  battery maintenance
Telephone Exchange     for battery maintenance
Laboratory Use     for analytic work
Marshy and costal area     To get fresh potable  water

http://www.geda.org.in/solar/so_slr_still.htm

***

Water Jet Cutting Machines

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_jet_cutter

http://www.waterjets.org/

Welcome to Waterjets.org!

Written by Staff
Welcome to the most complete resource on waterjet machining on the Web

This web site offers information for novices who want to learn about waterjet technology, and resources for experts who already have equipment.

Learn about waterjets

abrasive waterjet nozzleHow do waterjets work? What are the basic principles involved? What are the various parts of a waterjet? Who uses waterjets? These (and other) questions are answered in the About Waterjets section.

****

17:53 16 September 2010

Almost three-and-a-half years after the X Prize Foundation launched a competition for affordable super-efficient cars, the winners have been announced

Progressive Automotive X Prize: the winners

WASHINGTON (September 16, 2010) – The X PRIZE Foundation, an educational nonprofit prize organization, and Progressive Insurance, the country’s fourth largest auto insurance group, today, at the Historical Society of Washington, D.C., awarded $10 million to three teams who successfully completed the rigorous Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE. The winning teams—Edison2 of Lynchburg, Virginia; X-Tracer of Winterthur, Switzerland; and Li-ion Motors Corp. of Mooresville, North Carolina—emerged from an original field of 111 competing teams, representing 136 vehicle entries from around the world. The winning vehicles were showcased to an audience of auto industry, business and government leaders. Each of the winning teams was also presented with a towering bronze trophy designed by Harry Winston, Inc.

http://www.progressiveautoxprize.org/news-events/press-releases/three-teams-awarded-share-10-million-purse-progressive-insurance-automotive-x-prize-super-fu

******

http://www.usasciencefestival.org/

October 10 – 24, 2010
National Mall and surrounding areas – with satellite events

Daytime, evening and weekend events for the general public, including workshops, lectures, open houses, performances and more.

October 10-24, 2010

Greater Washington DC area.

2010 PLTW Innovation Summit

http://www.usasciencefestival.org/2010-pltw-innovation-summit

Project Lead The Way (PLTW), a USA Science & Engineering Festival Partner, is bringing together some of the best and brightest minds in the STEM community for its 2010 PLTW Innovation Summit.  The Summit takes place October 20-22 in Washington, DC, in conjunction with our Festival on the National Mall.  PLTW’s Innovation Summit is a great opportunity to learn about STEM education best practices and interact with some of the nation’s leading STEM educators and advocates.

The Summit will bring together STEM-related industry representatives, public and private educational agencies, philanthropic organizations and a wide cross-section of the greater STEM community to investigate, ideate and ultimately to ignite STEM education through imagination and innovation.  The Summit is structured as a collaborative three-day forum, featuring visionary keynote speakers, in-depth panel discussions, hands-on breakout sessions and award-winning student project displays.

For more information, visit http://www.pltw.org

http://beta.pltw.org/

Full Registration $425 • Early Registration $350 (offer ends 8/21)
$100 Discount for Educators and Administrators

http://beta.pltw.org/innovationsummit

Stay an extra day or two.
The National Innovation Summit is being held in conjunction with another inaugural event – the USA Science & Engineering Festival Expo. Extend your stay and join PLTW and 500 hundred science and engineering organizations as they gather on the National Mall to celebrate science. Visit the PLTW exhibit between the engineering and life sciences wings next to event sponsor Lockheed Martin. Those who can extend their stay will greatly benefit from the combined events.

Our Innovation Summit takes place at a grand venue.
The Grand Hyatt Washington, with its award-winning conference center, is the site of the PLTW National Innovation Summit. Located in Penn Quarter, the Hyatt sits halfway between the U.S. Capitol Building and White House, and is central to Old Downtown’s restaurants, hotels nightclubs, art galleries, theaters and trendy stores.

****

First Annual Innovation Summit – very nice

****

Whisson’s windmill uses refrigerant to cool the blades of his mill, which he’s named Max Water. These blades are situated vertically rather than diagonally, so that even the slightest breeze turns them. The cool blades cool the air, causing the water vapor to condense — become liquid water again. This condensation is then collected and stored. Whisson’s windmill can collect as much as 2,600 gallons of water from the air per day.

Whisson says that his biggest challenge isn’t the engineering behind his invention but finding the venture capital to back it — he says that people think it’s too good to be true. This problem would sound familiar to a pair of American inventors who have a water-making invention of their own.

Jonathan Wright and David Richards have created a machine that’s similar to Whisson’s, except that it resembles a collapsible pull-behind camper more than it favors a windmill. This invention — which its creators call AquaMagic — pulls air directly from the area surrounding it. Inside the machine, the air is cooled via a refrigerated coil. The air condenses, and the water is collected, purified, and released through a spigot.

The AquaMagic machine — which currently cost about $28,000 per unit — can produce up to 120 gallons of purified water in 24 hours, and since it’s small it can be toted to disaster sites and Sub-Saharan Africa alike. But it also has one drawback: To produce this much water, AquaMagic requires about 12 gallons of diesel fuel. It’s here that the Whisson Windmill (which runs about $43,000 per unit) has a clear advantage over AquaMagic: It’s totally green. It runs exclusively on wind power, requiring no fossil fuel. Even the condenser runs off the power generated by the windmill’s turbines.

Speaking of the environment, why go to the trouble of collecting water out of the air? Why not simply cause more rain to fall? It may sound far-fetched, but this is actually done — at times, with catastrophic consequences. Find out why it may not be a good idea to manipulate the water cycle on the next page.

VIDEO: Check out videos about Earth’s amazing environments. >>

http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geophysics/manufacture-water1.htm

*****

At different times, the UN makes a call for videos and short films such as this one whose deadline just passed. The subject matter varies and there is sometimes a prize for the top places, but even better is the opportunity to have the exposure and resume entry – and possibly other opportunities that could come from it, and from the film later -

UN Citizen Ambassadors – Trip – Over 18 yo – No duration limit – Due: August 23, 2010

VN:F [1.9.1_1087]
Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)

The “Citizen Ambassadors to the United Nations” campaign utilizes new media and online social networking to engage a global audience in the important work of the United Nations. The contest will run from 23 June to 23 August 2010 and offers a unique opportunity for people everywhere to use online media to tell world leaders what the MDGs mean to them in their own lives, and what they think needs to be done to “make this world a better and safer place”.

The Citizen Ambassadors video contest is hosted on the UN Channel on YouTube (www.youtube.com/unitednations) and is organized by the UN Department of Public Information,  in partnership with YouTube, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Foundation (UNF), French broadcaster TV5Monde and with support from Flip Video.

The theme of the video contest this year is the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a set of eight internationally-agreed goals designed to bring concrete results by 2015 in the fields of poverty, hunger, disease, maternal and child deaths, education, gender equality and sustainability.

Videos featuring UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon have been posted on the UN Channel on YouTube, calling citizens of the world to engage create and submit short video messages on the importance of the MDGs in their lives.

(etc.)

http://vidopp.com/2010/07/26/un-citizen-ambassadors-trip-over-18-yo-no-duration-limit-due-august-23-2010/

My note – these calls for films and videos can be found by doing a google search using the search terms -

UN call for videos short films

please note – that anytime an entry is made, it is extremely important to read the fine print of all the guidelines involved. Some of them require that a personal presentation is made with the entry if it is among the finalists which can require getting to the wherever with hotels, taxis, meals and airfare paid by the participant. Sometimes that can be worked out with the organization sponsoring the call for entries to provide a scholarship to help get to the final presentations and sometimes, not. Just read all of it . . .

- cricketdiane

****

Poptent for Monograms – $5000 – Over 18 yo – 60 seconds – Due: September 30, 2010.

VN:F [1.9.1_1087]
Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)

Monograms is one of four travel brands offered by the Globus family of brands. Monograms is about “Independent travel. Simplified.” Monograms aims to take all the logistical elements of a tour and make them available to independent travelers so that the booking and the taking of their trip is simplified.

So help us make Monograms famous, with a 60 second video that informs people about this great brand in a fun and/or emotional way.

The assignment is open to anyone 18 or older anywhere in the world.  Deadline: September 30, 2010.

Many travelers do not realize that there is an easier (and more enjoyable) way to book travel that allows them to focus 100% on their vacation…not the labor and stress of putting it together. And Monograms not only makes the planning and booking easier, it provides support on trip, including a Local Host who’s ready and able to point you in the right direction.

Monograms will select between one (minimum) and three videos for purchase and their creators will each receive a one-time fee of $5,000. Plus, the top pick will receive an extra bonus award of $2,500. In addition, five video producers will receive a total of $2,000 in Poptent’s “Editors’ Choice” awards

To enter this video contest click here.

http://vidopp.com/2010/08/30/poptent-for-monograms-5000-over-18-yo-60-seconds-due-september-30-2010/

***

Wonderful clear, concise tutorial of how to make stop-action animation using a basic digital camera, computer and some imagination -

http://content.photojojo.com/tutorials/stop-motion-digital-camera/

Let’s say, for example, that you would like to make that sock move itself across the floor. Start at the beginning: place the sock somewhere and take your first photo. Remember, you want to use camera (still frame) mode, not movie mode.

Using a tripod and only moving your object will make it appear as though your object is moving through your frame. Keeping the object in the same general area in each frame by moving the camera along with it will make it appear as though you are traveling with the object. It’s up to you.

( . . . )

Stop-motion animation is one of the simplest, most fun animation techniques.

Mix equal parts digital camera, computer, and imagination (you’ve got all three), and you’re on your way.

(etc.)

Really easy and fun . . .

***

I thought of another one that makes a ton of money -

One man that I met several years ago, was making his living from home by translating video, conference materials and films from different languages to English. Some companies pay for their materials to be translated into other languages, especially their sales materials and videos about their products, also. There are needs that exist for teaching English to those who would have it as a second language and for translation service in person for a variety of occasions from police interviews to business activities. These translation services can be done freelance or by creating a business in it, by teaching at the adult education center, or all of the above as the opportunities are available.

And if you think there are no opportunities for doing business because it has all been done already – take a look at this sometime – it is a whole different world –

IFSEC is the world’s leading global annual security event, uniting over 25,000 security professionals with more than 600 world leading companies, spread over seven product areas, to source all your security solutions and meet with your peers.

http://www.ifsec.co.uk/

“In the Neighborhood of Now”
Title for this on the blog and maybe on the website – needs something doing with getting money

- cricketdiane

***