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Scobleizer and the US Car Industry

On Thursday, I posted an article I found about US Auto industry CEOs flying to Washington to beg for money. The stupidity of using a private jet to ask taxpayers for $25 billion dollars was so overwhelming it made my stomach turn and certainly didn't do anything for my heartstrings. I figured if they were stupid enough to do it, they deserved what they got.

Then today, Robert Scoble wrote a great piece why we should support bailing the US Auto Industry out of the giant pile of poo the created and HOW they should do it. So often I hear or read about people complaining about one thing or another but if you ask them what their ideas are on changing it, making it better, or fixing it- "Uh, I dunno".

I wasn't against bailing them out or for it either. Too much of our economy is wrapped up in our auto industry and I am no economist. It was the flying to beg for money in a private jet I found insulting and ludicrous. However, Scoble suggested that the CEOs should have DRIVEN cars made by their companies to Washington. Duh. Why didn't I think of that? Because I am not the Scobleizer, that's why.

Anyway, if you're interested in some clear common sense and expertise, go read what he wrote and what Ford wrote in response.

Automaker CEOs Can't Travel First Class?

Anyone else find this, uhm...preposterous, idiotic, even insulting?  Maybe just a little?

If you are going to come to Washington to plead for public $25 billion public dollars maybe you could sell the private jets first? Or at least not use them on your begging junket?

Rick Wagoner, CEO of GM, stated that GM wanted to continue providing services to America as they always have but that doing it "alone" wasn't something they could continue to do.

Hmmm... does that mean we also get to use GM's fleet of private jets?       

"The CEOs of the big three automakers flew to the nation's capital yesterday in private luxurious jets to make their case to Washington that the auto industry is running out of cash and needs $25 billion in taxpayer money to avoid bankruptcy.

The CEOs of GM, Ford and Chrysler may have told Congress that they will likely go out of business without a bailout yet that has not stopped them from traveling in style, not even First Class is good enough.

All three CEOs -- Rick Wagoner of GM, Alan Mulally of Ford, and Robert Nardelli of Chrysler -- exercised their perks Tuesday by flying in corporate jets to DC. Wagoner flew in GM's $36 million luxury aircraft to tell members of Congress that the company is burning through cash, asking for $10-12 billion for GM alone."

Read the read of the article and see the news piece Big Three CEOs Flew Private Jets to Plead for Public Funds here, if you think you can stomach it.

Wordless Wednesday

Pay Attention

It's not often I do this so pay attention!

Many of you may not know I am a good cook. I don't talk about it very much mostly because it's one of those menial, everyday, un-extraordinary things I do most everyday. At least I think of it that way. I do enjoy it, though. I enjoy the mixing and measuring and assembling of a dish much more than I enjoy the tedium of baking. I relish the stirring of the pot as the seasonings and the flavors all meld together. I enjoy the ritual of cooking, the sacredness in its every day monotony.

Here is a recipe for homemade hot chocolate. To be sure, it's nothing fancy but Manthing asks for it as soon as the weather turns and I've never known anyone to pass it by. It's so not lowfat but it is relatively low-carb so if you are keeping an eye on those things... now you know. =)

Spiced Hot Chocolate for Two

1 qt. traditional half and half
1/4 cup of cocoa powder*
1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar or splenda*
1 tsp. Real vanilla extract*
1/2 tsp. Almond extract*
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon*
1/2 tsp. Nutmeg*
Whipped cream**

*The measurements on these ingridients are all a rough estimate. I don't actually use measuring utensils for this because I've been making it so long. I just dump them in till it looks right. ;)

**Canned whipped cream works fine for this but you can also whip up some heavy whipping cream with a little confectioner's sugar and vanilla for an extra treat.

Pour the half & half into a medium sauce pan and set on medium high heat. Add cocoa powder and all other ingridients and whisk or stir till well blended and hot.

Pour into tall mugs and top with whipped cream. Dust the whipped cream with cinnamon to make it look pretty.

Makes approximately 3 to 4 1.5 cup servings.

Favorites Today

Here are 10 of my favorites about today:

1. It's a marvelous Monday

2. It's a sumptuous 60 degrees outside

3. Wonderous Words

4. Nourishing Naps

5. Happy work

6. Fabulous Friend Feed

7. Friendly Facebook

8. Bountiful blogs

9. Juicy new books

10. Cuddly cats

What are 10 of your favorite things today?

Post Assistance

Holy crap! I just had a cup of tea and realized I have not updated this since people stopped clapping and Tinkerbell died... You would not believe the fairy dust I have to clean up. Apologies to my regular readers! Even the little blue ones!.

I am hopped up on caffeine with feeding the little people, a ticking crocodile, just generally being a delightful mistress to anyone unfortunate to cross my path, my day seems to be a litany of stuff and giggles from the second star on the right, straight on to well after sun-down. I am wearing my budgie smugglers. can't they see I am blogging.

I will try to remember I promised you   I will update you with my nefarious activities as soon as I get a chance. No, really! What do you mean you don’t believe me?

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Okay, you busted me.  I didn’t really write that… the Lazy Bloggers’ Post Generator did.But I did pick out all the words and phrases and it was fun!  Go try it!

Randomness

Some random things for a Saturday:

1. Everyone should listen to Keith and the Girl

2. Nap everyday

3. I have always wanted to let a hawk perch on my arm.

4. I am fond of crocodiles.

5. I smoked cigarettes for 22 years.

6. Find something to laugh about everyday.

See With Bigger Eyes

Half a Dozen Things Fine Artists & Crafters Can Do To Help Themselves Survive the Economic Slump

Because fine art and craft have long been considered a luxury for an audience with a disposable income, visual artists, like many self-employed creatives are susceptible to icky, economic downturns.  Right now everyone is hesitant to spend to drop cash on what seems to extravagance, even the very wealthy.  But collectors and dealers know this is the best time to buy and fine art and craft is one of the safest places to "park" their moola. But, they are looking to invest in  established artists with proven and verifiable sales and exhibition histories.

This is not good news for most emerging and mid-career artists. I've gotten e-mails from creative friends asking for ideas about how and where to sell work during a time when many galleries are struggling to make ends meet. Galleries are way more likely to exhibit the work of artists they feel confident they can sell right now. So, if you are thinking about approaching galleries any time soon here are five things to consider:

Know your stuff. Do your research and keep up the news- art, culture and business. Keep an eye on trends in your community. Watch which galleries are advertising and who they are showing. This will be a strong indication of which galleries will survive. Know which galleries accept outside proposals and when, keeping in mind most schedule exhibitions months or years in advance. Understand that, like the business world, the gallery world ebbs and flows and you need to move with it.

Become a little geeky. Aside from having an organized electronic (email) database of collectors, fans and people interested in your work, as well as an accurate inventory system, take a little time to research web sites (if you don't have one) and blogs. Determine whether you are better served with a blog that you can easily update or a static website that is updated quarterly or annually. Check out social media sites like Facebook or LinkedIn to find out how networking online with other artists and people of a like mind can benefit you. It's easy to let these things slide and find reasons for not having enough time, energy or resources...but, there is never a better time than now to get this stuff done.

Find creative weirdoes. Face it: being a visual artist can be a not only a weird but solitary profession, so in surrounding yourself with other creative weirdoes you can help one another remain positive and upbeat. So find other artists and creative people you can talk to and/or meet on a regular basis. It's always important to keep creativity flowing but especially during economic downturns. Nothing does that better than talking to other artists about their work and discussing yours.

Get out of the box. Be willing to think out of the box and explore non-traditional venues to exhibit work and be willing to lower prices and/or barter for goods and services if you can. Look into local outdoor and weekend farmer's markets and other similar venues. Look into renting space in an antique mall. Many people looking to decorate their homes with antiques also collect fine art and craft.

Curate yourself. Create your own exhibition of your existing work and approach local non profit exhibition spaces, small museums and college and university galleries with your ideas. Since many are coping with budget cuts, they are often more open to an exhibition that is already prepackaged and ready to hang. Use the distance you are willing to drive as your geographical radius and send proposals to everyone within that area. 

Do stuff for yourself. Everyone is under a tremendous amount of stress in this uncertain economic climate. The world seems chaotic right now. Money, career and family responsibilities can feel overwhelming. For many visual artists and fine crafters, it is our art that centers us and in an intrinsic part of who we are. We will all get through this, so continue to make the best possible art you can make and you will continue to thrive.

Note: Originally written for Active Gray Matter Blog.

We'll See

I have successfully kept my fingers still about "the Election" since the Primaries. Other than a few articles shared on my Google Reader page, I haven't said so much here.

In California, my views are considered conservative, in Virginia, liberal.  Because I am an artist most people assume I am liberal. I tend to think of myself as Progressive. People who know me, family and friends, know I am pretty moderate about most things political. I have issues I am passionate like anyone else but for most part I am moderate.

When Hillary lost the Primary, I supposed that history would repeat itself and it did. Refreshingly though it seems that the color of skin is secondary to the perceived character and ideologies, at least on the face of things..

Our household has been polarized by this election so we had a moratorium on discussing politics. When we went to the polls yesterday, it was with the knowledge that our votes were canceling each other out. But more than that, we were voting against someone rather than voting for someone else. I had an attitude about that because for the last four elections before this one, I voted for someone and I knew why. That was not so this time. If I could have voted with prejudice, I would have.

I am not convinced Obama is the great harbinger of change that people seem to want to believe he is. I don't know that I agree with Christiane Amanpour - that this election will change the world. Though I will venture to say it might change how America is viewed around the world. But like most of the country, I am tired of the status quo.  I am ready for change. More importantly, I believe it's time for change and I'm not sure it can happen in four years.

When I consider the alternative, I guess I'll take what I can get.

We'll see.

This time.

Two Hineyholes in a Hummer

In order to use disabled parking legally you need to have plates with the logo or hang your placard in the front window. As someone who needs to use disabled parking, I see perfectly able-bodied people use these spots all the time and more and more they are getting brazen about it. No embarrassment, no guilt when they are caught.

There are those people who have a disability and take advantage of it. These are the ones who park in front of entrances and no parking zones or even in the loading area of an already filled spot, hanging the placard in the window as though it is some sort of acceptable excuse for deliberate inconsiderateness.

KInda like the lady who parked a huge duel-axis pickup 3 feet away from the entrance at the hardware store a few weeks ago. She told me I was rude because I muttered under breath, 'Some people don't have to use parking spots'.  She was was talking to someone on her cell phone and interrupted her conversation to tell me I was rude. She pointed to her placard ferociously and said she was disabled and was picking something up. She toid me I didn't need to be so rude and ruin her day.

I would agree. You must be far more disabled than you look.

And there are those who have a placard and either refuse or don't display it properly and expect people to simply know they have one.

It's been happening so much that all I can do when I see it is mutter under my breath or or shake my head.

So yesterday, we stopped off at our neighborhood Walgreen's. I noticed a brand new, spit-polished and detailed Hummer, shiny clean rims and all. I looked at the plates, no logo. As we pulled into the other disabled spot, we both looked past the passenger on the cell phone to the rear view mirror. No placard.  As I got out of our truck, I looked back over at the truck and shook my head as I walked into the store.

Once I got to the pharmacy, I was treated to an unhappy man yelling at the Pharmacy Tech. He called the kid a jerk and was a complete hineyhole.  Why?  Because he couldn't read his own prescription bottle right. He insisted the expiration date was 11/31/08 and he insisted the tech look at it. "Sir, I see 10/31/08 not 11/31/08".

Uhhh... DOOD... there is no 11/31/08, even in a leap year.

So after Mr. Hineyhole finishes his tirade and tells the techit was his responsibility to let him know when his prescription  expires, I did my business and made my way out of the store, several feet behind Mr. Hineyhole.

Guess which vehicle Mr. Hineyhole got into?  Yep. The Hummer.

As I walked over the truck and was getting in, Mrs. Hineyhole had some words for ME.

"Maybe next time I'll take my autistic son in there and you can shake your head at him!".

Well, if he's as big a hineyhole as you and your husband I just might, CHICK.

"Huh?" is  what Manthing asked me as I was getting the truck. When I explained to him what it was all about, he told me they had a placard on the dash, not hanging in the window.

The times I have forgotten to hang the placard, I expect people to look at me weird or at the very least shake their heads a what a hineyhole I appear to be. They don't know I forgot. I certainly don't cop an attitude and hang out of a car window yelling like a fish wife at a total stranger because they shook their head at my vehicle

So here are a few tips to follow if you are ad disabled parker:

If you have a placard use it. 

If you don't, don't park there.

If it says 'NO PARKING', don't park there.

Don't get ugly because other people can't see the placard you refuse to hang or you think you can park anywhere because are disabled.

And don't use your kid as your weapon...for anything.

Just cause YOUR KID is autistic, doesn't give YOU special privileges.

AND

If you mutter under your breath, make sure you do it quietly.  ;)