Folks don't want to hire anyone; complain

This guy is shocked that he can't find amazing people right off the bat. Many businesses nowadays expect great people off the rack without putting any resources into them, but that's not the way it works. To have great people, you need to create them.

And more on why the something for nothing entitlement mentality that we get from a lot of businesses. They want a lot of public support, but don't want to pay taxes or deal with regulation. The problem is that sure, in the short run, all of this sounds great,but in the long run, no taxes means poor infrastructure, poor health for workers, poor education, etc, and all the problems and expenses that go along with that.

I think business can try to be a good neighbor instead of plundering everything in their path and leaving a ruined environment and shattered lives behind them.

People are PISSED

about an etsy blog about the horrors of coral. Personally, I think that the article should have run with a disclaimer that this is just one random person's opinion and not the opinion of etsy, but I don't think that this blog post will actually affect sales of coral jewelry much.(full disclosure- I am quite sure that I probably have some pieces with coral beads.) It is well known that diamonds fuel conflicts, that gold and silver mining aren't exactly environmentally friendly, and that mother of pearl is made from oyster shells, but sales of these items continue because they are lovely items and people want them.

I attempt to be more sustainable, but as a maker of things, the real way to be sustainable is not to make things, as we have enough items for everyone on earth to fill their abodes with them. This is the sort of moral issue that everyone needs to put on their waders and wrestle with themselves. Whether you want all your items to be sustainbly sourced, or you don't care, or any thing in between- for example, I like to use reuse old jewelry items in my designs and reuse packaging, but new items are used much of the time as well- there's something for you in this wide world.

I think the brou ha ha is not so much that someone said "CORAL IS BAD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT" it's that sellers aren't feeling the love, so to speak. Many sellers hunger for one of their own to be given a spotlight. Competition is fierce, and anyone who gets an advantage from etsy appears to be taking advantages away from others. This goes doubly for those who are not from etsy, and also, appear to be designers instead of makers.{The distinction is that there's a huge difference from designing a piece and sending it off to be made and making the pieces themselves.] The promotional tone of the piece may have also offended some, as it moves the piece from the realm of information to marketing. So lesson learned for etsy[or not]: don't let outsiders write promotional pieces on your blog.

Four in the Queue!

This edition has two in the queue and two at home:

In the queue:



Season 2 of Mad Men : I finally watched the first season of Mad Men.

Kiki's Delivery Service- the classic Miyazaki film. One of the first I had ever seen when they were first released in America. I need to see it again.

At home:

Ponyo: I saw this in the theater, in the company of two old women and a very well behaved little girl. It was beautiful, but I want to see the subtitled version.

Howl's Moving Castle- a Miyazaki film I haven't seen yet? I'm working my way through the classics.

Why I like twitter more than facebook explained

Facebook is sort of awkward. It doesn't aggregate information like I like. When online, I want floods of information and opinion. I can look at facebook for a few minutes. "Yes, that's a cute baby. Yes, that's a bible quote." If I wanted that, I'd go outside and talk to people. Relationships are more suited to the slower flow of real life. On twitter, I can see conversations about manga, etsy, the state of black America, tv shows...ALL AT ONCE. Updated constantly. Sometimes I get licensing information IN REAL TIME! Real life and facebook are more of a mixed bag. You're thrown in together with people you don't really choose- former church members, old coworkers, schoolmates, family members, and what they talk about may or may not be interesting.

I like the choice of twitter. If I end up with a religious fundamentalist on my twitter, I can merely click unfollow. On facebook, I end up with a lot of folks like that on there as not to offend.

Big Companies Get Ideas from Little Ones

Stackbucks rolls out reusable coffee sleeves. after small crafters have had them for years. I also noticed Keep Calm and Carry On items at Barnes and Nobles after the big trend was created online. I guess we're idea factories.

The vibrant African Maker Economy

I liked this article about the vibrant informal economy in Narobi. A lot of people have the idea that the economy is built from the top down- big business creates jobs, etc. But the truth is that that system doesn't work everywhere. I am thinking of some of the ghettos of our cities- high unemployment,big business doesn't want to put in grocery stores, despite sources saying that there are 30k people in the area.[that's a whole lot of potatoes!]. Big business isn't doing a thing to give jobs and services to many people in those areas. So a lot of informal businesses crop up- hair braiding, tattooing, car repair,the selling of everything from plates of food to bootleg videos.

People are building an economy from the bottom up. In America, and in Africa. We're not disposable cogs. We're vital pieces of this economy. Never forget that.

It's Happy Black Girl Day

And what I'm happy about is fresh basil. I could bathe in the scent. I love the leaves growing so large, some as large as my middle finger. They are the only things that have done well this year. The only tomatoes we have are cherry, and there's always banana peppers, but my rosemary died, my krim tomato died, and the green zebras aren't bearing. That's gardening for you.

Gardening is a rich heritage too. Every year, we get purple hull peas, and pear preserves from older women who have gardened their whole lives. Gardening gets you into the soil, out of your head. It gets you away from the American myth of total control over your destiny. If it rains too much, too bad. That's it for your rosemary. It gets you back to the rhythms of the earth. Our children should garden- I don't want a generation to grow up without the smell of fresh basil on their hands.