I am really looking forward to ceramics this term, I’m not sure what assignments I’ll get from Mr. Bradley, but I have decided to make multiples. Like ten of each. And for sure I want to make more of those cute little pitchers!
This picture is not of a ceramic pot on human growth hormone, but another kind of miracle, my teacher’s giant pot.
Pretty fun stuff.
I can sell my school books when the bookstore opens next week. That should give my bank account a boost. Yeah, I’m still brooding about my financial troubles. Not that it’s a surprise, but I can’t believe I didn’t actually find employment by now, knowing this time would come. It comes every year, it should’nt be a surprise.
Well I have a plan or two and something will work out, it always does. Only six more weeks until my next batch of school money get here. The Honors money will be here before that. Sweet, sweet Honors $$$!!
Another term done, today we go through all the miscellaneous leftover projects. Some of the pottery is pretty nice, but goes unclaimed for various reasons. It’s kind of like colon cleanse reviews
ceramics studio
Now that I’m done with this term, I have all the work done for my non-profit IRS status. I will be posting some of the info here, but more can be found at PlanetCornucopia.com
Starting a Nonprofit Organization
Perhaps the best way to really clarify to yourself what you intend to accomplish by starting a new nonprofit is to write a basic mission statement for your organization. You’ll soon need this mission statement anyway if you plan to incorporate your nonprofit (more about incorporation a little later on). The following guidelines may be helpful to you when writing your first, basic mission statement.
At is most basic, the mission statement describes the overall purpose of the organization. It addresses the question “Why does the organization exist?”
Try include a description of what you think will be the new nonprofit’s
a) primary benefits and services to clients
b) groups of clients who will benefit from those services
c) values that will guide how your nonprofit will operate
d) how you’d like others to view your nonprofit
The phrase “starting a nonprofit” can mean several things:
* You can be a nonprofit organization just by getting together with some friends, eg, to form a self-help group. In this case, you’re an informal nonprofit organization.
* You can incorporate your nonprofit so it exists as a separate legal organization in order to a) own its own property and its own bank account; b) ensure that the nonprofit can continue on its own (even after you’re gone); and c) protect yourself personally from liability from operations of the nonprofit. You incorporate your nonprofit by filing articles of incorporation (or other charter documents) with the appropriate local state office. (An incorporated nonprofit requires a board of directors.)
* If you want your nonprofit (and if you think your nonprofit deserves) to be exempt from federal taxes (and maybe some other taxes, too), you should file with the IRS to be a “tax-exempt” organization. (The IRS states that you must be a corporation, community chest, fund, or foundation to receive tax-exempt status. Articles of association may also be used in place of incorporation.) (Probably the most well known type of nonprofit is a the IRS classification of 501(c)(3), a “charitable nonprofit’.) Depending on the nature of your organization, you may also granted tax-deductible status from the IRS. So, for example, you could start a nonprofit that is incorporated, tax-exempt and eligible to receive tax deductible donations.
If unable to file for corporation or for federal tax-exempt status, there are other ways to act as a non-profit. Consider Fiscal Sponsorship to jump start your organization. In some cases, you might find and work with another nonprofit organization that will act as your fiscal sponsor. A fiscal sponsor might be useful to you if your nonprofit:
1) Does not have sufficient resources to handle startup costs and fees
2) Does not have sufficient skills initially to manage your finances
3) Will address a community need and then no longer need to exist.
You can do much of the work yourself to get incorporated and/or tax-exemption and/or tax-deductibility, but you should have some basic guidance and advice from a lawyer who understands nonprofit matters.
According to a very informative paper by Eve Rose Borenstein, Copyright, 1998
http://www.managementhelp.org/legal/lgl_need.htm
When an entity operates, regardless of its public benefit or social welfare purpose, it will find itself subject to two legal realities: first, that the entity itself (separate from the individuals operating same can be sued for actions taken in its name or under its sponsorship; and second, that when an entity conducts financial activities, it will be considered a “taxpayer” under federal and State statutes.
Many types of tax-exempt status are possible but by far the largest category available is the “charity” category defined by Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3). Groups recognized as operated for charitable purposes, via a 501(c)(3) exemption letter, are the only type of tax-exempt entity which is across the board able to receive donations which are tax-deductible to the donor.
This is the last week of school this term. After I am done here, the first thing I intend to do is read some non-fiction books.
I read a book along the Ajo Thanksgiving trip by Carl Hiassen. He is such a good read. I didn’t enjoy it as much as I might have because I felt guilty about taking the time out, but it was really good anyway. He always makes me laugh out loud. Gave that book to Mom; she likes him, too.
ocatillo ribs
Today I am officially late on an assignment in Small Business. It’s the first time, and the teacher is notably relaxed about it. When he started collecting the papers I just panicked and pawed through my folder for Something.
Foolish Grasshopper, did you not mark down your deadlines? Have you learned nothing from the past?
I am not alone in that class, among chronic late-turners-in of homework. A lot of youngsters in there who are probably more interested in the best acne treatment than getting their papers turned in on time.
But the look on Mr. Medrano’s face was worth that famous thousand words. I really have done better in the past.
Well, my talented son is going to do the forum and the tri-fold for happyhoundbiscuits.com so we can pull my a55 out of the fire on this one.
Thank you, Porge.
We were in Ajo over the long weekend and got rain.
Ajo Arizona cloudburst
Desert Rain
We caught up to a squall on the way out of town and stopped to play in it. The wash was starting to get scary, so we kept the dogs away. You never know when a big gush of water and debris is going to come downstream like a wall.
Fifteen Minute Rain
School is very interesting, and I think it will keep me busy this term. I have projects in both Running a Small Business and International Business, and have yet another project for my Honors grant, which is worth $325.00 (and that makes it even more fun.)
I will be looking for more project-type classes as I continue to shop for Online master degrees.
I like that Gonzaga Online offers a variety of Masters programs. I would consider contacting them in a couple of years to see what kind of programs they have and to look at funding. I’m thinking an organizational development masters degree would be the most fun and the closest to what I am aiming for.
Algebra is going to take most of my time this term, though, for studying and practicing. It seems to take a long time to get each new step into my brain. Oh well, it’s still the best ‘job’ I’ve ever had.
graduation
Algebra is going to challenge me. I already have some new terms and methods to learn after the first day, and we were just doing the most basic solve for ‘x’ stuff.
I am Gabby sitting, so I thought you’d enjoy a picture of Gabby.
Gabriella
Next week I start the Small Business class. I am so excited. I know, I keep getting excited when I think of school, it wears a little on my friends, I’m sure.
So I really been wracking my brain here, thinking up a small business. Here’s a list of ideas:
PlanetCornucopia.com
– I would be posting non-profit news and selling logo T-shirts, 501C3 license.
That’s it, I’m afraid. Only the one idea.
Dang.
Tool Using Mammal
School work on spring break, no less. Shouldn’t I be drinking my a55 off in Rocky Point? But no, I will need to work a little bit every day to be on top when classes resume. So Paris is coming over today to help me polish up the web sites. He is also going to teach me how to ‘fish’ for myself, you know, ‘give a man a fish and he’ll eat today, but teach him to fish and he’ll eat for life’. Which is kind of what I hope to accomplish in Hondurus. I believe the internet is the biggest thing I can bring to them. I will of course need a laptop computer of my own on site, but I am looking in to the rules and regs for importing computers to them. If nothing else, I can bring chips and boards with me and build what they need.
The ecommerce part of my project is really the whole point, that and the gardens. Whatever trinket or goods the community can produce isn’t as important as the act of connecting to the world at large to market the goods. This, I believe, will set them free. And the gardens.
I don’t believe that a local government can take your freedom if you can communicate with the global population, and you know what they all have been going through down there in Central and South America from governments, theirs and mine. For several generations these people have been constantly uprooted, undermined, threatened and disrespected by the powers-that-be. No wonder family units have disappeared and they have lost the will to take care of themselves.
I would like to see a world with free internet signal in the very air around this whole globe, like Tesla intended.
I got to meet with a cousin I haven’t seen in over thirty years !
Amazing to see her, she is so sweet and pretty. Here’s a pic of us girls.
cousins and one aunt
Take a look at these sultry numbers … farmhouse sinks …
I have a beautiful new lanai and grass in the backyard. The dogs love the grass, I love the lanai. I can see us living outdoors a lot more with this little shady retreat.
bunch of dogs
The first part of the business plan is the Executive Summary. The exec summary is a complete and concise 2-page picture of your business.
It doesn’t matter what the business is, it could be software development, Moen faucets online, distribution of pet psychology materials, water treatment, you get the picture.
My business plan is for a non-profit manufacturing and marketing co-op, repeated with different products and different communities across America.
The start-up money will come from the grant and donation sector, perhaps foundation money, I won’t rule anything out.
The businesses will pay into the system and make new factories possible.
The community will benefit from not only jobs, but day-care and legal and social programs advice. The daycare will be a separate entity from the manufacturing co-op and paid for by the client with time and/or money instead of being a benefit of the job, because that will insure continuity of child care in the event of job change.
The marketing will be part of the manufacturing co-op and training will be provided for all the parts of running the shop. The community will benefit by having income, training, childcare, health insurance, and social services such as counseling and mentoring.
That’s just what needs be in the first couple of paragraphs. I need to write this up in business-ese. I’m working on it.
This is one of the logos, but not the one for the U.S. business. This is one of the logos for the Honduran project.
Ceramics class is so much fun !! I made it my Honors class and the Professor and I picked out a project already. I’m going to research a kiln made and fired with native 3rd-world materials.
So far I found a shape that draws the heat across the clay pots fast which heats it even more (!) and I’m pretty amazed about that. The best way to build this shape is to dig it into a hill. But you need clay, sand, loam, be sure to avoid using rocks which will explode in the 2,000 celsius degree heat. Sounds pretty exciting. I plan to make a diorama-type model. Maybe this summer i can try it for reals if I go on the trip to Mata Ortiz.
That’s in Mexico and has very famous potters. Who knew?
So, evidently, they have good clay right there in arroyos. Maybe I can dig a kiln and test fire it.
I had an idea to make clay stamps for hobbyists, initials and such. Like the rubber stamps the scrapbookers use. But so far I have made a Mata Ortiz-style pot. And that’s it. So far. Here’s a pic of the Mata Ortiz demonstration and some of their pots.
Mata Ortiz pottery makers
It’s really great to be back in school. The summer was beginning to feel pointless.
My e-commerce class cancelled (not enough enrollment) and my spanish class might, I’ll find out tomorrow. I think it’s too much of a beginner class for me anyway. but it might pick up. All the while I was sitting there in class thinking ‘I already know this stuff” I was telling myself that it always starts off slow, and don’t knock it. So I really put my espanol out there on this first assignment, used all that I’ve got. I’ll let the teacher be the judge.
I applied and interviewed for a work-study job at the student life center, I think it went pretty well. We’ll see in two days.
Tonite is my photoshopCS3 class, the one I came over to this campus for. Plus the campus is right across the street, which is sweet. I’m pretty excited about this class, it’s taught by this incredible teacher that I had last term for web design.
Humanities is going to be interesting, we get three social issue type books to read and do speaking presentations on. I hate speaking and it makes me puke from nerves, so this will be good for me. Maybe I can get past this. It’s stupid to not be able to make presentations just from cowardice. What’s there to be afraid of? I might bore people? They’ve been bored before. They might judge me unfavorably? It’s happened before and I survived.
I just keep pep-talking myself. Get myself pumped up. Wednesday is my first stand-up presentation.
The quilt……. I am plugging away on the back of it, it’s looking pretty cute.
Sammy brought her old quilt (that I made a couple of years ago) to get it repaired this weekend, I had forgotten how nice it turned out. She has Chinese decor in her room so I made her a simple bamboo
design. It feels just right, she says she loves it and she drags it around to watch TV with. The top black material is a cotton gabardine and the back is wheat-colored crinkle-cloth, a little heavier than the gauzy stuff you usually see with crinkle-cloth, with a linen-like texture. Single ply low-loft batting and it’s a small queen or large double size.
I replaced the top-stitched leaves which had been thin silk, but they wore off. so I put the same material as the backing on for the leaves. I did some straight lines to hold a place where I know the batting is seperated. Some top-stitching had come out. i used light thread. I’m not sure I like it, but
after I thought about it, I think I could make it better by curving the lines at the top and making them look like wheat. I told Sammy about that and if it bothers her, she can bring it back and I can easily update it.