tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-182465302024-03-13T21:16:12.630-04:00Von Trapper KeeperCombining the effortless elegance of Maria Von Trapp's Meadow with the austere functionality of a Trapper Keeper since 2005.Dan Nolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981886295607717368noreply@blogger.comBlogger439125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18246530.post-79889940202384869702013-02-19T23:00:00.000-05:002013-02-19T23:05:37.495-05:00Hub Comics Screws Independent Local ArtistsI met James Welborn a few times - at a zinefair, a convention, and at Hub when I was in the process of self-publishing and promoting Business Casual Stag Devil Death Boy. He was very nice to me (always) and agreed to not only take my graphic novel on consignment, but to give me a 75-25 consignment deal (since I was paying $18 a book to print them through comixpress.com, 50-50 consignment was really designed for comics, not graphic novels, and no one would likely buy an unknown artist's graphic novel at $36 or more.) James and I wrote up a contract for him to take 5 copies, sell them at $25 and pay me $18.71. (This is the same agreement I set up with Million Year Picnic, New England Comics, and Pandemonium Books.) He sold those on consignment, and another 5 on the same arrangement, and then took another 5 on consignment on the same arrangement. I dealt with him and the manager for a couple years under this arrangement, visited their store as a customer, and recommended them to friends as one of the two best stores in the area for an independent creator to deal with (MYP being the other, in my experience).<br />
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Then James committed suicide. I knew him only through these handful of interactions, so I didn't attend any memorials. I was saddened, sent my condolences to the manager and the staff, and didn't even email to check in on the consignment books for over a year out of some vague sense of tact? good will? embarrassment?, I don't know. When I touched base several months ago about the books, I got no response. I followed up a couple weeks later and again a month later, and got no response. Then I stopped in and the same manager was there and assured me that he had forwarded my emails on to the new owner, who was trying to locate the books. They didn't know where they were and they were still going through James' stuff trying to locate them. Two months passed without a word. I emailed them again and followed up with a call the next day. He said that he'd see the owner later that day and he'd follow up on it. Here’s our email interaction (w/out greetings/signatures):<br />
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Dan: I'm still waiting on word about the five graphic novels I had at your store on consignment - Business Casual Stag Devil Death Boy. Please call or email me in regards to this. It has been several months since I started inquiring.<br />
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Hub: Well, we can't find them. We'd prefer to give you store credit for them, but we'll give you cash if you'd like. I'm out tomorrow, but back on Friday and Saturday, so I can settle up with you then.<br />
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Dan: Well, I appreciate your efforts to track them down and your willingness to honor the contract. I honestly don't know if I'd make that much in store purchases, but considering your best efforts to make good, I'd be happy to take half in cash and half in store credit. The amount due is $18.71 per book, at 5 books is $93.55. We can call it $45 in cash and $48.55 in credit if that works for you. Sound good?<br />
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Hub: I'm afraid we can't go that high. For consignment books we pay half cover price. We were selling your book for $15. We can offer you $37.50, the price of five books at $7.50 each, which I can offer you in cash.<br />
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Dan: Actually, the contract we negotiated had you paying me 75% of the $25 at which you were selling my book. You sold two sets of five at that price and paid out that $18.71 per book, and this was the third set of five that you were selling under the same arrangement. You were definitely not supposed to be selling them at $15, or at least not supposed to be paying me less than the $18.71 per book (which I assume means you wouldn't have been selling them for less than that). The book is a 190 page full color graphic novel that cost $18 per book to print through comixpress. We had discussed how it would never sell at $36 - the standard consignment model was set up for smaller cheaper comic books and the 75-25 arrangement for this covered my cost, made it affordable for consumers, and left you with a $6.29 profit per book - higher than you'd likely get from most consignment comics. I can bring in the contract to show you. But, I'm also not trying to be contentious here; just trying to set the record straight on the pricing. I can also appreciate that you likely did not sell all five books and so you are likely taking a loss here. I can accept the 37.50 in cash and take the rest (56.05) on store credit. Or if that's really putting you in a difficult spot, I'd be willing to take the whole 93.55 on credit - I'm sure I can get some stuff i've been wanting and some birthday presents and bring this whole thing to a resolution.<br />
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Hub: I'm sorry, I ran it by the owner. Hub is under new ownership and can't fulfill your contract with James. All I can offer is the $37.50, which we'll have on hand for you. I apologize for the inconvenience.<br />
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End correspondence. So. They arbitrarily, illegally, and insultingly changed the terms of our contract (illegally changing the sale price AND the commission percentage) and then claimed that the contract itself was invalid because it was with prior ownership (James) and didn't apply to current ownership. But when he took over ownership, he took on debts as well as assets, or he should have returned the merchandise under consignment contract or taken responsibility for inventory lost They lost $93.55 of my inventory (which had a razor thin profit margin) and offered me a take-it-or-leave-it settlement of $37.50, which had no basis in reality. It is absolutely a breach of contract, but more importantly, it's a callous slap in the face to an independent artist who was attempting to work with them on a good faith basis. At no point did the owner correspond directly with me.
I know this sounds like spiteful sour grapes, and maybe it is partly. But. This is no way to treat local independent artists or any honest business person.<br />
<br />
I rejected their illegitimate offer. They can keep their dirty money.Dan Nolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981886295607717368noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18246530.post-41965127312944591642012-01-06T10:12:00.003-05:002012-01-06T10:21:54.351-05:00Spreading Spreading SantorumWhat? What's this? A Lazarus sighting in the blogosphere? Is VTK back? No, sorry. VTK is pretty much dead and perhaps I'll do a proper eulogy at some point, but as I predicted somewheresometime down below, microblogging killed the radio star. I just post everything on Facebook and twitter now.<br /><br />But. (or <span style="font-style:italic;">Butt</span>, I should say.) I just want to do my part in keeping <a href="http://spreadingsantorum.com/">this link</a> at or near the top of a <a href="http://motherjones.com/politics/2010/08/rick-santorum-google-problem-dan-savage">"Rick Santorum" google search</a>. Linking is loving, folks. So, that's done. <br /><br />And like the wind ... vtk was gone again ...Dan Nolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981886295607717368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18246530.post-41730018368271656812010-11-18T16:23:00.007-05:002010-11-18T17:12:28.981-05:00The Invisible Man<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwPMpke6OtRxOOaFgIsdDTKktbTLOJcrvQvU4KIFU3yhM0kVKMprm6LCd93crU3at5kg8mPx8qDuoJBtAJEPw3ljENWlJzmnRzjVvVABCDhslryya-OWcPBuQ-xu394Wnm90kQFg/s1600/invisible+man+proof.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwPMpke6OtRxOOaFgIsdDTKktbTLOJcrvQvU4KIFU3yhM0kVKMprm6LCd93crU3at5kg8mPx8qDuoJBtAJEPw3ljENWlJzmnRzjVvVABCDhslryya-OWcPBuQ-xu394Wnm90kQFg/s400/invisible+man+proof.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5541003707460208546" /></a><br />As an expectant father, I've been thinking a lot about genes these days - what I may be passing on to Spaghetti Rocket, good and bad. In preparation for the arrival of our first child, Beth and I bought a fancy new camera with which to document the new tot. I fooled around with it to teach myself about all the functions and the above photo is one of the zoomed in pictures that I captured. It is of my multi-colored beard. I was well aware of the "reds", the dark browns, and the whites in my calico jaw-warmer. What I was not aware of was the clear, jelly-like, invisible whiskers (inside the green rectangle). Am I part Invisible Man? Is it possible that Spaghetti Rocket will be an invisible baby? While there are clear advantages, it would seem that there would be more disadvantages. Think of all the money I could have saved on philosophy classes searching for my existential void. All along, the emptiness was right under my chin. I hope Spaghetti Rocket gets his/her transparency traits from Beth and not me.Dan Nolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981886295607717368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18246530.post-5652774542479688482010-11-11T08:27:00.012-05:002010-11-11T10:41:00.879-05:00Boston ARTchives - Ready to roll (for real this time)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGKeLMWyEBmrB-Z2PD8pDcIAo74hk6MN-5Xcwvfgnk1ys9LduqxzLnW-mZv0_GB87jUy9Obzv3Ec6fVMzMA3HelDKulKNeAlEQRdpTckr_Jm5o76DaOnJy58R7YGyfsSwH0z0UIQ/s1600/Boston+ARTchives+front+page.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 329px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGKeLMWyEBmrB-Z2PD8pDcIAo74hk6MN-5Xcwvfgnk1ys9LduqxzLnW-mZv0_GB87jUy9Obzv3Ec6fVMzMA3HelDKulKNeAlEQRdpTckr_Jm5o76DaOnJy58R7YGyfsSwH0z0UIQ/s400/Boston+ARTchives+front+page.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538283718354729842" /></a><br />Sorry about the confusion a few months ago, when I said that we were ready to roll, but in fact, we were not ready to roll. Now, we really are ready to roll! At present, we have 9 artists lending 10 pieces each, so our collection is at a robust and diverse 90. <a href="http://www.bostonartchives.com/the-collection/">Check it out</a>. We are now accepting subscribers for 2011. Read more <a href="http://www.bostonartchives.com/about/">about us here</a> and <a href="http://www.bostonartchives.com/join/">how to join us here</a>. Here's a few samples of the art you can borrow and hang on your very own walls:<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Dan Nolan's art</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbMAd6i9y6Ul5h2X-UZ3Tz89NtI9S7dNEtB2juAaG-pnfj5Z3Kqd7JlkaG0Nk8BcvgWo90LhyphenhyphenSckkqw8shxUZU1cpI8IpHn3OvSpgehJ0Harq1V_AFqnJdI_yEA7RjOpU4F6kYrg/s1600/Dan+Nolan+ARTchives+piece+1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 307px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbMAd6i9y6Ul5h2X-UZ3Tz89NtI9S7dNEtB2juAaG-pnfj5Z3Kqd7JlkaG0Nk8BcvgWo90LhyphenhyphenSckkqw8shxUZU1cpI8IpHn3OvSpgehJ0Harq1V_AFqnJdI_yEA7RjOpU4F6kYrg/s400/Dan+Nolan+ARTchives+piece+1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538285738548770450" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimgLXj8m0icpa71K95OQwgL3ohFVgkTLfhBJcw0wrKmWcTR0r88IngSJEW83VG04sdmtd0JVMsiXi6R32aZRJO4XeeMLLFZ3O16DjW0eauaOE0M-PmdK5kAzNf_bJpa-S_676p_g/s1600/red_pepper_pod_dan_nolan_art.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 307px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimgLXj8m0icpa71K95OQwgL3ohFVgkTLfhBJcw0wrKmWcTR0r88IngSJEW83VG04sdmtd0JVMsiXi6R32aZRJO4XeeMLLFZ3O16DjW0eauaOE0M-PmdK5kAzNf_bJpa-S_676p_g/s400/red_pepper_pod_dan_nolan_art.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538285737085458418" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Bea Modisett's art</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxdTP77NTvuGfne2CxfyYTrfll5GhtNGKxQyZPY-bvvz9VY1vZKPrH8oerZ7wiYkgT3_FNGWroNGT67fMSKZm9PXpZb0PS1VCXxg8P41rEMopAqPYOxZ1nklUnZoRYmehtUq5vHA/s1600/10_radha%2527s+garden.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 297px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxdTP77NTvuGfne2CxfyYTrfll5GhtNGKxQyZPY-bvvz9VY1vZKPrH8oerZ7wiYkgT3_FNGWroNGT67fMSKZm9PXpZb0PS1VCXxg8P41rEMopAqPYOxZ1nklUnZoRYmehtUq5vHA/s400/10_radha%2527s+garden.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538286316823154530" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbHcKrkoj0x-JXmigz-eGpPVmEZN4cA3o7zHNxCcc6Me6bO5FVUhb-u_y1OcAhnr31tJlR95nV1l-ExIC7hdksUtzJwKKsg8MUpOb_2zAXFMu7uYFnXr7yQuxdJ9i_F8Y6Qea-Dw/s1600/uploaded-file-72242.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 391px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbHcKrkoj0x-JXmigz-eGpPVmEZN4cA3o7zHNxCcc6Me6bO5FVUhb-u_y1OcAhnr31tJlR95nV1l-ExIC7hdksUtzJwKKsg8MUpOb_2zAXFMu7uYFnXr7yQuxdJ9i_F8Y6Qea-Dw/s400/uploaded-file-72242.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538286310394605890" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Ellen Crenshaw's art</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi14tTK4N7gHIvTTffXDuZ-aDUPxAAMoO-Wf5MrRk_BmbN5Tw8GXFHu3CQYWPbxqxFVC56L_ir4LeKGJU57avxG1x0-4aTlYXHCa44XsC__9nk5qoH0KL9-Qlju-Z60vHhByFbzzQ/s1600/etcrenshaw5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 283px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi14tTK4N7gHIvTTffXDuZ-aDUPxAAMoO-Wf5MrRk_BmbN5Tw8GXFHu3CQYWPbxqxFVC56L_ir4LeKGJU57avxG1x0-4aTlYXHCa44XsC__9nk5qoH0KL9-Qlju-Z60vHhByFbzzQ/s400/etcrenshaw5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538287041160291378" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOWmdYA2XzxeDrcdDGhdvDEaZ4WqjBuf5oiJcJuN-yx3t72sxtXmq8N5tQCtEwpRMwKkN1ST77Mqx-PJ3CAm_TdoSgSSlV-AETX8mCbnTryJrVIHURh2WKgVRp6pCl6JsnOrXeZg/s1600/subway_layer1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 333px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOWmdYA2XzxeDrcdDGhdvDEaZ4WqjBuf5oiJcJuN-yx3t72sxtXmq8N5tQCtEwpRMwKkN1ST77Mqx-PJ3CAm_TdoSgSSlV-AETX8mCbnTryJrVIHURh2WKgVRp6pCl6JsnOrXeZg/s400/subway_layer1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538287037025984898" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />David Sturtevant's art</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigwku2k-UHI31qtgGaxWDs_8fqynMKQmi_t5C30GCDYJKwWXTmKqE6EurFRKoKwO_xG8MP0ArINn0bZPpDWSJ3jc6mkqIhhkshGQW9_uNV2IQT3GfFHf2kZQfnS47TvZz1lMPd7A/s1600/00415w.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 340px; height: 329px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigwku2k-UHI31qtgGaxWDs_8fqynMKQmi_t5C30GCDYJKwWXTmKqE6EurFRKoKwO_xG8MP0ArINn0bZPpDWSJ3jc6mkqIhhkshGQW9_uNV2IQT3GfFHf2kZQfnS47TvZz1lMPd7A/s400/00415w.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538300276016066962" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8iImZhHT78Xyv5U4D6-0jHMj21u9TYEcZYP462oee2z_LTFbtMqCwCXVjIoQqho5Ie2YzIjH2YyiEI_phog_PAeuQEJKWCpfi6-PRkSBXtEOc5CtIIzb9xcwEoJVRc0prFY1sxg/s1600/00418w.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 340px; height: 314px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8iImZhHT78Xyv5U4D6-0jHMj21u9TYEcZYP462oee2z_LTFbtMqCwCXVjIoQqho5Ie2YzIjH2YyiEI_phog_PAeuQEJKWCpfi6-PRkSBXtEOc5CtIIzb9xcwEoJVRc0prFY1sxg/s400/00418w.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538287727141394642" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Catalina Viejo Lopez de Roda's art</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiSRcpfn468-c_M_3RoHo5LvLNy2cfPpKn_5ARjyypS_x7-nGwOYg6WIRBl05X3e1-eaRFxkkRAl1Leh1IAjGz18XKbqryejeshEsZKSFSrBHpruXDe01aKjyyMY83v_UTOnNxDA/s1600/anclados.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 312px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiSRcpfn468-c_M_3RoHo5LvLNy2cfPpKn_5ARjyypS_x7-nGwOYg6WIRBl05X3e1-eaRFxkkRAl1Leh1IAjGz18XKbqryejeshEsZKSFSrBHpruXDe01aKjyyMY83v_UTOnNxDA/s400/anclados.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538300003178287218" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoF1ArffwbKvm06UYawc_sj82f5Ak14V7CoAPJYBHolukBX4mAqFi7AIfdx3RWIlz3kUuRVFQaW_cfbZvAVPZfgaMmbR3uz6RNiJQSKuIpBDfT8eAN55ZukI1EwGdAEXX7eBij-A/s1600/conbesisfinalslide.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 311px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoF1ArffwbKvm06UYawc_sj82f5Ak14V7CoAPJYBHolukBX4mAqFi7AIfdx3RWIlz3kUuRVFQaW_cfbZvAVPZfgaMmbR3uz6RNiJQSKuIpBDfT8eAN55ZukI1EwGdAEXX7eBij-A/s400/conbesisfinalslide.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538296694910041186" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Karl Stevens' art</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIu2S_W45pB2lqc6VIt1VTCBJ5Hl9K0PnoEgBAZ80cy_RJCHfFGUlYoxv0HKSyjnnslBpv_GKPDoWgfBqngMA_n5hl4UgPHlJ_z09jbM46qghpxPvGTWrHL7zshxLTEYiWjhyphenhyphenQJg/s1600/20091009-20091009-_mg_4986+copy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIu2S_W45pB2lqc6VIt1VTCBJ5Hl9K0PnoEgBAZ80cy_RJCHfFGUlYoxv0HKSyjnnslBpv_GKPDoWgfBqngMA_n5hl4UgPHlJ_z09jbM46qghpxPvGTWrHL7zshxLTEYiWjhyphenhyphenQJg/s400/20091009-20091009-_mg_4986+copy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538297292289057410" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizRz4W1AoIVtUpnKjg9Nmn2vGCVWg7Or5oP-zfoR6OcXfO6iBb5nHoiS3eW231uGU10-5KQsK3lyylHhh6ORa4lXAJDvVnbn3dZF4fe1MP4xKD6eXboQpOe28zQW_jTZZeyfWnAQ/s1600/jpchristmas1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizRz4W1AoIVtUpnKjg9Nmn2vGCVWg7Or5oP-zfoR6OcXfO6iBb5nHoiS3eW231uGU10-5KQsK3lyylHhh6ORa4lXAJDvVnbn3dZF4fe1MP4xKD6eXboQpOe28zQW_jTZZeyfWnAQ/s400/jpchristmas1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538297288193087346" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Anthony Apeso's art</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Afzjkg6IHL1lhjotlMbCyncZshv4MMAmka35wb_xaDFJvpyPPa7iUthr9XR6MRV7qZeM_9ZUYQKTGj89L6sJSLTQFz_mq8mfxV6-vZRGKrpKHIcqR78a8ydImqVDKLKLaV1dNg/s1600/04_sheep_gallery15.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 303px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Afzjkg6IHL1lhjotlMbCyncZshv4MMAmka35wb_xaDFJvpyPPa7iUthr9XR6MRV7qZeM_9ZUYQKTGj89L6sJSLTQFz_mq8mfxV6-vZRGKrpKHIcqR78a8ydImqVDKLKLaV1dNg/s400/04_sheep_gallery15.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538297643578987074" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDgXaL_Rq0uECrb1Tof0e8qHxe6Z3Zi-3COsPCJz_PSKWtWhYdqYwbPuqqbk7-FUs-lzu_2lioWboMqympryYPm8IM5zEr5WYZTVtyQ84uZQzvtS-CRQ2dZFkccTQIerbQ8DnN9Q/s1600/22_fourfigures_gallery12.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 235px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDgXaL_Rq0uECrb1Tof0e8qHxe6Z3Zi-3COsPCJz_PSKWtWhYdqYwbPuqqbk7-FUs-lzu_2lioWboMqympryYPm8IM5zEr5WYZTVtyQ84uZQzvtS-CRQ2dZFkccTQIerbQ8DnN9Q/s400/22_fourfigures_gallery12.jpg" border="0"alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538297642902356562" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Sean Flood's art</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMmdWXQgQp5NejFtc2US43IJK5lFBFvIO0Fp9cqDfuG9MZ5erMwWBRlWxcE7YStzGh1DrWAeVRAK2GID9IjUIsbiXJyh_WAi3Je6dM8DTRzMBNzSxr7f4_R9QWXOkNES8oXQJQpQ/s1600/Picture+8.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMmdWXQgQp5NejFtc2US43IJK5lFBFvIO0Fp9cqDfuG9MZ5erMwWBRlWxcE7YStzGh1DrWAeVRAK2GID9IjUIsbiXJyh_WAi3Je6dM8DTRzMBNzSxr7f4_R9QWXOkNES8oXQJQpQ/s400/Picture+8.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538317521927086690" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo8yCC350gvuNt5OghXtH5MaJYoMUE_wrdkABwnhXQ6Tx7UkVdIAdWZ2ZKBWmIvDXogW_CsDOGjAoZdpzUKf2hBwLrIMtr7L8-vhCN8kyAo3NJYeV4Z_vh42zL7gFc_qRSmpAWcg/s1600/Picture+7.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 269px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo8yCC350gvuNt5OghXtH5MaJYoMUE_wrdkABwnhXQ6Tx7UkVdIAdWZ2ZKBWmIvDXogW_CsDOGjAoZdpzUKf2hBwLrIMtr7L8-vhCN8kyAo3NJYeV4Z_vh42zL7gFc_qRSmpAWcg/s400/Picture+7.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538317514875129010" /></a><br /><br /><br />And our first non-2-D artist, <span style="font-weight:bold;">Jeremy Ogusky's art</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPaXdP7rNmodamnBL8tZCS4LjOqOspsLNrekMan4USBtLUYECp3MpR2e-azdoTXyIx6xVpbkFsZeZRF2xer1t5jyS0jWtX54FACSzCSA_FwAyPOpRvIy50rstxyRyLT4z5gCinfw/s1600/p1030927.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPaXdP7rNmodamnBL8tZCS4LjOqOspsLNrekMan4USBtLUYECp3MpR2e-azdoTXyIx6xVpbkFsZeZRF2xer1t5jyS0jWtX54FACSzCSA_FwAyPOpRvIy50rstxyRyLT4z5gCinfw/s400/p1030927.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538298211943455154" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ucFexDnMGg79hBBnMkYndMWaWpQGxWDqlvmbdVV273roljZqC6NM6c5nZvQebKb-eDr970Shv1NiS3x4rN61aFQF2YjGhCimj7ayQy6hRqvOACxj1BuYo-KJM-xFiKndG0nPbA/s1600/stacked+bowls.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ucFexDnMGg79hBBnMkYndMWaWpQGxWDqlvmbdVV273roljZqC6NM6c5nZvQebKb-eDr970Shv1NiS3x4rN61aFQF2YjGhCimj7ayQy6hRqvOACxj1BuYo-KJM-xFiKndG0nPbA/s400/stacked+bowls.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538298209759317010" /></a><br /><br />Experience the thrill of being a collector without the prohibitive expense and storage concerns. Experience the satisfaction of being a supporter of local arts in a new and exciting way. <a href="http://www.bostonartchives.com/contact/">Become a member today!</a>Dan Nolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981886295607717368noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18246530.post-67662889432093131042010-11-06T23:01:00.005-04:002010-11-07T01:07:07.923-04:00The Vaccine Wars<a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/vaccines/view/">This is what's on my mind lately.</a><br /><br /><br />If you have a comment, keep it civil.Dan Nolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981886295607717368noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18246530.post-80642653740175359642010-09-09T14:41:00.001-04:002010-09-09T14:42:59.115-04:00Note to mediaNote to media: at least one person is going to die because you're covering this koran-burning cult crackpot 24-7. Afterwards, that person will no longer be alive. Just because Freedom of Press entitles you to be reckless if the market dictates it, doesn't mean you should be reckless. Just don't cover it. Here's the model: crackpot runs on the field at a ballgame and you turn the cameras away and don't cover it. Everyone begins to think it's less amusing and more of a game-delaying nuisance, he doesn't get as much attention/adulation = less crackpots run on the field. Then you can stroke yourself about how you took the high road and people feel better about themselves for choosing you over your media competition.Dan Nolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981886295607717368noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18246530.post-41001574977095668242010-08-30T13:07:00.004-04:002010-08-30T13:15:56.904-04:00Like Father Like DaughterIt's a proud moment for the Cash family. Years ago, the father became a subject of Dan Nolan art. This week, the daughter joined him, when artist Dan Nolan did a portrait commission for The Progressive magazine. <br /><br />Johnny Cash painting:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO9Mp6MdhoVBg_yl28oSfdBqKFlT85QWGBkiCGaExmunEc6D5uMTWn4spwT823BuQ-QGKqAs4oZl3PIVHSiJZ5j3DRrZJXMinD43rKQ7E5xMzQG46ttwzDDdHPnp93-FPb1aQGxw/s1600/3+Johnny+and+June.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 382px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO9Mp6MdhoVBg_yl28oSfdBqKFlT85QWGBkiCGaExmunEc6D5uMTWn4spwT823BuQ-QGKqAs4oZl3PIVHSiJZ5j3DRrZJXMinD43rKQ7E5xMzQG46ttwzDDdHPnp93-FPb1aQGxw/s400/3+Johnny+and+June.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511251789005551970" /></a><br /><br />Rosanne Cash painting:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM9GdeEMDAdWSdnqa4J6ZpP0-B_f7ip3rqxKulMBRyX8VzOHOmvMFoXF_wX471Hyqj69P_9wOpZy-UN_puqhO6i4erlDFCku8UXgU255roofEj-UZRYgxhgMyjEK-HvrfjY3zrDA/s1600/rosanne+cash+dan+nolan+art.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 306px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM9GdeEMDAdWSdnqa4J6ZpP0-B_f7ip3rqxKulMBRyX8VzOHOmvMFoXF_wX471Hyqj69P_9wOpZy-UN_puqhO6i4erlDFCku8UXgU255roofEj-UZRYgxhgMyjEK-HvrfjY3zrDA/s400/rosanne+cash+dan+nolan+art.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511252032406341122" /></a><br /><br />(and thank you, dear VTKountry, for indulging my web-search, word-placement, shameless self-promotion, marketing post)Dan Nolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981886295607717368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18246530.post-23364026363134297202010-07-29T10:33:00.003-04:002010-07-29T10:41:25.126-04:00Boston ARTchives - Ready to roll!Experience the thrill of being a collector without the prohibitive expense and storage concerns. Experience the satisfaction of being a supporter of local arts in a new and exciting way. Become a member of <a href="http://bostonartchives.com">Boston ARTchives</a> today<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPqMDjtnmhljIZGelab6tVj-x4KlTpaR-Br7Tcvucpy5PLtsaehyphenhyphenem0NqU3IuCIa52YrWFPd5RPAsUca566TFditNtIELueMGJw7ERqn5_lppPZEmc7eyAz7RY1z6Ct4epBvCKPg/s1600/Boston+ARTchives+front+page.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 366px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPqMDjtnmhljIZGelab6tVj-x4KlTpaR-Br7Tcvucpy5PLtsaehyphenhyphenem0NqU3IuCIa52YrWFPd5RPAsUca566TFditNtIELueMGJw7ERqn5_lppPZEmc7eyAz7RY1z6Ct4epBvCKPg/s400/Boston+ARTchives+front+page.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499336418471419154" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.bostonartchives.com/join/">Here's how to join:</a><br /><br />Boston ARTchives subscribers select art from our diverse 100 piece collection and hang it on their very own walls. Every four months, there is an art exchange where subscribers return the art to the collection and take home fresh art. At each exchange, subscribers have the opportunity to meet ARTchive's artists (ARTchivists) and discuss the work, the community, the future, etc. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"> <br />Base Pricing</span><br /><br />Boston ARTchives offers two membership levels - single and double, for borrowing one or two pieces of art each four month lending period:<br /><br /> * <span style="font-weight:bold;">SINGLE MEMBERSHIP</span> - Borrow 1 piece of art per lending period - $250 a year (3 lending periods - 3 pieces a year)<br /><br /> * <span style="font-weight:bold;">DOUBLE MEMBERSHIP</span> - Borrow 2 pieces of art per lending period - $400 a year (3 lending periods - 6 pieces a year)<br /><br /> <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Insurance</span><br /><br />One of the innovative components of the CSA model is the idea of shared risk. The fate of the crops is shouldered by both farmers and CSA members alike. Damage to art is obviously a concern for artists and subscribers. In order to keep the subscription price low, we've set up the base ARTchives memberships as a you-break-it-you-buy-it model. As long as you don't damage the art, there's no cost beyond the membership price. If the art is damaged while in your possession then you're charged. Some subscribers favor this model.<br /><br />However, we realize that some people may be uncomfortable with this and would prefer to have insurance coverage. With this in mind, ARTchives offers an optional insurance buy-in for each yearly membership. Subscribers can insure the art they borrow on the single piece membership for $75; double piece members can buy insurance for $150. If none of the borrowed art comes back damaged, the insurance would continue coverage into future years. If art is damaged, an additional insurance payment would be required for membership renewal. We recognize that this sounds like a cumbersome system, but we think it's a fair compromise for members who don't feel the need for insurance, for those that would prefer it, and for artists who are risking their work.<br /><br /> <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Art purchases </span><br /><br />Boston ARTchives is operated by artists, for artists. It's not like gallery representation. Our artists can continue to market and sell their art outside of ARTchives, in addition to selling through ARTchives. However, since subscribers are helping us make a living, we feel you should be rewarded for this patronage. While you are borrowing a piece, you have the right to match the purchase price offered to the artist by any buyer. This way, you can feel free to get comfortable with your borrowed art and take your time deciding if you'd like to make it a permanent part of your collection. Let it breathe on your wall without anyone breathing down your neck.Dan Nolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981886295607717368noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18246530.post-89855832357222693902010-06-18T23:11:00.004-04:002010-06-18T23:21:53.781-04:00Group C Scenarios<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQB1MsyNq4DnJcARrhrQ_PPY1rG01ina0gaSazHtwiARf0wj_LcdlnKQYKmzOFSUwrt_P4TIpPHGvjgTtMOW9Chmte_x-SRKf78WhCL4hgfD7cXRHjqwAFnUi4eTZXuRvMXjyCMQ/s1600/i.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQB1MsyNq4DnJcARrhrQ_PPY1rG01ina0gaSazHtwiARf0wj_LcdlnKQYKmzOFSUwrt_P4TIpPHGvjgTtMOW9Chmte_x-SRKf78WhCL4hgfD7cXRHjqwAFnUi4eTZXuRvMXjyCMQ/s400/i.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484319488005059474" /></a><br /><br />Here's the ESPN breakdown of the scenarios in which the US can advance in the World Cup: <br /><br />USA advances with:<br />(a) Win versus Algeria on Wednesday<br />(b) Tie and Slovenia-England tie IF England does not outscore USA by 2+ goals<br />(c) Tie and England loss<br /><br />Slovenia advances with:<br />(a) Win or tie versus England<br />(b) Loss AND USA tie vs Algeria<br />(c) Loss and Algeria win as long as Algeria doesn't make up tiebreakers*<br /><br />England advances with:<br />(a) Win versus Slovenia<br />(b) Tie AND USA-Algeria tie AND outscore USA by 3 goals<br /><br />Algeria advances with:<br />(a) Win versus USA AND Slovenia win/tie versus England<br />(b) Win versus USA AND Slovenia loss versus England AND makes up tiebreakers on Slovenia<br /><br />Note: If the U.S. draws with Algeria and England draws with Slovenia, and England scores exactly two more goals than the U.S., the U.S. and England would be even on all tiebreakers for second place. The tie would be broken by drawing lots ... aka, a coin flip.<br /><br />* Tiebreaker order: (1) Goal differential in all group matches (Algeria is -1, Slovenia is +1); (2) greatest number of goals scored (Slovenia has 3 goals, Algeria none); (3) greatest number of points obtained in group matches between the teams concerned; (4) goal differential resulting from group matches between the teams concerned; (5) greater number of goals scored in all group matches between the teams concerned.<br /><br />(Only way both USA and England advance is if both win.)<br /><br />If USA finishes atop the group, they will face the 2nd place team from group D. If they finish 2nd, they will face the 1st place team from group D. Two of Germany, Ghana, and Serbia will likely advance, but the order is up in the air.Dan Nolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981886295607717368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18246530.post-84268556162718592102010-06-08T12:21:00.001-04:002010-06-08T12:23:13.602-04:00Rondo is the man.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk1aCX9W_GQ9VOzlx_W7q35Pwoe7sUkzS5gcMPkofDj95xouqr-uWuBXIPVBoJJWe2unDxwjBSmA6kORoNvUE6lBSObl4G77ODV8hb5ALpt17wIEZcf84q2a9qbYUIkf3iEn2FPA/s1600/Rondo+is+the+man.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk1aCX9W_GQ9VOzlx_W7q35Pwoe7sUkzS5gcMPkofDj95xouqr-uWuBXIPVBoJJWe2unDxwjBSmA6kORoNvUE6lBSObl4G77ODV8hb5ALpt17wIEZcf84q2a9qbYUIkf3iEn2FPA/s400/Rondo+is+the+man.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480439017853271442" /></a>Dan Nolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981886295607717368noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18246530.post-8555461431962134782010-05-22T13:02:00.003-04:002010-05-22T13:22:20.380-04:00ARTchives!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLsl-R6VEzhfs23ugvMOKyy32b2HcpN_GeNkp1orSio6PkfxijTMThrsmRgExlKmf9wJTDILvZthKI_djw01EIaQ5cG012aRRJOFq2XuRjp05U_O15d_7Y6aAvBNTWkIoRn8aA7g/s1600/bbcarchivescutout.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLsl-R6VEzhfs23ugvMOKyy32b2HcpN_GeNkp1orSio6PkfxijTMThrsmRgExlKmf9wJTDILvZthKI_djw01EIaQ5cG012aRRJOFq2XuRjp05U_O15d_7Y6aAvBNTWkIoRn8aA7g/s400/bbcarchivescutout.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474141857847177682" /></a><br />You may remember <a href="http://vontrapperkeeper.blogspot.com/2009/11/csart-local-art-library.html">a few posts ago</a>, I laid out a fairly rough idea about a CSA-style Local Art Library. Well, I've been working feverishly to shape, shave, and shove the idea into a form that will work for both artists and subscribers. And believe you me, it WILL work. And not just because I'm a belligerent dreamer. This idea works. People just need to see it in action. Ah, yes, the action. So, the action. After a feverish search, I've pulled together 10 local Boston artists who are going to participate, making 10 pieces available for lending to subscribers, giving us a massive, diverse, and beautiful 100 piece collection. The website is under construction, as are the legal details of it all. We're now in the process of rolling out the idea to potential subscribers. Please consider doing us the solid of checking out <a href="http://bostonartchives.blogspot.com/">the succinct version of the idea</a> and of taking <a href="http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2L9W3LN">the succinct survey</a> (5 quick questions) to help us gauge what potential subscribers think of our crazy, crazy-like-a-fox, so-crazy-it-just-might-work, scrappy-yet-exceedingly-professional idea. Thanks VTKountry!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirYvF0_dgllVYEt6-c1jIe5Tabzfxhb-oxmxSpdvF9JM1BTcKY0BbFx9U3seiQwlXcLS_TejfsQsSz65JvvYXn7BrSDA1HDPqJxCqiHBRa7KtHN_fCaGyWZoXLAWHkD3iSynvJJg/s1600/chivepattern3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirYvF0_dgllVYEt6-c1jIe5Tabzfxhb-oxmxSpdvF9JM1BTcKY0BbFx9U3seiQwlXcLS_TejfsQsSz65JvvYXn7BrSDA1HDPqJxCqiHBRa7KtHN_fCaGyWZoXLAWHkD3iSynvJJg/s400/chivepattern3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474145780136844258" /></a>Dan Nolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981886295607717368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18246530.post-17452198055722584752010-05-14T13:55:00.000-04:002010-05-14T13:56:19.847-04:00You got Rondoed!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMq6T2ZbHXPNd-B9FQXw9jDuOULYFyDd2a2_CPmSxh_OO9gulDy_IYUxI2Kva5hZs_ZN81bVy7iOX1m4GFVqdBTsMR5t2HIO2R3JLlzpbdLedO41DmExcYn5FF8sJIu7mNyGoHjg/s1600/rajon-rondo-AGAIN__1273444176_9506.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 279px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMq6T2ZbHXPNd-B9FQXw9jDuOULYFyDd2a2_CPmSxh_OO9gulDy_IYUxI2Kva5hZs_ZN81bVy7iOX1m4GFVqdBTsMR5t2HIO2R3JLlzpbdLedO41DmExcYn5FF8sJIu7mNyGoHjg/s400/rajon-rondo-AGAIN__1273444176_9506.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471185975341484946" /></a>Dan Nolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981886295607717368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18246530.post-73709233549061448942010-05-01T16:11:00.003-04:002010-05-01T16:27:40.636-04:00Free Comic Book Day on WOWIO<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-i57X4zz1fOhdjWagfS_GO_U_GoBzjwMjvZzskIIjjhRrRqJDzMUnbT0U7voP0Cc8-0GuHeOwhK9vdvbCd0NwDWaW1yVYsExzGS_pJfl-ChvjqyBgRYnyHeWhZp1Xi24Se00OPg/s1600/cubicle+croc+coffee.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 219px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-i57X4zz1fOhdjWagfS_GO_U_GoBzjwMjvZzskIIjjhRrRqJDzMUnbT0U7voP0Cc8-0GuHeOwhK9vdvbCd0NwDWaW1yVYsExzGS_pJfl-ChvjqyBgRYnyHeWhZp1Xi24Se00OPg/s400/cubicle+croc+coffee.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466400822729529906" /></a><br /><br />Oh don't mind him. He's harmless. It's <a href=http://www.wowio.com/freecomics>Free Comic Book Day on WOWIO</a><br /><br />Posted using <a href="http://sharethis.com">ShareThis</a> <br /><br />Help yourself to a free download of Business Casual Stag Devil Death Boy to celebrate Free Comic Book Day.Dan Nolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981886295607717368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18246530.post-16620864162214266372010-04-10T11:49:00.002-04:002010-04-10T11:53:21.292-04:00Out to Lunch...Hey VTKountry - my deepest apologies for the extended absence. VTK will be back after tax season. Coming soon: Notes From a 1040 Factory.Dan Nolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981886295607717368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18246530.post-59078178083063278012009-12-30T23:07:00.002-05:002009-12-30T23:13:36.181-05:00RIP David LevineIn <a href="http://stevebrodner.com/2009/12/30/one-more-for-david/">Steve Brodner's words</a>, political cartoonist David Levine was "a hard working artist who understood the truth of our lives: that nothing matters but the relationship between you and the piece of paper. Any analysis is, at its worst, bullshit, and at best, a benign distraction because it never really catches the plasticity and dynamism of a living artist’s process. He knew what was important. The discoveries you make as an artist. The connections between the pictures and people. This was in him and in his work."<br /><br /><object width="392" height="238"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/UHWRc11MYDs&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/UHWRc11MYDs&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="392" height="238"></embed></object>Dan Nolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981886295607717368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18246530.post-77513646823677350952009-12-18T11:36:00.001-05:002009-12-18T11:37:58.841-05:00Lieberman Socks.<object width="406" height="252"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8vS6kIbJu64&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8vS6kIbJu64&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="406" height="252"></embed></object>Dan Nolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981886295607717368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18246530.post-11123984161115270162009-11-11T11:25:00.006-05:002009-11-11T11:50:13.076-05:00CSART - A Local Art Library.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtY13ypwVNZJlJfdImEtGePBhxfmM95JHUe6yHlhMpkHd-FKiZwCJ_s_8Jd88EhyNHYC-iVIZ_uK1SoZvY0QHn2Ds9MV2HI01Oqd7sZdiAPVrhJhqhYYgnPWPy0aea_nHbihFmLg/s1600-h/Picture+3.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 113px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtY13ypwVNZJlJfdImEtGePBhxfmM95JHUe6yHlhMpkHd-FKiZwCJ_s_8Jd88EhyNHYC-iVIZ_uK1SoZvY0QHn2Ds9MV2HI01Oqd7sZdiAPVrhJhqhYYgnPWPy0aea_nHbihFmLg/s400/Picture+3.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402883140104531570" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Problem</span><br /><br />Artists contribute much to their communities yet struggle to survive in those same communities. Making a living as a visual artist is nearly impossible. I’ve been self-employed as a full time artist for three and a half years and despite a steady stream of commissions, I could not have survived this long without spending all my savings. The commissions I receive don’t pay what the time of an adult professional is worth. Now, maybe that’s just my art, but I rarely meet an artist who is not either struggling to make a living or too busy working some other job to work on their art as much as they’d like. People value having art and artists in their communities, but the current model of selling/sharing art has failed all parties involved. The artists can’t survive. The people don’t have enough access to the art that the artists produce.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The CSA Model</span><br /><br />Over the last 20 years, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs have created mutually beneficial relationships between consumers and local farmers. The farmers sell “shares” or “subscriptions” to the consumers at the beginning of the season. This allows the farmers to earn money early in the season, pay for seeds, etc., while also allowing them to grow different types of crops, as opposed to whatever the market dictates. The buyers then receive a box of fresh local vegetables every week for the duration of the season. Farmers and consumers meet each other, develop relationships, and foster a sense of community. The sense of community is further developed through the consumers’ shared risk in the endeavor – the fate of the farmer’s crops becomes the fate of the community’s produce. Tens of thousands of families have joined CSA’s in the last couple decades and the model’s popularity continues to rise. The model has been so successful that it’s been adopted by fishermen, who provide fresh fish weekly to their members in a version of the model that protects the fishermen from treacherous weather and protects fish and ocean ecology from over-fishing of any given species. There have also been Community Supported Bakeries developed recently. Clearly, the movement is growing.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Product sharing models</span><br /><br />In addition to the popular CSA model, there has been tremendous growth in non-consumable product sharing models over the last decade. The most successful of these is probably Netflix, where members rent a movie online, receive the dvd in the mail, and return it with the outgoing mail at their leisure. Netflix was the natural offspring of its prototype sharing model – the video rental store – and the internet. The rental store, of course, was the child of the library, the oldest of old school sharing institutions. Another highly creative and successful product sharing company is Zipcar. Members of Zipcar share rental cars parked conveniently around the cities in which they live. They too can manage their rentals online. Communities have also worked together to establish tool banks, from which members can borrow tools for home improvement and other projects. There is even a company that rents high fashion dresses online using a model similar to Netflix. Product sharing models make expensive items affordable and accessible. If you can’t buy, borrow. If you can’t own, share. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The CSA & product sharing Models Applied to Art</span><br /><br />Could these popular and effective models be applied to floundering local art industries? <br /><br />As far as the CSA model goes, art isn’t seasonal like agriculture or fishing, so it’s not a direct fit to a traditional CSA model. Secondly, art requires more time to produce and is not a consumable like food. A model in which subscribers got a piece of art each week for a season would be too demanding on the artists and too expensive for the subscribers – not to mention more art than they’d want. So that doesn’t quite fit either. But what if we kept the spirit of the CSA model (support local industry, foster sense of community) and altered the structure a bit. Could it provide the same benefits to both the buyers and sellers of local art that a CSA does? What if we incorporated product sharing ideas?<br /><br />One model that might accomplish this is a CSA style local art library. It’s not uncommon for artists to accumulate pieces that end up hanging all over their own walls or stacked in the corner of their apartment or studio, when they’re not displayed in shows. If artists pooled these paintings together and lent them out, this might create a new stream of revenue for them. <br /><br />Let’s say we start with 10 artists, each of whom puts 10 pieces of art into the library’s collection. Then we sign up 20 subscribers who pay $200 a year for a subscription to the library. Each subscriber chooses 2 pieces of art to bring home with them for 3 months. Every 3 months, they’ll return the pieces to the collection and select 2 more rental pieces to take home. If multiple subscribers want the same piece in the same 3 month period, it could be settled by a coin flip or something similar (rock-paper-scissors tournament, drawing of names, ping pong ball lottery, etc.). Then, those who don’t get the desired piece would pick another one and would be in the queue for the desired piece at the next 3 month period. If it were a ping pong ball lottery drawing, each time someone didn’t win, they would get an extra ping pong ball in the next drawing. Or subscribers could set up a queue similar to Netflix to rank their preferences. It could be a raffle scene at the quarterly art exchange which might create excitement and even a competitive desire for the art. <br /><br />Competition to what end? Part two of the library system would be the subscribers‘ opportunity to buy the paintings in the collection. If there were some competitive desire for certain pieces, that would encourage sales. To stick with the community concept, the proceeds from the sales could be distributed amongst the artists, with the biggest share going to the artist of the sold piece. For example, the artist could get 50% of any of their art sold and the other artists would split the other 50%. Artists routinely give up 30% of sales of their art at galleries, so this wouldn’t be too much of a stretch beyond that, especially considering they’d earn money on other artists‘ sales too. This model would create three revenue streams for the artists: their share of the subscription fees, sales of their own work, and sales of the other artists‘ work - all real money for art that otherwise would have been sitting around the house or studio. When an artist’s piece sells out of the collection, the artist would be responsible for adding another piece to keep up the size of the collection. We’d want a decent sized collection to account for differences in taste and turnover of borrowed pieces. <br /><br />There wouldn’t be a physical library per se for the art but the collection could be viewed online and there could be a rotating show at a local coffee shop, restaurant, or bar, that would feature one piece from each artist, rotating every three months along with the rest of the borrowed paintings. The establishment that hangs the art on its walls wouldn’t get a percentage of the profits but they would get free advertising, free local art on their walls, and business from hosting the tri-monthly exchange of art. All the subscribers would come in with their old piece, pick up their new piece, and would be encouraged to meet the artists. Each exchange could feature one or two of the artists talking about their artwork, their history, influences, plans, etc and/or doing some sort of live demonstration of their work. Alternatively, all this could take place at a gallery or some other arts institution.<br /><br />The numbers are completely variable depending on a few factors, but here’s a general idea of how it might work. If we started with 10 artists and 20 subscribers at $200 per subscription per year, that’d be $4000 in subscription revenue, which would come to $400 per artist per year. Then, if each subscriber ended up buying one piece at let’s say $200 on average, and we used the 50-50 split, the least an artist would earn that year would be about $620 (if none of their pieces sold); the most an artist would make would be $2400 (if all 20 sales were their pieces). If three of twenty sales were an artist’s pieces, that artist would make $900. If ten of twenty sales were an artist’s pieces, that artist would make $1510. And so on. The numbers would change based on how many pieces sold and for how much they sold. But the minimum income with these numbers – if nothing sold - would be $400 a year for an artist. That’s not exactly a huge revenue stream, but it’s something for art that would be making nothing sitting around the house. Now imagine if the idea caught on and we got 100 subscribers and they paid $300 a year. That’s $30,000 in subscription revenue plus whatever is made on sales. We could be talking about $4000 or $5000 a year per artist - for artwork that wasn’t previously earning any money. If you got 200 subscribers, double that. If the average price of the paintings sold was $400 instead of $200, double the sales revenue. Double one win and you get two. Subscribers get a rotation of local art in their home and artists get previously unaccessed revenue = win win. <br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Possible concerns</span><br /><br />• <span style="font-style:italic;">What about damage to art?</span> – It’d probably have to be a you break it, you buy it contract. This might deter some subscribers, but it would also bring in the shared risk aspect of the CSA model. We could give everyone instructions on care, places to avoid hanging (kitchen, bathroom, direct sunlight), and packaging for transportation of the art. Or maybe we could work some variation of you break it, you buy it. The subscriber could buy it at 75% cost, with the 25% swallowed by the CSART, or return it and pay a 50% of cost penalty, with the 50% swallowed by the CSART. This might diffuse any disputes between artists and subscribers over what constitutes damage. Or we could build some sort of damage insurance into the membership fee.<br /><br />• <span style="font-style:italic;">What if some artists sell, and some don’t. Isn’t this unfair to the sellers?</span> – As compared to what people would make at a gallery that took 30% of profits, artists will still come out ahead if 50% of all sales were their pieces. We could easily incorporate an adjustable percentage beyond that. For example, if your art accounted for over 50% of the total art sold, your share of your sales could go up to 66%. Using the above numbers, this would ensure that you’d come out ahead of the gallery scenario even if 100% of the total art sold was yours.<br /><br />• <span style="font-style:italic;">If subscription numbers rise, more artists would need to be added, and then the profits would be split more ways.</span> – This is a good problem to have. If subscription numbers balloon, media outlets will be interested in the story and this will mean more advertising/marketing for the artists. That’s beyond the regular free advertising/marketing that you’d already be enjoying by having your art hanging in the houses of art appreciators around town. <br /><br />• <span style="font-style:italic;">Isn’t exclusivity in picking artists counter to the CSA collective spirit? </span>– The CSART Local Art Library model is completely open source – If you like the idea and aren’t included in a particular library, then start your own. Quality is an integral part of any CSA. People want fresh vegetables, fresh fish, etc. And people will want to hang quality art on their walls, so it’s natural for library organizers to want to pick what they consider to be a diverse collection of good artists. Also, diversity of art style in the collection will make the CSART more attractive to subscribers.<br /><br />• <span style="font-style:italic;">Aren't you worried that "CSART" will be read as "Seize Art" or "Cease Art"? </span>– Yes. Yes I am. While it's a clever tie in to the CSA name and it could be read as "Sees Art", it's probably not the best name. This is probably not the final name.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Feedback</span><br /><br />I'm workshopping/brainstorming/testing the whole CSART Local Art Library idea right now and would love any feedback anyone has to give - artist feedback, potential subscriber feedback, business/marketing feedback, community organizer feedback, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc.Dan Nolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981886295607717368noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18246530.post-47610912249217922312009-11-05T09:56:00.003-05:002009-11-05T10:08:23.827-05:00Empire State of Mind.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_tdVTVJpWNKos2NGFuceV5v2L65t9E_UPPDRQYJzf1-nz6Q7bvTvyiHEz1kWqrAhLTW4P0vUrVyzk9zhxxf9lH8P8hfcNNOvlJKU5kelaSb_CNJ2TGkRId1QgXkH-bhG0NtGXWg/s1600-h/31334845.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 323px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_tdVTVJpWNKos2NGFuceV5v2L65t9E_UPPDRQYJzf1-nz6Q7bvTvyiHEz1kWqrAhLTW4P0vUrVyzk9zhxxf9lH8P8hfcNNOvlJKU5kelaSb_CNJ2TGkRId1QgXkH-bhG0NtGXWg/s400/31334845.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400635418724327106" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGjSt97Cxa1KgWJVNbOt4m71EW5y4CYf81eaQ5J6O6IApOSlyPyBFgBI9POJiiKO5xq6_Q6HZ9WF8DyhKmIu6jtJDVAzhaH_iy0kom0DvgdDy03MvjU72yPahdQF4Sagny_eJJUg/s1600-h/articleLarge.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGjSt97Cxa1KgWJVNbOt4m71EW5y4CYf81eaQ5J6O6IApOSlyPyBFgBI9POJiiKO5xq6_Q6HZ9WF8DyhKmIu6jtJDVAzhaH_iy0kom0DvgdDy03MvjU72yPahdQF4Sagny_eJJUg/s400/articleLarge.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400635421971533986" /></a><br /><br /><object width="392" height="238"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BiryjGi6wZQ&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BiryjGi6wZQ&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="392" height="238"></embed></object>Dan Nolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981886295607717368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18246530.post-49191609469179847072009-11-04T10:53:00.002-05:002009-11-04T11:13:10.269-05:00MAINE IS LAIMEShaime on Maine for voting to ban gay marriage. Extra Shaime on everyone who organized to push this vote through. Extra extra shaime on the Catholic Church. You're an embarrassment to Jesus.<br /><br />The good news, <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/11/4/800205/-Cheers-and-Jeers:-Wednesday">as DailyKos points out</a>, is that it's just a matter of time before the bigots will die out and be replaced by people who can't understand why they would think they should have any say over two grown adults' decision to get married.Dan Nolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981886295607717368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18246530.post-13011733667170192332009-10-28T15:45:00.004-04:002009-10-28T15:54:22.805-04:00Hitler reacts to Ohio State's loss to Purdue<object width="406" height="252"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/C3L_i9o2fgA&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/C3L_i9o2fgA&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="406" height="252"></embed></object>Dan Nolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981886295607717368noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18246530.post-45847774037462109832009-10-26T09:40:00.002-04:002009-10-26T09:41:38.677-04:00Yankees Win The Pennant!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimcFBSXJSax4TaEHINp5dNS32TAICRCmWdXgh_rFMF6NSqO-jK28Y9zfXuZuvvjm8fhvlEbzn-KWLqvLGVuPDb7kXC9XlmwbMVTtdStMARbniqHahQi0aH6MSdoqq8GlTTy4Xvsg/s1600-h/33-23956-F.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimcFBSXJSax4TaEHINp5dNS32TAICRCmWdXgh_rFMF6NSqO-jK28Y9zfXuZuvvjm8fhvlEbzn-KWLqvLGVuPDb7kXC9XlmwbMVTtdStMARbniqHahQi0aH6MSdoqq8GlTTy4Xvsg/s400/33-23956-F.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396903326648546498" /></a>Dan Nolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981886295607717368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18246530.post-27083570699969323772009-10-12T09:44:00.002-04:002009-10-12T09:46:26.612-04:00Light's Out, Metrodome!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig0D0v1Y0-c3KCMO_IVzmn4WSgEY92SSj3X4hAPRDBWyt1PIHo0lw3WiNWdQu8FT8MQs8IQ5CVcancYqQzT2xt6oQqTZQmdPP6tG4E8TfGnngIcvjQqzMnj-nXeGc3Db4zbskOxQ/s1600-h/andyp.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 277px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig0D0v1Y0-c3KCMO_IVzmn4WSgEY92SSj3X4hAPRDBWyt1PIHo0lw3WiNWdQu8FT8MQs8IQ5CVcancYqQzT2xt6oQqTZQmdPP6tG4E8TfGnngIcvjQqzMnj-nXeGc3Db4zbskOxQ/s400/andyp.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391709138389801442" /></a>Dan Nolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981886295607717368noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18246530.post-78121085205397086252009-10-09T00:40:00.003-04:002009-10-09T00:43:03.570-04:00Bastardo!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivVJlsnYNwWdTBUl0k6RAFD3EFNIJLRbtQmAcsooATpUBX4qoCWKUuPwmY0Nax5R0BYFR_tZb6UB-cANXHdeyQwGIeYBPb4EH53O1wEluRHIyQOv2K-ODwSGorzkD7jzs_rhSiOw/s1600-h/bastardo!.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 296px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivVJlsnYNwWdTBUl0k6RAFD3EFNIJLRbtQmAcsooATpUBX4qoCWKUuPwmY0Nax5R0BYFR_tZb6UB-cANXHdeyQwGIeYBPb4EH53O1wEluRHIyQOv2K-ODwSGorzkD7jzs_rhSiOw/s400/bastardo!.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390455717747824066" /></a><br />The Phillies have a pitcher named Bastardo. I mean, c'mon. That's just too fantastic. He struck out Jason Giambi on 4 pitches today. Of course he did. Because he's Bastardo! And it's Giambi.Dan Nolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981886295607717368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18246530.post-54060938672583655352009-10-04T17:45:00.006-04:002009-10-06T09:27:57.906-04:00Yankees' Playoff Preview<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2C_sVuNF6rs9PZPHZy7ymZ4KWcAS5h-Nzf3xbjLlmpBdXHrN2PbWzXLl4D8Nt8sAmDQ8dP_ATrgr-yuy5AqzmNu24GoTRsk2MYVV4i4_QNWlrKV66-KqlGSXaWbMw47yS_yvDcQ/s1600-h/large_cc-sabathia-new-york-yankees-625.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 291px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2C_sVuNF6rs9PZPHZy7ymZ4KWcAS5h-Nzf3xbjLlmpBdXHrN2PbWzXLl4D8Nt8sAmDQ8dP_ATrgr-yuy5AqzmNu24GoTRsk2MYVV4i4_QNWlrKV66-KqlGSXaWbMw47yS_yvDcQ/s400/large_cc-sabathia-new-york-yankees-625.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388875241583490418" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMsNdfzIrO_Qmy9LRYmBtz2ahVJ4wsD7IF3-rfq2NdNoRFp4S0R_nkSjLiku0WBIa2-stWI5oKYS7zis57iychkDL7bu2Yq4les-COVIt0RMEKgKOSramli_v-N3-MdDy26EQJOA/s1600-h/Seattle+Mariners+v+New+York+Yankees+qZhBc44GTsil.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 234px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMsNdfzIrO_Qmy9LRYmBtz2ahVJ4wsD7IF3-rfq2NdNoRFp4S0R_nkSjLiku0WBIa2-stWI5oKYS7zis57iychkDL7bu2Yq4les-COVIt0RMEKgKOSramli_v-N3-MdDy26EQJOA/s320/Seattle+Mariners+v+New+York+Yankees+qZhBc44GTsil.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388875893135197234" /></a>A 10 run 6th inning capped the Yankees' 103rd win this afternoon. I was optimistic about their chances in the regular season after the acquisitions of Sabathia and Texiera, and the returns of Posada (from injury), Pettitte (from free agency), and Cano (from bad form). But 103 wins well exceeded those optimistic expectations. CC and Tex have been worth every penny, Jeter's been fantastic, Mariano's been Mariano, and pretty much everyone's contributed substantially. And there's that A-Rod guy. Thanks to the prankster principal for <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/05/sports/baseball/05yankees.html?_r=1">this link</a>.<br /><br />Questions remain for the playoffs. How will their starting pitching fare beyond CC? Will Joba and Burnett be effective? <a href="http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/10/04/yankee-panky-catch-34/">And who will catch Burnett</a>? Will their offense suffer if Molina's in the line-up? Will their bats stay hot?<br /><br />But there are questions every playoffs. I'm just glad that October matters again. I'm not going to get into saying I'd rather have one team over another because I've been wrong about that the last few times. It'll either be the Tigers (and Verlander on short rest) or the Twins. Bring em on. The playoffs have a knack for sorting out who the best team is, so we'll have to beat all comers. Go Yanks!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm-u1-fM1I5x6vmrSlM17D20riAJhyphenhyphenGG_r6TIYGR_EXyrPQZOr0AtTbuubTnlt605vtfuAFci9rCWkrGzn5v4WVzFo7YwI4B4cTzqe6g35u8CH3ELQUCJQHBdlwseHt5i4F8ZhAg/s1600-h/new-york-yankees.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm-u1-fM1I5x6vmrSlM17D20riAJhyphenhyphenGG_r6TIYGR_EXyrPQZOr0AtTbuubTnlt605vtfuAFci9rCWkrGzn5v4WVzFo7YwI4B4cTzqe6g35u8CH3ELQUCJQHBdlwseHt5i4F8ZhAg/s400/new-york-yankees.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388875253865360210" /></a>Dan Nolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981886295607717368noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18246530.post-54535957335995185202009-09-20T15:42:00.005-04:002009-09-20T22:31:31.092-04:00Art Returned, Case Closed.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdBYDF3PVlL0gbAq8-upPSC0CE17X9DzGk8MdsRGBkkrvnk9SJx-5TZwPUhdYlRAHHBBIJE9LVhwzJ06bdQ_SpAAqozl3mf3JuE6AWPbUNtAoYH4inunXT-eMe4B1QIJDOluf85w/s1600-h/IMG_2473.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdBYDF3PVlL0gbAq8-upPSC0CE17X9DzGk8MdsRGBkkrvnk9SJx-5TZwPUhdYlRAHHBBIJE9LVhwzJ06bdQ_SpAAqozl3mf3JuE6AWPbUNtAoYH4inunXT-eMe4B1QIJDOluf85w/s400/IMG_2473.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383637614340520610" /></a><br />The painting arrived in the mail yesterday in good condition, so that's the end of <a href="http://vontrapperkeeper.blogspot.com/2009/09/art-thief-fesses-up.html">that</a>. The return address was that of the Lower Depths, the bar from which the painting was stolen - clever. But the postmark was from Brooklyn - shocker. Looks like our art thief moved on to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kn8DYjNjEoQ">hipper pastures</a>. In any case, it's a relief. Now I don't have to give up one of the other paintings that will be hanging in <a href="http://ulacafe.com/">Ula Cafe</a> in Jamaica Plain for the next month, which is both the last month of the baseball season and a month that includes next weekend's <a href="http://www.jpopenstudios.com/">JP Open Studios</a>. If you're in the area, stop by and check it out. I'll be manning a small table out front. This will allow me to market the paintings and keep an eye on sketchy potential thieves like the shifty characters pictured below. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZoSjuuTLE2Qi5GcZVGxdpiI7OkCK9CDgV4lP9xn8CIH98C-z8lQeApo71TAWpAJVLxTs1c6p5GQms2GTKwMsl-g8JqsClf1_tA38vmNBkEHUPYLQiOfkCRXNW9GhJOLu5rT0Zw/s1600-h/UlaCafe-full.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZoSjuuTLE2Qi5GcZVGxdpiI7OkCK9CDgV4lP9xn8CIH98C-z8lQeApo71TAWpAJVLxTs1c6p5GQms2GTKwMsl-g8JqsClf1_tA38vmNBkEHUPYLQiOfkCRXNW9GhJOLu5rT0Zw/s400/UlaCafe-full.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383641387774747314" /></a><br />Any one of them could be a thief.Dan Nolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981886295607717368noreply@blogger.com2