Cooperation with Georgia Institute of Technology for BMW

Cooperation with Georgia Institute of Technology

Josef Kerscher, head of the BMW plant in Spartanburg: “The Spartanburg plant is looking forward to exciting projects with Georgia Tech and hopes this collaboration will be highly successful on both sides.”

Cooperation will initially focus on research in the field of production. The partnership’s first concrete steps will include a number of post-graduate scholarships at the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering.

The BMW Group is currently restructuring its global university cooperation programme, targeting strategic partnerships with selected international colleges such as Georgia Tech. Current and future fields of research will form part of the cooperation – for instance, on the technology side: production, new drive technologies, materials and substances. Supply chain management will be a further area of research.

How cool is that??

Jewelry Assembly Chicks Offer Quality Made In America Jewelry INSOURCE

http://bit.ly/H0zGfA

How Liamolly With the Help of Kickstarter.com Was Able to Get it #MadeinAmerica

On Kickstarter.com, all kinds of people asking for financing on all kinds of projects, from film projects to food producers, artists, and inventors. And all increments of donations. All kinds of projects across the USA. This particular story got my attention, Seema Sudan of Liamolly, had been producing sweaters in Asia and their demands went from 300 sweaters to 2,000 sweaters PER style. It put them out of business.

They put the word out on Kickstarter.com about needing financing to put a down payment on a knitting machine. They hit the mark and now she's in training to operate the system and they hope to be up & running by June. Getting all her sweaters #AmericanMade #MadeintheUSA. She's sending those who donated a small token of thanks of one of her handmade designs.

Here's more on Liamolly and her journey on Kickstarter.com:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1326345817/liamolly-local-knitting

www.liamolly.com

This program at Kickstarter.com would be good to seek out others who want their product made here in America an not have to go overseas. It's a way to help dollar by dollar to get their products #MadeinAmerica. Bypass the government, start small, slow and just do it on our own. Help support people with great ideas and initiative to make their product here in the USA....which is what the American spirit is all about. Starting an #AmericanMadeRevolution.

Manufacturing Job Program Helps Austin's Art District

Here's a fine example of vocational education helping people grow their community.

Manufacturing Job Program Helps Develop Austin's Art District

“These are high-demand jobs and high skilled kind of work,” said Amara Enyia, executive director of ACT. “This is part of a national effort to close the skills gap and link education to the economy.”

It's a short 44 week manufacturing credential program at http://austinpolytech.org

What a great idea! I love it and I hope more initiatives like this gets promoted in more cities across America. Austin already has a vibrant music scene, how cool will it be when they develop the arts district? This is just what we need. Artists and craft people start small businesses, stay in the community and help revitalize blighted areas. It's about time someone has taken notice and helped budding entrepreneurs establish themselves, tying education to the local economy. Imagine if they did this in every city?

Way to go Austin!

Paul Krugman: The Economic Crisis Will Permanently Scar New Graduates - 92Y Blog - 92nd Street Y - New York, NY

So again, is college worth it? Yes it's terribly wrong Paul Krugman, but how about going after the problem in the high schools, at freshman level. Going after the guidance counselors who advise kids to follow a path to financial debt. Not only will they scar their "entire work career" but they will live with their parents, who have also put their dreams on the line for precious promises that will evaporate as quickly as they throw that cap into the air at graduation time. These young people will go back to their childhood rooms (if they weren't foreclosed on) wallowing in depression that they're not going to get their piece of the cake. Not taking any job beneath them (I wanna be an executive! I will not even LEAVE the house for less than $100K a year) to help their parents foot the bills.

But what is the government going to do about it? Give these kids more than what their parents have given up to hand them everything they want? I don't think it's the government's job to provide every college educated person a job. You go to college voluntarily and pay for it. Why should the government pick up that tab? Or guarantee you a job? Why pay for these graduate degrees? Unless you are a doctor or rocket scientist (and we don't need them anymore), stop flushing more money down the toilet. The only institution that's winning are the universities and colleges, taking more money from people, putting them into more debt with empty promises and useless degrees. And they keep going! The masters, the doctorate, the Phd. Textbooks for hundreds of dollars a semester, room and board expenses. How long will it take for you to pay that off? Your college education is now more expensive than buying a house. And that's just wrong.

It's the new wild west people, a new America. Time to blaze your own trails. Find out what the future will need and gear training and education towards that. Why go to an expensive university for French history? Start finding out what future industries will need for trained professionals. So what if you take AP classes to get into an overpriced school? Can you flip a burger please?

Paul Krugman: The Economic Crisis Will Permanently Scar New Graduates - 92Y Blog - 92nd Street Y - New York, NY

Holiday Week at Melindesign Studio

It's been crazy busy this holiday week with finishing up orders for both a huge catalog job, Pendleton Spring 2012, an order of 50 pieces of micro macrame work, 500 pearl necklaces for the January issue of Oprah Magazine and 200 pieces of ultra cool acrylic retro goddess pieces. With the Accessories Show and New York International Gift Show coming up, we've been working right through Christmas into New Years. All of it done here in the United Sates within days. I'm thrilled that designers are finding us and keeping their production and manufacturing in the United States. Next up: Working on a licensed logo within a bead. Can we pull that one off?? Stay tuned!

Do We Have Paranormal Activity in the Studio??