Since "retirement" and "painting on the beach" have come up on the list, here are a few of my paintings done on a recent trip to Block Island, RI. Up at 6 a.m. - take a walk - become inspired - paint! Retirement is not on my bucket list.
Maggie Steele had an awesome day at the New England Beach Vault. With sunny blue skies and temps in the 70s, the weather was picture perfect for pole-vaulting at Narraganset Town Beach, Rhode Island, where a brisk ocean breeze boosted … Continue reading 
One if by land, two if by sea, Minutewoman Maggie is on a fast gallop from Grain Valley, Kansas, to New England Beach Vault 2013. Author Grant Overstake received an email on Sunday, inviting his storybook heroine, Maggie Steele, to … Continue reading 
By: Jerry Beck,
on 4/22/2013
The NY Times offers an infuriating and detailed article about the recklessly stupid Rhode Island politicians who gave $75 million to baseball player Curt Schilling so he could launch a video game company. Predictably, Schilling’s company, 38 Studios, not only failed to deliver the online role playing game it set out to make, it accrued $150 million in debt in just two years before the company collapsed last spring and left the state’s finances in ruin. With so much discussion about government subsidies and incentives for VFX and film production, there’s a valuable cautionary tale in here somewhere:
Add a CommentAnd yet, you don’t have to dig very hard into the record to find that there were plenty of serious-minded advisers who tried to warn state officials away from 38 Studios. Among them, apparently, was the corporation’s own financial portfolio manager, Sean Esten.
According to the state’s pending lawsuit, Mr. Esten was alarmed that 38 Studios’ worst-case projection for its business seemed to rely on releasing a successful game every two years — a track record that most gaming companies can only dream of.
“I don’t think I can support a $75 million guarantee to any single company in this industry due to the wide volatility in commercial success of game releases,” Mr. Esten told his bosses in an e-mail. “Perhaps we should develop a toolbox of incentives (including loan guarantees) to attract companies into a cluster and not rely on a single company to build the cluster around.” According to the state’s complaint, Mr. Esten’s bosses decided to bury his analysis.
Another skeptic was Gina Raimondo, a Democrat who was running for state treasurer at the time and now holds the office. Ms. Raimondo spent the previous decade working in venture capital, and after reading about the proposed investment in July 2010, sent an unsolicited and eerily prescient e-mail to Keith Stokes, who was then the corporation’s executive director and the deal’s main architect.
“In general, I would proceed very carefully on this,” Ms. Raimondo wrote. The company “is in the Boston area where there are 200 venture capital firms, and it is in a very hot area of gaming so if it were in fact a compelling investment I would have to think it would be well funded already by venture capitalists; the fact that many have looked at it and passed is a red flag.”
By: Jerry Beck,
on 5/26/2012
Last Thursday, Rhode Island-based 38 Studios laid off its entire staff of nearly 400 people, which presumably included many artists and animators. The unceremonious layoff notice sent to their employees can be read on Gamasutra.
The game studio was started by former baseball player Curt Schilling, and had received a $75 million loan guarantee from the state of Rhode Island, which gambled that Schilling’s company would bring high-paying tech jobs to the state. The company managed to slip out one game before collapsing, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, which both looks and sounds like the creation of a sweaty-palmed, pimple-faced high school student.
Amalur shipped 1.2 million copies in its first 90 days (at least, according to Schilling). The governor of Rhode Island, Lincoln Chafee, said in a press conference a couple days ago that the game would have needed to sell twice as many copies just to break even.
There’s a lot of lessons to be learned here, the first of which would be that just because you know how to throw a ball doesn’t entitle you to tens of millions of taxpayer dollars so that you can pretend to run a video game technology company. Schilling just made it that much harder for legitimate video game entrepreneurs to receive any type of investment for their companies.
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Post tags: 38 Studios, Curt Schilling, Rhode Island
By: Laurel Gaylord,
on 11/16/2011
By: Laurel Gaylord,
on 10/5/2011
By: Laurel Gaylord,
on 9/5/2011
By: John Mark Boling,
on 8/4/2011
It's August--the perfect time to curl up with a great new novel. Enter DAUGHTER OF PROVIDENCE, the debut novel from Julie Drew, on sale today.
DAUGHTER OF PROVIDENCE is the story of Anne Dodge, raised by her old-money father in a small town in Rhode Island. When Maria Cristina, the half-sister she never knew she had, comes to live with them, Anne sets off on a journey of discovering truths about her family--and herself.
A wonderful read for book clubs or anyone looking for a beautifully written novel told by a character that Publishers Weekly called "a memorable heroine and narrator."
TO WIN ONE OF THREE SIGNED COPIES OF DAUGHTER OF PROVIDENCE:
- comment on our blog
- like or comment on our Facebook
- retweet or reply on Twitter
You can also find Julie at www.juliedrew.com and @JulieDrewAuthor.
Good luck! Winners announced next Thursday.
----------
Praise for DAUGHTER OF PROVIDENCE
"[A] terrific debut novel...a great summer read." --The Akron Beacon Journal
"Set in a decaying industrial town during the Great Depression, Daughter of Providence is an engrossing story of discovery, tragedy and redemption. Julie Drew is not just a skilled storyteller. She's an historian who creates a rich background of a city in the throes of unionism, class breakdown, and social and sexual upheaval. This is a book that stays with you." --Sandra Dallas, New York Times best-selling author of The Bride's House
"In real life, binding societal expectations take over the show. ‘Success' is first class, and the heart is second class. In this moving tale, Daughter of Providence , we get to see the first class price tag is paid with those hearts." --Carolyn Chute, author of The Beans of Egypt, Maine
"First novelist Drew draws a careful portrait of both social and family problems." --Kirkus
"With a dead body in the opening pages, the upward sweep of a family drama, and assured, lyrical prose, Julie Drew leads us deep into a time and place -- Depression-era New England -- and takes us through an unforgettable summer of loss and understanding. The story is brisk and compelling, channeled through Drew's magnetic protagonist, 24-year-old Anne Dodge, a charming, confident focal point for this exceptional debut novel." --David Giffels, author of All the Way Home: Building a Family in a Falling-down House
By: Laurel Gaylord,
on 6/29/2011
By: Laurel Gaylord,
on 5/10/2011
By: Laurel Gaylord,
on 4/27/2011
By: Laurel Gaylord,
on 4/13/2011
By: Brian Minter,
on 3/28/2011
“With this grant, our library was able to purchase 100 books for our library collection, as well as provide books for 87 preschoolers from low-income families. With proration hitting so many non-profits, it was truly a blessing to receive this grant for our library. HOOORAY to FIRST Book and Walmart for helping us!”
– Debra Grayson, White Smith Memorial Library, Jackson, AL
First Book was able to distribute over 75,000 brand-new books to teen and young adult readers in Alabama, Florida, Rhode Island, Oklahoma and Georgia, thanks to support from the Walmart State Giving Program.
Fifty programs in each of the five states received a $500 credit for the First Book Marketplace, our online store available exclusively to programs serving children from low-income communities. In addition, programs across those states received thousands more books – free of charge – from our National Book Bank.
“In the past we haven’t been able to provide books to older readers to the extent needed,” said Kyle Zimmer, First Book’s president and CEO. “But that’s changing fast; the selection of young adult titles we’re able to offer to our network of schools and programs is growing, and we’re on track to deliver even more resources to this under-served group this year.”
We know how hard teachers and program leaders are working to get teenagers reading, so we’re excited to be able to offer more books that appeal to older readers, and get them into the hands of kids that need them.
If you work with young adults, get in touch or leave a comment below, and let us know about the books they’re interested in and what we could do to help your program.
By: Laurel Gaylord,
on 1/20/2011
By: Laurel Gaylord,
on 1/5/2011
By: Laurel Gaylord,
on 10/27/2010
By: Laurel Gaylord,
on 10/10/2010
By: Laurel Gaylord,
on 9/9/2010
By: Laurel Gaylord,
on 9/8/2010
By: Laurel Gaylord,
on 7/7/2010
By: Laurel Gaylord,
on 3/24/2010
By: Laurel Gaylord,
on 1/16/2010
By: Laurel Gaylord,
on 1/9/2010
By: Laurel Gaylord,
on 1/1/2010
10 Comments on Animal Wednesday: Ain't nobody here but us chickens..., last added: 4/16/2011
20 Comments on Pumpkin Pictures and Emma chooses winner, last added: 10/13/2010
Great! Are you going to New England with Maggie?…jean
Sent from my iPad
I wish! I’ll just have to live vicariously through my character, again!