The climax of your day has arrived; it’s day 3 of ‘Women vs Men’ week!
Is this true? Can it be true of either gender? What’s your experience?
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Drawing and questions by Marty Coleman
Quote by Sharon Stone, American Actress, 1958- not dead yet
Sharon Stone – 2012
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If it’s Tuesday, then it’s day #2 of ‘Battle of the Sexes’ week!
Once again, I ask you, my Napkin Kin, is this statement true?
Why do we think about our potential spouses this way? Do we think it consciously, or no? What are your experiences with this?
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Drawing and questions by Marty Coleman, who has changed a lot after 20 + 6 years of marriage to two different women.
Quote supposedly by Albert Einstein, but I am dubious.
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It’s ‘Battle of the Sexes’ Week! Chime in, answering the questions below. What are your ideas? Your Napkin Kin want to know!
In my life experience, there seems to be some truth to this. What do you think, is this true? True for others, true for you? Now or in the past? Discuss.
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Drawing and questions by Marty Coleman, who, long, long ago, once looked in a mirror and saw myself as a Native American on a horse in the Southwest. It is safe to say I was in an altered state.
Quote by Elissa Melamed, Author of ‘Mirror, Mirror – The Terror of Not Being Young’
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What? I am against reading? Yep, I am. Not all reading mind you. but over indulged in, mindless reading. Reading gets an exalted place in our western world, at least among the intelligentsia and wannabees (that’s me). The idea is if you read you are intelligent, wise, learning, growing and open minded. It means you are self-aware and a good person. But that is not true.
It isn’t any more true than watching TV means your a vacuous idiot who is satisfied with shallow crap. I watch more hours of TV than hours of reading. So, am I just being defensive? No, I am being realistic. People watch substantial TV and they watch idiot TV. People read substantial books and they read idiot books. What I am against is the persistent illusion that reading in and of itself makes someone admirable. It doesn’t.
If you learn, grow, share and become enlightened while reading then it’s good. And they same is true about watching TV. If you get entertained in either medium, that is good too. But not if that is all you are doing. Escaping to the boob tube and never critically evaluating what it is you are watching isn’t good. And it isn’t good with reading either. What you read and how you think about it make you admirable, not just that you read.
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Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman, who is reading Frankenstein and having a hard time getting through it.
Quote by Albert Einstein
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Stretching in morning dark,
Edge of light past trees,
Dogs wiggling, I am on the floor with them.
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It’s part 3 of the Branding series.
A big effort of every company is to get into the consumers’ mind an idea of their brand. If they show off their facilities, it is usually so that the facility helps to crystalize their brand identity with the consumer. A happy dairy farmer and her family for example, in front of a verdant pasture. Perhaps it’s a gleaming new factory in Wisconsin, putting out reams of clean and effective paper products.
But companies don’t just show off any old factory just to show it. Most companies know there are things the consumer isn’t interested in seeing, and sometimes, even if they are interested, the company doesn’t think it is in their best interest to show it. I understand that.
But sometimes it’s important for us to see what a company isn’t all that hot on showing us.
First up, I feel sad, but I don’t feel guilty about what happened in Bangladesh, and either should you. I am NOT saying we should not be aware of what we buy, how it is manufactured, distributed, and sold. I think we should. But that is not the same as taking personal blame for a tragedy around the globe that was due to illegal construction, terrible government oversight and fatal management business practices.
There are many who would like you and me to feel guilty. The reason they want us to feel guilty is that they think that is how change will happen, i.e., guilt people into feeling bad and a change of behavior will follow. Does that work long term with anyone? It works with 6 year olds in church, but not with 26 year olds. It works with a naive and insecure newlywed, but not with that same man or woman 15 years later. I don’t think it works, and even if it did, it’s dishonest in it’s method and manipulative in it’s intent. I don’t like it.
Yes to Awareness
But there is something that does work. It’s called education. Instead of ranting and railing against American capitalism and consumerism and trying to lay all the blame for all the world’s ills on those backs, why not do your best, without condemnation and guilt for the consumer, to explain what is happening through the supply chain. Just let us see it. Let us learn about it. With minimal manipulation, help us see the connection between the PR branding the company shows us and the rest of the company, good and bad. Let the evidence be the guide to making better consumer choices, not guilt.
Explain the good and bad of globalization. Explain how it does bring jobs to places that don’t have them but it also brings greed and corruption and short cuts in the name of profit. Explain that low prices aren’t bad but it’s also good to have an ethical and moral platform below which we do not believe anyone should fall whether it be a garment worker in Bangladesh, an innocent bystander washing clothes in a polluted river downstream from a factory, an hourly wage earner in the US. or the fate of the CEO. They all deserve a standard of treatment that we should aspire to.
If we don’t have direct control over it, what can we do to help move those that do have the control towards that better ethical and moral stance?
What are your solutions?
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Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman, who is very sad so many died.
Quote adapted from a quote by Walter Landor, 1913-1995, German born, American designer and brand developer, Owner of Landor Associates.
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Through my company, MAKE Studio, I can do many things for you.
Are you in need of a dynamic, engaging speaker?
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Recent titles of my presentations include:
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My background includes 9 years of college teaching experience in art, 14 years experience in interactive/internet design, and 33 years as a practicing artist. I have the proven ability to help others to continually produce substantial content.
Whether it's
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Do you have an idea that needs to be visualized?
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Having been an artist all my life, I have the ability and insight to bring visual clarity to a story, an idea or a product.
Do have what you want to say but don't now how to say it for the web?
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My 14 years experience in interactive/internet design includes writing and editing content of all sorts; stories, scripts, advertising copy, website copy, promotional material and even medical & academic papers.
Do you have low contrast, low impact images that do not catch a viewer's attention?
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Having been a practicing photographer for 30 years I have ample experience in getting the image that is powerful, memorable and informative.
Whatever your need, I can help you. Get in touch with me, Marty Coleman, in the method that is most convenient for you and let's talk about it.
I started drawing the napkins for my daughters in the hopes that they would be stimulated in their minds and hearts to think deeply and well about a range of topics. Now that I draw them for everyone else as well I hope the same.
So, if you:
Then I hope you will become one of the Napkin Kin and be stimulated to learn, engage and be help build yourself and those you love for the better.
Simply subscribe via a reader, email, or your preferred social network and engage!
I am always open to collaborating with others, helping provide content for your blog while expanding my audience.
Currently I am doing ongoing going series called 'Writing Lessons' for a literary agent, Rachelle Gardner. It appears about twice a month.
Contact me if you have an idea of how we might help each other.
For my plan to conquer the world to succeed I need following things to happen. If you can help, I will make you Secretary of Something or Other, I promise.
If you have any ideas or personal connections/abilities to help in these areas, let me know!
