Our annual apprentice contest is upon us.  This year, apprentices will compete in five areas of our jurisdiction: Carpentry, Interior Systems, Floor Covering, Millwright, and Cabinetmaking, with exhibits in Dockbuilding, Timbermen, Health and Safety training and Welding as well.  Also included in the day's events will be exhibits from the leading manufacturers of building products, power tools, floor covering materials, health care services and community organizations.

Here is a preview for easy to read version use attached PDF Please.

Last night I went to see 3 bands, STEVE CONTE AND THE CRAZY TRUTH, THE CRINGE, and THE ORION EXPERIENCE. The bands themselves were great and got the audience going -- they are bands to keep you eye on.The location, on the otherhand, was just palatable -- among other things it is next to a Police Station :( the perfect place for a club :(   

Why do I have to dedicate time I can't easily spare from my already overburdened day to social media? What will it get me? There are two main reasons to use social media to network or promote your business: it is free or cheap, and everyone else is doing it. Used well, social media can facilitate networking and boost awareness of you and your business or brand among your target audience. But used carelessly, it can be a huge waste of time.   Online social media sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Merchant Circle, A Small World, Flickr, Digg, Delicious, Plaxo, Memotoo, Twitter, and others, have in common that they are all free, and they can eat up all of your time if you're not careful. You may wonder: why should you use them? You've been getting good business for years now, and hardly have any time for your family. In spite of this, more and more business professionals are using social media to start relationships, or to check up on new contacts and referrals to see whether they should do business with them or move on. This background checking is often done even before reaching out or meeting with you, or it may be done after an initial conversation.

As entrepreneurs ourselves, we at Box of Rain heartily agree with today's NY Times Op Ed piece arguing that "When it comes to helping companies, precious public money should focus on start-ups, not bailouts." Supporting new thinking and innovation is essential to our country's future, the old, tired companies that would rather stifle competition than beat it are not. Here's a link to the full article: Start Up the Risk-Takers. Good food for thought.