The U. S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) has announced its 2011 funding opportunities in the areas of planning, technical assistance, public works, economic adjustment assistance and the Global Climate Change Mitigation Incentive Fund (GCCMIF) economic development assistance programs.

The funding opportunities are in two pdf files. For planning and technical assistance programs, go here . For public works, economic adjustment assistance, and GCCMIF, go here.

Why do I get a slump in mental energy after eating a meal?
—Pranati Kapadia, via e-mail

Paul Li, lecturer of cognitive science at the University of California, Berkeley, offers an explanation: Falling asleep at your desk after that heaping bowl of pasta? You may be experiencing what people commonly refer to as a “food coma.” Medically known as postprandial somnolence, a food coma isn’t an actual coma but rather a lack of mental energy that people often experience after eating a large meal. Symptoms include drowsiness, lethargy and a lack of motivation. But not to worry—this postmeal phenomenon is harmless and can strike anyone who pigs out on foods loaded with carbohydrates, fats or sugars.

Our soon ending year, 2010, has been fascinating. I've had the good fortune to move to a new place (Singapore), which has served as a springboard to experience different cultures and do work in countries like the Philippines and South Korea. I've also had the chance to experience the world of venture capital investing through the small fund that our team in Singapore manages on behalf of the Singapore government.

There are three important things I will take away from this year:

The West is overly discounting Asia's growth potential. I argued a few months ago that the innovation axis was shifting from the West to the East. Silicon Valley remains the global hot spot of innovation, and America continues to churn out innovative companies like Groupon and Bloom Energy. But Eastern companies and entrepreneurs are gaining traction. Chinese companies like BYD are well positioned to lead the electrical vehicle market. Indonesia features a vibrant Internet ecosystem, with emerging startups providing unique services to the local context. Singapore is positioning itself as the global exchange, where West meets East and where India and China are both reachable via relatively short direct flights. And India's nation of entrepreneurs is driving change in market after market. The period of growth that Asia is enjoying still involves a heavy dose of replication and leveraging raw resources, but Western companies that discount the region's innovation potential do so at their own peril.

One of the most pleasurable days of my life was when my kids picked out items they wanted to sell, put price tags on them, painted signs that they then copied at a copy store and then hung up all over town, and then bargained, negotiated, and made deals left and right until the front of our lawn was empty of all the items they wanted to sell.

Every kid needs entrepreneurial experience. The feeling that you create something powerful enough that people pay money for it. Its exhilarating and inspires growth in so many ways. But its not about reading, or studying, or being smart, or even providing a good role model. The only way your kid will be an entrepreneur is if he or she starts TODAY.

As an entrepreneur, you always need to be on the lookout for ways to expand your current business, and always on the lookout for your next big thing. The competition never stands still, and new opportunities are evolving, based on culture changes in your customers, new technologies, and new problems in the world which need to be solved.

Steven Schussler, in his new book “It’s a Jungle In There” characterized this well in relation to his own success by recommending to all entrepreneurs that you observe the world around you and make a consistent, conscious effort to ask yourself: “Is there something here I could change (by providing a service or product) that would bring me financial gain?”

Entering a startup competition to win funding for your venture has a lot of benefits, even if you aren't victorious.

Thousands try, but only a few score the top prizes, which often include hefty cash prizes, mentorships, and exposure for your business.

To give you an idea of what it takes to win first place in a funding competition, we compiled a list of winners from several of this year's contests.

One of the toughest decisions for a startup is how to price their product or service. The alternatives range from giving it away for free (like Twitter), to pricing based on costs, to charging what the market will bear (premium pricing). The implications of the decision you make are huge, defining your brand image, your funding requirements, and your long-term business viability.

The revenue model you select is basically the implementation of your business strategy, and the key to attaining your financial objectives. Obviously, it must be grounded by the characteristics of the market and customers you choose to serve, the pricing model of existing competitors, and a strategy you believe is consistent with your future products and direction.

Before Mellmo’s Senior Software Developer, Jerry Jones, heads to the office, he hits the waves. He is one of the top ten freeride jet skier’s in the world.

Before Film maker Bemjamin Oberman, President, Apple Cart Productions, sits down to write his next film or documentary he kayaks down class 5 rapids, climbs El Capitan or hits the ice as a professional pairs figure skater.

VIDEO: Film Maker’s Extreme Addictions

And when Blake Scholl, CEO, Barcode Hero, needs to decompress after a long day at the office, he goes Mountain Flying.

With innovative new companies as our country’s ticket to renewed economic prosperity, here are three trends to watch in 2011:

Super angels, a growing source of savvy entrepreneurial capital

Super angels — dubbed “angels” because they have a strong appetite for early stage, often pre-revenue companies and “super” because they may invest between $500,000 and $1 million or more in 10 or more deals per year — fill a critical gap in the entrepreneurial capital food chain.

Super angels may invest as individuals but increasingly are banding together into micro-venture capital funds to invest more than a typical angel group but less than venture capital funds. They have the money and experience (many are cashed-out entrepreneurs) to recognize and react quickly to entrepreneurial opportunities.

When it comes to funding options for startups, new ideas seem to come along every season. Some may be old ideas dressed up in a new way, while a few may be something we really haven't seen before. It isn't certain which ones will become the new black of small business and which will disappear with this year’s hemlines. But here are five financing trends for 2011 that could have an impact on your company.

1. Crowdfunding

Kickstarter popularized the idea of crowdfunding, which is when a large group of people help fund a project or business through a cluster of small donations. Kickstarter began as a new way to help artists get projects off the ground. In return for funding, donors receive goods or services, or even just a well-crafted thank-you, in lieu of equity or interest payments. Now the same idea is spreading to business ventures. Diaspora, a tech company that wants to build a social network to rival Facebook got more than $200,000 in seed money from a Kickstarter campaign

Longaberger is known for its handcrafted maple baskets, so its headquarters are obviously shaped like a giant basket. Not just any old basket, though. It’s a Longaberger Medium Market Basket that’s been blown up to 160 times its normal size.

I have a resolution for 2011 that I'm hoping you'll sign on to:

What if we stopped comparing and benchmarking? What if we stopped wondering whether we're as innovative as New York or Silicon Valley? What if we stopped positing that New England in the 1970s or 1980s might have been more competitive than it is today?

Basically, what I'm asking is: what if we put all comparisons on pause for 2011, and just focused on creating companies, solving big problems, and kicking a--?

I confess: I'm more guilty than most when it comes to making comparisons. But I promise that in 2011, I'm not going to give an exit interview to every entrepreneur who leaves Boston because they hope to do better in New York or the Valley, asking them to opine on Boston's shortcomings. News flash: entrepreneurs can fail in those places too. When I'm at a panel discussion where the panelists start bloviating about the Valley versus Boston, or New York versus Boston, I'm walking out.

It is Monday so it is time for another MBA Mondays post. We are a few weeks into a series on mergers and acquisitions. The first week we covered the basics of mergers and acquisitions. Last week we talked about asset sales.

This week we are going to start a conversation about selling your company. I will kick off the conversation by laying out the key issues in a company sale. Then we are going to do something new on MBA Mondays; case studies. I will invite a few guest posts from entrepreneurs who have sold their companies. That will hopefully start next week.

In 1931, The Times celebrated its 80th birthday by inviting Henry Ford and seven other American innovators to predict what life would be like in 80 years.

W.J. Mayo, the founder of the Mayo Clinic, said that by 2011, the average life span, then only 54, would rise to 70 (it is 77.9). The physicist Arthur Compton, noting China's rise, said "science will no longer be a monopoly of the West." William Ogburn, a sociologist, said "people will become more nervous and mental disorders will rise for a time, but by 2011 mental hygienists will probably have the upper hand."

“Bring the other guy in,” said Barack Obama. The American president took the podium before a hastily assembled White House press corps, and the ‘other guy’ - former president Bill Clinton - appeared at his side. Obama - fresh from agreeing a tax compromise with congressional Republicans - invited his predecessor to speak “very briefly”.

“Let me just say a couple of things,” Clinton began. He endorsed the tax deal, urged the Senate to ratify the START treaty with Russia, talked tax some more (here, Obama excused himself to go to a Christmas party), held forth on the credit markets, Haiti, the deficit and, half an hour later, fielded a final question on political fights worth having.

Some readers know that I used to be a corporate attorney. As a General Counsel I have hired literally hundreds of outside law firms to represent the company I worked for. Trademarks; patents; litigation; transactions; collections — you name it, I’ve probably hired a law firm to handle it.

I’ve managed counsel in law firms ranging in size from solo practitioners, to the largest law firms in the world, such as Jones Day, Mayer Brown, and Squire Sanders & Dempsey, to name a few.