How about a law requiring politicians to answer the question that’s asked!!!!! The Republican is absolutely refusing to answer the questions she’s asking. He doesn’t say that, of course. More people would realize he was doing that if he did.

And how about a law requiring politicians to make a single point only one time in a given interview. Or even no more than three. How dare the Republican talk about getting beyond talking points and then spout the very same talking points seven or eight times!

I was disappointed that Christiane didn’t call him on it more directly, until she directly said he had refused to answer on blocking loopholes.

I can only write so fast, so I’ll skip the Democrat and go on to the discussion. I think whoever said this is all political theater is right. And that is why the populace is mad as hell at Congress. 435 Drama Queens! Make that 535, adding on the Senate.

The Presidential race? I don’t see how Obama can lose and I think the Republicans know that. That’s why there’s not a single one of any substance. Just a bunch of folks who are willing to settle for a mention in future textbooks as the Republican candidate.

On to Afghanistan and the other wars, or sort-of wars. Get ‘em out. Want to spend the 4th of July actually doing something to help the troops? Bring ‘em home! Stop this horrible waste of evry kind of capital that is any war. There are so many people in the world that we can’t afford this nonsense anymore. And I’m not just talking about the US. I’m talking about the world.

Did you know that 95% of the people that are casualties of any war are civilians? I found that out in 2004, and I’ll never ever forget it. What a  waste of human capital, fuel, manufacturing capacity. We might as well make all that stuff and throw it off a cliff. There are a whole lot of folks who would rush to put it to real use making people’s lives better.

Am I missing something? Why is George Will on TV so often. Is he actually respected as very knowledgeable? I’ve never been impressed. Maybe I should listen less skeptically to what he says.

Look, I’m a woman. I hate the position of women under the Taliban. I’d like to think the women of Afghanistan aren’t about to accept going back to what their lives were like under the Taliban. But then I think there are a lot of cases in the world in which bad things are allowed to go on just because people let them and the moment people just ignore the nonsense it stops. I learned that at the Berlin Wall, another lesson I’ll never forget.

I love that she includes viewpoints that are informed by experience of life outside the US.

Just caught myself sitting here with a frown on my face sticking out my bottom lip. And then the interview with Mrs. Obama came on and I beamed. As a member of the 60′s generation, I know that it is our actions during the struggle in the US for civil rights that made it possible for a black family to be in the White House.

My husband came across the fact the other day that somewhere around 12 of the states already have a non-white majority and that the whole country will have a non-white majority by 2050. I’m white. And I don’t dread that. Iven if I were likely to be around then, I would not dread that. I think the country will be better for it.

And the in Memorium. I love this part every week. “We remember ALL the people who died in war this week.” A few are listed, but she chooses to recognize all. I admire Christiane Amanpour.

http://www.prosperity.com/rankings.aspx

John Berger

This was posted on

http://vernonkeditjolly.blogspot.com/

and I thought it important enough to deserve an end of 2009 post all by itself.

It amazes me that there is so little studio space available in a city with a university that offers degrees in several different arts that require such space. And that’s not the only school in the area offering such programs. Furthermore, Norwich has plenty of empty space, whole office buildings totally empty, lots of empty storefronts, whole strips of empty storefronts with office space over them.

After all, I have documented in this blog that regions “invaded” by numbers of artists soon develop other cultural amenities and attract other businesses. The whole neighborhood gets upgraded. Of course, by that time, the area has outpriced almost all of the artists, who then move on to another dilapidated area and upgrade that one. But still, it’s to any city’s advantage to invite the artists into such areas.

I’ve started collecting web stories of that strategy being used successfully in the UK. I’ll print these out and bring them along when I approach the correct council or tourist bureau person. If I managed that for Norwich, I would have left a considerable positive legacy.

Well, there’s not that much of mine to buy yet. But I’ve got a bunch of works in progress. I’ve made my second “Tunique”. Is that too precious a name?

Anyhow, the first one was absolutely plain in “mermaid skin” and the back bottom sort of cups. I didn’t plan that, but it isn’t a problem. The piece looks OK anyhow, so I hung it and put on a price.

The second one, there is no difference between the back and the front bottom. The neckline is a bit different from the first, because I lost track of my row count at one point. I’ve done the crocheting of it in a contrasting color and am adding crocheted sleeves in that same color. I’m still working on the sleeves and am not yet entirely certain whether I like them or not. Whether I like them or not and how fast they are working up may determine how long they are.

The third one is on my own knitting maching, which is a bit  different than Anne’s that I used for the first two. I’ve done the whole tunique part aside from the final cast-off,  but then I’ll steam it, turn it on the machine, and add sleeves on the machine. Because the threads were even lighter and tried to jump off the machine when I was casting on, I started with a  tighter stitch and reduced to a tigher one as well. Therefore, I needed to do more rows of each tightness. I did twice as many. It now looks rather narrow compared to the others, but longer as well, so I’m thinking of adding godet-ed panels to the sides to make it a dress. I’ll be really curious to see how it turns out.

I’m also working on a woven scarf on the little rigid heddle loom. It’s rather a coarse piece, maybe more a table runner than a scarf, but I won’t know that until it’s been washed. It feels good to be weaving again, even plain weave. I do miss the Macomber I worked on at school and the room I had to work. I probably should more the Harrisville to the Centre as well if I really intend to use it here. But something in me hopes for a heated space by the fall that I can move it to.

A twill woven on a 24-harness dobby

This scarf was in Handwoven

I believe it was a rosepath weave with waffleweave at the bottom. The article was about a technique I had “invented” for dropping a bead into every waffle.

A point twill woven over a handpainted warp.

I was very proud of this one and sort of hated to see it sold.  I keep telling myself I will make more and better ones.

A doubleweave done in blocks

I don’t even need to brag about this one.

Several of a set of 20 coordinated samples for upholstery

I did this set of samples with the kinds of ceiling tiles you see in older building in New York City in mind. I was thinking of stories I’d seen in the papers about such buildings being turned into boutique hotels.

This is the newest one, created yesterday. It was done by combining three threads with the objective of trying out a lustrous thread as well as a lurex and a soft thread together for a hopefully softer finish. Interestingly, it looks quite different on the two sides.

This is the knit side of the fabric I call “mermaid skin. The sky was not very sunny when I took this pictures, so the glints don’t show especially well. I hope to make a sunny picture as well. It was done by combining two textured and two lurexes, opposites on the color wheel.

The other side of the “mermaid skin”. Same sky donditions as above.

It’s a very simple garment, basically a sleeveless tunic, meant to be relatively tight to the body from the arm-holes up but loosening as it falls to the hips where it’s quite floaty. It turned out pretty good, just not good enough to call the prototype the finished pattern. I want to play with the neckline and the arm scrye (to be a bit classier in my wording) and the bottom edge before I finalize it as a part of my line.

I used four thin yarns together, the yarns chosen to produce irridescence because they were opposites on the color wheel, and I’m quite happy with the resulting fabric. In fact, it’s the fabric that everyone who examines the piece comments on. (The little negative nellie person who always sits on one of my shoulders whispers that this is only an indication of how minimally attractive the actual garment is, but I’ll let you decide that for yourself when I post a picture here.)

In any case, I’m perfectly willing not to sell this version until I get a better one done early this week. In the meanwhile, it will serve as a swatch for the fabric. I now have three fabrics in my swatch collection with more to come rapidly. Got to get busy fast with the camera.

It was very easy to name the fabric used for the tunic. I merely draped it over one knee and thought “Mermaid Skin”. Perfect. Now I’ll bet you can’t wait to see the pictures. Soon… very soon.

My aim is to make unique fabrics, using either the knitting machine, my loom, or painting plain fabric. I may do some screen printing later on as well. I will also make garments of these fabrics as I develop the fabrics themselves, to show how they perform in garments, and to sell. But I want the making and selling of bespoke fabrics to be my main business.

And all this will be done out of my space at St. Lawrence Textile Centre.

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And I will post pictures and chronicle the progress I make as I have time in this space. Are you interested? Let me know.

Three week ago, I began a part time teaching assistant job. I was hired to provide one-on-one assistance to a single student. The student’s schedule began at 8:30 and ended at 1:30, so 5 hours, and I was hired for 3 days per week.

I needed to let the Job Centre know my hours and how much I was being paid, so I called up the agency that had hired me for the details. I was told I was being paid £100 per day. Well, that sounded like good pay, but by then I knew that the pay came for a special fund for helping new students with special circumstances get settled in new schools. We checked with a friend in the education system who seemed to think it was the going rate.

Then I got my first paycheck, along with a letter confirming that the school wanted to keep me for another week.

For the first two days, I had indeed been paid £100 per day, except that that included holiday pay and that the short schedule of my student was not considered an entire day, only 5/6 of one.

For the third day, I had been paid only 5/6 of £65 (including holiday pay again). And the letter said they now wanted me to work a longer schedule, still £65 but now for 6 hours.

So I think I’m getting £20 per hour

then find out that includes my holiday pay (so I get paid nothing for any holidays I take)

then find out I’m only getting 5/6 of that

then find out that my pay has been cut by 35% for subsequent days

then find out I’ve got to work longer hours for that lesser pay.

Did I question it? WELL, YEAH!

And I just got their answer. You aren’t going to believe this?!?!

They say everything up to the very last is a mistake and they’ll be adjusting my subsequent pay checks to take back the “extra” pay they gave me!