10.30.11
Posted in Anything goes, Historical Trivia, Playing the Tourist, gardening, hobbies, museums at 9:16 am by Administrator
On Friday my boys and I visited the Getty Villa Museum in Malibu.
Wow, I would love to have a courtyard like that! But alas, only in my dreams, heheheh. Actually, this was my first time back at the Getty Villa since it’s reconstruction. The first time I had gone to the Getty Villa was during my high school days way before the Getty Center opened in Los Angeles. For anyone visiting Los Angeles, this is definitely one of the museums that should be on your list to visit. The Getty Villa was constructed as a replica of the Villa Dei Papiri for the purpose of housing J. Paul Getty’s art collection. The Villa was also intended to give the visitor the feeling of what it was like to walk in the villas back in it’s day and get a feeling of what it must have felt like to be in ancient Italy. It’s really a lovely place to visit full of history and art. Not only is the art collection engaging, but so is the architecture. Our docent told us that the Romans were obsessed with math and right angels and such, so a lot of that is seen in their architecture. This picture is an example.
According to our docent, the Romans were very practical, so all of their construction had dual function. That is, nothing was created solely for aesthetics, but also for functionality or special meaning. The gardens were also designed to grow plenty of herbs as was believed was done back in ancient Italy. The garden is impeccable. I even saw the most perfect pomegranate tree there. Other pomegranate trees I’ve seen have usually been unkempt and wild looking. The one in the Getty garden looked perfectly pruned. The picture doesn’t seem to do it justice. I found it to be very striking in person.
As with all museums, there is even a nice little gift shop. I always get sucked into those, heheheh. I found that the Getty Villa also has live stage performances. I’ll have to look into those and see when they do them and how to get in. I’m not sure, but I was under the impression some were performed in the amphitheater just in front of the villa. For anyone who loves art and architecture, you can easily spend the whole day there. Not only are there art works that you’d normally expect like pottery and sculptures, they had other things like this mummy.
I didn’t realize that the Italians did this back as early as the 1400’s (I think that’s about the date of this). I’ve been to Italy years ago and even visited some of their catacombs, but maybe I wasn’t paying attention if they mentioned these. The ritual was changed from the Egyptians, but there are some similarities, but also some differences like the face painting on the head of the mummy. Apparently, that painting was supposed to be what the deceased looked like.
I’m a sucker for art or most any craft, so I love to get ideas in places like this. For instance, one of my interests have been to learn to tole paint, so these murals caught my eye as I would love to learn how to paint these floral curly cues.
I love the floral vines along the column, pedestal, and below the window. Just before I went to the Philippines, I picked up some paint and paint brushes to try to learn how to do these as well as flowers. Have not gotten back to it since I’ve returned, wah. The other hobby that I’ve wanted to dabble in is mosaics. I purchase a book on this as well as checked some out from the library, so the Getty mosaics were also a great interest to me.
I like the idea of the shells as well. I’m thinking maybe I can try a small scale project like a flower pot for starters. The Getty mosaics definitely serve as a source of inspiration if not only for admiration of Italian creativity and skill, but for aspiring artists. We took a lot more pictures (I just love museums that allow picture taking), but there is just too much to share on a small blog like this. Suffice it to say that I highly recommend visiting the Getty Villa. For art lovers, it would definitely make for a very nice day.
Marlakins
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10.21.11
Posted in quotes at 12:00 am by Administrator
“I honestly believe it iz better tew know nothing than tew know what aint so.”
~Josh Billings, Encyclopedia of Proverbial Philosophy
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10.19.11
Posted in Book Reviews at 10:55 pm by Administrator
The Age of Deception by Mohamed Elbaradei is a very interesting and informative book for anyone concerned with nuclear proliferation. Mohamed Elbaradei, former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), explains in his book the duties and limitations of the IAEA and how those limitations affected their dealings with nations such as North Korea, Iraq, and Iran. One thing he wrote was that he wished more people understood the purpose and scope of the IAEA and in particular the limitations of the IAEA–that is, the IAEA can only enter a country and make inspections of their nuclear facilities “if” they are given permission or invited by that country. I found that to be an interesting point because I did not know that. And it explains and verifies some claims that there really isn’t anyone in charge of the world’s nuclear programs although some countries try to exert more influence upon others. It helps to explain why three of Japan’s nuclear reactors can be melting down, but little seems to be done about it by other nations (not that there’s anything they can really do about melt-downs anyway) . It explains why North Korea, Pakistan, India, and Israel seem to be able to do what they want in terms of developing nuclear weapons because not only are they are not members of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, but no one really enforces measures to prohibit nuclear weapons development. Sure there are attempts to deter nuclear weapons development through negotiations and sanctions, but with all the mistrust between countries, nuclear development continues to march on.
Elbaradei’s accounts of the IAEA’s dealings regarding WMDs in Iraq, North Korea, and Iran are also very insightful. Not only does he explain what actually transpired in those countries (according to IAEA knowledge), but also possible reasons why those countries seek nuclear programs. His accounts also highlights how a lot of misinformation is released by the mainstream media either as a result of assumptions, preconceived ideas, or from outright misinformation disseminated directly from various governments. At times mere suspicions or speculations are passed on as facts without verification, i.e. Iraq’s WMD charges before the second Gulf War.
Acquisition of nuclear technology through the black market was also discussed in The Age of Deception. Apparently, like any other technology, particularly weapons for wars, there’s money to be made. It amazes me how such a dangerous and complicated technology can exist this way. Just goes to show that if there’s a will, there’s a way.
Overall, I give Mohamed Elbaradei’s book, The Age of Deception; Nuclear Diplomacy in Treacherous Times two thumbs up. I found that it helped to clear up some of the confusion or seeming conflicts regarding nuclear threats or perceived nuclear threats. At the very least it’s more/additional information (and different perspective) than what we normally get through the mainstream media on the nuclear proliferation issue.
Marlakins
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10.09.11
Posted in family stuff, food and restaurants, hobbies, knitting and crocheting at 8:54 pm by Administrator
September is a busy birthday month for our family. Mom, Brian, and Matty are born in September, so to make things easier, we decided to celebrate their birthday together in one day. And since it was hard to get our schedules all in order, we ended up gathering in October for our September babies. We decided to head out to Real Food Daily, our local organic vegetarian restaurant. Here’s a pic of our side of the table. Mom has the pic of the other side of the table (the other half of our gang), on her camera, so only have this one to share.
The birthday cards were funny. I particularly got a kick out of Brian’s, heheheh.
Since both Brian and my brother-in-law are bald, there tends to be bald jokes in our family. . . 
Tee hee!
Before our outing, I was working on using up some of the yarn I spun. Aside from little pouches, I found the yarn was also usable for little knit toys.
The pattern for this mouse is in a book called, Itty Bitty Toys by Susan B. Anderson. It’s actually supposed to be a Christmas mouse, but I just used the colors I had on hand. I also did a little bit of modification by adding a mouth, heheheh. By the time we went out for dinner, I had two mice made up. They were busy reading the menu when I took this picture.
By the next day, I had three done.
Well, now I know I can probably spin sock yarn since I was able to use my white yarn that I spun together with left over sock yarn. They appear to be the same gauge. I’m currently working of spinning up a 3 ply. I’ve already spun up three hanks, but I’ll save that for another post.
Oh, before I sign off, I should put in a plug for Real Food Daily. They’re an organic vegetarian restaurant here in Los Angeles. My boys always order their burrito supreme, and I tend to always order either the yin yang salad or their stir-it-up with buckwheat noodles. That night I had the stir-it-up.
Ummm, tasty. . . Their cookies are also a nice way to top this off.
Okay, now that our September babies have celebrated, now to prepare for the October babies. . .
Marlakins
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10.06.11
Posted in Uncategorized at 8:34 pm by Administrator
Immigration in the U.S. has been a touchy subject these days. I know legal immigration is separate from “illegal” immigration, but the line between legal and illegal is easily and commonly blurred when all too often just “looking” foreign is construed as being illegal. I have to admit that it makes me very uncomfortable. I am a legal U.S. Citizen, but I look foreign. I was born in a foreign country, as were my parents. But my parents came here legally during a time when the U.S. recruited professionals from all sorts of fields from all sorts of countries. I suppose it was part of what President Clinton referred to as “Brain Drain.” That is, all the top minds in all sorts of countries were recruited to work in the U.S. and given special visas such as the H1B. As an electrical engineer, my father entered the U.S. and brought us, his family, along. Now that my father has passed away, I have been able to mingle more with his old-time buddies and former school mates. Like my father, many of them came here to the U.S. as professionals such as chemical engineers, electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, doctors and teachers even. So when I saw Dr. Michio Kaku discuss the H1B, I thought of people like my father and his friends.
To view Dr. Kaku’s argument click here.
One thing that stood out to me is how Kaku states that a lot of those bright minds are going back home. I recall when I was in the Philippines one discussion was regarding encouraging graduates to stay in the Philippines and help to bring up their own country rather than exporting their minds and skills to other countries. It also reminds me of the portion in the Bible that states that people will go back to their own countries.
Jeremiah 51:9
“We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her, and let us go everyone into his own country: for her judgment reaches unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies.”
Some people argue that America is Babylon. See America, the Babylon by R.A. Coombes. I know others think Babylon is the Vatican or the Catholic church, but I don’t think so. Coombes description makes more sense to me.
Marlakins
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10.05.11
Posted in hobbies, knitting and crocheting at 11:40 am by Administrator
The day after the Popular Mechanics class in September Judith had a presentation on Bison. Originally, the presentation was going to be on Turkish Textiles, but her slides got damaged and wasn’t fixed in time for her talk. So instead, she decided to give a talk on Bison and it’s fiber for us spinners. She brought along some sample yarns as well as some knit garments and a woven rug made of Bison fiber.
The above is the only picture I took that day, but as a point of interest, bison fiber/fleece/hair is normally brown. The above fibers are obviously not brown. Interestingly, although normally brown, Bison fiber takes dyes very well. And also as a point of interest, these yarns were sooo soft! Funny how when I look at bison, they look so rugged that I don’t think of how soft their fur is.
It turns out that Judith has quite a bit of knowledge regarding the bison. She spoke to us about its history in America such as how they were so plentiful during the early days when Indians relied heavily on bison meat for their survival. She talked about how bison were later shot and killed almost to the point of extinction by the newer settlers. Bison were even shot from trains as a sort of way to wipe out the herds. It was understood at the time that for every bison killed, an Indian was killed (Indians can’t last long without food). This practice nearly wiped out the bison population. It’s a sad history, but fortunately, the bison were not completely wiped out and are slowly making a come back.
Other points of interest regarding the bison is that they can move from 0 to 60 mph in 4 seconds. . . Oh. my!!!! No wonder you don’t hear about bison milk, ha! They’re strong and agile. Yet, they are very protective of their own. Judith mentioned that when a baby bison is born, the whole herd gathers around, and each on comes to muzzle the calf before it goes on it’s way. How cute! And also awesome. There’s so many things from nature that I think God uses for us to learn and enjoy. There must be something to that practice for us.
Judith also had some fun stories to tell including her dealings with how she got into spinning bison fleece, the people she’s met along the way, and the things they’ve said to her. One such story is about how “real” cowboys knit. She said, “Real cowboys get cold feet, so they all know how to knit socks even though you never see the Marlboro Man knit,” ha ha! One cowboy used her bison yarn to knit a pair of socks which accidentally went through the washer and dryer. To his surprise, they came out beautifully, and didn’t shrink a bit. Judith attributed this to how a well-prepared yarn should behave. Basically, after spinning, wash the wool and beat it to an inch of it’s life, heheh. (My paraphrase). That way by the time the yarn is knit up into a garment, it’s done all it’s shrinking and reforming. Wool fibers, like hair, have a memory. When it’s washed, it wants to go back to it’s original shape. So best to do that before the garment is knit up. Makes sense, right? I still have yet to test this out on my own, but she did have some garments as samples that seemed to prove her case.
Okay, I’m just about out of blogging time. Must hit the road to visit Mom. Suffice it to say that I really enjoyed Judith’s presence, as both teacher and lecturer. Sweet woman (as evidenced by some of her stories and how I could see she treated all of us). If Judith McKenzie comes back out to teach more classes, I sure hope to be able to join in again.
Marlakins
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10.04.11
Posted in History, Hmmm Moments at 12:41 am by Administrator
Whether you love him or hate him, he always makes for interesting listening. Whether you agree with him or not, you have to admit that he’s familiar with world history and has an analytical mind. While I do think he makes some very reasonable assertions and provocative statements (some might call it inflammatory), when it comes to Iran’s nuclear program, I can’t help but think about “taqqiya,” the Islamic belief that it’s okay to lie if it’s for the greater good of the people. Mohamed Elbaradei wrote about it in his book The Age of Deception as did Hooman Majd, author of The Ayatollah Begs to Differ. But I certainly understand the concept of fairness. If one country has nuclear power, why can’t other countries? Anyway, for anyone interested in this year’s UN speech by Ahmadinejad, click here to listen to the full speech.
As the year before, major UN members walked out on him during his speech. I personally think it’s very rude that they would do such a thing, especially since the West considers themselves so fair and civilized. I can’t help but think that they walk out on him because they know he’s right, and they don’t want to admit it. But how long can that last? There’s always a breaking point somewhere. Amongst some of the points Ahmadinejad highlighted were the following:
Who triggered the first and second world wars, that left seventy million killed and hundreds of millions injured or homeless. Who created the wars in Korean peninsula and in Vietnam?
· Who imposed through Zionism and over sixty years of war, homelessness, terror and mass murder on the Palestinian people and on countries of the region?
· Who imposed and supported for decades military dictatorship and totalitarian regimes on Asian, African, and Latin American nations?
· Who used nuclear bomb against defenseless people, and stockpiled thousands of warheads in their arsenals?
· Whose economies rely on waging wars and selling arms?
· Who provoked and encouraged Saddam Hussein to invade and impose an eight-year war on Iran, and who assisted and equipped him to deploy chemical weapons against our cities and our people?
· Who used the mysterious September 11 incident as a pretext to attack Afghanistan and Iraq, killing, injuring, and displacing millions in two countries with the ultimate goal of bringing into its domination the Middle East and its oil resources?
· Who nullified the Breton Woods system by printing trillions of dollars without the backing of gold reserves or equivalent currency? A move that triggered inflation worldwide and was intended to prey on the economic gains of other nations?
· Which country’s military spending exceeds annually a thousand billion dollars, more than the military budgets of all countries of the world combined?
· Who dominates the policy-making establishments of the world economy?
· Who are responsible for the world economic recession, and are imposing the consequences on America, Europe and the world in general?
· Who are the ones dominating the Security Council which is ostensibly responsible for safeguarding the international security?
The man knows his history and clearly articulates his points. He was just asking questions of which anyone who knows this history would know the answers to his questions. The answers are not secrets, but well known facts, so why did they walk out on him? Obviously it wasn’t because he was lying. The mass walkout just makes it more obvious that there’s something rotten in Denmark.
Marlakins
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10.01.11
Posted in Uncategorized at 9:53 am by Administrator
A little while ago I watched this video on uranium mining in Australia. There was supposed to be a decision made in September regarding expanding uranium mining there. I haven’t seen the final verdict, but for anyone interested in nuclear issues, check out this video.
According to the video, Australia has 40% of the world’s uranium. I didn’t know that. I also didn’t know that the U.S. is Australia’s biggest customer for their uranium. I knew that some uranium mining was done in Niger, and that the process leaves a lot of contamination in the land and surrounding areas. So for those who think that nuclear power is clean energy, think again. We’re talking about damaging the land before the uranium is even reprocessed. Plus it’s very costly to refine and uses a lot of energy in the process. Greenpeace put out a video called Left in the Dust–Uranium Mining in Niger showing a bit about how Niger has been negatively affected by uranium mining.
Is it true and/or how severe is it really? As a lay person, I don’t really know, however, from what I’ve read and heard, I think nuclear power is a Faustian bargain. Unfortunately for our generation, I think it’s too late.
Marlakins
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