Kiva is running a recruiting campaign funded by one of its creators. Sign up to qualify for a free $25 to loan to people in need.

We need more of this:

mlerules linked this great article (sadly on a non-interactive Tumblr acct).

It strikes many chords for us here. As a toddler, V was "fabulous!" often adorning himself with mardi gras beads and fluffy boa-like scarves. The McDonald's Happy Meal Disney Princess necklace with lip balm was a permanent fixture for almost a year (and still lives on his dresser), not to mention a variety of bracelets. Last year's Christmas list included a green ring like mom's, a baby doll, and a bed for said doll. This past year he's decided he wants long hair like mom and Gopa, and has taken to wearing barrettes to keep the bangs out of his eyes until they're long enough to tuck behind an ear. His summertime swimming lessons had people mistaking him for a girl CONSTANTLY despite the Buzz Lightyear swimming trunks simply because of a single generic black triangular clip barrette. People routinely identify him as "she" despite his male-gender-normative wardrobe (unintentional, just practical and incidental).

We saw a SIGNIFICANT shift in his gender identifications when he hit preschool. On the one hand this makes sense - one of the psych indicators they use with IEP kids is gender ID in pictures, etc. When testing for things like autism, it is important to know how well the child is observing/noticing other people, and specifically differences and distinctions like gender. Sadly, part of the effect is a stress on gender normative categories. Whenever he pops out with a gender-normative judgment about what is/isn't acceptable, we spend some time analyzing his assertion, pointing out in-family violations of his "rules", and work on logical rationales for the use/abandonment of such segregations.

The barrettes were an issue. Other children are often judgmental about it. I've made it as easy as possible for him to defend himself - I keep them as nondescript and gender neutral as possible. Most of them are black. But he's really taken to the bright red ones included in the latest pack. When I'm present I explain to other kids that the barrettes are just a tool to keep his hair out of his eyes. Several of the kids in his school sport mohawks like Gopa does, so when V points out he just wants LONG hair like Gopa, it's easier for the other kids to relate.

I know my kid is getting a pretty good education on the bullshit that is gender-normative discrimination (OMG, how I wanted a non-pink doll stroller option several Christmases ago!) but it's still tough to put such a kid out into the general public where such ideas are unheard of or actively contradicted. While V's gender pushing is minimal (he identifies male, enjoys male-typified toys like video games, LEGOs, and Star Wars, dresses male normative aside from his hair) I've still heard a surprising amount of flak about it from him. given how little he talks about school, this dismays me. But we do what little we can to counter the intolerances.

Like watching Ratatouille - how better to make gender normalization look silly than to introduce the concept of non-segregating based on species! ;P

I met with a librarian downtown to see about joining her for a special project involving their graphic narrative collection. Come January, I will be helping her assemble even more of their collection into a new sub-collection of graphic works - everything from Snoopy strips to Maus, Dark Knight, and Clan Apis. Every text is being checked by hand to determine if it is truly a narrative in graphic format, or a discussion/criticism/how-to of graphic format. Both circulation and reference copies are being pulled for the new collection, and many of the reference texts may be reintroduced to the circulation shelves if it is determined that they are redundant or superfluous in the closed stacks. Simultaneously, many circulation copies get pulled to reference when things like new superhero movies make them excessively prone to theft and damage (Batman, Green Lantern, etc.). So far, the sub-collection includes about 2,500 works.

She also aspires to restructuring their fine art collection (where most of the graphic works can be found) into a more browsing-friendly shelving situation. Since the LAPL Dewey system is running v. 14 (rather than v. 23) and Dewey was never designed to break out graphic novels, or be convenient for browsing in the fashion she's aiming to achieve, the librarian has had to design a system from research at other libraries nation-wide who have instituted useful elements. On top of all this, LAPL is still behind the curve tech-wise because of the fire back in the 80s - they've been playing catch-up ever since and are just now instituting wi-fi capabilities in the closed stacks so their staff can bring their tablets/laptops into those areas and access the main catalogue while working.

I will likely be devoting much of my Saturdays to this project in the coming year.

I asked if she had a wish-list for this collection as my social circle would likely be interested in helping flesh out the collection. She said we would develop one together as we got the collection in shape, so if you have specific titles you think they should absolutely not miss, PLEASE let me know.

So, my Congresscritter (man seems too strong a word) sent an email out to his mailing list over the weekend.

I SEETHED.

I wrote a reply.

It came back at me:

"postmaster@mail.house.gov to me

Delivery has failed to these recipients or distribution lists:

Congressman Buck McKeon
The recipient's mailbox is full and can't accept messages now. Microsoft Exchange will not try to redeliver this message for you. Please try resending this message later, or contact the recipient directly."

Apparently I am not alone...

Social business - it's what I'm into lately. Support Homeboy Industries, where "nothing stops a bullet like a job" here in LA by logging in with your facebook account and getting them closer to a $1 donation from Ford by watching a video or following them on Twitter:
http://www.thepeoplesfleet.com/homeboy-industries/

So, I got into a discussion with Reichart about the fallacy of there not being enough work in the world, of jobs being limited and easily eliminated. We ended up at the point of lack of working capital being one of the huge limiting factors to useful work being done.

But how do you mobilize that kind of capital, and focus it into the most useful directions (by which I mean those things that will most greatly improve people's quality of life)? One of his big examples was cancer research.

Project Apis m. does this. It is specifically designed to get money into bee researcher's hands AS FAST AS POSSIBLE - new proposals are discussed at every monthly board meeting, and at least 50% of funding supplied as soon as your work starts, assuming PAm has enough funds in stock to start you off. But there's also the Managed Pollinators Cooperative Agriculture Program doing the same thing with USDA involvement. So now in the attempt to centralize, we've already splintered, and the beekeeping industry is comparatively small. Why do humans feel the need to break off into their very own groups instead of working collaboratively until the core issue is understood?

We don't have that kind of centralization with cancer research. Googling brings up DOZENS of disparate groups all claiming to be working at coordinating research, improving dissemination of results, etc.

The same thing comes up when you research water access projects.

Or malaria prevention.

Or hunger eradication.

There are advantages to cloud-sourcing, to emulating the SETIathome program in your research efforts. But the reason SAH worked is because there was a centralized directive, a single focused plan with all the scattered computers working toward a single goal. How do we get that to happen in other areas of grave importance? Why can't we mobilize huge numbers of on-the-ground workers without all of these redundant, resource-sucking administrative arms? What about human psych leads us to create a NEW org instead of throwing our efforts into supporting pre-existing orgs and adding our funding streams to an established plan?

My focus lately is microfinance. My favorite resources right now are Kiva.org and Matt Damon's Water.org. Both groups focus on providing local communities with desired capital and education to make SUSTAINABLE improvements to the communities, often employing local support network/peer pressure models to make sure there is a great deal of recipient involvement and investment in the exchange. Heifer International is another great group based on a similar model (they even offer bees!).

All three are on my Amazon wish list. While I endorse buying gifts for friends and family that support local economy and provide desired items and luxuries they might not otherwise buy themselves, I also highly endorse people supporting sustainable quality of life improvements in other countries. If you are of like mind, consider adding these kinds of things to your wish lists.

Pacific Blue Denims - textile wholesaler based in Los Angeles who lets you search their inventory by country of origin. Now, if only I needed a commercial-quantity roll of 60" denim/corduroy. Tracking source cottons requires hunting down the individual mills and asking directly, if possible.

Denimatrix - TX based cotton co-op (PCCA) did a vertically integrated system that goes field-to-fashion, and put the final step (clothing manufacture) in Guatemala City, Guatemala. I am disappoint.

Arkay textiles in Santa Fe Springs will custom-weave textiles for you, particularly upholstery fabrics. Again, not in my league.

OCTC is based in SF, CA, but manufactures their organic cottons in India.

I'm learning new terminology all the time, though. Slub denim and greige are the big ones today, sliver (long i) was yesterday. It's fascinating the jargon every industry winds up with...

Aha! A strong lead! California Supima cottons, woven in Japan, but returned to CA for assembly into denim garments under the Agave label! Where jeans cost $150-$300.

Damn, this kind of research is hard.

My new credit union is currently splashing this on their home page:


Score!

The banking switchover is happening. Major media are reporting on it. I need to get more of my automatic payment setups changed today...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTzFdworUI0
(embedding disabled by request at the source)

He is the slow and awkward one, the one who gets left trailing behind when friends run to get to class, the one who drops his homework three times trying to keep up while crossing the playground. There is so little I can do to help him, and it is so hard to watch. The best I can do is comfort him, make sure he knows he's loved, remind him that it's ok to walk, or be on his own if it means he can manage his homework and lunch box. But he's so social, and he wants so much to belong. School days should not start with a crying jag before the first bell rings. So far the friends I've met at school are kind, and trying to help out (waiting for him, helping him collect what he's dropped, etc.), but kindergarteners and second graders have only so much empathy developed, so it's a struggle for them, too.

Getting dressed this morning he pulled one of the barely-crayoned pair of pants out of his drawer and said "But mom, I don't want any of my friends to see this..." and I reassured him that he was perfectly welcome to wear his brand new pairs, and leave the crayoned sweats here at home for when he needed a snuggly pair of something that no one would see but us. Oh, the pains inflicted by a fashion conscious society. Growing up we were never expected to be fashionable, only neat, clean, and well mended. My brother never realized how easy going my household was about appearance until he started dating, and the commentary his girlfriend was subjected to at home blew his mind. He came home and THANKED my mother for never griping about anything more than complaining he'd frayed out the heels of his pants.

But this afternoon we get Vincent some new shoes - he's been complaining for a few days about the current pair hurting his feet. Hopefully, having new shoes will mean he feels more confident with his running/walking. I think right now he feels a bit limpy.

Being a parent is hard. Letting your kids learn how to cope on their own is the hardest part. It's agonizing.

We're really in the school system now. The first fundraiser packet got sent home.

The thing I object to most is how they've structured the rewards. 6 items gets you into the party. 12 items gets you into the party and with free pizza/soda. 24 items gets you into the party with food and the chance to play "jump for dollars". Now, perhaps I'm somehow ill-socialized, but it strikes me as particularly cruel to pit kids into a hierarchical structure AT A PARTY. What happened to individuals getting individual prizes? Why are we now segregating kids at parties based on sales records? That's just... uncouth.

In any case, should you feel like contributing to V's elementary school in exchange for cookies ($7)/chocolate ($6)/beef jerky($7)/Jelly Bellies($7), please let me know. What details I have can be found in the final four pics at https://picasaweb.google.com/107324780896985004532/TheKid (Fundraising company fail - brochures not online - in fact, I didn't even get a brochure/flyer presenting the chocolate, just the order form. Their website doesn't even list everything on the brochure I *did* get.)

If you would like to contribute to V's elementary school without receiving any junk food in exchange, please let me know. (For years I have responded to cousins' fundraisers with a flat out check to the school, no exchange of goods involved - the school gets more, I spend less, and I wind up with less crap).

If you feel like keeping your funds to yourself since you've already paid your taxes, I totally am on board with that.

Here ends the agony of school fundraising (for now).

I've been babysitting a 1yo lately. Our "quiet time" interludes are usually a Sesame Street clip or two off their website. I miss John John so much - I wish they had a tag for him so I didn't have to search by keyword. I'll have to see if they'll let me make my own playlist...

Well, not really, but I'm closer than before. ;)

My friend Jackie Kashian is a stand-up comedian who invites "Dorks" of all specialties and interests into her living room to educate her on their Dorkdoms. She had been looking for a Bee Dork for months when she finally was clued into the fact that I'm the secretary of the LA County Beekeepers Association, and rushed to get me in her home. You can listen to our hour-long podcast (with guest appearance by Vincent) at http://www.jackiekashian.com/link-df.htm Episode #58. I haven't listened to it yet, but I remember feeling many of my responses to her questions were woefully incomplete because it's so easy to get distracted by tangents half way through answering something. Hopefully people will come away knowing more than when they started.

Possibly NSFW for suggestive content (they ARE French)

Try this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbCXXg9EpDI
and from some different angles:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWxdK525n0Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG7LPYaz6jU

Slightly different costume, and shorter (different music): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmasR20lanc

Now, as I suspected early on in the piece, she's an international caliber gymnast: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf9ac7Yej-k Something about her form spoke to me of "more/different than just "acrobat".

And she's a TINY little human (she uses her partner as a trapeze, for Christ's sake).

I have an Olympus Infinity Twin Quartzdate in box with all manuals, case, etc. that I'm no longer using. It was purchased prior to my post-high school trip to Europe and works fine, I just won't use it. Should anyone still want a point-and-click for nostalgia or artistic purposes you're welcome to it. If no one expresses an interest it will go to Goodwill.

(sourced from http://hosted-p0.vresp.com/894303/1b25668e11/ARCHIVE)

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

You can help bees and other pollinators by signing on to Group Letter (and shown BELOW) supporting the Highways BEE Act(Highways Bettering the Economy and Environment Act), which will be introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives during Pollinator Week, on June 23, 2011.  The bill promotes conservation practices on 17 million acres of highway rights-of-way (ROWs) by encouraging reduced mowing and native plantings that provide improved habitat for pollinators, ground nesting birds and other small wildlife.  Click Here for additional background on the legislation.

Who Can Sign?
·  Organizations at all levels (national, state, local)
·  Companies
·  Researchers
·  other individuals

When To Sign?
Deadline ASAP, by June 20!  Lend support to this concept and legislation by signing on to the Group Letter.

How to Sign?
Click Here (or e-mail tva@pollinator.org) to respond and sign on! It will only take a minute of your time.

·   Please indicate how Organization or Company should be listed
·   Include CEO name and title, if desired.
·   City-state if regional/local organization.
·   If Individual, city-state and any affiliation.

Forward this opportunity to others who may be interested.  Spreading the word helps!

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT!  BY PARTICIPATING YOU ARE MAKING A POSITIVE CHANGE FOR POLLINATORS, THE ENVIRONMENT AND OUR ECONOMY.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
GROUP LETTER IN SUPPORT OF HIGHWAYS BEE ACT
The undersigned support the Highways Bettering the Economy and Environment Act (Highways BEE Act). 

The Highways BEE Act proposes significant economic and conservation benefits that can be achieved through integrated vegetation management (IVM) practices on Federal and state highway right-of-ways (ROWs) managed by State Departments of Transportation (DOTs).  These areas represent about 17 million acres of opportunity where significant reductions in mowing and maintenance can reduce costs for cash-strapped State DOTs. 

Reductions in roadside mowing, combined with enhanced plantings of native forbs and grasses, can provide economic benefits, reduced carbon emissions, and critical habitat for pollinators, ground nesting birds and other small wildlife.  Pollinators, such as bees, birds, bats, and butterflies, are essential to healthy ecosystems and are vital partners in American agriculture.  Pollinators are suffering drastic population loss, due in part to loss of habitat.

Landscape improvement through native plants has the added benefit of providing resistance to invasive plants, reduced fire danger, and more scenic highways.  Roadside native plantings have the added benefit of being less attractive to mega-fauna, like deer and elk, than fescue and other non-native grasses currently found on most roadsides.  Mega-fauna are the fastest growing cause of costly vehicle accidents.  In addition, neighboring agricultural lands and wildlife ecosystems will benefit from improved pollination services.

This legislation supports and builds on innovative IVM efforts in a growing number of State DOT’s by directing the Secretary of Transportation to use existing authorities, programs and funding to encourage and facilitate efforts by States and other transportation ROWs managers, to adopt IVM practices, including reduced mowing and enhanced native plantings that provide multiple fiscal, safety and aesthetic benefits while also promoting habitat and migratory corridors for pollinators, ground nesting birds and other small wildlife.

ORGANIZATIONS
INDIVIDUALS

so much cute:

For those who wear shawls/scarves: www.theshawlpinstore.com

Postal workers across the country are fielding the annual deluge of letters to Santa, and this year they're seeing more requests for food, clothing, and utility costs than ever before. If you would like to help out, check the map for a PO near you participating in the program. Here in LA, those POs are Central distribution center, Santa Clarita, and Santa Ana.

The USPS page on this program

Today's Etsy upload includes the greeting cards/ornaments my mom and I made. There's also a couple more ornaments and an adorable bunny dishtowel up now.

Last night I got the box of big stuff all photographed and uploaded to Etsy, including my GIANT Christmas stockings (at over 3 feet long, they really are ridiculously, hysterically large).

This morning I got the framed cross stitch pieces uploaded, including goofy ducks, Victorian-esque florals, and underwater dolphins.

Now, on to the big box of little tiny ornament pieces... While it's cool that every one is unique, it means LOTS of time getting them uploaded to Etsy. Seriously, repetition would be easier to list. ;)

I've started getting stuff up on my Etsy site so feel free to check back periodically as I get more items photographed and (more tediously) described and uploaded. Of course, any pimping out to others is absolutely welcome.

Can't swing a whole set of towels? Buy an ornament for only $5/ea. Or a whole set for $40. Stitched on 14ct black perforated paper, their small enough to add a touch of fun to your office cubicle year round and be subtle for your holiday decorating. Comment here (l screen by default) with which patterns you want and your mailing address, and I'll let you know the total including shipping.

My weekend craft fair did very well overall, and my take wasn't too shabby, all things considered. I do have some Gamer Dishtowels still in stock if anyone wants some. If you order now, they should easily arrive by Christmas.

PacMan Ornaments, $5 ea + shipping

1 set of "8 Bit Medley" dishtowels, $35 + shipping

( more behind the cut )
If you would like any of these, please comment below (all comments are screened) including your mailing address so I can give you a shipping cost as well.

Here's your chance to purchase a set of my gamer dishtowels, or even some matching Christmas ornaments, not to mention a bunch of other people's cool stuff:

"8 Bit Medley" dishtowels (Pacman, Galaga, Dig Dug, Centipede, Mario, Space Invaders, Qbert),
Pacman or Ms. Pacman dishtowels (four towels - [Ms.]Pacman, cherries, red ghost, scared ghost),
His/Hers Pacman fingertip towels
Pacman ornaments
Christmassy embroidered stuff - ornaments, cards, gift tags, etc.
Non-seasonal embroidered home-decor pieces

Friday December 3rd 9am-7pm
Saturday December 4th 9am-4pm

14127 Kittridge Street, Van Nuys, CA 91405

~Handmade for All~
A Holiday Gift Boutique

For 2 days only, we've assembled an incredible assortment of vendors who make quality, unique products available for you to buy. Come, bring friends, shop, hang out, all while supporting local artisans. It's like the best little neighborhood boutique but with better parking and prices. :)

This isn't your grandma's craft show. This isn't a rummage sale. This is an opportunity to shop among friends in a no pressure environment, supporting locally made merchandise, entrepreneurs... with free snacks and coffee. How do you beat that? Add to it easy, free parking, no admission fee and a central cashier so you only have to pull out your wallet once, and you'll be happy you came!

Here are some of the types of items we will have (everything handmade and locally produced):

Jewelry ~ Art ~ Baby Gifts ~ Holiday Decor ~ Cards ~ Candies and Baked Goods ~ Artisan Beef Jerky ~ Canned Goods~ Knit and Crochet Items ~ Kid Gifts ~ Pet Accessories ~ Candles ~ Aprons ~ Kitchen accessories ~ Reusable Snack and Sandwich bags ~ Tote Bags ~ Unique Gift Ideas ~ Sculptures ~ Oddities ~ Scrapbooked Pages ~ Wallets ~ Bath and Body Products ~ And MORE.

The amazing Ayamnatara, a multidemominational shaman, will be doing readings both days, and will also have copies of her inspirational book for sale.

We're super excited to also announce that Eyebrows by Razi will be here on Friday from 10-12, with amazing eyebrow threading available...and on Saturday from 9:30-11:30. You'll leave looking like a million bucks (for less than that).

Don't miss it, this event only happens once a year and for only 2 days!!

(Men, this is a great place to get those holiday gifts taken care of with great company, expert help, and NO MALL)

Friday December 3rd 9am-7pm
Saturday December 4th 9am-4pm

14127 Kittridge Street, Van Nuys, CA 91405
www.thequiltingmama.com

Feel free to share this event with your friends and family! Anyone is welcome to come shop! We take cash, check and credit cards.

~We're on Facebook~
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=171172632896845

Hope to See You Here!!!

Many of you are familiar with Child's Play, the charity started by the guys who bring us Penny Arcade. It raises funds and takes donations of toys every year for donation to children's hospitals. Last year it raised well over $1.7M, and this year it could very well top $2M. My contribution this year will be at least one set of gamer towels for their holiday auction.

The reason I write all this is: they do not have a Los Angeles area hospital on their roster! All of that money/toys/games/etc., and none of our local kids are benefiting. Knowing how many gamers we've got in town, especially industry folk, many of whom contribute to this charity in some fashion, I find this... confusing.

So, I hopped online to find out how to "fix" this. There are two main children's hospitals in LA, based on my quick Google. One is UCLA affiliated, the other USC affiliated (quelle surprise, non?). Naturally I delved into the USC affiliated facility first (it's the one closer to downtown, not on the West Side... I'm biased that way when it comes to my charity dollars). Child's Play asks that we convince the fund raising/donations departments of the hospitals contact them, so I've dug up what I can as far as contact info: donorservices@chla.usc.edu

I have emailed them a quick note about what Child's Play does, included the website (www.childsplaycharity.org), and asked them (per Child's Play's instructions) to sign up with Child's Play by contacting klindsay@childsplaycharity.org

If you want to see Child's Play start giving to kids in our area, please contact the donor/fund raising folk at one of the hospitals and convince them to contact Child's Play for future donations.

REALLY dislike the new Contact interface on Gmail. Gr.

Here's the birthday gift I've been so careful to not discuss in detail. It was very well received. This is the second of these I've done - they work up delightfully quickly when I have all the materials. Unfortunately, my crappy photography skills do not pick up the sparkly, sparkly blue in the wings and shoes. It really is a delightful effect.

If anyone would like on for themselves, I'll do up more on commission at $35/unframed or $55/framed (12"x12"). Shipping is extra, of course. Again, the copyright owner is adamant about them not being sold for profit (I'm sure you're all shocked. The pattern specifically states "for single home use only" on it) so no Etsy for this project...
( Pic )

I just finished watching Lord, Save Us from Your Followers.

Incredible. Deeply moving. Very inspiring.

Amen.

Yesterday I finished the afghan I made for my cousin's wedding. Sadly, during the course of laying it out for assembly/embroidery, I noticed I had made several errors. My obsessive nature kicked in and I'm now about half done with a second, less errored version. I've also charted the pattern so I have a visual pattern to follow rather than the tedious written pattern. The embroidery portion drove me a bit crazy - that's a LOT of ends to have to tuck in and hope get caught/felted in adequately to not just ravel right out. I even started the new one before I'd finished the embroidery on the first, because the knitting part is just so much more fun. In fact, I'm intentionally leaving the knitting at home today while I go crafting with my mom so other, more important projects get some time devoted to them. BUT, aside from all of that, it came out GORGEOUS in a very floufy, Victorian sort of way.

I also got out of bed a couple nights ago to chart a pattern that was bouncing in my head and wouldn't let me sleep. I've intentionally not bought yarn yet - other projects I need to finish first...
( Pics )

It smells of smoke again...
http://cbs2.com/local/Brush.Fire.Burns.2.1851454.html
Wet springs plus dry (if cool) summers are a mixed blessing.

I know I promised pics ages ago and I don't think I ever got around to it. I developed this pattern based off a Hello Kitty head pattern someone online linked me to, and then drew in the angel bits based on a small paperclip the customer provided me. These came out significantly bigger than the gaming sprites (duh) so if you want one, the towels are $20/ea + shipping. Let me know what color you want her dress/bow in, as well. The towels are an incredibly generous 32"x36", and a good solid weight compared to what you usually find in the stores for flour sack towels. They're 100% cotton, pre-washed, pre-shrunk, and will be ironed before they're shipped.

( Pics )

I finished my mom's afghan over the weekend. I really enjoyed the technique - no finishing baloney makes me a happy knitter. The fully reversible aspect of the technique is also a plus - there is no ugly back side. Additionally, the pattern recommended WAY more yarn than I wound up needing, so that was awesome as well - I've supplemented my leftovers with enough to make another one. If anyone wants one, it can be yours for $300 + shipping.

( Pics )

I'm also contemplating making up some more patterns for this technique. In order to keep the front and back connected you need to have fairly frequent color swaps, like the snowflakes in this design. Bold geometrics work well (think quilts, Greek keys, or even mazes), but I'm thinking perhaps something tessellated a la Escher would be cool. Any of his line drawing work - fish, birds, lizards... The square tessellations will adapt most easily to a knitting pattern. Tessellated leaves could also work well in green/brown. I'd love to do something like "Liberation", "Day and Night", or "Sky and Water" where the shape morphs into an animal that walks, swims, or flies away (lizards on a kid's bed!). There's also the traditional Viriginia Reel quilt block pattern that could be adapted. The trick is getting them down to a reasonable size. This is 165 wide by 300 long. A king sized afghan would be about 300x300, and heavy as sin. The entire afghan is worked at one time, so I'd have to really push to find something to hold the 600 stitches required of a king sized afghan. Another consideration, knitting grids aren't square - this is roughly a 4wide:5high ratio.

Mom called last night while we were at dinner telling me she'd been out shopping all excited about the idea of perhaps joining Quiltingmama's craft boutique this coming year. She said to call her back and schedule some time to get planning/work done. This morning I called her back and said "how about today? Bring your stuff..." and she did. As her glasses have been out of commission all week she's been unable to SEE well enough to stitch, and it's been driving her batshit crazy, so being able to sit and go through patterns books and toss around ideas with me was a big help, I think. Watching me stitching on my projects, and the number of ornaments I'd finished the base stitching on in the past week likely did not. ;) Our biggest issue is finishing - the frames many of our patterns were designed around are no longer available. This is very frustrating, as most other finishing methods take much more work and leave things looking (in our opinion) much less refined looking. We're working on prioritizing projects we know how to finish off effectively, and that we have the materials to complete without capital outlay. It'll keep us very busy...

After busting our brains over things for a while, we headed to JoAnn's hoping to shake new ideas loose. Sadly, my closest one is rather paltry, but they did have the woven cord I needed for repairing the back window shade... We came home with some more base material which requires less intensive finishing, the cord, and some backer board that might make the inferior frames still on the market usable. There will be experimenting. Need samples done to get feedback from A so we focus our energies usefully over the next 11 months.

That all done and things sorted into "future ideas" and "priority projects", we honed in on the idea of FOOD. eain had said yesterday he wanted sushi, so that idea was revived and acted upon. We headed for Sake Sake here in Sunland which I have driven past for years and never tried. EXCELLENT sushi! The four of us (plus the boy) got out the door for a little under $200, stomachs full, and the waitress tried to convince us to order in ways that would be more economical for us, but we wanted to try things our way. We were so impressed that next time we trust the chefs with the $14 combo meal. Seriously successful experiment, and super bonus for mom who was really just thinking "KFC sounds good...". So, happy new year, now, back to beans and rice for us.

We got home, I started in on some sewing (all this planning and sifting through patterns means I hadn't really gotten much sewing done today), and mom spent some time with the kid. After she left I finished my ornament (7 down) and started the next, my living room now graced with her entire embroidery floss collection (it is... staggering) and the relevant patterning materials. She called when she got home to update me on some more materials she'd found that we'd noticed missing during our planning stages, and also indicated her car is giving her trouble - sounds like the timing belt or clutch (wow, doesn't THAT sound familiar...). Hopefully, for her sake, we won't hear from her tomorrow, but if we do, I'll have a chance to pick up more materials for future planning, etc.

I'm still really enjoying the embroidery work and continue to fuck up my sleep cycle (and upper back/neck - sorry, urangme!) because of it.

Bees and nutrition

One of the main themes that came up over and over and over was "good nutrition makes for healthy bees". For the commercial guys this usually means "bees that get fed are healthier than bees that don't, and bees that get fed syrup AND pollen patties are healthier than those who only get syrup".

But the HEALTHIEST bees are those who get widely varied and sufficient supply of local forage. And as few -icides in their diet as possible - fungicides, herbicides, and pesticides significantly affect the balance of the microbial population in the hive, much like humans taking antibiotics disrupts our digestive flora/fauna - and the bees therefore can't digest/process their food stores as effectively and are more susceptible to illness/pests.
( Whoa, that got big, sorry )

Bees and the Law

There are several legal issues currently facing the beekeeping industry.

First, I briefly touched on the issue of importing bees/germplasm. Current import restrictions prevent us from acquiring any bees or bee "stuff" from Europe. The government doesn't want us to import any more pests or diseases with them. Since we're already dealing with varroa mite, small hive beetle, nosema, tracheal mites, and wax moth, plus a host of other lesser but still present viruses, I don't blame them. The US bees do a lot of traveling in tight conditions and it's easy to pass this stuff around (in fact, one study presented indicated they were bringing nasties in from outside, so the big wide world is just icky). In turn, Australia won't permit us to export our infected bees to their island. I can't say as I blame them. On the other hand, they're happy to ship to us, and the almond industry is happy to have them do so. Unfortunately, their largely uninfected stocks of bees were recently threatened with an unpermitted introduction of apis cerana, Asian bees. This bees typically come with their own particular varieties of mites, as well. While they don't THINK they've been expanding much, and they've been mostly contained, it's a "negative proof" sort of situation, so importing from them may now pose the risk of the US acquiring even more nasties. Additionally, Asian bees apparently are prone to robbing from managed European bee hives, endangering their food supplies and thus their health/viability.

Second, seedless mandarins. The public wants mandarin and clementine oranges with no seeds. If bees pollinate the trees, the oranges have seeds. The growers tried to make it illegal for beekeepers to place hives anywhere within 3 miles of an orchard of 6 acres or more. This meant huge loses of viable hive locations for beekeepers (especially considering how many restrictions they *already* had on usable lots for hive storage) and they fought back in court/the legislature. Right now there is a tenuous detente between the groups - the orchard growers may request beekeepers move their hives, but ultimately the beekeepers are not obligated to move and the growers have the option of netting their trees to prevent pollinators from reaching their crops. Frankly, at this point, find a neighbor with a citrus tree and/or learn to cope with/preferentially buy fruit with the seeds. It's really going to be the best solution for bees and growers - people who are willing to buy fruit with seeds.

Third, standard of identity for honey (I've also briefly touched on this). Florida recently passed a honey identity law which set out criteria for being able to label a product or ingredient as "honey". There is extensive concern about dilution of 100% honey with sugar or corn syrups and still labeling it as 100% pure honey (well, yes, the honey was 100% pure at one point...), or even just as "honey". Many honey imports from other countries arrive already diluted or altered, and can be purchased for significantly lower prices than domestic honey supplies. California was second in line to pass legislation for identification of honey, and the local beekeepers are rather excited about it. The legislation goes a long way to protect the interests of domestic beekeepers AND consumers with regard to knowing what's in any given product. In addition, if the honey is sold with a "grade" (as in Grade A Honey) it is now required that the front label identify which country the honey is from. So, as a consumer, buy honey either (a) from your local beekeeper at a farmer's market, or (b) *graded* honey that is labeled "Product of the United States". Also, beware anything that says "blend" - it doesn't necessarily mean it's a blend of honeys - it's more likely a blend of honey and some other kind of syrup. We're still hoping one day there will be a national standard of identity for honey passed so we can get more help with limiting or at least properly labeling imports.

Fourth, a honey bee commission. The CSBA has initiated proceedings to form a honey bee commission that will levy assessments on commercial beekeepers in the state on a per-hive basis (there will be exemptions for small and non-commercial beekeepers) to fund further research. In order to do such a thing, they now have to write up legislation (including the nitty gritty details of how it will work) and present it to the public on the ballot for approval. This will likely not happen until at least 2011. The advantage of the commission is that the industry folk will determine who runs it, and how much the assessment will be, and who will receive the funds. The money will never hit general state coffers and administrative costs will be lower than in any other form of organization they've researched. Those admin fees are for the state staff who will actually bill beekeepers based on county hive registration numbers and border import bills of lading. Details about how to manage folk whose hives are registered in more than one county, who aren't registered at all, or who are migratory from out of state are still to be determined. If we don't like how our guys are handling it, we pull them out and replace them. Someone in the audience has participated in a similar setup with the apple growers and said it worked great - when folk started getting out of line and power hungry, the industry en masse removed them and got the project back in line with minimal fuss. We hold high hopes for this working well for us. Please, when you see something on the ballot about whether or not to allow a bee commission, vote yes.

If you want to help support any of the legislation described above, and future legislation, you can help the CSBA pay for our lobbyist at the state level, Holly Fraumani. I actually chatted with her for a while and she's doing an amazing job of educating folk in the legislature (who often don't even know where honey comes from or that it can't be man-made) about bees. (I am woefully ignorant of state level politics in comparison to her, of course.) To help fund bee-friendly legislation and lobbying, send your check to the CSBA with "Right to Farm Fund" clearly indicated.

Jay and I split one of the meads tonight. Crafted from Wisconsin Wildflower Honey and Wisconsin Raspberries, Andy (whoever donated it, I am guessing) crafted it in December 2005, bottled it in October 2007, and then it proceeded to win 1st place at the WI State Fair in May 2008.

I'm not sure I've ever had mead before. It's thick stuff. My first response was "egads, it's cough syrup!" but halfway through my half glass I had adjusted. It's definitely a sipping beverage - I don't know how anyone would chug it. By the time J got halfway through his portion I suggested cutting it might make it easier for him to swallow, and after adding about a half dozen ice cubes, he found it much more palatable.

The remaining bottle is blackberry, but not an award winner.
----------
Kathy got back to me on the cost of the booklets she's selling. The additional author in the booklet is Eric Mussen, the guy from UCDavis. The pricing is
1-19 booklets..............$5.00
20-49 " ".................$4.00
50-99 " ".................$3.75
100-299 " .................$3.50
300+ " .................$3.00

Who wants to give out beekeeping booklets as stocking stuffers? I'll be buying a half dozen or more to pimp the booklets to the orgs I'm contacting.

One of the biggest research facilities for bees in the state is the UC Davis Department of Entomology, and especially their Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility. Their staff presented several times at the convention.

Eric Mussen (who is the CSBA parliamentarian and leader of the pack from what I can tell over at UCD) started with "A Glimpse at the Future of Beekeeping" starting with slides of members from 30 years ago, getting the nostalgia flowing first thing during the event. He emphasized the issues many of the commercial guys face (like how to retire and insure the survival of one's bees at the same time) and discussed the differences the industry has seen over those 30 years with the introduction of nosema, varroa mites, and more recently, Africanized bees and CCD. He also discussed the issues of honey importation and the potential impacts of CA's recent honey identification legislation that puts requirements on what can be called "honey" and what can't (many things sold as "honey" are often diluted with sugar or corn syrups).

Neal Williams discussed his research on the availability of viable forage for native bees throughout the state, but especially in the central valley. He discussed the possibility of using native pollinators for smaller or better integrated farming operations, and demonstrated where smaller organic grower who frequently intercrop were capable of growing without hiring any pollinator hives at all. He also discussed how to make our main farming acreage more bee friendly so those who do bring in pollinating hives wouldn't have such a hard time keeping them fed before the main almond bloom (the largest and most stressful crop for the commercial beekeeping industry). This, obviously, would tie in beautifully with Kathy's Bee Friendly Farming program. His presentation included absolutely amazing aerial views of the central valley color coded according to (a) hive opportunities (bare soil for most natives or wood for boring varieties), (b) forage strength, and (c) the combined results. I've mentioned his work repeatedly in my discussions with those I've talked to, and keep finding myself thinking about his work in particular.

Sue Cobey is one of the world's best known bee breeders as far as research. She has worked for 20 years trying to come up with a better bee, and in the process brought a lot of attention to the issues of import/export of bees and bee material like germplasm (specifically sperm). While she struggles to get Carniolan sperm from Europe even using research protocols (some of which she's helping develop), beekeepers are importing entire hives of Australian bees to help with the almond pollination. Considering that the Aussies are recently struggling to control an incursion of the Asian bee, and it's attendant mites, this discrepancy is suddenly looking very... illogical. Especially since one of the complaints about commercial beekeeping is that the breeding has resulted in such low genetic diversity. She's hoping her Old World-bred Carniolan strain will be available to the commercial market soon, and they seem to have good indications of being better resistant to several of the bee pests, but the recent article in the American Bee Journal indicates they don't do as well here as they do in colder climes (they are known for their strong overwintering skills).

According to my agenda, Michael Parella, the Department Chair, discussed the effect of Nosema during Almond Pollination but I don't remember him based on his UCDavis profile or my notes. He may have just been introducing Neal Williams (newly joined the department). Regardless, HE is the man to write to if you want to send money directly to any of the research listed above. While the university has a general Honey Bee Research Fund you can contribute to, if you send a check (made out to "UC Regents") with a letter to Parella indicating which staffer's work you want to support, your entire check will find it's way into the appropriate account for *just that researcher*. Handy, no?

One of the most exciting things I heard at the convention this week was during the very first day, during the very first presentation session. During the report of the committees on their activities during the year, one of the committee chairs invited Kathy Kellison up to talk about the Partners for Sustainable Pollination program. Their goal is collaboration between farmers, beekeepers, and consumers to strengthen and protect honeybee populations. One of the ways they're doing that is the newly launched Bee Friendly Farming project. The $25 annual certification is available to beekeepers, farmers, schools, businesses, public gardens, etc. It provides publicly recognizable confirmation that their practices are bee-friendly and the funds raised by the annual certification go into a fund that issues cost-share grants to growers putting in additional bee forage throughout the state, so being a member might make you eligible to receive funding for putting in additional bee-friendly landscaping. I'll be writing letters to all of the major public gardens I can think of (Huntington, Descanso, LADWP's Japanese garden, the Getty, the Arboretum, Theodore Payne and their members, UCLA's Japanese garden, etc.) to try and pimp the project.

Additionally, anyone can donate to them just to help their education and legislative efforts. PFSP corresponds with legislators and testifies about various proposed legislation on a regular basis to help encourage creation and preservation of year round forage pasture for bees nationwide.

Lastly, their organization recently printed up a booklet including John Muir's chapter about bees in the California mountains, with some additional writings as well. She was selling them at the conference for $5/ea but I didn't manage to snag one. I don't find anything about them on the website, so I need to email her and ask about them - are they willing to ship or just handing them out at events? I might include copies to the letters I send to the major local garden centers and see if they'd be willing to buy them for resale in their gift shops.

The main form of fund raising at the convention was auctions. We had no fewer than three, plus a raffle. One of the objects up for bid at the first auction was a collection of old copies of the American Bee Journal. Having received the first of my own subscription mere days ago, I had recently Googled ABJ to find out if they were available online. The current issues are not, but I found the earliest ones archived at Cornell. So, for your antiquing pleasure, 40 years worth of online browsing fodder:
http://chla.library.cornell.edu/c/chla/browse/title/6366245.html

This post also marks me having completed the first of my action items: email Gene Brandi and Karl Walker (of Los Angeles Honey Company lineage) with this link. I need to get Eva and Lynn the link as well, but I haven't their emails... yet. I should have EVERYTHING after our December dinner/meeting on the 7th...

Disney is partnering with HandsOnNetwork.org and Points of Light Network to get folks to volunteer their time in 2010 in exchange for a free ticket to the park.

Everyone I know has heard about the annualcreditreport.com, but they charge $35 or so to get the actual score.

Well, creditkarma.com gives it to you for free. Their breakdown of how that number is reached, and how it can be affected is *fascinating*.

And I thought LJ was quiet when my RSS feeds/syndicated accounts were still updating...

I just finished reading "Life Without Lawyers". I saw a recommendation for it in the comments over at Free Range Kids about a week ago. It was a fascinating exploration of how the explosion of "personal rights" legislation has adversely affected a variety of aspects of our culture, from children's playgrounds and classrooms to hospitals and Washington DC. Essentially, the "can't make a decision because I'm so hemmed in by what might create a liability" effect results in total inaction (CA and federal legislature, anyone?) or stupid choices (let's keep kids safe by keeping them inside...where they become obese).

Suggestions on improving the situation are, as has so often in other places been suggested, essentially grassroots revolution. I quail every time I see such a suggestion because I inherently doubt the required critical mass of popular support for this kind of reform. Why will folk vote for the Common Good when our legal structure right now supports "me, me, me" culture? It makes me feel so... *powerless*, at least as powerless as the current system does. Le sigh.

But, if anyone is interested (and I know my FL is the kind of folk who are likely to be) he is working on effecting change, giving people back their ability to take responsibility for decisions in their lives (and classrooms and jobs and community) over at Common Good. I am still working up the courage to delve into the site.

Real time sand art/drawing, with some of the fastest form/line composition I've ever seen. It's amazing.

Here, she recounts Germany conquering Ukraine in the second world war.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=518XP8prwZo

Please stop being so icky. The warm I am learning to live with, but the muggy is just unbecoming of you.

Me

Still haven't seen The Brother's Bloom? Rian will be doing more Q&A sessions with showings this weekend.