The first Saturday of April is National Handmade Day, but at Ten Thousand Villages, celebrating crafts made by skilled hands is an everyday event.
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History has a tendency to repeat itself. After the pandemic of 1918, everyone wanted to get out and see the world. And they did with rudimentary social tools that were available back in the day. Social restrictions are just terrible both then and now. And as we rotate out of the current COVID pandemic, the urge to get out is stronger than ever. And our social tools are more abundant now than ever.
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Snakes have fascinated me ever since I held an Anaconda, in Brazil, across my shoulders. Although, it felt slimy, the skin, glistening in the hot sun looked so beautiful. I fell in love with this dangerous reptile only for a moment till it tried to wrap its tail around my arm, crushing my bones!
Snakes predominantly represent re-birth, death, and destruction, due to shedding of its skin and metaphorically "re-born". They hold a significant role in numerous cultures and mythologies. Hindus worship snakes as Gods and refer to them as “Nag Devata” (Snake God)! At Greek hospitals and temples, non-poisonous snakes were used in healing rituals. With the passing of time, snakes have been correlated with medicine.
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Jane Russell was a powerful presence on the silver screen and created a powerful role in “The Revolt of Mamie Stover” in 1956. This stunning green gown was designed by William Travilla who was also designer for almost all of Marilyn Monroe’s films at 20th Century Fox Studios. And since March is the month for Saint Patrick’s Day, green seemed the color to highlight. The gown is of green silk brocade with gold thread woven through it. What makes it really unique is the large strand of gold beading that extends from her hip area and cascades down the front of the gown. Note also that the hand colored images sometimes turn the actual green color to more of a blue -green. And the most interesting part of the costume is that is was not even designed for this film, but instead was for “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” in 1953.
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St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is one of Christianity’s most widely known figures throughout the world. But for all of his prevalence in culture; namely the holiday held on the day of his death that bears his name—his life remains somewhat of a mystery. Many of the stories traditionally associated with St. Patrick, including the famous account of his banishing all the snakes from Ireland, are false, the products of hundreds of years of exaggerated storytelling. Information below is from History.com and it is a story I had never heard before---and I am Irish!
St. Patrick was born in Britain—not Ireland—to wealthy parents near the end of the fourth century. He is believed to have died on March 17, around 460 A.D.
Although his father was a Christian deacon, it has been suggested that he probably took on the role because of tax incentives and there is no evidence that Patrick came from a particularly religious family.
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WORKAHOLIC?
IS THIS YOU:
Hard-charger?
Achievement-driven?
“It takes discipline for me not to work.”
“I can sleep when I’m dead.”
“Never enough…I must do more, more, more.”
If so…
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My fifth children’s book, “After the Ark” came out right before Christmas in the middle of our pandemic.
You didn’t know?
I usually send out a trumpeted announcement inviting everyone I know to my house for refreshments, book signings and live reads, but the latest pandemic restrictions have certainly put the kibosh on that lively endeavor.
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Palos Verdes resident John Van Hamersveld’s iconic artwork comes alive again at the Los Angeles International Film Festival on March 13.
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Join the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy for a Virtual Family Nature Club on Whales March 13 9:30 - 10:30 am. Meet children's book author Chris Boettcher, and illustrator Nicole Boettcher, to hear a reading of their new book, "Be Brave and Be Kind: the Story of Eleanor the Whale." A guest from Cabrillo Marine Aquarium will also be joining the Conservancy. Families with kids of all ages will love discovering our local whales. Fun activities you can follow along with at home. FREE with advance registration required for zoom access.
Sign up at: pvplc.org/calendar/activities for families
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"Smile and Say Hi," my newly published children's book, is about conquering shyness—a subject no child in the world would find captivating unless the book had a unique hook. A larger-than-life creature that fascinated emboldened and encouraged children to smile and say hi in a playful, non-threatening way? Cue the dragons!
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How Boston Dynamics Taught Its Robots to Dance - IEEE Spectrum
I recently became very interested in robots when orthopedic surgeon Dr. Philip Andrawis explained that I needed a partial knee replacement. The good doctor said that I should not be concerned as he would be assisted by a robot.
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As we joyfully anticipate the renewal of spring, there’s a bit more work to be done in the shadow of winter. We are now in Pisces season and its watery energy has many of us out to sea. Emotions are heightened, and the pull of the past and deeply buried feelings are visiting us once again. The question is - what do we do about it? This is where The Moon card is our friend.
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The 18th annual LA Harbor International Film Festival (LAHIFF) takes place March 11-14 for the first time via online “virtual” presentation with access to films programmed though internet link(s) provided that will be promoted via printed cards, email and social media preceding and during festival dates.
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Does your dog ever look at you wondering, “When are we going to change up our walking routine?” Or when you look in their eyes, do you see them wondering “Is this the only place that we can walk? Can’t we go somewhere I can have some different scents to sniff?” That’s exactly what led the South Coast Botanic Garden (Garden) staff to create their Dog Walking Hours program.
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It’s no secret, we are all looking for the fountain of youth – and lifting weights is ONE major key component. Before we move on…let’s set one myth straight – muscle does not become fat and fat does not become muscle. You are either burning fat and building muscle, losing muscle and gaining fat or losing both or gaining both – but they don’t turn into each other.
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In the days of my youth, Shakespeare was the center of English literature and thus of English-speaking culture. I turned 20 years old when Shakespeare became 400! We started high school with some mild and weepy astrology, the ‘star-struck love’ of Romeo and Juliet.
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In the late 1970’s the Space Division of Rockwell International was under contract to the NASA Johnson Space Center, JSC to deliver a fleet of spacecraft, Shuttle Orbiters. By 1979 the first space rated flight vehicle designated OV-102, Columbia was scheduled to be on station at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Columbia was scheduled to launch in late 1979. It was delivered there on March 25, 1979. There was a problem though, the vehicle was not complete. It had been “shipped short”. There were 7800 tiles missing from the 31,000 that should have been installed, in addition to this hardware shortage of the installed tiles there was a question of their strength and ability to stay in-place.
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My recent PV Pulse piece on landscape photography, covered how I became a full time photog with key images of the Southwest, Iceland, Italy and the South Bay. My most recent images, of the Pacific Northwest, are a record of my three week photo tour through coastal Oregon (and Washington).
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