Almost forgot to mention that we have an exciting - exotic - evening planned here tonight

The Poetry Society of NH celebrates the
Kalevala
The Finnish National epic
with poetry, music, Runeberg's tarts and other finnish pastries!
(some vodka and tea too!)
Begins at 6 p.m. right here at
artstream
56 North Main Street
Rochester, NH
Music by the Maine Kanteles playing Finnish Lapharps
(the national musical instrument of Finland)
The event is free and open to the public
Hope to see you here!

three plate woodcut - 4 feet by 3 feet on Japanese paper mounted in plexiglass
This piece tells all! It's a tribute to what is outside our doors here at artstream. Wishing you all a lovely long luxurious holiday weekend. More on Judith's work next week. Enjoy the beauty around you!

In her excellent New Hampshire Sunday News story last Sunday, Shawne Wickham reported that if you have good credit in New Hampshire, you can get a loan. Banks here are stable and have money to lend — if you have good credit. But if you don’t, well, thanks to the market meltdown, no one wants [...]

Lovely, LovELY, LOVELY Project!!!

The three reasons why I LOVED knitting this shawl are:

1. The design is genius and so fun to knit.

2. Since I was able to download the spreadsheet for this pattern, keeping track of where I was and how many stitches should be on my needles at the end of ANY row was extremely easy and helpful.

3. The beautiful yarn that I used was special, not only because it's very vibrant, colorful and oh-so-soft, but because it was given to me by such a special friend, Heather, for my birthday this year.



DETAILS:

Pattern: Kate Gilbert's Clapotis from Knitty.com.
Yarn: Sereknity's DK Merino/Tussah Silk, colorway Kismet. Approx. 800-850 yards.
Needle: Addi Natura circular, size US 8.
Dimensions: Unblocked: 20" by 75"
Alterations: I knitted the stitches somewhat loosely and I also added two extra repeats in the straight section, Section 3. Other than that, I followed the pattern exactly.
Time: Started September 19th. Finished October 10, 2008.
Fun Level: A! I would start another one immediately if I had the yarn I wanted. My next one will be in a finer yarn- in black with either some mohair, angora or silk in it. I loved knitting this and I was able to bring it anywhere to work on it. It's really easy to follow with the chart.



Not much more to say, because the whole project was just simply wonderful from start to finish.

Do you like it as much as I do???

This Saturday and Monday, I’ll be organizing the Geek Lab at BlogHer’s Reach Out tour in Boston and Washington DC. So what’s the Geek Lab? Here’s the official spiel: Every city on the Reach Out Tour will feature a Geek Lab happening in parallel to the Blogging Basics track and each city’s Custom track. Part OpenSpace, part [...]

As world leaders consider a global approach to dealing with the financial crisis, more than a few people are wondering about the consequences of these events, which will extend far beyond the immediate economic problems that are being created.

Does the crisis mean the end of the current Western-dominated economic order?

Is it the end of American-style capitalism?

Will it mark a return to old-fashioned protectionism?

Will it result in a political realignment here in the United States?

No one really knows the answers, of course, but opinions abound. Here are mine:

1. I believe the Democrats will make significant gains in the election, but it will not mark a political realignment, unless the real economy drops into a long, deep recession. If the Democrats follow up their big wins in 2008 with more wins in 2010, then we'll know if a realignment is happening.

2. Protectionism is on the way, you can take it to the bank (or stuff it in the mattress). There was already a strong current opposed to the dislocations caused by globalization. Add to that a sharp economic downturn, and you get protectionism which, of course, will only make things worse.

3. As for the end of American-style capitalism, and the end of a Western-dominated economic order, don't count on that...not yet, at least. I still believe our political and economic systems are the best for creating wealth, despite the periodic panics and crashes that plague the system. We're down, but don't count us out.

So I’m listening to the radio this morning and on comes a Joe Kenney for Governor ad. And I thought: Suddenly little Pinocchio proclaimed, “I’m a real candidate!” Yes, we have an actual campaign for governor now. And it’s only the second week of October! The best part was, it was a good ad. A [...]

Welcome to the world of Denise Nelms, founder of the blog www.style180online.com. Denise has my dream job – shopping and going through other people's closets. Denise is a personal stylist who teaches women how find their fabulous side with the right clothes, colors and styles that flatter their figure. Denise recently gave Runway Ready a very interesting look at the life of a wardrobe/fashion consultant.

Runway Ready: Denise, tell me a little bit about yourself.

Denise: I am an "empty nester" with two girls in college and a wonderful husband. I started modeling in Houston 15 years ago and later taught wardrobe development at a modeling school. I love fashion consulting because it gives me the privilege of helping people feel great about the way they look in their clothes. I also write a fashion column for Applaud magazine.

Runway Ready: When did you first realize you wanted to be a stylist?

Denise: My passion for fashion started with my first Barbie doll! I would spend hours putting together complete ensembles for Barbie, Midge and Ken. Then in middle school I learned how to sew and couldn't get enough. By the time I got to college, I was sort of known for my fashion sense.

Runway Ready: How did Style180 get started? And how does it work?

Denise: People have always asked my advice about putting things together, where to shop, etc. But it wasn't until recently that I thought about turning my talents into a business. As a consultant, the first thing I do is sit down with my client and really get to know them. How do they spend their time? Do they like shopping or hate it? What do they need from me? Usually the next step is to go into their closet. This part is often fun for me but painful for the client! I look at everything – clothes, shoes, underwear, jewelry, purses – and get rid of anything that doesn't make them look fabulous. We do a body type and color analysis and then we go shopping. But I don't generally dress people – I teach people how to dress themselves in a way that's flattering for their body.

Runway Ready: Rachel Zoë or Philip Bloch?

Denise: Philip Bloch is unbelievably talented, but I think I relate more to Rachel because she is married and struggles with keeping the balance between work and home. Her tastes and mine are practically parallel, though I'm sure her budget is a lot bigger!

Runway Ready: Do you have a style philosophy?

Denise: I believe style should be a true reflection of the person you are inside. Are you fun, creative, outgoing? Or are you more serious, business-minded? Your wardrobe should reflect the things about you that you want the world to see.

Runway Ready: How do you help clients figure out what they want to say about themselves through fashion?

Denise: I ask probing questions about their existing wardrobe and why they choose to dress in that way. I talk a lot about first impressions and try to find out how they want to be perceived by the world. Looking in someone's closet can tell me a lot about their emotional condition and how they feel about themselves. Sometimes people get in a rut and don't realize it.

Runway Ready: Do you shop for clients?

Denise: I do shop for some of my clients. Many successful people do not have time to shop for themselves. I also do pre-shopping for busy clients who like to shop but want to save time. I shop ahead and pick out a few items. Then we meet at a designated time and the clothes are waiting for them in the dressing room. The client tries them on and together we determine which ones are keepers. But my favorite thing is coaching, where I go shopping with my client and teach them as we go.

Runway Ready: Who needs a stylist?

Denise: Anyone who hates to shop, gets frustrated or doesn't have time to shop. Also, anyone who feels they need to update their look. For example, college graduates; moms re-entering the work force; someone seeking a promotion; anyone who has lost weight, gained weight or had a baby; someone who's gotten divorced and is starting to date again; professionals who need a strong image; musicians and other stage performers; political figures; anyone who needs an ensemble for a special occasion.

Runway Ready: If you could select three fashion must-haves, what would you pick?

Denise: Right now it would be a great pair of trouser jeans; a cute, current trench coat/jacket in a flattering color; and a crisp white shirt (ruffles or bow optional). You can go just about anywhere with this ensemble.

Runway Ready: What is your typical day as a stylist?

Denise: I might start the day by going to a business networking meeting. Then I usually spend a couple of hours a day online at sites like Style.com or Piperlime.com doing research (or reading your Runway Ready). Many days are spent in stores and boutiques shopping for clients, introducing myself and just staying up-to-date on what's available. I also visit salons and photographers to see if they want to "partner" our services. I might spend the evening with a client weeding through closets, doing a color analysis or compiling a list of what they need to shop for. Or, I'll spend a couple of hours shopping with a client. If I'm not with a client, I've got a table set up at a business expo where I'm giving impromptu fashion advice to whomever stops by. Some weekends I spend time writing my fashion article for Applaud magazine.

Runway Ready: What do you want readers to know that I didn't ask?

Denise: Working with me is fun! I love to help people feel great about themselves and I like to have a good time. I don't try to impose my own style onto my clients. I work hard to keep their own style while bringing out the inner "diva" in everyone, even the men. I promise you'll learn a lot and feel great about investing the time to improve your image.

By Debbie Breneman
Fashionista

When Debbie Breneman isn't shopping she's reading your emails. You can contact her at dbreneman@seacoastonline.com or debreneman@gmail.com.

Last Thursday night, as I left a local pub after watching much of the vice presidential debate between Sen. Joe Biden and Gov. Sarah Palin, I told Bob Demaura, the owner and editor of a NH political blog where I also post essays, that I was considering changing my policy, if one can call it that, regarding blog comments. You see, I told Bob that I believe that if bloggers, and all other users of

Yet another move to try and loosen up credit markets, as the U.S. may take an ownership stake in banks. This is just another effort by government officials, here and abroad, to avoid The Great Depression II. Two economists, writing in The Washington Post, says that these efforts will work.

In the 1930s, nobody in the private sector could borrow, raise equity or sell insurance because everyone lost trust in everyone else. Uncle Sam stood on the sidelines and marveled at the chaos. But today Uncle Sam is saying, "Listen, if you households and firms are too scared to invest in each other or sell each other insurance, give us your money, and we'll do it for you. We'll pay you a sure return on the Treasuries and, if our investments and insurance sales do well, you'll benefit by paying lower taxes."

This may sound like socialism or state capitalism, but it's simply rearranging the financial furniture. As Americans have freaked out, Uncle Sam has stepped up. He'll continue doing so until we realize the sky is not falling. The $700 billion rescue authorizes the federal government to keep doing what it has been doing for the past year to the tune of $400 billion -- buying distressed assets at bargain-basement prices and selling insurance at high premiums. If all works out, Uncle Sam will make a killing. This would be great, given our government's real problem -- paying the long-term Social Security and medical costs of retiring baby boomers.

Read the whole thing. I hope they are right.

Politically, the crisis has just about killed any chance for the Republicans when the nation goes to the polls less than a month from now. New data shows, according to this story, that the GOP is losing ground in Senate and House races.

Hugh Hewitt sees a real downside to an Obama Administration coupled with a Democratic majority in both houses of Congress.

The argument about the disastrous economic policies being pushed by Obama must be made by McCain every day going forward even as the campaign continues to hammer Obama for his past judgment and future inclinations when it comes to allies and associates. Ayers-Rezko-Wright-Khalidi are part of a pattern that would certainly follow into the staffing of trhe vast federal establishment. The Daily Kos-Michael Moore wing of the Democratic Party wants its pages from the Plum Book, and the Pelosi-Reid staffers have all got their Assistant Secretary offices picked out. The Left is planning for a huge sweep, and a big party, and...Then what?

Obama-Pelosi-Reid will not be able to resist the massive tax hikes that have lurked behind their every scheme for the past 28 years since Reagan wrested the government from the last group of statists. The unions have wanted protectionism since Bill Clinton signed on to NAFTA. The environmentalists want the sort of global warming regime that will not merely curb but positively punish economic growth, and the anti-nuclear reflex within the Democratic Party is so deep that while Obama can make a few noises about the need for new nuke plants, none would begin under his tenure. Obama said last night that we need new oil exploration off-shore. Does anyone really believe that will happen? Energy shortages would go from a predictament to a policy overnight.

Scary thoughts.

George Will sees an Obama blowout on the horizon.

And, just when you think the news couldn't get any worse, a new study says we are losing the war in Afghanistan. It's a good thing General Petraeus is now running that show as well as Iraq, and a good thing that even Obama is committed to staying the course there.

In Keene yesterday, Michelle Obama whipped up the college vote. The campaign sent her to Keene State College on a mission to inspire students to register and then vote for Obama. The Chosen One himself has hit Manchester, Dover, and Concord. Biden hit Nashua. Now Mrs. Chosen One hit Keene. Good blanket coverage, except for [...]

When: Saturday November 1st, from 4 - 7 pm

Where: Just Us Chickens Gallery

“Just us Chickens”, a delightful and colorful artists' cooperative, is the newest attraction in the revitalized downtown area of Kittery known as Wallingford Square. The shop features a wide variety of unique creations such as jewelry, original paintings, woven goods, literary works, and pottery - all by local artisans

RedMaple Sportswear is a Maine seacoast based apparel company promoting the natural beauty & outdoor lifestyle enjoyed in our region. Our natural fiber focus provides eco-friendly alternatives to synthetics. We're a small, independent company with innovative specialty products not found in department stores.

Our Fall designs focus on the use of alpaca - known for thousands of years as a noble fiber. Most of our staff are involved in raising their own domestic alpaca breeding herds, so we have extensive knowledge of how best to use this amazing resource.

Alpaca fiber is naturally warm, strong, breathable & durable, luxuriously soft, and grows in over 20 natural colors. It is highly resilient for wrinkle-free packing.

We use 100% baby alpaca (a premium grade) & blends of alpaca with cotton, wool, or other natural fibers. Specialty products feature therapeutic copper, organic cotton, pima cotton, bamboo, & naturally colorgrown (undyed) fiber.

Stop by the event on Saturday Nov 1st. at "Just Us Chickens" located at 9 Walker Street in downtown Kittery, Maine.

Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 10 am to 5 pm. Phone: 207-439-4209 Websites: www.RedMapleSportswear.com and www.JustUsChickens.net.

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Puttin' on the Glitz New Fall Arrivals

Fall has arrived and with it, a multitude of exciting new fashions and events, just for you, our Puttin' on the Glitz customers.

Fleece hats from Poland and Germany - shaped, elegant, warm and fashionable. Who could ask for anything more?

Business Card and Wallet Cases - Brushed steel with embossed art scenes...show off your business cards with panache.

Magnets - Glass Orchids, as they are called, made of brilliant diachronic glass. They make a perfect gift at just the right price.

Shawls and Pashminas - We have a collection of silk hand-hewn shawls from India that are spectacular in both their handwork and colors. Our Pashminas in gorgeous colors and drape are priced at just $25. Why not get one for yourself and one for your best friend?

Belts - Leather belts with a delicate slender buckle of Swarovski crystal, or embossed with art images will take center stage in any outfit.

Cocktail Rings - A collection of cocktail rings that will surely light up the night and make a lasting impression.
Hand-Bag Mirrors - Little mirrors that resemble old-time Bakelite in all shapes; hearts, owls, shells, horses - a perfect piece to tuck into your hand-bag or a Christmas gift for someone special on your list.

Sorrelli - Coming soon, our holiday Sorrelli collection of bold statement pieces is spectacular! Treat yourself to something dazzling for the holidays.

Puttin' on the Glitz | 150 State Street | Portsmouth, NH 03801 Visit our web site at www.puttinontheglitznh.com

When Debbie Breneman isn't shopping she's reading your emails. You can contact her at dbreneman@seacoastonline.com or debreneman@gmail.com.

Aggettivo - Cowl/Capelet photo: Nanda Handcrafted

I was so pleased to join the New Hampshire Etsy Street Team because I was able to meet even more talented local artists and artisans - but somehow I missed Nanda Handcrafted - that is until today. Just look at these yummy warm lovelies created in the most sumptuous colors and textures. Yes folks, it's getting mighty cool in the evenings around here (tonight 38F and dropping) so it's only a matter of time for these pieces to become vital wearables in these parts!
The Aggettivo Capelet is my favorite! Stop by her shop and tell her we sent you. So much pretty to choose from - like this Sugar on Snow neckwarmer below...

photo: Nanda Handcrafted

So much talent, right here in our little state! Oh, and while you are getting cozy by the fire, dreaming of hot mulled wine and roasted chestnuts, take a little trip over to Salon and get fired up about the latest greatest national disaster, told by Garrison Keillor - straight up and without any sugar coating.

With only a few more weeks until election day, I thought I might take another look at the Senate races. When I first looked at the races early this year I calculated that there were 11 vulnerable Republican seats and 2 vulnerable Democratic seats. The only two Democrats in trouble at that time seemed to be Tim Johnson of South Dakota and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana. Well, times have changed, and not in the GOP's favor, as I now find zero vulnerable Democratic seats and 13 vulnerable Republicans. Why?

Mary Landrieu is ahead by 13 points in the most recent poll against her challenger, Republican John Kennedy. If the national polls continue to move toward Obama, and if we see the much larger than normal African-American turnout and new Democratic voters, it should be more than enough for Landrieu.

Tim Johnson is even farther ahead of his opponents in South Dakota.

So, expect no losses for Senate Democrats. Meanwhile, in addition to the 11 vulnerable Senate Republicans I saw early this year (Stevens-AK, open-CO, open-ID, Collins-ME, Wicker-MS, Coleman-MN, Sununu-NH, open-NM, Smith-OR, Cornyn-TX, open-VA) we can now add McConnell of Kentucky and Dole of North Carolina to the list. What does it look like for the now 13 vulnerable GOP seats?

Alaska - Democrat Mark Begich is ahead of incumbent Republican Senator Ted Stevens as Stevens continues to face a public corruption scandal. Alaska, however, is a pretty reliable Republican state, and the top of the ticket for the GOP now, of course, features a favorite daughter in Sarah Palin. Still, I expect this to be a loss, as I did earlier this year.

Colorado - Democrat Mark Udall is ahead of Republican Bob Schaffer. Colorado is trending Democratic, and I expect it will be an Obama state. This is a loss.

Idaho - Republican Lt. Gov. Jim Risch is up big over Democrat Larry LaRocco. Idaho is about as red as a Red State can get. This is a hold.

Kentucky - Republican Senator Mitch McConnell is ahead of Democrat Bruce Lunsford. But it has gotten pretty close. Still, I expect the state to vote for McCain, and McConnell. This is a hold.

Maine - Republican Senator Susan Collins is well ahead of Democrat Tom Allen. Despite the fact that I think Maine will go for Obama, Collins should win. This is a hold.

Minnesota - Republican Senator Norm Coleman finds himself in a tight race with Democrat Al Franken. This is a solid Obama state. The anti-incumbent, anti-establishment, anti-Republican mood in a state with a history of populism will, in my opinion, lead to Coleman's demise. This is a loss (Senator Al Franken...I know, I know, it sounds ridiculous. But, he wouldn't be the first clown to stalk the halls of Congress).

Mississippi - Republican Roger Wicker is in a tight race with Democrat Ronnie Musgrove. This is a tough one. Mississippi is a reliable Red State when it comes to picking a President, but there are signs that the Democrats are gaining some ground. There are a lot of African-American voters in Mississippi who will be voting for Obama, and will no doubt vote for Musgrove. I'm going to call it a hold, but just barely.

New Hampshire - Incumbent Republican John Sununu is trailing former Democratic Governor Jeanne Shaheen. Sununu beat Shaheen for the seat back in '02, but not by a lot. New Hampshire continues to trend Democratic. Obama will probably win the state, but McCain is popular here and could still pull it out. Still, Sununu is tied to George W. Bush more than he is to John McCain, and Bush is very unpopular here. This is a loss.

New Mexico - Democrat Tom Udall is up big over Republican Steve Pearce. This is a loss.

North Carolina - Incumbent Republican Senator Elizabeth Dole is trailing Democrat Kay Hagan. North Carolina is also one of the few Southern states that is leaning toward Obama. If that is the case on election day, then call it a loss.

Oregon - Incumbent Republican Gordon Smith is in a virtual tie with Democrat Jeff Merkley. Oregon is a Blue State and will vote for Obama. This is a loss.

Texas - Incumbent Republican John Cornyn has a solid lead over Richard Noriega, but not an overwhelming lead. Still, I expect Texas will vote for McCain, so call this a hold.

Virginia - Former Governor Mark Warner, the Democrat, is up big over former Governor Jim Gilmore, the Republican. Expect a Warner to replace a Warner, even though the Democrat is not related to the retiring Republican. This is a loss.

So, at this moment, I expect the Republicans to lose 8 seats, which will change the Senate composition from 49 Democrats, 49 Republicans and 2 Independents (who caucus with the Democrats, thus giving them the majority) to 57 Democrats, 41 Republicans and 2 Independents, although one of the Independents, Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, may choose to caucus with the Republicans, as he will be stripped of any power and privileges by the Democratic majority.

The bottom line? A solid Democratic Senate majority, but not veto or filibuster proof.

Fish and Fowl has to be one of my all time favorite works of art that Penelope Dullaghan has made. I love everything about this painting. See more of her work in our current show: Affirmations - all available at the shop!

A lot of commentators seem to think Barack Obama won last night’s debate in Tennessee, but I have to disagree. After a poor showing in the first debate, John McCain performed marvelously in this one and took away a win. It’s true, as Roger Simon wrote, McCain delivered no knock-out punch. But debates are not [...]

That's what the gods are! An answer that will do! Because there's food to be caught and babies to be born and a life to be lived and so there is no time for big, complicated, and worrying answers! Please give us a simple answer, so that we don't have to think, because if we think, we might find answers that don't fit the way we want the world to be.

--Mau, in Terry Pratchett's Nation

Runway show starts at 1:00 minute mark:

NEXT EPISODE ON BRAVO TONIGHT WED., 10/8, 9:00PM EST
SEASON FINALE - PART ONE

((Twelfth in a series about Project Runway, Season 5 by Mary Salmon))

This episode of Project Runway brought us the designers' final challenge, but more importantly, it was to decide which designers would be showing at New York Fashion Week in Bryant Park. Surprise, surprise... of the four remaining contestants, none were kicked off this week. Don't get me wrong, I did not want to see Korto, Leanne, Jerrell, or especially my favorite, Kenley, leave, but they have done this before. Heidi tells the designers that they are all to design collections, but that only three designers will actually get to show at Bryant Park. The guest judge was designer Georgina Chapman, co-founder of Marchesa; she brought a great perspective with her comments about the designs, as Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia, and Michael Kors have become so familiar with each designer that I believe it colors their opinions this late in the season. It was really hard to decide between the four designers left standing, and I am excited to see all four final collections.

Jerrell was the winner of the nature challenge. The designers took digital cameras out into nature at the New York Botanical Garden, but then had to choose just one photo to work from before they left for Mood, to buy their fabric. The designers were tasked with creating an evening gown inspired by their photograph. Jerrell's design mixed a low-cut bustier with a long, layered skirt. The colors he chose worked very well together - a shiny brown with a hint of purple with crimson red and emerald green. Winning this challenge, unfortunately for Jerrell, didn't really help him, as he still has to compete to be part of Fashion Week.

Leanne's look was very "Leanne." Soft, sweet, subtle... I know I said (repeatedly) that Kenley is my favorite, but that has to do with her personality and style. Over the course of this season, Leanne has become my favorite designer, and I do hope she wins it all. I loved the lavender fabric she worked with, creating an almost Grecian goddess dress with a lovely asymmetrical detail over one shoulder, leading down to a symmetrical pattern on the dress, ending around the hips, but in a flattering way. It may not be the best evening dress for someone with large hips, but for a body type like my own, where I really don't have any hips to speak of, it would help accentuate where I could perhaps be a bit curvier, so it would work for me, and I loved it. Jerrell's was just a bit too low-cut for my taste, but beautiful, nonetheless.

(Left - Right: Jerrell's winning design, Leanne's design)

Korto and Kenley were the losers on this one. Kenley at least tried to create something different, less retro, but the judges thought it looked more like a mermaid dress with scales than the "leaves" look she was trying to achieve. I didn't like the belt, I didn't like the racerback, and I didn't like the design altogether. I can't wait to see her collection, though! The judges were not thrilled with Kenley's attitude - I'll include the clip at the end of the entry. Korto was accused of designing a beauty pageant dress. In Korto's defense, I think some of the detailed construction was not visible to the judges on the runway. Bottom line, these judges want to see what both Kenley and Korto will design for a collection. They also seem to wonder if a collection by Jerrell will be disjointed. Go Leanne!

(Left - Right: Korto's design, Kenley's design)

It's 9:47 p.m. I tried to listen to the 2nd Great Debate between John McCain and Barack Obama. I made it through the first question, and then I turned off my car radio. I can easily believe that Barack Obama is the Democrat's choice for the White House. I can understand why he is there; I can easily understand why he is popular. What I can't believe is that John McCain is the Republican's choice

After seeing Mimi this weekend, it reminded me that she has a quest going on over at her beautiful blog "Doll". She has hit her personal mark of making 50 handmade dolls this year (and still going strong)...#50 is a beautiful lady - don't you think? I am partial to the tattoo men, her babies and some of her other work, but this flower lady is so beautiful I had to share with you.
Go see more beauty at Mimi's etsy shop as well.

You have got to read this story. The headline, the name -- impossible! And then there's one sentence that should, if you're half-alive, make you laugh doubly hard.

Found a cute little shop at Etsy with a perfect little image of what speaks to me in autumn. Available here at GollyBard's Etsy shop.

As reported in the Grapevine: Veep Mistakes During Thursday's vice presidential debate one of the candidates said, "Along with France, we kicked Hezbollah out of Lebanon," and, "Our commanding General in Afghanistan said the surge principle in Iraq will not work in Afghanistan," and that Barack Obama "did not say he'd sit down with Ahmadinejad." None of those statements is true. So who made

During Thursday night's debate, I wasn't sure of what I heard. I turned to a couple of folks who were sitting with me in one of the local pubs; the big debate between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin had drawn a decent crowd (for these parts). I asked whether I had misheard Sarah Palin. "Did she just say 'Taliban?'" I inquired. One man, Bob, who operates a NH political website where I "work" as a

Tights have always been one of my favorite accessories. I started collecting tights with interesting patterns when I was living in London in 1996, and although my tastes are a bit more "mature" than they were when I was twenty years-old cavorting around Camden Town in purple and black striped tights, my fetish lives on. Luckily for me, this season tights and leggings are on fashion's "must-have" list.

I am not writing about leggings; I am writing about tights, specifically, tights with feet. Leggings are "in" right now, too, don't get me wrong, but I don't wear them, and so I will not write about them, but I do know Lindsay Lohan is selling them, and her collection sold out all over L.A. as soon as it hit the shelves. intuition.com is also supposed to be selling Lindsay's leggings "exclusively," but it just says they are out of stock of the "Mr. President" style with built-in knee pads. The line is called 6126, an homage to Marilyn Monroe, born on that date.

I recently bought a pair of footless tights (could it be my gateway purchase back to leggings?), but I've not yet felt quite adventurous enough to break them out. They are a fairly bright purple, so I'll need to create an outfit around them. A few years ago I spoiled myself by going on a bit of a Wolford kick. There simply is no finer hosiery. I love wearing my bright blue Wolford tights, even though they have seen better days, and are a bit eaten up around the ankles from last year's boots rubbing against them; until they run, they stay in the drawer. They make me feel like I should be hanging with the Austin Powers crowd; they have that swingin' 60's vibe when paired with the right skirt and top, even if I'm just headed to the office.

You can make a statement with your legs by wearing bold colors and cool, interesting patterns & textures, and there's no need to break the bank to do so, but I can't guarantee that the bargain tights will stand the test of time. Then again, I also can't guarantee I won't run the $80 pair of tights the first time I wear them. And, yes, there should be a law against tights being that expensive! I found bright red and bright purple pairs of tights at J.C. Penney at the Fox Run Mall in Newington, NH for $4.00 each. I also bought several pair of tights at Kohl's - they are "Simply Vera" brand by Vera Wang. They were on sale for about 30% off; I believe just under $8 apiece. Today I wore a black textured pair, and I do love the feeling of a new pair of tights. There are lots of sales on tights going on right now in many stores so they can clear out their old styles and bring in the new ones for the impending winter months. The perfect time to buy!

There are, of course, also many places on the web where you can find fun tights. A few sites I liked, but have not ordered from, so I can't speak about their customer service, are: Foot Traffic; Garnet Hill (for kids - there are A LOT of sites for kids' tights, but these were the cutest); and Bare Necessities, which does sell Wolford, Hue, Spanx, and DKNY hosiery, among others.

We all have our time machines. Some take us back, they're running Ubuntu. Some take us forward, they're running OpenSolaris.

Sorry Jeremy, I couldn't resist. And my apologies to you as well, gentle reader, if you came here looking for the current state of affairs on OpenSolaris vs Ubuntu. One of these days I should write up my personal perspective on where things stand. Unless, of course, I can convince some folks to do an "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC"-style smackdown, which would be infinitely more entertaining. Assuming that will not come to pass.... For now suffice it to say that while we're not quite "there yet" with OpenSolaris, every day brings me a bit closer to concluding that my bastardized quotation ain't so far from being the truth.

But that's not what this entry is about. It's about time, plain and simple. Or, rather, not so simple as I discovered.... With a hat tip to Rich who always concludes each of his technical exercises in frustration by sharing what he's learned for the next poor soul who floats in on the same boat, I present to you what I've worked out thus far about time in a dual-boot Ubuntu/OpenSolaris environment:

1. Ubuntu insists on setting your hardware clock to UTC. It doesn't matter if you didn't want your hardware clock set to UTC. Nor are you asked if you might want to switch away from the local time in favor of UTC -- unless, you happen to be using the alternative installer. Sadly, odds are that you are not: If you're using the user-friendly, graphical, "live CD," you are NOT using the alternative installer.
2. Theoretically, the Ubuntu installer looks to see if you're in a dual-boot environment. If it concludes that you are, it is designed to not engage in its default time "correcting" behavior. This would suggest that installing OpenSolaris prior to Ubuntu would solve the problem. Alas, it does not. Trust me.
3. I have been informed that "UTC=yes is the correct and sane default" If you're wondering what the advantage of it defaulting to yes happens to be, as I was/am, I'm afraid I couldn't tell you. (UPDATE, see below.) I truly believe that there is indeed a good reason -- feel free to add it in the comments for my edification -- but the fiat was all I got. Well, that and the fact that Ubuntu detects dual-boot installations ("albeit not always quite as often as you'd want." Indeed. See previous item.). Oh, and the suggestion that I "can always change it." Which brings me to:

4. How DO you change whether or not the hardware clock is set to UTC or the local time post-installation? You'd think (or at least I thought) you would be able to do so through the Time and Date Settings dialog, part of gnome-system-tools. Were that the case, there'd be a uniform (and hence more user-friendly) way to adjust this option in Ubuntu and OpenSolaris because both use the GNOME desktop and, therefore, both include g-s-t's Time and Date Settings dialog.

   Of course, you could bypass the whole UTC vs. local timezone issue and use g-s-t to set up synchronization with an NTP server in both Ubuntu and OpenSolaris.... That's actually what I wound up doing last week. BUT what if you don't have a network connection at the moment? Besides I wanted an answer; not a workaround.

   I was going to open an RFE against g-s-t -- I'm envisioning a "My clock is set to UTC" checkbox -- but someone beat me to it. Two years ago. It hasn't been closed as WONTFIX, but no action seems to have been taken either.

5. So how do you change it in Ubuntu then? Well, some googling led me to the answer: Edit /etc/default/rcS. Just set UTC=no. Once you know this magical tidbit, it's all good: A few seconds' worth of editing and Ubuntu stops stomping on the time, OpenSolaris doesn't keep having the time changed on it, and you cease to send email to folks from four hours into the future. In other words, if all you want to do is cause your blessed environments to stop waging war over what time it is, this is all you need to do. And there was much rejoicing. Yea.

6. But what if you want to change it in OpenSolaris instead? At this point answering this question was/is admittedly merely an exercise to satisfy my curiosity. That said.... After some more googling.... It seems that you can use rtc for this purpose:

   pfexec /usr/sbin/rtc -z UTC

   is all you need. Once again, Ubuntu is happy (this time because it can continue stomping along on its "correct and sane" path ), OpenSolaris is happy (because its time now jives with the hardware clock), and your friends no longer have any reason to suspect you've mastered time travel. At least not until you adjust the timezone via g-s-t. Doing so causes /etc/rtc_config -- the file you corrected via rtc -- to be updated and you're back to Ubuntu and OpenSolaris fighting again.

   Should g-s-t be modifying /etc/rtc_config?? I honestly don't know, but life seems like it might be easier if it didn't, so I filed a bug against OpenSolaris. *shrugs*

Now if you would be so kind, answer me this: Why is it so much work to (figure out how to) configure something as simple and trivial as the time in a dual-boot environment? Shouldn't it JustWork™?

UPDATE: This morning Colin Watson began addressing the bug I filed regarding the Ubuntu Live CD's installer failing to set UTC=no in a dual-boot Ubuntu/OpenSolaris environment. He even took the time to provide me with a useful reference/link:

If you're unfamiliar with the reasons why keeping the hardware clock in local time is a bad idea, please read:

  http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~mgk25/mswish/ut-rtc.html

Thanks Colin!

Saturday brought the Concord Arts Market - conceived and pushed forward by the one and only Katy Brown. She is incredible!
Daughter Chloe made a lot of her jewelry and was juried into the fair. I took her over and Megan, Boyan and a sundry of other lovely vendors enjoyed a brisk October day with plenty of live music and fun as well as good traffic to the fair.
I don't do fairs anymore, but broke the rules twice this fall - once at Squam (of course!) and once now for Chloe. All in all a great day. Big bonus - I met the huge talent - Mimi Kirchner as she also came out for the event. Click here to see a much better photo than what I came up with for the posed shot of the two of us - mimi and me. My flickr has a few more from the event as well. Check it out in the spring of 09. More fun to come.

I ws copyediting the warning label on a bottle of beer the other day (that’s what journalists do when they are bored), and it occurred to me that if we are going to have warning labels on beer, we need better ones. I don’t think we need warning labels at all. They aren’t proven to [...]

We had a wonderful time at Story Land on Saturday. Unlike last year, when we went on Labor Day, this visit was very chilly. But also not quite as busy. It was funny to see everyone walking around with cups of coffee rather than soda or smoothies, and everyone was bundled up against the wind. Actually, the wind was the worst part--it wouldn't have felt that cold except for that! Anyway, we skipped all the water activities and stayed as warm as we could. The kids had a blast. I think Sam's favorite thing was the roller coaster (which he and Jim went on 4 times!) and Julia's favorite thing was probably the "Loopy Lab" which is a large room filled with foam balls and various suction devices that the kids can put the balls into, then the balls get "shot" or dumped back out from way up high. They also enjoyed driving the antique cars and tractors, riding the turtle twirl and flying fish, Dutch shoes, etc. etc. So many fun things to do there!! We got there around 10:30 am and didn't leave until closing at 5 pm.

One of my favorite things about Story Land is that it's completely geared to preschool and elementary age kids, so pretty much everyone there is young families or grandparents with their grandkids. It's just a really nice, family-friendly atmosphere. :) We brought a picnic lunch to save money, so all we ended up spending was the admission price, which admittedly is pretty steep--$24/person (Julia & Josiah were free). But the price covers all the rides and activities, with the exception of a couple things, and we think it's worth it for the fun time and lasting memories with the kiddos. It was a great way to spend a beautiful fall day!

Here are some random pics from our day:

Dear Congress. Really, it's the thought that counts. Please know that all is well here, still, as we slowly settle towards the bottom of the Mariana Trench. A yawn here, a yawn there, seems to clear up our ears as the pressure changes, but we want you to know that your prescience has saved us from far worse things. It is good to know that Barack Obama told us all that Congress had "no choice"

On card check legislation that would let employees unionize by checking a card instead of having a secret ballot election, “What is your position on this issue,” Laura Knoy asked. Sununu said signing a card is “a public act,” and “you’re subject to intimidation.” He said he was firmly against the bill because it subjects [...]

Asked where the money would come from to fix roads and bridges given the price of the bailout, Sununu said, “Where does the money always come from? It comes from the taxpayers.” He said every penny of the gas tax trust fund should be used for infrastructure. He said the trust fund revenues could be [...]

On health care affordability, Sununu said he supports a $5,000 tax credit for health insurance and aggressive expansion of health savings accounts. He said it isn’t the answer to give gov’t. more power. He also supports purchasing pools. He said his 5,000 tax credit would put purchasing power in the hands of people. “We’ve gotta [...]

Shaheen was asked about oil and alternative energy. She said nothing different from her campaign materials. Tax oil companies and use the proceeds to invest in alternative energy. As if politicians know better how to direct dollars to the most promising new energy developments. Sununu mentioned a bill he voted for in the Senate that [...]

Shaheen was asked what she would change in her agenda “as a Democrat,” given that we are going deeper into debt because of the bailout. What would she cut? She didn’t answer. She attacked Sununu for voting with Bush “90 percent of the time,” and she attacked Sununu for advocating private Social Security accounts. Laura [...]

Jim took these pictures of Mt. Washington on the way home from Story Land on Saturday. It was really cool to see snow falling on top of the mountain, while the weather was actually quite nice in the valley. The contrast between the beautiful foliage on the lower parts of the mountain and the snow on top was also neat. Mt. Washington is impressive and beautiful in all seasons!

I have posted a ridiculously ignorant article written to obviously bash Sarah Palin. Of course, this writer should at the very least use spell check, for it appears whoever edited this prior to publishing, did not catch the spelling errors. (LOL)

I realize this is a publication out of the UK, but I have major challenges with media journalists who fabricate and look for every angle to misrepresent someone or something. I don't mind effectual, good, honest criticism, but I have serious problems with writers who are groping, looking under ever rug, and in every corner for things that are just ridiculous. It frankly cheapens their work, and in my estimation moves their writing into the zone of "Tabloid journalism," which is ineffectual and pathetic. Speaking of "sinking low..." this kind of writing is at the bottom of the barrel. Ugh.

Cif America
Flirting her way to victory
Sarah Palin's farcical debate performance lowered the standards for both female candidates and US political discourse

Sarah Palin winks during the vice-presidential debate on Thursday in St Louis, Missouri. Photograph: J Scott Applewhite/AP

At least three times last night, Sarah Palin, the adorable, preposterous vice-presidential candidate, winked at the audience. Had a male candidate with a similar reputation for attractive vapidity made such a brazen attempt to flirt his way into the good graces of the voting public, it would have universally noted, discussed and mocked. Palin, however, has single-handedly so lowered the standards both for female candidates and American political discourse that, with her newfound ability to speak in more-or-less full sentences, she is now deemed to have performed acceptably last night.

By any normal standard, including the ones applied to male presidential candidates of either party, she did not. Early on, she made the astonishing announcement that she had no intentions of actually answering the queries put to her. "I may not answer the questions that either the moderator or you want to hear, but I'm going to talk straight to the American people and let them know my track record also," she said.

And so she preceded, with an almost surreal disregard for the subjects she was supposed to be discussing, to unleash fusillades of scripted attack lines, platitudes, lies, gibberish and grating references to her own pseudo-folksy authenticity.

It was an appalling display. The only reason it was not widely described as such is that too many American pundits don't even try to judge the truth, wisdom or reasonableness of the political rhetoric they are paid to pronounce upon. Instead, they imagine themselves as interpreters of a mythical mass of "average Americans" who they both venerate and despise.

In pronouncing upon a debate, they don't try and determine whether a candidate's responses correspond to existing reality, or whether he or she is capable of talking about subjects such as the deregulation of the financial markets or the devolution of the war in Afghanistan. The criteria are far more vaporous. In this case, it was whether Palin could avoid utterly humiliating herself for 90 minutes, and whether urbane commentators would believe that she had connected to a public that they see as ignorant and sentimental. For the Alaska governor, mission accomplished.

There is indeed something mesmerising (SPELL CHECK: MESMERIZING) (WHERE IS YOUR EDITOR?) about Palin, with her manic beaming and fulsome confidence in her own charm. The force of her personality managed to slightly obscure the insulting emptiness of her answers last night. It's worth reading the transcript of the encounter, where it becomes clearer how bizarre much of what she said was. Here, for example, is how she responded to Biden's comments about how the middle class has been short-changed during the Bush administration, and how McCain will continue Bush's policies:

Say it ain't so, Joe, there you go again pointing backwards again. You preferenced (SPELL CHECK: PREFERENCE)[sic] your whole comment with the Bush administration. Now doggone it, let's look ahead and tell Americans what we have to plan to do for them in the future. You mentioned education, and I'm glad you did. I know education you are passionate about with your wife being a teacher for 30 years, and god bless her. Her reward is in heaven, right? ... My brother, who I think is the best schoolteacher in the year, and here's a shout-out to all those third graders at Gladys Wood Elementary School, you get extra credit for watching the debate.

Evidently, Palin's pre-debate handlers judged her incapable of speaking on a fairly wide range of subjects, and so instructed to her to simply disregard questions that did not invite memorised talking points or cutesy filibustering. They probably told her to play up her spunky average-ness, which she did to the point of shtick - and dishonesty. Asked what her achilles heel is - a question she either didn't understand or chose to ignore - she started in on how McCain chose her because of her "connection to the heartland of America. Being a mom, one very concerned about a son in the war, about a special needs child, about kids heading off to college, how are we going to pay those tuition bills?"

None of Palin's children, it should be noted, is heading off to college. Her son is on the way to Iraq, and her pregnant 17-year-old daughter is engaged to be married to a high-school dropout and self-described "BLEEP redneck". Palin is a woman who can't even tell the truth about the most quotidian and public details of her own life, never mind about matters of major public import. In her only vice-presidential debate, she was shallow, mendacious and phoney. (SPELL CHECK: PHONY) What kind of maverick, after all, keeps harping on what a maverick she is? That her performance was considered anything but a farce doesn't show how high Palin has risen, but how low we all have sunk.

The financial crisis has spread to Europe, where it will probably be more difficult to deal with since, unlike the U.S., their political union is not as comprehensive as their economic union. We've already seen some European governments take steps that are not helpful to their neighbors.

Robert J. Samuelson asks whether or not it is 1929 again. He concludes that it is not, primarily because it was the Federal Reserve and the U.S. Government, through action and inaction, that made what should have been a recession into the Great Depression. It seem that, so far at least, the U.S. Government and the Federal Reserve are reacting helpfully (although we won't really know until later on whether what they have done is helpful or harmful).

Spooktacular News - For the entire month of October we are running our Fall Sale "Spooktacular", both in store and on-line. Each day a different selection of yarns will be on sale at up to 50% off MSRP, including some yarns that are rarely offered below retail.

Full details of the sale will be posted daily on our blog at blog.yarnandfiber.com plus we will post a daily article about the Salem Witch Trials!

The true origins of Halloween - The Salem Witch Trials Visit our blog each day to read about the Salem Witch Trials, the true origin of Halloween, and its odd connection to our favorite pastime, knitting!

All sale priced items are final sale and apply to in-stock yarns only. In the event that an item cannot be found in our physical inventory a substitution or refund will be offered.

Visit us now at www.yarnandfiber.com and browse our catalog of nearly 10,000 products!

The Yarn and Fiber Company, 11 Manchester Road, Derry, NH 03038 (603) 505-4432

When Debbie Breneman isn't shopping she's reading your emails. You can contact her at dbreneman@seacoastonline.com or debreneman@gmail.com.

_________________________________________________________________________ Sure, go ahead. You can use them. But you saw them here first. (Created 10.4.2008)