09.30.07
Posted in Anything goes, Uncategorized, knitting and crocheting at 5:39 pm by Administrator
Today was absolutely lovely! It was a perfect day to just hang out and knit in the backyard! And that’s what I did, heheheh. It’s funny how I’ve never really been much of a sock person. My mom was always after me to wear something on me feet to keep them warm, but I would frequently escape the house without socks. The only times I would wear socks were if I were wearing boots, but otherwise I wore shoes that slipped on and didn’t need sock. Work shoes were pumps, so I wore nylons. So it’s ironic that I am really enjoying making socks, ha! I finally got my third pair of socks completed. These are for me because my boys didn’t care too much for this color yarn.
Brian is a much better sock model than I am. I can’t seem to show them off as well as he did. Or maybe it’s because I’m better at the camera than he is? Heheheh. Not. So there are my first pair made for me for the upcoming cold weather. Now that Brian sees them completed, he says, “Oh, I like those colors.” Well, too late, Baby! They’re too small for you, now! These will be keeping “my” tootsies warm come the chill. Heheheh. But it would be my pleasure to make you a few more pairs. Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. More yarn shopping, heheheh.
So here’s my second pair for me that the boys said they didn’t care for the colors. . . I’m almost finished with them. I actually got more knitting in since this shot was taken, so now only have the ribbed cuff left to make. While trying to get a shot of them earlier to show different angles, Brian says, “Oh, I like those colors. . . ” Ha! Too late, Baby! Where were you when the boys were complaining that the colors “weren’t their style?” These are fitting very nicely on “my” feet. Do ya see? But that’s okay, Baby, I’ll make you some with pleasure. Here’s another angle which makes the heels visible.
These are my first pair of socks knitted on size 2US. My first three, which includes the blue ones shown above, were knit on size 1 US. This is also my first pair of socks where I used two balls of yarn to change colors on the toes, the heels, and the cuff ribbing. I used the left overs from the bluish socks above. This gave me a chance to figure out how to attach different colored yarns and not have knots all over the place. We’ll see how well I did once these go in the wash a few times. Hope they don’t all fall apart, ha! I don’t think they will. . . These socks were also knit from Hot Socks Print by Grundl. I realize the color is a bit “fruit loopy,” heheheh, but hey, they were on sale and perfect for my learning projects.
So I’m excited that I’m almost finished with this pair because I got some other yarns a couple weeks ago on sale for more socks! Here’s a snap of the ones I picked up on sale at Yarns Unlimited.
Unfortunately they didn’t have a very large selection on sock yarns, but these were in my budget (wah, wish I didn’t have a budget. . . ) and should keep me busy and out of trouble for a while. There are so many designs I want to try, so I’m gonna need some solid colors as well. I hope they come out! Oh boy, oh boy! Better get dinner on and try to squeeze in some more knitting. Is there such a place called “Knitter’s Anonymous?” Oh! I just found a pattern of something else I want to learn how to make. . . fingerless gloves, ack! Actually the pattern I saw had “partial” fingers so that only the first two joints of the fingers are exposed. Apparently, sock yarn would work well for those, too, Oooh. . .
Marlakins 
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09.26.07
Posted in Anything goes, Uncategorized, knitting and crocheting at 9:35 pm by Administrator
There have been quite a few things I’ve wanted to blog about, but time really has been escaping me. As usual, in between chores and errands, etc., I’ve been continuing to knit, crochet, and read. I also accompanied Andrew to a writers’ convention, which I thought was interesting. It actually inspired me to consider writing a story. Then I also attended a knitting presentation by Stephanie Pearl MacPhee aka The Yarn Harlot a couple weeks ago. Too bad I forgot my camera. But that presentation was also fun for me. Surprisingly, there were about 300 knitters who showed up to see her. Many of them brought knitting projects to work on while waiting and during her presentation. I brought along some socks to knit as well, heheh. Stephanie had a great sense of humor. It was nice to meet with people with the same interest–YARN. There are plenty of us knitters and crocheters out there! So beware! Then last weekend I hit the Gem Show in Santa Monica. I went two days, ha!
But just to pop in to say that I’m still kicking, I thought I’d put up some pictures of a few things that I’ve been working on. First is a picture of my second pair of socks I’ve knitted. This time I wanted to learn how to knit a sock from the toe up, instead of from the cuff down like the first sock I made. This is what it looked like in progress:
I finished one side, and started on the next side. Toe up socks are started on double pointed needles, then can be transfered to circulars. The above picture shows a tiny portion of the sock started and still on the double pointed needles. 
The next picture is after the socks have been completed and have been washed and worn a couple times already. I’m happy to see that they are holding up well. I wanted to use Andrew’s feet to model his first handmade socks, but he didn’t want to show off his hairy legs, ha ha! So I put them on my feet. They’re a little big for me, but at least gives an idea of what they look like on. 
Obviously, they are ankle socks, but now that I’ve got the mechanics down, I may start to venture out to longer socks and more patterns/designs. The yarn I used for this pair of socks is called Hot Socks Print by Grundl. It’s machine washable, 75% wool, and 25% polymid (I’m guessing that’s the German word for polyester?) I would like to say that it is a very nice feeling that my son is wearing socks that I made especially for him, and that he actually likes them! That certainly encourages me to make more for him. I got a few more skeins of this because they were on sale. So I’ve started another pair of socks in a different color, which is pictured below with one of my little crocheted critters. She likes to snoop around to see what I’m up, to, heheh.
I’ve got one sock completed and am almost finished with the second side. This sock is also worked up from the toe first. I’ve got it on two circular needles with two of my homemade stitch markers shown in the picture. So this is my third pair of socks, and I’m feeling confident to try to branch out and get more decorative. I’m happy to say that I have now completed one of my 2007 New Year’s Resolutions–to learn to make socks!
And finally, I’ve started on some granny squares for a scarf for myself. Not sure when I’ll finish this one because since Christmas is coming, I’ve got a lot of other projects that need to be completed first. But here’s a picture of some of my squares. I’ve actually finished more since this picture, but at least I can share these.
These are crocheted using Suss cotton yarns. I love her yarns, so really look forward to when this gets finished and assembled.
I wish I had taken a picture of the new yarn I got last Friday. I’m too lazy to do it now and upload. But suffice it to say that Yarns Unlimited had a great sale, and so I’ve got sock yarn to start working on Christmas socks. I’ve also been reading some books, so may comment on those later. And I’ve also watched a couple movies, which I may comment on later, too.
And that’s about all for now. Still got time to get in a few more stitches tonight, heheh, so off I go!
Marlakins
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09.19.07
Posted in Anything goes, Health-related--Natural Alternative Treatments, Uncategorized at 9:04 am by Administrator
The recent Moss Report had an interesting article. It is titled, The Height of Absurdity. As a person who is concerned about health issues, this bit of news was disturbing to me. I’ll attach a short clip of the article below.
“The next time you read a news story about how cancer is decreasingly a problem in the US, think again. California officials have revealed that the US Veterans Administration (VA), which treats many American veterans, has been deliberately withholding cancer incidence data from state cancer registries across the country. This has resulted in up to 70,000 newly diagnosed cancer cases per year – about 5 percent of the national total – going unrecorded in the past few years.”
At first blush, one may not think much of withholding the VA cancer cases, but when claims that we are winning the war on cancer start circulating, then we can quickly see that “not” reporting 5% of the cancer cases would make a significant difference. Especially if claims are made that we have a 5% decline in cancer cases.
The full article can be read by scrolling down at this link.
The next thing that came to mind regarding withholding cancer cases by the VA was “why would they do that?” Then I thought of some articles I had read about the use of depleted uranium by our military in places like Iraq. I tend to take notice when I hear about uranium because when I had a heavy metals test years ago when I got my AA diagnosis, my uranium level was very high. That surprised me, so I did some research on it. Along those lines I have read about it being known to cause cancers and aplastic anemia. Then I started to stumble across other articles which indicated that cancer and leukemia rates have increased in Iraq because of the depleted uranium use by our military. An example of one such article can be read here.
Now, if it is true that our military’s use of depleted uranium has increased cancer and leukemia rates in the Iraqi population, then it would stand to reason that our military is also being exposed to the same depleted uranium. Is it possible that the VA is experiencing more cancer cases amongst our military that they don’t want to share with us? I found that to be a disturbing thought. According to the Moss Report article, the excuse the VA gives for not reporting their cancer cases is that they want to protect the medical records of their patients. Well, reporting cancer cases has been common and standard and a means by which to monitor progress. AND the Moss Report also mentioned that the VA “does” report their AIDs cases, which I would think is more sensitive information than cancer cases. It sounds suspicious to me. I certainly hope that our military isn’t experiencing more cancers. But if it’s true that Iraqi are experiencing more cancers due to the military’s depleted uranium use, then I don’t see how our own military can escape it either. They are there, too, being exposed to the same air and dust.
Marlakins
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09.16.07
Posted in Anything goes, History, Uncategorized at 5:06 pm by Administrator
During the course of discussion on the “How Much Should I Know” thread, Andrea asked if we had watched the movie, Gandhi. I had recalled the movie was a sensation when it first premiered years ago, but I could only remember tiny bits and pieces. So I realized that I probably didn’t see the whole movie, but likely was only recalling trailers of it. While thinking about it, I also realized I didn’t know much about Gandhi at all. The only thoughts that I could muster were that I had heard that he believed in non-violence and went on fasts for peace purposes. How it worked, I didn’t know. However, that didn’t stop me from forming some opinion of him. I remembered (likely from a trailer) Gandhi saying, “I am a Muslim, a Hindu, and a Christian.” That statement had always bothered me about him because as a Christian, I knew that those three religions were not compatible. One could not believe some major/central concepts of each religion and not contradict major/central concepts of the other religions. So I wasn’t all that impressed with Gandhi. Regardless, I did a quick Google on him and found his story fascinating. So I rented the movie, Gandhi, recently to see what it was all about. What I had found was a fascinating story of a fascinating man, and that I had “misunderstood” Gandhi’s quote of being a Muslim, and a Hindu, and a Christian because my understanding of it was taken out of context. In context it made sense. The idea was that we could all live peacefully together regardless of our religions. Very different from what I initially thought. For clarification, in the movie, Gandhi was approached by a group of Muslims (I think that’s what they were) carrying black flags representing their group. Not only were the Indians separated as a result of the English occupation, but India had groups separated within itself such as their caste system and the Muslims and the Hindus, etc. Gandhi believed or hoped that they could all live together peacefully outside of the oppression of the English. But in order to do that they, as a people, would have to be unified. A crucial step was to eliminate their divisions such as the caste system and the fear that one religion was going to dominate the other religion. So he exclaimed to those gathered before him holding up those black flags, “For God’s sake, please put those flags down. You are scaring people with those.” And then he went on with his famous saying that he was a Muslim, a Hindu, and a Christian. It appears his intent was that they should all learn to live peaceable together, not necessarily that they had to intermix their religious beliefs. It reminds me of the Jews and the Samaritans. Jesus seemed to take a similar approach.
Now I realize movies can distort truth, and history books can also reflect historical inaccuracies. But what I saw in the movie has encouraged me to do more research. Although both Brian and I agree that Gandhi’s approach with peaceful, civil disobedience was likely better than blowing the British to oblivion (if they had that option), Brian still wondered if there was yet another way to achieve what Gandhi did. I don’t know. I supposed what bothered Brian about it was even with the peaceful approach, thousands of people still got hurt and killed. And we still don’t understand the part of why he had to become celibate. Maybe all the deaths are not avoidable when we have oppressive, unloving people sharing this planet with us.
My knowledge of the history of India has been pretty non-existent. I continue to be amazed at how much there is to learn, and re-learn. I now have the interest to delve deeper into India’s history. I am particularly amazed at how such a massive number of people were subjected to such substandard treatment by a smaller group of people such as the British, and it was accepted/allowed. I think part of it also has to do with how people divide amongst themselves such as with their caste system (the divide and conquer approach like what seems to be happening here in the US with our Republican and Democrat divisions or more recently the liberal vs the conservative groups). This happens in many parts of the world, it seems, now and throughout history. It happened with the Jews in Germany and Poland, and the blacks in America under slavery, etc. It’s yet another example and lesson that there seems to be something in our human nature that tends to put ourselves in front of other people’s needs and well-being. I think this is why the Bible teaches so much about love. Love is something that we humans really need to learn how to do. In the book, A Small Corner of Hell: Dispatches from Chechnya regarding the Chechnyan wars, the author, Anna Politkovskaya, wrote about how many people compromise their values under adverse situations. She mentioned how some people will come to a point where they will allow a person to die in exchange for a piece of bread. That is my paraphrasing, but the idea is that under easy-going circumstances people act civilly and appear kind to one another. But when the going gets tough, the darker side of people, that you never thought was there, comes out. As long as we have people who compromise like that in varying degrees, we will continue to have others harmed from various sources of suppression, be it from governments or industries who want to take advantage of their labor, to exposure to harmful substances for the acquisition of wealth, to withholding valuable information such as non-toxic healing modalities in favor of more costly, so-called remedies, again to gain profit. Death, pain, and suffering will continue so long as we continue to accept the idea that other people are not part of us (divide and conquer), that some people are less worthy to live or that it is okay to sacrifice a few for the many.
And then I am encouraged that “one” man could ignite thousands of people to fight for a common cause. In the Disney cartoon story of Mulan, they had the saying something to the effect that “one man could change the tide or course of history.” Gandhi was one such man. Because of his courage and persistence, thousands of men and women endured physical brutality in order to stand up to injustice. Through him thousands gained hope. How did one man give those thousands of men courage? But here I wonder what else went on behind the scenes. Gandhi appeared to have financial backing from wealthy people. There was even a comment from him that his friends told him it was costing them a lot of money to keep him poor. . . I would be interested to learn more about that. I have a feeling there is more to the truth than what we have been shown. There’s likely another story in that itself. But regardless, I believe there is something within the human spirit which will endure tremendous injustices and suffering to protect itself if only the proper drive is aroused. Gandhi obviously moved the masses. He touched the drive. But then again, Hitler also moved the masses. Perhaps it’s our herd mentality that is easily whipped up into a frenzy. But again there was one central figure, Hitler. Maybe it’s our tendency to follow one figure. And now I can see how important that we make sure that one figure we choose is good and just.
In the movie, Gandhi had said, “Good always prevails in the end, and evil will always fall in the end. That truth never fails.” As a Christian, I do believe that. Just as all the injustice inflicted upon Jesus has shown us, He ultimately surfaced as the victor. And as Revelation tells us, we will eventually overcome evil. My personal feeling is that a helper holds back total chaos and evil in our world because when Jesus ascended to heaven, He told us that he would leave a helper here for us. But in Revelation, I think there will come a time when that helper will leave us for a short time. At that time all hell is probably going to break loose. I hope if my family and I have to live through it, we will have the courage to stand up for what is right. I hope I never come to the point were I allow another person to die in exchange for a piece of bread. I see other people in history were able to remain fast to what was good, so I am encouraged that we may also. I pray that good will prevail in my family and me if ever we are challenged.
Thanks again, Andrea, for recommending the movie. Certainly food for thought.
Marlakins
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09.12.07
Posted in Anything goes, Health-related--Natural Alternative Treatments, History, Uncategorized at 9:42 am by Administrator
This morning I read a short article regarding the sicknesses believed to be related to the collapse of the WTC buildings. I found it particularly interesting because I had heard little bits and pieces of it, but never seemed to get much more than that. The article reads:
“WASHINGTON – Doctors treating sickened ground zero workers offered Congress a detailed diagnosis Wednesday of the ailments still affecting thousands after the Sept. 11 attacks, from runny noses to laryngitis to lung disease.”
The full article can be viewed here.
Apparently, aside from the obvious emotional trauma that could follow such an evident as the collapse of the WTC buildings, there are actual “physical” reasons behind the ailments that have cropped up and which may crop up in the future. In particular, the pulverized dust from the buildings contained various toxic substances such as mercury from all the computer equipment, depleted uranium from the counterweights of the plane, as well as asbestos used in fireproofing and other structural parts of the buildings which were unavoidably inhaled by all those in the area is a likely cause for many ailments such as lung diseases. Since these substances are often difficult for the body to eliminate, these substances can remain in the body for years. Thus, it may take years for significant illnesses to develop with obvious clinical symptoms. Some were immediately sickened, while others may take a while longer.
Coincidentally, while reading Fatal Deception regarding the asbestos poisoning in Libby, Montana, I found that the fireproofing used in parts of the WTC was Monokote, which contained tremolite from the the Libby mines. Tremolite was the form of asbestos that sickened and killed many of the Libby miners and residents. The WTC buildings are said to have contained tons of it, and could have had more had it not been for people like Dr. Irving Selkoff, who was appalled by the procedures of “spraying” tons of asbestos onto buildings which made the asbestos fibers airborne and thus at breathable levels. He spoke before a Health Conference in 1969 where he discussed the “unchecked snow” in the downtown area of New York. The “snow” he referred to was asbestos fibers from the practice of spraying fiber fireproofing onto buildings during construction. He made special reference to the WTC buildings as it was being constructed during that time in 1969. He believed that there would be 100 tons of fiber airborne in NY from this job. Interestingly, according Michael Bowker, author of Fatal Deception, the H.P. environmental report stated that the WTC towers contained up to 8.5 million square feet of vinyl chrysotile asbestos floor tile. It was also used on the structural steel, in the elevator shafts, on decorative finishes in the lobbies, and possibly in the drywall and foundation concrete. So there was more than just the tons of tremolite (asbestos) from Libby, Montana, but other sources as well.
As tragic as the actual day of September 11, 2001 may be, unfortunately, the death toll did not stop on that day. Instead, many more lives have been sacrificed from that event from the deaths of those from the actual tower collapses, to the subsequent deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq, to the people who so valiantly tried to help at ground zero, and to those who continue to be exposed to all the toxic dust that was released that day. The death toll continues to rise each day. I have no words to describe the incredible sorrow the attacks of 9/11 has caused to so many people and evidently is still inflicting on so many more. We will all be before the Judgment Seat of God one day, and those responsible for 9/11 will pay. Truth and justice will prevail. I am confident in that.
Marlakins
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09.10.07
Posted in Anything goes, Health-related--Natural Alternative Treatments, History, Uncategorized at 7:57 am by Administrator
“If thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself: but if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it.”
Proverbs 9:12
Last week I finished reading Fatal Deception by Michael Bowker. His book was about asbestos and the asbestos industry. He details how it had been known for more than 70 years that asbestos was a health hazard, yet various corporations continued to mine it and distribute it while purposely hiding documentation from the public and their own workers that their workers were falling ill and dying due to the asbestos fibers. Yeah, I know. Poisoning our environment on a grand scale has been going on for about a century now. No new news there. Only seven of the U.S. states have not be labeled with a superfund site. Reform often is slow and hard earned. Cries for reform have often fallen on deaf ears. However, I don’t only blame corporations, government, the talking heads, and big business for exposing us to health-damaging substances, but also part of the reason that that our environment and our health continues to be poisoned and polluted is because we (the workers and consumers) allow it. Not only do we allow it, we crave it and protect it. The town of Libby, Montana was a glaring example of that to me.
For anyone who remembers the story of Libby, Montana and their asbestos-contaminated vermiculite, the number of deaths due to asbestos and the numbers currently dying of asbestos related diseases may come to mind. By the time some of the cries for help in the very small town of Libby were heard in 1999, close to 200 miners and townspeople had already died from asbestos, and over 1000 more were diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases. What was shocking was that this “known” exposure was going on for more than 60 years. How could something like this happen? As evidenced from court proceedings, the asbestos companies with the aid of government agencies kept this secret hush, hush by basically concealing information and ignoring complaints. But was that enough to keep the lid on? No. “Some” of the miners and residents themselves helped keep the lid on because they did not want the secret to be exposed. But “why?” one might ask.
There are actually multiple reasons to why a town would knowingly allow themselves to be slowly poisoned to death. Some of the more understandable reasons is that some people are just hard-working people who don’t like to complain. Some people are just happy to have a job so that they can feed their families. And so they expose themselves to hazards willingly. Unfortunately, these workers didn’t realize that they were also poisoning their families as they brought the dust home on their clothes. Then there are others who are just ignorant of the fact that they are slowly poisoning themselves to death. This is where the line starts to form. This is where the companies and government agencies need to be humane and inform these people. If these companies want to continue to operate, then they should protect their employees with the proper equipment and protective gear. Unfortunately, many times we have found that this is not done. And finally the worse reason people allow themselves to be poisoned is because of greed. In the town of Libby, those who were crying for help to clean up the asbestos were being road-blocked by their own neighbors because they were afraid that their town would be known as a toxic site and therefore, it would drive away businesses and they would not be able to sell property, etc. How evil is that? Let some poor, unwitting soul buy an asbestos-contaminated house and environment with a high likelihood of dying of asbestos poisoning, just so that the realtor could make a buck. But it happens time and time again. There are people who know about the dangers and hazards, but continue to hide the facts so that they can continue running their businesses regardless of who gets hurt in the end. These kinds of people have existed throughout history, and as dangerous as they are, will likely continue to exist into however far the future will take us. I realize we don’t know which kind of person we will run into. And since there are those kinds of people in this world, I know that we can not always help everyone. But we do have the option and the ability to help ourselves. The Bible tells us that “My people perish for lack of knowledge.” And so I am reminded also of what the Bible tells us of knowledge. It is something we should seek because it is something that we can use to help ourselves.
Proverbs 9:12
“If thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself: but if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it.”
Marlakins
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