Katzen: February 2009

We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land: A Plan That Will Work by Jimmy Carter

We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land: A Plan That Will Work

Jimmy Carter is going to talk about peace in the Middle East until he dies. He is leaving books for us to use as a road map after he dies. But he'd rather we pay attention now because the situation for Palestinians is unbearable.

I am one who just didn't want to know about it. The conflict has gone on too long, and although on the face of it, it didn't seem fair that Palestinians had to move off land they'd lived on for generations, better minds than mine had made this solution. Or so I thought.

When I saw the television and newswire reporting showing Israeli retaliation for the the latest Palestinian "bombings" in late 2008, my fury was aroused. And I began to read. I realize now that I've always had a responsibility to be informed on this issue, and that better minds than mine had not been the only ones at work here, as usual.

The Collaborator of Bethlehem: An Omar Yussef Mystery by Matt Beynon Rees

The Collaborator of Bethlehem: An Omar Yussef Mystery

Omar Yussef, a crusty grandfather, refuses to mind his own business. Friends run into trouble in Dehaisha, a refugee camp outside of Bethlehem, and he looks into the void.

This book is overwhelming in its pathos, and terrifying in its implications. This old schoolmaster, Omar Yussef, almost goes out of his way to avoid finding evidence of murder in Dehaisha, perpetrated, he believes, by a leader of the resistance. Instead he finds clues just lying about, ignored by the very people meant to serve the people and protect them from harm. His anger and fury come into focus as his family is threatened and blameless friends and colleagues are murdered.

I had not realized that "the gunmen" of the Palestinian resistance were so reviled from within, but it makes eminent sense. This is a novel, of course, but I think Matt Beynon Rees may be speaking to a larger truth here that is difficult to convey to those, like myself, who have turned their face from a conflict that rages with no end in sight, that doesn't make economic or political or humanitarian sense, and is sickening in its reveal of the baseness of human nature.

The author has painted a grim picture of life in the settlements. He is not unkind to Israelis who, in the one appearance they make in this volume, appear rational, albeit destructive. His main character is difficult to like, he is so full of bile at a system that gives him no peace but plenty of pain. But if we walk with him a short way, we begin to see what he sees, and it is indescribably sad.

Related: Sound of Sleep or Invasion?

American craft council show in Baltimore

Fwd: DC GlassWorks Open House Reminder

>

> OPEN HOUSE THIS WEEKEND at DC GlassWorks and Sculpture Studios!!!
>
> Our next Open House will be this Saturday, February 28th. The event
> starts at 3:30 and will continue until 8:30 or so. This is a very
> special Open House as it will be held in conjunction with the "fools
> night out" website (http://www.foolsnightout.com) to honor their
> 10th anniversary! Live music will be provided by Rhodes Tavern
> Troubadours. If you have not heard them play, they are awesome
> (check them out at http://www.myspace.com/rhodestaverntroubadours).
> Come out and listen to live music, watch glassblowing demonstrations
> or try your hand at making a glass paperweight or flower. Please
> join us for part or all of the day! For directions on how to get
> here, check out the map links on our Contacts page of the website (http://www.dcglassworks.com/pages.php?p=contact
> )
>
> SPRING CLASS SCHEDULE ONLINE
> Our spring class schedule is now available. We are offering both
> glassblowing and metal casting classes for the upcoming session.
> Check back often as we are always adding new classes.
>
> GLASS CLASSES:
> If you are new to glassblowing, try our 'Beginning Glassblowing'
> classes. We are offering a Tuesday night or Saturday night six-week
> class or a Saturday/Sunday class. Any of these classes will get you
> started on the basics of glassblowing.
>
> If you are returning to glassblowing after an absence or want to
> continue honing your skills after the Beginning Glassblowing class,
> try our 'Basic Shapes' class.
>
> We are also offering a "Vases w/ handles, bits, and prunts class"
> for those who have wanted to start making their own work using these
> techniques and a Glass Sculpture/fabrication class where students
> will work on non-traditional glass sculptural forms of their own
> design.
>
> We still have some one-day classes listed under our Jan/Feb
> schedule, but we are still scheduling our one day workshops for the
> upcoming session. Please keep checking the webpage as we have some
> great classes in the works.
>
> METAL CLASSES:
> If you've always wanted to try to make something out of cast iron,
> bronze or aluminum, then check out our metal casting classes. We
> have split these classes into four weekend classes:
>
> (1) One piece resin-bonded sand molds;
> (2) Multi-part resin-bonded sand molds;
> (3) Lost foam aluminum casting;
> (4) Cast Iron Pour
>
> Mix and match these two day classes to gain the knowledge and skills
> to start making molds on your own. Once you have taken these
> classes, you are eligible to sign up to make molds on your own in
> our mold studio and take part in our studio metal casting sessions.
> Sign up quick as the spaces are limited.
>
> Check out the full class schedule on our "classes" page of the
> website (http://www.dcglassworks.com/pages.php?p=classes).
>
> FUN GROUP EVENTS:
> Looking for a fun venue for a birthday party, bachelorette outing,
> or corporate event? Email or call us with your ideas or let us help
> you plan something special. DC GlassWorks offers an enjoyable,
> creative and friendly environment for events to remember.
>
> VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
> If you would like to get more involved in the studio, please contact
> us. We can always use a hand at the studio. It takes a community to
> build a community.
>
> YOUR IDEAS:
> We try to offer events and classes based on the feedback and ideas
> that we get from our students, artists and supporters. If you have
> any suggestions for events or classes that you would like to see,
> please don't hesitate to call us or email us at info@dcglassworks.com.
>
>
> Thanks and we hope to see you soon.
>
> The DC GlassWorks Team.
>
> DC GlassWorks and Sculpture Studios
> 5346 46th Avenue
> Hyattsville, MD. 20718
> www.dcglassworks.com
>
>
>

Book Business by Jason Epstein

Book Business: Publishing Past, Present, and Future

Epstein, former Random House editorial director among other things in his long and illustrious career, treats us to reminiscences about the past and ruminations about the future of book publishing. Especially delicious are recollections of Doubleday's suppression of Drieser's novel Sister Carrie, the first appearance of Nabokov's Lolita, and the genesis of The New York Review of Books.

For me though, Epstein's long experience in book publishing is most interesting when applied to how the industry changed, and continues to change, over the years. I am reassured by his insistence that bookstores, like cinemas, will not entirely disappear in this new world of digital access. Years ago Epstein did not recommend to his children nor their friends to enter the publishing industry because it was an industry in decline. Today he would have encouraged them because publishing is an industry in the middle of enormous changes. I agree. There are opportunities to be seized.

A further thought. The book was published in 2001. The book is dedicated to Judith Miller. Epstein tells a little anecdote about his involvement with the CIA in Africa. Somehow it gets the mind whirling...

Related: Autopsy of the Book Business by Epstein in the Daily Beast and E-Books--This Time It's Real by Osnos in The Platform

mold making class.

I'm doing a class in making rubber molds and cast concrete on thursday evenings in march

Class 906 - Mold Making / Concrete Casting & Finishing

Need a great industrial material to compliment your glass? Try concrete! In this class we will explore possibilities in flexible mold-making, concrete casting and finishing. We will make tiles, proper rubber molds, play with concrete using colorants and stains. You will walk away with a few finished pieces, molds for further reproductions, and the knowledge to tackle larger projects
Instructor Sean Hennessey
Dates Thursday evenings, March 5, 12, 19, 26
Time 7:00pm to 9:30pm
Tuition $250 per student (plus $100 lab fee payable to instructor)

http://washingtonglassschool.com/school/classes.html#811

paris, las vegas

IMG_0048
Originally uploaded by Scenic Artisan

finally home. i'll post my entire vegas set when i get em uploaded.

casino!

IMG_0017
Originally uploaded by Scenic Artisan

Last day at pool

Today is much busier than yesterday. Lots of cool people representing
cool shops coming by. This set up is pretty hot. People have built
some insane displays though taking pictures is forbidden. There are
houses and buildings and balconies and all the designers you regularly
see. There are skateboards and glasses, shoes, graffiti, bags,
dresses, jeans, great dj's. Most virbrant ad high end show I've ever
been to.
Lots of canadians here. Lots of Japanese.
Live mural painting. Pretty rockin.
If you make stuff that works in the fashion world, the Magic/pool
trade show is the place to be.

Still at pool

Off to see the decorations at the Bellagio tonight.

Wrack and Ruin by Don Lee

Wrack and Ruin

I adored this book. It had me laughing in public places and snickering into my coffee. All the characters had real flaws but Lee was fair--everyone was flawed. And what's more, I liked them the better for it. Lyndon Song, ex-New York sculptor and brussel sprouts-farmer extraordinaire, and his failed financier brother Woody, make a madcap pair amongst the other odd personages of Rosarita Bay, California.

Lee was much more fluent in this work than in his earlier work, Country of Origin, and it seemed he was having a better time as well. The action and personalities seemed so very Californian to me, and since I live on the east coast, it felt like a trip away. A television series that gives me that same "quirky California" feel is Six Feet Under.

How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer

How We Decide

Fascinating. The introduction has this author in a flight simulator in Canada. The first chapter discusses Tom Brady of the Patriots making a Superbowl decision. Lehrer goes on to discuss the problems one man had making decisions after the "emotional" portion of his brain was impaired.

While some of the examples Lehrer chooses to illuminate his thesis are familiar from other books on psychology and neuroscience, many are new and absorbing. I came away with insights on how we make decisions under stress, and how psychology experiments are devised to test decision-making.

Lehrer discusses his work: Jonah Lehrer at Powell's.

Pool is open!

Http://www.pooltradeshow.com

More vegas!

Monorail!

Close.

Nearly set up!

Pool trade show

And I see jesse of realm jewlery from DC......

Test post

I'm in vegas doing the Pool Trade Show. Trying out the email-to-blog
function.

MY COMIC VALENTINE: A Comic Book for the Stage

Celebrate the saucy kitsch of 1950s romance comics in
MY COMIC VALENTINE:
A Comic Book for the Stage

Co-Presented by Rotogravure Entertainment and banished? productions

Based on actual comic book stories from over fifty years ago, this show examines the culture and values of the early '50s through a most contemporary lens, challenging the conservative stereotypes and affirming universal truths in the never-ending search for true love. A living comic book with all the elements, from cover to cover including the ads and letters, My Comic Valentine brings heart, humor and sheer pre-code hotness to The Shop at Fort Fringe in four-color splendor.

Performances:
Wednesday, 2/11: 8pm (Pay What You Can Preview)
Thursday, 2/12: 8pm
Friday, 2/13: 8pm &10pm ("Unlucky in Love" open mic following 10pm show featuring vivianne a. njoku & Joseph M. Price)
Saturday, 2/14: 8pm & 10pm ("Sweet Nothings" Valentine Soiree following 10pm performance)
Sunday, 2/15: 3pm

Tickets are a cheap $15, $12 with button discount
($10 suggested donation for post-show events)
Available online at www.capfringe.org or 1 hour prior to scheduled show times at the door.

All performances at THE SHOP at Fort Fringe, 610 L St., NW DC 20001

more info? www.banishedproductions.org/comicvalentine
or email ccw@banishedproductions.org

wax castings

IMG_0310
Originally uploaded by Scenic Artisan

here are some wax castings i made.
i'll make plaster molds of these beauties. melt out the wax, then cast glass in them.

cool, huh?
; )

SCULPTURE NOW 2009 Opening Reception tonight!

This is a reminder to have you join the party,
visit with good friends and most important,
experience wonderful sculpture!

SCULPTURE NOW 2009

Opening Reception:
Thursday, February 12, 2009
6:30 to 8:30 pm
An awards presentation will take place at 7:15 pm

February 1 - May 2, 2009

Location:
Washington Square
1050 Connecticut Avenue, NW (entrance on L Street)
Washington, DC 20036
(Nearest Metro: Farragut North)

Building Hours:
Washington Square is open to the public daily from 7 am until 7 pm.
Juror: Victoria Reis, Executive and Artistic Director, Transformer

Artists included in the exhibition: Michael J. Bednar, Constance Bergfors, Kyan Bishop, Jackie Braitman, Janet Brome,
Frederic Crist, Joel D’Orazio, Leah Frankel, Carol A. Jason, Mila Kagan, James Kessler, Lois Levitan, Mitra Lore,
Jacqueline Maggi, James Mallos, Ryan McKibbin, Bill Moore, Marcella Morgese, Sharon Murray, Ethan Rochmis,
Rachel Rotenberg, Craig Schaffer, Bo Simeon, Lynda Smith-Bugge, Pamela Soldwedel, Berta Stegmeier,
Garrett Strang, Lynn Sures, Elizabeth Whiteley, and Alice Yutzy.

glass and metal casting

I'm in charge of putting on monthly events for the Washington Sculptors Group. Here is a video from our last workshop at DC Glassworks:

DCCAH open house tonight. master planning meeting tomorrow night

You are invited to an open house to share your thoughts on Public Art in your neighborhood, to be included in the overall DC Creates Public Art Program Vision in the District of Columbia.

Date: Tuesday February 10, 2009

Time: 5pm to 7pm

Location: Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library 901 G Street, NW

To RSVP and for more information call 202.274.5613 or email Rachel.Dickerson@dc.gov.

The Tourist by Olen Steinhauer

The Tourist

Deceit is thick in the air in this modern spy novel. Shifting shapes, names, loyalties are as loosely moored as ever in the spy industry. While China's interest in Sudan's oil is mentioned, interpersonal human drama is the real center of this absorbing 6th novel from expatriate Olen Steinhauer. The clash of jurisdictions between the CIA and Homeland Security in the USA adds a touch of verisimilitude. Steinhauer does a very good job creating characters one cares about. He did the right thing by modelling his work on the great spy novelists of old.

Steinhauer discusses reaction to his book: Contemporary-Nomad.

interview on internet radio

Sherry Ways of Design Scheme Interiors, LLC invited me to be interviewed on Inside Design, an internet radio show about interior design.

You can call in or email questions, if you'd like
hotline: (301) 560 6992,
e-mail insidedesign@im4radiodc.com

The Show starts at 10:30 AM and can be listened to HERE

for your listening enjoyment