Quote of the week:
“Everybody should read fiction… I don’t think serious fiction is written for a few people. I think we live in a stupid culture that won’t educate its people to read these things. It would be a much more interesting place if it would. And it’s not just that mechanics and plumbers don’t read literary fiction, it’s that doctors and lawyers don’t read literary fiction. It has nothing to do with class, it has to do with an anti-intellectual culture that doesn’t trust art.”
― Percival Everett
1.
I had not heard of Wara Art until recently. In 2006 Niigata City, Japan and Musashino Art University created the Wara Art Festival, a collaboration between Musabi students and Niigata City residents to create artwork made with rice straw. From the Niigata City website: “Every year, students are invited to form Wara Art creation teams at Musabi. The students brainstorm motifs and designs for the artwork, and Nishikan Ward craftspeople construct the artwork frames based on that. In addition, Nishikan Ward farmers harvest the rice straw needed for the art and give it to the students. While the students create the artwork, they stay in Nishikan Ward and receive advice from the craftspeople and farmers. They eat local cuisine prepared by the farmers. In this way, the artwork is completed while the students deepen their exchange with the locals.”
2.
London Fashion Week Men’s wrapped Monday, the end of an exhilarating four days of bold designs and oversized everything! Unlike any other fashion week, however, the senior United States senator from West Virginia Joe Manchin showed up sporting fashion styles from the likes of Vivienne Westwood and Christopher Raeburn.
One audience member was heard to remark, “Joe really knows how to walk the walk.”
Relaxing after the show, smoking an Upmann Magnum 54, he was joined by the other fashion maven Kyrsten Sinema along with former Raytheon weapons lobbyist Mark Esper. Joe quipped to the press, “This fashion show was a much needed break from thinking about my responsibilities to the American people. Throughout the last three months, I have been straightforward about my concerns that I will not support a reconciliation package that expands social programs and irresponsibly adds to our nearly $29 trillion in national debt that no one else seems to care about. Nor will I support a package that risks hurting American families suffering from historic inflation." All three had a chuckle over the $285 million in campaign contributions and $2.5 billion in lobbying spending to influence defense policy.
Even though this legislation will fund translational research at universities, bolster supply-chain resilience around ports, accelerate the deployment of low- and zero-emissions technologies, promote rural prosperity, establish incubator spaces for Main Street small businesses in underserved communities, provide funding for Indigenous communities, and represent a genuine breakthrough for the growing recognition that smart investments aimed at strengthening the economies of particular regions or localities can enhance overall welfare and prosperity, Joe would rather put that money and much more into military spending. He seems to be just fine with the more than $7 trillion on various military pursuits as compared to spending $3.5 trillion–OVER A TEN YEAR PERIOD–on frivolous things like childcare, education, medical leave, affordable housing, and the environment.
What a guy!
3.
4.
Perhaps I’ve found my retirement town–Frankenmuth, Michigan. Their Bavarian charm, Christmas knickknacks, and all-you-can-eat restaurants draw hordes every holiday season to the twinkly streets. Linda Lee is the main accordionist at the Bavarian Inn and my dream is she will want a night or two off now and again to rest her weary dogs. Most likely will start a Go-Fund-Me soon…
5.
Not your typical Thanksgiving Day prayer, and not in regular rotation on the TeeVees at the Bavarian Inn mentioned above, so don’t open this video…just sayin’.
And now…