Part One: Vintage Holiday Decorating Ideas (A Must Read Guide!) | Ruby Lane Blog

Part One: Vintage Holiday Decorating Ideas (A Must Read Guide!) | Ruby Lane Blog

Μουσείο κουκλών του Δρ Ε στα Ελληνικά : Doll Museum: Caveat Emptor, Doll Buyers, Be Aware!...

Μουσείο κουκλών του Δρ Ε στα Ελληνικά : Doll Museum: Caveat Emptor, Doll Buyers, Be Aware!...: Doll Museum: Caveat Emptor, Doll Buyers, Be Aware!! : From renowned expert Lynn Murray on NADDA site, and brought to my attention by my dear...

Supporting Small Business; Antique Collectors and Crafters have done it for Years!

Today I caught an AOL headline that made me pause; the "heartbreaking" news was that Duck Dynasty was entering its last TV season.  Call the grief counselors, I guess.  I would think the other headline I caught on ABC would be more heartbreaking, and give us more pause;  Stephen Hawking announced that the human race was disappear from the earth in another 1000 years.  Granted, we probably won't be there to worry, mourn, or fuss, but that, to me, is a lot more heartbreaking than a cancelled TV show.  Oh well, I guess we all live on in syndication.


Maybe like the artifacts in Wall-E, our dolls and collections will outlive us, mute future antiquities to whom we were.  That's why they deserve museums to save them. 


With that in mind, it occurs to me that most of us how deal in dolls/antiques, collect them, write about them, restore them, curate them, etc.,  are small business people.  We buy from each other, and thereby support small business as naturally as breathing.  We invented Small Business Saturday, recycling, and buy local, a long, long time ago.


We represent peoples' dreams, hopes, and passions.  Those of us who write and craft carryon the tradition. We are resilient, and show that we can make things and take care of ourselves, even in the worst of times.  Ben Franklin would be proud of us, and so should Martha Stewart.


I could write a book on this subject alone.

As for the human race disappearing, somehow, I don't think so. We are an optimistic lot.  At our local astronomy club last Monday, I listened to a presentation on science v. science fiction, and the point was made that all aliens in sci fi are anthropomorphized in some way, either with human characteristics like speech, or as humanoid figures that walk, even if they look like monsters with big eyes and antennae.  Is it arrogant that we assume if there are aliens, they will resemble us?  Think back to Gulliver's Travels, and the strange worlds of his voyage, where even the intellectual horses talked, and thought, like men and women.


Dolls reflect these imaginary musings.  We have alien dolls, and talking animal figures, and androids galore.  Even Make magazine talked about marionettes, and robot-mixed drones, along with the usual topics involving animation and robotics.


The are some thoughts that swim in my head that I wanted to ponder.  Forgive any misspellings and typos; it's been a hard week.  But, Happy Thanksgiving, Seasons Greetings, and Peace to All!!

PROGRAMS OFFERED BY THE HOLOCAUST EDUCATION COMMITTEE OF THE GREATER QUAD CITY AREA

PROGRAMS OFFERED

BY

THE HOLOCAUST EDUCATION COMMITTEE

OF THE GREATER QUAD CITY AREA

SPEAKERS AND PRESENTERS

Authors, exhibits, Holocaust specialists and dramatic presentations are provided to schools, libraries, churches and other community venues through grants and collaboration with community groups.

INSTITUTES AND WORKSHOPS

Since 1993, Holocaust institutes and workshops have been offered to Quad City educators, students and community members.  Institutes are scheduled in the fall of odd-numbered years.

TRUNKS AND OTHER EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS

The Jeff Leibovitz Special Collection, housed at the Western Illinois University Quad City Campus in Moline, provides access to over a thousand resources, including sets of traveling curriculum cases focused on Making a Difference, Rescuers and Resisters, and Diaries and Memoirs. 

ESSAY AND ART CONTESTS

The Ida Kramer Children and the Holocaust Essay Contest and the Meyer and Frances Shnurman Holocaust Visual Arts Contest are open to students in grades 7-12.  Submissions are due annually on February 1.

TEACHER SCHOLARSHIPS

Applications for the Rauch Foundation Teacher Scholarship, from $200 to $2,000, are due annually on April 1 or October 1 to support professional development.  The scholarship covers expenses for travel, housing, and/or registration for conferences, workshops or tours.

A BOOK BY ME

Youth, 18 years old or younger, interview, research, write and illustrate a 10-page book about a Holocaust survivor, liberator or rescuer.  

           

Promoting a higher awareness of the Holocaust as a unique historical event with universal implications for today

WEBSITE: www.hecqc.org

An Apologia for Countess Erzebet Bathory: Happy Halloween

An Apologia for Countess Erzebet Bathory: Happy Halloween: To everyone, from Erzebet and all of us, Happy, Safe Halloween!!

Online Literary Magazine for CM 220, CM 107 Classes and Friends of KU: Writing Success from A Composition II Student

Online Literary Magazine for CM 220, CM 107 Classes and Friends of KU: Writing Success from A Composition II Student: Plan for Success and Topic Ideas  by Rey Marquez, Jr.   My writing has improved over time, but it has been a journey. I have learn...