The Grid Book / Hannah B Higgins

http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=11683

Emblematic of modernity, the grid gives form to everything from skyscrapers and office cubicles to Mondrian paintings and bits of computer code. And yet, as Hannah Higgins makes clear in this wide-ranging and revelatory book, the grid has a history that long predates modernity; it is the most prominent visual structure in Western culture. In The Grid Book, Higgins examines the history of ten grids that changed the world: the brick, the tablet, the gridiron city plan, the map, musical notation, the ledger, the screen, moveable type, the manufactured box, and the net. Charting the evolution of each grid, from the Paleolithic brick of ancient Mesopotamia through the virtual connections of the Internet, Higgins demonstrates that once a grid is invented, it may bend, crumble, or shatter, but its organizing principle never disappears.

The appearance of each grid was a watershed event. Brick, tablet, and city gridiron made possible sturdy housing, the standardization of language, and urban development. Maps, musical notation, financial ledgers, and moveable type promoted the organization of space, music, and time, international trade, and mass literacy. The screen of perspective painting heralded the science of the modern period, classical mechanics, and the screen arts, while the standardization of space made possible by the manufactured box suggested the purified box forms of industrial architecture and visual art. The net, the most ancient grid, made its first appearance in Stone Age Finland; today, the loose but clearly articulated networks of the World Wide Web suggest that we are witnessing the emergence of a grid of unprecedented proportions—one so powerful that it is reshaping the world, as grids do, in its image.

About the Author

Hannah B Higgins is Associate Professor in the Department of Art History at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is the author of Fluxus Experience.

Reviews "[I]t is...an informative and sometimes provocative meditation on the place of geometry in human life." —Bryan Hayes, American Scientist

Endorsements "The title of this book does not begin to describe how subversive its intentions are. Higgins's review of the deep history of the grid rescues it from whatever claims modernism has made to its form and function, and more precisely identifies the grid as a tool of human cognition, which has happened to have a profound effect on our visual culture throughout history." —Lorraine Wild, award-winning designer, cofounder of Greybull Press, and member of the faculty at the California Institute of the Arts "Here is a natural storyteller, with scholarly depth, apparently motivated by delight. Where another information historian might have breezily justified your cultural comfort with the net, or else made a jargon-laden assault against it, Hannah Higgins has found the right pitch. Whatever grids you are on, this brightly edited book might help you know them better or see them differently." —Malcolm McCullough, author of Abstracting Craft "Hannah Higgins's new book on grids is a confident synthesis of art, architecture, geography, geometry, urbanism, and social history. Its elegant prose and easy erudition recall the work of Lewis Mumford; its intellectual energy and subtle humor, the writing of Roland Barthes." —Stephen F. Eisenman, Professor of Art History, Northwestern University

natural earth pigments palette...

...that I'm introducing into my work:


Venetian Red (natural earth/ochre)
Ercolano Red (oxide/hematite)
Red 140 (oxide)
Ercolano Orange (oxide)
Medium Yellow Sun (oxide)
Dark Yellow Ochre (ochre)
Viridian (oxide)
S.O.F. Green (oxide)
Medium Green Parrot (oxide)
French Ultramarine Blue Dark (oxide)
Blue MC (oxide)
Lavender Blue (ochre base w/mineral)
Ultramarine Violet (ochre based mineral)
Colonial Violet (natural hematite)
Titanium White (oxide)
Natural Black (oxide)

Seasonal Ayurveda

ayurvedic notes from John Immel of Joyful Belly in Asheville,

NC. www.joyfulbelly.com

John Immel writes on many seasonal approaches to Ayurvedic 

lifestyles.

April Showers & Body Moisture

Along with showers and springtime flowers, the buildup of congestion in the body peaks during the month of April. The body continues to metabolize and release winter fats from the skin. Warmer temperatures moisturize the skin. A warm day mixed with a heavy carbohydrate meal could be a challenging cocktail for your constitution. Simply put, the body has a hard time dealing with heavy foods on warm spring days. Instead of enriching the blood, the body wants to "lighten up" for summer by burning off excess. 

There are many signs of springtime congestion. Excess saliva, mucus buildup in the sinuses, achy flu-like symptoms, and a sore patch in the back of the throat are all likely signs that your whole system is congested from "rich spring blood." Spring emotions tend to vacillate as quickly as the weather between grief over loss, to the joy of rebirth and renewal. 

As the thermometer rises in April, we transition away from spices. Instead, "Eat beansand greens" for a healthy balance of astringent and bitter tastes. Foods with astringent taste make the tongue feel like sandpaper. Astringent taste restores tone and firmness to tissues. Bitter taste detoxifies the liver. Hummus Spiced with Cumin, served on a bed of arugula, is a perfect combination for April weather wetness. 

Beans are high in potassium, a diuretic that drains these excess fluids from the body. In Ayurvedic terms, potassium has dry quality and astringent taste. It’s action is the opposite to sodium in our body, relieving water retention. Parsley comes from the Greek "rock celery" is also a strong diuretic effect that flushes excess water from the tissues. The dry quality of beans and parsley can aggravate Vata.

Beans: The Musical Fruit

Beans are also high in saponins, a natural insect repellent that is also a protein digestion inhibitor. These saponins are difficult to digest and cause noxious gas. Since the primary site of protein digestion is the stomach, people who have gas after eating beans may also have an upper GI deficiency. 

Beans that are cooked properly are easier to digest. Soak beans overnight then strain before cooking. Then slowly cook beans for a long time, skimming any suds (the saponins) off the surface. Saponins are water-soluble. Changing the water several times during the cooking process reduces their concentration. Adding a small square of kombu or sea kelp to the beans can also improve digestibility. Kelp helps to break the beans down into smaller and easier to digest particles. Serve beans soft and spicy. If beans still give you gas, choose an easier bean like green beans or sweet peas. Lastly, buy canned beans instead of dried. Because canning companies recognize that gas affects their bottom line, they are invested in cooking methods that result in a fart-free product.

Beans for Fiber & Cholesterol

If your body is not aggravated by dryness, and you can digest beans without gas, they are an essential food for cleansing in the spring. Not only reducing water weight, they are high in soluble and insoluble fiber. The fiber is chickpeas is nearly 75% insoluble which remains undigested until it reaches the colon. This significantly bulks up stools for a satisfying morning elimination. As with many high fiber foods, beans have been shown to reduce cholesterol, perhaps because of its flushing effect on the gall bladder. The high protein content in beans helps rebuild muscle tissue as winter hibernation yields to outdoor activities and projects. 

new work space, medium...

The new work space installed with beeswax, pigment powders and heating element. The surface area of the table is 48"x 72" and stands 38" high. A departure from using the commercial Stockmar beeswax crayon I've been using almost completely as a medium for the past dozen years. Will be mixing the beeswax and pigment colors to work with wet and dry. The pigments are from Earth Pigments http://www.earthpigments.com (nci) and the heating element from R&F http://www.rfpaints.com (nci)
The "non toxic" pigments will provide a new palette of earth colors for me. I'll keep my Stockmar crayons and use them with my new palette and other elements ...

general radiation exposure w/herbs and whole foods

from Maderi Centre for Natural Healing; 

"At this point the consensus seems to be that there is very little threat to human health in this hemisphere. Nevertheless, we view this increase in concern over the dangers of radiation exposure as an opportunity to raise awareness around how we can better protect ourselves from radiation we are exposed to everyday. Adaptogens, medicinal mushroom extracts, whey protein, cruciferous vegetable extracts, and  sea vegetables are some examples of tools useful not only in the case of emergency, but for  everyday life." To include Maderi' suggestions as whole organic foods  in our diets is also very helpful.

The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education

http://www.schuylkillcenter.org
About

Since its incorporation in July 1965, The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education (originally named Schuylkill Valley Nature Center) has been a regional and national leader in urban environmental education. As a not-for-profit institution, the Center began operation as one of the first environmental education facility located within the limits of a major metropolitan area in the country.
The organization's grounds, located on agricultural land that was farmed until the mid-1960's, has grown from the 11 acres originally gifted by the Center's Founders: Lawrence M. C. Smith, Mrs. Lawrence M. C. Smith, Mrs. Robert R. Meigs, and Henry H. H. Meigs. Under the direction of Richard James, the organization's founding Executive Director; the Center grew to encompass 340 acres of land - the largest privately-owned open space area within the city limits of Philadelphia - featuring a variety of habitats including woodlands, meadows, five teaching ponds and wetlands. In addition, four miles of hiking trails, public programs for all ages, school programs for K-graduate level students, and teacher workshops attract a multitude of visitors to the Center.
Originally operating out of River House, a historic summer home once a part of the Center's property, the organization now occupies the main Education Building. The entire Education Building houses laboratories, classrooms, an interactive children's exhibit (Discovery Center), a bookstore, an auditorium, staff offices, and the K-8th grade Green Woods Charter School. In addition, the Center's grounds contain a pavilion, environmental art trail, native plant nursery, and various ecological restoration sites. Located on the eastern side of the property is the Center's Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic, which treats injured, orphaned, and sick native wildlife and provides wildlife education community programs.
In 2000, the Center adopted its Facilities Master Plan. This document was developed by Andropogon Associates, Ltd. and provides a framework for translating the Center's mission into a coherent physical plan in order to enhance the organization's educational programming.
Today, the Center continues to provide a high level of environmental education to the surrounding communities through its four interrelated departments: Education, Land Restoration, Wildlife Rehabilitation, and Environmental Art.

Anusara Yoga with Desiree Rumbaugh

Am enJoy with two 3 hr Anusara yoga workshops with Desiree Rumbaugh that I attended the 24th and 25th in Wilmington NC. Desiree brings one/all to our/their limit and gently, honestly and playfully allows one/all to move on to our next level of growth with yoga.

from her website - http://www.desireerumbaugh.com/biography.htm

About Anusara

Founded by John Friend in 1997, Anusara Yoga® is a powerful hatha yoga system that unifies a Tantric philosophy of intrinsic Goodness with Universal Principles of Alignment™. Anusara's remarkable popularity is due in large part to its uplifting philosophy, epitomized by a "celebration of the heart," that looks for the good in all people and all things. - John Friend
 

I feel blessed and fortunate to be a part of the worldwide Anusara community started by John Friend.
I had the great good fortune of meeting John in the fall of 1993. He was teaching a small workshop (25 people) in the Phoenix area and I had just moved back there (to my home town) from the LA area. He was certified in Iyengar yoga at that time and he helped me prepare and obtain my Iyengar certification in 1994. In 1997, when he founded Anusara, I chose to follow that path.

Anusara philosophy is a perfect fit for me. John has been patient and unrelenting, urging me to see my own power and light. As I have learned over the years to believe in myself and look for the good in myself and others, I have seen and experienced miracles.
I have found my true calling, traveling all over the world sharing the transformational healing power of Anusara. I am inspired everywhere I go and I have met incredible people.
Like John, my vision is to spread the word that yoga can really and truly help us as humans, to connect with our True Divine nature and thereby find real and lasting peace and even joy in life. It is my experience and opinion that no other person or thing can give us any kind of guarantee that they will always be there for us. We must develop a relationship with our higher Self----that is the only security.

I realize that hatha yoga is probably only going to be appealing to those with strong “warrior” type natures. Yet, at the same time, I have met many people who have that nature, but just don’t know how to develop it. The Anusara method of Hatha yoga is unsurpassed in its ability to reduce fear, increase personal empowerment and open people up to experiencing their uniqueness and freedom.

Because we as Anusara teachers are so rigorously trained, we are able to help those with complicated therapeutic needs. In addition, the requirements for Anusara certification require that we search ourselves deeply and completely surrender to the practice and the search for our True Self.

Teaching Anusara yoga is like throwing pebbles into a body of water. Each person who is touched at this level, in turn, reaches out through their family, friends and their work and lifts the vibration of a few others. Multiply this by hundreds of thousands and we are really making a difference in the world.

Happy Birthday Desiree!


My heart is exploding with gratitude and passion. Tonite will be going to a Full Moon Yoga celebration on the beach for a culmination of 6 yoga practices in 6 days . Each practice was 1 1/2 - 3 hrs. A most intensive week of yoga for me. Large thanks to all my teachers/students. 


Namaste within/out!

The Earth Pigments Company nci

     

Have just come on this website, http://www.earthpigments.com. They have some goods!
pigments, tools like biodegradable paint cups, mediums (damar varnish, casein, beeswax, and gum arabic, etc.) and information to use when making different medium paints (oils, watercolor, acrylic, cassein, egg tempera, etc.) Will likely order some beeswax and pigment...