22 June 2011

Hera: from India?

The Wiki entry for Hera says that peacocks and cattle are the animals that were most closely associated with her, in ancient Greece. The usual milch animal in Greece was the goat; peacocks did not exist in Greece. Was Hera from India originally?

19 June 2011

Questions, answered

For me, movies are a fantastical experience, and when the moviemaker doesn't honor his or her participation in the world of fantasy, I get bored. On the other hand, movies always raise realistic questions for me, like: Who cleans up the mess when after a fight? What happens to the bodies? If a hero's a great marksman, why shoot twenty rounds when one or two would do? If a hero's a great man, why can't he do a little more by way of being noble? Act from good, in the moment, always? 

17 June 2011

What my hands made once

Early school days: A dirndl skirt of unbleached muslin printed with a floral pattern in indigo dye, my first hand-made creation, made from cloth given to me by a textile factory manager when my father took me on a factory-visiting trip when I was seven. A reddish corduroy sleeveless jumper dress. Both garments surprised me in how a piece of flat cloth is transformed into something dimensional, beautiful, resilient and useful.