Bloggers Unite for Human Rights

I've been an advocate of human rights in my own quiet little ways since I was a teenager. I can remember begging and pleading my parents to agree to keep a foreign exchange student so I could understand what it was like to live in another country. Claudia, from Brasilia, Brazil, was our first student. She was so much like me and yet so different--and I was hooked. I begged and pleaded to be allowed to go somewhere as an exchange student, and I spent my 16th birthday in Peru. My parents hosted many students over the years, and when my own children were in school I followed suit. My oldest daughter has lived in both New Zealand and Russia--Siberia, no less--and we learned from a Serbian teenager what life was like under Milosovic.

Right now I'd love to jump on the bandwagon with the others who criticize the actions of the Myanmar government. There were human rights issues galore there before Cyclone Nargis struck, and now that the government is restricting aid to its homeless, starving, and injured citizens, the number and urgency of human rights issues in that country has soared.

But I'm too embarrassed to say too much. You know, it's that old "he who lives in a glass house shouldn't throw stones" saying. The U.S. detention facility at Guantánamo Bay has become a global symbol of U.S. human rights violations: illegal detention, denial of fundamental legal rights, and torture. There is absolutely nothing that can be done to improve the image of our Guantánamo Bay facility, and it will serve as an embarrassment to the United States for generations. I agree with Amnesty International that the only proper recourse is to close the facility.

Tearitdown.org is Amnesty International’s global initiative to end illegal U.S. detentions. You can do something about Guantánamo: Click the image below and sign the pledge. Hang around for a few seconds afterward and watch the show--and let me know if you manage to see your own name (I couldn't sit still long enough to wait for mine).

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If you want to do something on a more personal level, host a foreign exchange student--it's a handshake toward future global understanding, tolerance, and peace.

Studio Update

I posted some "before" pictures of my new studio/workshop last month. We're making progress, slowly but surely. I've got almost all of the moving boxes either packed or moved inside the house. The plumbers have added the pipes so we can put a sink in. I use water to clean the glass, in the grinder, to drill holes, etc., so the sink is one thing I really need. The electrician has added breakers and wiring, including the 220v and special outlet for the new kiln. And we bought insulation and drywall to finish the walls, and lumber for work tables and shelving. At this rate it's going to take us at least 6 months to get the remodeling finished, and that's if we work on it during every spare minute. But it's the journey, not the destination, right?

Does Your Creativity Need a Boost?

Most of us can use a little help once in a while, and if you'd like to rev up your creative juices you may want to consider working with a creativity coach. This can be very expensive and for many struggling artists seems like an impossible dream. Eric Maisel, author of many books on creativity, teaches people to be creativity coaches and as part of their training his students work with clients for free. The next training begins June 16 and coaches-in-training will work, via email, with clients at no charge for the 16 weeks of the training. If you would like a little help with any art-related or creativity-related issue: blocks, procrastination, career issues, motivation issues, etc., just send him a paragraph about you and a paragraph about what you would like to work on with a creativity coach. Send that info to ericmaisel@hotmail.com. I've done this program with one of his students before and it was so helpful I'm thinking of doing it again!

How Lucky is Your Favorite Mom?

Mother's Day is just a couple of days away. Are you done shopping? If not, this is your lucky day! I offer a selection of LuckyGirl Gift-of-the-Month Clubs: you can choose pendants, earrings, a mix of pendants and earrings, and even Temari. All gifts will be shipped directly to the mom of your choice and customized to her unique preferences. Place an order by this Sunday and I'll email a color preference questionnaire with a gift announcement to your favorite Mom. And a bonus just for my blog readers: I'll add one free month on to whichever gift club you select. Just send me a message after you order that says "It's My Mom's Lucky Day!"