Thursday, November 8, 2007

What you are about to read is an American life as lived by renowned author Edmund White. His life has been a crossroads, the fulcrum of high-brow Classicism and low-brow Brett Easton Ellisism. It is not for the faint. He has been the toast of the literary elite in New York, London and Paris, befriending artistic luminaries such as Salman Rushdie and Sir Ian McKellen while writing about a family where he was jealous his sister was having sex with his father as he fought off his mother’s amorous pursuit.

The fact is, Edmund White exists. His life exists. To the casual reader, they may find it disquieting that someone like his father existed in 1950’s America and that White’s work is the progeny of his intimate effort to understand his own experience.

Wikinews reporter David Shankbone understood that an interview with Edmund White, who is professor of creative writing at Princeton University, who wrote the seminal biography of Jean Genet, and who no longer can keep track of how many sex partners he has encountered, meant nothing would be off limits. Nothing was. Late in the interview they were joined by his partner Michael Caroll, who discussed White’s enduring feud with influential writer and activist Larry Kramer.

Contents

  • 1 On literature
  • 2 On work as a gay writer
  • 3 On sex
  • 4 On incest in his family
  • 5 On American politics
  • 6 On his intimate relationships
  • 7 On Edmund White
  • 8 On Larry Kramer
  • 9 Source
Posted in Uncategorized

Sunday, July 1, 2007

England have beaten West Indies by 79 runs in the first One-Day International of the West Indies tour of England at Lord’s, London, England, giving Paul Collingwood victory in his first match as England’s one-day captain.

England started their innings slowly, scoring just 26 runs off the first 10 overs. Although Ian Bell hit 56 runs, the England batsmen struggled, restricted to 255 by the West Indies bowling attack with just 12 boundaries being scored and Fidel Edwards taking five wickets.

In reply, West Indies had a disastrous start losing four wickets for just thirteen runs. Shivnarine Chanderpaul scored 53 not out, and shared a 61 run partnership with Dwayne Bravo (29). However James Anderson, taking two wickets in two balls, and wickets from Stuart Broad (3-20) and Liam Plunkett (2-38) reduced West Indies to 146 all out.

Play was suspended for about fifty minutes after 42.4 overs of the England innings due to rain, with England at 181-4.

This is the first ODI in a three match series, with the others due to take place at Edgbaston on 4th July and Trent Bridge on 7th July. England lead the series 1-0.

Previously on the tour, England won a four match Test series 3-0 and drew the two match Twenty20 series 1-1.

Toss: West Indies won, and chose to field first.

England innings
Player Status Runs Balls 4s 6s Strike rate
AN Cook c Bravo b Edwards 29 47 3 0 61.70
MJ Prior lbw b DR Smith 34 65 2 0 52.30
IR Bell run out (Gayle/Samuels) 56 75 2 0 74.66
KP Pietersen c Samuels b Bravo 33 47 1 0 70.21
OA Shah run out (Ramdin) 42 38 4 0 110.52
PD Collingwood b Edwards 5 7 0 0 71.42
AD Mascarenhas b Edwards 2 7 0 0 28.57
LE Plunkett c Ramdin b Edwards 4 5 0 0 80.00
SCJ Broad c Ramdin b Edwards 0 3 0 0 0.00
MS Panesar lbw b Rampaul 1 5 0 0 20.00
JM Anderson not out 0 1 0 0 0.00
Extras (b 4, lb 6, w 8, nb 1) 19
Total (all out; 49.5 overs) 225 12 0

Fall of wickets: 1-47 (Cook, 13.3 ov), 2-96 (Prior, 24.2 ov), 3-148 (Pietersen, 36.6 ov), 4-177 (Bell, 41.6 ov), 5-186 (Collingwood, 43.6 ov), 6-199 (Mascarenhas, 45.6 ov), 7-209 (Plunkett, 47.2 ov), 8-210 (Broad, 47.4 ov), 9-216 (Panesar, 48.6 ov), 10-225 (Shah, 49.5 ov)

West Indies bowling
Bowler Overs Maidens Runs Wickets Econ
R Rampaul 9 1 36 1 4.00
DBL Powell 10 1 46 0 4.60
FH Edwards 10 0 45 5 4.50
DR Smith 10 0 42 1 4.20
MN Samuels 5 0 18 0 3.60
DJ Bravo 5.5 0 28 1 4.80
West Indies innings (Target: 226 runs from 50 overs)
Player Status Runs Balls 4s 6s Strike rate
CH Gayle c Broad b Plunkett 6 14 1 0 42.85
DS Smith run out (Anderson/Prior) 4 6 0 0 66.66
RS Morton b Anderson 0 8 0 0 0.00
MN Samuels c Prior b Anderson 0 1 0 0 0.00
S Chanderpaul not out 53 100 5 0 53.00
DJ Bravo c Prior b Broad 29 34 4 0 85.29
D Ramdin b Broad 0 2 0 0 0.00
DR Smith c Prior b Broad 6 14 1 0 42.85
DBL Powell lbw b Panesar 1 8 0 0 12.50
R Rampaul c Broad b Plunkett 24 43 3 0 55.81
FH Edwards run out (Anderson/Collingwood) 2 10 0 0 20.00
Extras (lb 16, w 4, nb 1) 21
Total (all out; 39.5 overs) 146 14 0

Fall of wickets: 1-9 (Gayle, 3.1 ov), 2-12 (Morton, 4.3 ov), 3-12 (Samuels, 4.4 ov), 4-13 (DS Smith, 5.1 ov), 5-74 (Bravo, 16.2 ov), 6-74 (Ramdin, 16.4 ov), 7-93 (DR Smith, 20.5 ov), 8-100 (Powell, 23.2 ov), 9-135 (Rampaul, 34.3 ov), 10-146 (Edwards, 39.5 ov)

England bowling
Bowler Overs Maidens Runs Wickets Econ
JM Anderson 8 2 23 2 2.87
LE Plunkett 10 1 38 2 3.80
SCJ Broad 9 0 20 3 2.22
AD Mascarenhas 4 0 18 0 4.50
MS Panesar 8 0 29 1 3.62
PD Collingwood 0.5 0 2 0 2.40

England: A N Cook, M J Prior (wkt), I R Bell, K P Pietersen, P D Collingwood (capt), O A Shah, A D Mascarenhas , L E Plunkett, S C J Broad, M S Panesar, J M Anderson

West Indies: C H Gayle (capt), D S Smith, S Chanderpaul, M N Samuels, D J Bravo, D Ramdin (wkt), D R Smith, R S Morton, F H Edwards, R Rampaul, D B L Powell

ODI Debutant: A D Mascarenhas (England)Player of the match: F H Edwards (West Indies)

Umpires: B G Jerling (South Africa) and N J LlongTV Umpire: P J HartleyMatch referee: M J Procter (South Africa)Reserve Umpire: T E Jesty

 This story has updates See West Indies cricket team in England 2007-1st Twenty20, June 28, 2007 
Posted in Uncategorized

Saturday, March 26, 2011

On Thursday, London’s Mayor Boris Johnson announced the shortlist of bidders to supply up to ten further trams to Transport for London (TfL) for use on the city’s Tramlink network in Croydon. The trams will be used to supply additional capacity on the network between Elmers End, central Croydon and Therapia Lane — one of the most congested parts of the route.

TfL, who purchased the Tramlink network from Tramtrack Croydon Ltd. in 2008, announced the plans late January, after submitting the tender to the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) on January 29. According to the notice, the additional trams will operate approximately 75,000km per year, will be needed for “at least 10, but not more than 20 years” and can be either new build or existing vehicles that can be modified — at a reasonable cost — to run on the Tramlink infrastructure.

The tram fleet is currently made up of 24 Bombardier CR4000 trams, which were constructed for the opening of the 28km network between 1998 and 2000. 22 of these trams are currently needed to operate the three tram routes each day, and the new service is expected to require at least an additional five trams daily, bringing about the need for a boost to the fleet levels.

The shortlist to supply the trams consists of City of Edinburgh/CAF, Stadler (Stadler Pankow GmBH) and Pesa (Pojazdy Szynowe PESA Bydgoszcz S.A.Holding, and the the three consortia will now be invited to submit proposals to supply the additional trams. The Invitation to Tender will run for four weeks.

It is not currently known whether the bids made by Stadler and Pesa will be for new-build or second-hand vehicles, however the bid from Edinburgh/CAF is to use a number of the currently-dormant trams that were constructed for that city’s own tram network. The system has had several set backs since construction began, with the network now set to open in stages with a number of tram lines (but not the trams to operate them) being cancelled, leading to a large surplus of vehicles that could be hired out in the short term. The trams are amongst some of the longest and heaviest in Europe, though, and will require a large amount of modification to enable them to be able to operate on Croydon’s network if the bid is successful.

Shortly after the announcement, whilst inspecting one of the network’s current trams at East Croydon tram stop, Boris Johnson said: “I have no greater responsibility as Mayor than to ensure people can move around this city with ease, comfort and reliability.

“Trams in Croydon have proved a major success and this is reflected in journey numbers which have soared by 45 per cent since the network opened in 2000.

“I look forward to the extra vehicles developing this vital, much-appreciated, and indeed attractive, form of transport further.”

Funding for the new trams is expected to largely come from TfL, however the London Borough of Croydon has also confirmed a £3m contribution to the project. This will also include the refurbishment of tram stop surrounds.

Croydon Council Leader Mike Fisher said: “This is looking like a great deal for Croydon and shows the benefits of an ambitious local authority and committed Mayor working together, pooling resources and expertise.

“There is real support to get additional trams for Croydon to keep pace with growing demand for Tramlink services and also to secure major improvements for pedestrians and transport users around and between East and West Croydon stations.”

TfL anticipates that, providing a successful bid is made, the new trams would be delivered to the network’s depot at Therapia Lane in late 2011, with an entry into service from early 2012.

Posted in Uncategorized

Monday, February 27, 2006

Six teenagers were killed in a horrific road accident near Mildura in north-western Victoria, Australia late at night on February 18.

Cassandra Manners, aged 16, Stevie-Lee Weight, 15, Cory Dowling, 16, Shane Hirst, 16, and his sister, Abby Hirst, 17, died at the scene. Josephine Calvi, 16, was flown to the Royal Adelaide Hospital, where she later died of head injuries. Seven other teenagers were injured, including 15-year-old Marco Medici who is now in a stable but critical condition in The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne.

The accident occurred after the teenagers left a 16th birthday party and walked along Myall Road, Cardross, south-east of Mildura. A car allegedly came speeding around a bend, hit the gravel on the side of the road, lost control and struck the group. The alleged driver, later identified as 34-year-old Thomas Graham Towle, fled the scene on foot, leaving his 10-year-old daughter and four-year-old son in the car. Towle was later arrested by police in Redcliffs. He was taken to Mildura police station for questioning.

Towle has been charged with six charges of culpable driving causing death, four charges of negligently causing serious injury, one charge of failing to stop and one charge of failing to render assistance after an accident. Towle faced Mildura Magistrates’ Court on February 20. Magistrate John Dugdale remanded him into custody to reappear before the court on June 26.

Meanwhile, the town of Mildura and surrounding areas is in deep mourning. Premier Steve Bracks said the State Government will provide $AU40,000 for counselling and support services.

Around 3,000 people attended the funeral for Josephine Calvi today. Funeral services for the other five teenagers were held last week.

Posted in Uncategorized

Submitted by: Tim Leach

Its well documented that there are no medically verified cures for HIV and AIDS. While researchers continue to make progress towards getting a cure, there are always going to be a number of discredited treatments and conmen trying to make some money off the backs of peoples desperation. Here are 9 of the more unusual ones, as well as one that is yet to be externally verified thats been rumbling on for 8 years

The Remarkable Recovery of Andrew Stimpson

Anecdotally, there have been a lot of cases of people spontaneously recovering for no reason whatsoever, but in November 2005, two British newspapers broke the story of Andrew Stimpson. In May 2002, Stimpson underwent HIV testing and was diagnosed as positive. In August that year, he underwent two further tests both of which confirmed the original diagnosis. The viral load test showed the virus to be of low quantities, so he was not prescribed antiretroviral medication, but took vitamin supplements on his own volition.

14 months later, feeling surprisingly healthy he was tested again and found to have no HIV antibodies in the blood stream two follow up tests confirmed this. After attempting to sue the hospitals which had wrongly diagnosed him, it was confirmed that there was no mix-up, and his original blood sample was retested only to find another positive.

He went for follow up testing in 2006 to see if he held the answer of a cure in him, but no news has appeared since. Although 3 false positives is highly unlikely, many scientists still find it a more plausible explanation than a cure and the vitamins explanation is generally considered nonsense (many people worldwide take vitamins and mineral supplements, and there is no evidence to suggest they help cure an HIV infection.)

President Jammehs AIDS Cure

In January 2007, President Jammeh of Gambia made the claim that he could cure both Asthma and HIV/AIDS with a days treatment. He promised that in between 3 and 30 days an HIV test would show negative results. The treatment involves herbs mixed into a green paste and a pale yellow tea, along with the power of prayer.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF-PBjIzXC8[/youtube]

Although the Gambian president still continues the treatment, results have been met with skepticism at least two patients have died, and many others show no improvement. Those that do show an undetectable viral load test may well have been taking antiretroviral medication before the treatment, which often leaves the virus undetectable. The International AIDS association has labeled Gambias reliance on an untested program unethical and described the decision to take patients off antiretroviral medications shocking and irresponsible

Dr Sebi

Dr. Sebi was arrested in 1987 and again in 1997 for publishing false health claims and practicing medicine without a license, but that hasnt stopped many being taken in by his electric foods which claim to cure AIDS, cancer and others. The miracle cure, which comes with no verifiable evidence, is a mixture of plant extracts which claims to remove the mucous which Sebi believes is the cause of AIDS when compromised.

Ubhejane

Ubhejane is a brown liquid made from 89 herbs which is available in South Africa, created by Zeblon Gwala. Rigorous human trials have shown no evidence of this improving the condition of those with positive HIV test results, but that hasnt stopped the Gwalas employees describing it as a cure for AIDS. The opposition party in South Africa has attempted to prosecute Gwala for fraud, and recently the Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa demanded the withdrawal of an advert that boasted that the drug boosted immunity and reduced viral load.

Colloidal Silver

Colloidal Silver is a suspension of tiny silver particles in water. It can kill germs in laboratory conditions, but that doesnt mean that it benefits people with HIV as has been suggested. On top of the fact that there is no evidence that it works as a cure, taking Colloidal Silver can be incredibly dangerous. It is illegal in America, can cause irreversible bluish-grey skin discoloration (argyria) and in large doses can cause kidney damage, stomach issues, headaches, fatigue, skin irritation and neurological problems.

Virodene

In the late 1990s, Virodene was seen as a potential cure for AIDS, and was strongly supported by members of the South African government. Lab studies have shown that the chemical (based on the industrial solvent dimethylformamide) does not destroy HIV or inhibit its replication, and the only study on humans showed it did not reduce viral load and only marginally affected the immune system. Dimethylformamide in its original form is a toxic substance and workers are advised to avoid contact with the skin as it can cause serious liver damage!

Ozone

Ozone is a form of oxygen gas that is unstable its been touted as a cure for many diseases as well as for those who have had HIV tests return positive. Whatever form it is taken through injected, applied to extracts of blood, or swallowed the gas has shown no significant effects on HIV infection. Its illegal in America for retailers to make any health claims about ozone generators.

Dr. Hulda Clarks HIV Zapper

Dr. Hulda Clark who does not actually hold a medical license promotes an electrical zapper which she claims can destroy parasites, bacteria and viruses in the body by generating low voltage electricity. No proper studies of the zapper have been conducted, but given Dr Clark has been in trouble for practicing medicine without a licence in both the US and Mexico, and believes that HIV comes from intestinal worms and can be present in snails, would you really want to take a chance on her remedy?

Dr. Gary R. Davis Goat Serum

When a goat appeared to Dr. Gary R. Davis in a dream, he believed that a goat serum was the cure to HIV. He was unable to conduct tests in America or Ghana due to legal restrictions, but one woman stole a sample of the serum from his office and used it on her daughter. Despite many reports to the opposite, the daughter confirmed in an interview in 2006 that the treatment had not been successful and that subsequent HIV testing had provided positive results.

Jeremiah Abalaka

Along with all these discredited cures, there is one that has been rumbling on without a scientific approval for some 8 years now. In May 2000, the BBC reported on Jerimiah Abalaka, a Nigerian doctor who claimed to have found a cure and a vaccine against the dreaded HIV virus. After curing 29 people, Abalaka promised a paper on it soon and even claimed to have injected himself with HIV positive blood on six occasions to prove the success of his vaccine.

When the scientific paper was published, it emerged that the vaccine was developed from the blood of HIV patients and Abalaka claimed that it also eliminated antibodies for Hepatitis B and C, and improved malaria symptoms in a number of patients. New Scientist described the idea of a vaccine as plausible in 2004, but to date it has not been verified outside of the paper itself. The saga continues to rumble on, and the last I heard it Abalaka was suing the Nigerian Academy of Science for casting doubt upon the vaccine.

About the Author: Tim Leach is the Marketing Manager of USA Lab Testing, providers of confidential

HIV tests

.

Source:

isnare.com

Permanent Link:

isnare.com/?aid=347254&ca=Medicines+and+Remedies }

Posted in Health

Polo Shirts are now accepted as standard work wear

by

aditi mats

Embroidery can be truly great against your polo’s and promotional clothes, especially if can pattern the motif you. There is very little to defeat an embroidered brand, buying enough printed garments may look highly pro and indicate a competent solution to your corporation, embroidery introduces that elegant feeling the separates favorable organizations within the superb kinds. The majority related custom-made T-shirts together with other own outfits with silk monitor printing together with other ways you should watch out with when washing, and the can soften and melt against your iron any time you produce the slip-up of trying to iron them. However that could be in reality authentic only of some types of decorative ways, if you ever will need to iron like garments it should be regularly easy to so by placing some brown paper or perhaps damp towel amongst the iron additionally, the garment. Yet, that is the digression.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7-VVgwrKEc[/youtube]

As opposed to countless personalized printed clothes which entail numerous set-up associated with a silk-screen printing press much like the value of the screen, there is not any minimum amount purchase degree with embroidered items – clearly there’s a simple the least an individual! Indeed which is proper: with customized embroidery you have got merely one merchandise embroidered in your pattern, logo or title. This is because an individual item usually takes if to embroider alone as have been it an example of countless gadgets, related or several. With printing, yet, an individual item rates significantly a result of the value of the printing plate or display that you can use for nothing else, as even more are printed that fixed expenditure is distributed in excess of the items. So, considering that small children why the fee for embroidery is unrelated into the wide variety of article content getting embroidered, why already have it worn out clients?

A little printed or embroidered work wear is an effective option to advertise your home business. Consumers get accustomed to seeing your staff traveling all over when using the enterprise name emblazoned in their T-shirt, polo’s or standard work wear, just in case you have the product you offer, of course your company name also gets connected to that. Effortlessly, that maybe true despite how to place you important information towards the garment: employing a silk display screen printing press, by electronic printing system along with other procedure perhaps a stencil. Exactly why would someone use embroidery to encourage and not one of these other systems?

Effortless – it seems considerably better! An embroidered emblem or pattern seems to be as cool as its printed equal. The colors in embroidery are certainly more vibrant additionally, the variations supply a noticeably larger higher level of resolution – e.g they appear even more proper. You can use a one stitch to present depth, when participating in printing its more and more difficult to locate the same exact higher level of definition – in actual fact it’s hard to, period! What / things persons have embroidered: polo’s, work wear (mainly for sales and profits personnel and business office employees), sportswear and faculty and college use – they’ll have their own endorsed blazers embroidered over the pockets or even just pattern particular person badges which really can be professionally embroidered after which you can sewn over the jackets, blazers or polo’s. Embroidery delivers a better class of promotion with glowing radiant hues implementing reflective shimmering threads.

AUTHOR:-

SATVA DESIGN STUDIO

For more detail about

Embroidered polo shirt

, please visit our website:

Printed Tee shirt

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Polo Shirts are now accepted as standard work wear

Posted in Sport

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Four people have been arrested on terrorism charges in Islington, London, England, after a suspected petrol bombing on the house of Martin Rynja, owner of book publishing company Gibson Square.

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His company recently sparked controversy after buying the rights to publish The Jewel of Medina, a work of fiction by Sherry Jones depicting the Muslim prophet Muhammad and his child bride, Aisha.

The bombing, which occurred in the early hours of Saturday morning, led to the evacuation of the £2.5 million property in Lonsdale Square. Three men, aged 22, 30 and 40, were arrested at 2:25am BST by armed officers, two in Lonsdale Square, and one after being stopped near Angel tube station.

Police comments suggested that the trio had been under surveillance, and that they had advance knowledge of the plot and simply waited for the arsonists to strike, before arresting them.

On Saturday, a woman was arrested for obstructing police during their searches of four addresses – two in Walthamstow, and two in Ilford and Forest Gate.

Speaking earlier this month, Mr Rynja said that “The Jewel of Medina has become an important barometer of our time. As an independent publishing company, we feel strongly that we should not be afraid of the consequences of debate.” Ms Jones commented that she did not intend for her novel to be offensive to Islam. She noted that she “[has] deliberately and consciously written respectfully about Islam and Muhammad.” She “envisaged that [her] book would be a bridge builder” between Islam and the western world.

Posted in Uncategorized

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

An autopsy performed on Tuesday revealed that the late Boyzone singer Stephen Gately “had died of natural causes”.

Officials from the Spanish island of Majorca that Stephen had suffered from an accumulation of fluid on the lungs, or as it is known in scientific terms, a pulmonary edema. The 33-year-old singer was found dead on a sofa in the lounge of his apartment. He had been out of the accommodation for the night while he was partying with Andrew Cowles, who was his partner.

There was a court hearing held earlier today in Majorca. The hearing only lasted for a short time. The judge had decided that the family of Stephen Gately would be allowed to take his body back to the Republic of Ireland, the country in which Gately grew up and had lived in, by plane. After discovering Stephen’s death, the other members of Boyzone took a plane flight to Majorca, so as to comfort Andrew Cowles. They have now flown back to their homes.

Posted in Uncategorized

Friday, August 27, 2010

Apple Inc. will hold a music-centered event in San Francisco, California on September 1. It has been widely speculated that the company will introduce an updated line of iPod portable music players and a new Apple TV.

The company e-mailed invitations for the event to various media organizations on Wednesday. The message included a picture of a guitar and the time of the event. Apple did not release any information about what products would be involved.

Apple has released new iPods through previous similar events in September in anticipation of the holiday shopping season. This year, Apple may unveil a new iPod Touch with two cameras, similar to their recent iPhone 4 design. It will likely also update the iTunes music store and software.

Speculation about a new Apple TV is mixed. While many blogs are reporting that a refresh of the device will be announced, analysts say that it is unlikely to happen during next Wednesday’s event. According to Reuters, sources are saying that Apple is negotiating with major television networks, including ABC and NBC, in order to provide shows for purchase on iTunes. However, they also reported that the deal has not been completed, and none of the companies involved have commented on the rumors.

It has also been rumored that Apple will introduce a new online music service. In 2009, Apple took over a company that allowed users to stream music online rather than download individual songs. Apple has not confirmed the rumors.

Last September’s media event saw the return of Apple CEO Steve Jobs after he took a break to undergo a liver transplant. This year, the event will be held in San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, previously used by Apple in April for the unveiling of the iPad.

Posted in Uncategorized

William Morris Tapestries – The Merton Abbey Workshop

by

Angela Dawson-Field

Merton Abbey became the powerhouse of creativity in William Morris designs, and at a time when Morris designs were at the peak of their popularity. The design workshop had originally been accommodated within the Wardle factory, however Morris was becoming increasingly frustrated with aspects of this business and decided to seek out his own premises in order to pursuer the peace and tranquillity of space that artists need in order to breathe energy and inspiration into their work. The lack of space to create and challenges with the Wardle business had in some respects de motivated one of the best known designers in Britain. His requirements for the new factory included endless supplies of soft water and plenty of natural light so when Merton Abbey was discovered by William de Morgan as a potential site for pottery, Morris viewed the site and found it an ideal spot for his creative talents.

An Inspirational Find

The factory at Merton Abbey was originally constructed in the eighteenth century for Huguenot silk throwers and then became a print works. Just prior to the takeover by Morris the factory had been operated by Welch Brothers, as a calico printers. Standing on a seven acre site the factory had a supply of water from the River Wandle which turned the water wheel and proved ideal for madder dyeing. The property had an orchard as well as a vegetable garden and offices. The workshops themselves were red bricked two storey buildings and proved easily adaptable to glass painting, fabric weaving, tapestry weaving, and block printing.

Artists require space and tranquillity in order to think creatively and to be inspired. The natural beauty and freshness of Merton Abbey gave Morris the impetus to begin designing once more. From working in the dye house on indigo dyeing experiments to creating some of the most prolific and captivating of his designs, the Merton Abbey Works and Morris spun into action once more. One of the features of Merton Abbey was its ability to diversify in producing beautifully crafted furnishings and dyes.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLmL8UnDwX0[/youtube]

The Creative Nature of the Staff

Morris trained his dye house staff as few were already experienced. They developed skills to work in the industry and were paid on piece work. Within the hierarchy of the factory the foreman and colour-mixer were rated highly. One young by, John Smith started out as an errand boy and when he became too big for this role Morris trained him in dyeing and eventually John Smith rose through the ranks to chief dyer.

With an increased interest in religious tapestries during the nineteenth century Merton Abbey became the hub at the centre of a number of commissions for church furnishings. Three of Edward Burne-Jone’s designs proved very popular at this time. Angeli Ministrantes and Angeli Laudantes were first designed for Salisbury Cathedral in 1878 as stained glass windows and are now in different formats. With the original tapestries being woven in 1894 smaller panels were used in a variety of church decorations.

Morris and Co’s most popular religious tapestry was The Adoration of the Magi, originally woven for Exeter College, Oxford. The tapestry has been described as, ‘so perfect, indeed, in every detail, that there is nothing left to desire, and one feels inclined to linger over it until its perfections have been fully grasped.’

Tapestry Conservation

Morris and Co were also known for their tapestry conservation techniques at Merton Abbey. It is known that missing areas of historical tapestries were replaced with sections woven at Merton Abbey, a now defunct technique. Bread was used to clean tapestry as it was felt to be less damaging, and absorbed a fair amount of dirt. Cleaning and re hanging tapestries occupied other sections of the Merton Abbey workforce with staff travelling to stately homes such as Woburn Abbey to work on site in conservation.

The 1929 recession and the Second World War finally took its tool on Morris and Co as tapestry weaving became more time consuming and therefore less financially viable. With a lack of work the war eventually sealed the fate of Morris and Coo and the receivers were called in during 1940.

Despite the financial crisis the designs created in Merton Abbey and the tapestry weaving are still in evidence today and remain very popular. Floral patterns reflecting the love of nature that Morris had have stood the test of time and remain a creative legacy of the Arts and Crafts Movement.

Angela Dawson-Field writes on a number of subjects for the

Tapestry House including

William Morris Tapestry Art

.

Article Source:

ArticleRich.com

Posted in Crafts
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