Oh and I just read -- Kendal green was probably what Robin Hood and his merry men wore. Shakespeare also mentions the cloth in Henry VI part 1 in a speech by Falstaff.
We have this long list of things we say children are too young to decide - buy a gun, drink beer, sign a contract, age of consent - and yet there are people who think children can make severe, life altering decisions about “gender”. It’s madness. I hope the lawsuits succeed in a big way.
The Iranians have made attempts before, Obama did nothing to help them a decade ago, hopefully this time they throw off the mullahs.
To central Ohio, sorry about Ohio State, but go Hoosiers! 😀
Indiana was brilliant yesterday and I hope they go on the win the whole thing. I'm Penn State so watching Ohio State let Ryan Day do the play calling was a bonus Christmas gift. Miami steamrolled them.
"I, Pencil" could be written about pretty nearly anything more complex than cord wood. You would NOT want to wear wool that had come untreated off the sheep!
I’m hoping that western countries don’t get soft on Iran and drop sanctions or try to jumpstart the nuclear deal just as the pressure is ramping up on the regime.
I read the Tom Tugendhat Substack piece. It is interesting. I commented there that I thought it was much hope without sufficient recognition of the adverse events that could follow regime change in Tehran. I suggested a good comparator would be the demise of the Russian Soviet state. Eventually powerful folks, motivated by grasps for personal power, would rise to control. Worth the risk, of course, but no one should believe that there is cadre of well-meaning folks with quasi-Western ideas of democracy and governance awaiting the power vacuum. I read Tugendhat as laying the permission structure for British (and Trumpian) intervention to hasten the fall of the regime. Sadly, we've seen what fallen Middle Eastern (and other) regimes produce. I'd guess the best hope would be something akin to the Arab Spring in Egypt, but that trades a "friendly" army control structure for the current assemblage of religious zealots.
I so hope the Iranian protests lead to real change and the end of that oppressive regime.
You and me both. I see Donald Trump has said that the US is locked and loaded and ready to assist if the Iranian start killing the protestors. As Tugendhat indirectly points out, he has done more than most to expose the rotten heart of the regime. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/01/02/donald-trump-us-locked-and-loaded-iran-protestors/ or https://archive.ph/dMIeX
Oh and I just read -- Kendal green was probably what Robin Hood and his merry men wore. Shakespeare also mentions the cloth in Henry VI part 1 in a speech by Falstaff.
We have this long list of things we say children are too young to decide - buy a gun, drink beer, sign a contract, age of consent - and yet there are people who think children can make severe, life altering decisions about “gender”. It’s madness. I hope the lawsuits succeed in a big way.
The Iranians have made attempts before, Obama did nothing to help them a decade ago, hopefully this time they throw off the mullahs.
To central Ohio, sorry about Ohio State, but go Hoosiers! 😀
Thank you Michelle, Happy 2026 to all!
Indiana was brilliant yesterday and I hope they go on the win the whole thing. I'm Penn State so watching Ohio State let Ryan Day do the play calling was a bonus Christmas gift. Miami steamrolled them.
Great start, Michelle,
Some really interesting links today Michelle. It’s amazing the steps and skills needed to make wool
It is easy to forget how hard making cloth actually is and why it consumed so many hours for the females of the family.
Follow Harmeet Dhillon on X. She knits amazing hats and sweaters!
I saw a YouTube video about differences between cheap modern cloth and traditional cloth, which could be expected to last through a few generations.
Yes it is amazing. You get this today with fast fashion v classic hard wearing. It is incredible.
"I, Pencil" could be written about pretty nearly anything more complex than cord wood. You would NOT want to wear wool that had come untreated off the sheep!
I’m hoping that western countries don’t get soft on Iran and drop sanctions or try to jumpstart the nuclear deal just as the pressure is ramping up on the regime.
I read the Tom Tugendhat Substack piece. It is interesting. I commented there that I thought it was much hope without sufficient recognition of the adverse events that could follow regime change in Tehran. I suggested a good comparator would be the demise of the Russian Soviet state. Eventually powerful folks, motivated by grasps for personal power, would rise to control. Worth the risk, of course, but no one should believe that there is cadre of well-meaning folks with quasi-Western ideas of democracy and governance awaiting the power vacuum. I read Tugendhat as laying the permission structure for British (and Trumpian) intervention to hasten the fall of the regime. Sadly, we've seen what fallen Middle Eastern (and other) regimes produce. I'd guess the best hope would be something akin to the Arab Spring in Egypt, but that trades a "friendly" army control structure for the current assemblage of religious zealots.
I think things can get a lot worse. I do hope the Iranians throw off the IRGC.
Hello Northumberland! Sorry I'm so late to the party.
I like what's going on in Iran. Good luck to them.
And good luck to the detransitioners.
And good luck again to those fighting the PB.
Bad luck to Philipson. The police are shameless too.
Paddy looks great, as always. And, as always, TY Michelle.
My fingers are firmly crossed for Iran.
If you can get the Lyse Douchet book from the library, I think you will find it interesting.
And a very happy NEw Year to you JT.
TY, Michelle. You too. And I ordered the book from the library.