Getting up to speed....

Here is one of the brand new designs I came up with and which I'm actually quite pleased with, it also works quite well with the blue version of the women's raglan style pictured here. I just hope that people don't think of it as dyslexic or a typo! To be on the safe side I added "Yes in 2014".

Before going any further I have to mention an excellent blog that I highly recommend to anyone who hasn't found it already. It is Auld Acquaintance by Rod Macfarlane and I very much like his style.

Now, by way of background, let me share some of my thoughts about Scottish Nationalism. My awareness of the movement really dates from when I was in my mid teens, at school in Carlisle. What I remember about it was how the Scottish Nationalist movement won my respect over similar movements on behalf of Welsh Nationalists and the Irish Republican movement. Rightly or wrongly the impression I had was that the Cause was pursued by the SNP by political and non-violent means which was not the case with the Irish - think Tower of London and Harrods bombings - or the Welsh - "come home to a real fire, buy a holiday cottage in Wales..". Even if the Welsh campaign was a long way from being as violent and aggressive as the Irish one there was also the issue that Wales seemed to lack the critical mass and credibility to be a stand-alone nation both of which Scotland clearly had, in spades. I have therefore been pleased to watch, with much admiration, the gradual devolution which this quiet and civilised campaign has brought about.

As I mentioned in a comment I left on Rod's blog I have a strong sense that if the referendum is allowed to take its course and is a straightforward yes/no vote then there really is only one possible outcome and that is a "yes", and probably not a marginal "yes" at that. I simply cannot see how a majority of thinking (or even non-thinking) Scots could possibly decide that their best interests are served by an elected body comprised predominently of non-Scots, sitting in London. Even in England the people around the periphery in counties like Cumbria, where I grew up, do not get much of a voice in national politics and are never at the front of the queue when it comes to the allocation of resources. At risk of labouring the point Scotland's interests simply have to be better served by an Untied Kingdom.

For sure the campaign will be a real fight, there are too many vested interests at stake, both real and imagined, and the political machine in Westminster will do its utmost to derail the campaign for independence. Only yesterday I noticed a blatant piece of scare-mongering when some august body or other (I plan to do a separate post on it in the coming weeks) warned that Independence could "wreak havoc" with the pensions of people north of the border. Clearly this is just one of the issues which will be used to try to galvanise the Scottish voters into inaction.

What I have not yet got my mind around is the extent to which the process has been agreed upon. If I understand the situation correctly it has been agreed that the vote will be a simple yes/no vote. I am not totally clear what outcomes have been agreed upon - for example, if the vote is "yes" will that definitely mean that Scotland will become a free-standing country in its own right and enjoying similar status on the world stage to, say, Eire? I am aware that there has been some recent debate concerning the situation vis a vis membership of the EU and if I read it correctly the consensus is that if Scotland becomes independent there will be no problem maintaining membership of the EU separately from what remains of the UK this being despite what some anti-Nationalist scare-mongers had been contending. On a very simple, practical, level if Scotland votes "Yes" in 2014 when is independence likely to happen and is there any spanner that can be thrown into the works? Clearly one potential 'spanner' - a requirement that, even if there was a 'Yes', independence would require a positive vote by the UK as a whole before being ratified - was stopped in its tracks earlier this year.

Clearly I have much homework to do if I am to become a meaningful contributor, in however small a way, to this process but I do find the whole process fascinating and I really do care about the outcome. So, for now, "Cheers!"

Celebrate Scottish Inventiveness for St Andrew's Day

As St Andrew's Day dawns in Scotland I am proud to launch the complimentary line of apparel, household and gift items to accompany the Scotland the Bright Calendar. Please check them out via the link on the side-bar just across from here.

If anyone reading this thinks that Cafepress is just tee shirts and mugs then think again. In addition to the traditional items we now have all kinds of bags, shower curtains, duvet covers, cushions, cocktail plates, coasters and even yoga mats. The process of sizing images and creating items is still ongoing - as of today there are no badges, magnets, cards or yoga mats, to name but a few. There is, however, a rather fine set of curtains containing a collage which has over 40 major inventions with the inventors all set against a background of 12 different tartans.

I have also been doing my homework concerning the Saltire. At first I was puzzled by the different shades of blue I was encountering but Google soon came to my rescue and this is what Wikipedia has to say on the subject:

The Scottish heraldic term for an X-shaped cross is a 'saltire', from the old French word saultoir or salteur (itself derived from the Latin saltatorium), a word for both a type of stile constructed from two cross pieces and a type of cross-shaped stirrup-cord. In heraldic language, it may be blazoned azure, a saltire argent. The tincture of the Saltire can appear as either silver (argent) or white, however the term azure does not refer to a particular shade of blue.

Throughout the history of fabric production natural dyes have been used to apply a form of colour, with dyes from plants, including indigo from Woad, having dozens of compounds whose proportions may vary according to soil type and climate; therefore giving rise to variations in shade. In the case of the Saltire, variations in shades of blue have resulted in the background of the flag ranging from sky blue to navy blue. When incorporated as part of the Union Flag during the 17th century, the dark blue applied to Union Flags destined for maritime use was possibly selected on the basis of the durability of darker dyes, with this dark blue shade eventually becoming standard on Union Flags both at sea and on land. Some flag manufacturers selected the same navy blue colour for the Saltire itself, leading to a variety of shades of blue being depicted on the flag of Scotland.

These variations in shade eventually led to calls to standardise the colour of Scotland's national flag, and in 2003 a committee of the Scottish Parliament met to examine a petition that the Scottish Executive adopt the Pantone 300 colour as a standard. (Note that this blue is of a lighter shade than the Pantone 280 of the Union Flag). Having taken advice from a number of sources, including the office of the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the committee recommended that the optimum shade of blue for the Saltire be Pantone 300. Recent versions of the Saltire have therefore largely converged on this official recommendation. (Pantone 300 is #0065BD as hexadecimal web colours)

The flag proportions are not fixed although the Lord Lyon King of Arms states that 5:4 is suitable. (Flag manufacturers themselves adopt a variety of ratios, including 1:2 or 2:3. The ratio of the width of the bars of the saltire in relation to the width of the field is specified in heraldry in relation to shield width rather than flag width. However, this ratio, though not rigid, is specified as one-third to one-fifth of the width of the field.

Last, not least I have also been navigating my way around the various design options that Blogger.com provides and have added links from the side-bar to my other web-pages where visitors can make purchases.

Taking up The Cause...

The title lacks the oompf that I would have liked but after staring at the screen for 5 minutes and then, out of desperation, Googling other blogs on the subject I have drawn a blank in terms of finding the right words.

To describe what? Well, for the first time in my life I think that I am actually becoming a political activist. For the 25+ years of my adult life that I spent in the UK I always thought of myself as being issue-driven rather than partisan and more often than not didn't even vote in elections much less get actively involved in the campaigning. Then, in the 16 years or so that I have lived here in the US, I have had the legitimate excuse that as a non-citizen I have no right (or obligation) to vote in elections here and no real interest in exercising my right to vote in British ones.

So, what has changed? Well, quite unexpectedly I have found myself becoming caught up in the campaign for Scottish independence.

First of all I should point out that I do have some Scottish heritage. I was born in Carlisle, just a few short miles south of Gretna Green and the border with Scotland. My father was Scottish and although his parents had both passed away long before I was born we did have fairly close ties with his sister, aunts, uncles and cousins and I can always recall having a sense of pride in my Scottish roots.

One of my regrets is that I did not spend more time visiting Scotland during my adult years in the UK but the temptation was always to go somewhere with guaranteed sunshine for vacation and that meant places like Spain, Greece, Italy and then more adventurous destinations such as Florida, California, Hawaii and the islands of the Caribbean. I did make a few trips north of the border during the years immediately before and after my move over here and actually married my 3rd wife in a historic little church in Ruthwell, just outside Dumfries.

Now, let's fast-forward to 2012. In order to make some income I am trying to come up with ideas and designs to increase my sales on Cafe Press. I decide to exploit two ideas; the first is a completely new store - FineArtDesigns - initially aimed at exploiting what I expected would be an upsurge in interest in Pre-Raphaelite art as a result of the Tate Exhibition in London and the second was to do something I had long wanted to do - a calendar and/or posters showcasing Scottish inventions and inventors.

This last idea is something I have thought of doing, in some form, for several years. It stems from an awareness (with pride) that Scotland has spawned far more than it's fair share of major inventions over the last 3 or 4 centuries. For reasons that are really not obvious this tiny country, not much bigger than South Carolina, with a population that has never been much over 5 million has given birth to a long list of inventions in medicine, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, engineering, science, electronics, communications and many more. Most were invented by Scots in Scotland, some by Scots working abroad (including England) and some by non-Scots working in Scottish institutions. What I have long thought of doing is to somehow pull together some of the most famous, most important ones and display them artistically with pictures of the inventions and/or the inventors.

I freely admit that my motive was not entirely selfless. I know that I am not alone in feeling a sense of pride in my Scottish heritage and I do believe that there is a market, among Scottish people and others with Scottish ancestory, for posters, calendars or other items which reflect Scottish achievements. However, although I had thought it through conceptually, this was not slam dunk in terms of actually creating the art and so it didn't get done. Until recently, that is, in fact until the wee hours of this morning.

What came about was a gradual realisation that there was something going on in Scotland right now which could greatly affect the saleability of artwork along these lines. The something is the movement towards nationalism. For anyone who stumbles across this blog who does not know what is happening in Scotland it has just been decided that in the autumn of 2014 there will be a referendum to decide whether Scotland will become independent or remain part of the United Kingdom. I will not go into the issue in detail here, that can wait for another day, but suffice it to say that even now, 2 years from the vote being taken, the debate is lively and set to beome even livelier. For my part, although I have no right to participate in the vote itself, I do have an interest and perhaps for the first time in my life am feeling myself being pulled into a political contest.

In the course of designing my calendar, which showcases over 40 major Scottish inventions, I hit upon a slogan which I hope may catch on; it is based on just one of those inventions - the incandescent light bulb - by James Bowman Lindsay in 1835. My slogan is "Vote Bright, vote Yes" a variation might be "Do the Bright Thing and vote Yes" I believe it translates into Scottish gaelic as "Dean toinisgeil" but I need to check that. Here is a link to the calendar

This is probably my longest blog post ever and so I will call a halt for now but it will be the first of what I hope will be many.

As a good friend of mine used to say "Only in America" This afternoon I was doing some searching online and noticed a huge spike in activity on Twitter around the name 'Petraeus' - a name I'm only vaguely familiar with. In fact it sounded very much like the name of one or more of the Roman generals I had been reading about yesterday when doing research into Queen Boadicea. In any event it transpires that General Petraeus was, until earlier today, the head of the CIA; that is to say the Central Intelligence Agency and not the, some would say more useful, Culinary Institute of America.

It really is quite amazing to watch just how quickly a story like this can spread on Twitter. Wildfire doesn't even begin to describe it. One minute there are just a few 'Tweets' and then all of a sudden the keyword, in this case Petraeus, goes into the top 10 and then we have lift-off.

Within not many minutes it became clear the Petraeus had resigned as CIA director because the he had been caught, seemingly by the FBI, having an extra-marital affair with the young ex-soldier (lady) who was 'embedded' with him when he was heading up US forces in Afghanistan and has since written his biography called (wait for it..) "All In" which is being published (and will surely sell out now) next week.

It seems that everyone, from newscasters to talk show hosts to journalists and bloggers, was all over this one. Puns abounded, comparisons and contrasts with Clinton and his affair were piled on top of simple observations such as just how come the Nation's Chief Secret-Keeper couldn't keep a secret.

It does appear that General Petraeus had difficulty distinguishing between 'Overt' and 'Covert' and there seems to have been an issue concerning access to confidential emails given to his mistress/biographer. However, one cannot help but conclude that the improved relations between agencies such as the CIA and FBI which America was striving for after 9/11 may not be as good as had been hoped.

There are also, as usual, some conspiracy theories largely around the fact that Petraeus was apparently due to give testimony next week concerning an incident involving the CIA - a duty which will now fall on the Acting Director.

On a totally different subject anyone reading this might find some items on CafePress amusing. They are based around 'Famous Last Words' - not actual sayings but what some famous historical figures might have said. My favourite (so far) is the one attributed to Marat though I also like the Edgar Allan Poe one. Here is a link.

I have been busy and so it is timely to provide an update on some of my stores on CafePress and Zazzle.

1. What started off as a showcase for gift items incorporating Pre-Raphaelite art now has a rapidly-growing section devoted to the work of some artists from the Art Nouveau Movement. What brought this about was the discovery that some Art Nouveau and Art Deco items were listed as 'best-sellers' and so I decided to create some offerings aimed at meeting the demand.

2. On Zazzle I redesigned Poe Gifts to be a little more Poe-esque rather than have the plain vanilla off-the-peg store. I still view it as a work-in-progress and may tweak it after I have finished on the current phase of the Art Nouveau project.

3. I also gave PreRaphaeliteArt its own identity and store design. There is still much to be done in terms of populating it with items but I do like the design and I hope that visitors will find it attractive and be enticed to buy from it.

See other gifts available on Zazzle.

Some Edgar Allan Poe gift items:

See other gifts available on Zazzle.

Some Pre-Raphaelite gift items:

Browse other gifts from Zazzle.

It's that time of year....

....calendar time! Time to relaunch old calendars with a new year on them, time to design new ones. So far I have launched 5 brand new, never-seen-the-light-of-day-before, calendars. Three are devoted to Edgar Allan Poe - actually to illustrations of Poe stories by Harry Clarke. As well as being one of the top 3 Irish stained glass makers of all time (don't ask me who the other two are), Clarke was a superb book illustrator whose work embellishes two editions of Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Mystery and Imagination. I have two wall calendars on CafePress one a large size and the other, what CafePress describe as "Oversize". last, not least, there is one on Zazzle.com which has the same artwork but is just a different size and format. If Poe's gothic horror stories are not your cup of tea perhaps I can interest you in a Pre-Raphaelite Beauties calendar. This features paintings from a selection of artists who painted in the Pre-Raphaelite style - including Rossetti, Burne-Jones, Millais and Waterhouse. The Pre-Raphaelites are enjoying a resurgence of interest as a result of the opening of a new exhibition at the Tate Gallery in London, the first major event of its kind in almost 30 years and I have decided to mark the occasion with some calendars devoted to the works of some individual artists who painted in that style. The first of these is devoted to the work of Gabriel Dante Rossetti and includes an interesting cross-section of his paintings spanning several decades.

Reincarnation or rediscovery?

Posting again after a 4-year absence is daunting to say the least but the necessity of creating some links to a couple of new shops on CafePress is sufficient to twist my arm.

The first shop is based around some Victorian paintings, mostly Pre-Raphaelite but with one or two other favourites thrown for good measure. Interestingly my first sale from this venture was a King size duvet cover with a print of the Village Wedding by Luke Fildes. Oh, how CafePress has moved on from when it was just tee-shirts and a few ceramic products! The duvet was a marketplace sale and was priced at $175.

The second is something completely different - Poe Corner which contains some items based on Edgar Allan Poe, his writings and some art which has been inspired by his stories.

What started off as something called a Digital Postcard with perhaps 100-150 images of the Basilica has blossomed into (though I say it myself) a beautiful DVD based around over 250 images all set to music and packaged in a gorgeous cover.



Launch date is set for October 22nd when I will pick up the first edition from the printer in south Jersey and hot-foot them down to Washington where they will be put on sale in the Basilica shop.

If you look very closely at what will be the back of the cover you will see a montage of 25 different Madonnas which is being published as a poster. I have not seen a hard copy proof but if it looks anything like the digital file it will be absolutely stunning.

Both items will be on sale in the Basilica and eventually there will be sales online. In the meantime if you would like to enquire about purchasing one or both items email me at neil AT stainedglassphotography.com.

TO SEE SHORT TRAILER CLICK ON THE CANDLES



Be very patient, it takes several minutes to download and you may be asks to download a plug-in.

If you do not have the time or patience you can view a lower quality video version on YouTube

These are two of the pictures from the folder of the Basilica of the National Shrine in Washington DC. One is from the Chapel dedicated to Mary, Mother of Perpetual Help and the other is a mosaic backdrop from one of the altars in the Crypt Chapel which is by far the most beautiful and elegant worship space that I have seen anywhere in the US.

The image folder can be found HERE.

Watch this space for further details of the project....

While heading back to New York from New Jersey today I couldn't resist the opportunity to make a slight detour via Montclair to see how the irises in the Presby Memorial Gardens were coming along.

It is a little early for them as they are usually in full bloom around Memorial Day weekend but there were just enough flowering for it to be worth getting out my camera, tripod and a couple of lenses. I have taken pictures there a couple of times before but this was my first time with a digital camera and I have to say that it was a real luxury being able to just increase the virtual film speed to enable me to use higher shutter speeds and not have to worry about the wind blowing the petals.

Here is a LINK to some of the pictures.

Some kind of update is long overdue but I lack the time and focus to do it justice today. For the time being I will limit myself to a link to the folder of images I just posted.

Just for a change they are not of stained glass, they are of beautiful mosaics from the Basilica of the National Shrine in Washington, DC, where I have been working on an exciting new project about which I will post more later.

Here is a link to the Basilica Mosaics Folder

I found these on a blog, they are said to be from a little book called "Disorder in the Court" which I believe is by Bob Terrell.

All of these are said to be real quotations from actual court cases and I have to say that most are very funny. I especially like the ones about autopsies:

Q: What is your date of birth?

A: July fifteen.

Q: What year?

A: Every year.

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Q: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?

A: Gucci sweats and Reeboks.

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Q: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?

A: Yes.

Q: And in what ways does it affect your memory?

A: I forget.

Q: You forget. Can you give us an example of something that you've forgotten?

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Q: How old is your son, the one living with you?

A: Thirty-eight or thirty-five, I can't remember which.

Q: How long has he lived with you?

A: Forty-five years.

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Q: What was the first thing your husband said to you when he woke that morning?

A: He said, "Where am I, Cathy?"

Q: And why did that upset you?

A: My name is Susan.

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Q: And where was the location of the accident?

A: Approximately milepost 499.

Q: And where is milepost 499?

A: Probably between milepost 498 and 500.

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Q: Sir, what is your IQ?

A: Well, I can see pretty well, I think.

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Q: Did you blow your horn or anything?

A: After the accident?

Q: Before the accident.

A: Sure, I played for ten years. I even went to school for it.

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Q: Trooper, when you stopped the defendant, were your red and blue lights flashing?

A: Yes.

Q: Did the defendant say anything when she got out of her car?

A: Yes, sir.

Q: What did she say?

A: What disco am I at?

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Q: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about
it until the next morning?

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Q: The youngest son, the twenty-year old, how old is he?

---------------------------------------------------

Q: Were you present when your picture was taken?

---------------------------------------------------

Q: Was it you or your younger brother who was killed in the war?

---------------------------------------------------

Q: Did he kill you?

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Q: How far apart were the vehicles at the time of the collision?

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Q: You were there until the time you left, is that true?

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Q: How many times have you committed suicide?

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Q: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?

A: Yes.

Q: And what were you doing at that time?

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Q: She had three children, right?

A: Yes.

Q: How many were boys?

A: None.

Q: Were there any girls?

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Q: You say the stairs went down to the basement?

A: Yes.

Q: And these stairs, did they go up also?

--------------------------------------------------

Q: Mr. Slatery, you went on a rather elaborate honeymoon, didn't you?

A: I went to Europe, Sir.

Q: And you took your new wife?

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Q: How was your first marriage terminated?

A: By death.

Q: And by whose death was it terminated?

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Q: Can you describe the individual?

A: He was about medium height and had a beard.

Q: Was this a male, or a female?

---------------------------------------------------

Q: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice
which I sent to your attorney?

A: No, this is how I dress when I go to work.

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Q: Doctor, how many autopsies have you performed on dead people?

A: All my autopsies are performed on dead people.

---------------------------------------------------

Q: All your responses must be oral, OK? What school did you go to?

A: Oral.

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Q: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?

A: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m.

Q: And Mr. Dennington was dead at the time?

A: No, he was sitting on the table wondering why I was doing an
autopsy.

---------------------------------------------------

Q: Are you qualified to give a urine sample?

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Q: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?

A: No.

Q: Did you check for blood pressure?

A: No.

Q: Did you check for breathing?

A: No.

Q: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began
the autopsy?

A: No.

Q: How can you be so sure, Doctor?

A: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.

Q: But could the patient have still been alive nevertheless?

A: It is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law somewhere.

---------------------------------------------------

Q: You were not shot in the fracas?

A: No, I was shot midway between the fracas and the navel.

This is just a very brief announcement that today I opened a new shop which offers a selection of poetry, prayers and scripture on tiles. It is called, appropriately enough, VerseTile

We have launched the poetry section with some brand new items featuring poems by Emily Dickinson to which we will soon be adding many more works by poets from both sides of the pond. In the prayer section you will find tiles and tile boxes with the Lord's Prayer, the Serenity Prayer and the St Francis Peace Prayer, some accompanied by an image of stained glass. Last, not least, the scripture section begins with quotations from both Old and New Testaments including the ever-popular 23rd and 121st psalms, Jesus The Good Shepherd, the parable of the good Samaritan and Micah 6:8.

Just a quick mention of 2 new sections on CafePress. The first is called 'The Serenity Prayer' and includes quite a selection of items which combine the Serenity Prayer with some beautiful images of stained glass. The second is similar but I have just called it "Recovery" and have included a couple of items with images which I think are appropriate though nothing to do with stained glass.

Please check them out and pass them along to anyone you think might appreciate them.

This week I announced the forthcoming publication date for my first novel, 'Risk Premium', a contemporary thriller with a plot which I think that readers will find to be both relevant and controversial.

In order to publicize it I have created a website RiskPremium.net where you can read Chapter 1 in its entirity. However, I defy anyone to figure out what the plot of the book will be from what is online.

Copies can be purchased in advance from the website including a special signed and numbered limited hard-back edition.

Earlier this week I was lucky enough to catch part of the live coverage of the press conference for the release of the Lazard report about Time Warner which had been commissioned by Carl Icahn.

I have not read the Lazard report and have no idea whether the proposed break-up into four units is the best way forwards but I do believe that the management of Time Warner in recent years has been less than stellar and that fundamental changes are likely to be necessary if shareholder value is to be realised.

Carl Icahn observed the tendency for people to sometimes "fall in love" with things to the point where judgements can become irrational. I liked the example he cited of the Alec Guinness character in Bridge Over the River Kwai who threw all of his energy and focus and emotion into building a bridge for the Japanese and became so emotionally attached to it that he attempted to block an attempt by the British to destroy it. Carl postulated that Dick Parsons appeared to have fallen in love with the corporate structure in Time Warner, much to the detriment of operating performance and shareholder value.

Several things strike me about this whole situation. The first is that, as so often happens, the incumbent management adopts a defensive posture and dissipates valuable resources in attempts to "fight off" the dissident shareholders. In my opinion this makes absolutely no sense and can only reinforce one's view that turf and egos are seen as more important than shareholder value. If increasing shareholder value is a truly an objective that is shared by both incumbent management and dissident shareholders then the ONLY logical course is for there to be dialogue about the strategies for achieving it.

It is entirely possible that the break-up recommended by Lazard is not the best way to go. Most of the financial press coverage I have read points to a number of reasons why the sales of the 4 businesses might not realise the intended values, However, if another course is to be followed then there are things which the incumbent management HAS to do going forwards, the most noteworthy being to facilitate more operational independence, eliminate dissynergies and cut much of the 40% increase in corporate cost which has been added in recent years. Perhaps a combination of some spin-offs and aggressive reorganisation and refocusing would be the best way to go but this is only likely to be achieved following an open-minded dialogue between the interested parties.

It does strike me that if Carl Icahn's group is going to stand a chance of winning a proxy fight it will be necessary for them to pursue the campaign in many different ways. The sheer size of Time Warner and the diversity of shareholders gives this proxy battle some unique characteristics particularly when the target is a media conglomerate headed by an individual who is said to be very skilled at campaigning and managing public opinion.

Another thing which I think would help and which would move this campaign into the 21st century is a website. During the last Presidential election I noticed that both sides made extensive use of the internet and to good effect. In this case what I would envision is a site where one could read and download the Lazard report, read bios and commentaries by the major players and find articles and information in support of the proxy fight objectives. There would also be news and business info about Time Warner and some kind of discussion board to allow people to add and share opinions.

I would see both of these adding constructively to the entire process of maximising shareholder value, in no small measure. Without knowing all of the details I have a fundamental belief that by far the best solution will be reached after extensive dialogue among many people. What needs to happen is for the underlying issues to be clearly spelled out and addressed and resolved. Whether the resolution absolutely requires that parts of the business be spun off or simply given the freedom to operate is entirely debatable, in my view, but there has to be full discussion and agreement on what are the underlying issues and it would appear to me that the incumbent mangement is not on that page yet.

An excellent example of a situation where the incumbent management has entered into a meaningful dialogue with dissident shareholders to good effect is the case of GM which has been subject to pressure from dissident shareholders led by Kirk Kerkorian. In this case, Rick Wagoner, CEO and clearly a consensus builder, has not only listened but has also implemented several of the actions suggested by Kerkorian's group. Admittedly the dynamics are very different and GM is in far worse shape than Time Warner but the principles are the same and the only real difference is that in the case of GM both management and dissident shareholders appear to be in total agreement concerning the fundamentals.

OK, I've said my piece......

A new ornaments page was added to Stained Glass Photography earlier today. Although great for Christmas these ornaments are great for gifts and special occasions the whole year round. Whether it is for a First Communion, a Baptism, a Confirmation, a birthday, an anniversary or just about any occasion we will try to create an ornament for you. Here is our current offering

New William Morris Stained Glass calendar.

Today we not only launched our new William Morris calendar but we also set up a web-page on StainedGlassPhotography.com so that people can buy it direct from us (rather than from CafePress) at a discounted price AND with FREE shipping for the US. We will be asking customers to be a little patient because the low pricing means batching of orders placed on CafePress and double-shipping but that's the cost of doing business cheaply.

The calendar is already being very well received by William Morris affectionados, and so it should. It is a unique and original work featuring hitherto unpublished images showing details from the very first William Morris Company stained glass commission for an American client. The designs which make up the Vanderpoel Memorial Window are a microcosm of Morris works from the 1860's and 1870's. The designs include works by Edward Burne-Jones, Ford Madox Brown and William Morris himself and, when I photographed it, the window was in an excellent state of repair.

So far we have published 2 calendars but I do have ideas for a 3rd, 4th and even 5th if I get around to them.

http://www.stainedglassphotography.com/Calendars