Apirak resigns

Apirak resignsBangkok voters will vote in a new governor election in January with Democrat deputy party leader Korn Chatikavanij tipped to run in the contest after Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosayodhin (photo) announced his resignation yesterday.

Mr Apirak’s resignation, which will take effect on Nov 20, came one day after he was implicated in City Hall’s fire engine procurement scandal by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC). The anti-graft agency ruled that he had violated the Criminal Code’s Article 157 when he opened a letter of credit for the 6.8-billion-baht deal.

Mr Apirak, who was re-elected in a landslide victory on Oct 5, said his decision to step down even though the case has yet to go to court is to set a standard for Thai politics.

Mr Apirak protested his innocence, saying he had sought advice from various agencies, including the Interior Ministry and the Commerce Ministry, and was advised to open the letter of credit for the purchase to go through.

Election commissioner Prapun Naigowit said the new governor election is tentatively scheduled for Jan 11, noting that the Election Commission must fill the post within 60 days of Mr Apirak’s resignation.

He said Mr Apirak is not obliged to pay for the new election.

Mr Apirak also apologised to Bangkok voters who re-elected him as governor, and the Democrat party which backed his bid for re-election.

‘‘I apologise to the people for this. I also apologise to the Democrat party and the executive board. I will return after I go through the justice process,’’ said Mr Apirak.

He said he had decided to run in the city governor election in October because he was confident that he had done nothing illegal.

The party gave full support to Mr Apirak to fight the charges in the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions.

‘‘I think he has made the right decision. City voters can now choose a new governor instead of waiting in uncertainty,’’ said Democrat party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva.

Mr Korn, a Democrat MP, said the party never doubted Mr Apirak’s transparency and would do its best to help him fight the charges. ‘‘Mr Apirak has taken responsibility in a way that he believes will help the development of democracy,’’ Mr Korn said.

Mr Korn did not rule out running for Bangkok governor, saying he would comply with whatever the party decided.

tip – to say who you think will get a particular job ការនែនាំ
implicate – to show or suggest that someone is involved in wrongdoing ជាប់ទាក់ទង
scandal – a situation in which important people behave in a dishonest or immoral way that shocks people រឿងអាស្រូវ
graft – corruption អំពើរពុករលួយ
rule – (of a court or other group with similar authority) to make and announce a decision
violate – to do something that is against the law ល្មើសច្បាប់
criminal code – the systems of laws dealing with crimes and their punishment ប្រមូលផ្តុំច្បប់ព្រហ្មទណ្ឌ
article – part of a legal document, agreement or law that deals with a particular point មាត្រា
landslide victory – an election victory by a very large margin or amount ការឈ្នះដាច់
protested his innocence – claimed that he had done nothing against the law បញ្ជាក់មិនបានខុស
transparency – an honest way of doing things that allows other people to know exactly what you are doing
rule out – to stop considering something as a possibility ប្រកាស់ថាវាមិនអាចកើតឡើងបាន
comply – to obey a rule or law ប្រព្រិត្តតាមច្បាប់

The Queen’s elephants

Chiengmai. Tonsak. Kungrao. Surin. The names of the star elephants at the Copenhagen Zoo are Thai because they are from Thailand.

Actually, most of the elephants at the 149-year-old zoo are principally from Thailand due to long-standing relations between the two countries.

The first two Thai elephants, Chang and Eng, arrived in Denmark in 1878 as a gift from the Danish consul in Siam.

The zoo’s successful elephant breeding programme began when Their Majesties the King and Queen gifted three elephants — Chiengmai, Lampoon and Buag Hah — to Their Majesties Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid as a royal gift during their state visit to Thailand in 1962.

‘‘Chiengmai is now the great-grandfather of 12 calves,’’ said zoologist Bengt Holst proudly. ‘‘They are housed in various zoos in Europe.’’

In 2001, Denmark received another three elephants from Thailand. Two of them — Tonsak and Kungrao — were royal gifts from Their Majesties the King and Queen to Their Majesties Queen Margrethe II and Prince Consort Henrik during their visit to Thailand.

Surin is a gift from the people of Surin province to the Danish people. ‘‘The Thai elephants are our biggest attraction,’’ said the zoologist, adding that they are considered the Queen’s royal elephants in Denmark.

qele2The royal elephants were moved from castle-like quarters to a more natural and stimulating abode this year, a ceremony presided by Prince Consort Henrik and his grandson Prince Christian.

The new Elephant House is covered with glass domes to allow more sunlight, with better temperatures and humidity control. The sand-covered floor helps protect the elephants’ legs and feet while providing a soft ground to lie on.

The outdoor area is shaped like a dry river bed with mud holes and a deep ditch for the elephants to bathe. There is also a distance between each feeding ground, thus forcing the elephants to walk for food as they would do in the wild.

The new Elephant House is designed by famous UK architect Norman Foster.

principally - mainly
consul - an official chosen by a government to live in a foreign city, in order to take care of people from the official's own country who travel or live there, and to protect the trade interests of that government
breeding - the keeping of animals or plants in order to produce young animals from them
calves - the young of various other large mammals such as elephants and whales
zoologist - a person who scientifically studies animals
Prince Consort - the title sometimes given to the husband of a ruling queen
stimulating - if an activity is stimulating, it causes your body to be active
abode - the place where someone lives
presided - to be in charge of a formal meeting or ceremony
ditch - a long narrow open channel dug into the ground usually at the side of a road or field, which is used especially for supplying or removing water, or for dividing land
bathe - wash
architect - a person whose job is to design new buildings and make certain that they are built correctly


Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 03:14 AM

Mar's take on Venus

I THINK I'M one of those men who cannot understand women at all and there are several incidents that make me think perhaps I never will be able to.

For example, when my girlfriend and I are in a car and choose some music, I try to play something that she can listen to but she insists on listening to what I like despite the fact that our music tastes are on opposite corners of the universe. When we end up in an argument, she blames me for not giving her any respect and thinking only of myself!

There was once I had to involuntarily tell her stories about my exes and if I have to say, my girlfriend is one of the most jealous women in the country and I know the last thing I should do is to talk about any other woman, but my own mother, to her.

However, she persisted, and forced me to and after that, I was blasted for telling her the most disgusting story in the world. After that, we quarrelled for a whole week because of some bygone nonsense and she managed to make me feel as if I was the worst man in the universe for a while.

Actually, I don't expect girls to understand me but I actually wish they understood what justice means! For God's sake!

MICK VORANISA

Abuse the Youth's vocal/ guitarist

nourishing - if you nourish a feeling, you think about it a lot and encourage it
Mars - men
Venus - women
take on - a particular way of understanding something
incidents - events which are either unpleasant or unusual
insists on - states or demands forcefully, especially despite opposition
blames - says or thinks that someone or something did something wrong or is responsible for something bad happening
involuntarily - not done by choice; done unwillingly
exes - (in this context) ex-girlfriends
jealous - unhappy and angry because someone has something or someone you want
persisted - tried to do or continue doing something in a determined but often unreasonable way
blasted - criticised severely
disgusting - extremely unpleasant or unacceptable
quarrelled - fought, argued
bygone - belonging to or happening in a past time
justice - fairness in the way people are dealt with

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 02:31 AM

68,000 poor families of Cambodia receive emergency food assistance from ADB

68,000 poor families of Cambodia receive emergency food assistance from ADB


PHNOM PENH, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- Over 68,000 poor families of Cambodia have received emergency food assistance following the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Board of Directors' approval of the project last month, said an ADB press release here on Friday.

"This assistance is making a very real difference in the lives of Cambodia's most vulnerable, particularly its children," said ADB Country Director Arjun Goswami.

"Putting food on the tables of Cambodia's poorest families, just one month after the project's approval, is a commendable accomplishment by the government," he said, adding that food distribution has been supervised by independent NGO monitors.

One of the primary objectives of ADB's emergency food assistance is to help support Cambodia's efforts to ameliorate the food price inflation shock on the poorest and most vulnerable families in the seven provinces around the Tonle Sap Lake, and in three urban slums around Phnom Penh, said the release.

The project targeted the poorest 20 percent of poor families in 200 selected communes, it added.

The ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in the Asia and Pacific region through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration.

Established in 1966, the ADB is owned by 67 members, 48 from the region. In 2007, it approved 10.1 billion U.S. dollars of loans, 673 million dollars of grant projects, and technical assistance amounting to 243 million dollars, according to the release.

Trojan virus steals banking info

By Maggie Shiels
Technology reporter, BBC News, Silicon Valley

Computer keyboard
Sinowal infects victims' computers without leaving any trace

The details of about 500,000 online bank accounts and credit and debit cards have been stolen by a virus described as "one of the most advanced pieces of crimeware ever created".

The Sinowal trojan has been tracked by RSA, which helps to secure networks in Fortune 500 companies.

RSA said the trojan virus has infected computers all over the planet.

"The effect has been really global with over 2000 domains compromised," said Sean Brady of RSA's security division.

He told the BBC: "This is a serious incident on a very noticeable scale and we have seen an increase in the number of trojans and their variants, particularly in the States and Canada."

The RSA's Fraud Action Research Lab said it first detected the Windows Sinowal trojan in Feb 2006.

Since then, Mr Brady said, more than 270,000 banking accounts and 240,000 credit and debit cards have been compromised from financial institutions in countries including the US, UK, Australia and Poland.

The lab said no Russian accounts were hit by Sinowal.

"Drive-by downloads"

RSA described the Sinowal as "one of the most serious threats to anyone with an internet connection" because it works behind the scenes using a common infection method known as "drive-by downloads"."
sinowal trojan graph from rsa lab
Sinowal has been constantly updated with new variants

Users can get infected without knowing if they visit a website that has been booby-trapped with the Sinowal malicious code.

Mr Brady said the worrying aspect about Sinowal, which is also known as Torpig and Mebroot, is that it has been operating for so long.

"One of the key points of interest about this particular trojan is that it has existed for two and a half years quietly collecting information," he said. "Any IT professional will tell you it costs a lot to maintain and to store the information it is gathering.

"The group behind it have made sure to invest in the infrastructure no doubt because the return and the potential return is so great."

RSA's researchers said the trojan's creators periodically release new variants to ensure it stays ahead of detection and maintain "its uninterrupted grip on infected computers."

While RSA's lab has been tracking the trojan since 2006, Mr Brady admitted that they know a lot about its design and infrastructure but little about who is behind Sinowal.

"There is a lot of talk about where it comes from and anecdotal evidence points to Russia and Eastern Europe. Historically there have been connections with an online gang connected to the Russian Business Network but in reality no one knows for sure."

That he said is because the group is able to use the web to cloak its identity.

Infection

In April 2007, researchers at Google discovered hundreds of thousands of web pages that initiated drive-by downloads. It estimated that one in ten of the 4.5 million pages it analysed were suspect.

Sophos researchers reported in 2008 it was finding more than 6,000 newly infected web pages every day, or about one every 14 seconds.
Debit card and cash
Since May, Sinowal has compromised over 100,000 online bank accounts

RSA's fraud action team said it noticed a spike in attacks from March through to September this year.

That is backed up by another online security company called Fortinet. It said from July 2008 to September 2008 the number of reported attacks rose from 10m to 30m. This included trojans, viruses, malware, phishing and mass mailings.

"The explosion in the number of attacks is alarming," said Derek Manky of Fortinet.

"But trojans are just one of the players in the game wreaking havoc in cyberspace."

Remedies

While attacks are on the increase, there are some simple steps that users can take to protect their information besides using security software.

"We have a saying here which is 'think before you link,'" said Mr Manky.

"That just means observe where you are going on the web. Be wary of clicking on anything in a high traffic site like social networks.

"A lot of traffic in the eyes of cyber criminals means these sites are a target because to these people more traffic means more money," he said.
sinowal trojan raph from rsa lab
The rate at which Sinowal has been compromising online bank accounts

RSA also urged users to be wary if their bank started asking for different forms of authentication such as a social security number or other details.

"People think not clicking on a pop up or an attachment means they are safe. What people don't realise now is that just visiting a website is good enough to infect them."

RSA said it is co-operating with banks and financial institutions the world over to tell them about Sinowal. It has passed information about the virus to law enforcement agencies.

2,390 Chinese infants still in hospital over milk scandal

BEIJING, Oct. 29 -- China's Ministry of Health said Wednesday that 2,390 infants nationwide were still receiving hospital treatment for kidney diseases caused by tainted powdered milk.

One was in a serious condition, the ministry said.

The number of baby patients in hospital dropped by one-third from a week ago when more than 3,600 infants were still hospitalized.

It said 48,514 children had recovered and left hospital since milk powder produced by Sanlu Group was found to contain the banned chemical melamine in mid September.

On Wednesday alone, 90 children were newly hospitalized and 218had recovered, the ministry said.

More than 4,500 medical institutions nationwide had conducted free treatment and examination of children feared to have been poisoned in the scandal.

FDA approves new drug to treat overactive bladder

WASHINGTON, Oct. 31 -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug, Toviaz (fesoterodine fumarate), to help patients suffering from overactive bladder (OAB), according to a statement by the agency on Friday.

The drug works by relaxing the smooth muscle tissue of the bladder, thus reducing the urinary frequency, urge to urinate, and sudden urinary incontinence, that are characteristic symptoms of OAB.

"Patients who suffer from overactive bladder face quality of life issues that can hamper their ability to enjoy life to its fullest," said George Benson, deputy director, Division of Reproductive and Urologic Products at the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "This new drug will provide an additional treatment option to help them manage problems with an overactive bladder."

Toviaz is manufactured by Schwarz Pharma of Zwickau, Germany and is distributed by Pfizer Inc. of New York, N.Y.. The drug will be available by prescription only, as an extended release tablet in either 4 mg or 8 mg dosage strengths. It is to be administered once daily. The recommended starting dose is 4 mg, which can be increased to 8 mg if needed, based upon individual response and tolerability. Toviaz is only approved for adults.

　

Simple blood test predicts obesity

WASHINGTON, Oct. 31 - According to new research by U.S. scientists, the degree of change in blood triglyceride levels following a fatty meal may indicate susceptibility to diet-induced obesity.

The findings, published in the International Journal of Obesity and available here on Friday, open doors to new methods of identifying people, including children, who are at risk for becoming obese.

Triglycerides are a form of fat that is transported in the blood and stored in the body's fat tissues. They are found in foods and also are manufactured by the body.

"These findings suggest we may someday be able to use a simple blood test to identify those at risk for obesity," said senior author Mark Friedman, the researcher at Monell Center. "The ability to identify more susceptible individuals would make it possible to target obesity-prevention resources on those who need them most.

The global obesity epidemic is thought to be caused in part by consumption of a diet high in fat and carbohydrates, which promotes weight gain. This propensity to gain weight and become obese when consuming a high-fat diet is at least partially controlled by genes, with some individuals gaining more than others while eating the same diet.

The researchers screened rats for vulnerability to diet-induced obesity by measuring the increase in blood triglyceride levels following a single high-fat meal. They then fed the rats a diet high in fat over the next four weeks.

They were able to predict which animals would become obese over the four-week period by examining the earlier metabolic response to the high-fat meal: the smaller the triglyceride change, the greater the weight gain.

There currently are no simple biomarkers for predicting susceptibility to diet-induced obesity, and thus no clinical tests that assist physicians in identifying those at risk for becoming obese. The current findings suggest that a change in blood triglyceride levels may someday be used as such a tool.

Future studies will entail a thorough investigation of the mechanism behind differences in the change in blood triglycerides.

Neang Koy and Krem

so sad that happened

Download Clip Here

Oh, my soldier, Cambodian !

Have you ever do this ?

many years ago, the empire of Khmer dress has spread around the world and the greatest culture with beautiful dress.
Khmer dress looks so beautiful color. I really like this style of respect to other with joining hands together.

Forigner idea to Angkor wat

I'd been looking forward to checking out the Angkor temples for quite some time. The temples are known as the 8th wonder of the world for good reason. The whole area is massive. On my first day in Siem Reap myself and Niels rented mountain bikes and made our way to Angkor. We had no idea how huge an area the temples covered. It took us 45 minutes to cycle between some of the temples. The heat and humidity didn't help either. We still managed to check out 5 temples over the course of a long day that lasted from 10 in the morning until sunset. The most famous temple is Angkor Wat. It took us quite a while to walk around the biggest religous building in the world. Incredible to think some of these buildings are one thousand years old. After Angkor Wat we cycled out to Ta Prohm, made famous by Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raider. This temple has a number of huge tress growing inside and around it. The roots wrap themselves around the buildings like snakes. This temple was made all the more authentic by the fact that it was literally falling apart. There are huge stones piled in certain areas, just left where they have fallen. We checked out some smaller temples along the way which were equally as impressive. The sun setting on Angkor Wat as we cycled home is something I will never forget.
Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat

The next day Chris from Boston arrived in Siem Reap. I wanted to give Angkor another visit so we rented a tuk tuk to take us around the temples. We got to see a few temples that were a little further away this way.
1-Angkor Wat
1-Angkor Wat

From Siem Reap I had planned on going straight into Laos. This is a particularly difficult route to take however so I decided to go through Thailand instead. I'm going to make my way to Bangkok before getting a train up north to Chiang Mai.

Australian dress style

While Australia has no single uniform national costume, an Australian national dress style, based on specific local dress styles, has emerged in response to climate, lifestyle and identity. This is reflected in the modern design of dress by emerging and established designers which incorporate particular defining elements.

An Australian style can be seen clearly in the main types of local dress: bushwear and swimwear, along with Australiana and Indigenous designs. These have been formed by a larrikin attitude, the qualities of mateship and the dictates of an outdoors lifestyle. Dress is also characterised by the migrant experience and the process of cultural borrowing, which is part of the unique history of Australia.

Presenting Australian national dress on the international stage depends upon what localised style is being represented. It is a question of authenticity about Australian culture and identity.
Local dress styles
Sally Smith Designs.

Sally Smith Designs. Image courtesy of Vogue Australia.

Australian local dress styles are different from Australia's fashions. Dress has been influenced by the experience of living in rugged country as well as modern leisure activities such as swimming, surfing and beach culture. This is reflected in different fabrics, such as moleskin and drill cotton, developed for more practical wear.

The cut, cloth and style of beachwear and bushwear have been adapted to localised street dress, as have the colours of the Australian landscapes, flora and fauna to the extent that there is a recognisable national dress style. The creation of a national dress style reflecting on the outdoor beach experience and the native flora in the Sydney Botanic Gardens are used, for example, by dress designer Sally Smith, as inspiration for her dress designs as recognisably authentic modern Australian dress.

Surf board shorts have been adopted successfully as dress across Australia. If you move from the beach to the bush, then clothing is usually adapted to follow suit. A test of how far inland you could travel from the beach wearing only brief racing bathers, though, is only a bus ride from Bondi to the central business district in Sydney. (The Chaser, ABC 2007). The closer you get to the bush, the more likely you are to be wearing tough clothes, a felt hat and elastic-sided boots, as well as adopting a language of mateship and equality.
Stockmen, diggers and aviatrices - bushwear and its influence

In the 1930s, the image of the squatter's daughter and the aviatrix model helped construct the female bush figure. Trousers were adopted by the squatters' daughters and the aviatrix, and this contributed to trousers becoming a popular icon of modern Australian women. In the 1940s, women's experience in war time, including their contribution to the Women's Land Army, cemented the popularity of trousers for Australian women.
Freda Thompson (1906-1980), Pictured here in 1934 just before take off at Lympne Airport when she became the first Australian woman to fly solo from England to Australia

Unknown photographer, Freda Thompson (1906-1980), Pictured here in 1934 just before take off at Lympne Airport when she became the first Australian woman to fly solo from England to Australia, 1934. Courtesy of National Pioneer Women's Hall of Fame.

Fletcher Jones cemented the popularity of well-made smart trousers for men based on rigorous Italian tailoring and staff-owned factories and outlets.

In response to the colonial bush experience, Australian dress developed by stockmen and diggers was a preference for tough cotton drill or khaki pants or shorts, worsted wool coats or vests, oilskin coats, rabbit-fur felt hats and elastic-sided work or riding boots.

Today, these items are sold not only by bush outfitters like R.M. Williams, Baxter Boots and Akubra (hats), but also by dress companies such as Rivers, Colorado and Jeanswest. An advertisement by R.M. Williams promotes a national dress costume as: grazier shirt, solid-hide work belt, oilskin coat, Akubra hat, moleskin jeans and elastic-sided boots (R.M. Williams 2000).

This localised dress based on bushwear was adopted by the Australian Prime Minister as a form of Australia's national dress to be worn by world leaders attending the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in 2007.
Goddess swimmers and surfers - swimwear and surf culture
Annette Kellerman

Unknown photographer, Annette Kellerman. Courtesy of National Pioneer Women's Hall of Fame and National Film and Sound Archive: 558337-5.

Since Federation, champion swimmers have been icons for the Australian body. A modern-day Venus worshipped around the world for her beautiful body and boldness, Annette Kellerman (1886 - 1975) was a distance swimmer, diver, and theatrical performer known as the 'Australian Mermaid'. Annette Kellerman shocked the world in 1907 by wearing a man's bathing costume that clung tightly to her torso and left her legs, arms and neck bare. In arguing her case in a Boston USA court, Kellerman stated that she was being practical rather than provocative and said that otherwise she 'may as well be swimming in chains'.

Subsequently, Kellerman designed and marketed the first modern one-piece swimsuit for women. Annette Kellerman greatly influenced public attitudes toward the female body. Kellerman published books instructing women on beauty and physical fitness, and lectured on health and exercise throughout Europe and America. Kellerman's own 'ideal' physique personified a new aesthetic of natural female beauty, one that valued athleticism and unadorned bodily display. In this way she was a trailblazer for the 'new woman' (Powerhouse Museum 2000/66/34).
Paula Stafford (right) with her creations, Surfers Paradise.

Unknown photographer, Paula Stafford (right) with her creations, Surfers Paradise, c. 1950. Courtesy of The Courier-Mail.

It was not until after the Second World War, however, that the image of the bronzed swimmer became popular with large-scale migration of people with Mediterranean, Eurasian and Melanesian skins.

Canadian dress style

The Canadian Dress
Theories on how it came into being and how to make one for yourself.
We'll start with the wonderful John Dawson picture on pages 10 and 11 of Fort Vancouver: Official National Park Handbook. aka Handbook 113, which is produced by the Division of Publications, Harpers Ferry Center, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C.

It's where I started.

The woman just to the left of centre, in the red top and the light blue skirt, is wearing a Canadian Dress. She is surrounded with a fair representation of the people who one might find at a Hudson's Bay Company fur fort of the mid 1800s, from the Hawaiian man on the far left to the Aboriginal man on the far right, and the sailors, Scots, Orkneymen, French-Canadian, Canadian French, Irish, and English, in between. The fellow in the top hat, frockcoat, and tan trousers is Dr, John McLoughlin, chief trader at Fort Vancouver in 1845.





The first time I saw the Canadian Dress, I knew I had to make one for myself. As my main persona is Métisse --Métisse being a woman of both Aboriginal and European ancestry-- and the Canadian Dress at that half way mark between Aboriginal and European, I felt it would be the perfect match.

I drew a rough pattern for the skirt and bodice -- I already had the leggings.

Then a friend popped up with a pattern for it, taken from a book called Feminine Fur Trade Fashions by Kathryn J Wilson and James Austin Hanson, showing it to be a one piece garment. (Thank you, Midori).

The text that goes with the Feminine Fur Trade Fashions pattern, says and I quote,

"The Canadians under the direction of the Hudson's Bay Company's noted leader Peter Skene Ogden, invaded American trapper's domain several times, once trapping as far south as Mexico. One reason for the Canadians' success was that the HBC men took their wives with them. The trappers were more responsible to their commitments to the Company and to the brigade, and the women made camp life and travel more pleasant.

"This dress was a popular style among the Indians and mixed bloods on the Canadian frontier. Sew the the bodice pieces together as indicated by letters. The underarms should be slit and gussets added to facilitate movement. The neckline, wrists, bodice back and hemline are bound with contrasting bias fabric or braid.

"One width of the skirt should make the front and two widths, the back (back is twice as full as front). Sew front skirt to bodice and back skirt to skirt band. Bodice back is gathered in on the outside of the skirt band.

"These dresses were always made of wool, and favorite colors were dark blue, light blue, and scarlet. A scarf of contrasting fabric covers the bosom at the neckline."

The pattern pieces are bodice front, bodice back, two gussets, and a waist band. On reading the bit about wool, I balked a bit. I have the kind of metabolism that makes wool garments of ANY kind superfluous in all but the coldest weather. Since most of the events I attend are in the summer months, wool was Right Out, and I started wondering if a heavy cotton might work.

Something to keep in mind as you create your Historic Wardrobe is the vintage of the items in your contemporary wardrobe. Just today I had to send away a pair of shoes that I bought some 26 years ago -- not because they were not longer in fashion (quite the opposite they are now BACK in fashion) but because my feet are just that much too wide to wear them anymore. I still have clothing that I wear from 70s, 80s, and 90s; my personal style preference is a mélange of 70s and 80s. It's now 2004.

Historically, as today, there are people who keep up with the latest fashions. Every year, these folks clean their closets and drawers out and refill them with the latest up to date fashions. Then, as now, one needed to be of a certain social standing and income level to do this more than once.

Some folks keep the clothes they like and feel comfortable in, and the Devil with The Latest Fashions.

And very many more folks fit somewhere in between these two extremes.

So.

One thing to decide for your Historic self is where that self fits in. For me it was easy. My Métisse, Mary Isabelle Huston, wears what's comfortable and what she can afford. Until I saw the Canadian Dress, I was content to let Mary have a maroon gingham 1850 work dress, and a un-bleached linen T-tunic and skirt made from the scrap from the work dress. There's two pair of leggings, one made from scraps of a vintage HBC blanket with pale green trim, another pair made from emerald green wide-wale corduroy with bright yellow trim, and a couple loudly stripped apron with huge pockets.

Both outfits work, for Mary, for a time span between 1850 and 1870.

Then came Brigade at Fort Vancouver. The year is 1845. I felt a bit odd wearing the 1850 work dress, but, I felt it was better than the top and skirt.

About this same time another friend was weeding out her kit and gifted me with a couple 18th century heavy cotton petticoats, one in red and one on navy blue, with pre-cut ruffles for the red one and un-cut blue fabric for the other. (Thank you, Barbara) I put the red petticoat on as a skirt over the work dress. The next day, I wore the blue one.

An idea sparked.

As Feminine Fur Trade Fashions pointed out, dark blue was one of the favourite colours the Canadian Dress. I had the skirt, all I needed was a top.

A trip to the local Value Village yielded enough scarlet duck (heavy, square weave cotton) to make a top. I spent an evening with butcher paper, measuring tape, pencil, and a thrift-store sheet, to create the actual pattern pieces needed (I used to laugh at those who made things out of an old sheet first --often referred to as "making a muslin"-- but not anymore).

But when I got to the part about joining the top to the bottom, I came up against a rather substantial wall: to get the fit shown in both the above picture as well as the drawing that comes with the Feminine Fur Trade Fashions pattern, there needed to be an opening of some sort somewhere.

One friend suggested that if it had been made of wool it would stretch enough to get it on and off. Maybe, but Me and Wool and Summer Weather was not going to happen, so, instead, I made it a two piece outfit.

The first thing I noticed right away is that this is a really comfortable outfit. The underarm gussets give one a full range of motion, and the top doesn't creep up. The second thing I noticed was that I cut the sleeves a bit too long, and because they are what's called a Coat Sleeve, they were just a bit too tight at the cuff to push up out of the way while working -- as the women who worn them historically would have had to do. Not a lot of leisure time for the average Métisse, nor servants to do the work for her.

A Métis woman --unless she were a Mrs. John McLoughlin or Mrs. James Douglas-- needed durable clothing that she could work in.

French dress style

"French Style - How to Think, Shop and Dress Like a French Woman" was published by Express (the clothing store) in 1993. The book design is unusual. It is a an oversized 10" by 9" soft cover book with a stiff book jacket cover making it a cross between a hard cover and soft cover book.

The text is illustrated with line drawings and a number of photographs (mostly black and white). It helps you learn to THINK like a French woman. It will help you learn to make the decisions a French woman would when shopping, dressing, playing and more.

French woman are known for their chic appearance and attitude. Within these pages Vienne who was born and raised in France conveys what it is that makes the French woman so stylish. She begins by looking to the past. A look at how the French fashion evolved. Then she shares the purebred classics that make the French look - items such as the supreme black turtleneck, hermes scarf, red gloves etc.

Vienne encourages you to "epater les bourgeois" that is shock say a French matron. Here is where you wear things that will raise the eyebrow such as a sweater turned inside out, sunglasses in the rain etc. As Vienne says "you cannot have style without breaking the rules". Take what you have and add little twists to make it special and give it style.
In the States we dress "appropriately" in France a French woman will push buttons - be surprising and fresh.

Vienne gives a list of "do's" and "don'ts" and she gets into "Le Shopping". Armed with more attitude than cash the French woman will use her wits and savvy to find the very best.

Like the design itself this book is very unusual. Not your usual dress like this fare. This is a book that goes beyond the obvious of what is style and helps explain the mystery of how to make style yours.

French style is not a trend, it's a way of life. A way of thinking and feeling. Veronique captures that in this book!