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Biodefense, Biolabs and Bugs Seattle City Council takes an important first step to safety Labwatch.org (Aug 9, 2010)

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State of Denial After the big Wikileak, spinning for war Normon Solomon, cartoon by Dan McConnell (Aug 9, 2010)
Daniel Ellsberg to Testify in Tacoma Anti-war Trial event Aug 11 & 12 Lawrence Hildes (Aug 9, 2010)

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Trident Nuclear Resisters Get Their Day in Court Ground Zero Center (Aug 9, 2010)
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News from the ACLU North Carolina and WA police would like to know your private information with cartoon by John Ambrosavage (Aug 9, 2010)

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How Community Organizing Saved Washington Basic Health Sisters organized for survival Cee Fisher, cartoon by John Jonik (Aug 9, 2010)

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Still More Cartoonists Look at the Oil Spill art by George Jartos, David Logan, and Dan McConnell (Aug 9, 2010)

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What Color Is Your -Ism? American reactions to "socialism" and "capitalism" are changing; too bad we don't have either Doug Collins, cartoons by John Ambrosavage (June 5, 2010)

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Third-Party Candidates Face Long Odds Americans want a change, but change is rarely elected in WA or elsewhere National Institute on Money in State Politics (June 1, 2010)

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Cutting the Cost of Cooling Creative conservation for air conditioning and refrigeration Martin Nix (June 1, 2010)

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Teenage Microsoft Sweatshop 15-hour shifts under poor conditions at Chinese factory from the National Labor Committee (May 16, 2010)

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Why US Immigration Policy Needs Tweaking Bill Costello, cartoon by David Logan (May 16, 2010)
Arizona Immigration Brouhaha Various opinions from near and far, cartoons by Logan and McConnell (May 2, 2010)

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The Coming Microcar Revolution Martin Nix (May 16, 2010)

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What the Doomsayers Haven't Been Telling You About Greece Neocons use Europe as a punching bag Steven Hill (May 13, 2010)

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A Poetic Look at Tacoma Glass Art Museum; a limer-ICK Gerald McBreen (Mar 28, 2010)
Fall Is For Falling Out Of Love, etc. three poems Bob Markey (Mar 29, 2010)

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Who Rules America? Corporate conglomeration is leading to neofeudalism Don Monkerud, cartoon by John Jonik (Mar 27, 2010)

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South Korean Teachers Reach for the SKY Class size doesn't matter as much as teacher quality Bill Costello (Mar 27, 2010)

HEALTH

California Dental Association Says No Fluoridated Water for Infants fluorosis is affecting most children from NYSCOF, art by David Dees (Mar 27, 2010)

CULTURE

Delete the Meat One might become a vegetarian account by John F. Baker, poem by Steve Hood, and cartoon by John Jonik (Feb 22, 2010)
Anvils: An Appreciation essay and photos by Robert Pavlik (Jan 24, 2010)

HISTORY

History of International Women's Day The first celebration was a century ago this year Megan Cornish (Feb 21, 2010)

MILITARY

Why I Do It Resisting Trident for Love and Life Lynne Greenwald (Feb 20, 2010)

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Architects and Engineers Ask for New Look at 9/11 Doug Collins (Feb 20, 2010)

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Is Olympic Coverage Sexist? Media coverage rarely gives women equal treatment Univ. of Alberta (Jan 24, 2010)

RIGHT BRAIN

Why I Don't Come at Christmas Anymore not-so-jolly Saint Nick (Dec 18, 2009) Santa Gets Political art by Ambrosavage, Lande, and Dees (Dec 17, 2009)

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No DIME for the Dems WA Labor Council leadership accepts activist platform for economic recovery. Will they follow through? Steve Hoffman (Nov 6, 2009)

RIGHTS

Puyallup Bans Door-to-door Religious Speech ACLU of WA (Oct 16, 2009)

LETTERS

Single-Payer Health; Toilet-Paper Tax READER MAIL with cartoons by Jonik and McConnell (Oct 16, 2009)

SUBSTANCES

FDA Cigarette Regulation is Bad News John Jonik (posted Aug 28, 2009)
A Dose of Reality: Drug Legalization Megan Cornish (posted Aug 28, 2009)

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A People's History of Sports BOOK REVIEW Doreen McGrath (posted July 24, 2009)

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Cashing In On Earth's Cycles: Part 3 Alan Cheetham & Richard Kirby (posted July 24, 2009)
Obama: How Serious About Climate Change? Doug Collins (posted July 24, 2009)


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posted Jan. 24, 2010    Bookmark and Share


Anvils: An Appreciation

essay and photos by Robert Pavlik

I have long admired the strength, solidity, and utility of anvils.  They have no moving parts, they are heavy, and they possess an artistic flare with their pointed horns, flat faces, and slender waists, not to mention their splayed feet and solid heels. Anvils are also musical, ringing and singing with each hammer blow or tap.

 

Anvils are that mixture of industry and beauty that I have always appreciated. From them, attractive and useful things can be made. 

Anvils come in many sizes, from very small (for jewelry and other fine work) to those weighing several hundred pounds.  Most anvils are between 100 and 300 pounds, and are usually attached to stout blocks of wood. Some are portable, for example, those used by ferriers who shoe horses. They occupy a central place in any blacksmith shop, along with the forge and the water tank for cooling hot iron or steel. 



In Painesville, Ohio, some of my cousins work at Dyson Corporation, a manufacturer of steel fasteners whose logo is an anvil with a large D on the side. 

In Port Townsend, Washington there is a manufacturer of anvils called Nimbus. I like the allusion to weather, as there is a shape of cumulonimbus cloud called an anvil. When it rises into the upper atmosphere and is pulled and distorted by high winds the cloud becomes a "slanted anvil". 

I've realized that my ideas are a lot like these clouds, composed of water vapor and shaped by dreams. It is my hope that I can produce volumes of poetry and prose that will serve as cultural fasteners, binding writers and readers.◆


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Comments (4)

Please keep comments polite and related to the above page.



#1 - astrid Gallagher - 01/25/2010 - 20:21
Place a good sized anvil in the trunk of your car to give you needed traction on ice and snow.

#2 - John Brewer - 01/25/2010 - 21:27
Very poetic, but the anvil company is Nimba Anvils -- not Nimbus.

John Brewer
Peninsula Daily News (we cover Port Townsend)
john.brewer@peninsuladailynews.com

#3 - Sharon - 01/26/2010 - 16:31
Great article, Bob. And finally, the hard working farriers get some press!

Good read, thanks!

#4 - Bob Pavlik - 01/26/2010 - 22:58
Dear Mr. Brewer,

Thank you for the note. I am appalled that I got the name of the anvil company (Nimba Anvils) wrong, please accept (and convey if you know the proprietors)my apologies. Obviously my head was in the clouds when I (mis)read it!

Thanks as well to Astrid and to Sharon!

Bob Pavlik

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