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Monday May 12,2008

Do-it-Yourself Preservation for the Non-specialist

by Jon N Austin

In order to understand why historic objects deteriorate, one must gain a basic understanding of the nature of the materials involved. Simply stated, all objects made of organic materials (wood, leather, bone, and products made of natural materials such as paper and textiles) deteriorate over time as the result of the environment, mechanical action, pests, and natural degradation of the material itself. While inorganic materials (metal, glass, plastic, and stone) are more stable, they can also deteriorate over time but at a slower rate and under varying conditions.

If Necessity is the Mother of Invention, Beware the Unitarians

by Sue Simon

The bursting of one of the many out-of-control malignant tumors in my 43-year-old nephew's chest killed him the Sunday before Christmas. Blinded for years by ignored diabetes, feeding tubed and tracheotomied since late 2000, and judged "terminal" just three weeks earlier, his death came as no surprise.