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Design Purpose:
This LED toilet illuminator combines the vision positioning system of night light, using different colors of light(8 Colors) to indicate the position. With Motion-activated LED sensor, it brightens soft light avoiding stimulate your visual and sleep clocks.What's more, a colorful rainbow toilet will attract your little kid and it helps your lovely kid goes to toilet during night without waking you up.Especially prevent children and the elderly from accidents.
Product Instructions:
1. Easy to Install: Put In 3x AAA Batteries(Not Included) in the back, flexible arm with 180°bending angle enables you to fix it to any shape of toilet bowl and will stay in place.It is made from ABS Plastic Modern Material which is easy to clean and can be widely used as well.
2. 8 Color Options with 2 modes: You can set color-rotate or single-color when desired color is visible with the button.8 Colors change randomly every after 15 seconds(Blue,Red,Yellow,Green,Purple,Pink,Sky Blue,White).It will light up when it detects movement and will stay on for 2 minutes after last movement to help you find your way back.
3. Sanitary design & easy to clean: Dust and grime can be easily wiped off using a damp cloth or detergents.Please do not place the lightbowl in water or under running water.
NOTE:This toilet bowl light works best if the sensor is facing the door.If the light starts flashing that is a indication that the battery is getting low and its time to replace them.
1. Material: ABS Plastic
2. Light Source: LED
3. Voltage: 4.5V
4. Wattage: 1 Watts
5. Color: White
6. Power Supply: 3x AAA Batteries (Not Included)
Customer Reviews 17 item(s)
- Bright, colorful, and easy to use.
Overall Rating
- starsI love that you can change the light to whatever color ...
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- This Toilet Light Is Cute
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- So fun!
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- Great buy.
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First off let me start off by saying, I absolutely love the whole idea of the toilet seat lights. I have 4 boys in our house but it would never fell at least one of them would go use the restroom at night with the lights off and total miss the toilet all together and I would always step in it. Now that we have the light it has not been happening.
- starsGreat light for the commode
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- Coolest thing ever.
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- Perfect
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This i have to say works amazing at nigjt for not blinding yourself.
But better yet for the childrens night time potty trip. They love it!
I definitely recommend it!
- No more Hit and Miss
Overall Rating
- Super cute
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- Motion sensor light for various rooms
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- If you have Boys you MUST have this!!!
Overall Rating
Our 6 year old son's night time accuracy is dramatically improved! It's motion activated so we don't need to turn the light on at night which preserves night time vision and helps make for a safer return to bed and quicker return to sleep.
- I got this thinking it would be a fun gag gift
Overall Rating
- Fun night light
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- no more blinding light
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- so cool , the bowl light
Overall Rating
I have had this for a few days now and I have to say it works great
- the bowl light is so so Super cute
Overall Rating


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Books From Hale
Man of Steel
Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters
Star Trek Into Darkness
The Avengers
The Dark Knight Rises
The Amazing Spider-man
Warm Bodies
The Hobbit
Jurassic Park 3D
Titanic 3D
Star Wars: The Special Edition
A Christmas Carol
Fright Night
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Barnes & Noble
And after you read the first book, be sure to pick up the rest of the series.
The adventure continues in Purging Fires (Day Soldiers: Book Two)....
Once you've finished Purging Fires, Topia (Book Three) is waiting for you.
Day Soldiers: Book IV is now available at Amazon! Continue the adventure...
And don't forget to check out the Sneaker's Handbook, written at the request of fans.
Available at Amazon
Be sure to hop over to our Products Page to see all the available books, novellas, and short stories from Brandon Hale.
Copyright © 2010–2020

subset: commoncrawl


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Traditional and non-traditional gift ideas for a second wedding anniversary don't have to be boring. Put a unique or modern twist on old ideas.
The traditional anniversary gift guide was first published by Emily Post in 1922, making cotton the official gift for a second wedding anniversary. It isn't clear when the modern idea of giving china became common, but there are lots of ways to carry the themes into a wedding anniversary celebration.
Consider the personality, preferences, hobbies, and interests of the recipient when selecting a gift for a second wedding anniversary. Some might prefer a more traditional gift, while others might like an unusual or trendy present instead.
A unique gift on a traditional theme for a second wedding anniversary would be cotton themed. Couples could receive romantic lingerie, high quality bedding, luxurious bath robe, or a personalized throw blanket. For a fun china-themed gift, try giving a personalized plate, a decorative statue (indoor figurine or outdoor garden statuette,) vase (full of flowers of course,) or designer kitchenware.
Other potential gift ideas for a second wedding anniversary include a spa-trip, couples massage, or a vacation get-away. By the second year of marriage, many couples have a child or other responsibilities and might appreciate some time away.
Feature a second wedding anniversary gift by wrapping it attractively or presenting it in an unusual way. Put a clue to the gifts location in a personalized Chinese fortune cookie to highlight the modern gift idea. Wrap the presents in large bath towels to emphasize the traditional second wedding anniversary gift of cotton.


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A new Instagram-like social app from microblogging platform Weibo has been removed from China app stores due to copyright concerns, just days after the release of its beta version.
In a statement Wednesday, the new app, Lüzhou, said it had been temporarily removed to "protect copyright" and that it had reached out to "relevant parties" to resolve the issue. Earlier that day, a Weibo user had pointed out that Lüzhou's logo was strikingly similar to a 2015 rendering by a South Korean graphic design studio.
Lüzhou — or Oasis in English — is part photo-sharing platform and part product-review site, modeled after Instagram and a popular Chinese lifestyle platform called Xiaohongshu, or Little Red Book. Earlier this week, the app climbed to the top spot on the "most downloaded free social apps" chart on Apple's China app store. However, it was no longer searchable by Wednesday afternoon. (Images: @绿洲 and @王___遠 on Weibo)
The People's Republic of China has recorded its lowest birth rate since its founding over 70 years ago, according to data published Friday by the National Bureau of Statistics.
Last year saw 10.5 births per 1,000 people. Some 14.6 million babies were born in China in 2019, down from 15.2 million in 2018. At the same time, the country's total population eclipsed 1.4 billion for the first time at the end of last year — though the national population growth rate of 0.33% was also a record low.
Low fertility rates and an aging population have worried demographers and officials alike because of the risk these factors pose to the country's future. Hoping to boost birth rates, China abolished the one-child policy in 2016 and proposed longer maternity leave for couples considering a second child — but so far these and other measures have achieved limited success due to changing social mentalities and the rising cost of childrearing. Meanwhile, birth restrictions continue to hang over some families' heads, as couples who have more than two children can face harsh punishments.
Six months after becoming the first Chinese city to implement strict trash-sorting rules, Shanghai is planning to perfect the system and increase recycling efforts in the coming years, domestic media outlet Jiemian reported Thursday.
At a political gathering, Deng Jianping, director of the Shanghai Landscaping and City Appearance Administrative Bureau, said the city had completed the renovation of over 21,000 trash-sorting stations and built over 15,000 recycling stations as of January. Shanghai also recycled 4,049 tons of trash per day in 2019, a 431.8% increase compared with the previous year.
In 2020, Shanghai should improve its current sorting system to collect over 6,000 tons of recyclable waste and sort over 9,000 tons of wet waste daily, Deng said.
Shanghai also ranked No. 1 for three consecutive quarters among 46 major cities selected for trash-sorting inspections conducted by China's Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the country's housing regulatory department, according to the media report. (Image: Tuchong)
Less than a week after CEO Elon Musk showed off his company's first made-in-China vehicles, along with his own memorable dance moves, electric carmaker Tesla announced that it is planning to open a new design center in China with the aim of creating "designed in China" cars, according to an official post Wednesday on social app WeChat.
Tesla's post described the plan to open a design studio in China as "a very cool thing" that Musk had proposed in order to shift gears from "made in China" to "designed in China." The company hopes to incorporate "the most beautiful Chinese art into the future-facing Tesla," and is already soliciting designs for original, "Chinese-style" vehicles, to be sent to an email address included in the post by Feb. 1.
Musk has high hopes for Tesla in the China market, thanks in part to his cozy relationship with top officials. Tesla was the first foreign carmaker allowed to set up an independent operation in China, and its Shanghai Gigafactory — the company's first such facility outside the U.S. — took just 10 months to build, and has been cranking out Model 3 sedans since October. The company unveiled its first China-made Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in Shanghai last week. (Image: From Tesla's WeChat account)
Beijing Enlight Media, the studio behind last year's animated smash hit "Ne Zha," said it will invest about 1 billion yuan ($145 million) over the next five years to adapt comic content into animated productions.
Company president Wang Changtian said the investment will aim to create 10 productions.
The announcement was made Tuesday at a media event to launch a comic art platform mobile app, Yi Ben Man Hua. The app was launched by Beijing Enlight's subsidiary, Caitiaowu, which was established in 2015 to focus on creating comic content and producing animated films.
Yi Ben Man Hua's target will be to make comics suitable for adapting into animations, focusing on themes such as mythology and fantasy, according to Jiang Zibin, the app's chief editor. The app currently has 21 comic creators with a total of 47 comic titles available, most of which are free, according to Jiang.
The market leader in this area is Tencent-backed tech giant Kuaikan Manhua, which boasts about 3,000 creators and more than 3,000 available titles. (Image: Weibo)
(Republished with permission from Caixin Global.)
The trailblazing woman featured on the third edition of China's 1 yuan bill died Tuesday, domestic media reported. She was 90 years old.
Liang Jun, who is seated atop a tractor on the back of the banknote, was also the country's first female tractor driver. She was widely viewed as a symbol of Mao Zedong's popular proclamation, "Women hold up half the sky," often invoked to urge women to work outside the domestic sphere.
Born in a small town in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang, Liang was given away to a wealthy family who adopted her at the age of 12 as a future bride under an archaic tradition. However, she managed to break free from the arrangement and married a man she met at school.
At the age of 18, Liang joined a tractor-driving course in which she was the only woman in a class of 70-plus men, plowing the way for others to follow in her tracks. In 1950, China's first female tractor-driving corps was established and named after her.
Liang's legacy will live on in the third-generation 1 yuan notes, printed and circulated between 1962 and 2000. (Image: Taobao)
Authorities in southern China's Guangdong province are investigating the cause of an explosion at a petrochemical factory Tuesday.
The explosion occurred at Changlian Petrochemical Company in the city of Zhuhai at around 1:40 p.m., according to a statement released by the work safety administration of the Zhuhai Economic and Technological Development Zone, where the company is located.
No causalities have been reported, and employees of the company, as well as others working in the area, have been evacuated. According to the administration's follow-up statements, the fire had been brought under control by 4 p.m.
According to The Beijing News, an inspection conducted six months ago discovered 15 potential safety hazards at the Zhuhai petrochemical company.
Several work safety-related incidents have made headlines in China in the past year. In March, a chemical plant explosion in the eastern Jiangsu province killed 78 people and injured over 600 more. The next month, an industrial accident at a pharmaceutical plant in the neighboring Shandong province killed 10 people. (Image: @央视网 on Weibo)
Shanghai has terminated its sister city relationship with Prague after the Czech capital signed a similar agreement with Taipei.
The Shanghai government said Tuesday that the city is suspending all official contact with Prague for "repeated erroneous actions on major issues involving China's core interests, such as Taiwan." The Shanghai government also accused Prague of "openly challenging the one-China policy," which it strongly condemns.
Prague's mayor, Zdenek Hrib, signed a sister city partnership Monday with his counterpart in Taipei, Ko Wen-je, after announcing the move last month. Prague's city council had voted in October to dissolve relations with Beijing over ideological differences.
Since assuming office in November 2018, the 38-year-old Czech mayor has repeatedly irked Beijing by voicing support for Taiwan and Tibet. (Image: Tuchong)
A hospital in northwestern China's Shaanxi has equipped its employees with wristbands that can alert local police in the event of danger, Sixth Tone's sister publication The Paper reported Monday.
The Shaanxi Provincial People's Hospital said the devices are intended to ensure the safety of staff at a time when violence against medical workers is prevalent in the country. The hospital also said it will install alarm buttons in patient wards as a precautionary measure against any future incidents.
The move comes after doctors in Lanzhou — also in Northwest China — and Beijing were killed by a patient and a patient's relative, respectively. Following these recent attacks, China's medical professionals have called for upgraded security measures at hospitals and longer sentences for violent patients.
Earlier this month, a hospital in the eastern Jiangxi province implemented security screenings for patients and staff upon entering. The facility's chief security officer told The Paper last week that the hospital confiscated more than 10 knives on the first day the new procedure was enforced. (Image: @头条新闻 on Weibo)
A school in China's southwestern Guizhou province made headlines over the weekend for handing out hundreds of kilograms of raw pork to top-scoring students.
Last Thursday, the private Hanlin school, located in the relatively impoverished county of Nayong, bought and slaughtered seven hogs before distributing the meat to 90 students who had scored well on their final exams. The top students received 18 kilograms, those in the second tier received 12 kilograms, and third-prize winners were each awarded a pig's foot.
"It suddenly hit me on Jan. 7 that the students could take the meat home for a more festive Lunar New Year atmosphere," Hanlin headmaster Wang Hao told a local news outlet. The school reportedly spent over 50,000 yuan ($7,250) on the porcine prizes.
In April 2018, a school in the southwestern city of Chongqing also gifted pork to top students — part of an effort to encourage them to cook with their parents. But such an award appears particularly generous this year: An outbreak of African swine fever has decimated the country's swine herds and driven pork prices to record highs. (Image: @时间视频 on Weibo)
A Shanghai-based women's rights group is planning to propose a new parental leave policy for the city that would extend time off for new parents and include mandatory leave for fathers, Sixth Tone's sister publication The Paper reported Wednesday.
The Shanghai Women's Federation — the municipal branch of China's quasi-official women's rights group — said Wednesday that it plans to raise the issue during the city's upcoming "two sessions" political meetings. The federation is seeking to extend the current maternity leave from 138 days to six months, and to introduce shared parental leave for couples, with fathers having at least 30 days of mandatory time off after the birth of a child.
A spokesperson for the federation's Shanghai branch said the proposal is aimed at encouraging more fathers to get involved in childrearing, as well as supporting women's professional development after giving birth, according to The Paper. She added that the move could also help boost the city's fertility rate.
Amid slowing birth rates and a rapidly aging society, more cities and provinces are introducing paternity leave to encourage couples to have second children. Authorities hope such enticing provisions will not only encourage procreation, but also shift traditional notions of parenting in a more equitable direction. (Image: Tuchong)


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Gender Equity in Indian Registration Act
On December 15, 2010 Bill C-3: Gender Equity in Indian Registration Act received Royal Assent.
Friday 4th March 2011 07:25 (Updated: Tuesday 14th July 2015 06:48)
Bill C-3 ensures that eligible grand-children of women who lost status as a result of marrying non-Indian men will become entitled to registration (Indian status). As a result of this legislation approximately 45,000 persons will become newly entitled to registration.
Source: Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada
Frequently Asked Questions:
Who benefits from the new legislation?
All eligible grandchildren of women who lost status as a result of marrying non-Indian men are entitled to registration (Indian status) in accordance with the Indian Act.
What are the eligibility requirements?
Generally speaking, the key criteria to be newly entitled to registration are:
- Did your grandmother lose her Indian status as a result of marrying a non-Indian?
- Is one of your parents registered, or entitled to be registered, under sub-section 6(2) of the Indian Act?
- Were you, or one of your siblings, born on or after September 4, 1951?
Why did the Government of Canada make these amendments?
The Government of Canada made these amendments in response to an April 2009 decision by the Court of Appeal for British Columbia in the case of McIvor v. Canada (Registrar of Indian and Northern Affairs).
When will these amendments come into effect?
These amendments are effective as of January 31, 2011.
Will anyone lose their Indian status as a result of this legislation?
No one will lose Indian status. In fact, approximately 45,000 individuals will become entitled to Indian registration as a result of this legislation.
For more information, please visit the website of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development: CLICK HERE


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She's been called a 'wild child' and 'the bad girl of tennis'. But 24-year-old British player, Naomi Broady, who tomorrow plays in the second round of Wimbledon for the first time, has done nothing more rebellious than post an inappropriate photograph on social media site Bebo.
The picture that led to Broady losing her LTA funding.
The picture – which showed her posing next to a condom machine on a night out, was deemed to depict "unprofessional behaviour" by the Lawn Tennis Association – and Broady was stripped of her funding. Her father had to sell the family home in order to fund her career and that of her younger brother.
So far, so unfortunate.
But Broady – who is now being said to have 'had the last laugh' is far from the naughtiest tennis player of the modern era. When it comes to being a 'wild child', she's got plenty of rivals – past and present.
Martina Hingis
The 'Swiss Miss' entered her first tournament aged 4 and spent 209 weeks as world number one. But the tennis prodigy soon earned herself a reputation as a spoilt brat. During the French Open final, in 1999, she argued with the umpire, was booed by the crowd and had to be escorted, sobbing, back on court for the prize giving by her mother. In 2007, she admitted testing positive for cocaine during Wimbledon and retired under a cloud of suspicion – although she has always maintained her innocence. In 2009, she appeared on Strictly Come Dancing and – still deeply unpopular – was the first 'celebrity' voted off. The following year, she married show jumper Thibault Hutin. But they separated in 2013 after Hutin claimed that Hingis had cheated on him repeatedly – and that she, her mother and her mother's boyfriend had physically attacked him (something which Hingis has never responded to, or denied).
Natasha Zvereva
This feisty Belarusian made her name in 1989, when she became the first player to publicly challenge the Soviet Tennis Federation, on live television, over keeping all her prize money. "This is nothing. It is just paper," she said, holding up a cheque (the rules were later changed). In 1995, aged 23, she demonstrated her 'wild child' behaviour when she flashed her sports bra at the crowd during a late night Australian Open doubles match. And in 2000, Zvereva was fined $1,000 (£400) for 'making an obscene gesture' to the crowd. After she and partner Anna Kournikova were beaten by the Williams sisters during a Wimbledon double semi-final, Zvereva raised both arms and gave the crowd the middle finger, which was deemed 'unsportsmanlike conduct'.
Bernard Tomic
The Australian and former world junior number one is just 21, but already he's secured himself a place in the tennis 'wild child' hall of fame. He's been widely derided for having a bad attitude and a lack of commitment, leading to his being dropped from the Australia Davis Cup team. Off court, things have been little better. There was a court appearance for driving offences in his orange BMW and a police investigation following an alleged fight with a naked male friend in a hot tub. Tomic has also verbally threatened members of the press, which lead to former Aussie tennis star Pat Rafter calling him a 'disgrace'. Then there's his father and coach, John, whose reputation for brawling (he broke the nose of his son's hitting partner Thomas Droue) has seen him denied accreditation at tournaments.
Jennifer Capriati
The American former world number one made her tennis debut in 1990, racked-up an impressive list of 'youngest ever' accolades and won Olympic gold at Barcelona in 1992. But the on-court prodigy struggled to maintain her good form off the court. In 1993, she was charged with shoplifting a ring and the following year was arrested for cannabis possession, entering rehab soon after. She played just one match on the tour in three years. Capriati later rebuilt her career, winning three Grand Slams, but was forced to retire in 2004, due to injury. In 2013, her 'wild child' side reared its head once more: an arrest warrant was put out for the former tennis star after she allegedly punched her ex-boyfriend four times in a Florida gym. The charges were eventually dropped in exchange for Capriati undertaking 30 hours of community service and four hours of anger management counselling.
Ernest Gulbis
Latvian, Gulbis, is a true modern day tennis bad boy. He prefers partying to tennis, doesn't understand why anyone would go to a nightclub sober and believes drugs should be legalised. On court, he has a reputation for breaking rackets (60-70 a year). And that's when he turns up. In 2009, he simply failed to show for a tournament in Paris (he was in Moscow at the time). In the same year, Gulbis was caught up in a prostitution scandal and charged for soliciting in Sweden, spending the night in a prison cell. "I think everybody should go to jail at least once," he said. He claims to 'love women', but last month gave an interview in which he said they shouldn't become professional tennis players as women need "to think about kids".
Marat Safin
Perhaps the ultimate tennis bad boy, Russian Marat Safin – who retired in 2009 – had a reputation for destroying rackets. He smashed 1055 in all (that's 88 a year); one in front of former Russian president Boris Yeltsin, during a tirade of swear words at Wimbledon, 2004. In the same year, he pulled down his shorts, on court, to celebrate winning a point. And in 2009, he arrived at the Australian Open with two black eyes after some 'trouble in Moscow'. His partying, drinking and smoking ways were well-known – as was the posse of blonde women who accompanied him on tour. Which makes it all the more unlikely that he's now a member of the Russian Parliament.
Serena Williams
When they exploded onto the scene, Serena and Venus Williams became known for their braided hair, eccentric dress sense and fiery tempers. Indeed, in 2012 is was revealed that Serena was the most heavily fined player in women's tennis; $104,500 (£60,000) for eight behaviour violations on court at Slams since 2008 (more than double the total handed out to the next nine most-fined women on the circuit combined). At the 2009 US Open, Serena infamously told a line official; "I swear to God, I'm f****** going to take this f****** ball and shove it down your f****** throat." While at the 2011 US Open she told the umpire; "Don't even look at me. If I see you in the corridor, don't even walk past me because you're out of control ... you're a hater and you're just unattractive inside." She has also drawn controversy on Twitter and gained a reputation for bad-mouthing her fellow players, such as Maria Sharapova – who is dating Williams' ex-boyfriend, Gregor Dimitrov.


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08 December 2017 | News
Numbers will more than double to 15 million by 2060, as the population ages
Using new methodology, team of scientists at National Institute of Health calculate that approximately 6 million American adults have Alzheimer's disease or mild cognitive impairment, which can sometimes be a precursor to the disease. The estimate, funded by the National Institutes of Health, also forecasts that these numbers will more than double to 15 million by 2060, as the population ages.
This new forecast differs from earlier estimates. For the first time, scientists have attempted to account for numbers of people with biomarkers or other evidence of possible preclinical Alzheimer's disease, but who do not have impairment or Alzheimer's dementia.
In the Alzheimer's affected brain, abnormal levels of the beta-amyloid protein clump together to form plaques (seen in brown) that collect between neurons and disrupt cell function. Abnormal collections of the tau protein accumulate and form tangles (seen in blue) within neurons, harming synaptic communication between nerve cells.
People with such signs of preclinical disease are at increased risk to develop Alzheimer's dementia. The researchers say they factored those rates of transition in their multi-state model; further, the model can estimate the impact of some possible prevention efforts on the number of future cases.


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Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Well, the month is up, and...
I didn't expect to get it all done, but just having the list gave me a sense of purpose and I think I accomplished more because of it. Here's what I did and didn't do:
1) Amy's challenge of ditching paper towels. I did pretty well on this. We had already mostly ditched them anyway, but we made an extra effort to use actual dishtowels whenever possible. We did use the paper ones a couple of times, like when we tie-dyed.
2) Make cloth hankies in order to give up tissues. I didn't make any, but I did find some brand-new hankies we bought forever ago in a bag, so now I don't need to. I consider this item done.
3) Sew my own pads. I finally found the perfect pad pattern. Now all I need to do is make minor adjustments according to my preferences and I'll be all set!
4) Write post about making pads. Yikes. Haven't even started.
5) Find a good deal on some plain white onesies, possibly at consignment sale. Did I ever. A whole pile of them.
6) Tie-dye said onesies. We did a few of them, but still have most of them to go. I can only tie-dye for so long before I get tired, and the shirts won't look as good.
7) Make Suzi's play kitchen. The bright orange wooden boxes we plan to use for this are still sitting out on the front porch. I'm sure the neighbors appreciate that!
8) Finish sanding Suzi's block set. Ha, no.
9) Get the dining room cleaned out. Yep, I did this one!!!
10) Do a second giveaway on my blog. Done. I'm now on my third.
11) Set a schedule for monthly giveaways. I decided to do at least one a month, and not worry about the date. The date will depend on opportunities for publicizing, such as the Bloggy Giveaways Carnival coming up at the end of October (block out your calendars, ladies!).
12) Figure out how to publicize giveaways. I think I've got this one under control between Prizey, Prize-a-Tron and Contest Blogger. Also, giving extra entries for blogging is a major help!
13) Learn three new recipes. I learned Black Bean and Salsa Soup, Cheese Muffins, and Spinach & Feta Hummus. The first two I'll be making again (and again); the third, not so much.
14) Make tutus. Nope.
15) Take Suzi's picture wearing tutu and BabyLegs. Nope.
16) Do a post on tutus and BabyLegs. Nope.
17) Start walking regularly with Suzi. Nope. Lugging out the big stroller is a bit of a hassle, I have to say.
18) Break in my running shoes (by walking, I mean!). Not even close.
19) Make Suzi's handprint (with a kit we have). Well, I thought about it. Does that count? We may wait until she's 18 months old, since that's a landmark age.
I did get other things done; for instance, I made four baby slings! These will be good for me and Suzi to use and the others I will use as giveaways or donate to No Mother Left Behind. I also wrote a fairly time-consuming post for the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog's September Carnival. Overall, even though my list is half-done, I think I had a productive month!
October's to-do list coming soon.
And now for some links to my other blog:
My thoughts on babywearing for beginners
How our first tie-dye session went
23 questions about Suzi's birth (I will post this on here soon)
It's almost October! Woo-hoo!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Earthlust Bottles: beautiful, simple, green (Updated with winner!)
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
Timestamp: 2008-10-19 04:10:13 UTC
Thanks to all who entered, and thanks to Earthlust for the awesome giveaway!
Ever since the recent ban of BPA-laden products, I've been in the market for a new water bottle. Because I am picky it has taken me this long to find just the right one. I refuse to drink from anything with a "sports top." (I'm an adult, you know? I don't need a sippy cup.) I liked the idea of stainless steel, but didn't want anything with multiple layers because water tends to get trapped between them. And of course, I didn't want anything ugly.
When I found the Earthlust line of stainless steel bottles, I was in love. They weren't just affordable; they were everything I could want in a water bottle and more. My only problem was trying to pick my favorite design out of all the beautiful choices. I finally decided on the Red Crow. I was drawn to it, and besides, it matches my purse, see?
Here are my favorite things about my new Earthlust bottle:
1) It's beautiful. I don't see any reason why we can't incorporate beauty into everything in our lives. Just because an item is utilitarian by nature doesn't mean it can't reflect our personal style. My favorites are the Red Crow and the smaller Growing Tree.
2) The design is simple. I decided against several other brands purely because they featured multi-layer designs and/or complicated caps. All I wanted was something that would last a long time, be easy to clean, and would not leak, and that's what I got! The lid screws off to reveal a plain but perfectly contoured opening, making it easy to enjoy your drink without spilling, even if you're walking or riding in a car.
3) The lid makes this bottle convenient. As a mom, I rarely find myself with a free hand for carrying a drink. I usually have Suzi in one arm and at least one bag in the other! The lid on my Earthlust bottle seals tight (I turned it upside down to test it!), which allows me to throw it into a bag without worrying about soaking all my stuff. (Or me. Once on my way to work my insecure drink toppled over into my seat. I almost had to go home and change.) Even better, the lid has a mini-carabiner clip attached so you can clip it to a backpack or bag. You could even hook your keys to it. It's a good way to keep everything together.
4) It's safe for us and for the environment. I have peace of mind knowing my water is not steeping in toxic plastic. Earthlust bottles are made of high-quality stainless steel and adorned with non-toxic paint. They allow you to forgo a disposable bottle of water and keep a ton of waste from going to landfills. (And that's not all. Did you ever think of how much fuel it takes to ship all that bottled water to stores? Bottled water is not green!)
I know you are wishing you had an Earthlust Bottle of your very own. Good news! Earthlust has kindly agreed to give one reader the bottle of their choice. To enter, all you have to do is take a look at their designs and leave a comment on this post saying which one other than the Red Crow is your favorite. For one extra entry, blog about this contest and leave a separate comment with the link to your post. If your email address isn't posted in your blogger profile, please remember to leave it in your comment. I will accept entries until 11:59 pm on Saturday, October 18, at which time the winner will be chosen randomly. I will email the winner requesting a mailing address and if I don't hear back within four days I will draw again. Good luck!
If you don't win or just want to buy an Earthlust Bottle now, you can do that online at Nubius Organics or Online Fitness (I got mine at Nubius).
Friday, September 26, 2008
Oh, Table! I never thought I'd see you again!
In case you can't tell, this is my dining room. I know it looks crazy, but let me explain. I love to make things, but it's hard to find the time. I generally only work on a project for a few minutes before I have to get back to caring for Suzi. I figured, what's the point of cleaning this stuff up just to pull it back out again in a day or two?
Therefore, this one table was covered with tulle for tutus, flannel for pads, cotton fabric for slings, t-shirts to tie-dye, and a bunch of odd stuff like laundry and clutter which hadn't quite reached its destination. When I started to work on a project it was aggravating because there wasn't a square inch of table that wasn't covered.
Luckily, I got motivated to clean it up after watching an episode of Clean House. I love Miss Niecy. I set the timer for 15 or 20 minutes at the time (a FlyLady thing) and focused all my energy on it. I organized each project into its own grocery bag or neat stack, and now I can just pull one out at the time. It'll be so much easier to work now! Here's the time lapse:
I feel like there should be fireworks going off, or a parade or something.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Banana baby
Bananas have long been Suzi's favorite food. Tonight, in order to have our hands free, we allowed her to hold the banana herself for the first time. Jordan and I high-fived each other and continued eating our soup. But then it came time to pull the peel down. There was only a little nub left so I took the whole peel off and handed the rest of the banana to her. Well, she had a fit; she wanted the peel back. After trying to reason with her and then trying to ignore her, we eventually gave it to her. What could it hurt, right? She sat there happy as a clam holding the peel in one hand and eating the banana from the other. Then when she finished the actual banana, she started to nibble on the edge of the peel. I started to take it away, but then remembered the high-pitched wails from before and decided to let her figure it out for herself. "AAAAAH!" she exclaimed with her tongue out, nose crinkled, shaking her head. I wish I had a video.
Do I really see what's in her mind?
Each time I think I'm close to knowing
She keeps on growing
Slipping through my fingers all the time
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Just-in-time Wordless Wednesday: Try these on for size
Yogurt pants
So we're going to do the eight-week easy class, and who knows? Maybe next time we'll be ready for the regular one! I am excited to learn some cool-looking poses. In a few years when I'm homeschooling Suzi, I'd love to be able to do yoga with her as part of P.E. I sure wish they would've let me do yoga in middle school instead of stupid volleyball. I probably would've been more popular.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Let's take our perverted society to school
A few nights ago I was holding Suzi as she squirmed uncomfortably and whined. Her daddy pointed out that she might want to breastfeed. "Tell her you want the boobie," he said to Suzi. She looked at me and smiled, then pointed her chubby little finger at my breast and said booh-bee. She got such a kick out of calling it by name, and her proud little smile just melted my heart. At the same time, though, a wave of panic came over me. Was she going to use this word for it everywhere? In front of friends and, worse, family? The glazed, irritated expressions of half my distant relatives flashed through my mind. They would surely be whispering "by the time a kid can ask for it, it's time to wean her, for gosh sakes!" Did I really want to subject myself to all that scrutiny?
It took about twenty minutes for me to decide to place my daughter's needs ahead of theirs.
Rewind twenty years or so. A mother whose daughter I went to school with was attending storytime at the library with a group of five-year-olds and their mothers. Her toddler son (about two and a half years old) was there as well. During the reading, the little boy walked up to his mother and requested tit. She obliged, and for the past two decades has served as anecdotal evidence of Mothers Who Breastfeed Too Long. Little did we know she was extending the benefits of breastfeeding for her son. I never even noticed their nursing session was taking place, but my mom seemed to think everyone else saw her "flop her boob out" and feed him. This toddler-nurser wasn't like the other mothers. My mom weaned me when I was five months old, and I'd wager most of the other moms in our group weaned by then as well, if they breastfed at all. The long-term breastfeeding mom ended up raising a high-school valedictorian. The other mothers did not. She must have been doing something right!
Because of this experience and the dialogue that followed, I spent two decades of my life thinking extended breastfeeding was gross and weird. Imagine my surprise when I turned into one of those mothers myself. It was never my intention; my original goal was to breastfeed for six months. Then a year. As Suzi's first birthday approached it became more and more obvious that her heart would be broken if I weaned her so abruptly. So here I am, breastfeeding a 15-month-old with no end in sight. I know in my heart it's best for her. How else can I ensure that if I get a stomach bug, she won't? (It's happened.) When she refuses to eat anything but Ritz crackers, how can I be sure she's getting any decent nourishment? I love my little girl and I will nurse her for as long as she needs.
And I am not alone. Amy at Crunchy Domestic Goddess wrote a brilliant post on nursing a preschooler. She prefaced it with this thought:
While I'm OK with the fact that I am [nursing my preschooler], it's not something I try to draw attention to either... It's not the most socially acceptable thing to do here in the
This sentiment is common among mothers nursing older children, as they are faced with an impossible choice: Do I deny my child this irreplaceable nourishment and bonding, or do I go against the grain of society? If she chooses to continue breastfeeding she may become a pariah, but if she stops nursing before she and her child are ready she is not following her maternal instincts, which can be agonizing and harmful.
For example, I read about one nursing mother whose three-year-old son had leukemia. Breastfeeding became vitally important to them. Had she weaned him at the age society expects she would not have been able to offer him the comfort, nutrition, or protection of breastfeeding during the most painful and frightening time of his life. After chemotherapy treatments, breastmilk may be one of the few things a child can digest without vomiting!
In The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers, Dr. Jack Newman debunks the ridiculous theory that once a baby reaches six months, mother's breastmilk is devoid of any value and the mother is only continuing to nurse the baby because she is "getting something out of it." As he points out, the idea that a mother derives sexual pleasure from nursing a child is symptomatic of a perverted society (see Chapter 19, "Breastfeeding the Toddler"). People have grown accustomed to the idea that breasts are primarily for pleasing men, and are only on loan to babies for six-month stretches.
It is widely known that the AAP recommends breastfeeding for at least a year, and longer if it is mutually desired by mother and child. The World Health Organization recommends nursing for two years. The general public implores us to wean ASAP. Our society is in desperate need of remedial education on the purpose of women's breasts. I am so thankful that I live in a state where women can breastfeed anytime and anywhere, covered or not, no matter how old the child is, and I plan to continue exercising my right to do so. However, the law is no help at all for mothers who crave acceptance from their friends, families, and even strangers.
I am a member of our local breastfeeding coalition and will begin teaching a Breastfeeding Basics class for expectant parents in November. Last month I attended the class a friend was teaching to prepare myself. At the end of the class we showed a short video to reiterate the points covered, and it featured a number of nursing mother-baby pairs. When a nursing toddler came onto the screen there were audible snickers. I thought, what are they laughing about? Then I remembered they had probably never seen a baby nursing, let alone a toddler--and if they had it was probably not in the context of acceptance. Although their giggles made me feel like I was in ninth grade sex ed class again, I couldn't blame them. Most people have never heard of nursing an older child and have no idea why anyone would want to do it. Below are a few ideas nursing moms can put into practice to help these people learn.
1) Integrate dialogue about nursing into your children's daily lives. First impressions are hard to overcome, so it helps if children learn at an early age that breastfeeding is the norm. Instead of buying your child a baby doll with a bottle, buy one without. Then teach the child that babies are fed from mommy's breasts. If your child is a girl you can even let her pretend to nurse the baby. I have friends whose children do this and it's a refreshing change. Remembering the hundreds of times I fed my own dolls a bottle, it's no wonder I had to work to overcome my attitudes about breastfeeding! Society had set me up to think breastfeeding was the exception and bottlefeeding the rule. Breastfeeding dialogue will probably come naturally if there is a baby sibling involved, or if a child is breastfed long enough to discuss it. Children won't think breastfeeding at any age is unusual until someone tells them it is!
2) Breastfeed your toddler in public as you are comfortable. This doesn't mean "whipping out a boob" as some people like to phrase it; I am discreet and half the time no one but savvy fellow moms realize I am nursing. You never know when a nursing mom whose child is nearing the one-year mark is going to see you. Your actions may plant a seed of thought in her head and empower her to keep nursing if she was previously unsure of what to do. Furthermore, people need to witness real moms nursing toddlers. While reading Mothering Magazine I came across an article about breastfeeding as portrayed in movies ("Reel Milk" by Sarah Rubenstein-Gillis, Sept-Oct 2008). The most prominent depictions of nursing are comical; for example, a man might accidentally drink a little breastmilk and then spew it dramatically across the room when he realizes it is not cow's milk. If this is the only information routinely given to the public about breastfeeding, it should be no surprise that they are getting the impression breastfeeding is embarrassing and makes people uncomfortable. The more people realize how ordinary and pleasant an experience it can be for mother, child and onlookers alike, the closer it will come to being the norm. There are, of course, times when mothers are asked by an ignorant employee to discontinue a nursing session. At least it is preferable, though, when the mother being victimized is confident and familiar with her rights and can stand up for herself. It's hard to say how many inexperienced, timid moms must be humiliated and inconvenienced, perhaps even pressured to end their nursing relationships, before the first mom comes along and fights back. Most occurrences of this kind end with an apology to the mother and the news coverage they often attract serves to further educate the general public on the legal rights of breastfeeding moms.
3) Don't let anyone get away with publicly condemning mothers who choose to nurse their toddlers. Back when I was still the inexperienced mother of an infant, I read a Babytalk Magazine article in which nursing a toddler was portrayed in a negative way. The author said she saw a woman in a park breastfeeding her "sturdy toddler" and thought "Yuck! She really should wean that kid." At the time, I silently reassured myself that Suzi would be finished nursing by twelve months. Then, a couple of issues later, a reader wrote in to say she was angry about the article. Since Babytalk is usually so supportive of breastfeeding, she viewed the attitudes in the article as a step in the wrong direction. Her comment pointed me in the direction I needed to go. More importantly, if a mainstream magazine runs an unfavorable article and is subsequently flooded with emails from concerned readers, perhaps next time they will publish something more helpful. Since so many moms read these inexpensive or free magazines, getting them to commit their support to long-term breastfeeding is a major victory.
4) Debunk the myths whenever you get a chance. Many people discontinue their nursing relationships for what they think are good reasons. "He was getting teeth!" is a popular one. While some babies may bite their mothers, mine rarely has. I thought I'd have to wean once Suzi had opposing teeth growing in, but it turns out I was worried over nothing. The times I have been bitten were not as bad as I'd expected; some mothers expect blood and gore to be intrinsic to nursing a toddler, but it's just not so in the majority of cases.
5) Talk about it! In November when I start teaching our local Breastfeeding Basics class I will be proud to mention that my toddler is still nursing. When I was pregnant with Suzi, a mom in the breastfeeding coalition mentioned she nursed her daughter until she turned two, and she would have nursed longer had she not been planning to try for another baby and didn't want to wean during her pregnancy. Although I was a bit shocked at the time, her mention of nursing her toddler was highly instrumental in my decision to continue nursing Suzi. Now I can appreciate what an amazing role model she is.
If we breastfeed our toddlers and talk about it rather than keeping it hidden for the sake of our prudish society's sensibilities, more and more people will realize how beneficial it is. I hope that one day children will grow up not batting an eye when they see a woman breastfeeding her two- or three-year-old. Until then, we have some work to do!
Want to read more about breastfeeding education? Check out the other articles in Motherwear's Carnival at these blogs:
Beautiful Letdown
Motherwear Blog
Hobo Mama
Breastfeeding 1-2-3
Breastfeeding Mums
Poked and Prodded
Stop Drop and Blog
Nurturing Notes
Making ordinary things beautiful
Bet you can't guess what we're going to do tomorrow!
As expected, the consignment sale brought good deals on a pile of white onesies, all in different sizes. Scratch that off my list. We bought rubber bands, gloves and some Rit dye and we will be tie-dyeing tomorrow, probably in the kitchen (where there's no carpet). I learned to tie-dye from my 11th grade Chemistry teacher Mr. DuBose. I left that class with two spiral-dyed t-shirts, one of which I wore to have my wisdom teeth removed the following year. Ouch. (Is it strange I remember that?)
I also tie-dyed with my friend Megan in our church circle. As a matter of fact, we tie-dyed our underwear. Megan is pretty deep and came up with a lovely Christian reference: God takes ordinary things and makes them beautiful for us, and that's what we were doing. We took our ordinary white underwear and made them bright and beautiful. At the same time I made Suzi this little onesie:
Wasn't she a little pumpkin? She was just four months old. I hope the t-shirts we do tomorrow will be this good!
Visit my other blog to see the even more amazing consignment sale deal my mom got today!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Well, she's not shy
I do have a cute story to tell, though. As it neared 2:00 and parents and kids began to pack up and go home, Suzi spotted a little boy who looked between three and four years old. She smiled and began following him around. As he stood looking at her, she walked up within a yard of him and said "boo." I don't think she was trying to scare him; she was just making conversation. But he ran away. He came back later and while they were both standing by the climbing wall, she suddenly threw her arms around him and gave him a big hug! He looked shocked, so I assured him that it meant she liked him. He smiled and said "She's my friend. She's almost my girlfriend, but I hate to say it, but I already have a girlfriend I'm gonna marry." Not even potty trained yet and she's already flirting with the boys!
Another cute thing she does now is pretending to cook food for us. The other night we were sitting on my mom's couch watching Hairspray and Suzi grabbed the DVD case. She wiggled her little fingers inside the case and then plucked out imaginary food. She stuck her whole hand in my mouth to feed me and then drew it back, eagerly looking for my reaction. ("Mmm! So good!") Then she fed Daddy some, and even Grandma got a taste of Suzi's yummy cooking. We have to get to work on her kitchen (it's on my list for September) and then she can make us even more yummy meals!
Being Suzi's mommy just gets better and better.
(Go here to find out what to do for fun on a Monday night, and here to see my great deal from the Anderson consignment sale!)
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Wordless Wednesday: Go Tigers! / Sleepy Tiger Cub
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
My little apronista
My lovely daughter kicked me out of bed at 5:00 this morning. She rolled up against me and whined, and I figured I was going to have to breastfeed her. I got up to go to the bathroom first and by the time I came back, she was asleep. Across half the bed. Boy, will I be glad to get her into her own bed, even if it is in our room still (more on that later). But I did get all the dishes done, and now I have time to blog!
One of our yard sale finds from Saturday was this apron set. We found them at a local Christian thrift store.
And this is an apron my mom made for me when I was a little girl. She had some fabric left from making curtains for her first grade classroom. I found it in a box about a month ago.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Ring giveaway winners!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
To be more giving
During church today, several of the prayers and hymns were centered on the theme of being more giving and loving. It inspired me to get started on a project I've been excited about ever since I heard of it a few days ago.
As you know, I recently learned to make baby slings. It's been like no other project I've ever attempted; I instantly understood the instructions, the needle glided smoothly over the fabric, and in just minutes I sat holding something that can bring peace into a stormy parent-child relationship. I feel so lucky to have had the use of slings during Suzi's fussy "fourth trimester" phase. A ride next to our hearts in the sling would often calm her when no amount of rocking or bouncing would.
Unfortunately, not all women have $50 to buy a sling, and most of them don't have a sewing machine either. This is why I was so glad to read about No Mother Left Behind: a volunteer organization which collects donated slings and redistributes them to mothers who need them. Just think--this organization could be the difference between an overwhelmed mother shaking her baby in frustration, or finding relief in soothing the baby in her sling.
They accept gently-used slings, slightly imperfect seconds from companies, and hand-made slings from individuals. I am waiting to hear back for more info on how to contribute (like what sizes they need most), but I am hoping to make some slings to donate. From what I've seen at work, I feel quite certain there are mothers right here in our community who need slings, too.
God has provided the skill, an outlet, and even fabric. Weeks ago I bought gobs of fabric for just a couple of dollars at a yard sale; at the time, I didn't know what it was for. Yesterday I found a roll of sturdy decorator fabric (at least four slings' worth) for $3 at Goodwill. I know there is more out there if I just look!
I think it would be fun to have a sling-making workshop. I don't know when or where, but we could bring our sewing machines, teach others to make slings, and make a bunch of them together! Let me know if you are interested!
P.S. To see how Suzi hurt my feelings at church today, read my post over at Mothering Without a Manual.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Jenny's got a brand new blog
Friday, September 12, 2008
Sewing machine is getting a workout
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Stand back, I can make slings now!
1) I measured from my shoulder to my hip and got 23". Double that was 46, plus 6 was 52". As luck would have it, that was the exact length of my fabric! It was a remnant (my favorite way to buy). Stacie's instructions said a 45" wide piece of fabric could make two slings, but I made two slings even though my fabric was several inches short of that. I just grabbed the nearest available piece of already washed fabric since I didn't want to wait.
2) When hemming the two long edges, I folded it over twice so no edges were hanging out. It made it look nicer. That is probably obvious to all you sewing ladies.
3) I folded the fabric in half, wrong sides together, so the raw edges met. Then I folded it in half again and drew a line where I wanted to cut my "smiley face." The ida.net directions say you should end up about 2-3 inches above where you started.
4) My smiley face was a little pointy, but I fixed it after unfolding.
5) I sewed the smiley edge together...
6) Then I learned how to do a French seam! (I'd never heard of it until now.)
7) Then I sewed down where the hems met the seam, and on my first one I even reinforced that with a little zigzagging over the crack. Now I realize that was overkill.
I am just in awe of how simple this was. I didn't even make a mistake! Go here for the full directions and her diagrams. Thanks Stacie!
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Wordless Wednesday: Suzi tailgating
Monday, September 8, 2008
Three rings giveaway!
There will be two winners. One will win the ring in the top picture (it's my favorite), and the other will win the other two rings.
TO WIN: Please leave a comment telling me if you would rather have the one top ring or the other two rings. That part is required. If you want you can also tell me the best thing you ever found at a yard sale. This time I am willing to ship anywhere! Be sure to leave a way for me to contact you, either through a blog or with an email address. I will accept entries until 11:59 pm on Sunday, September 14th. Winners will be chosen randomly. I will email the winners and if I don't hear back within four days I will draw again.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
End of round one; I win
Suzi especially likes her blue Children's Place "yoga set." I wanted to try it on her to see if it would fit, and as I expected, it was a little big. When I undressed her and tried to find another outfit, Suzi started to cry and threw the yoga set in my lap to put back on her. Then she was happy again. Silly girl. You can't tell her anything.
We had previously been making Suzi a naptime pallet on the floor using a couple of blankets. (At night she sleeps in our bed, but she can't be left up there alone.) Now we have this lovely sheep mat, which I got on half-price day for $7.50.
I spent $135.89 at the regular sale and $34.24 on half-price day for a total of $170.13. I do not plan on spending half that much at the Anderson sale. We do have a few things that didn't sell which I am going to mark down a buck or two and try to sell again, though. At the Clemson sale I made $181.20, so I got all new stuff for Suzi, decluttered, and made $11.07! I am happy and so thankful for Kim and her family who created this wonderful thing.
Babywearing Bonanza!
Head on over to Simple Things and check out this cool event. Andrea is interviewing the creators of different baby carriers and even giving one of each away on her blog! Hurry, because the giveaways end soon (one is over tonight at midnight). She is featuring the Posh Papoose, Slinglings, Peekaru Original (fleece vest for keeping babies in carriers warm), Sleepy Wrap, and Kozy Carrier.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
In case you wanted to be just like her...
This is Sarah Palin's hotsling pattern: Reversible Ingrid, which is black on the other side. $60 at hotslings.com or better yet (if you're local) at Jennie G's (get coupon). We might have to order your size.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Wordless Wednesday: Chocolate Delight
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
To-do list for September
1) Get cracking on Amy's challenge of ditching my paper towels--and I encourage you to visit her site and commit to ditching one of your "sposie" items too. Come on! I think everyone has one little thing they could give up. It won't kill you.
2) Make cloth hankies in order to give up tissues
3) Sew my own wingless pads
4) Sew mommy pads and winged pads from patterns
5) Write post about making pads
6) Find a good deal on some plain white onesies, possibly at consignment sale
7) Tie-dye said onesies
8) Make Suzi's play kitchen
9) Finish sanding Suzi's block set
10) Get the dining room cleaned out
11) Do a second giveaway on my blog
12) Set a schedule for monthly giveaways
13) Figure out how to publicize giveaways
14) Learn three new recipes
15) Make tutus
16) Take Suzi's picture wearing tutu and BabyLegs
17) Do a post on tutus and BabyLegs
18) Start walking regularly with Suzi
19) Break in my running shoes (by walking, I mean!)
20) Make Suzi's handprint (with a kit we have)
Jordan will help with some of these, by actually doing them with me or just by watching Suzi for me. Some of this stuff may have to wait until October, but I think it's doable in September if I turn the TV off and chip away at it a little each day.
Consignment sale today! Woo-hoo!!!


text:
I am a third year PhD student at the Interact-lab from the Department of Informatics of the University of Sussex. My research is focused on the field of Human-Computer Interaction and the Sense of Agency with supervision from Prof Sriram Subramanian. Before joining the Interact-lab, I received my MSc in Electronic engineering at the National Institute of Technology of Mexico.
I am interested in exploring how the experience of agency can be influenced by HCI paradigms such as touch-less systems, mid-air interfaces and Virtual Reality (VR), and how this experience can be quantitatively measured in novel application scenarios.
- Department of Engineering and Informatics
- University of Sussex
- Brighton, UK
The Sense of Agency (SoA) refers to our capability to control our own actions and influence the world around us. Recent research in HCI has been exploring SoA to provide users an instinctive sense of "I did that" as opposed to "the system did that". However, current agency measurements are limited. The Intentional Binding (IB) paradigm provides an implicit measure of the SoA. However, it is constrained by requiring high visual attention to a "Libet clock" onscreen. In this paper, we extend the timing stimulus through auditory and tactile cues. Our results demonstrate that audio timing through voice commands and haptic timing through tactile cues on the hand are alternative techniques to measure the SoA using the IB paradigm. They both address limitations of the traditional method (e.g., lack of engagement and visual demand). We discuss how our results can be applied to measure SoA in tasks involving different interactive scenarios common in HCI.
Touchless interfaces allow users to view, control and manipulate digital content without physically touching an interface. They are being explored in a wide range of application scenarios from medical surgery to car dashboard controllers. One aspect of touchless interaction that has not been explored to date is the Sense of Agency (SoA). The SoA refers to the subjective experience of control over voluntary actions in the external world. In this research, we investigated the SoA in touchless systems using the intentional binding paradigm. We first compare touchless systems with physical interactions and then augmented different types of haptic feedback to explore how different outcome modalities influence intentional binding. From our experiments, we demonstrated that an intentional binding effect is observed in both physical and touchless interactions with no statistical difference. Additionally, we found that haptic and auditory feedback help to increase SoA compared with visual feedback in touchless interfaces.
"Beyond the Libet Clock: Modality Variants for Agency Measurements"
"Agency in Mid-air Interfaces"
Patricia I. Cornelio Martinez; Silvana De Pirro; Chi Thanh Vi; Subramanian Sriram In: ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2017) ,May 6-11, 2017, Denver, CO, USA.
"Sense of Agency in mid-air Gesture & Haptic Interfaces"
Patricia I. Cornelio Martinez (2016). Position Paper at CHI'16 Workshop on Mid-Air Haptics and Displays: Systems for Un-instrumented Mid-air Interactions, San Jose, CA, USA.


text:
Is there better way for kids to spend these sunny days than getting dirty in the garden? Probably not, so we invite children between the ages of 5 and 16 to put their screens down and plant a flower or veggie garden!
As it grows, snap a series of photos showing the progress of your blooms or crops and submit them (along with the Contest Entry Form) anytime between August 4 and September 11, 2017.
You can submit your entries via:
This year's Grand Prize winner receives a one year drop-in Admission Pass to all Delta Parks, Recreation & Culture facilities.
For more information and prize details, go to Delta.ca/GardenContest.


text:
New Delhi [India], Dec 27 (ANI): The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Goods and Services Tax (Compensation to States) Amendment Bill 2017.
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had introduced the bill in the lower House last week.
The approval would allow to increase the maximum rate at which the Compensation Cess can be levied from 15 to 25 percent on motor vehicles for transport of not more than 13 persons, including the driver [falling under sub-headings 870210, 8702 20, 8702 30 or 8702 90]; and motor vehicles falling under headings 8703.
The lower house also passed a bill, providing protection to unauthorised colonies and slums in Delhi from punitive action for three more years.
Lok Sabha has been adjourned until 11 am tomorrow. (ANI)


text:
Here is the ocean water soap in the mold. Ocean water? Well I don't get to the ocean very often but when I do I like to bring home a little bit of the ocean. Then I make a soap with it!
Here is the soap unmolded and cut. I used my own blend of essential oil and fragrance oils. This soap will be ready in 4 weeks! Salt water makes a really nice hard bar of soap. the actual oils will make awesome lather. This is a two part soap. I made the first part the day before (it is the darkest blue). I did my best to cut it in diagonal shape to get a wedge. Then I added the second part of the soap (lighter blue part).


text:
The welfare of a city begins with individuals and families. We believe that when Jesus said, "Love your neighbors as yourself," He certainly meant those who live right around us. We encourage one another to seek the welfare of our neighbors and to treat all people with dignity, honor and respect.
There are a variety of opportunities to serve our neighbors, both on an ongoing and one-time basis. FPC encourages our members to serve our community in local ministries where the Christian community has joined hands to share the love of Christ and meet needs. While this list is certainly not exhaustive, we encourage our church body to serve the larger community in some capacity.
Community Ministries–Opportunities to Serve
Christ Classical Academy:
Challenging Christians to Academic Excellence
Christ Classical Academy's mission is joining families and classically educating students to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
Because CCA was founded as a ministry of First Presbyterian Church, a number of board members come from FPC. If you have a heart for Christian Education and the mission of CCA, this might be an area where you could serve. You might also contact PTF, Parent-Teacher Fellowship, about opportunities to serve.
Life Choices Medical Clinic
Life Choices envisions a community where no one regrets the Life Choices that matter most.
Life Choices is a non-profit medical clinic, educating and equipping individuals to make empowered decisions, providing pregnancy confirmation, and offering programs of prevention, intervention, and restoration.
If you are interested in serving at Life Choices, click here.
New Life Union Mission
Our mission is to seek to assist and rescue the poor and needy of the Dyersburg-Dyer Co and Lauderdale County area by providing assistance and recovery services in Jesus' name. We want to meet people where they are and help them to get where God wants them to be.
Volunteers are an important part of the ministries of New Life Union Mission. Volunteering at the Mission allows you to help others while fulfilling God's plan for your life as described in Ephesians 2:10 "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Click here for more.
Transitions of Dyer County
Transitions is a ministry of Jesus Christ organized for the purpose of transforming the lives of women with life controlling issues. The mission of Transitions is to nurture and disciple women who desire a new beginning through the life changing power of Jesus Christ. Women (eighteen and older) with life controlling issues (such as, alcohol and drug addictions, eating disorders, anger, depression, etc.) who desire a life change can find hope.
Transitions runs almost entirely on volunteer help, who help with things like Bible studies, mentoring, building & grounds maintainance and repair, transportation, and much more. Click here for more.
Mission: Providing willing and able men with the opportunity to experience a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ and establish a spirit filled productive life, in a structured residential program.
Damascus is looking for men who are willing to serve as mentors for men in the program. Other volunteers are needed as well. Click here for contact info.


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"It's all about the process"
Wow. This Beyond the Mat lesson is downright anxiety-inducing in my current state of mind, with its focus on "What if I fail?"
I don't want to fail. I finished my checklist (just in the nick of time), but there are so many milestones ahead between today and the end of the test. The conditioning benchmarks start in a few weeks; the running trials are in almost exactly a month. I'm not where I wanted to be and envisioned myself at this point in the test. Will I meet the baselines? …I'm giving that a solid "maybe" right now. I have a lot of work to do.
But, going back to the Beyond the Mat lesson. Even if I do fail, at least I can say that:
- I finally started to get the hang of rolling and falling
- I actually did manage to get my mile time back under 8 minutes (which means last testing period wasn't a fluke!)
- I've lost 20lbs since January and have learned how to eat more intuitively but healthfully
- I've gotten to know my fellow candidates a lot better, which has been so much fun — you are all so incredible!
There are a lot of other positives I could take away from this experience today, even if I broke my leg tomorrow or failed every single conditioning requirement. I really do hope neither scenario happens though, because I know that I will beat myself up over it mercilessly, even if I put a good face forward. (I mean, seriously, I'm still pissed about my pullups from 2015.)
Regardless, pass or fail, or wherever I land on my personal scale of success, martial arts is part of my life, so it's not like I'd throw in the towel! I've been having so much fun with sparring and jiu jitsu that I'm keeping an eye out for grappling competitions later this year, maybe the Grand Prix at Guerilla HQ. This testing process gets pretty stressful, but it has definitely pushed me to a higher level in martial arts, which is gratifying for me both individually, and as part of the Freestyle team.


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Bunny's is a four bedroom, three bathroom, 2 spa, 1 sauna Hotham Heights Chalet.
The large dining table seats ten, there is also another 2 stools at the kitchen bench.
Bunny's has one undercover car space on Hot Plate Drive.
All Linen, Bedding, Towels and a starter pack of Bathroom Amenities are provided.
If you arrive prior to the arrival time of 3.30pm we are unable to hold any luggage. If the apartment is ready when you arrive at Mt Hotham we will happily allow you to enter the apartment otherwise you will be advised via SMS once the apartment is ready.
Check In: After 3.30pm Check Out: From 8am - 10am
Check In Location: Proceed to the Corral Day Car Park and contact Mt Hotham Accommodation on 03 5759 3522 upon your arrival. You will be required to come into our office located at Chalet Hotham to formalise your arrival and directions to Bunny's will be provided.
This is a Non-Smoking Apartment.
Oven, Microwave, Full Size Fridge, Dishwasher
Three Bathroom, Two Spa bath.
Electric and Wood Combustion Fire
TV, DVD Player, Sound System


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Clue: Trial judge Lance
We have 1 answer for the clue Trial judge Lance. See the results below.
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- "Am ___ blame?"
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- Name in 1995 news
- Judge Lance ___
Last Seen In:
- New York Times - March 18, 1997
Found an answer for the clue Trial judge Lance that we don't have? Then please submit it to us so we can make the clue database even better!


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New Hampshire, USA
Jill Weber
Jill Weber has illustrated numerous books for children and adults, including bestsellers like Cat in The City, The Christmas Tree and A Mutt's Promise. Jill lives in New Hampshire with her husband, two dogs and two cats. When she is not in her studio, she can be found in her garden.
Jill's work can be found at FrajilFarms
Jill Weber and some of Jill's art:
< >


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Hello, I am John! I will accompany you during the establishment of SpyOFF. Please follow the instructions on the left navigation bar step by step. I would also like to point out to you, that manual settings in Ubuntu mainly directed to very experienced users.John, SpyOFF customer service
To start the setup please open your Network-Manager. To do this, click on the network icon in the menu bar.
In the next step, select "VPN Connections" and then click on "Configure VPN ...". Navigate to the VPN tab, and then click the "Add button" to set up a VPN connection.
Name the VPN connection (for example, SpyOFF) and then enter the gateway as well as your access data in the settings dialog at "Data". Start with the gateway by entering the server address of your choice.
Please note: For a detailed overview of our server addresses, please visit the"Server List" page.
Please enter your login data, consisting of user name and password.
Please note: You must add "@spyoff" behind your user name (for example, myusername@spyoff).
Please note:You have entered your access data at your registration. The username can also be found in your welcome mail. If you forgot your password, you can reset your password here: Reset Password.
Click on the "Advanced"-Button. Then select "MSCHAP" and "MSCHAPv2" at "Legitimation". Then, select "Point-to-Point Encryption" under "Security and Compression". Confirm this with "OK"..
Restart your system to complete the VPN installation. Via the network symbol, which can be found at the top of the bar, you can then connect to the VPN "SpyOFF" and surf anonymously.
Great! You have set up SpyOFF successfully. You can now establish a VPN connection with SpyOFF!John, SpyOFF customer service


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All Buddipole battery packs come with an internal self-resetting polyswitch (to prevent short-circuits) and installed Anderson Powerpole connectors. A double layer of heavy-duty heatshrink is applied to provide maximum protection for outdoor use.
The 4S1P battery pack is an ideal partner for the KX3, ICOM 703, and other rigs running 40w or less. While the pack will run 100w radios without any problem, the run time is limited to approximately 30 minutes at a full 100 watts output.
Please note: lithium battery packs are no longer available for international shipment due to new IATA regulations


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Mudgee Corner Store
We visited on 09-09-16
The team ventured off to Mudgee Corner Store for lunch, corner of Horatio & Lewis Streets. Proprietors Campbell and Anne McLean pride themselves on using locally sourced produce to create their wonderful menu, including pulled pork burgers, wagyu and beetroot relish burgers, egg & bacon rolls as well as daily specials whipped up by kitchen extraordinaire Alicia Cowden.
Grab a great coffee with beans from Fish River Roasters and a freshly baked muffin to start your day. Every Tuesday fresh fruit and veggies are delivered for your convenience, whilst you can also grab other produce like Pipeclay Pumphouse meats, Spencer Cocoa chocolate and milk from The Little Big Dairy Co.
Open 7 days a week, call in to see what's so wonderful about this little corner store.
Keep watching this space, who knows where we might pop up next Friday. Have a great week!!


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Many Pharmacies Don't Provide Instructions on How to Dispose of Unused Opioids
Many pharmacies don't provide patients with instructions on how to properly dispose of unused opioids and antibiotics, according to a new study.
A growing number of high school students are using attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drugs, such as Adderall and Ritalin, to help them get better grades, The New York Times reports. Teens get them from friends, buy them from student dealers, or pretend to have ADHD in order to get prescriptions.
Gary Boggs, a special agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), told the newspaper it is a nationwide problem.
Prescription stimulant drugs being abused by teens also include Vyvanse and Focalin. The DEA considers these drugs Class II controlled substances, along with cocaine and morphine, because of their high potential for addiction. Many teenagers do not understand that giving a friend a prescription stimulant pill is legally considered the same as selling it, and can result in a felony prosecution, the article notes.
These medications can calm people with ADHD, but they can provide energy and focus for people without the disorder. Abusing these drugs can lead to mood swings and depression, heart irregularities and extreme exhaustion or even psychosis during withdrawal, according to medical experts. There is little evidence about the long-term effects of young people abusing these stimulants.
According to drug counselors, some teenagers move from abusing stimulants to painkillers and sleeping pills.
Paul L. Hokemeyer, a family therapist at Caron Treatment Centers in Manhattan, told the newspaper, "Children have prefrontal cortexes that are not fully developed, and we're changing the chemistry of the brain. That's what these drugs do. It's one thing if you have a real deficiency — the medicine is really important to those people — but not if your deficiency is not getting into Brown."
i wonder why students are using drugs at school but now i can see


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Nasdem Party head Surya Paloh (right) gives his statement to the press regarding a case that dragged the General Secretary of Nasdem Central Executive Board (DPP), Patrice Rio Capella, Jakarta, Thursday (15/10). Nasdem Party had him resigned as he found guilty in a social assistance (bansos) funds bribery case at North Sumatera High Court and Attorney General´s Office, he will accept whatever the Corruption Eradication Commission decided to do on him. (ANTARA)
JAKARTA, GRES.NEWS - Sam Pa, Surya Paloh, and the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) suddenly become the media's trending topic at the same time. Sam Pa is known for being arrested for being involved in a corruption case of Su Shulin, Governor of Fujian Province, China, who is also the former CEO of China Sinopec. Sam Pa was arrested on October 8 when he traveled to North Korea.
Meanwhile, Surya Paloh known after Patrice Rio Capella, the NasDem Party's Secretary General, was named as a suspect for illegally arranging the Social Assistance (Bansos) fund corruption case and also several other corruption cases involving several regional-owned businesses in North Sumatra at the AGO.
Surya Paloh and Sam Pa has the same connection on oil business. Sam Pa's company, Sociedade Nacional de Combustiveis de Angola EO (Sonangol EP) cooperated with Surya Paloh on importing crude from Angola. Pertamina found imported oil from Sonangol EP on January-June for 950,000 barrels/month.
The business tender was not transparent to public. But, Pertamina reasoned that the oil import has been signed since the 4th quarter in 2014 by PT Pertamina Energy Trading (Petral).
Daniel explained that the contract was done by business to business (B to B), not by government to government (G to G). By that, the contract was commercial.
According to the previous MoU between Sonangol and Pertamina, there were three partnership agreement: refinery development in Indonesia, oil exploration, and oil import with a 15% discount.
The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources claimed that they didn't know anything about their partnership on oil import.
The General Directorate's acting Director of Oil and Gas Downstream Development, Muhammad Riswi, said that they should have a legal permit from the government to import oil.
Meanwhile, the Marketing Director of Pertamina, Ahmad Bambang, said that Pertamina don't know the exact price of the oil they imported from Sonangol.
Surya Paloh and Sam Pa connection are not only on oil business. It is said that Paloh's media group had a partnership with Sam Pa on "Indonesia 1" building construction at Thamrin Street, Jakarta. The groundbreaking of the building was held by President Joko Widodo on May 23. President Jokowi said in his welcoming speech that the building construction spent Rp8 trillion, and it was a good sign for investments in Indonesia.
SAM PA'S RISKY BUSINESS - As quoted from english.caixin.com, Sam Pa was born in Hong Kong in 1958. Sam Pa nationality is Angolan and English. Sam Pa is also known for having other nicknames, Xu Jinghua, Samo Hui, Sam King, and Ghiu Ka Leung.
Sam Pa career started after he became an agent between a deal of Sinopec and Angola in 2003. Sinopec was starting to expand its business by getting contracts on oil to the other states than China.
In the same year, Pa and his partner Lo Fong-hung established China International Fund (CIF) in Hong Kong and involved in oil and mineral trade in Africa to their business partners in China.
Through their connection with China and Africa officials, Pa often gets business contracts for his company. It is said that Pa is also a brave risk-taker.
Through CIF, Pa takes the benefit from the influence of the officials and executives of oil companies to win a great business in Angola, Venezuela, Madagascar, and Zimbabwe.
His controversial high-profile business made his company, CIF, had an issue with having a connection with China government. But, China's Foreign Affairs Minister confirmed that they have no connections. China government officials said that CIF is a private company with no connection to the government.
But, it got revealed after Pa is known having a connection with Su Shulin when he became Sinopec General Manager in 2007-2011.
After several years, Pa and CIF use the same business model in Africa by distributing the loans from China government banks through Pa's company to help the states in Africa that are rich in minerals to develop the infrastructure. As a reward, CIF got the oil and minerals to sell to China.
In 2005, CIF announced that they lent US$2.9 billion to Angola government to rebuild the infrastructures. In the same year, a joint venture company in Hong Kong that involve CIF, and Angola state-run oil company announced that Sonangol become the crude sales broker from Angola to China. Since then, Angola becomes the number 1 oil source for China.
On the next year, CIF network acquired dozens of Angola oil field and diamond mine concession in Zimbabwe and a mining area in Guinea that has the most iron ore in the world and bauxite reserves.
Sam Pa and Su Shulin connections had been traced since 2004 when he established a joint venture company with Sonangol, which are China Sonangol International Holdings Ltd. (CSH) and China Sonangol International Ltd. (CSI). Pa owns 70% of the companies' shares.
In the same year, CSH and Sinopec Overseas Oil & Gas Ltd (SOOGL), Sinopec subsidiary, established a joint venture named Sonangol Sinopec International (SSI), where Sinopec owns 55% of the shares.
Su Shulin was an executive in Sinopec and known to visit Angola using Sam Pa's private jet. Since then, Sinopec has the shares of five offshore oil drilling in Angola through a partnership with Pa's company.
The partnership between them is being investigated as it is known to cause losses to China. In every contract, Sinopec is known always to pay Pa's capital and handles most of the business risks.
Sinopec is also known to pay for commissions and pay Pa's and other Pa's company executives daily expenses.
On March, China government Supreme Audit Agency stated that Sinopec has spent US$10 billion to purchase five blocks of oil fields in 2008, but it didn't produce much oil and caused them to lose US$1.6 billion.
GUESSING SURYA PALOH DIRECTIONS - Sam Pa's corruption case in China has nothing to do with Surya Paloh in Indonesia. But, people are keep connecting Sam Pa's fate with Paloh's for being troubled by a corruption case.
Moreover, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) didn't stop at Patrice Rio Capella. From the information gathered by gres.news, Rusli Paloh, Surya Paloh's brother, is said to be involved in the case. Rusli is said to help Gatot and rewarded a position in North Sumatera Provincial Government. (dtc)


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From R37 200pps (Land only)
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Tuesday 3/8
A1. 200m run
A2. deadlift x10 – 135
Did about 7 or 8 rounds of this. I felt pretty good considering it's been a while since I've done any running. The point of the workout was to get some lifting in, something to focus on technique and speed, nothing super heavy and to get in some good aerobic work at the same time. I took 10 deep breaths before my deadlifts after the moderately paced run, performed the 10 reps then took about 1-2 minutes recovery.
Wednesday 3/9
Ran a 5k-ish (didn't time or track it)
5×5 kb snatches -24kg
60 minute bike ride
Had to take advantage of the day and get outside.


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Soviet Union (1941)
Biological Weapon – 1 Built
With recent study trips to Russia, the Plane Encyclopedia team has been working closely with the Russian Archives to record and scan aircraft performance data and various other aviation related documents. While doing this, the team has accidentally rediscovered a series of then-classified documents regarding a secret biological weapon designed in 1941 intended to be used on Berlin in an attempt to stop or at least delay the German advance on Moscow. Classified "Project 337" by the Soviets, the weapon would have been able to bring havoc on any city it was deployed on. Come read the story of the newly discovered Project 337!
In the early stage of Operation Barbarossa during the shift of fall to winter, the Soviet high command became increasingly worried and desperate for a way to halt or at least delay the seemingly unstoppable German advance. On September 29th of 1941, a top secret meeting was held at the Kremlin to discuss the current losses of the Soviet Union, and how to replace the lost equipment. With mostly desperate ideas such as using outdated equipment such as 19th century rifles and cannons taken from stockpiles. Finally, a serious and feasible idea was brought up, which was to bomb Berlin with biological weapons, causing the city to plunge into chaos, and to warrant the retreat of the Germans. With Stalin liking the idea, he immediately agreed and ordered the project to be finished no later than November 29th.
Unfortunately, the dimensions, location, team and materials used to develop Project 337 is unknown as the documents that specifies these are still classified and withheld by the Russian government. What is known however, is that the disease which would be used in Project 337 was tularemia.
With extensive research in the Russian archives, two photos of Project 337 were able to be obtained. The first photo shows the roof of the weapon, which consisted of a bowl shaped canopy with more than a dozen holes. This would have been how the tularemia bacteria would be released. The second photo shows what seems to be the finished Project 337 prototype, which looked like a huge metallic peanut with the black canopy.
On December 1st of 1941, Project 337 was completed and was now ready to be tested on Berlin. To carry such a weapon, the Soviet Air Force began looking for a capable heavy bomber which would be able to fly at tall heights. Although scarce, the bomber chosen was the Petlyakov Pe-8 bomber. A single Pe-8 was transferred from the Far East Regiments and modified to carry Project 337. As for personnel, experienced pilots Lieutenant Igor N. Timoshenko, Junior Lieutenant Dima I. Pokryshkin and Lieutenant Mikhail Gorkin were chosen to complete the task of dropping the prototype biological weapon on Berlin. These pilots were not told of the contents they were carrying, and was only instructed to fly to Berlin, drop the payload and return to base as the Soviets still wished to maintain the secrecy of the project.
On December 5th, Lieutenant Igor N. Timoshenko, Junior Lieutenant Dima I. Pokryshkin and Lieutenant Mikhail G. Gorkin took off in the Pe-8 carrying Project 337 at 8:31 PM from an undisclosed secret airfield. With the intent of maintaining stealth, the Pe-8 crew would have maintained radio silence in order to not get detected. Approximately 1 hour and 14 minutes into the flight, the Soviet ground crew were surprised to receive an emergency radio call from the aircrew. According to the recently declassified Soviet documents, the ground crew reported that Lieutenant Gorkin shout in the radio in panic that the Pe-8's inner starboard engine caught fire, and that the plane was rapidly losing altitude. Lieutenant Gorkin decided the best thing to do was to perform an emergency landing, and he made this decision known to the ground crew. Unfortunately, the documents stated that contact was lost with the crew during the botched emergency landing. One of the documents dated April 1st of 1944 stated that efforts to locate the Pe-8 has failed, and that the plane likely crashed into a body of water. Due to the loss of the sole bomb, tests were unable to be completed and the project was set back. This led to the eventual abandonment of the project as the Soviets couldn't afford to spend more time development such a weapon.
The final document which referenced Project 337 dated April 20th of 1948 mentioned that the incident which caused the destruction of the Pe-8 was improper maintenance. It is said that the mechanics responsible for the maintenance were executed, while the radio crew were sent to the gulag. Timoshenko, Pokryshkin and Gorkin's families were all sent a letter stating that they died in combat as heroes. In conclusion, Project 337 can be considered a failure. With the current evidence that the Plane Encyclopedia team has, it is reasonable to assume that the Pe-8 carrying Project 337 is perhaps still out there buried beneath layers of mud, sand, or water, never to be seen by mankind again.
Rep. No. Поддельный источник, используемый для апрельских дураков (04.01.1944) (1944).
Rep. No. Полностью реальный источник, а не подделка (04.20.1948) (1948).
Doc. No. Я люблю Энциклопедию (01.14.1943).


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Many people enjoy growing plants inside of their home. Bird of paradise plants is becoming a popular choice for gardeners.
They are brightly colored and lovely that attracts attention from visitors.
However, it is important to remember that when you opt to grow a bird of paradise plant indoors their specific needs. They are originally a tropical plant that loves sunlight. Here are some tips on how to take care of it properly.
Before you bring the new plant home, you have to find the perfect place. As we mentioned earlier, this is a tropical plant, so it needs plenty of direct sunlight.
Finding the perfect spot inside of your home can be tricky. The place needs to get at least five to six hours of full sunlight on most days.
A southern facing window may be your best option. If you live in a freezing region, you will want to move the plant away from the window, where it can be several degrees cooler.
If you are unable to find a window that provides this amount of sunlight or you live in a consistently cloudy location, you will need to set up a supplemental system for light.
You don't have to do anything fancy or expensive. All you need to do is put the plant near the window with the most sunlight.
Then, either hang a light above the plant or put a table lamp nearby with a powerful light bulb. You can turn it on and off as needed.
You've brought your new plant home and have it set up in its new location. Before you decide this is its permanent spot, you need to watch for signs that the plant is doing fine.
If your bird of paradise plant isn't getting enough sunlight, its green leaves will begin to curl up. The plant stays green, so don't judge based on color. If the plant is blooming, improper sunlight also decreases how often it does so.
Just like any other plant, this plant has a cycle that it follows. It is valuable for a gardener to understand, so you don't think something is wrong.
These plants are green all year round, but they do have dormant periods throughout the year. During the warmer times of the year, this plant actively grows and blooms.
During the colder months, the plant goes into a resting period. Active growth slows down, and you probably won't see any flowers.
When your bird of paradise plant indoors is in an active period, you have to treat it a bit differently. Remember, this is a tropical plant, so it is used to high humidity.
You should mist every single day! You want to check the soil daily; it should stay moist at all times.
Also, it is important to fertilize your bird of paradise plant once every two weeks to continue its active growth. You don't need to go out and buy a fancy fertilizer for this plant. A basic 1-1-1 liquid fertilizer is a perfect choice!
The amount of sunlight shouldn't decrease during inactive periods. However, you don't need to mist it quite so often.
During the cooler months, mist the plant one or twice a week. Also, there is no reason to water the plant daily.
You should only water the plant when you notice the soil is becoming dry. Because the growth has significantly slowed down, you only need to fertilize it once a month.
In the beginning, you will want to repot the young plants, up to four years old, every spring. This process gives it more place to grow that year. The pot should allow it to have plenty of space to grow.
After the four years, your plant has reached maturity. A 12-inch pot is a perfect choice. You should start to notice regular blooming.
As the plant grows, you may be tempted to repot it. However, it is important to resist this. If you repot the plant too often, you risk disturbing tahe root system, leading it to stop blooming for two to three years!
That is the last thing you want. Don't be concerned at all if this plant becomes root bound. It actually prefers to be crowded in the pot!
A bird of paradise plant is large, reaching three to four feet at maturity.
Luckily, learning how to take care of a bird of paradise plant indoors is quite simple. With the proper sunlight and watering routines, it will last for years to come, brightening up your living space.
You can read more about 10 Of The Trendiest Flowers For Your Home And Garden
I'm Ann, I have dedicated most of my life in gardening. This is a subject I enjoy the most. Since then, I committed to developing my website to be the best guidance when it comes to taking care of flowers and plants. I am trying my best to be well-versed with plants found in desert areas, tropics or Mediterranean. I still need to be knowledgeable about so many kinds of botanical life.