text:
Moving to tamp down a public uproar spurred by the disclosure of two secret surveillance programs, the nation's top intelligence official is declassifying key details about one of the programs while insisting the efforts were legal, limited in scope and necessary to detect terrorist threats.
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, in an unusual late-night statement Thursday, denounced the leaks of highly classified documents that revealed the programs and warned that America's security will suffer. He called the disclosure of a program that targets foreigners' Internet use "reprehensible," and said the leak of another program that lets the government collect Americans' phone records would affect how America's enemies behave and make it harder to understand their intentions.
"The unauthorized disclosure of a top secret U.S. court document threatens potentially long-lasting and irreversible harm to our ability to identify and respond to the many threats facing our nation," Clapper said of the phone-tracking program.
At the same time, he offered new information about both programs, saying he wanted to correct the "misleading impression" created by out-of-context news articles even as he acknowledged that publicly discussing the programs comes with inherent security risks.
"I believe it is important for the American people to understand the limits of this targeted counterterrorism program and the principles that govern its use," Clapper said.
And so barely 24 hours after the phone records program's existence was first revealed publicly, Clapper took the rare step of declassifying and publicly releasing details about the authority used to authorize it, including that it's reviewed by a special court every three months and that the data collected can only be culled when there's reasonable suspicion — backed by facts — that the information is connected to a foreign terrorist group.
The Obama administration's defense of the two programs came as members of Congress were vowing to change a program they voted to authorize and exasperated civil liberties advocates were crying foul, questioning how President Barack Obama, a former constitutional scholar who sought privacy protections as a U.S. senator, could embrace policies with strong echoes of President George W. Bush, whose approach to national security he had vowed to leave behind.
At issue were two National Security Agency programs that came to light late Wednesday and Thursday after highly classified documents were leaked to the media.
A top-secret court order, first disclosed by the Guardian newspaper in Britain, requires the communications company Verizon to turn over on an "ongoing, daily basis" the records of all landline and mobile telephone calls of its customers, both within the U.S. and between the U.S. and other countries. Experts said it's likely the program extends to other phone companies as well.
Another secret program came to light when The Washington Post and The Guardian reported that the NSA and FBI can scour the nation's main Internet companies, extracting audio, video, emails and other documents to help analysts track a person's movements and contacts. Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, PalTalk, AOL, Skype, YouTube and Apple were all included. Most denied giving the government direct access.
Clapper alleged that articles about the Internet program "contain numerous inaccuracies." He did not specify what those inaccuracies might be.
Senior administration officials defended the programs as critical tools and said the intelligence they yield is among the most valuable data the U.S. collects. Clapper said the Internet program, known as PRISM, can't be used to intentionally target any Americans or anyone in the U.S. He said a special court, Congress and the executive branch all oversee the program and that data accidentally collected about Americans is kept to a minimum.
The phone records program, too, has been taken out of context, Clapper alleged. His defense was echoed hours earlier by leaders of Congress' intelligence panels, who dismissed the furor over what they said was standard three-month renewal to a program that's operated for seven years. Committee leaders also said the program recently helped thwart what would have been a significant domestic terrorist attack.
The NSA must collect the phone data in broad swaths, Clapper said, because collecting it narrowly would make it harder to identify terrorism-related communications. The court prohibits the government from indiscriminately rummaging through the phone data without evidence of a terrorist group connection, he said.
But the widespread notion of a government dragnet ensnaring terror suspects and innocent Americans pushed typical political foes to stand together against Obama as he enforces what many likened to Bush-era policies.
"When law-abiding Americans make phone calls, who they call, when they call and where they call from is private information," said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. "As a result of the disclosures that came to light today, now we're going to have a real debate in the Congress and the country and that's long overdue."
Officials from Clapper's office, the Justice Department, NSA and FBI briefed 27 senators for some two hours late Thursday at a hurriedly convened session prompted by severe criticism and uncertainty about the program.
"The National Security Agency's seizure and surveillance of virtually all of Verizon's phone customers is an astounding assault on the Constitution," said Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. "After revelations that the Internal Revenue Service targeted political dissidents and the Department of Justice seized reporters' phone records, it would appear that this administration has now sunk to a new low."
Paul said he will introduce legislation ensuring that the Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable searches and seizures apply to government search of phone records.
The surveillance powers are granted under the post-9/11 Patriot Act, which was renewed in 2006 and again in 2011. Republicans who usually don't miss a chance to criticize the administration offered full support.
"I'm a Verizon customer. I could care less if they're looking at my phone records. … If you're not getting a call from a terrorist organization, you got nothing to worry about," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
The possibility of a third secret program letting the NSA tap into credit card transaction records emerged late Thursday in a report in The Wall Street Journal. The White House did not immediately respond to an inquiry about that program.
The disclosures come at a particularly inopportune time for Obama. His administration already faces questions over the Internal Revenue Service's improper targeting of conservative groups, the seizure of journalists' phone records in an investigation into who leaked information to the media, and the handling of the terrorist attack in Libya that left four Americans dead.
At a minimum, it's all a distraction as the president tries to tackle big issues like immigration reform and taxes. And it could serve to erode trust in Obama as he tries to advance his second-term agenda and cement his presidential legacy.
The Verizon order, granted by the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court on April 25 and good until July 19, requires information on the phone numbers of both parties on a call, as well as call time and duration, and unique identifiers, The Guardian reported.
It does not authorize snooping into the content of phone calls. But with millions of phone records in hand, the NSA's computers can analyze them for patterns, spot unusual behavior and identify "communities of interest" — networks of people in contact with targets or suspicious phone numbers overseas.
Once the government has zeroed in on numbers that it believes are tied to terrorism or foreign governments, it can go back to the court with a wiretap request. That allows the government to monitor the calls in real time, record them and store them indefinitely.
House Intelligence Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Mich., said that once the data has been collected, officials still must follow "a court-approved method and a series of checks and balances to even make the query on a particular number."
The steps are shrouded in government secrecy, which some lawmakers say should change.
"The American public can't be kept in the dark about the basic architecture of the programs designed to protect them," said Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn.
Verizon Executive Vice President and General Counsel Randy Milch, in a blog post, said the company can't comment on any such court order. He said Verizon take steps to protect customers' privacy, but must comply with court orders. Verizon listed 121 million customers in its first-quarter earnings report this April.
The NSA is sensitive to perceptions that it might be spying on Americans. It distributes a brochure that pledges the agency "is unwavering in its respect for U.S. laws and Americans' civil liberties — and its commitment to accountability."
Emerging from the briefing, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., chairwoman of the Intelligence committee, said the government must gather intelligence to prevent plots and keep Americans alive. "That's the goal. If we can do it another way, we're looking to do it another way. We'd like to."
She said Congress is always open to changes, "but that doesn't mean there will be any."
Associated Press writers Matt Apuzzo, Adam Goldman, Nancy Benac, Lara Jakes, David Espo and Jack Gillum in Washington and Michael Liedtke in San Francisco contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2013 Capitol Hill Blue


text:
Medical Library
Loading...Please Wait
Incontinence is the loss of bladder or bowel control, resulting in involuntary leakage of urine or feces.
Pelvic floor muscle weakness, resulting in a reduction of muscular support for the bladder, uterus or rectum, may be the cause. The muscles, because of disuse, are unable to tighten and keep the openings closed.
Incontinence of urine may be termed:
- Stress (leakage with physical activity, coughing, sneezing or laughing)
- Urgency or Frequency (involuntary bladder emptying whenever the sensation of urge is felt)
Involuntary leakage of feces and gas can be the result of chronic constipation or trauma.
Behavioral assessment of food, beverage and medication consumption can identify contributing factors.
Treatment often includes:
- Retraining bowel and bladder habits.
- Abdominal muscle rehabilitation.
- Pelvic floor muscle rehabilitation (with or without electrical stimulation).
- Biofeedback.
Possible Treatments
Possible Treatment Goals
- Improve Function
- Improve Muscle Strength and Power
- Improve Proprioception
- Improve Relaxation
- Self-care of Symptoms
- Improve Tolerance for Prolonged Activities
Additional Resources
The information in this medical library is intended for informational and educational purposes only and in no way should be taken to be the provision or practice of physical therapy, medical, or professional healthcare advice or services. The information should not be considered complete or exhaustive and should not be used for diagnostic or treatment purposes without first consulting with your physical therapist, occupational therapist, physician or other healthcare provider. The owners of this mls accept no responsibility for the misuse of information contained within this website.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
By JOAN LOWY
FILE – In this Jan. 7, 2013, file photo, a Japan Airlines Boeing 787 jet aircraft is surrounded by emergency vehicles while parked at a terminal E gate at Logan International Airport in Boston as a fire chief looks into the cargo hold. Congress has been strangely silent as Boeing, its airline customers and federal safety regulators struggled over the past two months to solve problems with the new Boeing 787 fire-plagued batteries. The unusual bipartisan silence reflects Boeing's political clout, wielded by legions of lobbyists, fueled by hefty political campaign contributions and by the company's importance as a huge employer and the nation's single largest exporter. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) — As Boeing, its airline customers and federal safety regulators struggled over the past two months to solve problems with the new 787 Dreamliner's fire-plagued batteries, one player has been strangely silent: Congress.
Despite the plane's grounding and the safety issues raised by its cutting-edge technology, there have been no congressional hearings or news conferences focusing on the problems, and little commentary from lawmakers who normally pounce at the first sign of trouble.
The unusual bipartisan silence reflects Boeing's political clout, wielded by legions of lobbyists, fueled by hefty political campaign contributions and by the company's importance as a huge employer and the nation's single largest exporter. Few companies are as well positioned as Boeing to fend off a potentially damaging public investigation.
The 787's woes came up only briefly at the tail end of a recent two-hour hearing of the House aviation subcommittee. After all but a handful of members of the subcommittee had left, Federal Aviation Administrator Michael Huerta spent seven minutes answering questions about the batteries.
This week, the Senate Commerce Committee holds a hearing on the FAA and its budget, during which the members are expected to discuss aviation safety. The 787's problems aren't specifically on the agenda, but the committee's staff says the issue is expected to be raised. No one from Boeing is scheduled to testify.
Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., chairman of the commerce committee, said Boeing officials have implored him not to hold a hearing on the 787 batteries. "Their lobbyists have been saying that like crazy for weeks and weeks and weeks," he said.
"Because this is an issue of huge significance in both economic and safety terms, you would think it would be a natural for Congress," said Norman Ornstein, an expert on Congress at the American Enterprise Institute, a think tank.
It's easy to imagine House Republicans "jumping at this and bashing the administration and the FAA," he said, "but that would mean taking on a major part of the business community that has been very supportive of people chairing these committees and subcommittees."
The problems with the 787's lithium ion batteries have raised alarms about the safety of Boeing's innovative new plane. In January, a battery in a 787 parked at an airport gate in Boston erupted in flames and dense clouds of smoke, and a smoking battery aboard another 787 forced an emergency landing in Japan. But the company's prominent profile seems to have bought it a zone of protection from criticism on Capitol Hill.
The aircraft maker has spent more than $83 million on lobbying over the past five years, according to disclosure reports. It fielded 115 lobbyists last year, both on its own payroll and at some of the best-connected lobbying and law firms in Washington. About three-quarters of those lobbyists had previously worked for Congress, the White House or federal agencies, according to the political money and influence tracking website OpenSecrets.org.
Boeing's lobbying team has been working hard in the background to keep lawmakers and their staffs in the loop about the 787's problems. Lobbyists, executives and engineers have provided frequent briefings in person or by phone on the company's effort to fix the 787's batteries and get the planes back in the air. Boeing CEO Jim McNerney has called or met with especially important players such as Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
Boeing has tried to be "as open and direct as possible with members of Congress and their staffs," Tim Neale, a spokesman for the company, said in an email. "The purpose of all of our interactions with the Hill on 787 batteries has been to inform members and their staffs and to answer their questions."
The FAA, which recently gave the company the go-ahead to redesign and re-test the 787's batteries, and the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the Boston fire, have also provided frequent private briefings for lawmakers and their staffs. Boeing has strong ties to the FAA, which regulates the company's commercial planes, and the NTSB, which investigates safety incidents.
The FAA's aircraft certification branch reports to John Hickey, the agency's deputy associate administrator for safety, who worked for Boeing for 10 years and was the company's liaison to the FAA before joining the agency. And the FAA's certification office in Seattle is sprinkled with former Boeing engineers. One of NTSB's five board members, Earl Weener, was previously a Boeing chief engineer.
President Barack Obama appointed McNerney to chair his President's Export Council, which operates as an advisory committee on international trade. Obama's former commerce secretary, John Bryson, was a member of Boeing's board of directors before joining the government. In a 2011 visit to Indonesia, Obama presided over the announcement of the purchase of 230 Boeing 737s by Lion Air, a private carrier in Indonesia. It was Boeing's largest commercial airplane order.
House Transportation Committee Chairman Bill Shuster, R-Pa., said he sees no need for hearings, especially since the two agencies have their own probes under way.
"I have confidence in the FAA, I have confidence in Boeing," he said, noting that the committee has been "very well briefed."
But Jim Hall, a former NTSB chairman, had misgivings about Congress relying solely on private briefings. "Where is the public responsibility, where is the public accountability in those types of meetings?" he asked.
The NTSB has been unable to establish a root cause for the Boston fire, and its investigators are also looking into the process by which the FAA certified the 787 as safe for flight in August 2011. In recent years, the FAA has increasingly delegated responsibility for testing the components and systems of new planes to employees of aircraft manufacturers and their subcontractors. Documents released by the NTSB show the FAA delegated the testing of the 787's batteries to Boeing, which in turn delegated much of it to subcontractors.
Boeing's testing indicated the likelihood that a battery would emit smoke was 1 in 10 million flight hours. Instead, there were two smoking batteries less than two weeks apart, when the entire 787 fleet had recorded only about 52,000 flight hours.
The FAA is conducting its own review of the design, manufacture and assembly of the 787, but that isn't expected to be completed until later this year.
Shortly after the Jan. 7 fire in Boston, Rockefeller and his staff told reporters he intended to hold a 787 hearing. They quickly shelved the idea, and later scheduled a more general aviation budget and safety hearing for Wednesday.
The chairman of the panel's aviation subcommittee, Democrat Maria Cantwell, is from Boeing's home state of Washington. Asked about the possibility of a 787 hearing, she was noncommittal. She'd prefer to have hearings on the importance of "aviation manufacturing and how do we maintain a robust workforce because the U.S. industry is facing great competition from China, Brazil, and others that want to be in the business," Cantwell said.
Washington's other senator, Democrat Patty Murray, chairs the subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee that oversees the FAA's and the NTSB's budgets.
Boeing employs more than 86,000 workers in Washington, mostly in the Seattle area. The company's political action committee and its employees have contributed $107,200 to Cantwell's political campaigns since 1992, more than any other industry donor except Microsoft, which is based in Redmond, Wash.
Overall, the company employs 173,000 workers, and reported about $81 billion in revenue in 2012, 54 percent of it from outside the U.S. In the last two years, the company's political committees and its employees gave federal candidates, other political action committees, political parties and outside campaign spending groups nearly $3.2 million, 54 percent to Republicans and 46 percent to Democrats.
It's doubtful that a hearing on the airliner's battery problems would produce many answers on how to improve aviation safety, said Rep. Frank LoBiondo, R-N.J., chairman of the House transportation committee's aviation panel.
"The whole focus now is to get this fixed," he said. "We are trying to let them solve the problem, and they are devoting enormous resources to doing that."
Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., the senior Democrat on the transportation committee, said he and some other committee members are concerned a hearing might create "an unnecessary scare when there is no grounds for it," resulting in air travelers refusing to fly the planes.
"I think the parties that are part of this process would rather not see this in the public arena until they have done their proper investigations and found some answers," he said.
But another committee member, Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., said he's concerned about the growing presence of lithium ion batteries on planes, either as equipment or as cargo. They are more likely to short-circuit and start a fire than other batteries if they are damaged, defective or exposed to excessive heat.
"Is this a good idea for the future?" he asked. "Given the current technology, I think it's a bad idea."
The 787 is the first airliner to make extensive use of lithium batteries. The batteries are lighter, recharge faster and can store more energy than other types of batteries of an equivalent size. The Airbus A350, expected to be ready next year, was originally planned to make extensive use of lithium ion batteries. Airbus officials decided to switch to more conventional batteries after the 787 was grounded.


text:
Our Blog Hoppers are:
- Adela Rossol
- Lynn Mercurio
- Kim Burmeister
- Wendy Price
- Tammy Hershberger<------ You are HERE
- Erika Martin
- Lori Tecler
- Jessica Fick
- Susanna Boyd
- Amy Park
Check out our gallery to see all the projects in one place!
Hi Tammy, It's no wonder you have fallen in love with Young Alexa - she's beautiful. I love the card you have made - it' s gorgeous.
Happy Easter, Anne.
dinkuminkum at yahoo dot co dot nz
Tammy this is adorable and sweet.
How very very cute is this image!! I am certainly glad I decided to hop with you gals... these are all priceless images!!! VERY adorable card!!
Gorgeous card!! Just wonderful!
Tammy, this is ADORABLE!!! I love your coloring!
So cute! I'm really loving all these new images, their sooooo adorable!
Tammy - what an outstanding card. You did an exceptional job of coloring her. I need some lessons from you! Happy Easter!
Tammy, this is precious! Your coloring is FANTASTIC! Oh, My! I love everything about it.
Aw, this is such a sweet card! So adorable!
Tammy, your card is so sweet. Love the sentiment you used. Just too precious! Lookin' good in that new picture with your new bling.
Gorgeous coloring- I like how you shadowed behind the little girl and how the colors just pop out at you! TFS
Hi Tammy
Your card is as precious as that image which is one of my fav's!!!
Thanks So Much
Hearts and Hugs
WoWzA, you've been busy, Tammy! And yet, their ALL beautifully put together. This one totally rocks and I love the coloring here! FAB-YOU-lous!
What a sweet card! Love the colors you chose.
Aye aye aye, your shadows and colouring is amazing. So adorable, Tammy.
Tammy, this is adorable! I love the image and you colored it so fabulously! Lovely card!
Young Alexa is just adorable, Tammy! Awesome coloring girl friend!
Alexa is adorable! A perfect card for a little girl.
Oh this card is just too cute. Love it love it love it
This card is so sweet and adorable.
Just precious Tammy!
I love the image of a little girl reading to her stuffed friends! Tammy you have done a beautiful job coloring and picking out background papers and colors that lend interest, but don't overwhelm the focal image.
You are right she is adorable....and I love the sweetness about her.....my little DG would love her....thank you for sharing....
Very precious card. She looks so sweet and innocent.
Awhh so beautifully done Tammy!! Little Alexa is so sweet and the card--so nicely done--takes me back to when my kiddos (Now 22,25&29) were young and they would love reading to there stuffed animals and each other :)))
Blessings of thanks and Happy Easter!!
I just love your card Alexa, she is just adorable. Thanks so much for sharing!!!!
What a great card for a little girl. Very nice.
Oh my goodness, this is as sweet as can be....having a new granddaughter on the way, this would be a wonderful image for her!!!
Tammy, your papers support your colored image so well, it is just beautiful! Wonderful job, thanks for sharing!
I LOVE this card,Tammy. It is beautiful...
So adorable, beautiful coloring.
This is such a sweet card. I really love the colors you chose for this card. Really pretty.
She is adorable love the colors!!!
Beautifully done! Fabulous colors/coloring!
How sweet. That DP is great.
Tammy your card is so sweet and adorable. My GD spent last night with me and read to her animals so your card is kinda of deja vue! Your coloring is perfection as always... I've got to take one of your classes at "the store".
Adorable Tammy - happy Easter!
She is a sweet image and you've made a charming card out of her.
Beautiful coloring as always Tammy!
Sweet card and image!
She is adorable and so is your card!
How adorable is that image! The coloring is beautiful and the sentiment is just perfect!
Beautiful!! Too bad I didn't get the notice about the blog hop until Monday afternoon! Pat
Love your card!
love the little girl with bunny and bear. would be a perfect stamp for my little granddaughte.
Tammy, this is so sweet!
What an adorable card.
Beautiful card, and what an adorable image!
ahhh such a adorable stamps... and i love your color combo.. fits just great ;))
hugs x
What beautiful coloring! I just love that stamp - my girls love to read!!
Such lovely childhood memories. Books were some of my favorite pass times. Thanks for the wonderful hop with such inspirational cards.
Oh, so sweet. What a wonderful card. Thanks for sharing your inspiration.
Tammy your card is so lovely!
It puts me in mind of lazy summer days with my children and brings an instant smile to my face!
Thank you.


text:
My Two Secret Projects
117 comments:
- drMolly, the BeanQueen said...
CONGRATULATIONS!!!! I join you & your family in your happiness.
- May 12, 2011 at 11:26 AM
- Silvia M. said...
Can't wait to see the sweater patterns. :) - May 12, 2011 at 11:26 AM
- Monica said...
Congrats!!! This is indeed exciting. A new collection and a new baby. Dare I hope for some boy-knits? I have a 3 year old son, and I find I am always lacking inspiration when it comes to boy stuff. I keep making things for my niece, and very little for him.
But this is wonderful news. - May 12, 2011 at 11:27 AM
- Unknown said...
Congratulations Alana, that is such wonderful news! Thank you so much for sharing your news, and the scan of your baby with us. Very best wishes and a bundle of hugs to you and your family. Lorraine xx
- May 12, 2011 at 11:27 AM
- Candace said...
Oh my goodness!! Congratulations!
- May 12, 2011 at 11:27 AM
- Kathy said...
Blessings to you and your family. May this little one be blessed with good health and bring much joy to your family.
Can't wait to see the patterns! - May 12, 2011 at 11:28 AM
- Katrina @ Pics, Pages & Purls said...
Congrats...LOVE the yarn that you have chosen to share with us!
- May 12, 2011 at 11:29 AM
- Kristina said...
Congratulations! That is the best project of all!
- May 12, 2011 at 11:33 AM
- Rachael said...
What great news, on both counts!
- May 12, 2011 at 11:33 AM
- Amy Bailes said...
Love the yarn and the projects underneath, but the last "project" is the best one ever!
Congratulations on your pregnancy and the new baby. - May 12, 2011 at 11:35 AM
- Cara said...
Congratulations! Baby boys are so lovable! Glad to hear the Morning Sickness is getting a little easier to bear.
Loving the yarn choices on the sweaters...what are you using there? - May 12, 2011 at 11:41 AM
- Linden_girl said...
Congratulations!!! Wonderful news!
- May 12, 2011 at 11:53 AM
- Randi~Dukes and Duchesses said...
Congratulations - what an exciting fall you'll have!
- May 12, 2011 at 11:58 AM
- Unknown said...
Congratulations Alana!
And can't wait to check out these sweater patterns! - May 12, 2011 at 12:05 PM
- Catie said...
Congratulations Alana and family
- May 12, 2011 at 12:13 PM
- Ana said...
Happiness! Love to you and that boy.
- May 12, 2011 at 12:13 PM
- Dawn said...
Congratulations! So excited for you! I'll be praying for your little guy to make a safe arrival! Please take care of yourself!:)
- May 12, 2011 at 12:13 PM
wonderful news, on all fronts. take care of yourself!
- May 12, 2011 at 12:20 PM
- Jaynette said...
I love all of your creations. Your patterns are so original and very well written. And it looks like you make cute babies too. - May 12, 2011 at 12:20 PM
- knitalatte said...
Wonderful news! Wishing you much love during this happy time.
- May 12, 2011 at 12:22 PM
- Connie, the daisyhead said...
Congratulations!! What a wonderful reason to slow down!
- May 12, 2011 at 12:27 PM
- Amanda said...
Congratulations! So glad to hear you are feeling better!
- May 12, 2011 at 12:28 PM
- Vivian said...
Congratulations!!! So exciting to be bringing another beautiful child into this world!
- May 12, 2011 at 12:34 PM
- Seraphimgirl said...
Congratulations! So happy for you and your family!
- May 12, 2011 at 12:40 PM
- Deb said...
Congratulations! How wonderful for your family! Enjoy your creative time! I send you lots of hugs!
- May 12, 2011 at 12:40 PM
- Nuttygal said...
That is wonderful, congrats
- May 12, 2011 at 12:49 PM
- Teri said...
- May 12, 2011 at 12:50 PM
- One Planet said...
Congratulations Alana! and to your family too.
Karen - May 12, 2011 at 1:13 PM
- Tiphanie said...
Congratulations, Alana! I hope you're feeling better. What a blessing this addition to your family is. I bet your daughter is super excited! And now you get to knit up a bunch of baby boy stuff. ; )
- May 12, 2011 at 1:15 PM
- Bill Law said...
Congratulations to you and your family.Enjoy every minute of it all!
- May 12, 2011 at 1:18 PM
- kelleysgirl said...
How exciting! Congrats and best wishes for you and your growing family!
- May 12, 2011 at 1:18 PM
- Carolina said...
Congratulations....sweet blessings to you and your family!
- May 13, 2011 at 1:35 PM
- Rosie said...
This is such wonderful news. Congratulations! Oh, and ginger candies may help settle your stomach.
- May 13, 2011 at 1:37 PM
- Jessica said...
I am so happy for you! Little boys are so wonderful!!
jpeled on ravelry - May 13, 2011 at 1:43 PM
- Jenn said...
YAY!!! Such amazingly wonderful news! I am so excited for you and your family! Boys are so much fun :) ((hugs))
- May 13, 2011 at 1:46 PM
- kristal135 said...
Congratulations to you and your family, such lovely news.kristal
- May 13, 2011 at 1:47 PM
- *starstofillmydreams* said...
Congratulations Alana! Little Boys are so much fun! I'm intrigued by that glimpse of sweater. I had been hoping that you would branch into designing some more sweaters for women.
- May 13, 2011 at 1:54 PM
- Cinnamon said...
Congratulations! How exciting for you and the family. I definitely remember parenting my then 1 year old from the couch during my first trimester with my second. The morning sickness wiped me out, and I was so relieved to feel better in the second. Glad you're there.
- May 13, 2011 at 2:00 PM
- Rach said...
Congrats! How exciting! I'm also pregnant with my second and also a little boy. Due first week of september. Glad you're feeling a bit better. Looking forward to seeing the Adult sweater patterns.
Cheers! - May 13, 2011 at 3:01 PM
- grammynan said...
Congratulations! And looking forward to some little boy projects from you, yes? As a mom of 3 sons I have always thought hand knit boys items are so so much more interesting and darling (oops, handsome) than the store varieties.
- May 13, 2011 at 3:12 PM
- JelliDonut said...
Wow! That's a lot of news to pack into one post. Congratulations!
- May 13, 2011 at 3:14 PM
- Cathi said...
Congratulations, Alana! How neat to get a boy this time too. The sweater projects look lovely.
- May 13, 2011 at 4:11 PM
- CelticCastOn said...
Congrats Alana!! So happy for you and your family! I bet your daughter is excited to be a big sister :)
- May 13, 2011 at 4:14 PM
congrats to your family
- May 13, 2011 at 4:36 PM
- Toby said...
Ohhh How lovely! Congratulations to you and your family!
- May 13, 2011 at 5:01 PM
- Geraldine said...
A very big congrats and hugs to you! My first time commenting here. What a beautiful blog you have. Take care of yourself and the new baby on the way.
www.takeahappybreak.com - May 13, 2011 at 5:10 PM
- Mona said...
All the knits look great, but I don't think I've seen a better WIP picture than that second one :)
Congrats to your whole family! - May 13, 2011 at 5:13 PM
- Zenitude said...
Congratulations Alana! So happy for your family!
I am also looking forward to your wonderful new designs. - May 13, 2011 at 5:43 PM
- Clumsy Knitter said...
Congratulations on BOTH counts, Alana!
- May 13, 2011 at 5:55 PM
- barbara said...
Congratulations! Such great news. Enjoy it all.
- May 13, 2011 at 5:57 PM
- Sarah said...
Huge congrats to you and your family!
- May 13, 2011 at 6:26 PM
- Kelly said...
What wonderful news! Congratulations - boys are wonderful!
- May 13, 2011 at 6:33 PM
- Suzanne said...
Congratulations on the recent "body building" you are undertaking. This is indeed joyful news.
- May 13, 2011 at 7:00 PM
- Unknown said...
Congratulations, Alana!
I've wondering what you were doing not updating your blog as often and not coming up with new patterns, so this is it! What a wonderful excuse. Believe it or not, I guessed correctly. :) - May 13, 2011 at 7:17 PM
- Unknown said...
omg congrats!! so happy for you!
- May 13, 2011 at 9:52 PM
- Kerstin said...
Congratulations to you and your family! What wonderful news! All the best to you for a healthy pregnancy. I've been hoping for you for some time now. :)
- May 13, 2011 at 9:53 PM
- she knits said...
Congratulations Alana,
wishing you all the best :0)
Much Love, Mel x x - May 13, 2011 at 10:58 PM
- Nicky said...
This is usuch lovely news !
Maybe we will get to see some of your baby knitting ??? - May 13, 2011 at 11:57 PM
- Carol said...
Congratulations to all, can't wait to see all the wonderful new designs you come up with for boys! :)
- May 14, 2011 at 2:09 AM
- J said...
Yaaaaay! Congratulations! I can't wait to see him - I am sure he will be just as beautiful as the rest of your gorgeous family.
Great news!
It's funny you mentioned knitting sweaters for women I have been toying with the idea of knitting something for myself too.
I will email you soon regarding my short story - a friend of mine knows what they are doing with podcast recording so he is going to help me record it.
Jude (The Knitter's Legacy girl) - May 14, 2011 at 4:01 AM
- J said...
Oh Alana, I am happy for you! What a blesson! Two little angels in the house. Enjoy. Jen
- May 14, 2011 at 4:52 AM
- Michaeline said...
Congratulations!!!! I am so happy for you. You are right; it is so worth it. The sweaters sound very interesting and the sneak peak of the yarn is wonderful! Congratulations on both!
- May 14, 2011 at 5:30 AM
- Nancy said...
I am so happy for you, too, Alana. My first grandson was born in May. Babies are so wonderful.
- May 14, 2011 at 5:36 AM
- Kathryn said...
Many warm wishes being sent your way - Congratulations (from a Mom with 8 boys, boys are wonderful)
- May 14, 2011 at 6:48 AM
- Karen said...
Congratulations! Little boys are so much fun, and they love their mommies! I have 4 boys. ;) Sweet blessings to you!
~hunnyb~ on Ravelry - May 14, 2011 at 10:37 AM
all of that yarn looks so delicious... so distracted by yarn.... HOLY CRAP YOU'RE HAVING A BABY. i almost didn't notice! (i'm kidding of course.) Congratulations! Best of luck for the months ahead.
- May 14, 2011 at 11:10 AM
- Pat said...
Congratulations!! for the new addition to your family. Babies (boys or girls) are great!
- May 14, 2011 at 12:58 PM
How delightful! Congratulations to you, your husband, and the big-sister-to-be!
- May 14, 2011 at 1:03 PM
- JodyH said...
Congratulation on the baby AND the sweater patterns! They are both very exciting news!
- May 14, 2011 at 1:28 PM
- Armida said...
Congratulations on your precious little blessing, as well as your new designs!! How exciting :D
- May 14, 2011 at 1:38 PM
- aliasrlene said...
Congratulations Alana. I am so happy for you!
- May 14, 2011 at 1:39 PM
- Unknown said...
Congratulations! And I hope we eventually see a collection of little boy knits to go along with your fabulous little girl knits!
- May 14, 2011 at 6:36 PM
- Marie said...
Such joyous news! Congratulations!
- May 14, 2011 at 8:36 PM
- Pam said...
Congratulations! What wonderful Secret projects.
I'm looking forward to your women's sweater as I love your little girl knits. - May 15, 2011 at 3:45 AM
- Cami said...
- May 15, 2011 at 5:25 AM
- lilndmama said...
How exciting and congratulations!!!
- May 15, 2011 at 7:04 AM
- Hazy said...
Congratulations. What a blessing to you and your family
- May 15, 2011 at 7:27 AM
- Martha said...
Congratulations! What wonderful news about the upcoming blessed event - and by that I mean the baby (although the collection of sweaters will be something for the rest of us to look forward to). Love your designs and am looking forward to following your progress on both projects. :)
- May 15, 2011 at 10:26 AM
- thewalshfam said...
So happy for you!!! Congrats!
- May 15, 2011 at 12:23 PM
- Kristina said...
Congratulations! This is the best project of all!
- May 15, 2011 at 2:00 PM
- Louise said...
Such wonderful news, congratulations :) I was super sick with my boy as well, I feel for you!
- May 15, 2011 at 2:01 PM
- Sabrina said...
Congrats! What a blessing! I bet you are SO excited to get your little boy :)
- May 15, 2011 at 5:11 PM
- diane k said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- May 15, 2011 at 5:38 PM
- diane k said...
Congrats on both accounts! Boys are so very special and have a special relationship with their mothers. I just saw my 27 years old yesterday.
- May 15, 2011 at 5:39 PM
- Dee said...
I just had to congratulate you! I have loved watching your adorable daughter in your pictures - now we can watch your little boy! I am also excited about your sweater projects- can't wait! All your patterns are just perfect and fun to knit.
- May 15, 2011 at 5:51 PM
- Terrie D. (StarSpry) said...
Congratulations to you and your family! I'm glad you're feeling better. Looking forward to your sweater pattern...it looks beautiful!
- May 15, 2011 at 6:33 PM
- cindymen said...
Congratulations! Very exciting to be adding a new baby to your family.
- May 15, 2011 at 6:39 PM
- sylphette said...
Congratulations, Alana!!!! Best wishes to you and your family!!! :)
- May 15, 2011 at 8:39 PM
- kjramstack said...
Congratulations! Wishing you a happy and healthy pregnancy!
- May 16, 2011 at 6:43 AM
- Sara said...
Congrats!!! How exciting! Babies are blessings. Love the sweater/yarn colors! Can't wait to see what you come up with.
- May 16, 2011 at 6:59 AM
- emily said...
Congratulations... on both projects! Little boys are a handful, but so much fun! I look forward to your sweater knits... and to future little boy knits!
- May 16, 2011 at 8:09 AM
- acornarts said...
Wanted to leave a Congratulations earlier, but like you said, Blogger has been weird. Wishing you & your growing family all the best! Can't wait to see what boy knits you come up with;-D
- May 16, 2011 at 9:17 AM
- Unknown said...
Congratulations! Will little boy designs be in the future?
- May 16, 2011 at 11:53 AM
Congratulations! What an exciting time for your family:)
- May 16, 2011 at 2:03 PM
- Shelley said...
Beautiful news - congratulations!
- May 16, 2011 at 8:15 PM
- knitterlydesigns said...
That is so wonderful for you. You wish a healthy pregnancy and baby! Can't wait to see what else you have been creating.
Angie - May 16, 2011 at 8:59 PM
- jillian said...
congratulations alana, what wonderful news!
also, on a yarn aside... what is that beautiful greenish-orangish skein in the photo (beside the blue one)? - May 17, 2011 at 12:16 PM
i don't know how I've missed updates on your blog the past few days but I'm happy I did so that my congratulations will not be eaten by the internet.
Congratulations!!! - May 17, 2011 at 12:23 PM
- Millertime Productions said...
Congratulations!!!! Such exciting news on both accounts ;)
- May 17, 2011 at 1:44 PM
- Knitterella said...
Your lil boy is adorable already! I'm SO thrilled for you!
- May 17, 2011 at 2:39 PM
- Kitty Couture said...
Congratulations again Alana :)
- May 17, 2011 at 11:06 PM
- Unknown said...
Congrats Alana! Looking forward to seeing the new beautiful addition to the family....and the sweaters too :) I miss your podcast!
- May 18, 2011 at 10:16 AM
- Kim said...
Congratulations! And I know this means that you'll be having boy patterns too - looking forward to seeing what your little guy is going to get.
- May 18, 2011 at 1:33 PM
- Kate said...
Hooray for BOYS!!!!! Congratulations Alana :)
- May 19, 2011 at 12:29 PM
- May 19, 2011 at 4:51 PM
- Charlene said...
Alana, I'm so happy for you and your family! I just spent 5 days with my two little grandsons, one two and a half and one, six months old. So precious. You are a very lucky and talented women!
- May 20, 2011 at 3:09 PM
- melosa said...
Congratulations! Can you tell that I'm a little behind in my blog reading? I hope that te remainder of your pregnancy is easy sailing.
- May 21, 2011 at 5:01 PM
- Smoked Cheese said...
Super excited for you and your family. Perhaps a special knit for the new big sis! Can't wait to see what you come up with for your little boy. Bright blessings for a safe, happy and health pregancy!
- May 22, 2011 at 9:56 PM
- Julie said...
Congratulations Alana!! That's such exciting news. Is your little girl looking forward to being a big sister? And I'm very excited to see your adult sweater patterns later in the year, too!
- May 23, 2011 at 10:41 AM
- The Studes said...
Congratulations on the pregnancy. I kinda wish that were lived closer so our girls could playtogether and you could have a bit of time to yourself and your pregnancy.
nem - May 26, 2011 at 10:43 PM
- kamoul said...
Wonderful. Congratulations
- June 2, 2011 at 12:51 PM
- Lindy said...
CONGRATULATIONS, on the new baby. I"m sorry I'm a little behind so I just saw this post. My sister is having a baby in the next two weeks. I can't wait to see what he looks like.
- June 9, 2011 at 8:16 AM
- Lindy said...
CONGRATULATIONS I'm sorry I'm a little behind. You will have to post some pictures later on. Best wishes to you and your baby.
- June 9, 2011 at 8:17 AM
- Lucy said...
- June 18, 2011 at 3:00 AM
- kjt said...
I am so behind since the last month or so of school has been really rough.
Just take care of yourself and don't do too much.
That burst of energy in the 2nd trimester is very deceiving.
Kristina - June 26, 2011 at 10:10 PM
- norabrown said...
Sorry I missed ths originally.
Congratulations. I'm so happy for you! - August 7, 2011 at 5:45 AM
- Alisha said...
Congratulations Alana & family !! I've got a long way to go to get caught up on your podcast so I had no idea about this great news. Can't wait to see the boy things you make for your little one.
- September 1, 2011 at 2:44 PM


text:
Dear husband,
The purpose of this resignation letter is to inform you that I will be leaving my position with your family effective August 8. I will be relocating to the Bahamas in the near future. As much as I would love to stay on as your chief laundress, cook, nurse, nanny, teacher, chauffeur, household manager, accountant, waitress, and maid, I simply do not get paid enough to put up with your children's deeds. Today, for example, Spaz launched his dinner plate across the room like some medieval catapult because his "meatball was touching his spaghetti". I don't know what I was thinking when I spooned a meatball onto the same plate as his spaghetti!
One of your children managed to lock everyone out of the bathroom. Well, I assume it was one of your children, however they unanimously agree that Notme was the guilty party. According to your children, Notme has been responsible for laying wet towels on the floor, spilling juice on the carpet, eating an entire pack of gum from my purse, dumping out buckets of toys, and flushing Barbie dolls down the toilet. I, however, have yet to catch Notme in the act.


text:
This Is the Manicure You Should Get, Based on Your Astrological Sign
America's 8 Ugliest CitiesIf you live in one of these metropolitan areas, your hair care and skin care products have to work overtime |
Older comments
This is seriously the dumbest article on here. I'm from LA and we have lots of uglies. TRUST.
by eatinglipstick Friday, February 15, 2013 at 05:21PM Report as inappropriate
Muffin tops with stretch marks. Tan lines with strapless dresses. Flip-flops with fleece sweaters. Wearing pajamas and slippers to the lab or class. Expensive jeans not hemmed for flats scraping the dirt form the sidewalk. These are many examples of how horribly the women of Philadelphia dress. I am absolutely certain that the TV show "What Not to Wear" can film at a minimum 30 to 40 episodes in Phatadelphia. I cannot even forgive the students who study in Philly for their lack of style. Even students I believe should learn the basics in how to present themselves in public. And please don't tell me ladies that your feet hurt and that is why you wear $2 flip-flops with expensive dresses. You do more harm to your feet by switching from those heels that kill your feet to the other extreme; flats with no support. I was at Christian and 9th Street one day eating at Sabrina's, and my friend saw a horrific look on my face. I told them that I was absolutely disgusted to see the FOUR, yes FOUR bridesmaids all wearing strapless dresses but having white tan lines. I believe it is an insult to the bride by not paying enough attention to your skin by having tan lines in what will be a photo that will be cherished forever by the bride. Am I the only one who thinks it is insulting to the bride & groom? Now imagine my surprise when a Philadelphian told me that tan lines were sexy. Sexy? In what country? "How are tan lines sexy?" I asked her. To that she replied, "It shows they were in the sun and probably have color." Hmmmmmm……..I"m not buying it. It is wrong no matter what. Now my biggest pet peeve is the following. Women who pay over $160 for a pair of jeans at Charlie's, hemmed for their heels, but wearing them with flats and scraping up the dog urine, spit, soda, and Wawa iced tead from the sidewalks. When I asked a woman why she didn't hem them for her flats, she cried out "I paid almost $200 for these jeans, I can't afford two pairs." Really? Not buying it. The money is there, student or not. But I have seen more style from poor Italians in Napoli than rich Philadelphians. I guess at the end of the day, I should have had much lower standards for Philadelphia. My expectations were high for what is the 5th largest city in the richest country in the world. Unfortunately, with very few exceptions (and they are usually from Europe or via NYC), they all lack fashion savvy. And who ever said that it was OK for women to display their bras in Philly? Is it too much to ask that your shirt strap covers the bra strap. I can understand if the two straps are lined up and they separate a bit, but come on! Showing the bra on the side of your breast under a loose top is a huge fashion faux-pas. And a cross back support on your top with a regular strap bra is a no-no too. And just because you wear flip-flops in the city does not mean you can wear a bikini to match. Save it for the beach. In the name of the fashion gods, please learn how to dress Philly! UGH!
by nigwisht Wednesday, January 9, 2013 at 07:14AM Report as inappropriate
I'm not even from any of these places, but this is kind of insulting.
by Chris213 Sunday, September 30, 2012 at 06:01PM Report as inappropriate
hahaha ugly according to who???
by lisiana_de_bem_justino Saturday, April 28, 2012 at 07:59PM Report as inappropriate
lol love this post it was hilarious.
by stephgal Tuesday, September 13, 2011 at 09:14PM Report as inappropriate
Just a little harsh on some of those.
by taryn.romero Thursday, August 18, 2011 at 12:44PM Report as inappropriate
The ranking science behind this article is a little silly but it was still a fun read. I can see where people might get offended if they city they are from and/or love is on this list but then it's important to remember that beauty is subjective and often times totally random. It's importnat to note that some of the world's most beautiful actresses and models come from cities that are considered "Meccas of ugly." Nothing in here is valid...pure entertainment.
by crownjules Monday, January 10, 2011 at 06:33PM Report as inappropriate


text:
In 2011 Susan Hiller took London by storm with a massive retrospective at Tate Britain and new works at the Timothy Taylor Gallery. We delve into the Aesthetica archive and reflect on the American-born artist's career explored in The Collective Conscience, which featured in Issue 39. Hiller's work can currently be viewed at Den Frie, Copenhagen, until 5 March.
Since Susan Hiller (b. 1940) arrived in London in the late 1960s at a time when Minimalist and hard-line conceptual art was at its height, she has been making groundbreaking conceptual and installation art. Much of her work has been pioneering: in her work Monument (1980-1981) she used sound and images in an installation in a way which created the intimate and private in a public space and hadn't been done before. Hiller's work encompasses a startling range of techniques, materials and forms, including sculpture, sound, video, installations and projections. This accumulation of diverse work is now the subject of a major survey at Tate Britain that runs until mid-May. It's the largest collection of Susan Hiller's work yet shown. With its roots in second-generation conceptualism, Hiller's practice was daring and free-spirited enough to expand the lexicon of conceptual art by applying it to subject matter that was humorous, approachable and founded in our everyday experiences of consciousness and perception. It made many of her early installations controversial with her peers, but by the same token it has been a decidedly influential aspect of Hiller's work for younger artists.
The collective nature of many of Hiller's works, where selections of everyday artefacts are reframed to throw fresh perspective on our attitudes, mean that many of Hiller's works form long, decade-spanning series that pointedly remain forever open-ended. A concurrent exhibition of new and recent work at Timothy Taylor Gallery, defiantly entitled An Ongoing Investigation reminds us that Hiller is an artist still very much engaged in her projects, collections and series, some of which have been accumulating since the very start of her career.
Much of Hiller's art is characterised by an engagement with cultural artefacts. Her seminal piece Dedicated to the Unknown Artists (1976) is based around a collection of hundreds of vintage and contemporary postcards she made between the years 1972 and 1976. It's one of the earliest of Hiller's works on display at Tate Britain. All the cards depict rough seas around the coastline of the British Isles. The dramatic, unruly seascapes are presented in contrasting neat and orderly framed rows, making a playful comment on the British public's enduring fascination with its perceived inclemency. A meticulously compiled catalogue, including dates, details of the sender's message if any and credits of as many of the photographers as Hiller could discover the names of, accompanies the piece, alongside a map detailing the locations of the postcard photographs. The title refers to the unheralded photographic artists, as well as the skills and artistry of the completely anonymous workers in the postcard-tinting industry. The collection reveals the dramatic variations of colour tinting in the postcards, a process that required considerable ingenuity, since each image was tinted individually.
Hiller initially trained as an anthropologist, and Dedicated to the Unknown Artists displays an anthropologist's interest in collective psyche and imagination. In this work Hiller unifies the two meanings of the word "collective", meaning both a commonality and an accumulative tendency. Her piece subtly interrogates the British tendency to exaggeratedly bemoan our climactic conditions, which is in fact one of the most moderate. A number of themes emerge in the collection, from a belief in naval supremacy, to the sense of Britain's embattled isolation, aloof from the disorderly and riotous outside world. By taking the hackneyed images of seaside postcards and compiling them in an extensive collection, Hiller reveals and illuminates aspects of our collective imagination.
It's an approach she has returned to throughout her career. Indeed, Hiller has continued collecting the postcards, and new work on show at the Timothy Taylor gallery includes some of her latest work in this series, entitled Rough Seas. Curator, Emma Dexter, explains the role of everyday, underappreciated artefacts in Hiller's practice as "the taking of things that are so familiar that you haven't analysed their political nature or how they work sociologically. Through the re-presentation of something familiar, you can see it in a different light." The sound installation Witness (2000), involves small microphones hung from the ceiling, through which eyewitness accounts of UFO encounters are played in a number of different languages. In spite of the humorously evocative positioning of the microphones as unidentified dangling objects in their own right, the overall effect of the piece is neither mocking nor straightforwardly ironic. This is something Hiller has stressed in interviews about the work, making the point that the phenomenon of UFO sightings is part of our shared consciousness. "All these things are collectively produced and that's what interests me about it." The accounts are narrated with heartfelt conviction, and the sheer number and breadth of accounts is compelling. There are hundreds of encounters from many different countries. Witness tests the visitor's belief-threshold, inviting you to consider the phenomenon for what it is, a widely held and enthralling part of our shared imagination and an adapted, contemporary incarnation of the will to believe in visionary experience.
Unusually for a conceptual artist working in the 1970s and 1980s, the irrational, subconscious, untamed parts of the human psyche are subjects that Hiller's artwork frequently incorporates. The result is what Dexter calls a "productive tension" between her rigorous investigative conceptualism and her enthusiastic engagement with bizarre phenomena and dream-states. One manifestation of these separate impulses is Hiller's interest in automatic writing, the free-associational writing technique adopted by the Surrealists among others to supposedly write from the subconscious mind, without the strictures and discipline of consciousness. Her early automatic experiments were exhibited as the artwork Sisters of Menon (1972). An arrangement of L-shaped frames featuring her automatic drawings, indecipherable hieroglyphs and automatic writing are wall-mounted alongside printed interpretive translations. It's a striking work, not least because the translations are so inadequate at expressing the mystery and enchantment of the wordless symbols and drawings, which point to buried meaning-systems under the surface of our subconscious minds. Automatic writing is also utilised in her work Midnight, Baker Street (1983) in which she overlays photobooth portraits of herself with a dense layer of automatic writing.
More recently, automatic writing has emerged in Hiller's work in her Homage to Gertrude Stein (2010), which is on display as part of the exhibition An Ongoing Investigation at the Timothy Taylor Gallery. An antique writing desk takes on literary significance, as it seems to stand in for Gertrude Stein's desk. A number of books and textbooks on the subject of automatic writing are pointedly shelved just below the surface of the desk, as though the desk-top were a metaphor for the writer's mind. This work perhaps as well as any other seems to articulate the tension in Hiller's work between a commitment to research-based work and an exploration of spontaneous, automatic techniques.
The writing of experimental automatic text-based pieces is one facet of Hiller's considerable body of language-based art. Another strain is the cataloguing and collecting of languages, to reveal their inherent strangeness. Her work Enquiries / Inquiries consists of simultaneously projected slides of pages from a British Encyclopaedia and an American one. The piece not only articulates Hiller's personal relocation and adjustment from the United States to London, but the disparity between the two books, both purportedly written in the same language, English. More than this, the piece reveals neither encyclopaedia to be quite encyclopaedic, both equally filled with quirks and curiosities. By presenting this work in side-by-side slides, Hiller playfully reveals the bizarre in even the most authoritative of source-texts.
Hiller's career to date has been marked by her pioneering use of up-to-the-minute technologies, a feature of her work that Ann Gallagher, Curator of the exhibition at Tate Britain has attempted to emphasise: "She has always been at the forefront in terms of new technological advances, combining media or using new innovations, such as the internet, as forms of basic cultural material." Belshazzar's Feast / the Writing on the Wall (1984) combines an installation of a living room environment with a background sound installation, and a television screen playing moving images of flames. The piece takes its inspiration from reports in the popular press of hallucinated visions on TV screens after end of broadcast. The living room environment is familiar and humdrum, while the lapping flames and carefully lit installation encourage the viewer to see images in the shadows and the flickers of the screen. Meanwhile, a disconcerting soundtrack plays hushed fragments from the newspaper reports, the artist's own voice performing improvised singing and her young son narrating from his memory the biblical story of Belshazzar, in which a hand writes a mysterious, coded message of doom on the wall that can only be interpreted with the use of free translation and imaginative interpretation. Belshazzar's Feast / the Writing on the Wall is a complex, multi-media installation that references Marshall McLuhan's theory of the TV as replacing the hearth as the focal point of the living-environment, feeding our imagination as flickering flames once did. It operates as a critique of the materials it employs.
Similarly, when Hiller made Dream Screens (1996), a very early interactive web-based artwork in which the viewer clicks on the screen to change its colour while a woman's voice discusses the role of dreams in modernist art, simultaneously overlapping with a woman's voice discussing the theory of colour. The rationality of the two narratives merge and blend with a background, tapping electronic sound, altering each other into a hypnotic sequence of sounds. The electronic sound is Morse code for "I am dreaming. I am dreaming." The viewer can choose the pace of colour-alternation by clicking their mouse regularly or irregularly. The piece explores our reactions to colour, sound, repetition and fragmentary narratives. Overwhelmed with stimuli, the participant can only focus on certain aspects. Dream Screens is a remarkably foresighted diagnostic of the internet's fragmentary and overloaded nebulae of information.
Throughout her career, Hiller has made use of long-stretching, open-ended series of works. For example, she has consistently made series in homage to artists who have influenced and inspired her. The artists include Marcel Duchamp, Marcel Broodthaers, Yves Klein and Gertrude Stein. In the case of Joseph Beuys these works span her whole career to date, having been begun in 1969, and continued until 2009. In recognition of the unfinished, ongoing, accumulative character of Hiller's work, the Timothy Taylor Gallery show is being held concurrent to the Tate Britain exhibition and focuses on her recent work. The most recent of the Homage to Joseph Beuys (1969 – 2009) makes use of Victorian glass vials, which Hiller finds in informal archaeological digs on the banks of the Thames. These vials are used as vessels for holy water, which Hiller collects by going on pilgrimages to holy springs and sites around the world. This is another piece where Hiller's collector's mentality is at the core of the piece. The piece investigates how objects are imbued with significance and sacramental meaning. The Homages demonstrate another strong impulse in Hiller's work, a transparency about the collaborators and influences on her art, the same impulse behind Dedicated to the Unknown Artists (1972 – 1976 and now ongoing). Most of the Homages are accompanied by refreshingly frank commentaries by the artist acknowledging her debts to their work. This aspect of Hiller's work is particularly evident in her Homage to Yves Klein (2008), which features a collection of photographs that people have made of themselves supposedly levitating. The photographs are compelling in their appearance of defying gravity. The work refers to Yves Klein's famously faked photograph of himself "leaping into the void." Hiller describes her interest in these photographs: "They are fascinating and I am not ironic about that. I don't think these people think they levitated and I don't think they produce these photographs to trick other people. They're doing it because it's a kind of aspiration. It's a desire."
These images seem to be a useful touchstone for Hiller's artistic investigations into our known and unknown consciousness, which is at the root of the tension in her work between order and chaos. In the dramatically diverse and wide range of forms adopted in Hiller's artistic practice over the last 40 years, there emerges a persistent and inventively tenacious attempt to illuminate the workings and implications of the imagination in collective consciousness, consistently on the tight-rope and threshold between fantasy and believability.
Susan Hiller at Tate Britain ran from 1 February until 15 May 2011. To find out more, visit www.tate.org.uk.
Susan Hiller: An Ongoing Investigation at Timothy Taylor Gallery ran from 3 February until 5 March 2011. Additional details are available at www.timothytaylorgallery.com.
Colin Herd
Aesthetica engages with the arts both in the UK and internationally, combining dynamic content with compelling critical debate and exploring the best in contemporary art and visual culture. Start your Aesthetica collection for 2015 and save 50% on subscriptions in the January Sale.
To order a subscription saving 50% this January, visit www.aestheticamagazine.com/shop.
Follow us on Twitter @AestheticaMag for the latest news in contemporary art and culture.
1. Susan Hiller, (detail of) Monument (1980-1). Tate, copyright Susan Hiller. Courtesy Timothy Taylor Gallery, London.


text:
X-plore is dual-pane file manager with tree view, LAN/Root/Clouds and more.
Xplore File Manager APK MOD (Donate Features) v4.30.01
Name | X-plore File Manager |
Publisher | Lonely Cat Games |
Genre | Tools |
Size | Updated: 2022-09-22 |
Version | 4.30.01 |
Update | Sep 22, 2022 |
MOD | Donate Features |
Whats New
- Android/data access on Android 13
- Two-pane bookmarks
- Ads: X-plore now contains ads. This was a hard decision, however this is a way how to keep the project alive.
Nothing changes for existing paying users, and they won't see ads at all. Also it's very simple to get rid of ads forever by purchasing at least the cheapest item: one beer.
Thank you for using X-plore.
If you want to explore files on your Android phone, show the entire folder as a miniature computer, use X-plore File Manager MOD APK.
X-plore File Manager
PCs, laptops used for some timewhen it was messed with many folders, primeand backside, inside and outdoors, many courses, it's notstraightforwardto view and discoverrecordsdata. Not solelycomputer systems, telephones, and tablets maygrow to bea maze of icons scattered all over the place. If at some pointyou end up, regardless ofhow tidily you might be, it'stoughto manageall the knowledgein yourcellphone, then it's time touse this X-plore File Supervisorsoftware.
Application manual: www.lonelycatgames.com/docs/xplore
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● Root, FTP, SMB1 / SMB2, Sqlite, Zip, Rar, 7zip, DLNA/UPnP explorer
● Disk Map – see which files consume most space on your disk – http://bit.ly/xp-disk-map
● Cloud storage access: Google Drive, OneDrive, Mega.co, Dropbox, Yandex.disk, ОБЛАКО.mail.ru, Webdav and others
● SSH File Transfer (SFTP) and SSH Shell – http://bit.ly/xp-sftp ***
● Music player ***
● App manager
● PDF viewer
● WiFi file sharing *** – http://bit.ly/xp-wifi-share
● Manage files from a PC web browser *** – http://bit.ly/xp-wifi-web
● Favorite folders
● Built-in viewers for images, audio, text
● Video player with subtitles ***
● Batch rename
● Hex viewer
● Fast Image viewer with zoom and slide to previous/next images
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● Multi-selection – always available, yet not disturbing
● View APK files as ZIP
● Share – send files by Bluetooth, email, or whatever the device supports, from any location
● Configurable buttons and key shortcuts
● Seamless work with Zip (as if it was normal folder)
● Vault for encrypting sensitive files – http://bit.ly/xp-vault ***
*** marked features are paid – they require donation
X-plore allows you to see inside of your Android device. And also outside.
This is a dual-pane explorer, there are two folders shown at same time, and common operation such as copying files are done from one pane to another.
And X-plore shows folder hierarchy in a tree view for clear orientation and fast switching to other location.
You may explore internals of the device, and if you're power user and have your device rooted, you can make changes to system data – backup files, remove unwanted applications, etc.
If you're standard user, you may choose to hide internal memory from view and be sure not to mess with system.
You can comfortably see contents of mass memories on your device, or possibly attached USB memory stick.
Simple app manager allows to see, run, copy, share, uninstall and further explore installed applications.
WiFi file sharing
Access files on your Android device from other Android devices over WiFi.
Access from a PC web browser
Manage files on your Android device from your PC.
Access to FTP and FTPS (secure FTP) servers is supported.
Multiple servers may be configured.
X-plore can display shared folders on other computers in LAN.
X-plore can access various web storage "Cloud" servers, and access their files.
You need to have account in supported web service, then you can access your files stored online through X-plore.
Supported is also SSH File Transfer (SFTP) and Terminal shell emulator.
X-plore contains music player that can play music tracks from any available location.
With Vault function, you can encrypt sensitive files, even by your fingerprint.
Main operations are related to managing files and folders – viewing, copying, moving, deleting, compressing to Zip, extracting, renaming, sharing, and more.
SQLite database viewer
X-plore can show SQLite database files (those with .db extension) as expandable list of tables, each table containing list of rows and columns with database entries.
Main interaction is done by touch screen, clicking on folders or files to open files, or long-click to open context menu which contains options which can be done on particular clicked item, or multiple selected items.
Multi-selection allows to do operation on more files at once.
Opening file may mean to use one of built-in viewer for most popular file types: images, audio, video and text.
Or you may configure X-plore to use system application for opening files, in which case system-predefined application that can open particular file is launched.
Archives (currently supported are Zip, Rar and 7zip) are displayed as other folders.
Download X-plore File Manager
You are now ready to download X-plore File Manager for free. Here are some notes:
- Please read our MOD Info and installation instructions carefully for the game & app to work properly
- Downloading via 3rd party software like IDM, ADM (Direct link) is currently blocked for abuse reasons.


text:
This video may be a little boring to everyone but grandparents but it's just a picture of how my day is now. I have a little busy girl who wants to move constantly. This is her when I laid her down for a nap today. (I'm sorry about the hysterical laughing - I think I'm completely delirious from no sleep in days - plus she just cracks me up)
Needless to say - I took the Bumpers out of her crib this afternoon. I'm so sad because they were SO cute but she was using them to climb so they have to go.
We did get to have lunch with my friend Melissa today and I finally joined choir again tonight after a 10 month hiatus. It was good to be back!!!! (All of my choir friends who are reading - I really missed you! And I missed the chance to worship with you!) Scott kept Harper and fed her and put her to bed all by himself for the first time ever. He has kept her and he has helped me put her to bed but he's never done the whole routine alone before. But we had a success so I'm thinking he can do it again! ha!


text:
Saturday, August 11, 2012
It's a FUN *Academic Overload* Giveaway!!
71 comments:
- CBH said...
Thank you so much for this post. I want to let you know that I posted a link to your blog in CBH Digital Scrapbooking Freebies (please, notice the new url for my blog), under the Page 2 post on Aug. 11, 2012. Thanks again.
- August 11, 2012 at 8:23 AM
- Lisa R. said...
My favorite school memory was going to Senior Prom!! :)
Learning Is Something to Treasure - August 11, 2012 at 8:28 AM
- Precious Memories Scrapbooking & More said...
Thanks for the chance to win this awesome prize. My favorite memory was 3 yrs ago: my Daughters 1st day of Pre~k, she was so excited & confident, she didn't even look back to say good~bye :0) Proud moment, I only hope my son will be as confident when he goes in 2yrs. :0)
email@example.com - August 11, 2012 at 8:45 AM
- Tona said...
My favorite school memory is actually when my son started kindergarten 3 years ago. It was such a proud moment for me. He was much more ready to go than I was. Mom cried and he didn't. He's been cruising through ever since!
- August 11, 2012 at 9:00 AM
- Majorie said...
My favorite memory is from about one year ago. I graduated from college to be a primary school teacher. Then after that I got my first own class of 4-6 year old kids to teach for a year. Those kids gave me so much joy and kindness! I will never forget them!
- August 11, 2012 at 9:01 AM
- Becki said...
Dropping the Grand kids off at school and have them run back to give me another hug
- August 11, 2012 at 9:11 AM
My favorite school memory is hanging with my friends every day before the bell rang and at lunch in the field.
- August 11, 2012 at 9:12 AM
- Donna said...
Thanks for the chance to win this great collection! My favorite memory was of a friends son starting school that first day of kindergarden. She was so worried about him getting on the right bus and not getting lost coming home. I told her that nothing like that was going to happen! "RIGHT" He ended up getting on the wrong bus and riding to the next town, before the school finally tracked him down. That was the last time she ever took my word for anything! LOL
- August 11, 2012 at 9:23 AM
- Stephanie said...
My favorite school memories are still being made, working at the school my oldest attends and watching all those faces glow with excitement when they finally understand something!
I can not WAIT to finish my education degree and get into the classroom myself! :) - August 11, 2012 at 9:41 AM
My favorite school memory is hanging out back stage during theatre practice after school.
- August 11, 2012 at 10:05 AM
- Amy Bateman said...
I remember the first day of my senior year in high school. It was also my youngest brother's first day of kindergarten, so my parents lined us all up to get on the bus. They had the camera and video camera going as we all marched across the street and boarded the bus. We got lots of questions about it, but it was the only time all 8 kids would ride the bus together.
- August 11, 2012 at 10:08 AM
- Ricki Ohana said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- August 11, 2012 at 10:09 AM
- Ricki Ohana said...
Thank you for this amazing opportunity!
When my 'baby' son, (25yrs. old) started 4th Grade, I went on my first school-shopping spree. I bought him all the school supplies needed and more. The look on his face when I gave the whole package to him is one never to be forgotten!! He still remembers that day AND the awesome feeling he had :) - August 11, 2012 at 10:19 AM
- Robinsismai said...
My favorite school memory is actually multiple memories - It is the memory of each of my four children walking the stage at their high school graduation. I was so proud of them and their accomplishments!
- August 11, 2012 at 10:29 AM
- Desert Digi -Scrap said...
My favorite day was my college graduation because all my family attended, then the next day we all went to my wedding. :) Busy week!
- August 11, 2012 at 10:38 AM
- littlen said...
my favorite school memory was the day i graduated from high school.
- August 11, 2012 at 11:20 AM
My favorite memories are still being made about school. I had tons as a child, and even more once I graduated from college because I chose to be a teacher. I love teaching math to my kids! When they finally get the "Ah hah!" moment and understand makes it worth it. Watching them graduate and start lives of their own is wonderful, but the best moment happened last year. My oldest daughter started Kindergarten and she was so excited. Because of some serious complications with my second childs birth (in July of that year), I wasn't going to be able to teach the coming year, so I got to be home with her. Meghan didn't want me to take her to school because she wanted to ride the bus for the first time. She was so excited and got up early to get ready. What made it even better was the her great grandmother, which she calls Buddy, was able to be there to wish her a good day of school. I'll never forget the smile she had going on the bus and also coming back home. Thanks so much for letting me share my story!
- August 11, 2012 at 1:03 PM
- Laura Tiffany said...
My favorite school memory is when my daughter started high school. She has always been timid and that day she was so confident and excited. She made so many new friends that year.
- August 11, 2012 at 1:03 PM
Wow! That's amazing! Thank you, Saxon. There are quite a few I like but my favorites are detention doodle, art flowers and iplay soccer.
- August 11, 2012 at 1:45 PM
- Anita said...
My favorite school memory was having all my friends over for lunch during school.
- August 11, 2012 at 2:09 PM
- Kristie said...
My Favorite school moment was when, as a pre-k teacher in my home daycare, a few of my 4 year old students began reading!!! So cool to see it "click"!!
- August 11, 2012 at 2:33 PM
- The Fullers said...
I'd have to say prom with my now hubby!
- August 11, 2012 at 2:42 PM
- Yobeth said...
This was a tough one for me. My favorite memory is when my drivers ed. teacher asked me to represent the girls in my high school in an area wide driving contest. It was called a "Roadeo". I took him up on it and won but I didn't get to keep the trophy, it went in the school's trophy box.
- August 11, 2012 at 2:43 PM
- Cathy Willman said...
Ooo...I'm loving the Academic Overload collection. This would be great for us, as my eldest is just beginning regular elementary school. His first day of Kindergarten, Mommy went a little bonkers taking pictures of him on the porch, on the driveway, getting on the bus...he wanted to ride the bus. But I wanted to see him in his class. So then I hopped in the car and chased them down to meet the bus at school, and follow him into his classroom. I earned my title of Mamarazzi, but every time he saw me, he smiled, and he was so happy I came into his classrom, that makes it all worthwhile, and his wonderful smile outshines all my own personal school memories.
- August 11, 2012 at 2:48 PM
My daughter is out of school and I am not yet a grandmother. Your kits bring back so many memories of her school years that I would like to scrap. Thanks for having this contest.
- August 11, 2012 at 2:58 PM
- Unknown said...
My favorite day of school was the semester I went back to college after having my daughter. I wasn't at all sure I could be a mother and a good student, but my grades are awesome, and I'm graduating next year! And, being a mother and a student is great and totally do-able!
Thanks for the giveaway! - August 11, 2012 at 3:06 PM
- Rebeckah Austin said...
Sheesh, I can't remember a favorite school day. I would have to say the days I had dance class were my favorite.
- August 11, 2012 at 3:13 PM
- Crystal said...
Graduating from college -- i was the first in my family to do so! :)
- August 11, 2012 at 3:14 PM
- MamaGames - Alexa C. said...
I would love to win this kit! I am a homeschooling mom and I can't even pick a favorite memory... I just LOVE being with my kids every day, to see every moment from the big (exciting field trips) to the tiny (sounding out one more word in the reader than she did yesterday).
- August 11, 2012 at 3:49 PM
- Jenn (Triple J Designs) said...
Although it was a sad day, my favorite school memory is when I took my daughter for her first day of Jr. High and then 2 hours later took my baby to his first day of preschool. It was then that I realized my babies were growing up....FAST.
- August 11, 2012 at 4:10 PM
- BJoyful333 said...
My first day of college, 18 years old, and I met three of my best friends within 5 minutes on campus..still friends to this day 25 years later...the other thing that makes this my favorite school day is the look on my mom's face when she realized that 1 of her 2 kids was starting her freshman year of college and the other was starting her last year of elementary school. Talk about bizarre..I still get a laugh remembering that look.
- August 11, 2012 at 4:33 PM
- Sam said...
One of my favorite memories is from 2nd grade. I loved my teacher, Mrs. Noker. When we passed certain goals we would get to pick out a book to keep. Loved my Boxcar Children Series way back when. :)
- August 11, 2012 at 4:36 PM
- keshakeke said...
My favorite school memory is being on homecoming court with my twin brother! We were in sixth grade and dressed to a T! It was so sweet and I will always cherish the memory!
firstname.lastname@example.com - August 11, 2012 at 4:48 PM
- Karen Diebolt said...
What a fun give-a-way. I don't remember my first day of school. My favorite school memory is being a part of the marching band and performing in the football half-time show,and in parades. I graduated in 1971.
- August 11, 2012 at 5:11 PM
- HighDesertGal said...
In first grade, third and fifth grades in my elementary school in Utah we had to get TB test. Even as a first grader I had a long standing fear of needles. On the BIG DAY, I ran away from school, up to the church and then home. Little did I know that they would make me have one the next day. Running away was my only escape...I thought, but running away from challenges rarely results in happiness.
- August 11, 2012 at 5:26 PM
- Cindy .B. said...
Well this goes way back when my son started school in pre K. It was Mothers day celebration at the school. All mom's had to attend this celebration...My son presented me with a card and on the inside was printed as a gift was a million dollars and diamond ear rings...I was so surprised and all the mom's wanted my million dollars......He still surprises me today with his own family....
- August 11, 2012 at 5:37 PM
- Stacey said...
The engineering iron ring ceremony just before graduation was amazing!
- August 11, 2012 at 5:47 PM
- Monica said...
What a fun chance to win! My favorite memory was the feeling I had as I walked out of my last final exam for my bachelor degree. Glorious!
- August 11, 2012 at 6:09 PM
- Sarah said...
I can't think of one...
Maybe when my 6th grade class won a bet with our teacher and he dyed his hair green for the day! lol
Thanks for the chance to win :) - August 11, 2012 at 6:11 PM
- Carol said...
My favourite school memory is the day my younger sister started school - we had assembly and only one new kid was crying - I had to admit to everyone it was my sister!! I've never let her forget this lol. Carol x
- August 11, 2012 at 6:51 PM
- Creative Lee said...
Thanks for giving us this chance. :)
My favorite school memory is when I was the only one in the class to get a particularly hard physics final question right, after so many classmates, immediately after the test, told me I hadn't done the problem correctly. - August 11, 2012 at 6:54 PM
- Connie B said...
First, let me just say "Wow!" I guess my favorite memory from school is hanging out with my friends in the little area outside typing class and government class.
- August 11, 2012 at 7:29 PM
- NitaBugg said...
My son's high school graduation last year. It reminded me so much of my own graduation and the sense of accomplishment I felt.
- August 11, 2012 at 7:46 PM
- yabby said...
My favorite memory was winning at the "art" contest in 2nd grade...followed by my worst of being denied my prize by my fellow students while the teacher just watched. School can be the best and worst of times
- August 11, 2012 at 8:22 PM
- Beverly said...
My favorite memory is my oldest daughters last day of Kindergarten and she wanted to have a gift for the bus driver and she gave her the book that she wrote. The bus driver called me that evening and said she would return it to me. That was so sweet of my daughter to do so. The book was so awesome and to think that if the bus driver hadn't called me, I wouldn't have never known about her writing the book. I still have it in my treasures. Thanks so much for the contest and a chance to win.
- August 11, 2012 at 8:30 PM
- Relibbed said...
When I was about 8, my best friend and I had walked home from school. We found a little girl walking and crying on our cul-du-sac street. We didn't recognize her, so we walked her back to school. Her mom was very upset and sooo happy to see her. (What we should have done is told our moms LOL- but this was 25+ years ago when we'd wonder all over the place) So many fond memories
- August 11, 2012 at 9:36 PM
My favorite first day was my first day as a full time teacher with my very first group of middle school students in front of me. Looking at all of those faces (If I said they were eager, you would all know I was lying!) and knowing that I had the opportunity to reach each one of them, even in a small way, was the most exciting and a bit overwhelming feeling in the world!
- August 11, 2012 at 10:00 PM
- Unknown said...
My favorite memory was contest day for our marching band. I was a junior that year and we won the regional championship and qualified to go to state competition and represent our town and school for the very first time in the history of our school! I was the greatest day to remember in school. My best friend and I still reminisce about our "band nerd" days and the contest that placed us on the competetive map of high schools.
- August 11, 2012 at 10:47 PM
- Kelsey aka RuralMama said...
My favorite school memory was the day I found out I was chosen to be a part of a summer honors program to go to Mexico for 7 weeks! I had SO much fun and learned a LOT of Spanish, I even started dreaming in Spanish!
Kelsey aka RuralMama - August 11, 2012 at 11:01 PM
- Janine said...
My favorite school memory was when I got to play Little Red Riding Hood (the lead) in my 4th grade play about traveling through the fairy tales. I wanted to be an actress so bad, but became a teacher. Now I have a captive audience!
faithfulinfirst.blogspot.com - August 12, 2012 at 12:45 AM
- Unknown said...
My memory of school is actually receiving my final results (and that I passed) while standing in an office full of people and yelling at the top of my lungs! I was so happy :)
Celestial Things - August 12, 2012 at 3:47 AM
- qthunder said...
One of my favorite memories was from grade school. Living quite a ways out of town, there was a long bus ride home. On the final stretch there were only 3 of us left. One of the kids started bringing along a cheap portable radio. Once the rest of the kids (or as i like to call them music critics)got off the bus, we would head for the back of the bus. We would find a song on the radio and sing our hearts out to it. Our bus driver was a saint. Not a single one of us could carry a tune in a bucket. Instead of yelling at us to quiet down, she would just look in her rear view mirror and smile. A few times I even caught her humming along.
- August 12, 2012 at 8:28 AM
- Unknown said...
My favorite memory from school is not one of my own but of my oldest daughters. I remember putting her into kindergarten and and the next thing I know she is graduating high school. She didn't graduate where I did but the ceremony was wonderful. Just to see my daughter receiving her diploma was a memory I will not ever forget!
- August 12, 2012 at 9:42 AM
- Tasha said...
I loved my whole senior year of high school. I had a super easy schedule and amazing friends. I'd totally live that year over again!
- August 12, 2012 at 10:35 AM
- Liesel said...
Grade nine grad. I had written a poem (during a test no less) that one of my teachers thought was very good but I was too shy to read it out at grad. So he read it out anyway ... I still love that teacher for what he did to boost a very shy girls self esteem.
- August 12, 2012 at 10:57 AM
When my son entered kindergarten, we went for the first time to the 1st day of school opening ceremony, which was located on the school farm located in an urban area. What a sense of community and beauty in that half hour: A message from the principal to the children, followed by collective singing, and introduction of the new teachers and volunteer leaders. We were surrounded by a ring of majestic redwood trees and the autumn richness of the farm. Indeed, it was a "wow" moment.
- August 12, 2012 at 11:10 AM
My favorite memory of school is high school marching band. I started in 5th grade. We even took a trip to Europe while I was in high school. What a blast!!!
- August 12, 2012 at 12:26 PM
What a GREAT prize! My favorite school memory was when my HS volleyball team beat one of the better teams that we had ALWAYS wanted to beat! Our perseverance and hardwork FINALLY paid off. What a WONDERFUL feeling! :-)
- August 12, 2012 at 1:19 PM
- Lauren H. said...
My favorite school related memory was accepting my sisters diploma from college (she would have been the saludatorian) about a month after she passed away unexplained, and unexpectedly.
- August 12, 2012 at 6:06 PM
- Unknown said...
my first day of kindergarten I got bit by the class turtle. My first day of first grade I got stung by a bee. Both very traumatic! LOL
- August 12, 2012 at 7:07 PM
- Stacey said...
thanks so much for the chance! Graduation Day! I had so many lei's! it was wonderful!
- August 12, 2012 at 9:00 PM
- Dacia said...
One of my favorite school memories is that of the kids in the grade below me coming and telling me that the teacher used me as an example in class. We had to row a boat across the river to get to school and the teacher didn't believe me until he asked my dad. Then it must have stuck, because he used it as an example in his science class!
- August 12, 2012 at 10:13 PM
- Unknown said...
My first day of school ended in tears. I was waiting for my mom to pick me up after school but it was a long time before she came. I started crying because I thought she forgot about me. Turns out I misunderstood her and was waiting at the wrong gate.
First day for my daughter also ended in tears. I had arranged for a school van to bring her home. I got a call from the driver saying he couldn't find her. So I had to rush over to school to search for her. I found her waiting near the front gate with tears in her eyes. So stressful these first days of school :) - August 13, 2012 at 2:14 AM
- Cassie and Lou said...
My favorite memory from school is back in 2nd grade, we'd just moved to a new town and it was my first year at this new school. My teach was wonderful! She helped me adjust and cope with the difficult times from moving and making new friends. I remember one day I got a test back and was so excited by my grade and she let me run to the aide's room to show my mom! It was wonderful. This teacher and I remained close through the years.
- August 13, 2012 at 9:37 AM
- Melinda said...
My favorite school memory is my oldest's first day of K4(preschool). She was so excited and so was I, although I think I was more emotional than she was! She'll be starting 1st grade this year!
- August 13, 2012 at 11:17 PM
My favorite school memory would probably have to be the first day my daughter DIDN'T cry after dropping her off at pre-school :)
- August 14, 2012 at 9:57 AM
This looks awesome!! Thanks for the chance!
- August 14, 2012 at 10:51 AM
Oh Please Please let me be the winner!!!
- August 14, 2012 at 3:43 PM
- Debbie Phillips said...
My favorite memory from school is the day my oldest daughter graduated. I homeschooled her from K-12th and it was a grand day for the whole family, but especially for me. She gave me a cross necklace and it came with a poem. It is a treasure and the day was a a day to remember.
- August 15, 2012 at 6:15 PM
- Alane @RaH said...
My favorite school memory is school itself. I loved school! I hated having hot lunches, and usually got teased during recess, but when I was in a class -- I loved it!
- August 17, 2012 at 1:08 PM
My favorite school memory would have to be the day I met my husband-to-be during my sophomore year in college!
- August 18, 2012 at 8:34 PM


text:
Reasons to Install GFCI Outlets
Have you ever heard people talking about "GFCI outlets" and wondered what in the world they're talking about, let alone whether it's relevant to you? If so, you're not alone: many people are confused about what GFCI outlets are, how they work, and why they matter. We're here to straighten you out -- and hey, maybe you should pass the word along!
What is a GFCI outlet and how do they work?
A Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) outlet is designed to respond when the circuit detects a ground fault, which happens when electrical current escapes from the circuit. Under normal conditions, when an appliance or device is plugged in, it completes the circuit, and everything runs smoothly as electricity moves from the hot to neutral poles in the circuit. But if an appliance is dropped in water or a similar safety problem arises, it creates a ground fault, with some of the electricity escaping through the ground...and anything or anyone that happens to be in the way.
Normal electrical circuits remain operational in these situations, causing burns, shock, and death in some cases. GFCIs, however, cut off when they sense a ground fault. They are extremely sensitive and fast acting, reacting to promptly stop the flow of current as soon as they notice a disparity between the current flowing out of the hot pole and into the neutral pole.
GFCI protection can be provided in several ways. One is an actual electrical receptacle, AKA outlet. You may have seen a GFCI outlet without realizing it: it looks like a normal outlet, except that it has "test" and "reset" buttons. Depending on the model, the buttons may be colored, and the outlet may have an indicator light to show it's working.
Portable GFCI protection is also available in the form of specially equipped extension cords and modular plugs. You plug the GFCI plug into the wall, and then plug in the item you're using. Additionally, GFCI breakers can be wired directly into your breaker box.
Why do they matter?
Well, if you want to be practical about it, the electrical code in many regions requires the use of GFCI outlets in bathrooms, kitchens, outdoor areas, and garages. If you want a code-compliant home, you'll have to install them during construction, remodeling, or electrical upgrades. Landlords may want to consider upgrading even if they aren't planning work, because they could be liable if something happens to a tenant because of substandard wiring.
But, more importantly, a GFCI can prevent shock, serious injury, or death, and installing one is a very easy project. Anything that reduces the risk of electricity-related dangers is a good thing, and these devices provide excellent coverage in high-risk areas of the home and shop. Qualified electricians will install them automatically in areas where they are required by the electrical code when they perform work, and you can also request them.
Be aware that because of their complexity, GFCIs need to be regularly tested to make sure they are functioning. You can do this by pressing the "test" and then "reset" buttons. If the GFCI does not cut power when you hit "test," it is not working properly, and you need to contact an electrician to discuss the issue. An electrician is also needed if a GFCI is randomly cutting out, or if you notice strange noises or smells around an outlet.
Katie Marks writes for Networx.com.
Updated June 5, 2018.
Looking for a Pro? Call us(866) 441-6648


text:
Pentagon grounds F-35 due to engine blade crack
Feb. 25, 2013, Washington, D.C. - The Pentagon on Friday grounded its fleet of F-35 fighter jets after discovering a cracked engine blade in one plane.
February 25, 2013 By Carey Fredericks
Feb. 25, 2013, Washington, D.C. – The Pentagon on Friday grounded its fleet of F-35 fighter jets after discovering a cracked engine blade in one plane.
The problem was discovered during what the Pentagon called a routine inspection at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., of an F-35A,
the Air Force version of the sleek new plane. The Navy and the Marine Corps are buying other versions of the F-35, which is
intended to replace older fighters like the Air Force F-16 and the Navy F/A-18.
All versions – a total of 51 planes – were grounded Friday pending a more in-depth evaluation of the problem discovered at
Edwards. None of the planes have been fielded for combat operations; all are undergoing testing.
In a brief written statement, the Pentagon said it is too early to know the full impact of the newly discovered problem.
The F-35 is the Pentagon's most expensive weapons program at a total estimated cost of nearly $400 billion. The Pentagon envisions buying more than 2,400 F-35s, but some members of Congress are balking at the price tag.
Friday's suspension of flight operations will remain in effect until an investigation of the problem's root cause is determined.
The Pentagon said the engine in which the problem was discovered is being shipped to a Pratt & Whitney facility in Connecticut for more thorough evaluation.