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KPMG Captures Heat for Data Center Cooling
An innovative combined heat and power system at KPMG's international headquarters in New Jersey could be a model for cutting data center energy waste.
In the leafy borough of Montvale, New Jersey, near the New York State border, containers resembling oversized refrigerators stand on skids outside the U.S. administrative headquarters of international accounting and advisory firm KPMG. These are the buzzing accoutrements of a simple but powerful system that allows KPMG to squeeze more work out of every dollar spent on energy.
The energy system at KPMG's suburban data center-winner of a U.S. government Energy Star award this month-is an example of combined heat and power (CHP), also known as cogeneration.
(Related: "Tapping into the Electric Power of Heat")
CHP is a "proven, reliable and cost-effective" set of technologies that could be much more widely deployed worldwide to save energy and cut carbon emissions, the International Energy Agency says. But the IEA has identified numerous barriers that prevent CHP from taking off, from outdated electricity regulations to financing difficulties. (Lenders often want to see a shorter payback period for such investments.) The IEA concluded that strong government policy on energy and climate change may be necessary for CHP to reach its full potential.
But KPMG, certainly no stranger to numbers-crunching, showed that the obstacles can be overcome, even in a nation that has not yet set targets for reducing carbon emissions. And the firm did so by taking one of the business world's growing energy challenges-the power demands of computer data centers-and turning it into a solution.
Chilling Out
An integral part of KPMG's operations for providing tax, audit, and advisory services around the world is a 30,000-square-foot (2,790-square-meter) data center, housing about 2,250 servers. It's small compared to server farms of the Internet giants, where racks hold tens of thousands of servers. But for KPMG, the energy demands are significant; half of all of the energy used at the Montvale facility goes to keeping the server room cool.
Enter the fourteen natural gas-powered micro-turbines (housed in those large fridge-like cabinets) that KPMG installed in 2008. Altogether, they pack 840 kilowatts of electricity capacity. Even keeping two of the micro-turbines offline and in reserve, the capacity (then 720 kw) is enough to provide half the power needs of the data center-5 million kilowatt-hours per year, or the energy consumption of about 450 average U.S. homes.
The exhaust from this miniature power plant reaches a sweltering 600°F (about 315° C), but instead of being vented to the atmosphere, this valuable waste heat is captured and piped from the turbines to the remarkable equipment that extracts its true worth: a pair of absorption chillers.
Absorption chillers are hardly new; they've been in commercial use since the 1920s. But they are considered pricey, and need a lot of heat to work their magic-turning heat into cooling. Instead of using an electric compressor to turn refrigerant from a gas to liquid to begin an evaporation cycle that removes heat from air, absorption chillers use heat-no moving parts-to drive the operation.
(Related: "Pictures: In Search of Green Air Conditioning")
These chillers provide the air-conditioning that keeps KPMG's servers in a safe temperature range. "In effect, we're getting free cooling," said Dominick Regina, KPMG's associate director of infrastructure operations. As Regina puts it, for every kilowatt-hour of power, KPMG would normally need another kilowatt-hour for cooling.
It turns out that because data centers are much more energy-intensive than typical commercial buildings, and because servers generate so much heat, a CHP system combining on-site electricity generation plus absorption chilling is tailor-made to address the server cooling problem. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) counts at least 16 commercial data centers in the United States using CHP, representing a total capacity of more than 16 megawatts.
KPMG's cogeneration system, one of six projects recognized this year with the EPA's CHP Energy Star award for "outstanding" pollution reduction and energy efficiency, is not perfect. Some energy is still wasted as heat. But it requires 22 percent less fuel than an energy supply system tied to the grid, and prevents some 2,200 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year, according to EPA.
Think of it this way: Of all the energy put into a traditional fossil-fueled power plant, about two-thirds of it is typically thrown away as heat. Another 9 percent is lost during transmission and distribution. Having a combined heat and power system situated close to the end user drastically reduces this waste. According to the International Energy Agency, the most efficient cogeneration plants today convert 90 percent or more of their fuel inputs into useful energy.
Untapped Potential
The relatively constant power and cooling requirements of data centers make them particularly well suited for combined heat and power. But KPMG's data center is just one application of a technology that has been around for decades longer than computers. Cogeneration can also cut energy needs and costs in applications ranging from multifamily residences to hospitals, office buildings, and manufacturing plants, says Neeharika Naik-Dhungel, program manager for EPA's CHP Partnership. "That's the beauty of it."
Among the 76 projects that EPA has honored since 1999 are power plants and university campus installations, as well as factories, a milk pasteurization and bottle-washing facility, and a prominent office building in downtown San Francisco.
Glance across the Atlantic, and 20 miles outside Reykjavik, Iceland, you'll find engineers working to add more heating capacity to a geothermal-fueled cogeneration plant. Seeking to meet growing demand for electricity and hot water for space heating, plant owner Reykjavik Energy plans to bring the total heat capacity to 400 megawatts, from about 130 megawatts heating and 300 megawatts electricity capacity today.
Globally, cogeneration accounts for about 10 percent of electricity generation capacity. Denmark leads the world, with combined heat and power accounting for more than half of its national power generation, according to 2008 data from the International Energy Agency. Finland follows with nearly 40 percent. Russia, Latvia, and the Netherlands all come in around 30 percent. Then there's a steep drop-off.
(Related: "Four Ways to Look at Global Carbon Footprints")
Being neither here nor there on the spectrum of energy efficiency and generation creates policy hurdles for cogeneration in some countries, including the United States. Naik-Dhungel said in an interview that a CHP system "does not qualify as a 'standard' energy efficiency measure, such as energy-efficient appliances or building codes." She went on, "A CHP system that produces both power and heat, produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions than a comparable separate power and heat system." But power plant and utility policies typically fail to capture these benefits, she said.
For KPMG, incorporating cogeneration into the design for its Montvale data center was a way to "eat our own dog food," according to Regina. After all, KPMG's wide-ranging services include a carbon advisory practice. (When Yvo de Boer stepped down from his post at the United Nations, where he oversaw four years of fraught climate negotiations, he joined KPMG as an adviser in the company's climate change and sustainability group.)
(Related: "Climate Change Talks Hinge on 'Green Growth,' says DeBoer")
Beyond the potential to use its headquarters as a showcase for energy efficiency and emissions reduction measures, the cogeneration system also seemed to KPMG like a smart way to reduce its carbon footprint. While the Montvale facility was being designed, Regina said, "there was a lot of talk of carbon credits and reporting . . . If we're going to report on our carbon, we want to look good." Eying its energy-hungry data center, KPMG became interested in "anything we [could] do to make those numbers look good, less polluting, more efficient."
Of course, these benefits made a greater impression because combined heat and power also makes sense for the company's bottom line. KPMG spent $2.4 million implementing the system upfront, and received nearly $900,000 in credits through New Jersey incentive programs for clean energy. The company expects to recoup the remaining investment by 2013 or 2015 (a five- to-seven-year payback period), depending in part on the size of the gap between grid electricity rates and KPMG's locked-in natural gas rate.
KPMG believes the business case for using cogeneration extends beyond the direct savings on energy costs. The system also helps to boost the resiliency and reliability of the Montvale data center. In the event of a "doomsday scenario," in which coal-fired electricity from the utility and diesel-powered generators both cut out at KPMG's facility, the natural gas turbines could keep critical servers running, Regina said.
Indeed, the EPA, in touting CHP with locally produced energy for data centers, notes that power outages or lapses in power quality can cost as much as $30 million per minute for data center operations during peak periods.
On a daily basis, cogeneration operates behind the scenes in Montvale. The micro-turbine manufacturer monitors system output, temperature, and other performance factors, and can dispatch technicians if necessary. KPMG has specialists on site, Regina said, "keeping a pulse on the environment" of the data center. So for KPMG, the cogeneration system is hardly an inconvenience accepted for its green credentials. Rather, according to Regina, "It's just another piece of infrastructure."
Measure your carbon footprint with National Geographic's Personal Energy Meter and follow families around the world blogging about their efforts to trim their kilowatt-hours at the 360° Energy Diet.
This story is part of a special series that explores energy issues. For more, visit The Great Energy Challenge.


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Best of 1 agricultural services in widener, arkansas, United States - 2023
List of Top 1 agricultural services widener, arkansas, United States. You can find your Nearby top agricultural services easily. Latest update Sep, 2023.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Seersucker Seaside Collection: Towel-Ket - Red/AnchorPalm Beach Crew
The Seaside Collection brings to life the best in Seersucker. The original Towel-Ket gives kids the best of both worlds. The seersucker blanket side gives kids the comfort and softness while the terry towel offers the kids the perfect beach towel or simply for their day-to-day baths.
- Blanket on one side Towel on the other
- Great for the beach, park, sleepovers, traveling
- Machine Washable


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Irkutsk 150TPH Granite Stationary Crushing Line
Material : granite
Output size : 0-5-20-40-70mm
Max input size : 800mm
Capacity : 150t/h
Location : Irkutsk, Russia
Design Description
This is a stationary three-stages crushing plant, including ZSW1100x4200 vibrating feeder+ PE750x1060 jaw crusher+ CSB160C Symons cone crusher+ VSI5X8522 sand making machine+ 2YZS1860/4YZS1860 vibrating screens. The design capacity is 150TPH, with the function of crushing, screening and reshaping.
Crushing process
The blasted stone will be feed to jaw crusher for primary crushing, after crushing, the material will be stored in surge hopper. Then the material will be transported to CSB160C cone crusher for secondary crushing, later the material will be separated by vibrating screen to 0-40-70mm as final products, the >70mm size will be reverted to cone crusher and get recrushed. While 0-40mm material will be transported to VSI5X8522 for reshaping, after screening by vibrating screen, we get the final products 0-5-20-40mm.
The advantage of this line is: after secondary crushing, the sizes 0-40mm will be processed by sand making machine, which increases the percentage of 0-5-20mm in final products, and insure the high quality cubic shape material.


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Alexandra & Tom [Berlin + Brandenburg]
Alexandra & Tom got married in September 2015. civil wedding at Standesamt Neukölln on a friday, then saturday their wedding ceremony and big garden wedding party at "Hochzeitslocation Schmetterlingsgarten" took place. There were loads of international guests - no surprise, as the bride has polish roots and the groom had german and british family. I enjoyed photographing this wedding an awful lot - I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I do.Read More


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© Joy Ann Jones
The Tercet is an innovation of the 14th Century Italian poet, Dante, who uplifted the ordinary three lines of folk verse to the recognized stanzaic for of his Divine Comedy. As such, the tercet is any three lines of verse grouped as a single idea or unit, which may be followed by another, with or without a line break. Examples of forms that employ tercets are terza rima, villanelle and it is the basis of the sevenling we had fun with last weekend. Thus it can form the frame of a poem with any number of 3 line units, or be used to write a tristich - a complete poem in three lines.
© Kenia Cris
Poets have used a variety of rhyme schemes for three line constructions, such as the interlocking aba bcb (etc), and the couplet based aab ccd (etc) or abb cdd (etc) but unrhymed tercets are equally effective, as in this example of The Snow Man, by Wallace Stevens. The Sicilian Tercet is written in iambic pentameter with an interlocking rhyme, such as can be seen in Acquainted with the Night, a terza rima sonnet by Robert Frost.
|© Susie Clevenger
Please read more on Poetry Magnum Opus, my source of information for today's challenge, which is to write a poem, either inspired by the photography which has been kindly shared by members of Real Toads or from your own source, using the tercet as your frame. Those who like to write haiku are also welcome to link up poems of that form, since they falls under the heading of tristich.
If you upload one of the photos to your own site, we ask that you acknowledge the name of the artist. The Sunday Challenge is posted on Saturday at CST to allow extra time for the form challenge. Please provide a link on your blog back to Real Toads. We stipulate that only poems written for this challenge may be added to the Mr Linky. Management reserves the right to remove unrelated links, but invites you to share a poem of your choice on Open Link Monday.


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PRING, DANIEL, naval officer; b. c. 1788 at Ivedon Penn, near Honiton, England; m. 27 Aug. 1810 Anne —; they apparently had no children; d. 29 Nov. 1846 in Kingston Harbour, Jamaica.
Daniel Pring entered the Royal Navy as a midshipman on 13 Feb. 1800, and after exceptional performance as a midshipman, master's mate, and acting lieutenant he was given command in January 1808 of the 12-gun schooner Paz, captured the year before in an attack on Montevideo (Uruguay). Confirmed in rank on 12 May 1808, Pring had a highly successful commission with this vessel, in European waters and on the North American station. In September 1811 he joined the Africa (64 guns), flagship of Rear-Admiral Herbert Sawyer at Halifax. Twelve months later he went to Sir John Borlase Warren*'s flagship, the San Domingo (74 guns), and on 5 March 1813 he was sent, with Lieutenant Robert Heriot Barclay and several other officers, to command vessels on the lakes of Canada.
On 5 May Pring took charge of the Royal George (22 guns) on Lake Ontario, but when Captain Sir James Lucas Yeo*, the new senior naval officer in the Canadas, arrived ten days later he gave Pring the Wolfe (20 guns). On 17 July Yeo selected him to organize the dockyard and naval establishment at Île aux Noix, in the Rivière Richelieu, and to assume command on Lake Champlain. Pring was confirmed in the rank of commander on 13 Nov. 1813.
Yeo's choice was a fortunate one; Pring's energetic and imaginative support of the army resulted in a series of raids and defensive measures that kept American forces off balance for the better part of a year. Pring was instrumental in the destruction of naval and military installations at Plattsburgh, N.Y., in August 1813 and at Cumberland Head, N.Y., in December. In January 1814 he supervised the construction of gunboats at Coteau-du-Lac to defend Montreal against possible attack from the west, and on 30 March he gave supporting fire from sloops and gunboats to help defend the blockhouse in the Rivière Lacolle.
Pring could not, with the forces at his disposal, prevent the buildup on Lake Champlain of a strong and efficient American naval force under an exceptional officer, Thomas Macdonough, and on his recommendation two new vessels, the 16-gun brig Linnet and the 37-gun ship Confiance, were constructed. In September 1814 Yeo's new second in command, Captain George Downie, took over Confiance and the squadron on Lake Champlain.
Preparations for a British offensive on the western shore of Lake Champlain were then in their final stages. The Confiance was not ready when the army under Sir George Prevost* began its advance, so on 3 September Pring sailed in Linnet, accompanied by 11 gunboats, to protect the army's left flank. Five days later he was joined by the Confiance, still short of equipment, and the sloops Chubb and Finch. At dawn on 11 September – the men of the Confiance "unacquainted with each other and with their Officers, . . . in a Ship which had been sixteen days before, on the Stocks" – Downie led his flotilla into action. The vessels sighted the American ships and gunboats anchored in Plattsburgh Bay at seven and began firing at eight. By a quarter to eleven Downie had been killed, Confiance had struck her colours, and Pring had surrendered the remaining vessels to Macdonough.
This defeat was the subject of intense mutual recrimination between the army and the navy, but Pring and several other officers were judged by a naval court martial to have "conducted themselves with great Zeal Bravery and Ability." Promoted post-captain on 19 Sept. 1815, in June 1816 he received an appointment to command the naval establishment on Lake Erie at the mouth of the Grand River. Retrenchment brought this appointment to an end before the summer of 1817 was out, and Pring went on half pay for nearly 20 years. On 1 Dec. 1836 he received command of the Inconstant (36 guns); in 1838 he brought Lord Durham [Lambton] home from Quebec in this vessel. On 28 July 1841 he took charge of the Thunderer (84 guns). That ship paid off in December 1843, and Pring was placed on half pay until 16 Sept. 1845, when he was given the Imaum (76 guns), with the rank of commodore, and became senior naval officer at Jamaica. Late in 1846 yellow fever spread among the ships at Jamaica, and he may well have been a victim of this epidemic.
Neither Pring nor his contemporaries were forthcoming about his private affairs. He spent his first years, and his years on half pay, at his home in Devon, Ivedon Penn. When he died he left a considerable amount of land to his widow and other property to a close friend in Tavistock. There is no known portrait of Pring and no memorial. The fact remains that he played an indispensable part in protecting the Montreal frontier during the War of 1812.
[Secondary sources make few references to Pring; he played a marginal role in the War of 1812, in spite of the responsibility that was thrust upon him. To place his activities in context, standard histories of the War of 1812 should be consulted. The best bibliography is Free trade and sailors' rights: a bibliography of the War of 1812, comp. J. C. Fredriksen (Westport, Conn., and London, 1985). [E. B. Brenton], Some account of the public life of the late Lieutenant-General Sir George Prevost, bart., particularly of his services in the Canadas . . . (London, 1823), contests statements about the defeat at Plattsburgh made at Pring's court martial but has little bearing on Pring himself, since it was Downie who was the object of controversy. A. T. Mahan, Sea power in its relations to the War of 1812 (2v., Boston, 1919), has yet to be superseded. Theodore Roosevelt, The naval war of 1812; or, the history of the United States Navy during the last war with Great Britain; to which is appended an account of the battle of New Orleans (2v., Philadelphia, 1902), is still quite durable. w.a.b.d.]
NMM, C. G. Pitcairn-Jones, notes on sea officers. PAC, RG 8, I (C ser.), 166, 230, 273, 679–83, 694, 730–32, 1203, 1219–21. PRO, ADM 1/2346–52 (mfm. at PAC); ADM 23/106; ADM 50/227; PROB 11/205. Select British docs. of War of 1812 (Wood). G.B., Admiralty, The commissioned sea officers of the Royal Navy, 1660–1815, [ed. D. B. Smith et al.] (3v., n.p., [1954]). Marshall, Royal naval biog. [Dwells entirely on Pring's service on Lake Champlain. w.a.b.d.] W. R. O'Byrne, A naval biographical dictionary: comprising the life and services of every living officer in her majesty's navy . . . (London, 1849).
© 1988–2023 University of Toronto/Université Laval
Cite This Article
W. A. B. Douglas, "PRING, DANIEL," in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 7, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed October 2, 2023, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/pring_daniel_7E.html.
The citation above shows the format for footnotes and endnotes according to the Chicago manual of style (16th edition). Information to be used in other citation formats:
|Author of Article:
|W. A. B. Douglas
|Title of Article:
|Publication Name:
|Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 7
|University of Toronto/Université Laval
|Year of publication:
|Year of revision:
|Access Date:
|October 2, 2023


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NOTE: Here's a link a just found with some excellent money-saving Cricut tips.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
I'll Never Buy Another Font Cartridge Again
NOTE: Here's a link a just found with some excellent money-saving Cricut tips.
58 comments:
You know I don't have a Cricut, but now I'm thinking I may just have to go buy one just so I too can put "PICK UP YOUR CRAP!" on the wall in my house. Brilliant idea!ReplyDelete
I have a cricut and also this software. Hubby bought it for me about a year ago and I LOVE IT! I haven't figured out how they can say it voids the warranty. The software is only linked to your computer not your machine. I haven't had any problems with my machine after using it either. The carts still work like normal. I, also, will never buy another font cartridge again. Hooray. I went a little crazy with the indoor vinyl though. Hubby has threatened divorce if I put anymore words on the walls. Hahaha But I love it.ReplyDelete
I have a Quikutz Silhouette and I am able to use ANY font on my computer. That is one of the biggest reasons that I purchased it over the Cricut.ReplyDelete
One of my favorite features is the print-and-cut. You can print clipart on your printer and then the Silhouette will cut it out for you.
Also their downloads are only 99 cents per item. Way CHEAP and I can pick and choose what I want.
Depends on what type of crafting you do, my friend LOVES her Cricut and I LOVE my Silhouette. They are so similar and yet so different!Replies
Cindy: Does the Silhouette cut ANY image you print from your computer, or does it only cut images purchased through their website? I've been looking into getting a Silhouette, but that is the one thing holding me back. I already have a cricut and cartridges and so I'd hate to have to start all over again purchasing image by image.....Delete
Erin - yes it can cut ANY image from your computer. I have saved some images from the internet and cut them out. I also love that I can use any font on my computer.Delete
There is a learning curve with the software - but if you google it there are tons of youtube videos or blog tutorials.
I've had mine for years and still loving it. I have the very 1st original Silhouette. I keep hoping it will die so I can justify buying the newer one. haha!
Does the software work with the expressionDelete
I really want a Cricut, so I can put vinyl lettering on everything. I could make my own signage for my car, instead of paying an arm and a leg for crappy vinyl lettering from some other *&*%$& place.ReplyDelete
Yes. I need one.
That looks very dangerous for a fellow control freak like me:-)ReplyDelete
I have heard really great things about sure cuts a lot, and there are many fellow bloggers like you that giveaway free designs and fonts they've made. I haven't tried it yet because we are mac users and it didn't get very good reviews, so I'm hoping to get a little net-book and load my embroidery machine softwrae and sure cuts alot on there. You know my very own crafts computer. Woohoo! I love this lady's ideas..http://cleversomeday.wordpress.com/ReplyDelete
You can also download fonts for free and the program will upload them and cut them out same with images and shapes. I love it and will not buy another cart.. again unless they come way down in price.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 25, 2010 at 3:44 PM
Oh my goodness I am dying over here! That was hilarious! "Pick up your crap!" Even hubby liked that one :)ReplyDelete
I wanted a Cricut...but hubby saw how much they were and how much the cartridges were and needless to say I am living the Cricut through peeps like you!
this is AMAZING I have never heard of this program ever and here i am the idiot still buying cartriges lol. I can't wait to find out more. Thank you sooooo much!ReplyDelete
True American industiralism at work. Competition is what makes prices come down. I'll bet we will see some price reductions thanks to stuff like this. Hooray!ReplyDelete
Side note: I do have a friend who used this software and her cricut DID burn out on her.I don't know if they were connected but She was still able to send it back and have it fixed. Though, I doubt she was volunteering the info that she had been using their competitor's program.
I love the window decal! I want one!ReplyDelete
Just a little FYI, there is another program called "make the cut" that some people like better than Sure Cuts A Lot. I haven't ever used either though. I eventually will purchase one of the two, but I don't do many font cartridges as it is.ReplyDelete
Computer geek helped me and told me to make sure to turn everything off before you disconnect from your computer. Shut all your programs down and turn off cricut and then disconnect. I haven't had any problems. :)ReplyDelete
I've seen that van. I think you must work at my kid's school! Now I feel like I know a famous person.ReplyDelete
I'm all for putting "pick up your crap" in every room in the house....and in the car. Love it.
And I'm sure you already know this, but www.kevinandamanda.com has TONS of cute fonts and doodles all for free. I want that software!ReplyDelete
I have a cricut and the scal software. Love both.ReplyDelete
Your warranty on the cricut is only a year and I've had mine much longer than that anyway.
I haven't had ANY problem.
I think you should do the "pick up your crap" It would be great in the family room when the home teachers come....awesome.
I think you should start making signs in vinyl and when you stop selling Creative Memories stuff you can open an etsy shop and sell "pick up your crap" signs. :-PReplyDelete
Although I'm a fan of weird signs... I have a speed limit 70 miles sign (authentic old highway sign I found back in the bush at my Grandpa's farm) in my basement... My son's room is designed around his "Pirates don't take baths" sign and my laundry room door says "Laundry Room. Drop your drawers here" on it. it's even funnier because it's in my main entrance way. heh.
As always, I love your posts.
Thanks for checking out my blog! Felicia B (pto pres) is my sil. and my kids are in K, 3, and 5. Maybe you'll get my Alex next year!ReplyDelete
I would sooo put control freak on my car too!! Great idea!!!ReplyDelete
SO impressive!! You are such a genius!! I want a cricut so badly!!! Love all the stuff you have made. If you do a "pick up your crap" sign I would love one also. Coming from another control freak I love the sign on your car!ReplyDelete
I'd love to see a tutorial on how to cut the vinyl. You could demonstrate it by cutting "Pick up your crap".ReplyDelete
and thank you.
Dear Twin...i mean Jill,ReplyDelete
I love you for this. I love you for many reasons, but for this, I especially love you. Thank you.
Which cricut would you recommend for a newbie? :) I want one now...thats so neat! Im an organized freak, as yourself...so I could see this being my favorite household tool :) oh the possibilities :)ReplyDelete
Ashley, Your e-mail address isn't attached to your profile, so I hope you'll check back here for my answer. I would get the BIG Cricut, the Cricut Expression. If you get the smaller one, you'll only end up wanting the bigger one later.ReplyDelete
OMGoodness!! I just found your blog and I am Rolling on the floor with laughter! I am a MAJOR control freak and will be "scraplifting" your car sign - hope that is ok. Thanks for all the great posts.ReplyDelete
I just figured out what cricut was....and NOW I WANT ONE! I am going to ask for one for Christmas...so...would you recommend Expressions or Imagine? I couldn't tell for sure...but it seemed like Imagine has everything Expressions has but more...maybe it is newer...? I don't know... Also, I am mostly interested in cricut for the vinyl...although I think I would love it for scrapbooking and classroom stuff...but I SOOO want to decorate with more words. Anyways...is it difficult to cut the vinyl? I have a mac...do those font programs mentioned work on macs? what tools do I need in addition to the actual cricut? I am sooo excited...I hope to hear from you soon! my email address is email@example.com
Don't get a Cricut--seriously. In order to cut images, you have to buy cartridges (that cost anywhere from $20 - $60 per cartridge) to cut anything--even fonts--it's so expensive!!!!! Look into the Silhouette Cameo--I SOOOOO wish I had done that before getting my Cricut. Now I want to find someone to buy my Cricut so I can buy the Silhouette!!!Delete
Ditto, except I can't, in good conscience, sell my Crap Cricut to a poor soul knowing what I know now. I'd give it away though if I could afford a different machine. In a heart beat.Delete
My husband just bought me a Cricut Expression 2 this last Christmas I really want to buy Sure Cuts Alot but am not sure if you can use it with the newer models. Do you know?ReplyDeleteReplies
Amy, Cricut sued Sure-Cuts-A-Lot and now the software can't be used with the Cricut. It was a sad day and I'm holding a grudge against Cricut for being so greedy. I'm sorry. :(Delete
On March 8 you said that "now the software can't be used with the Cricut." Does that mean with the new Cricuts or version 3 of the software? If I buy a copy of Sure-Cuts-A-Lot version 2, can I use it on my Cricut Expression (not Expression 2)?Delete
That means that it can't be used with any Cricut models. The lawsuit made Sure-Cuts-A-Lot make their software to be not compatible with any Cricut models. It stinks.Delete
What if you had the Sure Cuts a Lot software BEFORE this law suit? Would that software still work with your Cricut, or has Cricut released a system update that ensures your Sure Cuts a Lot software will no longer work? I think it's ridiculous that the Cricut is the only machine that won't let you use any images from your computer. If they won't let us use the outside-source software anymore, then they need to come up with some software of their own (because it obviously is all about the money for them) so that we Cricut users can have some kind of flexibility. I admit that I didn't do much research in cutting machines before purchasing my Cricut (actually, I did none at all because I didn't realize others existed--and I think the brand popularity is what gets them so many naive purchases), but it just really stinks that the only way to cut an image is to purchase a cartridge that has the image. I never would have purchased a Cricut if I had known all of this.Delete
Erin, Nope, it still won't work. Cricut made sure that the software will not work, although I'm not exactly sure HOW they did that. I agree with you 100%. For this reason alone, I will never buy a Cricut again, nor do I continue to buy their cartridges. I didn't research them before buying either, in fact, I received mine as a gift when they were all the rage.Delete
How do you know what buttons to push? I know this sounds dumb but I bought my cricut used to use with the cuts a lot software. The control button pad on the cricut is blank and I don't know what to push. Can anyone help? ThanksReplyDeleteReplies
The cartridges come with keyboard overlays because each cartridge's graphics are controlled by very specific keys. The overlays are a white silicone type keyboard that's very flexible. Look for that overlay with your cartridges.Delete
This sucks! I was just looking for a way to print a font I need for a wall art piece for a friend of mine. Now I can't. Maybe it is time to find a new printer and sell the Cricut, I hardly ever use it anyway.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousNovember 24, 2013 at 10:13 PM
If your Cricut is firmware version 2.3 or lower, you can use Sure Cuts a Lot 2. If you go to the Cricut website and download the latest firmware, you WILL NOT be able to use SCAL. I bought my Cricut on Ebay and asked what firmware version it had before buying (the firmware version can be found on the display when you power up the Cricut). SCAL is the best thing EVER!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousNovember 29, 2013 at 3:13 PM
Stupid cricut. I have not bought it because it restricts use to their junk. What of creativity? Just buy SCAL and sell it too.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousDecember 5, 2013 at 7:42 PM
What is the best machine I can buy to cut vinyl and use SCAL ?ReplyDelete
I have just found your site and read all your posts. I have the Cricut Expression and still use the SCAL. If anyone is still using this (like me) fonts are not the only thing you can cut or get free - Birds Cards has all kinds of card fronts and different items to upload and cut and Penny Duncan also has freebies. I can't afford all the cartridges I want so I really appreciate the free ones!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMay 9, 2016 at 12:52 PM
Why can't we sell items we make using cricut products?ReplyDeleteReplies
I have no idea. I've never heard that before.Delete
- AnonymousNovember 10, 2016 at 1:13 PM
I am very new to the Cricut as I just bought a used CRV001 (first model) and I am just now doing the research. Would SCAL work with this particular machine?ReplyDeleteReplies
I'm sorry, but I have no idea. You would have to ask the people who make SCAL. I'm just not that smart. :)Delete
- AnonymousSeptember 4, 2017 at 2:27 PM
I'm a techy and an avid crafter. After reading your comments, I new there had to be a way to downgrade the software, so you can still use SCAL. Here's the link:ReplyDelete
Thank you for sharing this info. I was thinking of selling my cricut bc I didn't want to spend all that money buying all the carthridges. I had been told there was no other way around it. I will definitely be looking into this software!! Thanks again!ReplyDeleteReplies


text: Family Fun this Sunday! Meet Elsa, Belle, Spiderman, & more! 9th Nov 2017 Calgary Moms Trade Fair – It's not just for moms.. it's FUN for the whole family! Hey Kids! Meet Elsa, Belle, Spiderman, Captain America and a Power Ranger on November 12, 2017. Face painting and other fun crafts will also […] Posted on November 9, 2017 by Britt Adams Posted in Calgary Moms, Current Events Tagged belle, captain america, Elsa, Family Fun this Sunday, nov 12 2017, power ranger, Spiderman


text: Artist: Heavy D f/ Biggie Smalls, Busta Rhymes, Guru, Rob-O, Third Eye Album: Blue Funk Song: A Buncha Niggas Typed by: OHHLA Webmaster DJ Flash Intro/Chorus: Who's on the microphone? A BUNCHA NIGGAS! (repeat 3X) I got my crew so other niggas better leave us alone Chorus [Third Eye] The Group Home's down yo, flippin with West and me Charge a gap quick kid, best believe it G Oh, I like to flip the script and have a track record Wreckin it swift, I'm tellin ya to heck with tell to get with the crazy hairy thinkin drinkin cripple drunken monkey style back alley freaky ass to gas technique So peak, it's about to get deep, we just kick your Third Eye right open don't let your eyeball sleep The next step is the check, let's tell theses niggas whassup Cause we get freaky G, no you can't get with me Save yourself the trouble step back black, and don't even bother Word to Shop and Swift they get called in like I'm your father Chorus [Guru] Aiyyo, it's time for me to flow and get down with this I'm pullin out my mic, spittin off some rounds to this I gotta known rep, so son you better slide out Cause when I'm flippin, I'll be rippin your pride out So called gangsters play roles like in the movies Oughta save that, they're way bad, you could never do me I'm real as they come, I'll beat ya numb with my vocal tones Words hit like aluminum bats to your dome No charges against me cause I'm jumpin the law man A-men, punks should cancel their plans As the invincible principle Gang, is gettin bigger Sayin peace to the Heavster rollin with a buncha niggas Chorus [Biggie Smalls/Notorious B.I.G.] I bring drama like ya, spit on my momma Cannibalistic, like that nigga Jeffrey Dahmer I'ma, head peeler, girl stealer Coffin sealer, ex-drug dealer, HUHHHHHH! When I hit you with the blow of death I leave nothin left I cook you up so quick they call me Biggie Smalls the Chef My burner's in my left, I'm not the type to fight I'm blowin up quick like a stick of dynamite So call nine-one-one, Biggie's got a gun The gat to your back, I'm smokin everyone Quick to pack, quick to squeeze on the trigger Who's in the house? HUHHHHHH! A buncha niggas! Chorus [Rob-O] Like yo, beg your pardon, whoa when I put one to the head nuff funk shit startin Fine, so I headline for the public Get mine for my rap subjects Packed with potential, wisdom versatile elements to quench your sense, I get down so feel the mental Rhyme pro I'm Rob-O, the super spectacular Brown skinned junior from Africa Blowin up so it's, possible to freak See the highlight, in fly writing, don't give a [fuck] I split when it's through then it's get with the Guinness brew and give a shoutout to my Uptown crew and still I'm wreckin Chorus [Heavy D] Yo, here I go, here I go, here comes the man again gain Ruff with a pad and pen, so run go tell your friends It's the big belly babalu boogaloo big, boy And I got plenty honies there's no need for no sex toy Free me, slavery, let me go oh no no no No longer will you treat my beautiful sisters like they're filthy hoes Never ran from static men to crew get dramatic And I get crazy respect from crazy crews with automatics Now push could come to shove because they love the way I flip a skip And that's what keeps me kinda popular with all the honeydaps So look at me now, and tell me who is bigger? When I'm on the block I'm with my flock and I'm rollin with a buncha niggas Chorus [Busta Rhymes] Well HELLO HI! HELLO HELLO! How ya doin?! HI! Hello hi HEY, how ya doin?! Voltronic! Busta Rhymes comin with the mad ultrasonic Esophagus to rock it, wreckin niggas need to stop it You get your style busted that's just what they get for comin You want some?! Yes I know you want some of the TALENT! But you can juice up, and em-otionally get wicked to stick it, in your inner groove watch a nigga kick it Ohh hah! Yo Bee, Busta Rhymes be my niggan, never muggin, only lovin and huggin my niggas, as we get bigger we come diesel as masculine figures, L.O.N.S. we gettin thicker with a buncha niggas! YESS! Chorus 2X


text: I've lived in Colorado for nearly 50 years, but only started doing serious photography 20 years ago when I retired. Living here has given me the "home court advantage", enabling me to capture the beauty of this state in varying and wonderful conditions. I hope you enjoy the resulting images.Read More


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Colonel Chris Hadfield
Personal Profile: Born August 29, 1959, in Sarnia, and raised in Milton, Ontario. Colonel Chris Hadfield is married to Helene Hadfield (née Walter). They have three children. He enjoys skiing, playing guitar, singing, riding, writing, running, and playing volleyball and squash. His parents, Roger and Eleanor Hadfield, reside near Milton. Her mother, Gwendoline Walter, resides in Victoria, B.C. Her father, Erhard Walter, is deceased.
Education: Graduated as an Ontario Scholar from Milton District High School in 1977; Received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering (with honours), Royal Military College, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, in 1982; Conducted post-graduate research at the University of Waterloo, Ontario in 1982; Received a Master of Science in aviation systems at the University of Tennessee in 1992.
Affiliations: Royal Military College Club; Society of Experimental Test Pilots; Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute, Honourary Patron of Lambton College; Trustee of Lakefield College School; Board member of Vintage Wings of Canada, President of the Association of Space Explorers.
Special Honours: Recipient of the 1988 Liethen-Tittle Award (top pilot graduate of the USAF Test Pilot School). U.S. Navy Test Pilot of the Year (1991). Honorary Doctorate of Engineering from the Royal Military College (1996). Member of the Order of Ontario (1996). Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Trent University (1999). Vanier Award (2001). Meritorious Service Cross (2001). NASA Exceptional Service Medal (2002). Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal (2003). Inducted into Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame (2005). Commemorated on Royal Canadian Mint silver and gold coins for his spacewalk to install Canadarm2 on the International Space Station (2006).
Experience: Raised on a corn farm in southern Ontario, Chris Hadfield became interested in flying from a young age. As an Air Cadet, he won a glider pilot scholarship at age 15 and a powered pilot scholarship at age 16. He also taught skiing and ski racing part- and full-time for 10 years.
Hadfield joined the Canadian Armed Forces in May 1978. He spent two years at Royal Roads Military College, in Victoria, British Columbia, followed by two years at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario, where he received a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering (with honours) in 1982. Hadfield underwent basic flight training in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba, for which he was named top pilot in 1980. In 1983, he took honours as the overall top graduate from Basic Jet Training in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, and in 1984-1985, he trained as a fighter pilot in Cold Lake, Alberta on CF-5s and CF-18s.
For the next three years Hadfield flew CF-18s for the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) with 425 Squadron, during which time he flew the first CF-18 intercept of a Soviet "Bear" aircraft. He attended the United States Air Force (USAF) Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, in California, and upon graduation, served as an exchange officer with the U. S. Navy at Strike Test Directorate at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station. His accomplishments from 1989 to 1992 included testing the F/A-18 and A-7 aircraft; performing research work with NASA on pitch control margin simulation and flight; completing the first military flight of F/A-18 enhanced performance engines; piloting the first flight test of the National Aerospace Plane external burning hydrogen propulsion engine; developing a new handling qualities rating scale for high angle-of-attack test; and participating in the F/A-18 out-of-control recovery test program. In total, Hadfield has flown over 70 different types of aircraft.
In June 1992 Chris Hadfield was selected to become one of four new Canadian astronauts from a field of 5330 applicants. He was assigned by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) to the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas in August of the same year, where he addressed technical and safety issues for Shuttle Operations Development, contributed to the development of the glass shuttle cockpit, and supported shuttle launches at the Kennedy Space Center, in Florida. In addition, Hadfield was NASA's Chief CapCom, the voice of mission control to astronauts in orbit, for 25 space shuttle missions. From 1996 to 2000, he represented CSA astronauts and coordinated their activities as the Chief Astronaut for the CSA.
From 2001-2003, Hadfield was the Director of Operations for NASA at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre (GCTC) in Star City, Russia. His work included coordination and direction of all International Space Station crew activities in Russia, oversight of training and crew support staff, as well as policy negotiation with the Russian Space Program and other International Partners. He also trained and became fully qualified to be a flight engineer cosmonaut in the Soyuz TMA spacecraft, and to perform spacewalks in the Russian Orlan spacesuit.
Hadfield is a civilian CSA astronaut, having retired as a Colonel from the Canadian Air Force in 2003 after 25 years of military service. He was Chief of Robotics for the NASA Astronaut Office at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas from 2003-2006, and was Chief of International Space Station Operations there from 2006-2008.
Space flights: In November 1995 Hadfield served as Mission Specialist 1 on STS-74, NASA's second space shuttle mission to rendezvous and dock with the Russian Space Station Mir. During the flight, the crew of Space Shuttle Atlantis attached a five-tonne docking module to Mir and transferred over 1,000 kg of food, water, and scientific supplies to the cosmonauts. Hadfield flew as the first Canadian mission specialist, the first Canadian to operate the Canadarm in orbit, and the only Canadian to ever board Mir.
In April 2001 Hadfield served as Mission Specialist 1 on STS-100 International Space Station (ISS) assembly Flight 6A. The crew of Space Shuttle Endeavour delivered and installed Canadarm2, the new Canadian-built robotic arm, as well as the Italian-made resupply module Raffaello. During the 11-day flight, Hadfield performed two spacewalks, which made him the first Canadian to ever leave a spacecraft and float freely in space. In total, Hadfield spent 14 hours, 54 minutes outside, travelling 10 times around the world.
From 2008-09, Hadfield served as the backup for Dr. Bob Thirsk for Expedition 20/21, a long-duration spaceflight, training to live and work on board the ISS for a period up to six months. After this assignment, he supported the ISS Operations Branch and developed Emergency procedures for the ISS.
From May 10 to 23, 2010 Hadfield was the Commander of NEEMO 14, a NASA undersea mission to test exploration concepts living in an underwater facility off the Florida coast. NEEMO 14 used the ocean floor to simulate exploration missions to the surface of asteroids, moons and Mars in order to gain a better understanding of how astronaut crews interact with equipment including advanced spacesuits, a lander, a rover and robotic arms.
In June 2010, Hadfield was part of the Pavilion Lake research team, located 420 km northeast of Vancouver. Pavilion Lake is one of the few places on Earth where microbialites are found. The team used a combination of remotely operated vehicles, autonomous underwater vehicles, SCUBA divers and DeepWorker submersibles to help understand how the microbialites formed and possibly make it easier to identify potential forms of extraterrestrial life on future missions to Mars.
In September 2010, Chris Hadfield was assigned to Expedition 34/35. On December 19, 2012 he launched aboard the Russian Soyuz, enroute to becoming the second Canadian to take part in a long-duration spaceflight aboard the ISS. On March 13, 2013 he became the first Canadian to command a spaceship as Commander of the ISS during the second portion of his five-month stay in space.
Credit Canadian Space Agency


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Monday, July 22, 2013
What's in a Name..."Falling in Style"
Most of you are thinking "Why the name change?". The honest truth is that I was getting pigeon holed into something that I'm not and was being passed up for opportunities that I wanted and would have been a good fit for. I'm hoping this will open doors for me and let marketers/PR companies/organizations know that I'm a good fit for their next project. I've done my research and everyone who've I've talked to told me to make the change so here I am sort of starting over again.
The aesthetic of my new blog will mirror my own and be everything I need/want. It will be home. I'm working with ohksocialmedia.
Why "Falling in Style"? Well it was hard to find a blog name that I loved, that was me and wasn't taken. This new name resonated with me specifically because the two times I've appeared on TV as a spokesperson I've been "falling with style" and managed to pick myself up and persevere. You'll have to wait for the full stories when the new blog launches. I also have visions a la Mad Men of me falling off a skyscraper in a beautiful dress falling gracefully and surviving. Someone else compared it to the phrase "falling in love" and I like that as well.
Now to what I'm wearing...
Shorts & Shoes, Joe Fresh. Blouse, LOFT. Handbag, Coach (old). Necklace, c/o Cocoa's Jewelry (sold out, similar idea here). Bracelet, Ann Taylor. Watch, Michael Kors (old).
I'm becoming obsessed with twitter again and looking for new followers and for new people to follow. Let me know @IvaGrbesic
I'm Co-Hosting the "Way We Wear Shorts". Some really great idea.
I'm also linking up with:
Funday Monday Link
Creative Monday's
The Way We Wear
8 comments:
Congrats on your new project Iva, wishing you the best of luck . I am very curious about the new lay out !!ReplyDelete
XX Luba
Pairing today comfy shorts with elegant striped blazer, awesome shoes and vintage bag
Love the shorts! Will be following you at your new domain. My twitter: @TheSublimeTimesReplyDelete
Hannah x
Looking forward to seeing the new blog - it will be fab!ReplyDelete
Good luck with the move and the name change, I've just revamped my blog and changed the name...it just didn't represent me anymore. Looking forward to seeing more!!ReplyDelete
I like the change! If I could change my domain trust me I would - i think i attempted to once and it went really wrong. :/ReplyDelete
Congrats Iva! And continued good luck.ReplyDelete
Being honest...I thought it was a bit of a Buzz Lightyear reference also since you have 3 boys + are a mama first and foremost.
Cheers to falling in style! xo
Love the new name!!!ReplyDelete
xo Emma
*** Stella & Dot Giveaway on the blog***
Good for you Iva! I changed my name last year and I'm so glad I did! This is definitely the right step for you and I hope it opens many more doors and opportunities! Can't wait to see the new design too! Love those shorts and ankle strap heels!ReplyDelete


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With automobiles becoming more available, and roads better able to carry them, roadside attractions were all the rage for travelers in the 1940s and '50s. And with the construction of intersecting highways, two being the Dixie Highway and Route 66, it was easier to chart a course. Families were packing up and setting off into the great yonder… not out of necessity, but in the spirit of the Great American Road Trip.
Americans seeing the country by car needed places to stay along the way, and creative hospitality entrepreneurs looked for ways to grab their attention. It was the heyday of novel roadside architecture. In New England you could stay in mock colonial houses and in the Southwest, you could spend the night in faux adobe huts. But among the most unique were the Wigwam Villages, built by Frank Redford. The first was set up in 1933 in Horse Cave, Kentucky, but through the '30s and '40s, the wigwams sprang up in five other states in the South and Southwest. They're mostly gone now… but if you've got a hankerin', you can still spend the night in a roadside teepee…
And yes – you read correctly. Three of the villages are still in business and waiting for you to check in. (Cheap too! You can stay at the Cave City location – and enjoy some of its original furnishings – for as little as $45/night during certain parts of the year!) Make your reservations now…
- Wigwam Village #2 in Cave City, Kentucky: While you're there, visit Mammoth Cave National Park, just a few miles away and home of the longest cave system in the world. Cave City is a little under 100 miles north of Nashville, Tennessee and south of Louisville, Kentucky just off I-65.
- Wigwam Village #6 in Holbrook, Arizona: Just 30 miles east of Holbrook is the Petrified Forest National Park. Holbook is located within Historic Route 66.
- Wigwam Village #7: San Bernardino, California: Route 66 runs through San Bernardino, so while you're there check out the Route 66 Museum. Take a hike (or make a snow angel up top) in part of the 154,000-acre spread at the San Bernardino National Forest. Joshua Tree National Park is located close too – just about an hour away. On the map, San Bernardino is about 60 miles east of Los Angeles and about 100 miles north of San Diego.
Who's ready to hit the road? Pack your camera and an open mind for the most unique over-nighter ever. Anyone ever caught some shuteye in a wigwam?
Inspired from vintage advertisement trucker hats, this black hat with white print boldly shows where you're representing from—and even features our phone number at Antique Archaeology LeClaire! SHOP NOW!


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Irene was born about 1881. She married Thomas Elmer Hollas Meeks about 1908, in Utah, United States. She died about 1965, at the age of 86.
From Greek eirēnē 'peace' it was borne in Greek mythology by a minor goddess who personified peace, and by a Byzantine empress ( 752–803 ). The name was taken up in the English-speaking world at the end of the 19th century, and became popular in the 20th, partly as a result of being used as the name of a character in John Galsworthy's The Forsyte Saga ( 1922 ). It was formerly pronounced in three syllables, as in Greek, but is now thoroughly naturalized as an English name and usually pronounced as two syllables.
As a nonprofit, we offer free help to those looking to learn the details of their family story.


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The problem with a lot of voting systems such as Borda, IRV, and (albeit to a somewhat lesser extent) Condorcet is that they were really invented by the following flawed process:
The problem here is the final step "proclaim success." That was not justified. Really, you need to go further by considering the full set of scenarios with three, not two-and-a-half, candidates. E.g. situations where you no longer are allowed to pre-suppose that the third candidate never has a chance to win.
In that case, you quickly see that IRV and Borda no longer are much good and still suffer from spoiler and lesser-evil pathologies (plus more, e.g. IRV suffering from non-monotonicity and winner=loser reversal failures, and Borda suffering weird effects when you eliminate "irrelevant loser" candidates). Condorcet also suffers from these. There are also honest voting can hurt you paradoxes.
Even better, we should even go further still and start to consider three-and-a-half candidate situations. We then encounter the horrific DH3 pathology afflicting Borda and Condorcet.
Range voting performs well throughout the whole space of three-and-a-half candidate situations and is immune to DH3, favorite-betrayal, spoiler, cloning, vote-splitting, monotonicity-failure, and honest-voting-hurts effects.
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About 100 soldiers with the 3rd Infantry Division's 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Armor Brigade Combat Team, redeployed from Afghanistan on Wednesday morning.
The advanced-party troops were greeted by family members, friends and fellow soldiers on Fort Stewart's Cottrell Field. According to public-affairs officer Kevin Larson, the main body of soldiers from the "Battle Boars" will begin redeploying Oct. 19.
"We're just so happy to have him back here again," said Luis Ortiz Sr., father of Sgt. Luis Ortiz Jr.
Ortiz and his wife Nubia drove from Hollandale, Fla., to welcome their son home from Afghanistan. Ortiz said his 32-year-old son previously served four years in the Marine Corps and now has served four years in the Army, service that included a prior deployment to Iraq.
"He liked the Marine Corps," the proud father said. "But he also likes the Army. He likes it here (on Fort Stewart)."
When three buses began arriving with the returning soldiers, cheers and screams from the bleachers thundered across a foggy Cottrell Field. After marching across the wet field to the reviewing stand, the soldiers were met by Col. John Hort, 3rd ID deputy commanding general-rear.
"Wow! I've got families behind me and heroes in front of me," said Hort as he turned to look at the cheering crowd and then at the formation of soldiers standing at attention. "Welcome home to the greatest country in the world and the greatest state in the union."
Hort concluded his remarks, and after everyone sang the Marne Song and the Army Song, families were invited to rush onto the soggy field to welcome home their soldiers. While some lost their shoes in the mud and a few family members slipped and fell, families found their soldiers and greeted them with hugs, kisses and tears.
"We're so proud," said Susan Martinez, grandmother of Pfc. Derek Southard, whom she said is a third-generation soldier. "We're just so proud."
Martinez explained her grandson calls her "G-Mom." The soldier's teary-eyed little sister, Jaylee, 9, waited for a chance to hug her big brother as his mother, Shawn Southard, embraced him. The family drove 25 hours from Colorado to welcome him home.
"It was a blast," Southard said of his nine-month deployment, but he was speechless about his family being there Wednesday. "It's overwhelming. That's all I can say."
Although the signal support specialist considered his combat experience fun, his family members said they worried a lot about him. Jaylee said she worried most every time she heard a news report about an American soldier killed in action.
"He called at 3:30 in the morning one day," his mom said as she wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. "Getting a call that early scared me to death. But there wasn't anything wrong. He was having a bad day and just wanted to talk to mom."
She said she supposed now her son would want all his favorite foods, but when asked what those were, Southard again was at a loss for words. His mom gave him another big hug, and the soldier said he realized the little things he'd said he missed about "the states" were not as important as simply being back with his family.
About 100 soldiers with the 3rd Infantry Division's 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Armor Brigade Combat Team, redeployed from Afghanistan on Wednesday morning.


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Attendees and presenters chat - Friday's Poster Session
National Harbor, MD - AAS 2018 - Friday's Poster Session at the American Astronomical Society's (AAS) 231th annual meeting at the Gaylord National hotel here today, Friday January 12, 2018. The American Astronomical Society (AAS), established in 1899 and based in Washington, DC, is the major organization of professional astronomers in North America. The annual meeting is the premier astronomical event with more than 2,300 astronomers, educators, industry representatives, and journalists in attendance and at least 1,600 oral and poster presentations scheduled. Photo by © CorporateEventImages/Todd Buchanan 2018
Attendees and presenters chat Friday's Poster Session AAS 231


text: Intimate Impressionism from the National Gallery of Art Oct 1 2015 – Jan 10 2016 Seattle Art Museum Simonyi Special Exhibition Galleries The Seattle Art Museum is proud to present Intimate Impressionism from the National Gallery of Art (in Washington, DC). The collection is comprised of extraordinary paintings, considered to be the jewels of one of the finest collections of French Impressionism in the world. This exhibition features 68 intimately scaled paintings by Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masters, including Edouard Manet, Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet, Eugène Boudin, Paul Cézanne, Edgar Degas, Camille Pissarro, Pierre Bonnard, Edouard Vuillard, Paul Gauguin, and Vincent van Gogh, among others. These works, which are prominently presented in the East Building of the National Gallery, have long been treasured by the museum's visitors and prized by art historians. #SAMImpressionism Tweet