My husband sent me this video. I started tearing up a little over halfway through.
Friday, December 20, 2013
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Friday, October 4, 2013
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Friday, September 27, 2013
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Cool!
They say money doesn't grow on trees.
But it certainly appears to do so on the mysterious coin-studded trunks dotted around the UK's woodland.
The
strange phenomenon of gnarled old trees with coins embedded all over
their bark has been spotted on trails from the Peak District to the
Scottish Highlands.
Tree-mendous: A money tree with copper and silver coins hammered into the wood near Ingleton, North Yorkshire
The coins are usually knocked into felled tree trunks using stones by passers-by, who hope it will bring them good fortune.
These fascinating spectacles often have coins from centuries ago buried deep in their bark and warped by the passage of time.
The tradition of making offerings to deities at wishing trees dates back hundreds of years, but this combination of the man-made and the natural is far more rare.
Tin and timber: The coins make tree trunk look almost like a heap of treasure
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Monday, June 10, 2013
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Friday, May 10, 2013
Friday, May 3, 2013
I borrowed this story from the website DW. I have excerpted parts of it. If you would like to go to the full article, please click on the link.
Soon, there will no longer be any living Holocaust survivors. But in
Israel, some of their grandchildren are choosing to have themselves
tattooed with the concentration camp ID numbers on their grandparents'
arms.
Holocaust survivors are disappearing and, with them, the memory of what they went through.
But some of their children and grandchildren have found a way to preserve the past - by tattooing on their arms the very numbers the Nazis inscribed on their victims. The crude mark that had been a concrete and painful reminder of the Holocaust has turned into a strong symbol of solidarity for some of the survivors' family members.
Arik Diamant, a 33-year-old from the Israeli city of Herzliya, came up with the idea four years ago to duplicate his late grandfather Yosef Diamant's Auschwitz identification number on his own arm.
... "I told him that if it bothered him at all, I wouldn't do it. At first, he was really shocked and asked me why I would want to do something like that," remembered Diamant. "But then he stopped me and said, 'When you have a grandchild and he asks you what it is, will you tell him about me?'"
Diamant's story has been worked into a documentary film to be released soon: "Numbers," produced by Uriel Sinai and Dana Doron.
Ayal Gelles' arm on the right and his grandfather Avraham Nachshon's on the left
Ideology of numbers
Diamant is one of a growing number of young Israeli Jews who are deciding to preserve their grandparents' stories in this way. About three years ago, Ayal Gelles, a 28-year-old from Tel Aviv, tattooed the number of his grandfather, Avraham Nachshon, during a trip to South America. ... Gelles added that the connection the tattoo gives him to his grandfather is just as meaningful to him as the ideology behind it. But unlike Diamant, Gelles didn't tell his grandfather about the tattoo.
"Maybe he guessed when my mother took a photo of his arm to send to me," speculated Gelles. "Today he says that if I had asked him, he would tell me not to do it. But it doesn't bother him today. Maybe he objected because of religious reasons." In Judaism, tattoos are prohibited according to some interpretations of the book of Leviticus.
Recognition, continuation, appreciation
Gelles and Diamant say that when people notice their tattoos, the reactions are mixed - but mostly positive. Still, they know the topic is loaded and, for many, it is difficult to get used to the concept.
... Professor Dina Porat, a Holocaust scholar at Tel Aviv University, agreed that the general public is not entirely ready for such drastic methods of commemoration, but pointed out that Holocaust remembrance is becoming more personal.
"In the late 1940s in Israel, many survivors actually asked their doctors to remove their numbers. The interesting thing is that with these recent cases of tattoos we see a sort of opposite expression: people who are willingly doing it, not as victims, but as a way of recognition, continuation and appreciation," explained Porat.
...
The tattooed numbers are the strongest symbol of the camps
Outdoing the rules of time
According to research conducted by the Brookdale Institute for the Foundation for the Benefit of Holocaust victims in Israel, there are currently 190,000 Holocaust survivors living in Israel. In 2025, that number will have dropped to 46,000. If the tattoo trend continues, the mark left by the Nazi concentration camps will long outlive the survivors themselves.
Diamant says he appreciates the fact that his tattoo starts deep conversations with those who notice it. And Gelles describes his tattoo as a refreshing departure from repetitive public discourse on the Holocaust.
"We're taking a detour," he said. "We're leaving the clichés behind and we're going back to the story from a different point. It's a different kind of memorial, and maybe it's what people need today."
But some of their children and grandchildren have found a way to preserve the past - by tattooing on their arms the very numbers the Nazis inscribed on their victims. The crude mark that had been a concrete and painful reminder of the Holocaust has turned into a strong symbol of solidarity for some of the survivors' family members.
Arik Diamant, a 33-year-old from the Israeli city of Herzliya, came up with the idea four years ago to duplicate his late grandfather Yosef Diamant's Auschwitz identification number on his own arm.
... "I told him that if it bothered him at all, I wouldn't do it. At first, he was really shocked and asked me why I would want to do something like that," remembered Diamant. "But then he stopped me and said, 'When you have a grandchild and he asks you what it is, will you tell him about me?'"
Diamant's story has been worked into a documentary film to be released soon: "Numbers," produced by Uriel Sinai and Dana Doron.
Ayal Gelles' arm on the right and his grandfather Avraham Nachshon's on the left
Diamant is one of a growing number of young Israeli Jews who are deciding to preserve their grandparents' stories in this way. About three years ago, Ayal Gelles, a 28-year-old from Tel Aviv, tattooed the number of his grandfather, Avraham Nachshon, during a trip to South America. ... Gelles added that the connection the tattoo gives him to his grandfather is just as meaningful to him as the ideology behind it. But unlike Diamant, Gelles didn't tell his grandfather about the tattoo.
"Maybe he guessed when my mother took a photo of his arm to send to me," speculated Gelles. "Today he says that if I had asked him, he would tell me not to do it. But it doesn't bother him today. Maybe he objected because of religious reasons." In Judaism, tattoos are prohibited according to some interpretations of the book of Leviticus.
Recognition, continuation, appreciation
Gelles and Diamant say that when people notice their tattoos, the reactions are mixed - but mostly positive. Still, they know the topic is loaded and, for many, it is difficult to get used to the concept.
... Professor Dina Porat, a Holocaust scholar at Tel Aviv University, agreed that the general public is not entirely ready for such drastic methods of commemoration, but pointed out that Holocaust remembrance is becoming more personal.
"In the late 1940s in Israel, many survivors actually asked their doctors to remove their numbers. The interesting thing is that with these recent cases of tattoos we see a sort of opposite expression: people who are willingly doing it, not as victims, but as a way of recognition, continuation and appreciation," explained Porat.
...
The tattooed numbers are the strongest symbol of the camps
Outdoing the rules of time
According to research conducted by the Brookdale Institute for the Foundation for the Benefit of Holocaust victims in Israel, there are currently 190,000 Holocaust survivors living in Israel. In 2025, that number will have dropped to 46,000. If the tattoo trend continues, the mark left by the Nazi concentration camps will long outlive the survivors themselves.
Diamant says he appreciates the fact that his tattoo starts deep conversations with those who notice it. And Gelles describes his tattoo as a refreshing departure from repetitive public discourse on the Holocaust.
"We're taking a detour," he said. "We're leaving the clichés behind and we're going back to the story from a different point. It's a different kind of memorial, and maybe it's what people need today."
Monday, March 25, 2013
Giraffe Facts!
I got these out of this month's Mental Floss magazine. Interesting!
The nine giraffe subspecies - and individual animals - can be distinguished by their unique coat patterns, which break up their shape as camouflage but also help them to identify one another.
At full tilt, a giraffe can reach 37 mph.
Giraffe hooves are lethal weapons. The animals' kicks are strong enough to kill lions, their main predator.
Giraffes have just two gears, and they swing differently at each one. When walking, they move the front and back legs of one side together and then the other. When galloping, they bunny hop, moving their back legs together and then the front ones.
Giraffes can close their nostrils at will, which is good because their hair secretes a stinky mix of bacteria- and parasite-repelling compounds that can be smelled from up to 800 feet away.
A giraffe's 20-inch black tongue and prehensile lips are covered in small hard bumps called papillae that protect it as it eats from thorny acacia trees.
Despite their impressive length, giraffe's necks have exactly seven vertabrae, the same as most other mammals; their vertabrae are just exceptionally long (each is 11 inches compared with about half an inch for humans).
The giraffe's laryngeal nerve runs from the brain down the neck to the heart and then back up to the larynx; at 15 feet, it's the longest nerve in the animal kingdom.
The giraffe's circulatory system is adapted - by way of a 25-pound heart and one-way valves - to pump blood up the neck when the head is up and keep it from rushing down when the head is lowered. Scientists have to be mindful of this when chasing down giraffes for study. Because of their high blood pressure, giraffes are prone to heart attacks.
People used to think that giraffes were mute, but they actually communicate infrasonically (via very low tones that are undetectable to the human ear).
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Shrinky Dink bracelets
For our last Girls Night Out, we got together at my house and made Shrinky Dinks. It was fun! I made two bracelets, which I gave to my two teen volunteers. I think they turned out great!
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Imogen says...
Imogen is the daughter of my friend Lynn in England, and she says the funniest things. Here are some Imogen stories:
6/9/14
Imogen had to make another shoe box habitat this weekend.
I suggested she re-use her Dubai desert and make a sea scape as she can
make rainbow loom fish.
The suggestion was frowned upon as re-using her old model is copying and she might get into trouble for copying (can you copy from yourself?).
She came up with a solution herself and labelled the box "Imogen Hall's coral reef recycled from her Dubai desert because we are an ECO school".
The suggestion was frowned upon as re-using her old model is copying and she might get into trouble for copying (can you copy from yourself?).
She came up with a solution herself and labelled the box "Imogen Hall's coral reef recycled from her Dubai desert because we are an ECO school".
1/27/14
Firstly she sneaked into the kitchen and drank Daniels coke.
Apparently she had to have it as she had heartburn. She could tell she had
heartburn as she could feel her heart starting to beat really fast and when she
bent her nose to her chest could smell the burning!! The coke was needed
it cooled her heart down. She's adamant she even heard a sizzle as she drank
it.
And she wouldn't get ready for bed, clean her teeth, tidy her stuff... When asked. I told her if she can't manage to tidy her things then she must have too many things to cope with so why don't we sort out a bag for the charity shop. She can manage her things its just that she didn't know I was talking to her because I was saying Imogen and her name is Safrina!!!!
And she wouldn't get ready for bed, clean her teeth, tidy her stuff... When asked. I told her if she can't manage to tidy her things then she must have too many things to cope with so why don't we sort out a bag for the charity shop. She can manage her things its just that she didn't know I was talking to her because I was saying Imogen and her name is Safrina!!!!
11/25/13
Imogen's latest thing is she refuses to accept the existence
of Bulgaria.
She says its a stupid name and obviously made up so she won't be using it.
She's very kindly (after being told she can't insist if they're too stupid to give their country a proper name then they're too stupid to live there) said the Bulgarians can remain but they really must try harder. She sees nothing wrong with Hungary or Turkey it's just poor Bulgaria that was the focus of the way-home-rant.
She says its a stupid name and obviously made up so she won't be using it.
She's very kindly (after being told she can't insist if they're too stupid to give their country a proper name then they're too stupid to live there) said the Bulgarians can remain but they really must try harder. She sees nothing wrong with Hungary or Turkey it's just poor Bulgaria that was the focus of the way-home-rant.
7/2/13
Imogen, "I'm going to be good for as long as I can. I
think I can last for over a second".
3/12/13
And how could I have forgotten. Imogen wrote me a mothers
day poem
"Mums are so nice
They let you cook rice
When you're in a struggle
They give you a cuddle
And they take out your lice"
"Mums are so nice
They let you cook rice
When you're in a struggle
They give you a cuddle
And they take out your lice"
2/29/12
The wedding was very nice. Both children were well
behaved. Elliot made a friend of the bridesmaid and hardly left her side.
Imogen collected tiny glass beads from the tables and sold them to the
male guests as magic beans (she made about £7). My cousin Scot got a
clout from his partner for telling Imogen "If you've got magic beans I've
got a cow!"
2/20/12
Imogen has decided to give up something for Lent. She is
giving up bouncing balls whilst jumping rope. Did try and explain you are
meant to give up something that is a sacrifice (I may give up sloth) but Imogen
can't see the point of that. She would rather give up something she does
not do anyway. Her other suggestion was giving up eating chocolate in the
middle of the night on Tuesdays.
Did I tell you the saga of the boots? Imogen's school shoes split and were no longer waterproof so I bought her a pair of black Ugg type boots. She took an immediate dislike and decided they were far too small. If you can imagine how someone might walk with every bone in each foot broken then that is how she walked in the boots. Next morning it was snowing and madam was adamant she is wearing the leaky shoes. She did not even get to the pavement when her feet got cold and she insisted to come back for the boots. I said something along the lines of the boots not being too small the day before.
"Yes they were too small but I got a papercut on my finger and lost some blood which made my feet shrink so now the boots fit but they were too small before I lost some blood"!
Did I tell you the saga of the boots? Imogen's school shoes split and were no longer waterproof so I bought her a pair of black Ugg type boots. She took an immediate dislike and decided they were far too small. If you can imagine how someone might walk with every bone in each foot broken then that is how she walked in the boots. Next morning it was snowing and madam was adamant she is wearing the leaky shoes. She did not even get to the pavement when her feet got cold and she insisted to come back for the boots. I said something along the lines of the boots not being too small the day before.
"Yes they were too small but I got a papercut on my finger and lost some blood which made my feet shrink so now the boots fit but they were too small before I lost some blood"!
2/20/12
After many tantrums Imogen finally chose (pink shoes with
white flowers and sparklies) to go with her dress. My idea of a good price to
pay was around the £15 mark. Imogen was adamant Paul and Clarissa don't
really need wedding money and will get more happiness from knowing Imogen has
high heeled sparkly shoes with actual diamonds.
12/11
Luckily
the day was saved by Sarai who sent her some princess badges and a gemstone
shaped pink glass. (And some sweets which have been hidden away).
Imogen could not possibly have been more delighted. At bedtime she said,
"mum I love you"
"That's
nice I love you too"
"Yes
I love you more than chocolate milk but only about a half as much as I love my
new actual pink diamond. It's very precious"
11/29/10
From Lynn:
It kept her busy most of this afternoon. Parents aren't allowed to correct grammar or spellings as it interrupts the creative flow.
Written and spelled as she did.
From Imogen
Where the willd things are? Book for mis chleven.
One day max was whereing his woolf soot and gross and he was sent to his womm not to drinck or eat and he said I wile eat you Max said no!
Anoler one door said max was criyen max chasthed dog with a fork
Look max were gross said maxis mummy
Then he went to sea the wild things to visit
(he sailed there in a rowing boat with a tree in it. There's a picture of max with a speech bubble "pleas can I have a cherry thank you" and a cat replying "yes")
And they had some oringe jus they said coffie max said fank you
Then max went home to have a niss rast
So max was in his bed be a good boy betent max are a clock.
Today max it was his birthday he was 8 tees old he said thank you
Hrai
The end
Goovie book
Well done Imogen.
(it was originally written for me but I made her tidy her dolls so my name was crossed out and the book was for miss treleven)
[as read to me:
One day max was wearing his wolf suit and he was cross. He was sent to his room and had nothing to drink or eat.
"No" said Max, "I will eat you up!"
Another one at the door was crying and said Max chased his dog with a fork.
"Look Max we are cross" said Max's mummy.
Then max went to see the wild things to visit and they had said, "coffee"
"orange juice" Max said, "thank you"
Then he went home to have a nice rest and max was in his bed being a good boy and pretending to be a clock.
Today it was max's birthday he was 8 years old. He said, "Thank you"
The wild things said, "hurray"
The end!
Groovy book.
Don't ask me about the pretending to be a clock the only explanation I could get was, "A face clock mum!"
Ah right. That explains things?
It kept her busy most of this afternoon. Parents aren't allowed to correct grammar or spellings as it interrupts the creative flow.
Written and spelled as she did.
From Imogen
Where the willd things are? Book for mis chleven.
One day max was whereing his woolf soot and gross and he was sent to his womm not to drinck or eat and he said I wile eat you Max said no!
Anoler one door said max was criyen max chasthed dog with a fork
Look max were gross said maxis mummy
Then he went to sea the wild things to visit
(he sailed there in a rowing boat with a tree in it. There's a picture of max with a speech bubble "pleas can I have a cherry thank you" and a cat replying "yes")
And they had some oringe jus they said coffie max said fank you
Then max went home to have a niss rast
So max was in his bed be a good boy betent max are a clock.
Today max it was his birthday he was 8 tees old he said thank you
Hrai
The end
Goovie book
Well done Imogen.
(it was originally written for me but I made her tidy her dolls so my name was crossed out and the book was for miss treleven)
[as read to me:
One day max was wearing his wolf suit and he was cross. He was sent to his room and had nothing to drink or eat.
"No" said Max, "I will eat you up!"
Another one at the door was crying and said Max chased his dog with a fork.
"Look Max we are cross" said Max's mummy.
Then max went to see the wild things to visit and they had said, "coffee"
"orange juice" Max said, "thank you"
Then he went home to have a nice rest and max was in his bed being a good boy and pretending to be a clock.
Today it was max's birthday he was 8 years old. He said, "Thank you"
The wild things said, "hurray"
The end!
Groovy book.
Don't ask me about the pretending to be a clock the only explanation I could get was, "A face clock mum!"
Ah right. That explains things?
11/26/10
Imogen has been asking why she can't sleep with the main
light on and promising "I won't read my books or play". Yeah
right! I told her last night that she needs the dark or her body won't
make melatonin (it was after 11 and madam was angling to watch the wiggles as
dancing might make her sleepy). I told her melatonin tells your body it's
time to sleep and it's time to heal or grow. Lights out madam asleep in
five minutes.
Tonight I'd put them to bed and was just doing the dishes when Imogen yells out, "mum turn that light out now my melon toners don't like it!". She will be angling for a blackout blind next.
Tonight I'd put them to bed and was just doing the dishes when Imogen yells out, "mum turn that light out now my melon toners don't like it!". She will be angling for a blackout blind next.
11/26/10
Imogen
had her first haircut on Saturday. She walked over to the chair and told
the man what she wanted herself. I'd already said if she asks for
anything other than a trim to ignore her. Imogen really loves the pink
wig sarai sent and had been wishing her hair was pink!
I was getting my hair trimmed in the seat next to Imogen. When the haircut was finished she told the hairdresser that it was very nice and if he likes he can be one of her best friends because she loves him.
I was getting my hair trimmed in the seat next to Imogen. When the haircut was finished she told the hairdresser that it was very nice and if he likes he can be one of her best friends because she loves him.
She
got a photo of her and Santa on a fridge magnet and a "Fimbles"
puppet book. Imogen was all set to march back to Santa with the book as
"Fimbles are for babies and Santa didn't listen because I told him I like
barbie". She spent most of the weekend putting on plays though so
she soon got over the disappointment of the gift not being a barbie.
A duck touched imogens finger with it's beak when she was feeding it. Okay that's the facts over with. Imogen asked me to tell you that a duck tried to eat her and it really hurt when she got home so she couldn't tidy up her toys. It hurt a little when she was playing in the park immediately after the duck tried to eat her but imogen was being brave so she ignored the pain and carried on playing. What a trooper.
A duck touched imogens finger with it's beak when she was feeding it. Okay that's the facts over with. Imogen asked me to tell you that a duck tried to eat her and it really hurt when she got home so she couldn't tidy up her toys. It hurt a little when she was playing in the park immediately after the duck tried to eat her but imogen was being brave so she ignored the pain and carried on playing. What a trooper.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Easter Snowman
We had a big snow Tuesday night. Wednesday after work I was driving home and saw this:
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Glass Park
I saw a deal through Living Social where a 2-hour glass class was being offered, so I purchased it. Chelle came down and we both went. It's over on South Wayne. Eran Park is the owner and he told us the basics and showed us some of the things you could make, then gave us a demonstration by making a pendant and this really cool nonsensical clear glass thing. It started out as a thin tube of glass and he heated it and blew into it to create little bulb areas and then twisted the thin parts so it made this really interesting shape.
He said some people don't want to go behind the torch and I was like, no, we're both going-behind-the-torch kinds of gals. :)
We took turns just playing and experimenting, and then we each made something. I only kind of made mine - a marble. After I started he told me making marbles is one of the hardest things to do because it's difficult to get them completely round and smooth and even. So I kind of made a lump in the colors I wanted to and started shaping it and then he finished turning it into an actual thing. :)
Eran making my marble round
Chelle made the top piece for a wine stopper. She made this really cool twisty shape.
Chelle's piece, still glowing hot
We had to leave them there to stay in the kiln overnight, and Eran has to attach the wine stopper part to the glass piece, so I'm going to pick them up on Monday. It was so much fun! Women with torches! :)
Eran is also in the process of putting together this really cool glass tree. It's going to be on display at the Main Library when it's done. He was at the Maker Station last summer and people from the community came in and made leaves for the tree, about 150. Then he made about 50 more and it's going to be put on permanent display. How cool!
The picture does not do it justice.
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