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On this day in 2003 – April 28th – NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) was launched.

GALEX, which operated until early 2012, was an orbiting space telescope observing galaxies in ultraviolet light. Its observations provided data about how galaxies - the basic structures of our Universe - evolve and change.

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Samantha Cristoforetti, born in Milan, Italy on April 26, 1977, is a standout even among extraordinary people. She's a seasoned astronaut and was a captain in the Italian Air Force. In 2022 she was the commander of Expedition 68 to the International Space Station, and has gone into space for four additional missions.

Cristoforetti graduated in 2001 from the Technical University Munich, Germany, having earned a master's degree in mechanical engineering with specialisations in aerospace propulsion and lightweight structures. As part of her degree studies, she also spent time at Ecole Nationale Supérieure de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace in Toulouse, France, working on an experimental project in aerodynamics. Her degree thesis was in solid rocket propellants which she wrote in a 10-month research stay at the Mendeleev University of Chemical Technologies in Moscow, Russia.

After graduation, Cristoforetti joined the Italian Air Force. She was admitted to the Air Force Academy as an officer candidate and served as class leader for four years. As part of the training, she completed a bachelor's degree in aeronautical sciences at the University of Naples Federico II, Italy. Following graduation, she attended the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training program in the USA where she earned her fighter pilot wings. She logged over 500 hours, flying six types of military aircraft.

In 2017, together with fellow ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer, she took part in a sea survival exercise organised by the Astronaut Center of China in the Yellow Sea. This was the first joint training of Chinese and non-Chinese astronauts in China. In 2019 Samantha served as commander for NASA’s 23rd Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO23) mission on a 10-day stay in the world’s only undersea research station, Aquarius.

Although Cristoforetti has a passion for science and technology, she is also an avid reader with in interest in humanities. She, of course, speaks Italian, but also speaks English, German, French, Russian and Chinese. Her husband is an astronaut trainer and they have two children.

[Source: European Space Agency]

“All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.” (Psalm 98:3)

It is love alone that gives worth to all things.

Teresa of Ávila

Saint Teresa of Ávila was a 16th-century Catholic nun and mystic. She is known for her inspired spiritual writings and for founding numerous convents across Spain. In her books, letters, and poems, she described the asceticism and contemplation that she practiced alongside her fellow nuns. She believed love was a divine force that imbued earthly life with meaning and value. She wrote, “Accustom yourself continually to make many acts of love, for they enkindle and melt the soul.”

Review of Boost Your Online Brand: Make Creative Animated Banners in Adobe Photoshop by Andrea Anzai, a Skillshare course.

Animated Banners in Photoshop by Andrea Anzai

Mother's Day is approaching and kids (of all ages) want to present a special heart felt gift to their moms. Simple and inexpensive handmade gifts are especially cherished by moms everywhere.

Mother's Day Gift Ideas to Sew

Posted my latest review on Selective Focus. "The Fox" is based on the true life story of the filmmaker's great-grandfather. The story begins in the 1920s in Austria, where the young boy Franz lives with his family in extreme poverty. In order to save the boy from starvation, his parents relinquish custody. As a young man, Franz joins the Army and ends up as a motorcycle courier serving in Hitler's army. "The Fox" is not a war film, however. It's about human and cross-species relationships, as the alienated young man adopts a fox cub and develops a deep bond with the animal. Here's the link. The Fox Film Review

Welcome visitors and friends with a garden flag to hang from a wrought iron garden flag pole, wall bracket, or mailbox. These celebratory flags add welcoming visual interest to home, garden or business and provide an extra display of color and whimsy for any outdoor space.

Sew a Garden Flag

In this Skillshare one hour course entitled Notion for Pattern Designers: Plan, Organise, & Manage Your Pattern Collections, Mel Armstrong takes you through the process of using Notion to create a database system for your pattern collections.

Review Notion for Pattern Designers...our Pattern Collections by Mel Armstrong

In this Watch Me Work course, Hope Johnson demonstrates how to create a portfolio in Adobe Indesign. Create a Portfolio with Adobe Indesign is one in a series of her Watch Me Work courses available on Skillshare.

Review - Create a Portfolio with Adobe Indesign

Sewing tips can be found just about anywhere. On the inside packaging of notions, among the pages of glossy sewing magazines, at sewing groups on just about any social media platform as well as numerous online tutorials, videos, and online classes. Every sewer has their favorite tips for sewing.

Useful Sewing Tips

This is exciting news, for silent film fans in particular. "Garbo: Leave Me Alone" is currently in pre-production. Lorna Tucker is in the director's chair, having previously profiled Katherine Hepburn in the doc "Call Me Kate". Tucker will be working with the Swedish Film Institute and the Garbo Estate, both of which are giving her access to previously unused material including letters written by Garbo and personal photographs. The doc is expected in theaters by the end of 2024.

These go hand in hand for sure. AI is new so you sign up for classes on how to use it. Using Excel in Genealogy-what's that all about?

There are several sites which provide free ongoing education opportunities in genealogy and just because they seem regional doesn't mean they are regional. They cover all sorts of topics of interest for genealogist. Genealogy changes daily.


https://familytreewebinars.com/

https://tngs.org/Events (some free; some not)

https://gagensociety.org/webinar-schedule/

Functional totes, nostalgic aprons, practical sleep pants, simple skirts and stylish infinity scarves are some of the best sewing projects for novice sewers since all involve a yard or less of fabric, usually straight line sewing and little time to complete. Add pillowcases to an easy-to-sew list!

Easy to Sew Pillowcases

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From March Equinox to June Solstice

Easter Island and a distant dwarf planet. What do they have in common? The answer is Makemake, discovered on March 31, 2005. To English speakers, that looks like make-make, but it's a a Polynesian god whose name is pronounced MAH.kay.MAH.kay. In the Rapa Nui mythology of Easter Island he was a fertility god and the creator of humanity. But how did his name come to be given to a small frozen body seven billion kilometers (four billion miles) from the Sun?

Makemake
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Holy Saturday

"Today there is a great silence over the earth, a great silence, and stillness, a great silence because the King sleeps."