text:
\section{Introduction}

Flares are among the most energetic phenomena in the solar system,
with well-known impacts on the Earth.  Beginning in the 1960s, it
became clear that the only option for storing the large amount of
energy for sudden release is the free energy associated with the
magnetic field threading the Sun's atmosphere.  According to the
standard model
\citep{Carmichael1964,Sturrock1966,Hirayama1974,Kopp+Pneuman1976},
flares start by magnetic reconnection in the tenuous coronal
plasma. Only here is the Alfv\'en speed sufficiently high to permit
rapid evolution.  Subsequently, downward directed energy in the forms
of accelerated particles, magneto-plasma waves, radiation and thermal
conduction deposit energy from above leading to bright ribbon-like
structures in the chromosphere and, during strong flares, in the
photosphere. Such temporarily heated structures (durations of minutes)
then evaporate plasma into the corona, leading to post-flare loops
that are bright in soft X rays and UV radiation on time scales of
hours.

 Local helioseismology has revealed flares which are accompanied by
 acoustic pulses (``sunquakes'') propagating below the visible surface.  The
 mechanisms by which the flare disturbance, originating high in the
 solar atmosphere, couples to interior modes is not known, there being
 several challenges.  Firstly, flares are difficult to observe,
 generally speaking, at both the necessarily small time and length
 scales associated with the initial energy release (impulsive phase).
 Secondly, most acoustic sources preferentially occur in the
 magnetically complex penumbrae of sunspots \citep[e.g.][section
   3.6]{Fletcher+others2011}.  Thirdly, the energy has to propagate
 through the 9 pressure scale heights of the
 poorly-constrained
chromosphere. The chromosphere
of active regions appears to be as complex as sunspot penumbrae
   \citep{Judge2010m}. Measurements of magnetic fields there are
   difficult and rare (Navarro 2005a,b; Uitenbroek 2011).
   \nocite{Socas-Navarro2005a,Socas-Navarro2005b, Uitenbroek2011}

Progress on sunquakes has been significant.  For example,
\citet{Donea+Lindsey2005} have demonstrated that only a small
fraction, $\lta 10^{-3}$ of the flare energy, is needed to trigger a
seismic transient in the photosphere. How this happens it is not yet
understood \citep[see, e.g., discussions by
][]{Donea2011,Kosovichev2014}.  Recent space missions have vastly
improved our ability to understand the evolving photospheric magnetic
field, and significant steps have been taken towards understanding
changing magnetic fields and flares.  The lower solar atmosphere can
show stepwise changes in line-of-sight (LOS) magnetic field strength
\citep{Kosovichev+Zharkova1999} and shear \citep{Wang1992} during
flares.  \citet{Sudol+Harvey2005} observed a  LOS field
change in 15 X-class flares with a median of 90 G.
Recent observers have found photospheric field and inclination changes
even during small B1 flares \citep{Murray+others2012}, using
vector spectro-polarimetric data from the SP instrument
on the Hinode spacecraft.

In this paper we relate acoustic sources found by
\citet{Donea+others2014} from data from the Helioseismic Magnetic
Imager (HMI) on the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) spacecraft, to
measurements from the Facility Infrared Spectrometer
\cite[``FIRS''][]{Jaeggli2011} at the Dunn Solar Telescope of the National
Solar Observatory in Sunspot,
New Mexico.  Table~1 lists some properties of the flare
and acoustic source from \citet{Donea+others2014}.  While
many acoustic sources are present on the Sun with this intensity,
the spatial and temporal characteristics of this particular source
mark it as generated by the flare.
Changes in the
thermal and magnetic structure in the atmosphere are reflected in
our Stokes polarimeter data through a photospheric \ion{Si}{1} line at
1082.7 nm and in the \ion{He}{1} 1083.0 nm multiplet formed near the
top of the chromosphere.

\section{Observations}
\label{sec:obs}

We made spectropolarimetric observations on March 29 2014 with FIRS
and the Imaging BIdimensional Spectropolarimeter (IBIS) instruments
at the DST.  The latter will be reported elsewhere.  In addition, we
acquired, every 60 seconds, bursts of data in G-band (430.5 nm) and
Ca~II (393.3 nm) narrow band filters for speckle reconstruction, and a
white light camera acquired rapid cadence images.  FIRS was used in a
single slit, dual-beam mode with a 40 micron wide slit, subtending
an angular width of $0\farcs30$,  oriented close
to the E-W line on the Sun.

The polarization modulation scheme was a four-state balanced scheme
with 125 ms exposures and a full cycle of 1.2 s, with 10 such cycles co-added by the
instrument at each scan position on the Sun.  This relatively
slow modulation, set by the need for the liquid crystal variable retarders to relax in response
to voltage changes,  runs the risk of encoding light variations
entering the polarimeter due to residual seeing motion and/or solar
evolution into systematic errors called ``crosstalk''
\citep{Lites1987,Judge+others2004,Casini+deWijn+Judge2012}.
Crosstalk appears to be important in the \ion{He}{1} line during
the flare as the tenuous chromospheric  plasma radiating the helium emission
evolves on timescales comparable or faster than the 1.2s modulation cycle.
No evidence is seen for such crosstalk in the photospheric \ion{Si}{1} line.

Throughout all our observations the count
rate remained in the linear regime of the IR detector (below 8000
ADU).  The solar image was scanned from S to N across the FIRS slit in
100 or 120 steps of $0\farcs3$ to produce images in four
spectropolarimetric states $S_i$ (linear combinations of $I,Q,U$ and $V$),
covering a spectral range from 1081.93 to 1085.01\,nm, and a spatial
area of $30$\arcsec or $36\arcsec\times75\arcsec$ for all scans reported
here.  The images have bin sizes of $0.3\arcsec$.  Five scans of the
slit across NOAA 12017 were begun at 16:29:26, 16:55:58, 17:40:06,
18:01:55, 18:30:13 UT.  The seeing was good enough for the adaptive optics system (AO)
to maintain a lock on the sunspot during the observing run.
The peak flare emission is seen in the FIRS
data during the third scan begun at 17:40:06 UT.

Figure~\protect\ref{fig:context} shows a G-band image with
contours superposed, showing (black) the egression power from
the acoustic holography reported by \citet{Donea+others2014}, and (white)
the core intensity of the \ion{Si}{1} line at 1082.7 nm.  The G-band image
was aligned with a continuum image from the HMI instrument on the SDO
spacecraft obtained at 17:45:00 UT by eye, co-alignment uncertainties
are at most one arcsecond.  (The co-alignment accuracy is limited
by the fact that the FIRS scan was obtained under varying seeing
conditions and over a 20 minute scanning period).  Black contours show
the dominant local sources of power for waves traveling down into the
solar interior.  The white contours show the influence of heating
processes from the flare on the regions of formation of the \ion{Si}{1} line
in the Sun's atmosphere.  The G-band image is a composite, speckle
reconstructed image obtained at 17:46:44 UT.  The image shows a
diffuse brightening at these wavelengths centered near X=522, Y=260,
which is real flare emission, with an amplitude of $\approx 1.2-1.4$ times the
non-flaring intensity, perhaps a component of the still poorly
understood white light
emission.  None of these data are strictly contemporaneous, the FIRS data shown
were built of a raster scan that began at Y=254.5 at time 17:40:12 UT,
and ended at Y=284.2 at 18:01:39 UT.  The horizontal dashed lines show
the positions of the FIRS slit at 17:45 and 17:50 UT.

\subsection{Data Reduction}
\label{subsec:reduce}

The FIRS data were reduced using software originally developed by
\citet{Jaeggli2011} and modified by Tom Schad (private communication 2013).
The reductions
followed standard procedures: correction for detector non-linearities;
subtraction of dark frames; division by flat fields; co-registration
of the two beams (including corrections for image rotation);
polarization calibration; de-modulation (conversion of linear
combinations of Stokes parameters to individual Stokes parameters).
Since the required polarization sensitivity is very high in
chromospheric lines \citep[e.g.][]{Uitenbroek2011}, special care is
needed in handling calibrations. Usual dark frames and flat fields
were acquired, and a gain linearization correction was applied to the data
using a curve from \cite{Jaeggli2011}.  We used flats obtained with a
calibration lamp which is vignetted across the detector frame, in preference to
solar flats in which photospheric spectral lines are always present.
This is because we analyze below the detailed profiles of the
\ion{Si}{1} line at 1082.7 nm.

Residual fringes and some detector artifacts are present in
these data.   Fringes are a source of systematic
error.  Using careful corrections for flat fields we have reduced
fringing to $\lta 2\times10^{-3}I_c$ (peak-to-trough) where $I_C$ is the continuum
intensity, which is defined using wavelengths for each individual scan shown in
Figure~\protect\ref{fig:stokes}.    The wavelength scales of the spectra
are determined using solar flat-field scans and solar photospheric absorption
lines.   The spectrograph was  stable at the level of 0.2 pixels in wavelength
(0.004 nm) during the observations, equivalent to a Doppler shift of 0.2 $\,$km$\,$s$^{-1}${}.

It is important to note that
at infrared wavelengths, the enhancement of intensity during flares is
moderate, quite unlike the well-known enormous UV and X-ray enhancements.  All of the FIRS
data were obtained in the linear regime.

\subsection{Stokes line profiles}

Figure~\protect\ref{fig:stokes} shows the mean intensity spectrum with
annotated spectral features and, in the lower panels, Stokes profiles
for $I,Q,U$ and $V$ from left to right.  The particular data shown in
the lower panels are from the 29th scan obtained through the
flare footpoint beginning at 17:46:29 UT, just as the flare was in the
impulsive phase as found from RHESSI data analysis
\citep{Donea+others2014}.  The line profiles of the photospheric \ion{Si}{1}
line are essentially consistent with polarization induced by the
Zeeman effect, with the possible exception of those seen in the flare
kernel.  On the other hand, while the \ion{He}{1} linear polarization ($Q,U$) profiles
might initially appear to be of solar origin, the result of atomic alignment, the
presence of linear polarization in the $J=0$ upper level to $J=1$
lower level transition at 1082.9 nm must be due to systematic errors.
No atomic alignment is possible
with these quantum numbers, nor is it possible for levels involving
hyperfine structure of any $^3$He nuclei that might be present.

In our figures, all data are taken from the dual-beam system, but we also
examined single-beam data.
The signals in the two beams are very similar for all wavelengths
outside of the helium lines, but that significant differences  are
present in the polarized helium profiles.  This is a clear sign of $I-(QUV)$
crosstalk in the helium lines.  The
dual-beam corrections are clearly doing an excellent job
at other wavelengths (for example, those in the \ion{Si}{1} line core).
We surmise that the helium lines are evolving in intensity at least as
rapidly as the 1.2 s cadence of the modulation cycle, at the level of a few percent,
thereby producing spurious signals.   Faster modulation
seems appropriate for flare observations of the chromosphere.
We defer further analysis of the flare kernel data for \ion{He}{1} to later
work.

The noise levels of these Stokes $Q,U,V$ data are close to
$8\times10^{-4}I_C$.  The largest fringes remaining are in Stokes $V$ at the
level of $2\times10^{-3}I_C$.    The noise levels are more than adequate for
us to attempt inversions of the \ion{Si}{1} line data.

\subsection{Quick look parameters}

We used the Stokes profiles to derive several simpler quantities.
From Stokes $I$ (intensity), we compute the $n=0,1,2$ moments
$M^{(n)}$ of the line profiles weighted by wavelength from line
center.  We define the continuum-subtracted line intensity as
$$
I^\prime_x = I_C - I_x,
$$
where the Doppler shift $x$ is defined as  $c (
\lambda/\lambda_{LAB} -1)$ with $c$ in $\,$km$\,$s$^{-1}${}. Then we define
$$
M^{(n)}= \int I^\prime_x x^n dx.
$$ The ``Doppler shift'' of the line is $v=M^{(1)}/M^{(0)}$ $\,$km$\,$s$^{-1}$, the
line width (not shown here) is $w= \sqrt{M^{(2)}/M^{(0)}}$ $\,$km$\,$s$^{-1}$.  We also computed
``quick-look'' quantities from the $IQUV$ Stokes parameters.  These include a LOS
``magnetogram'' which is simply the median of the ratio of Stokes $V$
to the first derivative of Stokes $I$ with respect to wavelength over wavelengths
of significant line absorption or emission.  The other magnetic parameter is
the field ``azimuth'' which is $\frac{1}{2} \arctan (U/Q)$ where again
median values of the ratio $U/Q$ are taken across both the \ion{Si}{1} line
and \ion{He}{1} multiplet.  The relationship of these quantities to physical
parameters in the Sun arises only when the polarization is dominated
by the Zeeman effect \citep[see,
  e.g.][]{Jefferies+Lites+Skumanich1989} and only when the
polarization $Q^2+U^2+V^2 \ll 1$, and when the Stokes profiles
all originate from the same physical volumes underlying a given pixel.
Nevertheless, such quantities as
LOS magnetograms are very familiar to solar physicists which, with
care, illustrate properties of the solar magnetic field.

Figures~\protect\ref{fig:evolone} and ~\protect\ref{fig:evoltwo} show
some of the quick look parameters and
continuum intensity from the three scans obtained before, during and after the impulsive phase.
These we label phases ``bef'',``dur'' and ``aft''.
The
white contours of Figure~\protect\ref{fig:context} are from the Si core data
shown in the second row of Figure~\protect\ref{fig:evolone}.
Figure~\protect\ref{fig:evoltwo} shows parameters related to the magnetic field.
Salient features
of these plots include:

\begin{itemize}
\item{} The IR continuum shows only a weak brightening during scan ``dur''.
\item{} Both the photospheric\footnote{Other photospheric lines, not shown,
also show emission cores in the FIRS flare footpoint spectra:  1081.83 nm (\ion{Fe}{1}), 1083.91 nm (\ion{Ca}{1}), 1084.40 nm (\ion{Si}{1}?).}  \ion{Si}{1}
 and chromospheric \ion{He}{1} lines show considerable brightening during scan ``dur'', in the line cores.
\item{} The filament seen in the \ion{He}{1} line core images, lying roughly
along the neutral line seen in ``bef'' scan magnetograms, disappears
by scan ``aft''.
\item{} The \ion{He}{1} absorbers in the filament are seen moving upwards by between 5 and 10 $\,$km$\,$s$^{-1}${} in
scan ``bef''.  During scan ``aft'', the filament is replaced by
 a diffuse region of \ion{He}{1} line absorption.
\item{} Magnetograms show only subtle changes from scans ``bef'' to ``dur'' and ``aft''.
\item{} The photospheric magnetic azimuthal angles show systematic changes as the flare
progresses.
\item{} The \ion{He}{1} $U/Q$ signals during scan ``dur''
have coherent structure whose origin includes at least some
$I\rightarrow (QU)$ crosstalk.  The spectral profiles show that
they certainly cannot be interpreted as
a traditional Zeeman-induced linear polarization.
\end{itemize}

During scan ``dur'' (the impulsive phase), magnetic quick-look data for the \ion{He}{1}
line cannot be trusted to represent magnetic fields because of cross-talk.
We will attempt to correct for this crosstalk in a future publication, since even
in the presence of atomic polarization, the 1083 nm multiplet still retains
accurate information on field azimuthal angles, for field strengths $> 10$G (the strong field
limit of the Hanle effect).
To quantify the magnetic field changes we
turn to inversions for the \ion{Si}{1} $IQUV$ data.

First we will use properties of the \ion{Si}{1} line and continuum to
constrain the depth of penetration of flare energy that is sufficient
to change the temperature structure in the deep chromosphere and
photosphere.  At a first glance the continuum intensity appears to
change very little, if at all.  But both p modes and granulation
modify the continuum intensity at a level of a few percent at angular
resolutions similar to those of FIRS
\citep[e.g.][]{Sanchez-Cuberes+others2000}, making relatively small
changes difficult to see in slit rasters.  Careful examination of the
FIRS spectra obtained beginning at 17:46:16 UT, show a significant
brightening of $4\pm1$\% above levels in the neighboring spectra taken
13 seconds before and after, close to the flare kernel observed in
RHESSI and line data.  Evidence for this is shown in
Figure~\protect\ref{fig:continuum}.  These data include variations in the
transparency and seeing conditions of the atmosphere and hence vary
significantly from row to row in the figure. As is obvious in the
figure, transparency variations were strongest in the first scan,
getting progressively weaker in the second and third scans.  However,
relative intensities {\em along} each row in each panel can be fairly
compared.  The uncertainty quoted above is a $1\sigma$
statistical variation of the detrended intensity measured along the
rows immediately adjacent to the row containing the flare.

The coherent streak of brightness in
continuum data from 17:46:16 has all the
characteristics of a genuine brightness increase associated with a
white light flare.  This picture is supported by HMI continuum data
from the SDO spacecraft, which shows a $\approx$5\% increase in continuum
intensity during the flare.  Its appearance only in one FIRS scan indicates
a very rapid evolution, characteristic of an origin from dense
photospheric material which has a radiative relaxation time of 1-2
seconds \citep{Spiegel1957}.

\section{Analysis}
\label{sec:discussion}

The spatio-temporal behavior of the flare as obtained by FIRS is
summarized in Figures~\protect\ref{fig:evolone} and ~\protect\ref{fig:evoltwo}.
Remarkably, the slit happened to scan across the flare footpoint
ribbons at the flare peak, 17:46 UT (Table~1).  Also shown on the figure is the
core of the flare-related acoustic source \citep{Donea+others2014}.
It is clear that FIRS managed to capture those locations in
solar-$y$ heliographic coordinate that correspond to the time and
place of the acoustic source.

\subsection{Helioseismic holography}

Seismic transients from solar flares can be detected by pre-processing
solar data and applying the analytical technique of helioseismic
holography to Doppler measurement of the active region hosting the
solar flare.  \citet{Donea+others2014} analyzed Doppler maps from the
Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager instrument (HMI;
\citealp{Schou+others2012}) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory
satellite (SDO). HMI measures properties of photospheric dynamics and
magnetic fields every 45 seconds.  \citet{Donea+others2014} generated
Postel projection maps of the seismic emission of NOAA 12017.  We
refer discussion of the principles of seismic holography to Section 4
of \citet{Lindsey+Braun2000}, with application to flare observations
to \citet{Donea+others1999}.  Briefly, the seismic responses to the
flare perturbations are identified through an excess of the emission
power, $|H_{+}(r, t)|^{2}$.  Each pixel in an image of $|H_{+}(r,
t)|^{2}$ is a representation of the coherent acoustic power for waves
that have propagated downward from the focus, traveled thousands of
kilometers beneath the solar surface, and re-emerged into a pupil a
significant distance from the focus. With this technique
\citet{Donea+others2014} uncovered a weak but significant seismic
source at the footpoint shown in Figure~\protect\ref{fig:context}.
Hard X-ray emission, magnetic transients and strong UV footpoint
emission were analyzed by \citet{Donea+others2014}, confirming that
the seismic source is indeed associated with the flare.

\subsection{The depth of penetration of flare energy}

By comparing the brightness of models of continuum and \ion{Si}{1} 1082.7 nm
line to observations, we can in principle constrain the depth in the
atmosphere to which significant heating from above can penetrate.  Our
approach is simple.  We ask: what are the deepest and shallowest
layers in the atmosphere heated by the flare that are compatible with
the data?

To preface the model calculations below, we note that the flare
\ion{Si}{1} profile (Figure~\protect\ref{fig:stokes}) resembles classical
\ion{Ca}{2} $H$ and $K$ self-reversed profiles
\citep{Linsky+Avrett1970}, but with far weaker line absorption wings.
The \ion{Ca}{2} line cores, much more opaque than the line of silicon,
form in the chromosphere with a source function dominated by
scattering.  The simple observation of a self-reversed profile of
\ion{Si}{1} implies a significant column mass, much higher than that
for the calcium line.  The breadth of a Doppler-broadened,
self-reversed line is larger than an optically thin line formed under
the same conditions by the factor $\approx \sqrt{\ln \tau_0}$ where
$\tau_0$ is the line center optical depth.  For $\tau_0=100$ this
factor is over 2.1.  The self-reversal is also very narrow (FWHM $\approx
0.015$ nm, see Figure~\protect\ref{fig:stokes}), indicating turbulent speeds
of FWHM/1.66 $\approx2.5$ $\,$km$\,$s$^{-1}${} where the
line core forms.  A profile averaged along the region with
obvious \ion{Si}{1} emission in Figure~\protect\ref{fig:stokes} is shown in
Figure~\protect\ref{fig:nlte}.  The averaging washes out the self-reversal in
the latter plot.

We model the \ion{Si}{1} line and the neighboring IR
continuum both during and outside of the impulsive phase.
We performed nLTE radiative transfer calculations, in several 1D
models of the solar atmosphere, following the tradition of
\citet[][henceforth VAL81]{Vernazza+Avrett+Loeser1973,
  Vernazza+Avrett+Loeser1976,Vernazza+Avrett+Loeser1981}.  We solved
nLTE statistical equilibrium equations for atoms of H, C, Si and Fe using the program RH
\citep{Uitenbroek2000}.  These atoms were chosen because UV radiation
controlling the \ion{Si}{1} spectral line at 1082.7 nm is dependent on the nLTE
solutions of these abundant elements.
We considered using
one of several flare models \citep[e.g.][]{Machado+Emslie+Avrett1989}.
However, these models were constructed to try to identify the origin of white light
emission in flares.   Our goal is different, to try to see if modeling can provide
a depth of penetration of flare energy into the photosphere.
Therefore we adopted a different, more straightforward strategy.
We started with the model ``C'' of VAL81 and
explored the effects of introducing
temperatures plateaus of the form
$$
T_e = T_0 - T'_1 \log m,   \ \ \ m_2 > m,
$$
where $m$ is the column mass of the atmosphere, $T_0,T'_1$ are
non-negative constants, and $m_2$ is a column mass above which
temperatures are changed.  We have three free parameters,
and so our results will not be unique.  But
such plateaus, with small gradients $T'_1$,
have justification at least during some phases of flaring plasmas
seen in radiation hydrodynamic calculations \cite[see the 50s panel of Figure 3
  of][for example]{Allred+others2005}.  The main sensitivity of the emerging spectra
is to the two parameters $a$ and $m_2$.   Given an estimate of $m_2$ the
height of the energy penetration follows from the $m(z)$ relationship for the model.

We made calculations in two limits:
in the calculations shown in the Figures below we allowed the
atmosphere to relax to a state of hydrostatic equilibrium; in the
other limit we merely solved the statistical equilibrium equations with no
such adjustment.  The sound crossing time of the photosphere is on the
order of a few scale heights divided by 7 $\,$km$\,$s$^{-1}${}, a minute or so,
comparable to the duration of the flare impulsive phase.  These limits
probably span the behavior of intensities from an evolving atmosphere.
The differences between the calculations are small in photospheric
layers but are significant for regions and spectra formed above 600
km above the photosphere.  Such differences do not affect our
conclusions which depend only on the photospheric \ion{Si}{1} line.

These calculations are not state-of-the art in terms of dynamics, our
focus is instead on a careful treatment of the formation of the \ion{Si}{1}
1082.7 nm line and of the continua formed between 125 and 180 nm for
later comparisons with SDO/AIA data.  We therefore took care to use
modern and complete atomic data for the Si and Fe neutrals.  We used
atomic energy levels and transition probabilities from NIST up to and
including the $4p$ levels in Si, and we used photoionization cross
sections from the OPACITY project \citep{Seaton1987}, treated as
outlined in \cite{Judge2007a}. Collisions with electrons were treated
using the impact approximation for permitted transitions
\citep{Seaton1962b}, Seaton's semi empirical formula for direct
ionization \citep{Allen1973}, and a collision strength of 0.1 for
forbidden transitions.

Figure~\protect\ref{fig:nlte} shows, in the right panels, computed and
observed profiles of \ion{Si}{1} 1082.7 nm, with all intensities normalized to
quiet Sun values.  These calculations are representative of two
limits of the value of $m_2$ --  and hence height of penetration -- used in the
models.

The first class (upper panel) allows penetration
of energy and enhanced temperatures down to photospheric layers - we
allowed temperatures to rise down to 0 km height by adding various
plateaus at such depths.
Remarkably, the model shown produces an acceptable match to the observed profiles and
continuum (the \ion{He}{1} line is not modeled here).  Exploring
different temperature plateaus we
determined that a reasonable agreement with the line and continuum
observations
requires the flare energy to penetrate and heat down to a height of
$\gta 100 \pm 100 $ km above the photosphere.  The ``error bar'' comes from
the need to produce the $4\%$ enhancement in continuum emission ($< 200$ km) with temperatures
that can match the \ion{Si}{1} profile, both features spanning the region between 0 and 700 km.

The second limiting case is one where flare energy penetrates only to the
mid-upper chromosphere.
Downward propagating radiation enhances the cores of lines, a typical
calculation is shown in the lower panels.  The line width is very narrow
even though we adopted non-thermal speeds (microturbulence) of up to
8 km/s in the middle chromosphere (close to the sound speed). The continuum,
formed predominantly in the photosphere with a tiny contribution from optically thin
emission in the plateau, is close to the pre-flare level.
The computed continuum
includes thermal photospheric emission as well as hydrogen
recombination from the plateaus. These two contributions have been
discussed by \citet{Machado+Emslie+Avrett1989, Kerr+Fletcher2014}, among others.
The contribution from the latter is small in our calculations, the Balmer continuum
originating from an optically thick layer near 350 km and the
longer-wavelength ($> 364$ nm) H$^-$ and Paschen continua near 0 km.

The core of the \ion{Si}{1} line during the flare is broad compared
with a thermal width near 1.8 $\,$km$\,$s$^{-1}${} (Figure~\protect\ref{fig:nlte}),
and like the well-studied \ion{Ca}{2} $H$ and $K$ lines the origin of
this width appears most naturally explained through scattering (see above).  Some
decades ago there was a discussion of the Wilson-Bappu effect, an
empirical relationship between the width of the core of the
\ion{Ca}{2} lines and stellar luminosity, in favor of line formation
in terms of scattering \citep{Ayres1979} and not optically thin micro-
or macro-turbulence \citep{Fosbury1973}.  The presence of the narrow
self-reversed core seems irrefutable evidence for the presence of
scattering and argues strongly for a deep formation of the core. Only
calculations of penetration of flare energy to the photosphere produce
lines broadened by scattering and self-reversals, the latter happen to
be weak in the case shown in Figure~\protect\ref{fig:nlte}, but not in
obvious disagreement with the observed profile.

We stress that the detailed structure of our calculations is not
unique and should only be viewed as an attempt to find the depth of
penetration of significant heating during the impulsive phase of the
flare.  Overall, our comparisons with observations of the \ion{Si}{1} 1082.7
nm line, and taking into consideration the difficulties of tying down
the continuum intensity during the flare, we conclude that {\em
  heating sufficient to change detectably the photospheric temperature
  occurs at least to about 100 $\pm 100$ km above the visible
  photosphere}.  Based on
an exploration of values of $T_0,m_2$ in our model,
we believe that this aspect of our calculations is robust.

\subsection{Inversions}

We used the code MELANIE \citep{Socas-Navarro2003} to invert the \ion{Si}{1}
Stokes $IQUV$ profiles to derive the vector magnetic field in the
photosphere. This was done only for scans obtained before and after the impulsive phase.
Codes exist for inversion of the \ion{He}{1} multiplet
\citep[e.g.][]{Lopez-Ariste+Casini2002,Lagg+others2004,Asensio+Trujillo+Landi2008}, but we
have not attempted such inversions yet
because we must deal with significant crosstalk
in the \ion{He}{1} $QU$ profiles during the flare, and because
outside of the flare these profiles are mostly of low signal-to-noise ratio.

The observed \ion{Si}{1} line --
$3p4s~^3\!P^o_2 - 3p4p~^3\!P^e_2$ (lower and upper levels respectively) --
forms between $\approx$ 100 km (wings) and 600 km (core) above the
photosphere in our 1D models.
MELANIE solves for a solution to the Milne-Eddington
equations (source function linear with optical depth) for lines with
Zeeman-induced polarization, minimizing differences between observed
and computed profiles. The solution includes the vector
magnetic field (with its 180$^\circ$ ambiguity),
opacity, Doppler width and shift, damping parameter, non-magnetic
filling factor.  The Milne-Eddington approximation is a simplification
that surely is invalid during the flare itself.  But before and after the flare
its use appears reasonable, outside of bright flare ribbons and below
say 600 km in the atmosphere.  Our conclusions will be based only
on the non-flaring atmosphere.

We inverted all five scans.  We set the statistical uncertainty of
each data point to $10^{-3}I_C$ to evaluate values of $\chi^2$,
estimated using the measured fluctuations in $QUV$ at typical
continuum wavelengths.  For comparison, some of the best vector
polarimetric data, the ``deep mode high S/N'' observations from the SP
instrument on the Hinode spacecraft have rms noise of $3\times10^{-4}I_C$ in
the 630 nm region, for integrations of 67 s \citep{Lites+others2008}.
Outside of the flare scan, the distribution of $\chi^2$ peaks near 40,
showing that systematic errors are large and/or the model
parameterization is poor.  Given the residual fringing and other
artifacts evident in the data, this does not by necessity imply that
the model is poor.  The reproducibility of the inversions was tested
by initializing the same dataset with two different random initial
guesses.
The resulting rms variations in the magnetic field strength
$B$ are 140 G, inclination 18$^\circ$, azimuth $41^\circ$, and the LOS
$B$ 30 G.

Figures~\protect\ref{fig:invone} and \protect\ref{fig:invtwo} show results of
inversions of the scans obtained before and after the flare, begun at
16:29:26, 16:55:58, and 18:01:55 UT.  No attempt at a resolution of
the 180$^\circ$ ambiguity in the field azimuth has been made, and
the angles are defined relative to the local vertical\footnote{The vertical
direction of center of the region is rotated 39.6$^\circ$ E-W and 15.8$^\circ$ S-N
relative to the LOS.} (inclination) and in the plane of sky
(azimuth, zero and $180^\circ$ being along the E-W direction).
Circles show the location of the center of the acoustic source.
Figure~\protect\ref{fig:invone} shows measured changes in magnetic parameters
in the two scans obtained before the flare.  There are detectable
differences across the bulk of the field of view in all magnetic
parameters.  Focusing on data in the circled region of the acoustic
source, we see a significant increase in the field strength in this
region, accompanied by becoming more inclined to the vertical
direction (data shown in the first two rows of the Figure).
Note that the circled region is some 5$\arcsec$ from the polarity inversion line.
The maps of $B$ suggest that a channel of weak field is moved to the west
by an arcsecond.
Initially
the field is inclined at some 130$^\circ$ to the vertical. But by 17:05 UT two bands
of field connected in a ``Y-shape'' on its side in the image appear more inclined to
the vertical.
The field azimuth in the ``Y'' shape departs significantly from initially E-W to
more N-S.
The LOS field within at the circle's center shows an increase that results from
increases in $B$ despite the decrease in inclination.  It is unclear from our data
if these changing fields arise from motions of field vertically
(flux emergence) or horizontally (flows).   There is little
evidence for vertical motions from the LOS velocity measurements shown in
Figure~\protect\ref{fig:evolone}, but the inversion data (not shown) reveal a
very small (-0.3 $\,$km$\,$s$^{-1}${}) blue-shift pattern in the \ion{Si}{1} data in the 10:55:58 UT
scan that might conceivably be associated with the upper part only
of the ``Y'' pattern seen in the magnetic data.

The scans upon which the inversions are based are 26 minutes apart.
The above changes are unremarkable when compared to the larger field
of view, except that they are within the circle encompassing the
acoustic source and they are significant in all magnetic parameters.

Figure~\protect\ref{fig:invtwo} shows measured changes before and after the flare itself,
scans begun 66 minutes apart.  The difference panels show again an increase
of $B$ and azimuth, and a weak reduction of inclination, in a band in the E-W direction
cutting through the circled region, flanked by regions of increased
inclination just to the S and N.  This sheared region (differentially
changing field inclinations with time)
appears aligned with the bright
footpoint emission seen in the core intensities
of the \ion{Si}{1} and \ion{He}{1} lines.  The data are noisy, however.

Thus, our analysis hints that magnetic fields
associated with the particular acoustic source evolve to become more sheared
(i.e. inclination angles diverging in time),
stronger (perhaps due to flux emergence) and rotated relative to the EW direction,
during the flare.  These results appear to correspond to a mixture of earlier results.
\citet{Wang+Deng+Liu2012} found penumbral fields which became more vertical
after flaring.
In contrast, for some flares
\citet{Martinez+others2008,Wang+others2012} reported field lines
highly inclined to the vertical after a flare-associated
seismic transient.  We note that the seismic source we have analyzed
is unusual. It is found near a magnetic pore, emerging from a magnetically quieter
area somewhere between the main two
sunspots of the AR12017 \citep{Donea+others2014}, instead of in a penumbra.

Lastly, if flux emergence were responsible for
these measured changes in magnetic field,
in 1 hour the plasma and magnetic field moving vertically through the
compressible sub-photosphere with a surface velocity
$\lta 0.3$ $\,$km$\,$s$^{-1}${} could have emerged from depths
no deeper than $\approx 200$ km. If advected by granules with 1 $\,$km$\,$s$^{-1}${}
speeds, the flux could have emerged from no deeper than 600km. It is interesting to
consider how
such changes to the immediate subsurface structure might or might not affect the generation
of sunquakes.

\subsection{The mode of transfer of  flare energy down through the atmosphere}

Armed with a unique dataset, we have studied the depth of penetration
of flare energy down into the solar photosphere.  We have shown that
the detected changes in {\em thermal} structure in the atmosphere
reach the photospheric level, but barely.  Here we examine possible
modes by which the energy might be transported through the photosphere
into the deeper solar layers, thereby exciting the sunquake.

The power in the main kernel of the acoustic source
measured using seismology from HMI is \citep{Donea+others2014}:
$$
P = 1.3 \pm 0.05 \times 10^{26} {\rm  erg~s^{-1}}.
$$
This power is distributed over an area including the main kernel
centered at $(X,Y)=(518,264)$ (see Figure~\protect\ref{fig:context}), the
source just to the SW requiring an additional $1.0\times10^{26}$
erg~s$^{-1}$.  The main source's spatial distribution is nearly
bi-Gaussian with a geometric mean full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of
$w=4.2$ HMI pixels, $w\equiv1.5\times 10^8$ cm.  The peak of the power per
unit area is $ F = P/ ( A=\pi a^2) $ with $a=w / 2\sqrt{\ln 2}$, or
$$
F=5\times10^9 {\rm  erg~cm^{-2}~s^{-1}}.
$$
This should be regarded as a lower limit since both the holographic technique
and HMI have non-negligible angular resolutions.  The area $A=
2.6\times10^{16}$ cm$^2$ is strictly an upper limit for the same reasons.

Let us consider first ``non-magnetic mechanisms'' by which energy is transported
to the acoustic source.  In this picture the
changing magnetic field generates thermal perturbations
indirectly via the end product of large coronal magnetic restructuring
(conduction, particles, local downward radiative heating),
channeling some flare energy
into the photosphere.   We can estimate energy fluxes into the acoustic
source region that
are compatible with our observations in several ways.  First, we note that the
excess thermal energy radiated from the photosphere during the few minutes
of the rise phase is roughly 4-5\% (i.e. the measured continuum enhancement)
of the unperturbed solar radiative flux density $F_\odot = 6.33\times10^{10}$ $\,$ergs$\,$cm$^{-2}\,$s$^{-1}$:
$$
P_{RAD} \approx  0.04 F_\odot A \lta 7\times10^{25} {\rm \  erg~s^{-1}}.
$$
The radiative cooling time of photospheric plasma is 1-2 s
\citep{Spiegel1957}. Curiously then, although $P_{RAD} \sim P$, this excess thermal
energy is
simply radiated into space on such timescales, and is unavailable to contribute to $P$.
We can look at the {\em enthalpy} flux
$F_{enth}$ associated with bulk flows into the photosphere, for this we need
a measurement of plasma motions and we turn to the \ion{Si}{1} line core emission
which forms between 200 and 500 km in our models.   We use pressures
$p=2\times10^4$ dyne~cm$^{-2}$
and densities $\rho=4\times10^{-8}$ g~cm$^{-2}$.
corresponding to 300 km height.  These are conservatively high values for
average thermal properties of the plasma where this line is formed, favoring
higher estimates of energy transport.

A careful comparison of the flare emission core and the pre-flare absorption
profile of the \ion{Si}{1} line
reveals an upper limit to differential flows of roughly 0.5 wavelength
pixels, 0.5 $\,$km$\,$s$^{-1}${}.   This is equivalent to 2.5$\sigma$
where $\sigma$ is the sensitivity of
the Doppler shifts from our FIRS spectra.
A Doppler photospheric signature of the flare is
present in HMI data at the location of the seismic source with
a shift equivalent to $u \approx 0.3 - 0.5$ $\,$km$\,$s$^{-1}${} \citep{Donea+others2014}.
However, such filtergram data, scanning wavelengths in time, cannot be
trusted during flaring and so we adopt the upper limit above.
We then find an upper limit to the
enthalpy energy flux of
$$
F_{enth} \lta   \,\frac{5}{2}p \, u\, A \approx 6\times 10^{25} {\rm  erg~s^{-1}}.
$$
The close agreement of
the upper limit for $F_{enth}$ with $F_{rad}$ means that the excess
energy radiated by the photosphere during the flare can be supplied by
a bulk flow of energy associated with a subsonic downflow of
0.5 $\,$km$\,$s$^{-1}${} induced (somehow) by the flare.  The power in the acoustic
pulse is a factor of at least 2 larger than our optimistic estimate of
$F_{enth}$.

If however the pressure pulse involves high frequency phenomena ($\nu
> c_S/H \approx 60$ mHz, where $H$ is the pressure scale height and
$c_S$ the sound speed), the pulse would be invisible to observation
except as a broadening of spectral lines to at most the sound
speed (for linear waves), the lines being formed over a length
$\approx H$ in a stratified atmosphere.  The WKB expression for the
energy flux density (propagating both upwards and downwards) at the sound
speed is
$$
F_{wave} = \rho c_S \langle \xi^2 \rangle
\ \ \ {\rm  erg~cm^{-2}s^{-1}},
$$
where $\xi$ is the velocity amplitude of the wave.  We can set limits on
$\xi$ through the measured line broadening and line profiles during the flare
itself.  Before and after the flare, the inversions yield
$\xi \lta 2.8$ $\,$km$\,$s$^{-1}${}.  During the flare
the measured line wings are similar in shape to the pre- and post- flare profiles.
The
emission core of the profile has a FWHM of
0.05 nm (Figures~\protect\ref{fig:stokes} and \protect\ref{fig:nlte}).
Treated as optically thin emission, this FWHM is
equivalent to an e-folding Doppler broadening speed of
$8$ $\,$km$\,$s$^{-1}${}.
In the presence of scattering this is a strict upper limit.
To estimate the energy flux available in such modes
we again use $\rho = 4\times 10^{-8}$ g~cm$^{-2}$,
and the upper limit of 8 $\,$km$\,$s$^{-1}${}.  Assuming that only half of the
waves are emitted downwards, we find
$$
F_{wave} A \lta 2.5\times10^{26}\ \ {\rm  erg~s^{-1}}.
$$
But this, we believe, is a gross over-estimate.
Firstly,
the scattering leads to
emission profiles a factor of
$\approx \sqrt{\ln \tau_0}$ broader than mere Doppler broadening
where $\tau_0$ is the line center optical depth.   We are able to reproduce the
core \ion{Si}{1} emission using microturbulent speeds of 1-2 $\,$km$\,$s$^{-1}${}
and the full Voigt profile, reducing the above
estimate $F_{wave}$ by a factor of at least 16!
Secondly, the line profile
shows, within a broad
emission core, a very narrow self-reversal during the flare
(lower left panel of Figure~\protect\ref{fig:stokes}), indicating both
scattering-induced line broadened profiles and
values of $\xi$ in the line core
far smaller than those adopted above.
Lastly,  any high
frequency waves with frequencies of a few Hz or less
are rapidly damped in the photosphere by the continuum radiative exchange processes
first modeled by \citet{Spiegel1957}.
The thermal perturbations associated with
high frequency wave energy rapidly radiate this energy
from the photosphere on a timescale of 1-2 s.
Only waves with frequencies in excess of several Hz could propagate
down into the interior unmodified by radiation damping. All things considered,
it seems unlikely that the power of the sunquake can be provided by
such high frequency waves.

{\em We conclude that
non-magnetic modes of energy transport into the interior are very unlikely to
be sound waves}.  More likely is a coherent downward-moving plug of plasma carrying enthalpy of
almost the right magnitude, but we have above already set an upper limit to this process
that is optimistically a factor of two smaller than needed.

Consider in turn the energetics of the Lorentz force picture.  The
field strength from inversions from the \ion{Si}{1} line, before and
after the flare, is of order 800 G from which the magnetic energy
density is $B^2/8\pi = 2.5\times10^4$ erg~cm$^{-3}$, about 1/3 of the
photospheric thermal energy density, $\frac{3}{2} p_{ph}$ (the latter
is a lower limit since we neglect latent heat of ionization).  The
Alfv\'en speed $c_A$ for a photospheric density of $2.6\times10^{-7}$
g~cm$^{-3}$ is 4.3 $\,$km$\,$s$^{-1}${}, so the local magnetic energy flux is at
most
$$
F_M A \lta c_A \frac{B^2}{8\pi} A = 2.4\times10^{26} \ \ {\rm erg~s^{-1}},
$$
scaling as $B^3/\sqrt{\rho}$.  This estimate is entirely a local
one, it does not take into account the connections of the magnetic
field throughout the entire flux system and the fact that momentum and
energy is readily imparted to localities from a far larger reservoir
of magnetic energy encompassing the entire volume of the active region.  Thus there is
naturally sufficient energy in the magnetic field of the entire active region
to account for the
acoustic source.  But it should be remembered also that
only a fraction of the
total magnetic energy is available as free energy,
only a fraction will penetrate into the interior, and
measured changes in magnetic fields before and after flares
are small relative to the ambient field. Estimating the free energy
change over the entire active region is not a simple task, fraught with
problems  \citep{Derosa+others2009} and so is not attempted here.

Instead let us assume that a magnetic force is responsible for the impulse
into and below the photosphere at the acoustic source.  The same
argument for the enthalpy flux applies here no matter if a Lorentz-forced flow
is responsible, and the same inadequate energy flux
results from the stringent limit on flows found from the spectra of
the \ion{Si}{1} line.  The reason is simple: magnetic fields are
frozen to plasma under conditions of high magnetic Reynolds number,
motions of plasma {\em must} accompany any forcing no matter its origin.
The collision time for a proton to exchange
its momentum with a hydrogen atom is of order
$4\times10^{9} / \sqrt{T} n_H$ sec. With $T=6000$ K, $n_H \approx 10^{17}$ cm$^{-3}$, this
time is far smaller than any dynamical time scale
\citep{Gilbert+Hansteen+Holzer2002}. The partially ionized plasma behaves
dynamically as a fully ionized plasma with the same charged particles
but with the additional neutral mass.
Again therefore we must appeal to unresolved motions, i.e. waves.  But
the fastest magnetosonic mode is the field-aligned modified sound wave
when the plasma $\beta > 1$, so that the same conclusions are drawn
as for the non-magnetic case.
{\em The magnetic forces are either (a) incompatible with the
  observations of line profiles revealing down-flowing material with
  insufficient energy flux to account for the acoustic source, or (b)
  are in the form of modified high frequency sound waves with the same
  problems that the sound waves have.}

\section{Discussion and Conclusions}

We have reported some unusual spectral and polarimetric profiles of lines
of \ion{Si}{1} and \ion{He}{1}
obtained at a flare footpoint at infrared wavelengths.  Several
photospheric lines revealed line core emission in excess of
non-flaring conditions, and the helium 1083 nm multiplet almost
doubled in brightness.  Using the enhanced brightness of the
\ion{Si}{1} 1082.7 nm line and the neighboring continuum, we have
demonstrated via 1D radiative transfer models that flare-related
heating can be detected all the way to the photosphere, to 100 $\pm
100$ km.  This is deeper by several scale heights than the expected
depth of penetration of hard X ray emission.  Our models merely show
the depth to which heating is observed to occur through the flare
mechanism(s), they shed no light on the nature of this transport from
the corona into the Sun's deeper atmosphere.  It could be a direct
mechanical effect or a two-stage mechanism of mechanical transport
followed by radiative back warming \citep{Machado+Emslie+Avrett1989}.
Using dynamical models in a stratified atmosphere,
\citet{Allred+others2005} found the flare energy penetrated only to
the mid chromosphere (800 km).  \citet{Martinez+others2012} found
heights of 305 $\pm$170 km and $195 \pm 70$ km, respectively, for the
centroids of the hard X ray and white light footpoint sources of a
flare observed stereoscopically.

How robust is our new result?  We can produce significant emission in the
core of the \ion{Si}{1} line using both deep and shallow penetration models (enhanced
temperatures only above 500 km). But the shallow models can be eliminated:
the continuum intensities are unchanged from pre-flare conditions; the
\ion{Si}{1} line cores are far too narrow; also, only models with energy
penetrating down into the photosphere have sufficient opacity to
produce the opacity broadening and subtle narrow
self-reversal observed in the very center of the
line.  The combination of broad, self reversed line emission and a
brighter continuum appears to be a clear signature of flare heating down
to $100\pm100$ km.  This picture also eliminates the possibility that
hydrogen recombination radiation contributes to the visible and infrared
continuum emission
for this flare \citep{Kerr+Fletcher2014}.
One should expect that our conclusions  depend strongly on the adopted
model of the photosphere/chromosphere: surely 1D models are inadequate
for studies of the Sun's atmosphere in general? It is sometimes forgotten
that the photosphere/low chromosphere are characterized
by subsonic motion, and that therefore the atmosphere is strongly
stratified\footnote{Very dynamic phenomena seen at UV wavelengths, for example with
the HRTS or IRIS instruments, are formed
mostly in less dense structures above the
stratified layer that is optically thick to most UV radiation.}.
It is this essential property of these plasmas,
in which the \ion{Si}{1} diagnostic line we have used is formed,
that is most critical for determining the depth of penetration
of flare energy.   There appears to be no credible way to reconcile the
salient line profile and continuum observations with heating
occurring purely above 200 km.   Whatever model we would choose to
use, we would still require continuum and line
formation  within the photosphere, not the chromosphere.

We found significant pre- and post-flare changes in the magnetic
conditions within and outside of the acoustic source region.  Within
the source region, these include an increase in magnetic field
strength, a rotation of the magnetic azimuth and a reduction of
inclination with respect to the solar vertical.   The further interpretation
of these changes, part of the evolution of the entire active region,
is beyond the scope of this paper.

We detected no signature of downward energy transport capable of
carrying $2.3\times10^{26}$ erg~s$^{-1}$
needed to account for the
acoustic source, that is compatible with our ground-based
observations.  Curiously, both line and continuum emission is present
along an extended ribbon, but the acoustic emission is confined to a
smaller region only associated with the brightest parts of the ribbon.
At some future time, the flux of energy in {\em something} propagating
downwards through the Sun's atmosphere must be detected.  We have
shown using current spectroscopic capabilities that macroscopic
motions driven magnetically or otherwise carry insufficient energy by
at least an order of magnitude, and that high frequency acoustic and
magnetic waves are also are very likely to fall short.
Spectropolarimetric analysis reveals magnetic fields that are too
small at the acoustic source for magnetic wave modes to carry the
energy ($c_A \lta c_S$), and if a Lorentz force is responsible for the
impulse, we must at some point also observe either a Doppler shifted
downflow of plasma or lines broadened enough for the flux $\rho c_A
\xi^2$ to carry sufficient energy.  If we have captured the essential
dynamics of this particular flare in our observations, it seems that
we have ruled out two important classes of models for the forcing of
acoustic sources under the photosphere.  Anything that relies on
transport of energy (radiation, conduction) more than momentum seems
to be
incompatible with our data.

Our work therefore raises a problem, namely that the energy is
transported downwards in a fashion that is somehow invisible to our
observations.  Yet the latter include the infrared continuum and lines
of \ion{Si}{1} and \ion{He}{1} and they span the entire photosphere
and chromosphere of the Sun.  Is it possible that we have missed the
region of ``action''?  We do not believe so since our slit passed
right across the bright flare kernel accompanying the acoustic source
at the right time.  Perhaps the energy is transmitted in intense but
very short ($< 1$ s) bursts which, when integrated over the 13 s dwell
time at each slit position, might contribute only to very broad
spectral lines that are washed out spectrally and/or temporally in our data.
Such variations might be absent in the continuum and line emission
that we can measure.  Or perhaps the energy is transmitted to the source
over a larger area of the visible surface, and focused somehow into
the source itself.  Our estimate of $A\lta 2.6\times10^{16}$ cm$^2$
is our best estimate based upon the acoustic wave analysis of
\citet{Donea+others2014}.  Other alternatives might appeal to high
energy particles accelerated in the corona.
The power delivered by electrons of energy sufficient to reach
altitudes of 100~km above the photosphere can be estimated using the
RHESSI quick-look spectral fits to obtain photon spectral index and
intensity, which is related straightforwardly to electron power using
the collisional thick target approximation \citep[see
  e.g.][]{Fletcher+others2007} and the approximation that to traverse
a column of $N \rm{cm}^{-2}$ requires an electron of energy $E^2 =
N/(10^{17}\mu_o)$, where $\mu_o$ is the pitch-angle cosine of the
electron (set equal to 1 here) and $E$ is measured in keV.  In the
VAL-C model, 100~km above the photosphere corresponds to $N =
1.3\times 10^{24} \rm{cm}^{-2}$ (assuming a pure hydrogen target)
meaning that electrons of 3.6~MeV are required. The HXR spectrum is
hardest and most intense at 17:46:00-17:47:00, during which time the
photon spectral index at high energies is $\gamma = 3.23$, and the
intensity at 50 keV is approximately 1 photon $\rm{s^{-1} cm^{-2}
  keV^{-1}}$. Using these data in equations (1) and (2) from
\cite{Fletcher+others2007} gives a power in electrons above 3.6~keV of
$4.4\times 10^{24}{\rm erg~s^{-1}}$.  Thus the electrons appear to fall
short by a factor of 30 from directly depositing the needed energy to the
100 km depth.  We can of course speculate, along with many previous
workers, that
high energy protons might provide the needed energy flux deep in the
solar atmosphere.
Protons require energies $\sqrt{m_p/m_e}$ higher, i.e. in excess of 160 MeV.
Such protons are sometimes seen in interplanetary space, associated with
flares.  But to remain invisible to
our observations, such beams must penetrate and dump their energy and momentum {\em
below} the photosphere, bumping up the energy requirements through the column mass
by a factor of three or more.
We see no evidence for an
up-welling of energy or plasma in response to such energy deposition below the
surface in our two scans obtained after the flare itself.

Our spectra serve to remind us of  difficulties in measuring magnetic and velocity
field changes during flares.  The \ion{Si}{1} line profiles bear no resemblance to
what is usually assumed to ``invert'' photospheric lines, and
the usual magnetograms and velocities
render spurious results during a white-light flare. Such photospheric changes will
similarly alter the formation of the \ion{Ni}{1} 676.8 nm or \ion{Fe}{1} 617.3 nm
and other lines routinely used on spacecraft.

In future, several promising lines of research should be
pursued for this uniquely well\--observed flare. We will
analyze further the FIRS and IBIS data, exploring the
magnetic field changes across the atmosphere using lines formed at a
variety of depths from photosphere to chromosphere.  They have many
advantages over space-based data UV which tend to saturate during
flares, and over space based magnetic data owing to the limited modes
of operation and other characteristics of polarimeters in space.
Following the seminal calculations by \citet{Machado+Emslie+Avrett1989},
radiation hydrodynamic work along the lines of
\cite{Abbett+Hawley1999,Allred+others2005} is worth revisiting to help
further determine the nature of the heating mechanism above and beyond
the work presented here.

\acknowledgments We thank the observers at the DST for their help.  Sarah Jaeggli and
Tom Schad provided software and advice for reducing the FIRS data used here.
PGJ acknowledges discussions with Roberto Casini, Bruce Lites and Alfred de Wijn.
Part of this work was carried out under NASA grant NNX13AI63G.  The referee provided
helpful comments on the manuscript.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


Thank you to everyone for their efforts to support the people of Texas and help our communities recover and rebuild our lives. Once you endure the Hurricane of change, you pause to suddenly realize amidst the chaos you have actually survived three Search and Rescues to help move residents and the elderly across a long, cold, murky Texas bath consisting of 27 trillion gallons of water falling from the sky, a few fire ants, snakes and alligators. The annual rainfall of Texas is normally 51 inches, which Harvey delivered in 72 hours! We also survived an emergency evacuation by FEMA & the Fire Department due to 40 feet of flood water surrounding our block, multiple electrical fires and a dove in a ark tree making our homes permanently uninhabitable. I have never done a 1 day pack and move, it was exhausting but thanks to church volunteers, it was possible. The Red Cross Disaster Relief team somehow humorously reminded me over dinner that although our lives are forever transformed, the rewards of flood water search and rescue heroism are bringing people to safety and a tetanus shot given by the #Walgreens Medic team. 😉 Although our art and photo studios were submerged under water, there is nothing to complain about because we are blessed and grateful to still be alive.
I am thrilled about the simple fact I can actually remember what day of the week it is now and am pushing through my Hurricane Harvey PTSD fog. Sunday, I found enough energy to volunteer with #LoveFirst to help other flood residents off of Dairy Ashford near the reservoir clean out their homes and strip them to the concrete. Over 500 residents homes were flooded in that neighborhood, it looks like a war zone with debris everywhere and we have only reached about 10% of the residents. We need more volunteers over the next six months to continue to help bring hope to hurting hearts as much of our community is grieving on multiple levels. On top of everything, my mentor and family friend Lucia, whom I often work with was in critical care at MD Anderson but was moved to hospice and passed Friday evening at 8:10 pm. Lucia has been an inspiration to me personally and many of us in the holistic and creative communities. Her loss will significantly impact us, as no one has stepped up to buy her wellness center. Emotionally, the month has taken a toll on us but we are hoping Shanah Tovah will usher in more positive energy for healing on a local and global scale.
If you have a warm smile and a compassionate heart to serve, two willing hands and need a humbling reminder to be grateful for all your blessings, please join us as a #Volunteer in our ongoing interior and exterior design Hurricane relief #Art projects. We definitely need you now. God Bless everyone, thank you for all your help and please keep all the residents of #Texas, #Louisiana, #Florida, #CaribbeanIslands and #Mexico in your Prayers as we heal and restore our lives.
DONATIONS: Contact a local trucking company to create a 18 Wheeler Donation Drive or fill a PODS Container with a specific type of donation. Separate items in categories for; water, food, non-perishable snacks, toiletries, shoes (tied together with twist ties,) work boots, tools, undergarments like underwear and socks, pillows & blankets, mattresses, sleeping bags, baby supplies like; baby formula & food, pacifiers, bibles, wet wipes & diapers, car seats & strollers, wheelchairs & walkers, Toiletries like;(toothpaste, tooth brushes, soap,) insulin & diabetic (blood glucose meters,) stethoscopes, aspirin, feminine hygiene products, cell phone chargers, dog & cat food, cleaning supplies like hydrogen peroxide & vinegar, etc. Please watch a note on Donating individual Goods to help ensure your donation makes the most impact and are sorted properly for faster delivery to disaster survivors and their communities. Large volume donation drives are a great way to enroll your community and businesses to donate and ship items to areas in desperate need of supplies.
CHURCH NEEDS: 70% of Hurricane Relief efforts has been supplied by spiritual organizations.
College Alumni : If you are a current college #Student, member of a #University sports team or #Alumni, ask your school registrars office or Dean to compile a list to check on others Graduates or current students with families living in areas effected by the disasters and volunteer as a #Team to show up to help them. Survivors are busy trying to salvage their lives doing manual labor and moving what they can. Literally, call and go knock on their doors.
Block Volunteers : If you live in an area unaffected by a natural disaster, rally your entire block, or office to host a donation drive or volunteer as a group.
Lakewood Hurricane Relief : Register to join the church rebuild Houston.
RED CROSS: The #RedCross set up 34 Emergency Shelters across Texas and 31 in #Florida after the Hurricanes, they only have a few 1000 volunteers and are in need of 17,000 volunteers and shelter managers for support to keep up with the volume of people. You can find #Shelters to volunteer at Red Cross , or download a free Red Cross App or call 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767). If you qualify for financial disaster relief, the Red Cross will begin taking applications on September 21st.
EMPLOYMENT: According to Stanford, the economic impact of Hurricane Harvey and Irma will be severe, as many businesses and entrepreneurs like myself have been impacted by flood damage. People will lose their jobs altogether or be out of work for months. While people are displaced and living in shelters, work gives them a sense of mental and financial stability via income. When they are effected both financially and displaced from their homes, it can be a disasterous recipe for tdepression. If you know of legitimate remote work via a laptop and telephone, or of jobs with relocation assistance (to help people or families travel, move and get established in a new home from Point A to Point B.) These are 'lifelines' that can provide stability, so are work scholarships or internships that can help recent graduates of high school, new Freshman and college graduates have the money and supplies to continue their education despite the Hurricane displacing them and their families. Also, if you have the business connections, friends or means to personally provide work to Hurricane survivors, this will be of extreme importance in the days and weeks to come for residents in Texas, Louisiana and Florida. Please list any jobs on Indeed asap and ask your publicist to make appropriate announcements for community awareness. Jobs, and being productive helps save lives.
TETANUS SHOTS: If you or someone you know are exposed to the flood water, breathing the droplets due to watering getting into your/their home, getting your hands or body wet while working construction or clean up (nicks and cuts), you will need to go to the #RedCross pharmacy run by Walgreens to get a #Tetnus shot unless you have had one in the last 5 years. The Red Cross Medic team will give you a free shot at the Pharmacy inside a local Red Cross shelter. If not go to see your own doctor asap because the germs in the flood water can make you sick up to 2 years later. Better to be safe than sorry.


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text:
Planned Giving Matters
by Amanda Moths and Melody Mora-Shihadeh
Muriel O'Neil was not just an avid fan of Florida Studio Theatre productions. She was also a great friend of the theatre. In addition to many years of attending shows at FST, her dedication and selfless hours of volunteer work further demonstrated her passion and appreciation for the art of theatre.
Muriel sadly passed away in 2013. But thanks to a generous gift of $500,000 from the Muriel O'Neil Fund for the Performing Arts of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, Muriel's legacy and support of the theatre lives on.
Gertrude Hight, M.D., sister to Muriel, established this gift though a relationship with the Community Foundation of Sarasota County to ensure Muriel's legacy would continue to support an area of the community her sister cherished.
"This legacy gift allows for someone who was very important to our theatre, to remain a part of it," said Producing Artistic Director Richard Hopkins. "Through her gift and the expansion opportunities now made possible, Muriel will continue to be a part of every production we bring to the stage."
With this gift, an endowed fund of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County has been established to underwrite FST's Mainstage Series. The Fund will also support renovation of producing offices and construction of a new costume studio.
"We feel so fortunate to be able to steward both Muriel and Gertrude's generous legacy through this gift," says Roxie Jerde, President and CEO of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. "It's clear that Muriel had such a passion for our local arts organizations, and Florida Studio Theatre was one that sat so closely to her heart. We're pleased that Muriel's name will be remembered through this endowed gift that will impact so many people for years to come."
This spring, as you review your tax and estate planning, remember Muriel's story, and remember that planned giving matters. Florida Studio Theatre relies on the support and thoughtful foresight of donors to guarantee the success and sustainability of its forthcoming seasons. Planned giving will ensure that the programs you love and value will endure for future generations.
Planned giving is easier than you might think. Here are just a few ways that you can leave a planned gift to FST:
• Bequest in your will or living trust
• Life income gift (charitable gift annuity, charitable remainder trust or charitable lead trust)
• Retirement plan beneficiary designation
• Life insurance policy beneficiary designation
• Life estate gift (remainder interest in real property)
Small bequests contribute to the theatre's art and general operations. Larger planned giving can grow and strengthen our Artistic Endowment Funds. Endowments help FST meet expenses not covered by ticket sales, ensuring FST is affordable and accessible well into the future.
You may also choose to support a more specific designation such as an Endowed Fund to Co-Produce each year into perpetuity. Contributing to FST's Endowment can safeguard and expand Education Scholarships or FST's WRITE A PLAY series in schools. These funds provide under-served children, as well as their families, with opportunities to participate in and experience the impact of live theatre.
Every donor who remembers FST through planned giving will become a member of the Legacy Society, a special group of individuals who have contributed continuous, lasting support to the theatre. You and your loved ones may also qualify for tax and other financial benefits through giving to FST, a non-profit 501(c) 3.
As you are planning your financial future, it is the perfect time to think about how you would like to create a lasting legacy that will ensure the future of the programming you love.
If your plans include a gift to FST, let us know. We want to thank you and honor your wishes. Please contact Melody Mora-Shihadeh at 941-366-9017 ext. 326 or email mmora-shihadeh@floridastudiotheatre.org for more information, because planned giving matters to the future of FST.
floridastudiotheatre August 3, 2018
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Annabelle doesn't want the same boring hairstyle that all the other girls have.
When she spies a picture of her grandma, she has the perfect idea: a big bouffant!
But how can she make her style stand up? And will her classmates really be impressed with her daring 'do?
What were you like as a young reader, and how did that influence the book that you are debuting this year?
I come from a long line of readers. I think my grandmother had to make a rule for my mother that she was only allowed to read at the dinner table one night per week, and I was like that as well. I even remember reading through a school fire drill when I was in elementary school.
I was always attracted to independent female characters like Pippi Longstocking, Madeline, Eloise, and Anne of Green Gables. All of these girls went their own way without worrying too much about what other people thought. I probably based my main character, Annabelle, on this type of girl.
As I grew older, I sought out stories about children in New York City, like Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh (Harper & Row, 1964) and From the Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg (Atheneum, 1967). The idea of a child making her way through the city alone seemed so glamorous to me. I still feel that way when I reread those books.
So I guess it somehow makes sense that I ended up living in New York City, writing about an independent girl who wants a little more glamor in her classroom.
As a picture book writer, how did you learn your craft? What were your natural strengths? Greatest challenges?
About ten years ago, I was working as an illustrator. I started writing picture books as a way to get more illustration work, but gradually discovered that I preferred the writing to the illustrating. This realization was very liberating, and I decided to focus all of my energy on becoming a writer.
In January, I received my M.F.A. in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. This was a total immersion experience, which allowed me to work on the craft of writing for two solid years. It also provided me with an amazing network of writers.
Now I am more confident about revision, and if I get stuck, I have a lot of people who can help me out.
Writing can be lonely, and building a writer's community is one of the most important things that a writer can do, second only to parking oneself in a chair and writing.
I think my main strength is coming up with whimsical ideas. I already have more ideas for Annabelle, the star of Big Bouffant, so stay tuned.
Often stories will come to me in the form of a title, and I'll write it down and then come up with the story later. In the case of Big Bouffant, I started with "bouffant," which is already a fun word to say, and then my younger son started saying "big bouffant." The phrase "all I really want is a big bouffant" came to me soon after, and I would walk around mumbling it to myself.
That's one of the great things about New York, you can walk down the street talking to yourself, and no one will even notice!
However, I then spent the next four years writing versions of the story in prose. At that time, I somehow felt I had to avoid rhyme, when actually rhyme was exactly what I needed to bring the story to life. If I had listened to that initial voice in my head, I would have realized that the correct form for the story was already there.
During graduate school, I discovered that I loved writing poetry, especially poems with rhymed couplets. I really enjoyed creating poetry collections, where I could explore a theme thoroughly through a series of poems.
One challenge I have is making sure that my picture books stories lend themselves to visual images. This may sound obvious, however it's easy to be swept away by a story that is interesting but not so visual.
I once wrote an entire story about a little girl talking to a seed that wouldn't grow…. It would take a very special illustrator to bring that one to life!
Stories that have too much dialogue are often problematic because the characters are just standing around talking to one another. I try to storyboard my stories to make sure that an illustrator would have enough visual images for an entire book.
Another challenge that I face is walking that fine line between providing enough textual clues to inspire an illustrator, but also enough breathing room so that she can be a creative collaborator.
It's easy to overwrite the text. Or sometimes the tendency is to underwrite, but then provide lots of art notes just in case the illustrator doesn't "get" it. Finding that middle ground can be tricky, but it's essential.
An evocative text allows the illustrations to sing, and when the interplay between words and images is right, a picture book really becomes more than the sum of its parts. That is one of the reasons why I find this genre so exciting.
More photos from the launch party for Big Bouffant at Books of Wonder in New York City; photos by Greta Mansour.
This story looks adorable! I create art lessons from children's books and post the lesson plans on my site www.deepspacesparkle.com. This story is an art lesson waiting to happen. I'll be sure to pick up a copy and post it on my site!
Thanks so much for introducing these books. You are a great resource!
I love this book, and would have loved it as a kid, too - glad to hear that Kate has more Annabelle stories up her sleeve. Hooray!
Wah...I want a big bouffant hairdo too. I am so glad you kept mummbling to yourself...what a great, fun story.
What a great interview, and a fun, funny book. Here's to more, Kate. Patty, you're so right--this book is an art lesson waiting to happen!
Patty, that's terrific! I'm going to surf over and check out your site.
Agreed, Julie and Uma! Can't wait for more!
Lindsey, we should get bouffants together.


Smackdown live manual search, all results show as unknown series.
205 Live manual search all results show as wrong series apart from some random releases labelled as S3, which make no sense as episode numbers for the show, all date formatted entries show as unknown series!
I know it's only grown men rolling around in their underwear but should I log this on github instead as a bug?
No, this is not a bug, it's a naming issue.
WWE Smackdown Live is an alias for WWE SmackDown (https://www.thetvdb.com/series/wwe-smackdown).
It looks like they are partially the same, though the series the alias is linked to have more episode information. This should be cleaned up on the TVDB and things should be consolidated to a single series.
The WWE 205 Live issue is they are being parsed as anime releases, there may be nothing we can do without an overhaul to the parsing system. This is why the logs show: Episode Parsed. WWE - 205 instead of the full title + date.
Thanks. Adding the other series directly using its tvdb id and then doing an auto search for last weeks episode with the series set to daily has worked. Thank you.
As for 205 live, I can deal with that series having to be a manual search and manually clicking one of the links it provides, it's not a massive big deal.


This is a fuss-free yet high quality design, offering everything you need in a freezer. This freestanding undercounter model can be integrated into your kitchen or kept out of sight in the garage, and it is energy efficient while still offering plenty of storage space.
Three drawers provide a net food storage area of 65L, which is more than enough to satisfy most families' needs. The internal slim line tray creates an ice bank for making and storing ice cubes so you can enjoy a refreshing chilled drink, any time of day.
The freezer's clean white exterior will match any kitchen. It can, however, operate in temperatures as low as -15o, so this model can be kept in garages too.
Freezer star ratings tell you what the appliance can store and for how long. The UFC524W has been awarded the highest rating of 4 stars, which means it can be used to freeze things from fresh and store food for up to 12 months.
You don't need to worry about this model's electricity consumption. It's in the A+ energy efficiency class, so expect minimal running costs. In fact, if your previous freezer was bought before September 1999 you could make considerable annual savings on your electricity bills.
Beko are known for using intelligent features like transparent freezer drawers. This simple consideration means you can find a specific item without having to rummage, reducing the amount of work the freezer has to do to maintain the optimum temperature. The brand's Freezer Guard technology means the appliance will carry on working if temperatures plummet; particularly useful in unheated conservatories or utility rooms.
The freestanding, undercounter design will fit almost anywhere, and the door is reversible for left or right hand opening. Curved integrated flush handles give a neat, flat profile.
Look no further for your perfect undercounter family freezer.


Deckover flat deck trailer with 2-3500 lb axles, electric brakes on both axles, 15" radial tires, slide in ramps, spruce plank deck, 8K tongue jack and stake pockets. 4" channel frame with 2" channel crossmembers. empty weight is 2100 lbs, with a payload of 4900 lbs. Comes with a spare tire.


text:
Back to the Future: The Game to receive retail release
Acclaimed developer Telltale Games is teaming up with publisher Deep Silver to bring the popular Back to the Future: The Game to retail stores this year.
Originally released as a series of downloadable episodes, the bestselling movie-inspired adventure game will receive an all-inclusive disc-based release on PlayStation 3, Wii and PC in the first quarter of 2012.
The game continues the story of Robert Zemeckis' classic 1980s movie trilogy and sees time-travelling teen Marty McFly hopping inside the DeLorean once again to meet a younger version of his good friend, Emmett "Doc" Brown.
Created with the support of the film series' co-writer Bob Gale, Back to the Future: The Game features point-and-click gameplay, clever puzzles and a cast of beloved characters.
Original stars Michael J Fox and Christopher Lloyd have lent their likenesses to Marty and Doc Brown in-game, with Lloyd reprising his iconic role as the loveable mad scientist.
Suitable for people aged and over.
News-165403
Xbox Live Subscriptions - Find out more
PlayStation Plus Subscriptions - Find Out More


Hello , this picture is about The Complete Table Is Not Presented; Table Shows Joint Life Expectancy Factors For TSP ( Life Expectancy Table Design #2). This attachment is a image/jpeg and the resolution of this picture is 580 x 506. It's file size is only 91 KB. If You desired to save It to Your PC, you may Click here. You might also see more images by clicking the image below or see more at here: Life Expectancy Table.
Among the things that define the sweetness of the The Complete Table Is Not Presented; Table Shows Joint Life Expectancy Factors For TSP ( Life Expectancy Table Design #2) will be the room's theme. One of many subjects that people should attempt may be the bohemian type. The likes of the planet neighborhood within this style however have not passed, even though Bohemian empire is definitely extinct. Particularly when it is combined by you having a minimalist style that is easy, but nonetheless crosseyed.
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This can be it bedroom decor minimalist style Bohemian. Basic steps to execute nan chic is to display your fashion accessories. Rings, bracelets, earrings and scarves are often stashed in a container, use it a hanger. It may be up for grabs or on the wall hook. Picture floral or cultural motifs in lively shades can make beautiful and your room instantly boho.


text:
Lhadon Tethong (born 1976) is a Tibetan-Canadian political activist, co-founder and director of Tibet Action Institute, and former executive director of Students for a Free Tibet.

Biography
Tethong was born in 1976 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, to Judy Tethong, a Canadian aid worker, and Tsewang Choegyal Tethong, who ran a refugee camp in southern India and worked for the Central Tibetan Administration. She is a graduate of the University of King's College, where she founded the first chapter of Students for a Free Tibet after being encouraged by the size of the crowd at the first Tibetan Freedom Concert.

Activism
Tethong first became a public spokesperson on Tibetan independence when she gave a speech at the 1998 Tibetan Freedom Concert. She started working for Students for a Free Tibet in 1999, moving to New York to do so, and became an executive director four years later in 2003.

Tethong was detained in China in 2007 after protesting against Chinese rule of Tibet while in Beijing. She had kept a blog, posting writing, videos, and photos detailing the country's preparation for the 2008 Olympics, and garnered the attention of security officials, who arrested her after intense monitoring. She was released and deported to Canada less than two days after her detainment.

Tethong founded Tibet Action Institute in 2009, aiming to strengthen the Tibetan independence movement through the use of digital communication to bolster strategic nonviolent activism. In 2011, she was awarded the first annual James Lawson Award for Nonviolent Achievement by the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict.

References

External links

 Beijing Wide Open, Tethong's blog
 Tibet Action Institute

1976 births
Living people
Canadian people of Tibetan descent
Tibetan humanitarians
University of King's College alumni
Tibet freedom activists

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


In case you haven't heard, one of the best places to get your fish fix lies just minutes from campus at Luke's Lobster! The cozy, New England stylized restaurant first opened its doors in October 2009 after Georgetown alum Luke Holden (MSB'07), saw a need for some fresh lobster, crab, and shrimp rolls at a great price (cue mouth watering).
Hailing from Maine, the fishiest state on the East coast, Luke knew the secret to crafting the perfect roll, successfully opening up restaurants in New York City with the help of his dad Jeff and business partner Ben Coffin. The fish was such a hit that restaurant goers began to start referring to themselves as "Lobsta Mobstas." Take that, Tony Soprano.
To make things even better, Luke's will now be hosting Student Days every Tuesday. On Student Days, Hoyas will automatically receive a 10% discount all.day.long. But wait, there's more. To kick off the Student Days, Luke is giving all Georgetown students a 30% discount TODAY so get your behinds over there (1211 Potomac Street NW) and get some great food!!!
Now that you're hooked, BRING IN THE DANCING LOBSTAS!
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An engineered elastomer grade of polyurethane, Redco™ Ultra 66 is designed for applications where very soft, elastic, rubber-like properties are required in combination with a low-compression set and extreme toughness. Redco™ Ultra 66 also has outstanding solvent and oil resistance.
Impact wear liners, wear liners, etc.


got in contact with Mary who kindly passed the message onto me and then I hooked up with Luisa who wanted to send me a COMPLETED 144 block wedding quilt as a GIFT !!!!! for me to put a border on, back and quilt.. well it's arrived in the post.... The pictures do not do it justice as I haven't got the floor big enough and the weather is grey and miserable but here it is !!!!
I took it out of the box (with clean hands) and it is beautiful, the work involved for an older lady she is very talented and the generosity to send it to an unknown person, it brings a lump to my throat. I am taking it to my patchwork club tomorrow and I know the ladies will be thrilled with it.
At the moment (I reckon its at least 2m square) It's too big to quilt on my frame so dh will have to move the frame into the lounge and i'll add the extensions when i'm ready. So am on the lookout for extra wide backing fabric on sale in the US and will order some batting from the UK once I measure it, will be using ITALIAN Aurifil thread to quilt...need to think of a border or not, I've always felt that bed quilts aren't quilts without wavy borders, so think I'll put a scallop edge on it and as we're renovating our house and hadn't decided on a bedroom colour and dh thinks it'd look great on our bed, so it's decided, our room will be blue and white.
OMG Pippa - it's gorgeous. Has DH now changed his mind about the red quilt?
Oh my, but Luisa's blocks are stunning! I was absolutely thrilled for you when she wrote me about them. Her site is amazing, she is an impressive quilter. You are one lucky girl!!


I ate breakfast, and started feeling a little weird. Instead of lying down, I decided to work out. By the time I was done, I started to get a headache in the right side of my head. I get headaches a lot, so I didn't think much of it. That is, until the pain was so bad I threw up.
So there I was in the bathroom, throwing up with a headache. I texted my mom (who I work for) and said, "I don't know if I'll be at work on time or at all today. I've never had a headache like this." She told me to take ibuprofen, but I couldn't get up to go take something. I decided I would take a shower and hopefully that would make me feel better.
I turned on the shower and sat on the floor outside the tub. I was sweating, even though the bathroom was cool. I took off my clothes and put my head down. "When do I decide to just lie here and let someone find me?" I thought to myself. My ears started to ring.
I tried to pick up my phone and text my mom, but I couldn't read anything on the screen. I tried swiping to the emergency call on the lock screen, but my fine motor skills weren't working. I ended up throwing my phone across the room. I just wanted to call an ambulance.
So I stayed there, on the bathroom floor, for two and a half hours. I heard the side door open, and I knew one of my parents had come home. My dad came into the bathroom and asked what was wrong. I responded with what was probably gibberish. I tried to tell him to call an ambulance, but it didn't come out clearly. He tried to find a phone, but could only find mine.
He asked for my passcode, and I tried to give it to him, but I just couldn't speak clear enough. Finally, he was able to call 911. I'm not sure how much time passed between his call and the ambulance getting there. The EMTs asked me if I could stand, and I told them no. They somehow got me on the stretcher and covered me up, then loaded me into the ambulance.
One EMT asked if I was afraid of needles. I responded with, "Yeah, I usually pass out when I get blood drawn." She acknowledged my answer and then immediately started an IV. At that point, I closed my eyes. I don't think I opened them for another two weeks.
I remember that they took me into the hospital. I remember hearing a lot of doctors around me. I remember the doctors saying, "We can't handle this here. We need to fly her somewhere that a neuro team can look at her." My parents asked me if I wanted them to stay with me or drive to the other hospital. They left, and the doctors loaded me into the helicopter. It only took about 40 minutes to get to the University of Maryland.
I remember them getting me out of the helicopter, but that's the last thing I remember until about two weeks later. While I wasn't in a coma, I don't remember anything. Apparently I interacted with nurses, doctors, family, and visitors. Finally, I woke up when they decided that I needed an NG tube. I hadn't eaten anything substantial since I was admitted. Since waking up, my recovery has been exponential. That doesn't make the stroke any less scary.
I have a lot of feelings, and I feel better if I have them written in front of me. Maybe, hopefully, some of you will relate.