In the call with emergency operator, Ameleah first tried to avoid telling the woman on the other end of the line that she was the one who took the car out, because she was nervous that her mom was going to be ‘pissed’ at her.
As it turns out, Ameleah’s mother had been rushed to the hospital earlier in the day; her father didn’t get the message that he was supposed to pick his daughter up from school.

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A performance artist who said giving birth is the “highest form of art” has delivered a baby boy _ inside a New York City art gallery

Marni Kotak gave birth at 10:17 a.m. on Tuesday, the Microscope Gallery in Brooklyn said in a brief statement, adding that everyone was recuperating on Wednesday. It said the baby, named Ajax, was 21 inches long and weighed 9 pounds, 2 ounces.

The gallery said 19 to 20 people were present for the relatively quick birth in a birthing pool. The gallery gave no other details. A video of the birth will be added to the gallery’s upcoming exhibition.

The 36-year-old artist had set up a home-birth center at the gallery, turning the space into a brightly decorated bedroom with ocean blue walls and photo-imprinted pillows.

During “The Birth of Baby X” durational piece, which began Oct. 8, Kotak spent as much time at the gallery as possible talking to visitors about motherhood, art and other issues. She said those who left their contact information would be notified when she went into labor.

She expected about 15 people to attend.

Kotak, who was born in Norwood, Mass., said all her performances focus on everyday life experiences. She has been re-enacting events from her life for more than 10 years, including her own birth, losing her virginity in “a sunny blue Plymouth” and her grandfather’s funeral.

In combining the birth of her child with artistic expression, Kotak said she wanted to show “this amazing life performance that … is essentially hidden from public view” and that addresses social taboos regarding the human body.

“She’s in the tradition of using your life as your authentic material and shaping and forming it” _ a tradition that goes back to 1959 when filmmaker Stan Brakhage recorded the birth of his first child as a work of art, said feminist artist Carolee Schneemann, whose own works deal with taboo themes of sexuality.

“She’s vulnerable, she’s exposed,” she said of Kotak. “It’s the most basic visceral experience that also has the most taboos.”

The entire gallery was given over to the installation. The artist even carved out space for a fully-stocked refrigerator and a portable shower with curtain pockets filled with photos from her three baby showers.

Kotak said she and her husband will share the details of the birth with their child “over time as an organic process.”

“The overall message that we will communicate to the child is that he or she was born in an art gallery because, as artists, that is our sacred space, and in doing this we are telling the world and our child that his or her life is a precious work of art.

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Steven Tyler, the lead singer of rock band Aerosmith, had a “small accident” on Tuesday that forced him to postpone a planned show in Paraguay by one day, a spokesman for the local concert organizers said.

Tyler received stitches and had emergency dental work done during a nearly four-hour stay at the La Costa medical center in Paraguay’s capital, according to a hospital statement. He was in good condition when discharged.

Whenever Steven Tyler falls down, chances are Aerosmith is going to get some time off.

The latest tumble by the 63-year-old rock and roll icon and “American Idol” judge took place on Tuesday in Paraguay, when Tyler reportedly slipped and fell in his hotel bathroom, sending him to a local emergency room. According to a Reuters report, Tyler spent four hours at La Costa medical center in Paraguay’s capital and received emergency dental work and stitches to repair cuts to his face and the loss of two teeth.

The incident forced Aerosmith to cancel Tuesday night’s show in Asuncion, Paraguay, which was part of their current Latin American tour. The outing kicked off on Saturday in Lima, Peru, and is slated to hit La Plata, Argentina, on Friday and swing through Brazil, Panama, Columbia, Ecuador and Mexico before heading to Japan in late November.

“Mr. Tyler had a small accident that prevents him from staging the concert tonight,” said Marcelo Antunez, a spokesperson for the show’s promoter. “He is fine, he’s in his hotel but he’s not able to do the concert.”

The concert has been rescheduled for Wednesday (October 26) night. Another spokesperson for the promoter, Nicolas Garzia, tweeted that Tyler had been dehydrated and was suffering gastrointestinal problems before the tumble.

The last time Tyler fell was in August 2009, when he slipped off a stage in South Dakota and was airlifted to a hospital, which forced the postponement of the group’s North American tour. The inter-group tension that followed almost resulted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers breaking up as the band briefly weighed searching for a new singer.

What do gas pump handles, ATM buttons, mailbox handles and escalator rails have in common in the USA? As the flu season approaches, you may wish make a note of this: they are amongst the most germ-ridden and dirtiest surfaces that Americans touch every day, according to tests carried out in six US major cities recently. The results of the tests were announced to the press earlier today, Tuesday 25 October.

As part of its Healthy Workplace Project, the hygiene products and services company Kimberly-Clark Professional, had trained hygienists go round swabbing frequently touched surfaces in high traffic locations in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami and Philadelphia.

Using a Hygiena System SURE II ATP Meter, the hygienists swabbed and analyzed a total of 350 surfaces.

The meter tests for levels of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP). ATP is commonly used in food hygiene as a quick measure of cleaning quality for surfaces. Used for transporting chemical energy between cells, ATP is present in all animal, vegetable, bacteria, yeast and mold cells, and its presence indicates contamination by any of these.

If you touch a surface with an ATP reading of 300 or higher, you are thought to be at a high risk of getting sick from a transmitted illness, according to a press statement from Kimberly-Clark Professional.

The tests revealed that the following surfaces had ATP counts of 300 or more:

* 71% of gas pump handles,
* 68% of mailbox handles,
* 43% of escalator rails,
* 41% of ATM buttons,
* 40% of parking meters and kiosks,
* 35% of crosswalk buttons, and
* 35% of vending machine buttons.

Dr. Charles Gerba, Professor of Microbiology at the University of Arizona, said these tests show how important it is to keep hands and surfaces clean: people don’t realize how many germs they are exposed to as they go to and from work every day and touch things like gas pump handles and escalator rails.

“Most cold and flu viruses are spread because people touch surfaces in their immediate area and then touch their faces, other objects and other people. Washing and drying your hands frequently throughout the day, can help prevent your risk of getting sick or spreading illness around the office,” said Gerba.

Brad Reynolds, North American Platform Leader for The Kimberly-Clark Professional Healthy Workplace Project, added:

“These findings indicate that illness-causing germs are everywhere and have the potential to travel with you into your office space.”

He explained that the main aim of the project was to reduce the spread of transmitted illnesses at work: to help employees learn about and reduce their chances of spreading and getting ill from workplace-transmitted flu and cold germs.

The project comprises educational materials, surface hygiene products for handing out to employees. The central message is “washing, wiping and sanitizing”.

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White House officials told Politico this morning that the president will talk about ways students can better manage debt when he speaks at the Auraria campus tomorrow.

According to “Playbook” this morning, today the president is “announcing two new initiatives that will help create jobs for veterans at community health centers” and “tomorrow the administration will highlight measures to help students better manage their student loan debt when they graduate.”

Obama will speak at the Auraria campus tomorrow morning after fundraising at two Pepsi Center events tonight.

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See Obama’s schedule here:

For those with a terminal case of Tebow-mania here’s a chance to set yourself apart from the growing herd.

For a mere $5,000 you can buy the pants Tim Tebow was wearing when he threw for his first NFL touchdown, and spend future Sundays pretending to throw Hail Timmy passes.Tebow’s game-worn pants from last season’s game against Kansas City are being offered on eBay for a buy-it-now price of $4,999.99.

See eBay listing here:

Just goes to show you that money isn’t everything.

According to a new estimate put together by senior Libyan officials, Moammar Gadhafi was worth over $200 billion, making him the former richest man in the world.

His wealth was spread out over many bank accounts, as well as both real estate and corporate investments all over the world.

While $200 billion sounds like a shocking number at first, let’s be honest…he had personal control of Africa’s largest oil reserves for the past 41 years. It kind of makes sense.

Now that he’s gone, hopefully money can finally go towards building new schools, hospitals, and other crucial infrastructure in Libya.

Is she or isn’t she?

Rumors have been swirling for a while now concerning whether or not Jessica Simpson has a bun in the oven, and all signs seem to point to baby after she was photographed (again) at LAX Monday in a tight black top with a very visible bump.

Simpson, 31, has remained mum on the rumored pregnancy, but the fact that she postponed her wedding to fiancé Eric Johnson, 32, which is proof enough for some.

Do you think Jessica is prego?