text:
The lockout of the musicians at the Minnesota Orchestra has been epic, lasting more than 15 months and involving some moves by the musicians and the orchestra’s donors to establish an alternative corporation. Is signing this contract going to make things all better?
The online nonprofit journalism site MinnPost started speculating this past week that the Minnesota Orchestral Association might be close to a contract with its musicians, who had been locked out for 474 days after rejecting a contract that would have included a 35 percent pay cut. NPQ has covered the grindingly long labor dispute repeatedly over the past year, and of late it was evident that there were a number of deadlines looming, including some that might have an effect on the organization’s lease on its performance space. Additionally, donor support for the musicians was solidifying into proposals not just for a split, but also for an attempt to attach the endowment of the Orchestral Association. A new nonprofit was being formed to act as home to an alternative to the MOA, and the musicians had raised $600,000 on their own.
But MinnPost reports on what is perhaps the most telling, albeit subtle, sign that a contract agreement was nigh was that during the intermission in Mozart’s Requiem this past weekend, the musicians, who have been performing on their own, did not make their usual announcement of the lockout from the stage.
The now agreed-upon three-year contract will require only a 15 percent pay cut, which means that the compensation at MOA will remain among the top 10 percent of orchestras in the U.S., although there are other compensation-affecting elements of the contract. The most interesting part of the contract is a revenue-sharing clause for the musicians, based on the rate of return on the orchestra’s endowments.
There have been compromises on both sides, and the contract will likely be a welcome step forward to the community, but there have been many losses in the interim, what with Osmo Vänskä, the MOA’s brilliant music director, and a number of other key players leaving. There are only 77 musicians, instead of the 95 that both sides see as being optimal. Additionally, among those who remain, many, in an attempt to stay solvent, have outstanding commitments to other orchestras.

lowercased:
the lockout of the musicians at the minnesota orchestra has been epic, lasting more than 15 months and involving some moves by the musicians and the orchestra’s donors to establish an alternative corporation. is signing this contract going to make things all better?
the online nonprofit journalism site minnpost started speculating this past week that the minnesota orchestral association might be close to a contract with its musicians, who had been locked out for 474 days after rejecting a contract that would have included a 35 percent pay cut. npq has covered the grindingly long labor dispute repeatedly over the past year, and of late it was evident that there were a number of deadlines looming, including some that might have an effect on the organization’s lease on its performance space. additionally, donor support for the musicians was solidifying into proposals not just for a split, but also for an attempt to attach the endowment of the orchestral association. a new nonprofit was being formed to act as home to an alternative to the moa, and the musicians had raised $600,000 on their own.
but minnpost reports on what is perhaps the most telling, albeit subtle, sign that a contract agreement was nigh was that during the intermission in mozart’s requiem this past weekend, the musicians, who have been performing on their own, did not make their usual announcement of the lockout from the stage.
the now agreed-upon three-year contract will require only a 15 percent pay cut, which means that the compensation at moa will remain among the top 10 percent of orchestras in the u.s., although there are other compensation-affecting elements of the contract. the most interesting part of the contract is a revenue-sharing clause for the musicians, based on the rate of return on the orchestra’s endowments.
there have been compromises on both sides, and the contract will likely be a welcome step forward to the community, but there have been many losses in the interim, what with osmo vänskä, the moa’s brilliant music director, and a number of other key players leaving. there are only 77 musicians, instead of the 95 that both sides see as being optimal. additionally, among those who remain, many, in an attempt to stay solvent, have outstanding commitments to other orchestras.


text:
As an aesthetic and social phenomenon of the modern age, of all other fine arts, the poster reflects most accurately, clearly and acutely the political and social climate of its time. Most often anonymous, genuinely street born, the Poster is the fastest to reach its viewers. It should hit with its calling power, it should be a slogan, a sign, a spell and a symbol. It has to be convincing and persuasive.
The history of the 20th century Bulgarian political poster has its ups and downs. It becomes a flag of the left-wing forces between the two world wars, proclaiming the new social ideas of time. In the years immediately after September 9, 1944 artists without special training in the field of poster art – graphics and painters, pave the way for the Bulgarian poster, search and find its essence, specifics and means of expression. During the Cult of Stalin Bulgarian poster becomes a substitute of its own, obeying the lowly criteria and directives of the regulatory aesthetics. In the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, several generations of professionally-trained poster artists bring poster art to its contemporary level of achievements, and the variety of their plastic visions determines the character of the Bulgarian poster school.
The New Political Poster exhibition is a joint project of the Museum of Socialist Art and the National Academy of Art. It offers an alternative point of view, a new focus on the thematic issues of the museum institution. Furthermore, it is an opportunity for expression of the younger generation of Bulgarian poster artists.
I am sure that in solving their academic tasks, students have faced all the challenges of the most complex and specific genre variety of the poster – the political theme. Today poster art is free from the ideological pressure of the past, from political and aesthetic “considerations”, from the dictum of the investor in the face of a party and a state. Now the question is what will be the new face of the Bulgarian political poster and what will be its public resonance. I think that the New Political Poster exhibition is relevant both to the issues it is examining and to the dialogue between the Museum and its audience. Here I see a chance to assess the ability of artistic and public awareness, responsiveness, understanding and attitude towards the social problems of today.
The reason for organizing this event is the comment of the journalist Stefan Djambazov from Въпреки.com about the very few political and social posters in our exhibition on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Specialty in Bankya Art Center.
Naturally, I did not quite agree with that statement, and referred to the genre variety sought in the selection. I also made it clear that our students have a specific learning task in their curriculum – the political poster.
Soon after that, in a purposefully made conversation with the artist Nikolay Ushtavaliiski, I shared mine and my students' intention to visit the Museum of Socialist Art, whose curator is he. Nikolay suggested that it would be a good idea if our visit to the Museum was followed by a poster exhibition. The museum we have not reached yet, but bringing the two comments together is how the idea for this event was born. The students received urgent tasks, so the majority of the posters in this exhibition were made in the last two months and added to the work of the past few years. Together with our colleagues from the Department we selected this exposition, and Prof. Georgi Iankov proposed the name New Political Poster.
This year our Specialty has had good cooperation with many organizations and cities, including the 70-year-old Dimitrovgrad. Today we celebrate another initiative with the 70th anniversary of the National Gallery. We are grateful for the invitation and the opportunity to show some of the works of our smart and talented students. Our hope is to present here the new face of the Bulgarian political poster, especially because we are among those who remember the old one. Let us hope that our students, having, for their own benefit, faced a past that is distant for them, will enjoy greater freedom to think about the present and the future.
Poster and Visual Communication Dept.

lowercased:
as an aesthetic and social phenomenon of the modern age, of all other fine arts, the poster reflects most accurately, clearly and acutely the political and social climate of its time. most often anonymous, genuinely street born, the poster is the fastest to reach its viewers. it should hit with its calling power, it should be a slogan, a sign, a spell and a symbol. it has to be convincing and persuasive.
the history of the 20th century bulgarian political poster has its ups and downs. it becomes a flag of the left-wing forces between the two world wars, proclaiming the new social ideas of time. in the years immediately after september 9, 1944 artists without special training in the field of poster art – graphics and painters, pave the way for the bulgarian poster, search and find its essence, specifics and means of expression. during the cult of stalin bulgarian poster becomes a substitute of its own, obeying the lowly criteria and directives of the regulatory aesthetics. in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, several generations of professionally-trained poster artists bring poster art to its contemporary level of achievements, and the variety of their plastic visions determines the character of the bulgarian poster school.
the new political poster exhibition is a joint project of the museum of socialist art and the national academy of art. it offers an alternative point of view, a new focus on the thematic issues of the museum institution. furthermore, it is an opportunity for expression of the younger generation of bulgarian poster artists.
i am sure that in solving their academic tasks, students have faced all the challenges of the most complex and specific genre variety of the poster – the political theme. today poster art is free from the ideological pressure of the past, from political and aesthetic “considerations”, from the dictum of the investor in the face of a party and a state. now the question is what will be the new face of the bulgarian political poster and what will be its public resonance. i think that the new political poster exhibition is relevant both to the issues it is examining and to the dialogue between the museum and its audience. here i see a chance to assess the ability of artistic and public awareness, responsiveness, understanding and attitude towards the social problems of today.
the reason for organizing this event is the comment of the journalist stefan djambazov from въпреки.com about the very few political and social posters in our exhibition on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the specialty in bankya art center.
naturally, i did not quite agree with that statement, and referred to the genre variety sought in the selection. i also made it clear that our students have a specific learning task in their curriculum – the political poster.
soon after that, in a purposefully made conversation with the artist nikolay ushtavaliiski, i shared mine and my students' intention to visit the museum of socialist art, whose curator is he. nikolay suggested that it would be a good idea if our visit to the museum was followed by a poster exhibition. the museum we have not reached yet, but bringing the two comments together is how the idea for this event was born. the students received urgent tasks, so the majority of the posters in this exhibition were made in the last two months and added to the work of the past few years. together with our colleagues from the department we selected this exposition, and prof. georgi iankov proposed the name new political poster.
this year our specialty has had good cooperation with many organizations and cities, including the 70-year-old dimitrovgrad. today we celebrate another initiative with the 70th anniversary of the national gallery. we are grateful for the invitation and the opportunity to show some of the works of our smart and talented students. our hope is to present here the new face of the bulgarian political poster, especially because we are among those who remember the old one. let us hope that our students, having, for their own benefit, faced a past that is distant for them, will enjoy greater freedom to think about the present and the future.
poster and visual communication dept.


text:
Apple announced the 4th generation iPod touch. It’s even thinner than before and include many features from the Apple iPhone 4.
All 3 models are 4th generation iPod touches, it’s not like last year’s 8GB iPod touch being a second generation.
Prices: $229 for 8GB. $299 for 32GB. $399 for 64GB.
Is it possible to know the release date in KSA or the prices ?
please answer me 🙁 !!
and by the way i meant “KSA – Jeddah” !!
how much is it ? i need it !!
and where can i get it ??
iStyle ?? iZone ?? iTechia ?? Extra ?? jarir ??
can someone explain what is MYUS.COM and which category should i choose and is this website safe?
Another question does Apple store ship products to jeddah? Because i dont want to buy the ipod touch from jeddah.

lowercased:
apple announced the 4th generation ipod touch. it’s even thinner than before and include many features from the apple iphone 4.
all 3 models are 4th generation ipod touches, it’s not like last year’s 8gb ipod touch being a second generation.
prices: $229 for 8gb. $299 for 32gb. $399 for 64gb.
is it possible to know the release date in ksa or the prices ?
please answer me 🙁 !!
and by the way i meant “ksa – jeddah” !!
how much is it ? i need it !!
and where can i get it ??
istyle ?? izone ?? itechia ?? extra ?? jarir ??
can someone explain what is myus.com and which category should i choose and is this website safe?
another question does apple store ship products to jeddah? because i dont want to buy the ipod touch from jeddah.


text: A new 10-disc set of those timeless songs from the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Let yourself be whisked away by the most beautiful music collection ever. Only 6 easy payments of $29.99. Don't delay, call now!

lowercased: a new 10-disc set of those timeless songs from the 50s, 60s, and 70s. let yourself be whisked away by the most beautiful music collection ever. only 6 easy payments of $29.99. don't delay, call now!


text:
EuroFour is a dynamic sales organisation for manufacturers of products for both personal as domestic care. Major European manufacturers have put their faith in EuroFour to represent them, and their products, in the Dutch and Belgium retail market. EuroFour deals with various retail outlets such as drugstores, supermarkets and department stores.
A well-balanced range of products, the right pricing and professional promotional support ensure a good sell. In addition, the business partners of EuroFour can count on reliable deliveries thanks to the well-organized logistics process.
Many of the product categories in which EuroFour is active can be produced and supplied under retailers’ own brand. In addition to competitive pricing, EuroFour can also take care of the packaging design. Please contact us if you have a question!
EuroFour was founded in 1995. An ambitious staff works at the fully equipped Zwijndrecht home base.
EuroFour works for several European manufacturers, but also has their own successful products under the EF brand.
EuroFour is adapted to process orders from retailers via EDI modern technology and a highly flexible logistics process quickly and efficiently.
EuroFour supervised the complete development of your Private Label.

lowercased:
eurofour is a dynamic sales organisation for manufacturers of products for both personal as domestic care. major european manufacturers have put their faith in eurofour to represent them, and their products, in the dutch and belgium retail market. eurofour deals with various retail outlets such as drugstores, supermarkets and department stores.
a well-balanced range of products, the right pricing and professional promotional support ensure a good sell. in addition, the business partners of eurofour can count on reliable deliveries thanks to the well-organized logistics process.
many of the product categories in which eurofour is active can be produced and supplied under retailers’ own brand. in addition to competitive pricing, eurofour can also take care of the packaging design. please contact us if you have a question!
eurofour was founded in 1995. an ambitious staff works at the fully equipped zwijndrecht home base.
eurofour works for several european manufacturers, but also has their own successful products under the ef brand.
eurofour is adapted to process orders from retailers via edi modern technology and a highly flexible logistics process quickly and efficiently.
eurofour supervised the complete development of your private label.


text:
So the fertility clinic that I used to go to Fertility Centers of Illinois is offering a WONDERFUL opportunity to someone in Illinois who is struggling with infertility and looking at IVF – a free cycle!! I wish I would have known of this while I was there, but it’s all good now.
Anyway, they are having a golf fundraiser to raise money to help couples afford IVF. You can apply to receive this amazing gift – simply click here to be taken to the fundraiser’s web page, and then click on the application link. That simple! I hope this reaches someone in Illinois that this could really help to reach our ultimate goal: a baby in our arms. Good Luck!
Mother’s day is hard. There’s no question about that. I don’t think I need to rehash something that we all know and feel…but I did want to share this article written by Nia Vardalos (from My Big Fat Greek Wedding). It’s a great way to explain what we all go through, not just on Mother’s Day, but every day that we struggle with infertility and loss.
In some amazingly good news, my blog friend K from Waiting for Sunflower has had her little baby boy!! I’m so happy for her. She and I have almost parallel stories (PCOS, MTHFR, 2 miscarriages) – I’m so happy that she has finally gotten her Sunflower, she deserves every bit of happiness. If you have some time, swing over to her blog and leave her a note of congratulations!
In other news, please keep K from Waiting for Sunflower in your thoughts, prayers, ritual sacrifices, whatever it is that you do. She is getting nearer and nearer to her due date. She will be induced on Friday morning unless the little guy decides to make his appearance before that. Please offer her support as she prepares to meet her baby!
Doody called “Online Infertility Community Celebrates National Awareness Week“ and in the article, there is a link back to my post about our #infertility campaign on Twitter! How exciting is that!!! And some of you were quoted from your Tweets that day! Check it out and marvel at the power of social networking to help bring awareness about infertility, during NIAW and all year long! We rock ladies (and gents…)!!
So yesterday you may have noticed my blog about my Twitter campaign. I’ve met an AMAZING group of women and men through Twitter that are suffering or have dealt with infertility. Many of them have blogs, but not all do. It’s a great place to go for instant advice or support in this IF world. The friends I’ve meet through my blogging and twitter worlds are beyond wonderful. They have been there for me during my 2 miscarriages, through 3 of my 4 IUI’s (during my 1st one I had not yet begun to blog), during my worries of finances to pay for it all, new diagnosis’ and my continuing journey to find my way down this Long and Winding Road.
Well, I signed on to Twitter today at work like I do. I normally just check it when I have some spare time and see what people are up to. Offer support to those in a difficult place in their journey and rejoice with those who receive good news. I don’t know when or why the idea popped into my head, but I decided that #infertility needed to be a trending topic on Twitter. If you’re not familiar with how Twitter works, I’ll try to give a brief description. You get 140 words to say something to those that “follow” you – anyone who has signed up to can see what you say, and you see what others say, based on who you follow. They also have this trending topics thing, where if you put a # in front of a word, Twitter tracks it. The more people who say that word in a tweet, the more popular the topic becomes. On the side bar of your Twitter page there is a “top 10” of sorts of the words that are “trending” the highest – those that are mentioned the most by everyone who has a Twitter account.
So, like I said, I decided to make #infertility one of the Top 10 on April 19th…So I said: “we should try to make #infertility a trending topic…who’s in??” Soon I had a few of my followers joining in on the idea! We were tweeting to each other about making people more aware of infertility or supporting each other through laughter (@fromiftowhen mentioned she’d like to get shirts made that say “I was out of the office b/c I was getting knocked up by my doc”). Soon there were a ton of tweets going back and forth in the IF twitter community mentioning #infertility and trying to get others to join the campaign! I shared some statistics on infertility “National Survey of Family Growth 1995: approx 6.1 mil women & partners in US are affected by #infertility that’s10% of reproductive-age pop” which were retweeted (repeated by someone else so all of their followers could see what I said) by @wombwarrior.
Soon I decided it was time to go on the offensive and attack the current trending topics, hoping that would help.
Other topics were discussed: what has infertility taught you? Who supports you in your IF journey? I got to know so much about my IF Twitter community today, it was amazing! I also “met” a ton of new IFers on Twitter and got a lot of new followers.
In the end however, we did not make it to the Top 10 Trending Topics today – but I’m not giving up! National Infertility Awareness Week is April 24-May 1, 2010. This week was created by Resolve, a great organization focused on bringing issues of infertility to light and making sure that we are spoken for in this world! I’m going to re-launch my campaign on April 26th (that’s next Monday) to get #infertility to be a Trending Topic on Twitter! I’m hoping with some planning ahead and getting the word out there we can do it this time! I’m even going to try and get the word to Ellen DeGeneres via Twitter (thanks for the idea Twitter ladies! I’m not sure who @ replied her first, if it was you, let me know so I can give you credit here) to have she and her fans help our #infertility trending campaign.
I can’t do this with out you, my fellow Tweeters! Spread the word! Blog about the campaign! Tell all of your friends, IRL (in real life) and online!! Please help me to achieve this goal – together I KNOW that we can do it! We will begin on April 26th, whatever time zone you’re in when that day roles around, begin to add #infertility to all of your tweets, even if they’re not about infertility! Every tweet counts!!
Thank you, thank you everyone – hope to see you again on April 26th!
In other news, I’m starting a campaign of sorts on Twitter today. I’ve found an awesome community of IF tweeps (?), tweeters (?), twitterers (?)…anyway, a lot of them are people that I follow on their blogs, but with twitter there is an instant support network when things go good or bad in the IF life…If you’re not on Twitter, you can ignore this appeal (or join to help!). If you ARE on Twitter, I’m trying to get the word #infertility trending today. All you have to do is tweet something and add the word #infertility with the little hash tag/number sign thing-y. I’d love to bring some more awareness to the world about infertility and all the crap we have to go through! If you can help, that’d be awesome!
Hope you are all well and that your cycles, pregnancies and/or new babies are going great!
It is a very serious disease and the only “cure” is to completely cut out all gluten from your diet. As you may imagine, this severely limits ones food choices. Although, a lot of G-free foods are very tasty! I’ve had a lot since she was diagnosed and made many myself. When it’s a matter of life or death (which it is for her…if she has gluten it could kill her) you find ways!
Why am I bringing this up here? Well the very lovely and talented Stirrup Queen posted a link on her Twitter to this article linking celiac disease with infertility. Celiac disease blocks your body for absorbing nutrients (such as Vitamin D, calcium and Folic Acid…seem important?), there by causing fertility issues and recurrent miscarriages. The article points to a blogger, Waiting in Sunshine and her post about her celiac’s and infertility.
I think this is an important issue to look into for those of us still in the trenches. In April I go in for some big blood work to see if there is any reason I continue to loose my babies. The PCOS explains my difficulty getting pregnant (though with metformin now, we seem to have helped that problem out a lot) but now we’re looking into why I can’t stay pregnant. The MFM doc I saw didn’t see any reason in my ultrasound and past testing to explain it. What if all my tests come back okay? What then? I don’t think I have any of the celiac symptoms, but the blood test is so easy to check for it, and I know there are clinics that offer free testing for it all the time. It would be something to look into if there is no other explanation. I’m not putting this up here to make everyone think that there IF/miscarriage issues are caused by celiac disease. I’m just saying it’s certainly something to consider if all else fails.
This post is about something I just heard about today (thanks to Maybe Baby?). If you go to this website, you’ll find out that today all around the world people are lighting candles to remember the children that we have lost. What you’re supposed to do is light a candle at 7:00 pm to remember your little one or perhaps to remember a child that a loved one has lost. Please, if you are able, join with us and light a candle tonight.

lowercased:
so the fertility clinic that i used to go to fertility centers of illinois is offering a wonderful opportunity to someone in illinois who is struggling with infertility and looking at ivf – a free cycle!! i wish i would have known of this while i was there, but it’s all good now.
anyway, they are having a golf fundraiser to raise money to help couples afford ivf. you can apply to receive this amazing gift – simply click here to be taken to the fundraiser’s web page, and then click on the application link. that simple! i hope this reaches someone in illinois that this could really help to reach our ultimate goal: a baby in our arms. good luck!
mother’s day is hard. there’s no question about that. i don’t think i need to rehash something that we all know and feel…but i did want to share this article written by nia vardalos (from my big fat greek wedding). it’s a great way to explain what we all go through, not just on mother’s day, but every day that we struggle with infertility and loss.
in some amazingly good news, my blog friend k from waiting for sunflower has had her little baby boy!! i’m so happy for her. she and i have almost parallel stories (pcos, mthfr, 2 miscarriages) – i’m so happy that she has finally gotten her sunflower, she deserves every bit of happiness. if you have some time, swing over to her blog and leave her a note of congratulations!
in other news, please keep k from waiting for sunflower in your thoughts, prayers, ritual sacrifices, whatever it is that you do. she is getting nearer and nearer to her due date. she will be induced on friday morning unless the little guy decides to make his appearance before that. please offer her support as she prepares to meet her baby!
doody called “online infertility community celebrates national awareness week“ and in the article, there is a link back to my post about our #infertility campaign on twitter! how exciting is that!!! and some of you were quoted from your tweets that day! check it out and marvel at the power of social networking to help bring awareness about infertility, during niaw and all year long! we rock ladies (and gents…)!!
so yesterday you may have noticed my blog about my twitter campaign. i’ve met an amazing group of women and men through twitter that are suffering or have dealt with infertility. many of them have blogs, but not all do. it’s a great place to go for instant advice or support in this if world. the friends i’ve meet through my blogging and twitter worlds are beyond wonderful. they have been there for me during my 2 miscarriages, through 3 of my 4 iui’s (during my 1st one i had not yet begun to blog), during my worries of finances to pay for it all, new diagnosis’ and my continuing journey to find my way down this long and winding road.
well, i signed on to twitter today at work like i do. i normally just check it when i have some spare time and see what people are up to. offer support to those in a difficult place in their journey and rejoice with those who receive good news. i don’t know when or why the idea popped into my head, but i decided that #infertility needed to be a trending topic on twitter. if you’re not familiar with how twitter works, i’ll try to give a brief description. you get 140 words to say something to those that “follow” you – anyone who has signed up to can see what you say, and you see what others say, based on who you follow. they also have this trending topics thing, where if you put a # in front of a word, twitter tracks it. the more people who say that word in a tweet, the more popular the topic becomes. on the side bar of your twitter page there is a “top 10” of sorts of the words that are “trending” the highest – those that are mentioned the most by everyone who has a twitter account.
so, like i said, i decided to make #infertility one of the top 10 on april 19th…so i said: “we should try to make #infertility a trending topic…who’s in??” soon i had a few of my followers joining in on the idea! we were tweeting to each other about making people more aware of infertility or supporting each other through laughter (@fromiftowhen mentioned she’d like to get shirts made that say “i was out of the office b/c i was getting knocked up by my doc”). soon there were a ton of tweets going back and forth in the if twitter community mentioning #infertility and trying to get others to join the campaign! i shared some statistics on infertility “national survey of family growth 1995: approx 6.1 mil women & partners in us are affected by #infertility that’s10% of reproductive-age pop” which were retweeted (repeated by someone else so all of their followers could see what i said) by @wombwarrior.
soon i decided it was time to go on the offensive and attack the current trending topics, hoping that would help.
other topics were discussed: what has infertility taught you? who supports you in your if journey? i got to know so much about my if twitter community today, it was amazing! i also “met” a ton of new ifers on twitter and got a lot of new followers.
in the end however, we did not make it to the top 10 trending topics today – but i’m not giving up! national infertility awareness week is april 24-may 1, 2010. this week was created by resolve, a great organization focused on bringing issues of infertility to light and making sure that we are spoken for in this world! i’m going to re-launch my campaign on april 26th (that’s next monday) to get #infertility to be a trending topic on twitter! i’m hoping with some planning ahead and getting the word out there we can do it this time! i’m even going to try and get the word to ellen degeneres via twitter (thanks for the idea twitter ladies! i’m not sure who @ replied her first, if it was you, let me know so i can give you credit here) to have she and her fans help our #infertility trending campaign.
i can’t do this with out you, my fellow tweeters! spread the word! blog about the campaign! tell all of your friends, irl (in real life) and online!! please help me to achieve this goal – together i know that we can do it! we will begin on april 26th, whatever time zone you’re in when that day roles around, begin to add #infertility to all of your tweets, even if they’re not about infertility! every tweet counts!!
thank you, thank you everyone – hope to see you again on april 26th!
in other news, i’m starting a campaign of sorts on twitter today. i’ve found an awesome community of if tweeps (?), tweeters (?), twitterers (?)…anyway, a lot of them are people that i follow on their blogs, but with twitter there is an instant support network when things go good or bad in the if life…if you’re not on twitter, you can ignore this appeal (or join to help!). if you are on twitter, i’m trying to get the word #infertility trending today. all you have to do is tweet something and add the word #infertility with the little hash tag/number sign thing-y. i’d love to bring some more awareness to the world about infertility and all the crap we have to go through! if you can help, that’d be awesome!
hope you are all well and that your cycles, pregnancies and/or new babies are going great!
it is a very serious disease and the only “cure” is to completely cut out all gluten from your diet. as you may imagine, this severely limits ones food choices. although, a lot of g-free foods are very tasty! i’ve had a lot since she was diagnosed and made many myself. when it’s a matter of life or death (which it is for her…if she has gluten it could kill her) you find ways!
why am i bringing this up here? well the very lovely and talented stirrup queen posted a link on her twitter to this article linking celiac disease with infertility. celiac disease blocks your body for absorbing nutrients (such as vitamin d, calcium and folic acid…seem important?), there by causing fertility issues and recurrent miscarriages. the article points to a blogger, waiting in sunshine and her post about her celiac’s and infertility.
i think this is an important issue to look into for those of us still in the trenches. in april i go in for some big blood work to see if there is any reason i continue to loose my babies. the pcos explains my difficulty getting pregnant (though with metformin now, we seem to have helped that problem out a lot) but now we’re looking into why i can’t stay pregnant. the mfm doc i saw didn’t see any reason in my ultrasound and past testing to explain it. what if all my tests come back okay? what then? i don’t think i have any of the celiac symptoms, but the blood test is so easy to check for it, and i know there are clinics that offer free testing for it all the time. it would be something to look into if there is no other explanation. i’m not putting this up here to make everyone think that there if/miscarriage issues are caused by celiac disease. i’m just saying it’s certainly something to consider if all else fails.
this post is about something i just heard about today (thanks to maybe baby?). if you go to this website, you’ll find out that today all around the world people are lighting candles to remember the children that we have lost. what you’re supposed to do is light a candle at 7:00 pm to remember your little one or perhaps to remember a child that a loved one has lost. please, if you are able, join with us and light a candle tonight.


text:
Usually I find my next knitting project by browsing patterns online until something catches my eye. Not this time! This time I knew exactly what I wanted: a shawl-collared, long-sleeved cardigan knit in a slightly variegated gray yarn. I finally settled on the Georgetown Cardigan pattern knit with madelinetosh Tosh Vintage in the colorway Great Grey Owl. Tosh Vintage is so squishy and wonderful, but luxury yarn comes with a luxury price tag. Fortunately I had some money from my birthday (thanks, Gramma and Grampa!) and justified the big purchase knowing how much use I will get from this sweater!
It's been kinda hot until recently.
I'm trying to protect it from spit-up or other baby slime as long as possible. I know it won't be forever. Sigh.
A large part of my enjoyment of new clothes comes from looking at them before I wear them! Sometimes I hang them at the front of my closet for a couple weeks. This sweater has been sitting folded on top of our dresser since I finished it.
Soon it will be in heavy rotation in my wardrobe. I look forward to snuggling up in my cozy cardigan this winter!

lowercased:
usually i find my next knitting project by browsing patterns online until something catches my eye. not this time! this time i knew exactly what i wanted: a shawl-collared, long-sleeved cardigan knit in a slightly variegated gray yarn. i finally settled on the georgetown cardigan pattern knit with madelinetosh tosh vintage in the colorway great grey owl. tosh vintage is so squishy and wonderful, but luxury yarn comes with a luxury price tag. fortunately i had some money from my birthday (thanks, gramma and grampa!) and justified the big purchase knowing how much use i will get from this sweater!
it's been kinda hot until recently.
i'm trying to protect it from spit-up or other baby slime as long as possible. i know it won't be forever. sigh.
a large part of my enjoyment of new clothes comes from looking at them before i wear them! sometimes i hang them at the front of my closet for a couple weeks. this sweater has been sitting folded on top of our dresser since i finished it.
soon it will be in heavy rotation in my wardrobe. i look forward to snuggling up in my cozy cardigan this winter!


text:
I bought one of the Cycleworks engine stand faceplates and made a simple mod to it so that it would fit my VW/Porsche engine stand.
The two holes that need to be drilled are 8.5" center to center, and they are 2" from each side and ⅞" from the bottom. Photos are self-explanatory.
I haven't tried mounting my /2 engine on it yet (it is still in the bike). If the bolt heads are in the way I'll substitute flat head screws.
looks like it should work really well.
Lets hope you don't NEED to use it anytime soon.

lowercased:
i bought one of the cycleworks engine stand faceplates and made a simple mod to it so that it would fit my vw/porsche engine stand.
the two holes that need to be drilled are 8.5" center to center, and they are 2" from each side and ⅞" from the bottom. photos are self-explanatory.
i haven't tried mounting my /2 engine on it yet (it is still in the bike). if the bolt heads are in the way i'll substitute flat head screws.
looks like it should work really well.
lets hope you don't need to use it anytime soon.


text:
Jobless and with a ticking travel visa time-bomb attached to them in the United States, one Singaporean couple did this: Walked more than 2.5km along the majestic Golden Gate Bridge of San Francisco, spend almost 11 hours moving up and down the ageless Grand Canyon on a mule, and drove through the dry marshes of the iconic Trona Pinnacles.
If that was not captivating enough, all of the above -and more- was captured by Lester Lee and his girlfriend, Charmaine Goh, using just a 4.9 inch (12.4cm) iPhone. So how did they do it?
The answer is a combination of mobile applications, huge lungs and a bit of a MacGyver thinking. For instance, to take a stable shot while in a moving vehicle such as the four-wheel ride across the Trona Pinnacles, Lester decided to take a long breath while filming.
“I just tried my best to stabilise it by holding on to my breath. The most of it actually is just cutting away the shaky parts and show the stable parts. Another way we did is to put our iPhone on to the car’s window flat on. It just stabilises the video so well. We’ve no physics explanation or what for that but it works!” Lester exclaimed.
Viewers are in for a visual treat throughout the 5-minute video named Small Steps – USA, with a generous amount of time-lapses adorning parts of it. Before taking the time-movement shots with his iPhone, Lester researched and utilised the relevant apps available.
“Time-lapse is surprisingly easy and amazingly great for an iPhone. It was my first time trying time-lapse on an iPhone so I went to Google for the best apps for it at the moment. We found Timelapse and Gorillacam app free and tried both. We invested in a simple, small and affordable Gorillapod suitable for smart phones,” Lester explained.
Perhaps more compelling than watching uber-beautiful sceneries outdoing each other in a video is the story behind it. Although smiling faces are aplenty in the film, Lester reveals that the couple had originally went to the United States last September to get a job.
For three months, the couple scoured for openings, attended interviews but all they got back were disappointment as no company was willing to sponsor them.
“We always habour some thoughts of working overseas and wanted to give it a try too … But unfortunately 3 months later after several interviews we didn’t managed to find a company willing to be our sponsor and return home,” Lester explained.
Lester took about two weeks to complete Small Steps – USA. The art director also designed the opening graphics of the video, one which he said was inspired by the native American Indian petroglyphs when the couple visited the Indian reservation area in the south-west of USA.
The iPhone may be less powerful than a DSLR, but one of the boons of using the former while travelling is surely its size and portability. Nonetheless, the video has also taught Lester about a smartphone’s many other benefits as an image-capturing companion, such as satisfying one’s social-sharing instincts.
“I’ve once travelled with a point and shoot camera, a GoPro with all these stabilisers and mounts and batteries and iPhone. During the trip, I was just frustrated by the amount of things I was carrying. After the trip, I realise my iPhone’s photos are better than the point and shoot camera and GoPro. And I’m able to upload it to social media platforms for conveniently,” Lester said.
Between having walked along one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World and witnessing the razzing sun on mega plateaus, Small Steps – USA seems to have taught us that memories don’t come from the most expensive equipment but from the best travel buddies. Including the iPhone.

lowercased:
jobless and with a ticking travel visa time-bomb attached to them in the united states, one singaporean couple did this: walked more than 2.5km along the majestic golden gate bridge of san francisco, spend almost 11 hours moving up and down the ageless grand canyon on a mule, and drove through the dry marshes of the iconic trona pinnacles.
if that was not captivating enough, all of the above -and more- was captured by lester lee and his girlfriend, charmaine goh, using just a 4.9 inch (12.4cm) iphone. so how did they do it?
the answer is a combination of mobile applications, huge lungs and a bit of a macgyver thinking. for instance, to take a stable shot while in a moving vehicle such as the four-wheel ride across the trona pinnacles, lester decided to take a long breath while filming.
“i just tried my best to stabilise it by holding on to my breath. the most of it actually is just cutting away the shaky parts and show the stable parts. another way we did is to put our iphone on to the car’s window flat on. it just stabilises the video so well. we’ve no physics explanation or what for that but it works!” lester exclaimed.
viewers are in for a visual treat throughout the 5-minute video named small steps – usa, with a generous amount of time-lapses adorning parts of it. before taking the time-movement shots with his iphone, lester researched and utilised the relevant apps available.
“time-lapse is surprisingly easy and amazingly great for an iphone. it was my first time trying time-lapse on an iphone so i went to google for the best apps for it at the moment. we found timelapse and gorillacam app free and tried both. we invested in a simple, small and affordable gorillapod suitable for smart phones,” lester explained.
perhaps more compelling than watching uber-beautiful sceneries outdoing each other in a video is the story behind it. although smiling faces are aplenty in the film, lester reveals that the couple had originally went to the united states last september to get a job.
for three months, the couple scoured for openings, attended interviews but all they got back were disappointment as no company was willing to sponsor them.
“we always habour some thoughts of working overseas and wanted to give it a try too … but unfortunately 3 months later after several interviews we didn’t managed to find a company willing to be our sponsor and return home,” lester explained.
lester took about two weeks to complete small steps – usa. the art director also designed the opening graphics of the video, one which he said was inspired by the native american indian petroglyphs when the couple visited the indian reservation area in the south-west of usa.
the iphone may be less powerful than a dslr, but one of the boons of using the former while travelling is surely its size and portability. nonetheless, the video has also taught lester about a smartphone’s many other benefits as an image-capturing companion, such as satisfying one’s social-sharing instincts.
“i’ve once travelled with a point and shoot camera, a gopro with all these stabilisers and mounts and batteries and iphone. during the trip, i was just frustrated by the amount of things i was carrying. after the trip, i realise my iphone’s photos are better than the point and shoot camera and gopro. and i’m able to upload it to social media platforms for conveniently,” lester said.
between having walked along one of the seven natural wonders of the world and witnessing the razzing sun on mega plateaus, small steps – usa seems to have taught us that memories don’t come from the most expensive equipment but from the best travel buddies. including the iphone.