#(note: gofundme takes ~3% of donations so if you can please try to donate one dollar more than your planned donation

[mitskistevens]

ATTENTION PEOPLE OF TUMBLR! If you support Palestine and want to help its people escape Gaza, read this post.

I've recently been trying to get more involved with Operation Olive Branch, an organization that amplifies the voices of Palestinian families trying to leave the country and gives people resources to go help them. I'm now going to start a series where every Saturday, I post information on a new family on the list, and I can give you all the resources you might need to help.

This is installment #1. I used a random number generator to find the family I could cover first, and it landed on line #315.

In this line, you are helping to evacuate 4 people: Samah, 34; her husband, Ramez, 36; her daughter, Lara, 13; and her son, Yamen, 9.

This is the page I was brought to. I'll paste the link to this at the end of this post. Here is the description of the GoFundMe:

This family needs €30,000 to escape. Unfortunately, they've only raised €565, which is only 1.8% of their goal!

The family needs way more money than they've been getting to leave Gaza and start anew. We need to bost this up! To do so, you should do one of these three jobs (or two or three, you decide)

1. Amplify

Reblogs, comments, likes to spread this post around

Reads the full post to give the original poster a moment of their time

Tries to get more people involved

Spreads the message everywhere

2. Post

Makes their own video on the subject

Makes sure the message spreads like wildfire

Uses everything they can to make sure people see the post

3. Fund

Sends money to the family

Checks the spreadsheet and sends money to more families in need, not just the ones that are showcased in the original post

Also donates to other charities, like stuff going to Congo and Sudan

Makes sure that the family has enough funding to get out of their situation

While amplifying is the easiest job to take, if you are able to donate, please donate, even if it's $5. Everything matters. You can donate the bare minimum or the bare maximum. It will all go a long way.

The person running this campaign is Samah's sister, Eman. If you want more updates on the situation, please follow her on Instagram. The link is:

Here is a link to the GoFundMe:

And here's a link to the Operation Olive Branch spreadsheet, where you can find Samah's story and the stories of many other Palestinian families.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vtMLLOzuc6GpkFySyVtKQOY2j-Vvg0UsChMCFst_WLA/htmlview

If you are able to, please get involved in Operation Olive Branch. While it may seem successful, there seems to be only a few people that are really involved. Do your share and help save Palestinian lives!

To end this on a somewhat high note, here are some images of Yamen and Lara, the children you will be saving with your donation. These images and more can be found in the GoFundMe.

Thank you for your time, see you on Saturday. Free Palestine! 🇵🇸

#free palestine #free gaza #fuck israel #save rafah #all eyes on rafah #operation olive branch #save palestinians #help palestinian families #gofundme

[morningstarlucemon]

Cheap Sketches!

Okay, i need the money to come in a LOT faster. So-- i'm offering in-stream sketches for $30 a piece. I'll work on them for approximately 30 minutes, and they'll mostly look similar to the example above. Rules -- 1.) ONLY contact me via my Discord: shinigami_of_excellence . I MAY NOT SEE YOUR REQUEST OTHERWISE. 2.) Accepted payments: PayPal, KoFi, Patreon donation, GoFundMe donation, and Amazon List Purchases. You will need to send me a screenshot or other confirmation of payment (your name as it will show up in the received payment). 3.) Payment up front. 4.) I reserve the right to turn down comms for any reason. Won't do: - animal death/cruelty - non sexually mature characters in sexual situations (littlespace and aged-up characters are fine) - hate art (queerphobia, racism, ablism, etc.) Will do: - almost anything else - Just ask. Worst i'll say is, "No thanks." STREAM LINK: https://picarto.tv/ShiniDraws ___ My partner and I are disabled queer folk facing homelessness. We finally both have emergency plans in place, but we need moving money. We also will likely need to split up unless we can get enough money to get a place together very quickly. We've been together for over six years and we have cats and a dog we take care of as a couple, and we're trying our best to stay together. We need to be out of our current living place by February 14th, and I need to know where I will be going by January 31st. I have until then to earn as much as i can to put towards finding somewhere to live. All funds will go to moving expenses, household necessities, and rent wherever we end up going. My goal is to get to 5,000 before I stop streaming. I will be trying to stream CONTINUOUSLY until this goal is reached. If i am unable to do so, i will take breaks to sleep, then promptly resume when i awake. I'm going to be working on commissions and trades the majority of the time. I'm going to attempt to get as many finished as possible. All donations help, even something as small as $5. If you cannot donate at all, please share this post around social media, discord servers, and anything else you can think of. If you know someone inside the US willing to take in the two of us, our four cats, and my service dog, please contact me via Discord at shinigami_of_excellence . Here are the links to help us: Our GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/4da28a83 Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/shinigamiofexcellence/goal?g=33 PayPal: https://paypal.me/excellentshinigami?country.x=US&locale.x=en_US Amazon List: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2CE66WB1CWVZ9?ref_=wl_share Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/shinigamiofexcellence STREAM LINK: https://picarto.tv/ShiniDraws FOR THE CUSTOM ADOPTS: You may request a custom adopt using my pony base or my canine base for $20, or using one of my previous lines from my tummyache adopts for $30. You can suggest any color pallet, themes, or whatever you'd like. I will do them on stream. Simply send a donation with the note "for an adopt," then contact me via Discord. I will also do sketches in stream for $45. Same operation: donate with tag, then contact. Please, please, please. We are running out of time.

Posted using PostyBirb

#sketches #cheap #commissions #art #open #help #charity

[fredcasden]

Good afternoon everyone,

Last night's stream of Bayonetta certainly drove home the point that the plot of the game makes no sense what so ever. Between apparent time travel shenanigans, the resurrection of a 'god' to destroy and remake the universe, lost memories and more plot holes than an Ed Wood film, it makes my head hurt trying to have it all make sense. Also didn't help with the number of long cut scenes in Chapters 14, 15 & 16 that tried to justify everything.

Still, it was a lot of fun, the boss battles got more over the top, and the reuse of earlier bosses made for a great call back, even if that is a bit cliche. The music in the later half of the game certainly was awesome to listen to, and this certainly was a game that justified my usual 'watch through the credits' because of the 'extra fights' that take place during it, and the dance video at the very end.

Now will I play Bayonetta again? More than likely yes, as there is the Xbox One version, so if and when I play this game again, it'll be that version, just to play it with superior visuals! Real question is, do I feel like I could handle the game on normal difficulty.... I'm not sure, I got dodging down pretty good, but combos could be a pain to pull off.

Question is, what will be the next Monday-Tuesday game, at this time I'm not completely sure as of yet, as I do have plenty of options!

For the raid we dropped in on PowerThumbZ while they were playing Prey over on twitch.tv/PowerThumbz!  

Bayonetta (Xbox 360) Achievements

Commander Of Magic: Purchase all techniques.

Treasure Collector: Discover half of all the Umbra Witches' final resting places.

Iustitia, Giver Of Life: Defeat Iustitia on any difficulty.

Feels Good, Doesn't It?: Execute 50 Torture Attacks.

Sapientia, Controller Of Seas: Defeat Sapientia on any difficulty.

Double, Double, Toil And Trouble: Create 20 Concoctions.

Master Of The Heavens: Defeat Father Balder on any difficulty.

Taste Of The Witching Hour: Complete all Chapters on any difficulty.

Stream Clip Links

Stylishly Cool!

So sorry!

We just punched it in the face!

Mom had an okay first day at the nursing / rehab facility, she is getting along with her room mate. She had her first session of physical therapy, they had her walking a little bit, which is good. If anyone would like to donate to her gofundme dedicated to covering medical related costs, please visit: https://gofund.me/6adf8354

Had a 45-minute telephone conference that could probably help resolve a few worries I've had since mid-December, fingers crossed!

I've been really working on knocking out these series of Mass Effect short story commissions, and now gradually working to where things can reach the Mass Effect 3 era of the franchise, but there are some lingering tales the client wants based on Mass Effect 2.

Today's Fitness Boxing 2 daily workout featured Advanced Combo #1, Beginner Combo #2 and Uppercut Combo #1 for 34 minutes.

What did the drummer call his two twin daughters? Anna one, Anna two.

Song of the Day: Malibu by Miley Cyrus

For tonight's stream, we're playing Fall Guys and Fallout 76, if Iceman joins in, we'll be wrapping up his run of the Brotherhood of Steel story arc!

So on that note we'll see you later over on twitch.tv/fredcasden!

[icypantherwrites]

Every year on my birthday I like to try to give back. Kindness I think is the best present anyone can both get and give and it’s why I write a lot of what I do and why I advocate so strongly for author and creator appreciation. 

Both in honor of my birthday and given the current climate, this year I made the decision to donate all of my Patreon earnings for December to five different causes/charities ($125 to each ♥). The following listed below are the five charities I donated to ♥ 

In honor of my birthday, I ask that everyone donate a little kindness today. That could be a monetary donation to a charity. That could be time. That could be a kind comment or note to a favorite author or artist. It could be a compliment to the random person you chat with at the grocery store. Spread a little kindness and let’s make the world a little brighter ♥

Charities donated to this year: 

Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry

One of the local food pantries by Icy, this one provides weekly food distributions as well as senior mobile pantries and veterans pantries. According to their website, every $1 donated is converted to $7 worth of food to families in need.

GOFUNDME: Feed Dog and Pay Rent

From the gofundme: "Hello, my name is John and my dogs name is Oliver . I have been unemployed for the past 6 months due to covid and my unemployment benefits have expired and I’m no longer able to pay my rent. I had to spend all my savings on dental bills the past few months. [...] We need dog food and I really need some groceries."

GOFUNDME: Help Icy's Friend

Admittedly this is not an actual gofundme, but the funds would be treated as such to be donated to a friend of Icy's who has hit a very rough patch and could really use the money to be put towards bills.

Mercy Rescue and Adoption

An animal rescue that takes in sick and injured animals and rescues them from animal control (kill shelter) and works to retrain and fix behavior issues. Works to find animals their forever homes via adoptions and a foster program.

GOFUNDME: Rylie's Tumor

From the gofundme: "We discovered this week that sweet 3 year old Rylie Bennett has a tumor. The tumor is attached to the brain stem and this form of cancer is very aggressive. Please help us raise money to assist Rylie's family with the medical costs."

#charities #donation #birthday #double golden birthday #I am old now #donate #spread love #spread kindness

[shirbertshitposts]

Things you can do to help Anne With An E be Renewed

There are so many different ways big and small you can help in the fight to get Anne With an E renewed. I’ll do my best to compile all the ways you can contribute.

1) One of the easiest ways to let networks know there is a demand for more Anne With an E is to request it on their help page. Request Anne with an E season 4 so they know you want the show to continue. There is also no limit to the number of times you submit requests.

https://help.netflix.com/en/titlerequest

https://help.disneyplus.com/csp

For Disney+ click “Give Feedback” then “Request a film or show” then you can type in Anne with an E season 4

2) Watch Anne with an E on Netflix. Just constantly stream it in the lead up to the season 3 premiere. When the show premieres Jan 3rd make sure you stream the new season that day and in the days after. Not only do we want Netflix to know that the new season has a big audience, but we also want as many people watching at the same time for the show to make it to the “Popular on Netflix” category. New people may be attracted to the show if they see it is popular on Netflix.

3) Write emails to Networks. Netflix and CBC are not the only options when it comes to Networks that could renew Anne with an E, since it seems that the rights to the show are currently owned by Northwood Entertainment the production company behind Anne with an E. Many other fans have done the hard work of compiling lists of emails of network executives. I will provide links to various tweets I have seen with important emails. (of note, most will probably not check their work emails again until after the holidays, so you can draft emails now and send them out after Jan 1st) Also below is a google doc that includes emails of many network executives.

https://twitter.com/LeaOux/status/1205485569691680768

https://twitter.com/KindredsParty/status/1208518970002870272

https://twitter.com/KatVal11/status/1206141522820976640

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1StN_dHgHjhPhYkfgS_7AbeMbmu0KXhrtJW1ytAASUaw/mobilebasic

Template for writing emails and email addresses to send emails to: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nkEu-ZyIiBkCABleKRBLU21T8lRSwRxwWXuVDZ7cxeo/mobilebasic

4) Write emails to magazines, newspapers, websites, etc. Any form of Press about Anne with an E will draw attention to the show from people who may not have heard of it before. You could write emails to ask them to cover the news of the show's cancellation, to review the new season, to discuss certain topics the show addresses that set it aside from other shows and more. Anything that you could dream up that could be an article that could be written about Anne With an E you could pitch the idea to someone to write about. 

5) Appealing to other fandoms with similar interests. Two big movies that are about to drop that have an audience that may be interested in a show like Anne With An E, would be Little Women and P.S. I Still Love You (To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before sequel). Little Women is also a period piece with a feminist heroine, so you could point out the similarities in the stories’ themes to appeal to fans of that film (which premieres Dec. 26th). For P.S. I Still Love You, the big connection is that in the third book of the To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy, Forever and Always, Lara Jean,  Lara Jean states that Gilbert Blythe is her ideal man. Screenshots of this quote have been going around all over tumblr and twitter since the P.S. I Still Love You trailer dropped. The selling point could be that if you enjoy the films and relate to Lara Jean then you should check out the stories and adaptions of those stories that Lara Jean considers peak romance. ( It also helps that the premise of the films relies on love letters and AWAE season 3 features love letters as well). When entering into other fandoms tags to recommend Anne With An E make sure you are always being RESPECTFUL and don’t just spam the tags with Anne promotion. You could always create side by side edits of the two programs to demonstrate how similar they are. Basically, make sure your posts in their tag don’t seem like a blatant promotion for AWAE.

6) Rate Anne with an E on IMDb. (Note: It is listed as Anne(2017) on IMDb). Right now Anne is listed in Top 250 TV Shows, but it is toward the bottom of the list at #248, with an average show rating of 8.4 stars. If enough fans rate it, the show could move up on the list, which may attract new people to watch the show. You can rate the show overall, and rate each episode individually. Plus you can leave a review. 

7) Watch the Anne With An E Netflix trailer and share it with others. The more views on the trailer the better. The trailer is available on Youtube and Instagram. On twitter, people are organizing trailer boosting parties for Dec 23rd - Dec 30th. 

This calendar shows when trailer boosting parties have been planned detailed descriptions of what those events include with links to tweets and posters

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=potatolightbulbs%40gmail.com&ctz=America%2FNew_York

8) Sign the petition for the show to be renewed and get anyone you know who likes the show as well to sign it as well.

https://www.change.org/p/netlfix-awae-fans-renew-anne-with-an-e-for-season-4?recruiter=916548586&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=share_petition

9) Recommend the show everywhere. On twitter search “What to watch on Netflix” or “tv show recommendation” and reply to any of these tweets with Anne With An E and maybe a reason why you recommend the show. If someone has already recommended Anne With An E don’t recommend it again, we don’t want to spam or annoy strangers. This can also be done on reddit search “What to watch” , “Netflix recommendations” , “Period Piece” and comment on any of the relevant results with Anne With An E.

10) Tell EVERYONE you know to watch Anne With an E. A great way to spread the popularity of the show is by word of mouth. People trust the opinions of people they know, so your friends and family are more likely to listen to your recommendations than strangers on the internet (but there is no harm in trying #9 anyway). 

11) Continue to be your amazing creative selves. Gif sets, fanart, video edits, memes, etc. All of these can help attract new fans to the show, so continue to create and post things related to Anne With An E.

12) Make bookmarks or small promotional posters and leave them in public places. I have seen a trend of this on twitter and it's not a bad idea. One amazing fan even took it to the next level and made tiny posters that have QR codes on it that when scanned takes people to the Anne with an E trailer or the show on Netflix. Below is a link to tweets showing what those looked like and how they dispersed them.

https://twitter.com/itsMaeWithAnE/status/1208618422768033792?s=20

Here is a tweet thread with templates for the posters if you want to print them out yourself:

https://twitter.com/itsMaeWithAnE/status/1208816797555671040?s=20

13) Buy official merchandise for the show and wear it around. You could be a walking advertisement for the show if you want (and can afford to). There is different merch available on the official Anne With An E shop website and on Amazon.  Also sales of the merch may be considered by networks when they consider whether to renew the show. 

https://shopannewithane.com

https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/A8C18641-8ECE-4892-A276-6A0A952A125C

14) Join the r/Anne community on reddit. There has been some encouragement to grow the size of the community on this thread because it shows a static number of how many people are apart of it. This number could be used to approximate how much interest there is in the show. It currently only has 2.5K members. Even if you’re not very active on reddit, joining the subreddit would be helpful.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Anne/

15) Donate to the campaign to have a billboard to promote the show. Details can be found on the gofundme page.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/renew-anne-with-an-e?sharetype=teams&member=3295372&rcid=r01-157601384514-6d847f2ab5bb49bd&pc=tw_co_campmgmt_w&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=p_lico+share-sheet

16) Donate to campaign to run instagram ads for Anne With An E. More details on the gofundme page below.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/anne-with-an-e-season-3-ad-campaign

17) Let’s Make Some Noise Campaign. Some fans are encouraging people to write messages on white rags, like the ones the avonlea students use during their protest, and sending them to various streaming networks or Northwood Entertainment, the production company behind the show. Details can be found in the tweet below.

https://twitter.com/kindredsparty/status/1206624186342559745?s=21

18) Rate and review Anne With An E on Rotten Tomatoes. You can do this for each season. Currently there are a fair amount of negative reviews so it would be incredibly helpful to explain why you love the show. Good reviews would attract new potential fans to start watching.

19) Vote Anne With An E up on Ranker.com lists. This might attract new get people interested in the show if it consistently ranks high on lists of best shows.

https://m.ranker.com/list/the-best-new-original-shows-on-netflix-hulu-and-amazon-of-the-last-few-years/ranker-streaming?ref=also_ranked&pos=2&a=0&l=85370943&ltype=n&g=0

20) Take care of yourself. THIS ONE IS MOST IMPORTANT. Don’t sacrifice your health in your efforts to get the show renewed. If you need to take a break please do. Also don’t feel guilty if you need to step away or you can only do one or two things on this list. Every effort counts and is greatly appreciated.

I’ll try to update this as more stuff comes up. Good luck with all your efforts Kindred Spirits!

Remember “Dreamers change the world”

#anne with an e #awae #anne shirley cuthbert #anne with an e season 3 #renew anne with an e #anne with an e spoilers #awae spoilers #awae s3 #save anne with an e

[uwunnie]

Update + Week 1 recap (Nov.7, 8:21 PM US Mountain Time)

Today marked the final day of the first week since this whole ordeal began. Truthfully, it feels like we somehow transported to the Dramarama video because time seemed to stop, but alas, here we are.

For the recap, I’m not going to put specific dates, but for today’s update, I will title it as such. You’ll see - this should be a pretty easy format to follow (tiki-taka),

For the sake of everyone’s timelines, the recap and update begin after this read more.

-

When news broke out regarding a Wonho’s sudden departure on October 31 (US and the like time-zones), may have been November 1 for other zones, there really weren’t that many updates in the way of efforts to bring him back. That day was full of shock, so everyone was more angry and depressed - even more so compared to now.

But after a day or two, Monbebes managed to channel their emotions into a bigger cause: Bringing Wonho home, and bringing him home we will.

Let’s recap:

Twitter Monbebes, Carter and Kei, organized the GoFundMe to raise $10,000 USD to purchase an ad in NY Times Square.

Within 45 minutes of initial service, the goal had been met.

After a couple days, the donations kept piling in and finally, as of November 3 - the GoFundMe closed at $25,102 USD ($15,102 USD over the original goal).

The ad’s payment was successful and the ad went up! However, my understanding is that the ad’s run-time ends in a few hours.

Ad’s location: New York, 42nd St. and 7th Ave., facing east.

Photos of the ad:

Reads: We shine brighter as a family, then proceeds to list each name of OT7 along with their logo and a photo of OT7 together with MONBEBE on the photo.

The board kicked off on November 6 and ran 30 times per hour for 15 seconds all day except 2-5 AM.

-

A petition calling to keep Wonho a member of Monsta X was published. Within a week, the petition is still going pretty strong with over 400k signatures. The goal is 500k, so I predict it will reach its goal within the next week.

The petition can be found here.

In addition, more projects/campaigns have been released since then and can be found in this master-post here.

Since this day, however, more projects have been revealed, so once I compile all of them, I’ll add them to the previous link.

Let’s remember:

K-MBB left sticky notes on Starship Ent.’s building. Eventually, within a few hours, a staff member was photographed collecting them.

News outlets began reporting about Monbebe efforts to bring Wonho back, thus bringing more attention to our goal.

Celebrities reached out and showed their support of Monsta X.

Monbebes began writing everyone to spread awareness - spanning as far as contacting Moon Jae-in, South Korea’s president.

Naver (shockingly) released a positive article - something that’s very rare.

Efforts are still being made to spread more awareness through physical ads in South Korea.

K-MBB’s held a silent protest outside of Starship Ent.

International fans flew to South Korea to participate.

Staff said they can and will welcome Wonho back.

Staff also helped Monbebes greatly:

Met with MBB’s on the day of the silent protest to help them cut out banners.

These plaques read, “I do not want to remain just a memory,” which are lyrics from If Only.

Supported MBB’s in the fan cafe - even went as far as changing their icons, I believe, to photos of Wonho.

Continued collecting MBB sticky notes and even provided tissues at the protests for those who were crying.

Continue encouraging us to continue with our efforts.

Other fandoms have showed their support for Monsta X and MBB.

International MBB are still organizing a silent protest from what I’ve seen circulating the web.

For Minhyuk’s birthday, MBB adopted four whales as gifts. One is a southern humpback named Monbebe, another a blue whale adopted in Minhyuk’s name. I’ve heard another one was named Monsta X, but don’t quote me on it because I’m not 100% sure.

Minhyuk’s birthday tag also reached #1 worldwide trend.

A set of stars were also purchased and named Lee Hoseok and Monsta X.

NY-MBB got a dance group to dance to Follow.

UK-MBB are hosting fundraisers in efforts to raise money for a central London billboard.

As I stated prior, all sorts of ad efforts were, and still are being, made.

Over 30 tags have consecutively trended worldwide for one week - many of them reaching -#1 trend several times.

K-MBB’s used the original fan chant during one of the performances for Follow’s promotions. If you don’t know what I’m referring to, it means that they used the OT7 chant including Wonho’s name.

300 fans were allowed into the Inkigayo recording - 100 over its normal capacity.

Tower Records, international music franchise store, showed their support in their Japan branch’s sector through MX signs and posters.

MX reminders:

Wonho is still active on the fan cafe.

Majority of the members have been active on the fan cafe.

Minhyuk posted this for his birthday:

Changkyun posted this two days ago:

Wonho is still on Starship’s official site.

This photo was posted a day or two ago:

For those that may not understand, the white ink is circling Wonho’s signature and name on the wristband. Some people claimed it doesn’t matter because those bands are pre-made, but to that I’d like to point out that those bands are made out of paper and his name is printed/signed on the end, so it would have been very easy for staff to cut off the end part if they really wanted to, or were instructed to do so.

This was circulating the web:

Speculations:

Nov. 7: Shownu wore Wonho’s shirt.

Nov. 7: Kihyun wore Wonho’s earrings.

Nov. 7: Hyungwon wore Wonho’s chain.

Nov. 7: Changkyun wore Wonho’s, or a similar, earpiece.

Nov. 7: Our boys left a space for Wonho at the end of their performance. Take a look here and see what you think.

Nov. 2: MX left a space for Wonho during Follow and Find You.

Nov. 2: Jooheon’s lyrical slip-up could have been in protest of what’s occurring.

In regards to this speculation, he did this recently again as well, so my interpretation is that it’s probably related to the protest as well as exhaustion.

Starship info and overall legal matters:

As far as my knowledge extends, this is the ONLY official statement SS has released:

The explanation/speculation of this letter can be found here.

SS is involved in their own, personal, controversy. I’ve made past posts regarding the situation, but for the sake of not stirring the pot, so-to-speak, I’m going to exclude them from this particular post. Until further information about their situation is released, or I feel it’s becoming a detriment to MX, I will bite my tongue.

In regards to 🐻’s controversy, SS confirmed the photos were manipulated (fake).

🐻’s searches have been cleared, at least from my knowledge. I’ve been told that they have been, but I��m not entirely sure if they’ve come back or anything.

I know a lot of people messaged me that particular night in regards to a YouTube video talking about 🐻’s situation and everyone was concerned it would spark up the searches again. I didn’t want to say anything until I saw the video taken down, but I messaged KJ and explained the situation to him. He had no ill intent with his video - in fact, he was trying to help clear the negative rumors revolving around MX. He was just simply unaware that, unfortunately, any publicity regarding 🐻’s situation would trigger the searches again, so I explained this to him and told him about MBB efforts. He completely understood and removed the video.

-

Updates from November 7:

MX received their 2nd win!

The video and post involving Hyungwon’s speech can be found here. HIGHLY recommend watching it.

GOT7 congratulated and hugged each member, and E-Dawn congratulated Changkyun.

Only 10 Monbebes were allowed inside for the performance, so Ahgases (GOT7’s fan club) held up Monsta X light sticks during our boys’ performance in place for the MBB not allowed in. Ahgase also helped MBB with the live voting.

In other words: Ahgase and Monbebe are each other’s sweethearts. 💚🤧💜

Jooheon told MBB not to cry.

They held a fan-sign to which:

Wonho’s photo was projected on the screen behind them. A link to the photo can be found here.

K-MBB informed MX of the Times Square ad.

Changkyun stayed this is the last week of promotions.

Kihyun said he will do a cover of Believer.

I think Shownu earned his PhD? Or is going to?

Jooheon confirmed the release of the studio version of Sambakja, or he said he might. I’ve seen people talking about both, so I can guarantee 100%, but Jooheon, if you’re reading this - please.

Trends continue meaning we’ve successfully trended for one week straight.

Eshy:

Voting for MAMA has been open and Monsta X is a nominee in all except a couple categories.

There’s two ways to vote:

Voting for them in specific categories on the website, here.

Voting on Twitter as well by utilizing:

#MAMAVOTE #monstax

Current twitter tags to trend as well:

#LoveUWonho

#우리_항상_네_곁에_있을게요

@/OfficialMonstaX

@/STARSHIPent

-

Overall reminders:

Do not engage in fan wars.

Do not engage in any hate towards the duo. I’ve said this in the past and it’s practically been confirmed: They’re trying to gather sympathy through the situation they’ve caused by trying to play victim. Popular sites are posting articles painting them in positive undertones and netizens are starting to support them because of the hate they’re getting on their social platforms and what not. Those comments can also be collected and utilized in the ongoing legal case, so please, do NOT engage with them. Instead, channel your energy into MAMA voting, campaigns/projects, trends, and other positive things that will bring Wonho home to us.

Messages to MX, project created by @wonderlanddragon, ends Nov.8/9. The posted regarding the details can be found in the campaign link above!

Bunnies for Wonho, created by @thoughtsfromaclutteredbrain, has been ongoing now. They’ve also planned a new project for a video, so please send in your favorite Wonho moment along with your name and/or nickname to them!

@stay-dont-strayy creates an International MBB project. You can find the info on their blog!

Kpop group chats have been created, links here.

@sezy001234 has also created five tumblr kpop group chats, so hit her up for details on everything!

I’ve also made a kpop tumblr group chat, so if you’d like to be added, send in an ask or message!

The source to find the bunny 7-1=0 profile pictures can be found here in seven different colors.

You can leave letters/sweet messages to the boys on the fan cafe. Please be mindful of the situations at hand when doing so and also, give a little extra love to our baby, Changkyun. MBB at the fan-sign have mentioned that he seems to be struggling the most and tbh, it’s been very visible in his performances and photos.

All seven are trying to be strong for us, so let’s try our best to be strong for them. ❤️

-

We’ve made it through the first week, babes.

We can do it time and time again.

I love you all. ❤️🤧

Let’s bring our bunny home. ❤️🐰

(Posting: Nov. 8, 3:05 AM US Mountain Time // yes, it took me this long to make lol)

#monsta x #wonho #shownu #kihyun #hyungwon #minhyuk #jooheon #changkyun #im #joohoney #updates #first week #monbebe

[turtlesforsale]

Reopening Commissions!

Please find my *UPDATED* commission list below! Feel free to DM me more more info! I will be using Venmo, Paypal, or the GoFundMe page below, where I will be manually updating all donations from the previous two sources. You can also see the GoFundMe page to see the full story. 

Additionally, I know this is not the priority for ANYONE'S money right now, so please don't prioritize this over donating to your local campaigns, volunteer networks, or social justice organizations! But if you want to commission a cool little thing from me, I'll be here.

Thanks, you guys!

COMMISSION/THANK YOU LIST!

For $1, you get my deepest thanks, and a list of things I like about you. I cannot promise the length of this list. Purchase at your own discretion.

For $3, I'll give you a shoutout on 'TBD for IRV'! I love to plug my friends and fellow creators, and I'll happily plug whatever you want as long as it's not like morally abhorrent (ie. racist, sexist, about the Big Bang Theory).

For $5, I will personally curate for you never before seen Remy content, specially created for you and you alone (5 photos or a video).

For $5, I will send you a copy of my album with liner notes! I've never done formal liner notes before...but I'll do it for you, beautiful.

For $10, I will rate you on a scale of 1-to-10 on your "wifely qualities" skill set, as laid out  in A Mirror of True Womanhood: A Book of Instruction for Women in the World  by Bernard O'Reilly (as laid out in Anne Fadiman's Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader).

For $15, I will write you a 10-15 second song or record a 30-60 second cover song. See my instagram for examples! 

For $15, I will paint you a tiny shitty painting for your very own (they're pretty bad)! See my instagram  for examples. Will take a few bonus days for shipping. 

For $20, I will create you a curated playlist of 12-15 songs on a thumb drive or CD. Will take a few bonus days for shipping, unless you ONLY want it digitally.

For $20, I will do a small tarot reading for you, 3-6 cards in whatever spread you decide. We can do it over FaceTime, via email/texts, or in person (once the plague subsides). 

For $30, I will write you a limerick. It can be about anything you want. It will be very silly. Let me know ahead of times if it should be rated PG-13 or below; otherwise, ASSUME CRUDENESS.

 For $35, I will do a full tarot reading for you, 7+ cards in whatever spread you decide. We can do it over FaceTime, via email/texts, or in person (once the plague subsides). 

For $40, you will have your own FULLY FUNCTIONAL, TURNT, AND UNPARALLELED CUSTOM PLAYLIST from legendary mix tape master, @femmedementhe (bless you).

For $50, I will make you a set of Lucky D&D dice in the basic color of your choosing. We'll choose your color and I will anoint them with a spell of luckiness before sending them your way.

For $50, I will write you a sonnet. It can be about anything you want. It can be Petrarchan or Shakespearean, but if it’s Petrarchan, I won’t like it and you’ll be able to sense that in my tone. So if you want a vaguely pissy sonnet, I’m locked and loaded.

For $69, I will be your middle school wing man. I will pass along messages to your crush. I will find out if they like you. I will for sure be obvious, but I also have no chill, and they don't have to have any idea that this was anyone's idea but man. Honestly, I'm such a mess, and you can bond over that together.

For $75, I will tell you (1) secret. I cannot tell you whose secret it is. I cannot promise the flesh won’t melt off your face when you take the lid off that box. I cannot guarantee it’s true. (Slash I can just write you a sad short film or something idk)

For $100, I will create you a custom secret bookshelf box using of the hollowed out book of your choosing. These can take a little while; try to have a book in mind and we'll make it happen!

For $150, YOU can host an episode of 'TBD with IRV!' I don't know why you'd want to, but you can interview...me? Some other guest you run by me first? Idk, have at it.

For $200, I’ll be willing to send you photographs (10) of my feet. You freaks.

For $500, I’ll write you a full length song. Please be aware that I already have several pending commissions, and this could take some time! Let me know in advance if it's on a time limit!

For $750, I’ll buy you a Nintendo Switch Lite and write my name on it

For $1,000, I’ll let you name my car. This is a very great honor, and I don’t bestow this lightly. If two or more people purchase this option, you will either have to agree on a name, or I’m gonna mind-meld both your names into one mega-name.

For $28,613, I will write you the first draft of a full screenplay. Final draft, including treatment, would be $72,662. Howard Rodman recommends that you become a Guild signatory.This tier is open to negotiation. Have your people reach out to my people. We'll have lunch.

For $1,000,000...I will watch the entirety of the Big Bang Theory. Every goddamn episode. You are buying my very soul.

#open #commissions #open commissions #commissions open #tarot #tarot readings #tbdwithirv #cats #cat pictures #cute cats #life before lexapro #album #song #covers #acoustic covers #original music #depression #anxiety #paintings #tinyshittypaintings #playlist #poems #limerick #sonnet #writing #d&d #dnd #dungeons and dragons #dice #lucky dice

[cookinguptales]

I've a small query (if it doesn't float your boat, no worries!) I was interested in how you got into learning languages, what led you to it? I've become curious since learning a new language as an adult has only increased my awe of multilingual folk (additionally, I vaguely remember a post about a request in exchange for a donation to charity, and wondered if there were any you'd like a donation to)

First of all, good luck with the language learning! It’s not easy as an adult, but I do think it’s worth it, both in terms of cultural fluency and brain elasticity.

My answer to the language thing is actually extremely complicated, so I’ll be putting it under the cut. I’ll put the charity stuff above the cut so more people can see it.

— I’d just like to warn you, though, before I start, that I have been locked in this house for over a month with no respite and I HAVE A LOT OF WORDS AND FEELINGS IN ME SO THIS POST HAS SO MANY OF BOTH OF THOSE THINGS!!

anyway

There are so many charities that I want to donate to now that it honestly makes my head spin. Every time I look at a site like GoFundMe it kind of makes me want to cry. So a lot of donations I’ve made have been to like local businesses, restaurants, etc. who will close down without help. (Also a lot of local native groups, who are disproportionately suffering right now.) I’ve also been donating to various food banks — Philabundance, a Philly-centric charity that deals with food insecurity in general, is a good one. That was a regular of mine even before the outbreak. I’ve also donated to a lot of the local services in the small town where I’m in now, though you’ll need to PM me if you want the name of that. (It’s… very small.) 

Off Their Plate is another great charity that’s been working with small restaurants (who can’t open for business) to get food to first responders. They’re partnered with World Central Kitchen, which is another fantastic charity that helps out during disasters. Plus well-known ones like Feeding America, No Kid Hungry (important while school is out and kids aren’t getting breakfast/lunch there), Direct Relief, etc.

(I uhhh may have overstrained my charity budget the past couple months. It’s odd how that adds to stress and relieves it at the same time.)

I tend to avoid religious charities, especially Salvation Army, because they’re occasionally discriminatory in how they distribute resources and we no longer have laws & oversight to make sure they don’t do shady shit. So I just avoid them in general now. I also avoid the American Red Cross because they’ve been known to misuse funds. Research is key!

I also worry about some of my regular charities, like Immigration Equality & Rainbow Railroad (helps LGBTQ people in dangerous countries immigrate to less dangerous ones), the Native American Rights Fund, various local abortion funds, RAICES (provides legal services to immigrants & refugees), the ACLU, Dysautonomia International, the Rainforest Action Network, etc… A lot of them are getting fewer donations than they’re used to because we’re in the middle of such life-shattering events.

If you are really interested in making a donation (please, please, please do) those are all good options. I also fully recommend looking up needy organizations, services, people, etc. in your own area. I try to donate to a healthy mixture of national/international organizations, local needs, and temporary issues du jour. (Disaster relief, bail funds for protesters, fighting new discriminatory laws, etc.) I would genuinely appreciate any donations, especially if you find a cause near and dear to your heart that I would never even hear about. Anything along these same lines, y’know? If you have anything you’d like me to do in return, just hmu.

I constantly stress about who to donate to — there are so many good organizations and so few dollars to give them — but at a certain point, every dollar to a cause you believe in counts. Every dollar you donate helps to make the world a little bit better for at least one person. That’s what I have to tell myself to calm myself down, haha. So even the smallest donation you make to any of these groups would mean a lot to me.

Anyway, onto the language stuff:

For me personally, I grew up bilingual. Deafness runs in my family, so I learned sign language from a very young age. Note: I say “sign language” rather than ASL. I learned sign language kind of organically, which ended up making a mess later in life. My parents mostly taught me, but so did my daycare (at a deaf school) and so did my babysitters and so did other family members, etc. The point is, not all of them used the same sign language. There was a wide mixture of ASL, SEE, and home signs and my current signing style is… problematic. lmao. My family all understands it (hey, they taught it to me) and I can have conversations with American sign language users, but I know they can’t love my signing lmao. I’ve considered sitting down and taking a legit ASL class for years, but there are so many classes I want to take… I don’t know.

After that, it largely became a case of taking languages whenever they were made available to me. I’ve always liked them. We moved around a lot when I was a preteen so I went to a lot of different schools. (4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade were all different schools.) It was rough at home and hard to make friends so I guess I threw myself into academics a lot. My sixth grade school was an odd one; it was a 6-8 grade school and you were supposed to take a crash course in three different languages in sixth grade so you could choose one and take it in 7th and 8th grade. I ended up taking Spanish, French, and German that year. I liked French best! But then we moved so it was kind of moot. (And I hated German, sorry Germans. My mouth doesn’t like the noises. It didn’t help that my teacher was weirdly sympathetic to Nazi-era Germany…? But I guess that’s another post.)

When we moved to Florida, you had to have special permission to take language classes in 7th grade. (FL doesn’t have great academics.) But since I’d already had some Spanish in NC, they let me take it! And then I moved schools again. This new school, my 8th grade school, I’d be in until I graduated 12th grade years later — but the employee turnover at that school was almost comedically bad?  I took Spanish for like a year and a half there and had three different teachers. So at this point I’d had 5 different Spanish teachers, all from different countries (where they spoke slightly different Spanish!), all reteaching the same ideas over and over again because they didn’t know where the last teacher had left off. In the end, my last Spanish teacher sent me to the school library with some textbooks because he felt like I was very good at languages and he couldn’t adequately teach me in the environment he’d been thrown into. (My high school was very terrible. So he was right.)

SO I SWITCHED TO FRENCH. I took French for 3-4 years in high school (can’t remember when I started) but the same shit started happening. By the last year, my French teacher had the French I, II, III, and IV students IN THE SAME CLASS and she just put the advanced students in small groups and had us do independent study. Sigh… Around this same time, I started three other languages. At this point, I was getting kind of accustomed to self-study so I applied for a Latin class in the Florida Virtual School and took a year of that. I also spent a summer studying at the University of Chicago when I was 16-17 and learned Middle Egyptian then. (Yes, I was an ancient cultures nerd even back then.)

The Japanese has always been an odd case. Like I said, my 8-12 education was fairly terrible. They had this thing where they used a computer program to teach kids math and the teacher kind of taught along? When I transferred to the school in the middle of 8th grade, the teacher didn’t know what to do with me so he just plopped me in front of a computer and told me to do as much as I could. They started me in… Pre-Algebra, I think? Which I’d already taken in sixth grade. So I ended up getting through Pre-Algebra, Geometry, Algebra, and Algebra II, which… wasn’t in the teacher’s plans. I’d kind of finished several years of math in like a quarter. And then they didn’t have any more classes. So he just told me to like. Sit quietly and amuse myself for the last few months of school?? (Terrible, terrible school.) So I went to the library and found a book about Japanese and started teaching myself that. I really, really liked Japanese! Like it’s a language that just clicks really well with the way my brain works, I think. It’s very logical, I like the syllabary, etc. And I think growing up signing helped me with pictographic languages like Middle Egyptian and Japanese. My brain easily connects visual symbols with concepts.

When I went to college, the plan was honestly to learn more Egyptian and start translating, and I kept taking French to help me read old research in various ancient study fields. I ended up transferring out of the NELC major, though, due to some ethical problems… I guess that’s another post. Several years into my RELS/FOLK degree I went to my parents like. Look. I love learning this stuff but none of it’s useful. Remember how much I loved Japanese? Can I go back to learning that? I could translate that and that’s a legit skill. So I applied to a program through my school and studied in Japan for a while and ended up really doubling down on that language. Weird how I came back to it years later, but I guess it was always the one I loved best.

I have a mind that’s very pattern-based, so I guess I’ve always loved learning languages and the patterns behind them. (This may be why languages with a lot of rule exceptions, like French, irritate me.) They’re like puzzles that I’ve always enjoyed teasing out. Unfortunately, the way my education bounced around meant that I never got a good grounding in most of those languages, so I’ve largely lost them. I can still read French fairly well and my Japanese is good… My Spanish is like. Enough to get me around in the southern US. My German is abysmal. I remember very little Latin & Middle Egyptian. (It’s been over 10 years, I guess.)

So I guess what I feel the need to say to you is that if you don’t use it, you will lose it. I did well in all my language classes. They’ve always been fairly easy for me. Like. Straight As, no problem. I don’t say this to brag. I say it so you know that even for someone like me, whose brain is fairly well-wired for languages, it’s very, very difficult to retain languages when you’re not using them. If you’re not used to taking languages or you started late in life, it’s even harder. So even on the days you don’t want to practice! You gotta practice! Ganbare! Bon chance!

#replies #god these are so many words #sorry to everyone #shaymeson

[whattaylormademedo]

Please read the latest post on my GoFundMe. This is THE WORST time to need medical care for a progressive and horrid illness.

I am mostly paralyzed for the 4th day in a row now. My hands are working right now and my body hasn’t shut down and knocked me out uncontrollably from the exhaustion of paralyzing, extreme, charlie-horse-like muscle spasms (like it’s been doing Friday, Saturday, and today, Sunday) although I’m still lightheaded from the ceaseless pain. Here is a link and I will transcribe the update my mom wrote:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/HelpMadelineShanley?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link-tip&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet

Transcription from my Mom:

“Hi Family and Friends,

Madeline’s doctor will no longer be able to come to the house for her appointments because of the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak. We still have no transportation for her, so she will not be seen until they are able to begin telemedicine sometime in the future. We are hopeful that her nurse will still be able to come to the house to do her lifesaving treatments 2 days every two weeks. We are hopeful that we won’t have disruption in our ability to get this vital IVIG medication for her as well as all of the other medications that she must have. She will not have the needed surgery on her feet that we have been trying to get for her, so we must just try to keep infection at bay until all of this is over. These are the realities that we now must add to our battle.

Madeline is still fighting for her health. Occasionally we have a day when she is able to sit up in bed and stand with much support. But, she is still battling the constant, painful muscle contractions of Stiff Person Syndrome. It is hard for us to wrap our heads around fighting SPS AND going through a pandemic. We are hopeful and we need to keep moving forward.

We don’t know what the future holds. Hopefully, the disruptions to people’s lives will be minimal and focused on trying to keep everyone healthy. Hopefully, you all will be safe and have what you need to care for yourselves and your family. Please think of our family as we battle for Madeline’s life in the realities of a world fighting a new and fast-spreading virus. Please send Madeline any messages of support or kindness. Please consider sharing our story and GoFundMe. We need all the help we can get. Thank you.”

From me: I am trying to hold onto hope, but like in ‘Haunted‘ (which is how I feel now) it feels like “something keeps me holding onto nothing.” If you can, instead please send me messages of hope and encouragement. I don’t have much hope right now. Even PMs would mean a lot. THE MOST HELPFUL THING YOU CAN DO IS DONATE TO MY GOFUNDME. SHARE IT IF YOU CAN’T AFFORD TO DONATE. PLEASE HELP ME AND MY FAMILY TRY TO SAVE MY LIFE.

I’m heartbroken that this might push back the Lover Tour shows, especially Lover Tour East, which was my biggest motivator. It’s nobody’s fault, and I understand it’s dangerous to have a gathering that large during a pandemic like this. It’s just something I’m scared that even if it is rescheduled, I might not have the treatments I need or the resources I’d need to get to those treatments and be alive for them. I know without the treatments, I will rapidly lose my ability to move, speak, or communicate (I’ll still feel the pain, have all my mental faculties, and be fully aware of what’s happening to my body. I’ll likely be blind because my eyelids tend to spasm closed, but sometimes they spasm open and prevents me from sleeping, but I likely won’t have control of my eye muscles anyways. That’s UNLESS I get treatment and have way to get to it).

My GoFundMe, run by my parents, is the bare minimum of my needs. It covers 18 months of medication, costs to purchase and modify a van for wheelchair use, and costs to modify my electric wheelchair so I can use it and get to my treatments when I need to (the electric wheelchair was generously donated by a kind widower whose wife unfortunately passed before she could take it out of the box. Bless her soul and may she be at peace).

The GoFundMe doesn’t cover costs for the secondary needs, like the caregivers I qualify for, programs for my computer to make doctor notes for the one telecommunication visit I’ll have per month with a doctor as I get worse and worse, braces to keep my body from breaking itself, and anything to use as an artistic outlet that I can do with caregiver assistance and my limited mobility (distracting me helps because I watch in horror as life as I knew it has changed in every way possible. In a year and under 3 months, I went from being able-bodied, living on my own in college, and walking to not being able to roll over in my home hospital bed by myself and in constant, agonizingly painful, physically paralyzing, muscle spasms throughout my entire body, that shifts hour by hour. In that same time, I went from expecting the future I worked at since I was 9: being a future CEO, living on my own, working for a company as I grew my own start-up, eventually letting that go off the ground and profiting, now to a future of hoping I survive each month, each treatment, and hoping with what hope I have left to get mobility so I can go to my doctors and treatments someday).

I fear when the ingrown toenails (there are several but there’s two separate ones on the same inner side of my left big toe) grow out and touch each other. It’s inevitable without immediate surgery. They’re less than half a centimeter apart and I don’t know exactly how much that will hurt. It will hurt quite a lot, though, and I won’t get treatment for them for a long time. As TSwift sang in ‘The Archer,’ “the luck of the draw only draws the unlucky.” With a disease as rare as mine, Stiff Person Syndrome (Aka SPS) and in a time like nothing I’ve never known, I sure do feel unlucky.

Without this disease, I’d be out there, buying supplies with the money I earned from the job (that I couldn’t start because of my SPS), driving (which I’ll never be able to do) to people’s doorsteps and delivering necessary food and supplies. I’d risk my life, likely staying in an isolated location to protect my loved ones.

But instead, I have SPS. I’m stuck here in this home hospital bed, paralyzed and in pain. I’m helpless and not able to be helpful. As someone who cares about other people far more than my own self, it’s its own kind of torture to be physically unable to help members of my community.

I hope you all are safe and I beg of you to give me any reason to hope. Any PM, donation to the GoFundMe my parents run for me, or share of that GoFundMe would mean a lot. Thank you for reading. I wish everyone and their loved ones health, happiness, and fulfillment.

💔Madeline

[sewingonline]

Can you spare some time to knit or sew for children in Malawi and Uganda?

If you have some time to do some knitting or sewing for a good cause please could you get in touch with Sandra Webb (Contact details at the end of this post). We met her on twitter and heard about the good work she is doing fundraising and collecting handmade donations for Bwaila Hospital in Lilongwe Malawi.  Sandra says that ‘helping one desperate mum makes it so worth it’

She has been sending knitting and baby clothing to this hospital in Malawi since 2013. Sandra does this because the mums there have nothing when their babies are born and she wanted this to change - so she and her daughter Kate set about changing it!  

If you are able to knit, crochet or sew some items for Sandra to send to Bwaila Hospital she would be ever so grateful. She is in need of knitted or sewn clothing (0-3 years), toys,teddies (this may be the first teddy for a lot of them ), blankets, hats, headbands (these are great to make with fabric remnants and are such a novelty out there. They love wearing them!) and more besides. Sandra says ‘these mums aren’t fussy as they have nothing to start with’ so whatever you are able to make will be gratefully received. 

Sandra also sends parcels out to rural Ugandan children so would really appreciate it if any of you can sew some pillowcase dresses, skirts or shorts for her to send out to the children there. Plus - if you have any outgrown croc style shoes or sandals that you are able to send to her that would be great! She says that the children like them because they are light and cool to wear plus they can be washed. The bright colours also makes them a big hit!

In Sandra’s YouTube videos - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ndu4qtykXc - you can see photos of the children and babies wearing the knitted and sewn items that people have kindly made for them. As soon as they receive a parcel of items they try to send some photos over to her so that she can see what a huge impact her donations make to everyone.

It does cost a lot of money for these items all to to be posted out to Malawi and Uganda (approx (£12 per kilo) so Sandra does various events to fund parcels plus she has a couple of gofundme pages set up so that she can raise funds to cover the cost of postage.  You can view them here >>  www.gofundme.com/2cpmd8s  and https://www.gofundme.com/HelpRuralUgandaChildren

This article explains how Sandra and her daughter Kate got started on their mission to send items out to those in need --> http://www.greatyarmouthmercury.co.uk/news/handmade-norfolk-knitwear-will-keep-babies-warm-in-africa-1-3238406 (please note the contact number in that article may no longer be correct however the email address is still current) and on the Malawi Maternal and Neonatal Health Facebook page they have made lots of references to the lovely donations that Sandra sends them regularly.  There’s a screenshot below -

If you are able to offer your support by knitting and sewing then that would be fantastic. It is wonderful that Sandra and her daughter have started such an amazing project and it is something well worth getting involved in. Next week I am definitely going to start sewing some headbands and once I have made them I will post them to Sandra so she can send them to the little girls in Uganda and Malawi.

You can contact Sandra by emailing her on [email protected] or you can contact her on social media. Her Twitter profile is  https://twitter.com/sjwebb47 and her Facebook profile is https://www.facebook.com/sandra.webb.564.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this post and please can you share it with anyone you know that loves to knit or sew. :)

#knitting #sewing #crochet #charity #goodcause #knitforcharity #sewforcharity #crochetforcharity

[craft-responders]

NM CRAFT RESPONDERS                                                                                    Info Sheet: https://tinyurl.com/tkdf2ye                                                             Contact : [email protected]                                                                    FB Public Group: Open Source COVID19 Medical Supplies New Mexico             IG @nmcraftresponders

To request masks : https://forms.gle/Ae71Lka6MKihMQYX9                                To help make masks or volunteer : https://forms.gle/7AfaxF9LoW5jYAjLA

SUPPORT OUR gofundme! https://www.gofundme.com/f/supplies-for-craft-responders

*** Info Sheet for DIY Facemask Makers ***

Hello fellow sewers and makers! Thanks for joining the mobilization and solidarity effort! This COVID19 crisis is a big reminder that we are all interconnected. As makers we can put our skills to use during #StayAtHome, busying our hands and hopefully calming the nerves too. 

We created this page for helpful hints on mask-making + updated info on where masks can be sent, as needed.

>> Here is a video made by an NMCR member on Prep Work, Tips, and Tricks for DIY Masks

A. MASKS FOR HEALTHCARE WORKERS (HCW):

• IMPORTANT: If you are making for HCW, always contact them directly to ask what they need

• These are durable and can withstand industrial washing, more time-consuming

• Use a different color fabric or “wrong” side on the inside of mask so it’s easy for HCW to distinguish inside/outside

• You can use pre-purchased double-fold, cotton blend bias tape or make it yourself  [note: you don’t need to make it on the bias]

A1. Designed to fit over an N95 mask or used on its own: [2 cotton layers; cloth ties] https://www.instructables.com/id/AB-Mask-for-a-Nurse-by-a-Nurse/?fbclid=IwAR1hhme4_-_sPEDQ0NRKbYsIHEmXFzhoMLxtlKmnRgSCRpFT0GvjL5SjO5c

1st pattern on this site is very similar, with more detailed instructions:

https://www.ratboi.com/tutorials/n95mask-alternative?fbclid=IwAR1hhojnD_I9We_6P-ReMb5IH4COZ8PTSbkCHKxwEkXVRm-I8Y0u7rhayW0

A2. Designed for HCW by HCW:  [2 cotton layers, plus interfacing and a filter pocket; cloth ties]

**NMCraftResponders is currently out of interfacing; we can still produce these masks without interfacing, making it a mask with 2 cotton layers plus a filter pocket, with cloth ties]**

https://drive.google.com/file/d/100uwoZA9n8DAObuylXZ67wbtnp8QaVPN/view

>> CHECK OUT THIS A2 VIDEO TUTORIAL MADE BY OUR MEMBERS

B - D: MASKS FOR OTHER FRONTLINE WORKERS (not HCW) and everyone else

• These are faster to make; the downside is that elastic bands might not last long with washing/drying and they are tricky to remove/replace. Some clinics are accepting these

B1. HOW TO MAKE FACE MASK WITH ADJUSTABLE WIRE AND FILTER POCKET [UPDATE: this video has been removed by the creator on youtube...use B2 below]

B2: This one has a better design for getting elastic in/out but is a bit more time-consuming than B1: [2 layers cotton, with filter pocket; elastic bands]:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCJcE-r7kcg

C: Masks from Stitchology [2 layers of cotton, no filter; elastic bands]:        

D: No-Sew Masks [fabric, 2 rubber bands]          https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cloth-face-cover.html                          Suggested adult size: 15”x15” - 20”x20” ; NOTE: if you are making these for NMCR, they must be packed in bags of multiples of 10 only. Pack them flat, not folded. Use clean, unstained heavyweight cotton fabrics like t-shirt, woven cotton, pillowcases, or bedsheets. Be sure there are no holes in the fabric. Follow instructions for packing, washing. You do not need to include rubber bands; NMCR will provide these.                                                                                                                                                       

* * * * * * *

IMPORTANT NOTES: (adapted from COVID Mask Crafters)

1.      Please pre-shrink your 100% cotton fabrics before you begin cutting out your masks.  Cotton fabrics tend to shrink significantly in the wash and the last we want is for your beautiful masks to shrink at the hospital and render them unusable. 

2.      Washing Instructions: Use unscented detergent or WHITE VINEGAR in a hot wash followed by a hot dry cycle to remove as much of the shrinkage as possible.  Do not use fabric softener or dryer sheets. 

3.      Do not try on a mask that you are sending out.  Do not take photos of a mask on yourself or on a pet.  Masks that have been tried on should NOT be donated in an effort to prevent the spread of the COVID-19. 

4. Elastic is hard to find these days. You can make your own bias tape [note: you don’t need to make it on the bias] or use knit fabric ties (cut t-shirt material into strips). 

5. NM Craft Responders does not provide filters—since they can’t be washed and they need to be handled in order to be cut, it’s best if the mask wearer can buy their own. We have tested unscented swiffer cloths (generic brand) that are cut down to 6”x3.75” and they seem to provide breathability. See this article on best materials for filters. 

6. Once complete, follow these Instructions for Packing and Delivery:

• Take a photo of your finished masks and share with us! [email protected]

• Wash all masks in hot water and unscented detergent or white vinegar. Dry on high. No bleach, fabric softener, or dryer sheets. Wash your hands for 20 sec before handling the clean masks (to transfer to dryer and to plastic bags)

• Wear a mask while handling clean masks to pack. Place clean masks in a ziplock bag.

• Mark the outside of the ziplock with a permanent marker: quantity and mask type  (e.g. #7-A1)

NOTE: if you are packing “D” masks, they must be packed in bags of 10 or 20 only. Follow same instructions as above for washing and packing. 

• One of our team members will contact you for pickup/delivery. Thank you!

* * * * * * *

#info

[citizentruth-blog]

Human Toll Grows As The Government Shutdown Continues

"I am asking for assistance to keep a roof over my family’s head. The government shutdown is leaving us unable to pay for all of our bills and rent." "Senate Republicans blocked a stopgap measure to end the partial shutdown on Thursday, the second of two failed efforts to end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. Senators voted 52-44 on the legislation, falling short of the 60 votes needed to defeat a filibuster," The Hill reported after votes were cast in the United States Senate. The vote came after the White House-backed measure, which included the $5.7 billion for the initial stages of border fencing received less support, failing with a 50-47 tally. The two competing amendments can be read between S327-474 and S474-482 "It would have allowed Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients and some temporary protected status holders to apply for a three-year extension of some legal protections, but included new restrictions on asylum seekers," The Hill continued. Of note, Donald Trump's administration is responsible for DACA recipients no longer having protected status. While President Trump continues to push for $5.7 billion for a fencing project estimated to cost between $12 - $70 billion, his approval rating continue to drop and federal workers are beginning to feel the strain of going without pay.

Deepak and GoFundMe Team Up

Deepak Chopra and GoFundMe recently teamed together to create a fund to help federal workers affected by the shutdown, "The money raised on this GoFundMe will be distributed to nonprofit organizations across the country that are offering general relief to government workers, including but not limited to, food, counseling, and housing support," reads the beginning of the Government Shutdown Direct Relief Fund which had already raised $421,642 at the writing of this article. "We want to provide a place for people to take action and help someone in need, because, together, we have power to make a difference and provide critical short-term relief. The over 800,000 federal workers furloughed or working without pay don’t deserve this hardship, but we have the opportunity to take action and deliver a message of hope and solidarity," the posting continued encapsulating the struggle many are currently going through.

Federal Workers In Need Of A Helping Hand

The individual stories of federal workers throughout GoFundMe further tell the story of the human toll the shutdown is having on citizens of the United States. The Atlanta Public Schools (APS) share the story of workers in the city affected by the shutdown: We need your help and resources for spouses, domestic partners, and household members of Atlanta Public Schools Employees Impacted by the Federal Government Shutdown. Several hundred Atlanta Public Schools (APS) Employee households are estimated to be impacted by the federal government shutdown and are struggling without their paychecks. APS and the APS Foundation want to help! Please donate to our Go Fund Me to help them during this difficult time. We are grateful for your support!   Angela Kelley of Milwaukee, Wisconsin shares her story: I am a furloughed employee, veteran and single parent raising my 3 year old granddaughter. We live paycheck to paycheck. I have bills, car payment, insurance and rent that are currently due. I have been trying driving Uber to help but I am finding it's difficult due to a knee injury to drive for long periods of time. Being a single parent, I’m in panic mode right now. If you’d like to help, any donations are appreciated.   Jessica Appel writes about the struggle her family is currently enduring: I am asking for assistance to keep a roof over my family’s head. The government shutdown is leaving us unable to pay for all of our bills and rent. I work for an agency that is not getting any pay, not even from the holidays. My boyfriend works in DC where the effects of the shutdown are hurting business and money substantially. We have a two year old son to take care of and it’s extemely scary not knowing if we’ll be able to afford food or even diapers for him. Even with my boyfriend picking up extra shifts we cannot afford our apartment and bills without my usual income to help. My car is in need of repair and currently not working. I can not afford to make those repairs due to not receiving any income at this time. We also have the cost of daycare, taking him out would still cost us two weeks advance notice and the possibility of losing his place to another child and not having the care for him when the government reopens. I’m asking for any assistance to help us get through our bills and rent for this month and next, until we can get back on our feet. Please feel free to share! Anything helps, thank you!   Laura Johnson Clark details the struggle her family is facing: Prayers needed for my sweet girl..Kell is ok but has a serious injury which resulted in two ambulance trips, two hospital stays and a partial amputation of one of her fingers. She already had a broken foot from cheering 10 days ago, and now this. We are devastated to say the least. To top it off my husband who works for the USDOJ has not been paid since Dec 22nd because of the Government shutdown. We are stressed now more than we have ever been and are reaching out for huge prayers and possible donations to help with the medical costs which have already started with the broken foot. Yes there is medical insurance, but the beginning of the year resets all deductibles. The estimated costs for her hand after insurance are approximately 5K. Normally this would be an anticipated expense, but with dwindling savings to cover mortgage and all other living expenses it is something that is a tremendous worry now since there is no anticipated end to the shutdown. At first we thought it would be over before anyone missed a paycheck, but it just keeps going. Anything helps at this point, including prayers and well wishes. Thank you so much to all of you that have donated to this point, it is so very humbling. We love you all.   Alecia Lane, a single mother of two shares her shutdown story: I'm a single mom with 2 boys (ages 12 and 8). We have been impacted by the government shutdown, I thought I was prepared but I wasn't prepared for it last this long especially so soon after Christmas.  It has taken me days to ask for help through GoFundMe.  I haven't struggled like this since I was growing up.  My kids don't know the kind of life I had cause I never wanted them to grow up the way I did.  I've never wanted to tell my kids we can't do this or eat this because I don't have the money.  This shutdown became really real when we missed my first paycheck and we are about to miss the next one.  I am retired Navy and blessed to at least get a retirement check , but I still have bills to cover. I  am normally the one that helps people out, I have given my last to family and friends.  I have opened my home to people in need.  I am hoping someone can do the same for my family. I like to consider myself a strong individual but truth is this shutdown has broke me down. Any assistance that my family and I can get will be much appreciated.  Also any amount over my goal I will pay it forward and help another furlough employee(s).  Thank you in advance for the acts of kindness.   Kyla Daniels tells her story of working without pay during the shutdown: The government shutdown is putting a real strain on my family. Right now I'm forced to work without pay. I wasn't worried about the government shutdown at first, it happened before but being on day 31 makes me nervous for me and family. I'm not getting paid, yet I still get up every morning and burn gas to go to work; I'm paying to go to work... That is not what I signed up for.  A check will come eventually but until then I still have to provide shelter, food, and a substantial way of life for my family . This is not something I ask lightly. There are many others in the same situation I'm in. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Brad Williams explains his situation as a government contractor: My story has been featured on CNN. I hadn't set up this campaign yet at that point. My name is Brad Williams. I'm a married father of two teenagers in Hillsborough, NC, and I'm an IT contractor with the federal government who's been impacted by the ongoing government shutdown. I have only worked two days in total since the shutdown began. Unlike federal employees, contractors will not receive any back pay once the shutdown finally ends; we're at the mercy of our contracting company, and most of us - myself included - simply aren't paid if we don't work. We're an average, everyday middle-class family, and losing income like this, through no fault of our own, has the potential to be catastrophic. We can cut back or eliminate discretionary spending, but our mortgage, car payment, and utility bills are non-negotiable. Additionally, I have a $615 bill for my vehicle registration coming due, and my vehicle needs new tires. I've had to put off my daughter getting braces because of the uncertainty of my health insurance situation as well as simply not having the money to start her treatment. My son is already in the midst of treatment, so we're playing that one by ear; fortunately, we paid for a significant portion of his treatment up-front. I need to fill the financial hole left by Washington's inability to function. I'm looking for another job, but that doesn't happen overnight. Daniel Guerra, a recent graduate of Air Traffic Control Academy tells how the shutdown has disrupted his life: I am an air traffic controller currently working without pay.  I graduated from ATC Academy in September and was assigned to the control tower in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.   I purchased a Jeep the following month and within the same month it had proven unreliable.  I spent two months on a rental while the Jeep was being worked on but, the issue was not resolved.  Finally, I decided it would be best to ship a vehicle out from back home, another major expense.  Early December I planned a trip for the end of January to go to Florida, just to get off of the island for a few days.  Due to the shutdown, I had to cancel on the trip.  Both Spirit Airlines and JetBlue could not refund me for the tickets. Managing finances for this new career move has been stressful enough as it is, especially on Academy Graduate pay.  The cost of living on the island is quite high and bills are beginning to stack against me.  It is now nearing the second pay period during the shutdown that I will have worked 40hrs and not receive compensation. Any and all help will be greatly appreciated.   If you have any questions for me, please feel free to ask! These and hundreds of thousands of others are suffering through similar hardship as the shutdown draws closer to its 40th day.   Read the full article

#DeepakChopra #GoFundMe #GovernmentShutdown #GovernmentShutdownDirectReliefFund #governmentworkers #Shutdown

[foursprouthappiness-blog]

Millennials, It’s Time To Get The Hell Over Ourselves And Join Forces With The Next Generation

New Post has been published on http://foursprout.com/happiness/millennials-its-time-to-get-the-hell-over-ourselves-and-join-forces-with-the-next-generation/

Millennials, It’s Time To Get The Hell Over Ourselves And Join Forces With The Next Generation

Jade Masri / Unsplash

That’s right, I’m talking to you, sitting at your work desk scrolling through your now “old-school” iPhone 6, refreshing your news feed, Instagram, and Snapchat an embarrassing number of times in a weird apathetic routine that your brain has, at this point, outsourced to mere muscle memory. Also, I totally know you just favorited that tweet about eating tide pods or ajax or whatever because #lolz. And I know when you get home tonight, you’re going to pour yourself a glass of vino, and proceed to mindlessly swipe through Tinder while binge-watching Black Mirror season 4 and occasionally refreshing Instagram so you can like more photos of your friends’ dogs. You’re doing this all in the name of “self care” but really it’s because you, me, and a majority our generational peers are caught in a self-sabotaging cycle of suppressing our true feelings of anger, frustration, and powerlessness over what’s going on in the world around us. We continue to shove these feelings deeper and deeper into the very bottom of our beings until we’re sufficiently numbed out on soul lidocaine. This is how we’ve come to be labelled as the most cynical generation, ever. And studies have shown, millennials maintain unprecedented levels of mistrust when it comes to politicians, Congress, the U.S. justice system, even the Church has failed many of us.

Of course, we have every right to be the cynical, numbed out, tide pod meme jokesters that we’ve become. We have every right to google as many photos of cute puppies on the Internet as we please. Because if you, like me, were born sometime between 1981 and 1996 (according to Pew Research that’s the age range for millennials), then you know we as a generation have lived through some crazy bullshit. Granted, every generation experiences its share of war, economic fluctuations, and political discord, some more strongly than others. But Generation Y, as we’re often labelled, grew up in this special kind of hell that I don’t think past generations could have predicted. Many of us were just entering junior high or high school when the September 11 terrorist attacks ignited nationwide panic and a subsequently pointless ten-year war, fueled by politically enabled corporate greed. Then, in 2008, the housing market collapsed, plunging the U.S. and much of the world into a global financial crisis that lasted over a decade. We watched as our government flushed billions of dollars in bail-out money into the large investment banks whose corrupt and greed-fueled risky lending actions were the primary reason for the housing collapse. We continued to watch, helplessly, as those same banks took that government bail-out money, our parent’s money, and handed out millions of dollars in bonuses to top executives.

Oh and then in the midst of war and a global financial crisis, enter smartphones and the subsequent rise of social media. While providing us with unparalleled new levels of interconnectivity and power, smartphones also served to overwhelm us with feelings of inadequacy as we began constantly comparing our lives with the social-media filtered lives of our peers and celebrities like The Kardashians. We began to experience isolation from our real-life relationships as we became preoccupied with communicating via our avatars – the internet versions of ourselves. Despite the subconscious, chronic layer of depression our smartphones were projecting onto us, we found these same devices useful as a tool for filtering out the noise from what was going on in the world around us. Sadly, many of us millennials, myself included, have become self-absorbed and far too skillful at filtering reality via the distraction of our phones; we forget there’s this whole new generation coming up after us – Generation Z. And they need our support.

Generation Z, generally agreed upon by researchers as anyone born after 1996, has never known a life apart from the continuous, looming threat of terrorism. Generation Z cannot remember a time when mass shootings in schools weren’t “just a part of growing up, kiddo.” In fact, a 2013 Gen Z-focused issue of The Cassandra Report revealed that 43% of 7- to 13-year-olds anticipated school violence/shootings would have a stronger impact on their generation than even the invention of social media and the election of the first Black President. Generation Z are digital natives who understand the potential of social media to create powerful, interconnected movements of people fighting to affect tangible change in the world. Generation Z observed the viral explosion of the long overdue #MeToo movement, spurred on a global scale by women of all ages, and they took notes. This past week, our nation and our government have witnessed the unwavering commitment of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas high schoolers and the thousands of other students who have joined them in organizing marches, school walk-outs, and public speeches, in an effort to see common-sense gun laws voted into action by Congress.

Millennials, I know our generation has seen some rough times, I know many of us are tired of trying to change the way things are, I know often it’s more comfortable to bury ourselves in our work and our phones than face what’s really going on in the world around us. But now, more than ever, is the time for our generation to stand with our young cohorts and show them they have our support, as they proactively seek to affect change in our government and our laws. There are so many tangible ways we can take an active role in supporting the efforts of these brave teenagers. One way we can help is by donating to their GoFundMe campaign to support the March for Our Lives event planned for March 24 in Washington, DC and cities across the nation. The GoFundMe has raised $1,851,447 in just 3 days. Another way we can assist in raising awareness for the legislation these kids are fighting for is by simply posting on our social media. There’s an Instagram account called @everytown that posts quality, informed content about the need to end gun violence in America. I’ve seen some of my well-respected peers on Instagram reposting from that account.

With our constant access to the Internet, social media, and countless apps, all via our smartphones, there are so many effortless ways we can help propel the activism of these young people forward so that true change can come about. In the words of Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk at the 2016 Recode Conference, “You have more power than the President of the United States had twenty years ago…you can answer any question, you can videoconference with anyone anywhere, you can send a message to millions of people instantly, you can just do incredible things.” Millennials, let’s put aside our disappointment, frustration, and cynicism, and let’s start doing incredible things again. Let’s join forces with Generation Z in shouting from the tops of our lungs “NEVER AGAIN!”

#Happiness

[ralphmorgan-blog1]

Saving the twins: Health scares and rehab for once-conjoined boys

Valhalla, New York (CNN)Nicole McDonald eases her silver minivan across Bear Mountain Bridge and hooks a right onto the steep two-lane highway.

The road twists like a snake up the mountainous incline, an old route where the road's edge blends into beautiful greenery and perilous cliffs overlook the Hudson River. Where your knuckles turn white from clutching the steering wheel and a knot grows in your belly.

Nicole makes this trip every day from her home in upstate New York to see her twin sons, Jadon and Anias. The 21-month-old boys are at Blythedale Children's Hospital 40 miles to the south, where they've been undergoing rehabilitation since mid-December. The twins, born joined at the head, captured the world's attention after a marathon surgery to separate them last fall.

The journey to go see them, Nicole says, is similar to the one her boys have been through: setbacks and victories, nerve-wracking and awe-inspiring.

"It's like climbing a mountain," she says, "and you get to the place you thought was the top only to realize you have another mile to go and you don't have the supplies for it."

She thinks back to a moment weeks earlier when she reached a breaking point. Jadon and Anias had been sick off and on for nearly a month. Her other child, 3-year-old Aza, battled high fevers and croup. Amid it all, Mom got sick.

But after a few days, finally, it seemed everyone was healthy. Nicole visited the boys at the rehabilitation center. Jadon fell asleep in his crib, and she worked to put Anias down. He was laughing, but in an instant, he unleashed a scream and vomited. Again and again, until nothing was left.

Nicole stood, drenched in vomit, and held her 25-pound boy for more than six hours. Then, Jadon awoke, "just puking nonstop." She wondered why, after everything her boys have gone through, they couldn't seem to catch a break.

In that moment, she closed her eyes. "I quit," she thought. "I can't do this anymore."

A 360 look inside the operating room during the boys' surgery

Seconds later, though, she snapped back. Amid the desperate exhaustion, she found strength. She became more focused, more determined, more resilient. Her boys needed her. Her family needed her.

She didn't sleep for two days, tending to their every need.

A physical therapist by training, she learned that she could rely on her instincts -- and that no matter what was thrown at her, she was strong enough to take it.

"My 'I quit' moment shoved me into the mindset of 'I can do this,' " she says. "Not only can I handle it, I can handle it on my own. It was about being free, even though it's hard."

She took that moment almost like a rallying cry for her boys. And she found it both exhilarating and rewarding: "I can be their mom without some nurse coming in every two seconds. Eventually, I'm going to have to do this at home. It was proof for me in that 'I quit' moment that I can."

What drives her is the sheer joy that spreads across her boys' faces when she enters their room. Most of all, she just wants to bring them home.

She mashes the accelerator on the road to see her boys.

'Just trying to survive'

Christian McDonald climbs the extension ladder and rips rotted wall studs from the outside of the family's split-level ranch house. His shirt is peeled off, and sweat drips from his chin.

While Nicole works with the boys, Christian works to ready their newly purchased home for the twins' return. The work has allowed the former truck driver to return to his blue-collar roots. Knocking down walls and ripping up siding has been good for his soul, a way to relieve the stress of dealing with everything Jadon and Anias have gone through.

The wood-shingled house, nestled in Orange County with views of the Catskill Mountains, is the family's third home in less than two years.

In February 2016, they transported their lives from small-town Illinois to the Bronx to be near the Children's Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center, where the twins' surgery took place. They lived in a rental home for more than a year.

Once the twins were moved to rehab at Blythedale, in Valhalla, the family moved too -- in part to get away from the hectic pace of the city.

The house, which had been a foreclosure, is in need of what a real estate agent might call "a little TLC." The stairs leading up to the front door have been demolished -- one of many projects on Christian's to-do list. He's refinished one bathroom, turning it into showroom quality.

Nicole and Christian hope to flip the home eventually; they say they wouldn't have been able to afford it if not for strangers who donated more than $330,000on their GoFundMe page. Neither parent has been able to work since their journey to New York began.

"We're just trying to survive, really," says Nicole, "and this is how we're trying to survive."

Christian says he doesn't quite understand why so many people have found inspiration in their story. In his view, he and Nicole are just regular folks going through an ordeal, not too much different from other families with sick children. He's grateful and thankful not just for the donations but for all the messages of support.

Nicole draws inspiration from them, too. She holds one note especially close, written by a woman who said she had planned to commit suicide until she read about the McDonalds' struggle and found hope in their story.

Even with the ongoing renovations, their home feels warm and inviting. The message on one living room wall reads "Live, Laugh, Love." On the other, "Peace, Love, Dream." Collages of photographs show the boys from before and after the 27-hour surgery in mid-October.

The McDonalds gave CNN exclusive access to the surgery and allowed us to follow them in the months since. Their story will be featured in an hour-long special, "Separated: Saving the Twins," hosted by CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta on Friday night at 10 ET.

Much has changed since the surgery. Although it might have been the most difficult medical task, the parents knew what to expect. The doctors essentially gave them a road map of the procedure and the care that would follow. Emotionally, they were prepared.

But rehab has been different: filled with sick boys, constant worry and extreme ups and downs. While the care has been great, the parents say, there was just no way to be prepared for the various health scares.

"Every day is a new day with a new challenge," Nicole says. "It has literally been the journey of sickness for the last couple months."

One night, a feverish Anias suffered a lengthy seizure and stopped breathing when his temperature rose too high, too fast. Two fluid-filled cysts have emerged on the top of his scalp, doubling his head's normal weight. He had to have his skull cap removed due to infection and will undergo another surgery when he is 7 to insert bone.

Jadon has battled infection, too. Dissolvable plates that were inserted during the surgery have pushed up through his scalp. "I pull out pieces of plate from his head," Nicole says, "and every day, it breaks my heart."

How do they maintain a semblance of sanity amid the stress?

"Those little smiling faces when you walk in," says Christian. "They smile so big at you, and they get so excited to see you. ... It's amazing how happy they are.

"Everything they go through, they're just always smiling and happy. We learn a lot from them."

Excited boys, ecstatic mom

Nicole pops into the boys' room at Blythedale. The two are sitting in high chairs in opposite corners. Their faces immediately light up at her presence, and their arms and legs kick excitedly.

She rushes to Anias first and smothers him in kisses. "Anias, I see you," Nicole shouts.

She admires his onesie adorned with images of a magnet and a baby chicken. "Chick magnet," it reads.

"I love your shirt today," Nicole says.

Across the room, Jadon points to the buckles keeping him locked in his chair, as if to say, "Undo these, please!"

Nicole rushes to see him, unbuckling his strap and lifting him into her arms. She gives him kisses. He responds with kisses of his own. "Thank you for the kisses," she says. "Now your brother is jealous. We've got to go get him."

They join Anias in his section of the room. A physical therapist soon enters and takes Jadon away for a 30-minute session. As he's leaving, he blows his mom a kiss and tells her, "Bye."

This has been their life on the good days: moments of sheer joy and love.

In addition to physical therapy, the boys receive speech and occupational therapy.

Jadon has started doing block puzzles and making animal noises. His expressive language is also about that of a 9-month-old. He rolls across the room, lifts his head and sits up by himself. He learns new tasks fast. He can roll a ball while he's sitting, and he can get up on his hands and knees and rock back and forth.

Anias is still learning what things are. His speech is delayed. He makes sounds like "bah-bah-bah" during speech therapy and is able to say "da-da."

The physical therapist in Nicole has prepared her well. She works with Anias on getting him to stand and track objects with his eyes. Because he struggles with his right side, she places toys on that side to make him work harder. He'll track the toy and then roll, lift his head and stretch ever so gingerly with his right hand.

"He's my slow, steady turtle," Nicole says. "Anias is going to do it all. It's just going to take more time."

Lead neurosurgeon Dr. James Goodrich and lead plastic surgeon Dr. Oren Tepper say they are pleased with how the boys are progressing. The situation is understandably stressful for the parents and the boys, but from a medical standpoint, the twins are doing well.

In the weeks after the surgery, Goodrich's biggest concerns were bleeding, fluid buildup and infection of tissue surrounding the brain.

"We've been able to avoid all of that, which is very gratifying," he says. "In rehab, they're actually starting to develop what infants are supposed to do in the sense of being able to sit, stand, hold their heads, and starting to stand with assistance."

Tepper adds, "I can tell you the trajectory looks very good for both boys right now. (Their infections) have been local with no signs of meningitis, which would be essentially an infection surrounding the brain or something deep. Neither one have had any problems like that."

Both credit Nicole for getting the boys this far -- a combination of her effusive love and her years as a physical therapist.

"Nicole's abilities as a parent and skills as a medical professional are really quite unique," says Goodrich. "She has spent every day, pre- and post-surgeries, strengthening Jadon and Anias, in every respect, from physical therapy to wound care management to interaction and play time. She has dedicated herself to helping them thrive."

Her husband says simply, "She is Superwoman."

The real work, she says, will begin when she and Christian can bring their boys home. Jadon's wound dressings have to be changed twice a day. Anias eats via a tube every four to six hours. There will be diapers to change, mouths to feed and constant tasks. In between, she'll have to dedicate time to her 3-year-old, Aza.

Still, she's looking forward to the job.

Her plan is to work with Jadon and Anias on simple tasks, getting them to repeat each one 20 to 30 times so they can thrive. "Every way that I hold them, every way that I sit them, every way that I position them is in thinking with what's going to improve their condition," Nicole says.

She says she can tell Anias will have some delays and is eager to work consistently with him. "I can foresee him walking, and I can see him doing all the things he needs to do to function in a community and in his home environment," she says.

"I just want to get them home so I can practice with them all day long."

Late last week, Nicole and Christian learned that may soon happen. A doctor at Blythedale told them the subject of Jadon and Anias going home was brought up at the medical team's weekly meeting.

"I don't want to scare you with this concept," the doctor said, "but what do you think about moving in this direction?"

Nicole's heart swelled. She says she nearly jumped out of her chair. She's thought about that moment almost all day, every day. The picture is clear in her mind: She and Christian are sitting in their living room, each holding one of the boys, while Aza runs up and hugs them. There's no worry about them being sick or sleeping in a sterile hospital room without their mother.

"It's just bliss," she says.

See the latest news and share your comments with CNN Health on Facebook and Twitter.

She's thought of practical things too, like getting them cribs and preparing their room.

"We just want to be a family," Christian says.

The date of their return home has not been set, but the preparation has begun.

It's the start of making their family whole. A new life, together.

More From this publisher : HERE

=> *********************************************** Read Full Article Here: Saving the twins: Health scares and rehab for once-conjoined boys ************************************ =>

Saving the twins: Health scares and rehab for once-conjoined boys was originally posted by A 18 MOA Top News from around

#A 18 MOA Top News from around

[anonypotsy]

Let me preface this by saying that this remains anonymous for the safety of the people being fundraised for, and that they are fearful of repercussions. Some details may be missing, but this is necessary to benefit the people in need in this scenario. I encourage you to PLEASE share and donate as you can. It is extremely important that these funds be made available as soon as possible. The beneficiary of this gofundme is in need of legal fees to continue pursuing an existing custody case as well as to begin funding a medical malpractice case. The beneficiary has been disabled and unable to work for a year, due to both chronic illness and the development of an acute illness that nearly cost her life. Fortunately, she is doing well at the moment, but is still very much disabled. She is in the process of figuring out if she is eligible for Disability. Even if she worked full time, it would take months to save the amount of money that is needed in such a short window of time. The backstory: This woman was in an emotionally and sexually abusive relationship when she became pregnant, and it quickly became a situation of financial abuse as well. The child's father refused to pay for anything (not food for the mother who was unemployed at the time, not medical bills, not any items for the baby.) At one point he expressed that he didn't want to participate in the child's life until it was much older. He was present at the birth, and left town shortly after. While he was in town, he did the bare minimum. After he left, he went back to being his emotionally abusive self and couldn't be bothered to ask about the baby, so she ended their relationship. For 7 months, she didn't hear from him at all. Then, he came to town to visit. He was in town for 30 days and saw the baby 6 times total (2 hours maximum each time, all fully supervised by the mother) and during this time he threatened to kidnap the child, then left. Four months went by and she again did not hear from him. Then he came to town and had 3 supervised, short visits. He then left town and refused to make further child support payments. Another entire year went by where the mother did not hear from him or any of his family members. Last spring, around the time that she got acutely ill, he filed for custody, knowing that she was very ill. Her notice of hearing came in regular, uncertified mail, and was never opened because she was extremely ill and unable to open mail. As a result, a default order was placed offering him a ludicrous amount of custody. The current order gives him primary custody any time he is in town while he lives out of state and custody on every other school vacation, which is to be exercised out of state, away from the mother and all of the people that the child knows. The order also contains incomplete custody arrangements for when he moves back into the state, if he ever does. The order also states that he must contact the child every week through the mother, in order for her to "get to know" him, which he has repeatedly violated. This child is three years old. This child was raised in a house with her mother and grandmother. The child did not know she had a father, or paternal grandparents. These people were all complete strangers. Even now, there is substantial confusion to her about who he is. She refers to her uncle as her dad a lot of the time. This child has never spent substantial time away from her mother- only during the work day, never overnights. This is an extremely unstable and harmful thing to do to a child. This man has never changed a diaper, never spent any time around children (let alone his own), refused to pay child support for an entire year, doesn't know what she eats or doesn't eat, what she is allergic to, her daily schedule, or anything about her. This man does not know anything about her. He refused to come on either occasion where she was emergently hospitalized- even when one of them was nearly a week long and right before Christmas. After 6 days of the father having custody as per the default order, the child came home quite obviously emotionally scarred by the expirience. The child who previously fell asleep very easily was now screaming and crying at night. Before this, she was very nice and happy; afterward she was scared, panicky, sad, and even angry. She became physically aggressive. At one point, she screamed and cried about not wanting to go back. It was apparent that she lived in a state of fear after having been taken away by total strangers into a strange environment. There is no doubt that this has had a negative impact on the child, and she will start therapy when it is recommended by her pediatrician. The child's father has also refused to place the child on his insurance, which is his legal obligation. The main concern is to prevent him from removing the child from the state by himself, as they are total strangers. We are filing to change the order based on the fact that I was unable to attend, as per doctor's note. This needs to be filed as soon as possible before the father exercises any of his custody and further upsets the child. Steps are being taken to introduce the child to her grandparents, who were also absent from her life for 2 years. The mother desperately tried to get the father to participate in his child' life for 2.5 years, and had finally given up and assumed he just wouldn't be a part of her life. The mother is also trying to raise money to fight a medical malpractice against a doctor who negligently gave her a controversial medication (that wasn't needed by any stretch of the imagination) for something that was not her immediate concern (while in ER) that is unsafe based on her current diagnosed conditions and medications she takes that caused a severe reaction that required emergency attention and very nearly killed her. She was then negligently released while the drug was still in her system, while the counteracting drug would exit her system first. Two days later she was emergently hospitalized for the original issue as well. This negligence caused damage to the patient and was a direct result of the doctor either: - not reading the patients chart - not knowing what he was putting in the patients body - not caring Or some combination thereof. PLEASE share as far & wide as you can. This is the most important thing that these people have to deal with. They gave already invested $4000 into the custody case and are nowhere near finished. Help spread the word!

[ivabradine]

Let me preface this by saying that this remains anonymous for the safety of the people being fundraised for, and that they are fearful of repercussions. Some details may be missing, but this is necessary to benefit the people in need in this scenario. I encourage you to PLEASE share and donate as you can. It is extremely important that these funds be made available as soon as possible. The beneficiary of this gofundme is in need of legal fees to continue pursuing an existing custody case as well as to begin funding a medical malpractice case. The beneficiary has been disabled and unable to work for a year, due to both chronic illness and the development of an acute illness that nearly cost her life. Fortunately, she is doing well at the moment, but is still very much disabled. She is in the process of figuring out if she is eligible for Disability. Even if she worked full time, it would take months to save the amount of money that is needed in such a short window of time. The backstory: This woman was in an emotionally and sexually abusive relationship when she became pregnant, and it quickly became a situation of financial abuse as well. The child's father refused to pay for anything (not food for the mother who was unemployed at the time, not medical bills, not any items for the baby.) At one point he expressed that he didn't want to participate in the child's life until it was much older. He was present at the birth, and left town shortly after. While he was in town, he did the bare minimum. After he left, he went back to being his emotionally abusive self and couldn't be bothered to ask about the baby, so she ended their relationship. For 7 months, she didn't hear from him at all. Then, he came to town to visit. He was in town for 30 days and saw the baby 6 times total (2 hours maximum each time, all fully supervised by the mother) and during this time he threatened to kidnap the child, then left. Four months went by and she again did not hear from him. Then he came to town and had 3 supervised, short visits. He then left town and refused to make further child support payments. Another entire year went by where the mother did not hear from him or any of his family members. Last spring, around the time that she got acutely ill, he filed for custody, knowing that she was very ill. Her notice of hearing came in regular, uncertified mail, and was never opened because she was extremely ill and unable to open mail. As a result, a default order was placed offering him a ludicrous amount of custody. The current order gives him primary custody any time he is in town while he lives out of state and custody on every other school vacation, which is to be exercised out of state, away from the mother and all of the people that the child knows. The order also contains incomplete custody arrangements for when he moves back into the state, if he ever does. The order also states that he must contact the child every week through the mother, in order for her to "get to know" him, which he has repeatedly violated. This child is three years old. This child was raised in a house with her mother and grandmother. The child did not know she had a father, or paternal grandparents. These people were all complete strangers. Even now, there is substantial confusion to her about who he is. She refers to her uncle as her dad a lot of the time. This child has never spent substantial time away from her mother- only during the work day, never overnights. This is an extremely unstable and harmful thing to do to a child. This man has never changed a diaper, never spent any time around children (let alone his own), refused to pay child support for an entire year, doesn't know what she eats or doesn't eat, what she is allergic to, her daily schedule, or anything about her. This man does not know anything about her. He refused to come on either occasion where she was emergently hospitalized- even when one of them was nearly a week long and right before Christmas. After 6 days of the father having custody as per the default order, the child came home quite obviously emotionally scarred by the expirience. The child who previously fell asleep very easily was now screaming and crying at night. Before this, she was very nice and happy; afterward she was scared, panicky, sad, and even angry. She became physically aggressive. At one point, she screamed and cried about not wanting to go back. It was apparent that she lived in a state of fear after having been taken away by total strangers into a strange environment. There is no doubt that this has had a negative impact on the child, and she will start therapy when it is recommended by her pediatrician. The child's father has also refused to place the child on his insurance, which is his legal obligation. The main concern is to prevent him from removing the child from the state by himself, as they are total strangers. We are filing to change the order based on the fact that I was unable to attend, as per doctor's note. This needs to be filed as soon as possible before the father exercises any of his custody and further upsets the child. Steps are being taken to introduce the child to her grandparents, who were also absent from her life for 2 years. The mother desperately tried to get the father to participate in his child' life for 2.5 years, and had finally given up and assumed he just wouldn't be a part of her life. The mother is also trying to raise money to fight a medical malpractice against a doctor who negligently gave her a controversial medication (that wasn't needed by any stretch of the imagination) for something that was not her immediate concern (while in ER) that is unsafe based on her current diagnosed conditions and medications she takes that caused a severe reaction that required emergency attention and very nearly killed her. She was then negligently released while the drug was still in her system, while the counteracting drug would exit her system first. Two days later she was emergently hospitalized for the original issue as well. This negligence caused damage to the patient and was a direct result of the doctor either: - not reading the patients chart - not knowing what he was putting in the patients body - not caring Or some combination thereof. PLEASE share as far & wide as you can. This is the most important thing that these people have to deal with. They gave already invested $4000 into the custody case and are nowhere near finished. Help spread the word!

#gofundme #disabled #mom #need help #quick #baby #anonypotsy #ivabradine