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PTT app features
AINA Wireless works closely with approximately 50 PTT app providers worldwide. Features range from very basic communication to highly sophisticated, use case specific features. Looking at existing PTT apps out there, profiles can be sub-categorized into three different groups: communication, information, and settings. Every organization needs to evaluate the end user features required for their use case and select PTT apps that best fulfill those requirements.
Communication features
Communication features relate directly to the PTT communication transmitting instant voice messages or the way of selecting to whom an end user communicates with.
Voice Quality:
- Can be heavily influenced by the PTT app and the voice codecs they use. These days with LTE and WiFi networks capable of streaming large amount of data, like videos, it is possible to have wide band PTT that offers much higher voice quality than a regular phone call.
- Latency in both speed but also continuity are extremely important measurements for a PTT solution
- Speed is measured by simply measuring the time between a button press and the beginning of the transmission while continuity needs to be tested under different network availabilities.
- Latency can be influenced by several factors. There is a difference between initial latency which wakes up the phone for a first transmission after a longer period of inactivity and the latency for the following transmission. Some phones "sleep deeper" but save more battery doing so. PTT apps can switch off the deep sleep at the expense of battery consumption.
- If the PTT app servers are on different continents than the latency will also be impacted.
Groups and Contacts:
- Most PTT apps allow you to set what groups or what contacts can be seen by what user, allowing an admin to restrict certain users to only communicate with specified groups.
Instant Groups:
- With this feature, a user can create instant groups by selecting several contacts or groups and then pressing the PTT button.
- All selected contacts and groups will be enrolled into a new group for the time of communication until either the creator of the instant group closes the PTT call or everyone has left the instant group call.
Broadcast-only Channels:
- Sometimes called hidden channels, these groups allow authorized people to broadcast to a specific group of recipients.
- These recipients cannot see the actual channel in their contact list and can therefore not respond to this channel.
- Allows a user to listen to the communication of several groups at the same time.
- This is a big advantage to most two-way radio applications where you were only able to listen to the channel that you were in.
Channel Scrolling:
- A feature supported by the app but executed through a PTT phone or PTT accessory.
- It works in a way that a button press on the accessory, moves to the next channel or contact which should be announced to allow the user to change channel simply through using the accessory without looking at the phone.
- Some PTT apps have created smart algorithms around channel scrolling to exclude channels that a specific user has in its list but never communicates through.
- Allows a user to replay the last incoming message which leads to much leaner communication, avoiding any back and forth on requests to repeat the last message.
- The replay feature requires the PTT app to have a communication recording functionality that would allow the replay of a certain number of messages or messages from a certain time frame such as the last 30 seconds.
Supervisory Override:
- Allows an authorized user with this functionality to interrupt any ongoing communication.
- As two-way radio communication or PTT apps use half-duplex communication protocols which are always one directional at a time, It may happen that a user accidentally blocks the communication channel by not releasing the PTT button or the button gets locked in the down position which can lead to significant communication downtime.
- Supervisory override may work in several different ways. One option is that the supervisor can interrupt the ongoing communication and notify the user who was blocking the communication. Another option is to temporarily lock out the user from a group.
- Some PTT applications have established preventative features such as an automatic timeout after a certain time period, such as 30 seconds.
Information features
Information features are features that go beyond the PTT communication transmitting voice messages. They allow sending additional information or even automated information without the user's input. Most of these features really set the difference from simply replacing traditional radio communication to leveraging the potential of PTT over LTE.
Emergency Function:
- An emergency function allows the end user to alert specified users in case of an emergency, often through the press of a single button.
- An emergency function especially when supported by a PTT phone or PTT accessory can be life saving.
- It is therefore important that the PTT app supports emergency functionality on PTT phones or PTT accessories in order to ensure workers' safety.
Lone Worker:
- Compared to an emergency button which requires an active press of the button to notify that something is not okay, the passive lone worker function triggers an emergency alarm if there is no interaction.
- A lone worker function is a timer which is set for a specific time period such as five minutes. If the time is about to expire, the user gets notified. By pressing a button, the timer resets and counts down again.
- Additional lone worker functionalities called "man-down alarm" use the accelerometers provided in the phone or accessory to notify if the device is in an unusual position, such as horizontal or if the device accelerated beyond a certain threshold which could mean someone fell.
Remote Control:
- This feature allows an authorized person to remotely take control of another mobile device and the connected accessory to record video via the camera, enable the mic, or transmit audio through the speaker.
- It is very important to consider all local regulations before using this feature. It should not be used to surveil employees by switching on their cameras or microphones to see what they are up to.
- Similar to any chat application like Facebook Messenger or Whatsapp, PTT apps can also send text messages to provide written information in case voice communication is not appropriate.
- Some PTT apps allow users to send any type of information such as pictures, audio files or videos to provide a better overview of the situation or document a scene.
Task Management:
- PTT apps have integrated task allocation features that can be given to individuals or groups to complete and report on.
- These can be all kind of tasks from moving to or from a parameter, providing pictures or videos of a certain location, or even PTT unrelated tasks like restocking items in a warehouse or retail shop.
GPS Location:
- Map features are increasingly important to leverage not only to provide the right information to specific users but also to integrate that information to other applications. GPS location can be extended with additional features:
- GPS History: Also called breadcrumbs, as an authorized user can see where other users have been over a specific time frame.
- Geofences: Allows an admin to draw geographical lines around a certain area allowing automated events to be triggered by the PTT app once a user enters or exits these geofences.
- In-house location: As GPS only provides a two-dimensional overview, this information is useless when a person is in a multi-story building like a hotel, a university or a hospital. Some PTT apps provide custom services to integrate blueprints into maps using wifi-hotspots to provide three-dimensional in-house location services.
Setting features
Setting features do not provide information or communication but allow the end user to customize the PTT app. Depending on the user type, specific setting capabilities can be enabled.
Audio Settings:
- These can be output volume settings including silence or vibration as well as input sensitivity of the mic.
Tone Settings:
- Allows switching tones on or off or modifying them when pressing and releasing the PTT button or when receiving a PTT call.
- Notify the user of a missed PTT call or other messages.
Priority Settings:
- These are useful if a user is listening to several channels and there is overlapping communication.
- Some apps will backlog messages and play them in order or prioritize them. Priority settings allow a user or admin to assign certain contacts or groups a higher priority so that they would always be played first or even interrupt existing communication.
- This is the same for regular phone calls which can be prioritized or de-prioritized over PTT calls.
Default Callee or Groups:
- By allowing a user to specify a default callee, the end user will set a contact that is always reached when pressing the PTT button unless someone else established a PTT call and the user is currently on that call.
Accessory settings:
- These allow the user to change or modify accessories, change the default paired Bluetooth accessory or enable or disable specific features on the accessory.
For more details on app communication, information and setting features that will help you determine your app requirements, download the complete Whitepaper for free!
To learn more about AINA's PTT accessory offerings, schedule a free consultation.


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12 Reasons You're Not Losing Weight
Without realizing it, you could be sabotaging your diet. Learn about common diet mistakes that can stop you from losing weight and how to get your weight loss back on track.
"When people embark on an exercise and food program to lose weight, they automatically think that 'magic' will happen," explains Susan Kraus, MS, RD, a registered dietitian at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey. "In theory it sounds great, but it takes much longer to lose weight and more effort than this simple combination, even when all good intentions are there." It's easy to trip yourself up along the way with common diet mistakes or by not being vigilant in your efforts. Here are 12 reasons your weight loss could be stuck.
You're Not Exercising Enough
"Many people overestimate how much they are burning when exercising. Many factors determine calories burned, including duration and intensity of exercise, whether the intensity is varied, and the type of exercise. Weight-bearing exercise, like running, walking, and aerobics, leads to burning more calories since gravity requires the body to work harder. With non-weight-bearing exercise, like cycling and swimming, there isn't as much gravitational stress on the muscles, which means fewer calories are expended," Kraus explains. "The best way to truly monitor your exercise would be via a journal and heart monitor to see the actual duration and intensity, and how they could be increased."
You're Not Getting Enough Sleep
Study after study has linked a lack of sleep to weight gain and even eating more — one Mayo Clinic study found that tired people eat an average of 500 extra calories a day. "There are many regulatory hormones secreted at night and during periods of sleep," Kraus explains. "The lack of sleep could possibly affect the proper sequence of hormone release." Staying up late may lead to extra calories if you snack when you watch late-night TV or party with friends.
You're Too Stressed
A study done at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and the University of Pittsburgh found that stress can lead to weight gain in women, particularly in middle-aged women. "There seems to be a link between having altered sleep patterns and fat conservation — both possibly hormonally related — but also many women simply manage their feelings with food, eating mindlessly, because food is a very accessible and quick soothing resource," says Kraus. And unfortunately, an easy way for the calories to add up.
You're Skipping Meals
Skipping meals can lead to food cravings and overeating later in the day — reaching for whatever food is available and making up for the missed calories by eating more. Research at Vanderbilt University found that after approximately 72 hours of not eating consistently, the body shuts down its calorie-burning abilities and begins to store fat, warns Kraus. In clinical studies, after one week, healthy women were seen to lose 16 percent of their resting energy expenditure, which led to increased fat storage and a decrease in metabolism.
You're Eating Too Many Calories
You might think you're cutting back on portions, but may not realize the real number of calories you're eating. Kraus makes these suggestions: Use measuring utensils and a food scale; learn visual cues to estimate portion sizes. For instance, three ounces of protein is the size of a deck of cards or a checkbook, one cup of rice or pasta resembles a baseball, and one ounce of cheese looks like two playing dice. Keep a food journal of everything you eat and drink to be truly aware of the total amount consumed over the course of the day.
You're Drinking Too Many Calories
"Very often people lose sight that beverages can contribute a significant number of calories," says Kraus. Consider the calories in these 12-ounce servings: regular soda, between 150 and 200; no-sugar-added fruit juice, up to 180; sweet tea, about 150; and many sports drinks, 100 or more. Drinking three servings daily over a week can add up to 3,500 calories, or the one pound of weight you could have lost. "Switch to good, plain water, and you will save lots of calories and start to see the weight come down," says Kraus.
You're Too Lax About Diet and Exercise
You go to the salad bar and load up on veggies, but then add hundreds of calories with rich dressing and toppings like grated cheese, bacon bits, and croutons. You burn 300 calories by walking for three miles, but then eat a muffin with the same number of calories, erasing the effect of the workout. "You need a healthy, calorie-controlled meal plan with exercise to help maximize calorie burning and encourage the calorie deficit needed for weight control," says Kraus. Resist becoming lax about calories because you exercise, and resist becoming lax about exercise just because you're cutting calories.
You're Slipping on Weekends
"Weekend indulgences add up very quickly," says Kraus. Having an appetizer before dinner, eating extra snacks, and splurging on dessert and alcoholic drinks will increase your daily intake by several hundred calories. "The problem is that whatever is eaten over the weekend will have an impact over the entire week. Rather than taking in 1,300 calories a day that could lead to weight loss, your average might end up being closer to 1,600, wiping out any weight loss," explains Kraus. One solution, says Kraus, is to eat specific indulgence foods over the weekend within your diet calorie limit.
You're Diet-Impatient
"Weight loss needs time for us to see results, for the body to change its shape, access its fat stores and use them for energy, and re-contour itself by building lean body tissue," says Kraus. "Remember, one pound of weight is equivalent to 3,500 calories. If you need 2,500 calories just to maintain your weight, you would need to consistently eat only 2,000 calories daily and exercise about 30 minutes daily (to burn another 250 calories) in order to see a true 1.5-pound weight loss in one week." It sounds like a lot of effort — and it is. "Diet plans that make hard-to-believe promises are exactly that — hard to believe," says Kraus.
You Might Have a Medical Condition
Any condition leading to decreased mobility and less activity will make the ordeal of trying to lose weight even more of a challenge because exercise is limited and you might end up eating more if you're home with more free time to snack. Some medications could lead to difficulty managing weight or even to weight gain, including steroids, some psychiatric medications, insulin, and certain beta blockers. Talk to your physician about alternatives, such as receiving some rehabilitation activity, adjusting meds, or working with a registered dietitian to embark on a specific meal plan, recommends Kraus.
You've Reached a Plateau
Hitting a plateau is a common occurrence, but you need to realize that it isn't "all about the weight," says Kraus. You might be experiencing positive physiologic changes that may not be evident just by looking at a scale: As you're losing fat tissue, you could also be gaining more lean body tissue and getting leaner. In time you'll resume your weight loss, as your metabolic rate starts to increase. What appears to be a plateau could also be due to other factors including irregularity or fluid retention.
You Don't Need to Lose More Weight
Your body could be trying to tell you that you are at an appropriate weight for your size and your height. Any further attempts at weight loss might lead to muscle loss and a slowing of your metabolism because it could take an extremely restrictive meal plan to attain and maintain a lower weight. Ask yourself why you want to continue to lose weight, if you could still manage a healthful lifestyle in doing so, what is inspiring you to want to lose more, and how healthy or appropriate that inspiration really is, says Kraus.

subset: commoncrawl


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University of Ilorin, is located in Ilorin, the capital city of Kwara State on latitude 8.4799° N and longitude 4.5418° E, covering an approximate land mass of 5,000 hectare. University of Ilorin is located at about 500km apart from Nigeria national capital (Abuja) and about 300km away from the Nation's economic capital (Lagos).
Applications are invited for the academic position below:
Job Title: Senior Lecturer
Location: Ilorin, Kwara
Faculty: Communication & Information Sciences
Department: Mass Communication


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> Henri: if somebody told you they need a table element and they need to > be able to have a header text that flies in from the left, makes some > circles while turning the text orientation 360 degrees and is placed > into its spot after that, continuing to blink, would you also tell > them that that cannot be a "must" requirement? Yes. -- Henri Sivonen email@example.com http://hsivonen.iki.fi/Received on Saturday, 30 October 2010 15:25:00 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.1 : Thursday, 29 October 2015 10:16:06 UTC


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"You're the most exotic woman I've ever met" is what one guy said to me about two years ago. It took me a moment to recover and figure out an answer. I've always considered things like carpets, italian cars, birds, fish and flowers to be "exotic", maybe even people from far off places would be described as such. A Southern Black girl from Atlanta would maybe be considered exotic if she was found in Bali, Korea or Iowa. This statement however was made in Orlando, Florida… and this is a regular occurance of crazy for me here .
You're probably wondering… "a Sunburnt Peach? What the eff?" I straddle the line of a Southern and Floridian. Let's face it, Florida's not the real South (lol) and I still have some Southern-like tendencies, like thinking iced tea should be served sweet, grocery carts are called buggies and Coca-Cola is the only soda you drink! This place is growing on me though – still gotta get used to wearing sunscreen all the time, but I could get used to seeing palm trees and wearing flip flops every day 🙂
A Sunburnt Peach is my little corner of crazy, a place where I can share all of the truly hilarious, entertaining and bizarre things that I observe, ponder and experience… and no I do not make ANY of it up (by the way I use ellipses, ALL CAPS, italics and exclamation points a lot!). I'm an English major who still spells things wrong because I type too fast. When I get mad I sound more and more Southern, stamp my foot and say "yall". I'm left-handed, hate losing in competitive situations and harbor no-so-secret obsessions with Phineas and Ferb, Star Wars, History Channel, books, Harry Potter and anything wacky, weird, hilarious and awesome that crosses my path :). Hey, don't judge. Laugh, leave a note, follow me if you'd like. This blog is my place to capture both the awesome and the mundane of my life and it's all true- I hope you enjoy!


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Media Law
Core Course
This course covers legal issues that affect public communications and matters related to media law. Topics covered include the First Amendment, media regulation, libel, privacy, intellectual property, corporate speech, commercial speech and advertising regulation, free press/fair trial and access issues.
Critical thinking skills; argumentation; knowledge of legal issues impacting media communicators
- Identify potential issues that could subject a media company to legal action by applying legal principles to media law issues.
- Analyze legal arguments of all parties in litigation by applying legal precedent to hypothetical or real situations relevant to media communications.
- Differentiate among the various types of laws by explaining the roles of the Constitution, common law, statutory and administrative law.
- Explain the limits of the First Amendment by contrasting freedom of speech and press with other societal interests.
- Compare and contrast civil and criminal cases by outlining the route that cases travel through the legal system, differentiating the levels of courts and identifying the relevant parties and their responsibilities.
- Demonstrate critical thinking skills by analyzing and summarizing the facts, procedure, reasoning, holding and implications of a judicial decision.


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I have attended almost every CES since the early 2000s. I've seen new technologies launched and many drowned out by the excitement ginned up on the latest televisions and wearables. Here are some notable examples of technology that stood out from the crowd:
ReWalk Robotics Personal ExoskeletonThis revolutionary technology will have life changing impact on so many. It helps paraplegics regain the ability to walk. The FDA cleared the company's ReWalk Personal System for use at home and in the community.
ReWalk is a wearable robotic exoskeleton that provides powered hip and knee motion to enable individuals with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) to stand upright and walk. ReWalk, the only exoskeleton with FDA clearance via clinical studies and extensive performance testing for personal use, is now available throughout the United States.While attending the ShowStoppers Media preview, I took the video below.
Spin Master Meccanoid G15 KS building kit
Ever since I saw the movie, Short Circuit, I wanted a Johnny 5 robot of my own. It seems that I am a bit closer to my goal. At the Show Stoppers event I met a charming robot from Meccano, and with their kit I can build and program my own pal. Ever have an Erector set? (Erector is the brand for Meccano in the United States). The Meccanoid robot can recognize pre-programmed user-recorded Voice Commands and can be controlled by an Android or iPhone app.
Toshiba's Communication Android RobotThis definitely takes the prize for the strangest (creepy?) technology. This Android is promoted to be the next big thing in customer service, health care and even as companions. Forgive me if I am not as enthusiastic as the other reporters and reviewers. The goal is to "achieve real heart-warming communication with human-like facial expression." Anybody else see Disney's Hall of the Presidents? Sigh. Read the Toshiba Press Release.
Lenovo VIBE Xtension Selfie Flash
The end to unflattering selfies. The Selfie flash plugs into the phone's audio port and uses 8 LEDs to illuminate (not flash at) your face. This way you can get the perfect selfie every time. The price is only $29, but Lenovo has (currently) no plans to sell this cutting edge product in the United States. Let's hope they take pity on the selfie fans in the US!
Polaroid Socialmatic Instant Digital Camera
Polaroid is back, and in a big way, utilizing Zero Ink Printing technology, They understand social media and their new Socialmatic camera is a fully operating touchscreen Android 4.4 Kit Kat system with GPS, WiFi and Bluetooth. The front facing camera is 14 MP and the rear 2 MP. You can share your pictures online and through its built in printer, instantly print 2" x 3" hard copy for your friends.
Also, the 2" x 3" picture of me at the top of this post is being printed from the new Polaroid Zip Mobile Printer which connects to mobile devices via Bluetooth or NFC.


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Friday Morning ReadsPosted: December 7, 2012 Filed under: just because, misogyny, morning reads, The Media SUCKS, We are so F'd | Tags: death penalty, innoence project, Jim Demint, legalize pot, marriage equality, opportunistic asshole, Ross Douthat is a hack, Washington State 40 Comments
I've been getting a real kick out of watching Washington state's big legislative changes. First, marriage equality has come to the most NE of the lower 50 states. It's been a pleasure to see the happy faces of long time couples who finally have some public recognition of their love and commitment. Governor Chris Gregoire signed the bill into law and the licenses are flowing!
Gov. Chris Gregoire has signed into law a measure that legalizes same-sex marriage in Washington state, which now joins several other states that allow gay and lesbian couples to wed.
Gregoire and Secretary of State Sam Reed certified the election on Wednesday afternoon, as they were joined by couples who plan to wed and community activists who worked on the campaign supporting gay marriage. The law doesn't take effect until Thursday, when gay and lesbian couples can start picking up their wedding certificates and licenses at county auditors' offices. King County, the state's largest and home to Seattle, and Thurston County, home to the state capital of Olympia, will open the earliest, at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, to start issuing marriage licenses.
In Seattle, Kelly Middleton and her partner Amanda Dollente got in line to wait for their license at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
"We knew it was going to happen, but it's still surreal," said Dollente, 29.
By 10 p.m., dozens of people had joined the queue and the mood was festive.
Volunteers distributed roses and a group of men and women serenaded the waiting line to the tune of "Going to the Chapel."
Asked whether the middle-of-the-night marriage license roll-out was necessary, King County Executive Dow Constantine said, "People who have been waiting all these years to have their rights recognized should not have to wait one minute longer."
Because the state has a three-day waiting period, the earliest that weddings can take place is Sunday. Same-sex couples who previously were married in another state that allows gay marriage, like Massachusetts, will not have to get remarried in Washington state. Their marriages will be valid here as soon as the law takes effect.
"This is a very important and historic day in the great state of Washington," Gregoire said before signing the measure that officially certified the election results. "For many years now we've said one more step, one more step. And this is our last step for marriage equality in the state of Washington."
Washington state demonstrates that sheer diversity and joy that represents the GLBT community in the US.
Photojournalist Meryl Schenker took this picture very early this morning in Washington state, in the first hours when same-sex couples could get marriage licenses. Meryl writes:
One month after Washington State voters approved the state's marriage equality law in Ref. 74, same-sex couples get marriage licenses for the first time on December 6th, 2012. At around 1:30am, Larry Duncan, 56, left, and Randy Shepherd, 48, from North Bend, Wash. got their marriage license. The two plan to wed on December 9th, the first day it is possible for them to wed in a church in Washington State. They have been together for 11 years. Originally from Dallas, Texas, they moved here 7 years ago because it's more gay friendly. Randy is a computer programer and Larry is a retired psychology nurse.
New Years Eve Pot Parties are popping up as Washington's referendum that decriminalized marijuana takes effect.
The crowds of happy people lighting joints under Seattle's Space Needle early Thursday morning with nary a police officer in sight bespoke the new reality: Marijuana is legal under Washington state law.
Hundreds gathered at Seattle Center for a New Year's Eve-style countdown to 12 a.m., when the legalization measure passed by voters last month took effect. When the clock struck, they cheered and sparked up in unison.
A few dozen people gathered on a sidewalk outside the north Seattle headquarters of the annual Hempfest celebration and did the same, offering joints to reporters and blowing smoke into television news cameras.
"I feel like a kid in a candy store!" shouted Hempfest volunteer Darby Hageman. "It's all becoming real now!"
Washington and Colorado became the first states to vote to decriminalize and regulate the possession of an ounce or less of marijuana by adults over 21. Both measures call for setting up state licensing schemes for pot growers, processors and retail stores. Colorado's law is set to take effect by Jan. 5.
Well, here I sit in the wonderful city of New Orleans trapped by the likes of Crazy Bobby Jindal who wants the christian creation myth taught as science, has now created a situation where there will be only one bed for gun shot victims at LSU med center, and is in the process of ruining everything that was functional about our public schools, our higher education system, and our health care delivery system. It's hard not want to sell the kathouse and head out.
Exactly, what is it that jerks like Jindal have swallowed to make them so wedded to insane, dated, and completely untrue magical thinking. Why does the press continue to expand the dialogue to include the expressions of folks that just plain lie and spread hate? It's gone way beyond a difference of opinion to a war on sane, rational thought. For your consideration, NYT hack Ross Douthat whose views on women are worthy of a Salem Witch Trial. I've some what avoided discussing his column but it just won't die a good and necessary death. Evidently, Douthat believes that women that don't stay home and spit those babies out of the vag are decadent. How do idiots like this get space in any major newspaper? Here's a response to the hooplah he created with his Sunday Column.
Likewise for readers who regard any talk about the moral weight of reproductive choices as a subtle attempt to reimpose the patriarchy: Can it really be that having achieved so much independence and autonomy and professional success, today's Western women have no moral interest in seeing that as many women are born into the possibility of similar opportunities tomorrow? Is the feminist revolution such a fragile thing that it requires outright population decline to fulfill its goals, and is female advancement really incompatible with the goal of a modestly above-replacement birthrate? Indeed, isn't it just possible that a modern culture that celebrated the moral component of childrearing more fully would end up serving certain feminist ends, rather than undermining them — by making public policy more friendly to work-life balance, by putting more cultural pressure on men to be involved fathers rather than slackers and deadbeat dads, and so on?
Okay, enough rhetorical questions. It's the nature of social conservatives to be cranky about contemporary trends, often to a fault. But it's also the nature of decadent societies to deny that the category of "decadence" exists. And what Yglesias calls nuttiness still looks like moral common sense to me — a view of intergenerational obligation that human flourishing depends on, and whose disappearance threatens to sacrifice essential goods and relationships on the altar of more transient forms of satisfaction.
So, my next question is why is this all women's fault? Also, who the hell thinks American's lower birthrate is a problem anyway? Here's the original piece if you can stand to read the ignorance. It's true we don't value children in our society but to talk about tripping women into having more of them when we don't nurture and protect the children we have today is just insanity.
We have to celebrate the fact that Jim Demint is chasing more money in the private sector and hooking up with the faux research compiled these days bye the Heritage Foundation. At least the foundation and Demint are being honest about the fact that it's all about spreading the lies that benefit their donor class. Is he really looking for a new pulpit or just a bigger pay check? Can the Heritage Foundation even fake being a 'think tank' any more since Demint's ability to contribute anything other than dogma and political cronies is questionable.
His imminent departure to head a well-financed organization with significant heft in conservative circles will allow him to oppose even more loudly a big budget deal that includes higher tax revenues sought by President Obama. Mr. DeMint has been a loud Republican critic of a deal proffered by House Speaker John A. Boehner to address the impending fiscal crisis by generating at least $800 billion in new tax revenue.
"I'm leaving the Senate now, but I'm not leaving the fight," Mr. DeMint said in a statement. "I've decided to join the Heritage Foundation at a time when the conservative movement needs strong leadership in the battle of ideas."
In a parting shot — or perhaps warning flare — Mr. DeMint on Thursday suggested to Rush Limbaugh that Mr. Boehner might need to watch his back. When asked if Mr. Boehner was forcing him out, Mr. DeMint replied, "It might work a little bit the other way, Rush."
The job switch should have substantial financial benefits for Mr. DeMint, whose 2010 net worth, $65,000, was among the lowest in the Senate. Edwin J. Feulner, the current head of the foundation, in 2010 earned $1,098,612 in total compensation.
A hero to many Republicans for his campaign fund-raising abilities, Mr. DeMint frustrated Senate colleagues by eagerly backing Republican candidates like Sharron Angle of Nevada, Ken Buck of Colorado and Christine O'Donnell of Delaware in 2010, and Richard Mourdock of Indiana and Todd Akin of Missouri this year, contenders who proved too conservative to be elected statewide. Those losses set back Mr. DeMint's effort to bring the fiery conservatism of the House to the Senate, though he did have a hand in electing Senators Mike Lee of Utah, Marco Rubio of Florida, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ted Cruz of Texas, who takes office next month.
"The truth is that Jim DeMint's philosophy on everything from Medicare to women's reproductive rights, as embodied by his handpicked candidates for Congress, has been rejected by voters," said Senator Patty Murray of Washington, who headed the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee this year. Privately, so as not to inflame him, several Republicans also said Mr. DeMint's departure would produce few tears among them.
Here's a story that will let you know just how twisted the US justice system can be. This is from The Guardian because–you know–the US media can't possibly question our infallibility or exceptionalism. Once again, the Louisiana justice system failed its duties. Fortunately, DNA testing has freed him. Thibodeauz was joined by others freed by the Innocence Project. He's the young white man in the white T shirt in the picture below.
Every morning Damon Thibodeaux wakes up in his temporary digs in Minneapolis and wonders when his newfound freedom is going to come crashing down. "You think you're going to wake up and find it was just a dream," he says.
When he stepped out of Angola jail in Louisiana several guards were at the gate to wish him well, addressing him for the first time in 16 years as "Mr Thibodeaux". "No offence," he said, "but I hope I never see you again."
He walked out as the 300th prisoner in the US to be freed as a result of DNA testing and one of 18 exonerated from death row. With the help of science he has been proved innocent of a crime for which the state of Louisiana spent 15 years trying to kill him.
For those years Thibodeaux was in a cell 1.8 metres by 3 metres for 23 hours a day. His only luxury was a morning coffee, made using a handkerchief as a filter with coffee bought from the prison shop; his only consolation was reading reading the Bible; his only exercise pacing up and down for an hour a day in a the "exercise yard"– a metal cage slightly larger than his cell.
Like most death rows in the United States, the prisoners in Angola are treated as living dead things: they are going to be executed so why bother rehabilitating them? He watched as two of his fellow inmates were taken away to the death chamber, trying unsuccessfully not to dwell on his own impending execution. "It was like, one day they may be coming for you. At any time, a judge can sign an order and they can come and take you and kill you."
At the lowest point, he says he felt such hopelessness that he considered dropping all his appeals and giving up. He would become a "volunteer" – one of those prisoners who are assumed positively to want to die but so often simply lack the will to live. He read the Bible some more, shared his fears with other prisoners through the bars and found a new resolution. "I came to terms with the fact that I was going to die for something I didn't do. Truthfully, we're all going to die anyway; it made it a lot easier."
With little hope, he pressed on with his appeals and, almost imperceptibly at first, fortune's wheel began to turn. A lawyer assigned to his post-conviction appeal became concerned by his case, and she in turn enlisted the help of the Innocence Project in New York, a national group devoted to exonerating wrongfully convicted people through DNA testing.
Also drawn into the fray were a pair of Minneapolis-based lawyers from the commercial firm Fredrikson & Byron. In his day job Steven Kaplan works on mergers and acquisitions, not rape and murder, but he threw himself at the Thibodeaux case pro bono.
As soon as Kaplan began reading the legal papers relating to Thibodeaux's death sentence, he was astonished. He had never worked on a capital case before and, like most people unversed in the finer details of the death penalty in America, had assumed that the judicial process must have adhered to the very highest legal standards. After all, a man's life was at stake.
"When I read the transcript of the trial for the first time, I thought to myself that the high school mock trial team that I coached of 15- to 17-year-olds would have run rings around the lawyers in that courtroom," said Kaplan. "We put more energy into a $50,000 contract dispute than went into the defence at the Damon Thibodeaux trial."
The sequence of events that put Thibodeaux on to death row began on 19 July 1996. He was 22 and worked as a deckhand on Mississippi river barges.
Two weeks earlier he had moved back to New Orleans, where his mother and sister lived, to help out with his sister's wedding. He started hanging out with the Champagne family, distant relatives, who had a flat in a neighbouring suburb.
He spent 19 July at the Champagne home with the father, CJ, mother, Dawn, and 14-year-old daughter, Crystal. At about 5pm Crystal asked Thibodeaux to go with her to the local Winn-Dixie supermarket but he was busy mending CJ's watch. She left the house on her own at 5.15pm.
When she was not back more than an hour later her mother became alarmed and they began a search, Thibodeaux joining the effort. They called the police and searched through the night and through the following day.
It was not until after 6pm on 20 July that Thibodeaux went back to his mother's house and lay down to rest. He was just falling asleep when police arrived and asked him to come with them.
That was at 7.32pm. At 7.40pm Crystal's body was found on the banks of the Mississippi, about five miles from the Champagnes' home. The news was transmitted to the detectives quizzing Thibodeaux and instantly a routine missing-person interview became a homicide interrogation.
So, I've really overrun my usual self-imposed limit today of shares but some of these stories really frosted my cupcakes. I really worry about our country. Today's reads showed that there are places where things are hopeful and places where things just aren't right.
What's on your reading and blogging list today?
40 Comments on "Friday Morning Reads"
Jim Demint has proposed that public servants living together without benefit of marriage and homosexuals should be banned from holding jobs. He is also against allowing gays to adopt children. This is what he is bringing to the "think tank".
Unfortunately, though some of his Tea Party candidates went down in defeat, others did manage to break through the bonds of sanity and sit in congress today, introducing laws that would have been popular in the year 1300.
"Ignorance is bliss" with this crowd as they weave their religious bigotry throughout the dialogue and insist that "creationism" become a staple in the school curriculum. How one compares the fantasy of a "7 day creation" against scientific discoveries that the world is billions of years old is mind boggling.
All that was necessary for Jim to depart the Senate was to "show him the money" and he was off to the races. If his future endeavors is to promote more simpletons like himself to public office than the hope is that his policies are laughed at out loud for once instead of being "debated" as substantive.
I think DeMint understands that there's no future for him in the U.S. Senate. His 2010 mid-term brain child called the TeanutParty has fizzled faster than a sparkler. The 2012 election began the referendum against his latest batch of TP hopefuls along with ridding us of some of the 2010 TP'ers. The guy is 61 and has relegated himself to the role of perpetual bitcher and christo-ordained protector of extreme rightwing religious zeal-nuttery. The only place left for him to feel relevant is Heritage which itself has become irrelevant to most Americans. He's washed up so he might as well take a job that allows him to legally take as much of the crazy rightwing special interest money as possible. I hope the door hits him in the ass on the way out. 🙂
Dak….Love the photo of the old lesbian couple. I am so happy that their 30+ year commitment to each other has been legally recognized. I know a couple who've been together since they were 17yr old seniors in high school, they're now 81 and still going strong, waiting for the day they can be married.
The pictures and stories of the gay couples in Washington made me all blubbery – they look so happy.
Here's some amazing Kodachrome video of VJ Day in Honolulu, August of 1945:
Hope that link works – it's color home video, 67 years ago…
Hey, we might want to consider Washington state as well as Vermont for our Sky Dancers' commune! Sounds nice. I don't mind rain or snow.
Where was the other place we were considering? Was it an area in Greece? I've forgotten now.


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Lincoln Early Childhood Center Birth - Five Years of Age
Model Elementary provides young children, as well as their caregivers, with the best possible start toward success not only in school but throughout life. The experienced staff at Model Elementary provides differentiated instruction, taking your child as far socially and educationally as possible. The curriculum focuses on the whole child not only academically, but also socially, emotionally, and physically.
The Early Childhood Center (ECC), also housed in Model Elementary, offers a variety of program
options for children birth to age five that are designed to meet the diverse and unique needs
of the children and families in the Lincoln community.
Some of the programs available to Lincoln families through the ECC include:
- First Steps of Washtenaw-Lincoln
- Great Start Readiness Preschool
- Early Childhood Special Education Classroom
- Evaluation and Support Services
8850 Whittaker Road
Ypsilanti, MI 48197
734-484-7047 Fax
School Hours
Office: 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
School: 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Absences: (734) 484-7070


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While bariatric surgery is gaining acceptance as a method of weight loss for those who are obese, liposuction is another surgical procedure that removes fat, and has been around for years. Many people aren't sure of the difference between these two types of surgery. Is liposuction an alternative to bariatric surgery?
The truth is that bariatric surgery and liposuction are very different, and intended for different types of patients.
Bariatric surgery is intended for those who are extremely overweight, and whose health is at risk because of their excess body weight. This type of surgery alters the digestive tract to cause patients to eat less and/or to absorb fewer calories from their food, so that they lose weight. Many people who have bariatric surgery lose 100 pounds or more over the months following the procedure.
Liposuction, by contrast, is not intended as a method of overall weight loss, or for the removal of large volumes of fat from the body. Instead, liposuction is intended to remove the stubborn pockets of fat that are resistant to diet and exercise. Only a few pounds of fat are removed during a liposuction procedure. The particular spots treated may be the waist (especially the "love handles"), the buttocks or upper thighs, the upper arms, the neck and under the chin, or any other challenging spot.
According to Dr. A.M. Yenikomshian, a plastic surgeon with over thirty years of experience who practices at The Center for Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery in San Jose, liposuction "is ideal for sculpting and toning the body through the removal of small, concentrated amounts of fat."
In other words, liposuction is for body contouring, while bariatric surgery is for weight loss. Those who need to lose a significant amount of weight aren't ready for liposuction, at least not until after they've lost most of the excess weight.
You don't have to be at your perfect weight to have liposuction, but you should be relatively close. People who are within 25 pounds of their ideal body weight may choose liposuction as a method of contouring the body. Those who have bariatric surgery to lose a lot of weight, but then find that they're unhappy with the pattern of where the weight loss occurs in the body, may also choose liposuction once their weight has stabilized.
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|Greg Rountree
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text: Mahdi Army fighters in different cities have vowed to fight on According to the captors, who belong to Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army, the captive is Brigadier Raad Muhammad Khidr - the former director of Baghdad's al-Rusafa police department. In the videotape, the masked men read a statement calling on the Iraqi interior minister to release all Mahdi Army fighters arrested during recent clashes with US marines in the southern city of Najaf in return for Khidr's release. Interior Ministry spokesman Sabah al-Khadim admitted a policeman had been abducted from a police station in the capital's Shia stronghold of Sadr City, but said he was "not a high-ranking officer". If confirmed, the capture would be the first of its kind by the Mahdi Army. Sadr City curfew The incident follows the imposition on Monday of a curfew on Sadr City from 4 pm to 8 am. The Interior Ministry spokesman said "the curfew will continue during this period till further notice". A dawn-to-dusk curfew has been imposed on Sadr City in BaghdadHe added: "The decision was taken after considering the security situation in Sadr City which has been witnessing violence in the last few days." Earlier on Monday, mortar bombs were fired at the district council hall in Sadr City killing four Iraqi security guards and injuring nine other people, including three US soldiers, the US military said. Abu Muqtada, a local Mahdi Army leader, said the group had fired 10 to 15 mortars at the building. "As long as we continue to fight with the government, incidents like this will happen," he said. Najaf clashes Also on Monday, Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr presented an initiative to Iraqi President Ghazi al-Yawir to end clashes in the southern city of Najaf. It came as US artillery and tank fire, backed by air power, battered the city as Shia resistance fighters fought US troops and interim Iraqi forces for a fifth straight day. Shia leader al-Sadr says he is resisting foreign occupationSince the fighting erupted last Thursday, the military estimates more than 360 resistance fighters have been killed. The US toll stands at four dead and 19 members of the US-led occupation forces wounded. But a spokesman for al-Sadr said only 15 militiamen had been killed and 35 wounded, the majority from cluster bombs fired by US troops. Al-Sadr rejected a call from interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi on Monday for his forces to quit Najaf, saying he would fight to his last drop of blood against foreign occupation. Assassination attempt? Meanwhile, Abd Al-Hadi al-Darraji, spokesman for al-Sadr's office in Baghdad, told Aljazeera "the latest announcements by the so-called prime minister and defence minister prove that the Iraqi government is determined to eliminate the al-Sadr movement". "The latest announcements by the so-called prime minister and defence minister prove that the Iraqi government is determined to eliminate the al-Sadr movement"Abd Al-Hadi al-Darraji, spokesman for Muqtada al-Sadr"However, God's will and our firm stance against the occupation forces and their collaborators oblige us to defend our holy sites, our pride and the independence of our country," he said. The spokesman told Aljazeera he survived an assassination attempt on Sunday after a TV interview with the Lebanese al-Manar Channel, during which he heavily criticised the occupation forces and the appointed Iraqi interim government. "In the interview, I criticised the government for all the decisions it made against the people of Iraq. I said the government should dedicate its decisions for the welfare of the Iraqis not that of the US occupation forces," he said. "And the result was the killing of my cousin Amir Aziz al-Darraji, one of the mujahidin [fighters] in the city, as he was with me in my car." Although he laid the blame for the death at the hands of Iraq's occupation authorities, no occupation official has responded to the allegations thus far. SOURCE: Aljazeera + Agencies


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|May 14, 2011 9:00am
|Various sites around NYC, see link below. Start and end times vary by project; some projects held on other dates in May.
The Public Service/Social Justice Committee of the YALE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OF METROPOLITAN NEW YORK is proud to partner with the Association of Yale Alumni to sponsor the Third Annual YALE DAY OF SERVICE.
On this day, thousands of Yale Alumni, family members and friends will gather to volunteer for meaningful events and projects ranging from the labor intensive (sprucing up parks, planting gardens & painting) to the more intellectually stimulating (assisting with job applications & and tutoring) throughout the New York City Area and around the globe.
Click on this link to see the full range of activities and dates in May, as well as an interactive map of sites.
Additional Info/Contact:


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Three years to the day after it launched GlobalFoundries, AMD is saying goodbye. The company will trade its remaining equity in GF in exchange for greater manufacturing flexibility.
Engineers at North Carolina State University have used a novel technique to boost the performance of an AMD Fusion APU by more than 20%.
AMD's Analyst Day, in more depth. AMD isn't going to tangle with Intel at the high end anymore — so what comes next?
AMD's Analyst Day is finally here, with fresh information on the company's roadmaps through 2013. It's mostly business as usual, but there are a few surprising moves around 28nm.
AMD is planning its own version of Intel's ultrabook, but the company's "Ultrathin" initiative — like its Lightning Bolt interface — seems a poor imitation.
Microsoft has released a patch to improve Bulldozer's performance — how much of a difference does it make? We updated our Bulldozer system, tested, and found out.
AMD and Intel both plan major initiatives for 2012, but the two companies are in very different positions.
AMD won't announce it for months, but the company has canceled its upcoming Krishna and Wichita CPUs.
AMD apparently came close to winning Apple and the MacBook Air, but low yields scuttled the company's hopes.
AMD's decision to fire Dirk Meyer and other executives may make more sense post-Bulldozer. Bobcat may represent the company's future.
Subscribe Today to get the latest ExtremeTech news delivered right to your inbox.
We strongly encourage you to read our updated PRIVACY POLICY and COOKIE POLICY.


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By Norah Sullivan
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The tech world is abuzz with advances in the IoT (Internet of Things), AI (artificial intelligence), robotics, and 3D printing. These headline-grabbing innovations are just part of the greater digital revolution that has been sweeping across the globe in the last decade.
Innovative technologies, abundant information, and vast quantities of data are now more accessible than ever, transforming economies around the world by disrupting how companies do business, how governments deliver services, how labor markets function, and how people interact with each other. These trends are culminating in a global shift toward knowledge-based economies. Knowledge economies turn knowledge and innovation into valueWhile definitions vary, knowledge economies are essentially about turning knowledge and innovation into value. Knowledge economies are driven by the development, management, and spread of technologies that yield greater productivity and inclusive growth across economic sectors. This new order brings many opportunities for spurring entrepreneurial activity, economic growth, and job creation across the world, and for using technology and new digital platforms to deploy innovative solutions to pressing societal problems that markets or governments lack the incentives or capacity to address. Examples range from mobile payments, to providing farmers with crop and weather data via mobile phones:
Rapid changes may increase the divide between knowledge economies and others
However, the sheer magnitude and speed of these changes, as well as the inevitable displacement brought by greater automation and ongoing challenges such as uneven Internet connectivity in developing economies, run the risk of increasing the divide between those able to access, effectively use, and benefit from technology and knowledge, and those trying to catch up. After all, in addition to greater access to knowledge, it is the ability of enterprises, industries, governments, and individuals to effectively adopt and apply this knowledge, data, and technology that results in tangible economic and societal gains. And, some countries have economic foundations, infrastructure, and innovation ecosystems that are more conducive to embracing and supporting such changes. Of course, knowledge economies don't emerge overnight. Take South Korea, a knowledge economy with a capital K, which has transformed into a high-tech, consumer electronic and manufacturing powerhouse over the past 50 years, with the likes of home-grown giants Samsung, LG, and Hyundai. This transformation is in large part due to the country's focus on investing in knowledge-intensive industries capable of disseminating technology economy-wide. The Korean approach to economic growth is in stark contrast to the agriculture and natural resource-focused path taken by countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, which did not make comparable investments in R&D, technology, and innovation. This distinction is noted in the recent publication, The New Imperative of Innovation. While many economies in Latin America and the Caribbean are still overly dependent on commodities, today's proliferation of digital technologies and emphasis on solving social problems—coupled with increasingly conducive innovation and entrepreneurship policies and investment strategies—can help accelerate the region's push towards the knowledge frontier in sectors such as ICT, health care, financial services, education, and energy. Digital technologies and social focus push emerging economies toward the knowledge frontierInnovative business models that tackle social issues are cropping up across Latin America and the Caribbean. For example, Kuepa, a regional adult education platform, provides affordable, personalized, blended learning—a combination of in-class and interactive online content—for a variety of vocational training and certification programs. The platform expanded into the United States in 2015, initially offering low-cost courses in preparation for tests of general educational development (GED), English as a second language, basic computer skills, and career skills. In order for similar enterprises to emerge and grow, and for developing economies to shift toward and fully benefit from knowledge-based economies, it is critical to cultivate and support the driving forces of the knowledge economy: science, technology, innovation, entrepreneurship, and human capital. The best way to do this is to focus on three mutually reinforcing areas:
With concerted efforts in these areas, knowledge economy gains are sure to follow.


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People have taken to calling and emailing members of Congress to voice support or opposition to legislation being debated. Some have lamented this as "obstructionism" and others as "resistance." In actuality, it is neither; it is how a representative democracy was designed to work.
When the Constitution was written, our right to petition the government was provided for. It was decided that a representative democracy could only work if citizens were allowed to speak with their elected officials and communicate their thoughts on issues being decided.
These "activist" citizens are modeling how democracy is intended to work. Good citizenship does not include just showing up to vote on Election Day, but requires actively participating in the process of governance. This means informing yourself of the issues and regularly contacting your elected officials. By doing this, you will have a government that is truly representative, less influenced by special interests and you will drain the swamp
The United States needs more activism, not less.
Bill Becker


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YOU ARE WATCHING: The Parallax View
Have a nice day! All The Best
The Parallax View
An ambitious reporter gets in way-over-his-head trouble while investigating a senator's assassination which leads to a vast conspiracy involving a multinational corporation behind every event in the world's headlines.
Genres: Drama, Thriller
Actor: Warren Beatty, Paula Prentiss, William Daniels, Walter McGinn
Director: Alan J. Pakula
Country: USA
Movie: The Parallax View
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Duration: 102 min
Release: 1974
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Air India Limited Recruitment 2015 Medical Officer 6 Posts : Air India Limited invited application for the post of 06 Medical Doctors on fixed Term contract basis at Mumbai. Application are invited from Indian Nationals for engagement of 06 Medical Doctors on fixed term contract basis and also to form Panel.
Name of Post:-Medical Officer
Job Location:-Mumbai
Pay Scale:- Rs. 53500/- Per Month
Last Date:-10th June 2015
Total no. of Posts:-06 Posts
Age Limit:- The age of the candidate for the post of Medical Officer should be up to 65 years as on 1st May 2015.
Qualification:-Candidate should have a minimum MBBS degree of an Indian University recognized by the Medical Council of India. Preference will be given to candidates trained in aviation Medicine.
Selection Procedure:- Selection will be on the basis of those candidates who will fulfill the above eligibility criteria may have to appear for personal Interview at the time and venue decided by Air India Limited.
Experience:-Candidates should have a minimum of (02) two year experience as medical practitioner. Experience in casually / Industrial Medicine will have an added advantage.
Application Fee:-Candidates are required to pay non-refundable application fee of Rs 500/- (Rupees Five Hundred) through Demand Draft in favour of Air India Limited payable at Mumbai.
How to apply:-Interested and Eligible candidates may apply in prescribed application form along with recent passport size photograph and a non-refundable Bank draft, photocopies of testimonials send to office of General Manager-Personal, Air India Limited, HRD Department, Recruitment Section, 3rd Floor, Canteen Annexe Building, Old Airport, Kalina, Santa Cruz (East), Mumbai- 400 029 on or before 10th June 2015. Candidates are required to attach Date of Birth (SSC Mark sheet / Date of birth certificate), Academic qualification, Caste certificates, Experience certificates and certificate of SC / ST / OBC etc. with application form.
Click here to view the advertisement
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To download the story, click here.
by Donald Jacob Uitvlugt
It didn't make no sense to me, but Momma said it made the birthing easier, so I did it anyway.
I was scared. It was my first time, and I wasn't married. People already talked about my family's strange ways. Then I started showing, and the gossip spread like ripples in a swamp.
"Let 'em talk," Momma said. "It don't make no difference. We'll have the last laugh on Judgment Day."
Easy for her to say. She didn't have to go to school. She didn't have to see the looks the other girls gave or hear them whispering behind her back. She didn't have to put up with the rude comments of the boys. Like I was some kind of whore.
KatieJo thought it was neat. She would. She wanted to talk about it all the time. "What's it like? I want one too, but papa would tan my hide if'n I don't finish school first. Does it kick yet? Will you let me feel it when it kicks?"
I tried to explain that it wasn't all roses. I told her about the morning sickness and the weird cravings and waking up each day feeling more like a bloated whale.
"It'd all be worth it, to bring a new life into the world."
I couldn't talk to KatieJo about how scared I was. There's this thing growin' inside me, getting ready to pop out. I did tell her what Momma said about eating clay.
"She has you eating dirt? Gross. Dirt has worms and parasites and all kinds of nasty things."
"It makes the morning sickness go away."
I didn't explain to KatieJo how Momma and me had gone out into the woods by moonlight. We said some prayers in the old language and then we dug down, past the regular dirt, past the worms and wriggling white grubs, down to a special clay. Momma and me dug it up with our bare hands. It glowed in the moonlight. She smeared some on my lips and then my belly. That was the first time I felt it move. I thought about the grubs and worms we had dug past.
I didn't tell KatieJo any of this, 'cause Momma asked me not to. But I did remind her that my Momma was a wise woman who had given birth several times.
"Be that as may be, you still wouldn't catch me eating dirt."
Yeah. And you're not the one expecting, are you.
The further along I got, the better the clay tasted to me. The bigger I got, the more I wanted it. I started carrying a bag of clay in my pocket so I could snack on it at school. I'd try to do it when I thought no one was looking, but I guess people saw anyway. They called me white trash and all kinds of things.
Momma said it didn't matter. They called her worst her first time. It still hurt. I'm not sure Momma cared. She was spending more and more time at church, getting ready for the delivery.
The next day at school I had the craving real bad. I reached my hand into my pocket when I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was Miss Spencer, the school nurse.
"Madison, I need to see you in my office."
Miss Spencer made me uncomfortable, but I was a good girl — whatever the jealous trash at school said — so I went. When we both sat down, I realized the nurse was as uncomfortable as I was.
"Madison… I think it's time we had a talk about your…condition…"
I didn't hear anything that required a response, so I didn't say anything. A queasy feeling hit my stomach really hard. I needed more clay soon. I rested a hand on my big belly while Miss Spencer went on.
"First, I want to applaud your decision to keep going to school. Your education is very important."
Momma said I wouldn't be in their school at all if the law didn't make me go. But she said it was best to obey the laws of men so people didn't come snooping around things that were none of their business. I learned the way the world really worked at church.
"But I have to wonder, dear, if you're seeing a doctor like you should be."
I felt movement inside me and cooed part of a song in the old language before I responded. "What do I need a doctor for, when I have my Momma to take care of me?"
"I just mean that you may need something more than just…folk remedies…"
I got exactly what Miss Spencer was saying then. She thought me and Momma were hicks who didn't know what we were doing.
"If I went to the doctor, what would he do?"
"Well…" Miss Spencer leaned forward. "He would want to examine you. And he'll probably put you on a supplement."
My belly wriggled. I don't know how she didn't notice. "What's a supplement?"
"It's a pill with vitamins and…minerals." Oh, the look on her face when she realized what she had just said. "Special minerals, formulated in a lab."
Pain shot through me. I took out a ball of clay and swallowed it. The movement in my belly settled a little. "So you want me to give up healthy and natural food and minerals for something somebody I don't even know made in a lab I ain't never seen?"
The nurse's nostrils flared. "I'm just trying to get you to do what's best for your baby."
I stood up to leave.
"Baby?" I pulled out a bit piece of clay, bit off some of it and grinned at Miss Spencer as I wolfed it down. "Whoever said I was having a baby?"
From under my clothes, a tentacle took the rest of the clay from my hand.
We would like to give a very special thanks to Jon Jones and Anna Von Loon for their narration work on this story. Find them, follow them, love them.


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Invite your neighbors and friends to utilize SeeClickFix so they can post, vote, and comment on issues in your neighborhood and city.
Enter a comma separated list of emails. They'll only get this one email and we won't add them to any email lists.
Add bike rack outside Conte's bike shop at 1331 4th st SE
Voting lets your government know.
What is this?


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My first attempt at growing cabbage has turned out to be quite a success. The heads are already forming and they look gorgeous.
But when I went to take a peek at them yesterday, my heart almost broke into two. Two heads were infested and nibbled. There were thousands of tiny green eggs inside. I'm not sure what bug they belong to but I doused the heads with plenty of water and then smeared minced garlic all over to prevent future infestation. Not sure if this will work though.
Sunday, December 21, 2014
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Lemon balm surprise
Look at the lemon balm! You wouldn't believe they were almost dead and bald just 2 months ago. I saved them from the trash bin and plonked them in a large pot in a corner of my patio.
They continued to look miserable for weeks. I almost gave up on them and even stopped looking that way. Then yesterday, I was shocked to see how lush they have become! The rainy weather must have done wonders to the dying plants. I'm so thrilled that they're doing so well.
If you have never grown lemon balm before, you're really missing out. The leaves, when rubbed, smell zesty and so refreshing, just like a lemon. If you're wondering what you can do with the leaves, this blogger has all the answers for you - 12 things to do with lemon balm.
Posted by Blur Ting at 9:49 PM 4 comments:
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MINDFUL - shimmering champagne - Limited edition and once gone, these won't return.
•Silk is a wonderful insulator, so you stay warm in winter and cool in summer.
•The softness! The puddle! The drape! Oh my!
•Gorgeous glow.
•Silk soaks up dye like no other. This means rich, vibrant shades that you have to actually see in person to appreciate.
YARN - TAJ SILK FINGERING - 100% Mulberry Silk - Taj means "exalted."
•A unique chained structure gives this yarn gorgeous drape, longevity, beautiful softness and a dreamy feel.
•Fingering Weight: Use in shawl patterns and for sweaters, tanks, tees, scarves and more.
•Yardage: 343 m / 375 yd
•Weight: 90 g+
•Recommended Knitting Needle Size: US 0-7
•Crochet Hook Size: US B-G
Note: Each skein is a hand-created, unique work of art and no two skeins will be identical, even within the same dye lot. If working with more than one skein in a project, it is best to alternate skeins every other row. Despite every effort to accurately depict our product colors, actual shades may vary due to differences in monitor settings.
Customer Reviews 5 (1 Review) Write a Review
I bought three skeins in Mindful, Pure Dreams and Free Flowing. While the colors work really beautifully together, the Mindful is a bit too pink for the fade that I had in mind. I was able to switch to another project, still fresh on the needles. This yarn can be easy to split so you need to pay attention. I am using US 5 knitting needles and I am getting a lovely fabric that is light yet with really nice drape. It is summer, hot and humid but knitting this yarn has been a pleasure and I can't wait to make progress on my project.


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Jonathan Perks
'The CEOs trusted leadership advisor and coach' Jonathan Perks, was looking for a website that would communicate his passion for leadership skills and his personal approach to coaching. Aimed at those at the very top of their professions C2 created a strong online brand that aim to instantly get across Jonathan's experience, high quality services and friendly approach.
Jonathan has developed his own coaching process, based around the points of a compass, C2 took this idea and created a novel approach to showing people an overview of the process.– www.jonathanperks.com


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HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A judge on Wednesday upheld perjury charges against two Penn State administrators accused of lying to a grand jury that investigated allegations ex-assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky sexually abused children.
Dauphin County Judge Todd Hoover ruled against the motions by former vice president Gary Schultz and athletic director Tim Curley that would have thrown out the count of perjury against each man.
The judge did not rule on the other count they each face, failure to properly report suspected child abuse. In that case, the defendants have argued the statute of limitations has expired. The judge said that dismissal request would be ruled on separately.
The judge said the claim made by Schultz and Curley that there is insufficient evidence to corroborate the perjury charges will be more appropriately pursued during the trial. He also said prosecutors have given the defendants sufficient information about which parts of their grand jury testimony make up the alleged perjury.
Schultz, the school's former vice president for business and finance, has retired. Curley, the athletic director, is on leave from the university. Their trial is scheduled to begin in Harrisburg with jury selection on Jan. 7.
A spokesman for the attorney general's office declined to comment. A spokeswoman for the defendants' lawyers did not immediately return messages seeking comment.
Sandusky, a former Penn State defensive coordinator, was convicted in June on charges he sexually abused 10 boys, some on campus. He maintains his innocence. He's jailed awaiting sentencing next month.
The abuse scandal touched off by Sandusky's Nov. 5 arrest rocked Penn State, bringing down famed coach Joe Paterno and the university's president and leading the NCAA to levy unprecedented sanctions against the university's football program.
Former FBI Director Louis Freeh, hired by university trustees to conduct an investigation into the university's handling of abuse complaints against Sandusky, concluded that Paterno, ousted president Graham Spanier, Curley and Schultz concealed a 2001 allegation against Sandusky to protect Penn State from bad publicity.
The late coach's family, as well as Spanier, Curley and Schultz, have hotly disputed Freeh's assertions.
Some alumni groups have attacked the Freeh report and said Penn State and the NCAA should not have accepted its conclusions.
(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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The Law 9/2015 includes the following novelties:
1. In Regard to the Insolvency Agreement
Law 9/2015 presents a series of novelties regarding the insolvency agreement, such as:
- Valuation of the guarantees carrying special privilege: the calculation of the value of the guarantee cannot be regarded as a reduction of the guaranteed credit, but as a differentiated valuation of the principal right and the accessory right.
- Quorum for constitution of the creditor's meeting: Law 9/2015 includes preferential creditors in the quorum insofar as they may be affected by the agreement. Therefore, the meeting shall be deemed as validly created once half of the liabilities affected by the agreement have been reached, even if attendance of half of the ordinary liabilities has not been achieved. Moreover, the provision that established that attendance to the meeting would not affect the calculation of the quorum (art. 123.1 of the Bankruptcy Law) has been removed, as Law 9/2015 has set forth that, for the purposes of the majorities required to approve the agreement, preferential creditors who have voted in support of the proposal shall be included in the ordinary liabilities.
- Votes and calculation of majorities in the agreement: the general limitation on reduction of debt and extension of time applied to the agreement has been removed. However, in order to exceed such limits (reductions of 50% and extensions of five years), reinforced majority of 65% is required. In addition, the rule already applied to pre-bankruptcy agreements in regard to maximum majorities required for syndication agreements – of 75% – has also been introduced.
2. In Regard to Liquidation
As for liquidation, the power of the judge to award the assets to the lowest bid when it does not differ by more than 15% from the rest has been added (it was 10% before), but only if the continuity of the business activity is guaranteed, as well as employment contracts and repayment of creditors.
On the other hand, the new reform allows subrogation of contracts and administrative licences, and mechanisms of prior debt exemption are contemplated.
In the case of tax and social security debt, the subrogation thereof is forbidden (article 149 of the Bankruptcy Law). In addition, the preferential creditor may take over the amount from the realised assets of the insolvent party provided this does not exceed the amount owed, as the remainder shall pertain to the asset mass.
3. In Regard to the Qualification of the Bankruptcy
As for the qualification of the bankruptcy, Law 9/2012 of the Bankruptcy Law has introduced two presumptions in art. 165.2: firstly, the bankruptcy shall be presumed culpable when the attendance to the meeting for the purpose of reaching an agreement is negligible or insufficient; and, secondly, the iuris tantum presumption of culpable bankruptcy shall be presumed when the agreement is thwarted by the partners or administrators of the company.
4. In Regard to Refinancing Agreements
The first novelty in the refinancing agreements mainly focuses on article 5 bis of the Bankruptcy Law (communication of negotiations), whose new wording attempts to respond to the doubts which had arisen to date in regard to the communication to the court of the start of negotiations with the creditors of the insolvent party. Thus, Law 9/2015 establishes that the communication that is sent by the debtor to the court must include the executive proceedings brought against its assets, indicating those which it considers necessary to continue with its business activity. In the event of controversy, the power to decide whether or not an asset is necessary for this purpose shall pertain to the bankruptcy judge.
In addition, and in regard to the legal certification of refinancing agreements, the 4th Additional Provision of the Bankruptcy Law introduces a number of modifications in order to clarify the voting system for syndicated agreements and the calculation of the value of guarantees in rem, which may not exceed the value of the maximum mortgage or pledge liability that has been agreed. Moreover, Law 9/2015 renders unnecessary the report from an independent expert in the case of cash, current accounts or electronic money, but maintains the obligation in regard to the valuation of real estate assets.


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New!—Mule Deer
alec | December 10, 2009 | 9:00 am
We have our sixth round of weekly additions—Mule Deer. Mule Deer an extremelly abundant herbivorous ungulate found primarily in Western North America. These animals can live in a wide variety of habitats and persist on a diet of grasses and shrubs. The males, like this example, are highly territorial and grow antlers for display and competition in the breeding season.
Published in Announcement, New Specimen


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What is the right answer when Kathleen Wynne's Liberals claim you can't do math? I'm thinking of a few choice words and I am sure you can guess them.
That Wynne and her Liberals are claiming the NDP plan has holes in their budgeting is not only funny, it also puts the focus back on Wynne's own bad math. And no, I'm not talking about the appalling results showing half of grade six students don't meet the provincial standard.
One finger pointing out, three pointing back.
On Monday morning the Liberals put forward Wynne, her finance minister Charles Sousa and treasury board president Eleanor McMahon to critique the plan, here is what they told Canadian Press.
"The NDP built their platform and their entire economic plan for the province on a major mistake – a significant, sizeable and undeniable mistake," said Charles Sousa. "As a result, they have defunded billions of dollars that flowed to valued programs. It's a failure of basic competence that leads to real consequences and renders their entire platform incoherent and unrealistic."
The Liberals say the New Democrats didn't factor in government spending announced between last year's budget and this year's fiscal plan, creating a hole of at least $3 billion in the party's platform.
So the NDP, a party I disagree with on everything fiscal, had their plan vetted and approved by former federal Parliamentary Budget Officer. Yet the Liberals are saying there are holes in it.
Why do the Liberals claim this?
Simply because the NDP doesn't include the last minute spending brought in by the Liberals in their election budget.
Need we remind everyone that the Auditor General of Ontario and the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario both critiqued the Liberal plan? Both fiscal watchdogs claimed that the Liberal plan was false and would result in much higher budget deficits.
The AG said Liberal deficits over the next three years would add $36.4 billion to the provincial debt. The Liberals claimed just $19.4 billion over three years and called it a dispute among accountants. The FAO offered similar numbers fore the deficits but also added this gem for all those worrying about Wynne's claim that Doug Ford will cut, cut, cut!
The government plans to balance the budget by 2024 through a dramatic cut in spending growth – from about 4 per cent per year to just 2 per cent beginning in 2021. The government's plan provides few specifics but implies that the Province would have to find about $15 billion in spending reductions by 2025, equivalent to about 8 per cent of program spending.
Let's face it, the Liberals have been cooking the books for some time now. Each time the Auditor General tries to point out a problem, they attack her. They have even mansplained to her, a cardinal sin for any true progressive.
Yet now the Liberals want you to believe that their books, attacked by two different fiscal watchdogs, are legit.
Oddly, I'm more inclined to believe Horwath and the NDP even while knowing they are wrong on the issues.


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It's nearly Christmas, but Mia isn't feeling at all merry. She's been mourning her old cat, and still hasn't got over Tibby's death. She had Tibby for as long as she can remember, and can't imagine ever having another pet. But when she learns that her friend's cat has had kittens, she goes round in the holidays to play with them. Then her parents surprise her by saying she can have Whiskers. She's the last of the litter; the tiny leftover one. But although she loves Whiskers, Mia feels guilty about replacing Tibby. Can she bring herself to keep the new kitten? Or will she turn Whiskers away?
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Mariam Collection - Contemporary
Mariam Collection - Contemporary by Furniture of America
Furniture of America Mariam 7pc Dining Set Wire-Brushed Oak and Black
$919.50 $2,101.16
Centralize for a focused look with this sophisticated multi-tone counter-height Mariam dining set. Wire-brushed oak highlights the spacious square table while chunky post legs contrast with a bold black finish. Grey adds a balancing tone to the set as it wraps the chairs with soft fabric. Cushioned seats provide plenty of support and sleek leg rests keep you rested and relaxed. Easily serve guests and sit comfortably spaced with the dining set that expands to your changing needs.


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Call it a Banana muffin? It's a failure. Call it a Chocolate Chip Muffin? Its an absolute success because it's so chcolatey. So, Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin? Uhhh… Not quite. More like Chocolate Chip muffin this time. I guess i added too much Chocolate Chips into the batter. I like Banana Chocolate Chip muffin to havechunksof banana and some small amount of chocolate chips scattered around. I thought my bananas werent too mashed at first. I was expecting some chunks of bananas in the muffins but i guessed they were still too "mashed??' Next time, I am going to up the bananas and throw in some additional sliced and unmashed bananas into the batter. I dont know if i'll achieve my chunky bananas texture but i guess i'll jst give it a go. If anybody knows, please let me know! The muffins were pretty moist even though there's no sourcream/yoghurt/milk in the recipe. The Chocolate chip taste was too overpowering. But the good thing about it was that the chocolate chips were uniformly scattered in the muffin instead of sinking to the bottom. I mix the chocolate chips with a good amount of flour and folded the chocolate chips together with the flour into the rest of batter. I guess this trick works almost everytime.
Ingredients: [ Recipe taken from Laura Vitale] Makes 12 Muffins
½ Cup of Vegetable Oil
2 Eggs
100g of Sugar
3 Mashed Bananas
¼ tsp of Vanilla Extract
200g Cake flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
½ tsp of Baking Soda
¼ tsp of Salt
¼ tsp of Cinnamon
1 Cup of Chocolate Chips
1) Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a 12 piece muffin tin with muffin liners and set aside.
2) In a small bowl add the chocolate chips and 3 tbsp of flour and mix until all the chocolate chips are coated in the flour. Set aside.
3) In a large bowl add the first 5 ingredients and mix until all combined.
4) Add the flour and baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon, whisk until all combined.
5) Fold in the chocolate chip and flour mixture.
6) Using a large ice cream scoop divide the batter into your muffin pan and bake for about 18 minutes.
I tried to make some streusel toppings on 3 of the muffins. Hmmm i wld say i have to try it again… Nevertheless, you can check out the recipe for the streusel toppings here.


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Delhi survey suggests city unsafe for women
Two in every three women in the Indian capital have faced some form of sexual harassment in the last year, a government-backed study has suggested.
Delhi women face continuous and different forms of sexual harassment in crowded and secluded places, it says.
Teenage students and women working in the unorganised sector are the most vulnerable, the report says.
The survey by two UN agencies and an NGO is based on a sample of 5,010 women and men.
It was undertaken between January and March.
The survey is titled "Safe City Free of Violence for Women and Girls"
A BBC correspondent in Delhi says the findings confirm what the people of Delhi have known for a long time - that the city is unsafe for women.
'Buses most unsafe'
"Women in the national capital feel unsafe in many public spaces, and at all times of the day and night," the survey says.
Public transport, buses and roadsides are reported as spaces where women and girls face high levels of sexual harassment.
Most women who were surveyed said buses were the most unsafe form of transport.
Many said the Metro system, which used to be safer earlier, is now equally crowded and unsafe.
The report says the most common forms of harassment are "verbal (passing lewd comments), visual (staring and leering) and physical (touching or groping or leaning over)".
Women of all classes have to put up with harassment in their daily lives, but students between 15 and 19 years old and women employed in the informal sector are specially vulnerable, the survey says.
Poor infrastructure - including absent street lights, unusable pavements and a lack of public toilets - is one of the main reasons behind the lack of women's safety, the report says.
The survey was commissioned by the Delhi government's department of women and child development.
It was carried out by Jagori - an NGO working in the field of education, health, and women welfare - UN Development Fund for Women (Unifem) and UN Habitat (UN Human Settlements Programme).


text: Modern dancer Daniel Giron dramatic dance photographer Andy Batt photographs dancers at the peak of their performance. Working with dancer Daniel Giron in-studio and demonstrating hard light techniques, Andy Batt teaches a room full of students the finer points of strobe lighting and using modifiers. Andy Batt captured the action and he also created intimate portraits of the dancer, shooting guarded moments and thoughful gestures.


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|Payment Type:
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|Min. Order:
|500 Bag/Bags
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|30 Days
|Customzied packing
Model No.: GB190104
Product characteristic
Product Display
Firstly,tell us what size you want,and then send the pantone color number.
Why We Are The Best
Our company was founded in 1997,our main products are glass christmas ornament and we have been engaged in exporting since 2008.
we set set a good relationship with office depot, mart, amway, qvc, pier 1 tbh-2 everywhere and so on.
Factory Photo
Founded in 1996, depending on the advantage of Genggeng Industrial Park of Wangzhigang`s excellent traffic, Baoying Meilida Christmas Glass Crafts Factory has steadily developed into a diversified innovative enterprise which integrates research and development, production, sales, operation and support solutions. Baoying Meilida Christmas glass crafts Gift Factory manufactures glass pendants, decorative ornaments, daily glass necessities, Christmas decorations, and other products.
Meilida has always understood the development of the industry trends with keen eyes, integrating the idea of innovation into every corner of the enterprise`s development. Combining Internet thinking with the reality of the enterprise, this factory has framed a set of three-dimensional operation strategies: "internalized resources, branded development, and perfected service", laying a solid foundation for the future development of the enterprise.
In order to meet the developmental needs of brand diversification, this factory has constructed an 8,000 m2 modernized plant and established an advanced production system consisting of blowing, pressing, electroplating, engraving, color spraying, colored drawing, printing, packaging, and other production equipment. As a result, they have steadily improved the overall strength of the enterprise.
In fierce market competition, this factory relies on the advantage of being experienced in the industry to realize the thorough development of the enterprise. On the basis of the marketing network covering the whole country, products are sold to Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Japan, North America, South America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and other countries and regions. Through this the company saw an impressive performance of nearly ten million RMB in annual sales, won the praise and favor of all sectors of the community, and was awarded many other honors and titles such as "Contract First, Credit First Enterprise".
Over the past two decades, Meilida has gone forward by being self-motivated and overcoming all obstacles. Under the guidance of the concept of "integrity, being pragmatic, and a win-win future", Meilida has made efforts and struggled for the grand vision of establishing the enterprise into a "model brand of the gift craft industry", contributing its own power to vigorously promote the development of the craft industry.