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State BJP chief and Union minister G. Kishan Reddy charged that the Congress government had not issued a single ration card in its year in power, and announced that the BJP would release a chargesheet against the government on Sunday. Kishan Reddy announced that the BJP would conduct a public meeting against the alleged failed poll promises and anti-people policies of the Congress government at the Saroornagar stadium at LB Nagar on December 6. BJP national president J.P. Nadda or Union home minister Amit Shah will likely attend the meeting. “The Congress government had failed to release a single job notification after coming to power. It just processed the notifications released by the earlier government. But, Revanth Reddy is making tall claims,” Kishan Reddy told the party’s Sangathan Parv at the state BJP office. In attendance were party general secretary and Telangana in-charge Sunil Bansal and co-in charge Arvind Menon. Kishan Reddy said the BJP was the only democratic party, whereas Congress and BRS are family-based parties. He asked the party workers to form committees from the booth level to challenge the corrupt politics. Kishan Reddy charged that the BRS government did not release a single rupee for gram panchayats in its 10-year rule. “The Congress government is pursuing the same policy. The gram panchayats have been carrying out all their works with the funds released under the 15th Finance Commission,” he noted.What did you eat yesterday? SgSL evolved organically within the Deaf community and is “ a unique reflection of Singapore’s national heritage and multilingual culture ”, says Lye. SgSL has roots in Shanghainese Sign Language (SSL), which was taught in Singapore’s first school for the deaf, the Singapore Chinese Sign School for the Deaf in the 1950s, alongside written Chinese, which was the other language of instruction of the school. Peng Tsu Ying, one of the school’s founders, taught the techniques and the sign language he had learnt while growing up in Shanghai. In the 1970s, Lim Chin Heng, a former student of Peng’s who studied in America, brought back American Sign Language (ASL) to the local Deaf community, as well as Signing Exact English, which is not a language in itself, but a manual code that represents English grammar visually. With the help of four Deaf Singaporeans – Andrew Tay, Shariffah Faaiqah, Amirul Afiq and Lisa Loh – we’ll discover how these varied influences have shaped their language and how some of these signs have changed over time. Here’s one example of how signs have evolved. These are the two different signs for “10 dollars” – one is an older variant, the other is a newer one. According to Andrew, older signers who are Chinese-educated would use this variation. The sign originates from SSL. It comprises two parts: the sign for the word “red” , and a visual representation of the Chinese character for 10 (十) . Faaiqah, who is younger , uses a different sign most likely influenced by ASL. She does it by signing “money” first, followed by the sign for “10” . Some local signs have also changed over the years. Here’s an example. These are the two signs for “Singapore” . Lisa says that people of the older generation who are Chinese-educated use this sign, which has its roots in SSL. The sign involves tapping the tip of the thumb against the tip of the index finger. It is meant to symbolise the stars on the Singapore flag . Afiq, however, uses this newer variation , which is now widely used in Singapore. It is based on the sign for “island” , but using the closed-fist hand shape for the letter “S”, for Singapore, instead of the “I” for “island”. These are called initialised signs and are influenced by ASL. A big part of what makes SgSL unique is its use of local signs and colloquial expressions . This was how Andrew noticed that Deaf Singaporeans were using their own unique variety of sign language in the 2000s. He eventually named it “Singapore Sign Language”. I thought it was essential to coin the name for our sign language, SgSL. Prior to that, there wasn’t a name for it. Other countries had a name for their own sign languages, as with ASL and British Sign Language, but we had nothing like that. I felt it was essential to coin a name for our own sign language. Just as Deaf Singaporeans use the local sign for “Singapore”, many other local signs are widely used across the community. These include signs for local food and landmarks, as well as Singlish signs , says Phoebe Tay, adding that these reflect the Singaporean Deaf identity. Rainbow kueh lapis The sign consists of two parts – first, the sign for “colourful”, and second, the action of peeling the layers that the snack is well known for. Jewel Changi Airport This is made up of the sign for the letter “J” for Jewel, and a gesture meant to symbolise the iconic indoor waterfall in the middle of the mall. Teh tarik The sign is reminiscent of how this local drink is made – by pouring the drink back and forth between containers. Alamak This sign expresses shock or dismay, mirroring the meaning of the Singlish word. Kaypoh The sign combines the letters “K” and “P” in the Singlish word “kaypoh”. Both letters have the same hand shape but in a different orientation, and the change from one to another creates the sign. SgSL is deeply intertwined with the identity of Deaf Singaporeans . After giving SgSL its name, Andrew felt that there was a shift in how he perceived his identity as a Deaf Singaporean. Before SgSL was more formally established, I felt lost, and uncertain of who I was. With SgSL, I am confident in knowing what makes me who I am. And there’s that link between my Deaf identity and the Deaf culture I’m a part of. In a speaking-dominated world, it’s unclear what exactly that culture is. When SgSL was established, I felt pride in knowing what represents our Deaf identity, and I felt confident in knowing what makes Deaf culture. Lye explains that SgSL embodies the identity of the Deaf community here. “It allows Deaf individuals to express themselves fully in a language that resonates with their personal experiences and the societal and even emotional context they live in,” he adds. Similarly, Lisa, Faaiqah and Afiq view SgSL as unique to Deaf Singaporeans precisely because it reflects their shared identity and the community’s way of communicating within it. What makes SgSL unique really are the different variants that encompass it. SgSL is influenced by Pidgin Signed English, ASL and SSL, becoming a unique language that we understand. Besides these, what makes SgSL unique is the incorporation of locally developed signs. With SgSL, communication is easy. It’s unique to Singapore, and something that is ours. SgSL creates more opportunities for the Deaf community as it allows complete access to information. SgSL also builds a sense of identity as a cultural component unique to our own Deaf community. That is the significance of SgSL. SgSL represents the language, identity and culture of the Singaporean Deaf community. How do we ensure the future of SgSL? Proliferation and preservation. SgSL is gaining interest outside the Deaf community. Andrew, who works as a private-hire driver, occasionally picks up passengers who sign to him in SgSL. The majority of such passengers have taken lessons from SADeaf. Lye says SADeaf has seen an increase in sign-ups for its SgSL classes over the past three years. He adds that people sign up for a variety of reasons, such as exploring a new language and culture, or to better communicate with a friend or family member who is deaf. There are ongoing efforts to document and preserve the language for future generations – one of them is the SgSL Sign Bank , created through a partnership between SADeaf and Nanyang Technological University (NTU). Lye says the sign bank provides “a comprehensive record of signs used within the Deaf community”. As at September 2024, there are 749 documented signs, and SADeaf will continue to work with the Deaf community to document more. A free e-book on SgSL is another collaboration between SADeaf and NTU to document signs, and also to encourage readers to learn more about SgSL users and their unique experiences. And in Andrew’s case, SgSL is more than just a language he uses – it gave him a community that he could finally call his own. In the past, no one in my family signed. Everyone would be speaking, having conversations, and I would be left in the dark. There wasn’t communication, and I couldn’t be kept in the loop of what was happening. It was that sense of: “Who am I actually?” My family members used speech to communicate, but I was unlike them. I was clueless about what was happening within my family and in my environment, growing up. With SgSL, we have communication. A door opens for us, and we are able to find out more about the world, and what’s really out there.
NEW YORK, Dec. 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Magnite (Nasdaq: MGNI), the largest independent sell-side advertising company, today announced that members of its executive team will host in-person investor meetings at the Needham 27th Annual Growth Conference in New York City on Wednesday, January 15. Company management will participate in a fireside chat at 11:00 a.m ET. A live webcast of the fireside chat will be available in the "Events & Presentations” section of Magnite's investor relations website at: https://investor.magnite.com . The webcast replay will be available following the conclusion of the live presentation for 90 days. About Magnite We're Magnite (NASDAQ: MGNI), the world's largest independent sell-side advertising company. Publishers use our technology to monetize their content across all screens and formats including CTV, online video, display, and audio. The world's leading agencies and brands trust our platform to access brand-safe, high-quality ad inventory and execute billions of advertising transactions each month. Anchored in bustling New York City, sunny Los Angeles, mile high Denver, historic London, colorful Singapore and down under in Sydney, Magnite has offices across North America, EMEA, LATAM, and APAC. Investor Relations Contact Nick Kormeluk, 949-500-0003 [email protected]
Advisors Asset Management Inc. Buys 116 Shares of UFP Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:UFPT)EMERYVILLE, Calif., Dec. 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NMI Holdings, Inc., (NASDAQ: NMIH) announced today that Mohammad Yousaf, currently the company’s Executive Vice President, Operations and Information Technology, has been appointed to the newly created position of Chief of Operations and Technology, effective January 1, 2025. Upon his appointment, Mr. Yousaf will continue to lead the innovation of National MI’s customer platform and technology roadmap and play an important role in shaping the company’s future success in collaboration with the broader executive team. “Mohammad has been instrumental in our success and this new role reflects his dedication, leadership and significant contributions to National MI. This is a well-deserved promotion and I look forward to working with Mohammad and our broader executive team as we continue to deliver differentiated solutions and value for National MI’s customers, community, employees and shareholders,” said Adam Pollitzer, National MI’s President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Yousaf joined National MI in 2018 and previously served as Senior Vice President and Chief Business Transformation Officer from 2020 to 2021 and Vice President, Business Development and Technology Partnerships from 2018 to 2020. Prior to joining National MI, Mr. Yousaf was a Senior Managing Director in charge of servicing operations for Home Point Financial and held leadership positions with Mr. Cooper and Wells Fargo. “National MI has the most modern and efficient operating platform in the private mortgage insurance industry and I’m proud to lead our operations and technology teams as we continue to develop innovative solutions for our customers,” said Mr. Yousaf. “Our goal has always been to support lenders and borrowers with a differentiated commitment and standard of service and, today, we lead the private MI industry from a position of strength and success. I am excited to leverage this expanded role to drive continued momentum and results across our business.” About National MI National Mortgage Insurance Corporation (National MI), a subsidiary of NMI Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: NMIH), is a U.S.-based, private mortgage insurance company enabling low down payment borrowers to realize home ownership while protecting lenders and investors against losses related to a borrower’s default. To learn more, please visit www.nationalmi.com Press Contact for National MI Lesley Alli Senior Vice President, Industry Relations, Marketing and Communications media@nationalmi.com (510) 858-0568 Investor Contact for National MI John M. Swenson Vice President, Investor Relations and Treasury investor.relations@nationalmi.com (510)788-8417Amazon investing another $10 billion in Ohio-based data centers
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