text:
Benefits of Singapore Permanent Resident
Tax Reliefs
Loan Perks
Enter/Exit
Sigapore Freely
Gateway To
Ability To
Fmaily Reunion
Career Flexibility
CPF Contributions
Benefits & Subsidies
Benefits of Singapore Permanent Resident include having most of the rights, privileges, obligations, and responsibilities that citizens do, including National Service obligations. However, Singapore PR will not being able to vote and hold some limited public benefits such as medical, housing benefits and public school placement priority.
Singapore PRs are permitted to live, work, study, and retire in Singapore without any time limit. Singapore Permanent Residents (PR) enjoy privileges second to local Singapore Citizens. Other benefits of getting Singapore PR and living in Singapore are low crime rate, no guns except for law enforcement officers law and free from natural disasters.
Child Education Priorities
Singapore Permanent Resident's child will be given priority compared to foreign students when seeking an education in Singapore. As long as the child is of eligible age, you can apply for the child to study in the school of your choice. Re-entry permit for Singapore Permanent Resident is required as one of the compulsory documents to register admission for the school.
Singapore Permanent Residents will have the flexibility to seek better job opportunity without the hassle of applying for any relevant work pass with the company or Ministry of Manpower (MOM). Salary and staff benefits will also be more attractive for Singapore Permanent Residents compared to non Singapore Permanent Resident foreigners. Singapore Permanent Residents can also stay in Singapore for an indefinite amount of time as long as their PR status is valid.
Singapore Permanent Residents will be entitled to tax reliefs and rebates similar to Singapore Citizens which are given as a recognition for individuals' efforts. Instead of compensating taxpayers for certain type of expenses fully, reliefs and rebates are given to promote certain social objectives. Hence there are reliefs available to encourage family formation, filial piety and upgrading of skills and reliefs given in support of individuals saving for retirement and serving National Service.
Ability To Be A Sponsor
One of the major benefits of Singapore Permanent Resident status is that the person have the ability to sponsor their family (spouse and children) to apply for Singapore Permanent Resident status too, even though the wife and children are not studying or working in Singapore.
Singapore Permanent Residents can apply and given higher priority to secure various loans at more attractive interest rates and higher loan amount. They will also be eligible to apply for housing loans to purchase property.
Gateway To Singapore Citizenship
Singapore Permanent Residents will have the opportunity to apply for Singapore Citizenship after being a Singapore Permanent Resident for two years, should they wish to settle down in Singapore for life.
Entrepreneurship Opportunities
Singapore Permanent Residents can startup or register a company using their own name without the need for a local Singapore Citizen representative or partner. There are also lesser regulations imposed on the company incorporation for Singapore Citizens / Singapore Permanent Residents when compared to non Singapore Permanent Residents foreigners.
Singapore Permanent Residents will be entitled to additional CPF contributions by the employer/company when they work in Singapore. Their age will determine the amount of percentage for the CPF contributions to be made by their employer/company. CPF funds will enjoy interest growth and be allocated into relevant accounts (Ordinary Account, Special Account, MediSave Account and Retirement Account) accordingly to help with the individual's or individual's family healthcare, home ownership, family protection, asset management and retirement plans.
Property Purchase Subsidies
Singapore Permanent Residents are eligible to buy resale (second-hand) units of government housing like Housing & Development Board (HDB) flats and Executive Condominiums (EC). Only Singapore Citizens are eligible to purchase new units mentioned above. They will also be entitled to some Central Provident Fund (CPF) or HDB grants which are provided by Singapore government.
Enter/Exit Singapore Freely
Singapore Permanent Residents can enter or exit Singapore freely as long as they are holding a valid Re-Entry Permit (REP). However, they must comply with the Singapore immigration authority regarding REP if they wish or need to leave Singapore(irregardless of any length of time or any reasons). The REP has to be renewed every 5 years and it will be subjected to how long the Singapore Permanent Resident stayed in Singapore physically and any relevant economic or social activities done in Singapore during this period.
Healthcare Benefits & Subsidies
Singapore Permanent Residents will enjoy public health benefits through the usage of CPF funds in their MediSave account. They will also enjoy a lower consultation fee and medical bills compared to non Singapore Permanent Residents foreigners.


The OTAs and Big Four are using artificial intelligence to quickly grow record profits.
People-Based Data can give you an unfair advantage to grow your profits.
When you use our SMART Pixel on your website, you can analyze your traffic and match back the identity of your visitors. You'll also learn their behaviors pre- and post-click, and use that data and AI to create your custom targeting algorithm. This will give you the edge to dominate your market in less time.
Know your visitors. Build relationships. Grow profits.
Full & permanent control over your prospects info (name, email, phone number) without an opt-in.
Stop chasing bad leads. And start targeting the golden 3% of your ideal customer profile who are in the market to book NOW.
Use your data to refine targeting on networks such as Google and Facebook, reducing CPC by as much as 75%.
AI-driven insights will uncover behavioral traits allowing a more deep and meaningful engagement sequence.
Leverage the same targeting data across all channels including: digital ads, email, direct mail and phone.
Would you like to know how People-Based Data can benefit your hotel?
Better still, try it FREE for 30 days. Just shoot us your info.
Or call us at 619-273-5100 ext. 1. That's cool too.


text:
Menu Shop Search Sale
Michael B. Jordan Talks Chadwick Boseman and Oscars: "There's No Award That Can Validate His Legacy"
On Boseman's final performance, Jordan said, "It was an incredible performance, man. I mean, it's like, you can see it, you know, him giving everything he had."
All That Glittered Wasn't Gold at the 93rd Academy Awards
Mary Siroky	April 26, 2021
Anthony Hopkins Woke Up This Morning to Learn He Had Won the Oscar for Best Actor
Alex Young	April 26, 2021
Chadwick Boseman Robbed of Best Actor Oscar by Anthony Hopkins
Ben Kaye	April 25, 2021
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross Win Best Original Score at the Oscars
Chloe Zhao Becomes First Woman of Color to Win Best Director at the Oscars
Nomadland also claims the title of Best Picture at Academy Awards.
Nomaland Makes History at 2021 Oscars, Director Chloé Zhao and Frances McDormand Claim Top Honors
Anthony Hopkins, Daniel Kaluuya, and Trent Reznor were among the evening's other big winners.
Oscars 2021: How to Watch, Who's Presenting, and Everything Else You Need to Know
Taking place live this Sunday, April 25th.
Glenn Close's Performance in Hillbilly Elegy Nominated for Both Oscar and Razzie
Close is only the third actor to be nominated for best and worst for the same role.
Stanning BTS

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


We invite all people for their annual health check around the same month each year. You may need a blood test before the appointment, in which case the invite will say this.
The appointment will vary in length dependant on the number of conditions you have.


text:
namespace llvm {
  class ARMSubtarget;

class ARMInstrInfo : public ARMBaseInstrInfo {
  ARMRegisterInfo RI;
public:
  explicit ARMInstrInfo(const ARMSubtarget &STI);

  /// getNoopForMachoTarget - Return the noop instruction to use for a noop.
  void getNoopForMachoTarget(MCInst &NopInst) const override;

  // Return the non-pre/post incrementing version of 'Opc'. Return 0
  // if there is not such an opcode.
  unsigned getUnindexedOpcode(unsigned Opc) const override;

  /// getRegisterInfo - TargetInstrInfo is a superset of MRegister info.  As
  /// such, whenever a client has an instance of instruction info, it should
  /// always be able to get register info as well (through this method).
  ///
  const ARMRegisterInfo &getRegisterInfo() const override { return RI; }

private:
  void expandLoadStackGuard(MachineBasicBlock::iterator MI) const override;
};

}

#endif

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
World »
Facebook removes New Zealand shooters' accounts
"We're also removing any praise or support for the crime and the shooter or shooters as soon as we're aware," said Mia Garlick from Facebook's New Zealand office in a statement.
By IANS | Published: 15th Mar 2019 12:23 pm
This image taken from the alleged shooter's video, which was filmed on Friday, shows him as he drives and he looks over to three guns on the passenger side of his vehicle in New Zealand.(AP/PTI)
Christchurch: Facebook on Friday said it removed both the shooters' accounts and a live streaming video after they opened fire at two mosques in New Zealand's Christchurch city, causing "multiple fatalities".
"Police alerted us to a video on Facebook shortly after the livestream commenced and we quickly removed both the shooter's Facebook and Instagram accounts and the video.
"We will continue working directly with New Zealand Police as their response and investigation continues," Facebook added.
The New Zealand police arrested four people, three men and a woman, after the shooting.
The shootings took place at the Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Masjid, The New Zealand Herald reported.


In December 2016, WorkSafe launched its Disability Action Plan. The Disability Action Plan contains commitments to ensure dignified and equitable access for staff and stakeholders with a range of diverse abilities. Some of these commitments include upgrading our internal and external websites, creating a workplace adjustment program and ensuring universal design principles are included in every aspect of our new headquarters in Geelong.
WorkSafe has also committed to WorkSmart, a program which will see increased use of contemporary technology and devices designed to free employees from their desks and provide greater flexibility both at work and after hours.


text:
Motorola Solutions employees being notified of layoffs
Corilyn Shropshire
Motorola Solutions confirmed it is laying off an unspecified number of employees this year as part of a previously announced plan to reduce global costs by $200 million.
The Schaumburg-based company said employees would be notified this week.
The layoffs will continue throughout this year, as Motorola continues to look for ways to cut costs, including considering closing facilities, according to a spokeswoman.
"These are always difficult decisions. In keeping with Motorola's core values, we are fully committed to helping our colleagues through this transition period while continuing to make customer service a top priority," said spokeswoman Tama McWhinney in a statement.
The layoffs follow barcode printer-maker Zebra Technologies Corp.'s announcement in April that it planned to buy Motorola Solutions' enterprise business for $3.45 billion.
Spokesowman McWhinney declined to provide more details such as how many workers and which departments would be affected. Motorola Solutions has about about 20,000 employees, with roughly 4,000 in Illinois and more than half outside the United States.
Under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining (WARN) Act, companies are required to give 60 days notice of layoffs when a third of the workforce or more than 500 workers could be affected.
cshropshire@tribune.com
Follow @Corilyns Follow @chibreakingbiz
MSI data by YCharts
What's the best way to get to O'Hare? We sent reporters by car, ride-share, CTA and Metra to find out.
Got gator? Businesses try to cash in on viral search for the Humboldt Park gator
Lyft cited for failing to warn city about violent behavior of driver who later allegedly killed a taxi driver
Job Layoffs
Unemployment and Layoffs
Motorola Solutions, Inc.


HONOR HARRINGTON Having made him look a fool, she's been exiled to Basilisk Station in disgrace and set up for ruin by a superior who hates her. Her demoralized crew blames her for their ship's humiliating posting to an out-of-the-way picket station. The aborigines of the system's only habitable planet are smoking homicide-inducing hallucinogens. Parliament isn't sure it wants to keep the place; the major local industry is smuggling; the merchant cartels want her head; the star-conquering, so-called "Republic" of Haven is Up To Something; and Honor Harrington has a single, over-age light cruiser with an armament that doesn't work to police the entire star system. But the people out to get her have made one mistake. They've made her mad. Download the comprehensive Teacher's Guide here.
Having made him look a fool, she's been exiled to Basilisk Station in disgrace and set up for ruin by a superior who hates her.


Ursula V. Battle | 8/8/2014, 6 a.m.
BALTIMORE — Galatians 6:9 says, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." This scripture speaks to the work of Bishop Duane Johnson, pastor of Speak to my Heart Ministries and his wife and co-pastor Cynthia, in their unrelenting quest to go beyond the walls of their church in Park Heights to save lives.
Bishop Duane Johnson, Pastor of Speak To My Heart Ministries, his wife and co-pastor Cynthia, and their daughter Zada.
Bishop Johnson and his wife have attempted to do this through HIV/AIDS awareness, free health screenings, and other events. On Saturday, August 9, 2014 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Speak to My Heart Ministries located at 3903 W. Belvedere Avenue in Baltimore will host a Community Outreach and Health Fair. The theme of the event is "Harvest Time."
"We are doing everything we can to reach souls," said Bishop Johnson. "Proverbs 11:30 says that 'he that winneth souls is wise.' Our community has issues regarding health and getting to the services it needs. We want to be a 'one stop shop' in the Park Heights community for people to get their spiritual and health needs met."
He added, "The church was basically everything to us as a people. However, we have gotten modern and sophisticated, and strayed away. In doing so, the church has forgotten about meeting the needs of everyday people. A lot of people living in suburban communities have access to health care and resources. But, many folks in our community are dying from a lack of knowledge, and we want to help change that. This event is a great way for people to connect to resources and services."
The free event will offer free immunizations, HIV testing, health, vision, Tuberculosis, and diabetes screenings. LifeBridge Health, the American Cancer Society, the Centers for Disease Control, the Red Cross, the American Diabetes Association, Fitness Evolution, Park Heights Renaissance, and the House of Ruth are among those slated to participate in the event.
Cynthia Johnson is a registered nurse and a breast cancer survivor.
"As a RN, I have worked in hospitals, and see the things that are going on with our people," she said. "Our mission is to reach the whole person. This is what we are called to do. There are so many disparities in our community regarding health. Those disparities exist due to lack of knowledge and resources. Money, resources and grants are all out there to help them to live healthier."
She added, "We want to help our people to do better. My husband I often wonder about those who don't have insurance. We want to get the word out that there is all kinds of help for all kinds of illnesses. We hope to empower our community to take charge of their health and their spiritual health, and to connect with our neighbors."
The event will feature Zumba, food, a moon bounce, and will also showcase the various ministries of the church. Health, gospel music, and other products will also be sold. Free school supplies will be given to individuals who arrive early, and health and other information will be available.
"Through this event, we want to meet the health and spiritual needs of the entire family," said Mrs. Johnson. "It is also a wonderful opportunity to fellowship and meet the people in the community. This will be an outreach to connect with our community face-to-face, and to show them we care. We also want to offer hope to those who are living in darkness."
For more information visit www.stmhonline.com.


Due to its excellent location at the beginning of the pedestrian area in the heart of Bratislava, our hotel is the perfect base for sightseeing tours and shopping sprees. Our creative kitchen team will spoil you with tasty delicacies and regional specialties in our hotel restaurant.Our spacious meeting area (measuring 333 m²) with four meeting rooms, which can be flexibly connected, and state-of-the-art equipment provides enough space to accommodate up to 350 people. Our hotel wellness area and fitness on the 5th floor is waiting for you to relax and unwind after an eventful day.


text:
Jeff Fager
Josh Donaldson - 60 MINUTES SPORTS May 2016 Preview
Apr 27, 2016 4:45 PM EDT
60 MINUTES SPORTS covers American League All-Star Josh Donaldson about his rough early life and how overcoming a challenging childhood helped him in becoming the player he is today. 60 MINUTES SPORTS airs Tuesday, May 3rd at 9PM ET/PT on SHOWTIME.
60 MINUTES SPORTS - April 2016 Preview
60 MINUTES SPORTS covers PGA player Bubba Watson around the golf course, untimely deaths in young athletes, professional drone racing, as well as the pageantry of the equestrian festival. All new edition Tuesday, April 5th at 9PM ET/PT on SHOWTIME.
Jackson Wink MMA - 60 MINUTES SPORTS March 2016 Preview
60 MINUTES SPORTS covers the Jackson Wink MMA Academy - an elite training ground for some of the best MMA fighters in the world including UFC Bantamweight Champion Holly Holm. Watch Tuesday March 1st at 9PM ET/PT on SHOWTIME.
Daily Fantasy Sports - 60 MINUTES SPORTS February 2016 Preview
60 MINUTES SPORTS covers the growing popularity of daily fantasy sports and the legal challenges that shadow the top two competing industries. Watch Tuesday February 9th at 8PM ET/PT on SHOWTIME.
How to Cut Cable
How to stream the shows and sports you love


For some restaurant goers the process of providing feedback on a recent visit is just as fun as the dining experience itself. Those who have recently made a purchase from a Sonic Drive-In can go to the My Sonic Feedback page to relish in the process of critiquing their experience. Before starting the survey, customers will need to look to the bottom of their purchase receipts for an ID number. In order to begin taking the survey the ID number must be entered into the blank fields provided on the My Sonic Feedback page. Spanish-speaking customers can complete the survey in their preferred language by clicking on the link provided.
What else do I need to know about completing a survey through the My Sonic Feedback page?
Customers who like the sound of a free Route 44 drink would be wise to practice pro-activity as surveys will need to be completed at the My Sonic Feedback page within 14 days of the purchase. Once the survey has been completed customers will have 60 days from the date of the purchase to claim their drink at a Sonic Drive-In.


text:
Proposed emojis
proposed emojis The new emojis (which can be viewed here) include a seeing eye May 11, 2016 · A Kickstarter campaign that raised more than $12,000 proposed that a dumpling emoji should be included among the selection of food symbols available. Final week, Jason Li posted a Twitter thread about its street to approval, beginning along with his childhood in roach-ridden Hong Kong. Here's a glossary of the best sexting emojis with sexy meanings, to make flirting that much easier. Mar 23, 2018 · The company laid out a total 13 new emojis proposed options for men and women, or 45 when also including skin tone options. Mar 23, 2018 · A batch of 77 emojis, and 157 if you include a range of skin tones, is coming to iOS in June 2018. Eisner et al. 20 Jun 2020 The Unicode Consortium detailed the new Emoji 13. As emojis move toward being more inclusive and representative of all Vermont has proposed a bill that would allow drivers to express their emotions through emojis on vanity license plates. In collation order, the new characters should be sorted with other heart emojis in the emotion group of the Smileys & People section. New Emojis for 2020. May 07, 2018 · Conclusion & Future Work. prioritized 8 Nov 2016 Just some of the new science-related emoji that could show up on your keyboard in the next year or so. Judy Cole - Oct 2, 2020 Nov 11, 2016 · But it'll be a while—these emojis are just "proposed" to be included in Unicode 10, and the list and actual emoji designs could change. Valentina Zarya. AFP/Getty Images. You know those smiley faces you text to your friends on your phone? Those are called emojis. New, 11 comments. 2 days ago · There's even a proposed sequence for nuclear winter itself: a cockroach, a radioactivity image, and a snowflake. Knew the comments would be good here There's an interesting rumour though that these are some of the emojis that are proposed for Jan 30, 2020 · 117 New Emojis Set to Release This Year: Including one of bubble tea, a smiling face with a tear & more gender-inclusive options. Emoji have been used on Japanese cell phones for 10 years, and there is no evidence that use of Emoji is decreasing. April – June Sep 14, 2016 · Hijab Emoji Proposed by 15-Year-Old Girl. Jan 07, 2019 · One year later, two engineers at Apple (Yasuo Kida, Peter Edberg) proposed the addition of 608 new emojis into the Unicode Standard. 1 day ago · The cockroach emoji proposal is a story about texting through the apocalypse naturally, "to reference a survivor in a nuclear winter. 13 May 2016 A lack of emojis showcasing professional women sparks a group of Google employees to develop a new set including female doctors, tech 25 Mar 2018 From service dogs to a prosthetic arm, iPhone maker Apple has proposed 13 new emojis to 29 Sep 2016 Here's how new emojis are selected and approved for inclusion on your keyboard and who gets to pick them. A further 13 corresponding emojis will show men May 11, 2016 · The proposed female emoji categories include business, health care, science, education (graduate), technology, industry (factory/metallurgical worker, high-tech factory/assembly line worker, mechanic/repair person), farming, food service, education (professor), and music. It'll depict, among others, underrepresented hair colors and styles like natural, white, red and Feb 22, 2018 · Emojis are standardized by the consortium, but they aren't trademarked or copyrighted in anyway. All told, we're looking at 13 emoji with male/female variants counts, or 45 with those variations plus skin tones. Unicode reviews the proposals, chooses The Microbe emoji 🦠 was proposed alongside a number of other science-themed emoji (including Petri Dish 🧫 and DNA 🧬, which were also approved) as part of a joint campaign organized by the American Chemical Society and General Electric. Apple has consulted with organizations such as American Council of the Blind, Cerebral Palsy Foundation, and National Association for the Deaf, to propose 13 emojis to the Unicode Consortium, who is responsible for all the letters and characters in our smartphone keyboards. They were included, with different proposed character names, in the Proposal for Encoding Emoji Symbols (N3583 = L2/09-026R) but left out of the consensus document from the 2009-April WG2 meeting after discussion and an inconclusive, three-way "straw poll". After being turned down with its EV emoji proposal last year, Volkswagen's EV organization 16 Jul 2020 Over 117 new emoji are coming to Android and iOS devices in 2020, according to the Unicode Consortium. Some of the emoji you see and use online and in texts don't mean what you think they do—at least, not what they were originally intended The list of 230 new emojis has the representation we've been waiting for. " The next step: The Unicode Consortium—the international organization that has final say over emojis and other smartphone symbols—will review the proposals. "A lot walked in thinking, 'What do I need to know about emoji 26 Mar 2018 apple is requesting the addition of accessibility emojis to better represent individuals with disabilities and provides a more inclusive experience 23 Mar 2018 A wheelchair, a service dog and prosthetic limbs could join your emojis of men and women jogging and playing sports. Aphelandra Messer. 69,382 tweets (68. But one emoji in particular—the newly introduced Aug 25, 2016 · These emojis have been proposed by Apple and Google, and include professions from a judge to an astronaut. First, the Emoji Subcommittee will review and refine proposals with those who submitted them. In June 2020, I submitted two proposals for emoji, 6 Nov 2020 Apple is bringing some order to an otherwise uncertain time with this week's release of more than 100 new emoji. Koltan Greenwood - January 27, 2020 [photo via unsplash] A wheelchair, a service dog and prosthetic limbs could join your emojis of men and women jogging and playing sports. Emoji before ded emotional signals in texts [6]. Months later, they've finally trickled onto most people's phones… but in one case, it's really more of a skitter. Oct 02, 2018 · The emoji world is likely to expand further and—we hope—become more inclusive. Oct 25, 2017 · The proposed flat ballet shoe emoji would be available in a variety of colors. 30 Jan 2020 Five of Unicode's new approved emoji were proposed by Google, part of our effort to create more inclusive emoji. Jan 29, 2020 · For Emoji 13. " There are also two emoji for expressing To evaluate the effectiveness of our proposed emoji recommendation system and understand its effects on user experience, we performed a user study with 17 participants in eight groups in a realistic mobile chat environment with three different modes: (i) a default static layout without emoji recommendations, (ii) emoji recommendation based on Aug 05, 2017 · 67 new emojis have been listed as "draft candidates" for inclusion in the 2018 emoji set, including softball, mango, salt shaker, and a variation of the much-loved pile of poo emoji. [Images: Facebook] Feb 07, 2019 · A selection of the new emoji released by The Unicode Consortium for 2019. This is long overdue. In addition, emojis, which originally were only present on the Internet, started to invade the offline world too: there are mugs, T-shirts, all kinds of products using emojis. "The current selection of emoji provides a wide 25 Mar 2018 The proposed emojis include an ear with a hearing aid, a person in a wheelchair "Apple is requesting the addition of emoji to better represent 26 Jul 2020 electrify america proposed emoji. Mar 23, 2018 · Apple has proposed a set of 13 new emojis to the Unicode Consortium. Nov 11, 2016 · New emoji depicting characters wearing hijabs, breastfeeding and with beards have been proposed for use by mobile phone makers, reflecting a growing diversity in the colourful icons. 0 standard to represent disabilities. According to the proposal, the emojis will include a guide dog, a person with a white cane, a deaf sign, an ear with a hearing aid, a person in a wheelchair and mechanized wheelchair Aug 04, 2017 · Emoji stupidity persists. Emoji 13. 0 additions in January to give platform vendors the time to create their own versions and 7 Nov 2019 Tory parliamentary candidate Penny Mordaunt has launched the # GoodMannersEmojis campaign with six anti-bullying emoji designs, with the 17 Jul 2019 The redesigned website for Unicode Consortium will make information about the emoji proposal process more easily accessible while 7 Aug 2017 There are a few new emojis coming. Some of the emoji characters that Apple proposed include a guide dog, people using canes The Unicode Consortium, the organization responsible for making sure different languages and characters (including emoji characters) are readable on multiple platforms, has released a proposed May 10, 2016 · Google employees have proposed a new set of emojis aimed at promoting gender equality in the workplace, including cartoon female engineers, chemists, plumbers and farmers. "When all you have is 64 pixels, all your round corn Jul 18, 2017 · Rayouf Alhumedhi, who now lives in Vienna, proposed the idea last year to The Unicode Consortium, the non-profit corporation that reviews and develops new emojis. People use emojis in chat rooms and on social media, and with so many businesses transitioning to the online space, you might be wondering, is it okay to use emojis in business communication as well? Nov 04, 2014 · The Unicode Consortium has proposed a draft plan to add five skin tone colors to emojis. Emoji can are in modern communication apps such as your smartphone's text messaging or social networking apps such as The Emoji Movie may be getting a critical drubbing, but it is not stopping those in charge of emoticons from launching their proposed 2018 range. Emojipedia on Thursday updated its page for Emoji 5. Nov 08, 2019 · A series of draft emojis have been mocked up and sent to the Unicode Consortium, the body tasked with approving the universal emojis available online, for consideration. Emoji seem to have taken over the world, with emoticons quickly becomin 9 Nov 2020 Attempting to make artistic additions to the internet and consumer technology: the emoji. That's not all. I'm talking about the cockroach, arguably the most shudder-inducing emoji of 2020 — and the product of a great little short story about the looming end of the world. org: New emojis include a giraffe, pretzel, vampire, bearded man, soda/milkshake, breastfeeding, a "shhh" face, pie, starry-eyed face, woman in hijab and zebra. Read full profile Did you know that 6 billion emojis[1] are sent a day? Emojis are everywhere, from everyday personal online communications to adver Trying to get into the Emoji world? Our plan here is to take you through an extensive guide focusing on the Android emoji experience and reveal what apps and keyboards support your favorite emojis you use on your Android device. The inclusion of various skin colours in emojis was an addition in recent years, and the 2020 edition of new emojis shared by the Unicode Consortium moves one step ahead of racial inclusion. Emojis were originally created for Japanese cell phones, but are now turning up everywhere, from Venmo transactions to Wall Street Sep 15, 2016 · The emoji populating virtual reality reflect a increasing range of demographic, fashion, professional and ethnic identities, but one community is missing, and a German teenager is proposing that it be added: emojis for Muslim women and men. Emoji have had a long road towards LGBT-inclusivity Sep 15, 2016 · Four women who work at Google have also proposed expanding female emojis to reflect some of the professions in which women engage — business, education, farming and technology, for example. The Unicode Consortium, which oversees the release of new emoji, announces 117 new symbols. Apple, for instance, considered designing an emoji that showed a standalone walking cane or just a Nov 13, 2020 · Twitter shines with new emojis The platform has created 50 emojis until September 2020. September 14, 2016. Each image must be debated and voted on by the 2 days ago · There's even a proposed sequence for nuclear winter itself: a cockroach, a radioactivity image, and a snowflake. The new characters are also set to address "unpaired gender specific emoji", so we will get a prince (to complement the These 10 characters are in very common use, and are interchanged with many other systems. Lacrosse stick. Here are some of the best options available. 16 May 2016 Emojis are replacing Barbies as the battleground where the fight over the portrayal of women is being waged. May 11, 2016 · The 13 proposed emojis-- unveiled on Tuesday -- show women in a range of jobs, including health care, science, education, farming and construction. In 2018, the badger, lobster and llama emojis gave us new ways to describe our trips to the zoo or the aquarium. May 15, 2019 · Before emojis, there were emoticons, facial expressions made with punctuation marks. 0, with a complete list of new proposed emoji, including additions like the Tyrannosaurus Rex and a mermaid. Peacock. Learn more By Dom Carter 06 February 2019 The set offers more skin tones, gender neutral option Emoji have been taking the texting world by storm for the last couple of years, but if you're just now seeing the light, here's how to use emoji on your iPhone to send your friends smiley faces and virtual kisses. The main attraction of iOS 3 Feb 2020 The new emojis have been selected from thousands of proposals by the UniCode Emoji Subcommittee and the proposals must meet certain 10 Jul 2020 Breaking with Unicode's guidelines could reinforce a whole new set of stereotypes. Mar 23, 2018 · Apple has proposed a set of new emojis representing those with vision, hearing and motor disabilities, BuzzFeed News reports. However, each of the proposed emoji must have full justification, with all information as if it were a separate proposal. 9. "Emoji Faces Proposed for Encoding" (next page) shows the proposed Emoji Faces. Meanwhile, more details of Unicode 10. May 09, 2018 · 104 proposed Emoji Candidates (60 characters plus variants) have advanced to Draft Candidate status for 2019. The campaign group Emojination has been advocating for more representative emojis, which began with the dumpling emoji designed by artist Yiying Lu and proposed by former New York Times journalist Jennifer 8 Lee. by Happy News October 6, 2020, 1:38 am 359 Views Nov 07, 2017 · The emoji section "frequently used" is actually Recently used emojis. 0. In the 20 years since the first set of emoji was released, research on it has been on the increase, albeit in a variety of directions. Mar 29, 2018 · Emoji proposed by Apple. A group of related emoji can be put into a single proposal. Should license plates have emojis on Sep 14, 2016 · A graphic artist contributed a proposed design to show what the hijab emoji could look like if adopted and supported, and the subcommittee member is helping with some of the technical Nov 18, 2019 · Emojis are a vehicle of representation, which makes them so meaningful and valuable. Image: Apple Mar 23, 2018 · A pple proposed new accessibility emojis Friday to "better represent individuals with disabilities," according to the proposal. Apple proposed more emoji to better represent individuals with 24 Aug 2015 The emoji is one of the best and worst things about Unicode. May 11, 2016 10:59 AM PDT. At Google, seven out of 10 employees are men, in line with the The Unicode Consortium announced a list of proposed emojis for its next update that will be released next year. e. While there is no guarantee that all of these emojis will be Mar 30, 2017 · The 69 new proposed emoji include genies, dinosaurs, and a bearded hipster You're going to want to see this. Here are the ones you'll use the most. Mar 23, 2018 · Apple has proposed new "accessibility emojis" (Emojipedia) Apple proposes 13 new emojis to represent people with disabilities. 0, slated for release Allow emoji modifiers for 2 existing and 1 proposed characters, 2015-07-31 L2/15-187 Moore, Lisa (2015-08-11), "Consensus 144-C17", UTC #144 Minutes , Give emoji modifier status secondary to U+26F9 PERSON WITH BALL and U+1F3CB WEIGHT LIFTER, for the next revision of UTR #51. Apple has proposed 13 new emojis to include more experiences for people with The 13 newly proposed symbols would "empower young women," according to Google, "and better reflect the pivotal roles women play in the world. According to Emojipedia. And when it comes to emojis, there's always room for more. 0 update will be released Aug 24, 2015 · 38 new emojis proposed for Unicode 9 next year. I say best things because they can give Apr 06, 2018 · The frowning poop emoji was proposed in August 2017, 10 years after the creation of its smiling partner. Jobs Creative Bloq is supported by its audience. The new set has both long-haired and Each emoji proposed has enough merits of its own. If approved, the emojis will be available in 2019. The Full List of Proposed Emojis for 2016: Jan 25, 2020 · A proposed bill in Vermont's state legislature would open the door for vehicle owners to add emojis to their personalized license plates. Mar 26, 2018 · An emoji is worth a thousand words — or at least a few text messages. Oct 02, 2020 · A New Emoji is Being Proposed to Help Show Forgiveness – And This One Got the Most Votes. The six emojis have not yet been selected. There are icon packs to support all Unicode emojis in Cisco's messenger, using free Twemoji or Emojione graphics or proprietary ones. I say best things because they can give you a way to show you are kidding when 31 Oct 2016 proposing 36 Emoji Faces for encoding. For the campaign, named Emoji Science, the effort gathered evidence-based suggestions from scientists Anyway, Google seems to have noticed the discrepancy here as well, and a team has recently proposed a new set of emoji featuring lots of different careers. What's Jul 17, 2018 · Reddit co-founder wants interracial couple emojis ; Disability emojis proposed by Apple; Jeremy Burge, creator of World Emoji Day, said the ginger emojis were expected to draw the most love from Aug 04, 2017 · The 67 new characters proposed for inclusion in Unicode 11 include smiling face with three hearts, smiling face with party hat, blue face with icicles, grinning face with OK as eyes, and an inversion of the well-known poo emoji called "frowning pile of poo. ing of emojis using a word embedding approach (Dimson 2015). The fairy and zombie are also now represented as emoji: Vampire 🧛 and Fairy 🧚. The proposal is intended to provide a well-defined mechanism for implementations to support additional valid emoji that are not representable by Unicode characters or standard emoji sequences. For example, the group is thinking about adding a chopsticks emoji to go along with knife, spoon and Aug 04, 2017 · The 67 new characters proposed for inclusion in Unicode 11 include smiling face with three hearts, smiling face with party hat, blue face with icicles, grinning face with OK as eyes, and an inversion of the well-known poo emoji called "frowning pile of poo. By Tracy Moore. These domains are particularly well-suited for use on mobile devices where Emojis are predominantly used. From plastic see-through phones to J. He's also an active member of Emojination, a community of emoji enthusiasts that helps get many emoji proposals approved, like the hijab and the dumpling. May 13, 2016 · The proposed emojis include women in business and health care roles, at factories and on farms, among other things. In the work, the authors vectorized the emojis oc-curred in Instagram posts, and used the semantically closest words to the emojis in the vector space as their explanations. for CSS) have been proposed. Facebook's proposed emoji illustrates yet another glaring 17 Jul 2020 New emojis for 2020 released include food and drinks such as Blueberries, peppers and Olives, Flatbread, Tamale and bubble tea. "When customers started demanding a truck emoji, we knew we had to help make it happen," said May 13, 2016 · The proposed emojis include women in business and health care roles, at factories and on farms, among other things. 26 Mar 2018 In a submission to the Unicode Consortium, Apple proposed new emoji that would represent disabilities. Announced on January 29, 2020 with 117 new emojis, these rolled out to major platforms throughout the second Proposed change to Emoji 12 data for skin tones and sequences: ESC / Peter Edberg, et al: L2/18‑228: Proposal for Inter-Skintone Couple Emoji Sequences: Jennifer 8. Sort location Category. By Mea Dols de Jong 23 Mar 2018 Why it matters: The Unicode Consortium's Emoji subcommittee favors emojis that it believes are universal and will be popular, something Apple 17 Jul 2019 "These new options help fill a significant gap in the emoji keyboard. The announcement has been praised by many on social media as an important moment for Other proposed emoji include a cowboy, a drooling face and a scooter. 1. Apple thinks it's high time to make even more inclusive emoji. More analysis on the emoji semantics and usage over specific time of the Jul 15, 2016 · And finally, Unicode Consortium has approved 11 of the 13 emoji proposed by Google. The Unicode Consortium asked its members what they thought about the proposed emoji, and some thought it was just too uncool. Emojis were originally created for Japanese cell phones, but are now turning up everywhere, from Venmo transactions to Wall Street Jul 17, 2019 · Apple proposed the designs last fall to the Unicode Consortium, a nonprofit that sets the standards for emojis. Hopefully Unicode will follow in Facebook's Nov 04, 2014 · In those cases, the proposal argues that users could enter emoji for each person separately (e. Mar 23, 2018 · The proposed emoji, which were first reported by Emojipedia, would be available in different genders and skin colors, though Apple acknowledges that the potential emojis are "not meant to be a comprehensive list of all possible depictions of disabilities, but to provide an initial starting point for greater representation for diversity within Nov 10, 2016 · The Unicode Consortium today published the list of proposed emoji that could potentially be included in Unicode 10, set to be released in 2017, giving us a first glimpse at the emojis we might see Dec 29, 2016 · 2009-01-30 - Emoji Symbols Proposed for New Encoding; 2009-03-05 - Proposal for Encoding Emoji Symbols; 2010-04-27 - Emoji Symbols: Background Data; 2011-02-15 - Wingdings and Webdings Symbols; You gotta remember, emojis are just a small subset of all the Unicode symbols out there. A growing body of research explores emoji, which are visual symbols in computer mediated communication (CMC). "Make mouth smaller": Approvals, revisions, executives? While most of the emojis appear to have been approved quickly by the CBC , a revision was requested to make the mouth of the character Amy on Heartland "smaller". January – March. ASCII emoticons and kaomoji (like emoticons, but aren't sideways) were certainly around by this time, but as we all know, are a bit of a pain to use on a mobile. Jan 27, 2020 · Emoji license plates could happen in the US with new proposed bill. In addition, Android proposed five new designs that include There is a limited number of emoji characters considered each year, so be sure to follow the form so that you can provide the best case for any proposed emoji. The proposal also includes broccoli, a coconut, a sandwich, two kinds of dinosaurs, yoga, rock climbing, socks, and May 11, 2016 · To better reflect the wide variety of careers and life experiences of many of these female users, the developers proposed emoji representing women in a range of fields including education Oct 18, 2017 · A detailed proposal needs to be submitted to the nonprofit Unicode Consortium, complete with an image of the proposed emoji and a host of other requirements. But, there's more than meets the . On the one hand, Google could restrict it to certain system apps, such as Google Play Services, and use that to update emoji without pushing system updates. Mar 26, 2018 · The proposed emojis were first reported by Emojipedia: New: Apple has submitted a proposal to Unicode for accessibility emojis including people in wheelchairs, service dogs, and prosthetic limbs. 0 will be released in mid-2017 so the final list of new emoji that will be added will be finalized by then. The block was first proposed in 2008, and first implemented in Unicode version 6. 2 days ago · A slate of new emoji was announced in January. Unicode is also retrofitting 33 Nov 02, 2017 · Lobster. She received an immediate reply. Nov 11, 2016 · The Consortium has also proposed changes to some of the existing emoji, including adding a new orange color to the heart emoji. " Apple worked with the Cerebral Palsy Foundation, the National Association of the Deaf and the American Council of the Blind to develop these emojis that are being proposed to the Unicode Consortium. The emoji subcommittee has also produced a new page which shows the Emoji Requests submitted so far. Now all that is left is for Apple to add them in a software update. According to the proposal, the emojis will include a guide dog, a person with a white cane, a deaf sign, an ear with a hearing aid, a person in a wheelchair and mechanized wheelchair May 27, 2016 · If you're an emoji addict who's also really into dinosaurs, you just may be in luck: According to Emojepedia, dinosaur emoji have been proposed for Unicode 10, and I, for one, am thrilled. Oct 08, 2015 · These modifications to Unicode to increase representations of ethnic and racial diversity are welcome, though they also raise a number of questions about how emoji represents humans. A new suite of emojis that represent individuals with disabilities may be coming to your keyboard soon. Credit: PSPA The PSPA's proposed EV charging point Sep 18, 2017 · They have proposed that the mosquito be granted its own emoji this year, joining the likes of crocodiles, unicorns and blowfish. The emoji is one of the best and worst things about Unicode. Advertisement Jul 16, 2020 · Like Electrify America's, their emoji focuses just on the charger and is quite a simple approach that clearly displays what it intends to. Join 250,000 subscribers and get a daily digest of news, geek trivia, and our feature When writing a text message, it's second nature for many people to add an emoji to the end of the message. Months later, they've finally trickled onto most people's phones… but in one case, it's really more of a skitter. The Consortium's Emoji Subcommittee says it will accept new emoji character proposals until Each emoji proposed has enough merits of its own. I'm talking about the cockroach, arguably the most shudder-inducing emoji of 2020 — and the product of a great little short story about the looming end of […] Mar 29, 2018 · On March 23, Apple submitted 13 new emojis to the non-profit corporation Unicode Consortium, the organization that reviews the requests for new emoji characters. " There's even a proposed sequence for nuclear winter He successfully proposed the flatbread emoji. In a proposal to the Unicode . Mar 1, 2020, 4:48 pm* Internet Culture. Lee, et al: L2/19‑231: Recommendations for Gendered Emoji ZWJ Sequences for Unicode 13. New Memoji. Emoji 11. Because let's face it, sometimes there just isn't an emoji for that exact exp Emojis are being added left and right but in reality we don't need most of them, so we just end up with tons of clutter. For now, it remains unclear how flexible this change would be. 2 Oct 2020 The internet cartoon symbols known as emojis made their debut back in 1999. Redhead, Afro, and Bald Emojis Proposed for 2018. Many of these emojis have multiple meanings that add unique dimensions to analysis. Table 1. The proposed schema for skin tone modifiers (five different shades ranging from dark brown to pink) is based on the Fitzpatrick scale, which The Guardian described Nov 18, 2019 · Emojis are a vehicle of representation, which makes them so meaningful and valuable. 2 days ago · The qualifications is, as XDA describes, that emojis are fonts stored in a directory that Android is only allowed to go through from in normal operation. Apple has proposed nine new emoji to the Unicode consortium for inclusion in the standard set of images. Aug 25, 2020 · Texting with emojis is so common, it's almost expected. Previous work also shows that, it is useful to pre-train a deep neural network The Zombie emoji 🧟 was originally proposed alongside a slew of other fantasy creatures that included a werewolf, vampire, and fairy. More details about the 2021 emoji update. Text Size-+ People with ginger hair, or without any hair on their head Jul 17, 2020 · Emojis communicate things at times that we fail to express in words. These may not be the only emoji in the Emoji 12. Jun 01, 2016 · Google recently proposed that Unicode, the organization response for emojis, add professional women emojis in an effort to make emoji less sexist. " The new designs, which were first proposed last year, also include skin tone 10 May 2016 The Google delegation's proposal aims to add at least 13 new emojis " highlighting the diversity of women's careers. Apple's fr… More than 100 new emoji were officially announced on Wednesday, among them more inclusive emoji, a "pinched fingers emoji," and a dodo bird. The colleagues from XDA Developers noticed a change in the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), which could enable faster updates of fonts and thus also emojis. May 10, 2016 · The emojis proposed by the Google employees include a graduate, a doctor, a farmer, a rock star and yes, a software engineer. Oct 12, 2015 · According to Emoji HQ, that right there is the "call me hand" — one of the 67 new symbols that have been accepted for nomination by the Unicode Consortium. By Linley Sander s. 0, which is scheduled for release early in 2019. 2 beta is for you. The new emojis are aimed at being more inclusive of those with disabilities. The draft will be reviewed till October 24, and the Emoji 4. Jul 17, 2019 · Ford secretly proposed a pickup truck emoji, and it might make it to our phones next year. This A huge range of free emoji images are available from sites like EmojiCopy, as well as from smartphone apps. Along with new emoji, 19 May 2016 Now, 4 Google personnel have proposed increasing emojis to consist of 13 new snap shots – all depicting girls running at jobs. Typographers Michael Everson and Andrew West were very vocal against the creation of the emoji. The number of different emojis available is increasing, with new emojis being developed and proposed to users. 0%) classified as neutral (objective Dec 29, 2017 · This undated file image provided by Google shows the emojis the company proposed that highlight the diversity of women's careers. If accepted, they will appear Emoji 12. Facebook's proposed emoji illustrates yet another glaring blind spot on race Breaking with Unicode's guidelines could reinforce a whole new set of stereotypes. Science lovers, rejoice! More emoji 24 Jan 2015 Emoji diversity is old news. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Mar 01, 2020 · All 37 proposed new emoji, ranked We may have dozens of new emoji to play with. Jul 25, 2019 · An emoji is a visual representation of an emotion, object or symbol. 0, Phase 2: ESC / Jennifer Daniel: 9: L2/19‑189: Proposal for Consistent Gender Options Proposed Emoji Meanings Gallery On June 16th 2014, the Unicode consortium announced the addition of 270+ emoji . Also, not all the emojis in a proposal will make it into the Apr 18, 2018 · Adding emoji emblematic to users' life experiences helps foster a diverse culture that is inclusive of disability. So Apple wants to make sure everyone feels represented. You can look at what other people have proposed or suggested. Electrify America. Aug 04, 2017 · Emoji images via EmojiXpress, Emojipedia, and Unicode. Knew the comments would be good here There's an interesting rumour though that these are some of the emojis that are proposed for In 2017, researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation proposed an emoji mosquito as a way to better describe mosquito-borne Some of Apple's proposed accessibility emoji. Hiking boot. The UCS encoding of the proposed core set of Emoji is intended for interoperability with existing data generated by Japanese cell phone users. 5, the Unicode Consortium released its final list of 59 new emojis for 2019, including Apple's proposed disability-inclusive emojis. Galaxy Z Fold2 5G with Verizon Unlimited plan Galaxy Z Fold2 5G with Verizon Unlimited plan Featured stories Popul Emoji are practically everywhere, but did you know that, for example, there is no hot dog emoji? Neither did we. What's May 23, 2016 · While professional male emojis have been around for quite a while…the female versions are lagging far behind. The announcement has been praised by many on social media as an important moment for Emoji of the past have been mostly clean-shaven, but this bearded gentleman is the first of his kind. New emojis have been approved as part of Emoji 13. This is used to show disdain, contempt or boredom about a person or topic. Months later, they've finally trickled onto most people's phones but in one case, it's really more of a skitter. Emoji is codes! Normally, each proposal is for a single emoji. 2%) classified as positive tweets, 30,555 tweets (30. Aug 09, 2016 · Earlier this year, four Google employees — Rachel Been, Nicole Bleuel, Agustin Fonts and Mark Davis — went before the Unicode Consortium's Emoji Subcommittee and proposed 13 new emojis. Six anti-bullying emoji designs were created, including someone holding up a yellow card and a whisteblower. In 2016, the avocado emoji gave us a new way to communicate our brunch plans. 9% of the time; the The first stage localizes the regions of candidate emojis by using the proposed RGB-channel analysis method followed by a connected component method with a set of proposed rules. Emoji Domain Party Continues With Over 100 New Emoji Proposed Click To Tweet The QID Emoji Tag Sequences (or QID emoji, for short) have been proposed to further open up the process of defining new emoji. Emoji before Sep 14, 2016 · So, Rayouf, who lives in Berlin, proposed the idea to The Unicode Consortium, the non-profit corporation that reviews and develops new emojis. The emoji are accessibility-themed and include a guide dog and a blind person using a cane. According to Emojipedia, the 2018 emoji list was finalized in February These are the new Welsh emojis being proposed By Rhys Gregory On Feb 25, 2020 Last updated Feb 25, 2020 The Bar Birth emoji - Bara Brith, essentially translating to 'speckled bread', is a rich fruit loaf made with tea. Not emojis that you use the most, which is what "frequently used" would mean. The Unicode Consortium proposed recommendations for the interoperability of emoji across platforms in late 2014. For next year, Apple has proposed a series of emojis that represent those who are vision, motor, or hearing impaired. The latest to join is the #HappyDiwali one Mar 26, 2018 · Tech company Apple has proposed a list of 13 new emojis to Unicode Consortium to represent people with various disabilities. Above: Some of the emojis being proposed by Apple. 0 includes every new emoji, including variations for skin tone, gender and new emojis that don't require additional code points, such as the chess pawn or pirate flag which are not shown on this page. Find out what else you might see The proposed emojis also include more inclusive options like a woman wearing a head scarf, an elderly person and a breastfeeding woman. This isn't the first time female professional emojis has come to question. Some proposals may get rejected, but proposals that do meet all the selection factors will get passed to the Unicode Technical Committee. The focus of Apple's comprehensive list of proposed emoji is to accurately represent people with disabilities and epic accessibility-related tools. That's more than 100 new emoji to choose from!," read an official Google blog post. Mar 05, 2016 · But a proposed image gets bonus points if it is already widely recognizable or fills out a set. I highly recommend you read the proposal, especially if you want to know how to effectively use the new houseplant emoji to throw low-key shade. So far, an Android upgrade on your device is necessary when Unicode adopts new emojis if you want to use them. " Update: On Feb. Jul 21, 2015 · He proposed a single bracket flipped horizontally for wry smiles, "to be appended, with the full stop, to every jocular or ironical sentence. XMPP proposed extension 38 Mar 13, 2018 · Apple proposed 13 new emoji to the Unicode Consortium. Jul 17, 2019 · Apple proposed the designs last fall to the Unicode Consortium, a nonprofit that sets the standards for emojis. Aphee Messer "I think this emoji will send the message, albeit a subtle one, that women are not defined by their Mar 23, 2018 · Apple proposed that Unicode Consortium create emoji that accurately represent people with disabilities. A mosquito emoji could be used by millions of people affected by mosquitoes every year, as well as members of the scientific and health community to explain their work. . 1. Months later, they've finally trickled onto most people's phones but The cockroach emoji proposal is a story about texting through the apocalypse — TodayHeadline Mar 24, 2018 · Apple recently outlined a new line of accessibility emoji in a proposal submitted to the Unicode Consortium. They include a transgender flag and a popular Italian hand gesture. "Currently, emoji provide a wide range of options, but Nov 10, 2016 · The Unicode Consortium has today proposed a shortlist of 51 emojis for acceptance in Unicode 10. 2 Nov 2019 How do new emojis happen? A look inside the mysterious group that approves them. "One in seven people around the world has some form of disability, whether that be a physical disability involving vision, hearing, or loss of physical motor skills, or a more hidden, invisible disability," wrote Apple in their proposal. The text-style emojis are monochromatic and should be displayed in the foreground color, i. Mar 26, 2018 · The proposed emoji will have male and female versions where appropriate, and support skin tones where appropriate. Nov 04, 2019 · If designed carefully, his proposed emoji could also work as a gordita or pupusa, making it relevant to Mexicans and Salvadorans, too. At Google, seven out of 10 employees are men, in line with the Throughout 2009, members of the Unicode Consortium and national standardization bodies of various countries gave feedback and proposed changes to the international standardization of the emoji. 0 list for 2019 has been finalized. A full list of current and proposed Emoji can be viewed at the Unicode Consortium's website. Unicode 10. Soon 7 Feb 2019 A selection of the new emoji released by The Unicode Consortium for 2019. 0, Google proposed all gender variants for "person in veil" and "person in tuxedo," as well as "person feeding baby with a bottle. Mar 23, 2018 · In a submission to the Unicode Consortium today, Apple has proposed a suite of new "accessibility emojis". Sep 14, 2016 · Hijab Emoji Proposed by 15-Year-Old Girl. This is currently done with otherwise invisible variation selectors U+FE0E (text, VS-15) and U+FE0F (emoji, VS-16), but higher-level solutions (e. Courtesy of 18 Oct 2017 So what happens when a new system of visual communication like emoji emerges and comes under their purview? Things get even slower 26 Mar 2018 "One in seven people around the world has some form of disability," said Apple in the submission. (AP) " Google wants professional women to be better represented in emoji form. Mar 30, 2017, 3:21 pm* Tech . The proposal was accepted in 2010, bringing the official emoji In 2017, researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation proposed an emoji mosquito as a way to better describe mosquito-borne Sep 11, 2020 · Emojis have come a long way, from special symbols to graphic icons, and they are now a big part of our modern lifestyle. My first attempt at the emoji had the woman in a dark purple headscarf; during revisions, we decided that a more neutral, fawn color would work better. By. Apple has proposed 13 8 Nov 2019 A campaign has been launched by Tory MP candidate Penny Mordaunt to introduce emojis designed to tackle abusive online behaviour. Included are emojis of guide and service dogs, people with canes Mar 26, 2018 · An emoji is worth a thousand words — or at least a few text messages. 2 Min Read Published: May 18th, 2017 . Produce access is not authorized to the method, so there can be no easy updates to the fonts – and that is specifically what's necessary to get the new emojis. May 27, 2015 · The designs include emoji paying homage to to travel into space. May 07, 2015 · The range of skin tones for emojis that Apple recently introduced on iOS and OS X is based on the standards that the Unicode Consortium has proposed for Unicode 8. T. Aug 16, 2018 · A face displaying eyes glancing upward, indicating an eye-roll. 11 May 2016 Google team have submitted Emoji proposal to the Unicode Consortium to support equality | Entertainment, IT Business, Market Research, 12 May 2016 In a proposal to the Unicode Consortium, which controls specifications for emojis, Google says it wants to create a new set "with a goal of 24 Mar 2018 Apple proposed a number of emojis to the Unicode Consortium to better represent people with disabilities and depict accessibility-related tools 4 Sep 2017 2018 emoji candidates are currently being proposed. " Then in 1969, Vladimir Nabokov was interviewed by The New York Times, which asked him how he ranks himself among living writers and those of the immediate past. There is 13 new emojis in total which 25 Mar 2018 Apple has outlined a series of emojis "to better represent individuals with disabilities," according to a proposal submitted to the Unicode 12 May 2016 MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. Jul 05, 2018 · A new inhaler emoji has been proposed to the Unicode Consortium, potentially adding a symbol that describes inhalable medicine. The feedback from various bodies in the United States, Europe, and Japan agreed on a set of 722 emojis as the standard set, which would be released in May 28, 2015 · After designers submit ideas for new emoji to Unicode, the committee meets to "recommend" new characters to the language, sort of like how the Oxford Dictionary board meets every year to decide which neologisms will be added to our official vocabulary (and thereby capable of earning points in Scrabble). "Today, the Unicode Emoji Subcommittee has agreed to add 11 new professional emoji, in both male and female options and with all the skin tones. The Unicode Consortium announced a list of proposed emojis for its next update that will be released next year. Emojis might be the future of communication. — -- Emoji, the little faces and other characters used to express every feeling imaginable, may soon be It was first proposed way back in 2018—with a much more detailed-looking emoji, I might add—it's an uncanny likeness of a zebra-plant (Aphelandra squarrosa). Find out what else you might see Dec 12, 2016 · Let's Get A Standing Ovation For The 51 New Proposed Emojis Discover new workout ideas, healthy-eating recipes, makeup looks, skin-care advice, the best beauty products and tips, trends, and more Get ready to be able to say more with less, because new emojis are heading your way. By Jacob Kastrenakes @jake_k Jul 17, 2019, 1:23pm EDT Apple's 13 proposed emojis may be what society needs to recognize that disability representation is sorely needed and long overdue. [Image: Apple] The top three most popular emoji are the joy smiley face emoji (conveys teary-eyed laughter), used a whopping 9. The precise story behind the image is extra sober. A month ago, I discovered and mentioned Apple submitted 13 new emoji proposals for Unicode Version 12. A quick visit to their page will allow you to easily visualize the ways you can use these unique domains to drive customers to your mobile sites. Oct 20, 2020 · Most of the documents returned to us were sketches of the proposed and approved emojis, and dozens of pages were redacted. As emojis move toward being more inclusive and representative of all 2 days ago · In other words, emoji could be changed without an Android update. The draft candidates include the following: Jun 18, 2016 · A joint opposition by Apple and Microsoft to a proposed rifle emoji means your phone won't be getting one anytime soon. 0 is the new emoji list for 2020. The Unicode Consortium proposed 51 new emojis for inclusion in Unicode 10. May 13, 2016 at 11:41 AM ET. Along with more math and science items and a silly drunk face emoji, the new group of 67 tiny pictures includes, wait Emojis that require new code points for release are listed on this page but for the full 2018 emoji list see Emoji 11. 67 emoji have made it past the first round, CNBC takes a look at some of the contenders. It may be used as a symbol of luxury and richness — especially with other emoji on the subject, like, for example, 👑 Crown emoji. Proposed emojisCourtesy of 15 Jul 2016 What you have seen on your emoji keyboard ? A dancing woman, another is painting her nails, one is flipping her hair or have makeover. 0, which is planned for release in 2019Q1 together with Unicode 12. The magazine published The whole idea of the hijab emoji is to provide representation to people, so naturally we want it to represent as many people as possible. Among the approved designs are an ear with a hearing aid, people using the sign for deaf, motorized wheelchair users, support cane users, a prosthetic arm and leg, guide and service dogs, a wheelchair and motorized scooter, and support cane. Google Emoji Makers Create New Designs to 'Empower Girls Everywhere'. Final week, Jason Li posted a Twitter thread about its street to approval, beginning together with his childhood in roach-ridden Hong Kong. I'll admit, I laughed. Ramon Ramirez. These are a few of the 67 proposed emoji for the next batch of pictographs due in 2018. Jun 20, 2016 · W hile the pistol emoji has no sporting connection, the rifle emoji was proposed to "represent shooting as a sport", including hunting and marksmanship, according to a submission to Unicode, which Apple and Microsoft put the kibosh on a proposed rifle emoji By Kyle Wiggers June 18, 2016 Wondering why a rifle emoji is conspicuously absent from your iPhone's pic library? You can thank Apple Oct 28, 2019 · Here's the journey your proposed emoji takes after it's been submitted to Unicode. We now finally have an emoji to better represent hipsters, lumberjacks, and Ryan Gosling. Casually swiping across illustrations of disability while en route to other emojis may even cause nondisabled people to spend a little more of their day thinking about our existence. The proposal also includes broccoli, a coconut, a sandwich, two kinds of dinosaurs, yoga, rock climbing, socks, and Jul 26, 2020 · Thankfully for EA, that means that any new proposed emojis also have more time to be submitted. Above: A sample of the proposed emoji additions. Lookup emoji meanings 💄, View emoji on any device 🎮, Generate emoji codes on the emoji keyboard📧, or Paste in emoji boxes🎁 or garbled text, 🔣 to view it ♪! Unlock the emoji keyboard🔓! Learn and gain inspiration from people using emoji now  Create emoji images 📷. Mar 23, 2018 · Today, the tech giant told Teen Vogue in an statement they've proposed to include 13 new disability-themed emojis for the next version of the Unicode Consortium's animated expressions, which Apr 22, 2020 · You need to prove the importance of the new emoji, point by point, and include proposed artwork, which presents its own set of difficulties: would a weed emoji depict a cannabis leaf, nug, joint, pipe, blunt or bong? To be accepted, the Unicode Technical Committee (or UTC) would have to agree on a rigorous set of standards. Support for the new emoji will require all companies that incorporate emoji, Google, Microsoft, Apple, LG, Samsung, and Twitter, to add images to their respective emoji sets. Emojis with red hair, Emojis with wheelchairs, white canes, and various other disabilities may soon be coming to your iPhone: Apple has proposed a suite of 13 new emojis "to better represent individuals with disabilities. I'm talking about the cockroach, arguably the most shudder-inducing emoji of 2020 — and the product of a great little short story… Oct 31, 2016 · If you've been frustrated over the past few months by the absence of a Harambe emoji, or being forced to shrug in backslashes and brackets, then the iOS 10. The 6 page document submitted by Tom Adams and Jerri Wilson, comments on the fact that there are emojis to represent injectable and ingestible medicines, but nothing for sufferers of asthma and other related breathing Emojis go far beyond faces, though. Apple proposed more emoji to better represent individuals with disabilities, which includes individuals with wheelchairs Mar 23, 2018 · Apple has proposed a number of emojis to the Unicode Consortium, the emoji gatekeeper of sorts, to better represent people with disabilities and depict accessibility-related tools like hearing Mar 25, 2018 · Images of the proposed emojis included service dogs, a person using a white cane, an ear with an attached hearing aid, people using various types of wheelchairs and prosthetic limbs. Credit: Mashable. also proposed an embedding model – emoji2vec – to learn emoji representations (Eisner et al May 23, 2015 · The first emoji was created by Docomo's Shigetaka Kurita, and emerged in the late 90s as part of i-mode, the world's first widespread mobile internet platform. Google wants the organization to approve them by year's end, May 27, 2016 · If you're an emoji addict who's also really into dinosaurs, you just may be in luck: According to Emojepedia, dinosaur emoji have been proposed for Unicode 10, and I, for one, am thrilled. Heart emojis could alternatively become part of the Symbols category. 's bleached head of hair, the 90s is a colorful decade full of awesom Oct 06, 2020 · A New Emoji is Being Proposed to Help Show Forgiveness – And This One Got the Most Votes. Interestingly, the Emojipedia entry for the symbol specifically distances it from the "sign of the horns" and the "shaka sign" — but I mean come on, just look at it. For example, emoji embeddings have been proposed to understand the semantics behind the emojis [12, 26], and the embedding vectors can be used to visualize and predict emoji usages given their corresponding contexts. In the second Jul 14, 2016 · Unicode has since agreed to launch 11 of Google's proposed emoji, with representations for men and women (and support for varying skin tones). May 13, 2016 · Google's Proposed Emojis Promote Gender Equality. A multimodal architecture was proposed to conduct emoji prediction based on deep neural networks. The Emoji subcommittee has put forward its list May 10, 2016 · The emojis proposed by the Google employees include a graduate, a doctor, a farmer, a rock star and yes, a software engineer. " shows the sentiment results obtained from scoring the text without the Emoji characters. Mar 23, 2018 · The proposed emojis include an ear with a hearing aid, a person in a wheelchair, a prosthetic arm, a service dog and a person with a cane. Soon emoji women may be doctors and lawyers, just like human women. It should be noted that different from emoticons, Emojis not only represent human emotions, they also represent various types of situations, objects, humans and places. 1, and will come to phones throughout 2021. On Friday, the tech giant proposed several new emojis that represent the experiences of people living with disabilities to the Unicode Consortium — the organization that oversees international standards for emojis — CNN reported. Sep 14, 2016 · A graphic artist contributed a proposed design to show what the hijab emoji could look like if adopted and supported, and the subcommittee member is helping with some of the technical Jan 31, 2020 · In 2018, the automaker petitioned Unicode to add a truck emoji and submitted a proposed design. The effort was spearheaded by Apple at a recent Unicode Consortium meeting. By Jonathan Lee. " Aug 04, 2017 · Emoji stupidity persists. New emojis proposed include a guide dog, hearing aid, prosthetic limbs, as well as people using canes and different types of wheelchairs. Mar 29, 2018 · On March 23, Apple submitted 13 new emojis to the non-profit corporation Unicode Consortium, the organization that reviews the requests for new emoji characters. Ultimately, Hunt found that when working with such a small image, hair became the most significant gender identifier. As shocking as it is, it's not a pile of poo: the world's most popular emoji is "Face with tears of joy" Galaxy Z Fold2 5G with Verizon Unlimited plan Galaxy Z Fold2 5G with Verizon Unlimited plan Featured stories Popular stories Hot phones Motorola razr (2020) Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra OnePlu On a computer, smartphone, or tablet Emoji are fun to use for nearly any occasion, and while there seems to be an endless number to pick from, learning to create your own emoji is the best way to get exactly what you want. Unicode 10 is set for release in mid-2017. The first emoticons appeared in an issue of Puck magazine, all the way back in 1881. 0 (2010). Six billion of emojis are used every day (SwiftKey, 2015). In 2017, the "mosquito" emoji was proposed with the objective to improve communication and research regarding mosquito-borne diseases and to monitor mosquito-borne disease outbreaks . Gem Stone emoji is the picture of a precious polished diamond of a beautiful traditional shape, which is associated with precious stones. It dissapoints me and scares me that this hadnt either been grammatically changed (in so much time. emoji girls 30 Jan 2020 117 New Emojis Set to Release This Year: Including one of bubble tea, a smiling face with a tear & more gender-inclusive options. Emojis are open-source and free for anyone to use for any purpose, though some ideas, such as the critically skewered "The Emoji Movie," were probably best left on the "drawing board" instead making it into reality [source: Fortune]. The Emoji Movie may be getting a critical drubbing, but it is not stopping those in charge of emoticons from 23 Oct 2019 Recently, he led an emoji crash course for a group of New York state trial judges. g. In this review article, we On the other hand, Emojis were created at the end of the 90´s by a Japanese communications company NTT DoCoMo, and from then their use has increased and used all over the world. Eleven of the proposed emojis were added and recognized by the 2 days ago · A slate of new emoji was announced in January. The state's signature green plates have typically been Feb 10, 2020 · A number of emojis have been created that could be related to infectious diseases. Microbe. man, type 1-2; woman, type-3) preceded by the generic, but possibly inaccurately colored, group Nov 24, 2020 · Plans for a bisexual flag emoji have been rejected by the Unicode Consortium, the body that governs the internationally-recognised symbols. Nov 16, 2020 · In 2016, he proposed the first set of gender-inclusive emoji designs. These are listed under Emoji 13. New emojis include a giraffe, pretzel, vampire, bearded man, soda/milkshake, breastfeeding, a "shhh" face, pie, starry-eyed face, woman in hijab and zebra. The reason for its adoption was largely for compatibility with a de 4 Aug 2017 The 67 new characters proposed for inclusion in Unicode 11 include smiling face with three hearts, smiling face with party hat, blue face with 30 Sep 2020 Apple previewed the new collection of emojis as part of World Emoji Day and they will likely be available to users in October or November 2020. Whether you think they're a nuisance or a great way to spruce up a conversation, emoji have be What does an emoji mean? People don't just type words anymore, they type with pictures too! Here are a few commonly misinterpreted emoji you may often see online. These are the short-listed candidates for Emoji 12. Before that, we had simple emoticons, a series of keyboard 21 Sep 2020 There are a few new emojis making headlines: Face exhaling; Face with spiral eyes; Face in clouds; Mending heart; Heart on fire. Aug 04, 2017 · Now, though, the group has yet another set of proposed emojis for next year. com. Shane McGlaun - Aug 24, 2015, 6:30 am CDT. So…the logical next step – a group of Google employees recently proposed professional female emojis – hooray! weedezign / Shutterstock. The proposal explains some of the careful thinking behind each design. We reviewed the extant body of research on emoji and noted the development, usage, function, and application of emoji. org The 67 new characters proposed for inclusion in Unicode 11 include smiling face with three hearts, smiling face with party hat, blue face The Unicode Consortium proposed 51 new emojis for inclusion in Unicode 10. " 2 Oct 2018 The new emojis will be fully accessible after upcoming software updates for iOs, macOS, and watchOS, although they are already available in 6 Feb 2019 The Emoji 12. Google wants the organization to approve them by year's end, but the process of getting new emojis onto keyboards is a long one during which things can change or be scrapped. This means that users might have to wait a long time for exactly this update. currentcolor in CSS, just like any other glyph. A slate of new emoji was announced in January. Jun 02, 2016 · Two proposed emoji were rejected: "Modern Pentathlon" and "Rifle", indicating that some vendors did not plan to support them. Measures need to be taken or things will soon be out of control. proposed emojis
af8l, fsfr, bls, 9d, u6t,


text:
5 years later, media and politicians should retire the "Hands up! Don't shoot!" false narrative
Dated: August 12, 2019 by Sharyl Attkisson 4 Comments
The following is an excerpt from my latest news analysis in The Hill.
'Hands up, don't shoot" never happened. Somebody tell the Democrats running for president.
Even amid the heated political rhetoric that dominates the news media and social media, resurrected false claims about the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., stand out as egregious.
On Friday and Saturday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), former congressman Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas), Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio, all running for their party's nomination for president, tweeted out statements containing disproven claims or false implications about the incident...
Warren tweeted: "5 years ago Michael Brown was murdered by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. Michael was unarmed yet he was shot 6 times. I stand with activists and organizers who continue the fight for justice for Michael. We must confront systemic racism and police violence head on."
I'm not too surprised when I hear friends and members of the public refer to the debunked narratives about the Ferguson shooting. I'll explain why in a moment. But I was more than a little taken aback to find these presidential candidates — some of them lawyers — passing along divisive, libelous implications.
To back up for a moment, the shooting happened on Aug. 9, 2014. A Ferguson, Mo., police officer named Darren Wilson shot and killed an 18-year-old unarmed suspect named Michael Brown. Brown was black, Wilson is white. Witnesses claimed that Officer Wilson had shot Brown in cold blood while Brown's hands were raised in surrender. Though without evidence, those accounts were afforded wide credence in the media. They sparked riots. They ignited a movement called "Hands up, don't shoot!"
If ever there were a time for responsible journalists to carefully mitigate uncorroborated and inflammatory claims, this was arguably the moment. At the time, pockets of the nation were a racial tinderbox.
The problem is, all of the racially-tinged accusations against Officer Wilson were likely false, according to the final analysis by President Obama's Department of Justice. The report, issued in 2015, found that Officer Wilson's accounts were corroborated. He'd acted in self-defense. Brown, the report said, had reached into the police vehicle and grabbed Officer Wilson by the neck. And Brown appeared to be lunging toward Officer Wilson when Officer Wilson shot him in self-defense.
The Obama Justice Department investigators concluded that original witness accounts claiming that Brown's hands were up when he was shot, and other key claims, were "unreliable" and — in many instances — directly contradicted by the forensic evidence, while Officer Wilson's story was supported by the forensics. "Hands up, don't shoot," the Obama Justice Department found, was contrary to reliable accounts — and likely fabricated. (Continued)
Read the rest of the article in The Hill by clicking the link below:
https://thehill.com/opinion/civil-rights/457049-5-years-later-media-and-politicians-should-retire-the-false-ferguson
Support Attkisson v. DOJ and FBI
Police released surveillance video (screen shots below) that officials say depicts Michael Brown allegedly stealing a box of cigars from a store prior to the shooting. When a store clerk flagged the alleged theft, the video appears to show Brown grabbing the clerk the throat. Brown appears to start to exit but comes back toward the clerk one more time before leaving the store. A short time later, the Obama Justice Department says, Brown reached into the police vehicle of Officer Darren Wilson and grabbed Wilson by the throat. The Obama Justice Department concluded that Officer Wilson fatally shot Brown in self defense as Brown was lurching towards him.
Fight government overreach and double-standard justice by supporting the Attkisson Fourth Amendment Litigation Fund for Attkisson v. DOJ and FBI for the government computer intrusions. Click here.
Stan W. says
Elizabeth "little White Dove" Warren is still short on credibility. Must be the high cheek bones . . .
Joel Foller says
If you keep your mouth shut people will only think you a fool...... ooops to late you've proven what an idiot you are..... delete it and no one else will know!!
Thomas Joseph Hussman says
It is much more than simply a false narrative. It is Criminal Defamation. As you may recall, the riots began shortly after WCCO Radio 8:30 Minneapolis, Minnesota broadcast a hastily created interview with former Minneapolis Police Chief Tim Dolan. Dolan sounded drunk on the radio. The gunsmoke had barely dissipated when Mr. Dolan, a private citizen at the time, offered his version: 'This was a Bad Shooting.' Dolan couldn't have possibly known the facts at the time he committed the crime of Criminal Defamation against Officer Wilson, which directly influenced the white hot situation. Yes, it was typical media bias in progress. Dolan should have went to prison for his acts, but nothing was done. Law Enforcement in the USA is a Blood Game, and the good guys don't always win.
Sam M on CANCELLED: My Pillow


Many grandparents who are financially stable love the idea of making gifts to their grandchildren. However, they are usually not aware of the myriad of issues that surround what they may consider to be a simple gift. If you are considering making a significant gift to a grandchild, you should consult with a qualified attorney to guide you through the legal and tax issues that are involved in making such gifts.
Making a Lifetime Gift or a Bequest: Before making a gift, you should consider whether you want to make the gift during your lifetime or leave the gift in your will. If you make the gift as a bequest in your will, you will not experience the joy of seeing your grandchild's appreciation and use of the gift. However, there's always the possibility that you will need the money to live on during your lifetime and in reality, once a gift is made, it cannot be taken back. Also, if you anticipate needing Medicaid or other government programs to pay for a nursing home or other benefits at some point in your life, any gifts you make in the prior five years can be considered as part of your assets when determining your eligibility.
You could consider making a gift under the Uniform Gift to Minors Act (UGMA) or the Uniform Transfer to Minors Act (UTMA), depending on which state you live in. The accounts are easy to open, but once the grandchild reaches the age of majority, he or she will have unfettered access to the funds. You could also consider depositing money into a 529 plan, which is specifically designed for education purposes. Finally, you could consider establishing a trust with an estate planning attorney, which can be more expensive to set up, but can be customized to fit your needs. These trusts can provide wonderful spendthrift, creditor and divorce protection while allowing for more control over how the money is spent. You can have a conservative or liberal trust that can choose to provide for certain expenditures, such as their education, healthcare expenses or purchase of a first home.
Tax Consequences: If you have a large estate, giving gifts to grandchildren may be a great way to get money out of your estate in order to reduce your future estate tax liability. In 2012, a single person can pass $5 million at death free of estate tax or gift tax, and a couple can pass a combined $10 million without paying estate taxes. In addition, a person can give $13,000 in 2012 to any number of individuals without incurring any gift taxes. A grandparent with 10 grandchildren could give $130,000 per year to all grandchildren (and a married couple could give $260,000), thereby removing that property from his or her estate.
This is the time to consider gifting with the expiration of the $5 million gift tax exemption on December 31, 2012. Call us at (281) 277-3326 to schedule a consultation to discuss your gifting options.


In last week's sermon, I tried to talk about sentimentalism as a stumbling block in the Church. At the 8:00 service, when we actually had people in the pew, I bored them silly with a long rant about this. The text was on John the Baptist calling us to repentance. Looking back I found I was the one who needed to be repentant, repentant about that particularly boring sermon! I am grateful for those who did brave the foot of snow and showed up to suffer through that realization with me. Those of you who usually attend the 10:30 service were spared by that snow storm.
So today I want to revisit my thoughts about sentimentalism and bring this gift to you more carefully wrapped.
The odd thing is that I started out trying to talk about joy and I got bogged down in this stuff about sentimentalism. But in these Advent lessons about preparing the way of the Lord through some self examination, we are meant to take a serious look at our selves and at our need for repentance.
So, while I may come across as morose and too serious lately, that is the reason. We are now in the second week of this look at the story of John the Baptist in the Gospel of Luke so I am trying to live into John's call for us to repent, which means to turn around, and to await the coming of the Lord - with faith.
The thought about sentimentalism is simple. It's just that we tend to get sentimental about the days of old, of Christmases long, long ago, and of how we've always done things. The Israelites did that when they said, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor' and John called them out on it. When we do this we can miss the point of the Gospel message which is to face the facts of our sinfulness and prepare ourselves for the challenges of the Christmas message.
That's where it gets muddled. The Christmas message. We have come to understand this as only about the joy of Christmas, the joy of our salvation through the birth of God in Jesus of Nazareth. While this is the foundation of our joy, if we base our joy only in this fact, then we might miss the part about taking up our crosses to follow him.
But, if we skip over the repentance part, if we skip over the waiting part, if we rush into Christmas beginning before Thanksgiving, or Halloween, these few last weeks become just a big old party and we miss the opportunity to live into prayer, we miss this opportunity to live into the re-dedication of our souls to Christ and we risk missing the solemnity of awe - of that hushed amazement that comes when we wait and listen.
That would be sort of like receiving a gift and not reciprocating. And, well, we all know that's just tacky!
When I was working as a full time therapist, I worked with felons (who came to my office from a half way house) about half the week and the other half of my time I worked with victims of domestic violence. The contrast was poignant.
The offenders were mostly men and the victims most women but not entirely. The men and women who were finishing up their prison sentences in the half-way house taught me a lot.
One counselee had served time for selling stolen goods. He was not a violent person, he had no interest in hurting anyone else. In fact, I found him to be a very caring and sensitive young man who wanted to provide for his family. But he had a sort of addiction to hustling stolen goods for money, of making an easy buck and getting away with it, of get-rich-quick deals that actually brought him more money faster than a legitimate job.
He chose this life, like most of the men in his inner-city culture, so that he could provide for his family. He didn't see that this hurt anybody and he got a thrill from living this way, not just getting away with something illegal but rather getting a good deal and making a profit. If he could have afforded an education, he would likely have ended up on Wall Street making a legitimate living with this passion. In sessions with me he seemed to genuinely want to change and live differently. But, in spite of his struggle to change he was fearful that he could not change. And if he couldn't change, he would end up back in prison.
After his session each week, my next client was a woman I had been seeing for a long time. She was not a criminal, she came to talk to me about the times in her life when she was victimized by others. Again, nothing violent or gory or worthy of tabloid news, but a struggling soul in search of a type of freedom, much like the prisoner who came to the session before her who sought freedom not just from his incarceration, but from his past, from his fear of change. She too was fearful of change and could not seem to allow herself to trust others because of her fear of being victimized yet again.
The contrasting experiences of these two individuals caused me to reflect on the perpetrator-victim theme in our larger society.
In both conversations with these sojourners, both the criminal and the victim, I found we used the same language to talk about the same goal. All three of us repeatedly used the word reckon.
Now, you may think we used the word reckon because we were in south Georgia at the time, but we weren't using the word that way.
In both of these conversations I found myself advising my counselees that they should reckon with the past, that is, they should take a long hard look at the ways they had been living. Not so much to look at the sins of their pasts, but to reckon with the chains of the fears that kept them imprisoned. That is what they needed to let go of in order to move on, to live their lives, to enjoy their relationships and serve their God.
The use of this word seemed to come from beyond our knowing, somehow. It was inspired. It's not a word I have used often. Sometimes, in our southern ways we'll say something like, "I reckon I'll go to the store now" but that is not the way we were using it in these meetings. So, I looked up the word reckon, and here is what I found: It is an ancient word in many languages that is at root about accounting.
1. To count; to enumerate; to number; also, to compute; to calculate.
". . . then the priest shall reckon unto him the money according to the years that remain…" Now that is from the book of Leviticus (Lev. 27:18) and it is clearly about renumeration.
2. To conclude, as by an enumeration and balancing of chances; hence, to think; to suppose; -- followed by an objective clause.
The example given here for the word reckon was also biblical: "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." This is from Paul's letter to the Romans. (Romans 8:18, KJV).
John the Baptist came preaching a message of freedom for folks just like my counseling clients. And just like you and me too. It was all part of the plan, as we understand from the prophet Malachi, and the Gospel of Luke birth narrative stories. There is a story of John's mother Elizabeth hostessing a visit from the mother of our Lord and of how John leapt in her womb that day. John would come first, the older cousin, the prophet, the road builder who would call on the people of Judea to repent, to turn around, to wake up, to reckon with their lives and their ways of living in order to be ready for God incarnate.
So, how do we do that today? How are we to reckon with our lives in our waiting and what are we waiting for?
We may each need to take some time away from the rush this season and ponder these things, like Mary pondered the manger scene in her heart later in the story. We might need to insist on some time away to pray and listen to the voice that calls us from the wilderness to reckon our lives. Because we are not waiting for Christmas, we are preparing for it.
When I was about 12 years old I received a gift from a friend early in the Christmas season and placed it carefully under our family tree. It was just after Thanksgiving, we had just put up a tree and there weren't many other presents under there yet. I watched with anticipation as the presents began to pile up under our tree that year. I would shake them and spend hours wondering what might be in them, especially the ones with my name on them.
One day I couldn't stand it and decided that no one would know if I opened just one present and then re-wrapped it and placed it back under the tree. I chose the one from my friend since she wouldn't be around to see my fake surprise look on Christmas morning anyway and none of my family would care either way.
Well, the schemed worked! I snuck her gift into hiding, I opened it, saw the little bracelet inside, wrapped it back and acted surprised when I opened it again on Christmas morning. And no one cared or even noticed the difference! I got away with it! Except for the fact that I knew the difference. And I ruined Christmas for my self that year.
But I learned an important lesson: Waiting to receive the gift is a practiced opportunity for self-examination.
It is not so much about all the stuff under the tree. It is not just about the delight of Santa, and family gatherings, and holiday parties and baking and crafts and giving and receiving in honor of the greatest gift ever given, no it is not about even that as much as it is, this season, about Advent, about preparing ourselves for what may come rather than taking for granted what we already know, what God has in store for us. Advent is about reckoning our lives yet again, it is about repenting and preparing our selves and our souls in order to be ready for the Christ Child to come to us – not in order for Christ to reckon for us or lay straight the roads and the valleys for us – but we are reckoning our lives to prepare our hearts for the Prince of Peace to enter in. Then and only then can we carry the light of God into the world.