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York Factory First Nation (YFFN) in northern Manitoba has launched its own Cree language learning app called Inineemowin. Developed by a committee of YFFN language experts, HFC Planning and Design, and Vincent Design Inc., the app provides users with an interactive platform to learn the Nation’s stories, words and teachings. “It’s a wonderful resource for the young people,” said YFFN councillor Louisa Constant. “They are loving it at home. There have been so many downloads by the younger generations. It’s wonderful work.” The project began about a year ago with funding from the Heritage Canada’s Indigenous Languages Program. A second phase later this year will expand the content available for users. “York Factory came to Vincent Design in December last year and had this idea, a very loose idea, for an app they wanted for language learning,” said Jordan Dysart, software developer for Vincent Design Inc., an Indigenous-led Winnipeg design creative agency. In the following months the groups met and gathered information and resources to be used in the platform. “The intention with this language app is we really wanted to tie the app and experience to the community, and in this is their work,” said Dysart. “We want to highlight them as a community. York Factory Language Committee is trying to inspire youth and language learners to continue on and provide tools so that it makes it more accessible to learn about history, culture, local stories, and landmarks.” Dysart said each area throughout the western communities that speak Cree have “slight differences” in their dialect. When users launch the app, they will be presented with an illustration of a map which represents the community. Important landmarks and cultural gathering sites throughout the community are highlighted including an explanation or an image with a Cree title and a Cree word describing it. There is also an option for users to play an audio file of the words. The app’s Learning Path takes users through eight modules of lessons that introduce basic grammar and phrases in the context of cultural traditions including spring goose camp, winter carnival and sewing. “(Then) you can explore some of the other features that we’ve created,” Dysart said. “One where you can learn these curated progressions ... in full on phrases of the Cree language. The next category of that learning chapter is something that goes and pulls translations directly from the dictionary that we have saved on the device and it pulls and shuffles a certain amount of words directly from the dictionary.” These words can be chosen by selecting the user’s skill level. And then, if they want to use them again, they can choose to use the audio files to hear the words. Dysart explained these options offer a more diverse learning experience aside from just reading the words. “They can use the audio recognition as well (to test their progress),” he added. The Syllabics section of the app provides users with audio, recorded by the committee, that explains each symbol’s meaning. In addition, Inineemowin provides local Knowledge Keeper’s stories, children’s stories, community stories and historical photographs. Dysart used his own Cree heritage and prior experience with language revitalization initiatives to provide a unique fusion of tradition and technology for the app. His personal connection to the work made the development of the Indigenous language learning app a significant milestone for Vincent Design Inc. “This is an area that’s very important to me,” Dysart said. “I’m a Cree man from northern Manitoba, very close to York Factory. It’s been such a wonderful process and we’re so excited to have this out. There is so many lessons and memories that are drafted in the language and as language develops it develops around the environment that it’s spoken in. Inside jokes or comments around the campfire, if you’re in the Rockies it’s going to be different in the Prairies.” Once the app had been developed, Dysart was able to have a ‘focus group’, which actually consisted of his grandparents, try it out. “It was really cool to see my grandparents playing on the app,” said Dysart adding they were testing the various translations and showed a lot of interest with the differences to their own dialect. The Inineemowin app is available on the App Store or Google Play.What to know about Pam Bondi Trump's new pick for attorney general
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College Football Playoff's first 12-team bracket is set with Oregon No. 1 and SMU in, Alabama outTrump slams Biden's death penalty commutationsBROOKLYN, N.Y. , Dec. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- This New Year's Eve, elevate your celebrations with the world's most luxurious cookie cake: The Dank Decadence Cookie Cake , by Laced Bakes , the innovative infusion bakery redefining indulgence. Designed for the adventurous palate, this decadent treat pairs rich chocolate flavors with customizable terpenes, offering a curated experience to elevate your mood, focus, or relaxation. Available in 250mg ($145) , 500mg ($275) , and 1000mg ($550) doses, the Dank Decadence Cookie Cake is crafted for enthusiasts who demand both flavor and function. Unlike overpriced and underwhelming competitors, this cookie cake doesn't just sit pretty—it delivers tangible effects tailored to you. Customize Your Experience: Sativa (Limonene): Uplifting and energizing for creativity and focus. Hybrid (Pinene): Balanced clarity for smooth energy. Indica (Myrcene): Relaxing and stress-relieving. Hybrid (Beta-Caryophyllene): Eases discomfort while calming. Indica (Linalool): Soothing tranquility for unwinding. "Why settle for empty luxury when you can have indulgence that actually does something?" says Crystal Grant , founder of Laced Bakes. "We wanted to create a cookie that doesn't just taste amazing but elevates your entire experience—whether it's a party or a quiet night in." Pre-Order Now: Pick up your Dank Decadence Cookie Cake on December 30th and 31st to kickstart your New Year's celebration on the perfect high note. Quantities are limited—don't miss out on this one-of-a-kind treat. Coming Soon: Stay tuned for the grand opening of Laced Bakes' members-only lounge in Brooklyn , offering exclusive events, infused menu items, and a community space for food and cannabis enthusiasts alike. For more details, visit www.lacedbakes.com or follow us on social media: Instagram: @laced.bakes | TikTok: @lacedbakes | Facebook: Laced Bakes | X: @lacedbakes | Discord: @lacedbakes Elevate your indulgence with Laced Bakes. Contact: Crystal Grant , Founder of Laced Bakes, press@lacedbakes.com Location : 1096 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY 11221 Website : www.LacedBakes.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/laced-bakes-launches-the-dank-decadence-cookie-cake-the-ultimate-luxury-treat-that-delivers-302339021.html SOURCE Laced Bakes
A Florida woman was arrested Tuesday after her insurance company told police she made a threat using words associated with the murder of a healthcare executive last week. Briana Boston reportedly had claims denied by BlueCross BlueShield recently, and called them up -- and the company recorded it. At the end of the call, Boston allegedly said ... “Delay, Deny, Depose. You people are next,” according to Tampa's WFLA-TV . "Deny, Depose, Defend" are the words etched onto shell casings found at the scene of the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last week ... 26-year-old Luigi Mangione has been arrested this week in that case. Though one of the words in Briana's call was different, it seems the insurance company -- and police -- took the statement very seriously. The 42-year-old woman received an immediate visit from Lakeland police officers at her home -- where she admitted she had uttered the phrase, saying “She used those words because it’s what is in the news right now,” according to police. She also said, "The healthcare companies played games and deserved karma from the world because they are evil." Boston, a mother of 3 children, does not own a gun. She's been charged with threats to conduct a mass shooting or act of terrorism, and she was booked in Polk County Jail, where she was held on $100,000 bond.Hong Kong ex-democratic lawmaker among seven convicted for rioting
Today's fortune: Dec. 25, 2024The fury over the state of U.S. health care isn't going away. It's been a week since UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed in Manhattan. That shocking, targeted killing has also sparked a reckoning over the business he ran, in a country that has the most expensive health care in the world. Thompson led the largest U.S. health insurer, part of a massive, for-profit conglomerate that touches almost every part of how Americans access health care. His company has been widely criticized for making health care more expensive and more difficult to access. And those frustrations have boiled over in the response to his death, ranging from widespread jokes to outright celebrations. UnitedHealth has not directly responded to the widespread consumer criticisms since last week; a spokesperson for UnitedHealth declined to comment to NPR for this story. This week, after police arrested Luigi Mangione for the fatal shooting, some even rushed to support him. An online fundraiser for Mangione's legal defense had raised more than $65,000 by Thursday evening. Meanwhile, social-media videos showed "wanted" posters for other CEOs posted in downtown Manhattan. "We're facing an apocalyptic moment in the human story, where hundreds of thousands of Americans are going bankrupt because of medical bills – and the executive suites of these private health insurance [companies] are laughing all the way to the bank," says Sam Beard, an organizer of the Mangione legal-defense fundraiser. This rhetoric echoes the last time that consumers broadly mobilized to protest against powerful corporations and their wealthy executives, in the Occupy Wall Street movement in late 2011 that swept the country after the financial crisis. Those Occupy protests ultimately did not yield immediate consequences for the companies or CEOs they criticized; no Wall Street chief executives ever went to jail for the business decisions that led to the subprime mortgage crisis or the resulting waves of foreclosures. But those protests did articulate an overwhelming populist anger with the United States' stark income inequality . Now the response to Thompson's killing "has become a kind of marker of our age of inequality, where people feel fairly powerless," says Helaine Olen, managing editor at the American Economic Liberties Project, an anti-monopoly nonprofit. That populism and economic fatigue remains a powerful force in U.S. politics today, as inflation-weary voters recently demonstrated by reelecting former President Donald Trump. As Olen adds, "You've seen this really from the time of the financial crisis onward: There's just this sense of 'how can I get a fair deal'?" Consumers' sense of powerlessness is often amplified when dealing with health insurance companies, which govern the care that patients receive. But navigating those huge and opaque companies can be maddening at best , and consumers rarely have much of a say; for about 154 million Americans, employers select and provide health insurance coverage. UnitedHealth is the most dominant of these. It's the fourth-largest U.S. company by revenues overall, with divisions that employ doctors , provide pharmacy benefits , and process patients' medical claims. It — along with its largest competitors — is the subject of antitrust scrutiny , consumer lawsuits over widespread denials of claims, and bipartisan criticism. This week, Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri introduced legislation that would break up large healthcare conglomerates, including UnitedHealth. "The insurance companies are out of control. They need to be broken up," Hawley said on X . "No more buying up doctors' practices. No more owning pharmacies. Start putting patients first." Everyone interviewed for this story emphasized the need for change, and many health care providers are hoping that some good can come out of this tragic event. "This is not a heroic vigilante, and it's important that he be brought to justice," says Dr. A. Mark Fendrick of the University of Michigan. "That said, maybe there's a tiny lesson we could learn to move forward." Fendrick studies ways to improve health insurance and advocates for a more wholistic approach of what is known as "value-based" insurance. He published an article in a medical journal last week urging the healthcare industry to rethink how it does business and the kinds of services it charges higher prices for. "Now, in the wake of a tragedy that has captured the national conscience, might be the time to reframe the dialogue from how much we spend to how well we spend our medical care dollars," Fendrick wrote. Dr. Diana Girnita, a rheumatologist in Irvine, Calif., is already trying a different approach. After years of fighting with insurance companies, Girnita started a direct-care practice that bypasses insurance and offers her services to patients for often-lower fees. She published an article on LinkedIn last week in response to Thompson's death. Its headline asked : "How many more lives must be lost before we change healthcare?" Top executives at large healthcare companies have generally insisted that they are working to improve the quality of care available to all Americans. In an email to employees on Wednesday, UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty remembered Thompson as "one of the good guys," and shared anonymous testimonials and notes of support from UnitedHealth customers. "I am super proud to be a part of an organization that does so much good for so many," Witty said. Copyright 2024 NPR
