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Collin Keehn| United Way of Monroe/Lenawee Counties

At a glance, Project Ramp in Lenawee and Monroe counties looks similar to any charitable service project in any other community across Michigan or even the country. But that notion is easily dismissed once a volunteer shows up and begins the hard work of building a barrier-free access ramp for a neighbor or community member in need. Lets walk through a day as a volunteer at a Project Ramp build to see just how unique and empowering this program can be:

8 a.m. Volunteers meet at the worksite and see a massive pile of lumber waiting for volunteers at the site. For newcomers, this initial sight can be shocking and overwhelming. But to veterans of other ramp builds this stack of lumber is just a starting point that will become the answer to a community members need for mobility independence.

8:10 a.m. A brief safety meeting and planning session so all volunteers can understand the goal of the work to be done and everyone can go home at the end of the day just as safe as when they arrived. After brief introductions, volunteers will have met people from organizations, labor unions, agencies and businesses from across this community. This mini-social networking session goes to show that volunteers from all parts of our community are here to help.

8:30 a.m. More experienced volunteers begin unloading the tool trailer and separating different sizes of lumber. At this point, many new volunteers can be nervous or unsure about what to do! At Project Ramp theres a job for everyone. Volunteers who have built a ramp before will take the time to explain the process, show tool safety, and even guide a new volunteer through using any of the power tools that could be used that day.

10:30 a.m. The lumber pile begins to shrink as groups of volunteers begin to frame and build portions of the ramp. As sections become finalized, they are lifted and attached to the legs built from another group. Small teams of volunteers, both experienced or otherwise, work with each other to turn a large pile of uncut lumber into the skeleton of the soon-to-be ramp.

Noon Just as volunteers begin to finalize the frame of the ramp, a car pulls up to the worksite. Its a staff member from the United Way of Monroe/Lenawee Counties there to deliver lunch to the hard working volunteers. This lunch is likely donated by a local business, who was able to support the program and volunteers by providing a delicious lunch.

12:45 p.m. Now that lunch has wrapped up and the frame of the ramp is put into place, its time to put the deck boards on. The process of installing the deck boards to a wooden ramp is slow and repetitive, but its when everyone comes together as a team. Volunteers would work as an assembly line to finish the process. Measure, cut, drill, repeat. The longer the ramp is the longer this portion of the build is. But its a great time to teach a new volunteer how to use a drill or miter saw! Cutting deck board is a great way to practice for a new volunteer because every cut is going to be the same length, so there is lots of practice to be had.

2 p.m. Adorning the handrails is the next step. This process is a little more technical but always enjoyable to see a volunteer who has grown in confidence, ability and skill over the day volunteer for this portion.

3:30 p.m. Around this time of the day, any volunteer can step back and see the work theyve done. What began as a large pile of lumber is now a fully functional and safe ramp. For a person who's in need of a wheelchair ramp, their day began as it has any day in the recent past, stuck in their home relying on friends and family for help to get out. Now their day will end with a way to be a part of their community again. All that is left to do is sand and clean up.

4:30 p.m. Finished. Complete. Done. For new volunteers, they can step back and look at what they were a part of. Volunteers can look at the way theyve helped a community member while also learning new, handy skills. Whether it is learning how to use a saw or drill for the first time or reading a tape measure correctly, its an invaluable skill and a confidence boost. Experienced volunteers will end the day knowing that theyve not only helped a community member in need but also passed on valuable lessons while instilling confidence in carpentry in the new volunteers. But for all volunteers on a ramp build the day ended just as it had planned to go: a new ramp for a person in need, everyone going home safely at the end of the day and new skills that can be used in life.

For questions on how to donate, volunteer or apply for a ramp please contact Collin Keehn, AFL-CIO community services liaison and Project Ramp coordinator, at ckeehn@unitedwayMLC.org or call the United Way of Monroe/Lenawee Counties at 517-264-6821 or 734-242-1331 or visit http://www.unitedwayMLC.org.

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United Way of Monroe/Lenawee Counties: Project Ramp - Monroe Evening News

"I'M BACK," Trump exclaimed, alongside a 12-second video clip that appeared to show him giving his victory speech after winning the 2016 election saying: "Sorry to keep you waiting -- complicated business."

The 76-year-old Republican leader -- who is running for president again -- has been unable to post any content for his 34 million Facebook followers and 2.6 million YouTube subscribers.

The platforms benched Trump days after the January 6, 2021 insurrection, when a mob of his supporters seeking to halt the certification of his election defeat to Joe Biden stormed the US Capitol in Washington.

He was sanctioned for posting content that the platforms said incited unrest, with YouTube announcing his reinstatement on Friday, two months after Facebook said it was unlocking his account.

The former reality TV star had spent weeks falsely claiming that the presidential election was stolen from him, and he was subsequently impeached for inciting the riot.

"Starting today, the Donald J. Trump channel is no longer restricted and can upload new content," YouTube said in a statement.

"We carefully evaluated the continued risk of real-world violence, while balancing the chance for voters to hear equally from major national candidates in the run up to an election."

Republican leaders raged against Trump being booted from Facebook, while a group of Democrats in Congress had urged parent company Meta to extend the ban to keep "dangerous and unfounded election denial content off its platform."

The social networking giant announced in January it was reinstating Trump's accounts on Facebook and Instagram with "new guardrails."

Trump's lawyer Scott Gast had written to the company, based in California's Bay Area, saying it had "dramatically distorted and inhibited the public discourse."

The former president's Twitter account, which has 87 million followers, was also blocked after the riot, leaving him to communicate through his own platform Truth Social, where he has fewer than five million followers.

New Twitter owner Elon Musk reinstated Trump last November, days after Trump announced a fresh White House run, but he has yet to post there.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which has filed more than 400 legal actions against Trump, applauded Meta's decision.

"Like it or not, President Trump is one of the country's leading political figures and the public has a strong interest in hearing his speech," executive director Anthony Romero said in a statement.

"Indeed, some of Trump's most offensive social media posts ended up being critical evidence in lawsuits filed against him and his administration."

But advocacy groups such as Media Matters for America vehemently oppose allowing Trump to exploit the social networking reach of the Big Tech giants.

Media Matters accused Meta of "ignoring his continued 'risk to public safety,' which is the bar the company set for his return."

"Meta's decision is a green light for Trump to promote harmful content on its platforms, and it shows that the company still prioritizes profit -- and appeasement of right-wing figures -- over public safety," it added in a statement.

Trump's shock victory in 2016 was credited in part to his leverage of social media and his enormous digital reach.

A US congressional committee recommended in December that he be prosecuted for his role in the US Capitol assault.

More here:
'I'M BACK': Trump returns to Facebook, YouTube after two-year ban - FRANCE 24 English

In November last year, I pointed out that the outages and uncertainty plaguing Twitter under the ownership of Elon Musk had led many people to look at alternatives.

One in particular, Mastodon, based on the ActivityPub decentralized networking protocol, has gained many new users as a result. According to the Mastodon Analytics site, the collection of federated social media servers saw a surge in new users at this time: rising from around 3.5 million users to 6.4 million more recently. Over the same period, the number of Mastodon servers rose from around 3,000 to 10,000.

In an instance of if you cant beat them, join them, WordPress and Medium are now looking to follow their users on Mastodon, and rumor has it that Meta is trying to do the same.

Since December 2022, the number of active Mastodon users has seen a decline from a peak of 2.4 million to around 1.2 million. Some fall-off was inevitable, as many people tried the new system, some either found it too hard or simply too different from Twitter.

But in the last few weeks there has been a marked rise in interest from major companies, which could result in many millions more joining the Mastodon world. Thats particularly the case if one of those companies Meta turns a new research project into a full-blown Mastodon-compatible service.

Metas move into the fediverse would also raise important questions about whether the entrance of the social media giant would ultimately be good or bad for the Mastodon world and for privacy.

Things began to hot up in January, when the online publishing platform Medium, originally launched by Twitter co-founder Evan Williams, announced that it was creating its own instance. That is, it has set up a new Mastodon server specifically for Medium authors and publications. A post by Tony Stubblebine, CEO of Medium, lists some of the features that he believes will make this new instance different from existing servers:

With so many Mastodon instances to choose from, we plan for me.dm to have a few important benefits out of the gate: reliable infrastructure and moderation, a short domain name to make sharing your username easier, better onboarding for new users, and an interesting local feed.

Thats not just a vote of confidence in the decentralized approach to social networking. Its also an example that other publishing platforms could follow.

One of the strengths of the federated approach is that each instance can serve particular communities by setting its own code of conduct, terms of service, moderation rules and privacy policy. Indeed, its easy to imagine any larger company setting up a Mastodon instance specifically for its customers rather as companies set up web servers 25 years ago. Doing so would solve many of the moderation problems that arise from using a general social media service like Twitter or Facebook.

The news and social network aggregator Flipboard has also set up a dedicated instance for its users, flipboard.social. In addition, according to TechCrunch, the Flipboard app for iOS will allow Mastodon users to visually flip through their timeline to view posts from the people they follow, much like theyve been able to do with Twitter.

Even more significant is the news that Automattic, the company behind WordPress, has acquired an ActivityPub plugin for the platform. A post on the WPTavern site explains what this means in practice:

The ActivityPub plugin makes it possible for readers to follow a WordPress site in the fediverse using the ActivityPub protocol. This includes Mastodon, one of the most popular platforms using the protocol, and other platforms like Pleroma, Friendica, HubZilla, Pixelfed, SocialHome, and Misskey. For those using Mastodon, this plugin will automatically send posts to the network and replies to it will become comments on the post.

According to figures on Wikipedia, as of May 2021, WordPress is used by 64.8% of all the websites whose content management system is known. This is 41.4% of the top 10 million websites. If even a small proportion of sites using WordPress add the ActivityPub plugin, this will provide a huge boost to the ActivityPub and Mastodon worlds.

But even the WordPress boost pales in comparison with news that Meta is exploring the idea of creating a standalone text-based app that will support ActivityPub. According to MoneyControl, which first revealed Metas P92 project, features of Metas potential new service are still in a state of flux:

Some of the other features including tappable links in posts with previews (like Twitter), user bio, username, verification badges, images and videos would be made shareable on the initial versions of the app, according to the plan. It would also allow followers and likes, but it is unclear whether features for commenting and messaging would be there in the first version of the product. However, these will be included eventually.

A lot depends on the details, but anything from Meta that supports ActivityPub is likely to have a massive impact on decentralized social media. For example, it would make signing up for a Mastodon-like service much simpler: one of the main criticisms of todays approach is that it is too hard for most people.

If P92 supported fully the ActivityPub protocol, that would allow users to move from Metas service to others finally escaping the famous walled garden of that company. People could choose to move to instances offering better privacy protections, putting pressure on Meta to improve its own policies in this area.

But there are also risks. If Metas P92 project became as popular as its other online services, with hundreds of millions of users, it could also swamp the rest of the fediverse. In that case, Meta would be able to diverge from the open standards, for example by blocking the ability of users to migrate to other instances, in a classic case of embrace, extend, and extinguish.

Excerpt from:
Meta Explores Mastodon, Will the fediverse Survive? - PIA VPN - Privacy News Online

Image Credits: Sidechat & Yik Yak logos, image via TechCrunch

Sidechat, the anonymous posting platform that began blowing up last year on college campuses, appears to have acquired a rival anonymous social platform, Yik Yak. While you may recall Yik Yaks troubles from earlier years, where bullying and harassment ultimately led to an ignominious exit in the form of an acqui-hire by Square, the gossip app relaunched under new Nashville-based ownership in 2021, promising improved moderation.

But now Yik Yaks app has been republished under the same App Store developer account as Sidechat Flower Ave. It had originally been published under its own name, Yik Yak, Inc. (The first version under the original founders was Yik Yak LLC).

In addition, Sidechats users are complaining in App Store reviews about the forced migration from one app to the other.

Bring back Yikyak, one review is titled, noting they received an update that warned them that their herd is moving, which pointed them to Sidechats app. Several reviews also complain that Yik Yak had been anonymous, but Sidechat was asking for students school emails in order to participate.

Yikyak merging with sidechat is the worst decision, another reviewer lamented, adding that Yik Yak had been available to everyone, not just college students. Plus, the reviewer said, everyone is worried about the merger because their account info is now being associated with their school.

Oddly, not all Yik Yak users have gotten the push to migrate. As other App Store reviews noted, Yik Yak is still operating in some markets but not others. In fact, we were able to log in to Yik Yak in our local community when testing the app today and have not yet received a push to move to Sidechat.

It could be that Sidechat is selectively pushing users located on or near universities and college campuses to migrate, as that is its core demographic.

Whats interesting about this M&A event which were hearing is more akin to an acqui-hire than some sort of big exit is that both companies founders have tried to stay anonymous. Yik Yak earlier refused to respond to questions about its relaunch. And even when being profiled by The New York Times, Sidechat only responded to press inquiries from a generic email. Dozens of student ambassadors for the app had also declined to respond to or ignored the papers inquiries.

However, an SEC filing for Sidechats parent company, Flower Ave., points to involvement from ex-Snap engineer Sebastian Gil and ex-Snap product designer Chamal Samaranayake. Per the filing, the company raised north of $10 million last summer, shortly after getting written up by various university press, like The Harvard Crimson and The Tufts Daily. More recently, Sidechat was covered by Annenberg Media, a paper funded by USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Some of the papers highlighted students misgivings over Sidechats moderation capabilities and overall influence on campus.

When asked, Sidechats founders declined to be interviewed for those articles as well.

Our phone calls, emails, and other outreach to Yik Yak, Sidechat, and its founders have not been returned.

But there are plenty of social media complaints about the merger from less-than-satisfied users.

The timing of the complaints and App Store reviews point to a deal that went through sometime last month. For what its worth, Yik Yak Inc. updated its privacy policy in January, but it has not disclosed any change in ownership.

According to app store intelligence firm data.ai, Yik Yaks app changed the name of its publisher from Yik Yak Inc. to Flower Avenue Inc. on February 28, 2023.

The firm tells us the new Yik Yak has seen approximately 3.5 million installs since its August 2021 relaunch. The highest ranking it ever received was the day after its relaunch when it briefly became the No. 1 Overall app on the U.S. App Store. Today, it no longer ranks in the Overall listings but is No. 89 in Social Networking.

Sidechat, meanwhile, had just slightly north of 180,000 lifetime installs, making it the smaller of the two apps. (But perhaps the one with more runway!). Its highest rank was No. 30 in the U.S. Social Networking category, which was achieved in November 2022.

The merger makes sense given that both Sidechat and Yik Yak share a similar purpose of connecting people anonymously, though Sidechat has more squarely focused on college student gossip.

But staying anonymous when asking others to trust your platform is an odd choice for these companies and one that seems to be backfiring. Because the users dont know who is running Sidechat or what their values are, theyre hesitant to even provide the company with their email, it seems.

Sarah Perez is available via email sarahp@techcrunch.com and Signal (415) 234-3994.

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Anonymous app Sidechat picks up rival Yik Yakand users arent happy - TechCrunch

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23-Dec 21)

This is an auspicious day to plan a trip or buy a vehicle. Daily astrological prediction says you may come across several investment options today and your stable financial condition may allow you to invest money today. You may find peaceful aura at home and think about spending a day with loved ones.

You may feel fine as far as your health is concerned. Exercise may become the part of your daily routine. An old friend may call you and try to reach you via social networking sites. It is your day and you may shine on the professional front. Your consistent efforts and dedication may get you appreciation from seniors. Everything seems okay but some relationship issues are predicted. You should be patient and understanding and wait for the favourable time.

What lies further? Unfold now:

Sagittarius Finance Today:

This is an auspicious day and you may get a chance to form a new business project. Some may buy a travel package and shop for clothing. Homemakers may spend on a home appliance.

Sagittarius Family Today:

You may relax at home and try to draw joy from familiar things. Some may go out with loved ones for vigorous enjoyment. Your parents may do something nice for you.

Sagittarius Career Today:

Your talent and vast experience may offer you new avenues. You may reach great heights on the career front and get promoted to a higher designation. Freshers may get new job offers.

Sagittarius Health Today:

Someone close may give you good health advice today. This is a favorable day for getting rid of stress and relaxing. Meditation may refresh your mind. A trip with loved ones may give you much-needed break from monotony.

Sagittarius Love Life Today:

Love may take a backseat today as you may be occupied with other things. Your partner may feel neglected and think about taking some major steps. Avoid argument with your love partner as it may turn out messy and cause permanent damage to your relationship.

Lucky Number: 17

Lucky Color: Silver

By: Manisha Koushik, Dr Prem Kumar Sharma

(Astrologer, Palmist, Numerologist & Vastu Consultant)

Email: support@askmanisha.com, psharma@premastrologer.com

Url: http://www.askmanisha.com, http://www.premastrologer.com

Contact: Panchkula: +91-172-2562832, 2572874

Delhi: +91-11-47033152, 40532026

Manisha Koushik has more than 12+ years of experience. She gives astrological advice related to career, health, finance, business, relationship and more. She is known to combine the principles of Vedic and Western astrology, Tarot, Numerology, Vastu and Fengshui. She has authored many books and is a popular face for astrology TV shows....view detail

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Sagittarius Horoscope Today, March 20, 2023 predicts buying your dream vehicle - Hindustan Times