text:
Q: Restlet accepts JSON input from client and respond with POST I am writing a program which accepts a JSON input with the following format from client:
{
    "campaignID": 1,
    "clientID": 1,
    "pmapID": 1,
    "ward": "1-Bedded (Private)",
    "age": 20,
    "attr1": "EXA1(A)",
    "attr2": "EO",
    "attr3": "11/02/2012",
    "attr4": "SIN",
    "attr5": "N",
    "attr6": "Y"
}

I'd like to read the JSON input, save all the attributes into local variables (String, int, ...) and finally respond with a POST("JSON") which will return a single float/double value (e.g. {"PMC": 30.12} ).
public class RestletApplication extends Application
{
    @Override
    public synchronized Restlet createInboundRoot()
    {
        Router router = new Router(getContext());
        router.attach("/pmc/calculate", PMCResource.class);
        return router;
    }
}

I have written the function so far but am lost how to read the JSON input:
 public class PMCResource extends ServerResource
    {
        @Post("JSON")
        public Representation post(Representation entity) throws ResourceException {
            try {
                if (entity.getMediaType().isCompatible(MediaType.APPLICATION_JSON))
                {
                    // Read JSON file and parse onto local variables

                    // Do processing & return a float value

                }
            } catch (Exception e) {
                getResponse().setStatus(Status.SERVER_ERROR_INTERNAL);
            }
        }
    }

5 May 2016 - Edited the resource class
// Imports

public class PMCResource extends ServerResource
{
    static Logger LOGGER = LoggerFactory.getLogger(PMCResource.class);

    @Override
    @Post("JSON")
    public Representation post(Representation entity) throws ResourceException
    {
        PMCMatrixDAO matrix = new PMCMatrixDAOImpl();
        JsonObjectBuilder response = Json.createObjectBuilder();

        try
        {
            if (entity.getMediaType().isCompatible(MediaType.APPLICATION_JSON))
            {
                InputStream is = new FileInputStream(getClass().getResource("/input.json").getFile());

                try (JsonReader reader = Json.createReader(is)) {
                    JsonObject obj = reader.readObject();
                    double result = matrix.calculatePMC(obj);
                    response.add("PMC", result);
                }
            }

        } catch (Exception e) {
            getResponse().setStatus(Status.SERVER_ERROR_INTERNAL);
        }

        return new StringRepresentation(response.build().toString());
    }
}

The Implementation class
public class PMCMatrixDAOImpl implements PMCMatrixDAO
{
    public double calculatePMC(JsonObject obj)
    {
        int campaignID = obj.getInt("campaignID");
        int clientID = obj.getInt("clientID");
        int pmapID = obj.getInt("pmapID");
        String ward = obj.getString("ward");
        int age = obj.getInt("age");
        String attr1 = obj.getString("attr1");
        String attr2 = obj.getString("attr2");
        String attr3 = obj.getString("attr3");
        String attr4 = obj.getString("attr4");
        String attr5 = obj.getString("attr5");
        String attr6 = obj.getString("attr6");

        // SQL processing
        double dPMC = sqlQueryCall(...);

        return dPMC;
    }
}

A: In order to parse your JSON file, and since you're using Maven I'll assume you have it on your classpath, you can do it using a FileInputStream or a FileReader. So, assuming your JSON file is called input.json and it is on the root of your src/main/resources folder, you can load it the following way:

*

*using a FileInputStream:
InputStream is = new FileInputStream(getClass().getResource("/input.json").getFile());

try (JsonReader reader = Json.createReader(is)) {
    // file processing is done here
}

*using a FileReader:
FileReader fr = new FileReader(getClass().getResource("/input.json").getFile());

try (JsonReader reader = Json.createReader(fr)) {
    // file processing is done here
}

Ok, so now that we have our JsonReader created, lets retrieve the contents of our JSON file:
InputStream is = new FileInputStream(getClass().getResource("/input.json").getFile());

try (JsonReader reader = Json.createReader(is)) {
    JsonObject obj = reader.readObject();

    // retrieve JSON contents
    int campaingID = obj.getInt("campaignID");
    int clientID = obj.getInt("clientID");
    int pmapID = obj.getInt("pmapID");
    String ward = obj.getString("ward");
    int age = obj.getInt("age");
    String attr1 = obj.getString("attr1");
    String attr2 = obj.getString("attr2");
    String attr3 = obj.getString("attr3");
    String attr4 = obj.getString("attr4");
    String attr5 = obj.getString("attr5");
    String attr6 = obj.getString("attr6");
}

As an alternative of having several variables across your method, you could create a simple POJO, having those variable as attributes, and then populate it using Jackson:
public class MyPojo {

    private int campaingID;
    private int clientID;
    private int pmapID;
    private String ward;
    private int age;
    private String attr1;
    private String attr2;
    private String attr3;
    private String attr4;
    private String attr5;
    private String attr6;

    // getters & setters
}

Finally, in order to send the response back to your client, you could do this:
JsonObject response = Json.createObjectBuilder().add("PMC", 30.12).build();

return new StringRepresentation(response.toString());

So, the entire solution could look like this:
@Override
@Post("JSON")
public Representation post(Representation entity) throws ResourceException {
    JsonObjectBuilder response = Json.createObjectBuilder();

    try {
        if (entity.getMediaType().isCompatible(MediaType.APPLICATION_JSON)) {
            InputStream is = new FileInputStream(getClass().getResource("/input.json").getFile());

            try (JsonReader reader = Json.createReader(is)) {
                JsonObject obj = reader.readObject();

                // retrieve JSON contents
                int campaingID = obj.getInt("campaignID");
                int clientID = obj.getInt("clientID");
                int pmapID = obj.getInt("pmapID");
                String ward = obj.getString("ward");
                int age = obj.getInt("age");
                String attr1 = obj.getString("attr1");
                String attr2 = obj.getString("attr2");
                String attr3 = obj.getString("attr3");
                String attr4 = obj.getString("attr4");
                String attr5 = obj.getString("attr5");
                String attr6 = obj.getString("attr6");
            }

            // Do processing & execute your SQL query call here
            double result = sqlQueryCall(...);

            response.add("PMC", result);
        }
    } catch (Exception e) {
        getResponse().setStatus(Status.SERVER_ERROR_INTERNAL);
    }

    return new StringRepresentation(response.build().toString());
}

As a side note, the JsonReader class belongs to the Java EE API which, for compiling purposes it's okay. Although, for running purposes, one requires the declaration of a JSON-API implementation dependency in one's Maven project. For instance:
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.glassfish</groupId>
    <artifactId>javax.json</artifactId>
    <version>1.0.4</version>
</dependency>

Below is the way one can communicate to the REST web service through a client:

*

*Create a simple POJO object that will contain the information to send, as mentioned above (MyPojo).

*Your REST service would look something like this:
public class PMCResource extends ServerResource {

    static Logger LOGGER = Logger.getLogger(RestletMain.class.getName());

    @Post("JSON")
    public Representation post(MyPojo entity) throws ResourceException {
        PMCMatrixDAO matrix = new PMCMatrixDAOImpl();
        JsonObjectBuilder response = Json.createObjectBuilder();

        try {
            double result = matrix.calculatePMC(entity);
            response.add("PMC", result);
        } catch (Exception e) {
            getResponse().setStatus(Status.SERVER_ERROR_INTERNAL);
        }

        return new StringRepresentation(response.build().toString());
    }
}

*Modify your PMCMatrixDAOImpl in order to process your POJO:
public double calculatePMC(MyPojo pojo) {
    (...)
}

*Create a client that allows you to test your REST service:
public class PMCResourceMain {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        // take into account the context-root, if exists, and path to your REST service
        ClientResource resource = new ClientResource("http://<host>:<port>");

        MyPojo myPojo = new MyPojo();
        myPojo.setCampaingID(1);
        myPojo.setClientID(1);
        myPojo.setPmapID(1);
        myPojo.setWard("1-Bedded (Private)");
        myPojo.setAge(20);
        myPojo.setAttr1("EXA1(A)");
        myPojo.setAttr2("EO");
        myPojo.setAttr3("11/02/2012");
        myPojo.setAttr4("SIN");
        myPojo.setAttr5("N");
        myPojo.setAttr6("Y");

        try {
            resource.post(myPojo, MediaType.APPLICATION_JSON).write(System.out);
        } catch (ResourceException | IOException e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        }
    }
}

Full Restlet documentation can be found here.

A: For the benefit of those who landed in the same situation as me, here's my solution:
Resource class
@Override
@Post("JSON")
public Representation post(Representation entity) throws ResourceException
{
    PMCMatrixDAO matrix = new PMCMatrixDAOImpl();
    JsonObjectBuilder response = Json.createObjectBuilder();

    try {
        String json = entity.getText(); // Get JSON input from client
        Map<String, Object> map = JsonUtils.toMap(json); // Convert input into Map
        double result = matrix.calculatePMC(map);
        response.add("PMC", result);
    } catch (IOException e) {
        LOGGER.error(this.getClass() + " - IOException - " + e);
        getResponse().setStatus(Status.SERVER_ERROR_INTERNAL);
    }

    return new StringRepresentation(response.build().toString());
}

JSON conversion utility class
public class JsonUtils {

    private static final Logger LOG = LoggerFactory.getLogger(JsonUtils.class);

    private JsonUtils() {
    }

    public static String toJson(Object object) {
        String jsonString = null;

        ObjectMapper mapper = new ObjectMapper();
        try {
            jsonString = mapper.writeValueAsString(object);
        } catch (JsonProcessingException e) {
            LOG.error(e.getMessage(), e);
        }

        return jsonString;
    }

    public static Map<String, Object> toMap(String jsonString) {
        Map<String, Object> map = new ConcurrentHashMap<>();

        ObjectMapper mapper = new ObjectMapper();

        try {
            map = mapper.readValue(jsonString, new TypeReference<Map<String, Object>>() {
            });
        } catch (IOException e) {
            LOG.error(e.getMessage(), e);
        }

        return map;
    }
}

And the implementation class which handles all the processing
public class PMCMatrixDAOImpl implements PMCMatrixDAO
{
    public double calculatePMC(Map<String, Object> map)
    {
        int campaignID  = (int) map.get("campaignID");
        int clientID    = (int) map.get("clientID");
        int pmapID      = (int) map.get("pmapID");
        String ward     = (String) map.get("ward");
        int age         = (int) map.get("age");
        String attr1 = (String) map.get("attr1");
        String attr2 = (String) map.get("attr2");
        String attr3 = (String) map.get("attr3");
        String attr4 = (String) map.get("attr4");
        String attr5 = (String) map.get("attr5");
        String attr6 = (String) map.get("attr6");

        // SQL processing
        double dPMC = sqlQueryCall(...);

        return dPMC;
    }
}


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Developing the E-wallet Market to Drive Women's Financial Inclusion in Viet Nam Learnings from LienVietPostBank Challenge Fund Investment
What you will find in this case study:
For e-wallet service providers
It is important to focus on customer-centric service design to encourage active usage and loyalty. For example, by tailoring products to the spending behavior of consumers and enhancing user interface design.
For regulators
To drive usage of e-wallets and other digital financial services, regulators can facilitate an environment to increase interoperability within (i.e. promoting increased linkage between bank and e-wallet accounts) and between different e-wallets.
Regulations can support the development of the wider ecosystem, such as institutionalizing the agent banking model.
Van is a first-year university student in Hanoi, Viet Nam, who recently moved to the city from rural Northern Viet Nam. She relies partly on money from her family and is not currently financially independent, and much like her classmates, she is extremely tech savvy.
When my university class advisor monitor told me that using Vi Viet to pay my tuition fees would give me a discount, I decided to try it.
Van discovered that the Vi Viet e-wallet was well designed and convenient to use. It could also be used for online shopping and money transfers to conveniently send/receive funds to/from her family. However, as a student who tends to be more price sensitive, she shares that which e-wallet services she uses ultimately depends on who offers the best discounts and promotions.
Just like her classmates, mobile phones play a significant role in Van's everyday life. On a national level, mobile penetration has reached 147 percent in Viet Nam, presenting financial service providers with a new channel to deliver affordable financial services. LienVietPostBank (LVPB) therefore developed the Vi Viet app, the first e-wallet launched by a bank in the country, to provide a simple and convenient digital platform tailored to meet the specific demands and requirements of low-income women in Viet Nam. As almost 70 percent of women lack bank accounts in Viet Nam (Findex, 2017), a large extent of them in low-income and rural areas, this presents an untapped market opportunity through the use of new technologies and payment gateways being developed in the country.
With this opportunity in mind, LVPB applied for a matching grant from the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) Shaping Inclusive Finance Transformations (SHIFT) in ASEAN programme under the 'Fostering Innovative Business Models for Women's Financial Inclusion' Challenge Fund window in April 2016. After a competitive selection process, the project was approved by SHIFT ASEAN's Investment Committee and initiated in September 2016 with a committed investment of US$ 875,000 from LVPB matched with a US$ 325,000 grant from UNCDF.
Throughout implementation, LVPB faced various challenges, although not in providing access for low-income and rural women to an affordable and convenient e-wallet and payment gateway, but for their clients to actively use it after signing up.
Overview of the E-wallet Market in Viet Nam
Digital financial services like e-wallets have emerged as an important driver of financial inclusion. This is especially true in Viet Nam, where the high mobile penetration rate means that many people already have the technology required to use these services. The e-wallet offers a low-cost way to provide everyone, including the unbanked, with greater access to financial services. Since the e-wallet can be conveniently accessed via one's mobile phone at any time, clients no longer need to travel physically to a branch to carry out transactions, saving them valuable time. Thus, the e-wallet overcomes two specific barriers that keep populations out of formal financial systems, namely the lack of infrastructure and inconvenience of traditional banking, to promote financial inclusion.
The government has set ambitious targets for financial inclusion particularly through digital means, including to reach 80 percent of adults owning a bank account by 2025, and to reduce cash transactions to less than ten percent of all market transactions by 2020. With the proliferation of mobile solutions for financial inclusion in recent years, ViViet is one of over 20 e-wallets now available in Viet Nam.
However, access to these services has not translated into use. Globally, about two-thirds of the world's mobile money accounts are dormant, and while there has been an explosion of mobile solutions offered, there are common issues and barriers in increasing the use of these solutions. The same can be seen in Viet Nam where cash still dominates as consumer's preferred method to settle transactions – according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, 80 percent of Vietnamese prefer to use cash for daily transactions. Even if there are a multitude of services available, consumers have yet to adapt to the cashless payment solutions available.
After the launch of Viet Nam's first e-wallet Momo in 2014, other players including Bankplus, VTC Pay, WePay, Vimo, Ngan Luong and Payoo launched their solutions in the following years. The Vi Viet e-wallet was then later launched by LVPB with SHIFT ASEAN's support in 2017. However, the e-wallet market has failed to reach a breakthrough with none of the players dominating the market.
In order to gain more customers, e-wallet providers have been running various price promotion campaigns including discounts on the first payment through the e-wallet or providing a gift amount for new customers. Some e-wallets, including Vi Viet, offer promotions on cinema tickets or other services and customers sign up to utilize the promotion and afterwards do not use the e-wallet until the next promotion emerges. The most common usage of e-wallets in the country is to top-up phone credits; usage rate remains low for other connected financial services and payment gateways.
Three of the reasons for the low uptake of e-wallet services include a prevalent preference for cash, low penetration of e-wallet payment services amongst merchants in the country, and lack of interoperability between e-wallets. The strong preference for cash is pervasive even amongst more digitally savvy customers who use e-commerce platforms. A study conducted by Q&Me in November 2018 found that 80 percent of respondents indicated cash-on-delivery as the preferred payment method, as compared to a mere six percent indicating e-wallet as their preferred method.
For merchants, while some street vendors have begun to accept e-wallet payments, some complain that it is inconvenient and extra time is spent verifying the transaction. The challenges surrounding accepting e-wallet payments, coupled with customers' preference for cash, has therefore contributed to the low uptake by merchants on a national level – Q&Me's recent 2019 study on mobile payment usage in Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi showed that all major e-wallets, except for the market leader Momo, are hardly accepted at popular convenience stores and supermarkets. While better than its competitors, Momo is still not accepted at four of the 20 sampled retail chains.
On the policy front, Viet Nam has taken several measures to transform the country from a cash-based to cashless economy. Starting with public services, the government has stipulated that all schools and hospitals in urban areas will go cashless by 2020. It also abolished the daily transaction limit of VND 20 million (US$ 854) for personal e-wallets in an effort to increase transactions, such as those involving electronic products and tourism services. Such efforts are a push to encourage greater usage of digital financial services and e-wallets in the country. This switch to cashless payments has further been significantly accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. A recent report found that since the outbreak, the total number of non-cash payment transactions via the State Bank of Viet Nam's finance switching system has increased by 76 percent compared with the same period last year.
However, the lack of interoperability between e-wallet platforms persists in Viet Nam. E-wallets are generally closed looped ecosystems, which prevents users from transacting with clients of a different platform and limits the extent of a particular e-wallet's usability at retail outlets. In response, the market is beginning to witness its first signs of market consolidation, such as the 2019 merger of e-wallet service VIMO and point-of-sale (POS) startup mPOS to form NextPay.
Government policies have yet to tackle interoperability, which has great potential to drive the uptake of e-wallets. For example, in India, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has extended the Unified Payments Interface, which traditionally supports inter-bank transactions, to allow for interoperability between e-wallets. This policy is projected to drive growth in India's prepaid industry by five times within two to three years.
Additionally, in Myanmar, UNCDF has launched the microfinance institutions (MFI) Integration Platform project, which aims to connect Myanmar's citizens to the National Payment System, either directly or through the MFI Integration Platform. This will help to facilitate digital loan repayment and disbursement and, in the long-run, build a fully enabled interoperability scheme for transactions such as bulk disbursements, peer-to-peer, and merchant payments among all categories of digital financial service providers.
Overview of LienVietPostBank's ViViet e-Wallet
The Vi Viet e-wallet provides a simple and convenient digital platform tailored to meet the needs of low-income women in Viet Nam. To get started, clients simply need a mobile phone number to register for the e-wallet. They also have the option to sign up for a bank account by providing their ID number. Clients can then carry out basic e-wallet money transfers and payment services and, if they opt to sign up for a bank account, access a full array of banking services including low-cost access to savings and micro-loans for women and women businesses. The product is designed with the specific needs of women in mind; for example, the e-wallet does not charge a service fee for internal transfers or cash-in and cash-out transactions since women tend to conduct smaller financial transactions.
The e-wallet ecosystem of services is designed to be easily accessible. Clients can for example tap into LVPB's extensive network of agents, transaction points and post offices in 63 cities and provinces to carry out transactions. UNCDF had emphasized to the State Bank of Viet Nam to allow postal offices to offer financial and agent services, which played an integral part in enabling LVPB to build their network of service touchpoints. This regulation has also been included in Viet Nam's national financial inclusion strategy, to which UNCDF provided technical assistance to develop.
A network of female agents, as owners of minimarts and groceries, has been created to expand the distribution of the e-wallet, which also provides these female shop owners with an additional source of income. Clients with a smartphone can also use the Vi Viet application for added convenience.
Key features of Vi Viet
To ensure that the e-wallet is responsive to the needs of women LVPB partnered with Viet Nam Women's Union (VWU) when Vi Viet was launched to provide free financial literacy workshops to clients. These workshops complemented the product by raising awareness about cashless transactions and formal banking services for rural women.
Two more stories from the field
Linh is a working professional who lives in Hanoi; she is married and in her late 30s. She takes care of the finances of the family and is well-versed in using internet banking applications. She was encouraged to use Vi Viet as her network of family and friends were also using it. Moreover, her company is a customer of LVPB and her salary is credited into this account.
Vi Viet helps Linh with her money transfers, utility payments, mobile top-ups and online savings. As someone who holds multiple bank accounts, she mentions that she hopes mobile banking applications can allow for more interoperability across different service providers' accounts.
Trang is in her late 30s and runs a small business selling phone cards and utility top-up services in Hanoi. She was first introduced to the Vi Viet app by a LVPB customer agent and relies on him for her financial transactions with the bank as well as for troubleshooting.
She mainly uses Vi Viet for mobile top-up, paying utilities, money transfers, and cash in and cash out services. However, Trang would have preferred it if more of her customers used the Vi Viet app to make payments.
These customer stories are taken from a customer journey mapping of Vi Viet clients conducted by Columbia University in partnership with UNCDF in 2018. The following personas, including Van mentioned in the beginning, were created based on interviews representing key customer segments of Vi Viet users.
The Vi Viet e-wallet saw a high rate of uptake in its first year with 1.8 million accounts opened by the end of 2017. This gradually increased to reach a total of 2.7 million registered accounts in 2019. However, the usage rate has not matched the growth in access since the first year of launch. The number of active accounts dropped from 18.3 percent in 2017 to 2.3 percent in 2018 and to 3.4 percent in 2019.
Despite the drop in active accounts, the total number and dollar amount of transactions done on Vi Viet increased significantly from US$ 312 million in transaction value in 2017 to US$ 4.2 billion in 2019, thus indicating the presence of a loyal group of clients. The number of active Vi Viet merchant agents saw a drop from 2017 to 2018, but eventually came close to 10,000 by the end of 2019.
LVPB saw the Vi Viet e-wallet as an opportunity to expand their partnerships and better achieve financial inclusion in rural areas. Partnering with CARE International, LVPB introduced the e-wallet to Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) serving ethnic minority women in Dien Bien. LVPB is also collaborating with Xelex Technology, a tablet manufacturer targeting rural areas and farmers, to install Vi Viet on all Xelex tablets as a default application
Vi Viet e-Wallet Implementation Learnings
With its active user to registered accounts ratio at 3.4 percent, the biggest challenge for Vi Viet has been moving beyond financial service access to promote active usage. While the Vi Viet e-wallet saw an impressive uptake in the beginning, the number of active accounts has been low throughout 2018 and 2019.
SHIFT ASEAN has supported LVPB to understand these challenges in more depth to develop a mitigation strategy. For example, the customer journey mapping research conducted by Columbia University found that there needs to be a focus on customer-centric service design to encourage active usage and loyalty to the e-wallet. Preliminary research also identified the use of cash incentives and promotions to be too weak to drive behavior change and usage. To this end, a few changes can be made to improve the customer journey:
better tailor products according to the spending behavior of the consumer to help differentiate Vi Viet from other apps;
improve user interface design such as by simplifying password protocols; and
integrate with social media to make it easier to connect with friends and increase the reach of the application.
Nevertheless, Vi Viet's lack of interoperability remains the largest infrastructural constraint limiting its uptake. While the five largest e-wallets in Viet Nam (ie. Payoo, Momo, SenPay, Moca, and AirPay) have partnerships with over 15 banks, Vi Viet can only be linked to LVPB bank accounts. By working easily with accounts from other banks, Vi Viet can reach out to a much wider customer base, allowing users to transact with more people and therefore improving the customer experience with the e-wallet. This could help in driving continuous usage and loyalty towards Vi Viet.
At a country level, the government has an important role in creating an enabling environment for e-wallet usage. The central bank can facilitate the creation of a technological platform that enables the interoperability between different e-wallets, thus making it more flexible for Vi Viet clients to transact with clients on other platforms.
Operationally, to support e-wallet providers in delivering their services, the central bank can further support the development of the agent banking model. Allowing post offices to offer financial and agent services is a good starting point, and the State Bank of Viet Nam can build on this momentum to adopt relevant policies to expand the network of eligible agents and guide its further implementation across the country. The Vi Viet e-wallet depends on its network of agents to reach rural communities, thus, institutionalizing a model for agent-banking would allow rural clients to perform a wider range of banking services more easily, translating continuous and convenient access into active usage.
Through this, some of the key learnings are as follows:
With the large number of Vi Viet accounts created to date, coupled with LVPB's extensive network of touchpoints, the Vi Viet product continues to be an opportunity to drive e-wallet usage within Viet Nam. As such, SHIFT ASEAN is conducting two further research activities to gain insights into the access vs. usage challenges faced by Vi Viet during its implementation.
A lean data survey is being conducted in 2020 to gain an in-depth understanding of customer profiles and their behaviors, and an analysis of a Vi Viet transaction data set spanning 2017 to 2019 is being undertaken.
Preliminary Insights from Lean Data Survey
Preliminary findings from the lean data survey indicate that active customers have used the LVPB wallet multiple times (79 percent), and that they primarily use the mobile wallet for utility bill payment (electricity and water) (31 percent), followed by money transfers (27 percent) and making savings (26 percent). In terms of the demographics of Vi Viet's customers, active users tend to come from higher income groups, where only 16 percent of customers earn a monthly income below two Million VND (US$ 86 per month). This is in line with national survey data by the State Bank of Viet Nam (2019), where only three percent of the mobile money users in Viet Nam belong to this income bracket.
This therefore underlines the access vs. usage challenge faced by mobile money operators in Viet Nam – while digital platforms have the potential to provide everyone, including the unbanked, with greater access to financial services, data reveals that actual usage remains limited amongst uneducated and low-income people. With the expected growth of digital payments amidst the COVID-19 crisis, it is important that mobile money operators tailor their services to this group of people so as to build equitable digital economies.
Further insights gleaned will be incorporated into this case study once they are finalized to facilitate learning.
Viet Nam's approach to the COVID-19 outbreak has been touted as a successful low-cost model. There have been no COVID-related deaths and, as of June 11, only 332 infections nation-wide. Many of Viet Nam's swift and effective public health responses have been enabled by information technology, where the country has put its high penetration of mobile phones and the Internet to great use.
The crisis has also accelerated the use of non-cash payments, where the total transactions via the State Bank of Viet Nam's finance switching system has increased by 76 percent compared with the same period last year. UNCDF continues to work with financial service providers in Viet Nam and ASEAN to strengthen digital platforms so as to help countries reap the full benefits of digitized services, in times of crises and beyond.
Back to: UNCDF SHIFT in ASEAN: 2015-2020
About the United Nations Capital Development Fund
The UN Capital Development Fund makes public and private finance work for the poor in the world's 47 least developed countries (LDCs).
UNCDF offers "last mile" finance models that unlock public and private resources, especially at the domestic level, to reduce poverty and support local economic development.
UNCDF's financing models work through three channels: (1) inclusive digital economies, which connects individuals, households, and small businesses with financial eco-systems that catalyze participation in the local economy, and provide tools to climb out of poverty and manage financial lives; (2) local development finance, which capacitates localities through fiscal decentralization, innovative municipal finance, and structured project finance to drive local economic expansion and sustainable development; and (3) investment finance, which provides catalytic financial structuring, de-risking, and capital deployment to drive SDG impact and domestic resource mobilization.
UNCDF's Shaping Inclusive Finance Transformations (SHIFT) in ASEAN programme is supported by the Australian Government.
The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of UNCDF, the United Nations or any of its affiliated organizations or its Member States.


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Responses from orgillian197
Jan 04, 2022 Do we really know what "Live" music sounds like?
Do we really know what music sounds like? There are as many different answers to that as there are listeners. Every succeeding generation finds its following one's music to be lesser, even unlistenable, compared to their own (classic rock perhaps ...
Dec 15, 2021 Not manufactured any more.
Spica TC-50s
Nov 11, 2021 Ridiculous assertions that someone is being ripped off or conned
In seeking a "better" version of musical truth from their systems, there are some who are willing to try and/or buy items and/or different set-ups. There are those that, for whatever reason, seem threatened by the very existence of said items/set-...
Nov 07, 2021 One big reason why brick and mortar high end audio dealers struggle.
I am a retired territory sales manager (not in audio) who saw, over the years, how some business persons "get it" and are successful no matter where they are, some are lucky enough to have a great location and are successful until they aren't and ...
Nov 07, 2021 REMINDER: tighten up your loose screws
I have a pair of Spica TC-50s I no longer use but recall having to snug every screw on them from time to time as the music would loosen them.
Nov 07, 2021 Buying the right tool (aka gear) the first time...
Just like any other hobby, the amount of self education about what's available, how it works and what it costs is essential with the added caveat here of what does it sound like? If you have friends close by with good systems you can learn more mu...
Nov 05, 2021 Seeing sounds and music.....
At its best, music is a language. Proper reproduction of it makes it easier to understand & enjoy.Synesthesia has been described by both John McLaughlin and Robert Fripp, and experienced by composers Messiaen, Skryabin, and Liszt, along with o...
Nov 05, 2021 What were the radio stations of your youth that helped you on your music/audio journey?
Tidewater Virginia area early to late 70s - WGH FM classicalWOWI FM Progressive rockWNOR FM More crunch, less nuance to their rockWMYK FM A mixture of WOWI & WNOR that replaced the former when it changed formats.Cleveland Ohio early 80sWMMS-FM...
Nov 05, 2021 Would your familiarity with the music played effect your test performance?
I agree about ECM - for decades they've maintained a consistent, very high level of sonic quality. At one time years ago, I would just buy any vinyl releases on the label I saw for sale regardless of my familiarity with the artist and was rarely d...
Oct 27, 2021 How do you listen?
I'd be curious to know how many among us experience tinnitus regularly.While there are factors other than exposure to loud noises that can cause it (heredity, high blood pressure, etc), it appears that our ears tell us what a suitable volume level...
Oct 23, 2021 Magnepan service shut down
Every manufacturer in the US is experiencing parts and supply shortages - from car manufacturers on down. Two main reasons are covid effecting overseas factories and container ships backing up due to labor shortages in the ports. There is also a s...
Oct 22, 2021 Telling musicians to evaluate and choose their instruments in a "scientific" way?
Excellent analogy. Further, Gibson players don't denigrate Fender players for having inferior equipment. Effects pedal makers aren't accused of using snake oil because someone says they can't hear the effect, etc.
Oct 18, 2021 I agree with Keef
As usual in the media, the actual story gets buried and ignored. The band (Jagger) had removed it from the setlists and an interviewer noticed it was missing and asked why. Next thing you know, we have these 'the sky is falling' stories all becaus...
Oct 16, 2021 On ''what there is''
So now we know it is possible to claim fluency in 4 languages yet completely misunderstand and denigrate a pertinent comment made in English... wtf has this got to do with music and its associated sound reproduction equipment?
Sep 28, 2021 cassettes CAN sound better than vinyl.
vanson122 posts09-28-2021 12:07amDoes anyone remember when you could record music on your VHS recorders? Yes, the originals of many cassette bootleg recordings were stored by being dubbed to VHS tape. Given the long term degradation of many casset...
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Scooting down the pistes with ease and ever stronger and surprising sensations, without any prior instruction, that's what the Yooner is all about! Seated 20 cms from the ground, like on a snow go-kart, this new style of "skiing" is a real pleasure. It's fun and easy to control your descent. The Yooner is light and easy to manoeuvre, equipped with a shock absorber for comfort, and a skate at the front allowing you to "carve curves" like in skiing. Try it, strong sensations are guaranteed!
Take Yooner lessons: The Praz sur Arly ESF offer Yooner lessons, accessible to all.
Where to rent a Yooner: The following sports shops have them: Emonet Sports, Derby Sports, Sport 2000 and Intersport.
Hom much does a day's rental cost?: Between 15 and 25 € for the rental of a Yooner and boots.
Which ski lifts are accessible?: The Crêt du Midi and Rosière chairlifts accept Yooner users.
Which pistes are accessible?: Combe Blanche, the Tendues, the Chars, Piste du Soir, Bérouds, Olvet, Bernards and Rosière.
Discover this activity combining skiing and paragliding. It only takes half a day to learn the basics and experience new sensations of skiing and flying. Praz sur Arly is ideal for this activity as it has a special piste reserved for it, allowing you to try it out in complete security.
After speed speed-riding last winter, Serge TUAZ has another fun activity to offer you. Wing-jumping is for children, teenagers and adults who want to discover new sensations on skis with a simple sail attached to your back. There is no question of flying, just discovering what the lift of the air can do to create some incredible skiing sensations.


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BIG TORQUE
On 18th January 2019, Mascot Records will be reissuing Torque's 1996 stand-alone self-titled album which features former Machine Head/Vio-lence guitarist Phil Demmel. The album includes 4 bonus tracks and as well as CD, will be released on vinyl and digitally for the first time.
It was 1994 when one of the San Francisco Bay Area thrash scenes leading lights Vio-lence called it a day following the departure of vocalist Sean Killian who retired and Rob Flynn who went on to form Machine Head.
From that band, the remaining members formed the riff heavy, groove infused thrashers Torque. Fronting the band, guitarist Phil Demmel also took on lead vocals for the first time and along with guitarist Ray Vegas, bassist Deen Dell and with drummer Mark Hernandez joining they created a formidably crushing four-way vocal assault with a tank like heaviness that was to burn brightly, but briefly.
Releasing three demos between 1994 and 1997, the self-titled album released on Mascot Records in 1996 and stands alone as the sole studio release from the band that came and went in the blink of an eye but hit you like a brass-knuckle sandwich. In 2003 Demmel joined Flynn in Machine Head.
Three songs from the original release were written whilst the band was still recording as Vio-lence, which means, three of the songs have lyrics written by Sean Killian before he left the band in 1993 – 'Breed', 'Again' and 'Shooter.' Upon making the decision to form Torque, Demmel entered the studio to re-record the vocals and on the strength of those demos, Mascot signed the band, who then went to 'O' Street Studios in Antioch, California to record the full album with Rob Beaton (Buckethead, Sammy Hagar, Exhorder).
Those songs all brimmed with explosive undertones such as dealing the world's problems with ultra-extreme consequences ('Breed'), a serial killers struggle with the dark-side ('Shooter') and being hunted ('Again'). "Shooter was one of the slowest Vio-lence songs I ever wrote, so it was a difficult song to sing and play at the same time," Demmel remembers.
Looking back on that time he recalls, "With writing and creating music, we all were willing try each other's ideas, all contributions were welcomed. We wanted to stay true to our core and get out and share it with as many people as possible."
At 11 songs long it is a relentless ride through addiction ('H.L.S.), domestic abuse ('Nothing'), revenge ('Dead You Lay') and being falsely accused and convicted of a crime ('Pulled') in amongst blazing riffery. On the epic 'Hand Over Fist' Demmel says, "the intro to the song was actually used as an instrumental before the last few Vio-lence shows – one of them a co-headline with Machine Head."
"We were able pull a decent draw right out of the gate but supporting Exodus at the Maritime Hall was a highlight. Sean came up and sang 'Breed' with us and we destroyed. We were brought over to play the Dynamo festival in the Netherlands and we left with lifetime memories. A landmark event for us all," he continues.
"I have nothing but fond memories of my time spent with these guys playing these songs. Great dudes to be in a band with. It was a tough time to be in a metal band in the mid-90s and I'm proud of what we were able to do in that time."
Now, 23 years later the album gets the full reissue treatment and will be available on CD, as well as vinyl and digitally for the first time and includes liner notes written by Phil Demmel. The reissue features 4 bonus songs, taken from the bands last recordings the '1997 Demo'; 'Circling', 'Erased', 'Sever' and 'Isolation/Anger Mine'.
REVIEW: METAL CHURCH – DAMNED IF YOU DO (2018)
LIVE VISIONS


Out of 59 current decisions that reference gender, 28 explicitly refer only to gender balance and enhancing women's participation on boards and bodies. A further 12 decisions recognize both the need for gender balance and a gender-mainstream approach.
Adaptation is so far the area in which the most robust gender-sensitive language has been integrated, with a total of 16 decisions integrating gender references.
Out of the main areas of negotiations (adaptation, mitigation, finance, technology, capacity-building, as well as loss and damage), agriculture has no decisions that reference gender.


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'Gobsmacking': State Attorney-General calls for Bettina Arndt to be stripped of honour
This was published 1 year ago
By Rachel Eddie
January 29, 2020 — 10.53pm
Men's rights activist Bettina Arndt should be stripped of her Order of Australia, Victorian Attorney-General Jill Hennessy has said.
Ms Arndt was given the honour on Australia Day for her "significant service to the community as a social commentator, and to gender equity through advocacy for men".
After widespread outrage, Ms Hennessy asked Governor-General David Hurley to overturn the decision in a letter to him on Tuesday.
Bettina Arndt said she did not expect the award to silence or mollify her critics. Credit: Joshua Morris
"Taking into account Ms Arndt's well documented opinions, public commentary and media appearances - which include sympathising with a convicted paedophile and blaming and shaming victims - this award is an insult to victims of sexual abuse and to those of us who work hard every day to prevent it," she said in the letter, shared on Facebook.
"Ms Arndt's views and activities diminish the devastating experiences of victim-survivors of family and sexual violence, promote division and encourage victim-survivors from taking steps to ensure their survival and safety."
Ms Arndt on Wednesday night described the letter as "gobsmacking" and "absolutely hilarious".
"What the hell, why is an Attorney-General buying into these half-truths?" she said.
Victorian Attorney General Jill Hennessy. Credit: Jason South
Ms Arndt, 70, has been working to dispel what she has called the myth of a sexual assault crisis at Australian universities and residential colleges.
The citation for her honour mentions her 2018 campus speaking tour, which was called the "Fake Rape Crisis" tour, as well as her contributions to controversial academic Jordan Peterson's website Thinkspot.
It also references her books and contributions to newspapers, magazines, radio and television, as well as her service on government committees.
Ms Arndt in 2017 interviewed Tasmanian sex offender Nicolaas Bester, who was jailed for raping his 15-year-old student, in a YouTube video posted under the title "Feminists persecute disgraced teacher".
Last year, she apologised for her "relaxed tone" in the interview but maintained that Bester was being unfairly "hounded".
On Wednesday night, Ms Arndt said calling the interview sympathetic was "misinformation".
"I think it is extraordinary that an Attorney-General should rely on misinformation and muckraking," she said.
"How hilarious is that? There's no end to the madness. I love it."
Ms Hennessy said Members of the Order of Australia should be dedicated people who serve and inspire their communities.
She said that meant victims advocates such as Rosie Batty and Chrissie Foster: "The fighters for what is right and just. Those who speak up for the victims when they can't speak up for themselves."
Support is available for those who need it by phoning 1800-RESPECT (1800 737 7320); Lifeline 13 11 14; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800; and Mensline 1300 789 978.
Bettina Arndt
Jill Hennessy
Rachel Eddie is a state political reporter for The Age.Connect via Twitter or email.


I've taken some heat over the past few weeks for not staying true to my mandate of including food along with discussion of politics. Well, here's a piece in the tradition of my Boston Magazine story on power breakfasting.
For some time, I've had plans with Frank Conte, the publisher and editor of eastboston.com as well as the director of communications and information services at the Beacon Hill Institute, to have lunch in Rino's. Frank prides himself on being an "independent" thinker and possesses a deep knowledge of Boston politics and Italian American culture. I discovered Rino's in East Boston several years ago and consider it as being in the elite of Italian restaurants in the Greater Boston area. It is one of the few places I have eaten where I cannot get the food out of my mind. Last year, for example, I had an amazing veal dish topped by a smooth spinach sauce, an item I have never seen anywhere else on a menu, the pleasant memory of which remains fixed in my brain.
Frank and I ate there today, and I'm glad we did. Soon after we sat down, a collection of East Boston's biggest names came in to eat. John Nucci, a former at-large city councillor and clerk of the Suffolk County Criminal Court and current vice president of Suffolk University, came in and said hello. Soon he was joined by City Councillor Sal LaMattina, the first person to ever mention Rino's to me, and Joshua Resnek, big foot newspaperman of the East Boston Times Free Press.
Later on former City Councillor Paul Scapicchio and Senator Anthony Petruccelli came in. Often this group of politically connected cognoscenti comes to break bread, exchange stories and trade political wisdom. They've certainly chosen the right place.
I tried Frank's lobster ravioli in cream sauce. It was rich and fresh. I started off with the "Mellezano Ripieno," the rolled eggplant with smoked mozzarella and plum tomato sauce and finished with medallions of veal sauteed with wild mushrooms and sundried tomatoes in a brandy cream sauce. What makes Rino's special? Wild mushrooms so fresh you'd think the owner went out and picked them that morning, veal so tender it melts in your mouth, a sauce so scrumptious every last drop begs to be soaked up in Rino's Italian bread. And I've never been to one of the chef's special feasts upon his return from hunting.
I don't go to Jeveli's as much any more, though it has its place. But to me some of the best Italian restaurants in the area are in the periphery of the city, not downtown. Rino's is probably atop my list, followed closely by Delfino's in Roslindale Square, a place that has never disappointed me. (When I'm at Delfino's I'm as apt to try the veal chop as I am the homemade pasta.) I also like Artichoke's in Malden, a limo driver recently told me he's taken carfuls of financial execs from downtown to hit this spot.


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CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AP) — The attributes that helped Jacinda Ardern rise to become New Zealand's leader at age 37 include her optimistic outlook and bright personality. And she became an inspiration to working women around the world last year when she gave birth to a daughter, Neve.
But the prime minister is now displaying other qualities to an anxious nation after a gunman on Friday slaughtered 50 people at two Christchurch mosques. She's shown a determination to change gun laws and a deep empathy with the families of the victims and the Muslim community.
On Friday afternoon at a simple table laid in a hotel conference room in New Plymouth, a city on New Zealand's North Island, Ardern told the nation about the shootings. Details were sparse, but her shaken demeanor, a tremor in her voice, made it clear the situation was grave.
Mass shootings were almost unheard of in New Zealand. People wanted reassurance and information.
When she next spoke from Parliament in Wellington she was calmer, more resolute. She gave details of a mounting death toll and of an offender in custody, an Australian man who had chosen New Zealand for his crime.
"You may have chosen us," she said. "We utterly reject and condemn you."
When President Donald Trump called Ardern to offer his sympathies and ask what assistance the U.S. might provide, Ardern said she would welcome sympathy and love toward Muslim communities. It was a rebuke, of sorts, toward the perception of Trump as being anti-Islamic.
On Friday, Ardern flew to Christchurch. She donned a simple hijab and met with families of those killed and wounded.
At a refugee center, she told Muslim leaders that the country was united in its grief.
"This is not New Zealand," she said. "The only part of the incident and actions that we have seen over the past 24, 36 hours that is New Zealand is the support that you are seeing now."
Ardern did not avoid the thorny political issues arising from the shooting, the question of how the gunman obtained five firearms, including two military-style weapons. New Zealand's liberal gun laws allow easier access to those weapons than in Australia.
"I can tell you right now our gun laws will change," she said.
She demanded her intelligence agencies explain why they knew nothing about the gunman, who emailed a manifesto outlining his plans to Ardern's office minutes before the shooting.
She promised immediate financial assistance to survivors, including families who had lost their only breadwinner or who faced the cost of funerals.
Friday's events where the first major test Ardern has faced since she became prime minister in a contentious general election in 2017. She had only become leader of the liberal Labour Party a few weeks earlier when the party had slumped to its lowest-ever poll rating.
She immediately boosted its popularity, attracting a new constituency to Labour through her youth and optimism. It disguised a tough and experienced political operative.
When Ardern was elected prime minister she had already been a lawmaker for nine years, starting as New Zealand's youngest sitting member of Parliament. She had previously been a researcher for New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and a policy adviser to Tony Blair, the British prime minister at the time.
She is progressive but pragmatic, willing to woo big business and shelve difficult liberal issues that might alienate a larger constituency.
Until Friday, her toughest task had been to hold together the brittle and disparate political coalition between her Labour Party and two other parties, the Greens and New Zealand First.
Since taking office, Ardern has become an international celebrity and a counterpoint to the rise of populist leaders. But her popularity abroad has masked domestic difficulties. There were political missteps, minor scandals, dissent with coalition partners.
In the week before the Christchurch shooting, Ardern's major political challenges had been dealing with the fallout from a proposal to introduce a capital gains tax and complaints of a conflict-of-interest affecting one of her ministers.
On the day of the shooting she was to address schoolchildren participating in a global classroom strike and protest against inaction on climate change. Ardern is a fierce advocate for combating global warming and it was an event at which she'd usually be in her element.
But on Friday, the trajectory of her leadership irrevocably changed.
McMorran reported from Wellington, New Zealand.


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Herman's House
Angad Singh Bhalla
The injustice of solitary confinement and the transformative power of art are explored in Herman's House, a feature documentary that follows the unlikely friendship between a New York artist and one of America's most famous inmates as they collaborate on an acclaimed art project.
In 1972, New Orleans native Herman Joshua Wallace (b. 1941) was serving a 25-year sentence for bank robbery when he was accused of murdering an Angola Prison guard and thrown into solitary confinement. Many believed him wrongfully convicted. Appeals were made but Herman remained in jail and—to increasingly widespread outrage—in solitary.
Years passed with one day much like the next. Then in 2001 Herman received a perspective-shifting letter from a Jackie Sumell, a young art student, who posed the provocative question: "What kind of house does a man who has lived in a six-foot-by-nine-foot cell for over 30 years dream of?"
Thus began an inspired creative dialogue, unfolding over hundreds of letters and phone calls and yielding a multi-faceted collaborative project that includes the exhibition "The House That Herman Built." The revelatory art installation—featuring a full-scale wooden model of Herman's cell and detailed plans of his dream home—has brought thousands of gallery visitors around the world face-to-face with the harsh realities of the American prison system.
There are 2.2 million people in jail in the U.S. More than 80,000 of those are in solitary confinement. Herman Wallace has been there longer than anyone. With compassion and meaningful artistry, Herman's House takes us inside the lives and imaginations of two unforgettable characters--forging a friendship and building a dream in the struggle to end the "cruel and unusual punishment" of long-term solitary confinement.
Download film for $4
Angad Bhalla
Herman Wallace, Jackie Summel
Iris Ng; Nicolas Brault - Animation
Ricardo Acosta
Daniel Pellerin


text:
Canada Has Warmest (7.2 °F Above Normal) and Driest (22% Below Normal) Winter on Record
Image: Environment Canada
Warm & Dry
The preliminary numbers are out for the winter of 2009-2010 in Canada, and it turns out that it was the warmest and driest winter since records began in 1948. "The national average temperature for the winter 2009/2010 was 4.0°C (7.2 °F) above normal [...] The previous record was 2005/2006 which was 3.9°C above normal. At 3.2°C below normal, the winter of 1971/1972 remains the coolest." Precipitations were also significantly below normal (by 22% nationally). "The previous driest winter was 1977/1978, 20.1% below normal."
What This Means, and What This Doesn't Mean
Of course, this is a different thing from global warming. The "global" part is important; if we want to determine if our planet is getting warmer on average, we have to look at temperatures everywhere and not just in one country.
But this certainly a sign that something is happening, and once we've combined data for all countries and oceans, we'll be able to know how the winter of 2009-2010 stacks up historically.
What About All that Snow in the US?
One thing that a lot of people are probably thinking is: But what about the US? Didn't we have a really cold winter?
I haven't seen the numbers for the US yet, but there are a few things to consider. First, it's possible for a winter to have terrible cold snaps yet be pretty warm on average. We've had some really cold days in Canada this winter, and they are more memorable than slightly above average days, but what matters is the average for the whole winter over the whole country (and over the whole planet).
As for getting lots of snow, it's not necessarily a sign of a cold winter. Warmer air can hold more moisture, which can lead to more precipitations. So record snowfalls don't necessarily equal to record cold weather. But climate systems are very complex, with lots of variables and feedback loops, so it's hard to know exactly what caused those record snowfalls in the US (possibly warmer ocean surfaces leading to more evaporation).
Via Environment Canada, GCC
More Climate Science
Bill Gates at TED 2010: Climate and Energy
Americans Support Strong Climate & Energy Policy: Yale Poll
Prostitutes Offer Free Sex at Climate Summit in Copenhagen
Image: Environment Canada Warm & Dry The preliminary numbers are out for the winter of 2009-2010 in Canada, and it turns out that it was the warmest and driest winter since records began in 1948. "The national average temperature for the winter


What is the greenhouse effect? Our atmosphere is just a thin layer of gas, but it and its greenhouse effect make life on Earth possible � and could destroy life as we know it. Read more. Seven ways to reduce CO2 emissions Carbon offsetting is meant to neutralize CO2 emissions and global warming, but does it really help the planet? This gallery assesses the impact.... SciEd.ucar.edu Answer Key for Greenhouse Effect Assessment Questions 1. What is the major cause of the greenhouse effect? a) Gases in the atmosphere absorb heat from the Sun.
This whole process is basically what causes the greenhouse effect. Without greenhouse effect, this planet would have been much colder and difficult for human race to survive. Increase in the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere results in glanzer and cunitz 1966 serial position effect pdf Sources: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Working Group I Contribution to the Fourth Assessment Report, Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis, Chapter 2, Changes in atmospheric constituents and in radiative forcing, Table 2.12, p. 204; Bureau of Meteorology, The greenhouse effect and climate change, 2003, Table 2, p. 18.
process of the greenhouse effect, as shown in the pictures, using the prompts. Students Students can check their answers using the suggested sentences in the answer key.


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Ryan lives every moment of his life to help others, be it intuitive guidance, compassionate dentistry or daring to be a light of love in the dark.


Quick update. I've been admitted now to Labor & Delivery. The pessary has been removed and I am about 4.5cms dilated, 80% effaced and having pretty hefty contractions every 90 seconds. I am on the magnesium drip which fortunately isn't so bad. I am 29 weeks.
We've met with the neonatologists which was terrifying but had all of the grandparents here for the meeting actually which was nice to have everyone in the same page re:extended care. Grant is setting up cord blood banking as I type this, we banked Grace's with CBR and as a last minute decision giving birth at 29 weeks, decided to go ahead with this little girl's cord blood and tissue as well through CBR.
My water hasn't broken and since baby is doing well on the monitors, we are just waiting it out. Likely she is coming today, maybe tomorrow if we can get an extra day of incubation in.
Really grateful to have our family here. Mom made my favorite cookies this morning for when I'll finally be able to eat after delivery and is sitting with a coloring book in the waiting room- unwilling to leave even though it may be a few hours, and dad is getting me my favorite sandwich (after delivering Grace all I wanted was a sandwich!) Pat and Simone are watching Grace and my mother-in-law is helping Grant by managing things at the new house.
love you all, thanks for walking alongside our growing family on this difficult journey.
"Have baby, will travel" has been our motto since Grace was born. Within three weeks of birth she had gone on two 4+ hour roadtrips to visit great grandparents and was on her first cross-country plane ride at 6 weeks - 15 flights by age 1. Under age 1 is easy, but as we know, curious toddlers need distractions, which initially led me to a search for busy bags and quiet books.
I was absolutely delighted when one of the mom's from my Mother's Together group invited me to participate in a "Busy Bag Exchange" where each mom makes a dozen of one type of busy bag, and then goes home with a dozen new bags to keep her toddler distracted throughout the upcoming holiday travel season. From all the research I had done, I immediately knew I wanted to make the Mr. Potato Head velcro games as my project- providing children an opportunity to quietly and creatively dress their own flat Mr. Potato Head with a variety of hats, shoes, eyes, and other parts in all different colors, shapes, and sizes.
After scouring the web, I landed on Jayme Carlton's awesome templates which were easy to just print off on cardstock, cut and laminate. Using both the main template and the additional accessories template provided more variety for the kids' imaginations.
4. Add rough side of velcro dots to potato where a hat, eyes, hands/ears, nose, mouth and shoes go. All individual parts should have the soft side of the velcro dots (less rough when your child is putting her hand in the bag).
5. Assemble bags and give away!!!
I am hoping to do something similar on a snowman for the holidays, could also do a tree and ornaments!
Yesterday Dr. D came by suggesting we take a look at the baby/my cervix and discuss going home to continue bedrest. I was ecstatic! Over the past week all of the other doctors had mentioned it, but as Dr. D is the most conservative - I didn't even consider going home until the word came from her!
We set the time for noon, Grant came to meet us, and Dr. D rolled the ultrasound machine into my room where we saw Baby A is doing great, weighing in at 2 lbs 4 ounces with all vitals & amniotic fluid looking perfect - a huge relief! She is unfortunately breach which means I would have to have a C-section if my water breaks/labor begins so I am wrapping my head around that (after giving birth naturally to 9.5lb Grace, have a Csection for a preemie seems ridiculous) but overall faith was restored that the bedrest approach is working.
While stable, the reality is my cervix is still dilated and we are just at the 26 week mark - we have a long journey still before we wouldn't need instantaneous medical intervention if labor began. The two biggest risks right now are infection causing PTL or my waters spontaneously breaking as my membranes are exposed. In the words of Dr. D, "We have a few more weeks until we don't have to worry about the baby just falling out." If we were to go into labor now or anytime before week 32, I would need to be hooked up to a Magnesium Sulfate Drip-IV to prevent brain bleeding and given another round of corticosteroids for Baby A's lungs before delivering. Unfortunately I am not a candidate for drugs that post-pone labor/stop contractions due to my severe allergy to aspirin and anti-inflamatories.
I want to go home. I miss watching Grace grow, cuddling with Kellydog and spending quality time with my husband. I haven't really slept since I was admitted as I hear babies crying all night which cause me to miss sweet Grace and the nurses take my vitals (temperature, blood pressure, lung capacity, HR) every 3 hours to ensure I am not at risk for infection that can cause labor- which means absolutely no REM sleep, coupled with pregnancy insomnia. The days are long and lonely- usually my family leaves by 6pm to put Grace to bed and I don't see anyone until noon the next day - leaving 18 hours of restless solitude. Crafting in bed is frustrating at this point, reading a chore and meditating something I do only to check the box. The bland hospital food just makes me miss cooking for my family and I really really miss the sunshine. I have only been outside for 10 minutes in 14 days. I am trying to stay positive, but it is a challenge. I have never been one for jealousy but this dark, unknown emotion envelopes me every time someone visits and then walks out my door-- I almost don't want visitors at this point because the emotion is so overwhelming whenever someone stands and gets to leave this place. Have I mentioned how much I miss Grace?! I feel imprisoned but my family isn't very supportive of home bedrest so here is where I am stuck.
I never imagined that the most difficult challenge I would face as a woman wouldn't be a physical or mental one, yet an emotional challenge. I am torn because I absolutely want to do everything for thriving Baby A, but I also feel like I am missing so much with Grace growing so quickly. It is a tough scale to balance. This rollercoaster sure is giving me a ride. Halloween is going to be tough.
With the "Bedrest Blues" creeping in, my awesome nurse Kelley tried to cheer me up by having a surprise therapy dog, Appache - a beautiful white lab in a halloween bandana, come visit in the afternoon. Well this set off the Niagara Falls of tears streaming down my face missing Kellydog. It was embarrassing. This is the longest I have ever been away from her, and it was all downhill from there.
Although my frustrations are rising, I am trying my best to keep perspective and remember how truly lucky I am that God gave us the gift to do something (or nothing depending on how you look at it) these past few weeks to keep this baby cooking. Too many of my girl friends have suffered the loss of a miscarriage which makes me feel so guilty complaining about the small sacrifices I am having to make now. I will never fully understand their loss (but gain great strength from their experience and always admire how they've handled with grace), yet I do sympathize with the fear we faced these past few weeks as we creep toward viability- and the overwhelming responsibility all on me to keep this baby cooking.
At the end of the day, we decided that I will stay put in room 166 until November 6th (or if I go in labor) as that weekend I will turn 28 weeks with the greatest of risk diminished. My dad's 60th is November 20th and my 31st on Thanksgiving Day, November 26th, so hopefully it sounds like I'll get to be home by then, still cooking this Baby Girl!
"I'll be gone 'til November, I'll be gone 'til November..."


Our conference is planned entirely by and for students, and you're invited.
One of the conference's most unique aspects is the Executive Committee, a team of some twenty students who plan the conference in its entirety. While the conference's goals do not change year to year, every other detail is planned by this group of dedicated volunteers. We also take the group through a variety of bonding exercises, to explore their own identity as well as learn about others in the group. The Executive Committee also has a chance to participate in several workshops on different diversity-related topics leading up to the conference.
The committee is open to all high school students. We actively recruit and encourage students from all backgrounds and from a variety of Western Slope high schools to join us for this unique, compelling experience.
The meetings for the 2019 MWDC Executive Committee will begin in July 2019. The group meets weekly through the conference day in October, with breaks for holidays. Regular attendance at the meetings is required, so please consider the time commitment before agreeing to participate.
Meetings take place throughout Eagle and Garfield County, depending on the locations of students participating in the event. Contact Hannah Shapiro at (847) 858-3595 with any questions.
If you're interested in joining the 2019 MWDC Executive Committee, please fill out the form below.


A Doncaster comedy pianist is hoping to become the borough's next reality television star after making it on to a hit ITV show.
Legendary veteran entertainer Colin 'Fingers' Henry was given four 'yes' votes in Saturday's episode of Britain's Got Talent – meaning he now goes through to the next round, with a chance of making the final and the prize of appearing at the Royal Variety Performance.
The comic star, from Barnby Dun, performed his famous routine of playing the piano while balancing on his head.
Colin, who has been in showbiz for more than 50 years, left judges Simon Cowell, David Walliams, Alesha Dixon and Amanda Holden open-mouthed as he performed his trademark act, which he has honed in pubs and clubs and on cruise ships during his career.
It seems the public were very impressed too, as he has been named as a rank outsider to win the talent contest.
Bookmakers Boyle Sports have priced Colin at 100-1 to win the show – although that does mean he ranks at the bottom end of the list of contenders.
The musician was picked to perform in the auditions at Liverpool Empire after impressing different judges in an earlier audition at Doncaster Little Theatre, where he also performed his famed routine.
The entertainer, who has rubbed shoulders with star names such as Bob Monkhouse, Norman Wisdom, Paul Daniels, Frankie Howerd and many more during his career, has played all over the globe during his time in the limelight.
Known locally as Colin 'Fingers' Henry, his name has been shortened to simply Colin Henry on the show.
It is not the first time the dad-of-four has appeared on a TV talent show.
He appeared on New Faces in 1974 and his routine earned him lucrative summer seasons across the UK with talented fellow South Yorkshire comedienne and singer Marti Caine.


The Dornier Do 17, sometimes referred to as the Fliegender Bleistift (German: "flying pencil"), was a World War II German light bomber produced by Claudius Dornier's company, Dornier Flugzeugwerke. It was designed as a Schnellbomber ("fast bomber"), a light bomber which, in theory, would be so fast that it could outrun defending fighter aircraft.
The Dornier was designed with two engines mounted on a "shoulder wing" structure and possessed a twin tail fin configuration. The type was popular among its crews due to its manoeuvrable handling at low altitude, which made the Dornier capable of surprise bombing attacks. Its sleek and thin airframe made it harder to hit than other German bombers, as it presented less of a target.
Designed in the early 1930s, it was one of the three main Luftwaffe bomber types used in the first three years of the war. The Do 17 made its combat debut in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War, operating in the Condor Legion in various roles. Along with the Heinkel He 111 it was the main bomber type of the German air arm in 1939–1940. The Dornier was used throughout the war, and saw action in significant numbers in every major campaign theatre as a front line aircraft until the end of 1941, when its effectiveness and usage was curtailed as its bomb load and range were limited. Production of the Dornier ended in the summer of 1940, in favour of the newer and more powerful Junkers Ju 88. The successor of the Do 17 was the much more powerful Dornier Do 217, which started to appear in strength in 1942. Even so, the Do 17 continued service in the Luftwaffe in various roles until the end of the war, as a glider tug, research and trainer aircraft. A considerable number of surviving examples were sent to other Axis nations. Few Dornier Do 17s survived the war. The last was scrapped in Finland in 1952.
On 3 September 2010, the Royal Air Force Museum London announced the discovery of a Dornier Do 17 buried in the Goodwin Sands off the coast of Kent, England. The aircraft is in good condition, and owing to its unique and rare stature, the Museum is making plans to protect the bomber and to raise it.
Despite the success of the Do-17, owing to shortages in the supply of the Daimler-Benz engine, the production Do 17M was fitted with the Bramo 323 engine, with the corresponding reconnaissance aircraft, the Do 17P, being powered by BMW 132Ns to give better range.
The supply of the DB 600 remained extremely limited as production was soon switched over to the fuel-injected DB 601, which was reserved for the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Messerschmitt Bf 110 fighters. Therefore production versions of the basic Do 17M model airframe were fitted with the new Bramo 323A-1 Fafnir engines of 670 kW (900 hp), which gave reasonable performance and raised the bomb load to 1,000 kg (2,200 lb). The resulting Do 17M-1 was produced in small numbers and operated until 1941.
The prototypes for the M-1 series were Do 17M V1 (Wrk Nr 691) and Do 17M V2 (Wrk Nr 692) which were tested with bomb loads of a medium bomber. The third prototype, Do 17M V3 was evaluated as a fast bomber. The MV1 was fitted with two Daimler Benz DB 601 inline engines while the MV2 and MV3 had the Bramo 323 A and D respectively. The Ministry of Aviation favoured the widespread use of the DB 601, but demand for the DB 601s in fighter aircraft and the lack of production forced the use of the Bramo.
The Do 17M-1 started its service as a medium bomber and was able to carry 2,200 lb (1,000 kg) of bombs. It was equipped with two air-cooled Bramo 323 A-1 or A-2. The defensive armament consisted of two, and later three, MG 15 machine guns. The first was operated in an A-Stand pod operated by the navigator through the windshield. The position was allocated 370 rounds of ammunition. The rearward firing B-Stand was operated by the radio operator and allocated 750 rounds. The rear position in the lower fuselage was allocated 375 rounds in a C-Stand pod. The Do 17M could carry a bomb load of either 20 SC50 50 kg (110 lb) or two SC250 500 kg (1,100 lb) bombs or 10 SC50 and a single SC250 bomb. The speed of the M was superior to that of the E variant. The Do 17M could reach 420 km/h (250 mph) at altitudes of 3,500 m (11,500 ft) and could achieve a maximum service ceiling of 5,790 m (19,000 ft) and a range of 850 nautical miles (1,570 km).
Typical of RS kits, the exterior detailing is very well done with finely engraved panel lines. The tan sprues did not have any flash or sink areas that I could see. They did, however, have ejector towers on the inside of any part of relatively large size like the wings, engine nacelles and the such. The kit relies on photo etch and resin parts to provide the very small parts. The photo etch fret is in color by Eduard and includes the main instrument panel and instruments, seat harnesses, rudder pedals, elevator hinges, engine pushrods, cowling braces and some very thin additions to the landing gear.
Resin is used for the cockpit seats, engine intakes, and machine gun bits. Engine cowlings are split vertically so there will be a lip seam to try to blend in. There are a few interior instrument panels and a bulkhead. The cockpit as such is simply the floor, seats for the pilot, navigator and gunner along with a control column and rudder pedals. Wheel wells are devoid of any detail, though there is detail on the gear door insides. Clear parts are well done though a bit on the thick side. As you can see from the parts diagram, therea re bits that are not used for this variant.
Instructions are a single sheet of folded paper with only half of that space used for the 11 construction steps. It is really quite a small area to cram all that information so one will need to be careful not to miss anything. No interior or wheel well color information is supplied, though I would suspect both to be RLM 02. Exterior painting information is provided with RLM and generic numbers. Two aircraft, both in RLM 70/71/65 are on the painting guide. One is the box art plane with yellow engine cowlings from an unknown training squadron. One would have though that a bit of research would have provided an operational bomber. The other is for a Bulgarian AF version with white wing tips top and bottom as well as a white fuselage band from 1944. The decals look to be well printed. I am not sure if anyone does aftermarket markings for this plane.
Truth be told, were this kit not on sale I would never have bought it. I am sure by just looking at it that it is worlds ahead of the Airfix Do-17, but that is sort of apples and oranges as this is the radial engine version and the Airfix kit is not. The detail is there and I am sure that with a bit of care, it will build into an excellent model.
As a note, back in 2006, before this kit was issued, Carmel Attard kitbased the Do-17P, which was the recce version of the M. Here is his article.


Classic meets digital: Minox has equipped this miniaturized Leica M3 classic camera of the fifties with a digital interior.
The Minox Digital Classic Camera Leica M3 5.0 with a resolution of 5 Megapixel enables the user to shoot sharper images with even higher detail definition. It is quick and convenient to use and is excellently suited for beginners entering the world of digital photography and for users who have already discovered this digital realm. Up to 99 images can be captured on the internal 32 MB memory chip. The USB cable which comes with the camera means that shots can be quickly and conveniently loaded onto the PC and then processed using the supplied software.
The camera was available earlier with 4 Megapixel in stead of 5 Megapixel resolution.
A real Leica M3 was used in the novel Goldfinger.
Find the Minox Leica M3 digital camera on Amazon.com or eBay.