The Courage to be a Stepmom by Sue Patton Thoele is a fantastic book choice. The author is a psychotherapist who has walked the path and lives to write about it. It comes HIGHLY recommended.
The first question is, what is the goal here? Or more specifically, what is the goal for you and what is the goal for the children? What is the best way to achieve balance and unity in this situation?
When communicating with the other parent, your spouse needs to be the main show. You are an equal party in your marriage, but when it comes to managing the relationship with his children's mother, it is his responsibility to be the first line of offense (or defense depending on how you see it) and support you along the way.
Communication is going to be vital and a challenge at times. The intensity of the emotion that comes with the protectiveness we feel for our children and any hurt or anger we feel ourselves can become an obstacle. In any form of communication, once one party feels defensive and attacked, the communication can become blocked and shut down. The goal becomes defending yourself and not as much hearing what the other person has to say. That will be the challenge.
If a disagreement between you does arise, focus on the fact that you do not have control over how you are spoken to, what is said or the way it said, but you do have control over how you respond. Make it clear how you expect to be spoken to and how to respectfully meet your needs. If the person you are speaking to becomes irrational, do your best to remain calm and keep your points simple and clear. Feeding fire with fire only creates a bigger blaze, making it less manageable to control and creating lasting damage even after it burns out.
When it comes to the children, do whatever you can not to ever bad mouth the other parent. When we speak negatively of someone, we are attempting to sway the person we are telling to side with us and pick an allegiance. Inadvertently asking a child to pick an allegiance of those they are supposed to trust is unfair, unnecessary and hurtful, no matter which direction it goes in. It is extremely important to model behavior and respect for everyone in the family because children learn what they see and experience. Every interaction we have with others, teaches them how to treat people and us! Again, you can not control how they perceive the interactions between you and the other parent, but you can definitely control how you engage and what you model.
The best part of this is that you are in complete control of how you handle and view this situation, which is both empowering and comforting. No matter what happens, you get to call the shots as to how you will respond. Not to say it's easy (and may even feel impossible at times) to let go of the frustration and the moments where you feel your hands are tied, but when you step back and realize that you can change your perspective, your viewpoint, your attitude, at any moment, you have the ability to maintain your balance each step of the way.


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Q: TTFB is 6+ seconds when using nginx to load static file I'm using Vue-cli as front end and using webpack to build static files.
The nginx config is :
server {
   listen       80;
    server_name  127.0.0.1;
    location / {
        root   /var/www/project/dist;
        index  index.html index.htm;
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.html;
    }
    location ^~/api/ { proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:5438/api/; }
 }

The dist files are
    dist/
    ├── [1.1K]  favicon.ico
    ├── [ 901]  index.html
    └── [441K]  static
       ├── [229K]  css
       │   ├── [189K]  app.0134d2dda560ad06a1485c5f69858798.css
       │   └── [ 36K]  app.0134d2dda560ad06a1485c5f69858798.css.gz
       ├── [ 15K]  fonts
       │   └── [ 11K]  element-icons.6f0a763.ttf
       └── [193K]  js
           ├── [ 53K]  app.ce2c95e6433bd8164fc4.js
           ├── [ 18K]  app.ce2c95e6433bd8164fc4.js.gz
           ├── [ 799]  manifest.2ae2e69a05c33dfc65f8.js
           ├── [ 88K]  vendor.78ce98b3a34633bdf003.js
           └── [ 29K]  vendor.78ce98b3a34633bdf003.js.gz

When I visit it, The TTFB for manifest.js is over 6 seconds, so it's quite slow to load the first screen. How to improve that?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


A great car and a great value! Nissan paid particular attention to efficiency and practicality with the following features: 1-touch window functionality, an overhead console, and more. It features a front-wheel-drive platform, an automatic transmission, and a 2.5 liter 4 cylinder engine.


Day 6 of our motorcycle journey brings us to the village of Phong Nha. A cluster of humongous caves is a relatively new addition to the tourist map in Vietnam. Its definitely a worthwhile stop – both for the caves and the scenery – especially if you are traveling by motorbike.
Mongolia for me, Mongolia for you.


In the words of Inception's Dom Cobb: "Once an idea has taken hold of the brain, it's almost impossible to eradicate." And so it took hold in late summer of 2010—a daily devotional video blog. 30God.com launched its first video on the first day of 2011, and the first blog comments began appearing.
During its first six months, Suzy, from the countryside of England, would share with viewers in Georgia her struggles with cancer. Her testimony of the power of God to overcome all adversities encouraged viewers in Cleveland. The encouragement she received from Raleigh brought a brilliant joy into the darkness of pain.
A manager of a failing architectural firm in Michigan commented in response to Milton's video, "great reminder—I haven't reached the destination yet." But it was through the manager's encouragement that his whole management team began following the daily devotional videos. As the firm struggled with bids that were not accepted, the videos began emboldening the team. Day after day the videos seemed to dislocate every roadblock of discouragement. "Did you see today's 30God?" was often heard around the office.
Reading a daily devotional has most times been a very private experience, even when the words are so inspiring that we feel we must share our thoughts with others. The "blogosphere" allowed us to break this mold—to do devotionals in a way where we connected with people we had never met before. The experience was entirely new and yet a struggle as it caught on. The increasing number of comments did not contribute to connection, but discouraged it. A blog was determined a success by how many responses it solicited, but with success the reader could not possibly read all the comments, much less respond to them.
Connectedness to an author is enhanced in blogging as the writer shares her or his thoughts often in a stream of consciousness spread over several days. But with the evolving technology of the Internet, could connectedness be further enhanced with video? The answer was our pursuit.
They all felt connected to Beth not only with her thoughts, but also with her calming manner in delivering such a challenging message. This connectedness was so enhanced by being able to see her as she spoke of her time with Becky.
While the blog responses reflected a connection with the video contributor, none of the responders were interacting with each other. Wanting to understand how to generate more of this, in August 2011 we called a halt to the videos on 30God.com, after it had created almost 200 videos. We began an effort to determine how best to create more of a connected interactive community on the Internet.
We recognized that we were giving people a devotional answer to perceived daily problems. While many were connecting with the devotionals by the video contributors, they were not being asked to do anything other than affirm and encourage. This did not create opportunities for connection between responders.
For the time being we have chosen to follow the challenge of creating the interactive community. We began with changing the name of the website from 30God.com, a catchy but non-descriptive name, to whatisfaith.co (not .com). The new name both asks a question and sets a topical parameter. What is faith?—a subject that has challenged every generation of humankind.
Next we challenged the idea of a daily video. If we were giving answers, daily works. But if we are asking a question, we must give people more time to answer the question. We landed on a weekly question. Each Monday we would create a quick 30 second situational video ending in a question concerning some aspect of faith.
Our next challenge was to ask ourselves about the nature of community, its size and affinity. We knew that the cell or small group movement in churches today had shown that groups beyond about 12 people were not conducive to interaction. But was that because of time constraints? Was it the gravitational anonymity for introverted people in larger group settings? And if so, does the Internet community redefine those communication boundaries?
The second question concerned affinity. Is it more conducive for people who already know each other and have some interaction with each other outside the whatisfaith.co environment? Or does anonymity help in creating a safer environment for exchanging ideas and experiences?
We learned from facebook.com that the Internet is anything but private. We also knew that small group encounters were by nature places where confidentiality was essential. So how would these interactive groups function in an open Internet environment? Could we provide private blogs?
These are the cutting edge questions that we are struggling to answer today. If you are interested, contact us at whatisfaith.co.
Coleman Moore is founder of thinkGod, LLC, the owner of 30God.com and whatisfaith.co.


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A Look At LEGO…. Pirates At 30
Posted by Adam White on Sep 19, 2019
Y'arr me hearties today be National Talk like a Pirate Day so we thought we'd set sail for one of LEGOLAND's most beloved themes and take A Look at LEGO…. Pirates, which is also celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. The Pirates LEGO theme first launched way back in 1989 and featured Minifigure pirates, soldiers and islanders along with system sets...
Celebrating 10 Years Of LEGO Winter Village
Back in 2009 Christmas became a little more special with the release of the first festive set in the LEGO® Creator Expert subtheme lovely known as Winter Village. Every years since a new set has joined the ranks and helped to inspire builders to create their own festive displays. With the announcement of the Gingerbread House, the Winter Village range marks its tenth set release and...
Home » A Look at LEGO….
Y'arr me hearties today be National Talk like a Pirate Day so we thought we'd set sail for one of LEGOLAND's most beloved themes and take A Look at LEGO…. Pirates, which is also celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. The Pirates LEGO theme first launched way back in 1989 and featured Minifigure pirates, soldiers and islanders along with system sets including sailing ships, desert islands and military...
Back in 2009 Christmas became a little more special with the release of the first festive set in the LEGO® Creator Expert subtheme lovely known as Winter Village. Every years since a new set has joined the ranks and helped to inspire builders to create their own festive displays. With the announcement of the Gingerbread House, the Winter Village range marks its tenth set release and its tenth anniversary. But with the Gingerbread...
LEGO Fabuland At 40
Posted By Adam White on Aug 31, 2019
Forty years ago and long before the cross-product success of Bionicle, NINJAGO and CHIMA, plus more recent story-driven themes such as Hidden Side, the LEGO Group created a whole new theme aimed at young children that would sit between DUPLO and the standard LEGO® System range. Released in 1979, Fabuland was the first theme that LEGO created which went beyond the brick, by also encompassing storybooks, clothing and a great stop-motion...
The Newbury Files: Uncovering The Hidden Side
Posted By Adam White on Aug 6, 2019
Don't let the quiet town of Newbury fool you, it may be a picturesque little town on the surface. But there's a darker side to Newbury, which has remained hidden until now. Local scientist J.B. Watt has been dabbling with unlocking the hidden side of Newbury and tasks local teens, Parker and Jack, with helping to discover exactly what is going down in Newbury. Using the latest technology, these ghost getting guys are complied a...
The Building Bricks From Earth To The Moon
Posted By Adam White on Jul 16, 2019
As the world marks the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon, it's the perfect opportunity to take a little look at some of the LEGO® sets which have been inspired by the work of NASA. Beyond sets which have been directly inspired by real life space missions, that monumental moment in 1969 changed popular culture forever. It inspired everything from the Jetsons, to the Clangers and more obviously Star Wars. It...
A Look At LEGO…. Microscale
Posted By Adam White on Mar 14, 2019
I think we can all agree that LEGO® Minifigures are pretty awesome, for the past 40 odd years they have been inhabiting LEGO sets and beyond, adding an extra level of fun to LEGO play. But sometimes their small stature can be a too little big to create the prefect LEGO recreation of various vehicles, building or locations. Over the years Microscale builds have become more commonplace in LEGO sets, from entire themes like LEGO...
A Look At LEGO…. Creator Expert Vehicles
Posted By Adam White on Feb 28, 2019
With the LEGO® Creator Expert Ford Mustang racing into stores tomorrow, it's the perfect opportunity to take a look back at some of the past LEGO Creator Expert vehicles which have been released over the years. The current standard of Creator Expert Vehicles began in 2011 with the VW Camper Van and almost every year since, the range has given us a new large scale set to build. So far each release has been created in partnership...
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Rick Scott challenges Mitch McConnell for Senate Republican leader role, says the conference should 'be far more bold and resolute'
Alex Nitzberg
Photo (left): Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images; Photo (right): Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida is mounting a bid to challenge Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for the position of Senate GOP leader.
"I'm writing to you today because I believe it's time for the Senate Republican Conference to be far more bold and resolute than we have been in the past. We must start saying what we are for, not just what we are against," Scott wrote in a letter to colleagues that has been posted by Fox News.
\u201cThe status quo is broken and big change is needed. It's time for new leadership in the Senate that unites Republicans to advance a bold conservative agenda.\n\nThat's why I'm running to be the Senate Republican Leader.\nhttps://t.co/B0rdMuR64Z\u201d
— Rick Scott (@Rick Scott) 1668543943
"We know that chief among our problems in races across America was a lack of Republican voter turnout. There may be many reasons for that, but after travelling the country to support our candidates I believe voters want a plan. They are begging us to tell them what we will do when we are in charge. Unfortunately, we have continued to elect leadership who refuses to do that and elicits attacks on anyone that does. That is clearly not working and it's time for bold change," he wrote.
Scott, who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee, made multiple pledges about how he would handle the role if elected to serve as Senate GOP leader, some of which included that he will never ask legislators to vote on a measure they have not had a chance to review and that he will never push them to vote in a manner that goes against the best interest of their state or the platform on which they ran for office .
"I will work tirelessly to help elect all Republican Senators, whether they are likely to support me or not," Scott wrote. "I will never surprise you with legislation and ask that you vote on something you haven't had an opportunity to review," he noted. "I will lead the conference in developing a positive, aspirational agenda that outlines our legislative goals and what Senate Republicans stand for," he pledged. "I will never pressure you to vote in a way that is counter to what you campaigned on or not in the best interests of your state."
Democrats will maintain control of the U.S. Senate next year, so the Senate GOP leader will be the Senate minority leader rather than the Senate majority leader.
McConnell, a lawmaker from Kentucky who has served in the Senate chamber for more than three decades, has been either the Senate minority leader or majority leader since 2007.
Former President Donald Trump has been a strong critic of McConnell, referring to him in September as a "lapdog" for Democrats and an "absolute Loser ... who folds every time against the Democrats." In another statement, Trump exclaimed, "McConnell is so bad!"
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Massive great white shark decapitated diver in first fatal attack of 2023: Report
Damar Hamlin speaks publicly for first time since on-field collapse: 'With God's guidance, I will continue to do wonderful and great things'


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If a third party must decide: The reimbursement amount set by the Arbitration Board
Our latest blog post looks at how the Arbitration Board makes decisions and also provides an overview of decisions made in 2022.
A case that is sometimes not avoidable: The negotiation parties PC (pharmaceutical company) and the GKV-SV (National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds) cannot decide on the reimbursement amount for a pharmaceutical and/or on further contract components.
The AMNOG process regularly defines that the period of price negotiation starts after the benefit assessment. During this time, it is the responsibility of the PC and the GKV-SV to commonly agree on the reimbursement amount for the pharmaceutical. This should happen according to § 130b para. 9 SGB V within four negotiation meetings and six months. However, sometimes at the end of this period, the two parties are still (far) apart in their ideas about the appropriate reimbursement amount or individual contract components. The reasons for this can be manifold. However, it is usually the reimbursement amount that remains in dispute between the two parties. If this is the case, Section 130b (4) of the German Social Code, Book V stipulates that the Arbitration Board must be called, and the three-month process of arbitration begins.
How does the arbitration proceed formally?
After the start of the arbitration proceedings, both parties prepare the so-called "concretizing request". This contains a statement of all rationales and arguments that are to contribute to the resolution of the issues in dispute. The Arbitration Board determines a deadline for the submission of the concretizing applications. Additionally, the Arbitration Board sets the date for the oral hearing. This date is the actual date of the Arbitration Board. Here, both parties have the opportunity to present all arguments and discuss counterarguments during a plenary session. Moreover, the Arbitration Board can clarify open questions concerning the rationales of both parties. After that, the Arbitration Board comes together, consisting of three impartial members, two representatives of the PC, and two representatives of the GKV-SV. They decide on the outcome of the matter in dispute and write the so-called arbitration award.
The arbitration award presents the derivation and argumentation of the Arbitration Board as well as the final decision on the issues that were in dispute. During the price negotiation period, everything is confidential, but the arbitration award is publicly available. It can be received by the administrative office of the Arbitration Board.
Prof. Dr. Stefan Huster has been the impartial chairman of the Arbitration Board since July 2019. Since the beginning of the AMNOG, there have been 62 arbitration awards, seven of which were decided in 2022. However, this does not mean that only 62 arbitration processes have been conducted. The Arbitration Board endeavors to ensure that both parties exchange views again in the phase of drafting the concretizing application, but at the latest during the oral hearing, in order to agree on further aspects and, at best, to reach a final agreement. According to experience, this succeeds more often than average. It is often advantageous for both parties to reach an agreement in this way. In this way, they do not relinquish decision-making power to a third party and can influence the outcome more strongly. In addition, the arguments and discussions of both parties remain confidential.
In return, the arbitration awards publication is often directive for future price negotiations and arbitration processes. The content and the arguments and rationales of the Arbitration Board are analyzed to receive hints about future decisions by the Arbitration Board. These findings can be used in future price negotiations by the PC and GKV-SV to validate the plausibility of their rationales and predict the decision by the Arbitration Board.
What were the topics of the Arbitration Board in 2022?
Various therapeutic areas were covered by the Arbitration Board in the past year (see table 1).
Table 1: Arbitration awards from 2022 (as of 05.01.2023)
Two of these proceedings involved orphan drugs. The reimbursement amount was in dispute in all arbitration processes. The Arbitration Board decided in a single case on a price increase of 65%, in one case for no price change, and in the other processes up to a rebate of 99.8%. All of this year's Arbitration Board decisions highlighted interesting aspects that could be relevant for future arbitration awards, but also for price negotiations (see Table 2).
Table 2: Relevant issues of the arbitration awards in 2022 (state: 2023-01-05)
SmartStep analyzes all published arbitration awards based on various factors. This knowledge is used for the preparation and support of price negotiations. Additionally, based on this, possible scenarios for the decision of the Arbitration Board can be created.
Moreover, SmartStep supports PC in the arbitration process. The support can range from critical commenting of the draft of the concretizing application, the preparation of the strategy for the arbitration process to the attendance and support in the oral hearing.
Simply contact us by e-mail and we will be happy to advise you.


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Q: Android keystore password field I have finished developing an android application and decided to signed it with a keystore.
I have no problem for this process, but I do have a question regarding the keystore's password. I'm creating the keystore from eclipse, at Keystore selection window, i chosed to create new keystore. After i pressed next, under the Key Creation window, im required to key in details for the keystore ; alias, validity, password etc.
What i wanted to ask is, is there any difference between the password field in the Key Creation windows and the Keystore selection windows? I tried putting in same passwords for both and it works fine for me. Can i chose to put in different password? Does it affect anything for that particular keystore? Hopefully anyone could provide me an insight for this.

A: Keystores hold many keys. Whereas your key is a single item contained in the keystore. They can have the same password, but that compromises your keystore if your key's password is leaked somehow. I would recommend having the keystore and key password differ.
So yes, the password fields are for two separate things because you are creating two separate items, and following good password practices, they should each have two separate passwords.


If you are modernising your bathroom, or creating a wet room for scratch, a high quality waterproof wall kit is an essential element.
Complete with 6 x 12mm waterproof boards, along with waterproof tape, pro sealant and 45mm screws, this kit will provide 4.32 sq metres of coverage.
What's more, with a light construction that contains high density EPS foam, the boards are easy to handle and cut down to size.
The cement based coating comes ready for tiling and contains embedded polymers to keep your shower area mould-free.
Can I paint on top of these boards?
It's probably best to not paint on top of these boards, Carolyn.


text:
Hard work, perseverance serve Billy Horschel at Memorial
DUBLIN, Ohio — Billy Horschel won't blame you if all you remember from his win at the Memorial Tournament Presented by Workday on Sunday is his eagle on the 15th hole. His nearly 55-foot putt, curling right to left, was a splendid shot and extended his two-stroke lead to four, the final margin as Horschel (72) beat Aaron Wise (71).
But while the eagle stands out, shiny things don't excite Horschel, who is more obsessed with peak performance and what's in it. He wants to understand success like a cheetah understands speed. What works? What's not working? He thinks about that when it comes to real estate, business — he doesn't want to play professionally forever — and, for now, golf. On a list of the PGA TOUR's hardest workers, he ranks in the top five.
RELATED: What's in Horschel's bag?
That hard work is paying off, and in capturing his seventh TOUR title on a cast of young players – Wise, 25; Joaquin Niemann, 23; Will Zalatoris, 25; Sungjae Im, 24 years old; Sahith Theegala, 24 – Horschel, 35, is also the author of a victory for professionalism itself.
"I think today, knowing the golf course, knowing how fast and firm it was going to be again, was knowing the pin locations," Horschel said. "I didn't have to do anything special there. I have a five-shot lead.
In other words, Horschel is 13 years into his TOUR career; he knows what it takes. When Tiger Woods converted all those 54-hole leads/co-leads, Horschel was paying attention. He was able to appreciate the difficulty of the course, the rock-hard greens, the pin positions. "I love watching golf," he said. "As I've said for many years, I've probably watched more golf than any player on the PGA TOUR. Maybe that's a good thing. Maybe that's a bad thing.
Considering he's now 3-for-5 to convert 54-hole leads/co-leads to a win, that's probably a good thing.
Horschel hasn't just studied the game, he's assembled an all-star cast around him that includes his (longtime) swing coach, Todd Anderson; fitness guy Alex Bennett at the TPC Performance Center; the stats guy, Mark Horton; and caddy, Mark "Fooch" Fulcher, who was on the bag for Justin Rose's 2010 memorial victory and joined the Horschel team last summer.
Horschel's wife Brittany is also on his side, although she has never been there to witness any of his wins until Sunday. She has been too busy with their three young children, Skylar, Colbie and Axel. She's also, uh, superstitious.
"My wife never wanted to fly out on a Saturday night when I had a chance to win," Horschel said, laughing at the running joke in their family. "She feels like she can bring bad luck or something.
"I was lucky to win Bay Hill this year," he continued. "My family was there. They were right there on the 18th green. As I was going up I was lucky enough to make a putt to make the playoffs with Scottie Scheffler.
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-- @function [parent=#DisplayManager] getAnchorPointInPoints
-- @param self
-- @return point_table#point_table ret (return value: point_table)

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-- @function [parent=#DisplayManager] getDisplayRenderNodeType
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-- @function [parent=#DisplayManager] removeDisplay
-- @param self
-- @param #int int

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-- @function [parent=#DisplayManager] setForceChangeDisplay
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-- @function [parent=#DisplayManager] init
-- @param self
-- @param #ccs.Bone bone
-- @return bool#bool ret (return value: bool)

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-- @function [parent=#DisplayManager] getContentSize
-- @param self
-- @return size_table#size_table ret (return value: size_table)

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-- @function [parent=#DisplayManager] getBoundingBox
-- @param self
-- @return rect_table#rect_table ret (return value: rect_table)

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-- overload function: addDisplay(cc.Node, int)
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-- overload function: addDisplay(ccs.DisplayData, int)
--
-- @function [parent=#DisplayManager] addDisplay
-- @param self
-- @param #ccs.DisplayData displaydata
-- @param #int int

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-- overload function: containPoint(float, float)
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-- overload function: containPoint(point_table)
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-- @function [parent=#DisplayManager] containPoint
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-- @function [parent=#DisplayManager] getAnchorPoint
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-- @function [parent=#DisplayManager] getDecorativeDisplayList
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-- @function [parent=#DisplayManager] isVisible
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-- @function [parent=#DisplayManager] setVisible
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-- @function [parent=#DisplayManager] create
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-- @return DisplayManager#DisplayManager ret (return value: ccs.DisplayManager)

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-- @function [parent=#DisplayManager] DisplayManager
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return nil

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Grades 9 & 10 - Creating and Presenting - Presentation Techniques & Technologies
View all Standards for Ontario, Canada
A.3.2 use a variety of voice and movement techniques to support the creation of character or atmosphere during rehearsal (e.g., use voice and movement to suggest an airport, circus, or factory environment)
Improv is a fantastic method to engage your students; this 3 lesson mini unit is a great way to introduce improvisation.
This unit focuses on learning the rules of Improv, trying games to build improvisation skills, and developing conflict and story line.Through the three lesson series, students will use journals, participate in class discussions, learn six different improv games, and perform for their peers.
Assessment tools include both informal assessment as well as a formal quiz that's included in the unit.
What is Theatre?
Students will explore the question "what is theatre?" and analyze it by comparing film and television productions. Each session comes with an journal prompt, a warm up game, and an exit slip for assessment. This is a great unit to start off a school year.
Feel free to customize it as much as you want, and refer to the Pacing Guide for more details and ways to supplement with other DTA materials. While you're analyzing "what is theatre?" with your students, you can introduce classroom procedures and do icebreaker/trust games. You can also remind the kids that Theatre is Ensemble - all of the games they play help to build ensemble.
drama one acting
Students will explore nonverbal communication through movement, body language, simple mime, and storytelling. They will learn the specific art of pantomime through hand position, tension, follow-through, and action/reaction/interaction with objects through warmup games and exercises.
The unit culminates in a two-person pantomime performance. A rubric is included for the performance as long as journal prompts and exit slips. Please refer to the Pacing Guide for more details and ways to supplement with other DTA materials.
drama one voice acting
This unit on Ancient Greek Theatre focuses on the function of the chorus, the choral ode, and the details of the theatre space. It touches on plays and playwrights of the era, culminating in a final project of a modern version of Medea that includes a choral ode.
A rubric is included for the project as long as journal prompts and exit slips. Please refer to the Pacing Guide for more details and ways to supplement with other DTA materials.
drama one improv ancient greek theatre
by Lea Marshall
WARNING: This unit is ABSURD. However, instructor Lea Marshall decided to do something really ABSURD with the unit, which was make it a bit more predictable. First, the unit takes two lessons to go over the Historical and Philosophical background of Theatre of the Absurd. It starts with just a visual exercise to really bring students into the emotional bleakness of the landscape and then group work to look at some of the other foundational elements that will drive the Absurdist movement into the Theatres.
Next, students break down absurd scripts into some "recognizable" elements of language, plot structure, acting choices, and storyline. With each lesson that introduces an Absurdist Element, there is an opportunity for students to "play" with the element. Then, students explore the element through an Absurdist text. This will help familiarize the students with the 4 Absurdist scripts used in the unit. These bite sized forays into the scripts will help students to choose a script to fully immerse themselves in for the final project.
As a final project, students will choose one script to work with, and choose the format of their project (performance, costume or set design, or playwright).
Agatha Rex and Ancient Greek Theatre
by Angel Borths
Help…It's all Greek to me! Join Angel Borths in this unit that uses a modern adaptation of the Ancient Greek play Antigone to introduce Middle School students to Ancient Greek Theatre.
Have your students read Percy Jackson and want to find out more about Ancient Greece? Then, this unit is for you. This unit is designed for middle and high school students and will take you through the basics of classical Greek theatre and pairs it with a modern adaptation of the story of Antigone called Agatha Rex by Lindsay Price. Students will learn vocabulary, design, and basic theory surrounding classical Greek theatre. Students will also enjoy the mask building component of this unit, as they learn to disappear into the character of a mask, like the first actors did on a Greek stage thousands of years ago.
The unit culminates in a scene performance with masks.
by Corinna Rezzelle
In this unit, students will work with their peers through a series of exercises and activities designed to lead them through the process of creating, writing, rehearsing, and performing a new, original script.
drama two devising
What is devising? It's a process of playwriting as a group. Plays are created through improvisation, process dramas, and a lot of teamwork. The Devising Unit includes an overview to get you started, and 12 lessons jam-packed with activities.
This unit includes doing some basic Forum Theatre, which is a technique coined by Augusto Boal. It covers Process Drama in a variety of ways such as Hot Seating, Role on the Wall, and a fun exercise called "Character Bag". There are also some great bonding games for your students to enjoy.
This unit is designed to show students (and teachers) that playwriting doesn't have to be a solitary, lonely exercise. It can be a fun, sometimes chaotic, and very energetic experience.
devising unit plan playwriting
The Actor in Transition: From Presentational to Three-Dimensional
by John Minigan
The objective of this unit by John Minigan is to move students from a traditional presentational model of performance to a three-dimensional model. You're going to achieve this by having students
- Develop tactics to achieve character goals, despite obstacles
- Connect physical choices to scene structure and relationships
- Clarify tactics and story rather than forcing emotion
- And focus on the scene partner rather than the self
This unit was created to use with grade nine students as a transition from middle school to high school acting approaches. It would also be appropriate for a beginning-of-the-year unit for a program that includes Drama 1. But any class that is at the beginning of their acting process will find value.
Each lesson comes with an engagement Rubric to assess how students participated in the activities and discussions.
Unit Four: Intro to Scripted Scenes
Students will be introduced to the most basic of scripts: the contentless/open scene script. They will use their knowledge of character/relationships, setting, objective, and tactics to add content to a contentless scene. Students will also learn the basics of set design and blocking, and will begin
using voice expression to communicate clearer characters. The unit culminates in a performance assessment in which students will work in pairs to add content to and perform a contentless scene.
Creating a Musical: Project
Want a fun project that has your students collaborating and creating? In this unit by Annie Dragoo, students in groups will write and perform an original musical by adding modern songs to a traditional fairy tale story.
The six lessons take students from writing their script, to choreography and planned movement, to rehearsing, performing and evaluation.
The Rubric will focus on student performance. That means vocal delivery, emotional delivery, blocking/choreography, energy, focus, and characters.
Unit Seven: Directed Scenes Take 2: A Variety of Scenes
Students will have another opportunity to participate in student-directed scenes, only this time each director will be assigned a different script, and actors for each group will be chosen by the teacher based on individual strengths and challenges, rather than holding auditions.
Actors will take a deeper dive into character physicality and use of levels in staging this unit. Directors will continue to create a set design and block the scenes, adding props as well in this unit.
The unit culminates in actors presenting their directed scenes to the class.
Students will establish a definition of theatre, know the difference between theatre and film, and start to explore who's who in the theatre.
In this unit, students will explore nonverbal communication. First through body language and gesture, and then through the specific art of pantomime. Students will learn hand position, tension, follow-through, and action/reaction/interaction with objects through warm-up games and exercises. The unit culminates in a one-person pantomime performance.
We included this unit in our Distance Learning Curriculum because if any group of students would understand how the world turned upside down and then apply it to theatre, it would be the students dealing with a global pandemic.
First, we take two lessons to go over the historical and philosophical background of Theatre of the Absurd. We start with a visual exercise to bring students into the emotional bleakness of the landscape and then group work to look at some of the other foundational elements that will drive the absurdist movement into the theatres. Next, we break down absurd scripts into some "recognizable" elements of language, plot structure, acting choices, and storyline. In each lesson that introduces an absurdist element, there is an opportunity for students to "play" with the element.
The purpose of this unit is to acquaint students with the Alexander Technique. In doing so, and in practicing many of its principles, students will make discoveries about some of their habitual patterns of movement.
Students will be able to demonstrate and explain how to use Alexander Technique principles in an activity of their choice.
Perspective Taking
Perspective taking is the ability to understand a situation from another person's perspective or point of view: What are they thinking? What are they feeling? How does their background influence their perspective? Perspective taking allows students to develop self-awareness, to recognize differences, to understand an opposing point of view, to assess nonverbal language, and more.
In this unit, students will practice perspective taking as they:
• Assess their own perspective.
• Demonstrate understanding of the perspective of others in specific situations.
• Analyze characters in a text.
Big Picture Blocking: Staging Your Play Outside-In
Working in educational theatre I know how easy it is to get bogged down in actor coaching and away from the bigger picture storytelling when directing a show. I saw a need for a method of text analysis and physical staging tools that help the director stay focused on the bigger picture of telling the story of the play.
This class is in two parts: The first consists of the text analysis tools P.A.S.T.O and Major Dramatic Question. From these tools you will brainstorm keywords to define your vision of the story.
In the second part of the class you will focus on taking the information generated in the text analysis and crafting the ideas into vibrant physical pictures through an exercise called Starburst.
Serious Play: Theatre Games and Warmups for Rehearsal and Ensemble Building
In this class, Serious Play, the instructor will lead you through a series of games in risk, movement, focus, and voice. You will get access to a series of all inclusive games that you can string together to make one giant game that is great to use in rehearsal. You will learn how and when to use these games.
You'll get ideas on how to craft your own warm-up lesson plan; and, most importantly, you'll learn about about a pre-class warm-up that you can do on your own so that you can get yourself into that third stage of the creative brain, so that you can begin trying out interesting, creative, and risky choices for yourself in your classes and in rehearsals.
games warm-ups rehearsal
Breath Control and Projection
by Elisabeth Oppelt
In this course, you will learn what breath control and projection are, how to breathe from your diaphragm and speak loudly without yelling, and how to teach these skills to your students. Led by teacher and singer Elisabeth Oppelt, this course will be helpful both in your teaching practices and in creating material to teach your students. This course also includes both formal and informal assessments for you to use in your classroom.
Close Reading in the Drama Classroom
Close reading is an activity that puts curriculum standards into practice and it can be easily applied to the drama classroom.
Close reading asks a lot of your students. They have to read and think at the same time.
This course teaches drama teachers how the close reading process works, and gives them exercises and tools to apply it in the classroom.
close reading analysis
Yes, And... How to Teach Improv
"Yes, and…" is the guiding principle behind all improv. This course will teach you how to teach improv, and more importantly how to give feedback to your students. The course looks at making strong offers and also using gibberish to ironically improv communication skills. You will also see how feelings can safely be used to add flavour and get laughs in our scenes.
Jennine Profeta, Second City performer and theatre educator, leads this course with a clear methodology for teaching and giving positive nurturing feedback. This course will give you all the tools and the insight you need to teach improv with confidence.
improv acting
The Do-it-All Director's Introduction to Set Design
by Holly Beardsley
Holly Beardsley is a do-it-all director. She started directing middle and high school students in her early college years and since then has written over ten shows and directed twice as many.
Do-it-all directors are responsible for everything it seems – the direction, the costuming, the choreography and of course, the set too. And though directors are ready to direct, to costume and even dance, there is something intimidating about designing and building a set.
The Do-it-All Director's Introduction to Set Design will give you the director, who must do-it-all, the confidence and skills to not only direct but build your own set as well - no matter your experience or budget. This course will teach you set design basics, construction tips, budget tricks, and how to tackle your precious performance space armed with a hammer, and most importantly, without fear.
set design props production directing
Creating the Ensemble-Based Classroom
Gai Jones will help you establish an ensemble-based environment from the first day of class or rehearsal.
Learn how to set up your ensemble-based classroom from day one, get students to set classroom norms, and find the balance between creative activity and structure. You'll learn how to give your students creative freedom through structure and classroom management. The cornerstone of this course are the detailed ensemble experiences from large group to small group and even individual experiences.
This course culminates in a devising model that you can use with your students, and takes you through process, product, performance and an evaluation.
You too can create the ensemble-based classroom.
ensemble devising
21st Century Skills Through Devising
Allison Williams leads the course: 21st Century Skills Through Devising. This course covers what devising is, why to do it, how to do it, and how your students can master the 21st Century Skills of collaborations and cooperation, critical thinking, creative thinking through devising.
High school is a great place to try devising with your students. But it's not something you want to throw at your students without any preparation. Framework is important and this course takes you through a number of exercises you can take into the classroom tomorrow to help build a place of physical safety, a place where students work at making a lot of choices instead of waiting for the perfect choice, and a place where students feel comfortable making creative choices. The material also reviews the process of putting together a show from the idea/research stage to editing, to giving feedback.
Your students have what it takes to create their own material, collaborate with each other, and have a unique theatrical experience!
devising playwriting
Story Theatre
Instructor Matt Webster believes that Story Theatre is one of the most creative, most imaginative, most unique forms of theatre ever to make its way to the stage. His course introduces the style of theatre called story theatre, explores the steps needed to choose the best stories to perform, explains how to adapt a story into a script, and demonstrates a variety of story theatre styles from simple and contained to complex and crazy and everything in between.
When you are finished with this course, you'll be able to bring nearly any story to any stage and present it to any audience. That is the power and promise of story theatre. Learn how to bring the page to the stage.
Maximizing Your Ensemble: Shoestring 101
by Michael Calderone
This seven-part series is designed to transform that gaggle of actors cluttering your backstage from cumbersome extras into nothing less than the very center of your production.
Instructor Michael Calderone leads this course, through games and exercises geared to maximize your ensemble for your next production. These lessons are based on the ensemble technique that he's been using for the last 30 years, called the shoestring method.
The ensemble has a responsibility to work as one, and no role is more important than another. Without each actor playing their part, the other actors cannot tell the story to the best of their abilities. So join Michael in learning more about this exciting, practical and dramatic method.
The Dilemma Project
by Claire Broome
Moral dilemmas are not only faced by characters in gripping plays, but are also faced by our students. The project outlined in this course will help students develop their critical thinking skills through the use of one of the dilemma questions to shape a student written production.
If you had the choice to press a button and earn $25,000,000... but a species (not of your choosing) would become extinct, what would you do? More importantly, what would your character do?
Join drama teacher and playwright Claire Broome through this course which includes role-playing, Stanislavski's Magic If, character creation, playwriting and staging.
playwriting production character development
View all Standards for Ontario, Canada Standards Master List


A recipe for delicious Barbera Braised Lamb Shanks with Grilled Torpedo Onions and Romesco Sauce.
Winter brings some amazing colors to the produce stands. Some of the most shocking come from Italian chicories such as escarole, radicchio, endive, frisse, and more. These somewhat bitter greens are the perfect compliment to hearty cheeses and acidic vinaigrettes.
There's nothing wrong with playing with your food. Especially when it comes to adding some pops of color to your dinner table. For winter, we always have a good time cooking with the hearty greens that come to our local farmers markets like kale, chard, chicories and sweet savoy spinach.
Winter holidays are my favorite for a number of reasons. But, as a cook and host, the reason I really get into the holiday mood is the fun and delicious recipes that I get to make for my family and friends. Check out this fun twist on the classic turkey sandwich.
As we teeter between seasons. Our favorite ingredients of Late winter and early spring are beginning to poke their heads out early season are tender and easy to prepare in a number Of ways This salad recipe is one Chef JohnSilva Of Culinary Eye Like"' to do With a few different preparations to accent the nutty.


Six steps to firing up the perfect steak on a charcoal grill.
You've been thinking about it all day — the first bite of that gorgeous, thick-cut steak that's sitting in your fridge and begging to be grilled. Whether you're grilling rib eye, filet mignon, or a simple sirloin, if you follow these six simple steps using Kingsford® Charcoal, these decadent cuts will always be seasoned and grilled to perfection.
For steaks, you want the heat as high as possible — seriously, searingly hot. In fact, we recommend topping out anywhere from 550–650°F. Fire up a chimney of Kingsford Charcoal or light a pile of 100 briquets. With its higher top temperature and consistent burn, Kingsford Professional is perfect for steaks. When the coals are ready, arrange them in a two-zone fire. Replace the top grate, allow it to heat up — all vents should be fully open — then pour cooking oil on a folded paper towel and oil the grate using long-handled tongs.
Prep and season the steak.
After the steak is properly seared, if it's not finished, move it to the warm side of the grate (not directly over the coals), close the lid and continue to cook the steak until it's at your desired temperature for doneness. You don't need to flip the steak during this indirect grilling stage.
Using a digital instant-read meat thermometer, check the temperature of the steak while it's still on the grill. Grill the steak to your desired taste: 130°F for rare, 135°F medium-rare, 145°F medium, 150°F medium well and 160°F for well done. Keep in mind that the steak will continue to cook a few degrees more when it's removed from the grill.
After removing the steak from the grill, place on a cutting board, loosely cover it with aluminum foil, and allow it to "rest" for five minutes (the temperature will continue to rise a few degrees while the juices redistribute into the meat).


This is particularly troubling for transfer students, many of whom are used to unlimited printing policies set by community colleges and the like. (Central Virginia Community College has an unlimited printing policy, for instance.) Here are some tips to help offset printing costs when you come to RU.
1.) Make sure the printer has paper in it before you print.
Sometimes the printers seem like they don't work. Sometimes they don't have paper in them. But here's the thing: you get charged for printing twice even if you only get one paper, so make sure to check to see if the printer's working before you print.
2.) Prices vary in different buildings.
The price for printing in the Bonnie is five cents per page. There are areas of the school that cost six cents or four cents a page. Some buildings have free printing, but they also aren't available to all students, so it's usually not a good idea to rely on these. Try out different labs, find a lab that has a decent printing price and use that lab for the rest of your college career. If you choose the wrong lab, you could be paying 20 percent more for your printing than you should, and that adds up after a while.
3.) Bring ten or twenty dollars with you to school.
It may benefit you to bring $10 or $20 to school if you're taking a lot of Humanities courses (or if you happen to be an English major). You can add it to your RU Express account with your credit card.
Thankfully, a lot of professors are using D2L as a way to help alleviate the extra costs; but even so, no one wants to be surprised with steep printing costs after forking over $200 or $300 for books, as well as all the advertised costs of tuition and all that.


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People protest parking ban in Niles - WFMJ.com News weather sports for Youngstown-Warren Ohio
People protest parking ban in Niles
Wednesday, May 15, 2019 9:02 PM EDT
Monday, May 20, 2019 9:15 AM EDT
NILES, Ohio -
In Niles 61 people who parked their cars on the street were given tickets to pay a fine, due to an overnight parking ban some didn't know exists. Many municipalities in the valley have parking bans which have different parameters, but they tell WFMJ news they have signs that explain what is illegal. In Niles that is not the case.
Caitlyn Cowger attended Niles prom on Friday, May 10th. Her dad Chad Cowger said, "She stayed with friends and parked the car she borrowed so they would not be on the road when others might be impaired. She parked the vehicle facing in the right direction at the curb, not near a fire hydrant, or stop sign as she had been taught. She was surprised when she went to her vehicle to go home the next day and found a citation for illegal parking overnight."
A city ordinance in Niles states that it is illegal to park cars on the street from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. Chad Cowger said, "I think it's unlawful. There are no signs through this whole area, you look down this road, down that way, this way here there are no signs that state they are not allowed to park here."
Niles municipal ordinances and parking ban require multiple steps to find on the city's webpage. But Niles Mayor told WFMJ the ordinance and permit application can easily be found on the Niles police department webpage. Steve Mientkiewicz said, "Technology is the way the world works and we are trying to keep our people informed and educated on the laws of the city of Niles through the city website and some other initiatives we are putting in place. City council passed the law in 2014 and it has been enforced since then. This is nothing new."
But no one in the city could point out a location of one sign in the city which states it is illegal to park between two in the morning until six in the morning without a permit. The Niles Fire Chief told WFMJ news it is important to keep streets clear since a fire truck is over 8 feet wide and ambulances are about that wide, so in an emergency when seconds count first responders must be able to respond with help as fast as possible.
Caitlyn's dad Chad Cowger said, " I understand that, but if it is illegal it should be posted. Who goes to another city and looks at their ordinance before they park at another person's residence overnight. I don't." Other critics say an online law harms the poor and elderly who can not afford computers.
The mayor says adding signs is a possibility. Steve Mientkiewicz's relative also received a ticket for parking on the road overnight on the same date that 60 others received tickets. The mayor told us that this shows the law is being enforced evenly across the city and no one is being targeted. Others say it shows too many people even the mayor's relative don't know about the online law, nor the process to get a permit from police.


Brompton sits in the prestigious borough of Kensington and is packed full of gorgeous architecture and interesting attractions.
The area has a strong literary and artistic heritage, with modern Brompton still a haven of galleries and coffee shops.
The Victoria and Albert Museum is one of Brompton's main tourist attractions, with the building housing the world's largest collection of decorative arts and design. The museum was originally established in 1852 and displays some of the best examples of Italian Renaissance and Eastern Asian objects in Europe.
The Natural History Museum is another exciting place for guests of Premier Inn's Brompton hotel to visit during their stay. The site's 70 million items are displayed across five main collections, giving holidaymakers an insight into the creatures that have roamed the Earth throughout its history.
Tourists staying in a Brompton hotel will also be able to easily access the vibrant Portobello Road and indulge in its unique cultural attractions. Every Saturday the area hosts the Portobello Road Market, which is famous for its vibrant second-hand antique and clothes stalls.


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RPW Column: The Champ Trail: Getting Ready For Speedweeks, "The Show" At Stafford & More…
December 17, 2019 raceproweekly RPW-Exclusive Columnist: Phil Smith
RPW Column By: PHIL SMITH / RPW – WESTERLY, RI – The count down to Speedweeks in Florida continues. In seven short weeks central Florida comes alive with the sound of racing engines as the 2020 auto racing season begins.
The week plus of speed in the sunshine state will culminate on Sunday, February 16 with the running of the Daytona 500 at the Daytona International Speedway.
Following the departure of chief technical inspector Ricky Brooks, New Smyrna Speedway has hired the Champion Racing Association from the mid-west to manage the rules and procedures for February's World Series of Asphalt.
That means CRA chief technical inspector Eddie Chew and his staff will oversee all technical aspects of the World Series with exception of the Tour Type Modifieds.
CRA series director Glenn Luckett will serve as race director for the World Series and will work with existing New Smyrna Speedway staff to manage on-track competition during the nine nights of racing at the venerable Florida half-mile.
"We are pleased to announce we will be teaming up with CRA for the 54th Annual World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing," remarked Rusty Marcus, General Manager of New Smyrna Speedway. "CRA was here in 2012 and 2013 and did a tremendous job, we are looking forward to working with them again as we look to continue to make this event one of the best in the country."
Tri Track Open Modified Series officials announced that they have entered an alliance with Pepsi, effective for the start of the 2020 season.
This alliance with Pepsi is just one of many additions planned for the new season and will continue to provide drivers and race teams with additional incentives while competing with the Tri Track Open Modified Series. Pepsi products are well-known, not only across the country, but the globe.
As part of this alliance, the Pepsi Challenge has been announced for heat races at all six events during the 2020 season. Each of the heat race winners will receive a bonus as part of this Pepsi Challenge.
Former Tri-Track Series principals Jim Schaefer and Dick Williams have announced that they will promote a Wild Bill Slater – Steady Eddie Flemke Tribute event at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl on August 20, 2020. Among the sponsors of the event is the Ron Bouchard Auto Group Stores.
Riverhead Raceway owners Eddie & Connie Partridge and Tom Gatz officially crowned the 12 champions from the NASCAR Whelen All American Series and Enduro racing with a crowd of 356 on hand at the annual Riverhead Raceway Banquet of Champions held on Long Island this past weekend. The seven NASCAR and INEX champions once again received their tradition championship rings, Hoosier Racing jackets and the lion's share of the 2019 point fund paid to the top five in each class.
For the second consecutive year 23-year old Kyle Soper of Manorville was celebrated as the NASCAR Modified track champion along with his car owners Wayne & Joette Anderson. The 2019 title is the fourth in the past three years for the soft spoken driver of the Eastport Feeds Chevy as aside from the 2018 NASCAR Modified title he also won the championship for the Late Models in 2017 and 2018. For Wayne Anderson the 2019 championship is 8th overall, five as a driver and now three as a car owner. The tougher than nails Anderson made his way to the podium with the aid of a cane as earlier that afternoon Wayne was released from the hospital and in patient physical therapy after knee replacement surgery. Aside from the 2019 championship plaque, Hoosier Racing Tire jacket and point fund check Soper & Anderson were presented the annual Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Long Island Drivers Cup, a perpetual cup awarded annually since 2001 when John Fortin Sr. first won the trophy. Highlighting Kyle's seven wins in 2019 was his victory in the $7,000 to win Islip 300.
With 2019 officially in the books track management announced the two Safety Tech Inspection Days leading up to the 2020 season will be held Saturday April 11th and 18th. The two pre-season practice days are set for Saturday April 25th and May 2nd while the 2020 opening weekend will usher in the new race season Saturday evening May 9th and Sunday afternoon May 10th.
Tom DiMaggio and Vault Productions have announced release dates of their highly anticipated reality series, The Show at Stafford Speedway. The series, which follows 4 of Stafford's top SK Modified® drivers throughout their 2019 season, is scheduled for 9 episodes and launches January 28, 2020 on YouTube. Episode 1, 'Meet the Drivers', debuted this spring and the remaining series will be released 2 episodes per week through February 18, 2020.
The Show stars some of the most entertaining SK Modified® drivers and teams in the Stafford Speedway paddock including 2019 SK Modified® track champion Ronnie Williams, 3-time track champion Keith Rocco, 2nd generation driver Michael Christopher Jr., and the fan favorite Glen Reen. DiMaggio and the Vault Productions crew have spent countless hours with each team throughout the summer to tell the story of an SK Modified® season at Stafford Speedway.
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Find your favourite seasonal staple with our knitwear collection. From lightweight cardigans that are perfect for layering, to stylish jumpers for everyday wear.
Choose from Just Elegance's flattering range of contemporary and classic designs.
Women's knitwear by Just Elegance, including cardigans, jumpers and shrugs.
Cardigans: print, block, double knit and zip options.
Jumpers: round neck, double knit, print, sparkle, roll neck, frilly edge and fluffy options.
Shrugs: ¾ sleeve, lace pattern, popcorn and pin tuck options.


Discover a lot of information on the number 12765: properties, mathematical operations, how to write it, symbolism, numerology, representations and many other interesting things!
How to write / spell 12765 in letters?
In letters, the number 12765 is written as: Twelve thousand seven hundred and sixty-five. And in other languages? how does it spell?


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TCS wins ITSMA Diamond Award for Marketing Excellence
First-time winner of global award in the "Transforming the Marketing Organization" category
Recognition of the company's growing global brand equity and brand value
Mumbai | London, December 5, 2012: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS) a leading IT services, consulting and business solutions organization, announced that it has won the IT Services Marketing Association (ITSMA)Diamond Award in the Transforming the Marketing Organization category at the 19th Annual Marketing Conference held today.
Open to all companies that market and sell technology, telecom or professional services, the ITSMA Marketing Awards honors special achievements in these sectors. A jury of distinguished industry experts evaluates companies that have truly transformed major aspects of their global marketing programs as measured by innovation, execution and results. TCS' European entry, highlighting its global Big 4 brand presence campaign, was recognized as best in class for the industry.
TCS has been investing heavily to build up its brand presence worldwide through a full range of activities, which include an award-winning global public relations program, major sports sponsorships and a wide range of local event engagement, campaigns and community activities. The company's significant portfolio of sports partnerships over the past five years have cut across Formula 1 racing, pro-cycling, cricket and marathons, while its community initiatives have ranged from health and wellness to youth education and environment conservation. As recognition of its enhanced brand strength, recently, TCS was named the fourth most valuable IT services brand worldwide by Brand Finance, the world-leading brand valuation firm. The TCS Brand value stands at US $4,068 million in 2012, up from US $3,718 million in 2011.
"With shifts in the global economy, the explosion of data, new delivery channels, emerging skill-set requirements and changes in buyer behavior, B2B marketers can no longer afford to make incremental moves. TCS made a bold move and tackled a significant branding challenge that is a major obstacle for all services firms," said Dave Munn, President & CEO, ITSMA. "As a result of this creativity and flawless execution, TCS was able to demonstrate the importance of marketing to the wider organization."
N Chandrasekaran, CEO & Managing Director, TCS, said, "Building our company's brand across the markets we operate worldwide has been and continues to be a key strategic priority for the company. We are pleased with this recognition, which validates our effort to elevate the company's brand presence in tandem with our growing stature within our industry globally."
About ITSMA
ITSMA specializes in helping companies market and sell services and solutions more effectively. We work with the world's leading technology, communications, and professional services providers to generate increased demand, strengthen customer relationships, and improve brand differentiation. ITSMA annual program clients include business leaders such as AT&T, Cisco, Deloitte, EMC, Fujitsu, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Microsoft, SAP, and Tata Consultancy Services, among others. Our comprehensive research, consulting, and training on topics including ITSMA Account Based Marketing℠, Brand Positioning, and Solutions Development provide the insight and experience companies need to improve business results. ITSMA is based near Boston, and has offices in London, Mumbai, and Tokyo. Learn more at www.itsma.com.
TCS Media Contacts:
Email: ashish.babu@tcs.com


Which trends look set to influence the UK food and drink industry next year and how will they shape market developments? Here we bring you our predictions for 2019 and beyond.
It's no surprise that health and wellness continues to drive consumer behaviour in terms of food, diet and lifestyle choices. High protein, plant-based and clean label platforms are all part of this overarching trend, with consumers increasingly seeking out products they perceive to be better for their bodies and wellbeing. Even traditionally indulgent categories are getting involved, with functional or 'healthier' ingredients now being added to boost nutritional profile and broaden product appeal.
Where next? Sugar reduction has recently been a major focus in the fight against rising levels of obesity - but it can't win the war on its own. So alongside the reformulation of popular products, total calorie consumption and portion control will become equally important areas for development.


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Brothers join Casa Monte Plata
Dominican Republic Wednesday, 20 January 2016
The Casa Monte Plata Children's Homes in the Dominican Republic care for orphaned and at risk children in a safe and loving environment. The family has been added to since it welcomed two boys to the home just before Christmas.
Franklin and Josue are brothers who grew up in the City of Santo Domingo with their mother and baby sister. The boys never knew their father and as a single parent, their mother struggled to make ends meet. The young family were homeless and slept in the place where their mother worked. They didn't have money for food and the children became malmourished.
In this despereate situation, the boys' mother gave her two sons to the Casa Monte Plata Children's Homes so that they could have a safe place to live with regular food. Franklin is 8 years old and has joined the third grade at the Eva Russell School and his younger brother Josue is 3 years old and attends pre-school every weekday morning.
The brothers are both active and love to play. Frankin loves to play with cars and he is thriving with his new brothers and sisters. But Franklin struggles academically, he can read only simple words and do basic sums. The support and encouragement from his house parents and teachers will be instrumental in helping him work hard and enjoy his learning.
Franklin and Josue receive healthy and nutritious regular meals at their new home, their health is already improving. Both of the boys have had a hard and unsettled start to life but their future is now so much brighter.
Sponsor a child in Dominican Republic Get involved Donate
Vung has flown the nest
We rescued Vung from child labour after she tragically lost both her parents before she was 10. She thrived at our Sophia Home and is now employed as a Medicaine Assistant at Pathay Hospital. She may have moved out of our Sophia Home, but she'll always be one of our kids.
Reaching 25 villages in Burma
Our work to help the victims of the Burma floods has stretched out into the wider areas of Chin State where 40 villages were destroyed by landslides as a result of the floods. Stand by Me's team has reached 25 villages and over 6,000 people with essential supplies.


This Journey is all about energy! Juniors will learn about different types of energy in nature and at home, take a hike, and create a poster challenging others to conserve energy. Register online by May 8.


text:
package org.wso2.carbon.identity.sso.saml.cache;

public class SAMLSSOSessionIndexCache extends BaseCache<CacheKey, CacheEntry> {

    private static final String CACHE_NAME = "SAMLSSOSessionIndexCache";
    private static volatile SAMLSSOSessionIndexCache instance;

    private SAMLSSOSessionIndexCache(String cacheName) {
        super(cacheName);
    }

    private SAMLSSOSessionIndexCache(String cacheName, int timeout) {
        super(cacheName, timeout);
    }

    public static SAMLSSOSessionIndexCache getInstance(int timeout) {
    	if (instance == null) {
    		synchronized (SAMLSSOSessionIndexCache.class) {

				if (instance == null) {
					instance = new SAMLSSOSessionIndexCache(CACHE_NAME, timeout);
				}
			}
    	}
        return instance;
    }
}


It's not unusual to feel patriotic hearing the name of your home country. But what does that name actually mean? It might not be quite as regal as you'd expect. Still, how can you not love a translation like "bearded ones," "frizzy-haired," or "fish scale"? According to research compiled by Quartz from the toponymy reference book "Oxford Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names," basically every country on Earth is named after one of four things (though many origins are understandably murky). Do you know which category your country falls under?
About a quarter of the world's countries got their names from some description of the land.
Iceland was originally called Snæland, "Snow Land," but its current name comes from Norse settlers who renamed it to deter visitors.
Grenada was named by Spanish sailors who thought the landscape resembled the region around Granada in Spain.
Guatemala has an unclear origin, but it may come from the Aztec word "Quauhtemallan," meaning "land of many trees" or "land of the eagle." It may also be named after the word "Guhatezmalha," meaning "mountain of gushing water," which references the volcano of Agua.
A slight twist on the previous category, this one is more geographically specific. According to Quartz, about 25 countries are named for their location.
Australia comes from the Greek name Terra Australis Incognita, meaning "unknown southern land," as a result of the Greeks imagining some faraway place in the southern hemisphere.
Ireland comes from Iar-en-land, "land in the west," from the Gaelic word iar, meaning "west."
Ecuador means "equator" in Spanish, due to the fact that the equator runs through the northern part of the country.
Albania takes its name from the Albanoi tribe.
Bangladesh means "land of the Bengalis." The Bengalis take their name from Banga, the chief of the Bang tribe.
France takes its name from a coalition of Germanic tribes, the Franks. The origin of the name "Frank" is unclear: It either comes from the word "franka," meaning fierce or brave, or from a personal name.
Hungary takes its name from "On Ogur," the name of a group of tribes, which means "ten arrows."
Finland's English name means "land of the Finns," which may come from the Germanic finna, meaning "fish scale." This could reference a type of clothing worn by early Finnish tribes.
Macedonia comes from the ancient Greek root "mak," meaning "high" or "tall," possibly in reference to tall people living there.
Papua New Guinea got its name from the Malay word "papuah," meaning "frizzy-haired men."
Quartz tallied up another 25 countries that were named after significant historical men, with the exception of one named after a woman.
The United States of America gained the "America" part in honor of Italian explorer, Amerigo Vespucci, who is credited with recognizing that the continent explorers believed was Asia was really the "New World."
The Philippines are named after Spain's 16th-century King Philip II.
St. Kitts is a shortening of St. Christopher, which was chosen by Christopher Columbus after his patron saint.
St. Lucia is thought to have been discovered by Christopher Columbus, and named after Christian martyr St. Lucy, or Lucia of Syracuse.
Then there are the rest. Outside of those four major categories are some leftovers that either have a unique origin story or one that is utterly unknowable. Take, for example, the lunar names of Comoros, which means "moon" after the Arabic "al qamar"; and Mexico, which is likely a Spanish simplification of the Aztec city Metztlixihtlico, meaning "in the navel of the moon." Winning points for uniqueness is Bhutan, which calls itself Druk Yul, a phrase thought to mean "land of the thunder dragon." If you're curious about a country not mentioned here, you can learn more about the rest in this Oxford Dictionaries blog post.
History buff? Check out Will Durant's "Heroes of History: A Brief History of Civilization from Ancient Times to the Dawn of the Modern Age." The audiobook is free with a trial of Audible! We handpick reading recommendations we think you may like. If you choose to make a purchase through that link, Curiosity will get a share of the sale.


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About Treatment of Burns and Wound Dressing/h1>
by Carolyn J. Strange
Last spring, a 68-year-old Northern California man suffered deep, third-degree burns when he dropped a cigarette and his pants leg caught fire. Unfortunately, such injuries are all too common. What's unusual is that this man became the first patient treated outside clinical trials with a new artificial skin that the Food and Drug Administration had just approved for marketing the month before.
A serious burn is one of the most horrendous traumas the body can suffer. Every year, about 51,000 Americans are hospitalized for burn treatment, according to the American Burn Association, and 5,500 die. The good news is that the incidence and severity of burn injuries have declined significantly over the past 20 years. And patient survival keeps improving.
"This is a very exciting area," says Charles Durfor, Ph.D., in FDA's division of general and restorative devices. "Thirty to forty years ago, many burn patients didn't live. Advances in treatment have created a whole new patient population that not only lives, but has an improving quality of life."
The first great strides were in getting patients through the initial shock, and preventing fluid loss. Controlling infection, a serious threat to burn patients, also improved. Specialized nutritional support has helped. Another leap occurred when doctors began surgically removing, or excising, all burned tissue from the wound as soon as possible. After stabilizing the patient and cleaning out the wound, the next step is to cover it.
"The sooner you close the wound, the sooner the patient gets better," says Robert Klein, M.D., medical director of the regional burn center at Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron, Ohio.
"The problem is, we've never had an optimal way to do it," says Jerold Kaplan, M.D., director of the burn centers at Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley, Calif., and at Children's Hospital in nearby Oakland. The need to cover wounds as quickly as possible while minimizing scarring and additional trauma has driven development of advanced wound dressings and skin substitutes. Kaplan treated the 68-year-old California man's wounds with Integra Artificial Skin Dermal Regeneration Template, from Integra LifeSciences Corp., Plainsboro, N.J. "Integra is a significant addition to the armamentarium of the burn surgeon," Kaplan says, and other surgeons agree.
Surgeons also agree that no single product or technique is right for every burn situation. And so far, there's no true replacement for healthy, intact skin, which is the body's largest organ, and one of the most complex. It's the first line of defense against infection and dehydration, but it's more than just a physical barrier. Skin also helps control temperature, through adjustments of blood flow and evaporation of sweat. It's an important sensory organ, too.
Skin thickness varies with age and body location, but averages only 1 to 2 millimeters (0.04 to 0.08 inches) thick. Thick or thin, it has two layers. The thin outer epidermis is nourished from the thicker, more sensitive dermis below. The outermost surface is a tough, protective coating of dead, flat cells resembling paving stones. As these cells wear away, they're replaced from beneath. The innermost part of the epidermis consists of rapidly dividing cells, called keratinocytes, which produce keratin, a tough protein. Epidermis also contains a unique fatty substance that makes skin waterproof.
The skin's blood vessels, lymph vessels, and nerves are in the dermis. Hair follicles, sweat glands, and oil glands also reside deep in this layer, which is mainly connective tissue. A network of collagen, the most common protein in the body, gives flexibility and structural support to the skin. Fibroblasts are the dominant cell type. Dermis plays a role in preventing wound contraction and scarring.
Treatment of burns depends on how deep and extensive they are, and the overall health of the patient. First-degree burns (such as sunburns) affect only the epidermis; they may peel but generally heal quickly. Second-degree burns damage the skin more deeply, causing blisters but sparing some of the dermal layer. Unless they're extensive, these burns usually heal without serious scarring. Third-degree burns destroy the full skin thickness, sometimes exposing muscle or bone, and require specialized treatment and skin grafts to obtain complete wound healing and reduce scarring. Left alone, the body tries to close wounds quickly by contraction, which results in serious scarring that is not only disfiguring, but can also be disabling.
Currently, the best wound covering most often is the patient's own skin. Healthy skin from another body site can be transplanted, which is called an autograft (autos means self). Sometimes little slits are cut so the resulting meshed graft can be stretched to cover more area. A split-thickness graft takes only the upper skin layer, and the donor site usually heals within several days. The thinner the graft, the faster the donor site heals. Surgeons may even take additional thin grafts from healed sites. Full-thickness grafts usually give a better-looking final result, but sometimes they don't adhere and survive. Donor sites are limited and autografting isn't always possible.
"People with great big burns don't have enough of their own skin, so you have to have some other way of covering them," says David M. Heimbach, M.D., director of the University of Washington Burn Center at Harborview, Seattle. Some patients can't withstand the additional trauma of a donor site wound. Older patients heal slowly and have thinner skin to begin with. And grafting creates another scar.
Doctors often use temporary coverings while patients get stronger, or while donor sites heal for additional harvesting. Two traditional possibilities are an allograft (allos means other) of human skin, usually cadaver skin, or a xenograft (xenos means stranger, in this case from another species) of pig skin. Cadaver skin is preferable, but as with other donated organs, sometimes it's in short supply and transmission of infectious agents is a concern. Human skin is regulated under FDA's Human Tissue Program, which requires donor screening for HIV (the AIDS virus) and hepatitis. In any case, the immune system rejects allo- and xenografts in a matter of days or weeks, and they must be removed and replaced. To avoid such problems, researchers and manufacturers are developing better wound dressings.
Advanced Dressings
FDA recognizes two broad categories of wound dressings--interactive and noninteractive. A variety of noninteractive dressings are available for covering first- and second-degree burns and other wounds. An interactive dressing is intended to actively promote wound healing by interacting directly with body tissues. Manufacturers must submit safety and effectiveness data to FDA in a premarket approval application. FDA has approved two interactive wound dressings for use on third-degree burns: Integra Artificial Skin and Original BioBrane (Blue Label), marketed by Dow B. Hickam, Inc., New York.
BioBrane is a knitted nylon fabric bonded to an ultra-thin silicone rubber membrane coated with a protein (gelatin) derived from pig tissue. Clotting factors in the wound interact with the gelatin in the dressing, causing it to adhere to the wound within a day or so. The dressing remains in place until autografting becomes possible.
Integra is a two-layer membrane--a dermal layer that's a porous lattice of cross-linked collagen fibers, and a synthetic epidermal layer. The dermal layer acts as a biodegradable template that helps organize dermal tissue regeneration. Fibroblasts and other cells migrate into the lattice from surrounding healthy tissue, as do blood and lymph vessels. The fibroblasts degrade the temporary scaffold and recreate their own collagen matrix.
"The dermal part of the product is a permanent cover which the body converts into something which looks more like dermis than it looks like scar tissue," Heimbach says.
The outer synthetic layer provides the barrier functions of epidermis for two to three weeks; then the surgeon replaces it with a very thin autograft. "The ability to have the donor site be very thin and heal in just a few days is the big benefit," says Kaplan. "You're actually adding a procedure, but the end result is positive."
"It's a neat concept and it appears to work," says Heimbach, who has used Integra on more than 100 patients during clinical trials. He says the final results look much better than the alternative, meshed autografts. "We're excited about the new composite skin substitutes," he says.
Cultured Skin
Doctors prefer a thin graft to a thick one, but eliminating the donor site wound and scar altogether would be even better. That's done by growing the patient's skin in the lab, under special tissue culture conditions. Lab-grown skin products also have other potential uses for wounds other than burns, and for laboratory testing. (See accompanying articles.) From a postage stamp-sized piece of skin, technicians can grow enough skin in about three weeks to nearly cover the body. Some medical centers are equipped for this sort of cell culture, and Genzyme Tissue Repair, Cambridge, Mass., does it as a commercial service. Cultured skin has been available for treating burns for about a decade, and in certain circumstances it can work well.
"The problem here is you're putting on epidermis and not dermis," Kaplan says.
"Without both parts, you don't really have skin," Heimbach says. "You're grafting on scar tissue and that's not a satisfactory skin covering."
Less than 10 cells thick, it's also tricky to handle. "It's like gossamer," Kaplan says. And something has to cover the wound in the meantime. That's where Kaplan and others see a potentially useful combination. The patient's epidermis could be cultured during the two to three weeks while Integra's dermal layer becomes a suitable bed for grafting. "They're complementary," says Kaplan.
"You'd have the best of both worlds. You don't have any donor sites, and you have a good, durable, cosmetically acceptable cover," says Heimbach.
"Another approach we're actively working on is the one-step procedure," says Frederick Cahn, Ph.D., senior vice president, technology, Integra LifeSciences. The patient's own epidermal cells are isolated, as they would be for culturing, then seeded onto the dermal layer of Integra before it is applied to the wound. Both skin layers regenerate in place simultaneously, and only one surgical procedure is required. This procedure has worked well in animals, but hasn't been tried in humans yet.
Although physicians welcome new ways to help their patients, they're leery of "scar in a jar" products that might solve some problems while creating others. Last year, FDA held hearings on using the patient's own cells for structural repair in therapy, and heard a strong call for measures of efficacy. Based on the testimony presented, FDA has decided to regulate such therapy and is developing guidance documents to assist manufacturers in completing the premarket review process.
"FDA recognizes that the area of tissue substitutes is a rapidly evolving area--and that medical and biochemical practice are also growing rapidly--and it's working aggressively to make sure it doesn't stifle development while continuing to ensure patient safety," says FDA's Durfor.
Investigators have developed other variations on cultured skin in the hope of providing off-the-shelf, living, temporary or permanent dressings. Clinical trials are under way testing them on burns and other wounds. For example, Advanced Tissue Sciences, La Jolla, Calif., developed its Dermagraft-TC skin replacement to be used as an alternative to cadaver skin for burns.
Treatment for burns keeps improving, but burn surgeons still have another important concern. "I think 95 percent of the burns we see are completely preventable," says Heimbach. He credits smoke detectors for a huge drop in the number of burns and deaths from house fires, but he hasn't seen much change in the number of accidents caused by carelessness or ignorance.
"The answer to the burn problem is prevention. Once it happens, it's too late," Klein says. "Be careful so you never need us."
Carolyn J. Strange is a science and medical writer living in Northern California.
Hope for Wounds That Won't Go Away
It may be hard for a healthy person to imagine having a wound that just won't heal, but that problem plagues millions of Americans. Nonhealing wounds not only take an emotional toll, but also leave patients, their families, and society with a serious economic burden, ranging into billions of dollars.
The incidence of chronic wounds is far greater than burns and is expected to continue to increase as the population ages. Some of the treatment concerns are similar because the barrier function of skin is lost, putting the patient at risk for infection, and chronic wounds can be life threatening.
There are three general types of chronic wounds: pressure ulcers (bedsores or decubitus ulcers), venous ulcers, and diabetic ulcers. They have different causes, but the result is the same--localized tissue death. The factors that cause an ulcer to develop in the first place also interfere with healing. The cost per healed ulcer--when they heal at all--can climb into the tens of thousands of dollars, and as many as half recur within a year. Roughly three-quarters of a million American diabetics suffer with foot ulcers, which are responsible for more than 50,000 amputations a year.
Recent research efforts in pursuit of various growth factors to promote wound healing have been disappointing. Figuring out which growth factors to put in a wound--and when and at what dose--is a daunting, perhaps impossible, task. Some investigators have turned to cultured skin, arguing that applying cultured skin to wounds makes more sense than using growth factors because living cells already know how to produce growth factors at the right time and in the right amount.
Organogenesis Inc., of Canton, Mass., has developed Apligraf (formerly Graftskin), a two-layer living skin substitute derived from infant foreskins. The upper layer contains keratinocytes, the dominant cell type in the epidermis. The lower layer contains collagen and fibroblasts, the main constituents of dermis. Other cell types that trigger immunological response are absent, and, as a result, this engineered tissue is not rejected. Human trials of Apligraf for treating burns, diabetic ulcers, and for use in other skin surgeries are under way.
Cultured skin offers new hope for chronic wounds, but, as with burns, prevention is the best bet.
--C.J.S.
Skin Under Glass
In addition to its potential as an advanced wound dressing, cultured skin may also prove useful in laboratory testing. Many cosmetic, household product, pharmaceutical, and petrochemical companies are experimenting with cultured skin in the hope that in vitro (in glass, meaning in lab vessels) assays can replace or reduce animal testing for evaluating raw materials and final product formulations. FDA has long supported development of such methods, but the state of the science hasn't progressed yet to where it can fully replace animal testing, according to FDA's John Bailey, who heads the Office of Cosmetics and Colors in the agency's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
Scientists can use isolated skin tissue to test skin penetration, irritation, toxicity, and other effects of various substances. Although cadaver skin works for some purposes, its uses are limited because the cells are dead. Cultured skin contains live, metabolizing cells that can better mimic how skin responds to various stimuli.
One example is the EpiDerm System, a model of human epidermis marketed by MatTek Corp., Ashland, Mass. Human-derived epidermal cells are grown under culture conditions that encourage formation of the characteristic cell subtypes and layers of epidermis. Another example is Skin2 , developed by Advanced Tissue Sciences, Inc., La Jolla, Calif. Some versions of Skin2 contain dermis as well as epidermis. These products are intended to be used for testing, not as dressings.
Lab-grown skin is used in two general ways. As a membrane to measure skin absorption, it doesn't work very well because it's much more permeable than skin, according to Robert L. Bronaugh, Ph.D., chief of the skin absorption and metabolism section in FDA's Office of Cosmetics and Colors. "A lot more work needs to be done before it can be used to simulate accurately the barrier properties of human skin," he says.
However, as an alternate test to measure irritation, cultured skin looks encouraging, according to Bronaugh. The U.S. Department of Transportation has approved the use of a Skin2 in vitro test kit as an alternative to animal testing of potentially corrosive materials. Although FDA wouldn't accept final safety data acquired from these in vitro assays, companies can use cultured skin in early screenings, and that saves animals, as well as money.


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Home NBA Jeremy Lin, the Atlanta Hawks Chronicles: Should I Stay or Should I...
Jeremy Lin, the Atlanta Hawks Chronicles: Should I Stay or Should I Go Now
Gregory Cameron
Just under 2 weeks to go before the NBA trade deadline expires, Jeremy Lin trade chatter is constant and some would even say on the rise, but for the time being he's still with the Atlanta Hawks.
The following teams have been listed as interested or more in Lin over the last two weeks: Portland Trail Blazers, Philadelphia 76ers, New Orleans Pelicans and the Sacramento Kings. Of this group, the Kings, who have also shown interest in Kent Bazemore, seem to be the most serious. For the Pelicans, the playoff window might be closing, but the Kings, especially if LeBron James remains away from the court, have an opportunity to end their postseason drought.
Meanwhile, Lin buoyed his trade value and numbers with two 15-point games in the span of 3 days. After a sharpshooting start to the season, Lin's 3-pointer has been less dependable of late, but Lin has always been able to get his points elsewhere, and it's not something he has to lean on too much.
Staying with the Hawks isn't the end of the world – it's just until the end of the season anyway. There is a risk of Lin joining a playoff team and then getting fewer minutes in the playoffs, when often rotations get shorter and sometimes bench players get set aside.
In Atlanta, he has playing time, albeit erratic in terms of length and placement, and perhaps it's the best platform for him to show his skills until the end of the season, setting up for what should be a busy free agency period, for Lin and in general due to the big names hitting the market.
I assume both sides are hoping that a trade deal does occur between now and February 7, but who knows; when taking a wider perspective of getting a better contract in the summer, staying in Atlanta until the regular season ends could be the preferable option.
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