It could either go the way of Facebook and Twitter where the self-imposed policies are in place, but enforcement, loopholes, and biases, has many wanting for more accountability.

Any failure to comply with the same can lead to future government intervention, Rajat Prakash, a managing partner at Athena Legal told Business Insider.

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The code provides for a self regulation framework, and as such will not have legislative force. However, a self regulatory approach is not unprecedented and has been successfully adopted by several other industry sectors in the past, like advertising, said Tanu Banerjee, a partner at IndusLaw.

What is the self regulation code adopted by OTT platforms in India?The self regulation code came into effect last month on August 15. It proposes a set of guidelines with respect to age classification, content descriptions, and access controls. All the OTT players who have signed the code are expected to adhere to the same guidelines.

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An overarching advisory panel will also be set up consisting of an independent member one who has no association with the OTT platform. This panel will advise the internal committee on decisions and issues.

What does the government want?With theatres closed and nobody looking to step out of their house more than they have to, movies are being released directly onto OTT platforms. This means they are not required to have a Central Board of Film Certification, hence no rating, which is why the Information and Broadcast (I&B) Ministry has been pushing to take over jurisdiction from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

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MeitY, on the other hand, argues that the Information Technology (IT) Act 2000 and its intermediary guidelines governed the conduct for all third party content already overseas content pushed by OTTs.

OTT content does fall under the Information Technology Act of 2000, however, there is no separate regulation for OTT contents. The act does have provisions that allow the government to apply penalty and imprisonment for publishing or transmitting obscene and sexually explicit material, explained Banerjee.

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"In order to make a complaint no legal notice is required, a viewer can make a complaint giving his details and nature of the complaint against specific content," explained Prakash.

SEE ALSO: After Amazon Prime, Netflix and Hotstar plan to go down the path of self-censorship in India

Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video, MX Player and 11 other leading OTT players sign self-regulation code

Disney+ Hotstar Premium set to become the second most expensive OTT subscription in India

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Self regulation code adopted by Disney+ Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video and other OTT platforms could either be a - Business Insider India

No matter how they package it, these businesses arent just selling physical activity; theyre providing people with a way to adhere to expectations that the industry itself helped set. Exercise, and especially public exercise, came to signify mental, emotional, and even spiritual health and virtue, Marc Stern, a historian at Bentley University, wrote in 2008. In return for the effort, gym-goers attain the type of body that proves their virtue to all who see them.

Read: The church of CrossFit

That these physical standards are difficult to achieve is the point. We live in a culture in which being industrious is highly, highly valorized, Petrzela, the New School professor, who is working on a book about fitnesss place in American culture, told me. Many people want to be perceived as people who value exercise, because it shows theyre committed to self-improvement, and to hard work. Above and beyond movement itself, part of the satisfaction of gym-going comes from performing those values around other people who share them, and from achieving what that community regards as success.

This psychological cycle of work and reward means that theres all the more to lose when gyms go dark. If you spent hours every week in Pilates class or carefully monitoring your protein macros in pursuit of gains, where do the energy and care put into those rituals go when youre asked to stay home? Those kinds of things really do matter to people, Stern told me. Many people view the gym as that space where theyre able to demonstrate their own willingness to try to control their life, and its especially important in a time when that kind of control is really absent. For some people, exercising alone in their living room doesnt grant that same sense of role-fulfillment. Proving something to others is often a big part of proving it to yourself, and thats difficult to do when no one else can see you.

Even for people who would be physically satisfied by a solitary run, the gym can provide a clear advantage, after six months of lockdown: Its not their home. They might be eager to return to the gym just because its an opportunity to spend an hour away from the family members theyve been cooped up with for far too long, and because they see fitness as something they do only for themselves. The home is not the place where I relax. Its a place of multiple obligations, McKenzie said. If youre a working family, and you have kids on Zoom school, thats your priority right there. She said that for a lot of people, starting a whole new at-home exercise routine is a psychological bridge too far. For many people, time spent working out before the pandemic was me time, an experience that cant be re-created at home if your kids are watching you do a yoga video.

In some ways, though, the desire to return to the gym is as much about the presence of others as it is about a focus on the self. A lot of people who are missing the gym are not just missing exercise, but theyre missing having another institution in their social life, Petrzela said. Theres a certain pleasure in being a regular somewhere, no matter where it is; McKenzie referred to it as the Cheers effect. Some people have regained bits and pieces of those social interactions as certain types of local businesses have reopened. I, for one, cant quite account for the level of excitement I felt when I first saw Beatrice, my favorite bartender at my favorite wing place, when the restaurant finally reopened. For some people, their Beatrice is at the gym. A lot of us really come to enjoy a particular instructor, McKenzie noted. The minute the gym closes, you dont see that person who may have been tremendously influential in your life. Even if those instructors have been teaching online classes to bridge the gap, the connection just isnt the same.

For people who had built a gym routine before the coronavirus changed everyones life, there is comfort in regaining one more psychological tentpole of normalcy, even if the circumstancesmasks, lines, acrylic partitions, and fewer gym-goers allowed insideare far from normal. You can watch all the guided yoga routines in the world, but the YouTube-famous instructor onscreen is never going to be excited to once again see your smiling face at six in the morning.

We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.

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Why Americans Really Go to the Gym - The Atlantic

If meditation is a foreign or intimidating concept to you, youre not alone. Resting in complete stillness with your eyes closed is something most save for sleep, but there are many benefits to doing it awake. And did you know you can actually meditate while walking!? There are many misconceptions about meditation and the type of people who practice it. In reality, it is actually very simple and, while it takes a lot of practice to get good at, can benefit every single person.

The aim is not some magical erasing of the mind and transcendental spiritual breakthrough. The goal is to simply take your attention away from all the chatter Did I pay that bill? What will I cook for dinner? Am I safe in my job? Im so ticked off at ______ and direct it to your breath inhale, exhale. Anyone, anywhere, at any point in your day and at any stage in your life can meditate. It doesnt have to be some grand production of incense burning and floor pillows, though many meditate in a scenario like this. You can start with five minutes in a room alone.

According to an immensely useful and thorough intro to meditation on mindful.org, there are five reasons to meditate: Understand your pain, lower your stress, connect better, improve focus, and reduce brain chatter. To get an expert and very real perspective on mediation, we chatted with Kate Wilke, a certified meditation instructor at Flourish Meditation in Nashville, TN.

Kate, pictured, walks us through her experience with mediation in easing physical pain and stress and how it connected her to herself again. Image: Submitted

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After I checked into the ER with rhabdomyolysis, an injury as a result of over-exerting my muscles in a workout, I was in the hospital for a week. I realized my inability to be self-aware and mindful during a workout ended up severely injuring me. Thats when I knew I needed a way to practice mindfulness. I signed up for MindBodyGreens online 200-hour meditation [training], and through my certification, I was able to practice meditation daily and begin working out with self-awareness and mindfulness.

The biggest struggles I faced at the beginning were my desire to open my eyes, check my phone, or check to see how much time was left in my meditation. Sitting still was hard for me. Eventually, I learned to lean into the discomfort and see what it had to teach me.

I think meditation is intimidating because there is a stigma that you have to be a certain type of person to do it, or you have to have a certain expertise to do it. I remember teaching in-person classes and students knowing even more about meditation and techniques than I did! I can see how it is intimidating, but thats why I love advocating that meditation is different from person to person, and it is whatever you need it to be.

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There are misconceptions that you have to be perfect to meditate. That you have to shut your brain off and sit perfectly still and hold a mudra (hand position). You can move around, open your eyes and reset, give up and try again tomorrow, and you can practice a walking meditation if you need to. There are days that I resist my meditation practice so much, and sometimes I end it before I mean to. But as long as you set the intention to meditate, and you start, youre already making a huge step toward self-improvement.

The biggest benefits of meditation that I have personally experienced are living daily with greater self-awareness and always knowing I have a choice when it comes to reacting. I know I have the choice to think before I react. Overall, I feel a sense of control over anxiety. The breath is always there as a way to ground me and help me.

RELATED: 5 Good Distractions & the Science Behind Them

Both meditating alone and in a group are powerful in their own ways. When I meditate alone, I enjoy not being guided by anyone but letting the silence provide answers to questions I seek. It may take me several minutes to find a quiet mind, but when I do, there is a beautiful, blissful state where wisdom shows up. In a group setting, led by a teacher, I enjoy the experience of stepping into a new visualization that is profound, creative, enlightening, and most importantly, calming. There is something powerful about sitting with others, all working together to better ourselves and find peace in a world of constant stress.

I always recommend starting simple. Notice each inhale and exhale through your nose. Repeat for several minutes inhale, exhale. Or you can count your breaths. Something simple to keep your mind focused on your breath.

MindBodyGreen has some great beginner-friendly meditation courses. As a teacher for Flourish Meditation, I highly recommend our digital studio with new classes every week from a variety of our teachers, and for beginners, a must-read is Ten Percent Happier by Dan Harris. Personally, I started with the Calm app and loved it.

Thanks, Kate, for chatting with us and opening up our minds to meditation.

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Macau concessionaire SJM Holdings says it attracted almost 2,000 local job-seekers to the first major employee recruitment event for its US$5 billion integrated resort project, Grand Lisboa Palace, last month.

Due to open before the end of the year, Grand Lisboa Palace represents SJMs long-awaited foray into Cotai with its offerings set to include 27,000 square meters of gaming floor, 75,000 square meters of retail and 1,900 hotel rooms across three luxury hotel brands. The company has already stated its intention to move around 1,000 staff from peninsula property Grand Lisboa to its new Cotai IR.

But there appears to be plenty of interest in remaining roles with SJM claiming almost 2,000 applicants were present at its first recruitment drive on 21 to 23 August. Of those, 600 were offered initial selection notices onsite.

Available positions were across 30 different departments, the majority being non-gaming, SJM added.

The recruitment event was jointly held with the Macao Federation of Trade Unions, General Union of Neighbourhood Associations of Macau, Macau Gaming Industry Labourers Association and Macao Gaming Industry Employees Home. Fresh graduates from local tertiary institutions were also invited to participate.

SJM said that all interviews were arranged by pre-appointment due to ongoing COVID-19 guidelines.

SJM gives priority to recruiting local talent for job openings and is dedicated to promoting career advancement for local employees, said SJM Chairman Daisy Ho.

As a milestone development of SJM on Cotai, the Grand Lisboa Palace is organizing a series of recruitment activities in preparation for its opening. Through multi-channel promotions and collaboration with various organizations, we aim to reach diverse groups of job-seekers in the community.

SJM highly values the development of local talent. In addition to creating job opportunities for society, we devote great effort in providing training courses for our employees to encourage self-improvement, which effort has not been suspended even during the pandemic.

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SJM says first Grand Lisboa Palace recruitment drive attracted 2000 job-seekers - Inside Asian Gaming

Those who are familiar with the wildly popular K-pop band Stray Kids remember the departure of singer and performer Woojin back in October 2019. Although the singer's reasons for leaving weren't extremely clear, he has since remained relevant in the media... and not all of the attention has been particularly positive.

What happened to Woojin? Why did he decide to leave Stray Kids? Keep reading for everything we know regarding the K-pop singer's latest endeavors.

Kim Woojin is a 23-year-old South Korean musician who had been performing with Stray Kids since they first debuted back in 2017. Woojin had been the group's lead vocalist, and surprisingly, he was their oldest member. In his spare time, when Woojin isn't singing or performing, it seems as though he thoroughly enjoys traveling, going out with friends, and shopping... average 20-something-year-old activities.

At the end of 2019, Stray Kids' label, JYP Entertainment, officially announced that Woojin was quitting the band. In an official statement which was translated to English by Metro UK, the record label said: "Woojin, who has been with Stray Kids as a member until this time, has left the group due to personal circumstances and terminated his exclusive contract. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused many fans."

Following Woojin's departure, according to Meaww, he has continued organizing solo meet-ups with fans, focused on self-improvement, and implied that he is going to release merchandise sometime soon. But he is now also in the midst of a legal battle because of some recent alarming accusations against him.

According to Korea Boo, several anonymous fans have come out with sexual assault allegations against Woojin. One woman posted to Twitter in both Korean and English, explaining that she and a friend reportedly met Woojin at a bar, and they started talking. Before long, she said he began touching her without consent, and although she denied his advances, she said he continued, and kept reminding them he was famous.

Another woman posted a series of tweets on April 29, 2020 saying she met Woojin while he was buying a bottle of whiskey. He started hitting on her and she felt uncomfortable. She says she tried to leave and he grabbed her, pulling her wrist towards his genitals, and she screamed.

Woojin's tweet, translated into English, reads: "Hello. This is Kim Woojin. Today, I am suffering from an absurd situation I am posting this to tell my fans about that situation. Someone on Twitter posted weird rumors and then deleted their account I havent met that person, and I didnt go to the places mentioned."

He continued: "My fans must have been very worried, but please dont worry too much because none of that is true. Also, recently, I signed a contract with an agency that matches me, and I am preparing hard for my solo activities. My new company is preparing to take action against the people who spread the false rumors, and they will relay their statement afterwards, so please dont worry too much. Then I will share more news about myself. Thank you."

None of the disturbing allegations against Woojin have been confirmed as of publication.

If you need support, The National Sexual Assault Hotline is available 24/7 at1-800-656-4673. You will be connected with a trained staff member in your area. Or visitRAINN.orgto chat online with a support specialist at any time.

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What Happened to Woojin? Shocking Updates on the Ex-Stray Kids Singer - Distractify

East Hartford Parks and Recreation will be offering a combination of virtual and outdoor programming this fall, as we work toward resuming some of our typical indoor programming as soon as we are able to. More classes and exciting special events are in the works, but here are some of our initial offerings:

Youth Tennis (Grades K-8) Children in grades K-8 are invited to join us for some outdoor tennis! Net Generation Tennis, a USTA program, is an exciting new instructional and play format for learning tennis. Classes will be held at the East Hartford High School tennis courts on Mondays, Sept. 14 - Oct. 26 (no class Oct. 12). Participants will be grouped by grades at the following times: Grades K-2 - 5:00-5:30pm, Grades 3-5 - 5:45-6:15pm, and Grades 6-8 - 6:30-7:00pm. Participants may bring their own racquets, or we will have some available for use on site. Classes will be limited to 10 participants. No make-ups for cancelled classes. The fee for the program is $18 per participant, and registration is accepted online at http://www.ehparks.org. Registration is limited to residents only.

Martial Arts - Tae Kwon Do (Ages 5 - 11) Live classes are offered via ZOOM through a collaboration with United Korean Martial Arts, Inc. Classes will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Sept. 15 - Oct. 15, from 4:00 - 4:40pm. Tae Kwon Do is a Korean Martial Art which is translated as "the way of the hand and foot". It is a complete, integrated and unique system on modern day self-defense. It encompasses self-discipline, agility, flexibility, personal improvement and improves mental performance. The fee for the program is $25 per student, and registration is accepted online at http://www.ehparks.org. Registered participants will receive a ZOOM meeting link sent via email.

Introduction to Dance - Ballet (Ages 5 - 11) Live classes are offered via ZOOM through a collaboration with Moxie Dance Center and will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays, Sept. 14 - Oct. 7, from 5:00-5:40pm. Classes will focus on beginning ballet techniques and proper alignment of the body.The fee for the program is $20 per student, and registration is accepted online at http://www.ehparks.org. Registered participants will receive a ZOOM meeting link sent via email.

The Parks and Recreation staff is working to come up with alternative programs and events to offer while abiding by all social distancing and current restrictions on gatherings. To be informed of upcoming programs and events, please continue to check our website (www.easthartfordct.gov/parks-recreation) and Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ehparks), or call our office at 860-291-7160.

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Parks and Recreation Offering Fall Tennis, Tae Kwon Do and Dance for East Hartford Youth - easthartfordct.gov

Dublin, Sept. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "AI in Education Market - Forecasts from 2020 to 2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Artificial Intelligence in education market was valued at US$2.022 billion for the year 2019. The growing adoption of artificial intelligence in the education sector due to the ability of these solutions to enhance the learning experience is one of the key factors which is anticipated to propel its adoption across the globe for education purposes.

The proliferation of smart devices and the rapidly growing trend for digitalization across numerous sectors is also propelling the demand for artificial intelligence solutions in the education sector. Artificial intelligence majorly uses deep learning, machine learning, and advanced analytics especially for monitoring the learning process of the learner such as the marks obtained and speed of a particular individual among others. Also, these solutions offer a personalized learning experience and high-quality education and also helps the learners to enhance pre-existing knowledge and learning.

The growth of the market is also anticipated to be driven by the growth in the use of multilingual translators which are integrated with AI technology. Furthermore, the artificial intelligence solutions also give customizable learning experience depending on the requirements of the end-user, student path prediction, suggestion of learning path, identification of weakness, and also help the learners to analyze their areas for improvement and help them to improve their capabilities.

However, the less availability of skilled workforce, high investment costs coupled with the growth in the risk of data security on account of a surge in the number of cyber-attacks is one of the major factors which is anticipated to hamper the growth of the artificial intelligence in the education market. The integration of AI-empowered educational games is also projected to boost the adoption of these solutions across the K-12 education segment, as the learning for the students become highly interactive and further helps the teachers also to uplift the learning experience of the students. In addition, the integration of AI in the education sector has revolutionized the overall learning experience across all the learning areas through its result-driven approach.

Furthermore, the use of artificial intelligence in education can also be used for automating the basic activities in the education sector which includes grading and assessment purpose among others. This, in turn, leads to saving the teachers time to stay more focused on the quality of education of the professional development of the students. The use of these solutions enables the learners to attain the ultimate academic success through the help of smart content. The global artificial intelligence in the education market has been segmented on the basis of offering, technology, end-use, and geography. On the basis of offering the market has been classified into solutions and services. By technology, the market has been segmented into deep learning, machine learning, and natural language processing. By end-user, the segmentation has been done on the basis of academic learning and corporate learning.

Services are projected to show good growth opportunities

By offering, the market has been segmented into solutions and services. The services segment is estimated to show decent growth opportunities during the forecast period and beyond on account of the rising awareness among education providers regarding the adoption of AI technology for providing high-quality education. Furthermore, the growing trend of professional training services is also leading to the high adoption of AI-powered solutions for corporate learning purposes which also supports the growth of this segment during the next five years.

Corporate learning expected to grow substantially over the forecast period

The corporate learning segment is anticipated to show decent growth over the forecast period on account of the growing adoption of these solutions by corporate companies in order to enhance the skills of their employees with an aim to meet the growing competition. Thus, to enhance the skills of the employees, key players investing heavily to develop new platforms and courses so as to attract big companies and expand their competitive edge in the market. Furthermore, big giants at the global level are adopting AI solutions for corporate learning to equip the global workforce with the skills and knowledge to succeed in the rapidly changing economy further shows the growth potential of artificial intelligence in the education market for the corporate learning segment.

The academic learning segment is projected to hold a decent share in the market owing to the high adoption of these solutions across the school level for enhancing the education quality and for building the careers of the students. Also, the use of AI techniques for learning purposes helps the students to focus more on self-development.

North America expected to hold a substantial market share

Geographically, the global market has been segmented into North America, South America, Europe, Middle East and Africa and the Asia Pacific. North America is projected to hold a noteworthy share in the market on account of well-established infrastructure and early adoption of technology. Furthermore, the presence of a state-of-art education system also bolsters the growth of the market in the North American region. The Asia Pacific region is projected to show robust growth over the next five years on account of the rising adoption of AI-based solutions across the major developing countries such as China and Indonesia among others. The education system in China is one of the most reputed systems across the globe, on the other hand, it is also the most challenging and competitive one. Moreover, India has one of the largest education sectors in the world. Thus, the presence of well-established education systems of the country is expected to supplement the growth of the market during the next five years.

Competitive Insights

Prominent key market players in the artificial intelligence in education market include IBM Corporation, Cognizant, Google LLC, Microsoft Corporation, and Amazon Web Services among others. These companies hold a noteworthy share in the market on account of their good brand image and product offerings.

Major players in the artificial intelligence in education market have been covered along with their relative competitive position and strategies. The report also mentions recent deals and investments of different market players over the last two years.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Introduction 1.1. Market Definition 1.2. Market Segmentation

2. Research Methodology 2.1. Research Data 2.2. Assumptions

3. Executive Summary 3.1. Research Highlights

4. Market Dynamics 4.1. Market Drivers 4.2. Market Restraints 4.3. Porters Five Forces Analysis 4.3.1. Bargaining Power of Suppliers 4.3.2. Bargaining Power of Buyers 4.3.3. Threat of New Entrants 4.3.4. Threat of Substitutes 4.3.5. Competitive Rivalry in the Industry 4.4. Industry Value Chain Analysis

5. Artificial Intelligence in Education Market Analysis, By Offering 5.1. Introduction 5.2. Solutions 5.3. Services

6. Artificial Intelligence in Education Market Analysis, By Technology 6.1. Introduction 6.2. Deep Learning 6.3. Machine Learning 6.4. Natural Language Processing

7. Artificial Intelligence in Education Market Analysis, By End User 7.1. Introduction 7.2. Academic Learning 7.2.1. K-12 Education 7.2.2. Higher Education 7.3. Corporate Learning

8. Artificial Intelligence in Education Market Analysis, By Geography 8.1. Introduction 8.2. North America 8.2.1. North America Artificial Intelligence in Education Market, By Offering, 2019 to 2025 8.2.2. North America Artificial Intelligence in Education Market, By Technology, 2019 to 2025 8.2.3. North America Artificial Intelligence in Education Market, By End User, 2019 to 2025 8.2.4. By Country 8.2.4.1. USA 8.2.4.2. Canada 8.2.4.3. Mexico 8.3. South America 8.3.1. South America Artificial Intelligence in Education Market, By Offering, 2019 to 2025 8.3.2. South America Artificial Intelligence in Education Market, By Technology, 2019 to 2025 8.3.3. South America Artificial Intelligence in Education Market, By End User, 2019 to 2025 8.3.4. By Country 8.3.4.1. Brazil 8.3.4.2. Argentina 8.3.4.3. Others 8.4. Europe 8.4.1. Europe Artificial Intelligence in Education Market, By Offering, 2019 to 2025 8.4.2. Europe Artificial Intelligence in Education Market, By Technology, 2019 to 2025 8.4.3. Europe Artificial Intelligence in Education Market, By End User, 2019 to 2025 8.4.4. By Country 8.4.4.1. Germany 8.4.4.2. France 8.4.4.3. United Kingdom 8.4.4.4. Spain 8.4.4.5. Others 8.5. Middle East and Africa 8.5.1. Middle East and Africa Artificial Intelligence in Education Market, By Offering, 2019 to 2025 8.5.2. Middle East and Africa Artificial Intelligence in Education Market, By Technology, 2019 to 2025 8.5.3. Middle East and Africa Artificial Intelligence in Education Market, By End User, 2019 to 2025 8.5.4. By Country 8.5.4.1. Saudi Arabia 8.5.4.2. Israel 8.5.4.3. Others 8.6. Asia Pacific 8.6.1. Asia Pacific Artificial Intelligence in Education Market, By Offering, 2019 to 2025 8.6.2. Asia Pacific Artificial Intelligence in Education Market, By Technology, 2019 to 2025 8.6.3. Asia Pacific Artificial Intelligence in Education Market, By End User, 2019 to 2025 8.6.4. By Country 8.6.4.1. China 8.6.4.2. Japan 8.6.4.3. South Korea 8.6.4.4. India 8.6.4.5. Others

9. Competitive Environment and Analysis 9.1. Major Players and Strategy Analysis 9.2. Emerging Players and Market Lucrativeness 9.3. Mergers, Acquisitions, Agreements, and Collaborations 9.4. Vendor Competitiveness Matrix

10. Company Profiles 10.1. IBM Corporation 10.2. Amazon Web Services Inc. 10.3. Microsoft Corporation 10.4. Google LLC 10.5. AI Brain Inc. 10.6. Cognizant 10.7. Blippar Ltd 10.8. Nuance Communications, Inc. 10.9. Cerevrum 10.10. Cognii, Inc.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/mip4qk

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

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Global AI in Education Market (2020 to 2025) - Featuring IBM, Amazon and Microsoft Among Others - Yahoo Finance UK

When Studio Theatres acting conservatory parted ways with its eponymous Studio Theatre more than a year ago, the split was existential, according to conservatory Co-Director Joy Zinoman. Zinoman, who founded both the conservatory in the mid-1970s, and the theatre several years later in 1978, served as the theatres Artistic Director for more than 30 years before transitioning to her current role in 2010. The two entities had operated under the same roof for more than 40 years, the conservatory training more than 10,000 Washington area performers, many of whom appeared in the theatres staged productions.

By the time Studio Theatre made its public announcement in February 2019 that it planned to discontinue the acting school and reclaim the space for the theatre, Zinoman (who learned of the plan in June) had already raised almost three-quarters of a million dollars to keep the school alive. She moved the conservatory to a temporary space in a former DC middle school. By May of 2019, the newly named Studio Acting Conservatory had purchased a permanent homean unused church in Columbia Heightsand announced its plans for renovations.

Today, the conservatorys new space, which Zinoman describes as glorious and full of light, her own eyes alight with excitement, is only weeks from completion. But, like many Washington area businesses and schools, its offices, classrooms, performance spaces and practice rooms will remain empty for the indefinite future, due to the continued threat of Covid-19. Actingis such an intimate thing, Zinoman said, we cant expose our students or instructors to that kind of risk.

Like everyone else, weve had to be innovative, Zinoman continued with renewed enthusiasm. When we moved our classes online last spring, the instructors rose to the challenge. Of the roughly 180 students enrolled in the Conservatorys 3-year comprehensive acting curriculum, about 91% continued their classwork online.

Not all of the classes worked online, Zinoman admitted with a chuckle, we had movement classes where the students were trying to perform in tiny apartment bedrooms where the bed took up the entire room. We cant kid ourselves, of course, she continued. Something is lost when you are not in the same physical space. With classes being conducted online, scenes have to be shot in extreme closeup, Zinoman continued, to emphasize the actors emotions and maintain the conceit of physical proximity. You always lose something without the whole body.

With a curriculum based on realism (grounded in the Stanislavsky method), the transition was far less painful then Zinoman first assumed. Realism is more about the internal lifethe emotional context, of the characters, she explained. At first, the actorswho were performing scenes over Zoomfocused on trying to make their background environments feel more cohesive, switching out their screen backgrounds so it seemed they were in the same physical space, or engaging in somewhat gimmicky prop effects, like passing a glass of water from one actors hand to another via sleight of hand. It was impressive work, Zinoman said, noting that the students final scenes can be viewed on the conservatorys website.

What really worked and became interesting, she continued, was when students started to transfer their scene work into the now very familiar context of a virtual meeting. They would take famous scenes and transfer it such that the characters themselves were having intimate interactions via Zoom.

Really what could feel more real right now than the strangely intimate, always awkward, window we are suddenly forced to open up into our own homes and lives? The eager burn of a co-workers eyes over your shoulder, assessing the tiny slice of your apartment youve chosen to broadcast (Huh, thought it would be nicer, you can hear them thinking. Wouldnt have pegged her for a cat person.) while you wonder whether your boss can tell you just rolled of bed, tucking your button down into pajama bottoms. The virtual blind date, absent the distraction of dinner and a show, or even the dim lighting, that requires near constant eye contact.

While most of us hope it isnt the case, this could the new normal, both in life and theater. Playwrights and directors are already producing online plays that portray their characters communicating via video chat. Zinoman points to Richard Nelsons renowned Apple Family plays, historically staged at New Yorks Public Theatre, the latest of which (the 6th in the series) features the characters forced together on a Zoom call, appearing in a grid of boxes. Auditioning via videotapehas become the norm, for many theatres, Zinoman added, at least in the first round of auditions. Delivering a convincing, emotional performance via video, is an essential skill for todays actor.

The conservatory is adapting to this new need, introducing new classes like Self-Taping for Auditions, in addition to making its full curriculum available online. We know its a difficult timeimperfect, Zinoman said. The theatre is about gatheringand thats the one thing thats not safeabout connection in a time when thats not safe. Never one to be caught lying down, she also sees great potential for actors during the Covid-19 pandemic. Now is a great time for actors to focus on self-improvement, Zinoman said, developing your craft is the best you can do right now.

And the online environment does have its advantages. Zinoman noted that students can now take the conservatorys classes from other citiesstudents from New York and even as far as Spain have already enrolled in the fall. We have college students who can now fit in virtual classes, in addition to their own virtual college course load. We have our existing students who have seen that they can make tremendous progress even with virtual classes. What we need are incoming students who are going to believe that, in this format, they can express themselves at a higher level.

Studio Acting Conservatory opens for its fall semester today, with spaces still available in many of its online classes. Find online application here or call 202.232.0714.

Interview with Joy Zinoman conducted virtually, via Zoom.

Meaghan Hannan Davant is a freelance writer and lawyer with an unabashed love for theater of all types, and musical theater in particular. She has written theater reviews and various other pieces for print and online publications, including Washingtonian magazine, and is thrilled to be working with DC Theatre Scene. Given her druthers, Meaghan would be on the stage herself. She has performed in professional and amateur productions from the age of 8, from Bangor, Maine (her hometown) all the way down the East Coast. She holds an undergraduate degree in English and Theater from Princeton University, a Masters in Journalism from UNC-Chapel Hill, a law degree from Duke and has had acting and voice training at NYU-TISCHs CAP-21 program and Studio Theatre. When shes not writing or an enjoying a show, she loves to spend time with her husband, two kids, and mini goldendoodle Leo in her Capitol Hill neighborhood.

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Joy Zinoman, ever the innovator, takes acting to a higher level via Zoom curriculum - DC Theatre Scene

By Ron Signore

Being liberal, not even so much a democrat, gives the perception of a more opened mind than most. Sometimes, we forget the true fight in some of these smaller battles. We know in the end our vote is voicing the ideals of a broader citizenship than ourselves. Heck, we are voting for the benefit of those who support the right-wing agenda without understanding they are only hurting themselves.

These smaller battles magnified by the media get us lost in the weeds to our own main principle.

Make no mistake, these smaller battles are indeed a big deal. Do not associate the word small with irrelevant or unimportant. It is an ongoing war with no end in sight and we can think of these events in the media as fights on different battlefields. The impact of these battles can be huge to any one person, maybe even more so than a whole group of people. The problem is we de-humanize the opposition in many instances. As a nation, we stereotype associations and their members every day in a hypocritical fashion. The hypocrisy we are typically fighting from the left can find itself being hypocritical. I am guilty of it. The chances of changing my views on certain matters will be difficult to change. However, in self-reflection, this openly gives me something to work on from a self-improvement perspective.

Each day there is something new that crosses our newsfeed. Sometimes it is not new, but further detail to something present in prior reports. This past weeks prime example of the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, WI is just another small battle in the larger war of Police Brutality specifically against blacks. The media plays very well to pull the heart strings in these events. The conceptual headlines around a man paralyzed from seven shots to the back by police draws the attention of the nation and further magnifies the bi-partisan war on topics like Black Lives Matter and Defund the Police.

Like frying an ant under a magnifying glass, the burning that pursues yet another event of nationally publicized police action escalation against African Americans is life altering. Our immediate responses set the tone for the future. For many Caucasian citizens that align to the left, the reaction is one of empathy directly for the victim and a fighting attitude with hatred to the police. For law enforcement, the feelings are more around a sense of a lose-lose. Many law enforcement officers draw to anger because people bring judgement without knowing the exact details of the event, or how it pertains to how they have been trained to handle a situation, no matter the color of ones skin.

For African Americans, we have tended to see two general responses. One I am very much in favor for is the use of our first amendment and peacefully protesting the injustice we see. The other is one that none of us like in protests that have had instances of rioting and looting. I am one who believes, whether conspiracy based or factual, that outsiders from the Black Lives Matter movement come in and instill these escalated events. Furthermore, there are many video and photographed instances showing violators of many races, yet the media escalates an image that it is all African American driven mob action. This is simply not the case and should be identified in a much bolder statement in the portrayal of the mainstream media. The negative connotation of these acts helps fuel the fire for the right-wing ignoramus who think the battle is against anarchy and chaos. A battle to destroy our societys law and order. A perception to govern our city streets in the same gangland manor many poverties ridden areas are becomes rampant in the fear and paranoia agenda presented by the right from Cheeto Man on down.

We forget that we are battling with uneducated intelligence levels in many cases on the right where it is a simple association of African Americans against the police. These observers and believers to the right cannot separate the legit efforts of the movement and the set ups to help drive the right agenda. We forget that the ability to be brainwashed based on perception messaging from the media is very much present in people today. A prime example is this focal point on the aftermath of the Jacob Blake event in Kyle Rittenhouse. While we see these villainizing photos and video around his actions in the proceeding events, this is a kid who is brainwashed by racism, fear, and paranoia from the right-wing agenda.

The right wants to paint Rittenhouse as a vigilante hero who killed in self-defense while preserving the Great America Trump envisions. Cheeto Man echoes that view with the knowledge Rittenhouse is a supporter of his. But lets break this down to the simple-stupid. You have an Illinois resident under the age of 18 with an assault rifle engaging a riotous event well prepared to fight. He put himself into that position. I carry a firearm and have taken all proper classes in order to do so. The first thing discussed about firearms are that you never pull a gun unless you have intent to use it. Whatever his reality is of the world, or lack thereof, he had intent to use an assault rifle. He should go to jail for the rest of his life because of his actions.

Which adds to another point I am not sure anyone is talking about in this case (maybe they are and I am ignorant from the lack of attention to specific details of events) in white privilege. We have a white male out after dark in a riotous situation with an assault rifle in which he opened fire. Though many were calling out that he was shooting as he maneuvered away from the victims, the police ignored that and flowed to the victims, in a way ignoring the armed assailant. A detail I seemed to see was that of him approaching police carrying a loaded weapon. They, in so many words, peacefully took him under arrest. I am one who believes that if Rittenhouse were African American, it would have been another brutality vision for America to see while taking him into custody. The presence of an armed suspect, with an assault rifle nonetheless, typically does not go that smoothly.

The ability to keep an open mind on any of this latest saga is extremely difficult. This child should be punished for his actions. This child should be held accountable as if he were an adult. The rest of the noise around the matter should be irrelevant. Maybe it is my generation, or just simply being alive for Columbine, but this concept of right versus wrong as dictated by what is adopted from television (any media source) is a driving factor. The disconnect to our own country even in just the bi-partisan views separated between rural and urban populations is a huge reason for the increasing fight to support ones views on any given topic. Money and business over you and I seem to be the balance.

It has always been clear to me and the thoughts I get down typically support the left. The root of that is the fact that I have an ongoing need for change in an improving fashion. I remember being very angry at the Make America Great Again slogan because I felt America, and do feel, America is great. I did see areas of improvement I would have liked to see, whether that was tied to a candidate or party could be debated. A clear example of this is basic human rights supporting the LGBTQ being accepted; Another is supporting the continued fight for racial equality. The tensions between understanding the difference between Black Lives Matter versus the All Lives Matter ignorance.

We do not know what we do not know as humans. We believe what were exposed to. In many cases, if we use rural versus urban living, the rural citizen is less exposed to diversity, less exposed to multiple views of life. They fight for what they believe true, just like those in urban areas do. Even urban areas have different levels of society and understanding of the world. The battle between law enforcement and the topic of brutality is probably the connecting factor to all citizens here. There is no doubt that we continue to see brutality and excess force exercised in the field. While the media shows the message of racism, the truth is that this is not only a much wider topic than one race and more of an authority versus those evading accountabilities. Yes, there is racism instances, but the truth goes farther and wider in most instances.

In discussions with a friend that is in law enforcement, the conversation on the Jacob Blake event is an incident that can have one video shown and have people see a million different things. We forget that we really do not live in a country where in the grand scheme of things, we probably do not have to fear the police. I have written and believed in the long ongoing social injustice battle African Americans have gone through and my previous statement is not to minimize that. That is a huge impact to the drawn perception of hostility towards the police. We have law enforcement in all races and creeds, and our own inability to not see that maybe there are police that are in a strong amount of danger just doing their everyday job has helped raise these tensions.

With Jacob Blake, do I believe he needed to be shot 7 times at point blank range, and in the back? No, not 7 times. I personally feel that was excessive, as do many. Are the police who shot racist? I have no idea without knowing them. Where the reasonable doubt comes into play in any of this are the considerations to what his actions are being told to be after not cooperating with law enforcement on the initial reason for their presence. His movements into a vehicle we cannot see past the door of and claims of having a gun or knife near by raised tensions to a point that officers drew fire. There are a lot of details, maybe some are true, maybe some are false, but the original call that let to not cooperating with police who were called to a scene, resisting and escalating a situation through (allegedly) being stunned with the taser put officers in a tense position. What is the line between cooperation, resisting arrest and the need for force? I am not a cop, so I am not trained to make these identifications. In my opinion, this was someone who was wrong for not cooperating and resisting arrest that caused the escalation leading the wrong action of excessive force resulting in 7 shots to the back and Blake being paralyzed. Two wrongs do not make a right. National headlines do not make one wrong more wrong than the other. We need to further identify the wrongs and separate color. A bad person and a bad act does not favor or discriminate one race or religion.

It is a very controversial topic. Not just the scenario at play, but the battle over the last 5 hundred years. I am not preaching knuckling under to those who cannot think openly. I am encouraging the notion that all people take a step back and look to live in a peaceful manor. We need to deal with these scenarios one by one while we continue to push for improvement. It is unfortunate. In the meantime, we need to look at everything objectively and identify a negative event and try to sort out where the breakdown for cause and effect was. These events should drill to a defunding of police in many instances and redefine the training in high intensity situations. As much as many want to believe, the world is not so black and white, and hate is not the way to peace.

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Donald Trump Wants You To Believe His BS Narrative about BLM and Protests! Wake Up America to What is Really the Truth... - Ringside Report

A scandal recently broke in American academic circles. An American scholar of European heritage and Jewish background, Jessica Krug, had claimed first North African Blackness, then US rooted Blackness, then Caribbean rooted Bronx Blackness throughout her life. Only recently did she choose to volunteer information about her lies. Her coming out in a Medium post all of a sudden came as a shock to some, while some were already bracing themselves for some acknowledgment of this appropriation.

Krug admittedly built her career on these misnomers, constantly falling back on her Black Caribbean identity. Victimhood in the space of optics politics grants sympathy and acceptance to those who do not feel they belong. Many well-meaning people prefer to prioritise their victim background to silence detractors. A well-known white scholar has displayed the image of his non-white siblings on his official website to demonstrate his cosmopolitan multiracial upbringing. In another incident, a white friends grandfather, who was a career diplomat, had adopted two children from South East Asia. This gave his kids, and their kids, a multicoloured family. The white friend who grew up amidst this diversity wouldnt believe it if someone pointed out her sometimes culturally insensitive cues. It took some time for her to understand her positionality. However, her Southeast Asian siblings did not see her actions as being racist.

Appropriation politics in the era of black suppression and the black fight to reclaim their personhood is seen by many as the epitome of white fragility, though some see it as a forgivable act for which Krug has apologised and which has not done harm to black scholarship. Krug claims mental health trauma as a reason for her act, while also being unwilling to forego the guilt of her violence.

The point of order is related to two highly flammable words of our time: appropriation and misrepresentation. This trick of entering sacred, highly secretive, guarded spaces of vulnerable people who are fighting their death imposed by society is not new.

In a hyper-race-obsessed society, there are apparent problems with colour-based, biological identifiers. The colour-based distinction is a well taught, thought out process by the educational and societal norms. In one of his best sociological works, The Philadelphia Negro: A Social Study (1899), W.E.B. Du Bois refuted the biologism of racial politics. He identified colour, class and state non-intervention in the black population as reasons for growing anti-black violence and stereotypes. The oft-repeated criminality of the black population of Philadelphia was not rooted in the inherent characteristics of the Negro; however, it was the change of environment and unfamiliarity that produced lack of harmony in society. By reasserting the dignity of black personhood devoid of colour-based social Darwinism, Du Bois succeeded in presenting humanity over concocted theories of Black Americans.

In another unrelated but similar incident, a neuroscientist of European descent, BethAnn McLaughlin, fabricated multiple identities to gain attention. She framed herself as an indigenous person, COVID-19 patient and victim of sexual harassment to gain sympathy. She pushed back on efforts to prove the Native American (Hopi) ancestry of the fake persona she had created her alter ego @sciencing_bi. McLaughlin also sidelined other people of marginalised backgrounds and bullied the actual victims of sexual harassment in her high-breed claim of victimhood.

Similarly, we have so many troublemakers in the Dalit movement who have made their way into the private spheres of Dalit circles. This brings us back home with a few plausibilities:

1. What does it mean for a non-Dalit to masquerade the violent, horrific life of a Dalit?

2. What about those Dalits who earlier shied away from their Dalitness and suddenly want to own their Dalit identity?

3. What about half-Dalits and their representation?

To masquerade as a Dalit, to seek to exercise command over Dalit voices, is a soft-tone appropriation of Dalit politics. Many well-meaning Brahmin and other dominant castes (ODCs) have taken upon themselves to fight Brahminism. Their hearts seem to be in the right place. However, their actions are not. More often than not, these individuals clamp down upon Dalit voices for being too political or being too emotional. Many Dalits are not given the right to grieve and express their anger.

Many ODCs claim Dalit affinity while at the same time toying in the dominant caste circles without fear and remorse. A female scholar shared her entire genealogy to prove that her caste in her state is not SC, but is in another state. While this anthropological mischief might be correct in her terms, she didnt have the burden of carrying a bag full of caste certificates, running from post to pillar to fill scholarship forms, or desperately wait in line for early-morning rituals in overcrowded SC hostels and live a markedly humiliating life.

Also read: To Be or Not to Be a Dalit?

A journalist who silently claims his Dalit identity doesnt actually have proof of his caste. It is all done in good faith. If showing ones caste certificate became a requirement, then half of all activists in the Dalit movement would be disqualified. But the journalist never had to bear the burden of untouchability. He did not even face the trauma of being a quota candidate.

In these situations, one has to ask what is at stake for the non-Dalit claiming the Dalit identity. It is the success of the poor, working class, humiliated Dalits who retained their Dalit being by risking their lives. One cannot just walk into a room and flaunt ones caste identity without being fully accountable to the Dalit pasts and committing to the Dalit future.

Central to all of the casteness and Dalit paradigm is the experience of untouchabilities. The one born with the blood flowing under their skin of former untouchables have carried the cruelty of untouchable traumas in their DNA. One cannot just assume Dalitness while not grasping the fundamental ethic of an untouchable life.

Dalit in a non-Dalit life

I have lately noticed fights over misappropriation politics. In some Dalit circles, there have been heated conversations over some Dalit Christians and NRIs who have not lived the Dalit life and are all of a sudden claiming the Dalit tag to enter the NGO-ised space. Advantaged with a Christian education and international exposure, many such individuals have lived a life that does not represent the cause of the marginalised. Would these groups who have a Dalit background but have shed that for self-improvement by converting to other religions or by changing names qualify to take over the poor and working-class Dalit spaces?

Many Ambedkarites have taken objection to such singular leadership handed down from social media ceremonies. However, I think one needs to base the argument from the perspective of liberation as opposed to leadership. More often, the person claiming the Dalit cause with standard English-language vocabularies and western references gets an upper hand as opposed to the non-English, Dalit-name-carrying individuals who also incidentally occupy the same space. It becomes a competition over authenticity. The one who has come from the roughness of Dalithoods is asked to speak as opposed to the ones who have deviated from this.

We have far too many cases of Dalit misrepresentation and control by non-Dalits. I recently noticed that on my social media troll list many anonymous accounts that claimed Dalit identities were actually not Dalits. Their ignorance of Dalit vocabularies immediately exposed their non-Dalitness.

At a Dalit-run media outlet, there were a few Brahmin women who were anti-caste. They wanted to help and the editor needed their assistance as much as he could. In this situation, it was a quid pro quo. However, what was unsettling was the hierarchical relationship of a society that does not sleep horizontally but reeks of vertical divides. The Brahmin women easily got ahead in a space created and catered to by Dalits. This is not to say that non-Dalits cannot participate in the anti-caste movement. But there are spaces and ways in which one can act and participate. One has to be sensitive and cordial while at the same time recognising that they have to create more spaces and opportunities for Dalits many times by creating and then stepping aside.

Also read: Ram Nath Kovind and the Making of a Right-Wing Dalit Identity

There is a difference between speaking for and speaking with (and speaking against). The positionality and location of the speaker with the subject makes one in charge of deciphering the contexts of issues at hand. Objectivity as a peripatetic condition that has no firm axis evolves in the discourses of anti-caste optics. Dominant castes caring for Dalits and wanting to participate in the anti-caste movement need to learn to be humble servants of the cause. Their appropriation of Dalit stories, life and experiences is an epochal violence.

These dialogues are opening up new doors, and for the better, so that hereon the oppressors claiming victimhood by robbing genuine, everyday brutality of oppressed people will be checked and held accountable by the community.

Suraj Yengde is the author of the bestseller Caste Matters and is a fellow at the Initiative for Institutional Anti-Racism and Accountability at Harvard Kennedy School, Massachusetts.

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In Fallout of Black Appropriation in US, Echoes of Debate on Dalit Representation in India - The Wire