People invest in luxury experiences for various reasons and at different points in their life. While for some, a once-in-a-lifetime vacation to a five-star resort is just that, others invest in the best-of-the-best as a way of their lifestyle.

However, as more and more activists stand up for Mother Nature and her suffering, many luxury brands are tasked with creating unique, incredible opportunities, travel moments and products that raise the barbut do not create more waste.

Many strategic brands have not only thought about sustainability, but theyve made it the cornerstone of the experience their customers have. From electronics and clothing to travel and beyond, here are ways to stand out from the rest of the noiseall while promoting goodwill.

NAD Electronics

Who they are: This company was founded in 1972 and produced high-fidelity music systems, and made their way to North America in 1979. Twenty years later, Lenbrook international purchased them, and invested in new audio and video technology.

Their sustainable practice: When you have a piece of technology that works just fine when you first start using it, but then starts to suffer when a new, shiny option is released, its frustrating. And also pretty terrible for the environment. NAD solved this by introducing Modular Design Construction, that places the complex digital circuitry on replaceable and easily updatable slide-in modules for TVs and audio systems. They first implemented this practice in 2007and have been improving it ever since.

How it changed the brand: Not only were their customers happy, but they saved money. it allowed us to innovate constantly and keep our products fresh in the market. At the same time renewing just 30 percent of the product saved the development costs required when creating a completely new product. It also allowed our customers to stay current with new technology while protecting their investment in a product that wont become prematurely obsolete. About a third of our customers have upgraded their products to newer technology!, shares Greg Stidsen, the chief technology officer for Lenbrook International/NAD Electronics.

Sun Child

Who they are: This luxury clothing company offers gorgeous and one-of-a-kind silk sundresses, jackets, and jumpsuits.

Their sustainable practice. No matter what you purchase from this company, you can feel good about it since everything is created from upcycled saris. In fact, every single last scrap of the fabric is used in the design process, with nothing going to waste. Anything thats left over is turned into a silk bag thats included with every purchase, for easy traveling. Those scraps from the hang tags are turned into labels that are sewn into the garments. Going a step beyond sustainability, they are also promoting goodwill, since they provide jobs to people throughout a small village in Goa, employing individual artisans rather than large factories. The brands founder made this change a few years ago, after visiting Goa and seeing scraps on the floor. She was inspired to turn them into a bag. She realized she could do no wasteand still be successful.

How its changed the brand: We are always striving to be better, to learn and do what we can. We started this brand to help a family, and at the stressful moments we always come back to why we are doing what we are doing. We love it when women come to the showroom and cry tears of joy over the silks.this happens often. Theres a palpable energy to our pieces. Elissa Kravetz, owner and designer of Sun Child.

Studio Three

The brand: As the name suggests, this boutique and elite fitness studio brand offers three disciplines: interval training, indoor cycling and yoga. With two locations in Chicago, its become a favorite with a cult-following.

Their sustainable practice: Every part of their business touches on green initiatives, from the locker rooms and the laundry to building systems and their front desk operations. They do not sell plastic water bottles, only communicate with members via digital mediums, they turn off electricity when its not needed, only run full loads of laundry and encourage members to bring their own, and so on. Right now, theyre also working to implement other sustainability principles, including movement sensor ambient lighting, paperless restrooms, greener cleaning supplies and so on.

How its changed the brand: It hasnt changed the company as much as its made us better: more creative, more mindful, more holistic in our approach to self-improvement. Its not only about coming to the club to work or workout. Its my hope and belief, as we have witnessed, that people will generally do what is right if presented with the opportunity. David Blitz, Studio Three president & CEO.

Soneva Fushi

The brand: Dreamy and elegant, this Maldives boutique property is about as picture-perfect as you can imagine. But this five-star hotel also makes an effort to support Mother Nature and its local delicate ecosystem.

Their sustainable practice: Since 2017, Soneva Fushi has been hyperfocused on their environmental footprint, and today, it recycles 90 percent of its waste on-site through a robust waste management strategy. This starts with their Plastic Recycling Program, which made the resort the first in the Maldives to recycle plastic on site. They also provide guests the opportunity to be part of this goodwill, where they can use recycled glass to create a take-home masterpiece. Most recently in February 2020, they launched Soneva Namoona, which is a project aimed to reduce plastic waste from their neighboring islands. This partnership works with local government and Eco Centro facilities to promote the purpose and value of effectively handling waste.

How its changed the brand: Maalhos can now produce wealth from its waste. This is just the beginning; and we will roll out the Eco Centros to Dharavandhoo and Kihaadhoo this year, and working with the government in hopes to extend the project to the whole of Baa Atollmaking it truly Namoona Baa.Sonu Shivdasani, Sonevas CEO and co-founder.

Brilliant Earth

The brand: Brilliant Earth is a global retailer of responsibly sourced bridal and fine jewelry. Founded in 2005 by Beth Gerstein and Eric Grossberg, Brilliant Earth is dedicated to creating exquisite fine jewelry while promoting a more ethical, transparent and compassionate jewelry industry.

Their sustainable practice: When you read about conflict-free diamonds, usually it means a brand is following the Kimberley Process definition. This is a narrow approach, since it defines conflict diamonds as those that finance rebel movements against recognized government. However, Brilliant Earth takes it a step further by ensuring their supplies meet a long chain of custody protocol, giving them the ability to track and segregate diamonds by origin. This means supplies are required to source diamonds from specific mine operators who follow internationally-recognized labor, trade and environmental standards. In addition to this, they also craft jewelry from recycled metals, hoping to protect both human life and the planet. And, to offset their carbon footprint, they contribute to the Tropical Rainforest Conservation in Brazil, protecting 750,000 acres of tropical rainforest.

How its changed their brand: Our strong social mission to give back and provide jewelry sourced in an ethical and sustainable manner is central to who we are as a company. While we have evolved to become one of the fastest growing jewelers, our focus on sustainability has remained at the forefront of our brand and our company. We are just as passionate about cultivating a more transparent, sustainable, and compassionate jewelry industry today as we were when we first began.Beth Gerstein, co-founder & CEO of Brilliant Earth.

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These 5 companies will make your life easier and help the environment - Ladders

"1776" is an assembly of independent voices who uphold our countrys authentic founding virtues and values and challenge those who assert America is forever defined by its past failures, such as slavery.

* * *

In 2019, marking 400 years since the first known Africans arrived on these shores from West Africa as slaves, the New York Times launched its ambitious 1619 Project. It aimed to reexamine U.S. history through the lens of black history as if American history began with the arrival of the first black folks.

The concept was well-intended, and the execution of its first episode well-documented. Yet, it left me feeling that the New York Times missed at least half of the story. By looking through the lens of black victimization, it paid too little attention to what I call black overcoming our victories over adversity and achievements of success, sometimes in conflict but also often in cooperation with people from other races and ethnic groups.

The New York Times incorrectly assumes that the challenges facing particularly inner-city blacks are related to a legacy of slavery and discrimination. This is patently untrue. Lets look at the issue of poverty and how were treated.

Our perceptions are distorted by the colorization of poverty in the mid-1960s. Media images of President Lyndon B. Johnsons war on poverty focused mostly on poor whites in Appalachia, where LBJ announced his initiative and where I later would work with mostly white teens in the Upward Bound program as a college student in 1967. But with the outbreak of riots in Watts, Harlem, Chicago, and other urban centers, news media images of rural poverty were replaced by images from the ghetto.

Colorization has had a profound impact on other issues too. In the 1980s, for example, crack cocaine was perceived as a mostly black problem and a law enforcement issue. In the 1990s, opioid addiction was perceived as a mostly rural white problem and a public health issue.

J.D. Vance, writing in Hillbilly Elegy about growing up in the same Ohio town where I had grown up almost two generations earlier, ignited a new discussion from the grassroots of white poverty and drugs that showed me the important similarities between poor blacks and whites in America, despite the tribalism encouraged by demagogic leaders in both races. I have known many welfare queens, Vance writes. Some were my neighbors, and all were white. His candor is refreshing.

Vance tends to view poverty in the way many people in the traditionally Republican town of Middletown, Ohio, as a problem of culture, morality, character, and personal responsibility. I agree that personal character matters, but I also have witnessed those values undermined by what William Julius Wilson called the disappearance of work of Ohios well-paid, low-skill industrial jobs that lured Vances family from Kentucky and mine from Alabama.

Vances book forced me to take a new look at my life and hometown and about our similarities and our differences. Vance explains in his introduction how personal stories offer cultural insights that are essential to any serious discussion of equal opportunity.

Nobel-winning economists worry about the decline of the industrial Midwest and the hollowing out of the economic core of working whites, he writes. What they mean is that manufacturing jobs have gone overseas and middle-class jobs are harder to come by for people without college degrees. Fair enough I worry about those things, too. But this book is about something else: what goes on in the lives of real people when the industrial economy goes south. Its about reacting to bad circumstances in the worst way possible. Its about a culture that increasingly encourages social decay instead of counteracting it.

Its not laziness thats destroying hillbilly culture, says Vance. Its what psychologist Martin Seligman calls learned helplessness. Too many of us African Americans have picked up that malady as well.

Where should we go from here? Similarities between Vances life and mine showed me how much we need to desegregate our poverty discussion, to learn across the lines of race and class the true causes of poverty and inequality and, more importantly, what works to solve them.

Yes, blacks have fought to make true the ideals in our nations founding documents, as the New York Times says. But its statement that the founding ideals were false is misleading and even counterproductive to our understanding of the founding documents as aspirational. The principle that all men, or people, are created equal was true in early American law only for white, property-owning men. But the Founders, as a minority themselves, wisely took that principle of equality very seriously in the abstract, understanding that they themselves might need it someday. They established a tradition: Guarantee inalienable rights to some but also establish the legal mechanisms to extend those equal protections to others without and this is important taking those rights away from those who have them.

Our project, 1776, puts less of an emphasis on history and more on the question prophetically raised by Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., at the height of his civil rights revolution: Where do we go from here? Mindful of the inevitable criticism that his movement was subversive, King made a special effort to ground his historic 1963 I Have a Dream speech in a dream as old as the American dream by repeated references to the nations founding documents, including Abraham Lincolns Gettysburg Address. He assured friends and foes alike that his civil rights movement had come not to deny the gospel of the American dream, but to fulfill it.

We must disrupt the long-held stereotypes of black people as helpless bystanders in their own history. We have had entrepreneurs, skilled tradesmen, military officers, inventors, organizers, and many others who responded to adversity by marshaling resources, building local enterprises, and creating jobs. We organized and acted to defeat slavery, segregation, and deprivation, and then we persevered to build businesses that included banks, hotels, small factories, and a black-owned railroad.

In addition to the consequences of slavery, these contributions of black Americans should be at the very center of the story we tell ourselves about who we are. Even in bondage, slaves had agency in various amounts, or to varying degrees, and they acted on it in a variety of ways. Those who prefer to focus on our victimization dont always want to recognize it, but the ways our ancestors exercised agency in bondage formed the foundation of their successes (or failures) after they were freed.

Americans are optimistic people, but we care more about the future than the past. We care about the past mostly as much as it helps us to deal with the uncertainties of our future. Changes, demographic and otherwise, are tearing us apart. Our historic victimization must never be forgotten, but it is best remembered through the stories of our groundbreaking victories over oppression through faith, courage, talent, persistence, ingenuity, and hard work.

It may be a clich these days to note that our differences should not be allowed to stand in the way of what we share in common, but too often they still do. We must find ways to appreciate the contributions that our diverse population contributes to American life. We need to study not only the atrocities of U.S. history but also Americas magnificent capacity for self-improvement as we seek the tools and knowledge to help us face our shared future with new hope together.

Pulitzer Prize-winning news columnist Clarence Page is a columnist and senior member of the editorial board of the Chicago Tribune.

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Clarence Page: Embrace black patriotism over victimization and 'learned helplessness' - Washington Examiner

Could the humble kitchen timer help end productivity woes?

Carl Cederstrm, a business school academic, thinks so. Having tried and ditched several high-tech tools, he credits the analogue Pomodoro Technique for helping him get work done.

This simple system, developed in the 1980s by Francesco Cirillo, is named after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer Mr Cirillo used to help him study. The idea is to set a timer for 25 minutes to focus on one task, have a five-minute break, work another 25 minutes, and so on.

Ive been using it for years and its the most revolutionary method I have tried, says Mr Cederstrm, associate professor at Stockholm University.

The great irony is that we talk about work taking over our lives, but one of the greater sources of work-related stress is that we dont actually get to do any work

It is particularly useful in todays open-plan workspaces, he says. They are designed to help workers be social and to network but there are so many distractions.

The great irony is that we talk about work taking over our lives, but one of the greater sources of work-related stress is that we dont actually get to do any work.

Even when we manage to remove all distractions, we still have to wrestle with our greatest enemy ourselves.

Technological advances promised to help lift global productivity rates, but this has not yet happened. We have all the tools and technology to make us more productive, but do they actually help?

So-called productivity hacks and tools offer remedies to our troublesome tendency to procrastinate. At one extreme are products such as Kitchen Safe. You put your phone in the plastic box and set a time. The only way to retrieve the phone before the time limit is to break into the box.

The problem with such tools is that their goal is not to improve your productivity, but to make you use the application more, says Laszlo Bock, chief executive of tech company Humu and former head of people operations at Google. The companies that build these products are measured by their investors on engagement, not on how productive the user becomes.

People love dials and knobs, and bells and whistles. There are lots of things that make it feel like work, but are in fact noise and distraction, says Mr Bock.

There is no measurable return on investment on productivity with these tools, says Mr Bock. Many rely on notifications, triggering positive reinforcement to keep you checking, releasing a dopamine hit to your brain. The risk is that you spend more time managing the tool than doing productive work.

What can corporate leaders of the future learn from todays experts at getting work done? We asked five users of productivity tools and hacks what helps and what does not.

Carl Cederstrm, associate professor at Stockholm University, and co-author of Desperately Seeking Self-Improvement

The only time I really relax is on an aeroplane, when there is no way for people to reach you. Now I check email only twice a day: 9am-10am and then 3pm-4pm.

It is difficult to stay focused on one task when you are alone, so having someone there to speak to when you have a break helps. I often work with a freelancing friend at the kitchen table and we listen to the same playlist each time we havent changed it for years.

When I feel panic-stricken about a task, I repeat a mantra I read in Haruki Murukamis memoir, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, which the author uses when he feels he cannot run any further: Im not human. Im a piece of machinery...Just forge on ahead.

I also keep a strange notebook, which I write in like a grown-up speaking to a child. I write things like OK, so what really is it that you should be doing right now? and respond with answers...Im a little embarrassed speaking about it, but it works.

What works: The Pomodoro Technique to help me focus. And the word processing app Scrivener for writing, diaries and calendars. I try to minimise my technology use, but when something pops up that I want to record I use Braintoss, a tool to capture information you take a photo or record a voice memo, which the app sends to your email.

What doesnt: Flowstate, a writing app that deletes your work if you stop for more than a few seconds. It was really stressful. Sometimes I want to go slow.

Laszlo Bock, chief executive and co-founder of Humu, former senior vice-president of people at Google, and author of Work Rules!

Notifications are a nightmare. I have them turned off on every device. I keep Gmail and Slack open at my desk, but Twitter and LinkedIn are in a folder so that its harder to get to them.

I keep three folders in Gmail: one is checked quarterly, one monthly, and one on Thursdays. At Google, I worked with a guy named Jonathan who ran the product team. For the first year, he would always be following up with me on tasks, hounding me, and I felt like I was failing because he was always one step ahead.

Then I realised he always followed up on a Friday, so I set up a folder called check Thursday. Two months later Jonathan said, I dont know whats happened but youve really turned things around. (It turns out he had a check Friday folder).

What works: Email folders: I either respond within 12 hours or it goes into one of the folders. It feels polite to let people know youve received it.

What doesnt: One colleague tried tracking time with Toggl but it was too much effort; another tried Getting Things Done, but spent too long making lists.

Marcela Sapone, chief executive and co-founder, Hello Alfred

Tech is often the biggest distraction. Unplugging from the noise and going offline helps catalyse different ways of thinking and really boosts creativity. I set out to accomplish outcomes versus tasks or to-dos. I visualise the end-state of what my team and I need to achieve; and that becomes the North Star that keeps all those steps or tasks along the way on track and in perspective.

What works: My daily go-to is the note-taking service Google Keep I like the simple list user interface. It also syncs across my devices and copies straight to my email and Google docs, which my team and I rely on.

What doesnt: Ive tried Asana and Trello but they didnt stick. Theyre great platforms for cross-functional projects but I found them overkill for what I needed.

Josh Bayliss, chief executive, Virgin Group

Problems that arise out of nowhere can feel like a challenge to your productivity, but any leader needs to be agile and responsive. Sometimes I turn off emails, freeing myself up to get on with the real to-do list. If there is a true emergency and somebody really needs your input urgently, they will find you.

Hour-long meetings are often booked out of habit. I make sure everyone is clear on why they are in the room and what everyone wants to get out of it.

What works: Shorter meetings, letting emails wait and making time for exercise.

What doesnt: A few years ago at Virgin we introduced a digital detox policy switching off the email server for a couple of hours each week. Some embraced it more than others. Now we have adapted the policy so it is not so strict, but still nudges teams to leave their screens and get social for a little while.

Pocket Sun, co-founder and managing partner, SoGal Ventures

Its important to figure out what motivates you, whats your purpose and do people you work with share the same purpose? If these things are figured out, productivity itself is easy, because your work has significance.

Phone notifications stop me being productive I now leave my phone somewhere I cant reach it when Im working on my laptop. Listening to classical music or podcasts helps me focus and I also have a morning routine deep breathing when I wake up, putting on upbeat music.

Setting goals, breaking them down into quarters, months, and specific tasks with deadlines helps bring clarity to what needs to happen when.

What works: the Chinese superapp, WeChat, which people do everything on, from text and video conversations with family, friends and colleagues, to running online communities, transferring money or documents, or booking flights and hotels.

What doesnt: Project management software hasnt worked for me so far. I still like writing things down on paper or in the notes app on my phone.

The rest is here:
Productivity hacks to love or loathe - Financial Times

Few, if any, athletes have the power of LeBron James. Hes been the face of the NBA ever since he joined the Miami Heat in 2010. There was a time when James wasnt such a big deal. The most important moment of his career involves the 2011 NBA Finals, and more specifically, how James reacted to the worst performance of his career.

Since James entered the league with the Cleveland Cavaliers, his career has had the rosiness of a feel-good Hollywood movie; a local kid fulfilling the dreams of fans who never experienced championship glory up close. But the issue with being a hometown hero is that any disappointment will lead to intense emotions for everyone involved.

James was spectacular in the 2009-10 season, averaging 30 points on 50% shooting, seven rebounds, and nine assists. He earned his second MVP trophy and led the Cavs to the best record in the NBA for the second straight season.

But things fell apart in the second round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs against the Boston Celtics. In Game 5, Cleveland was blown out by 32, with James only scoring 15 points on 14 shots. His dismal display drew criticism.

James seemed to shrink after missing his first seven shots. And this couldve been the last time Cavaliers fans saw him play at home. James was better in Game 6, putting up27 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists. But the numbers look better on paper than they did in real-time. The Celtics won the series.

Then, James and his business partners put together a TV show to announce that he was leaving the franchise and taking his talents to South Beach. Everything changed.

It wasnt bad enough that James left one of the best teams in the NBA. He also left for the Miami Heat, whod finished fifth in the conference the year before. No player had ever asserted their agency like this before, and it made people furious.

Once James made the announcement, fans burned his jersey and called him soft for joining up with other All-Stars. The Heat quickly became the team every other fanbase loved to hate. And this was before the pep rally where James proclaimed that the Heat would win, Not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven championships. It wasnt a great look.

Miami started slow but got it together in time to make the NBA finals in their first year of the Big Three era. Amidst the noise, James had a terrific season: 27 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. But no one remembers this, because the finals were a total disaster.

James gave his haters the mental collapse they were waiting for. The Heat were favorites against the Dallas Mavericks. But the Mavs Dirk Nowitzki had the best postseason of his career and James collapsed under the pressure.

It wasnt just that his points per game decreased by nine points so suddenly. (Dallas deserves credit for their championship. However, Deshawn Stevenson and Tyson Chandler shouldnt be enough to put the most talented NBA player into such a funk.) LeBron became more passive and less effective as the series went on.

Game 4 was the low point. Miami had the chance to get a grip on the series. But the Mavericks won, bringing it back to 2-2. James relegated himself to the role of a pure passer. He led the team in assists but only had eight points on 11 shots. He stopped going to the rim or challenging the defense in any real way.

The true humiliation came when James matched up with the allegedly 5-foot-10 J.J. Barea in the post and had no idea how to score.James improved in the following games because it couldnt get worse. Dallas got the trophy; the Heat got a flamethrower of scorn.

The summer after this defeat proved to be a fork-in-the-road moment for James.

He had to get mentally stronger and develop his game. James became more comfortable playing as a power forward and earned the NBAs regular-season and Finals MVP for two straight years. He even returned to Cleveland and delivered the most improbable championship in recent history, forever silencing the detractors.

In 2020, James is nearly unimpeachable in the eyes of many as long as he doesnt talk about China. Hes lived up to the hype and then some. Hes also become a worthy spokesman for important causes and has built a landmark Ohio school. LeBron took his setbacks in stride and used them as a tool for self-improvement.

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LeBron James Reveals the 1 Event That Changed Him Forever - Sportscasting

Queer Eye for the straight guy is an American reality television series and is released on Netflix. The show calls attention to the team of gay professionals in the fields of fashion, personal grooming, interior designing, entertaining and culture, which are collectively known as fab five. Season 1 was released on 7 February 2018, followed by season 2 on June 15, 2018. Season 3 came out on 15 March 2015, followed by season 4 on 19 July 2019, with a special name, Yass Australia! .Fab five came with a special name, Were in Japan! on November 9, 2019. The show has won many Emmy awards. Netflix has confirmed the production of the fifth season of the show, but the official date is not yet announced. We can expect the fifth season between February to April 2020 by looking at the pattern of previous seasons. In this season original cast of Fab Five is returning with their incredible skills. This includes Antoni Porowski as a food and wine expert, Tan France as a fashion expert, Karamo Brown as a culture and lifestyle expert, Bobby Berk as a design expert, and Jonathan Van Ness as a grooming expert. It is confirmed that this season would be filmed in a very surprising location, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Previous seasons were filmed in Kansas City and Atlanta, but this time fab five went to the east coast. Season 5 is expected to be much different from the past four seasons. They have successfully conquered the lives of people in the two cities, and this season, they are all set for the third city, which will be for sure heroic. After the four seasons of self-love, self-improvement, self-reflection, and self-care, season 5 will soon be back with heroes in need of few changes in their lives and involving positivity in the lives of others.

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fab five are back with queer eye season 5: here is everything you should be knowing. - Union Journalism

That some sportsmen - and women - can be hot-headed is no secret. Some players have become just as famous for their outbursts on court as they have for their game, perhaps none more so than John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors.

At the ATP Challenger Bengaluru Open, I witnessed not one, but two matches that were all but lost with on-court outbursts. Czechias Vaclav Safranek, locked in a battle and being sent through the wringer by Japans Yuichi Sugita, was being tested to the hilt, with an agile, quick-moving Sugita serving flawlessly throughout. Perhaps it was the fact that he had been pushed, perhaps it was the heat - or perhaps it was just the player himself. Even through the second set, Safranek looked as though he had still been trying, in some way, to keep himself in the game. And then, pushed completely to the wall by Sugita, it was as if the Czech fell apart. Skying balls into the park in rage, Safranek exchanged a few words with the chair umpire, and with the spectators around. It was clear: the match had been all but lost.

Sugita had already looked more convincing, fitter, even moving quicker than his Czech opponent. But even until the final games of the first set, with Sugita having been up a break of serve at one point, Safranek had looked firmly in the reckoning. Matching shot for shot, his serves just as fluid as his Japanese rival. The 25-year-old Safranek despite being the younger, less experienced, and even lower-ranked of the two, had never really seemed the underdog.

Having sealed the first set 6-4 despite a solid fightback from his rival, Sugita, whose restrained reaction was simply restricted to bowing to a smattering of applause, was a study in contrast to his opponent on the other side of the net. Safranek, who had still kept his composure until then, began to get incensed. That anger began in the form of shots sent into the net, errors galore and finally, halfway through the second, and what would be the final set, Safranek skied a ball that went straight over the roof of the court, and into the expanse of the park behind it. And whether it was from that shot, or the beginning of the argument with the umpire, it was clear from deameanor alone that Sugita had won, even with half a set yet to be played. Until then, Safranek had still been in the reckoning and that outburst until then held in and translated into the game, had broken a dam.

On centre court, as the Safranek-Sugita battle was underway, was yet another study in just how keeping calm wins matches. Former Indian No 1 Saketh Myneni was playing the sixth seed Evgeny Donskoy, who in 2017 defeated Roger Federer in Dubai. Donskoy, the higher-ranked of the two players, looked physically in form, even moving better across the court at times than his Indian competitor. After Donskoy squandered the lead to Myneni despite looking to be in good nick, he became incensed fairly quickly, with angry yells directed at himself, the chair umpire, and no-one in general echoing across the KSLTA. On the other side of the net, Myneni simply continued his game seemingly unperturbed by the outbursts from the other side of the net. By the time the second set had begun, Myneni, who has struggled with a number of injuries over his career, even looked to be flagging slightly on movement. But the Indian eventually won the match having remained almost a picture of composure, with Donskoy mentally checking out of the match following his loud outburst at the chair umpire.

One might argue that anger is a sign of emotion, and that emotional investment in ones game, and ones sport, is essential to win. There is much to be said about the fact that it is important to be emotionally invested in what you are doing, and in the case of professional sportspersons, that is truer than ever. With adrenaline pumping, crowds watching, and indeed, the progression of your ranking based on your performance at these matches, it is no wonder that players do get emotional.

There is perhaps no better example for losing ones temper - and subsequently, concentration than Nick Kyrgios. AP

But many of the best players are in fact proof to the contrary. Rarely if ever has one seen the likes of Roger Federer or Venus Williams fly into an incandescent rage onto the court. And then again, there are those with tempers - but tempers that rarely, if ever, are directed at officials. A great example of this is the former World No 1 Andy Murray, who often directs his anger at himself, rather than anyone else on the court. And therein lies the rub. Having emotions run high on court is but natural and human, but using those emotions to lash out is one of the most counterproductive things a player could do.

In his autobiography, Serious,John McEnroe - who won a solid seven Grand Slam singles titles among his other laurels, said he would have been a much better player had he known how to control his temper on the court.

Neither is useful; the rage that is expressed externally: at chair umpires, line judges, ball boys and girls and surroundings is directly harmful to others, while internalised rage, far from helping a players game become more aggressive, can completely destroy focus and confidence - something that one could see translating directly from Safraneks on-court demeanour to his eventually and rapidly deteriorating game.

There is perhaps no better example for losing ones temper - and subsequently, concentration, than the black sheep of new-age tennis: Nick Kyrgios. The Australian has lost his temper all too often on court, losing concentration and tanking matches - most famously at the Shanghai Masters of 2016. Upset with a line call, the mercurial Australian berated the umpire, the crowd, and proceeded to intentionally tank the match. But for Kyrgios - and for McEnroe, and Ilie Nasty Nastase, that anger was routinely directed at others. There is also the case of Mikhail Youzhny, whose rage led him to harm himself with a racquet.

Both are harmful, but external rage is also significantly more counterproductive. Blaming external conditions: opponents, line judges, chair umpires, crowds and even weather for ones rage only serves to shift all the blame from oneself, taking away from any room for self-improvement. While internalised anger might help in that regard - and indeed, many in the top leagues of the game can often be seen berating themselves after a particularly bad shot or point, it still takes away focus that is best applied on bringing oneself back into the reckoning.

One might argue - correctly so, that nobodys perfect. Fans might rarely see it now, but the ever cool and composed Roger Federer has himself been victim to a rare on-court outburst. Playing Novak Djokovic at Miami in 2009, Federer committed forehand error after forehand error, and took the blame out on a racquet that ended up more bent than a contortionist in a carnival, a sight one might be more used to from his countryman Stan Wawrinka. The Swiss former No 1 would end up losing that match to Djokovic 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, unable to recover from that bout of anger.

To err and indeed, to let your emotions get the best of you, is only human, but when that happens more often than not, it risks tarnishing the legacy of a player who might otherwise be teeming with talent - Kyrgios, again, being a prime example. Although the Australian is immensely talented, a mention of his name brings only his many on-court tantrums to mind.

Anger, channeled correctly, can turn into the kind of aggression that improves serves, games, and focus; it is finding that delicate balance between rage and raw adrenaline that separates the good from the best.

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Keeping emotions in check: Knowing how to channel aggression on court is what separates the good from the... - Firstpost

Abloh, who was raised in Illinois, is a familiar advocate for Chicagos youth. Nike and Abloh joined together in May of 2019 to launch the NikeLab Chicago Re-Creation Center c/o Virgil Abloh. Since May, the space has sparked creativity among Chicago youth through mentorship, workshops, enablement programs and product customization. The partnership among Abloh, Nike and the Boys & Girls Clubs sends the designer deeper into Chicagos heritage through a sport that uniquely galvanizes the city.

This new court and programming not only extend our community work from the NikeLab Re-Creation Center, they provide a positive, free space for kids to engage in activities rooted in sport that will lead to an active healthy lifestyle and teach teamwork and the determination to succeed, says Abloh.

In communal approach, the partnership adds to the vision of the New York Citys Stanton Street Courts by Kaws and the 2019 series of Pigalle-inspired basketball courts in Paris, Beijing and Mexico City.

The court refurbishment was unveiled February 12 in the lead-up to NBA All-Star 2020, when Nike invited nearby members of the Boys & Girls Clubs and the local community to the space.

To download hi-res images, click here.

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Nike, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago and Virgil Abloh Unveil Redesigned Basketball Facilities - Nike News

With the Jacksonville Jaguars fully geared up to move forward in 2020 and try to put a dissapointing 2019 behind them, it is time to review last season and what it could mean moving forward.

The Jaguars' 6-10 record in 2019 was the result of issues and, in many cases, regression on each side of the ball, but one area of the team that improved compared to 2018 was the rushing offense.

After the Jaguars' ended 2018 ranked 19th in rushing hards and 26th in yards per rush attempt, and these figures jumped to 17th and 15th in 2019. The team only scored three rushing touchdowns, but the running game was instrumental in a number of victories (Week 4 vs. the Denver Broncos, Week 7 vs. the Cincinnati Bengals).

Third-year running back and former No. 4 overall pick Leonard Fournette had one of the better seasons of his career during a rejuvenated 2019, while rookies Ryquell Armstead and Devine Ozigbo provided depth behind him and got their chances to carry the rushing offense in Week 17.

In reviewing the 2019 performance of each running back, it leads to a few observations for the group's outlook in 2020 under new offensive coordinator Jay Gruden.

Leonard Fournette

2019 was a season of new highs for Leonard Fournette, a third-year running back who had a lot to prove to enter the season. He played in the most regular season games of his career (15) and set career-highs in rushing yards (1,152), first downs rushed for (55), yards per attempt (4.3), receptions (76) and receiving yards (522). He also showed great improvement as a pass-blocker, displaying physicality and awareness in blitz pickups that wasn't always present in his game.

Fournette only scored three touchdowns, the fewest amount in his career, but this was largely due to inconsistency along the offensive line and a poor red-zone offense.

The veteran running back's most impressive stretch of the season came from Weeks 4 to 7, when he rushed 101 times for 536 yards (5.31 yards per carry), a period where he rushed for over 100 yards three times and set a single-game career-high in rushing yards with 225.

Thanks to his improved durability, the offense was centered around Fournette for the vast majority of the season, playing 83% of the team's offensive snaps, one of the highest usage rates on the team.

Fournette's rushing production faltered in the second half of the season, not rushing for 100 yards in any of the final nine games and recording less than 70 rushing yards in five of the final eight games of the season. While he improved in nearly every facet of his game as a rusher, including better moves in open space, vision, elusiveness, and ability to run after contact, Fournette still failed to find the end zone enough to earn him any honors such as the Pro Bowl.

He still has a few areas of his game he needs to work on, such as finishing long runs and removing the tendency of cutting runs back when there is no room, which leads to big losses of yards, but the improvement he showed in 2019 indicates he has the ability to continue to build upon his game the self-awareness to know he has to do so.

Ryquell Armstead

Jacksonville's fifth-round draft pick in 2019 (140th overall), Ryquell Armstead didn't get many chances to show what he could do due to Fournette's work-rate, but the rookie out of Temple did impress at times.

Playing only 150 snaps (14% of the team's offensive snaps) despite being active for all 16 games, Armstead fell victim to Fournette's role in the offense. He recorded more than three carries in only three games, with his best game coming vs. Denver in Week 4 (Eight rushes for 42 yards). Overall, he totaled 35 carries for 108 yards (3.1 yards per carry average) and 14 receptions for 144 yards and two touchdowns.

As a runner, Armstead displayed an aggressive downhill mentality, willing to run behind his pads and not shy away from contact. He had issues with his vision and overall patience in 2019, but he displayed more positives than negatives considering he only got a few carries here and there.

Where Armstead really shined was as a pass-catcher. His two receiving scores were the only receiving touchdowns by Jaguars running backs in 2020, and he displayed traits to indicate he could be an effective change of pace running back moving forward. He had solid hands, a good feel for space, burst after the catch, and natural ability to make plays when targeted. Each of his touchdowns was the result of good awareness and route-running, two things that will help him immensely moving forward.

Armstead had modest running numbers in the only game he started in 2019 (Week 17 vs. the Indianapolis Colts), rushing 10 times for 33 yards, but he shined as a receiver, catching five passes for 52 yards and a touchdown.

It remains to be seen how Armstead would perform if the Jaguars had to lean upon him because the Jaguars never had to depend on him to carry the running game for a long stretch in 2019. He did, however, do enough to earn some confidence moving into his sophomore season.

Devine Ozigbo

An undrafted free agent out of Nebraska in 2019, the Jaguars signed Devine Ozigbo after he was cut by the New Orleans Saints before the season began.

Like Armstead, Ozigbo didn't get much playing time due to Fournette's place in the offense. He appeared in 10 games but played only 29 offensive snaps, with 23 of those snaps coming in Week 17. Ozigbo recorded only nine carries for 27 yards (3.0 yards per carry) and three catches for 23 yards, but all of those came in Week 17 as well.

Ozigbo showed impressive athleticism, hands, and instincts in his limited snaps, but the sample size was so small that it is hard to project Ozigbo or his role in the offense moving forward.

Overall

Moving forward, the Jaguars have an interesting and youthful running backs room but it is largely unproven. Armstead and Ozigbo weren't given enough chances in 2019 to make much of a name for themselves, though they did have encouraging flashes in Week 17. Fournette is once again projected to be the offense's workhorse under Gruden, though it remains to be seen if he plays the same large role that he did last year.

When looking at the Jaguars' running backs group, it is clear the Jaguars are missing a true passing-down back, though Armstead has the potential to develop into the kind of player. Expect for the Jaguars to keep each of their backs but also be open to adding a running back who is a different style of player compared to their current backs.

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Jaguars 2019 Position Review: Leonard Fournette Carries the Load for Improved Running Game - Sports Illustrated

Recently, adventurist and minimalist, Ambi Moorthy, 29, cycled 250 (plus) km across villages in Kumbakonam, Chennai, in a span of three days. He says, What started as a self-indulgent hobby eventually helped me embark on a journey of self-discovery. I bathed at the water bodies on the route, visited temples and churches and sat in silence to admire their stunning architecture. But what I remember most was that every time the local kids would wave at me, or run after my cycle, Id give out a hearty laugh and out of nowhere a sense of peace would engulf me; it was an ineffable feeling, something that I never thought Id ever feel in our mad, mad world even on a holiday.

Transformational travel

Thats what transformational or transformative travel is all about. Its a journey that helps you connect with your soul, a sort of self-reflective, inward-looking voyage of your thoughts, while being away from your home. All over the world, transformational travel packages are being curated because like Moorthy, a lot of people, are looking for vacations that help them get in touch with their own feelings, something thats impossible to do in our daily lives with so many digital interruptions.

Transformational travel could include meditating on a beach in Barbados, backpacking solo through Argentina, doing a soulful chant in Chiang Mai, glamping in a remote part of Manitoba, or simply going on a solo walk, where you have time alone to reflect on your thoughts or words written on a mystery trail that make you think hard, and dig deep into your soul. In 2020, we have moved from experiential travel, where we would just mingle with locals or seek a new thrill. Personal fulfillment, while on a vacation, is now the ultimate luxury.

Travel entrepreneur Aditi Balbir explains why transformational travel is the new buzzword. Everyone wants to escape from global instability, the technological burnout. Its like we dont belong to ourselves anymore. We have lost touch with how we feel, and cannot even figure out half the time why we are anxious, irritated or feel disconnected with everything and almost everyone around us. Theres a sense of urgency in our need to escape these fast-paced lives, and hence we are seeking trips that inspire us, teach us something new, transform us, or just let our minds be still for a while, she says.

In recent times, there has been a dramatic shift when it comes to immersive experiences that foster learning. Now, more than ever, people are calculating their carbon footprints, taking trains when they can and eating local cuisine. Author Rolf Potts writes in her book, Vagabonding, Travel is almost inherently transformational if one embraces its uncertainty. I dont think something called transformational travel that comes with six days of travel, an itinerary and boxed lunches is bad, but when you open yourself up to serendipity and blunders, I think its a much more meaningful experience.

Looking within

Adventure travel expert Milind Bhide believes the big change has been travellers looking for authentic experiences. The Indian traveller is now looking for destinations that they can explore on foot or by cycle. Today, exploring a place has become more

about exploring ourselves. Even in culinary tourism and adventure activities (trekking, mountaineering, cycling and diving), people are looking for ways that can awaken something deep within them that was possibly dormant for a while.

However, transporting oneself to a different location is not transformational in itself; one must consciously seek out experiences that help you dive into the journey of self exploration while you are away from home. Unfortunately, just travelling to Koh Samui and spending all day inside your room wont cut it.

Mindful travel

Every time the local kids would wave at me, or run after my cycle, Id give out a hearty laugh and out of nowhere sense of peace would engulf me

Ambi Moorthy, Adventurist

According to a report by Megatrend, a research firm, the ever-evolving traveller still wants bespoke experiences; but personal fulfillment and self-improvement are now taking precedence Indian travellers are now looking for destinations that they can explore on foot or by cycle. Today, exploring a place has become more about exploring ourselves

Milind Bhide, Travel Expert

The transformative traveller is seeking something that allows one to elevate the tiny moments of life into evolutionary experiences. These experiences provide a deep sense of fulfilment on a highly- personalised level

Nitish Saxena, Travel Entrepreneur

How to create transformational trips

Plan Right: Consciously design the itineraries. In every trip, make sure there is physical activity, time amid nature and cultural immersion.

Get local: Make a point of learning a few words of the local language, asking questions about traditional practices or beliefs, and learning about the people who make the place you are visiting so special.

Head somewhere unexpected: A travel experience thats outside your normal preferences can be a powerful tool to help you get in touch with your inner feelings.

Excerpt from:
A trip to save your soul - Times of India

Perhaps it was the ability to finally mix it with the front of the midfield again, or perhaps it was the arrival of Andreas Seidl and James Key, either way the mood at McLaren was a lot better in 2019 than witnessed during the doom and gloom era of the Honda partnership.

Of course, another factor was the recruitment of Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris, the pair not only delivering on track but bringing a new sense of fun to a team usually seen as corporate and grey.

While the professionalism of the pair was rarely in doubt, some said that Norris spent a little too much time on social media, claiming that the youngster might have been a little too preoccupied with entertaining fans with jokes and images.

Though he denies this, heading into his second season, the Briton has vowed to be a little more serious... but just a little.

"Things can get portrayed quite differently from what I know and see from doing myself compared to the outside world," he told reporters. "People see me make jokes and whatever and therefore they turn and put a lot of blame and mistakes I do on me having fun, and seeing me look like I'm not focusing compared to other drivers.

"Other drivers don't post funny videos or whatever and therefore critics think that's the reason why I make mistakes sometimes," he continued, "and they put the blame on the fact I have fun and enjoy things more than other people.

"I'm not going to change a lot," he insists, "just small things here and there to make sure I look focused."

"It's quite different being in the world we're in in the paddock from what people see on TV or social media," he added, "things can still look very different. It's just trying to get the balance right and try and put them together as well as possible, how people see me on social media and vice versa."

As part of his 'serious new approach' to the job in hand, the youngster has move home in order to be closer to the team's Woking HQ.

"I have changed places in order to be even closer to McLaren," he said. "I timed it the other day. It took me 3 minutes 20 seconds to get from here to my new place. That's driving within the speed limit.

"It's even more convenient," he added. "I'm closer to the airport and so on. I like everything how it is now.

Reflecting on his rookie season, and what he has learned from it, he said: "There's a lot of things I had to learn, one of the biggest probably being the time and effort you have to put into improving on things.

"There's things I obviously wanted to work on and do better in, you have that, but then it's a lot down to how much time I'm here working with my engineers, or mechanics, or whoever I need to, to work on those problems and limitations and the weaknesses of myself. It's not just spending a day a week and working on it, it's spending two-and-a-half days or three days a week or whatever, or whenever I need to, to focus and improve on those things. Carlos will do the same, and a lot of other drivers do the same.

"It's obvious and easy for me to come into the factory whenever I need to, to work on the things I need to, it's a lot of time and effort to work on those things, and that's something completely different to working on F2 and F3 and other categories really.

"Time and effort of self-improvement is probably one of the biggest things I've had to change."

Check out our McLaren MCL35 gallery, here.

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Norris to be less jokey in second season - pitpass.com