Stars of British TV show 'The Only Way is Essex', a county which has a negatively perceived regional ... [+] accent

George Bernard Shaw noted it a century ago. It is impossible for anEnglishmantoopen his mouth withoutmaking someother Englishmanhate or despisehim, the Irish playwright observed in his preface to Pygmalion.

The seminal play which was later remade into the musical My Fair Lady and for Hollywood audiences as the film Pretty Woman was Bernard Shaws sharp commentary on the English class system. At its heart was an acknowledgement that the tone of what the English say is a greater predictor of their success and status than the content.

Shaw penned Pygmalion in 1916, and little has changed. At least not according to the evidence of Fiona Hill. In her remarks to the Trump impeachment hearings, Hill, a foreign-affairs expert born and raised in Englands North East region, revealed that shed thrived in the US, in part by escaping the profound accent-prejudice of her home country.

I can say with confidence that this country has offered me opportunities that I would never have had in England, the Harvard-educated PhD said. I grew up poor with a very distinctive working-class accent. In England in the 1980s and 1990s this would have impeded my professional advancement. This background has never set me back in America. Years before attending Harvard, Hill had applied to Oxford. At the entrance interview, people were openly mocking her accent, and the way she was dressed. A professor of business who had a most distinguished career in the UK once told me that his native South African accent helped him people struggled to place him by his accent so pursued other avenues.

The island of Great Britain manages to squeeze a huge breadth of accents into a relatively small geographical area. Some accents are beneficial, others detrimental. Research by the sociolinguist Professor Devyani Sharma, from the University of London, reveals that Received Pronunciation (cut-glass Queens English) continues to be a predictor of success. So too does French-accented English and a gentle Scots lilt from Edinburgh and environs. By contrast, ethnic-minority accents like Indian English are a hinderance, as are strong regional accents like Brummie (from Birmingham), Scouse (from Liverpool), Cockney (from east London) and the Estuary English of Essex and Kent.

Sharmas research reveals anecdotal evidence that while accent-bias is less marked in the professional world than at a broader social level, it remains an important factor. This ingrained prejudice in favour of refined accents poses a problem for recruitment. If employers use vocal tone as a cipher for likely performance, they risk exacerbating the already entrenched class divide in the UK and further reduce social mobility.

So what to do? Name and, probably, address free CVs might go some way to stopping accent-bias militating at an early stage against the regionally voiced. But perhaps we need to do more. Ive been sceptical in the past about the use of artificial intelligence in the recruitment process. My concerns chiefly surround the way we train such systems isnt there a danger that we simply teach robots to be as enamoured by posh voices as we are?

The debate on AI should be held. But, in lieu of its conclusions, a critical first step UK employers can take is one of recognition. They must accept that class-bias channelled through the interpretation of accents is deep-seated in British culture; and that bias against the Fiona Hills of this world leads us to lose talent like hers to our international peers.

Americans might find our preoccupation with accents quaint. But it is much more than an English eccentricity: it is actively damaging. Accent-bias is arguably seen as the last forgivable prejudice. Yet in truth it is unforgivable: leaders have a responsibility to convey to our teams how ridiculous such biases are.

Excerpt from:
The English Obsession With Accents Is Bad For Business - Forbes

MANCHESTER Irish playwright and political activist George Bernard Shaw is credited with saying, Those who cant change their minds cant change anything.

City school board members are hoping the Board of Mayor and Aldermen takes that quote to heart tonight when it hears a request to reconsider a vote taken late last year on bonding to help fund redistricting efforts in Manchester schools.

Tuesdays meeting of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen gets underway at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall.

In December, city aldermen rejected a request to redirect $2.1 million in bonding approved for preschools and instead use the money for renovations associated with middle school redistricting efforts.

The vote was 6-6, with Aldermen Tim Baines, Elizabeth Moreau, Bill Shea, John Cataldo, Barbara Shaw and Keith Hirschmann voting in favor of the request. Opposed were Kevin Cavanaugh, Tony Sapienza, Bill Barry, Normand Gamache, Joe Kelly Levasseur and Dan ONeil. Absent were Will Stewart and Chris Herbert.

Ten votes were needed to approve the request.

Baines, Shea, and Cataldo are no longer on the board.

Earlier this fall, school officials determined available space at both Manchester Memorial High School and Manchester School of Technology was less than needed for a preschool program, so Superintendent of Schools John Goldhardt went before the Board of Mayor and Aldermen to ask that bond funding be reallocated for renovation work at the citys middle schools to prepare for redistricting in 2021.

School board members supported Goldhardts request on a 14-1 vote in November.

The new request from the school board seeks $1.8 million in bonding, after committee members voted to ask aldermen to fund fifth-grade redistricting efforts using bonds instead of reallocating funds from other line items in the budget.

We have nothing to lose by trying, said Ward 4 member and board vice chair Leslie Want told members.

A motion to send the new request to the aldermen passed 14-1, with only at-large member Jim OConnell opposed.

Read this article:
City school board hopes second time's the charm for redistricting bond request - The Union Leader

The Irish writer George Bernard Shaw posing with Chinese students in 1933. He was travelling in China to observe the political regime. Photograph: Keystone-France/ Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images

Absurd when you think about it: Ireland a State of about four million people that would fit into a medium-sized Chinese city having an impact on a China of 1.4 billion. How could this happen? If Ireland is that small, how can it be so big?

One answer: Ireland is a member of a world church. As such, the first Irishman, a Franciscan monk named James, arrived in Beijing about 1323 the expedition captured by his companion friar in The Tales of Odoric (1513). Centuries later, after the end of the First Opium War in 1842, Irish missionaries both Catholic and Protestant came to China. Of these, perhaps the best known are the Columban Fathers who initiated the Maynooth Mission in 1918. Founding not only churches but schools and (after being joined by the Missionary Sisters of St Columban) clinics and orphanages, they came to China to save souls but wound up saving lives.

Another answer is that Ireland was, historically, part of the British Empire sending over men such as George Macartney, delegated to head the first embassy to China in 1792. After the First Opium War, Macartney was followed by large numbers of bureaucrats to administer the Empires newly colonised ports: eight governors of Hong Kong, for instance, may be counted as Irish.

It was a posting to China as a customs officer, for instance, that allowed Augustine Henry to become one of the centurys greatest botanists. Henrys importing of hitherto unknown, rare plants from the Chinese hinterland transformed the Irish landscape forever.

Finally, there are our Irish writers. After the Empire of the Great Qing was ousted in 1911, China looked for its future direction to models from the West. Scholars will tell you that Chinas was a translated revolution; that is, modernity arrived in China literally via translations the work of Irish writers prominent among them. More than a decade before the 1911 revolution, Oscar Wilde and Lady Gregory were popular sometimes with curious results. Wildes Salome, for instance, rejected as degraded literature in the West, in China was greeted as a paean to the newly liberated woman. Similarly, Wildes essay, The Soul of Man under Socialism, seems to have been almost as popular in China as it was in Russia after the revolution of 1917.

In particular, the events of Easter 1916 were seized upon by Chinese intellectuals as an instance of how literature can inspire a revolution. From the 1920s onwards, modernizers such as Lu Xun, Guo Moruo, Mao Dun and others praised Irish writing, often translating it themselves. One marker of Irelands global influence at this time would be the poem Victorious in Death, written by Guo Moruo in response to the agonising last days of Terence MacSwiney a world away in London.

Impartial God of Death! I am grateful to you, You have saved MacSwiney for whom my love and reverence know no bounds, MacSwiney, fighter for freedom, you have shown how great be the powers of the human will. I am grateful to you, I extol you: freedom can henceforth never die.

For such intellectuals, literature was welcomed as a springboard in creating this new China. So it is not surprising that they seized on the work of such Nobel Prize winners as WB Yeats and Shaw, as they too had come to believe that a revolution must entail not simple regime change but a transformation of the hearts and minds of an entire people. In other words, they believed a literary revolution could fuel a literal one.

Thus, as China moved into the turmoil of nation-building, Irish literature was once again adapted by Chinese intellectuals for their own purposes. In the 1930s as the writings of Karl Marx evolved into an official ideology, socialist Irish writers such as John Millington Synge, Sean OCasey and (of course) Shaw were held up as producers of a peoples literature. In fact, Shaw actually visited China in 1933 the only Irish writer of this period to do so. His influence there has been so pronounced that an entire book, Bernard Shaw and China (2007), is devoted to it.

Why this disproportionate influence of Irish writers? One reason might be that in China, as in Ireland, the written word has been regarded as a potent agent for social change. Another might be that Ireland and China share a kind of parallel history: whether of colonisation or famine, tensions between landlords and peasants or revolt against empire, civil war or the challenges of building a new nation. As well as a rapid transition over a few generations from a traditional agricultural society to a modern or even post-modern one.

The uncanny correspondence between the careers of the early James Joyce and the great Chinese intellectual Lu Xun illustrate just how closely Ireland and China are bound by common issues during this period. And perhaps because of these commonalities, Irish literature maintains its high status: as Dai Congrong discovered recently when her translation of Finnegans Wake became a runaway best seller.

For its part, China too has changed Ireland though research on this topic is still negligible. Could it be that Wildes essay on The Soul of Man under Socialism was welcomed in China because it pirated so much of the first translation of that great Daoist sage, Zhuangzi? Or that Yeatss formidable poem, Lapis Lazuli owes its singular power to the Qianlong stone mountain (now in the exhibit in the National Library of Ireland) on which it is based? Or even that Samuel Becketts Waiting for Godot might be in debt to a play by Lu Xun or to his interest in Chinese music?

Today China is learning about Ireland through Riverdance and U2, through the visits of contemporary musicians, playwrights and poets. Our Bord Bia is busy introducing China to the superior qualities of Irish butter, beef and infant formula. In the Irish Studies Centre of Beijing Foreign Studies University, Chinese students are actually learning Irish, just as Irish students are now studying Mandarin for the 2022 Leaving Cert. So perhaps in celebrating the Chinese New Year, we should keep in mind just how Ireland and China are transforming each other in ways we could never have imagined. Only the beginning of this surprising relationship. Prof Jerusha McCormack is an Irish academic with a long career in the area of comparative cultures and a particular interest in China, teaching for many years at Beijing Foreign Studies University and more recently at Fudan University in Shanghai. She currently lectures for the Chinese Studies MPhil at Trinity College Dublin. She is the author and editor of several publications including The Irish and China: Encounters and Exchanges (New Island Books, 29.99); China and the Irish: Thomas Davis Lecture Series (New Island Books, 2009)and, with John Blair, Thinking through China (2015) and Comparing Civilizations: China and the West (4th edition, 2018).

Continue reading here:
Ireland and China: unlikely influences on each other - The Irish Times

Here are five snapshots of the Republic of Ireland that explain the countrys profile as it goes to the polls in a general election on Saturday.

Ireland is a traditionally Catholic country.

Its 1937 constitution referred to the special position of the Holy Catholic Apostolic and Roman Church as the guardian of the Faith professed by the great majority of the citizens.

But the grip of the once-restrictive church has begun to wane in recent years.

In 2015, same-sex marriage was legalised by referendum. In May 2018, a further landslide referendum repealed the republics laws forbidding abortion, some of the strictest in the West.

Ireland houses a number of the worlds most profitable tech companies.

Apples European headquarters are based in the southern city of Cork, whilst Googles are in Dublin. Facebooks international HQ is also in the capital.

Ireland has a 12.5 percent corporate tax rate, fuelling accusations it acts as a tax haven for such firms, a charge the government rejects.

Read more: Brexit, homelessness dominate election in Ireland

Dublin took 11.4 billion euros ($12.5 billion) in gross corporation tax receipts in 2018. The top 10 companies accounted for 41 percent of that.

Ireland has a strong history of emigration, often prompted by poverty and famine.

Approximately 10 million people have emigrated from the island of Ireland since 1800, according to University College Cork.

Around 31 million Americans -about 10 percent of the total population- identify as being of Irish ancestry, according to 2018 census estimates.

Every March 17, US cities with large Irish-American populations participate in St Patricks Day celebrations.

Traditionally the Chicago River is dyed green to celebrate the patron saint of the Emerald Isle.

Ireland was under British rule until the early 20th century. The 1916 Easter Rising marked the beginning of a violent struggle to establish independence, leading to a 1919-1921 war.

A 1921 treaty created the Irish Free State -internally self-governing and outside of the United Kingdom but remaining a Commonwealth dominion.

In 1937, the Free State ended and Ireland was declared a fully-independent sovereign state.

Read more: UK-EU trade talk arise from the ashes of Brexit

The province of Northern Ireland, 17 percent of the islands landmass, remains a British territory.

Thirty years of conflict over the region between republicans and unionists ended with a 1998 peace deal which accommodates citizens who consider themselves British or Irish or both.

Ireland wields outsized influence in the world of literature.

James Joyce, William Butler Yeats, Samuel Beckett, Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, Jonathan Swift and Bram Stoker are among the islands best-known cultural exports.

But not all of Irelands authors have enjoyed a good relationship with their homeland.

Joyce was critical of the Catholic Churchs conservative influence over the republic in his lifetime.

Beckett lived much of his life in France. He is reported to have said of his decision to remain in the country when Germany invaded in 1940: I preferred France in war to Ireland at peace.

AFP with additional input by GVS newsdesk.

Continued here:
The Republic of Ireland explained in five snapshots - Global Village space

THEATER Hedgerow Theatre presents The Haunting

ROSE VALLEY Hedgerow Theatre, 64 Rose Valley Rd., will present a number of supernatural stories by Charles Dickens, all woven together in a single evening in The Haunting, from now until March 1. Adapted by Hugh Janes from Dickenss writings and directed by Hedgerows Artistic Director, Jared Reed, The Haunting takes place in an ancient, crumbling mansion on a desolate English moor, where David Filde, a young book dealer, is employed by the current Lord Grey to prepare a private library of rare and antique books for sale. During the course of his work, Filde discovers a number of secrets the Grey family might like to keep hidden even as a series of terrifying phenomena threaten to expose them. Pursuing the truth drives them both to the very edge of terror and beyond.

Performances are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings, with matinees on Saturdays and Sundays. Ghost stories willbe shared in the gallery starting 45 minutes before every performance. Tickets run $25-$36. To purchase tickets, call Hedgerow at 610-565-4211 or e-mailhedgerowtheatre.org.

Hedgerow Theatre is the oldest repertory theater in the United States. Founded in 1923, its been a magnet for some of the most influential forces in theater and performance, including Edward Albee, Eugene ONeill, George Bernard Shaw, Bertolt Brecht, Henrik Ibsen, and more recently, Keanu Reeves.

The Peace Center of Delaware County, 1001 Old Sproul Road, Springfield, will hold its first Friday free large screen film screening of Running On Empty 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. for light refreshments

Running on Empty is a 1988 Oscar-nominated film classic directed by socially-conscious film maker Sidney Lumet and starring River Phoenix, Judd Hirsch, Christine Lahti, and Martha Plimpton. The drama is the heart-wrenching story of a 1960's counterculture couple on the run from the FBI and their teenage son's conflict between the loss of his loving family and the freedom to realize his own dreams.

For directions to the Peace Center of Delaware County and other information, visit http://www.delcopeacecenter.org/

CHADDS FORD Celebrate the month of love with an intimate, sit-down wine and chocolate pairing at Chaddsford Winery 12-5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8. Visitors can explore several unique flavor combinations as they taste five artisan chocolates carefully paired with their award-winning wines a perfect choice for Valentines outings or a Girls Day Out. Chadds Ford Winery is at 632 Baltimore Pike, Chadds Ford. For information, call 610-388-6221.

TINICUM The John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge At Tinicum, 8601 Lindbergh Blvd., will present a Winter Tree Walk n' Talk with Jeff Cooney and Robb Kerr 9 a.m. to 12 noon Sunday, Feb. 9. Everyone is welcome to come and learn how to identify trees with at this seasonal workshop. The instructors will focus on learning how to identify tree using bark patterns and other signs found in winter.

The free workshop will start off in the classroom to examine samples for approximately an hour and then continue on a walk to try your new skills in the field. Dressing in layers and sturdy shoes are recommended. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/pg/johnheinznwr/events/.

SPRINGFIELD The Springfield Country Club, Flight Entertainment and Miller Lite will present A Night of Geator Gold 5:30-10 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 9 in the Grand Ballroom at Springfield Country Club. Doors open at 5 p.m. The non-stop party combines a unique blend of the areas top live oldies talent and gives fans a chance to see all of their favorite entertainers on one stage. The star studded event is hosted by the Geator with the Heater himself, Jerry Blavat, who performs a one-hour set of all his line dance favorites and golden oldies.

The event kicks off with The Smooth Sounds of Steve Silicato who will be warming up the crowd with the hits from Dean Martin, Sinatra, Frankie Valli, The Temptations, Johnny Maestro and more followed by The Old News Band and Lacosta's favorite Sunday Funday band, The Insiders, heating up the party for two early sets. As an added bonus, the audience will revisit "The Legend of Johnny Cash" with a special tribute performance by Delco native Joe Staffieri playing Johnny and Debbie Feeser performing as June Carter. AM Radio and The Heartbeats take the stage together for back to back co-headline sets to round out the live entertainment for the evening. DJ Jerry Corrado will be playing all the hits in between for band breaks.

Limited VIP table seating options will be available and plenty of General Admission seats, all sold on a first come basis. For more information, call 610-627-2100 or e-mail info@flightnight.com/.

Originally posted here:
Delco Roundup: 5 fun events for the weekend ahead - The Delaware County Daily Times

WITH just days to go until The Oscars 2020 we take a look back at how the Irish have fared over the years.

And reveal some Irish facts about the awards, now in its 92nd year, you might not know.

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For instance, did you know an Irish man designed the statuette all celebs vie to have?

That an Irish woman, best known for her scores for video games, will be the first woman to conduct an orchestra at the Oscars?

And do you know which Oscar winner accidentally flung her award in a pool in Connemara?

The telly extravaganza has been taking place since 1929. It airs this Sunday at the Dolby Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles.

Our only Irish nomination this year is Saoirse Ronan for her part in Greta Gerwigs Little Women.

Irish composer Emear Noone will be the first woman to conduct an orchestra at the Oscars.

She will lead the 42-piece orchestra at the Academy Awards as it plays excerpts from five nominated scores on Sunday.

Legendary Irish actor Peter OToole is one of the events biggest losers.

The Laurence of Arabia star received eight Academy Award nominations, but he did not win a gong until 2003 when he was given a special Oscar by his peers for his contribution to film.

Carlow actor Saoirse Ronan, 25, already has earned her fourth Oscar nomination, and half of those have come from working with director Greta Gerwig.

Brenda Fricker won a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for her performance opposite Daniel Day-Lewis in the Christy Brown biopic My Left Foot.

But recently revealed her Oscar statuette once ended up in a swimming pool in Connemara.

Liam Neeson nearly got a Best Actor gong for his spectacular performance in Schindlers List in 1993 but the best actor award went to Tom Hanks for his performance in Philadelphia. Many reckon he was robbed.

Michael Fassbender has been twice nominated for an Oscar. Once for Best Supporting actor for 12 Years a Slave, and got a Best Actor nomination for Steven Jobs in 2016.

Irish-American art director and production designer Cedric Gibbons is our biggest winner at the awards.

Born in Dublin, the creative genius amassed a haul of 11 gongs, nominated for 38. Hes even credited with the design of the Oscar statuette.

Noted writer George Bernard Shaw is the only person to have been awarded both a Nobel Prize (Literature, 1925) and an Academy Award.

He won for Best Adapted Screenplay for his own play Pygmalion (1938)

Daniel Day-Lewis has won three awards; Best Actor for My Left Foot in 1989; Best Actor for There Will Be Blood in 2007 and Best Actor for Lincoln in 2013.

Sligo man Neil Jordan directed four actors in Oscar nominated performances: Bob Hoskins, Stephen Rea, Jaye Davidson, and Julianne Moore.

The prolific director and writer, also won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1993 for The Crying Game.

Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova won the Best Original Song for their tear-jerking track Falling Slowly they wrote for the film Once in 2008.

Irish-Ethiopian star Ruth Negga was humbled after being nominated in the Best Actress category at this 2017 Oscars for her role in the historical drama Loving.

Maureen OHara never won a competitive Oscar but received a Lifetime achievement in 2015. She passed away less than a year after receiving the award.

Kilkennys cartoon studio Cartoon Saloon animated features Secret of Kells, Song of The Sea, and The Breadwinner have all been nominated for Oscars.

Dubliner Consolata Boyle has been nominated three times for the Academy Awardfor Best Costume Design.

Irish American PricewaterhouseCoopers accountant Brian Cullinan was the man behind the infamous envelope mix-up at the awards in 2017 in which La La Land was mistakenly named best picture over Moonlight.

Some of the talent never lauded by their peers at the awards include: Maureen OSullivan, Milo OShea, Gabriel Byrne, Brendan Gleeson, Fionnula Flanagan, Fiona Shaw, Cillian Murphy, Colin Farrell and Domhnall Gleeson.

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Read more:
How the Irish have fared at the Oscars over 90 years who has the most nominations and wins? - The Irish Sun

Feb 05, 2020 | 00:10:53 IST See what the stars have in store for your zodiac sign

Gemini, the empire you are in the process of building requires strong financial backing. Spirit is supporting you to create an abundant future. Aries, reclaim the reins you have relinquished. Push beyond your limits and aim to be the best version of yourself. Cancer, let go of the idea that you know everything, and listen to what others have to say. This way, youll not only find a resolution, but you may also chance upon new information that will challenge your beliefs and make you look at the world in a brand new light.

When did life become an obstacle course? you stop to wonder. Aries, the Universe never gives us anything we're unequipped to handle. Besides, growth usually takes place through discomfort. So, rise to your power. Reclaim the reins you have relinquished. Push beyond your limits and aim to be the best version of yourself. Overheard at the cosmic conference: victory is already yours.

Cosmic tip: You are bigger than the challenges that stand in your path.

When people are unkind towards you, their actions have little to do with you and a lot to do with them. Dont give into the drama, Taurus. Most importantly, dont take anything that has been said in the heat of the moment personally. You are responsible for your potion of happiness. At the same time, resist the urge to reciprocate with hurtful words. Keep your conscience clean, Taurus. Know that the energy you put into the Universe will come back to you manifold.

Cosmic tip: Forgiveness is a gift.

The empire you are in the process of building requires strong financial backing. Spirit is supporting you to create an abundant future, Gemini. Open yourself to help. Allow yourself to receive the monetary assistance you require. By planning your expenditure ahead of time, you will be able pay back your loans effortlessly. Some of you may come to the realisation that you have been settling for a less-than-perfect job or not living up to your true purpose. Trust that you have the courage required to make drastic life changes. PS: Remember to express gratitude for the miracles you are manifesting now.

Cosmic tip: Trust that you will receive the financial support you require to manifest your dreams into reality.

Are things working out magically or are you facing roadblocks at every step of the way? The Universe is always talking to us in signs and symbols. Be aware of what the current energetic climate is trying to convey to you. Cancer, there is a good chance you are trying to paddle upstream when the Universe is asking you to slow down and go with the flow. Today, youre also being asked to be mindful of the words you use. Let go of the idea that you know everything, and listen to what others have to say. This way, youll not only find a resolution, but you may also chance upon new information that will challenge your beliefs and make you look at the world in a brand new light.

Cosmic tip: Work towards resolving the conflict.

What if all the world really is a play and were all actors who have been hired to play our parts? There is no need to take the drama seriously, Leo. Stepping away from the matrix will provide you with much needed perspectivewhich could help your disentangle yourself from the emotional cords that are bringing you down. Some of you may be considering an Eat Pray Love kind of vacation or a sabbatical of sorts. If it helps heal your old wounds and alleviates your soul, the answer is yes.

Cosmic tip: Take a birds eye view of the situation.

Trust that you are exactly where you need to be. This week brings the reminder that great power equals great responsibility. Act in accordance with the highest good at all times. Make delegation your power word. Take a moment to understand your team. What are the strengths and weaknesses of each individual? Hand out the tasks accordingly. This will not only help you get stuff done in an organised manner, but will also increase productivity. Just mind your need to micromanage or get involved in the small stuff. The big vision needs your attention, Virgo.

Cosmic tip: Big dreams require a big vision.

Everything you experience in this life is a choice, including what you perceive as obstacles. Before we take birth, we decide the challenges we will face in this lifetime in order to help our soul rise to the next level. The answers you seek are within you too, along with the tools you need to transcend your circumstances. So call your power back to yourself every time you get bogged down by the matrix. What you're being asked to focus on right now: the soul lessons that are calling for your attention. Awareness is the first step to breaking the cycle.

Cosmic tip: You have the tools required to transcend to the next level.

Heres a well-kept secret for the believers of the law of attraction. Hold a pure thought in your mind's eye for 17 seconds in order to set manifestation in motion. The desire will become stronger and stronger as it reaches 68 seconds. If what you asked for is for your highest good, trust that it will find its way to you in the physical plane of existence. PS: Spirit is working with you to co-create your best life.

Cosmic tip: Ask, and you shall receive.

Wise words by Neville Goddard to help you open your third eye: Assume the feeling of your wish fulfilled and observe the route that your attention follows. Now is not the time to get cut in the nitty gritties. You need to pay attention to the big picture, Sagittarius. Your manifestation game is also especially strong this week. Spirit is co-creating with you right now and in this moment to create your best life. Get ready to see tangible proof.

Cosmic tip: Focus on the bigger picture.

You may not be where you imagined you would be, yet you are exactly where you need to be. Exercise a little more faith in the mysterious forces above. The Universe is orchestrating a cosmic cleanse at this moment, one that is removing the obstacles on your path. So release the unhealthy attachments as you relinquish the need to control. Giving yourself the permission to flow will take you where you need to go.

Cosmic tip: Everything is taking place for a reason.

Aquarius, unclench your jaw, release your shoulders from your ears, and remove your tongue from the roof of your mouth. Then, take a deep breath and bring yourself back to the present. Everything is taking place in divine order. Trust that you have done your best and the rewards will be in tandem with your efforts. You will receive not just rewards, but also appreciation for your work. Unable to deal with the crises youre in despite your best efforts? Working with a therapist could be a good way to alleviate your troubles.

Cosmic tip: Take a deep breath in and breathe out.

Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine, and at last, you create what you will. Let the words of George Bernard Shaw inspire you to set your intentions for the coming month, as you align them with inspired action. The cards speak of magickal beginnings, Pisces! Remember, good things do not take place overnight. Practicing patience and persistence will help you co-create the miracles you are consciously working towards.

Cosmic tip: Forgiveness is a gift.

See what the stars have in store for your zodiac

See what the stars have in store for your zodiac

See what the stars have in store for your zodiac

See what the stars have in store for your zodiac

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Originally posted here:
Horoscope today: February 5, 2020 - VOGUE India

Travel coach Dylan Essertier in India.

A lot of people have life coaches and career coachesbut have you ever heard of a travel coach? Dylan Essertier is a travel writer turned travel coach who now works with people looking to reach their goals through travel. Over the years, I searched long and hard for a travel advisor that would speak to a woman like mesomeone who didnt just want to escape through travels but use that time away to help me move toward my long-term goals, says the writer, who also had a side hustle as a life coach.

Since she couldnt find that person, she created the job for herself. Through her new company, Dylan Grace, Essertiersupports people around the world through 1-1 coaching, including road-mapping their trips, keeping them accountable for their goals while they are away and even guiding them through re-entry.Essertier also teaches e-courses and holds retreats to support people interested in making a career out of travel, teaching them ways to grow a meaningful business out of that passion. She founded Dylan Grace with her mother, Toni Essertier, who oversees the booking side of the company.

A travel coach is not exactly a new conceptsome people call it the modern-day version of a travel agent, yet one with a laser focus on your goals and mindset. In short, its a more holistic approach to travel planningan intersection of advisory and personal coaching.It wasn't until the past decade or so, and even more specifically the past five years, that travel coaching has really taken off, explains Michael Bennet, co-founder of the Transformational Travel Council.Bennet attributes the new categoryto the rise of the personal development industry and the growing popularity of experiential adventures. In addition, notes Bennet, many modern travelers are now interested in prioritizing the why and how of travel rather than the what and where.

The average age of travelers has been getting younger and younger and these travelers are dealing with existential questions and crises, things like the infamous 'Quarter Life Crisis' and 'Saturn's Return' and so forth, where they are facing some of life's most important questions, says Bennet. They also have money for the first time, plus access to immersive and experiential travel experiences more than ever before.

READ MORE:Quit Your Job And Live Abroad: 10 Places So Cheap You Might Be Able To Stop Working

Experiencing slow travel on Rail Rovos in South Africa.

Essertier says she is noticing a shift in travel psychology, as well: Many of my clients areless interested in sitting on a beach and forgetting their life back home. Now they want to use their time traveling to reflect, learn, reset and figure out what really matters to them.

Here, Essertier tells how she reinventednot only her own life through her travels, but how she is helping other women use travel to build better lives through their own travels.

My Career Journey: I started my career working in human resources in training and development. I enjoyed my work and helping employees build confidence, but I became restless. I had always dreamt of traveling the world and becoming a writer so when I got an opportunity to move to the Middle East, I took it. I spent six years working as a culture editor in Dubai, traveling to so many places to report on the latest luxury hospitality trends.

Why I Decided to Do This: When I moved back to New York a few years ago, I continued my travel writing, and some of my friends started asking me to help them plan trips. During our conversations, I wasnt just asking them if they preferred the beach or snow. Without realizing it at the time, I was trying to discover a more holistic picture: How is work? Whats your dream job? Are there any major changes youve faced over the past couple of years? These answers helped us choose a destination and itinerary that felt right, a place where they would get the most out of their time away. Before I knew it, friends of friends were asking me to plan their trips. Some were taking sabbaticals and wanted advice on how to travel alone without feeling lonely, how to make friends while in a new country and how to stay safe. These were all concerns I experienced during my years living as an expat. Since I could relate, we would often stay connected during and after their trips, chatting about all their highs and lows. I didnt realize I was slowly building a business until I started receiving emails from strangers asking for my travel planning rates.

READ MORE:Ranked: The Worlds 10 Worst Cities To Live (3 Are In The US)

The Floating Farmhouse in the Catskills, where Essertier will be hosting a travel writing retreat ... [+] this spring.

Trips That Matter: I work with clients going through a job relocation, the end of a relationship, retirement abroad or a career change. I also design shorter trips and host retreats; I especially love planning volunteer vacations. Right now Im helping plan a one-year anniversary for a couple interested in doing relationship goal-setting during a trip to the Amalfi Coast. This spring, Ill be hosting a travel writing retreat in the Catskills at the Floating Farmhouse.

Inspirational Journey: I was recently approached by a woman who wanted to spend six months in Bali between finance jobs. When we first connected, she explained to me that she wanted an experience that would include not only fun in the sun, but also fitness, spirituality, personal interests and cultural immersion. It was also her first time traveling solo, so we talked a lot about what mindset shifts would happen to reframe her extended time alone from something that might feel nerve-racking and scary into an incredible opportunity to connect with new people and herself. Together we mapped out an itinerary that included yoga, visits to local healers and philanthropy andstrategically plannedaccommodations that would allow her to socialize (ie. hotels with ton of community activities) while still stayingaccountable for carving out alone time and self-reflection. Before she left, I sent her a poem that touched upon some of the personal things we had talked about, as well as a journal. I encouraged her to write in each night so she could later look back on her moments ofbravery and enlightenment.

Getting Creative in the Galapagos: A woman asked me to help her plana trip dedicated to reconnecting with her creative side. She had been working as a successful entrepreneur for many years, and although she loved it, she wanted to get out of the weeds to make time for big-picture thinking. She was also a nature lover, so we ended up planning a trip to the Galapagos for her around the theme of imagination. Before she left, I prepared a list of questions designed to help her reflect on the evolution of her business. By stepping outside of her day-to-day, she was ableto awaken her sense of creativity through new scenery, andalso be purposeful about using the trip for internal reflectiona thought process, she said, that led her to develop a new business ideashortly after that trip.

Photographing the famous Pinnacle Rock in the Galpagos, a perfect place to take a transformative ... [+] trip.

Travel Advice: 3 Easy Ways to Make Your Next Trip More Meaningful

Here, Essertier shares her tips for planning an enriching and fulfilling trip.

Essertier advises that travelers ask themselves: "What do I want to feel?"

Where to Go Next: 3 Exciting Experiences for 2020

Here, Essertier shares three experiences shes excited about for 2020 that you should also put on your radar.

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Where To Go Next: 27 Best Places To Travel In 2020

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Personal Travel Coaches Are The Hot New Trend. Here's What They Are And Why You Need One - Forbes

Greg Carters reputation as a football coach speaks for itself. After 42 years of coaching the game, hes still going strong at Oak Park High School, collecting a 360 wins and 119 losses since starting as an assistant coach at Detroit St. Martin de Porres in 1978.

Winning eight state championship as an assistant, Carter became a head coach at de Porres in 1994 and won four state championships with the school. Moving to coach Inkster in 2005, he led the program to two state finals berths, losing in 2006 and 2008.

Since his first season with Oak Park in 2011, Carter has turned the program into an annual contender and as churned out many players that have gone onto the NCAA Division I level.

Carter has built a rsum that has allowed him to be selected to the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Announced as a member of the 14-member 2020 induction class, Carter will be formally inducted at the MHSFCA Induction & Banquet on March 7 at 5:30 p.m.

It means a lot, at any point Carter said of the honor. Whether you are retired or whether youre still active, It means that people just appreciate what youre doing and Im just happy to see it after all these years.

Looking back at the very beginning, however, Carter did not envision himself accomplishing any of his championships or milestones along the way. In fact, he thought he would coach a different sport altogether.

I never thought about being a football coach, Carter said. Baseball was the sport that I spent most of my time seeing."

Although Carter played football while at Detroit Mackenzie High School, he was also an accomplished baseball player for the school in the late 1960s and early 70s. He earned All-American status while at Mackenzie and went on to become an All-American selection in college while playing catcher at Kentucky State University. After college, he played one year in the Detroit Tigers farm system in 1976, bouncing between three minor league teams that year.

After a baseball career didnt work out, Carter got a call from Ron Thompson, his old baseball and football coach at Mackenzie. Thompson (HOF class of 1995) had moved onto de Porres and was looking to add to his coaching staff.

I actually dont know how coach Thompson knew that I was back in the city but he gave me a call and asked me to come out and work with his quarterbacks. That led to working with defensive backs and it just continued to grow Theres not a better person to learn the game from than coach Thompson.

Thompson brought Carter on staff at de Porres in 1978 and went on to win eight state championships before Thompson passed away in 1994. After Thompsons death, Carter took over the head position and has held that position throughout his time at Inkster and Oak Park.

Now, Carter cannot imagine a life without coaching football.

I love to do it, Carter said. I love being around the teenagers. Growing up, I had some mentors around me that directed me and led me to the profession Im in today Theres not a better way to give back to the community than to help these kids.

At 65 years old, Carter is not ready to give retirement much thought -- a serious thought, that is.

Oh yeah, every time we lose a game, I think about retiring, Carter said with a laugh. I think its just going to happen when it happens. I still love being around the kids. If you feel that youre making a difference, and you have the health and the ability to continue As long as youre making a difference -- and hopefully, God willing, Ill continue to be healthy -- I dont know how long Im going to coach. I dont have a timeline right now.

The ceremony on March 7 begins with a social hour at 5:30 p.m. and dinner at 6:30 p.m. The induction ceremony is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The deadline to purchase tickets is Feb. 29. Contact Mr. Gandalf Church at 1-269-449-6553 or gchurch@sjschools.org to purchase tickets.

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Greg Carter had baseball on his mind before Hall of Fame football coaching career - MLive.com

Feb. 6, 2020, at 8:00 AM

This season has been trying for North Carolina head coach Roy Williams.

The North Carolina Tar Heels walked onto their home court as 8.5-point favorites against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets for their first game of the 2020 calendar year. With a victory, daggum coaching legend Roy Williams could have passed his former mentor and the namesake of North Carolinas home court on the all-time wins leaderboard.

Instead, the Tar Heels responded to the occasion by making history of a different sort: entering the locker room with the most lopsided halftime deficit since the Dean E. Smith Center opened in 1986.

I apologize to all the North Carolina fans that care about our basketball program, Williams said afterward, later disclosing that he was the most disappointed, most upset Ive ever been in my life coaching.

Williamss Southern drawl soundbites havent gotten any cheerier. In the last month, he has dubbed his team the least gifted hes ever coached and intimated that the universitys athletic director should fire him, even though hes under contract through 2028.

Even the most revered coaches and storied programs go through lean years, but Williams and North Carolina have largely avoided them. Only three coaches in Division I history have more wins than Williams, whose career win percentage exceeds 78. And despite having coached college basketball in some capacity for more than 40 years, Williams has never led a team to a losing record.

Chapel Hills basketball factory is one of the most widely recognized brands in college athletics. As recently as April, its valuation was north of $145 million. This is, of course, a campus where 51 first-round draft picks, including Michael Jeffrey Jordan, cut their teeth.

Carolina entered the season ranked in the top 10. It won basketball Twitter on opening night when star freshman Cole Anthony went for 34 points in a conference win while rocking some show-stopping prescription goggles. But then, seemingly overnight, a school that has played for two of the past four national championships and reached at least the second round of the NCAA Tournament in each of the last nine seasons fell apart, experiencing one of its worst seasons of the modern era. With a record of 10-12, UNC stands to post just the 11th losing campaign in the 110-season history of Tar Heel basketball and the third since the early 1960s.

Despite starting the season 5-0, North Carolinas offense was held to under 80 points in each of its first 10 games for the first time since 1949. Over an 11-day span, the Tar Heels suffered the most lopsided home loss of Williamss tenure and lost to Wofford. Last month, it dropped home tilts against Pittsburgh and Clemson, the latter of which had never beaten UNC in Chapel Hill. En route to a Sweet 16 appearance last season, UNC went 16-2 in conference play and earned a share of the regular-season ACC title. This season, the Tar Heels set a program record by dropping six consecutive games in conference play.

A head coach can typically point to a specific area or two holding his team back. There are perhaps too many for Williams to count.

I dont think you get to know the identity of your team until you start playing games and having some adversity, Williams said during preseason media day. I think it will be a running team and I think it will be a good defensive team. A few months later, Williams has a team thats his slowest in four years by adjusted tempo, and one thats tracking to be the worst offense and defense hes ever coached.

Traditionally, offense hasnt been hard to come by for Williams, whose teams nearly always ransack the glass. That style hasnt changed this season, as the team ranks No. 21 in offensive rebounding percentage, but while the team finished each of the past five seasons ranked in the top 11 of KenPoms adjusted offensive efficiency metric, this season it ranks 128th.

Perhaps thats because Williams is watching his team build a house of bricks nearly every night. Compared with other Williams-led offenses, this one is on pace to set new lows in 2-point field-goal percentage, 3-point field-goal percentage and effective field-goal percentage.

Some of the Tar Heels troubles can be explained by roster turnover. UNC lost four starters and its top five scorers from last season, three of whom were first-round selections in the NBA draft. Teams with more continuity typically perform better than those without. UNC ranks 325th in minutes continuity, according to KenPom.com, with the second-lowest share of returning minutes of any major-conference team.

Some of this seasons woes can also be explained by injury. Anthony was the top point-guard recruit in his class and is among the highest-ranked prospects ever brought to campus by Williams. So it should be noted that the Tar Heels best and most important player has appeared in only 11 games this season because of a knee injury that required surgery. Anthony isnt the only injured player Williams has had to replace; hes started 10 different players.

But the team hasnt been terribly good offensively even when Anthony has been on the floor. The Tar Heels score more points per possession (0.96 compared to 0.93) and shoot a higher effective field-goal percentage (46.1 compared to 44.9) when Anthony leaves the court, according to Hoop-Lens.com. (It should be noted that they are far better defensively when Anthony plays.)

Whether fans pin it on player development or the teams relatively poor performance on the recruiting trail in 2017 and 2018, things dont look to get much better the rest of the season. North Carolina is favored in only three of its final nine games with the first of two matchups with No. 7 Duke coming this Saturday and Bart Torvik gives the Tar Heels just a 0.4 percent shot of reaching the NCAA Tournament, something UNC has accomplished in 15 of the 16 seasons Williams has been at the helm.

While watching Carolina basketball this season has been a miserable exercise, fans of the nations oldest public university can find optimism in the future. UNC is about to bring in its first top-five recruiting class since 2012, which includes three top-25 prospects and four players invited to the McDonalds All-American Game.

Recruiting is like farming, Williams said after last years class was announced. You work all year, and you have no idea what its going to be like until the crops come in. You just work all year and see what happens.

But nobody anticipated famine in Chapel Hill, or that one of college basketballs blue bloods, the program with the most all-time Final Four appearances, would look so ordinary in a season thats arguably more open than most in recent memory. In Chapel Hill, they hang banners. But this season, it sure feels like the Tar Heels ceiling is well short of the roof.

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North Carolina Mens Basketball Is Off The Rails - FiveThirtyEight