Memorable Alan Watts Quotes

These famous quotes by Alan Watts will inspire you to explore your consciousness. During his lifetime, he helped popularize Zen Buddhism in the Western world. He still shows us how to live in the present moment through his teachings.

Alan Watts has written many popular books that spread his beliefs. In fact, we owe many ideas associated with modern yoga and and meditation to his influence. Many of his philosophies explore the mysteries of life and the universe, something we often find ourselves questioning.

If you're ready to open your mind to new possibilities, these enlightening quotes by Alan Watts will do the trick. Forget everything you thought you knew about your own existence, this wave of spiritual growth is exactly what you needed.

"Society is our extended mind and body."

"Problems that remain persistently insoluble should always be suspected as questions asked in the wrong way."

"Normally, we do not so much look at things as overlook them."

"Every intelligent individual wants to know what makes him tick, and yet is at once fascinated and frustrated by the fact that oneself is the most difficult of all things to know."

"Words can be communicative only between those who share similar experiences."

"The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance."

"This is the real secret of life to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play."

"A scholar tries to learn something everyday; a student of Buddhism tries to unlearn something daily."

"I have realized that the past and future are real illusions, that they exist in the present, which is what there is and all there is."

"No valid plans for the future can be made by those who have no capacity for living now."

"But I'll tell you what hermits realize. If you go off into a far, far forest and get very quiet, you'll come to understand that you're connected with everything."

"Trying to define yourself is like trying to bite your own teeth."

"No one is more dangerously insane than one who is sane all the time: he is like a steel bridge without flexibility, and the order of his life is rigid and brittle."

"Never pretend to a love which you do not actually feel, for love is not ours to command."

"You and I are all as much continuous with the physical universe as a wave is continuous with the ocean."

"You are an aperture through which the universe is looking at and exploring itself."

"Zen does not confuse spirituality with thinking about God while one is peeling potatoes. Zen spirituality is just to peel the potatoes."

"But the attitude of faith is to let go, and become open to truth, whatever it might turn out to be."

"One is a great deal less anxious if one feels perfectly free to be anxious, and the same may be said of guilt."

"You don't look out there for God, something in the sky, you look in you."

"We seldom realize, for example that our most private thoughts and emotions are not actually our own. For we think in terms of languages and images which we did not invent, but which were given to us by our society."

"Man suffers only because he takes seriously what the Gods made for fun."

"What we have to discover is that there is no safety, that seeking is painful, and that when we imagine that we have found it, we dont like it."

"Just as true humor is laughter at oneself, true humanity is knowledge of oneself."

"Muddy water is best cleared by leaving it alone."

"When we attempt to exercise power or control over someone else, we cannot avoid giving that person the very same power or control over us."

"The world is filled with love-play, from animal lust to sublime compassion."

"Technology is destructive only in the hands of people who do not realize that they are one and the same process as the universe."

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These Alan Watts Quotes Will Light A Fire Inside Of Your Soul - Women.com

When Vancouver native Keith Alessi says that tomatoes tried to kill him but banjos saved his life he means it both literally and metaphorically.

Alessi was a corporate executive whose job was to fix ailing companies. In the fall of 2015, he decided to retire only to be hit 13 days later with a diagnosis of stage 3 esophageal cancer.

The doctors told me I had a 50 per cent chance of living a year and a 15 per cent chance of living five years. It came as a crushing surprise to me because I had never smoked, say Alessi.

After a series of tests, the doctors concluded his cancer was the result of a lifetime of acid reflux and the big culprit was tomatoes.

I come from an Italian household where tomatoes in all forms were a big part of my diet. Thats the literal explanation. My Italian father was a highly abusive man and that is the metaphorical way in which tomatoes tried to kill me.

For decades before his cancer diagnosis Alessi had been collecting banjos.

I was fascinated by them. Collecting them became my passion. I never learned to play them. Just to collect them. When I was diagnosed with cancer I became determined to learn to play the banjo and I vowed I would become skilled enough to get on stage and play before an audience no matter how small.

Alessi says he dragged himself out of his man cave and learned to play. He also began telling people his story of triumphing over adversity.

I had so many people tell me I should create a show and so I decided to enter the Toronto Fringe lottery. More than 1,000 people applied for the 100 positions at the fringe and my name was first out of the hat and thus began the journey that has brought me to Calgary, Lunchbox Theatre and the High Performance Rodeo.

Keith Alessi brings his show, Tomatoes tried to kill him but that banjos saved his life, to Lunchbox Theatre and the High Performance Rodeo. Courtesy, Erika Conway Calgary

Tomatoes Tried to Kill Me But Banjos Saved My Life, Alessis solo show in which he tells his story and plays several of his banjos, plays at Lunchbox Theatre from Jan. 11 to 25, beginning its run as part of the 2020 High Performance Rodeo.

If truth be told, and Alessi insists he holds nothing back in his show, that first summer at the Toronto Fringe was a disaster.

They gave me six performance slots and I think I might have played to a hundred people total. I had to cancel one show because nobody turned up and the critics panned me, but I was not about to give in.

The next year I entered the Edmonton Fringe Festival lottery and received a slot and kept working on the show, making it more conversational and more personal and at my last performance I received a standing ovation.

Alessi has kept entering fringe lotteries and, beating the odds, has won a slot each time. In 2019 he got into eight fringes including New York, Orlando, Regina, Windsor, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Vancouver and even Brighton, England.

That summer, the show really caught on and I sold out every single show at every fringe and after every performance people came up to me to thank me for my story and to share theirs with me.

Alessi didnt get a slot in the Calgary Fringe Festival but Lunchbox Theatres Shari Wattling caught his show in Edmonton and booked him for the theatre.

Ive been on the wildest of rides and it doesnt appear to be stopping any time soon. Great things keep happening for me. The universe has been very good to me and I am grateful and I am listening.

Co-presented by One Yellow Rabbit and Lunchbox Theatre, Tomatoes Tried to Kill Me But Banjos Saved My Life runs between Jan. 11 and 25 in Lunchbox Theatre during the High Performance Rodeo.

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HPR: Deadly tomatoes led former executive to riveting solo performance - Calgary Herald

Russell Wilsons hope is to play football into his 40s. A lofty dream for sure but not impossible. Of course, we all know 42-year-old Tom Brady is going strong. So, while living the life of an NFL player into middle age isnt likely for most, it can happen if the individual is committed.

The Seahawks Russell Wilson is committed, according to ESPN, and he backs it up with an unusual routine.

The quarterback stays in excellent physical shape with help from a variety of experts, according to GQ. His staff includes personal chef Andrea Witton as well as a recently-assembled personal performance squad. This team includes trainers, therapists, movement specialists, and a mental coach.

Wilson does anything necessary to maintain his health and fitness, including soaking in Epsom salts, using a hyperbaric chamber, taking ice baths, receiving deep tissue massages, and practicing yoga.

Chef Witton more or less lives with Wilson, his wife Ciara, and their kids. When the family travels, the whole performance squad goes along. Witton knows Wilson loves tasty food like those he ate growing up in Virginia, but he seeks to eat healthier versions.

The quarterback says Witton makes everything from scratch, and she uses clean and fresh, nutritionally dense ingredients.

The NFL stars 2016 season was, well, painful. In Week 1, Wilson sprained his ankle, reports ESPN. Then, in Week 3, he sprained the MCL in his left knee. These injuries forced him to be less mobile, which limited his running game.

With a career-low of 259 rushing yards and the Seahawks ranking 23rd in rushing efficiency, Wilson suffered a tough year. To add insult to injury, a side effect of his injuries involved substantial weight gain.

At the time, Wilson told ESPN he typically runs a lot in and after practice, on his off days, and everything like that. He added, I couldnt do much because of my ankle and knee.

Eventually, his weight peaked at over 225 pounds, which made him feel too heavy and not mobile enough. Its not like Wilson wasnt eating healthy hes had a personal chef for years but the injuries and weight gain forced him to reexamine all aspects of his routine.

After wife Ciara recommended food coach and nutritionist Philip Goglia to Wilson, things began to change. According to Goglia, [Wilson] was an animal about [Goglias diet plan]. Goglia then added, The fing guy buried himself in this, and its epic to see because that really validates him as a complete athlete.

The famous nutritionist provided Wilson with a diet that may seem counterintuitive. The QB had been eating around 2,700 calories a day, but Goglia told him to bump it up to 4,800 calories.

His explanation for the calorie increase was that a calorie is a unit of heat, and metabolism is a function of heat. He explained that fat is a lipid and converts to energy in a hot environment, so a person must consume enough calories to generate enough heat to burn fat.

Wilson lost weight and body fat following Goglias system. He went from 225 pounds with 16% body fat to 214 pounds with 10% body fat. It wasnt easy; even though he could eat more calories, they had to be the right kind.

Foods offered comfort to Wilson, who says that his family didnt have a lot of money for food when he was a kid. He and a friend often scrounged for change so they could get something to eat. When possible, his parents did cook tasty meals. Wilsons favorites include mac and cheese, his mothers specialty, and his fathers spaghetti.

Dont tell coach Pete Carroll, but Wilson pilots helicopters. And this hobby must hike up the cost of the teams insurance. The QB claims he gets a lot of peace of mind when flying.

Wilson puts a lot of focus on his career and works hard. The guy deserves to have a fun hobby. Obviously, for Wilson, the sky is the limit.

Read more:
What Russell Wilson Eats in a Day Is Nearly Impossible for 'Regular People' - Sportscasting

Wintry mob drama Martin Scorseses The Irishman, with Jesse Plemons, Ray Romano, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. Photograph: Netflix

The best film category is dominated just like everything else in the cultural conversation around movies by Netflix, which has the majority of the nominees: Martin Scorseses The Irishman, Noah Baumbachs Marriage Story and Fernando Meirelless The Two Popes.

The other two are Sam Mendess 1917 and Todd Phillipss box-office smash Joker. This is a really good list, in my view, with one exception: I am unconvinced that Joker is anything other than an amazingly crass, boorish and shallow movie, stridently but incorrectly congratulating itself on its own supposed supercoolness: there is a decent, but overrated performance from Joaquin Phoenix.

1917 is one from the heart, a one-shot nightmare that succeeds in being tremendous, exhilarating and affecting. Scorseses wintry mob drama is a magnificent film, one of his very best. For me, the film flew by.

Marriage Story is a gorgeous, beguiling film desperately sad, and yet with a persistent heartbeat of romance. The Two Popes is the kind of undemanding middleweight biopic that tends to be rewarded during awards season: an imagined dramatic account of the confrontation between Pope Benedict XVI (Anthony Hopkins) and the cardinal who succeeds him: Francis (Jonathan Pryce). I regretted the absence of Claire Deniss sci-fi High Life and even more the snub to Greta Gerwigs wonderful new version of Little Women.

Will win: Marriage Story.

Should win: The Irishman.

Shoulda been a contender: Little Women.

This category is traditionally where the often-mocked Globes scores, because it makes space for the crowd-pleasers at which most awards bodies turn up their noses.

It is a lively list this year, although I am astonished at the way pundits have rolled over for the fatuous and pointless Jojo Rabbit. It strikes a very queasy series of false notes.

Dexter Fletchers Rocketman is a rousing and entertaining account of the early life of Elton John with a great (singing) performance from Taron Egerton, although it is clearly the authorised version permitted by Sir Elton himself.

My favourite on this list is Quentin Tarantinos dizzying, dazzling Once Upon a Time In Hollywood, a black comedy about late-60s Los Angeles which is brilliantly conceived and designed. Rian Johnsons Christie-esque whodunit, Knives Out, has been much praised, although I have to admit to being the tiniest bit disappointed with the big reveal. Eddie Murphys Dolemite Is My Name is a hilarious Blaxploitation biopic comedy, and thoroughly deserves its nomination.

But where on Earth was Booksmart? That really was an out-and-out comedy, without any pretensions to anything other than getting laughs.

Will win: Knives Out.

Should win: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Shoulda been a contender: Booksmart.

Here is where this years Globes look a little bit under par. It is great to see Adam Driver get his nomination for Marriage Story, while Antonio Banderas establishes a gold-standard with his great performance in Pedro Almdodvars autofictional movie Pain and Glory. But I found Christian Bales mannered and twitchy performance as the hot-tempered racing-car genius in the middling Ford v Ferrari almost insufferable (the same goes for Joaquin Phoenixs Joker). Jonathan Pryce does an honest, good-natured job with the role of Pope Francis in The Two Popes. It is very surprising that Robert De Niro somehow didnt get a nod for his gloomy hitman in The Irishman, Brad Pitt probably deserved something for his troubled spaceman in James Grays Ad Astra.

Will win: Adam Driver.

Should win: Antonio Banderas.

Shoulda been a contender: Robert De Niro.

Cynthia Erivo brought sheer passionate commitment, charisma and verve to the role of the anti-slavery campaigner Harriet Tubman; her closest competitor is Rene Zellweger, who won hearts and minds with her very intelligent and heartfelt portrayal of Judy Garland. It is a good performance, although the film itself puts a sugary soft focus on the wrenching agony of Garlands decline. Saoirse Ronan is characteristically forthright and excellent in the role of Jo in Gerwigs terrific new version of Little Women. Scarlett Johansson is also very good in Marriage Story, with flashes of passion, anguish and rage that are all the more powerful for bursting out of that kind of opaque reserve that she habitually creates.

I am very unconvinced by Charlize Therons mannered and odd impersonation of Fox News star Megyn Kelly in Bombshell; the films confusion over the fact that Kelly is no feminist shows up in her performance. Perhaps the Globes should have looked outside Hollywood and rewarded Yong Mei for her heartwrenching turn as the grieving mother in Wang Xiaoshuais So Long, My Son.

Will win: Rene Zelleweger.

Should win: Cynthia Erivo.

Shoulda been a contender: Yong Mei.

Some really great stuff here from Leonardo DiCaprio as a failing TV cowboy actor, and the singing especially from Egerton in Rocketman. There is a blast of comic energy from Murphy as the 70s Blaxploitation comic Rudy Ray Moore; as for Daniel Craig, he brings plenty of amusement and drollery to his performance as the intellectual private detective in Knives Out (although I sometimes wonder if he really does have comedy bones). It is a bit dismaying to see Roman Griffin Davis in here for his moderate child-actor moppet turn in the worryingly overindulged Jojo Rabbit. I would have liked to see Robert Downey Jr nominated for his very distinctive and personal performance as Tony Stark in Avengers: Endgame.

Will win: Taron Egerton.

Should win: Leonardo DiCaprio.

Shoulda been a contender: Robert Downey Jr.

My feeling is that Awkwafina has this sewn up for her starring turn in The Farewell, a heart-rending and sweet movie about the Chinese-American experience. Cate Blanchett can never be anything other than a potent and intelligent screen presence, and her performance as the agoraphobic architect who goes missing in Whered You Go, Bernadette? has been much admired. As for Emma Thompson, she has been nominated for her role as an acid-tongued British talk-show host in Late Night a good performance although, oddly, she is more obviously funny in a far inferior film, the box-office smash Last Christmas, in which she was the grumpy Croatian mum. Ana de Armas is really good in Knives Out, but again I have to say in terms of real comedy not comedy-drama, not drama with bittersweet comic touches, but actual comedy Feldstein is streets ahead of anyone here. One person who deserved to be on this list is that great singer and actor Jessie Buckley for her full-throated performance in Wild Rose, the story of a Scottish woman yearning to be a country music star.

Will win: Awkwafina.

Should win: Beanie Feldstein.

Shoulda been a contender: Jessie Buckley.

There are some big names and revered silverback gorillas in this list all of whom are doing an excellent job, although I couldnt help wondering if the Hollywood Foreign Press Association could cast its net a little wider? For opaque reasons, Anthony Hopkins has a best supporting actor nomination, despite being of equal importance to Pryce in The Two Popes. Tom Hankss performance as the American TV legend Fred Rogers is causing critics to gibber with awestruck delight, although Brad Pitt may pinch it with his wonderfully mature performance in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, which showcases his marvellous Gary-Cooper-like ease.

But the frontrunners have to be Al Pacino and Joe Pesci for their fantastic performances as the Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa and the coolly understated mobster Russell Bufalino in The Irishman. I reckon Pesci will get it to a roar of pleasure from the assembled crowd.

Will win: Joe Pesci.

Should win: Joe Pesci.

Shoulda been a contender: Wesley Snipes (Dolemite Is My Name).

Jennifer Lopez started as an actor; do not rule out the possibility that she will be rewarded for her performance in the widely enjoyed raunchfest Hustlers, as the mentor-stripper who takes Constance Wu under her wing. Yet the Globe might well go Kathy Bates for her part as the everyman-heros mother in Clint Eastwoods biopic drama Richard Jewell. Elsewhere, there is Margot Robbie for her (fictional) role in Bombshell; very uninhibited performance, and Robbie is not hampered like her co-stars by having to produce a quasi-impersonation of a real-life person. Annette Bening gives an intelligent, careful but uninspired performance inThe Report. But the winner here is surely Laura Dern, for her hilarious portrayal of a cunning divorce lawyer in Marriage Story.

Will win: Laura Dern.

Should win: Laura Dern.

Shoulda been a contender: Julia Butters (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood).

What on earth happened to Gerwig for Little Women? Or indeed Alma Harel for Shia LaBeouf drama Honey Boy? At any rate, there are some heavy-hitters here: Mendes has a well-deserved nod for his superlative 1917, as do Scorsese and Tarantino. Perhaps the most notable nominee is the Korean film-maker Bong Joon-ho for his fascinating social satire Parasite; fast becoming the talking point of the 2020 awards season.

Will win: Martin Scorsese.

Should win: Martin Scorsese.

Shoulda been a contender: Greta Gerwig.

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Golden Globes: who will win and who should win the film awards? - The Guardian

We are giving away a LIMITED EDITION Clemson National Championship football to one lucky subscriber in the new year. Sign up today to help us continue to grow! D.J. Uiagalelei - 6-5, 243-pounds, St. John Bosco, Bellflower, CA

Five-star quarterback D.J. Uigalelei arrived on campus at Clemson today after participating in the Army All-American Game yesterday in Texas.

Uiagalelei finished the game 16-of-25 for 252 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw one interception, but one of his two touchdownthrows showed why he was the top quarterback in this cycle.

As you can see, Uiagalelei rolled right, felt pressure and adjusted to make a beautiful throw to his tight end.

Unfortunately, Uiagalelei and the East team came up short33-20, but he looked the part. Also, if you wanted to see some videos, earlier this week, we put links to some videos from San Antonio in The Roar.

Here are some additional highlights from yesterdays game.

Notes on D.J. Uiagalelei

Head Coach: Jason Negro

Overview: Listed as the top player in the nation by PrepStar and ranked second according to Rivals.com behind Clemson signee and classmate Bryan Bresee top quarterback in the nation according to Rivals.com and PrepStar led his team to No. 1 ranking by MaxPreps and USA Today after guiding them to a 7A state championship in California will play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Jan. 4, 2020 in San Antonio, Texas National Offensive Player of the Year and first-team All-American by USA Today in 2018 as a junior threw for 10,496 yards in his high school career and had 127 career touchdowns against just 11 interceptions completed 585-of-871 passes for a 66 percent completion mark averaged 18 yards per completion also rushed for 1,103 yards and 18 touchdowns in his career, a 6.1 yard-per-carry average.

Rankings: Ranked as the No. 1 overall player in the nation, the best quarterback and best player in California by PrepStar ranked as the No. 2 overall player in the nation by Rivals.com, which also called him the top quarterback and top player in California 247Sports ranked him the No. 2 overall player in the nation, the top pro-style quarterback and top player from California.

In High School: Played for Jason Negro at St. John Bosco High in Bellflower, Calif. led his team to a 13-1 record and state championship in 2019 won state championship on Dec. 14, as he was 24-of-29 for 410 yards and four touchdowns while also gaining 67 rushing yards on just five carries with another touchdown on the ground led team to thrilling semifinal victory over Mater Dei, which had beaten St. John Bosco in the regular season and entered the game ranked No. 1 in the nation by USA Today and MaxPreps led St. John Bosco to victory out of a 28-5 deficit in that game, completing 26-38 for 446 yards and five touchdowns completed 222-of-344 passes for 4,225 yards and 48 touchdowns against just two interceptions in 2019, averaging 19 yards per completion and 12.3 yards per attempt added 412 yards rushing and eight touchdowns as a junior in 2018, led team to a 13-1 record with only loss coming to Mater Dei in state playoffs had exceptional game against Miliani, completing 25-of-31 passes for 380 yards and six touchdowns completed 13-of-15 for 361 yards and six scores against Oaks Christian completed 179-of-257 passes for 3,366 yards and 48 touchdowns against just seven interceptions on the year and added 50 carries for 312 yards and six rushing touchdowns as a sophomore in 2017, completed 184-of-270 for 2,905 yards and 31 touchdowns against just two interceptions posted 67 rushes for 379 yards and four touchdowns as a sophomore helped team to 10-2 record that year helped lead team to 40-38 victory against Santa Margarita by throwing for 405 yards and two scores and followed that performance with 320 yards and four touchdown passes against Servite completed 20-of-21 passes and two scores against Mater Dei in state playoff game.

Personal: Committed to Clemson on May 5, 2019 wore No. 5 in high school recruited to Clemson by Brandon Streeter expected to enroll at Clemson in January 2020 name pronounced ooh-ee-UNGUH-luh-lay.

Lowell Likes:

The first thing you notice is the size, obviously. 6-5, 243-pounds and somehow still mobile. He certainly has the ability to run, but he would rather sit in the pocket with his Howitzer of an arm and chuck the ball 80+ yards down the field (yes, he can actually throw the ball 80+ yards). He widely gets comparisons to Cam Newton, but to me, hes more comfortable in the pocket. Even with the talent thats come through recently, Clemson has not had a quarterback prospect this intriguing before.

More:
Uiagalelei arrives on campus after solid performance in All-American Game - Clemson Sports Talk

One Yellow Rabbit will present the ecological comedy The Land, The Animals during High Performance Rodeo.

Calgary's annual three-week theatrical festivalHigh Performance Rodeo kicks off this week, featuringeverything from pop stars to podcasters to 10-minute plays.

High Performance Rodeo starts Wednesday and runs to Jan. 26 in venues across Calgary. The festival features 27 shows at 13 venues across Calgary's downtown for three weeks.

"If you've made a New Year's resolution to get out and see more art to spend some more time with your friends, have we got something for you," festival producer Laurel Green told the Calgary Eyeopener. "If you have any nights off in January there willbe something we like to promise 'something wild' for everyone."

Ensemble troupe One Yellow Rabbit will kick off the first week of the festival with a play called The Land, The Animals.

The ecological comedy was first produced by the ensemble in 1991 and is being brought back with new performers, choreography andmusicin light of today's environmental concerns.

The production is directed by Blake Brooker and performed by long-time ensemble members Denise Clark and Andy Curtis, with new music by David Reimer.

The Land, The Animals runs Jan. 8 to 14 at Big Secrets Theatre.

Another highlight of week one is a chance to meetOlympian Mark Tewksbury up close and personal.

"He's trying something new, bringing his story to the stage with this one-man show," Green said.

Tewksbury is best known for winning a gold medal atthe 1992 Summer Olympics. He'snow a public speaker and the director of the Special Olympics.

The one-man show is based on his book Belong and is presented in collaboration with Wordfest.

"He's a force to be reckoned with," Green said. "Mark Tewksbury is a great Canadian, great Calgarian and an impressive speaker."

Belong runs Jan. 9 to 11 at the DJD Dance Centre.

If you can't get enough American satire in the vein of Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert, you'll want to check out It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel F****d)featuring political blogger Lee Papa.

"It's gonna be a really funny show that really delves into some American politics and talks about the state of the world today," Green said.

The show runs Jan. 8 toi 12 at Motel Theatre at Arts Commons.

Jamie Dunsdon mounts an intimate and heartfeltperformance that examines her own life.

The show is set during a birthday party, and the whole audience is invited to examine ignorance, bliss and everything in between.

Bliss runs Jan. 8 to 12 at The Studio atthe Grand.

Music and dance hit the stage together in week twoof the festival, starting with Room 2048.

The ensemble group Hong Kong Exile combines pop music, dance and fog in a mind-bending performance that runs Jan. 14 to 16 at Engineered Air Theatre.

A brand new one-woman show called How To Fail As a Pop Star fromVivek Shrayachronicles the Calgary performer's rise through the Canadian music scene.

"Vivek, of course, is a celebrated author and the face of MAC Cosmetics,"Green said. "It's so exciting to get to see her up close and personal."

Vivek will takea humorous look at a career in the entertainment industry.

How to Fail as a Pop Star runs Jan. 22 to 25 at Engineered Air Theatre.

Don't miss a free podcast recording at Calgary's Central Library of one CBC'spodcasts,The Secret Life of Canada,on Jan. 10.

"So the audience part of the event is just listening in quietly.There will be some audience participation and then, of course, we'll get to hear the podcast when it's broadcast later. We'll be really focusing on stories from Calgary," Green said. "We'll have some special guest stars and lots of chances to make some noise."

Green said one of the festival fan favourites is an audience participation show called Queer Blind Date.

"A member of the audience is selected as the romantic hero and with their permission, they come on stage and get to go on a date," Green said. "We'llget to see audiences of all descriptions represented.All couples are welcome."

Ifyou're a romantic comedy fan, this one's for you.

Green said no one has to participate in any productions unless they want to, adding the festival is all about fun.

Decidedly Jazz Danceworks will bring back bring the classic Juliet + Romeo, just having completed a national tour.

The show will feature a live musical score and, of course, dancing.

"I like to think that there's a spark in it for everyone, that everyone's a little bit adventurous that comes to the festival," Green said.

Juliet + Romeo runs Jan. 16 to 23 at DJD Dance Centre.

With files fromthe Calgary Eyeopener.

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Satire, podcasts and an Olympian: High Performance Rodeo brings the 'wild' to Calgary - CBC.ca

In 2017, it felt as though diversity was winning. Well, not necessarily winning, but at least making progress towards equality in film. Scooping best picture at both the Oscars and the Golden Globes, the success of Barry Jenkins' Moonlight seemed to signal a turning point in the film industry, an indication that Hollywood had finally learnt some valuable lessons from the #OscarsSoWhite debate of 2015. The following year, Get Out received a few nods of approval, but fewer major wins. That's OK, we thought, real, meaningful change takes time and, besides, we've got Black Panther! The upward trajectory continued in 2019, giving us Green Book, BlackKklansman and If Beale Street Could Talk, which between them won many of the top prizes at the Golden Globes, Baftas and Oscars. But now it's 2020 and not a single non-white face is seen in this year's Bafta nominations. Hollywood, what happened?

Ill disguised efforts to appease audiences with faux wokeness, that's what. This year's Bafta nominations, along with a noticeable lack of people of colour acknowledged by the Golden Globes, only work to reveal the industry's true attitude towards diversity: it's regarded simply as a trend, something to cash in on when #BlackLivesMatter is trending and cast aside when extreme right-wing politics takes over even Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker demoted Kelly Marie Tran's character, Rose Tico, after she was set up to have a bigger storyline in The Last Jedi. Show business is fickle, yes, but to drop efforts to promote diversity in the industry so quickly and so dramatically is shameful, particularly for institutions such as Bafta, who only last year introduced new diversity requirements to ensure people from all backgrounds are represented both on and off screen at the awards. Seems like they devised a really effective system, doesn't it? So effective, they don't even need to acknowledge diversity at all.

But it's not just the fault of academy voters; the studios have a lot to answer for too. In 2019, a plethora of films hit the screens that were deserving of more recognition at awards season, including Us, Harriet, Hustlers, Dolemite Is My Name, Blue Story, Just Mercy and Parasite, to name a few, yet out of those films only Us and Hustlers were given decent marketing campaigns. Films made by white, male directors starring predominantly white, male casts were splashed across billboards, buses and editorial spreads all year, while the rest were left to quietly creep into cinemas and streaming services through the back door. Why didn't Netflix's Dolemite Is My Name, starring Eddie Murphy, get at least half of the same push as The Irishman? Why did Harriet only land on most people's radar once Cynthia Erivo received a Golden Globe nomination, despite being released last autumn? And why, oh why, did the wider public only become aware of Blue Story once it accidentally found itself at the centre of a racism and youth violence controversy?

The marketing teams at these film's respective studios failed them. They assumed that the audiences they felt they were made for would find them themselves and that it wasn't worth trying to convince other cinemagoers that these films were worth their time. They segregated both cinema and audiences, ignoring the outstanding success of films such as Black Panther and Moonlight, that were evidence of the fact that films with diverse talent behind are for, and can be enjoyed by, everyone. I can only wonder how this attitude towards promoting these films trickled down to awards season campaigns.

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There is also something to be said about the kind of diverse films that are typically acknowledged at awards season. Only those that are explicitly about the experience of being a person of colour are typically rewarded and, more often than not, these films are not particularly uplifting viewing. Hollywood loves to depict the suffering and trauma of POC, yet it doesn't appear to like it when cinema simply treats them as normal people. The widespread snub of Jordan Peele's Us this year makes this abundantly clear. Although the film's lead characters are a black family, their blackness is of little consequence to the plot. They're depicted just as a family of any other race would be, because guess what? We're all pretty much the same!

Lupita Nyong'o's performance in Us as both a kind family woman and her evil doppelgnger was nothing short of exceptional and the fact that Margot Robbie received double Bafta nominations for her role in Bombshell and her five minutes in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, over Nyong'o's double performance in Us, both baffles and enrages. Scarlett Johansson also receives two nominations for Marriage Story (fair enough) and Jojo Rabbit (er?), making it seem as though the voting body was just desperate to nominate anyone but an actress of colour. The biggest nod given to any diverse film went to The Personal History Of David Copperfield, but when nominated for best casting while other categories remain very, very white, it's a move that reads more like a panicked "Dev Patel's in a period film and we have to at least pretend we like diversity" than a genuine acknowledgement of achievement.

There will no doubt be those who will cry, "Why does it always have to be about race?" and "Awards season should be based on merit, not diversity quotas!" But if this batch of award season nominations prove anything, it's that it is always about race not because of the #BaftasSoWhite backlash, but because Hollywood refuses to properly acknowledge its own subconscious racial bias. People are often quick to berate positive discrimination, while neglecting to acknowledge that white people have essentially been negatively discriminating in their favour for, well, ever. It's clear that Hollywood won't wake up to diverse films unless they're aggressively reminded to, because if awards season were truly based on merit, the nominations this year would look dramatically different. If we really want diversity to win, we need to let academy voters know. Otherwise, they'll keep handing out prizes to the only people they want to win: themselves.

Everything you need to know about the Baftas 2020

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The Bafta 2020 nominations prove the industry treats diversity as a fad - British GQ

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Im a fan of reading inspirational and motivational quotes. I often find a great quote and share it with my team at Shepard Presentations, and sometimes with the readers of this column as well.

That brings me to Dan Sullivan, creator of the Strategic Coach program. Dan is a great coach who is full of great sayings. When I first met him, I asked why I should pay to be coached by him or one of his trainers. He gave me the same answer hes given to thousands of others, which, in a way, makes it a quote. But instead, Ill call it his brand promise. Its simple. Dan said, I want to help you grow your business 10 times and take off 150 days a year.

Ive been a part of the Strategic Coach program for more than 20 years now. Ive learned quite a bit. Ive grown my business and I take more time off than ever, although some years Im better at it than others. The point is, Im experiencing his promise first-hand.

Dan is a content machine, producing new material every few months to share with the thousands of clients he coaches. He comes up with sayings and phrases that make great sense. At our last coaching session, we were given a book, The Best Of: The Always Quotable Dan Sullivan. And today I want to share with you three of my favorite Dan Sullivan quotes:

1.There are two kinds of people: Batteries Included and Batteries Not Included.

I have a lot of energy. People often say Im like the Energizer BunnyI just keep going and going. As I read that quote, I recognized myself in those words. Im a Batteries Included kind of guy. And, I like hanging around people who are also Batteries Included. Those people are positive, energetic and motivated; they take charge and embrace challenges. They move in a positive direction. Batteries Not Included people are negative, cant see opportunity, complain a lot and dont take initiative. Who would you rather be around? Who would you want to work with? Who would you want as the leader of your organization? My answer (and probably yours, too) is a Batteries Included leader.

2.Sometimes growing pains can feel like failureand sometimes failure is part of the growth.

Failing isnt fun. There are many different types of failure: business, relationship, financial, athletic, personal, professional the list can go on and on. One thing Ive learned is that all failure leads to a lesson. This is something Dan teaches. Sometimes you may feel like youre failing when youre actually moving closer to growth and success. If you follow Dans methodology, youll realize success doesnt happen by accident. So, when you set out to do something new, first identify the best and worst possible outcomes. By identifying the worst in advance, you can recognize obstacles and find ways to lessen the likelihood of failure. Yet as carefully as you plan, remember that the best laid plans dont always result in success. Everyone is allowed to feel sorry for themselvesbut not for long. You must, metaphorically, get up and dust yourself off. Understanding what went wrong is crucial to avoiding it in the future. Failure is part of growth. Sounds like common sense, doesnt it? Well, unfortunately, its not so common. The best people will analyze both wins and losses/failuresand learn from both.

3.For a company to grow 10x, it doesnt need your managing, it needs self-managing.

This is the big secret to the Strategic Coach program. What Dan and his coaches teach is that the best leaders dont manage the company. They manage the process that creates a company that can manage itself. When I attended my first year of coaching sessions, I quickly realized what my talents were and what I needed to delegate. The only way to grow my business was to give it to others to growin other words, delegate and oversee. Ive yet to master this concept, but Im much further along than when I started. Study successful companies and youll discover that their leaders are often people who recognize what theyre good at and then surround themselves with others whose strengths complement their own. That is how you build a great teamand a great company.

There you have it. Three great quotesthree great pieces of advice. Consider how you can apply these quotes to your own lifeboth professional and personal. Look up some more of Dan Sullivans quotes, or find quotes from other thinkers and leaders who inspire you. Share these with your team. Let these nuggets of wisdom inspire and guide you toward success.

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Three Quotes That Inspire Great Leadership And Success - Forbes

ANALYSIS/OPINION:

Coming Home contains truths about the relationship between African-Americans and Donald Trump that will not be reported by the media. Vernon Robinson and Bruce Eberle have broken new ground and explain how this relationship is key to President Trumps reelection. Ken Blackwell, former Ohio secretary of state

What do Kay Coles James, Ben Carson, Star Parker, Candace Owens, Ken Blackwell, Diamond and Silk, and Alveda King have in common?

They are bold, compassionate leaders who believe that every person is created equal by God himself. They understand that every human life has infinite value and limitless potential. They have suffered from some sort of discrimination but are not bitter. Instead, they seek reconciliation, believe in redemption, and work to advance a more just society. They know that hard work, economic freedom, the preservation of the traditional family, and reducing government control are the keys to success.

And they are black Americans who support the policies of President Trump.

If you listen to their personal stories and read their excellent writings, you will understand why they believe that if black Americans or Hispanic, Asian, white or any other Americans are to have a better chance of achieving personal success, then Donald Trump must be reelected president.

Leftists, who seek to enslave minorities and hold them captive to government control, dont want you to read the works of these brave Americans. They use cruel ridicule and slander in an effort to silence them and other heroes from the black community, because they understand that if more people of color knew the truth, they would vote for the freedom policies promoted by Mr. Trump.

We must read and spread their messages so that all Americans can continue to have their lives improved. Read Ms. James brilliant writings at Heritage.org or Mr. Carsons many inspiring speeches at hud.gov. Log on to Ms. Owens BlexitFoundation.org or to Ms. Parkers UrbanCure.org to be inspired. Become educated about the rights of a persecuted people at Ms. Kings CivilRightsForTheUnborn.org.

A fantastic new book by veteran political strategists Vernon Robinson III and Bruce Eberle, titled Coming Home: How Black Americans Will Reelect Trump, explains why black Americans will unleash freedom for all of us as they show up in record numbers to vote for Republican candidates and Mr. Trump.

As the authors point out, all we have to do is cut through the noise and lies and share the truth to the black community about who has their best interest at heart, and they will respond. Available on Amazon.com, Coming Home has lessons that will lead to victory in this election and for years to come as black Americans come to realize in even greater numbers why the GOPs policies of freedom and faith are essential for human thriving.

Mr. Eberle (on whose board I serve) has long known that black Americans embrace the freedom message when they hear it. Hes been active in the battle for equality and liberty longer than just about anyone, and spearheaded information campaigns that provided the margin for victory in the black community that Mr. Trump needed to win in 2016.

And the result? American blacks, Hispanics and Asians are enjoying record low numbers of unemployment. The percentage increase in wages is the highest since 2009, and is growing the fastest for low-income workers.

Mr. Eberle continues to make it his mission to obliterate leftist policies designed to keep minorities in poverty, divide Americans and make us all slaves to government.

America cant afford to be a divided nation. What gives us strength is unity. When we allow others to divide us for political gain, America is weakened, Mr. Eberle says. While Coming Home is the story of black Americans coming home to the party of Lincoln and Trump, its also a rebuttal of the idea that conservatives have a history of racism and that we are today racists.

In reality, conservatives are the champions of the downtrodden and of those who have been betrayed by those on the left. And, the very good news is that the sound economic policies of President Trump have helped those at the bottom of the economic ladder the most. What we are witnessing is a rebirth of the American Dream for all our citizens.

Rebecca Hagelin can be reached at [emailprotected]

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Black Americans are coming home to the GOP - Washington Times

How do you coach your sales teams?

Its a common challenge across sales teams throughout all industries: the natural tendency for many salespeople is to react versus create in the sales situations they find themselves. Like in other aspects of our lives, reacting to a situation as opposed to creatingor being in control ofa situation will not yield the success you want.

The problem is, as it relates to sales, if people arent held accountable, they will look for shortcuts and be reactive rather than creative. Thats where effective leadership comes into play. Salespeople want a leader that they look up to and trust. If you put processes in place that allow them to follow an effective and proven leader, they feel more ownership of their work.

Ive found that all too often, sales leadership will hold people accountable in the wrong way. They use the carrot and the stick approach rather than giving them the tools they need to succeed along the way. Instead, successful organizations focus on coaching, training, and providing the resources needed to create success rather than react to situations they didnt create.

This is why we created The Dakota Way. We believe there are distinct ways of working and doing a job. We aim to avoid shortcuts and focus on doing business in what we consider to be the right way. By right way, we mean doing the things other people don't want to do. Sales is hard; rejection is hard. But it's not personal. If you have a high-quality product, there are people who want to hear about it.

As a leadership team, we created a sales approach that defines how to sell an investment strategy to a professional buyer of investment strategies. Our goal has been to put an extreme amount of detail around the sales process so everyone on our team knows what works, how it works, and how to follow it. The buck stops with the leadership team. The tough reality about sales is this: most salespeople, without proper sales leadership, will do things that avoid doing what's most important because it's not easy.

Your goal as a sales leader is to hold people accountable for doing what is most important. However, before you can do that, leaders need to take responsibility for how they engage and interact with their teams. For me, I focus on my people personally and how to help them grow individually.

Its safe to always assume that your salespeople dont know what is needed to succeed, that they want to be led and shown how to succeed. As leaders, its your responsibility to help develop them according to your best practices. Ensure there is a high level of interaction with your sales team focused on reporting on how they are doing within the process you have designed.

There are many different levels of leadership and sales leadership, but to put the bare bones in place you want to be, in the words of the great leadership consultant and author, Robert Anderson William Adams who wrote Mastering Leadership, you must move beyond the Reactive leadership style to Creative leadership style.

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The Key to a Performing Sales Team is Its Leadership - Forbes