Columbia, S.C. -- Local Midlands professionals hit the runway at the Richland County Public Library Saturday afternoon.

It was the "Finding Your Voice" Fashion Show and Midlands residents got the opportunity to see up close and personal how to dress for success.

From USC professors to local businessmen/women, professionals dunned their most professional, yet stylish attire in various styles and patterns as the audience looked on and took note. The event was free of charge and open to the public.

Following the event, every participant in the audience got to put together and take home their own professional outfit for free out of available clothes, shoes, purses and accessories provided by the library.

Two lucky raffle winners also took home $100 in prize money.

Organizers of the event say it was a fun but informative way to give tools to the public that they could utilize in their respective careers.

"We wanted to develop a concept that would teach people how to dress appropriately for the workforce," said Randy Heath, project manager for the event. "And so, instead of doing a PowerPoint presentation where...you know, with visuals on how you should dress or how you shouldn't dress, we decided to teach that through the format of a fashion show. And so, we've gotten people from the community, sponsors and a great team of folk who brought this project to life."

The fashion show lasted from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m.

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Local fashion show highlights how to dress for success - WACH.com

'Meet the Real You, a two-day live event championing the concept of Life Transformation through a highly interactive, educational and entertaining agenda, helped participants unleash their full potentials.

During the event held recently at the Viceroy Hotel, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, renowned entrepreneur Moataz Mashal revealed strategies for personal transformation, the creation of deeper relationships, and even financial freedom.

The opening day was held under the theme Know You and centered on what controls people, what holds them back, and how they can break through their personal barriers. Attendees gained valuable insights on their moods, their passions, what they value most in life, and how they can make their challenges work in their favor to achieve true happiness. Interactive exercises were held to spread positive vibes among the diverse 250-plus participants comprising individuals aged 16 to 70 years who came from different cultural, social and educational backgrounds.

The second day focused on the theme Create You and helped participants create the story of the life they desire, where they currently are in relation to their dream, set their goals, and take practical steps towards achieving them. The sessions provided advise on how to raise spiritual, financial and interpersonal standards and help participants know the reasons behind all their actions. Practical strategies and tools for living the dream were shared, while practical and achievable goals were set through a goal setting workshop.

Mashal said: Attaining personal success requires fully knowing ones self and taking decisive action to translate weaknesses and strengths into a viable road map for living an inspired and productive life. Participants of Meet the Real You went home invigorated and equipped with clear strategies and thoughts for consistently pursuing a happy and fulfilling life. The event taught participants how to effectively unleash personal potential and sustain positivity under all circumstances and experiences.

Event moderator Mashal is popular for his Meet The Real You series of training programmes that have caught the social networking scene by storm. He studied Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Motivation, Positive Thinking, and various human sciences related to the development of personal abilities after earning a Business Administration degree at the American University of Sharjah. His YouTube program Minute with Moataz,was one of the first Arabic online programmes dedicated to the motivation of young people and the resolution of major problems hindering their personal and professional development.

Mashals A Jalsa with Moataz, Meet The Real You programme was launched in 2016 and continues to educate, train and entertain people in Abu Dhabi, the UAE and other Arab countries. More than 100,000 followers from various Arab countries support his engagements on popular platforms Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat.

The audience of Meet the Real You appreciated Mashals unique perspectives on self-improvement and growth and his ideas on how to achieve genuine happiness while making a difference in the lives of others. - TradeArabia News Service

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Participants seek life transformation at 'The Real You' event - Trade Arabia

Since the news broke last week that singer R. Kelly is allegedly holding young women against their will in an abusive sex cult, recriminations against Kelly have piled up thick and fast. The allegations that Kelly has a habit of abusing young women and girls have been public knowledge for decades, so why, many people have demanded, is he still able to sell music and record and perform and live the life of a beloved superstar? But answering the question thoroughly requires delving into the manifold ways race, gender, class, and celebrity are playing out in the R. Kelly story, which is a Herculean task for anyone.

Its the task culture critic Jamilah Lemieux set for herself with her Colorlines article Why Are Some of Us Still Defending R. Kelly? Lemieux, a former Ebony editor and contributor to publications like the Washington Post, the New York Times, and the Guardian, has been arguing against Kelly for more than 15 years.

For Lemieux, its personal. She and Kelly share a hometown of Chicago, where Kelly was first accused of statutory rape, and where the news first broke, in 2002, that a video tape existed of Kelly engaging in sex acts with and urinating on a girl who was allegedly 14 years old. And as Lemieux has noted, Kelly has consistently targeted young black girls and women, in a pattern that fundamentally affects the discourse surrounding the latest allegations against him.

Lemieux argues that black women and girls have been forced to bear the burden of white supremacy by protecting the black men who hurt them. Is the system so corrupt, so terrible, so biased against Our Men that we won't allow them to be punished for consuming the flesh of young girls? she writes. Are the odds so stacked against Our Men that we cant allow one who made it out of the ghetto to lose it all for defiling our daughters?

I spoke with Lemieux over the phone about why R. Kelly has been able to survive so many scandals, and how to respond when an artist who makes art that you like is accused of doing monstrous things.

Our conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

R. Kellys tendency to go after teenagers and very young women has been public knowledge for years and years. Why do you think its been so often ignored?

Honestly, I think the R. Kelly situation sits perfectly at the intersection of class, insane privilege, sexism, and specifically sexism toward black women and girls. If the majority of his alleged victims had been young white women, its just hard for me to believe he would have been able to go on so long virtually unchecked.

And why is that?

Its hard to believe that there would not have been a more concerted effort by members of the law enforcement and the judicial system in the state of Illinois [where Kelly was sued by multiple women alleging that he initiated sexual relationships with them when they were minors], or in the state of Florida, where R. Kelly was tried on charges related to some of these allegations, and members of the music industry, and fans. I dont see people standing for the sheer number of accusations against this person had these been young white girls.

Now, had this been a white male artist of R. Kellys level of celebrity and white female alleged victims, I cant definitively say that he would not have escaped any sort of punishment for what hes doing, but I dont believe that anyone would have allowed R. Kelly, a black man, to allegedly abuse white girls in that way.

I hate to even make the comparison, because an abused girl is an abused girl and nobody deserves that sort of treatment. I think all girls should have the relative level of protection that is often not always, but often extended to white girls, specifically class-mobile ones.

But everything about this story reminds me of how much it takes for a black girl to be believed or to be taken seriously. Im not only pointing the finger at law enforcement or the music industry or the media here. There are fans, many of them black women. There are supporters, even in our shared hometown of Chicago, who have willfully ignored the things we have said and heard and known about this man for years, because hes popular, because he makes music that people like.

What do you think is a good way of addressing this dilemma that we see with R. Kelly and with other very powerful men who are accused of hurting women, where the fan base will say, Yeah, he probably did that, but I really like the art he makes? How do you respond to that?

I think that the relationship of a consumer or a fan to art is a personal one, and its really hard to, for lack of a better word, police something like that, to tell people how and when or why they should consume art.

The thing is, this person is still alive. This person is allegedly still harming girls. This person has been flippant and dismissive when met with these accusations. This person seems at the very least like he could be a possible danger to young girls and women in his company.

And again, theres also the video. The video at the heart of the 2008 trial is something that was seen by a whole lot of people. If you go looking for it on the internet, its still there. So with some of the other allegations that have been leveled against powerful or influential or well-known men, theres this absence of that sort of evidence. People have decided to take Kellys acquittal in that 2008 case as a sign that hes just not guilty, but it has everything to do with the fact that the young lady who was in that video would not participate [in testifying against him].

Absent a victim, the state of Illinois could not prove a crime. But if youve seen even a screenshot of that video, theres no question about the youth of that girl.

This is a person who makes music that is incredibly sexual in nature. This is someone who has written lyrics that play with the idea of age and consent, right? Age Aint Nothing But a Number for Aaliyah, and Show me some ID for Bump N Grind.

I am not somebody who is comfortable listening to somebody like that singing about sex. I would not want to send the message to him or to anyone else that I am complicit in things that it seems that he has done to young girls and women. Obviously other people feel differently.

Its hard for me to tell someone that they have to divorce themselves from memories they may have created to that music, or the enjoyment they get from it. But I think its irresponsible to continue to make space for this person to continue to create, to continue to perform.

If theres something that he recorded in 1992 or 2000 or 2005 before you knew these things about him, and thats something that you still want to engage with, I suppose I can understand that a bit more, but this isnt the sort of thing that makes you sit down? This isnt a reason to lose a record deal or a sports sponsorship or the opportunity to collaborate with others in your field? I just find that to be inherently wrong.

Do you think anything will change after this latest round of accusations?

I hope so, but Ive hoped that in the past. There have been some reports that his ticket sales are up, and that perhaps this spate of attention has increased that. I dont know if people are going in hopes of seeing some sort of I dont know what theyre looking to see, if theyre looking for evidence, if they forgot R. Kelly existed and now that hes making headlines again they want to go and see him. Im saddened by that, but I hope were able to put some pressure on certain stakeholders to loosen their hold on him or their need to support him.

I think the most likely positive outcome from all of this is that young women will be reminded, or perhaps even taught for the first time, that these sorts of relationships are not acceptable, and theyre not okay, and theyre also not their fault. And we can have a conversation about that part of rape, which is something that a lot of people dont seem to think actually exists at that point, where you can offer a verbal consent and youre thus a consenting adult [and can still be raped], which is true.

Im hoping that artists are turned off and decide they dont want to be associated with somebody like this, and that the systems of deception and dishonesty and manipulation that allow a person like R. Kelly to behave as he allegedly has for so many years start to break, that somebody who starts to behave in the way he has allegedly behaved wont get tied to a major label.

That instead of saying, Okay, this artist is really talented, but hes got this thing with little girls. Its weird, but maybe we could just send somebody on the road, make sure the only girls who come back to his room are 18, like, dont take that chance! Dont empower and embolden somebody like that. Say, You know what, theres some weird shit with this guy, and its not right. He has absolutely no room on any record label or any song that Im producing.

I think we have unfortunately almost run out of time to truly punish or hold R. Kelly accountable. And the fight to get people of the mind that he needs to be held accountable at all, Ive found, is not nearly as easy it should be. We have gone through this in 2001 [when the first stories that Kelly was being sued for statutory rape broke], and in 2008 [when Kelly was tried for charges of producing child pornography], and then again in 2013 [when Kelly headlined Pitchfork], and then again now. There are so many people that are willing to say theyre standing by this guy.

Lady Gaga recorded a record with him after the trial, and gave a performance at an award show that almost gave a little wink and a nod to some of the things hes been accused of. Its really disheartening, but Id like to believe if she had to do it all over again, and if people who collaborated with him in recent years had to do it all over again, they wouldnt.

We may not be able to punish this R. Kelly, but Im very hopeful that well be able to stop the next one.

Originally posted here:
Why R. Kelly's continued success is inherently wrong - Vox

Many people spend their lives wondering when success or a better life is going to magically appear in their lap but, of course, it never happens this way.

Instead, spend less time dreaming and more time working on your thoughts, feelings and goals this is how to improve your life.

Goal Setting

My first suggestion is to set clear goals and map out an action plan. Use who, what, where, when and why questions to nudge your thinking.

Think about what is important to you. For example, your goal setting activities would includedeciding what you want a year from now, five years from now What goals would be important for that to happen? Who do you want in your life? How do you know when you are headed in the right direction?

Set goals, then when you take steps each day towards your goals, you are far more likely to reach your goals than if you just wait for things to happen. And doing that is far better than seeing success happen for other people but not yourself.

Is It Attainable?

When deciding the direction you are headed, are goalsattainable? Start with your short term goals and then work toward your long term goals. This way you wont become discouraged, waiting for five years to see some fruitage from your efforts.

Even while attainable, be careful not to sacrifice important things to get your goals met. An example of this is a person who decides to move up the ladder at work, but has to put in long hours. This person may be sacrificing time that would normally be spent building a stronger relationship with spouse and children. Is the trade off really worth it?

Your Inner Dialogue

Since thoughts and feelings determine whether you are successful or not, be sure they line up. Start listening to yourself.

If you have some negative or self defeating or fearful thoughts and feelings, this will hold you back and make it more difficult to achieve your goals. Look into some therapies you can do yourself or find a therapist that can assist assist you. Emotional Freedom Techniques,EMDR and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy are a few that have been greatly helpful to me.

You may know people who seem to be in a constant state of improvement. Always working on some things, reaching towards their goals and making plans.

I believe you can over do it, getting so caught up in the doing that important things such as relationships, parenting, family time, being a spiritual person and nurturing yourself can get put to the side. However, it is important to have goals and set a direction. To muddle about is to get no where.

How to improve? Where do you want to start? Self improvement does not have to be labor intensive, it can be smaller and easier things, just to get the ball rolling and you will feel like you are making some progress.

So lets go over several ways to improve somewill not take a great deal of time or effort, others will. All areunder the umbrella of improvement and will help you have a better life.

Stress Management

It can be a stressful world we live in. What is your stress level? Low, medium or high?Stress managementis important for optimal well being. I suggest you work on it, if you see it in your life.

Dont ignore it. Stressusually builds up over time and leads to symptoms and diseases. In fact, it is thought that 75% or more of Doctors visits are caused by stress.

Your Appearance

How you feel about yourself is reflected in your everyday appearance. Improve on yourself with just making sure your hair is styled and your clothes are well fitted and presentable when going somewhere shopping, working or visiting others.

This makes a good first impression, as people first judge you in the blink of an eye, according to research. (read more on that here).

It does not take fancy styles or the latest fashion. Just look well groomed. This is a boost to your self esteem.

Smile And Make Eye Contact

For some, it is hard to look people in the eye. If this is done in your culture, practice smiling at people and looking them in the eyes. This shows you are comfortable with people. People feel positive about this and will respond back positively.

If you have a hard time, start out by looking just above their eyes and as comfort grows, shift to looking in their eyes.

Make A Budget

Many people have too much debt. Money stress where the money is going to come from, is one of the biggest stresses people have.

I heard yesterday from a relative that is only managing to pay the interest on his credit cards, and so will not ever get them paid off as things stand. Unless he changes something, the amount due will continue to mount. So he is making some drastic changes.

Go on a money diet. Take a look at all the places your money is spent. Cut back on your spending, unless you are severely limited in your income, this can be done.

Can youcut all but your necessary bills? When working, dont buy your lunch, make your lunch. Instead of having cable, buy the box and an antenna for your tv and see what you can get free or check movies out of the Library where you live and learn to play games with the family, which is much more interactive and bonding than watching a movie.

Make a budget. Write it out and plan for all the things that must be paid, set aside some for emergencies and save for the things that you can, rather than put them on a credit card. Stop using your credit cards unless you are making a purchase and then pay that right off. (To build your credit score).

Take the money you are now beginning to save and apply it to your highest interest rate credit card.

Another example is that in the summer, your electricbill may beless, if in North America, so earmark that freed up money to pay down a credit card or save for the August sales of childrens back to school clothing and items, if you have school age children. This will save you money in the end, which could be applied somewhere.

Give A Compliment, Show You Care

Think of genuine compliments you can give to others. Complimenting others often gives them a lift and in return, it shows you feel confident in yourself.

So here are a few examples: That was clever of you, good job, the color of what they are wearing suits them, I appreciate you. It does not have to be long and drawn out. Just point out something good.

Ask about how things are going and really listen. People will remember the feelings they get of someone really caring about them, and will in turn show you more respect as well.

Focus On Your Strengths

Figure out what your strengths are and focus on them. Incorporate them into what you are doingwhen possible. This will help you feel like you are excelling and are good at what you do.

For many, they think it is all an uphill battle or struggle to makeimprovement.You on the other hand, can continue to feel good about yourself while you make improvements.

Work On Your Health

Take a look at your health. Is it good, fair or poor? Many people dont think much about their health, until they dont have good health, are faced with a disease or are seriously over weight. Once the problems manifest to where a person notices, it can take some diligent effort to get things turned around.

Besides the physically seen symptoms, there are many who fight foggy thinking,depression or inability to concentrate. This can all be affected by ones diet, and many times can be corrected by taking out some foods from your diet and adding more of other healthier foods and good oils, such as fish oil in. See my health articles on this site.

Accept Your Imperfections

If you are a perfectionist, or had a perfectionist in your life who criticized you, it is time to let it go. These feelings and beliefslead to not starting things, not feeling you can do an adequate job or giving yourself constant criticism. It is a downward spiral. Let it all go.

Listen to your thoughts and counteract the negative thinking. Be comfortable in admitting you are imperfect in some areas. It show you that you are human. If something negative pops up often, have a counter statement worked out to tell yourself immediately. Fight the negative thinking!

Excel At What You Do

I was explaining this to my 10 year old (going on 16!) niece the other day. She wanted to do just a quick clean up of putting the dirty dishes in the dish washer and to get back to the computer, when the cupboards and kitchen stove also needed cleaning.

I pointed out to her that she needed to do her best. Do more than the minimum that was required. Do a good enough job that it impresses people (her parents in this case). She will have to hearthis lesson more than once, to get it.

This is a lesson that if learned young, will take a person far. If you have never put that into effect until now, start.

When I was a manager of a store and when I owned my businesses, I always looked for self starters, that could be given a set of instructions, they asked questions if needed and then dug in and did a good job. This attitude will take you a long ways at work.

No matter what you are doing, strive to do your best.

Be Prepared

By preparing, you can be successful. Create a to do list, look up what you will need for a project instead of winging it, or ask for directions ahead of time. Or maybe it is that you need to practice something severaltimes, such as a public speech.

Being prepared can increase your confidence and certainly makes you look better in the eyes of the people that are around you.

Do Set Goals

Sit down and write out your monthly, yearly and five years and beyond goals, as mentioned above.With goals, you will see the progress and that will help with your motivation, confidence and self esteem. So make sure to see the motivational articles on this site.

Make Time For What Makes You Happy

What makes you happy? Make time for it. If you feel like your life is out of control, this will help you feel like you have more control.It brings satisfaction and contentment, often some excitement to life.

It Is Worth It

It takes work to see self improvement, have motivation and become your personal best, but it is worth it. Check out the articles on site to assist you in becoming your best.

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Bold Self Improvement

In the days before he led Armagh to an historic All-Ireland title, Kieran McGeeney was doing his media duty and all of 15 years ago, outlined his already circumscribed existence.

You just get into a pattern. Like, Im living in one of the best cities in Europe socially for the past four years and I honestly havent seen all that much of it. But I wouldnt swap it, really. You make your choices and Im happy with mine.

At the time he was working in the Irish Sports Council in Dublin, commuting relentlessly to training back in his home county with a dedication that struck a chord with his ISC colleague John Treacy, a man well drilled in the lonely protocols of distance running.

He just gives himself to it, he said to Keith Duggan in these pages, and is equally selfless in his work but his devotion to football is staggering.

Even in his much-publicised hobby, Brazilian ju-jitsu, which he has practised for several years in the Straight Blast Gym under the supervision of Conor McGregors trainer John Kavanagh, who described McGeeney as probably one of the most intense human beings Ive ever met, he registers the same impact.

Three years ago, when a selector with Armagh, he was asked to become involved with the Tipperary hurlers under Eamon OShea, as a performance coach. It didnt turn out to be a long-term association but Samus Callanan, short-listed for Hurler of the Year in each of the seasons since, spoke in 2015 about the influence.

He was a massive benefit to me and gave me great confidence and a great sense that I could work on my own visualisation and mentality towards whats going on. It was very, very helpful.

McGeeney returns to Croke Park on Saturday, probably the centre of attention because the team he manages, Armagh, face the county he used to manage, Kildare. He wont like any such fanfare and this season, having served a 12-week suspension uncharacteristic for someone who has a good disciplinary record going back to his playing days for verbally abusing a match official, McGeeney has been quiet, leaving interviews to his deputy Patrick McKeever.

There was always a contradiction about his dealings with the media. It was something that he always appeared to prefer avoiding but until now he rarely dodged the post-match rituals and when he spoke, he did so engagingly. Essentially though he is a private individual who sees football as primarily the business of those kicking the ball.

When he went to Kildare and there was a certain amount of adulation he would have been uneasy with that, says his predecessor as Armagh captain, Jarlath Burns.

I remember in a team talk, I said, lads out there, theres boys from all your clubs and all the townlands of Armagh. Boys from Armagh city, from Lurgan. Families from Portadown and Crossmaglen. Think of all those people. This is who were fighting for . . .

Afterwards when we were having a bite he sat down beside me and said, I thought your team talk was rubbish. The only people Im thinking about is the man right next to me, the man who if I drop the ball comes in and rescues it, or the man if someone hits me will fucking hit him. See the boy in Row Z with his popcorn and Diet Coke, Ive nothing in common with him.

You know, he was right. It is all about the man whos right beside you and running out beside you and wearing the orange jersey. Its not about the person in the stand; it never is.

Management looks as if it was his destiny given a playing career of dogged self-improvement, developing into leadership and captaincy but it wasnt always that straightforward.

He didnt really engage with anyone. I remember going on trips and he wouldnt have a drink with you. He didnt want to let anyone in on him, recalls Brian Canavan, who, as joint-manager with Brian McAlinden, appointed McGeeney.

He was young enough to become captain and had a few raw edges. The players really looked up to him. Sometimes I wondered, were they afraid of him because he really was driven but you have to be able to listen as well as lead. As the years went by he became more that type of person.

He needed to work on his game and he grew into that centre half back position just as he grew into being a captain. Its not just what you say but what you do that makes a captain, I think. That point he scored to put us ahead against Kerry two minutes into injury-time [2000 All-Ireland semi-final replay against Kerry] was the type of leadership we were looking for.

Just as he had to grow into both an outstanding player and a captain, he also became an exceptionally good international rules player despite misgivings that he lacked the essential mobility for the game. It was another triumph of self-improvement, according to Brian McEniff, who managed him at provincial level and in his time as coach of Irelands international rules team.

He was the most driven player I came across, says McEniff. I remember in 2001 when we were going to Australia he said he was going to America and I said, Kieran youll have no chance of making the squad if you go away. What you do is go off and learn how to kick with that left foot. By the time we got to Australia I can remember in the second Test he was pinging balls 40 yards with his left.

When Joe Kernan took over as Armagh manager for 2002, the meeting of minds with McGeeney was a keystone of the All-Ireland success, but relations cooled in later years when Kernan famously replaced his captain in the closing minutes of the 2005 All-Ireland semi-final against Tyrone. In his first year as Armagh manager, McGeeney caused controversy when allowing Kernans son Aaron to walk away from the county panel.

The episode with Aaron wouldnt have helped Kieran so early in his management, says Canavan. He was probably Armaghs best player when he was let go.

Another thing that hasnt helped is that his success with Kildare perhaps inflated expectations in his own county. That six-year term saw Kildare reach the All-Ireland quarter-finals for the first time and keep returning until his last championship making the last four in 2010 when they lost narrowly to Down.

It was also a tenure with plenty of controversy, not all of it by any means McGeeneys fault. There were refereeing decisions that individually were at least debatable and cumulatively constituted sufficient misfortune to interest Thomas Hardy; the resignation of a county chair, Pdraig Ashe, with whom the manager had clashed; and the attempt to acquire Cavan forward Sen Johnston, which ran like a situation comedy through the summer of 2012.

The final controversy came in 2013 when McGeeney walked away after failing to secure what he felt was adequate backing from the county board.

Despite this, one of his predecessors as Kildare manager, Pdraig Nolan, says that the period in question is very fondly remembered in the county.

There were five summers of getting to quarter-finals, which was unheard of, so McGeeneys years would be very fondly remembered and theyd be fairly close to being viewed in the same category as Mick ODwyers years, in the sense that there was excitement every summer. Leinster might have been a disappointment but we got through the qualifiers every year and there was the buzz of all that.

He believes that personality conflict was at the root of most of the problems, including the resignation of Pdraig Ashe and the rows about club access to county players.

That happened at the end but the funny thing is that the template Kildare are using now is the same as was in place under McGeeney. I think the end came because of personalities. He didnt make friends for the sake of making friends and that told in the end.

If the chairman resigns, its hard to blame the manager.

To sum it up, you couldnt but give him credit. He did a very good job with a very workmanlike team. How I compare it is that Johnny Doyle was the only player on that team who you would have said would get on the top teams, whereas with the present team you pick out three or four players who would be competing for a place on any of the top teams.

The consensus is that he has an even less imposing hand in Armagh and in his third year, the county are still in Division Three and again fell at the championships first hurdle but the qualifiers have produced three straight wins and a return to Croke Park for the first time in three years.

Saturdays outcome will determine perceptions as to whether progress is being made with the team but Jarlath Burns points out that Kieran McGeeney has always gained the approbation of any managers primary audience.

The first people you look in relation to that are the players. Ive never heard any player come even close to dissidence and when they were beaten by Down the feeling in the dressingroom was, we let Geezer down. Not everyone has the ability to get that level of loyalty.

He would keep his cards close to his chest. Not many really know him. Hes a very private person but with that, hes a very genuine fella and very generous too.

See the rest here:
Kieran McGeeney and the triumph of self-improvement - Irish Times

By Loretta LaRocheMore Content Now

My grandmother was a square, stout little woman. She wasn't obese, she wasn't even really fat. But she was soft. Every now and then she might have gotten on the scale and she'd say "Ahh! How'd those five pounds get there?" But that didn't change the way she felt about herself. She kept going, and she made her macaroni, and stuffed everything in sight including peas. Maybe she'd eat a little less to make up for those five pounds. But she felt good about who she was and her place in the world. Five extra pounds on the scale was not a life or death issue.

It's hard to believe, but her world was so different. Yes, that's a big DUH! She did not aspire to look like anyone else since movies, magazines and television were not yet a huge part of the culture. She and her immediate community of friends and family were not barraged with constant information that led them to believe something was wrong with them. They weren't assaulted with marketing techniques that made them feel deformed for having a little cellulite, or that they should check into therapy if they felt like having fried eggs for breakfast.

Now we are given the hardcore facts behind everything. We can find out what our body-fat ratio ought to be, we can discover what disorders we might be prone to, and we have gadgets that can inform us of every bodily function. Virtually every message sent to us by the media and by the marketing of almost every product for sale in America is that "you can improve yourself."

Many people, in their quest for self-improvement, have become so dreadfully serious and stressed out and dull that they're losing what's most important about life. Fun! Connection! Pleasure! Excitement! How many times have you heard people go on and on about what they ate today? The fat police: "I ate a slice of pizza at lunch, I just can't believe it!"

Why can't they believe it? Did they somehow suffer amnesia immediately after they swallowed their last bite? Then they have to tell you they're going to have to work out twice as hard to rid themselves of the pizza slice. PLEASE! Just stop! I often want to respond by saying " I ate everything in site and it made me so happy!"

We all have faults, neuroses, physical imperfections and psychological quirks. That's what makes you unique. If you want to change, try to consider that changing behaviors involves complex interactions between genes, chemistry and lifestyle. Self-improvement should not be a prison sentence, but one that builds toward a happier, healthy life. And please don't become overly serious about it. Do it with a sense of humor and above all try to make it fun.

- Author, humorist, PBS star and Fortune 500 trainer Loretta LaRoche lives in Plymouth. To share your pet peeves, questions or comments, write to The Humor Potential, 50 Court St., Plymouth, MA 02360. Visit her website at stressed.com.

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GET A LIFE: Quest for self-improvement shouldn't be stressful - Wicked Local Mattapoisett

By the time I finally fell asleep that night, I had completed the initial branches in the Dutch course tree. I could read useful phrases like Goedemorgen, hoe gaat het? (Good morning, how are you?) and useless ones like De neushoorn heeft een hoorn en een staart (The rhinoceros has a horn and a tail). The next day, I caught myself wading through the spiteful comments on a gossip blog and stopped to practice Dutch plurals instead.

The app eventually became a type of productive therapy, replacing other time-wasters in my life. Cant sleep? Lets learn more Dutch. In the mood to text an ex? Maybe I should start the Danish course instead. Fighting the urge to tweet that ill-thought-out opinion on current events? Youll feel so much better reviewing Dutch prepositions.

I liked how structured it was, that I could measure my progress in terms of winning points and completing levels and outdoing my friends. I am a frustratingly left-brained person: I take comfort in things that can be quantified. But more than that, though the points gave me a sort of rush similar to getting a stack of Instagram likes, it never felt like an empty thrill. I had finally committed to a self-improvement project, and every time I leveled up in a language, I felt I was one step closer to fluency. I became obsessed.

Six months later, I was at a street festival in Toronto. I walked by a booth where a woman was selling stroopwafels, and I overheard what I hadnt yet heard outside Duolingo: Dutch. I was only a few lessons away from finishing my course. I approached the booth, eager to try out what Id learned. Hoe gaat het? I said, suddenly aware of my heavy Canadian accent warping the words. She just stared straight back at me and said: Excuse me? I quickly shuffled away.

Learning a language to fluency requires discipline, frequent practice, ideally immersion much more than a simple language-learning game can offer. Thats fine, though. Fluency stopped being my goal a while ago, when I realized that trying to master several different foreign languages in the span of a few months would only be another stress-inducing, insurmountable project, exactly the sort of thing that led me to seek distractions in the first place. More than anything, though, Duolingo made me confident in my decision-making I had good taste in bad ways to spend my time.

Any online time-waster offers an escape from the world, often by preying on your worst instincts: envy, pettiness, poor impulse control. But Duolingo offered an escape that made me feel connected to the better parts of the world, and of myself. I may not have become a globe-trotting polyglot, but language learning did trigger a curiosity into other lives lived. My phone hadnt made me a better person, exactly, but at least it didnt make me worse.

It took me about two weeks to make it through the Swedish course earlier this year helped, of course, by never having to speak it out loud. To celebrate, I found a stream of The Devils Eye, the film by Ingmar Bergman. Five minutes in, I realized I couldnt understand a word they were saying. I turned on English subtitles and watched the rest of the movie, phone comfortably in hand.

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Letter of Recommendation: Duolingo - New York Times

A local company known for its banana soft serve is being recognized by PETA.

The animal rights group recently announced its top 10 picks for vegan ice cream sundaes in the U.S., and Banan scooped up a spot with its papaya bowls.

We love Banans papaya boat, said Marissa Price, PETA. Its dishware that you can eat and use to either help feed local pigs or generate compost for local gardens and farms, so you really cant get better than that.

The local chain uses only fruits and veggies to create its ice creams, and offers toppings such as puffed quinoa, granola, and coconut.

Its hard to believe that were recognized outside of Hawaii, and to be recognized by something national like PETA, we certainly feel incredibly grateful for it, said Banan co-owner Matt Hong. Its a pretty popular vegan recipe. None of us were vegan at the time, but we were so blown away by the simplicity of ingredients, and when we realized that we could use tons of Hawaii local produce, it was just a no-brainer of hey, we can go investigate agriculture back home and work together.

Banan has three locations on Oahu: a storefront on University Avenue, a beach shack on Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki, and a food truck on Monsarrat Avenue near Diamond Head.

Click here for more information.

Rounding out PETAs list is the iconic Sublime Restaurant and Bar in Fort Lauderdale and Christophers Kitchen in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida; Crossroads and KindKreme in Los Angeles; Sweet Ritual in Austin, Texas; Bostons Veggie Galaxy; Virtuous Pie in Portland, Oregon; Denvers SNOWLAB; and The Cookie Counter in Seattle.

Learn more about PETAs picks here.

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Local eatery considered one of PETA's top vegan sundae spots - KHON2

If Wes Anderson and Babe were to have a lovechild, it would probably look something likeOkja. The latest Netflix Original movie from South Korean director Bong Joon-Ho has softened audiences around the world with its stylish and endearing satire on environmentalism, the cattle industry, and companionship.

(via giphy)

The movie sees an alternate near-future in which a 'super-pig,' the eponymous Okja, is raised in blissful harmony in the mountains, forming a solid friendship with young girl Mija.

However, when the laboratories that birthed Okja shatter the mirror with the harsh and here farcical realities of GMOs and necessary food consumption, the movie sees its stakes rise and fairytale hit home.

Boasting Tilda Swinton, Jake Gyllenhaal,Giancarlo Espositoand Paul Dano in brave and original roles,Okja has tapped into a niche by harnessing clean style and savoring its affluent pop culture framework to actually convey a stronger message on the ethical dilemma of the cattle industry.

Audiences around the world are raving about its fiction and taking its messages into their realities, many vowing to stop eating meat after witnessing the more graphic and potentially triggering slaughterhouse scenes.

Okja builds a near dystopian reality while honing in on very real and current issues with considerable impact.However, its post-credit sequence begs the question wouldn't it have been better off as a TV series?

As a productof fiction with a very real message, at times Okja feels like it could benefit with more breathing space. The movie has exciting and enigmatic characters as well as a clean and addictive style why not extend it to its full potential?

There is clearly room and potential for a sequel, but were it to be a TV series it would be able to tackle its various characters and themes in a clear, well-timed and caring manner in order to educate and entertain viewers regularly.

The recent success is somewhat reminiscent of the patron of environmentalist/pro-vegan films,Cowspiracy. The 2014 documentary shed light on the environmental impact of meat consumption and has been labeled as life-changing by many viewers and is still feared by meat lovers today.

However,Cowspiracy also faces a problem in its format.

The documentary takes viewers on an educational journey as the narrator learns about the environmental impact of meat consumption, beef in particular, with some eye-opening statistics and spliced graphic images of animal violence.

What begins as a well-measured and reasonable film prioritizing the environment becomes a more spiritually-focused and emotional imploration in its last 10 minutes, by shifting focus to the ethical benefits of switching to a fully plant-powered diet.

The problem then comes from the overload of information and all of its various sources, leading to a superficial education on every problem related to animal agriculture, without actually providing as much detail on all areas.

If the documentary had adopted an episodic format, the structure could have allowed a greater understanding of each area discussed. The inquisitive timelapsesof bustling cities could be replaced with a week-long break between each episode tackling a different area of the industry.

Both Okja andCowspiracy in their differing formats do offer a form of education on the dilemmas of GMO consumption and animal agriculture more broadly. The former uses farcical satire and well-crafted fiction to give viewers a ripe wake-up call, while the latter digs up a deeper controversy to shed light on hidden facts.

But if they were both to adopt and inspire a new generation of TV series tackling these issues, their impact could be tenfold.

In an era where viewers choose to watch 15 hours of TV in a row rather than one individual film on Netflix, environmentalist and educational art could see a much greater impact on the platform which thrives from binging.

The likes of Making A MurderandAmerican Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson garnered and maintained a fervent fanbase from their developed episodic depth. In order to further a contemporary audience's education while maintaining their interest, perhaps it may be time to adapt.

Veganism is growing and the impact of a plant-powered lifestyle is gaining more respect and momentum. While these documentaries have seen influence, there could always be more. What if the secret to convincing people to go vegan was to just make more TV?

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Read More ->Here's Why A Pretty Face Won't Get You Very Far In Hollywood Anymore

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Netflix Has The Power Of Convincing People To Go Vegan, But Isn't Doing It Right - Konbini US

The future of food is plant-based!Thanks to growing consumer demand for cleaner,environmentally friendly, and animal-free sources of protein, we have seen an increase in the number of plant-based meat substitutes on the market and apparently, in 2016 there was a90 percentincrease in the amount of Google searches for the word vegan. According to some estimates, the plant-based meat market is set to reach$5.2 billion by 2020and could make upone-third of the market by 2050. And now we have more exciting news to share!

Soy milk based non-dairy cheese takes the lead with a predicted 54.3 percent of the market share by 2017. MRF also notes that Europe is the leader in the non-dairy cheese sector, with estimates that the market will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 7.9 percent, led by Germany, which is responsible for 25.78 percent of the market proportion of the industry. Whoa!

The non-dairy cheese market has been increasing due to globalization and changing consumption patterns, increasing awareness about lactose intolerance, and rising number of vegan consumers, the report states.

With concerns over allergens as well as antibiotic and hormone use, and animal welfare concerns not to mention the rising environmental concerns associated with dairy consumption, its no surprise that overone-third of consumersprefer dairy-free milks andU.S. milk consumption has declined. In tandem, a number of new vegan cheese products have recently hit the market, making the decision to choose a better choice for animals, the environment, and your own health very simple.

Looking for some delicious vegan cheese recipes? Look no further! If youre interested in learning more about trends in the plant-based food space, check out One Green Planets Future of Food.

Lead image source:Roasted Garlic and Fresh Herb Cream Cheez

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Vegan Cheese is Taking Over! Industry is Set to be Worth $3.5 Billion by 2023 - One Green Planet