Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rdx3JFqXzJw

03-10-2011 15:57 Kamil describes what it means to be focused, what kinds of focus there are. With the right focus you can concentrate on anything in the right way!

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How to develop laser sharp focus! - Video

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjgV4Ac4j1g

11-03-2012 05:07 - @Mihai Popoviciu - Fever (original mix) IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH MY UPLOAD ,PLEASE,CONTACT ME AND I WILL REMOVE IT,TY! Mihai Popoviciu, from Sibiu in Romania, is considered one of the most innovative eastern European producers of electronic music today. He was born in Romania in 1981 and was drawn to the fast-growing rave scene of the 90's. He started producing music in 2001 being influenced by the techno and house virus and it took many years of experiments untill he came up with his first vinyl release on DJ Hell's imprint Gigolo Records in 2005. Since then he has steadily added chapters to his personal success story with solo projects and those with partners like Markus Homm or Jay Bliss. In June 2007, his EP "First Contact" was released on Pascal Feos' label Level Non Zero Recordings. Mihai joined the Highgrade family together with Markus Homm in late 2007 and from then on the duo have had several successful releases on the Berlin based imprint like "Deaf Sniper", "Lagoon" or "Urban Ballroom". In 2009 the discographic activity of Mihai got very intense with releases on highly respected european labels such as Fear Of Flying, Hudd Traxx, Bang Bang or Diynamic. The club hit Bis Co (produced together with Markus and Jay Bliss) was featured in all major dance charts across Europe and confirmed once again his fine producing skills. When teaming up with Jay Bliss the duo call themselves Hermannstadt Collective, a dj and producing team that has made big waves on the ...

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Mihai Popoviciu - Fever (original mix) - Video

After two decades of being on the road, hitting audiences with her snappy, sassy sense of humor, B-Phlat now wants to do things her way. Unfortunately, social networking isnt one of those things.

Im not using Twitter or Facebook anymore, says Phlat, 42, on the phone from her Philadelphia home. I shut it down because I dont do it. My fans, the people who follow me, they dont be on Twitter or Facebook.

Although social networking has helped many comics get fans and followers, the St. Louis-born comic (real name: Beverly Perkins) finds that she doesnt need it. She says shes accumulated enough of an online fanbase via the periodic newsletter, which includes a calendar of her upcoming dates, she sends her fans via email.

Heres another thing about me: Ive never really followed trends because Ive been doing comedy before Twitter or Facebook, youknowhamsayin, she says. So, Ive always been able to reach out to my people. I have more people, a core of people, in my email that actually follow me versus the people on Facebook. And, with Twitter, Im like where are these people following me, cuz dont nobody come to my show, you know. I reach out to them in reference to where Im gonna be. I try to find out who came to the show from Facebook or Twitter. Thats never the case because everybody wants to just sit at home and think that youre gonna post all your material and everything on Facebook and Twitter.

I dont work like that. That dont pay me. And, besides, Im a stand-up comedian, so come to the show. People arent social like they should be. Get your [backside] out the house and come out and see a show, versus sitting at home, laughing and other people dont know youre laughing.

Getting off the road

Fans of the comedienne, especially those who are considering seeing her headline the Women of Comedy: A Night to Remember shows this weekend in Raleigh, may want to take her up on that. Just recently, the self-described hard-working road comedian has decided to lay off touring, stopping at the end of June. Phlat, who has performed not just in this country but in others, such as Mexico, Germany and England, says shes focusing on doing a few shows a year. More specifically, shes concentrating on doing her one-woman show, St. Philly: My Black Utopia.

Utopia has been Phlats baby for the past several years, having done stage productions of it in Los Angeles and Dallas. Its basically Phlats love letter to the place shes called home. The same place where she got her nickname, via a guy she used to work out with. (He was saying I was from the Midwest and I had a flat butt.) The place where she got her start doing stand-up in the mid-90s, while working at a law firm as a marketing director. The place where she would become a regular on the local comedy scene, befriending up-and-comers like rising star Kevin Hart. The place where she honed her comedic talent before landing TV spots on such stand-up shows as Def Comedy Jam and ComicView.

She says, Its about my neighborhood and my triumph here and just being a woman, having to overcome things in a funny story.

Phlat isnt limiting herself just to the stage. While she says shes never had luck breaking out in Tinseltown (Im so not the Hollywood type, believe me, she says with a laugh. Ive been put out of meetings!), she is intent on becoming a prominent figure in the literary and radio worlds.

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Comic wants laughs, success on her terms

Fifth in a series of articles highlighting the top financial executives in the Cedar Valley, as selected by a committee for the Cedar Valley Business Monthly.

WATERLOO --- Success in steering a company is as simple as applying one's personal fiscal philosophy on a bit larger scale, according to Julie Hayes, chief financial officer and treasurer with Waterloo-based Kirk Gross Co.

"I think the best way I can influence the financial health is to continually push to better serve our customers, to evaluate our processes, anticipate where we can do better and truly appreciate our successes," said Hayes, 52, a native of Waterloo. "It's a daily challenge I put on myself."

Hayes, a 20-year employee, does a superb job of safeguarding the "three-legged stool for success," at Kirk Gross Co., a 75-year-old company that provides architectural and interior design services, general construction and office furniture, said CEO Bob Buckley.

"She brings a great deal of professionalism to the office and just her understanding of accounting, but also the complexity of the different businesses we're in," Buckley said. "It has certainly been a big part of our ability to grow."

Hayes earned an accounting degree from the University of Northern Iowa and has been a certified public accountant since 1982.

She said her education has never stopped.

"I can honestly say my education at UNI gave me the capacity for continual life learning and to appreciate all aspects of business," she said. "It taught me that if I don't know how to do something, I'll figure it out."

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Winning philosophy builds strength at Kirk Gross Co.

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAuKhPufxf8

09-03-2011 13:00 Inspirational Quotes

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MOTIVATION - Video

David De Gea is confident Manchester United will make up for their Europa League disappointment by winning the Barclays Premier League.

After doing so much to keep United in their last-16 tie with Athletic Bilbao at Old Trafford last week, even De Gea could not prevent a 2-1 defeat that sent the Red Devils tumbling out of a second UEFA competition in a single season. It means United, like chief rivals Manchester City, have only domestic supremacy to play for now.

"It is very important for us now to try and secure the Premier League," said De Gea.

"We are first. We are the leaders. Manchester City are in good form but we have the team and the supporters to win the league.

"We have a big game coming up at Wolves on Sunday and that is what we must concentrate on now."

At least on a personal level, De Gea had nothing to reproach himself for even if his return to Spain did not go as he would have wished.

There was more evidence of the 21-year-old starting to take command of his penalty area and slowly he does feel the adjustment from Spain to England is being made.

"The English league is a bit more aggressive but football is football," he said. "There is no real difference.

"Little by little I feel my confidence in England is growing.

"In the beginning it was all new, the place, the country, the team. But gradually I am getting used to everything and hopefully that continues."

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De Gea eyeing league success

It's no secret that North American women are addicted to The Real Housewives reality television franchise. Whether it's following Camille's divorce in Hollywood or gossiping about Ramona's ridiculous outbursts in NYC, women just can't seem to get enough of these feisty females. And now, as Shaw Media begins ramping up for the first Canadian version of the franchise (The Real Housewives of Vancouver will begin airing in April on Shaw Media's Slice channel), we northern gals can enjoy the on-air antics of our very own privileged princesses.

Is this really the "reality" that we want to support? Granted, The Real Housewives franchise, like other reality shows, is one part truth mixed with two parts fiction. Brilliantly written and produced with respect to entertainment value, these television shows are designed to provide us with an escape from reality, offering sensational storylines and tabloid talk.

The question remains, however, whether these shows have a much deeper impact than pure escapist fun. [More: Livin' large: What is a real income of real housewives and modern families?]

Stereotypes abound Over the past two decades, Canadian men have consistently been two to three times more likely than women to rise to leadership roles in the corporate arena. Women are still fighting to break through the glass ceiling and dispel the very stereotypes perpetuated by popular media.

Critics argue that shows like The Real Housewives put women into the gutter of society, suggesting dangerous stereotypes and discriminatory thinking. [More: Rebranding girls: How do we increase our value in the world?]

Just look at the cast line-up for the new Vancouver series:

Frankly, some might argue that it's hard to tell what's worse the fact that these women allow themselves to be presented in such one-dimensional fashion, or that we as viewers can't get enough of it. [More: Women, aging & economics: The changing labour market]

Designer labels don't bring success From the fully loaded Escalades to the over-the-top soirees, The Real Housewives franchise does a brilliant job of equating success and status with materialistic possessions and excessive consumption. In fact, that's part of the appeal. These women are wealthy, influential and powerful, but for what reasons? Instead of focusing on fulfilling careers, strong friendships and loving families, the main selling points of the series are often salacious gossip and catty behaviour.

One might indeed infer that we're headed down a dangerous road in our culture a road where it's impossible to tell what's real and what's scripted. And while most of us are perceptive enough to tell the difference, it's still a tad troublesome that reality TV producers tend to focus on seemingly psychotic, superficial women as their central characters. While every nuance of these shows is plotted, shot and edited for dramatic effect, they're still based on real-life people. And from Twitter wars to Today Show tiffs, it's tough to tell where the scripted story ends, especially when some cast members of the franchise behave the same way off-set as they do on. [More: The skinny & rich conundrum: Eating disorders among executive women on the rise ]

More importantly, when all is said and done, how can we expect young women to strive for personal achievements, break down barriers and build a better future when we provide them with a limited view of what a successful woman should be?

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Are the Real Housewives of Vancouver eroding our idea of financial success?

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghkV0YVKQcU

04-05-2011 10:03 What game are you playing -- both personally and professionally? Positivity is the key to success, and your own mindset plays a major factor in whether you're playing to win or playing not to lose. This 4 minute video tells you how if you focus on winning, and maintain a winning mindset you can ensure you are playing to win...at all times!

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Royston Guest - Playing to win! - Video

Considering a graduate school for the arts? Use these pointers and suggestions to help you decide if a fine arts degree is right for you.

Smart Choices

Don't just consider how you'll make your artconsider how you'll make a living. Some schools promote their career resources to students when they're considering admission. The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, for instance, packages its multiple professional practices courses in an easy-to-peruse brochure. And don't forget to make a school's career center a part of your considerations.

[Explore the Best Fine Arts Schools rankings.]

Insider Tip

Personal finance expertise might be the most important information a student can glean from a professional practices course, but some schools go even further, offering courses in entrepreneurship. An entrepreneurial spirit is especially important through a recession, when jobs for artists tend to be scarce.

In fact, artists are three times as likely as the rest of the U.S. workforce to be self-employed, according to the National Endowment for the Arts, which specifies that fine artists, art directors, and animators are the most entrepreneurial. Fifty-five percent of artists in those fields are self employed, compared to 10 percent of the U.S. workforce.

Opening up your own gallery or art nonprofit can help to pad your wallet, and networking with fellow students can lead to opportunities to showcase your art. (When a student opens up a new or alternative arts space, they often look to peers for work to show.)

[Find out how to pay for grad school.]

Getting In

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Fine Arts School Tips for Success

10 hrs.

Matthew Hawkins

Yesterday was the final day for the Double Fine Adventure Kickstarter, and its success has been the subject of many reports, including here at MSNBC. Despite being a regular source of financing for numerous game creators (along with other kinds of creative types), it was Tim Schafer and his company that thrust the crowd-sourced fund-raising service into the public spotlight. As a direct result, many others have been inspired to get their projects into action, and there is little doubt that theres more on the way.

Double Fine's now historic initiative turned heads almost immediately by reaching it's $400,000 goal in just eight hours. Soon after, it broke Kickstarter's own record for most money raised in under 24 hours, which was a little over $1 million. And the grand total, when all was said and done? Exactly $3,336,371.

A slightly lower number was reported by some, immediately after the deadline was up. Joystiq, for example, stated $3,335,265.

Joystiq also has Schafer's reaction to his successful campaign and all the excitement that has surrounded it since day one: "It's been an amazing experience. So much love." Meanwhile, Kotaku reports that there is an additional $110,000 from off-the-record premium backers that the final number does not reflect.

Not surprisingly, numerous high-profile game makers are now considering Kickstarter as a means to finance their future projects. David Jaffe, creator of the "Twisted Metal" franchise, has been mentioned already; Phil Fish, creator of the much-anticipated title "Fez" and star of" Indie Game The Movie," recently stated that he might be using such an option.

There also is hope that it can be the means to make long-wished-for follow-ups to be realized. Like "Wasteland 2," described as the sequel for the "godfather of post-apocalyptic RPGs," which kicked off less than 24 hours ago and is already at three-quarters of a million dollars.

It is perhaps worth mentioning how one donor at the highest level, which is $10,000, is Min-Liang Tan, CEO of Razer, which produces all manner of gaming peripherals. On his Facebook, Tan states that he was a fan of the original back in the day, and has long been looking forward to a sequel, like so many others.

Tan will give away the 50 copies of the final product that all donors at that level will receive. While it is certainly a kind act by most accounts (since one person having 50 copies of the same game is rather silly), some will no doubt view it as a publicity stunt. As with anything popular, there will naturally be a certain degree of backlash, even if it's unwarranted.

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Double Fine's success just the Kickstarter