Archive for the ‘Personal Success’ Category
Turkish Taboos Challenged by Success of Movie About Gays
Posted: February 28, 2012 at 10:07 am
Turkish movie-theater bookers were less than enthusiastic when two directors -- Mehmet Binay and Caner Alper -- approached them with a film inspired by the true story of a 26-year-old killed, allegedly by his father, for being gay. Even though Binay and Alper's film, Zenne Dancer, had won awards, they were told that Turkey was not ready for a mainstream gay movie.
"We were afraid and unsure too," says Binay. But the pair, who recently came out to Turkish media as a couple, persevered. They launched a largely self-funded all-out publicity campaign and "based it on everybody's right to life." The film has gone on to clock up 85,000 admissions since opening earlier this month, holding its own against other domestic and U.S. releases. Now theaters across the country are asking to screen it. (PHOTOS: A Brief History of Gay Rights)
"It goes to show that there is growing awareness," Binay says. "We've received so much positive feedback from viewers ... Gay teenagers who have gone with their parents, for example. A lot of emotional responses."
The film centers on Ahmet Yildiz, who was shot dead in Istanbul in 2008 in what newspapers have called "Turkey's first gay honor killing." Originally from a traditional family in southeastern Turkey, Yildiz went to Istanbul as a university student seeking freedom as a gay man. A year before he died, he had applied to local officials for protection, citing death threats from his father. But nothing was done. (PHOTOS: The Streets of Istanbul)
Yildiz's father is the chief suspect in the murder and is believed to be hiding in north Iraq. In his absence, the trial continues at a glacial pace. Yildiz's lawyer has accused officials of being halfhearted in their efforts to find him.
Directors Binay and Alper were Yildiz's friends. They were shooting a documentary on zenne dancers (male belly dancers) when they received news of his death. Eventually, they decided to merge the zenne story line into a fictional scenario based on Yildiz's story. Under the tagline "Honesty can kill," the film uses the fictitious friendship of Yildiz and the zenne dancer to show the different experiences of various characters in declaring their sexuality to their family and close friends.
"It was important to us to try and break down some of the prejudices associated with gays," says Mehmet. "These characters are not stereotypical. They have mothers, fathers, jobs ... These are normal people." (MORE: The Gay-Marriage Decision: Is It Too Narrow to Reach the Supreme Court?)
The success of Zenne Dancer is a reflection of Turkey's growing openness toward airing some old taboos -- a change that is paradoxically occurring under a conservative, Islamic-leaning government with a conflicted attitude about personal freedoms. Yet democratic progress is still patchy -- some 100 journalists are currently in jail, a number on a par with China. Turkey lacks adequate hate-crime legislation that might discourage intolerance of differences, and hundreds of Kurdish activists have been jailed in recent months as part of a crackdown on an alleged urban wing of the separatist PKK, the Kurdish separatist group. "Pushing the military back was a great democratic achievement," says Kutlug Ataman, a well-known artist who voted for the ruling Justice and Development Party because he saw it as a liberal alternative to military-dominated politics. "But I am seeing the same authoritarianism the military used to exercise coming back with a vengeance."
Still, it is perhaps this push and pull, the ongoing tussle between conservative and progressive, secular and religious and, yes, East and West, that makes Istanbul one of the world's more interesting cultural hot spots. As a co-founder of the city's independent film festival in 2001, I have watched the transformation firsthand. When we first set out and decided to feature a LGBT sidebar, everyone said it was foolhardy. Sponsors politely asked for their logos to be removed from that part of the festival. But 11 years on, the festival audience has grown from 20,000 people that first year to around 70,000, and that section is now one of its best sellers. (TRAVEL: Inside Turkey's Young Art Scene)
On Sunday, I watched Weekend, Andrew Haigh's much acclaimed wistful gay love story, in a sold-out Istanbul theater. The audience was a mixed crowd of gay and straight and of all ages. As the credits rolled to scattered applause, I felt suddenly hopeful. "Turkey needs for the zenne to live," says Mehmet. "It is a message of hope."
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Turkish Taboos Challenged by Success of Movie About Gays
Sam Bakhtiar Coaches Personal Trainer Into Making A Seven Figure Salary & Reaches His 100th Success Story
Posted: at 10:06 am
Fitness Concepts founder, weight loss expert and personal trainer marketing guru Sam Bakhtiar recently celebrated his 100th success story on his website, http://www.super-trainer.com. It is his goal, through his various coaching programs, to breed as many millionaire fitness business owners as possible and improve the industry as a whole. As of February 2012, he cultivated his 100th millionaire, Craig Kastning.
Chino Hills, CA (PRWEB) February 28, 2012
In a perfect world, every fitness trainer would be passionate, dedicated, knowledgeable, friendly – simply the best. A person looking to get fit could call up the local expert and receive top-notch service that truly worked. Gym memberships would soar due to individualized attention, successful results and record-high levels of engagement. Due to adopting tested, tried and true personal trainer marketing techniques and honing their craft, the personal trainers who survive this fitness industry evolution would stand to make millions of dollars each. This is the world Sam Bakhtiar imagines.
Sam Bakhtiar is the founder of the Fitness Concepts franchise in Chino Hills, California, as well as a weight loss expert, personal trainer, champion bodybuilder, author and mentor. Just this month, he celebrated his 100th success story, which has become a valuable go-to resource for fitness industry professionals to bolster their personal trainer marketing skills and improve their businesses.
Craig Kastning had been working hard for 13 years, but it wasn’t until the last two that he started coaching with Sam Bakhtiar and implementing the millionaire’s strategies. After Craig attended one of Sam’s dynamic personal trainer marketing masterminds, he wanted to learn more and receive one-on-one business coaching from the master himself. Now, thanks to Sam’s coaching program, Craig is the proud owner of a fitness studio that is on pace to turnover $1 million + by mid-2012.
“I learned so much from Sam,” Craig admits. “Probably the most important thing I took away from the program was that I had the realization the most valuable part of my business was my time. I learned how to prioritize, relinquish a little bit of control, automate my processes, and start systems that work to further my business along. This not only makes life easier, but it brings in much bigger profits and frees up your time so you can rekindle the passion you first felt for personal training.”
Craig says another important thing he learned from Sam’s personal trainer marketing is how to create multiple streams of income. “You should never stop adding to this list if you want to make millions of dollars. Unless you want to die working, you need to explore what is out there and start exploring passive income streams. You can franchise, open satellite boot camps, initiate coaching programs, and offer info products, for example.”
Craig is now one of the hundreds of people who will see a seven-figure salary in 2012, thanks to Sam Bakhtiar’s fitness marketing expertise. His knowledge can be implemented into any fitness business model – be it a martial arts studio, a boot camp, a yoga studio, a local gym, or a personal training franchise. Visit Sam’s personal trainer marketing website, http://www.super-trainer.com, for more details.
About Sam Bakhtiar
Sam Bakhtiar is a Persian-born American with over twenty years of experience in fitness training and body building. After completing B.S in Premed and Nutrition, Sam also received a degree of doctorate of Chiropractics. Along with being one of the best fitness trainers, Sam is also a business and marketing expert. After establishing a successful fitness training business with substantial income, Sam is helping other professionals in the industry to achieve their business goals. For more information, please contact using the following information.
Contact Information:
Sam Bakhtiar
Fitness Concepts
909-393-9075
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Sam Bakhtiar
Fitness Concepts
909-393-9075
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Sam Bakhtiar Coaches Personal Trainer Into Making A Seven Figure Salary & Reaches His 100th Success Story
What Does Your Closet Say About You? Peek Into Jaleah’s Closet! – Video
Posted: February 27, 2012 at 10:01 pm
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What Does Your Closet Say About You? Peek Into Jaleah's Closet! - Video
Jim Calhoun Back Surgery A Success, School Says In Release
Posted: at 10:01 pm
Here’s the press release just sent by UConn:
Calhoun Undergoes Successful Surgery
STORRS (February, 27, 2012) – University of Connecticut men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun underwent successful surgery Monday morning to address foraminal spinal stenosis, a lower back condition which has forced him to take an extended medical leave of absence.
The procedure, performed at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City, removed a large extruded disk fragment that was pressing on the spinal nerve and decompressed the area around the nerve. The surgery took approximately two hours and doctors expect the Hall of Fame coach to make a full recovery. He will remain hospitalized overnight and is expected to be released on Tuesday.
“I am very fortunate to have been treated by three of the very best surgeons,” Calhoun said. “My heartfelt thanks to them and the entire Beth Israel community, who have made every effort to ensure my stay is as comfortable as possible.
“Lastly, thank you to the people across Connecticut and beyond who have reached out to offer their support. It means a great deal.”
Calhoun is expected to recuperate at home after his release from the hospital, where his recovery will be monitored by his personal physician. His coaching status will be evaluated on a day-to-day basis.
UConn will play its final two games of the regular season Tuesday night at Providence and Saturday at home against Pittsburgh, then will participate in the BIG EAST Championship next week at Madison Square Garden.
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Jim Calhoun Back Surgery A Success, School Says In Release
Jessica Chastain: Was her dress a red-carpet success?
Posted: at 10:01 pm
Was it artistry — or upholstery? Jessica Chastain, Oscar nominee for her role in “The Help” (she lost to co-star Octavia Spencer) turned heads in a divisive Oscar dress that inspired love-it-or-hate-it opinions. She wore a black and gold embellished Alexander McQueen gown with Brian Atwood shoes and Harry Winston jewelry. The look landed her on many best-dressed lists — and a few lists of the worst looks.
Jessica Chastain arrives before the 84th Academy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) (Chris Pizzello - AP)
Chastain, who sweetly brought her grandmother with her to the ceremony, told the Hollywood Reporter, “There was something about the embroidery of this dress. It felt larger than life — and this is a larger-than-life moment. I always wanted to be an actor. Most little girls dream of their wedding dresses; I grew up dreaming of my Oscar dress.”
However, our critics at the Post didn’t look as kindly upon it. “The butterfly-effect is a bit too runway for the red carpet,” wrote Katherine Boyle in our Oscars recap. “That sort of artistry works on someone like Cate Blanchett, who wore a daring Givenchy dress last year. But Chastain is a bit too young and perky to pull off that sort of bold artistry.”
Jessica Chastain arrives before the 84th Academy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012. (Chris Pizzello - AP)
The Post’s Ned Martel was even harsher in his red carpet assessment: “Her goth gown featured a mess of appliques that looked like it was licked by flames. Worse than that: Its strapless top gathered up the skin at her shoulders as if she were in a yanked-tight corset.”
Nevertheless, many other fashion critics called the dress one of the best of the evening. It landed on Vogue’s top 10 list, and People’s 15 best-dressed list, with the latter calling the gown “all-out glamour.” Twitter users also voted Chastain best-dressed, according to the AFP.
What did you think of Chastain’s look? Vote for her and other stars in our Oscar red carpet poll.
View Photo Gallery: Stars float down the red carpet in Los Angeles.
More on the Academy Awards:
‘The Artist’ wins best picture; Streep takes home third career Oscar
TV review: Oscar’s wishful thinking
Academy Award winners 2012: Full list led by “The Artist.”
At the Governors Ball, Meryl Streep, Billy Crystal, Melissa McCarthy and more
Oscars 2012: The comprehensive Academy Awards recap
Oscars red carpet Q&A
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Jessica Chastain: Was her dress a red-carpet success?
UConn says Calhoun's surgery a success
Posted: at 10:01 pm
STORRS, Conn. (AP)—University of Connecticut men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun underwent what the school says was successful surgery to address the spinal condition that has forced him to miss the Huskies’ past seven games.
The two-hour surgery was performed Monday morning at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York and involved removing a “large extruded disk fragment” that had been pressing on a spinal nerve, the school said. The surgeons then decompressed the area around the nerve.
Calhoun had been diagnosed with spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spine, normally associated with aging and sometimes with arthritis.
“I am very fortunate to have been treated by three of the very best surgeons,” Calhoun said in a statement. “My heartfelt thanks to them and the entire Beth Israel community, who have made every effort to ensure my stay is as comfortable as possible. Lastly, thank you to the people across Connecticut and beyond who have reached out to offer their support.
“It means a great deal.”
The school says Calhoun’s coaching status will be monitored on a day-to-day basis, and there is no timetable set for his return. He is expected to be released from the hospital on Tuesday and his recovery will be monitored by his personal physician, the school said.
UConn (17-11, 7-9 Big East) has gone 3-4 during Calhoun’s medical leave and 5-5 without its coach this season. He missed three earlier Big East games serving an NCAA suspension. The team will play without him again at Providence on Tuesday night.
Calhoun told The Associated Press Saturday that he hopes to be back in time to coach the March 3 season finale against Pittsburgh. The Huskies may have to win both games and perhaps another in the Big East tournament to secure an at-large bid to defend their national championship in the NCAA tournament.
Calhoun turns 70 in May and is a three-time cancer survivor. There has been talk after the past several seasons of his possible retirement, but center Alex Oriakhi said he doesn’t believe this latest health setback will mean the end of the coach’s career.
“It takes a lot to bring Coach Calhoun down,” he said. “I definitely think this is really nothing for him. That’s a man who fell off his bike, broke his ribs and kept riding. I definitely think you’re going to see him back soon. This is just a little bump in the road, but he’ll get through it.”
Former star Rudy Gay, now a forward with the Memphis Grizzlies, echoed those sentiments.
“He’s not going to be finished until he says he’s finished,” Gay said Saturday night. “His back or anything else is not going to stop him from coaching.
“It’s going to be his decision.”
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UConn says Calhoun's surgery a success
Debra’s Domain – Video
Posted: at 4:38 pm
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Debra's Domain - Video
Refugees takes hope from daughter's hoops success
Posted: at 4:38 pm
Sacramento --
Looking back on their lives in Cambodia in the 1970s, the parents of USF basketball player Mel Khlok described the constant fear. Her father, Saly Min, said, "They'd come every night ..."
Her mother, Sokho Khlok, finished his sentence: "They'd come and get you, no questions asked."
"They" were the Khmer Rouge, the rebels who took power in 1975 under Pol Pot. They sent the entire population on forced marches to work projects and embarked on a disastrous program of agrarian communism.
They killed Sokho's father and Saly's uncle Phen and his nephew Hor. Estimates of the number of victims have ranged from 1 million to 3 million.
"They killed you if you were educated, if you looked Chinese, if you had light skin," Sokho said. "And if you wore glasses, because (that meant) you were educated."
Saly and Sokho didn't know each other at the time, but they endured similar hardships before fleeing to Thailand in 1979. Both stayed in refugee camps there for four years and, after a brief stay in the Philippines, were flown to a new life in a new land. Neither was thrilled; they knew absolutely nothing about America.
They later met while working in a doughnut shop in Sacramento. They told their story in a cozy, four-bedroom home in south Sacramento that houses seven of their eight children and 11 relatives in all. Saly wore a USF baseball cap as he and his wife described their delight in 21-year-old daughter Mel.
Despite the horrors witnessed by her parents, her own personal struggles and a tragedy that has recently revisited her family in Sacramento, junior Mel Khlok has emerged as a leader on a USF team slowly finding its direction.
She was the first in her family to graduate from high school, and she'll be the first to graduate from college.
"We're really proud of her," Sokho said.
Mel's second chance
Like her three sisters and one of her four brothers, Mel goes by her mother's surname; three of her brothers took their dad's. Nobody calls her by her full given name, Melody, unless it's in anger, and hardly anybody is ever angry at her.
"She's got a positive energy that everybody feeds off of," USF coach Jennifer Azzi said. "I can't imagine the team without her."
The team was briefly without her after her freshman season. Unhappy with her lack of playing time under then-coach Tanya Haave, she quit. She felt her game wasn't improving, and the Dons had just finished a miserable 5-27 season (1-13 in the West Coast Conference). She described herself as being "fat and slow."
She was halfway out the door to Sacramento State when her teammates asked new coach Azzi to give her a chance. No way, Azzi said. "If she quit once, she'll quit again."
Azzi finally let her back, offering a deal that spelled out rigid conditions: One was that she had to get in shape. She was so overweight that she could barely get off the ground on her jump shot. Another was that she had to practice shooting 15 minutes on her own before every practice.
Khlok (pronounced "cloak") agreed.
A family fractured
Sokho Khlok, 44, grew up in Cambodia's capital city of Phnom Penh. Her father, a sergeant in the Army, left to live with his wife's relatives in the countryside because he was fearful of the Khmer Rouge.
Sokho was 7 the last time she saw her father. One of her cousins told her what happened when they caught up with him. "They tied him up in a field and chopped him up with machetes," she said. "They knew my mom married one of the soldiers. My mom's still alive because she didn't go with my dad."
She remembers the constant, overpowering hunger. Like everyone else, she ate crickets, grasshoppers, "anything to survive."
Many of the children were awoken at 3 a.m. to remove butterfly eggs from the cotton plants without being detected by the Khmer Rouge. "If you ate them, they would kill you," she said.
If you ate the cotton, as some kids did, you were also dead, she said.
The secret to success: Be nice
Posted: at 4:38 pm
(MoneyWatch)
COMMENTARY The other night I was watching a Ron White comedy special called "You can't fix stupid." The guy's hilarious. And, in addition to being right, he's also a jerk.
I don't mean that in a bad way; I've always sort of admired that in people. After all, I'm a pretty big jerk myself. But recently, through a strange course of events, I've come to see the error in my ways. I've come to realize that "You can't beat nice."
That's right. The whole "nice guys finish last" thing is dead wrong. Organizations are far more effective when people are nice to each other. Nice wins.
Now, anyone who knows me has got to be cracking up right about now because, like I said, I'm not a very nice person. But lately, I've been advising some friends on their career strategy. One woman, a friend of my wife's, is so smart, open, and downright nice, I don't think she has a clue what a pleasure she is to work with. I'd do anything for her. That's just how nice she is.
Mind you, I've helped loads of friends and associates get jobs, and while I'm sure they're appreciative, some of them just aren't that nice about it. Years ago I hooked up one guy with a company I used to work for that was looking for a CEO. He got the job, the company went public, and he made a bundle. I don't think he ever thanked me.
Political correctness is childish -- time to grow up
Do nice guys really finish last?
But my wife's friend is so not like that. In fact, she's been at one company for so long that she really wasn't up on how competitive the job market has become and how sophisticated and cut-throat job seekers are these days. And it occurred to me that, once she gets to a live human being, she's got a real competitive advantage. As I told her, "Just be yourself, be genuine, be nice, and people will respond in kind. Things will work out fine for you."
How do I know that if I'm such a jerk? Well, when I want something, I can be really, really nice. And it comes across as genuine because I genuinely really, really want that thing and, if I have to be nice to get it, then I'll be as nice as I have to be. And you know what? Nine times out of ten, it works. That's because people are suckers for nice. Here's why:
First of all, it's human nature. I mean, if somebody's staring you right in the face, they really need your help, and they seem really nice, you'd have to be some kind of antisocial creep not to help them. And while email and phones aren't quite as personal, again, once you've made some sort of personal appeal or connection and you're nice and transparent about it, most people will help if they can.
Then, of course, there are those all-important Karma points. A lot of people really believe in that sort of thing, even if it is in more of a superstitious way than anything. So they'll help a nice person just to cover their bases, just in case. That's especially true of someone who's been more or less a jerk their whole lives, has seen the light, and is desperately trying to redeem himself -- again, just in case. That's right; it does explain why a lifelong jerk is helping all these people. Now you're catching on.
Lastly, people have a natural tendency to personalize everything, especially things with emotional content. We just imagine ourselves in the other person's position, the shoe being on the other foot, as it were, and we react the way we'd want them to react to us. Deep down, that's actually an egocentric or selfish tendency, but in this case, it actually comes across as a nice gesture. Whatever works, right?
The moral of the story is both simple and powerful. I don't care if you're an administrative assistant or a CEO, an engineer or a salesperson, in HR or in IT. No man or woman is an island. Organizations are matrices of teams and stakeholders. And they're far more effective at getting things done when people help each other and are nice to each other.
Not only that, but you always have a better chance of getting what you want if you're nice. And you''ll also rack up so many Karma points that you won't have to redeem yourself later. Yes, I know what you're thinking. "How about Steve Jobs and Bill Gates? They weren't nice." That's true. But you're not them. And neither am I. So take it from me. Be nice. It'll pay off.
Picture courtesy of Flickr user stevendepolo
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The secret to success: Be nice
Personal Training Alex Gordon (BarNone Training) – Video
Posted: at 10:14 am
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Personal Training Alex Gordon (BarNone Training) - Video