There may not be a better moment than now to support junior golf. Thats exactly what PGA Superstore and Arthur Blank, co-founder of Home Depot and owner of the Atlanta Falcons, have done. Their $9.5 million grant will go towards bolstering The First Tees offerings for teenage golfers.

The grant will fund a leadership summit as well as build up The First Tees curriculum for teenagers. At the summit, the first of which will take place in 2021 in Montana, 40 teenagers from First Tee programs both in the United States and international chapters will be invited to participate in the week-long event structured around teaching leadership skills.

I think this is a perfect answer to a lot of the issues that these young people are looking for in terms of identity self-confidence, self-awareness, why am I here, how do I maximize the opportunity to live a life and make the best use of my life, how do I make sure that my voice is being heard and how do I make sure that my actions are being reflected in that leadership as well, Blank said.

There will be more widespread leadership opportunities, as well, as 1,300 First Tee teenagers will get to participate locally in leadership programs at PGA Tour Superstores. In Montana, 45 more schools will add The First Tee School program to their curriculum.

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The new leadership program and summit will be game-changing opportunities for the young people involved, and we are sincerely grateful for the support of our work and our chapters in Superstore markets, said Greg McLaughlin, the chief executive officer of The First Tee.

The First Tee offers group lessons to kids ages 5-18. There are 150 First Tee chapters, 10,000 schools teach their curriculum, as do 1,600 youth centers. They work to get golf clubs in the hands of kids who want to play, especially those in communities where the opportunity to play golf isnt as readily available, teaching values in the process. One focus is on teaching leadership, which the new teenage programming is hoping to improve.

Golf has seen a surge in popularity as people try to find ways to be outdoors and socially distanced during the coronavirus pandemic. New golfers are entering the game, many of them juniors. When talking about PGA Tour Superstore sales over the past several months, Blank said, The revenue numbers are incredible and the biggest increase we have seen have been, in part, with womens golf, but also with youth golf, and that bodes well for The First Tee and bodes well for all of the attributes that people learn when they understand the game of golf. They learn to be honest, they learn to appreciate skills, they learn to be disciplined."

As kids pick up the game, programs like these will help not only with introducing them to the basics of golf, but will help retain junior golfers as they age into teenage golfers, and hopefully continue playing into adulthood.

Link:
With $9.5 million grant, The First Tee will bolster its offerings for teenage golfers - Golf Digest

Is it possible for something to feel dated and too soon at the same time? Watching The Comey Rule, Showtimes two-part limited series (premiering tonight) about former FBI Director Jim Comeys rocky four-year tenure straddling the Obama and Trump administrations, is in some ways like stepping into a distant period piece. In the opening minutes, we meet Comey on the morning of his job interview with Obama at the White House. Comey (played by Jeff Daniels) stares into his closet, mulling which navy suit to wear. His wife eventually picks one for him. The banality of the moment, the fat luxury of that concern What, no masks? No wildfires raging? No protesters marching and helicopters circling? is almost comical.

A few scenes later, the action shifts to the Oval Office. Off-camera we hear a familiar-sounding voice, a warm baritone that slices into the consciousness like a razor. President Obama (Kingsley Ben-Adir, admirably game in the role) is on the phone, reassuring some governor or other public official somewhere out there in his America that help is on the way. Then he welcomes Comey a Republican whos previously served in the Geroge W. Bush administration with a firm handshake, eye contact, civilized conversation. Its 2013. Eight years ago. But a time that feels so close you could touch it, like its all happening on the other side of a sliding glass door. Knowing the cascade of chaos and misfortune that descends in the near future, you might have to look away from the screen.

The Comey Rule is not a perfect show, but then James Comey is not a perfect guy. He seems to know as much, having confessed in his 2017 memoir, A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership, on which this dramatization is based, that he can be stubborn, prideful, overconfident, and driven by ego. For anyone who left that book unable to square such self-awareness with the authors refusal to cop to his bungled handling of the Hillary Clinton email probe in which he made not one but two unprecedented public statements about the investigation in the precarious weeks preceding the 2016 election, first that her conduct, while not criminal, was extremely careless, then that the bureau would be suddenly reopening the case this historical moment wont be an easy place to revisit.

The producers seem to share this ambivalence about their hero. Our narrative guide through the series, and the first character we meet, is not Comey but a weaselly Rod Rosenstein (Scoot McNairy), the Deputy Attorney General who drafted the so-called Comey memo justifying the directors firing in 2017. Off the bat, he calls Comey a showboat and a Boy Scout.

Indeed, in the early going, the man comes off as a kind of pious schoolboy in custom suits (presumably the guys 6-foot-8). The script seizes on details recounted in the book: that Comey was a New Age-y boss who instructed his 37,000 FBI employees in an introductory speech to love someone its good for you. He likes to disarm people by asking them what their favorite Halloween candy is. When he gets angry, he says something frosts him. He doesnt know what a golden shower is, bless his heart. He can also be haughty, even when hes well-intentioned. Daniels plays his rectitude on a spectrum that ranges from pensive and priestly to rigidly performative.

The story hits all the inflection points of the 2016 election and its aftermath: Russias hack of the DNC; Pizzagate; Attorney General Loretta Lynchs impromptu meeting with Bill Clinton on a tarmac in Phoenix; the discovery of Clinton emails on a laptop belonging to Anthony Weiner; the Steele dossier. Comey and his team are like a staggered boxer in the ring, being battered with crises. Every time they pull themselves off the canvas, theyre hit with an uppercut.

Along the way, were introduced to a murderers row of actors doing their best West Wing: House of Cards alum Michael Kelly as Andrew McCabe; an underutilized Holly Hunter as Attorney General Sally Yates (she mostly gets to offer cornball platitudes about justice and government to an intern, a.k.a. the audience); William Sadler as General Michael Flynn; Breaking Bads Jonathan Banks as Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. Theres a dizzying assault of characters and national security-rocking incidents, but it all hums with the energy of a well-oiled political drama.

But its when Donald Trump arrives that the series tension ratchets up and the jaw-clenching, tooth-grinding anxiety sets in. Played with a growly, lion-like intensity by the great Brendan Gleeson, Trump is a man that undoes Comeys belief in codes and norms, makes him squirm. Daniels is finest in their moments together, projecting Comeys deep discomfort with a stiff lip and a constipated expression. Where Comey is all enlightenment philosophy and intellect, Trump is an animal. Gleeson captures his rabidness, never more so than in a press conference monologue that zooms in close on his face. The twitching brows and the darting eyes, the snarling lips, the breathy delivery, the rambling self-flattery and nonsensical asides its all there.

We dont need to tell you how Comey and Trumps relationship sours, or how this story ends. Its as gut-wrenching fictionalized as it was in real life. Whats perhaps more painful is being reminded that a smart, honorable man who only wanted to stop the bad guys opened the floodgates to them by believing that he was the moral compass of the FBI and even the U.S. government at large that, upon seeing a deep, dark problem bubbling up in our democracy, he alone could fix it.

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The Comey Rule Will Give You 2016 Election PTSD - Rolling Stone

Doug and Genna Wolkon discovered intrinsic motivation by helping others navigate through a monetary system they felt didnt work them.

Rather than trying to comply, the Wolkons took control of their healing remedies and transformed their passion into a business.

The Wolkons, both originally from the Mainland who arrived in Kauai over a decade ago, were unaware their healing journey would create an opportunity to educate and empower others into adopting a holistic lifestyle.

For the owners of a small acreage farm outside of Kilauea, called Kauai Farmacy, it is like walking through natures medicine cabinet, which is congruent with one of their marketing mantras for their business to heal yo self.

Consumers suffering from psychological or emotional attrition resulting from the fear of the unknown driven by mainstream media coverage will now be presented with options to change their lifestyle at Kauai Farmacy.

According to the Wolkons, it is not just about the food you consume, adopting the lifestyle is about resetting your mentality.

Kauai certainly has the opportunity to embrace this health and wellness lifestyle that is derived on-farm through an agricultural community, Doug Wolkon said. This is a lifestyle of plants and people working together to create vitality, and optimal health and wellness.

They built their business model on the philosophical wisdom of Hawaiian Laau lapaau, Ayurveda, Chinese medicine and tribal ingredients.

The Wolkons use cultivation techniques in their brewery which offers 80 varieties of organic, healing plants from food orchards.

Their small farm includes honey bees, butterflies and other pollinators, along with wildfowl. Their farm also includes no organic imports. Everything at Kauai Farmacy is made and cultivated on their farm.

Pressing the reset button

The Wolkons hope consumers dont attempt to change their lifestyle out of fear of contracting COVID-19 because they feel people changing their lifestyle, for this reason, will be short-lived.

They hope consumers come to their farm wanting to modify their lifestyle away from a more synthetic society many people throughout the country have become accustomed to.

Genna views that with the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone in the world is forcing a shift in this mentality.

According to the Wolkons, people need to make a change, and that lifestyle change will be permanent.

I think we have to shift our mindset, and its going to take something of the magnitude of the pandemic to do that, Genna said. I am embracing this as a transitional time for the community, the economy, everything. The (natural) medicine is meant to give us energy, give us life force, give us the ability to feed ourselves, and the potential to have the performance our bodies are meant to do.

Fear of the unknown

The Wolkons feel the economic infrastructure has created a society predicated on fear.

There is fear-based pandemonium, and that is fragile because when people get into this fear-based mentality, they tend to fall into a victim state I am broken, I need to fix it, Genna said. They also think that someone else is going to tell them what to do versus tapping into what we need to do.

We must remember we have the empowerment to self-heal and help better our situation, Genna said.

Natures gift

Doug Wolkon remains passionately adamant about driving home his companys mission statement in offering healing remedies not available in your local grocery store.

This isnt just a business to the Wolkons. The herbal, holistic, and natural healing lifestyle has become a passion which is the true driving force behind their business, not the other way around.

The thing about plants is that they give us information, and with all of the confusion that is happening right now, the truth has a way of finding its way to the surface, Doug said.

According to Doug, when the truth emerges it allows consumers an opportunity to become empowered.

What we eat, drink and consume is mother natures plant and they help us find the truth, he said. They create self-awareness to help us empower our immune system.

Let the plants do the work

The variety of herbal medicines the Wolkons offer will not always be the same for each consumer.

Based on several different variables, the consumer will use medicines based on their stress and emotional regulation. They may have to constantly alter their rotation of herbal remedies they require based on their changing needs.

I always tell people that are new to us they need to have the plants come and do the work, Doug said. So often we find ourselves trying to convince and arguing about which way is healthier and which diet is better. The plants give you the answer and resurrect your intuition.

Doug feels Kauai Farmacy could lead the way for consumers looking to find the right combination of herbal remedies.

You have to figure out the diet and lifestyle, and what is the answer for them, and then convince them this worked for me, Doug said. We need to exemplify our responsibility as a group of people that live this lifestyle and it worked for us. We live in harmony, and we need to let the people see which product works for you.

Doug knows that during this COVID-19 pandemic, people have to make the adaption and not live in constant fear.

The Kauai Farmacy YouTube channel allows a vehicle to make that transition happen by educating people around the world about their lifestyle.

This is about marrying your lifestyle, which is a celebration of the herbal lifestyle, with real-time gardening and farming connecting the people with the land and community, Doug said.

The Farmacy is currently offering 50% off for kamaaina to try the many herbals teas and natural remedies in their store. For more information, you can go to kauaifarmacy.com.

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Kaua'i Farmacy offers self-healing remedies made in Kaua'i - Thegardenisland.com

In April 1861 Lee declined command of the entire Northern army, resigned from the army in which he had served for 36 years and followed Virginia out of the Union. Although opposed to secession, he said: I cannot draw my sword against my native state.

Although Lee described slavery as an amoral and political evil in 1856, claims that he never owned a slave himself and that he freed those that had belonged to his father-in-law are now widely dismissed as popular mythology.

Despite lack of manpower and material, Lees military genius was the principal factor in keeping the Confederacy alive. He was a legend in his own lifetime. In May 1862 Stonewall Jackson wrote: Lee is the only man I know whom I would follow blindfold. His soldiers, to whom he was either Uncle Robert or Marse Robert, idolised him.

In his classic memoir Co Aytch (Company H) Sam Watkins, who served in the Confederacys First Tennessee Infantry and saw action in battles from Siloh to Nashville, thought Lee looked like some good boys grandpa. I felt like going up to him and saying good evening Uncle Bob! His whole make-up of form and person, looks and manner had a kind and soothing magnetism about it that drew everyone to him and made them love, respect and honor him. I fell in love with the old gentleman and felt like going home with him.

Yet mild-mannered Lee was an audacious and ferociously aggressive military commander.

When Lee took command in Virginia, George B McClellan seriously misjudged his opponent by observing that Lee is too cautious and weak under grave responsibility personally brave and energetic to a fault, he is wanting in moral firmness when pressed by heavy responsibility and is likely to be timid and irresolute in action. If McClellan had possessed greater critical self-awareness he would have realised he was describing himself.

Although strategically a Union victory (because McClellan halted Lees advance into Maryland), Antietam was a tactical Confederate victory because the timid Lee had fought an army almost twice the size of his own to a standstill by moving his army across the battlefield to repulse three Union thrusts launched separately and sequentially against the Confederate left, centre and right.

The Battle of Chancellorsville represents Lees aggression at its most stunning. Although outnumbered two to one, he achieved victory, through dividing his army and encircling the enemy in one of the most audacious moves in military history.

Picketts charge on the Union lines on Cemetery Ridge on the third day of Gettysburg represents Lees greatest miscalculation. James Longstreet warned Lee: I have been in pretty much all kind of skirmishes, from those of two to three soldiers to those of an army corps, and I think I can safely say there was never a body of 15,000 men who could make that attack successfully. Lees blood was up and he thought audacity and courage would suffice.

Although Longstreets advice was disregarded, his appreciation of the impact of modern firepower proved correct. Less than half of the cream of the Army of North Virginia made it back to their own lines. Lee rode out to meet them: It was all my fault; get together and let us do the best we can toward saving that which is left us.

After Gettysburg (and the capture of Vicksburg on the Mississippi), the strategic initiative passed permanently to the North and the defeat of the South was inevitable, subject only to the important proviso the Unions will to fight held firm.

President Lincoln brought U S Grant east from his triumphs at Vicksburg and Chattanooga to confront Lee. Grant was stunned by the ferocity of Lees resistance but, unlike his predecessors, Grant refused to back off, waging a bloody war of attrition (including the Battles of Spotsylvania and Cold Harbor) which lasted exactly a year.

After Lees defensive lines broke under the weight of massive Union assaults in the spring of 1865 Lee could no longer defend Richmond, the Confederate capital. He embarked upon a week-long retreat. Incapable of going any further, his men fell out through hunger and exhaustion, animals collapsed and units disintegrated.

At Appomattox Court House on April 9 1865, Lee found himself almost surrounded and massively outnumbered. He told one of his aides: There is nothing left for me to do but go and see General Grant and I would rather die a thousand deaths.

Grants considerate behaviour, at least partially in deference to Lincolns wishes, made the ordeal of surrender less painful for him.

Remarkably throughout the war it would seem that Lee never referred to his Union opponents as the enemy but as those people. On this reading of the past, this extraordinary absence of bitterness and the mans own innate dignity enabled Lee to accept defeat and seek to bind up the wounds caused by the war by preaching to his people the necessity of peace and national unity.

This perspective is repudiated by those who insist that Lee was not conciliatory towards the North, that he championed southern grievances and that he was antagonistic towards the emancipated slaves.

Finally, if Lee was such a genius, why did the South lose? Explanations rarely focus on Lees inability to deliver victory but tend to major on the Norths demographic and economic advantages. Yet history provides examples of weaker powers defeating stronger ones. Lees greatest failure surely was that he never produced a war-winning strategy. He was curiously blind to the crucial importance of the Western theatre. Impressive though his victories were, they were achieved with Stonewall Jackson at his side. After Jacksons death (from friendly fire at Chancellorsville) there were no more victories. Apart from Grant, most of his Union opponents were fairly mediocre.

Is it too harsh to suggest that Lees iconic status owes more to the psychological needs of the post-war South than to his military genius?

See the article here:
Icon of the Civil War, but just how great a general was Robert E Lee? - Belfast Newsletter

By Mary Lemmer8 minute Read

At the end of 2019, I experienced a traumatic fainting episode, seizure, and concussion in the middle of the night, which landed me an overnight visit at an NYC Emergency Room. Afterward, I decided I needed to slow my pace in life downa lot. Prior to this, I didnt consider myself addicted to my phone. I turned off my notifications years ago; my phone doesnt join me in bed, and its easy for me to spend time doing things that dont involve any technology.

Despite all of this, Id always be a bit shocked at my Weekly Report of screen time. My phone usage seemed to be made up of a lot of micro moments, small chunks of time on my phone spread out over the course of the day.

After my fainting episode and concussion, I started to spend less time in front of screens. I needed to abstain in order to recover. As awful as the accident and subsequent symptoms were, I did enjoy this restful, quiet time, and way of existing that brought healing beyond the physical symptoms. Inspired by this experience, I opted to bring a weekly screenless sabbath to my life, in what became my Screenless Sundays.

In January of 2020, I eliminated use of my laptop and texting on Sundays. Instead, I spent my time doing old-fashioned things, like reading physical books, writing with pen and paper, and going for silent walks (thats right: No podcasts or music).

At first, I felt a bit unsure about the experiment. Would this harm my friendships? Would I feel more lonely and less connected to people? Would I be less productive? Early on, I encountered some changes I needed to make. For instance, when Id make plans to see friends on Sunday, I had to let them know ahead of time that I wouldnt be checking my texts or emails, and ask them to let me know Saturday if they needed to cancel. When Id head to a yoga class, either walking or by subway, I did so without scrolling my phone or listening to an audiobook.

Rather, I sat and observed myself and the world and people around me. If I was planning to go anywhere on Sunday, Id make sure to look up directions on Saturday, or else on Sunday, Id do the unheard of: ask someone for directions. Without my digital friends, Google and Siri, I struck up conversations with people nearbyat the park, subway, cafes, yoga studio.

I felt more connected to these people than I did people I just followed on Twitter. I noticed things I wouldnt have otherwise had my nose been buried in my phone. Things like colorful birds, cute dogs walking on the street, the sky, the emotional expressions of strangers on the street, signs advertising events or looking for lost pets, and street performers, or artists sharing their craft.

The hardest Sundays were the ones when I didnt leave my apartment or block. Isolated in my one-bedroom apartment without use of my phone or TV to connect me to anyone else. Those days became the days where I was really forced to be friends with myself. I asked myself questions. I looked to myself for entertainment. I did art projects, wrote handwritten letters, cooked food, read books, cleaned my apartment, practiced yoga, and sometimes, I just sat looking out my window or walked alone at the park across the street. This time alone helped me realize my resiliency, creativity, and inspired confidence and satisfaction knowing that I could feel joy, rest, excitement, from just being with myself.

Once the pandemic hit in March, I went to quarantine at my familys farm in Michigan. During a time when people were craving virtual interactions, I found value in the digital silence on Sundaysno phone, computers, tablets, or TV. When I told my friends that I go completely screenless on Sundays, they responded with admiration, intrigueand, often, several reasons why they couldnt do something similar.

I lost nothing and gained improvements to my business, team collaboration, relationships, and health.

Theyd say, What if I miss out on something important in the news or on social media? My response: Its only one day. When was the last time important news ceased to exist after 24 hours? Youre either choosing to miss out on a headline or Instagram post that will still be there the next day, or choosing to miss out on quality time with people around you, the nearby environment, and yourself. Its ultimately your choice, and thats the tradeoff youre making.

For people with children, 56% of parents report spending too much time on their phones and 71% of adults are concerned their kids are spending too much time in front of screens.So why not set the example, and the practice of going screenless? Even Bill Gates and Steve Jobslimited their kids screen time. Do it together with everyone and practice a family ritual, as research shows that family rituals are associated with marital satisfaction, adolescents sense of personal identity, childrens health, academic achievement, and stronger family relationships.

During the pandemic when we are spending more time using screens, there is no shortage of loneliness, doubt, and uncertainty. The screens dont solve these challenges, unfortunately. But I noticed that on Screenless Sundays I feel connected, calm, joyful, grounded, rested, and energized. Those are all things I want to feel during the pandemic, and I got them without a screen.

The world didnt end when I fully unplugged. In fact, it was more of a beginning. In addition to the obvious benefits from this practice, like giving my eyes a break from screens, there are so many benefits and implications in my life that I didnt even anticipate.

I feel less lonely. I feel more connected to myself and others. My relationship with myself has improved. Daily journaling (and extensive journaling on Sundays), about my life, my feelings, my fears, my dreams, has all fueled self-awareness that improved my relationships and my work. Ive made intentional decisions about my work and life, rather than reactive decisions based on whatever the world on the screen is influencing. Im also feeling healthier, too, and havent fainted again (knock on wood).

I sleep better. Previously there were nights I wouldnt fall asleep until 4 a.m. Now, Im out by 11 p.m. and sleep consistently. I wake up ready to get out of bed, versus wishing I still had another hour (or four) to sleep.

I am more focused. Ive completed several projects that Ive been wanting to complete. When the work week starts and Im back on screens, I am able to shut off the screen distractions. If I can go an entire day without using Instagram, I can definitely go three hours without it, so that I can focus on a project, a conversation, or a meeting. Screenless Sundays have helped me feel more creative, too.

I didnt need to go Thoreau and disappear into the woods for years.

I didnt need to go Thoreau and disappear into the woods for years. I could incorporate a media fast into my week, regularly, and reap benefits consistently. I didnt need to abandon my life, my family, my friends, or my work. I could give myself a break, some offline time, to reconnect with myself and whatever is around me, and in taking that day I improved my relationships with my family, my friends, my work, and myself. Doing this puts me in control of my time. I decide when I am going to use the screen and when I am not.

I love Sundays. They are by far my favorite day of the week. And though Sundays are my favorite day, I dont wish for every day to be Sunday, because every day doesnt need to be Sunday. Thats part of the magic about this practice. Taking one day, fully off, is enough, if done regularly. Its restorative, reenergizing, and helps me regroup.

When Monday rolls around Im excited and energized for another week. I appreciate myself and everything else so much more. When I do use screens, its so much more intentional. I dont spend as much time on them during the week, because I realized I dont need to. I used to outsource my happiness, joy, entertainment to my phone. It sucked at that job, so Im taking it back in-house. I dont need to use screens in order to feel connected, energized, engaged, informed, involved, or creative. I got all of that on Sunday, so I dont need to rely on screens anymore to generate those feelings.

Mary Lemmer is an entrepreneur, improv comedian, author, startup adviser, philanthropist, and recovering venture capitalist. Shes the creator of Improve, empowering leaders and teams to improve communication, collaboration, creativity, inclusion, and more, with improv comedy.

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I stopped using screens on Sundays. This is how it changed my life - Fast Company

Monty Python were famous for their groundbreaking comedy and unique twists on the sketch format, which included breaking the fourth wall.

The six members of Monty Pythons troupe came together from various facets of the British comedy industry of the 1960s with a shared desire to break down all of televisions rules with a no-holds-barred comic sensibility. In most of the teams projects, from Monty Pythons Flying Circus to Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the fourth wall got regularly broken.

RELATED:Monty Python: 5 Reasons Why Holy Grail Is Their Best Film (& 5 Why Life Of Brian is A Close Second)

As a result, some of the funniest sketches and moments from the Pythons storied history involve a certain element of self-awareness. But theres a difference between a subtle nod to the audience and an all-out attack on the artifice of film and television.

Almost every episode of Monty Pythons Flying Circus began with a fourth wall-breaking moment in which the Its man, played by Michael Palin, would rush up to the camera from afar and tell the camera, Its... before the theme tune kicked in and the opening titles began.

This was a brilliant way to keep each episode fresh right off the bat and made an iconic character out of just one word. Any time Python fans see the Its man, it puts a smile on their face.

The Colonel, played by Graham Chapman, would barge into a sketch whenever he felt it was getting too silly in order to put a stop to it.

Since the Pythons humor was specifically built on silliness, he found plenty of opportunities to step in and police the absurdity.

During the Castle Anthrax scene in which 150 young women tempt Sir Galahad the Pure, Dingo looks at the camera and asks, Do you think this scene should have been cut? and compares it to the others.

The characters from previous scenes defend their own moments, then the characters whose scenes havent appeared yet tell them to get on with it. Its next-level meta.

In the Architects Sketch, the Pythons lampooned the Freemasons with one architect launching into a tirade against the fabled organization and a second architect doing a weird Masonic handshake. The first architect breaks the fourth wall by reappearing and saying to the camera, It opens doors, Im telling you.

RELATED:The 10 Best Monty Python's Flying Circus Skits & Sketches, Ranked

The sketch also breaks the fourth wall during the small-scale recreation of the then-recent Ronan Point fire when a large on-screen disclaimer reads: SATIRE.

Due to its loose structure and unusually dark tone, The Meaning of Life is considered to be the lesser cousin of Holy Grail and Life of Brian, but its wildly unpredictable and features some of the Pythons most beloved sketches, like Every Sperm is Sacred.

At the movies midpoint, the Zulu sketch is interrupted by a character welcoming the audience to The Middle of the Film. This deviates into a surreal segment entitled Find the Fish.

When King Arthur and his party are escorted into a cave by Brother Maynard, they find an inscription by Joseph of Arimathea that sends them to Castle Aarrgh.

Suddenly, Brother Maynard is eaten by a cave monster that chases the knights. Fortunately, the knights are saved when the animator controlling the cave monster has a heart attack and dies.

The ending of Life of Brian is perfect, with all the story threads being tied up while Brian is nailed to a cross and about to be wrongfully crucified. Then, Eric Idle starts singing Always Look on the Bright Side of Life and all the prisoners awaiting execution join in.

When the song is in full swing, Idle takes a second to break the fourth wall, singing, Its the end of the film / Incidentally, this records available in the foyer!

Throughout the whole of The Meaning of Life, the Pythons promise that they will reveal the actual meaning of life. However, it isnt revealed until the very end and, in true Python fashion, it comically fails to live up to the hype.

RELATED:Monty Python: 10 Reasons The Meaning Of Life Is An Underrated Gem

In the movies epilogue, the host from The Middle of the Film sketch anticlimactically reveals the meaning of life, saying its nothing very special.

When they decided to give their first narrative film the loose structure of King Arthurs quest to find the Holy Grail, the Pythons thought it would be funny to end the movie on an anticlimactic note with Arthur never actually finding the Grail.

Just as Arthur and his soldiers prepare to storm the castle and seize the Grail, the police investigating the completely unrelated murder of the historian who got killed early in the movie pull up in anachronistic vehicles. They arrest the king and shut off the camera, ending the movie on a hilariously absurd note.

The biggest revolution in Monty Pythons Flying Circus was its lack of punchlines. Punchlines for sketches rarely land, because the whole sketch has to be summed up in a single joke and thats tough to do in a satisfying way, so the Pythons didnt use them. Instead, whenever a sketch ran out of steam, they simply segued into the next one.

One of these segues involved John Cleese as a BBC announcer, wearing a suit and sitting behind a desk (whether he was in a broadcasting station or on a beach), who uttered the immortal catchphrase, And now for something completely different.

NEXT:Monty Python's 10 Funniest Movie Parodies, Ranked

Next 5 Ways The Usual Suspects Has Aged Well (& 5 Ways It Hasn't)

Ben Sherlock is a writer, comedian, and independent filmmaker, and he's good at at least two of those things. In addition to writing for Screen Rant and Comic Book Resources, covering everything from Scorsese to Spider-Man, Ben directs independent films and does standup comedy. He's currently in pre-production on his first feature film, Hunting Trip, and has been for a while because filmmaking is expensive. Previously, he wrote for Taste of Cinema and BabbleTop.

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Monty Python's 10 Best Fourth Wall Breaks | ScreenRant - Screen Rant

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In 1978, United Airlines flight 173s crash that killed two crew members and eight passengers, changed the airline industry forever. There were issues with the landing gear, however the cause was put on the pilot and crews interaction and lack of prioritizing information around remaining fuel levels. The National Transportation Safety Board acknowledged that the planes were no longer the problem. Instead, focus on building better pilots and crew communication.

In a very similar way, learning and development in the workplace is facing a revolution. Content is no longer the problem. One only needs to do a quick Google search to see the mass amount of information available for pretty much any topic under the sun. Learning and development professionals, people managers and employees at all levels need to build better ways to mine, organize and learn from all the content at their fingertips.

Below are tips to building a savvier approach to development in this new world of content overload:

Understand how your learning experiences influence how you approach development. It will be interesting to see how this pandemic and the requirement of all kids to move to a distance learning model will shape their learning preferences and needs as this new generation grows up and moves into the workforce.

Katherine Macdonald, Senior Instructional Designer and eLearning Developer with KCM Training, emphasizes that, Generational, cultural and resource differences influence the way we were taught to do things like read, understand math and acquire basic life skills. They also help form the neural pathways that we come to rely on, and return to again and again, when we need to replicate the learning process next time.

Build self-awareness regarding your learning curve and what that process looks like. If you need to dive in and start making mistakes right away to get your head wrapped around new concepts, its critical to know how to share this with your manager and other partners at work. If you need time to observe and research before taking action, understand that managing others expectations can help give you the space to do that without inadvertently sending the message that youre not taking initiative.

MacDonald highlights that, Just as preferred learning styles are different, people's learning curves differ as well. The actual act of learning tends to be messy, similar to watching a small child stumbling and falling while learning how to walk. As adults, we often mistake the stumbling as a negative sign vs. a symptom of learning something new. Be patient with yourself and try to manage your own and others' expectations about your ability to do something perfectly after you've "learned" it, recommends MacDonald.

Get clear about what you need to learn to help select the best development method and tools. Different learning goals require different development methods.

Take the lead on your own development. Instead of viewing learning as something your forced to do or putting your development completely in the hands of other people, realize that you need to sit in the drivers seat of your development. Sure, managers and leaders can be great supporters and coaches but they arent your school teacher. You are paid to support them and the business. The easier you make it to invest in you, the more you will receive. Key things to keep in mind while driving your own development includes:

The better we get at advocating for and embracing our unique learning needs and styles the more we can leverage this unique time in learning history. The information is there. Its a great time to use the abundance of content to enable us to cultivate our talents and interests. MacDonald emphasizes, Investing in your own development goes a long way toward helping you feel like you are worth investing in. It will ultimately encourage others to invest in you, too.

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Tips For Driving Your Own Growth And Development: Content Is No Longer The Problem, Its The Learner - Forbes

Damian Wilson

is a UK journalist, ex-Fleet Street editor, financial industry consultant and political communications special advisor in the UK and EU.

is a UK journalist, ex-Fleet Street editor, financial industry consultant and political communications special advisor in the UK and EU.

Actor Laurence Fox is the unlikely leader of a new political movement looking to reclaim British values and pride in our heritage. Liberals are appalled, but its going to be fun watching him rattle the establishment.

You can already tell how the liberal establishment feel about a new political party when their bible, The Guardian, headlines itsstory Laurence Fox launching political party to reclaim British values, using the oh-so-knowing single quotes cuddling the infinitive to suggest a folly from the outset.

That punctuation device is often used when speaking, fingers wiggling around an imaginary word written in the air, to mock and dismiss the very idea with a tedious teenage sarcasm. Reclaim British values? Oh, of course, its that unreconstructed dinosaur Laurence Fox banging on with his young fogey attitudes.

The Guardian readers do not care for Mr Laurence Fox. They thought he was one of their own. After all, hes a luvvie actor, a singer, songwriter, cousin of the delightful Emilia and son of a dynasty of posh-speaking British actors. He was even in Lewis, the popular television detective series for heavens sake.

And when it became clear that Mr Fox was not actually on the same page as them politically, well, he needed to be told in no uncertain terms how beastly he had turned, what a disappointment he had turned out to be and then cast aside, to be shouted down in future or simply ignored like the rabble he had clearly become.

And his crimes?

Why, he said the treatment of Meghan Markle by the British public and the media did not amount to racism. Out loud! On BBC Question Time!

He also said it was odd to see a Sikh soldier in a scene in 1917, a film about World War I. And then, in the unforgivable act of turning fire on his own, he had a pop at black and working class actors for only criticising the showbiz industry once they had five million quid in the bank.

Never mind that a significant proportion of the population would agree entirely with these relatively uncontroversial sentiments, the social justice warriors are out for blood and will do everything they can to destroy him and the Laurence Fox Party.

They do not want Laurence Fox to succeed in his stated mission to reclaim a respectful nation where all are included and none are ashamed to have somewhere to call home. And why do his enemies wish him to fail? Well, hes a white, heterosexual male in his 40s. What else needs to be said?

But it will take more than an orchestrated Twitter trolling to deter father-of-two Fox, already dubbed the Woke Witchfinder General.

He told one interviewer earlier this year: If you want to eviscerate me for having an opinion, then theres something extremely wrong with our culture. And if it takes some k***bish d**khead, half-educated t**t like me (to point this out)... I can barely put a thought together, Im that ill-educated. I mean, I went to Harrow.

How infuriating for The Guardian that @LozzaFox even has some of that rare commodity in politics self-awareness.

The supernova-like birth of a new movement is always exciting, particularly when the cash starts pouring in, the media begins to pay attention and everyone you talk to is supportive and on board. No one, it seems, thinks youre chasing phantoms. But its also a time for caution. The snakes, the self-servers, the egotists and the saboteurs can also see whats going on.

The scent of success is already working on them. Theyll try to weasel up and claim space within the movement for their own self-aggrandisement, to satisfy an appetite for fame, power or money, and they need to be spotted and distanced very early on.

Theyll write a cheque for the cause and then think you are their personal plaything, ready to be trotted out like a dancing bear, at their command. And that, if it gets out of hand and believe me, it can happen without you even noticing is exhausting, draining, demoralising and ultimately self-defeating.

Ive seen this disturbing behaviour up close at a high level in British politics. I know the damage it can do to a political party and the cancerous effect that these narcissists and psychopaths can have on morale.

If the movement is to grow and Fox is to secure real buy-in, and not just from time-wasting political suck-ups, he needs to ensure a team of reliable lieutenants are on the ball and can articulate a shared vision before releasing them into the wilds of Westminster and beyond to spread the word.

He has attracted 5million in donor funding so far, he has his hands freshly inked with his new twin themes of Freedom and Space and the battle lines have been drawn in the sand.

It is certainly time for this Fox to run riot in the political henhouse. I can think of nothing more I will enjoy over the coming weeks than seeing the feathers fly.

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The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.

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Woke Witchfinder General Laurence Foxs new party could be the breath of fresh air UK politics needs - RT

American youth are spending an alarming amount of time online. According to a pre-pandemic report, the average American teen spends approximately seven hours online per day. With remote learning in full swing for a little over half of American elementary and high school schools, students are spending even more time in front of a screen: By some accounts, students are getting up to 5 or 6 hours of additional technology use per day.

Recently, both teachers and parents have started questioning the value in spending long stretches of the day in front of a screen participating in synchronous, online classes. And with the recent release of the Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma, there is lots of discussion around the inherently addictive characteristics of social media and its effect on teens. Now more than ever, conversations around how and why youth spend time online are paramount. Heres how teachers can kickstart those conversations with students.

For teachers working remotely, addressing this issue with their students may seem somewhat hypocritical: Get online, spend most of your school day on Zoom with me but then spend the rest of your day technology-free. A recently released statement regarding screen time from the American Academy of Pediatrics does not cite specific hours of screen use time per age group. But for many people, calculating the actual time spent online each day is eye-opening. Discussing this information can launch teachers and students into deeper conversations around self-awareness and time management.

For teachers, understanding how much time individual students spend online outside of school can inform more relationship-building discussions. Actively listening to student answers to questions such as What is your favorite game, website or app? or What do you find fun or interesting when online can spark better understanding of your students. These conversations serve a deeper purpose as well. For students, reflecting on their daily technology use is the first step in developing a sense of agency. Engaging in contemplative discussions around questions, such as Why am I spending this time on social media? instead of broad lectures (e.g., Dont spend too much time online) shifts the conversation towards self-reflection and away from simple adherence.

With the transition to remote and hybrid learning, educators are using many useful and engaging online tools for teaching and learning. Companies such as Edpuzzle and Flipgrid provide interactive tools to actively engage students with academic content. But when reviewing and planning, educators must reflect on the value such resources provide. Questions such as Does this tool significantly improve my students learning experience? or Does this technology engage my students in active learning? are important to consider when incorporating more technology into your teaching, especially when teaching remotely.

For students, guiding conversations around this same thinking can help them become more aware of their own technology use. Students should start to consider not only what they do online but why theyre reaching for their phone or laptop in the first place. The Center for Humane Technology provides a set of digital well-being guidelines that teachers can use to introduce this thinking. The goal is to have students view technology as a tool rather than an end in itself.

Rates of anxiety, depression and suicide among teens are growing at an alarming rate. Many experts point to the rise in smartphone/technology use as a major factor. For others, this correlation may not be so clear cut. Despite this debate, there are plenty of other daily practices that are shown to improve mental well-being. Exercise, time spent outside, developing positive relationships and engaging in activities that provide a sense of self-esteem and purpose are protective factors that improve mental well-being.

Honoring these various other protective factors is key for teachers and students alike. Simple prompts such as Can I replace my technology use with an activity that will aid my well-being? Did I spend time outside today? or What else can I do that brings joy to my day? can spark conversations in classrooms, in faculty meetings and at home. Starting with small changeseven just for 5 minutes a daywill help both teachers and students begin to take charge of both their time on technology and thinking more holistically about their overall well-being.

With the current state of the world, we are all are faced with an obligation to become more attuned to the increasing role technology use plays in our everyday lives. Providing tools and resources that teachers and students can use to both reflect and take action are key components in navigating this new norm.

Link:
Kids Are Spending More of Their Lives Online. Teachers Can Help Them Understand Why. - EdSurge

Australian supermodel Megan Gale has revealed in a candid post on Instagram that she is closing down her start-up business after she "trusted the wrong people".

The natural skincare brand for babies and children, Mindful Life, was six years in the making from concept to reality, and was launched 18 months ago.

"After a lot of consideration, I am making the hard call to close my online store," she said in the long video post.

Australian supermodel Megan Gale speaks on Instagram. Picture Supplied

The news comes after she emerged on social media last week with an update of how she was coping after the death of her brother, Jason Gale.

"Last week I posted a video and I touched on that I have been going through a fair bit of stuff this year - aside from what had happened with my brother, that stuff I was referring to has to do with my business," she said.

The supermodel blamed the business troubles on an unrevealed "third party".

"When you are a very small basic start-up and you don't have a lot of infrastructure and you don't have a lot of things done in-house, you have to outsource certain responsibilities and tasks to third parties, other businesses, which is what I had to do," she said.

"In short, I trusted the wrong people in some pretty major elements of the business."

The supermodel said she had been "super proud" of the business, which managed to withstand COVID as sales continued to come through.

"It's not been without its challenges, however. I knew going into a start-up it wouldn't be without its challenges. I was prepared for that. I was warned about that," she said.

"What I wasn't prepared for was that these teething issues would grow into big issues, that they would be ongoing and they would be just ceaseless, really.

"It's got to the point where these issues are quite insurmountable."

Gale said running the business solo has been "particularly challenging" and "a lonely path not having someone there in the trenches with you".

The supermodel said she trusted the wrong people in her business.

A clinch point was when she realised that the business wouldn't be able to deliver stock in time to customers.

"It wasn't until I got to about June this year when I realised how much time I'd lost and how I couldn't come back from it," she said.

"So at that point I was completely spent. I mean, I'm a pretty tough chick, I've got a lot of fight in me. I had used up all of my reserves of resilience and tenacity and just sheer determination."

Ms Gale said she didn't want to outsource to other people and start again because she was "physically, mentally and emotionally spent".

Megan Gale said she was completely spent from the experience.

"So I got to that point in June and said, 'That's it, I'm done'."

"If they were things that were in my control or stuff-ups that I had caused, I could at least own that and try to remedy it and fix it, but when it's something that someone else has done and it's out of your control, there's such an incredible amount of helplessness," she said.

Ms Gale spent two weeks in quarantine when she went to Perth for her brother's funeral after his sudden passing which she said gave her "a lot of time to think".

"There's nothing like the death of someone extremely close to you to make you stop and take stock and reassess what you're doing with your own life and underline the complete importance of how precious life is and what little time we really do have here."

Megan Gales brother Jason passed away in July this year in Perth. Picture: WA News

Fans poured in heartfelt messages including Australian fashion designer Alex Perry who commented: "Family is everything my beautiful friend EVERYTHING! The rest can wait."

Podcaster Samantha Gash wrote: "You have tenacity, strength and resilience in bucketloads - but I love how you know where you want to place it. Your self-awareness and reflection is extraordinary. Lots of hugs."

Founder and editor-in-chief of beauty site Gritty Pretty Eleanor Pendleton wrote: "Thank you for always being your most honest and authentic self, beautiful lady! You don't have to but we thank you - you're helping so many others going through the struggles of small business right now. Your decision would not have been easy to make - but you've made it with bravery, courage and learnings all the while experiencing deep loss and grief."

Ms Gale said she wants to focus her time on being around her children, River and Rosie, "rather than fighting and struggling and doing all this with the business".

"This is the first time that I've actually contemplated just stopping and just shutting one door and just leaving it open for whatever," she confided.

She said she is still going to continue to sell the stock that remains.

"It's a shame to close up the whole business, there is an online platform there, a very decent following and some amazing customers but I just need some time to sit," she said.

"Mindful Life 2.0 could come back in a different way, I don't know. If it doesn't I'm OK with that."

Originally published as Megan Gale: 'I trusted the wrong people'

Excerpt from:
Megan Gale: 'I trusted the wrong people' - Observer