Latest news with #GeorgeBernardShaw
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Sowing the seeds of success
Perhaps nothing is more universally and keenly sought after than success and all that it implies. It's, of course, common knowledge that success is invariably the result of untiring application and unrelenting hard work over a prolonged period of time, sometimes running into years. These are the widely tried and tested cornerstones of success. There are no short-cuts to it. A burning and sustained desire to succeed in one's specific pursuit is, no doubt, a great motivator that ensures one does it ultimately. However, to prematurely expect to be successful in one's aspirations is unrealistic; for eventual success tastes sweetest only when tempered by initial, and sometimes repeated, failures and setbacks. Unsurprisingly, success is known to be a harsh taskmaster, unfailingly exacting its 'pound of flesh' — to use a metaphor — from all who seek it before ultimately smiling benignly on them. Sometimes, to one's acute consternation, success tends to be maddeningly elusive or slow in coming despite one's utmost and sincerest efforts to achieve it somehow. At such times, one often turns despondent and wonders whether the pursuit of success is really worthwhile. It is at such trying moments that one needs to persevere even more than ever despite all the odds heavily stacked against one. Success never comes easily. George Bernard Shaw once rightly observed that 'Success covers a multitude of blunders.' Nothing could be truer. It is only by learning from our past mistakes — and those of others — that we can ultimately hope to gain success. American inventor Thomas Alva Edison termed genius nothing more than '1% inspiration and 99% perspiration' — a sound definition that applies equally to success as well. More than anything else, it is unremitting hard work that eventually brings about success. Of all its avatars, success in one's chosen career or profession perhaps matters more to many of us than anything else. This is quite natural and only to be expected, given the keen — and sometimes cut-throat — competition we face in our working lives, making it imperative for one to excel in one's calling and not be a mere passenger in an organisation. Ambition, of course, does spur one on to success finally. It is said that one of the greatest pleasures in life lies in doing what others maliciously say you cannot do or is beyond you. Achieving truly hard-won success ultimately is thus one such cherished goal. Yet we often tend to evaluate success only in financial terms, overlooking the deep personal sense of satisfaction and achievement that suffuses one. Nothing is more fulfilling than the latter. Without success — no matter how small — life would indeed be unacceptably insipid to the ambitious — and who isn't these days? Undeniably, hard work and unflagging commitment (nay, passion) are the keystones that make for success in this fiercely competitive world. Merely wishing for it never ever helps. As American author Alexander Woollcott aptly put it, 'Many of us spend half our time wishing for things we could have, if we didn't spend half our time wishing.' gnettomunnar@
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
The Guardian view on Test cricket: slow-burning intensity can deliver the finest sporting pleasures
Never try to explain Test cricket to an American. In sport, Americans value brevity, drama, a guaranteed resolution. Draws are anathema and ways must be found to avoid them. Two enterprising journalists once took Groucho Marx to an MCC game at Lord's and he pronounced it 'a wonderful cure for insomnia'. What Groucho would have made of the 'timeless' Test in Durban in March 1939 – it had been going on for 10 days before England, close to victory, decided that they had to catch the boat home – doesn't bear thinking about. George Bernard Shaw summed it up perfectly: 'The English are not a very spiritual people, so they invented cricket to give them some idea of eternity.' Yet, as the Lord's Test between England and India that concluded on Monday in dramatic fashion with a victory for the home team by 22 runs showed, Test cricket can also provide the most gripping sport of all – in large part because it unfolds over five days, slowly gathering in intensity. Twenty20, where each side bats for 20 overs and the game is done and dusted in less than three hours (the baseball model), may be taking over cricket globally, but there is nothing that matches the complexity and sustained excitement of a hard‑fought Test. Twenty20, though immensely skilful in its own way, is bubblegum pop. A Test such as the one we have just witnessed is Wagner's Ring Cycle. This match will be ranked with Headingley 1981 and Edgbaston 2005 in the pantheon of unforgettable Tests of the modern era. Lord's had everything: heroic performances – especially Ben Stokes, England's bearded Siegfried, looking as intense as Bob Willis at Headingley in '81; ill-feeling over the time-wasting tactics employed by both teams earlier in the match; a raucous crowd, with plenty of noisy but good-humoured support for both teams; and the bizarre denouement when the injured England novice spinner Shoaib Bashir bowled the feisty Mohammed Siraj to win the match. Siraj had middled the ball, but it spun back to hit the stumps, with Siraj, who could legally have kicked it away, seemingly transfixed. Bashir raced around the ground in ecstasy; Siraj was in tears; the earlier ill‑feeling was forgotten as England's fielders consoled the Indian No 11. Drama, pathos, humanity: Hollywood (or indeed Bollywood) could not have written a better script. Test cricket, as the Wisden editor Lawrence Booth told the Today programme on the morning after the match, is always in the middle of an existential crisis. As England were celebrating their mighty victory, the West Indies – in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s the best Test team in the world – were being bowled out ignominiously for 27 (the second-lowest Test total of all time) by Australia in front of empty stands in Jamaica. Test cricket may be buoyant in the UK, but it is in desperate trouble in other countries where money is short and Twenty20 is seen as a more viable option. If the greatest form of the game is to survive and flourish, the cricketing authorities need to address the inequalities at the heart of global cricket. Let Lord's 2025 be an inspiration, not an epitaph for a format that is sometimes seen as anachronistic in an age that demands instant gratification.
Boston Globe
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Al fresco and bilingual, ‘¡Qué Diablos! Fausto' gives the devil his due
Its world premiere production is being produced by Rhode Island Latino Arts in partnership with Trinity Rep, and staged by Teatro en El Verano. All of the company's productions, which have included translated and adapted versions of George Bernard Shaw's 'You Never Can Tell' and F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby,' are free to the public and take place at various outdoor locations throughout the state. The site of my viewing of '¡Que Diablos! Fausto' was an intimate grassy knoll in Payne Park, Pawtucket. Get Globe Rhode Island Food Club A weekly newsletter about food and dining in Rhode Island, by Globe Rhode Island reporter Alexa Gagosz. Enter Email Sign Up Valles's rendition tells this timeless tale of ambition, exploitation, and redemption with just six talented actors. Fausto is depicted as a skilled but flawed Rhode Island urgent care physician (an abundantly charming and physically agile Alexander Crespo-Rosario II) operating out of a strip mall, whose altruism and poor financial decisions leave his business on the brink of collapse. Desperate to save his practice and achieve greatness, and despite his sharp-witted assistant La Margie's (a very charismatic Marina Tejada) advice to the contrary, he makes a pact with the demoness Mephistopheles (a wonderfully seductive Ashley Aldarondo-Martinez). Advertisement Once Fausto trades his soul for wealth, power, and fame, he eagerly partakes in an assortment of sins (nicely personified by Mireya Hoffens, who also plays an angel representing good, and Ashley Soto, who also plays a devil representing evil). But the deal excludes love, which becomes Fausto's deepest desire. All the while, the celestial being Seraphim (Michael Green, whose comic timing is masterful) attempts to save Fausto's soul. Advertisement The playwright's strategy for addressing Marlowe's complex, 17th-century approach to spirituality and religion, humanist stance on individual morality, and attention to symbols that bring out elements of divine conflict is to stage it as if it were one of those live-action, educational children's television programs that once dominated PBS on Saturday mornings in the 1990s. It's an intriguing choice. Much like 'Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?' and 'Wishbone' – which were cleverly disguised and very entertaining lessons about grammar, science, classic literature, and American history – '¡Que Diablos! Fausto' is a smart and simple family friendly affair. There are a few lines from 'Wicked' and 'The Godfather' along with stealthy references to ICE interspersed throughout the script. Everything is set in perpetual motion by Armando Rivera's direction, which allows for actors to walk among and mingle with the audience. The acting is appropriately broad and animated. Dustin Thomas's contemporary costumes – which includes masks and headdresses – are bold and colorful. The painted images on Tiago Pereira's three-panel scenic design is humorously exaggerated to the point of being cartoonish, and the many props are larger-than-life cardboard cutouts. Lovanni Gómez's clever sound design includes snippets of songs by Britney Spears, the Spice Girls, and others to underscore key moments in the action. And there's a puppet. Advertisement All this results in a rather engaging night of Marlowe-lite. This bilingual production makes a classic play accessible to communities who don't speak the language of the original work, and it delivers it through the lens of Latinx voices and vision. And while the Saturday morning mindset, broad humor, and pop culture references come close to diminishing the original play's sober themes, it only succeeds in turning the dark 'tragical history' referenced in the original title into a mild-mannered morality play. The thing is, bilingual presentations like this – without the benefit of projected subtitles that translate Spanish into English in real time – are challenging. The dialogue needs to balance out the co-existence of English and Spanish without being excessively redundant, which becomes lengthy and tiresome for everyone. A graceful ballet of sorts between both languages, that seamlessly segues from one to the other and often in the same breath, is ideal. Despite the best efforts of the cast, the script for '¡Que Diablos! Fausto' offers more of an awkward two-step that keeps both groups of native speakers in the audience a little off balance and in the dark too much of the time. And so the aforementioned familiarity with the German legend or having seen Marlowe's play would certainly come in handy here. ¡QUÉ DIABLOS! FAUSTO Book by Christopher Marlow. Translated and Adapted by Jesús Valles. Directed by Armando Rivera. Advertisement Remaining performances of Teatro en El Verano's touring production take place on Tuesday, July 15 at La Galería del Pueblo, Central Falls at 6:30 pm; Sunday, July 20 at 195 District Park, Providence at 5:30 pm; Tuesday, July 22 at Roger Williams Park, Providence at 6:30 pm; Sunday, July 25 at Dexter Park, Providence at 6:30pm; July 25 Sunday, July 27 at The Edward King House, Newport at 4:00 pm; and Friday, August 1 at Southside Cultural Center, Providence, at 4:00 pm. Tickets are free.
Daily Tribune
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Tribune
Bahrain's youth must dream global!
George Bernard Shaw famously said, ''Youth is wasted on the young' which implies young people don't fully appreciate or utilize the opportunities and vitality of their youth. As we emerge from the thought-provoking and energetic celebrations of Arab Youth Day on July 5, I want to say that Bahrain's leadership certainly does not subscribe to this idea. Consider these significant indicators:. There is a designated Bahraini Youth Day on March 25 every year. Such is His Majesty King Hamad's keen interest in youth, that he has instituted the much-prized King Hamad Award for Youth Empowerment. The award, which is given under the umbrella of the United Nations, recognizes the efforts of youth around the world to be active and productive citizens contributing to the well-being of their communities and the environment. It also acknowledges organizations that work to improve the environment and infrastructure for youth to make an impact, across all U.N. member states. Since 1999, the Crown Princes International Scholarship Programme instituted by Crown Prince & PM, HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, has given the brightest and best young minds in Bahrain the opportunity to study at some of the finest educational institutions in the world, thus building a corps of talented, trained and highly educated youth to serve the Kingdom and the world. Bahraini youth icon, HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, His Majesty the King's Representative for Humanitarian Work and Youth Affairs, leads many initiatives and projects that have created many opportunities for young people, strengthening their roles in innovation, leadership, and humanitarian work, and allowing them to actively contribute to both current progress and future growth. We have an active and dedicated Minister for Youth Affairs, H.E. Rawan bint Najib Tawfiqi, whose Ministry works closely with different arms of government to place the aspirations of our youth front and centre of our development. The successful launch of the 'Al Munther' satellite, led by Bahraini youth, highlights their ambition and determination. The launch and implementation of 'The Hope Network' earlier this year, which is a platform for decision-makers in youth empowerment and a commitment to further developing global youth collaboration. Now, with so many opportunities and initiatives, our Bahraini youth must take their rightful place on the world stage as movers and shakers of the global community. I urge our young people to think global, dream big and put their hearts and souls into making their world and their future meaningful and bright, thus bringing pride to Bahrain.
The Guardian
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The Guardian view on The Salt Path scandal: memoirists have a duty to tell the truth
'All autobiographies are lies,' George Bernard Shaw wrote in 1898. 'I do not mean unconscious, unintentional lies: I mean deliberate lies.' The veracity of autobiographical writing is under scrutiny once again following allegations that the bestselling memoir The Salt Path is not quite the 'unflinchingly honest' account of one couple's triumph over adversity as billed. Even if you are not one of the two million people to have bought the book, and haven't seen the film released this summer, you will doubtless know the story of a couple's 630-mile journey along the South Coast Way after facing homelessness and a diagnosis of terminal illness. Published in 2018, The Salt Path struck a chord during lockdown as readers discovered the solace of walking and nature during the pandemic. But this tale of wild-camping and the kindness of strangers, not to mention the seemingly miraculous healing powers of a long hike, has gone from word-of-mouth sensation to publishing scandal due to the charges of omission (including past theft) and possible commission levelled by the Observer at its author Raynor Winn (real name Sally Walker). Winn has described the article as 'grotesquely unfair [and] highly misleading'. Memoir can be a deceptively explosive genre. 'I feel duped. But more importantly, I feel that you betrayed millions of readers,' Oprah Winfrey told James Frey publicly, after his addiction memoir A Million Little Pieces, which her book club propelled on to the bestseller lists, was exposed as wildly overblown in 2006. Readers feel similarly betrayed by Winn – perhaps more so. Frey, who has just published a novel after 20 years, made no bones about his unreliability as a narrator and former addict. Following in the muddy footsteps of memoirs such as Helen Macdonald's H is for Hawk, Amy Liptrot's The Outrun and Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton (shortlisted for this year's Women's prize for non-fiction), The Salt Path was part of the gentler trend of redemptive nature writing that blossomed after the misery memoir had been wrung dry. The line between fact and fiction is inevitably blurred. No one is surprised that memoirists omit or embellish details, or that novelists draw on their own lives. Writers must navigate this conundrum. Julie Myerson was widely criticised for writing about her son's addiction in her 2009 memoir The Lost Child. In 2022 she addressed the same issues in a novel titled Nonfiction. 'This book is completely made up. It is also completely true,' she said in a Guardian interview. Autofiction exists in this grey area. The genre, which claims the Nobel laureate Annie Ernaux, garners acclaim but rarely huge sales. If The Salt Path had been marketed as autofiction the outcry might have been avoided. But its success rested on the belief that it was a true story. Though genre-blurring is part of an evolving literary culture, categories are not just about where titles go in bookshops. Readers need to know what is fact or fiction. Many readers who took comfort from The Salt Path would not be seduced by online wellness influencers or miracle cures. In a post-truth era, the credibility of publishing is crucial. The Penguin logo is a symbol of trust. As Oscar Wilde said 'the truth is rarely pure and never simple'. Readers understand this. But it is the duty of memoir writers to tell their truth, however murky or complicated it may be. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
