Oscar Buzz for Director Ava DuVernay's "Selma"

Early last week Selma was set to screen for 30 minutes at the AFI Fest, held in Los Angeles, CA. However, after raving reviews of  trailer (see below) a Twitter exchange occurred between Executive Producer Oprah Winfrey and Director Ava DuVernay.

They decided to screen the entire movie.

At the AFI Fest, held in Los Angeles, on Tuesday, November 11 the movie Selma premiered in it's entirely and was given a standing ovation. And the Oscar Buzz has begun... 

 

SELMA is the story of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s historic struggle to secure voting rights for all people – a dangerous and terrifying campaign that culminated with the epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, and led to President Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The movie opens in selected cities on Christmas Day. The movie opens nationwide on January 9, 2015.

          Will you go see Selma when it opens in your city?

Travel Tuesdays: Take Time Off Work

Sharee on a work/vacation in China (2012).

I read an article recently that noted that Americans are at an all time low in taking their vacation days and have forfeited close to 52.4 billion dollars in benefits.  This essentially means that you are working for your employer for free, and it doesn't help in getting that promotion you maybe eluding to.  More importantly, stress level on the job is at an all-time high.  As the article points out: "All work and no play is not going to get you ahead..." according to Roger Dow, President & CEO of the US Travel Association.

Taking time off from work has several benefits:

- Reduced stress
- More productivity when you return to work
- Balance work/life
- Better physical health
- Lessen chance of burn-out
- New perspectives and ideas
- Improve mental health
- Strengthen family connections

I can attest to all of these benefits, and encourage everyone (especially Americans) to use their time off to their advantage.  Whether it's a vacation (away from home), a work/vacation (conferences, training, remote work, etc in another location), or a staycation (home), it's a practice worthy of doing to keep your work and life balanced.  Other countries have more vacation days (and work less hours) and their workers tend to display higher levels of happiness with their employer than their American counterparts.

Do you use all the vacation days offered by your employer? If not, why not?

Sharee W.