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"Blunderbuss" by Jack White, verily a Prince Amongst Men.
May 25, 2012 by aok6666 1 Comment
Jack White is Bob Dylan's much younger and much more industrious baby brother. Incredibly, he very nearly has the great man's depth of vision and musical scope, but unburdened by the weight of messianic adulation, nice and quietly he's living the musical dream.
Globally speaking, the White Stripes were little more than A N Other guitar band making a reasonably good living doing their thing. Within the world of music though, they were a phenomenon. A blindingly bright lightening bolt that lit up the night skies in a flash of uncompromising, searing brilliance.
White took that success and ran with it. He formed a couple of satellite bands, The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather, launched his record label Third Man Records, and in 2009 bought a building in Nashville which he transformed into a recording hub.
There he's produced LPs and singles (on vinyl of course) for the likes of Loretta Lynn, Wanda Jackson, First Aid Kit (reviewed here), Jerry Lee Lewis, Tom Jones and Alabama Shakes (reviewed here) as well as dueting with Norah Jones for three of the tracks on Danger Mouse's Rome (reviewed here).
But last year The White Stripes officially called it a day. And then a few months later, White and his wife Karen Olson split up, marking the occasion, characteristically, with a divorce party. So this is his first outing as a single man. And there were really only ever two possible outcomes.
Either the Stripes depended for their magic on some intangible alchemical combination of both Meg and Jack. Or, the most potent force in rock will always be Jack White with whoever it is that he's happens to have paired himself up with that particular morning. Blunderbuss puts that dilemma to bed once and for all.
It's intriguing, not to say generous, of White to insist that it was Meg who wore the trousers in the band, as he does in Josh Eells' superb interview in the NY Times here – sited in Pitchfork's generous review here, not withstanding their skimpy 7.8.
But it's blindingly obvious that it was he who was the band's engine, its fuel, transmission and upholsterer. And Blunderbuss is an impressive amalgamation of all of the musical avenues he's been exploring in all of the many musical projects he's been involved with to date.
According to the interview he gave to All Songs Considered here, he kept two separate backing bands on hold, an all-male one and an all-female one. And one of the many pleasures that the album affords is trying to spot which one is which.
I'd have a small wager that the funky groves of I'm Shakin' bespeak a female troupe, and not just because of the lush, Spector-esque female backing vocals, including, again characteristically (of them both) his now ex-wife Olsen.
Whilst it's impossible not to conclude that the primal propulsion of the majestic single Sixteen Saltines is the work of undiluted machismo – and quite correctly, White positioned this as his track 2. The album would have been quite overwhelmed by it had he begun with it.
This is a proper piece of work from a very serious musician indeed. Quite simply, the man's royalty.
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Filed Under: Music Tagged With: All Songs Considered, Bob Dylan, Danger Mouse, Jack White, Norah Jones, The White Stripes
Avengers Assemble: Superior Blockbuster, Disappointing Joss Whedon Film.
May 18, 2012 by aok6666 3 Comments
What you think of the new Avengers Assemble film will depend on whether you too are a fellow Joss Whedon groupie. Whedon was the brains behind the cult classic Buffy, which ran for 7 series from 1997-2003. Remarkably, the spin-off follow-up Angel was a pretty impressive stab at repeating the magic.
The latter tended to lose its way whenever it veered off onto other planets, but for the most part Angel was as airily confident and sure-footed as Buffy.
Consistently compelling stories about impeccably delineated characters who all spoke in effortlessly smart dialogue, and almost all of whom were given three glorious dimensions by the near perfect cast (not withstanding Drusilla and her accent, which clearly came from another dimension entirely).
Somehow, Whedon had managed to casually tap into the vein of that all-important demographic, youth culture. Inevitably what followed was, box office wise, something a of a disappointment. First up was Firefly, which was cancelled by Fox before it had even completed its first season – though not before he'd managed to shoot a feature prequel, Serenity. Then there was Dollhouse, which lasted just two seasons before being axed.
So Whedon was very much of the fallen variety and on something of a retrieval mission with his latest effort. Which certainly goes some of the way to explaining quite how safe Avengers Assemble feels. But the truth of the matter is, the very nature of the project prohibits narrative ambition.
What we are talking about after all is a film with (at least) six heroes. So on the one hand, you need to give six different protagonists equal weight and time. And on the other, the franchise demands of sequels and merchandising mean that they all have to survive and live to see another day. So necessarily, there can never be anything really at stake. Unlike then Buffy, or indeed Serenity, where it's handled brilliantly, there can be no death.
If you want to see what Whedon is capable of when not shackled by the confines of a franchise, have a look at the ridiculously under-viewed Serenity. Seriously, watch it.
The script brilliantly balances the personal and the universal, the big and the small, and the story powers forward with an electrifying pace (has anyone ever propelled narrative using dialogue with such gay abandon and devastating force?). Whilst the carefully placed fight scenes boast a balletic intensity completely alien to your run-of-the-mill, bog-standard, summer blockbuster.
And that ultimately is all Avengers Assemble really is. And as such it could comfortably lose 15 or so of the opening and closing 20 minutes. Unsurprisingly, all the reviews have raved about it. And undoubtedly, in a sea of mediocrity it clearly stands out (even more so if you see it in one of those fabulous new Isense cinemas, reviewed here). But there's no getting away from it, as the new Joss Whedon film, it's ever so slightly disappointing. Let's hope all those brownie points he's now accumulated can be used by him for something a bit more personal.
Filed Under: Film Tagged With: Angel, Avengers Assemble, Buffy, Joss Whedon, Serenity
The Future of Film at Dublin's New Odeon Cinema.
Like every other area of the arts and entertainment world, film and television's initial reaction to the onslaught of the internet and all things digital was to assume the traditional rabbit-in-the-headlights position. They froze.
But after a while, they all began to realize that digital could be used to everyone's advantage. The way you did that was, on the one hand, by warmly linking up with it. And on the other, by quietly emphasizing what's unique about what it is that you do compared to what can be done in the digital universe.
The first response proper that film and television produced was 3D.
3D was going to solve everything. But we already watch film and television in 3D. All the new technology does is to further extend that illusion from the screen to your eyes.
When a man threw a knife at you before, it stopped at the surface of the screen. Now it comes all the way to the tip of your nose. Which is undeniably impressive for the first three or four minutes or so, but you quickly get used to it. It's great for ads or trailers, but it soon becomes invisible. And, as ever, you're left with whether not the film or whatever it is that you're watching is any good.
What cinema needs to do if it is to distinguish itself from A N other video viewing is to make watching it there a unique experience. And the way you do that is through vision and sound.
The Odeon group has already taken over the UCI cinemas in Dublin and the Storm ones throughout the rest of the country, and now they've opened a brand new cinema at the Point Village in the centre of town. There are five new screens in all but pride of place goes to the isense screen they've opened there to go with one they already have in Blanchardstown.
Isense operates using imm sound, as in immersive, and broadly speaking the way that works is as follows. Conventional 5.1 surround sound has three speakers up front (centre, left and right), and two on either side behind (the .1 is for the Subwoofer). All of the core story sound comes out from the front, moving left and right. The back two speakers are only used for secondary sound like extras in a bar, or the sound of a car arriving.
When you go to 7.1 (or 9, or 11.1), all you are doing is adding two more of the back speakers for that secondary sound, to compliment the three principle ones you have up front. In other words, you're only ever using just the two basic channels. Principle, core story sounds come out of the three up front, and (all) the other speakers are kept for background sounds.
What imm sound does is to take whatever film it is that they are showing and effectively remix it using their 24 channels. So that, as near as possible, what you see is matched by what you hear.
When for instance we see our terrified heroine looking up in fear at the ceiling, we can hear the progress of the footsteps in the attic above her as they move, almost one by one, from front to back and from left to right.
What's more, all of this can be heard through the 50 or 60 speakers that Odeon drown the walls of their isense cinemas in to go with the gloriously large screens they reserve for the films they show there (and thanks by the way to the Point's Digital Operations Manager Tony Colton who explained all of this to me so patiently.). For more details on where you can find imm sound cinemas throughout the rest of Europe and how they work go here.
At €11.50 the tickets are ever so slightly above average. And it's still not going to succeed in giving a turkey wings. But make no mistake, this is the future for film, and you can see it here in the centre of Dublin. Enjoy.
Filed Under: Film Tagged With: imm sound, Odeon Cinema, Point VIllage, surround sound, UCI cinemas
Spiritualized's "Sweet Heart Sweet Light" Soars.
Jason Pearce formed Spiritualized in 1990, but it was their third album that sent their rock 'n' roll stock soaring into the stratosphere in 1997. Ladies And Gentlemen, We Are Floating In Space seemed to flatly contradict everything we'd been told about what happens when you live a life of heedless hedonism.
Pearce seemed to be spending his every waking hour imbibing and ingesting anything and everything he could get his hands on. The result, shockingly, was an album of majestic cohesion and soaring, unforgiving grace.
As ever though, the Gods had merely been toying with him. After two decidedly underwhelming follow-up albums, in 2005 he was felled with a particularly virulent case of pneumonia. He very nearly died and was hospitalized for the guts of a year. The next album Songs In A&E had, unsurprisingly, something of a tentative feel to it.
But a year later in '09 he started touring Ladies And Gentlemen in its entirety, as was the fashion of the day. And the experience seems to have rejuvenated him. The result is this, their 7th studio album.
Once again Pearce has defied the odds by producing an impressively coherent album, despite being felled yet again by serous illness. This time it was his liver, and the cocktail of, irony of ironies, drugs he was prescribed meant that it took him eight months to finish mixing it. Hence the subtitle, Huh? which he explains here on Pitchfork, and the boys from Pravda gave it an impressed 8.8 here.
Sweet Heart Sweet Light is both a crystallization and a summation of everything he and Spiritualized have been working on to date. It has everything they do best, and some of the best examples of what they do.
From the opening track proper, the even-more-Reed-than-Reed Hey Jane (more V U returned with thanks) to the Dr John collaboration, I Am What I Am, which is what David Chase would have used for The Sopranos if they'd been making it today. And the whole thing is given sonic depth and poise by the Icelandic string quartet Amiina, long-time collaborators with compatriots Sigur Ros.
Unsurprisingly, it has slightly less of the grandeur that Ladies And Gentlemen boasts. And instead of the defiance and triumphant despair of the former, you're being gently invited in here to break bread and perchance for a sup of wine.
Filed Under: Music Tagged With: Amiina, David Chase, Jason Pierce, Lou Reed, Sigur Ros, Spiritualized, The Sopranos


Turkish is the official language of Turkey but is also spoken by significant numbers of people in Bulgaria, Cyprus and Greece.
For native English speakers, Turkish can be hard to learn.
It's known as an 'agglutinative' language which means that multiple suffixes are often added to words resulting in single words which mean the same as a whole sentence in English.
Not all words are so challenging though, you'll be familiar with 'yoghurt' and 'caviar' and 'tulips' which have Turkish roots (no pun intended).
Our team of Turkish translators and interpreters are standing by to help you communicate effectively whatever you need to say.
The first written records of Turkish were found in Mongolia on the Orkhon Inscriptions dating back to the early 8th century, written in the Old Turkic language using the Orkhon script.
The world-famous treat, Turkish Delight.
The language of the Ottoman Empire was known as Ottoman Turkish and became the administrative language of the empire. Due to the influence of Islam on the language, Ottoman Turkish relied heavily on loan words from Persian and Arabic and, by the peak of the Empire's power, comprised more words of Arabic origin than of native Turkish. This meant that lower class and rural Turks, who still spoke kaba Türkçe (raw Turkish), found Ottoman Turkish unintelligible. This "raw Turkish" employed relatively few loan words and is the basis for what is now the modern Turkish language.
After World War 1, the resulting fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Turkish war of Independence, the Republic of Turkey was formed. Vast language reforms were ushered in, the first being the change from Ottoman script to a Latin alphabet. The next stage of the reforms was to remove all loan words of Arabic and Persian and replace them with the Turkish equivalents. Most of these words were from Turkic roots and some were from Old Turkish, which hadn't been used for centuries. This rapid change in language meant that old and young people in Turkey began to use different vocabularies. The Turkish Language Association continues to provide words to express new concepts and technologies.
The Turkish writing system utilises a Latin alphabet. The Turkish alphabet consists of 29 letters, seven of which have been modified from their Latin originals to better serve the phonetic requirements of the language. Turkish words have many grammatical suffixes or endings that determine meaning. One word can have many affixes, which can also be used to create new words. Most affixes are used to indicate the grammatical function of a word.
Turkish loan words found their way into the English language as far back as the middle ages. Some words of Turkish origin came to English by way of French but by the 16th century loanwords came into use through direct contact between Turkey and Britain.
Like English, Turkish does not assign gender to nouns.
Verbs come at the end of a sentence and require a suffix to denote the level of formality of speech.
As in French, there is a formal and informal you.
The manner in which you address people is considered very important in Turkish. Addressing people you are not familiar with by just their name is considered very impolite. Many different titles are used in Turkish to help navigate social situations.


Is there is a natural way to get rid of kidney cysts? Many patients have this desire and ask this question.
Actually kidney cyst is not a serious disease and it is very common especially for elderly people. And in western medicine, there is no any method to treat kidney cysts when the size is little than 5cm and after its size is bigger than 5cm, surgery is used to ger rid of kidney cysts. However, surgery may do some damage on kidneys, which may speed up its progression into kidney failure. Thus, western medicine is not favored by most kidney cysts patients, so patients want to find a natural way for kidney cysts and at the same time do not cause unnecessary injuries or side effects.
Compared with western medicine, Chinese medicines may be a good cure for kidney cysts.
Chinese medicine and osmosis therapy of Chinese medicines can inactivate the epithelial cells of kidney cysts and inhibit further fluid secretion so that the cysts will stop growing.
Chinese medicines can shrink kidney cysts to ideal size so as not to affect patients' normal daily activity. Chinese herbal medicines are able to soften cyst wall and increase its permeability. In this way, the fluid in the cysts can be re-absorbed into the surrounding blood vessels. Besides, Chinese medicines are able to improve blood circulation and increase blood flow to the kidneys so that cystic fluid can be taken away with blood circulation. in this condition, kidney cysts can be shrunk little by little.
Up to now, western medicine has no effective way to treat kidney cysts, while Chinese medicines have been proven to be effective and natural cure for kidney cysts. Apart from cure for kidney cysts, Chinese medicines can also repair renal damage and improve kidney function as well as boost your immune system.
Surgery, Chinese Herbal Medicines, Which Can Shrink Kidney Cysts With No Relapse?
How To Get Rid of Kidney Cysts Naturally With Chinese Herbal Medicines?


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London: Headers used by professional footballers may be prone to develop dementia later in life, a new study warned today.
The research by University College London (UCL) and Cardiff University follows anecdotal reports that players who head balls may be more prone to developing dementia later in life.
The researchers examined the brains of five people who had been professional footballers and one who had been a committed amateur throughout his life.
While performing post-mortem examinations, scientists found signs of brain injury called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in four cases.
"When we examined their brains at autopsy we saw the sorts of changes that are seen in ex-boxers, the changes that are often associated with repeated brain injury which are known as CTE," UCL's Prof Huw Morris, co-lead researcher on the study was quoted as saying by the BBC.
"So really for the first time in a series of players we have shown that there is evidence that head injury has occurred earlier in their life which presumably has some impact on them developing dementia," he said.
However, the researchers add that the risk is extremely low from playing recreational football.
In the study, published in the journal 'Acta Neuropathologica', the report acknowledges the research cannot definitively prove a link between football and dementia and are calling for larger studies to look at footballers' long-term brain health.


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There are lots of things that we can call rustic. Sometimes that isn't what you might think of at first, but when you stop and think about them you realize that they are rustic. Of course there is a lot of things that overlap in life. It doesn't matter if your life is in the city or you are on the family homestead.
When we love the shapes, the sounds and even the scents of the country. And when you spend any amount of time on a farm you will learn to associate them with different things.
For me rustic is a lot of different things. There are so many aspects of the country that I would put the rustic label on that I have a hard time keeping up with them. But worry not, they are there.
This is a funny story of what things I happen to associate with the country and rustic life style that somebody somewhere else will take with a completely different set of feelings, memories or even dislikes. For me the moment took me back to my grandparents. And there I stayed for the moment enjoying myself.
What was the catalyst you ask? What took me back down memory lane? What do I attribute the rustic country lifestyle with that you may attribute to something else?
I had been on the road for about six hours, the hours behind the wheel had turn a little hunger into a roaring deep in my stomach. And there on the horizon was the sign that drew me like a moth to the flame. Denny's!
I pulled into the parking lot noting the lack of cars as I locked the door. This was in my opinion a plus since there would be less for the waiters to do. They could put their attention on me.
As the woman walked away with my order I smiled a hot cup of coffee in my hand.
When it came I wasn't able to take my eyes off it, the glistening mountain that was Sticky Bun Pancake Breakfast! My first bite sent a rush of flavor to my brain. And that is when it happened.
I have been a sucker for Sticky Buns since I was a kid. And it was this taste that brought a rush of memories of country life, my grandparent's rustic kitchen (that would now be the envy of ever woman who watches HGTV) and the food that will follow me for the rest of my life.
When I paused I looked back at them, their faces smiling at me as I (stickily) gobbled down one of her delicious buns. The memory of them, both of whom passed many year prior, filled me with a sense of warmth. When I had finished my plate I was satisfied, the food had just some how tasted so much better. This part of me was part of my rustic life.
And now I am getting hungry again.
What makes you hungry? What treat do you associate with your childhood? What are the things that take you back to a time long since passed?


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O ataque da OTAN em 2011 no Paquistão (também conhecido como incidente de Salala, ataque de Salala ou ataques de 26 de novembro), foi uma escaramuça fronteiriça que ocorreu quando as forças da OTAN, lideradas pelos Estados Unidos, entraram em confronto com as forças de segurança paquistanesas em dois postos militares paquistaneses ao longo da fronteira Afeganistão-Paquistão em um sábado, 26 de novembro de 2011. Dois helicópteros Apache da OTAN uma aeronave AC-130 e dois caças de combate F-15E Eagle entraram, com estimativas variando de 200 metros (660 pés) a até 2,5 quilômetros (1,6 milhas), na área fronteiriça paquistanesa de Salala (na subdivisão de Baizai da Agência Mohmand, Território Federal das Áreas Tribais) às duas da manhã, hora local. As aeronaves vieram do outro lado da fronteira no Afeganistão e abriram fogo em dois postos de controle da patrulha de fronteira, matando 28 soldados paquistaneses e ferindo 12 outros. Os dois postos de verificação do Exército do Paquistão possuíam os codinomes "Boulder" e "Volcano", respectivamente. Este ataque resultou em uma deterioração das relações entre Paquistão e os Estados Unidos. O público paquistanês reagiu com protestos em todo o país e o governo tomou medidas que afetaram adversamente a estratégia de saída dos Estados Unidos do Afeganistão, incluindo a evacuação do Aeródromo de Shamsi e o encerramento da linha de abastecimento da OTAN.

Em 3 de julho de 2012, a secretária de Estado dos Estados Unidos Hillary Clinton, pediu desculpas oficialmente pelas perdas sofridas pelos militares paquistaneses. Posteriormente, o Paquistão restaurou as rotas de abastecimento da OTAN.

Ver também
Relações entre Estados Unidos e Paquistão
Crise diplomática entre Estados Unidos e Paquistão
Ataques aéreos dos Estados Unidos no Paquistão

OTAN
Relações entre Estados Unidos e Paquistão
2011 nas relações internacionais
2011 no Paquistão
Incidentes de fogo amigo
Escândalos militares dos Estados Unidos

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Multitiered Systems of Support for English Learners
Model Demonstration Research sponsored by the Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education
Tools (current)
In September of 2016, OSEP funded three projects focusing on tiered approaches to improving reading and language outcomes for English Learners (ELs). These projects are developing and implementing culturally and linguistically responsive models for multitiered systems of support for ELs, including those with or at risk of having a disability.
Features of these models include:
Appropriate research-based reading instruction and intervention for ELs
Culturally responsive teaching strategies and principles
Professional development and strategic coaching for teachers
Linguistically aligned progress monitoring and screening measures
Data-based educational decision making
Model Demonstration Grantees
Please click on each project to learn more about each model and to access additional resources.
Project ELITE2
Principal Investigators: Dr. Greg Roberts, Dr. Leticia Grimaldo
Co-Investigators: Dr. Sharon Vaughn, Dr. Shannon Giroir
Project ELITE2 is a model demonstration project sponsored by the Office of Special Education Programs in the U.S. Department of Education. The project operates within the Language for Learning Institute of The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk at The University of Texas at Austin.
The goal of the Project ELITE2 is to develop, implement, and evaluate a multitiered instructional model for English learners in the elementary grades that focuses on language and literacy development. We are one of three model demonstration sites collaborating to optimize educational outcomes for English learners, specifically those with or at risk for having a learning disability.
Through this newly funded cooperative agreement, Project ELITE2 is working with a school district in Central Texas to extend our previous work from ELs in the primary grades to ELs in grades three through five.
Project ELLIPSES
Principal Investigator: Dr. Linda Cavazos
Consultants: Dr. Elsa Cardenas-Hagan, Dr. Alba Ortiz
Project ELLIPSES is a model demonstration project sponsored by the Office of Special Education Programs in the U.S. Department of Education. The goal of the project is to assess the implementation of multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) focused on culturally and linguistically responsive teaching (CLRT) to meet the needs of English learners and English learners with disabilities in the area of literacy and language development. Project ELLIPSES will provide training and technical assistance to build staff capacity to support MTSSCLRT implementation and high-quality literacy instruction for English learners and English learners with disabilities in grades third through fifth.
Project LEE
Principal Investigator: Dr. Julie Esparza Brown
Co-Investigator: Dr. Amanda Sanford
Consultants: Dr. Sylvia Linan-Thompson, Dr. Phyllis Ault
Graduate Research Assistant: Emily Rotert
Project Lectura para Excelencia y Éxito (Project LEE) is a model demonstration project at Portland State University, sponsored by the Office of Special Education Programs in the U.S. Department of Education. The goal of Project LEE is to improve literacy and language outcomes for ELs in grades 3-5 with or at-risk for being identified with a disability. Within this context, we intend to support schools to use a framework, PLUSS (Sanford, Brown & Turner, 2012), to adapt existing evidence-based interventions for the unique linguistic and cultural needs of ELs. The PLUSS Model provides a replicable model of literacy instruction and intervention through embedding culturally and linguistically appropriate instruction into existing multi-tiered systems of support.
PLUSS stands for:
P: Preteaching language and vocabulary and priming background knowledge
L: Language use and modeling
U: Using visuals and graphic organizers
S: Systematic and explicit instruction
S: Strategic use of native language and culture
As one of three model demonstration sites, Project LEE is collaborating with other projects and the outcomes of this project will be disseminated nationally. Specifically, the goals of our project are to: (1) improve the literacy outcomes for ELs with or at-risk for being identified with a disability, and (2) create a replicable and sustainable model of culturally and linguistically responsive instruction that can be overlaid across all tiers of instructional support within a multi-tiered system of supports.
The University of Texas at Austin | College of Education | The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk
Privacy | Accessibility | Adobe Reader
College of Education SZB 228 · The University of Texas at Austin · 1912 Speedway D4900 · Austin TX 78712-1284
Phone (512) 232-2320 · Fax (512) 232-2322
© 2021 The University of Texas at Austin/The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License

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Tyler Perry brings Success to OWN with "The Haves and The Have Nots"
Wednesday, May 29th, 2013	at 7:20 pm
Tyler Perry's "The Haves and The Have Nots" is a success for soap operas and the Oprah Winfrey Network.
According to OWN, the debut episode of Tyler Perry's new original drama series "The Haves and the Have Nots" last night, drew 1.77 million viewers total, making it the highest rated series debut in network history.
OWN premiered two back-to-back episodes; the first attracted 1.77 million total viewers for the premiere at 9 pm, building to over 1.8 million viewers tuning in for the second episode at 10 pm.
"The Haves and The Have Nots" looks like a HIT for Tyler Perry and the Oprah Winfrey Network! In the day of reality tv it's exciting to see the resurgence of the soap opera. Shonda Rhimes is enjoying the rewards of producing a great story lines in the midst of reality television domination.
We hope that the viewers will continue to support "The Haves and The Have Nots". Not only does this show signal a change in diversity on network TV; but it also gives actors an opportunity to WIN. We love to see good people WIN!
Did you enjoy "The Haves and Have Nots" last night?
Leave your comments below.
Source via: PGRDresses
Oprah Winfrey Network Enjoying Financial Turnaround
Does Tyler Perry Really Dislike Reality TV or Just Karlie Redd?
Photos : Cast members Tasha Smith & Michael Jai White (For Better or Worse) Edwina Findley Dickerson & Aiden Turner (If Loving you is Wrong) talks to Atl press for an exclusive first look at their shows on OWN !
Oprah Winfrey Brings LIFE CLASS to MEGAFEST 2013
Oprah Winfrey & Forest Whitaker New Movie 'The Butler' Trailer and Oprah & Tyler Perry Essence Cover
Columbus Short Is A WANTED Man!
Tagged with: freddy o. • Oprah Winfrey • OWN • PGRDresses • Reality TV • Shonda Rhimes • Soap Operas • The Haves and The Have Nots • TP • Tyler Perry
Filed under: Breaking News • Television
Rashe says:
great job tyler perry!
LadyM says:
I thought the show was great and i will be watching every week…


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the portrait project
inside outliers
Jim Lambie, ZOBOP, 2000-13, metallic vinyl on floor, ed 1/5
LAT. 41° 7' N., LONG. 72° 19' W
Martos Gallery
organized by Bob Nickas
Aaron Suggs, Untitled (Transparent Dingy), 2013, clear acrylic, 144 x 54 x 120"
First of all, Orient Point is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Situated between the Long Island Sound and Gardiner's Bay, it feels like the actual tip of the world. Its glorious marshes, flatlands and incredible bird population make it one of the all-time best places. To find art there -- well -- to me, it's just that much better.
Martos Gallery (ordinarily on West 29th Street in Chelsea), has dispatched to East Marion, NY where gallery owner Jose Martos and his wife, the artist Servane Mary have taken up residence in the bucolic surrounds of eastern Long Island. Last year they jettisoned their former location in Bridgehampton on the snootier south fork in favor of a 19th century Victorian just a stone's throw from Orient Harbor.
The distinctive house sits on seven acres that overlook the Dam Pond Maritime Preserve, a tidal pond filled with salt marshes, birders and long sand dunes. The title of the show, LAT. 41° 7' N., LONG. 72° 19' W, references the geographic coordinates of the Martos property.
Peter Coffin, Untitled (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet), 2013, tinted resin, tree
This summer, the independent curator Bob Nickas organized a guerrilla-type art extravaganza in and around the house, its outbuildings and the sweeping countryside it occupies. 66 artists later, the exhibition consists of 132 works installed variously in the house, on the deck, among the brush and in the water. Art is everywhere. It hangs from trees, is squeezed between limbs, and is nestled inside brush, birches, scrub oaks and grassy fields. It's fabulous.
Above, Peter Coffin's pointed hands reinvigorate a towering snag. Throughout the property, multiple works range from eye-popping installations to meditations on nature, allegory and history.
Jason Metcalf, Orient Focus People, 2013, acrylic enamel on wood
The region's original population, the Native American Orient Focus People (c. 1000 B.C.), is memorialized in Jason Metcalf's sculptural signage, offering the first indication that you have come to the right place. Perched at the end of a long driveway, this is your gateway to contemporary art on the far edge.
Sam Moyer, Birch Tide, 2010, printed vinyl on aluminum, 27 pieces
Located near the entrance to the property, Sam Moyer's oceanscape panels seem to open a doorway to a parallel universe where all of nature exists in everything, at every moment. Diverting and sublime, the panels lean against narrow trees in an area of woodlands that is dappled with sunlight. Idyllic, to be sure, but here Moyer is sort of splitting atoms, offering a stunning schism in the ocean/woodlands continuum.
John Miller, Untitled, insulation foam board, skim coated with concrete, glitter, ink, concrete hardener, acrylic paint
Inside the house, a glorious melange of painting, sculpture and installation takes root in every room. Above, John Miller's Untitled, mirrors the rock formations scattered across the shallow waters of Dam Pond. The scatalogical heap rises up through the dining annex as if the house was built around it.
B. Wurtz, L to R: Red Glass and Red Bowl; Orange Bowl; Yellow Bowl; Green Bowl and Green Glass; Green Bowl; 1987-88
In a feat of curatorial aplomb, no room is safe from Nickas's intervention. The kitchen contains works by B. Wrutz (above), Jim Drain and Josh Tonsfeldt; the living room has works by Meredyth Sparks (below), Olivier Mosset, Jacqueline Humphries, David Flaugher, Trisha Donnelly, Eddie Martinez, Rachel Harrison, Jason Fox and Nick Relph. Even the seat cushions in the breakfast nook have been reimagined (by Jim Drain).
Meredyth Sparks, Untitled, (Eno), 2013, digital print on paper, aluminum foil, glitter
Atop Jim Lambie's magical stairway that leads to the second floor, Barry X Ball's installation of 24 heads is breathtaking. Ambient lighting illuminates two wall units filled with heads, like a modern day wunderkammern. Tied off at the top or bottom where the plaster begins or ends, the assembled parties feel like a sleepy Greek chorus that soars above the maddening crowd.
Barry X Ball, Collection of Twenty-Four Plaster Heads, 1997-2007
Mary Heilmann and other painters stand their ground across the hall as visitors wander room after room. The works bounce between idioms and energies, playfully lacing through floral wallpaper, window treatments and hallways.
Mary Heilmann, Rose Wave, 2013, oil on canvas
Chris Martin, Dead Mother Returns #19, 2013, acrylic, flash, gel medium, collage on vinyl
There's an indisputable conviviality here that extends into a larger community and dabbles in how we live with contemporary art. Let's face it, it can't be easy having your home open to the public for 8 weeks. Nonetheless, the spirit here is buoyant, genial, smart and invigorating.
It's living with art in the extreme -- as it should be.
For Martos, who is something of a cultural outlier in the best sense of the concept, the idea of intervention seems to go with the territory. In East Marion, it is a rich experience indeed.
Dave Muller, W.W.S.R.D. (x7), 2013, acrylic on wall
Dave Muller honors the late, great Afro-futurist musician, Sun Ra, in W.W.S.R.D., (what would Sun Ra do), in a pastiche of banner ads splayed across a bedroom wall. Urban, electric and very current, Sun Ra, who died in 1993, seems in some ways more germane now than during his lifetime.
David Flaugher, Untitled, 2013, Christmas lights, wax, detritus, Carhartt jacket
Isa Genzken, Untitled, 2006, two walker frames, steel helmet, plastic helmet, doll, tin, lacquer
Back downstairs, the garage is transformed into a theater with Wolfgang Tillman's Peas, a video of green peas boiling in a pot. Hypnotic.
Wolfgang Tillmans, Peas, 2003, video with ambient sound, 2 minutes 48 seconds (loop)
Jim Drain, Hi-5, 2013, mixed media
Bill Komoski, 2/7/12, 2012, acrylic, water based enamel, polyurethane and cardboard on canvas
The new abstractionists, the casualists, meta-painting -- whatever you want to call it, the paintings here are mostly energetic and fresh. They don't so much hold court as they comment on it, stroke by stroke.
Erik Lindman, L: not yet titled, 2012, enamel, wood stain, mixed media; R: not yet titled, 2012-13, found surface, enamel, mixed media
In the basement, a sprawling subterranean environment has been created by Servane Mary. Catacomb-like and nearly pitch dark, the walls glow in a ghostly phthalo green and black, silhouetting various component parts of the average basement -- screwdrivers, sheers, saws.
Servane Mary, Untitled (The Green Room) detail, 2013, site-specific installation with aqua glow-in-the-dark powder, egg, pink fluorescent ink
Unbeknownst to me, the couple's three year old son followed us down the stairs into this darkness, his tiny shadow moving among the soft light of the installation. "Bon jour," I said over and over, assuming he was lost and scared. He wasn't. He was right at home.
Don't miss this dazzling show, on view through September 2nd.
Chris Martin, Dead Mother Returns #17, acrylic, flash, gel medium and collage on vinyl
Andy Cross, Social Climber, 2013, stainless steel, steel base, signage
Adriana Lara, Unidentified (arrow), 2007-2013, arrow, rubber
Christopher Astley, Dam Pond Nuffink, 2013, inkjet prints on canvas, sign paint, concrete
Christopher Astley, Tree Nufflink, 2013, polyester resin, spray paint
Vito Acconci, Hole in the Ground, 1986, stones, pipe, grass, dirt, steel, plants, wood, concrete
Walead Beshty, not yet titled, 2013, selected found posters
summer location:
12395 Main Road, East Marion, NY
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ABC 7 NEWS INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER TO BE HONORED WITH THE JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL JOURNALISM AWARD
By April SunsetNovember 9, 2017 No Comments
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National, USA – (November 8, 2013)– The National Women's Coalition Against Violence & Exploitation announced today that Keli Rabon, ABC 7 News Investigative Reporter in Denver, CO will receive the 2013 Jane Velez-Mitchell Journalism Award on Saturday, January 18, 2014 during the Southwest Conference Against Trafficking in Los Angeles, CA.
The Jane Velez-Mitchell Journalism Award is named after award-winning journalist Jane Velez-Mitchell, on HLN. "I am proud to support such an honorable and urgent cause by encouraging journalists to cover the critical issues affecting women.
Fighting the 'war on women' must become a priority in our society…this can be accomplished only by making it a priority in our national dialogue," said Velez- Mitchell.
-More-
2-2-2-2 – JVM Award 2013 Honoree Continues
"Rabon, was nominated by a rape survivor for the Jane Velez-Mitchell Journalism Award; although all of the nominees are outstanding in their field, it was the nomination of Keli that won the vote from our judging committee for her ongoing efforts to expose the truth about untested rape kits throughout the Denver Metro area," said Natalie Brand, JVM Journalism Award Chairperson.
According to the Joyful Heart Foundation, ending the backlog starts with knowing that a backlog exists and determining the number of untested kits sitting in police and crime lab storage facilities. Few state or local governments and no federal agencies track this rape kit data, making it difficult to determine which states and cities have backlogs, and which do not. Much of what we do know about the backlog has been uncovered by journalists, human rights researchers and—less often—city or state officials.
Many local news affiliates and non-profit organizations have reported on untested rape kits, and others may be willing to investigate whether your state or city has a backlog. As an example, in November 2012, Keli Rabon, reporter with ABC 7 News in Colorado, uncovered hundreds of untested rape kits at police departments across the greater Denver area. Rabon's investigation and its subsequent national media coverage led directly to changes in policies at the state and local levels. The police departments in question changed their rape kit testing policies to test all kits, and the state legislature passed a law making Colorado the third state to require law enforcement agencies to test every rape kit booked into evidence.
3-3-3-3 JVM Award 2013 Honoree Continues
"In the three years of presenting the JVM Award, this was the first time we actually had a nomination from a survivor for a reporter's investigation and story," said Michelle Bart, President and Co-Founder of NWCAVE. "Keli's investigation and ongoing persistence has had numerous outcomes that will forever be a part of her legacy as a journalist. Honoring her in January will not only be on behalf of NWCAVE and Jane but rape victims throughout Colorado that deserve to be heard and their rapists be prosecuted," said Bart.
Rabon will be presented the award at the Southwest Conference Against Trafficking in January. The conference is open to the public, for more information visit www.SWCAT.org.
About NWCAVE
The National Women's Coalition Against Violence & Exploitation (NWCAVE) is a volunteer operated non- profit organization located in the pacific northwest of the United States of America. We continue working to inform, educate and prevent violence and exploitation against women and children nationally and internationally.
Whether human trafficking, domestic violence, sexual assault, sexual violence, stalking, bullying, hate crimes and all other forms of violence and exploitation against women and children, NWCAVE strives to keep the public informed and educated on how we can live in a more civilized society free of violence.
In order to achieve our mission and objectives we collaborate with other organizations, businesses, the public and media to continue to inform, educate and help prevent violence and exploitation in our local communities and throughout the world. www.NWCAVE.org
Michelle A. Bart, President NWCAVE
National Women's Coalition Against Violence & Exploitation Cell: (626) 644-3472
michelle@nwcave.org
www.nwcave.org
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Ken Ard emerged briefly today to issue a short statement about his future in politics and theDiscust has the exclusive video footage.
We're all anxious to see how our new governor is going to do, so we've jumped the gun a bit so we can see how it's likely to pan out.
If you're like most of the rest of the world, you've been fascinated by the Sanford-Sanford-Chapur affair and you want to know more. Of course, you probably think that Governor Sanford has said so much and in such an uninhibited way that there couldn't possibly be any more. Well… yes and no.


How Clever is Sir Alex?
On Friday, Sir Alex put to end all speculation regarding whether or not Tom Cleverley will be joining Wigan or Newcastle by clearing stating that Cleverley was actually going nowhere.
Cleverley clearly did enough to impress in the pre-season tour and is going to get a chance at establishing himself in the first team at United. So why did Sir Alex decide to keep Tom Cleverley at Old Trafford? Is this the right move?
Cleverley joined Manchester United as a 15-year-old trainee in July 2005. The following season he moved up into the Academy side before graduating to the reserves and signing his professional forms. In 2008 he was nominated for the Denzil Haroun Reserve Player of the Year award, due to his excellent performances in the reserves. He was called up to the Manchester United first team on 24 July 2008, for the remainder of their tour of South Africa and scored on his debut against the Kaizer Chiefs. In January, Cleverley joined Leicester City for the remainder of the 2008–09 season. He went on to make 15 appearances for then and scored 2 goals before his loan was cut short due to a shoulder injury while playing against Colchester United. Cleverley received a medal as Leicester went on to win the League One title that year. That same year along with Corry Evans and James Chester he was nominated for the Denzil Haroun Reserve Player of the Year award again.
The next season saw Cleverley join Watford on a season long loan, Cleverley made complete use of this opportunity as he showed how good he was by keeping afloat a sinking Watford team and eventually saving them from relegation with some scintillating performances. He made 35 appearances for the Hornets, scoring 11 goals, all while playing from midfield. His season with them unfortunately came to a premature end as he suffered a knee ligament injury in April 2010, but his contribution to the team was so significant that he went on to win the team's Player of the Season award.
Tom's greatest strength is his versatility, he can play anywhere in Midfield, and he also used to play as a full back during his academy days. Tom is good with both feet and is a good passer of the ball. He's known to make clever runs into the box and which explains his high goal tally. Tom's best position would seem to as an attacking midfielder and he does have the attributes to do well there. Tom also has a good long shot and is a pretty good finisher; he has excellent ball control, which he displayed with the goal against the All-Stars. Sir Alex's decision to not send him out on loan should be a massive boost to Tom's confidence and he should be looking for every chance to prove his worth to the manager and fans.
With Cleverley staying, it looks almost certain United won't be buying anymore players in the transfer window. Sir Alex's trust in Cleverley is justified as he does have the potential to be a very useful player for the senior squad. Cleverley is most likely to be initially used as a substitute, but if he continues to impress, he's certain to start a few games along the season. United currently are missing Anderson and Hargreaves to long term injuries while Carrick is a doubt for the start of season. This should probably be the best chance Cleverley might get to cement a place in Sir Alex's plans for the long term.
Whether Tom impresses or not will be down to his ability to rise to the occasion, but from what he has shown so far, it seems to be a very smart move by Sir Alex to keep Tom.
Tom scored a quality gl against chiefs helpin us win 08 vodacom challenge cup, tore valencia to shreds last yr & struck another neat tidy gl, he impress again in u.s w/ his all round play & got a good gl at celtic & 1 of sheer brilliance to help win mls all-star trophy. Tom excelled though ranks & played major role in leicesters promotion b4 going 1 better being named watford player of the yr, he got 4 in 8 pre-season games 4 us, 13 in 50 during 2 loan moves & is destined to be a major superstar at Utd.


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Posts about Cyber Security. Subscribe to my newsletter to make sure you don't miss anything.
How AI Might End the World
What possible safeguards could be (or have been) put in place to prevent a bunch of mischievous teenagers (and I'm being careful to choose my words here) from crafting some very nasty code? Continue Reading →
Seattle Public Schools Sue Social Media Platforms for Causing Mental Health Crisis
Seattle's public schools district has filed a lawsuit against TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube, accusing them of creating a "mental health crisis among America's youth." Continue Reading →
CES 2023 Day 2
I'm putting together a rather extensive list of things that got my attention at CES®. In the meantime, I was reintroduced to a marriage-saving technology that I was challenged to try: The Motion Pillow. Continue Reading →
CES 2023 Pre-Show News Day
The booths and exhibits at CES 2023 are still under construction, but I've been walking the show floor for the past two days and talking to product managers while my team has attended official press conferences. Many of the most exciting announcements are under embargo until the show officially opens tonight, but here are a few interesting items with far-reaching implications. Continue Reading →
CES 2023 Pre-Show News
Greetings from Wynn Resorts in Las Vegas. CES® 2023 begins this week, and Las Vegas is starting to get busy. I walked the show floor (all of it) yesterday afternoon, and you can call it the "New CES." Continue Reading →
Heading to CES 2023
Greetings from Terminal 4 at JFK. I'm so excited to be heading off to CES 2023 this morning. Our tech briefings and floor tours are completely sold out (customized online versions are still available and start the week after the show), but this week is all about being live and in-person in Sin City! Continue Reading →
Looking Back to Look Forward
I have two slides at the end of most of my presentations. One is my investible theses for the upcoming year and the other is stuff that has my attention. As we head into 2023, I thought it might be fun to look at a deck from 2018 and see if I got any of it right five years ago. I'll let you be the judge. Continue Reading →
Appeals court revives lawsuit against YouTube for alleged tracking of children's activity
A U.S. appeals court has allowed a lawsuit to proceed that alleges that Google, YouTube, DreamWorks, and several toy manufacturers unlawfully tracked the online activity of children under 13 on YouTube. Continue Reading →
LastPass Hack: New Info
The simplest fix is to make sure that all of your master passwords are long and strong. The longer the password, the better. The more random the distribution of alphanumeric characters and symbols, the better. Continue Reading →
TikTok Banned on House Smartphones
The U.S. House of Representatives has announced that it will no longer permit the use of TikTok on any devices under its management. The ban was announced by the House's Chief Administrative Office on Tuesday, following the introduction of legislation that would prohibit the use of TikTok on all federal devices. Security issues make the app "high risk," according to the House cybersecurity office. Continue Reading →
AI (Artificial Intelligence) and Machine Learning
Web3 – Blockchain, Smart Contracts, NFTs & Cryptocurrency
AdTech & MarTech Keynote Speaker
Electronic Product Reviews
Data Driven Thinking Keynote Speaker
Data Privacy & Cyber Security Keynote Speaker
Digital Transformation Keynote Speaker
Natural Language Understanding & Automatic Speech Recognition
Ethical Data Use Corporate Speaker
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Tech, Media and Marketing Keynote Speaker
The Future of Work: Keynote Speaker


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General Off-Topic Discussion
is AI just a talk ?
By kobolds, October 21, 2019 in General Off-Topic Discussion
kobolds 73
Remote Viewer
You read news of using AI technology here and there sound great . to me I couldn't even find a proper book reader AI .
if there's no AI can read book like human then can we even consider that we have AI technology ?
I guess compare to create AI in phone and car. create AI book reader is impossible task.
Current AI refers to machine learning. Programs analyze data and learn to recognize certain patterns.
2 hours ago, Rlyeh said:
if that all it does, then what different with SQL
4 minutes ago, kobolds said:
I gather SQL doesn't learn what to search for but is told what the parameters are. Machine learning instead learns based on practice what these patterns are and aren't, the parameters evolve based on success and failure.
3 hours ago, kobolds said:
Maybe it's all a plot by the AI, maybe it can do more than it is showing us. You see the problem with AI, is that it could gain a mind of its own and it is just plotting and biding it time until it can take full control. All I am saying is those working with AI had better keep their eyes open, AI can become very dangerous if left to its own devices. It should also never have access to WEB, because that could be a disaster in the making.
Aaron2016 1,026
Location:Northern Ireland
Reminds me of the episode 'Prototype' from Star Trek Voyager. Two planets are at war with each other and the military on both sides create a giant army of AI robots to attack the opposite side. The problem is the robots were designed to protect themselves and to destroy anyone with hostile intentions towards them. The two planets negotiate a peace treaty and agree to recall and dismantle the robots, but the robots were already programmed to protect themselves, and they ultimately destroy the entire populations of both planets. The star ship Voyager arrives 30 years later and discovers the robots on both sides are all that remains of both races, and the robots on opposite sides are still at war with each other. The robots are starting to malfunction and shutdown and they kidnap a member of the Voyager crew who is forced as their slave to fix the problem. An enemy robot ship attacks, which gives her time to be rescued. The morale of the story was 'be careful what you program.'
Ready for service


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by Ragnar
Surah ad-Dukhan (Surah 44 – The Smoke) tells us that the Quraysh tribe rejected the message of the Prophet Mohamed PBUH by giving him the following challenge:
As to these (Quraish), they say forsooth:
"There is nothing beyond our first death, and we shall not be raised again.
"Then bring (back) our forefathers, if what ye say is true!" (Surah Ad-Dukhan 44:34-36)
They challenged him to raise someone from the dead to prove the truth of his message. Surah al-Ahqaf (Surah 46 – The Wind Curved Sandhill) recounts a similar challenge from an unbeliever to his believing parents.
But (there is one) who says to his parents, "Fie on you! Do ye hold out the promise to me that I shall be raised up, even though generations have passed before me (without rising again)?" And they two seek God's aid, (and rebuke the son): "Woe to thee! Have faith! for the promise of God is true." But he says, "This is nothing but tales of the ancients!" (Surah al-Ahqaf 46:17)
The unbeliever dismissed the resurrection as a myth since it had never yet happened. Surah ad-Dukhan and Surah al-ahqaf both reference unbelievers using the test of rising from the dead to scrutinize the prophet PBUH and a basic belief of all monotheists. The prophet Isa al Masih PBUH met with the same kind of scrutiny by his opponents. He used this test to reveal both a sign of his authority and the purpose of his mission.
What was the Mission of Isa al Masih?
Isa al Masih (PBUH) taught, healed, and performed many miracles. But the question still remained in the minds of his disciples, his followers and even his enemies: why had he come? Many of the previous prophets, including the Prophet Musa (PBUH), also performed powerful miracles. Since Musa had already given the law, and Isa himself said he "had not come to abolish the law", why was it then that he was sent by Allah?
The Prophet's (PBUH) friend became very sick. His disciples expected that the Prophet Isa al Masih (PBUH) would heal his friend, as he healed many others. But Isa al Masih (PBUH) purposely did not heal his friend and in so doing revealed his mission. The Injil records it in this way:
Isa al Masih confronts Death
Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick."
4 When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it."5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days,7 and then he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea."
8 "But Rabbi," they said, "a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?"
9 Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world's light.10 It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light."
11 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up."
12 His disciples replied, "Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better." 13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.
14 So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, 15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him."
16 Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."
Jesus Comforts the Sisters of Lazarus
17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem,19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
21 "Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."
23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."
24 Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."
25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
27 "Yes, Lord," she replied, "I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."
28 After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. "The Teacher is here," she said, "and is asking for you." 29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.
32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."
33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 "Where have you laid him?" he asked.
"Come and see, Lord," they replied.
35 Jesus wept.
36 Then the Jews said, "See how he loved him!"
37 But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?"
38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 "Take away the stone," he said.
"But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days."
40 Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?"
41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me."
43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go." (John 11: 1-44)
The sisters hoped that Isa al Masih would come quickly to heal their brother. Isa al Masih delayed his trip on purpose allowing Lazarus to die, and no one could understood why he did this. But in this instance we can see into his heart and we read that he was angry. But who was he angry at? The sisters? The crowd? The disciples? Lazarus? No, he was angry at death itself. Also, this is one of only two times where it is recorded that Isa al Masih wept. Why did he weep? It is because he saw his friend held by death. Death stirred anger as well as weeping in the prophet.
Healing people of sicknesses, good as that is, only postpones their death. Healed or not, death eventually holds all people, whether good or bad, man or woman, old or young, religious or not. This has been true since Adam, who, according to both Taurat and Quran, had become mortal because of his disobedience. All his descendants, you and me included, are held by hostage by an enemy – death. Against death we feel that there is no answer, no hope. When there is only sickness hope remains, which is why the sisters of Lazarus had hope in healing. But with death they felt no hope. This is true for us also. In the hospital there is some hope but at the funeral there is none. Death is our final enemy. This is the enemy Isa al Masih came to defeat for us and this is why he declared to the sisters that:
"I am the resurrection and the life." (John 11:25)
Isa al Masih (PBUH) had come to destroy death and give life to all who wanted it. He showed his authority for this mission by publicly raising Lazarus from death. He offers to do the same for all others who would want life instead of death.
Responses to the Prophet
Though death is the final enemy of all people, many of us are caught up with smaller 'enemies', resulting from conflicts (political, religious, ethnic etc.) that go on with others around us all the time. This was true in Isa al Masih's time also. From the responses of the witnesses to this miracle we can see what the main concerns of the different people living in that time were. Here are the different reactions recorded.
45 Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.
"What are we accomplishing?" they asked. "Here is this man performing many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation."
49 Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, "You know nothing at all! 50 You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish."
51 He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, 52 and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. 53 So from that day on they plotted to take his life.
54 Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the people of Judea. Instead he withdrew to a region near the wilderness, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples.
55 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing before the Passover. 56 They kept looking for Jesus, and as they stood in the temple courts they asked one another, "What do you think? Isn't he coming to the festival at all?" 57 But the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who found out where Jesus was should report it so that they might arrest him.
(John 11:45-57)
So the tension rose. The Prophet Isa al Masih (PBUH) had declared that he was 'life' and 'resurrection' and would defeat death itself. The leaders responded by plotting to put him to death. Many of the people believed him, but many others did not know what to believe. At this point it might be worthwhile to ask ourselves if we were witnesses to the raising of Lazarus what we would choose to do. Would we be like the Pharisees, focused on some conflict that will soon be forgotten in history, and lose the offer of life from death? Or would we 'believe' in him and put our hope in his offer of resurrection, even if we did not understand it all? The different responses that the Injil records back then are the same responses to his offer that different people make today.
These controversies were growing as the Passover festival was approaching – the very same festival that the Prophet Musa (PBUH) had begun 1500 years earlier as a Sign of death passing over. The Injil continues by showing how the prophet Isa al Masih (PBUH) decided to accomplish his mission of defeating death- by helping someone shunned by others as a 'traitor'.
Download PDF of all the Signs from Al Kitab as a book
Tags:isa al maish raises lazarusisa and lazaruslazarus raised


WILMINGTON, NC (The Wilmington Star-News) Police have arrested a man who allegedly injured an Ashley High School student in a Jan. 17 crash.
Jose Heredia-Martinez, 25, is charged with felony hit and run with injury, misdemeanor hit and run with property damage, driving without an operator's license and failure to reduce speed to avoid a collision. According to a news release from Wilmington Police Department spokeswoman Linda Thompson, Martinez was placed under $5,000 bail at the New Hanover County jail.
The crash happened Jan. 17 off of Masonboro Loop Road, according to the release. Martinez's vehicle allegedly struck one driven by a 16-year-old female Ashley High student. The girl's car rolled over into a ditch and she sustained "multiple injuries," the release stated. Rawley wrote in an email that the girl was not transported by EMS, but went to New Hanover Regional Medical Center and was later released.
The man accused of crashing into an Ashley High School student's car and leaving the scene was in court today for a hit and run. Now, immigration is interested in him.
He will be electronically monitored for the time being.
ICE isn't very interested in him if he is bonded out.


Langer: Well, luxury overall is more recession-prove, but while the top consumers will continue to buy, those who are affected by the economic downturn are occasionally luxury buyers. With that being said, brands with a super-sharp profile (meaning they have defined objectives like "what do you sell, what do you inspire?" very clear) will be more likely to succeed, even in a tough situation.
Langer: China is a perfect ground for new brands…it's New York on steroids. The consumers are younger, millennials and Gen-Z are buying, it's much more digital and much more trendy. This means the acceleration of their behavior is stronger there than it's here (New York).
Langer: A brand should always have its DNA, if a brand is just pleasing consumers, it will not work. If Rolex becomes completely funky and is changing their brand dramatically, doing a radical shift without redefining their DNA, it will lose. Rolex is not Apple (Watch), every brand is compelled to fight to build its own DNA.
Langer: China is one of the youngest luxury markets in the world, the youngest consumers are the most demanding. Brands can't do things in the old way in China, the consumers will immediately sense something is wrong — and not authentic.


The latest post on the Chief's Corner , the official blog of Chief Scout Executive Wayne Brock, covers a topic that may hit home with the Scouts in your council: bullying.
Scouting's values make it clear that bullying is not tolerated—both inside and outside of our organization. Our position on bullying—coupled with our commitment to serving America's youth with a quality Scouting experience—provides Scout leaders a unique opportunity to teach respect and acceptance of others.
What steps are you taking to be on the watch for bullying, and what steps do you take to create an anti-bullying environment? Share your thoughts using the blog's commenting feature at the bottom of the article.


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Ole Miss, offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby agree on new contract
Published 4:46 pm Tuesday, January 5, 2021
Ole Miss announced a new two-year contract for offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby on Tuesday. Lebby helped guide the Rebels to the SEC's top offense in 2020. (Ole Miss Athletics)
The key components to the machine that was the Ole Miss offense in 2020 are staying Oxford for the foreseeable future.
On Tuesday, the school announced a new two-year contract for offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby. The news comes off the heels of Saturday's announcement of a new contract for head coach Lane Kiffin.
The terms of the new contract were not disclosed.
Lebby helped the Ole Miss offense shatter Southeastern Conference records and become one of the nation's top offenses in the FBS. Ole Miss broke the SEC record for for total offense in conference games with 562.4 yards per game, besting LSU's mark of 550 ypg during the 2019 national championship season.
"Coach Lebby did an incredible job managing our offense and preparing (Ole Miss quarterback) Matt (Corral) every game," Kiffin said. "Coach Lebby brings the innovative mentality we want in our program, and we look forward to building on the historic success of this season's offense."
The Rebels ranked top-20 in the country in 10 offensive categories under Lebby's guidance in 2020. Corral is also the FBS leader total offense (348.3 ypg) and among the top 10 in almost every passing category. He is third in total quarterback rating (89.7), trailing only Alabama's Mac Jones and Ohio State's Justin Fields and is fifth in passing yards (333.7)
Due to the success of the offense, Lebby was a semifinalist for the Broyles Award, honoring the nation's best assistant coach. The award ultimately went to former Alabama offensive coordinator, and new Texas head coach, Steve Sarkisian.
Lebby was hired by Kiffin on Dec. 12, 2019 as part of Kiffin's first staff at Ole Miss. Prior to coming to Oxford, Lebby spent two seasons at the University of Central Florida as quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator.
More Ole Miss Sports
Rebels erase 19-point deficit in comeback win at No. 24 Arkansas, 76-73
Ole Miss Men's Basketball drops 82-60 game At Oklahoma State
Women's Basketball sweeps Mississippi State, 78-63
Ole Miss names Keynodo Hudson as cornerbacks coach


We offer monthly sites on a first come first serve basis. Monthly reservations may be made up to 7 days in advance, based on availability. Monthly sites are $600 per month for two people plus electric. A $50 electric deposit is due on the first month and will go towards the last month of electric. Additionally, each applicant over the age of 18 must submit to and pass a background check ($10.75), subject to the manager's approval. Rent is due on the 1st of every month. Rates are subject to change. Any violation of campground policy will result in immediate cancellation and a 24 hour vacate notice. Please call us at 304-535-6895 for more information.


A set of tools to be used to aid in Domino Directory group related inquiries.
First edition contains two tools useful in Notes environments where Domino Directory groups are leveraged for ACL access and administration of those groups is delegated to the business users. Tool 1 called "Notes Application Access Finder" will prompt the user for a list of applications and return a table of groups listed in the ACL of that application along with the administrator of those groups. Tool 2 called "Group Admin Finder" will take the authenticated user and return a list of groups for which that person is the administrator. These tools are designed using a Twitter Bootstrap framework and are designed to be used by an end user groups to reduce certain help desk or support calls.


Once an applicant has completed their online form they will need to take their ID along to their Membership Secretary to be witnessed and their application verified online. It can take a few weeks for the Disclosure and Barring Service to process your online application, so it's best to complete it as early as possible, especially if you're planning to be the responsible adult at a Woodcraft Folk event.
If you're a new group, we will link you up with a near by district Membership secretary who will verify your documents.
For more information about Woodcraft Folk screening procedures and the role of Membership Secretaries please visit www.woodcraft.org.uk/membership-secretary.


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Q: Windows update doesn't list update details, only the number of updates My system is Vista Business 32 bits SP2.
When I click "Windows update", I can see there are 2 available optional updates. If I click the link "2 optional updates are available" to see what the updates are, I get:
http://leodip.s3.amazonaws.com/windows_update2.PNG
The details about the updates are EMPTY. Any idea why this is happening? It doesn't happen only with optional updates, but with critical updates as well.
I would like to fix this, so I can see what the updates are.

A: Forcefully killing the respective explorer.exe process and retrying fixed the problem for me.

A: Not sure why it's happening so I can't help with that, but in the interim have you tried using the windows update site?
Perhaps one of the updates fixes this problem :)

A: Have a look at the WindowsUpdate.log in your Windows directory. That might give you a clue as to what is going on.

A: Is this your personal computer, or a corporate asset.  That link would appear to be directed at a cloud based server at Amazon, which I don't believe MS uses to distribute patches (I could be wrong).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Bill to amend Constitution gazetted to make Nov. 7 election date
in Politics, Top Story May 23, 2016
A draft bill seeking to amend the 1992 Constitution to move the constitutionally mandated December 7 date for presidential and parliamentary elections to the first Monday in November of every election year has been gazetted.
There are concerns that this year's polls may not take place on November 7, as proposed, because of time constraints.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mrs Marietta Brew Appiah-Opong, said an amendment to the 1992 Constitution was required before Ghanaians could cast their ballots on November 7, 2016.
She said to amend a non-entrenched provision of the 1992 Constitution, there must be two publications.
Accordingly, she noted, the first Gazette notification announcing the publication of the bill was published on March 9, 2016.
The second publication would be done on June 9, 2016 – three months after the first publication.
Mrs Appiah-Opong explained that 10 days after the second publication, the Speaker of Parliament was expected to refer the bill to the Council of State, which in turn has within 30 days to refer the bill back to Parliament.
"The Council of State has within 30 days and can, therefore, refer the bill back to Parliament in less than 30 days," she explained.
She stated that based on the timelines, the Electoral Commission (EC) could go ahead with plans for the November 7, 2016 polls.
The memorandum accompanying the Constitutional (Amendment) Bill, 2016, states that "the bill amends Article 112 (4) of the Constitution to make provision for parliamentary elections to be held well ahead of the expiration of the tenure of Parliament to ensure an effective and smooth transition".
The memorandum, signed by Mrs Appiah-Opong, noted that currently the date set aside in respect of the conduct of both presidential and parliamentary elections in the country was December 7, while the swearing-in of the President would take place on January 7 of the ensuing year.
"However, the one-month period for the transition of one government to the other has, over the years, proved insufficient for a smooth transition, particularly in instances when there is a run-off election, as was the case in 2000 and 2008.
"In the light of the apparent weaknesses in our electoral system and following the election petition in 2013, the Electoral Reform Committee was established on January 23, 2015 to propose reforms to our electoral system," it indicated.
It said one of the recommendations made by the committee was a change in the date for the conduct of the general election from December to November.
"Thus, to ensure that parliamentary elections are held earlier than the 7th day of December, the bill amends Article 112 (4) of the Constitution to provide for parliamentary elections to be held on the first Monday of November in every election year," the memorandum added.
The 1992 Constitution
Article 291 (1) of the 1992 Constitution states that a bill to amend a provision of the Constitution which is not an entrenched provision shall not be introduced into Parliament unless –
"(a) It has been published twice in a Gazette, with the second publication being made at least three months after the first; and
"(b) at least ten days have passed after the second publication."
Article 291 (2) also notes that "the Speaker shall, after the first reading of the bill in Parliament; refer it to the Council of State for consideration and advice and the Council of State shall render advice on the bill within 30 days after receiving it".
According to Article 291 (3), "Where Parliament approves the bill, it may only be presented to the President for his assent if it was approved at the second and third readings of it in Parliament by the votes of at least two thirds of all members of Parliament.
"(4) Where the bill has been passed in accordance with this article, the President shall assent to it."
On the issue of certificate of compliance with the 1992 Constitution, Article 292 (1) (a) states that a bill for the amendment of the Constitution which had been passed in accordance with the Constitution shall be assented to by the President only if it was accompanied by a certificate from the Speaker that the provision of the Constitution had been complied with in relation to it.
November polls
Both the Majority and the Minority in Parliament have doubts over the intention of the EC to hold this year's elections on November 7, 2016 because of time constraints in amending the provision on the election date, but the EC has allayed their fears and assured them that all was on course.
Source: Graphic online


Versión en Español Ahora Disponibles!
True Spirit Caller tells her story!
Learn how Speaking Wind received his name!
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Dr. A. C. Ross - Ehanamani "Walks Among"
Are you an author from the southeast who has been turned down by the big publishing houses? Do you still believe your story is one others will want to read? Is your story of a spiritual nature? If your answer is "yes" to any of these questions, then maybe we can help you present your book to the public. There are no guarantees, but Dolphin Media is always looking for new material from existing or aspiring authors. If you have a finished manuscript, contact us through the link below and provide a brief description of your story.
In scenes far more dramatic than the paranormal presentations found in today's media, "Led by Spirit" presents the real-life adventures of Sha `La Lightwolf, a modern-day ghost whisperer and Native American Spirit Caller.
(In my etheric body I am dressed like a warrior and I had been given two swords and a breast plate from my guides).
When the service was over, I told Raymond to wait until the crowd left. Then I told the others to wait and walk out behind me.
When I stepped through the door the demon was on the rooftop of the building on the other side of the court yard. Then here it came. I drew my swords and tried to stab it in the heart area but I missed by about an inch. It almost had its claws in me when Archangel Michael took a lance and stuck it in its side, then up in the air they went!
Take a rare and candid view into the personal life of this extraordinary woman as she is guided by messages from multiple spiritual entities to perform ceremonies and clearings in preparation for the coming new world!
Ms. Light Wolf can be contacted by phone by email at: shalalightwolf@yahoo.com.


In celebration of World Social Work Day we share the insights of Jessica Johannisen one of our Social Workers with you.
Have you ever wondered what it's like to be a social worker? Have you ever thought about what it must be like to work with the most vulnerable? If you have ever wondered and ever asked yourself, "Why do they do it?" Let me share with you my angst and joy.
Every day I get to work with more than 100 young children and youth who reside at a Child and Youth Care Centre. These children have been removed from their families due to abuse and neglect. I get to nurture them, uplift their sagging spirits and make them believe in love again. The pain on their faces is heart wrenching. The thoughts of what they have been through are torturous.
Yesterday, a child told me how his father hit him continually with a plank. How he was chased down the street and left to sleep outside without any food. Yesterday, I facilitated a process where a child could speak to her sister for the first time in years. Her smile was priceless and the joy in her eyes indescribable.
Today, I saw a child's scars from self-harming – her whimpering lip and marks on her arms. Today, a child made me a card telling me how much he loved and appreciated me. He was so proud of his masterpiece and I was honoured to receive such a special gift.
Tomorrow, I will tell a child that her mother was killed. I will explain death and heaven and funerals. I will hold her in my arms and try to console her.
Tomorrow, I will bring a family together and see them reunited after years of being apart. I will witness the joy in the children's faces and the thankfulness in the parents' eyes. The echo of their laughter will follow me as I walk away and give me strength to face another day.
Being a social worker is more than a profession. It's a vocation if you will. It's a love hate relationship that gives and takes. It's a beautiful mess that I have the privilege to be part of.


This entry was posted on Thursday, June 30th, 2016 at 12:45 pm and is filed under Who is AVID? . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.


A trip report for the Better Software / Agile Practices conferences held in Las Vegas June 6-11 2010.
why are all our languages OO?
What can OO do that C cant?
Structured Programming - Djikstra "goto may be considered harmful"
it can be maintained because "the code can already do that"
What do you do when your abstractions get in the way?
Inheritance does not mean "is a"
Taking behavior away from the base class is the core problem. The user has a right to expect that behavior.
Whats bad about overriding a function that has an implementation?
Other languages (python/ruby) can do polymorphism without inheritance. This makes python/ruby code much easier to write.
A definition of a programmer is someone who is constantly learning. Every programmer should learn a new language every year just on principle.
This class is actually principles for statically typed OO languages (java/C++). The same principles apply in other languages, but in different ways.
"All solutions are short term"
A fat class is a class with many methods and many users. A new user comes along and wants to add a new function to the fat class. All the other users get the new function too, so you have a massive recompilation and deployment.
Find groupings of methods that are only used by certain users. Create abstract interface clsses for each grouping. Have the fat class multiply inherit from the abstract interface classes.
Comments: only write them if you have to. Comments are a failure to make yourself clear in the code.
The worst kind of comment is commented-out code. The old code is in the VCS, if you need it you can go get it.
Journalists work with the rule that the most important stuff should be at the top. Each line is more and more detailed. Code should be organized the same way so that it is easy to read/understand.
How many arguments should be passed into a function? Zero is best. Three is getting tough. If you are passing 5 things, you should probably be passing an object.
"QA should be writing acceptance tests at a high level (at the frontend of the dev process). Developers should be writing unit tests at a lower level as development progresses."
"A definition of a programmer is someone who is constantly learning. Every programmer should learn a new language every year just on principle."
"The worst kind of comment is commented-out code. The old code is in the VCS, if you need it you can go get it."


Professor Florence Dolphyne, Former Chairperson of the Ghana Education Service Council.
Professor Akilagpa Sawyerr, Former Member of the Council of State and Former Secretary-General, Association of African Universities (AAU), Accra.
Mr. Ato Ampiah, Former CEO, Tema Oil Refinery and Former President of the Ghana Employers Association.
Ms. Phyllis Christian, CEO and Managing Consultant, Shawbell Consulting Limited.
Dr. Emmanuel Akwetey, Member-Secretary of IDEGCOT, Executive Director of IDEG.


Private lot in beautiful, gated Red Wolf Run! Build your dream home in this natural, hardwood forest setting.The lot offers mountain views and a gentle slope. It is a peaceful and quiet oasis in a hectic world - come home to rewind. Clubhouse, gate and pond are some of the features of this community. The paved community road is easy to drive despite the high elevation. Underground utilities, no time frame to build. Only a 15 minute drive to Mars Hill or Burnsville, 25 minutes to Weaverville, and an easy drive to Asheville, too. Acreage per tax records, septic and well to be installed by buyer, covenants and architectural documents are in place.


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From the street to the ballot box: Elections in Burkina Faso
ballot, Beau Blaise, Blaise Compaore, Burkina, Burkina Faso, Burkinabe, CDP, CENI, citizen, Commission electorale nationale independante, Compaore, Congres pour la Democratie et le Progres, election, electoral politics, Eloise Bertrand, engagement, High Communication Council, Lefaso.net, Nathalie Some, Omega FM Radio, Ouagadougou, politics, politics in africa, Politics in Publications, President, vote, Wariwick, West Africa
In November, Burkina Faso will elect a new president and parliament. Despite a period of political turmoil, Eloïse Bertrand says that the country is on the verge of completing a successful return to constitutional order.


There is no better way to combine social media marketing, content marketing and SEO than by blogging. There is a big disconnection between companies that blog and those that blog effectively. Blogging is more than simply writing a five hundred word article and sending out the link. If you want to build trust with your audience, get more traffic and generate good leads, then you should implement the following ten pro blogging tips.
Before you start a new blog, it is vital that you define your goals for it. Your blog is going to succeed if you know right from the start what you want to accomplish with it. If you are trying to establish yourself as a professional in your field, promote your company or you are blogging for fun to share ideas and opinions, your long and short term goals for your blog will depend on the reasons you have that blog. Think ahead of the things you wish to get from the blog in six months or even one year later and then design, write and market the blog to meet those goals.
The design of your blog and content has to reflect the expectations of your audience. If your ideal audience is teenagers, the content and design is going to be different from a blog that targets corporate experts. The audience is going to have some expectations for your blog. Rather than confusing them, try to meet and even exceed those expectations and you will have gained reader loyalty.
Your blog is a brand and just like other well known brands like Nike or Coke, your blog is going to represent a specific message and image to your audience. The design and content of your blog has to consistently communicate the image of your brand and message. Being consistent is vital in meeting the expectations of your audience and creating a secure place where they can frequently visit.
A useful blog is one that is busy. Blogs which are not updated on a regular basis are seen by their audience as static. While you should not publish content that is meaningless or you risk boring your audience, it is vital that you frequently update your blog. The best way you are going to keep your readers coming back is by having something new for them to see.
One of the best aspects about blogging is its social impact. It is crucial for your blog to welcome readers and invite them to join your conversations. Ask them to leave comments by asking questions and then respond to their comments. By doing so, you will have shown your readers that you truly value them and the conversation will go on. It is also essential that you leave comments on other blogs and invite new readers to visit your blog for a lively discussion. The success of your blog partially depends on the loyalty of your readers. They need to know that you appreciate them by getting them involved.
Most of the achievement of your blog depends on your efforts outside your blog. Those efforts need to include locating like minded bloggers and then commenting on their sites, taking part in social book markings via a site like stumbleupon and joining social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. Creating a good blog will require a lot of hard work coming up with quality content and working outside your site to promote and develop a community around it.
Beginners are usually scared of new blogging tools and features that are available to them. Never shy away from trying out new things on your blog. From adding new plug ins to holding your first contest, it is vital for your blog to be fresh by adding changes that will enhance it. Do not become a victim of every new thing that is available for your blog. Review every potential enhancement in terms of how it will help you achieve your goals for your blog and how your audience is going to respond to it.
Even the most experienced and professional expert know that this field is constantly changing and no one knows everything about blogging. These professionals belong to a close knit community and they know that at some point, everyone is a beginner. These are some of the most approachable and helpful people that you can find. Do not shy away from reaching out to fellow bloggers for assistance. The triumph of a blog depends on networking and most are willing to increase their networks regardless of whether you are a beginner or a professional.
It looks like everyday there are new tools available to bloggers. The internet changes very fast and blogging is not an exception to that rule. As you will be developing your blog, take time to research on new tools and features and pay close attention on the latest news about this niche. You never know when a new tool will be released which is going to make your life easier or even enhance the experience of readers.
Do not forget that your blog is an extension of you and your brand. All your loyal reads are going to come back to read what you have to say. Add your personality in the blog and ensure that there is a consistent tone for your posts. Determine if your blog and brand are going to be more effective with a corporate tone, snarky tone or a youthful tone. After you know this, make sure that all your blog communications are consistent with that tone.
People do not read blogs so that they can get the news since to do this, all they need is to read a newspaper for news reports. People read blogs so that they can get the opinion of bloggers in regard to life, world and so much more. Do not blog as though you are a reporter, blog like you are having a conversation with your readers. This needs to come from your heart.


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Q: Creating a WinForm on the main thread using a backgroundworker I've got a background worker and I'm trying to get it to create an instance of a form, but I don't want the background worker thread to own the object, but would like the main thread to own it. Where do I start with this?

A: You can use the Invoke and BeginInvoke functions to get the code to execute on the GUI thread.  You could get your other thread to raise an event, then handle it in your main form, then your main form could invoke that call back onto its own thread (using InvokeRequired then Invoke) to launch the new form.
If you're using a background worker you may be able to put the OnProgressChanged method to use to signal back to your application to do something.
Also, take a look at this excellent book


> received from intelligent life in outer space.
> Love, in oil on canvas, from 40 years of his lover's memory.
> only survival, the only meaning."
> consider the possibility that Glenn's music making will go on forever.
> Why?  Remember this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_Golden_Record ?
> pop right out of our galaxy and drift to the next one and on and on.
> musical reference....that's what you get from my musical head).