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Guys, I am off to one of my favourite destinations - Sri Lanka. Galle Literary Festival is one of the top rated Lit Fests of the World. I have been invited by the organisers for readings and book signings. Looking forward to meeting old friends and making new ones. And who knows - I may run into the newly weds - Dhoni and Sakshi - while I am there! Our Boys in Blue will be in Sri Lanka from the 9th onwards. India's most eligible bachelor is a shaadi shuda man now!
This appeared in Bombay Times...
" I Hate Dumb Storys……"
It started with the annoying misspelling. Come on, guys, we know the trendy sms, twitter and any other shorthand du jour. We do realize nobody has the time to spell out anything anymore – literally and metaphorically. But this sort of a distortion doesn't make for 'cute'. However , it does prepare the audience for what is to come - terminal boredom. This is assured right from the first few scenes, filled with dull voiceovers of the protagonists as they drone on and on about their respective attitudes to love – sorry – 'luv'. The guy with a droopy-loopy grin doesn't believe in such mush, the girl with a white plastic flower, does. Both work for a hysterical movie director, whose character, nudge-nudge,is based on Sanjay Leela Bhansali's. Once the premise is clumsily and unconvincingly established, the movie meanders off in many disconnected directions, with sub-plots that don't go anywhere. You're probably saying, " That's okay. Since when do Bollywood films follow logic?" I am fine with the idiocy of most Bollywood products – in fact, the only reason for watching hyped up commercial films ( at hefty multiplex prices), is to come away gasping at the absurdity of the content. But there is generally one important criterion at play – entertainment. Make the rubbish entertaining. Let the people feel they have got their money's worth. At least the music should rock! Especially when the movie features two big ticket popcorn stars and involves a prestigious production house. What an absolute waste casting Imran Khan and Sonam Kapoor in this utterly dull, total dud of a movie which is more a wonky tribute to Karan Johar's earlier films, songs and screen pairings. After a point, all those 'in' jokes and references start bugging the viewer, particularly a replay of his popular songs as background scores and an embarrassingly gauche recreation of iconic scenes , like the 'kuch kuch hota hai' dialogue between Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol. Come on guys, are you that desperate for original ideas that you have to pack so many reels of a contemporary film with such obvious take- offs ? This isn't clever tongue-in-cheek stuff. It's plain unimaginative.
In any case, most movies which try and follow the 'movie-within-a-movie' formula, generally fall flat on their faces. Only filmwallas get the context and laugh at all the insider stuff. The last time such a formula actually worked, was in 'Rangeela', especially that on screen dig at Sridevi and her 'mummy'. It is a wonder Karan actually approved the script of such an excruciatingly pointless film which,post-interval, suddenly takes off for New Zealand. Why? By then it doesn't really matter. Those guys could be on the moon. By the time the key 'turning point' arrives,that has Imran (Raj), phoning his mummyji ( Anju Mahendru in a terrible wig) and howling over the phone, one is ready to shake up this bloke called Punit Malhotra ( chief villain) and spank him in public. As for Sonam, the lassie lacks oomph, even if she does have a great smile and can act. Oh… and Imran should definitely keep his shirt on… if he doesn't want the audience to lose theirs.
Why do we insist on referring to poor Viveka Babajee as a
'Supermodel'? Let's face it, India has yet to produce a 'Supermodel'. Not a single one of our models, past or present, falls into that category. Where is our Naomi Campbell? Kate Moss? Claudia Schiffer? Gisele Bunchen? Cindy Crawford? Christy Turlington? These are names recognized by the fashion community the world over. They dominated international catwalks and ad campaigns for over two decades, and captured the imagination of the celeb brigade on a mega level by becoming the absolute darlings of the paparazzi. Compare their success with what passes for it here – we happily throw a few names around, names like Mehr Jessia, Madhu Sapre, Ujjwala Raut etc. These girls made it reasonably big in India, and someone like Ujjwala was a fairly successful model abroad. That's it. Even within India, chances of anybody outside the glam world recognizing these ladies by face or name, are pretty remote. Modeling in India remains a niche, fringe profession without a mass base. So let's drop this nonsense of calling every other girl who has walked the ramp more than twenty times, a 'Supermodel'. As for Viveka, are we really so hard up for 'news' about her tragic death, that we end up interviewing her 20 year-old maid ? I am sure Viveka must have been a pretty super person, but let's not overdo the 'Supermodel' bit. I hope the lovely girl from Satara has finally found the peace that eluded her when she was alive trying to make it in big ,bad and mad Mumbai.


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The Registration Process
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subset: commoncrawl


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UFC Store
I've seen when I've hit guys that when I look them in the eye it is
almost like it took the fight out of them. I've seen that in a couple
fighters I've faced and I think I'm going to see that in Joe Lauzon." - Melvin Guillard
There is an ever present debate concerning the thin line which separates "confidence" from "cockiness". The truth of the matter, the division of the two depends on the source of the comments. The words are all the same: I'm stronger, I'm faster, and I'm better, so I will win. It comes down to, can you really argue with the person saying it? In terms of UFC lightweight Melvin Guillard, it has become almost impossible to disagree with him.
"The more an opponent watches me, the more scared they're going to get," states Guillard.
Actions speak louder than words, and in 2011 "The Young Assassin" has scored two brutal and quick first round knockouts over upper tier opponents: Evan Dunham and Shane Roller. It is truly difficult to play Devil's advocate against Guillard considering "The Young Assassin" has been one of the most feared strikers at 155 pounds for the past six years and he looks better than ever. Since joining Greg Jackson's renowned team in Albuquerque, New Mexico in January of 2010, "The Young Assassin" has been a 5-0 freight train mowing down his competition, and it doesn't appear like Guillard is slowing down until he gets a title shot.
"That's my main goal - to break a guy's will," asserts Guillard. "I know physically, I'm always going to be the better athlete. It's rare they are going to find a better athlete than me at 155, but I think working with Greg Jackson, the team, and the trainers I have - I'm stronger mentally. That's the biggest weapon I have because I break people mentally before the fight even happens. Honestly, I think when guys sign the contracts to fight me they are not sure of themselves. They're probably like 'why did Joe Silva (UFC Matchmaker) call me and ask me to fight Melvin?' That's the way I feel. It might not be like that, but in my mind that's how I feel. I feel like guys don't want to stand in front of me and trade punches."
Nor should they. Even a casual UFC fan could take a brief glimpse of Guillard's career stats and glean that exchanging fists and feet with "The Young Assassin" is a bad idea. There's a wealth of material for Guillard's opponents to agonize over as "The Young Assassin" has competed in over 50 pro fights, appeared on season two of The Ultimate Fighter, and, specifically, battled in the Octagon 14 times to a 10-4 UFC record. Guillard's opposition will learn exactly what we already know: he's fast, he's strong, he's relentless and he wants to knock you out with whatever will get the job done as soon as possible.
"I don't want to sound cocky, but I'm so confident in my skills and in my abilities that I would allow one of my opponents - whoever wants to, they have got an invitation - to come and watch me train to fight them," says Guillard. "It doesn't matter what they see of me sparring or hitting mitts and all that, I don't mind it. As long as I'm confident in my abilities in that cage then it doesn't matter what they see. If you're going to win then you're going to win, if you're going to be ready to fight then you're going to be ready."
With by far the majority of the 28 year old's UFC wins coming by KO/TKO, including two "Knockout of the Night" bonuses, the safest bet against "The Young Assassin" is taking him to the ground, which is easier said than done. Guillard's four losses in the Octagon are all by submission, with the most recent being Nate Diaz from two years ago and before he started training with Team Jackson. All fighters evolve and get better over time, so the model to beat Guillard is woefully outdated and the real challenge is finding a new one.
"I think the problem that fighters have who face me is that they sit down and spend too much time watching tape on me, trying to figure me out," explains Guillard. "That's their Achilles heel because I'm not the same fighter, I'm always a better fighter, and none of my fights end the same. The only end result that you're going to get is that at some point I'm going to hit them and they're going to be out. As far as trying to figure me out, they think they're going to take me down and out grapple me, but I pride myself that it is going to take a lot to hold me down and half of these guys at 155 are not as strong as me anyway. I'm not saying it can't be done, but I go in very confident. I'm going in there to execute my gameplan and that's put my hands and feet on them. Even if they don't get knocked down right away, I've seen when I've hit guys that when I look them in the eye it is almost like it took the fight out of them. I've seen that in a couple fighters I've faced and I think I'm going to see that in Joe Lauzon come October 8th."
At UFC 136 in Houston, Texas, Guillard squares off with Joe Lauzon. The Ultimate Fighter season five alum will most likely use his vaunted submission skills that earned him a 19-6 record with 15 wins by sub. The 27 year old has also been awarded four "Submission of the Night" bonuses, including a first round kimura on Curt Warburton in June. Lauzon is certainly very good at forcing his fellow 155ers to tap, but Guillard doesn't see that in the cards come fight night.
"I think he's a tough opponent," admits Guillard. "I wouldn't have asked for a fight that was an easy fight. He's going to be very tough. I know he is a good jiu-jitsu guy, but I haven't been submitted in over two years and him just coming in here and getting a submission - that ain't going to happen on my watch. I'm a way better fighter and I'm a way better person than who I was two years ago. There's nothing that he's going to throw at me that doesn't get thrown at me every day at the gym. I'm in there with guys like Carlos Condit and Donald Cerrone who are good at jiu-jitsu. I have a whole squad of guys who are phenomenal at jiu-jitsu who could probably tap Joe Lauzon at any time. This is something I stress about MMA, is that when you have a guy like me on top of you - you don't want to play that jiu-jitsu game. Then you're really going to get knocked out and it's going to be a short night. It's not a BJJ tournament - this is MMA."
Judging by Guillard's last two appearances in the Octagon, Lauzon will need to work extremely quickly to latch a hold onto "The Young Assassin". In January, Guillard trounced the rising star Dunham with knees for a TKO and a "Knockout of the Night" bonus in under three minutes. In July, he wasted even less time and knocked out the three-time All American wrestler Roller at 2:12 of the first round. It's not only about the one punch power of his striking; Guillard's strength is that he's always attacking and he's always on offense as soon as the cage door shuts.
"I have a lot respect for Shane Roller, he's a great fighter, and Evan Dunham's a great fighter too," tells Guillard. "They are both great fighters and they are just as equally great as I am, but I don't give guys the chance to get started and that's why I have the advantage. That's the way I fight. I'm not a slow paced fighter. I come out of the gate very fast. I come out looking to hit a guy right out of the gate. What won me my last two fights is my aggression. Most fighters try to get that feeling out round, but I don't have a feeling out round. I come out at 100 mph and that's how it should be. Whether it's a knee, a kick, a right hand or a left jab - it doesn't matter because everything I throw is with bad intentions. I'm not trying to outpoint a guy. I'm not trying to win a judge's decision. My main thing is to go in there and try to knock guys out - I'm a finisher. "
Arguably, the most dangerous aspect of his game right now is that he's maturing. Guillard's had his mental lapses in the past and more than ever it appears that will all stay in the past. Guillard's training camps in Albuquerque have progressed him as a fighter. Guillard's marriage and life in Oklahoma has progressed him as a person. For really the first time, he is truly healthy, mentally and physically, and the benefits from that have shown in his past five fights.
This weekend, he needs to keep this winning streak alive against the Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist Lauzon. The main event of that same evening features UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard in a rematch of their UFC 125 draw. It has been mentioned by UFC President Dana White that if Guillard can score a win over Lauzon then he should be next in line for a title shot. For Guillard, there are simply no "ifs" about it.
"It's not about if I beat Joe, it's that I'm going to beat Joe," declares Guillard. "I'm going to knock him out like I knocked the other guys out. I'm not worried about anything. I know I'm going to be world champion. I'm blessed that Dana White is giving me the opportunity to be on that stage. I'm going to beat Joe Lauzon on October 8th. This is my first fight in front of my loved ones because I'm from New Orleans, but I lived in Houston for seven years - it's my second home. I am going to be fighting in front of a home crowd and I haven't fought in front of a home crowd since before my Dad passed away. This fight has a lot of emotions in it, but it's good emotions. I'm excited. There's nothing that is standing in my way. The only thing that can beat me is me."
With how good "The Young Assassin" has been looking recently, I'm not confident even Guillard could beat himself. Or does that sound too cocky?
Power Slap


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The Boy Scouts of America will get no reprieve from controversy after a contentious vote to accept openly gay boys as Scouts.
Dismayed conservatives are already looking at alternative youth groups as they predict a mass exodus from the BSA. Gay-rights supporters vowed Friday to maintain pressure on the Scouts to end the still-in-place ban on gay adults serving as leaders.
"They're not on our good list yet," said Paul Guequierre of the Human Rights Campaign, a national gay-rights group. He said the HRC, in its annual rankings of corporate policies on workplace fairness, would deduct points from companies that donate to the Boy Scouts until the ban on gay adults is lifted.
In California, gay-rights leaders said they would continue urging passage of a bill pending in the Legislature that would make the BSA ineligible for nonprofit tax breaks because of the remaining ban.
The Boy Scouts' chief executive, Wayne Brock, pleaded for the Scouting community to reunite after the divisive debate that led to Thursday's vote by the BSA's National Council. The proposal to lift the ban on openly gay youth — while keeping the ban on gay adults — was supported by about 60 percent of the council's 1,400 voting members.
However, Brock's plea failed to sway some conservative religious leaders whose denominations sponsor many Scout units and who consider same-sex relationships immoral.
"Frankly, I can't imagine a Southern Baptist pastor who would continue to allow his church to sponsor a Boy Scout troop under these new rules," Richard Land, a senior Southern Baptist Conference official, told the SBC's news agency, Baptist Press.
Land advised Southern Baptist churches to withdraw their support of Scout troops and consider affiliating instead with the Royal Ambassadors, an existing SBC youth program for boys that combines religious ministry with Scouting-style activities.
Baptist churches sponsor Scout units serving more than 100,000 of the BSA's 2.6 million youth members.
The Assemblies of God, which oversees units serving more than 2,000 Scouts, said it could no longer support such units and suggested its own Royal Rangers youth group as a "positive alternative."
John Stemberger, a conservative activist and former Scout from Florida who led a group opposing the policy change, said he and his allies would convene a meeting next month in Louisville, Ky., to discuss creation of a "new character development organization for boys."
"We grieve today, not because we are faced with leaving Scouting, but because the Boy Scouts of America has left us," Stemberger said. "Its leadership has turned its back on 103 years of abiding by a mission to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices."
There is a template for forming a conservative alternative to a major national youth organization. American Heritage Girls was formed in 1995 as a Christian-oriented option to the Girl Scouts of the USA, and it now claims more than 20,000 members.
From the left, gay-rights supporters — including President Barack Obama — generally welcomed the move to accept openly gay Scouts, but urged the BSA to take the further step of welcoming gay adults as leaders.
White House spokesman Shin Inouye said Obama "continues to believe that leadership positions in the Scouts should be open to all, regardless of sexual orientation."
Rich Ferraro of GLAAD, formerly known as the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, said his group would continue a campaign to discourage corporate giving to the Boy Scouts until the ban on gay adults is lifted.
He also predicted that the presence of openly gay boys in Scout ranks would undermine the viability of the adult ban as those youth turn 18 and seek leadership posts.
"The BSA now will have to look gay teens in the eye, boys who've been involved in Scouting for years, and tell them they're not going to be able to grow into adult leaders," Ferraro said. "Those conversations will be difficult and shouldn't be had."
Eagle Scout Zach Wahls, a 21-year-old activist raised by lesbian mothers in Iowa, has been a leader of the campaign to end the BSA's no-gays policy. He said his group, Scouts for Equality, would continue to press for lifting the ban on gay adults, while also monitoring how the BSA implements its new policy for gay youth.
"We'll act as a watchdog," he said. "If any gay youth feel they're experiencing harassment or discrimination, we want to be there for them."
For some parents of Scouts, the entire membership debate has been emotionally draining, and the decision to accept openly gay youth left them disenchanted or confused.
Wes Comer, whose family attends an Apostolic Pentecostal church near Knoxville, Tenn., that considers homosexuality sinful, had been wrestling with whether to pull his eldest son out of the Scouts if the no-gays policy was abandoned.
"To be honest, I'm torn at this point," Comer said Friday in an email. "I'm not sure exactly what our decision will be."
"If I place this situation in the context of my religious beliefs, I'm forced to ask myself, 'Would I turn a homosexual child away from Sunday school? From a church function? Would I forbid my children to be friends with a gay child?' I can't imagine a situation where I would answer 'yes' to any of those questions. So how can I in this one?" he wrote.
Yet he said was "extremely disappointed" in the entire debate, and suggested that the BSA "has dealt itself a mortal blow."
Another Scouting father, Don Mack, of Waconia, Minn., said he and his 10-year-old son will be leaving Cub Scouts after the current year is done and his son gets his Arrow of Light Award.
Mack, a Scout himself as a boy and a self-described conservative Christian, has been a Cub Scout leader for about five years. Now, because of the vote to admit gay youth, he and his son both want out. And they'll be looking for an alternative program that offers similar character-building benefits as the Scouts.
"We home-school, and my wife and I teach our son you need to stand up for what's right, even if that means sacrifice or getting hurt in the process," Mack said. "It was not an easy choice for us to make because our family believed in the mission Scouting has to offer. I kind of feel like my best friend died."
Associated Press writer Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis contributed to this report.
Boy Scouts of America: https://www.scouting.org/
Follow David Crary on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/craryap .
Copyright © 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2013 Capitol Hill Blue


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Boys' 18 SinglesBoys' 16 SinglesBoys' 14 SinglesBoys' 12 SinglesGirls' 18 SinglesGirls' 16 SinglesGirls' 14 SinglesGirls' 12 SinglesBoys' 18 DoublesBoys' 16 DoublesBoys' 14 DoublesBoys' 12 DoublesGirls' 18 DoublesGirls' 16 DoublesGirls' 14 DoublesGirls' 12 Doubles
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Framingham Tire & Auto Repair is proud to offer Kumho tires to Framingham, MA, Ashland, MA, and Natick, MA at some of the lowest prices around. Framingham Tire & Auto Repair helps customers find the right Kumho tires for their car or truck at the right price that fits their budget. Give us a call at (508) 872-0172 today and we will work with you to find the right Kumho tires for your car. Or you can contact us online. Remember Framingham Tire & Auto Repair is the number one Kumho tire dealer in Framingham, Massachusetts and also offers great deals providing Framingham, MA auto repair services.
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pole-qca.ca is for sale!
pole-qca.ca The opening bid for this domain is CAD$100.00.
Why purchase a memorable domain name?
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Make an offer, or start a negotiation. You've got nothing to lose, and a great domain name to gain.


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Peyton Manning's Denver Broncos and Richard Sherman's Seattle Seahawks were the NFL's best all season, so it's fitting that they'll meet in the Super Bowl.
Nobody scored as many points or gained as many yards as the Broncos.
Nobody allowed as few points or gave up as few yards as the Seahawks.
And nobody won as many games as those clubs, either.
What a way to finish the season. When the AFC champion Broncos (15-3) play the NFC champion Seahawks (15-3) on Feb. 2 at what could be a chilly MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., it will be the first Super Bowl since 1991 pitting the league's highest-scoring team in the regular season against the team that was scored on the least, according to STATS.
It's also only the second time in the last 20 Super Bowls that the No. 1 seed in each conference reached the NFL championship game.
"It will be a great matchup," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. "I think it's an extraordinary opportunity to go against a guy that set all the records in the history of the game."
That, of course, would be Manning, the 37-year-old quarterback who is the only four-time NFL MVP — and no one would be surprised if No. 5 arrives the night before the Super Bowl. He established marks by throwing for 55 touchdowns and 5,477 yards, helping Denver lead the league with 37.9 points and 457.3 yards per game. Manning is an inescapable pitchman, too, seen Sunday after Sunday during TV commercials. Hey, there he was selling cars during breaks in the broadcast of the NFC title game. Expect even more face time now.
Manning's oft-told tale, certain to be repeated a million times in the coming days, includes his comeback from a series of surgical procedures to his neck, attempts to cure problems that led him to sit out the entire 2011 season. That also led the Indianapolis Colts to send him packing despite two Super Bowl appearances with that club, including a title in 2007.
"It's certainly well-documented what my journey the past 2½ years has been," said Manning, who could become the first starting QB to lead two franchises to titles, "but this team's overcome a lot of obstacles this year."
None more serious, perhaps, than coach John Fox's absence for about a month because of a heart operation. Other issues included the fax faux pas that precipitated the departure of pass rusher Elvis Dumervil, star linebacker Von Miller's drug-testing suspension and season-ending knee injury, and the losses of a handful of other starters on defense.
"Being in my 16th season, going to my third Super Bowl — I know how hard it is to get there," Manning said.
He threw for 400 yards and two touchdowns in a 26-16 victory over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game Sunday. Manning's offense scored on six consecutive possessions, accounted for more than 500 yards, had zero turnovers and zero sacks.
Ol' No. 18's opposite number in two weeks, Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson, provides a real contrast as he seeks his — and the Seahawks' — first Super Bowl trophy.
Wilson is 6 inches shorter, 12 years younger, a skilled scrambler in only his second pro season after slipping to the third round of the draft; he's a guy who had to transfer colleges to get playing time and thought about pursuing a baseball career instead.
"Any time you get to the Super Bowl," Wilson said after Seattle beat the San Francisco 49ers 23-17 on Sunday, "it's a special time."
Other members of the Seahawks getting the chance to introduce themselves to a wide audience include rugged running back Marshawn Lynch — fans tossed packs of his favorite candy, Skittles, onto the field after a 40-yard TD run in the third quarter — and Carroll, a rah-rah sort who was a title-winning college coach at Southern California.
And maybe, just maybe, some of Manning's less-heralded defensive teammates — the ones who clamped down on New England's running game Sunday and limited Brady much of the afternoon — will get their chance to shine, too.
Seattle's defense, led by Sherman, allowed an average of 14.4 points and 273.6 yards, and topped the NFL in takeaways.
On Sunday, the Seahawks forced three turnovers in the fourth quarter alone, including a victory-sealing interception by Malcolm Smith after Sherman stretched his left hand to tip Colin Kaepernick's pass away from receiver Michael Crabtree in the end zone.
"I'm the best corner in the game," said Sherman, an All-Pro. "When you try me with a sorry receiver like Crabtree, that's the result you're going to get."
Seattle's only other trip to the big game ended with a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2006. Denver will be playing in its seventh Super Bowl and eyeing a third title, to go with those from 1998 and 1999, when current executive John Elway was the QB.
In addition to Elway, Manning can match his younger brother Eli with a second Super Bowl crown. Eli, a spectator on Sunday in Denver, won two trophies with the New York Giants, whose stadium hosts this year's Super Bowl, the first to be played outdoors at a cold-weather site.
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First, every Wreckerator knows you have to make butterflies out of cupcakes. Otherwise, you run the risk of them looking like...well, butterflies.
Charlotte F., Raven, Rachael, Rebecca R., Jessica A., & Bijan P., stop looking at me like that; I was merely referring to his smiley face. Really.
- Related Wreckage: It's a Wreck Off!


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Available for:
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The New Living Translation is an authoritative Bible translation rendered faithfully into today's English from the ancient texts by 90 leading Bible scholars. The NLT's scholarship and clarity breathe life into even the most difficult-to-understand Bible passages—but even more powerful are stories of how people's lives are changing as the words speak directly to their hearts.
This is a revised version of the New Living Translation, updated in 2004, 2007, and 2015 from the first edition published by Tyndale House in 1996. The NLT is based on Kenneth Taylor's popular Living Bible, first published in 1971 (also by Tyndale House). Revisions to the New Living Translation have increased the precision without losing the readability that characterized the first NLT edition.
The principle of dynamic equivalence governs both translations, meaning that the translators are attempting to render the original on a thought-by-thought basis, not necessarily word-by-word. With the New Living Translation on The Bible Study App, you can enjoy reading, searching, and studying this translation wherever you are.
This Bible includes red-letter support for the words of Jesus in the gospels.
Olive Tree also offers the New Living Translation (NLT) in an Anglicised edition.


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Stocks rise on hopes for budget deal
The stock market finally shook its post-election slump.
Investors seized on hope that Washington will reach a deal on the federal budget and drove stocks to their biggest gain in two months. A pair of strong corporate earnings reports also helped.
The Dow Jones industrial average closed up 207 points, or 1.7 percent. Since President Barack Obama and a divided Congress were returned to power Nov. 6, the Dow had fallen six out of eight days and slid a total of 650 points.
Obama and congressional leaders are in talks to avoid going over a "fiscal cliff" on Jan. 1, when tax increases and mandatory government spending cuts are set to take effect.
While Obama and Republicans appear at odds on whether tax rates for the wealthiest Americans should rise, lawmakers suggested over the weekend that progress is possible.
"I can tell you that the fiscal cliff is focusing the mind," said Illinois Sen. Richard Durbin, a Democrat, said on CNN's "State of the Union." He said he had heard from Republicans "the beginning of a negotiation."
Comments like those comforted investors, who are grasping for signs that the negotiations might go somewhere.
"It is quite clear that both sides want to come to a compromise and that a reasonable compromise is available," David Kelly, chief global strategist for J.P. Morgan Funds, wrote in a note to clients.
Other financial analysts noted that there have been few substantive developments to drive the market's swings, and suggested the market's surge will be short-lived.
"I don't think anything has changed. It's just the talk from day to day," said Stephen Carl, principal and head equity trader at The Williams Capital Group, an investment bank. "We'll see what happens tomorrow."
This week's market will be tougher to decipher, Carl said, because volume is increasingly light leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday. Big price swings are more likely when there are fewer buyers and sellers in the market.
The Dow finished up 207.65 points at 12,795.96. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 27.01 points, or 2 percent, to 1,386.89. The Nasdaq composite average gained 62.94, or 2.2 percent, to 2,916.07.
The S&P 500 and Nasdaq were lifted by Apple, which had its biggest one-day gain since April. It rose $38.05, or 7.2 percent, to $565.73. Some analysts cast doubt on a sell-off that had pushed the stock down more than 20 percent from its recent peak.
Corporate earnings reports also boosted the indexes. Home improvement chain Lowe's said its third-quarter profit surged 76 percent. That followed a strong report from Home Depot last week. Lowe's rose $1.98, or 6.2 percent, to $33.96.
Tyson Foods, the country's biggest meat company, beat analysts' expectations for its quarterly earnings. Tyson added $1.84, or 10.9 percent, to $18.72.
Materials stocks, a category that includes foresting companies, metal producers and miners, soared, supported by the latest sign that a recovery in the housing market has stabilized.
The National Association of Realtors said sales of previously occupied homes in the U.S. rose in October, helped by a stronger job market and record-low mortgage rates. The pace of sales is roughly 11 percent higher than a year ago.
Stocks fell in each of the past four weeks as traders fretted about the possibility that lawmakers will fail to prevent the spending cuts and tax increases from taking effect.
Economists have warned that the hit to the economy could total $700 billion for 2013 and push the United States back into recession, although the damage from the "cliff" would come slowly, and lawmakers could always reach a deal after Jan. 1.
The indexes turned positive Friday afternoon, breaking a four-day slump, amid signs that Obama and Republicans in Congress were prepared to cede long-held bargaining positions.
House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said they had offered higher tax revenue as part of a deal. That could include limiting tax deductions for the highest earners.
Monday's gain for the Dow was its biggest since Sept. 13.
The S&P 500, meanwhile, is trading near a key technical level, said Randy Frederick, managing director of active trading and derivatives at the brokerage Charles Schwab.
For nearly two weeks, the index has closed below its 200-day average, which on Monday stood at 1,382. It surpassed that marker Monday afternoon. Frederick said that might signal more buying.
Technical levels are historic averages and other indicators used by some traders to decide if stocks are a good value.
The market is closed on Thursday for Thanksgiving and will close early Friday.
On Monday, stock indexes in France, Germany and Britain closed up 2.5 percent or more as traders monitored Greece's quest for its latest round of bailout cash.
Greece needs international lenders and the International Monetary Fund to release the money so that Greece can meet upcoming payments to creditors. Trading in Europe is still volatile. The region has entered recession.
Finance ministers from nations that use the euro will meet Tuesday. Later in the week, leaders will convene to discuss the European Union's budget for the next few years.
Traders also followed developments in the Middle East as conflict flared between Israel and Hamas. Concerns about instability in the region and hopes for a U.S. fiscal pact pushed benchmark crude up $2.36, or 2.7 percent, to finish at $89.28 per barrel in New York.
The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note rose to 1.61 percent from 1.58 percent late Friday, a sign that traders are selling low-risk investments. A bond's yield rises as its price falls.
The market's longer-term direction will likely hinge on U.S. leaders' ability to attack the fiscal challenge between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Frederick said.
"If they can put some sort of a plan together, or make us believe they have a plan, or at least that there's some cooperation going on there, that could be a real boost for the market," he said.
Among big companies making news, Intel fell after its CEO of 40 years announced that he will retire in May. The stock rose 6 cents to $20.25.
Diamond Foods hit its lowest price since September 2006 after an analyst cut the snack food company's rating and price target. Diamond restated two years' worth of financial results last Wednesday, effectively wiping away $56.5 million in profit from its books. Diamond fell $1.79, or 11.8 percent, to $13.34.
Advanced Micro Devices Inc. rose after an analyst said that the stock could see an "early 2013 bounce." He said investor concerns about the company's solvency were overblown and caused traders to oversell. AMD rose 6 cents, or 3.2 percent, to $1.92.


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From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Audie Cornish. New laws go into effect across the country today and we're going to look at a few of them that all struggle with the same problem, how to keep up with technology. We're going to hear about three of them now from Jon Kuhl of the National Conference of State Legislatures. The first deals with that perplexing new phenomenon, driverless cars.
JON KUHL: Starting today, autonomous vehicles will legally be able to drive on the road in California for testing purposes. California's the third state in the nation to have this kind of law. Nevada and Florida are the other two. And it was a pretty big deal in California. Governor Jerry Brown signed the law at Google's headquarters.
He said when he was there, this is another example of how California's laws are turning today's science fiction into tomorrow's reality. The California DMV has two years from today, so January 1st, 2015, to start figuring out how they can register and give licenses for driverless cars.
CORNISH: And, of course, Google a very important part of this because their driverless cars helped the creation of their Google maps software become so popular.
KUHL: Exactly.
CORNISH: Now, onto another law for 2013. It's actually about social media passwords and this one isn't just California that's doing it.
KUHL: That's right. There are two laws in California that go into effect today and one in Illinois. The one in California, one in Illinois are similar in that they deal with employers. And basically what it says is employers cannot ask either a job applicant or a current employee to give them the passwords to their social networking sites.
The second law in California has to do with colleges and universities and what that law says is that the colleges can't ask either the student who is applying to go to school there or a current student for their social media passwords. And I guess the law comes in response, there were some admissions offices that were asking prospective students for these passwords and then also student athletes.
In terms of other states that have these laws, California and Illinois joined Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey.
CORNISH: And is this part of a growing movement? Are there other states that are considering it?
KUHL: Yeah, we saw about 14 states that considered these types of laws in 2012, so I would expect that there will probably be more going into 2013.
CORNISH: Now, a third new law, again we're looking at California, it deals with text messaging, only there is, of course, a loophole, right? So tell us a little bit about this law.
KUHL: California is one of 39 states, along with the District of Columbia, that bans texting while driving. The law that goes into place today amends their existing law and basically what it does is it says you can text while driving, but only if you can do so using a voice-operated hands-free phone.
CORNISH: Now, we've heard a lot over the past year about texting and driving, and for a while it seemed like a very kind of hot button issue. But in other states, are people dealing with this or are there bills under consideration?
KUHL: Yeah. It's been a big issue for the past couple years. I suspect that as newer technology advances, the laws will be more amending existing laws than creating new ones, but yeah, it's been a big issue.
CORNISH: When it comes to tech, it's no surprise that California is at the forefront of some of these laws. Is there something that people often look to California in the way it deals with tech, other states end up emulating?
KUHL: Yeah. I mean, California does seem to be at the first for a lot of these laws, but I should note that there's three states where, unless it's otherwise specified in the law, their laws automatically go into effect today, on New Year's Day. So for California, Illinois and Oregon, most of their laws do go into effect today unless it specifies right in the law itself.
CORNISH: That's Jon Kuhl of the National Conference of State Legislatures. Jon, thanks so much for the tech law update.
KUHL: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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The decorative concrete installation industry is a competitive one, to say the least. It doesn't matter if you are a new business starting up or have been around awhile, finding a way to keep an edge over your competition can be a daunting task. With so many avenues of marketing today, you can find yourself spending more time than you want trying to promote your business, get leads and answer questions online. The Concrete Protector launched their industry specific IncredibleONE team in 2020 to offer epoxy flooring contractors an effective marketing tool to better compete in their market, get more work and make more money.
The IncredibleONE Team utilizes custom technology and the latest online techniques, referred to as IncredibleABI, in order to eliminate the contractor's burden of trying to find and quote projects in their area. When a contractor joins the IncredibleONE Community, they are instantly onboarded in order for the marketing team to figure out what strategy is needed to ensure success for the contractor. The team deploys effective tactics to boost the contractor's brand and get them found on Google, Yahoo or Bing when someone in their area searches for a flooring system they provide.
Social media plays a major factor in gaining instant traction for the contractor's business. The team will build your presence on each of the popular social platforms. With thousands of stock residential and commercial project photos, such as rustic concrete wood, metallic marble, grand flagstone, epoxy flake and more, social media users can see what kind of options they have for their concrete floor.
You website is another vital way for potential customers to learn more about your business and the services you offer. Whether you have an existing website or need one created, The Concrete Protector has several experienced webmasters that will either update your existing site or install a pre-optimized one at the custom domain you choose to use. Your site will be frequently updated with fresh content and even comes with an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) specialist to enhance your site to beat out your competition online.
In addition to fielding valid quote requests through social media management and online quote request forms, your IncredibleONE Team works on your business' behalf answering live chat questions from visitors on your website. With these combined techniques, the team has gotten 11,000 leads, which turned into well over 8,000 valid quote requests as of September 2021.
An extremely effective strategy to get contractors more work is through getting customer reviews once a project is completed. Anytime a customer talks highly of your business on your Google Business page, it raises consumer confidents and could very well be the difference of landing a big-profit project. The IncredibleONE Team assists all of their contractors with requesting and following up on getting satisfied customers to leave that 5-star review. Why not? You earned it by doing a great job, being professional, on time and staying true to the quoted price.
The IncredibleCRM is the second part of the IncredibleONE platform. The features included are focused on helping the contractor be more efficient and spend less time worrying about remembering to pay bills, follow-up on quote requests and many other business-related obligations. The main goal of this Incredible feature is to allow the contractor to give more attention to their customers and be able to spend more time with family!
For a complete breakdown of the IncredibleONE platform visit www.myincredibleone.com.


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I love loose leaf tea! While I gravitate towards black teas, I'm getting more into oolongs, greens and whites. I'm always looking for great fresh new teas to try. This tends to lead to the problem of ordering more even though I already have way too much.
My collection of tea has kind of gotten out of hand. After taking over several kitchen cupboards, it has spilled into the back hallway now with containers of tea stacked up there. I think I need more hours in the day to drink it all.
I'm also a vegetarian who loves dark chocolate, photography, travel, computers, web programming, technology and cats.
near Portland, Oregon


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Syria's Assad: 'We Don't Kill Our People'
"We don't kill our people ... no government in the world kills its people, unless it's led by a crazy person."
So says Syrian President Bashar Assad to ABC News Barbara Walters in an interview that's airing across several of the network's shows today.
Pushing back against reports from the United Nations and witnesses in several Syrian cities, Assad denied that his security forces have killed thousands of civilians.
"Most of the people that have been killed are supporters of the government, not the vice versa," he told Walters.
Assad also denied that 13-year-old Hamza Ali al-Khateeb — whose death galvanized the protest movement in Syria because of evidence that he had been tortured and castrated by security forces — was subjected to such treatment. "No, no, no. It's not news," Assad said. "I met with his father, the father of that child and he said that he wasn't tortured as he appeared in the media."
For a much different take on what's been happening in Syria, check the website of the United Nations' Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
"Since March of this year, more than 4,000 people have reportedly been killed," Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay reported last Friday. "Tens of thousands have been arrested. And more than 14,000 are reported to be in detention as a result of the crackdown."
And she added that the commission has documented "widespread, systematic and gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms by Syrian authorities by acts such as: killing of children by beating or shooting during demonstrations, arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment."
On Morning Edition today, NPR's Deborah Amos reported about sectarian violence in the Syrian city of Homs and NPR's Kelly McEvers reported about a nighttime trip she made into Syria with members of the anti-regime Free Syrian Army.


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SeaMonkey is a web-browser, advanced e-mail and newsgroup client, IRC chat client, and HTML editing made simple -- all your Internet needs in one application.
- Tabbed browsing gives you a better way to surf the net. You no longer have to open one page at a time. With tabbed browsing, open several pages at once with one click. Plus, your homepage can be multiple pages, in tabs.
- Popup blocker lets you surf the web without interruption from annoying ads.
- Image Manager lets you block images to remove offensive images or speed up the rendering of web sites.
- Find as you type gives you another way to navigate a page. Just start typing to jump from link to link or to find a word or phrase within a page.
- Plus all the features a modern browser should have including: Advanced security settings; Password, Download, and Cookie managers; Themes; multi-language and multi-platform support; and, the latest in Web Standards.
Why not check out TechBeat's guide to other alternative browsers.


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• Shipping term: FOB Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
• Packing: soft plastic protector inside, outside with carton paper, strong enough to protect products during transportation. Carton box packing upon request.
• 3-4 weeks from the date of completing goods, if Buyer delay receiving the goods, warehouse fee will be charged.
• Total CBM is estimated. 10% more or less in quantity and amount is acceptable.


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We offer a Free quote and UK design service, get in touch today.
Thanks for visiting Supply of Sports Pitch Maintenance Plant, we specialise in services which include a range of maintenance and cleaning works and many of these are done using specialist machinery to distribute infill and lay surfaces. Are you looking for a professional supply of sports pitch maintenance installers? Then you have found the right place.
A supply of sports pitch maintenance plant is a service which we offer. We have carefully selected a variety of servicing equipment packages to maintain your all weather pitch synthetic sports surface.
It is vital to ensure that any machine you use is purpose-built for the intended task as using the wrong machinery could invalidate your warranty and lead to costly repairs. We're able to provide specialist sports surfaces servicing plant that has been designed for this synthetic turf market.
talk to our team
GET A FREE QUOTEIf you're interested to find out about the products which we have available, then speak to our team now by filling out the application form on our website. We're happy to answer any questions you have and to help in any way possible. Our team have a large amount of experience to find you exactly what you are looking for.
Regular brushing of a synthetic infilled surface and debris removal form the main part of the in-house cleaning when equipment used. Uneven infill can cause premature wear and damage to fibres so Infill distribution is vital by drag brushing which moves and replaces infill to low spots. If required we also supply extra pitch infill to top up the pitch and keep the performance qualities at their best.
In terms of performance, we offer performance testing. If you'd like more information on performance tests please click here http://www.syntheticturfpitchmaintenance.co.uk/survey/performance/ Our synthetic turf servicing plant equipment packages cater for all budgets and can be used in conjunction with our specialist professional cleaning programs.
Equipment can be used on sand filled, sand dressed, long piled 3G synthetic turf, short piled 2G sand filled artificial surfaces and planned routine maintenance can be a combination of in-house and professional visits to keep your sports pitch in the best condition.
If you require a specialist plant for sports maintenance, feel free to let us know by filling in our contact form so we can send you all the necessary information that you will need.
Many clients near me ask 'Are the synthetic turf pitches maintenance free?' and 'How regularly do I need to maintain my pitch?' and the answer to these are they are definitely not servicing free and the frequency of maintenance depends on the surrounding areas to the pitch and how often the sports all weather surface is used. If you'd like your surfacing to be in excellent condition, then it will require servicing like most surface types.
The better your cleaning plan, the more likely your flooring is going to have great performance qualities. If you're regular and consistent with your service plan, then the facility should last a lot longer than one which is used a lot but not maintained well.
We are able to offer specialist maintenance plans to sports facilities that are looking to improve their surrounding areas. It's important that every synthetic sports pitch considers their maintenance options once the surface has been installed as this can help extend the life expectancy of the flooring.
As professionals, we can carry out cleaning services that are tailored directly to synthetic grass. If you would be interested in learning more, speak to our team today. We're happy to give you exactly what you require, at a great rate. Just fill out the enquiry form provided and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
We are able to provide sports surface maintenance plant equipment that is tailor-made for artificial sports surfaces and this plant includes all necessary equipment to allow the client to carry out inhouse surfacing cleaning. This generally includes drag mat passes, drag brush visits over the area and every few months a decompaction and possibly clean of a surface.
Our team can complete this type of maintenance for nearby football pitches, multi-use games areas and tennis court facilities http://www.syntheticturfpitchmaintenance.co.uk/sports/tennis-court/ to maintain the best playing qualities.
It is advisable for the decompaction and cleaning of an infill to be carried out by a local professional external maintenance company closest to you because the process is a specialised system and without proper training could be more damaging to the sports pitch and its surrounding area. If it's not conducted by an expert, then there is a change that the surfacing could have a large amount of damage which could be costly to fix and repair.
If you require the different options for the supply of sports pitch maintenance plant with costs, specifications and lead times to deliver this equipment then please fill in our contact form for further information. Please write in detail about the service which your facilities require then this will help our experts provide you with the most effective response.
We have made our enquiry process easy to follow to make this process simple. When you contact us, we will get back to you as soon as possible with the suitable information which you have enquired about. Thank you for reading this information, don't forget to ask us about this!