Wisdom World ....a new world on the Internet

26th Annual Stellar Award Results (2011)

2011-01-22T10:43:00.002+01:00

26th Annual Stellar Award Results (2011)

The winners of the 26th Annual Stellar Awards were announced on January 15th, 2011 from Nashville, Tennessee.Central City Productions, under CEO/ Chairman Don Jackson, produced the event, once again back at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville to celebrate Gospel music excellence. It was The 26th Annual Stellar Awards!

Artist of the Year

# BeBe & CeCe Winans
# Fred Hammond
# James Fortune & FIYA
# Marvin Sapp (Winner)

Song of the Year (Songwriter(s); Song)
# BeBe Winans, "Close to You" (Winner)
# Fred Hammond, Calvin Rodgers, Phillip Feaster, Ericka Warren, Michael Bethany and Dynna Wells, "They That Wait"
# James Fortune, C. Fortune and T. Vaughn, "Encore"
# Marvin Sapp, "Best In Me"

Male Vocalist of the Year
# Byron Cage (Winner)
# Fred Hammond
# J. Moss
# Marvin Sapp

Female Vocalist of the Year
# CeCe Winans
# Karen Clark Sheard (Winner)
# Lucinda Moore
# Tamela Mann

Group Duo of the Year
# BeBe & CeCe Winans
# Forever Jones
# James Fortune & FIYA (Winner)
# The Anointed Pace Sisters

New Artist of the Year
# Forever Jones
# Kristina Halloway (Winner)
# Travis Greene
# Victory Cathedral Choir

CD of the Year
# Fred Hammond, Love Unstoppable
# J. Moss, Just James
# James Fortune & FIYA, Encore
# Marvin Sapp, Here I Am (Winner)

Choir of the Year
# Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
# James Hall & Voices of Citadel
# Victory Cathedral Choir
# Wilmington Chester Mass Choir (Winner)

Producer of the Year
# Aaron Lindsey, Here I Am (Winner)
# Donald Lawrence, The Experience
# Fred Hammond, Love Unstoppable
# James Fortune, Terrance Vaughn and Ayron Lewis, Encore

Contemporary Group/ Duo of the Year
# BeBe & CeCe Winans
# Forever Jones (Winner)
# James Fortune and FIYA
# Trin-i-tee 5:7

Traditional Group/Duo of the Year
# James Greer & Company
# The Anointed Pace Sisters
# The Christian Angels
# The Mighty Clouds of Joy (Winner)

Contemporary Male Vocalist of the Year
# Byron Cage
# Fred Hammond
# J. Moss
# James Fortune (Winner)

Traditional Male Vocalist of the Year
# Alvin Darling
# Darrell Hines
# Marvin Sapp (Winner)
# Mavin Winans

Contemporary Female Vocalist of the Year
# CeCe Winans (Winner)
# Karen Clark Sheard
# Lisa Page Brooks
# Tamela Mann

Traditional Female Vocalist of the Year
# Fredericka Faison
# Lucinda Moore (Winner)
# Shirley Caesar
# Vanessa Bell Armstrong

Contemporary CD of the Year
# BeBe and CeCe Winans, Still
# Fred Hammond, Love Unstoppable
# J.Moss, Just James
# James Fortune and FIYA, Encore (Winner)

Traditional CD of the Year
# James Hall & Voices of Citadel, Won't It Be Wonderful
# Marvin Sapp, Here I Am (Winner)
# Shirley Caesar, A City Called Heaven
# Vanessa Bell Armstrong, The Experience

Urban/ Inspirational Single / Performance of the Year (Artist; Song)
# BeBe & CeCe Winans, "Still" (Winner)
# Forever Jones, "Get Ready"
# James Fortune & FIYA, "Encore"
# Marvin Sapp, "Here I Am"

Music Video of the Year (artist, song/CD title)
# BeBe and CeCe Winans, "Close to You" (Winner)
# Kirk Whalum, "Make Me a Believer"
# Shirley Caesar, "Playground In Heaven"
# The Anointed Pace Sisters, "If I Be Lifted Up"

Contemporary Choir of the Year
# God's Little Soldiers International
# Myron Butler & Levi (Winner)
# Youth for Christ
# Youthful Praise featuring J.J. Hairston

Traditional Choir of the Year
# Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
# James Hall & Voices of Citadel
# Victory Cathedral Choir
# Wilmington Chester Mass Choir (Winner)

Special Event CD of the Year
# BeBe and CeCe Winans, Still
# Kirk Franklin, Are You Listening
# Various Artists, CoCo Brother Live Presents Stand 2010 (Winner)
# Various Artists, WOW Gospel 2010

Rap/Hip Hop Gospel CD of the Year
# DJ Official, Entermission
# Everyday Process, Outtadisworld
# Sho Baraka, Lions and Liars
# Trip Lee, Between Two Worlds (Winner)

Children's Project of the Year
# God's Little Soldiers International, Soldier Story
# Kingdom Kids Worldwide, Kingdom Kids Worldwide Volume 1 (Winner)
# The Velasquez Family Singers, While We Still Have Time
# Youth for Christ, Thanks In Advance

Quartet of the Year
# Reverend F.C. Barnes & Company
# The Christian Angels (Winner)
# The Golden Wings Quartet
# The Mighty Clouds of Joy

Recorded Music Package of the Year [art credit / album ]
# Cameron Hilson and Mark Neubauer, Get Ready
# Denise Trotman, Here I Am
# Derek Blanks and Ken Barboza, Still (Winner)
# Jeff Gilligan, Love Unstoppable

Praise and Worship CD of the Year
# Darwin Hobbs, Darwin Hobbs Live: Champion (Winner)
# James Fortune & FIYA, Encore
# Phil Tarver, Place of Worship
# The Anointed Pace Sisters, Access Granted

FAQ on torrent files

2010-02-09T14:32:00.002+01:00

Can you explain what BitTorrent is?

BitTorrent is a peer-to-peer (or P2P) protocol widely used to distribute large files.
For more info consult:

* The official BitTorrent website (http://www.bittorrent.com/)
* Brian's BitTorrent FAQ and Guide (http://dessent.net/btfaq/)
* The Wikipedia BitTorrent page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BitTorrent)

Where can I find a BitTorrent client?

* uTorrent - a lightweight and easy-to-use client (http://www.utorrent.com/)
* The official BitTorrent client (http://www.bittorrent.com)
* Azureus - a more advanced BitTorrent client (http://azureus.sourceforge.net/)
* BitComet - a user-friendly BitTorrent client (http://www.bitcomet.com/)
* Overview of more BitTorrent clients (http://www.zeropaid.com/software/file-sharing/bittorrent/)

Is it true that downloading torrent files is considered illegal?

Taking into account the fact that torrent files are not copyrighted, it is not considered a crime. But it is to be noted that when you open a torrent file in your BitTorrent client the process of downloading copyrighted content may start automatically.

In some countries with some types of content it may be illegal. Please, mind special restrictions of different countries in order not to have problems with law. In any case, to save yourself it is better to avoid downloading any copyrighted content.
Can you explain what a .torrent file is?

This is a small metadata file. Metadata here means that the file contains information about the data you want to download, not the data itself. The .torrent file is needed to connect to the tracker and download the actual data.
What is a tracker?

This is a service that assists in the communication between BitTorrent clients. When you open a torrent file, your machine contacts the tracker and asks for a list of seeds and leechers to connect to.
What are seeds?

A seed is such a client which has a complete copy of the data of a certain torrent. When BitTorrent client finishes the process of downloading, it remains open till you click the Finish button. This is called a seed or seeding.
What are leechers?

A leecher is such a client which is currently downloading the data of a torrent. If a leecher had the complete file, it would be called a seed.
What are all .rar, .r01, .r02 files?

These files are RAR archives. You need to install WinRAR or 7-Zip to extract the data of the files.
As far as I know the torrent is supposed to be 100MB. How could I download 120MB?

For particular issues consult the hash fails topic. Whenever your client receives bad data it has to redownload it, as the result of this the total downloaded file may be larger than the torrent size. Disable the "kick/ban" option to minimize the risks.
What's MY ratio?

You need to distinguish between overall ratio and the individual ratio. The overall ratio takes into account the total uploaded and downloaded from your account since you joined the site. The individual ratio takes into account those values for each torrent.

You might have seen two symbols of a number : "Inf.". This is just an abbreviation for Infinity, and means that you have downloaded 0 bytes while uploading a non-zero amount (ul/dl becomes infinity); "---", which should be read as "non-available", and shows up when you have both downloaded and uploaded 0 bytes (ul/dl = 0/0 which is an indeterminate amount).
Would you explain why my downloads sometimes stall at 99%?

The more pieces you have, the harder it becomes to find peers who have pieces you are missing. That is the reason for the downloading slowing down or even stalling when there are just a few percent remaining. Be patient and you will get the remaining pieces.
Can I somehow improve the speed of downloading?

The speed of downloading depends on the seeder-to-leecher ratio (SLR). Poor download speed is mainly a problem with new and very popular torrents where the SLR is low.

However, you may try to do something to improve your speed:

First of all, do not do it if you have a slow connection. The best speeds will be found around the half-life of a torrent, when the SLR will be at its highest. (The downside is that you will not be able to seed so much. It's up to you to balance the pros and cons of this). Just give it some time.

As explained above peers favour other peers that upload to them. When you start leeching a new torrent you have nothing to offer to other peers and they will tend to ignore you. This makes the starts slow, in particular if, by change, the peers you are connected to include few or no seeders. The download speed should increase as soon as you have some pieces to share.

Keys To Achieving Happiness In Your Job

2010-01-12T16:38:00.002+01:00

One of the best ways to reducing stress and achieving happiness is by feeling empowered in whatever job that you are doing. Your health also improves as you have more energy to put into whatever you are doing whether at work, home or your social life. Here are keys to achieving happiness through actions that you can take:

1. Love Your Job
If you love the job you do, it is easy to be happy doing it. What if you do not love your job?

There are only two choices. Find another job that you love or find reasons and ways to love your current job. Often, whether you like or dislike your job depends on your mindset.
If you decide to remain at your current job, then find reasons why you are happy about it. The most basic of this will be that it helps you pay your bills. Focus on the few things you find that you like about the job. Meanwhile, look out for other jobs.
Avoid focusing on things that upset you. If you list these out, you may find there are only a few that look like many because you focus on them.

2. Communicate Effectively
If you are unhappy because of how the work gets done in the office, then communicate effectively with your peers and boss on how things can be done better.
Emphasis is on being effective in the communication. Complaining and griping will only irritate your co-workers and boss. Instead, think of ways to improve and discuss these with the others. Besides being better accepted, you will soon find that you enjoy what you do.

3. Mix With The Right People
Choose to mix with people who are positive and focus on results. Stay away from those who are not happy about several things and have a tendency to complain.
Work with people who want to achieve results and find ways of getting the job done better. Contribute your own ideas and take ownership of areas that you are responsible for.

4. Develop Your Skills
Improve on your current skills and start picking up new ones that will help you in your job.
Think about your long-term career and decide on the skills that you need to develop. This will help you decide which are the skills and competencies that you need to work on.
Doing this will give you a target to go after and a purpose in your life. As you keep improving, you will find achieving happiness becomes easier as you get a great sense of fulfillment.

5. Go After Your Dreams
Is your current job a stepping stone to your long-term career?
If it is not, then identify your dreams for the future first. Then decide how your current job can be a stepping stone. You may want to seek for more or a change in your job responsibilities in line with your long-term plans. Speak to your boss about it.Alternatively, you may want to start looking out for a job that is geared towards your future dreams.

Besides the above tips, it is important that you have fun in your life outside your job. If you are a happy person, it is much easier to be happy at your workplace. Choose something that you like to do and make time to do that.
Achieving happiness needs action besides getting the ideas. Now that you have the ideas, apply them and work on getting a stress-free and happy life.

Success Tip - 25 Tips on How to Be Successful

2010-01-11T12:02:00.001+01:00

Tip #1: Keep your home, desk, closets, car - clean, neat and organized.
Tip #2: Do what you feel is best, no matter what people think of you.
Tip #3: Believe that: if it is to be, it is up to me
Tip #4: Learn something new every day
Tip #5: Act as if it was impossible to fail.
Tip #6: Build your reputation for honesty, integrity, quality and superb service.
Tip #7: Support others in achieving their goals.
Tip #8: Take responsibility for your past, present, and future experiences.
Tip #9: Inspire others by your example
Tip #10. Think BIG. Dream lofty dreams. Plan. Act NOW.
Tip #11. Strive to accomplish more, with less time, money and energy
Tip #12. Know that you are equal to everyone and that everyone is equal to you
Tip #13: Never forget the power of your smile - it generates enthusiasm, friendliness, confidence.
Tip #14: Do and say things that benefit all concerned
Tip #15. Give something away daily - a postcard, letter, gift, smile, hug, compliment
Tip #16. Develop influential friendships near and far.
Tip #17: Simplify your life, have more fun per hour.
Tip #18. Be good to yourself - keep healthy.
Tip #19. Dress for success - feel great and look like a leader.
Tip #20. Aim for excellence in your field.
Tip #21. Accept people the way they are and the way they are not.
Tip #22. Live your ideal life - NOW.
Tip #23. Be open to new ideas, relationships and experiences
Tip #24. Realize that all events happen for the best.
Tip #25. Avoid saying: can't, hard, difficult. Say: I can, it's easy, it's simple

Top Five Online Scams

2009-11-11T15:33:00.002+01:00

By: Gary Gresham

These con artists and hackers are just waiting to commit online fraud and steal your identity. Look carefully at these top five online scams and be aware of what is going on so you won't become a victim.

Scam # 1 Online Auction Scam

You buy something on an online auction, send them the money and get nothing in return. Or the product you get is a fake or a cheap knockoff instead of the genuine brand name item. This is a risk you take when buying from an online auction.

Scam # 2 Phishing Scam

The phishing definition is when a fraudster spams the Internet with email claiming to be from a reputable bank. The email outfitted with authentic bank logos asks you to log in and verify your account information. The thief captures your account information from the web address they take you to and drains your account. These can also become identity theft scams too because they can sell your information to other criminals.

Scam # 3 Nigerian Letter Scam

These email scams usually start out with all capital letters and begins with: DEAR SIR/MADAM. The email goes on to say they are the some minister of something for an African country. He wants you to help him get millions of dollars out of the country. You just need to pay for legal fees and some other advanced fees before the transaction can be finalized. You would think people would be too smart to fall for this. But you would be wrong.

Scam # 4 Reshipping Scam

You are emailed by an offshore corporation that needs a U.S. address and bank account which you supply. You receive goods and reship them to another country. You receive wire transfers into your bank account and you transfer money into their offshore account. In return you get to keep a percentage of everything. But with this scam you are taking a big risk because you could get arrested for participating in moving stolen property and transferring stolen funds.

Scam # 5 Congratulations You've Won Scam

This email tells you have won a nice prize like a plasma TV, a new computer or even the lottery. All you have to do to claim your prize is go to this web address and pay for the shipping and handling with your credit card. In the case of winning the lottery they need advanced fees to cover legal costs. Not only do you never get the prize but you start getting mysterious charges on your credit card.

So what's the best thing to do when you or someone you know has fallen for one of these scams? Some people are embarrassed and don't want to tell anyone. But that's how these thieves get away with these things for so long without getting caught. The best way to stop these con artists from operating is to report email scams to the authorities.

The best place to report email scams is The Internet Fraud Complaint Center or (IFCC). They are a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C). Their web address is: http://www1.ifccfbi.gov

IFCC's mission is to address fraud committed over the Internet. For victims of Internet fraud Business Management Articles, IFCC provides a convenient and easy-to-use reporting mechanism that alerts authorities of a suspected criminal or civil violation.

By becoming aware of these top five online scams and reporting email scams to the IFCC you can make the Internet safer for everyone.

Courtesy: Spyware Information.com

6 Mistakes to Avoid on Email Subject Lines

2009-11-11T15:06:00.002+01:00

By Daniel Scocco

If you are a blogger, website owner or online worker, you probably need to contact people via email all the time. On some occasions you will also be the one starting the conversation and looking for a reply. For example, you might want to offer a guest article for a particular blog, or you might want to propose a business partnership to someone. Unless you craft your email messages smartly, though, there are good chances that the other person won’t even read them. Spam filters are the first obstacle, but even if your message goes though the other person might just delete it.

The subject line is probably the most important part of your message, and in this post I wanted to cover six mistakes that I see people making:

1. Creating one word subject lines

Have you ever received an email with the subject line “Hi”? If you have, you know how annoying it is. One word subject lines are terrible because they fail to communicate what the email is about, where it is coming from and the like (more on that later). Additionally, they might also reveal laziness or carelessness from the sender’s part, which might lead the receiver to ignore the email.

2. Making requests

People want to receive, not to give. If your subject line makes a request right away, the receiver will be less likely to open it. Examples include link exchange requests, voting requests and so on. A better approach to get the conversation going is to start by offering something.

3. Using spammy keywords

Using spammy keywords in your subject line is a no-no. Even if you get lucky and the spam filter does not block your message, there are good chances that the receiver will tag your message as spam as soon as he reads the subject line. Here is a short list of words to give you an idea of what should be avoided:

* free
* money
* win
* degree
* gift
* deal
* sign-up
* survey

4. Begging for attention

Using “Please Read This” as your subject line will not help convincing the receiver to open your email. Quite the opposite. The same is true for using words like “urgent,” “important” and similar.

5. Making it sound too good to be true

Real business or joint venture opportunities usually come from people you already have a relationship with. If you are going to email someone for the first time, therefore, avoiding using these terms, else you might be seen as a scammer.

6. Making it look like an automated message

If your subject like looks like an automated message from a website or online service, well, people will assume it indeed is. Just take a look at the automated messages you receive and avoid crafting your subject lines in the same fashion. One example is the “Invitation to…” subject line. Usually those come from social networks, and people tend to ignore them.

By now you might be asking yourself: “OK I understand the mistakes I need to avoid, but how should I craft a good subject line then?” In my opinion a good email subject line should have two elements: a relevancy hook (i.e., a keyword that will assure the receiver that the email message is indeed for him, like his name or the name of his website) and a brief description of the content of the email (because even if the receiver knows your message is a legitimate one, he might not read it immediately or at all unless he knows what it is about).

Courtesy DailyBlogTips

PortableApps adds Chrome and Skype

2009-10-26T14:16:00.001+01:00

By Seth Rosenblatt

The PortableApps Suite is a storehouse and management system for "portable" versions of some of the most popular freeware around. That collection used to be limited only to open-source programs. But on Wednesday it started making portable versions of closed-source freeware to users. The first batch of portable freeware includes Web browser Google Chrome, VoIP client Skype, BitTorrent client uTorrent, antispyware tool SpyDLLRemover, and three others at the time of writing. The new portable versions of these programs work both independently and in tandem with the PortableApps suite.

In a statement published on its Web site, PortableApps.com founder and CEO John Haller said that PortableApps "remains committed" to open-source software, but that closed-source freeware publishers would find other venues for USB stick-friendly versions of their programs if PortableApps didn't open its doors to them. For users that want to support only open-source programs, he said that the PortableApps directory will soon be filterable.

PortableApps is also planning to accept portable versions of commercial software, although it hasn't announced a timeline yet. Readers can check on the latest updates to the PortableApps catalog at their Web site, although we do host most of them at Download.com as well.

Courtesy: cnet.com

Better searching in Gmail

2009-09-25T11:38:00.002+01:00

Just as you can specify a Web site for Google searches ("google tips" site:itworld.com), you can use a variety of search operators with Gmail. Two caveats: Gmail searches won't suggest spelling for you or handle plurals ("dog" won't return "dogs").

Common e-mail header information (to, cc, bcc, subject, and from) can be added to search queries. Examples include "to:John" or "to:john@doe.com", "bcc:Boss", "subject:netbooks". Add the "in:anywhere" query and include the Trash and Spam listings in your search (they're ignored in regular searches).

Gather all messages with attachments by searching "has:attachment". Narrow that list by searching for "filename:doc" or "filename:pdf" to return just those types of attachments. All file extensions work.

Searching by time requires you to put the date in the form yyyy/mm/dd. Search after the Ides of March using "after:2009/03/15" and you'll get all messages after, but not on, March 15th. Search for earlier messages using "before:2009/03/15" and you'll get all message before, but not on, that date.

Labels in Gmail take some people by surprise, and a few have trouble making the switch from nested folders to labels. Just remember a message can only be in one folder, but it can have multiple labels.

Search using the labels by adding "label:inbox" or "label:sales" in the query, depending on your predefined labels. System labels such as starred, drafts, spam, trash, read, and unread work too.

Boolean operators AND, OR, and NOT can be used, as can parentheses and braces for grouping search terms. Searching "from:jane subject:(zoo|tigers)" will return messages from Jane about the zoo or tigers.

Yes, most of these tips work in Calendar, Docs, and other Google Apps.

This tip comes from Scott Granneman, author of Google Apps Deciphered. Prentice Hall.

Search and surf the web without leaving traces on your computer

2009-09-19T13:26:00.001+01:00

Browzar is based on the Internet Explorer engine, which means it's such a small file that it only takes seconds to download. We've made it disposable; so you have the choice of keeping Browzar on your PC, or downloading it each time you need to protect your privacy. You don't even need to install it: with Browzar you just click and go...

No browsing history, stored files, or cookies
No embarrassing search auto-complete
No installation. Just click ‘run’ and go
No registration required

The freedom to surf the web with complete privacy
Browzar doesn’t do web cache, web history, cookies or auto-complete. We promise that your business stays your business.

The freedom to search for whatever you want
Browzar doesn’t remember what you search for and won’t embarrassingly auto-complete what you’ve searched for in the past.

The freedom to use it wherever you are
Browzar only takes seconds to download. Use it at home, at your friend’s, at work, in an Internet café, in fact anywhere you’ve got a computer and an internet connection.

The freedom to use it whenever you want
Using Browzar doesn’t involve commitment. Use it once a year, once a week or everyday, it’s up to you. It's free to download and use Browzar as many times as you like.

To download browser go to: http://www.browzar.com/index.html

Happy safe browsing!!!

Bebe and Cece: "Still" Dynamic Duo

2009-09-14T10:36:00.000+01:00

Growing up in Detroit, MI, Benjamin "BeBe" Winans and Priscilla "CeCe" Winans were born into a home that birthed the first family of Gospel music. The Winans Family was led by a mother and father who taught their ten children the foundations of a Godly life and admonished them to use their voices for the glory of God. The success of their four brothers, The Winans, blazed a trail for BeBe & CeCe to create their own path of writing and performing music that would attract a legion of fans and change the face of Gospel music forever.

After the success of their debut album, BeBe & CeCe became the first Gospel pair to see their second album, Heaven, reach #1 on the Billboard sales charts in 1988 and also be certified Gold. The title track reached #12 on the Billboard R&B singles chart and also spawned two more hit singles with "Lost Without You" and "Celebrate New Life."

In 1991, the dynamic duo released Different Lifestyles featuring the single "Addictive Love" and a cover of the Staples Singers classic, "I'll Take You There." Both singles topped the R&B charts. From there, BeBe & CeCe released two more albums and after an amazing run of smash hits and albums, BeBe & CeCe went on to pursue incredibly successful solo careers.

With a phenomenal career that has spanned more than 20 years, BeBe & CeCe have become one of the most commercially successful gospel artists in the business. As a duo their accolades include five Grammy Awards, eight Dove Awards, two NAACP Image Awards, one Soul Train Award and over a dozen Stellar Awards. They have also racked up 12 chart topping R&B singles, as well as numerous #1 singles on Christian AC and CHR radio, three gold albums and one platinum album.

Watchout in October for the first full length album by the duo in 13 years. Their first single together in 13 years "close to you" was released June 2009.The new CD will be released on their record label B&C/Malaco Records. The release is scheduled for October 6,2009 and will be entitled "Still."

23 Ways To Speed Up Windows Xp Aside Defragmentation

2009-08-25T12:57:00.006+01:00

Since defragging the disk won't do much to improve Windows XP performance, here are 23 suggestions that will. Each can enhance the performance and reliability of your customers' PCs. Best of all, most of them will cost you nothing.
1.) To decrease a system's boot time and increase system performance, use the money you save by not buying defragmentation software -- the built-in Windows defragmenter works just fine -- and instead equip the computer with an Ultra-133 or Serial ATA hard drive with 8-MB cache buffer.

2.) If a PC has less than 512 MB of RAM, add more memory. This is a relatively inexpensive and easy upgrade that can dramatically improve system performance.

3.) Ensure that Windows XP is utilizing the NTFS file system. If you're not sure, here's how to check: First, double-click the My Computer icon, right-click on the C: Drive, then select Properties. Next, examine the File System type; if it says FAT32, then back-up any important data. Next, click Start, click Run, type CMD, and then click OK. At the prompt, type CONVERT C: /FS:NTFS and press the Enter key. This process may take a while; it's important that the computer be uninterrupted and virus-free. The file system used by the bootable drive will be either FAT32 or NTFS. I highly recommend NTFS for its superior security, reliability, and efficiency with larger disk drives.

4.) Disable file indexing. The indexing service extracts information from documents and other files on the hard drive and creates a "searchable keyword index." As you can imagine, this process can be quite taxing on any system.

The idea is that the user can search for a word, phrase, or property inside a document, should they have hundreds or thousands of documents and not know the file name of the document they want. Windows XP's built-in search functionality can still perform these kinds of searches without the Indexing service. It just takes longer. The OS has to open each file at the time of the request to help find what the user is looking for.

Most people never need this feature of search. Those who do are typically in a large corporate environment where thousands of documents are located on at least one server. But if you're a typical system builder, most of your clients are small and medium businesses. And if your clients have no need for this search feature, I recommend disabling it.

Here's how: First, double-click the My Computer icon. Next, right-click on the C: Drive, then select Properties. Uncheck "Allow Indexing Service to index this disk for fast file searching." Next, apply changes to "C: subfolders and files," and click OK. If a warning or error message appears (such as "Access is denied"), click the Ignore All button.

5.) Update the PC's video and motherboard chipset drivers. Also, update and configure the BIOS.

6.) Empty the Windows Prefetch folder every three months or so. Windows XP can "prefetch" portions of data and applications that are used frequently. This makes processes appear to load faster when called upon by the user. That's fine. But over time, the prefetch folder may become overloaded with references to files and applications no longer in use. When that happens, Windows XP is wasting time, and slowing system performance, by pre-loading them. Nothing critical is in this folder, and the entire contents are safe to delete.

7.) Once a month, run a disk cleanup. Here's how: Double-click the My Computer icon. Then right-click on the C: drive and select Properties. Click the Disk Cleanup button -- it's just to the right of the Capacity pie graph -- and delete all temporary files.

8.) In your Device Manager, double-click on the IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers device, and ensure that DMA is enabled for each drive you have connected to the Primary and Secondary controller. Do this by double-clicking on Primary IDE Channel. Then click the Advanced Settings tab. Ensure the Transfer Mode is set to "DMA if available" for both Device 0 and Device 1. Then repeat this process with the Secondary IDE Channel.

9.) Upgrade the cabling. As hard-drive technology improves, the cabling requirements to achieve these performance boosts have become more stringent. Be sure to use 80-wire Ultra-133 cables on all of your IDE devices with the connectors properly assigned to the matching Master/Slave/Motherboard sockets. A single device must be at the end of the cable; connecting a single drive to the middle connector on a ribbon cable will cause signaling problems. With Ultra DMA hard drives, these signaling problems will prevent the drive from performing at its maximum potential. Also, because these cables inherently support "cable select," the location of each drive on the cable is important. For these reasons, the cable is designed so drive positioning is explicitly clear.

10.) Remove all spyware from the computer. Use free programs such as AdAware by Lavasoft or SpyBot Search & Destroy. Once these programs are installed, be sure to check for and download any updates before starting your search. Anything either program finds can be safely removed. Any free software that requires spyware to run will no longer function once the spyware portion has been removed; if your customer really wants the program even though it contains spyware, simply reinstall it.

11.) Remove any unnecessary programs and/or items from Windows Startup routine using the MSCONFIG utility. Here's how: First, click Start, click Run, type MSCONFIG, and click OK. Click the StartUp tab, then uncheck any items you don't want to start when Windows starts. Unsure what some items are? Visit the WinTasks Process Library. It contains known system processes, applications, as well as spyware references and explanations. Or quickly identify them by searching for the filenames using Google or another Web search engine.

12.) Remove any unnecessary or unused programs from the Add/Remove Programs section of the Control Panel.

13.) Turn off any and all unnecessary animations, and disable active desktop. In fact, for optimal performance, turn off all animations. Windows XP offers many different settings in this area. Here's how to do it: First click on the System icon in the Control Panel. Next, click on the Advanced tab. Select the Settings button located under Performance. Feel free to play around with the options offered here, as nothing you can change will alter the reliability of the computer -- only its responsiveness.

14.) If your customer is an advanced user who is comfortable editing their registry, try some of the performance registry tweaks offered at Tweak XP.

15.) Visit Microsoft's Windows update site regularly, and download all updates labeled Critical. Download any optional updates at your discretion.

16.) Update the customer's anti-virus software on a weekly, even daily, basis. Make sure they have only one anti-virus software package installed. Mixing anti-virus software is a sure way to spell disaster for performance and reliability.

17.) Make sure the customer has fewer than 500 type fonts installed on their computer. The more fonts they have, the slower the system will become. While Windows XP handles fonts much more efficiently than did the previous versions of Windows, too many fonts -- that is, anything over 500 -- will noticeably tax the system.

18.) Do not partition the hard drive. Windows XP's NTFS file system runs more efficiently on one large partition. The data is no safer on a separate partition, and a reformat is never necessary to reinstall an operating system. The same excuses people offer for using partitions apply to using a folder instead. For example, instead of putting all your data on the D: drive, put it in a folder called "D drive." You'll achieve the same organizational benefits that a separate partition offers, but without the degradation in system performance. Also, your free space won't be limited by the size of the partition; instead, it will be limited by the size of the entire hard drive. This means you won't need to resize any partitions, ever. That task can be time-consuming and also can result in lost data.

19.) Check the system's RAM to ensure it is operating properly. I recommend using a free program called MemTest86. The download will make a bootable CD or diskette (your choice), which will run 10 extensive tests on the PC's memory automatically after you boot to the disk you created. Allow all tests to run until at least three passes of the 10 tests are completed. If the program encounters any errors, turn off and unplug the computer, remove a stick of memory (assuming you have more than one), and run the test again. Remember, bad memory cannot be repaired, but only replaced.

20.) If the PC has a CD or DVD recorder, check the drive manufacturer's Web site for updated firmware. In some cases you'll be able to upgrade the recorder to a faster speed. Best of all, it's free.

21.) Disable unnecessary services. Windows XP loads a lot of services that your customer most likely does not need. To determine which services you can disable for your client, visit the Black Viper site for Windows XP configurations.

22.) If you're sick of a single Windows Explorer window crashing and then taking the rest of your OS down with it, then follow this tip: open My Computer, click on Tools, then Folder Options. Now click on the View tab. Scroll down to "Launch folder windows in a separate process," and enable this option. You'll have to reboot your machine for this option to take effect.

23.) At least once a year, open the computer's cases and blow out all the dust and debris. While you're in there, check that all the fans are turning properly. Also inspect the motherboard capacitors for bulging or leaks. For more information on this leaking-capacitor phenomena, you can read numerous articles on my site.

Following any of these suggestions should result in noticeable improvements to the performance and reliability of your customers' computers. If you still want to defrag a disk, remember that the main benefit will be to make your data more retrievable in the event of a crashed drive.

Google chrome crashes due to winhttp.dll

2009-08-10T11:25:00.001+01:00

Google chrome crashes due to an issue with winhttp.dll, for a few.Though Google chrome initialized and started up properly, after disabling sandboxing using “--no-sandbox” option and thereby fixing the application failed to initialize (0xc0000005) error, Google chrome crashed on browsing any web page.On further verification, the crash seems to have been caused by winhttp.dll.

The fix for this issue was to add “--new-http” option towards end of the “target” line i.e. Right click the shortcut to “Google Chrome” and click Properties. Then in the target text field, add a space then add “--new-http” (without the double quotes) right after the ending quotation mark.Note that I am adding this option by leaving a space after the “-–no-sandbox” option.Also note that there are two dashes before new.Refer image below.

What this effectively does, is it creates a new instance of winhttp.dll, from your windows operating system environment, and thereby overrides the winhttp.dll that comes packaged with Google chrome.

Now, I did experiment to remove these options in the shortcut to Google chrome and started browsing web pages Fix the crashes due to winhttp.dll with “--new-http” and enjoy browsing with google chrome.

Update 2: If you remove the options, google chrome will throw the same errors on a restart.So you should live without the sandboxing effect until Google resolves this issue permanently.

Free services that let you store / send large file to other users.

2009-08-06T09:52:00.001+01:00

How do I upload my files using an FTP program?

2009-08-06T08:30:00.003+01:00

The following article explains how to upload your website to different servers through an FTP (File Transfer Protocal) program. There are a large number of programs you can choose from. The basic idea is to first establish a connection with a server and your computer and then upload the files. This will transfer your website to the servers so that others can view your site on the internet.
To upload your files using an FTP program, please follow these steps:

1. Open the FTP program.
2. Enter the following information in the connection bar:

* Address/Host Name: this will be your domain name or IP address. Some programs may require you to enter http://, but most do not.

* User/Username: this is the "username" that was issued to you when you signed up with the hosting company.

* Password: this is the "password" that was issued to you when you signed up with the hosting company.

* Port: the default port number for FTP is 21. For Most FTP programs you will not need to add this information. It will use port 21 by default.

Entering the above information should open a connection to your websites folder on our the hosting server. You should also see a folder that represents your home machine.

Navigate through the folder of your home machine to find your files. Select each file and drag it to the folder that represents the hosting server. This should upload your files into your websites folder on your hosting server.

Note: in order for your site to show up when you type in your domain name or IP address into a web browser, the first page or the home page must be named one of these file names:

* index.html (standard HTML extension)
* index.htm (standard HTML extension)
* index.shtml or shtm (standard SSI extension, used with server side includes)
* index.asp (standard "active server page extension)
* default.html (standard HTML extension)
* default.htm (standard HTML extension)
* default.shtml or shtm (standard SSI extension, used with server side includes)
* default.asp (standard "active server page extension)

If you require a different home page name (called a "default document"), you can update it through the Control Panel or we can accommodate your needs. Please let us know what name you require. In most cases it is easier to rename your home page to one of the documents above. Please note that some file names (such as .asp and .shtml) are reserved for specific types of web applications. If you are unsure of which file extension to use, you can probably safely use .htm or .html.

Also, these documents carry an "order of precedence" as they are listed above. For example, if you have both an index.html file and a default.html file, the index.html file will show up when viewing your site with the domain name or IP address.

Hope this information was very helpful to you. Do have a most lovely day!

FASTEST WEB BROWSER

2009-08-04T15:47:00.002+01:00

From the advent of Internet, web browser is the most commonly used software in the Web World, There have a great variety of web browsers on the internet, the most important web browsers include Internet Explorer, FireFox, Opera, Maxthon, Netscape, Google Chrome and Safari, then which is fastest web browser? There are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand people's eyes, because Internet content is always changing, the web pages load times may get different timings when you run these tests.

For Windows platform, Internet Explorer is most popular web browser, but for many people, Internet Explorer is too strong and too big, it will become slower and slower, there have too many plug-ins and spams launched with Internet Explorer, it will become hard to use and slow very much. Program can use the newest IE8 core, it is a vast improvement over old version, especially in performance.
Fastest Web Browser

This program is titled "Fastest Web Browser", developed based the IE core, one tiny and full features web browser for Windows OS. As its name show, it is one quick and handy web browser, can launch and browse Internet content rapidly. Program base IE browser core, it customizes the IE core to make it be quicker than normal IE. It can be seemed as one lite version for Internet Explorer, light and handy, small and fast. It is completely free software; everyone can use it for free.

Fastest Web Browser is one tab browser, it allow you to view multiple web pages in the same browser without the need to open a new browser session. Each tab functions like a Browser window to display distinct content, but you can switch back and forth between tabs without opening more Browser windows, tabbed browsing lets you view many different websites at one time.

Main Features

* Fast - quickly browse and launch;
* Small - standalone program, no installation need, can run from Flash Disk (only 820KB);
* Tabs browser - browse multiple web pages in the same browser;
* Free - one completely freeware;
* Easy to use - no need install;
* Support all Windows versions (98/XP/2000/2003/Vista);
* Program can run a 64-bit version of Windows;
* Windows 7 compatibility;
* 100% Clean, no spyware or adware

Download this beautiful and fastest web browser from: http://www.fastestwebbrowser.com

Components Of The Internet

2009-07-17T17:41:00.004+01:00

The Internet is a computer network made up of thousands of networks worldwide. No one knows exactly how many computers are connected to the Internet. It is certain, however, that these number is in the millions.

No one is in charge of the Internet. There are organizations which develop technical aspects of this network and set standards for creating applications on it, but no governing body is in control. The Internet backbone, through which Internet traffic flows, is owned by private companies.

All computers on the Internet communicate with one another using the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol suite, abbreviated to TCP/IP. Computers on the Internet use a client/server architecture. This means that the remote server machine provides files and services to the user's local client machine. Software can be installed on a client computer to take advantage of the latest access technology.

An Internet user has access to a wide variety of services: electronic mail, file transfer, vast information resources, interest group membership, interactive collaboration, multimedia displays, real-time broadcasting, shopping opportunities, breaking news, and much more.

The Internet consists primarily of a variety of access protocols. Many of these protocols feature programs that allow users to search for and retrieve material made available by the protocol.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

COMPONENTS OF THE INTERNET
,
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WORLD WIDE WEB
The World Wide Web (abbreviated as the Web or WWW) is a system of Internet servers that supports hypertext to access several Internet protocols on a single interface. Almost every protocol type available on the Internet is accessible on the Web. This includes e-mail, FTP, Telnet, and Usenet News. In addition to these, the World Wide Web has its own protocol: HyperText Transfer Protocol, or HTTP. These protocols will be explained later in subsequent articles.

The World Wide Web provides a single interface for accessing all these protocols. This creates a convenient and user-friendly environment. It is no longer necessary to be conversant in these protocols within separate, command-level environments. The Web gathers together these protocols into a single system. Because of this feature, and because of the Web's ability to work with multimedia and advanced programming languages, the Web is the fastest-growing component of the Internet.

The operation of the Web relies primarily on hypertext as its means of information retrieval. HyperText is a document containing words that connect to other documents. These words are called links and are selectable by the user. A single hypertext document can contain links to many documents. In the context of the Web, words or graphics may serve as links to other documents, images, video, and sound. Links may or may not follow a logical path, as each connection is programmed by the creator of the source document. Overall, the Web contains a complex virtual web of connections among a vast number of documents, graphics, videos, and sounds.

Producing hypertext for the Web is accomplished by creating documents with a language called HyperText Markup Language, or HTML. With HTML, tags are placed within the text to accomplish document formatting, visual features such as font size, italics and bold, and the creation of hypertext links. Graphics and multimedia may also be incorporated into an HTML document. HTML is an evolving language, with new tags being added as each upgrade of the language is developed and released. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), led by Web founder Tim Berners-Lee, coordinates the efforts of standardizing HTML. The W3C now calls the language XHTML and considers it to be an application of the XML language standard.

The World Wide Web consists of files, called pages or home pages, containing links to documents and resources throughout the Internet.

The Web provides a vast array of experiences including multimedia presentations, real-time collaboration, interactive pages, radio and television broadcasts, and the automatic "push" of information to a client computer. Programming languages such as Java, JavaScript, Visual Basic, Cold Fusion and XML are extending the capabilities of the Web. A growing amount of information on the Web is served dynamically from content stored in databases. The Web is therefore not a fixed entity, but one that is in a constant state of development and flux.

For more complete information about the World Wide Web, see Understanding The World Wide Web.

E-MAIL
Electronic mail, or e-mail, allows computer users locally and worldwide to exchange messages. Each user of e-mail has a mailbox address to which messages are sent. Messages sent through e-mail can arrive within a matter of seconds.

A powerful aspect of e-mail is the option to send electronic files to a person's e-mail address. Non-ASCII files, known as binary files, may be attached to e-mail messages. These files are referred to as MIME attachments.MIME stands for Multimedia Internet Mail Extension, and was developed to help e-mail software handle a variety of file types. For example, a document created in Microsoft Word can be attached to an e-mail message and retrieved by the recipient with the appropriate e-mail program. Many e-mail programs, including Eudora, Netscape Messenger, and Microsoft Outlook, offer the ability to read files written in HTML, which is itself a MIME type.

TELNET
Telnet is a program that allows you to log into computers on the Internet and use online databases, library catalogs, chat services, and more. There are no graphics in Telnet sessions, just text. To Telnet to a computer, you must know its address. This can consist of words (locis.loc.gov) or numbers (140.147.254.3). Some services require you to connect to a specific port on the remote computer. In this case, type the port number after the Internet address. Example: telnet nri.reston.va.us 185.

Telnet is available on the World Wide Web. Probably the most common Web-based resources available through Telnet have been library catalogs, though most catalogs have since migrated to the Web. A link to a Telnet resource may look like any other link, but it will launch a Telnet session to make the connection. A Telnet program must be installed on your local computer and configured to your Web browser in order to work.

With the increasing popularity of the Web, Telnet has become less frequently used as a means of access to information on the Internet.

FTP
FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. This is both a program and the method used to transfer files between computers. Anonymous FTP is an option that allows users to transfer files from thousands of host computers on the Internet to their personal computer account. FTP sites contain books, articles, software, games, images, sounds, multimedia, course work, data sets, and more.

If your computer is directly connected to the Internet via an Ethernet cable, you can use one of several PC software programs, such as WS_FTP for Windows, to conduct a file transfer.

FTP transfers can be performed on the World Wide Web without the need for special software. In this case, the Web browser will suffice. Whenever you download software from a Web site to your local machine, you are using FTP. You can also retrieve FTP files via search engines such as FtpFind, located at /http://www.ftpfind.com/. This option is easiest because you do not need to know FTP program commands.

E-MAIL DISCUSSION GROUPS
One of the benefits of the Internet is the opportunity it offers to people worldwide to communicate via e-mail. The Internet is home to a large community of individuals who carry out active discussions organized around topic-oriented forums distributed by e-mail. These are administered by software programs. Probably the most common program is the listserv.

A great variety of topics are covered by listservs, many of them academic in nature. When you subscribe to a listserv, messages from other subscribers are automatically sent to your electronic mailbox. You subscribe to a listserv by sending an e-mail message to a computer program called a listserver. Listservers are located on computer networks throughout the world. This program handles subscription information and distributes messages to and from subscribers. You must have a e-mail account to participate in a listserv discussion group. Visit Tile.net at /http://tile.net/ to see an example of a site that offers a searchablecollection of e-mail discussion groups.

Majordomo and Listproc are two other programs that administer e-mail discussion groups. The commands for subscribing to and managing your list memberships are similar to those of listserv.

USENET NEWS
Usenet News is a global electronic bulletin board system in which millions of computer users exchange information on a vast range of topics. The major difference between Usenet News and e-mail discussion groups is the fact that Usenet messages are stored on central computers, and users must connect to these computers to read or download the messages posted to these groups. This is distinct from e-mail distribution, in which messages arrive in the electronic mailboxes of each list member.

Usenet itself is a set of machines that exchanges messages, or articles, from Usenet discussion forums, called newsgroups. Usenet administrators control their own sites, and decide which (if any) newsgroups to sponsor and which remote newsgroups to allow into the system.

There are thousands of Usenet newsgroups in existence. While many are academic in nature, numerous newsgroups are organized around recreational topics. Much serious computer-related work takes place in Usenet discussions. A small number of e-mail discussion groups also exist as Usenet newsgroups.

The Usenet newsfeed can be read by a variety of newsreader software programs. For example, the Netscape suite comes with a newsreader program called Messenger. Newsreaders are also available as standalone products.

FAQ, RFC, FYI
FAQ stands for Frequently Asked Questions. These are periodic postings to Usenet newsgroups that contain a wealth of information related to the topic of the newsgroup. Many FAQs are quite extensive. FAQs are available by subscribing to individual Usenet newsgroups. A Web-based collection of FAQ resources has been collected by The Internet FAQ Consortium and is available at /http://www.faqs.org/.

RFC stands for Request for Comments. These are documents created by and distributed to the Internet community to help define the nuts and bolts of the Internet. They contain both technical specifications and general information.

FYI stands for For Your Information. These notes are a subset of RFCs and contain information of interest to new Internet users.

Links to indexes of all three of these information resources are available on the University Libraries Web site at /http://library.albany.edu/reference/faqs.html.

CHAT & INSTANT MESSENGING
Chat programs allow users on the Internet to communicate with each other by typing in real time. They are sometimes included as a feature of a Web site, where users can log into the "chat room" to exchange comments and information about the topics addressed on the site. Chat may take other, more wide-ranging forms. For example, America Online is well known for sponsoring a number of topical chat rooms.

Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is a service through which participants can communicate to each other on hundreds of channels. These channels are usually based on specific topics. While many topics are frivolous, substantive conversations are also taking place. To access IRC, you must use an IRC software program.

A variation of chat is the phenomenon of instant messenging. With instant messenging, a user on the Web can contact another user currently logged in and type a conversation. Most famous is America Online's Instant Messenger. ICQ, MSN and Yahoo are other commonly-used chat programs.

MUD/MUSH/MOO/MUCK/DUM/MUSE
MUD stands for Multi User Dimension. MUDs, and their variations listed above, are multi-user virtual reality games based on simulated worlds. Traditionally text based, graphical MUDs now exist. There are MUDs of all kinds on the Internet, and many can be joined free of charge.

Make a slide show of your photos with music.

2009-07-10T11:05:00.002+01:00

Everybody knows how big is a wish to share impressions with family and friends after a journey. There’s not much to do – select the folder with photos, press “Start” and enjoy the moments passed (Hey! Don’t forget to insert an ethnic music CD. I recommend).

I doubt whether our software is the first one created for such purposes, BUT no doubt it is the easiest. Of course, if you like to investigate the toolbar you can look at Adobe Photo Elements or Picasa, but if you want to see the photos accompanied by music – try PhotoMusic.

* Step 1: Select the folder with photos. Press Start - and see the professional SlideShow on your HDTV panel at high resolution.
* Step 2: If you are interested not only in photos but music also, select the folder with mp3 files or insert Audio CD.
* Step 3: Hard-to-please customers can manage settings, save and load created projects.

By the way if you want to give photos to your friends, just burn PhotoMusic on CD together with the photos and the software will automatically display images from the folder.

courtesy: http://www.coolutils.com/PhotoMusic

The Case for Idealism...an Ode to Idealists!

2009-07-10T10:20:00.003+01:00

Case Study: Three young idealists, who blew away their competition: Gandhi, Obama And Walt Disney

I often wonder about the difference between great idealism, great ambition, and great stupidity. It is a fine line indeed. Idealism has always been scoffed at. But where would we be without it?? Failed idealism is often termed as stupidity. But is it really??

I like the quote "Aim for the moon; if you miss it, you will still land among the stars." It is only when you aim high that you can soar high.

George Bernard Shaw once famously said, "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man."

And indeed so. Its very easy to forget that the people who have been the greatest visionaries were also termed as idiots and idealists. While everyone now might laugh at the thought, Americans have been quick to forget that the president they now adore would not have been but for a healthy dose of idealism on his part. Barack Obama for all given purposes had no business even thinking he would be President. He was of mixed parentage, with a white mother and African (different from African American) father; grew up in Hawaii (a state that has produced zero presidents before this one) with no proper religious background; had a muslim middle name sandwiched between strong Kenyan names; had a Harvard degree, no military service, very little public service, and was of modest means. Add onto that, that he was running against a Clinton. Yet he ran, and he won. And hopefully, he will be the change we all want to see among leaders of our world.

Speaking of "be the change," think of Gandhi, a softspoken, slight Indian man who thought that he could take down the mighty British empire, with a grand total of, well, no weapons. Even fist fights weren't allowed!! If he had told you in the early 1900's that the non-violence movement would not only encompass India and topple the British empire, but bring civil rights to African Americans in the US, reverse apartheid in one of the most racist regimes in the world - South Africa, bring the Chinese military to its knees in Tianenman Square, and become the mainstay of EVERY modern demonstration in the world, you would have laughed!! Many did; yet all those things happened and the movement still endures.

A few days ago, I found myself in another mecca of idealism - Disneyland. Riding some of the rides I had loved as a kid, I was struck by how timeless they were. Disney was SO ahead of his time. To think that much of Disneyland and Disney World's layouts have scarcely changed since they were built, inspite of the massive changes in technology in the recent past; that the most popular rides then still endure, and they continue to "make dreams come true" everyday is mindboggling. I'm sure if Disney had told you in the 30's that people would pay an-arm-and-a-leg to watch talking robot animals in the 21st century, we would have laughed. Yet here we are, years later doing exactly that.

Probably the biggest and powerful idealists are parents and teachers - moms, especially.

I think we need more idealism. Balanced with pragmatism, an unrelenting idealist with clear vision is capable of great change. Rather than laughing at them, maybe we should support them with our pragmatism. That while they soar high, we can be the tails on their kites to guide them, while also enjoying the ride.

Here's to the idealists amongst us!!

Courtesy: http://tworque.blogspot.com/

How do I remove the Microsoft "Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications" ?

2009-07-07T10:46:00.004+01:00

RemoveWGA is a small utility that enables you to remove the Microsoft Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications tool.

RemoveWGA will enable you to easily remove the Microsoft "Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications" tool, which is calling home and connect to MS servers every time you boot. Futures updates of this notification tool will (officialy) setup the connection rate to once every two weeks.

Once the WGA Notification tool has checked your OS and has confirmed you had a legit copy, there is no decent point or reason to check it again and again every boot.

Moreover, connecting to Microsoft brings security issue for corporate networks, and privacy issues for everyone. It is also unclear which information are transmitted (Microsoft published an official answer, but an individual study brought some questions).

All of that, along the fact that Microsoft used deceptive ways to make you install this tool (it was told you it was an urgent security update, whereas it is a new installation giving you no extra security) makes me calling this tool a spyware.

Also, Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications is different than Windows Genuine Advantage Validation. RemoveWGA only removes the notification part, phoning home, and does not touch the Validation part.

Here are some key features of "RemoveWGA":

· Tell you if the WGA notification tool is active on your system
· Allows you to remove the WGA notification tool from your system
· Accept the "-silent" command line parameter to silently check if the WGA notification tool is active on your system, and popup only if it is found (usefull for checking automatically at startup for instance)

Note: Some antivirus and antispyware programs flag RemoveWGA as being infected/malware, although the application is perfectly safe and does not pose a threat to your system. This is called a 'false positive'. The term false positive is used when antivirus software wrongly classifies an innocuous ( inoffensive ) file as a virus. The incorrect detection may be due to heuristics or to an incorrect virus signature in a database. [Similar problems can occur with antitrojan or antispyware software.]

What's New in This Release:

· Added more error checks (files existing, processes can be read, etc...)
· Added more files to be deleted : WGANotify.settings, WgaNotify.log
· Set all files to be deleted at next reboot instead of just the system32 ones (Wgalogon and WgaTray)

download link: http://www.softpedia.com/get/Tweak/Uninstallers/RemoveWGA.shtml

10 essential e-mail security measures by Chad Perrin

2009-07-02T14:35:00.002+01:00

There’s a lot of information out there about securing your e-mail. Much of it is advanced and doesn’t apply to the typical end user. Configuring spam filters such as SpamAssassin, setting up encrypted authentication on mail servers, and e-mail gateway virus scanner management are not basic end-user tasks.

When one can find end-user e-mail security tips, they’re usually specific to a single mail client or mail user agent, such as Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird, or Mutt. This sort of information is of critical importance to many users of these applications, but there are few sources of more general security information for e-mail users that aren’t specific to a given client application.

The following is a list of some important security tips that apply to all e-mail users - not just users of a specific application. The first five are listed in the order one should employ them, from the first priority to the last. This priority is affected not only by how important a given tip is, but also by how easy it is to employ. The easier something is to do, the more likely one is to actually do it and move on to the next tip. The last five pointers are best practices that will help prevent users from making careless mistakes.

Note: This article is based on the IT Security blog posts Basic e-mail security tips and More e-mail security tips by Chad Perrin. It’s also available as a PDF download.

#1: Never allow an e-mail client to fully render HTML or XHTML e-mails without careful thought.

At the absolute most, if you have a mail client such as Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird that can render HTML e-mails, you should configure it to render only simplified HTML rather than rich HTML - or “Original HTML,” as some clients label the option. Even better is to configure it to render only plain text. When rendering HTML, you run the risk of identifying yourself as a valid recipient of spam or getting successfully phished by some malicious security cracker or identity thief. My personal preference is, in fact, to use a mail user agent that is normally incapable of rendering HTML e-mail at all, showing everything as plain text instead.

#2: If the privacy of your data is important to you, use a local POP3 or IMAP client to retrieve e-mail.

This means avoiding the use of Web-based e-mail services, such as Gmail, Hotmail, and Yahoo! Mail for e-mail you want to keep private for any reason. Even if your Webmail service provider’s policies seem sufficiently privacy-oriented to you, that doesn’t mean that employees won’t occasionally break the rules. Some providers are accused of selling e-mail addresses to spamming “partners.” Even supposedly security-oriented Webmail services, such as Hushmail, can often be less than diligent in providing security to their users’ e-mail.

#3: Ensure that your e-mail authentication process is encrypted, even if the e-mail itself is not.

The reason for this is simple: You do not want some malicious security cracker listening in on your authentication session with the mail server. Someone who does this can then send e-mails as you, receive your e-mail, and generally cause all kinds of problems for you (including spammers). Check with your ISP’s policies to determine whether authentication is encrypted and even how it is encrypted (so you might be able to determine how trivial it is to crack the encryption scheme used).

#4: Digitally sign your e-mails.

As long as you observe good security practices with e-mail in general, it is highly unlikely that anyone else will ever have the opportunity to usurp your identity for purposes of e-mail-but it is still a possibility. But if you use an encryption tool, such as PGP or GnuPG, to digitally sign your e-mails, recipients who have your public key will be able to determine that nobody could have sent the e-mail in question without having access to your private key-and you should definitely have a private key that is well protected.

#5: Avoid unsecured networks.

If, for some reason, you absolutely positively must access an e-mail account that does not authorize over an encrypted connection, never access that account from a public or otherwise unsecured network. Ever. Under any circumstances.

Be aware of both your virtual and physical surroundings when communicating via e-mail. Be careful. Trust no one that you do not absolutely have to trust, and recognize the dangers and potential consequences of that trust.

Your e-mail security does not just affect you; it affects others, as well, if your e-mail account is compromised. Even if the e-mail account itself is not compromised, your computer may be if you do not take reasonable care with how you deal with e-mails - and that, in turn, can lead to affecting both you and others adversely as well.

#6: Turn off automated addressing features.

As communication software accumulates more and more automated convenience features, we’ll see more and more cases of accidentally selecting the wrong recipients. A prime example is Microsoft Outlook’s “dreaded auto-fill feature,” where it is all too easy to accidentally select a recipient adjacent to your intended recipient in the drop-down list. This can be particularly problematic when discussing private matters such as business secrets.

#7: Use BCC when sending to multiple recipients.

It’s a bad idea, from a security perspective, to share e-mail addresses with people who have no need for them. It is also rude to share someone’s e-mail address with strangers without permission. Every time you send out an e-mail to multiple recipients with all the recipients’ names in the To: or CC: fields, you’re sharing all those e-mail addresses with all the recipients. E-mail addresses that are not explicitly meant to be shared with the entire world should, in e-mails addressed to multiple recipients, be specified in the BCC: field - because each person will then be able to see that he or she is a recipient, but will not be able to see the e-mail addresses of anyone else in the BCC: field.

#8: Save e-mails only in a safe place.

No amount of encryption for sent e-mails will protect your privacy effectively if, after receiving and decrypting an e-mail, you store it in plain text on a machine to which other people have access. Sarah Palin found out the hard way that Webmail providers don’t do as good a job of ensuring stored e-mail privacy as we might like. Many users’ personal computers are not exactly set up with security in mind, either, as in the case of someone whose Windows home directory is set up as a CIFS share with a weak password.

#9: Only use private accounts for private e-mails.

Any e-mail you share with the world is likely to get targeted by spammers - both for purposes of sending mail to it and spoofing that e-mail address in the From: field of the e-mail headers. The more spammers and phishers who spoof your e-mail address that way, the more likely your e-mail address is to end up on spam blocker blacklists used by ISPs and lazy mail server sysadmins — and the more likely you are to have problems with your e-mails not getting to their intended recipients.

#10: Double-check the recipient, every time - especially on mailing lists.

Accidentally replying directly to someone who sent an e-mail to a mailing list, when you meant to reply to the list, isn’t a huge security issue. It can be kind of inconvenient, though, especially when you might never notice your e-mail didn’t actually get to the mailing list. The converse, however, can be a real problem: if you accidentally send something to the list that was intended strictly for a specific individual, you may end up publicly saying something embarrassing or, worse, accidentally divulging secrets to hundreds of people you don’t even know.

Courtesy: TechRepublic.com
Chad Perrin is an IT consultant, developer, and freelance professional writer. He holds both Microsoft and CompTIA certifications and is a graduate of two IT industry trade schools.

Michael Jackson Mourned By Friends, Fans, Fellow Musicians

2009-06-27T17:01:00.001+01:00

Friends, music luminaries and fans from around the world and around the web reacted to the news of Michael Jackson's death on June 25 with thoughts on his life and legacy.

"I can't stop crying over the sad news. I have always admired Michael Jackson. The world has lost one of the greats, but his music will live on forever! My heart goes out to his three children and other members of his family. God bless." --Madonna
Michael Jackson 1958-2009

“I am absolutely devastated at this tragic and unexpected news. For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don’t have the words. Divinity brought our souls together on The Wiz and allowed us to do what we were able to throughout the 80’s. To this day, the music we created together on Off The Wall, Thriller and Bad is played in every corner of the world and the reason for that is because he had it all…talent, grace, professionalism and dedication.He was the consummate entertainer and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I’ve lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him.” --Quincy Jones

"May God cover you Michael. We all lift your name up in prayer. I pray for the entire JACKSON family particularly Michael’s mother, children and all his fans that loved him so much. I would not be the artist, performer, and philanthropist I am today without the influence of Michael. I have great admiration and respect for Him and I’m so thankful I had the opportunity to meet and perform with such a great entertainer, who in so many ways, transcended the culture. He broke barriers, he changed radio formats! With music, he made it possible for people like Oprah Winfrey and Barack Obama to impact the mainstream world. His legacy is unparalleled. Michael Jackson will never be forgotten." --Usher

"The incomparable Michael Jackson has made a bigger impact on music than any other artist in the history of music. He was magic. He was what we all strive to be. He will always be the King of Pop! Life is not about how many breaths you take, but about how many moments in life that take your breath away. For anyone who has ever seen, felt, or heard his art, we are all honored to have been alive in this generation to experience the magic of Michael Jackson. I love you Michael." --Beyonce

"Yesterday was a day I will never forget, or want to remember. Michael was both weak and strong, clever and kind, talented beyond belief and equally insecure. He was a doting father, respectful son, loving brother, and caring uncle. He was my friend. I take great solace in the pride and confidence he exhibited during production rehearsals on Wednesday night. That is the memory I will cherish for the rest of my life." --Randy Phillips, President & CEO of AEG Live, producers of "This Is It.

Michael Jackson's personal crescendo of amazing power as an entertainer was clear and unmistakable -- and has never slowed to this very day! His passing will be grieved far beyond that of any other singer, composer, producer, dancer and choreographer, in the history of the world. Indeed, in my very firmest, personal, belief there will never, ever be another Michael Jackson! --Don Cornelius, Soul Train

Financial Management - A Key Life Skill

2009-06-20T14:43:00.000+01:00

Money makes the world go around, and while there have been people who have said that "money does not bring happiness", the reality is that those who do not master the financial game will live a life full of uncertainty, poverty, and worst of all: an inability to truly reach their potential as human beings.

The cold hard truth is that we all want to be rich, but statistics and economics show that only a handful of us will ever reach it; the majority will simply always be out of reach.

One reason for this is an inability to properly manage one's financial resources. Generally college does not teach its students, the ability to handle their money.

It is true that a student majoring in finance, business, accounting, or economics will learn more about this subject than most, but only a percentage of college students are majoring in these areas, and this leaves out the rest of those who are not.

People often tell that money does not mean anything to them, but in reality money means something whether you think it is important to you or not. Without money, you cannot buy food, cannot travel, cannot enjoy cutting edge technologies, cannot pay for medical costs, and so on.

Those who do not have money tend to be wanting, while those who have money tend to be masters of their finances.

Having said that, the first step in learning financial management is to learn budgeting. You need to know how much you are spending on any given item on a regular basis.

Once you are able to discover how much you are spending on food, electricity, water, and other things, you will be able to develop a budget which will allow you to control your spending, which will further allow you to save money. It is also important to understand the importance of saving money as opposed to borrowing it.

Unfortunately, we live in a society today which is debt based, and people are encouraged to borrow as opposed to saving. Borrowing money will lead to a lifetime of debt and more debt.

Most people today, especially those living in the U.S. or Europe, are in debt bondage. They live in houses they do not own, drive cars that do not belong to them, and use money (called credit), to buy everyday goods.

This money or credit does not actually belong to them, but is loaned to them by banks, which then turn around and charge them compounding interest to use it.

Many people end up taking on so much debt that a huge portion of their income must go back to repaying it. these individuals become dependent on a bank or loan company to fund their lifestyle.

In contrast, an individual who is debt free and thrifty is a person who is a master of his finance. Such individuals owe nothing to no one, and they can pay for everything they need in cash.

The money that they save is a superior form of capital when compared to credit, and this capital can be used to make investments which can lead to in an increase in one's income, which can be used for saving and more investments.

This is the basic formula towards becoming wealthy. While there is a large amount of financial advice available out there, some of which is highly complicated, the simple way to wealth is to save a lot, stay out of debt, and invest.

Studying economics can actually be quite valuable If you have the time or inclination, it would not hurt to read some books on economics.

Understanding basic economics does not require one to be a rocket scientist, and you will find yourself becoming even better with finance as a result.

Once you understand how economies function, you will be capable of making prudent investment decisions which can allow you to master the finance game.

The Power of Your Thought Process

2009-06-20T14:03:00.000+01:00

One of the most important life skills that you can have is the ability to control your thoughts. While this may see relatively simple, it is much harder than what meets the eye. We live in a day and age where our minds are constantly being bombarded with information.

From television ads to billboards, radios, and the internet, we are constantly being fed a stream of information, and much of this information is absolutely worthless. The average man is so caught up in the daily affairs of their lives that they seldom take the time to think critically about the world in which they live. To be successful in life, you must keep control of your thoughts at all times.

One type of behavior that you will want to become familiar with is adaptive behavior. These types of behaviors give humans the ability to perform activities successfully during the course of our lives. Adaptive behavior can also be thought of as a manner in which you will be flexible when it comes to changing and adapting with the times.

When you are an adaptive person, you will be able to deal with unexpected situations in a manner which is not only creative, but constructive as well. The adaptive individual is someone who can focus their mind in a fresh direction, and can make a decision based on outcomes which are desirable.

To succeed, you must be open to change, since being able to adapt to important changes is a factor which will allow you to become successful. As you go throughout life, always take the time to think about and analyze situations so that misinterpretations can be avoided.

One key mistake that many people make is an inability to give themselves enough time to analyze given situations. When you are dealing with others, you should always take the time to ask questions so that you can gather any data which may not be present, and so that you can avoid making mistakes which are quite costly. It is also absolutely critical to think for the long term.

The Power of Thinking Ahead

Most people are hopelessly caught up in the present moment. Most people today probably do not take the time to look even a few months ahead, led alone years. Successful people tend to be those who work in the present for a goal that they intend to achieve tomorrow.

As the Serbian inventor Nikola Tesla said: the present belongs to them, but the future belongs to me. A wise an prudent person is an individual that always thinks ahead, and will take the time to look out for potential problems that may be coming on the horizon. When you are making any decision, it is always wise to ask yourself what impact it will have on your future, or those who are dependent on you.

The best way to adapt to change is to continue always learning. The process of learning does not stop once you graduate from college, it is life long process that never stops. Technology, fashion, and skills will continue to change as we move further into the future, but the person who is always learning new things has absolutely no reason to fear these changes, and will in fact be able to embrace them.

Another important factor in being able to control your thought process is to always look beyond the surface. Instead of running from challenges, you should always be ready to embrace them.

When you are faced with any challenge, you are faced with an opportunity which will allow you to grow as a person. Embracing challenges will not only allow you to become wiser, but they will also allow you to harness your skills as well.

When you encounter situations which are painful, they will often contain the seed which may have a blessing, and if you are able to find this blessing, you will be able to grow further as an individual. It is also important to have a good idea of the things you value in life, because the values of one person may differ dramatically from those of another.

Conclusion

The ability to control your thought process is a critical life skill which is indispensable. By controlling your own thoughts, you will be less prone to being manipulated by others, and you will be able to see situations in a different life. The power of the human mind is one which is difficult to fathom, and many people don't use their mental capacities in a manner which can allow them to get the things they want in life

Importance of Adjusting to Changes

2009-06-20T13:23:00.003+01:00

The legendary actor and martial artist Bruce Lee is famous for speaking about the flexibility of water, and how everyone should strive to be like it. After all, water does not have any set shape, and it conforms to whatever container it is placed in.

Not only is this statement applicable to the martial arts, but it is also connected to one essential life skill: the ability to adapt to change. Being able to adapt to the changing times is one of the most essential skills that a person can have.

Those who are not able to adapt, are very likely to get extinct sooner then those who are able to adapt. From warfare to science, technology, and politics, history has shown that those who are too tied to the past are bound to be left in the past.

One key factor that allowed Napoleon to crush his enemies was his ability to break away from the past; Napoleon developed military strategies which were revolutionary for the time, and his enemies, who were stuck in the "old fashioned" way of doing things, quickly succumbed to his forces when faced with their high speed movements.

Today, technology is changing at such a rapid pace that many traditional colleges and universities, which in the past were considered to be on the cutting edge of education, are being left in the dust. If you are able to adapt to the times and change when it is time to change, there is no limit to the power and success that you can achieve.

Being able to adapt is difficult for most humans, and the reason for this is because humans are creatures of habit; having to change our patterns and behaviours is frustrating and annoying. To illustrate this, most of us get annoyed with our bosses when we suddenly have to change the way we have been working.

We would really simply prefer to keep doing things the old way, since this allows us to stay in our comfort zone. Very few are able to cope without distress after being forced out of their comfort zone, However, it is important to know when to adapt, and when not to.

Adapting to the changing times is not always the wisest course of action. While the need to adapt to change is good in most cases, it should be done with a level of caution.

There are times when adapting to changes can bring more harm than good. To give an example, have you ever been in a situation where everything was fine, but you decided to change it for whatever reason, and your attempts to change it ended up making it worse?

As the old saying goes: if it are not broke, do not fix it. Change is only effective when it is absolutely necessary. Trying to fix a system that is not broken is a total waste of time. To understand this, think of technology.

Many people today are obsessed with the latest technological gadgets and gizmos. They run out and spend literally thousands of dollars on gadgets that are cool to have, but are not really needed.

While there are some fundamental tools that one does not want to be without today (such as a computer for instance), many of the gadgets and gizmos which people buy are a complete waste of money. For instance, there is no "real" difference between a $400 cell phone and a $20 one, both are designed to do the same basic thing, which is to make phone calls!

The people who waste money on these gadgets think that they are "adapting to the times," but in reality, they are making changes which are unnecessary. The only time that you should upgrade your technology is when the current technology is simply not efficient enough to help you accomplish your goals.

Just because a gadget company makes a change does not mean that the change is good for you. When those around your are adapting to the times, you must logically decide whether or not you should do the same. However, no matter what you do, never adapt to the changing times just because others around you are doing so.

Adapting to change should be done based on logic, not emotion. Many people refuse to change with the times because of an emotional attachment to the past. This is dangerous, since the past is the past, it is always prudent to look at present and also ahead on the future.

The past is something that cannot be changed, and those who are stuck in it are often doomed. As you become older, it becomes even more important for you to avoid being tied to the past, as this problem is more pronounced in older people than it is in the younger generation.

How to Work with People

2009-06-20T13:13:00.000+01:00

To be successful in life, you are required to work with people. While college courses sometimes give students projects that must be completed within groups, in reality you are required to do more than simply be capable of working in a team.

Not only must you be able to work in a group, but you must also be capable of dealing with people, including those who are difficult.

Unfortunately, there are certain types of people in our world today who like to take advantage of others. When meeting you, they will instantly size you up to determine whether or not a person is weak or not, and if they detect an individual who is timid, they will attempt to take advantage of him in a number of ways.

There is little you can do to avoid these types, however you can be cautious and guard yourself against such persons. An additional thing to keep in mind is that it may not be immediately obvious that you are dealing with this type.

The best way to deal with such individuals is to be assertive. Be clear about what you want, and never waver on anything.

You should always be willing to walk away from any project or deal if the other party is unwilling to treat you with respect. No matter what you do when dealing with this type of individual, you should never let your temper get the best of you.

When you get angry, your options may fail. Often in life people will give you a hard time about every little thing, they make you angry but you must never allow them to see your anger or argue with them.

While you always have the option of walking away, these people may be valuable due to their money or business connections, so winning them over is more valuable over the long term.

There are also people in this world who confuse kindness and patience of weakness. They assume that because you are soft spoken, or you do not mind waiting, they can walk all over you. Again, you must show these people, without becoming visibly upset with them, that you will not allow this type of treatment.

It is better to show them as opposed to telling them; remember, your actions always speak louder than your words. If you do business with a lot of people, it will also be necessary for you to sign contracts and agreements. We live in a very litigious society and it is recommended to always do business with a contract.

It does not matter whether it is friends or family, or if you like the person you are dealing with. Always sign a contract which is clear and concise, so if something goes wrong, you can hold it up in a court of law, showing the judge that the other party agreed to the terms of the document.

Without a contract, it is always your word versus theirs, and no judge really wants to hear this. They want to see evidence, and having the right evidence is what will allow you to win cases. To be successful in this world, you must gain the respect of others.

The problem is, becoming angry and allowing your temper to get the best of you can always destroy bridges built with trust and respect between people and lead to other problems.

The essence of dealing with others is to control your emotions. On your path to money and success, you will run into difficult people. You can always avoid them, but doing so may kill valuable business relationships which can allow you to make it to the next level.

Therefore, when you become upset with someone who you feel does not respect you, take the time to figure out how to handle the situation in a logical manner.

The Power of Leadership

2009-06-20T13:04:00.000+01:00

Leadership is one of those skills that is often hard for everyone to learn in school; many believe that you either have it or you do not. While there may be some truth to this, it is possible for any individual to become an effective leader, so long as they cultivate the many traits and views that successful leaders have.

While there are many definitions which are used to describe leadership, it is "the ability to persuade a group of people in a manner which allows a specific goal to be reached." While there are many different types of leaders, this definition clearly describes the primary outcome that they all share.

If you are capable of influencing others around you in a manner that allows you to achieve your goals, then it can be said that you have leadership skill. There is no set formula that one follows to become a leader, and the skills which are required for leadership cannot easily be taught in a classroom.

The greatest leaders tend to be those that have a natural gift; many leaders are highly charismatic. There are many styles of leadership, some of the fundamental traits that all leaders share, which you can apply in your own life are outlined here below.

Power of Discipline

Leaders have extensive amount of discipline. No one can lead others if they cannot first lead themselves. If you are the type of person who has to be told what to do all the time, then you are not a leader, but a follower.

If a leader knows that they need to wake up at a certain time in order to get an important task completed, then they will do so. If they know that they need to be working on a specific project at a certain time, no one has to tell them to do so; they just automatically know to do it. The first traits common among leaders is that they tend to be full of both discipline and the ability to lead themselves.

Strength and Wisdom

Two other traits which are common among leaders is both strength and wisdom. When one studies history, this becomes obvious: those who were promoted to the rank of general in most societies throughout history have been men who were brave, strong, and battle tested. No one wanted a general who was weak and inexperienced. In addition to this, no soldier wishes to fight under a general who was unwise.

A wise person is often promoted to leadership positions since they often make wise decisions which benefit themselves and those under them. This is also why many societies throughout history selected older men to be elders of the tribe, since they had lived many years and had knowledge, wisdom, and experience with regard to many matters.

Being a strong leader does not necessarily mean that you need to be physically strong, or have a powerful physical presence; it could simply mean having a strong mind, being resolute in your thought process. While having physical strength can be helpful, it is only one factor which is effective in strong leaders.

Wisdom is equally, if not more important than physical strength, since a wise general can keep his men alive, and a wise CEO can keep his company and employees profitable and employed.

People often rally under a wise leader because the leader can give them a sense of security; In a harsh world where hardly anything is certain, and where people aspire to improve their lot in life, the man or woman who displays strength and wisdom will be followed, so that their followers can reap the benefits of their wisdom.

However, a key thing that one must always keep in mind is that while leaders may enjoy many privileges, including fame and wealth, their position also comes with a great deal of responsibility, as well as risk.

Leadership Dangers

While leaders enjoy many privileges, their power comes along with huge responsibility; they are obliged to serve those who put them into power. If a leader makes bad decisions which hurts those beneath him, he is subject to being overthrown and replaced by a leader who is more effective.

If the leader becomes abusive, or uses his power in a corrupt way, again, sooner or later he will be crushed and overthrown. While a leader often gets the praise and benefit from any achievement his group accomplishes, when things go wrong, and the group is not successful, the leader is the person who will often be primarily blamed, and may be most likely to fall.

Essential Life Skills

2009-06-19T16:02:00.000+01:00

Life skills are some of the most important skills you can have. One thing which separates life skills from the skills that we learn in school is that life skills tend to be things which are hard to teach in a classroom, skills that will most often be learned through experience alone.

Handling Work

One such skill is learning how to handle work. In real life scenario, anytime that you think that you have got to a point in a project where you think it is fully completed, there will always be more work that can be done, extra effort that can be put in-order to take it a class above the rest. Contrary to this, in college, students are given projects that must be definitively completed at a specific time.

While project deadlines also exist in the real world, the work is never quite finished. There will always be more that you can complete, and you should think of life in terms of ever increasing experiences which allow you to learn more about the world you live in.

Handling People

An important life skill is learning how to handle people. When it comes to handling people you must always keep in mind is that people are non-altruistic, and will do things primarily for their own self interest.

One thing that is found to be interesting is that many people, particularly those who are unsuccessful, go throughout life making decisions based on emotions, as opposed to logic. Many people look out for their own self interest, not yours.

While emotions are inevitable, they also make humans weak. A computer or machine does not factor in emotion into its decision making process; its decision on whether or not to carry out a function is based on cold hard logic.

You must keep in mind when doing business in this world is that people are looking out for themselves; if they need to rip you off in order to get something they want, many of them have no problem doing so. Therefore, you must always protect yourself and try to make critical decisions based on logic and never emotion.

Never think that people care about you because you are a nice person, or because they just like associating with you. While it is true that you attract more people when you are sociable, people in most cases will only deal with you if there is something they can get out of it. If they cannot get anything out of it, then they may not deal with you.

When dealing with people, never deal with them in terms of emotion. The people you deal with should be useful to you; if they are not, then you have no business dealing with them.

Friendship

Friendships should be handled with caution; friends tend to become jealous and patronizing, and because they know you as a person, they can sometimes be more dangerous than your enemies.

Always watch friends carefully, and be prepared to discard of them if they become problematic. Never continue dealing with a friend simply because of any emotional attachment you have to them, think logically.

Good Grades

Having good grades will not make you successful, but it will get you a job

In college, many students are obsessed with having a high GPA. They thought that by maintaining a high grade point average, they would have more job opportunities. They are right, they will have more job opportunities, to work as an employee for someone else.

Having a college degree will not guarantee that you will become the CEO of a company; the fact of the matter is that most of these students end up becoming employees who work under a person who never even graduated from college.

Having good grades only shows that you are good at following directions, at memorizing facts and concepts.

The problem with getting good grades is that it does not teach you how to take risks, or how to become a leader. This is something that can only be learned out in the real world, you can only learn how to lead or deal with risk by having experience, it is something that you acquire as you progress.

Because high GPA students seldom learn how to lead or face risks, they are often the least likely to establish their own companies, since it is easier and less risky to simply go work for someone else.

Life Skills For Success

2009-06-19T14:54:00.002+01:00

There are a number of skills that you will need to develop in life if you wish to be successful with anything, and the bad news is that most of these skills are not taught in colleges and universities. One skill that is extremely valuable is public speaking.

If you have the ability to speak in a persuasive manner, and convey your ideas to an audience, then you have the potential to achieve an enormous amount of success.

Those who are good with public speaking tend to be those that have confidence in themselves, and they tend to be people who are a delight to be around.

If you are good at speaking, this means that you are a skilled salesperson, and are capable of selling practically anything, whether it be products or ideas.

Public speaking is also a powerful way to market yourself because you never know who is sitting in your audience.

If you are giving a speech about an investment idea you have which needs capital in order to take off, for all you know, the wealthy investor may be sitting in the audience, and if you speak well, you may meet them after you're done speaking.

Another skill, one which is closely related to public speaking, is the ability to write. When you are a good writer, you can easily sell products and ideas, and you will convey your thoughts much more effectively than someone who writes poorly. However, being a good writer requires you to do more than just learn grammar.

Being a truly good writer requires you to be masterful at controlling your thoughts. When you're able to organize your thoughts in a manner which will allow you to communicate ideas to your audience in an effective way, then this is a sign that you're an effective writer.

The ability to write and communicate with the written word is a timeless skill that is just as valid today as it always has been, and if you are able to write persuasive books, papers, and articles, you will find yourself developing a following within a short period of time.

In addition to public speaking and writing, the ability to manage yourself is absolutely critical.

The ability to manage yourself

Many people are failures in life simply because of an inability to manage themselves. The hallmark of self management is to have lots of self discipline.

If you have a problem waking up on time, or doing what you know you need to be doing when you should be doing it, then your success in life is doubtful.

Another life skill which is indispensable is an ability to work with and recognize authority. No matter how high you rise in life, there will always be someone you answer to. If you're the type of person who has a problem with authority, you're not going to go very far.

As I always like to say: someone is going to tell you what to do, one way or another. It could be your boss or client, or it could be a prison guard, but someone is going to tell you what to do.

Individuals who are argumentative, or who always think their way is the right way, are people who won't go far, because they will make so many enemies and burn so many bridges that no one will want to deal with them.

Even when your client or boss is wrong, and you know they are, it is better to let them find out for themselves as opposed to arguing with them about it. Arguing with others is never a sign of power, and is in fact a sign of weakness.

As the old saying does, "the truth is seen, rarely heard." Talk is cheap, people talk about doing things all the time. To become successful in life, you have to be a man or woman or action, not words. In the long run, actions are the only things that really count.

The Power of Networking

Networking is one of the most powerful tools that you can have at your disposal. No matter how smart or talented you are, if you're incapable of networking with others, you will not go very far. The most successful people in the world are those who know how to build a network. The purpose of building a network is to use the energy and resources of others as opposed to using your own.

Your energy and resources are very finite, it is easy to exhaust and wipe yourself out. However, by working together with a team, you suddenly partition your work load and can complete various tasks within a short period of time.

The History of Gospel Music

2009-06-06T12:36:00.006+01:00

Though gospel music can be an extremely broad term, CCM focuses its attention on the music that sprung from the early African-American church and inspired a host of modern day choirs and contemporary gospel/R&B sounds.
by Phil Petrie

From the smooth sounds of Sam Cooke to the dancing, acrobatic vocals of Kirk Franklin, gospel music does more than just sound sweet--it literally moves its listeners. Whether it's swaying with the choirs or tappin' along with the quartets or simply raising hands to the rhythm of soul-stirring crooners, gospel is one genre of music that needs to be both seen and heard. Once narrowly defined as religious, gospel has transcended those limits to become a profound force in American music and popular culture.

Fueled by major recording companies, it has leaped over its traditional religious walls and is now more than just church music. Last year's phenomenon of Kirk Franklin's Why We Sing (it went platinum) and the current success of William Becton's Be Encouraged (a mainstay on Billboard's gospel chart for 28 weeks and counting at press time) attest to gospel's growing popularity. According to materials received from Gospel Today magazine, within the last five years, seven major recording companies have created and staffed gospel divisions; independent gospel labels increased 50 percent, and total revenues for gospel music have nearly tripled in the past decade-from $180 million in 1980 to $500 million in 1990.

Info about the image-default "Gospel music is coming to the mainstream," says gospel diva Yolanda Adams. "Singers are coming out of the church and introducing the gospel style to a mainstream audience."

Adams herself expanded gospel's exposure when she appeared twice on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno." Meanwhile, television producer Bobby Jones reaches four and a half million viewers each week with his BET program "Gospel Explosion" and believes that while the gospel audience is expanding, "We must honor our pioneers and at the same time greet the best of the new with praise."

The "our" in this instance translates as black singers. To Jones, "gospel music is black music." To others, it is merely a term that encompasses various kinds of religious music--traditional, contemporary Christian, urban contemporary, Southern, hip-hop. Like soldiers waving banners to show their regimental colors, modern-day gospel singers march boldly and beautifully toward Zion and an ever expanding marketplace, hoisting their divisional (take this literally) colors.

As the music moves beyond its incubator--the church--it is imperative to understand where it is, where it has been, and where it is going. As Christians we must hope that the music is building bridges, not walls.

The Beginnings
Thomas A. Dorsey (1899-1993, composer of such standards as "There Will Be Peace in the Valley"), is considered by many gospel devotees to be the "Father of Gospel Music." The son of a minister, Dorsey was a consummate musician and as a young man accompanied some of the most famous blues singers of all time-specifically, Bessie Smith (1894-1937) and Ma Rainey (1886-1939). He also arranged and composed blues tunes. His penchant for bouncy tunes and bawdy lyrics did not keep him from attending the annual meetings of the National Baptist Convention, though. and it was at one of these meetings in Philadelphia that Dorsey first heard the compositions of Charles A. Tindley (1851-1933, composer of "We'll Understand It Better By and By" and "Leave It There" among others).

In his essay, "Rock, Church, Rock," Arna Bontemps says that it was then that Dorsey began to write religious music, abandoning his brash lyrics but not the jazz rhythms and blues flavor and rhythmic style so akin to Tindley's own. Naturally, the "old guard" conservatives considered this blending of the sacred (spirituals and hymns) and the secular (blues and jazz) as "the devil's music" and shunned it. By its actions, the church declared Dorsey's brand of gospel music unworthy of a hearing within the sanctuaries of the day, a story quite similarly echoed by churches responding to the rock 'n' roll Jesus Movement that swept the country in the early '70s. In both instances, the traditional church failed to see the positive influence contemporary music could have, blessing its listeners and encouraging them to draw near God. It is this intense spiritual quality in gospel music that lifts it up beyond its mere form, a quality that most preachers in Dorsey's day failed to understand.

A 1994 Score magazine article titled "The Father of Gospel Music" quoted Dorsey as saying, "When I realized how hard some folks were fighting the gospel idea, I was determined to carry the banner."

Carry it he did. "I borrowed five dollars and sent out 500 copies of my song, 'If You See My Savior,' to churches throughout the country.... It was three years before I got a single order. I felt like going back to the blues."

He didn't. With pioneer singers such as Sallie Martin (1896-1988) and Mother Willie Mae Ford Smith (1904-94) propagating his music, he stayed the course long enough to write over 800 songs and hear his music ascend from the first row pews to the choir stand, where it previously had been banned.

Other composers, such as Lucy Campbell ("Something Within") and Dr. Herbert Brewster ("Surely God is Able"), picked up the torch and the way was lit for another generation to take control. To insure this, Dorsey founded The National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses in 1932, an organization still in existence today.

The Legendary Divas and Dons

Dorsey was a planter. The fruits of that harvest were the exceptional singers who spread gospel around the country and indeed the world in the years that followed--Mahalia Jackson, Clara Ward and James Cleveland are but a few.

Mahalia Jackson (1911-1972) had been, in the language of today's youth, "all that" in gospel long before she signed a lucrative contract with Columbia Records in the 1950s. Her star continued to rise, landing her on the "Ed Sullivan Show" and providing the opportunity for her to sing just before Dr. Martin Luther King, jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech (Interestingly enough, she sang Dorsey's "Take My Hand, Precious Lord at King's funeral in 1968). Her rich alto voice affected all those who heard it and several of today's singers either wanted to sing like her or with her.

Clara Ward (1924-1973) and the Ward Singers, on the other hand, took the opportunity, in Clara's words "to take God's words to His people wherever they were--even in night clubs." This, of course had been done by Sister Rosetta Tharpe decades earlier when she had performed with Lucky Millender and his band. Ward was one of those rare people who had both flash and substance. Opal L. Nation, in writing copy for a reissue of Ward's recording, says that Surely God is Able was "the first ever million-seller post-war gospel record." (If true, this is astounding. Only a handful of gospel recordings ever reach the status of gold, 500,000 copies sold. In 1968, Oh Happy Day by the Edwin Hawkins Singers, was the first to do so since RIAA began keeping statistics.) Ward had a direct effect on the career of gospel great Marion Williams [Williams sang with the Ward Singers] and influenced both Little Richard and Aretha Franklin, who noted Ward as her idol.

James Cleveland (1931-1991) was considered by many gospel enthusiasts to be "The King of Gospel," receiving four Grammys, the last awarded posthumously for the album Having Church. Cleveland was a charismatic singer who, to use a cliche, held the audience in the palm of his hand. This is ironic since his voice, rough and raspy, could not be considered one of great quality. Nonetheless, he mesmerized his audience and brought a standard of excellence to gospel music in general through his organization in 1968 of the Gospel Music Workshop of America, the largest gospel convention in the world.

Legendary singers of the '50s and '60s included Edna Gallmon Cooke and Brother Joe May. Although not quite fitting the category of pioneers, the following contemporary singers are sure to reside in the realm of legendary divas and dons as well: Daryl Coley, Andrae Crouch and the late Thomas Whitfield.

The Quartets
The quartets limelight ran in tandem with those golden gospel voices-from the late 1920s through the 1940s, the gospel quartet reigned supreme in gospel music. In fact, it was these vocal groups that most affected American pop culture.

One of the mainstays of the quartets was The Swan Silvertones led by Claude Jeter. Jeter's innovative style of using falsetto became the industry standard. Not to be outdone, The Sensational Nightingales' Rev. Julius Cheeks delved into flamboyance. He left the stage, walked the floor and "worked" the audience, keeping its spirit high. Had he been on the secular side, one suspects he would have been considered a sex symbol.

Other popular groups included The Dixie Hummingbirds, The Mighty Clouds of Joy ('60s and '70s) and The Fairfield Four, the latter of which still enjoys immense popularity today as much for its members timeless sense of humor as the vocal prowess they have amazingly retained.

Though most of the gospel quartets were male, The Davis Sisters, Harmonettes and that most enduring of groups, the Caravans, provide examples of excellent, and popular, women groups. The Caravans at one time or another included such luminaries as Albertina Walker, Dorothy Norwood, Cassietta George, Bessie Griffin, Inez Andrews, Shirley Caesar and Delores Washington--a stellar line-up on anybody's program.

But perhaps the most popular quartet of all was the Soul Stirrers, led by the great Rebert H. Harris. According to George W. Stewart of The American Quartet Gospel Convention, it was Harris who first developed that vocal ad lib using repetitious sounds that Sam Cooke made so famous rather than words.

"Before that innovation, it was just straight quartet style, a variation of the barbershop quartet," Stewart offered. "Harris started training Cooke when [Cooke] was 10 years old. When he was in his late teens, Cooke joined the group and became the closest thing gospel had to a matinee idol."

When he left the group and Harris' tutelage for the rewards offered by secular music--larger audiences and more money--Cooke became an icon in American popular music. He was the first gospel notable to successfully cross over into the mainstream and become a "star." Gospel singers following his move were both legion and legend. Aretha Franklin, Della Reese and Lou Rawls are prime examples. (Ray Charles, with such hits in the 1950s as "Drown in My Own Tears" and "Hallelujah, I Just Love Her So," both with recognizable gospel influence, appropriated the style without ever having been a "professional" gospel singer. Contrary to rumor, Charles was not one of the Five Blind Boys, a gospel quartet.)

The gospel quartets' influence wasn't confined to just those names either as many of the rhythm and blues musicians of the '60s and '70s first had their imaginations sparked by the quartets. This short list of singers with their gospel affiliation in parentheses prove the point: Ashford and Simpson (The Followers), Chuck Jackson (Raspberry Singers), Wilson Pickett (Violinares), Johnny Taylor (The Highway QCs). Even the current pop/R&B group Jodeci was once a gospel group called Little Cedric Haley and the Haley Singers!

The Choirs
In gospel music the mass choirs and choruses replaced the quartets in terms of overall popularity. Interestingly enough, however, the most popular choir in the '90s was founded and directed by a quartet member-Franklin Williams, commonly called Frank (1947-1993). Williams was part of a family quartet (The Southern Gospel Singers, later called The Williams Brothers) before joining the Jackson Southernaires. In 1979, he joined Malaco Records as executive producer and director of gospel promotions. and he organized and was lead singer for, the Mississippi Mass Choir in 1988. The group's first recording, Mississippi Mass Choir Live, was an immediate success with Billboard and Score magazines naming it the number one spiritual album of the year. The choir is still recording and still setting sales records.

Milton Brunson and the Thompson Community Choir in the '80s and later John P. Kee and the New Life Community Choir established and continue to demonstrate standards of excellence for choirs; and other choirs of the '90s show that there remains a continuing variety of styles in these larger groups. Leaders are Hezekiah Walker and the Love Fellowship Choir, O'landa Draper and the Associates, and Donald Lawrence and the Tri-City Singers. But it's unfair to give even this abbreviated list of contemporary choirs because there exist far too many of excellence--the Dallas-Fort Worth, Wilmington-Chester, Florida and New Jersey Mass Choirs are only a few of the ones that come to mind.

From its early roots through many legends along the route to the modern sounds finding a renewed popularity all their own today, it seems evident that gospel music is here to stay. The test for gospel reflects one that all Christian musicians must wrestle with: Can it continue to increase its fortune in the mainstream marketplace while still maintaining its spiritual base? Modern music lovers, especially the younger audiences, require more "bounce and groove" it seems, and many of them are moved by urban contemporary sounds as supplied by BeBe and CeCe Winans and Take 6; some others, meanwhile, stomp to hip-hop.

Shirley Caesar reminds that these are all merely vessels. "God uses any kind of vehicle He chooses to draw men unto Him," Caesar said. "What has kept me going is that I try to sing about current events: drugs, black on black crime, a lot of hurting women who have been abused, young girls who have had children out of wedlock. I want to let them know about Jesus so that they might just get up and straighten out their lives."

Since Thomas Dorsey first stretched the boundaries to create gospel music, choirs, quartets and powerful vocalists have been singing this same song, albeit in different styles and places. As gospel music continues to grow beyond even Dorsey's expectations, one can only hope that it will be embraced, regardless of how it is labeled, by everyone who needs to be reminded of the Good News it represents.

PHIL PETRIE is the managing editor of Gospel Today magazine.

Malaco Records Signs Exclusive Distribution Deal with BeBe and CeCe Winans for the Launch of B & C R

2009-06-05T16:07:00.001+01:00

Malaco Music Group announced the signing of Gospel/R&B music superstars BeBe and CeCe Winans to an exclusive distribution deal for B & C Records, their first joint record label venture. With Malaco Records, a legendary southern R&B and Gospel label as their new distribution partner, the brother and sister music duo has launched their new label with the release of the single, “Close to You,” currently at radio. “Close to You” is the first from BeBe and CeCe’s upcoming CD, due in stores late September.

“As a true fan of their music for many years, this is one of the most exciting signings that I have made in recent years,” said Tommy Couch, President of Malaco Music Group. “I am very honored to bring these two stellar and respected artists to the Malaco Music Group family, and see nothing but a bright and prosperous future ahead. This new partnership represents for us the first of many steps toward building the Malaco Music Group into a major independent leader in the urban music world.”

Lionel Ridenour, Head of Malaco’s Urban Music Department, added: “We are more than excited about our partnership with BeBe and CeCe Winans, we are overjoyed. BeBe and CeCe Winans are international music superstars. They are pioneers of both traditional and contemporary gospel, as well as multi-platinum award-winning R&B music stars. We are very proud that BeBe and CeCe have chosen Malaco Music Group as the home for their new venture B & C Records.”

“With the rich heritage of so many great gospel legends, such as the Reverend James Cleveland, The Caravans, The Major Mass Choirs from Savoy and Malaco, we are elated to continue the tradition with superstar artists BeBe and CeCe Winans,” added D. A. Johnson, Malaco Music Group’s Director of Gospel Music Division.

BeBe and CeCe’s 20 year career in music includes multiple platinum and gold albums in both the Gospel and R&B music genres, 5 Grammys, 8 Doves, more than 12 Stellar Awards, 2 NAACP Awards, 12+ charting R&B singles, and countless #1 Christian and Gospel radio singles.

Obama calls for new beginning between US, Muslims

2009-06-04T13:27:00.005+01:00

By MARK S. SMITH, Associated Press Writer Mark S. Smith, Associated Press Writer

CAIRO: Quoting from the Quran for emphasis, President Barack Obama called for a "new beginning between the United States and Muslims" Thursday and said together, they could confront violent extremism across the globe and advance the timeless search for peace in the Middle East.

"This cycle of suspicion and discord must end," Obama said in a widely anticipated speech in one of the world's largest Muslim countries, an address designed to reframe relations after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and the U.S.-led war in Iraq.

The White House said Obama's speech contained no new policy proposals on the Middle East. He said American ties with Israel are unbreakable, yet issued a firm, evenhanded call to the Jewish state and Palestinians alike to live up to their international obligations.

In a gesture to the Islamic world, Obama conceded at the beginning of his remarks that tension "has been fed by colonialism that denied rights and opportunities to many Muslims, and a Cold War in which Muslim-majority countries were often treated as proxies without regard to their own aspirations."

"And I consider it part of my responsibility as president of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear," said the president, who recalled hearing prayer calls of "azaan" at dawn and dusk while living in Indonesia as a boy.

At the same time, he said the same principle must apply in reverse. "Just as Muslims do not fit a crude stereotype, America is not the crude stereotype of a self-interested empire."

Obama spoke at Cairo University after meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on the second stop of a four-nation trip to the Middle East and Europe.

The speech was the centerpiece of his journey, and while its tone was striking, the president also covered the Middle East peace process, Iran, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the violent struggle waged by al-Qaida.

Obama arrived in the Middle East on Wednesday, greeted by a new and threatening message from al-Qaida's leader, Osama bin Laden. In an audio recording, the terrorist leader said the president inflamed the Muslim world by ordering Pakistan to crack down on militants in the Swat Valley and block Islamic law there.

But Obama said the actions of violent extremist Muslims are "irreconcilable with the rights of human beings," and quoted the Quran to make his point: "be conscious of God and always speak the truth ..."

"Islam is not part of the problem in combatting violent extremism; it is an important part of promoting peace," he said.

"Hamas must put an end to violence, recognize past agreements, and recognize Israel's right to exist," he said of the organization the United States deems as terrorists.

"The Palestinian Authority must develop its capacity to govern, with institutions that serve the needs of its people," Obama said.

"At the same time, Israelis must acknowledge that just as Israel's right to exist cannot be denied, neither can Palestine. The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements" on the West Bank and outskirts of Jerusalem, he said. "It is time for these settlements to stop."

As for Jerusalem itself, he said it should be a "secure and lasting home for Jews and Christians and Muslims ..."

Obama also said the Arab nations should no longer use the conflict with Israel to distract their own people from other problems.

He treaded lightly on one issue that President George W. Bush had made a centerpiece of his second term the spread of democracy.

Obama said he has a commitment to governments "that reflect the will of the people." And yet, he said, "No system of government can or should be imposed upon one nation by any other."

At times, there was an echo of Obama's campaign mantra of change in his remarks, and he said many are afraid it cannot occur.

"There is so much fear, so much mistrust. But if we choose to be bound by the past, we will never move forward," he said.

The president's brief stay in Cairo included a visit to the Sultan Hassan mosque, a 600-year-old center of Islamic worship and study. A tour of the Great Pyramids of Giza was also on his itinerary.

The build-up to the speech was enormous, stoked by the White House although Obama seemed at pains to minimize hopes for immediate consequences.

"One speech is not going to solve all the problems in the Middle East," he told a French interviewer. "Expectations should be somewhat modest."

Eager to spread the president's message as widely as possible, the tech-savvy White House orchestrated a live Webcast of the speech on the White House site; remarks translated into 13 languages; a special State Department site where users could sign up for speech highlights; and distribution of excerpts to social networking giants MySpace, Twitter and Facebook.

Though the speech was co-sponsored by al-Azhar University, which has taught science and Quranic scripture here for nearly a millennium, the actual venue was the more modern and secular Cairo University.

Red draperies formed a backdrop for the speech, blocking view of a portrait of Mubarak, an aging autocrat who's ruled Egypt since 1981.

"Egypt's democrats cannot help being concerned," wrote Dina Guirguis, executive director of Voices for a Democratic Egypt.

The university's alumni are among the Arab world's most famous and notorious. They include the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Nobel Prize-winning author Naguib Mahfuz. Saddam Hussein studied law in the '60s but did not graduate. And al-Qaida second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahri earned a medical degree.

___

On the Net:

White House: http://www.whitehouse.gov

State Department's speech text-messaging site: http://www.america.gov/sms.html

What are the Different Types of Malware Protection?

2009-06-02T14:26:00.002+01:00

Malware is malicious software that can infect a computer or network causing problems that range from sluggishness and reboots, to loss of data and identity theft. In some cases the only way to rid a computer of certain types of malware is to wipe the drive, reformat it, and reload the operating system and programs. The best remedy is prevention, so let's consider the different types of malware protection.

The first rule of thumb in malware protection is to avoid engaging in risky online behaviors that virtually invite trouble. Delete email that arrives from unknown sources without opening it, and do not open or forward chain-email, even if it arrives from a friend. These are emails or attachments that circulate the Internet and might be funny, animated clips or little games. They can appear benign but often harbor a Trojan horse, virus or worm. By viewing the item you can infect your computer without realizing it.

If you use an email client rather than a Web-based email service, do not enable HTML in the client. HTML-enabled mail opens your system up to a host of threats that cannot reach you through a text-based interface.

Equally important, only download software that has been reviewed or recommended by trusted sources, and is hosted on a reputable website. According to a 2008 statement by a Symantec® spokesman, the amount of software available online that carries malware rivals legitimate software and might even be exceeding it.

Assuming your behaviors are not inviting infection, what kinds of software can you employ to provide malware protection? Let’s take a quick look at the different types of programs available.

Anti-virus software looks for signatures of known viruses, Trojans, backdoors, scripts, bots and worms. If it finds malware, it can delete it in most cases. A good anti-virus program will update its database several times a day to stay current with known threats in the wild. These programs also incorporate heuristic algorithms, or the ability to detect unknown viruses by their behaviors. Like any other software, some anti-virus programs are better at their job than others. Look for independent lab results to find a good program. Only install and use one anti-virus program at a time.

Anti-Adware and Anti-Spyware software usually comes bundled as a single package. These programs detect adware, spyware and their telltale signs, such as increased popup advertisements and browser hijacking. The latter occurs when you attempt to visit one sight but get redirected to another, often a pornographic site or a site pushing a hard sell. Adware and spyware can log browsing habits, interfere with surfing, hog system resources and slow your computer to a crawl. Guarding against spyware and adware is a basic part of any malware protection plan.

Keyloggers are small programs that record keystrokes to a log for later review by a third party. Network administrators use keyloggers for legitimate purposes, but they are also used in the wild to steal passwords, bank account numbers and other sensitive information from infected computers. Keyloggers are passed to remote machines surreptitiously using any Internet connection, then logs are regularly retrieved the same way. Keyloggers pose a real threat because they bypass encrypted technologies by recording information before the encryption can take place. Top anti-spyware programs incorporate keylogger detection, reducing risks of identity theft.

Rootkits are perhaps the worst type of infection because of their mercurial nature. There are several types of rootkits but in essence they are small routines that write themselves into the basic functions (or roots) of the operating system. From here they perform all kinds of tasks from installing keyloggers to opening backdoors for spybots. Like a lizard losing its tail, if you manage to detect and remove a rootkit, there might be hidden routines left on the system that will simply rebuild or grow a new tail. While there are rootkit detectors, should you find a rootkit, the only way to be sure the rootkit and all of its peripheral infections are gone is to wipe the system, reformat the drive, and rebuild.

Software designed for malware protection can come in suites or as stand-alone programs. A suite should include several programs or a single multi-layered program that includes all forms of malware protection. Stand-alone programs focus on one of the areas above, and might incorporate one or two tangential types of protection.

If you have never used malware protection, the first job upon installing the software will be to scan and clean the system. Once done, leave malware protection programs running in the background to reduce the risk of future infections. A firewall is also a basic part of system protection. Though it does not detect malware, it can prevent hackers from infiltrating your computer or network.

Spanish Inquisition: Can Barca Prevent Another All-English CL Final?

2009-04-18T17:05:00.001+01:00

Spain, Italy and England are the only three nations to have provided two teams in the final of the Champions League in the same year, but none have so far managed to do it twice, let alone in successive seasons. However, the Premier League could become the first association to pull off that feat.

The only problem is, standing in their way – for the second year in a row – will be a Barcelona side who have scored more goals and won more domestic matches than any other team in Europe’s top leagues. And they are playing, without question, the best football anywhere on planet Earth today and they are the bookies’ hot favourites to become the new kings of the continent.

As bubbly and vibrant as their champagne football might be, style alone can’t win them massive encounters like these in a competition like the Champions League, and certainly not the title itself, although they would beg to differ.

It’s true that Barca have swept past all comers with swashbuckling ease this season, blitzing French champions, Lyon, and the German champions, Bayern Munich, in the last two rounds of the competition. And they were overpowering against their own Spanish champions, Real Madrid, back home in La Liga in their El Clasico clash back in December.

However, they have not been tested against the tactically astute and physically superior English. Until now. If Barcelona wish to hoist the European Cup for the third time in their history, they will have to navigate past the rampant Premier League mob, like it or not.

Guus Blues; Pep’s Barca

The first obstacle for the Blaugrana is Chelsea. The biggest threat that the Londoners pose is that they have a team full of superstars, a world class footballer to occupy almost every position. Up until now, Barca have never had to deal with a rival who had more than one or two key players on the pitch at any one time.

The Pensioners do have a dazzling array of stars and, their fans would argue, that they have the manpower in their squad to match, or even outmatch, the Catalans. But let’s be honest, Barca simply have too much class.

For every Drogba, the Spaniards have Eto’o and Henry. For Bosingwa, there’s Dani Alves. For every Lampard, there’s Xavi and Iniesta. And for every Malouda, Anelka, Ballack and Deco, there’s Lionel Messi.

Chelsea’s only hope is Guus Hididnk. In the veteran Dutch maestro, they have one of the most well-respected and consistently successful tactical minds in world football today. And the inexperienced Pep Guardiola will certainly have his work cut out if he is to outsmart his counterpart.

But Hiddink has worries of his own, especially his leaky defence, having shipped in five goals in total against Liverpool over two legs in the quarter-finals and three more against unfancied Bolton in between. This will be music to Barcelona ears, considering the irresistible form they’ve been in. They took just 43 minutes to score four times against Lyon in the first leg of the last 16 and exactly 43 minutes again to score another quartet of goals against Bayern in the first leg of the quarter-finals.

Chelsea will have good reason to quake in their boots whey they step onto the Camp Nou turf for the first leg. And it won’t be because of the 90,000-plus bloodthirsty fans bellowing a cacophony of noise. But if they can get past the first 43 minutes in one piece, they might just have a chance.

Repeat Success Or Revenge Mission?

If Barca can get past Chelsea, they will be confident of lifting the trophy in the Eternal City on May 27, as the most problematic test would have already been negotiated. No disrespect to Manchester United or Arsenal, but the Blues are Barcelona’s trickiest hurdle, albeit not necessarily the toughest.

If Pep’s entertainers do make the final, it’ll be down to a question of what they prefer most: a rerun of the 2006 final against Arsenal, or, if they feel up to the challenge, go on a revenge mission by taking on a Manchester United side who heartbreakingly sent them packing in last season’s semi-final.

Barcelona vs Manchester United will indeed be a dream final for almost every football fan, neutral or otherwise. It will pit, without doubt, the two most dominant club sides in Europe this season.

United outfoxed the Blaugrana last term, relying almost on a catenaccio game plan to stun their Spanish counterparts coached then by Frank Rijkaard. Even though the Red Devils have increased their attacking firepower this season, there’s every chance they could employ that same strategy to conquer the Catalan colossus again.

Only difference is, Barca were a dysfunctional family last season. This time around, they are playing like a well-oiled, well-drilled attacking battleship where every pass is precise and every assault destructive. And Sir Alex Ferguson’s tactical wiliness may no longer be enough to trump them.

Then, of course, there’s the little matter of the personal confrontation between Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi. The two best players in the world will finally be on the same stage – post-end-of-year individual awards season – big enough to end the debate of all debates and it will be a straight fight to see who the best footballer really is, with no two-legged contests to hide behind.

A Barcelona-Arsenal final will also have quite a symbolic precedent, especially in today’s football climate, as it will see the two 'youngest' sides in the competition lock horns. The Blaugrana may have a finely balanced team of experience and youth, but coach Pep Guardiola is very much a freshman.

Arsene Wenger, on the other hand, is one of the most experienced and successful club managers today, but his squad, with an average age of just 23.5 years, look more like a boys’ church choir group than a professional men’s football team.

Should they both make the final, it will prove that you do not need a big bank account, or the most seasoned coach, or a squad full of big-game players to win the most coveted trophy in club football. It will also be one for the purists as the Gunners are the only side left in the competition who can match the Blaugrana in terms of collective entertainment.

And if a United showdown will produce a collision between The Messiah and CR7, an Arsenal showcase will allow Cesc Fabregas and Xavi to square off in what will be another mouth-watering dispute to indulge fans and determine just exactly who is Spain’s most gifted deep-lying playmaker.

One way or another, you just get the feeling that this year’s Champions League final will be a humdinger, provided Barcelona go through. But I’m getting ahead of myself. First stop, the Camp Nou.

Courtesy: KS Leong, Goal.com

Mary Mary: Pop-Gospel Disciples

2009-04-09T16:06:00.000+01:00

When the gospel duo Mary Mary announced its tour dates for this spring, not one church was on the list of venues. Sisters Tina and Erica Campbell, who named their act after the two Marys in the Bible, have spent their careers taking gospel music out of its usual venues.

Morning Edition

When Erica and Tina Campbell — the two sisters who make up the gospel duo Mary Mary — were growing up in Inglewood, Calif., they were forbidden to listen to anything other than gospel music in their house. Outside of the home, however, the sisters were heavily influenced by popular music like hip-hop and R&B.

"We were born and raised in urban communities — ghettos, if you will," Tina says. "What happened in the community — the sounds, the look, the lingo — we were exposed to that."

The Campbells say God gave them music to tell his truth creatively, when and wherever they can. Their earthly father, Eddie Atkins, was a Pentecostal pastor. Erica says he lugged his nine children along as the choir when he brought the love of Jesus to seemingly godforsaken parts of the inner city.

"[He would minister] at one of the roughest parks in L.A., where there was nothing but people doing drugs and homeless people," she says. "He would take all of us with him [to] share the love of God. We learned really early how to relate."

Casting A Wide Net

Now Mary Mary wants to cast its net as wide as possible with its music, stepping beyond the walls of the church to reach people who wouldn't receive an altar call otherwise.

"We had a publisher who was like, 'What are you guys talking about? Goosebumps?' because we were using words like 'the anointing' and 'presence and power of God,' " Erica says. "They didn't get it. That was great for us to hear early on, because it allowed us to write music from then on out that would translate to people who were un-churched."

You won't hear music from Mary Mary's latest CD at most churches on Sunday mornings, but the duo's sound still resonates with "the churched." Gospel media pioneer Dr. Bobby Jones says that even if gospel has a hip-hop flavor, the essence of Mary Mary's music remains within the bounds of the gospel genre. Gospel is about not only the lyrics, he says, but also the spiritual expression of the person performing.

"In every dimension, [the performance] has to be done in the spirit and the element of the givers," Jones says.

Putting Music Everywhere

Even with this expression in mind, though, Tina maintains that the church wasn't Mary Mary's target audience. Columbia Records placed its first CD, Thankful, in R&B bins.

"We told them, 'Put our music everywhere,' " Erica says. "Put me on the stage with anybody, and it'll work."

They also push religion's fashion envelope. On the cover of The Sound, the Campbells aren't adorned in choir robes; they're confidently wearing sexy black dresses. Tina argues that the dresses aren't tight, just form-fitting.

"Sometimes, people think we're a little bit sexy. I don't have a problem with that," she says. "I would like to think that I'm sexy. I have a husband who I would like to think that every time he sees me. Truth be known, I'm a woman. I would love to be appealing to men. It is not my endeavor [to] entice, to cause anyone to lust."

The pair recently became spokeswomen for PZI jeans, designed for women like them — women who don't mind flaunting hourglass curves. They got that gig because of their music and an image that is appealing to the urban masses. Yet within the music industry, Mary Mary still gets pigeonholed sometimes.

"Some people will hear a song, love it, find out it's a Christian song, pull it. Now, to me, that's insane," Tina says.

"You have to push a little more," Erica says. "Listen to this song, and they say, 'Oh, it's gospel,' so they push it into this category until they listen."

That drive has kept the Campbell sisters rocking night clubs and churches, inspiring fans on all sides of the spiritual divide.

Facebook reaches 200m users; is it too powerful by Zack Whittaker

2009-04-09T14:19:00.002+01:00

Facebook has baffled everyone from the very beginning, no-one quite estimating how big this social network would become. After reaching 200 million users last week, there is cause for celebration in the Facebook office.

From presidents to students, to civil servants to window cleaners, Facebook has changed the way we communicate with our friends, partners, siblings, our family and work colleagues. If Facebook were a country, it would be the fifth biggest country in the world, according to a video posted by the Facebook team.

To celebrate the milestone, Facebook has teamed up with over a dozen organisations and charities to help raise funds for their causes, including the American Red Cross, World Wildlife Fund and the Women for Women International group. By sending a gift to a friend on the social network helps raise vital funds for these charities to support and help others.

So what is the next step for Facebook?

The problem is, is that I don’t know. I cannot foresee anything for the near future that Facebook could possibly do which could make any more of a difference than it already has done. The site already allows ordinary users to make decisions as a democracy as to how any major changes should be played, and after turning five year old only a couple of months ago, have they already done all they can do?

Facebook will continue growing until either the company cannot handle the amount of users anymore or a third-party company takes away the power. As a student, I can see no more potential in Facebook than what we have already seen, experienced and felt; the good, the bad and the downright ugly.

Maybe I am starting to go soft, and worry about the influence this social network has on every day people. The fact of the matter is this; with 200 million people in an online community, sharing and living, breathing and contributing, does Facebook need its own government? Can a team of three-hundred strong employees in a privately owned company really cope with the amount of users which rely on the site for so many aspects of their lives?

4 Smart Ways to Overcome Challenges

2009-04-08T13:17:00.004+01:00

What is life without challenges and problems? Everyone faces challenges in life, regardless of age, gender, economic status, etc. Right from a young age up to a ripe old age everyone faces challenge almost everyday in life. The bigger your life’s goal, the greater is your challenge. Facing and overcoming problems require some amount of maturity, understanding and some strategy.

Here are four tips to face your challenges in life:

1. Learn to forget the problem and focus only on solutions – Well, forgetting the problem does not certainly make it disappear! But if you temporarily take your mind off the problem you would save yourself from unwanted anxiety. Unwanted stress would only lead to wasting your energy. You could instead spend that energy on looking for ways to solve the problem. Majority of us just freeze when we are faced with challenging situations. Instead, if we could immediately look for solutions the problem may clear easily. This is not easy but with some self-awareness and positive attitude you would learn to find your way through problems. When you are challenged with a problem the next time, first set aside your emotions, understand the problem and search for a solution right away.

2.Get help by reaching out to friends and family: Sometimes when you just let go of your ego and shame and ask for help you would be surprised at the way people receive you with love and concern. What are family and friends for? These days support groups are available online and in the community for almost every problem. You have support groups for addictions, seniors, single parents, parenting, marriage, education, health and religion… just about anything. When you have a problem do not think you are all alone. When you get in touch with these support groups you would realize that you are not the only one being tested by life’s challenges. You would share each other’s experiences and shoulder each other’s problems through these support groups. You could search for support groups in the Internet or call an expert, look in the newspapers, magazines, talk to people, etc. Support groups give a lot of strength and courage to fight your challenges.

3. Act now! - ‘Now’ is the best time to take on your challenges. Many people think and think and think and talk about it all the while but they would not move an inch towards a solution. What good is that? When you see a challenge, take action immediately. You would waste precious time if you wait around or wait for someone else to start dealing with your issues. Build self-confidence and resilience and start to fight your problems and you would have overcome your challenge before it settles down on you! The faster you act, the speedier the problem gets solved.

4. Practice patience and Perseverance - Nobody is a born professional at solving problems. Each time a problem challenges you it is a new experience. You could act wise by learning to be patient and persistent and practice perseverance in order to study your pattern of problems. This is a good way to draw your strategies and act accordingly. Soon you would be a master at dealing with your challenges.

Article written by:
Kevin Hensey speaks at business clubs and prisons on personal growth. He has written articles regarding personal development.
His website is: www-powerbooks.com

4 Smart Ways to Overcome Challenges

2009-04-08T13:17:00.002+01:00

About Formatting a Hard Drive By Amanda Kondolojy, eHow Editor

2009-04-02T07:31:00.003+01:00

Although most modern computers come with pre-formatted hard drives, the savvy computer user should be very familiar with the hard drive formatting process. Reformatting your hard drive is necessary for computers that have bad software or corrupted data, and the process is used most frequently to preserve computers that would otherwise be unusable.

Function
Formatting a hard drive completely purges your system of all pre-existing files and installs new system files to replace the old ones. Any pictures, documents, program or settings you had in place before formatting your hard drive will be erased. After the hard drive has finished formatting, you computer will have the same content it did when it was new.

Considerations
There are several reasons why you might consider formatting your hard drive: to get rid of corrupted or damaged files that may be slowing your computers performance; to replace missing or incomplete system files; to purge all spyware, adware and malware; to clears up free space; or to prepares the computer for resale.

Effects
The biggest effect of reformatting your hard drive is the loss of all of your personal files. Since a reformat virtually wipes your hard drive clean, you will not be able to retrieve anything that was previously saved on the hard drive. However, there are several positive reasons for formatting your hard drive, including getting rid of harmful programs and restoring missing or damaged system files.

Benefits
After formatting your hard drive, the most noticeable benefit will be your computer's run time. It will run noticeably faster because the hard drive will be completely empty save for system folders. This frees up your RAM and cuts down the wear and tear on your processor.

Warning
Because reformatting your hard drive will remove all of your personal files, it is important to back up files that you would like to keep before attempting this process. You can back up these files on an external hard drive or a virtual server.

Google Plans Fifth Birthday Present for Gmail Users

2009-03-30T17:05:00.002+01:00

Peter Sayer, IDG News Service

Google will announce the next step in Gmail's evolution, a new product with "a European multilingual angle," on Monday.

At an event in Brussels to mark Gmail's fifth birthday, Google will look at the impact of cloud computing on how people manage their daily tasks, review Gmail's evolution to date and announce the next step in its progression, the company wrote in an invitation.

"Google is celebrating with the launch of an exciting new product" said the invitation.

Gmail, a free Web-based e-mail service with the then-unheard-of storage capacity of 1GB and Google's trademark search capability, launched in 2004.

Google's playful announcement of the service, dated April 1, proclaimed "Search is Number Two Online Activity -- Email is Number One; 'Heck, Yeah,' Say Google Founders."

It looked like an April Fool's Day joke at a time when Yahoo and Microsoft were offering Web mail accounts with under 10MB of storage, with Yahoo offering an upgrade to 100MB for US$50 a year. It turned out to be true, prompting Yahoo and Microsoft to upgrade their offerings a few weeks later.

Five years after its launch, Gmail now offers over 7GB of storage but is still labelled as a beta version.

Monday's announcement is not about the end of the beta trial, though: "It has more of a European multilingual angle to it," a Google spokesman said.

Google already offers multilingual versions of the Gmail interface. Initially available only in English, it now comes in 52 language options available, including most European languages and many in non-Roman writing systems, such as Chinese, Japanese and Korean.

The company has long offered tools that will translate a Web page on the fly into a language specified by the user. It is also experimenting with a Translated Search service, still in beta, that allows surfers to make a search request in one language and receive results in another, then have those automatically translated into the first language. The tool is particularly useful for those searching for information that is not readily available in their native language, and for which they would have difficulty formulating an appropriate search query.

Courtesy: PCworld.com

Users criticise Facebook update By Dan Freedman Newsbeat reporter

2009-03-23T15:14:00.000+01:00

More than a million people have now voted against changes to the social networking site Facebook.

The new look site puts more focus on status updates and has been likened to one of its rivals Twitter.

Users have voted overwhelmingly against the new format in an online poll on the site with 94% disliking the changes.

Twitter usage has grown 1,689% in the last year but is dwarfed by Facebook which has more than 175 million users compared to Twitter's 1.78m.

Speaking to Newsbeat earlier this month, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg defended the changes.

He said: "It doesn't change that frequently and that's the kind of thing you want to have an open dialogue about with users.

"We trust that with an open dialogue our users will get us to the right place."

Users 'unhappy'

Radio 1 listeners have been commenting on the story since the changes were made and most are not happy.

Pink Kerry in Plymouth said: "I hate the new Facebook layout. It's complete rubbish.

"What was wrong with the way it was before and why weren't we given the option to choose whether we wanted the new layout or not?"

Jenny in Maidenhead agrees. She said: "If I'd wanted to sign up for a Twitter style networking site then I'd have signed up for Twitter."

But Jonathan in Cumbria reckons we'll grow to love it. He said: "The new Facebook is like anything, people just don't like change.

"After the last time they changed it there was an uproar like this, but everyone grew to accept it."

The new site relegates photos and videos into the background, mixing them with adverts.

Users receive status updates from all their friends on their homepage in a continuous stream.

'Listening carefully'

In a statement to Newsbeat, a Facebook spokesperson said: "The new Facebook home page is one step in the continued evolution of the site, designed to give people more ways to share and filter all types of content, such as status updates, photos, videos, notes and more.

"We are grateful to have 175 million people worldwide using Facebook to connect with the people and things they care about most, and we take their feedback very seriously.

"We are listening carefully to what people are saying about the new home page through a variety of channels including through a popular application, built by outside developers on our platform, that allows users to vote and express their opinion.

"Also helpful have been the many comments we're reading on industry blogs, the Facebook company blog, Mark Zuckerberg's public profile, Facebook user groups, and through the link on the Facebook new home page tutorial.

"We encourage people to send us constructive, detailed feedback and are committed to using it to inform how we build and improve the site for everyone."

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/newsbeat/hi/technology/newsid_7957000/7957764.stm

Published: 2009/03/22 11:09:05 GMT

CL Quarterfinal Draw: Liverpool-Chelsea & ManU-Porto... Again!

2009-03-20T18:54:00.007+01:00

All roads lead to Rome - at least for two lucky competitors. Join Goal.com for a look at the eventual draw for the Champions League quarter finals and beyond.

Mar 20, 2009 7:00:28 AM

Summary

Quarterfinals (April 7th-8th, April 14th-15th, 2009)
1. Villarreal vs Arsenal
2. Manchester United vs Porto
3. Liverpool vs Chelsea
4. Barcelona vs Bayern

Semifinals (April 28th-29th, May 5th-6th, 2009)
5. Winner of Match 2 vs Winner of Match 1
6. Winner of Match 4 vs Winner of Match 3

Final (May 27th, 2009, Rome)
Winner of Match 6 vs Winner of Match 5

Analysis

The UEFA Champions League quarter-final draw - covered LIVE on Goal.com - threw up four ties comprising the eight remaining clubs. We'll look at each in turn.

Villarreal VS Arsenal
Gunning For It

Last Meeting: Villarreal 0-0 Arsenal, El Madrigal. Champions League semi-finals. April 26, 2006.
Bookies' Favorite: Arsenal

The only time these two sides have ever met in competition was at such a dizzying height - for both clubs - in the form of the 2006 Champions League semi-final.

Villarreal were without doubt the overwhelming underdogs and that pressure proved to tell, when star player Juan Roman Riquelme had a chance to take the tie to extra time but had a poor late penalty saved by Jens Lehmann. Arsenal went on to lose the final to Barcelona.

Now, both teams have changed. Villarreal have continued their steady progression. Arsenal have completely removed themselves from the 'Invincibles' era and are a team that can perform from the sublime to the ridiculous. On the big stage, more often than not, they have come through this season. They are worthy favourites in what is sure to be a tight and tactical tie. The Gunners will win the day at the Emirates.

Manchester United VS Porto

Revenge

Last Meeting: Manchester United 1-1 Porto, Old Trafford. Champions League quarter-final, March 9, 2004.
Bookies' Favorite: Manchester United
And this, this is the mother of all rematches. We all know how Jose Mourinho hopped, skipped, jumped and slid down the Old Trafford touchline after his side snuck a late equaliser that put them through to the quarters at that time. They went on to win the competition.

Their performance and tactics against the Red Devils were lambasted and the English side bemoaned a wrongfully disallowed goal, but since, Mourinho has gone on to prove it was no fluke. Porto, meanwhile, have continued to dominate domestically but cannot make a dent on the continent.

United's progression since then has been outstanding. Now it is they who are the champions and they look to have the most well-rounded, united and best-drilled squad in Europe. Few would bet against them exorcising their demons.

Liverpool VS Chelsea

Fifth Time, Unlucky

Last Meeting: Liverpool 2-0 Chelsea, Anfield. Premier League, February 1, 2009.
Bookies' Favorite: Tie!
With United-Porto being the mother of all ties, this is the great, great, great, great grandfather: we cannot believe it's not dead yet. UEFA have yet again contrived to pair the two rigid English juggernauts in the Champions League for the fifth year in a row.

Liverpool have the edge. They won more convincingly to get to this stage, they've done the double over the Blues domestically this season and they've won more of the head-to-heads in this competition in the past five years.

What Chelsea have on their side is that they may actually be the underdogs this time - as they were under Avram Grant last year - which proved to be just what they needed to kill off their Red demons: to be written off beforehand.

This will not be a tie for spectacle. It never has been. Drama will be of the highest order in this all-English clash and the winner will fancy their chances of going all the way.

Barcelona VS Bayern Munich

Goals, Goals, Goals

Last Meeting: Barcelona 1-2 Bayern Munich, Camp Nou. Champions League group stage, November 4, 1998.
Bookies' Favorite: Barcelona
This is the only tie of the round that doesn't have a recent history. You have to go back over 10 years to find their last meeting: in the Champions League group stage, with Bayern winning at Camp Nou.

Bayern have never lost to Barcelona in European competition, but times are changing. The Blaugrana are now a genuine European superpower while the Bavarian giants have, in recent years, slipped off the radar ever so slightly.

But now, they are back. What's more, they are joint-top scorers in the competition along with Barcelona. They recorded the biggest aggregate win in the competition's history in the last round against Sporting Lisbon. It may not have been the stiffest of opposition, but Bayern's ruthlessness was worthy of considerable admiration. They are exactly the type of team that could punish a slightly leaky Barca defence.

But then, who can mention this tie without remembering the Three Musketeers up front for Pep Guardiola's men. Three of the best forwards in the world: the champion Thierry Henry, Samuel Eto'o in his prime and Lionel Messi, an all-time great in the making. Then there is Xavi and Andres Iniesta. Dani Alves and youngster Bojan Krkic. This is the only team outside of England to capture world imagination and they will be looking to prove why in this mammoth encounter.

And Beyond...

The semi-finals look like they may put together another familiar tie or two, as well. The winners of United-Porto will play the winners of Villarreal-Arsenal, which, according to the bookies, would give us a United-Arsenal semi. The Gunners have the most recent bragging rights over their domestic rivals and they have had some classic encounters over the past decade.

Porto and Arsenal also met in the group stages of this competition and exchanged victories, while United and Villarreal have shared four goalless draws in their only meetings in competitive football - an outstanding statistic.

Then there is the international semi-final, which has no chance of being a tie all of one country. It will be either Barcelona or Bayern against Chelsea or Liverpool. If Barcelona go through, we're sure to get an emotional encounter against one of two English teams against whom they have recent history. A Barca-Chelsea clash in particular would evoke memories of the Frank Rijkaard-Ronaldinho Blaugrana that won the competition in 2006, while Liverpool in fact felled Barca in the following year in what was a huge upset.

Bayern, on the other hand, met Chelsea in a quarter-final full of goals from which the Blues emerged victorious, but have not met Liverpool in recent history. What we can be assured, though, is that if the Bavarians make it past the second-favorites, when coming up against either of these two English sides, they will put up one hell of a fight. Germans know how to win in a knockout scenario as well as anyone.

Then comes Rome, and the final. It's so near, yet so far. All eight clubs remaining have made their credentials clear so far, but there is room for just two. Who will it be?

Courtesy: Ewan Macdonald & Sulmaan Ahmad, Goal.com

Chat instantly in Yahoo! Mail Classic

2009-03-20T14:18:00.001+01:00

Our newest feature in Yahoo! Mail Classic has started rolling out to everyone. We’ve integrated instant chat messaging courtesy of our friends at Yahoo! Messenger. This is already a very popular feature in the new Yahoo! Mail, so popular that it seemed only right that Classic Mail users have the same, smarter and social ways to connect.

How does it work, you ask?
Well, when you sign into your Yahoo! Mail Classic account, your Chat contact list will appear on the left of your screen. You’ll see a list of all of your Contacts who are online and available to chat, just click on one of your contacts that is available to start a conversation.

What if I don’t feel like Chatting?
I’ve been reading and listening to all of your comments, and a common question is, “How can I turn chat off?” The answer of course is, “Easily”. Here’s how…

All you have to do is click the drop-down box and select “Sign out of Chat”. Once you do this you will be signed out of Yahoo! Chat and Mobile Text. That’s it - you’re done. And, the next time you sign into mail, we’ll remember your status and you won’t be logged back into Chat until you set your status back to “Available”.

What else can I do?
Don’t forget to check out the ‘Settings’ menu too.

From the settings menu, you can customize some of the Chat & Mobile Text features to suit your preferences. You can change whether a sound should be played when you get a new Chat. And you can even move it down underneath your folders if you’d like your folders to appear above the chat module.

The new chat feature is rolling out to all Yahoo! Mail Classic users over the next couple of months, so please be patient if you don’t see it right away. We’ll get to you soon, I promise.

I encourage everyone to try out this terrific new feature of Yahoo! Mail Classic. It’s already a very popular feature in the All-new Yahoo! Mail. I’m sure that once you start using it, you’ll ask yourself how you lived without it before.

Happy chatting in Yahoo! Mail!!

Courtesy: Andrew - Yahoo! Mail Team

Online chat safety

2009-03-20T10:55:00.000+01:00

By Jonathan Stromberg

Just recently, the issue of online chat safety has come to light on the BBC website.
On this page, there is a discussion about the safety issues concerning community websites such as Bebo and MySpace.

Chatting with friends online - via services like MySpace and Bebo - is beginning to take over from watching TV as the main hobby of many young people. Much of the chat is happening in what are called 'community websites'. Unlike chat rooms, they are not open to everyone: each person has to be invited to join in.

The question is: exactly how safe are closed community websites? In the last few years, in response to their rapidly gaining popularity, there have been many governmental and non-governmental groups set up to deal with this issue.

The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Center (Ceop) was set up to increase the safety of children when on line. From their statistics it is known that one in 12 children met up with someone encountered first online.
Jim Gamble, chief executive of the Ceop Center said that "Children need to understand the Internet has opportunities, but with that come negatives. Do not share information online that you would not share offline, and certainly do not meet someone off-line that you met online."

Sites such as MySpace and Bebo let users leave details about their lives online and encourage people to network with other users.
Rachel O'Connell, who leads the British Home Office taskforce on Internet safety, is anxious about the fact that such pages are so readily available. Young people often display photos of themselves on such chat sites, which according to Rachel O'Connell's experience assists stalkers and pedophiles.

In the 13 months since it launched, Bebo has racked up more than 22 million members. It is aimed at those aged 13-30 but has proved particularly popular with school and college students.
Bebo is a social networking chat site that lets members share pictures and messages, and chat with friends that are also on the service. As such, it stands alongside sites such as MySpace, Friendster and many others.
Bebo's users can also talk to each over a webcam and one newspaper in the UK printed extracts of a conversation in which a young person was encouraged to strip in front of the camera by an anonymous user.

The popularity of Bebo has come with a price. Some schools and colleges consider it a safety issue, and have stopped pupils from using the site and block access to it during the school day.
One school that has banned Bebo is Kent College, an independent girls school near Tunbridge Wells in England.
Debbie Cowley, technology teacher at the college, is concerned about what pupils were sharing via the site. Some were posting personal details, pictures and even making disparaging comments about the school and its staff.
Ms Cowley said she was not happy with the level of safety and security on Bebo, and wanted more warnings about the potential dangers of sharing too much information.
In response to these concerns, Mr Birch of Bebo said: "As I understand it, some schools have blocked us and they block many sites as a matter of course if they are not directly related to school work."

The dangers have been further highlighted by the head teacher of a Kent girl's school who wrote to parents after realizing that 700 of her students had signed up to a networking site.
She considered that some of the images that had been uploaded by the pupils were indecent and could be a lure for pedophiles.

Linda Wybar, head teacher of Tunbridge Wells girls' grammar, also banned the site from her school due to the safety issue of this online chat program.

Norfolk County Council said it had told county heads that the bebo.com site was "inappropriate" and many schools had already blocked computer access to it.
The council sent an e-mail to all school heads in Norfolk, explaining that site was being used for "bullying, drugs references and pornography". It also advised schools to warn parents about their children using the site as it posed a number of possible dangers.

There are some interesting points are made concerning online chat safety on the comments page of the BBC website.

A couple of them are as follows:

The trend (for many users) in MYSPACE is this: People first join it, because "everyone" is on it, it is a chance to once again show your face to hundreds of people online. Tell the world about your favorite music, video, daily blogging, interest etc. However there is no end to this. Some people get stuck in the phase of trying to prove that they "know" people by having 200 friends on their list. However after few months for some users, maybe few years for others, they delete their accounts, realizing that a public display of photos, location, emails, IM's are potential disasters, unsafe and unnecessary. There are people who while browsing such pages, save pictures of anonymous girls from MySpace, and publish it on porn websites using simple editing techniques. MySpace, friendster, facebook are similar social networking tools, (used it for few months) but too bad the Internet is unregulated and full of "evil" people out there to misuse technology.
Travis, San Francisco, USA

Some children go onto the Internet and give out personal details and then hide this from their parents, and I know this because some of my friends do this.
Children, like myself need to be monitored however much we claim to be completely aware of the dangers of the Internet and places like 'My Space'.
Amel

Online chat safety is clearly an issue that has reached the mainstream. The sheer popularity of sites such as Bebo and MySpace means that parents across the board have stared to take notice about the safety issues relating to such sites.

Program for Monitoring Internet use At www.softforyou.com, you will find a variety of highly rated software which has been designed to help you protect your children from the dangers of on line chat sites, and the Internet as a whole.
SoftForYou's principal programs iProtectYou and CyberSieve can be used to block your child from sending any personal information over the Internet through a chat site; from your credit card numbers to your address.

They offer an advanced monitoring system that enables you to check on the activity of your child at a later time that is convenient to you.
You can limit the times that your child can use the Internet (and the computer as a whole,) and the web sites that he or she has access to.
You can restrict access to, or block your child from entering chat rooms and community websites such as Bebo and MySpace.

These are just a few benefits that these programs can bring to you and your family. For more information please refer to the site at www.SoftForYou.com.

Managers Beware—Your Employees Are Watching You By Debra J. Schmidt

2009-03-13T21:53:00.001+01:00

Is “walking the talk” a tired old cliché or a bold new concept? Very few managers today are receiving formal management training. As a result, many are poor communicators and weak in their delegation and leadership skills.

According to a Gallup poll, 25% of U.S. employees would fire their bosses if they could. Why? Because many managers set high service standards for their employees, yet fail to abide by those same standards.

If you are a manager, you are in an excellent position to lead by example. Your employees will only respect your authority if they observe your excellent customer service skills on a daily basis. Customer loyalty must be a top-down initiative.

Here are five ways you can earn greater respect and increase employee loyalty:

1.
Always give performance reviews and salary increases on the promised dates. Employees have those dates memorized. They won’t feel valued and will resent you if their review dates are postponed or forgotten.
2.
Have empathy for your employees. Show compassion by being flexible with hours and time off so they can tend to family emergencies or illnesses.
3.
Be a mentor and coach by sharing your knowledge and experience. Explain to them how business decisions were made, especially when it involves them.
4.
Trust your employees and be willing to delegate projects based on their strengths. If you tend to be a control freak, learn to let go and get out of the habit of micro-managing people.
5.
Let your employees know they’re valued. Smile at them, be approachable, remember the names of their family members and sincerely thank them every chance you get.

The only times that employees can successfully challenge your authority is when they see that you are not practicing what you preach.

Keep in mind that your employees are your primary customers. Treat them with the same respect and caring service that you deliver to your external customers. Remember that you set the tone for your entire department. Your employees are watching you!

Debra J. Schmidt, a.k.a. the Loyalty Leader®, is a professional speaker, corporate trainer and author. She helps companies boost their profits by leading them to greater customer, employee and brand loyalty. You can subscribe to Debra’s free email newsletter packed with loyalty building tips at: www.TheLoyaltyLeader.com

How to write an action plan

2009-03-13T13:51:00.001+01:00

When writing an action plan to achieve a particular goal or outcome, you can get much help from the following steps.

* Clarify your goal. Can you get a visual picture of the expected outcome? How can you see if you have reached your destination? What does make your goal measurable? What constraints do you have, like the limits on time, money, or other resources.

* Write a list of actions. Write down all actions you may need to take to achieve your goal. At this step focus on generating and writing as many different options and ideas as possible. Take a sheet of paper and write more and more ideas, just as they come to your mind. While you are doing this, try not to judge or analyze.

* Analyze, prioritize, and prune. Look at your list of actions. What are the absolutely necessary and effective steps to achieve your goal? Mark them somehow. After that, what action items can be dropped from in the plan without significant consequences for the outcome. Cross them out.

* Organize your list into a plan. Decide on the order of your action steps. Start from looking at your marked key actions. For each action, what other steps should be completed before that action? Rearrange your actions and ideas into a sequence of ordered action steps. Finally, look at your plan once again. Are there any ways to simplify it even more?

* Monitor the execution of your plan and review the plan regularly. How much have you progressed towards your goal by now? What new information you have got? Use this information to further adjust and optimize your plan.

Decision making skills and techniques

2009-03-13T13:25:00.001+01:00

We use our decision making skills to solve problems by selecting one course of action from several possible alternatives. Decision making skills are also a key component of time management skills.

Decision making can be hard. Almost any decision involves some conflicts or dissatisfaction. The difficult part is to pick one solution where the positive outcome can outweigh possible losses. Avoiding decisions often seems easier. Yet, making your own decisions and accepting the consequences is the only way to stay in control of your time, your success, and your life. If you want to learn more on how to make a decision, here are some decision making tips to get you started.

A significant part of decision making skills is in knowing and practicing good decision making techniques. One of the most practical decision making techniques can be summarized in those simple decision making steps:

1. Identify the purpose of your decision. What is exactly the problem to be solved? Why it should be solved?

2. Gather information. What factors does the problem involve?

3. Identify the principles to judge the alternatives. What standards and judgement criteria should the solution meet?

4. Brainstorm and list different possible choices. Generate ideas for possible solutions. See more on extending your options for your decisions on my brainstorming tips page.

5. Evaluate each choice in terms of its consequences. Use your standards and judgement criteria to determine the cons and pros of each alternative.

6. Determine the best alternative. This is much easier after you go through the above preparation steps.

7. Put the decision into action. Transform your decision into specific plan of action steps. Execute your plan.

8. Evaluate the outcome of your decision and action steps. What lessons can be learnt? This is an important step for further development of your decision making skills and judgement.

Final remark. In everyday life we often have to make decisions fast, without enough time to systematically go through the above action and thinking steps. In such situations the most effective decision making strategy is to keep an eye on your goals and then let your intuition suggest you the right choice.

5 Stylish Websites For Women

2009-03-13T10:24:00.002+01:00

Lately, I’ve come across a lot of websites that target the stylish and creative side in every one of us.

I would say these sites have a tendency to appeal to women more than to men. But please have a look at them yourself and whether you’re a guy or a gal, feel free to correct me if I’m wrong. :)

So with springtime ahead of us, get those creative spirits in gear and prepare yourself for a fresh start into whatever you fancy.

1. Swapstyle.com & BigWardrobe.com

wardrobeMaybe what you fancy is a new wardrobe?

Just recently I introduced several sites that allow for swapping of books and other items. With Swapstyle there is a service targeted at women who would like to swap fashion items, such as cosmetics, shoes, accessories and of course clothes.

Big Wardrobe is not just for women, but also for kids and men.

Both sites operate internationally and are free to use, although you can spend $10 for having your address verified at Swapstyle.

So be easy on your finances, go green and swap your stuff instead of throwing it away and buying new.

2. Unclutterer.com

unclutter: Unclutterer is a blog about getting and staying organized.

Posts range from tips and tricks on how to change personal habits, over guides on getting started, to practical tools. Topped with pictures from the “workspace of the week”, Unclutterer provides the perfect incentives to take that spring cleaning action to the next level.

But don’t get fooled by the Unitasker Wednesday posts and don’t fall for similarly useless items.

3. HomeDesignFind.com

design: This blog features stylish products and ideas for your home.

The best part of the site are definitely its how to, tips, advice, DIY, and home improvement posts. But I also love to see the works of architects and designers.

My favorite posts are:

17 Clever Tips for Around the House

The Wicked Sliding House by dRMM Architects

Do It yourself: Top Tips on How to Paint Walls

Maybe you can draw a few ideas to improve your own home from this site. I certainly did.
4. MopShots.com

Somewhere I read “Is a Haircut the new Botox?” Apparently, the right haircut can make you several years younger. However, most women will agree that finding the right hairdresser is almost as difficult as finding the right partner.

If you’re in the US, you may find the right hairdresser through MopShots by going through images of hair styles they created. And if you would like to recommend your personal hairdresser, submit a shot of your latest cut.

If you’re not from the US, at least you may find inspiration for your next haircut. Either way, the hair seen at that site is awesome!

5. Handbag.com

handbag: Can you imagine a woman without a handbag? Well, I actually can as I don’t like handbags, but I realize I’m in a minority. So an online handbag would certainly seem like an essential feature of a woman’s daily web consumption.

Handbag really wraps it all up. There’s articles on fashion, beauty, hair, relationships, dieting and well being, as well as celebrity and entertainment gossip. And all articles can be delivered through RSS or email. What more could a woman ask for?

What is your favorite, stylish website and are there any for men that you can recommend? Please share your secrets with us!

Mar. 6th, 2009 By Tina
Courtesy: makeuseof.com

Champions League Comment: And Then There Were Eight

2009-03-12T18:43:00.001+01:00

Ewan Macdonald reflects on another thrilling night of Champions League action before looking ahead to the quarter-finals.
Mar 11, 2009 5:45:48 PM

Qualified teams (Champions League quarter-final):
Manchester United
Chelsea
Liverpool
Barcelona
Arsenal
Bayern Munich
Villarreal
Porto

Draw date:
Friday, March 20th, 2009 (12:00 CET/11:00 GMT)

Analysis:
The best eight clubs in Europe? The recriminations will begin from fans of sides such as Inter, Real Madrid, and - well, of course - Roma, but whichever way you look at it, our Champions League quarter-finalists are the ones left in competition for Europe's top crown. And four of them are from the Premier League!

Yes, English dominance, as indicated last year with fully three of the four semi-finalists hailing from the EPL, is back with a vengeance, with Arsenal joining the current top three of Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool in the next round. The latter trio top not only the Premiership but also UEFA's co-efficient list, with Arsenal sneaking in at fifth. Of Italian sides, there is no sign.

Yesterday we reflected on the four victors from last night. Today we'll do the same for Wednesday's.

Inevitably, we start with Manchester United, the defending champions. A 2-0 win over Inter at home gives Sir Alex Ferguson the kind of vindication he needs against Jose Mourinho, his old foe (or should that be protege), who bows out of the competition for the season. The Red Devils deserved their advancement; even though Inter hit the woodwork, there was cutting edge about the Old Trafford side that is impossible to deny. Above all, the verve and life of Ryan Giggs was a joy to watch.

Arsenal also head through, but first of all let's spare a thought for Roma. The walking wounded could barely put together a lineup and bench worthy of the name, the players dropping out of the line-up thick and fast prior to, and even during the encounter at the Olimpico. Yet the Giallorossi had the best of their 1-0 win over Arsenal - even though it was not enough. After a tortuous round of penalties, the Gunners held their nerve to progress as a heartbroken Max Tonetto missed from the spot.

Over in Porto, the match that provided so many goals in the first leg ended without a single ruffle of the net as Atletico Madrid bow out on away goals. Over the two legs this is a just result; the Dragons were the more accomplished side, and while Atleti's classic, free-flowing wing play - as well as the wizardry of Sergio Aguero - will be a loss to the tournament, the powerful Portuguese will look to overcome their low ranking in the next round, although they have battles domestically - both on and off the field - to worry about as well.

Finally to Barcelona, where the embattled Blaugrana finally gave their fans the kind of spectacle that they had grown to expect during the earlier part of the season. No fewer than five goals were on the agenda for the hosts, while Lyon, although for the most part poor, replied with two - a reminder to Pep Guardiola that his injury-hit backline needs severe work before the next stage.

Well, what now? The quarter-finals, that's what.

Unlike in previous rounds, there is no barrier on who can be drawn against whom. English could not meet English in the Round of 16 - in the quarter-finals, however, anything goes.

Thus from a pot looking like this (in order of UEFA co-efficient):

Manchester United
Chelsea
Liverpool
Barcelona
Arsenal
Bayern Munich
Villarreal
Porto

We could see clashes as intriguing as Arsenal-Bayern Munich, Liverpool-Villarreal... or Manchester United-Chelsea.

Yes, the battle of the Premier League is on the cards again, it seems, with just two Spanish, and lone German and Portuguese outfits remaining. Statistically it will not be a huge shock if two of these English sides are drawn together; in footballing terms, it will be a case of familiarity breeding, well, excitement, we hope.

The permutations are near-enough endless. Ties are to be played on April 7th and April 8th 2009; the draw comes next Friday, March 20th. We'll be covering it live, and we hope you'll be there, too.

Ewan Macdonald, Goal.com

8 Better Alternatives To Common Windows Apps

2009-03-09T16:20:00.002+01:00

There is no doubt, Microsoft is going to dominate the operating system market through Windows 7. Who knows where we will be after that. At that point we will likely be looking at some type of open source product, such as Ubuntu? Maybe even we’ll move to our smart phone(s) full time?

Whatever the case, the Windows operating system still holds dominance on the market. With dominance though, comes much feedback and much modification from the users.

No matter how much you like a certain feature of Windows, there is always someone out there modifying it some way or another. This not only includes some of the integrated features of Windows, such as the Start Menu or Windows Explorer, but also individual applications, such as Notepad and MS Paint.

I have put together a list of the some of the best Windows apps and feature replacements that I could come up with.
1. Vista Start Menu (Start Menu Alternative)

As confusing as the name is, Vista Start Menu not only gets you a Vista-like Start Menu in Windows XP, but also enhances and improves the Start Menu Interface in Windows Vista.

It adds the ability to tab items, quick access to shutdown options, zoom capabilities and simple shortcuts to search on both the local PC and Google.

Windows XP Start Menu Alternative

Other Alternatives:

* JetStart
* Open Menu+

2. Replace Windows Taskbar with RocketDock

Rocketdock is a Windows taskbar replacement with a Mac-like feel. It’s essentially a combination of the quick launch toolbar, the taskbar and desktop widgets, all rolled into one. It looks incredibly futuristic, it has a very smooth feel, and it doesn’t eat up a lot of resources.

Other Alternatives:

* Moby Dock
* Object Dock

3. ExploreXP - Windows Explorer Replacement

ExplorerXP is a free file manager replacement for Windows Explorer. We’ve previously written about Windows Explorer alternatives in the past, but I have found ExplorerXP to be a much more stripped down version of some of its competitors, while still giving you everything you need at the same time.

It has built in tab ability, folder sizes, quick access to My Computer, Recycle Bin, My Docs, Desktop, multi rename tool, all running on just 410KB of size.

If you are looking to upgrade Windows Explorer with many must-have add-ons, while continuing to use many of its built-in capability, this is the freeware to get.

windows explorer replacement

Other Alternatives:

* Explorer2 Lite
* Q-Dir
* XPlorer
* FreeCommander
* A43
* UltraExplorer

4. Process Explorer - Task Manager Alternative

Process Explorer from Sysinternals is a great Windows task manager alternative to get an in-depth look at all of the running processes on your computer, including where individual executables are located, search capabilities for individual DLLs, plus a much more detailed look at system resources, and where they are being allocated.

task manager alternative

Other Alternatives:

* What’s Running
* Task Manager Extension 2.1
* MKN TaskExplorer

5. Notepad++ : Wordpad / Notepad Replacement

Notepad++ is a much more comprehensive, in-depth textpad editor, with built-in tab ability for multiple documents, drag and drop support, color print capability, zooming, auto completion, bookmarking, and even macros. It’s not your typical plain ole’ Windows notepad or wordpad. It’s built for code writers and programmers, but used and available to all. Overall, it’s a great Notepad replacement for Windows.

wordpad notepad replacement

Other Alternatives:

* Notepad2
* Programmer’s Notepad
* PSPad
* MetaPad
* DocPad
* TED Notepad
* AkelPad

6. Defraggler - Faster Replacement for Windows Defragmenter

Defragmenting your hard drive has become an essential part of keeping your computer running at an optimal speed, and keeping your hard drive in tip top shape. It essentially takes all of the separated files on your hard disk, and pieces them back together so that everything just runs smoother.

Windows, for as far back as I can remember, has always had some type of defrag utility. The problem is that it’s never been that good. Fortunately with time, comes faster computers, smarter programmers and a much better interface. Defraggler appears to have all of this rolled into one. It is incredibly easy to use and understand. It has an incredibly nice interface and most important, it’s incredibly fast.

fast windows defragmenter

Other Alternatives:

* Auslogics
* Contig
* PageDefrag
* Five Programs To Defragment Your PC.

7. LogMeIn Free - Windows Remote Desktop Alternative

I was amazed when a co-worker referred me to this website, a couple of years ago. The incredible speed, security and capability sold me from day one. The LogMeIn Free version lacks printing and file transfers, but if you are simply trying to access your home or work computer without ever having to touch a firewall, LogMeIn is the best way to go. From all indications, it sounds like it’s the best free alternative to ‘GoToMyPC’ as well.

windows remote desktop alternatives

Other Alternatives:

* UltraVNC
* TightVNC
* CrossLoop

8. Replace Paint with Gimp

Gimp is quickly becoming a strong competitor to Adobe’s Photoshop. It comes bundled with a very similar interface, it has many of the same features as Adobe’s massive product, and it has plenty of tutorials via YouTube or blogs, to go along with it.

As far as a replacement for Microsoft’s Paint, I don’t think it even falls into the same category. However, it is free, and can easily become a full-time replacement for Paint. Keep your eye out for future MakeUseOf tutorials, in regards to Gimp. We had a few Gimp tips already.

Other Alternatives:
* Paint.NET
* PhotoFiltre

As you can see, there are plenty of alternative options out there for many facets of Microsoft Windows. I didn’t dive into the most obvious of items, such as Windows Media Player and Internet Explorer, but I gave a fairly in depth breakdown of many of the free replacment apps available for many different versions of Windows, but specifically for XP and Vista.

Do you have additional suggestions for alternatives? Do you have more items you’d like to see replaced in Windows? Please leave your feedback!

Courtesy: makeuseof.com
Dec. 7th, 2008 By T.J. Mininday

How To Access & Use Gmail Offline

2009-03-09T15:59:00.000+01:00

Well, not literally, of course, but now you can access Gmail even when you’re offline. The Ninjas over at the Gmail team have created a masterpiece and are inviting you to give their new offering a spin.

Too Dramatic, was it ?

Well, the reason that I’m being so dramatic is that the feature that Google has released this time is one that I’ve been personally waiting for ages and definitely deserves this attention.

The big deal is that you can now access and use Gmail offline, that is without Internet connection. Obviously, you will not be able to send any emails while you’re offline, but atleast you can read them, and any emails that you send during this time will be queued up and delivered the moment you get back online. Anyway you look at it, this is an incredible feature to have.

To be able to access Gmail account offline, you’ll need to first download and install Google Gears. If you’re using Google’s Chrome browser, though, you can relax since Chrome comes with Gears installed by default.

After you have Gears installed, just go to Settings->Labs and enable the Offline feature.

Gmail should now reload and you will see a new link titled “Offline” right next to the “Settings” link in the top right corner of the Gmail window.

Click on Offline and Google Gears will throw a warning at you that some website named http://mail.google.com is trying to access Gears. Since I was quite sure that it’d harmless, I let the website access Gears and you should probably do the same.

At this point, Gmail will begin downloading what it thinks are the most important emails to you. I’m saying “what it thinks” because the Gmail team has a pretty nifty algorithm to determine the emails that it downloads. For me that figure came to “about 3 years” worth of my emails and you might get a different figure, depending on the amount of email that you get.

At any rate, Gears will download about 10000 of your latest emails, not counting the Trash and Spam folder so this should be enough for most of us.

Depending on the speed of your link, this actual process of downloading and syncing emails might take a while and this is probably a good time to have a cup of coffee (or a mug of beer, if that’s what you prefer).

Gears will also offer to create a shortcut for Gmail on the desktop. With this shortcut, you can login Gmail in offline mode right from your desktop.

The Offline Gmail feature also includes a very cool Flaky Connection Mode. In this mode, you can continue using Gmail as you normally would and Gmail will automatically determine if you are online or offline, without the user ever knowing about it.

If you send any emails in this mode and you’re offline, Gmail will keep them in the outbox and send them as soon as you come back online, and you’ll never even come to know about your connection status. In my opinion, you should always keep this option checked. To enable the flaky connection mode, click on the Offline Gmail icon next to the Settings link.

This is without any doubt, one of the best things to happen to webmail. With our ever increasing dependence on services based “in the cloud”, the Gmail team has taken the lead in letting the users have access to their data, whether they’re connected to the cloud or not. This, in my opinion, can only be a good thing.

Do you think you ever going to use Gmail in offline mode? Let us know what you guys think of this new feature in the comments.

Courtesy: makeuseof.com
Feb. 23rd, 2009 By Sharninder

David Beckham Joins AC Milan Until End Of Season

2009-03-09T10:12:00.003+01:00

After weeks of wrangling, the Englishman has finally put pen to paper at San Siro.
Mar 8, 2009 8:56:54 AM

AC Milan have officially confirmed that David Beckham is to remain at the Rossoneri until the end of the season, on loan from Los Angeles Galaxy.

A brief communiqué on the official Milan website reads as follows:

"AC Milan announces that the footballer David Beckham will remain with the Rossonero until June 30, 2009."

The Italian media, led by Goal.com Italy, announced that the move was to take place this morning, with Beckham himself telling the Associated Press that he was delighted to have secured the switch.

"I am grateful to both clubs for making this dream come true," he said earlier today.

"I will be able to play for Milan and the Galaxy in the same season, hence keeping with my commitment to the Major League Soccer in order to develop football in the USA, which is something I feel really passionate about."

Beckham, 33, arrived in Italy at the turn of the year, and has scored two league goals since then as Milan continue their faint Scudetto challenge.

His performances have given what was judged by some in Europe to be a declining career a shot in the arm; this, along with his eminent marketability, led Milan to seek to extend his deal.

However, the Galaxy's reluctance to let their prized asset leave, along with many financial concerns surrounding the move, caused a series of delays.

But today it is confirmed that Beckham will be at Milan until the end of the season, returning in time to help Los Angeles complete the second half of their 2009 Major League Soccer campaign.

Quite how he will be received upon his return, given his frequent statements outlining his desire to continue in Milan, is unclear, but a small number of Galaxy fans have already publicly voiced their disapproval for 'Becks.'

Nonetheless Beckham remains a hot property in the American football scene and several onlookers, including neutrals, will hope for his swift return.

Courtesy: Ewan Macdonald, Goal.com

How to Get Along With Your Boss

2009-03-05T17:51:00.002+01:00

No one ever said that getting along with your boss was easy. We often see our bosses as delegators of work that they don’t do. This delegation of work load often can spell resentment and miss- communication in the office, and make it difficult for you to even imagine getting along with your boss. I’ve had some very difficult and demanding bosses in my life and getting along with my boss was the last thing on my mind, however I’ve learned that no matter what management style your boss has, you must get along with your boss if you are to survive in the work force.

Instructions

Step1
If you have a paranoid boss that likes to micro manage. Don’t let their paranoia become yours; inundate them with automatic or personal updates weekly or daily. Often times the bosses that micro manage are the ones that feel the most insecure. They manage this way because they feel they have no control and that a parental superiority complex is the only way they can feel secure in the people they oversee.

Step2
If you have a boss that is never around, make it a priority to set a meeting with them to establish your responsibilities. If this is not an option pull up your job scope and perform your daily functions pertaining to those listed in your scope. This will save your butt, when they’re allegations laziness.

Step3
If you have a boss that puts too much on your plate, I urge you to talk to them and let them know that you are more than willing to do the work, however you must explain to your boss that you will be willing to only work on the task that are of the highest priority first and then if you have time you will work on the others. This statement alone tells your boss you are not afraid of work and that your commitment to excellence is paramount. This sounds so much better than arguing about how much work you can’t do. Trust me the last thing your boss wants to hear is how you can’t work at work.

Step4
Remember that your boss can either be an alli or an enemy. Look at your bosses goals and agendas. Try to align yourself with that as much as possible. If you have the same or close to the same game plan as your boss, chances are your relationship will change with your boss also.

Written By: Sidhartha

Tips when looking for a wedding photographer

2009-02-28T17:46:00.002+01:00

When you are looking for a wedding photographer, you want to choose the best. This is the most important day of your life, and you want to have the photographs to remind you of it for ever.

Choose the best photographer that you can afford, and you will be well rewarded with a set of photographs that make the whole day look like a fairy tale. A good photographer will make sure that you and your guests all look fantastic, whatever the weather, and whatever disasters occur!

Firstly, check that the firm you are dealing with belongs to a reputable photographic professional body. These will vary from country to country. This will help you if you have any concerns about the level of service provided, or if he lets you down and you wish to chase him up afterwards.

A good photographer will have a meeting with your beforehand, when he will talk to you about which particular shots you want taken. He will, of course, take many shots using his own skill and judgement.

The photographer should be able to assure you that he/she will be able to get a variety of shots during the service, before the wedding and during the reception, while not interrupting the proceedings.

Find a photographer that you get along with on a personal level. This will help if there is anything amiss, as you will feel more able to talk to him/her about it.

Visit the photographer's studio, or ask him to bring a selection of his work to your house, so that you can see some of his past work. He should be able to give you the names and contact details of some of his past customers, It is worthwhile taking the time to contact these people to see if they were satisfied with his work.

Many photographers today offer a digital printing service. Ask if the photographer you have chosen offers this. A very efficient photographer will be able to take photos during the day, load them onto his computer and be able to show the shots to your guests at the evening reception so that they can choose which pictures they would like prints of.

Ask about digital enhancement. If they day is very overcast, for example, the photographer can use a photographic package to brighten up your photos. He can also take out any odd hands or balloons that cut into the picture and crop them to size. This process improves your photographs immeasurably.

Whichever photograph you choose, remember that it is your day, and that you are employing him. Don't be put off by a superior manner. Say exactly what you want you won't get another chance at this one

By Susan Hibbend

About Susan
She lives in Kent in the UK and works part-time as a school librarian. She has been writing books for five years now, and has published three. The first is The Purple Butterfly, and is the diary she kept when she was undergoing treatment for Thyroid Cancer. The second is called The Little Book of Collectable British Pyrex. Her third book is The Butterfly Book of Kentish Recipes and was published in May 2008. She has also written a children's novel called Abigail Flynn, which was printed for a local school.

DONALD LAWRENCE & CO. RELEASES 'THE LAW OF CONFESSION, PART 1': Chicago's Living Word Christian Center member releases sophomore solo CD.

2009-02-28T05:58:00.002+01:00

Donald Lawrence is out with his sophomore solo CD that ministers directly to today's trying times.
"The Law of Confession, Part 1" is inspired by the forthcoming book "The Law of Confession" by Pastor Bill Winston (Lawrence's pastor at Chicago's Living Word Christian Center).

For those who enjoyed Lawrence's work with the Tri City Singers, the "Co." in "Donald Lawrence & Co." is comprised of some of the industry's best singers that Lawrence has met since moving to Chicago in 2001. Those he got to know since his days in North Carolina are featured; notables such as Dewayne Woods (who won the Stellar Award for Best New Artist of the Year in 2008, following his smash hit "Let Go, Let God"), the effervesce Kim McFarland-Anderson; the dynamic Jason Nelson, and Latrice Pace of the Anointed Pace Sisters. The group is rounded out with Lisa Jones, Tobbi White-Darks, Tommie White, Dawn Jordan, Blanche McAllister-Dykes, Anita Wilson, Michael Smith and Floyd Wilkinson.

"I picked lead singers based on the feel and color of the song," Lawrence states. "Since I've worked with so many singers - and I believe some of the best singers on this planet - I'm extremely picky when it comes to lead vocals. They must have a lot of heart!"

In the first single from the project, Donald Lawrence says, "Let's get back to Eden, live on top of the world," with a hook that gets your bounce on, and a Word that encourages your spirit. You can always count on Donald Lawrence to sing straight from the Word of God and "The Law of Confession Part 1" is no exception.

Interspersed throughout the CD, Lawrence shares how several of the songs were "birthed" and the theology behind them. Throughout the CD Lawrence speaks to those who may be hurting financially and otherwise during his economic recession. With a driving ballad, "Word of My Power," calls for pain, fear, debt, sickness, and more to be erased. Donald reprises a soulful rendition of "The Blessing of Abraham," made all the more stirring from the sip-le piano accompaniment.

Carling Cup Final: Man Utd v Tottenham

2009-02-27T20:27:00.004+01:00

Venue: Wembley Stadium Date:
Sunday, 1 March
Kick-off: 1500 GMT
Coverage: Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live, text commentary on BBC Sport website plus full commentary on BBC London 94.9, BBC London DAB and BBC London online at bbc.co.uk/london. TV coverage on Sky Sports

Sir Alex Ferguson has told youngsters Darron Gibson and Danny Welbeck they will start Sunday's Carling Cup final.

Rafael Da Silva is out with a fractured ankle but Wayne Rooney should start as he continues to build match fitness.

Tottenham's Robbie Keane, Wilson Palacios, Carlo Cudicini and Pascal Chimbonda are all cup-tied.

Jamie O'Hara (hip) has declared himself fit but on-loan Fraizer Campbell cannot play against his parent club and Ledley King (knee) will have a fitness test.

Ferguson said next Wednesday's Premier League trip to Newcastle is a bigger priority for his side than the Carling Cup final.

"We obviously want to win because the winning mentality in the club is why we have been successful, but we know what our priorities are and that will affect the team that I pick on Sunday," he said.

"We have a big game at Newcastle on Wednesday and the priority for us will always be the Premier League and the Champions League.

"The Premier League is the only place to be and Harry Redknapp is well aware of that judging by the team he picked in the Uefa Cup on Thursday."

But Ferguson dismissed suggestions that United were taking the game lightly by travelling down to London just 24 hours before the game.

"We have always travelled down to the League Cup final the day before the game," he said.

Paddy_The_Red_Devil
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp said United were his dream opponents in Sunday's final.

"You have to look forward to playing Manchester United," Redknapp said.

"When people asked when Derby won the first leg of their semi-final if it would be great if they could pull it off, I said no way.

"No disrespect but I really wanted to play United in the final. It's a way for you to test yourself against the best.

"They are the best team in Europe, and they were tremendous against Inter Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday.

"We've had some good games against the big teams this season. At home with United we drew, with a good performance, so we've got players who can play against anyone.

"Hopefully, playing on a big stage on Sunday will bring best out of them and we'll get the bit of luck that you always need against the best teams."

Redknapp added that he had been struggling to find time to prepare for the match after a busy schedule which has included Uefa Cup matches alongside Premier League games.

"It's been difficult to enjoy the week as having so many games we haven't been able to relax," he said.

"I was going to take them to Southend to walk them up the pier and have a bowl of jellied eels and ice cream, but we just haven't had the time."

Tottenham (from): Gomes, Alnwick, Corluka, Assou-Ekotto, Woodgate, King, Bentley, Jenas, Modric, Zokora, Lennon, Pavyluchenko, Bent, O'Hara, Huddlestone, Bale, Dawson, Gunter, Giovani, Taarabt.

Man Utd (from): Foster, Kuszczak, Neville, Fabio, Gibson, Evans, Vidic, Ferdinand, O'Shea, Evra, Welbeck, Anderson, Carrick, Fletcher, Park, Scholes, Nani, Ronaldo, Giggs, Tevez, Rooney.

BIG-MATCH FACTS

Manchester United take on the holders Tottenham Hotspur in the 49th League Cup Final and the sixth sponsored by Carling.

United are vying for a unique five-timer. They have already won the World Club Championship in Japan, and stand all square at 0-0 in their last 32 Champions League tie with Inter Milan, going into the Old Trafford leg. The Red Devils are in the box seat at the top of the Premier League table, and have an away tie to Fulham in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

Tottenham will be playing their third match in seven days, having been knocked out of the Uefa Cup by Shakhtar Donetsk on Thursday. Monday's 2-1 win at Hull lifted them three points further away from the Premier League's relegation zone, but they are still uncomfortably close.

This year's final comprises two of the three most recent winners.

Both clubs had to knock out two Premier League clubs and two Championship sides to qualify for the final. Both also lost one leg of their semi-final against lower league opposition; Manchester United at Derby, Tottenham at Burnley.

The League ladder

Tottenham lie 13 places below leaders Manchester United in the Premier League table.

Referee

Chris Foy (Merseyide)

MANCHESTER UNITED

Current form

Unbeaten in 12; won 11 and drawn one in all competitions since losing 1-0, away to Derby in the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final on 7 January.

Avoided defeat in 26 of the last 27 matches.

Recent League Cup performance

The 1992 and 2006 League Cup winners are competing in their seventh final.

The Manager

Victory will give Sir Alex Ferguson his third League Cup victory. He will join a distinguished list to have achieved such a feat; Brian Clough (four wins), Bob Paisley and George Graham.

Currently in his 22nd year in charge at Old Trafford, Sir Alex boasts 10 Premier League titles, two Champions League, five FA Cups, two League Cups, the European Cup Winners' Cup, the World Club Championship, the European Super Cup, the Inter-Continental Cup and the FA Charity/Community Shield seven times, excluding the year when United were joint holders.

Player milestones

If he gets a run out, Ryan Giggs will become only the seventh player to play in five League Cup finals. The Welshman could hold the unwanted record of being the first to lose three League Cup finals with the same club.

Wayne Rooney needs a hat-trick to become the first player to score five goals in League Cup finals. He netted twice against Wigan in 2006. Chelsea's Didier Drogba currently holds that record with four.

If Dimitar Berbatov finds the back of the net, he will become the first player to have scored in the final for two different clubs, having opened Tottenham's account from the penalty spot in last season's 2-1 victory over Chelsea.

League Cup fact

United's 4-0 win against Wigan in 2006 was the biggest ever victory in a League Cup final, since the showpiece ceased to be played over two legs.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

Current form

Monday's league win over Hull was their only victory in five in all competitions.

Won two of 10.

Recent League Cup performance

The 1971, 1973, 1999 and 2008 winners are competing in their seventh League Cup final and are aiming to become the third team to retain the trophy, and the first since Nottingham Forest 19 years ago.

Victory would see Spurs join Aston Villa as the second most successful club in this competition with five wins, two behind Liverpool.

The Manager

Harry Redknapp, who led Portsmouth to FA Cup victory last season, is hoping to become only the second English manager in 13 years to win the League Cup. Steve McClaren was the last to bear that distinction, with Middlesbrough in 2004.

Player milestones

If he plays, Roman Pavlyuchenko will become the first Russian to feature in a League Cup final.

League Cup fact

Last knocked out of this competition by Arsenal in the semi-finals in 2007. Since then they have played 11 games, winning nine, drawing one and losing one.

HEAD to HEAD

All competitions

Manchester United have won almost twice as many league games as they have lost against Tottenham; won 70, lost 38.

The Red Devils are undefeated in 17 league and cup games against the Londoners, and are meeting them for the third time this season.

The Premier League fixture at White Hart Lane was a goalless draw, but United subsequently knocked Spurs out of the FA Cup, 2-1 in the fourth round at Old Trafford. Paul Scholes and Berbatov both scored within a minute of each other, half an hour after Pavlychenko had given Spurs an early fifth minute lead.

League Cup

But it is a different story in the League Cup. Spurs have won five of their six meetings.

The most recent was a 3-1 triumph in the quarter-finals at the Lane on 2 December 1998, when Chris Armstrong got a brace and David Ginola the other. Teddy Sheringham replied for United. Spurs went on to lift the trophy that season, beating Leicester 1-0 in the final.

The Big Match Facts were compiled by Peter Robinson, and Infostrada Sports.

Story from BBC SPORT:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/sport2/hi/football/league_cup/7905889.stm

Published: 2009/02/27 12:06:50 GMT

© BBC MMIX

Google joins EU antitrust complaints against Microsoft

2009-02-26T15:42:00.004+01:00

By Justin Mann, TechSpot.com
Published: February 25, 2009, 9:48 AM EST

Shortly after the European Commission started new antitrust proceedings against Microsoft, The Mozilla Foundation went to support the cause and voiced their opinion. This was on top of other browser vendors and several parties in the industry, but as of yesterday the movement may have discovered their largest backer yet. Google has joined the complaint against Microsoft, agreeing with the Comission's findings that tying IE to Windows gives Microsoft an unfair advantage in the browser market.

Even though the newcomer Chrome has a minor share in the browser market, Google has been a Firefox supporter all along. Google claims that browsers are crucial to online innovation and that separating IE from Windows will result in better competition conditions.

Feb Top 10 Temporary and Disposable Email Address

2009-02-26T15:18:00.003+01:00

Spam..Spam..Spam..Nobody loves it, but you cant help it either. The Volume of spam you get in Yahoo is much more compared to Gmail. Now if you dont want to be showered with many spam mails in your inbox, you can use these disposable Email Address on the sites where you need to give in your email id just for confirmation purpose.They provide you a temporary email address for register accounts. The emails will be forwarded to your real address. This way you do not need to exposure your real address, so you will be worry free on spam. Below are some Temporary and Disposable Email Address Services to pick from:

1. Mailinator
Mailinator was the first (and still the best!) disposable email service for people who want to protect their online identity. It is a tool that allows users to create an on-the-spot email identity that provides anonymity and fights web inertia in one easy step.

2.GuerrillaMail
GuerrillaMail provides you with disposable e-mail addresses which expire after 15 Minutes. You can read and reply to e-mails that are sent to the temporary e-mail address within the given time frame.

3.DeadAddress
DeadAddress will instantly create a disposable email address that you can use when you need to verify registrations by email. After creating an instant email accountyou can check for new incoming messages by simply refreshing your dynamically created inbox page.

4.Fake Mail Generator
Fake Mail Generator changes the domain frequently in order to prevent the address from being banned, a problem which plagues other disposable email services.

5.SpamBox.us
SpamBox allows you to create a temporary e-mail address that will forward all incoming mail to your usual e-mail address. Simply enter your e-mail address and the life time of your spambox and we will generate you a temporary @spambox.us e-mail.

6.TemporaryInbox
TemporaryInbox is a disposable email address which doesn’t require registration and can be used to avoid spam. Use this email address in forums, lotteries, or wherever. The spammers will never find out your private email address.

7.Hidzz
Hidzz lets you create as many in form xxx-name@hidzz.com Email ID remains valid for 5 days and you can access all your temporary IDs using your personal email address.

8.Spam.la
Spam.la is a fast disposable email service which requires no registration, no frills. You can see all spam being sent to all Spam.la accounts, or just your own.

9.E4ward
After you register for a free account enter an email address where e4ward.com should forward your mail. Create an alias for each of your contacts like liasusername.e4ward.com - its done.

10.Incognito Mail
Incognito Mail allows you to create a temporary e-mail account that will last 60 Minutes. Enough time to receive e-mails that contain activation or download links, and to reply to e-mails that ask for confirmation.

The History of Christian Hip Hop & Christian Rap

2009-02-25T19:07:00.000+01:00

While mainstream hip hop is celebrating its 30-something birthday, its Christian counterpart is roughly ten years younger. Although the terms “”Christian Hip Hop” and “Christian Rap”” can still raise some eyebrows, the hip hop culture has always had a social conscious and flirted with all religious beliefs from Buddhism to Islam. Adding Christianity to the mix wasn’t really a surprise given its largely African-American participants’ spiritual backgrounds. If nothing else, Christ has withstood grandly within hip hop.
So where did Christian Hip Hop and Christian Rap get its start? And where is it now? The following is a (very) brief rundown at how the hip hop community is using this music to entertain and enlighten.

IN THE BEGINNING:
Because it was an emerging subculture with very little historical documentation there is actually some debate as to how and where holy hip hop got its start. At the very least, we know it first became public in the early to mid 80’s, mainly in Nashville, TN (Christian music’s capital) and through the Los Angeles underground.
Some of the first recordings were limited to singles and include M.C. Sweet’s Jesus Christ (The Gospel Beat) [Lection/Polygram, 1982] and Stephen Wiley’s Bible Break [Brentwood Records, 1985]. Both selections were heavy on the Sunday School lesson lyrics and extremely dated, Kurtis Blow-influenced beats and delivery.
In the west, groups like L.P.G. claim to have been rapping in the church since 1984. Houston’s Apocalypse put the Word on wax around the same time.
Others, like Michael Peace, S.F.C. (Soldiers for Christ), Dynamic Twins, and J.C. Crew, found a home too, with national distribution through Nashville-based companies such as Broken Records, Brainstorm Artists International, and Word Records Limited. Their musical style made some progression, but even its fans had to admit it didn’t quite match what moved crowds at the skating rink or over the airwaves.
During this time many Christian Hip Hop an Christian Rap MCs felt somewhat betwixt. They were dealing with an outside world that wouldn’t accept them and a church community that was slow to embrace. It was this mix of faith and secular music that challenged, if not vexed, many throughout the 80’s period.
Unsurprisingly, it was not until groups like Nashville’s white-break dc Talk mixed pop and rap in the early 1990’s that acceptance grew and holy hip hop started to feel at home with its brethren.
TEXAS TAKES THE CHALLENGE:
The Lone Star State also placed a key role in Christian Hip Hop and Christian Rap’s development. Aside from the aforementioned Apocalypse crew, it became home to an independent Christian gangsta rap record label and launched the genre’s first attempts at critical and editorial journalism.
Cowboy-hat-and-boot-wearing Knolly “Rubadub” Williams started his own music career from the small town of Round Rock as Grapetree Records’s first act in 1992. The label-owned, but industry-focused Heaven’s Hip-Hop Magazine published its first issue not long after. Grapetree had a street sensibility and put its money into recent converts with rap sheets and skills.
Houston’s Lil Raskull and Nuwine (now known as Wine-O) quickly became GT’s most popular and best-selling acts. They gave Gulf Coast rap fans with a heart for Christ, music that fed their spiritual and musical appetites and helped the label gross an estimated $2 million in 1998.
H-town was also treated to visuals of the national scene through Ministerz of the Underground, a holy hip hop television show produced by Apocalypse’s Eleazar, and given airtime in the wee hours of Saturday night on the public access Christian station. Mainly recorded at CRUvention (Christian Rappers United) gatherings in Orlando and L.A., the half hour showcased performances and freestyle sessions by the community’s talented and undiscovered up and comers.
BI-COASTAL BAPTISM:
While the South established its stake, the West Coast continued to make an argument that it could not be denied some shine also. Groups like Gospel Gangstas showed California could be home to both former Crips and Bloods and coffee shop backpackers like LA Symphony and the Tunnel Rats. Further north, guys like MG! the Visionary, Braille, and Illtrip (Labklik) demonstrated their faith through lyrically artistic battle raps and ballads.
Not long after, groups like the Cross Movement reminded Christians that hip hop’s origins were rooted on the East Coast. Collective projects like the Mark of the East compilation (featuring Corey Red, Precise, ADF and others) continued to have a platform at large, hip-hop focused urban ministry outings such as RapFest in the Boogie Down Bronx.
During this same time and coast (just a little further south) people like Urban D (pastor of HHH’s premier Crossover Church and founder of the Flavor Fest event) held it down in Florida with KJ-52, Pettidee and the Shabach Entertainment fam - helping pave the way for Atlanta’s burgeoning Holy Hip Hop, Inc. scene.
INTERNET IGNITES:
However, it was the late 90’s birth of the World Wide Web that accelerated the genre and made communication among a small, but scattered, community so much easier. Now, cross-bearing MCs from all over the country (and globe) could connect via e-mail and message boards on info sites like Godzhouse.com and Hiphopzone.com. Later, news sites like om95.com and the Sphereofhiphop.com would take up this mantle.
The ease of digital music downloads also expanded the genre’s audience via legal (mp3.com) and illegal (Napster) avenues. As several veteran and newer artists built a following on the Net, they were often snatched up by larger labels anxious to tap into this growing market. BEC/Tooth & Nail Records launched an entire hip hop imprint (Uprok) that signed and released projects from acts like Sup the Chemist, Peace 586, New Breed, Sev Statik, Playdough, and Ill Harmonics. After a handful of releases, some also found second homes at Nashville’s Gotee Records where they shared resources with established acts like Grits, DJ Maj and John Reuben.
Elsewhere, labels like Syntax Records decided to remain independent and launch or aid the careers of artists like Tonex, Pigeon John, Dirt, and RedCloud.
TWO THOUSAND-TODAY:
Today’s Christian Hip Hop and Christian Rap MC’s enjoy technological advances that can exponentially expand their audiences.
Web 2.0 sites like MySpace.com, YouTube.com and Twitter.com offer instant access to your youth group’s favorite MC. Electronic press kits canvas multitudes so that bloggers are chatting up the info in minutes. iTunes, The Bus Shop, and Holy Culture Download make music delivery both economical and instantaneous. And podcasts like Holy Culture Radio, HeadzUpFM and The Wade-O Show provide a pipeline playlist to a target audience ignored by traditional airwave media. Modern day favorites S.O.M., Kaboose, Lecrae, FLAME, R-Swift, shai linne, Trip Lee, Brinson, and others all reap the benefit.
Christian Hip Hop and Christian Rap has come a long way. The dated, corny rhymes have given way to hot, creative MCs who simply want to share their faith using one of today’s most popular forms of music. Its recordings and messages are moving out of Christian bookstores and church pews and into mainstream America.
How the Creator uses it from here is anyone’s guess. But as is usually the case, it’ll no doubt be amazing to watch.

A Good Manager Has At Least 10 Good Qualities by Bill Gates

2009-02-24T16:47:00.000+01:00

A good manager has at least 10 good qualities

RECENTLY I wrote about 10 qualities of a good employee, which prompted quite a few people to ask about the attributes of a good manager.

There isn't a magic formula for good management, of course, but if you're a manager, perhaps these tips will help you be more effective:

1 Choose a field thoughtfully. Make it one you enjoy. It's hard to be productive without enthusiasm. This is true whether you're a manager or employee;

2 Hire carefully and be willing to fire. You need a strong team, because a mediocre team gives mediocre results, no matter how well managed it is. One mistake is holding on to somebody who doesn't measure up. It's easy to keep this person on the job because he's not terrible at what he does. But a good manager will replace him or move him to where he can succeed unambiguously;

3 Create a productive environment. This is a particular challenge because it requires different approaches depending on the context. Sometimes you maximise productivity by giving everybody his or her own office. Sometimes you achieve it by moving everybody into open space. Sometimes you use financial incentives to stimulate productivity. A combination of approaches is usually required. One element that almost always increases productivity is providing an information system that empowers employees.

When I was building Microsoft, I set out to create an environment where software developers could thrive. I wanted a company where engineers liked to work. I wanted to create a culture that encouraged them to work together, share ideas and remain motivated. If I hadn't been a software engineer myself, there's no way I could have achieved my goal;

4 Define success. Make it clear to your employees what constitutes success and how they should measure their achievements. Goals must be realistic. Project schedules, for example, must be set by the people who do the work. People will accept a "bottoms-up" deadline they helped set, but they'll be cynical about a schedule imposed from the top that doesn't map to reality. Unachievable goals undermine an organisation. At my company, in addition to regular team meetings and one-on-one sessions between managers and employees, we use mass gatherings periodically and E-mail routinely to communicate what we expect from employees. If a reviewer or customer chooses another company's product, we analyse the situation. We say to our people, "The next time around we've got to win. What's needed?" The answers to these questions help us define success;

5 To be a good manager, you have to like people and be good at communicating. This is hard to fake. If you don't enjoy interacting with people, it'll be hard to manage them well. You must have a wide range of personal contacts within your organisation. You need relationships - not necessarily personal friendships - with a fair number of people, including your own employees. You must encourage these people to tell you what's going on and give you feedback about what people are thinking about the company and your role in it;

6 Develop your people to do their jobs better than you can. Transfer your skills to them. This is an exciting goal, but it can be threatening to a manager who worries that he's training his replacement. If you're concerned, ask your boss: "If I develop somebody who can do my job super well, does the company have some other challenge for me or not?" Many smart managers like to see their employees increase their responsibilities because it frees the managers to tackle new or undone tasks. There's no shortage of jobs for good managers. The world has an infinite amount of work to be done;

7 Build morale. Make it clear there's plenty of goodwill to go around and that it's not just you or some hotshot manager who's going to look good if things go well. Give people a sense of the importance of what they're working on - its importance to the company, its importance to customers;

8 Take on projects yourself. You need to do more than communicate. The last thing people want is a boss who just doles out stuff. From time to time, prove you can be hands-on by taking on one of the less attractive tasks and using it as an example of how your employees should meet challenges;

9 Don't make the same decision twice. Spend the time and thought to make a solid decision the first time so that you don't revisit the issue unnecessarily. If you're too willing to reopen issues, it interferes not only with your execution but also with your motivation to make a decision in the first place. People hate indecisive leadership; However, that doesn't mean you have to decide everything the moment it comes to your attention. Nor that you can't ever reconsider a decision.

10 Let people know whom to please. Maybe it's you, maybe it's your boss, and maybe it's somebody who works for you. You're in trouble and risking paralysis in your organisation when employees start saying to themselves: "Am I supposed to be making this person happy or this other person happy? They seem to have different priorities."

I don't pretend that these are the only 10 approaches a manager should keep in mind. There are lots of others. Just a month ago I encouraged leaders to demand bad news before good news from their employees. But these 10 ideas may help you manage well, and I hope they do.

# If you have any questions you would like Bill Gates to answer you can send them to askbill@microsoft.com

Gates, Bill. "A Good Manager Has At Least 10 Good Qualities." Business Week. 6 Dec. 2007 .

Top 10 Qualities of a Project Manager By Timothy R. Barry Project Manager Arms Folded

2009-02-24T16:29:00.000+01:00

What qualities are most important for a project leader to be effective? Over the past few years, the people at ESI International, world leaders in Project Management Training, have looked in to what makes an effective project leader. With the unique opportunity to ask some of the most talented project leaders in the world on their Project Leadership courses ESI have managed to collect a running tally on their responses. Below are the top 10 in rank order according to frequency listed.

Inspires a Shared Vision

An effective project leader is often described as having a vision of where to go and the ability to articulate it. Visionaries thrive on change and being able to draw new boundaries. It was once said that a leader is someone who "lifts us up, gives us a reason for being and gives the vision and spirit to change." Visionary leaders enable people to feel they have a real stake in the project. They empower people to experience the vision on their own. According to Bennis "They offer people opportunities to create their own vision, to explore what the vision will mean to their jobs and lives, and to envision their future as part of the vision for the organisation." (Bennis, 1997)

Good Communicator

The ability to communicate with people at all levels is almost always named as the second most important skill by project managers and team members. Project leadership calls for clear communication about goals, responsibility, performance, expectations and feedback.

There is a great deal of value placed on openness and directness. The project leader is also the team's link to the larger organisation. The leader must have the ability to effectively negotiate and use persuasion when necessary to ensure the success of the team and project. Through effective communication, project leaders support individual and team achievements by creating explicit guidelines for accomplishing results and for the career advancement of team members.

Integrity

One of the most important things a project leader must remember is that his or her actions, and not words, set the modus operandi for the team. Good leadership demands commitment to, and demonstration of, ethical practices. Creating standards for ethical behaviour for oneself and living by these standards, as well as rewarding those who exemplify these practices, are responsibilities of project leaders. Leadership motivated by self-interest does not serve the well being of the team. Leadership based on integrity represents nothing less than a set of values others share, behaviour consistent with values and dedication to honesty with self and team members. In other words the leader "walks the talk" and in the process earns trust.

Enthusiasm

Plain and simple, we don't like leaders who are negative - they bring us down. We want leaders with enthusiasm, with a bounce in their step, with a can-do attitude. We want to believe that we are part of an invigorating journey - we want to feel alive. We tend to follow people with a can-do attitude, not those who give us 200 reasons why something can't be done. Enthusiastic leaders are committed to their goals and express this commitment through optimism. Leadership emerges as someone expresses such confident commitment to a project that others want to share his or her optimistic expectations. Enthusiasm is contagious and effective leaders know it.

Empathy

What is the difference between empathy and sympathy? Although the words are similar, they are, in fact, mutually exclusive. According to Norman Paul, in sympathy the subject is principally absorbed in his or her own feelings as they are projected into the object and has little concern for the reality and validity of the object's special experience. Empathy, on the other hand, presupposes the existence of the object as a separate individual, entitled to his or her own feelings, ideas and emotional history (Paul, 1970). As one student so eloquently put it, "It's nice when a project leader acknowledges that we all have a life outside of work."

Competence

Simply put, to enlist in another's cause, we must believe that that person knows what he or she is doing. Leadership competence does not however necessarily refer to the project leader's technical abilities in the core technology of the business. As project management continues to be recognised as a field in and of itself, project leaders will be chosen based on their ability to successfully lead others rather than on technical expertise, as in the past. Having a winning track record is the surest way to be considered competent. Expertise in leadership skills is another dimension in competence. The ability to challenge, inspire, enable, model and encourage must be demonstrated if leaders are to be seen as capable and competent.

Ability to Delegate Tasks

Trust is an essential element in the relationship of a project leader and his or her team. You demonstrate your trust in others through your actions - how much you check and control their work, how much you delegate and how much you allow people to participate. Individuals who are unable to trust other people often fail as leaders and forever remain little more that micro-managers, or end up doing all of the work themselves. As one project management student put it, "A good leader is a little lazy." An interesting perspective!

Cool Under Pressure

In a perfect world, projects would be delivered on time, under budget and with no major problems or obstacles to overcome. But we don't live in a perfect world - projects have problems. A leader with a hardy attitude will take these problems in stride. When leaders encounter a stressful event, they consider it interesting, they feel they can influence the outcome and they see it as an opportunity. "Out of the uncertainty and chaos of change, leaders rise up and articulate a new image of the future that pulls the project together." (Bennis 1997) And remember - never let them see you sweat.

Team-Building Skills

A team builder can best be defined as a strong person who provides the substance that holds the team together in common purpose toward the right objective. In order for a team to progress from a group of strangers to a single cohesive unit, the leader must understand the process and dynamics required for this transformation. He or she must also know the appropriate leadership style to use during each stage of team development. The leader must also have an understanding of the different team players styles and how to capitalise on each at the proper time, for the problem at hand.

Problem Solving Skills

Although an effective leader is said to share problem-solving responsibilities with the team, we expect our project leaders to have excellent problem-solving skills themselves. They have a "fresh, creative response to here-and-now opportunities," and not much concern with how others have performed them. (Kouzes 1987)

References

* Bennis, W., 1997. "Learning to Lead," Addison-Wesley, MA.
* Kouzes, J. M: "The Leadership Challenge," Jossey-Bass Publishers, CA.
* Norman: Parental Empathy. Parenthood, Little, Brown, NY.

Timothy R. Barry is a trainer and consultant for ESI International with more than 20 years of experience in project management. He has worked with over 40 major organisations worldwide.

With over 20 years experience, ESI International is the world's largest Project Management Training and Consulting provider. A comprehensive mix of project management, E-training, tailored corporate courses, consulting, assessment and mentoring means they are able to provide their clients with proven methods that enable them to achieve their goals. To put ESI International's Project Management Solutions to work for your company, or for more information, call +44 (0)20 7915 5099 or visit the website at www.esi-intl.co.uk External Link

A review of the news from around the grounds of each Barclays Premier League club

2009-02-19T17:32:00.000+01:00

News in brief - Thurs 19th Feb
A review of the news from around the grounds of each Barclays Premier League club.

Arsenal

Arsenal Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis admits he feels the 'weight of history' on his shoulders, but is determined to help steer the Gunners towards more glory years. Gazidis officially took up his post at the start of January following some 15 years with Major Soccer League in the US, where he held the position of deputy commissioner. The 44-year-old Oxford law graduate once lived a stone's throw from Highbury, and knows full well the level of expectation of a club steeped in traditions, yet which has not won the league title since 2003/04. "There is a tremendous sense of responsibility you have in a position like this, and I do feel the weight of that," said Gazidis. "It is not just a job. You have the hopes and expectations of not only so many people, but also history. I feel that on my shoulders. It is a responsibility I take very seriously. Living up to what this club should be and what this club is, and being able to perform this role in a way which is worthy of this club is going to be the biggest challenge I face. If I can walk away someday, hopefully a long time from now, and say I did not let the club down, then I will feel pretty good."

11038
Aston Villa

Aston Villa Aston Villa will closely monitor the fitness of Curtis Davies after the recurrence of a shoulder problem. He dislocated his shoulder during Sunday's FA Cup tie at Everton but was able to complete the match after the joint was manipulated back into place. Davies, who took part in the UEFA Cup tie against CSKA Moscow on Wednesday night, had suffered a similar injury when playing for West Brom four years ago. Martin O'Neill said: "Curtis hurt himself during the game at Goodison Park and he has been for a scan. "He dislocated his shoulder four years ago and carried on in that particular game not knowing he had done some damage," O'Neill said. "The scan has shown some old damage which has just occurred again. He was in a bit of pain at the time but he feels okay now. He had a bit of manipulation and he felt fine again. He is good now but we will monitor the situation. If it occurs again, say twice in a short space of time, then that's something we would have to look at."

Blackburn Rovers

Blackburn Rovers Roque Santa Cruz, Benni McCarthy and Jason Roberts have contributed 16 of Blackburn Rovers' 27 league goals and manager Sam Allardyce believes they should be getting more support. "We definitely need more goals from elsewhere," he said. "The strikers are paid to score goals and they get the headlines when they do, and quite rightly so. Other attacking-minded players have to come up with a few more goals to take the pressure off the forwards. Around your team you need midfielders with four or five goals, players in wide areas with five or six, centre-halves with three or four. That gets you to the total that gets you more points on the board. We have the players to score goals from all over the team and now is the time we need these players to show that."

Bolton Wanderers

Bolton Wanderers Joey O'Brien is expected to be on the sidelines for around eight weeks following an operation on his left knee. O'Brien has started rehabilitation after visiting renowned surgeon Dr Richard Steadman in Colorado last Friday for surgery over the weekend to clean out the joint. O'Brien and Bolton's medical team are pleased with the outcome, and it is hoped he will again be available for selection towards the end of April. Assistant manager Chris Evans said: "Everything went well. Richard Steadman is the leading specialist in his field and Joey has known him previously. The doctor was pleased with what he saw and the diagnosis was far better than had been feared." It has been a wretched season to date for O'Brien who has only made eight appearances, with his last on 18th October in the goalless draw with Blackburn at the Reebok Stadium. O'Brien initially sustained a hamstring injury before tearing a thigh muscle on his return to training but fortunately for the 23-year-old the current knee problem is not connected with the one which kept him out for the entire 2006-07 season.

Chelsea

Chelsea Chelsea are to play a summer friendly in America against Seattle Sounders FC. The MLS club have announced the match will take place at their Qwest Field ground on 18th July. "This will be unlike any international game ever played in the Pacific Northwest," said Sounders FC majority owner Joe Roth. The atmosphere that afternoon will be incredible." Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon added: "We are delighted to be opening our pre-season preparations in Seattle. It is a fantastic city, and we have great memories of our time there in the summer of 2004 - which went on to be a great season for us. We will be bringing a full-strength squad, so it should be a great game."

Everton

Everton Everton will play a pre-season friendly against Perth Glory if the Barclays Premier League side can organise a second match in Australia, the A-League club have announced. Glory owner Tony Sage said the club was in the advance stages of confirming a match with the Toffees, who could include Australia international Tim Cahill in their line-up for what would be a friendly encounter ahead of the Barclays Premier League season starting in August. However Everton want to play two practice matches in Australia, leaving the Glory relying on another game to be organised. "We're hopeful it will (happen)," Sage said. "We met every term Everton put to us, so we've signed on to the deal, subject to them getting another game. We had a couple of emails and again, the sticking point seems to be the teams on the eastern side of Australia. It's not financially viable for Everton to come just to Perth. They made that clear to everyone, so we're just waiting on that fixture to be set up."

Fulham

Fulham Roy Hodgson says Giles Barnes is some way off starting a match for the club. The 19-year-old joined the Cottagers at the end of last month on loan from Derby with a view to a permanent deal. But Barnes is still on his way back to full fitness after knee-ligament damage he suffered last season. And Hodgson admits he will be limited to cameo roles until he can find full fitness. "He came to the club after a long absence and is unfit," said Hodgson on the club's official website. "Our job is to get him fit and he's working hard to get fit but I don't think you'll see Giles playing any major part in our play until he's fit enough. He might be able to play a bit part and come on for 10-15 minutes as a substitute but if we're talking about him playing a serious role as a 90-minute player then first of all we have to get him physically fit. In the short time he's been with us he's shown great aptitude and has worked well. We're going to have a look at some of our players and it'll be good to see how long he lasts and can go for."

Hull City

Hull City Phil Brown says the club are in a "fearful situation" in the wake of record signing Jimmy Bullard's knee injury. The Tigers paid Barclays Premier League rivals Fulham £5m for the midfielder in the winter transfer window, despite chairman Paul Duffen now revealing the player was carrying a tear in his cartilage when he signed. Bullard - who suffered a cruciate-knee ligament injury while playing for Fulham in 2006 which ruled him out for 18 months - has since played only 37 minutes for City and it has now been decided the 30-year-old requires surgery. And Brown recognises that all associated with City will be holding their breath as they await news, saying: "Of course I understand supporters' fears. And if anyone is in a fearful situation it is Paul Duffen and his investors. As far as I'm concerned, I will take full responsibility for Jimmy being at this club." Duffen has confirmed Bullard's knee was not 100 per cent when negotiations were taking place with Fulham, but he does not see the move as a gamble. "Jimmy had a very slight tear in his cartilage when he signed. We were aware of this but did not see it as a problem," Duffen added. "Phil Brown played for 13 years in his career with a slight tear in his cartilage and did not have a problem."

liverpool

Liverpool Steven Gerrard could make his return from a hamstring injury against Manchester City on Sunday. The midfielder suffered the tear in the Merseyside derby on 4th February and was initially expected to be out for three weeks - with the Champions League tie with Real Madrid thought to be his most likely target. Now manager Rafael Benitez, whose side rely on Gerrard's surging runs and goals from behind the striker, has opened the door for a potential return from the bench at the weekend. The Spaniard said Gerrard had reacted well to treatment and was eager to get back on the pitch as soon as possible. "He is improving. In these situations each day is important. He is working with the medical staff and is progressing. Normally he is a player who recovers quickly. He needs less time than other players," Benitez told the club's official website. "I was surprised because the Spanish press said he'd play some minutes this weekend and then play against Real Madrid, but the truth is we don't know yet. Maybe he could be on the bench against City but we don't know. He wants to play every single game. He knows the game against City will be very important, and also the Real Madrid one too."

manchester city

Manchester City Manchester City goalkeeper Shay Given believes the team owe it to the supporters to give a performance against FC Copenhagen in the UEFA Cup. City arrive in Denmark for this first leg match in the last round of 32 on the back of a 2-0 Barclays Premier League defeat by Portsmouth at Fratton Park at the weekend. Given said: "It was a huge disappointment at Portsmouth for everyone involved with the club. We were not good enough and we need to rectify that. Whenever you have a bad performance it is great if the next match comes quickly and you can start to put the record straight. Hopefully we can do that on Thursday. We know we let the fans down at Portsmouth when we were not good enough on the day."

MANCHESTER UNITED

Manchester United Carlos Tevez says he will not know whether he is staying at Manchester United until the summer. The Argentina international is only contracted to United until the end of the season, after he arrived at Old Trafford on an initial two-year loan after leaving West Ham. United have an agreement in place to make that move permanent, but are yet to rubberstamp the arrangement. Tevez is now left waiting to know whether he will remain at United, although he has repeatedly stated that is his intention in the past. "I have the headstart in Manchester and my idea is to stay here for a few more years," Tevez said. "It would be very difficult to have to leave one of the biggest clubs in the world. I spoke with the president of the club, but nothing is signed yet. We are now waiting until June and we will see what happens."

middlesbrough

Middlesbrough Gareth Southgate hopes to have Jeremie Aliadiere back into his squad for the match against Liverpool later this month. The former Arsenal striker has been out since early January with an ankle ligament injury. Southgate said: "Jeremie is making steady progress. He will not be ready for this weekend and the cup replay may come a little early, but he could be back in the squad against Liverpool. It will be good to have him back with us because his pace gives us options. But we won't be rushing him."

Newcastle United

Newcastle United Fabricio Coloccini is adamant he made the right move by joining Newcastle United from Deportivo La Coruna last summer, despite the club's struggles. "This experience is new for me and I am in a great club. Also, I am learning English," Coloccini said. "I am in a similar situation to the one I was in last season at Depor where I am playing in nearly every game and that is important. Now we have to move away from the bottom half of the table as soon as possible."

Portsmouth

Portsmouth Hermann Hreidarsson is delighted he stayed on at Portsmouth in the January transfer window and is now looking forward to a fresh start at the club under new management. There was a lot of speculation in the summer that Hreidarsson would leave, but the 34-year-old has confirmed he had no intention of leaving the club. He told the club's official website "I didn't want to leave in January but I wanted to play football. There were a few agents linking me with a move away but the perfect solution was to stay here and play football." The Iceland international is excited at the prospect of working under the experienced management duo of Paul Hart and Brian Kidd. Paul Hart has spoken to everyone one-to-one. He has been around a long time and deserves a lot of respect," added Hreidarsson. Brian Kidd has got a massive reputation and is someone I really admire."

stoke city

Stoke City Bristol Rovers have signed Stoke City goalkeeper Danzelle St Louis-Hamilton on loan. The 18-year-old arrives at the Memorial Stadium on a month's loan to provide cover for injured keeper Mike Green. Rovers' director of football Lennie Lawrence confirmed St Louis-Hamilton will act as back-up to No.1 keeper Steve Phillips.

sunderland

Sunderland Ricky Sbragia has moved quickly to quash rumours that he has had a falling out with Dwight Yorke. Reports suggested that Trinidad & Tobago captain Yorke has fallen out with Sbragia after insisting he will return to his homeland for their World Cup qualifiers next month despite being suspended. However, Sbragia has played down the reports and admits he is happy to "work around" scenarios where players have international fixtures during the season. "I'll be honest, I didn't read about it until Tuesday, and it was news to me," Sbragia said. "Obviously Kenwyne Jones and Carlos Edwards are in the same position in terms of having an involvement in internationals during the middle of the season, and we are prepared to work around them. I don't have a problem with it - there's no bigger honour than playing for your country. We've never fallen out about it; we've never spoken about it."

tottenham hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur Harry Redknapp is pleased to have Pascal Chimbonda for Tottenha Hotspur's UEFA Cup campaign. Chimbonda was re-signed from Sunderland in January, and ahead of the Shakhtar Donetsk, Redknapp said: "I just felt that Chimbonda gives us cover all over. I was looking for somebody who could play everywhere, that's going to be important. He has energy, gets forward and is an attacking full-back. He was outstanding at centre-back in his last game for Sunderland so can play across the back four. I always liked him and tried to get him when he was at Wigan, I think Chelsea were in for him too when he was in the Premier League team of the year."

West Bromwich Albion

West Bromwich Albion Paul Robinson could miss West Bromwich Albion's crunch trip to Fulham this weekend as he awaits the birth of his child. The full-back is set to become a father for the third time any day now and accepts he may be forced to miss Sunday's visit to the capital. "We're hoping the baby is going to be here before the weekend but if not then I'll have to have my car driven down just in case," Robinson said. "Our parents will be coming up to look after Caroline. But if anything happens I might be shooting up the M40."

West Ham United

West Ham United Gianfranco Zola is hoping to tie down Lucas Neill, Robert Green and Matthew Upson to new contracts. Midfielder Scott Parker last week signed a new deal which commits him to the Upton Park club until the summer of 2013. Parker was linked with a switch to Manchester City in January, while striker Craig Bellamy made the move to the City of Manchester Stadium for £14m. However, Zola is hopeful that goalkeeper Green and defenders Upson and Neill will also pen new deals. Zola said: "There are players that have been very important this season - people like Matthew Upson, Robert Green, Scott Parker and Lucas Neill. They are the core of this team and I believe they can be the core of this team for a long time. The club know this and are offering them contracts. It is good for stability. They are positive players and will help us to build something important. The idea is to make a blend of experienced players and young talented players to mix together and perform."

Wigan Athletic

Wigan Athletic South Korea midfielder Won Hee Cho could join Wigan Athletic after impressing during a trial this week. The 25-year-old, who is a free agent after his contract expired with Korean club Suwon Bluewings, has impressed manager Steve Bruce and could sign a deal next week. "Won Hee has come and trained with us for the past couple of days and has done really well," said the Latics manager of the 27-cap international. "We have been really impressed with him as a player and a person and can sign him as he is not under contract with any club."

Virtual drives - What are they?

2009-02-19T11:29:00.003+01:00

Virtual drive
A virtual drive is a term used with respect to computers when a drive is emulated in some fashion. The drive being emulated could be a hard drive, floppy drive, CD/DVD or a network share among others.

A virtual hard drive can be created from RAM for fast read/write access.

Virtual DVDs are often mounted as disk images via disk image emulator software. This allows the content of a CD or DVD to be read from the disk image on a hard drive, rather than a disc drive. This may also allow users to run software that requires a CD or a DVD, without the need of having a registered copy in the disc drive.

Virtual Hard Disk
Virtual hard disks are most commonly used in on the fly disk encryption ("OTFE") software such as FreeOTFE and BestCrypt, where an encrypted "image" of a disk is stored on the PC. When you enter the disk's password, the disk image is "mounted", and made available as a new drive letter on your PC. Files written to this virtual drive are written to the encrypted image, and never stored in cleartext.

The process of making such an encrypted disk available for use is called "mounting", the process of removing it is called "dismounting"

Other virtual hard disks include:
Network shares mounted as local drives
FTP and SFTP can be also mapped as a virtual drive with a software called 'netdrive' or 'sftpdrive'.
VMware emulated PCs use unencrypted disk images which may be mounted on a PC outside VMware as an emulated disk
webdav - which does not exactly act like a physical disk.

Virtual Burner
A virtual CD burner is a device driver that emulates a CD/DVD Burner. It appears as another drive in the system with writing capabilities. When information is written to the drive, it creates an ISO Image representation of the CD that would, under normal circumstances, be physically created. ISO images can be compressed into CSO images.

This allows you to use any CD burning software to create what can be later mounted as a virtual drive.

How to Disagree and Persuade without Offending persuasion

2009-02-17T09:57:00.002+01:00

Disagreeing with someone without making him mad is an art form. So let’s talk about how to get your point across without getting into a fight.

The 6 strategies of persuasion below are best utilized when you want to be heard, understood, and considered, when you seek productive exchange, when your goals involve truth and clarity, and when you want to change someone’s mind without landing yourself in a heated argument.

Strategy #1: Be a good listener. Your ears will never get you in trouble.

Kenneth A. Wells once said, “A good listener tries to understand what the other person is saying. In the end he may disagree sharply, but because he disagrees, he wants to know exactly what it is he is disagreeing with.”

If I had to reduce this list down to just one piece of advice to help you persuade without offending, it would be this: Ask questions until you understand your opponent’s point of view.

I’ve seen far too many silly arguments that played like shadowboxing because a person wasted time attacking his own misunderstandings.

Whenever someone shows us new information (a news report, an online article, a spoken opinion), we immediately interpret that information in light of our experiences. In other words, half of what we’re hearing comes from inside our own heads!

Only by asking questions and truly listening can we escape our presuppositions and understand another’s viewpoint, and we must understand a viewpoint before we have any hope of changing it.

Strategy #2: An open mind leaves a chance for someone to drop a worthwhile idea in it.

If you’re trying to persuade someone, there’s a good chance your mind has already closed around the conviction of your argument. Therein lies the danger –- a closed mind is great at action, but not at listening. And listening is essential to pursuasion!

I would never tell you to discard your convictions, but do remain open to suggestion, and do seek clarity. If your opponent knows you’re open to his ideas, he may entertain yours.

Strategy #3: If the world were a logical place, men would ride sidesaddle.

Use phrases like “In my opinion,” “I believe that,” or ”In my experience,” to make it clear when you’re expressing a matter of personal belief instead of a quantifiable scientific fact because this will show your opponent that you understand the difference and are open to its ramifications.

If you appear reasonable, your opponent may reciprocate.

Strategy #4: Speak two languages, one of them Body.

Effective non-verbal communication sets the stage for your persuasive argument, so it’s worth paying attention to; it’s more than window dressing, even in intimate relationships where your partner knows what you’re like behind the mask.

* Smile to communicate friendliness and acceptance.
* Sit up straight to project confidence.
* Keep an open body posture (no crossed arms or legs) to communicate openness.
* Speak in a relaxed manner (mind the tone of your voice!) to project calm and clarity of thought.
* Make appropriate eye contact.
* Nod when the other person speaks – this communicates understanding, not necessarily agreement.
* Another trick to communicate understanding without compliance is to periodically say, “I understand,” or, “I hear what you’re saying.”
* Unless your opponent possesses a difficult personality that forces you to interrupt to get in a word in edgewise, let him finish his thoughts before offering yours.

Strategy #5: Just the facts, ma’am.

At one particular Internet forum, I was constantly impressed by a member who had an amazing talent for communicating complicated (sometimes controversial) ideas without making anyone angry. So what did this Zen master of persuasion do that most of us do not? Simple: He stuck to the facts and kept his ego out of it.

The block-quote immediately below is a hypothetical example of how not to foster a persuasive conversation, intended to contrast the genius of the real-life forum example from our Zen master, further down the page:

TV-Forum Newbie: Hey guys, I think all televisions are the same. I can’t understand why some of you would pay 5 grand for a TV when the one for 500 bucks is just as good. Could someone explain this to me?

Mr. Ego: I completely disagree with you. All televisions are not the same. Why don’t you read some product reviews so you’ll be able to tell the difference? You will find differences in black level, brightness, video processing, colorimetry, geometry, contrast, and other variables. Again, all televisions are not the same, and I completely disagree with the premise of this question.

Okay, so what’s wrong with the way Mr. Ego responded? At first glance, his response seems fine. I mean, it certainly could have been worse! But only one sentence in his response focuses on the facts. The rest could easily be interpreted as a selfish assertion of ego, a quest for distinction and superiority, whether intentional or not.

So how did the Zen master handle this particular exchange? He used that one sentence I’m referring to, the one sentence that answered the question and stuck to the facts (see below):

Newbie: Hey guys, I think all televisions are the same. I can’t understand why some of you would pay 5 grand for a TV when the one for 500 bucks is just as good. Could someone explain this to me?

Zen Master: You will find differences in black level, brightness, video processing, colorimetry, geometry, contrast, and other variables.

Not very interesting, is it? But the thread from which I copied this text proceeded smoothly, with the newbie asking questions and the expert responding with simple, uncolored facts. The expert was eventually recognized for his expertise, the newbie left with newfound understanding, and no one became upset. In short, a mind had been changed.

All because the Zen master stuck to the facts.

Strategy #6: Sometimes, it’s what you don’t say that counts.

The preceding example was important not merely for what was said, but for what wasn’t. We’ve already mentioned the benefits of avoiding ego driven statements, but here’s a more comprehensive list of statements that derail persuasion more often than not:

* Assertions of Superiority: I do it the right way; This is unacceptable; My way is better; Why can’t you do it like so-and-so; Your way of thinking is flawed.
* Assertions of Independence: I disagree; We don’t see eye to eye; We’re not on the same page; My position is different than yours.
* Personal Attacks: Your thinking is stupid; I can’t believe how dumb you are; Hearing you say that makes me question your morality.

Aside from the personal attacks, many of the preceding statements have their place. The key is knowing when to use them. Usually, the person seeking to persuade is better off letting the strength of his argument establish both his superiority and independence without explicitly claiming them.

These 6 simple strategies of persuasion cannot make the logic of your argument more appealing or change the nature of the person you’re trying to convince, but they can increase your odds of success. These strategies have worked for me, and I am hopeful they will work for you.

By honing your persuasive talents, you too can discover the influence inside you — an influence waiting to break free, influence others, and change the world.

Inter Win Milan Derby

2009-02-16T13:46:00.001+01:00

A controversial gal by Adriano helped Serie A leaders Inter Milan to a 2-1 win over archrivals AC Milan on Sunday to all but end the Rossoneri's title hopes. Champions Inter now have an 11-point edge over third-place Milan with 14 games to go and lead Juventus by nine after Claudio Ranieri's side drew 1-1 at home to Sampdoria earlier in the day.

Adriano broke the deadlock at an electric San Siro on 28 minutes when he diverted in Maicon's cross, but replays showed the Brazil striker had used his arm. Midfielder Dejan Stankovic extended the lead on 42 minutes when he rifled in after Zlatan Ibrahimovic's knockdown.The Serb had earlier been denied six metres out by a stunning last-ditch tackle by Massimo Ambrosini.

Alexandre Pato pulled one back 20 minutes from time when he tapped in Marek Jankulovski's cross and Milan then piled on the pressure with substitute Filippo Inzaghi being flagged offside when he thought he had grabbed an equalizer.

Milan, who won the season's earlier derby 1-0, had much of the play in the first half but striker Pato was constantly isolated on his own up front with Kaka missing through injury.

Inter are bidding for their fourth straight scudetto and first under coach Jose Mourinho while Milan will have to pull off a miracle to snatch their first league title since 2004.

It was a bad night for 40-year-old Paolo Maldini in his last derby before retiring while on-loan David Beckham, who still hopes to stay at Milan despite Los Angeles Galaxy demanding he return, did little and was substituted.

Juventus hit the woodwork three times against Sampdoria but had to be content with a draw. Giampaolo Pazzini put Samp ahead on 10 minutes after Antonio Cassano, constantly linked with a move to Juve, sent his strike partner clear with a superb through ball.

Amauri's brave diving header midway through the second half levelled the scores after a teasing cross from substitute Sebastian Giovinco.Cassano's deflected cross struck the post for Samp.

Former Juve striker Adrian Mutu completed a hat-trick with the last kick to send Fiorentina up to fourth with a 3-3 draw at Genoa, who had led 3-0 but played with 10 men for an hour.

AS Roma's good run ended with a 3-0 defeat at Atalanta, who beat Inter 3-1 in Bergamo last month.Roma, second last season before having a terrible start to the current campaign, had surged up the table after going undefeated in seven.

Facebook hits 175 million user mark

2009-02-16T11:31:00.003+01:00

A little more than a month after announcing it had 150 million active users, Facebook has reached 175 million active users--the statistic the social-networking site prefers to use, rather than registered accounts overall.

Dave Morin, who runs Facebook's application platform team, announced the milestone Friday evening on his Twitter/FriendFeed. Facebook reached 150 million just more than two months after reaching 120 million and about four months after reaching 100 million.

While Facebook got its start at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. in 2004, most of this recent growth is coming from outside the U.."This includes people in every continent--even Antarctica," CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote in a blog post last month. "If Facebook were a country, it would be the eighth most populated in the world, just ahead of Japan, Russia, and Nigeria."

However, as we have pointed out before, server power is expensive, especially overseas. Facebook has raised a ton of venture capital, isreportedly hunting for more, and says it's in good financial shape. That comes back into question, however, if it's growing faster than it ever expected to.

Courtesy: cnet.com
February 15, 2009 10:30 AM PST
by Steven Musil

The History of Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T10:40:00.003+01:00

Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday? The history of Valentine's Day — and its patron saint — is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.

One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured.

According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl — who may have been his jailor's daughter — who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.

While some believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine's death or burial — which probably occurred around 270 A.D — others claim that the Christian church may have decided to celebrate Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in an effort to 'christianize' celebrations of the pagan Lupercalia festival. In ancient Rome, February was the official beginning of spring and was considered a time for purification. Houses were ritually cleansed by sweeping them out and then sprinkling salt and a type of wheat called spelt throughout their interiors. Lupercalia, which began at the ides of February, February 15, was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.

To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at the sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would then sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification.

The boys then sliced the goat's hide into strips, dipped them in the sacrificial blood and took to the streets, gently slapping both women and fields of crops with the goathide strips. Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed being touched with the hides because it was believed the strips would make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city's bachelors would then each choose a name out of the urn and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage. Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine's Day around 498 A.D. The Roman 'lottery' system for romantic pairing was deemed un-Christian and outlawed. Later, during the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds' mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of February — Valentine's Day — should be a day for romance. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. The greeting, which was written in 1415, is part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England. Several years later, it is believed that King Henry V hired a writer named John Lydgate to compose a valentine note to Catherine of Valois.

In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began to be popularly celebrated around the seventeenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth century, it was common for friends and lovers in all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. By the end of the century, printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one's feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine's Day greetings. Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began to sell the first mass-produced valentines in America.

According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated one billion valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.)

Approximately 85 percent of all valentines are purchased by women. In addition to the United States, Valentine's Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia.

Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages (written Valentine's didn't begin to appear until after 1400), and the oldest known Valentine card is on display at the British Museum. The first commercial Valentine's Day greeting cards produced in the U.S. were created in the 1840s by Esther A. Howland. Howland, known as the Mother of the Valentine, made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as "scrap".

Courtesy: history.com

DA' T.R.U.T.H. Wins Second Stellar Award For Rap/Hip Hop Gospel CD Of The Year

2009-02-13T14:45:00.003+01:00

Following his big Stellar win in the Rap/Hip Hop category, Cross Movement Records recording artist, Da' T.R.U.T.H., exploded at the 24th Annual Stellar Awards telecast with a powerful and groundbreaking remixed live performance of his hit single "That Great Day." The album version was produced by producer J.R. for So Hot Productions and featured gospel greats Donnie McClurkin and Tye Tribbett. Pop producer Freddy Washington created a special remix of this hot song for this performance.<

With his electrifying presentation, Da' T.R.U.T.H. provided a rare rap segment for gospel music's largest annual ceremony and with it he has broken down barriers for all rap / hip hop artists in the Gospel genre. "We were truly pleased to add Da' T.R.U.T.H. to this year's Stellar line up of performers. His ministry proved to be one of the night's most raved about highlights--by viewers both young and old," said Don Jackson, executive producer of the Stellar Awards.

Show director Michael Johnson further stated, "I believe Da' T.R.U.T.H.'s performance will be marked as a watershed moment for his ministry and the overall growing Gospel Hip Hop movement. We look forward to working with him again." Da' T.R.U.T.H. is honored to play this pioneering role and focused more than ever on using his music and teaching platforms to point and draw a dying world to the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Stellar Awards are scheduled to air in national syndication starting this month through early March. Check out www.thestellarawards.com for a complete list of stations, air dates and times. In addition, Gospel Music Channel is the exclusive cable home of the Stellar Awards and will premiere the show on March 1, 2009.

Courtesy: Gospelcity.com
2009-01-26

No split at Chelsea, says Wilkins

2009-02-13T14:13:00.001+01:00

Chelsea's assistant manager Ray Wilkins has denied reports there is a split in the dressing-room after the sacking of manager Luiz Felipe Scolari.

The Brazilian was dismissed on Monday, with suggestions that some players were not happy with his management style.

But Wilkins said: "The reports are totally untrue, we don't have any sort of split, none whatsoever.

"Every coach has their own methods and some players like them, some don't - it happens at every football club."

Captain John Terry hinted on Tuesday that the dressing-room was divided, saying: "Scolari had my full support, I'm sure two or three of the other players would say the same."

But Wilkins added: "Whenever any coach coaches a club as big as Chelsea, the players who don't play are going to be disgruntled, that's a fact and it's no different here.

"They all want to play, but you can only pick 11 people, so it's very difficult for the coach."

Wilkins is in charge for Saturday's FA Cup tie at Watford before handing over the reins to Guus Hiddink.

The Dutchman, currently boss of Russia's national team, has agreed to manage Chelsea for the rest of the season, and met with players on staff on Thursday.

He will work with Wilkins, who rejected a claim by Scolari that Chelsea do not have a special talent in their squad capable of turning matches.

Scolari, in his first interview since being dismissed, told France Football magazine that their failure to sign Robinho - who ended up at Manchester City - from Real Madrid last summer cost them dear.

"At Chelsea we didn't have the player who can make the difference by himself by producing something magical on the pitch," said Scolari.

"In the past, Arjen Robben was at Chelsea and he could make the difference. But now there is no-one.

"Robinho could have been this player. He is not afraid to dribble, to take a risk. As a Brazilian, I like this.

"The team isn't Brazilian enough. It is a 'bureaucratic' team. That's the style of the players. That's why Robinho would have done a lot of good for the team."

But Wilkins hit back: "Football is all about opinions, and Felipe has his own opinions on the game.

"My opinion is that we do have special players at this club, a number of them in fact."

Wilkins also admitted he was stunned by the announcement of Scolari's dismissal and said he enjoyed his five-month spell under the 2002 World Cup-winning manager.

"I was shocked, yes. He was a very decent man, and I enjoyed working with him immensely," he said.

"But football is a tough game and a couple of results went against us and the decision was made.

"I was shocked, yes, and disappointed, because I enjoyed his company, he was a smashing guy."
Story from BBC SPORT:

Published: 2009/02/13 11:46:37 GMT

© BBC MMIX

A complete list of winners at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards

2009-02-09T15:40:00.002+01:00

Album of the Year: "Raising Sand," Robert Plant and Alison Krauss; T Bone Burnett, producer; Mike Piersante, engineer/mixer; Gavin Lurssen, mastering engineer (Rounder)

Rap Album: "Tha Carter III," Lil Wayne (Cash Money/Universal Motown)

Male Pop Vocal Performance: "Say," John Mayer; track from "Continuum" (Columbia)

Record of the Year: "Please Read The Letter," Robert Plant and Alison Krauss; T Bone Burnett, producer; Mike Piersante, engineer/mixer; track from "Raising Sand" (Rounder)

New Artist: Adele

Rock Album: "Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends," Coldplay (Capitol)

Pop Collaboration With Vocals: "Rich Woman," Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, track from "Raising Sand" (Rounder)

Song of the Year: "Viva La Vida," Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion and Chris Martin, songwriters (Coldplay), track from "Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends" (Capitol Records; Publishers: Universal Music-MGB Songs)

Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals: "Stay," Sugarland, track from "Enjoy the Ride" (Mercury)

R&B Album: "Jennifer Hudson," Jennifer Hudson (Arista)

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical: Rick Rubin

Producer of the Year, Classical: David Frost

Female Pop Vocal Performance: "Chasing Pavements," Adele, track from "19" (Columbia/XL)Traditional Pop Vocal Album: "Still Unforgettable," Natalie Cole (DMI)

Pop Vocal Album: "Rockferry," Duffy (Mercury)

Pop Instrumental Performance: "I Dreamed There Was No War," Eagles, track from "Long Road Out of Eden" (Eagles Recording Company)

Pop Instrumental Album: "Jingle All the Way," Bela Fleck & The Flecktones (Rounder)

Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals: "Viva La Vida," Coldplay, track from "Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends" (Capitol)

Alternative Music Album: "In Rainbows," Radiohead (TBD)

Solo Rock Vocal Performance: "Gravity," John Mayer, track from "Where The Light Is: Live in Los Angeles" (Columbia)

Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals: "Sex on Fire," Kings of Leon (RCA)

Hard Rock Performance: "Wax Simulacra," The Mars Volta (Universal Motown)

Metal Performance: "My Apocalypse," Metallica, track from "Death Magnetic" (Warner Bros.)

Rock Instrumental Performance: "Peaches En Regalia," Zappa Plays Zappa featuring Steve Vai and Napoleon Murphy Brock (Strobosonic/Razor & Tie Entertainment)

Rock Song: "Girls in Their Summer Clothes," Bruce Springsteen, songwriter (Bruce Springsteen), track from "Magic" (Columbia; Publisher: Bruce Springsteen)

Rap Solo Performance: "A Milli," Lil Wayne, track from "Tha Carter III" (Cash Money/Universal Motown)

Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: "Swagga Like Us," Jay-Z and T.I. featuring Kanye West and Lil Wayne (Roc-A-Fella/Grand Hustle/Atlantic)

Rap/Sung Collaboration: "American Boy," Estelle featuring Kanye West, track from "Shine" (Homeschool/Atlantic)

Rap Song: "Lollipop," Dwayne Carter, Darius Harrison, James Scheffer, Stephen Garrett and Rex Zamor, songwriters (Lil Wayne featuring Static Major), track from "Tha Carter III" (Cash Money/Universal Motown; Publishers: Young Money Publishing/Warner-Chappell Music, Herbalicious Music/Blackfountain Music/EMI-April Music, JimiPub Music/EMI Blackwood, Three Nails and A Crown Publishing/Roynet Music)

Country Song: "Stay," Jennifer Nettles, songwriter (Sugarland), track from "Enjoy the Ride" (Mercury Records; Publisher: Jennifer Nettles Publishing)

Country Album: "Troubadour," George Strait (MCA Nashville)

Female Country Vocal Performance: "Last Name," Carrie Underwood, track from "Carnival Ride" (19/Arista/Arista Nashville)

Male Country Vocal Performance: "Letter to Me," Brad Paisley, track from "5th Gear" (Arista Nashville)

Country Collaboration with Vocals: "Killing the Blues," Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, track from "Raising Sand" (Rounder)

Country Instrumental Performance: "Cluster Pluck," Brad Paisley, James Burton, Vince Gill, John Jorgenson, Albert Lee, Brent Mason, Redd Volkaert and Steve Wariner (Arista Nashville)

R&B Song: "Miss Independent," Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen and Shaffer Smith, songwriters (Ne-Yo), track from "Year of the Gentleman" (Def Jam/Compound; Publishers: Pen in the Ground Publishing, Universal Music-Z Tunes)

Contemporary R&B Album: "Growing Pains," Mary J. Blige (Geffen)

Female R&B Vocal Solo: "Superwoman," Alicia Keys, track from "As I Am" (J)

Male R&B Vocal Solo: "Miss Independent," Ne-Yo, track from "Year of the Gentleman" (Def Jam/Compound)

R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals: "Stay With Me (By the Sea)," Al Green featuring John Legend, track from "Lay It Down" (Blue Note)

Traditional R&B Vocal Performance: "You've Got the Love I Need," Al Green featuring Anthony Hamilton, track from "Lay It Down" (Blue Note)

Urban/Alternative Performance: "Be OK," Chrisette Michele featuring will.i.am, track from "I Am" (Def Jam)

Dance Recording: "Harder Better Faster Stronger," Daft Punk, Thomas Bangalter and Guy Manuel de Homem-Christo, producers; Thomas Bangalter and Guy Manuel de Homem-Christo, mixers; track from "Alive 2007" (Virgin)

Electronic Dance Album: "Alive 2007," Daft Punk (Virgin)

Bluegrass Album: "Honoring the Fathers of Bluegrass: Tribute to 1946 and 1947," Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder (Skaggs Family)

Traditional Blues Album: "One Kind Favor," B.B. King (Geffen)

Contemporary Blues Album: "City That Care Forgot," Dr. John and The Lower 911 (429)

New Age Album: "Peace Time," Jack DeJohnette (Golden Beams/Kindred Rhythm)

Contemporary Jazz Album: "Randy in Brasil," Randy Brecker (MAMA)

Jazz Vocal Album: "Loverly," Cassandra Wilson (Blue Note)

Jazz Instrumental Solo: "BE-BOP," Terence Blanchard, soloist; track from "Live at the 2007 Monterey Jazz Festival" (Monterey Jazz Festival 50th Anniversary All-Stars) (Monterey Jazz Festival)

Jazz Instrumental Album Individual or Group: "The New Crystal Silence," Chick Corea and Gary Burton (Concord)

Large Jazz Ensemble Album: "Monday Night Live at the Village Vanguard," The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra (Planet Arts Recordings)

Latin Jazz Album: "Song for Chico," Arturo O'Farrill and The Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra (Zoho)

Latin Pop Album: "La Vida ... Es Un Ratico," Juanes (Universal Music Latino)

Latin Rock or Alternative Album: "45," Jaguares (EMI Music)

Latin Urban Album: "Los Extraterrestres," Wisin y Yandel (Machete Music)

Tropical Latin Album: "Senor Bachata," Jose Feliciano (Universal Music Latino)

Regional Mexican Album: "Amor, Dolor y Lagrimas: Musica Ranchera," Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings) in a tie with "Canciones de Amor," Mariachi Divas (Shea/East Side)

Tejano Album: "Viva La Revolucion," Ruben Ramos and The Mexican Revolution (Revolution)

Norteno Album: "Raices," Los Tigres Del Norte (Fonovisa)

Banda Album: "No Es De Madera" Joan Sebastian (Musart/Balboa)

Traditional Folk Album: "At 89," Pete Seeger (Appleseed Recordings)

Contemporary Folk/Americana Album: "Raising Sand," Robert Plant and Alison Krauss (Rounder)

Native American Music Album: "Come to Me Great Mystery: Native American Healing Songs," (Various Artists) Tom Wasinger, producer (Silver Wave)

Hawaiian Music Album: "Ikena," Tia Carrere and Daniel Ho (Daniel Ho Creations)

Zydeco or Cajun Music Album: "Live at the 2008 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival," BeauSoleil and Michael Doucet (MunckMix)

Engineering Album, Classical: "Traditions and Transformations: Sounds of Silk Road Chicago," David Frost, Tom Lazarus and Christopher Willis, engineers (Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Alan Gilbert, Silk Road Ensemble, Wu Man, Yo-Yo Ma and Chicago Symphony Orchestra) (CSO Resound)

Reggae Album: "Jah Is Real," Burning Spear (Burning Music Production)

Traditional World Music Album: "Ilembe: Honoring Shaka Zulu," Ladysmith Black Mambazo (Heads Up International)

Contemporary World Music Album: "Global Drum Project," Mickey Hart, Zakir Hussain, Sikiru Adepoju and Giovanni Hidalgo (Shout! Factory)

Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media: "Juno," (Various Artists) Peter Afterman, Jason Reitman and Margaret Yen, producers (Fox Music/Rhino)

Score Soundtrack Album for Motion Television or Other Visual Media: "The Dark Knight," James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer, composers (Warner Sunset/Warner Bros.)

Polka Album: "Let the Whole World Sing," Jimmy Sturr and His Orchestra (Rounder)

Gospel Performance: "Get Up," Mary Mary; track from "The Sound" (Columbia)

Gospel Song: "Help Me Believe," Kirk Franklin, songwriter (Kirk Franklin); track from "The Fight of My Life" (Fo Yo Soul Ent./Zomba Gospel; Publishers: Universal Music-Z Songs/Kerrion Publishing)

Rock or Rap Gospel Album: "Alive and Transported," TobyMac (ForeFront Records EMI CMG)

Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album: "Thy Kingdom Come," CeCe Winans (PureSprings Gospel/EMI Gospel)

Southern, Country, Bluegrass Gospel: "Lovin' Life," Gaither Vocal Band (Gaither Music Group)

Traditional Gospel Album: "Down in New Orleans," The Blind Boys of Alabama (Time Life)

Contemporary R&B Gospel Album: "The Fight of My Life," Kirk Franklin (Fo Yo Soul Entertainment/Zomba Gospel)

Classical Album: "Weill: Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny," James Conlon, conductor; Anthony Dean Griffey, Patti LuPone and Audra McDonald; Fred Vogler, producer (Donnie Ray Albert, John Easterlin, Steven Humes, Mel Ulrich and Robert Worle; Los Angeles Opera Chorus; Los Angeles Opera Orchestra) (EuroArts)

Song Written for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media: "Down to Earth," ("WALL-E") Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman, songwriters (Peter Gabriel) (Walt Disney/Pixar; Publishers: Walt Disney Music, Wonderland Music/Pixar Talking Pictures/Pixar Music)

Musical Show Album: "In the Heights," Kurt Deutsch, Alex Lacamoire, Andres Levin, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Joel Moss and Bill Sherman, producers; Lin-Manuel Miranda, composer/lyricist (Original Broadway Cast with Lin-Manuel Miranda and Others) (Razor & Tie Entertainment/Ghostlight)

Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Story Telling): "An Inconvenient Truth (Al Gore)," Beau Bridges, Cynthia Nixon and Blair Underwood (Simon & Schuster Audio)

Musical Album for Children: "Here Come the 123s," They Might Be Giants (Disney Sound)

Spoken Word Album Children: "Yes to Running! Bill Harley Live," Bill Harley (Round River)

Comedy Album: "It's Bad for Ya," George Carlin (Eardrum)

Instrumental Composition: "The Adventures of Mutt," (from "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," John Williams, composer (John Williams), track from "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" soundtrack (Concord)

Instrumental Arrangement: "Define Dancing," (from "WALL-E") Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman, arrangers (Thomas Newman), track from "WALL-E" soundtrack (Walt Disney)

Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s): "Here's That Rainy Day," Nan Schwartz, arranger (Natalie Cole), track from "Still Unforgettable" (DMI)

Engineered Album, Non-Classical: "Consolers of the Lonely," Joe Chiccarelli, Vance Powell and Jack White III, engineers (The Raconteurs) (Third Man/Warner Bros.)

Remixed Recording: "Electric Feel (Justice Remix)," Justice, remixers (MGMT), Track from: "Oracular Spectacular" (Columbia)

Surround Sound Album: "Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition; Night on Bald Mountain; Prelude to Khovanshchina," Michael Bishop, surround mix engineer; Michael Bishop, surround mastering engineer; Robert Woods, surround producer (Paavo Jarvi and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra) (Telarc)

Opera Recording: "Weill: Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny," James Conlon, conductor; Anthony Dean Griffey, Patti LuPone and Audra McDonald; Fred Vogler, producer (Donnie Ray Albert, John Easterlin, Steven Humes, Mel Ulrich and Robert Worle; Los Angeles Opera Orchestra; Los Angeles Opera Chorus) (EuroArts)

Orchestral Performance: "Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4," Bernard Haitink, conductor (Chicago Symphony Orchestra) (CSO Resound)

Choral Performance: "Symphony of Psalms," Sir Simon Rattle, conductor; Simon Halsey, chorus master (Berliner Philharmoniker; Rundfunkchor Berlin) track from "Stravinsky: Symphonies" (EMI Classics)

Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (With Orchestra): "Schoenberg/Sibelius: Violin Concertos," Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor; Hilary Hahn (Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra) (Deutsche Grammophon)

Instrumental Soloist Performance (Without Orchestra): "Piano Music of Salonen, Stucky, and Lutoslawski," Gloria Cheng (Telarc)

Chamber Music Performance: "Carter, Elliott: String Quartets Nos. 1 and 5," Pacifica Quartet (Naxos)

Small Ensemble Performance: "Spotless Rose: Hymns to the Virgin Mary," Charles Bruffy, conductor; Phoenix Chorale (Chandos)

Classical Vocal Performance: "Corigliano: Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan," Hila Plitmann (JoAnn Falletta; Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra) (Naxos)

Classical Contemporary Composition: "Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan," John Corigliano (JoAnn Falletta); track from: "Corigliano: Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan" (Naxos)

Classical Crossover Album: "Simple Gifts," The King's Singers (Signum)

Short Form Music Video: "Pork and Beans," Weezer, Mathew Cullen, video director; Bernard Rahill, video producder (DGC/Interscope)

Long Form Music Video: "Runnin' Down a Dream," Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Peter Bogdanovich, video director; Skot Bright, video producer (Warner Bros.)

Recording Package: "Death Magnetic," Bruce Duckworth, Sarah Moffat and David Turner, art directors (Metallica) (Warner Bros.)

Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package: "In Rainbows," Stanley Donwood, Mel Maxwell and Christiaan Munro, art directors (Radiohead)

Album Notes: "Kind of Blue: 50th Anniversary Collector's Edition," Francis Davis, album notes writer (Miles Davis) (Columbia/Legacy Recordings)

Historical Album: "Art of Field Recording Volume I: Fifty Years of Traditional American Music Documented by Art Rosenbaum," Steven Lance Ledbetter and Art Rosenbaum, compilation producers; Michael Graves, mastering engineering (Various Artists) (Dust-to-Digital)

Top 7 Ways to Live Your Best Life

2009-02-07T14:17:00.001+01:00

Our lives are like clay on a potter’s wheel. Each day, the wheel turns anew, and with our decisions, we shape our lives; we are sculptures formed by choices, vessels crafted by free will. Your life: your masterpiece, your unique creation.

While it’s true that we all must decide for ourselves what shape our lives should take, I offer you these 7 tips for living your best life.

1. Live within Your Means

No matter how you want to shape the clay of your life, you’ll need resources; the more you save, the more you’ll have. Overspending is truly one of the most damaging things you can do because it robs you of the means to live a life of your own design.

Besides, the emotional high that comes from buying something new is short-lived and cannot compensate for the emotional burden of carrying too much debt or the painful reality of all the opportunities you can no longer afford.

Before you make a purchase that seriously impacts your bottom line, stop and ask yourself: Is this improving my life? Is this worth it? It’s a shame how so many of us sell our potential for the empty promise of useless things.

2. Follow Your Dreams

Do you love your job? If not, why in the world are you doing it? The most common answer is bills. We need money to live; we need a job for money; therefore, we work to survive.

But the survival instinct is the basest of human motivations, and you could be so much more if you aimed higher. Yes, most of us must work to live, but there are a million jobs in the world. Why not choose one that satisfies you? Why not determine what you want, figure out how to make money with it, and go for it?

If you think chasing your dreams is hard, consider how much harder it is to work in an uninspiring job for thirty years, wasting away in a cycle of mindless production and consumption. Do something you love. Make a difference you believe in.

3. Connect

Personal relationships are the jewel of life. We’re social by nature; we can only be so happy alone. So why do we sacrifice relationships for jobs? Why do we push people away when we could be pulling them closer?

We’re so much happier when we attract a soul mate; when we bridge arguments calmly; communicate ideas confidently, without offending; when we surround ourselves with caring people.

Great accomplishments require great relationships.

4. Contribute

Our potential is revealed in the extent to which we give. And I’m not just talking about charity. For most of us, work is our primary means of contribution to society and our single most time consuming activity; this, combined with the fact that humans need each other, is the reason why jobs feel so much better when they allow us to contribute to the world in a way that is uniquely our own: We give our gift; others express appreciation; we too endorse our contribution, and the end result is that we feel good.

You can also contribute to the world by volunteering, helping a family member, or donating. The world needs you, and you need it. Give back. Receive joy.

5. Trust Yourself

Learning to trust your instincts when reading road signs on the highway of life will improve your chances of success in every endeavor. You can also learn to trust yourself in less esoteric ways: Raise your self-esteem by recognizing your accomplishments; boost your self-efficacy by practicing the skills required to reach success.

Creating a life of your own beautiful design requires that you believe in what you’re doing, as well as your ability to do it.

6. Optimize

There’s always something you could do better, faster, or cheaper. Pick an area of yourself to work on and have at it. The clay spinning on the potter’s wheel of life can only be worked into the shape of a masterpiece through continuous improvement, prolonged dedication to excellence.

7. Be Thankful

The fact that we recognize our shortcomings (so we can improve them) does not mean we can’t be thankful for all the wonderful things we already are; all the gifts we already possess. Life is the greatest gift of all, so we should all be thankful for the breath in our lungs, and I’m sure you can think of a few other blessings if you set your mind to it.

An attitude of gratitude is powerful because it helps us recognize our gifts, our talents, which helps us feel comfortable with our place in the world and highlights the unique contributions waiting to spring forth from within us, making the world a better place and leading us toward our dreams.

So there you have it: 7 tips for shaping and polishing a life of your own magnificent design.

How to Retrieve Serial Number or CD Key of Software That Installed On the System

2009-02-05T13:06:00.002+01:00

Now all software require a unique serial number to install on the computer, and the serial number can be used again with the installation file when the system has been reformatted or to re-install. Most of the time, the software’s serial number will be displayed on the CD cover or it will come with a certificate and the serial number will be on the certificate or so called license. But when users have lost their serial number,this will cause them to call the software distributor for another serial number. Most of the time, they will charge the users for retrieving or getting back the serial numbers and that why it’s important to keep the serial number of the software in a safe place. For those users who lost their software serial number, now they may use KeyFinder Thing to retrieve the serial number of the software installed on their system.

KeyFinder thing

KeyFinder Thing is a small utility tool that is used to retrieve the serial number of software installed on the system. It’s free for users to download and run on their systems. With the KeyFinder Thing utility and with just few simple step, users not only can scan and find the serial number or CD Key of the software, users also can use it to export all the serial number and CD Key that are listed in the KeyFinder Thing and save as HTML or Text file.

The minimum requirement to run the KeyFinder Thing on the computer: .NET Framework 2.0 needs to be installed on the computer. This is a great and free utility, please use it wisely and don’t use it to steal Serial Key or CD Key on other computers.

Other CD Key finders are:
# 1.
WinGuggle

Get your Windows Vista Product Key easily.
# 2.
Product Key Finder

Recover, decrypt Microsoft Windows and other product installation keys.
# 3.
CD Key Viewer/Changer

Retrieve lost or misplaced product keys.
# 4.
Product Key Explorer

Recover license keys of installed software products.
# 5.
Serial Numbers Personal Edition

Store all of your software serial numbers in a central location.

Five Years of Facebook: A Retrospective

2009-02-05T10:31:00.002+01:00

David Coursey

Wednesday, February 04, 2009 5:11 PM PST

Courtesy:PCWORLD.com

It doesn't seem like five years since Facebook appeared on the scene. I was slow to join the throng--my friends list numbers only 242 of the 110 million people who have joined the site since its inception.

Facebook is less juvenile in look-and-feel than MySpace, which it has overtaken in popularity. It is also a lot cleaner, again in look-and-feel but also in content. It also lacks the sexual content that plagues MySpace.

Facebook is more generalist in approach than some other social networking sites, such as Linked-In, which seem aimed at people looking for jobs and customers instead of communicating with people they already know. If you want to exploit your friends, Linked-In seems an excellent place to do it. And they'll exploit you in return.

Practical Social Networking
While I am not wild about social networking sites generally, as they can easily become colossal sinkholes for time, I've come to like Facebook a great deal and even consider it an important business tool.

How so?

Whole books have been written about promoting your company and its products on social networking sites. I won't wade into that swamp, though I think you have to be very creative to succeed. I also wonder how possible it is to niche market on Facebook the way search-oriented advertising can target an audience on Google.

To me, Facebook is a less personal medium than instant messaging, but more personal than email. I keep two or three IM clients continually open on my desktop. They are how family, closest friends, and a few business contacts reach me. I use a limited amount of SMS for the same purpose.

I don't keep Facebook open all the time. I check-in maybe a few times a day, but have sometimes gone away for days. I receive occasional email alerts and have the Facebook client on my iPhone, just in case I need it while mobile.

My main purpose for Facebook is keeping up with what a more distant set of friends is doing. These are people with whom I share common interests and like to know what they are doing.

You don't get on someone's friend list without their permission, so people are willing to share information they wouldn't post in a truly public space. Posting on Facebook also means you don't have to say the same thing to a bunch of different people just to get the word around.

Hive Mind
I've found that posting on Facebook is a good way to ask a question of a diverse set of people. This includes everyone from my first "real" girlfriend (who recently added me) to people I have worked with over the past 25 years, a few family members, and quite a few business friends around the industry. All are people I actually like, but with whom I otherwise don't stay in direct contact.

Facebook allows users to post clippings, thoughts, business ideas, and other bits and pieces of our lives for all our friends to see. In a business context, Facebook often reminds me of people who can answer questions, point me to someone they know (but I don't), or whom I'd just like to stay in front of.

It's also a good place to gather opinions and even hold fairly spirited debates. My friend, Mark Kellner, who writes a technology column for the Washington Times, is a frequent, friendly adversary.

I find myself liking Facebook far more than I ever wanted to. It helps me stay in touch with interesting people and share information with them. The contact that started my participation in this blog took place on Facebook when my now-editor posted a note saying he was looking for bloggers.

It concerns me that Facebook has yet to find a revenue model that seems likely to secure its future. It's currently riding a wave of popularity--and usefulness--but that could change as peoples' interests move elsewhere.

But, for now, if you are not already using Facebook, I'd recommend it. Bring some friends and business contacts along with you and it's possible to greatly expand the circle of people with whom you can easily stay in touch. And, for many of us, "in-touch" is a key business attribute.

David Coursey has been writing about technology for much longer than he likes to admit. If you want to be his friend on Facebook, he'll probably add you if you mention this blog.

Prophetess Juanita Bynum Turns 50 in a Wedding Dress?

2009-02-04T14:28:00.003+01:00

By Gospel Fab • January 27th, 2009

OH GospelFab! Fans!! Just when I thought I had seen it all, Prophetess Juanita Bynum always takes it to another level. She turned 50 recently and boy did she do it in style in a wedding dress. Seriously, I have never seen anything like this… EVER! I am not too sure if this is a trend that will catch on but it is definitely one for the books in the saga that is the tale of Prophetess Juanita Bynum. Essence Magazine released the exclusives, but it was just so interesting that I just had to bring it to you. So what do you think?? Seriously? Has she lost it? or is there some reasonable explanation?

But what Essence didn’t tell you, you know GospelFab! will… So, a wedding dress to a Birthday Party seems a bit odd, but to those who attended it made sense. Worn in costume-like fashion to further the illustrations in her sacred ceremony that was held in the beginning of her Party, the wedding dress among other things represented those things she was to reclaim from the past.

Her second ensemble, the Black skirt with the pictures of herself, also had pictures of her along with her father. The skirt was a revamped skirt made of satin that she had worn to a previous award show that was decorated by Bynum with photos of her father that had just passed away several months ago from a heart attack. A man, whom Bynum considered to be her rock through the whole ordeal. It was also to show that she now has fun in her life and it represented balance displayed through the performance of an excerpt of Hairspray by teens from an Atlanta Performing Arts School.

Bynum had to have her Wedding Dress altered after dropping two sizes since her wedding. The dress was adorned with Swarovski crystals, took nine months to make, cost $65,000 and her wedding ceremony cost $1.2 million.

When she sat down with Kenya Byrd of Essence she revealed some of the thought process behind this “new” Juanita Bynum. When asked why she wore a wedding dress to her birthday celebration she responded, “One of the greatest moments of my life was the day that I married. That day was supposed to be the defining moment of my life when I would show the world that I had stepped into my womanhood. It was always the original intention of my dress and I refused to let it not be because it was made for me. So I wore it because I felt like someone had robbed me of that right. I waited so many years to walk in it and I wanted to give the dress the honor for which it had been made. My father told me to always face your fears head-on, and since this was the dress that is connected to the incident for which the whole world remembered me, I said that if I’m going to cross over I have to go back and stand in the same place.”

When asked was it tough to wear that dress that was connected to pain, she replied, “Not at all. When I opened it up my first vision wasn’t: “This is the dress I married the wrong person in.” I touched the dress and said, “I almost forgot how beautiful this dress is.” When I stood in that dress for the second time I looked at myself in amazement because I knew the real moment that I waited for all my life had come again for me to define who I was. So that’s when God gave me my new name, Juanita Bynum, II, because I have redefined myself and been reborn.” OK did she really just change her name to Juanita Bynum, II???

SO she raised a sword in her wedding dress on her Birthday for this reason: “… I told my manager when I lifted that sword [during my birthday celebration] I had something on me and that I’m getting ready to fight for every woman I know who has low self-esteem, feels like she can’t get herself together or has been made to feel like trash. That fight is in me for real now,” stated Bynum, II.

OK, so now that I am finished holding my head on this one, tell me what you think. I honestly can doing but just pray for her on this one. I understand the emotion behind it and at the same time look at this cock-eyed and head tilted wondering if something is not seriously emerging out of this depression that she found herself in after her divorce that is not healthy and is being displayed in these acts. No really, I wish I knew one person who went to this party.