Brad Paisley to Judge American Idol Season 12?


Might American Idol be going a little country on Season 12?

With Mariah Carey confirmed as a new judge for next year, Deadline reports that the Fox competition is now courting superstar singer Brad Paisley for another spot on the panel.

Brad Paisley Photo

Like Carey, Paisley possesses one of the most impressive resumes in the recording industry.

He's set a record with 10 consecutive singles hitting number-one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and won the Entertainer of the Year award at the 44th annual CMA Awards in 2010.

But is he the right demographic for Idol? Would he fit in well with Carey and, assuming he sticks around, with third judge Randy Jackson? You tell us: Do you wanna see Brad Paisley on American Idol?

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/07/brad-paisley-to-judge-american-idol-season-12/

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Ways To Support A Drug Treatment Center

Drug treatment centers are the only hope of the drug addicts to attain sobriety. They sacrifice not seeing their family in their aim to change their lives. You could help make a difference in their lives by supporting a drug treatment center near you.

1. You can volunteer at a local rehab center. Through this, you can gain friendship while inspiring patients to live clean lives and helping them in any way you can.

2. Give helpful information to clients through written materials you can acquire in Goodwill organization. It would be helpful to addicts if they have reading materials on hand that will guide them in their journey. These books provide facts about addiction process and ways on how to live healthier lifestyle.

3. Make a program that will build the self-confidence and skills of patients. Submit this to the local health center for approval. It is better to lay the complete information about the plan that includes the number of days the program last, the information and expertise of the participants of your program, and the effects of these programs to the patients lives.

4. Organize a support group that could assist clients after they have completed their treatment. This is helpful for clients to maintain a sober life by interacting with people in the support program who are not using harmful substances. It will inspire them to live drug-free lives.

5. You can help the drug treatment centers through donations. This will help on the purchase of materials that patients need in their rehabilitation or build bigger facilities or purchase to make the patients feel comfortable in their stay in the treatment. The fund could also be allocated for food or bed linens that patient could use in their stay.

6. You could also plan outdoor activities that patients could enjoy with their families. Propose your sponsored plan to the treatment center and discuss its possibility.

7. You could ask school children to draw or write short messages for the patients. This will mean a lot since patients are away from home.

8. You can plan a fund raising activity that the patients could participate. It could be baking goodies, selling art crafts and other creative things. This will create skills and make them feel that they can do something in their lives.

In the little time and effort you give, you can make a lifetime change in their lives. Don't miss the opportunity to help.

Ericka Lopez is an expert author on topics related to http://nationalsubstanceabuseindex.org/arizona/facilities.php, to learn more click http://www.treatmentcentersdirectory.com/Pennsylvania/Philadelphia/the-cedars-alcohol-and-drug-treatment-center-231

Source: http://articles.submityourarticle.com/ways-to-support-a-drug-treatment-center-284507

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tv 3 news: Self improvement - Spirituality - Personal Growth ...

Bring yourself home and awaken your soul's potential

'It's one of the paradoxes of spiritual practice: we need a path to travel where we already are.' SAKYONG MIPHAM RINPOCHE

For years I thought I was too busy to have a daily spiritual practice. Meditation was just not a part of how I operated and I didn't think I needed it. I believed I was always connected to source and receiving messages from my higher self anyway. So why would I bother to take extra time out of my day for mediation, prayer and being in silence? That was rather arrogant thinking on my part and my ego certainly had the better of me. In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, "It was time to get my bloated nothingness out of the way."

About 5 years ago I was challenged to begin meditating 10-20 minutes twice a day in a class I was taking. Since I was committed to the class I started to meditate 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes in the afternoon. I was also learning the about the power of affirmative prayer and praying constantly; something I had never done before. Much to my surprise a new path unfolded before me. I experienced something that was powerful, beautiful, and transformative -- GRACE.

Grace is a flow of Universal dialogue between all things, the realization that we are living in a loving, supportive universe, and that life can be filled with beautiful moments of love, joy and peace.

In experiencing the power and wisdom of grace, my commitment to daily Spiritual Practice deepened. I now take the time to put my prayers, mediation, gratitude, and connection with nature first. By practicing presence, stillness, and openness, I experience the wisdom of grace each day and for this I am truly grateful. I invite you to create and commit to your own Spiritual Practice.

Over the centuries, ordinary people have explored and discovered, through different practices, an experience beyond their ability to express in words. Any person may experience the depths of his or her spiritual essence by using these practices to explore his or her own consciousness.

Your mind will start to rest peacefully and this has incredible implications. If you're present to each and every moment, you're present for your life, and you can therefore observe what's going on. If you can observe what's going on, you can discern and respond to situations from a place of love and compassion. You are empowered to choose where you want to go. At this point -- known as the present moment -- you can reorient your whole path, because in terms of the future, you're in the driver's seat. You become conscious to your own wisdom and power within.

While the practices may vary, there are some factors that remain constant throughout spiritual disciplines.

The 3 Elements of a Daily Spiritual Practice are:

Connecting to My Spirit - the ability to focus the attention inward in a receptive mode. This is what I call 'going home'.

Getting out of the Way - the ability to remove yourself from distractions especially the chattering monkeys in our mind and allow yourself to listen to your own inner wisdom. The commitment to use your practice, despite any diversion, confusion, distraction, or lack of progress and let go of attachment to any outcomes.

Aligning yourself with the power and wisdom of the Universe - use the Law of Attraction to clarify your desires, align your thoughts, beliefs, and actions to those desires and allow them to manifest. How your orient your mind is intimately connected with what you experience during your day.

How do I create a practice that works for me?

You may have to experiment with different practices to find what works for you. Based on your lifestyle, work habits, family situation, and available time you will need to decide.

Some choose first thing in the morning, some in the evening, and others weave their practice through out their day. It is best to have a consistent time and day for your practice and to schedule it in your calendar.

You may want to create a sacred space where you will be free from distractions, interruptions, noise, etc.

Your practice can be anywhere from 10 minutes a day to 60 minutes. It really is up to you. Your practice can also shift and change depending on what is happening in your life.

Ideas for a Spiritual Practice:
meditationguided visualizationsprayerjournalinggratitudetaking a walk in naturetaking time to listen to the bird calls in the morninginspirational readingstaking a few moments to breathe deeply and consciouslyyoga

"In order to see birds it is necessary to become part of the silence." ~ Robert Lynd

May you be inspired to create your own practice, bring yourself home, and experience lovely moments of GRACE.

Helen Valleau is an Author, Speaker, Coach and Visioning expert. She has inspired thousands of visions to come to life and has created a program and book called A year of possibilities to offer a variety of ways that people can work with her to achieve their dreams.

View the original article here

Source: http://self-improvement-growth.blogspot.com/2012/07/creating-spiritual-practice.html

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Source: http://tv-3-news.blogspot.com/2012/07/self-improvement-spirituality-personal.html

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OnLive bringing console gaming to Google TV

OnLive

We have incredible 3D games built for Android tablets -- titles like Shadowgun or Max Payne -- but what's been missing out of great games has been Google TV. OnLive, the popular streaming service that brings actual desktop PC games to any screen, will change that. Using the OnLive Google TV app and a compatible controller, you'll have a huge library of PC games to choose from, all streamed directly to your big screen via your Google TV interface. All the features of the desktop client (for Windows and Mac) are on-board, including the spectating arena and multi-view play and chat. It's a great way to fill a gap in Google TV's content warehouse, and everyone loves games.

OnLive will be shipping on the Visio Co-Star, and will be coming to the LG G2 Smart TV in a future software patch. But the best news is that a stand-alone Google TV app is in the works that will install on any box or TV, so those of us who bought a competitors product aren't left out in the cold. No mention of when exactly we should expect the app is given, but we'll be watching Google Play for any news. Read what OnLive founder and CEO Steve Perlman has to say at the source link below.

Source: Google TV Blog

 

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/nQlHUCRk7Hw/story01.htm

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Americans for Tax Reform : The American Opportunity Credit: Relief ...

The correct response to the AOTC's expiration is to salvage its tax relieving components, while scrapping its spending components.

This content is provided by the Americans for Tax Reform Foundation.

Current Law

A number of tax credits on the books today are deemed ?refundable,? because they can reduce filers? tax liabilities below zero (when this occurs, the IRS sends the filer a check, rather than the other way around).

One such refundable provision is the American Opportunity tax credit (AOTC), enacted as a temporary measure under the 2009 stimulus. The AOTC, modeled after the earlier Hope Scholarship and Lifetime Learning credits, is a four year, dollar-for-dollar tax reduction of up to $2,500 for the first $4,000 in eligible educational expenses (tuition, fees, course-related supplies, etc.). Up to 40% of the credit ($1,000) is refundable. The credit is reduced for taxpayers with AGI in excess of $80,000 ($160,000 for joint filers), so that it is fully phased out for filers with AGI $90,000 or above ($180,000, jointly).

Scheduled Change

The American Opportunity tax credit will expire on January 1, 2013 ? Taxmageddon. Many of its recipients will receive in its place the Hope Scholarship credit, a nonrefundable credit with stricter income requirements that is worth up to $1,800 for two years of qualified educational expenses.

ATRF Analysis

The American Opportunity tax credit is a tricky subject, due mostly to its status as a refundable tax credit. Refundable credits, when they result in negative tax liabilities, can rightly be viewed as increasing government spending ? ?spending in the tax code,? as it were.

According to reports by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) and Treasury Department, the AOTC doled out just shy of $4 billion in ?refunds? (read, handouts) in 2009, for an average refund of $800. Of that amount, CRS found, an estimated 11.5% went to recipients with AGI over $50,000; $100 million went to recipients with incomes greater than $75,000.

Eligibility and reporting requirements for the AOTC are notoriously convoluted as well, which has shut out deserving applicants while providing benefits to ineligible filers. In 2011, the Treasury Inspector General of Tax Administration (TIGTA) found that 2.1 million AOTC recipients may have received $3.2 billion in ?erroneous education credits.? Of those claimed, 84,754 students did not have a valid Social Security number, and 250 ?students? were incarcerated.

These statistics illustrate just a few of the problems with ?Santa Claus? provisions like the AOTC. Too often, refundable credits turn into welfare programs for the well-off. And because these programs do not technically count as spending, they often metastasize without the knowledge of those who foot the bill ? real taxpayers.

Expiration of the AOTC will eliminate a fair bit of spending in the tax code, but it will also deny up to $5,000 in actual tax relief to many filers. ?Refund? recipients make up just over a third of those who receive the AOTC, which means the other two thirds (eight million students and their families) may see higher tax burdens because of the credit?s expiration.

The AOTC, then, is a mixed bag, and its expiration will produce mixed results. The correct response to its expiration is to salvage its tax relieving components, while scrapping its spending components.

10 Year Revenue Effect

Department of the Treasury: $137.4 billion (of that amount, $62.3 billion are outlays, or ?refunds?)

This content is provided by the Americans for Tax Reform Foundation. To donate to ATRF, click here.

Posted by Blake Seitz on Tuesday, July 24, 2012 10:52 AM EDT

Source: http://atr.org/american-opportunity-credit-relief-handouts-few-a7064

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Cozy Home Scenes: Get Creative With AstroBrights Paper

This post brought to you by

Astrobrights Papers by Neenah Paper

. All opinions are 100% mine.

I remember when I was a child how fun it was to go shopping for new school supplies, and it's probably still that way for kids now. I still get the same excitement when buying new craft supplies like brightly colored paper.

AstroBrights papers makes your projects come to life with 23 bright colors. Whether you are creating something for home crafts, work, or school projects, there is no excuse for your project not to stand out?when it's on brightly colored paper.

Use Astrobright papers for craft?projects like handmade invitations or scrapbooking. For the office, the paper can make brochures or announcements really stand out. Try Astrobrights papers at school for PTA announcements, after school chore sheets, colorful signs for the kids, or book reports.

Do you have an idea for getting creative with paper? Then share your pictures and videos of your projects on the?AstroBrights papers facebook page. They are currently having a family friendly Make Something Astrobright design challenge, where you can have a chance to win great Astrobright products and other wonderful prizes. Use the hashtag #goastrobrights when sharing on pinterest, twitter, or facebook.

While you are on the Astrobright papers facebook page, enter their "Give A Brighter Year" sweepstakes. You will have a chance to win a?$500 gift card?for yourself and also help your local elementary school win $30,000 in much needed supplies.

I think you'll find these papers very useful and good luck if you enter the sweepstakes or design challenge.

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Source: http://cozyhomescenes.blogspot.com/2012/07/get-creative-with-astrobrights-paper.html

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11 dead, 12 injured in Texas truck crash

GOLIAD, Texas (AP) ? A pickup truck overloaded with passengers veered off a highway and crashed into trees in rural south Texas, killing at least 13 people and leaving 10 injured, authorities said.

Gerald Bryant, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety, said the 23 passengers were crammed inside the truck?s cab and bed, including at least two young children whom he saw among the dead after the Sunday evening crash.

?This is the most people I?ve seen in any passenger vehicle, and I?ve been an officer for 38 years,? Bryant said, referring to the chaotic scene in Goliad County.

The white 2000 Ford F-250 pickup was heading north on U.S. 59 on Sunday evening when it drove off the right side of the highway near the unincorporated community of Berclair in Goliad County and struck two large trees, Bryant said. Berclair is about 100 miles southeast of San Antonio.

State troopers and Goliad County sheriff?s investigators were investigating what caused the single-vehicle crash. Border Patrol was assisting with the investigation.

?It?s unknown whether or not (the victims) were illegal, but it?s possible,? Bryant told the AP.

Authorities initially said 11 people had died. Early Monday, Department of Public Safety dispatcher Cynthia Duffield in San Antonio said another two had died at hospitals overnight.

Six of those who died were still inside the mangled vehicle truck when emergency crews arrived at the scene, Bryant said.

?It?s been very chaotic here, and it?s very traumatic,? Bryant told the San Antonio-Express News.

He told The Associated Press that several of the surviving victims had life-threatening injuries. He did not have their official conditions but described them as ?very serious.? The injured were taken to hospitals in San Antonio, Victoria and Corpus Christi.

Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.omaha.com/article/20120723/AP09/120729846

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Green Jobs Gone Bust

Obama?s green investments drown in red ink.

?We?ll invest $15 billion a year over the next decade in renewable energy, creating five million new green jobs that pay well, can?t be outsourced, and help end our dependence on foreign oil,? candidate Barack Obama pledged in a radio address on November 1, 2008. Three years and eight months later, as unemployment has exceeded 8 percent for 41 straight months, Obama seems incapable of keeping this promise. With the worst employment figures since at least 1948, when the Bureau of Labor Statistics started measuring them, Obama has made a dog?s breakfast of jobs ? green and otherwise.

Consider three key Department of Energy programs. DOE?s website boasts that its ?clean energy? initiatives ? dubbed 1703, 1705, and Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) ? loaned $34.7 billion and launched ?nearly 60,000? jobs. This totals a staggering $578,333 per position.

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, private employers pay workers, on average, $62,757 annually in wages and benefits. So, Obama is ?creating jobs? at 922 percent of the private sector?s cost of employing workers for a year. For every green job that Obama supposedly spawns with taxpayer dollars and borrowed Chinese money, private enterprises could hire nine people.

GWPF

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Source: http://junkscience.com/2012/07/23/green-jobs-gone-bust/

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Role of Professional Magento Developers in Creating a Secured ...

Magento web development has become very popular with businesses looking for a perfect ecommerce web development solution. This open source ecommerce platform helps developing custom ecommerce websites which are flexible as well as highly scalable. It supports multiple languages, currencies and comes with a highly secured payment gateway to make it the perfect ecommerce solution. However to get the best out of this amazing technology you need to hire the services of professional Magento developers who ensure your online store is safe and secured. Here is what puts professional Magento developers in a league of their own.

1. Strong Coding - Codes play a very important role in securing your ecommerce store. Viruses and Trojan Horses look for loophole in the codes where they inhabit and carry out their malicious activities.

This is the reason most template based online stores fall easy prey to such attacks. Professional Magento developers overcome this by hand coding the website with care leaving no bugs or weaknesses in the codes. The codes are then put though W3C validation which checks for errors in the code and suggest changes further shielding the online store against any external threats.

2. Secured Payment Gateway - Ecommerce websites face maximum external threats as a lot of payment transactions take place on these websites. Any false transaction or loss to the customer can dent your brand name forever. Developers from a reputed Magento web development firm would offer your customers with multiple payment options using a highly secured payment gateway where transactions are processed in an encrypted mode.

They use tried and tested modules and plugins to ensure fast and hassle free monetary transactions for the customers.

3. Custom Solution - Ecommerce websites shouldn?t be generalized as each and every store has some niche needs of its own. A professional developer would take into account these requirements of your business and design a solution accordingly. In most cases they design the website from scratch in Photoshop after which it is converted into HTML codes. This helps in catering to the needs of your customers which leads to higher sales and list of satisfied and loyal customers. Apart from this custom web development also makes the website more safe and secure as developers exercise complete control over it.

4. Support Services - All said and done your online store is likely to face attacks on a regular basis. In such cases it becomes extremely important to respond to such attacks in quick time to save both the brand name as well as customer interests. Professional developers respond to such situations in the shortest possible time and use their skills and expertise in preventing damage to the online store as well as the brand value.

Source: http://ecommerce.ezinemark.com/role-of-professional-magento-developers-in-creating-a-secured-ecommerce-store-7d372cc0191d.html

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Nintendo 3DS XL sports less reflective screen than its predecessor, improved parallax effect

3DS XL sports less reflective screen than its predecessor, improved parallax effect

Supersized screens may be the centerpiece of Nintendo's 3DS XL, but a new Iwata Asks interview reveals that its top display packs some new anti-glare tech too. Takashi Murakami, from the company's Mechanical Design Group, notes that each of the LCD's three glare-prone layers were specially treated to reduce reflectivity from the original 3DS' 12 percent, down to three. According to head honcho Iwata, anti-reflection coatings have been on the Big N's radar since the GameBoy Advance era, but were typically abandoned because they were too pricey. The Q&A session also confirmed something we noticed when we put the handheld through the review gauntlet -- the larger display increases the parallax effect, which translates to a deeper looking 3D experience. If your current handheld's screen bounces too much light for your liking, the XL can take its place starting August 19th in North America.

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