Man’s best friend, the dog, does more than offer companionship and protection. They also like to share in our hobbies and be involved in our ... Read more

The post What Kind of Music Do Dogs Like? appeared first on CMUSE.

The Internet 2.0 gave us a great opportunity: user-generated content can allow anyone’s voice to be heard (a blessing or a curse?) and, as a ... Read more

The post Five Types of Classical music lovers you find online appeared first on CMUSE.

In campaign appearances, Trump railed against offshore wind and promised to sign an executive order to block such projects.

The post Trump has vowed to kill US offshore wind projects. Will he succeed? appeared first on Boston.com.

"We're doing everything we can to reunite them."

The post Chelsea police going all out to find boy’s missing dog appeared first on Boston.com.

It was a music shop at 10 High Street in Worcester: “Elgar Bros. Pianoforte & Music Warehouse.” It was in this shop that young Edward ... Read more

The post “His father keeps a shop”: Behind Edward Elgar’s struggle for respectability appeared first on CMUSE.

“This looks a lot more like 2016 to me than 2020,” NBC’s Chuck Todd said, a reference to Trump’s victory that year over Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The post Unexpectedly, news outlets wind up having a relatively traditional election night experience appeared first on Boston.com.

Police say the suspect robbed two stores less than a minute walk from each other in East Boston.

The post Boston police ask for help finding machete-wielding man after robbery appeared first on Boston.com.

NOAA advises those who hope to see the northern lights to get away from city lights.

The post What’s behind the northern lights that dazzled the sky farther south than normal appeared first on Boston.com.

Williams also talks Bruce Springsteen, Willie Nelson, and Trey Anastasio in advance of her shows in Medford, Portland, and Providence.

The post Lucinda in the sky with diamonds: Lucinda Williams announces Beatles covers album ahead of New England shows appeared first on Boston.com.

It's almost been 20 years since the war in Afghanistan started. The Afghan people want a solution and the US is trying to make a deal. Everyone wants to forge a pathway towards peace and stop the threat of nearly daily violence. Currently, peace talks between the US and the Taliban are developing and could be at an important stage.

Also, a cache of previously unpublished documents, including interviews with top US policy makers, describe many of the failures from the war in Afghanistan. The White House’s former top advisor on Afghanistan, Douglas Lute, and a former anti-corruption officer at the US Embassy in Kabul, Sarah Peck, share their thoughts on the Afghanistan papers; As a US military veteran, author CJ Chivers shares his unique perspective on the Afghan war; and Feroza Mushtari grew up during the Taliban era, but she has become a force for change in the country's maternal health system.

(US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad attends the Intra Afghan Dialogue talks in the Qatari capital Doha. Credit: Karim Jaafar/Getty Images)

Help us update our list of reader-recommended bookstores around Greater Boston.

The post Tell us: What is your favorite independent bookstore in Greater Boston? appeared first on Boston.com.

Will get second goal
Will India register  first win
Will we get to play 1 more match in the world cup

FIFA identified India as a possible host of U-17 WC in 2017 or 2019. If India can manage to build minimum seven world class stadiums then FIFA will give their green signal. It will be a great boost for Indian football as we will get a direct entry and also infrastructure will develop rapidly.

News Source - Anandabazar Patrika dated 11/06/2011

<font face="Arial, Verdana" size="5"><b>Pune FC decry format change by AIFF for under-15 event</b></font><div><font face="Arial, Verdana" size="5"><b><br></b></font></div><div><span name="advenueINTEXT" id="advenueINTEXT" style="text-align: left; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><div class="storydiv" id="storydiv" style="color: rgb(63, 63, 63); line-height: 17px; float: left; margin-right: 20px; "><div class="Normal" style="font-size: 15px; font-family: georgia; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 20px; ">MUMBAI: The <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Pune-FC&quot; style="color: rgb(51, 103, 151); text-decoration: none; ">Pune FC</a> Under-15 squad would not figure in this year's <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Manchester-United-Premier-Cup&quot; style="color: rgb(51, 103, 151); text-decoration: none; ">Manchester United Premier Cup</a> (MUPC) following a change in its format by the All India Football Federation. <br><br>The AIFF has restricted the tournament to one club per state. <br><br>"In a shocking development, the <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/All-India-Football-Federation&quot; style="color: rgb(51, 103, 151); text-decoration: none; ">All India Football Federation</a> (AIFF) and the sponsors of the tournament - leading sports apparel manufacturer <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Nike&quot; style="color: rgb(51, 103, 151); text-decoration: none; ">Nike</a> - decided to restrict the tournament to one club per state," a media release from Pune FC said, adding that the club to represent Maharashtra was chosen by a draw of lots in which <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Premier-International-Football-Academy&quot; style="color: rgb(51, 103, 151); text-decoration: none; ">Premier International Football Academy</a> of Mumbai got lucky. <br><br>"In the past editions of this one-of-a-kind tournament, all <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/I-League&quot; style="color: rgb(51, 103, 151); text-decoration: none; ">I-League</a> clubs received invitations in lieu of the tournament, national body and sponsors objective of promoting grassroot talent (particularly Under-15s) of I-League clubs," said the club which added the change in format was not communicated to the I-League clubs by AIFF. <br><br>"The change was not informed to clubs. At least we (Pune FC) did not receive any intimation and came to know about the change late Thursday evening. It's very disappointing on the part of the National body," said Pune FC's Head Operations, Chirag Tanna. <br><br>This year's MUPC is to be held at Jamshedpur in the last week of this month. <br><br>"As if changing the format is not enough, the selection process for Maharashtra by the state body<a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Western-India-Football-Association&quot; style="color: rgb(51, 103, 151); text-decoration: none; ">Western India Football Association</a> (WIFA) was conducted by a lucky draw! Premier International Football Academy (PIFA), Mumbai got lucky and will represent the state as per the 'one-club-per-state' format," the club said, adding it had used the tournament to promote Pune city players in the last four years of MUFC. <br><br>"The tournament provided players their first touch of professionalism. Moreover, it attracted a lot many to the game with the hope of performing and showcasing talent on a national-level platform early," Tanna said. <br><br>"I can only imagine how disappointed the players feel. They have been training regularly since July 2011 and these whimsical decisions taken will only hurt the popularity of the sport," he added.</div><div class="Normal" style="font-size: 15px; font-family: georgia; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 20px; "><br></div><div class="Normal" style="font-size: 15px; font-family: georgia; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 20px; ">________________________________________________________________</div><div class="Normal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 20px; "><font face="'Arial Black'">What bull****. Yet another reason why youth football will never do well. We can say "Oh we have these FIFA Academies" but what about at Indian club youth level. This tournament should be for any team that meets a criteria. No matter how many teams from each state.</font></div><div style="font-size: 15px; font-family: georgia; "><br></div></div></span></div>

Ladies and gentlemen, fellow worship leaders, pastors, and the like…

There is a looming presence beckoning our attention as we ease our way into the Spring season. For some, it comes as a friend, a welcome celebration of life, family, and chocolate-coated vermin.

For others, this presence bodes agony, tension, and the undeniable stench of livestock threatening carpeted aisles. (Yes. We see you Passion Play preachers and your hosanna palm donkey entrance. We love you most.)

That’s right. EASTER is around the corner, and we know you feel it in all its weight and glory.

As worship leaders, it is our job to pave the way, to set up hearts for reception and change. Easter is a time to take chances and make risky musical choices. It’s a time when many non-churchgoers feel compelled to tradition and embrace the Sunday morning as it was originally intended. Lives are changed in donkey entrances and 8-part harmonies. At least, that seems to be the pressure we place on ourselves.

We plan sets, structure messages, and build light cues months in advance, creating an atmosphere of complete and total intentionality.

However, sometimes, in the midst of all the Easter hustle, we lose the Easter heart.

During this hectic season, we tend to see things through worship service blinders. High expectations have been placed upon us, and our focus becomes living up to that standard. While there is nothing wrong with preparing and executing a pristine worship service, sometimes we miss what’s beyond our blinders’ view.

You see, Easter is a time of celebration. It’s a time of reflection and appreciation for Christ’s atonement. Easter is a recognition of Jesus’ love, grace, and freedom. Yet, so often in this season we find ourselves burdened, overstressed, and exhausted. When we are vulnerable in this way, we tend to lose perspective and turn all focus inward.

Because of this hustled heart, we risk dishonoring those who honor us through this process: our volunteers.

Without volunteers, Easter service would be an impossible feat. We all know this. The value they offer, the time they spend, the sacrifices they make all reflect the beauty of this holiday.

So in the midst of the hustle and bustle, how can we show them their worth? How can we take our eyes off our task list for a moment? How can we come beside them and gift them with encouragement? How can we create an environment that honors those who give their time for Kingdom work? Let’s dig in…

1| PLAN AHEAD

You’ve planned the light cue for the closing crescendo of “Arise My Love,” as well as every color coordination for choir members. Bless it. The Planning Center has been updated to a state of perfection, not a single detail misplaced. Well done! We rejoice in your details! Now, what do you plan on feeding the 20 band members, worship leaders, and 75 count children’s choir you promised could sing the special? Ah yes, details.

To honor our volunteers is to plan ahead. Make a list, be practical and anticipate the needs of the Easter Sunday. Will you need to provide food? Where will the volunteers’ green room be held? Have you properly and frequently communicated with all members of your team? Have you delegated tasks to team members who have giftings in areas you are weak? (THERE’S A TIP.) Are volunteers aware of rehearsal times in advance? Have you discussed Easter dress code?

These are simple questions, and we are sure you’ve already covered these details, however it is important to make sure you prepare the systems prior to the day so your focus can be on loving them well, and blessing your church.

Another way to plan ahead is prayer. This can seem like an obvious one, however with volunteers in mind, it is extremely overlooked. We pray over the setlist and day of harvest. But do we go through our list of volunteers one by one and call them out by name? Do we take the time to lift up each individual and pray over their role on Easter Sunday? Our job as worship leaders sometimes lies in intercession for our worship family. Make sure you don’t miss an opportunity to pray over those the Lord’s entrusted to you.

How about honoring your worship volunteers with a small gift of appreciation? This is an amazing and simple way of showing you care and see their involvement. Whether it be a handwritten note, or even a gift card to an ice cream shop, a small token can move mountains when it comes to honor. Begin thinking of things you can do to bless your team.

2| STOP, LOOK, AND LISTEN

You’ve planned ahead, you have the details covered. You’ve delegated tasks and found thoughtful ways to show your volunteers you care. Now is the time to start stopping, looking, and listening.

As you walk through long nights of rehearsal and multiple email threads, it’s important to open your eyes to the family in front of you. Our view can get cloudy as the stress rises, so it’s vital to remain intentional as the process of Easter service begins.

If a volunteer has an idea, a thought, a recommendation, don’t dismiss it. Appreciate the feedback, stop and listen to the heart behind the conversation. Look around every once in awhile and find those that might reside on the outskirts, those that may be new to the team or simply not as plugged in. Keep your heart prepared for these moments. Be actively looking for places to serve your team and bless their experience in the midst of the hustle.

3| EMBRACE THE FAMILY

This one might be negated due to service timing and/or pastoral direction, but if possible, do your best to involve volunteer families in the Easter preparations. Create an event that honors those who give up their spouse, children, or sibling for the Kingdom that week.

Have an “after party celebration” for the team, a time to decompress and enjoy each other post-service. Allow the family to be present for rehearsals or enjoy a meal with the team between services. Remember, Easter is a family-centered holiday, so do your best to find ways to honor that time spent.

4| OFFER GRACE

So the soloist forgot her lyric, or the keys player spilled his morning brew all over the cherry red Rhodes. Mistakes, spills, nerves, there is no escaping these little inevitables. Things are going to happen, people are going to be people. Early mornings and long days provide a variety of personality disorders. Close quarters and high stakes tend to bring out the “bless their hearts” in all of us.

As a worship leader, our job is to take on these little moments of joy and move forward with an attitude of grace. Someone talks about you in a negative light? Grace. The mic batteries aren’t freshly changed? Grace. The food is cold because it was set out at the wrong time? GRACE.

Easter is literally the STORY of grace, so let’s take a cue from our blessed Savior and walk through this day in a spirit of love and laughter. Make the experience a joy for everyone you encounter.

5| REMEMBER THE WHY BEHIND THE WHAT

In the midst of the hustle, DO NOT LOSE THE HEART. Why are we breaking our necks for this one day? Why do we place so much pressure on this service? The why behind the what is simple. Salvation. Grace. Love. Truth. All of these things are emphasized during the Easter season, and the Gospel story is typically told in a way that refreshes and revives.

Worship leaders lead this charge of joy and celebration. We take that baton and run the race with passion and enthusiasm. Are we communicating this passion to our teams? Are we passing this baton, or are we attempting to run this “why” alone?

Take time prior, during, after the Easter service to bombard your team with the reason behind this season. Paint the picture, help them to catch that vision. Once they do, the details, the grace, the exhaustion, it all becomes understood. It all becomes a welcome part of the process, because no longer are songs simply being sung. Battles are being WON.

Volunteers are a blessing, a rare gift, a blessed star in the midst of what sometimes can feel like a long night. Take care of them. Love them. Show them grace and build them up in ways they never experience outside the church. Make this team a family. If it’s not one already, this could be the start.

Love HARD this Easter season, and remember Who you’ve been called to reflect. Be vulnerable, be real, show passion, bleed for this cause and these people. Make Easter a season of peace and honor. And always remember the heart behind the hustle.

I am going to do something that I rarely do.  I'm going to give you a practical tip for building a worship team.  One of the reasons that I tend to lean away from giving practical tips is because there are so many great worship sites out there who already lean on the practical stuff, that it can just get lost in the sea of information. But what I am about to tell you is something that you will very rarely hear anyone say.  The reason you won't hear it is because it does not have an immediate payoff and unfortunately we live in a microwave culture. If you can't heat it up and have it ready for consumption immediately, then we don't want it. The problem is that we have focused on our immediate needs so long that we have forgotten to build for the future.

If you have a large church or you are building a church from the ground up, here is my advice.  Work for today, but build for tomorrow.  I know that sounds simple and you think you are already doing it, but I'm not talking about working for Sunday and building for Monday. I'm talking about working on the immediate but building for the future.  Instead of just considering what your service will look like this week, consider what it will look like in ten years if you continue to do things the same way you always have.

I find that most leaders are so consumed with their weekly commitments that to think beyond next week is overwhelming.  I believe this is one of the reasons that the average lifespan of a worship leader at one church is about a year and a half.  We have focused on the short term so much that we have forgotten to make an investment in our future. When you are dealing with your finances you don't start over each day.  You take into account what you have and then you use it each day accordingly. But you also think ahead to future purchases, trips, family growth, etc. Most people are not choosing to invest in their ministry.  They are just running their ministry. Or their ministry is running them.

Here are a couple of ideas to get you started.  These are just ideas. They are not exhaustive by any means, they are simply to stir the pot.  They will get you to think outside of your week, outside of your setlist, outside of yourself.

#1 Instead of spending so much time on your team's musicianship, spend some time on their character.  Patience, excellence, good attitude, and peace will all help you have better musicians. If you focus on developing the music, then you will get better music.  If you focus on developing the people, then you will get better people, playing better music.

#2 While working with your current team, pour into a younger generation.  I am ok with hearing worship leaders frustrated that they don't have a bass player at their church.  What I am not ok with is hearing that same frustration five years later from that same person. What did you do during that five year period to train someone up to play the bass?  Get a bass, hand it to a 12-year-old and get that kid lessons. Then get your youth teaching the younger kids. Create a culture of music so you never have that problem again.

#3 When you hear about a problem, handle it right away.  I don't let problems carry into our future. Some people let things drag on too long because they are only concerned about how they feel right at that moment.  The pain of dealing with the problem seems greater than the pain of allowing it to continue, but that is never the case. Never let situations be in control. As a leader you need to be in control  I have seen too many situations control leaders and their responses. This means that situations are dictating your future because you have allowed it to be the loudest voice.

If you have ever seen a cathedral it is because someone thought beyond a day.  They looked into the future and saw you. They wanted you to know that there were some before you that believed in the glory of God and they wanted to create a place on the earth that testified to His greatness!  May we do the same!

This week Zorba and Karl discuss a new study that shows an alarming rise in cancer rates among people under 50, and they examine new research showing turmeric may be […]

Seth Dahl’s passion for creating a thriving family culture fuels his ministry as a writer, public speaker, and children’s pastor. He and his family recently completed a move from California to Austin, Texas. Big city opportunities with small town values was just what Seth and his wife Lauren wanted for their kids. He describes the cross-country move as “a full operation,” which included three dogs, two horses, and a cow.  They’re closer to cowboys and nature now. But the Dahls are also facing...

Joseph is legally blind, making the cleanup after Hurricane Milton particularly challenging. Operation Blessing provides a team of volunteers to restore his property and minister to his spirit. 

Millions of people are caring for someone with severe memory loss, trying to find ways to connect. One of the best ways anyone has found is music. We examine the unexpected power of song to supercharge the human mind.

Original Air Date: August 17, 2019

Guests:

Shannon Henry Kleiber — Oliver Sacks — Francine Toder — Anne Basting

Interviews In This Hour:

The Power Of Music And Memory: 'Music Was Waking Up Something Within Each Of Them' — The Deep Connections Our Brains Make To Music — It's Never Too Late To Learn To Play — MacArthur Fellow Anne Basting On Asking People With Dementia 'Beautiful Questions'

We’ve all been changed by the experience of living through a pandemic. We figured out how to sanitize groceries, mute ourselves on Zoom and keep from killing our roommates. But we’re also tackling bigger, existential questions — how can we, individually and collectively, find meaning in the experience of this pandemic?

Original Air Date: May 23, 2020

Guests: 

David Kessler — Tyrone Muhammad — Nikki Giovanni — John Kaag — Alice Kaplan

Interviews In This Hour: 

Grief Is A Natural Response To The Pandemic. Here’s Why You Should Let Yourself Feel It. — 'You Smell Death': Being A Mortician In A Community Ravaged By COVID-19 — Nikki Giovanni Reads a Poem of Remembrance — Does Philosophy Still Matter In The Age Of Coronavirus? — Why Camus' 'The Stranger' Is Still a Dangerous Novel

Colonization in Africa was much more than a land grab. It was a project to replace — and even erase — local cultures. To label them inferior. Music, arts, literature and of course language. In other words, it permeated everything. So how do you undo that? How do you unlearn what you’ve been forced to learn?

In this hour, produced in partnership with the Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes (CHCI) and Africa is a Country — we learn what it means to decolonize the mind.

Original Air Date: March 20, 2021

Guests: 

Adom Getachew — Simon Gikandi — Ngugi wa Thiong’o

Interviews In This Hour: 

Reckon with the Past To Decolonize the Future — Reclaiming the Hidden History of Blackness — Never Write In The Language of the Colonizer

Never want to miss an episode? Subscribe to the podcast.

Want to hear more from us, including extended interviews and favorites from the archive? Subscribe to our newsletter.

Tips to keep in mind about window installation.

The NIE Awards submission process will be open from approximately late Aug. through Nov. 28, 2022. 

With over 1,000 years of collective industry experience among them, Ram Board, Surface Shields, Trimaco and Antinox are united under one parent brand: Icon Protection.

EIFS offers an option packed building model that first gained its appeal in Atlanta, and is now used in major cities all across the country. 

The International Fire Code requires annual visual inspection of all fire-resistance-rated assemblies and the protection features – firestopping included. Fire doors can be the entry to building owners to help them satisfy the annual visual inspection requirement in NFPA 80 and the International Fire Code.

RectorSeal continues to press forward on the acquisition trail. On Feb. 6, RectorSeal announced the acquisition of Dust Free indoor air quality products.

The preceding is the beginning of a song performed by Styx that was a hit in the ’80s. It describes the trials and tribulations that many people faced during that time by misusing a certain illegal white substance.

An important part of responsible power tool ownership is to appropriately dispose of rechargeable batteries at the end of their service life. Yes, lithium-ion batteries have revolutionized power tools and other devices by providing long-lasting, reliable power. However, no battery lasts forever.

The entire process of exit planning can be bogged down with the technical jargon of accounting, law, tax codes, estate planning, insurance and financial planning.

The new tax law could mean a boom for certain industries.

The Gypsum Association and its member companies are committed to sustainability, and now, our industry is embracing another opportunity to contribute to a greener world.

The American Concrete Institute recognized several professionals, groups and companies for their outstanding contributions and dedication to ACI and the concrete industry.

Industry change can come at any time, so it pays to be ready.

The Center for the Polyurethanes Industry announced Oct. 2 that The 2023 End-Use Market Survey on the Polyurethanes Industry in the United States, Canada and Mexico is now available for purchase from the ACC store.

Prefab construction is here, and it’s happening. The combination of a severe labor shortage and extreme shortfalls in housing supply is driving a renewed interest in prefabricated construction as a more cost-efficient alternative to traditional building.

Without question, the building and construction industry has been impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. Approximately 1.1 million construction jobs were eliminated in the first two months of the pandemic prior to the industry’s designation as “essential.” While the industry has recouped nearly 80 percent of its workforce since then, companies will need to hire another 1 million workers over the next two years to meet the country’s insatiable demand for new home construction and improvement.

How spray foam can fight climate change and help companies achieve their energy goals.

TYPAR is introducing the industry’s first clear acrylic flashing. This game-changing product was developed in response to evolving builders’ needs and emerging building code changes requiring better visibility of the nail and screw-fin patterns on windows during window installations and inspections.