What do Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Harry Styles, Alicia Keys, Sting, Jennifer Lopez, Madonna, Ice-T, Queen Latifah, and Taylor Swift all have in common?

(C’mon, actually think about the question for a bit, don’t immediately jump to the answer. While there is a tendency for people to want immediate gratification, in fact, that whole quick shot of info, be it trivial, made-up, useful, or even critical, is predicated on things like websites, there is something to be said for the satisfaction that can be derived from figuring things out, whether this is solving Wordle or answering the question above.)

(At this point I figure that there may have been a sufficient amount of physical distance on this page between the question and the answer, and certainly if you’ve read through this parenthetical material you’ve had a time gap which, as we are at words right now, that’s about 30 seconds of silent reading time or just under a minute if you’re annunciating it, so. . . .)

They are all members of SAG-AFTRA, the trade union for actors.

As such, they are all potentially affected by a recent agreement between SAG-AFTRA and Narrativ, which describes itself as “A Marketplace for Advertisers to Buy Talent Likeness.”

Note, not “Talent.” But a similitude of talent.

Read more at Glorious Noise...

Many thanks g to Cristina in Greece for her report on this - originally published on her justiceforgreece blog as A seed For Change a documentary project by Alex Ikonomidis and the declaration on seed freedom Alex Ikonomidis is a Greek film maker who lived, studied and worked in Lebanon. After returning to his native Greece and serving his time in the military, he took up his profession there and was happily going along, producing in the world of media and advertising when, suddenly, the economic crisis hit. Through the crisis, Ikonomidis recognized that when money becomes more and more scarce, it is important to be where food is grown. This brought him to embark on a documentary project. A Seed for Change is his soon-to-be-released feature length film documenting why agriculture must start with seed freedom. Chemical inputs are often toxic and are disruptive to human health and the environment. "Standardized" seeds, as imposed by the agro-chemical conglomerates through legislation pushed through in much of the civilized world, are destroying our heritage of biological diversity, created by nature and harnessed by farmers for producing our food over thousands of years....

The European Union on Tuesday took the debate about genetically modified crops to the public with a survey asking citizens to share their thoughts on organic farming, reports Phys.org in a recent article titled EU asks citizens to join debate on GM food Image credit: americanoverkill.com The article continues ... The bloc's 500 million consumers are invited to complete an anonymous online questionnaire on the European Commission's Agriculture and Rural Development website (ec.europa.eu/agriculture/consultations/organic/2013_en.htm). The consultation, which ends on April 10, is part of a review of European policy on organic agriculture. The survey is available in all official EU languages. English is the one linked here, but other languages are available from a drop-down menu at the top of the page. The Phys.org article, putting emphasis on the GM angle, goes on to say......

Inclined Bed Therapy or IBT is the brain child of Andrew Fletcher, who discovered in the 1990's that gravity actually helps to drive circulation of the sap in trees. From there, it was a short step to ask whether this was also true for animals and humans. This posed the question "why on Earth do people sleep flat?" So Andrew suggested that people slightly raise the head end of their bed and see if any changes in their health are noticeable. This is one of the numerous anecdotes ... stories of personal success people have reported after raising the head end of their bed by just five or six inches. "Over two years ago I sat in the armchair reading a small advert which asked people to raise their bed by six inches at the head and to reply and tell what benefits had been noted. (No explanation was given) At the time I could not move my neck to my left or right side and it ached continuously. I was unable to sleep at night as i could not get comfortable. I was only able to turn by gently easing myself. It took about three to four turns. Getting out of bed was a major obstacle. I needed help to dress and undress. I spent most of my nights in the chair with the result that I was always tired and had no energy. My problem is osteoporosis of the upper and lower spine. I had tried hormone replacement therapy and wasted a small fortune with bone specialists and osteopaths. I was resigned to living my days out as best I could, having been told that there was nothing more that could be done for me. I expected nothing but had nothing to lose, so Harry raised the bed by six inches. We did not take it very seriously but were happy to try anything. On the fourth night I had the first full nights sleep since I don't remember when. By the end of the week I was sleeping naturally and turning over with ease. My dressing was a problem no longer, each day it became easier. I was able to turn my head without pain, right or left, to see the clock without getting up from my chair. There have been many other benefits too. I have worn glasses from the age of seven years and I am now sixty eight years. Last year was the first time I was told that there was a small improvement. My hair appears thicker, my hair brush needs cleaning less often. Harry had a large suppurating scar since he was six years old. He has had to continually dress it all of his life. But now it has healed up. His ear which constantly gave him trouble with a discharge has now cleared up completely. We both feel that the clock has been put back for us!" Ruby, 2nd April 1998 Other such stories can be found on the Inclined Bed Therapy website and on the facebook page with the same name...

For any of you that may be reading this via RSS, the change from Movable Type to WordPress means that the RSS feed for selling waves is now located at http://www.sellingwaves.com/feed/

If you’re interested, that is.

Win10 BrightnessSlider adds a Monitor Brightness icon to on Taskbar Tray that lets you adjust the brightness of your monitor(s) with a simple slider. If you use multiple monito....

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XMedia Recode is an audio and video conversion tool that supports nearly all common formats, including 3GP, 3GPP, 3GPP2, AAC, AC3, ADTS, AMR, ASF, AVI, AVISynth, DVD, FLAC, FLV,H.261, H.263, H.264, M....

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Avast! Free Antivirus is the perfect package of applications for people who send e-mails and surf popular websites to protect their computers from a virus infection or other malware threats and can significantly reduce the risk of losing vital or private data. [License: Ad-Supported | Requires: 11|10|8|7|macOS | Size: Size Varies ]

AVG AntiVirus Free Edition provides a reliable tool to protect your PC against many of today's viruses. AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition has both online and offline protection from viruses, spyware, and other nasties with consistent high-speed performance as well as automatic signature or virus definition updates to make sure you're current. [License: Ad-Supported / Freemium | Requires: 11|10|8|7|macOS | Size: Size Varies ]

Ed Ball was one of the most significant presences in—and busiest contributors to—the British indie rock scenes of the 70s, 80s, 90s: He ran labels, Whaam! Records and Artpop! Records most notably; he was intimately involved with Alan McGee's Creation Records, home to many of his own recordings, too; and he fronted or toured with perhaps nine dozen different groups. Hyperbole aside, he was certainly active.

I mostly knew him as a member of the cult-fave group Television Personalities, Dan Treacy's band, and for his own, the Times, a garage act normally done up in paisley flowers or melted down into acid-trip lava-lamp ooze.

In the late 70s, however, he had a short-lived project called Teenage Filmstars, and he released a few rinky-dink mod singles under that name. In the early 90s, after a string of Times LPs, he revived it, and made perhaps the best album of his career, Star. On it, he lost the toothy, sunshine-and-lollipops affect that had become his trademark and slid into a fuzzy, distorted chasm of feedback, echo and delay all the way down. It's a triumph of early-days shoegaze, a disoriented morass of strained noise, stretched and squeezed like putty, and yet it's unrelentingly melodious, like what could've been if My Bloody Valentine had made Loveless a record of only big-hooks songs like "Soon."

Recommended

The Show:

As my two-year old goes from infant to toddler and is more of a sponge soaking up data and information I try to keep his media above board with things on education, and having Sesame Street as your driver in the club bag is a clutch one I have to say. He can watch Elmo, or Kermit or Bert and Ernie with content while I get his meals ready, and he gets the chance to learn something in the process. So yeah, damn right I grabbed Awesome Alphabet Collection as a surrogate parent!

The disc is less a series of show episodes and more focused on segments, all of which surround a particular letter of the alphabet, that the Sesame Street puppets and humans talk through in a means of education and illustration. Occasionally a celebrity will pop by, whether its singers like Norah Jones, Pharrell Williams or Smokey Robinson, or actors like Ricky Gervais (Read the entire review

Highly Recommended

It's been fits and starts but it now appears that CBS/Paramount is fully committed to releasing the final seasons of the 20-season Gunsmoke. Through the grapevine this critic is hearing that the label is planning on combining later seasons into single, rather than two-volume sets, which might be a little easier on everyone's pocketbook.

I've been reviewing Gunsmoke sets since the First Season was released in July 2007. The program was so prolific, upwards of 40 episodes per season in its early days, it's been impossible to watch everything in broadcast order. As new sets have been released, I typically watch 7-8 representative episodes then return to where I left off which, at present, is still Gunsmoke during its prime, black-and-white years. Reviewing the later, color (and hour-long episodes) I initially expressed mild disappointment that they weren't as taut as the 30-...Read the entire review

Highly Recommended

It's been fits and starts but it now appears that CBS/Paramount is fully committed to releasing the final seasons of the 20-season Gunsmoke. Through the grapevine this critic is hearing that the label is planning on combining later seasons into single, rather than two-volume sets, which might be a little easier on everyone's pocketbook.

I've been reviewing Gunsmoke sets since the First Season was released in July 2007. The program was so prolific, upwards of 40 episodes per season in its early days, it's been impossible to watch everything in broadcast order. As new sets have been released, I typically watch 7-8 representative episodes then return to where I left off which, at present, is still Gunsmoke during its prime, black-and-white years. Reviewing the later, color (and hour-long episodes) I initially expressed mild disappointment that they weren't as taut as the 30-...Read the entire review

Skip It

Sesame Street was one of the only things I was allowed to watch on TV in my early years, and it's no question that it helped to shape me. It was one of the first times that TV had been used to educate children on things like numbers and spelling without being either boring or silly. Its creators had noticed that children memorized TV commercials easily, so they thought the same approach could be used to make them learn things that were actually important. The resulting show has been in a format of clips, primarily focusing on Sesame Street itself with its Muppet and human inhabitants, but also interspersed with separate sketches featuring those characters and some live-action or animated segments that I always felt took place in another universe- having some educational value and a unique quality to them, but having absolutely nothing to do with the main characters or setting, and they were never co...Read the entire review

Recommended

This second DVD release from Shout Factory Kids celebrating Sesame Street's 50th anniversary consists of a special made this year for prime time on both HBO (where the show has moved for its first run episodes) and PBS (which still presents the show delayed after the HBO showings, and with an annoying "E/I" symbol at the top of the screen to count towards the FCC's required hours of "educational programming" each week- in that regard it's likely for the better that its new primary home is HBO.) Like the 25th anniversary special, which was one of the very first DVD releases back in 1997, this focuses mostly on songs from the show but most of them are new performances, done on the show's set, rather than archival clips. There's a number of celebrity appearances but for some reason Joseph Gordon-Levitt, born after I had already outgrown the show on TV, was chosen to be the main "star". He takes a cab t...Read the entire review

Highly Recommended

(Note: Reviews of Gunsmoke: The Sixteenth Season and Gunsmoke: The Seventeenth Season are identical. In preparing them I watched at episodes and the extras from both sets. Give me a break.)

Despite the steady decline of the DVD format, CBS/Paramount deserves a lot of credit for seeing the 20-season run of Gunsmoke (1955-1975) through all the way to the finish line. For the show's last five seasons, it appears that the label has decided to release full- rather than half-season sets, a wise decision, and they've even added a most welcome supplement.

I've been reviewing Gunsmoke sets since the First Season was released in July 2007. The program was so prolific, upwards of 40 episodes per season in its early days, it's been impossible to watch everything in broadcast order. As new sets have been released, I typically watch 7-8 representative episodes then ...Read the entire review

Highly Recommended

(Note: Reviews of Gunsmoke: The Sixteenth Season and Gunsmoke: The Seventeenth Season are identical. In preparing them I watched at episodes and the extras from both sets. Give me a break.)

Despite the steady decline of the DVD format, CBS/Paramount deserves a lot of credit for seeing the 20-season run of Gunsmoke (1955-1975) through all the way to the finish line. For the show's last five seasons, it appears that the label has decided to release full- rather than half-season sets, a wise decision, and they've even added a most welcome supplement.

I've been reviewing Gunsmoke sets since the First Season was released in July 2007. The program was so prolific, upwards of 40 episodes per season in its early days, it's been impossible to watch everything in broadcast order. As new sets have been released, I typically watch 7-8 representative episodes then ...Read the entire review

Highly Recommended

(Note: Reviews of Gunsmoke: The Eighteenth Season and Gunsmoke: The Nineteenth Season are identical. In preparing them I watched at episodes and the extras from both sets.)

Nearing home plate, CBS/Paramount's Eighteenth and Nineteenth of 20 season sets of Gunsmoke (1955-1975) nearly finishes off the classic series. Many wondered if the label would complete the series before the DVD format went kaput, so their determination to see it through deserves our gratitude.

I've been reviewing Gunsmoke sets since the First Season was released in July 2007. The program was so prolific, upwards of 40 episodes per season in its early days, it's been impossible to watch everything in broadcast order. As new sets have been released, I typically watch 7-8 representative episodes then return to where I left off which, at present, is still Gunsmoke during its b...Read the entire review

Highly Recommended

(Note: Reviews of Gunsmoke: The Eighteenth Season and Gunsmoke: The Nineteenth Season are identical. In preparing them I watched at episodes and the extras from both sets.)

Nearing home plate, CBS/Paramount's Eighteenth and Nineteenth of 20 season sets of Gunsmoke (1955-1975) nearly finishes off the classic series. Many wondered if the label would complete the series before the DVD format went kaput, so their determination to see it through deserves our gratitude.

I've been reviewing Gunsmoke sets since the First Season was released in July 2007. The program was so prolific, upwards of 40 episodes per season in its early days, it's been impossible to watch everything in broadcast order. As new sets have been released, I typically watch 7-8 representative episodes then return to where I left off which, at present, is still Gunsmoke during its b...Read the entire review

The church very often cannot receive the message of revival because it is so bound. Like Lazarus, the church may be 'alive', but spiritually bound. Many Christians as individuals are in this position and need deliverance and freedom. In Part 4 of 'Revival Now', David talks about how we can be set free as individuals, and the incredible impact that one soul saved and set free can have, even on a whole community. We need to rediscover the message of freedom in the Gospel of the Kingdom. We need 'A New Freedom Movement'! This message is available at https://www.preachtheword.com now in MP3 audio format...

If the account in Judges 19 was made into a movie, it probably would have an R-18 rating or worse! It is a horrendous story of the Levite and his concubine, which displays the dire spiritual and moral state God’s people had fallen into at that time. But, what is often overlooked amid this carnage is the total and utter disregard for the humanity of the woman in the story. In this Topical message entitled 'Redeeming Eve', David looks at how Eve and womenhood has been redeemed in the New Covenant, and the place of honour that a woman - Mary - had in bearing God in flesh into our world. This radically speaks of the great value women have as God's daughters, irrespective of how culture, society or religion views them. This is a liberating message especially for women, but also carries a great challenge to men and the church in general regarding how they have treated women down through the centuries, and even to this very day. This message is available at https://www.preachtheword.com now in MP3 audio format...

Join us for 'Helping Others To Freedom', a series based on David Legge's book, 'Breaking Through Barriers to Blessing'. We will explore how we can be set free from bondages of Satan and healed from wounds of the heart. This study is for people who need set free themselves, or for those who want to be used to help others into freedom. In this introductory episode, David lays down some biblical foundations and considers how freedom ministry is something the church is commissioned by Jesus to engage in today. This message is available at https://www.preachtheword.com now in MP3 audio format and in HD video on our YouTube Channel (https://youtube.com/PreachTheWord)...

In this series based on David Legge's book, 'Breaking Through Barriers to Blessing', we continue exploring how we can be set free from bondages of Satan and healed from wounds of the heart. This series is for people who need set free themselves, or for those who want to be used to help others into freedom. In this second session, 'The Necessity Of Confession And Repentance', David looks at the issues of sin and how confession and repentance is a necessary step toward freedom in Christ. We need to own our ungodly behaviours. If we are going to get help ourselves or help others we've got to be real with ourselves and see sin the way God sees it. This message is available at https://www.preachtheword.com now in MP3 audio format and in HD video on our YouTube Channel (https://youtube.com/PreachTheWord)...

In the third instalment of 'Helping Others To Freedom', we explore together one of the major blockages to blessing and freedom – unforgiveness. Resentment, bitterness and offense are obstacles that prevent many moving into the liberty and healing God intends for their lives. In this session we will see how unforgiveness imprisons us and can give the enemy rights to torture and torment us. We will also learn what true 'Forgiveness' is and some of the common misconceptions. Most importantly we'll give some helpful steps to move into the freedom of God's forgiveness for ourselves and toward others. This episode is available at https://www.preachtheword.com now in MP3 audio format and in HD video on our YouTube Channel (https://youtube.com/PreachTheWord)...

In the fourth episode of our video series on 'Helping Others To Freedom', we take time to consider 'Soul-Ties' - a term that describes a heart tie in any relationship, good or bad. When these ties are bad they can exert a negative influence upon our lives, hindering us moving forward to maturity in Christ. In this session we talk about what soul-ties look like in the positive and the negative, and how to break free from such spiritual bondage in order to experience release and any healing necessary. This message is available at https://www.preachtheword.com now in MP3 audio format and in HD video on our YouTube Channel (https://youtube.com/PreachTheWord)...

In the fifth session of our 'Helping Others To Freedom' series, we explore 'Wounds And The Healing Of The Heart'. How do our hearts get hurt? How do these wounds set us up for both habitual sin and demonic bondage? We discuss the various sources of our woundedness and, most importantly, how we can get healing for these wounds. It is vital to distinguish wounds that need healed, from sins that need repented of, and demons that must be expelled. This session is available at https://www.preachtheword.com now in MP3 audio format and in HD video on our YouTube Channel (https://youtube.com/PreachTheWord)...

In this very practical session, we look at a fictional case study, which you can do as an individual or as a group if you are following this course with others. As 'Frank' comes to you to receive prayer for his problems, from his story, you must assess the underlying root causes of his issues and how he can receive healing and freedom. David will allow you to pause in this session and take time to consider some helpful questions which are provided for you. Then David will continue, giving some suggested answers to those questions. This exercise helps us contemplate how the principles we have been learning might be outworked in a hypothetical 'real-life' scenario. This session is available at https://www.preachtheword.com now in MP3 audio format and in HD video on our YouTube Channel (https://youtube.com/PreachTheWord)...

In Part 7 of our 'Helping Others To Freedom' series, we come to the issue of 'Generational Iniquity and Curse'. Can the sins of our ancestors affect us today? Is this concept biblical? In this session, we consider what scripture teaches about the matter of generational iniquity and curse and how the death of Jesus Christ on the cross sets us free from these influences. This study is available at https://www.preachtheword.com now in MP3 audio format and in HD video on our YouTube Channel (https://youtube.com/PreachTheWord)...

In Part 8 of 'Helping Others To Freedom', we learn that the demonic is an area that needs to be handled sensitively and cautiously. Yet we must also acknowledge that the demonic realm is very real and often an area of blockage to blessing in people's lives. Through this study on 'Occult, Idolatry And Freemasonry' we find out: how people can be affected by the demonic; whether or not Christians can be demonically influenced; how the enemy can get power in our lives; and how to get the freedom promised in the gospel of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. This session is available at https://www.preachtheword.com now in MP3 audio format and in HD video on our YouTube Channel (https://youtube.com/PreachTheWord)...

In Session 9 of 'Helping Others To Freedom', David addresses many practical questions that often arise around healing and deliverance, also considering some of the mysterious matters that can confuse people. This episode on 'Practicalities And Mysteries Of Healing And Deliverance' should be extremely useful for anyone engaging in prayer ministry. This session is available at https://www.preachtheword.com now in MP3 audio format and in HD video on our YouTube Channel (https://youtube.com/PreachTheWord)...

In the concluding session of 'Helping Others To Freedom', we look at how the principles of personal healing and deliverance apply to whole regions, and are essentially the same principles that can prepare a region for revival awakening. This is 'Revival And Deliverance - The Bigger Picture' - God sets individuals free in order to heal and deliver the world. This session is available at https://www.preachtheword.com now in MP3 audio format and in HD video on our YouTube Channel (https://youtube.com/PreachTheWord)...