Cant wait to see this movie. I have to admit I am a kid at heart and I like Disney movies. This one had me cracking up. Check it out and enjoy!
Friday, March 4, 2016
Movie - Zootopia
Cant wait to see this movie. I have to admit I am a kid at heart and I like Disney movies. This one had me cracking up. Check it out and enjoy!
Business - AMC Theaters
AMC Entertainment to buy Carmike Cinemas in $1.1-billion deal
AMC Entertainment has entered an agreement to acquire Carmike Cinemas, which would create the largest chain of movie theaters in the country.
Under the terms of the agreement announced Thursday, Chinese-owned AMC would buy Carmike for $30 a share, in a deal valued at $1.1 billion, including assumption of Carmike's debt.
Shares of both publicly traded companies soared in after-hours trading on Wall Street.
Leawood, Kan.-based AMC is currently the second-largest U.S. movie theater operator, behind Regal Entertainment Group. Carmike is the fourth biggest.
Adding Carmike's 274 locations would expand AMC's reach to 653 theaters, making it the world's biggest chain. Knoxville, Tenn.-based Regal operates 572 cinemas.
The acquisition of Carmike, known for its strong presence in small towns, suburbs and rural areas throughout the country, will allow AMC to significantly increase its customer base. AMC is largely concentrated in urban areas, including Los Angeles.
Carmike runs a handful of theaters in Southern California, including locations in Temecula and Thousand Oaks.
In recent years, AMC has invested heavily in renovating and refurbishing its multiplexes with features such as upscale food offerings, reclining seats and new sound and digital equipment. AMC Chief Executive Adam Aron said the company plans to also make improvements to Carmike's theaters.
"The addition of Carmike increases our scale and our scope and allows us to take the successes we've had and extend them to these additional theaters," said Adam Aron, who was named CEO of AMC Entertainment in December.
"Wherever you go, this deal is complementary," Aron added. "We're strong in large cities, they're strong in smaller cities. We're strong in the Northeast, and they're strong in the Southeast."
AMC was acquired by Chinese real estate and media conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group in 2012 for $2.6 billion, creating the world's largest cinema company. Wanda owns the biggest chain in China, where the film business is booming.
The deal is the latest example of consolidation in the U.S. theater business.The acquisition mirrors Wanda Chairman Wang Jianlin's ambition to increase his position in the global entertainment business. Wanda also recently bought Burbank production company Legendary Entertainment for $3.5 billion, and is considered a potential bidder for Paramount Pictures or another U.S. studio.
Carmike, headquartered in Columbus, Ga., recently bought Robert Redford's Sundance Cinemas for $36 million. The deal encompassed five theaters with 37 screens, including the Sundance Sunset in West Hollywood, as well as theaters in San Francisco, Houston, Dallas and Seattle.
In 2013, Regal, the nation’s largest theater chain, acquired Hollywood Theaters, a Portland, Ore., chain that operates 43 theaters in 16 states, for $191 million in cash and about $47 million in assumed lease obligations.
"Fragmented industries have been consolidating for 100 years, and the movie theater business is a fragmented industry," Aron said.
The cinema industry is coming off a strong year at the box office, which hit $11 billion in the United States and Canada for the first time ever in 2015.
AMC this week reported fourth-quarter profit soared 40% to $41.6 million, thanks in part to the Disney-Lucasfilm blockbuster "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." Revenue jumped 10% to $783.9 million. However, the exhibition industry has faced ongoing pressure because of long-term stagnation in domestic theater attendance. The average movie ticket price hit a record $8.43 in 2015, thanks to the increase in pricier options, including IMAX and 3-D screenings.
The acquisition announcement came after the close of Thursday trading on Wall Street. During the trading day, AMC's stock increased 55 cents, or 2%, to $25.70.
More expansions, more big companies. This could be a good thing though if they start upgrading all of their theaters. Some of them are old and rundown still.
Thursday, March 3, 2016
Bible Study
Bible Study Rules
This article offers principles and rules for Bible study that, if applied, will lead to much deeper studies and a proper grasp of Biblical doctrine.
The Bible boldly claims that all its words are directly inspired by an almighty God who created all things (2Timothy 3:16). Although some scriptures seem to contradict each other, on closer examination and study, the apparent discrepancies are explainable.
The New Testament scriptures are no more important nor do they have more authority than the Old Testament scriptures. Anyone who states that a person need only to live by PART of Scripture (e.g. just the New Testament) is WRONG. The doctrines supported by the New Testament simply cannot be understood unless they are firmly built upon what the Old Testament teaches.
Sound doctrine is line upon line
God's word is not like a topical book where all the information on a particular subject is in one place. Like a puzzle, a correct understanding of doctrine comes only when ALL the pieces related to the topic being studied are put together to form a whole (Isaiah 28:10). False teachings occur, in part, when only a few selected pieces of Scripture determine a conclusion. The apostle Paul encouraged his young evangelist friend Timothy to "rightly divide" the Scriptures in order to insure the truth is taught (2Timothy 2:15).
Personal opinions do not matter
Personal opinions, no matter how strongly held or emotionally supported, do not constitute divine truth (2Peter 1:20). Many false prophets rely on charisma, the authoritative way in which they speak and emotional reasoning to push their false teachings. It is almost as if they believe the adage "When in doubt, shout!" In order to come to the truth of God in our Bible studies, we must be aware of our own emotional biases and be honest enough to admit a belief is wrong when we discover its foundation comes more from opinion than facts.
The truth must be proven
The Bible calls on us to PROVE what is true (1Thessalonians 5:21). Proving what the word of God teaches is a lifelong endeavor. Like the Bereans, we must be willing to constantly search the Scriptures to either validate or refute what we believe (Acts 17:11). It is God's will that we PROVE what is his good, acceptable, and perfect will (Romans 12:2).
God's spirit must lead us
It is God's Holy Spirit within a person that will ultimately lead them to all truth (John 14:26). The final vital principle we must apply to our Biblical studies is that we must be willing to let God's spirit lead and guide us to the truth.
Rules for Studying the Bible
- Ideally, it is best to conduct your studies in as quiet and private a place as possible.
- Begin by humbly praying that God lead your mind to HIS truth, in spite of any preconceived notions or biases you may possess.
- Let the Bible interpret and prove itself. Do not look for what YOU want to prove, seek for what the Word actually proves.
- When working a particular topic, collect those Scriptures that are easy to comprehend before moving on to more difficult and vague passages. Starting with difficult verses first will only unnecessarily lengthen your effort and may lead you to false conclusions.
- Understand the overall context of the Scriptures studied. Ask yourself what the Bible says in the verses and chapter BEFORE and AFTER what you are reading. Look for the writer's intended meaning.
- Research the original language (Hebrew, Greek) words and phrases, and their original meanings, on a given topic or doctrine.
- Be careful in the use of tools such as commentaries, dictionaries, and concordances and alike. While they can be of great help, and can point out things we have not considered, they are still the creation of fallible humans with their own biases and prejudices.
- Not only ask what Scripture says in the passages studied but also what do they NOT say.
- Research who wrote the verses you are reviewing and to whom.
- Research the general historical period of the Biblical passages studied.
- Remember that many times the Bible uses symbols, parables, metaphors, personification, allegories, poetry, idioms, hyperbole's, and other literary devices to teach.
- Remember that any, include your own, strongly held convictions and beliefs do not necessarily represent Biblical truth. The Bible must be the ultimate standard and guide.
For those that are studying, these rules might help. I know I will be using them to help in my studies. 2 Tim 2:15 states - "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth." We are to know the word so we can accurately portray it and spread it throughout the world. Hopefully the tips above can help.
Movie - Gods Not Dead 2
This is one movie that I want to see as well. Unfortunately I have not seen the first one but heard it was good. I still have time to see it before this one comes out on 1 April 2016. I was reading some of the comments below the trailer. Here is the thing that these so called "Christians" do not seem to understand. If they read, studied and believed in what the bible actually says, they would know that in 2 Timothy 2:14 - Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers. In other words one should not argue over the bible with others that don't know or understand. Just tell them what it says and what it means. They will either believe or not and you don't want to be the one that ruins it for them. One would not be helping Christ at all by doing such things.
Outlook Data File
How to Set a Password on Your Outlook Data File
If you’re concerned about protecting your email in Outlook from prying eyes, especially if you share a computer with others, you can protect the email in each Outlook account, as well as the calendar items, tasks, etc. by setting a password on each Outlook data (.pst) file.
Also, when you set a password for an Outlook data file, it applies to the entire account, or data file. You cannot password-protect individual folders in the account.There are a couple of things you should know about protecting your email in Outlook. First, you cannot set a login password to get into Outlook itself. The password we’re going to show you how to set is for a single account, or data file, in Outlook. Anyone getting access to your computer can open and use Outlook; they just won’t be able to access any email accounts to which you’ve applied a password. However, this does not guarantee your data’s safety from true villains. Using a password protected account in Windows will add another layer of security if you’re sharing the computer with others.
To set a password on an account in Outlook, right-click on the name of the account in the left pane and select “Data File Properties” from the popup menu.
The Personal Properties dialog box displays. On the General tab, click “Advanced”.
On the Outlook Data File dialog box, click “Change Password”.
If you have previously assigned a password to the selected Outlook data file, enter that password in the “Old password” edit box. In this example, we’re assigning a password to this data file for the first time, so we enter a new password in the “New password” edit box and again in the “Verify password” edit box. Be sure you use strong passwords to properly secure your Outlook data files.
If you don’t want to enter the password every time, select the “Save this password in your password list” check box so there is a check mark in the box. However, if you share a computer with others, this is not recommended. If you don’t share your computer and you have a password protected Windows user account, you can turn on this option to avoid entering your password every time you open Outlook. This may seem like it defeats the purpose of assigning a password to your Outlook data file, but if you back up the .pst file to an external drive or to a cloud service, the file is protected from someone accessing it and trying to open it in Outlook.
Click “OK” when you’re finished. Then click “OK” on the Outlook Data File dialog box to close it, and click “OK” to close the Personal Properties dialog box after that.
The next time you open Outlook, the Outlook Data File Password displays asking you to enter your password before you can access your account.
If you decide you don’t want to have to enter a password for your account every time you open Outlook, or you just want to change the password, access the Change Password dialog box using the steps we described above. Enter your current password in the “Old password” edit box. To remove the password, leave the “New password” and “Verify password” edit boxes blank. To change the password, enter a new password in both of those edit boxes.
Applying a password to your Outlook data files also helps protect them when you archive and back up the data files, storing them on external media or in the cloud.
By: How to Geek
How many would actually use this and do you think its worth it? Let me know what you think.
Britney Spears - Computers
As she continues her triumphant Las Vegas residency, Britney Spears is covering V Magazine for its 100th issue -- and for the first time since 1999.
In Spears' cover story, the pop icon reveals that despite her active Instagram life, she's not on her computer all that much. In fact, the 34-year-old admits she doesn't get what the big deal is with computers and the Internet.
"Honestly, I still don’t use my computer," Spears tells V. "My kids use the computer more than I do. I understand that a lot of people are into it, and I have days where I write and stuff, but it’s really not for me. It’s not my thing.”
As she's previously mentioned, Spears said she's not in a hurry to follow-up her tepidly received Britney Jean album. "I would much rather have [the next album] be completely how I want it to be, whether that takes another year for me to do, or two months. I have no idea at this point. But I just know that the direction I’m going in is so good. It’s the best thing I’ve done in a long time. I’m proud of the work, and it’s very different -- it’s not what you would think at all. But I’m not rushing anything."
Does she really need to though. If she has all those assistants that do the work for her along with her kids that probably know a lot more about tech than she does...so I say more power to her.
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