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ofallingstar · 6 years ago

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First lines from the books I read in 2018

Hawksmoor by Peter Ackroyd: Thus is 1711, the ninth year of the reign of Queen Anne, an Act of Parliament was passed to erect seven new Parish Churches in the Cities of London and Westminster, which commission was delivered to Her Majesty’s Office of Works in Scotland Yard.

Métamorphose en bord de ciel by Mathias Malzieu: Les oiseaux, ça s'enterre en plein ciel.

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen: The family of Dashwood had been long settled in Sussex.

Le plus petit baiser jamais recensé by Mathias Malzieu: Le plus petit baiser jamais recensé.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll: Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, “and what is the use of a book,” thought Alice, “without pictures or conversations?”

Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll: One thing was certain, that the white kitten had had nothing to do with it -it was the black kitten’s fault entirely.

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson: Ba-room, ba-room, ba-room, baripity, baripity, baripity, baripity-Good.

The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin: Dear James: I had begun this letter five times and torn it up five times.

The Secret in Their Eyes by Eduardo Sacheri: Benjamín Miguel Chaparro stops short and decides he’s not going.

At the Mountains of Madness by H. P. Lovecraft: I am forced into speech because men of science have refused to follow my advice without knowing why.

The Minds of Billy Milligan by Daniel Keyes: This books is the factual account of the life, up to now, of William Stanley Milligan, the first person in U.S. history to be found not guilty of major crimes, by reason of unsanity, because he possessed multiple personalities.

The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket: If you are interested in stories in happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book.

Puckoon by Spike Milligan: Several and a half metric miles North East of Sligo, split by a cascading stream, her body on earth, her feet in water, dwells the microcephalic community of Puckoon.

Piercing by Ryu Murakami: A small living creature asleep in its crib.

The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket: The stretch of the road that leads out of this city, past Hazy Harbor and into the town of Tedia, is perhaps the most unpleasant in the world.

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini: So, then.

The Shape of Water by Guillermo Del Toro and Daniel Kraus: Richard Strickland reads the brief from General Hoyt.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell: He’d stopped trying to bring her back.

Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell: The Rue du Coq d’Or, Paris, seven in the morning.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart: Welcome to the beautiful Sinclair family.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusack: First the colors. Then the humans. That’s usually how I see things. Or at least, how I try.

The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket: If you didn’t know much about the Baudelaire orphans, and you saw them sitting on their suitcases at Damocles Dock, you might think they were bound for an exciting adventure.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson: No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream.

Battles in the Desert by José Emilio Pacheco: I remember, I don’t remember.

The Miserable Mill by Lemony Snicket: Sometime during your lifetime -in fact, very soon- you may find yourself reading a book, and you may notice that a book’s first sentence can often tell you what sort of story your book contains.

The Age of American Unreason by Susan Jacoby: The word is everywhere, a plague spread by the President of the United States, television anchors, radio talk show hosts, preachers in megachurches, self-help gurus, and anyone else attempting to demostrate his or her identification with ordinary, presumably wholesome American values.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare: Theseus, duke of Athens, is planning the festivities for his upcoming wedding to the newly captured Amazon, Hippolyta.

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert: We were in study hall when the headmaster walked in, followed by a new boy not wearing a school uniform, and by a janitor carrying a large desk.

The Austere Academy by Lemony Snicket: If you were going to give a gold medal to the last delightful person on Earth, you would have to give that medal to a person named Carmelita Spats, and if you didn’t give it to her, Carmelita Spats was the sort of person who would snatch it from your hands anyway.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding: The boy with fair hair lowered himself down the last few feet of rock and began to pick his way toward the lagoon.

The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare: Christopher Sly, a drunken beggar, is driven out of an alehouse by its hostess.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee: When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro: My name is Katy H.

Hear the Wind Sing by Haruki Murakami: “There’s no such thing as a perfect piece of writing.”

The Ersatz Elevator by Lemony Snicket: The book you are holding in your two hands right now -assuming that you are, in fact, holding this book, and that you have only two hands- is one of two books in the world that will show you the difference between the words “nervous” and the word “anxious.”

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare: Two households, both alike in dignity, (In fair Verona, where we lay our scene), From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.

Adventure Time: The Enchiridion & Marcy’s Super Secret Scrapbook!!!: My Devoted Evil Daighter, Marceline, I admit we’ve had a somewhat volatile father-daughter relantionship ever since the regrettable Fry Incident.

A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin: Ser Waymar Royce glanced at the sky with desinterest.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley: You will rejoice to hear that no disaster has accompanied the commencement of an enterprise which you have regarded with such evil forebodings.

Pinball, 1973 by Haruki Murakami: I used to love listening to stories about faraway places.

The Vile Village by Lemony Snicket: No matter who you are, no matter where you live, and no matter how many people are chasing you, what you don’t read is often as important as what you do read.

Dracula by Bram Stoker: 3 May. Bistritz. –Left Munich at 8:35 P.M., on 1st May, arriving at Vienna early next morning; should have arrived at 6:43, but train was an hour late.

The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare: I know this hartred mocks all Christian virtue, but They I loathe: their very sight abhors me.

On the Road by Jack Kerouac: I first met Dean not long after my wife and I split up.

A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami: It was a short one-paragraph item in the morning edition.

The Hostile Hospital by Lemony Snicket: There are two reasons why a writer would end a sentence with the word “stop” written in entirely in capital letters STOP.

The Most Beautiful: My Life with Prince by Mayte Garcia: The chain-link fence around Praisley Park is woven with purple ribbons and roses, love notes, tributes, and prayers for peace.

Hamlet by William Shakespeare: Who’s there?

A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin: The comet’s tail spread across the dawn, a red slash that bled above the crags of Dragonstone like a wound in the pink and purple sky.

Out of Africa by Isak Dinensen: I had a farm in Africa, at the foot of Ngong Hills.

Carrie by Stephen King: News item from the Westover (Me.) weekly enterprise, August 19, 1966: RAIN OF STONES REPORTED.

The Carnivorous Carnival by Lemony Snicket: When my workday is over, and I have closed my notebook, hidden my pen and sawed holes in my rented canoe so it cannot be found, I often like to spend the evening in conversation with my few surviving friends.

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick: The P-38 WWII Nazi handgun looks comical lying on the breakfast table next to a boal of outmeal.

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James: The story had held us, round the fire, sufficiently breathless, but except the obvious remark that it was gruesome, as, on Christmas Eve on an old house, a strange tale should essentially be, I remember no comment uttered till somebody happened to say that it was the only tale he had met in which such a visitation had fallen on a child.

Carmilla by Sheridan J. Le Fanu: Upon a paper attached to the Narrative which follows, Doctor Hesselius has written a rather elaborated note, which he accompanies with a reference to his Essay on the strange subject which the MS. illuminates.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson: No one has ever suffered as I have.

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka: One morning, when Gregor Samsa woke from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a horrible vermin.

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski: I still get nightmares.

Othello by William Shakespeare: In the streets of Venice, Iago tells Roderigo of his hatred for Othello, who has given Cassio the lieutenancy that Iago wanted and has made Iago a mere ensign.

Dance, Dance, Dance by Haruki Murakami: I often dream about the Dolphin Hotel.

The Slippery Slope by Lemony Snicket: A man of my acquaintance once wrote a poem called “The Road Less Traveled,” describing a journey he took through the woods along a path most travelers never used.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou: “What you looking at me for? I didn’t come to stay…”

A Most Haunted House by G. L. Davies: The house first came to my attention a few years ago.

Ghost Sex, The Violation by G. L. Davies: I met with Lisa at her home in Pembroke Dock.

Any Man by Amber Tamblyn: Am I in a body?

A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay: “This must be so difficult for you, Meredith.”

A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin: The day was grey and bitter cold, and the dogs would not take the scent.

Macbeth by William Shakespeare: When shall we three meet again in thunder, lightning, or in rain?

You by Caroline Kepnes: You walk into the bookstore and you keep your hand on the door to make sure it doesn’t slam.

The Grim Grotto by Lemony Snicket: After a great deal of examining oceans, investigating rainstorms and staring very hard at several drinking fountains, the scientists of the worlds developed a theory regarding how water is distributed around our planet, which they have named “the water cycle.”

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys: They say when trouble comes close ranks, and so the white people did.

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen: About thirthy years ago, Miss Maria Ward, of Huntingdon, with only seven thousand pounds, had the luck to captivate Sir Thomas Bertram, of Mansfield Park, in the country of Northampton, and to be thereby raised to the rank of a baronet’s lady, with all the comforts and consequences of a handsome house and a large income.

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë: My name is Gilbert Markham, and my story begings in October 1827, when I was twenty-four years old.

The Tempest by William Shakespeare: Boatswain!

Lucky by Alice Sebold: In the tunnel where I was raped, a tunnel that was once an underground entry to an amphitheather, a place where actors burst forth from underneath the seats of a crowd, a girl had been murdered and dismembered.

The Penultimate Peril by Lemony Snicket: Certain people had said that the world is like a calm pond, and that anytime a person does even the smallest thing, it is as if a stone has dropped into the pond, spreading circles of ripples further and further out, until the entire world has been changed by one tiny action.

#books #books 2018 #long post #like... really really long

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jerepars · 7 years ago

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Banana Pancakes Extended Story Notes

1/1 Home

Hyperlinks appear in blue (underlined on mobile). The story is posted here.

Betty had set out dried flowers she called potpourri and, to make herself feel more at home, framed pictures of her with her sister, and of her niece and nephew from their visit. FP didn’t mind the display of Jason Blossom’s spawn in his home so much because Betty had made sure to put some baby pictures of Jughead and Jellybean out as well, along with a picture of Jughead with his best friends—Betty and Archie—even if Betty and Jughead weren’t on very good terms with Archie while Hiram Lodge pulled his strings.

This whole thing came to fruition because I thought about Friends 6x08 “The One With Ross’s Teeth”, when Joey’s new roommate Janine puts up a picture of an Anne Geddes baby and leaves out potpourri on the counter. Remembering that scene made me think that Betty’s influence on the trailer would definitely be felt by Jughead and FP, but because she’s Betty, they wouldn’t change a single one of her changes.

When Jughead’s plate was piled with a triple stack of banana pancakes and all the crispiest pieces of bacon, Betty offered, “More bacon for you, FP?”

FP took a long sip of coffee and ruffled at Jughead’s bedhead. “Thanks, Betty, but I think I should get going. Pop Tate has an appreciation for punctuality.”

It took me about five seconds to decide this story would be named after Jack Johnson’s “Banana Pancakes”. The third scene/section has quite a few direct references to the song, which I’ll mention later.

For the better part of the winter, Betty and Jughead had been a constant source of drama for FP and Pop Tate to muse over. Whenever Betty and Jughead were in the diner together, FP and Pop Tate would converge at the front counter and watch the body language between the two as they conversed in a booth. Whether they were together or broken up, there seemed to be a lot of hand-holding. There were lovelorn looks that the two diner attendants tried to decipher as well as bowed heads topped with a beanie and a ponytail, sometimes followed by giggles. The elder Jones and Pop Tate cheered for the latter and had talked about hatching a plan to deceive the couple when they were broken up in order to get them back together. The two men never really did follow through and interfere, but they fancied themselves good matchmakers—fairy godfathers, even—if it ever came down to it.

The idea of FP and Pop as matchmakers is incredible and borrowed from @myrmidonofmelodrama, who deemed them the fairy godfathers of the diner and the town here. I absolutely love to think that they spend a lot of time at that front counter coming up with plans like they’re love gurus. Also, I will accept no less than them being the biggest Bughead shippers in Riverdale!

Jughead and Betty flourished together rather than waiting for a moment that might never arrive. They anchored each other. Since getting caught up in the cover-up, they’d put the work into their relationship in order to rely on each other and know without a shadow of a doubt that they could trust each other.

The first sentence in this paragraph is a reference to a part of The Gaslight Anthem’s “Stay Lucky” that goes: And it feels like all you’d have to do is step outside. Stop pacing around and waiting for some moment that might never arrive.

In the booth, their booth, Betty and Jughead were an image of pure coziness. They sat on the same side of the booth, Jughead holding Betty close against his side, her head rested on his shoulder. Over a shared milkshake and a basket of fries, they spoke calmly, endearingly, occasionally exchanging kisses and giggles. They were the same kind of giggles that floated up into the ether of Jughead’s bedroom and carried through the thin walls of the trailer like a warning before FP knew to put his headphones on and jam out to Whitesnake before other noises began. Seeing them in the diner was like a forewarning. He already knew sleep would be scarce again when he retired to bed later that night.

Second reference to a song by The Gaslight Anthem in this story. This time it’s from “The ‘59 Sound”, just the part when we float out into the ether.

But his son and Alice Cooper’s girl? They were a vision. To see Jughead’s natural smile and the light alive in his eyes was something FP couldn’t put a price on—not in monetary value, not in sleep hours, not in any way. He loved his son fiercely, and Jughead loved him even when he didn’t deserve it, maybe out of a sense of obligation or maybe because the brooding boy had felt at times that his father was all he had.

At around 8:18 of Saves the Day’s “Daybreak” (it’s a 10-minute song), Chris Conley sings, Take a breath, turn around. See the sun come through the clouds. The light alive in your eyes. For all the ways the relationship between FP and Jughead has been tested, and will continue to be tested, I think seeing Jughead’s eyes light up is something FP would have an appreciation for.

“Morning, Juggie,” Betty whispered when Jughead peeked out from under his unruly mop of black hair.

Jughead’s response was to grunt and pull Betty closer into his chest. Like clockwork, Betty’s cellphone began ringing on the nightstand. It wasn’t her standard ringtone, but instead one Jughead could only describe as Hitchcockian.

“It’s too early.” Jughead caught Betty’s elbow before she could shift and reach for her phone. “Don’t pick it up.”

This is where all the lyrics from “Banana Pancakes” come into play. The first reference is probably my favorite part of the song: But the telephone’s singing, ringing, it’s too early, don’t pick it up.

“That horror movie ringtone means it’s Cheryl,” Betty identified the caller.

“Even more reason not to answer,” Jughead said distastefully.

“She’d mentioned having an extra Vixens practice this weekend before basketball playoffs start.”

“It’s a Saturday and it’s raining buckets.” Jughead refused to change his tune. “There’s no need to go outside.”

Jughead’s dialogue here is based on the opening lines of “Banana Pancakes”: Well can’t you see that it’s just rainin’? There ain’t no need to go outside.

For Jughead Jones, who’d gotten lucky enough to wake up next to the only girl he’d ever loved at the ripe age of sixteen, it was hard to want anything else but to lay lazily in bed all day when the whole world fit inside of his arms.

And the final part I used from “Banana Pancakes” goes: “We got everything we need right here and everything we need is enough. Just so easy when the whole world fits inside of your arms. Do we really need to pay attention to the alarm?

I really felt like the vibe of the song is complementary to Bughead’s domestic bliss while Betty is staying with the Joneses.

Sammy, or Sammy the Serpent, as he was casually known, was the plush toy FP had won at the county fair one year when the booth attendant had failed to guess his age correctly. It had happened during a time when FP’s drinking was near its peak and anything even remotely snake-related was a turn-off to a five-year-old Jughead. Sammy was six-feet long with plastic googly eyes and a tongue made of velvety red ribbon, the sections of his body alternating between sections of green and blue from head to tail. FP had hoped to boost a young Jughead’s affinity for the Serpents by giving him an obnoxiously cute snake plush toy, but instead the boy had banished it to the laundry closet where it remained even after all the years gone by.

I wanted there to be something at the Joneses that Betty would eventually take and display in her room once she was once again living under Alice’s roof. @theatreofexpression suggested some sort of snake thing, meant by the Serpents to represent them and their "brand”, but instead ended up cartoony. I immediately thought of a Dudley the Dragon plush toy I had as a kid that looked exactly like this:

So I said, what a shame that Dudley is/was a dragon and not a snake, because he’s the most non-threatening dragon I’ve ever seen. Then @theatreofexpression pointed out that, duh, just base the dumb-looking snake plush toy on Dudley.

And so Sammy the Serpent was born!

Fun fact: Graham Greene, who portrayed Thomas Topaz in episode 2x11 “Chapter Twenty-Four: The Wrestler” of Riverdale, was Mr. Crabby Tree on The Adventures of Dudley the Dragon.

After dropping her bag on the desk chair, Betty unzipped it and pulled out the framed pictures of Juniper and Dagwood she’d previously put on display at Sunnyside—FP really didn’t need any further reminder of Jason Blossom; his time spent upstate in jail had taken care of that just fine. Betty had a new picture with her, too, of her hugging Jughead from behind with his head thrown back and rested on her shoulder. In the foreground was half of FP, still in his Pop’s uniform. FP had taken the photo selfie-style on the day Betty and Jughead told him they were up in the Riverdale High polls after their final debate with Veronica. Jughead printed the picture on the last of the photo paper left in the Blue and Gold office, and used one of Jellybean’s old Muppets puzzles to make a bordered frame around it. He cut up a Whyte Wyrm magnet and stuck the pieces on the four corners of the back of the picture so it could be put on display on the refrigerator door.

I gave a picture from Skeet Ulrich’s instagram a story relevant to Betty, Jughead, and FP because…well, why not?

#je repars notes

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hrk4 · 4 years ago

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The year that was...

Dear Friends:

Season’s Greetings!

In the celebrated Yaksha-prashna episode of the Mahābhārata, responding to one of Yaksha’s questions Yudhishtira says,

Day after day, countless beings are going to the abode of death; yet those that remain desire to live forever! What can be a greater wonder than that?

2020 served as a grisly commentary to this famous utterance.

Year after year sees birth and death, with the former always surpassing the latter. While the birth of a child causes joy to a small group of people, the death of a person can cause sorrow to millions. 2020 was a ghastly experience for me with regard to death: several individuals who influenced me either directly or indirectly passed away and in my own case, I felt death’s knock on my door—albeit for brief moments—during an irksome bout of tuberculosis that lasted a couple of months.

Some eminent personages—all renowned in their own fields—that I had the good fortune of meeting, engaging in discussions, or collaborating with over the years breathed their last in 2020 – Dr. V Prasanna Bhat (a finance/management whiz and close friend of my father whose cerebral approach to life and meticulousness influenced me in many ways), Subramaniam Chittur (entrepreneur, Rotarian, communications expert, and the man who brought Toastmasters International to India – an organization that proved transformational for me as early as during my high school days), Ranjon Ghoshal (renowned actor/director who was my guide in the world of theatre and a consummate conversationalist with whom I have discussed themes ranging from the Vedas to folk music, from Bengali literature to stage lighting, from advertising to colonial history), Ivry Gitlis (world-famous violinist whose masterclass I was lucky to attend when he visited Bangalore in 2005), Pt. Jasraj (renowned Hindustani singer with a golden voice whom I had the fortune of meeting when he performed with my guru Dr. L Subramaniam during the LGMF), Prof. Roddam Narasimha (one of India’s foremost scientists whom I was fortunate to have interacted with on three occasions, thanks to his nephew and my college classmate Varun Prakash; the eclectic mix of physics, philosophy, ancient Indian science, and Sanskrit that formed the mainstay of all my interactions with him always proved inspirational to me), and Dr. Gayatri Rajapur (an extraordinary musicologist and gottuvadyam exponent who I first met through her disciple and my friend Vinay Kumar, and later got the opportunity to interact on many occasions during the academic committee meetings of the LGCE; I always marvelled at her deep erudition, immense patience, and clear exposition).

2020 also saw the death of famous personalities who influenced me in some way or the other although I never met them: S P Balasubrahmanyam (playback singer, actor, and TV anchor), Basu Chatterjee (filmmaker and screenwriter), Soumitra Chatterjee (actor, playwright, and poet), Sir Sean Connery (actor), Irrfan Khan (actor), Prof. T N Krishnan (violinist), James Lipton (actor, writer, and dean emeritus of the Actors Studio Drama School), Diego Maradona (football legend), Ennio Moricone (music composer), James Randi (conjurer, rationalist, and activist), Sir Ken Robinson (author and educationist), Sankar (artist and painter, renowned for his sketches in the Chandamama monthly including the iconic painting of Vikram and Betal), et al.

Some of the memorable episodes from the BC (Before Corona) days include my debut as a pṛcchaka (in the saṅkhyā-bandha division) in an Avadhāna of Śatāvadhāni Dr. R Ganesh; a trip with my mother to Sosale, our ancestral village; a weekend getaway with friends from my study group; editing/designing the seminal work Prekṣaṇīyam; attending the day-long dance conference Tha-Dheem that included speakers such as Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam, Śatāvadhāni Dr. R Ganesh, Saroj Khan, Rajiv Menon, Nirupama Rajendra, Dr. Rajkumar Bharathi, Praveen D Rao, and Pravin Godkhindi; and participating in Madanothsava, a 1,600-year-old community festival of spring recreated by Nirupama and Rajendra of the Abhinava Dance Company.

The multiple lockdowns in 2020 gave me the opportunity to pursue my activities with greater focus and solitude. On the day of Yugadi (March 25) I started reading the Mahābhārata in the original Sanskrit along with my good friend Arjun Bharadwaj; in the early days, we met up online twice or thrice a week and discussed the chapters we read (he was always ahead of me, thus giving me the much-needed impetus to move forward!) I edited and designed a new version of Ram Gopal Misra’s 1983 classic Indian Resistance to Early Muslim Invaders up to 1206 A.D. (which was published in October). In collaboration with my friends G S Raghavendra and Srishan Thirumalai, I worked on a modern translation of selected verses from Lilashuka’s Śrīkṛṣṇakarṇāmṛtam (which is still in progress). I spent a lot of time practising the violin. The various study groups that I am a part of also saw an upward trend with regular online sessions; while we missed the leisure and the human connection offered by in-person sessions, we were able to save travel time and also accomplish more in the same one hour allocated to the study.

During the later part of May, I contracted a fever that simply wouldn’t go away. Forty-two days without a break it persisted. Pyrexia of Unknown Origin they called it. Following a battery of tests and much speculation by medical experts from diverse disciplines I was diagnosed with tuberculosis of the lymph node. The two months of June and July were largely spent in bed, totally disconnected from all my activities. I sailed through, thanks to the good counsel of my doctors (Dr. Alaka Acharya, Dr. Amar P, and Dr. G L Krishna) and perhaps more importantly, the long-standing support from my parents and my friends. I neither deserved nor desired the unconditional love and affection that I was showered with. I really don’t know how to account for the selflessness of my family and the generosity of my friends. It is a debt that is impossible to repay. And uttering any words of gratitude will only expose my ineptitude.

In 2020, I had the opportunity to speak on a few topics to diverse groups (young professionals, dance students, interns working in the back office of a politician), write a few essays (including one in Kannada, my first), restart my sketching journey, and work on editing/designing a few books (revised edition of Studies in Ancient Tamil Law and Society by Dr. R Nagaswamy and A Tapestry of Pen-portraits by S R Ramaswamy).

I also recall with great fondness the many illuminating conversations I had in 2020 – on music (with my guru Dr. L Subramaniam and with my friends Vivekananda, Ranjani Vasuki, and Kashyap Naik), on Sanskrit literature (with G S Raghavendra, Srishan Thirumalai, and Sudheer Krishnaswami), on multiple subjects related to India and Indian culture (with Dr. S R Ramaswamy, Śatāvadhāni Dr. R Ganesh, Vasuki H A, Vighneshwar Bhat, Arjun Bharadwaj, and Jayasimha K R), on writing and literature (with Prof. L V Shanthakumari, Chandra Shekhar, Sarita Talwai, and Bhumika Anand), on art and artistry (with Nirupama, Rajendra, Sagar Mehta, and Somashekhara Sharma), on politics and society (with Cedric Blair, Karthik Rao, Shankar Venkataraman, Showri H R, Shreesha Karantha, and Vikram Phadke), on history and education (with Dr. R Nagaswamy, Dr. M D Srinivas, Sripriya Srinivasan, and the Samvit team), and a variety of topics (with my family and my friends including Aditya Jeurkar, Chandrashekhar K S, Hrishikesh M K, Pratap Simha, and Srikanteswara).

My father turned seventy in 2020 and to coincide with what he terms ‘fifty years of adulthood,’ he brought out his autobiography Doing Well, Feeling Happy, which is really a book about work-life balance and handling crisis with equanimity. He also happened to put together a small book about the amazing human body, a result of his online research, while he was trying to understand the cause for my prolonged fever. Incidentally, during my convalescence period, I wrote a short piece on the Bhaja Govindam, which was also published as a booklet along with the other two works.

I spent the last few days of 2020 with my friends and their family in the sylvan surroundings at Rishikesh, Devaprayag, Lakshman Jhula, etc. The two highlights of the trip were meditating in Vasishta Guha on December 31st evening and white-water rafting on the Ganga on the first day of 2021. To me they represent the serenity and satisfaction one must experience during the conclusion (of a day or a week) and the enthusiasm and energy one should feel during the commencement (of a new day or week).

As for 2021, I have a few plans in terms of what I wish to accomplish and how I should proceed towards my chosen goals. Having broken down the process into weekly targets, I’m going to share that with a few friends so that they will—hopefully—constantly remind me about my shortcomings. I hope to practice the violin 18 hours a week, read 100 books (having bought a Kindle as a Dasara gift), drastically cut down on sugar, sketch occasionally, considerably reduce screen time (both on my mobile and computer), and learn to live more simply with better health and greater empathy. These are all aspirations at present; let’s see how they go as the year progresses :)

Wishing you and your family a joy-filled, healthy, and prosperous new year!

Cheers, Hari PS: Here is a podcast I recorded (in conversation with Mowna Ramachandra) about the musical creations of my guru, Dr. L Subramaniam.

#memoirs #newyear

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melvinfellerstuff · 6 years ago

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Melvin Feller MA Looks at How to Leverage Your Real Estate Classified Advertising

Melvin Feller is known as “The Entrepreneur’s Mentor” because Melvin walks his talk. Melvin Feller has been there and done that and more importantly, Melvin Feller knows how to transfer the skill set for success. This is main reason that he has been the sought after coach to hundreds of small business owners, entrepreneurs, Realtors, Real estate investors and service professional internationally. Melvin Feller’s main talent is to show you how the step by step process to build and enjoy a successful 6-figure plus business while having a balanced life. Melvin Feller maintains an office in Texas. Melvin Feller is currently pursuing another graduate degree as an MBA.

Classified advertising is one of the cornerstones of the Real Estate business. The classified ads are the place where many of us began to look for houses to buy when we first started out. I know I did. I opened the local newspaper and looked for the ads that hinted at motivation. This was something I had learned from a book and tape program I had purchased from a late night guru during a moment of weakness.

Unmotivated Sellers

I called the first few ads and soon found out several things about this method of procuring properties. The first thing I learned is when someone says they are a 'motivated seller' it means absolutely nothing. The people I spoke with who actually were selling their home this way were definitely not motivated (having a need to sell). The second thing I learned from calling the ads is that most of the ads that said 'motivated seller' were placed there by either Realtors or investors. The Realtor is just trying to pull in any and all calls for their ads and the investor is trying to do the same.

The bottom line is I kept going and called hundreds of ads over the next month. I was very diligent about it and shrugged off all the rejection. I finally realized that there had to be a better way to find the houses. That is when I realized that I needed to be the selling through the classifieds not the person trying to buy there.

Classified Advertising for Investors

There is a great way to buy houses from the classifieds though. It is to get the truly motivated sellers calling you. That is by placing ads in the classified section of the newspaper letting people know that you buy houses.

Therefore, the first question you ask is.

"What should my ad say?"

My answer to that is simple.

I BUY HOUSES

Now the reason I print it that big is not to imply that you take out a full-page ad and spend thousands of dollars. It is merely to impress upon you that you have to get your message out, and your message is that you want to buy houses.

I often see people who get so caught up in making their ad perfect that they don't ever get their ad in the paper. The bottom line is you have to say that you buy houses and that is it. The person who is looking at the Real Estate Wanted section is someone who is looking for people like you. The person who starts calling those ads for the most part does not care what they say. They just start at the top and dial until they find the underlying cause of. The main thing is to get your ad in the paper.

Fishing for Motivated Sellers

My father and I took fishing trips every year and I always had to have the perfect lure on my line and would change a dozen times a day. All the while, my father was catching fish with the same lure all day. He always told me you could not catch any fish if your line isn't in the water! In the same spirit, you will not buy any houses without an ad in the paper! You will buy many more houses with an ad than you will without one. So just get something in there and make it better as you learn what works best for you. In the meantime, the most powerful thing you can do is to make a call and place that first ad.

Now, that being said, I will give you some pointers on your content. The main things I try to place in my ads are my hook, my service, their benefit, and a catalyst.

Hooking the Seller

Your hook is something that you will use to make you different. It can be something as simple as a nickname or your hobby or anything. You just want something that people will remember and something that will make them want to call you first.

Many years ago, I became a father for the first time. I placed ads that said, "New Dad buys Houses". I got incredible response from the ads. About every other person that called asked about my new arrival. Some asked if it was true. Others just asked about the baby. Still others talked about their first-born. Now you say what is the point. The point is that having your first child is a very happy memory that everybody remembers. The average person attaches a great deal of pleasure to the whole process of having their first child. Now, this person is looking through the paper and sees tons of houses that say "We buy houses" or "I buy houses" or whatever and then they see something different; something that they personally have anchored a great deal of past pleasure and happiness to, who do you think they are going to call in this time of distress?

Think about their situation. They are about to lose their most important possession-their home. If I were in that position, anything that made that call a little easier would make a huge difference. So, if you can think of a good hook that people relate pleasure to then you will have one step up on the competition.

The other reason you need a hook is just for credibility and differentiation long term. Nobody can tell one we buy houses ad from another because they are so similar, but if your ad is different enough that people notice it then you are in. For instance, there is an investor around here who places all of his ads like this: "Family Man Buys Houses". He has that in all of his advertising. Now the person who needs to sell looks at the ads one week and sees all the ads but does not call. Next week, again they see the ads but do not call. It goes on like this for a while, and when they finally do call, they call the ad that they recognize from all the weeks of looking in the paper. Unless they memorized the number, they do not recognize most of the ads from each other because there is no hook, but they see "Family Man buys houses" and it stands out. First, they see that he has had his ad in the paper every week. This gives him credibility and he is a pro. Second, he has a hook that hopefully puts people at ease. He did not choose "Jerk buys houses" or "New Investor buys houses" but again something, that people attach positive connotations to- A Family Man.

Therefore, without beating this horse any further, get a hook. Make it positive and memorable.

Service to the Homeowner

The next thing your ad needs to say is what you can do for the seller. Obviously, the ad will convey that you buy houses, but you want to add a little detail about what you are looking for. You can say many things:

All Cash Offers

Make Your Payments

Take Over Payments

Debt Relief

Cash in Hand

Pay top dollar

Quick Close

Close in 9 Days

Offer on the Spot

Guaranteed Offer

Solve Problems

We want to Help

Stop Foreclosure

In addition, you can put the situations that you are looking for in the ad.

Foreclosure Tired Landlord Out of State Lost Job Bills piling up Inheritance Divorce Behind on payments Need Repairs Transferred

These are not all of the things to put in the ad just some examples. You get the idea. The reason you put this is twofold. One you want to weed out the person who just thinks you want to pay him cash and top dollar for his house. You still get some of these calls, but it really cuts them down if you let people know in your ad what you are looking for. The second thing is that if someone is in one of these situations and sees it in your ad then they are more likely to call because the fact that you have dealt with their problem before alleviates a little of the fear of making that first call.

Lastly, you want to get the seller's benefit in the ad. This is similar to your service, but it is like looking at your service from the seller’s eyes. It is a very important thing to do because if they see the benefit that they desire in your ad then they are likely to call. Some benefits include:

Get on with Your Life Get rid of that unwanted Rental Save your credit Get a fresh start Sell your house fast Don’t make that payment anymore Move by Friday Cash to you now No more tenants No more Mortgage payments Stop the Calls from Bill Collectors Catch up your payments Rebuild your credit

These are but a few. You can think of the benefits that you offer. You never know what a person is looking for. If your ad hits the benefit, they want and their need is strong, enough then they will be calling you shortly!

Call to Action

A Call to Action is something that invokes action. The catalyst is something I try to put in all my ads just to try to let them know they need to call sooner rather than later. Some good catalysts include:

Call Today Its Not Too Late Top Dollar if you call by? Don’t Wait! The longer you wait?

Placement

One last thing. As I said earlier, many people are going to just start at the top of the list and work downward. Therefore, it is always helpful if your ad is at the top of the list. The first person to actually answer their phone will often buy the house. Therefore, you should begin your ad in such a way that you will be on top! Some papers place the ad near the top if you begin the first word with a special character like an asterisk or a dollar sign or any other special character. Others just do it alphabetically. You get the idea. Now that we have all the ingredients, here are some ads that I run weekly just so you see how it all fits together.

A New Dad Buys Houses! All Cash Offers or Take over Payments. Stop Foreclosure and put cash in your pocket. Call Today! 555-555-5555

$ELL YOUR HOUSE TODAY!!! Guaranteed OFFER. Close in 5 Days. All cash or Make your Payments. Top Dollar if you call by Monday! 555-555-5555

$top Foreclosure! Its not too late! I can save your credit. I solve problems. Foreclosure Specialist. Call Today.555-555-5555

$ELL YOUR HOUSE FAST! Divorce? Relocation? Foreclosure? Tired Landlord? We love to solve problems! Call Today 555-555-5555

Where do I run my Ad?

Again, my answer is simple.

Everywhere!

The more ads you have running, the more calls you will get from motivated sellers. I live in a suburb of a large city. There are literally a dozen local newspapers around the city, and one large metro paper that has a viewership of 1 Million people! Now where should I be advertising? The answer is in every paper I can afford. I was speaking with a friend the other day and he told me about a new investor who really decided to go for it. This person placed ads in thirteen papers! Now he had to pay for these with his credit cards. That is a scary proposition, but he was committed. He just bought a house that he stands to make $50,000 on after splitting the profits with a money partner! Now, I know most people cannot start out placing 12 ads a week, but you add more papers as you are able to afford it. In our area, there are three main types of newspapers. There is a Thrifty Nickel type paper, a large metro paper, and several smaller local papers.

The thrifty nickel paper is a great place to advertise because it is usually very cheap to place an ad but brings in some great calls. I get calls every week from the ad in the thrifty nickel. The smaller papers are usually fairly inexpensive to place ads in as well. These papers are good especially if you want to specialize and buy houses in only one area. Then there is the large paper. It is more expensive, but it is worth it. I buy houses all over town. If I can drive to it in under an hour, I will buy it. Therefore, the large metro paper is where I need to be. If you are going to go for it in this business, you have to be in a paper like this-if there is one close by. You will be losing houses every month if you are not.

Power of Consistency

There is one thing I would like to say about classified advertising. If you want to make it in this business long term, you must keep your ads running. I often see new investors having trouble and saying they are not getting the calls from motivated sellers. When I ask them about their ads, they invariably are running them inconsistently. I ask what does your ad say and they say well I think it just expired the other day. I need to call and renew it. You do not get results from one week of advertising. You do not get results from one month of advertising. You need to set up a campaign that you can sustain for several months. Consistency is the key. If your ad is there every week then eventually you will get the calls.

Bang for the Buck

The thing you must do in the beginning is figure out where you get the most bang for the buck! You have to see what you can afford then way the options. It is better to run an ad every day in a smaller paper if you can only afford to run it sporadically in the larger publications. The bargain paper in your area might be an alternative as well. Just make sure you always have that ad running! In addition, the ad should be the length that offers the best rate. Often this is three lines. Therefore, you are wasting your money if you have a six-line ad with wasted space. You would be better off running another three-line ad in a different paper. Earlier I spoke in depth about what your ad should say. You do not have to say everything in every ad though. Just choose enough to fill three lines in each ad.

Testing Your Advertising

The last thing I would like to say about advertising is that you should always be varying your ads and trying to see what works best. Sometimes I run ads that focus more on pre-foreclosures. Sometimes I focus more on tired landlords or other times I just talk about selling fast and putting cash in your pocket. In any case, I run all kinds of different ads and I always ask which ad someone calls from so that I can find out what motivates people to pick up the phone! No matter what your ad says though, keep it running. Remember, you cannot catch any fish without having your hook in the water!

The last bit of wisdom I can give you about your classified ads is always run them with your cell phone number. Never, Never, Never run the ad with a voicemail set up to take the calls. You want to talk to the motivated sellers firsthand. In the large metro paper I spoke about earlier, there are often thirty to forty ads in the Real Estate Wanted section. This however is deceptive, because if you start calling the ads often four out of five of the ads is set up to be answered by an answering machine or voicemail. If you actually answer your phone in this business, you have the upper hand on seventy five percent of the people out there. Just answer your phone and get it under contract before the other person ever checks his messages.

Melvin Feller MA is in Texas and in Oklahoma. Melvin Feller founded Melvin Feller Business Group and Melvin Feller Ministries in the 1970s to help individuals and organizations achieve their specific Victory. Victory as defined by the individual or organization are achieving strategic objectives, exceeding goals, getting results or desired outcomes and a positive outreach with grace and as a ministries. He has extensive experience assisting businesses achieve top and bottom line results. He has broad practical experience creating WINNERS in many organizations and industries. He has hands-on experience in executive leadership, operations, logistics, sales, program management, organizational development, training, and customer service. He has coached teams to achieve results in strategic planning, business development, organizational design, sales, and customer response and business process improvement. He has prepared and presented many workshops nationally and internationally.

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ramrodd · 6 years ago

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How tall was the average Roman?

COMMENTARY:

Rebecca Warner: I am going to ask you a question about the Praetorian Guards.

I have a working thesis that the Gospel of Mark is at least the 2nd intelligence report that came out of Palestine regarding the Resurrection of Jesus and was prepared by Cornelius, the centurion featured in Acts 10. Cornelius is a an alumnus of the Praetorian Guard, which means that he is probably Pilates combination Chief-of-staff and Administrative Chief and is either seconded to Pilate from Rome or is a very senior centurion who has hit his climax rank and is in some semi-retired status in Rome and getting paid in addition by Pilate to do his staff officer work.

Mark begins at the moment Jesus appears above the Roman military horizon. I was in Vietnam and ran a recon platoon for the battalion that would capture Saddam Hussein a century later, the 1st/22nd. I am an Army Ranger. I am an Army brat, I have made my bones.

I look at Jesus the same way Cornelius looked at Jesus. I also was brought up to look at Jesus the way N.T. Wright, as a Christian, as a Presbyterian like Peter Mitchell and in the US Army chapel service that George Washington established at Valley Forge, if not before. All the chaplains when I was growing up were combat veterans, until I came home from Vietnam and left the Army. One of my favorite memories is taking communion from a Southern Baptist chaplain on a muddy fire base in a light drizzle, waiting to be inserted into Indian Territory. I was so dehydrated, deliberately in an old soldier trick right out of the US Army in Mexico, that when the little thimble full of white wine hit my mouth, it was like throwing aviation fuel on a charcoal grill: - whoosh -. All those years of preparing for that moment, flashed before my eyes, a payoff for all those years of perfect attendence: pin with 3 annual bars. And then I put on my helmet, picked up my piece of shit M-16, got into a helicopter and began looking for people to kill with a bunch of draftees who had played soldier in Cambodia and won a huge victory most of the rest of the world didn’t know was going on.

I am a heretic christian, in a process theology guru kind of way, The only other process theology in the world is Frank “Be All You Can Be” Burns the guy who supervised the special warfare project they made the movie “The Men Who Stare At Goats” and was the Army’s process theology guru as the head of Task Force Delta. Frank was a Green Beret like the guys in 12 Strong . And Frank is dead.

The US Army runs process theology. All modern militarys do and, in no small measure, modern process theology began to emerge with the advent of the centurion in the Roman military organization. And, in no small measure, the centurion, as the leading edge of the industrial revolution, is one artifact of the Praetorian Guard.

And the Gospel of Mark is an example of the literary product of the Roman republic. The Praetorian Guard is a Republican structure that Augustus and Sejanus fine tuned for running the Empire. The federal government is a direct discendent, by way of John Knox’s Book of Discipline and Federal 9. And their genre of writing is pretty distinct, even in translation. If you compare the prose of Mark to the prose of Caesar, it’s the same school. Mark was originally written in Latin, a very concise and cognitively elegant language. Cornelius and whoever was going to read it, including Pilate, did everything in Latin, most especially fight. Latin is shaped by the Roman manual of arms and is put together like the legions, like Lego blocks. This is what made the legions so strong: everybody they were facing were confederations and totally political in organization. It’s why David had so many wives. And the language of the Roman military is very distinctive. You can hear it in Caesar, you can hear it in Mark and you can hear it in Hebrews.

It’s become my guess that Theophilus is Cornelius’ contact in the intelligence services of the Praetorian Guard, the George Smiley of the Gospels. It’s probably an operational code name, like “Torch” or “Roling Thunder” that commissioned Luke to prepare his own dossier, like Steele of late, of the situation there, in Palestine, from inside the Jesus movment, itself. It is apparent to me that the Roman church Paul prepares his legal disquitation regarding the contituity of the ethic of Jesus from the Torah, with the benefit of the Resurrection to bolster his case. Theophilus is the Roman chruch in the Praetorian Guard and I think the Roman military spread the story of Resurrection through the Mithras cult, which was a cover story while they figured out exactly what to do with the whole thing.

The Mithras cult let the Romans practice what they understood of Jesus, who had transformed the Arc of the Covenant the Covenant into a idea a solder could put on his shield, XP, or wear around his/her neck as a cross. Their lodges all were designed as dining rooms in the house church tradtion of celebrating a meal in fellowship. They understood perfectly the symbolism of the bread and wine. Their fraternal motto was John 15:13 before John Mark was born: Jesus just validated their ethos and justified their faith.

John Mark became the publisher of the Gospel of Mark in Alexandria, where he established the first Christian publishing house: 90% of the manuscripts we have before the 4th century is from Alexandria. John Mark contributed to the final edition, including the pericope with the young man that escapes naked in Gethsemane and the parenthetical clause in Mark 7:19, but I think Cornelius translated the Latin to Greek, which is why the Greek is so ragged (according to other commentators: I don’t read Greek nor Latin). And, as a consequence of the secrecy the Roman church in the Praetorian Guard employed, the Gospel of Mark is called the Gospel of Mark because that was basically the trade mark of John Mark’s publishing house.

The Roman empire began it’s spiral into oblivion when Constantine dismantled the Praetorian Guard after the Milvian Bridge and tried to replace it with theology. Basically, Constantine did the same thing to the Roman Empire that Trump, Bannon, Newt Ginrich and the House Freedom Caucus are trying to do to the federal government in the name of Tax Reform. This Kavanaugh nomination just illuminates the agenda of the GOP Deep State to pack the Supreme Court with Fascists, beginning with Antonin Scalia. The Florida “Red Tide” is just one consequence of the 37 years of the “starve the beast” agenda of the Tory Socialism of Reaganomics. Making the connection with Contantine’s folly of dismantling the Praetorian Guard with everything connected with the (R) majority.

So, I’m going to ask you a question about the Praetorian Guard. You do good work. Bring in the 7 Kings and all, In terms of process theology, Melchizedek is the common anchor for the emergent ethic of Jesus as embraced by Theolophilus in the Epistle to the Hebrews and nurtured by the Mithras cult until the Council of Nicea.

The Gospel of Mark is a war story particular of the internal dialogue of the Praetorian Guard, And Cornelius wrote it.

#transformingamericafirst

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rssbeas-blog · 6 years ago

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स्टोरी एक ब्लाइंड आदमी की जो डेरे में आया करता था…

New Post has been published on http://rssbeas.com/story-ek-blind-aadmi-ki-jo-dere-main-aya-krta-tha.html

स्टोरी एक ब्लाइंड आदमी की जो डेरे में आया करता था…

Once a blind person, who was a devotee of Atmakta, came to the tent. He said to a servant of the hero, “Veer ji, I want to talk to your chef, you can tell how I can meet him, that savadar Veer said that the total owner is doing satsanga at this time so i will give you pandal I’ll leave in There is also much more compatible, can not be met and the serviceman Veer puts the other person on a side behind in the pandal. He heard satsanga with great love, already satsang created such a stir in him that he started thinking about donation. At the same time, the Sauvadi Veer came to him and asked how you felt satsang then that person again said that you should get me from your mentor.

The servant Veer said, “Veer ye ye tomorrow da satasgaan again and stay with me at night.” On the second day, that sevadar Veer placed him in Satsang Padal. On the second day, Mahārāj explained only about the name of Dan, that the tears were flowing with the eyes of that person. He got very distraught towards the master and from the end the owner of the complaint will pay me the same amount. The same day the satsang came to the end of the Satsang the other day and took him along The lower person pleaded with the service officer that if I could get the name Dan, I could also get a name donation, then that serviceman said that there is no order that any person may get a name but if you look after your donation I’ll take it along,

Namdan was not so strict at that time, if there was obstruction in the line, then after looking at him, he sent him forward and towards the other side, the barracks, which were being obstructed by his way, broke all the walls. Granted, when the true Patshah was presented to the owner, Satguru ji insisted that there is no stock of your eyes and therefore you can not get donations and donations can be given to the person as soon as he listens. That is: – Well then you have sent me to the place where name donation can be found. Knowing, knowingly about it, Satguru placed her on the name donation and said that it was done in the same way. .

When all the names were donated to charity, Satguru himself himself came to him and said that his brother stood up, when he stood up and said, “till my dear one is good” (look carefully at me) because eh sarup your work When he looked upwards, his head had come, then he appeared to the true Patshah Ji, and the entire Malik ji gave him a name donation. He had had faith in him that for a while, he could carry out the outer garment, he could bring in the presence of the joat, so he made a big mistake and followed the teachings of Satguru and simultaneously recited the bhajans and the curtain of the owner opened. . He got to know the whole story of his last birth. After some time, he came to the darray. Maharaj Ji was doing satsang, he got up in the middle and says that he has to apply the Hajur, then Maharaj ordered that sit down, no matter The person then stood up and said that if you do not go to Hajur, you order him, then he said, “Heal the Jedi. You have to run a firearm.” O the world, you do not remain in the mischief. It is a complete Guru and I have full faith, Tell the story of birth I was stuck in my last life and on my way to the tent, my place was on a kicker’s tree, once a few satsangi anchors brought from the tent were eating under the same tree, eating the pahad with their hands. After I left that meal I ate it, so the man got birth and I had an urine, a baby girl was lying in a state of unknowingly in the side of the truck and was pained. I used to be disturbed, I did not like anything except the month, went to that puppy and took out his eyes and ate it

That is why I got a man’s birth by eating a feast, but because of eating my puppy’s eyes I am an infant in this life, so brothers, I have got all this good from the whole guru, you do not even make the mistake of understanding them as a common man.

Radha Swamiji

#babaji story #inspirational stories #motivational stories #rssbeas stories #Inspirational Story

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sportsracingmad-blog · 6 years ago

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NRL Celebrity Tipsters: Who’s coming out on top midway through the season?

With 14 rounds of the NRL season now past us, we are halfway down the road to see who will take out the 2018 premiership.

As i'm sure we can all agree, this season has been full of surprises and uncertainties, particularly in the early rounds. Teams who were favourites to be fighting it out for top four sports at the start of the season are languishing at the bottom of the ladder, and teams who were virtually written off before a ball was kicked are proving themselves as genuine premiership contenders.

In what could be described as a nightmare start to the season for tipsters, I have been on a quest to find out who has the best Rugby League mind in the country. From Coaches to Journos, presenters to Immortals and everyone in between, i’ve taken a look at what tipping trends and behaviours have either helped or hindered these so called “gurus” using the celebrity tipster leaderboard.

Head or Heart?

It is always the main debate among tipping competitions- to go with your head or heart. One thing is for sure, if you’re taking advice from the experts, make sure they support an in form NRL team!

At this point we have a two tipsters at the top of the ladder on 65 correct tips apiece. Ex Panther Mark Geyer and former Knight Matty Johns (coincidentally co-workers at Triple M) are leading the pack. Hot on their tales is Phil “Gus” Gould, the Penrith supremo on 63 points.

Upon looking at the NRL ladder after round 14, the Penrith Panthers are sitting equal first with the Dragons only suffering 3 losses. Both Geyer and Gould have obvious loyalties to the Penrith Panthers and have tipped the Panthers in every Round this year.

Sure, after picking up James Maloney many thought the Panthers would vastly improve on last season, but for them to be sitting at the top of the ladder has surprised most NRL pundits. Whilst most tipsters opted to go against the Panthers, particularly when Nathan Cleary wasn't in the side, Gould and Geyer never wavered and their loyalty has been rewarded by topping the tip count most weeks.

The same can somewhat be said for co leader Matty Johns. Johns has been extremely vocal about the chances of his former club Newcastle in this year's competition. The early form of Mitchell Pearce and Kalyn Ponga gave everyone in Newcastle belief that this team finally had what it takes. A few early wins got the team on a roll, but many still questioned if they could match it against the top teams.

Johns however, did not. He tipped the Knights to beat the Dragons, Rabbitohs and Panthers- the top three teams in the competition. This ultimately came back to bite him as the Knights were rolled in all three of those games. Had Johns not listened to his heart and went with the clear favourites in those games, he would be outright leader on the leaderboard and possibly made you some more money!

In a really bad example of tipping with your heart, Gorden Tallis has tipped the Gold Coast Titans in every game this year. Tallis, who works as an Ambassador role for the Titans is languishing in the bottom rungs of the celebrity tipster leaderboard, which comes as no surprise as the Titans have only managed four wins this season. Lesson learnt- stay away from the Raging Bull’s tips!

Don’t discount the Journos

Many people will say that if they didn't play Rugby League at the top level then don't listen to them. Well don’t listen to people who say that. In what is a big surprise, rugby league legends Wally Lewis and Peter Sterling have been anchored to the bottom of the leaderboard all season.

NRL journalists tend to watch more Rugby League then the common fan and pride themselves on having their ear closest to the ground in the world of NRL. When it come to injuries, suspensions, who’s in and out of games, who are the first ones to know? Journalists make up 5 of the top 10 tipsters and 9 of the top 20 on the leaderboard.

They are more often than not tipping games how they see the result panning out rather than who they want to win. Phil “Buzz “ Rothfield is an exception however. The Cronulla Sharks tragic has tipped the Sharks in every round this year.

Guys vs Girls

The celebrity females NRL tipsters have shown that their rugby league knowledge is just as good as the males. Much respected Fox Sports presenter Yvonne Sampson is in 5th position on the leaderboard and has consistently been amongst the top 5 tipsters all year.

Tipsters from QLD’s Courier Mail including Rikki-Lee Arnold and Sam Squires have also been amongst the leading pack all season, showing that the girls north of the border know their footy. Another Fox Sports presenter Lara Pitt, rounds out the top 20.

Stats that Matter

Home teams have won 65 games this year, compared to away team on 43. If you had selected the home team in every match this year you would be equal first on our tipster leaderboard.

Sitting at around a 60% strike rate could possibly get you home in your office tipping comp or return you a tidy profit if you are having a bet. Whether this trend continues in the second half of the season remains to be seen.

The bookies have not shown any faith in the Wests Tigers whatsoever this year. Despite their solid start to year, they have started favourites in only one of their wins, giving them the title of the ultimate 2018 underdogs.

In fact, despite the Tigers currently sitting outside the 8 in 9th spot with 7 wins, The Tigers have taken the most money from the bookies so far this year. If you had a $10 bet on the Tigers to win in every match so far this year, you would have a handy $173 profit with the Panthers being the next best at $151.

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blackhatseoguy · 7 years ago

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Local SEO for service-area businesses requires a lot of servicing

this tool is not for amateurs newbies don't click this

Today, let’s talk service-area businesses (SABs) and local SEO. Because every time I talk to an SAB, the first thing — and pretty much the only thing — they want to know is how to rank in the Local Pack in cities where they don’t have a physical location.

I am sure I don’t need to tell you how, over the years, Google has made it much harder for these businesses to rank outside of their home cities. And since the advent of Google’s Home Services ads, it has been getting even harder.

Digital marketing TED-talking hipster types have been predicting the demise of the print yellow pages for years, but you know what? A regional print yellow pages publisher in Texas told me he shows potential SAB advertisers a picture like this drawn on a napkin:

He tells them something like, “Use SEO for your market, but use our books for the surrounding markets.” And I guess it works — he claims his sales have been up lately (although I suspect he was also spending some of his budget on AdWords).

For those of you who are new here, Google’s Local Pack algorithm is a “trimodal” algorithm primarily based on the following three factors:

Relevance (Are you a roofer?).

Prominence (Are you a notable roofer?).

Proximity (Is your business’s physical location near the searcher?).

Service-area businesses outside of the searcher’s city are going to be fighting without one leg of the trimodal stool (proximity), and they will have to be super prominent in order to outrank competitors who are in the searcher’s market. That means getting links, reviews and other things Google values — things that are typically alien to most service pros, who spend their days inhaling their customers’ dust bunnies.

In short: SABs can spend all the time they want on their Google My Business (GMB) pages and not get much for the effort.

It’s even worse for multilocation brands. I mean, they can’t even use bulk GMB accounts. That’s how much Google seems to value them.

I know what you’re saying to yourself: “Hey, that’s awesome, Andrew. Thanks for regurgitating my complaints about GMB. But what are you going to do for me, Mr. SEO guru?”

Well, if you want Google organic traffic for your service-area business, you’ve pretty much got two choices:

1. Invest heavily in GMB/Local Pack rankings, and learn to live with paying to get punched in the face on a regular basis.

That means investing in an aggressive but safe (or, shall we say, “less risky”) link-building strategy to your location pages, and going full bore on getting reviews from customers in your desired locations that mention the city name in the review… while simultaneously not looking like you hired a team in Myanmar to spam Google reviews for you.

You might achieve rankings in other cities, but you’ll also experience a lot of volatility — and those damn Home Services Ads will keep popping you in the face.

2. Do the basics right for GMB and focus on ‘local organic’ results.

Why should Yelp, YP.com, Thumbtack, AngiesList and others have all the non-Local Pack fun? Even if you don’t have a location in the searched city, chances are you have a location that is close — certainly closer than Yelp’s offices.

If you do the right things SEO-wise, you should be able to compete head-to-head with the big local directories in your markets:

Have a well-optimized website with strong landing pages for each city you serve. Populate these pages with a lot of unique and relevant content. Our Local SEO Ranking Factors Study last year showed that location landing pages with a lot of content tended to correlate with strong rankings.

If you are getting reviews, get those reviews from specific cities onto the relevant location pages on your site. (And if you’re not getting reviews, you may want to start — our new Ranking Factors study coming out shortly has a lot to say on that matter.)

Mark up reviews and NAP info (Name, Address and Phone number) with Local Business schema. Use all of the structured markup at your disposal on these pages to make it clear that your business is connected to the target city. (In some cases, we have seen this as the tie-breaker to get your pages ranked.) I mean, there’s a schema.org type called http://schema.org/City. Might as well use it, right?

If you are a single-location service-area business, you are likely going to need a handful of links to your location pages that use the city and state you are targeting in the anchor text. No need to overdo it — a little dab’ll do ya.

If you are a multilocation SAB, you still could use some links — but the combination of local citation links and presumably brand links might be enough to get you there (that is, assuming your site’s SEO is not FUBAR).

Additionally, if you are a multilocation SAB, make sure you have a crawlable store locator on your site. That means clickable links to each location from the rest of the site. (Ditch that ZIP-lookup app — Google can’t crawl it!)

If you are really serious about ranking in the cities you service, consider opening a sales office in each and creating Google My Business pages for them. (And make sure you staff them and have “onsite signage” at them to be in compliance with Google’s guidelines.)

It may sound crazy and a royal PITA, but if you think about how much you spend on AdWords to get a customer, the ROI on opening a small office could look pretty good in comparison.

And if you’re really tired of constantly getting knocked around by Google, maybe it’s time to open a business with an actual location. I hear local retail is pretty easy these days…

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robertrluc85 · 7 years ago