Daily Archives: January 17, 2021

Family isnt always blood. Its the people in your life who want you in theirs, the people who accept you for who you are. The ones who would do anything to see you smile and who love you no matter what.

These powerful and inspirational words were handwritten in a thank you card to me by Minister Christine (Gail) Blanchard.

Her words reminded me of my late brother-in-law and pastor, Hayes Long, who passed at the beginning of 2021. We were not related by blood, but he was family. He was married to my sister, Valerie, for 50 years. He often boasted that when he saw Valerie, he knew that she was going to be his wife. His niece, Jenci said, He was unapologetically in love with her! His expression of love towards her became an earthly example of how Christ loved His church unconditional and without end. He was a family man who loved his children and grandchildren.

My mother was a single parent due to the death of my father a few months after Hayes and Valerie married. Whatever Mama needed, he was there to help in any situation (painting and repairs, fixing Mamas car, taking her to the doctor, etc.). As a little girl, I grew up watching him being a son to my mother and a brother to my siblings. He was a big brother to me helping me through my teenage years by offering sound advice. He was community-oriented, and a neighbor who didnt mind helping anyone.

I know he loved the Lord. In 1976, he received the gift of the Holy Ghost and began his quest for wisdom and knowledge of the manifestation of the Spirit. He was called into the ministry and later became a Pastor. Jeremiah 3:15 says, And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding. For 32 years, I was fully fed under Pastor Longs leadership at Jesus New Testament Holiness Church.

Pastor Long helped me through so many difficult moments in my life. He never judged me. He always prayed and encouraged me throughout my professional career; the dissolution of my marriage; the raising of my children as a single parent; so many losses in our family and church, etc.

At his visitation, so many spoke of his kindness and caring toward them. Members talked about his wisdom in how he helped them with problems, and him always saying, Lets pray about it. One nephew said Pastor Long stepped in as a father to him. His sister, Lynda said, You were my brother first and you became my pastor. I couldnt have asked for a better leader. You reminded me of a tree planted by the river unmovable. One said, Whatever secrets you told him they went to the grave with him.

It read on his obituary that he transitioned from mortal to immortality and left the testimony, I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith...

In thinking about Pastor Long and his legacy ask yourself: What have I done with my time on earth? Have I impacted lives? What testimony will I leave behind? You be the judge.

JUANITA FLOYD is the vice president of finance and administration at the CREATE Foundation and a community columnist. Readers can contact her at juanita@createfoundation.com.

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JUANITA FLOYD: What testimony will you leave behind? - Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal

The regular season is now officially in the rearview mirror for the Kansas City Chiefs. All season long there has been a little bit of a feeling that the Chiefs were just doing enough to keep winning and put themselves in a position for the playoffs. Close or ugly wins dont matter anymore. The Chiefs need to win three more games by any means possible. Period. If they do, and repeat as Super Bowl champions they will join an elite group of teams and their place in NFL immortality will be secured.

Winning any Super Bowl is amazing and secures a place in NFL history. However, winning two in a row puts a franchise in a completely different category. The NFL has only had a team repeat as back-to-back Super Bowl champions eight times in the history of the league, and every one of those teams is remembered as one of the greatest teams everor at very least one of the truly historic quarterback/coach combos. If the Chiefs can win another Super Bowl this season, they will absolutely have earned the right to put themselves in that company.

Here are the eight previous repeat champions in chronological order.

1. Green Bay Packers Super Bowls I and II

The Green Bay Packers won the first two Super Bowls. The first was against the Chiefs and then they defended their title against the Oakland Raiders. These teams have some absolutely historic names on them, including head coach Vince Lombardi who the Super Bowl trophy is now named after. Guys quarterback Bart Starr and linebacker Ray Nitschke (just to name a few) are up there too. You cant tell the history of the NFL without this team.

2. Miami Dolphins Super Bowls VII and VIII

When the Miami Dolphins won Super Bowl VII over the Washington Redskins, they completed the only perfect season in NFL history. While they didnt go undefeated again the next season, they only lost two games and beat the Minnesota Vikings to repeat as champions. This team included another legendary coach in Don Shula and had an offense with big names like Bob Griese, Larry Csonka, Mercury Morris, and Paul Warfield. The undefeated season alone secured this teams spot in history. Repeating as Super Bowl champions was just icing on the cake.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (twice) Super Bowls IX and X and Super Bowls XIII and XIV

I thought about listing these separately, but since they were next to each other chronologically and had so many of the same players, it seemed a little repetitive. Prior to the modern-era New England Patriots, the NFL had never had a team dominate an era like these Steelers teams did. They repeated as champions in Super Bowls IX and X and then two years later they did it again in Super Bowls XIII and XIV.

These teams all were coached by Hall of Fame coach Chuck Noll and are full of all-time great players like Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, John Stallworth, Lynn Swann, Jack Ham, Jack Lambert, Joe Green and many more. Once again, you simply cant ignore these Steelers teams when talking about the greatest NFL organizations of all time.

4. San Francisco 49ers Super Bowls XXIII and XXIV

The San Francisco 49ers got their first Super Bowl win against the Cincinnati Bengals and then followed up the next season by beating the Denver Broncos to repeat as champions. This team got legendary coach Bill Walsh a Super Bowl win in his final season before turning the reigns over to George Seifert for their repeat season. These teams are probably best know for the historically great combo of quarterback Joe Montana and receiver Jerry Rice, both of which get mentioned as the best ever. Once again, we are talking about a team that most recognize as an all-time great team.

5. Dallas Cowboys Super Bowls XXVII and XXVIII

The Dallas Cowboys had the privilege of handing the Buffalo Bills two consecutive Super Bowl losses as the Cowboys repeated and secured their place on the list of all time great NFL teams. These Cowboys teams were coached by Hall of Fame coach Jimmy Johnson and included three all-time great offensive players in Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin. Not only were these teams great from a talent standpoint, they were flashy and entertainingwhether you loved them or hated them. To this day when you see highlights or montages of the history of the NFL, they almost always include Johnson yelling How bout them Cowboys!

6. Denver Broncos Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII

Many were starting to wonder if John Elway was going to end his amazing Hall of Fame career without ever getting that elusive Super Bowl win. He would wind up with two to end his career. The Broncos won consecutive rings against the Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons in the late 90s. While Elway is the big name historically, running back Terrell Davis was the workhorse of those teams and defenders like Steve Atwater, Bill Romanowski, and former Chief Neil Smith were big factors too. Those wins also solidified the standing of head coach Mike Shanahan.

7. New England Patriots Super Bowls XXXVIII and XXXIV

The legacy of the Tom Brady and Bill Belichick New England Patriots goes well beyond these two Super Bowl wins, but while the duo did win an amazing six championships, this was the only time they had consecutive victories. Their win over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII was their second overall and the first of their back-to-back rings with the second coming against the Philadelphia Eagles (coached by Andy Reid). I dont think there is any doubt about the legacy of the Brady/Belichick Patriots, but even they were only able to repeat one time.

Thats the list. Those are all the teams that have repeated as champions, and that is the company that the Chiefs are trying to join. Should they pull it off (and there is a LONG way to go) the Chiefs have the credentials to hold their own against these all time great teams. They have a Hall of Fame caliber coach in Andy Reid. They have what will likely be an all-time great quarterback in Patrick Mahomes. Other amazing talents like Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce help the roster hold up with these other teams.

If you look at the winning percentage the Chiefs would be right there as well. If you look at the winning percentage (including the playoffs) of all these teams over their two seasons as champions you get.

If the Kansas City Chiefs were to win their next three games and repeat as Super Bowl champions, it would make their combined winning percentage over the past two seasons at 84.2 percenta mark which would tie them with the Steelers for fifth best on that list.

So the Chiefs would have the coach, the talent,and the winning percentage to belong in this elite club. That is what the Chiefs are playing for when the take the field this weekend: A place in football immortality. Frankly, they were a Dee Ford offsides call away from potentially already being there, but no need to look back now.

The Chiefs have a chance to prove their place in NFL history if they just take care of business. Now lets hope they do just that when they take the field against the Cleveland Browns this weekend.

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The Kansas City Chiefs can secure place among NFLs all-time greatest teams - Arrowhead Addict

Kumbh Mela 2021 dates: India is a vast land of many different cultures, traditions, rituals, and festivals. One such important festival is the auspicious Kumbh Mela pilgrimage that happens once every 12 years, and whose exact time and place depend on astrological predictions of planetary movements and religious considerations. This year, the Maha Kumbh Mela will begin January 14 and continue till April 27 in Haridwar.

In December 2017, UNESCO had included the event in its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. But why do Indians celebrate, what is identified as, the largest religious gathering in the world?

The legend of Kumbh

Kumbh essentially means pot or pitcher, and mela means a fair. Kumbh Mela, therefore, means the celebration of the pot, specifically relating to the pot of nectar as per Hindu mythology. The legend goes like this: once gods or devas were stripped of all their powers. In order to regain their strength, they agreed with the demons or the asuras to churn the primordial ocean of milk for amrit, the nectar of immortality. The deal was to share the nectar equally. Unfortunately, the devas and the asuras could not come to a consensus and fought with each other for 12 years! During this time, the celestial bird Garuda flew away with the kumbh that held the nectar. It is believed that its drops fell on four prime places where Kumbh celebrations happen today on a rotational basis Prayag (Allahabad), Uttar Pradesh; Haridwar, Uttarakhand; Nashik, Maharashtra; and Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh.

Essentially a Hindu festival, Kumbh Mela takes place on the banks of the Godavari river in Nashik, the Shipra river in Ujjain, the Ganges in Haridwar, and the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati river in Prayag. The confluence is referred to as the Sangam.

How the dates are decided

As mentioned earlier, astrological predictions and religious considerations play a role in deciding the mela dates. So, while technically, it is to be held in each of the aforementioned locations once every 12 years, sometimes, the mela can happen only a year apart at the sites. It should also be known that in between, around the sixth year, the Ardh Kumbh Mela (also known as the half mela) is held. In addition to that, in Allahabad, every year the Maagh Mela is celebrated in the month of Maagh (mid-January to February, as per the Hindu calendar) at the Sangam. This Maagh Mela is also referred to as the Ardh Kumbh Mela and Kumbh Mela when it happens in the sixth and twelfth years, respectively.

Kumbh Mela in Haridwar

Kumbh Mela in Haridwar is being held after 11 years not the usual 12 because of specific auspicious dates. In fact, this is the first time in 80 years that such a phenomenon has happened.

Kumbh Mela rituals

Taking a holy dip/bath is the most important of all rituals. The Hindu community believes that immersing themselves in the sacred waters on the auspicious day of the new moon will absolve them of their sins, and end the cycle of birth and death. As such, pilgrims start lining up from as early as 3 am to bathe on the day.

The important bathing dates for Kumbh Mela 2021:

* January 14, 2021: Makar Sankranti* February 11, 2021: Mauni Amavasya* February 16, 2021: Basant Panchami* February 27, 2021: Maghi Poornima* March 11, 2021: Maha Shivratri (first shahi snan royal bath)* April 12, 2021: Somwati Amavasya (second shahi snan)* April 14, 2021: Baisakhi (third shahi snan)* April 27, 2021: Chaitra Purnima (fourth shahi snan)

How to reach

If you are looking to participate in the pilgrimage, you can either fly to Haridwar the Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun serves as the nearest airport or take a train, since the Haridwar Railway Station is well connected with all major cities and towns of the country. Additionally, you can also reach the city by road, especially if you are journeying from any of the northern states like Delhi, UP, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal, etc.

Stay

Some 800 hotels and 350 ashrams in Haridwar have been prepared to accommodate approximately 1.25 lakh pilgrims on any given day during the Kumbh. While the tourism department was expecting around 10 crore pilgrims, restrictions imposed to ensure social distancing has curtailed the figure.

Additionally, a 156-sq km mela area has also been demarcated in three districts of Haridwar, Dehradun and Pauri Garhwal, for people associated with hospitality, tourism and civil supply, and adjoining areas of western UP, to get business during this time.

The COVID-19 impact

This year, the pandemic has imposed restrictions on the congregation. Every year, tourists visit the holy sites in large numbers, but this year, they may have to exercise a lot of caution.

Multiple news reports suggest that all the 107 bathing ghats (steps leading to the river) will be divided into colour-coded zones: red, green and yellow, according to vulnerability. Additionally, the GIS mapping of the entire area has been done, and if there is a crowd at any particular site above the permissible limit, the control room will be alerted, and the information will be relayed to security teams. The crowd capacity of each ghat has also been assessed.

Pilgrims keen on taking a holy dip on any of the four shahi snan dates will have to make an online booking in advance, and get an e-pass for entry. Additionally, pilgrims may only be allowed to spend a few minutes in the water in designated areas.

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Kumbh Mela 2021 dates: Everything you need to know - The Indian Express

Marvel Studios' new featurette for WandaVision features artwork of an Avengers member who has a connection to Vision and the Scarlet Witch.

A new featurette forWandaVision has teased the potential appearance of a Marvel Comics hero who plays a major role in the lives of the titular couple.

The "Story" featurette, released on Marvel's official YouTube channel, features head writer JacSchaeffer discussing how the seriesfeatures homages to sitcoms across the era. The walls behind her feature art from multiple comics, with the superhero known as Wonder Man in plain view.

RELATED:WandaVisions Second Commercial Features a Big Reference to Avengers: Age of Ultron

In MarvelComics canon, Wonder Man is the alter ego of Simon Williams, an actor turned superhero. Williams was imbued with ionic energy by Baron Heinrich Zemo, which grants him a variety of powers including super strength and immortality. The Avengers' foe Ultron used Williams' brain patterns as a basis for theVision, which led to several complications as Williams had romantic feelings for the Scarlet Witch.

Williams' brother Eric became the supervillain known as the Grim Reaper, and bears immense hatred toward the Vision -- considering him to be a "mockery" of his brother.

Simon Williams was originally meant to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe inGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, played by Nathan Fillion. Those scenes were eventually cut, though director James Gunn said that he could appear in future installments of the franchise.

Written by Jac Schaeffer and directed by Matt Shakman, WandaVision stars Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, Paul Bettany as Vision, Randall Park as Agent Jimmy Woo, Kat Dennings as Darcy Lewis, Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau and Kathryn Hahn as Agnes. New episodes air Fridays on Disney+.

KEEP READING:Marvel Studios Adds Avengers: Endgames Most Iconic Moment to Its Logo

Source: ScreenRant

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A freelance journalist based in Seattle, Collier enjoys all facets of pop culture, namely comics and anime. Spider-Man is his favorite fictional character of all time.

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WandaVision Featurette May Be Hiding Another Major Avenger | CBR - CBR - Comic Book Resources

The American adventure series MacGyver has garnered a massive fan following every since it was released in September 2016 on ABC. The show is named after its titular character Angus Mac MacGyverz, portrayed by Lucas Till in the 2016 reboot. The 2016 version of the show is based on the original series from 1985, in which the role was played by Richard Dean Anderson. The shows fifth season started premiering on December 4, 2020. However, its most recent episode has left many fans thoroughly distressed as the fate of one of the lead characters Jack Dalton lies hanging. Find out, What happened to Jack on MacGyver?

Read |WandaVision's Latest Footage Has Its First-ever Avengers References; Watch

Season 5, episode 5 of MacGyver started on a very emotional note. In the opening minutes of the episode, it was revealed the Jack Dalton was dead. The character received a military funeral on the show and several people from the Team Phoenix crew paid heartfelt tributes to him.

Read |Paul Bettany Says WandaVision Is A "beautiful Puzzle" With Many Firsts For MCU Fans

According to the latest episode of the show, Jacks death was a result of a long-term effort to down Tiberius Kovack.Fans dont get to see Jacks body in the first few minutes. According to Express.co.uk, this was because the actor who played Jack, George Eads wasnt planning on returning on the show and there was no way to show it.

Hence from the funeral, the show quickly moved to a pizza parlor, a place that was of great emotional significance to both Riley and Jack. After Jacks funeral true drama ensues on the show as the Phoenix foundation receives a post card, which was apparently crafted before Jacks death and this serves Mac with an opportunity to get his own version of justice. But it was revealed that Kovac was merely a device in the hands of another dangerous criminal.The episode concludeswith Riley getting Jacks old GTO, and she and Mac drove off listening to Johnny Cash.

Read |Paul Bettany Reveals Practical Reason Of Filming 'WandaVision' In Front Of A Live Audience

Jack Dalton on MacGyver is played by George Eads, who is an American actor. According to his IMDb, the 53 year old actor has also appeared in shows such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and the television movie, Immortality. However, his breakthrough role came as Jack Dalton in MacGyver.

Read |Elizabeth Olsen Shares What Excites Her The Most About WandaVision Series On Disney+

Get the latest entertainment news from India & around the world. Now follow your favourite television celebs and telly updates. Republic World is your one-stop destination for trending Bollywood news. Tune in today to stay updated with all the latest news and headlines from the world of entertainment.

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What happened to Jack on Macgyver? Here is the characters fate in the latest episode - Republic World