text:
Parallel Verses
New International Version
Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep,
New Living Translation
Now may the God of peace--who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood--
English Standard Version
Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant,
New American Standard Bible
Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord,
King James Bible
Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus--the great Shepherd of the sheep--with the blood of the everlasting covenant,
International Standard Version
Now may the God of peace, who by the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the Great Shepherd of the sheep,
NET Bible
Now may the God of peace who by the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep, our Lord Jesus Christ,
Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Now The God of peace, who brought forth from the place of the dead The Great Shepherd of the flock, Yeshua The Messiah Our Lord, by the blood of the eternal covenant,
GOD'S WORD® Translation
The God of peace brought the great shepherd of the sheep, our Lord Jesus, back to life through the blood of an eternal promise.
Jubilee Bible 2000
Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the eternal testament,
King James 2000 Bible
Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
American King James Version
Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
American Standard Version
Now the God of peace, who brought again from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep with the blood of an eternal covenant, even our Lord Jesus,
Douay-Rheims Bible
And may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead the great pastor of the sheep, our Lord Jesus Christ, in the blood of the everlasting testament,
Darby Bible Translation
But the God of peace, who brought again from among [the] dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, in [the power of the] blood of [the] eternal covenant,
English Revised Version
Now the God of peace, who brought again from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep with the blood of the eternal covenant, even our Lord Jesus,
Webster's Bible Translation
Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
Weymouth New Testament
Now may God who gives peace, and brought Jesus, our Lord, up again from among the dead--even Him who, by virtue of the blood of the eternal Covenant, is the great Shepherd of the sheep--
World English Bible
Now may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep with the blood of an eternal covenant, our Lord Jesus,
Young's Literal Translation
And the God of the peace, who did bring up out of the dead the great shepherd of the sheep -- in the blood of an age-during covenant -- our Lord Jesus,
Parallel CommentariesMatthew Henry's Concise Commentary
13:16-21 We must, according to our power, give to the necessities of the souls and bodies of men: God will accept these offerings with pleasure, and will accept and bless the offerers through Christ. The apostle then states what is their duty to living ministers; to obey and submit to them, so far as is agreeable to the mind and will of God, made known in his word. Christians must not think themselves too wise, too good, or too great, to learn. The people must search the Scriptures, and so far as the ministers teach according to that rule, they ought to receive their instructions as the word of God, which works in those that believe. It is the interest of hearers, that the account their ministers give of them may be with joy, and not with grief. Faithful ministers deliver their own souls, but the ruin of a fruitless and faithless people will be upon their own heads. The more earnestly the people pray for their ministers, the more benefit they may expect from their ministry. A good conscience has respect to all God's commands, and all our duty. Those who have this good conscience, yet need the prayers of others. When ministers come to a people who pray for them, they come with greater satisfaction to themselves, and success to the people. We should seek all our mercies by prayer. God is the God of peace, fully reconciled to believers; who has made a way for peace and reconciliation between himself and sinners, and who loves peace on earth, especially in his churches. He is the Author of spiritual peace in the hearts and consciences of his people. How firm a covenant is that which has its foundation in the blood of the Son of God! The perfecting of the saints in every good work, is the great thing desired by them, and for them; and that they may at length be fitted for the employment and happiness of heaven. There is no good thing wrought in us, but it is the work of God. And no good thing is wrought in us by God, but through Christ, for his sake and by his Spirit.
Pulpit Commentary
Verses 20, 21. - Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through (literally, in) the blood of the eternal covenant, our Lord Jesus, make you perfect in every good work, to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom (i.e. to God, the subject of the sentence) be glory forever and ever. Amen. It is St. Paul's way also to introduce, in the end of his Epistles, a solemn prayer or benediction, couched in terms suitable to the subjects that have been dwelt on (see e.g. Romans 16:25, etc.). The term, "God of peace," is also usual with him; and it is appropriate here after so many warnings against disturbing the Church's peace; as is, with reference also to what has gone before, "make you perfect" (καταρτίσαι), and what follows. On "the great Shepherd," etc., Bengel says, "Habemus, inquit, antistites multos, ver. 17, sed hic omniam est Antistes. Ego sum absens, ver. 19, sed DEUS non abest, neque deerit." The expression is taken from Isaiah 63:11, "Where is he that brought them out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? (Ποῦ ὁ ἀναβιβάσας ἐκ τῆς θαλάσσης τὸν ποιμένα τῶν προβάτων; LXX.)." The reference in Isaiah is to Moses and the Red Sea, the well-known types of Christ and his resurrection, and of ours to a new life, leading to eternal life, through him. He is called "the great Shepherd," as in Hebrews 4:14 the "great High Priest," as being the true fulfillment of the ancient types. "In [i.e. 'in virtue of'] the blood of the covenant" seems to be suggested by Zechariah 9:11, Καὶ σὺ ἐν αἵματι διαθήκης σου ἐξαπέστειλας δεσμίους σου ἐκ λάκκου οὐκ ἔχοντος ὕδωρ: αἰωνίου being added (as αέγαν before) to distinguish the new covenant from the old. The suitableness of the words to the contents of the Epistle is obvious. It is observed that the above is the only distinct allusion in the Epistle to Christ's resurrection, the writer's treatment of his subject having led him to pass at once from the sacrifice to the heavenly intercession. But "non concludit apostolus, autequam menti-onem fecerit resurrectionis Christi" (Bengel).
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
Now the God of peace,.... This is the concluding part of the epistle, which is ended with a prayer, made up of very suitable petitions for the Hebrews; and as the apostle desires them to pray for him and other ministers, he, in turn, and by way of example, prays for them: and he addresses God, as "the God of peace"; who is so called, because of his concern in the peace and reconciliation of his people; because he is the giver of conscience peace to them; because he is the author of all felicity and prosperity, temporal and spiritual; the promoter of peace and concord among saints, and at last brings them to eternal peace; See Gill on Romans 15:33, a consideration of this gives boldness at the throne of grace; furnishes out a reason why blessings asked for may be expected; has a tendency to promote peace among brethren; may bear up saints under a sense of infirmity and imperfection, in prayer and other duties; and be an encouragement to them under Satan's temptations, and all afflictions. The Arabic version makes the God of peace to be Christ himself; whereas Christ is manifestly distinguished from him in the next verse; and even in that version, reading the words thus, "now; the God of peace raised from the dead Jesus the Shepherd of the sheep, magnified by the blood of the everlasting covenant; Jesus, I say, our Lord confirm you, &c. through Jesus Christ"; for which version there is no foundation in the original text. The God of peace is manifestly God the Father, who is distinguished from Christ his Son:
that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus; who died for the sins of his people; was buried, and lay under the power of death for some time; but was raised from the dead by his Father; though not exclusive of himself, and the Spirit of holiness; in the same body in which he suffered and died; as the firstfruits of his people, and as their Lord and Saviour, head and surety, for their justification, and as a pledge of their resurrection. The apostle addresses the God and Father of Christ in prayer, under this consideration, to observe his power and ability to help in the greatest distress, and in the most difficult and desperate case; to encourage faith and hope in him, when things are at the worst, and most discouraging; to comfort the saints under afflictions, in a view of their resurrection; to engage them to regard a risen Christ, and things above, and to expect life and immortality by him:
that great Shepherd of the sheep: the people of God, whom the Father has chosen, and given to Christ; for whom he has laid down his life; and whom the Spirit calls by his grace, and sanctifies; to whom Christ has a right, by his Father's gift, his own purchase, and the power of grace: these being partakers of his grace, are called "sheep", because they are harmless and inoffensive in their lives and conversations; and yet are exposed to danger; but meek and patient under sufferings; are weak and timorous of themselves; are clean, being washed in the blood of Christ; are sociable in their communion with one another; are profitable, though not to God, yet to men; are apt to go astray, and are liable to diseases: they are also called sheep, and are Christ's sheep before conversion; see John 10:16 and Christ, he is the Shepherd of them, who in all respects discharges the office of a shepherd to them, diligently and faithfully; See Gill on John 10:16, here he is called, "that great Shepherd"; being the man, God's fellow, equal to him, the great God and our Saviour; and having a flock which, though comparatively is a little one, is a flock of souls, of immortal souls, and is such a flock as no other shepherd has; hence he is called the Shepherd and Bishop of souls: and his abilities to feed them are exceeding great; he has a perfect knowledge of them; all power to protect and defend them; a fulness of grace to supply them; and he takes a diligent care of them: and this great Person so described was raised from the dead,
through the blood of the everlasting covenant: for the sense is not, that God is the God of peace, through that blood, though it is true that peace is made by it; nor that Christ becomes the Shepherd of the sheep by it, though he has with it purchased the flock of God; nor that the chosen people become his sheep through it, though they are redeemed by it, and are delivered out of a pit wherein is no water, by the blood of this covenant; but that Christ was brought again from the dead through it; and it denotes the particular influence that it had upon his resurrection, and the continued virtue of it since. The "covenant" spoken of is not the covenant of works made with Adam, as the federal head of his natural seed; there was no mediator or shepherd of the sheep that had any concern therein; there was no blood in that covenant; nor was it an everlasting one: nor the covenant of circumcision given to Abraham; though possibly there may be some reference to it; or this may be opposed to that, since the blood of circumcision is often called by the Jews , "the blood of the covenant" (d): nor the covenant on Mount Sinai, though there may be an allusion to it; since the blood which was then shed, and sprinkled on the people, is called the blood of the covenant, Exodus 24:8 but that was not an everlasting covenant, that has waxed old, and vanished away; but the covenant of grace is meant, before called the new and better covenant, of which Christ is the surety and Mediator; see Hebrews 7:22. This is an "everlasting one"; it commenced from everlasting, as appears from the everlasting love of God, which is the rise and foundation of it; from the counsels of God of old, which issued in it; from Christ's being set up from everlasting, as the Mediator of it; from the promises of it which were made before the world began; and from the spiritual blessings of grace in it, which were given to God's elect in Christ before the foundation of it: moreover, it will endure for ever; nor will it be succeeded by any other covenant: and the blood of Christ may be called the blood of it, because the shedding of it is a principal article in it; by it the covenant is ratified and confirmed; and all the blessings of it come through it, as redemption, peace, pardon, justification, and even admission into heaven itself; and Christ, through it, was brought again from the dead, because by it he fulfilled his covenant engagements, satisfied divine justice, and abolished sin, yea, death itself.
(d) T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 135. 1. & T. Hieros. Yebamot, fol. 9. 1.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
20. Concluding prayer.
God of peace—So Paul, Ro 15:33; 16:20; 2Co 13:11; Php 4:9; 1Th 5:23; 2Th 3:16. The Judaizing of the Hebrews was calculated to sow seeds of discord among them, of disobedience to their pastors (Heb 13:17), and of alienation towards Paul. The God of peace by giving unity of true doctrine, will unite them in mutual love.
brought again from the dead—Greek, "brought up," &c.: God brought the Shepherd; the Shepherd shall bring the flock. Here only in the Epistle he mentions the resurrection. He would not conclude without mentioning 'the connecting link between the two truths mainly discussed; the one perfect sacrifice and the continual priestly intercession—the depth of His humiliation and the height of His glory—the "altar" of the cross and the ascension to the heavenly Holy of Holies.
Lord Jesus—the title marking His person and His Lordship over us. But Heb 13:21, "through Jesus Christ." His office, as the Anointed of the Spirit, making Him the medium of communicating the Spirit to us, the holy unction flowing down from the Head on the members (compare Ac 2:36).
great—(Heb 4:14).
shepherd of the sheep—A title familiar to his Hebrew readers, from their Old Testament (Isa 63:11; Septuagint): primarily Moses, antitypically Christ: already compared together, Heb 3:2-7. The transition is natural from their earthly pastors (Heb 13:17), to the Chief Pastor, as in 1Pe 5:1-4. Compare Eze 34:23 and Jesus' own words, Joh 10:2, 11, 14.
through the blood—Greek, "in," in virtue of the blood (Heb 2:9); it was because of His bloody death for us, that the Father raised and crowned Him with glory. The "blood" was the seal of the everlasting covenant entered into between the Father and Son; in virtue of the Son's blood, first Christ was raised, then Christ's people shall be so (Zec 9:11, seemingly referred to here; Ac 20:28).
everlasting—The everlastingness of the covenant necessitated the resurrection. This clause, "the blood of the everlasting covenant," is a summary retrospect of the Epistle (compare Heb 9:12).
Hebrews 13:20 Additional Commentaries
Benediction and Final Greetings
20Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, 21equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.…
Cross References
Exodus 24:8
Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, "This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words."
2 Chronicles 30:12
Also in Judah the hand of God was on the people to give them unity of mind to carry out what the king and his officials had ordered, following the word of the LORD.
Isaiah 55:3
Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David.
Isaiah 63:11
Then his people recalled the days of old, the days of Moses and his people-- where is he who brought them through the sea, with the shepherd of his flock? Where is he who set his Holy Spirit among them,
Jeremiah 32:40
I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me.
Ezekiel 37:26
I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever.
Zechariah 9:11
As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit.
John 10:11
"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
Acts 2:24
But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.
Acts 2:32
God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.
Romans 10:7
"or 'Who will descend into the deep?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).
Romans 15:33
The God of peace be with you all. Amen.
Hebrews 10:29
How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?
1 Peter 2:25
For "you were like sheep going astray," but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
Treasury of Scripture
Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
the God.
Romans 15:33 Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.
Romans 16:20 And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. …
1 Corinthians 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches …
2 Corinthians 13:11 Finally, brothers, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of …
Philippians 4:9 Those things, which you have both learned, and received, and heard, …
1 Thessalonians 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly…
2 Thessalonians 3:16 Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. …
Acts 2:24,32 Whom God has raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because …
Acts 3:15 And killed the Prince of life, whom God has raised from the dead; …
Acts 4:10 Be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by …
Acts 5:30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you slew and hanged on a tree.
Acts 10:40,41 Him God raised up the third day, and showed him openly…
Acts 13:30 But God raised him from the dead:
Acts 17:31 Because he has appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world …
Romans 1:4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit …
Romans 4:24,25 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him …
Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you…
1 Corinthians 6:14 And God has both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.
1 Corinthians 15:15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified …
2 Corinthians 4:14 Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us …
Galatians 1:1 Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, …
Ephesians 1:20 Which he worked in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and …
Colossians 2:12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also you are risen with him …
1 Thessalonians 1:10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, …
1 Peter 1:21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and …
that great.
Psalm 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Psalm 80:1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you that lead Joseph like a flock; …
Isaiah 40:11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs …
Isaiah 63:11 Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, and his people, saying…
Ezekiel 34:23 And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, …
Ezekiel 37:24 And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall …
John 10:11,14 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep…
1 Peter 2:25 For you were as sheep going astray; but are now returned to the Shepherd …
1 Peter 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, you shall receive a crown …
the blood. See on ch.
Hebrews 9:20 Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God has enjoined to you.
Hebrews 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having …
Exodus 24:8 And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, …
Zechariah 9:11 As for you also, by the blood of your covenant I have sent forth …
Matthew 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many …
Mark 14:24 And he said to them, This is my blood of the new testament, which …
Luke 22:20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament …
2 Samuel 23:5 Although my house be not so with God; yet he has made with me an …
1 Chronicles 16:17 And has confirmed the same to Jacob for a law, and to Israel for …
Isaiah 55:3 Incline your ear, and come to me: hear, and your soul shall live; …
Isaiah 61:8 For I the LORD love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; …
Jeremiah 32:40 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not …
Ezekiel 37:26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an …
covenant. or, testament. See on ch.
Hebrews 9:16,17 For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death …
Jump to PreviousAge-During Agreement Blood Covenant Dead Eternal Everlasting Flock Gives Great Jesus Keeper Peace Power Sheep Shepherd Virtue
Jump to NextAge-During Agreement Blood Covenant Dead Eternal Everlasting Flock Gives Great Jesus Keeper Peace Power Sheep Shepherd Virtue
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NT Letters: Hebrews 13:20 Now may the God of peace who (Heb. He. Hb) Christian Bible Study Resources, Dictionary, Concordance and Search Tools
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Courses: General Chemistry I (CHEMB103001)
Fall 2008
Class Number: 1476
IIL or Q
This section open to freshmen only. Students must register for an
attached lab section (CHEM B103 A, B, C or D) through Virtual Bryn
Mawr. Each of the 4 lab sections is limited to 25 students. There is a
pre-registration limit of 10 on the Monday lab. Students whose
chemistry placement exam score is sufficiently high will be offered
the option of enrolling in Chem 113 instead of Chem 103. The
placement exam will be given at the first Chem 103 lecture
Fulfills: Class Nbr: 1476 Div: IIL or Q
Meeting Times
MWF 12:00pm-1:00pm,F 1:00pm-2:00pm

subset: commoncrawl


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Introduces the essential concepts and techniques necessary for shooting video with a DSLR camera.
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text:
Join us at Little Bear Western Saloon in downtown Evergreen, Saturday, Feb 8th 2014 at 4 pm.
This video is from the Tony Silva Benefit. Check the "Video" page for more from that show.
Mt Magic Band was formed in 1979 in Broomfield Colorado. We started out from Acoustic and Blue Grass roots.
We moved into Country and Country Rock in the 80's. The 1990's added Blues and Classic Rock to the mix and now we do all of these and some Funk and Soul music as well.
The one thing that has stayed consistant through the years is our love for vocal harmonies, dance beats and lots of fun!


text:
View all CMMS/EAMS
Integration Adapter - Facility Management Product Release
MPulse Maintenance Software
website | Company information
The Datalink helps with integrating enterprise resource planning, accounting, and manufacturing resource planning. It works with meters, gauges and programmable logic controllers. The unit: imports and exports data from files databases or other applications; saves unlimited mapping profiles to data sources and targets; and schedules imports and exports based on times or file changes.
- BIM Software As A Facility Management Tool
- CMMS: The Benefits of Maintenance Management Software
- Facility Maintenance Software: Finding The Right CMMS Solution
- Making a CMMS Software System Work Over the Long Term
- What Is A CMMS? A Concise CMMS Definition
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- Using Energy, Portfolio Data To Reduce Facility Costs
- Asset Data Management: Four Software Solutions
- BIM: A Better View of Maintenance
- CMMS Upgrades: Lessons Learned
posted: 2/8/2013


text:
Texas Windstorm Insurance Association board pushes commissioner to seek settlement options
Live coverage from Austin begins at 1 p.m. today
AUSTIN - If lawmakers last week had a message for Insurance Commissioner Eleanor Kitzman concerning the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, the association's board had a message of its own Monday: settle.
Meeting to possibly take action on placing the association into receivership, the board instead offered a resolution calling on the commissioner to pursue settlement discussions with lawsuit claimants in connection with a settlement offer received Monday from Houston-based lawyer Steve Mostyn.
Mostyn later confirmed he had extended a written offer "to agree on a process" to settle about 1,200 pending lawsuits against the association.
Mostyn declined to offer more specifics but said after a weeklong review of the cases, he and his team assessed the value of all claims at a little less than half of what the association has in reserve to pay litigation costs — about $150 million.
He said his offer, agreed to by the many plaintiff's lawyers for whom Mostyn is serving as liaison counsel, would "stop the clock" in ongoing Hurricane Ike litigation to allow both sides to come to the table in hopes of a reaching a settlement.
"Let's be done with it, forever," he said in a telephone interview.
Kitzman was not present at the board meeting but said Monday afternoon the department is reviewing the letter and would consult with the board.
The Department of Insurance last week published a list of answers to questions on its website intended for policyholders that said although receivership would not cancel policies, it might require partial payment of future claims.
The association is the legislatively-created insurer of last resort for wind and hailstorm coverage, most of it residential, in the 14 counties on the coast. The association carries about $180 million in cash in the Catastrophe Reserve Trust Fund and annually earns about $420 million in premium revenue.
As of Dec. 31, the association carried almost 267,000 policies worth $74 billion in liabilities, including about 50,000 policies in Nueces County.
Ike-related litigation continues to plague the association's funding structure even as liabilities grow, giving rise to questions about the association's solvency. The association has spent about $316 million on that litigation since 2009, which has come from policyholder premiums.
According to the association's biennial report to the Legislature, more than 7,000 lawsuits had been filed as of Dec. 31 and Ike losses are expected to top $2.5 billion. Some estimates place losses as high as $2.7 billion.
The board tabled until its next meeting the item of placing the association into receivership, although members on Monday grilled Rachel Giani, director of the office of financial counsel for the Department of Insurance, on the more esoteric aspects of the process similar to a bankruptcy reorganization.
Giani told board members and about 50 members of the public, including about a dozen who spoke out against the concept, that state law as amended in 2005 would allow for receivership to be rehabilitative, rather than an outright liquidation of assets.
"The purpose of (rehabilitation) is to revitalize an insurer so that it can be placed back out into the marketplace," she said.
Rehabilitation would allow the association to continue issuing policies and paying claims without creating a disruption in the marketplace, she said.
Some board members questioned how a law modeled after rehabilitation of private insurers would work for a residual insurer such as the association, and how such an entity might emerge.
Giani said she did not know of other residual carriers being placed into a rehabilitation proceeding but that a determination could be made on releasing the association from receivership based on its assets.
She reassured board members that if the association entered the process, it would be done "on an expedited basis." She said that the board's authority, including the power to seek rate increases, would cede to the receiver.
Kitzman has the authority to place the association into receivership, independent of a request from the board.
Giania said if the board were to vote against seeking receivership, it could hamper the chance at expedited review of a rehabilitation plan and slow the process.
Assessments are a key part of the funding structure for paying claims arising out of a storm, although others have questioned whether the window for assessing insurance companies specifically to pay Ike claims remains open.
The board in 2008, soon after Ike, voted against a full assessment and has not taken up the issue, since.
Current law is dubious on the matter, said Seth Chandler, a University of Houston law professor who frequently testifies in Austin on windstorm legislation.
Chandler, who maintains a blog dedicated to Texas' hurricane insurance issues, said the Legislature in 2009 repealed the authority that would have allowed for assessments specific to Ike.
"I can't imagine the insurance industry is going to pay an assessment under a repealed statute," Chandler said.
He said it most likely would lead to additional costly legal wrangling.
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Twenty-five thousand brown paper lunch bags line the wall and ceiling of OWEN, a new fashion boutique in New York's Meatpacking District by Jeremy Barbour of Brooklyn architects Tacklebox. More »
Tag: paper
Paper works
by Simon Schubert
Cologne artist Simon Schubert creates intricate images of stately homes and palaces simply by folding plain white sheets of paper. More »
Hydro-Fold by
Christophe Guberan
Crumpled City by Palomar at The Temporium
The Temporium: Palomar's indestructible maps are behind today's Advent calendar featuring products on sale at our Christmas pop-up shop The Temporium. More »
Unpølished by Dik Scheepers
Dutch designer Dik Scheepers mixed discarded paper with cement to cast this series of furniture. More »
Paper Planes by Glithero and Baddeley Brothers at The Temporium
The Temporium: patterned paper planes crafted by a traditional printing press are behind the eighth window of our Advent calendar of products at The Temporium. More »
Papernomad at The Temporium
The Temporium: today's window in our Advent calendar of products at The Temporium features Papernomad's, biodegradable paper sleeves for electronic devices. More »
Paper eyelashes by Paperself at The Temporium
The Temporium 2011: flutter your birds, spiders and peonies with Paperself's paper eyelashes, returning to our Christmas shop The Temporium for the second year running by popular demand. More »
Today at Dezeen Platform:
Pia Wüstenberg
Dezeen Platform: today at Dezeen Space, Pia Wüstenberg showcases pieces from her Processed Paper project, a series of products made of recycled paper. More »
Softshelter by Molo
Air Heads by Héctor Serrano
London designer Héctor Serrano presents a series of paper accessories for turning balloons into animal heads at the New York Gift Fair this week. More »
Folding Techniques for Designers:
basic pleats
In this movie by publishers Laurence King, author Paul Jackson demonstrates a pleating technique from the second chapter of his book Folding Techniques for Designers. Enter our competition to win a copy of the book here. More »
Paperboard Architecture by D'art for VDP
German studio D'art have covered a wall in white paper boxes and spotty black lettering for the German Pulp and Paper Association at a Düsseldorf trade fair. More »
Leone Series 01 by Lanzavecchia + Wai
Italian-Singaporean studio Lanzavecchia + Wai created these paper lamps in collaboration with a Singaporean craftsman who makes masks for a traditional lion dance. More »
One Thousand Cranes for Japan
by Anomaly and Unit9
IE-tag by Naruse Inokuma Architects
Tokyo firm Naruse Inokuma Architects created these pads of page markers from demolished wooden houses. More »
Manifold Clock by Studio Ve
Shay Carmon and Ben Klinger of Studio Ve in Israel have created a clock where the two hands are linked by a striped paper-like material, creating ever-changing 3D shapes as the hours go by. More »
Move: Choreographing You exhibition design
by Amanda Levete Architects
Concertinaed paper-like ribbons swoop through an exhibition about performance art and movement designed by London firm Amanda Levete Architects at the Hayward Gallery in London. Update: this project is included in Dezeen Book of Ideas, which is on sale now for £12. More »
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- 116
- people in the U.S. have this name View Judy Anthony on Whitepages
Meaning & Origins
Pet form of Judith, recorded from the 17th century. It was the name adopted by the singer and film star Judy Garland (1922–69, original name Frances Gumm), and has since increasingly been used as an independent name.
|120th in the U.S.
English: from the personal name Anthony, Latin Antonius. See also Anton. This, with its variants, cognates, and derivatives, is one of the commonest European personal names. Many of the European forms have been absorbed into this spelling as American family names; for the forms, see Hanks and Hodges 1988. Spellings with -h-, which first appear in English in the 16th century and in French (as Anthoine) at about the same time, are due to the erroneous belief that the name derives from Greek anthos 'flower'. The popularity of the personal name in Christendom is largely due to the cult of the Egyptian hermit St. Anthony (AD 251–356), who in his old age gathered a community of hermits around him, and for that reason is regarded by some as the founder of monasticism. It was further increased by the fame of St. Anthony of Padua (1195–1231), who long enjoyed a great popular cult and who is believed to help people find lost things.
|562nd in the U.S.
Nicknames & variations
Judye, Judya, Judi, Judyy, Jude, Judie, Judyh, Judd, Judyw, Jud
Anthon, Anthes, Anthis, Anthonio, Anthoni, Anthofer, Anthney, Anthoney, Antholz, Anthem


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Freestyle fans are pretty much the same age as the Freestyle artist. And if that's the case, then many of them grew up watching or at least remembering this show. It was called "To Tell The Truth"
Unfortunately, this is a game show that needs to come back, and it's contestants need to be those involved in the Freestyle market. We need to sit down those who claim to be or be a part of a questionable artist or group and ask them a slew of questions that only the original's would know.
Like, what were TKA wearing the day they came up with their name?
What was the hardest part of recording the Cover Girl's "Show Me?"
Where were the members of Will To Power when they Met?
I have spoken time and time again about deceptive practices within the Freestyle genre, and I can't stress it enough, just how damaging it is to our market. When I speak of this, I am not just speaking to the Promoters and Agents. I am also speaking to Managers, Artists and more importantly, to the fans who are indeed, the end sufferers! Please, all who read this, leave a comment at the end and feel free to express yourselves. Please no curse words, this blog is set with a filter that detects them and blocks the comment. So many artists themselves claim they don't support this deceptive practice, yet they are quick to jump on stage with any Freestyle wanna-be. "It's business Latif!" Is what they say. "Exactly!" I reply. It is business, your business Mr. Artist, manager, promoter and agent, and until you protect it, it's spiraling qucikly to the ground." Oh is this about the Phony Girls again? " Click image below to see how Freestyle is being represented by these imposters.
The Phony Girls
Proof That Fans are Being Robbed
Well, not anymore, the Phonies are going to do their thing, and the idiots are still going to book them. Fans however need to realize that every time they purchase a ticket, they are telling the Phonies that this is okay, it's acceptable. Because of this, the illness is spreading like wildfire. Managers who haven't been in the market for years, are coming out of the woodwork. Why? Because eventhough their relationship with their former client has been over for years, they discovered that the show can still go on, with a chance to still cash in. All they have to do, is find someone that might (or might not) resemble the act. Teach them the songs and dance steps, print some pictures and Wala! Instant Freestyle artist. If they were to package this idea, the instructions would simply say, "Just Add Lies" What's sad is the majority of the Freestyle fans don't realize this is happening until they either they see the show, or they read something like this blog. So even though I might have a personal thing when it comes to The Phony Girls, my main beef is the overall impact it's having on "MY" market. The Phony Girls do shows for the crooks of the market, people who don't care enough for their audience to atleast find them the real deal, so these are not people I would work with anyway. I've dedicated many pages such as this to the exposure of The Phonies, and right now, Angel "The Original CoverGirl" stays busy, turning it out from Miami to Maui.
Angel "The Original CoverGirl"
You see, what I need to point a finger at, are some of the other deceiver's in the market. Those hiding backstage before showtime. But before I begin. To the so-called artist and managers, this isn't meant to be an attack against you, but rather a rescue for the Freestyle market in itself! You see, I make a living with this Freestyle thing, so I have a clear incentive as to why I need to protect it, an attitude that should be common among other industry professionals, unfortunately, it isn't. Believe me, there are many more imposters out there, but I need to focus on a few that are actually affecting the Freestyle market. You see these acts are looked up to and resepected. people watch them and figure, well if they're doing it, then it must be okay! So I would truly appreciate any help from knowledgeable readers. Fans, fellow artist, deleted group members etc. But keep in mind, it isn't going to take just knowledge, it is going to take balls too! I might make a few enemies with this post, but at the same time, I might gain some integrity for the market. Besides, those who might be offended, are those involved in the deception, so do I really care what they think? Let me go back a bit, and begin with one company that I had experience with, and that was the old High Powered Records, led by Mr. Tony Garcia.
Tony Dr. Edit Garcia This was an important company at one time, but when you participate in deception, I'm sorry, you are just bound to fall, and that's what happened here. High Powered had a few credible acts on their label, and were contributors to Freestyle's spread throughout the US. But I can sympathise with them a bit, like I can with many of the other Freestyle labels back in the day. Whereas these compaines were created by some really talented producers, who created some really great music, they had no real business skills. Keep in mind, running a label consist of two skills, creating the music, and managing the business. Major labels allocate staff for these different jobs, Freestyle label heads tried to do it all themselves. The label heads wanted to be stars themselves and instead of staying in the office crunching numbers and planning their next move, they went on the road with their acts. They were so caught up in the success of their current act that they neglected the business of keeping that act working, let alone developing new acts. label heads started relying heavily on that current act, putting more and more preasure on them, so much that they got fed up, tired of the abuse and skipped. So there's Mr. Label head, standing there with nothing but a name that he claims to own. He's come to truly rely on that income producing artist so much, that in a sort of spiteful attempt to hurt that artist and hopefully help himself, he totally disregards the audience that has actually placed that money in his pocket and now feeds them what I call 'Phonies" By re-issuing the "NAME" to a new and niave artist, Shoot some new photos then put them back on the road, confident that the fans won't know the difference. This had fans scratching their heads wondering what was going on. I'm only familiar with a few, such as Wicked, NV and Renaldo. There were others, I'm sure, and if you know who they are, please comment here. Then there was another artist who was part of that camp. An artist that I am extremely close to and have been around since she was just a little girl. That artist is Lil' Suzy.
The Incredible Career Of Lil' Suzy
Suzy without a doubt put High Powered Records on the map, and till this day she is one of the most requested Freestyle artist in the market. When the numbers weren't working anymore and the drama was just too much for this very young artist, she was removed from the label. Now keep in mind, she didn't leave to go with another label, she left simply to get off High Powered, and it was a great decision. It was an unhealthy company about to self-destruct. She was protected by her parents and myself, a relationship that many in the industry envied along with many attempts to throw in a wrench. But what they failed to realize is that my "Personal" relationship with Suzy and her family is more important to me than my "Professional" relationship with them. Her first album on that label was called "Love Can't Wait" and housed the Freestyle hit "Take Me In Your Arms." This song catapulted Lil' Suzy and High Powered to another level. But when you give success to bad business, it creates a monster. Not only was "Take Me" an international hit, Lil' Suzy was just 11 years old, and a novelty in herself, an even more reason to embrace this incredible little superstar. When Suzy was removed from the label, it was without doubt an end for High Powered. Not knowing what to do, having already created a horrible name for themselves without a loyal artist left, High Powered came up with a plan that they felt would not only recapture their crown, but possibly kick them up a notch, while poor Lil' Suzy fades away. High Powered found another little girl, who they named ingeniously, Lil' Johanna.
Lil' Johanna
High Powered studied the Lil' Suzy model which consisted of three main elements; youth, looks and of course talent. The makings of what could've been another High Powered star. But instead of giving her originality, her own songs etc. She was brought in, in an attempt to bump Suzy from her spotlight. But evil can not prevail and the one who got hurt during this was poor Johanna. High Powered sold her a dream of becoming a star, when in realty, she was a mere pawn in the labels own little war game.
But you see, Suzy wasn't new to this, she had been doing this years before she even signed with High Powered. She had more experience as a little girl than the owner of the label himself, and today you can see them on opposite sides of the Freestyle fence. By the way, does anyone know what the hell happened to Lil' Johanna?
So there it was, a case of trying to bump one artist with another. It didn't work! Now we step into another realm, this one was to do with multiple group members. Now this is tricky ground here and every case has to be dealt with differently. But before I get into that, I want people to try and remember this. "If all the members of a group are still alive and well, and they want to perform, I feel the group should make an effort. Hey, we don't always like the people we work with, but we work with them regardless. When members of a group decide to pull out and don't want to be a part of it anymore, then there I see a legitimate reason to find substitutes. In this case, it is about the fans. But when you have members of a group that want to get together, but one or two of them are keeping the others out, that to me is unfair, and there will never be any real success in it. Okay, you might get some shows here and there, but is that real success? Let steps back for a minute and take another look at this situation regarding The Cover Girls. Honestly, who in the Freestyle industry doesn't know that Angel "OCG" is my wife? Yes I will protect her till the end of time, and with whatever it takes, and she'd do the same for me. But this situation isn't about a husband protecting his wife, but rather a manager protecting his artist, or better yet, an industry professional protecting his industry. Way before Angel and I were even dating, she's had issues with her management, which we all know was at the time Sal Abbatiello, a great contributor in my opinion to the Freestyle Industry, but at the same time, a great destructor. Why do I say that? Because he personified the old cliché' "He Cut His Nose To Spite His Face." In other words, since he couldn't have things his way, he decided to punish the entire Freestyle community. Because he no longer has a hold on Angel, who as we all know is The Original CoverGirl, he goes to great lengths to try and keep her from performing. Unfortunately for him, Angel is married to Freestyle's Greatest Booking Agent. So she works more now than she did, even back during the old Cover Girl days. She without doubt makes much more money, and for all who have been around her these days, her personality glows with happiness, something she hasn't experienced in this business for many many years. The handful of shows that Angel has been bumped from are the Freestyle concerts at Madison Square Garden, The Mohegan Sun, and all Fever events. These concerts feature in her place three girls who came from God knows where, to perform as The Cover Girls, (From here on they will be referred to by the industry term: The Phony Girls) another poor attempt to deceive the Freestyle audience. I have approached promoters involved with some of these events and asked why man, why? A few said that they were threatened to be Sued by Mr. Abbatiello. I believed this t be true because one of my trusty promoters faxed me a copy of this general letter Sal sent around. By the way, those letters made excellent toilet paper!
To the fans who have attended concerts featuring "THE PHONY GIRLS". Please do not stand for this. You are giving up your hard-earned money to see a concert. It's like filling up your tank at a gas station, then finding out that it was just water. You don't stand for this, you speak up and demand a refund. As long as you accept it, it will not stop!If you thought that maybe Angel just wasn't performing anymore, so you have to settle for the Phonies, then check out all the concerts she has performed at in just the last couple of years. From here on, when you are sitting or standing in the audience, awaiting The Cover Girls, and you see three unfamiliar faces walk on stage lip-syncing over what is properly Freestyle Most Distinctive Voices, please proceed with a Boooo! If Phony acts are shown love and acceptance, then before you know it, you will be paying top dollar for what I would call a "Karaoke Concert."Here's another letter. This time Sal brought it up a notch and hired an attorney. This letter was sent to one of my promoters over at Cox Radio. Just so you know. None of these letter's worked.
Let me make another point here really clear. When in the world was the last time Angel ever used "Formerly Of The Cover Girls?" Angel has been billed as "The Original CoverGirl" since as far back as I could remember. Not because we were scared of these stupid threats, because as long as it is a FACT, Angel can use the Term Formerly Of.. This goes for ANY other acts experience a similar situation. But we chose NOT to use formerly. You see, in my opinion "Formerly Of The Cover Girls," indicates that the group is still around, but that Angel is no longer a part of it. I coined the name "The Original CoverGirl" because it states a hard fact! And the only other Cover Girls Angel ever performed with were Caroline, Sunshine and Margo and they are no longer in the business.
Sunshine, Angel, Caroline Caroline, Angel, Margo
Oh, and about the contreversy regarding The Cover Girl release of "Wishing On A Star." Sorry folks, that was not The Phony Girls either, but rather the beautiful and talented Michelle Valentine.
Click here to check out the video
As long as I've been around Angel. She's always gotten request by promoters as well as fans, to sing "Wishing On A Star." and her reply. "I didn't sing that song, that was Michelle Valentine." Angel knew how she felt when The Phonies pretented to sing her songs, and she said she would never do the same. Besides, she had plenty of her own songs to sing including two incredible ballads, "Promise Me" and "We Can't Go Wrong."
Let's face it folks, we're all getting older, and there will be a time when we will have no choice but to experience so-called Tribute Concerts. As artist of this genre begin to die off, we will have to replace them in order to give alive their legacy. But to try and due so before their time, is a sad song, and a great misfortune to the Fans who grew up on Freestyle.
I met this woman who's name is Suzi Carr.
Suzi CarrMany people know her as the original member of WILL TO POWER. What a great group, what great songs, an incredible contributor to our genre.
The Original Will To Power with Suzi CarrBut unfortunately, greed stepped into that group as well, and the lead singer was tossed from the group to be replaced by one much younger. I could understand this move if the group is still putting out hits and their want to maintain the youth. But if that was the case, then I would've suggested that even the male side of the group, Mr. Bob Rosen also be tossed.I finally got to see Suzi Carr perform at a show in LA, and I seen the current WILL TO POWER Perform without her, and I have to say, that the light of that group was in fact, Ms. Carr.
The New Will To Power without SuziWhen she got up on that stage, it was like she invited the audience into her living-room. The sincerity of the things she said to her audience were unquestionable. At that point I wanted to share my experience with my promoters and I immediately got on the phone and began selling. Booking the shows usually go undetected. But one of the things that we do at La' Entertainment is assist our clients in promoting their events. Hey, if my promoters aren't successful, then neither am I. One of the ways that we help is with a marketing machine I had created many years ago called FreestyleBlast. It's an on-line marketing ad that reaches thousands of people every single week. It is a very important and effective tool. This is when all hell breaks out. This is when what I do is noticed, when Freestyle Blast is let lose. So I received a surprised phone call from Mr. Rosenberg, well it wasn't really a surprise, I was expecting it. I have to admit, it's so obvious why he can't sell himself any shows, his phone skills suck! He began with a slew of verbal insults that most people only dare to say to me over the phone and from another part of the country. I allowed him to speak, and when he was done, I couldn't help but to laugh hysterically. He sounded like an old Jewish man cursing out a telemarketer.Of course I had to put him in his place. He threatened to meet me in Florida the following week. I would be there with Angel and Lil Suzy….. Well, he was a No Show! Yes I received an attorney letter from him as well, though the texture of the paper was much softer than Sal's. Let's go back several years. Angel and I were just dating and we attended a party at a club in Queens, NY. We both knew practically everyone on our own terms. But there was one guy that I had no idea who he was. He walked around the club talking to everyone. Angel introduced him to me as David Torres, one of the guys from the group Nice & Wild.
David Torres We shook hands and proceeded to talk. He knew who I was, well most artists do. He was a nice guy, a little jumpy, but nice indeed.The next day, back at the office, Angel asked me. "Why don't you put David on your Roster and try and get him some shows?" That day David just happened to call. We spoke for a while and I got all the specifics on booking him. Who fly's? From where? How many rooms? and of course, how much are you asking? David simply said, whatever you can get me. At that time his going rate, if he was lucky $300. to $500. Again, that's if he was lucky, which wasn't often. Most of the time he would settle for just a limo, fruit platter and a spotlight. I of course can't make a living on fruit platters, and 10% of $500. wouldn't even cover all the calls I had to make to pitch him. But Angel stayed on me, and vouched persistently on his behalf. You see, there was a time when Angel was in that same boat, when making a living in this market was next to impossible. She wanted to share her blessings. This is Angel, always is, always will be! So I had booked a show for Angel, Lisa Lisa and Debbie Deb in Los Angeles, I got David on. I bought his fee up to a comfortable $1,000. More than he'd ever seen in his career, especially for the role he originally played as a background dancer. I got him a flight and a room, and I looked forward to seeing him perform. You see, I can only sell something that I believe in, and if I don't see it for myself, then I can't believe it, and therefore, I can't sell it. I need something to pitch to my promoters. I need to be able to tell them, "I saw the show and it was on fire!"Angel had two shows that night. One with David, then we had to shoot over to the second club. I got to see David perform and was pleased with his performance. Though most acts work a bit harder when they know I'm watching, I knew if David kept this up, we could get his fee up a few dollars more. After Angel performed we headed to the second club. I was impressed and excited to get back to the office to start booking David Torres.The following morning as we were leaving the hotel, I saw David pacing the lobby. He looked upset. "What's wrong?" I asked. "The promoter stiffed me, La!" Was his reply. Apparently David didn't abide by Performance Rule Number one… DO NOT GET ON STAGE UNTIL YOU ARE PAID YOUR BALANCE! I felt bad, well, could I really blame him? he wasn't use to making money. But none the less I felt a bit responsible. I stuck my hand in my pocket and pealed out 5 one hundred dollar bills and handed them over to David. "Yo La' you don't have to do that!" He said. "I'll get it back, don't worry." It took me about a month, but eventually I got my $500. back from the promoter when he booked Daddy Yankee from me. From that day on, I began booking David at various venues throughout the country. From Chicago to New York, Miami to California and Texas. I placed him on the Freestyle Explosion concert when it first sprang on to the scene and got him $1500. to $2000. a show. he had an incredible season, and I was happy to help!Soon after he began working with Mickey Garcia of Mic Mac Records and I guess Mickey became his manager. (Yes, Mickey Garcia and Tony Garcia, whom I mentioned earlier are brothers. Hmm, go figure)
Mickey Garcia
Anyway, Mickey stayed on me to get him shows, which I did. Then I received a strange from him early one morning. David wanted to know the name of a particular Texaspromoter I booked him with a few shows back. (I have an incredible memory, hu David?) At the moment I thought nothing of it, and without hesitation, gave him the name. The next thing I know, a flyer pops up in my email about a show David Torres Formerly of Nice & Wild is doing in Texas, at one of my clubs. Yes, the one whom he asked of the promoter's name.I called David, but to no avail, his caller ID kept me at bay. I started seeing more and more flyers popping up on the internet, with David Torres gracing it's front side. Then it really happened. David did a show in Chicago (another one of my clubs) with The Phony Girls. All I could think of at that moment was how persistent Angel was at having me book him shows. As much as I hated to do it, I showed her the flyer.Well, in this business, you can't let things like that affect you. So I did the obvious. I stopped booking David Torres, I even took him off my roster. Mickey Garcia and I continued working, and later on, against my better judgment, I even put David on a couple of more shows, a favor to Mickey. Not once had I ever told Mickey what David had done, it was between us and I didn't need to involve others, even though I knew Mickey was behind it. Hey it's business! At least that's what I was always told by those who somehow someway dealt with The Phony Girls.Starting with The Freestyle Music Awards in which I placed Mickey on the red carpet to DJ along side of La' Radio's Danski. from then on I started putting Mickey on many of my shows, highlighting his name and image in all my FreestyleBlast. I brought his asking up a few hundred dollars and was going. My intentions were to make him the most requested DJ in the Freestyle market. Thank God I didn't, because I never really paid attention, and overhead someone say that he doesn't spin live, instead plays Mix CDs during his sets. But that's just hearsay, I'd have to see that for myself before I can confirm it. I kind of saw our relationship growing, and like always my wife rooted for him and always reminded me to pitch him to my promoters. Mickey somehow hooked up with a Promoter from new Jerseywho wanted to do concerts. Mickey told me about it and I was excited. Well, I waited… and waited… and waited. But good ol' Mic never called. Instead he called his ol' buddy Sal Abbatiello, and lo and behold a new concert suddenly sprang up, and of course, it featured, The Phony Girls!When I approached Mickey about it, he told me that he has to book The Phony Girls because Sal books David. Okay, I saw where that was going and simply left it alone. I knew at that point that Angel wouldn't be on that particular concert, but I didn't expect him to keep her off the other half dozen he ended up booking not did Mickey put her on any of the other two that followed. For the second show he did call me for Lil' Suzy, but she was already booked somewhere, then he called me again for her for the third show. She was about to step out of the market for a minute to become a Mommy, so I was trying to get her as many shows as possible. But then, I never got a call back. I later on found out that The Phony Girls didn't want Suzy there because of her relationship with us… Sorry Suzy!Suzy never wanted to do shows with The Phonies either, unlike many whom have proudly shared the stage with them, Suzy is and always has been a loyal friend to Angel and I. Angel even spoke to Suzy and told her to take the shows with the Phonies if they come, money's tight these days, and you can't be turning down shows. It didn't matter, she wouldn't do it!Though Mickey was booking the Phonies in Florida and Pennsylvania, Angel and I, being the professionals we are still greeted Mickey like a friend. He said it wasn't personal, just business, and we were grown enough to understand.Then one day, I was put in touch with a guy out of Floridanamed John Minnis. I was told that John was the actual "Voice" of Nice & Wild. This was a fact and confirmed by numerous people in the industry. John and I got to know each other and I found him to be a really cool guy, and very humble. I asked him why he wasn't out there singing Diamond Girl, the song he recorded many years ago. He told me he just wasn't interested anymore. As we continued talking I began to up-date him on the Freestyle genre, and he was surprised at the huge turnaround it made the last few years, and even more surprised when I told him how much I use to get David Torres. Of course this was way before I knew the facts. I asked John about David and all he could say was. "I know he didn't sing anything!" After a few long phone conversations, I somehow convinced John Minnis to step back into the market, no strings attached. Oh, speaking of strings. There isn't an artist in the market who can ever say that I asked for exclusivity, so let's put the rumor that I asked David for exclusivity. If I did that he'd be calling me up every week to help him pay his bills. No thank you!I would work solely as a Booking Agent, making my measly 10%, yet I would help as if I was his manager and get him out there. I explained to John what I did for Angel and the huge success she was now enjoying. John was excited and gave me a green light to help get him back out there.
John Minnis I immediately got a picture of him, wrote a little blurb about him and launched him with the infamous FreestyleBlast! In no time the calls began flowing in and I was beginning to secure dates around the country. Within one week I had bites from LA, FL, Chicago, San Antonio, Canada and Hawaii. This was great. The first show in Los Angeles was locked. Contract signed by the promoter and deposits were in. There was just one problem. John Minnis went Missing In Action.For some strange reason, I think he caught a case of the jitters and disappeared. I wasn't upset, but I was disappointed. I felt bad for him. This guy never really wanted to do this. The great salesman I was sold him on the idea, but the fear he had was greater and didn't allow me to close the deal. "John, please brother, if you're reading this, give me a call. I'm not mad at you!" It was just a coincidence that my good friend Scott Haslett got hold of Reggie and Remy. The two guys that fronted the group Nice & Wild when it first hit the scene. The timing couldn't be better and after many attempts to contact John Minnis, I had to resort to plan B and sell my promoter over to Reggie & Remy.
Reggie & Remy (Nice & Wild) I wouldn't lie to him, I explained to him the same thing that I explained on this blog, and without hesitation and watching the Nice & Wild Video with Reggie & Remy, I sold it and closed the deal.Remember earlier I told you, people don't know anything about my bookings until they are placed on FreestyleBlast. Well, that's what happened here! As soon as I placed these guys on my blast, all hell broke out. Do I get calls? Oh hell no! I have to hear things through the internet, via myspace, facebook etc. hey, I guess they feel safe doing it that way.Immediately, post and emails were distributed via Facebook, myspace, twitter, regular email etc. I would love to challenge each and every lying sentence, but honestly, I'm too busy booking shows. Besides, the people who really matter to me, know me well enough to know that I just don't do things like that.before the first show, Remy decided to step away from Nice & Wild to pursue his own thing, so Reggie went out, got a couple of guys and once again, re-formed Nice & Wild. So, there were once three guys named Tony, Kayel and Aby, and they called themselves T.K.A.
Aby, Kayel, TonyThey recorded many songs such as Scars Of Love, Come Get My Love, Maria and so on and so forth. Well, I don't really need to get too technical because what made the group break up isn't the essence of this blog. What is the essence is the fact that there were others involved in this group that are not involved now. In my opinion, if the three people who are involved, don't have names that begin with a T, K or A, they red flags fly, and it is important to make sure the fans are aware of this. Whether they want to accept is of course on them, but the situation must be void of deception.As time passed, and for whatever reason their was, Aby was replaced with another "A" Angel Vasquez. You can see Angel in the video X-Ray Vision. Why Aby was replaced? I really don't know, but he is welcome to comment to this blog and explain the situation.When I began booking the group in the early nineties, the group consisted of Tony, Kayel and Angel.
Tony, Kayel, AngelSometime around then, Kayel, whom is without doubt the "Key" member of the group and in my opinion very talented, became another group called K7 and The Swing Kids.
Prophet, Tre, Kayel, Los
This was probably my favorite group within the Freestyle genre (oh, but it wasn't Freestyle!) Sorry folks, it was Freestyle, just a matured version of it.Anyhow, Kay rolled with the K7 concept for some time, but there was still a demand for T.K.A. I was probably the first agent to begin selling the combined package of K7/T.K.A. Then somewhere within this time George LaMond was added to the pack, I didn't understand that at all.
Los, Kayel, TreThe K7/T.K.A. current performing around the country are no other than Kayel and the Swing Kids, minus Prophet, probably because a 4th member would pose too many questions.A talented and entertaining group, but of course, not T.K.A. Okay, before it is brought up by others, yes, at one time many many moons ago, TKA also consisted of a guy named Spider and La' India… But there is neither an S nor an I in the initials T.K.A… so they don't count!Now I was cool with booking this group and there was no beef from Aby, Angel or Tony, till one day, Angel Vasquez called me and asked if I would get behind him and Aby. The first thing I did was call up Victor (13) T.K.A.'s acting Road Manager and let him know that the fellas had contacted me. We spoke for a while and he made it very clear to me that as long as they don't use T.K.A. that all was cool. They would have to use Aby & Angel formerly T.K.A. That sounds fair to me. I spoke with Angel and he had every intention to use the Formerly of.So I immediately go them a show and you know, one of the benefits of getting a booking through La' is the infamous FreestyleBlast. So there it went, one show, two shows, three shows featuring Aby & Angel Formerly T.K.A.
Angel and AbyNot only do they get the FreestyleBlast, once I book you a couple of paid shows, I automatically put you on my Roster Blast. Hmm, and the phones began to ring!!!Apparently Kayel wasn't too happy about this and bellowed his trusty road manager to give me a call. It seemed now that the conversation we had a week or so earlier was forgotten and now I was given an ultimatum! Kayel or Aby & Angel? Well, as much as I would've liked to keep them both on, I couldn't have someone try and dictate to me how to run my business, and where most people would've dropped Aby & Angel immediately so as not to ruin a relationship with Kayel and his crew, I opted to roll with Aby & Angel. Whether the decision was right or wrong, I'm not one to allow anyone to Strong-Arm me. At that point I asked 13 (by the way, that's his name for those who don't know) does he want me to remove the group from my roster. After a bit hesitation and beating around the bush, I asked again. he said yes! Remove the group. I knew that this would be a bigger mistake on their part than on mine. You see what happens at that point is we create question in the market. Now buyers have a choice, and people need to realize that as an Agent, I am a Salesperson, and as easy as it is for me to Sell something, it is just as easy for me to Un-Sell something.They have to realize, just as the others should. My intentions aren't to HURT someone, but rather to HELP someone else, but I guess in this case, one has to be hurt in order for the other to be helped. But after all was said and done, I slept like a baby that night, my personal indicator that what I deed was right!Till this day I really don't have an issue with the Kayel camp. I think their career choices are something to be considered and that they have a superior product that needs to be nurtured. But I guess the obvious perception people have about Freestyle are based on artists poor decision making abilities.BREAKING NEWS!!!!
during my days writing this blog, I received a certified letter from Mr. David Torres, you remember him right? The guy who's been pretending to sing Diamond Girl for over "Twenty Years". The texture of this paper seems a bit rough so I'll just use this as a coaster to place my coffee mug. Listen, as far as I see it, if a judge would ever agree with yours or any of the other's claim, then the justice system really sucks, and I try to give them at least some benefit of a doubt. Any way, here's the letter. For those who have never started a business. DBA stands for "Doing Business As" It is the lowest form of establishing a business and used mainly to open a bank account under that name. So Mr. Torres, or do I call you Mr. Nice & Wild, how about Mr. Trademark owner. When you start playing with the big boys, it might be a good idea to form a Legitimate Corporation and leave the DBA's for the Lemonade Stand owners.Well people, there it is! Please try and understand that this is not an attempt of being an ass nor a trouble maker. But rather to shed light on an important issue regarding an industry that I care for and has cared for me and my family for many years. It's a shame, because when you look at other markets such as Hip Hop. You don't see things like this. There is and always will be One Rob Base, One Salt & Pepper, One Naughty by Nature. You will never go to an LL Cool J performance and be disappointed when a 17 year old kid walks out wearing a Kangol and rapping over LL's recorded Vocals.This is why Hip Hop has stood the test of time. Why that genre has expanded into other areas such as fashion, film and sports. It's created millionaires over and over again. Name me one millionaire in the Freestyle genre. Try and include an "Imposter" act in a Hip Hop concert. It would NEVER be tolerated! The other performers would be the first to step up and speak out, refuse to share the stage with a wanna-be phony who will do nothing but disgrace the stage and tarnish their night. And I wouldn't put it pass them to physically toss those lying stealing thieves out on the curb where they belong.My wife had asked me a little while ago, why would I post these letters with all the contact information and names. Wouldn't that make it easy for others to contact the Phony acts and their managers? In my opinion, if a promoter is that stupid, then I wouldn't want to work with them anyway! Peace Out Ya'll and don't forget, Speak Out Against Deceptive Freestyle Club and Concert Events Freestyle 4 Life! La'
Okay, here's the latest. Louise Sharpe, better known as Kayel, or K7 or lets just say the "K" from TKA has gathyered together his freestyle money to have an attorney send me this Cease and Desist letter. Cease and Desist from what? Telling the truth? The "K" in TKA is only 1/3rd of the group… Technically, 1/4th… The other three are "T" which stands for Tony and the "A" which stands for both Aby and Angel… But what this letter is telling me he does not want me to refer to Aby, Angel and Tony as TKA, but rather "Formerly as" Yet, he is willing to, market, promote and yes, decieve the "Audience" and "Promoters" into thinking that he and 'The Swing Kids" are TKA… He wants you to believe that they are the ones that sang records. Now if the law is going to prohibit me from speaking up against this, then where is the actual justice. Please read the lawyer letter sent to me.


text:
Yes indeed, my story for this contest is done and has just been emailed off. It turned out okay. My initial draft of it was over 2350 words…kind of a problem when the contest had a 2000 word limit. I managed to chop it down, and the final product was 2000 words dead bang on the nose.
In case you've forgotten how incredibly fantastic the theme picture is, here's a refresher :
Overall, I'm fairly happy with it. In 2000 words I managed to pack in two massive location changes, and egotistically put myself in the story as a character. It probably could have been better, but with a deadline of the end of June looming and alterations probably necessitating a total rewrite of at least a portion of it, I just reached the point of saying "Fuck it." and sent it off.
So here it is! Oh, the foul object that is the basis of the story NEEDS to be seen for you to truly appreciate how repugnant it really is. So I'll grab a photo of it being worn and add it to the story where appropriate. It is GHASTLY.
Oh, I just got my 'We've received your submission!" email. Judging won't be over until sometime in August at the earliest. Not a surprise…I see A LOT of reading in the future of the Jury of Awesomeness (their name, not mine).
Anyway, with no further ado (of which there has already been far too much)…the tale :
It all started off so innocently. Wil and John and a couple of others were engaged in the mortal struggle against the forces of darkness and tyranny that was their usual Saturday evening game of Dungeons & Dragons. So far, nothing in the game had proved so much of a challenge as John's usual insistence on wearing what he had deemed his 'orc clothing' to the game. It wasn't so much the clothing that was bad but the stink pouring out of it, for they hadn't been laundered in quite some time. It wouldn't be 'authentic', apparently. Anyway, despite these odds before them, they had just entered the village to talk to a guild master when it happened.
"Bring forth my icon of evil! I will have it back!" the voice boomed. They all sat there in silence for a moment, trying to figure out how the normally mild mannered DM had managed to get all of that pure evil in to his voice. "I am not your pitiful Dungeon Master! I AM evil in the most pure of forms!" Okay, considering that the DM was hiding beneath the table and quite possibly soiling himself, it seemed unlikely that this voice was coming from him. "You have possession of the foulest of icons! It is mine!"
After a few moments of drinking in the fact that some otherworldly entity was establishing it's presence in his dining room, Wil looked around at the contents of his living space. What could this thing be talking about?
"Could you maybe be a little more specific?" he asked.
"I refer to the object you keep hidden away! It brought shame to you once, and you made it your goal to take it and hide it from public view to help others avoid a similar fate. It was taken from me by one from your world…I will have it back!"
"Geez, he must mean that Wesley Crusher blow up doll you have in the back of the closet, eh?" John laughed. Wil didn't join him in this moment of mirth, for he knew exactly what this thing wanted. It was the one object which he wished had never existed. He had worn it once in a photograph, and still couldn't escape the ripples of shame that continued to expand across the Internet. It had taken over a year of searching, but Wil had finally found the monstrous thing and convinced the owner to hand it over. Sure, perhaps the law would call what he'd done armed robbery, but he preferred to think of it more as heated negotiation.
What he had never told anyone was that despite his numerous attempts, he couldn't destroy it. It wouldn't burn. It wouldn't tear. It actually broke the wood chipper. Nothing could so much as dent this thing. In fact, it seemed to absorb the attempts to damage it and come out looking even more hideous and indescribably foul.
"Yesssss…yes, the Wheaton knows of which I speak. He knows all too well of the object I describe, for it is burned in to the darkest recesses of his mind."
"I do know what you speak of." Wil admitted. He wished he didn't. He wished this monstrosity had never existed.
"Gooood. Bring it to me. I will create a passage between your world and mine, and you will pass it through." Wil nodded before realizing that a faceless voice probably can't see you. He sighed and headed up to his room. As he reached his closet, he paused for a moment. He breathed deeply, striking up enough courage to reach in and pull out the locked metal box he had kept the damned thing stuffed inside of for many moons now.
"Wil, what the Hell is going on? Some voice starts booming out of the walls, blathering about icons of evil and rifts and dimensions and all that, and you're cool as a cucumber? What the Hell is this thing even looking for?" John asked from the entrance to the bedroom.
"Rifts, dimensions, extraterrestrial beings…honestly John, once you've done a series of Star Trek, you're kind of over it. Anyway, I have what it wants." Wil told his friend, patting the box as he fished the key for it out of his sock drawer.
"Great! So let's give it to this dude and maybe we can get back to freeing the slaves of Argonis from the…okay, what is it now?" Wil had stopped himself halfway through the process of unlocking the strongbox. It wasn't fear that had stilled him, it was a longing that he had ignored for too long.
"John, I'm all too aware of my geek significance on Earth. I've kind of covered the entire spectrum, and I've grown bored of it. But inter-dimensional travel and handing demonic artifacts over to some entity from another realm? The geek cred that comes with an undertaking like that isn't going to be easily topped! Some rich dork flying in to space ain't got NOTHIN' on that!"
"Okay, calm down man. You're talking crazy! You're going to go through space and time as we know it to some place where…who knows what's there? Is there even air to breathe…or decent sci-fi programming?" John asked, desperately trying to reason with his friend. But Wil's mind was made up. He opened the box and pulled out the cursed woolen nightmare within. John nearly fainted as he looked at it, the bile rising in his throat as it did every time he was exposed to this ghastly knit horror. During this moment of weakness, the blood rushing to his head drowned out the sound of Wil calling out to the creature who had demanded the sweater earlier. It opened a swirling vortex of light that one would suppose was a portal. As John started to regain his senses, Wil began moving towards the vortex.
"You have to take me too! I'm wearing it!" he shrieked. He had indeed donned the foul item as he walked towards the opening. He had nearly reached the gateway when John grabbed hold of his arm.
"Dammit Wil, I can't let you do this! You have a family to think of!"
"That's who I'm thinking of, John! I need an adventure if I'm to maintain my cool geek nature! Without that, what sort of husband or father can I be? Now let me go!" John couldn't. It wasn't so much any impulse of friendship or bravery…the sweater wouldn't let him. It seemed that it was holding him. And a moment later, the vortex seemed to grow bored with waiting for Wil to step in to it and reached out to swallow him, as well as John, who was unfortunately stuck with him for the ride.
Okay, a quick interruption here. This is the sweat I'm talking about :
Once you're done vomiting or gouging your eyes out, continue reading. Well…if you gouged your eyes out, I guess find someone else to read the remainder to you or something.
Wil was sweating profusely. Butt ugly clown sweaters are bad enough, but sweaters of any type are not a good choice of clothing when one finds himself in a Hellish volcano-riddled wasteland. He decided that it was time to take the sweater off, and tugged at it. Not only would it not budge at all, but it actually hurt to pull at it. It felt as though he was clawing at a piece of himself…
"NOOOOOO!" Wil screamed, realizing that the beast who resided here had made he and the sweater one. He heard two other noises…the cackling glee of the demon who lived here enjoying what he had wrought, and a similar scream from John. Wil hadn't previously realized John was there, and turned to see…
"I'm a fucking orc!" Indeed, John did look remarkably orc-like, right down to the axe and wooden shield he was now carrying.
"Nice look, Shrek." Wil chided him.
"You're one to talk, clown face." John responded. It was then that the voice of he who had brought them here interrupted this brilliant discourse.
"ENOUGH! Though your pain amuses me, I cannot stand to hear human beings speak to each other…it disgusts me! I suspect that both of you wish to return? You may at any time…but only in your current form." Both Wil and John gasped at the thought of trying to live their lives as they were right now. "Or, you may fight. The one who slays the other will be returned to Earth as he was."
"Okay, cool." John said, then started forward towards Wil.
"Wait…you…you're okay with this?" the voice stammered.
"Really, it was pretty much inevitable." Wil replied, "I would love a weapon of some sort, though, voice dude." Nothing happened. John chuckled darkly and continued forward, axe ready for some geek chopping action.
"You expect fairness from a demon?" John asked. Wil started to reply but had nothing to say. He slowly backed away as John approached, ready to hack at him like he was nothing more than a piece of potential firewood. It looked to be the end. As Wil tried to prepare himself, he thought he heard a faint rumble behind him…
…as he opened his eyes, wondering why John still hadn't killed him, he saw that orc Skalzi had in fact started to retreat, eyes open wide in incredulity. And the rumbling he had heard was in fact the purring of an enormous and winged horned kitten arriving behind him. As soon as Wil looked at it, it bowed it's head as if to indicate that it was there as a steed. He climbed aboard and found the spear strapped to the side of it, taking it in hand as he took off and launched towards Skalzi upon the creature.
"As you said, John…demons aren't fair." Wil replied with mockery thick enough to pierce flesh, then let loose a battle cry that would make Conan proud and launched the most bad ass Hello Kitty ever towards John.
"AUGH!" Wil screamed as he awoke. What the…he was home, in his bed. Could it be? Had it all been a dream? What a terrible, hackneyed cliché! "Well, if this really is such a lame ending to the story, I'll be wearing…" he started, then looked down to see the face of a clown smiling cruelly back up at him.
"Okay, what the fuck?" John asked, waking up next to his friend. He wasn't an orc anymore, though he still had a bit of a green tint to him.
"This is seriously how this is ending? Seriously? Come ON!" Wil protested, truly angry at the ridiculous way this was all going down. John snarled, then punched the wall behind the bed in anger. It shattered. Both men jumped up in surprise and looked through to see another room…one occupied by another pasty fellow sitting in the glow of a computer monitor. He seemed as surprised to see them as they were to see him.
"Who the Hell are you?" Wil asked.
"I…uhhh…I'm the author…" the man stammered nervously. "How…?" John was already rolling his sleeves up and striding purposefully towards him.
"I don't give a shit how…this whole disaster of a tale is YOUR doing." he snarled.
"Hey, guys, I was just having fun…" the author protested, trying to back away and ending up awkwardly falling from his chair to the floor as John and Wil approached fast.
"You know what would be fun? Kicking his ass." Wil suggested. John immediately started in, pouncing upon the defenseless bastard like a jungle predator. Wil stood back and watched, content to wait. He was more of a 'kick him when he's already beaten' kind of guy. And somewhere in the realm where such entities reside, karma laughed his ass off, for this pounding was richly deserved.
"And that's how I got these scars." the old man told his grandson, pointing to his wounds and shuddering at the memory of that horrible and fateful day.