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5 Celebrities Who Read the Bible

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The Holy Bible is by far the most popular book in the world, but there are many celebrities that skip out on reading it. Hollywood has always been known to be areligious for the most part, but there are still plenty of celebrities that have not only read the bible but openly talked about their faith. It can be pretty rare, but it does happen, and some of the biggest names in show business make the list.

So who are these celebs that have read the bible? Let’s take a look at the five most notable names that you’re certain to recognize. We’ll also take a look at what they’ve said about the bible and how it has positively affected their lives. Some of the names on the list may end up surprising you.

Ben Affleck

Growing up in Boston, “Justice League” and “Armageddon” star Ben Affleck said that he never read the bible. He said he was too afraid to read about the imagery of hell and said that there were plenty of Christians that put that fear into him, saying that those that enforced their faith on others gave him the wrong idea of the religion itself. That was, until, he was an adult and read the bible for himself.

“Reading the bible disabused me of any sense that a hateful person could represent this faith,” Affleck said, choosing the Book of Matthew as his go-to. “The book is beautiful and exquisitely written – but it is characterized by one quality that colors every page: love.” Affleck admits that he has struggled with religion throughout his life, but has continued to turn to the bible for direction.

Stephen Baldwin

The Baldwin brothers have left a huge mark on Hollywood, with almost all of them becoming huge stars throughout their careers. One of the more notable members of the family is Stephen Baldwin, the youngest member of the brothers. After his breakthrough role in “The Beast”, Baldwin would go on to star in films including “Born on the Fourth of July”, “The Usual Suspects” and The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas”.

Baldwin wasn’t really brought up religious, but he discovered faith following the attacks of September 11, 2001. Baldwin began a ministry that began touring the country and he’s been active ever since. He travels everywhere with his bible and reads for at least one hour per day, which was even stipulated in his contract to appear on “Big Brother”.

Candace Cameron-Bure

The life of a child star isn’t always the easiest, and Candace Cameron Bure knows that very well. Cameron grew up appearing on shows including “Growing Pains”, “Who’s the Boss?”, and “Punky Brewster”, but had her true breakthrough when she starred as D.J. Tanner on the long-running series “Full House”. Since then, Cameron has appeared in many Hallmark films, hosted “The View” and became a contestant on “Dancing with the Stars”.

When she was a child actor, Cameron began practicing as a Christian and has remained part of the Christian faith ever since. She has read through the bible multiple times, and in January 2023 she challenged all of her followers on social media to read through the entire book during the year.

Sylvester Stallone

Sylvester Stallone has been one of the biggest action stars in Hollywood for around a half-century. Stallone has starred in films ranging from “Rocky” and “Rambo” to “Spy Kids 3” and “The Suicide Squad”. No matter what movie he’s in, Stallone is usually playing a very tough character that might not be the brightest, but Stallone himself is very well-educated.

Stallone is also very religious. During his childhood, Stallone read the bible but left religion once he got to Hollywood. During the 2000s, though, Stallone rediscovered his faith and said that he was once again practicing. He says he doesn’t belong to a specific religion these days, but Stallone does read the bible and is more spiritual now than at the height of his career.

Denzel Washington

After getting his start on stage, Denzel Washington rose to stardom during the 1980s when he starred in the long-running series “St. Elsewhere”. Throughout the 1990s, Washington became a movie star thanks to blockbusters including “Malcolm X” and “Philadelphia” while winning Academy Awards for his roles in “Glory” and “Training Day”.

Early on in his career, Washington thought about giving up acting to become a preacher as he’s a devout Christian who reads the bible every day. He said that during the height of his career, he still thought about stepping away from Hollywood because he felt that he was meant to preach. Washington has donated millions to build churches, spreading the faith.

5 of the Greatest Miracles in the Bible

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The Bible is loaded with amazing stories about early Christianity, detailing the timeline all the way back to the creation of heaven and earth. Some of the miracles are often cited in other popular works of art from film and television to other books and are even well-known by people who have never read the Bible.

There are dozens and dozens of miracles to choose from in the Bible, but which ones are among the most well-known? Here’s our list of five of the greatest miracles that you can find in the Bible.

The Creation

There is no greater miracle than the creation of life itself. In the Book of Genesis, creation is explained by God first creating heaven and earth. It goes on to say that the earth was originally without any form and was completely in the dark until he said “Let there be light.” God then created everything that we know and see, according to the Bible, and became the basis of all mankind.

“God created man in his own image, in the image of God create he him; male and female created he them,” the Bible reads. “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, ‘Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” 

Water From the Rock

In Numbers 20, Moses is described as being able to get water from a rock, which is something that we think we’ll never see for ourselves when trying it. There was no water for Moses’s congregation as they wandered away from Egypt. The congregation asked why they didn’t just die with some of their brethren instead of getting lost for years and having nothing to eat and no water to drink.

The Lord spoke to Moses after the backlash that he suffered. The Lord said “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.” Moses did just that, with water coming out in abundance, preserving their faith in the Lord.

Jonah and the Whale

One of the most famous stories from the Bible that even non-religious people know is that of Jonah and the Whale. Jonah was a prophet from the Hebrew Bible who was also the son of Amittai. He’s the focus of the Book of Jonah, which details how God commanded him to travel to the city of Nineveh, but Jonah goes off the path instead and is swallowed by a whale after being ejected from a ship.

Jonah was swallowed whole and sat in the whale’s stomach for three days. While in most cases it would be instant death, Jonah survived for all three days and prayed to God the entire time. After enough prayer, God allowed the whale to vomit Jonah out of his stomach and he makes his way to Nineveh as God requested.

Parting of the Red Sea

We already mentioned one miracle that pertained to Moses, though it’s this one that’s more well-known by non-religious people. In the Book of Exodus, Moses is leading his people out of Egypt to escape slavery and persecution, but are almost caught when they reach the Red Sea.

With nowhere to go and the sea being unable to be traversed across, Moses needed a miracle to get to the other side and reach safety. A wall of fire stopped the Egyptians in their tracks, allowing Moses time to perform the miracle of parting the Red Sea, and allowing the Israelites to cross. When the Egyptians tried to pursue, the water returned, stopping them for good as many drowned.

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ is, of course, the center of Christianity, and many people who follow the faith know the story of his death and resurrection. After being crucified for his beliefs, Jesus was raised from the dead on the third day in what many consider to be the miracle that started the entire branch of the religion.

In the Bible, the resurrection itself doesn’t have a very detailed description but rather describes that the tomb Jesus was placed in after his death was empty on the third day. Jesus then appeared spiritually to the apostles and many others. In John 11:25-26, it reads that “Jesus told (Martha), ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”

10 Bible Verses About Hope

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When many of us are in need of a little bit of hope, we turn to the Holy Bible for inspiration. There are many stories that pertain to hope all throughout, with some specific verses really standing out as go-to’s for people who need that boost. Here are 10 Bible verses about hope that will keep you going throughout your day no matter how difficult it may get.

Romans 15:4

The verse: “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.”

If we want to know what’s in store for us in the future, we have to look toward the past, including the faith that’s shown toward God. The Scriptures know what’s in the cards for you.

Jeremiah 29:11

The verse: “For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

The Lord will always have a plan for everyone, and it’s best to trust in the Lord and know that, despite the tests of strength, will end up being for the better.

Job 14:7-9

The verse: “At least there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail. Its roots may grow old in the ground and its stump dies in the soil, yet at the scent of water it will bud and put forth shoots like a plant.”

There is hope in everything around us, from the smallest bug to the birds that fly the highest. This includes trees, which end up finding new life even when they’re at the end of their mortal shell.

Romans 8:18

The verse: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed for us.”

There are going to be times in your life when you wonder if it’s worth it to go through all of the trials and tribulations. When you have hope in eternal happiness, though, you’ll realize that the current problems you face are minor quarrels. 

Deuteronomy 31:6

The verse: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake.”

No matter where you go in life, you are not alone. The Lord is always there to help guide you through the best of times and worst of times, and that will never change.

Peter 5:10

The verse: “And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast.”

In your worst moments, the Lord knows the type of suffering that you’re going through and will do everything possible to make you better for the future.

Isaiah 61:1

The verse: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim the liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.”

There are always going to be people who have it worse than you do at that very moment. It’s best to have hope and count your blessings, spreading that hope to others.

2 Corinthians 4:18

The verse: “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

We place too many of our feelings in what we see, but need to place our hope in the Lord and the miracles we can’t see with our two eyes.

1 Peter 1:13

The verse: “Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.”

In the end, all of our hope should be in the Lord and that he will return and save mankind.

Revelation 21:3-4

The verse: “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold the dwelling of God is with me. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.”

God will wipe away all of the pain and suffering, and we must hope that there will no longer be that pain in our lives.

5 Most Popular Manga of All Time

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While most other parts of the world refer to them as comic books, in Japan they are mostly considered to be manga. Between comic series and graphic novels, manga have not only become popular in Japan but have left their mark on the rest of the world. Many of the most popular ones are adapted into anime series, which helps to boost sales of the manga.

There have been countless manga series throughout the years, but only a handful really stand out as being the most popular worldwide. If you’re new to manga and want to know which ones to get into, it’s best to dive into the most popular. Here are the five that have sold the most copies, what they’re about, and what other forms of media they’ve been adapted to.

One Piece

The best-selling Manga, One Piece, is the most popular of all the Japanese comic books. One Piece was created and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda in 1997. The manga is based around the loveable character Monkey D. Luffy who accidentally consumes a Gum Gum Fruit that gives his body the ability to stretch and bend to a superhuman degree. 

Luffy follows his dream to become king of pirates. He and his crewmates, named the Straw Hat Pirates, set sail to seek the “One Piece”, a treasure sought after by all. Over half a billion copies have been sold worldwide, hammering home the fact that people truly love One Piece no matter what form, but especially in manga.

Dragon Ball

Not surprisingly, the Dragon Ball series is the second most popular and best-selling manga series today. Created, written, and illustrated by Akira Toriyama in 1984, the manga was heavily influenced by the Chinese novel “Journey to the West” and martial arts films. 

The 42 volumes of the Dragon Ball manga follow Son Goku throughout his childhood, to adulthood. He spends his time training martial arts while seeking out the 7 widely sought-after dragon balls that summon a wish-granting dragon when collected. The series has seen many developments and changes with the multitude of movies, new series, and video games spawned from the original manga.  

Golgo 13 

The third best-selling and most popular manga series of today is the Golgo 13 series. It was created, written, and illustrated by Takao Saito way back in 1968. The series follows the events that unfold around the life of a mysterious professional hitman, who goes by the alias Duke Togo. 

The series has seen an anime adaptation, and a live-action adaptation, and continues to wow audiences worldwide. Sadly, Saito passed away in 2021. Though he wished for the series to continue on without him. 

Case Closed/Detective Conan

The fourth best-selling and most popular manga on our list is the Case Closed(also known as Detective Conan)series. The manga, which has more than 100 volumes, was created, written, and illustrated by Gosho Aoyama in 1994. 

The series follows high school detective Jimmy Kudo(Shinichi Kudo)who is fed an experimental drug by a crime group in an effort to end his life. Though the drug ends up having an odd effect and turns Kudo into a child. Kudo ends up living with a friend and tagging along to investigations with his friend’s detective father. 

Doraemon

The fifth best-selling and most popular manga of all time is the Doraemon series. It was created, written, and illustrated by Fujiko F. Fujio in 1969. The 42-volume series follows a robotic cat named Doraemon who travels back in time to help a struggling boy named Nobita Nobi. Nobi has a difficult time in school and finding motivation in general. Doraemon ensures Nobi does better for himself so his future bloodline has a more fruitful life. 

The series had a nice run as an anime series in 1973, 1979, and 2005. The series also saw great success with over 40 anime films and multiple video games for the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Nintendo DS. 

5 Secrets of Great Marketing Campaigns

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Marketing is one of those things that seems really easy on the surface, but if you aren’t involved with it on a daily basis, it can be a lot more complicated than you think. There are a lot of intricacies that go into a great marketing campaign, and many moving parts, especially when it comes to your spending budget. While it’s not easy, it’s certainly not impossible to emulate what some of the most successful companies have done.

Whether you’re working for yourself or part of a large company that needs a marketing boost, there are some open secrets in the industry as to how you can find success. If you’ve hit a wall and are looking for ideas, here are five secrets from some of the greatest marketing campaigns that have been seen in the business world.

Keep It Short

It’s no secret that social media is the most dominant force in all of marketing these days as people move away from traditional cable television, magazines, and newspapers. Even streaming services have ad-free options, leaving a lot of companies to focus solely on social media because it’s the only place left where they know that they can get someone’s attention.

Because people scroll through social media so fast, there’s a very limited amount of time in which you can capture their attention. This has caused a lot of companies to turn their focus to short videos, which are much more attention-grabbing than a simple still image of an item that you’re selling. Make it funny, keep it short, and don’t lose that attention if you want to succeed.

Be Interesting

We alluded to it with the last tip, but you have to be interesting if you want to stand a chance against all of the other companies fighting for that minuscule amount of attention in the social media age. Think of the most boring commercials that you’ve ever seen. You probably can’t name any, right?

Now, think of the funniest or most outlandish commercial that you’ve seen. You can probably come up with a dozen of them just off the top of your head. Interesting, even if it has nothing to do with the product that you’re selling, is going to get people in the door. Getting that attention is the best thing that you can do as a marketer, and from there you can go into sales mode.

Inspire

If “funny” or “outlandish” isn’t what you’re aiming for, then being inspirational is another way of getting a lot of good attention. It’s one of those emotions that we respond to instantly, even when it comes to commercials. Think of movies like “Rocky” or “Hidden Figures”. People love a good inspirational story, and if you can tell one in 30 seconds or less, that will go a long way.

There have been a lot of companies that have had memorable marketing campaigns that were based around inspiration. Think of the Find Your Greatness campaign by Nike or the Space Jump campaign by Red Bull. We all want to see the pinnacle of human achievement, and attaching your brand’s name to that achievement is huge for marketing. 

Be Catchy

When a song is super catchy, it’s often referred to as an earworm. It doesn’t have to be a top 40 hit on the radio to fall into this category, though. A jingle that’s from a commercial can end up being just as big of an earworm. Anyone that has watched a football game will probably just randomly start singing “Whopper, Whopper, Whopper, Whopper” because of the infectious Burger King jingle.

These days, people would say that Burger King is “living rent-free” in the heads of anyone that’s seen the commercial. All it takes is just to hear the jingle a couple of times and, all of a sudden, there’s that part of the brain that can’t escape the brand name. Is it a cheap way to get people to remember your brand? Maybe, but it works.

Uses Prices When Necessary

The last big secret for marketing campaigns is that you should never reveal the price during your first impression of advertising unless you know it’s lower than your competition. If you are indeed selling at a lower price, then that should be the main part of your marketing campaign. When people are aware that you’re offering the best price for them, it doesn’t matter what the rest of the campaign looks like.

After all, price is the biggest factor in what people buy throughout the world. If your price isn’t as low as some of your competitors, then you have to get their attention through the methods that we’ve discussed earlier. Either way, you now have a winning strategy for marketing regardless of price.

5 Genius Rappers Who Are Cruelly Overlooked

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In the world of hip-hop, there are certain names that always get thrown around when it comes to the greatest rappers of all time. Some of those names include Eminem, Nas, Jay-Z, Tupac Shakur, the Notorious B.I.G., and a handful of others that get all of the love. But what about some of the all-time greats that don’t quite get as much of the ballyhoo as the others do?

There are many fantastic rappers that didn’t quite land the mainstream success as some of the others that we mentioned, so now it’s time to give them the praise that they deserve. If you’re looking for something new to listen to and want to get deeper into hip-hop, here are five genius rappers who are cruelly overlooked.

Del the Funky Homosapien

Though his real name is Teren Delvon Jones, many know him as Del the Funky Homosapien, or simply Del. Jones was born in Oakland, California in 1972 and would start his hip-hop career during the late 1980s. At just 18 years old, he had his debut solo album and released three of them throughout the 1990s.

After releasing his fourth solo album in 2000, Del finally got some mainstream attention thanks to joining forces with Gorillaz on their 2001 self-titled album. Songs like “Clint Eastwood” and “Rock the House” were great introductions for Del, but if you want a taste of his solo work, you should check out tracks including “Catch a Bad One”, “If You Must”, and “Press Rewind”.

Rakim

If you ask any rapper that’s famous in the mainstream these days who they consider the greatest lyricist of all time, there’s a good chance that they’re going to say Rakim. After all, he’s nicknamed The God MC. However, many casual fans in the modern era aren’t quite sure of Rakim’s body of work.

Rakim was one half of the duo Eric B & Rakim which were at the forefront of what many music historians consider to be the golden era of hip-hop. Out of the four albums that Eric B. & Rakim released in the late 1980s and early 1990s, none reached the top 20 of the Billboard charts. Rakim released two more solo albums in the 1990s, but has released just one since then with 2009’s “The Seventh Seal”. Do yourself a favor and listen to his duo and solo work.

MF DOOM

The late MF DOOM is essentially in the same boat as Rakim, as many famous rappers consider him to be at the top tier of the genre even though he didn’t get much mainstream attention. Born as Dumile Daniel Thompson, he adopted the MF DOOM nickname and mask based on the comic book villain from the “Fantastic Four” series.

MF DOOM was known for his collaborative work over the years, but also released six solo albums between 1999 and 2009 under various names. This included his debut work, “Operation: Doomsday” and concluded with 2009’s “Born Like This” as simply Doom. Some of his best songs include “All Caps”, “Rhymes Like Dimes” and “That’s That”.

The D.O.C.

If the name D.O.C. sounds familiar, it’s because many of the best rappers in history have name-dropped him in their tracks, including Dr. Dre, Eminem, and Jay-Z. However, Tracy Lynn Curry didn’t receive as much chart success as those three with his own career.

The D.O.C. is a co-founder of Death Row Records and collaborated with a lot of West Coast rappers including Dre himself and Eazy-E. He was part of the Fila Fresh Crew and released three solo albums between 1989 (“No One Can Do It Better”) and 2003 (“Deuce”). His best tracks include “It’s Funky Enough”, “The Formula” and “Drink It Up”.

Royce da 5’9”

When you think of Detroit rappers, Eminem is always going to be the first name that comes to mind. When Eminem was coming up in the Detroit rap scene, though, he was part of a duo alongside Royce da 5’9” named Bad Meets Evil. Shortly after Eminem reached mainstream success as a solo artist, he offered Royce a deal with Aftermath Entertainment in favor of signing with Tommy Boy Records.

Royce then feuded with Eminem and his group D12 for several years and stayed mainly on the underground while also serving time in jail before reuniting Bad Meets Evil. Royce has released eight studio albums throughout his career, but none of them have reached the top 20 of the Billboard 200. Some of Royce’s best songs include “Boom”, “I’m the King” and “Caterpillar”, with songs such as “Lighters” highlighting his Bad Meets Evil time.

5 Biggest Hip Hop Power Couples

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No matter what form of entertainment it is, there are always going to be power couples that dominate the industry. From the world of finance to politics and movies, power couples get all of the attention while also dominating their respective lines of work in terms of popularity. Hip-hop is no exception as there have been many power couples over the years that worked together to rule the charts and fill up the headlines.

Out of the many power couples that hip-hop has had, though, which ones really reign supreme? We’ll go back to the early days of the genre and see which ones really stood head and shoulders above the rest. Here are our picks for the five biggest hip-hop power couples of all time.

Jay-Z and Beyoncé 

Probably the hip-hop power couple that will be remembered for years to come, rap mogul Jay-Z and natural-born superstar Beyoncé are a match made in hip-hop heaven. The two first met around the year 2000 and went on to date in 2001 and released their song “Crazy in Love” in 2003. 

The couple has three children, Blue Ivy and twins Rumi and Sir. Their relationship was littered with controversy when cheating rumors arose, but the couple seems to be going strong once again. As a couple, they have a combined net worth of $1.8 billion, dwarfing any other couple in hip-hop.

Cardi B and Offset

Another hip-hop couple that’s seen their fair share of tabloid headlines are rappers Cardi B and Offset. The couple got together in early 2017 and quickly made their way to marriage later that same year. The couple had their first child, a baby girl named Kulture in 2018. 

Their relationship had some bumps in the road after a cheating scandal involving Offset’s relations with another woman. They broke up and were set to get divorced, but a few months later they gave it another try and the marriage survived. The two reconciled and had their second child, a boy named Wave in 2021. 

Notorious B.I.G and Faith Evans

The OG hip-hop couple of the ’90s, the late rapper Notorious B.I.G and singer/rapper Faith Evans. The two met on the set of a Bad Boy Records photo shoot in 1994. Evans drove the rapper home afterward and their relationship advanced extraordinarily quickly, with the couple getting hitched just 8 days later. 

Though their relationship was not all sunshine and rainbows. The rapper was knowingly seeing other women on the side, including fellow rapper Lil Kim. Biggie and Evans had one child together before his death in 1997. 

Rihanna and ASAP Rocky

Superstar hip hop/pop queen Rihanna and her beau ASAP Rocky are icons in the music industry and an iconic couple. The two had extremely successful mainstream careers over the years, maintaining a longstanding friendship for years, then finally got together in 2020. Their relationship quickly progressed and the couple had their first child in 2022. 

Rumors of an engagement between the two made rounds on the internet after the two got “engaged” in Rocky’s “D.M.B.” music video, but the couple has not confirmed or denied plans of engagement, or marriage yet. 

Remy Ma and Papoose

Probably the most romantic hip-hop relationship with the least amount of turmoil within the 16 years they’ve been together, rappers Remy Ma and Papoose are two love birds who can’t be torn apart. They met through a mutual friend and sparks flew immediately. 

They began dating and got married over the phone during Ma’s time in prison for shooting a woman outside of a nightclub. After her release in 2016, she and Papoose finally wed in a more traditional setting. Ma has a child from a previous relationship but tried for another child with husband Papoose after marriage. After suffering a miscarriage in 2017, the couple held on and went on to have their child Reminisce in 2018. 

When Should You Run A Background Check On Someone And How?

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There are going to be some instances in life in which you have to submit to a background check, but there also might be times when you need (or want) to run a background check on someone else. Whether you’re checking their criminal record, credit, residential history, or anything in between, there’s some information that you’ll want to know.

In what cases are you most likely to need a background check on a person, though? We have a few scenarios where a background check is common, and we’ll also let you know how to perform a background check. While it might be easier and cheaper than you think, it can also involve some legal issues to think about.

Employer

A majority of the background checks that are performed are through employers who want to make sure that they’re investing their time and money into the right person. Typically, a background check will come after an interview and when a conditional job offer is issued. However, before everything is put into writing and signed, a background check is done for the final approval of the employee.

There are certain things in a background check that will end up being pertinent information for an employer. They’ll be able to see if their potential employee has been hopping from job to job while also seeing if there’s a criminal history that could hinder the safety of coworkers. If the applicant was found lying on their resume or has been charged with a white-collar crime, it could lead to the job offer being withdrawn.

Landlord or Tenant

A landlord is going to want to know that they’re renting the property they own to the right people, and they’ll find out much of the same information that an employer would. The background check can help to verify employment, guaranteeing that the tenant has enough money to pay the rent each month. If there’s no criminal background, it can also help the landlord feel at ease knowing that their property will go undamaged.

Tenants can also run background checks on their potential landlords. There are many landlords that aren’t exactly saints and can end up dealing in shady practices. You want to know that if you’re sending potentially tens of thousands of dollars per year to someone that you’re not going to get randomly evicted because the landlord is a potentially harmful person.

Dating

Let’s say that you start dating someone that you met online and you really like them. You don’t want to move too fast because you don’t know them all that well, but if you really feel inclined, you can have a background check run on them to make sure that you’re not getting into anything dangerous. While employers must notify someone that a background check is being run on them, it can be different for individuals.

In most cases, it’s illegal to conduct a background check on someone that doesn’t know there’s one being submitted. With that in mind, you’ll want to study your local laws to see what can be done. At the very least, you’ll still be able to verify who they are without breaking the law by getting a full check. If you both consent, though, a background check might be extreme, but it won’t hurt.

Childcare

You absolutely want to make sure that your children are safe above all else. With that said, never put your children in the hands of someone that you don’t know unless they are willing to submit to a background check. Anyone that’s willing to do so is likely going to be trustworthy, and the background check will show just that.

Some childcare providers may be offended by the thought, and if they are, it’s probably not worth your time to leave your kids with them. When it comes to teachers, though, they have already had background checks, so you can be assured that they’re qualified to watch your children throughout the day.

How to Run a Background Check

In most states, you’re able to access someone’s criminal history through a quick search on the state’s website. If you want more information such as credit, address, employment history, etc., you’ll have to get something more detailed. There are verified websites that can perform a full background check, and they usually only cost around $10 to $20.

No matter what kind of background check you’re getting, though, you want to inform the other party that you’re running a background check on them and you should obtain their permission. Failure to do so can lead to legal action against you.

Should You Research Your Tinder Date Online?

Posted on by scatty

These days, meeting potential lovers online through the use of dating apps is becoming the norm. Apps like Hinge, Badoo, Plenty of Fish, and the ever-so-popular Tinder, are used by people of all shapes, sizes, and walks of life to seek dates, hookups, loving relationships, and even friendships on occasion. There’s something for everyone within the wide selection of dating apps, some are even targeted toward a specific lifestyle, body type, or ethnicity.  

Probably the most popular and commonly used in the dating app universe is Tinder. A go-to for young adults looking to casually spice things up, meet new people, or maybe find true love. 

With the growing convenience of online dating, how can you stay safe and know who you’re talking to is really who they say they are? There’s no surefire way to know someone is telling the absolute truth about themselves. Tinder has made some strides over the past few years in keeping users feeling safer. Tinder’s profile verification is optional, but if you choose to, you are required to take a live picture of yourself to upload into their system where it’s checked to ensure the pictures on your profile are actually yours. Those verified will receive a blue check mark displayed on their profile so everyone knows they’re properly verified. So at the very least, you’ll know which profiles are authentic.

Tinder also gives its users some safety tips and access to their safety center that provides tools, resources, and information on how to keep yourself safe online and when planning an in-person meeting. 

If that’s not enough and you want to go the extra mile to have some idea of what you’re getting into, you can put your sleuth skills to the test with a bit of research. It’s surprising what kind of information you can pull up on somebody with just a name and general location. You’ll find the juiciest info through Facebook, Google, and even certain sites you can pay to gain access to criminal records and other more personal details that may sway your decision on meeting your potential beau. 

Just like most things in life, there are some downsides to extensively researching your matches. You’re essentially judging a book by its cover, without any real information on any questionable stuff you may dig up. 

You could get the wrong idea about someone who is actually worth your time. It can also make things quite awkward if you bring up questions about their personal life that they didn’t divulge directly to you. It might make the other person see you as a paranoid person, who isn’t willing to build the trust needed for them to open up to you about their personal life before diving straight into researching their information. 

Some of the top experts in dating say that at least taking a surface-level peak shouldn’t be too harmful. Checking sites like LinkedIn will let you know what someone does for a living. This could end up exposing your potential date if they lied about their job, or confirm what they said before. The best thing to do is check the ‘about’ section on social media profiles like Facebook to get some of the basic details.

Even things like relationship status and where they’re from will appear in this section. When we make small-talk with potential dates, these are usually the first things that come up, and you want to make sure that everything checks out. If it doesn’t, that’s a huge red flag and could help you dodge serious trouble.

In the end, it’s up to you to take the safety measures you feel are necessary. If you ever get a weird feeling from someone, it might be worth it to do some research and potentially dodge a bullet. Don’t sweat it and have fun. 

The Art Of The Perfect Gif

Posted on by scatty

When it was first released in 1987, not many people knew what the popularity of the graphics interchange format, or gif, would look like. When the world wide web started to gain more traction, many of us were being introduced to gifs for the first time, and simply found them as fascinating moving pictures.

These days, however, gifs are an absolute art form on the internet. There are entire forums dedicated to people who make high-quality gifs and see who can come up with the best that also tell a story. Gifs are serious business on the internet, and it’s essentially how we’ve begun to communicate without using words that don’t really translate well through text. 

But how do you make the perfect gif that’s sure to please everyone? It isn’t easy and takes a lot of technical know-how, but once you get it right the first time, you’ll be making perfect gifs in your sleep. Let’s take a look at what makes a gif great, and learn the art of the perfect gif.

Quality

Sure, there are some gifs that end up going viral that could be considered “grainy” at best, but if you truly want to make the ‘perfect’ gif you have to focus on quality. Some of the best gifs that you’ll see on the internet have a resolution of at least 480p, with some being at 720p or 1080p. Some gifs look like they were ripped straight from a high-definition digital movie screen, and that’s how you want yours to look.

There are millions of gifs on the internet, and there was once a time when a high-quality gif would take far too long to load on a screen. With the increase in internet speeds around the world, though, there’s no such thing as a gif that’s too large. People can even resize gifs if they have slow computers and still want to see them.

References

You could come up with the best-looking gif in the world, but if it has someone in it that nobody knows (or hasn’t yet gone viral), it probably won’t get a lot of traction. Most gif-makers know that to get a lot of attention, the gif itself has to come from an entertainment source, or at least have a familiar face.

There are so many great gifs that are taken from movies and television shows. You can even add your own text to a scene to make it more unique. This has been done on just about any topic, from making “Seinfeld” characters talk about football games to “The Simpsons” characters talking about politics.

Reactions

The biggest reason that gifs have become such a mainstream success and a staple of both personal and professional use is that they can be used to show a reaction to just about any situation. Whether it’s reacting to some great news or showing general sadness, a reaction gif can sum up what words never could.

There is legitimately reaction gifs for every emotion on the spectrum. Through host sites like Giphy or Tenor, you can simply type in how you’re feeling and you’re going to be bombarded with an endless amount of gifs that fit that emotion. We’ve probably all used some sort of gif of someone dancing happily on a Friday morning, knowing that the weekend is fast approaching.

Length

If you want to impress other people who make gifs, aim to make them as long as you possibly can. Seriously, there is an online group of gif-makers that create ones that are several minutes in length. If you want a gif that’s going to end up going viral, you should try to keep things short. This doesn’t mean less than a second, though, as there has to be enough time for something to happen.

Some of the finest gif-makers have said that the sweet spot for gifs is between three and six seconds, though you should try to keep it closer to the three-second mark. Many gif-hosting sites won’t even allow an upload of a gif that lasts for more than 15 seconds, either, showing that short and sweet is applicable to gifs.

Wordiness

We mentioned that there are some great gifs where people put their own text into other scenes, but make sure to be careful of how wordy your gifs are if you want them to become popular.

Those that have no words at all end up becoming more popular in the long run. If you have to add a word, try to keep it to just one or two words. We’ll reference Friday again, which is one of the more popular reasons to send gifs. If you simply add the word “Friday” to a dancing gif, it’s not going to be too wordy.