A nice young lady looking for help with a Social Studies project asked for help with this today, so here’s a little explanation of divine providence.

Divine Providence essentially refers to God’s activity and intervention in the world and in people’s lives. It can be and has been used – and abused – as an explanation or justification for just about anything – good or bad.

For example, many ancient rulers (and the civilizations which they governed) took the very fact that they were in power to mean that God willed for that to be. Therefore, this allowed them to get away with doing lots of stuff that may or may not have necessarily been good – but people accepted it as “fate” because God allowed that person to be in power, so therefore everything that was happening must be the will of God.

In fact, everything from the rise and fall of nations and the outcomes of battles and wars to explanations for droughts and famine has been and continues even to this day to be associated with the will and action of God.

This philosophy applies on a much smaller scale as well – and can be attributed to “fate” or “karma” too. In fact, you probably experience it on a daily basis without even realizing it.

For example, if something bad happens to someone and you overhear someone say “he/she had it coming,” they are expressing this very concept – that some higher power (karma, or the universe, or God) had some sort of intervention on that event taking place. And, every single day, millions of believers in God (including myself) attribute good things happening to God’s mercy and power.

Hope that helps!

“How do you reset a samsung phone?”
Here’s your answer!

If you want to restore a Samsung phone to its original factory state – whether you want to erase all the data from the phone, restore all the default settings, fix some random glitches, or remove a security code – this procedure works on most Samsung phone models. And, it works both with and without a SIM card.

Simply type in the following: *2767*3855#

The 3855 will show up as dashes…this is normal. Then hit the send button. Your phone will display a warning and then it will reboot. Do not turn your phone off during this time until it has completely booted back up.

Now, your phone has been cleared of your data (or its previous owner’s data) and you are able to sell or begin using it again.

The AT&T Website, ATT.net, has been down this morning until now…sort of. The site now redirects to their “My AT&T Yahoo!” site. Presumably, this means that AT&T accounts are now available.

However, the company will undoubtedly lose sales and positive sentiment (assuming they would have any even if their website did work) while their websites were down.

More updates to come.

Since early this morning, the AT&T Company Website has been down. As of 9:30am, it is still down.

Update (10:02am): The site is back…somewhat. Only “My AT&T Yahoo!” though.

On account of AT&T being a sorry excuse for a telcom company, this makes me very happy. However, many others are not so happy, particularly because this means that their email and other account features are all unavailable.

You can read why I think AT&T is the worst company ever here.

AT&T is the second largest wireless operator in the US (by subscribers), topped only by Verizon. Subscriptions have been rising in the past months as well, so we’ll have to watch and see what this little “hiccup” does to that trend.

Earlier I wrote about a great way to save money on your Halloween costumes by shopping from an online costume store that will not only price match but also take 20% off the matched price.

It seems I’m not the only one who thinks that’s a great deal. The Saving Blog has also decided to recommend the online costume shop. Take a look at their article here.

And don’t forget to save on your Halloween costumes by shopping from Costume Discounters!

AT&T has begun categorizing some uses of broadband internet connections as “aspirational services” – essentially, uses that aren’t a core part of broadband like e-mail and Web browsing.

The entertainment industry as well as gamers everywhere are furious about it, arguing that “What AT&T describes as aspirational services are no less important to the future of the Internet than email and web browsing were to the past and are today…”

Read more on ARS Technica in their article here.

A teenager in Nepal has invented a solar panel using hair instead of silicon that costs less than $40 to make. Not only is this new technology remarkable simply from its use of materials, but it may also hold the answer to solving the world’s energy problems.

The solar panel produces 9 V (18 W) of energy, which can charge a mobile phone or a pack of batteries capable of providing light all evening.

Read more at Mail Online on the original article here.

I just came across this outstanding post on Telegraph.co.uk looking at how some of today’s most popular websites looked when they were first launched.

It’s somewhat interesting that the more recent sites look worse than the older ones. Overall though, not too many surprises. The news company sites looked awesome (money will do that), and so did Amazon. And it’s funny how all today’s really successful sites like Google, Yahoo, YouTube, and Twitter looked terrible when they first started out, but not surprising. Oh, and Craigslist looks about the same.

Check out the post here.

Sadly, Erich Kunzel, the conductor of the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, died yesterday at the age of 74 as a result multiple forms of cancer. The internationally famous musician led the Pops for over three decades and was not only an incredible musician and performer, but also a remarkable person.

I had the honor of meeting Maestro Kunzel and performing under his directorship only two short years ago. He was an inspirational leader and working with him will always remain one of the most memorable experiences of my life. His energy and enthusiasm brightened the stage and motivated everyone involved to perform their best.

I also had the opportunity to personally talk with Kunzel (and sing for him) following the performances. Actually, I even carried his luggage out to his car for him when he left Orchestra Hall. His great personality and genuine kindness and interest in people will always be remembered.

Erich Kunzel was unarguably one of the best conductors to have ever lived, and while he will be missed greatly, he also leaves a legacy that will never be forgotten.

The 36th annual Daytime Emmy Awards, hosted by the lovely Vanessa Williams, took place yesterday in Los Angeles. The Daytime Emmy awards recognize outstanding performance and excellence in American daytime programming like talk shows, game shows, soaps, and even children’s programming.

Some highlights from this year’s results: Rachael Ray won in the “talk show entertainment” category, and “Sesame Street” won a lifetime achievement award. (As a side note, I am thrilled that Sesame Street won this award…I remember watching it as a kid and am happy that my kids will be able to watch it some day too.)

Here is the complete list of winners:

• Drama series: “The Bold and the Beautiful.”
• Lead actress in a drama series: Susan Haskell, “One Life to Live.”
• Lead actor in a drama series: Christian LeBlanc, “The Young and the Restless.”
• Supporting actress in a drama series: Tamara Braun, “Days of Our Lives.”
• Supporting actor in a drama series (tie): Vincent Irizarry, “All My Children,” and Jeff Branson, “Guiding Light.”
• Younger actress in a drama series: Julie Berman, “General Hospital.”
• Younger actor in a drama series: Darin Brooks, “Days of Our Lives.”
• Game-audience participation show: “Cash Cab.”
• Game show host: Meredith Vieira, “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.”
• Talk show-entertainment: “Rachael Ray.”
• Talk show-informative: “The Tyra Banks Show.”
• Talk show host: Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Sherri Shepherd, Barbara Walters, “The View.”
• Morning program: “Good Morning America.”
• Directing in a drama series: “One Life to Live.”
• Writing in a drama series: “General Hospital.”
• Performer in a children’s series: Kevin Clash, Elmo in “Sesame Street.”
• Lifetime achievement: “Sesame Street.”

You can view the entire list of nominees as well as great photos and footage from the event on Examiner.com here.