Punjab on Sunday saw a 62.07% voter turnout for the Lok Sabha poll amid sporadic incidents of clashes between Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP workers in the State. The polling for 13 constituencies in Punjab went peacefully, where 278 candidates are in the electoral fray. Punjab in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, saw a voter turnout of 71.28%.Firing incidentPunjab’s Chief Electoral Officer S. Karuna Raju said polling remained peaceful overall. He said an incident of firing was reported from Talwandi Sabo in Bathinda where a scuffle took place between supporters of two rival groups. “At Sarali Kalan in Tarn Taran, a man identified as Bunty was killed with a sharp-edged weapon. This murder, however, was a fall out of personal enmity and not related to the Lok Sabha poll,” said Mr. Raju.He said in Adampur of Jalandhar district an altercation took place between supporters of the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Congress.“Three cases have been registered for posting videos or photographs while voting. The cases have been registered in Gurdaspur, Ludhiana and Rupnagar districts under various sections of the law,” Mr. Raju said.“In the morning during mock poll, 290 ballot units, 219 control units and 508 VVPAT machines were replaced and 169 ballot units, 88 control units and 695 VVPAT were replaced during conduct of the poll,” Mr. Raju said. He also said that there was not a single case of disruption of poll and inducement of voters. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said that the voter turnout indicated the people’s commitment to upholding the democratic ethos of the country, which the BJP-led NDA was trying to destroy.
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Heart Evangelista admits she’s pregnant… with chicken Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. Robredo: True leaders perform well despite having ‘uninspiring’ boss PLAY LIST 02:49Robredo: True leaders perform well despite having ‘uninspiring’ boss02:42PH underwater hockey team aims to make waves in SEA Games01:44Philippines marks anniversary of massacre with calls for justice01:19Fire erupts in Barangay Tatalon in Quezon City01:07Trump talks impeachment while meeting NCAA athletes02:49World-class track facilities installed at NCC for SEA Games Lacson: SEA Games fund put in foundation like ‘Napoles case’ Cayetano to unmask people behind ‘smear campaign’ vs him, SEA Games World’s 50 Best Restaurants launches new drinking and dining guide What ‘missteps’? WATCH: Firefighters rescue baby seal found in parking garage “We’re very honored because we’re able to serve the country for 3×3 and we already have this chance for the Jones Cup,” said Ravena on Saturday in the Chooks-Pilipinas 3×3 homecoming press conference.READ: Jeron Teng wants to join Gilas poolFEATURED STORIESSPORTSSEA Games: Biñan football stadium stands out in preparedness, completionSPORTSPrivate companies step in to help SEA Games hostingSPORTSMalditas save PH from shutoutParas added: “It feels good that coach Chot (Reyes) called us. It’s not everyday that we get a chance to be included in the Gilas pool, so we’re looking at this as our chance to help the country.”Both Ravena and Paras are also hopeful to bring in another 3×3 teammate in the squad with Jeron Teng declaring his intentions to join the pool. LATEST STORIES
Ethel Booba on hotel’s clarification that ‘kikiam’ is ‘chicken sausage’: ‘Kung di pa pansinin, baka isipin nila ok lang’ MOST READ “Hopefully, we can bring that experience and the adjustment won’t be hard for both of us. We just need to learn the system because in a span of three weeks, it’s already Jones Cup,” he said. “We want to represent the country again and we know we have to work for that spot. Hopefully, it brings the best out of each other to prepare well.”Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next Chooks-Pilipinas 3×3 soaks in the appreciation from the Filipino fans after its campaign in the 2017 Fiba 3×3 World Cup. Photo by Fiba.comAfter representing the Philippines in the 2017 Fiba 3×3 World Cup, Kiefer Ravena and Kobe Paras now embark on a new challenge as they are set to join the Gilas Pilipinas pool practices on Tuesday.And for the two, nothing can compare to the privilege of being given the rare chance to don the national team colors.ADVERTISEMENT 1 dead in Cavite blast, fire PH to build on 3×3 World Cup experience “We already represented the country with Jeron, so we know how committed he is,” Ravena said. “Once you’re representing the country, whether is in the youth team or the seniors stage, the commitment doesn’t change. and we know that’s the case with Jeron.”READ: Kobe Paras stars for PH in Day 2 of Fiba 3×3 World CupThe 19-year-old Paras echoed the former King Eagle’s sentiment, saying that he knows how bad his roommate in France wants play again for the country.“We know what we’re doing is not for ourselves but for the nation. We need Jeron’s game in Gilas,” he said.Ravena is also optimistic that the international experience they gained with Chooks-Pilipinas 3×3 can be brought to the national team once they join the pool next week.ADVERTISEMENT View comments
Roger Federer, from Switzerland, returns the ball to Gael Monfils, from France, during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Thursday, May 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)MADRID — Facing match point and on a second serve, Roger Federer decided it was time for a “panic move.”So he went into all-out attacking mode, charging to the net to try to avoid a disappointing end to his first clay-court tournament since 2016.ADVERTISEMENT LATEST STORIES Panelo: Duterte ‘angry’ with SEA Games hosting hassles SEA Games hosting troubles anger Duterte Cayetano: Senate, Drilon to be blamed for SEA Games mess Private companies step in to help SEA Games hosting View comments MOST READ American Sloane Stephens got past Petra Martic in two sets and will face Kiki Bertens, who upset defending champion Petra Kvitova 6-2, 6-3 in a rematch of last year’s final.The fourth-seeded Federer had eased past Richard Gasquet in his first match in Madrid and looked set for another comfortable win after routing Monfils in less than 20 minutes in the opening set. But the Swiss lost five straight games to fall behind the 18th-ranked Frenchman who was seeking his second title of the season.Federer, who looked frustrated at times, recovered after being down 0-3 and 1-4 in the third set. He saved the two match points in a long game when trailing 5-6. The 20-time Grand Slam champion was back in control in the tiebreaker, winning six of the first seven points.Monfils, who won only nine points in the first set, was seeking his 19th win this season. He won the Rotterdam title in February.Federer will next face fifth-seeded Dominic Thiem, who defeated Fabio Fognini 6-4, 7-5. The fifth-ranked Austrian is coming off titles in Barcelona and Indian Wells. He was runner-up in Madrid the last two years.Federer, who earned his 20th win of the season, skipped the clay swing the last two years to remain fit for the rest of the season. The Madrid Open is his first clay tournament as he prepares to return to the French Open after a three-year absence. He has already won two hard-court titles this season, in Dubai and Miami, and is seeking his third Madrid trophy, and first since 2012.Nadal stayed in contention for his sixth Madrid title with a 6-3, 6-4 win over American Frances Tiafoe.“I played with better rhythm and showed some positive things,” said Nadal, who missed practice time earlier in the week because of a stomach virus. “I’m satisfied.”Earlier, top-ranked Novak Djokovic reached the final eight by beating Jeremy Chardy 6-1, 7-6 (2). It was his 13th consecutive win over Chardy, all in straight sets.“You do have a little bit more of a confidence coming into a match knowing that you’ve never lost to your opponent,” Djokovic said. “But he was playing well here.” PH underwater hockey team aims to make waves in SEA Games PLAY LIST 02:42PH underwater hockey team aims to make waves in SEA Games01:44Philippines marks anniversary of massacre with calls for justice01:19Fire erupts in Barangay Tatalon in Quezon City01:07Trump talks impeachment while meeting NCAA athletes02:49World-class track facilities installed at NCC for SEA Games02:11Trump awards medals to Jon Voight, Alison Krauss DA eyes importing ‘galunggong’ anew Philippine Arena Interchange inaugurated It worked.A lucky volley, followed by a smash winner, kept Federer in the match. An aggressive forehand two points later allowed him to save a second match point, and he went on to beat Gael Monfils 6-0, 4-6, 7-6 (3) in the third round of the Madrid Open on Thursday.FEATURED STORIESSPORTSPrivate companies step in to help SEA Games hostingSPORTSPalace wants Cayetano’s PHISGOC Foundation probed over corruption chargesSPORTSSingapore latest to raise issue on SEA Games food, logistics“I felt my chances were bigger at the net than from the baseline, so it was a desperation, panic move,” Federer said. “I was very nervous, so I just figured, ‘come to the net, take a chance,’ and it worked out.”In only his second match on clay in three years, Federer rallied from three games down late in the third set and then dominated the deciding tiebreaker to outlast Monfils and reach the quarterfinals in a match of more than two hours at the Magic Box center court. Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. Hontiveros presses for security audit of national power grid Damian Lillard, Trail Blazers get back at Nuggets to drag series to game 7 Djokovic will next face Marin Cilic, who came from behind to beat Laslo Djere 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.Also advancing to the quarterfinals were Stefanos Tsitsipas and Stan Wawrinka, who defeated sixth-seeded Kei Nishikori in two sets. Wawrinka will be Nadal’s opponent, while Tsitsipas will face Zverev, a three-set winner over Hubert Hurkacz.Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next Ethel Booba twits Mocha over 2 toilets in one cubicle at SEA Games venue It was the 1,200th career win for Federer, allowing him to join Jimmy Connors as the only male players to have reached the milestone in the Open Era.“I’m not sure if I’ve lost a match before after winning the first set 6-0. The statistics show that usually you are in good shape. But with Gael you really never know,” Federer said. “He really got into a great groove after that, he had great intensity. At the end I played a great tiebreaker so I’m very relieved and I’m very happy right now.”Top-ranked Novak Djokovic, second-seeded Rafael Nadal and defending champion Alexander Zverev also advanced to the last eight on Thursday.In the women’s quarterfinals, top-ranked Naomi Osaka lost 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 to Belinda Bencic, falling to the Swiss for the second time this season.Bencic will now face two-time Madrid champion Simona Halep, the former No. 1 who defeated Ashleigh Barty 7-5, 7-5.ADVERTISEMENT
Has an organization or university offered you an opportunity with a stipend? Whether it’s an internship or apprenticeship, a stipend is a set amount of money that helps offset living expenses. This fixed amount is financial support provided while you’re… Full Story,Truth is, there is a lot to be excited about when it comes to college: new friends, a new routine, (college parties!), and more independence. But along with all these perks, it’s also time to start thinking about your finances…. Full Story,A routing number is a unique number that identifies a specific banking institution. Each routing number is made up of nine digits. Routing numbers are sometimes referred to as an American Banker’s Association routing transit number or an ABA RTN…. Full Story,It’s stressful enough having a car loan over your head and staying on top of your monthly payments. But what if you have an upside-down car loan — in other words, the amount you owe on your set of wheels… Full Story,When you’re trying to get your financial house in order, it’s easy to get lost in the specifics. You might stress about how to adjust your budget, where to find some extra cash for the holidays or what funds to… Full Story,Shortly after graduating from New York University with a Master’s degree, Melanie Lockert turned to food stamps, as she worked her way out of $81,000 in student loans. “There were a lot of emotions around carrying that debt. It caused… Full Story,Traveling is one of the best things in life, and luckily, low funds don’t have to dash your dreams of enjoying an epic adventure. A wealth of destinations—both in the U.S. and abroad—are so affordable that even hardcore penny pinchers… Full Story,While we don’t yet have flying cars that collapse to the size of a suitcase, pneumatic tubes that transport us from room to room or machines that automatically bathe and clothe us in the morning, every day we’re getting closer… Full Story,Times have changed since Grams and Gramps were your age, looking to settle down and buy their first home. But today the house with the white picket fence—or that trendy loft in downtown—isn’t completely out of the question if you… Full Story,We recently hosted a Twitter chat as part of our #RealTalkSeries. And let’s just say, things definitely got real. Many of you joined us to discuss “taboo” and cringe-worthy money questions such as how to improve a bad credit score,… Full Story
How much do you pay for heating? Depending on where you live, it’s a good chunk of money during the wintertime. Even though we live in the South (in lovely Raleigh!), we’re not immune to getting some cold weather. With winter coming… Full Story,Tips to help turn those homebuying dreams into reality. From outstanding credit card debt to massive student loans, financial difficulties are barring more and more millennials from becoming homeowners. While the vision of buying a first home may seem hopelessly… Full Story,When most people imagine buying a house, they think about how many bedrooms they need or what kind of porch they want. When they think about homebuying costs, they decide how much to put down and what their maximum home… Full Story,One of my favorite shows is Sex and the City. Those women lived glamorous lives I could only dream about. And, Carrie, a writer, was living my dream life as a famous writer in Manhattan. One of the storylines that… Full Story,Last year, my husband and I were packing up our Denver apartment to prepare for our move back to his home state of Indiana. We’d put an offer in on a house and had only given ourselves a couple of… Full Story,A few years ago Dave Munson and his family decided to move from their 5,600-square-feet, 8-bedroom house in the city of San Antonio, Texas, to a smaller, unique living situation: tents. Well, fancy, upscale tents that total 2,000 square feet… Full Story,It’s a well-known fact that your personal environment affects your mental health. If you live in a beautifully decorated home with plenty of plants and green space nearby, your risk for anxiety and depression is lower. If you spend your… Full Story,My husband and I were so excited to buy our house. We’d been renting since college and were eager to have our own place. Finally, no one could tell us how many dogs we could have or how many posters… Full Story,Last summer, I was forced to relocate out of my cozy, bungalow-style apartment in West L.A. Living in one of the most unaffordable rental markets in the U.S., I was resigned to the fact that, to enjoy my ideal setup… Full Story,When you buy a home, you’re making an investment in yourself and your future. You’re building financial stability, equity, and experience. You have a place to call your own and you can customize the space just how you want. As… Full Story
I am invited to be on a lot of panels these days and end up doing Don’t forget to share this post! AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to TwitterTwitterShare to FacebookFacebookShare to Email AppEmail AppShare to LinkedInLinkedInShare to MessengerMessengerShare to SlackSlack 3. If you end up shaking a lot of hands and handing out all your cards at the end, that’s a sign that it went well. 1. 3. Describing the When you are done with your brilliant remark, no one will remember what question was asked in the first place. Mike Linton told me a story about Tony Blair who had to face parliament every week for a drilling. Tony said there were three scenarios. If someone asked him a question he actually wanted to answer (rare), he would answer the question. If someone asked him a question he didn’t want to answer, he would answer the question he wanted them to ask. If someone insisted he answer the question, then he would berate them for asking such a stupid question when there are people starving in Africa. 2. See where the questions are directed when they get to Q&A at the end. If you are feeling a little uncomfortable that all the questions are directed at you and not your other panelists, then you did a good job of getting inside the audience’s head. Don’t Be Shy and Don’t Dominate: call-to-action 2. For some reason, every time I give folks an acronym, I see everyone’s head go down and write. Here are some of my favorites: Describing the to learn how to turn your website into an internet marketing machine. Want to learn about how you can use inbound marketing to grow your business? Don’t be a moderator, be a panelist. photo by The prep call. Be prepared. 8. on your website – VEPA: V-Valuable; E-Easy; P-Prominent; A-Action Oriented Here is a bonus….Four signs you did well on a panel: For example, if/when you mention your product/service/book, say “and yes, that was a shameless plug.” Answer the question you wanted to be asked, not the question that was asked of you. Describing the 10. Acronyms, Acronyms, Acronyms. Brian Halligan 9. Most moderators organize a call before the panel to introduce the people, discuss format, and talk about questions. It is a good idea to attend this, but if you can’t, ask for the moderator to send out a summary by email. Panels occasionally involve each panelist doing a short Powerpoint prior to the discussion, so make sure you find out if it is one of those as you want to prepare a bit for it.
Soundbytes, Soundbytes, Soundbytes. – COPCA: C-Create Content; O-Optimize Content; P-Promote Content; C-Convert Visitors; A-Analyze Results . If you are invited to do a panel, here are my tips: something like 2 per week On the piece of paper you bring to the panel, have several pithy sound bytes on there that people will shake their head up and down at, write down, and tweet. One of my recent favorite is “there will be more changes in marketing in the next 5 years than there has been in the last 50 years.” 7. Webinar: Rethinking Marketing If you were invited on a panel, you want to say your piece and you want to get all your soundbytes out there, but you don’t want to take up too much airtime. If one of the other panelists answers a question that you want to “riff” on, just do it — preempt the moderator with your riff. In fact, if the pattern is panelist A — moderator — panelist B — moderator — panelist C — moderator — panelist B — moderator — on so on, that’s a bad panel. You want a discussion to occur between the panelists. Disagree once. Before you sit down on the panel, think about the topic. If they sent out questions in advance, think about your responses and have some notes. Show up with a piece of paper, a pen, your notes and room to make further notes while other panelists are talking. 5. 4. People are taking notes when you are talking. (Don’t confuse that with people checking their email!) Topics: Don’t Pimp too hard and if you do pimp, call yourself out on it. The moderator does not get to really tell a story or exhibit any expertise — they really just guide the questions. If given the choice, ask to be a panelist. If asked to be a moderator, request to be a panelist. If you don’t have a choice, be a moderator. — inbound marketing process 6. Brendan Biele – DARC: D-Digital Native; A-Analytical; R-Reach; C-Content Creator ideal modern marketer Originally published Nov 11, 2009 8:30:00 AM, updated October 20 2016 Panels can get really dry and really boring for the audience, particularly after lunch. Find an opportunity to disagree with another panelist to spice it up, get the crowd engaged, and get the dialog rolling. 4. Avoid moderator ping-pong. Download the free webinar 1. If presenting to a connected crew, just look at the tweet stream when the panel is done. If you are not on Twitter yet, go to twitter.com and do a search on the topic that you spoke about. Public Speaking
Ever log onto your computer in the morning and sift through your Tweet lists of favorite folks, your Facebook news feed, your RSS feeds, and wonder where the time just went? I know I do!But, as social media marketers the landscape changes every day. It’s important to stay on top of the latest news. If you took a two week break from Twitter or blogs, you may have missed that Quora had blown up so much. Maybe you wouldn’t have realized that it can now be used as a marketing tool, or that maybe your competitor is using it. But, you want to stay on top of that important news without distracted by the noise and LolCats and…. this kid. Luckily, for me – and you – there are some applications that make it easier for us who are ravenous for information and actually able to absorb it all without the hassle and time wasting. Trunk.ly: A “personal” search engine for all of your links…how cool is that? Basically, Trunk.ly takes all your links that you share online, in any capacity(Twitter, Facebook, Posterous, delicious, Tumblr, wordpress, instapaper, and RSSfeeds), and makes them easily searchable for you at a later time. This is helpful for those who curate content – seeing what things you can use in a news round-up style blog post, for example. You can sign up for Trunk.ly for free. Instapaper: You have 5,000 emails in your inbox, your friend just posted pictures from last night and you need to make sure you de-tag yourself, your sister just shared an awesome YouTube video, and you are catching up on Twitterabout the Tweetup you missed…when do you have time to read all those awesome blog posts? Instapaper helps you breathe a little easier. Basically a simple way to save articles to read when you have time – whether at your computer, on your iPad,or your smartphone. News at your fingertips, when and how you want it. Isn’t that how simple and awesome life should be? I think so! Sign up with Instapaper online for free.Cadmus: Ever miss a whole day from being on Twitter and feel out of the loop? Cadmus will help you “catch up.” This nifty app will group similar posts into conversations and puts the most important at the top of the list for your convenience. In addition it will find the trending topics from within your friends and the “@mentions” from your stream and groups them in convos for your convenience. This also helps with content curation. See what Tweets you should ReTweet from your community – build stronger relationships when you shine the light on others with RT’s and “hat tips.” Cadmus is great concept and free to sign up online. Flipboard: Too lazy to check all the sites you have a profile for? Wish you could sit on your couch with your iPad and have it all fed to you on a platter? Or want your Social News (from the platforms you care about) on the go, and at your fingertips with the ease of flipping a page? Flipboard is the “flip” master. Known as the social magazine – it allows you to “flip” through news, photos and updates your friends are sharing on Facebook and Twitter. Basically this sweet magazine gives you an easy-to-read and access layout so you don’t have to sift through information and updates nor do you have to go from one site to the other. It’s all in one place. Now that’s “flippin” awesome — and so is the free download.Packrati.us: I know I share a lot of links and sometimes I wish I could easily find and go back to them. Packrati.us will bookmark all your Tweets that contain links for you. That sounds pretty helpful, doesn’t it? It will bookmark links you share, links others share with you as well as the Tweets you “Favorite.” To put it simply, Packrati.us is a Twitter + Delicious app. However, now it also supportsHistorious, Instapaper, Pinboard.in, and Diigo accounts. Sign in through Twitter and be a “pack-rat” with you links. Easy as 1, 2, 3. my6sense: Going at full speed ahead, coffee in hand, from one meeting to the next, from dinner party to Tweetup to conference to family get-together to bed to gym to doing it all over again? The hustle and bustle can be fun and rewarding, but it always leaves us little time on our hands. My6sense realizes that and makes it so you have your Twitter, Facebook, news, blogs and RSS on youriPhone, Android and/or other mobile device. This nifty app automatically filters yourTwitter stream so that the tweets containing your most relevant content (links) are presented first due to its relevance ranking system which is made to be fully compatible with the most popular platforms like Facebook and Twitter (among others). Free app for your “on the go” pleasure.Reeder: Love your Google Reader but wish you could access it while you’re bored on the train or waiting for a doctor’s appointment to begin? This app is basically your Google Reader but an on-the-go version for your iPhone and/or iPad. On top of this easy on the go quality, the app also allows you to send to Instapaper(see above for details). save to Delicious, post to Twitter, and email to friends. Sounds pretty convenient and useful to me. This app is available in the App store for $2.99 for any of your apple devices.Take a few minutes out of your crazy schedule to breathe, decide on an app (or two or three) that you like, throw them on your iPad or iPhone or whatever you prefer, take it with you when you head to your next busy appointment, and see how much more convenient and easy your life has become at the touch of a download/sign-up. Let me know what you think of these “time-saving” options for having your social news where you want it, and when you want it.And for your “convenience” here’s my Keeping up with Social News Toolkit to help you out. Enjoy! Topics: Originally published Aug 29, 2011 2:07:00 PM, updated March 21 2013 Social Media Don’t forget to share this post! AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to TwitterTwitterShare to FacebookFacebookShare to Email AppEmail AppShare to LinkedInLinkedInShare to MessengerMessengerShare to SlackSlack
Originally published Apr 4, 2013 2:00:00 PM, updated September 05 2017 Primary CTA: Because we know that the majority of the traffic we get on this blog is new traffic, our primary CTA on this post, which is about blogging and content creation, is for a very top-of-the-funnel educational offer: a template to create your own blog editorial calendar.Secondary CTA: Because growing the reach of our blog is one of our goals, the secondary CTA promotes subscription to our blog.These primary and secondary CTAs are much like the ones you see at the end of this very blog post. Of course, if you’re already a lead in our database, you may be seeing a Smart CTA for a more middle-of-the-funnel offer as the primary CTA (wink wink).As with anything in marketing, the best way to know which secondary CTAs work best for you in each channel is to test them! So put on your lab coat and safety goggles, and get experimenting! Don’t forget to share this post! AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to TwitterTwitterShare to FacebookFacebookShare to Email AppEmail AppShare to LinkedInLinkedInShare to MessengerMessengerShare to SlackSlack Chocolate or vanilla? Comedy or drama? Heels or flats? People love options. After all, they don’t say “variety is the spice of life” for nothin’! So why not transfer this common knowledge about people’s love for options over to your marketing and give your visitors and prospects some choices, too?While there are quite a few ways in which you can offer variety in your marketing, today we’re going to zone in on one in particular: secondary calls-to-action (CTAs).Start generating more conversions from your calls-to-action today with HubSpot’s free marketing tools.So let’s discuss exactly what secondary CTAs are, and why you should be using them in your various marketing initiatives.What Is a Secondary CTA?Why — I’m so glad you asked! A secondary CTA is a call-to-action that provides an alternative conversion opportunity or action to the primary action you ideally want visitors, prospects, or leads to take. Your secondary CTA is generally featured less prominently than your primary CTA, and it can be a great way to further engage and capture people who may not find the offer in your primary call-to-action appealing.For example, your primary call-to-action might be for visitors to download one of your educational ebooks, which they have to complete a full lead-capture form in order to redeem. And as a secondary call-to-action, you might ask visitors to subscribe to your blog by email, which requires just their email address. Now think about those people who may opt to subscribe to your blog because either they A) weren’t interested in the subject of your ebook or B) just weren’t ready to provide more personal information than just their email address. If you hadn’t offered that secondary conversion opportunity, those people may have moved on from your website without taking any action at all! But because you did, while you may not have captured them as a lead, per say, they’re now a subscriber to your blog. So they’ll likely come back to read more of your content, and hey — maybe one of your other primary CTAs will tickle their fancy next time.In other words, secondary CTAs can be a great tool for saving some of those lost conversion opportunities. Why Are Secondary CTAs Beneficial?In addition to saving lost conversion opportunities, secondary CTAs can be beneficial for a slew of other reasons …1) They’re Great for Generating ReconversionsIn general, the primary CTA you choose should align with the person’s position in the sales funnel. For example, if someone is already a lead who has converted on a bunch of your top-of-the-funnel offers like educational ebooks, your primary CTA might be for a more middle-of-the-funnel offer such as a product demo. But maybe someone isn’t ready to take that next step to see a demo, and they’re content in their current stage — still craving that purely educational ebook you’re promoting in your secondary CTA. No problemo! Even if that reconversion isn’t elevating the status of your lead, it doesn’t mean it’s not valuable. For one thing, that lead is still engaging with your content, and when you use marketing software technology like smart fields and progressive profiling, each and every conversion enables you to gather even more information and intelligence about that lead that you can use to craft more personalized lead nurturing campaigns for them as a result. 2) They’re Great for Progressing Leads to the Next StageOn the other hand, let’s say you’re sending an email to a segment of your contacts database who are all just newly converted leads. They’ve only converted on one of your offers, so it’s probably too soon in the game to promote your product demo as your primary CTA. So you decide to promote an intermediate-level offer related to the subject matter of the introductory-level offer they first converted on. But as your secondary CTA, you also point to the landing page for your product demo, and — whaddya know! — some of those contacts just so happen to go for the product demo anyway!Let’s be honest: You can do your very best to align your offers to a person’s stage in the sales cycle, but you can never truly know when a given person is ready to take the next step. By giving leads the secondary option of progressing further even when you think they’re not ready, it’s a win-win!3) They Help You Prioritize and Support Additional Business Goals Other Than Just Lead GenerationKeep in mind that your CTAs don’t have to always be encouraging conversion on a landing page. A call-to-action is just that … a call to action. In other words, maybe you’re trying to grow your social reach, so you decide to use your secondary CTA to encourage people to follow you on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn. Or maybe, because you know how social sharing impacts things like SEO, you choose to use your secondary CTA to encourage people to share the blog post they just read in social media. Or maybe your company’s annual event is coming up, and you’re trying to attract more attendees, so you decide to use your secondary CTA to promote that event. Or, on the flip side of that same coin, maybe event registration is your top priority right now, you want to make that the focus of your primary CTA, but so as not to sacrifice lead generation, you make your lead gen offer your secondary CTA. The point here is, utilizing both a primary and secondary CTA enables you to prioritize and balance your goals, lead generation or otherwise.Best Practices to Consider When Choosing Secondary CTAsA secondary CTA can promote just about anything a primary CTA can — an ebook download, a webinar signup, a social media follow or share, an event registration, a blog subscription, a consultation request, a trial, a coupon — and the list goes on. The important thing to remember about secondary CTAs is that the offer you choose for your secondary CTA should depend heavily on context. Here are some contextual considerations to make when you’re either choosing the offer for your secondary CTA or deciding on its look, feel, or positioning.1) Determine Your GoalsLike we just we talked about, your decision about what to use as your secondary CTA will largely depend on what your individual goals are, so it’s important to determine what those are first and foremost. This may also vary based on the goals of your primary CTA, where your secondary CTA is getting placed, and what the goals of that particular channel are. For example, it might make sense to promote your annual conference as a primary CTA on your website’s homepage, with secondary CTAs supporting lead generation. But the same might not hold true for your email marketing messages, whose main goal may be lead generation. 2) Don’t Compete With Your Primary CTA — Complement It Remember: Your primary CTA should encourage the most desired action you want people to take. Considering that, you want your secondary CTA to complement that primary one, not compete with it. So make sure your secondary CTA — from copy, to design, to size, to placement — doesn’t ever overpower your primary CTA in any way. It should be immediately evident to your audience what your desired course of action from them is. Otherwise, you might lose out on conversions from your primary CTA for secondary conversions, and chances are, you don’t want that.3) Take the Person’s Lifecycle Stage Into ConsiderationWe talked briefly about this earlier, but it’s worth mentioning again. Always keep the person’s stage in the sales cycle in mind during your secondary CTA selection. If your primary CTA is encouraging them to take the next step and move further down the sales funnel, it may be wise to use your secondary CTA to promote something a little bit less commitment-inducing and more in-line with their current position in the funnel in your secondary CTA.Furthermore, certain pages of your website are likely aligned with certain likely stages in your sales cycle. It makes sense that someone visiting your pricing page, for example, might be further along in the sales funnel than someone checking out your “About” page. Adjust your primary and secondary CTAs accordingly. Dynamic, or Smart CTAs can an additional layer of complexity and relevance here, since they allow you to automatically display certain CTAs based on what you already know a persona’s lifecycle stage is.4) Take the Visitor’s Interests Into ConsiderationSimilarly, the person’s interests can also play a big role in your choice of secondary CTAs. For instance, let’s say you’re a plumber, and you’re sending an email to a segment of your leads who have already downloaded your introductory ebook on plumbing basics. Now let’s say the primary CTA of this email is for a free call with one of your plumbing experts — which would advance your leads to the next stage in your sales cycle. For your secondary CTA, you might choose to send them your intermediate ebook with some more detailed plumbing tips, knowing that they’re interested in plumbing but may not be ready to talk to one of your experts. Maybe they’re really confident in their ability to de-clog that sink drain themselves, and just aren’t ready to admit that they need the help of professional ;-)Smart CTA technology can help here, too, enabling you to display CTAs targeted at different interests by segmenting your CTAs based on page visit history, past downloads, etc.5) Don’t Overdo ItBut you just told me, “variety is the spice of life!” Sure … but there’s a fine line between giving people choices, and overwhelming them with a million different options. While people like to have some level of control, they also crave direction. There’s nothing worse than landing on a web page and being bombarded with a million different CTAs. It makes people freak out and think, Where do I go? What in the heck do you want me to do?! In general, try to stick to just one primary and one secondary CTA — and in certain situations, it might also make sense to sprinkle the page or the email with some subtle things like social sharing/follow buttons. Just don’t be all in your face about those if you’re also promoting a primary and secondary CTA, too. Just use some good ol’ fashioned good judgment.6) Avoid Using Secondary CTAs on Landing PagesWith the exception of social sharing buttons, the only place we absolutely advise against ever using a secondary CTA is on your landing pages. If someone has arrived at one of your landing pages, they’ve already expressed interest in that landing page’s offer by clicking through on some type of CTA — whether it be a CTA on a blog post, web page, or in an email, a post shared in social media, or search result. The last thing you want to do is distract them by directing them somewhere else. Secondary CTAs on landing pages only create friction for the conversion process, so stick to the primary CTA of that landing page — which is to fill out the form! Examples of Secondary CTAs in ActionLet’s round out this post by providing some examples of secondary CTAs in action! The following are examples from HubSpot’s own marketing.In EmailsThe following email was sent to a relevant segment of our leads …Here’s a breakdown of the CTAs within:Primary CTA: The primary CTA is promoting the primary purpose of this email send — to encourage recipients to download our ebook, 16 Companies in ‘Boring’ Industries Creating Remarkable Content.Secondary CTA: The secondary CTA is in the P.S. of this email, promoting an inbound marketing assessment, which is a higher commitment offer that serves to further qualify and progress a lead through the funnel. As a result, recipients can either reconvert on the primary offer, or choose to take the next step in the sales cycle. Win-win!Social Share Buttons: While these can technically be considered secondary CTAs as well, and we generally advise just using one secondary CTA option, these buttons are subtle and don’t compete with or take away from either the primary or secondary CTAs.In Blog PostsThe following is an example of a primary and secondary CTA on one of the blog posts from this very blog. Let’s take a closer look …
Topics: Calls to Action
Petra Kvitova became the first top 10 seed in the women’s draw to be knocked out as Germany’s Andrea Petkovic toppled the sixth seed 6-4, 6-4.Although Kvitova had 23 winners, nearly twice the number of her opponent, it was Petkovic who converted three of six break points to move into the third round.KENIN, WANG THROUGH IN STRAIGHT SETSAmerican Sofia Kenin was tested by Germany’s Laura Siegemund in the opening set but quickly wrapped up the second with a 7-6(4), 6-0 victory to move into the next round.Meanwhile, China’s Wang Qiang overcame the challenge of Belgium’s Alison Van Uytvanck with a 7-5, 6-4 win. Both players smashed 19 winners each but the Belgian’s 37 unforced errors proved to be her downfall.GOFFIN STORMS INTO THIRD ROUNDBelgium’s David Goffin brushed aside France’s Gregoire Barrere with a crushing 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 victory in a match that lasted 85 minutes.Goffin, the 15th seed, fired eight aces and broke the Frenchman seven times, winning 14 of his 16 net points to advance.Also Read | US Open 2019: Serena Williams fights off Caty McNally challenge to reach 3rd roundAlso Read | US Open: Venus Williams orders mid-match coffee during 2nd round loss to Elina Svitolina
The Committee of Administrators (CoA) on Sunday show caused BCCI acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary for not attending recent meetings of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Asian Cricket Council (ACC).Though the CoA recently banned him from convening national selection committee meetings as secretary, Choudhary remains BCCI’s representative at the ICC and ACC.Chouhdary has seven days to respond to the show cause notice.”It has now come to the notice of the Committee of Administrators that in the last meetings of the ICC and the ACC, not only did you not attend the meetings but kept the BCCI in dark about your unavailability either until it was too late or altogether,” wrote the three-member CoA in its notice to the secretary.”Your aforesaid conduct left the BCCI unrepresented in the said meetings and exposed the organisation to considerable risk.”The ICC conference was held from July 14-20 in London while the ACC Annual General Meeting took place in Bangkok on September 3.”The COA came to learn of your unavailability to attend the ICC Conference scheduled in London for the 14th July on 12th July when you merely forwarded your e-mail dated 12th July 2019 to ICC, informing the ICC of your unavailability for the said meetings.”The short notice did not leave any room with the COA to appoint a replacement to attend the said meetings in London. Consequently, the BCCI was unrepresented in the board meeting of the ICC.”The CoA, headed by former CAG Vinod Rai, claimed Choudhary again expressed his last minute unavailability for the ACC AGM.advertisement”Later, the COA had approved your travel to Bangkok to attend the ACC AGM on September 3, 2019. Again at the eleventh hour you failed to attend the ACC meeting, leaving the interests of the BCCI unattended.”You did not even deem it necessary to inform the COA of your unavailability to attend the said meeting. The COA learnt of your unavailability, and that too without knowing the reason for the absence, from the Secretary of the ACC as you had mailed to him of your unavailability to attend.”Thus, the BCCI learnt from the ACC that its own representative was not attending the meeting on the morning of the meeting. This was most humiliating for the COA and the organisation. Besides the fact that in both the meetings the BCCI went unrepresented, its interests have been seriously compromised by your action,” the COA stated.Also Read | Only Test, Day 4: Spinners help Afghanistan inch closer to famous win over BangladeshAlso Read | David Warner has admitted Stuart Broad’s had the wood on him: Steven SmithAlso See:
Portugal legend Cristiano Ronaldo broke down in tears after being shown footage of his late father he had never seen before.Ronaldo saw the film of Jose Dinis Aveiro talking of the pride he felt for his son during an interview with Piers Morgan.In the short clip, Mr Aveiro was seen talking about Ronaldo while stood on his doorstep.Ronaldo, crying, said: “I never saw the video. I never saw that video. Unbelievable.” Asked by Morgan what it was that made him so upset, Ronaldo replied: “To be the number one and he doesn’t see anything. He doesn’t see me receive awards.”Morgan then adds: “He never saw how great you became””Never,” Ronaldo responds. “My family see, my mum, my brothers, even my old son, but my father, he didn’t see nothing, and it was… he died young.”Cristiano Ronaldo breaks down in tears during interview with Piers MorganHe’s upset that his father never got to see how great he became.pic.twitter.com/513G5Ooaz8GiveMeSport Football (@GMS__Football) September 16, 2019Ronaldo’s father, Jose Dinis Aveiro, died on the eve of Manchester United’s Champions League group game with Villarreal in 2005 and Ferguson allowed Ronaldo to miss the match in order to be with his dying father in a London hospital – a compassionate gesture the Portuguese superstar has always been immensely grateful for.Under Ferguson’s guidance at Old Trafford, Ronaldo rose to become one of the world’s best players, helping Manchester United win three consecutive Premier League titles between 2007-09 and the 2008 Champions League.advertisementRonaldo, who currently plays for Serie A side Juventus, is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and has won a record-tying five Ballon d’Or awards the most for a European player. He has won 29 trophies in his career, including six league titles, five UEFA Champions Leagues, one UEFA European Championship, and one UEFA Nations League.
AdChoices广告I’ll get out of the way and let the transcript do the talking. This was Mike Gundy speaking after the Kansas-Oklahoma State game on Saturday afternoon. Thanks to John Hoover for the transcribing.“I just want to start by saying how sorry our staff, the Oklahoma State family and our team is about the incident earlier today. I don’t know a lot of details. At one time, there was some discussion, because of the impact on the families and the people involved, of whether to play the game or not.“Those decisions are made kind of higher than me. I was willing to support whatever direction they wanted to go. I don’t think that that’s something that’s up for discussion at this point, but it was really difficult for our coaching staff, our team and myself, being an Oklahoma State alum. It was a very unfortunate situation, so our thoughts and prayers from all of us go out to the families.“I do want to reiterate that this one incident cannot take away from Oklahoma State University, and it cannot take away from homecoming and the celebration. That’s something that’s very important to us and to me, to make a point that it is a great time of the year. It’s a great weekend and a great day, and there’s a tremendous amount of pride and effort that goes into our homecoming, and that’s why it has been established the way that it is. I don’t want anything to be taken away from that.“We told [our team] the truth. That’s the way we handle situations in our group, with good news, bad news or any news at all. There’s really no comparison to a tragic incident like this morning, but we told them the truth in our pregame conversation before we came to the stadium. Part of the development of young people in our organization is knowing that there are things in our lives that we can control, and there are things that we can’t control.“Today’s incident was something we couldn’t do anything about. There was certainly not anything we could do if we were going to play the game. Our players understand that. My message to them was that a decision was made to play the game so we need to play the game. After that, we need to do everything we can to help the people and the families involved.” While you’re here, we’d like you to consider subscribing to Pistols Firing and becoming a PFB+ member. It’s a big ask from us to you, but it also comes with a load of benefits like ad-free browsing (ads stink!), access to our premium room in The Chamber and monthly giveaways.The other thing it does is help stabilize our business into the future. As it turns out, sending folks on the road to cover games and provide 24/7 Pokes coverage like the excellent article you just read costs money. Because of our subscribers, we’ve been able to improve our work and provide the best OSU news and community anywhere online. Help us keep that up.
All we do is win. 9-0. #GoPokes pic.twitter.com/z711XF7a0X— Kaid Kinzie (@KaidKinzie) November 8, 20153. James Washington has separated himself (KP)It’s coming at the right time, too. One of OSU’s “weaknesses” is that it didn’t have a guy you had to gameplan around on offense. Now? The WR depth actually starts to matter because of Washington’s sudden explosion. ISU, Baylor and OU have to try and take No. 28 out of the picture which means Marcell Ateman, Big Hands Sheperd and Jhajuan Seales can step in if he’s erased. That’s big.“He’s put together two tremendous games, back-to-back,” said offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich. “That’s the big thing is that he’s consistent. The thing is, if they double cover him, somebody else has single coverage and we said earlier in the week, we have to find the single coverage matchups and throw to the one-on-one. Our guys are going to win those a majority of the time. That’s where we have to go with the ball.”4. We don’t need a RB1 (KB)Coming into the year, I predicted Chris Carson would be a 1,000 yard feature back. Raymond Taylor, Chris Carson, Rennie Childs, and Jeff Carr have all showed flashes of talent that have convinced me they can be the starter, but the committee approach has been just as effective.Saturday, Ray Tay lead all rushers with 28 yards – followed by Mason Rudolph (26), Rennie Childs (14), and Chris Carson (11).If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.5. Oklahoma State looks like a playoff team (KP)I’m not sure it had happened all season (maybe against UTSA), but the team I watched on Saturday afternoon looked like a College Football Playoff team. I’m not sure if they’ll end up getting there, but at least we know that gear exists because we didn’t know it for sure up until this point. The real question is what didn’t we learn on Saturday when OSU lit up TCU in Boone’s house. Here are five things we definitely learned.1. The defensive depth is insane (KP)Ryan Simmons out. Jimmy Bean out. Kevin Peterson hobbled. Ashton Lampkin not right. And Oklahoma State had no issues holding one of the two or three most explosive offenses in the country in check to the tune of 1.7 points per drive.TCU came into today averaging 3.54 points per drive, 3rd in the country. Today they scored 1.7 points/drive, which would be 96th. #Spencer— Dave Hudson (@okc_dave) November 8, 2015AdChoices广告For OSU to have a great defensive line and linebackers is mind-blowing in and of itself for lifelong OSU fans. But to be deep, too? That’s a dream.2. The home crowd advantage is real (KB)I went to the game on Saturday, and it was by far the loudest game I’ve ever been to. The “9 and O! postgame chant was incredible, but that was just a small glimpse of the raucous environment from the game. While you’re here, we’d like you to consider subscribing to Pistols Firing and becoming a PFB+ member. It’s a big ask from us to you, but it also comes with a load of benefits like ad-free browsing (ads stink!), access to our premium room in The Chamber and monthly giveaways.The other thing it does is help stabilize our business into the future. As it turns out, sending folks on the road to cover games and provide 24/7 Pokes coverage like the excellent article you just read costs money. Because of our subscribers, we’ve been able to improve our work and provide the best OSU news and community anywhere online. Help us keep that up.
While you’re here, we’d like you to consider subscribing to Pistols Firing and becoming a PFB+ member. It’s a big ask from us to you, but it also comes with a load of benefits like ad-free browsing (ads stink!), access to our premium room in The Chamber and monthly giveaways.The other thing it does is help stabilize our business into the future. As it turns out, sending folks on the road to cover games and provide 24/7 Pokes coverage like the excellent article you just read costs money. Because of our subscribers, we’ve been able to improve our work and provide the best OSU news and community anywhere online. Help us keep that up. Sorry I was unable to get to the mailbag questions on Wednesday. Doing them this afternoon instead. Let’s jump right in with a doozy.David Einstein: Do sports and politics now overlap? (i.e. North Carolina house bill). If so, how would Oklahoma react if in the same situation? Sports and politics have always overlapped, and that’s a good thing. In fact, you know what is the best thing to happen in sports this year? Colin Kaepernick taking a knee for the national anthem. That is the single best thing that has happened in sports in 2016.Regardless of how you feel about whether Kaepernick is right or wrong about his stance (and I know that literally every human being who is not in currently a coma feels a certain way about Kaepernick’s stance on the issue), it is the only sports event in 2016 that has opened the door for conversations about more important things than cover-two defenses and how many shooting guards is too many shooting guards (looking at you, TFord!)You know who made it easier to talk about racial diversity within my community and how to love those around us better with three friends over beers on Tuesday night after our church group met at my house? Colin Kaepernick.His position, whether you agree with it or now, has allowed us to in a lot of instances have conversations about race that don’t feel awkward or forced. And figuring out how to love all humans regardless of nationality or race is a far greater thing than the United States flag. It just is. I cannot be convinced otherwise.I grant that it is incredibly difficult to move beyond the “should he or shouldn’t he?” question when it comes to standing for the flag, and that this is a deeply complex issue for which many men and women have literally given up their lives. But if you can hold two truths in one hand at the same time — that a person can feel deep gratitude for those who have shed blood but also despair over the way a specific people has been treated historically (and I’ve read plenty of pieces that prove we can do this) — then it is legitimately a great gateway to talking about real things that matter.I actually wish more OSU players and coaches would have addressed the controversy. I understand why they haven’t been asked or why they wouldn’t respond, but I think the conversation is a good (and fascinating) one to have. And one that is important if you believe that we as humans have a lot to learn about diversity and racial reconciliation (which I do).I can’t speak to how Oklahoma would react in the same situation regarding the North Carolina bill because I am too ignorant of the details of the situation so I won’t speak to that, but I’ve been looking for a reason to write about Kaepernick so thanks for giving it to me.OK … back to your regularly-scheduled programming!Kade Gottschalk: Would you trade Mason Rudolph for Alabama’s entire starting offensive line and Lane Kiffin?What a question! I presume the alternative is that I have to use the Oil Baron as QB1 if I trade away Rudolph and I don’t get Bama’s QB so I would say I’ll keep what I have. That’s tough because [pick any five Alabama starting offensive linemen from the last five years] are better than the best OL we have ever had, but I still think Rudolph is elite (I won’t be swayed by one game!)I do wish we got more of this out of Mike Yurcich though.Happy @Lane_Kiffin is Happy with that fist pump though pic.twitter.com/rZKwqJPI0b— 2nd & 26??? (@IIDarkIIShikari) May 20, 2016 Zach Finger: I just had my first child last week. Any tips on watching games with a newborn around? (Yes the CMU fiasco was her first game). First of all, congratulations. That’s awesome. The baby, not her having to witness the CMU fiasco. Second, here are my tips.If it is a west coast game and starts between 9-10:30 p.m., you should be good for a quarter or twoIf it is not, go to a bar (make sure there is someone still at home to watch the child)I have nothing beyond those two suggestionsKevin Davis: How hot should the seat be for Spencer and Yurcich?Coming off a 10-3 season? Probably not that hot. If, by the end of this year, they go 7-6 for the second time in three years, could be hot.Nick in OKC: Which one of our coordinators is worse?This is interesting. OKC Dave asked me this at the beginning of the year (although he asked who was better), and I said Yurcich. Here’s the thing though. I think that we don’t really expect our defense to be very good so Spencer can get away with more as long as he’s tweetin’ great warrior poems and being an awesome life coach for guys like Ryan Simmons.The offense for Oklahoma State has always been the biggest variable in the athletic department. When it’s awesome, we rock. When it’s average, we don’t rock. I sort of disagree with this line of thinking because OSU should have won a Big 12 title in 2013 when its offense was just all right (its defense was unreal that year).You can do better on defense than OSU has done in the last two years and two games, but all anybody wants to talk about is the running game (justifiably so in a lot of cases). So to answer the question in the most roundabout way possible, I think Spencer is probably the better coach, but I’m only basing that on their public personalities. I think they are probably about the same level of good (or bad) when it comes to coaching, Spencer is just easier to get behind.
Kirk Herbstreit says take the over, and everybody takes OU except for Desmond Howard who takes the Cowboys in Norman. OSU is 2-0 against OU historically on December 3 games.“The Sooners’ defense has been playing very well the last four weeks,” said Howard. “But I think Oklahoma State will win a shootout. I’m going Cowboys.” While you’re here, we’d like you to consider subscribing to Pistols Firing and becoming a PFB+ member. It’s a big ask from us to you, but it also comes with a load of benefits like ad-free browsing (ads stink!), access to our premium room in The Chamber and monthly giveaways.The other thing it does is help stabilize our business into the future. As it turns out, sending folks on the road to cover games and provide 24/7 Pokes coverage like the excellent article you just read costs money. Because of our subscribers, we’ve been able to improve our work and provide the best OSU news and community anywhere online. Help us keep that up.
To the surprise of literally nobody, Mason Rudolph played well in the Oklahoma State Spring Game on Saturday. The game was not televised, but OSU did post a few of the highlights, and we will have a full recap from our own Hayden Barber a little bit later.For now, here are some of the best moments in a game that Rudolph’s team won 24-0. QB1 finished 13/17 for 204 yards with one TD and one INT.Rudolph hits Tyrell Alexander#MA2ON Rudolph goes deep to Tyrell Alexander to convert on 3rd & 12! #okstate pic.twitter.com/CGlFRGoH2Q— Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) April 15, 2017Rudolph throws two up for Chris LacyA reminder that Lacy is, like, the fifth best WR on this team. Here’s a look at Rudolph’s pass to Lacy to set up Carr’s touchdown run. #okstate pic.twitter.com/cfwVgkuADB— Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) April 15, 2017 Another great grab by Chris Lacy, this time for a gain of 38 yards! #okstate pic.twitter.com/4L0f7T3Ow0— Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) April 15, 2017Rudolph Escapes the PocketPistols firing! Rudolph keeps the play alive and finds La’Darren Brown for the score! #okstate pic.twitter.com/rTFFhzfoJa— Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) April 15, 2017Rudolph Talks“They’re great, it’s been fun,” said Rudolph. “A fun spring to kind of see what everyone’s got, get out there and compete against the defense. It’s a joy in my job to be able to distribute the ball to all these guys and see what kind of plays they can make day to day.”Let’s hear from #OKState QB Mason Rudolph in this sideline interview pic.twitter.com/4HN7WKyro2— Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) April 15, 2017
While you’re here, we’d like you to consider subscribing to Pistols Firing and becoming a PFB+ member. It’s a big ask from us to you, but it also comes with a load of benefits like ad-free browsing (ads stink!), access to our premium room in The Chamber and monthly giveaways.The other thing it does is help stabilize our business into the future. As it turns out, sending folks on the road to cover games and provide 24/7 Pokes coverage like the excellent article you just read costs money. Because of our subscribers, we’ve been able to improve our work and provide the best OSU news and community anywhere online. Help us keep that up.
QSST (Girls) and Sydney Mets (Boys) are the 2007 X Blades National 18 Years Champions having annexed back-to-back championships in 2007.In atrocious conditions with weather fit for ducks, the combatants in the Boys and Girls finals produced magnificent efforts in the most trying of circumstances.In the Girls Division QSST, after defeating South Queensland earlier in the day in their semi-final came up trumps with a tight 2-1 win over a valiant NSWCHS who pushed the defending champions all the way.NSWCHS had earlier survived a heart stopping drop-off in their semi-final, prevailing 5-4 against the gutsy Brisbane Cobras girls who nearly caused the upset of the tournament against their more experienced rivals.With 18 National Youth squad players on show in both line ups, the Grand Final featured the cream of Australia’s brightest young female players who were determined to put their best foot forward in the traditional Origin style clash between the two big guns of the game.After an Australian Idol quality rendition of the Aussie National Anthem by Western Australia’s 18 Years Girls player, Nicole West, it was down to business in the eagerly awaited clash.No sooner had the teams taken the field, then the heavens opened up and drenched the players, confining the game to a much different style than the capacity crowd had been anticipating.After some early thrust and parry, QSST’s star performer Kristy Brennan stepped up to the plate to produce some flashing footwork in an angled run to beat the NSWCHS defence close to the line to secure a 1-0 advantage.Players were slipping and sliding around the water logged field more than Mickey Mouse at the Ice Capades, and the tricky conditions made handling difficult and playing expansively tough.New South Wales kept probing in the first half with the sonic fast feet of Sophie Broadhead, the classy ball play of Jessica Absolum, and the steely defence of Amy Regal keeping the CHS girls in the hunt.Queensland’s first half was frameworked by some great wet weather composure from Gen “SG” La Caze, Kelly Jones, Kristy Brennan, and the wholehearted Lizzie Campbell who directed the Maroons well.The teams huddled up at half time, steeling themselves for a dour struggle to the end to claim the title.The teams fired several shots early in the second stanza but came up empty, until some quick hands from NSWCHS player Justine Johnston gave Mational 18s Youth squad member Laura Chivers an opening that she took with both hands to accelerate past the defence to level the scores at 1-1.It was game on as both teams tried desperately to gain the ascendancy in the worsening conditions.The plea from the players to close the roof fell on deaf ears much to the chagrin of the inhabitants on field one, and TFA ground staff whose eyes weren’t even dry after the torrential downpour.With the rain bucketing down, QSST Skipper Ali Brigginshaw produced a classic piece of one on one evasion to snap the defence in half and turn the game in Queensland’s favour to snare a crucial 2-1 lead with eight minutes to play.Both teams had several scoring opportunities, particularly with free running acting halves galloping loose in the in goal.The classy Sophie Broadhead (NSWCHS) and Kirsty Beer (QSST) in particular, splintered the opposition defence several times only to be denied.NSWCHS tired valiantly to bridge the gap, and right on full time took a penalty tap and chanced their arm in search of the elusive touchdown that would have evened the contest.Unfortunatel for CHS fans, the pass went astray and with the full time hooter reverberating in the distance, QSST players embraced on the field to celebrate back-to-back championships in style.NSWCHS Captain Jessica Absolum showed her class on and off the field with her post match interview to the capacity crowd moments after the tough defeat.“Full credit to Queensland… They were just too good on the day. They are always so tough and it’s testimony to the class of players like Ali who can just step up and make the crucial difference. Our girls gave their all and we can’t be disappointed with the huge effort everyone put in. It was a really good game given the toughness of the conditions,” Absolum said.QSST Captain Ali Briginshaw was ecstatic post game with her team’s victory and paid tribute to her team’s persistence.“The girls were great, we dug in hard – it wasn’t the prettiest of wins, but we stuck together and played tough touch and backed each other. CHS were as dangerous as always, and they never say die, so it was one of those really great Orign style clashes that can just go either way. Thankfully it was all good for us,” Brigginshaw said.In the X Blades 18 years Boys Final, Defending champions Mets were too good for QSST, claiming the title 4-1 in conditions that had the crowd looking for the Ark rather than the grandstand when the rain pelted down from the opening whistle.Mets, who had earlier escaped with a close 7-6 verdict over Brisbane Cobras in their semi-final match-up, were warm favourites with the bookies to go back to back with no less than 10 current Australian Youth players in their star studded line-up.QSST, making their first appearance in the Grand final since 2004, won through to the decider after a comfortable 11-7 victory over tournament surprise packets, Central Queensland in their semi-final.The two teams played “find the ball” in the massive puddles for most of the first half before Mets star turn Matty Moylan unleashed hell on the QSST defence to snap his way to the scoreline and a 1-0 advantage.QSST had lost a player for a professional foul moments earlier, and paid a heavy price for the indiscretion, with the mercurial Moylan taking advantage of the extra man to tax the Queensland defence and take the early lead.In the next set of six, Mets rammed home their advantage with a clever piece of ball movement from Nicholas Good and Patrick Bower to give David Farkas a saloon passage to the scoreline for a 2-0 buffer.Both teams tried hard to crack the opposition defence, with QSST’s Chris Taiters, Lawrence Oberlauter, Matt Hopkin, and Peter Norman pressing the Mets line to get back into the contest.The controlled Mets defence led by Captain Ben Moylan, Player of the Final Ezekiel Mears, and the rock solid Ben Antonio was having none of it and looked to have a steady hand over proceedings with half time almost upon the combatants.It was against this unlikely backdrop that the momentum of the contest swung.The Mets Boys clocked off 30 seconds before half time, allowing the gleeful Queenslanders back into the game with a touchdown to Dylan Taikato-Simpson who bridged the gap to 2-1 at oranges.Mets came our after half time looking to refocus, steady the ship, and dictate terms early.QSST had centred their attack through the middle in the first half and tried to play the 5 metre game that Mets are masters of.Half time produced a welcome change of tactics from the QSST boys who went wider first then tried to phase play against the suffocating Mets defence.QSST threw the kitchen sink and everything in it in the opening ten minutes of the second half, but the resolute Mets defence was more solid than Jason Stanton’s calves, and not even light was getting through on their watch.Mets weathered the storm, and it was the class and guile of the Moylan brothers, Matt and Ben, who sealed the deal for Mets with classic dive and slide touchdowns from close range to send the banana benders home without the title in 2007.Matty did it all himself to take Mets out to a 3-1 lead, before big brother Ben stepped in to share bragging rights around the family table by gliding over himself, scoring the last touchdown of the match and clinching back to back titles for the Sydney Mets.Beaten QSST skipper Chris Taiters was philosophical about the loss.“It was a great effort for our boys to be here in 2007, we haven’t made the final for a while, so to come out and do that was great. Obviously you always want to win, but Mets handled themselves better in the conditions and full marks to them, they’re a real good side,” Taiters said.Mets Captain Ben Moylan couldn’t wipe the smile off his face in the post match interview, heaping praise on his close knit teammates.“It was sensational… back to back, it doesn’t get much better than that. The boys are all pretty close and this is fantastic. QSST hung in and it was a good contest, considering the conditions,” Moylan said.The champions were presented with their winners medallions in a “Wembly” style ceremony, scaling the stairs to the presentation area to be presented with the X Blades National 18 Years and Under Championship Trophy by X Blades Managing Director Bill Spyros.Despite the atrocious conditions players, officials, and spectators contributed to a great tournament that lived up to its pre competition boast of going better than a Snow Patrol Concert.
SANTA CLARA, CA – JANUARY 07: Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide looks on during warm ups prior to the CFP National Championship against the Clemson Tigers presented by AT&T at Levi’s Stadium on January 7, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)On Thursday afternoon, Alabama head coach Nick Saban was asked who the best quarterback he’s ever seen at the collegiate level.The Crimson Tide coach gave an honest reply: Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence.According to Alabama insider Cecil Hurts, Saban said Lawrence gave the Tide all they could handle in the national title game last season.“Trevor Lawrence played about as well against us in the championship game as anybody we’ve seen in recent times,” Saban said.Saban was asked, in a 150-year team context, about the best college quarterback he had seen: “Trevor Lawrence played about as well against us in the championship game as anybody we’ve seen in recent times.”— Cecil Hurt (@CecilHurt) August 15, 2019During his time as a head coach in college football, Saban has faced his fair share of elite quarterbacks. Just last season he saw what Kyler Murray could do in the College Football Playoff.There’s also former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, who gave Saban fits. Oh, and we can’t forget his battles against Deshaun Watson.However, perhaps no quarterback was as dominant against a Saban-led team than Lawrence. The star freshman passed for 347 yards and three touchdowns as the Tigers dominated the Tide in a 44-16 win.Lawrence is poised to assert his dominance of the ACC for at least two more years. Clemson enters the 2019 season as a favorite to make the College Football Playoff once again.An Alabama-Clemson national title rematch (again) is just what the doctor ordered.
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Jammu: An infant injured in ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district succumbed on Monday at a hospital, police said. The infant, along with two more civilians were injured in the Pakistani shelling and firing on the Line of Control (LoC) on Sunday The Pakistan Army had resorted to unprovoked shelling and firing in Shahpur and Saujiyan sectors of the LoC to which the Indian Army also retaliated.