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Now that January has arrived, it is time to act on our 2016 resolutions. For singles often times this goal means connecting with a compatible special someone. Coincidentally, the start of a New Year ushers in a busy season in the world of dating, either via on-line sites, using an app or by personal introductions. Truth be told, one of the more challenging aspects of being single is determining whether the people you are meeting are legitimately available. If the person whom you are looking to go out with has never been married, or is divorced or widowed, then their status is clear cut. But, when someone is in the category of “separated,” a lot more due diligence needs to happen before concluding if they are free to date. It may be that their circumstances are too complicated for a new relationship. How does one properly vet the people they are being introduced to, so as to gauge if they are truly single vs being in marriage limbo or just unhappily married?

picture: royal blue bridesmaid dresses uk• Living Situations: Those who are serious about leaving their marriage do just that. If one is living in a separate bedroom in the house or in the basement, this is not a conducive scenario for embarking on another relationship. There is no proof as to sleeping arrangements or interactions inside of a home. If this situation is temporary and there is a move out scheduled, that is one thing, but if a lease on a new property is not in the works, do not date this person. In order to start over, one must be present in mind, body and soul.

• Wedding Rings: It is very difficult after years of marriage to take off the gold band that represents the eternity of a union. The gesture of removing a ring is the final threshold that a person must cross in order to be fully released and unencumbered from their spouse. Putting aside one’s wedding band symbolizes that the past is indeed in the past and that there is a readiness to move forward.

• Social Gatherings: There are instances when even a couple’s family and friends do not know that a break up is imminent. Publicly, the duo may still go to functions and parties together, thus giving off mixed messages. These individuals should not be dipping their toe into the dating pool until they are actually living apart. Those who are still concerned about appearances and each other’s feelings are not ready to put an end to their marriage.

• Contacting an Attorney: Before separating, many men and women meet with an attorney to assess the state of their affairs. Note that there is a huge difference between a consult and a retainer (both in your wallet and mindset). A big chasm also lies between saying that you are getting a divorce and actually filing. Do not accept a date with a person who has not crossed this line.

• Custody Agreement: If kids are involved, one of the hardest parts of leaving the marital home is not being able to see the children everyday. Many people say that the love in their marriage is over, but they don’t want to exit until the kids are out of the house. Although staying for the immediate future may be considered a noble gesture, this person is not ready to get a divorce. Do not get involved with someone who is claiming they will leave once the nest is empty. This individual is basically comfortable enough at home and does not want to rock the boat.

Caveat Emptor — Buyer Beware: Be an educated consumer. The same way that you spend time in the produce isle, examining your fruits and vegetables, and asking others’ advise before buying, do likewise with the people that you date. Remember if the peach is riding around in someone else’s cart it is not available for you to purchase. Head immediately back to the produce isle and choose the next best available option. You will be happier with your “fruitful” choice in the long run and you won’t be forced to leave fruitless.

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The family of the man living large in a SoHo loft despite allegedly paying no rent say he’s a con artist who honed his skills of deception on them before moving to the city.

Corey Mayer — who goes by Corey von Furstenberg — continually lied to his family and was prone to violent outbursts, including one occasion in which he locked his hands around their mother’s throat in their Norwich, Conn., home, said his sister Kari Mayer.

“He (looked like he) wanted to kill her,” she said of the incident, which she says occurred in the early 2000s.

“He was literally choking her,” Mayer recalled. “He was just in a fit of rage … I mean explosive rage.”

The Mayer family has been mostly estranged from the 38-year-old since then.

Corey Mayer claims to own a high-flying publicity firm, but the last job his family knows about was at a local Walmart, and he got fired, she said.

The family had no idea Mayer had taken the surname von Furstenberg and moved into a $15,000 a month loft, she said.

Mayer/Von Furstenberg has been sued by his landlord, who claims he’s $100,000 in arrears.

picture: vintage inspired wedding dressesThe landlord also said Mayer secured the apartment by falsely suggesting he was related to the celebrated designer Diane von Furstenberg, the suit said. Kari Mayer says her brother continually lied about having famous connections dating back to his teenage years.

Speaking from inside the luxury unit at 496 Broadway on Monday, Mayer showed the Daily News a passport in the name of Corey von Furstenberg.

“Never did I acquire 496 at any way shape or form using Diane von Furstenberg’s name as any type of familiar anything in a name. There’s no record of it, there’s no nothing of it,” he said.

Mayer insisted that he got the lavish penthouse — a two-bedroom, two-bath unit with three sky lights, a fireplace, a chef’s kitchen and a rooftop deck — in November 2014 on his own merits.

He paid the rent from his earnings as a publicist, he said. From May to August that year, he had no gas, so he began to withhold rent in September, he told The News.

He pointed to the opulent furnishings — inculding a graceful chandelier and hanging artwork — as proof of his solvency.

“I just kind of laugh about it. I’m laughing out of anger but it doesn’t strike me as funny and you just go with it. They wanna ‘Mean Girl’ me in the press? Mean Girl me,” he said, of the landlord’s lawsuit.

As for his family, Mayer claimed that both his sister and his mother have mental health issues, and he denied the allegations they made against him.

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For being a relatively small town, Jacksonville is becoming kind of a big deal.

On the heels of winning national competitions for such things as a summer music series and a dog park, the new year is bringing attention, too.

A lot of the credit is pinned to social media boosterism as a way to bring statewide and even national attention to the city.

One of the latest is a competition pitting dozens of communities as having the best shopping on Main Street. Dozens of towns have been nominated, including Jacksonville, for the chance to be featured on the program “Small Town Big Deal.” The show has been on RFD-TV since 2012 and is being syndicated on ABC.

Its hosts, Rodney Miller and Jann Carl, share stories about what makes communities unique and are planning an episode on the best small-town shopping in America.

People can vote for Jacksonville online at wshe.es/y3tStiNH.

Some of the honors have been the result of polling. Others are unsolicited, such as the naming of Buena Vista Farms as one of onlyinyourstate.com’s top unique spots to get married in Illinois.

“We are honored and pleasantly surprised that we made this wedding location list,” said Teri Gutierrez, wedding planner and owner of Buena Vista Farms, which is about 3 miles northwest of Jacksonville. “I give all the credit to the couples we’ve served and our staff.”

picture: bridesmaids dressesBuena Vista Farms, established in 2006, hosts a variety of events besides weddings, including anniversary, retirement and birthday parties, and also offers camping sites and furnished cabins.

But it’s the weddings that are building Buena Vista Farms’ reputation.

“I think a sophisticated bride understands the savings in budget and, more importantly, stress to utilize all the services we provide,” Gutierrez said.

Buena Vista Farms’ vacation wedding weekend packages include lodging, a rehearsal dinner, camp fire, elaborate decorations and a Sunday brunch, among with other amenities.

“We work very hard so that the bridal party and family can simply come and enjoy their guests for a weekend of memories,” Gutierrez said.

Buena Vista Farms began hosting weddings in 2007 and since then has been the setting for about 150, most of which have been for couples from outside of Morgan County.

“My husband, Nestor, is a visionary and thinks outside the box,” Gutierrez said. “It was his knowledge of farmland that led to the development of the two lakes, the campgrounds and the setting at Buena Vista Farms, which is unique.”

The original goal was to host business and team-building meetings, not weddings.

“But the scenery is so beautiful and rustic, outdoor weddings are very popular these days,” Gutierrez said. “The weddings we’ve hosted have given us a good reputation. Couples have written positive reviews of the Buena Vista Farms staff on social media, and I believe that’s why we made this top 10 wedding location list in Illinois.”

Brittany Henry, executive director of the Jacksonville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, said communities always appreciate being the talk of other towns.

“All this brings money into the Jacksonville community and makes us a more thriving locale,” she said. “By having attracted such events and venues, the quality of life in Jacksonville is improved and they bring tourists to the Jacksonville area who will visit our local shops, stay in our hotels and dine in our restaurants.”

Jacksonville is compiling a growing list of competition victories and recognition for some of its unique businesses.

In 2011, the city was named one of 100 U.S. cities to win cash in Reader’s Digest “We Hear You, America” contest; in July, the city won the $100,000 prize in the PetSafe Bark for Your Park contest; in November, Soap Co. Coffee House was listed in “These 10 Coffee Shops in Illinois are Perfect to Wake You Up” by onlyinyourstate.com; and in September, Lonzerotti’s Italia Restaurant was named one of the top 10 Italian restaurants in Illinois by the site.

Jacksonville has also been named one of the top 50 small towns in America under 20,000 population by discountmyflights.com; Blessings on State Bed and Breakfast has been recognized several times by the travel industry; and the city just this month won $25,000 from Levitt AMP for a summer outdoor concert series.

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We are leaving behind a year of fedoras and lapel pins, rainbow hair and stiletto nails, man buns and topknots.

Other stylish staples of 2015 included athleisure – Tory Burch debuted her active line, Tory Sport, in September – and animal prints – see the formfitting wardrobe of Empire’s Cookie Lyon.

But the biggest style stories touched on race, gender, sexuality, and body image. Designer comings and goings were big news, too, as were their collaborations with fast-fashion haunts.

So before we enter a new year of red carpets and runways, let’s stop to remember the best fashion moments of 2015:

From the moment Vanity Fair’s glammed-up glossy of Caitlyn Jenner hit our news feeds in July, transgender issues were thrust into the mainstream.

But the same story had been playing out on the runways for years. In fact, the Pantone Color Institute chose two colors of the year this month – Rose Quartz and Serenity – acknowledging fashion’s blurring gender lines.

Who better to tell the evolving story of genderless apparel than gender-bending models, many of whom had firsts this year, too.

In May, Andreja Pejic became the first transgender model to land a profile story in Vogue magazine. That same month, Hari Nef, whose father is Philadelphia public relations guru David Neff, became the first transgender model to sign with IMG Models, a division of the sports, fashion, and media company that is one of the owners of New York Fashion Week.

New York Fashion Week had its own transformation: The September spring 2016 collections marked the takeover by IMG/WME, and the first time in 22 years the collections didn’t have a central location.

picture: mermaid style wedding dressesDuring the showing of those collections, a new generation of models was introduced – including Julia Fleming of Wyndmoor. Fleming, 19, debuted on the runway of former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham and ended her breakout season on the Valentino stage.

Models’ pics were being posted online, but months before, high schoolers nationwide were liking images from prom night with the hashtag #prom2K15.

In June, Kyemah McEntyre of East Orange, N.J., saw her red gown retweeted at least 5,000 times and favorited more than 8,000 times by influencers including editors at Teen Vogue and Nicki Minaj. McEntyre, who designed the gown herself, said she chose the stunning kente cloth print as a nod to her African American heritage.

Other wins for diversity this year: In April, Ashley Graham was the first plus-size model featured in an advertisement in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition.

On Dec. 8, a Barbie doll fashioned in the likeness of Academy Award-nominated director Ava DuVernay sold out within minutes of its posting on Mattel’s website.

Later that same night, America watched Maria Borges walk the Victoria’s Secret runway with short, natural hair – a first.

But diversity also suffered some blows and blunders.

In March, Fashion Police host Giuliana Rancic nearly got kicked off the show when she made a post-Academy Award gaffe insinuating that Zendaya’s locks made her look like she smelled of patchouli and marijuana.

In June, it was discovered that Rachel Dolezal, then president of the Spokane chapter of the NAACP, was white after years of living as a black woman. How did she pull it off? She adopted her style cues from black women, including the curl pattern.

Allure magazine took a page out of Dolezal’s manual with its August issue article, “Yes, you can have an Afro if you have straight hair.” In that same miscalculated vein, the Pop Sugar website was forced to delete a story this month with the unfortunate headline: “Kylie Jenner is basically a mix of all your favorite Latina celebrities.”

Fans of tennis great Serena Williams came to her defense in July when media outlets described her muscular (and winning) body as less than desirable. Yet the 34-year-old athlete and fashion mogul was named Sports Illustrated’s Person of the Year in December.

Mixed-martial artist Ronda Rousey also took heat for her curvy frame. But the 28-year-old actress was voted ESPN’s Best Female Athlete Ever.

It seems to me curvy women are ruling the world.

Some of the world’s most influential fashion houses lost creative directors. Donna Karan left DKNY in July; she was replaced by industry darlings Dao Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne of Public School.

Alexander Wang took his final bow for the Balenciaga runway in September. (He will continue to design his eponymous line.) And the quirky yet multitalented Alber Elbaz announced in October his plans to step down as creative director of Lanvin.

Other designers solidified their connections with fans, either on the runways or through big boxes.

Riccardo Tisci extended an invitation to the Givenchy runway show to people beyond reporters, buyers, and celebrities.

In April, the Lilly Pulitzer capsule collection blew out of Target stores and online, and in November, H&M sold out its collaboration with Balmain almost immediately.

The prices were a real steal. A Balmain blazer can easily fetch $2,500. But H&M shoppers paid a few hundred dollars.

My cool-collaborators prediction for 2016?

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While fashion has always prided itself in looking “forward,” as the saying goes, it cannot hide the fact that it forever cranes its neck looking back. Undeniably, with every season, fashion peers over its shoulder at the trends and tendencies of yesteryear. With the right amount of time (and memory loss), the past suddenly appears progressive, if not stylish.

Surf fashion is no exception, and as radical as the sport becomes, the fashion and trends within this world feed that bygone obsession. The loud neons of the ‘80s, the psychedelics of the ‘70s, the slick of the ‘60s, the innocence of the ‘50s — every brand tries to bottle a piece of the past and sell it. The ads are grainy, the product in sepia tones, the pictures soft and a little out of focus. Nostalgia is the greatest consumer aphrodisiac.

Whether it was the campaign or the trend that came first — the chicken or the egg — it was this fetish with the past that spawned a time in our sport’s history known as Period Surfing. Indeed, after the motorbike-riding surfer-greasers of Byron Bay, Orange County had its Morning of the Earth second coming with its single-fins and bonzers and tie-dyed tees.

Then, for a few years, the period-based trends strived to outdo each other, harkening back further and further. There were the 1880s Pioneers of Northern California. The 1920s Newsboy surfers of Long Island, NY. The brands caught on and with each seasonal line, they’d drop a promo piece like: an Abe Lincoln-style stovepipe top hat, a 49ers gold mining pan, a 1930s physicist apron. These pieces sold like hot cakes and they had nothing to do with surfing.

picture: grey bridesmaid dresses ukBut there was no crew of period surfers as pure, as undiluted, as unsullied and as utterly mysterious as the subculture known as The Beginning. The Beginning Era — with its disciples who dubbed themselves Beginners — were a highly elusive, tight-knit crew of wave riders that paid tribute to the original, pre-European-contact form of surfing. With the sole intent of enjoying the sport in its most ancient, unadulterated form, Beginners only frequented outer reefs where no one could see them ride. They shunned exposure, media coverage or filming of any kind and sessioned in secret.

The men wore nothing but traditional malo loinclothes in the water and the few women in the club surfed topless (as recorded in ancient oral tradition as well as early written accounts by Capt. James Cook and Mark Twain). Beginners only rode giant 15-foot alaia boards — with neither wax, nor fins — and they would take great pains in carving these boards from koa trees that they’d chop themselves from deep in the forests of the Big Island and Kauai. They’d only use traditional stone tools and cutting equipment, of course; they were purists of the highest caliber.

All Beginners, no matter their previous ethnic background, took old Hawaiian names and they’d go on surf trips to bizarre locales like Kahoolawe or Niihau (The Forbidden Isle). They’d even paddle the open-ocean channels between the islands to get there. Newcomers to the Beginning Era had to have a basic grasp of the Hawaiian language…or at least have taken a Hawaiian Studies 101 class at the local university. The leader of this era was a steely-eyed man who they called Kane. Kane was their movement’s kahuna.

Of course companies and brands heard of this era and wanted on board in some way. Kahuna Kane, however, declined all advances, whether for sponsor collaborations, for brand ambassador offers, for TED Talk speaking engagements and for the offer to make him co-founder of a Kickstarter line of hemp loincloth surf wear (*It’d be the STANCE of loincloths!” they assured him.) For almost five years, the era thrived in secret, unhindered with minimal growth, the only era that the brands could not crack or tap into.

But in the end, it was flattery that killed them, as it does every great woman and man. An interloper had weaseled his way into the Beginners’ hui, a surf agent in disguise. At first the threat was benign. While the Beginners’ spurned all forms of claiming or complimenting, the interloper began to grin and wag his head at Kahuna Kane’s primitive style. Pretty soon, the interloper had people hooting again and throwing shakas after exceptional rides (previously prohibited).

Ultimately, after a particularly dull summer of surf, and with a huge south swell looming on the forecast, the interloper convinced Kane to hold the first-ever “Beginners’ Koa Wood Classic,” to be held on the island of Moloka’i. And though the interloper promised Kane that any and all sponsors would be culturally respectful, let alone wholly supportive of their cause, on the day of the contest, the Beginners showed up to a long row of pop-up tents lining the beach complete with sunscreen, clothing, and many other brand logos. An organic food truck advertising locally pounded poi on the menu rolled up behind them. At heat check-in, the women had to cover their breasts and the neon comp jerseys that hung high and tight above the men’s loinclothes did not look pono.

You would’ve thought it was a success from the press release the next day, but the attention destroyed the crew and within a week, the Beginners’ hui disbanded.

But. While Period Surfing seemed to have run its course with the end of the Beginning era, perhaps it paved the way to finally look fashion-forward. Perhaps there’s a surf crew in Cocoa Beach that watch the spaceships blast off from Cape Canaveral in wonderment. Perhaps their nostalgia comes not from the past. Perhaps they look up toward space, then down at their boardshorts and wonder something truly futuristic…

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A Christmastime wave of severe weather continued Friday as a tornado touched down in north-central Alabama, including part of Birmingham, the state’s largest city.

Witnesses spotted the funnel outside the city about 5 p.m. An hour later, the National Weather Service confirmed that first responders were on the scene along Jefferson Avenue in a working class neighborhood about eight miles from downtown Birmingham.

Lt. Sean Edwards, a Birmingham police spokesman, said trees are down and people were trapped inside damaged houses, adding that several people were taken to hospitals for treatment of minor injuries, but further details were not immediately available.

Ruthie Green went door-to-door in a coat and a bicycle helmet to check on neighbors after the storm and swept debris from her front porch as more emergency responders arrived in the neighborhood.

“I been listening to the news all day so I was kind of preparing,” Green said. When the tornado warning came up on her iPad, Green said she ran to a closet.

The Latest: Alabama pastor finds church collapsed in storm

The latest developments on the severe storms across the U.S. (all times local):

Pastor Melvin Howard of the Mount Olive Full Gospel Church said he came rushing to the area of Jefferson Avenue and 50th Street in Birmingham, Alabama, when he heard the storm hit. Several houses on the block had been destroyed and partially blown into the street. Police and fire crews canvassed the area Friday night as lightning illuminated the scope of the damage.

Howard said his church’s building had collapsed but no one was inside at the time.

“We’re just there to salvage what we can salvage,” Howard said. “Mikes and p.a. systems of that magnitude that we know someone would go in and take,” he said.

Top Syrian rebel killed in airstrike near Damascus

picture: strapless wedding dressBEIRUT (AP) — An airstrike near the Syrian capital on Friday killed top rebel commander Zahran Allouch, the head of one of the most powerful Saudi-backed insurgent groups fighting against President Bashar Assad’s government near the seat of his power Damascus, opposition activists said.

Allouch’s death a month before expected peace talks between government and opposition representatives in Geneva is a blow to insurgents fighting to topple Assad and a boost to government forces who have been bolstered by the Russian military intervention in Syria in the past few months.

It was not immediately clear who was behind his death.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said an airstrike hit an Army of Islam meeting near the Damascus suburb of Otaya, killing several rebel commanders including Allouch. It said it was not clear whether it was a Russian or Syrian airstrike.

The Observatory said the warplanes struck a meeting during which Army of Islam commanders were preparing to launch an offensive against government forces and those of Lebanon’s Hezbollah near Damascus.

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Obama: 6 killed in Afghanistan were ‘outstanding’

KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii (AP) — President Barack Obama said the six U.S. service members killed this week in a suicide attack in Afghanistan were “outstanding, brave men and women” as he delivered a Christmas Day gesture of gratitude to U.S. troops for how much they sacrifice to keep Americans safe and free.

The six service members were killed Monday at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, the largest U.S. facility in the country, when a suicide attacker rammed an explosives-laden motorcycle into a joint NATO-Afghan patrol. The Taliban claimed responsibility.

“As we know, when you’re deployed overseas, it’s tough,” Obama said in brief remarks at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe Bay. He said that although his administration has been bringing home troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, “there are still folks over there every single day and it’s still dangerous, as we saw this past week, where we had some outstanding, brave men and women who were killed.”

“So we never take for granted what all of you do for the American people,” Obama said. “You help keep us free. You help keep us strong. Whatever service you’re in, whatever branch, we are extraordinarily grateful for everything that you do every single day.”

The Christmas visit to the Marine Corps Base has become an annual tradition for Obama and his wife, Michelle, during the family’s yearly vacation in his native Hawaii. The first lady and Jill Biden, the wife of Vice President Joe Biden, head a nationwide initiative to rally public support for active-duty and retired service members and their families.

Late-night earthquake rattles Pakistani capital, Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A strong earthquake shook parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan early Saturday, rattling buildings and forcing sleeping residents out of their homes.

More than 30 people were injured as houses or walls collapsed in the northwestern Pakistan city of Peshawar, said emergency rescue service spokesman Bilal Ahmed Faizi. A total of 41 people were taken to hospitals in the city, according to doctors and rescue officials.

Pakistani official Ghulam Rasool told The Associated Press that the magnitude-6.9 quake was centered in Tajikistan near the Afghan border, beginning after midnight and lasting for 59 seconds.

However, the U.S. Geological Survey reported that the quake measured at magnitude 6.2 and was centered in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan. Twitter users in the Afghan capital, Kabul, reported feeling the tremors.

Hamid Nawaz, the head of Pakistan’s disaster management authority, said they were still assessing damage. He confirmed that some old homes and walls collapsed in Peshawar, but he refused to share further details.

Months after deadly West Bank arson, case makes progress

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli authorities are expected to soon raise charges against Jewish extremists suspected in a July arson attack on a Palestinian home that killed a toddler and his parents — a case that has been unsolved for months and that helped fuel the current wave of Israeli-Palestinian violence.

But the protracted and drawn-out investigation has raised questions as to why the process is taking so long when authorities often swiftly arrest and prosecute Palestinians suspected in attacks on Israelis.

A jarring video that aired this week on Israeli TV showing extremist Jews brandishing rifles and knives during a frenzied wedding party — some stabbing photos of the slain Palestinian toddler — has ratcheted up criticism that authorities have treated rogue Israelis with kid gloves for too long.

The arson attack in the West Bank village of Duma killed 18-month-old Ali Dawabsheh while his mother Riham and father Saad later died of their wounds. Ali’s 4-year-old brother, Ahmad, survived but is still being treated at an Israeli hospital.

The firebombing, carried out under cover of darkness while the family slept, sparked deep soul-searching by Israelis rattled by the horrific attack. It was condemned across the Israeli political spectrum and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged “zero tolerance” in the fight to bring the assailants to justice.

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2 dead, 12 injured as 200 migrants try to enter Spain by sea

MADRID (AP) — Two people drowned and at least 12 others were injured when they tried to get to a small patch of Spanish territory in North Africa by swimming from Morocco and scaling a barbed-wire fence that juts into the sea, Spanish and Moroccan news agencies reported Friday.

The dead and hurt were among more than 200 people trying to reach the enclave of Ceuta, which borders Morocco and is across the Strait of Gibraltar from mainland Spain.

More than a million people hoping to escape war and poverty have made their way into Europe this year, according to migration monitors, but attention has been focused on two more common routes — across the Aegean Sea from Turkey to Greece or across the Mediterranean from Libya to Italy.

Thousands of African migrants also try to enter the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla each year hoping to get to Europe. Fifteen drowned trying to reach Ceuta last year; the two deaths Friday are the first there this year.

Those who make it typically are not sent back, but are taken to detention centers and allowed to apply for asylum. Sometimes they’re flown to the Spanish mainland.

On Muslims, Democrats find an unlikely ally: George W Bush

WASHINGTON (AP) — Taunted by Republicans to declare war on “radical Islamic terrorism,” Democrats are turning to an unlikely ally: George W. Bush.

President Barack Obama, under pressure to be more aggressive on terrorism, regularly cites his predecessor’s refusal to demonize Muslims or play into the notion of a clash between Islam and the West. It’s a striking endorsement from a president whose political rise was predicated on opposition to the Iraq war and Bush’s hawkish approach in the Middle East.

As Hillary Clinton put it, “George W. Bush was right.”

Laying out her plan to fight domestic terrorism, Clinton reminded voters in Minneapolis earlier this month of Bush’s visit to a Muslim center six days after the Sept. 11 attacks. She even quoted his words from that day about those who intimidate Muslim-Americans: “They represent the worst of humankind, and they should be ashamed of that kind of behavior.”

Bush, of course, was not referring to the 2016 Republican presidential field. Clinton certainly was.

Pope urges Christmas prayers for Syria, Libya peace

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis issued a Christmas Day prayer that recent U.N.-backed peace processes for Syria and Libya will quickly end the suffering of their people, denouncing the “monstrous evil” and atrocities they have endured and praising countries that have taken in refugees.

Speaking from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, Francis issued a plenary indulgence for all Catholics in hopes of spreading the church’s message of mercy in a world torn by war, poverty and extremist attacks. The sun-soaked St. Peter’s Square was under heavy security, as it has been since the Nov. 13 Paris attacks by Islamic extremists that left 130 dead.

An indulgence is an ancient church tradition related to the forgiveness of sins. Francis announced it after delivering his annual “Urbi et Orbi” (To the city and the world) speech listing global hotspots and his prayers for an end to human suffering.

Francis referred to the “brutal acts of terrorism” that struck the French capital this year, as well as attacks in Egypt’s airspace and in Beirut, Mali and Tunisia. He denounced the ongoing conflicts in Africa, the Middle East and Ukraine and issued words of consolation to Christians being persecuted for their faith in many parts of the world.

“They are our martyrs of today,” he said.

Serena Williams wins AP Female Athlete of Year for 4th time

Serena Williams spent a good portion of 2015 deflecting questions about whether she could complete the Grand Slam. After coming oh-so-close, she can acknowledge how much she cared about the rare feat.

“I wanted it. But … winning one (major title) is not easy. And then, (when) you have a ‘bounty’ on your head, it’s even harder,” she said with a laugh. “If you know anything about me, I hate to lose. I’ve always said I hate losing more than I like winning, so that drives me to be the best that I can be.”

Williams’ will was on display time and again, along with her best-in-the-game serve and other skills, fashioning comeback after comeback to nearly become the first tennis player in more than a quarter-century to win all four Grand Slam tournaments in a season. In a vote by U.S. editors and news directors, Williams was chosen as The Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year for the fourth time.

Results were announced Friday.

Williams collected 50 first-place votes and 352 points. Carli Lloyd, whose hat trick in the final lifted the U.S. women’s soccer team to the World Cup title, was the runner-up, with 14 first-place votes and 243 points. UFC star Ronda Rousey finished third, one spot ahead of the woman she stunningly lost to last month, Holly Holm. UConn basketball player Breanna Stewart was fifth.

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When the mutant superhero Iceman came out last month — thanks to a one-two punch of his prying telepathic teammate and a time-travel visit from his younger self — he immediately became the most prominent gay comic book character. But his revelation was far from the only story line involving gay, lesbian and transgender characters in the fast-evolving world of comic-book narratives.

“The industry is catching on pretty quickly to the fact that diversity can improve sales of comics,” Josh Siegel, founder of Geeks Out, wrote in an email. “So publishers are evolving their lines of books to showcase queer characters in a number of interesting ways.”

Geeks Out seeks to build a fan community from a shared passion for pop culture. In June, the group inaugurated Flame Con in Brooklyn. “Both lead characters and supporting cast-members are now openly queer in many comics, allowing stories to explore different kinds of queer themes,” Mr. Siegel wrote.

And while superheroes — thanks to their longevity and their exploitation in animation, television series and big-budget films — may often hog the spotlight, a look at the independent side of the comic book industry shows even deeper depictions of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender life.

September saw the release of the second volume of “Flutter,” a graphic novel about a shape shifter in high school that explores gender roles, and “Virgil,” about an undercover and closeted police officer in not-so-welcoming Kingston, Jamaica. In August, Jo, one of the main characters in “Lumberjanes,” about a group of Girl Scouts at summer camp, came out as transgender in a nonchalant scene.

The growing depiction of L.G.B.T. characters comes at a crossroads of passionate fandom and concentrated efforts by publishers to attract broader audiences. Gay fans have long admired the impossibly perfect bodies and chiseled features of their heroes and felt a kinship with some like the X-Men, who fought for acceptance in a world that feared and hated them simply for being mutants.

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And publishers, in an attempt to reflect modern times, have introduced a plethora of champions who are no longer primarily straight, white and male under their masks. They include the teenage Muslim Ms. Marvel, the female Thor, a lesbian Batwoman, a Mexican-American Blue Beetle and many more.

AdvertisementContinue reading the main storyThis quest for diversity has not gone without some missteps. Last December, the creative team of Batgirl apologized for how it revealed that a villain impersonating the heroine was male. Some readers found the depiction, and Batgirl’s reaction, transphobic. Reprints of the story have softened her dialogue.

In July, there was a dust-up concerning the sexuality of the Marvel hero Hercules. Some fans believe he is bisexual and were put off when it was not confirmed. (Hercules had a relationship with Wolverine in an alternate-reality story; there was also some innuendo about a dalliance with Northstar, the mutant hero who came out in 1992.)

PhotoSteve Orlando straddles the worlds of independent and more mainstream comics. He is the writer of “Midnighter” for DC Comics and of “Virgil,” which was published by Image. The characters are also on ends of a spectrum: Midnighter, who was created as a Batman analogue, is out and thrives on his high-octane adventures around the globe. Virgil is closeted, suffocating and suffering in homophobic Jamaica.

“Midnighter is not in the closet about anything,” Mr. Orlando said. “If he’s buying latkes, he’s still Midnighter.”

In between the hero’s high stakes and extreme adventures, the series has been peppered with refreshingly normal moments of Midnighter’s domestic life: He’s been shown using a dating app, being sexually active and beginning a relationship. He also has a flirty, frenemy relationship with Dick Grayson, the longtime ally of Batman. “They are a violently acrobatic ‘Odd Couple,’” Mr. Orlando said.

The writer, who is bisexual, said his goal was to make Midnighter’s sexuality just one part of the character: “You don’t want to have African-American books. You don’t want gay books. You just want books. You want themes integrated into the story.”

Photo“Flutter,” written by Jennie Wood and drawn by Jeff McComsey, is like a mash-up of “My So-Called Life” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” It tells the story of 15-year-old Lily who transforms into a boy to win the heart of the girl. In 2013, The Advocate called the book “one of the year’s best L.G.B.T. graphic novels.”

The graphic novel series, published by 215 Ink, was inspired in part by Ms. Wood’s time growing up in Salisbury, N.C. “It came from me imagining that life would be better as a guy,” she said. Her male cousins would frequently bring their dates to the local movie theater to make out. “I wasn’t even out to myself at the time,” she said. “The thought of bringing a girl to a movie was not even an option. It still is not in some places.”

Ms. Wood, who now lives in Boston with her girlfriend of 10 years, said she has met a lot of supportive fans — straight, gay and transgender — at comic book conventions around the country. But she knows that the story is not for all audiences. “You put something out there and you have to let it go,” she said. “It won’t resonate with everyone. I don’t know if I would want it to.”

AdvertisementContinue reading the main storyA series that defies easy description could be the best way to talk about “Love and Rockets” by the brothers Gilbert and Jaime (and sometimes Mario) Hernandez. The two main characters in Jaime’s story, about Latina friends in Los Angeles, are “a bisexual and a butch lesbian. This became my favorite comic instantly,” said Tara Avery, the publisher of Stacked Deck Press.

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“This love letter from California changed my life,” she said, adding that it helped inspire her to be a cartoonist. Ms. Avery founded Stacked Deck this year specifically to publish gay-themed material. “Having our own publishing house was important to better represent ourselves and to present our world and our comics to the reading public,” she said.

Last month, the company began a Kickstarter campaign in support of an “Alphabet” anthology, which will spotlight the work of writers, artists and cartoonists who will exemplify every letter in the L.G.B.T. rainbow or, as Ms. Avery puts it, the “alphabet soup.” Part of the impetus of the campaign was to celebrate 10 years of the Prism Comics Queer Press Grant, which supports emerging gay cartoonists.

Ms. Avery, who is bisexual and transgender, said one of her favorite parts of the project is the coloring book of real-life gay heroes offered to some Kickstarter backers. “It will have people who were queer and maybe some who aren’t known for their queerness,” she said.

Iceman was certainly not known for being gay when he first appeared in 1963, but that is true for most superheroes back then. But what will come next?

“Every character has to carry the weight of everyone’s expectations, because there just aren’t enough characters to represent a diverse range of desires and experiences,” wrote Andrew Wheeler, the editor in chief ofComics Alliance, a website that covers the comic book industry. “We need to get from some to enough. And really, we’ll know we’ve achieved success when Captain America can have a boyfriend, and Wonder Woman can have a girlfriend. For queer representation in superhero comics, that’s what success looks like.”

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If you have already started planning your wedding, you will have discovered that it is no small enterprise. Easy to forget is the reason you are celebrating this special day as you get caught up in designing stationery, choosing a menu, deciding on the dress, the cake and the all important suppliers who will be producing your event.

Here are five keys to assist you in creating a ceremony that is truly memorable and meaningful for you, and for your guests.

picture: cheap bridesmaid dresses uk1. Set an Intention for your Ceremony. Envisaging how you would like to experience your Ceremony will assist you to choose the Music, Readings, locale, colour scheme, and ambiance. If you are out of doors, you can include a bright sunny day in your Intention. When you leave the Ceremony, how do you feel? How do your guests feel? What are the comments they share with you about the Ceremony? They may feel happy, relaxed, uplifted and find the Ceremony touching, heartfelt, beautiful, true to you. Writing your Intention you may find that on the day, the Ceremony will actually exceed your expectations. Write down your Intention and include at the end:This or something better for the highest good.

2. Reflect: what do you most love in each other?

In all of the organization details, it is too easy to forget why you are creating this event. Take some time to be together and remind yourselves of the special love you have for each other. What are the qualities and strengths you particularly appreciate and admire in your loved one? How do you make a difference to each others’ lives?

3. Prepare your Vows. What are the promises you wish to make to each other? These commitments are central to your Ceremony and form the foundation for your life together. Think about when life is stressful – work pressures, relocation, job changes, the demands of a young family – and the strengths and qualities you will express to each other to deepen and grow your love at these times.

4. Write Declarations of Love to each other to share with your guests. Unlike Vows, these can be light-hearted, anecdotal and humorous. They can show the values and priorities that are important for you. At the beginning of your Ceremony, your Declarations of Love make your guests feel included in your celebration and help them to understand what brings you together, and why they are here with you on this day.

5. Be well prepared in advance. Leave nothing to the last minute so that you can relax and fully enjoy this special day. Your Wedding Ceremony will go quickly. You will want to savour every moment. Later, let your photos and video remind you of the high points, long into the future. On wedding anniversaries, you will be able to re-connect with the love you experienced and expressed with each other on the Best Day of your lives.

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What Christmas Means to Me

The Scripture above sums up what Christmas means to me. Yes, the lights and presents are nice, but the ultimate light and present has already been given to us in Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago.

Currently, a popular Christian Christmas song entitled “Mary Did You Know” is the number one song on iTunes. Written by Gospel comedian and singer, Mark Lowry, the song has been recorded by over 400 different artist. That is impressive. It asks if Mary knew all the things her son, Jesus, is going to do. In my opinion, yes, she did know, but it took a lot of faith.

The Wedding

As I reflect on Christmas this year, I thank God for sending Jesus to die for our sins. I am looking a lot at Mary, the virgin mother of Jesus. Just like me, she was planning her wedding to the man she loved.

Sitting back, I imagine Mary and Joseph planning their wedding dinner and preparing for their family to join the celebration, just like me and my fiancé. If she is anything like me, she is nervous and excited. I have a feeling that she was praying, a lot!

Every woman searches for the perfect dress, food, decorations, music and so on to make their wedding nice. Though, our wedding celebration probably differs some compared to the simple ceremony I believe Mary and Joseph had, the details are still important to any bride.

In the midst of all the wedding excitement, an angel tells Mary that she will become pregnant by the Holy Spirit to deliver a Savior into the world. That only has happened once, and it will stay that way. Now she has a wedding and a baby to plan for. Mary had to be overwhelmed- so I think.

He Has A Plan For You

picture: long bridesmaid dresses ukHowever, God did not choose just anyone to birth His son, the Savior, into the world. He picked Mary. I imagine all that praying she did, and the nights she stayed up and talked to God- it is in those moments He found favor in her. God knew Mary’s desire was to please Him before she pleased anyone else, even her future husband-to-be.

I can only pray and try to be half the woman Mary was 2,000 years ago. The Bible, and her story, is what I look to for guidance as I try to prepare to be the wife and Christian woman He has wants me to be. Just like God chose Mary for a special task, He chose me for a special task- and He chose you, too.

A Savior Is Born

After an angel confirms the pregnancy to Joseph, he and Mary follow through with their plans to wed. You could say the rest went down in history. Joseph did not lie with Mary until after the Savior was born.

Jesus, the Savior, was born in a manger. His roommates were cows, donkies and sheep. Everyone thought the Savior, the King of Kings, was to be born in a mansion like all other kings. Our King, chose to be born in a barn.

The Life of the Savior

Jesus did not live the “rockstar” life like kings tend to live. He came to take on all of our sins and be the ultimate sacrifice so we would not have to make anymore animal sacrifices. What leader do you think would do that for you today?

Throughout His life, I believe He experienced every emotion, pain and hardship that we face today. When we have a problem and take it to Him, He knows exactly what we are feeling. He suffered, cried, rejoiced, mourned, bled, fasted, prayed, etc. There is nothing too big for Him to handle.

Mary knew her baby was the Messiah and that he was born with a purpose. She kept her task to raise this child in her eye sight at all times. Likewise, we should keep our tasks and purpose in front of us throughout our lives, too.

The Star Light

This year, as I close my laptop and leave Oxford to head for the Delta, I can almost smell my momma’s cooking and see all the Christmas lights and the presents under our Christmas tree. I’ll walk into the house and greet mom, dad, Shelton and our dog, Rebel.

As we talk and laugh, we’ll ponder on the Christmas’ past and all our loved ones we wish were still here. Later, as we gather around the Christmas tree to read about the Savior’s birth, we’ll see all the Hallmark ornaments mom and dad have bought us kids throughout the years.

Every ornament on our tree has a special meaning or memory. One for our first Christmas, angels for our grandmothers that have passed, one Santa Claus taekwondo ornament from when dad made us learn self-defense (I actually grew to like the class), two driver’s license ornaments commending the years me and Shelton became legal road warriors, Ole Miss ornaments and a star light on top to finish it off.

Just like the star light on top of the Christmas tree, Jesus is the star light of the world. This Christmas, read Luke two and make Him the light of your world. Try Him and you will not regret it.

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If building a customer community for an organization were like planning a wedding and inviting guests, customer communities often are the second cousin who’s invited only when slots open up on the attendee list. But take it from me (I’m in the middle of planning my own wedding), they really should be a guest of honor.

The Importance of Building a Customer Community

Many companies see communities as a ‘nice-to-have’ and not as critical to the organization as sales and marketing, but the reality is that a customer community is a critical direct line to your customers and has the power to build your brand with your most powerful advocates. 2016 is the age of the customer, as the market moves at a speed not yet seen before, driven by customers’ high expectations for personalization of their journey. Businesses will need to realign and reorient their strategy specifically around the customer or risk losing out on developing and fostering a valuable channel as customers form communities of their own.

During the last few months, I’ve researched and planned for the 2016 execution of an online community for Invoca. At the same time, I’ve also been planning a wedding and actively applying the lessons I’ve learned along the way to help lay a successful foundation upon which I’ll build Invoca’s community.

Below, I share my advice on the three most important things I’ve learned from wedding planning that’s helped me assemble an online community proposal:

1. Get Executive Buy-In Early On

While the tradition of asking the bride’s father’s permission before proposing is somewhat outdated and not as frequently used anymore, asking permission and getting buy-in is still a vital part of a community-building process. Getting internal buy-in and support is a rule of thumb within organizations as they build large initiatives.

picture: wedding dress shops londonBut, like a nervous fiancé about to ask permission, I bet you’re wondering: what’s the best way to set yourself up for success when you ask? Start by doing your research. Then create a project plan and define methods to measure your results—think about what success looks like for this initiative and ask yourself the hard questions you’ll likely get. Then present your plan to an executive sponsor. Their buy-in as you build an online community will help support your goals and guide you with your project plan, ensuring you stay in alignment with the overall business objectives. It will also assist with defining exactly what is being built and the importance of the initiative to the rest of the organization.

2. Customer Experience Matters

Just like you have to understand your wedding guests and gauge their interest in the different elements of your wedding (did someone say photobooth?), you’ve got to gauge the level of interest your current customers would have in an online community. This may not be the main channel they are interested in actively participating on–perhaps they interact more with your brand on your blog or want instant support via chat or a Twitter account. But can you incorporate these elements into your community so they can get everything in one place? Getting consensus on what your customers want before throwing money into developing an online community should be part of your research. You want to establish a channel that supports development of the customer and helps them get value out of their current investment, while also ensuring you see a return from your investment. Establishing this type of customer experience broadcasts that you are listening to what they want and creates a strong foundation for your first interactions with them. So set up a primary channel to communicate with them and nail it.

3. You Need a Team to Bring It to Life

When you’re planning a wedding, you’re either one of two brides: a bride that thinks in siloes or a bride that thinks all-encompassing. Those that think in siloes are the equivalent of marketers who have “tool bloat”, needing a decorator for wedding decor, florist for floral arrangements, and caterer for wedding menu. However, in my experience, I’ve found if you bind everything together, it’s a great way to indirectly support the main initiative.

For instance, find a venue that incorporates catering, décor, lighting, floral, all in one complete package, and you’ll have an entire team working toward one main goal instead of trying to coordinate between all of them. The same goes for building an online community. Many think online communities are strictly for customer marketing, upsells and advocacy, and as such, marketing-owned. But it is much more than that–they allow for instant, unlimited communication and unparalleled networking, giving customers a chance to build stronger relationships with each other and the business.

If your community is going to be a success, it needs to be rebranded internally, adopted widely and owned company-wide. Sales, marketing, customer success, product development and even finance need to work together in order for the business to have a successful community. By putting together a cross-functional team of champions, each person will be able to promote and indirectly support the online community. Aligning the goals of the community with the goals of all your organizational stakeholders is vital. When companies align the community goal across all departments, employees know to make decisions that put the customer first and are more likely to contribute to the world-class customer experience you are trying to build.

Ready, Set, Plan

The online customer community is often a neglected opportunity. Businesses that incorporate the launch of customer communities in their plans and immediately hire customer community managers know community is a strong driver of business value and revenue. When community is seen as an actual product of the business, organizations will invest in it because they understand that building engaged communities will keep their customers happy, which results in lower churn. Businesses that don’t incorporate communities into their plan will need to play catch up quickly in order to remain competitive in a customer dominated world. In 2016, my prediction will be that organizations will begin to reinvent themselves to focus on the value of loyal relationships and critical real-time customer engagement over resolutions and transactions.

I want to invite you to join me as I traverse through the world of the online customer community (sorry, unfortunately, my wedding guest list is already at full capacity!) If you haven’t already, consider building one out yourself. It’s a great time to be a community manager! And if you’re already on top of it, leave me some feedback below on how you have built out your own community, what tips and tricks you can offer, or any other comments you may have!

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