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'Teen Mom Family Reunion': 5 things you need to know about MTV reality series
Watch as the 'Teen Mom' franchise cast opens up about their experience with parenthood and what made them join the series
By Aurelia Fernandes
Updated On : 00:42 PST, Jan 11, 2022
Maci Bookout in 'Teen Mom Family Reunion' (Youtube/MTV's Teen Mom)
Ever since '16 and Pregnant' premiered in 2009, fans have been invested in the lives of the original cast and the teen moms that came after. Navigating through motherhood is not easy, especially when you're trying to fulfil your aspirations as a young adult. However, between the heartache, trials and tribulations, the cast of the series seems to have come out on top and are now set for a new adventure in 'Teen Mom Family Reunion'!
Get ready to see the familiar faces of Amber Portwood, Ashley Jones, Maci Bookout, Cheyenne Floyd, among others, as these moms take time off to evaluate what the future holds.
'Teen Mom: Girls' Night In': 5 things you need to know about MTV's new spinoff show
Jade Cline's mom says show ruined her family, 'Teen Mom 2' fans say it 'was ruined way before'
When does 'Teen Mom Family Reunion' release, and where can you watch it?
'Teen Mom Family Reunion' premieres on MTV and Paramount+ on January 11 8/7c.
Who stars in the 'Teen Mom Family Reunion' series?
Amber Portwood
A mother of two, Portwood was a part of the original cast of '16 and Pregnant' in 2009. As per her cast bio for 'Teen Mom Family Reunion' --"Amber joins the reunion with her ex Gary. Although she is sequestered to her room after getting sun poisoning, she opens up to the cast about her issues with her daughter Leah. Knowing that her daughter doesn't want a relationship with her and she does not have custody of her son, she begins to work through her feelings of inadequacy as a mother."
Ashley Jones
Jones was a part of 'Teen Mom: Young and Pregnant' in 2018 and is now all set to be a part of the series' new spin-off. As per her cast bio for 'Teen Mom Family Reunion' --"Ashley arrives at the reunion with her partner Bar. After her beef with Briana and Jade comes to a head, she is forced to examine her behavior on social media. Shortly after, she reveals to the cast that she and Bar have been married for several months, but their relationship is on the rocks. Ashley worries that Bar will never live up to his full potential, and she's tired of waiting around for him to work toward any of his goals."
Briana DeJesus
Fans were first introduced to Briana DeJesus back in 2013, during 'Teen Mom 3'. As per her cast bio for 'Teen Mom Family Reunion' --"Briana and her sister Brittany arrive in California hoping to work through their issues with Devoin. While Briana is happy Devoin is making an effort with Nova and Stella, she knows he should be doing a lot more. When Devoin joins the reunion several days later, they are forced to address issues with their communication and anger toward each other."
Cheyenne Floyd
A regular cast member on 'Teen Mom OG', Kristyn Cheyenne Floyd is now back for the spin-off. As per her cast bio for 'Teen Mom Family Reunion' --"Cheyenne and her fiancé Zach join the reunion hoping to spend some quality time together without their kids. Cheyenne struggles to work through the idea of being a "supermom" and doubting her ability to give her children everything they need. Her ex Cory joins later, and the three of them work to continue navigating their blended family."
Jade Cline
A former regular on 'Teen Mom: Young and Pregnant', Cline is known for her time on 'Teen Mom 2'. As per her cast bio for 'Teen Mom Family Reunion' -- "Jade and her best friend Chau join the reunion hoping to enjoy some much-needed time away from her hectic home life. After confronting her issues with Ashley early on, they are able to form a bond knowing they both have people in their life who struggle with substance use. Jade shares with the others that she is worried that when she gets home, she will not be able to foster a relationship with Sean while he is away at rehab."
Leah Messer
A mother of three, Messer was originally a part of the 'Teen Mom 2' cast. As per her cast bio for 'Teen Mom Family Reunion' --"Leah arrives at the reunion revealing that she is in a new relationship. She confides in the other moms that she is struggling to open up to her boyfriend Jaylen because it seems too good to be true, and she has major trust issues lingering from her past. Soon after Jaylen arrives, the new couple is forced to work to establish trust and work to keep moving their relationship forward."
Originally a part of the 2009 series '16 and Pregnant', Bookout is now a mother of three and still associated with the franchise. As per her cast bio for 'Teen Mom Family Reunion', "Maci attends the reunion alone hoping to figure out who she is without her children. She soon realizes a lot of her issues with emotions have kept her from being more present with her husband and children. She works to open up to the other cast members and move past her feelings of betrayal from Ryan."
What is 'Teen Mom Family Reunion' all about?
As per the series synopsis, "What mom doesn't need a break? That's why cast members from across the Teen Mom franchise are coming together for a tropical vacation. But it's not all rest and relaxation, as the moms dive deep into relationship, friendship and parenting issues."
Dia Sokol Savage, Larry Musnik and Morgan J Freeman serve as the executive producers of 'Teen Mom Family Reunion'.
You can check out the trailer for 'Teen Mom Family Reunion' here.


I really did not intend on having a bachelorette party. Eddie and I are saving up for a home and I took a ton of days off last quarter taking care of my mom. As I told my dearest friends of my reasoning to not have a bachelorette party, they were having none of it. As they've already agreed to celebrate Eddie and me in the midst of a Chicago winter, I initially thought we'd try to head somewhere warm for a quick weekend. I really wanted my mom to join me since we've become incredibly close this past year. That meant flying was out of the question. The discomfort of hauling through the airport, the germs…it was too soon after her last treatment. Wouldn't you know that my constant praise of Destination Kohler had my friends yearning for a girlfriends spa getaway to Wisconsin in February?
Pure Luxury in Wisconsin in the Snow Covered Courtyard of The American Club.
Each year that I've visited Kohler, I've stayed at the American Club. This year, with eleven other women coming to enjoy a weekend away, I took advantage of Kohler's brand new multi-room suites. Available as of January 2018, our stay six weeks after opening made it extra special. We rented out the Horizon Suite and one two-bedroom suite to accomodate everyone. Both rooms were modern and stunning.
The gathering space of the Horizon Suite at the Inn on Woodlake.
Before we stocked the kitchen with 12 bottles of wine and bubbly, 30 waters, 24 LaCroix, and so much snack food. The half dishwasher allowed us to clean all the kitchenware that comes stocked with the suite.
There are four identical bedrooms in the Horizon Suite.
Each bedroom comes with its own bathroom. There are double sinks, lighted mirrors, and a Kohler designed triple head shower with additional overhead rain shower.
In news that will surprise no one, the bathrooms were positively divine. Four shower heads, overhead lighting and optional touch screen mirror lighting, hollyhock toiletries, dual sinks, and fluffy towels. It was a dream.
The most flattering lighting in the bathrooms.
Friday night was a little Northwestern reunion. Two of my besties from Chicago drove up together. On their way, they stopped in Milwaukee to pick up friends who flew in from New York. How humbling it is for friends to fly in for a girls getaway package to a tiny town of Wisconsin. When I say tiny, I mean it. While not very far from the city of Sheboygan, the permanent population of Kohler is just over 2,100 people.
Twinkle lighting + Besties + Barrels of Wine + Bachelorette Party Pics = The best recipe!
As a surprise, the girls planned for a private wine tasting and dinner at The Blind Horse Restaurant and Winery. Since Eddie doesn't drink wine, we had never considered this restaurant in the past. That's also why he hasn't joined me in some of my other trips, like when I visited the Petoskey Wine Region. Every Friday and Saturday, there is live music at the winery. After how pleasant our experience was this time, I'll certainly be revisiting.
Our tasting was in a private space at the winery. We tried five different wines made at The Blind Horse Winery. They were paired with fresh Wisconsin cheese and nuts. Personally, my favorite of the reds was the Vintners' Blend Cabernet and for the whites, the Gewurztraminer. While not directly associated with the Destination Kohler property, this activity was suggested by the resort as part of our girls getaway package. Just like the Kohler properties, this winery exceed all my expectations. Wisconsin wines are delicious; who knew?
The delicious private wine and cheese tasting. P.S. Wisconsin wines are just as good as their cheeses!
After our wine tasting, we exited the winery building to another building on the Blind Horse grounds. Here, we were escorted to a private room of a beautifully converted farmhouse to enjoy a fantastic dinner. Not only was the food divine, the service at the restaurant stood out as superb. Our server was genial, attentive, and accommodating to six somewhat inebriated women. He suggested fantastic food options and we tore through the entire small bites, bruschetta board, and appetizer portions of the menu. Enjoying the company of my dearest friends in a private dining room allowed us to get a little rowdy without disturbing other guests. As one of the later seatings, we were the last table at the restaurant and returned back to the comfort of the Horizon Suite to rest up for our day ahead.
After a fantastic night's sleep, we woke Saturday morning to the arrival of the rest of my friends. It didn't hurt that a stay at the Inn on Woodlake includes a full spread of hot breakfast items in the atrium of the hotel. There were these little breakfast sandwiches that were to die for: egg, a bratwurst patty, spinach, and gooey wisconsin cheddar on a hot croissant. I could eat one every morning!
When I mentioned what I wanted in a Wisconsin bachelorette party, I kept it pretty close to my normal winter weekend routine. I wanted to do some yoga, some ice skating, play games, and drink wine. The girls getaway package also coincided with Kohler's annual "Celebration of Chocolate" weekend. Upon check-in, we received a box of Kohler chocolates and bottles of wine. We also received tickets to the "Sugar High" event, an evening of food, chocolates, wine, and live music at the Kohler Design Center.
We started the day with yoga at Yoga on the Lake. With an entire wall of windows looking out onto Woodlake, the floors of the studio are heated to make sure students stay warm. In 2017, a hot yoga studio was added as well, but we chose to take a standard yoga class. Although advertised as multilevel, it was an incredibly difficult class and we all worked up a sweat. After yoga, the girls getaway package migrated from the yoga studio to my favorite winter activity: ice skating.
Only three friends were brave enough to skate on the frozen lake. We had a great time, and everyone skated really well.
Ice skating is a little like riding a bike; if you've never done it, you can't just start. If you've done it before, it comes back to you easily. My mom and I brought our own skates, but the Inn on Woodlake loans out skates to anyone staying at a Kohler property. For those who skate at the holiday rinks around town, skating on a frozen pond is a completely different experience. First, you are not competing with crowds. We were the only ones on the pond for a full hour. That means if you can't stop, it isn't a problem because there is no one with whom to collide. Secondly, there is no outer railing you can use to hold yourself up. As such, you need to have a basic ability to stay up and move forward. Finally, although the lake is pretty smooth, you may run into some bumpy patches. Luckily, we managed to avoid the bumps and ended up really enjoying our time out on the lake.
Did this Girls Getaway Package Come with a Photoshoot Party?
The women in my life are so special to me. They've gone on long walks with me when I am too anxious to sit still, they've hand fed me when I'm too ill to move, and they always make me laugh when I'm sad. The last thing I wanted was to have just one photo of all of us as we rotated to have one girl jump out to take a picture. So, I went searching for a photographer to take bachelorette party pics. I discovered Joanna when I was searching for Kohler and Milwaukee area photographers. I loved how full of emotion her work was so when she was available for the photoshoot party of this girls getaway, I was thrilled.
I'm so pleased with how the bachelorette party pics came out. Moreover, my friends treated my mom and me to such an incredible weekend of love. I'm not going to reveal everything about the weekend, but the girls getaway package included a visit to the Kohler Design Center, a custom cake, and a wall of macarons. Joanna did such a great job and if you are in the Milwaukee area, I highly recommend reaching out to her. I was incredibly happy to have my friends experience a place so dear to me. I think they enjoyed the photoshoot party aspect of it as now they have as many bachelorette party pics as they can handle. For anyone looking for Wisconsin bachelorette party ideas, I highly recommend a girls getaway package in Kohler, Wisconsin.
Oh my goodness the matching PJs are to die for. And I love the pictures! What camera did you use!?
I hired a professional photographer. She used Canon products.
Those PJs though! I'm planning a friend's bachelorette now so I love reading this.
So many great ideas! Every single one of them looks like sooo much fun!
You booked a beautiful suite and it looks like you had a great time wine tasting etc. for your bachelorette party. The matching striped pajamas are great. Best wishes.
The picture with same outfit is absolutely adorable… I love it. The bathroom does sound divine. That's actually the first thing I check in a hotel room. You are making me long for a girls trip. It does feel wonderful when friends fly in to meet you.
Looks like you guys had tons of fun! I love seeing ideas for "alternative" bachelorette parties and getting a professional photo is such a fantastic idea.
What a great idea to hire a photographer for the bachelorette weekend! I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. And the pjs are super cute!
This looks like SUCH a fun weekend! Who knew there was so much to do so close to home?! I love the idea of the photoshoot and the wine tasting. I wish I'd thought of those for my bachelorette!
This is seriously the cutest thing ever! Especially loved that first shot of y'all in matching PJ sets and I mean, girls night out with wine tasting and dinner is never a bad idea. It's so sweet that you brought your mom along too. Idk why but usually when I think of bachelor/bachelorette parties, I think of Vegas. It's nice that you didn't celebrate the mainstream way and just relaxed and had fun with your loved ones rather than spending time puking up booze in a bathroom hahaa.
I pretty much love everything about this! From the wine tasting to the PJs to the photoshoot – it's all so cosy and adorable. Dibs on the next girlfriend getaway, haha!
Looks like a good idea to have changed your mind to have a b-party! The yoga class by the lake and the wine tasting would have been my favourite!
I love how it looks in the snow, magical. Wisconsin looks like a fantastic 'off-the-beaten-track' destination for a bachelorette and I love that. I love the matching PJ's makes for a great photo.
Kohler' multi room suites sound like the perfect way to enjoy a girls vacay! The Horizon Suite looks like it has a tone of space. Love the bathrooms too and the double vanities – especially important when you're with 12 girls and everyone wants to get ready for the night out.Wine tasting, yoga and iceskating sound like a great weekend away, so glad you enjoyed your bachelorette – love, love, loving the matching pjs! And congrats on the upcoming wedding!
Absolutely beautiful photos – looks like you girls had so much fun! Fantastic ideas for a bachelorette party!


The Music Conservatory of Westchester is a non-profit community school of the arts, providing year-round music, theatre education, and music therapy for people of all ages and abilities. The Conservatory's 36,000-square-foot facility offers a Recital Hall and 43 acoustically designed classrooms and teaching studios. Their comprehensive programs, which serve 3,000 students annually, include performing ensembles, musicianship classes, student performances, master classes, workshops, and more. All students receive free admission to the Conservatory's annual series of faculty recitals and children's concerts. Scholarships available. The Music Conservatory offers a wonderful variety of summer camps and workshops. 216 Central Avenue in White Plains, NY. Phone: (914) 761-3900. Website: www.musicconservatory.org.


LOS ANGELES — When he took over as governor this year, Jerry Brown set his ambitions high. He wanted to break the partisan gridlock that had handicapped the Legislature for years. With the state facing a staggering deficit, Mr. Brown said over and over that he refused to close the gap with the same sort of smoke-and-mirrors budget tricks that the state had relied on for years.
But now, months after he assumed the state's highest office (for the second time), Mr. Brown finds himself crashing against the same wall of frustration, unable to get support from the Republican opposition. While the $131 billion budget agreement between Mr. Brown and the Democrats who control the Legislature, which relies heavily on optimistic revenue predictions, is by many measures an improvement from the recent past, it falls far short of what Mr. Brown hoped for as recently as last week. That budget passed the legislature late Tuesday night.
For months, Mr. Brown has said that the only way to plug the hole in the budget, and protect against more holes in the future, would be to extend some taxes that were due to expire. And he wanted to put a proposal to do just that before voters in a special election. But because authorizing such a vote requires a supermajority in the Legislature, he could do so only with the support of two Republicans in each chamber — which he never managed to get.
Mr. Brown spent months courting Republicans — inviting them to his Sacramento apartment, attending dinner and cocktail parties with them, meeting with them and, until very recently, he was careful not to criticize them. His aides said they drew up plans for pension overhauls and spending caps, but were rebuffed.
Senator Robert D. Dutton, the minority leader, placed the blame on the governor, saying that Democrats were unwilling to go far enough.
Instead of asking voters to approve the tax extensions in a special election this fall, Mr. Brown's supporters will opt for a ballot initiative in the fall of 2012, when they assume they will have a large Democratic turnout because of the presidential race.
So while Democrats were eager to celebrate reaching a budget deal before the start of a fiscal year — for only the second time in two decades — they also acknowledged their disappointment.
"We still have a lot of work to do," Mr. Brown said.
The budget that passed Tuesday night assumes that the state will collect $4 billion more from existing taxes than previously predicted, an estimate that Democrats said was justified given a recent uptick in state revenues. But if that money does not materialize by midyear, the plan puts in place other deeper cuts, including eliminating seven days from the school year.
Democrats say they have already made cuts that are anathema to them, and the Senate leader called the current plan the most austere budget in a generation. It includes hundreds of millions of dollars in reductions to the court system and social services, as well as a $1.3 billion cut to the state university systems.
The cuts still mean that the state will face a $5 billion deficit in the fiscal year that begins next summer. Mr. Brown had repeatedly said that collecting more money in taxes would also eliminate the budget deficit next year.
In many ways, Mr. Brown tried to use the latest twist in the state system to his advantage. Under state law, a two-thirds vote is required for increasing taxes or placing a measure on the ballot. Until this year, a two-thirds vote was also needed to approve the budget, but last fall voters approved a law that would allow the budget to be passed with a simple majority. That same law docked legislators' pay for every day that they went beyond the June 15 deadline for passing a balanced budget.
Mr. Brown quickly vetoed the plan the legislators approved just before the deadline, saying it papered over the deficit and used illegal tactics. The state controller agreed and said he would withhold pay until they passed a new budget. At the time, Mr. Brown said he would "move heaven and earth" to secure the Republican support he needed for his plan.
But in the end, the time on the clock ran out and few had the stomach for dragging out talks into the new fiscal year.
An article on Wednesday about Gov. Jerry Brown's goals for California's budget misstated the official who said he would withhold legislators' pay until a new budget was passed. It was the state controller, John Chiang — not the state treasurer, Bill Lockyer.


Join the Arts Center on Wednesday, Feb. 13, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., and hear from a currently-exhibiting artist, Pete Goldlust. Learn how he makes his living as an artist and what his days look like. There's a $5 suggested donation.
Pete Goldlust received his MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2001. Since that time, Pete has shown his work in venues throughout the U.S. and abroad, including solo exhibitions in Chicago and Los Angeles. His work has been featured in publications ranging from Art in America to Ripley's Believe It Or Not!, and from Elle Belgium to Raising Arizona Kids.
Pete and his wife and collaborator, Melanie Germond, and their two young sons, recently relocated from the small artist community of Bisbee, Arizona to Eugene, Oregon. They are currently enjoying the novelty of being rained on. When he's not sitting in meetings, Pete enjoys spending time looking under rocks for curious, inspiring, squirmy things.
Pete's public artwork includes commissions for the cities of Tempe, Tucson, and Scottsdale; the award-winning Children's Museum of Phoenix; the Walnut Creek (CA) Public Library; a bike path in Loveland, Colorado; a nature center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and a pediatric clinic in Douglas, Arizona.


Research and creative work is integral to the development of the student, both as a scholar and as an individual.
At LMU, research is encouraged the moment students are accepted to the university. Whether you major in studio arts or electrical engineering, all LMU students have the incredible opportunity to conduct hands-on original work under the close mentorship of LMU faculty.


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Do you have Springer Fever?
Categories // Outdoor Activities, Explore the Ellijays, Attractions & Things To Do
Are you suffering from an uncontrollable urge to sleep outdoors, eat trail mix and tromp around the woods wearing a backpack? If so, it sounds like you have a case of "Springer fever." The illness strikes thousands of outdoors enthusiasts each year, and the best cure is to pull on your hiking boots and hit the trail.
Perhaps the best place to begin is on the mountain that lends its name to the illness you're suffering from. Located on the eastern edge of Gilmer County, Springer Mountain serves as the southern terminus of two long-distance footpaths.
The Benton MacKaye Trail measures nearly 300 miles and stretches to the northern end of Great Smoky Mountain National Park. It's much longer and more well-known cousin, the Appalachian Trail, tracks 2,190 miles through 14 states to Mount Katahdin in Maine and is the longest hiking-only footpath in the world, according to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.
Whether you're planning to begin a multimonth trek to the Northeast or are just looking to stretch your legs for an afternoon, Springer Mountain is an excellent place to begin. Here's a list of things to enjoy during your visit to the 3,780-foot peak and its surrounding area.
Sign the log book
A .9-mile stretch of trail connects the Springer Mountain parking lot on Forest Service Road 42 to the summit. Tucked in a shelf carved in a boulder at the top of the mountain is a hiker log book. Visitors can sign the registry and read entries from those who have traveled that way before them.
On a rocky outcropping nearby, visitors will also find a plaque bearing a picture of a hiker and the words "a footpath for those who seek fellowship with the wilderness." Beside the metal sign is the first blaze – a 2 by 6 inch white rectangle – of the Appalachian Trail. Hikers can follow these markings to the northern terminus in Maine.
Benton MacKaye plaque
Fixed on a rock by the start of the Benton MacKaye Trail is a memorial plaque, which tells the history of the footpath's namesake. MacKaye was a forester and regional planner who first cast the vision for the Appalachian Trail.
Completed in 2005, the pathway that bears his name follows part of the route he originally proposed for the footpath he envisioned. Hikers will encounter the terminus of the Benton MacKaye Trail a few hundred yards before reaching the top of Springer Mountain.
Chat with a thru-hiker starting out
Those who attempt to hike the entire Appalachian Trail in a continuous trip are called thru-hikers. The majority of them choose to hike south to north and begin their trek atop Springer Mountain in March or April. Visitors to Springer may enjoy asking these long-distance hikers about what inspired them to attempt the trail and hearing about their hopes for the journey northward.
Long-range views
On a clear day, hikers visiting Springer Mountain can enjoy a striking view westward to the Cohutta Mountains. A rock outcropping along the Benton MacKaye Trail also offers a nice vista during good weather of the Big Creek watershed.
Visit a hiker shelter
The first few miles of the Appalachian Trail are home to two hiker shelters – one near the summit of Springer Mountain and the other along Stover Creek. Campers use these rustic, three-sided structures to sleep in or get out of the elements during bad weather. Oftentimes, those hikers sleeping in tents will pitch camp near a shelter, since these areas typically are near a water source and have a privy. Shelters sometimes feature elaborate cable systems that hikers use to hang their food in order to keep it away from wildlife.
Loop hike opportunities
The Appalachian Trail and Benton MacKaye Trail criss-cross one another several times in the first few miles after leaving the top of Springer, creating some good loop hiking opportunities. There are two 5-mile loops between Springer and the Three Forks area, which can be hiked separately or strung together for a longer hiking outing.
Earn a patch
The aforementioned series of loops, along with a connected 1.1-mile jaunt from Three Forks to Long Creek Falls make up the Trout Adventure Trail. Established in 2012 by Blue Ridge Trout Unlimited and the U. S. Forest Service, the 12-mile section of trail is dedicated to raising awareness about local trout and serves as an outdoor classroom exhibiting the importance of healthy habitats and watersheds, as well as conservation.
People who hike any part of the section of designated trail are eligible to receive a free patch. A 12-miler patch is also available. Parking for this trail system is available nine-tenths of a mile from the summit of Springer Mountain on Forest Service 42 and at Three Forks on Forest Service 58. For trail directions, educational information and details about getting a patch, visit www.troutadventuretrail.org.
The woods around Springer Mountain are filled with a variety of native trees and shrubs, including gnarled rhododendron, towering hemlock trees and stately oaks. In the spring, hikers also may encounter a range of mountain wildflowers, such as bloodroot, trillium, mayapples and Indian-pink.
Please be considerate of others on the trail and leave these little gems undisturbed. In regard to animals, hikers may catch sight of some of the critters that call the north Georgia mountains home, such as deer, black bear, squirrels and raccoons. For more information on hiking in Gilmer County Click Here.
Written by: Whitney Sherrill, freelance writer.
Tags: Appalachian Trail, Benton MacKaye Trail, Benton MacKaye Trail Association, Blue Ridge Trout Unlimited, Ellijay, Gilmer County, Hike, Hiking, Long Creek Falls, Springer Mountain, Three Forks, Times Courier, Trout Adventure Trail, Whitney Crouch

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Miami Dolphins spread American football cheer in London as NFL rolls into town
Miami take on New York Jets at Wembley on Sunday afternoon, a game that is one of three International Series contests in London this year.
The NFL is returning to London this year with three International Series contests and the Miami Dolphins cheerleaders arrived ahead of Sunday's game.
The Dolphins take on the New York Jets on Sunday afternoon (British Summer Time) in an intense AFC East divisional match at Wembley Stadium.
Both teams arrive in the UK on Friday for their grudge match, but the Dolphins cheerleaders headed over a tad earlier to soak up the city.
The cheerleaders visited Wembley ahead of Sunday's game and also spent some time at Regent's Park in nearby north London.
They also visited Abbey Road, the scene of the famous zebra-crossing photo taken by the Beatles.
Many of the cheerleading squad will have never performed outside of the United States before, let alone Florida, but they will be providing some entertainment on Sunday for the expected crowd of over 80,000.
Although the Dolphins came to London last season, they were the designated away team which meant their cheerleaders did not perform at Wembley as the Oakland Raiders did instead.
Come Sunday, the Dolphins will be banking on the support of their UK-based fans and cheerleaders to help them beat their divisional rivals after starting the season with two losses from their opening three games.
The players themselves will practice at Saracens' Allianz Park on Friday having flown overnight from the United States straight after their practice on Thursday.
Read more: https://www.dailymail.co.uk


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Qatar: Build It, But Will They Come?
Qatar may have a world-class airport, but it may struggle to attract 7 million tourists by 2030. Published in Bloomberg Businessweek, 21 December 2014
Travelling into Doha by air these days is a far more enjoyable experience than it used to be. Gone are the unwelcome bus rides between plane and terminal and the cramped duty free area of the old airport. In their place at the recently opened Hamad International Airport are world-class, modern and spacious facilities.
The airport opened in May 2014, several years later than originally planned, and there were some unusually public legal wrangles with contractors along the way, such as with the German-UAE joint venture Lindner Depa Interiors about the fit-out of lounges. Now that it is finally open, those in charge say the new airport will play an important role in the growth of the country's economy and could help it to diversify into areas such as meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE).
"Hamad International Airport will be one of the key drivers of the country's economic diversification and will have a strong impact on the human and economic development pillars of Qatar National Vision 2030," says Badr Al-Meer, chief operating officer of the airport.
"The airport also supports the evolution of a significant MICE market in Qatar which, with state-of-the-art facilities such as the Qatar National Convention Centre and initiatives from Qatar MICE Development Institute, is set for rapid growth."
The airport will be able to handle up to 50 million passengers a year once complete, which should provide plenty of room for Qatar Airways to continue expanding. But the big question for the country is whether it can persuade enough passengers to leave the airport and spend time and money in the country rather than just change planes.
The number of international tourists visiting Qatar has varied significantly in recent years, from 1.5 million in 2010 to 2.5 million in 2011 and back down to 1.2 million in 2012, according to the World Tourism Organisation, an arm of the UN.
The Middle East region as a whole attracts around 52 million tourists a year, so Qatar is clearly only gaining a small fraction of the market. It is currently in the same league as Lebanon, which attracted 1.4 million visitors in 2012, and Oman, which received just under 2 million visitors. By contrast Dubai, which is Qatar's most natural rival in many ways, welcomed close to 9 million visitors in 2012.
The Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) is not attempting to match Dubai, but it has set out some ambitious targets in its national tourism strategy, which was launched in February 2014. Chief among them is the aim of attracting 7 million tourists to the country by 2030. It also wants the sector to contribute 3.1 per cent of GDP by 2030, up from 0.8 per cent in 2012.
At the moment, the majority of visitors come from around the Gulf. "Many of the tourists visiting Qatar's hotels come from neighbouring GCC countries, mostly from Saudi Arabia and the UAE," says Hamad Abdulla Al Mulla, CEO of local hotels group Katara Hospitality. "The GCC has been the primary market for in-bound tourists in previous years. In 2013, more than 1 million tourists from the Gulf visited Qatar."
If the country is to hit its target of 7 million visitors, it will clearly need to attract far more from outside the region. The QTA says that 64 per cent of visitors should be coming from outside the GCC by 2030, compared to around 30 per cent at the moment. The country will also need a lot more hotel rooms. In 2012, there were some 13,407 rooms available. The national tourism strategy says that figure should rise to between 56,100 and 62,000 by 2030.
However, there is one issue, which makes the idea of a gradual build-up of accommodation and visitor numbers more complicated. The country is due to host the football World Cup in 2022 and the sport's governing body FIFA is demanding at least 60,000 hotel rooms are available by then. Once the tournament is over, the country could find itself with significant overcapacity.
"It will be difficult for the country to achieve the level of visitor growth which will garner enough demand to support a 400 per cent expansion in the number of hotel rooms," said Saudi bank Samba, in a report on the Qatari economy published in July 2014.
Other industry insiders appear confident that the country will be able to build enough rooms in time for the competition and to avoid a surplus in the long-term. "The market will build what the market deems necessary and sustainable for the post-World Cup period in Qatar," says Nick Smith, a partner at construction consultancy firm EC Harris. "The shortfall will be provided by temporary accommodation that is easy to dismantle and remove."
Sporting events are a key element in Qatar's plans to attract more visitors, along with the MICE sector. However, it is less clear what all the tourists might do when there are no major sporting events to view or conferences to attend. Qatar is a conservative society and, as a result, life in Doha is noticeably more sedate than somewhere like Dubai. There has been some noticeable investment in art galleries and museums in recent years – including the Arab Museum of Modern Art (Mathaf), which opened in 2010 and the National Museum of Qatar, which is still under construction – but in reality there is little to mark the country out from other destinations in the region.
"Whilst some museums, hotels and a significant number of shopping centres are under construction – in addition to the downtown entertainment area – it is fair to say that hotel, hospitality and tourism facility developments are yet to gather pace," says Smith.
Clearly, developing a vibrant tourism strategy requires more than simply building a modern airport and providing accommodation. But Qatar's playing the long game and while it may be starting from a low base, it has at least got some of the right foundations in place, according to observers.
"Qatar, like many of its neighbours, has been keen to maximise the long-term opportunities afforded by trade and tourism, and it now has the necessary infrastructure to build on these industries in the medium- to long-term," says Michael Regan, a partner at international law firm Mayer Brown.
Newer PostPromising outlook for Saudi cement sector
Older PostState Spending Boosts Qatari Banking Sector


Contains over 700 how-to illustrations for backing quilts, embellishment, paper piecing, machine quilting, and using templates and stencils.
Publisher: Emmaus, Pa. : Rodale Press, c1997.
Characteristics: 288 p. :,ill. (chiefly col.) ;,29 cm.


In this game, YOU will WATCH DUCKS from a PARK BENCH.
WATCH the DUCKS and get POINTS! The game ends when you hit ESC! Get as many POINTS as you can!
Keep an eye out for special GOLD DUCKS!
This was the first game I uploaded to Glorious Trainwrecks, part of Pirate Kart 2.


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UFC's Nick Diaz Angling For Jorge Masvidal Fight In 2020
Nick Diaz is reportedly interested in making a return to the UFC in 2020, which would be his first fight since January 31, 2015. Naturally, Nick is eyeing a fight against Jorge Masvidal, the man who defeated his younger brother, Nate Diaz, for the "Baddest Motherfucker" title at UFC 244.
According to ESPN, Diaz's manager, Kevin Mubenga, says the goal is to set up a fight against Masvidal in the spring at the home of the Dallas Cowboys, AT&T Stadium.
During a sit down interview with ESPN's Ariel Helwani, Diaz described how he took exception to Masvidal saying he was going to "baptize" Nate during their BMF bout. Speaking of the BMF title, Nick says that's really his belt anyway.
"All I see is fucking dollar signs right now," Diaz said of Masvidal (via MMA News). "It's not on me. You wanna talk about baptizing my younger brother, that's on you. I never had nothing disrespectful to say, but you don't talk about baptizing my younger brother. So you're already in a fucked up position if you fight with me. You don't fucking talk about baptizing someone's younger brother. That's my baby brother, you don't talk like that to nobody. So who rides on who's side?"
"The BMF, the 170, that's my belt," Diaz said (H/T MMA Junkie). "But I'm not going to get in my brothers way of taking it. As far as I'm concerned that's my belt. … This ain't up to no UFC. We've seen that in the past already. I don't need to do anything more than what I've already done here. I don't know what to tell you people. All I know if I've got a whole lot of people who feel the same way."
Nick's last fight in 2015 was a decision loss to Anderson Silva, although the outcome was later ruled a no-contest after Silva tested positive for banned substances. Diaz (26-9-0, 2 NC) had also failed a drug test for marijuana metabolites, which marked his third such failed drug test, and he was suspended for five years. That ban was ultimately reduced to 18 months.
Nick and Jorge were originally scheduled for UFC 235 in March, but nothing was ever finalized. Judging from the video posted on instagram by Masvidal's manager, Malki Kawa, it looks like Team Masvidal is more than ready for another go with the Nick Diaz Army.
from HotNewHipHop.com https://ift.tt/2Qf82qm
T.I.'s Daughter Unfollows Him On Instagram After Hymen Controversy
Summer Walker Responds To Negative Meet & Greet Experience: "Respect My Space"


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Supporting TWFF Ambassador Joakim Odelberg's new conservation project in collaboration with Gothenburg Symphony.
The Earth has music for those who listen. Joakim Odelberg is taking this thought to a new level with a unique project that intersects nature filmography with music.
Joakim will set on an expedition from Denmark to the North Pole, capturing the beauty of the nordic region. He will highlight problems like marine debris and melting icecaps which threaten this beauty!
The film will be projected onto the giant concert hall of Gothenburg Symphony on their 400th anniversary in 2021. 5 composers from 5 different nordic countries will write original music for this artpiece. Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, which is the Swedish national orchestra, will perform this music for a live audience.
It promises to be an experience that activates all senses towards the conservation of nature.
The White Feather Foundation will be raising funds and awareness to bring this project to life. As we begin this journey together with Joakim, here's what he had to say "Sitting down with Julian and Andrew at the Monaco gala for oceans, I was really inspired to get this project going. Looking forward to working together with The White Feather Foundation to raise awareness for the conservation of nordic environments".
More updates coming soon. #conservelife
Learn more about the project: Unique Music and Nature Film Project
Join our community of people doing great things for Mother Earth, to #ConserveLife.
Join TWFF!
https://whitefeatherfoundation.com/news/nordic-a-fragile-hope-joakim-odelberg/
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Entries in Christmas Shopping (8)
Retailers Prepare for Super Saturday
Jupiterimages/Thinkstock(CHICAGO) -- Retailers are banking on last minute Christmas shoppers this weekend.
Stores like Toys R Us and Macy's are extending hours. Many retailers are also rolling out last minute deals.
Ryan Burrow from ABC News visited an olive oil specialty store in suburban Chicago and learned the retailer is overstaffing all weekend long and expecting some big crowds.
Some analysts predict this year's Super Saturday sales could surpass Black Friday's.
Saturday, December 22, 2012 at 11:20AM by Christine Hsu Permalink
tagged Christmas Shopping, Super Saturday in Retail
6 Last-Second Holiday Deals
Sean Gallup/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Shoppers hoping to pick up last minute holiday gifts are still in luck. Here is a list of some of the deals still available on Christmas Eve.
1. Old Navy $20 Groupon
Groupon is offering a $10 for $20 deal at U.S. Old Navy stores. The deal expires on Saturday at noon EST but can be used by Jan. 28. Shoppers can snag the deal as a holiday present by emailing or printing it for a gift recipient, if you can withstand the stigma of giving a coupon.
Otherwise, shoppers can use the deal to purchase a gift in-stores Old Navy stores, most of which close at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
You can't use the Groupon deal to purchase a gift card however.
If you don't have time to go to a store before it closes, you can still buy an electronic gift card. Gap Inc. sells an "Options Giftcard" to use at any of its brands: Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, piperlime.com, and athleta.gap.com.
2. Sweaters
Black said "there's a glut of sweaters in the marketplace," so expect deep discounts on traditional designs from retailers like Gap, Ann Taylor, and Ann Taylor Loft.
Unless you're a specialty retailer, like women's sportswear store Lululemon and lingerie seller Victoria's Secret, Black said shoppers should expect deep discounts on apparel.
"If it's not 40 percent off at least, shoppers may not pay attention," she said.
Whenever you buy something, ask a retailer if they will give you an adjustment. If you save a receipt, retailers may give you the price difference if the store makes additional markdowns after Christmas. Black said retailers like Nordstrom allow adjustments.
3. Barnes and Noble Printable Coupon
Dealnews said this 30 percent off coupon is "the largest general coupon" it has seen from bookseller Barnes & Noble this year. The coupon expires at the close of business on Saturday and excludes NOOK purchases and digital materials.
4. Nikon Coolpix L120 14MP 21x Zoom Digital Camera
This Nikon Coolpix camera is $199.99 with free in-store pickup but Dealnews points out you must place your order by 3 p.m. local time no later on Saturady for pickup before Christmas.
5. Dynex 32" 720p LED-Backlit Widescreen LCD HD Television
Also for $199.99, this flat-screen has similar time constraints if you want to pick it up before Christmas. Dealnews said the price has even dropped $50 from three weeks ago and is one of the least expensive LED-backlit 32" LCD TVs it has ever seen.
6. Nintendo 3DS Handheld Game System bundled with a $30 Gift Card
This bundle costs $169.99 with free in-store pickup and comes in black, red or blue. The 3DS features two screens - one 320x240 touchscreen and one normal 800x240 -- that display 3D visuals without the need for 3D glasses. It also features a 3D camera and 2GB SD memory card.
Saturday, December 24, 2011 at 11:01AM by Carmen Cox Permalink
tagged Christmas Shopping, Deals, Discounts, Holidays, Shopping in Business General, Retail
Experts: Boost in Holiday Shopping Indicates Increased Confidence
Tim Boyle/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- With only five days left before Christmas, holiday shoppers are flooding the malls and local stores.
Nearly half of shoppers have not finished their Christmas shopping yet, according to a National Retail Federation survey, and the traditional biggest shopping days -- Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Green Monday -- are all behind us. The outlook seems to be that it's shaping to be a robust season for the economy.
Experts say this year consumers have the upper hand, as stores opened for extended hours and online vendors offered major discounts, some even with free shipping.
"The holiday season this year favors the consumer," Ellen Davis of the National Retail Federation told ABC News. "Retailers have been very promotional, they know that the average shopper is still looking for a deal, spending on a budget, is very focused on small, discretionary items, basics and necessities."
On Thursday, the National Retail Federation revised its holiday sales forecast upwards from 2.8 percent -- which it had forecast in October -- to 3.8 percent, for a record $469.1 billion. While this is still below the 5.2 percent for 2010, it's above average for the past decade, and holiday shopping isn't even over.
Experts say that despite the tough job market and the weak stock and house prices, Christmas is shaping up to be surprisingly strong for retailers.
"Households are spending with some gusto," said Mark Zandi, Chief Economist for Moody's Analytics.
Zandi told ABC News that increased confidence is helping both low and high income households finally start spending after long holding off.
"A solid Christmas buying season will set a very positive tone for the economy going into 2012," Zandi said.
Monday, December 19, 2011 at 6:19AM by Jeanette Torres Permalink
tagged Christmas, Christmas Shopping, Holiday Shopping, Holiday Spending, Retailers, Shoppers in Business General, Retail
Holiday Spending: Over 40 Percent of Shoppers Will Buy Last-Minute
Sean Gallup/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) -- Retail analysts say shoppers have set new records for spending this holiday season, but a new survey indicates almost half of all U.S. gift buyers have not yet begun to shop.
A survey by PriceGrabber finds 41 percent of consumers plan to shop between Dec. 21 and Dec. 24 for holiday gifts.
When those shoppers were asked why they wait until the last minute to buy gifts, 43 percent responded that they believe the best discounts can be found in the final days before Christmas. Another 43 percent of respondents said they were too busy to get their shopping done any earlier.
Twenty-six percent of those polled blamed their gift-buying delay on procrastination, while 22 percent said they shop at the last minute because it's fun. Another 10 percent of survey respondents said they wait for a year-end bonus to begin shopping.
Most people complete their Christmas shopping before Christmas Day, but the PriceGrabber survey found 11 percent of men and eight percent of women admitting that they wait until January to buy holiday gifts. The number one reason given for waiting until 2012 to buy gifts for Christmas 2011: better sale prices. Sixty-eight percent of January Christmas shoppers cite that reason.
Another 27 percent say they wait until January to do their holiday shopping because they can do it with gift money they received in December. Twenty-four percent said they simply prefer shopping in January, while 11 percent said they wait until the new year to use year-end bonuses from their jobs.
The PriceGrabber survey included responses from 13,472 shopping consumers.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011 at 4:49AM by Jeanette Torres Permalink
tagged Christmas, Christmas Shopping, Holiday Shopping, Holiday Spending in Business General, Retail
Real Cost of 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' Shoots Up to Over $100K
Jupiterimages/Thinkstock(PITTSBURGH) -- The dollar just doesn't buy as many partridges in a pear tree and swans-a-swimming as it once did.
An annual pricing survey of every item listed in the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" finds the price of 12 partridges in a pear tree in 2011 is $184.99 -- up 14.2 percent from last year. The cost of seven swimming swans jumped 12.5 percent over last year to $6,300. Both increases helped push the total cost of all items mentioned in the tune over the $100,000 mark for the first time.
The annual Christmas Price Index compiled by PNC Wealth Management shows the 364 items repeated in all the song's verses would cost $101,119, an increase of 4.4 percent over last year. That would buy you 12 drummers drumming, 22 pipers piping, 30 lords-a-leaping, 36 ladies dancing, 40 maids-a-milking, 42 swans-a-swimming, 42 geese-a-laying, 40 gold rings, 36 calling birds, 30 French hens, 22 turtle doves, and 12 partridges in pear trees.
Buying just one set of each verse in the "The Twelve Days of Christmas" will cost you $24,263 this season, a 3.5-percent rise over 2010. That's the price you will pay in stores. Online, one set of each verse will cost $39,860, a 16.1-percent increase over Internet prices in 2010.
The cost of French hens, calling birds, maids-a-milking, ladies dancing and lords-a-leaping didn't go up this year. Five gold rings actually dropped a bit in price to $645 from $650 last year. The price of pipers piping and drummers drumming increased just three percent over last year. The price of eight maids-a-milking at minimum wage was $58, the same as in 2009.
The annual Christmas Price Index is based on a survey of jewelry stores, dance companies, pet stores and other sources.
Monday, November 28, 2011 at 4:35AM by Jeanette Torres Permalink
tagged Christmas Shopping, Holiday Shopping, Holiday Spending in Business General, Retail
Walmart to Offer Layaway Option this Holiday Season
ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images(BENTONVILLE, Ark.) -- Walmart announced that it will offer a holiday layaway program for two of the season's most popular gift categories: electronics and toys. This program is set to kick off on Oct. 17 and run through Dec. 16.
Customers have long expressed their desire for the service, and the company finally announced the news to its nearly 9 million Facebook Fans on Thursday.
The program is will enable customers to make payments when they want and for how much they want on the most popular gifts. Both toy and electronic items with a retail price of $15 or more will be eligible for the program. Customers must also have a total minimum layaway purchase of $50, make a 10 percent down payment on the total purchase, and pay a one-time non-refundable $5 service fee.
Layaway payments can be made at any register and picking up these orders can be done at the Walmart.com counter in the majority of the stores.
Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 3:14PM by Ashley Ulker Permalink
tagged Christmas Shopping, Walmart in Business General, Technology/Electronics/Software
Holiday Shopping Hope: Retail Sales Up
Photo Courtesy - Getty Images(CHICAGO) -- With Christmas just days away, it seems Americans are opening their wallets and spending again.
The Saturday before Christmas, known as "Super Saturday" was the second-biggest shopping day so far this year, according to new data from Shoppertrak. Sales for Saturday were up 15 percent from last year and consumers are spending a $1 billion more.
"It's clearly a different move than what we saw last year. There's more energy, it's more exciting, the consumers are certainly more interested in participating in the event," said Bill Martin with Shoppertrak.
The good news for retailers is that they don't have to entice shoppers with extreme discounts as they did in the last two holiday seasons.
"What's happening now is what's left in the store, it's the type of things they want to move. And they believe they can move them with a not as deep a discount as they had last year," said Martin.
The days leading up to Christmas are crucial as stores try to empty their shelves.
tagged Christmas Shopping, Holiday Shopping, Retailers, Shopping in Business General
'Anti-Christmas' Retailer Gives Up on 'Holidays?'
Photo Courtesy -- Getty Images(NEW YORK) – Under pressure from other retailers and various organizations, Dick's Sporting Goods has given up on its use of the phrase "holidays" in place of "Christmas," according to AdAge.com.
The retailer, which had opted to embrace the spirit of the "holiday" season as opposed to "Christmas" when considering its advertising schemes, was put under pressure to change after the American Family Association encouraged all of its 2.3 million supporters to shun the sporting goods retailer.
"In our research of the Top 100 retailers in America, Dick's advertising is likely the most 'anti-Christmas' of all," read the alert sent out to AFA supporters.
"Sure, Dick's wants you to buy their products, but no retailer in the nation has appeared to go out of its way to snub 'Christmas' more than Dick's."
Dick's was quick to respond to the AFA with a statement that said that changes to their marketing strategy were underway and that "Christmas" would become a major part of their advertising campaign by Nov. 28.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010 at 4:48PM by Brandi Kruse Permalink
tagged Christmas, Christmas Shopping, Dick's Sporting Goods, Holiday, Holiday Season in Business General


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Dr. Peter McCullough on mRNA Jab
December 30, 2022 December 30, 2022 Chris Wick mRNA Jab, Peter McCullough
Dr. Peter McCullough has claimed that mRNA, which is present in COVID-19 vaccines, can be transmitted through close contact such as kissing, sexual activity, and breast milk.
He also suggests that mRNA can remain in the body indefinitely and that the COVID-19 vaccines may alter the human genome. He alleges that the vaccines were rushed through approval without sufficient safety testing and that autopsies have found the spike protein in the heart and brain.
Helen Banoun has also argued that lipid nanoparticles or exosomes, which can be excreted through body fluids and penetrate the skin, may be transmitted through breast milk and potentially even through sexual intercourse.
They have called for legislation on gene therapy to be enforced in relation to mRNA vaccines and for further research to be conducted on this issue as the vaccines are being widely distributed.
Mainstream media claims that It is not accurate or scientifically supported to claim that individuals who have been vaccinated for COVID-19 pose a health threat to those who are unvaccinated. In fact, the opposite is true: getting vaccinated can help protect both the individual being vaccinated and the community by reducing the spread of the virus.
Vaccines work by helping the body develop immunity to a disease. This immunity can protect against future infections and reduce the severity of disease if an infection does occur. COVID-19 vaccines have been shown to be highly effective at preventing severe illness and death from the virus, and they have been rigorously tested for safety.
A COVID-19 vaccine is an important tool in the global effort to control the pandemic and protect public health. It is essential that people get vaccinated to help bring an end to the current pandemic and prevent future outbreaks.
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Chris WickPost author
Dr. Peter McCullough is an American internist and cardiovascular disease specialist. He is currently a Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Internal Medicine at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas.
Dr. McCullough received his medical degree from the University of Michigan Medical School and completed his residency in internal medicine at the University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers. He is board-certified in internal medicine and cardiovascular disease.
Dr. McCullough has a long history of research and clinical practice in the field of cardiovascular disease. He has published numerous articles in scientific journals and has served as an investigator on multiple clinical trials. He has also served as a consultant to various organizations, including the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Food and Drug Administration.
In recent years, Dr. McCullough has gained attention for his views on the management of COVID-19. He has spoken out in favor of the use of hydroxychloroquine and other treatments that have been controversial or not widely accepted by the medical community.


Stay connected to the world while not having to charge - SWINGS - the 2-year battery life smartwatch.
SWINGS smartwatch is able to solve two problems that all other smartwatches have fallen short on – battery life and looking like a real watch. The Pebble smartwatch has always been good on battery life – with up to a week on some of their devices, but those products do not look like a classic wristwatch. At first glance you would have no idea this watch is a smart device, but it still can track and give you updates as other digital screen heavy smartwatches require.
Aside from being a good looking watch, the most noticeable aspect on this smartwatch is the battery life. SWINGS boasts an astounding two-year battery life on the generic CR2450 replaceable watch battery, which is comparable with standard non-smart watches.
SWINGS is packed with hidden features that a standard wristwatch would not include. Smart notifications, tracking your fitness, tracking your sleep, music control, camera control, sedentary reminder, time zone sync, alarm, stopwatch, call notifications, and it is waterproof to boot.
Never miss an important call during a meeting. If a call comes in, your SWINGS watch will vibrate and the dial will indicate a call alert. Push a button on the watch to dismiss the call and immediately send it to voicemail if you're busy.


They are oranges, damn delicious oranges, with a blood like hue to their plump beads. Sometimes a faint speckled orange and at others a deep nearly black red, until you cut the fruit you never know what you will find. Native to Sicily there are over fifteen varieties.
Only available from August to October you need to be quick to get the most out of this citrus.
With such a short season, use blood oranges in everything. Start the day with a glass of juice, have them in a salad for lunch, make a divine curd for a tart, mix with oil for a tangy dressing, or just have them with another Italian classic – Campari. Freezing the juice in cubes will keep you in aperitifs long after the season has drawn to a close.


Sophomore Anh-Viet Dinh holds up a photograph of Murchison Tower, found in the library's archives, over the modern day location. This photograph and many others like it are part of an exhibit that opens at 5 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 10 on the second floor of the Coates University Center. Photo by Anh-Viet Dinh.
Sophomore Anh-Viet Dinh spent the past summer poring over old photos of the Trinity campus in the Special Collections section of the library. The result is a photo exhibit that will open at 5 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 10 on the second floor of the Coates University Center.
Dinh's work features past photos of Trinity held up against their modern-day locations, a concept that has recently gained popularity online, but Dinh said he came up with the idea of doing it on Trinity's campus.
The process began with selecting the original photographs from Special Collections.
Archivist and Special Collections librarian Amy Roberson worked side by side with Dinh over the summer, facilitating the process of gathering photos from the archives.
Dinh then printed out the photos, held them up in front of the modern-day location and took his own shot.
Because of the connection to architecture and Trinity history, Dinh's work drew the attention of assistant professor of art and art history Kathryn O'Rourke, whose first year seminar focuses on architecture and the work of O'Neill Ford, who designed much of Trinity's campus.
"The exhibit is dealing with the issue of history and how we live it on a modern campus," O'Rourke said.
The students of O'Rourke's seminar will be curating the exhibit as well. Pairs of students are responsible for writing an object label for each photograph, and the class as a whole is responsible for a 500-word introduction to the exhibit.
"The gallery allows students to look at our campus as it was in the past," Dinh said.
Apart from teaching a lesson on the history of Trinity's architecture, O'Rourke believes that the exhibit will enrich students' experience.
Wow just got to see that photo and read the article! really great work should see if you could do a whole series!
From the time I was a student (class of 1991, a long time ago now), I've been interested in the history of the Trinity campus. I happened to be on campus for the first time in a decade last weekend, and I stumbled across this exhibit on the second floor of the Coates Center. I thought it was well done, and I congratulate the students involved. Since Trinity has moved 3 times in its history, the campus has always been dynamic. Just since my graduation, old Northrup, Moody, and Cobb-Racey are gone, the Miller fountain has moved, and the Center for Science and Innovation is rising. It's good to remind everyone that the campus does have a history, even if it does not go back as far as a place like Harvard or Oxford. In particular, the beautiful campus plan developed by O'Neill Ford is a treasure of the university that should always be taken into account when looking at new construction.


Ice Climbing Training? It is indeed that time of year. So let's get this show on the road. I promised a few weeks ago to post my current ice climbing training program.
I know from previous years that six weeks of good hard work set you up for a much more successful and fulfilling season out on the ice. Ice climbing training is way worth a little bit of effort for about 6 weeks, or more if you have it. I think if you get into a late season, or are mainly going to Ouray, this program could be done for eight or more weeks and work great.
It's the one I'm actually doing right now. Though I am using slightly different weights for it. For myself I'm really posterior chain dominant. That means I can train hamstrings and glutes all day long and get a lot of bang for the buck. So whereas in this ice climbing training program when it says something like 8 x 8 @ 50% – for me that might be more like 8 x 8 @ 100% (the % being percentage of bodyweight for the training load). For example, like with Leg Curls where I've actually maxed out the machine at the gym I currently go to. I say that not to impress, but rather to explain that there is a lot of variance in this program. If you can recover fast enough, there is plenty of room to do a lot more weight in the shoulders and chest exercises.
I promised this first to my newsletter subscribers, so if you want your copy, please sign up now and get one without the waiting. It's a 4 day a week program you can use in just about any gym, even a well stocked home gym. There are a few different options listed, but if you need more let me know and I'll make a revised version and send it to my subscribers.
It's 16 weeks that will get you in amazing shape. Check out the reviews.


When a build reports of changes it contains both in the UI and in email, it is for the changes since the last build rather than the last successful build. It seems to me it should be since the last successful build.
Some times there are a lot of unsuccessful builds, so view Since Last Successful can be really large and unusable. So I think it should be considered as an option only.
Okay. Thanks for the response, Kir.
though the last build(s) was/were broken that defeats the purpose of continuous integration.
display for failed builds: changes in the build & changes since the last successful build.
Otherwise, please file a Jira request.


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Mixopsis pulverata är en fjärilsart som beskrevs av W. Warren 1904. Mixopsis pulverata ingår i släktet Mixopsis och familjen mätare. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Mätare
pulverata

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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This SPRING
THE JUNGLE BOOK KIDS
The jungle is jumpin' with a jazzy beat in Disney's The Jungle Book KIDS. Specially adapted from the classic Disney animated film, Disney's The Jungle Book KIDS features a host of colorful characters and your favorite songs from the movie.
Banished by the ferocious tiger, Shere Khan, a human boy named Mowgli and his panther friend, Bagheera, are on the run in the deepest parts of the jungle. On their journey, the two meet a sinister snake named Kaa, a herd of elephants and a giant bear named Baloo, who teaches them the swingin' musical rhythms of the jungle. After surviving a dangerous encounter with a band of monkeys led by King Louie, Mowgli and Bagheera are forced to run for their lives. When Shere Khan returns, our heroes must rally their fellow animals into battle and restore peace throughout the jungle.


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Bengalia kuyanianus är en tvåvingeart som först beskrevs av Matsumura 1916.  Bengalia kuyanianus ingår i släktet Bengalia och familjen spyflugor.

Artens utbredningsområde är Taiwan. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Spyflugor
kuyanianus


This article will attempt to explain some of the basic MD-11 systems methodology in terms of how similar features work on the Boeing 7x7 series aircraft you're likely more familiar with. If you're familiar with Airbus systems logic, some of that general knowledge will apply here, though be aware that many things on the MD-11 aren't exactly like the Airbus either.
The glareshield MCP (mode control panel) used to command the autopilot on a Boeing is called the FCP (flight control panel) on the MD-11.
Magenta = the mode is following FMS generated commands.
White = the mode is following manual commands coming from the FCP.
Green = the mode is following commands associated with performing an autoland.
Keeping this color coding system in mind will quickly allow you to ascertain where the autopilot is getting its command information from at any time.
The autothrottle and autopilot systems on the MD-11 are NOT independent of each other in the way that they are on Boeing aircraft. Before takeoff, pressing the AUTOFLIGHT button on the FCP arms both the autothrottle and the autopilot takeoff modes. Advancing the throttles manually past around 60% N1 will cause the autothrottle system to actually engage and begin controlling thrust. There is an audible click sound from the panel when this happens. After takeoff, press Autoflight again to do the equivalent of pressing one of the autopilot CMD buttons on a Boeing. This will actually give control of the pitch and roll modes over to the AP. From this point on, the two systems are completely unified and essentially operate as a combined system until disengagement at landing.
The MD-11 does NOT have "hard" switches on the FCP for disconnecting the AP and AT the way Boeing airplanes do. The only way to do disconnect them are via the soft disconnect switches located on the yoke and throttle in the real aircraft. There are key commands assignable in the PMDG menu for simulating these buttons. Upon pressing the AP disconnect, you will hear a disconnect warning, simply press the AP disconnect again to cancel this warning.
To reconnect the system, simply press AUTOFLIGHT on the FCP. This will reconnect BOTH the AP and AT.
The two AFS OVRD OFF switches on the FCP below the AUTOFLIGHT button are NOT regular autopilot disconnect switches like you may be used to on a Boeing! These switches completely disable the MD-11's automatics and you will lose other AFS functions that are normally available even with the AP disengaged such as ATS speed protection.
The MD-11 is equipped with a unique variable flap lever position called Dial-A-Flap. It allows for any takeoff flap setting between 10 and 25 degrees to be set on the pedestal. 15 degrees is standard though it may be more optimal to use a different value depending on the situation. DAF is only used during takeoff, for approach it must be set to 15 degrees.
The MD-11's MCDU does not have dedicated pages for these functions the way a Boeing's CDU does. They are all handled through a single page associated with each waypoint called the Lateral Revision (LAT REV) page. Pressing the MCDU LSK to the left of a waypoint on the F-PLAN page brings you to the LAT REV page for that waypoint. This page allows you to do a number of things including inserting waypoints and airways, SIDs, STARs, and approaches.
It is very important to note that LAT REV should always be called up FROM the last waypoint prior to what you want. So if you want to add a STAR for instance, you need to bring up the LAT REV page for the last enroute waypoint before you want the STAR to start and add it from there.
RTE - Origin and destination airports are entered on the F-PLAN INIT page. The familar VIA and TO columns for airway entries are located by pressing the AIRWAYS page, accessed through a waypoint's LAT REV page.
LEGS - The F-PLAN page is roughly equivalent, though many modifications to the flight plan happen through a waypoint's LAT REV page and not directly on the F-PLAN page and scratchpad the way you'd do with a Boeing. The flight plan between your destination and your alternate appears at the bottom of the waypoint list, after the main origin to destination plan. The Boeing convention of making modifications to the route by line selecting waypoints from further downrange up into a new position does not apply here, you must use the LAT REV page's NEXT WPT prompt.
DEP/ARR - You insert SIDs, STARs, and approaches by using the SID and STAR pages, accessed through the LAT REV page. You should add a SID from origin airport's LAT REV page and a STAR from the last enroute waypoint's LAT REV page.
Going direct to a waypoint in the MD-11 is a dedicated function on the MDCU, accessed by pressing the DIR INTC key. You can NOT go direct by line selecting a waypoint to the top of the F-PLAN page the way you would do on a Boeing CDU. Simply press DIR INTC, then line select the waypoint into the box at the top or type it into the scratchpad. Confirm it and off you go.
The MD-11's version of these modes are accessed by either pushing the heading knob to hold current heading, or pulling the knob to fly the selected heading in the box.
The MD-11 has modes roughly equivalent to both Boeing modes that can be engaged by pushing the altitude knob to hold the current altitude or pulling it to engage a pitch-for-speed mode similar to Boeing's LVL CHG or FLCH modes. It will climb or descend and capture the altitude in the window.
This is simply called NAV on the MD-11's FCP and the button is located below the heading knob.
The MD-11's version of VNAV is called PROF, short for "profile" and can be activated with the PROF button below the altitude knob.
Pushing the speed knob will hold the current airspeed, pulling it will fly the selected speed in the window, and pressing the FMS button will blank the window and allow the FMS to command speed.
The MD-11 is unique in a couple of respects with regard to FMS speed targets and restrictions. All speed targets are treated as AT OR BELOW, which means that you could end up crossing at a lower speed than what you'd entered in for a particular waypoint if the FMS deems it necessary. The FMS is smart and if you tell it to descend steeply and decelerate at the same time, the deceleration will get moved backwards along the route to account for the decent that's required later on. Don't be alarmed if you see this propagation of lower speeds up into waypoints you didn't set restrictions for, it's just the airplane helping you manage your energy.
Boeing pilots will be used to exercising manual control over the aircraft's speed during approach by using the MCP speed window. This is NOT how the MD-11 is designed. It is completely normal for the MD-11 to land with the speed window closed and under full FMS control.
The FMS calculates approach speed on the basis of a few rules during the approach sequence, each distance listed is the point during the approach where these speed reductions must occur by, but they can occur earlier if calculations demand it.
15 to 11 miles - Slats +20.
The aircraft will automatically decelerate to these speeds provided you have the aircraft configured correctly as far as flap settings. You will see a hollow magenta circle on the speed tape indicating that it's time to deploy the next flap setting.
Performing an autoland in the MD-11 is as simple as pressing the APPR/LAND button located on the FCP above the AUTOFLIGHT button. Provided you are tuned to an ILS frequency that contains both a localizer and glideslope, (which is done automatically by the FMS) the plane will execute an autoland unless you take over manually.
If all your systems are opering normally you will see a green DUAL LAND annunciation on the PFD FMA indicating a full CAT III autoland.
If you have failures that are not critical for the autoland (for example, one of the two autopilots inoperative or one HYD system failed) a white SINGLE LAND will be annunciated and a CAT II autoland will apply.
If you have critical system failures, or excessive deviation from LOC or GS a white APPR ONLY will be annunciated and the autoland function will not be available. The aircrtaft will continue to track LOC and GS, but autopilot will disconnect at 100 ft AGL.
In an autoland the AP remains engaged after touch down to keep the aircraft aligned to the runway. At the end of the rollout you should manually disengage the autopilot, otherwise you will not be able to taxi, since the AP will still try to keep you on runway track.


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Biografia
Nasce a Treviso, passa l'infanzia a Venezia, dove frequenta le scuole elementari e medie (1939-1945), frequenta il ginnasio e sostiene la maturità classica all'Istituto S.Giuseppe di Torino (1946-1952).

Diventa in seguito allievo dell'Institut auf dem Rosenberg di San Gallo (Svizzera 1952-1953) e si iscrive a scienze politiche (1953-1957) sezione interpretariato all'Università di Heidelberg (con stage all'Istituto di scienze politiche della Sorbona a Parigi), corsi di filologia  all'Università di Digione (Francia) e corsi di lingua e letteratura inglese alla Cambridge School di Londra.

Nel 1956 consegue il diploma di traduttore a pieni voti all'Università di Heidelberg (1956) e l'anno successivo il diploma di interprete parlamentare "summa cum laude".

Dal 1957 al 1993 lavora per l'Alta Autorità, l'Assemblea Comune e la Corte di Giustizia della CECA, poi per il Parlamento Europeo come interprete simultaneo e di conferenza e infine come direttore e direttore generale.

Nel 1960 crea a Lussemburgo con la moglie Herrad Prete e gli amici Arnaldo Ferragni e Edmond Dune la rivista multinazionale di poesia Origine.
Insieme danno vita al Gruppo Origine, iniziativa culturale di sintesi franco-italiana di poesia e arte, che s'impegna nella traduzione, pubblicazione e diffusione dei maggiori poeti italiani, francesi, belgi e lussemburghesi.

Come scrittore, saggista e poeta ha pubblicato numerose opere soprattutto in italiano.
In collaborazione con Arthur Praillet fonda e codirige una rivista letteraria "La Revue franco-italienne de la poésie", di cui sette numeri furono pubblicati tra il 1966 e il 1968

Opere

Opere di poesia
 I belli orizzonti. Loescher, Torino (1962)
 Il tempo dei frassini. Sestante, Padova (1964)
 Pietra su pietra. De Luca, Roma (1969)
 Lettere agli amici. Rebellato, Padova (1972)
 Terre di nessuno. Il Libro, Roma (1977)
 Terre perse (conversione in francese). Journal des Poèts, Bruxelles (1979)
 Quartine per le sere d'inverno (conversione in francese). La table des champs, Arlon (1982)
 Renitenza. Origine, Lussemburgo (1998)
 Renitenza (conversione in francese). L'Arbre à paroles, Amay (1999)

Romanzi
 L'Ambasceria in Fiandra. Pagus, Paese (Treviso) (1981)
 Il ruggito del leone. Origine, Lussemburgo (1994)

Antologie
 E. Dune, Poètes italiens d'aujourd'hui (conversione in francese). A. Pfeiffer, Lussemburgo (1965)
 A. Noferi, Prima biennale della poesia italiana. I Centauri, Firenze (1969)
 A. Praillet, Jeune poésie italienne. Vodaine, Yutz (1971)
 D. Cara, Le proporzioni poetiche. Laborio delle Arti, Milano (1976)
 Journal des poètes, Numéro spécial du 50ème anniversaire. Bruxelles (1981)
 H. Labrusse, R. Milani, A. Ughetto, Promenades en poésie italienne contemporaine. Sud, Marsiglia (1984)
 A. Monjo, M. Méresse, Six poéts italiens contemporains. La Sape, Montgeron (1992)
 J. Baude, Venise sous les bois de Cadore. L'Arbre à paroles n° 10, Amay (1999)

Note
Hélène Gilmard e André Doms, Origine: un voyage poétique insolite entre cultures. Maison de la poésie (2008)


How closely and tenderly is Jesus one with His church! There is not a chamber of sickness, nor a bed of suffering, at which His presence may not be experienced in all the divine power and human sympathy of His nature. The careful reader of His life must be impressed with the frequency with which His personal contact with bodily infirmity and disease is recorded and with what promptness and skill He addressed Himself to the task of alleviation and cure. His power and skill are needed today and are still the same.
He bore our sicknesses when He bore our sins. Sin is the source of all evil and disease. This thought may intensify the sufferings of the child of God. The thought that, had it not been for some hidden declension of soul, some sin of omission or of commission, his Heavenly Father would not have not sent the discipline of sickness is intensely painful to the heart that desires to please God in all things. But how consolatory the truth that, if we may trace all disease to sin as its original cause, the Christian may also trace all sin to the cross of Christ, where He atoned for it, pouring from His own heart's blood a stream which has cleansed it all away. Oh, let this thought, my soul, soothe and comfort you—that in all your bodily suffering, or circumstances there is no condemnation, the atoning blood of Jesus having washed you whiter than snow, leaving you not the cause, but only the effects of your sin.
Jesus bears our sickness in the grace and sympathy by which He enables us, uncomplainingly and submissively, to bear it. Oh, what a hallowed sanctuary is often the sickroom of a child of God! What divine presence is there felt, what glorious manifestations of the Saviour we may have there, what holy lessons are there learned, what heavenly prospects are there unveiled! Jesus is there, and thus makes it all that it is.
Be not hasty in judging of the state of your soul in sickness. Mind and body reciprocally and powerfully act upon each other. A diseased body will often impart its morbid complexion to a healthy soul, and, looking away from Jesus, will fill it with doubt, darkness, and despondency. It is what Christ is, and not what you are, that is to fill you with peace, joy, and hope.


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Q: Is there a getComponentShape() method for Java Swing/ AWT? I'm just stepping into this huge world of designing graphic UIs, so please be patient.
I went through (some of) the (vast) documentation on the official website and I just wanted to know if there was a method that told me the shape of my JComponent.
When I do getBounds it says rectangle, does this refer to my shape?
Thanks in advance.

A: AWT's class Component and Swing's class JComponent don't have the concept
of arbitrary shapes, they just have a rectangular shape.
That's why JComponent's method getBounds returns a Rectangle
which is just a special case of the Shape interface.
Only class java.awt.Window has getShape and setShape methods,
and of course all its subclasses (Dialog, Frame, JWindow, JDialog, JFrame, ...) also have. May be this is what you need.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Sometimes I feel like I learned everything I needed to know about software project management on Monster House.
Monster House is a television show on The Discovery Channel. Five random builders and the host, Steve Watson, perform a "monster" makeover on someone's home in five days. If the builders complete the project, they win $5k worth of construction equipment. So what does this have to do with software project management? More than you might think.
The show is on a very strict timeline. The builders have five days; the job must be complete by Friday midnight, no exceptions. If the builders don't finish the job to Steve's satisfaction, they get nothing.
This is true custom building. You won't see any cookie cutter tract home construction here; these guys have to actually sit down and figure out how to build a lot of the crazier stuff – a Viking ship in the back yard, a lighted disco dance floor, a western saloon, etcetera.
The show uses five different builders every time, with radically different backgrounds and skills. They do try to tailor it to the job somewhat – you'll see two welders on a show with lots of metal work, and plumbers on jobs with fountains. But these guys are absolutely all over the map in terms of abilities and personalities.
The host is not managing the builders. He lays out the construction plan, and ensures that the builders adhere to it, but he generally does not intervene except in the most extreme of circumstances.
All this reminds me very strongly of every software project I've ever been involved with. You never know what kind of teammates you're going to get, and you never really know exactly what you're building – until you build it. But by God, it better be done on time!
We observe that about fifteen percent of all projects studied came to naught: they were canceled or aborted or "postponed" or they delivered products that were never used. For bigger projects, the odds are even worse. Fully twenty-five percent of projects that lasted twenty-five work-years or more failed to complete. In the early surveys, we discarded these failed data points and analyzed the others. Since 1979, though, we've been contacting whoever is left of the project staff to find out what went wrong. For the overwhelming majority of the bankrupt projects we studied, there was not a single technological issue to explain the failure.
The cause of failure most frequently cited by our survey participants was "politics." But now observe that people tend to use this word rather sloppily. Included under "politics" are such unrelated or loosely related things as communication problems, staffing problems, disenchantment with the boss or with the client, lack of motivation, and high turnover. People often use the word politics to describe any aspect of the work that is people-related, but the English language provides a much more precise term for these effects: They constitute the project's sociology. The truly political problems are a tiny and pathological subset.
If you think of a problem as political in nature, you tend to be fatalistic about it. You know you can stand up to technical challenges, but honestly, who among us can feel confident in the realm of politics? By noting the true nature of a problem as sociological rather than political, you make it more tractable. Project and team sociology may be a bit outside your field of expertise, but not beyond your capabilities.
Whatever you name these people-related problems, they're more likely to cause you trouble on your next assignment than all the design, implementation, and methodology issues you'll have to deal with. In fact, that idea is the underlying thesis of this whole book: The major problems of our work are not so much technological as sociological in nature.
Most managers are willing to concede the idea that they've got more people worries than technical worries. But they seldom manage that way. They manage as though technology were their principal concern. They spend their time puzzling over the most convoluted and most interesting puzzles that their people will have to solve, almost as though they themselves were going to do the work rather than manage it. The most strongly people-oriented aspects of their responsibility are often given the lowest priority.
Failure to deal with problem personnel also threatens development speed. This is a common problem and has been well-understood at least since Gerald Weinberg published Psychology of Computer Programming in 1971. Failure to take action to deal with a problem employee is the most common complaint that team members have about their leaders (Larson and LaFasto 1989). In Case Study 3-1, the team knew that Chip was a bad apple, but the team lead didn't do anything about it. The result – redoing all of Chip's work – was predictable.
There's nothing really new here, but it is incredibly compelling to see these crucial lessons documented on camera over and over again, with different people every time. Don't let this happen to your team.


Deb, I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of property and I'm keeping my hopes high that the cat is still surviving.
I've sent Kris an e-mail with notes and good wishes, including these. What I think we can offer her most right now is love, and any practical boosts that are of immediate use: places for her 11 llamas to live are the most immediate need! In two groups (males and females separate). Some are at a ranch in Wellington and need to move; others are at The Ranch (official evac site, which needs to be cleared for a scheduled event by 6/30); one is at the CSU vet hospital because of corneal abrasions that may be a result of fire/evacuation events.
My heart aches for your friends and their animals. I know you're aching for them as well. As Susan said above, please remember to take care of yourself too.
Thanks, Dina. I working on taking care of myself: am about to take a walk and clear my head. Thats possible because Im in Seattle, where the air isnt smoky (helping with Mom).
I'm so sorry. I don't know what to say except that I'm glad no one was injured.
I am so sorry to hear that your friends lost their home and barn. It's heartbreaking for them and the other 250 families whose homes have been lost in this fire. I'll hold positive thoughts for Mocha - hopefully, you are right that she sheltered in the basement.
Thanks so much, Caryl. We have a lot of people without homes to go back to, and thousands more who cant go to their homes, even though the structures are still standing--and dont yet know if they will still have those homes by the time the fire abates, likely this fall (although containment should happen within a month, if any luck prevails).
Nice to know you are in my neighbourhood;) I was relieved to hear that you were both fine, but sorry to hear about your friends. Hope their cat turns up safe. We have flooding up this way, but my new apartment isn't near any rivers so I am safe and so far the river at Mom and Christy's place isn't being too threatening.
Oh, Cara! Ive been missing you! And I learned about the Nexus card, which (if I got one) might make it easier to come see you some time when we are back here. Stay dry, please.
They're in Elbert, CO, probably way east of you, but if they have the pastureland, it might be worth the trouble to get the animals there.
Ruth, Ill keep asking Bijou Basin about their situation in mind to mention as a backup, if needed. At the moment, places closer are apparently available.
Elbert is about 3 hours from Fort Collins. A number of Kriss llamas are older and/or rescues, with health concerns, so she would like to be closer to them. (Plus its two trailer loads of animals to get them anywhere: probably two days of driving back and forth.) Eileen and Karl at Bijou Basin travel a lot to shows: Im sure they have their own animals covered, but adding 11 might be a bit much!


In December, 1986, Frank Beamer was introduced as head football coach at his alma mater Virginia Tech. A reporter asked Beamer if he believed the Hokies could win a national championship. "If I didn't think we could reach that level, I wouldn't be here," Beamer said.
It seemed like a far-fetched notion at the time, but not anymore. This season, the 53-year-old Beamer led Virginia Tech to an 11-0 regular season record and a Sugar Bowl date with Florida State for the national championship.
Beamer was the overwhelming choice for the Maxwell Football Club's Collegiate Coach of the Year honors. He becomes the 11th recipient of the George Munger Award, named in honor of the former University of Pennsylvania coach.
It was a long climb from where Beamer started as head coach at Virginia Tech to this season's run at the national championship. His first five teams were a combined 22-32-1. In his sixth year, the Hokies joined the Big East Conference, but won only two games. Yet Beamer never gave up hope.
In 1993, the Hokies had their breakthrough year. They won nine games, including a 45-20 rout of Indiana in the Independence Bowl. Virginia Tech went 44-16 in the next five seasons and went to a bowl game each year. Still, it took most people by surprise this season when the Hokies went undefeated and surged to No. 3 in the national polls.
"People are used to seeing Nebraska here and Florida here and Tennessee here and so forth," Beamer said. "I'd like to think Virginia Tech is here for now and that we can stay in this position and challenge them for a few years to come.
The Hokies led the nation in both scoring offense (41.4 points per game) and defense (10.5) during the regular season. They also won their third consecutive Big East Conference title as Beamer became the winningest coach in school history. His record is 88-59-2 in 13 seasons.
"To see all the excitement on the faces of our fans was special," said Beamer, who coached six seasons at Murray State before taking over the program at Virginia Tech. "I grew up attending games here, so to see where the program is now is really special. A lot of the letters coming in say how nice it is to have one our own in charge. I'm just thankful I've been able to be a part of it.


Raspberries get squished on the way back from the farmers' market? Throw them into a pie with juicy peaches.
I'd never cook a perfect pint of raspberries. Eating them raw really is the best way to appreciate their sweet-tart charm.
But those sad-looking berries squashed on the way home from the farmers' market? Baking them into a pie might be their last chance to shine before the compost bucket beckons.
Raspberries can find a place in practically any sweet pie, but they go especially well with succulent peaches, which have a mellowness that tames the berries' acidity.
Berries with a similar tang, like strawberries and blackberries, will also work nicely, though you can just as easily use the plump blueberries that ended up at the bottom of your tote bag under some potatoes. Just add a squeeze of lemon or lime juice to perk them up.
As for the peaches, the question of peeling inevitably arises whenever I add them to a pie. I don't mind the peels, so I leave them on. But if fuzz gets you down, take it off with a paring knife or vegetable peeler. Or substitute smooth-skinned nectarines. In any case, use the juiciest fruit you can find. I like to buy my stone fruit a few days before making my pie, giving everything a chance to ripen.
Another thing you can do a few days in advance is make the pie dough. After baking pies out of cookbooks by Stella Parks and Erin McDowell, I've been skipping the food processor and using my hands, delighting in the excuse to plunge my fingers into a bowl of butter and flour. I find I get a slightly flakier result without a machine, which can over-process the butter. But feel free to use your favorite pie dough recipe, or a good brand of store-bought dough, preferably one made with butter.
A raspberry's character can be ephemeral when baked into a pie, so I add a little raspberry jam to the filling in place of some of the sugar. The jam adds both sweetness and depth of flavor. It's not a loud presence, but it subtly enhances what's there.
Then I keep the other seasonings delicate: a touch of lemon zest, a sprinkle of nutmeg and a little brown sugar, just enough to round things out. Fresh summer fruit — even raspberries on their very last legs — won't need much help.


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« book chats: 2009 calendar | Main | book chat on "eagle in the snow" postponed to october 22 »
barbarian invasion across the rhein, 406
Our current read, Eagle in the Snow by Wallace Breem, centers around the barbarian invasion of 406 CE across the Rhein river, which our fictitious hero Paulinus Gaius Maximus is tasked to stave off by Stilicho, magister militum of the Western Roman Empire. (Note also Claudian at LacusCurtius re Stilicho.)
The Cambridge Medieval History by By J.B. Bury, Macmillan, 1911, page 266, gives a concise description. (The book may also be read at the Internet Archive.)
"In this manner Italy had indeed been speedily saved from great danger, but at the end of the next year (406) hostile hordes broke into Gaul with so much the greater violence. It is very probable that this invasion, which was undertaken by the Vandals, had some connexion with that of Radagaisus. In conjunction with the Vandals were the Alani, who had recently formed an alliance with them, and the Suevi, by whom we must understand the Quadi, who had formerly dwelt north of the Vandals. This great tribal migration, following the road along the Roman frontier (limes), reached the river Main, where they met the Silingi, a Vandal tribe which had gone westward with the Burgundians in the third century. These now helped to swell the Vandal hordes, whilst a part of the Alani under the leadership of Goar enlisted in the Roman army on the Rhine. Near this river the Vandals were attacked by some Frankish tribes, who were keeping guard on the frontier, in accordance with their treaty with Stilicho. In the ensuing fight the Vandals suffered severe losses, their king Godigisel being among the slain. On receiving this news the Alani immediately turned about, and, led by their king Respendial, they completely routed the Franks. On the last day of 406 this mass of people crossed the Rhine at Mainz, which they invested and destroyed. The march was continued by Trèves to Rheims, where the bishop Nicasius was slain in his own church; thence to Tournai, Terouenne, Arras and Amiens. From this point the journey proceeded through Gallia Lugdunensis to Paris, Orleans, and Tours, and, passing through Aquitania into Novempopulana, by Bordeaux to Toulouse, which the bishop Exuperius saved from falling into the enemies' hands. But the fortified passes of the Pyrenees put a stop to their further advance. Thus Spain remained unconquered for the present, and the Vandals now made their way into the rich province of Narbonensis. The devastation of the extensive provinces and the conquered cities of Gaul was terrible; contemporary writers of prose and verse alike complain bitterly of the atrocities committed by the barbarians in this unhappy country. The oldest people could not remember so disastrous an invasion. The weakness of the Empire is revealed by the absence of a Roman army to oppose the Germans. Stilicho's policy was at that time directed towards Illyria, and for this reason he probably found it impossible to come to the assistance of Gaul.
"This first great danger was soon followed by a second. The migration of the Vandals had very likely caused the Burgundians along the middle course of the Main to become restless; they now began to bear down upon the Alemanni on the lower Main. A part of the Burgundians had perhaps intended to join the great migration of 406, for shortly after we meet with them on the west side of the Rhine. The most important result, however, was, that the Alemanni now entered on a campaign against Roman Upper Germany, and conquered Worms, Speier, and Strassburg. Here again the Empire failed to send help, and the allied Franks remained quiet.
The fact hat this is included in "Medieval History" is interesting and ties in with or previous discussion, late antiquity, spätantike: when did it happen?
A.H.M. Jones, The Later Roman Empire, 284-602, is listed in the bibliography. It can be found as Google Book, albeit as "Preview" only, with the relevant passages missing.
Wikipedia (as usual handle with care) has individual pages on some of the tribal leaders:
Goar (he did not die as in the novel but survived until at least 446)
Godigesel and Gunderic coverage is brief and unsupported, but there are the Vandals. Godigesel was the father not only of Gunderic but also of Geiseric, the two latter being half-brothers.
Gunther (Gundaharius, our Guntiarus)
Respendial
The above image, courtesy Wikimedia Commons is "Plünderung Roms durch die Vandalen" (the sack of Rome by the Vandals) by Heinrich Leutemann (1824-1904)
Posted by IHahn on October 13, 2008 in Book Chats, Books & Book Reviews, Late Antiquity | Permalink