Thread: 2019 1250 GS brakes.
Just looked at a 2019 GS at the dealer and observed that the brake calipers no longer display the Brembo name. They simply are stamped BMW. Did BMW stop using Brembo brakes? I cannot find anything on the BMW specification sheets about a change of brake supplier. Any info appreciated.
Did BMW stop using Brembo brakes? .
The front calipers on the 2019 GS/GSA and RT are no longer Brembo they are U.S. made Hayes calipers.
The 2019 R1250RS and R still have Brembos front and back.
Last edited by Lee; 11-25-2018 at 09:10 PM.
The front calipers on the 2019 GS/GSA and RT are no longer Brembo.
Do you know who the brake supplier is?
The different brakes are mentioned in this video at the 13:15 mark.
I know nothing about Hayes now, but my Father worked for them in the 70's until he retired as a Sales/Factory rep.
They are the people who patented the heavy truck and a year or two later the car disk brake in 1968 or so.
They had the chops back in the day, but have no clue who owns or runs them these days.
They give you more power and add weight. I really hope they did not half step in what you need to haul the bike down from speed.
It would be disappointing but I can think of no reason to change from Brembo to someone else who brands them with your name, other then cost.
I just bought a 2019 R1250GSA as an upgrade from my 2007 GS. The new brakes are unbelievable. I hit the front brakes hard and it stopped straight and fast. They are very, very impressive. What surprises me is the data in the video above shows the brakes have a longer stopping distance than the Brembos. I suppose there are many variables that could account for the difference.
Admittedly though, they only did the brake test once.
1951 Citroen DS was the first production car with disk brakes.
1953 Jaguar C-Type won LeMans with Dunlop disk brakes.
1955 Triumph TR-3 had Girling 4-wheel disk brakes.
Brembo does not have any magic sauce. Disk brake calipers, rotors, pads are a MATURE product, there is no significant difference between brands. If you are racing brand B might be a very tiny bit better than brand A.
No worry as long as they still use quality components. If the get some profit driven jerk in the vendors purchasing dept, at any brand all bets are off.
I haven't watched that video for a while now, but like many tests there are several things in it that unfortunately, don't lend themselves to much accuracy.
The two bikes were shod with different tires and the R1200GS tires were far more broken in (3,500 miles) than the R1250GS which had 760 miles at the end of the testing, but for the braking/acceleration testing, they looked virtually new and the brake pads/discs may have been as well. You can't do proper comparative testing that way. Also, any braking test will not show well for a tire that isn't well worn in compared to one that is virtually new tire (4%-5% worn) vs one that is 20% through it's wear. Even tread squirm is significantly different. Fuel ecomony also is at it's worst with such low mileage. The 1200 is definitely not completely broken in yet, but it is much farther along that route than the 1250, so again, apples to oranges.
As the brake pads are different part #'s. This doesn't necessarily mean that they are a different compound, possibly just a different shape due to the switch from Brembo to Hayes, but it is possible that there is a difference in the compound which can affect braking significantly. The only way to do a proper test of the brake calipers would be with identical tires of the same age with identical brake pads. The rotors are the same part # so that is a constant, but with the pads potentially being different and the tires definitely being not just different but also significantly different in wear, their braking test is meaningless. Just more internet fluff.
Do I need to remove the brakes and pads to bleed my whizzy brakes?


text:
Message Boards » The Lounge Chit Chat Old School Sports Talk Entertainment Tech Talk The Garage The Soap Box Classifieds Study Hall Feedback Forum » The GOP's credibility watch Page 1 ... 125 126 127 128 [129] 130, Prev Next
"Prob cause mf'er should have known prior that meeting this person was a mistake"
Well, yeah.
rwoody
Save TWW
GOP sent out an email with the subject line "88 Words"
GOP be like...
Dec 1st: Kanye
Dec 2nd: Kanye =
A Tanzarian
drip drip boom
lol @ McConnell and McCartney
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/12/06/mcconnell-mccarthy-police-gold-medal-ceremony-00072546
theDuke866
^^^ wait what?
^https://twitter.com/RobGeorge/status/1598048976535982080
TreeTwista10
MyYouthIPrayToKeep
that email is designed to prey on the dumbest of the dumb. but fox news articles have infinite ads if you continue to scroll down past the end of the article, so.
I think it's more the 88 dog whistle, classic stupid or nazi setup
dmspack
oh we back
I didn't know that 88 was a nazi number and I kinda hate to give the benefit of the doubt to these people. But idk…
https://twitter.com/emailsarchive/status/1598401707133833216?s=46&t=u47ZRNsdNIS3v9qIbOWV-Q
But it's pretty telling that nobody would be terribly surprised if it actually was an intentional nazi dog whistle.
Yea i saw the follow up tweet too, maybe I'm too deep in people complaining about racist dog whistles so I'm semi familiar with things like 88 and '14 words' and how often they appear on tucker Carlson, say. Could be conspiracy theory nonsense but it seems like if your party is worried about their association with white nationalists, theyd work to avoid any accidental symbolism.
Maybe 'ignorant or nazi' instead of 'stupid or nazi' but I think the 2022 gop has more responsibility to not be ignorant on this topic than you or me.
[Edited on December 7, 2022 at 1:31 PM. Reason : E]
I've been familiar with the whole 88/Hail Hitler for a while, just from casual reading about white supremacy / neo-nazis
^^what's that about?
[Edited on December 7, 2022 at 2:36 PM. Reason : V ah yes, i'm just realizing he was trying to refer to Pearl Harbor]
^^^^i agree. Hard to give the benefit of the doubt to the party that has done a very poor job of distancing themselves from actual nazis.
[Edited on December 7, 2022 at 2:28 PM. Reason : ^ today is not DDay. ]
Pupils DiL8t
Let's not forget this gem:
[Edited on December 7, 2022 at 6:13 PM. Reason : ]
PackMan2003
Have they gone full Nazi yet?
"Marjorie Taylor Greene's January 6th comments at last night's New York Young Republican Club Gala:
"I got to tell you something, if Steve Bannon and I had organized that, we would have won. Not to mention, it would've been armed.""
https://twitter.com/patriottakes/status/1602073713788215297
thegoodlife3
https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2022/12/11/white-nationalists-other-republicans-brace-total-war
"A collection of radical right figures including white nationalists and ultranationalist European leaders gathered in Manhattan for the New York Young Republicans Club's (NYYRC) annual gala Saturday night, where that group's president declared "total war" on perceived enemies."
Republicans In Disarray
Is Trump going to save the day?
How would he do that?
aaronburro
Sup, B
Laughing my ass off at these clowns. I'd like to think it would teach them a lesson about courting these crazies, but I'm not holding my breath
^^ https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/can-outsider-be-speaker-house-n441926
Thanks. I'm aware that's a possibility, but how is that saving the day, and do you think he could get the votes either? I doubt it. I assumed you meant he would hand-pick a unification candidate.
Speaker Herschel Walker?!
bbehe
Burn it all down.
I will run as the unification candidate
I doubt Trump could get the votes needed for speaker but it would be entertaining and scary as hell at the same time for him to throw his hat in the ring.
I'm gonna laugh my ass off when they give it Jeffries out if spite
That seems impossible.
For this crew... I wouldn't count it out
Kanye for Speaker?
How does this resolve?
1. GOP majority caves
2. MAGA dipshits cave
3.Plurality vote--MAGA dipshits get cucked and vote for McCarthy
4. Plurality vote--MAGA dipshits commit ritual suicide by not voting McCarthy; Dems elect Speaker Jeffries
5. Dems walk out or vote "present", allowing GOP majority to elect McCarthy
6. MAGA dipshits play chicken by having 8 or 9 vote present, and some other R uninvolved with it votes present, too, putting Jeffries in
I don't see the Freedom Caucus caving on McCarthy without significant concessions. There's personal animosity there dating back to at least Boehner's term.
I think the most likely outcome is something similar to Paul Ryan's election as Speaker.
Jeffries will not be Speaker this term.
rjrumfel
Fuck the freedom caucus.
Tom Joad
I'm going with Duke's #1.
But in this scenario, what are they caving to? Massive concessions or another candidate?
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/01/05/us/house-speaker-vote
"After losing a half-dozen consecutive votes for the post over two humiliating days, Mr. McCarthy privately agreed to more demands from the right-wing rebels that he had previously refused to countenance, including allowing a single lawmaker to force a snap vote at any time to oust him from the speakership, according to three people familiar with the negotiations who described them on the condition of anonymity, noting that they were ongoing and that no final deal had been reached.
The Republican leader had also committed to allowing the right-wing faction to handpick a third of the party's members on the powerful Rules Committee, which controls what legislation reaches the floor and in what form, according to one of the people, who has been involved in the talks, as well as to opening spending bills to a freewheeling debate in which any lawmaker could propose changes, including those designed to scuttle or sink the measure.
Taken together, the concessions would weaken the speaker's power considerably and make for an unwieldy environment in the House, where the slim Republican majority already promised to make it difficult to govern. And it was not clear the offer would be enough to corral the votes for Mr. McCarthy to prevail."
Can't wait for next debt limit increase debacle.
Hide yo 401(k)s, cause they rapin' e're'one's retirement out here!
When the people who want to burn it all down hold power, we're screwed. The Democrats should have scrapped that whole charade when they were still in power and it was obvious what was going to happen.
lol, McCarthy gave up all that and got nothing for it
I like that news sites make a point to use "embarrassing" and/or "humiliating" in every update
And a picture of him with a sad or exasperated face.
^^^ even if he gets elected speaker as a result (which is far from guaranteed), that's not much of a win. He'll be stuck holding on to the pockets of 10-15% of the House GOP, or he'll get schwacked and we'll be right back where we started. Why in the hell would anyone take that deal or anything even remotely close to it?
I understand I have no experience with being a Congressman, let alone running for Speaker, or with lobbying or wielding influence, but I think I would keep running a few votes every day to stall for time as long as nothing HAD to get done soon, while continuing to work on donors, conservative media power brokers, etc to pull these douchebags into line. Maybe I would have made some minor concessions, but nothing like what KM has given them.
...and if, after however many days, that didn't work, I would pass the word that there would be one more vote, and I had better be elected Speaker at the end of it. They don't all have to vote for me, but they needed to pick and choose who could posture and who would fall in line...and I didn't care who, but I had better have a majority after that vote--and if I didn't, not only would the next move be to rescind every concession I had previously offered, but to put forth a plurality vote where their choices would be to either rest my balls on their chins, or rest Hakeem Jeffries' balls on their chins.
...and then if they elected a Dem Speaker, then they could answer to the voters, donors, and everyone else in the party for that...and as for me, to hell with it, I'm not getting on my knees for the privilege of being an utterly ineffectual leader of a shitshow, so no big loss.
...and then if they pussied out and I became Speaker, I would strip anyone who actually went through with voting for Jeffries of every committee assignment, every fundraising dollar, etc that I could.
[Edited on January 5, 2023 at 8:46 PM. Reason : ]
^ this. He's got 10-15 certifiably insane people that he's got to deal with for at least the next two years and hope that not a single one of them goes off their meds and ousts him? Gaetz sex trafficked a 17 year old. Gosar gave a flag to someone who tried to overthrow the God damned government. Others refused to vote for a measure to recognize the Capitol police for preventing the assassination of the mother fucking vice president. Boebert is knee deep in qanon bullshit. Greene is speaking at fucking neo Nazi rallies. These people shouldn't be allowed to walk the God damned streets, much less the halls of Congress, and he's contemplating letting them basically run the House?
Fuck that, call their bluff. One more vote, and then propose a plurality. Otherwise, you hand the House, Senate, and WH over to the Dems in 2 years, as the midterms showed the country is simply not on board with these crazy people at large.
McCarthy doesn't have the MAGAverse media pull to pressure the Freedom Caucus. Even Trump's endorsement didn't move the needle. Plus, most of these people are Tea Party types for whom a non-functional government is a good thing.
A plurality vote would first require a majority-vote rule change.
Are the concessions being made / offered by McCarthy applicable to only his (potential) speakership, or durable for all future speakerships as well?
^^ you'd think getting a majority to approve a plurality vote would be very easy, right?
I can't imagine that Dems would be too opposed to approving a temporary rules change which would potentially give them the Speaker's position when they are in the minority...
There's no way Republicans are going to vote for a plurality election and risk giving up the Speaker. Nor do I see Democrats giving Republicans an easy way out of their dysfunction anytime soon.
Also, Jeffries is getting unanimous Democratic support right now because he can't win. We don't actually know how they'd vote if a Democratic Speaker was a possibility.
^^^ The House can always vote on new rules.
So, how long until one of these qtards demands a new speaker
Message Boards » The Soap Box » The GOP's credibility watch Page 1 ... 125 126 127 128 [129] 130, Prev Next

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Optimal operation of Klang gate dam using genetic algorithm
Md S. Hossain, A. El-Shafie
Operation of a reservoir system is full of complexities as it deals with different uncertainties, nonlinearities and time dependent variables. An optimal water distribution relation needs to be maintained between water release and storage in every operational time period. In this study, water release curves have produced for every month of the year in respect of different initial storage conditions, so that it will be easier for the decision maker to understand the operating criteria. Most popular optimization technique- Genetic Algorithm (GA) has used to find out the optimal release with maintaining all the general constraints (such as- water balance, release bounds and storage constraints) of a reservoir system. Historical daily rainfall and storage data regarding Klang gate dam (located in Malaysia) has used as inputs of the model. Three different category of inflow (high, medium and low) has considered in search of the optimum solutions. 22 years of actual historical inflow data has used for model verification purposes. The results from the model and the patterns of the release curves shows that, GA can be used as a useful and easily applicable tool to developed the release policy for optimal operation of Klang gate dam.
Jurnal Teknologi (Sciences and Engineering)
https://doi.org/10.11113/jt.v65.2188
Release policy
Reservoir operation
Water demand/release analysis
Hossain, M. S., & El-Shafie, A. (2013). Optimal operation of Klang gate dam using genetic algorithm. Jurnal Teknologi (Sciences and Engineering), 65(2), 37-40. https://doi.org/10.11113/jt.v65.2188
Optimal operation of Klang gate dam using genetic algorithm. / Hossain, Md S.; El-Shafie, A.
In: Jurnal Teknologi (Sciences and Engineering), Vol. 65, No. 2, 2013, p. 37-40.
Hossain, MS & El-Shafie, A 2013, 'Optimal operation of Klang gate dam using genetic algorithm', Jurnal Teknologi (Sciences and Engineering), vol. 65, no. 2, pp. 37-40. https://doi.org/10.11113/jt.v65.2188
Hossain MS, El-Shafie A. Optimal operation of Klang gate dam using genetic algorithm. Jurnal Teknologi (Sciences and Engineering). 2013;65(2):37-40. https://doi.org/10.11113/jt.v65.2188
Hossain, Md S. ; El-Shafie, A. / Optimal operation of Klang gate dam using genetic algorithm. In: Jurnal Teknologi (Sciences and Engineering). 2013 ; Vol. 65, No. 2. pp. 37-40.
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title = "Optimal operation of Klang gate dam using genetic algorithm",
abstract = "Operation of a reservoir system is full of complexities as it deals with different uncertainties, nonlinearities and time dependent variables. An optimal water distribution relation needs to be maintained between water release and storage in every operational time period. In this study, water release curves have produced for every month of the year in respect of different initial storage conditions, so that it will be easier for the decision maker to understand the operating criteria. Most popular optimization technique- Genetic Algorithm (GA) has used to find out the optimal release with maintaining all the general constraints (such as- water balance, release bounds and storage constraints) of a reservoir system. Historical daily rainfall and storage data regarding Klang gate dam (located in Malaysia) has used as inputs of the model. Three different category of inflow (high, medium and low) has considered in search of the optimum solutions. 22 years of actual historical inflow data has used for model verification purposes. The results from the model and the patterns of the release curves shows that, GA can be used as a useful and easily applicable tool to developed the release policy for optimal operation of Klang gate dam.",
keywords = "Genetic algorithm, Optimization, Release policy, Reservoir operation, Water demand/release analysis",
author = "Hossain, {Md S.} and A. El-Shafie",
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journal = "Jurnal Teknologi",
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AU - Hossain, Md S.
AU - El-Shafie, A.
N2 - Operation of a reservoir system is full of complexities as it deals with different uncertainties, nonlinearities and time dependent variables. An optimal water distribution relation needs to be maintained between water release and storage in every operational time period. In this study, water release curves have produced for every month of the year in respect of different initial storage conditions, so that it will be easier for the decision maker to understand the operating criteria. Most popular optimization technique- Genetic Algorithm (GA) has used to find out the optimal release with maintaining all the general constraints (such as- water balance, release bounds and storage constraints) of a reservoir system. Historical daily rainfall and storage data regarding Klang gate dam (located in Malaysia) has used as inputs of the model. Three different category of inflow (high, medium and low) has considered in search of the optimum solutions. 22 years of actual historical inflow data has used for model verification purposes. The results from the model and the patterns of the release curves shows that, GA can be used as a useful and easily applicable tool to developed the release policy for optimal operation of Klang gate dam.
AB - Operation of a reservoir system is full of complexities as it deals with different uncertainties, nonlinearities and time dependent variables. An optimal water distribution relation needs to be maintained between water release and storage in every operational time period. In this study, water release curves have produced for every month of the year in respect of different initial storage conditions, so that it will be easier for the decision maker to understand the operating criteria. Most popular optimization technique- Genetic Algorithm (GA) has used to find out the optimal release with maintaining all the general constraints (such as- water balance, release bounds and storage constraints) of a reservoir system. Historical daily rainfall and storage data regarding Klang gate dam (located in Malaysia) has used as inputs of the model. Three different category of inflow (high, medium and low) has considered in search of the optimum solutions. 22 years of actual historical inflow data has used for model verification purposes. The results from the model and the patterns of the release curves shows that, GA can be used as a useful and easily applicable tool to developed the release policy for optimal operation of Klang gate dam.
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KW - Water demand/release analysis
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JO - Jurnal Teknologi
JF - Jurnal Teknologi
10.11113/jt.v65.2188


Definition - What does Production Frontier mean?
The production frontier or production possibility frontier is a model representing the largest possible production combinations for two products or services within the constraints of available resources when they are employed to their fullest potential. It is generally drawn as a convex curve from which the combinations of production possible within resource constraints can be read.
Since resources are limited, we cannot produce unlimited amounts of goods. If resources are allocated to one form of good, they are no longer available for the other. There is, thus, an opportunity cost inherent in the choice of resource allocation. For example, increased production of consumer goods would use resources and thus reduce the output of capital goods. The production frontier curve also illustrates the law of diminishing returns. The more one increases production of one type of good, the greater the number of lost units incurred by the opposing item would be.


The first organized panel held at Terme Ilidža is accompanied by the theme on the food sector in the region. In this panel, eight representatives from domestic and regional companies participated presenting and sharing their experience related to the current developments in the sector, as well as the potential that is more than obvious.
Adis Hasaković, the AS GROUP representative said that the biggest portion of the groups revenues come from the food production. "This year we will spend 40 million BAM for the purchase of primary agricultural products – grains, fruits and vegetables. We are willing to spend all 40 million here in BiH in order to help domestic producers, but how much we will succeed in that is another question. This is a message to those who plan to invest in BiH that systems and brands who can bear this great production here really exist", explained Hasaković.
Among the participants was also Mladen Andrić from Perutnina Ptuj, who said that the fastest growing food markets in the world are the ones coming from the sectors of Halal and organic production, which opens up new potential for the development of the BH economy in that direction.


text:
Q: How to make a div snap to the side of the tab under a certain width? I'm making a 'news page'-like webpage, and it works perfectly on a  16:9 display, but it struggles with smaller width tabs.
There are 3 solutions I want to test.

*

*Making the margin that holds the div away from the left side of the tab exponentially decrease in width

*Make the margin disappear under a certain width

*Stop using margins, find another way to keep the div away from the side of the tab and make that disappear under a certain width of the tab.

I don't know if any of these work, but I've seen pages doing this, and I want this feature on my page.
Sadly, I have not found anything like  this on the internet and just got bored. I have not tried anything because of my lack of knowledge about solving this problem.
To demonstrate the issue, my code:(HTML with inline css)

Praesent semper, leo ac scelerisque
volutpat, massa ex volutpat dui, in
suscipit mauris neque auctor quam.
Vestibulum vel finibus elit.

As you can see, if the page is scaled down to a small (around 1000px) width, the 40 % empty space is just too much, so I want to find a way to get rid of that margin and set the width to 100%. I do not want to stick to using margins, so if there is a way to use something else, I'd be really happy.
Things I've tried N°1:

Praesent semper, leo ac scelerisque
volutpat, massa ex volutpat dui, in
suscipit mauris neque auctor quam.
Vestibulum vel finibus elit.

By horizontally centering the div  and adding a minimal width I've

*

*Removed margins

*Made the empty parts disappear under a certain width

But this method still isn't the one I want to use, because if the page is smaller than the value given, you have to scroll sideways to read.
I got help for many people on this site and on other platforms, and solved the problem with flexbox. Thanks for your help.

A: i think you need to read on flex-box
div {
  display: flex;
  flex-flow: flex-start;
  width: 100%;
}
div p {
  flex: 1;
}

if this is not what you meant i think you should reframe the question

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


In the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas, right next to Grass Valley and just off of I-20, is the little town of Rough and Ready, population: 936. A quirky, beautiful place, and a town after my own heart. With an interesting story (it was its own Republic for a bit) and great golden light, I try to come back to it every chance I get.


It is our pleasure to be able to share the beauty of our rooms with groups of visitors and school parties. We look forward to welcoming you.
By the term "group", we mean at least 15 people accompanied by a group leader, who enters free of charge. There must be no more than 40 people per group, otherwise they will be invited to divide into smaller groups.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO BOOK?
We strongly recommend booking to guarantee admission for school parties.


text:
reba-mcentire
Channel Views: 22,128
Total Upload Views: 1,129,374
Subscribers: 11
Last Visit Date: 2019-08-21T15:43:20
Reba McEntire was the most successful female recording artist in country music in the 1980s and 1990s, during which time she scored 22 number one hits and released five gold albums, six platinum albums, two double-platinum albums, four triple-platinum albums, a quadruple-platinum album, and a quintuple-platinum album, for certified album sales of 33.5 million over the 20-year period. While she continued to sell records in healthy numbers into the 21st century, she expanded her activities as an actress in film and on the legitimate stage, and particularly on television, where she starred in a long-running situation comedy. Such diversification made her the greatest crossover star to emerge from country music since Dolly Parton. Reba Nell McEntire was born March 28, 1955, in McAlester, Oklahoma, the second daughter and third of four children of Clark Vincent McEntire, a professional steer roper, and Jacqueline (Smith) McEntire, a former school teacher. Her older brother Del Stanley ("Pake") McEntire also became a country singer, while her younger sister Martha Susan ("Susie") McEntire Luchsinger became a gospel singer. McEntire was raised on the 7,000-acre family ranch in Chockie, Oklahoma, traveling with her parents and siblings to the rodeos at which her father competed. Clark McEntire was named World Champion Steer Roper three times, in 1957, 1958, and 1961. (McEntire's grandfather, John McEntire, had won the same title in 1934.) McEntire's mother had aspired to a career in music but never pursued it. She encouraged her children to sing and taught them songs and harmony during the long car trips between rodeos. Alice McEntire, the oldest child, did not actively seek a musical career, but the other three were members of a country group, the Kiowa High School Cowboy Band, as early as 1969, when McEntire began attending Kiowa High School in Kiowa, Oklahoma. She also entered local talent contests on her own. In 1971, the Kiowa High School Cowboy Band recorded a single, "The Ballad of John McEntire," for the tiny Boss Records label, which pressed 1,000 copies. As the early '70s went on, the band gave way to a trio, the Singing McEntires, consisting of the three siblings, which performed at rodeos. McEntire also followed in the family tradition of competing, becoming a barrel racer, the only rodeo event open to women. McEntire graduated from high school in June 1973 and enrolled at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. While attending the National Rodeo Finals in Oklahoma City on December 10, 1974, she sang the national anthem on network television. Also present at the rodeo was country star Red Steagall, who was impressed by her voice and asked her to go to Nashville to record some demos for his song publishing company. After she did so in March 1975 during her spring break from college, he took the tapes around town trying to get her a record deal and succeeded with Mercury Records, which signed her to a contract on November 11, 1975, that called for her to record two singles for the label. On January 22, 1976, she entered a Nashville recording studio and cut the first of those singles, "I Don't Want to Be a One Night Stand," which, upon its release, climbed to number 88 in the Billboard country singles chart in May. On June 21, 1976, she married Charlie Battles, a champion steer wrestler she had met at a rodeo. Battles later became her business manager. On September 16, 1976, McEntire did her second Mercury recording session, which produced her second single, "(There's Nothing Like the Love) Between a Woman and a Man." It peaked at number 86 in March 1977. In the meantime, on December 16, 1976, she graduated from college on an accelerated three-and-a-half-year program with a major in elementary education and a minor in music, freeing her to pursue her career full-time. Her record label, however, seemed in no particular hurry, although it picked up her option for further recordings. Her third single, "Glad I Waited Just for You," recorded on April 13, 1977, peaked at number 88 in August, the same month Mercury released her debut album, Reba McEntire, which did not chart. On September 17, 1977, she made her debut at the Grand Ole Opry. Two and a half years into her recording career, with very little to show for it, McEntire was paired with labelmate Jacky Ward for the two-sided single "Three Sheets in the Wind"/"I'd Really Love to See You Tonight" (the B-side a cover of the pop hit by England Dan & John Ford Coley), which reached number 20 in July 1978. That and her touring as an opening act for Steagall, Ward, and others increased her exposure, and her next solo single, "Last Night, Ev'ry Night," reached number 28 in October, beginning a string of singles that made it at least into the country Top 40. She first got into the Top 20 with her cover of the Patsy Cline hit "Sweet Dreams," which peaked at number 19 in November 1979. She still wasn't selling any albums, however; her second LP, Out of a Dream, released in September 1979, did not chart. McEntire continued to make strides on the singles chart, reaching the Top Ten for the first time with "(You Lift Me) Up to Heaven," which peaked at number eight in August 1980. Feel the Fire, her third album, released in October 1980, was another failure, but after a couple more Top 20 singles she reached the Top Five with "Today All Over Again" in October 1981. The song was featured on her fourth album, Heart to Heart, released in September, which helped it become her first to chart, reaching number 42 in the country LP list. She achieved a new high on the singles chart in August 1982 when "I'm Not That Lonely Yet" reached number three. It was included on her fifth album, Unlimited, released in June 1982, which hit number 22. But that was only the beginning. The LP also spawned "Can't Even Get the Blues" and "You're the First Time I've Thought About Leaving," which became back-to-back number one hits in January and April 1983. By then, she had moved up from playing nightclubs and honky tonks to being the regular opening act for the Statler Brothers. She went on to work in the same capacity with Conway Twitty, Ronnie Milsap, Mickey Gilley, and others. It might be argued that Mercury Records had taken a 20-year-old neophyte singing the national anthem at a rodeo and, over a period of more than seven years, groomed her until she became a chart-topping country star. McEntire appears not to have viewed things that way, however. On the contrary, she seems to have been unhappy with the songs the label gave her to sing and the musical approach taken on her records, feeling that she was being pushed too much in a country-pop direction. She also has criticized Mercury's promotional efforts on her behalf. And, despite her recent success, the long years of development meant she was nowhere near repaying the investment Mercury had made in her, which, of course, was charged against her potential royalties on the company books. (Although she received yearly advances from the label, she later said that she did not see her first royalties from Mercury until 1988.) So, she sought a release from her contract and, after cutting one more album for Mercury, her sixth LP, Behind the Scene, released in September 1983, she signed to MCA Records, her new contract taking effect on October 1, 1983. The first fruits of the switchover suggested that not much had changed. Her debut MCA single, "Just a Little Love," was a Top Five hit in June 1984, shortly after the release of an album of the same name, but that LP was actually less successful than Unlimited. McEntire took strong action. Set to have Harold Shedd (Alabama's producer, and thus a hot commercial property) produce her next album, she rejected his suggestions for songs and the sweetened arrangements he imposed on them and appealed to Jimmy Bowen, the newly installed president of MCA's country division. Bowen allowed her to pick her own material and to eliminate the strings and other pop touches used on Just a Little Love and her Mercury releases. The result was the pointedly titled My Kind of Country, released in November 1984, which was dominated by covers of old country songs previously performed by Ray Price, Carl Smith, Connie Smith, and Faron Young. Even before the album's release, however, and before its advance single, "How Blue," hit number one, McEntire was named Female Vocalist of the Year by the Country Music Association on October 8, 1984. It was a surprising win; Dolly Parton, Barbara Mandrell, and Charly McClain had all arguably been more successful during the previous 12 months. But it was a forward-looking recognition for a performer who was wisely aligning herself with such artists as Ricky Skaggs and George Strait as a "new traditionalist," moving country music back to its roots after the decline of the pop-country Urban Cowboy phenomenon of the early '80s. "How Blue" hit number one in January 1985, followed by the second single from My Kind of Country, "Somebody Should Leave," which topped the chart in May as the album reached number 13. (Eventually, it was certified gold.) With such success, McEntire was able to start headlining her own concerts. For her next album, Have I Got a Deal for You, released in July 1985, she worked directly with Bowen, the two billed as co-producers. Another new traditionalist collection, it included her own composition "Only in My Mind," a Top Five hit, as well as a Top Ten hit in the title song; though the LP was not as successful as its predecessor, it too went gold over time, and it helped McEntire earn her second consecutive CMA award as Female Vocalist of the Year. Another important accolade came on January 14, 1986, when she became a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Perhaps even more important than McEntire's decision to perform music in a more traditional country style was her search for material that she felt women would respond to. Just as Loretta Lynn had spoken for pre-feminist women in the 1960s, McEntire had begun to address the emotional and empowering concerns of women in the 1980s. "Whoever's in New England," her next single, released in January 1986 just ahead of an album of the same name, was a case in point. Kendal Franceschi and Quentin Powers' song was written in the voice of a Southern woman who believes her husband is having an affair during his business trips up north, but pledges that she will remain available to him when "whoever's in New England's through with you." It was a career-making song for McEntire, not least because it was promoted by her first music video. Reaching number one in May 1986, it marked a major breakthrough for her, beginning a string of chart-topping hits that didn't begin to slow down for the next three years. "Little Rock," the follow-up single, also hit number one, as did the Whoever's in New England album, her first LP to be certified gold. (It later went platinum.) Her career in high gear, McEntire released her next album, What Am I Gonna Do About You, in September 1986, prefaced by a single of the same name that hit number one, as did the gold-selling LP, which also featured the chart-topping single "One Promise Too Late." On October 13, 1986, McEntire not only won her third consecutive Female Vocalist of the Year Award from the CMA, but also was named Entertainer of the Year. On February 24, 1987, she won her first Grammy Award for Country Female Vocal for "Whoever's in New England." She released Reba McEntire's Greatest Hits in April; it became her first platinum album and eventually sold over three million copies. (It also became her first album ever to cross over to the pop charts.) On June 25, 1987, she filed for divorce from Charlie Battles, her husband of 11 years. After her divorce was settled and Battles was awarded the couple's ranch in Oklahoma, she moved to Nashville. McEntire's string of hits continued with the release of The Last One to Know in September 1987, prefaced by a single of the same name that reached number one in December. The album, also featuring the number one hit "Love Will Find Its Way to You," reached number three and eventually went platinum. McEntire won an unprecedented fourth straight CMA award as Female Vocalist of the Year in October. In November, she released a holiday album, Merry Christmas to You, which, over the years, sold more than two million copies. She engendered controversy with her next album release, Reba, which appeared in May 1988. Here, an artist who had jumped on the new traditionalist bandwagon in 1984 abruptly jumped off, returning to more of a pop-oriented style, without a fiddle or a steel guitar anywhere. The album's leadoff single was "Sunday Kind of Love," a cover of the 1947 Jo Stafford pop hit. It peaked at number five in July, actually the worst showing for a McEntire single in nearly three years. But the album had already begun a run of eight weeks at number one by then, and it was supported by the subsequent chart-topping singles "I Know How He Feels" and "New Fool at an Old Game." It eventually went platinum. Also in 1988, McEntire founded Starstruck Entertainment, a company that handled management, booking, publishing, and other aspects of her career and, eventually, represented other artists as well. Sweet Sixteen, released in May 1989, was actually McEntire's 14th regular studio album, but her 16th counting her authorized MCA hits compilation and Christmas album. The leadoff single was a cover of the Everly Brothers' "Cathy's Clown" that hit number one in July, and it was followed by three Top Ten hits, "'Til Love Comes Again," "Little Girl," and "Walk On," as the LP spent 13 weeks at the top of the charts, with sales eventually crossing the million mark. It also reached the pop Top 100. McEntire had already recorded her next album, Live, the previous April for release in September and, though it took more than a decade, another platinum certification. That gave her some breathing space. On June 3, 1989, she married Narvel Blackstock, her manager, who had been part of her organization since joining her band as its steel guitar player in 1980. On February 23, 1990, she bore him a son, Shelby Steven McEntire Blackstock. A month earlier, she had made her feature film acting debut in the comic horror film Tremors, which had been shot the previous spring. McEntire was back on tour by May 1990, and she returned to record making in September with her 15th regular studio album, Rumor Has It, which was prefaced by the single "You Lie," a number one hit. Three other songs from the LP placed in the country Top Ten: the title song, a revival of Bobbie Gentry's 1969 hit "Fancy," and "Fallin' Out of Love." The album eventually sold three million copies. McEntire was on tour promoting it when, on March 16, 1991, seven members of her band and her road manager were killed in a plane crash after a show in San Diego. She dedicated her next album, For My Broken Heart, to them when it was released in October. The disc was another massive hit, going gold and platinum simultaneously shortly after its release and eventually selling four million copies, its singles including the chart-topping title song and another number one, "Is There Life Out There." Also in 1991, McEntire co-starred in the TV mini-series The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw. Her 17th album, It's Your Call, was released in December 1992, and, like Rumor Has It, it was an immediate million seller, eventually going triple platinum. (It was also her first Top Ten pop album.) Its biggest single was "The Heart Won't Lie," a duet with Vince Gill that hit number one in April 1993. McEntire's next chart-topper was also a duet, "Does He Love You," sung with Linda Davis; it hit number one in November 1993 and was included on her September release Greatest Hits, Vol. 2, an album that sold two million copies practically out of the box and another three million over the next five years. "Does He Love You" won McEntire her second Grammy, for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals, and a CMA award for Vocal Event. She also appeared in the TV movie The Man from Left Field in 1993. By 1994, while continuing to reign as country's most successful female singer, McEntire was increasingly turning her attention to other concerns. Her 18th regular studio album, Read My Mind, appeared in April. Another instant million-seller that went on to go triple platinum, it threw off five country chart singles, among them the chart-topping "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter" and, controversially, "She Thinks His Name Was John," a song about a woman who contracts AIDS from a one-night stand. Even McEntire's star power could propel such an atypical country subject only as high as number 15 in the charts. Meanwhile, she had parts in two feature films released during the summer, a speaking role in the drama North and a cameo in the children's comedy The Little Rascals. (She also made an uncredited appearance in the Western film Maverick and was heard on the soundtrack album.) She executive produced and starred in the TV movie Is There Life Out There? (based on her song), and she published her autobiography, Reba: My Story, which became a best-seller. McEntire's 19th album was called Starting Over, released in October 1995. Intended to mark the 20th anniversary of her recording career, it was a collection of covers of well-known songs. It not only topped the country charts but hit number five in the pop charts, selling a million copies out of the box. But, boasting only one Top Ten hit, a revival of Lee Greenwood's "Ring on Her Finger, Time on Her Hands," among three chart singles, and not achieving a multi-platinum certification, it suggested that McEntire finally had peaked commercially as far as country music was concerned. (In a considerable departure for a country singer, MCA released a dance remix of McEntire's revival of the Supremes' "You Keep Me Hangin' On" from the album that reached number two on Billboard's dance chart.) That didn't keep her from starring in another TV mini-series, Buffalo Gals, playing famed Western sharpshooter Annie Oakley, a part her rodeo background suited her to perfectly. She bounced back on the country charts somewhat with her 20th album, What If It's You, released in November 1996. The album spawned four Top 20 hits, with "How Was I to Know" reaching number one and "The Fear of Being Alone" and "I'd Rather Ride Around with You" each getting to number two. Simultaneously certified gold and platinum, the album eventually topped two million copies. The singles drawn from What If It's You kept McEntire's name in the country charts throughout 1997, as did the holiday benefit record "What If," the proceeds from which were donated to the Salvation Army. But for the first time since 1978, she did not release a new album, even a compilation, during the calendar year. Aiming for a splash, she teamed up with the popular country duo Brooks & Dunn in the spring of 1998 for a single called "If You See Him/If You See Her." It hit number one in June, helping to set up the release of her 21st album, If You See Him, which also brought her three additional Top Ten hits on its way to selling a million copies. She appeared in the TV movie Forever Love (the title of one of those Top Ten hits) during the year and made several guest-star appearances on TV series. After publishing her second book of memoirs, Comfort from a Country Quilt, in May 1999, McEntire had two new albums ready for the fall. Secret of Giving: A Christmas Collection, a September release, was her second holiday CD, which she accompanied with a TV movie, Secret of Giving. The disc eventually went gold. So Good Together, issued in November, was her 22nd regular studio album, prefaced by the Top Five single "What Do You Say." Although none of the songs from the album topped the country charts, it did feature a second Top Five hit, "I'll Be," and a Top 20 hit in "We're So Good Together," and it went platinum before the end of 2000. As in 1997, McEntire went without an album release in 2000, and in this case, it turned out that she definitely was positioning herself for a career beyond country music, as events in 2001 showed. In February of that year, she stepped in as a replacement star in the Broadway revival of Irving Berlin's musical Annie Get Your Gun that had begun performances in 1999 with Bernadette Peters in the title role of Annie Oakley. Barry and Fran Weissler, the producers of the revival, were known on Broadway for making money by keeping production costs down and by the extensive use of what was derisively called "stunt casting": bringing in a well-known personality, often one without much of a theater background, as a replacement to extend the run of a show, as a means of exciting the tourist crowd who would recognize the name of a prominent TV star, for example. McEntire had been preceded as a replacement in Annie Get Your Gun by soap opera star Susan Lucci and TV actress Cheryl Ladd, both of whom kept the show going while being largely ignored or derided by theater insiders. McEntire turned out to be an entirely different proposition. First, although she lacked legitimate theater experience, she had by now done plenty of acting on television and even a little in film. Second, she had long since brought unusually high production values to her concerts that included choreography and costume changes, good preparation for similar demands in the theater. Third, she could, of course, sing. And fourth, with her rodeo background and Oklahoma accent, she was an ideal Annie Oakley, just as she had been in her previous TV portrayal. (Never mind that the real Annie Oakley was from Ohio; in everybody's mind, this female sharpshooter and star of Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, the precursor to the modern rodeo, was a Westerner.) The result was a triumph for McEntire. Reviews were ecstatic, and tickets sold out. The Tony Awards did not have a category for replacements (one has since been added), but she was given special awards for her performance by the Drama Desk, the Outer Critics Circle, and Theatre World. She stayed in the show until June 22, 2001. Unfortunately, there was no new cast album recorded to immortalize her appearance. During the run of Annie Get Your Gun, McEntire was seen in a small part in the film One Night a McCool's, released in April 2001. Her most extensive filmed acting role began on October 5, 2001, however, when the half-hour situation comedy Reba premiered on the WB TV network (later renamed the CW network). The show became the primary focus of McEntire's activities, and she moved to Los Angeles to accommodate it. She had not, however, given up country music entirely. In the summer of 2001, she released a single, "I'm a Survivor," that peaked in the country Top Five and prefaced a new compilation, Greatest Hits, Vol. 3: I'm a Survivor, released in October. It topped the country charts and went gold. McEntire was occupied primarily with her TV series during 2002 and 2003. After two years, she finally returned to record-making in the summer of 2003 with a new single, "I'm Gonna Take That Mountain," which peaked in the country Top 20. Room to Breathe, her 23rd regular studio album and first in three years, followed in November and went platinum over the next nine months. The disc's second single, "Somebody," hit number one, and it was followed by another Top Ten hit, "He Gets That from Me," and the Top 20 "My Sister." Reba continued on into 2004 and 2005. McEntire found time in the spring of 2005 to return to the musical theater, if only for one night. In another piece of inspired casting, she portrayed the "cock-eyed optimist" from Arkansas, Ensign Nellie Forbush, in a special concert version of Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific performed at Carnegie Hall. The all-star production, also featuring Broadway star Brian Stokes Mitchell and actor Alec Baldwin, was filmed for a PBS special on the network's Great Performances series and recorded for an album, both of which appeared in 2006. By 2005, the catalogs of Mercury and MCA had been combined in the major label Universal, and in November MCA released McEntire's first combined hits collection, the double-CD set Reba: #1's, with two newly recorded tracks. It went gold and platinum simultaneously. In 2006, as she began the sixth season of Reba, McEntire also voiced a character in the holiday film release Charlotte's Web. The sixth season of Reba proved to be the last, as the show signed off the air on February 18, 2007. Not one to sit idle, McEntire toured the U.S. from May 25 through August. On September 18, 2007, she released a new album, Reba Duets, featuring such guests as Justin Timberlake, Don Henley, Kelly Clarkson, Kenny Chesney, Carole King, Faith Hill, Ronnie Dunn of Brooks & Dunn, Vince Gill, Rascal Flatts, LeAnn Rimes, and Trisha Yearwood. It was prefaced by the single "Because of You," a duet with Clarkson. For the week ending October 6, 2007, Reba Duets became McEntire's first album ever to enter the pop charts at number one. The October 28, 2008 release of the three-disc set 50 Greatest Hits marked the conclusion of her contract with MCA Nashville, and McEntire signed to Valory Music. Through the singer's Starstruck imprint, Valory released her next album, Keep on Loving You, on August 18, 2009. For the week ending September 5, 2009, it became her second album to enter the Billboard pop chart at number one. Not content to rest on her laurels, McEntire issued the single "Turn on the Radio" in the late summer of 2010, which made the Top 30 on Billboard's country chart. The Dann Huff-produced album All the Women I Am was released in the late fall. McEntire returned to television when she starred in the 2012 ABC sitcom Malibu Country; the show was cancelled after one season. In 2015, she returned with Love Somebody, her first album in five years. A year later, McEntire released a holiday-themed album, My Kind of Christmas, which was released in cooperation with the popular restaurant chain Cracker Barrel. ~ William Ruhlmann
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'Does He Love You' Reba McEntire And Dolly Parton Duet - Staff Picks
Country superstars Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton sing an iconic duet of 'Does He Love You.' Reba McEntire has been a staple in the country music world for decades. With hits such as 'Fancy' and 'I'm A Survivor,' Reba has truly earned her name as the 'Queen Of Country Music.' Her classic songs and upbeat personality led to millions of fans all across the globe and there's no sign of slowing down. Recently, Reba felt it was time to look back on some of her songs and give them a modern update. 'Revived Remixed Revisited' features a full band re-recording, dance mixes and a fresh look on our favorites. One of the most highly anticipated tracks is 'Does He Love You' which features a duet with Dolly Parton. The original track was released in 1993 and showcased the vocals of Linda Davis. Now, we're hearing these lyrics in a whole new way with the addition of the legendary Dolly Parton. "But does he love you (Does he love you) Like he loves me? (Like he loves me?) Does he think of you (Does he think of you) When he's holding me?" Even though they have been friends for decades, Reba and Dolly never recorded a song together. Reba told Billboard Magazine, "Every time I'd hear Dolly doing a duet with somebody else, I would get a little sad or a little jealous, like, "I want to do a duet with Dolly." Everything happens for a reason and timing is everything. So it worked out perfectly." 'Revived Remixed Revisited' is available for purchase and it's sure to be the perfect addition to your country collection.
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Watch reba mcentire music videos free online! Godtube.com also provides videos with reba mcentire lyrics, singles, album information and reviews. Whether you're looking for an inspirational and encouraging song for your quiet time with God or an upbeat song to praise Jesus, Godtube.com offers the largest online database of Christian music artists!


I know life seems dark and overwhelming right now. It seems lonely and like you're trying so hard with so little results. It's not fun, I get it. Hang in there.
You are in a season. Seasons last only so long and before you know it, the next one is upon you.
It's ok. Take a deep breath.
When we fight against the seasons, we will never find a true rhythm and rest in life. That joy and peace that is present in the wrinkles of the wise who have lived through many seasons and embrace them in their fullness.
Seasons are not just in the passing of months and days on the calendar. They are in seasons of life. You will have seasons in relationships, in spiritual growth, in your career, in a greater calling, in parenting and in personal growth and maturity. Sometimes, when you are in one season in one part of life, you are also in a different season in another area, sometimes they converge… the point is to embrace them. To live through each taking the good and the uncomfortable of each, knowing they produce one thing. A Life. YOUR LIFE.
So, look around you. What season are you in? Is it dry, is it barren and maybe even cold? Does everything and everyone seem to be buried? Out of reach?
It's a much needed one. It is a season of rest, of SLOW, of quiet and separation and preparation. It is a season of peace and calm.
Winter is the season for reflection and introspection. It is one where on the outside, not much growth is visible, but underneath the surface, the roots are going deeper and getting stronger.
In winter, you can hear better. There is not as much fighting for your attention.
In winter, the skies are clearer and the air crisper. Unless there is a storm. There will be storms.
The snows and winds, the winter storms come to cover the earth. To blanket her, and provide a means for cleansing in the spring thaw. In winter, the fat is burned. The excess gets used up, or frozen and discarded. This is good. In winter, things die off. These things need to die, to make room for the new growth to come.
There is such beauty in the winter season of life. Sometimes it seems like relationships are hard, maybe it's time to back off and rest for a bit. Everything is harder to do in winter. That's why animals hibernate or migrate. We could learn from them if we watch them. Sometimes we hit those dry patches, we feel like we're not learning anything, nothing seems to "catch us"…that's ok. The ground is hard, impenetrable. The creator is at work in the ground of our hearts. In winter, we reflect back on what we've learned in the past "year", and we plan…knowing the energy and excitement of a new season will come, it always comes. The warmth of the sun will touch our skin again. But then winter will be over.
Or perhaps you are in a SPRING.
Spring usually comes slowly. If we have truly embraced winter, and loved it. We will see the signs of spring and not grow impatient. They will encourage us. In spring, the thaw comes as slowly the position of the sun changes and the warmth and light extend into longer and longer stretches. The ground opens up. The waters wash away the debris. There is work to be done. Time for reflection and planning has passed. Hopefully, you used your winter well. It's time to plant, to raise up seedlings, to turn the soil, to open the windows and sweep away the dust.
In spring, everyone seems to begin to tentatively venture outdoors again. They open up their lives and hearts again. Spring is dirty. It is wet. Sometimes it is uncertain. We aren't sure if we need a jacket or a tshirt. So we wear both. We hear lovely birdsongs again. We see green sprouting and flowers bursting through the dirt and patches of snow. Spring is full of new life, rebirth. Ideas abound, hope is high. Love is easy, new life is celebrated and welcomed with great joy. Summer is on its way.
Oh the days of summer. Summer arrives in glory! The joy of days of fullness. Some harvesting, some playing, long days. Fruitful days. Food is abundant. Summer is noisy, full of song, laughter, shouting and greetings. Getting together with others is easy. Connecting with ideas and being productive is second nature. Celebration is common. Even work is fun.
As summer passes, the calendar fills up. The days become so full, they pass quickly, and thus summer seems to be short. It's no shorter, just busier. Not as busy as fall mind you, but a different kind of busy. Everything is growing, until it isn't. Then it gets hot. And DRY. Uncomfortably so. Enough to make us look forward to the cool winds of autumn. But not yet. Despite the heat and dryness, there is much work to be done, and the last of the summer fun to be had.
But autumn is MAGNIFICENT! Many times, people lose the full benefits of the fall. It becomes rushed and harried…they lose their joy. But regardless, it comes and speeds by with the harvesting and the people, everywhere people. Too many to be able to really take care of, but many hands make light work.
Thanksgiving. The reasons for a heart full of gratitude and praise are everywhere. There is beauty and abundance everywhere. While harvesting, the preserving and the setting aside the seed for the next spring.
The cleanup, so much clean up. There is anticipation of a joyous celebration at the end of the autumn in the holidays.
The autumn has shorter days though, and the weather and circumstances are always uncertain. It is windy, and the beauty can be blown away quickly. The Harvest rains come, to prepare the earth for the rest of Winter…but by then we are usually already inside, preparing for the celebrations that ease us from one season into another and mark the passing of the circle of time bound in a growing year.
Little sister… look up. Behold the season. Behold the passing of time. The ONE who has quietly observed the passing of the times and seasons through the ages, HE is with you. HE holds your days. Your moments in the sun and moments covered in the snow. Your moments caught in the storms. He is HERE. HE is HERE. In your heartbeat, In the breath of heaven that created us, that we use to walk on the earth. In the still small voice. In the rising and setting of the sun. Calm your heart, still your mind. REST.
He is HERE. HE IS HERE.
So…I suggested a garden "open house" style shower on a Sunday afternoon. People could come and go as they please, no shower games or prizes to organize, and a light menu since it's not lunch or dinner. Steph is having a boy, and they really love travelling and she likes vintage decor so my bff Jodi and I brainstormed some ideas for a vintage-baby boy-travel theme.
We planned on serving finger foods, desserts and cold drinks (cheaper than feeding over 60 people lunch for sure) – and I begged recruited the rest of the family and some good friends to help with the decorations and food – which they did because between the 2 of us, we have some pretty awesome, amazing, wonderful and irrecplaceable friends.
Rather than have one time of opening all the gifts, we directed the guests directly to Steph who opened the gifts as they arrived, and then we displayed them on the table.
This way, the flow of the afternoon kept moving along.
were from to send thank you's out later.
We had this book for people to sign and add their advice, etc.
Its also a photo album that Steph can add pics of the shower to later.
Almost all the flowers were pulled either from my garden or "harvested" from the plants growing at my husbands work (with permission of course – Thanks Honey!) Then they were arranged by one of the may helpers who showed up early. We collected a variety of small vases and canning jars, and then I asked for as many bouquets as possible to be made. Steph and her husband Cam also used the opportunity to finish off the barrels on their porch with plants from my hubby's work too.
On the Menu: Fresh veggies and dips, crackers with a variety of cheeses, nuts and spreads. my fav. was the brie with maple butter and pecans. Various fruits and sweets.
We offered iced coffee, iced tea and 3 variations of lemonade. Originally we were going to use mason jars for the drinks, but a friend brought disposables and we opted for the ease in clean up.
We also served champagne to celebrate thanks to the daddy-to-be.
Many guests commented on this lovely piece for serving the lemonade.
It was borrowed and kept stocked by our good friend Julie.
small luggage pieces, atlases, maps, binoculars and books.
We also borrowed white vintage table clothes, serving dishes, quilts, and anything else.
These are small pics, but I love the mobile of trains and planes above the food table. The banner was done up by Julie with burlap, twine and fabric. She's amazing!
This is the closest to a game we got – no prizes, just something to look at and talk about.
*A side note here – we decided that the most viable location would in fact be Steph and her husband Cam's large country property. They have a giant deck and are located beside a vineyard. Lovely natural decor and since it's their first baby, and Steph has run a cleaning business for several years – their house is ALWAYS clean. So it was not a big hassle for them to physically "host" the event and we didn't have the funds to rent a hall. Plus we felt it was the least stressful for her as she could take it easy while the rest of us did the work…and all the gifts were easily transported to the new nursery afterwards. So it was most easy on the new parents to be overall.
Another positive note, most everyone on the list RSVP'd, which I was happy about. If you don't remember my rant on this, click here.
Maybe dedicating birthday posts was a bit of a reach for me this year, well, just for the month of May I guess, anyways, Jennette's post is in the works because Yesterday, the actual birthday, I got a nasty case of morning sickness that essentially put me out of commission for the day. I'm using today to catch up on what didn't happen yesterday, so hopefully the post will be up within the next few days. Happy Birthday Jen xoxo!
So today's post is tiny bit overdue. It is dedicated to my younger sister Andrea as it was her birthday last week. We'll blame it on the fact that I had the flu, then it rip-roared through the house, so though I had intended on posting it last week, I didn't. So here we go. Happy Birthday little sister!
Here's the sisters before the youngest showed up. In this pic Andrea was the youngest. Her tenure as the baby of the family was very short lived. I was in grade 6 when she was born, So I actually remember quite a bit of her early years first hand. (aside – Yes I have sacrificed my pride with showing this hideous picture of me in a black velvet pin-striped jumpsuit to show you how cute she was – very) She was all dimply, and happy and quiet and the easiest baby….EVER. She would rock herself happily in her playpen to music only she heard, ALL DAY, with her mouth open – not talking, just open. I barely remember her crying, always smiling and always quiet and gentle.
Well, except for the rocking thing, I think.
As she got older, she got sneaky. I think that it was her quiet form of payback to my parents for having my youngest sister just months past her first birthday. She was very good at being sneaky… and good at lying, and blaming older siblings.
She has these huge brown eyes that you have to trust, and my parents did. But she was a liar.
Thankfully she grew out of that… I think.
After she adjusted to the presence of the youngest sibling (which didn't take much), they were fast friends. Becca made up for Andrea's lack of talking. When she finally did start talking she couldn't say my name, so she called me Mimi. Dad loved it. It stuck. She also couldn't say Jenny's name – she got Gigi, and Rebecca got Becca or for awhile I think kaka. She couldn't say her own name either, so she named herself Aya. She never had a problem with Steph's name…funny. All the nicknames have pretty much stuck too.
She was the best snuggler, and the had the best baby fat roles to pinch and tickle. They were luscious. My son Carter reminds me of toddler-her a little bit – so kissable.
Andrea was and is very kind. Soft hearted and loyal. Almost to a fault, if that can be faulted.
People trust her, and they should, her heart is a vault. She's also probably the easiest to get along with of all of us girls. That's the honest truth.
Some of the things people outside of the family may not know about her are some of her favourite past times.
Probably her number one favourite is SLEEPING. If you are trying to call and there's no answer, she's probably sleeping…it doesn't matter the time. She's probably sleeping. She's impossible to wake up too. Here's a pic of her son doing the same thing. She's passed the hobby on. Apparently he even prefers sleeping over eating.
She also loves dressing up. She's very pretty, so who can blame her. It's probably all the sleep.
People may not realize She's goofy. We pretty much all are, it comes from my parents.
Of all of us, Andrea is probably the most legitimately funny. She's very subtle and quiet about it, so you don't realize you are laughing hard enough to pee your pants, until you actually are. It's embarrassing, but she's that funny…sometimes.
I can't find it right now.
She's really tall too, all of my sisters are, just not me. I'm cool with that. She could have been a model I think, look at her in her wedding gown. Need I say more?
She's a really great friend. Some of her best friends are her sisters. This is a pic of her with the youngest of the 5 sisters. I have a matching one of them on a bed like this from about 20 years ago, but of course I also can't find that one. These three have been inseparable forever.
but at least I got it done before Jenny's Birthday!
Today's post is dedicated to my sister Stephanie. Happy 29th Birthday little middle sister!
She is loving, thoughtful, kind and generous.
She is organized. I love that.
She is gorgeous but not arrogant.
She is fearless. She will share her pain and sorrows if she thinks it can help someone else.
She is not materialistic and I love that.
She values people for who they are, not for what they have or do.
She insists on her own transparency in an unyielding quest for authenticity, and cares not if other people are uncomfortable with it, because to her own self she must be true.
She is one of the most passionate people I know, including myself. She is all in, or all out.
She is an amazing friend, and one of the things that frustrates me to no end is when I see people in her life who do not understand how lucky they are to have her for a friend. The other frustration is people who do not let her know how valuable and irreplaceable she is.
She is extremely smart and just a bit little crafty – not in the "let's do paper mache" type of crafty but in the wily way. The planning, organizing and sometimes conniving sort of way. There is always so much going on in that mind of hers, you can never be sure what is up her sleeve. I love that. If you need something to do, talk to Stephy.
She does not wait for other people to start things, if she sees a need, she takes care of it.
She was the CUTEST toddler. She had these chubby cheeks that did not stick around long enough.
She grew at an alarming rate (to my young mind anyway). In the earliest years I remember the only complaint I had was her whiny high pitched voice, especially when she was fighting with someone.
She also would SING, all. the. time. Seasame street songs mostly. Annoying.
Singing is something we had in common. I didn't excel in any sports though, and she did.
Among many other things that she excelled in.
She had that confusing and difficult struggle in life – The "being good at so many things – what do I commit to?" struggle. tough huh?
She was fun, kind of goofy and easy to please… I'm not sure what happened…lol – just kidding! What happened was our youngest 2 sisters came along.
This is how I remember her after her cute cheeks thinned out. She was a whirling dirvish. Always on the move. So much so that her clothes often looked like they were about to fall off…of course she was so thin, they probably were. Her hair was never in place, but she was ready with a smile, and a twinkle in her eye.
In some ways, Stephanie is a lot like me. She thinks (and acts) like an oldest child, with the younger ones. But she never gave me a hard time…well not too much that I remember. Perhaps I've blocked that out.
Anyways, when I left home for school, she was 11. When I got married, she was 13…and she almost missed my wedding, for which she was the soloist…because she had a track meet. I think she won something that day, so I forgave her.
A few years passed, she grew up and I pretty much only saw her during the holidays and sporadic visits. During that time she developed her bossiness into "leadership" qualities. Love her. She also kept singing, and followed me to Niagara – she went to the school I worked in and lived with us. With only a few bumps of adjustment, we shared a short couple of years together before she met her husband and I had my boys.
She is extremely creative – it puts me to shame. She is a writer, a song writer, performer, actress, program developer, publisher, team creator and entrepreneur – having started her own business, she's basically done her best with what she had since leaving home, and done pretty darn good.
She reminds me of our dad…a lot.
She is stubborn, or tenacious. I guess it's all in how you look at it.
She has very high expectations of herself, but not of others as much.
She is loyal, but if you cross her, good luck.
She married a strong man who challenges her – just like dad picked our mom.
She is proud to be Greek. She is extremely committed to family.
She is a fun aunt, who always has a plan for the kids at family gatherings at her house.
She works hard and inspires many.
She will be an incredible mom.
She is my sister, but she is one of my best friends.
I am lucky to have her in my life.
My birthday blessing to my little sister is to enjoy this next season of life fully.
To have peace and contentment, fulfilment and joy in the smallest things, because they are the best things really.
I hope to spend many more hours doing life together with you in the years to come, because you make my life better simply by being in it.


text:
$21 Million Investment & Continuing To Grow The Fleet
"Nicholas Air adds two new Phenom 300Es to its fleet" | Original Article Featured At PrivateJetCardComparisons.com
THE PRIVATE JET OPERATOR IS INVESTING $21 MILLION BY ACQUIRING TWO OF THE BEST-SELLING EMBRAER LIGHT JETS
In the most recent sign that demand for private flights is bouncing back, Nicholas Air says it is adding two new from manufacturer Embraer Phenom 300Es to its fleet.
The company says the move is based on current and future demand. Flight hours for this month are already at 120% of 2019 levels with five days left to go.
"This purchase of multiple Phenom 300E aircraft further strengthens our relationship with Embraer as the manufacturer of modern, safe aircraft that our members greatly enjoy. Further, it reinforces the commitment I've made to our members since I started this business over 23 years ago— to provide the safest, highest quality and newest fleet that the market offers," Nicholas Air CEO N.J. Correnti tells Private Jet Card Comparisons.
$21 MILLION INVESTMENT
Total investment is approximately $21 million, according to the company.
Correnti continued, "Purchasing aircraft involves so much more than just acquiring the airframes. We are at a point in the economy where our competitors are canceling aircraft orders, are furloughing pilots or staff, and are downsizing their business in recent months.
"I'm quite proud of our team here in that our story is the complete opposite— we are acquiring airplanes, adding resources to our operational team, adding resources to our maintenance team, will now be hiring additional pilots to staff these new jets, and are now operating from our brand new, state of the art headquarters and Member Operations Center."
Peder von Harten, the vice president of sales & marketing, noted, "The need to acquire additional aircraft is a direct result of what the consumer is telling us. Demand for the Nicholas Air program has steadily increased over the past five or six months."
He added, "When I look at our new members, they wanted to be on a fleet that is owned and operated by the company. They didn't want to deal with the inflated purchase prices and economics of fractional ownership, and frankly, they know of Nicholas Air's reputation for just treating people better and our hospitality culture."
Nicholas Air flying levels are tracking 20% over 2019 levels since the start of May, according to von Harten, who added, "The investments we are making, and have made of the past several months, are a sign of our financial strength and stability over the long-term."
NICHOLAS AIR FLEET
In addition to the Phenom 300s, Nicholas Air offers the Phenom 100, Pilatus PC-12, Cessna Citation CJ3, Citation Latitude, and Bombardier Challenger 300, new since last year.
Its Jet Card program offers fixed-rate options based on the deposit amount, flight hours, or a pay-as-you-go membership, with industry-leading windows for both reservations and cancelation, making it attractive for both leisure and corporate fliers.
Based in Mississippi, Nicholas Air has attracted high-profile customers who also offer their endorsements, including actress Nicole Kidman and two-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning.
Phenom Management
Phenom 300 Jet Card
Which Is The Safest Private Jet?


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PRODUCTION AND USAGE OF BIOMASS CAN CONTRIBUTE TO SUSTAINABLE REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Biomass on the rise as an energy source in Slovakia
BIOMASS is becoming a more popular renewable energy source in Slovakia and more and more local heating plants are announcing replacement of their obsolete technology with modern biomass-incinerating equipment. They are making use of Slovakia's huge capacity for production of biomass itself as well as for manufacturing biomass products adapted for further energy usage. But experts warn that even though biomass may have positive impacts on general regional development not all usage of biomass is environmentally friendly.
More heating plants in Slovakia are switching to biomass. (Source: SITA)
In Slovakia the most commonly used forms of biomass are currently chopped wood, woodchips and wood in the form of pellets or briquettes. But biomass also includes waste from agricultural production, for example reeds and animal excrement, or bilge produced by wastewater treatment plants or waste collected from households. These sources are still underused in Slovakia and are waiting to be more widely exploited. The cultivation of special plants specifically to produce industrial biomass is only just beginning in Slovakia.
"The usage of biomass has been increasing in Slovakia," Ladislav Židek, general director of Biomasa, an association supporting the use of biomass in Slovakia, told The Slovak Spectator. "What is very important is that the gas crises have probably frightened our citizens in the end. On the other hand, we believe that during an [economic] crisis people save more and use more effective sources of energy. This is why the number of buyers of wood pellets has been increasing in Slovakia."
Biomass in Slovakia
"Biomass, either agricultural or forest-sourced, represents from an economic and ecological point of view the most appropriate and effective renewable source of energy under the natural conditions of Slovakia and with regards to its existing energy infrastructure, i.e. central heating systems in towns and villages," Karel Hirman, the director of the Energy Policy Section at the Slovak Innovation and Energy Agency (SIEA), told The Slovak Spectator. "Unlike photovoltaic – i.e. solar – power stations and wind, biomass is a predictable source, which can be regulated."
Hirman further stressed that using biomass for energy generation does not require construction of back-up power plants, mostly built on the basis of natural gas, as is the case for less predictable renewable sources. All this means that biomass reduces Slovakia's dependence on imports of fossil fuels.
Slovakia recognises biomass as an energy alternative to non-renewable fossil fuels and increasing the share of renewable sources for production of electricity and heat with the aim of creating appropriate supplementary sources needed to cover local demand is one of the basic priorities of the 2006 Energy Policy of Slovakia.
"The increase in the prices of non-renewable fossil fuels… has pushed biomass as an energy alternative to the centre of economic as well as political attention," Juraj Novák from the Ministry of Economy and Construction told The Slovak Spectator. "In the segment of heat production a significant increase in its usage has been registered over the last few years. This is a precondition for biomass to become the most used renewable energy resource in Slovakia in future years as well."
Novák specified that biomass currently generates up 3 percent of the total energy consumed in Slovakia, but said there is potential for this to increase.
"The total potential of biomass currently represents the possibility to cover more than one half of heating needs," said Novák. "Biomass has huge potential in heat production, especially in [area] central heating systems, but less in households, in the forms of pellets, briquettes, woodchips and reeds."
Pellets are more expensive when compared with chopped wood and woodchips, but provide advantages, for example in the form of automatic boiler operation and ease of use comparable to that of natural gas, according to Novák. Moreover, there is significant capacity for production of pellets and briquettes in Slovakia, and producers are currently exporting most of what they make. This, according to Novák, guarantees that even the quickly growing number of biomass boilers will not mean a potential shortage of this kind of fuel.
Experts agree the energy potential of biomass is still little-used in Slovakia, and argue that wider usage would lead to higher employment and improved income for forestry companies and farmers, thus contributing to general regional development.
"Usage of biomass has a multiplier effect," said Hirman. "It creates new jobs in locations which usually have a problem achieving this, especially for low-qualified people. It creates local vertically integrated energy networks in which production and usage of biomass as well as energy produced from it remains in one place. This reduces energy prices for consumers in the locality. It also widens the business portfolio of local farmers and forest managers. And, last but not least, usage of biomass has a positive impact on maintenance and meaningful usage of the country, for example regular cutting of grass on meadows and pastures, suitable composition of agricultural plants, etc."
Vojtech Hollan, spokesperson for the Energy Centre, a non-governmental consulting organisation which promotes the rational use of energy and utilisation of renewable sources of energy agrees, saying that a positive feature of the concept of biomass as a local energy source is that money paid for heat remains in the region, i.e. in the heating plant, forestry companies, farmers or producers of wood pellets and briquettes.
Among the advantages of biomass in regional development Židek points especially to its contribution to local employment.
"All working places [created as part of the production and usage of biomass] are stable, permanently sustainable and are created directly in the regions," said Židek. "If Slovakia follows Austria's trend, over four years 10,000 permanently sustainable jobs can be created with significantly lower costs than [would be] required by – and paid to – foreign investors."
Hirman regards the retention of existing area central heating systems as a precondition for extensive and effective usage of biomass.
"However, here our agency often encounters opposing tendencies," said Hirman, adding that especially at the level of local administrations, towns and villages are adopting decisions which go against the effective development of area central heating systems.
Environmentally friendly usage of biomass
Experts warn that heedless usage of biomass does not necessarily contribute to a better environment, stressing that biomass is primarily a local source.
"As long as biomass remains a local source it will also be an environmentally friendly source of energy," Hollan told The Slovak Spectator, pointing out that extensive use of biomass in thermal power stations can lead to environmental problems related to transport of biomass from more remote regions.
Novák, who sees incineration of biomass together with fossil fuels in thermal power stations and during the combined production of heat and electricity as a way to achieve higher usage of biomass, also thinks that logistics costs should be monitored.
Another problem of using biomass can lay in obsolete heating systems installed in family houses which incinerate biomass directly, according to Hollan. This may lead to worsening of local atmospheric quality under bad dispersal conditions. Židek sees usage of lower-quality chopped wood as non-ecological and says people only rarely invest in economical and ecological boilers.
Even though Slovakia has recently adopted new legislation supporting use of biomass and other renewable sources via feed-in tariffs for energy produced from renewable resources, not all the parties involved are happy with this means of support.
Židek sees the guaranteed feed-in tariffs as deforming the market. According to him, they were set at too high a level, attracting investors interested only in high profits and not in supporting the usage of renewable energy sources.
Hirman and Hollan also see space for improvement on the side of price regulation.
While biomass has become a popular fuel, there are still some as-yet unused segments of the biomass market. Hollan sees large potential in agricultural biomass, especially reeds. Slovak research institutes are also working on fast-growing trees and plants, even though their impact on biodiversity may be problematic. Another promising option not fully exploited so far is the production of biogas.
20. Sep 2010 at 0:00 | Jana Liptáková