Angelina College guard Corinthian Ramsey (0) fights through contact from Pro Vision Academy’s Cameron Duerr during Monday’s game. The Roadrunners dropped an 88-80 decision to the Warriors at Shands Gymnasium. (AC Press photo/Marcella Flores)
A very talented and determined Pro Vision Academy team surprised the Angelina College Roadrunners on Monday night, taking an 88-80 win at Shands Gymnasium.
The Warriors earned the win by pounding the boards all night, getting 19 rebounds from Akaim Dasher and another 17 boards from Iowa State commit Cameron Lard. Dasher finished with 21 points, and Lard and Khalil Williams added 18 each.
Robert Lewis led the Roadrunners with 20 points; Isaiah Bailey added 18 and Corinthian Ramsey 15 in the loss.
The Roadrunners (4-2) will travel to Arkansas Baptist College on Wednesday. Game time is 7 p.m.
As health-seekers strategize their diet and fitness approach for the holiday gluttony season and those inevitable New Year’s resolutions just beyond, there are a few simple but key considerations that can make all the difference between a successful — and even profitable — weight-loss endeavor and a wellness endeavor that falls far short.
In seeking expert advice I connected with diet and fitness industry insider Jimmy Fleming, co-founder of HealthyWage— a company that offers industry-leading corporate and team-based weight loss challenges and financially-induced diet contests for individuals. He offered some compelling insights and opinions on critical elements needed for the best chance of success with a weight-loss initiative. Here are Fleming’s top five ideas:
Map out specific goals & time frames
You are far more likely to achieve your diet resolution if you spend a few minutes thinking it through. Sit down at your desk and dedicate even just ten minutes of your life to strategizing your resolution. Put pen to paper or, better yet, send an email to a friend or family member and make a list of the things you’re going to do to change your weight. Simply stating that “I’m going to lose weight” is not nearly specific enough, but it makes a good headline at the top. Write down a date when you will achieve your first goal. This date should be in the near future — one month is a good bet.
Now, make a specific, realistic goal. Most experts agree that you’re most likely to succeed if you don’t starve yourself, and plan on losing one to two pounds per week. In fact, setting a modest goal -— say, one pound per week — can spare you a lot of hunger and stress. You might even forget you’re on a diet! Suppose you choose 1.5 pounds per week and a one month goal date: your goal will be about six pounds. Piece of cake (so to speak)! Put your goal and goal date on your calendar (e.g., “Weigh 150 pounds” as an entry for January 30). Go back to your piece of paper, or email. Under your goal and goal date, write down the word “food.” Ask yourself: what exactly is your eating plan? Are you going to follow a particular diet? If so, when are you going to start? Your answer should be “right now.” Don’t be afraid. This is going to be great! If your diet requires that you purchase something or register on a certain website, go do that right now!What about exercise? What specific days and times will you commit to exercising? Who will you exercise with? If possible, call a friend now and set something up.
Review your resolution plan frequently as you work your way toward your goal. When your goal date comes, call a friend to either brag about your achievement or confess that you didn’t achieve it and tell them what’s going to be different for the next goal date. Now, sit down again (pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard) and set a new goal date and goal. Keep going!
Set up financial incentives After you’ve written out your specific goals and dates, your best bet is to build a little structure into them. Enter: prizes and rewards. A significant amount of academic research shows that you are much more likely to achieve your resolution if you include a double financial incentive — i.e., money to lose if you fail and money to win if you succeed! The reason money works better than the natural motivators of vanity and health is that money can be tied to specific, measurable goals and deadlines. In other words, financial incentives help prevent procrastination by establishing a firm start date, and help prevent quitting by establishing a firm goal date. Financial incentives also make weight loss a lot more fun and exciting by transforming the process into a game.
There are fantastic tools and resources available online for setting up financial incentives. For example, HealthyWage allows participants to make various kinds of personal weight loss “bets” and win payouts up to $10,000. The double financial incentive is an incredible motivator and source of structure that most winners say is indispensable.
Do one thing at a time Trying to stick to more than one resolution creates a willpower diffusion that is almost always a recipe for failure. Your weight loss resolution requires time, planning and lots of action items. The winding road from plump to sexy is made of many cobblestones that you have to lay down one at a time with lots of small, frequent decisions (e.g., “this morning, I am going to skip that second donut”). With all the good judgment and will power those little decisions require, you simply won’t have the time and energy for your other resolutions, too. You’re booked solid! If you think your weight loss resolution isn’t that big of a deal, you might be off track.
Tell everyone Or, at least tell a few friends or family members about your endeavor. If you’re not willing to tell someone about your diet resolution, you might not be committed enough to succeed. When you tell other people about your plans, a magical thing happens. You know that your supporters are waiting to hear news of your success, and you don’t want to let them down. Some researchers believe that the social element is one of the most powerful tools in your arsenal.
Plus, it’s important to have support — i.e., people to brag to when you succeed; people to talk to when you feel like overeating. Talking is a great antidote to a desire to binge or eat things that could get in the way of your success.If you’re really determined to achieve your resolution, you should consider taking the social element even farther. Try writing a blog about your progress. Not only will your readers help keep you seriously accountable, but you may discover that being a great teacher is one of the best ways to learn and improve your own success.
Seek fellowship When you tell people about your diet resolution, be on the look-out for a dieting partner (or group of partners). When you work on your diet resolution with a buddy or group of friends or family members, you are even more likely to accomplish your goals. You get all the benefits of accountability plus the comfort and fun of knowing there’s someone waiting for you to exercise, compare food and restaurant experiences, and share the ups and downs of dieting. According to the American Psychiatric Association, “Enlisting family and friends in the effort may help.” One study shows that participants who do a weight loss program with friends are more than twice as likely to keep their weight off than those that try to do it on their own.
Angelina College’s visual arts students will present their work in an exhibition running from Nov. 22 through Dec. 6 in the Angelina Center for the Arts gallery. An opening reception is planned for Nov. 29 from 6 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. Admission is free.
Students exhibiting works are Jordan Abbott, Christopher Aguirre, April Cooper, Brianna Cryan, Jocelyn Earnest, Emily Escobedo, Phillip George, Dona Gibbs, Velvet Guidry, Richard Hardesty, Sixto Hernandez, Andy Landeros, Regina Loerch, Liliana Madera, Malachi Middlebrooks, Andrew Patterson, Kat Paulson, Eduardo Ramirez, Sekael Rawls, Alexandria Robertson, Joshua Robinson, Elisabeth Roldan, Lesley Sosa, Jordan Sparks, Joshua Weeks and Aaron Wilson.
Le’Anne Alexander’s Basic Drawing students have focused on developing basic drawing and composition skills. Alexander is an award-winning artist and has taught at Angelina College for three years.
Robbie Lacomb Roach’s Basic Design students have focused on composition and the elements and principles of design. Roach has taught at AC for nearly 25 years and she exhibits her prints and photographs internationally.
For more information about Angelina College’s visual arts program, call (936) 633-5233.
Here is a delicious recipe for a night in with friends or to take as a side dish to Thanksgiving dinner this year!
Crock Pot Italian Turkey Meatballs
20 ounces (1.3 pound) lean ground turkey breast
¼ cup whole wheat seasoned breadcrumbs
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup parsley, finely chopped
1 egg
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper
For the sauce:
1 teaspoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
28 oz. cans crushed tomatoes
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup fresh chopped basil or parsley
In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, parsley, garlic, and cheese. Mix all ingredients and form small meatballs. In a small skillet, heal olive oil, and add garlic. Saute until golden. Pour crushed tomatoes into the crock pot with bay leaf. Add garlic and oil. Drop meatballs into the sauce. Set crock pot to low and cook for 4 to 6 hours. Add fresh basil or parsley and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy!
My Thanksgiving memories, like most of yours, revolve around family dinners. Most involve stories, laughter, football games, tree decorating, recipes that were overcooked, those that weren’t cooked long enough and the best desserts ever.
For many people, traveling is a big part of the holidays and probably the part that is the most time consuming.
Whether standing in line at a crowded airport or driving a traffic-jammed highway, we all want to make it safely to be with our loved ones.
Good memories or not, this is the time of year to ponder your life’s blessings. For most of us, they could fill a book.
For some, the holidays are not a joyous time, but as long as we have a heartbeat, we all have something for which to be thankful.
I never had to travel to be with family on the holidays, but I remember watching news reports of frozen airports and snow-covered roads and feeling sorry for those who did. I couldn’t figure out what was worse – crowded roads or crowded cars.
Even in the best of moods, some of you will likely have your patience challenged before you reach your destination.
Before you lose your mind in holiday traffic, take a deep breath and think about what a privilege it is to be able to make memories with loved ones again this year.
We are thankful for our blessings and accomplishments at the Texas Department of Transportation. We also like to make changes that make life a little easier for you as your travel the roadways. During this holiday season, we have our sights set on a big accomplishment that will take all of us to make it happen.
Texas has not had a single day without a fatality since Nov. 7, 2000. That represents a 16-year record that needs to be broken. We want to stop the fatalities and the annual “End The Streak” safety campaign is aimed at doing just that.
We want every driver to remember that staying alert, obeying all traffic laws and taking personal responsibility behind the wheel is all it will take to break that record.
The number of fatalities resulting from motor vehicle crashes on Texas roadways since Nov. 7, 2000 stands at 55,578.
The leading causes continue to be failure to maintain a single lane, alcohol and speed. Distracted driving is also racing to the top of that list.
TxDOT Executive Director James Bass reminded us all recently that those numbers represent a lost spouse, a child, a
friend or neighbor who never made it to their destinations. They won’t have the choice to drive safely or stay alert on their way to a holiday dinner this year.
We want to see many days in Texas without a fatality. Let’s all do our part to begin to make that happen. I invite you to stay informed and post comments on Twitter at TxDOT Lufkin or on Facebook at the Texas Department of Transportation using the hashtag #EndTheStreakTX.
Post your happiest holiday photos along with comments about your travels and tag me at TxDOT Lufkin on Twitter. I would love to hear about them. We want you to also share with us in the excitement when our leaders announce that we have succeeded in ending the streak of daily fatalities in Texas.
Most of all, we want you and yours to pause and be thankful, make a happy memory and appreciate that every life is precious. Have a safe and blessed Thanksgiving.
Let’s face it, we have all been guilty of wearing our favorite leggings to the grocery store or to run a quick errand instead of putting them to good use in the gym. Well lose the guilt, because wearing workout clothes has become a new high fashion trend, Athleisure.
This trend has been in the makings for many years, but 2016 finally made it official on the runways of New York Fashion Week.
Pair sneakers with a tulle skirt.
What is athleisure?
Athleisure, also known as active fashion, is the trend of wearing athleticwear while performing non-athletic tasks. This fashion is inspired by the millennial generation and the active lifestyle that they lead. Athleisure is also inspired by the awareness that today’s fashion “it-girls” spread for health and fitness.
Athleisure started when women began trading in their jeans for leggings in times of convenience. Now the style has become high fashion. Adidas, Under Armour, Fenty X Puma, and Nike are just a few brands that have embraced designer athleticwear and were seen on the runways of New York & Paris Fashion Week Spring 2017.
How to Wear Athleisure:
Sneakers with (almost) anything. Wearing sneakers is no longer limited to casual wear. Sneakers can now be worn with anything from jeans to dresses (no dress is excluded, even evening wear!).
Leggings instead of or as pants.
As if we weren’t already doing this one. It’s simple really, wear leggings in place of normal, socially acceptable pants.
Versatile crop tops. Find that perfect crop top that you can wear to the gym and then out with friends that same evening.
One of the things that I love about athleisure is that it’s so easy, anyone can do it. Although it is easy to do, there are still some rules.
Actress Blake Lively wearing athleisure by pairing sweats and heels.
Rules of Athleisure:
Mix function & fashion. When wearing athleisure be sure that your athleticwear is flattering for the outside world. Although athleisure is popular, many things that are acceptable to wear in the gym are NOT acceptable in the public. (EX: biker shorts, sports bras, sheer leggings…etc.)
Accessorize. No, I don’t mean jewelry. Pair your favorite leggings and crop top with a bomber or biker jacket. Or tie an oversized flannel around your waist.
Dress appropriately for the occasion. This can tie into rule #1. Athleisure is being accepted in many places such as, gourmet restaurants, the workplace, and even in high fashion, but not everything that can be worn to the gym can pass in these places. (Leave the sports bra and biker shorts at home.)
Stay age appropriate.
Athleisure is for anyone, there is no age limit. However, be conscious of how you wear your apparel. Brighter colors and loud prints are acceptable for ages 45 and under, while neutral colors and simpler prints are better for ages 50+.
That’s everything you need to know about athleisure!
I’ve notice the pines are starting to drop their older needles. This, of course, brings out the gardeners to rake up the needles.
The question is: What do you do with them? I’ve heard several times over the years that pine needles acidify your soil.
Really? Let’s look at that.
An acid soil is anything below 7 on the pH scale that goes from 1 to 14. We know that most soils range anywhere from an acidic 5 to a slightly alkaline 8. Acidic soils “tie up” (prevent the absorption of nutrients and waste your fertilizer). Most plants will grow just fine with a pH in the range of 6.4 to 7.5. Acid loving plants like Azaleas like a pH of 4.5 to 6.0.
Green pine needles (still on the tree) are indeed slightly acidic measuring in at 6.0 to 6.5. Acidic? Yes, indeed. But by the time a pine needle gets old and are ready to drop off the tree they are barely acidic. After a few days on the ground, they lose their acidity completely.
Interestingly, pollution-free rainwater falls on your lawn at a pH of 5.6 – a much more acidic value. But you don’t see anyone racing out to cover the landscape to prevent the naturally acidic rain reaching their plants, do you?
Why then do we have this distrust of pine straw? I haven’t a clue, but I can extol on its virtues.
Among its many attributes pine straw mulch insulates tender roots from temperature extremes keeping the soils warm during cool spells and cool during warm spells. It conserves soil moisture by reducing water evaporation rates and moisture loss. It also eliminates erosion caused by wind and rain splash impact.
As pine straw mulch slowly breaks down, it releases organic matter. Over time, this organic matter improves soil texture by allowing air to infiltrate the soil and encouraging beneficial soil microorganisms. There is little direct nutrient value in the mulch, but a variety of physical properties give it advantages over other organic mulches:
Pine straw doesn’t float and wash out of beds like wood mulches. This helps keep walkways cleaner further reducing maintenance efforts. Unlike some other mulches pine needles interlock and hold together during hard rains, heavy winds, and even on landscapes with considerable slope.
Pine straw remains loose and friable and does not form a top crust like grass clippings, leaves, and some wood mulches. Loose mulch allows water to infiltrate readily into the soil for plant availability and avoids wasteful runoff of irrigation. The large air pockets, however, help prevent it from remaining excessively wet and damaging roots.
Pine straw mulch greatly reduces weed control efforts as wood mulches have a higher tendency to import weed seed in an ideal seedbed for germination. Pine straw around trees reduces the need to use string trimmers (“weed-eaters”) around the base of each tree. This reduces maintenance costs, but also prevents plant death from girdling wounds caused by the trimmer.
The fine texture and uniform color of pine straw is simply more aesthetically pleasing to some users. The non-detracting, earthly facade brings out the color, contrast and texture of landscapes. Pine straw also prevents plants, flowers and fruit from becoming splashed with mud. Added annually, it gives landscapes a fresh clean and renewed appearance.
In truth, pine straw has been a popular landscape ground cover throughout the South for the last 25 years. In fact, it is one of the most widely used mulches for all size projects ranging from residential flower beds to industrial complexes and highway landscapes.
Finally, if you are not convinced, I have a solution. Go ahead and rake it up. From there, stuff it into garbage bags and give me a holler. I’ve got a great place to take your pine straw to, um…, dispose of it.
Editor’s Note: Every Saturday in November we will introduce a Bearded Beauty, a man with a full beard or mustache, to raise awareness for men’s health, such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health, and suicide prevention. Not only will we raise awareness, but we will also shares tips of the trade of those who have mastered a beard and mustache.
Adam Lamar hasn’t cut his beard since early 2015.
Meet 41-year-old Adam Lamar from Nacogdoches, who is a musician and graphic designer, and also a bearded beauty. We sat down with Adam who told us the reason he grew out his beard and how he styles it every morning. Keep reading for more from Adam!
TFCL: Why did you decide to grow your beard out? Adam: Originally out of laziness, but at this length I’m well past the point of diminishing returns. If I just roll out of bed in the morning without wetting it down, I look like Fizzgig from The Dark Crystal.
TFCL: How long have you been growing out your beard? Adam: Just under two years. I chopped off the last one at the beginning of 2015.
A photo of Bearded Beauty Adam Lamar.
TFCL: Do you have any advice for beginners on growing out facial hair? Adam: Decide that you’re going to look homeless for six months to a year, and then stick with that decision. Most questions from novice beard growers can be answered with, “Just let it keep growing.” “Mine doesn’t seem full enough.” Just let it keep growing. “The sides stick out too far.” Just let it keep growing. “It’s itchy.” Just let it keep growing.
TFCL: How do you style your beard every morning? Adam: I run an Afro pick through it when I get out of the shower, but that’s it. If I need to look “respectable,” I might use some Murray’s to keep the flyaways in check.
TFCL: The beard brings awareness to men’s health in November, why do you think it’s important to bring awareness to men’s health? Adam: Honestly, I don’t even think about my own health as much as I probably should. So I guess it’s important because it’s not something people think about on a regular basis.
[dropcap]“E[/dropcap]verything that I experienced, everything that I got to witness, it changed me. Forever. It was seeing through the lens a whole other world in a lot of different ways,” said Jennifer Blackledge, veteran, wife, mother, and owner of local photography company Blackledge & Co. Studio.
Air Force
In 2003, Blackledge joined the Air Force.
“I joined the Air Force when I was 19,” Blackledge recalled. “I was looking for an adventure, and nothing of the sort was here.”
When she joined, Blackledge said, she did not know what she wanted to do with her life other than a vague thought of going into dentistry, and when she signed up, she took a test that told her she would be best placed as a combat photographer. She trained in photography at a Department of Defense school in Baltimore, Maryland.
Combat Photography
[pullquote]“I loved photography. I developed a passion for it. I developed an addiction to adrenaline. Photography was just a vehicle. I didn’t develop a love for the art until I got out.”[/pullquote]
For the next three years, Blackledge documented history by taking pictures of anything the DOD needed documented. She captured countries at war, forensics for child abuse on an army base, a missile launch, Russians inspecting American facilities, and more.
“It wasn’t how I photographed or what I photographed,” Blackledge said, “it was the experience that I was getting to have through the lens. And when I was in combat it was seeing a war through the lens and seeing a third world country.”
Blackledge confessed she did not shoot a third world country anyone would normally see, but rather one torn apart by war. She was “impacted emotionally on every level with enlightenment, fear, sadness, happiness, the whole spectrum.”
Honesty, Integrity, Service Before Self
Blackledge said she definitely misses being in the Air Force. She said she misses the adrenaline and the feeling of being young, but what she misses the most is the unity of being in the military.
“When a person joins the military, they become a part of something so much bigger than themselves,” Blackledge said. “When I was a part of the Air Force it was all about values. Honesty, integrity, and service before self were drilled into me, and that mattered above all else. It didn’t matter if you and I had a different religion, a different skin color, a different agenda, we shared the same values. And that’s what made us move forward.”
Blackledge said people in the military train for war so hard that it becomes embedded in their brain, but they were trained to do it selflessly.
“We weren’t running toward bullets because we were crazy,” Blackledge said, “we were doing it because we were selfless.”
Blackledge & Co. Studio
After seven and a half years in the military, Blackledge worked in the oil and gas industry, finished a bachelor’s of applied arts and sciences from Stephen F. Austin State University, and started a family and a professional photography studio.
[pullquote]“I shoot seniors now, and it’s my favorite thing to shoot. It’s adrenaline rushing, too, because seniors will do anything. They don’t just pose, they want to jump out of trees and things.”[/pullquote]
Blackledge said she had to save for a long time to accrue the money it would take to start a full time photography studio. She said the military provided her with top of the line equipment, and that equipment was expensive.
“It took me years to find out what my niche was,” she said. “But now I know that my niche is high school senior photography. I enjoy working with teenagers, and I enjoy doing things on the dramatic side.”
Blackledge said she loves doing high school senior photography because they are willing to do anything to get the shot.
Jennifer Blackledge and daughter Journey.
Family
Jennifer Blackledge is married to Justin Blackledge, and together they have a four-year-old daughter, Journey, and a new daughter on the way.
Her full-time photography work turned into part time when she accepted a position as the technology director and teacher at St. Cyprians in Lufkin because of the expected arrival of her new daughter.
Running a photography business while being a full time teacher, a wife, a mother, and pregnant is taxing, according to Blackledge, but she is learning every day how to juggle it all.
“If anything, I’m just a really positive person,” Blackledge said, “and my faith is a big part of my life. I’m a Christian, and my personal relationship with God just keeps me going and gives me direction.”
With the election season behind us and Thanksgiving quickly approaching, it seems most appropriate to remind ourselves just how blessed we really are. Often times, between trick-or-treating and mistletoe, we tend to overlook the holiday where friends and family come together to give thanks for the many blessings we have in our lives. While my family and I have so much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving, serving as your voice in the Texas House of Representatives is a special one on my list. The voters have spoken and now it’s time to get to work. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Legislature to continue making Texas the best place to live, work, and raise a family. With that said, here’s an update on what’s happening in Austin…
House Interim Charge: Homeland Security & Public Safety
This week we look into the issues being studied by the House Committee on Homeland Security & Public Safety this interim. With Texas being such a large state, both in area and population, the natural threats we face can vary from one area to another. For example, the coastal region is more likely to experience a hurricane than the Panhandle, which is more concerned with tornadoes. Knowing this, the Committee has been looking into the functions of the Texas Division of Emergency Management and how they can best coordinate with municipalities, counties, and state agencies to keep Texans safe in times of tragedy and natural disasters.
The Committee is also working with TxDOT and the DPS on studying two transportation issues. First, ensuring that the switch to one sticker for both registration and inspection is as seamless a process as possible, as it relates to passenger and commercial vehicles, trailers, etc. And second, a review of the current penalties for operating a commercial vehicle that is in violation of state or federal law. Whether the violation involves the weight of a truck, the logging of service time, or something different, the Committee is evaluating the appropriate roll for state and local law enforcement in issuing citations.
An Update on the Teacher Retirement System of Texas
Over the course of this interim, it has been and honor to serve alongside my colleagues in the Texas House and Senate to study the future of the Teacher Retirement System (TRS) for our retired and active educators in Texas. The system is facing a shortfall of over one billion dollars and will be one of the most important issues facing legislators. The Committee’s report, which will soon be released, serves as a starting point for the robust conversation in January when the 85th Legislature convenes. While the report contains some options that I do not support, I understand that if the Legislature were to do nothing, the result would be disastrous. Knowing change is unavoidable, I will work diligently to find a solution which minimizes the impact on both our active and retired teachers and look forward being their voice during the upcoming session.
As health-seekers strategize their diet and fitness approach for the holiday gluttony season and those inevitable New Year’s resolutions just beyond, there are a few simple but key considerations that can make all the difference between a successful — and even profitable — weight-loss endeavor and a wellness endeavor that falls far short.
