I am always interested in experimenting with Halloween decorations and in recent years have added a few aspects of technology to them. For the prior couple of years I experimented with simple animatronics where zombies appeared to have some motion such as attempting to crawl or moving legs sticking out from under a garage door. My zombies are primarily homemade where I bought skulls and then used liquid latex, cotton balls, paint and other things to "bring them to life".
I would then use PVC pipe to construct some basic body parts such as legs, arms or a torso and then attach the skull to them.
Once made these are long lasting and weatherproof so you can easily set them outside and not worry about them.
Wiring together some simple motion sensors and strobe light triggers can also be fun (and a bit cluttered).
This year we tried making a pumpkin with a moving eye which was just a pumpkin with a Cyclops style eye hole and mouth cut into it. An iPhone behind the eye hole allowed it to continuously loop a video of a scary eye. Finding a way to hold the iPhone was a little bit of a challenge but we settled on putting the phone in plastic wrap and then using thread to keep it in place.
This year I decided to make Zombie containment doors, something that looks like a door or panel with a window to a room. Inside the room is a Zombie or some other evil thing that approaches the door and does something scary.
What I did was mostly off the cuff other than researching the media players. Planning the monitor frame for using different sizes in the future would have been more flexible in the long run but doing it all on the fly worked out reasonably well for this use.
I wanted to use as much as I could find around the house but did have to buy a few items primarily the digital media players and videos.
I used plywood for the doors which worked out ok. Note that you have to be able to cut holes in them for the monitors to show through and you need to plan how much of the monitor to show. You may also need access to the power button on the monitor if it does not come on when the power strip is turned on.
I used 2x4s or smaller for framing behind the plywood for sturdiness and to mount or hold things to the back of the door. These keep the plywood firm if it is thin but also add weight to the project. Remember that the more wood that you use the heavier the door will be.
Install a power strip so that a single extension cord is required to run the door.
Velcro strips made attaching the electronics much easier. Just cut a piece of velcro and nail it to where you want to place your electronics.
Zip ties of various sizes are always useful for keeping cables from being all over the place.
Digital media players are solid state devices that load video files from a SD card or USB flash drive and then play the files. A useful tidbit for planning purposes is that you may want more than just a single video file that contains your scary scene. If your door has a motion or other sensor on it you may want to use a black or other video that plays until the trigger event causing the scary video to play.
Find a powered speaker or radio with an aux input. This should be something that you can mount to the back of the door so that the sound appears to come from the door.
Use old LCD monitors (or TVs) for the videos, you do not need high end models but digital inputs (such as HDMI or DVI) can be helpful. The media players that I used support VGA style output so that may be good enough. One thing to note is that on one door I used a VGA monitor and had to use the media player remote control to switch to VGA output mode every time I powered it up. If I did not switch the mode it would use another mode and the video would be entirely red and audio had a lot of noise. Switching to VGA output worked perfectly.
You will need video files that are scary, well made ones will probably produce the best result. The attention to detail, acting, make up and so on all contribute to the realism. Hi-Rez Designs has a number of videos that come in different sizes, orientations and resolutions making it very easy to select what you need for your configuration.
The primary aspects of building the doors involved cutting the opening for the monitor and the framing to hold the monitor and other electronics. Depending on the monitor it may be easier to install it upside down because of the potential stand stem for it being in the way when right side up. Note that this means that your video will have to be upside down unless you have some other means of playing it that way. Hi-Rez Designs (where I bought my videos) provides right side up and upside down versions of each of the resolutions making it convenient.
It is a good idea to install your cables with some sort of strain relief on them so that you do not have anything pulling on anything else.
Note that there will be cabling for power to several devices, audio to the speaker and monitor output.
Trying out the full electronics package on door2.
Once you get the devices placed where you want them then run the cables in a way to makes them easy to follow and not be in the way.
The following is how one of my doors looked from the back when almost complete.
The doors should be painted in advance using paint that adds to the realism and it may be best to have them not look pristine.
This speaker was a cheap radio that I had laying around for years and worked very well.
The media players are small solid state devices that have slot for media files storage, some buttons for control and outputs for video and control circuits (which I did not use this year).
The monitors need to be mounted in a way that makes them easy to remove so sliding them up and out worked well for me.
With my first door I probably made it too secure so on the second I tried a minimalist monitor frame.
The video worked very well on the first door.
For the second door I made the opening too large. The video itself ending up being less than the monitor size because it was not the same aspect ratio but still turned out ok. I should have measured the size of the actual video on the monitor and not the monitor itself.
This is how the doors looked from the front when finished.
The doors turned out ok and a number of people thought that they looked very good. Having the doors not be a part of a wall or something similar probably detracted from them in terms of realism.
The pumpkin iPhone battery ran down just a bit before we closed the display down but ran well until then. We received a number of comments from people on how unique that it was.
The plywood that I used for one door was 3/4 inch which is heavier than it needed to be making it a little more difficult to move around. The other door was 1/2 inch making it easier to move around.
It would have been good to accommodate feet to let the doors stand by themselves instead of leaning against a wall or garage door. However, note that standalone means someone might be accidentally pull them over so you might need to have some means of securing them.
Using some better planned structure to attach or mount monitors that would accommodate different sizes in the future might be helpful (otherwise you are stuck using the same monitors again).
The building of the doors, mounting of electronics and then integration of all of the components (video/sound output, power, media player, motion sensor, output control) can take a while so you should start early in the build.
When doors are standalone they do not necessarily look like doors. Having them next to a wall or something similar would make them more realistic.
On mounting the monitors you might need to access buttons on the front after powering them up so the opening in the door might need to be larger than just the dimensions of the display.
Having a means of charging the pumpkin iPhone while it was in the pumpkin would have been helpful to ensure that it runs for the entire evening.
You may have to accommodate poor weather conditions which means that the electronics could be an issue. We were very fortunate with perfect weather this year so it was not an issue. Had there been rain an alternative would have been to put the doors in the garage.
I hope to add the motion sensors to trigger the scare videos when someone approaches the door.
I would also like to add a device to cause the door to vibrate when a zombie appears to strike it.
Finding a better means of making the door look like a door would improve the overall experience.
Here are links to what I bought or used.
hi-rezdesigns.com - I was very satisfied with their support and what I bought from them.
LoopTube - An iPhone app that would continuously loop a YouTube video, this worked very well.


RETIRE IN STYLE BLOG: Re-decorating: Kitty Bartholomew where have you gone?
I loved Kitty Bartholomew on HGTV! I know that dates me but I cannot help it. In fact, I woke up the other day thinking how much I missed those HGTV shows that inspired me to create and recreate. She made me feel at home in my home because the message was that little changes made a big difference. I could do it myself.
I still watch HGTV but after a while every show is the same. If you have wasted enough time watching Property Brothers or Love It or List It, you know what is coming next because, in the end, every decor is the same. Nothing reflects the fact that anyone lived there. If you do it their way, a trip to the local big box store is all you need to decorate any apartment or home. What each place is missing is the layers of life we bring to our dwellings. A home is so much more than furniture placed correctly or even the pictures on the walls. It is those personal items that make the difference.
Moving is a real test of your ability to make a home. Downsizing is a challenge in particular. All the "stuff" you have chosen to keep comes with you and now the task is to make a nest where you can feel as though it reflects who you are. But most people don't move with the thought of hiring a decorator...it is expensive to move. Yet we all want a fresh look. As a result, you have to take what you have and make it work. Someone told me once that when my husband and I moved, you could not tell we had just arrived. It was just us from top to bottom yet it all "looked" new.
I use this same technique when I arrange furniture or gather a table top arrangement.
I can use my formula for my home and it looks okay. But Kitty knows that a home is where you live. Every item in her rooms seemed to say that she put her hands on it and made it her own. I always had the feeling that each piece had a story and she could tell you where it was from and why she loved it. I want to be like her.
When you come in my house, you will know that what you see is what my husband and I love. My husband is the ergonomically correct person and he wants to have his things at his finger tips. I have come to love that. His clutter is a thing of beauty because it tells me that he is at home too. I suppose this fact explains why the walls are not pink and covered with flowers. Our home is a shared space.
So, Kitty Bartholomew wherever you are, thank you for making it okay to "live" in my little house with a cat that sheds and a husband that nests. Even as our home gets smaller we feel comfortable. In my eyes it is beautiful. You have given me a very special gift.
I miss her too!! Back then, HGTV was the BEST program ever. They took the HG out and added HHTV ...House Hunters TV. I have seen just about one too many House Hunter's programs which has very little to do with Home and Garden.
I think we appreciated it because it was such a treat.
I AGREE.. I miss our Kitty too. That girl had such unique style and fabulous originality that is no where to be found on HGTV these days. I wish she would do another show!
Along with missing Kitty's show, I miss a variety of shows throughout the day and evening. HGTV started it, and now it's mostly back-to-back-to-back programming of the same thing for hours on most channels, so I find myself reading more and watching TV a lot less!
Miss the old HGTV shows.Kitty you were great and and great projects.Hgtv is so boring now!!!
HGTV recently deleted its decorating board as well. 5 day warning it was going to be deleted.
Yes, I agree. Why did HGTV switch to house hunting and love it or list it? People need help with using what they've got too. I miss Kitty, Lynette, and the Room by Room, and the one that showed high end rooms, then showed you how to get the same room for less.
There are so many I have forgotten their names. Maybe they overdid that trend too and killed their own viewing audience.
I love Fixer Upper too but can see where they might run out of original ideas after a while. Another favorite is Rehab Addict. That woman is forced to be creative just by the very fact that she does not "tear out that wall to open it up" but instead restores very old houses giving them a modern edge. I like that a lot!
As for where Kitty is...I have no idea.
Just found your blog, too, and just last week I ordered Kitty's 2005 book, "Kitty Bartholomew's Decorating Style". I agree, she's missed these days.
I no longer watch HGTV because the shows are bland and silly. Even House Hunters is irritating because obscene amounts of money are spent and so many who are looking for a house expect everything to be new. When did that happen?
The early shows were much better: This Small Space and Aaron Foster's FreeStyle are two shows I liked that haven't been mentioned.
I am going to check those shows out. I need a fix every day. I think a lot of women feel the same way. But HGTV is evidently not making enough money to warrant a diverse schedule...or they have just gotten lazy!
I used to LOVE Kitty and her decorating style. I watched all the time on my day off!! I dreamed of having a home like that some day & there were so many ideas for Country Style - so warm & comfortable. Now I never watch HGTV any longer as it is all about House Hunters. or Buying & Selling or Flipping Houses. I hope she knows how much we miss her. I have one of her books & it gives me such pleasure to look at it -time after time! There will never be another Kitty!
I try to clear the clutter but it seems to crawl back out. I like to see my life so that is how it goes.
I miss the old HGTV shows.
Me too! Nothing is the same anymore, other than our memories of days gone by. New HGTV same ole same ole shows, never watch HGTV anymore.


text:
Nick Irving
Shadow Work in the Epoch of Self-Management
The March Towards Households of One
Image: George Tooker, "The Subway" (1950), Wihitney Museum of American Art, (source). Used without permission.
My alarm used to wake me up. For some reason of late I haven't needed it. Every morning I am drawn from slumber well ahead of when I'd like to be by the fact that I need to be at work. Every morning, although I don't work for two days out of seven.
I haul myself from bed, shave, shower, and dress myself. I choose pants that I bought because they are comfortable while professional. They cost three times what I'd pay for a good pair of jeans. I select from a number of business shirts, shirts I'd wear nowhere else. It took time to locate and try on these clothes, and money to buy them. It takes time to choose them every morning, to wash them, iron them, and hang them up. I do up the collar, and the cuffs. Fun fact: did you know the piece of fabric that sits across your shoulders when you wear a button-up shirt is called the 'yoke'?
I eat muesli and make myself coffee. I put the empty crockery in the dishwasher, turning it on if it's full, maybe emptying it if it's clean from the night before. I walk to work, powered by calories bought and ingested myself, or sometimes pay to catch the tram. The walk takes half an hour, the tram ride 15 minutes. I'm one of the lucky ones, living this close to my place of employment.
Everything I've just described is work. It's just not paid work. It's the work I do — we all do — to be able to work. It's 'Shadow Work'.
The term 'Shadow Work' was coined — at least in this form — by the 1970s cultural theorist Ivan Illich. Illich is a bizarre figure in the history of cultural theory. He had a Russian name, yet migrated from Austria to the United States. He served briefly as a priest in South America. He spoke five languages. His work disregards even the most basic of academic conventions as readily as he argues against institutionalised education of all forms. It's impossible to say whether he was influenced by Foucault or Arendt, even though his work clearly has congruence with theirs. He feels at times like a poststructuralist, at times like an Anarchist. He defies categorisation.
Andrea Komlosy, who makes prominent use of the concept in her Work, the Last 1,000 Years, explains Shadow Work like this:
"Illich included in this category all those activities needed to survive on a monetary income in a modern market society. By this, he did not mean use-value-creating subsistence activities — the material basis of which was steadily eroding in industrial society — but rather activities like shopping, queueing, waiting, comparing prices, and visits to the bank, court or other state authorities and welfare bodies. This 'drudgery in industrial society; is the flip side of work and of its necessary corollary, surviving on a monetary income, and is carried out predominantly (albeit not exclusively) by women."
Image: George Tooker, "Government Bureau" (1956), The Metropolitan Museum of Art and DC Moore Gallery (source). Used without permission.
The last point is significant. Shadow Work is, at least in the 20th century, gendered female. In his 1981 book of the same name, for Illich, Shadow Work included
"…most housework women do in their homes and apartments, the activities connected with shopping, most of the homework of students cramming for exams, the toil expended commuting to and from the job. It includes the stress of forced consumption, the tedious and regimented surrender to therapists, compliance with bureaucrats, the preparation for work to which one is compelled, and many of the activities usually labelled 'family life'."
One of the most important aspects of Shadow work is that it arose at the same moment as wage labour; wage labour is in fact impossible without the existence of Shadow Work, and vice versa:
"Close analysis reveals that the shadow economy mirrors the formal economy. The two fields are in synergy, together constituting one whole. The shadow economy developed a complete range of parallel activities, following the brightly illuminated realm where labour, prices, needs and markets were increasingly managed as industrial production increased. Thus we see that the housework of a modern woman is as radically new as the wage labour of her husband; the replacement of home-cooked food by restaurant delivery is as new as the definition of most basic needs in terms which correspond to the outputs of modern institutions."
Illich could have been writing about Uber Eats.
Image: George Tooker, "Lunch" (1964), The DC Moore Gallery (source). Used without permission.
Historically, Shadow Work was a product of the same leaving of the household that was produced by a shift to an industrial economy, built around factories, themselves built around centralised energy generation. As men left the household to work, household economies built around subsistence farming mixed with piece-work for money were supplanted by a main household wage intended to place all subsistence on the market. It involves the "redefinition of needs in terms of goods and services mass-produced according to expert design" and the "rearrangement of the environment in such fashion that space, time, materials and design favour production and consumption while they degrade or paralyze use-value oriented activities that satisfy needs directly." The existence of Shadow Work, then, is the product of historical change. It would have been "unthinkable in societies where the whole house served as a framework in which its inhabitants, to a large extent, did and made those things by which they also lived."
From my observation, we exist now at the high tide of individualism. 35 years of relentless neoliberal propaganda means that it has become a radical proposition to suggest the possibility of a "life in common," as Tim Dunlop puts it, or to "act in concert," as Arendt called it. The recent revelation that people in the United States are having less sex was explained by one sociologist as the product of individualism. The 'echo chamber' effect of social media that reflects our own ideas back at us is well known. The only way we could better foster self-interest would be if we all spent our lives in a doorless, windowless room made of mirrors. This would be only a slight nudge towards total solipsism.
Image: George Tooker, "Supermarket" (1956, source). Used without permission.
We are all expected to be self-managing and accountable subjects, engaged in free competition on the market. The fifteen photographs discarded in favour of the one good Instagram post, the minutes spent pruning characters from a carefully edited tweet, the careful curation of our Linkedin profiles, the hours wasted on unsuccessful job applications — these are all added to the shopping, cleaning, maintenance, grooming, and commuting we do as a way to prepare ourselves to face this market. Not to mention all the pieces of work we now do for ourselves that used to be someone else's job — the self checkout at the supermarket, or the work we do to be the dispatcher for our own Uber.
Illich noted that "shadow work is by far more common in our late industrial age than paid jobs" and he predicted that "[b]y the end of the century, the productive worker will be the exception." What he didn't predict was that the household had further to shrink. The world that Illich wrote in was one of heterosexual nuclear family units. These were a far cry from the massive medieval households that predated the advent of wage labour and shadow work. They were also a far cry from the Millennial reality we now face. Singleness is on the rise (in the United States at least). We are trending towards households of one.
Hannah Arendt noted that the way we use the word 'economy' — which comes from the Greek word oikos, meaning 'household' — would be unrecognisable to Plato's contemporaries. The management of finances was a household matter, managed by one woman in the household on behalf of all its members. This was true of the 1950s nuclear family as well, though in the intervening centuries the household had dropped from around twenty to just two adults.
Singledom is on the rise, so the number of people doing household chores and keeping budgets is as well. The division of household labour is collapsing. Everyone cooks their own meals and cleans their own dishes. Everyone is their own dietician and personal trainer. If we were talking about agriculture, we'd call it inefficient. As it is, we just insist it's 'personal responsibility'. Illich was right: Shadow work has invaded our lives to the point where none of us have any free time at all. The price of being alive at the high tide of neoliberalism is: your whole life.
Shadow work matters because there are ultimately only four ways you can get money, and shadow work isn't really one of them. The vast majority of us either get paid for work we do — wages — or receive some sort of government payment — welfare, or 'transfer payments'. Shadow work is the cost we pay to engage in wage labour, and given that it takes time, and time is ultimately what we sell to our employers, shadow work is robbing Peter to pay Paul. Except we are Peter and our employers are Paul.
The only other ways to get money are through profits, which in a Marxist sense is unpaid labour, but to the rest of us is just a reward for a combination of risk and effort in the market, and then there's dividends, which is basically when your money grows on its own. Both of these types of money creation require considerable capital to begin with — they are out of reach of most of us.
Wages have been dropping as a share of GDP — which means it's getting harder and harder to convince the wealthy to part with their money in return for labour. Given that a job is ultimately the way you "earn a living," or in other words, prove that you get to stay alive for one more day, that's an enormous problem. It is desperately important that we find a way to unhook survival from wage labour. Wage Labour is getting harder and harder to secure, and it's not like we're in a famine. In an age of growing inequality, nobody should have to convince someone else that their time is worth money as a prerequisite to eating.
We can't go back to a Feudal economy, nor should we want to. Despite Arendt's seeming love for the ancient Greeks, and Illich's luddite hagiography of the medieval household, we have to recognise that those ways of being are behind us. We could no more return to them than the medieval peasants who inhabited them could inhabit our lives. Besides, just because the gendered division of labour wasn't as stark in, say, 1450, doesn't mean that labour wasn't gendered. It also depended on a strict and immutable social hierarchy we call 'feudalism' — hardly something we'd want to institute afresh.
But Shadow Work is a scourge. It fills our time, and benefits us only because it's the price of engaging in the free market. It accelerates our disconnection from one another by helping to daily recreate us as agents who use their free choice to compete against one another, striving to secure access to scarce resources. But we live in an age of surplus; there is no need to behave like there's not enough to go around. Especially if the price is, ultimately, the possibility of human connection.
The beauty of historical change is that studying it forces us to confront the fact that a world other than our one is possible. We may not know which changes to institute to end the world that does us harm, and we can never know the full consequences of any of our actions. That's no reason not to try. Illich argued that even talking about Shadow Work as a thing in itself was taboo, so maybe the first step on the way to finding a new way to distribute the fruits of our collective labours is to name the problem.
Shadow Workers of the world unite! You have nothing to lose but your collars, cuffs, and yoke.
This post was originally published on my blog.
PhD in Modern History now making his way in the corporate world. Historian of peace and protest. Interested in theory, popular culture, and anxieties about work
More from Nick Irving
Welcome to the New Normal: Escaping the 9-to-5 for Good
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How to Stay Sane and Social When Working Remotely
Teena Merlan in The Startup
Surviving an Argument With Your Boss
The Corporate Slacker in The Startup
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Naiyan Jones in The Startup
I Miss the Unconventional Pleasures of Working from Home
Holly Bradshaw in The Ascent
Meeting the Women of Cairo's Crowded Friday Market
Culture Trip in The Omnivore

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Frank McCourt Speaks Out On Divorce, Dodgers
AP/HuffPost
04/29/2011 07:35pm EDT | Updated June 29, 2011
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt spoke out Friday about his divorce and Major League Baseball's seizure of the team, saying his sons have released him from a vow he made in 2009 to keep family issues private.
In the first of several interviews with media outlets scheduled for Friday, McCourt told KCAL-TV that he would openly defend himself and his plans to pull the team out of financial trouble.
"I sat with my four boys and they asked me and their mom to do one thing and that was to keep our divorce out of the media," McCourt said. "I had made a promise to my boys that I wouldn't make it public. And I was true to my word. Recently my boys have told me it's OK with them now if I defend myself."
McCourt said a proposed $30 million loan from the team's television partner, Fox, would solve the Dodgers' financial problems, but baseball has been too slow to approve it, despite other franchises getting approval for similar arrangements.
He said MLB Commissioner Bud Selig would not talk to him, but McCourt did not elaborate.
McCourt said the deal did not need approval from his ex-wife and former Dodgers CEO Jamie McCourt - with whom he has been embroiled in a nasty and costly divorce battle.
"I'm allowed here to run this business," Frank McCourt said. "The judge has made that, he made that clear, and this deal is a great deal for the Dodgers. It's ready to be signed. It's ready to go and any questions about the Dodgers' financial stability are solved simply by these documents."
Rob Manfred, MLB's executive vice president of labor relations, said in a statement Wednesday that Selig has not vetoed the deal but was waiting for a full investigation into the club and its finances before making a decision.
MLB sent Tom Schieffer to Los Angeles this week to oversee the Dodgers' daily operations. Schieffer said Selig didn't want to take the team away from McCourt, but it was not clear what his exact duties will be.
los angelesVideofrank mccourt
The Funniest Tweets From Parents This Week


text:
The onion family
By Jim Hanson2010-01-29T09:25:41+00:00
Unpeeling the layers of a popular family of vegetables with possible health benefits
Garlic and other alliums. The lore and the science
Eric Block
Cambridge, UK: RSC Publishing 2009 | 474pp | ?29.95 (HB)
Reviewed by Jim Hanson
This is a fascinating book written by an authority on the chemistry of the edible alliums, which include garlic, onions, leeks and chives. True to its subtitle, the lore and the science , the book contains much more than just the sulfur chemistry of garlic and its relatives.
The first two chapters are devoted to a historical introduction to the botany of the edible alliums and to their role in literature and the arts.
The next two chapters 'unpeel' the chemistry of onions, garlic and other edible alliums. This is an area to which the author has made many contributions over the last 40 years. The title of the first of these chapters Chemistry 101 indicates that the chemistry is presented at a level which is easy to understand. Together with the chapter entitled Chemistry in the salad bowl there is much on the sulfur chemistry of the pungent and lachrymatory compounds in alliums. This complex story of the reactions of allyl sulfides and sulfoxides, particularly allicin, is told from first hand experience and given a historical perspective. The title of one section Allicin in Wonderland epitomises the complexity of the topic.
The final two chapters deal with alliums in folk medicine and in the garden, including their use in protecting other plants from predatory attack. Much has been written concerning the health benefits of garlic and onions. Here the evidence is evaluated in a critical and balanced manner. The quotation in the heading of one section that 'the plural of anecdote is not data' summarises the author's approach.
The book concludes with a very extensive bibliography, tables of the constituents of alliums and their biological activity and rare historical drawings of alliums.
The book is well written and up-to-date, including references to papers published in 2008 and 2009. The experimental evidence supporting the structural conclusions is discussed in detail and the underlying physical principles of some of the instrumental methods are described in an approachable manner.
I can thoroughly recommend this book not just to natural product chemists but also to all those who have grown these plants in the garden or enjoyed eating them. It contains many anecdotes and quotations to enliven a chemist's dinner party.
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From the Atlantic Ocean to the top of the Andes Mountains, Argentina is a bridge between the Old and New Worlds. Innately European but distinctly Latin American, the country is a melding of cultural influences brought by the Spaniards and western immigrants and a unique geographic backdrop that offers some of earth's most stunning scenes. Renown Argentine writer Ernesto Sabato described his homeland thus: "Because of our European roots, we deeply link the nation with the enduring values of the Old World; because of our condition of Americans we link ourselves to the rest of the continent." One cannot sit drinking a glass of Mendoza wine in the foothills of the Andes or enjoying parrilla (grill) in the shadow of the cruise ships bound for Antarctica departing from Tierra del Fuego without thinking of Europe and the Americas. Argentines are rightly proud of their country and culture that invite visitors to indulge in and savor.
Click here to read a follow-on article about Victoria Falls and Iguaçu Falls with photos.
I've had the rare opportunity over the past year to visit two of the world's largest waterfalls. I visited Iguaçu Falls on the Argentine-Brazilian border in February 2009 prior to leaving South America, where I had lived for two years. I just returned from a short weekend trip to Victoria Falls on the Zambian-Zimbabwean border, which is a six-hour trip from Lusaka, Zambia by car. As measured by water volume, these two waterfalls are two of the largest and arguably most spectacular waterfalls in the world.
It's easy to make comparisons between the two. In truth, both waterfalls are equally impressive. They're different, so it's difficult to say whether one is "better" than the other. Iguaçu Falls is larger by volume and longer. It comprises numerous waterfalls that give it a layered effect, and it stretches over a longer distance than Victoria Falls. The Parana River above Iguaçu Falls collects at the top of the falls and cascades down over what must be a stretch of five miles or longer. At the same time, Iguaçu features a boardwalk on the Brazil side that puts you near the heart of the waterfall, the "Devil's Throat" (La Garganta del Diablo).
Victoria Falls appears visually larger than its Latino counterpart. The sheer "in your face" effect it offers you while the Zambezi River spills over is incredible. The pathway on the Zambian side puts you very close to a massive wall of water that drops at least a couple hundred feet in front of you. Although I wore rain gear, I was soaking wet when I passed close to the falls – wetter than I was at Iguaçu.
Although I left Iguaçu Falls convinced that it is unsurpassed in its grandeur, Victoria Falls rivals it in intensely. Of course, visitors to either locale would undoubtedly insist that each waterfall is more impressive than the other. As an objective outsider, I believe that these two falls collectively rank as two of the more beautiful and awe inspiring natural wonders of the world. If you ever have a chance to visit either one, don't miss out. You won't be sorry spending the money and time to behold two of God's greatest creations. In this respect, I feel blessed to have experienced both.


Whether you are a seasoned orator or a novice speaker, you can improve your presentation skills and enhance your credibility through planning, preparation, and practice.
Find the best person for the job by learning to control an interview, read body language, and analyze information.
Get your message across clearly and succinctly by choosing the right approach in e-mails, letters and reports.


Private Placements - Sprott Global Resources Ltd.
We are a leading provider of private placements for junior natural resources companies, which are available to qualified U.S. investors.
Private placements are investments in companies seeking additional capital, generally available only to institutions and certain sophisticated retail investors. The companies offering private placements may be publicly traded or privately held. When a publicly traded company issues stock through a private placement, it may also be referred to as a "PIPE" (a Private Investment in Public Equity).
These are the private placement offerings we at Sprott Global most frequently make available to our clients. While the company's stock continues to trade publicly, the shares issued in the private placements are typically restricted from sale or transfer for a specific time period. The restriction period and terms depend on the jurisdiction of the issuing company and the applicable regulations, with restrictive periods varying from 40 days to 12 months.
As an added incentive for investors to consider participation in private placements, the issuers often include warrants with the common stock. When an issuer includes warrants as part of a placement, they will typically issue a half or full warrant for each common share purchased.
A warrant is the right, but not the obligation, to purchase a share of common stock at a specified price (the "Strike Price" of the warrant) any time prior to the Expiration Date of the warrants. Expiration dates are commonly two to five years from the date of the private placement.
If the stock price does not exceed the warrants' strike price during the life of the warrant, the warrants simply expire, with no additional advantage or disadvantage to the private placement investor. If, during the life of the warrant, the stock price meets or exceeds the strike price of the warrant, the warrant holder may purchase common shares from the issuer ("exercise the warrant") at the strike price, and either sell the common shares on the open market (if a market exists for the shares) or hold them until a later date.
In some cases, warrants may be separated from the common stock, allowing the investor to simply sell warrants without having to exercise them.
Some investors choose, at some point, to sell their originally purchased common shares on the open market and retain the warrants. One of the risks of this strategy is that the warrants typically have a limited life, so if the share price does not reach the exercise price of the warrant before the expiration date of the warrant, it expires worthless.
Depending on market conditions, issuers may price private placement shares below market price in order to attract investors who could otherwise purchase the shares on the open market without the additional risk of holding restricted (illiquid) shares during the hold period.
Private placement investors must be comfortable with the fact that their shares will not be tradable for the entire duration of the restriction period. The investors will not be able to sell their shares in the event of a cash need, or enter sell orders in response to market price fluctuations. Investments in private placements should only be made as part of a "buy and hold" strategy.
Private placement investors are typically issued restricted shares that require additional paperwork and processing prior to their conversion to "freely-trading" shares. The investor is responsible for safekeeping fees and other charges associated with the physical certificates and their conversion to free-trading shares.
Some issuers do not allow the restrictive legend to be removed from a physical certificate until AFTER the investor has sold the shares. In these cases, investors do not have "clean" shares available to settle the sell transaction until up to a few weeks after the date of the sale.
The investor has the risk of being forced to repurchase the shares if they are not able to deliver them in a timely manner. This repurchase, or "buy-in," has to be done at current market prices, which can result in significant costs.
Who Can Invest In Private Placements?
In order to participate in private placements, a U.S. investor must meet the conditions to be considered an "Accredited Investor" under SEC regulations. There are a number of ways to meet this requirement, but for individual investors, the most common is to have $1 million in net worth (exclusive of the value of the investor's primary residence) or $200,000 in recurring annual income ($300,000 for joint accounts with a spouse). Investors not meeting the Accredited Investor requirement may not participate in private placements, nor may they be solicited for participation in a private placement by a U.S. broker-dealer or representative.
Private placements are not suitable for all Accredited Investors. Due to the illiquid nature of restricted securities and the often speculative nature of the stock being issued, investors should carefully consider their risk tolerance, liquidity (cash) needs, investment time horizon (how long they are comfortable holding a position), and the overall investment objective of their portfolio before considering participation in any private placement offering.
You and your broker and/or other financial advisors should discuss the pros and cons of private placement investing thoroughly before making a decision to participate.
For Accredited Investors with the appropriate investment goals and risk tolerance, private placements can be opportunities to participate in financings that are not widely available.
If you are an Accredited Investor and would like to learn more, please contact us at 800.477.7853 or contact@sprottglobal.com.
Our Investment Executives are dedicated to helping you be a successful natural resources investors.
We have more than 20 years of experience with Canadian, U.S., and Australian natural resource private placements. Our analysts are geologists, mining engineers and resource investment specialists who review dozens of placement opportunities for each one they deem an opportunity for our clients. We are not in the investment banking business to find capital for issuers; we are in the business to identify the best opportunities for our clients.
Our staff is experienced in the efficient processing of restricted securities; we work directly with the issuers and their legal counsels when necessary to facilitate efficient processing of the restricted securities and associated paperwork.
We offer multi-currency capabilities and can hold and process Canadian certificates; clients can have accounts denominated in most major currencies.


At Least Put a Shirt on!
Hey! Don't Touch Me There!
How Dense... Can You Be?
This Is Just Turning into Cos-purr-lay!
There Were Leaked Pictures of the Game on the Internet Yesterday!
Do We Have To Come Into Work?
Like... The Release is Canceled?
That's How Many Nights We Have To Stay Over?
What Happens If I'm Late to Work?


text:
Q: Propagate MouseClick event from Papplet to object class So, I am using eclipse and processing to do some of the heavier coding in Java, but I am having a little trouble with my derived classes--
I have a histogram class with a member variable parent which is the main PApplet running the program. Processing already has a nice MouseClicked event and I want my histogram class to be able to have its own onclicked method.
So here is the big question: how do I get that MouseClicked event to trickle down to my objects?
public RunOverview(PApplet p, float[] simBuckets, float[] pointBuckets, int xP, int yP, int len, int hi)
{
    this.parent = p;
    this.xPos = xP;
    this.yPos = yP;
    this.height = hi;
 }
// SOMEHOW LISTEN FOR parent.MouseClicked()........

Thanks in advance!

A: Right now your RunOverview class stores an reference to the PApplet. You could also do the reverse and have the PApplet store a reference to the RunOverview instance! In your constructor, you could call some function like registerOverview(this) that is defined in your processing code to save the reference in the PApplet. Then, when the mouse functions are called, you can directly call the RunOverview's functions from there!
public RunOverview(PApplet p, float[] simBuckets, float[] pointBuckets, int xP, int yP, int len, int hi)
{
    this.parent = p;
    this.xPos = xP;
    this.yPos = yP;
    this.height = hi;
    p.registerOverview(this);
 }
 public void mousePressed(int x, int y){}
 public void mouseReleased(int x, int y){}

And then
RunOverview thingy;
void setup(){}
void draw(){}
void registerOverview(RunOverview view){
  thingy = view;
}
void mousePressed(){
  thingy.mousePressed(mouseX,mouseY);
}
void mouseReleased(){
  thingy.mouseReleased(mouseX,mouseY);
}

Just make sure to register it before you do anything else, or else you'll get some Null Pointer Exceptions.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The Lenovo K6 Enjoy is powered by a MediaTek Helio P22 (MT6762) coupled with 4 GB of RAM. The front panel is a 6.22 inches display with a resolution of 720 x 1520 pixels. The internal storage is 128 GB and the battery inside is of a 3300 mAh capacity. The Lenovo K6 Enjoy hosts a 12 MP at the back and the front shooter is a 8 MP for sharp selfies.
Lenovo officially launched its new smartphone Lenovo K6 Enjoy in April 2019. Sporting a Candybar design, it will have a model number K6Enjoy. The Lenovo K6 Enjoy will retail in a variety of colours including Black, and Blue to give you options to choose according to your style. So, you be the judge of that. Know that it weighs at 161 grams.
Most important aspect of the smartphone is its display. Take a hard look at the Lenovo K6 Enjoy display specifications. It is a 6.22 inches display offering a 720 x 1520 pixels resolution. It uses the IPS display technology. The pixel density of the screen comes out to be 270 ppi. The screen-to-body ratio of the smartphone is at 82.59 %, which is a result of the Waterdrop notch and aspect ratio of 2.111:1 (18:9).
These days when we look for a smartphone to buy, the first thing that we asked is about the details of the camera. So here you go! The Lenovo K6 Enjoy comes with a triple rear camera setup, which includes a primary lens of 12 MP resolution, secondary lens of 8 MP resolution, and a third lens of 5 MP resolution. Know that there will be Dual LED flash for low light photography support. The selfie camera is of 8 MP resolution with an aperture of f/2.2. The front camera can record videos at 1280 x 720 pixels @ 30 fps.
Coming to the internals on the Lenovo K6 Enjoy, it comes powered by a MediaTek Helio P22 (MT6762) processor, which is accompanied by a PowerVR GE8320 GPU. Talking about the RAM and storage, it comes with a 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB, 128 GB of internal storage. There is an external storage option available and it supports external storage type of microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC. As far as the biometric security is concerned, it come with a fingerprint sensor. We are mostly concerned about the battery life on our phones, the Lenovo K6 Enjoy offers a 3300 mAh capacity non-removable battery with a fast charging support. The connectivity features includes two SIM slots with VoLTE, 4G, 3G, and 2G support. Further, it offers Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, and USB Type-C v2.0 port. It supports a 3.5 mm audio jack. And it supports latest Wi-Fi standards.


text:
PROTYGO
VYREU
THE MENTORS
100 Ideen für automatisiertes, passives Einkommen: Mehr Zeit, Geld, Urlaub, Freizeit und Leben - Marco Perner
Das Buch der 1000 Geschäftsideen - Innovative Ideen zur Gründung von Start-ups, Unternehmen, Online-Shops und Apps - Marco Perner
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text:
Kansas 79 - Colorado 72: Postgame Notes
Recap | Final Stats
BOULDER, Colo. –
Postgame Notes
Kansas 79 – Colorado 72
Kansas' win against Colorado…
…Gives Kansas 15-9 mark for the first time since the 1999-2000 season.
…Improves the Jayhawks to 32-33 versus Colorado, including a 10-18 mark in games played in Boulder.
…Makes KU 86-133 all-time in Big 12 Conference action and 286-274 all-time versus current Big 12 schools.
…Improves Kansas head coach Bonnie Henrickson to 7-5 versus Colorado, and a 94-88 overall mark while at Kansas.
…Improves the Jayhawks to 4-4 in road games this season, including a 2-3 ledger in league action.
…Kansas recorded its first victory in Boulder since the 2004-05 season when the Jayhawks beat the Buffs 65-60 on their home court on Jan. 25.
…Freshman forward Carolyn Davis shot a season-best 10-for-10 from the field, which ties the Big 12 Conference record for field goal percentage in a single game. Davis is now second on KU's all-time single-game field goal percentage list, behind Tracy Claxton who went 11-for-11 in 1982 versus Creighton.
…Davis has scored in double-digits in the last eight-consecutive games, which includes three games with 20+ points.
…Kansas made 31-of-39 free throws as a team, both of which are season highs for the Jayhawks.
…Senior guard Sade Morris scored 16 points in the contest, which included her first three-pointer since the Iowa State game on Jan. 20.
…Morris attempted a season-high 12 free throws in the game, converting on seven of them.
…Freshman guard Monica Engelman matched her career-high in steals with three and assists with six.
…Engelman was a perfect 9-for-9 from the charity stripe, marking a career-high in attempts and free throws made for the freshman.
…Engelman tallied 16 total points in the contest, marking the fourth game in a row she has scored in double digits.
…Senior guard Kelly Kohn played a season-high 15 minutes, while also tallying a season-high three rebounds.
…The Jayhawks forced 23 turnovers, which they successfully turned into 28 points. The 23 miscues are the second-most for any of KU's opponents this season. Xavier had 24 on Nov. 26.


text:
/* globals jstz: true */

/* graphpanel
 * creates graphs from graph configs, and provides
 * controls for displayed range and update frequency
 */

(function() {
    'use strict';

    angular.module('graphPanel', [])
    .directive("graphPanel", ["$interval", "$location",
    function($interval, $location){
        return {
            restrict: "E",
            scope: {
                serviceId: "=",
                graphConfigs: "="
            },
            templateUrl: "/static/partials/graphpanel.html",
            link: function($scope, element){

                // configure viz library
                zenoss.visualization.url = $location.protocol() + "://" + $location.host() + ':' + $location.port();
                zenoss.visualization.urlPath = '/metrics/static/performance/query/';
                zenoss.visualization.urlPerformance = '/metrics/api/performance/query/';
                zenoss.visualization.debug = false;

                $scope.graphs = {};
                $scope.showStartEnd = false;
                $scope.showGraphControls = false;
                $scope.refreshInterval = 300000;

                var momentFormat = "MM/DD/YYYY  HH:mm:ss";

                // graph configuration used to generate
                // query service requests
                $scope.graphConfig = {
                    aggregator: "sum",
                    start: zenoss.utils.createDate("1h-ago").format(momentFormat),
                    end: zenoss.utils.createDate("0s-ago").format(momentFormat),
                    range: "1h-ago",
                    now: true
                };

                $scope.viz = function(graph) {
                    var id = $scope.getUniqueGraphId(graph),
                        graphCopy;

                    if (!$scope.graphs[id]) {
                        if (window.zenoss === undefined) {
                            return "Not collecting stats, graphs unavailable";
                        } else {
                            // create a copy of graph so that range changes
                            // do not affect the original service def
                            graphCopy = angular.copy(graph);

                            // set graphs to local browser time
                            graphCopy.timezone = jstz.determine().name();

                            updateGraphRequest(graphCopy);
                            zenoss.visualization.chart.create(id, graphCopy);

                            // store graph def for later use
                            $scope.graphs[id] = graphCopy;
                        }
                    }
                };

                $scope.datetimePickerOptions = {
                    maxDate: new Date(),
                    mask:true,
                    closeOnDateSelect: true,
                    format: "m/d/Y  H:i:s",
                    onChangeDateTime: function(){
                        // let angular finish current digest cycle
                        // before updating the graphs
                        setTimeout(function(){
                            $scope.refreshGraphs();
                        }, 0);
                    }
                };

                // select options for graph aggregation
                $scope.aggregators = [
                    {
                        name: "Average",
                        val: "avg"
                    },{
                        name: "Sum",
                        val: "sum"
                    }
                ];
                // refresh intervals
                $scope.intervals= [
                    {
                        name: "1 Second",
                        val: 1000
                    },{
                        name: "5 Seconds",
                        val: 5000
                    },{
                        name: "1 Minute",
                        val: 60000
                    },{
                        name: "5 Minutes",
                        val: 300000
                    },{
                        name: "15 Minutes",
                        val: 900000
                    },{
                        name: "Never",
                        val: 0
                    }
                ];
                // select options for graph ranges
                var CUSTOM_RANGE = "custom";
                $scope.ranges = [
                    {
                        name: "Last hour",
                        val: "1h-ago"
                    },{
                        name: "Last 4 hours",
                        val: "4h-ago"
                    },{
                        name: "Last 12 hours",
                        val: "12h-ago"
                    },{
                        name: "Last 24 hours",
                        val: "1d-ago"
                    },{
                        name: "Last 48 hours",
                        val: "2d-ago"
                    },{
                        name: "[Custom]",
                        val: CUSTOM_RANGE
                    }
                ];

                // on range select change, update start/end
                // values to reflect the selected range
                $scope.rangeChange = function(){
                    var range = $scope.graphConfig.range;

                    if(range === CUSTOM_RANGE){
                        // show start/end options
                        $scope.showStartEnd = true;
                    } else {
                        // hide start/end opts
                        $scope.showStartEnd = false;

                        // parse graph range into something the date picker likes
                        $scope.graphConfig.start = zenoss.utils.createDate($scope.graphConfig.range).format(momentFormat);

                        // when using a range, always use "now" for the end time
                        $scope.graphConfig.end = zenoss.utils.createDate("0s-ago").format(momentFormat);
                    }

                    $scope.refreshGraphs();
                };

                // on refresh change, update refresh interval
                $scope.setupAutoRefresh = function(){
                    // cancel existing refresh
                    $interval.cancel($scope.refreshPromise);

                    // if refreshInterval is zero, don't setup
                    // a refresh interval
                    if($scope.refreshInterval){
                        // start auto-refresh
                        $scope.refreshPromise = $interval(function(){
                            $scope.refreshGraphs();
                        }, $scope.refreshInterval);
                    }
                };

                // kick off inital graph request
                $scope.setupAutoRefresh();

                $scope.refreshGraphs = function(){
                    // don't refresh graph if tab is not visible
                    if(document.hidden){
                        return;
                    }

                    var graph;

                    // iterate and update all graphs
                    for(var i in $scope.graphs){
                        graph = $scope.graphs[i];
                        updateGraphRequest(graph);
                        zenoss.visualization.chart.update(i, graph);
                    }
                };

                $scope.getUniqueGraphId = function(graph){
                    return ($scope.serviceId +"-graph-"+ graph.id).replace(/\./g, "_");
                };

                $scope.cleanup = function(){
                    var chart;

                    // remove graph from cache
                    for(var id in $scope.graphs){
                        // TODO - expose removeChart() and use it
                        chart = zenoss.visualization.chart.getChart(id);
                        chart.onDestroyed();
                    }

                    $scope.graphs = {};
                };

                $scope.graphControlsPopover = function(){
                    $scope.showGraphControls = !$scope.showGraphControls;

                };

                // make clicking anywhere outside of graph
                // control hide it
                var hideGraphControls = function(){
                    $scope.showGraphControls = false;
                    // force angular to apply the visibility change
                    $scope.$apply();
                };
                angular.element("html").on("click", hideGraphControls);

                $scope.$watch("serviceId", $scope.cleanup);

                $scope.$on("$destroy", function(){
                    $scope.cleanup();
                    $interval.cancel($scope.refreshPromise);
                    angular.element("html").off("click", hideGraphControls);
                });

                function updateGraphRequest(graph){
                    // update aggregator
                    graph.datapoints.forEach(function(dp){
                        dp.aggregator = $scope.graphConfig.aggregator;
                    });

                    // if end should always be "now", use current time
                    if($scope.graphConfig.now){
                        $scope.graphConfig.end = zenoss.utils.createDate("0s-ago").format(momentFormat);
                        graph.range.end = zenoss.utils.createDate($scope.graphConfig.end).valueOf();

                    // else, use specified end time
                    } else {
                        graph.range.end = zenoss.utils.createDate($scope.graphConfig.end).valueOf();
                    }

                    // if range, update start time
                    if($scope.graphConfig.range !== CUSTOM_RANGE){
                        $scope.graphConfig.start = zenoss.utils.createDate($scope.graphConfig.range).format(momentFormat);
                    }
                    // update start/end
                    graph.range.start = zenoss.utils.createDate($scope.graphConfig.start).valueOf();
                }
            }
        };
    }]);
})();

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
PRAVADA
BUY PRAVADA
Pravada Floors are constructed with the future in mind. Preserving Earth's abundant resources has never been more important than it is today. Pravada is dedicated to practicing sustainable harvesting, low formaldehyde emission and resource management. Pravada Floors maximize efficiency to cut down on raw materials, reducing the impact on the environment while maintaining the beauty and feel of wood. Our floors use less harvested raw wood material and the HDF core of our laminates is made up of 90% recycled wood. By using less, we waste less.
Under the Lacey Act, it is unlawful to import, export, sell, acquire, or purchase fish, wildlife or plants that are taken, possessed, transported, or sold: 1) in violation of U.S. or Indian law, or 2) in interstate or foreign commerce involving any fish, wildlife, or plants taken possessed or sold in violation of State or foreign law. .In 2008, the Lacey Act was amended to include a wider variety of prohibited plants and plant products, including products made from illegally logged woods, for import.
In April 2007, the California Air Resources Board (CARB), a department of the California Environmental Protection Agency, unanimously voted to implement new limits for formaldehyde emissions from composite wood products.The CARB regulation limits the formaldehyde in both raw compositie wood panels and finished products sold or used in California or abroad through third-party certification. Pravada Engineered floors follow guidelines for CARB limits for formaldehyde emissions and are CARB compliant.
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) implemented standards to improve indoor air quality by tightening limits for formaldehyde emissions from composite wood products. In 2012, the CARB formaldehyde standard was made even more stringent – lowering the limit to 0.05 parts per million. This enhanced phase is often referred to as CARB 2. CARB Compliance requires third-party testing. PRAVADA LAMINATE AND ENGINEERED PRODUCTS MEET OR EXCEED CARB 2 REQUIREMENTS.
"Our floors use less harvested raw wood material and the HDF core of our laminates is made up of 90% recycled wood. By using less, we waste less."
PRAVADA CARES
PRAVADA FLOORS IS DEDICATED TO PRACTICING SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT, HELPING PRESERVE TODAY'S FORESTS FOR THE FUTURE.
© 2019 PRAVADA FLOORS


text:
FtM at SXSW 7
Women: Having trouble finding a date? It's not you, it's the odds.
By Raven Kelly Smith · On March 13, 2016
Featured image: Jon Birger examines the reason so many college-educated women have trouble finding equal partners in his book, "Date-onomics." Photo from JonBirger.com.
Jon Birger, a reporter for Fortune magazine, noticed an interesting situation at work. That most of the older men were married and taken, but a majority of the females were 'unhappily' single. These are smart, intelligent, career women with plenty of things going for them, it made little sense that they we're having no luck dating, so Birger set out to discover why this was.
Jon Birger speaks about the economics of online and mobile dating in a session at SXSW Interactive on Saturday, March 12, 2016. Photo by Raven Kelly Smith.
Speaking at SXSW Interactive 2016 on Saturday, March 12, 2016, Birger laid out the claims in his new book, "Date-onomics." He says the reason some educated, career-oriented women have trouble finding partners comes down to a supply-and-demand issue: there are too many college-educated women and not enough college-educated men. Women want to find college-educated partners, but these men are in short supply.
This lopsided ratio is not a new phenomenon, and we can't blame Tinder for our impending hookup culture either. According to Birger, there's a pattern of new technology bearing the blame for a perceived "hookup" culture. In the 1920s, one judge referred to the car as an "orgy pit on wheels," attributing the rise of flapper culture to the rise in automobiles. In reality, Birger states, the hookup culture was a result of the 10 million men who had died or were seriously maimed in WWI. The shift caused in the roaring 20s apparently had to do little with the booming post-war economy and more to do with an overall lack of men to hold women back from being their free selves, Birger said.
With this historical context in mind, Birger conducted his research at various colleges around the country, notably at ones with skewed gender ratios.
The not-so-golden ratio
At around 60 percent gender ratio, things start to get interesting. If the ratio favors men, e.g. four women for every three guys, a "hook-up" culture forms. Interviewees described it as a "sex-first" culture that emphasized having a good time over commitment. Far from being negative, clinical studies have shown this culture actually results in better sex, with pleasure and foreplay being ranked as much better compared to places with more monogamous cultures.
In contrast, universities with a higher guy-to-girl ratio had a culture where monogamous relationships and courtship were by far the norms. These campuses had one other effect: sexual assault rates were lower on average than the rates on female-dominant campuses. These results have been reflected internationally too. Results in China show that the 61 percent male-to-female ratio has resulted in an overall rise in petty crime, but a starling drop in cases of rape and sexual assault. It seems that when females are in short supply, men are much more protective and respective of them, Birger theorized.
Less women means men settle down faster
With a deficit of either gender, the majority gender tends to prioritize career and work over relationships. Birger found the pattern holds in Silicon Valley, where men far outnumber women. The marriage rate is 78 percent in the area, compared to a 67 percent nationally. Men tended to be more business-focused, and the average gross income of individuals in Santa Clara county is significantly higher than the national average. The area also has 38 percent more men than women. This leads Birger to speculate that the reason male tech workers in Silicon Valley are so successful is they have "no women to distract them." Put another way, Gretchen Wagner, writing for the San Francisco Book Review wrote, "A dearth of women tends to lead to longer, more stable relationships, higher marriage rates, and increased achievement by the men seeking to woo them." She gave the book a five-star rating.
In short, ladies — it's not your fault if you cant get a date. If you're looking for someone tall, handsome, and college educated, you'll likely be on the hunt for awhile. But there's still some good news: Birger said if you're willing to uncheck that "college educated" box, you'll probably have better luck.
online datingSXSWSXSW 2016tindr
Raven Kelly Smith
Former Co-Editor of Flip the Media. 'Raven' Kelly Smith is a designer first, writer second, and lastly, a third culture kid.
FtM at SXSW
Tackling transportation and equality challenges with tech at SXSW
SXSW Interactive 2016: Our final thoughts
10 things that represent the future of tech at SXSW 2016
Derek Lacoste says: March 14, 2016 at 5:40 pm
Digital dating and millennial social norms have seriously changed the dating scene in my opinion. It is super obvious why listening to my parents advice while I was growing up did not work. I feel like this new dating scene is harder on guys though to be honest. Girls still have more of a selection than men do when it comes to online dating. Social media also makes everything public and everyone connected. I feel like female brains and personalities are more structured to deal with this. In my opinion men have a harder time thinking in this way. I think this is what made it so difficult for me to date while in college. I had to get help online. I recommend this to all guys who are struggling. I personally like to read this dudes blog Modernmack.com. I would read his articles and get a book on game in general. He recs one but you can always go another route. I read the one book he mentions about texting and it basically changed how I interact with all people and not just women. Pretty interesting stuff. Wow turned into a rant. Sorry guys might be a little over caffeinated lol
Raven Kelly Smith says: March 14, 2016 at 6:16 pm
Haha, no worries, I concur when it comes to social media, he didn't really bring it up in his talk though (and nothing wrong with a little ranting or over-caffeination).
J says: August 29, 2017 at 7:42 pm
"Girls still have more of a selection than men do when it comes to online dating." Not true. If you date women from outside the US, you are in high demand. Sincerely, happily married man.
Agent Smith says: March 16, 2016 at 1:47 pm
I also find college educated women are a lot more picky when seeking it comes to men so they close themselves off from men who are legitimately interesting in them but don't fit their criteria. Not bashing their choices but it's just a personal observation.
It's interesting because that was a point he was actually making. That women tend to seek partners with college degrees, and that according to the data, we should be less picky. It was food for thought at least!
RealityCheck says: March 20, 2016 at 6:36 am
Well now that many women today have their Careers which they're so very high maintenance, independent, selfish, spoiled, greedy, picky, and very money hungry which really speaks for itself why many of us Good men are single today since so many of these women really want the Best and will Not settle for Less.
If the market is not buying, go to a different market that is. Not every market has large numbers of women in the workforce. PhD Marketing student
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The Future of AI at SXSW SXSW Interactive 2016: Our final thoughts Photo diary: SXSW Interactive 2016 Communication as a path forward in Baltimore Best Strategies and Details for Pitching Creative Work SXSW: 3 ways to strengthen tech diversity, and why it matters


text:
Cuban Rock Iguana
Cyclura nubila
The Cuban rock iguana is the largest of the West Indian iguanas, one of the most endangered groups of lizards in the world. This largely herbivorous species with red eyes, a thick tail, and spiked jowls is one of the largest lizards in the Caribbean.
The Cuban rock iguana is distributed throughout the rocky southern coastal areas of mainland Cuba and its surrounding islands with a feral population thriving on Isla Magueyes, Puerto Rico. Females guard their nest sites and often nest in sites excavated by Cuban crocodiles. As a defense measure, the Cuban iguana often makes its home within or near prickly-pear cacti.
Although the wild population is in decline because of predation by feral animals and habitat loss caused by human agricultural development, the numbers of iguanas have been bolstered as a result of captive-breeding and other conservation programs. The Cuban rock iguana has been used to study evolution and animal communication, and its captive-breeding program has been a model for other endangered lizards in the Caribbean.
IUCN Red List status: Vulnerable
Overall the population is declining with its area of occupancy having decreased in size and quality by at least 30% during the last 50 years. Outside of protected areas, they are now extremely scarce and considered functionally extinct. The primary threats are habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation due to urbanization, accentuated by the presence of invasive predators, and the predicted increase in storm surges causing habitat alteration.
Omnivore:
The Cuban Rock Iguana is primarily herbivorous; 95% of its diet consists of the leaves, flowers and fruits from as many as 30 plant species. They occasionally consume animal matter, and individuals have been observed scavenging the corpses of birds, fish and crabs
A Creep
Distribution: Cuba
Shrubland,Rocky areas, Forest & Marine Coastal
In 1985 the Cuban government issued a commemorative peso depicting a Cuban iguana on the head side of the coin in an attempt to raise awareness for this animal


text:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

FORMADON - formaldehyde liquid
Gordon Laboratories

Disclaimer: This drug has not been found by FDA to be safe and effective, and this labeling has not been approved by FDA. For further information about unapproved drugs, click here.

FORMADON

Formadon provides a preferable vehicle for the topical application for formalin solution.

It is formulated with an aqueous perfumed base which helps minimize the characteristic pungent odor.

2 oz. sponge tip  plastic bottle and 4 oz. plastic bottle

Formaldehyde (10% of USP strength) Formulated in aqueous perfumes base.

Use as an antiperspirant in the treatment of severe conditions of hyperhidrosis and bromidosis. Drying agent for verrucae.

Apply to feet twice weekly as prescribed by a physician.

For external use only. Keep out of reach of children. Avoid frequent
use. Avoid contact with eyes or mucous membranes. Do not apply to open
wounds.
Should sign of irritation occurs , medication should be discontinued. Irritates eyes, nose and throat.
Use with adequate ventilation. In the event of eye contact, flush with copiously with water and get medical attention.
Harmful
if swallowed. Contact your local poison center immediately. Do not
induce vomiting. If conscious, give eight ounces of (240mL) of milk,
water
with activated charcoal.

Federal law (USA) prohibits dispensing without a prescription.

Keep well closed in a cool place.

FORMADON

formaldehyde liquid

Product Information

Product Type
HUMAN PRESCRIPTION DRUG LABEL
Item Code (Source)
NDC:10481-1050

Route of Administration
TOPICAL
DEA Schedule

Active Ingredient/Active Moiety

Ingredient Name
Basis of Strength
Strength

Formaldehyde (Formaldehyde)
Formaldehyde
0.1 mL  in 59 mL

Inactive Ingredients

Ingredient Name
Strength

WATER

Packaging

#
Item Code
Package Description
Marketing Start Date
Marketing End Date

1
NDC:10481-1050-5
59 mL in 1 BOTTLE, PLASTIC

Marketing Information

Marketing Category
Application Number or Monograph Citation
Marketing Start Date
Marketing End Date

unapproved drug other

06/21/2010

Labeler - Gordon Laboratories
							(002333847)

Registrant - Gordon Laboratories (002333847)

Establishment

Name
Address
ID/FEI
Business Operations

Gordon Laboratories

002333847
manufacture

Revised: 6/2010

Document Id: 01307296-8964-41c1-b39e-1f5b66649e43

Set id: 36b221c6-4318-4e2a-8cd0-d5558b04cdc6

Version: 9

Effective Time: 20100621

Gordon Laboratories


text:
.class final Landroid/net/wifi/p2p/WifiP2pDevice$1;
.super Ljava/lang/Object;
.source "WifiP2pDevice.java"

# interfaces
.implements Landroid/os/Parcelable$Creator;

# annotations
.annotation system Ldalvik/annotation/EnclosingClass;
    value = Landroid/net/wifi/p2p/WifiP2pDevice;
.end annotation

.annotation system Ldalvik/annotation/InnerClass;
    accessFlags = 0x8
    name = null
.end annotation

.annotation system Ldalvik/annotation/Signature;
    value = {
        "Ljava/lang/Object;",
        "Landroid/os/Parcelable$Creator",
        "<",
        "Landroid/net/wifi/p2p/WifiP2pDevice;",
        ">;"
    }
.end annotation

# direct methods
.method constructor <init>()V
    .locals 0

    .prologue
    .line 389
    invoke-direct/range {p0 .. p0}, Ljava/lang/Object;-><init>()V

    return-void
.end method

# virtual methods
.method public createFromParcel(Landroid/os/Parcel;)Landroid/net/wifi/p2p/WifiP2pDevice;
    .locals 2
    .parameter "in"

    .prologue
    .line 391
    new-instance v0, Landroid/net/wifi/p2p/WifiP2pDevice;

    invoke-direct {v0}, Landroid/net/wifi/p2p/WifiP2pDevice;-><init>()V

    .line 392
    .local v0, device:Landroid/net/wifi/p2p/WifiP2pDevice;
    invoke-virtual {p1}, Landroid/os/Parcel;->readString()Ljava/lang/String;

    move-result-object v1

    iput-object v1, v0, Landroid/net/wifi/p2p/WifiP2pDevice;->deviceName:Ljava/lang/String;

    .line 393
    invoke-virtual {p1}, Landroid/os/Parcel;->readString()Ljava/lang/String;

    move-result-object v1

    iput-object v1, v0, Landroid/net/wifi/p2p/WifiP2pDevice;->deviceAddress:Ljava/lang/String;

    .line 394
    invoke-virtual {p1}, Landroid/os/Parcel;->readString()Ljava/lang/String;

    move-result-object v1

    iput-object v1, v0, Landroid/net/wifi/p2p/WifiP2pDevice;->primaryDeviceType:Ljava/lang/String;

    .line 395
    invoke-virtual {p1}, Landroid/os/Parcel;->readString()Ljava/lang/String;

    move-result-object v1

    iput-object v1, v0, Landroid/net/wifi/p2p/WifiP2pDevice;->secondaryDeviceType:Ljava/lang/String;

    .line 396
    invoke-virtual {p1}, Landroid/os/Parcel;->readInt()I

    move-result v1

    iput v1, v0, Landroid/net/wifi/p2p/WifiP2pDevice;->wpsConfigMethodsSupported:I

    .line 397
    invoke-virtual {p1}, Landroid/os/Parcel;->readInt()I

    move-result v1

    iput v1, v0, Landroid/net/wifi/p2p/WifiP2pDevice;->deviceCapability:I

    .line 398
    invoke-virtual {p1}, Landroid/os/Parcel;->readInt()I

    move-result v1

    iput v1, v0, Landroid/net/wifi/p2p/WifiP2pDevice;->groupCapability:I

    .line 399
    invoke-virtual {p1}, Landroid/os/Parcel;->readInt()I

    move-result v1

    iput v1, v0, Landroid/net/wifi/p2p/WifiP2pDevice;->status:I

    .line 400
    invoke-virtual {p1}, Landroid/os/Parcel;->readString()Ljava/lang/String;

    move-result-object v1

    iput-object v1, v0, Landroid/net/wifi/p2p/WifiP2pDevice;->groupownerAddress:Ljava/lang/String;

    .line 401
    invoke-virtual {p1}, Landroid/os/Parcel;->readString()Ljava/lang/String;

    move-result-object v1

    iput-object v1, v0, Landroid/net/wifi/p2p/WifiP2pDevice;->GOdeviceName:Ljava/lang/String;

    .line 403
    invoke-virtual {p1}, Landroid/os/Parcel;->readInt()I

    move-result v1

    iput v1, v0, Landroid/net/wifi/p2p/WifiP2pDevice;->candidateStaticIp:I

    .line 405
    invoke-virtual {p1}, Landroid/os/Parcel;->readInt()I

    move-result v1

    iput v1, v0, Landroid/net/wifi/p2p/WifiP2pDevice;->wfdDevInfo:I

    .line 406
    return-object v0
.end method

.method public bridge synthetic createFromParcel(Landroid/os/Parcel;)Ljava/lang/Object;
    .locals 1
    .parameter "x0"

    .prologue
    .line 389
    invoke-virtual {p0, p1}, Landroid/net/wifi/p2p/WifiP2pDevice$1;->createFromParcel(Landroid/os/Parcel;)Landroid/net/wifi/p2p/WifiP2pDevice;

    move-result-object v0

    return-object v0
.end method

.method public newArray(I)[Landroid/net/wifi/p2p/WifiP2pDevice;
    .locals 1
    .parameter "size"

    .prologue
    .line 410
    new-array v0, p1, [Landroid/net/wifi/p2p/WifiP2pDevice;

    return-object v0
.end method

.method public bridge synthetic newArray(I)[Ljava/lang/Object;
    .locals 1
    .parameter "x0"

    .prologue
    .line 389
    invoke-virtual {p0, p1}, Landroid/net/wifi/p2p/WifiP2pDevice$1;->newArray(I)[Landroid/net/wifi/p2p/WifiP2pDevice;

    move-result-object v0

    return-object v0
.end method


Diana Shipping has announced that Germany's RWE Supply & Trading has extended the time charter contract for 2014-built capesize vessels G. P. Zafirakis .
The new charter will commence on August 14 for a period of 14-17 months at a rate of $15,000 per day, more than double the previous rate of $6,500.
Diana Shipping said the extension will generate around $6.08m based on the minimum time charter period.


text:
Modelers craft magic at Wilmington Railroad Museum
By Si Cantwell StarNews Correspondent
Museum plans to add bells and whistles to the annual Christmas Train & Light Spectacular
On the last day of September, volunteers at the Wilmington Railroad Museum were already thinking about the attraction's annual Christmas Train & Light Spectacular, and not just because a reporter asked about it.
"We've been talking about how we're going to make this year's show better," said Tom Harris, the former DuPont plant manager who is president of the museum's board and an active railroad modeler. "We're going to add some bells and whistles."
Bells and whistles are just one component of the elaborate model railroad layouts maintained by the Wilmington Railroad Museum Model Railroad Committee. They gather on Mondays to work on the trains in the museum's Model Hall and on the modular layouts in a large room next door that museum Executive Director Holli Saperstein calls the annex.
The models and interactive displays, with buttons and explanatory signs, are a popular part of the museum and a big draw for kids.
Jessica Weston of Wilmington had brought her nephew, Wyatt Weston, who was visiting from Florida. The 5-year-old was pushing buttons, manipulating a small hot-air balloon that descended and rose again.
"He likes the balloon and the thunder and lightning also," she said, mentioning a meteorological display that appears over one section of the layout.
Living The Port City Life: Our free weekly email newsletter has the news and notes to live your best life. Dan Longenecker was carefully painting glue in preparation for pasting grass onto a miniature horse farm. The Model Hall layout is HO scale, half as large as the O scale trains next door in the popular children's area.
HO scale railroad cars are typically 5 to 7 inches long, so it takes skill to craft the rural landscapes, city streets and rail networks depicted in the large room. Gaze across the Third Street bridge to see downtown Wilmington as it looked in the 1950s, when the Atlantic Coast Line was based here. Nearby is the big roundhouse where railroad engines were stored and maintained.
Longenecker has been volunteering at the museum for 14 years, and helped set up the model railroads after the museum moved into its present building , part of the former ACL headquarters complex, in 2007.
He described how volunteers skilled in carpentry did the "bench work," building the tables that support the model layouts. Under the landscapes and tracks are hundreds of feet of wiring, "probably thousands," he said.
"No one does everything," Harris said. "People tend to have specialties."
"They have a wide range of expertise," said Saperstein, including electrical engineering, carpentry and project management.
Kurt Schwerdt is another longtime volunteer, and his story is typical. He's been working with model railroads since he was 6.
"I woke up Christmas morning and went downstairs, and there was a 4-by-8 layout of a model train," he said. That HO scale Lionel train was a popular seller that sparked many boys' interest in model railroads.
For some, it became a lifelong passion.
Next door in the museum annex , Ken Wolf was working on a traveling display that also depicts Wilmington the 1950s: the old Union passenger railroad station, Efird's department store and the Cotton Exchange.
Museum volunteers maintain a traveling layout of about 100 square feet that can be joined by standardized connections to other, similar systems. The volunteers working in the annex were gearing up for the annual Neuse River Valley Model Train Show, held in early November in Raleigh.
The Wilmington system would be joined to 1,600 square feet of modules from other modelers from around the state and elsewhere. Many are members of the Sipping and Switching Society of North Carolina.
The Wilmington group also travels to Goldsboro, Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Denver, N.C., to link up with other model train modules.
The volunteers point with pride to their crowning achievement. On April 23, 2011, the Wilmington Railroad Museum set the Guinness World Record for the World's Longest Model Train. The train, set up in the Wilmington Convention Center, was 925.55 feet long and boasted 31 engines and 1,563 cars. It traveled 750.09 feet in 25 minutes, much to the relief of the modelers who had worked 10 months on the project.
The modular railroad initiative was started the following November.
The train systems in the museum proper and the annex next door will be elaborately decorated for the annual Christmas Train & Light Spectacular, which starts the Friday after Thanksgiving.
It's a magical display for kids of all ages, including the grown-up kids at the Railroad Museum who received trains for Christmas and fell in love with the hobby.


text:
Home Tips, Tricks & Trends
How Does BMW's Naming System Work?
by Kristen McCoy on March 29, 2020
You're pretty sure that a BMW 435d xDrive is a 4 Series coupe, but what does the rest of the name mean? So, OK, you guessed that the automaker's Z4 sDrive23i is a roadster but what kind of configuration is it? And what the heck is a BMW Alpina B3-GT3?
Compared to other automakers' naming systems, nomenclature for BMW cars seems confusing and often complicated. But the German automaker does have a method to its madness—sort of. We'll try to break it down for you with some help from BMWBlog.com and Jalopnik.com.
Letters followed by numbers and vice versa
Live every day at the next level in the world's most luxurious Sports Activity Vehicle. #BMWX7 Link in bio.
A post shared by BMW (@bmwusa) on Feb 23, 2020 at 2:20pm PST
In the world of BMW nomenclature, some vehicle names start with a letter followed by a number, such as the M3. Other names begin with a number followed by a letter, like the 328i.
If a car's name starts with a letter, it usually will be one of these: "M," "X," "Z," or "i." These cars have a variety of body styles.
M stands for the BMW Motorsport division, like the previously mentioned M3. The letter X represents a crossover/SUV body style. The X Series vehicles are also numbered from one to seven, which is related to their size, such as the midsize X6, a sports activity coupe. The Z denotes roadster-style two-seaters equipped with rear-wheel drive. The lowercase i designates electric or hybrid cars like the five-door hatchback i3.
There's one other letter prefix, and it's more obscure: "B," which represents Alpina, a company that builds and sells high-performance BMWs. Cars with this prefix are badge-engineered versions of various Beemer series.
BMW passenger cars have names that begin with a number, which represents a series. The series range from 1 through 8, with the 1 Series being the smallest, least expensive car and the 8 Series being the largest and priciest. Originally, odd-numbered series, such as 3, 5, and 7 represented four-door sedans. Even-numbered series names like 2, 4, 6, and 8 were intended for two-door coupes and similar cars.
In more recent years, though, BMW threw a monkey wrench into its nomenclature by expanding the body types of the odd-number series. For example, BMW expanded the 3 Series from a four-door sedan to a two-door convertible, a two-door coupe, a five-door station wagon, a five-door liftback, and a three-door hatchback. Therefore, the series numbering system might not always be a reliable way to tell what body style a car has in a given series.
More letters and a little less logic
Unconventional style. Unprecedented power. Get ready for a thrilling ride in the First-Ever 2020 BMW #M235i Gran Coupe. Link in bio.
A post shared by BMW (@bmwusa) on Jan 17, 2020 at 9:03am PST
BMW's alphanumeric sequences of names and their exceptions are puzzling, but the letters at the end of these names might not add any clarity, either. A rare few are intuitive, like a lowercase "d" standing for diesel or a little "i" for injection (a fuel-injected engine). You might also recognize familiar ones such as GT (Gran Turismo), "T" for Touring and the "M" after the vehicle name that also indicates a Motorsport version, as with the X6 M.
Others are baffling. While lowercase "td" for turbo diesel makes sense, little "t" for hatchback doesn't. You might think lowercase "e" would denote electric, like the Audi e-tron. Instead, it represents economy as opposed to engine power.
Lowercase "s" stands for sport but differs from Motorsport because it represents fancier interior options or more horsepower. Finally, don't forget those suffixes sDrive and xDrive, which don't quite roll off the tongue. They simply denote rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive, respectively.
If you think that you just might be getting the hang of BMW's naming system logic by now, take a deep breath. Here's another mind-boggler. Following the series number are two numbers, which originally stood for the engine replacement in cubic centimeters divided by 100. Back in the day, a BMW 325i's engine displacement was almost 2,500 cubic centimeters, for example.
But as engines evolved over time, this part of the naming convention became more arbitrary, and they no longer matched these numbers to displacement. Take, for example, the 523i with its 2.5-liter engine. That's another area where the naming logic starts to unravel.
Guidelines for decoding BMW's alphanumeric soup
The electrifying appearance of the ultra-exclusive BMW i3s Roadstyle Edition is designed to turn all heads on the road with E-copper accents and 20" double-spoke Jet Black wheels. Link in bio.
A post shared by BMW (@bmwusa) on Sep 3, 2019 at 10:00am PDT
So how do you sort out a naming system that started out logically enough and then went haywire later? Doug DeMuro offers advice on how to navigate BMW's intricate and occasionally whimsical nomenclature.
He suggests that you generalize odd-numbered BMWs as mainstream vehicles and even-numbered ones as sporty. Here are examples: the sedan, wagon, and hatchback in the 3 Series all are sensible, classic German body styles. By comparison, the coupe, convertible, and fastback in the 4 Series are low-slung, sleek and eye-catching.
The same line of thinking applies to the BMW SUVs. The blocky, staid ones belong to the odd-numbered series, like the X3 and X5. The angular kidney grilles, slanty roofs, and bubble butt design of the X4 and X6 signal a more unconventional and sportier styling. The electric cars seem to work similarly, says DeMuro. The i3 is a practical city car while the i8 is a cutting-edge sports car.
But BMW's naming system stymies even a workable generalization like DeMuro's. The automaker's down-to-earth minivan is actually a 2 Series vehicle, putting a dent in his rule of thumb.
It just goes to show that despite our clever ways of trying to demystify BMW's nomenclature, the automaker's ever-changing innovation still creates name inconsistencies. We tried, but BMW is way ahead of us.
Tags: bmw


These fitted boxer briefs are made from stretchy cotton jersey with a contrasting elastic waistband. Cut to sit low on the waist and high on the leg, they are a close, comfortable fit. Each pack contains two pairs.


Psych premiered in 2006 and is currently airing on USA. It stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a sleuth who pretends to be a psychic so he can consult with the police and use his heightened observational ability to solve cases. With best friend Burton "Gus" Guster, played by Dule Hill, the two set up a consulting company to peddle Shawn's psychic abilities. Corbin Bernsen rounds out the cast as Shawn's former-cop father, who we see in flashbacks teaching a young Shawn to hone his observational skills. They most often work with the police chief and two other detectives – Lassiter and Juliet, with whom they often compete when on cases.
Psych, as the name implies, is a lighthearted show in keeping with USA's brand. Each episode showcases a mystery, usually a murder investigation. The focus is not on the family's grief, but the hi-jinks that ensue as Shawn and straight-man Gus continue to fool the cops into thinking Shawn is psychic while also solving the case. Juliet is inclined to belief while Lassiter is a hard-boiled skeptic who cannot be convinced. The most humorous exchanges are between Shawn and Lassiter as Shawn finds no end of fun in poking at Lassiter while Lassiter is incensed that Shawn continues to be right.
The cast shines, especially James Roday, who prances around, shamelessly milking the act for all it's worth. Performances can be a little outlandish, but it's all with a tongue-in-cheek sense of fun that permeates Psych, making it an enjoyable ride.
Find and watch each season of Psych with full episode synopsis, actors, related videos, and more. Click on a season and episode below for more information.


Make disaster relief a part of your company's mission.
If you're like most Americans, you've been watching the resilient citizens of Texas, Florida, the Lower Keys, Puerto Rico, and now Las Vegas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
- Work with body shops and insurance companies to provide free estimates at your dealership when floods or hail storms cause massive vehicle damage.
- Consider offering special pricing for services for families impacted by a disaster.
- Donate to a charity that is on the ground. The American Red Cross is the preferred emergency responder for the U.S. government, but it is not the only one.
- Many religions have organized charities that are on the ground and ready to go, such as Catholic Charities, LDS Humanitarian Services, and the Baptist Global Response. Other organizations, such as All Hands, Global Giving, and Americares, are prepped and ready to go. If you can, check with local organizations such as hospitals, churches, and animal shelters to see if you can help them directly.
- Donate physical goods. Check with a local charity before you start. Ask about food, water, hygiene supplies, diapers, formula, and other things that can be hard to come by. Ask first and then gather.
Remember to put on a neighborly attitude when your community is impacted by circumstances beyond their control.
It will go a long way toward improving awareness and attitudes about our industry.
And we certainly could use all the goodwill we can get!