September 2018

If you’ve ever gone through a difficult phase in your life – and let’s be honest, who hasn’t – you know that fixating on problem perpetuates nervous worrying. For many people, seeing a therapist is a terrific way to relieve some of this tension, whether you’ve hit a rough patch or need to work through some issues from the past. While there was a stigma surrounding people who seek therapy for a long time, in the 21st century it has become so common that many people speak openly about it at work or in social settings without batting an eye. Without a doubt, this is a sign of progress and signals an era where people can feel less isolated and freer to speak their minds and be themselves.

At the same time, therapy is never the be-all, end-all solution to your problems, and your therapist will be the first person to tell you that. Sometimes, when you’re having a rough time, no matter how much you share or talk about it, at the end of the day you are alone with a problem that you can’t get off your mind. For this reason, you need to seek out activities that get you out of your head, that distract you and hit the reset button.

In a TED talk that has become incredibly popular, Guy Winch describes an indispensable tactic for good emotional hygiene. He says that if you just play a game on your phone for a bit, or do anything that requires your brains full concentration, then it derails the negative thinking that is basically creating following a set track in your mind, going around and around.

Think about it this way: if you convince yourself that you’re too sad to do anything, you’ll just sit around being sad. If you allow yourself to go out and play basketball with friends, sign up for a comedic improv class or go play music with pals, it will disrupt the self-fulfilling cycle of sadness. Obviously, you need to allow yourself to feel sad when something tragic has happened, but too large a portion of our society’s population is crippled by depression or anxiety that is not correlated to a reasonable cause.

Performing music, which can start with professional and fun music lessons at your local music shop, is perhaps the most helpful strategy if you’re inclined, since it requires you to coordinate your mind and body in a focused manner to create something beautiful. It also encourages you to get together with friends and have a few laughs. Often, for people who are chronically depressed or stressed, just being around other people doesn’t help, because they can still retreat into their own minds. When you work on a focused, fun artistic project with good people, it helps to flush the negative thought cycle from your brain.

Furthermore, singing stimulates deep breathing from the diaphragm, which has been proven to calm the nervous system and help with bodily tension and pain. Who knew that simply belting out Where the Streets Have No Names could change your life!

If you’re having trouble, therapy can be great, but consider supplementing it with an engaging hobby to nourish your brain and change it for the better!

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If you’ve ever gone through a difficult phase in your life – and let’s be honest, who hasn’t – you know that fixating […] If you are considering learning guitar, then the first thing you obviously have to do is to buy a good quality guitar. But […]

If you’re active on the internet, watch television or occasional read a newspaper then you know that cryptocurrency has gained mainstream popularity. What once was thought to be something started on the internet that would eventually fade has become an active and steadily growing currency. Major companies like Kodak and smaller start-ups are using ICO (Initial Coin Offering) to draw in new investors and clients.

Whether you’re a new company or an established one that is looking for a new round of funding would it be beneficial to consider an ICO strategy?

For start-ups, the development of infrastructure is strongly based in the credentials of ICO token creation, ICO distribution and ICO platform hosting.

For established companies starting over with the ICO is essentially comprised of token launch, ICO marketing and ICO community building.

The best ICO campaign is taking a bit of research and understanding which is what I did for you in this article. I’m incredibly interested in cryptocurrency and feel like it’s a world that I’m not too familiar with as I read article after article to become more knowledgeable.  I hope it’s helpful and please feel free to comment with suggestions and thoughts.

What is an ICO?

ICO or Initial Coin Offering plays a dominant role in ensuring the right pathway for the ICO cryptocurrency development. An all-inclusive and ethical development structure for an ICO is one of the most important aspects of a successful campaign.

What does that mean?

It’s basically crowdfunding. A different form of a Kickstarter or a more traditional Venture Capitalist round where you’re seeking investors but, you have more control. A Kickstarter requires you to raise the funds completely. Venture Capitalists requires presentations, meetings, and follow-ups in hopes of investors. An ICO gives you the advantage of control. You offer your companies cryptocurrency (tokens) in exchange for cash.

Where Do I Start? AKA How to ICO.

You should research and find a company that is experienced in create completing ICO cryptocurrency with full development and execution.

You need to find a company that is going to assist with:

1. ICO Token launch and Development – token design implementation, the fundamentals of the token launch and development phase
2. ICO Marketing – Marketing is key for any business.
3. ICO Community Build-up – community building is the final phase of the entire ICO development cycle. Audience engagement is a key element of community build-up.

This is all very new to me but, it’s gaining more momentum and I have a lot of readers and friends that are entrepreneurs. I hope this is helpful. Do you think that an ICO is something you would use to launch your start-up?

One of the most important food trends of the past decade has been the rise of grass-fed beef. A niche market at the beginning of the decade, grass-fed beef has become a major challenger to standard feedlot operations. The interest in grass-fed beef has been driven by several factors (chiefly, increasing awareness of the environmental impacts of the feedlot system and renewed interest in the health advantages of beef raised on pasturage), and it has in turn changed the way consumers think about the meat industry.

Not so long ago, describing beef as being grass-fed would have seemed redundant. Until the 20^th century, cattle was raised as it had been for thousands of years, on pastures or open ranges. It was only with the rise of more industrial farming practices that large numbers of cows started to be fed on more energy-dense foods like corn and soy. While this diet allows cows grow faster and reduces the time to market, it also has other, less salutary side effects: feedlot raised beef tends to be less rich in vitamins and Omega-3 fatty acids.

While grass-fed beef has quickly become one of the hottest new meat trends, finding beef that is guaranteed to be completely grass-fed can be difficult. In order to properly qualify as grass-fed, cows need to have been kept on a diet of pasturage right up until they were sent to the abattoir for processing. But many beef providers engage in a practice called “finishing,” by which a cow mostly raised on grass is then switched over to feed for the final months of its life to fatten it up. Because there are no set industry standards for labelling grass-fed beef, a wide range of labels are used, from “pasture-fed” to “farm-raised” to “corn-fed.” These designations can mean a number of different things. Some refer beef that is 100% grass-fed, while others may refer to partially grass-fed beef, or beef that has spent most of its life eating feed. So how can consumers be sure they are purchasing real grass-fed beef?

One of the best ways to get high quality grass fed beef is through delivery. Services like truLOCAL offer delivery of fresh, local, grass-fed beef and provide clear information on their website about which farms they source their meat from. This means interested consumers can do their own research and find out how the cattle is raised and processed. Because truLOCAL offers delivery anywhere in Ontario and Alberta, it doesn’t matter whether you live near a speciality butcher or in a rural community; you can have local grass-fed beef delivered to your door anywhere in either province.

While feedlot beef is still very common, the numbers suggest that grass-fed beef represents a revolution in how cattle is raised. In 2012 sales of grass-fed beef were only $17 million, but by 2016 that number had exploded to $272 million. At the same time, fisheries and the poultry industry have seen revolutions of their own, with a growing interest in local, free-run, and wild-caught alternatives to the kind of concentrated, industrial farming that has typified the North American food system for a century. While it is not yet clear whether or not these more artisanal alternatives will completely replace factory farming, one thing is clear: consumers are hungry for a change.

Summer is here, and for many of us, it’s time to tackle some of those renovations that may have been put off. For example, it’s a tough decision between installing a water system to get the best quality water in your home and more cosmetic renovations, that may lead be slightly more exciting. Instead of tackling a major house reno, many homeowners choose to focus on one particular renovation, and make the most of it!

If you’re to create a cohesive room – any room – in a house, it needs to have a theme in order to work consistently and benefit from a sense of character. A rec room is no different – it should have a centerpiece, such as a pool table or something similar to that, and three or so pieces of furniture, such as a coffee table and a couple chairs, so as not to overwhelm the rec room’s space.

The purpose of a rec room is meant for relaxation, entertainment, and activities with family and friends. In a way a rec room ought to be like a vacation inside of a person’s home and everything decorating choice you make should reflect that goal. There are five key elements to creating an amazing rec room in your home:

1. Placement: the placement of furniture cannot be overstated. A good room focuses on both practicality and style. When a person comes into a room they need to feel invited. The door is the invitation, the room is the event, and the recreational itemsare the activity!

2. Life: no room can truly be complete without greenery, so add some roses or plants in your rec room to give it life.

3. Metallic Elements: these are the small decorative objects that help add depth to a room. As the saying goes, “It’s the small things in life that make it worth living”, and thatcertainly applies to a room. These elements can be as simple as a small painting, a brass doorknob, etc. The point is it vary the elemental quality of the room enough to make it visually engaging.

4. Texture: this element will be used to add complexity to the overall feel of the room; combining objects of varying texture,like a pillow or a stone or a leather couch, it adds even more depth to a room. A unique reclaimed wood table for instancewill add history to your room, making it feel welcoming and inviting, but also the small crags and imperfections make it texturally interesting.

5. Contrast: The colour of the walls and the color of the furniture help to compliment one another. Dark rustic solid wood, with a reclaimed wood table, will play nicely off of cream coloured walls and earthy plant displays. If the walls were a dark color it would make the room feel small and claustrophobic, but by choosing a lighter neutral colour, like beige, everything in the room has a chance to pop. Remember, you’re going for character-y, not dingy! This isn’t a dive bar.

If you invite guests over to your house and want a good rec room, go with handcrafted wood furniture such as a reclaimed wood table, as well as plants, metallic elements, neutral coloured walls and objects of varying texture. This will offer any guest that comes over a true Canadian experience of class, comfort, friendliness, and enjoyment. What more could you want out of a rec room?

I have quite a few people in my circle who are teachers from elementary school to college level and as a friend and a parent I applaud their tireless efforts to give their students the best educational experience despite the often limited resources. I had one friend who set up a donation page a couple of years ago to get instruments and sheet music so her students could have first school band. She was successful in raising the needed funds and the band continues to thrive to this day. So, when I was given the opportunity to share this new initiative from Best Buy, I jumped at the chance knowing I’d reach the people that needed to be reached and hopefully help make a difference. Image courtesy of supakitmod at FreeDigitalPhotos.net What is Best Buy Education? Best Buy for Business (BBFB) Education is a program for teachers and educators that purchase or influence the purchase of technology in schools. A direct-channel division of Best Buy®, the program makes it easier than ever to give students the tech tools they need to succeed. They have a dedicated staff to consult with schools, offer knowledgeable, unbiased advice and personal attention to guide you to the product and service solutions that best meet the needs of your students and budget of your school. Whether you are rolling out new devices in the classroom, launching a BYOD initiative, or upgrading the technology throughout your school, they can provide the products, support and protection you need. For more information you can head over to the Best Buy Education Siteand take a look around and schedule a consultation. Image courtesy of Clare Bloomfield at FreeDigitalPhotos.net Win $25,000 for your school or classroom! In conjunction with spreading the word about the amazing Best Buy Education program they are running a sweepstakes to win $25K to overhaul or build on the current technology in your school. The contest is valid for Pre-K to High school teachers and educators. The sweepstakes is running from now through July 4, 2015 with a grand prize of $25,000 in Best Buy credit, as well as additional prizes of Gift Cards and Microsoft Surface Pro 3 tablets with keyboards. This is an amazing opportunity to win the technology tools and services your students need to succeed.  Visit www.BestBuySweeps.comto enter for a chance to win and view complete details. Good luck and happy teaching!

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free

I did this call outside with a plane flying overhead and my friend couldn’t even hear the plane.

My first guest blogger is an avid gamer, I get a lot of inquiries from gamer companies to cover their products so, I’m happy to bring Adrian Valdez aboard to cover gaming and gadgets on a montly basis. His bio is below for those who wish to contact him.

Written by Adrian Valdez

If you are like me, when you are gaming you need a pair of headsets that not only give you great quality audio for those moments you when you need to track that last enemy in a first person shooter but also have the ability to communicate with your team and set up your strategy. Today we will be looking at Sentey’s Arrow Gaming Headset. First, we will look at the packaging. The headsets come in a nice red and black box with a small viewing area where you can see the headsets inside. The packaging is fairly simple as it mainly tells you what is inside and a few specs. When you open the box you get the headset on a red cardboard mount as well as a small instruction manual. My first impressions of the headphones after taking them out of the box is that they are built pretty well. The ear cups are made of a nice sturdy plastic the head band is the same. Both the over head and over ear padding felt really nice. The headphone also features an inline audio controller and a microphone both felt fine the audio controller however does have some flex if you press too hard so be careful with that.

My only real dislike for the headphones out of the box was the cable it has two 3.5 mm jacks for the microphone and headphones. The cable looks nice , and it has a decent length to it, but I really didnt like the feeling of the braided material they used on the cable. After unboxing the headphones I quickly pulled out my laptop and went straight to testing.

My first test was audio. While listening to music I was pleasantly surprised by the audio quality it was really enjoyable. The songs sounded great, and the bass was decent. I even put all my settings to max to see if it could handle it without distortion and it passed the test flawlessly. 

One thing to note that these headphones do not cancel sound so while it will make the outside noise lower. You will be able to hear things going on around you.

The microphone was a next concern for me. When getting a headset microphone combo you need your microphone to both hear your message and sound good. For that I used two services. First was Facebook calling. If you have used that service you know that it is not the best calling service around, but after talking to my friend a little bit I am happy to report it sounded good. 

On another note I did this call outside with a plane flying overhead and my friend couldn’t even hear the plane. Next, I used skype and the story was the same my friends all told me I sounded great. The headphones are comfortable, and even after extended use of them my ears barely got sweaty.

There are a few cons to the headphones, however. One is the plastic on the ear cups. Shiny plastic is a huge fingerprint trap, and I honestly feel that companies should really stop using that. 

Next is the microphone. The microphone tucks away really nicely on this headset but, I would have liked a detachable microphone. These headsets overall are pretty good. I am enjoying my experience with them so far, and If you are looking for a gamer headset I would recommend you check them out.

You can purchase the Sentey Red Arrow Gaming Headset w/Microphone on Amazon.com for the very affordable price of $14.99.

Here are some more specs on the headphones:

• Headphones Headphone High Definition Stereo / Gaming Headset In-Line Controller / Heavy Duty Braided 2 Meters / 6.5FT Cable
• 3.5mm Sterero Plug Connector / Omnidirectional Directivity / Adjustable Headband / Shinny Black Finish Upper Enclosure
• 32Ω Impedance Microphone / 600-1200Ω Signal to Noise Ratio – Computer Headset with Microphone – Headset with Mic – Computer Gaming Headset – Computer Gaming Headset – Skype Headset – Gaming Headsets – Gaming Headphone Gaming Headphones
• 20~20KHz Frequency Response / 20 Ω±15% @ 1000Hz Impedance Speaker
• Compatible with Windows XP, Vista, 7 and MAC and any 3.5mm Connection

About the Author: Adrian is a retired college student and a future baller who sometimesplays video games. Also loves Hearthstone. You can find him on twitter @ Therealadrian_v

Image courtesy of Troy Faulder at FreeDigitalPhotos.net I’ll take a tall sexy mocha latte w/hazelnut eyes and cooking abilities. Grey sweatpants optional. I’m a native New Yorker who shouts loud and proud to anyone who will listen that this is the best place to be. I’ve always said that I could never see myself living anywhere else but here. The thought of moving to ‘retire’ in say, Florida seemed so unimaginable to me. (It’s still unimaginable. I’d never move to Florida because well…..FLORIDA! but, somewhere else might now be to far fetched for me.

Something changed just after my last birthday. I started to find myself less and less enthused about being in the city that never sleeps day in and day out. What suddenly changed? This is a place that you can find anything to do, any day of the week at any time of the day. You certainly will never go bored and you also don’t have to go broke because there are an equal number of free things to do as there is paid entertainment. I enjoy the option of being able to go out solo or in a group and have a great time while meeting new people. Image courtesy of nuttakit at FreeDigitalPhotos.net There are lots and lots and lots of men to choose from in the five boroughs. They come in all shapes, sizes and nationalities. Young, old, athletic or nerds, the options are unlimited like ordering at Starbucks. I’ll take a tall sexy mocha latte w/hazelnut eyes and cooking abilities. Grey sweatpants optional. COMING RIGHT UP! I’ve enjoyed dating and switching it up to just crushing. Right now I’m in crush mode. The dating scene is most definitely not the issue. I just need a change of pace. Image courtesy of usamedeniz at FreeDigitalPhotos.net I think I may just need a long extended vacation to maybe learn to appreciate New York again. Around my birthday last year I spent time with a friend from Trinidad and he’s so laid back as most islanders seem to be. Everything we did seemed to just be in that relaxed mode while the world bustled around us. Even in Times Square it was just a chill vibe. That made me take a step back and slow myself down. You don’t realize how fast you’re really going through life without taking a breath until you just start putting your foot down on the breaks. Also, when he went home, We’d Skype and whatapp and my scenery of bricks, cement and buildings versus his of palm trees, beach and sunshine made me yearn for someplace a bit more quiet. Not to say life is simpler there than here but, it certainly is more beautiful to look at.

(photo sent to me of a typical day in Trinidad & Tobago. This is Tobago.) Originally, I gave myself until my next birthday to decide what I was going to do but, that like most things in life, is fast approaching on June 5^th and I’m really not as spontaneous as I’d like to think I am so, I’m thinking I’ll give myself until the end of the year. If my feelings haven’t changed by then, I’m afraid I may vamoose. We’ll see. I love you NYC but, I think we need some time apart. It’s not you. You haven’t changed. It’s me.