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cooking April 23, 2021
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Did the COVID-19 pandemic make us more creative with cooking?

Whether you want to admit it or not, the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected people’s lives in many ways- and that includes a chef’s cooking habits as well as yours.

In this article, the changes in cooking habits during the pandemic will be discussed thoroughly.

couple kitchen
Couple makes dinner in a kitchen

More Creativity When it Comes to Recipes

Spending 24 hours a day at home during the pandemic without doing anything can be really boring. With that, more individuals are seeking to find something that will let them focus their attention-cooking. 

Before cooking anything, you would need to follow recipes at first. That requires a lot of research from different platforms that will help you find your preferences and tastes. Then, afterward, you will seek to create small innovations to put in your dish, creating a personal touch to it. 

There is nothing more fun than to experiment on your own and find that bursting experience that you can find from delicious food.

With Halloween just around the corner, there has never been a better time to experiment with gruesome appetizers that can make this day fun, even if it is spent indoors. You can surprise your family with homemade Halloween treats like scary sushi balls or brownie spiders.

More Sensitivity When it Comes to Sanitation

You would want to make sure that all ingredients are properly clean, especially after you finish shopping for groceries. You may need to sanitize the shopping bags and make sure that everything you bought is safe from any contagious disease. 

This part greatly affected people’s cooking habits, and in a sense, individuals start to subconsciously become more hygienic when it comes to cooking their own meals.

On the other hand, even if you want to order your favorite food, you may be feeling a bit paranoid about it. But, you have no need to worry, restaurants are now following safety protocols during the pandemic and ensure that the chefs have the appropriate clothing and equipment when cooking dishes.

You can still enjoy food delivery occasionally and enjoy the hassle-free food delivered to your doorstep. If you have no time to cook your own food, you can opt for gluten-free, keto, dairy-free, low carb or low calorie, or meal delivery for the Paleolithic Diet on the go.

Whatever your diet needs, there are meal delivery services that offer them. There is no need to worry about their food delivery process as well as they are highly trusted and reliable.

More Application of Mise en Place 

Mise en Place is organizing everything that you need and putting it into different containers for stress-free cooking. Mise en place simply means to put into place. And in today’s time where home cooking is becoming more of a trend, one would want their kitchen to be clean and organized. 

Skip the hassle of making mistakes, forgetting ingredients, and a lot more by doing mise en place. There is no more need to rush and cook while preparing the ingredients, with a lot of free time being spent inside your homes, mise en place is being applied by a lot of individuals frequently. 

Increase in Vegetable Dishes

People have been opting for a healthier alternative that can give greater chances to resist the coronavirus. According to studies, there has been a spike in buying fruits and vegetables during the pandemic and that would mean an increase in cooking vegetable dishes. 

It has been said that a person would feel more safer and secure whenever they are eating vegetables.

Also, due to the loss of jobs, many have been hoping to spend less with a vegetable diet that is not only cheap but also provides the nutrients, vitamins, and immunity that you would need to fight or resist any contagious disease.

cooking vegatables
A collection of vegetables

More Passion for Home Cooking

In the end, the only person that you would highly trust is yourself when it comes to creating your own food. There is more passion for home cooking than ever before, and many are genuinely happy with it. Their cooking skills are improving day by day since the pandemic came and it has been the fuel to ignite the fire to create more delightful and heavenly meals.

People are becoming more flexible and creative during this time of the pandemic. Even though life is hard, you should still continue to strive ahead and try to enjoy the little good things.

Hopefully, everything will go back to normal soon. In the meantime, you can focus on your cooking and bring the chef out that has been hiding inside your heart.

athlete net worth April 21, 2021
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James Harden’s beard is worth what? The NBA’s highest earners

James Harden’s beard is priceless but what about the man behind it and the other NBA players with the highest earning capabilites?

American sports leagues really only have European soccer leagues to compete with when it comes to producing the highest grossing sports stars on the planet.

And the NBA is no exception, consistently giving top players the platform they need to launch their star into the mainstream, and into the business world when they retire.

Here we take a look at who the highest NBA earners are in 2021 as well as delving into whether they have the sticking power to remain at the top of the earnings tree.

basketball nba
Playing in the NBA has proved lucrative for these top level ballers

Steph Curry – Hotter than ever

The way that NBA pay structures are built means that the men at the top of the b-ball earning tree always tend to be veterans of the game, so it comes as no surprise that one of the longest serving legends of the league comes in at number 1.

Curry is still as hot as ever on the boards and the Golden State Warriors pay him the princely sum of $43m+ to perform for them week-in and week-out.

In 2021 the regular NBA All-Star select has had to carry his ailing Warriors to wins and it remains to be seen if they will make the playoff cut, but when you earn more than a small country’s GDP a loss here or there does not quite hurt as much as it might once have done.

steph curry nba earner
Longevity and the ability to wow crowds night after night is what makes an NBA top earner

Chris Paul – Enjoying time in the sun

Another NBA old schooler who never knows when he is beat, no matter what the betting odds say, is Chris Paul, and that perseverance is paying off handsomely in Phoenix, with Paul and his teammate Russel Westbrook both purported to be on somewhere around the $41m mark.

With the Suns soaring in the Western Conference this season and a nailed-on certainty with most sportsbook tipsters to go deep in the playoffs, that ton of money will be seen as well spent if Paul and Westbrook can deliver for those who bet on NBA money lines and fancy the Suns to claim their maiden NBA Championship title.

James Harden – His beard alone earns more than most

When a player has a beard that is as commanding as James Harden’s, then it is immediately clear to everyone that the man should be paid handsomely.

And Harden is not lacking on the salary front, earning a cool $41m to be a part of the exciting roster that has been put together by Steve Nash in Brooklyn.

Harden jumped ship from the Houston Rockets who have since misfired and failed to take off at all. That just shows that Harden and his beard are probably worth every cent of their mammoth contract.

What, no Lebron or Giannis?

Believe it or not, neither Lebron James nor Giannis Antetokounmpo feature in the top 5 of NBA highest earning standings when it comes to player pay 2021, although both men more than make up the difference with a wealth of lucrative sponsorship and endorsement contracts.

Indeed, the man known as King James has even begun to make forays into the potentially lucrative business of making movies, having produced such cinematic gems as Space Jam 2, The Wall, and Shut Up and Dribble.

If James mixes in another franchise switch before his career is out, you can expect his salary demands to rise from the current $39m he is paid by the LA Lakers.

Meanwhile, the Greek Freak already pocketed a handy yearly salary before he then took a greater bump in December of 2020 by signing a brand-new deal with his beloved Milwaukee Bucks, to the tune of $228m over five years.

With the structure of the deal meaning his pay will increase year-on-year, Giannis is expected to become the best paid player in the league come 2022.

After all, being crowned the league’s most valuable player must come with its perks.

creative list April 14, 2021
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Paying tribute to a loved one who passed: 8 creative ways

We all part with a loved one at some point in life and paying tribute is an important part of processing your loss.

This moment tends to be hard and unimaginable. After the send-off, life has to go on. As time passes, the hearts heal and we start accepting reality.

candles paying tribute

It is a noble thing to on different occasions plan for activities to act as a celebration of the life of the deceased. A loved one may be gone but the sweet memories will always be around us.

The paying of tribute provides an opportune moment for sharing memories with friends and family. This acts as part of the healing process for many. One way people remember is with a mom ring with a personalized birthstone.

Families mostly use the death anniversary day as a time to remember their late. On these dates, they lay flowers and hold short ceremonies at their places. Apart from this, there are numerous ways to pay tribute.

1. Arrange For a Memorial Service

A funeral service is important as it allows a decent send-off. The grieving mood is prevalent as people have lost someone special. Memorial services on the other hand can be made to uplift the people’s spirit more.

In most cases, such sessions are organized after the funeral and they don’t have to be procedural. People can sit around and cherish the memories of the departed.

Discussing his or her benevolent nature brings some sort of cheering up from the somber mood. Some people attest to how a memorial session was impactful in total healing their hearts. Later in, candle lighting can be done as a way of paying tribute to the loved one’s life in the thoughts. 

Do proper planning for the short event such that you will look for a photographer to take pictures of the group. Hire someone to record the whole session.

Keeping such files is important months and years later when you want to refresh your mind on what happened. You can always play the clips and restore the good time you have with friends and family.

2. Fulfill Your Promises to Them

Another long-lasting way is committing yourself to achieve your life purpose.

While spending time with the late, there are those promises which you used to make such as working hard in school, engaging in certain charity work and the list may go on and on. Fight for those plans and you will get a huge relief in your heart. Come up with a work plan on how you will make this happen.

There are issues you may be struggling with such as drug addiction. The special person may have tried to guide on such habits and showed much interest in the attainment of sobriety. Reshaping your life for the better makes you show much respect for them. You may even start an initiative in their memory. Use your life experience in touching other people’s lives.

As a family, hold meetings where you share what the defunct wished for each one of you. As siblings, for instance, you may sit around a table and note down both the individual and family desires of the late parent. Help each other in achieving the end goal.

It may be that dream for the kids to achieve their career goals. Motivate one another on the accomplishments and it will be a special way of paying tribute to a loved one.

3. Dedicate an Event to Their Memory

Planning for a special event is significant. It is key to theme it in memory of the person in bold letters. Consider laying down proper schedules for it. One to two weeks before the day, make invitations in advance. This makes many people plan and inform you of their availability for the day. With the figures, right, it becomes effortless to develop your budget.

You may publish some leaflets with a lot of details regarding the family after and before the demise. The accomplishments you have made in sticking together can be captured also. If you can, let there be plenty of pictures in the booklets for everyone. This creates fresh memories of the time together.

When it comes to the main event, have special guests to grace the function. This can be a close friend to the departed member. You may consider some past workmates.

Bringing these people over is a great opportunity to rekindle your memories as family and friends. Give each one of them ample time to share their first encounters and journeys. Such sessions are normally full of fun since some stories capture the funny life moments they hold with the be-gone.

As it is a function, it may be much exciting if you include creativity. This is where you may have singing sessions which can be led by special artists who you hire.

For the talented family members, this may be the right time to dedicate their creativity to their special person. Creating a song in memory of someone is something unique. Another way may be to find poets who will recite a poem themed on the event.

Consider reading a loved one’s favorite book as well. Going for the whole writing may be impossible hence pick a few pages which were most catchy for them. In your schedule, let such a reading session be perfectly placed. This can be when people are taking refreshments.

4. Personalized Ceramic Photos

Photos are and will always be a proper way of preserving history a paying tribute to a loved one. This makes them crucial tools in immortalizing the memories of a person. These days, we have better ways of going about this.

The use of ceramic images is being appreciated more due to the high quality they exhibit. Most of them are waterproof which makes them suitable for all weather. A headstone is exposed to all weather conditions from summer to winter.

This may need to be robust and so should the ceramic photos. There are professional companies that major in the making of these photos. When you do some proper research, you will arrive at different options of the dealerships.

The monument retailers are known to offer quality products to buyers. This is still the same when you target other designs and developers specializing in ceramic images.

Find companies that offer diversity in the designs to choose from. With comparing the several styles and size, it makes it less of a struggle to arrive at the ceramic photo to perfectly fit on the headstone.

Some agencies have teams that handle the installation work on behalf of the clients. A perfect thing to do before finding firms is to check the total expenses which you will incur. There are some which offer as low as $59.99

Such images normally create a perfect way to immortalize the memory of a loved one. Consider going for the highest quality solution including stretching your budget. Look for the dealers allowing flexibility in the editing of the images

5. Safely Keep Their Special Accessories

Everyone has his or her special items which may be in the form of personal possessions. An example is a necklace they loved. It is necessary to keep such accessories under your special items. Find special storage for a loved one if possible. Seeing such items around your neck as you go on with your life normally gives fresh memories.

For their apparel, find a way to store them in your closet. There are lots of ideas around this. For instance, it can be a great idea to turn a sweater into a pillowcase for your bed. The other DIY option is combining different attire pieces such as t-shirts.

It can be significant in the development of a headboard. See it every day as you retire to bed and in the morning while waking up creates a long-lasting memory. It makes you feel like the person is just beside you as you relax.

Apart from their material things, adopt a part of their lifestyle to make you feel in their company. This can take the shape of enjoying a hobby they liked. Visit certain recreational areas you used to visit together. If it is that mountain-hiking or scuba-diving experience, create time and spend ample time in it.

For the presents, you received from them, keep them well as they preserve the good times together. Always wearing them with pride serves the same purpose. You may invest in some home display structures and fit them in your study room.

6. Plant a Sapling in Their Name

As a way of showing your unending love, plant a sapling to emphasize the message. The best choice of doing the planting is the same day as the memorial service. The other option may be during a death anniversary. Take good care of the sapling through watering, weeding, and pruning. This creates a unique way of celebrating their life and paying tribute to a loved one.

Before you think of doing any planting, do a thorough consideration of all the options. Find the most serene place for example at your favorite home garden.

Another beautiful place may be at the riverside. The main considerations should be serenity and ease of access. Going too remote may offer some challenges especially when the weather is unfavorable. Make consultations as a family or friends in making that conclusive decision. This ensures everyone’s choice is accommodated.

Seeing the plant grow and develop will bring a strong feeling of contentment. Doing this as a family brings an even better experience. Plant the saplings within the same area and as you spend time under the grown trees will bring more bonding as you reminisce time together.

An annual celebration can be held at the site and even better, cut the flowers, branches, and fruits and do a special dedication.

7. Make Charity Donations

Different people have different ways of paying tribute in the most unique way. One of them is through engaging in charity work. Create a schedule for the major work.

This is where you focus on the activities in which you will be engaging. In the plans, including the budget to set aside for the charity. Through such strategies, you end up knowing which groups of people to target.

You may begin with the needy people such as in the children’s homes. Think of the people living with disabilities as well. Through touching other people’s lives, you share the benevolent nature of your loved one and pay tribute.

Use your anniversary events as a channel to raise funds through the goodwill of the guests. To make it more fruitful, inform every invitee of the co-mission of the day.

The contribution can at times be large such that it may be used for more charity. For the supplies, find customization experts who will put the message of the dedication of the donations. As a family business, these operations remind the public of the main mission of the founder to improve the welfare of all.

8. Complete their Projects

paying tribute project

Death at times arrives at the most unexpected time. This makes the current engagements by a person come to a standstill. For a business, there may be a likelihood of a temporal closure.

The shoe left behind may not find someone to fit in. However, as friends and family, you have a critical role in ensuring the vision lives on. This is where you come together and think of the plans the deceased had.

For the business setting, you may focus on the changes to make to achieve the same consistency. If it was a construction project, plan on how to accomplish everything.

These achievements coming to pass bring a special way of appreciating someone. You can name the building after him or her. It makes the legacy live on thus the memories live long in the minds of people.

Creating merchandise to pay tribute to your loved one can be a worthy idea. This is where you develop something such as a book, or customized packaging products bearing their names. As a production company, you can create a plan through which the personalized products may be for a specific period every year.

Paying tribute to a loved one that has gone to a better place

The departure of a loved one for good is heavy and hard to believe.

However, it is worth it to take heart and celebrate the good memories together. Paying tribute is one sure way of making this happen. Options are endless on what you can consider.

One way is planning for the memorial services well, and organizing occasional events in their memories among others.

For the headstones, find the best dealers to fit quality personalized ceramic photos. Others consider planting saplings which is a great idea.

Bruh April 2, 2021
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Meet the video game streamers making waves in 2021

If you haven’t been living under a rock for the last few years, you’ll know that video game streamers are big business.

What was once the domain of spotty teenage boys has now exploded into a multi-billion-dollar business, with streamers from all kinds of backgrounds gracing the likes of Twitch and YouTube.

What is video game streaming?

twitch video game streaming
Space gray iPhone X smartphone turned on with Twitch app

The success of YouTube led to a wide range of channels catering to every possible taste, from movies to ten-pin bowling, so it was no surprise that video gaming experts started to attract large audiences in the early 2000s. They shared gaming recommendations, tips on how to play them, and, later, broadcasting their game-playing live so that fans could see how they did it.

Seeing a huge opportunity, San Francisco-based Justin.tv launched Twitch in 2011, a platform dedicated to video-game streaming, including eSports. Within a year, the site had acquired 20 million followers, with Twitchers, as the streamers came to be known, offering advice on all things game-related.

Regular video games like Call of Duty and League of Legends were the most popular, but the site also catered to fans of other types of games, such as poker, online casino games, and even chess.

Yet things are changing. While the streaming scene tended to be male-dominated at the beginning, 2021 sees a wide range of female influencers who are changing the face of the industry and inspiring other women to take up gaming as a pastime. 

Here are some of the video game streamers making waves in 2021. 

Tianna Mercedes

Tianna used to be an ambulance care assistant, which explains the video game streamer’s calm approach to the battle games she excels in. Her thousands of YouTube and Twitch followers are treated to regular streams where she guides them through some of the trickiest combat scenes.

The London-based gamer has some advice for any females seeking to start up their own channel: ‘just go for it!’. While Tianna herself received criticism when she began streaming, she relishes the chance to prove her haters wrong, and she hopes more women can do the same.

Loeya

Fortnite is one of the most successful games in history, breaking every kind of gaming record, so it makes sense that there’s a mini industry of streamers dedicating their time to mastering the battle game. 

With 1.5 million Twitch followers, Loeya is one of the leading stars. She streams every day at the same time (9am CET) where she chats to viewers and talks them through her tactics.

Her success has earned her mini-celebrity status in her native Sweden, where she’s appeared on TV and radio, and her loyal following means Twitch signed her up to an exclusivity deal recently. 

Black Girl Gamers

When Jay-Ann Lopez set up Black Girl Gamers in 2015, she was tapping into a much-neglected area of the gaming industry, which had previously been dominated by white males.

Now, six years and 50,000 community members later, BGG is one of the most influential online gaming groups and is making huge strides in the gaming industry.

Its Twitch channel showcases a variety of brilliant talent every day on games as diverse as The Sims 4 and The Evil Within 2, so there’s something for everyone. However, even more importantly, the group organizes regular gaming events and charity endeavors to raise money for good causes. 

Lopez and her team of video game streamers have appeared on BBC, ITV, and Sky as they seek to raise awareness, and have inspired many women to take up gaming as a pastime.

FalseSymmetry

FalseSymmetry, or False as she’s also known, has gained over half a million followers across her two channels with her friendly, playful presenting style. She’s a Minecraft expert, building her False Towers structure on the Hermitcraft server like so many other Minecrafters. 

Her video game streaming channels are super family-friendly and engaging as she regularly interacts with her fans and answers questions on how to solve Minecraft’s tricky tasks. False is also famous for her pranks, which she often plays on unsuspecting fellow players, and are sure to raise a smile!

With fellow Minecrafters LDShadowLady and Emzberri, she’s leading the way in the game’s female streamer scene.

Rainbow Arcade

Rainbow Arcade is an inclusive community dedicated to LBTQ+ content creators which focuses on empowerment and positivity. As well as a diverse group of members, its wide range of games appeals to a huge audience from BiggusBennus’s relaxing approach to the high-octane fun of gay couple ZoeyProaSheck. 

The RA website is beautifully designed and features a portfolio of all their charity work and an invitation for new members to join.

Gaming is much more diverse than many people realize, despite its male-dominated reputation, so the good work of the above video game streamers is helping to shine a light on the different groups involved.

Slowly but surely, the face of the video game industry is changing, bringing diversity to its fore and more talent to the likes of Twitch and YouTube, so watch this space!

Cam Kirk
10K80 April 2, 2021
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Cam Kirk drops gems for creative entrepreneurs in ATL

ATL-based visionary Cam Kirk is more than a photographer, he’s an entrepreneur, and for our Finally Focused NY to LA bonus episode he dished out, more than enough, gems for aspiring creatives.

Constantly moving forward the ATL-based photographer sets new goals for himself, outperforming his last advancing step.

“I get offended when people say I made it… Don’t put any finish line on my career. I have not made it. I’ve got so much further, I can go… Once you do achieve your goals, if you’re not quick to set a new one, you can get very complacent.”

Cam Kirk, Photographer, Cam Kirk Studios Founder

Embarking on a very lonely path, that most creatives can relate to, he took adversity by the horns. Going against the grain, he spoke his studio into existence.

“Being finally focused is critical to my success because it’s the only way I got here. There are tweets about me sitting in my own studio one day…”

Cam Kirk, Photographer, Cam Kirk Studios Founder

The move towards taking his work into a physical space with his photography studio would inspire a hot spring of culture in a city deemed as a hip-hop epicenter.

Inspired by veteran photographers and collectives like Johnathan Manion and The Motion Family, he would look to a space in need of a Black leader. And, of course, he would do much more than inspire.

Cam Kirk would push ATL’s creativity to a new level.

“As a creative and as an entrepreneur this road can feel very lonely. It can feel like everything you’re up against feels like ‘me against the world’. It’s like you’re the only one doing this. Which is not facts,” said the visionary in our Finally Focused bonus episode.

He continued to touch on the inspiration behind the photography studio:

“There are other dreamchasers. I wanted to create an environment where you saw that, where that was obvious… We knocked the walls down and opened it up.”

Cam Kirk, Photographer, Cam Kirk Studios Founder

Going in 25/8 the ATL-based photographer has worked with our favorite rappers from Gucci Mane to the late King Von and now has his own series, in partnership with Facebook, titled Behind the Cam.

Averaging 500 bookings a month at his co-working photography studio and a partnership with Facebook, it’s hard not to acknowledge that he is the business.

Still, for him, he’s only 25 percent through his journey and when it comes to his legacy he’s on his way to leaving a lasting imprint on the culture.

“I want to be recognized globally. I’m trying to inspire photographers, creatives, entrepreneurs, individuals around the world. I want to make sure the legacy I leave behind […] is a physical legacy.”

Cam Kirk, Photographer, Cam Kirk Studios Founder

Watch the entire season of Finally Focused below and stay inspired.

Emmanuel Whajah
art April 2, 2021
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Navigating the creative industry from the perspective of Black freelancer Emmanuel Whajah

Emmanuel Whajah — creative director, videographer, photographer — is making quite a name for himself and is effectively navigating the creative industry as a black freelancer.

At 27, the German-born visionary has worked his way up the ladder capturing iconic moments for celebrities like Keke Palmer, Rita Ora, Les Twins, Eric Bellinger, and more.

Check out more of his work here.

A proud Ghanaian, Whajah sticks to his roots and finds enjoyment in the moment.

“What I enjoy the most about photography, filming artists is the moment itself, which is timeless…”

– Emmanuel Whajah, Creative Director

Navigating the creative industry from overseas

Whajah’s biggest inspiration growing up was Michael Jackson. For him, it was Jackson’s dedication to his creative craft. His ecstatic performances, the out of this world visuals, and influence on the culture.

“Just becoming a role model, a black creative who can inspire the younger generation… It’s the love of creating and sending a message to the world that brought me into the creative industries.”

– Emmanuel Whajah, Creative Director

In emulating Jackson, at the young age of 5, Emmanuel started dancing but would begin to ponder, “How can I tell a story and touch people emotionally?”

In picking up a camera, Whajah was able to use the instrument of creativity to not only tell his story but tell the stories of other gifted individuals who deserved documentation.

Meeting Eric Bellinger

Fresh off of a tour with artist Kid Ink, a picture Whajah took of the artist would catch the attention of Bellinger and from there he would find his next opportunity.

From a comment to a conversation with Bellinger over Instagram DM, the German-born freelancer would be recruited to join the R&B artist on his tour to capture video and photographic content.

And on this tour, Whajah would find not only more opportunities but also a friend in celebrity Keke Palmer.

It takes courage to leave a legacy in the creative industry

Whajah knows his worth but as a black creative navigating the creative industry has proven itself, time and time again. difficult.

“Knowing you have a different skin color, we have different skin colors, languages, music, and history is a big message that I, personally, try to reflect in my work.”

– Emmanuel Whajah, Creative Director

Still, the black freelancer has proven himself as well. Going beyond social media, Whajah has created a content footprint that has solidified his brand name.

“It’s the experience and the years you have in that area which will calculate how much you’re worth. You need to know how to promote your brand because it’s not only being creative and letting your work speak for itself but how you can manage and let the world see your work,” said Whajah.

Additionally, the black freelancer keeps the passion alive through a new series he’s been working on – Divine Beauty.

DIVINE BEAUTY – ILO [VIDEOSERIES PT.2] BY EMMANUEL WHAJAH from Emmanuel Whajah on Vimeo.

See the full series here.

Divine Beauty is a video series collection that represents the beauty and uniqueness of women with different cultural backgrounds in a tasteful, classic, and cinematic way.

board games March 24, 2021
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Can board games stake a place in modern society?

In our modern society, can you remember the last board game you played with your family?

Netflix recently released a series called The Queen’s Gambit, named after an opening chess move. It told the story of an orphan girl who becomes a chess genius. In the days and weeks after the series aired, sales for chess boards rocketed.

The New York Times reported that eBay alone experienced a 215% increase in chessboard sales. Instances of new TV shows creating a desire to play board games just goes to show this activity is far from dead. And it shows this pastime still has a place in a modern society with people addicted to smartphones and tablets.

Of course, some board games are adapting to stay relevant. So, how are they changing for a modern audience?

Ways board games are adapting for modern society

1. Changing Formats

There has been a drive to convert our favourite board games into new formats and make them into online activities. The convenience of smartphones and fast internet connections allows us to play with other people alone.

Now we can enjoy Cluedo with family from opposite ends of the country or even from other countries. This is helping older titles stay relevant in our anti-social present.

Yet, switching from offline to online is not the only change in format to expect. Some titles have been redesigned for new audiences with a different way of playing. One example can be found in the versions of Monopoly.

Some online gaming developers have created a new version for online gambling, the Monopoly Live Casino Game. This new format includes the same icons we know from Monopoly, but it has a gameshow host taking the banker’s place and a completely new design, including a wheel.

2. Changing Themes

Sometimes gaming creators won’t change the format, but they will change the theme of the game. The best example of this can be again found in Monopoly.

Hasbro has been designing new Monopoly versions to provide a modern twist on the age-old classic. For instance, they have targeted football fans with Monopoly versions based on the football club and its stadium. There’s even a title dedicated to sore losers and cheaters.

By adapting holiday board games and making them relevant to modern audiences, Hasbro and others can continue to stay relevant themselves.

Will 2021 be the year society makes a change?

2021 might be a fantastic year for this type of activity. As families can safely reunite after extended social distancing, it might just be time to put away the smartphone and enjoy some quality time with a board game.

Where we might once have scoffed at the idea of a family board game, it may be that now ‘game nights’ are about to come back with a vengeance this year.

weed
Bruh March 16, 2021
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How to grow weed at home just like a true Jamaican would

So, you have decided to grow your own weed. Jolly good! You will soon be part of a fast-expanding movement. The practice of marijuana cultivation at home is spreading around the globe.

You can grow your cannabis year-round in greenhouses or inside, which you can do all year long. Weed is a hardy plant that can grow in varying climates, all year round, all year.

Cannabis Is Your Friend

Understanding the basics of growing cannabis is a good starting point for your cannabis-growing adventure. 

Note that applying for a medical marijuana card in Utah is the only way to obtain cannabis from pharmacies; patients are not allowed to grow their own marijuana in the state. But if you have a grow license from the state, you can follow these basic steps to become a successful cannabis grower.

Step 1: Choose Your Cannabis Seeds

Cannabis Seeds

You have many options; Indica, ruderalis, Sativa, and several hybrids, all just a click away. Choose according to your personal preferences. Which strains have made your heart dance for joy before? Which strains have given a satisfactory remedy for your medical condition? Starting here seems reasonable.

Step 2: The Basics of Cannabis

The basics are to grow fast and bless you with juicy buds, your beloved cannabis needs.

Lighting: For healthy germination/growth, cannabis needs more than twelve hours of photosynthetic light every twenty hours. Inside, you can control it with timers.

The growing environment: You can use different types of soil in your growers, indoors and outdoors. But the land is not your only choice. There are neutral media, depending entirely on a supply of nutrients, such as vermiculite, perlite, coconut, or rock wool.

Air: For its strength and good gas exchange, cannabis needs ventilated grow environments. Outdoors, your plants will be exposed to the right wind and breeze. Indoors, you will need to provide your plants with a supply of fresh air. You can use a fan or an air extractor for air circulation.

Water: Like other living things, marijuana needs moisture to grow, flourish and perform internal biological functions. Your outdoor plantation will receive everything from nature if you live in an area with regular rainfall.

Temperature: Marijuana is a hardy plant that can survive both heat and cold as well. Even so, the plants can be stressed out and not perform well in extremes. 27 degrees Celsius is the ideal point for vigorous growth.

Nutrients: Like animals or humans, cannabis also needs food to live. A good, crumbly soil rich in compost, minerals, and living organisms, can provide your marijuana plants with sufficient nourishment throughout their life cycle.

Humidity: Whether growing weed indoors or outdoors, well-balanced moisture allows for a healthy environment without pests or mold.

Step 3: Lights for Indoor Growing Cannabis

Culture cabinets: There are sophisticated grow cabinets that are cannabis-friendly and made for ready use. Fans, lights, and separate compartments for the clone, carbon filters, and carbon are all included.

CFL AND LED lights: At the bottom of the spectrum, you have the rudimentary but very powerful CFL lamps (Compact Fluorescent Lamps) or LED panels (Electro-Luminescent Diode), not more than 290 USD. 

Other fluorescent lights, such as T5 lights, come in different spectra for vegetation and flowering and are designed for small spaces.

Step 4: Germination and Young Cannabis Shoots

The seeds only germinate when three specific conditions are present, as explored above. You can plant the seeds in a paper towel, directly into the environment, in rock wool or water.

When Is My Cannabis Mature?

When covered in an abundance of trichomes, the pistils curl up and change color. Orange, mauve, brown, or red can even appear depending on the species. The flower clusters become so swollen that they look like they have been turned upside down.

There are signs that your hard work is beginning to pay off. For a more broadened cannabinoid profile, harvest when the trichomes are 60-80% amber.

college basketball March 10, 2021
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How do you get your March Madness Bracket perfect?

As March Madness grips the nation, everybody’s looking to make money off their bracket predictions. Will this be the year that you strike it lucky by picking the perfect NCAA bracket and walking away with the pool prize?

To say the odds are stacked against you when compiling a March Madness bracket is an understatement at best. Putting together a perfect March Madness bracket is near-impossible, with the emphasis on the word ‘near.’

To put it into perspective, not a single person has successfully predicted the outcome of the entire bracket since its inception in 1939. There’s a simple reason for that, and it’s that you’ve got a 1 in 9.2 quintillion chance to get it right.

If you know what you’re doing and you’ve got a firm grasp on the teams and players, you’ll be able to manipulate the odds in your favor but only slightly.

How do March Madness Brackets Work?

Even if you’re familiar with the inner workings of March Madness, you’d be wise to read on, as there are numerous changes brought about by last year’s March Madness cancellation and several restrictions as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic this year.

The NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament is a single-elimination, knockout style tournament with 68 teams competing in seven rounds for the national championship. If you’re going to complete the bracket and bet on March Madness, it’s best to know what you’re dealing with precisely.

Team selection

How exactly does the NCAA determine which 68 teams get to compete and which stay home? The teams that are eligible to compete are split into two groups by the NCAA, namely Automatic Bids and At-Large Bids:

Automatic Bids – These teams are the winners of Division I postseason conference tournaments and receive automatic entry. Ordinarily, there are 32 teams; however, there are only 31 teams this year as the Ivy League did not coordinate a winter season.

At-Large Bids – Ten selection committee members pick the remaining teams that gain entry based on merit. These teams did not win their conference tournaments but impressed the members nonetheless. This step is often called into question as there is no formula to determine which teams are eligible. The selection committee members base their decision on analysis, subjective impressions, stats, and rankings. Ordinarily, there are 36 at-large bids, but this year there are 37 bids.

Brackets and seeds

Before a single tournament game starts, the selection committee members rank the teams 1 through 68 on Selection Sunday (March 14, 2021). The 1-seed represents the best team in college basketball based on regular season and conference tournament performance.

The four lowest-seeded at-large teams and the four lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers play in the First Four that occurs on Thursday, March 18. Once four of the eight teams have been eliminated, a field of 64 remains.

Under normal circumstances, the NCAA split the tournament bracket into four regions; South, West, East, and Midwest, with each region receiving 16 teams. Each team is seeded 1 to 16, with the 1-seed considered the best, while the worst team gets the 16-seed.

Once each team is assigned a seed and placed in one of the four regions, their first-round matchups can start. The higher-seeded teams receive preference in the first-round matchups by playing against the lower-seeded teams. For example, No. 1 vs. No. 16 and No. 2 vs. No. 15 etc.

This year the top four seeds and the First Four will be handled the same, while the rest of the bracket sees things differently. As a rule, geographic proximity drives the bracketing decisions based on the school’s location to the sites hosting the preliminary rounds, but not this year.

This year the teams will be placed in the bracket based entirely on their overall seed. This method is called the S-curve, and it gets more technical.

The bracket consists of 6 rounds (7 if you include the play-in games):

  • Round of 64
  • Round of 32
  • Sweet 16
  • Elite 8
  • Final 4
  • Championship Game

Number of games

An incredible number of games fall over a relatively short time frame of a little over a month. If you discount the play-in games and look at Round of 64 through to the Championship Game, it’s a total of 63 games played in Indiana this year. The teams that progress to the Championship Game will play no less than six games during the tournament.

Understanding the NCAA Bracketology Statistics

What is a perfect March Madness bracket? NCAA bracketology statistics will undoubtedly give you valuable insights.

As mentioned, the odds of compiling a perfect March Madness bracket is slim, with odds of 1 in 9.2 quintillion (9,223,372,036,854,775,808), meaning there are that amount of different possible outcomes. Only if you treat the 63 games like coin flips (1 in 263.), with each team theoretically having a 50% chance of winning the game.

But if you incorporate your basketball knowledge and introduce stats and data into your predictions, you could quite possibly lower the odds to 1 in a few billion.

Naturally, there’s a big difference between picking the perfect bracket and picking one that’s better than others. To get better betting odds, you’ll need to be incredibly knowledgeable, or you’ll have to revert to statistical methods. Still, even those aren’t going to get you close to a perfect bracket, as illustrated by researchers using statistical methods.

The researchers reliably picked close to 70% of the games correctly, dropping the odds of picking a perfect bracket to 1 in 5.7 billion. Similarly, a winning percentage of 71% results in 1 in 2.3 billion odds, and a 75% accuracy results in odds of 1 in 74 million.

How Do You Get a Perfect March Madness Bracket?

There goes a lot into compiling the perfect March Madness bracket, how many upsets you will factor into your picks, how many of the 1-seed teams will make it through to the Final Four, and how will the fact that every team plays in Indiana mix things up?

You could start by betting that all the No. 1 seed teams win their first-round matchups against No. 16 seed teams. It may look like a safe bet, but nothing is certain as proven by the No. 16 seed, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, defeating the No. 1 seed, the University of Virginia in 2018.

If you’re looking for an advantage, it’s best to forget about picking a bracket based on winning percentages and instead weigh the teams based on variables that fall outside of their regular-season records. Look at a statistical method that considers a team’s ranking based on the number of points each game was won or lost by, their opponents’ challenge, and when they played their games.

Historical indicators naturally also play a role when picking.

Consider teams with a No.5 seed or better to reach the Final Four and look at No. 3 seed or better to win.

Look at the Margin of Victory (MOV) for teams that could make a deep run. Not only is MOV a historical indicator of winners, but it can also help you choose the three Final Four games.

Consider teams with good defensive and offensive efficiency. Ideally, teams should be in the top-25 for both defense and offense.

Has Anyone Made A Perfect March Madness Bracket?

No one has ever picked a verifiably perfect bracket at any of the major games in the NCAA tournament history. Before the 2019 NCAA tournament, the longest streak of correct picks was 39 games, made in 2017.

Gregg Nigl shattered the previous record with an additional ten picks. Nigl correctly predicted the 2019 NCAA tournament into the Sweet 16. His luck came to an end on game 50 when his choice, Tennessee, lost to Purdue.

In an interview, Nigl revealed his secret to success. “The secret? Watching many Big 10 basketball, catching some of the bigger [NCAA] games like North Carolina-Duke, and then I always watch ‘Bracketology’ [on ESPN] on Selection Sunday. And then a lot of luck too.”

Shooting for the hoop

According to American Gaming Association research, March Madness is big business, with 47 million American adults betting $8.5 billion on March Madness in 2019 alone, which means that 1-in-5 adults are placing bets.

The NCAA perfect bracket remains ever-elusive, much to the chagrin of sports fans looking to cash in on their sporting knowledge at sportsbooks that offer the March Madness bracket with the best odds.

Despite the unlikelihood of picking a perfect bracket, fans continue to peer into their crystal balls to predict every action-packed game filled with up-and-coming new basketball stars.

CountOnVic
10K80 March 3, 2021
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NBA Insider CountOnVic Proves There’s More to Sports Media for Women

Vic Jacobi, an NBA insider known as CountOnVic, is making quite a name for herself. In a field thought to be dominated by men, she’s proving that there is more to sports media for women looking to tap into the giant industry.

So what exactly does she do? A little bit of everything. She connects the dots, consults brands, assists in athlete relations, curates content for SLAM and Franchise magazines, the list goes on.

Her love for the game of basketball allows her to navigate the multiple moving parts of the sports and media industries and piece them together.

There’s more to sports for women in media

Making her way over a giant ocean, at 13, by way of Israel, she climbed the social media totem pole, and each step she took elevated her to a new level.

At a young age, CountOnVic recognized her value and used the knowledge she gained throughout her sports media career as her momentum. At Buscemi, our host Savannah Hart asked the NBA insider how she’s fostered the valuable relationships she has today:

“I did a lot for free. It’s a good reputation to have. But you have to learn, along the way, that you have to start asking for things,” said Vic.

“My value is my network…”

– NBA Insider Vic Jacobi, @countonvic

NBA Insider CountOnVic getting the scoop from Ben Simmons

Humility and a willingness to learn have helped her get to where she is today. Solidifying her status as a woman in the sports media industry, thus far in her career, she’s worked with numerous brands and athletes.

From exclusive drops with Footlocker to Converse and collaborations with Trae Young and Dwayne Wayde, CountOnVic’s mindset continues to break barriers within the sports industry for aspiring creatives and women in media overall.

CountOnVic sets the tone for women in sports media

Vic’s advice for women and youth looking to tap into the sports media industry:

“It’s all about the networking. In the sense, that you have to make people remember you. It’s the facetime. It’s actually talking to people. I always say shoot your shot… Just go for it. Don’t be afraid to ask. “

– Vic Jacobi. @countonvic

Run it up!