Category: Entertainment

Have a Library Card? Stream This Platform for Free

Kanopy

Kanopy is an on-demand streaming video platform for public and academic libraries that offers films, TV shows and documentaries.

By partnering with public libraries and universities, Kanopy aims to provide thought-provoking entertainment.  Thus, documentaries, foreign films, classic cinema, independent films and educational videos are streamed, without ads. That’s also why you need a library card or university login to view Kanopy’s collection.

You can search for your local library or university on Kanopy’s site to find out if it partners with Kanopy.

 The service is free for users, but content owners and content creators are paid on a pay-per-view model by the institution. Public library patrons, college and university students and faculty are able to watch Kanopy free-of-charge with their institution’s library card.

Source: Kanopy – Wikipedia

Free Streaming Service for Sci-Fi Fans

“BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER”

This service is free because it’s supported by ads, meaning you can expect to see commercials as you do on YouTube videos. Here is the Sci-Fi streamer:

Comet

Comet is a free television channel dedicated to science fiction shows like “Stargate SG-1” and “The X-Files.” It also offers a selection of free movies, including thrillers, horror films and science fiction classics.

You can stream Comet’s content online free of charge at comettv.com, on cable, on a Roku device or on Apple TV.

Enjoy!

If You’re Home Alone for the Holidays, this is What to Do

Beyond sparing yourself the mental toll of family drama, being alone over the holidays presents a rare opportunity to celebrate in the way that you and only you want. So, yes, being home alone during the time of year usually marked by group revelry is tough for a number of reasons, it doesn’t have to be flat-out dull. Below, get dozens of ideas for what to do during holidays alone that’ll make you feel loved, entertained, and festive.

38 actually fun ideas for what to do during holidays alone

Read every single book you said you wanted to read last year but didn’t

Every Christmas, I ask for five or six books, and read half of them in a week. The rest of the year, the remaining selects in my TBR pile remain totally neglected. If this is relatable, you might as well get back to reading more while you have a moment of quiet.

Bake some Christmas cookies and delight in not having to share

If you, like many Americans, find the entire process of baking soothing, feel free to try one of our healthy holiday cookie recipes. Or, you know, pre-cut chocolate chip cookie dough is always an option.

Or be more altruistic by making treats and sharing with someone in your neighborhood

To that end, it’s a great time of year to do a (zero-contact) dessert swap, so see if someone local might be interested.

Purge your wardrobe for clothes to donate

Many of us are quitting the hard-pants life for good in favor of matching sweatsuit sets. That’s no reason to let great jeans go to waste, though! So, take this opportunity to clean out your closet and share the sartorial wealth.

Put your physical photos into albums

If you can’t be with loved ones in person, embrace them another why by finally finding your old snapshots a permanent home.

Source: (wellandgood.com)

Is Movie Sex Is Ruining Your Sex Life

When movies get hot and steamy, it can look picture perfect. You rarely see the mess—or even the laughs—that make a real-life physical connection so special. Actors with personal trainers, stunning lighting and directors carefully posing them make it seem easy.  “Some people feel inadequate, comparing themselves to movie stars, despite the fact that many actors look like the rest of us when they’re not made up,” says certified sex therapist Grace Landes. “We only see actors at their best, with their hair done, and in great clothes, or naked, in perfectly staged angles, and elegant lighting.” If viewing those svelte, stunning bodies tears you down instead of revving you up, you’re not alone. According to the Deseret News, men, as well as women, experience body image dissatisfaction, when they compare themselves with Hollywood hunks.

© iStock/stella_photo20

Everyday life doesn’t bleed into the movies

Not only are characters in movies better looking than the rest of us, but their homes are more fabulous too.  When movie scenes heat up in the bedroom, characters aren’t tripping over dirty laundry on the floor. When lovers slip into a bubble bath together on screen, there’s no grime around the drain.  Most of us have to juggle our sex lives with the rest of our lives, and that means planning for laundry, cooking, childcare and earning a living. Movie sex is unfettered sex, which is out of reach for many people. “It’s not rare for a couple to come onto my office and use a movie as a reference point for how they wish their sex life operated,” says Chris Donaghue, PhD, author of Sex Outside the Lines: Authentic Sexuality in a Sexually Dysfunctional Culture. “Hollywood’s depiction of sex in movies is typically centered around big, bold acts of love and attraction. Characters in film have no boundaries, whereas typical couples have finances, careers, and family, which may all limit the magnitude of their sex lives. In film,” he adds, “none of these constraints exist, and it can make the average, American couple feel negative about their own sexuality.”

All it takes is a sidelong glance

Ever hear of foreplay? Most Hollywood directors haven’t. Characters on film are always ready, all the time, to jump in the sack. They don’t need to get in the mood, shave their armpits, or reach for the K-Y jelly. They never lose their erections prematurely, feel pain during intercourse, or have post-menopausal dryness. Manual stimulation? Unnecessary. Connecting emotionally? A waste of time. All movie characters have to do is see each other from across a crowded room, and boom, it’s orgasm city. This Hollywood-like depiction of sex couldn’t be farther from the truth, and leaves many people feeling inadequate and wondering what’s wrong with them.

You’ve got baggage

Hot Hollywood sex often centers around a couple that has just started their sexual relationship. Rarely do we see established couples gloriously intertwined in decadent sex. In a movie if someone gets hurt in a relationship they typically move on, but we know real life can be more nuanced. These feelings tend to invade the bedroom, damaging many people’s sex lives.

No glove, no love—unless you’re on the silver screen

In movies, condoms rarely make it into sex scenes. In real life, this omission can result in sexually transmitted infections (STIs), unwanted pregnancy and even increased levels of sexual pressure if one partner feels uncomfortable proceeding without a condom. 

That broccoli you ate made you a little bloated

Human beings have human bodies and sometimes, those bodies produce less-than-sexy smells, sights and tastes. Morning breath, post-workout sweat, and the occasional gassy oops may not fit Hollywood’s definition of hot, but these all-too-human vulnerabilities can bring us closer to our partners and help them see and love us, warts and all. They may even help us to love ourselves a little bit more, when we can let go and be ourselves, rather than a celluloid version of who we think we should be in bed.

Article source: msn.com/en-us/health/other/6-reasons-movie-sex-is-ruining-your-sex-life

Best ‘Wordle’ starting word? 

Give your ‘Wordle’ session a boost today with these words.

My ideal daily Wordle session starts with me plucking a legible five-letter combination out from my stream of consciousness and seeing where that random guess takes me.

Some people like to win under any circumstances, though, and I get it. It feels great to maintain that daily streak, especially as it jumps into the double digits and beyond.

Sure, you could always cheat and look up the answer, but there’s no sense of accomplishment in that. Gaming Wordle is the only agreeable middle-ground there, and the best place to find that comfort zone is starting word strategy.

So, let’s get into it. The internet has lots of thoughts.

How should we think about Wordle starting word strategies?

Let’s think about this holistically first. You’ve got 26 letters in the alphabet. Of those, five (plus the letter “Y” at times) are vowels, the basic building block for most words.

So at a very basic level, any five-letter combination that helps you rule out more vowels early is going to trim down the galaxy of possible answers.

With that basic reality in mind, we can immediately pick out a few ideal starting words There are others, but ADIEU, AUDIO, and OUIJA all cover four vowels. You won’t know if any yellow or green letters appear twice, say if the answer is “sweet” or “radar,” but you can at least out some critical letters right at the start.

That’s good enough for most people. Starting with vowel-heavy words will give you an edge with Wordle‘s puzzle-solving every time. But it’s also not that simple, since not every letter is created equally. Yes, vowels appear in basically every word, but some are more or less common. The same goes for consonants.

If going vowel-heavy isn’t enough and you want to cover some of the more common consonants as well, RAISE is an ideal starting word since it covers the three most common vowels and the two most common consonants as they appear in dictionaries.

Source:  By Adam Rosenberg 

Graphic by forum.unity.com

 

Naomi Judd and Jossara Jinaro Have Died

 

Naomi Judd, the Kentucky-born singer of the Grammy-winning duo The Judds and mother of Wynonna and Ashley Judd, has died. She was 76.

The daughters announced her death on Saturday in a statement provided to The Associated Press.

“Today we sisters experienced a tragedy. We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness,” the statement said. “We are shattered and are navigating profound grief.  She knew that we loved her, and that she was loved by her public. We are in unknown territory.”

In a statement on behalf of her husband and fellow singer, Larry Strickland said that Naomi died near Nashville, Tennessee.    It said no further details about her death would be released.  It also asked for privacy as the family grieves.

The Judds were to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on Sunday.  They had just announced an arena tour to begin in the fall, their first tour together in over a decade. Also, they made a return to awards shows when they performed at the CMT Music Awards earlier this month.

Photo:  chris pizzello©

Actress Jossara Jinaro, who appeared on ‘Judging Amy’ and ‘ER,’ dies at 48 after cancer battle

Actress Jossara Jinaro, who portrayed roles in “ER” and “Judging Amy,” has died. She was 48. 

The TV and film star died from cancer on Wednesday, her husband Matt Bogado announced in a statement. She passed away at her home surrounded by family.

“Jossara was an amazing wife, mother, artist, and friend. She had the most beautiful, kind soul and wouldn’t take no for an answer. Even in her last moments, she was still fighting,” Bogado wrote. “She is now resting in peace and will be remembered forever. Myself, Liam, and Emrys will miss her so deeply.  Although we know she is in our hearts and guiding us every step of the way.”

Photo GREG DOHERTY/GETTY IMAGES

Source: hollywoodreporter.com & The Associated Press

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