The Mind-Blowing Mathematics of Sunflowers

…From Scientific American Magazine on Their 175th Birthday

 

Did you know that the thousands of little florets in the middle of a sunflower actually grow with the mathematical precision of a Fibonacci sequence?

An evenly-growing spiral named after the Italian mathematician who described it, Fibonacci numbers form a sequence—often seen in nature—whereby each number is the sum of the two preceding ones.

The sunflower phenomenon is neatly illustrated in a video from the Instant Egghead YouTube series by Scientific American, which that today is celebrating its 175th birthday.

On this day in 1845, the magazine published its first issue, founded by inventor Rufus M. Porter who began reporting on what was happening at the U.S. Patent Office.

The oldest continuously-published monthly magazine in the US, it now reports on noteworthy advances in science and technology, and educates youth and adults alike with its YouTube channel and website.

Marking the milestone anniversary, the website is presenting a mix of Harry Houdini and M. C. Escher; is reinserting a regular poetry column; and making a deep dive into some of the most transformative, thrilling, dizzying discoveries of the past 175 years.

WATCH the sunflower unfold its mysteries below…

 

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Americans Are Crediting the COVID Crisis for Helping Them Become More Financially Responsible

Growing their own vegetables, switching to one-ply toilet paper and eating lots of leftovers—these are just a few ways people are pinching pennies during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to this new survey.

Interestingly, over half of Americans polled credit the COVID-19 pandemic with finally teaching them how to be smart with their money.

In fact, a similar survey from two years ago shows that the number of US adults who feel very smart with their money has actually risen from just 42% in 2018 to 51% in 2020.

Another two in three participants said the pandemic has turned them into a frugal person.

The polls of 2,000 Americans, both conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Slickdeals, looked into how the pandemic has changed people’s mindsets about their money and how they define being “cheap” versus being “frugal.”

The latest survey was meant to mirror the one run in 2018 as a means of comparing just how much the results have changed over the course of two years and a global pandemic.

Tipping the minimum (15–20%) regardless of service was found to by people in 2020 be “cheap;” however, skimping on the tip in 2018 was voted to be an act of frugality. Perhaps this can be explained by a shift in gratitude towards frontline workers?

Declining to be part of rounds at the bar was considered cheap by respondents, as was calculating your share of the group bill down to the cent.

Other cheap actions? Still using very outdated electronics, re-gifting, and diluting soap containers with water.

Conversely, purchasing clothes at a secondhand store was found to be “frugal,” as was buying off-brand food products, buying no-name electronics, and always seeking out deals or coupons when going shopping.

Participants also considered tracking their electricity and heating usage at home to keep the utility bills down to be frugal behavior.

According to the survey, the average American becomes a frugal person at the age of 31, with one in four saying they became thriftier when they were even younger. Two in three Americans also said they consider being called frugal a compliment.

“The coronavirus pandemic has impacted the financial situations of many people, and brought new focus to the importance of prioritizing spending,” said Josh Meyers, CEO of Slickdeals. “We see a shift toward smarter spending with 65% of respondents indicating that the pandemic has transformed them into a frugal person, and 67% reporting that being called frugal is actually a compliment.”

The survey also found that being financially conscious can be important on the dating scene.

Two-thirds of those polled said they actually think using a coupon on a first date is completely acceptable. In fact, 45% said they’d happily use a coupon on a first date.

Three in four say that the more they age, the more desirable it is for a romantic prospect having a smart financial mindset.

CHEAP OR FRUGAL?

CHEAP

– Tipping the minimum acceptable amount (15–20%) regardless of service

– Declining to be a part of rounds at the bar

– Calculating your part of a group bill to the cent

– Keeping outdated or worn out electronics, as long as they still barely work

– Reusing tea bags or coffee filters

– Eating food a few days past its expiration date

– Lengthening longevity of soap by diluting soap bottles with water

– Re-gifting

FRUGAL

– Regularly tracking electricity use (switching off lights/appliances when they aren’t in use)

– Regularly tracking the home thermostat (keeping the heat as low as possible)

– Watching movies at home instead of in the theater

– Shopping at second-hand clothing stores

– Buying off-brand food products

– Buying no-name electronics (such as ear buds from the corner stone)

– Giving up drinking while at bars or restaurants / only having alcohol at home

– Seeking out deals or coupons for all purchases

 

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NATIONAL JUST BECAUSE DAY

August 27th is National Just Because Day and offers up an opportunity to do stuff…just because. Feel free to celebrate this day any way you choose.  Just because!

Every day we all do things that are expected or required of us. Sometimes we even do things because we have to do them, we don’t know why. Well, on this occasion, that does not apply. This day is a chance to do something without rhyme or reason.

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    • It could be that there is an outfit at the mall that you are admiring; buy it…just because.
    
    
    • Maybe you want to use a vacation day just to go fishing; do it…just because.
    
    
    • Perhaps you would like to pay the tab for the table next to you at your favorite restaurant; do it…just because.
    
    
    • Possibly you want to sing really loud while you’re in your car, by yourself, with your windows rolled down; do it…just because.
    
    
    • Surprise someone with flowers…just because!
    
    
    • Make something up…just because!
    
    
    • Or maybe, just maybe, do something just because Mom said so.
    
    
  
  

 

HOW TO OBSERVE #JustBecauseDay

Do something just because. Sometimes, we need to say things, just because. We have 11 Things to Say…Just Because right here. Use #JustBecauseDay to post on social media.

Educators & blogger, taking the Just Because Day theme to heart, visit the National Day Calendar Classroom for ways to use this day in your classroom or blogs, just because.

NATIONAL JUST BECAUSE DAY HISTORY

In the late 1950s, Joseph J. Goodwin of Los Gatos, California created Just Because Day. It began as a family holiday and grew into an annual celebration across the United States.

 

So take this opportunity to say or do something meaningful and nice… JUST BECAUSE ☺

Come Enjoy the Every Wednesday Green Market at the Fort Pierce City Marina

Green Market w/ Arts and Crafts – Every Wednesday at the Fort Pierce City Marina

 

The Wednesday Green Market is located along the Indian River Lagoon in Historic Downtown Fort Pierce every Wednesday from 12pm until 6pm. It’s a tradition for residents and tourists alike with live entertainment & delicious food options!

The Market of Ft. Pierce is intended to provide healthy, fresh foods and horticultural products to St. Lucie County and the surrounding areas, and to encourage commerce, entertainment and trade in Downtown Fort Pierce.

Time: 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Date: Every Wednesday (Weather Permitting)
Location: Fort Pierce City Marina
Address: Marina Drive, Fort Pierce

Free mask are available, and mask are required while shopping

Every Wednesday 12-6pm, produce vendors, arts, crafts, sundresses, hats, and health products to help fight COVID.

Creative Seniors Take On The Latest Trend And Recreate Vogue Covers

These pictures show elderly residents at an English care home taking part in the latest viral internet trend—recreating iconic Vogue magazine covers.

Seniors at Robinson House Care Home recently made like fashion photographer Annie Liebowitz was in the building and struck some brilliant poses.

The care home in Bristol, England decided to get involved with the latest social media craze that originated on TikTok.

The trend sees people recreate celebrity Vogue magazine covers.

Three of Robinson House’s top models were Susan Crew, Norma Hounson, and Terry Chard.

Maria Jones, Activity Coordinator at Robinson House, said: “Getting involved with the Vogue Challenge was lots of fun.

“I enjoyed taking all the pictures of the residents. It was great to see them all smiling—I think some of them felt like real celebrities.”

Lisa Brain, deputy manager at the home, said, “When I found out about what our residents had been getting up to, I thought it was an excellent idea.

“Our carers were extraordinary–the residents didn’t stop laughing throughout the photoshoot, and the pictures turned out lovely.”

Lisa also explained that the pictures will be displayed around Robinson House for family and friends of the residents to see.

Are you ready to see some of the best images from the photoshoot?

Who’s on the other end of the line? Surely it can only be Anna Wintour.

Beyoncé, is that you? No, it’s one fun senior going all out to recreate the iconic 2018 September issue.

77-year-old Terry Chard opted for vintage glamor in his floral photoshoot.

 

Americans Say They Are Thankful For Little Joys More Than Ever These Days

Their Top 10 Favorites

 

72% of Americans in a new poll said that they are more likely to find “little joys” during the summertime—and that’s especially true this year.

83% of respondents agreed: it’s the little things in their day that bring the most joy—and just as many say these little things have become even more important to them in the past few months.

Luckily, the average respondent experiences four of these small things every day.

Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Bubbies Ice Cream, the survey found many of the little things respondents look forward to relate to nature and the great outdoors. The third most-popular ”little joy” was ‘feeling the sun on my face’

Listening to rainfall or a thunderstorm while inside, the arrival of a blue-sky sunny day, and the smell of the ocean, all made it into the top 30.

But it was family and friends that were a key factor in a third of the top ten “little joys”. Not surprisingly in 2020, seeing a loved one after being apart was #1.

Sleeping in a freshly made bed, having time to myself, and getting something for free rounded out the top five answers. Who doesn’t love finding money? That was also mentioned.

For many, who look forward to something in the kitchen, the smell of freshly-made baked goods and the first sip of coffee in the morning was a favorite answer.

“We’ve seen the joy that comes from these indulgences and know that celebrating the small moments in life is critical when it comes to navigating stressful times,” noted Katie Cline, Vice President of Marketing at Bubbies Ice Cream.

AMERICANS’ TOP 10 “LITTLE JOYS”
1. 40% – Seeing a loved one after being apart for a while

2. 39% – Sleeping in a freshly made bed

3. 39% – Feeling the sun on my face

4. 39% – Getting something for free

5. 35% – Having time to myself

6. 33% – Hugging a loved one

7. 32% – Finding money I didn’t know I had

8. 30% – The first sip of coffee in the morning

9. 30% – The clean feeling after a shower

10. 28% – Receiving an “I’ve been thinking about you” type text

What are your favorite little joys? Would sunshine and a freshly made bed make your top five?

 

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Generous Americans Are Actually Giving More To Charities Through The Pandemic, Surveys Say

It looks like the frequency of charitable giving by individuals in the US is continuing—and even increasing—during the economic uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic.

The report from Lending Tree reported that about two-thirds of respondents said they had not changed their charitable giving habits from previous years—with 34% donating more than once within the last year.

The report also uncovered increases in forms of giving which aren’t usually recorded due to the inability to write them off on income taxes. These included donating to a local relief fund (13%) and sending money to a loved one who was laid off (12%).

56% said they make recurring donations, meaning they donate to the same charity or organization once a month or more often.

The generosity was impressive when it involved people they knew personally who are affected by the lockdowns: “Some consumers (30%) continue to pay for services they can’t use due to social distancing guidelines, like housekeeping and babysitting.”

There was a lot of public debate before the first U.S. stimulus package was passed about whether people who had monetary means or property would—upon recognizing the gravity of the financial blow the country was about to receive—continue to support people who relied on them for their livelihoods.

The survey shows that many did indeed choose to make sure person-to-person service providers did not fall on hard times.

The CARES Act, the first COVID-19 stimulus package, encouraged donations by allowing regular household earners to write-off anything larger than $300 from their income tax total without requiring them to go through the process of itemizing their deductions.

Heavy duty giving – up a whopping 667%

While personal charity is a great marker to judge how charitable a society is, it’s equally amazing to note that large-scale corporate giving actually increased during 2020.

In June, Fidelity Charitable, the largest organizer of donor-advised funds (DAFs)—a kind of charitable savings account—reported that these funds have donated $3.4 billion in 2020, a 28% increase in giving in the first six months, over the same period over the previous year.

Together the donors directed a whopping 667% increase in their grants to food banks and other food assistance programs across the States.

In June, Good News Network reported that Charles Schwab alone saw a 46% increase in DAF grants, totaling $1.7 billion across 330,000 separate grants, it was the most generous period of giving recorded in the history of one of America’s largest philanthropic funds.

“The last six months have been incredibly challenging, and I am truly inspired to see donors utilize their donor-advised funds to help communities and nonprofits impacted by health, economic, and social crises,” says Kim Laughton, President of Schwab Charitable.

Washington Examiner also reported on a statistic that found DAFs managed in 32 different community foundations in 21 different states “reported an 80 percent increase in donations… from March to May, compared with the same period last year.”

This is a heartening reminder once again that the United States has some very generous citizens, despite COVID-19 concerns.

 

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Lifelike Robotic Pets Bring Joy And Serenity To Seniors, Combatting Stress And Loneliness

Lifelike robotic pets ‘companion animals’ are now offering the elderly all the feel-good perks of pet ownership, but without the drawbacks.

According to research, pet therapy has numerous benefits that run the gamut from helping alleviate anxiety and loneliness, to lowering blood pressure and cortisol levels, to fostering enhanced social interaction.

“The simple act of petting animals releases an automatic relaxation response,” a report from UCLA Health reveals. “Humans interacting with animals have found that petting the animal promoted the release of serotonin, prolactin, and oxytocin—all hormones that can play a part in elevating moods.”

Unfortunately, the practicalities of pet ownership: feeding, grooming, and vet visits—not to mention cleaning up the occasional “Oops!”—all too often limits seniors, especially those in assisted living, from having a fluffy friend to call their own. But now, thanks to a novel breed of robotic puppies and kitties, many seniors are getting a “new leash on life.”

The leader of the pack when it comes to robotic companion animals is Joy For All Companion Pets. This line of “adoptable” animatronic fur babies from manufacturer Ageless Innovation was specifically created by a group of former Hasbro toy designers with seniors in mind.

“We have technology that allows you to respond to touch and sound and light in different ways,” Ageless Innovation CEO Ted Fischer told CNN. “That’s part of the magic of a companion pet.”

In addition to providing companionship, robot pets have shown amazing promise for improving the quality of life for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients.

In a CBS Health Watch interview filmed at the Memory Care Unit at the Hebrew Home in Riverdale, New York, spokesperson Mary Farkas explained their cadre of resident robotic pets are often used to soothe agitated dementia sufferers rather than resorting to drugs. “These animals are a wonderful way, a nonpharmacologic approach to offer comfort and a sense of calm,” she said.

Decreased meds and a calming influence are definite checks in the plus column, but the benefits don’t stop there. Often offering a dose of much-needed role reversal, robotic pets also boost seniors’ self-esteem. “[They] provide an opportunity for the resident to be in the role of the nurturer and the caregiver,” Hebrew Home CEO Daniel Rheingold told CBS.

So, are robotic pets the “purrfect” solution for seniors suffering unrequited puppy love or crushing on kitty in a cat-free zone? Signs point to “Woof!”

 

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Port St. Lucie City Council approves contract for first phase of Floresta Drive improvements

The Port St. Lucie City Council voted unanimously during an Aug. 17 special meeting to approve the first phase of a project to improve Floresta Drive between the Southbend roundabout near S.E. Oaklyn Street north to the Elkcam Water Way near S.E. Whitmore Drive.

Felix Associates of Florida was the lowest qualified bidder for phase one of the project, estimated to cost $11.087 million. Funding for improvements comes from the one-half-cent sales tax earmarked for infrastructure improvement projects.

Construction is expected to to commence the second week of September and be complete in approximately one year.

The improvements include a two-lane section with a landscaped median and a two-lane section with a bi-directional turning lane, and will include sidewalks, bicycle lanes, curbs and gutters, landscaping, irrigation, water main adjustments, and pedestrian lighting.

Council members have been planning for years to make improvements to Floresta Drive, Vice Mayor Shannon Martin said, and she suggested having a public ribbon-cutting ceremony sometime in the coming weeks to start the project.

Council members also voted to select the design of new bus stop shelters for the city from three designs selected by participants at a citizens summit conducted on Feb. 29. They settled on a design with herringbone panels in black and silver, constructed of aluminum, but with a Victorian-style peaked roof.

The estimated price for five shelters is $65,675, not including the cost of constructing the concrete pad base, which is estimated at $15,000-$20,000, depending on the site conditions.

In other business, the council approved a plan to provide up to 2,000 Wi-Fi hotspots to needy families in the city so their school-age children can choose to study at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The $804,000 to fund the devices comes through the Florida Housing Corporation from money that was provided in the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed by the U.S. Congress in March. This particular funding was included in grants that were earmarked for housing costs related to the pandemic and has to be spent by Dec. 31, said Port St. Lucie City Manager Russ Blackburn.

Approximately 85 of the Wi-Fi devices will be provided to each school in the district, with another 200 available to home-schooled students and students who study at schools outside the district, Blackburn said. Approximately 50% of students in St. Lucie County have chosen to study online this coming semester, he said.

 

Knowhere News – AUG 17, 2020 4:28 PM EDT

 

Perseid meteor shower will peak this week — here's how to watch

…And you can watch from your own backyard!

 

When is the next summer meteor shower? The Perseid meteor shower is one of the highlights of this time of year, and it’s expected to peak this week, starting today.

When is the Perseid meteor shower?

Billed as the most active meteor shower of the year, it’s slated to peak the nights of Aug. 11 and Aug. 12 in 2020. You can try out this handy tool here to see what time is best for stargazing!

Where can I see the Perseid meteor shower?

The National Weather Service says the moon will make it hard to see some of the meteors, but the best viewing will be in a dark sky away from the radiant, or where the meteors appear to be coming from. For this shower, the radiant is in the constellation of Perseus, which is also where the annual event gets its name. You could also try to look for meteors before the moon rises or after it sets in your location.

Tips for watching the Perseid meteor shower

Experts have also suggested making sure you let your eyes adjust for about 20 minutes when looking at the dark sky — you’ll be more likely to catch a glimpse of the fast-moving meteors.

If you miss the peak, don’t fret. The Perseids are visible until Aug. 26, so you still have time to catch a peek of the show.

 

Aug. 11, 2020 – Source: TODAY By Samantha Kubota

3D-Printer Completes the Largest 3D-Printed Home in Europe

…With 2 Stories and 980 Square Feet – in Just 3 Weeks

 

The largest 3D-printed home ever made in Europe—a two story affair with two living rooms, a kitchen, bathroom, and foyer—has recently been completed by the Belgian sustainable construction company Kamp C, hugely advancing the science of 3D-printed housing.

Kamp C used a 32 x 32 foot “gantry” printer, the largest of its kind in Europe, to create the shell of the two-story building. Using a special cement mixture ejected from the printer’s nozzle, the on-site work took only 3 weeks, with construction workers adding the roof, foundation, floor, windows, doors, plumbing, and electrical by hand. (See the time-lapse video below.)

The 980 square-foot building also featured some unique sustainable touches like underfloor heating and solar panels which were added later.

Of the benefits of 3D-printing, also known as “additive manufacturing,” the precise work of the machine cuts costs of materials—sometimes enormously.

Marijke Aerts, the project manager, told News Atlas: “The material’s compressive strength is three times greater than that of the conventional quick build brick. Besides the fibers in the concrete, the amount of wire-mesh reinforcement used is extremely limited. As a result of the printing technology used, the formwork was redundant, saving an estimated sixty percent on material, time, and budget.”

In Europe, where homes are normally built with brick, mortar, and concrete, saving construction costs is not only great for one’s wallet, but for the environment as well; as it’s estimated that manufacturing concrete creates 1 ton of CO2 per every ton of material, making it one of the most carbon-intensive construction methods available to home builders.

 

Designed and carried out as a proof of concept, the house in Belgium was never actually intended to be lived in.

“Printing this building is mainly a statement,” Emiel Ascione, another project manager told Digital Trends. “It shows the construction industry the accessibility and potential of this technique. The benefits of additive manufacturing are already paying off in a wide range of other industries, he said. It’s about time that housing caught up with them.”

Ascione explained further that many people would like to be able to have a more unique or personalized structure to their home, but that manufacturing costs of things like towers, circular angles, sunken living rooms, and other creative designs run too high for most people.

Another company, in the United Arab Emirate, built a 3D printed home in Dubai using locally sourced materials, and finished theirs after just two weeks of construction—a beautiful modern design measuring 6,900 square feet (640 square meters).

“A huge benefit of this technique is that [it is free of] complexity,” added Ascione. “You could print a series of houses and make each of them unique without a considerable impact on the cost.”

 

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Getting You Back to Business

Across the Treasure Coast, the SBDC mobile unit is here to assist business owners that are applying for St. Lucie County’s small business grant program.

Wednesdays, August 12, 19 & 26

Port St. Lucie City Hall, 121 SW Port St. Lucie Blvd., Building A., Port St. Lucie, FL 34984

Schedule an appointment  •  Call: 772-336-6285  •  Email: fsbdc@irsc.edu

St. Lucie Recovers Small Business Assistance Grant

 

Other Resources:

Information for Individuals

Links to resources for individuals impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including information on financial assistance and unemployment. CLICK HERE

Information for Businesses

Both the federal government and the state have resources available to help small businesses. Additional information on business financial assistance, click below.  CLICK HERE

Medical Information

Links and information related to COVID-19 testing and advisories from Federal, State, County and municipal resources.  CLICK HERE

CARES Act

This program will provide a one-time payment to eligible St. Lucie County residents who have suffered an economic hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  CLICK HERE

 

Seniors Recreate Iconic Movie Posters For Calendar That’s Raising Thousands For Alzheimer’s

– And They’re Amazing

 

These seniors have been getting fancy with makeup and lights since long before COVID-19 spurred us all to creativity.

In genius photoshoots, residents at the Spiritwood Assisted Living in Washington State have been recreating iconic posters from classic movies for two years now. And the results are guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

The idea to transform seniors into Hollywood stars came to Jennifer Angell in 2018. She’s the community relations director at ‘Spiritwood at Pine Lake’. Her mission? To combine unique, enjoyable activities for the residents with something purposeful—like raising money for others.

Jennifer struck gold when she came up with an idea for a ‘film star’ calendar.

“For two years we have dressed up the seniors as Hollywood movie stars and Village Concepts, a family company that owns the senior home, produces the calendars for us,” she told GNN. “I photograph each senior after doing makeup, hair and costume. The best part is we sell each calendar and every penny earned goes to the Alzheimer’s Association.”

“For the first calendar in 2019, the whole process took about four months,” says Jennifer. “I would do just one photo at a time, and when it was ready, I’d present it to the community at lunchtime. People passed the photo around and the featured resident would dress up in costume and parade around the lunchroom. It was so much fun for everyone.”

Jack Guptil, 83, who starred in the “Blues Brothers” photoshoot told the Issaquah Reporter in 2018, “When asked by Jennifer to be a part of the calendar, I didn’t want to be bothered, but when I saw how much fun people were having being someone else, I said that’s me—Elwood from the Blues Brothers.”

 

 

The first three boxes sold out in just four days. “Resident families just loved it and swooped them right up,” says Jennifer.

After the Alzheimer’s Association posted them for sale on their blog in 2018 they raised around $14,000.

Jennifer gave GNN the inside scoop about the theme for the 2021 calendar. It will be ‘Iconic Figures’ including pop culture icons like Sonny and Cher, Willie Nelson, and Andy Warhol, alongside historical notables like Winston Churchill and Eleanor Roosevelt.

“The annual resident calendars bring so much joy to not only the residents but their families,” says Spiritwood’s Executive Director Michelle Strazis. “They feel good about themselves participating in something that makes them feel so special and to be contributing by helping raise money for such a worthy cause.”

Which iconic Hollywood image is your favorite? Scroll down to see them and share the ones you love the most.

 

Click here to see more

Drive-in Movies Are Coming to Walmarts Across America

– And Every Showing is Free

 

Let the popcorn munching, soda slurping, and celebrity spotting begin. It’s time to return to the 1950s and enjoy a film in the open air, because drive-in movie screenings are coming free to Walmarts across the USA.

If you’ve always wanted to catch a classic film on the big screen, the Walmart Drive-in tour can make that happen in a socially-distancing way. Best of all? Actress Drew Barrymore will be there to virtually host each event—and at one surprise location, she’ll even be there in person.

Created in response to the coronavirus, 160 Walmart stores across the country are going to be hosting the drive-in movie nights until the end of October.

“We recognize the challenges our customers and their families have faced over the last few months,” said Janey Whiteside, Walmart’s chief customer officer, “and we wanted to create an experience where they could come together safely to create new memories. The Walmart Drive-in is one small way we’re supporting the communities we serve.”

The fun starts on August 14, and this is no small initiative. Over the next few months, there’ll be 320 movies playing from coast to coast, from Houston, Texas, to Sedalia, Montana.

Film choices have all been curated by Walmart’s drive-in partner, the Tribeca Film Festival–so rest assured these won’t be duds.

From the safety of your vehicle, here’s a selection of the kinds of movies you’ll be able to enjoy:

• Inspiring sports stories like Friday Night Lights, The Karate Kid, and Space Jam


• Blockbuster franchises including Black Panther, Pokémon Detective Pikachu, Spider-ManTM: Into The Spider-Verse, Spy Kids, Teen Titans GO! To the Movies, and Wonder Woman


• Out-of-this-world stories like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Ghostbusters, and Men in BlackTM: International


• Nostalgic favorites including Back to the Future, Beetlejuice, The Goonies, and The Wizard of Oz


• Inspiring true stories from Dolphin Tale to Selena


• Animated features enjoyable for the youngest to the oldest, like Cars, The Iron Giant, The Lego Movie, and Madagascar

 

There’ll be filmmakers and special guests alongside Barrymore to help celebrate the comeback of the big screen onto your empty social calendar. If you’ve ever hoped to see stars like LeBron James, Jennifer Garner, director Peter Berg, and This Is Us star Chrissy Metz… you might just get lucky. They’ll all be making surprise virtual or in-person appearances at specific locations.

Head to TheWalmartDriveIn.com to find store locations, dates, and the films being shown at each stop on the movie tour. You can also reserve your parking space and pick your desired location and date. Once confirmed, you’ll receive an email with a QR code. That will grant your vehicle entry on the day of the event.

So go on. Enjoy the movies. And save some popcorn for us?

 

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NAR Launches Exhibit Celebrating Innovative Solution to Veteran Homelessness

In honor of the 20th year of the Good Neighbor Awards, the National Association of REALTORS® is celebrating the impact of each of the five 2019 winner in their hometowns. Mark Solomon, a REALTOR® and combat veteran is one of five Good Neighbor Award winners honored in 2019 for making an extraordinary impact as a volunteer. NAR is recognizing Solomon with a pop-up art installation in Kansas City’s Union Station for his work as co-founder of Veterans Community Project, which works to eliminate veteran homelessness. Since 2018, VCP has built 49 tiny homes in Kansas City, Mo., and provides comprehensive services to battle veteran homelessness.

“The Battle Home” is an experiential installation and replica of the tiny homes that VCP builds for veterans. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, on any given night, more than 37,000 veterans are living on the streets across the U.S. The installation brings this sensitive issue to life using “bricks” constructed from a fabric that is often representative of the veteran homeless experience—sleeping bags. Videos tell the true stories of 11 homeless veterans’ journeys from living on the street to living in a tiny home with VCP. The exhibit will run through August 14 in Kansas City, then will go on the road with VCP in the future.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/fo9VNsgx_Uk

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New Transparent Spray-on Coating For Windows Can Block Heat And Conduct Electricity For Cheap Smart Solution

After the Empire State Building in New York reported installing smart glass windows, they cut energy usage by $2.4 million and their carbon emissions by 4,000 metric tons, but smart windows are costly.

That’s why news of a new transparent spray-on coating that is much more cost-effective—while providing similar performance—is worth shouting from the tops of skyscrapers.

The simple method for adding a clear coating to existing windows to block heat and  also conduct electricity could radically cut the cost of energy-saving smart windows and heat-repelling glass.

The spray-on coatings developed by researchers at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, are ultra-thin, and rival the performance of current industry standards for transparent electrodes.

Transparent electrodes combine the best properties of glass and metals in a single component, which is a highly conductive clear coating that allows visible light through. Those coatings—key components of smart windows, touchscreen displays, LED lighting and solar panels—are currently made through time-consuming processes that rely on expensive raw materials.

The new spray-on method is fast, scalable and based on cheaper materials that are readily available. The method could simplify the fabrication of smart windows, which can be both energy-saving and dimmable, as well as low-emissivity glass, where a conventional glass panel is coated with a special layer to minimize ultraviolet and infrared light.

Lead investigator Dr Enrico Della Gaspera said the pioneering approach could be used to substantially bring down the cost of energy-saving windows and potentially make them a standard part of new builds and retrofits.

“Smart windows and low-E glass can help regulate temperatures inside a building, delivering major environmental benefits and financial savings, but they remain expensive and challenging to manufacture,” said Della Gaspera, a senior lecturer and Australian Research Council DECRA Fellow at RMIT.

“The ultimate aim is to make smart windows much more widely accessible, cutting energy costs and reducing the carbon footprint of new and retrofitted buildings.”

The new method can also be precisely optimized to produce coatings tailored to the transparency and conductivity requirements of the many different applications of transparent electrodes.

How the tech works

The standard approach for manufacturing transparent electrodes is based on indium, a rare and expensive element, and vacuum deposition methods, which are bulky, slow and costly. This makes transparent electrodes a major cost in the production of any optoelectronic device.

In the new study, published August 5 in Advanced Materials Interfaces, researchers in RMIT’s School of Science made transparent electrodes using the far cheaper material tin oxide, spiked with a special combination of chemicals to enhance conductivity and transparency.

The standard approach for manufacturing transparent electrodes is based on indium, a rare and expensive element, and vacuum deposition methods, which are bulky, slow and costly. This makes transparent electrodes a major cost in the production of any optoelectronic device.

In the new study, published August 5 in Advanced Materials Interfaces, researchers in RMIT’s School of Science made transparent electrodes using the far cheaper material tin oxide, spiked with a special combination of chemicals to enhance conductivity and transparency.

When the solution hits the hot layer a chemical reaction is triggered, decomposing the precursor into a solid residue that is deposited as an ultra-thin coating. All the by-products of the reaction are eliminated as vapors, leaving a pure coating with the desired composition.

Global demand for smart glazing

The global market size for smart glass and smart windows is expected to reach $6.9 billion by 2022, while the global low-E glass market is set to reach an estimated $39.4 billion by 2024.

Eureka Tower in Melbourne features a dramatic use of smart glass in its “Edge” tourist attraction, a glass cube that projects 3m out of the building and suspends visitors 300m over the city. The glass is opaque as the cube moves out over the edge of the building and becomes clear once fully extended.

First author Jaewon Kim, a PhD researcher in Applied Chemistry at RMIT, said the next steps in the research were developing precursors that will decompose at lower temperatures, allowing the coatings to be deposited on plastics and used in flexible electronics, as well as producing larger prototypes by scaling up the deposition.

“The spray coater we use can be automatically controlled and programmed, so fabricating bigger proof-of-concept panels will be relatively simple,” he said.

 

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Red Lobster employee saves rare blue lobster from becoming dinner

This crustacean is now living her best life at the Akron Zoo.

 

A stunning blue lobster has one shell of a story.

Instead of ending up as someone’s dinner, Clawdia the crustacean was recently sent to live out her days at a zoo in Akron, Ohio — and she owes it all to an unlikely person: an employee at a Red Lobster.

“At first, the lobster just looked a little off,” Michelle Falconer, the general manager at the Red Lobster in Cuyahoga Falls where Clawdia was found, told TODAY Food. “But when we put her in our tank, she was this beautiful, brilliant color.”

According to the University of Maine’s Lobster Institute, only an estimated one out of every 2 million lobsters are blue and the coloration comes from a genetic defect. The rarest of all lobsters are white, which is seen in just one out of every 100 million lobsters.

Falconer contacted the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California (Red Lobster is connected to the famous facility through the sustainability organization Seafood Watch) and the aquarium then reached out to the Akron Zoo.

On Friday, Clawdia, was carefully transported to her new home.

“Shortly after we introduced Clawdia to her aquarium, she started moving rocks around to create her own cave. That was a good sign, it means she’s doing well,” Vince Jeffries, director of marketing and public relations for the Akron Zoo, told TODAY.

Jeffries noted that it’s important for Clawdia to take it easy after her move and said staff members have been monitoring her carefully.

“We want to make sure that she has a successful molt in September or October,” Jeffries said. In order for a lobster to grow, it must shed its shell.

Though Clawdia is currently living in isolation — the zoo quarantines animals for up to 90 days for safety reasons — she will eventually move into a visible habitat area near the Stripe-leg slipper lobsters. Since Clawdia is a cold water lobster, she will remain in her own tank.

“We’ve really been pampering her,” Jeffries said. “She actually just enjoyed a shrimp feast!”

Clawdia was originally named Clawde by Red Lobster crew members. However, after determining that she was a female, a veterinarian at the Akron Zoo gave her name a feminine update.

 

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41 States Have Reduced Their Carbon Emissions While Growing Their Economies

Reducing carbon emissions while increasing gross domestic product is not only possible, but is already happening in almost every state in America, according to a new report.

Things like market investment in renewable energy companies or projects, and the development of storage technology, have helped propel this transition in 41 U.S. states and DC.

All major regions in the U.S. from 2005 to 20017 were found to have increased real GDP, a common marker for economic productivity, while simultaneously cutting the growth of, or reversing, greenhouse gas emissions.

The nonprofit World Resources Institute (WRI) also credits “improvements in vehicle emissions standards, increases in lighting and appliance efficiency, a shift from coal to natural gas in the power sector, [and] the rapid deployment of wind and solar power.”

The five that cut their local carbon emissions the most, despite federal policy, while still growing their economies were Maryland (38%), New Hampshire (37%), the District of Columbia (33%), Maine (33%), and Alaska (29%).

Massachusetts and New York businesses and homes cut their emissions by 25% while simultaneously growing their GDP by 26% and 21% respectively, proving that being green doesn’t always cost you green.

The nine states that did not reduce emissions while growing GDP were Louisiana, Texas, Washington, Arkansas, Mississippi, South Dakota, North Dakota, Idaho, and Nebraska.

The renewable energy industry in America generated, according to WRI “$238 billion in revenues in 2018, and the sector’s 11% growth in 2018 was almost four times the growth of the U.S. economy overall.”

Furthermore, the United States “is second only to China in total clean energy investments.” Investors across the world have been breaking records, but particularly in the United States, where a green domestic record of $78.3 billion was tallied last year.

Even though Americans’ wallets are squeezed this year and the nation is a consumer driven economy, the long-term drivers for financial sector investment in clean energy remain strong, and could likely persevere through the COVID-19 economic downturn. It’s simply too expensive in most countries to try and finance, produce, or run a coal plant, due to the rapid increase in renewables technology and replacement of coal plants by natural gas plants.

“It is encouraging that 41 U.S. states and the District of Colombia reduced their energy-related CO2 emissions while increasing real GDP in recent years. The decoupling trend shows that a huge swath of the nation is creeping in the right direction.”

 

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Grants Available for Eligible St. Lucie County Small Businesses

Help is here for St. Lucie County small businesses hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic. Grants are available for eligible businesses that were economically injured, mandated to close or curtail operations due to the pandemic.

The grants are intended to be used to cover operational and working capital expenses such as reopening costs, costs for safety measures, mortgage, rent, utility and insurance premium costs.

The grant application period begins August 3, 2020 and ends August 28, 2020 or until the funds are depleted. Grant requirements:

• Must have 10 or fewer employees


• Total revenue of less than $1 million


• Be physically located in St. Lucie County

 

CLICK HERE FOR FULL DETAILS

 

The EDC’s Partner “WeVenture” hosted a webinar to help educate business owners on the application process.  Watch the webinar Here

DeSantis extends Florida eviction and foreclosure moratorium until Sept. 1

Homeowners facing foreclosure and renters facing eviction cannot be removed until Sept. 1 after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a third moratorium extension.

 

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday night extended the moratorium on evictions and foreclosures until Sept. 1 in the wake of the COVID-19 epidemic that has wreaked havoc on the economy.

The ban, which was initially signed in April, was going to expire Aug. 1, but DeSantis extended it for the third time in as many months. Last month, the governor waited until four hours before it was set to expire before extending it.

If it was not extended, thousands of Floridians could have become homeless in days because landlords have been filing paperwork in court to boot non-paying tenants once the ban ends.

Advocates for low-wage tourism workers and others have been calling for the governor to extend the moratorium to prevent an avalanche of homelessness in Florida.

State Rep. Ana Eskamani, D-Orlando, tweeted the news late Wednesday: “BREAKING – Eviction and foreclosure moratorium has been extended for another month.”

As was the case last month, the governor issued the executive order extending the order without comment. On June 30, DeSantis dodged a question about the issue at a news conference earlier in the day only to send out the order via email hours later that night.

Florida’s jobless rate fell to 10.4% in June, but tourism-dependent Orlando, where coronavirus infections and deaths are rising, remains the worst region in the state at 16.5%.

More than a third of adults in Florida reported that they missed June’s rent or mortgage payment, or said they won’t be able to pay July’s, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey.

 

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