The Odyssey Online

Athletes spend countless hours perfecting their skills to perform to the best of their ability. They push through exhaustion and pain, stressing their limits both physically and mentally. As their athletic prowess grows and competition becomes more stressful, they must increase their mental strength and stamina to accommodate.

Sports psychologists help athletes cope with the tremendous pressures that come with competition and extreme training. They want athletes to avoid mental lapses and physical injury. Maintaining a healthy physical and mental balance is crucial for competitive athletes—and sports psychologist are using new technologies such as virtual reality to realize that balance.

The Odyssey Online

Once springtime hits, gardening season is on. Professional gardeners will have done their annual research to predict when the last frost may occur so they can be prepared for planting. Some gardeners will plant for the long-haul, choosing vegetables that take awhile to mature. Other gardeners, like yourself, may be more eager to reach that first harvest as soon as possible. If so, there are some vegetables known for rapidly growing into your enjoyment.

The Odyssey Online

If you think that weddings are all about the bride and groom, then you haven't tried planning a wedding. If that was true, then the planning process wouldn't be rife with discussions, arguments, and family/friendship-altering decisions. But that's not a bad thing.

The Odyssey Online

In 2017, Victoria's Secret paid out $12 million in an overtime lawsuit to compensate workers who worked without pay. That very same year, MetLife paid out $50 millionin a similar lawsuit. From retail to insurance, people are overworked and underpaid by management that suggest it's necessary and harshly punish overtime work.

The Odyssey Online

Seeds are sturdy capsules filled with life waiting to burst forth. It's the miracle of life that attracts us to gardening. Once the plant escapes the protective casing to reach for sunlight and moisture, however, the plant is extremely vulnerable. Seasoned gardeners know the most sensitive time of growth is when a seed becomes a seedling – a small, fragile plant that is susceptible to the elements. Cold spells, heat waves, heavy rain, and hungry pests can make quick work of unprotected seedling. That's why nursing indoors is a common practice in gardening. It provides a safe, manageable environment for the seedling to mature into stronger young plants. Nursing indoors is also used to start the growing season earlier!

The Odyssey Online

Technology has become more prominent and competitive in the workforce, but most of its integration has replaced repetitive and tedious tasks.Its application can be seen from two perspectives: technology takes jobs from people, or technology expands opportunities for people.

Production Hub

Your team is the backbone of the set and, like our actual backs, it’s important to keep them healthy. If they begin to suffer due to physical, mental or financial issues, then the production will equally suffer. For those old-school thinkers who believe employees are replaceable if they begin to have issues, you will spend more hiring new employees. Training and bringing replacements up to speed is time-consuming, so investing a little extra into your current employees will save money in the long run. Plus, happy employees are more effective, efficient and loyal.

Coach's Clipboard

Per your title as coach, it's your responsibility to help students in and outside of athletics. Whether you coach interscholastic or collegiate, athletes will have a variety of questions ranging from personal to academic. One such question is regarding transferring schools. Most commonly asked by students already in college, it can also come from high school students that are planning ahead.

The Odyssey Online

A non-compete agreement is an agreement between an employer and employee restricting the employee from working in competition with the employer during or after employment based off industry, time, and regional restrictions. They have become more common so employers can avoid competition and replication of proprietary services or information.

The Odyssey Online

With the exception of South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Idaho, every other state has legalized marijuana to some extent. From decriminalization, to medical use, to recreational legalization, America has been shrugging off traditional stigmas associated with weed. Brewers and beer-enthusiasts can make their own brew and, now, gardeners and green-enthusiasts can cultivate their own cannabis.

EKU Online

Analyzing and observing Big Data patterns is not only a beneficial practice within businesses, it can also improve the efficiency and effectiveness of emergency and disaster management organizations.  Thanks to the availability and usage of smartphones and social media, disasters can be measured with real-time information and met with a rapid, accurate and precise response. Big Data has the ability to enhance disaster recovery by utilizing community information and connecting victims with emergency responders and family.

The Odyssey Online

College athletics is one of the last stepping stones before entering the world of professional sports. Collegiate athletes spend a majority of their college career training and competing in addition to the countless hours given prior to their recruitment. According to research by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in 2015, Division I college athletes dedicated thirty-four hours a week to their sport. Assuming seven hours of sleep per night, that's roughly 28 percent of their weekly activity comprised of practice and competition.

The Odyssey Online

Friend's houses, clubs, downtown events – these are all tried and true ways to ring in the New Year. It's exciting to be part of an event that spares no expense in celebration of yet another rotation around Mr. Sun. Plus, if you're lucky, that New Year's kiss may turn into an all-night…kiss. But there are other ways to enjoy the extravagance and magic. For those in relationships, engaged, married, or just having a good time, try a New Year's at Walt Disney World.

The Odyssey Online

Ending a relationship can be challenging – especially when terminating your employment relationship. Sometimes it's an easy-breezy high five and best of luck, and sometimes it's Jerry Springer levels of drama. While we can't control the actions and responses of others, we do have control over our own. Take control and, when you end your employment relationship (or any relationship for that matter), ensure you are being treated fairly.

The Odyssey Online

Analyzing and observing Big Data patterns is not only a beneficial practice within businesses, it can also improve the efficiency and effectiveness of emergency and disaster management organizations.  Thanks to the availability and usage of smartphones and social media, disasters can be measured with real-time information and met with a rapid, accurate and precise response. Big Data has the ability to enhance disaster recovery by utilizing community information and connecting victims with emergency responders and family.

The Odyssey Online

Life is chaotic. It brings the best and worst of times randomly to every person around the world. A banner day can be followed by a death in the family, perfectly healthy family members can fall ill suddenly, you add a little one to the family, or you're severely injured in an accident on your way to Starbucks for a pumpkin spice latte. These real moments can raise many questions – one of the more prominent being – will this affect my job?

The Odyssey Online

Most of us would agree that our elementary school years were led and taught by an almost exclusively female administration. Although there is nothing wrong with an all-woman teaching staff, it does beg the question – where are the male elementary school teachers? Due to social stigmas, generations of being taught solely by women at younger ages, and underwhelming income, the presence of men in grade school is unsurprisingly absent.

The Odyssey Online

​It offers the opportunity to learn about competition and build skills during some of the most impressionable years. Therefore, it's important for athletic programs to promote and nurture positive, healthy coaching. Coaches and athletic staff are influential figures to student-athletes, especially in their capacity to teach those in their charge pertinent life lessons.

The Odyssey Online

Occupational safety professionals are responsible for ensuring employees' physical AND mental well-being. They help with workplace design, emergency planning, training, and assist employers with creating holistic wellness and assistance programs for their employees. An Employee Wellness Program focuses on the physical well-being of employees, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) supports an employee's mental health. Although wellness programs have gained recent popularity due to positive results, EAPs are often overlooked.

The Odyssey Online

Our gardening friends at Garden in Minutes know how to party – and every gameday is a party (says this FSU alum). Combining their passion for growing vibrant gardens with classic and trendy drinks, the following six cocktails are sure to elevate your gameday experience from fun to poppin' to turnt! Growing instructions are based on square foot gardening for those of us that lack growing space. Even if you a small porch, there's always enough room to grow a garden.

The Odyssey Online

Whistleblowing can result in serious retaliation. It's important to know what protection there is, how to proceed, and if you are blowing the whistle for the right reasons.

The Odyssey Online

Unlike the way we utilize "YOLO" to rationalize bad behavior and spontaneous selfish choices, Drake discusses its actual meaning in a track called "The Motto." It means to take chances, live with purpose, and chase opportunities. Sometimes, an opportunity comes around that we can't refuse, and we choose to dive on in.

The Odyssey Online

Soon-to-be parents – within the first trimester, you will learn about potential health risks your child is facing.

Even with early screening advancements, some disorders can take up to 7 years to present themselves. Sufficed to say, this can be a stressful period because you desperately want your child to live a fulfilling life without physical/mental limitations. As your child's health is being revealed, it's important to prepare for the future by learning as much as possible.

The Odyssey Online

Gardening is one of the few hobbies shared by the rural, the retired, and the trendy alike. The desire to raise and nurture is in our genes, and we don't let space or materials limit us. From potted plants to backyard gardens, those who want to garden will find a way. For those who don't quite understand the passion, gardening provides a wide range of benefits that can be enjoyed by anyone.

The Odyssey Online

We are fortunate to live in a time of heightened self-examination and awareness. We are questioning the status quo, traditions, and indoctrinated thought-processes so we can create a better future for generations to come. From lifestyle changes and gender roles to special needs awareness and racial equality, we are actively participating in a decade of enlightenment and realization. One of these issues – a particularly ugly one – has been given close attention over the past two years. Sexual harassment.

The Odyssey Online

Maintain your garden soil's health by leaching so your plants thrive.

The Odyssey Online

Reflecting on how you impact the workplace and things you may be overlooking.

June 8th is National Best Friend Day - So give them a hug, raise a toast, and thank them for everything they do for you

Heirloom Gardener

Our initial vision for a garden can often be bigger than our reality. We think of that neatly organized garden with a paved pathway between garden beds, a bird bath, and saturated colors sprawled out over a quarter of our backyard that friends and family come to admire. Unfortunately, that kind of garden is not realistic for many of us who live urban lifestyles and have daily time-commitments. We may have a patch of grass or simply a porch to work with at best, which can squash enthusiasm for starting a garden.

Mother Earth Living

Instead of pulling over to see the world’s 3rd biggest ball of yarn during your vacation, try something a little more worthwhile. This could be your only vacation of the year, so “fill your eyes with wonder” as the travel bloggers say and visit some unforgettable places. All over the U.S., there are publicly and privately funded, breathtaking gardens that can redefine your definition of horticulture. From pristine botanical memorials to fascinating plant sculptures, you will find your imagination running wild with your own backyard botanical ideas.What's this item about? 

The Odyssey Online

​When we were kids we could eat what we want, sleep when we wanted, and run around for hours. Basically, little indestructible Energizer bunnies. Into our twilight 20s and careers, however, we continue to eat what we want but forget to exercise and sleep. Our health does NOT maintain itself – especially as we get older. It is in constant flux depending on a variety of choices we make on a daily basis.

Mother Earth News

One of the most overlooked aspects of using collected rainwater is the amount of water pressure it requires to successfully feed from the barrel to a garden’s irrigation system. We are often concerned mostly with collecting the water, its cleanliness, and installing the collection/distribution system, that it’s easy to overlook the water movement. It’s not entirely our fault; we are accustomed to faucets that provide pressurized water practically everywhere in the U.S.

The Odyssey Online

From your first job as a valet to your last job as a greeter at Wally-World, you will be met with countless challenges. There will be disagreements with coworkers, shady business practices, and frustrating clients that will test your patience. You will have to decide when to compromise and when to show fortitude, and those decisions will determine who you are. Each decision is a chance to build and reveal your character, and at the end of the day you are responsible for your response. Successful people take action and improve themselves through every ordeal; making it and themselves better.

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The Odyssey Online

Fun facts and recent news about the world's most magical place!

A megacorporation unlike any other, the Walt Disney Company is a behemoth that started with a mouse. Standing with visionaries like Howard Hughes and Albert Einstein, Walt Disney was ahead of his time and possibly still ahead of ours.

Coaches' Clipboard

Professional sports aren't attracting the America's attention like they once were. Younger generations are showing a lack of interest for a myriad of reasons - other interests, professional drama and hypocrisy, advertisement oversaturation, controversy, cheating, etc. No, professional sports aren't going anywhere anytime soon as they are still loved by many Americans. Plus, they are heavily invested in by both the private and public, so no one wants to see their demise. Although the end of professional sports is still probably far off, their relevance has declined and projected to decline further.

The Odyssey Online

You may have what it takes to become a nurse and mitigate the current nursing shortage

ProductionHub

Over 17,000 malpractice lawsuits are filed every year, and there are many causes to blame. Some may say it’s because people have become entitled and sue for imagined or accidental wrongs. Others say the malpractice spree was ignited due to willful and negligent practices that were injuring patients. Knowing the world as it is, it’s safe to assume it’s a little bit of both.

The Odyssey Online

"Trust me, for every time you’ve complained about someone, others have complained about you."

The Odyssey Online

You have made it to the finish line, and you couldn’t be prouder. You have earned your degree, and now you’re waiting to walk, move out, and start the next phase of your life. It’s an exciting time that will fly by if you’re not careful, leaving you to ask, “Did I make the most out of my graduation?”

Mother Earth News

Discussing soil pH can get technical rather quickly, which is why many gardeners – or anyone with a yard and landscaping, for that matter – often avoid the subject matter and hope it works out. You fertilize, water, weed, and the plants get plenty of sun… so that should be enough, right? Unfortunately, improper soil pH can ensure your yard or garden will be barren and stay that way. 

The Odyssey

Relationships with family, friends, and significant others are strong when founded in respect, communication, and forgiveness. If you think yours are, then why has there been so much tension recently? Perhaps a friendship isn’t what it used to be. Or phone calls with family cause anxiety. Or every date night ends in the quiet treatment and you don’t know where to begin fixing it because you both have different perspectives you no longer share with one another.

Experfy

AI’s adoption of machine learning (ML) allows it to solve complex problems through its own systematic testing. Instead of coding what it needs to know, developers create AI with the ability to learn and analyze data – resulting in innovative solutions virtually unreachable through human ability alone. Unprecedented data sets have become available the past decade that can be added to and accessed by professionals worldwide.

The Odyssey Online

Urban Gardening for Urban Living. How nice would it be to have friends over and serve them fresh Caprese salad featuring your own basil? Or sit on your porch next to a wall of vibrant flowers? In a time when we can have it all, urban living doesn’t come at the cost of your own garden. As long as you have a container, some soil, a little time, and access to roughly six hours of sunlight, then you can grow a little garden.

The Odyssey Online

Whether it’s your first visit to any theme park in Florida or an annual passholder to multiple parks (like myself), you want to make the most out of your day. Granted, everyone has different goals in mind when entering a park. It may be to see all the animals at Busch Gardens, spend every second in Diagon Alley, revisit a spot associated with fond memories, ride the Jimmy Fallon ride at Universal Studios repeatedly, or you simply go to make your friends jealous via Snaps.

The Heirloom Gardener

Any gardener who has seen a few seasons of gardening can tell you that plant selection makes or breaks a successful season. Unless you have a greenhouse in which you can regulate the environment, you need to garden seasonally. This means growing plants appropriate to climate characteristics. 

Maximum Yield

As most people in the northern hemisphere know, summer officially begins on June 21and ends September 22. In the States, national temperatures vary throughout the season, but overall its hotter than the rest of the year.

While more northern states may not feel the brunt of the heat, southern regions suffer the highest temperatures.

Garden Collage

It doesn’t matter where you live when it comes to starting a garden. Gardening is one of the best ways to eat healthy, brighten your patio, and enjoy the fruits of your own labor (sometimes literally).  To grow plants successfully, one just needs a container, the ability to give a little attention, and roughly six hours of sunlight.

YPARD

Collecting rainwater in barrels for outdoor use is an appreciated practice. As interest has grown in home gardening and locally grown food, so has the popularity and interest in rain barrels for garden watering. However, our attention is often focused on collecting water, its cleanliness, and installing the collection/distribution system when it should be on water movement. 

YPARD

Plants are the oldest organisms on the planet. They have survived extinction-level events, adapted to an evolving world, clean the air of carbon dioxide, and are found almost anywhere on earth.

5:00 Films

Concepts and strategies created in response to a specific challenge can often later be implemented on a grander scale. When they are born of creative and well-supported critical-thinking, the best can be adapted to solve a far-reaching variety of problems.

5:00 Films

It’s true that automation and recent technological advancements are becoming more prevalent in the workforce. Robots are integrated into the production line; software is a substitute for an accountant’s work and expertise; computers can design complex interior design options instead of an interior designer; even traditional musicians compete against iPhones at weddings. 

KDNuggets

Big Data revolution led to the explosion in Data Centers, which are consuming energy at increasingly higher rate. This blog reviews 2 standard methods for improving data center efficiency and argues that 3rd method - Machine Learning - is the best solution.

ProductionHub

Production teams work in competitive, fast-paced environments where quick responses and first impressions are major components of success. Before flawlessly completing a project and thrilling a client with your production abilities, you have to earn their business. 

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Virtual Reality Reporter

The ancient cities of our world are engineering wonders that boggle the mind. For instance, take the ancient urban city of Teotihuacan, Mexico: It boasts some of the largest pyramid structures, and the city spread over 22 miles. Furthermore, the city grid aligns with astronomical and geographic points that were important to its people. It began its growth in 100 BCE, and we know what constructive limits they faced. Yet, over hundreds of years the city was built with precise organization. It’s a mark of extraordinary vision by countless builders to obtain such precise construction through basic tools.

The Good Men Project

Most of us would agree that our elementary school years were led and taught by an almost exclusively female faculty. Although there is nothing wrong with an all-woman teaching staff, it does beg the question—where are the male elementary school teachers? Due to social stigmas, generations of being taught solely by women at younger ages, and underwhelming income, the presence of men in grade school is unsurprisingly absent.

The Good Men Project

Charlottesville, Minnesota, D.C., Phoenix, NYC, and Dallas, Texas. These are just a few cities that have experienced severe racist events in 2017. For a country that prides itself on freedom and equality, there are still too many recent, race-fueled threats and attacks. A timeline of the past 100 years shows a decrease in publicly-held hatred based on race, but the goal is eradication – not minimization. 

Coaches Clipboard

The number of high school referees and sports officials is diminishing around the United States of America. This is a major threat to the interscholastic sports in the U.S., which form a fundamental part of the American culture. The impact is felt by the various sports courts and fields in America as reported by national experts.

Coaches Clipboard

Unfortunately, drug use starts earlier than we would like to admit, and drug abuse can be quick to follow if left unchecked. Preventing young boys and girls from turning to drugs is a delicate responsibility that falls on the shoulders parents, mentors, school administration, and coaches. Too strict and commanding, and kids could rebel; Too lenient and uninterested, and kids could be lying and doing as they please. That's why many involve their children in sports - athletics prevent drug abuse and prepare for a successful future.

Coaches Clipboard

Athletic scholarships reward the hard work and skill of students and provide them further opportunity to shine. At the core, they financially assist students who have met prerequisites and show potential for further success. However, athletic scholarships are so much more - they are the key to a better future for the student-athlete and their loved ones.

Coaches Clipboard

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Coaches Clipboard

High-school sports have gained major popularity among students as well as parents of the United States. More and more students are taking part in sport events in their respective schools. All of this has led to an augmentation in the overall costs of school athletics. In this regard, there are some things that you should know, particularly if you are a high school student or a parent.

Behind the Ears Podcast

Prior to kneeling before the love of your life in front of Cinderella’s Castle, taking the family on your first Disney vacation, and guaranteeing a Griswold-level of memories, you need to “kiss de girl”! The Walt Disney World Resort is pixie-dusted with opportunities to make your special someone’s leg pop and create a lasting memory.

Behind the Ears Podcast

Upon arrival to Epcot, there may be some anxiety regarding your plan of action. The park is large, second only to Animal Kingdom. It’s also split into two completely different sections and, from this frequent park-goer’s perspective, should be treated separately.

Garden in Minutes

Learn what frost tolerant plants are appropriate for the cold season.

Garden in Minutes

The weather is now cooler and the nights have grown longer as we make our way into the winter season. Fall concluded with a bountiful season of colorful and rustic vegetables, but for most of the U.S., (albeit Florida, Coastal California, and the southern portions of New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas) cold weather is prohibitive for most gardening endeavors.

Garden in Minutes

Fall is a beautiful season of changing colors, colder weather, and plants fortifying against the coming winter. Luckily for USDA hardiness zones 8-11, some of these natural events don’t occur except for a change in temperature. Thermometers drop from a balmy 98⁰ to a chilling 68⁰, a difference noticed mostly in the switch from tank tops to short sleeve shirts.