#WeKnowPlay: The Toy Insider Experts Help Shoppers Sleigh the Holidays with the Hottest Toys of 2020 [Video Included]

Star Wars The Child Animatronic Edition (Hasbro)

The Toy Insider today unveiled its expert picks for the best kids' toys and gifts in its 15th annual holiday gift guide. 

The hottest and most coveted items for 2020 are broken out into three lists: the Hot 20 (the most wished-for items of the year), the STEM 10 (science, technology, engineering and math toys that make learning fun) and the 12 Under $12 (affordable toys packed with play value and unboxing experiences).

Shopping for holiday gifts will look different this year as the Coronavirus pandemic continues: social distancing guidelines are still in place, limiting the number of in-store shoppers; retailers are starting holiday promotions earlier; and consumers are increasingly conscious of their spending during a tough economic year.

"This holiday shopping season will be unlike any other. It will be in your best interest to plan ahead and grab these hot toys before you start carving out your pumpkins," said Laurie Schacht, Chief Toy Officer, The Toy Insider. "Playtime offers a powerful way of coping with the world we live in, and the wide assortment of toys we reviewed for this year's holiday gift guide showcase the innovative, creative and affordable ways toymakers are serving the needs of families during challenging times."

• This year's hand-picked selections represent an extensive variety of open-ended toys to keep kids busy; screen-free playthings filled with educational value; toys that promote diversity, sustainability, and accessibility; and affordable toys that fit any budget, among many more categories that are sure to please kids of all ages this holiday season.

Pokémon Trading Card Game Battle Academy (The Pokémon Co.)

The Toy Insider's Hot 20

0-2 years

• Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Grow-the-Fun Garden to Kitchen (Mattel)
• Speak & Learn Puppy (LeapFrog)

3-4 years

• Blippi Recycling Truck (Jazwares)
• Blues Clues & You! Dance-Along Blue Plush (Just Play)
• Barbie Color Reveal Slumber Party Fun (Mattel)
• HEXBUG Nanotopia (HEXBUG)
• Pinkfong Baby Shark Dancing DJ (WowWee)
• PJ Masks Transforming 2 in 1 Mobile HQ (Just Play)
• Ryan's World Shadow Warrior Ninja Mystery Box (Bonkers Toys)
• Star Wars The Child Animatronic Edition (Hasbro)

5-7 years

• KidiZoom Creator Cam (VTech)
• LEGO Super Mario Adventure Starter Course (The LEGO Group)
• Present Pets (Spin Master)
• Rainbow High Fashion Dolls (MGA Entertainment)
• Squeakee the Balloon Dog (Moose Toys)
• Zoe (Healthy Roots Dolls)

8+ years

• Beyblade Burst Rise Hypersphere Vortex Climb Battle Set (Hasbro)
• Chocolate Pen (Skyrocket)
• Pokémon Trading Card Game Battle Academy (The Pokémon Co.)
• Snap Ships Gladius AC-75 Drop Ship (PlayMonster)

JIMU Robot Mythical Series: Firebot Kit (UBTECH Robotics)

The Toy Insider's STEM 10

• 3D Build & Play (3Doodler)
• Apollo — A Game Inspired by the NASA Moon Missions (Buffalo Games)
• Blockaroo (Blue Marble)
• Botley 2.0 The Coding Robot (Learning Resources)
• Circuit Explorer (Educational Insights)
• Crayola STEAM Paper Flower Science Kit (Crayola)
• DIY Music Maker Science Lab (hand2mind)
• JIMU Robot Mythical Series: Firebot Kit (UBTECH Robotics)
• Mega Cyborg Hand (Thames & Kosmos)
• National Geographic Science Magic (Blue Marble)

Cats vs. Pickles (Cepia)

The Toy Insider's 12 Under $12

• 5 Surprise Mini Brands Series 2 (ZURU)
• Blume Petal Pets (Skyrocket)
• Butter Cloudz Castle Bucket (WeCool Toys)
• Cats vs. Pickles (Cepia)
• Curligirls (Basic Fun!)
• Glitter Burst (YULU)
• Junkbots (HEXBUG)
• Kitten Catfe Purrista Girls (JAKKS Pacific)
• L.O.L. Surprise! Present Surprise (MGA Entertainment)
• Oh! My Gif – 1-Bit Pack (Moose Toys)
• Ravel Tales (Sunny Days Entertainment)
• Something Wild Card Games (Funko Games)

The Toy Insider's 2020 holiday gift guide will appear in the November issue of PARENTS magazine, on newsstands on Oct. 5. An extended guide appears online at thetoyinsider.com starting today. This year's print guide features nearly 160 toys, and an additional 150 toys can be found online, representing more than 110 toy companies in total.

• Parents and gift-givers can easily search for toys and games by a child's age (broken out into 0-2, 3-4, 5-7 and 8+ age groups). They can also view the guide online with their children to create a wish list of favorite toys, making holiday shopping easy for friends and family.

• The Toy Insider is an independent organization. Its team of experts attends major toy industry trade shows and events, and conducts briefings with manufacturers, retailers and analysts throughout the year. The Toy Insider gift guide submission process is open to all toy companies, of all sizes. Toys must be new for 2020 and available to consumers for purchase for the holiday season, either on the company's website or widely available through any retail partner. When evaluating toys, the team considers play value, originality, skill building, product integrity and, of course, fun factor.

The Video:

• To join in the holiday toy fun on social media this season, use #weknowplay and find @TheToyInsider on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

The Toy Insider is published by Adventure Media & Events, publisher of The Pop Insider, a daily pop culture news and review site that fuels fandoms, as well as leading trade publication The Toy Book. 

SOURCE: The Toy Insider

New UNICEF Canada Campaign Keeps Halloween Spirit Alive for Kids Across the Country [Video Included]

UNICEF Halloween Walk-a-thon: Walk your hood, do some good. (CNW Group/Canadian Unicef Committee)

UNICEF Canada, long-associated with fond trick-or-treating memories for many Canadians, is launching a new reimagined initiative for celebrating Halloween during the COVID-19 pandemic—the UNICEF Halloween Walk-a-thon. 

The campaign encourages families across Canada to turn their trick-or-treating steps into a safe, socially distanced walk-a-thon throughout their neighbourhood during the Halloween season. It also reintroduces a digital version of UNICEF's iconic orange box to enable children to celebrate and raise money in a physically distanced way.

• Like all major celebrations in 2020, Halloween will look and feel a little different this year. In addition to school closures, games cancelled, birthdays with no parties, a new survey commissioned by UNICEF Canada reveals that only one third of Canadian parents plan to send their kids trick-or-treating this year, and less than half plan to give out candy.

Children across the country have missed many childhood milestones to help stop the spread of COVID-19, but parents are continuing to look for ways to keep hope—and fun—alive. In fact, 6 out of 10 Canadian parents said they are looking for safe, socially-distanced Halloween activities this year.

GFORCE (image via UNICEF Canada)

To keep the Halloween spirit alive, UNICEF Canada's Halloween program has adapted by encouraging children to dress up in their costumes, walk their neighbourhood with their families or bubble and thrill their community while supporting kids in need around the world. The safe, socially distanced walk-a-thon can take place throughout their neighbourhood on Halloween or any time during October.

"Kids have sacrificed some of their childhoods to help stop the spread of COVID-19. They've missed school, sports, graduations, and other milestones of being young," said Rowena Pinto, Chief Program Officer at UNICEF Canada. "The UNICEF Halloween Walk-a-thon offers families a safe, unique opportunity to celebrate Halloween while helping protect the world's most vulnerable children from the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic. It allows kids to help other kids—but also allows them to just be kids themselves."

Johnny and Lauren Orlando (image via UNICEF Canada)

UNICEF Canada is also excited to announce its newest Halloween Champions, singer-songwriter and pop superstar Johnny Orlando—who just dropped his latest smash single 'Everybody Wants You' off his upcoming sophomore EP, scheduled for release this fall—and actor and social media influencer Lauren Orlando. 

They will join GFORCE, a musical group of young girls from the Toronto area who made it all the way to the quarterfinals on America's Got Talent in supporting UNICEF's Halloween Walk-a-thon.

"Kids have the ability to make the world a better place. I'm excited to join the UNICEF Halloween Walk-a-thon to provide a safe, socially distanced activity that not only keeps the spirit of Halloween alive, but empowers kids to make a difference," said Johnny Orlando. "I'm encouraging my dedicated fanbase, which includes millions of empathetic and engaged kids from around the world to embrace their ability to defend the rights of other kids to grow up happy and healthy."

The Video:

How can Canadians participate in the UNICEF Halloween Walk-a-thon? 

Children, families and adults can become Halloween Heroes by joining our walk-a-thon and setting up their own fundraising page at unicef.ca/Halloween. Participants who sign up by 9 October 2020 will receive a walk-a-thon package in the mail, including an exclusive Halloween Hero Card with a QR code to help collect digital donations—a new digital form of UNICEF's orange box. Money raised goes towards providing essentials like water, nutrition, education and health care to children in need around the world.

Bonus Video:

Creative agency Juniper Park\TBWA partnered with UNICEF Canada to develop the UNICEF Halloween Walk-a-thon campaign. PHD Canada, a communications planning and media buying agency, is providing marketing support.

Sophie Nélisse (image via UNICEF Canada)

SOURCE: Canadian Unicef Committee

Horror Movie "The Whittler" Starring Former WWE Superstar Al Snow to be Released on Amazon on October 16th [Trailer Included]

Former WWE Superstar Al Snow starring as the lead in "The Whittler"

Executive Producer Robert Costner's The Whittler is a neo-gothic thriller where a young girl must choose between saving her family or saving... her soul. 

The premiere of The Whittler will be arriving on Amazon October 16th, 2020. Actor, and former WWE Superstar, Al Snow will be appearing along with John Wells and Sarah Cleveland.

Comedians Catfish Cooley, Andrew Conn, and Gerard Haran make their feature film debut in The Whittler along with Nick Doetsch, Mahalah Peters, and Raegan Joseph.

Comedian and internet sensation Catfish Cooley making his debut appearance in "The Whittler"

Storyline:

(via IMDb)

Alexandra is an 11-year-old girl who lives with her parents in a 200-year-old in, and she can see ghosts. She has a ghost friend named Phebe who plays with her on a daily basis. Recently, however, a new ghost has come to haunt the Inn. Phebe has forbidden Alexandra to go near or even talk with him Tonight, a band of rednecks decides to rob the In after a series of lucrative Christmas parties. Phebe wakes up Alexandra to hide from them, however, her parents are taken, hostage. Against Phebe's wishes, Alexandra asks the new ghost if he can help save her parents, but what will he want in exchange?. 

The Trailer:

Social Links:

• Facebook
• Website 
• IMDB 

The cost to rent the movie on Amazon in the USA will be $4.99 or you can purchase the digital copy for just $9.99.

SOURCE: Robert Costner

Genovation Cars Announces Design Competition Winners

Genovation Cars Announces Design Competition Winners (Credit: Job Skandera)

Genovation Cars Inc. in collaboration with the College for Creative Studies, announces the scholarship winners and their designs of a reimagined exterior for Genovation's GXE all-electric supercar, currently holding the world speed record of 211.8mph which was witnessed and certified by the International Mile Racing Association (IMRA).

SCHOLARSHIP PRIZE AMOUNTS

• First Place: $3,000 – Job Skandera
• Second Place: $1,000 – Raymond Gonet Jr.
• Third Place: $750 – Benjamin Treinen
• Honorable Mention: $250 – Dane Hamilton
• Honorable Mention: $250 – Ali Shoghimojarad

Genovation Cars Announces Design Competition Winners (Credit: Job Skandera)

• View student submissions here: dtw-files.centigrade.com/share.cgi?ssid=0tNGAGx

JUDGING PARAMETERS

• The winning design were judged based on these criteria:
• Defines a unique American exotic supercar
• Avoids encumbering high performance aerodynamics
• Reflects Genovation's commitment to innovation, creativity, and cutting-edge electric vehicle technology

JUDGES

• Andrew Saul, CEO of Genovation Cars, Inc.
• Julie Barnard, President of Centigrade Inc.
• Ken Lingenfelter, Owner and President of Lingenfelter Performance Engineering, Lingenfelter Motor Sports, and the Lingenfelter Collection
• Gordon Platto, Design Director, NA Ford Cars and CUV's
• Ed Welburn, General Motors Vice President of Global Design (retired), Movie Executive Producer, Member of the CCS Board of Trustees

Genovation Cars Announces Design Competition Winners (Credit: Job Skandera)

"I am honored to be a part of this extraordinary opportunity from Genovation Cars and The College for Creative Studies. This design challenge has helped me grow immensely, and I'm looking forward to learning more in continuing through development," said Job Skandera. "I want to thank Genovation and CCS for the scholarship and the recognition. All the glory belongs to God, who's hand gives every beautiful and perfect thing."

"The Genovation Team was extremely impressed with the submissions," said Andrew Saul, CEO of Genovation Cars, Inc. "The high level of creativity is a credit to the student's design sense and the role The College for Creative Studies played in mentoring these talented individuals. It was a great honor to be on a judging panel with such automotive luminaries. We very much look forward to future collaborations."

"The College for Creative Studies Transportation Design Department wishes to extend their gratitude for this competition offered by Genovation. The brief, based on adherence to an existing platform, was a significant real-world experience for our students and recent graduates. I am proud to say they rose to the challenge. Also, many thanks go out to the panel of prestigious judges that brought so much richness to the experience. In addition to becoming a valuable portfolio piece for these rising stars, having the opportunity to present to you and receive your valuable feedback was an honor they will hold in their hearts as they transition into their professional careers." 

Paul Snyder, Paul & Helen Farago Chair of Transportation Design.

Genovation Cars Announces Design Competition Winners (Credit: Job Skandera)

About Genovation GXE

The GXE was designed from the ground up to have a low center of gravity and near 50/50 weight distribution: a true driver's car. The GXE also comes equipped with a programmable active suspension, carbon ceramic Brembo® brakes, state-of-the-art carbon fiber wheels supplied by Carbon Revolution, ultra-high fidelity 10-speaker JBL stereo, a 10.4-inch custom high definition center console touchscreen and bespoke exterior and interior. The all-electric supercar comes available with either a 7-speed manual – an all-electric supercar category exclusive – or an 8-speed paddle shift automatic transmission.

In normal driving operation, the Genovation GXE delivers a range of more than 175 miles on a full battery charge, imperative to ultra-high performance and efficient daily-driver convenience.

The Genovation GXE will be produced in a limited-edition run of 75 units, with initial customer deliveries scheduled in 2021.

Genovation Cars Announces Design Competition Winners (Credit: Job Skandera)

About College for Creative Studies

Located in the heart of Detroit and ranked third among U.S. art and design colleges by LinkedIn for alumni success, the College for Creative Studies (CCS) is a world-class institution that educates artists and designers to be leaders in the creative professions. A private, fully accredited college, CCS enrolls more than 1,400 students pursuing Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) and Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degrees.


Students in the BFA program can major in Advertising Design, Communication Design, Crafts, Entertainment Arts, Fashion Accessories Design, Fine Arts, Illustration, Interior Design, Photography, Product Design, and Transportation Design, in addition to a dual major Art Education program. Students in the MFA program can major in Color and Materials Design, Interaction Design, Integrated Design, and Transportation Design.

Genovation Cars Announces Design Competition Winners - First Place: Job Skandera (Credit: Job Skandera)

SOURCE: Genovation Cars Inc.

Signs You Need Healthier Personal Boundaries

Signs You Need Healthier Personal Boundaries (Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels)

You have boundaries, but they don’t seem to be working. You still feel like people are taking unfair advantage of you. Your self-esteem is taking constant hits, and the criticism is unending. What gives?

Chances are you need to take a hard look at your boundaries. Perhaps the ones that used to work, don’t anymore because you aren’t the same person. Or it’s time for a tune-up so that you can not only strengthen the boundaries you have but make them healthier at the same time.

What are (some of) the warning signs that your boundaries need work?

• When someone bullies you, and you stay silent.

• You agree to things you don’t agree with (such as political opinions) to avoid ‘rocking the boat.’

• You suffer from guilt anytime you do something for yourself. 

• You feel invisible.

• You constantly say ‘yes’ even when you want to say ‘no’ when people ask you to do things.

• You’re the one who does all the giving in your relationships.

• You give your time to people who don’t deserve it. 

• When someone is in your personal space, you don’t say anything, despite how uncomfortable you feel. 

• You don’t speak up when the joke isn’t funny - and it’s at your expense. 

• People bully you, but you do nothing about it. 

• You’re always playing the victim. 
  
  
• People take you for granted. 

• You worry all the time about what people think of you. 

• When someone tells you to ‘do something for yourself’ you have no idea what to do. 

• You over-share when talking to others about yourself. 

• You take on other people’s guilt as though that will absolve them somehow. 

• You’re in a career that was chosen for you, rather than in one that you want to do (such as working in a family business you had no desire to be part of). 

• You don’t speak up when someone touches you physically even though you don’t want to be touched. 

• You wind up in relationships with controlling individuals. 

• You see yourself as the ‘sacrifice.’ 

• You feel like people won’t like you if you don’t do things for them. 

• You use actions as currency with people by doing things in hopes that they will someday do something for you in return (that day never comes, does it?) 

• You tend to manipulate people to get your needs met 

• Reading this list is making you uncomfortable because you’ve already recognized more than one thing on it that sounds like you.
  

It is a daunting list.

The good news is, there is room for you to change. Remember, boundaries are always a good idea. Making sure that the boundaries are healthy is crucial to your development into the individual you’ve always been meant to become. 

Signs You Need Healthier Personal Boundaries (Photo by Naveen Annam from Pexels)

• By checking your boundaries periodically, you will likely see places that need work. But you’ll also see where you can do things to keep them strong and healthy enough to serve you going forward. 

It might seem like a lot of effort on your part, but in the end, don’t you think you’re worth it? With that in mind, it’s time to get down to work. You’ve got this!

Related Stories:

• How to Handle a Bully [Video Included] 
• How To Be Daring and Stand Up to Others
• The Anatomy of a Boss from Hell [Infographic]
• 5 Memorable Bullies From The Big Screen

David Oyelowo, Olivia Washington, Barry Pepper And Jimmie Fails To Star In 'Solitary'

David Oyelowo, Olivia Washington, Barry Pepper And Jimmie Fails To Star In 'Solitary' (image via BRON Studios)

BAFTA, Emmy and Golden Globe nominee David Oyelowo (Selma), Olivia Washington (The Butler), Emmy award winner Barry Pepper (Saving Private Ryan) and Jimmie Fails (The Last Black Man in San Francisco) will star in writer/director Nate Parker's next feature film Solitary from BRON Studios. 

• The film begins production next week in Vancouver, British Columbia.

After a wrongfully imprisoned man (Oyelowo) endures the mental torture of seven years of solitary confinement he is released into a world in which self-isolation is the new normal. As he tries to rebuild a life with his fiancé (Washington) and son, he is plagued by deep-seated trauma which creates unimaginable danger for both him and the family he's battling to protect.

Solitary is the latest project from BRON in their continuing mission to bring socially conscious and underrepresented stories to the forefront of cinema. BRON believes that these narratives must be captivating and compelling while also empowering, so that we may shape our communities and our future for the better.

David Oyelowo (Photo Credit: Kevin Scanlon)

David Oyelowo's credits include Golden Globe nominated performances in Selma and the HBO drama Nightingale. Additional credits include the mini-series Les Misérables, The Queen of Katwe, and Lee Daniels' The Butler. 

• His feature directorial debut, The Water Man, premiered at this year's Toronto Film Festival to critical acclaim.

Olivia Washington (Photo Credit: John Keon)

Olivia Washington was most recently in The Public Theater's presentation of Much Ado About Nothing. She is also known for her work in Lee Daniels' The Butler and guest performances on Empire, Madoff, Mr. Robot, and Spike Lee's She's Gotta Have It. 

• She will next been seen in Joel Coen's upcoming Shakespeare adaptation, The Tragedy of Macbeth, from Scott Rudin and A24, as well as the John Lee Hancock thriller The Little Things from Warner Bros.

Barry Pepper (Photo Credit: Matt Sayles, AP)

Barry Pepper has a history of taking on courageous and dramatic roles such as those in Saving Private Ryan, The Green Mile and True Grit. He received an Emmy for his portrayal of Bobby Kennedy in The Kennedys and a Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of Roger Maris in the HBO sports drama 61*. 

• Pepper can recently be seen in the disaster horror film Crawl.

Jimmie Fails (Photo Credit: Adam Newport-Berra)

Jimmie Fails starred in the critically acclaimed film The Last Black Man in San Francisco, which he co-wrote with his best friend and longtime collaborator, Joe Talbot. The film premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and won both the Directing Award and the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award. 

• Fails can next be seen in acclaimed director Kornél Mundruczó's Pieces of a Woman, which recently premiered at the Venice Film Festival and was swiftly picked up by Netflix.

Nate Parker (The Birth of a Nation) is set to write, direct, and produce the feature with Aaron L. Gilbert (Bombshell) of BRON Studios, Christina Lee Storm (The Least of These) on behalf of Yoruba Saxon Productions and David Oyelowo (The Water Man). Jason Cloth (Joker) of Creative Wealth Media is executive producer.

The casting directors are Mary Vernieu (Knives Out, Looper, Silver Linings Playbook) and Michelle Wade Byrd (Bird Box, Girls Trip). The production designer is two-time Oscar nominee Jan Roelfs (Gattaca, Orlando). The director of photography is Elliot Davis (Out of Sight, The Birth of a Nation). The costume designer is Emmy nominee Christopher Hargadon (Once Upon a Mattress, The Umbrella Academy), and Kate Weiss (Shooter) has joined as first AD.

About BRON:

BRON is a worldwide media and entertainment company committed to furthering the art and craft of meaningful commercial storytelling. Focused on the strategic development, production and financing of original live-action and animated features, television and digital media content, BRON has been instrumental in more than 100 productions and has built a robust slate of upcoming projects across all platforms. 

The company's filmmaker-first approach, built on inclusion, innovation and respect, has helped BRON solidify creative relationships with elite talent from an array of backgrounds. 

The company's full roster of acclaimed releases includes Academy Award® winning films such as Bombshell, Roman J. Israel Esq., Fences, and the box-office record-breaking film Joker as well as Clint Eastwood's The Mule, Leave No Trace, The Willoughbys, Queen & Slim, The Way Back starring Ben Affleck, Greyhound starring Tom Hanks and Jason Reitman's The Front Runner and Tully, among others.

Upcoming film releases include Barry Levinson's Harry Haft, starring Ben Foster; Taylor Sheridan's Those Who Wish Me Dead, starring Angelina Jolie; David Lowery's The Green Knight, starring Dev Patel; Jordan Peele's Candyman; the Aretha Franklin biography Respect, starring Jennifer Hudson; Judas and the Black Messiah, starring Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield, and Ghostbusters: Afterlife, the third collaboration with Jason Reitman.

BRON recently wrapped production on Måns Mårlind's 8-episode series, Shadowplay, starring Taylor Kitsch and Michael C. Hall.

Founded in 2010 by Aaron L. Gilbert and Brenda Gilbert, BRON Studios is headquartered in Vancouver, with offices in Los Angeles, New York and Toronto.

SOURCE: BRON

According to New Survey, 85% of Cat Owners Experience Therapeutic Benefits from Their Cat

Purina Cat Chow is donating $30,000 to Pet Partners to encourage the training and registration of therapy cat teams like Tommy the blind cat and his owner Christy.

According to a recent survey conducted by Purina Cat Chow, 85 percent of cat owners agree that they have had therapeutic benefits from their cats and that becoming a cat owner has improved their quality of life (86 percent). While three-fourths of cat owners agree that society does not understand the benefits of having a cat, nearly all (94 percent) agree that many people can benefit from spending time with cats.

Purina Cat Chow recognizes the benefits of cats as therapy animals and like Pet Partners wants to improve health and well-being through the human-animal bond, a mutually beneficial relationship that improves the physical, social, and emotional lives of both animals and people who interact with them regularly.

"While most people tend to associate therapy animals with dogs, cats also provide a variety of mental and physiological benefits," said Dr. Annie Valuska, Ph.D., senior pet behavior expert at Purina Cat Chow. "Cat owners often have lower stress levels than non-pet owners, which can improve blood pressure and cardiovascular health over time. Cats can also boost our mental health, decreasing feelings of loneliness and increasing a sense of purpose."

Purina Cat Chow's recent survey confirmed that while most (94 percent) pet owners associate dogs with animal-assisted therapy, only 41 percent of pet owners associate cats with therapy animals. 

• However, more people, especially cat owners, understand the special benefits cats provide, with 72 percent of cat owners believing cats could be effective therapy partners and 60 percent interested in learning more about how their cat could potentially improve others' lives.

Cats of all kinds can become great therapy animals. Take Tommy the blind cat for example. Even after losing his sight, the eight-year-old tabby passed his therapy pet evaluation with excellence. Now, as a registered therapy cat with Pet Partners, he loves helping people of all ages with his handler, Christy Santoro.

"For pet owners seeking to keep their therapy cats healthy and prepared to serve their communities, it is important to ensure their cats receive balanced nutrition, like that found in Purina Cat Chow, in addition to plenty of rest between visits. It's also key for owners to keep the bond strong with their cats, prioritizing time for play and affection," adds Valuska.

According to New Survey, 85% of Cat Owners Experience Therapeutic Benefits from Their Cat (image via Catster)

As people spend more time at home with their cats, Purina Cat Chow and Pet Partners encourage cat owners to learn how to become a therapy animal team with your cat. Thanks in part to Purina Cat Chow's donation, Pet Partners is offering online training courses and discounted registration of therapy cat teams. Cats and cat owners can give back without even having to leave their homes. Together, Cat Chow and Pet Partners are working to enhance the well-being of local communities with the help of cats.

• To learn more about registering you and your cat to become a therapy animal team visit petpartners.org/catchow.

About Pet Partners:

Pet Partners is the national leader in demonstrating and promoting the health and wellness benefits of animal-assisted interventions. Since the organization's inception in 1977, the science proving these benefits has become indisputable. With more than 13,000 registered teams making more than 3 million visits annually, Pet Partners serves as the nation's most prestigious nonprofit registering handlers of multiple species as volunteer teams. Pet Partners teams visit with patients in recovery, people with intellectual disabilities, seniors living with Alzheimer's, students, veterans with PTSD, and those approaching end of life, improving human health and well-being through the human-animal bond. With the recent release of its Standards of Practice for Animal-Assisted Interventions and international expansion, Pet Partners is globally recognized as the industry gold standard. 

• For more information on Pet Partners, visit petpartners.org.

About the Survey:

This survey was conducted by Dynata on behalf of Purina Cat Chow. The survey was conducted among a sample size of 2,500 pet owners across the U.S. Data was collected between August 14-24, 2020 and was carried out online. These online surveys are not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

Related Videos: 

SOURCE: Purina Cat Chow

Master of Horror Mick Garris Gets New Life in his Book 'These Evil Things We Do' with a Little Help from his Friends

Mick Garris' Those Evil Things We Do book cover

Prolific author/writer/director and horror icon, Mick Garris has released a collection of five spine-tingling tales. From a plastic surgeon with a uniquely disturbing approach to his job to a deranged child genius obsessed with his teacher, These Evil Things We Do: The Mick Garris Collection explores mankind's capacity for limitless evil—and how often that evil hides in plain sight.

For more than three decades the award-winning filmmaker, podcaster, writer and Founder of Nice Guy Productions has been behind countless memorable projects for both the big and small screens including Hocus Pocus, Sleepwalkers, The Fly II, *batteries not included, Riding the Bullet, Psycho IV, Critters 2, Nightmare Cinema, Tales from the Crypt, Amazing Stories, Freddy's Nightmares, The Stand, Masters of Horror and so many more.

He recently received some high praise from many of his legendary friends which had glowing things to say about his book. Those quotes include:

"When he's yearning about the tarnished tinsel underbelly of the town he knows (and clearly loves) the best, Mick Garris writes like a combination of Robert Bloch and James Ellroy, hardboiled noir with a ghostly little prink of the Devil's own pitchfork." -- Stephen King

"Mick's book speaks from a new place. He has found a voice and a vision which is both beguiling and gut-wrenching. Its confrontations with death and its cold methodologies perfectly placed in narratives in which nothing is what it seems, not even our own reflections. You have been an under-valued, under-celebrated literary presence for too long. Surely the time has come for your superb body of work to be seen for the unique achievement that it is. It will happen, of that I am sure." -- Clive Barker

"Mick Garris's well-written stories are all killer and unique and I recommend his collection, These Evil Things We Do, highly and without reservation. Gird your loins and bring a light snack, you'll be here a while, but it'll pass so quickly you'll be crying out for more. I wish there were a dozen more books of his stories, and so will you." -- Joe R. Lansdale

 "Mick Garris's creepy, claustrophobic tales feels like sitting in on a group therapy session with some of L.A.'s most damaged souls, each one whispering their own precisely detailed roadmap to their personal circle of hell right into your horrified ears." -- Grady Hendrix

"This excellent and disturbing collection from one of the singular talents in modern horror storytelling (across many platforms) finds Mick in a uniquely dark and cynical mood, with a pulp gallery of frustrated artists or one stripe or another who meet their doom in any number of macabre ways. Don't read just before bedtime!" -- Joe Dante, director of GREMLINS

Mick Garris

Previously only available in limited print-runs, this collection brings together four of Garris' works for the first time in a single volume, along with a brand new novella, so indulge your own inner monster and come along for these five fearsome tales of human wickedness… just don't be tempted to commit any evil deeds of your own.

• The books are available in paperback and Kindle from Amazon. Signed copies are available from Dark Delicacies (darkdel.com) and Overlook Connection (overlookconnection.com), while supplies last.

SOURCE: Nice Guy Productions

Slot Machine Cheats That Don’t Work

Slot Machine Cheats That Don’t Work (Photo by Longxiang Qian from Pexels)

Unfortunately the history of gambling has always been marred by various opportunists who have tried to cheat their way to a win at every opportunity, something that is doubly annoying because it means there is less cash for the genuine gamblers in the world to compete for too. Whilst casino cheats in general are frustrating, it actually isn’t all bad when it comes to these miscreants, because they have helped the overall industry in certain ways too. 

You see, casinos have historically had to make sure they are cheat proof over the years, and that is more difficult than you might think if there is nobody actively trying to cheat. Take the world of slot machines, for example, these incredibly popular gambling games did have a profound problem with slot cheats back in the day, however it simply galvanised developers to make doubly sure that their games at Thor Slots were uncheatable. 

The coin on a string slot machine cheat 

One of the most famous slot machine cheats from back in the day that no longer works was the coin on a string slot machine cheat. As you might expect from the name, this involved drilling a hole through a coin and threading a piece of string through it, something that then resulted in the coin mechanism being able to be tricked. 

As soon as slot machine developers caught on to this trick they took steps to make it an option no more, something that was achieved by making the coin feeder mechanism more complex. 

The electro-magnetic slot machine cheat 

Another famous slot machine cheat that no longer works because of the good work done by developers is the electro-magnetic slot machine cheat. This involved using powerful electro-magnets to manually spin the metal reels in place to make winning combinations, something that was possible due to the thin plastic protecting the reels at the time. 

All slot machine engineers really had to do to combat this was to install thicker protective layers covering the reels, and when video slots arrived there was no need to worry about the problem anymore. 

Slot machine cheating from the inside 

One of the weirder and hopelessly ambitious old slot machine cheats actually involves climbing into the mechanism of the slot machine itself, hoping to either spin the reels into a winning combination, or simply make a smash and grab with the money already in the machine. 

And yes, this actually happened, with a woman once being found trapped inside a Las Vegas slot machine. Needless to say, this isn’t a cheat that actually works… 

The fake coin slot machine cheat 

Another popular way of trying to cheat a slot machine coin feeder mechanism was to use fake or foreign coins, something that delivered a fair amount of success with slots cheats, mainly because it was a very inconspicuous way of cheating. 

But you cannot hide these things forever, and it wasn’t long before slot engineers noticed the problem and took steps to rectify it.

How To Be Daring and Stand Up to Others

How To Be Daring and Stand Up to Others (Photo by Jill Wellington from Pexels)

Were you ever bullied as a child? If so, it could be something that you carry with you into your adult years. You may yield to those who bark louder, so to speak. But, there are times when you need to stand your ground. These are the times to be daring and stand up to others.

• You may feel like you are an easygoing person. There’s nothing wrong with that. If you are a person who would defer to others because you don’t want to make waves, this can be okay, in the right circumstances. But, if you do this all the time, you eventually will get trampled on with more important issues.

• You do need to pick your battles. If you become the stronger person in your group, you run the risk of becoming bully-like yourself. In fact, this is something that can happen when people stand up to others for the first time. They take on the strong-willed persona and become that person they used to fear. The key is to be strong when it’s important and let the little stuff go by.

• Also, let others have some wins. This shows strength and leadership. You will win people to your way of thinking as they won’t feel threatened by your presence. When you show your willingness to cede to them, you can develop a great working relationship going forward.

How To Be Daring and Stand Up to Others (Photo by Kaboompics .com from Pexels)

• When you do take a stand, make sure that you do it respectfully. If you don’t, you risk losing respect from everyone around and not just the person you are going up against. Whenever possible, try to find an arrangement where both you and the other party wins. The person will see that they can’t take advantage of you, while at the same time, they don’t lose out in the interaction.

• Not everyone will take your newfound strength well. That’s okay. As long as you do everything you can to try and work with them, you will be the bigger person. He or she may have issues with you, but at least they know you aren’t willing to back down on the bigger issues. You also will find people need time and may come around after a while. Your relationship won’t be the same, but that could be for the best.

• Try to keep anger out of the picture because it makes people react in ways they later regret. It’s okay to be firm when dealing with others, but there’s no reason to elevate the situation to the point where you start getting personal.

How To Be Daring and Stand Up to Others (jmage via Pexels)

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