Nowadays, it’s very important to take care of both physical and mental health. Here you can find some useful activities, which can reduce stress and help enjoy the free time during the lockdown. 

Learning New Languages

When you stay at home almost all your time, starting to learn a new language is a good idea. If you always wanted to travel, learn the language of the country you want to visit. It will help to understand the culture and mentality of people living there. Also, you can find friends online from the locals. When you come to the country of your dream, you will already have friends to meet and spend time together. You can watch films or read books to improve your language skills. This way, the process of learning won’t be tedious.

Reading Books

Reading books is quite a good idea. It’s not only the way to spend time but also widen your horizons. Books help to boost imagination and creativity. If you always have problems with writing assignments, reading is the way to improve your writing skills. No doubt, books will help you to become a perfect paper writer and finish all your essays. In case you are not keen on fiction, remember that there are also science fiction, reference literature, and so on. Nonfiction will help you become a better specialist in different ideas or just learn some useful information.

Painting by Numbers

Painting by numbers is the next way to have fun. This activity helps to relax and get inspiration. Painting by numbers fits the most for those who are not good at painting. It’s the way to feel like a great artist who works under the masterpiece. After you finish painting, you will get a lot of emotions together with a beautiful landscape. Undoubtedly, the painting will decorate your room.

Going in for Sports

Going in for sports is a good chance to stay fit and healthy and spend time. Sport is a way to take care of both mental and physical health. It’s not only about a healthy body, as sports activities help get free of destructive thoughts and emotions. During physical activity, the body releases endorphin, which is the hormone of happiness. So, you will feel fit and happy after the exercises. Also, you can try jogging in the local park or just near your house. This way, you will go in for sports and enjoy the nature around you at the same time.   

Freelancing

Lockdown is a great chance to relax and find time for yourself and earn some money. Freelance is an excellent opportunity to work in any place and at any time. Search for websites that are looking for freelancers and choose the most appropriate work for you. For instance, you can help other students with writing assignments or be a tutor for someone. This way, you will get money and gain some experience in any field you are good at. 

Starting an Online Course

Staying at home means an opportunity to learn something new. If you want to become an expert in any field, start an online course. Nowadays, a lot of learning platforms are available for everyone who wants to get new knowledge. All you need is to find a required course, which fits all your requirements. You can search for online tutors or professionals in any field who will provide you some guidance. If you want to improve your writing skills, term paper writing by writepaper.com is a chance to become a perfect writer. You will get helpful advice to improve your skills, and writing assignments won’t be a problem anymore.

Watching Films 

Watching films is one more good idea to spend free time. If you are keen on movies, lockdown is an excellent chance to watch all your favorite films or the new ones. You can get a subscription to various streaming services to get unlimited access to cinematic masterpieces. On such websites as Netflix, you can find a number of films and TV series.

Cleaning Everything Up

Cleaning may sound a little bit boring. But it unites several activities in one. You will have a chance to get rid of useless things, have some physical activity, and put your thoughts into order. If your room is full of unnecessary stuff, it’s the right time to clean everything up. After you finish it, you will clear space in your apartment and in your mind.  

Staying Positive

Staying positive is very important to feel happiness and life satisfaction. Unfortunately, coronavirus pandemic has a destructive effect on mood and mental health. That’s why people should do everything possible to take care of their inner state. If you have some problems or unfinished tasks that aggravate your mood, get rid of all bad emotions. In case you feel upset because of a writing assignment, ask yourself, “who will write my paper for me?” The help of professionals in finishing your tasks will help you stay calm and positive.  

Meditation and Yoga

Meditation and yoga are also helpful in staying positive and relaxing. If you have a lot of stress and destructive thoughts, try to meditate for some time. You will be surprised by the powerful effects of this practice. Yoga is also good for both physical and mental health. These activities undoubtedly help find a balance in life and get rid of useless thoughts and feelings.

Final Words

All in all, staying at home is a chance to do a lot of activities. To reduce stress, think about the lockdown as a holiday and an opportunity to relax. It’s a time to take care of mental and physical health, start or learn something new. Choose one of the listed activities that fit you the most and spend your time with great joy and positive emotions. 

Montana-based entertainment company Logjam Presents has announced the Grand Opening and initial lineup for Bozeman, Montana’s newest concert venue, The ELM. 

Located on the corner of 7th & Short in Bozeman’s emerging midtown district, the brand new 1,100-cap venue will open its doors on September 3, 2021 to welcome eight-time Grammy nominee Death Cab for Cutie. The Grand Opening will be followed by performances from electronic future-bass  duo Louis The Child (Sep 7), Perfume Genius (Sep 11) and Future Islands (Sep 14).

Other concerts announced include popular soul/R&B ensemble Lake Street Dive (Sep 21), Bozeman natives Pinky & the Floyd (Sep 25), a seated performance with singer-songwriter Todd Snider (Oct 1), Lucy Dacus (Oct 4), and an evening of American Southern soul-rock with JJ Grey & Mofro (Nov 14) among several others. 

“The ELM is exactly what Bozeman needs,” says Ryan Torres, VP of Marketing for Logjam Presents. “Nationally touring artists have long needed a dedicated venue in Bozeman.  With the new ELM, Bozemanites now have an opportunity to experience world-class entertainment in a state-of-the-art venue right in their own backyard. This will bring an entirely new caliber of entertainment to the area.”

Death Cab for Cutie says, “Bozeman, we can’t wait to play a show to break in The Elm for the beautiful venue's grand opening this September!  Get your tickets and we’ll see you there!”

Bozeman-based Pinky and the Floyd says, "Pinky and the Floyd is super excited to be a part of the inaugural lineup for Bozeman's newest venue, The ELM. Having built the band around Bozeman's high energy and passion for live music, Pinky is certain that the same passion and love for live entertainment is what built The ELM. From its contemporary architecture to its modern sound & production to its efficient customer circulation, this venue will be a welcome addition to Bozeman's growing Midtown district AND the ideal environment for taking in some live Pink Floyd music! We invite you to celebrate the triumphant return to live music with Pinky and the Floyd, Saturday, September 25, 2021 at The ELM in Bozeman!"

Tickets for the grand opening and initial lineup of events will go on sale this Friday, June 18 and will be available online only at logjampresents.com starting at 10 AM MT. For those interested in getting tickets ahead of the crowd, Logjam Presents will be hosting a venue presale online only from 10 AM-10 PM Thursday, June 17, 2021.  Patrons can sign up for the presale password through the event pages at www.logjampresents.com/events/. 

The ELM Initial Concert Lineup

Sep 03 - Grand Opening: Death Cab for Cutie

Sep 07 - Louis the Child

Sep 11 - Perfume Genius

Sep 14 - Future Islands

Sep 16 - TBA

Sep 21 - Lake Street Dive

Sep 25 - Pinky & the Floyd

Sep 28 - Tennis

Oct 01 - Todd Snider

Oct 04 - Lucy Dacus

Oct 10 - TBA

Oct 19 - Tech N9ne

Oct 25 - TBA

Nov 05 - TBA

Nov 14 - JJ Grey & Mofro

Nov 15 - Heartless Bastards

Dec 16 - TBA

Dec 30, 31 - TBA

Feb 18 - Zoso

Mar 03 - Brother Ali

Apr 15 - Portland Cello Project

& Many More To Be Announced. 

About The ELM

Building The ELM from the ground up, Logjam has designed a world-class venue that offers great functionality with contemporary architecture. The ELM provides best-in-class sound and production, excellent sight lines and efficient customer circulation throughout the building.

Logjam has worked closely alongside sound technicians and architects to ensure that The ELM delivers a top-notch sonic experience through substantial investments in acoustic treatments. Similarly, each architectural component was designed in the context of great functional design to allow patrons to move freely throughout the venue, while creating safe and secure entry points and an efficient concession design.

From its modern design to best-in-class customer flow, to consistently great concertgoer view lines, to exceptional artist production, The ELM aims to be the best venue of its size in the Western US -- all owned and operated by an independent Montana company.

HELENA – Hunters interested in participating in game damage hunt opportunities need to register online for the Hunt Roster beginning Tuesday, June 15, through MyFWP. The roster is used by Fish, Wildlife & Parks to quickly respond to landowners who are eligible for game damage assistance in the prevention or reduction of property or crop damage primarily caused by deer, elk and/or antelope. 

To register, hunters can log into their MyFWP account or click “look up draw results, register for lists” within the menu. Then select a preferred hunting district(s) for potential deer, elk and antelope damage hunts and submit. Hunters are asked to sign up for districts where they know the landscape and can respond quickly to game damage issues typically within 24 to 48 hours.

The Hunt Roster sign-up closes July 15, and a randomly generated list will be created from the online registrations and will be posted to MyFWP accounts by July 20.

FWP will contact hunters if they are selected for a damage hunt opportunity via phone and/or email, so hunters are asked to ensure they have accurate contact information in their licensing profile. FWP may also utilize other means of hunter selection in lieu of the Hunt Roster, including first-come, first-served advertised opportunities, unsuccessful special license or permit applicant lists or lists of names supplied by landowners depending upon each damage situation. For more details on the FWP game damage assistance program visit: https://fwp.mt.gov/conservation/landowner-programs/game-damage-program

Regardless of how diligent you are, body odor can sneak up on you in a variety of ways. One thing to keep in mind is that sweat is odorless by nature. What you should be combating are the germs that build up on your sweaty skin, especially if you engage in physical activities on a regular basis. Here are some odor-control tips to assist you.

1. Use Antibacterial Soaps When Taking a Shower
It's common knowledge that you should shower at least twice a day to combat body odor. However, showering alone will do the trick for a few hours, after which the body odor will start creeping in. The odor-causing bacteria are still on your skin, which is why you need to use antibacterial soap when you are showering. These soaps are designed to remove the odor-causing bacteria from your skin, leaving you odorless for a significant amount of time.

2. Use Antiperspirants or Deodorants
If you had braced yourself with a few fitness tips for the new year, it is easier to notice the areas of your body that sweat the most. These are the areas where antiperspirants or deodorants are required. They help to hide the odor caused by bacteria, leaving you smelling fresh throughout the day. Men with sweating testicles can also benefit from it. After showering with antibacterial soap and drying your body on the sweaty areas, you can now apply antiperspirants or deodorants to anywhere you sweat the most.

3. Trim Excess Body Hair
Getting rid of that additional hair, especially in the armpits and groin, can help reduce sweating. Since your hair creates a dark, poorly ventilated nesting ground, these spots can stay damp all day. It is also advisable to wear looser clothing to help reduce perspiration and prevent the excessive accumulation of sweat. If you do some research on sweaty balls, you will realize that they can cause enormous discomfort, itching, unappealing sweat stains, and nasty odors. Thankfully, there are various ways to combat the problem. Apart from trimming the hair down there, you can reduce testicular odor by:

• Bathing your testicles
• Wearing breathable boxers that aren’t too tight
• Applying talc-free body powder

4. Watch What You Eat
Your diet has a big impact on the odor of your perspiration. Spicy foods such as hot peppers and other spicy meals cause your body to sweat more than usual. When you consume too much garlic and onions, your sweat will smell the same. If you eat too much garlic, you may realize that you smell garlic for the rest of the day. Caffeine and alcohol may also enhance the rate at which you sweat. As a result, if you find yourself sweating excessively, examining your food may be able to assist you in becoming more comfortable.

When you don't know what to do to control your body odor, it's easy to become frustrated. Thankfully, the four highlighted tips above can help men in combating body odor almost effortlessly.

 Montana PBS and Montana State University staff and alumni recently won Emmy Awards for local productions at the 58th annual Northwest Regional Emmy Awards. The winners were announced Saturday, June 5, during a virtual awards gala hosted from Seattle.

The Northwest Emmy Awards are a division of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Entries in the contest came from the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska and Montana.

Winning entries from Montana PBS included a one-hour documentary, “Charlie Russell’s Old West,” about Montana’s legendary cowboy artist, which received an Emmy in the documentary (cultural/historical) category. Those cited on the award were Paul Zalis, co-producer/writer; Maria Anderson, associate producer; and William Marcus and Aaron Pruitt, executive producers.

In addition, Montana PBS’ science film, “The Last Artifact,” about the redefinition of the kilogram, received an Emmy in the documentary (topical) category. Recipients include Jaime Jacobsen and Ed Watkins, producers; and Aaron Pruitt, executive producer.

“The Last Artifact” also received an additional five Emmys in the following professional craft categories:

• Director: Jamie Jacobsen and Ed Watkins.
• Writer, non-news (short/long form content): Ben King, Ed Watkins, Stefanie Watkins.
• Photographer, non-news (short/long form content): Rick Smith, Scott Sterling.
• Editor, non-news (short/long form content): Ben King, Stefanie Watkins.
• Audio: Jeremiah Slovarp, Luke Scheeler, Parker Brown, Sheridan Tongue.

Finally, Montana PBS producer and on-air host John Twiggs was inducted into the prestigious Silver Circle of the Northwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, or NATAS. The Silver Circle recognizes individuals who have than 25 years of public service, as well as mentoring, leadership and professional accolades. In addition to Twiggs’ service at Montana PBS, he is an adjunct professor in the School of Journalism at the University of Montana.

To see the full list of Emmy nominations and winners or to learn more about NATAS Northwest, visit natasnw.org. To learn more about Montana PBS, visit montanapbs.org.

Research shows that literacy and physical activity are both important for kids. A new, free activity at Bozeman Pond Park – a result of a partnership between Montana State University and the city of Bozeman – allows children to simultaneously read and be active.

The Bozeman Pond Literacy Walk at 700 S. Fowler Ave. offers a way for kids and their families, caregivers and friends to be active while reading a children’s book. Permanent, weather-proof displays placed approximately 10 feet apart along a path on the park’s north side each contain a page of a children’s book. Some of the displays also feature artwork from local schoolchildren. Members of the community are invited to visit the path, read the book and enjoy the activity. The displayed book will rotate monthly from roughly mid-April to mid-October each year; the first book is “The Rainbow Fish” by Marcus Pfister.

“We’re so excited about this project,” said Karie Orendorff, assistant professor of health and physical education in the MSU College of Education, Health and Human Development, who led the project. “Our Literacy Walk combines physical activity, literacy and quality time with families and friends. We really hope the community embraces it.”

To kick off the new activity, hundreds of kindergarten through fifth grade students from Hyalite Elementary School toured the Literacy Walk on Monday. MSU students, faculty members and administrators, as well as staff from Hyalite Elementary and the city of Bozeman, led groups of children through the walk and served them ice pops under sunny June skies.

“Who wants to do the reading?” one MSU administrator asked as she led a group of kids through the Literacy Walk.

“Rub your belly and pat your head as you go to the next station,” a leader instructed another group of students.

“Are you swimming like a fish?” another group leader asked a student.

Orendorff and others have been working on the project for more than a year. Orendorff reached out to the city’s Parks and Recreation Department last spring to see about partnering on the project, and she said the idea was met with enthusiasm.

The Literacy Walk is funded by a $5,000 Faculty Excellence Grant from MSU and a matching grant from the city of Bozeman, Orendorff said. The first copies of “The Rainbow Fish” were donated by MSU’s health enhancement major. Orendorff hopes that local businesses will donate future books.

As a former health enhancement teacher, Orendorff had long thought an activity like the Bozeman Pond Literacy Walk would be beneficial for kids.

“As an educator, I 100% believe in literacy,” she said. “Reading – and hopefully a love of reading – is one of the most important skills that our children can have. I really believe that reading is the key to any success in education.”

Orendorff noted that numerous research studies have shown that students who are more active retain more information. Studies also show that active students have fewer behavioral problems and better school attendance and that physical activity helps promote brain stimulation.

In addition, Orendorff said, the Literacy Walk’s kickoff event is also a great opportunity for MSU students who plan to pursue careers as teachers to gain a meaningful experience with kids.

“For my (MSU) students this is an opportunity for them to interact with kids,” she said. “It gives them more hands-on time with students, which is what preservice teachers need.”

Three MSU health enhancement students – Chris Hodapp, Josh Mertz and Haddy Slade – volunteered to lead groups of children through the Literacy Walk on Monday.

“I enjoyed the opportunity to hang out with kids,” said Mertz, a senior from Boise, Idaho. He said he could envision using the activity in the future as a health enhancement teacher.

“This is something you could definitely implement around an elementary school campus,” Mertz said.

Hodapp, a junior from Watkinsville, Georgia, said he jumped at the opportunity to volunteer at the Literacy Walk.

“This is a really great opportunity to work with children in the age groups I’m thinking about teaching,” he said. “It’s also an opportunity to engage with the community.”

Lauren D’Angelo, reading specialist at Hyalite Elementary School, said MSU and the city of Bozeman reached out to her about the Literacy Walk the same week that she was starting to think about Hyalite’s end-of-year reading celebration.

“With the COVID pandemic year that it was, we really wanted to make (the reading celebration) as special as we could for these kids who have worked so hard to learn throughout the year,” D’Angelo said. She said she was pleased with how the project came together.

Throughout the morning, as children moved from one structure displaying a page of the book to the next, D’Angelo said she noticed lots of smiles from the kids and felt their joy at being outside.

“Today has been really great,” she said. “The kids want us to read to them. They look at each page. We know we are creating a love of reading here.”

Girl Scout Troop 3875 is donating a little free library to Town & Country Foods in Belgrade to earn their Bronze Award. Four girls in their troop are working hard to earn it, it is the highest award a junior girl scout can achieve. Every girl is required to work 20 hours in order to earn their Bronze Award. The scouts had to recognize a problem in the community. They thought of several ideas, but they finally chose to do the free library. They also had to design and find a location for the little library. They eventually decided on Town & Country. It is a busy place, so many people will see and use it. They were able to make this all happen with some incredible donations from:


Specialty Forest Products

Bridger Cabinets

Kenyon Noble

Montana Science Center
Belgrade Community Library
Town and Country Foods
And the support of their amazing parents and guardians

This press release was provided by Troop Member 3875 Kayla.

From space, it is easy to see which areas of the Earth are covered in snow, but the appearance of snow on certain terrain is only part of the picture.

“The goal is to understand how much snow is on the ground,” said Montana State University snow hydrologist Eric Sproles. “Is it 5 inches deep or it 50 inches deep? And what’s the density of that snow?”

Sproles, an assistant professor in the Department of Earth Sciences in the College of Letters and Science, leads one of six field sites in the western U.S. for NASA’s SnowEx project, which is seeking better ways to measure snowpack and its physical properties on a global scale.

The NASA-led effort is at the end of a five-year campaign that has expanded to include partners in the military, academic institutions and the U.S. Forest Service. At its core, NASA’s SnowEx tests which qualities of snowpack can and cannot be measured from above.

If SnowEx is a success, the next project will develop a snow-focused satellite. NASA’s Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite, known as ICESat-2, launched in 2018. ICESat-2 uses a laser to measure the height of snow as it accumulates over the Earth’s topography. But the data doesn’t give insight into that snowpack’s composition, and ICESat-2 has tasks outside of measuring snow.

Sproles leads the SnowEx site at MSU’s Central Agricultural Research Center in Moccasin, the only site in Montana and the only one based in the prairie rather than the mountains.

“Prairies and grasslands cover a huge portion of the Earth’s surface,” Sproles said. “Temperate grasslands make up about 10% of the Earth’s surface and 30% of those are snow-covered seasonally, not just places that get snow but where the snow accumulates and melts.”

Not only are the prairies geographically expansive, but they are also the core of food production, be that livestock or crops.

The Moccasin site is flat, or what Sproles termed “topographically challenged.” It has 14 different cover types, with fallow and crops such as lentils, peas and winter wheat on one square kilometer. This variability allows Sproles and his team to test their ability to measure snowpack over different surfaces and to look at which retain the snow most effectively. Wind, which blows at the site often and averages about 12 mph, will move snow from barren ground, but the research has already found that leaving crop stubble such as longer wheat stalks can help the area hold onto snowfall and its moisture.

“There are some really interesting questions I think we’re getting at here that we wouldn’t be able to up in the mountains where we are normally working,” Ross Palomaki, an MSU doctoral student who has been developing tools to map river ice, said in a NASA video about the Moccasin site.

Because light bounces off snow, radiation from the sun is reflected rather than being absorbed into the Earth. Keeping snow on the ground is, therefore, one way to retain more moisture in the soil and offset the impacts of climate variability, Sproles explained.

Sproles created a class around the SnowEx research, titled Field and Remote Measurements of Snowpack, and amassed a team with three graduate and five undergraduate students.

In October, the team raced the storms to Moccasin to install nine moisture stations loaned from the USDA and a sensor which can detect water on the ground and soil moisture within 200 yards. Two weather stations measure snow depth, wind speed, temperature and relative humidity. All of that equipment was removed before April’s planting and will be reinstalled in the fall.

Throughout the winter the class took detailed ground measurements that will be used to confirm the data collected by drone, plane and satellite that mapped the albedo or reflective quality, topography and snow depth. One technique involved an advanced form of microwave pulses that reflect differently based on snowpack and snow density.

“My intent is to keep our site rolling for a couple years so we don’t just have one year of data — we can say what is the variability between years, how did things change,” Sproles said.

He is already seeing advances based on the research.

“SnowEx is applied science,” Sproles said. “It’s science working for the people, both in Montana and beyond.”

Small insights — such as the observation that 10 inches of wheat stubble will maximize water retention — can help producers make better decisions to manage the water, carbon and nitrogen balance on their land.

“It’s a result that has broad applications and implications,” Sproles said. “We can begin to manage how much snow we keep on the prairie.”

Sproles grew up in Florida, but his time as river guide in northern Colorado, Costa Rica and Chile pushed him toward studying snow and water.

“I really became interested in water resources in the West,” Sproles said. “I was seeing firsthand how it was playing out both economically and environmentally.”

His perspective went global while working as a research hydrologist in Chile, where Sproles first heard of SnowEx. NASA’s research effort was on his mind when joined the MSU faculty three years ago, and he proposed the prairie site at a SnowEx workshop in his first year. The snowpack in Montana and Chile are very different, as are the snowpack in mountainous or topographically challenged areas. A true breadth of understanding must look beyond borders, Sproles said. To highlight this for students, the Geospatial Snow, Water, and Ice Resources Lab at Montana State uses the motto “Based in Montana with a backpack ready for the world.”

Snow and water systems cannot be researched in a bubble because these resources have a far-reaching impact, Sproles explained. The snow in the Andes melts and waters the citrus fruits that end up in American grocery stores or feeds the grapes that become Chilean wine.

“We rely on snowpack everywhere,” he said. “We’re in a highly interconnected world and understanding it and managing it is important.”

Read more from Sproles and his SnowEx site team at https://blogs.nasa.gov/earthexpeditions/2021/05/12/snowex-little-blogs-from-the-prairie-part-1/ and https://blogs.nasa.gov/earthexpeditions/2021/05/13/snowex-little-blogs-from-the-prairie-part-2/. Gabrielle Antonioli, an MSU master’s student studying snow science, was a research technician for the NASA SnowEx project based in Boise, Idaho. Her post is at https://blogs.nasa.gov/earthexpeditions/2021/02/25/snowex-scientist-finds-her-love-of-snow-science-on-the-slopes/.

Bannack State Park’s signature event, Bannack Days, will return this year with many familiar activities, displays, and re-enactments celebrating Montana’s first territorial capital.  

Bannack Days are scheduled to happen Saturday, July 17, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, July 18, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  

About 20 miles west of Dillon, Bannack State Park is a National Historic Landmark and the site of Montana’s first major gold discovery in 1862. More than 50 historic buildings line Bannack’s Main Street. During Bannack Days, the ghost town comes alive with displays, re-enactments, artisan demonstrations, music and other family-friendly festivities.  

Admission is $5 for individuals ages 9 and older, or $20 per family. Children ages 8 and younger are free. Food and drinks can be purchased from vendors during the event.  

Shuttle services will be available during Bannack Days, but parking space is limited during this busy event. Please leave pets at home. 

For more information about scheduled events, activities and park rules for Bannack Days, please visit fwp.mt.gov/stateparks/bannack or call 406-834-3413.