Consumer Critique - SH-RD Tea Tree Scalp Shampoo

 When scalp issues flare up, such as itchiness, flakes, and dryness, it’s often a sign that the scalp is out of balance. Tea Tree, known for its purifying and soothing properties, helps reset the scalp environment without stripping, making it a go-to ingredient for dandruff- and sensitivity-prone scalps.

 

The SH-RD Tea Tree Scalp Shampoo puts this hero ingredient to work with Australian tea tree oil to gently cleanse, calm irritation, and restore moisture balance, while adding natural shine. The formula is powered by 1% OTP, a clinically proven ingredient that helps maintain a healthy scalp microbiota by controlling bacteria, reducing irritation, and minimizing flakes. It also offers anti-static benefits that leave hair smoother, shinier, and easier to manage.

 

I had a chance to to try out this shampoo. My daughter and I deal with different scalp issues, both of which tend to express themselves with flakes and irritation. This shampoo really helped with the irritation and itchiness especially, and also seemed to minimize the flaking. Although we both have different hair types and thicknesses, both of us were very pleased with how our hair looked and felt while using this shampoo as well.

House & Home - Cities of the Future

 Sell My House Fast Montgomery has named Atlanta, Georgia as the number one city of the future in America. Their researchers examined 124 cities nationwide and ranked them according to 10 different metrics including technology business concentration, green spaces, cultural venues, and property value increases.

Atlanta grabbed the top spot with a score of 82.07 out of 100. The southern metropolis has 112.37 parks per 100,000 residents and 78.89 tech startups per 100,000 people - figures that showcase a rare blend of natural surroundings and technological advancement.

Jersey City, New Jersey snagged second place scoring 79.57. The city recorded an impressive tech startup density of 251.67 per 100,000 residents, more than triple the concentration found in Atlanta.

San Francisco completed the top three with 76.99 points, driven by a staggering 513.73 tech startups per 100,000 residents - the highest figure of any city studied. San Francisco's lackluster 0.81% yearly housing price growth kept it from climbing higher.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania landed fourth with 76.51 points and boasts the highest number of hiking trails among the leading cities with 43.86 per 100,000 residents.

Derek Fuller, Co-Owner of Sell My House Fast Montgomery, said: "Our research shows that cities balancing innovation, culture, and outdoor space create the most forward-thinking urban environments. Cities that invest in both technology infrastructure and quality-of-life amenities are positioning themselves as leaders for decades to come."

Boston, Massachusetts secured fifth place with 72.77 points, with Washington, DC (71.47), Orlando, Florida (71.40), Seattle, Washington (70.28), Tampa, Florida (70.20), and Kansas City, Missouri (68.46) completing the top ten.

Having two Florida cities break into the top ten signals the state's expanding appeal beyond just retirement communities and tourist attractions. Tampa posted particularly robust housing market growth at 8.33% yearly - the highest figure among the leading cities.

Top 10 Cities of the Future

Rank	City	State	Score	Tech Startups Per 100K	Parks Per 100K	House Price Growth
1	Atlanta	Georgia	82.07	78.89	112.37	5.37%
2	Jersey City	New Jersey	79.57	251.67	74.75	5.36%
3	San Francisco	California	76.99	513.73	76.14	0.81%
4	Pittsburgh	Pennsylvania	76.51	60.02	67.93	5.57%
5	Boston	Massachusetts	72.77	132.45	86.87	3.68%
6	Washington	District of Columbia	71.47	66.87	77.62	1.56%
7	Orlando	Florida	71.40	58.93	81.06	7.35%
8	Seattle	Washington	70.28	87.81	70.32	4.28%
9	Tampa	Florida	70.20	40.41	69.91	8.33%
10	Kansas City	Missouri	68.46	35.44	70.69	7.32%

 

On the opposite end, Moreno Valley, California finished dead last with a measly 13.42 points. The city has pathetically low numbers of cultural spots and green spaces, with just 7.06 parks per 100,000 residents and 0.94 tech startups per 100,000 people.

Laredo, Texas landed next-to-last with 13.66 points, hamstrung by almost non-existent cultural facilities including a mere 0.39 performing arts venues per 100,000 residents.

McKinney, Texas scored third-worst with 19.79 points despite posting a decent 5.37% yearly house price increase. The city's park density of just 5.15 per 100,000 people - the lowest in the entire study - dragged down its ranking substantially.

"We see a strong connection between housing market performance and a city's investment in amenities that improve quality of life," Fuller noted. "The top cities combine strong economic fundamentals with rich cultural and recreational opportunities. These factors not only boost current home values but position these cities for sustainable growth."

Chesapeake, Virginia earned 20.57 points, placing fourth-worst. The city has a paltry 1.18 performing arts venues per 100,000 people and hardly any public artwork.

Amarillo, Texas filled out the bottom five with 23.62 points despite its moderate tech startup density of 8.40 per 100,000 residents.

Bottom 10 Cities of the Future

Rank	City	State	Score	Tech Startups Per 100K	Parks Per 100K	House Price Growth
1	Moreno Valley	California	13.42	0.94	7.06	6.97%
2	Laredo	Texas	13.66	1.94	14.36	3.50%
3	McKinney	Texas	19.79	16.89	5.15	5.37%
4	Chesapeake	Virginia	20.57	9.85	20.09	4.72%
5	Amarillo	Texas	23.62	8.40	17.79	4.90%
6	Cape Coral	Florida	24.05	8.02	17.82	5.63%
7	Fontana	California	24.69	3.25	18.10	6.35%
8	Yonkers	New York	24.91	3.85	21.19	4.60%
9	Augusta-Richmond County	Georgia	25.31	3.48	15.43	6.66%
10	El Paso	Texas	25.58	3.39	25.48	5.63%

 

The research revealed Texas cities fared worst overall, capturing 5 positions in the bottom ten. California placed 3 cities in the basement rankings despite also having San Francisco in the top three, highlighting major regional differences within the state.

"Cities that lack investment in both technology and quality-of-life infrastructure face significant challenges attracting new residents and businesses," Fuller said. "The data shows that even cities with strong housing price growth can lag behind if they don't offer the amenities that today's homebuyers prioritize."

Notably, Buffalo, New York (ranked 26th overall) recorded the highest yearly housing price increase of any city at 9.51%, with Detroit, Michigan close behind at 9.09% (ranked 61st). This pattern suggests housing market recovery in former industrial powerhouses doesn't necessarily translate to high rankings in amenities and infrastructure.

The analysis also determined that mid-sized cities frequently outshone larger urban centers. Among the twenty highest-ranked cities, only San Francisco and Boston have more than 500,000 residents.

Methodology

A total of 10 factors were used to compile the index. The raw data for each factor was cleaned, checked, and standardized on the same scale from 0 to 10, where 0 and 10 represent the worst and best values present in the data, to allow for accurate comparison between factors. A weighting was then assigned to each factor reflecting its importance within the analysis. The factors, their source and their percentage weightings are as follows:

• Parks Per 100K (10.0% weighting)

• Tech Startups Per 100K (13.3% weighting)

• Tech Businesses Per 100K (10.0% weighting)

• Hiking Trails Per 100K (10.0% weighting)

• Pedestrian Plazas Per 100K (10.0% weighting)

• Performing Arts Venues Per 100K (10.0% weighting)

• Exhibits Per 100K (6.7% weighting)

• Public Art Per 100K (10.0% weighting)

• Food Courts Per 100K (6.7% weighting)

• Compound Annual Growth Rate - House Price (13.3% weighting)

Once the weightings were assigned, the total score for the factors was calculated, producing an overall index score out of 100 for each entry, upon which the final ranking is based.

Book Nook - Cats in Nine Tales

 Animals are Meredith’s first love, and poetry and storytelling simply run in her family. So, after creating Seven Songs for Seven Dogs and Twelve Dogs A-Howling, she decided it was time to pay homage to the cats in her life with Cats in Nine Tales. Veterinary hospitals typically have at least one hospital cat. These felines fill an important niche in clinic life, and Meredith’s clinic is no exception. From barn cats and clinic cats to royal cats and everything in between, here she pays them tribute with nine purr-fect poems in Cats in Nine Tails—er—Tales!

Born and raised in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area, Meredith finished high school in Knoxville, Tennessee, and attended college and veterinary school at the University of Tennessee. She has practiced veterinary medicine in Knoxville, Northern Virginia and has owned and operated a small-animal veterinary clinic in Williamsburg, Virginia, since 1988.

Book Nook - Hire Your Kid

 

As small business owners face continued cost pressures, regulatory complexity, and an increasingly unpredictable economic environment, Keith Hall, Certified Public Accountant (CPA)  and President and CEO of the National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE)—is releasing a new book that offers a timely, IRS-compliant strategy to reduce tax liability while investing in the next generation of workers.    In Hire Your Kid: The Sole Proprietor’s Guide to Creating a New Job, Hall draws on more than four decades of tax and accounting experience to explain how family-owned and self-employed businesses can legally employ their children, convert ordinary personal expenses into legitimate business deductions, and often save more than $5,000 annually in federal taxes. The approach, while long permitted under the tax code, remains widely underutilized by America’s smallest businesses.    “Small business owners are operating in an environment where margins are tight and every dollar matters,” said Keith Hall, author of the newly released book for small business owners titled, Hire Your Kid, and president and CEO of the National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE), the nation's leading advocate and resource for the self-employed and micro-businesses.  “The tax code contains provisions that can meaningfully benefit families and entrepreneurs—but only if they understand how to use them correctly.  I wrote Hire Your Kid because I wanted to make those tools accessible and practical so every entrepreneur can utilize this tax savings exactly the same way I have done for all three of my children.”   Hall outlined the changes and updates for filing beneficial returns to the tax code for 2025 tax returns. You can view them here.   Hall was recently interviewed for MarketWatch on the growing use of AI in tax planning, and featured in an Associated Press piece outlining key tax changes and strategies for the year. Hall highlights how the American public and small business community stand to gain in filing beneficial 2025 tax returns this year – after major tax reform legislation was passed last year, including the making permanent the 2017 tax cuts and key provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill.   Hire Your Kid is available in both print and digital formats.   Visit here to order a copy of the book: https://hireyourkid.com/about-the-book/     Hi-resolution headshot of Keith Hall, author of Hire Your Kid and president & CEO of NASE:  https://hireyourkid.com/about-the-author/   Hi-resolution book jacket image:  https://hireyourkid.com/about-the-book/   Video of Keith Hall in the NASE Minute, “Hire Your Kid and Save Thousands”:  https://youtu.be/jGUMTC9zhNo?si=AqiXIx7gpJtNK73Y Based on Hall’s own personal experience employing his own children while growing up, Hire Your Kid offers a practical guide that turns everyday family expenses into business tax deductions. The book walks readers through the process of creating a job for their child, filing the necessary tax paperwork, and taking full advantage of tax benefits. Hall’s unique strategy allows parents to pay their children a reasonable wage, making the wages tax-deductible, and then use the savings to fund their child’s future through options like Roth IRAs. Written for sole proprietors, freelancers, and family-run enterprises, Hire Your Kid provides a clear framework for implementing the strategy responsibly. In the book, Hall outlines how to establish age-appropriate job roles, document work performed, manage payroll and compliance requirements, and leverage tax savings to support long-term goals such as education funding or retirement through vehicles like Roth IRAs.   Beyond the tax advantages, Hall positions the strategy as a broader workforce and financial-literacy opportunity. By bringing children into the family business, parents can teach responsibility, accountability, and real-world job skills—while strengthening household finances during a period of sustained economic uncertainty. Hall also shares insights from his own experience using the strategy, reinforcing the book’s practical focus. Hire Your Kid is intentionally designed as a straightforward guide rather than a technical tax manual, offering business owners actionable steps without unnecessary complexity.

About Keith Hall Keith Hall, CPA, is President and CEO of the National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE), the nation’s leading advocate for self-employed individuals and micro-business owners. With more than 40 years of experience in tax and accounting, Hall has advised thousands of entrepreneurs on strategies to reduce tax exposure, comply with federal and state regulations, and build financially resilient businesses. A nationally recognized authority on small business policy and taxation, Hall is a frequent media commentator and trusted resource for business leaders navigating today’s complex economic landscape.   About NASE The National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) is the nation's leading advocate and resource for the self-employed and micro-businesses, offering a broad range of benefits to help entrepreneurs succeed and to drive the continued growth of this vital segment of the American economy.   The NASE NextBizThing helps identify and connect our nation’s smallest businesses. Need small business help? Check out NASE’s Ask the Experts for advice or the NASE Minute for small business support. To help new and existing business owners with the costs of business ownership, the NASE also offers a series of financial calculators for budgeting and financial analysis.   The NASE is a 501(c) (6) nonprofit organization and provides big-business advantages to hundreds of thousands of micro-businesses across the United States. For more information, visit the association's website at NASE.org

Music MInute - Minnie at the Mansion (2/22, Nashville)

 

An unforgettable afternoon honoring one of country music’s most beloved icons is just days away — and tickets are going fast. Historic Two Rivers Mansion will host “Minnie at the Mansion” on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, from 2–4 p.m. at the landmark estate in Donelson, TN. This one-time event celebrates the enduring legacy of Minnie Pearl, the Country Music Hall of Fame treasure whose humor and heart helped define American country entertainment. Guests will enjoy an afternoon with Minnie as local actress Jenny Littleton brings the beloved character to life in a spirited performance of “The News from Grinder’s Switch,” accompanied by live music from noted musician Paul Carrol Binkley. The program also features a special book presentation and Q&A with award-winning authors Mary Ellen Pethel and Don Cusic, co-authors of Howdy! The Minnie Pearl Story. Following the discussion, guests will have the opportunity for a book signing with the authors. Held in the elegantly restored parlor room of the mansion, the event also includes light munchies and a guided tour of Historic Two Rivers Mansion, offering attendees a rare chance to experience both Nashville history and country music heritage in one memorable setting. Tickets are $35 per person, or $30 for Friends of Two Rivers, and include admission plus a copy of Howdy! The Minnie Pearl Story. Children’s tickets are $15. With limited capacity and strong demand, advance purchase is strongly encouraged — tickets remain available but are selling quickly.

When You Go: Who: Friends of Two Rivers presents authors Mary Ellen Pethel and Don Cusic; performance by Jenny Littleton; music by Paul Carrol Binkley What: “Minnie At The Mansion” book presentation, performance & live music event Where: Two Rivers Mansion, 3130 McGavock Pike, Nashville, TN 37214 When: Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026 — 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Price: Adults $35 ($30 for Friends of Two Rivers members) including book; Kids $15 (12 and under?)

About Two Rivers Mansion With a recently-completed $4.5 million renovation, Two Rivers Mansion is a historic antebellum home built in 1859 and one of Middle Tennessee’s finest examples of Italianate architecture, nestled between the Stones and Cumberland Rivers. Once the centerpiece of an 1,100-acre plantation, the home remained in the McGavock family for three generations before being acquired by the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the mansion is preserved and promoted by the Friends of Two Rivers and hosts special events and private functions.

About Mary Ellen Pethel Dr. Mary Ellen Pethel is an associate professor and academic leader at Belmont University Where she directs interdisciplinary initiatives, including the Global Honors Program. An award-winning author of six books on education, women, and sports, including the book Title IX, Pat Summitt, and Tennessee's Trailblazers. A public historian, she served as a consultant and cast member for the documentary, Facing the Laughter: Minnie Pearl. Dr. Pethel also founded and leads Nashville Sites as Executive Director and serves as an archivist at Harpeth Hall School.

About Don Cusic Dr. Don Cusic is an award-winning American author, songwriter, and record producer widely recognized as a leading historian of U.S. popular music. He has authored more than 30 books—primarily on country music—including acclaimed biographies of Eddy Arnold, Roger Miller, Merle Haggard, and Gene Autry, as well as Chet Atkins: Mr. Guitar. Dr. Cusic serves as a special correspondent for Billboard, a book reviewer for MusicRow Magazine, and an editor for Record Worldand Cashbox, and has consulted on Ken Burns’ documentary series Country Music. He is the Curb Professor of Music Industry History at Belmont University, has contributed extensively to liner notes and reference works, and has been honored with induction into the Western Music Association Hall of Fame (2022) and the Colonel Aide-de-Camp Award (2025).

About Paul Carrol Binkley Paul Carrol Binkley is a musician, composer and guitarist whose musical background spans classical training and varied performance settings. He has studied and performed extensively, combining technical skill with artistic versatility to accompany theatrical and live music events.

About Jenny Littleton Jenny Littleton is a Nashville-area actor and performer known for her work in local theatre and community productions. In this event, she performs the iconic persona of Minnie Pearl in a special presentation celebrating the life and humor of the beloved country music legend.