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  • Reading and Using Texts

    Home Learning Focus

    Learn how to read and analyze texts.

    This lesson includes:

    • two activities

    • three videos

    Learn

    Unfamiliar vocabulary

    It’s important to understand unfamiliar words so that you can interpret the overall meaning of a sentence. Misunderstanding a tricky word can prevent you from understanding the meaning of a text.

    It’s important to have a plan for working out the meaning of unfamiliar words, especially when you don’t have a dictionary to hand. You can:

    • Use the surrounding words to see if there are any clues.

    • Decode the word by breaking it down into sounds or words that you know.

    Watch this video to learn how to make sense of words that are unfamiliar or tricky.

    Inference

    Some texts (especially stories) give clues that help you to work out (or infer) what’s really happening.

    For example, custard pies were stolen. The housekeeper looked nervous and her apron had a yellow stain.

    From this, we can infer that the housekeeper stole the pies. Inference helps you to make decisions based on the information presented to you.

    Watch this video to recap what inference is and how you can use it when reading.

    Practice

    You may need paper and a pen or pencil for some of these activities.

    Activity 1

    Use inference to match these sentences to the correct situation. One has been done for you.

    Sentence match activity.
    Sentence match activity.

    Activity 2

    There are lots of ways to find information from a text but two of the best methods are skimming and scanning.

    Skimming

    Skimming is letting your eyes and mind ‘skim’ over the text to get a quick but very general idea of it. You can’t read the text closely when skimming it, but instead you aim to pick out key words and sentences and get the general feel and meaning of the text.

    A topic/introduction sentence is often the first sentence in a paragraph. You should always read it fully even when skimming as this will give you a summary of that paragraph’s subject.

    Scanning

    Scanning is the method of looking for key words or phrases to find out specific information. It is most useful for answering questions about a text.

    Watch this interesting video about civil rights activist Rosa Parks.

    Using your scanning, inference and decoding skills, read the text in this article and answer the questions below.

    1. What year did Rosa Parks refuse to give up her place on the bus?
    2. What movement did her protest start?
    3. How long did it take to change the law?
    4. What job did she do alongside being an activist?
    5. Where did she move to after losing her job?

    Top tip!

    Remember to read each question carefully. Circle, underline or highlight the very important word within the question and see if you can find the same word/phrase (or similar one) within the text.

  • 3 Ways to De-Spook Your Horse

    “Horses are scared of just two things,” goes the saying. “1. Things that move. 2. Things that don’t.”  Funny, yes, but also frustratingly true.

             It’s not the horses’ fault, of course. As a prey species, they evolved to stay alive by staying alert–and ready to run to safety. Their motto is, “Go first; figure it out later.”

    Some horses are spookier than others, depending on inborn personalities and past experiences. If your horse is of the more-reactive variety, here are three training strategies to help him go from spook to Steady Eddie.

     
    1. Plastic magic. OK, it’s not actually magic, but desensitizing your horse with a plastic bag can work wonders to dial down his spook-o-meter.

    “A plastic bag is a ‘triple threat’ to a horse—an unknown object that moves and makes noise,” says clinician Clinton Anderson. “That makes it an especially good desensitizing tool.”

    Simply tie a ripped-open bag to the end of a training stick and put your horse in a halter with a long lead. Start by waving the bag in the air around your horse, gradually bringing it closer to him as he becomes accustomed to it.

    Move on to rubbing the bag all over his body, using the stick to scratch him in his favorite spots. Over time, advance to snapping the bag in the air over his back, then finally flapping the bag on his body, and even rubbing his face with it.

    As your horse gets increasingly comfortable with the bag, you’ll even be able to rub it gently over his face. When he reacts, keep at it until he stops momentarily, then immediately remove the bag and give him a break. That’s how he learns the bag won’t hurt him.

    This desensitizing works with horses of any age.

    2. Clipper calming. Because they’re strange and noisy and potentially snakelike, clippers are a common spook item. Clinician Julie Goodnight recommends an advance/retreat approach to gently desensitize your horse to clippers.

    “It programs relaxation and acceptance into your horse’s behavior,” she says.

    Simply present the clippers to your horse in stages, slowly, removing them promptly each time he shows a sign of acceptance: relaxing muscles, lowering the head, releasing a breath, showing interest in the clippers.

    3. Have a ball. Clinician Tommy Garland says you can teach any horse—especially a timid, anxious, or spooky one—to be calmer and more relaxed by using a large, air-filled ball as a training tool. The ball’s size, shape, and rolling action will startle a horse at first, but they also activate his natural curiosity, which works in your favor.

    Once your horse learns the ball won’t hurt him and he can make it roll by bending a knee, he begins to enjoy rolling it—then following after it and making it move again.

    “I’ve never had a horse that didn’t react this way with the ball,” says Tommy, who used this tool with a hot-tempered, super-spooky Half-Arabian mare. (It changed her so much she went on to win a reserve champion title at a national show.)

    Ultimately, if you desensitize your spooky horse to as many stimuli as possible, you’ll be delighted with the results. (The fact that you’re spending all that time with your horse and building the bond of trust and communication between the two of you is part of what makes these strategies work.)

    Featured Image credit: Lucie Provencher from Québec, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

  • How to Digitize All Your Vinyl Records for Mobile Device Listening

    How to Digitize All Your Vinyl Records for Mobile Device Listening

    Take your vinyl with you – don’t leave it at home!

    Vinyl records have experienced something akin to rebirth after all the years that CD and digital music formats have largely dominated the consumer space. With a good home stereo system, you can hear the differences in-depth and detail that an LP delivers over a CD – it’s not unlike enjoying a custom-blend pour-over coffee versus the house’s regular brew. But what if you want to take that rich sound with you to playback through computers or mobile devices, like smartphones and tablets? With the right equipment, you can digitize your vinyl collection in no time!

    What You Need

    There is no one single way to convert analog music from a vinyl LP to a digital format, such as MP3, AAC, FLAC, or others. You just have to make sure you have the right combination of hardware, software, and careful patience in order to accomplish the task. There are a few more steps within the process of digitizing vinyl versus a CD, which is often a one-button affair. First, depending on the type of turntable and stereo receiver you own, you may or may not need to incorporate a separate phono preamp (needed for delivering a strong enough output for recording/playback). You’ll also want to check the audio connection types available on the computer that will be hosting the recording software. But once set up, this is a great way to preserve older recordings and add them to your favorite mobile playlists.

    Difficulty: Moderate

    Time Required: Varies

    Set Up the Turntable

    Turntables tend to be far more precise/finicky pieces of equipment than your everyday CD/DVD player. Before you start recording, you’ll want to check that the turntable is working it’s best. Make sure that the unit is resting flat (a bubble level will help) on a solid surface (i.e. vibration-free) and that the cartridge and needle are in good condition. If the turntable can be aligned/calibrated, it’s worth doing so right now. You wouldn’t want to spend all the time digitizing music just to find that the sound had been slightly off. Listen for any motor hum or vibration from the turntable as it plays, since such undesired noises will transmit through the process.

    Clean Your Records

    Clean your vinyl before recording, even if it looks clean to the naked eye. Dust particles, airborne fibers, or oils left on the surface from being handled by fingers can easily accumulate in the grooves, which can throw off the purity of playback by adding noise. Wet and/or dry cleaning systems can be purchased online and are generally inexpensive and effective.

    Check the Hardware Connections

    The simplest way to convert LP records to a digital format is through a USB-connected turntable. Many of these models, such as ones from Audio-Technica or Ion Audio, have built-in preamps, ADCs (analog-to-digital converters), and also line-level outputs that can connect to audio inputs on stereo speakers, receivers, or computer sound cards. Some turntable systems also feature the ability to convert and transfer the files directly to a CD or USB flash drive, essentially bypassing the need for a computer with separate software. But if your turntable has a USB digital output connection, all you need to do is plug into an open USB port on a desktop or laptop computer, and then run your desired software.

    If Your Turntable Has No USB Ports

    If your turntable does not have a USB connection but does have a built-in preamp, you can connect the line-level output from the turntable to a port on a desktop or laptop (typically through an RCA-to-3.5 mm audio cable). Most motherboards in desktops and laptops have a built-in ADC that can accept a line-level audio source. If you’re unsure, check the product manual for the location of the proper port. More advanced computer sound cards feature additional types of audio input connections, such as RCA or TOSLINK digital, so you can also check for that compatibility between your pieces of equipment.

    No Preamp?

    If your turntable does not have a built-in preamp, then you’ll likely have to route the audio signal through your home stereo receiver’s phono input first (most systems should have this), before connecting the receiver line-level output to a computer’s input. Take note, that this may add some extra steps to adjust receiver settings for optimal audio output.

    Another hardware option to use with a non-USB turntable is a combination phono/line level preamp with USB output, such as the NAD PP-3 Digital Phono Preamp (also useful if your receiver doesn’t have a phono input). Although convenient, many USB-connected turntables can be considered cheap (in addition to inexpensive) when compared to audiophile-grade models. But an external digital phono preamp offers the best of both worlds, allowing users to harness the power of an ADC with preamp and a handy USB output. This way, you can connect a higher-quality turntable to most any modern computer system. Many of these digital phono preamps work with both moving magnet and moving coil phono cartridges for turntables, and often come bundled with recording software.

    Choose and Configure the Software

    In order to have analog vinyl music digitized and saved onto a computer, you’ll need the right kind of software. Many USB turntables come with PC-/Mac-compatible audio recording and editing software. You can also find free or trial-version downloads for general-purpose software as well as ones specifically geared towards digitizing vinyl. General audio software titles, like Audacity, are quite popular and have been successfully used by many. However, ones more specific for LPS, such as Vinyl Studio, can provide advanced functions for inserting track breaks, importing music, scratch/noise removal, automatic equalizing, metadata support, and more.

    CONSIDER ALL THE OPTIONS

    It’s worth taking the extra time to explore various programs to see which ones might work best for you. Some may be simple to use and configure, while others can be more robust with a host of useful (e.g. audio quality, file format, volume/recording channels, etc.) and adjustable preferences. Those who own smaller collections of vinyl may not care about the amount of automation performed by software. However, if you have a lot of records to process, you’ll probably want to minimize the manual work involved. Software that sources music databases can take care of track labeling (artist, album title, album year, track titles, music genre, album art, etc.) so you don’t have to look up and enter in everything by hand.

    DOUBLECHECK HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS

    Make sure that the computer/laptop is able to meet the hardware requirements (e.g. processor speed, available disk space, RAM) of the software. Audio files can end up being quite large and taxing on the system during the recording process, so it’s usually a good idea to close down all other running programs while doing so. Once everything has been set up and ready to go, fully digitize one vinyl record and then have a listen to the finished files. If some adjustments need to be made, you’ll want to do that first before moving on. Otherwise, continue working with each record in your collection and enjoy being able to play all your favorites on any computer, smartphone, tablet, or digital media player!

    Best Places to Buy Vinyl Records Online

    7inchrecords – 7″ records for sale – illustrated discography – Beatles and collectible music
    Amoeba Music | The World’s Largest Independent Record Store
    Boomkat: Independent Music Specialist selling Vinyl, CD’s, Cassettes and Downloads
    Classical Music Vinyl | Presto Music
    Discogs – Music Database and Marketplace
    Jazz, Soul, Funk, Hip Hop, R&B, Latin, Brazil & more LPs, CDs, Vinyl Records, Albums, & 45s New & Used — Dusty Groove is Chicago’s Online Record Store
    Mail Order Vinyl Records | Buy Records Online | Planet Earth Records
    Jazzhound.net – The Home of Mark Berresford Rare Records

    Love music and want to promote peace around the world?

    Then check out Music For World Peace Records

     

  • 3 Holistic Techniques You Can Do Now To Feel Less Anxious

    3 Holistic Techniques You Can Do Now To Feel Less Anxious

    When it comes to treating anxiety, even holistic therapy will take some time to effectively address the root of the problem.  Following are a few easy “tricks” that can help people feel less anxious immediately. It’s surprising these aren’t more well-known since they’re so simple and they work so quickly. Here are three tips to help with managing anxiety.

    1. Stabilize your blood sugar.

    Problem: Anxiety occurs when the body is tripped into the “fight-or-flight mode” or “stress response.” Sometimes the stress response is out of your control, like during a big presentation at work or traffic on your commute, but other times it’s completely preventable. One very common and preventable cause of stress response is low blood sugar. Many of you are already familiar with the experience of feeling “hangry” (hungry/angry). For some people, blood sugar dips cause anxiety. And most of the time these folks aren’t even aware of this connection. If this is you, you can make yourself significantly less anxious by maintaining stable blood sugar.

    Solution: The definitive solution is to cut out (or down) sugar and refined carbohydrates, eat plenty of healthy fats and protein, and stick to safe starches like sweet potatoes and plantains. Short of that total diet overhaul, you can also rely on something like coconut oil or sprouted almond butter to give yourself a blood sugar safety net. If you feel your blood sugar crashing, take a spoonful of coconut oil or almond butter. If you’re running out of the house and you know you’ll be on the go without much time to pause and eat, take a spoonful. If you’re about to go to bed and you often wake up in the middle of the night or in the morning with racing thoughts and anxiety, take a spoonful before bed. If you’re headed to a happy hour or a wedding, and you know there will be booze aplenty but not necessarily healthy food, take a spoonful. You can even carry portable almond butter packets in your bag so you can always have a spoonful on hand. Taking these precautions to keep your blood sugar stable can prevent your body from going into a stress response, and this will curb your anxiety fast.

    2. Cut out caffeine.

    Problem: Nobody likes this one. Drinking coffee is our favorite ritual, culturally. It’s warm, comforting, delicious, trendy, and often it’s the only thing getting us out of bed in the morning. But if you suffer from anxiety and you consume any form of caffeine, it behooves you to at least do try life without caffeine for an extended period of time (not just a day). Caffeine makes your body much more likely to get tripped into a stress response—it’s as though it makes your nervous system ready for a fight. If you combine coffee with a busy life and a stressful job, that’s enough to make almost anybody anxious. You’ll be able to handle the busy life and stressful job much more calmly without coffee revving up your nervous system.

    Solution: A word of caution: Proceed slowly with any adjustments to caffeine consumption. Caffeine withdrawal is no joke, so make gradual adjustments and allow your body to acclimate before you take the next step. If you drink three coffees a day, go down to two. If you drink one cup, change it to half-caf. If you’re drinking black tea, try green tea. And if you’re a green tea drinker but still experiencing anxiety, do a trial completely off caffeine. Removing caffeine from the equation can make you more resilient to stress and lessen your daily anxiety level.

    3. Try two (everyone has two!) minutes of breathwork.

    Problem: Many of you know that breathing exercises are a powerful antidote to anxiety. They put the body directly into the relaxation response, which is the opposite of the stress response. This relaxed state protects us from anxiety, and can even treat anxiety as it’s happening. Breathing exercises are safe, effective, free, and available to us anytime, anywhere. So why aren’t we all doing daily breathing exercises?

    Solution: Starting a new habit is always the hardest part. If I had the secret key to unlock the challenge of human behavioral change, believe me, I would share it with you. Let’s at least say this: Lower your standards. Rather than holding onto a perfectionistic approach to meditation (I’ll meditate when I have a half hour to devote to it, and I have a comfortable, quiet spot, and there’s nothing left to do on my to-do list, and the moon is in conjunction synastry with Capricorn ascendant…then I’ll meditate). No. We must collect ourselves to meditate today, right now, while there are tons of urgent matters waiting for our attention, while we feel like we have no time. That is when the magic happens. So set aside the phone or computer and after reading this article, just sit and focus on your breath.

    Here’s a super-quick and easy breathing exercise to combat anxiety. It’s called the 4-2-4 breath. Inhale to the count of 4, hold the breath for 2 counts, and exhale to the count of 4. Set a timer and do this for two minutes at least once a day, or whenever you’re anxious. Everybody has two minutes.

    While these tips may not get you the same benefit as seven years of therapy or living in sync with nature in a utopian community, I hope you’re able to at least put these three simple steps into action tomorrow (or even today) to curb your anxiety quickly.

  • What You Can Do to Increase Gun Safety at Home

    Firearms are linked to 90 deaths every day in the U.S.

    Every day people are bombarded with messages about improving their health. Diet, exercise, alcohol, drugs, smoking, and driving safety. A few months ago, I received a call from a friend’s son who wanted to thank me for saving his life. I felt gratified by the credit but was unaware of what I had done.

    He reminded me that I had told him to wear his seatbelt. This is one of the most important pieces of healthy lifestyle advice one could give a 20-something.

    Because of his seatbelt, he was able to walk away from a car accident with only minor injuries. Police told him he would have died had it not been for the seatbelt.

    Motor vehicle accidents are a health challenge in the United States. Yet thanks to public health initiatives, the number of deaths from accidents has decreased dramatically in recent decades.

    These initiatives include speed limit and seatbelt laws, airbag regulations, better highway design, baby seat and child seat laws, and stricter and better enforcement of drunken driving laws.

    Guns: A public health issue

    One of the dominant public health issues of today is gun safety.

    Firearms cause 90 deaths every day in the United States. That’s more than 33,000 deaths a year – about the same number of deaths caused by motor vehicle accidents.

    Suffice to say, the gun safety challenge is big. It’s time to recognize the magnitude of this issue and work to develop a rational approach to gun safety. It may involve a combination of research, education, and regulations, which have been effective with other challenges in the past.

    What you can do

    Here is what you, as a citizen, can do to reduce gun violence, injury, and death:

    • For starters, make decisions based on currently available information. If you think a gun will keep you safe at home, you may want to consider this: Studies show there’s a significantly greater chance of that gun being used against you than being used in self-defense.
    • Tragically, there were 265 accidental shootings by children in 2015. If you decide to own a gun, take a course in gun safety and keep your gun locked up and unloaded. This is particularly critical when you consider suicides and youth. Suicides are a leading cause of death for 13- to 19-year-olds, and often are impulsive acts. The risk of suicide is up to 10 times higher in homes with guns than in homes without; a gun that’s loaded and unlocked raises the risk even more.
    • You may want to consider purchasing a “smart” gun. These types of guns include a safety feature such as a computer chip, fingerprint recognition, or magnetic ring that allows the gun to fire only when activated by its authorized user. You can actively advocate for gun stores to carry smart guns to give people the option.
    • I would encourage you to become an advocate for research into gun violence, including the related epidemiology, prevention, safety, and risks. In addition, you can support efforts to evaluate the effectiveness of regulations, interventions, and strategies for preventing injuries and deaths caused by guns.
    • Finally, 40 percent of all guns in the United States are purchased through the public sector. We can leverage the power of market share to insist that gun manufacturers set higher standards to limit the flow of guns to criminals, invest in strategies to improve gun safety and technologies and cooperate with law enforcement agencies to trace guns used in crimes.

    It is time to work together toward saving lives. While it may seem there’s not much we as individuals can do to address the public health challenge of guns, I encourage you to consider the above suggestions.

    Resources

    Airsoft Gun Safety Tips for Kids
    Gun Safety for Parents
    12 Golden Rules of Gun Safety
    10 Rules of Safe Gun Handling
    Find an NRA Training Course near you

     

  • How to Find the Service or Parts Manual for Almost Any Forklift Online

    How to Find the Service or Parts Manual for Almost Any Forklift Online

    Your forklift is a valuable investment, so it’s essential that you know how to keep it in working order. However, it’s easy to mislay the manuals that come with it. These days, the manufacturer might not even provide a manual. They just publish the manuals online. Even if they do not, you are rarely without recourse. With a few keystrokes, you can find precisely the manual you need.

    First, determine the make and model of your forklift. On most forklifts, this will be clearly visible on the machine. However, if you don’t see the make and model, try looking on the forklift itself for a sticker that might tell you. It could be on the inside of the door. If you bought it online, go through your search history and see if you can find it again. If you purchased it from a physical store, they might keep records of the models they sell and will be able to help you find what you bought. Alternatively, try just typing in what you do know in your search engine. Possible keywords could include the make or any defining features it has. Most times, your forklift will pop up in the results.

    Often, forklift manufacturers will publish manuals for their products on their website. You can read them online, or usually, you can download them as PDF’s. Even if your forklift is several years old, chances are you’ll still be able to find the manual for it. Just find the make and model and find the “support” or “customer care” section on the manufacturer’s website and see if they have a place to search for manuals.

    Note, however, that if your forklift is several years old or if the manufacturer makes several different products, the manual you are looking for might be buried deep. Depending on how user-friendly their website is, you might have to mine through several pages and manuals to get to the one you need.

    However, you might be able to just type the make and model and “manual” into your search engine and let it comb through the manufacturer’s website itself, and any other database that could have the right manual. If there are too many search results, you can narrow it down to only results from the manufacturer’s site by typing “site:[manufacturerswebsite.com] [Forklift Model] Service (or Parts) Manual” into the search engine.

    If it still doesn’t pop up after that, try searching through one of the websites that specifically compile manuals for forklifts. There are several of these sites, and they have databases of hundreds of manuals.

    Unfortunately, a lot of manufacturer’s websites aren’t terribly user-friendly, so finding the specific manual need might take a bit of work. However, with just about any manual you could think of being uploaded online, at least you can be pretty sure nothing you need is lost forever.

  • Top 9 Free Forklift Apps You Didn’t Know Existed!

    Smartphone apps have made it quite easy for us to access information on the go. And this does not limit us to the conventional materials we need to know. Although the vast majority of apps have to do with the everyday things we do, there are apps that are especially catered to a number of industries and their services.

    Considering that the app market is teeming with so many different apps, which in some instances are similar, it can be hard to select which ones to download. Here is a list of some forklift Android apps that can help you with your daily work and you were probably unaware that they existed.

    Shopping

    Forklift-International

    forklift-internationalThe app offers a great functionality when looking for the right forklift for your needs. You can easily sort or select the appropriate forklift which can be stored and viewed anytime in your parking lot (shopping cart).

     

    This app is a total package for those who are looking to purchase a forklift because it offers an overview of machine data, including pictures (so you can check the forklift parts). It gives you information about equipment detail along with the actual location of the forklift. Additionally, you can park (save) the forklift which interests you and review them when you have time to.

     BS Forklifts

    BS Forkliftbs-forkliftss is an online inventory management app which shows actual machines in stock. The app offers a detailed description about available forklifts and includes photos, age, condition, and capacity. The app is also updated to give you notifications when there is an inventory of new items.

     

    PHL

    phlThe easy to navigate and simple app can be ideal when looking for a used forklift in the market. It has an extensive up to date listing of stocks available along with machine specifications and photos.

     

     

    Beech Forklifts Ltd

    beech-forklifts-ltdBeech Forklifts is a great app when looking to lease and hire forklift machines. The app gives you a list of forklifts from diesel, gas, or electrically run forklifts, and has a lot of stock used forklifts. The app also has a section for repair services as well as various trainings related to forklift operations.

     

    Utilities

    Forklift Inspection

    forklift-inspectionForklift Inspection is a management app which is good for conducting routine inspections. The app provides a template so you do not have to drag your devices with you. The app can be used for mechanical as well as visual inspections of forklifts including the most easily damaged parts. The app allows specification of problems including minor damages involving the forklift seat, forklift seat belt and the forklift mirrors. Reports can be saved locally on the device, saved as a PDF form, or can be shared via email.

    Hyster Forklifts North America

    hyster-forklifts-north-americaThis interactive app offers a great deal of information about Hyster Forklifts and gives you an idea when choosing the best forklift to do the job. The app also shows a product description where you can check for Hyster forklift parts and other components. It has a section where you can check for the nearest dealers and where you can acquire Hyster forklifts and Hyster parts. Developed by Hyster-Yale Group, the app is a dependable resource when you need the right Hyster forklift to do the job.

    Kalmar Forklift

    kalmar-forkliftKalmar has been a leading brand offering quality forklifts in the industry. The app gives a view of Kalmar Forklift Truck range including pictures that can be shared. Brochures for a specific forklift can also be downloaded within the app and also includes the latest videos and news about Kalmar Forklifts. The app offers both an online and offline functionality.

    TMHA Forklift Service App

    tmha-forklift-service-appThe Toyota Material Handling Australia (TMHA) is a support app where service and repair can be logged. Forklift operators can use the app to report any problems with their Toyota Forklift parts with a detailed description and photos of the problem involving their forklift operations.

     

    Calculator

    Forklift Load Center Estimator

    forklift-load-center-estimatorCSL Safety Forklift Load Center Estimator is designed to help forklift operators estimate the load capacity of their forklifts. This easy to use app is intended to help operators with their lifting estimation needs by doing the math on the app rather than manually.

  • Top 10 reasons why Manti Te’os Girlfriend is better than yours

    She was never too tired
    She never cared if he played video games.
    She never told Mantti’s embarassing secrets to her friends.
    She never wanted Manti to “share his feelings” with her.
    She never took over a drawer or his medicine cabinet.
    She never flirted with other guys to make him jealous.
    She never complained when his buddies came over to watch the game.
    She never tried to read his text messages when he wasn’t around
    She never complained about Manti looking at other girls
    She never dragged him to a chick flick

    I’m sure there are a lot of other reasons, too – add your ideas to the comments.