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Showing posts from August, 2021

Would I Play Football Again Knowing What We Know About CTE?

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https://ift.tt/3mQ1AXw I’m a doctor and former wide receiver. My brother’s in the NFL. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is on my mind. I’m settled into a desk chair with my coffee, fueling up for another day of Zoom medical school, broadcast live to my New York City apartment. The bloc we’re on now—neurology—is a doozy. Well, truthfully, they’re all doozies. Today’s lecture topic: traumatic brain injury. The fourth lecture slide includes a picture of Mike Webster , the former Pittsburgh Steeler whose story was made famous by the 2015 film Concussion —starring Will Smith as the physician who discovers the explosive link between football and a neurodegenerative disease found in athletes and others with a history of brain trauma called chronic traumatic encephalopathy —or CTE. I know what’s coming. It’s not often you get a football reference during a med school lecture. The next few slides outline the consequences of repetitive head trauma. Here it comes. CTE. My classmates are...

If You Liked 'Free Solo,' Here's Another Climbing Doc to Make Your Palms Sweat: 'The Alpinist'  

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https://ift.tt/2WH9Pdt The Alpinist , out September 10, captures some of the most awe-inspiring free solo climbing footage ever seen on rock and ice. Filmmakers Peter Mortimer and Nick Rosen of Sender Films , core climbers who’ve documented the sport for 20 years, tell the story of Marc-André Leclerc, regarded as the best alpinist in history. After getting a tip that the young climber had been hitchhiking his way across the Trans-Canada Highway and ticking off impressive ropeless ascents of demanding ice routes, Mortimer and Rosin, producers of Valley Uprising (2014) and The Dawn Wall (2017), find Leclerc living in a tent in the forest in Squamish, B.C. with his girlfriend and professional alpinist Brette Harrington . They follow him for two years to understand the young climber’s drive. Inside the Making of 'Free Solo,' the Most Thrilling Climbing Movie Ever Made Last year, climber Alex Honnold shocked the world with a daring, ropeless climb of Yosemite's 3,000-.....

Metallica Launches Blackened x Willett Kentucky Straight Rye 11

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https://ift.tt/3mM33hp Today rye whiskey , tomorrow the world? Metallica-backed whiskey brand Blackened is making its first foray into Kentucky with a new rye in collaboration with cult craft distillery Willett . Blackened x Willett Kentucky Straight Rye 11 combines the prowess of an established distiller with the innovative “sonic enhancement” technique that was pioneered by the late, great Dave Pickerell, one of the brand’s founding partners. The release is the first in Blackened’s new “Masters of Whiskey” series, which will feature collaborations with other distillers in the future. It’s also the first rye for the brand.     Pickerell was a friend of the Kulsveen family, which owns and operates Willett; he even lent expertise when they were starting to distill back in 2011. The partnership with Metallica came a few years later. When Blackened was launching in 2018, the Kulsveens welcomed Pickerell back to the distillery to shoot a promotional video, and later opened thei...

Everyday Warrior: Special Forces Operator Dean Stott on Embracing Failure

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https://ift.tt/3mS5r6b “I like to prove people wrong,” says Dean Stott , British Special Forces veteran and Guinness World Record Holder. “I don’t see the point in arguing with people until you’re blue in the face. Doing what you said you were going to do, then coming back to the table, speaks volumes.” This straightforward yet powerful mindset has fueled Stott as he’s taken on challenges around the globe. Having spent 16 years in the British military and notably becoming one of the first army soldiers to join the Special Boat Service (SBS), Stott is no stranger to daunting situations.   In 2011, a parachute accident during pre-deployment training resulted in a severe leg injury that ended his military career. While Stott’s transition back into civilian life created a self-described “identity crisis,” he soon began work in private security and specialized in high-pressure evacuation situations in conflict zones.   “I was trying to match the adrenaline rush I had when I ...

The New Momentum PakYak E+ Cargo Bike Can Replace Your Car

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https://ift.tt/3kGT2iK We’d assume the new Momentum PakYak E+ gets its name from the pack animal. Yaks are veritable workhorses that have incredible brute strength. Now no offense to actual yaks, but they require care and feeding. Truth be told we’re not really sure what they eat, but we know for certain the PakYak E+ chews on voltage, then spins it into 80Nm of torque—way more than even the most powerful e-bikes on the market—all from a 500Wh battery. Here’s what to expect from the new cargo e-bike .     Momentum PakYak E+: Longer charge, better range, and excellent storage Range is already excellent, at 60 miles, but there’s also a slot for a second battery to double that to 120. A yak might do just as well, but the going, we’d guess, would be darn slow. And we assume slow and steady portage isn’t what you want from a hauler. The 2021 QuietKat Jeep E-Bike Can (Quite Literally) Go Anywhere Read article Momentum wasn’t happy to stop there either, so while lots of...

Fantasy Football 2021: 6 Rookies Who Could Put Up Big Numbers This Year

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https://ift.tt/2WxWDrA Seven of the first 11 picks in this year’s NFL Draft were offensive skill position players . Another quarterback, two wide receivers, and two running backs went before the first round was over. One of those running backs, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Travis Etienne, is now out for the season with a Lisfranc injury , but the point holds anyway: A lot of teams are planning to rely heavily on rookies to throw, catch, and run the ball. And that will have a big impact on fantasy football in 2021.     Travis Kelce on Patrick Mahomes, Staying Fit, and the Sparkle of a Super Bowl Ri... Read article Rookies are tricky selections in fantasy football drafts. In addition to general uncertainty about how well they’ll perform at the pro level—nobody’s a guarantee—fantasy general managers don’t have a frame of reference for how their new teams will use them. As a result, rookies are rarely first-round fantasy selections, and fantasy GMs who prefer known quantiti...

Formula DRIFT: Aasbo Wins Pro and Power Wins Prospec in St. Louis

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https://ift.tt/2WCbelH Stifling heat and the threat of storms weren’t enough to derail the action this past weekend as Formula DRIFT launched into Round 6 of the Pro Championship series and Round 3 of the Prospec series of tire-smoking drift events . The competition took place at World Wide Technology Raceway outside of St. Louis, MO, and the weather wasn’t the only unusual occurrence—collisions marred the Prospec rounds, while an underdog claimed the top spot in the Pro qualifying heats. Even so, more established competitors eventually battled their way to the top of the podium: American Mike Power took first place in Prospec and Norwegian Fredric Aasbo took first in Pro. Here’s a closer look at how the action played out.     Formula DRIFT Is Auto Racing’s Hottest New Property Read article Mike Power (center) won the Formula Drift Prospec event in St. Louis. Courtesy Image Maybe the 93-degree temps got the better of the drivers, but whatever the cause, collisio...

Watch of the Week: The Bulgari Aluminium GMT Is Ready for Takeoff

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https://ift.tt/3t3skEL Classic lines, vintage colorways—when it comes to recreations of earlier timepieces, it’s easy to trot out the same list of adjectives and descriptors. That’s because a lot of these watches come from a similar midcentury era—and while they look stylish, they can start to look like carbon copies after a while (the Brew Metric is a recent exception ). That’s partly what makes the new Bulgari Aluminium GMT so refreshing. It’s based on a late ’90s design that looks bold, fresh, and even futuristic today. With the addition of a GMT complication, it’s an ideal pick for travelers in need of a stylish, functional timepiece to accompany them on their next long-haul flight.     Watch of the Week: Brew Metric Brings Funky '70s Styling to Modern Day Read article The Bulgari Aluminium GMT is part of the brand’s Aluminium line (it uses the British spelling of the metal), which traces its roots back to 1998, when the company launched a groundbreaking aluminu...

'The Umbrella Academy' Star Tom Hopper on Winning Hollywood's Self-Image War

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https://ift.tt/3BdUdNa Tom Hopper has made a career out of being the built British bruiser. Towering at 6’5” over his onscreen colleagues in Black Sails , Game of Thrones , and The Umbrella Academy, the former rugby player is a rare breed in Hollywood. A studied dramatic actor, he’s found himself one of the new go-to gents in the action world. “Growing up in that team sports environment, I really respond to a challenge,” says Hopper, over Zoom while on set in Vancouver. So when the challenge is, say, be a hulking knight or an elite SAS soldier, Hopper trains like he’s going to war. Doing that for a decade has been a unique learning experience for the rising star. Not just physically, but also mentally in dealing with expectations from himself—and everyone else. Now Hopper is hoping to share what he’s learned with others, both on social media and through campaigns with companies he believes in—like Viome —which helps improve gut health by adjusting food habits. Men’s Journal ...

GMC Teases Overlanders With Burly New Concept for Canyon AT4 Pickup

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https://ift.tt/3gGs75E There’s no doubt the overlanding scene has exploded in the last few years, with major auto manufacturers finally getting on the hype with special bespoke vehicles targeted squarely at off-road enthusiasts. And GMC is the latest to offer an overlanding special of a current model with the Canyon AT4 Ovrlandx concept truck, which was unveiled today at Overland Expo Mountain West 2021 in Loveland, Colorado.     The Canyon AT4 already had impressive 4×4 stats. The off-road-ready mid-size pickup boasted a 1” lift, skid plates, better break-over angles, an auto-locking rear diff, and hill-descent control. GMC just bumped them up with a bevy of upgrades and essential overlanding accessories. Off-road performance enhancements include sliders, cast-iron control arms, a heavy-duty front bumper with winch, integrated recovery points, front and rear auto-locking diffs, mud flares with an integrated light, a rear-mounted spare tire swivel on an AEV off-roa...