Geek Life

'The Mauritanian' Actor Tahar Rahim on Method Waterboarding and the Magic of Jodie Foster

February 15, 20211 min read ASNF

Twenty years after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the stories of human suffering triggered by that horrific day remain as relevant as ever. The Mauritanian, starring Tahar Rahim (A Prophet), tells one such tale of torture and human-rights abuses at Gitmo, a Guantanamo Bay detention facility. Also starring Jodie Foster, Shailene Woodley, and Benedict Cumberbatch, the film is based on the explosive memoir, and New York Times best-seller, Guantánamo Diary by Mohamedou Ould Slahi.

Slahi handwrote the 466 pages after he was captured by the U.S. government—under suspicion of being a recruiter for al Qaeda—in his cell at Camp Five Echo, a secret disciplinary block made up of shipping containers. The prisoner from Mauritania (hence the movie’s title) languished in Gitmo for 14 years without being charged with a crime before finding champions in defense attorney Nancy Hollander (Foster) and her associate, Teri Duncan (Woodley). … Read more

Can dust mite allergy be treated with a pill?

February 14, 20211 min read ASNF

It’s something people don’t like to think about, but it’s a fact that dust mites are all around us. These mites are microscopic relatives of spiders and ticks who live off of skin cells that we shed. It is almost impossible to eradicate them, and even the cleanest home has dust mites. Though dust mites do not bite us or cause rashes, they are a common cause of year-round allergy symptoms such as runny nose, itchy eyes, and sneezing. People with dust mite allergy have a persistently itchy nose even when not physically around dusty objects.

A recent study has shown that a new way of treating dust mite allergy is effective and safe. What do you need to know about this treatment, called sublingual immunotherapy?

Dust mite allergy and management

The first-line management of dust mite allergy is always to manage the environment. Beyond cleaning (wiping surfaces, washing linens), … Read more

30-Minute HIIT Workouts to Challenge Your Muscle and Mettle

February 14, 20211 min read ASNF

When you’re crunched for time, training with purpose gets difficult. Such occasions call for 30-minute HIIT workouts that make the best of a bad situation. Instead of winging it, come prepared with effective routines that do the most with what you’re working with. Turning to high-intensity interval training—implementing a high work to rest ratio that keeps your heart rate elevated for most (if not all) of the session—helps train your conditioning and elevate your metabolism to trigger fat loss. Now who wouldn’t want that? Bookmark these killer 30-minute HIIT workouts. They’ll get you fired up in no time.

Best 30-Minute HIIT Workouts to Burn Fat and Build Muscle

Workout 1: Barbell Complex

Equipment needed: barbell and weight plates

Directions: A complex is a very efficient method of weight training that asks you to perform sets of many different exercises in succession without putting the weight down between to … Read more

5 myths about endometriosis

February 13, 2021February 13, 20211 min read ASNF

While endometriosis is a common condition, affecting as many as one in every 10 American women, it is complex and often misunderstood. Endometriosis occurs when tissue much like the tissue that normally lines the uterus — called the endometrium — starts to grow elsewhere in the body. These growths may cause pain, scarring, and, in some instances, infertility.

One study shows it can take up to seven years for a woman to get a diagnosis of endometriosis because symptoms may mimic other common conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome or pelvic inflammatory disease. And misconceptions about the disease, including the five myths below, may keep some women from seeking help. Talk to your health care team if you’re concerned about painful periods or other possible symptoms of endometriosis, such as long-lasting pain in your lower back or pelvis.

5 myths — and the facts — about endometriosis

Myth 1: … Read more

The Quarter-Pound Sriracha Meatball Recipe

February 13, 2021February 13, 20211 min read ASNF

We know you know sriracha—and its benefits as an addition to pretty much any and every dish this side of ice cream. It turns basic eggs into breakfast with a kick, a reheated pizza slice into a snack with pizazz. Heck, even Rogue Ales crafted the Rogue Sriracha Hot Stout to give beer lovers something sudsy-delicious with a bump on the back end. If you’re the type to take familiar fare and put a little spin on it, keep reading; we’re doing something different with the tried and true meatball, giving it well-deserved flavor boost. Serve it up with pasta, veggies, or just eat ‘em by themselves. Be sure to make extra because you’re going to want to have some leftovers.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: … Read more

Flowers, chocolates, organ donation — are you in?

February 12, 20211 min read ASNF

Chocolates and flowers are great gifts for Valentine’s Day. But what if the gifts we give this year could be truly life-changing? A gift that could save someone’s life, or free them from dialysis?

You can do this. For people in need of organ, tissue, or blood donation, a donor can give them a gift that exceeds the value of anything that you can buy. That’s why February 14th is not only Valentine’s Day — it’s also National Donor Day, a time when health organizations nationwide sponsor blood drives and sign-ups for organ and tissue donation. Read on if you’ve ever wondered what can be donated, had reservations about donating your organs or tissues after death, or had concerns about the risks of becoming a live donor.

The enormous impact of organ, tissue, or cell donation

It’s hard to overstate the impact donors can make in the lives of … Read more

The Tent and Tarp To Cover All Camp Contingencies

February 12, 20211 min read ASNF

If you’ve traveled much in a land of lakes and rivers, you know the troubles that worry even the most seasoned wilderness trippers: overgrown portages, hungry bugs, storms or shorelines that force you to camp in less-than-ideal situations. For these reasons, a good tent and tarp will keep you from having to end your day cold, wet, and bug-bitten. A dry tent in a downpour doubles as an oasis amid a fierce bug cloud; just as a tarp can be your ticket to lighting a fire during days of rain, or reprieve enough to add layers and escape the chill of a damp woods. For paddlers, a tent and tarp are vital, and there are a few setups that check all the required boxes and cover all the contingencies you might hope to encounter.

Black Pro Surfer Hunter Jones' Fight For Diversity in the Water

February 11, 20211 min read ASNF

It’s safe to say that since surfing was coopted from the indigenous Hawaiians by wealthy white men who were visiting Waikiki in the late 1800s, the sport has been overwhelmingly dominated by those of European descent. In fact, the first official, modern surfing club, called the Outrigger Canoe and Surfing Club and started in 1908, was a unofficially a whites- (and male-)only organization.

Though some will point to this early interest by rich Europeans as the catalyst that helped save the sport from obscurity, the current sport of surfing is still—even in 2021—heavily represented by white faces. Looking out at any myriad of breaks, especially across the United States, and you’ll see the faces of mostly males of the same race bobbing in the ocean waiting for their turn to make a turn.

It’s a definite problem that the surfing community is just becoming broadly aware of, and for … Read more

Need to revisit screen time?

February 10, 20211 min read ASNF

Just about every single one of us is spending too much time in front of a screen these days. Many, if not most, of us are spending most of our days on one — including, unfortunately, our children.

Hindsight is 20/20, of course. When the pandemic began a year ago, we had no way of knowing it would last so long. Suddenly, school became remote, daycare ended. Many parents started working remotely, and those who remained in the workplace had less oversight at home. At the same time sports, playdates, and other non-screen activities literally disappeared. We naturally went into survival mode and turned on the screens. We let our kids spend hours more than they used to on entertainment media, figuring that it wouldn’t be for long. We turned a blind eye to the violent online games, figuring that at least our children were interacting with their friends.

But … Read more

Snowboarding Can Have a Sustainable Future—If Brands Get on Board

February 10, 20211 min read ASNF

From the use of harmful resins to sourcing wood from endangered forests, over-packaging products to powering facilities with non-renewables, building a snowboard is a harmful process—for both the planet and its shaper. At least it used to be. Brands across the map have begun investing in the future for snowboarding, and it’s a sustainable one.

That’s thanks to snowboarder-run environmental nonprofits like Protect Our Winters and a sequence of scientific studies that have exposed the snowsports industry’s volatile role in climate change.

Now, Mervin Manufacturing—the parent company of Lib Tech and Gnu—is sourcing its wood cores from renewable forest products. Arbor Snowboards is using recycled steel in the edges of its boards. Burton adopted the use of clean bioresins as opposed to petroleum-based epoxies. And Capita Snowboarding owns a manufacturing facility in Austria that’s 100 percent … Read more

COVID-19 vaccines: Safety, side effects –– and coincidence

February 9, 20211 min read ASNF

As the pandemic rages on, it’s increasingly clear that widespread vaccination is essential to help contain it. Physical distancing, universal face coverings, and frequent handwashing are effective, but not foolproof. And of course, these measures don’t work if they are not followed.

So, the rapid development of mRNA vaccines and other vaccines to prevent COVID-19 is welcome — some say miraculous — news. But while many people are scrambling to get a vaccine, others are hesitating.

Start here: Are these vaccines safe and effective?

It’s natural to wonder if brand new vaccines against a novel coronavirus, developed at unprecedented speed, are effective and safe to take. Let’s review some of what we know.

Overall effectiveness has been reported in the range of 70{cca0cc7c4b81236e0d96d7a0b06af69f647318c37acb42646aafbd7d3abba764} to 95{cca0cc7c4b81236e0d96d7a0b06af69f647318c37acb42646aafbd7d3abba764}. That’s well above the average effectiveness of the flu vaccine, for example.

A Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine trial involving nearly 44,000 volunteers found vaccination to be 95{cca0cc7c4b81236e0d96d7a0b06af69f647318c37acb42646aafbd7d3abba764}

Dustin Poirier Talks Legacy, Fight Island, and the Leg Kicks That Mangled Conor McGregor at UFC 257

February 9, 20211 min read ASNF

Dustin Poirier starts his mornings like most fathers with a four-year-old daughter: scrambling to get her up and ready school. For the seasoned fighter, it’s a match up he looks forward to, especially after a few weeks of being halfway around the world for his UFC 257 bout against Conor McGregor.

“This experience was a new kind of challenge,” Poirier says about the trip to Abu Dhabi, the location of UFC’s Fight Island. The journey was brutally difficult, but the desired result was achieved: Poirier scored a second-round knockout against the notorious Irishman. It could be considered payback for their last meeting in 2014, when things went the other way around, and now all signs are pointing to a trilogy between the fierce competitors.

Poirier is an MMA veteran, but he’s not done building his legacy. The interim lightweight belt sits on a shelf in his living room, … Read more

How does sleep affect your heart rate?

February 8, 20211 min read ASNF

Even if you don’t wear a smartwatch or fitness band to track your heart rate, you can often sense your pulse fluctuating throughout the day. During your waking hours, the number of heartbeats per minute when you’re just sitting quietly is known as your resting heart rate. In most adults, resting heart rates range between 60 and 100 beats per minute.

Once you stand up and move around, your heart rate goes up. And exercise boosts it further still. Even intense emotions — fear, anger, or surprise — can cause your heart rate to spike. But what happens when you lie down to sleep? The answer differs depending on the phase of sleep: light sleep, deep sleep, or rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.

How does your heart rate change while you sleep?

“During sleep, the stimulation of your nervous system is reduced and most of your body processes slow down,” … Read more

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