He is arguably the best player at his position after winning the wideout triple crown last season.
Kupp dominated his contemporaries by leading the league in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns.
But aside from that feat, he was also named Offensive Player of the Year and a First-Team All-Pro.
More importantly, he won Super Bowl LVI and was the game’s Most Valuable Player.
Now that he is seeking more accolades and possibly another Super Bowl win, he is also becoming a mentor to one of the best football players in the world.
The carby goodness of rich cheese and heavy, hearty sauces makes pasta one of the go-to comfort foods during winter. But with a few tweaks and ingredient swaps, it can be just as wonderful in summer. These easy and satisfying pasta recipes are here to prove it:
Summer Pasta with Yellow Squash and Sun-Dried Tomatoes: This scrumptious pasta recipe checks all the boxes for a perfect summer meal—it's fresh, simple, light yet satisfying and vibrant in flavor. Plus, you can whip it up in just 30 minutes so that's less time in the kitchen and more time with loved ones! This recipe for Grilled Vegetable Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta is also highly recommended.
Mango Avocado Soba Buckwheat Noodle Bowls: Shoyu-flavored soba buckwheat noodles beautifully complement the delicious goodness of sauteéd veggies and sweet mango in this easy-to-make noodle bowl that comes together in under 25 minutes. Top it off with diced avocado and a sprinkle of sesame seeds for added flavor and nutrition boost and you're done. Here's the quick and easy recipe. You might also like this 15-Minute Bangkok Peanut Mango Pasta recipe.
Summer Pasta with Pesto, Grilled Salmon and Corn: Moist and tender grilled salmon, charred asparagus and crispy browned corn are the stars in this savory pasta dish that can be put together in less than 30 minutes. If you want to up your veggie intake, pair it with a light lemon-garlic kale salad or a roasted Brussel sprouts salad. You might also want to check out this recipe for Creamy Smoked Salmon Pasta with Spinach and Lemon.
Tuna Avocado Macaroni Salad: In as little as 20 minutes you can whip up this vibrant pasta salad that's sure to be a hit at any barbecue, picnic or potluck. For a heartier meal, enjoy it with a bowl of summer corn chowder.
Summer Pasta Salad with Grilled Zucchini, Corn and Cilantro Pesto: With colorful grilled veggies and tender corn tossed in bright cilantro pesto, this gluten-free pasta recipe essentially screams "summer." Top it off with sun-dried tomatoes, grilled chicken, crumbled goat cheese or feta.
Spirulina and Mint Basil Pesto Pasta: This refreshing protein-packed pasta recipe is perfect for those busy weekdays when you haven't had a chance to even think about dinner. Pair it with a grilled or roasted summer vegetable salad for a super satisfying and healthy meal. I also like this fiber-rich Thai Basil Pasta with Tomato-Mint Chickpeas recipe.
Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Orzo Pasta: Tender roasted eggplant, fresh herbs, tangy feta and the tartness of cherry tomatoes beautifully come together in this light pasta dish that's perfect for warmer weather. You can swap feta in the recipe with Kalamata olives for a dairy-free option or tofu cheese for a vegan-friendly substitute.
Green Olive Pasta with Toasted Lemon Breadcrumbs and Herbs: Green olives, fragrant herbs, fresh parmesan and the citrusy brightness of lemon make this fun pasta recipe taste like summer in a bowl. If you're a fan of Panko breadcrumbs, you might also want to try this recipe for Pasta with Creamy Corn Sauce, Basil and Breadcrumbs.
Creamy BBQ Chicken Pasta: Packed with tender and juicy chicken, lots of cheese and tangy BBQ sauce, this hearty pasta recipe is sure to delight guests at any potluck or BBQ party. You can sub double cream in the recipe with soy milk or cashew cream if you want to lighten things a bit. Serve it with a crunchy mixed green salad for a super-satisfying meal with a restaurant flair. You might also like this 5-Ingredient BBQ Chicken Mac and Cheese recipe.
Lemon Orzo Salad with Asparagus, Spinach and Feta: This wholesome pasta recipe features crunchy veggies, fresh herbs, feta and toasted orzo doused in a bright lemony dressing. The make-ahead dish can be safely stored in the fridge for up to four days. This One Pot Lemon Spaghetti with Spinach recipe is another great option for busy weeknights.
Which of these delish recipes would you like to try this summer? LMK in the comments section!
Kurtzman's solution was, essentially, to take a page from Spielberg's book. Though the Gorn are an ever-present villain throughout "Strange New Worlds," they're scarcely seen, but mentioned and referenced often. As early as the very first episode, their terrifying practices are relayed through a character that has survived the Gorn, La'an Noonien-Singh. The series' fourth episode, "Memento Mori," expands on La'an's experience with the Gorn when the Enterprise encounters a Gorn ship. The Gorn present a serious threat to the Enterprise — we even get a glimpse at La'an's own experiences with the species — but we never actually see any.
Of course, this all changes with this week's horror-influenced episode "All Those Who Wander," which finds the Enterprise crew facing off against Gorn hatchlings on a crashed Federation ship, "Alien" style. It's absolutely terrifying stuff, but it still makes perfect use of the "what we don't see" tactic. With a combination of CGI and practical effects, "Strange New Worlds" has successfully rebooted the Gorn as a truly blood-chilling adversary, one we'll hopefully be seeing more (or less) of in the future.
They say you can’t take it with you, but recipes do disappear when loved ones die. These families have found a novel way to record them for posterity.
At his home in Washington, D.C., Charlie McBride often bakes his mother’s recipe for peach cobbler. As he pours the topping over the fruit, he remembers how his mother, aunts and grandmother sat under a tree in Louisiana, cackling at one another’s stories as they peeled peaches to can for the winter.
Mr. McBride loved this family recipe so much that when his mother, O’Neal Bogan Watson, died in 2005, he had it etched on her gravestone in New Ebenezer Cemetery in Castor, La., a town of about 230 people. His mother’s instructions were simple: Bake the cobbler at 350 degrees “until done.”
“It really is just a great recipe,” said Mr. McBride, 78, a public policy consultant.
In cemeteries from Alaska to Israel, families have memorialized their loved ones with the deceased’s most cherished recipes carved in stone. These dishes — mostly desserts — give relatives a way to remember the sweet times and, they hope, bring some joy to visitors who discover them among the more traditional monuments.
“You only have one chance to make a last impression,” said Douglas Keister, a photographer and author who has written several books about cemeteries, including “Stories in the Stone: A Field Guide to Cemetery Symbolism and Iconography.” (For his own memorial, Mr. Keister plans a bench with the inscription “Keisters go here.”)
Charlie McBride, of Washington, D.C., uses fresh peaches for his recipe, but at one point, his mother used canned peaches.Jennifer Chase for The New York Times
Recipes on gravestones are a relatively new phenomenon in the long history of cemetery iconography, he said. But they’ve found an ardent following online. On her TikTok channel, @ghostlyarchive, Rosie Grant shares headstone recipes, drawing hundreds of thousands of views from a devoted audience fascinated by the intersection of cemeteries and cooking.
“Cemeteries are an open-air museum,” said Ms. Grant, 32, who lives in Washington D.C.
Recent advancements in gravestone technology, like lasers that can carve directly into the stone, have made it easier to leave a more personalized memorial, Mr. Keister said. Some include QR codes that lead to memorial websites.
“We use cemetery memorials as an art form,” said Jonathan Modlich, an owner of the Modlich Monument Company in Columbus, Ohio, and the president of the Monument Builders of North America. “It’s our job as memorialists to capture a portion of that story that can be told in future generations.”
Years before Martha Kathryn Kirkham Andrews died, her fudge recipe was added to the gravestone she would eventually share with her husband, Wade Huff Andrews. The recipe drew so many onlookers at the Logan City Cemetery in Utah that the area containing her plot became known as “the fudge section.”
She and her husband had read a book about funny epitaphs and decided to make their tombstone a reflection of their lives. He chose to commemorate his life with several images on his side of the gravestone, including the B-24 Liberator bomber he flew in World War II and named Salt Lake Katie after his wife. She picked the fudge recipe she often took to church functions, club meetings and other get-togethers.
“When she made fudge, you can pretty much guarantee that it was going out the door,” said their daughter, Janice Johnson, 75, of Syracuse, Utah.
When Mr. Andrews died in 2000, the monument company they hired to create the memorial engraved an error in the recipe, calling for too much vanilla. A generation of cemetery visitors presumably made the too-runny fudge before the mistake was corrected after Ms. Andrews died in 2019.
Martha Kathryn Kirkham Andrews made her fudge with bars of Baker’s unsweetened chocolate and cooled the melted candy on a gray marble slab.Todd Tanner/Fox13-KSTU, via Associated Press
For Richard Dawson, 71, of Chester Springs, Pa., memories of his family’s holidays are best called up by tasting the spritz cookies made by his mother, Naomi Odessa Miller Dawson. They were also a favorite at Mr. Dawson’s office, but when a co-worker once asked for the recipe, his mother said she wouldn’t give it away.
Mr. Dawson had the recipe etched on her gravestone. “At one point, I thought she may feel like I betrayed her,” he said. “But I think she’s happy because of all the attention the headstone has received.”
Allison C. Meier discovered Ms. Dawson’s spritz recipe a few years ago while walking around Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, looking for unusual headstones for a tour she leads. The open-book shape of the headstone caught her eye, and as she moved closer, she was surprised to see a recipe instead of a religious symbol.
The discovery inspired Ms. Meier to co-write a zine during the pandemic on the gravestone recipes she found. She titled it “Cooking With the Dead.”
“Recipes are such a beautiful way of remembering people,” said Ms. Meier, 37, who lives in Flatbush, Brooklyn. “You’re still following in their footsteps and putting ingredients together the way they did.”
In Nome, Alaska, Bonnie June Johnson was known for her strict leadership of the town’s Division of Motor Vehicles office and for the sweetness of her no-bake oatmeal cookies, said her daughter, Julie Johnson Szczech, 52, of Fairbanks, Alaska. The recipe was inscribed on Ms. Johnson’s gravestone in 2007 at the Nome City Cemetery, along with an etching of a Cool Whip container. (She collected dozens of them.)
The recipe calls for shelf-stable ingredients, like quick oats and Swiss Miss hot chocolate mix, that are relatively easy to find in a state where more perishable foods often are not.
Even the man who plowed the snow from Ms. Johnson’s front yard did an “extra good job because he got those cookies,” her daughter said.
Yossi Kleinman designed his mother and father’s gravestone, where her nut roll cookies recipe is rendered in Hebrew.Courtesy of Yossi Kleinman
The recipe for Ida Kleinman’s nut roll cookies, her most popular, can be found in Hebrew on her tombstone in Rehovot Cemetery in Rehovot, Israel. Mrs. Kleinman, who was born in Romania and married a Holocaust survivor, stuffed the dough with ground pecans, strawberry jam and Turkish delight, said her son, Yossi Kleinman, 65, of Rehovot.
When he goes to visit the grave his parents share, he likes to sit and watch the passers-by. “I just want people to notice the stone,” he said, adding that he has seen some of them jot down the recipe.
An early entry in the genre was Maxine Kathleen Poppe Menster’s 1994 headstone in Cascade Community Cemetery in Cascade, Iowa, featuring a German Christmas cookie recipe from her great-grandparents. When she was a child, Mrs. Menster’s parents hung the sugar cookies on her Christmas tree, said her daughter Jane Menster, 66, of Bernard, Iowa.
When making the cookies every December, Maxine Menster assigned the family to various stations in the kitchen: She rolled out the dough, her mother baked the cookies and her children decorated them with colored sprinkles.
“A cemetery doesn’t have to be a place of sadness,” her daughter said. “It can be a place of great memories. It might spur people to talk about the good memories instead of the last memory.”
Susan Campbell Beachy and Kitty Bennett contributed research.
Des Moines, Iowa - This is not a release from the Iowa Department of Public Safety. It is being shared on behalf of the City of Johnston as a result of the Iowa State Patrol's assistance with this media event
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ABOUT THE IOWA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
The Iowa Department of Public Safety (DPS) is the largest law enforcement agency in the state. It includes six divisions and several bureaus, all working together with local, state and federal government agencies and the private sector, to keep Iowa a safe place by following our core values: leadership, integrity, professionalism, courtesy, service and protection. Divisions within the Iowa DPS: Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Iowa State Patrol, Iowa State Fire Marshal Division, Iowa Division of Intelligence and Fusion Center, and Administrative Services Division. The Department of Public Safety is led by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Governor.
Article From & Read More ( Safety Tips Heading into the Fourth of July Weekend | Iowa Department of Public Safety - Iowa Department of Public Safety )
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Mozilla is rolling out Firefox version 102 which now has the ability to prevent websites from tracking you.
The full patch notes can be seen on Mozilla's page(opens in new tab), which states Firefox will now mitigate “query parameter tracking when navigating sites…” Query parameters are the string of characters that appear in a URL after a question mark and can be used to track people across the internet. These parameters are used to display targeted ads, for example.
To illustrate how the new feature works,BleepingComputer(opens in new tab) created a test page(opens in new tab) where you can click on one of the links and see a URL that looks like this: “example.com/?mc_eid=12”. If you take that URL into the new Firefox browser, the characters after the question mark will be gone.
You can update Firefox by going to the browser menu and locating About Firefox to begin updating. To activate the anti-tracking feature, you’ll have to go to the Privacy & Security tab in Firefox Settings. Under Enhanced Tracking Protection, change the security level from Standard to Strict and you’re good to go.
Firefox displays a notice saying that browsing under Strict may cause some websites to not work properly. If this happens, you’ll have to revert back to Standard. It’s important to point out that the anti-tracking feature does not work on private windows, but it can be turned on.
In a Firefox private window, enter "about:config" into the address bar, then type in “strip” in the new search bar. Set "privacy.query_stripping.enabled.pbmode" from false to true, and you’re done.
(Image credit: TechRadar)
Beefing up security
In addition to the anti-tracking feature, Mozilla patched up its browser's security. The full list of fixed vulnerabilities (opens in new tab) can be found on Mozilla’s Security page where they range from low to high severity. And the developer fixed a compatibility issue afflicting screen readers on Windows. Apparently, screen readers would read the wrong thing on a page or outright fail. Mozilla also added the ability to disable the download panel (opens in new tab) from automatically opening whenever you start downloading.
Mozilla has gone so far as to call its browser the most secure in the world. While that might be considered hyperbole, the developer has consistently rolled out new security features to Firefox like making Total Cookie Protection a default setting and implementing Enhanced Cookie Clearing to wipe out third-party trackers.
We've all been there; you're boiling a pot of water, and you turn your back for only a moment. That's when the water begins to boil over, causing a watery mess all over the stove. Geoffrey Zakarian's hack for keeping that boiling water inside the pot saves you from these messy mishaps.
Wooden spoons come in handy for many things in the kitchen. Primarily used for stirring, wooden spoons are a kitchen staple every cook needs. Geoffrey Zakarian claims that these utensils can help in another very unexpected way. He says to place a wooden spoon across the top of a pot of boiling water. According to People, the famous chef says that when the bubbles from the boiling water touch the cool, dry wood of the spoon, they burst, releasing the steam. This prevents the water from boiling over.
If you don't have a wooden spoon, try tossing an ice cube into the pot as the water froths up. According to Stack Exchange, the drastic temperature change causes the frothy bubbles to stop in their tracks, which prevents the water from spilling over.
With a possible recession on the horizon, it's never a bad time to start becoming more conscious of your spending habits. Inflation is steep and gas prices have soared, but those little changes you make around your house can produce a big difference in your monthly costs. Whether it's swapping warm water for cold in your laundry cycle or nixing bottled water from your grocery list, we've got over two dozen tips to help you ease the strain of inflation.
Here are 27 ways you can start cutting costs in your home right now.
Grow herbs: A bundle of herbs costs three or four bucks. Keeping a little herb garden on your window sill will cost about the same upfront, but can yield herbs for months. If you're looking to get started, read more about the five easy steps to growing fresh herbs at home.
Don't buy bottled water: Bottled water seems cheap, but it gets expensive fast. Settle for a water filter pitcher, and you can use tap water. It's cheaper over time, and it's better for the environment, too. There are many options on the market today, but you can learn about our favorites here.
Throw almost-spoiled fruits and veggies in the freezer: Buying fresh produce, then opting for the tastier freezer meals while the bananas and spinach spoiled was a weekly ritual in our house. Then we started tossing them in the freezer to use for smoothies. It cut our weekly waste way down. Here are more tips to keep your fridge food fresher for longer.
Keep your freezer full: Speaking of freezers, when you keep your freezer full, it works more efficiently, taking less energy to keep the contents cold.
Keep your dishwasher full, too: Running half-loads of dishes is a quick way to waste water and dish detergent.
Break out that Dutch oven: It could be a Dutch oven or a slow cooker of any kind, but cooking in bulk really helps cut down the costs associated with more individual-size meals.
This meal was comprised only of leftover veggies and yogurt that needed to be used.
David Priest/CNET
Eat leftovers: This isn't a tip so much as a choice. Keep your leftovers and don't give yourself the excuse not to eat them. It'll stretch your dollar way further.
Be selective about organic foods: Organic food can be pricey, and ethically grown meat is even more expensive. So, for the most problematic products, buy organic to avoid pesticides and hormones, and get the standard fare for the rest of your grocery list.
In the laundry room
Hang-dry your clothes: Save energy by hang-drying your laundry. (No one will notice your wrinkled shirt.)
Wash with cold water: Another way to cut costs is washing with cold water. Unless you have serious stains or odors you're trying to remove, most clothes can wash on the cold cycle without an issue.
Run full loads of laundry: Pack your washer to capacity, because you're going to use the same water either way. May as well get as much use from it as you can.
Check your mechanical closet
Lower that water heater temperature: Check the temperature on your water heater. You generally don't need it to be above 120 degrees, and higher temps come with higher fees.
Change filters: It's not just your water heater's inefficiency costing you money; your HVAC system can burn a hole in your wallet if you haven't changed its filter recently, so learn when to swap in a new filter.
Paying bills
Switch credit cards: If you spend a lot of money at Whole Foods or on travel, consider specific credit cards that will offer the best rewards for your current spending habits.
Use a budgeting app: One of the hardest parts of budgeting is just developing awareness of our spending habits. Using a budgeting app like Mint is a great way to see exactly how your impulse buys really do shape your monthly budget.
Use coupons: Coupons are basically like cash. If you buy things online, doing a 30-second search for coupons will often save you 10% or more. Check out these 21 money-saving browser extensions and apps.
Pay bills online: There are few things I hate more than late fees on bills. Setting up autopay on your electricity and water bills will help avoid those unnecessary fees, and they'll also remove the need for postage on paper bills.
Unsubscribe from services: While you're thinking about bills, check on your subscriptions. If you haven't used a certain streaming service or that fitness app in a month or more, cancel it. You can always restart it in a few minutes if you change your mind.
For entertainment
Use library online resources: If you have a library card, your public library likely offers a lot of free online services, such as ebooks or even streaming services. Give them a shot.
Go outside: Not to sound like a dad from the '90s, but go outside! It's a free way to mix up the day, get some exercise and remind yourself that your bedroom is not the whole world. Here are some ideas for fun games to play outside and setting up a backyard movie night.
I set up a garden in my backyard with some old boards I found in the shed, $20 of chicken wire and a few handfuls of seeds.
David Priest/CNET
Start a garden: While you're outside, think about starting a garden. If you have a backyard, you can avoid many of the upfront costs of a raised bed and simply get seeds to plant in the ground. You can get plenty of seeds for less than $20, and that will translate into much more than $20 worth of food over the following months.
Build a compostbin: OK, this one is a longer-term investment, but building a garden can be hard and expensive if you're starting from scratch. If you start tossing your food waste into a compost bin now, though, you won't have to buy tons of fertilizer or expensive soil for your garden next year. Plus, composting is another good way to help the environment. Here's how to get started.
3 final tips for cutting costs
Dress for the temperature: If you work from home, that means adjusting the "office thermostat" now directly affects your monthly bills. So adjust it less and dress comfortably for the temperature. After all, no one's around to judge you for wearing sweats.
Switch fan direction: Most ceiling fans have a small switch on them that changes the direction they spin. In the summer, run the fan counter-clockwise so it blows air down on you. This can help avoid the need for more air conditioning.
I also saved myself a trip to the ER with this trick that I learned online!
I've been kind of in a bind for the past few months...literally. After freaking out over a possible trip to the emergency room or making an embarrassing call to the doctor, it turns out that sometimes all you need is a bit of patience and some floss.
I am not a medical professional. Please be smart and careful when doing this because it CAN HURT.
A few years ago my aunt on my mother's side passed away rather suddenly. She was also my godmother, so we had always had a very close relationship.
Our family is also very, VERY Irish and we've always tried to embrace that side of our identity. My mom was the oldest of SIX children, and each of them received something called a claddagh ring from my grandmother.
Even if you've never heard of a claddagh ring, you've absolutely probably seen one. It's a simple ring with a heart, two hands, and a crown on top. It's a very common and important piece of jewelry in Irish culture.
Each piece of the ring is meant to symbolize something very important.
The heart is obviously a symbol of love, the hands are a sign of friendship, and the crown is meant to represent loyalty.
It also is meant to be worn in a very specific way depending on the status of the person wearing it.
If you're single you should, "Wear the ring on the right hand with the heart facing outward from your body."
If you're in a relationship you have to, "Wear the ring on the right hand with the heart facing inwards."
If you're engaged, "Wear the ring on the left hand on the third finger with the heart pointing outwards."
Finally tied the knot? Well, you now have to, "Wear the ring on the left hand on the third finger with the heart pointing inwards."
When my aunt passed the ring went back to my grandmother, and then when my grandmother died a few years later I inherited it. It's always been very special to me. I wore it throughout college and my first few years out in the workforce.
I'm not one to wear too much jewelry, so there would be periods of time when I'd take the ring off and keep it away for safekeeping. It would never be for too long. Maybe a few days or even weeks.
However, a few months ago I was really missing my aunt, so I put the solid gold band back on the proper finger. A few days later it was starting to itch a bit, so I tried to take the piece of jewelry off my finger...but it was stuck.
And there was no way it was getting off anytime soon.
It took me a few months and a whole lot of random Tik Tok and YouTube searches to find the way to get it off my finger.
KM/CANVA
KM/CANVA
A few months later, I actually found a trick that saved me an emotional trip to the emergency room AND my aunt's beautiful ring.
How To Get A Stuck Ring Off Your Finger
First off, don't do this if you don't think you can complete the process. This entire trick depends on you messing with your finger's blood flow.
1. Find some floss
2. Put the floss underneath the ring facing into your palm
3. Pull the floss end out towards your palm on the other side of the ring
4. Wrap the floss around your finger up to around your knuckle
5. Start unwrapping it from the other side of the ring
6. Work the ring up and off your finger
THIS MAY HURT! The entire process is meant to flatten out any of the parts of your finger the ring can't go over. PLEASE BE CAREFUL! I thought this was the only way to get the ring off my finger without having to get it cut off. Your finger will look a bit like a very tiny mummy.
My finger does still have a mark from removing the ring a few days ago. While it's a bit purple, I feel much better and happier because the ring is no longer stuck on me!
KM
KM
For a visual example of what the process looks like check out this video down below!
Fenelon Street Elevator
The steepest and shortest railway is in Dubuque.
See Inside Roseanne Barr's Eldon Mansion
Roseanne Barr was set to make a home in Iowa. She and her then-husband Tom Arnold were in the midst of building a mansion in Eldon. It was put on hold when the couple eventually split up. This left a beautiful, unfinished, and kind of spooky mansion behind.
AUSTIN As we enter the summer months, Texans are heading to Texas State Parks to enjoy time outdoors, a press release stated. Last year, 43 state parks reported 102 heat-related illnesses in humans and pets. Since January 1, 54 heat-related incidents have already been reported, compared to 34 reported by this time last year.
With temperatures soaring into the triple digits, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is sharing their suggestions for staying safe in the outdoors.
Here are the top six heat hacks recommended for park visitors:
>> Hydrate: It’s important to drink at least 16 ounces of water every hour in the heat to replenish your body and prevent dehydration. Don’t forget to bring enough for your four-legged family members too.
>> Block the Rays: Apply a generous amount of sunscreen or sunblock before heading outdoors. Be sure to reapply every couple of hours, and after swimming or sweating.
>> Dress Smart: Wear light, loose-fitting, breathable clothing; a hat, correct shoes, sunscreen and wet bandanas to keep you cool while in the sun. For pets, protect paws against blistering by hitting the trails during cooler times of the day when the ground isn’t hot or by putting booties on pets to help shield paws from the hot ground. Touch the pavement or ground with the back of your hand. If you cannot hold it there for five seconds, the surface is too hot for your dog’s paws.
>> Stay Salty: Food helps keep up energy and replace salt lost from sweating. Eating snacks such as jerky, granola, trail mix, tuna and dried fruit is a fantastic way to nourish your body while on the trails.
>> Buddy System: Two brains are better than one. It’s beneficial to have someone with you in hot conditions so you can look after each other on the trail. With high temperatures hitting Texas, heat-related illnesses are common and having a friend around to help recognize the early symptoms can save you from getting sick.
>> Plan Ahead: Study the map and have it with you, avoid relying on your phone for maps since service may be unavailable in back-country areas. Average hikers move at 2 miles per hour, so allow yourself plenty of time to avoid hiking in the heat of the day. Make sure to rest in a cool or shaded area to recover from the heat if necessary. It is also a good idea to let someone know your plan before you hit the trails and what time you should be back. That way, if you become lost, people know where to look.
Dogs are as susceptible to heat as their humans are, so it is good practice to ensure that you bring enough water and snacks for four-legged hiking buddies to last the entirety of the trip. Also, be mindful of ground temperatures before hitting the trails. Since dogs aren’t wearing shoes, they can be prone to injury.
Additionally, visitors should heed notices posted at trailheads about site specific conditions before setting out for the day. Park staff are also a valuable resource for folks wanting to know about trail and forecasted conditions before starting their walk.
Apex Legends is all about movement, but Rampart usually isn’t the first character that comes to mind when the topic comes up. That could be changing though, as this superglide trick can turn her whole squad into an untouchable force no matter where a fight breaks out.
Respawn has spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to buff Rampart but it turns out her biggest strength has been hiding in plain sight since day one.
Crafting walls has been a part of the Amped Modder’s kit ever since she launched in Season 6 and while they’ve always been good cover to hide behind and take some supercharged shots, it turns out they can also serve an almost completely opposite purpose as well.
While that’s simple enough, players will still have to nail the superglide once they’re up there, so it’s not quite as easy as the clip embedded below makes it look.
As seen in the video, it’s possible to chain a couple of these glides together with some other strafes techniques, resulting in enemy Horizons absolutely losing it as they try to predict where they need to shoot.
Supergliding in itself will take some time to nail down it’s not already a part of your repertoire but the results speak for themselves for those of us who take the time to master it.
Luckily for most of us, there are easier ways to improve at the game than grinding out movement techniques all day. For anyone who wants to take things a little more serious, we recommend checking out these five quick tips for a quick hit of inspiration.
According to Empire's deep dive into the film, Nolan wanted his leading men to convincingly portray magicians. So he brought in Ricky Jay and Michael Weber, two magicians who specialize in teaching movie stars magic skills. Only, they didn't actually teach all that much. Christian Bale said, "We didn't learn as much as you'd think. In fact, I couldn't show you anything. It was very frustrating." Hugh Jackman succinctly added, "They basically taught us exactly whatever we needed to pull off the shot, and nothing else."
Both stars tried to convince Jay to teach them tricks but to no avail. Thus, the most impressive trick Bale picked up was how to shuffle a deck of cards with one hand. Jackman, on the other hand, had a minor stroke of luck:
"Ricky couldn't be there for the last week of shooting and I needed to do a trick, a very small thing where I produce a flower from my hand. And this young guy came and helped me out, and he was actually an aspiring actor and magic was just a part-time thing, so he was perfect. He told me whatever I wanted to know! So now I do have a few tricks -– I can make a little ball disappear in my hand!"
If you haven’t got the message by now, Meta really wants you to use Reels, and provide it with more Reels content to feed into the ever-growing interest in short-form content.
The TikTok effect has transformed the product roadmap of many social platforms, none more so than Meta, and the usage stats suggest that if you want to maximize your Facebook and IG performance, it’s worth, at the least, considering Reels in your platform marketing approach.
And if you are exploring your Reels options, this may help. Today, Instagram has published a new set of tips to help maximize your Reels performance, and provide more inspiration for your short-form video clips.
“Since its introduction on Facebook and Instagram, Reels has grown to become a treasure trove of entertaining, imaginative and educational video content from around the world. Reels is the ideal place for brands to get discovered on the global stage, to express themselves with more creativity and fun, and can play a powerful role in crafting compelling narratives that drive excitement, engagement and awareness.”
Further underlining this, Instagram says that over 45% of accounts now interact with a Reel in the app at least once a week.
It’s difficult to overstate the influence that TikTok has had in this respect, which goes beyond just providing an alternative content option, and extends into habitual behavioral shifts - which means that users are now more naturally attuned to respond to short-form content, and are becoming increasingly responsive to such every day.
In other words, TikTok has changed the way that people engage with video content overall, so it’s not just that TikTok is popular in itself, it means that all apps need to align with this usage shift, or risk being left behind, because the more that people consumer short-form content, the more their attention spans are being inherently re-programmed to respond to this format.
In line with this, Instagram has shared six key tips to help maximize your short-form video approach:
Nail the hook– Instagram says that, as with all video formats, brands should look to keep their objectives in mind, and highlight their brand within the first few seconds of your Reels clips. ‘If the intent is conversions, showcase your product or service in action.’
Get creative with transitions–Creativity is key in short-form video, and Instagram advises that brands should look to experiment with transitions to both entertain their viewers and show off their brand’s personality. There’s no prescriptive playbook here – creativity requires testing and development. But by considering different presentation styles, and watching content from other brands and creators, you can come up with more engaging, original ways to frame your clips.
Match the rhythm–Music has been a key element in the rise of TikTok – as evidenced by the resurgence of classic hits from Fleetwood Mac, along with other hit songs driven by creative trends in the app. Instagram notes that over 80% of Reels are viewed with sound on, and synching your content to music can play a big role in maximizing your content performance. IG also suggests using auto-captions to enhance engagement.
Keep it on trend – A key part of Reels and TikTok engagement is aligning with the organic feel of the feed, which also involves being aware of the latest trends, and engaging in such, where relevant. ‘Create and encourage your audience to remix your Reels, or spark a conversation with them in the comments section. Try adding relevant hashtags to optimize exposure for your content’.
Explore collaborations- Of course, if you really want to tap into the creative power of reels, working withexperienced and skilled creators can be a great way to boost your brand story, in ways that you likely wouldn’t have thought of on your own. ‘Collaborating with influencer voices drives more engagement, authenticity and awareness. Campaigns that include Branded Content ads saw +123% lift in awareness, +112% lift in association, and +67% lift in consideration and motivation, showing that creators can help boost brand impact.’ Top creators know what works. You can find relevant creators to work with via Meta’s Brand Collabs Manager tool.
Be authentic– Instagram’s last note is a little more generic, but the essence here is that authentic content works best in short-form video. ‘Create Reels that are true to you and that reflect your brand values’. That’s not highly directive, but the concept is that people are looking for real, unvarnished connection and content within Reels, in variance to past social media trends, which can then help them to connect with your brand ethos and approach.
There is no ‘magic number’ for content volume or mix– Yoder says that Instagram’s algorithm is account-based, so it’s going to serve your content to individual accounts based on their behaviors. That means that some accounts (like the NBA) can post 20+ times per day and see great performance, while others will inevitably be more conservative – but either way, there’s no specific number of posts per day that you should be aiming for, given how the algorithm distributes content. ‘Always test and iterate to see what volume/mix works’.
Pay attention to earnings calls– Each quarter, all of the major platforms outline their financial performance, which also includes key notes on strategy, and where they’re focused going forward. Yoder says that these priorities are where engineering resources go, and where they want to see more user time focused, and aligning with this can help to maximize your strategic success. ‘Just like hockey, to win skate where the puck/engineering resources are going’.
Only you care about your grid– Yoder says that almost no one who interacts with your content is seeing it on your profile. ‘My advice is to focus exclusively on how people are interacting with your content in feed. Grid stunts are silly and hurt reach.’
External forces drive more growth than content– Yoder notes that each year, the top growing NFL team accounts are those that make the Super Bowl. Yoder says that it’s these types of external influences that really boost engagement and activity, and that brands would be best served by focusing their strategy on capitalizing when they’re in these moments, as opposed to trying to find clever posting strategies and tricks.
Nobody uses IG the same way– Yoder says that Instagram users are all different, with some focusing on Stories, and others exclusively linked to the main feed, or increasingly, Reels. ‘Don’t consider all of your followers the same, and don’t expect them to use the app the way you do. Experiment. Iterate. Test.’
These are some great tips for your IG strategy, both in terms of building your presence via Reels and maximizing your overall Instagram approach through variable content approaches.
And while TikTok is still the trending app of the moment, Instagram is still a leader in cultural influence. If you want to ensure you’re tapping into that, these tips will help to put you on the right track.
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