It’s one of those features that Google Drive/Docs users have been able to use for so long that it’s almost expected by now: real-time chat with others while collaborating on documents. As Microsoft has been pushing its Office programs like Word, Powerpoint, and Excel into the cloud recently, users of Office Online are finally able to communicate via built-in Skype … Continue reading
You don’t want to spend a ton of money on a keyboard, and nobody can blame you for that. Apple’s offerings may be some of the best around, but are pricey, and lack key features. Are there keyboards that can take their place? Is anything good enough to really make you forget about all the research and development Jony Ive … Continue reading
To promote the upcoming Blu-ray release of Star Trek: The Next Generation season 7, Uproxx have got their hands on the gag reel. All I can say is, it’s not long enough.
Since the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One launched in North America last year, our readers have had plenty of time to get to know both systems. Last week, we took a look at what you had to say about the PlayStation 4 one year in. Now, we’re shining a…
When it comes to eating food, more often than not, the one that is not good for your health tends to be a whole lot more tasty than what is supposedly beneficial to your health, and just like other things in life, the difficult tasks that no one wants to do tend to be the very same actions that are used to solidify your character in the right direction. If you love eating fried food, but are not too keen on cleaning up after that, perhaps it would bode you well to check out the $199.95 Messless Deep Fryer?
The Messless Deep Fryer happens to be a deep fryer with a difference – it will be able to filter as well as drain the cooking oil into an integrated removable sealed bin, resulting in delicious, mess-free fried favorites for all occasions. The fryer will boast of an advanced 1700-watt heating element that delivers the ideal frying temperature (374° F), which in turn minimizes oil absorption so that it can deliver restaurant-quality French fries, chicken wings, and tempura-battered vegetables. What sets it apart from common fryers? It is able to turn the handling of oil from a cumbersome and messy chore to an easy one, thanks to its integrated automatic system that filters, drains, and stores the cooled oil, so that it is clean enough to be reused. The cooking reservoir can hold up to 14 cups of oil and up to 2 2/3 lbs. of food.
[ Messless Deep Fryer makes life a whole lot cleaner in the kitchen copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi soldiers backed by Sunni fighters launched a major operation Saturday to retake a section of the city of Ramadi seized by Islamic State group militants, an official and residents said.
The fighting focused on Ramadi’s eastern Sijariya neighborhood, which the extremist group said it captured Friday. An official with the Anbar provincial council described intense fighting there Saturday morning that included both sides firing mortars. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief journalists. Eyewitnesses there, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, corroborated his account.
Meanwhile, local residents in the town of Hit, in Anbar, said civilians were killed by an airstrike on a house. The strike, which eyewitnesses said took place just after noon prayers on Saturday, allegedly killed a family of four, including two children. It was not immediately clear which country was behind the strike.
The Islamic State group has been trying to seize Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, for months now. Sunni militants, including the group’s fighters, seized parts of it last January.
The Anbar official also said Islamic State fighters lined up and shot several men Friday from the al-Bu Fahd tribe, which is taking part in the fight against the militant group.
Islamic State group fighters have killed more than 200 men, women and children from Anbar’s Sunni Al Bu Nimr tribe in recent weeks, apparently in revenge for the tribe’s siding with Iraqi security forces and, in the past, with U.S. forces.
Earlier this month, an American advisory mission visited Anbar’s al-Asad air base, searching for potential training locations for fighters battling the Islamic State group, which holds a third of both Iraq and Syria. The move is part of a U.S. plan to train Iraqi forces and Sunni tribesmen, reminiscent of the Sunni Awakening movement that confronted al-Qaida in Iraq starting in 2006. The U.S. launched airstrikes in Iraq on Aug. 8, and a number of countries have since joined in an effort to reinforce Iraqi and Kurdish ground forces fighting the Islamic State group. The U.S. is also part of a coalition of Arab allies that launched strikes in Syria.
Meanwhile Saturday, police said two bombings around Baghdad killed eight people and wounded 21. Hospital officials confirmed the casualties. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to journalists.
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Associated Press writer Vivian Salama contributed to this report.
You’ve probably had oatmeal for breakfast, and if you haven’t yet tried quinoa I bet you’ve heard of it, or have seen it on a menu or social media recipe (it’s all over Pinterest!). But there are many other whole grains you may not be familiar with, and incorporating them into your food repertoire is well worth the learning curve.
Whole grains are white hot among chefs and nutritionists. They’re versatile, satisfying and in addition to providing slow-burning starch (think sustained energy!), vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, whole grains are health protective. Their consumption is tied to a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, type 2 diabetes and obesity (yes, a lower risk of obesity).
Here are eight to try, plus easy, delicious ways to incorporate them into meals and snacks. (And for those with Celiac disease or a gluten intolerance, the first six are gluten-free.)
Black Rice
Black rice is popping up on menus all over the place, in items from sushi to meatloaf. The natural pigment that gives black rice its hue is due to a unique antioxidant tied to protection against heart disease, cancer, and obesity. This is why compared to brown rice, black rice packs more potent anti-inflammatory properties, as well as higher levels of protein, iron and fiber. While I’ve made black rice at home, my local Thai restaurant offers it as a side, and I’ll use the leftovers in a variety of ways, including as the base for a hot cereal (made with unsweetened coconut milk, fruit, nuts, and ginger), chilled and sprinkled onto in a garden salad, or folded into veggie chili.
Kaniwa
This quinoa cousin is similar nutritionally speaking — high in protein, minerals and antioxidants — but it’s about half the size, so it cooks quickly (about 15 minutes). Like quinoa it’s incredibly versatile. You can whip cooked, chilled kaniwa into a smoothie, fold it into yogurt with fruit, nuts and cinnamon, add it to a garden salad or use it in place of bulgur in tabbouleh. Hot kaniwa can be stuffed into peppers, added to a stew or used any way you’d enjoy quinoa — in burgers, lettuce wraps, frittatas, you name it!
Sorghum
Sorghum, also called milo, originated in Egypt thousands of years ago, and is a staple in Africa. In addition to being nutrient rich, this gluten-free grain is digested and absorbed slowly, so it has a “stick to your ribs” quality that keeps you fuller longer, delays the return of hunger and helps regulate blood sugar and insulin levels. Sorghum can be used in countless recipes, from smoothies to savory hot or cold veggie salads, but my favorite way to prepare it is to pop it, just like popcorn!
Teff
This African whole grain is probably best known as the key ingredient in spongy Ethiopian flatbread. Known for its sweet, molasses-like flavor and versatility, teff can be cooked as an oatmeal alternative, added to baked goods or made into polenta in place of corn. Teff packs about three times the calcium as other whole grains — over 120 milligrams per cup cooked — and it provides resistant starch, a unique kind of carbohydrate that’s been shown to naturally up your body’s fat-burning furnace. Teff can be incorporated into homemade energy bars, pie crust, cookies or used in savory meals, such as a teff lentil loaf, or as a coating for lean proteins like fish.
Buckwheat
While wheat is in the name, buckwheat isn’t related to wheat at all. In fact, it’s thought of as a whole grain due to its nutritional properties, but it’s technically a cousin of rhubarb and is naturally gluten free. You may have tried buckwheat pancakes, but one of my favorite forms of buckwheat is soba noodles. I coat them with a quick sauce I make from almond butter thinned with warm water and brown rice vinegar, fresh grated ginger, minced garlic and crushed red pepper, tossed with lots of veggies, topped with a lean protein. You can also enjoy buckwheat as a breakfast porridge, or use buckwheat flour for making anything from crepes to cookies.
Millet
A staple in India, this tiny oval whole grain contains antioxidants in addition to key minerals including copper, magnesium, manganese and phosphorus. Like many of the grains listed here, millet can be served chilled or hot, or used in baking. I also love puffed millet as a cold cereal base, and I fold it into nut butter, along with chopped dark chocolate, minced dried fruit and spices, to make crunchy millet balls as an alternative to crispy rice treats.
Rye
Aside from rye bread, which is often a mixture of refined wheat and rye, there are many ways to enjoy 100 percent whole rye grain (which is not gluten-free). Rye flour can be used for baking, rye flakes can be swapped for rolled oats and rye berries can be used in place of rice. Recent research has shown that rye is more satiating compared to wheat, and in one animal study mice fed whole-grain rye versus wheat shed more weight, and experienced slightly better improvements in cholesterol levels and insulin regulation. When shopping for packaged rye products, be sure to read the ingredients. In most mainstream supermarkets you can find 100 percent whole rye crackers, made simply from whole-grain rye flour, water and salt. They’re an easy way to fit in a whole grain serving and delicious spread with a little ripe avocado, hummus, olive tapenade or pesto.
Barley
You may have had barley (also not gluten-free) in soup, but there are many other ways to enjoy this hearty whole grain. One of the oldest cultivated grains, barley has been found in Egyptian pyramids and was consumed by ancient Greeks for medicinal purposes. Natural substances in barley have been shown to help reduce cholesterol even more than oats, and feed the “good” bacteria in your gut, which improve digestive health, immunity and weight control. Barley is also the highest fiber whole grain, another boon for weight control, since fiber helps boost satiety and curbs calorie absorption. Try it as a hot breakfast cereal, in a chilled vegetable and bean dish, or as a rice alternative in pilaf.
More from Health.com:
11 Reasons Why You’re Not Losing Belly Fat
20 Best Foods for Fiber
12 Foods That Control Your Appetite
8 Awesome Whole Grains You’re Not Eating originally appeared on Health.com
Even if you love the holidays, you can get stressed thinking about how to avoid gaining weight when you are faced with one food temptation after another. Holiday time is usually a busier time too, and that can make it tough to stick to your exercise regimen. If you want to sparkle with joy this holiday season instead of stressing out about holiday weight gain, here are 11 things you can do.
1. Think 80/20. This simple little rule can change the way you live forever (not just the holidays). Eat healthy and exercise most of the time. Give yourself a 20 percent wiggle room. For example, stay the course all week with clean eating and workouts and lighten up on your rules on the weekend. Enjoy an office holiday party but then get right back to healthier eating the next day. The 80/20 rule is a realistic way to manage what you eat and how often you exercise. It works during the holidays and year-round.
2. Give yourself a holiday treat once in a while. I know the pretty red and white specialty drinks at Starbucks are calling your name. You are dying for an (tis the season) Eggnog or Peppermint Mocha Latte. Go ahead and treat yourself so you don’t feel deprived. Just make it a Tall instead of a Grande. Small changes matter. A planned indulgence is better than throwing your hands in the air and indulging left and right because you are tired of feeling deprived.
3. Practice portion control. You don’t have to try everything. Just because grandma made it, doesn’t mean you have to eat it. Take your favorites. If you can, try to make sure more than half of your plate has some veggies on it. It’s okay to say, “No, thank you, maybe later.”
4. Empower yourself with standing apart from the pack. Think about this for a second: How empowered will you feel if you stick to a committed workout routine from now until the end of this year? Let others pick it back up in January, but not you. You can keep it going and end the year strong. Set yourself apart by doing what others won’t do. You will feel like a champion. (Bonus: Exercise means increased energy for the chaotic holiday season!)
5. Never go to a party hungry. Don’t save up your calories for a party. Yes, weight gain is fundamentally based on calories in and out, but if you go to party hungry, I guarantee your judgment will be off and you will eat more food than if you ate a handful of nuts before you left for the party. Be the person who shows up with a healthy dish to share. Homemade hummus and veggies? Red pepper nachos? Healthier “Yes You Can” cupcakes anyone?
6. Edit your day. Deprivation can fuel desire. So instead of dwelling on all the holiday treats you shouldn’t have, edit your choices. (Drop the word diet and rearrange those letters to spell edit.) Editing what you want means making small changes to your choices. Eat one cookie instead of three. Plan a healthy fulfilling lunch so you aren’t tempted by break room treats in your office. Decide what to eat less of, more of or what to cut, but take it day by day so controlling what you eat is more manageable.
7. Follow my two-day rule. Another easy breezy rule here: You can miss two days in a row of working out, but never miss more than two in a row. Stick to this rule and see how it works for your waistline.
8. Exercise and move more. Just do something — even if it’s just for 10 minutes. It’s all about doing something. Don’t underestimate the power of movement. Walk more. Spend less time on the couch. Shop ’til you drop. Stand up. Do some bodyweight exercises during commercials. Make it a game you play and see how much you can move your body in a day — apart from scheduled exercise.
9. Drink water. All. Day. Long. You are probably eating more foods with salt and consuming more alcohol around the holidays, so it’s even more important to keep your body hydrated. Start your day with some lemon water and keep sipping water throughout your day.
10. Ask for a fitness-related gift for the holidays. Why not ask for a gift this holiday season that can support your health and fitness? There are so many cool fitness gifts available. And where the mind goes, the body follows.
11. Rock the black dress. Wherever you are on your fitness journey, love and appreciate your body for all that it can do. No body shaming allowed. Enjoy the holidays for what they are — a time to celebrate the people in your life and all of life’s blessings — and that includes YOU. Go rock that dress, girlfriend.
You don’t have to feel like an outsider this holiday season. Join the party and live full out. Just make sure you devote more time to your health than you do to your indulgences and then you can start your New Year without any guilt for how you ended this year. Isn’t that the best gift you could give to yourself this holiday season?
It seemed like a great idea five or six months ago, right? Nervously holding your breath, pulse quickening and stomach fluttering as you clicked the “register” button. Then came the training plan for 26.2, followed by mounting mileage, loads of laundry, experiments with gear and fuel, battles with fatigue and injury, and maybe even a few lost toenails (and pounds) in the process.
Workouts got checked off, months unfolded and, suddenly, you found yourself at the start line. But whether your performance was good, bad — or worse — the dreaded DNF (Did Not Finish), you know now that the finish line doesn’t mark the end of the marathon journey. After all that hype, you’re left with a shiny medal, a Mylar blanket, a few residual aches and an overwhelming feeling of, “Well… now what?”
If that sounds familiar, don’t despair; the post-marathon blues are common, especially after your first race. Like any major life event that includes lots of brain (and body) power leading up to it, the result, no matter where it falls on the spectrum, can leave you feeling funky once it’s over and done.
So once your physical recovery is underway, how do you handle the emotional part? Here are a few of my favorite ways to help soften the blow:
1. Savor the satisfaction.
Remember, you worked really hard to feel this poorly! You can’t fully appreciate the value of rest and relaxation until you’ve pushed your body to its limit, so embrace the delayed onset muscle soreness DOMS and treat yourself to an Epsom salt bath and some quality time on the couch — you deserve it. During those first few days, your biggest concern should be how you’re going to get up from the toilet once you’ve sat down.
2. Brace yourself for it.
I’d say, “You can run, but you can’t hide,” but we all know you’re not lacing up those sneakers anytime soon, so just be aware that it’s coming. Inevitably, there will be some kind of letdown or feeling of disconnect once the race is over. Knowing this is half the battle: Expect it, prepare for it and make a game plan to work through it.
3. Take time to reflect.
Although the finisher’s chute marks the official end of the race, I find it helpful to write a recap of my experience for some final closure. Here’s an example from my most recent marathon in Detroit; not only does doing this allow me to process my feelings after a race, but it’s also nice to have a tiny time capsule of the day to look back on and learn from.
4. Catch up on life.
Oh, you know, all that stuff you neglected while you were busy logging miles and carb-loading and taking ice baths. Immerse yourself in reconnecting with family and friends, catching up on that big to-do list, pursuing a different hobby with your newfound free time, or simply resuming whatever else may have gotten pushed off to the side during training.
5. Treat yo’ self.
After a period of being super disciplined with your workout and nutrition routines, it’s good to loosen up the reins. Get a massage to loosen tight muscles, have an extra glass of wine (for your health, of course) or say yes to dessert for a change. Being able to buckle down is always easier when you know you’ve got your favorite reward — within reason, of course – waiting for you at the end of the tunnel.
6. Make an off-season training plan.
For Type A’s, it can be tough to transition from a regimented schedule to having what feels like oodles of free time. I recently experienced this in the weeks following my fall marathon, but managed to stop short of falling into workout oblivion. How? I created this pseudo-training plan to stay motivated in the absence of any runs or races on my calendar in the foreseeable future.
7. Find a new focus.
Without a doubt, the easiest way to avoid a crash after the post-race high is to pick a new goal. Decide what you want to tackle next — whether it’s getting faster, going further, being more consistent with your training, trying complimentary workouts, or maybe even setting your sights on a different sport altogether — and put a plan together for how you’ll go about achieving it.
It’s no surprise that running 26.2 miles can take quite a toll on both your body and your mind, so whatever you do, make sure you take the time to give both a little TLC after your race. Not only will you bounce back more quickly from this season, but you’ll also be able to go into the next one a much smarter, stronger — and saner — runner.
BOGOTA, Nov 22 (Reuters) – Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said he hoped next week to secure the release of five captives, including an army general, held by Marxist FARC rebels, a move that will allow stalled peace talks to continue.
In a message from his Twitter account on Saturday, Santos said the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) had provided the coordinates to the pick up zone to free the hostages and he would facilitate the operation in coming days.
He did not name the captives or say whether they would be freed all at once or on different days, but the FARC on Sunday seized army General Ruben Dario Alzate and two people traveling with him in the Pacific coastal area of Choco. A week earlier two soldiers were taken hostage in eastern Arauca department.
After a tense few days, the FARC on Wednesday promised to release all five captives in a bid to renew peace talks halted abruptly by Santos following the abductions.
“The coordinates have been received. I am giving instructions to facilitate the liberation for next week,” Santos said in the Tweet, probably referring to an order that military activity in the areas is halted to allow the FARC to move securely.
The suspension of negotiations – taking place in Havana – is the most serious setback to the peace efforts after two years of discussions that have resulted in partial accords on three out of five agenda items.
Even while security has improved massively over the last decade or so, talks have been taking place amid continued conflict and attacks on civilian and military targets continue, as well as offensives against economic infrastructure.
General Alzate, a lawyer and a soldier were taken hostage by a FARC patrol as they left a boat in the poor and crime-ridden region of Choco. Santos immediately suspended talks until the rebels freed them.
Alzate is the highest-ranking military captive ever taken by the FARC.
The rebels’ decision to release the captives may counter critics of the peace process who say the FARC is not serious about ending Latin America’s longest-running war, which has killed more than 200,000 people since it began in 1964.
The FARC says it has stopped kidnapping for ransom but maintains military personnel are fair targets in the absence of a ceasefire. Alzate was considered a prisoner of war. (Reporting by Helen Murphy; Editing by Stephen Powell)
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