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Sitting on the tailgate of my truck, I fire up the new Optimus Gemini II dual-burner camp stove in order to make some coffee and oatmeal to start the day. With a scenic backdrop of snowcapped mountains piercing a pale blue sky, I twist the knobs on the slim silver stove to get the heat settings just right. Moments later, I’ve got oatmeal simmering in one pot while my coffee water boils in a mug next to it. The new Optimus stove, which fits perfectly into my truck-camping regimen, is considered compact. The stove has two burners, making it a…
Toronto sure looks like a rough place these days. Not even by Canadian standards, but ours. Even the U.S. Consulate isn’t safe, as we found out last month.Yeah, that gun control is going just swimmingly, isn’t it? However, I apparently need to give the Toronto cops their due. They made two arrests in the incident, which is good. It’s everything else they announced about the arrests that has me scratching my head.Toronto police announced the arrests Thursday of a 19-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy in the second shooting at the U.S. Consulate in five…
After a long day in the sun paddling the Missouri River, I hopped off the canoe, walked along the sandbar, and began to set up my tent. As I unfolded the poles, I began to hear the clinking and clanking of knives chopping vegetables and metal spoons hitting the side of a mixing bowl. Soon, the crackle and smoke of fire began to spread over the campsite, and I got my first inkling that something tasty for dinner was on the way. I walked over to the fire with my camp chair in hand, and took a seat to watch…
Violent crime is down across the country, and that’s a very good thing. Our homicide rate hitting record lows is something that we should all be celebrating, and we’re on pace to see it even lower this year. Again, a very good thing. However, the only acceptable number of homicides is zero, and that means there’s always work to be done. We need to be realistic, though, which is why gun control is still a non-starter.But maybe the answer is to not let dangerous people walk around on our city streets? I’m just putting that…
The U.S. Military Academy at West Point has dropped its fight against a court-imposed ban on its policy of limiting what professors can publicly say and write. Tim Bakken, the school’s longest-serving law professor, brought the original suit, claiming the academy’s policy violates his constitutional right to freedom of speech. He challenged West Point’s policy implemented in early 2025 that barred faculty members from publishing papers, speaking at conferences, or even appearing on a podcast without first seeking approval from higher-ups in their department. The faculty speech rule appeared to be in response to President Donald Trump issuing an executive…
I got my first Swiss Army knife at a flea market when I was about 11 years old. I have no clue which model it was, but it had the basic tools we typically see nestled between those familiar red handle scales, such as a knife blade, can opener, bottle opener, and corkscrew. I beat the hell out of that knife for a few years. It whittled hundreds of sticks into sharp points. I used it to open cans of Dinty Moore or Chef Boyardee I’d brought to the campfire. It trimmed rope we used in countless forts in the…
Iowa’s always been pretty decent when it comes to gun laws, but the state has made a couple of major improvements over the past few years. In 2021, the state’s permitless carry law kicked in, and the following year voters approved an amendment to the state constitution that declares firearm ownership a fundamental individual right and mandating that courts apply “strict scrutiny” to any future gun control legislation. Those advances could be in danger, though, unless Iowa gun owners turn out in force this November. While Democrat candidates like Christina Bohannan and Josh Turek don’t…
A veteran with mobility issues who served in Operation Desert Storm said he has lost more than $150,000 after a construction project went awry. Ed Smith, 73, of Kansas City, and his family claim they began building another home on their second lot last year. But the family alleged the contractors they hired to complete the project took the $157,000 and did not complete it after over a year. The money was reportedly was paid from Smith’s retirement funds. “In exchange for $157,000 of my dad’s complete retirement funds, we have a hole in our backyard in the wrong place,”…
When Robert Irvine, the famous chef and entrepreneur, met members of the alternative rock band O.A.R. more than a decade ago, they realized they shared one important aspect in common: supporting veterans. This summer, with support from the Robert Irvine Foundation, O.A.R., along with special guests Gavin DeGraw, Lisa Loeb, KT Tunstall and Phantom Planet, is hitting the road for a national tour to not only celebrate the band’s 30th anniversary, but also spread awareness of veteran issues through fundraising, storytelling, and audience engagement. The “Three Decades Tour” kicked off on June 19 in Vail, Colo., and ends Nov. 15…
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“Affordability” is the big watchword in the auto industry these days. And for good reason, the average new vehicle comes in at more than $50,000 by the time you drive it off the dealer lot. Prefer an EV? That’ll set you back an average of $55,000, according to Kelley Blue Book. And even the typical used model now goes for $30,000. Making matters worse, automakers have been dropping many of their most affordable products. (Photo/Slate Auto) That’s where Slate comes in. Founded just 4 years ago and backed by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and other members of the online retailer’s family,…
To car enthusiasts, the words “market share” might mean nothing when compared to “turbocharged” or “wide-open throttle” or “zero to 60.” But the truth is, every automaker wants to outsell their rivals because it keeps dealers and shareholders happy, can mean better profitability, keeps assembly plants humming, and signals strong brand loyalty among customers. Selling more cars than your competitors means growing market share, and it’s a fierce battle in the US to gain just a few tenths of a point from year to year. Credit: Ford So, as 2026 sales numbers are studied by Cox Automotive analysts as the first…
When someone dies in a national park, the details are usually revealed by park officials within days of the incident. That’s not just because deaths and serious injuries on federal land are a matter of public concern. It’s also because the deaths are often preventable, and officials want to make sure the information is disseminated widely to educate the public and hopefully prevent tragedies in the future. GearJunkie writers are familiar with that status quo, as we’ve been reporting on mishaps and accidents within national parks for many years. But policies about how the National Park Service (NPS) shares information…
If you have multiple service-connected disabilities, you’ve probably done the mental math: A 50 percent rating plus a 30 percent rating should equal 80 percent. It does not. The VA does not add disability ratings together. It uses a formula many veterans have never had explained to them, and the difference between what you expect and what the VA awards can mean hundreds of dollars per month for the rest of your life. Understanding how the math works will not change your ratings. But it will help you verify that the VA got the calculation right, understand when it is…
At certain times, the concept of what it means to be a citizen of the United States of America may seem unclear. While many citizens are very passionate about our country, there are others who cannot accept patriotism as a wholesale, no-strings-attached concept. We celebrate the Declaration of Independence for two reasons. This document represents an official severing of ties between the original 13 colonies and the rule of Great Britain. But it also represents the core of our beliefs, the makeup of our identity as citizens of the U.S. Thomas Jefferson, the primary author of the Declaration of Independence,…
On July 4, 1776, the 13 colonies claimed their independence from Great Britain, an event that eventually led to the formation of the United States. Each year on the Fourth of July, also known as Independence Day, U.S. citizens celebrate this historic event. Which country did we declare our independence from? The colonies, the populations of which were considered subjects of the King of England, declared their independence from Great Britain. This declaration was formalized with the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, which was drafted primarily by Thomas Jefferson. What led the colonists to seek independence? The colonists were…
The idea of Joe Biden’s administration working closely with gun control groups is about as outrageous as someone eating eggs for breakfast. We all know it happened, at least to some degree, and it’s nothing new. Both sides work closely with organizations that align with their administrations’ interests. But did the Biden White House go too far with it?That seems to be the big question before a House committee that wants to know just how closely the administration worked with anti-gunners.FIRST ON FOX: A powerful House committee is escalating its probe into the Biden administration…
An alleged burglar’s plan to walk away with a new TV ended with a trip to the hospital instead. According to Fox 13 Memphis, a homeowner returned to his apartment Wednesday and found a man inside allegedly trying to remove a television from the wall. What happened next turned the burglary into a defensive gun use. Police say the incident unfolded at the Greenbrook Apartments on Quail Brook Cove in northeast Memphis. Investigators said the homeowner confronted the suspect after discovering him inside the apartment. According to police, the homeowner then reached into a bag, pulled out a handgun, and…
America’s revolutionary Charter of Freedom, the Declaration of Independence is a document upon which our nation’s founding principles were established. The Declaration of Independence set the course for our nation on a journey of freedom, which also led this historic document on its own journey. For example, did you know: Who Authored the Declaration of Independence? Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence, which was then edited by John Adams and Benjamin Franklin. Jefferson took their edits and incorporated them into what would become the version finally adopted. Independence Day Should Have Been July 2 July…
