Russ Marek went through hell and survived. Now he’s hoping to inspire other veterans facing their own struggles. Marek, a U.S. Army veteran from Melbourne, Florida, was badly wounded after being hit by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) while serving in Iraq. He spent 13 weeks in a coma at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Washington, D.C., trying to recover. Marek told doctors the only thing he could recall from that fateful day more than 20 years ago was seeing a flash of light. Then he was out. When he finally regained consciousness, Marek wondered what had happened to his right…

I never used to be a knife guy, but at some point in my early 30s, I somehow started collecting whole gaggles of them. Although most of these are impulse buys or gifts, I’ve had the rare opportunity to see and test a few blades that really change the way I look at EDC blades as a whole. Today, we’ll be taking a look at a blade from a somewhat unlikely source: Work Sharp. Although Work Sharp is historically a blade-sharpening tool company, they’ve just very recently released the first set in what I hope will be an entire family…

When I was training for my first triathlon, every morning started with a several-hundred-yard swim in the pool at my gym. Staring at that black line at the bottom of the pool, lap after lap, my mind went numb. Then I got a waterproof iPod Shuffle from this new company called H2O Audio, and my boredom issue was solved.  Ten years later, H2O Audio is still providing swimmers with audio, but now its focus is on headphones. The company’s latest waterproof bone conduction headphone, the Sonar 2 Pro ($150), is about half the size of its predecessor, stores up to…

It’s a little odd that the Supreme Court is considering a case involving gun ownership for marijuana users before an assault weapon ban case. Still, such is life in 21st-century America, where things are weird as a matter of course. In truth, though, it’s a subject that should have been addressed years ago. The conflict between the federal government tacitly allowing marijuana use via statewide legalization, while still enforcing a prohibition on gun ownership for marijuana users, has never made a lick of sense to me. If they’re so dangerous, why are you just letting…

A global conference featuring some of the world’s foremost minds in the technology and defense sectors will meet again this coming week in New York City.The MISSION 2044 summit taking place Nov. 6 in Manhattan will galvanize stakeholders from the United States and Europe, including venture capitalists and investors along with senior representatives from national governments and militaries, to discuss the ongoing evolution occurring within the defense innovation industry. The goal, according to event organizers, is to bridge industrial expertise, frontier technologies and capital in a pragmatic fashion.The conference series, which held an event in New York City last year…

The current ruling class is continuing with its war-mongering rhetoric. The vice president of the United States, JD Vance, says that nuclear weapons testing needs to continue because these types of weapons are an important part of America’s “defense.” On Thursday, President Donald Trump announced that nuclear testing would continue. Now Vance says that these tests are necessary to ensure the working order of the weapons. Resumption of nuclear arms testing by Washington has already begun, with the ruling class citing competition with Russia and China. “That process will begin immediately,” in response to “other countries’ testing programs,” he said. According to…

Hunters and wildlife consumers in central Maine now face a broader warning after state officials expanded a consumption advisory that warns of eating deer and wild turkey harvested in certain towns due to high levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) found in wildlife muscle tissue. What’s Happening (Photo/Maine.Gov) The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW), working with the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC), has issued an enlarged “Do Not Eat” wildlife consumption advisory for portions of the towns of Knox, Thorndike, and Unity, Maine. The newly added area joins existing advisory zones that…

Over the past few years, Republican leadership in the Florida Senate have served as a roadblock for reform and repeal of some of the Sunshine State’s most onerous gun laws. Former Senate President Kathleen Passidomo and current President Ben Albritton have refused to bring forward bills permitting open carry and rolling back the post-Parkland law prohibiting gun sales to adults under the age of 21, even though the bills cleared the state House by wide margins. Since the 2025 session adjourned, though, some Florida judges have issued decisions that could spur the Senate to finally…

As more veterans have accepted service dogs into their lives, they’ve seen the value of having a loyal companion by their side. Life SavingFor one veteran, however, his service dog likely saved his life. Hank Ford, an Army and Marine Corps veteran from Fort Lupton, Colorado, was awakened early in the morning last February by his dog, Tommy. The dog, not known for excessive barking, kept yapping until Ford woke up. Tommy then climbed on top of Ford, poking him with his paws and pushing his nose up against him. At first, Ford was annoyed. “He kept hitting me and hitting me, and…

For nearly a century, the National Firearms Act of 1934 has done more to stifle suppressor innovation than any other regulation in American history. By lumping suppressors in with machine guns and short-barreled rifles, and slapping a $200 tax stamp on each unit, the NFA crippled civilian development for decades. Even today, manufacturers face restrictions on serialized parts and complex remanufacture laws that slow progress and increase costs. But with the 2025 repeal of the suppressor tax stamp set to take effect in 2026, the industry stands at a turning point. The Silencer Shop Foundation is working to ensure that…

The Hyundai Ioniq 9 has just hit the big time. The Hyundai Ioniq 9 Off-Road Concept is a SEMA-ready show build that takes Hyundai’s three-row EV and turns it into an adventure rig. A taller suspension, white-letter BFGs, and OZ Racing rally wheels are just the start of this silent but cool SUV. This Is the Coolest Ioniq 9 Ever (Photo/Hyundai) Hyundai didn’t say by how much it lifted the Ioniq 9 BigTime, but it has to be at least a couple of inches. That’s because of the 285/70R18 BFG KO3s that are packed into the wheel wells. No, they…

It’s barely fall, yet early winter forecasts are already out, the annual debates over ski passes rage on, and REI is stocked full of new snowboard and ski equipment as well as fresh apparel. Now’s the time to prep your gear closet for all things winter and see what needs an upgrade or replacement. At REI, you’ll find plenty of great snowsports products from top brands and new additions to REI Co-op’s own Powderbound collection. Shop Winter Gear at REI (Photo/REI Co-op) Winter Snowsports Gear at REI DAKINE x REI Co-op Daytripper MIPS Snow Helmet: $127 DAKINE and REI Co-op…