Nothing ruins a backpacking trip faster than blisters, and as someone who always tends to get them, I was nervous before my 96-mile hike along the Oregon Coast Trail. I was testing a new pair of trail runners — Scarpa’s Golden Gate LT — and brought a substantial first-aid kit for when blisters inevitably formed on my feet. And yet, to my surprise, on the entire 7-day trip, which involved a 36-hour straight rainstorm and soaking-wet shoes, I never got a single one. I don’t know whether it was the shape, design, or fabric of the Scarpa shoes — or…

We play games for many reasons and to satisfy different urges. Sometimes, nothing hits the mark like a hard-as-nails RPG that makes every battle feel like life or death, and a single false move forces a restart. Other times, we want to act as the harbinger of death, becoming god-like beings who eviscerate those foolish enough to stand in our way. These open-world RPGs let you be that person. The beauty of open-world RPGs is that many of them provide the tools for players to craft their own legacies, often allowing for multiple ways to craft supremely powerful characters. You…

This article first appeared in iRun Far. On Thursday, July 23, 2026, France’s Aurélien Sanchez set a new men’s supported fastest known time (FKT) on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). His time of 45 days, 20 hours, and 15 minutes betters the previous record of 46 days, 12 hours, and 50 minutes, set by Karel Sabbe of Belgium in 2023, by 16 hours and 35 minutes. When Sanchez announced he was going for the PCT FKT, he declared he wanted to complete it in less than 46 days. His effort averages an impressive 56 miles per day, despite medical and resupply issues. The PCT has…

Unlike many states, Georgia does not prohibit lawful carry on buses, light rail, and public transportation property. That’s a good thing, but after a negligent discharge on board a Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority bus, MARTA’s police chief is now calling for bearing arms to be to be restricted on public transit. Authorities say a man named Cruz Valazquez Guillermo inadvertently discharged his handgun on a bus in Sandy Springs, GA, injuring himself and a fellow passenger. Thankfully, neither of the men suffered life-threatening injuries, and Guillermo is now facing charges of reckless conduct and…

A new task force is being established to combat scalping and other problems buyers and sellers are facing with Pokemon TCG and Yu-Gi-Oh cards. Credit: via GameRant, The Pokemon Company, Konami Originally published by  Game Rant Japan is putting together a task force to try and control scalping and scams with games like Yu-Gi-Oh! and Pokemon TCG. Yu-Gi-Oh! and Pokemon TCG have both been subject to extreme demand and high prices on the resale market, which is likely also responsible for the cards being targeted in some crimes. Some Yu-Gi-Oh! and Pokemon cards have tremendous price tags assigned to them on…

The Honda Ridgeline has had anything but smooth sailing since its debut 2 decades ago. That’s not because it’s not a good vehicle (it’s great, actually), but because people in America have historically not considered it a real pickup truck. Sadly, nobody is singing country songs about their Ridgeline, but Honda is looking to change that with the forthcoming third generation, which looks decidedly truck-like in the teaser image it released on Thursday. Based on the teaser image, which leaves a lot to the imagination (hence teaser), the new Ridgeline will be the most trad-truck one yet. With its more…

So-called fidget devices might have come to prominence in the last five years or so with fidget spinners, but the concept of items that reduce stress runs very deep. Examples include the Greek worry beads from Cypriot culture and Baoding balls, more commonly known as Chinese meditation balls. We can’t think of an obvious and deliberate example built into a car, let alone a steering wheel, which is actually kind of mind-blowing. With road rage such a problem in modern society, active measures to help reduce that stress seem like a no-brainer. CarBuzz found a patent recently published by Volkswagen…

President Donald Trump has said he will use frozen Iranian assets to pay for any damages to ships and cargo sustained during the war as Iran continues to attack ships. Iran has attacked commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, a key passage for international trade, as US military strikes on Iran entered their 13th consecutive night. Iranian state media said four people have been killed, and five people have been injured because of these strikes. Trump threatened “major military punishment” against the Houthis if their attacks on ships continue. “Please let this statement serve to represent, until further notice,…

Bugging out of the city and into the country during an SHTF scenario would be very stressful, to put it mildly. Hopefully, you and your family would be able to bug out quickly, but the trip to your bug out location would probably take a while. Once you finally got there, everyone would be eager to relax and get some rest. That would be a mistake. I’m not saying no one can sleep at a bug out location, but I am saying that you’ll want to take turns standing guard. During certain scenarios, desperate people could pour out of the…

Republican lawmakers in North Carolina approved a permitless carry bill this session, but after Gov. Josh Stein vetoed the measure, the legislation has been stuck in a holding pattern.  Despite being one vote shy of a veto-proof majority when the House is operating at full capacity, Republicans have been able to override several of Stein’s other vetoes. SB 50, though, has yet to be brought up for a vote in the House, though the Senate has voted to override the governor’s veto. The bill easily cleared the House during the regular session, but it did have…

Active-duty U.S. military personnel and veterans suffering from traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and other related ailments could benefit from new federal research programs after the House authorized the creation of the so-called Blast Overpressure Task Force in its annual defense policy bill. The House of Representatives approved its version of the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Tuesday by a 216-212 vote, authorizing roughly $1.15 trillion in national security spending while establishing policy priorities for the Department of Defense (DOD) for the coming fiscal year. The bill, which still must garner support in the Senate, includes military…

This article was originally published by Joshua Mawhorter at The Mises Institute.  Contrary to the popular assumption that centralized political power was necessary to destroy slavery, federal power spent much of its history protecting and enforcing the institution. This privatized costs for a privileged few and socialized and diffused the costs onto others in society. This is a common reality with any state intervention; indeed, it is the point of state intervention. It should be noted that slavery was historically normal (not just) and free labor was the true “peculiar institution.” As this author has argued on numerous occasions, slavery can exist wherever one person can overpower another and forcibly expropriate…