Author: Braxton Taylor

The Coast Guard is changing its physical fitness assessments.The service announced this week that all military personnel will be required to undergo mandatory physical fitness tests, or PFTs, beginning next year, Military.com reported. Those tests will be based on the existing boat crew fitness standards.The boat crew test involves planks, push-ups and a 1.5-mile run. A 2,000-meter row or 12-minute swim can be done in place of the run, though, with time or distance requirements based on one’s age group.While the events in this fitness test are not new to military testing, sit-ups have been replaced by the plank pose,…

Every year, right about the time the leaves start to turn and kids head back to school, the headlines start rolling out: “Brace yourself, the September Effect is here.” For decades, September has carried the reputation as the worst month for stock market performance. Historically, the S&P 500 has stumbled more often than it has soared in September.But let me share a perspective that may surprise you: The so-called “September Effect” matters a lot less than you think.Yes, data shows September has historically been a softer month for stocks. But we’re not building our retirement plans on what the market…

Veterans maintained a remarkably low unemployment rate in a cooling economy Friday in the first monthly jobs report since President Donald Trump fired the Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner over data showing that hiring had cratered.The BLS report for August put the jobless rate for veterans at 3.0% even as the national unemployment rate ticked up from 4.2% to 4.3%, which was the highest rate recorded since October 2021.The latest BLS data, which was collected through the mid-month of August, showed that the unemployment rate for all veterans was 3.0% in August while the subset unemployment rate for the post-9/11…

Taurus USA just introduced the 66 Combat, a new revolver designed from the ground up for defensive use. Medium frame revolvers chambered in .357 Magnum have long been regarded by experts as excellent choices for personal protection, and the 66 Combat features that make it a revolver you can rely on. The Taurus 66 Combat is based on Taurus’ successful model 66 revolver, which unlike other medium frame revolvers features a seven-shot .357 Magnum cylinder, giving shooters a 15 percent increase in capacity. The Taurus 66 Combat was crafted with input from serious revolver shooters, trainers and end users.  The…

Twenty-six nations have pledged post-war military support for Ukraine’s security, French President Emmanual Macron announced Thursday during a visit with his Ukrainian counterpart in Paris. Macron, however, did not list the 26 countries. “Today, for the first time in a long time, this is the first such serious, very specific substance,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after a summit meeting of Kyiv’s allies Thursday. Context: “The meeting of 35 leaders from the ‘coalition of the willing’—of mainly European countries—was intended to finalise security guarantees and ask Trump for the backing that Europeans say is vital to make such guarantees viable,” Reuters reports.Macron:…

Contrary to popular belief, there is a substantial body of evidence suggesting that both the human body and mind are naturally inclined toward conserving energy, often expressed as a predisposition to leniency or reduced effort. Looking at it from a physiological perspective, evolutionary biology indicates that energy efficiency was critical for survival, as food sources were not guaranteed; thus, the body developed mechanisms to minimize unnecessary exertion. This is reflected in neural reward pathways that favor rest and low-effort behaviors when immediate survival is not threatened. Psychologically, cognitive science has documented what Daniel Kahneman termed “System 1 thinking,” a bias…

Savage A22 Takedown (MSRP: $479) A .22LR rifle should be a part of practically every gun owner’s collection. They’re easy and inexpensive to shoot, and are a great way to introduce people to the shooting sports. A .22LR rifle is also a popular rifle for competition and a tool for taking care of small pests, and when loaded with the correct ammunition, can also be surprisingly effective on large, two-legged predators. With all these useful functions, having a .22LR rifle nearby makes a lot of sense. Unfortunately, a .22LR rifle is, well, a rifle, and that means something that is…

00:00:05 Speaker 1: Welcome to this country Life. 00:00:06 Speaker 2: I’m your host, Brent Reeves from coon hunting to trotlining and just in general country living. I want you to stay a while as I share my experiences in life lessons. This country Life is presented by Case Knives from the store More Studio on Meat Eaters Podcast Network, bringing you the best outdoor podcast that airways have to offer. 00:00:29 Speaker 1: All right, friends, grab a chair or drop that tailgate. I’ve got some stores to share here. Have an elk. 00:00:43 Speaker 2: Archery season is…

00:00:04 Speaker 1: Smell us now, lady, Welcome to Meet Eater Trivia mea podcast. 00:00:27 Speaker 2: Welcome to Meet Eater Radio Live. It’s eleven am Mountain Time. That’s one pm for our friends in beautiful Ashtabulah, Ohio, on this Thursday, September fourth, and we are live from media to HQ and Bozeman, Montana. I’m your host, Randall Williams, and I have the distinct pleasure today of being joined by my two friends, Ryan Callahan and Seth Morris. 00:00:50 Speaker 3: It’s good to be here. 00:00:51 Speaker 2: On today’s show, we’re talking to Ben Batton. 00:00:54 Speaker 1:…

Federal agencies have deployed nearly 33,000 employees to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement in its efforts to dramatically ramp up detention and deportation of undocumented individuals, according to a new report, significantly multiplying the number of employees working on enforcement efforts. About 20,000 of those employees came from outside ICE, the Cato Institute, a libertarian-leaning think tank, found, including some agencies that have sent significant portions of their workforces to the deportation effort. ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations, which is responsible for investigating transnational crimes including drug and human trafficking, has sent more than 12,000 employees to the agency’s Enforcement and Removal Operations…