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An Adventure into the Wild: The National Parks of Sri Lanka

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Are you a fellow wildlife enthusiast? Then visiting the National Parks is a must when you’re in Sri Lanka. The country is blessed with a number of these jungle-clad areas housing diverse species of flora and fauna. Read on to discover some of the most popular National Parks of Sri Lanka. Our friends from the Travellanka Connection break down the top 5!

Wilpattu National Park

Located 30 kilometers west of Anuradhapura, Wilpattu National Park has declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1905. It was later elevated to “National Park” status. Spanning an area of no less than 131,693 hectares, this is the largest National Park in Sri Lanka. Wilpattu National Park has a unique topography; a complex of around 50 wetlands known as “Villus”. Surrounded by open, grassy plains, “Villus” are shallow lakes filled with rainwater. The best time to visit this National Park is the dry season between May to September. One would be able to spot an array of wildlife species including sambar deer, crocodiles, wild boars, wild elephants, and especially the elusive Sri Lankan leopard.

Yala National Park

Book a Sri Lanka Holiday Package to explore the famous Yala National Park; the second-largest wildlife reserve and one of the first protected sanctuaries to have been established in the tear-drop island nation. This National Park is home to over 31 mammals and more than 124 species of birds. The terrain boasts lush, green environs, and is home to its fair share of reptiles and other lagoon fauna. Embark on a jeep safari to spot the elusive leopard. These safaris are available during early morning and evening hours. Travel Lanka Connection and similar other reputed travel companies will put together carefully curated itineraries to suit all your travel needs – and this can include a safari to Yala National Park as well!

Kumana National Park

Kumana National Park is nestled on the eastern fringes of Yala National Park; however, it is considered a wildlife hub in its own right. Famous among avid birders and ornithologists, this National Park is blessed with a number of magnificent bird species. A few of the most prized bird species that one can spot here include the rare, black-necked storks, egrets, hawk eagles, godwits, and ibises. The park is also a prime location to spot many wildlife species such as sambar deer and elephants.

Minneriya National Park

Minneriya National Park is located in the middle of the famous cultural triangle of Sri Lanka. It is mostly famous for “The Gathering”, which is believed to be the world’s largest congregation of Asian elephants. The best time to witness this spectacular phenomenon is during the dry season, which spans from July to October; hundreds of elephants gather around the lake in search of water, creating a majestic scenery for the onlookers. Apart from the elephants, many inhabitants call this relatively small National Park their home, and these include the purple-faced langur monkeys, spotted deer, sambar, and macaques.

Wasgamuwa National Park

Located approximately 225 kilometres away from Colombo, Wasgamuwa National Park is bordered by two rivers – Mahaweli Ganga and Amban Ganga (‘ganga’ translates to ‘river’ in English). The park is dominated by a dry-mixed evergreen forest and is characterized by tall trees such as Weera, Palu, and Burutha. From November to May, tourists can spot large herds of elephants. These gentle giants migrate to the nearby Minneriya and Kaudulla National Parks during the dry season. Apart from mammals such as purple-faced langur monkeys and wild boars, Wasgamuwa National Park is famous for birds such as the endemic red-faced mal koha, Ceylon jungle fowl, and lesser adjutant stork.

How To Speak The Language Of Disc Golf

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By popular demand, Disc Golf blogger Steven Pease breaks down the language barrier for FSM readers…

Most people who play disc golf know the regular terms and language. There are lots of other words that people use for describing things that happen on the course. Words not in the dictionary, or in the general vocabulary for disc golf. I have gathered some interesting terms from other players, and from what I’ve read that other players use. I will share the common ones, and some better ones that are not common that I have found.

I got a great story sent to me a couple years ago. A player who was new went out to play a round with his dad, there was a reporter and a photographer at the course from the local paper. He asked if you could take a couple pictures for a story they were doing on disc golf; the guy said sure. The photographer got into position about 50 feet up the edge of the fairway; the guy let loose with his drive and hit the photographer square in the chest with his driver.

Very embarrassing and funny now, but no one wants to do that. I love this story because it shows exactly why everyone wants to get better. I put together terms that I have learned over the past 30 years of playing disc golf. Terms that will make you feel that you know what others are talking about. Disc golf is one of the fastest growing sports in the world. One of the main reasons for its popularity is players of almost any age and ability can play.

I play with guys half my age and I consistently beat them. I am 62 years old and in good shape. I know people older that still play. There are no limitations. If you can get around the course, you can play. If you have never played, you should. If you play now, keep on playing. It’s great exercise, and it’s a great way to socialize. As far as sports go, it is also very inexpensive. You can start with as few as three discs. A driver, a midrange and a putter. For just around $30 you can get started. Most courses are free to play.

Common disc golf language

  • Ace Getting the disc in the basket on the first shot
  • Hyzer Releasing the disc with he edge closest to your body highest than the other edge.
  • Anhyzer The outside is higher than the inside edge.
  • Overstable The disc wants to hyzer into the ground when you release it. To make it not hyzer, you must snap it and throw it hard with a slight anhyzer.
  • Understabe Can throw with less spin, less snap to fly straight.
  • Turnover When you throw the disc hard with good snap; it will turn opposite the way it normally will turn. If you’re throwing right hand back hand it will turn to the right.
  • S Curve The flight of the disc starts as an anhyzer, then will hyzer at the end of the flight.
  • Snap The amount of spin on the disc at release from your hand.
  • Driving The throw from the tee box.
  • Approach The shot from the drive to the basket.
  • Putt Throwing the disc into the basket.
  • Grip How you hold the disc when you’re throwing.

Player Invented Disc Golf Terms

  • Dead man When your putt hits the side of the basket and drops to the ground.
  • Chain smoking Several great putts in a row.
  • Bogey Sandwich A scorecard with a par bogey bogey par.
  • Black ace Acing the wrong hole.
  • Cabbage The weeds in the rough.
  • Chastity belt The yellow band on the Innova baskets.
  • Clank The sound that a putt makes when in hits the chastity belt.
  • Hit the nickel A putt that hits the number plate.
  • Horking A huge long throw.
  • Locals route Taking an unconventional path to get you to the basket.
  • Lumber jacking When you’re hitting every tree.
  • Mirkwood Very thick woods.
  • Nickel A score of 5 on a hole.
  • Nuclear shule Very thick rough.
  • Fly by Putt correct height, but sails by the basket.
  • Fluke deuce A two from something very lucky happening.
  • Gaack Missed a short putt.
  • Grenade A shot that is high and falls fast to the ground.
  • Head Banger When your drive lands under the basket and you might bang your head on the basket as you pick it up.

More Disc Golf Terms

  • Paper plate An understable disc.
  • pig putt A putt that’s really bad.
  • Pinball A shot that hits several trees.
  • Pinball Wizard Continually hitting multiple trees.
  • Rooted When the tree root stops you shot from skipping.
  • Saturn A score of 6 (saturn is the 6th planet)
  • Shank Any shot that does not do what you wanted.
  • Shule Heavy weeds off the fairway.
  • Sneak In flight instruction to the disc.
  • Snob A throw with the nose of the disc up.
  • Snowman A score of 8.
  • Spinach Bushes, trees, and undergrowth.
  • Taco To hit a tree so hard it folds like a taco.
  • Tombstone A disco golf disc that hits the ground, and remains standing on the edge.
  • Treefelction The tree gives you a good deflection.
  • Valet service When you park your drive under the basket.
  • CRF Candy fundraiser.
  • CTP Closest drive to the pole.
  • DL Dead last in the order of throwing.
  • FAT When you hit the first available tree.
  • LB Lucky bounce.
  • SED Seeing eye disc.
  • YSA You’re still away.
  • Gust from the Gods When the wind blows the disc way off line.
  • Getting greasy Sneaking through the trees.
  • Lawn dart A disco that has landed partially buried in the ground.
  • Merked When you get hit in the head from someones throw off of a tree.
  • Tombstone For those discs that stick on edge in muddy ground.
  • Helicopter A shot that needs to come straight down at the end without curving.
  • A rip The perfect drive.

The terms in the top section are ones you need to know. These terms will help you understand the game and how to play and how to play better. The rest are just temps other players use when they are playing.

FSM First Look: UNBREAKABLE

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After years of rejection but with constant hustle, Jay Glazer has built a career as one of the most iconic sports insiders, earning himself a spot on the Emmy award-winning Fox NFL Sunday, a role as the confidant of coaches and players across the league, and a role as himself alongside Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson on HBO series Ballers. His gym, Unbreakable Performance Center, attracts some of the biggest names in Hollywood, and is the headquarters to the powerful charity MVP (Merging Vets and Players) that Jay founded in 2015.  MVP began as a weekly physical and mental health huddle with combat veterans and retired athletes has expanded to seven locations, helping soldiers and players transition to a new team.

In Unbreakable, Jay Glazer talks directly to you, his teammates, and shares his truth. All of his success from his screeching-and-swerving joy ride through professional football, the media, the fighting world, Hollywood, the military-warrior community, comes with a side of relentless depression and anxiety. Living in the gray, as Jay calls it, is just a constant for him. And, in order to work through the gray and succeed, Jay has to maintain an Unbreakable Mindset. With this book, you can too.

·        Be of Service—help others and help yourself in the process

·        Build Your Team—give support, get support

·        Never Underestimate the Power of Laughter—never take yourself too seriously

·        Be Proud of Your Scars—our trauma makes us who we are

Throughout Unbreakable, Jay will use his stories—featuring some of the biggest, baddest, and most fascinating characters in the public eye today—to show how he walks this walk, has learned that while the gray is very real, it doesn’t have to define him. And it doesn’t have to define you either.

Click here for a sneak peak of the actual book available April 4, 2023 and keep reading for a very special message from Jay himself:

Hey Teammate,

We all face obstacles-physical, emotional, between the ears. The good news is that everything we have fought back against can empower us, IF WE KNOW HOW TO USE IT. My obstacles happen to be anxiety and depression. I call it living in the gray, and I’ve been mired in it my whole life. To be honest, it sucks. But I have also recently recognized that this same gray that has held me down has also empowered me to make my wildest dreams come true. You have probably overcome many of your own obstacles, but you’ve been too close to the conflict to clearly see what you’ve accomplished. We are all UNBREAKABLE, no matter what we do, who we are, or what traumas we may have experienced. We just need to admit that we can’t walk this walk alone.

–Jay Glazer

6 Tips for Tracking Your Fitness

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You have decided to bring the body into shape and regular workouts have become your usual routine. Still, after one or two weeks of such physical activity, you don’t see wishful results in the mirror and stepping on the scale just confirms it. For that reason, you give up, abandon set goals and return to a sports lifestyle only when a certain time passes. It is high time to break this vicious circle!

The most crucial thing here is to understand that changes are not a matter of one week. It takes time to achieve progress, so you should gain patience and keep motivated along the way. The best solution for following fitness goals is results-tracking.

Body alterations and how you feel constantly performing physical activities are the greatest motivators for moving ahead. By tracking your fitness, the possibility of reaching goals significantly rises and promotes you working and spending your time yet more efficiently. That way, our key task is to identify what ways of fitness progress measuring are the most fruitful and worth incorporating into the sports agenda. Let’s figure it out.

1. Keeping a Workout Journal 

Tracking your fitness results may be easy as a pie with steady journal keeping. Noting your exercising and meals is not time-consuming, but it will certainly give a clear vision of the advance. Do it the most convenient for you. It can be a usual notebook, notes on your device, or even Excel spreadsheets – it is up to you.

The essential is to be precise with writing down workouts. Try to include what exercises you did with the sets and reps number. If your workouts were of strength type, fix the used weight. In case you did running, record miles and performance time. No less important is the well-being after physical activity. So, point out how you feel after the workout: exhausted or energized, whether it was harsh or easy.

The journal is also perfect for diet tracking. Exercising is requisite, but it loses its sense without proper nutrition. Thus, you will succeed only by blending these two components. Still, you have to be careful since tracking your daily ratio may turn into obsessive calorie counting. To avoid this, we recommend just analyzing your eating habits and based on them, excluding or including specific products in your meals.

2. Fitness Trackers or Apps Appliance

Living in the modern world, we may benefit from various tech novelties, and it also relates to the fitness area. Track your results just in a few moments with smart fitness trackers or apps on your phone. There is a variety to choose from, and X-wrist is the name of one the leading. 

If you still count your steps and manually monitor your heart rate – stop doing this. Currently, such measurements are effortless with the fitness tracker. Select your best fitting application and your workout progress control will become a sheer pleasure. X-wrist is the app empowering you to make healthy choices. Its AI-based building system will allow you to log your meals, set diet goals and plan further nutrition. What’s more, this tracker may monitor your sports activity both at home and in the gym. You can also record workouts and create upcoming exercises routine here. 

So, fitness tracker usage is vital as besides providing info about physical achievements, it helps take care of your health and become the best version of yourself. 

3. Clothes Fitting

As practice shows, an appealing mirror look can be the highest motivation. The best way to get a dose of inspiration is by trying clothes on. For example, find a pair of jeans you have strived for so long to fit into and dress them. Wearing jeans will give an insight into how successful are your sports accomplishments and how far you are from your goals. 

Pay attention to your feelings: whether clothing sits looser or tighter. To attain the most accurate outcome, we offer to pick one specific piece of clothing and measure your progress in keeping with it monthly.

4. Taking Measurements 

Sometimes scale figures may be deceiving, so you should keep in mind that muscles weigh more fat. So it is significant not to limit scaling but to do the measuring to explore gradual changes.

It is worth steering clear of daily measurements. Record your neck, shoulders, waist, biceps, chest, thighs and hips sizes with a tape measure weekly, no sooner. Moreover, the time and conditions of measurements play an extremely important role, so be sure they are the same every time.

5. Blood Pressure Check

Fitness progress means more than an attractive body shape. No matter what goals you pursue: losing weight or gaining muscles, your blood pressure can present you with the overall picture of your health condition. Heart health directly depends on blood pressure that is consequently influenced by physical activity, nutrition and stress levels. 

With regular workouts, both your body and cardiovascular system stand stronger. That way, the blood pressure can be a pointer for diminishing heart and chronic disease risks. A blood pressure watch is the best decision for keeping abreast of your blood pressure indexes.

6. Progression Photos

Some may consider post-workout photos a waste of time. However, it is doubtless a valuable experience. Every day mirror-looking may totally change our body perception. Still, it can be challenging to trace the ultimate progress throughout the path, so pictures will come in handy here. Taking photos weekly will show you incredible differences already in half a year.

All you need to enjoy such contrast over time is to picture within the same conditions, light and angles. Remember that daily weight is floating and the photo taken in the morning will differ from one after the meal. Lighting is also the key point. Poor light can generate shadows and emphasize your drawbacks, hiding the apparent results. In addition, dressing in similar outfits in each month’s photos may confuse and prevent you from noticing differences.

After taking pictures, don’t compare them to two days ago. It makes no sense. The most appropriate checking frames are from four to six weeks.

Final Words

Being fit is not always a synonym for muscular body shape. It is about health, well-being and fulfillment. Regular exercising and proper nutrition will gift you the body of your dream, together with decreasing health hazards and improving mental health. You can’t do without tracking your fitness progress to get this with flying colors. So stick to our tips and the first considerable results won’t be long in coming.

Duck, Duck, Goose! Restored Wetlands Thriving

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(NewsUSA) – As the sun rises in middle America, nature comes to life. Ducks, geese and other birds emerge from a marsh, taking flight into a golden sky, while prairie grasses whisper in the morning breeze and insects begin to hum.     

The growing cacophony of honks, quacks, chirps and splashes is music to Jason Black’s ears. As public land manager of the McPherson Valley Wetlands in central Kansas, they are proof that this habitat is thriving.     

“This is a special place,” says Black. “I get to watch it grow through the seasons, watch the birds come and go. Everything from our state bird, the meadowlark, to whooping cranes to a number of species of ducks and geese and shorebirds when water conditions and migration are lined up just right.”     

These public wetlands were recently improved through a public-private partnership thanks in big part to one of the nation’s largest clean energy infrastructure companies, Williams. The company’s generous contribution allowed Ducks Unlimited to seek matching funds to restore several areas that are critical to waterfowl during spring and fall migrations.     

The wetlands project included restoration of approximately 160 acres of previously drained and cropped agricultural fields. New water-control infrastructure was installed and prairie seeds planted to improve wildlife habitat for quail, pheasants and other grassland birds, along with pollinators.     

The marsh is the first of a series of connected wetlands in the complex and will help improve water downstream. The wetlands in the area provide critical resources for migrating waterfowl and other birds along the Central Flyway, along with outdoor recreation for residents and visitors.     

“We take great pride in being responsible environmental stewards and are honored to support Ducks Unlimited,” says Matthew Baker, manager of engineering at Williams. “Doing what is right for our local communities is part of who we are at Williams, and this collaboration is one of the many ways we aim to preserve resources for future generations while making a positive impact today.”     

The wetland restoration is one of many environmental stewardship and sustainability projects that Williams is supporting along its nationwide footprint. Others include planting seedlings, building hiking trails, developing wildlife crossings and funding intercity marine education programs.     

For more information, visit www.williams.com/sustainability.

Fort Tejon: Get Some Exercise Before Your Final Destination

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California has always had a history of looking after their own. This includes in 1854 when Fort Tejon was established to protect its residents from people looking to do them harm and to crack down on cattle raiding. In 2022, the fort still provides refuge for overheated cars, respite for tired travelers, and tons of cool things to explore.

When driving through the infamous Grapevine on I-5 in southern California, one doesn’t necessarily think to themselves, “Hmm, this seems like a good place to stop.” Nor should they unless they are planning on making a quick stop at Fort Tejon State Historic Park. This hidden gem is located right off the highway and has been a cooling down spot for autos and their radiators struggling to make it through the vine for years. But just behind the wall of trees that line the parking lot lie the remains of a powerful little fort – and a great spot for EXERCISE!

View of Fort Tejon State Park

The beauty of Fort Tejon hits you once you walk past that wall of trees and take a quick turn through a small wooden gate. Multiple structures in various stages of preservation make up the perimeter of Fort Tejon, giving it a weird Melrose Place (the TV show) feel with an open field and a handful of picnic tables acting as the pool/courtyard.

Preserved buildings at Fort Tejon State Historic Park

In addition to taking in some great California history, stopping at Fort Tejon State Park can be good for your health! If you’ve been sitting or driving for a long time, the fields and open areas are a great place to move around to get the blood flowing. Remember that sitting down for too long can be dangerous in certain situations. Road trip veterans may know this but that doesn’t mean rookie mistakes don’t happen once and a while. The Fort offers a safe space for some quick activity and never gets too busy.

Chicken Coop at Fort Tejon

So, when traveling this path, consider visiting Fort Tejon State Historic Park before you reach your next destination for any of the following heart healthy activities:

Individualized Stretch Routine

10 Minute Yoga

Meditation

Easy Hiking / Exploring

Brisk Walking

Running

Sprints

For more info about Fort Tejon State Historic Park, click here.

FSM Retro: A Lil’ Love for SNES’ Super Punch-Out!!

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FSM takes a look back at the rarely talked about Super Punch-Out!! boxing game courtesy of Shaun Rogers from NextLevelGamerz. We find out it’s not that hard following the classic sans Mike Tyson and that gamers can have a little old-school fun…

Super Punch-Out!! is a boxing video game developed and published by Nintendo for the SNES. It was released on September 14, 1994 in North America and again in the same region in 1996.

Super Punch-Out!! is an impressive boxing game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It features great graphics, cool music, tight control, and excellent replay value. This game should be considered one of the greatest boxing games in video game history. The characters are full of personality and are unique and fun to fight. The game takes advantage of the SNES graphics chip capabilities and really pushes the envelope as far as graphics are concerned.

Playing this game is very enjoyable, as it is fun to play as a newbie or as an experienced veteran. Beating the opposition takes time and learning their patterns and moves really is a must. Super Punch-Out still rates up there as one of my favorite video games of all time. Beating the special hidden circuit definitely takes skills, and that is what I love about the game.

Gameplay

The action is fast, and the response times are lightning quick. Each opponent forces you to re-think your maneuvering, as they all have their own unique styles and patterns. The controls are simple enough, with a left and right punch, as well as a super punch. Dodging and blocking become key components in this game if you are to be successful.

The game play is very tight and responsive and pulling off super punches is easy. The game is easy enough for anybody to pick up and learn, and it is fun enough for everyone who wants to. Your boxer controls flawlessly and avoiding your opponent’s attacks will timing and skill.

The Storyline

You must take over the role of an underdog boxer attempting to win the Minor, Major, World, and Special Circuit Championships. Old arcade favorites like Bear Hugger, Piston Hurricane, and Bald Bull are here, as well as NES favorites like Mr. Sandman, and Super Macho Man. You are attempting to battle your way to the top of these circuits, which contain four boxers in each circuit, and the fourth opponent is the reigning champion. Overall the story is very simple but it works.

Graphics & Sound

Super Punch-Out is well animated and features beautiful cartoon like graphics that gives each fighter their own personality. The graphics are colorful and the characters are well animated. I love the opponents, Narcis Prince and Bear Hugger both are very different from one another but are so beautifully drawn that they just make my jaw drop wide open. The ring mat changes from circuit to circuit, but you only have the choice of using the one boxer.

He does not appear to be Little Mac from Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out but rather is a different character all together. The graphics are so bright and colorful that it is hard not to appreciate them. The opponents all have special facial and body expressions when they are about to pull off a new move or when they get decked themselves. It is comical to watch your opponent go sprawling into the corner after a knockdown punch.

It seems that each character is bigger than the last, and they all are so well done that each one is either very likable or easy to despise. The boxers feature their own theme songs and the sound effects from the punches are excellent. The sounds of the boxers are great as they each have their own voice samples, and the sound of your boxer after winning a match is great too. He will either exclaim that the match was, “A piece of cake,” or, “Too close”… your opponents laugh and pose when they win the match, which is incentive enough to get back in there and take them on once again.

The Games Re-playability

This game is very fun and the replay value is so high until you finish every circuit. The game has great graphics and sound, and the control is very precise and tight. Playing this game over and over can be easy to do because of all the entertainment value it possesses.

Attempting to beat your old best scores can be another incentive to play this game again. Tweaking your skills and becoming a master takes lots of time and practice, but putting a lot of effort into a game like this is easy just because it is so well done.

Final Thoughts

This game is a must have for Super NES owners. The cartoon like quality of the graphics makes this game humorous and addicting, and the music and sound effects are all right on with the game atmosphere. Missing out on Super Punch-Out!! would be a tragedy as this is the best boxing game Nintendo has ever made.

It is fun, addictive, humorous, challenging, and entertaining. Spending lots of time with your SNES will not be to difficult once you pick up a copy of Super Punch-Out!!, it is that kind of a game that still amazes even years later.

For more game reviews and things alike, visit nextlevelgamerz.

Filmmaker Turns Loss into Award-Winning Documentary

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This post is intended as a happy follow-up to FSM’s first look into this documentary. We had a feeling some awards would be forthcoming!

(NewsUSA) – The award-winning documentary, Adapting to Dive, follows filmmaker David Marsh on a transformational journey. Marsh lost his son to an opioid overdose on Thanksgiving, one week before he joined the non-profit group, Diveheart, on an adaptive scuba diving trip to Cozumel, Mexico.     

The moving and inspirational film premiered on May 18, 2022, in Diveheart’s hometown of Downers Grove, Illinois, and it has earned laurels from the Orlando International Film Festival and the Cine Paris film festival, and has been named an official selection for the Marina Del Ray film festival and the 2022 Impact DOCS awards.     

Marsh did not share his son’s death with the Diveheart group until the filming was completed, and only after being asked by his new Diveheart friends for his overall impressions of the trip.

Marsh explains in the film, “After going through this entire process of creating a film, releasing it to the world, and seeing the response, what I’ve learned is that we are all adapting to something in life. Diveheart and the adaptive divers showed me that we have to learn to go through these challenging things,” he says.     

“It is important to remain positive no matter what happens, because it doesn’t matter what happens, it only matters what you do with what happens that makes the difference in your life,” he emphasizes. “Share your story, because we are all moved by hearing another person’s perspective. Each one of us is a unique, individual reflection of creation itself, so honor and appreciate your uniqueness. Give grace to others with patience, because, like you, they are also having to adapt to something in life,” he adds.

“When David and his brother Scott were not filming and interviewing participants, they were always busy helping others. We had no idea what David was dealing with mentally and emotionally after the sudden loss of his son,” says Diveheart founder and president Jim Elliott.     

“The story that David has articulated through this film is nothing short of amazing,” says Tinamarie Hernandez, Diveheart’s executive director. “Throughout the film you see the transformation that David experienced — a transformation that no one realized was unfolding each day,” she adds.     

Adapting to Dive is especially powerful in light of the ongoing opioid crisis that affects so many families, and the film’s inspiring messages of empathy, hope and healing. Viewers will experience the genuine themes of trust, adapting, challenge, loss and love.     

Founded in 2001, Diveheart serves youth, veterans and others with physical and cognitive disabilities, and trains instructors and divers of all abilities in adaptive scuba. Adapting to Dive can be found on Amazon and other streaming services and select film festivals around the world.     

Visit diveheart.org for more details.

FSM First Look: Ringmaster – Vince McMahon and the Unmaking of America

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Even if you’ve never watched a minute of professional wrestling, you are living in Vince McMahon’s world.

In his four decades as the defining figure of American pro wrestling, McMahon was the man behind Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, John Cena, Dave Bautista, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, and Hulk Hogan, to name just a few of the mega-stars who owe him their careers. For more than twenty-five years, he has also been a performer in his own show, acting as the diabolical “Mr. McMahon”—a figure who may have more in common with the real Vince than he would care to admit.

Just as importantly, McMahon is one of Donald Trump’s closest friends—and Trump’s experiences as a performer in McMahon’s programming were, in many ways, a dress rehearsal for the 45th President’s campaigns and presidency. McMahon and his wife, Linda, are major Republican donors. Linda was in Trump’s cabinet. McMahon makes deals with the Saudi government worth hundreds of millions of dollars. And for generations of people who have watched wrestling, he has been a defining cultural force.

Accessible to anyone, regardless of wrestling knowledge, Ringmaster is an unauthorized, independent, investigative chronicle of Vince McMahon’s origins and rise to supreme power. It is built on exclusive interviews with more than 150 people, from McMahon’s childhood friends to those who accuse him of destroying their lives. Far more than just an athletics or entertainment biography, Ringmaster uses Vince’s story as a new lens for understanding the contemporary American apocalypse.

Ringmaster will be available for purchase on March 28, 2023.

Ringmaster will be available for purchase on March 28, 2023.

Michelin Tires Helped Yellowstone National Park Go Green

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Tourists visiting Yellowstone National Park’s famous geyser, “Old Faithful,” will use tires even once they get out of their cars for a closer look. Old Faithful, you see, boasts a porous, clean, flexible walkway made almost entirely of recycled Michelin tires. The “paved” surface, known as Flexi-Pave and manufactured by the company K.B. Industries (KBI), is kinder to the environment than asphalt because the permeable composite material allows for better erosion control and preservation of the natural patterns of groundwater flow. In addition, the walkway surface is highly durable and tolerant of extreme hot or cold weather, and does not leach any oil into the surrounding environment.

“The material used to create KBI’s Flexi-Pave is completely benign and therefore can be used safely with the delicate aquifers here in Yellowstone,” said Kevin Bragnall, CEO and founder of KBI, in a statement. The Old Faithful Walkway Project covers 6,400 square feet and includes 900 Michelin tires. “The path allows 3,000 gallons of groundwater to pass per square foot. It also is designed to diffuse the water’s force, helping prevent erosion,” Bagnall noted.

“The Old Faithful Walkway Project is a great example of what a difference a company devoted to sustainability can make in the world’s first national park,” said Karen Bates Kress, president of the Yellowstone Park Foundation, in a statement. “We are fortunate to have a corporate partner as farsighted, public-spirited and generous as Michelin,” she added. Underscoring how important this project was to the 126-year-old tire company, Michelin flew in a team of employees from across the country to help complete the construction of the walkway. The 10 volunteers were winners of a company-wide contest to participate in the project.

Michelin is a major corporate sponsor of the Yellowstone Park Foundation, with a goal of helping the park curb operating expenses and reduce the consumption of raw materials. To ensure this, Michelin regularly donates and helps maintain thousands of tires for Yellowstone National Park’s more than 800 vehicles, including patrol cars, garbage trucks, snow plows and load-hauling tractor trailers. The tires feature the latest in green tire technology to help save fuel and reduce emissions.

“Helping build and provide material for this new pathway is very much in line with Michelin’s goal of working with the Yellowstone Park Foundation,” said Leesa Owens, director of community relations for Michelin, in a statement.