Least Favored Veggies Are Top for Your Heart

This likely isn’t the first time you’ve been advised to eat your vegetables, but I’m going to add a new declaration: Eat your vegetables, especially the ones you may not particularly like.

If you’re not a vegetable eater, you technically may get your two to three servings per day by fitting in things like potatoes, carrots and corn (which isn’t actually a vegetable, by the way). But while those may be some of your most favorite veggies,¹ they’re not the most nutritious options even though they do have some health benefits.

Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and Brussels sprouts (one of America’s most hated vegetables), have a lot more to offer, including protection for your heart.

In a recent study published in the British Journal of Nutrition,² researchers looked at data from 684 older Western Australian women and found that those who ate more cruciferous vegetables had a lower risk of extensive calcium buildup in their aortas, the main artery that carries blood away from the heart.

The women in the study who ate more than 45 grams of cruciferous vegetables every day, such as a quarter cup of cooked broccoli or half a cup of raw cabbage, for example, were 46% less likely to have calcium buildup in their aortas compared to women who ate little to no cruciferous vegetables.

This is significant because calcium buildup is one of the key markers for atherosclerosis and structural blood vessel disease. When calcium builds up in the arteries, it “hardens” the arteries, hinders blood flow and reduces the amount of blood that circulates around the body. This series of physiological changes is conventionally thought to be a primary underlying cause of heart attack or stroke.³

On a side note, there are other working theories, however, that discount and refute the blocked artery notion. In his 2004 book, “The Etiopathogenesis of Coronary Heart Disease,”⁴ the late Dr. Giorgio Baroldi wrote that the largest study done on heart attack incidence revealed only 41% of people who have a heart attack actually have a blocked artery.

And, of those, 50% of the blockages occur after the heart attack, not prior to it. This means at least 80% of heart attacks are not associated with blocked arteries at all.

According to Dr. Thomas Cowan, a practicing physician, founding board member of the Weston A. Price Foundation and author of “Human Heart, Cosmic Heart,” three of the core, underlying issues that cause heart attacks are decreased parasympathetic tone followed by sympathetic nervous system activation, collateral circulation failure (lack of microcirculation to the heart) and lactic acid buildup in the heart muscle due to impaired mitochondrial function.

You can learn more about Cowan and his thoughts on this in “A New Way of Looking at Heart Disease and Novel Treatment Options.”

Cruciferous Vegetables Help Keep Your Heart Healthy

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women of all racial and ethnical groups in the U.S., killing one person every 37 seconds.⁵ Aside from all of the deaths attributed to heart disease, another 12.1% of Americans are living with some type of chronic heart condition.⁶

You may think that a lot of this comes down to your genetics, but while you may be predisposed to certain conditions, the study confirms that the development of heart disease largely has to do with your diet. This study is groundbreaking because it shows an actual mechanism for how cruciferous vegetables help prevent heart disease.

Lauren Blekkenhorst, Ph.D., one of the lead researchers on the study, explains that the high content of vitamin K in cruciferous vegetables helps inhibit calcification in the blood vessels.⁷ But there are other nutritional compounds that have a positive effect on your heart too.

One of the most notable is sulforaphane, an isothiocyanate compound that gives cruciferous vegetables their signature odor. If you’ve ever cooked broccoli or Brussels sprouts, you know that smell I’m referring to. While these compounds can certainly clear a room, they are just as powerful when it comes to your health.

Other than sulforaphane, the nutrients in cruciferous vegetables that have a positive effect on your heart health include:⁸

• Selenium
• Flavonoids
• Anthocyanins
• Polyphenols
• Antioxidant enzymes

Cruciferous Vegetables Can Help Prevent Cancer

Cruciferous vegetables are also rich in sulfur-containing compounds called glucosinolates. When you chew or chop cruciferous vegetables, the glucosinolates come into contact with plant enzymes that speed up their breakdown and produce secondary compounds that help prevent cancer.⁹

These compounds help eliminate carcinogens from your body so they don’t cause DNA damage that can result in cancer. They also prevent normal cells from developing into cancerous cells.

Several studies have also confirmed that the isothiocyanates in cruciferous vegetables, including sulforaphane, have distinct anti-cancer activity. The isothiocyanates spark hundreds of genetic changes, activating some genes that fight cancer and switch off others that fuel tumors.

In one study, sulforaphane was shown to reduce the incidence and rate of chemically induced mammary tumors in animals. It also inhibited the growth of cultured human breast cancer cells, leading to cell death.¹⁰ Lead author of the study, Olga Azarenko, said:¹¹

“Breast cancer, the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women, can be protected against by eating cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage and near relatives of cabbage such as broccoli and cauliflower.”

According to Azarenko, sulforaphane works in a similar fashion to the anticancer drugs taxol and vincristine, but without the toxic side effects. Other studies have confirmed the protective benefits of these vegetables for other types of cancer as well, such as:

• Bladder cancer — Researchers found that the higher the intake of cruciferous vegetables, the lower the risk of bladder cancer¹²
• Lung cancer — Researchers found that smokers with a high intake of cruciferous vegetables had a lower risk of developing lung cancer¹³
• Prostate cancer — This study, published in PLOS ONE in 2008, discovered that just a few additional portions of broccoli each week could protect men from prostate cancer¹⁴
• Colon cancer — A review of epidemiological studies found a significant inverse relationship between intake of cruciferous vegetables and colon cancer risk.¹⁵ In other words, prospective studies show that eating a diet rich in cruciferous vegetables helps prevent the development of colon cancer

Other Health Benefits of Cruciferous Vegetables

While heart disease and cancer prevention are big benefits of cruciferous vegetables, they have a lot more to offer too. Studies show that eating cruciferous vegetables can also:¹⁶

Prevent metabolic disorders and reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes	Help control weight and reduce your risk of obesity
Prevent respiratory complications from human papilloma virus (HPV)	Reduce and prevent inflammation associated with respiratory disorders
Prevent oxidative stress, which can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease	Slow down cognitive decline in older age
Exhibit antimicrobial effects against pathogenic bacteria like Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter aerogenes, Salmonella serovar typhimurium, Escherichia coli and Shigella sonnei	Prevent asthma
Help boost your body’s natural detoxification pathways

What Are Cruciferous Vegetables?

I’ve already mentioned broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbage, some of the most common cruciferous vegetables, but there are others too. The cruciferous vegetables, and vegetables that belong to the cruciferous family, include:¹⁷

Cauliflower	Collard greens
Kale	Kohlrabi
Mustard greens	Rutabaga
Turnips	Bok choy
Chinese cabbage	Arugula
Horseradish	Radish
Wasabi	Watercress

How Many Cruciferous Vegetables Should You Eat?

It’s currently recommended that adults eat between 2.5 and 3.5 cups of vegetables per day,¹⁸ which equals about three to seven servings. There currently is no USDA recommendation for cruciferous vegetables specifically, but adults should have one to three cups of vegetables, including cruciferous, each day, depending on your activity level.¹⁹

The way that cruciferous vegetables such as Brussels sprouts are prepared matters too. A 2011 study showed that not only can Brussels sprouts produce enzymes to detoxify your body from cancer-inducing properties but steaming them also brings out the best combination of benefits.²⁰

Boiling, on the other hand, destroys the metabolic processes that release myrosinase and activate glucosinolates, which together generate metabolites.²¹ And, should you decide to eat them raw, then just the act of chewing can activate those glucosinolates, too.²²

At some point, you may have heard that cruciferous vegetables can negatively affect thyroid health or even cause thyroid cancer, rather than prevent it. That’s because the breakdown of glucosinolates can create a compound called goitrin, which can block thyroid hormone production and cause hypothyroidism, or a low functioning thyroid.

The breakdown of glucosinolates also creates compounds that compete with iodine, and inadequate iodine can also lead to hypothyroidism. The cancer concern was raised in a study of Malaysian women who consumed large amounts of cruciferous vegetables.^23,24 The women also had a low iodine intake and mild iodine deficiency, which researchers felt contributed to their cancer.

While this is not something to ignore, it’s important to remember that a balanced diet always works best — in other words, make your cruciferous veggies part of your diet, but not your main part, and you won’t have to worry about negative effects on your thyroid gland.

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Fauci's Treacherous Ties to China and Globalists

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) since 1984, this year rose to national prominence as the leader of the White House Coronavirus Task Force. By the time everything is said and done, he may end up wishing he’d gained less public exposure.

In the October 19, 2020, report¹ “Dr. Fauci’s COVID-19 Treachery,” Dr. Peter Breggin reveals Fauci’s “chilling ties” to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its military.

A second, legal, report² by Breggin titled “COVID-19 & Public Health Totalitarianism: Untoward Effects on Individuals, Institutions and Society,” was filed in a federal court in Ohio, August 31, 2020, as part of a lawsuit and injunction to put an end to the state’s pandemic measures.

According to Breggin, Fauci “has been the major force” behind research activities that enabled the CCP to manufacture lethal SARS coronaviruses, which in turn led to the release — whether accidental or not — of SARS-CoV-2 from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) in Wuhan, China.

Breggin claims Fauci has helped the CCP obtain “valuable U.S. patents,” and that he, in collaboration with the CCP and the World Health Organization, initially suppressed the truth about the origins and dangers of the pandemic, thereby enabling the spread of the virus from China to the rest of the world.

Fauci has, and continues to, shield the CCP and himself, Breggin says, by “denying the origin of SARS-CoV-2” and “delaying and thwarting worldwide attempts to deal rationally with the pandemic.”

Gain-of-Function Research Supported by Fauci

In the executive summary of the report, Breggin documents 15 questionable activities that Fauci has been engaged in, starting with the fact that he funded dangerous gain-of-function research on bat coronaviruses, both by individual Chinese researchers and the WIV in collaboration with American researchers. This research, Breggin says, allowed the CCP and its military to create their own bioweapons, including SARS-CoV-2.

He points out that the American-Chinese collaboration was initially detailed in a paper written by two Chinese researchers, Botao Xiao (trained at Northwestern University and Harvard Medical School) and Lei Xiao back in February 2020. According to Breggin, the CCP forced them to recant and the paper was withdrawn.

“The stated purpose [of gain-of-function research] is to learn to prevent and treat future outbreaks; but research labs are the most common source of outbreaks from dangerous pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2, as well as two earlier accidental escapes by SARS viruses in 2004 from a research facility in Beijing,” Breggin writes.³

As previously reported by Newsweek,⁴ the NIAID-funded gain-of-function research into bat coronaviruses was conducted in two parts. The first, which began in 2014 and ended in 2019,⁵ focused on “understanding the risk of bat coronavirus emergence.” Initial findings⁶ were published in Nature Medicine in 2015.

The program, which had a budget of $3.7 million, was led by Wuhan virologist Shi Zheng-Li and sought to catalogue wild bat coronaviruses. It also involved U.S. scientists such as Ralph Barric from the University of North Carolina and Charles Lieber from Harvard.⁷

The second phase that began in 2019 included additional surveillance of coronaviruses along with gain-of-function research to investigate how bat coronaviruses might mutate to affect humans. This second phase was run by the EcoHealth Alliance, a nonprofit research group led by Peter Daszak, an expert on disease ecology. According to Newsweek, the project proposal explained the research to be conducted as follows:⁸

“’We will use S protein sequence data, infectious clone technology, in vitro and in vivo infection experiments and analysis of receptor binding to test the hypothesis that % divergence thresholds in S protein sequences predict spillover potential.’

In layman's terms, ‘spillover potential’ refers to the ability of a virus to jump from animals to humans, which requires that the virus be able to attach to receptors in the cells of humans. SARS-CoV-2, for instance, is adept at binding to the ACE2 receptor in human lungs and other organs.

According to Richard Ebright, an infectious disease expert at Rutgers University, the project description refers to experiments that would enhance the ability of bat coronavirus to infect human cells and laboratory animals using techniques of genetic engineering. In the wake of the pandemic, that is a noteworthy detail.”

Why Did Fauci Continue Gain-of-Function Research?

While President Trump canceled funding for dangerous gain-of-function research on viruses in April 2020 after the Chinese-American collaborations became publicly known, Fauci has since “unleashed a deluge of new funding that will almost certainly” benefit Chinese scientists with CCP ties who are still working in various U.S. universities and other research facilities.

Part of the funding is again directed to the EcoHealth Alliance, which for years has outsourced its research projects to WIV and other Chinese researchers. That said, recent reports indicate the NIH is now demanding the organization produce records detailing its work with the Wuhan lab before the funding is released.⁹

Fauci also continued outsourcing gain-of-function research to the WIV back in 2014, after then-President Obama ordered a stop to such research. At the time, he also continued to fund collaborations between U.S. and WIV researchers, led by Vineet Menachery, Ph.D., at the University of North Carolina.

“In order to outsource dangerous viral research from the U.S. to China during the Obama moratorium, Fauci prematurely approved the Wuhan Institute as a highest level containment facility (known as BSL-4) capable of safely working with lethal viruses,” Breggin writes.¹⁰

“He did this while knowing the Institute had a very poor safety record and while also knowing that all such facilities in China are overseen by the military as part of its biowarfare program. Thus, Fauci created two grave worldwide threats, the accidental release of a deadly coronavirus and/or its use as a military weapon.”

Interestingly, while the original moratorium on gain-of-function research was a direct order by the President, when the moratorium was lifted at the end of 2017, it was done so by the National Institutes of Health and the NIAID.

Fauci holds himself out as the ultimate source of objective scientific information and science-based conclusions. In reality, he works with and empowers globalist pharmaceutical firms and globalist organizations … These globalists gained power and influence as their policies and practices, including the shutdowns, continue to worsen conditions throughout the world. ~ Dr. Peter Breggin

Fauci also defended and promoted gain-of-function research on bird flu viruses a decade ago, saying such research was worth the risk because it allows scientists to prepare for pandemics.¹¹ However, as noted by Breggin, this kind of research does not appear to have improved governments’ pandemic responses one whit.

Downplaying COVID-19 Risks

Next, Breggin points out Fauci’s connections to and support of Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, a member of a Marxist-Leninist Ethiopian political party whose corrupt past and terrorist ties have been highlighted ever since his controversial nomination.^12,13,14 Incidentally, Tedros has also been accused of covering up cholera outbreaks in Ethiopia.

“Together, they initially minimized the dangers of COVID-19. Fauci and Tedros also delayed worldwide preparations for the pandemic while allowing the Chinese to spread the virus with thousands of international passenger flights,” Breggin writes, adding:

“Fauci publicly undermined the President’s criticism of Director-General Tedros and China. Instead, Fauci reassured the world that Tedros was a trustworthy and ‘outstanding’ man — implying that Tedros’s connections in China were similarly reliable and could be trusted.”

Fauci’s Globalist Ties

Interestingly, Fauci recently published a paper in which he again dismisses the possibility that SARS-CoV-2 was created in and released from the WIV, arguing instead for a natural mutation.

“By persistently and unequivocally claiming that SARS-CoV-2 emerged from nature untouched by lab manipulations, Fauci continues to protect himself and China, and their relationship, to the endangerment of America and the rest of the world,” Breggin writes.

“Fauci holds himself out as the ultimate source of objective scientific information and science-based conclusions. In reality, he works with and empowers globalist pharmaceutical firms and globalist organizations such as WHO and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation … These globalists gained power and influence as their policies and practices, including the shutdowns, continue to worsen conditions throughout the world.”

The globalist, technocratic agenda also shines through Fauci’s call for a political agenda that protects the population from pathogens by limiting or eliminating “aggressive” and manmade interventions into nature. Fauci’s paper, published in the journal Cell in September 2020, reads in part:¹⁵

“The COVID-19 pandemic is yet another reminder … that in a human-dominated world, in which our human activities represent aggressive, damaging, and unbalanced interactions with nature, we will increasingly provoke new disease emergences.

We remain at risk for the foreseeable future. COVID-19 is among the most vivid wake-up calls in over a century. It should force us to begin to think in earnest and collectively about living in more thoughtful and creative harmony with nature …”

Indeed, this language is straight out of the technocratic handbook, now rebranded as “the Great Reset.” As noted by Breggin:

“Fauci’s utopian scheme, which overlaps with the Green New Deal, would permanently suppress and disrupt the activities and lives of the 7.8 billion people on Earth in the vain hope of reducing future pandemics.

Thus the American official most responsible for the creation of SARS-CoV-2 in a Chinese lab instead blames its origins on human interventions into the environment and nature, thereby completely exonerating himself while holding humanity responsible.

Simultaneously, he is using the pretext of protecting us from viruses to impose a radical totalitarian agenda upon humanity. Indeed, the largest, most aggressive, and most dangerous human interventions into nature must include Fauci-funded gain-of-function research in which viruses are taken out of nature and engineered into pathogens.”

Fauci Continues to Hype COVID-19 Risks

In the main body of the report (Page 7 onward), Breggin goes on to detail Fauci’s role in the media fearmongering that has allowed pandemic measures to stretch from an initial call for a two-week lockdown to eight months and counting. “Most people have very unrealistic fears about the risk of dying from COVID-19,” Breggin notes, and “This is due in part to the CDC and to Dr. Anthony Fauci who inflate the risk of COVID-19 deaths.”

According to data¹⁶ released by the CDC August 26, 2020, only 6% of the total COVID-19-related deaths in the U.S. had COVID-19 listed as the sole cause of death on the death certificate. The remaining 94% had an average of 2.6 health conditions that contributed to their deaths.

“Most people who die while being positive for SARS-CoV-2 are near to or past their average longevity. In addition to being old, the great majority are already ill with heart disease, cancer, or some other chronic illnesses that may in fact have caused them to die.

But even using the CDC’s biased data, the risk of death for most people is too small to require them to sacrifice the quality of their lives as the government demands under the threat of catching COVID-19,” Breggin writes.

COVID-19 Is Less Lethal Than the Flu for Most

According to a September 2, 2020, article¹⁷ in Annals of Internal Medicine, the infection fatality ratio has been overestimated due to the fact that many who test positive for SARS-CoV-2 remain asymptomatic, which makes it difficult to estimate the true infection rate.

The researchers found that, when excluding those residing in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, the infection fatality rate for the average person is as follows:

• Overall (all ages) — 0.26%
• People younger than 40 — 0.01%
• People aged 60 or older — 1.71%

The estimated infection fatality rate for seasonal influenza listed in this paper is 0.8%. Other sources put it a little higher. In either case, this means that if you’re under the age of 60, your chance of dying from the flu is greater than your chance of dying from COVID-19.

Breggin cites CDC data, noting that the CDC is using inflated numbers, but even at that, the risk of death for people under the age of 70 is lower than that of the flu. According to CDC estimates, the infection fatality ratios are as follows:¹⁸

• 0-19 years — 0.003% (3 in 100,000)
• 20-49 years — 0.02%
• 50-69 years — 0.5%
• 70+ years — 5%

As noted by Breggin, the risk to children and youths is exceedingly small, “Yet Dr. Fauci and other public health officials continue to act as if there is a grave risk of exposing children and young adults to SARS-CoV-2, when there is not,” Breggin writes.

Breggin’s 55-page report¹⁹ is well worth reading in its entirety. It contains far more details than I’ve been able to provide in this overview, and is fully referenced.

Fauci Continues to Dismiss Hydroxychloroquine

Breggin’s legal report,²⁰ “COVID-19 & Public Health Totalitarianism: Untoward Effects on Individuals, Institutions and Society,” is also worth reading. It addresses the totalitarian threat posed by the global response to the pandemic, and details the psychological operations behind the fearmongering and the underhanded methods used to discredit hydroxychloroquine, among other things.

Included is an open letter to Fauci about his dismissal of hydroxychloroquine, signed by Drs. George C. Fareed, Michael M. Jacobs and Donald C. Pompan, which reads, in part:²¹

“Dear Dr. Fauci:

You were placed into the most high-profile role regarding America’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. Americans have relied on your medical expertise concerning the wearing of masks, resuming employment, returning to school, and of course medical treatment.

You are largely unchallenged in terms of your medical opinions … This is unusual in the medical profession in which doctors’ opinions are challenged by other physicians in the form of exchanges between doctors at hospitals, medical conferences, as well as debate in medical journals.

You render your opinions unchallenged, without formal public opposition from physicians who passionately disagree with you. It is incontestable that the public is best served when opinions and policy are based on the prevailing evidence and science, and able to withstand the scrutiny of medical professionals.

As experience accrued in treating COVID-19 infections, physicians worldwide discovered that high-risk patients can be treated successfully as an outpatient, within the first five to seven days of the onset of symptoms, with a ‘cocktail’ consisting of hydroxychloroquine, zinc, and azithromycin (or doxycycline). Multiple scholarly contributions to the literature detail the efficacy of the hydroxychloroquine-based combination treatment.

Dr. Harvey Risch, the renowned Yale epidemiologist, published an article in May 2020 in the American Journal of Epidemiology titled ‘Early Outpatient Treatment of Symptomatic, High-Risk COVID-19 Patients that Should be Ramped-Up Immediately as Key to Pandemic Crisis’ …

Dr. Risch is an expert at evaluating research data and study designs, publishing over 300 articles. Dr. Risch’s assessment is that there is unequivocal evidence for the early and safe use of the ‘HCQ cocktail’ …

Yet, you continue to reject the use of hydroxychloroquine, except in a hospital setting in the form of clinical trials, repeatedly emphasizing the lack of evidence supporting its use. Hydroxychloroquine, despite 65 years of use for malaria, and over 40 years for lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, with a well-established safety profile, has been deemed by you and the FDA as unsafe for use in the treatment of symptomatic COVID-19 infections.

Your opinions have influenced the thinking of physicians and their patients, medical boards, state and federal agencies, pharmacists, hospitals, and just about everyone involved in medical decision making.

Indeed, your opinions impacted the health of Americans, and many aspects of our day-to-day lives including employment and school. Those of us who prescribe hydroxychloroquine, zinc, and azithromycin/doxycycline believe fervently that early outpatient use would save tens of thousands of lives and enable our country to dramatically alter the response to COVID-19.

We advocate for an approach that will reduce fear and allow Americans to get their lives back. We hope that our questions compel you to reconsider your current approach to COVID-19 infection.”

Fauci — ‘An Extraordinarily Destructive Force’

In Breggin’s estimation, Fauci “has been and continues to be an extraordinarily destructive force in the world.” Not only did he play a role in China’s ability to create SARS-CoV-2 and other potential biological weapons, he’s also covering up its origin, and initially tried to downplay the threat of the novel virus.

To top it off, “he became the go-to scientist and management czar for the very pandemic that he helped to create, enormously increasing his power and influence, and the wealth of his institute and his global collaborators, including Bill Gates and the international pharmaceutical industry,” Breggin writes, adding, in conclusion:

“In his rise to power, Fauci has done a great deal of additional damage … for example, by suppressing the most effective, safest, and least expensive medication treatment (hydroxychloroquine in varied combinations), while manipulating his clinical research to promote an ineffective, dangerous, and highly expensive drug (remdesivir).

Fauci has also been supporting inflated COVID-19 case counts and reported deaths from the CDC, then using the inflated estimates to justify oppressive public health measures that have no precedent and little or no scientific basis, but add to his influence and power and to the wealth of his globalist associates …

It is time to fire Fauci, to investigate this entire disaster, and to consider what needs to be done to protect the US and the world from future lab-generated pandemic disasters, whether accidental or intentional.”

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Jaw-Dropping Surf Clips From This Week's Massive Nazaré Swell

This article originally appeared on Surfer.com and was republished with permission.

The first time you watch the clip, it seems like your eyes deceive you. A white trail is streaking across a massive wall of water, but there’s no surfer to be seen. Watch it again, and again, and again––same result. The streak is Lucas Chumbo and the wave is one that Chumbo would later claim as the “bomb of my life.”

Yep, that XXL swell at Nazaré is living up to expectations. Hurricane Epsilon sent liquid skyscrapers barreling towards Portugal this week, and it’s being described as one of the biggest swells in years. In addition to Chumbo, this week’s XXL chasers included Kai Lenny, Nic von Rupp, Pedro Scooby, Justine Dupont, Andrew “Cotty” Cotton, Sebastian Steudtner and more.

To give you a sense of what’s going down in Portugal right now, we assembled a collection of the best clips from Instagram. Get ready for your jaw to hit the floor.

 

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B O M B O F M Y L I F E #nazaré #bigwaves #repost @wsl : @iancosenza Obrigado equipe por esse dia que sem dúvidas vai ficar marcado na história de Nazaré @carlosburle @caiogebaravaz @alemaodemaresias @iancosenza @kai_lenny @gigantesdenazare @midesbouillons @pedroscooby @nazarewaterfun @italoferreira

A post shared by Lucas Chianca “Chumbo” (@lucaschumbo) on Oct 29, 2020 at 9:13am PDT

 

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Today in Nazare. It felt good to ride away from this one. Thank you so much to my amazing team that makes all this possible @mcnamara_s @whitewaterwilly @andrew_cotty @gigantesdenazare live stream #nazare

A post shared by Mason Hyce Barnes (@masonhycebarnes) on Oct 28, 2020 at 3:23pm PDT

 

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Que bomba foi essa do @kai_lenny ??!! . Essa temporada 20/21 promete muita adrenalina. #gigantesdenazaré Marque seus amigos nos comentários!! @plmiranda What a bomb of @kai_lenny?!? We expect a lot of adrenalin in this 20/21 season.

A post shared by Gigantes De Nazaré (@gigantesdenazare) on Oct 28, 2020 at 5:52pm PDT

 

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Hoje foi o dia que tanto sonhei a minha carreira inteira de ondas gigantes! Estão aqui duas das ondas que surfei hoje! Qual vcs preferem? Onda 1: @pinesi Onda 2: @gh.images Obs: Os áudios das ondas passam um pouco da emoção que era estar lá assistindo.

A post shared by Pedro Scooby (@pedroscooby) on Oct 29, 2020 at 3:32pm PDT

 

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Today’s Swell @sebastiansurfs . . . . #bigwaves #nazare #surf #bigwavesurfing #praiadonorte #atlantic #ocean #atlanticocean #canonphotography #waves #surfphotography #surfphotos #nazarebigwaves #readyfornazare #nazarechallenge #bigwavesurfer #surfers #surfingportugal #nazarecanyon #surfermagazine #coast #surfer_magazine #gigantesdenazaré

A post shared by Vito Marques (@vito.mqs) on Oct 26, 2020 at 1:12pm PDT

 

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Que dia! Adrenalina e disposição nas alturas, condições desafiadoras e ondas gigantes. Os big riders deram show nesta quarta, com muita gente matando as saudades do surfe na praia do Norte. Qual seria seu top-3 entre estas ondas? Comente! ⠀ What a day! The session was packed with adrenaline and thrill from the big riders, some of them who surfed here for the first time in the season. Nothing but a spectacular show! Rank your top 3 photos in the comments! ⠀ 1: @kai_lenny 2: @lucaschumbo 3: @nicvonrupp 4: @pedroscooby 5: @justinedupont33 6: @andrew_cotty ⠀ : @helio_antonio ⠀ #gigantesdenazare #gigantesdenazaré #nazare #nazareportugal #portugal #surf #surfing #surfer #bigwaves #bigwavesurfing #bigrider #ondasgigantes #adrenalina #esporte #radical #aventura #viagem #queroviajar

A post shared by Gigantes De Nazaré (@gigantesdenazare) on Oct 28, 2020 at 2:53pm PDT

Watch: Is This the Most Terrifying Wave Ever Filmed at Nazare?

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What Every Man Can Learn From the Navy SEALS About Grit

For generations, the U.S. Navy SEALS (Sea, Air, and Land) have set the standard for military special operations. Relied on for the toughest missions, these men are as notorious as their training, which begins at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado off the coast of California. Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training, or BUD/S for short, is the crucible in which SEALs are made, but the 24-week course, the first that SEAL candidates must endure, is actually only a fifth of the nearly two and a half years it takes before a man goes on his first mission.

The first phase, BUD/S, assesses candidates’ endurance and conditioning, water competency, camaraderie, and grit, culminating in “Hell Week.” The challenge has captivated men for years, and for good reason: Of an average 170-person class, around 30 make it to Week Five. Such severe attrition of some of the fittest men in the world is notable in its own right, but their day-to-day ordeals are something that has to be seen to be believed.

What to Do if Your Lack of a Social Life Is Impacting Your Mental Health

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Darren McBurnett, age 50, a 24-year SEAL veteran, knows it better than almost anyone, having survived his own BUD/S, then returning to document the experience as a photographer and instructor prior to his retirement in 2017. He witnessed firsthand what it takes to survive arguably the most extreme military service in the world. “Everyone wants to be a Navy SEAL at the bars on Friday,” McBurnett says. “Once you get in there and realize how hard it is, all that goes away.”

McBurnett’s first book, Uncommon Grit, follows the first four weeks of Navy SEAL BUD/S training. Captured over 12 months and comprising more than 22,000 images, he was a man possessed—a camera in each hand, running behind, alongside, and in front of the most ambitious men in the military. Knocks came; he remembers being run over by boats, and at one point an expensive camera rig got swept from his hands and fell to the bottom of the sea. But he’s used to dealing with adversity, a story which he tells through images in Grit. He spoke with Men’s Journal to discuss what he learned along the way—and what you should know—about responding the the obstacles you’ll encounter in life.

Darren McBurnett

1. Cut the Excuses

McBurnett saw a pattern while training and again while documenting candidates: “A lot made excuses,” he says. To leave the program, all candidates need to ring the bell and provide their reason for departure on their exit paperwork. “The biggest one, the most common is, ‘This job isn’t for me.’ ”

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“Yes, this job is for you,” McBurnett says, “but you never got far enough in to see if you liked it or not.” What they were saying no to was the physical discomfort it takes to become a SEAL—the early-morning training, the cold water, the blisters so severe “chunks of skin are falling off.” In order to do all the “cool” stuff, like firing advanced weaponry and jumping out of airplanes, you had to deal with the short-term discomfort—and most can’t. “Most quit immediately when things get hard. That’s the kind of people we don’t want.” Lean into the discomfort. That persistence will always lead to greater things.

Darren McBurnett

2. Shatter Your Ceiling

When other candidates see men quit, there’s an inward-looking, self-pitying look that spreads like poison. Once that seed is planted, it’s easy to go down the same route. McBurnett and other instructors’ jobs were to motivate by adding further suffering. It may seem counterintuitive, but by instigating a downward spiral, it can shock someone back to the team mentality. Remedial training, like doing thousands of pushups is not punishment per se. “It’s to let them know, ‘You still had the energy to keep going.” Ideally, it’s to demonstrate firsthand there’s always more left in the tank—an additional few reps, a faster lap. That fires them up, to see how much they can take. It’s what separates the men who are having a bad day—and everyone has a bad day, which is not a fatal condition—from those who don’t have the mental fortitude required to be a SEAL.

Darren McBurnett

3. Believe in Your Inner Grit

“Every once in a while, you’ll have one of those unicorns show up,” McBurnett says. They’re the men who seem to get illogically stronger as they go through BUD/S. But they’re rare. It’s the guys who look like extras in 300—the ones who clock the fastest obstacle course laps, lead the runs, and swim laps around their peers—who drop out almost immediately upon reaching Hell Week. Take away warmth, sleep, cleanliness, and even air, and, to paraphrase a Johnny Cash song: ‘What’s all them muscles gonna do?’ The reality is, when the going gets tough, the true measure—the uncommon grit—of a man comes out. “It’s the mental war between the ears,” he says, that’s the most important characteristic of any SEAL candidate.

Darren McBurnett

4. Utilize Your Team

Just making it to Hell Week, a misnomer for the five and a half days in the fourth week of BUD/S training, is an accomplishment. But to make it to its peak takes more than just being a pullup stud or part fish. “You need that sense of teamwork,” McBurnett says, which motivates you to push through your own pain and sleep-deprived haze to care about the men to your left and right. “That’s when you start to develop,” he adds. “You succeed as a team and you fail as a team.” More than conditioning, more than the possession of some of the most cutting-edge gear, it’s this characteristic that has both defined SEALs for generations and continues to fuel their successes. True, he says, there’s a long road of training ahead after Hell Week, but if you can make it past, you’ve demonstrated that you possess this critical tool in your toolset—and that’s a start.

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How to Safely Camp and Recreate During Wildfire Season

Wildland fires are nothing new, but their current impact is dramatic. So far, in 2020, about 8.5 million acres have burned across the U.S. The financial toll is mind-boggling. In 2018, estimates of wildfire damage were about $18 billion. So far this year, nearly 33,000 people have been involved in fighting wildfires and 12 are dead—not including civilians. Most of these fires were preventable; approximately 87 percent of wildfires are caused by people. Responsible recreation during wildfire season can make a difference.

The vast majority of small fires are put out. But strong winds and critically dry fuels can turn a spark or neglected campfire into a “megafire,” which can have an extraordinary impact on local populations and the environment. Not only are forests and grasslands scorched, people lose homes, businesses and, tragically, their lives. Forest closures and hazardous air conditions devastate local economies. Fuels and forests have built up in the absence of natural wildfires over the past century, leading to a contagious tinderbox in many forestlands. Warmer, drier summers and increased human-caused ignitions have dramatically increased the length of the average fire season.

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A cyclist pauses to take a photograph as police officers direct motorists at a roadblock as nearby residents evacuate an Oct 17, 2020 wildland fire races through the mountains near Boulder, CO. David Zalubowski/AP/Shutterstock / Shutterstock

Susan Prichard, fire ecologist at University of Washington, says that the balance of human- versus lightning-started fires varies from place to place, year to year. But it’s important to understand that since most camping takes place at the height of fire season, fire irresponsibility coincides with wind and dry forests. “Even though it seems like the West is burning up (historically, there have always been wildfires), there are still many places under a fire deficit,” explains Prichard. “There will always be fire danger, and, while we’re very good at extinguishing them in this country (97 to 98 percent of fire starts are put out, it’s only 2-3 percent that get away), any fire, even a small one, has the potential to explode.”

Oddly enough, there’s evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic is fueling this season’s devastating blazes. Stacy Corless, Supervisor for Mono County, CA, reports that this summer, “our forests (like most others throughout the West, maybe the nation) saw big increases in visitation.” With many visitors new to camping and the outdoors, there was a likely gap in terms of understanding and following rules. “We saw some bad behavior—illegal campfires and camping, trash left behind, and lots of crowds,” Corless notes, “There seemed to be little awareness of wildfire danger, or the impact on the land.”

“Due to COVID, we’re seeing a lot of people on public lands this year that don’t typically camp or hike,” adds Tina Boehle, information officer for NIFC (National Interagency Fire Center). “It’s a great opportunity for education and we hope people fall in love with their public lands, use them responsibly and protect them for future generations. Before heading out, take the time to learn about outdoor and campfire safety and how to recreate responsibly.”

How can you be part of the solution? Most importantly, educate yourself on responsible recreation during wildfire season. Here are some expert tips:

Check fire restrictions before heading into the backcountry. Go to the land management website for your intended destination, whether it’s the U.S. Forest Service, BLM, National Park Service or state or regional park. Note whether open fires, or even propane stoves, are prohibited. Websites like inciweb.nwcg.gov alert you to active wildfires or wildfire closures.

If conditions allow a campfire, stick to established fire rings in established campsites. Don’t create your own fire ring as you might be impacting organic soil. Organic soil is essentially decomposed plant matter and can smolder for weeks. If it ignites an underground root system, it can pop up elsewhere, far from the original blaze.

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A forest protection officer demonstrates how to rake duff down to mineral soil to mitigate the propane campfire ring of dispersed campers in August 2020 north of Big Bear Lake, CA. Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times/Shutterstock / Shutterstock

If you do have a campfire, have a shovel and plenty of water on hand to ensure the ashes are cold to the touch anytime the fire is not attended. If you can’t put your hand into the ashes, the fire is not out. During fire season, consider stargazing rather than staring at flames.

Pack a collapsible bucket (we love the NRS Bail Pail). A packable pail won’t add much weight or bulk to your backcountry kit and simplifies dousing your campfire.

Be fire conscious. Ways that forest visitors unintentionally start fires include dragging trailer hitch chains (they spark when they hit pavement), parking on dry grass (the hot components of a vehicle can start a fire), shooting exploding targets, setting off fireworks, smoking cigarettes, or burning toilet paper. Carry a fire extinguisher and a saw in your vehicle as part of your backcountry essentials. Remember, fireworks are always prohibited on public lands.

When camping, be aware of alternative escape routes. Wildfires advance depending on fuel (vegetation), weather, and topography. A wind-driven fire can move very quickly, leaving little time between an evacuation order and the arrival of flames. Main roads or trails can be blocked. An evacuation plan can save precious minutes when it counts. Know where the closest body of water is located; you might need it in an emergency.

Don’t wait until the last minute to evacuate. Fires are unpredictable. A fire line can be breached by a single ember or falling tree. A spark can travel a mile in windy conditions to ignite dry fuel far from the original burn site.

Often wildfires burn slowly on flat ground, and then race uphill. Your escape route may be thwarted by fallen logs. Just because you can’t see flames doesn’t mean you’re not in danger.

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Firefighting aircraft make drops over hotspots where firefighters work to contain the Sept. 2020 Glass Fire in Napa County, CA. Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times/Shutterstock / Shutterstock

Never fly a drone near a wildfire. Not only is it against the law, it puts lives at risk and slows down the effort to save forests and property as they can be deadly if they interfere or, worst case, collide with firefighting aircraft. Drones are always prohibited in national parks.

Sign up for reverse-911 emergency alerts. Make sure your phone allows your provider to push out messages with emergency information.

Respect fire closures. They’re put in place early and left in place after the flames and smoke dissipate to keep you safe. Even a decade after a burn, hazards remain, especially in the form of dead trees. Before you set up a campsite in any historically burned area, look up, down and all round for trees that could fail and impact your safety.

Fire closures protect not only the public, but firefighters too. Cruising forest roads during an emerging incident slows response times and can lead to a motor vehicle accident with crews, engines and heavy equipment.

Colorado’s Cameron Peak Fire looms on Oct 16, 2020 over the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center, also known as Rocky Mountain National Park Administration Building near Estes Park. CDT

Recently burned areas are extremely dangerous places due to fire-weakened trees that can fall on people, cars, trails or roads. Newly scorched earth can hide undermined ground that can bury and burn anyone walking in the wrong place. Areas may remain closed because steep slopes that have burned are susceptible to rock and landslides.

Jaimie Olle, acting Public Affairs Specialist for Deschutes National Forest, Oregon, says that there are two great ways to help fires. Donating to the Red Cross is a direct way to assist people who have been evacuated or have lost their homes. To support firefighters, donate to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation, an organization that directly supports wildland firefighters and their families. After a wildfire, there is plenty of restoration and repair work needed. Reach out to your local land management agencies to support efforts.

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Wildland Fire Resources:

–Fire Adapted Communities
–National Incident Information System 
–National Interagency Fire Center
–National Park Service Camping Guidelines
–U.S. Forest Service Resources
–Additional Fire Prevention Tips

 

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