Godzilla versus Kong

Godzilla vs. Kong is the main event in a cohesive universe of massive monster movie remakes, all best seen before the epic finale. The Godzilla restart in 2014 with Bryan Cranston, Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson marks the beginning of the science fiction saga.

The second film Kong: Skull Island (a personal favorite) introduces us to King Kong and The Monarch, whose mission is to expose and protect ancient, massive beasts. Monarch gets wind of a mysterious animal that lives on Skull Island and puts together an expedition to be investigated comprised of Samuel Jackson, Brie Larson, and Tom Hiddleston, to name a few.

The third episode, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, shows Godzilla evolving as he battles four other ancient monsters to determine who will rule the earth. Watching all three films will more than prepare you for the title fight.

Godzilla vs. Kong premiered in theaters and Streaming on HBO max on March 31st. Before that you can catch Kong: Skull Island on HBO Max and Godzilla: King of the Monsters on Hulu and rent the 2014 Godzilla on your digital platform of your choice.

Photo: MBLifestyle (Shutterstock)

Gels, bars, sports drinks and shakes are wonderful inventions that allow us to get the right nutrients into our body at the right time during exercise. But regular plain old food works just as well in many cases – and it’s often cheaper.

What to try instead of gels

If you do long runs or bike rides, gels (like Gu) or sports chews (like Clif Shot Bloks) can provide some simple carbohydrates while you exercise. But since it’s basically just sugar, you can easily substitute for other easy-to-consume carbohydrates.

I learned from the other runners in a marathon training group that fruit snacks are an easy and cheap substitute for the gels we have drunk over and over again. Go to the cereal section of the grocery store and you will find them prepackaged for the kids’ lunch boxes.

In all fairness, almost any type of candy can work. Just find something with about the right amount of carbohydrates (you will need about 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour after the first hour, depending on your height) and not too much fat or protein. Starchy foods also count; Pretzels and gummy bears both provide carbohydrates during exercise.

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Make sure you can eat it on the go. For many of us, this rules out anything that requires a lot of chewing or that crunches and splinters while eating, like french fries. Some trail runners love raisins. Keep trying new things in case your choices don’t match your gut.

What to try instead of sports drinks

A drink like Gatorade does three things that water doesn’t: it provides you with carbohydrates (sugars) for nourishment while you exercise; It provides sodium to replace the salt you sweat out. and it typically supplies some other electrolytes, like potassium.

If you don’t work out long or hard enough to lose a lot of sweat, water is probably fine. For information on carbohydrates, see our candy or starchy food suggestions above.

When it comes to electrolytes, you have options. Watering down Gatorade is easy on your stomach if you drink a lot of it. You can also use an electrolyte powder or tablet like Nuun or Liquid IV. But what if you want electrolytes from real foods?

Fortunately, most of us don’t have to work too hard to replace electrolytes. If you only exercise an hour or two, water will do and your next meal should be able to get the sodium and potassium in order. However, if you’re concerned, a salty snack like pretzels or french fries can provide both carbohydrates and sodium. And a banana contains 422 milligrams of potassium, compared to 30 milligrams in a serving of sports drink.

What to try before training

If you just can’t feel at home in the gym without a scoop of fruity, caffeinated powder, it’ll be difficult to replace that feeling. Many pre-workouts contain beta-alanine, the can cause an itchy tingling sensation in your skin; I can’t think of any food that does that.

But the main reason a lot of people use a pre-workout is because of the caffeine. That is what is behind the idea of ​​using it for an “energy boost”. However, you can easily replace the pre-workout with another source of caffeine such as coffee.

Just check the amount: one scoop of C4 contains 150 milligrams of caffeine, which is roughly the equivalent of a cup or a cup and a half of strong coffee (coffee’s caffeine content depends on the bean, roast, and other factors, so it’s difficult to pin down exactly after below).

Protein shakes and bars

Protein powder is a convenient way to add extra protein to your diet, but there is nothing special about drinking your protein in shake form. It is similar with protein bars. A scoop of protein powder often contains around 20 grams of protein, and most protein bars contain between 10 and 20 grams of protein.

You can choose the bar or the shake, but don’t think that the amount of protein you get is anything special. A 3-ounce serving of chicken breast, about the size of a deck of cards, contains 27 grams of protein. one egg has six; a can of tuna has 20; A small container of non-fat Greek yogurt has 17. So serve yourself one of these high protein foods (or whatever you choose) and you don’t need the bar or the shake.

Photo: Vladimir Sukhachev (Shutterstock)Tax weekTax weekWith the upcoming tax return, Two Cents is putting its green eyes on and focusing on stories that will help you manage tax preparation and get the most out of your returns.

When filing your taxes you don’t overlook any new ones Tax relief for charitable contributions This allows you to deduct $ 300 from your taxable income even if you are already using the standard withholding. Since this is a new and above-the-line trigger, it’s easy to miss – especially if you’re a typical W-2 employee who tends to take taxes on the autopilot.

What is the charitable contribution deduction?

In response to COVID, the CARES Act introduced a new $ 300 deduction for charity for individuals or joint applicants in the 2020 tax season (see am Line 10b on form 1040). A year-end bill also extended this tax break to 2021, so those who are married and file together will each receive a $ 300 deduction for a total of $ 600.

The key here is that this is one Trigger above the line. Typically, for charitable contribution tax breaks, you’ll need to list your deductions one by one, however 87% of filers receive the standard printand thus forego non-profit tax breaks. The reason for this is that the Standard Flat Rate Deduction is usually a better option for lowering your total taxable income, albeit no more convenient than the breakdown (the deduction is $ 12,400 for single applicants and $ 24,800 for spouse joint registration). In this case, however, you can claim back some taxes on money donated to charity, even with the standard allowance.

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Some restrictions apply

The deduction only applies to cash donations (cash, credit or debit cards, checks, electronic transfers). So you can’t claim clothes that you might be giving away to goodwill or non-perishable food to a pantry. You also cannot deduct contributions from your time or services such as volunteering. You cannot claim a contribution that includes an exchange of goods from which you could personally benefit, e.g. B. a purchase at a charity cake sale or the purchase of a competition ticket.

Finally, in the eyes of the IRS, the charity must be a qualified organization. Use this option before applying for a donation IRS lookup tool to see if the charity is eligible to receive tax-deductible donations to charity.

A small number of Apple Watch Series 5 and SE owners find that their devices are permanently stuck in power reserve mode. Affected devices appear to be powered on but have unresponsive screens and cannot restart. In other words, they are bricked up.

While the error is unusual, it can appear on any Apple Watch Series 5 or SE that is running watchOS 7.2 or 7.3. Fortunately, Apple has confirmed the problem and offered some fixes.

First, Apple fixed the bug in the watchOS 7.3.1 system update. Users with a working Apple Watch should install the new version immediately to prevent the power reserve from blocking. Make sure that your Apple Watch is synced with your iPhone or iPad and that they are both connected to the same WiFi network. Open the Watch app on your iPhone or iPad and go to General> Software update to download the patch.

Apple is also expanding the lifeline of unhappy souls with a brick-built Apple Watch Series 5 and SE. The Apple Watch SE is still under warranty and can be repaired, but the Apple Watch Series 5 is not (unless you have AppleCare). Fortunately, Apple has announced a free repair program to help users with an affected Apple Watch Series 5, even if the warranty has expired.

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The company is, however Asking users to verify their devices does not respond before sending them in for repair. Connect your Apple Watch to the charger you normally use and wait at least 30 minutes. If after this time your Apple Watch still cannot charge, it will be stuck in power reserve mode and needs to be repaired.

Hit it Apple’s support page to set up a free repair for your Apple Watch via email. Once they get it, Apple’s technicians will do another check to make sure your device is in power reserve mode and ready for repairs.

[9to5Mac]