It’s always exciting when a new car brand enters the market – but Polestar is a particularly intriguing prospect.

For those who don’t know, Polestar was originally Volvo’s high-performance division, akin to BMW’s M or Nissan’s Nismo, for example. It’s since been spun off into a marque in its own right and has shifted its focus towards electric vehicles. Indeed, Polestar has lofty aspirations to become the world’s first carbon-neutral car brand – a bold mission.

The Polestar 1, the brand’s first vehicle, was a sporty limited production hybrid coupe that was only available in a few select markets. The Polestar 2, however, is purely electric and the brand’s first mainline production car – as well as the first Polestar to reach Australian shores.

But why try and launch a new electric car brand in Australia when both federal and state governments here have done so much to discourage EV ownership?

It’s simple. The Polestar 2 is going at Tesla’s throat – specifically the Model 3’s. The Tesla Model 3 has long been the top-selling EV Down Under, largely because it’s a great car, but also because there’s not much competition. Other car brands have shied away from offering similar-sized EVs in Australia because they’ve figured they can’t survive against the dominance of the Model 3.

So how does the Polestar 2 weight up against the Model 3? Indeed, how does it weigh up more broadly? Well, we drove the new Polestar 2 to find out, and spoiler alert: it weighs up pretty well. Very well, actually.

First things first: pricing. Polestar 2 pricing starts at $69,332 (standard range, single motor, New South Wales pricing) – more than the Tesla Model 3 which starts at $63,900, but less than virtually any other similarly-sized EV from premium brands like Audi or Polestar’s parent brand Volvo. In fact, it costs less than the Volvo C40 and XC40 Recharge, which share its platform. The main thing is that it’s in the ballpark of a Model 3.

The Polestar 2 is also slightly larger than a Tesla Model 3 and is more akin to a crossover SUV than a compact sedan or hatchback. More on that later. It’s here where the comparisons end. Segment positioning aside, the Polestar 2 is a very different beast to the Model 3, or really anything else on the market.

RELATED: Germany’s Top Car Brands Are In A Spot Of Bother Thanks To Tesla

Maybe it’s just because we’re so used to Teslas now but the Polestar 2 really stands out on the road – nothing else looks like it, it’s so futuristic. You really do feel as if you’re driving the future of motoring. It makes other cars look ancient in comparison.

Part of this has to do with its unique body style, which defies easy description. It’s not a hatchback, it’s not an SUV… It’s more akin to a large, jacked-up sedan. With its big wheels, deeply sloping rear hatch and muscular stance, it feels incredibly purposeful.

The fact that it’s also got some serious performance bona fides really backs that feeling up, too. With 300kW and a 0-100km/h time of just 4.5 seconds in Long Range Dual Motor guise, the Polestar 2 moves its mass in an impressive fashion. The novelty of chopping petrol-powered cars as the lights turn green never gets old – they just don’t expect to see a car the Polestar 2’s size haul ass like that!

The Performance package further benefits from Öhlins suspension and big Brembo brakes, the latter of which are painted in eye-catching Swedish gold – a great aesthetic touch.

Indeed, the Polestar 2 is filled with lots of great aesthetic touches, particularly with the addition of the Performance package. Like the brake calipers, the seatbelts in the Polestar 2 Performance are gold. It sounds dumb but it makes the car feel much more premium than it actually is – typically coloured seat belts are the domain of luxury or sports cars. I don’t know why more car brands also do coloured seat belts but I digress.

RELATED: ‘Peasant Trim’: The Telltale Sign You Skimped Optioning Your Luxury Car

Other nice touches include the tasteful real wood panelling that stretches across the dash and centre console, subtle body-coloured external badging and the awesome-looking four-spoke rims.

There’s plenty of Volvo DNA in the Polestar 2 as well – as evidenced by parts sharing like the use of Volvo’s familiar square-shaped wheel hub design and many of the buttons and switches throughout the car. This is by no means a bad thing: it serves the Polestar well to remind passengers of its Swedish heritage, even if the car is entirely made in China.

Yep – Polestars are made in China. China’s Geely Auto bought out Volvo back in 2010 and plan to make all Polestars in China going forward. The car has mostly been designed in Sweden (it does look very Scandi) but this is not a Swedish car.

But that’s also not a bad thing, necessarily. The quality of Chinese-made cars has made leaps and bounds in recent years, and the Polestar 2 is particularly impressive on that front. Volvo has always had a great reputation for build quality and if you didn’t know better, you’d assume the Polestar 2 was also made in Sweden. Not to keep framing everything around Tesla but it also shits all over Tesla when it comes to build quality.

RELATED: American & Japanese Car Makers Are Going To Be Left Behind By China

All in all, it’s a very premium driving experience – which you’d kind of hope, considering its price tag puts it up in luxury car territory, even with state incentives softening the blow.

The biggest negative about the Polestar 2 is also one of its biggest selling points. Compared to a Tesla – or indeed virtually any other modern luxury car – the Polestar 2 is surprisingly light on tech, despite the fact it does the whole ‘put everything on a touch screen’ thing that many cars are doing these days.

The Volvo influence does shine through in terms of safety tech, though. The Polestar 2 has amazing collision avoidance and mitigation systems with braking and steering support plus vehicle, cyclist and pedestrian detection (probably elks too); anti-lane departure with steering support and can even scan road signs to automatically adjust your cruise control speed.

The MMI as well just runs some Android kernel and doesn’t feel particularly bespoke, although those familiar with Google products like Maps probably won’t be fussed. The Google integration means you can control the functionality of the whole car with Google Assistant – you can even set it up so your phone can be a ‘digital key’ so you don’t have to carry a traditional key with you. The Polestar 2 also gets software ‘updates’ like your phone, which means you don’t have to get it serviced as often.

But actually, we don’t see this as being a deal-breaker. Indeed, we think the Polestar 2’s very conventional driving experience makes it great for those who want an EV but might be intimidated by the really tech-y nature of many modern cars. It’s an absurdly easy car to drive, and there’s a lot to be said about that.

Indeed, simplicity really is the name of the game here with the Polestar 2. In typical Scandi fashion, it’s beautifully minimalistic. It’s very design-forward while being unpretentious. The now-defunct Swedish brand SAAB always used to be the butt of jokes that it was the car of choice for architects and other creative types but we see that being the case with Polestar, but entirely in a positive fashion.

In essence, the Polestar 2 is a car for those who want something a bit different. It represents a changing of the guard in modern motoring – in lots of different ways – as well as one of the best-value premium car experiences on the market. We were impressed, and we think you’ll be too.

Find out more about the Polestar 2 and book a test drive at Polestar’s online showroom here.

• The New Audi S3 Is The Swiss Army Knife Of Sports Cars
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The post The Polestar 2 Threatens Tesla’s Dominance Down Under appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Staking offers cryptocurrency holders a way of putting their digital assets to work and earning passive income on their crypto holdings. So, if you’re buying and holding (HODLing) crypto for the long-term and you aren’t bothered by the day-to-day fluctuations in price, staking is a no brainer. 

What is Staking In Crypto?

Crypto staking can be made out to be this extremely complicated process, but you can think of it as the crypto equivalent of putting money in a high-interest saving account with your bank (back when that was possible). When you deposit funds into your savings account, the bank takes that money and will usually lend it out to other people. In return for locking up that money with the bank, you get paid a little bit of the interest, earned from lending — although now you’d be lucky to earn any more than 2% per year with any major Australian bank. 

Crypto staking is just like an interest-bearing savings account, except when you stake your digital assets, you lock up the coins in order to keep a certain blockchain running and maintain its security. In exchange for these services, you earn rewards calculated in annual percentage yields (APY). The returns from staking crypto are generally a lot higher than any interest rate offered by banks.

Staking has grown massively in popularity as a way to make a solid profit on crypto holdings that usually just sit idly in your account. At the time of writing the total value of cryptocurrencies staked exceeded the $280 billion threshold, according to Staking Rewards.

How Much Money Can I Make By Staking?

If we look at the average staking reward rate across the top 260 staked crypto assets on all blockchains, the average comes to an 11% APY — which is far superior to the interest rates from a traditional bank. It is important to remember like all things in cryptocurrency, staking yields can change significantly over time.

If you’re reading this and you’re already about to open a new tab and get to staking your crypto, it’s worth noting that all staking pools are different, and some deduct greater fees from the rewards for their work, which affects overall APY. Always read the fine print before locking up your crypto. 

Which Cryptocurrencies Can I Stake?

You can stake a lot of different cryptocurrencies, but Bitcoin and other Proof of Work (PoW) crypto assets won’t be among them. Staking is only possible with cryptocurrencies that have blockchains that use Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus.

The most popular cryptocurrencies you can choose to stake include:

• Ethereum (ETH).
• Cardano (ADA).
• Solana (SOL).
• Terra (LUNA).
• Avalanche (AVAX).
• Polkadot (DOT).

How Do I Stake Crypto in Australia?

Thanks to the rapid increase in crypto adoption, staking has never been easier and practically all major cryptocurrency exchanges & platforms now offer staking of some kind.

What Is The Best Crypto Staking Platform In Australia?

These are the following Australian platforms that offer crypto staking along with the average returns that you can expect to see from them. 

Coinspot

Coinspot is Australia’s largest crypto exchange and it offers staking for 22 different cryptocurrencies including ETH, ADA, SOL, ATOM, DOT, ALGO, KAVA and other, slightly more niche tokens.

There are zero fees associated with Coinspot’s staking services, and the minimum stake is $1 AUD with no maximum amount. Swyftx provides “flexible staking” which means there is no lock in period and you can withdraw your digital assets at any time. Coinspot also offer automatic re-staking meaning that all rewards will be fed back into that staking account to compound over time. 

Swyftx

Swyftx is another major Australian crypto exchange that offers staking for all of the most popular tokens including ETH, ADA, SOL, ATOM, DOT and more. 

Much like Coinspot, there are no fees associated with Swyftx’s staking services, and the minimum stake is $1 AUD with no maximum amount. Swyftx provides “flexible staking” which means there is no lock in period and you can withdraw your digital assets at any time, with staking rewards earned minute by minute and compounded daily. 

Binance

Binance is the world’s largest crypto exchange and it offers a wide array of different staking options. Binance is a good choice if you already have a bit of experience in the world of cryptocurrency, as the amount of staking options can be a little confusing for beginners. 

Put simply, Binance offers a very wide range of staking methods, all with different associated risks. Generally speaking, the higher the overall yield, the higher risk of the underlying asset. For those who want to know more, watch the video below to get a grip on everything Binance.

Crypto.com

Crypto.com offers users on its “earn” the ability to stake over 40 different cryptocurrencies and stablecoins.  With Crypto.com, you can earn up to 14.5% on Polkadot (DOT) or a 14% per annum return on stablecoins including USD Coin (USDC), Tether (USDT). 

You’ll likely see a 6% p.a. return on ETH as well as on crypto.com’s native token CRO. The platform also offers a healthy 5% on most others including Litecoin (LTC), Cardano (ADA), Binance Coin (BNB), ChainLink (LINK), even including Dogecoin (DOGE) and Shiba Inu (SHIB).

Advanced Staking Options

If you’re looking for bigger returns than the bigger crypto exchanges like Coinspot and Binance can offer, then you may want to look for a smaller, third-party application to stake your crypto on.

If you are really looking for a way to maximize rewards, the following platforms specialize in providing the highest yields for your digital assets:

• EverStake.
• BlockDaemon.
• Figment.
• MyContainer.
• BlockFi

Risks of Crypto Staking

As with every type of investing, especially in crypto, there are some risks that you’ll need to think about.

• It goes without saying, but crypto is volatile. Significant drops in price can easily outweigh the rewards you earn, so staking is really for those who plan to hold their asset for the long term regardless of the price swings.
• Some staking requires a lock-up period, which means that you can’t withdraw your assets. 
• Sometimes, after choosing to withdraw your tokens, there can be a long waiting period before getting your crypto back. 
• It’s rare but staking pools do get hacked, often resulting in a complete loss of all staked funds. If you use a platform like Binance or Crypto.com the assets are covered by insurance. However if you choose to use a decentralized exchange (DEX) the assets are most likely not protected by insurance, meaning there’s no chance of recompensation.

Staking Round Up

Staking your crypto can be a great way to put your idle cryptocurrency holdings to work, especially if you have large amounts of it.

With that being said it’s always important to remember that there’s always some level of risk associated with lending — so you’ll need to assess your own risk preference.

Never stake any cryptocurrency where you’re concerned about major fluctuations in price and always double check fees, and fine print before you commit to anything.

• Shiba Inu Is Blowing Up Again. But Will It Last?
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The post Crypto Staking: What Is It & How To Do It In Australia appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

As anyone who’s ever been to the Italian city that’s slowly sinking can attest, Venice is stunning. With gondolas galore, beautiful bridges, breathtaking architecture, delectable food and drinks (and the occasional carnival), there are hundreds of reasons why tourists flock to Venice.

But as Venice is home to only 50, 000 residents, for years the city has felt the immense pressure of thousands and thousands regularly visiting; so much so, that for quite some time, Venice has been trying to implement an ‘entry fee’ for tourists.

An entry fee that’s now come into fruition.

Yes, starting from June this year, anyone planning to visit Venice for the day, must book ahead and pay a fee – which will range from three to ten euros; it’ll depend on how busy the city is expected to be on the day you book for.

Luigi Brugnaro, the mayor of Venice, took to Twitter to explain that this booking system and the associated fee is a necessary measure for Venice to better manage tourists; although he did admit it will be “difficult”.

“Today, many have understood that making the City bookable is the right way to take, for a more balanced management of tourism. We will be the first in the world in this difficult experimentation,”

The condition for tourists to book and pay a charge prior to entering Venice will be in effect for six months from June. However, officials have said it’s likely that this will become a permanent measure from as early as January next year.

Venice’s tourism councillor, Simone Venturini told La Repubblica – an Italian publication – that there will also be a maximum amount of tourists let into Venice each day.

“…We will set a maximum threshold of 40, 000 or 50, 000 visitors a day.”

She also revealed that there will be “incentives” for tourists to receive once they’ve booked and paid their entry fee.

“Those who book, will receive incentives, such as discounts on entering museums.”

Simone Venturini

Over the next few weeks, exceptions to this new rule are expected to be announced; for example, it’s speculated that tourists won’t have to pay the entry fee if they’re only visiting Venice to attend a funeral.

And so far, tourists planning to stay overnight in Venice will be exempt from having to pay the entry fee but this is because they already are required to pay a ‘tourist tax’.

If you were planning on visiting Venice later this year and are outraged at the prospect of having to pay an entry fee, just remember the old Italian saying, ‘Niente che valga la pena di avere è facile.’ Translation? Nothing worth doing comes easy…

And Venice is well worth doing.

• Venice Discovers True Nature Of Its Overtourism Problem
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The post Venice Does What It’s Been Threatening To Do For Years appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

30 years ago, Jaeger-LeCoultre launched the Master Control: a handsome, classically-styled watch that set a new standard for horological excellence. Its launch marked the beginning of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s 1000 Hours Control certification, which is regarded as one of the most gruelling quality control regimes in watchmaking.

These days, JLC puts all its watches through the 1000 Hours Control certification process – but the Master Control remains a beacon of quality and restrained elegance in a watch industry that increasingly cuts corners and celebrates brashness over build quality.

We reckon it’s JLC’s most underrated watch, and one of the best value-for-money luxury watch propositions on the market. But JLC’s latest update to the Master Control might just bring the Master Control out from under the radar and into the spotlight, where it deserves to be.

Meet the new Master Control Date and the Master Control Calendar in blue – a subtle change to the landmark watch that makes all the difference.

Let’s break it down. The new blue dials feature a sunray finish, complemented by minute scales in a subtly contrasting lighter blue to aid legibility. The date window of the Master Control Date is also in blue, while the Master Control Calendar features white-on-blue day and month indications, a blue date ring, plus a blue moonphase disc framed within a small seconds subdial.

Both the Master Control Date and the Master Control Calendar come with matching blue straps in calf leather, which features JLC’s easy-to-use quick-change mechanism. If you haven’t got the picture by now, there’s a lot of blue.

RELATED: The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Is A Surprisingly Versatile Men’s Watch. Here’s Why

Not much has changed under the hood, which is by no means a bad thing: both the Master Control Date and Calendar are 40mm in diameter and boast in-house JLC automatic movements with 70-hour power reserves and open casebacks.

We’re particularly enamoured by the Master Control Calendar. It’s always been a truly impressive watch but the blue colour scheme makes it feel even more luxurious. It just screams haute horlogerie.

You might ask, why are we going so nutty over this colour change? Well, It’s hard to understate just how much this new blue dial elevates the Master Control.

JLC has always been called “the watchmaker’s watchmaker” and in many ways, the Master Control is the watch fan’s watch. It’s understated, mature and of course, impeccably built in a way that outshines even the most fastidious Swiss watch brands.

This dapper blue look softens the somewhat austere vibe of the Master Control; makes it more casual; more approachable. It’s also clear that JLC is aiming for a unisex audience with this watch – a clever move that we think will work.

Both variants are limited editions of 800 pieces each. Find out more at Jaeger-LeCoultre’s online boutique here.

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The post Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Most Underrated Watch Gets A Stylish New Upgrade appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

A South Korean DJ has been kicked off her American Airlines flight for wearing pants that airline staff considered offensive. She also claims she was intimidated into taking them off in public.

The track pants, which were made by a brand that sponsors her, had the word “f*ck you” emblazoned all over them.

On her Instagram account, @deejaysoda (real name is Hwang So-hee) told followers “yesterday coming back from JFK to LAX with American Airlines, I was harassed and humiliated.”

“I was forced out of the plane and was harassed to take off my pants in front of the flight crews at the gate. I have never had an issue with wearing this pair of pants before in my many months of touring in North America and they did not have any problem with me wearing it at the time of check-in nor when I sat down at my seat.”

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A post shared by DJ SODA OFFICIAL (@deejaysoda)

She claims an American Airlines representative welcomed her with no issues at the boarding gate. She even made it into business class and began enjoying a drink before the trouble started.

Apparently, @deejaysoda said on Instagram: “I was enjoying my welcome drink in business class when a staff suddenly approached me to pack up my belongings and leave the plane without any kind of explanation. As I was escorted off the plane, they claimed that my sweatpants were ‘inappropriate’ and ‘offensive’ telling me that I need to take the next flight.”

“I had an important meeting set up in LA on that day, so I could not afford to get off this flight. I pleaded to stay on the flight but was ignored by the staff and the flight attendants. I even offered to get changed but the request was denied. What happened next was horrendous.”

“In my 8 years of touring, I have never experienced or been treated unfairly, especially in a country that is known for its freedom of speech and individuality.”

She added: “With my broken fingers, I hardly ended up taking off my pants in front of the whole crew and standing half-naked while they still refused to board me on the flight. They even sarcastically commented that I could have taken off my pants earlier.”

RELATED: Business Class Passenger Kicked Off Flight After ‘Sneaky’ Act

“When they finally let me enter, I put my pants inside out and finally sat down after an hour of delay causing inconvenience to the members of the flights on board. I was mortified and trembling in fear for the next 6 hours on my flight back to LA.”

“From now on, I will be boycotting @AmericanAir and hope this NEVER happens to anyone ever again.”

Publicity stunt for the brand or genuinely hard done by? You be the judge.

• Woman Kicked Out Of Qantas Business Lounge For Wearing Activewear
• The Biggest Myth People Still Believe About Business-Class

The post Business Class Passenger Kicked Off Flight For Wearing ‘Offensive’ Pants appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

For full disclosure this is NOT a paid review of The Hoffman Process, I took myself off to sort my sh*t out in hope of getting the most of the next 40 years of my life.

For many men, our arm needs to be hanging off and blood going everywhere before we visit the doctor. When it comes to mental health, it’s often not until our head is falling off (figuratively speaking) that we seek help for depression, anxiety, stress and other mental health issues. We put it in the ‘she’ll be right’ basket and hope sweeping it under the carpet will make the problem go away.

I wouldn’t say I was the latter but after 10 years of working non-stop on my business, turning 40 and countless other challenges in my personal life, the cracks had begun to appear. Therapy sessions were spent justifying my stress, mindfulness was nearly impossible to stick to and it was becoming more obvious the cheese was slowly sliding off my cracker. Happy moments became less often and the overall stress of work and day to day life became more apparent to those around me.

Weirdly, I found it hard to find a deeper solution. There were retreats in Queensland which started at $60,000 and went up to $100,000 for a three-week stay. There were very ‘woo woo’ 2-day retreats which seemed less practical or fitting for someone like me. Lastly, there was, of course, the psych hospital option which sounded just awful. Just reading the intake requirements put shivers down my spine. Hard pass.

In my attempt to stay away from option three, I came across The Hoffman Process. A seven-day intensive program ‘For People Who Want Real Change’. Of all the options in front of me, it was practical and reasonably affordable compared to other options out there ( approx. $6,000).

A mentor I had years earlier had mentioned Hoffman to me which I probably dismissed as ‘mumbo jumbo’ at the time, and carried on my merry way. Maybe she planted something deep in my subconscious, maybe Google gods just served me the right webpage after two weeks of aimlessly looking online.

What is the Hoffman Process?

The Hoffman Process was created over 50 years ago by Bob Hoffman. Bob was all about figuring out how to have more love in the world, and in each person’s life, and heal the rifts we have in our beings as a result of not being unconditionally loved as children.

He turned his mission into a program which looks at ‘negative love patterns’ that we instinctively learn from our parents, who learn those from their parents. We either adopt those patterns or rebel against them which creates more patterns. For example, your father may have been a workaholic, so you’re a workaholic. Or your mother may not have set boundaries, so you’re now strict with your children as a form of rebellion against her laissez-faire behaviour.

At its core, it’s very simple stuff, but something we’re not used to thinking about or processing. The program is designed to help you spot these patterns and learn new ways to deal with them for the better, giving you the tools to deal with them when you’re faced with them on a day to day basis.

As I’ve never done Landmark or anything like that, it’s hard for me to compare but what drew me to The Hoffman Process was its balanced mix of psychological practices, mindfulness and spirituality. Plus over 100,000 people have done it worldwide, including Justin Bieber, Sienna Miller and Katy Perry, so there were heavy hitters getting behind it. Note: Justin left after a few days but the others all said great things about it. Clearly, he wasn’t a belieber.

It also should be noted that I avoided reading too much about Hoffman Process. It would have most likely sent me running the other way. I was lucky enough, though, to have bumped into some friends who had done it before. I also listened to Blake Mycoskie’s interview with Tim Ferriss about doing it, which put my mind at ease on the drive up to Byron Bay.

A snapshot of what Blake said;

“Yeah, The Hoffman Process, I mean there’s probably three to four experiences or practices that I’ve taken on in my life that have by far had the greatest impact in a positive way. And I love to start with The Hoffman Process because it is at the top of the list.”

Blake Mycoskie, Founder TOMS Shoes

I should note at this point that writing this story as a day by day blow would be a disservice to the experience. Instead it’s better to share the moments and things which I found to be both helpful and interesting to DMARGE readers. If you’re reading this to find out exactly what happens, then you’ll be disappointed. The best part of the experience was having no idea what the f*ck was coming next, so I won’t rob you of this if you ever decide to do it.

Anyways, the process takes place in Byron Bay about 10 times a year just a few minutes from the main town in the hills. It’s far enough away to ensure it feels like you could be in Bali or somewhere else. There is a real sense of isolation, which is key to the process. You’ve just got to sit with your stuff for seven days, which for many is a really tough ask, including myself.

That means no phone, F45, books, girlfriend, television, work calls, yoga or anything else that you use to keep your mind busy. As men, we spend so much time avoiding our ‘stuff’ thanks to keeping busy with these everyday things. There’s always something to take us away from how we’re really feeling. Hoffman calls these ‘addictions,’ which is kind of true. Some may numb us, others give us a buzz or good feelings, regardless of purpose they take our attention away from what’s happening in the now and can rob us of the ability to deal with issues.

For me, it was work and social media, plus a few others vices I was leaving behind for the week. Once again it was a case of me not reading the fine print when I met my ‘cabin mate’. Triggered! I’m a 40-year-old sharing a cabin, I’d like to speak to the manager, please. Turns out my cabin buddy was a good bloke, lives near me in Bondi and who I’ve become quite friendly with. Others who were a bit older did request a private room for an extra $500, but having a roommate was welcome after a long day of shit shovelling.

As I mentioned earlier you do have to hand your phone in on the first day but pretty soon you forget about not having a mobile phone as it would just be a distraction from the now, which is why you’re spending $6,000 to be there.

I think for many guys it’s hard to grasp sharing problems with 20 complete strangers but you soon realise everyone is there for the same reason. We’re all stuck and are looking for that push up the hill regardless of career, wealth or any of that status bullshit. Everyone is equal at Camp Hoffman.

The week is structured to ensure you’re always on the move, learning, practising and visualising. If there’s a theoretical piece, then you’re almost immediately putting it to work in small groups to begin training your ‘muscles’ to use that tool in real life.

On any given day you can be writing letters and getting everything out of your head and down on paper, the next you’re up and about running around like a wild 6-year-old. It’s these huge changes in physiology that help break your usual thinking and patterns, helping you get away from your intellect and get more in touch with your emotions.

You have no choice but to participate and give into what is happening around you. Some participants are clearly resistant – but eventually, everyone breaks, even the toughest most bulletproof blokes. Sharing your shit with complete strangers can be a red flag, but it’s remarkably cathartic and good practice for when you’re out in the real world and you’re back dodging bullets like Keanu in the Matrix.

Days at Hoffman are long and emotionally taxing but when they finally end you find yourself in bed and almost immediately asleep. A solid day of weeping, yelling, smashing, meditating or whatever it’s brought you will ensure your emotional child gets much-needed rest. You’re back up at 7am ready for another 12-15 hours of solid work on yourself. The days can sometimes feel like months – the week does go slow – but I’m sure there’s a good reason for that. Most importantly you’re very well fed, breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The facilitators are the real MVPs of the week. They’re there to guide you and be your support as you deal with your stuff. They have this remarkable ability to ensure you never feel judged for your woes, instead they act as your confidant to help you get through the rocky parts of the week. Trust me when I say this; there will be rocky parts but there are also some amazing moments, thanks to the facilitators.

In a group of 20 people, it’s nearly impossible to hide, so by day seven, you have a very strong emotional connection with those around you. Regardless of age or background, strangers quickly become friends and welcome support. As the week progresses everyones’ mood lifts and laughter becomes more frequent. You begin to talk about life outside of the bubble and how you’ll integrate back into the real world.

Integration into real life was perhaps an unexpected challenge of my week, everything feels fuzzy when you leave the retreat. For some reason, I was really nice to people and actually smiled more. Eew. Personally, I became more conscious about my choices regarding thoughts and usual behavioural patterns. The need to get lit at my mate’s birthday was no longer my true north for the weekend ahead. Could this have actually worked? Was I cured? Not quite. You do a LOT in 7 days but you don’t expect a miracle in that time.

They say it takes about two years to fully integrate all the tools and practices learned in The Hoffman Process. Which sounds about right given just how much is packed into the week. The hardest part will be showing up for yourself and continuing to put the work in every day to get the most from your investment. Making the time every morning and before bed will be a challenge for some, but worth the effort, I think.

Two things which have been immensely beneficial from my time at Hoffman are understanding my countless negative patterns and immediately breaking some of my ‘addictions’. There are countless other benefits I’ve noticed too, but we’ll save those for another sordid story of self-discovery.

Guys, if you only take one thing from reading this it’s the sooner you realise everyone has sh*t the quicker you can share and process yours. Then you can move on and focus on being your awesome self.

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Far from losing followers, Joe Rogan has added two million new subscribers to his existing 180 million during his latest round of controversies, he claimed in a recent episode of his podcast.

Rogan, the world’s biggest podcaster (he’s also a stand-up comedian and UFC commentator), was accused of spreading COVID-19 misinformation at the start of this year, after having a number of vaccine sceptics on his show.

Rogan, who is being paid big bucks by Spotify (Spotify paid $200 million to be able to host him exclusively, according to The New York Times) later apologised and said that in the future he would follow up controversial episodes with clarification from experts.

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Rogan did not go into detail about what this would involve, but he seemed to suggest he’d get on experts holding mainstream views to provide counterpoints to the arguments made (and fact check the information spouted) by his more controversial guests.

Rogan has also come under criticism for using the n-word in old episodes of his podcast, after an edited video compilation went viral earlier this year. Rogan said the remarks were taken out of context, but offered “sincere and humble apologies” regardless.

Addressing the montage, Rogan said: “I’m making this video to talk about the most regretful and shameful thing that I’ve ever had to talk about publicly.”

“There’s a video that’s out, that’s a compilation of me saying the N-word. It’s a video that’s made of clips taken out of context of me of … 12 years of conversations on my podcast, and it’s all smushed together, and it looks f*ckin’ horrible, even to me.”

“Now I know that to most people there’s no context where a white person is ever allowed to say that word, never mind publicly on a podcast, and I agree with that.”

“Now, I haven’t said it in years, but for a long time, when I would bring that word up, like if it would come up in conversation, instead of saying ‘the N-word’, I would just say the word.”

“I thought as long as it was in context, people would understand what I was doing.”

Rogan said in some of the instances he was quoting other people or referring to the title of a Richard Pryor comedy album. In another of the clips he is discussing how it is “an unusual word”, and talking about how his thinking has changed: “It’s a word where only one group of people is allowed to use it, they can use in so many different ways. But it’s not my word to use, I’m well aware of that now.”

With all this controversy flying around, many people struggle to understand why Joe Rogan is still so popular.

This feministabulous Twitter thread (“why do so many men trust Joe Rogan? right answers only”), for instance, reveals why a lot of people dislike Rogan.

Answers ranged from sneering (see: “Because he legitimises and gives voice to their simplistic world views” and “he’s the stupid person’s idea of a smart person”) to the slightly more thoughtful (see: “because he speaks like they do”).

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As a less snarky effort to explain why many men love Joe Rogan, here are a few reasons we can think of, which explain why so many men still love Joe Rogan, despite the negative connotations now attached to doing so, in many peoples’ minds.

As one Twitter user responded to the above question, Joe Rogan is a refreshing way to get your news and keep up to date with weird and cool new stuff in the world, if you have similar interests to him.

Much in the same way hysterically bored suburbanites prefer getting their news and talking points from A Current Affair and The Project rather than Reuters, it only makes sense that gym bros and stoners and curious souls will prefer getting their news and talking points from someone who resonates with them – someone like Joe Rogan.

Joe Rogan is also made to look better than he really is by much of the mainstream media landscape. If there’s one thing that Joe Rogan’s ‘dumb’ fans and the ‘smart’ uni students that want him cancelled have in common is that they both think our ‘systems are broken’ and that everything is corrupt and needs an overhaul.

Good journalism is often quite dry or requires a fair bit of effort to consume (in the case of, say, The Guardian, you have to actually read it, and in the case of some other outlets, you might even be expected to pay for it!), while bad journalism is – while attention-grabbing and easily digestible – shallow and predictable (again: think of our friendly punching bag, The Project).

Joe Rogan’s podcast, on the other hand, fans say, sits in the sweet spot between the two: he is both authentic and easily digestible (reading is so last century).

As Twitter user Joseph R Bristol put it: “He’s literally just a regular guy talking to people. he’s not pretending to be someone. not trying to be cool. he just smokes and drinks and has a conversation. it’s not a interview or pretending.”

Another wrote: “Because Joe Rogan runs 3 hour podcasts with interesting guests. You have to be genuine in that context. His guests cannot rely just repeating talking points and sound bites like you see in those 3-minute interviews on cable news. It’s real talk.”

As Rogan himself loves to point out, he gets more out of his guests than outlets like CNN or Fox News could ever hope to get in their 2 minute time slots, and, though he often fails to challenge them like a journalist might, in many cases he gets a lot more out of them anyway, after making them feel comfortable (and plying them with whisky and weed).

The problem with this, many people say, is that it lets misinformation go unchallenged. Others say Rogan’s free-flowing format gives his guests just enough rope to hang themselves with. Depending on the episode, either one of the two can happen. But even if it’s not perfect, it’s still preferable, in a lot of people’s eyes, to legacy media, simply because it’s something different and natural feeling, if not fully organic (just like any media outlet, Joe Rogan has biases of his own, too).

But what about the allegations of sexism, racism, and bigotry? Why don’t guys disown Rogan because of this? Essentially, a good portion of the population still love Joe Rogan either because they don’t believe these allegations are true, or because they believe his remarks were taken out of context.

Every adult alive today has probably evolved their understanding of what constitutes racist, sexist and homophobic language during their lives, and so are forgiving, as they have been through the exact same process as Rogan, except without being in the public eye. Others are critical of Rogan for taking so long to get with the times but still love him for his other good qualities (i.e. the vast catalogue of interesting interviews which are available to listen to online, for free), and because other people they admire have vouched for him.

Other guys simply love Rogan because he loves weed and whisky as much as he loves saunas and ice baths (he inspires them to work out more, but not to an intimidating, David Goggins like level).

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Others meanwhile, like Devin Gordon, writing for The Atlantic, love Rogan’s lust for life. Gordon wrote in 2019: “But that’s not why people are obsessed with him. In reality, it’s because Joe Rogan is a tireless optimist, a grab-life-by-the-throat-and-bite-out-its-esophagus kind of guy, and many, many men respond to that. I respond to that. The competitive energy, the drive to succeed, the search for purpose, for self-respect. Get better every day. Master your domain. Total human optimization. A goal so hazy and unreachable that you never stop trying, until you realize with a kind of enviable Zen clarity that the trying is the whole point.”

That’s the good side. The bad side to Joe, according to the same Atlantic article, is that along this journey of human optimisation you can become too self-centred.

“One of the downsides of total human optimization is that you’re always coming up short, and in the wrong stew of testosterone and serotonin, it can turn into a poison of self-loathing and trigger-cocked rage,” the Atlantic article stated. “And a key thing Joe and his fans tend to have in common is a deficit of empathy. He seems unable to process how his tolerance for monsters like Alex Jones plays a role in the wounding of people who don’t deserve it.”

Others believe the world needs more ‘across the aisle’ interviewers and refuse to hear a bad word about Rogan because he provides this kind of service.

Also there’s lots of vicarious living going on here I think. He’s talking with people they would like to talk to… athletes, comics, people with wacky/stupid ideas and none of which pose a threat to his viewers since they’re mostly cis white men.

— Mike Natale (@TheNatale) February 1, 2022

Other reasons men love Joe Rogan that have been suggested on Twitter include: “confirmation bias coupled with a sense of community” and “People in general trust people they hear from regularly.” He also offers long-form access to many people’s idols and celebrities, which are not often seen elsewhere.

On top of that, an increasing number of people are becoming sick of political posturing and polarization, and (rightly or wrongly as, at the end of the day, everything is political), see Joe Rogan as a relatively apolitical figure, who just talks about trending issues and interesting sh*t without too much of an obvious agenda.

There you have it: a bunch of reasons why a lot of men still love Joe Rogan.

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Unless you’ve been living under a rock these past few days, you’ll have come across multiple news articles about – as well as videos and images from – the defamation trial that’s currently underway between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. It’s a messy case, to say the least.

Yesterday, Tara Roberts, who is employed by Depp to manage a private island he owns, was called to the stand and testified that she once saw Depp passed out in the sand of one of the island’s beaches. Roberts also recounted an incident where she saw Heard “​​viciously trying to pull [Depp] back in the house” that’s located on Depp’s private island.

However, for those more interested in Depp’s private island as opposed to the trial itself, we’ve done a little sleuthing to give you a glimpse at how the other half live.

Firstly, Depp first purchased the island, named Little Hall’s Pond Cay – located in the Bahamas – in 2004, for a cool US$3.6 million (just over AU $5 million), according to Forbes. The island is 45 acres in size and has six beaches, two of which have been named after Depp’s children, Lily-Rose and Jack.

In a 2009 interview with Variety, Depp revealed that he built a ranch-style house on the island; which is also home to several other solar-powered residences, a beach house, and a bamboo yurt. In the same interview, Depp details that he uses golf carts to travel around Little Hall’s Pond Cay, which he describes as the most “pure and beautiful” place he’s ever seen.

Reportedly, Depp’s private island was where the actor and Heard hosted their wedding ceremony and reception back in 2015, and was where the two – whilst still married; Depp and Heard divorced in 2017 – lived for a short time while Depp was detoxing from alcohol, opiates and other substances.

Little Hall’s Pond Cay is also a part of the Exuma Land and Sea Park protected area, which means no one can disturb the natural flora and fauna on the island; something that clearly doesn’t bother Depp – he named a five-foot-long iguana that lives on the island, Iggy and mentions her fondly in the Variety interview mentioned above.

Despite how ugly the trial between Depp and Heard is getting, there’s no denying that Deep’s private island is simply stunning; we’d love to visit but unfortunately (although understandably) it’s not open to the public.

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The post Johnny Depp’s Private Island: Take A Sneak Peek At The $5 Million Enclave appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

The general consensus suggests the more you eat, the larger you will become. This, of course, is especially true if you don’t exercise and the vast majority of your diet comprises foods high in saturated fats and carbohydrates.

However, it is possible to remain slim yet still consume a fairly large quantity of food, according to American nutritionist Max Lugavere. Taking to Instagram recently, Max admits he himself eats a “f*ck ton of food,” yet manages to stay “relatively lean.”

His secret? “Maximise satiety per calorie. In other words, you want to feel more full in fewer calories.” Clearly, Max’s personal health and fitness goals aren’t to pile on as much muscle as possible. If that were the case, he would want to put himself into a calorie surplus, i.e. a diet that sees him consume more calories than he burns through exercise to help him bulk.

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In his case, Max wants to remain lean, so he will still need to consume a good quantity of food, but not so much that it causes his body to fill out. Max says to do this, “the foods that can help are generally going to be high protein foods and high fibre foods.”

He adds that “if you aren’t used to eating higher fibre foods such as whole fruit or veggies, start slow.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Max Lugavere (@maxlugavere)

Explaining his reasoning, he continues, “protein is the most satiating macronutrient and provides the fewest calories, a quality attributable in part to the thermic effect of feeding (TEF).”

The Thermic Effect of Food/Feeding is, according to a study published in the Human Kinetics Journal, “the increment in energy expenditure above resting metabolic rate associated with the cost of absorption and processing of food for storage.”

A commonly held notion suggests that you use around 10 percent of your total calorie intake for a day on digesting the foods you consume. However, when food is broken down into carbohydrates, protein and fats, the energy required to digest and absorb associated nutrients changes.

For carbs, this is around 5 – 15 percent; protein requires 20 – 30 percent and fats require between 5 – 15 percent. Max agrees with this, adding to his Instagram post, “[TEF] is about 6x higher for protein than it is for fat and carbohydrates, so the net calories per gram is closer to 3 (carbohydrates provide 4 calories per gram and fat provides 9).”

“Protein is also less likely to be stored as fat when compared to carbs and fats. Bonus points if your protein source also contains some fat, which slows gastric emptying, thus prolonging the satiety effect.”

He continues, “fibre is satiating because it mechanically stretches out the stomach when it absorbs water (which is also independently satiating). This turns off the hunger hormone ghrelin, which is secreted by the stomach.”

“For these reasons, staying well hydrated and focusing on protein and fibrous veggies and whole fruit lends lots of satiety but imparts fewer calories than eating to the same degree of low satiety low fibre, low protein foods.”

“Thus, no need to become obsessed with calorie and macro counting! (Though, if that works for you, by all means, keep it up.”

Adam Sullivan of Evidence Based Training provides regular posts on his Instagram account, the majority of which concern losing fat. He keeps things incredibly simple by saying the only way you’re really going to lose fat is by putting yourself on a calorie-restricted diet, i.e. a calorie deficit.

This video in particular walks us through the fundamentals of fat loss. Adam first explains that unless you find a diet or program that you know you’re going to be able to stick to, then you’re not going to get the results you want.

He then explains about putting yourself into a calorie deficit. He does, however (and in relative agreement with what Max says) add that you want to keep your protein intake high because this “helps to sustain muscle mass when we’re in a calorie deficit. Essentially, this is what is going to help you looking lean, instead of becoming thin.

The extent to how much lean muscle mass you have, however, is dependent on the amount of resistance training you do. He also explains that carbohydrate and fat intake can be “whatever works best for you,” but to just make sure you’re hitting your minimum requirements for each (to remain within your calorie deficit).

Finally, and perhaps slightly controversially, Adam says cardio “is not that great for fat loss.”

“It can be used as a tool to help us burn a few extra calories, but it shouldn’t be relied on to put yourself in a deficit.”

The foods you consume and the quantity of them will ultimately depend on your personal health goals. If you’re stuck when it comes to perfecting the perfect diet, then it’s always best to consult a qualified nutritionist for some guidance. But, as Adam says, start with putting yourself onto a calorie deficit diet, lift a few weights, and you will eventually see changes to your body composition.

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