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THE TEAM IT’S GREAT TO BE A MAN
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Sales Director - Pieter Lourens Digital and Client Manager – Lexi Robb Managing Editor – Jason Fleetwood Grooming Editor – Greg Forbes Gaming Editor – Andre Coetzer Tech Editor – Peter Wolff Illustrations Editor – Toon53 Prod. Motoring Editor – John Page Senior Photographer – Charlemagne Olivier Senior Photo Editor – Luba V Nel Senior Designer - Koketso Moganetsi For more information: Phone: 010 006 0051 Address: Fourways Office Park, Cnr. Fourways Boulevard and Roos Street, Fourways, Sandton, 2055 Email: info@untapped.co.za Web: fhmaustralia.com Facebook: @fhmAustralia Twitter: @fhmaus Instagram: @fhm_australia
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CONTENTS 03/20
Aviannah Elise p16
Ellen Alexander p64
Mercedes GT63 p28
Tease Those Tastebuds p72
Founder of eBay p38
04 BYE-BYE BOJACK
After six awesome seasons, we finally say a hearty farewell.
08 GAMING
We explore the new Doom game and discover 10 of the best shooters of all time!
24 TECH
We take a look at some of the best laptops on the market from some of Apple’s biggest rivals.
On the cover | Donna Bella p46
28 MOTORING
The AMG GT 4dr will make your kids cry from laughter and terror.
34 YAMAHA YZF R6
Britt Copano p82
keep you looking slick all season long.
72 RECIPES
We review Yamaha’s latest YZF-R6 as it easily rips up the tarmac
Tease those tastebuds with seven of our latest healthy recipes.
38 TRAILBLAZER
90 RELATIONSHIPS
Get candid with the founder of eBay, Pierre Morad Omidyar
54 FASHION
Take charge of your wardrobe with outfits to
We dive into the rise of consensual non-monogamy and find out all sorts of interesting things.
3
Entertainment
Bye Bye When the Netflix exclusive cartoon Bojack Horseman was first announced, many wrote it off as just another cartoon featuring silly characters getting up to silly things. Yet over its incredible 6 season run, Bojack Horseman proved to be so much more than just a silly cartoon with anthropomorphic animal characters. It was a show that was not afraid to tackle some serious issues, from depression, death and struggling with one’s own inner demons, but would also delve into the ridiculous and often hilarious situations. So as we say goodbye to our favorite horse from that famous 90’s TV show, we take a look at some of the best moments from the 6 season run. By Andre Coetzer
Time’s Arrow Season 4, Episode 11
In 1963, young socialite Beatrice Sugarman meets the rebellious Butterscotch Horseman at her debutante party.
Why it’s amazing: Mother to our anti-hero Bojack, Beatrice Sugarman was always portrayed as an uncaring, borderline evil mother. This episode, however, delves into the who and why of Beatrice. Haunted by the memory of her lobotomized mother and callous, emotionally dead father, Beatrice’s mental state wafts back and forth between the past and present. The reinforced parallels between her and her son’s torrid upbringings make painfully clear the ways the sins of our fathers, and mothers, repeat themselves; as it turns out, BoJack is more like his mother than he’d want to admit.
5
Entertainment
Out to Sea Season 2, Episode 12
The important things in life become clear to BoJack when Todd moves out to join the improv comedy group on their special cruise ship.
Why it’s amazing:
Coming hot off the heels of the Bojack’s incredibly misjudged trip to New Mexico, Todd moves out for good to join up with his new improv group, a group that is taking full advantage of Todd’s naivety. BoJack realizes that he has to save his best friend, noting in a touching monologue that letting Todd stay with him was the best thing he ever did. It was a wonderful turn from a character that up to this point has done one bad deed after another. Bojack realizing that his best friend was in trouble and for a change decided to a selfless act proved that there are more levels to the selfcentered actor. It would also be the last good deed Bojack would commit for a very long time.
Stupid Piece of Sh*t Season 4, Episode 6
Surrounded by family, BoJack spirals into self-loathing. Princess Carolyn and Rutabaga Rabitowitz plan Courtney and Todd’s sham wedding.
Why it’s amazing:
Up until now, we’ve seen Bojack do and say horrible things, but for the first time, we get to go inside his head and get a clearer picture into the mind of the self-obsessed actor. We see Bojack do all sorts of usual, normal things; all while a little voice inside his head constantly calls him names and makes out that whatever he does, it’s never good enough. The negative thoughts just keep on coming, and it makes for a no-holds-barred examination of depression. BoJack’s disdain for his life becomes even more apparent when he starts becoming increasingly irritated by the baby doll his elderly mother has taken to looking after and he throws it over his balcony in a rage. His mother is distraught and BoJack’s inner voice can’t agree on whether that fact makes him happy or a terrible person. It’s wonderfully complex and illustrates how people struggling to maintain good mental health can sometimes take things out on those around them.
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The Telescope Season 1, Episode 8
When he learns that his old friend from Horsin’ Around is dying, BoJack tries to mend fences.
Why it’s amazing:
Halfway through season 1, the writers of Bojack showed off their willingness to take the show into darker places. In “The Telescope”, BoJack attempts to rebuild his friendship with Herb Kazzaz his former best friend who wrote the show that made him famous, Horsin’ Around. Kazzaz is dying, and BoJack, who ended up letting his celebrity status get to his head and treated Kazzaz terribly, is keen to resolve the guilt he still feels. But things don’t quite go the way he wants them to and Kazzaz says he’ll never forgive BoJack’s behavior, calling him “a selfish coward who takes what he wants and doesn’t care who he hurts”. The pair eventually get into a physical altercation and BoJack, along with Diane who accompanied him on the visit, has no choice but to leave. It’s a powerful look into the case that sometimes saying sorry just isn’t good enough.
That’s Too Much, Man! Season 3, Episode 11
Surrounded by family, BoJack spirals into self-loathing. Princess Carolyn and Rutabaga Rabitowitz plan Courtney and Todd’s sham wedding.
Why it’s amazing:
Bojack Horseman has often focussed on the horror of childhood actors gone wrong, and In season 3 it takes a dark and dramatic look at the life and times of Sarah-Lynn, a former Hollywood child star. In the penultimate episode of Season 3, BoJack goes on a destructive bender with actor friend Sarah Lynn. The results are nothing short of tragic. It starts as uncomfortably as it ends, with BoJack convincing Sarah Lynn to get wasted just days before her nine-month sobriety anniversary. After she downs a bottle of vodka, the pair get up to all sorts including crashing an AA meeting, bothering BoJack’s former publicist Ana Spanakopita, breaking Diane’s wrist and visiting Penny at college. Their activities are punctured by BoJack’s blackouts and it soon becomes apparent that the pair have been intoxicated for several weeks. Before long, Sarah Lynn starts to open up to BoJack about how much she hates her life and how she has always struggled with growing up famous. She claims everything about her feels “fake”. The episode shockingly concludes with the increasingly disheveled duo visiting the Griffith Observatory and Planetarium where Sarah Lynn dies.
7
Gaming
In 2016, id Software brought back the original granddaddy of the first-person shooter DOOM, winning numerous awards and once again redefining everything the original classic stood for. A combination of speed, brutal kills, and insane weapons, DOOM 2016 was everything the fans could’ve hoped for and more. Now four years later DOOM Eternal continues the violent path of the DOOM series but with everything turned up to 11.
Gaming Experience the ultimate combination of speed and power as you rip-and-tear your way across dimensions with the next leap in push-forward, first-person combat. Powered by idTech 7 and set to an all-new pulse-pounding soundtrack composed by Mick Gordon, DOOM Eternal puts you in control of the unstoppable DOOM Slayer as you blow apart new and classic demons with powerful weapons in unbelievable and never-before-seen worlds. As the DOOM Slayer, you return to find Earth has suffered a demonic invasion. Raze Hell and discover the Slayer’s origins, all while gaining access to the latest demon-killing tech with the DOOM Slayer’s advanced Praetor Suit, including a shoulder-mounted flamethrower and the retractable wristmounted DOOM Blade. Upgraded guns and mods, such as the Super Shotgun’s new distance-closing Meat Hook attachment, and abilities like the Double Dash make you faster, stronger, and more versatile than ever. Again resources are everything, with the now infamous Glory kills dishing up extra health or chainsaw demons to stock up on ammo. These tools are the key to your survival and becoming the ultimate demon-slayer. Obliterate more demons than ever before, each with unique attacks and abilities. Fan-favorite classics such as the Pain Elemental, Archvile, and Arachnotron make their return, while a horde of totally-new demons join the roster including the Doom Hunter, Marauder, and the Gladiator. Rip apart your favorite demons to the core with DOOM Eternal’s destructible demons system and take your power fantasy to new levels. Multiplayer has also seen a revamp, with a new 2 versus 1 multiplayer experience built from the ground up at id Software. A fully-armed Doom Slayer faces off against two player-controlled demons, fighting it out in a best-of-five round match of intense first-person combat. Doom Eternal is everything one would want from a direct sequel. The graphics are a massive step up from the 2016 iteration and the kills are even more brutal. Everything in the game is faster, louder and more vicious than before and one would be hard-pressed to find a more fluid and violent shooter this decade. Long Live Doom, long live the Doom Slayer.
“one would be hard-pressed to find a more fluid and violent shooter”
Gaming
With the release of DOOM Eternal, we thought it only fitting to take a look back at some of the greatest shooters ever made, from genre-defining experiences to just plain “shooting your friend in the face” fun. Let’s go back in time and take a look at the best ever shooter experiences to ever grace our gaming machines.
GOLDENEYE 007 It’s hard to believe that at one stage, multiplayer shooters on consoles were merely a pipe dream. That kind of game was purely reserved for PC gamers, yet when Goldeneye 007 was released for the Nintendo 64 it changed everything. GoldenEye 007 was a pioneer and paved the way for future console shooters by deviating from the popular on-rails style and incorporating a freeroam element with varied maps. It was a fantastic shooter at the time and one of the few movie tie-in games that were actually good.
WOLFENSTEIN 3D The game that many feel started it all. Id Software has become synonymous with first-person shooters and their first foray into the genre was also the gold standard. A world war 2 shooter where you played as meathead BJ Blazkowicz, a Nazi killing machine. It set the standard for other shooters in its tight gameplay, a plethora of secrets and over the top violence, yet it would be id Software’s next release that would topple the Nazi killing masterpiece.
DOOM Everybody has played Doom. Whether it was the violence, the perspective, or the exploration that got you hooked, it’s easy to look back now and realize this was never a novelty game. It’s been ported to every format from PC to mobile, and for very good reason: it still stands up as the epitome of first-person shooting. Wolfenstein 3D may have kickstarted the genre, but Doom distilled and refined it to the model that still influences new games to this day.
DUKE NUKEM 3D The late ’90s was a golden era for first-person shooters, from the seminal Doom and Doom 2 to the lewd and crude over the top violence of Duke Nukem 3D. Yet this game was so much more than just crude jokes and badly rendered strippers. 3D Realms created masterful levels, never before seen in gaming, with a variety in level design and ingenious use of verticality that put other games to shame. It’s still seen as a massively influential game, even though its protagonist has not aged well.
Gaming
CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE There’s no doubt there were good Call of Duty games before the release of Modern Warfare, but this is the tipping point where the franchise over-cranked into blockbuster territory for singleplayer, and it’s where the multiplayer became a household name. Underneath all that bombast and showmanship stands a grand shooter experience. Modern Warfare is one of the most influential games ever made.
HALO: COMBAT EVOLVED Last but not least is perhaps the biggest and most influential shooter of all time. Half-Life 2 was and still is the game that many look to as the ultimate in first-person shooting. From a very well-crafted story, a physics engine that changed an industry and shooting mechanics that very few to this day can better, Half-Life 2 will forever be seen as the greatest shooter ever created. And with the release of the Half-Life: Alyx this month, many people may start to dream again of that ever-elusive third release in the series.
QUAKE Quake changed everything. Three-dimensional first-person shooting would never be the same. Quake’s pick-ups and puzzles flanked the first real glimpse of the future of action gaming, where the player was free to attack and kill with speed and aggression. Quake had grenade launchers and quad-damage. It was about destruction, and gaming leaped at it as a result. With its brutal gameplay and chilling Nine Inch Nails soundtrack, Quake blew everyone one out of the water.
HALF-LIFE 2 Last but not least is perhaps the biggest and most influential shooter of all time. Half-Life 2 was and still is the game that many look to as the ultimate in first-person shooting. From a very well-crafted story, a physics engine that changed an industry and shooting mechanics that very few to this day can better, Half-Life 2 will forever be seen as the greatest shooter ever created. And with the release of the Half-Life: Alyx this month, many people may start to dream again of that ever-elusive third release in the series.
F.E.A.R. F.E.A.R. was a game that had a simple goal, take scary dead Japanese girls and add them to a technically advanced shooter. It was genius. F.E.A.R. offered some amazing graphics for the time and used a physics engine that still holds up today, yet the true genius was in the horror elements of this military shooter. Combining truly horrific scares with tense shoot outs and a reactive A.I. that to this remains unmatched, F.E.A.R. was a truly unique shooter.
PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUND It’s hardtothinkofatimewhentheBattleRoyale genre was not a thing. Today every single game features some Battle Royale mode and it’s become an oversaturated market. Yet a few years ago, a Day Z mod came out that changed and challenged the status quo. PUBG was a breath of fresh air in a stale shooter market and offered gamers a simple yet highly addictive alternative to the tired COD formula. PUBG changed the pace, offering a shooter where hiding and surviving is as viable a tactic as murdering everyone.
Aviannah
Élise
@AviannahÉlise Photographer @PerfectlyFlawlessPhoto MUA @AndrewCarterBeauty Agency @LSAModels & @LSAManagement Agent @Leo.Alderman
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Professional Smokeshow & All American Cover Girl, Aviannah Élise. Standing at 5ft 1in, this powerhouse of a Model has already landed in 8 publications in only 3 months. Nothing can slow
her down now!
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WERE YOU EXCITED TO SHOOT FOR FHM? Oh boy, YES! This was my first shoot for FHM and I couldn’t believe I was chosen to be featured! This feeling is absolutely amazing. TELL US ABOUT YOUR FITNESS ROUTINE? YOU’RE IN AMAZING SHAPE! My diet is pretty simple, macros in vs calories out. I have a fitness team and coach “Domin8” who helps keep me in the beach shape I can be in. DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN ONE SENTENCE. I am the sweetest, most sincere person you will ever know. IF YOU WEREN’T A MODEL, WHAT WOULD YOU BE? I am actually a Certified Make-Up Artist & have a love for anything involving fitness and beauty, so I could find a home in those communities. WHAT ARE SOME CAUSES YOU WOULD LIKE TO BRING TO ATTENTION? Autism Awareness and Charities that help Fallen Officers and their families. There are many causes and charities I would love to shine a light on but these two have been heavy on my heart as of late. WHAT IS YOUR IDEAL DATE? I would love to be taken to a restaurant that is on the beach or looking off a beach cliff with an amazing view of the water. There is nothing like a tasty meal along with a conversation. I may be a simple woman or just easy to please, but I really do value the small things in life. WHAT DO YOU DO FOR FUN? I like to do anything and everything for fun with the exception of jumping out of airplanes. Going to Dave & Busters is probably my favourite thing to do for fun! WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO DOING THIS YEAR? Traveling, I Just renewed my passport and I think I am ready to step up my international travel game!
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WHAT WOULD YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE AS A MODEL SO FAR? Honestly and sadly, My tattoos. It is crazy how it is so frowned upon. I believe it is something that makes me unique and different. ANY LAST WORDS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH THE READERS? Never let a day go by that you don’t tell someone how you feel or tell someone you love them. Life is too short & life is too precious to waste.
23
Tech
L AP T OP S T H E
O F
B E S T
2 0 2 0
(THAT ARE NOT FROM APPLE)
With a brand-new decade ahead of us, many will feel their current laptops are in desperate need of an upgrade. Apple’s recent Macbook offerings have been decent but nothing ground-breaking, therefore we are taking a look at some of the best laptops available from Apple’s biggest rivals.
HP Elite Dragonfly HP has been a computer mainstay for many decades and their recent Elite Dragonfly release is arguably the best laptop ever released. It’s incredible design and gorgeous screen makes this the best laptop for anyone who can afford it. Battery life is excellent, the keyboard is a joy to type on, and it also has LTE connectivity. This lets you plug in a SIM card and access mobile internet wherever you are, without having to connect to slow Wi-Fi hotspots. Packed with a 256GB SSD, full HD touch Sure View display, up to 16GB of RAM and the best battery in the business, this is a powerhouse of a machine. The internal graphics card is not ideal for gamers, but this beautifully design laptop performs exactly where it needs to. Although very expensive, the HP Elite Dragonfly is perfect for anyone looking for a futureproof laptop.
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Dell XPS 13 For many years, the Dell XPS 13 has been seen by many as the best alternative to a Macbook and in 2020 nothing has changed. From it’s gorgeous and light design, to the powerful modern components that power it. The Dell XPS 13 comes with an 8thgeneration Intel Core i5 or i7 processor and a bezelless ‘Infinity Edge’ display, with an optional upgrade to a beautiful 4K touch screen, the little Dell powerhouse is worth every cent. With an improved battery life, 16GB of RAM and upgradeable to a 1TB SSD, the XPS 13 is almost the perfect laptop. Many will be disappointed with the weak internal GFX card and at an eye water price one could not blame them, but if you can afford it, the Dell XPS 13 will be your perfect companion for many years to come.
Huawei MateBook 13 Our previous two entries have been on the high end of the price spectrum, so what about people looking for a more price-conscious machine. Well, look no further than the Huawei Matebook 13. Packed with the latest components, including a discrete Nvidia MX150 graphics card, and a gorgeous lightweight design, that you’d expect to find on a much more expensive laptop, the Matebook 13 offers incredible performance at a very respectable price. With a 13inch 1440p display and upgradeable internal storage, this little machine offers so much for so little. Although it does come with only 8GB of RAM and a lack of Thunderbolt 3 support, this laptop is incredible for its price point. Recently, the US government blacklisted Huawei, which many feared would have implications on whether the Chinese company’s laptops would still get support from the like of Microsoft and Intel. The good news is that both Microsoft and Intel have confirmed that they will continue to support Huawei laptops, which means the MateBook 13 and other models will still get important Windows 10 updates.
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Tech
Alienware Area-51m So far we’ve covered the 13inch business-minded laptops, but what about laptops for gamers? Once again Alienware comes to the rescue for gamers on the move. The Area-51m continues Alienware’s dominance in the gaming laptop market. This is an extremely powerful machine that puts most desktops to shame. The top of the range Area-51m comes with an i9-9900K processor, a NVIDIA Geforce RTX 2080, 64GB of RAM, a 144Hz IPS NVIDIA G-SYNC display as well as 2TB RAID0 SSDs and a 1TB SSHD built-in. That is ridiculous specs for a laptop and will tear through any game you through at it. Naturally, specs like these come at a very high price and this laptop is by far the most expensive on our list, but if you take your gaming seriously and require nothing less than 60FPS gameplay then look no further than the Alienware Area-51m.
Dell G5 15 5590 Of course, not everyone can fork out over $15 000 (USD) for a gaming laptop and the majority of gamers are on tight budgets. But fear not, we have the perfect laptop for those looking to still play the latest games without having to sell a kidney or two. The Dell G5 5590 is a great machine at a very friendly price point. The fully upgraded G5 comes with a 9th generation Intel Core i7-9750H, a Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q, 16GB of RAM and a 15.6 inch FHD IPS Anti-Glare LED with 144Hz refresh rate. Although not the greatest specs, you’ll still be blasting through most moderns games at a respectable 1080p with good frame rates and most importantly a happy wallet. The battery life on the G5 is also incredible, with a projected 10 hours of gaming, which is pretty remarkable for a laptop, no matter the price point.
Acer Switch 3 So far we have covered expensive gaming laptops, expensive notebooks as well as reasonably priced offerings from the world’s leading manufacturers. But what about people just looking for an affordable laptop, people not concerned about power or additional bells and whistles? Well, the Acer Switch 3 is the perfect laptop then. It’s an incredibly affordable laptop and the ideal setup for anyone just looking for a basic machine that can do basic tasks. The specs are on the low end but it still performs admirably with your everyday tasks. With excellent build quality, this 2-in-1 laptop/tablet comes with the keyboard upgrade which means no little extras to pay for. As usual, it comes in several different versions, with USB Type-C, 8GB RAM, an IPS display and Intel Core i3 7100U CPU coming with the more expensive option. This is perfect for anyone on a tight budget, but don’t expect to play games on the Acer Switch 3.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 Microsoft has proven over the last few years that they are no slouches when it comes to designing laptops and with the Surface 3 they have just created their best yet. The biggest change to the Surface this year is the choice of Intel or AMD hardware, which is an excellent addition for those loyal to a specific brand. The specs are pretty standard but the choice between a 13inch or 15inch is great for people who might be looking for a slightly bigger screen. The battery life is fantastic and the aluminum finish does give it that premium feel. The lack of ports is still an issue with the Surface 3 and once again no Thunderbolt 3 support might be a big no-no for some users. But anyone looking for a premium-looking laptop that will rival Apple’s best efforts will need not look further than the Microsoft Surface Laptop 3.
Motoring
ER C
E
- A M
G T
63
S
4 -
O R
/
Under the skin of the new MercedesAMG GT 63 S 4-door, there’s a lot going on as the transition from the AMG GT sports car to GT family car proves to be anything but straightforward repurposing. But if you’ve gone off the whole oxymoronic genre of fast SUVs, this menacing mutation from AMG is far more versatile than its niche status would have you believe.
Motoring If the AMG GT is the self-proclaimed answer to Porsche’s 911, then the GT 4-door deals with the Panamera head-on. In the past, that would have been the job of the CLS 63 AMG but perhaps Mercedes thought there wasn’t enough sports car DNA in that package. The GT 63 S 4-door, on the other hand, spent more of its upbringing around the track – it even has all the pre-loaded track telemetry you’d need to share with absolutely nobody. As for styling, this segment is a bit of an open goal; the upcoming BMW M8 Gran Coupe is probably the best of a mediocre bunch. Styling of these sporty GTs is an eternal compromise and the GT 63 struggles to juggle brutality with beauty. Still, it possesses more on-road presence versus a Panamera, the same status quo as an AMG GT over a 911. Rear space with individual rear seating is spacious albeit not bristling with S-Class type lux and the boot extends far into the wheelbase. So long as you don’t pack too high, you’ll be fine. Underneath the packaging, the GT 63 S 4-door is an amalgamation of C-Class, CLS, and E-Class architecture that has in the simplest terms been stiffened and strengthened to cope with track days. As a result, ride quality is perhaps its biggest weakness, reacting to surface changes with all the clumsiness of a last-generation A-Class. Loose items jiggle about. This annoys me in a sportscar, let alone a Gran Tourer where the expectation of refinement is several notches higher. By comparison, the E 63 S rides much better while being 9/10nths as raucous. You’d need something akin to the smoothness of a billiards table to even contemplate putting the adaptive dampers in Sport. In fact, there are so many systems and menus in the GT 63 but over half of them are too extreme for the normal type of driving you’re likely to be doing. The setting I used most often was for the interior light effects while the other nine thousand chassis systems felt like overkill and can detract from the car’s prodigious grip or silky shifts – Drift Mode being top of that list. Yet you can’t argue with the quality of the two screens upfront with their glossy animations and graphics. Hooray for physical buttons either side of the gearshift, each with their own image. That couldn’t have been a cheap exercise but it adds so much speed and directness to the more fiddly touchpads on the steering wheel. It’s a pity that the GT’s ride is so knife-edged – pronounced by hard seats because at speed it completely transforms into a potent weapon that feels half its size. You can sense the rear-bias and rear-wheel steering takes a virtual chunk out of the car’s 5-meter length.
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If t e A an n to o als
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Motoring
AERODYNAMICS AIRPANEL active air control system:
ECONOMY & EMISSIONS
• City | 15 mpg • Highway | 20 mpg • Combined | 17 mpg • Combined CO2 emissions: 257 g/km
An electronically adjustable rear spoiler and electronically operated front louvers in the front grille, that can open and close to manage airflow through the radiator from the AMG GT R flagship sports car.
The body remains ridiculously flat and the driving position is superb. Ours came with beefy carbon-ceramic brakes that surprisingly felt perfectly tuned for the road. It’s in these incredibly brief, albeit ecstatic, moments that make you accept its position alongside cars like the E 63. The powerplant is a continuation of the 4.0-liter V8 twin-turbo and 9-speed gearbox. It sits on dynamic engine mounts
so as not to affect the car’s balance. With such large amounts of power and torque, this is Merc’s most powerful iteration of the renowned Hot-Vee clocking 0-60mph (100km/h) in 3.2 seconds. The soundtrack is still awesome, enriched by vocal turbochargers venting pressure back into the atmosphere. For us, it just has the right amount of raw, old-school colossal punch married with ultra-modern, lag-free tech. The AMG GT 63 S 4-door is considerably more expensive than an E 63 S which notwithstanding the E’s bigger boot also has
a chassis comfort that we feel is better suited to most driving and can be dialed up enough if the road gets twisty. When you’re talking about family cars that do 0-60mph in the low 3s, I’m not sure there are too many people out there who care all that much about another tenth or two. The styling still looks compromised, like it would be better off as a shooting brake and those racetrack credentials don’t make it a better car to live with. But if you want a fast 4-door GT with lots of eye-popping tech, this is probably the pick of the genre. JP
POWERTRAIN Twin turbo 4.0-litre V8 with direct injection • 639 hp @ 6500 rpm • 900 Nm @ 4500 rpm • 9-speed 9G-TRONIC (automatic)
Motoring
MEAN MACHINE //
YA M A H A
Y ZF
R 6
//
Yamaha’s Latest YZF-R6 easily rips up any tarmac and looks amazing awesome doing it. Here, we revel in the latest marvel brought to us by the experts in all things fast and fancy! Nothing feels truly as free as being on the open road and the all-new Yamaha R6 embodies that feeling. With a beautiful design, the latest technology and a quick-throttle ability to pick up speed, the YZF- R6 has it all! On track or street, the R6 is one of the most advanced supersport machines ever built. Aerodynamic MotoGP styling wraps up an incredibly intelligent racing machine, complete with ABS brakes, top-shelf suspension and a full suite of electronic rider aids. Yamaha has unparalleled Racetrack Success with the R6 winning more AMA middleweight races and championships than any other 600cc sportbike on the market - making it the number one choice for amateur and professional racers alike
Its legendary handling and nimble design helps the R6 combine superior mass centralization with highly-developed suspension and refined ergonomics making it one of the most easy-to-handle machines in the supersport class. The result is awesome road feedback, traction feel, and greater cornering confidence. The thrilling power and control readily available in the latest R6 is class-leading with its high-revving four-cylinder powerplant at its heart, and traction control and D-Modes allowing the rider to extract even more performance from its potent engine. The R6 screams across the start and finish line ahead of the pack, every time!
Motoring
ENGINE
Cutting Edge Engine Design The R6 is powered by a compact and lightweight 599cc DOHC liquid-cooled four-cylinder engine featuring the latest manufacturing technology. Sixteen titanium valves, a high 13.1:1 compression ratio and lightweight forged pistons allow for smooth, high-revving power. Linerless, direct-plated ceramic-composite cylinder bores provide excellent heat dissipation and reduced friction. Magnesium engine covers minimize engine weight. Race-Tested Variable Intake System The YZF-R6 features Yamaha’s Chip Controlled Intake (YCC-I®) which electronically changes the effective intake tract length to give the benefits of both shorter and taller intake stacks in a single-engine for a broader, more tractable powerband. The twin injector intake system also uses shower-style fuel injectors above the intakes to provide optimum fuel atomization at high rpm. Compact 6-Speed Transmission A close-ratio six-speed transmission delivers seamless power and maximum acceleration to suit the engine output and is designed to be very compact. The crankshaft, input, and output shafts are “stacked” in a triangular layout to centralize mass and keep the engine shorter front-to-back, which allows optimized engine placement in the frame for outstanding handling. Racing-Derived Slipper Clutch Slipper-type back torque-limiting clutch reduces engine braking effects and eases aggressive downshifting from high speed. Compact Titanium Exhaust The midship titanium muffler contributes to mass centralization and contains EXUP. Yamaha’s Exhaust Ultimate Power Valve creates a broad powerband, along with an oxygen sensor for spot-on fuel injection and clean-running emissions.
ELECTRONICS
Advanced Yamaha Chip Controlled Throttle The ride-by-wire Yamaha Chip Controlled Throttle (YCC-T®) system senses the slightest throttle input by the rider and instantaneously calculates the ideal throttle valve opening, and then actuates the throttle valves to actively control intake volume. This technology gives the rider the precise level of control required to push the envelope at racing speeds. Adjustable Traction Control System A Traction Control System (TCS) assists the
rider in managing traction on various road conditions by quickly modulating throttle opening, ignition timing, and fuel volume. On the R6, the TCS is designed to intervene extremely smoothly, for minimal disruption to forward drive, with six modes (plus off) to suit various road conditions and rider preferences. Selectable Drive Mode (D-Mode) The YZF-R6 features Yamaha’s D-Mode system, allowing the rider to choose the optimum engine character for their riding situation and preferences. The rider can choose
from three throttle valve control maps (Standard Mode, “A” Mode, and “B” Mode) for different throttle response characteristics at the push of a button. Stylish Instrumentation The YZF-R6 features a combination analog and digital LCD instrument package that displays a huge range of information, including a programmable shift light, fuel economy, dual trip meters with miles-on- reserve function, and indicators for the electronic rider aids, including TCS and D-Mode.
CHASSIS & SUSPENSION
GP-Style Deltabox® Frame The YZF-R6 Deltabox aluminum frame incorporates years of GP development in terms of geometry, engine positioning, and rigidity, resulting in the gold standard in 600-class handling. The R6 combines lightning-fast handling agility with confidence-inspiring mid-corner stability. Magnesium Rear Subframe A magnesium subframe removes weight from the rear of the motorcycle for increased mass centralization, while the flat and narrow seat makes it easier to reach the ground and gives riders more room to maneuver during aggressive racetrack riding. Aluminum Fuel Tank The aluminum alloy fuel tank shaves over 2.5 pounds compared to an equivalent steel tank, lowering the bike’s center of gravity while improving rider ergonomics. The graceful curves of aluminum are accentuated by hand-welded craftsmanship for a truly beautiful finalized part. R1-Derived KYB® Fork To ensure class-leading front-end feel and confidence, the YZF-R6 features the advanced KYB® 43mm fork found on the R1, tuned specifically for the R6. With excellent damping and awesome feedback from the front tire, the fork offers exceptional adjustability, with all adjustments at the top of the fork.
SPECIFICATIONS Capacity
599cc
Engine Type
liquid-cooled DOHC inline 4-cylinder; 6 titanium valves
Transmission
6-speed
Tires Front
Front –120/70ZR17 | Rear – 180/55ZR17
Fuel Capacity
4.6 gal
Fuel Economy
42 mpg*
Wet Weight
419 lb*
Warranty
1 Year Limited Factory Warranty
Est Retail Price
$12,199*
Advanced KYB® Shock The lightweight swingarm pivots high in the frame, for increased anti-squatt effect and mid-corner stability. The piggyback shock design features four-way preload and damping adjustability for effective wheel control across a wide variety of conditions. Powerful Brakes with ABS The YZF-R6 uses the same components found on the R1, including 320mm front rotors, gripped by four-piston radial-mount calipers, and actuated by a Nissin® radial-pump master cylinder. The result is excellent power with precise control. A lightweight rear caliper supports the front system, and ABS is standard for enhanced braking on imperfect road surfaces.
Trailblazer
PIERRE MORAD OMIDYAR FOUNDER OF eBay
In today’s age of technological advancements and the dominance of the internet, it’s hard to think back to a time before smartphones, YouTube and social media. Yet one thing we also take for granted is the ability to shop online, the luxury of getting anything you want while sitting in the comfort of your own home. And although many will immediately think of sites like Amazon for shopping convenience, it was actually the rise of an online auction website that started the ball rolling in online shopping accessibility. eBay, to this day, is the website to go to for bargains and rare commodities, yet very little is known about its founder Pierre Omidyar, an Iranian-American economist that changed the world back in 1995. 38
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Trailblazer
THE YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR Born in Paris, France on June 21, 1967, Pierre Morad Omidyar was a gifted child from a young age but it was only when his family moved to the United States when his father accepted a residency at Johns Hopkins University Medical Center, that Omidyar discovered his love for computers. A gifted teen, he became interested in computers and would regularly sneak out of physical-education classes to play with his high school’s PCs. Instead of punishing Omidyar for ditching class, the principal decided to hire him to write a computer program to print catalog cards for the school library at $6 per hour. Little did Omidyar know that this would be the start of much bigger things to come. His entrepreneurship proved a little more lucrative a few years later when, while working on a bachelor’s degree in computer science at Tufts University, he wrote a program to help Apple Macintosh programmers manage memory. He distributed it online as shareware, asking users to pay on the honor system, but the few cheques that dribbled in barely covered the cost of the post office box he’d rented to collect them.
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In 1991, Omidyar and some of his friends founded a company to write programs for the then promising pen-computing market. Ever the entrepreneur, Omidyar set up an early e-commerce site called eShop on the company’s web site. However, Pen computing never really took off and the once-promising company started to struggle, but the eShop site proved lucrative enough to attract the attention of Microsoft, who later bought the company. Fed-up with start-ups, Omidyar took a job as a developer relations engineer for software-maker General Magic in 1994, and was making a little money on the side as a freelance Web page designer. It was around this time that he met his future wife, Pamela Wesley. An avid collector of Pez dispensers, Wesley complained that she was having difficulty finding like-minded souls on the Internet. Eager to help out, Omidyar included a small online auction service on his personal web page so Wesley could communicate, buy from and sell to other collectors from all over the United States and so eBay was born.
Trailblazer
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE PEZ The fledgling auction site that Omidyar dubbed eBay, a reference to the San Francisco Bay area, was launched on Labor Day 1995, bore little resemblance to the company that would make Omidyar a fortune. Back then, Omidyar made no warranties regarding the goods being offered, assumed no responsibility and resolved no disputes. He just offered a place for the users to go online, interact with, and bid items. To the surprise of Omidyar, collectors of Barbie dolls, Beanie Babies and all sorts of household junk almost immediately seized eBay. The site had become so popular by February that it outgrew Omidyar’s personal web account. With the help of his friend and computer programmer Jeff Skoll, future president of eBay, Omidyar moved eBay to a much more expensive business site, began charging a few cents to list an item and collecting a small commission if it was sold, to cover its increased costs. Traffic on the web continued and eBay Inc. proved instantly successful. Omidyar started thinking he had finally stumbled on a way to turn his computer programming penchant into some real cash. “The biggest clue was that so many cheques were piling up at my door that I had to hire part-time help to open them all,” he told The New York Times.
Encouraged by this early success, Omidyar resigned from his day job and he and Skoll devoted all their time to building the community and technology of eBay. The duo rationalized that the community, and the profits, would continue to grow as long as the system worked. And they grew. By mid-1997, with more than 150,000 users bidding on 794,000 auctions every day, eBay had become one of the most visited websites on the internet. The average eBay shopper spent almost 3.5 hours per month on eBay, which is longer than the average shopper on any other site. Unknowingly, Omidyar had tapped one of the online world’s richest veins— the desire of people to connect with others who share their interests. And he realized that few interests generate more passion than collecting. “I thought people would simply use the service to buy and sell things,” he says. “But what they really enjoyed was meeting people.”When he set up a small online auction on his private website, Pierre Omidyar didn’t expect to make a dime, let alone become a billionaire. At the end of the day, he just wanted to impress his girlfriend.
Trailblazer
THE HOBBY BILLIONAIRE But within five months, what had started out as a hobby had become a $3 billion empire with more than 2 million subscribers, and Omidyar found himself at the head of one of the most popular and profitable Web-based businesses in Internet history. With the company doubling every three months, Omidyar and Skoll decided they needed venture capital backing and a savvy management team. In June 1997, they took the eBay business plan to Benchmark Capital and got a $4.5 million check for a 22 percent share of the company. Benchmark also promised to find a CEO to help run eBay, tapping Margaret Whitman, an executive with the Hasbro toy company, for the top spot. Whitman quickly turned what was a ragtag band of sellers hawking stuff from their basements into a lean, mean corporate machine. She created a new marketing division and placed all firearm and pornography auctions on separate, age-restricted sites. With new marketing energy and the dirty laundry safely hidden away, she took eBay public on September 24, 1998. The stock single-handedly revived the market for Internet initial public offerings. On its first day of trading, it rolled out at $18 per share. Four months later, it cracked the $300 mark, thrilling investors and making Omidyar an instant billionaire. By the end of 1998, the eBay boasted 2.1 million members and generated $750 million in revenues, enough business to attract the attention of e-commerce giant Amazon.com, which started running its own auctions in 1999. Smaller auction sites have joined the fray, as have conventional marketers like clothing companies,
who started offering auctions on surplus products. So successful did the online auction site become that some industry observers predicted that Internet auctions would become the dominant e-commerce model in the future. In January 2000, Omidyar accepted his first board position outside of eBay. He joined the board of directors of ePeople, an online marketplace for technical support. He later started the philanthropic firm Omidyar Network. With an avowed interest in journalism, he also launched First Look Media in collaboration with Glenn Greenwald, the former Guardian reporter who published government documents leaked by the National Security Agency’s Edward Snowden. The company’s first online publication appeared in early 2014, The Intercept. The venture stresses “the fundamental importance of a free and independent press” for a democratic society, according to Omidyar in a statement. From its humble beginnings trading Pez dispensers, eBay has become one of the hottest sites on the Internet and has revolutionized e-commerce. Its success has spawned dozens of imitators hoping to cash in on the online auction craze. Yet even with increased competition, eBay’s growth has not slowed one iota. By late 1999, eBay boasted nearly 8 million registered users trading an average of 33 million items per year, ranging from Beanie Babies to fine antiques. As for Pierre Omidyar, he’s just as amazed by eBay’s astounding growth as everyone else. “I didn’t set out to create a huge business on eBay. When it happened, I just took advantage of it.”
Donna
BELLA Donna Bella | @playmatedonnabella Photographer Alfonso Moreno | @madcreativity
Bella it’s a ďŹ tness model, originally hailing from Costa Rica, who now proudly calls the United States her home. She has been a lifelong entrepreneur, owning businesses in housekeeping, property rental, and professional legal videography. Most recently, she has been a successful restauranteur and culinary consultant, merging her love of both Southern and Hispanic cuisine. Her modelling career has allowed her to grace both print and video advertising. She passionately dedicates time and resources to organizations who help children with cancer. In her spare time, bachata and salsa dancing lessons and performance both keep her active and nurture her ties to her Latina heritage
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DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN THREE WORDS kind, intelligent, and sexy WERE YOU EXCITED TO SHOOT FOR FHM? Extremely! It is a lifetime opportunity. WHAT WAS IT LIKE STARTING OUT AS A MODEL? Difficult, scary, yet extraordinary WHAT WOULD YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE AS A MODEL SO FAR? Finding a balance between work and family! My work is very extravagant, and it brings me a lot of pleasure, so I want to do it all the time. DESCRIBE YOUR PERFECT DAY OFF WHEN YOU ARE NOT MODELING? A peaceful hike in the perfect weather of California with my beautiful chicas DO YOU FEEL MORE LIKE A CITY PERSON OR A COUNTRY PERSON? The city has so much to offer, although the country brings me a lot of wellness and peacefulness when I do naked yoga. IF YOU COULD LIVE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, WHERE WOULD IT BE? Wow, my dream home would be anywhere in the Mediterranean. DO YOU HAVE A SECRET TALENT? I love to dance tango, salsa, bachata. A GUILTY PLEASURE? Yes! I feel very guilty when I get my weekly massage, but being touched is important for the body and the soul. WHICH SONG IS ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN TO MAKE YOU CRY WHENEVER YOU HEAR IT? “I Found” by Amber Run WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WORD IN ANY LANGUAGE AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN? Baciami dappertutto! It’s Italian for: Kiss me everywhere! ANY LAST WORDS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH THE READERS? Live life to the fullest with no regrets, and enjoy those around you as much as you because we can’t recover time... Be kind, and enjoy the sexiness this world has to offer.
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Fashion
Take Charge With March upon us, there is an end in sight to winter! With that being said, however, layers are still a key part of looking your best for the month. Use these simple outďŹ ts to gain some inspiration for your own style! By Noah Williams
Ledbury shirt, Ralph Lauren Chinos, Meermin Tassel Loafers
Jachs New York Knit Sweater, YEEZY Boost 350 in Cloud White, Hublot Big Bang Unico (via ECJ LUXE by Diamonds Direct), Warby Parker Glasses
Fashion
Turtleson Merino Wool Quarter-Zip, J. Crew Chino, Taft Mid-Top Sneaker, Rolex GMT-Master II, Johnny Fly Co. Sunglasses
Rolex GMT-Master II “Root-Beer”, in Two-Tone Everose gold
Fashion
The OMEGA Steel trinity: Seamaster Aqua Terra, Speedmaster Professional, and The Seamster Professional
J.Crew Shawl Collar Cardigan, Brooks Brothers Button-Down, Banana Republic Chinos, Rolex Explorer II, Bobbies Homme Drivers
Fashion
ENZO Custom - Made to Measure Suit, Ledbury Chambray Shirt, Johnston & Murphy Tassel Loafers, OMEGA Aqua Terra watch (available at windsortime.com)
Rolex Explorer II
Fashion
Rolex Oyster Perpetual 39mm
Brooks Brothers Denim ButtonDown, Grayers Chinos, Oliver Cabell Boots, Omega Speedmaster
Ellen
Alexander Model @ellen.alexander Photographer Tasha Manaenkova | @tasha_manaenkova
Born in Moscow, Russia, Ellen’s career has seen to conquer the 4 industries of film, television, theatre and modeling, not only in her native Russia but also in the UK and now the United States. Elena trained at the world renowned Chekhov Moscow Arts theatre school where she truly honed her craft, becoming a recognizable figure in the Moscow arts world. After relocating to the UK, she received rave reviews for her performance as Phoebe in The Catcher in the Rye at the Edinburgh Fringe festival.Upon arriving in America she landed the lead role of Tatiana in the series “Gold Diggers”.
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YOU WERE BORN IN MOSCOW, IN A FAMILY OF SCIENTISTS OF THE ALL-UNION SCALE. HOW DID YOU DECIDE TO MOVE TO THE STATES AND BECOME A MODEL? I have always loved and love Russia. I have the warmest relations with my family, but I wanted to live my own life, and not just be the daughter of famous parents. Already as a teenager, I felt an urgent need to choose, take responsibility, set goals, and learn – what I was interested in, not what my parents had predicted for me. In those years, I listened to the radio, various political programs, discussions – it was unreal, like a door to another world. Then dreams of America began. I was attracted to this country, but then I could not even think about going there because of the situation of our family in the USSR and the status of absolute secrecy of my grandfather and father. TODAY, YOU ARE A POPULAR MODEL. HOW DID IT START? Is quite prosaic. During my first years in new York, I worked, attended auditions, learned the language, and... I was lonely. You just stay alone with yourself in a strange city. Periodically, the melancholy swept over that nothing would work and everything was in vain. But I kept going. The character I have from my grandfather... during this period, I thought a lot about my family, about how grateful I am to them. I was instilled with the main qualities that a person should have regardless of the profession-decency, hard work, and optimism. Yes, in that order. They helped me achieve such success. BUT IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT CHARACTER... YOU HAVE A BRIGHT APPEARANCE: A CLASSIC BLONDE WITH A SPORTY FIGURE - YOU WERE DOOMED TO SUCCESS. If You knew how many girls think that. And what a mistake! Yes, as a model, I am very much appreciated for the win-win image of a blonde Barbie. This is a classic for all times, which does not go out of fashion. But millions
of people go to America to fulfill the American dream, and only those who are not afraid of difficulties, loneliness, and work can do it. IS YOUR FIGURE ALSO THE RESULT OF WORKING IN THE GYM, OR DID YOUR GENES SERVE YOU WELL HERE? It’s more of a combination of factors. As a child, I was seriously interested in choreography and now I continue to do it for myself, because dance is about posture, plasticity, and liberation, which is very important for a model. I’m also a very disciplined person – I’m not used to overeating. This discipline is from the family. TELL US SOME FUNNY FACT ABOUT YOURSELF THAT DOESN’T FIT WITH YOUR IMAGE OF A STRONG WOMAN. I’m afraid of the dark. Well, more precisely, I’m not comfortable in absolute darkness. through a series of rooms, for example - I will consistently turn on and off the light in each. WHAT DOES YOUR NORMAL DAY LOOK LIKE? Like many “non-models”: training, the road to work and parallel analysis of mail. Working day in a frenzied schedule, sometimes there is even no time for lunch. An evening for myselfreading, walking, meeting friends. IF YOU WEREN’T A MODEL, WHO WOULD YOU BE? I am interested in developing in cinema, but it is the appearance that “feeds” me as a model that does me a disservice here. It is almost impossible to get a character role, but I believe that everything is still ahead. Also, I still have a slight accent, but I’m working on getting rid of it. WHO INSPIRES YOU IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT? Oh, definitely Madonna, who has made a cult out of her image and has been profiting from
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it for many decades. However, the fact that she so skillfully uses personal charisma and honed by many professionals a beautiful picture of herself, does not beg for her talent. My Instagram idols are Gigi Hadid and Kylie Jenner, who I knew before they reached such popularity. They are very successfully promoted in social networks, while with a very modest start-up investment. WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE? I have long been interested in art at the intersection of music, photography and performance. At the same time, I consider social networks as a platform for creativity, since today there are many opportunities to organize various projects that will bring the author not only emotional, but also financial satisfaction. At school, I was interested in vocals and ballroom dancing, so when I had the opportunity, I started recording in the Studio. Now I’m working on bringing all this to mind and sending it to the court of Internet critics.
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Recipes
TEASE
THOSE
There are fewer things more pleasurable in life than a fine tasting meal. Once again, we’re grabbing our aprons, pulling out the inner chef and cooking up a storm. Here are 7 totally awesome recipes that’ll have you cooking like a boss in no time! By Izelle Hoffman
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Recipes
Banoffee
Ingredients
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
1 tsp olive oil 3 eggs ½ tsp salt 1 tsp caramel essence 1 tsp raw cacao powder (optional) 2 slices of bread of your choice (we prefer 100% rye) salted caramel and date sauce 1 cup unsweetened almond milk 10oz (300g) fresh pitted Medjool dates 1 cup of water 2 tsp caramel essence 1 tsp vanilla essence 1 tsp salt ¼ tsp ground cinnamon ¼ tsp ground nutmeg 1 heaped tsp almond butter
Toppings • • • • •
FRENCH TOAST
almond butter sliced banana raw honey toasted flaked almonds ground cinnamon
Instructions
1. First, make the sauce. 2. Spray a large saucepan with nonstick cooking spray. 3. Add the almond milk, dates, water, caramel essence, vanilla essence, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Servings: 1
4. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until the dates are soft and most of the water has evaporated. 5. Remove from the heat and mash the dates to a smooth consistency. Stir in the almond butter and allow to cool slightly. 6. While the sauce cools, spray a frying pan with nonstick cooking spray and heat the olive oil.
Ingredients • • • • • • • • • • •
2 tbsp olive oil 3 spring onions, chopped 1 heaped tsp crushed garlic 1 medium red, orange or yellow bell pepper, cut into strips (keep the seeds) 20oz (600g) beef strips 5 tbsp soy sauce or tamari 2 tbsp sesame seeds 1 tsp ground black pepper 1/4 cup raw honey ½ tsp salt a handful of chopped fresh Italian parsley
Instructions
1. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and fry the spring onions, garlic, bell pepper, and reserved seeds for about 5 minutes to release their flavor, then add the beef strips and fry until the meat is golden brown.
2. In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce or tamari, sesame seeds, black pepper, honey and salt. 3. Add this to the pan once the meat is cooked, and simmer for about 15 minutes or until most of the moisture has evaporated. 4. Add the chopped fresh parsley, remove from heat and allow to cool completely before placing in an airtight container and storing it in the fridge to use when needed. 5. Note: Be on the lookout for tamari, a more mature glutenfree alternative to soy sauce.
Soy and Sesame
BEEF STRIPS Servings: 4
Sweet Basil BBQ
CHICKEN TRAYBAKE Servings: 10
Ingredients
• 3.5lbs (1.5kg) Chicken Fillets • brine - 3 tbsp salt dissolved in 40fl.oz (1.2L) water • 2 tbsp olive oil • 2 tbsp raw honey
• • • • •
1 tbsp paprika 1 tbsp dried sweet basil 1 tbsp onion flakes ½ tsp ground black pepper ½ tsp salt
Instructions 1. 2. 3.
Soak the chicken fillets overnight in the brine. When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 360F (180C). Line a roasting tray with baking paper or foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. 4. Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry with a paper towel. 5. Arrange the chicken fillets on the tray and drizzle first with the olive oil and then with the honey. 6. Sprinkle with the paprika, sweet basil and onion flakes respectively, in this order. 7. Finish off with the black pepper. 8. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. 9. Remove from the oven and drain the juices (if you would like to make a sauce, pour these juices into a saucepan with some of the ingredients used in the recipe and simmer until thickened). 10. Sprinkle the salt over the chicken and allow it to cool properly before placing it in an airtight container and storing it in the fridge to use when needed.
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Honey-mustard and Rosemary
CHICKEN TRAYBAKE Servings: 10
Ingredients
• 3.5lbs (1.5kg) chicken fillets • brine - 3 tbsp salt dissolved in 40fl.oz (1.2L) water • 2 tbsp olive oil • 2 tbsp raw honey • 1 tbsp onion powder • 1 tbsp mustard powder • 1 tbsp mustard seeds • 1 tbsp dried rosemary • ½ tsp ground black pepper • ½ tsp salt
Instructions 1. 2. 3.
4. 5.
6.
Soak the chicken fillets overnight in the brine. When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 360F (180C). Line a roasting tray with baking paper or foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray if you want to make your life easier and skip the scrubbing afterward. Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry with a paper towel. Arrange the chicken fillets on the tray and drizzle first with the olive oil and then with the honey. Sprinkle over the onion powder, followed by the mustard powder, mustard seeds and dried rosemary respectively, in this order.
7. 8. 9.
Finish off with the black pepper. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and drain the juices (if you would like to make a sauce, pour these juices into a saucepan with some of the ingredients used in the recipe and simmer until thickened). 10. Sprinkle the salt over the chicken and allow it to cool properly before placing it in an airtight container and storing it in the fridge to use when needed. 11. Note: The trick for the most tender ovenbaked chicken is to soak the fillets overnight in brine before baking and to only season with salt once the chicken is cooked.
Oven-roasted
SWEET POTATOES Servings: 4-5
Ingredients
• 2.2lbs (1kg) sweet potatoes, washed not scrubbed, otherwise, you’ll remove the skin which contains most of the fiber 78
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Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 390F (200C). 2. Line a baking tray with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. 3. Soak whole sweet potatoes in water for 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Cut off the ends and roughly cut the sweet potatoes into chunks. 5. Place the sweet potato chunks on the lined baking tray and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. 6. Allow to cool before placing in an airtight
container and storing in the fridge to use when needed. They will last up to 5 days refrigerated. If serving on the same day as roasting, drizzle with olive oil and raw honey and season with salt.
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Baked Raisin and Date
BROWNIE BISCUITS Servings: 20 biscuits
Ingredients • ¼ cup raw cacao powder • 1 tsp ground cinnamon, plus extra for dusting • a pinch of salt • 2oz (60g) whole almonds, roasted • 2 tsp raw honey
• 10oz (300g) pitted dates, chopped • 10oz (300g) raisins • 5oz (150g) almond flour, plus ½ cup extra for rolling • 1 tbsp caramel essence
Instructions 1. 2.
3.
4. 5.
6.
7.
Preheat the oven to 375F (190C). Line a baking tray with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Soak the dates and raisins in enough hot water to cover for 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and mash in a mixing bowl. Add the almond flour, caramel essence, cacao powder, cinnamon and salt and mix well to form a soft dough. Using your hands, roll a heaped tablespoon of the dough into a ball, flatten it out and place a roasted almond in the middle. Roll it back into a ball and then roll it in the extra almond flour.
8.
9. 10.
11. 12.
13. 14.
To prevent the dough sticking to your hands, spray your hands with nonstick cooking spray. Once they start to get sticky, wash your hands and spray again. Place the dough ball on the prepared baking tray, flatten slightly and place another roasted almond on top. Repeat with the remainder of the dough. Drizzle the biscuits with honey, dust with cinnamon and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. They are meant to be soft and chewy. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before storing in an airtight container in the fridge.
For more awesome recipes that are as tasty as they are healthy be sure to purchase Izelle Hoffman’s book Mindful Eating now available on Amazon.com
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Britt Copano
Licenced to thrill... Meet Britt Copano, the flaming hot Chicagoland area firefighter and smoke show who isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty while looking good doing it. Ambition determination and zest make this bombshell absolutely to die for. What more is there to this rocket?
Photography: David Moser | @hmphotography_69 PR: Leo Alderman | @leo.alderman | @lsapublications
Britt Copano
“I am a licensed Emergency Medical Technician as well as a firefighter.�
WERE YOU EXCITED TO SHOOT FOR FHM? When I found out I was shooting for FHM I was beyond thrilled! It was a fun experience and shoot that I’m happy to share with you all! TELL US SOMETHING SURPRISING ABOUT YOU? Something surprising that people don’t know about me is that I am more than just beauty. I am a licensed Emergency Medical Technician as well as a firefighter. DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN ONE SENTENCE: If I had to describe myself in one sentence it would be “a spitfire full of sugar and spice.” WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES? The hobbies that I enjoy are working out, attending hockey games, and spending time with my family.
Britt Copano
“My biggest turn on would be someone who is true, honest and kind�
Britt Copano
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST TURN ON? If I had to say what my biggest turn on is it would be someone who is true, honest and kind. Personality goes a long way. WHAT TURNS YOU OFF THE MOST? The thing that turns me off the most is conceded, selfish or rude people. DESCRIBE TO US YOUR PERFECT DATE? A perfect date for me is pretty simple. I would enjoy a nice dinner and then a movie cuddled on the couch! WHAT WOULD YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE AS A MODEL SO FAR? As a model, my biggest challenge has been just all the people hating on me and saying I wouldn’t make it. ANY LAST WORDS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH OUR READERS? My words to my viewers are just nothing is impossible! Follow your heart, you can accomplish anything you set out to.
“Follow your heart, you can accomplish anything you set out to.”
f Want to see more o er Britt? Then follow h m journey on Instagra er latest @Justbrit01 for all h ates! news and story upd
Relationships
BY CATRIONA BOFFARD CLINICAL SEXOLOGIST & PSYCHOTHERAPIST
T H E
R I S E
O F
CONSENSUAL NON-MONOGAMY
I T ’ S A N A G E - O L D D E B AT E … S H O U L D W E B E MONOGAMOUS? COUPLES, FRIENDS, PEERS AND S O O N H AV E D E B AT E D T H I S Q U E S T I O N F O R M A N Y YEARS AND PEOPLE HOLD DIFFERING VIEWS ON THE ANSWER AND THE REASONS.
Relationships
If we take an evolutionary approach to understand this question, the answer is actually no. We’re not supposed to be monogamous. We needed to focus on the survival of the species (that’s us humans) and survival of the fittest. That meant cisgender men reproducing with cis-gender women, not because of a relationship and commitment to be ‘exclusive’ and ‘til death do us part’, but purely to ensure that the human race kept going. But, from a social perspective, over time most societies around the world adopted monogamy. Most people ‘approve of’ only two people in a relationship, and disapprove of stepping outside of that ‘norm’. Even though there are still numerous cultures around the world that do not believe in monogamy, monogamy has become the ‘gold standard’ for relationships. Nowadays though, it seems that there is a clear generational shift. What was once deemed completely
‘taboo’ in our grandparents’ generation is now becoming more and more common, and more and more accepted (even if we still have a long way to go). In a 2018 US study, it was found that 86% of respondents in the study felt that couples should be monogamous. Research also shows that those individuals who identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual are far more open to exploring non-monogamy than their heterosexual friends. We all still want safety and security from our partners… and this is no different in consensually nonmonogamous relationships. The idea of consensual nonmonogamy also calls into question the topic of sexual orientation, identity, and behavior. Sexual behavior is all about who you have sex with, so perhaps cis-gendered men for example. Sexual orientation is all about who you are attracted to. And sexual identity is all about whether you personally identify as heterosexual, gay, bi, queer and so on. You can identify as heterosexual,
have sex with the opposite sex, but still find both the opposite and same-sex attractive. You can be in a heterosexual couple but still have sex with people of the same sex as you. Consensual non-monogamy is not something that should be taken as ‘easy’ or ‘simply for the fun of it’. It requires intense understanding, agreement, honesty and constant communication between partners. It requires that partners understand and agree upon the reasons for exploring a different type of relationship, and that all partners involved are aware of who’s in their relationship. Deception is not appreciated, and strongly avoided. Understanding your boundaries individually and together is paramount to the success of a non-monogamous relationship. Cheating is not a form of consensual non-monogamy, because this is deception and usually goes against an agreement that two people may have to be ‘exclusive’ to one another and commit to one another.
So what types of consensual non-monogamy might people explore? It’s a broad term, but what it does signify is that everyone involved is aware of and in agreement of how the relationship dynamic works. Here are just a few types of relationships that are becoming more common in monogamous societies today: Polyamory This type of relationship is when you have several individuals who are in a relationship with other partners, and all partners involved are consenting to the arrangement. Within the relationship, you might find that some partners have more sexual chemistry and others have more emotional connections. It’s not simply about sex, but more often about the love felt for more than one person.
Trouple or Triad A trouple or triad is a relationship involving 3 people. Sometimes, if one partner is ‘primary’ and in the center of the relationship (relationally engaged with two other but those others aren’t romantically engaged), they would be described as a ‘V’.
Open Relationship An open relationship is an agreed-upon and clearly defined relationship between two people, who openly seek sexual or emotional connection from others outside of the couple. Usually in an open relationship, both partners agree upon what’s acceptable or not, and how to manage the dynamic of connecting with others outside of their partnership.
Polygymy Not to be confused with polyamory, this involves a man being married to more than one partner. It’s quite common in certain cultures in America, as well as others around the world. Having more than one wife is considered the norm in some religions too, such as certain observers of Islam or those who are Mormon.