Monthly Archives: April 2020

COVID-19: Khamenai hits out at "materialism and atheism based" western culture – The Kashmir Walla

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Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayotallah Syed Ali Khamenai, has hit out at the western culture amidst the outbreak of deadly pandemic. He said that the western culture is based on materialism and atheism, or, in some western countries they have said that the corona[virus] patients who are elderly, disabled and have major problems are not a priority to receive medical care.

Taking to Twitter, he added, All of this is a result & product of the dominance of #WesternCulture, which is based on materialism & atheism.

Khamenai was speaking on the birth anniversary of Imam Mehdi the twelfth Shiite Imam. He further added that the western civilization had a savage spirit, a few days ago, a western official said that with the corona[virus] outreak we are witnessing rule by the #WildWest.

Some were surprised when we said that western civilization has a savage spirit that comes together with a perfumed and smart appearance. Now theyre confessing to this, he wrote.

He also pointed out that the hoarding of toilet papers and other items in the western countries, Confiscating other nations masks, emptying shops, fighting over toilet paper and long lines for buying guns during the #Corona[virus]Outbreak are the logical and natural outcome of the philosophy that governs #western civilization, said Khamenai.

He further credited Islamic culture for fight against cororonavirus. All of this participation in the fight against #Corona[virus] are signs of the roots of #IslamicCulture in ppl [people].

In contrast, #WesternCivilization showed its outcome too, one of the most appalling of which is the US & some European countries confiscation of other nations masks and gloves, he explained.

He also applauded peoples participation in the fight against the virus, mentioning incidents of:

1) people feeding the needy; 2) turning houses into workshops to sew free masks; 3) disinfecting public areas; 4) talking to landlords and shop owners to exempt ppl from their rents; & tens of other measures.

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COVID-19: Khamenai hits out at "materialism and atheism based" western culture - The Kashmir Walla

Where Is God in a Coronavirus World? – Christianheadlines.com

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The question that never goes away for Christians is Why does God allow evil and suffering? The latest version of this question is Where is God in a coronavirus world?

This question in its various forms is asked in different ways by different people. Some ask with a philosophers edge, as if calamities like the coronavirus are defeaters of Christianity, proving that the idea of a loving God watching out for us is obviously not believable. For others, the question is asked through tears, by those deeply wounded by personal experiences of loss, abandonment, or hurt.

Almost as soon as this question became relevant againin the face of the coronavirus pandemicDr. John Lennox turned around a book with answers. If you know anything about the publishing world, the speed of this is stunning. And, if you know anything about Dr. Lennox, its probably not because of his work in group theory as the building block of abstract algebra.Lennox is an Oxford mathematician and also a Christian apologist who has debated the top atheists and religious skeptics of our time, including Richard Dawkins, Peter Singer, and the late Christopher Hitchens.

In these debates, hes faced the skeptics claims about how the existence of evil and the existence of God are incompatible. His outstanding little book, published in what must be record time, is calledWhere is God in a Coronavirus World? In it, Lennox gives answers to the skeptics arguments, but thats not really what this book is finally about.

Lennox wrote this book in order toconvey some comfort, support and hope,to people who feel disoriented, concerned, even fearful because of the coronavirus pandemic and all of its consequences and disruption in our lives.

And to this end, Lennox succeeds.

Like C.S. Lewis, whose essay On Living in an Atomic Age he quotes, Lennox notes that ours is not the first generationto facesome kind ofsevere threat to our lives and well-being. But, unlike many previous generations,we tend to think of these kinds of threatsas things of the past, and of personal safety as our God-given right.

Like Lewis, Dr. Lennox also uses our collective shock when bad things happento point out problems with atheism. For Richard Dawkins,the kind of suffering caused by pandemics is to be expected since, in his view, there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference.

In the universe according to Dawkins, some people are going to get hurt, other people are going to get lucky, and you wont find any rhyme or reason in it.Thus, as Lennox says, for thecommitted and thoughtful atheist,moral outrage is absurd. The so-calledproblemof evil moral or naturaldissolves into the pitiless indifference of uncaring matter.

Of course, most people, even committed or thoughtful atheists, cannot live this way, much less say it out loud.Still, its impossible to derivecomfort or hope from atheism without contradicting the worldview it implies.

Incontrast, while moral evil, natural disasters anddiseaseslike COVID-19 do pose a real challenge to theChristian belief that this universe was created and is governed by a good God, within the Christian story itself is ananswer to that challenge.

The universe is not the way its supposed to be. Humans were not the only part of creation affected by the Fall. Nature itself was fractured by that same event, Lennox says. As Romans 8 describes, creation was subjected [by God] to futility. The Greek word for futility, or ineffectiveness means something ... [that] has not achieved the goal for which it was designed.

But our current state is not, praise God, the end of the story.Through thesuffering death and resurrection of Christ, a process has been inaugurated by which not onlyhumans,but the rest ofcreationalso, will be rescued from the effects of the Fall.

As Dr. Lennox says, a Christian is not a person who has solved the problem of suffering, but one who has come to love and trust the God who has suffered forthem.

If you are dealing with doubts and questions about Gods goodness because of the coronavirus, or you know someone who is, Dr. Lennoxs book, Where is God in a Coronavirus World? will help. This month, Id love to send you a copy as a thank you for any gift of any amount to BreakPoint and the Colson Center.

Next Wednesday, Dr. Lennox will be my guest on the BreakPoint Podcast. You wont want to miss it.

Publication date: April 9, 2020

Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Motortion

BreakPointis a program of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. BreakPoint commentaries offer incisive content people can't find anywhere else; content that cuts through the fog of relativism and the news cycle with truth and compassion. Founded by Chuck Colson (1931 2012) in 1991 as a daily radio broadcast, BreakPoint provides a Christian perspective on today's news and trends. Today, you can get it in written and a variety of audio formats: on the web, the radio, or your favorite podcast app on the go.

John Stonestreet is President of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, and radio host of BreakPoint, a daily national radio program providing thought-provoking commentaries on current events and life issues from a biblical worldview. John holds degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (IL) and Bryan College (TN),and is the co-author of Making Sense of Your World: A Biblical Worldview.

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Where Is God in a Coronavirus World? - Christianheadlines.com

Watch: Preview Stephen Meyer’s New Book The Return of the God Hypothesis – Discovery Institute

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Stephen Meyer has finished his next book, The Return of the God Hypothesis, and (here is a bit of insider information) is currently awaiting copyedits from his publisher. The wheels of book publishing do not grind hastily. Ive read the book, and its fantastic. If you are impatient to get your hands on it, you can get a bit of a preview in a presentation Dr. Meyer gave at the 2020 Dallas Conference on Science and Faith. You can watch that right now:

Its poignant to think that the conference, on January 25, was held just a few days after the first COVID-19 case in the United States was confirmed, in a man who had visited Wuhan. That was here in Washington State. In our present surreal, locked-down virus world, such an event of course could not be planned. God willing, well return to something like normalcy before too long.

In the meantime, youll find meaning and inspiration in Meyers words. He opens by discussing the emotional response of one young woman who was present for his interview with Eric Metaxas at the 2019 Dallas Conference. She wept at realizing that there was a rational, objective, scientific response to the scientific atheism she had been fed by her professors in college.

Steves presentation reminds me of an admission by atheist philosopher Bertrand Russell that Paul Nelson referred to in a note at the end of his tribute here to his teacher Adolf Grnbaum, on Monday. Writing in 1945, Russell dismantled the classical arguments for Gods existence. But he granted a fascinating exception to the argument from intelligent design:

This argument has no formal logical defect; its premises are empirical, and its conclusion professes to be reached in accordance with the usual canons of empirical inference. The question whether it is to be accepted or not turns, therefore, not on general metaphysical questions, but on comparatively detailed considerations.

Those comparatively detailed considerations, to be judged on empirical grounds, are the subject of Steve Meyers next book and of his comments at the Dallas Conference. Dont miss either.

We are presenting, each Wednesday, videos of the main speeches from the Dallas event. Next week, check back here at Evolution News and watch Michael Behe on Darwin Devolves.

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Watch: Preview Stephen Meyer's New Book The Return of the God Hypothesis - Discovery Institute

Covid-19: A Journey from Atheism to Theism – Kashmir Reader

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SARTAJ AHMAD SOFI

The times we live in are called post-modern. It is undoubtedly the age of science and ultra-rationality, the end result of which is estrangement from religion. Religion considers faith and science considers rationality as the sole means for explaining all events in the world. The manifestation of this shift from religion to science is the rapid expansion of atheism. Within the religions, too, classifications of traditional, conservative and liberal attest to the growing sense of detachment among the adherents. During this age of ultra-rationality, it is believed that whatever happens is due to anthropomorphic and ecological causes and has hardly anything to do with morality and religious disobedience. The conservatives always blame peoples religious disobedience and moral degeneration as the sole cause of catastrophes on the earth while the liberals blame peoples ignorance and the mismanagement of resources. The demarcation line between conservatives and liberals is deeply etched in the minds of the educated classes of society.The ongoing pandemic, i.e., Covid-19, has manifested many mysteries which otherwise were considered as prodigal and irrational. This pandemic is reshaping human thinking. The sense of super power has been transformed reduced to dust. Both developed and developing countries are sailing in the same boat and both believe that the rescue lies in natural powers rather than human endeavors. Indeed, the occurrences of epidemics are being considered as a result of moral degeneration and religious disobedience. Prior to that, religion in any way was not taken into consideration. One of the positives of Covid-19 is that necessity of religion is being accepted worldwide. Generally, now the world is looking to God to save it from the pandemic. The followers of every religion are truning more and more to prayers.The concern of religions with rituals is being discussed extensively now. The question of suspension of religious rituals during the pandemic is being hotly debated. It has divided the world into three categories: one group believes that religious rituals cannot be suspended in any situation, while another group considers total suspension of rituals as valid, and a third group adopts the middle path and talks of changing circumstances and modifications to be made accordingly. Thanks to Islam, Muslims have a tool called ijtihad, under which a learned qualified scholar (Mujtahid) exercises the power of intellect and deducts regulations and guidelines within the shariah. Throughout the course of history, Muslims have done ijtihad in two ways; individual opinion called Qiyas and collective opinion called Ijma. Regarding the current issue of suspending Friday congregations and other religious gatherings, Muslim scholars have almost agreed that during such circumstances, these practices can be suspended in view of the dignity and life of people. To save life is superior to anything else, even superior to religious rituals. Some scholars, of course, hold another view as well.The pandemic has brought even atheists close to religion, evident in their curiosity regarding issues and concerns of religion. These young and estranged people can be now observed everywhere on the globe. Therefore, it can be argued that the pandemic has brought much devastation but it has also brought some positive changes. It has created a sense of morality and social well-being which is a good foundation for universal brotherhood based purely on humanitarian grounds.

The writer is a research scholar at Shah-i-Hamadani Institute of Islamic Studies, University of Kashmir

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Covid-19: A Journey from Atheism to Theism - Kashmir Reader

A protein puzzle game called Foldit turns up 99 promising ways to confound coronavirus – GeekWire

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This is one of the high-scoring protein designs that will be turned into an actual protein binder for testing as an coronavirus-blocking agent. (Stomjoh via Foldit / UW Institute for Protein Design)

Who would have thought a video game could identify potential treatments for COVID-19? Researchers at the University of Washingtons Institute for Protein Design certainly thought so, and so far the game has produced 99 chances to win.

The game is a protein-folding puzzler called Foldit, which was created at UWs Center for Game Science more than a decade ago and has attracted nearly more than 750,000 registered players since then.

Foldits fans find ways to twist virtual protein structures into all sorts of contortions. Some of those contortions turn out to have therapeutic value, which can raise a players score in the game. And that can have real-world implications for countering the coronavirus.

On the cellular level, protein structures can switch on biological processes, or act as keys to spring open the locks that protect cells from harm. For example, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, known as SARS-Cov-2, has a spike-like protein structure thats particularly well-shaped for unlocking a cells defenses and getting inside to do its dirty work.

Once researchers mapped the virus shape, the Institute for Protein Design set up a challenge for Foldits players. They were tasked with folding virtual proteins into shapes that could latch onto the coronavirus skeleton key and gum it up, rendering it useless for a cellular break-in.

Thousands of designs were submitted and scored over the course of three rounds of competition. Now the institutes researchers have selected 99 designs, 33 from each round, that will be turned into real-world proteins known as binders for testing as antiviral agents.

It will be a few more weeks before genes arrive and we can begin experiments on the Foldit designs, Brian Koepnick, a UW biochemist who focuses on Foldit, told players in blog post. In the meantime, well continue to work on designing better binders in Foldit.

In an earlier blog post, Koepnick cautioned players that the synthetic proteins dont always work as well in the real world as they do in Foldits computer-generated chemistry lab.

Protein binder design is a very hard problem one at the forefront of computational biology and there are other physical factors that are difficult to account for, he wrote. Even if our metrics look good on paper or on a computer, only laboratory testing will tell us whether these designer proteins actually fold and bind to the target.

But if the institute can turn one of the 99 designs into a workable drug that can stop coronavirus in its tracks, Foldit players wont be the only winners.

To get in on the game, head on over to the Foldit website, download the software and follow the instructions. After you get a feel for the game by playing the tutorials, check out this 49-minute video for tips on tackling the coronavirus puzzles.

Update for 11:35 p.m. PT April 1: Weve updated some outdated figures for the number of registered Foldit players.

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A protein puzzle game called Foldit turns up 99 promising ways to confound coronavirus - GeekWire

Q&A: Markus Buehler on setting coronavirus and AI-inspired proteins to music – MIT News

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The proteins that make up all living things are alive with music. Just ask Markus Buehler: The musician and MIT professor develops artificial intelligence models to design new proteins, sometimes by translating them into sound. His goal is to create new biological materials for sustainable, non-toxic applications. In a project with theMIT-IBM Watson AI Lab, Buehler is searching for a protein to extend the shelf-life of perishable food. In anew studyin Extreme Mechanics Letters, he and his colleagues offer a promising candidate: a silk protein made by honeybees for use in hive building.

Inanother recent study, in APL Bioengineering, he went a step further and used AI discover an entirely new protein. As both studies went to print, the Covid-19 outbreak was surging in the United States, and Buehler turned his attention to the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, the appendage that makes the novel coronavirus so contagious. He and his colleagues are trying to unpack its vibrational properties through molecular-based sound spectra, which could hold one key to stopping the virus. Buehler recently sat down to discuss the art and science of his work.

Q:Your work focuses on the alpha helix proteins found in skin and hair. Why makes this protein so intriguing?

A: Proteins are the bricks and mortar that make up our cells, organs, and body. Alpha helix proteins are especially important. Their spring-like structure gives them elasticity and resilience, which is why skin, hair, feathers, hooves, and even cell membranes are so durable. But theyre not just tough mechanically, they have built-in antimicrobial properties. With IBM, were trying to harness this biochemical trait to create a protein coating that can slow the spoilage of quick-to-rot foods like strawberries.

Q:How did you enlist AI to produce this silk protein?

A:We trained a deep learning model on the Protein Data Bank, which contains the amino acid sequences and three-dimensional shapes of about 120,000 proteins. We then fed the model a snippet of an amino acid chain for honeybee silk and asked it to predict the proteins shape, atom-by-atom. We validated our work by synthesizing the protein for the first time in a lab a first step toward developing a thin antimicrobial, structurally-durable coating that can be applied to food. My colleague,Benedetto Marelli, specializes in this part of the process. We also used the platform to predict the structure of proteins that dont yet exist in nature. Thats how we designed our entirely new protein in the APL Bioengineering study.

Q: How does your model improve on other protein prediction methods?

A: We use end-to-end prediction. The model builds the proteins structure directly from its sequence, translating amino acid patterns into three-dimensional geometries. Its like translating a set of IKEA instructions into a built bookshelf, minus the frustration. Through this approach, the model effectively learns how to build a protein from the protein itself, via the language of its amino acids. Remarkably, our method can accurately predict protein structure without a template. It outperforms other folding methods and is significantly faster than physics-based modeling. Because the Protein Data Bank is limited to proteins found in nature, we needed a way to visualize new structures to make new proteins from scratch.

Q: How could the model be used to design an actual protein?

A: We can build atom-by-atom models for sequences found in nature that havent yet been studied, as we did in the APL Bioengineering study using a different method. We can visualize the proteins structure and use other computational methods to assess its function by analyzing its stablity and the other proteins it binds to in cells. Our model could be used in drug design or to interfere with protein-mediated biochemical pathways in infectious disease.

Q:Whats the benefit of translating proteins into sound?

A: Our brains are great at processing sound! In one sweep, our ears pick up all of its hierarchical features: pitch, timbre, volume, melody, rhythm, and chords. We would need a high-powered microscope to see the equivalent detail in an image, and we could never see it all at once. Sound is such an elegant way to access the information stored in a protein.

Typically, sound is made from vibrating a material, like a guitar string, and music is made by arranging sounds in hierarchical patterns. With AI we can combine these concepts, and use molecular vibrations and neural networks to construct new musical forms. Weve been working on methods to turn protein structures into audible representations, and translate these representations into new materials.

Q: What can the sonification of SARS-CoV-2's "spike" protein tell us?

A: Its protein spikecontains three protein chains folded into an intriguing pattern. These structures are too small for the eye to see, but they can be heard. We represented the physical protein structure, with its entangled chains, as interwoven melodies that form a multi-layered composition. The spike proteins amino acid sequence, its secondary structure patterns, and its intricate three-dimensional folds are all featured. The resulting piece is a form of counterpoint music, in which notes are played against notes. Like a symphony, the musical patterns reflect the proteins intersecting geometry realized by materializing its DNA code.

Q: What did you learn?

A: The virus has an uncanny ability to deceive and exploit the host for its own multiplication. Its genome hijacks the host cells protein manufacturing machinery, and forces it to replicate the viral genome and produce viral proteins to make new viruses. As you listen, you may be surprised by the pleasant, even relaxing, tone of the music. But it tricks our ear in the same way the virus tricks our cells. Its an invader disguised as a friendly visitor. Through music, we can see the SARS-CoV-2 spike from a new angle, and appreciate the urgent need to learn the language of proteins.

Q: Can any of this address Covid-19, and the virus that causes it?

A:In the longer term, yes. Translating proteins into sound gives scientists another tool to understand and design proteins. Even a small mutation can limit or enhance the pathogenic power of SARS-CoV-2. Through sonification, we can also compare the biochemical processes of its spike protein with previous coronaviruses, like SARS or MERS.

In the music we created, we analyzed the vibrational structure of the spike protein that infects the host. Understanding these vibrational patterns is critical for drug design and much more. Vibrations may change as temperatures warm, for example, and they may also tell us why the SARS-CoV-2 spike gravitates toward human cells more than other viruses. Were exploring these questions in current, ongoing research with my graduate students.

We might also use a compositional approach to design drugs to attack the virus. We could search for a new protein that matches the melody and rhythm of an antibody capable of binding to the spike protein, interfering with its ability to infect.

Q: How can music aid protein design?

A: You can think of music as an algorithmic reflection of structure. Bachs Goldberg Variations, for example, are a brilliant realization of counterpoint, a principle weve also found in proteins. We can now hear this concept as nature composed it, and compare it to ideas in our imagination, or use AI to speak the language of protein design and let it imagine new structures. We believe that the analysis of sound and music can help us understand the material world better. Artistic expression is, after all, just a model of the world within us and around us.

Co-authors of the study in Extreme Mechanics Letters are: Zhao Qin, Hui Sun, Eugene Lim and Benedetto Marelli at MIT; and Lingfei Wu, Siyu Huo, Tengfei Ma and Pin-Yu Chen at IBM Research. Co-author of the study in APL Bioengineering is Chi-Hua Yu. Buehlers sonification work is supported by MITs Center for Art, Science and Technology (CAST) and the Mellon Foundation.

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Q&A: Markus Buehler on setting coronavirus and AI-inspired proteins to music - MIT News

Routines are healthy – Argonaut

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During this challenging time within our community, it can be difficult to remain in a routine and stay motivated. With numerous benefits to maintaining a routine, one main benefit is preserving our mental health.

Even though students are not constrained to a consistent class schedule, it is important to keep a routine. This can be as easy as planning to have meals around the same time every day and sticking with a consistent sleep schedule. With so much uncertainty, it is easy to feel out of control, however, having a routine allows us to feel more in control. Sleep is crucial to our mental state and it affects all of our overall well-being. Making sure to have downtime for ourselves is necessary, and it is likely that our days will be more productive and happier.

The word routine may sound daunting to some, but having a routine to keep the important stuff a priority is extremely beneficial. Whether this be rest time, exercising, socializing with friends or family, these things are what keep our mental health in check.

Another addition to a good daily routine is exercise. Sometimes life can be hectic, and it can be hard to fit things in such as exercise and rest, but these aspects have a huge impact on our day to day lives.

Exercise can boost our mood and if we feel able to make time to be active, it can bring about many positive aspects. Many of our campus buildings such as the Student Recreation Center are closed, and as we continue to adjust to these challenging times it can be hard to switch things up. At home workouts or fun activities can substitute for these changes.

One last activity that is helpful is eating a healthy diet. Eating foods that provide energy and nutrition is essential to having a healthy lifestyle. Working extra time into a routine for cooking and eating enables us to focus on our eating habits. When times are busy it can be easy to avoid cooking nutritional meals and eating well at consistent times, but if theres time blocked in a daily routine, it becomes a priority.

Maintaining a routine is essential to maintaining mental well-being and it is something that is important to focus on during this hard time. Having a routine allows us to keep important things prioritized and it can provide a sense of control in this state we are all living in.

It is difficult adjusting to the new normal, so know that many resources available such as the Counseling and Testing Center and VandalCARE Report. As well as these resources, the Vandal Health Education social media pages are a great way to find tips on enhancing your mental well-being with topics focusing on coping, motivation, and routine building. We are all in this together!

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Routines are healthy - Argonaut

Exercise and enjoy healthy low carb snacks – kempercountymessenge

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Compiled by Denise Swogetinsky

Kemper Messenger

Hope you are all practicing social distancing.

Use this time to begin working on you. Start exercising. If you don't know where to start, go to the internet and type in exercises in your search engine. Bad knees? Just say exercises for bad knees. You can taylor your search to fit your requirements.

Be sure to get outside and enjoy the sun and fresh air. You can trim your bushes, weed your flower beds, plant flowers and vegetables, or just sit quietly and enjoy the beauty of the day. While you do these things, don't forget about your Low-Carb snacks.

Just remember that living a healthy lifestyle takes planning and moderation.

Easy Baked Zucchini Chips

w/ avocado dip (6 carbs)

For the zucchini chips

23 mediums zucchini

2 tbsp avocado oil

2 tsp onion powder

2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp sea salt (plus more to taste)

For the green

goddess dip

1 avocado

2 tbsp fresh basil

1 handful fresh parsley

1 handful fresh cilantro

2 sprigs green onion

1/4 cup olive oil

Juice of one lemon

Preheat the oven to 250 F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper Using a mandolin slicer, carefully slice the unpeeled zucchinis in 1/8 slices, lightly patting the slices with a paper towel or napkin as you go to remove excess water.

Place the slices onto the baking sheets, add the avocado oil and season with garlic, onion, and sea salt. Bake in the oven for 1 hour and 15-30 minutes.

Check the chips frequently throughout the last 15-30 minutes as different slices cook faster depending on where they are in the oven. Remove the chips once crisped to liking and add more salt to taste if desired. Serve by themselves or with the dip.

For the dip

Using a high-speed blender, blend all of the ingredients until thoroughly combined. Add 1-2 tbsp of more olive oil if the dip is too thick.

Baked Cheese Crisp

Cumin

Shredded cheese

To begin making crunchy baked cheese crisps recipe, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two Baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly toast the cumin seeds and then coarsely grind it in a mortar and pestle. Add it to the shredded cheese in a bowl. Mix it gently.

Take two tablespoons of cheese mixture and spread it evenly on the lined baking sheet to form a 4 to 4.5 inch round. Repeat this step for the rest of the mixture leaving a 2-inch gap between the rounds. Bake the sheets one by one in the preheated oven for 6-8 minutes until it begins to brown slightly. Take out the baking sheet and lift the cheese using a spatula and fold it gently over a rolling pin or lay it flat on a kitchen paper towel. Allow it to cool complete to become crisp and then serve.

Serve as an appetizer with roasted tomato sauce or can be serve along a green vegetable salad.

Fruit Energy Balls

1 cup chopped almonds

1 cup dried figs

1 cup dried apricots

? cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Combine almonds, figs and apricots in a food processor; pulse until finely chopped. Roll the mixture into small balls and dredge in coconut. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months.

Cauliflower cheddar biscuits

1 pounds cauliflower florets (about 7 cups)

1 large clove garlic, quartered

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, divided

2 large eggs

3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

1 tablespoon cornstarch

? teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Place cauliflower and garlic in a food processor. Process until finely grated. (You may need to do this in batches.) Transfer to a microwave-safe bowl.

Cover loosely and microwave on High for 4 minutes. Let cool slightly. Transfer the cauliflower to a clean kitchen towel and wring out excess moisture. Return to the bowl and stir in 1 cup cheese, eggs, chives, cornstarch, and salt until thoroughly combined. Using about 1/3 cup batter for each, mound into 2 1/2-inch biscuits on the parchment paper, leaving about 1 inch between each one, until you have 8 biscuits. Sprinkle tops with the remaining 2 tablespoons cheese. Bake until browned and crispy around the edges, about 30 minutes.

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Exercise and enjoy healthy low carb snacks - kempercountymessenge

World Health Day 2020: Beware, These 5 Habits Can Ruin Your Health – NDTV News

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World Health Day 2020: Get rid of these habits to fight to ensure better health

World Health Day is observed on every 7th April. The theme for World Health Day 2020 is to support nurses and midwives. This World Healthy Day you can make promises for better health. You can fight the risk of several health issues with a healthy diet and lifestyle. You might not know but some habits can take a toll on your health. From lack of exercise to too much snacking, there are several things that you need to change for a healthy living. On the occasion of World Health Day, here are a few habits that you must get rid of for a healthy living.

Many take their mobile phones to the bedroom. It can disturb your sleeping pattern. Using phone for too long can is not just bad for your eyesight but can affect your overall health. Poor sleep is linked with several health issues. Keep your phone aside and make sure that you ensure better sleep.

World Health Day 2020: Reduce screen time and ensure proper sleepPhoto Credit: iStock

Sitting for too long can make you gain weight as well as increase the risk of chronic diseases like heart diseases, diabetes and certain cancers. More physical exercise throughout the day can help ensure better health. Exercise every day and take frequent breaks if you sit for too long.

Also read:World Health Day 2020: 5 Secrets To Stay Healthy And Disease Free; Make These Healthy Choices Today

When having a meal, eat slowly and chew your food properly. Eating quickly will not give you the satisfaction. It can also make you consume more calories than required. You should avoid all distractions while eating and chew food slowly.

Consumes your meals slowly for better satisfactionPhoto Credit: iStock

Many skip meals to lose weight. But it will not help you lose weight. To lose weight you should eat small and frequent meals. Skipping meals will make you consume more calories in the next. Also, add enough nutrients to your every meal.

Also read:World Health Day 2020: What Happens When Your Diet Is Low In Protein? Nutritionist Explains

Do you consume a pain killer whenever you experience pain or minor discomfort? This is also linked with several health issues. You should not consume pills without your doctor's consultation. Also, try to skip the use of painkillers as much as possible.

Also read:World Health Day 2020 Honours Nurses And Midwives: Here's Everything You Need To Know

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.

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World Health Day 2020: Beware, These 5 Habits Can Ruin Your Health - NDTV News

NATO reflection process: SG’s first meeting with the group of experts – NATO HQ

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Today (08 April 2020), Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg held his first meeting with the group of experts supporting his work on a reflection process to further strengthen NATOs political dimension. The meeting, held by video-conference, was an opportunity for the Secretary General and the experts to exchange initial views on their work for the coming weeks and months. The group, co-chaired by Thomas de Maizire and Wess Mitchell, is scheduled to meet by video-conference with the North Atlantic Council on 22 April 2020.

In the meeting, the Secretary General stressed that NATO is strong, it adapts to the changing security environment and delivers on its military responsibilities. The reflection process is about making NATO even stronger and enhance its ability to deal with current and future challenges.

Following the decision by NATO leaders last December to initiate a forward-looking reflection process, the Secretary General appointed the 10 members of the group on 31 March 2020. Five women and five men will work under the auspices of the Secretary General and offer recommendations to reinforce Alliance unity, increase political consultation and coordination between Allies, and strengthen NATOs political role.

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NATO reflection process: SG's first meeting with the group of experts - NATO HQ

NATO reflection process: Secretary General’s first meeting with the group of experts – NATO HQ

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Today (08 April 2020), Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg held his first meeting with the group of experts supporting his work on a reflection process to further strengthen NATOs political dimension. The meeting, held by video-conference, was an opportunity for the Secretary General and the experts to exchange initial views on their work for the coming weeks and months. The group, co-chaired by Thomas de Maizire and Wess Mitchell, is scheduled to meet by video-conference with the North Atlantic Council on 22 April 2020.

In the meeting, the Secretary General stressed that NATO is strong, it adapts to the changing security environment and delivers on its military responsibilities. The reflection process is about making NATO even stronger and enhance its ability to deal with current and future challenges.

Following the decision by NATO leaders last December to initiate a forward-looking reflection process, the Secretary General appointed the 10 members of the group on 31 March 2020. Five women and five men will work under the auspices of the Secretary General and offer recommendations to reinforce Alliance unity, increase political consultation and coordination between Allies, and strengthen NATOs political role.

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It’s time to consider an enhanced role for NATO to combat pandemics | TheHill – The Hill

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In 2019 when the U.S. remained the worlds largest defense spender, governments of the EU member states increased their defense spending to reach the 2 percent GDP NATO contribution target. The U.S. government built a wall across its southern border to improve American security; meanwhile, EU member states increased the number and budget of border patrols like FRONTEX to protect their borders from refugees and mass immigration flows, which seem a threat to their security. However, neither the U.S. nor the EU were well prepared to protect their citizens from one of the most dangerous and deadly security threats, one that does not recognize any border: pandemics.

The recent outbreak of COVID-19 reminds us that a pandemic can kill as many people as a war. Moreover, COVID-19 also demonstrates that it can severely harm the economy and has the potential to change the current international economic system. Furthermore, COVID-19 indicates that there is an urgent need for solidarity among NATO allies to battle against the outbreak.

COVID-19 is not the first pandemic but pandemics were not accepted as a security threat and were not included in security strategy documents until the early 2000s, only viewed as a national security issue following the H5N1 and H1N1 outbreaks in 2005 and 2009. The 2006 U.S. National Security Strategy stated that pandemics like HIV (AIDS), H5N1 (avian influenza) do not recognize borders and should be dealt with through new strategies and responses. Like the U.S., the EU included pandemics as public health threats under the section entitled Security and Development Nexus in the 2008 Report on the Implementation of the European Security Strategy, stating that pandemics further undermine development.

Both the U.S. and the EU and its member states that define pandemics as a security threat aim to protect their citizens and try to take measures at national, federal and union levels. Contrary to these national security strategy documents, NATOs 2010 strategic concept, an official policy document outlining purpose and fundamental NATO security tasks, does not mention pandemic.

NATO reconsidered its planning and operations to deal with new security threats. Accordingly, the head of states underlined key environmental and resource constraints, including health risks, climate change, water scarcity and increasing energy needs will further shape the future security environment in areas of concern to NATO and have the potential to significantly affect NATO planning and operations at the Wales Summit Declaration of NATO in 2014.

A couple of months ago at the NATO London Summit, leaders and heads of state stated that we are stepping up NATOs role in human security. The concept of human security, which was first introduced in the United Nations Development Programs 1994 Human Development Report, emphasizes the necessity of focusing on the protection of individuals from economic, environmental, social, and other forms of harm, including pandemics. Pandemics, which transcend national frontiers and are described as a global challenge, cannot be handled by state-centered traditional security understanding. Like other global challenges, a pandemic necessitates a global response.

Among other NATO allies, Italy has been hit worst by the outbreak and pleaded for help. China, Russia and Cuba responded very quickly to Italys request. China sent ventilators, face masks, doctors and nurses to Italy to help its battle against COVID-19. Russia sent military doctors, specialists on epidemics and equipment. Cuban doctors and nurses also travelled to Italy in order to help. This not only shows the necessity of international cooperation and enhanced partnerships with other actors and organizations when needed (as stated at the Strategic Concept of NATO) but also the need for an enhanced role for NATO to help its allies combat pandemics.

NATO is not unfamiliar with relief operations and humanitarian assistance. It took an active role in relief operations in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (2005) and an earthquake in Pakistan (2005). NATOs Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Center (EADRCC) providing medical, logistical and food supplies to the U.S. after Katrina. NATO also provided food, medical care, and deployed engineers, medical units to assist in relief operations after the earthquake in Pakistan.

In the London Declaration of 2019, leaders and heads of states reiterated that NATO guarantees the security of its member states territory, citizens and common values, emphasizing the cornerstone of alliance: solidarity, unity and cohesion.

It is time to show this solidarity with NATO allies struggling with the COVID-19 outbreak. It is time to enhance NATO's role in the fight against pandemics.

Aylin Unver Noi is a senior fellow at the Transatlantic Leadership Network and an associate professor on international relations at Istinye University in Istanbul.

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NATO Highlights Role of 3D Printing as Part of COVID 19 Response – Second Line of Defense

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NATO Allies have joined efforts with private companies and academic institutions in the fight against the global pandemic of the Coronavirus. These efforts include making 3D printing available to produce ventilator masks, which represent a crucial component of the medical equipment required to treat patients hit by the Coronavirus.

In Italy, a team of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) located in Taranto has established a cooperation with an Italian start-up called ISINNOVA that will result in the production of 25 3D-printed connectors on a weekly basis converting snorkelling masks into emergency ventilator masks. These will be donated to the Italian Civil Protection Department for further distribution in the most needed hospitals.

The Czech Republic has also distributed samples of newly developed hi-tech respirators printable on 3D printers to Italy, together with 10,000 pieces of protective suits. This has been made possible by the cooperation amongst different entities, including the Polytechnic Institutes of Milan and Prague.

This article was published by NATO on April 2, 2020.

Featured Photo:Hospital patient testing the snorkelling mask. Credits: FabFactory

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U.S. committed to Ukraine and Georgia to become future members of NATO – UNIAN

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The Alliance pursues an open door policy.

REUTERS

"We are committed to all of those countries to become the future members of NATO. We want all of them," Kay Bailey Hutchison, U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO, said during a LiveAtState briefing on April 1, 2020, when asked what the enlargement of the Alliance after North Macedonia became its 30th member means for aspirant countries like Georgia, Ukraine, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Read alsoNATO Allies take stock of response to COVID-19 outbreak

"And we have been to Georgia, we have been to Ukraine. We want their reforms to come forward so that they can prevail over the Russian misinformation and actual border-enforcing of parts of their countries Georgia and Ukraine," she said.

"Russia must let those countries have their sovereign rule, their sovereign territory, their boundaries, and we are very intent on helping Georgia and Ukraine continue to respond to the Russian aggression that has taken over parts of their countries. And we are not going to let down on those efforts," she added.

She also reiterates the Alliance adheres to an open door policy, and North Macedonia's case proves the effectiveness of the policy.

Hutchison stressed that assistance was being provided to Ukraine and Georgia, and a support package for Ukraine and Georgia would be discussed at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers on April 2.

"So we have an open door. I think that's what the accession of North Macedonia shows. And we are helping our partners, Georgia and Ukraine. We are giving them a package that will be discussed tomorrow at the foreign ministerial. I believe the foreign ministers will approve a package that continues to build on our support and help for Georgia and Ukraine," she said.

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U.S. committed to Ukraine and Georgia to become future members of NATO - UNIAN

Greece and Turkey enter war of words at NATO meeting – AMN Al-Masdar News

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BEIRUT, LEBANON (2:00 P.M.) On Friday, April 3rd, the foreign ministers of the NATO nations held a teleconference to discuss the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak and their contingencies; however, the meeting would apparently turn sour when Greece and Turkey traded accusations over Ankaras decision to open their European border to migrants, the Russian newspaper Gazeta.RU reported.

According to the publication, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu left the virtual meeting earlier than all the other participants after disputes with Greece over migrants.

The diplomat recalled that an agreement was concluded between Ankara and the European Union in 2016, which obliged Turkey to accept about four million refugees from Syria and other countries of the Middle East, and not allow them to go to Europe.

In exchange for this, the EU promised to provide Turkey with assistance in the amount of 6 billion and provide other incentives, such as a visa-free regime for Turkish citizens. Cavusoglu stressed that the EU has not fulfilled its part of the deal.

We advise them to think about the long term, because it is not just a matter of migration, he said, demanding from Europe liberalization of the visa regime, updating the agreement on the customs union and strengthening the fight against terrorism.

Not long after this, Cavusoglu accused Greece of killing migrants trying to cross the common border of countries.

In response, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said that Ankaras claims are specially organized propaganda for political purposes and have fake news.

Greece faced an organized and unprecedented attack on its border and a disinformation campaign from Turkey. The methods used by Turkey violated the values of NATO. All allies have the right to call for NATO solidarity, but only if they fulfill their obligations, the Greek diplomat emphasized, as quoted by Gazeta.RU.

Cavusoglu demanded to give him the opportunity to answer, but NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stopped this attempt, so as not to contribute to inciting scandal online.

The Turkish Foreign Minister, in response, disconnected from the conference.

Turkish and Greek relations are at a decade-long low, as disagreements over the movement of migrants and Ankaras oil exploration off the coast of Cyprus has put the two countries at odds.

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David Charters: Grumbling oil boiler offers thoughts of immortality – Liverpool Echo

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The boiler in the attic was wheezing, rumbling and grumbling, reminding me of a gentleman of the road who used to shuffle into the public library to read the papers - and enjoy a cigarette with his tea, brewed by the staff to the brown of an old penny.

His paper of choice was the Daily Worker. I wondered then if he saw some irony in the title, as he sat there in greatcoat, his fragrance an acquired taste. Sometimes. Id offer him a Fishermans Friend lozenge in the vain hope it would clear the phlegm in his chest.

But back to our bothersome boiler. The waters running cold, shrilled my wife as her lead foot descended into the baths scented bubbles.

Were in the midst of a global pandemic, I snapped.. There are rumours of Russian ships in our territorial waters. Stock markets are nose-diving. We should prioritise our worries.

For example, Ive lost my glasses. Do you know where I put them?

Indeed, Im always losing things these days, as has become more obvious during this period of self-isolation, when your pensioner has been less able to perambulate in our crusty old pie of a town.

But Im thinking of things long lost, rather than merely mislaid. And maybe this is the time for finding them. On a rummage though our book shelves I came across Billy Wrights 1960 Book of Soccer. I had not dipped into it for half a century or more.

Inside were lengthy articles, reflecting huge changes in our society, Burnley were the First Division champions. Local players, past and present, were featured, including Evertons Birkenhead-born Bill Dixie Dean, described as having been broad of shoulder, quick off the mark and a born opportunist, whose speciality was an ability to direct a football in almost any direction with a neat flick of his curly head.

There were photos of Liverpools Billy Liddell and Evertons Dave Hickson. Of course, Dean and Hickson both played for Tranmere Rovers at different stages of their careers.

Like old magazines and newspapers, even the Kremlin-backed Daily Worker, such books offer lessons in popular history. Articles carried the by-lines of writers whod otherwise be forgotten. They gave us a picture of their times.

Now Im adjusting the flow of the bath tap until its hot, while wondering where I put my Billy the Kid, Dandy and Eagle annuals. It would be good to see them again.

Life is strange.

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Resurrection #3: How Did Old Testament Jews View the Afterlife? – Patheos

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Judaism believed in the resurrection of an individual from death in the middle of history. Rather, their understanding was that their entire nation alone would rise from death together at the end of history. William Lane Craigs lengthy studies of the resurrection of Jesus Christ culminated in the publishing of two scholarly books on the issue.26 Craig asserts:

Jewish belief always concerned a resurrection at the end of the world, not a resurrection in the middle of historyThe resurrection to glory and immortality did not occur until after God had terminated world history. This traditional Jewish conception was the prepossession of Jesus own disciples (Mark 9:913; John 11:24). The notion of a genuine resurrection occurring prior to Gods bringing about the worlds end would have been foreign to themJewish belief always concerned a general resurrection of the people, not the resurrection of an isolated individual.27

What difference does it make when people are suffering and dying to believe that Jesus conquered death and because of him so can other people?

26. Craig spent two years as a fellow of the Humboldt Foundation studying the resurrection of Jesus Christ at the University of Munich. See William Lane Craig, The Historical Argument for the Resurrection of Jesus During the Deist Controversy (Lewiston, ID: Edwin Mellen, 1985), and Assessing the New Testament Evidence for the Historicity of the Resurrection of Jesus (Lewiston, ID: Edwin Mellen, 1989).27. William Lane Craig, Did Jesus Rise from the Dead? in Jesus Under Fire: Modern Scholarship Reinvents the Historical Jesus, ed. Michael J. Wilkins and J. P. Moreland (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), 160, emphases in original.

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Opossums, Hydras And Hummingbirds: What We’re Learning About Aging From Animals – OPB News

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The hydra, a tiny sea creature, appears to never age. Scientists are studying it to learn what secrets it may hold to longevity.

Leonardo Santamaria for NPR

A stint as lion tamer in Hollywood got Steven Austad interested in animal biology. And soon he turned from training animals to studying them. Hes now chair of the biology department at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where his research focuses onaging.

Hes learned that aging happens at different rates in different animals, without following any clear rules. Austad says its not heart rate that predicts lifespan. An animals size has something to do with it, but some animals defy that pattern. And even more perplexing are animals that dont seem to age at all like a tiny sea creature called ahydra.

Austad spoke with Invisibilias Lulu Miller to discuss what science has uncovered about animal aging processes, and how researchers might be able to use what theyve learned to extend human lifespans. Theres no immortality on the horizon or anything close to it but its likely science can eventually lengthen our lives by at least a little, Austadsays.

This interview has been edited for clarity andlength.

How did you go from lion taming for the movies to studyingaging?

I was a reporter for the Oregonian newspaper in Portland. And a friend of mine had a couple of African lions for pets, because he was crazy. He got an offer to use them in a movie, and he needed somebody to help him transport them from Portland to Hollywood. And he talked me into helping out. When I got down there, the movie producer offered me a job and I said, You understand I dont know anything at all about this, right? And he said, thats okay. It awakened my interest in animals and what makes animals tick. After I got fairly seriously injured one time, I thought maybe this is not really what I want to do the rest of my life. So I decided to study animals in graduateschool.

What did you like about traininglions?

What I liked the most about lions is because they live in social groups, they like contact. Theyre almost like dogs, more like dogs than cats, except they sometimes will try to kill you. But I just love the intimate contact with them. For the first year, I never took a day off. I worked seven days aweek.

How did opossums short life span get you interested inlongevity?

We were working on some animals in South America opossums. I discovered that they age really quickly, almost like mice. And that was so puzzling to me that I completely abandoned what I was working on. It was the size and the longevity combination. I think we all have this kind of intuitive feel from being around animals that smaller animals are going to [have] shorter lives. So you know, a dog has a longer life than a mouse, and a horse has a longer life than a dog, and an elephant has a longer life than a horse. And this just seemed to grossly violate that. I had to recapture them every month, and I would come upon one that was in prime physical health, and two months later it would have cataracts, and it would have lost muscles, and had parasites all over it, and arthritis. It all happened soabruptly.

So, are size and lifespan linked in animals ornot?

Yeah, its a very general pattern. Its true of mammals. Its true of birds. Its true of reptiles. Its true of almost every group of animals. We know that smaller ones are shorter-lived and bigger ones are longer-lived. But there are exceptions, and actually I think the exceptions are the ones that are most interesting from a scientificperspective.

What is the billion beats hypothesis and why do you questionit?

Ive spent a good deal of my career trying to kill it, but obviously, I havent been able to. The [idea] is that life is inherently destructive and that burning energy is inherently destructive. Lets say all mammals have a kind of a fixed amount of energy that they can burn over the course of a lifetime. And if they burn it fast, theyll be short-lived, like mice. And if they burn it slow like an elephant, they can live much longer than that. The reason that I dont really buy it, is that if you actually look at a whole bunch of animals, it turns out that smaller ones actually have more heartbeats and use more energy over the course of a lifetime than large ones. And then there are these massive exceptions to it. Hummingbirds have a heart rate of over 1,200 beats per minute, which is kind of like a machine gun, but yet they can live in the wild into theirteens.

How do you think we should look at the link between size andlifespan?

I have developed something called the longevity quotient, which really is a way to say: Is an animal long-lived or short-lived for its size? Dogs, for instance, have a longevity quotient of one, which means theyre exactly an average mammal in terms of how long they live. And we have a longevity quotient of about four and a half, so we live about four and a half times as long as a mammal of our size should live. Mice live about 70% as long as an average mammal of thatsize.

And theres a very small animal thats actually one of the longest lived creatures,right?

Hydras were discovered actually in the early 1700s by Van Leeuwenhoek, who invented the first decent microscope. Theyre freshwater animals, maybe a quarter to a half inch in length. They almost look like a sea anemone, theyre just smaller and skinnier. They really started to be studied in earnest a few years later by a Swiss biologist named Trembley who discovered if he cut them in half across the middle, the bottom would grow a new top, and the top would grow a new bottom. It turns out that you can even treat them with chemicals that basically dissolve all the things that make their cells stick together. Youd make a pile of cells and they will eventually reassemble into a hydra. He started chopping them up in all kinds of ways to see exactly what you needed to regenerate. He eventually created a hydra that had multiple heads. Thats how it really came to be [called a] hydra, because a hydra in Greek mythology was this monster that had manyheads.

And what did we learn about aging from the hydra? How is it even possible for them to have this kind oflongevity?

Hydras have stem cells in them. When they divide, one half of it remains a stem cell, but the other half will eventually turn into part of the tentacle or part of the mouth or part of the body wall. It changed the way we thought about animal development at that point in time. We didnt really know how animals develop [in the 1700s], and one idea was that animals were just very, very tiny replicas of themselves when they were in an embryonic stage, and that pre-formed thing just grew. At that point they thought, maybe inside of a human egg theres a little tiny human and it hatches out into a baby and then it just grows and grows and grows. The hydra pretty much killed that idea because we could take just part of it, which clearly did not contain a whole hydra, and grow a whole new hydra out ofit.

Are hydras reallyimmortal?

Rumors really started to accumulate in the 1950s. People had followed individual hydras for a few years, and they didnt seem to die at any higher rates. So there was a rumor that they might be potentially immortal. Daniel Martinez in the late 1990s actually reported that they didnt age. Few people believed him. At least for as long as anybodys had the patience to follow individual hydras that has been about seven years at the most theres no indication that they age at all. It is possible that if we followed them long enough, we would discover that they aged, but no one has had the patience to do it. Certainly it would be a very, very long time. Theyre not the only animal that doesnt age, but theyre one of the few, and the others that dont appear to age are really close relatives the various kinds of jellyfish, forinstance.

What has been unlocked in the science of aging by looking athydras?

So the idea that if you manipulate single genes, it can have a dramatic effect on aging was really discovered in the late 1980s I would say. And then through the 90s it was confirmed and other genes werediscovered.

One of those genes directly interacted with this gene FOXO. Finding this in everything from little worms to people [with long lifespans] suggested that the activity of FOXO might be a key to understanding slow aging. So the hydra work really confirmed what had been seen in a number of otheranimals.

How has research on slowing agingprogressed?

Starting about 30 years ago, people discovered that there were genes that if you either knocked down their activity or souped up their activity could really have a major impact on aging. We started to look at drugs that could affect aging, and we now have at least half a dozen drugs that we know affect aging in a lot of different animals. Some of those things will turn out not to work in humans, but Im quite confident that we will develop ways to improve human health either by injections, by transfusions, by taking certain pills every day. And thats what the biotech industry is going nuts with rightnow.

You often hear people fantasize that were going to live 500 or 1,000 years in the future, and I dont buy that at all. We havent been able to do that with different species. What we can do is we can increase the longevity of mice, worms and flies lets say by 20% many, many ways. And so I think thats a reasonable idea. Whats unclear is how much of that will be healthylife.

Are there drawbacks to potentially extendinglifespan?

Lets imagine that we discover a gene mutation that doubles lifespan. If this is so great, why didnt nature do this a long time ago? If it has an effect on reproduction or the [time] to sexual maturity, it may turn out from an evolutionary standpoint not to be a good gene, but to be a bad gene. For all of the benefits that we get in terms of health, there may be some downsides to some of these treatments. We need to becareful.

Knowing everything you do about aging, do you live anydifferently?

I dont take anything. I dont do any weird diets. I do a lot of sensible stuff. I exercise a lot. I eat right. I dont smoke. Once theres enough evidence, I may try some other stuff. I dont think theres evidence enough in humans to be doing anything else right now.

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Mr. Tiger, legend Al Kaline passes away at the age of 85 – KOIN.com

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BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. (WLNS) Legendary Detroit Tigers right fielder Al Kaline died Monday afternoon at the age of 85.

In 22 seasons with the Tigers, the MLB Hall of Famer played in more games and hit more home runs than anyone else in club history.

The 18-year-old Kaline came to the Tigers in 1953 directly from high school, having never spent a day in the minors, and by the next season established himself as one of the games bright new talents. By 1955, at age 20, he became the youngest player to win a batting title when he hit .340, according to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Mr. Tiger was the 12th player in Major League Baseball history to reach the elite 3,000-hit club, and the second Detroit Tigers player following Ty Cobb.

On Aug. 17, 1980, the number 6 won immortality in Detroit when Kaline became the first player in Tigers history to have his number retired. 1980 was the same year he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The city of Detroit also honored Kaline, announcing when he signed his contract in 1970 that Aug. 2 would be known as Al Kaline Day.

I owe everything to baseball, Kaline said, according to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Without it, Id probably be a bum.

A cause of death was not immediately available. John Morad, a close friend of the family, confirmed the news to the Detroit Free Press after speaking with Kalines youngest son, Mike.

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Sam Hunts Southside Is a Big Deal, Even If Hes Casual About It – The Ringer

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Ima take it slow just as fast as I can, purred wily country superstar Sam Hunt on his very silly 2017 smash hit Body Like a Back Road, and then, just to really drive the point home, he waited three full years to put that song on his new album. Yes, Southside, the hilariously long-awaited follow-up to Hunts cataclysmic 2014 debut Montevallo, finally came out Friday; yes, he fussed over this goddamn record for a solid half-decade, just to get everything absolutely perfect, only to release it [gestures futilely at recent world events] now. Amazing. You dont Google a song as old as Body Like a Back Road to remember when he put it outyou carbon-date it. That it sounds better now than it ever didstill pretty stupid, but winsome now in its flagrant naivetis a plot twist, kinda funny and kinda crushingly sad, and worthy of, yes, a country song.

Hunt, a Georgia native and minor college football star, is far from the first Nashville disruptor to try his hand at rapping, at oversharing, at charmingly arrogant self-actualization. (Think of him as the young zen quarterback, secure in his own immortality, who animates the lately rhapsodized Fountains of Wayne song All Kinds of Time.) But Montevallo, though familiar in its subject matter (see Break Up in a Small Town), crammed louche talk-sung verses into brash EDM-drop choruses (see Break Up in a Small Town again) and sounded like a revelation, a mainstream country landmark for a post-genre universe. I think about Hunts thing about the grass growing back on his front lawn where his ex used to park her car, like, once a week. (Same song.) Hes an everyman of almost superhuman vividness, and he was bound to turn the simple labor of putting out another album into a vaguely mystical and beyond-laborious ordeal.

Southside is 12 tracks and not quite 40 minutes long, and does not betray, from its hyper-casual cover shot on down, its status as probably the most anxiously awaited sophomore country album of Hunts generation. (The dogs not even looking at the camera.) Sometimes hes a staunch traditionalist: The albums very first line, a forlornly crooned Id put the whiskey back in the bottle, could be the first line of any country album released by anybody, ever. That song, 2016, is, like most of Hunts best songs, a tender and perceptive ode to romantic regret, sweet and remarkably apolitical given that its chorus expresses his desire to take 2016 and give it back to you. He sounds great, and reenergized, but not so much like a boundary-smashing iconoclast fixing to lead the revolution.

And then Hard to Forget happens. It kicks off with a sample of postwar honky-tonk giant Webb Pierces 1953 jam There Stands the Glass, chopping and stretching good ol Webbs nasal syllables as the brash beat kicks in, a feat of bumptious hick-hop sacrilege that powers, yes, a tender and perceptive ode to romantic regret. Got a bottle of whisky but Ive got no proof / That you showed up tonight in that dress just to mess with my head, Hunt quips in the chorus, a raucous house party raging all around him. Its all so simple, so ridiculous, so instantly indelible. This will be a fantastic summer song, my Ringer colleague Meg Schuster observed, if we still get a summer.

Like any early-2020 album served up by anybody, Southside was written and recorded (and frequently delayed) with no clue as to the tumultuous coronavirus-ravaged environment into which itd eventually be released. But Hunt knows a thing or two about inner tumult, about tenuous good times elucidated through gritted teeth, about pathos that feels communal even if its terribly specific to him. The narrative of this record, and really his whole career to date, revolves around his romantic partner, Hannah Lee Fowler: They split shortly before Montevallos release (its named after her hometown, and the split was his fault), and he spent much of the intervening years between that record and this one very publicly wooing her back. Southsides closing track Drinkin Too Muchwhich also dates to 2017, and in its moody solipsism is Hunts most Drake-like song amid fierce competitioncloses with this:

Hannah Lee, Im on my way to youNobody can love you like I doI dont know what Im gonna say to youBut I know there aint no wayI know there aint no wayNo there aint no way were through

Anyway, now theyre married. Repurposing this three-year-old, paralyzingly depressed jam as the albums dramatic conclusion is the most vulnerable sort of power move: See, I called my shot. Hunt, as you mightve guessed by now, has little use for chronological time. Drinkin Too Much is preceded by a clever and expertly lightweight anti-Instagram rant called Breaking Up Was Easy in the 90s; another moody and extra-bombastic breakup song, Downtowns Dead, is nearly two years old itself, and kicks off with Hunt singing, Thanks Hannah, thank you for coming back deep in the mix. Southside is the country-music equivalent of watching Memento, the narrative scrambled, our lovers torn apart or triumphantly reunited as the plot dictates.

Its all quite ambitious, even if the songs themselves are at their best when theyre at their humblest. Kinfolks and Downtowns Dead both have nimble and gigantic choruses that require no backstory; so does the melancholy Young Once, on which Hunt tosses off killer line after killer line that fully hits you only the 12th time you hear it. (Who knows how long were always gonna feel this way?) The woozy drum-machine backbeat mixes expertly with, yknow, the banjo on Let It Down. And if youre in it for the quote-unquote rapping, with Hunt somehow both at his bro-iest and most profound, then That Aint Beautiful is your jam, even if its mansplaining of the most mellifluous sort:

And you can split an AdderallWith a stranger in the bathroom stallSend a misspelled text to an exPut his fist through your bedroom wallCause bein treated like shitIs really comfortable to you

Sam Hunt songs are perspective-mangling magic tricks: Theyre reliably both not that deep and fathomless. Sinning With You is a sex jam that doubles as an alarmingly astute meditation on spirituality, and I feel as weird typing that as you do reading it, but sheesh: Your place or my place / His grace and your grace / Felt like the same thing to me probably wont take 12 repetitions to sink in. Southside is a huge deal in a monumentally casual way, and every track on it, however ancient it might be, is both deeply personal and totally perfect for general merriment and/or misery. Whether we get a summer this summer or not.

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