HERE IT IS just a few days after Thanksgiving, and Im probably not alone in thinking about the poundage I usually put on (then struggle to lose) in just one extremely treat-filled month. There is no doubt from the many studies on this topic about the relationship between weight and longevity in humans. While there are no studies of longevity in dogs that Im aware of, its likely the same relationship exists.

Longevity in dogs is a problem or rather lack of longevity. The American Veterinary Medical Association claims dogs are living longer. Longer than what? A hundred years ago, sanitation and medical improvements saved infants and the young from early death, greatly affecting human longevity. The claim that dogs are living longer might be related to the reduction and elimination of diseases that kill puppies. At the other end of the spectrum, the sad fact is that dogs do not live as long as they used to.

When I was a child, dogs often lived well into their teens. My next-door-neighbors dog, an Irish setter, was the same age as I. She died when I was a freshman in college. We were both 17. They also had a cocker spaniel that lived to be 20!

Nearly 50 years ago, I interviewed for a job at a Newfoundland kennel with more than 40 dogs, many that were 18 to 20 years old. They fully expected their dogs to live well into their mid-to late teens. Now, a mere 45 years later, a Newfie that lives to be 10 is old hardly an increase in longevity.

While genetics plays a role in longevity, there is a profound message for dog owners in this simple statement: Thin creatures live longer than fat ones.

Could it be that our pets reduced longevity is in part because we feed them too much? There is a lot we dont know about why so few dogs live into their late teens, but certainly one factor could well be excess weight even just a few too many pounds. A 50-pound dog that is just 10 pounds overweight is carrying 20% more weight than its frame and organs are designed for. This is considered to be obesity in humans, but in dogs its considered show weight or proof that we love and spoil our dogs usually said with an apologetic shrug.

If by spoiling our dogs were shortening their lives, wouldnt it be better to be tough (read kind) and cut out fattening snacks? Consider the greyhound, a large, sleek hound with a life expectancy many years beyond large, heavier hounds. Bloodhounds, a similar size, but much heavier dog, live to 10 or 11, while a greyhound often lives to 14 or 15. Greyhounds are one of the only show dogs for whom show weight is not overweight. You can see the ribs of a healthy greyhound, while it is often hard to even feel the ribs on many pet dogs.

I firmly believe that one of the reasons my English mastiffs lived to 13 or 14 (years beyond the life expectancy of the breed) was in part because I keep my dogs thin anathema for many mastiff people. For many giant breed owners, bigger is better. Theyll proudly exclaim, My Mastiff weighed 250 pounds! He might have died at the age of 6 and could barely walk because he was grossly overweight, but, by golly, he was huge!

Veterinarians we talk to almost universally agree that most pet dogs are too fat. In many cases, they have given up fighting that battle. Despite recommendations that the dog needs to lose weight, many owners seem to have a hard time cutting back on their dogs food and seem to believe theyre punishing their dog if they provide low-fat snacks. Youre not! Youre being kinder to your dog.

So in this holiday season, consider not sharing your turkey skin and leftover gravy with your dog. Or if you do, cut back on your dogs food that day. Your dog wont hate you for it, and you might well have him around a few extra months or years.

Gail Fisher, author of The Thinking Dog and a dog behavior consultant, runs All Dogs Gym & Inn in Manchester. To suggest a topic for this column, which appears every other Sunday, email gail@alldogsgym.com or write c/o All Dogs Gym, 505 Sheffield Road, Manchester, NH 03103. Past columns are on her website.

More here:

Gail Fisher's 'Dog Tracks': Spoiling you dog with extra food could cut short its life - The Union Leader

Worldwide, there are now 31 people over the age of 110. Of these, 30 are women.

Sounds odd?

According to the Morbidity-Mortality Paradox or Health Paradox, despite higher rates of disability and poorer health than men, women experience greater longevity in modern human societies.

Representational image. Image source: Getty Images.

What is the reason behind this? Is it a woman's immune system, luck or magical powers?

None of the above. Here are three science-backed reasons why women outlive men:

One of the factors that affect longevity in men is that they are more likely to be seen with a cigarette hanging out of their mouths - according to the World Health Organization (WHO), 40% of men are smokers compared to 9% of women. Also, fewer women tend to abuse alcohol compared to men.

Scientists confirm that these habits make men more prone to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, coronary heart disease, digestive problems, and liver disease.

Studies have also shown that compared to women, men are at a higher risk of developing diabetes and its complications like diabetic nephropathy and diabetic foot.

Also read:World COPD Day 2019: Why this lung disease is still under-diagnosed in India

Scientists have shown that testosterone may stimulate the prostate gland and increase the risk of prostate cancer. Also, studies have shown that testosterone improves reproductive function earlier in life but shortens the lifespan in the long run (antagonistic pleiotropy effect).

Other than maintaining female sexual organs, estrogen helps in blood clotting, increases the level of good cholesterol and maintains gastrointestinal tract.

Estrogen also has antioxidant properties and helps delay the decrease of skin collagen in women as they grow older.

Scientists believe that because of estrogens protective effect, premenopausal women are less likely to have coronary heart disease than men and women who have hit menopause.

Some scientists believe that girls are more robust, stronger and healthier, than boys from birth itself.

Joy Lawn, director of the Centre for Maternal, Reproductive, and Child Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, has said that whenever a newborn boy comes into the neonatal unit, statistically, he is more likely to die compared to a girl.

The extra X chromosome in the female DNA is somehow said to be responsible for this.

Human DNA is made up of at least two sex chromosomes that decide the gender. Females have XX, whereas males have XY.

Recently, research was done on two sets of mice: one with natural male-female mouse biology (XX and XY) and the other set with XX chromosomes paired with testes and XY chromosomes paired with ovaries. A senior author of the study and neurologist, Dena Dubal, found that mice with two X-chromosomes outlived all the mice but the ones with testes and XX chromosome also turned out to live longer. This longevity effect was observed after 21 months, as it is considered to be the end of a normal mouse's lifespan.

The researchers concluded that the second X and its genetic expression has a protective effect that increases survival.

Health articles in Firstpost are written by myUpchar.com, Indias first and biggest resource for verified medical information. At myUpchar, researchers and journalists work with doctors to bring you information on all things health. For more information, please read our article onEstrogen.

Updated Date: Dec 02, 2019 15:39:41 IST

Tags : Live Longer, Longer Life, Longer Lifespan, Longevity, Men Age, NewsTracker, Why Women Live Longer, Women Live Longer

Read more here:

Three reasons women live longer than men - Firstpost

Protests throughout the world, in Hong Kong, Chile, France, the Middle East and elsewhere, are embracing the principles and products of cryptocurrencyin many cases without even knowing it.

Todays movements are made up of hundreds and thousands of protestors, groups of disparate individuals aligned around values and causes. The decentralized networks theyve adoptedreliant on technology rather than leaderscould ensure their longevity. It could also permanently alter the geopolitical landscape.

In the same way, blockchain, the technology that underpins Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, is reliant on decentralized networks.

But just how closely aligned are these leaderless movements with the similarly decentralized blockchain and cryptocurrencies? And what impact are they having on the adoption of decentralized principlesand, ultimately, on the price and perception of crypto?

The Internet provides a backbone for 21st century rebellion, but is also its weakest link.

The Swiss Army Knife for modern day protesters is the smartphone; a communications tool thats also a camera, GPS and more besides. The killer app is private, encrypted social media and messaging apps such as Telegram, with its secret chat function.

These tools enable protestors to evade surveillance; form anonymous groups; post video footage; agree how and where to rally, and request additional supplies.

But, earlier this month, Iranian authorities showed how they can be defused.

Mass demonstrations against petrol rises, the result of US sanctions, turned violent but were quickly diffused when Iran pulled the plug on Internet connectivity for over 90% of the country.

Its not an easy thing to do. But regimes around the world, including those in Russia, have been busy retrofitting traditional private and decentralized networks with cooperation agreements, technical implants, or a combination of both, to give themselves more power over Internet access.

In both Russia and Iran, Telegram has been banned by authorities since last year. But Russian dissidents have managed to find ways around the ban, often using VPNsVirtual Private Networkswhich route an Internet connection through a different country. Telegram founder Pavel Durov has also proved adept at moving the companys servers to stay one step ahead of authorities.

Decentralized applications, dapps, are also becoming increasingly popular. Messaging apps Bridgefy and FireChat both work by creating a mesh network of users mobile phones offline, via Bluetooth. Messages are relayed from phone to phone until they reach their destination.

But the technology is still nascent and not practical in confrontational situations, say protestors. And its especially difficult for Iranians to access foreign servers and infrastructure because many companies ban them for fear of US sanctions.

One of the main attractions (and criticisms) of Bitcoin is that it can be used indiscriminately by anyone from protestors to terrorists to sanctioned regimes. Everyone from the Iranian regime, which has mined bitcoin to dodge sanctions, to Ukrainian protestors, who held up signs with QR codes during 2014s Maidan Square uprising in a bid to raise funds, has taken advantage of its censorship resistance.

Fundraising techniques are becoming increasingly sophisticated to evade detection; the armed wing of Palestinian group Hamas reportedly uses a fresh digital wallet for each transaction. But for donations, even cryptocurrency is fallible. Payment processor BitPay was accused of blocking crypto donations to the Hong Kong Free Press for several weeks last October.

Be the first to get Decrypt Members. A new type of account built on blockchain.

Of course, being associated with funding for terrorist groups, and other violent organisations, doesnt do the image of cryptocurrencies any favours.

Nevertheless, Bitcoin proponents such as Morgan Creek Digital co-founder Anthony Pompliano, believe that the non-seizability of Bitcoin becomes ever more attractive in moments of geopolitical crisis.

Data for OTC (Over-the-counter) crypto trades from LocalBitcoins suggests that, during the early months of the Hong Kong protests, peer-to-peer trading increased. A further spike appears to coincide with the protests escalation, at the end of last month.

Libertarians point to events in troubled countries such as Chile, which is seeing widespread protests over long-standing economic injustice. ATMs reportedly ran out of cash there earlier this month. They argue that when people experience such measures, theyre more likely to sell local currency for bitcoin to escape the uncertainty surrounding the legacy markets. Essentially, it's a tool of freedom for people under tyranny and that's significant, Bitcoin advocate Jimmy Song told Decrypt back in September.

Song has been working with the non-profit Human Rights Foundation to teach activists how Bitcoin might be useful to them. Its a significant part of what Bitcoin is supposed to be. Its becoming a much bigger part of the human rights movement all around the world, he said.

But while enthusiasts might be quick to suggest that Bitcoin is acting as a safe haven for funds, or a protest tool in Hong Kong, analysts warn that reliance on a single source is unwise.

Hong Kong's 2014 Umbrella Movement shaped the form of today's protest. IMAGE: Flickr

LocalBitcoins volumes are one indicator but they're hardly reflective of the full BTC market in any given region, Mati Greenspan, founder of the Quantum Economics newsletter, told Decrypt.

He said that investment funds and analysts are tracking protest movements and political instability as bellwethers of crypto price, but emphasized that economic stability remains the most important factor.

In countries where the local currency sees massive devaluation the propensity to hold bitcoin is much higher, he said. Correlations between buying activity and inflation in Venezuela, or political events in Argentina are more likely, he believes.

But thats assuming funds are accessible. In Lebanon, five weeks of anti-government protests were fuelled by anger at corruption, and bank accounts were frozen. Protestors there reported that digital assets are rarely useful as currency, since citizens were cut off from global exchange platforms.

Leaderless rebellion is not new, despite recent headlines. In the 1980s, during the last phase of the anti-apartheid struggle, black Africans evaded martial law by organizing in a cell-like structure. A major factor in the movements eventual success was the effective coordination of economic boycotts against white businesses by these so-called cells.

Similarly, in the ongoing Hong Kong protests, members of the protest movement made an early decision to eschew centralized leadership. The fact that all the leaders of the unsuccessful 2014 Umbrella movement protest were convictedand received sentences ranging from two to 16 monthsis still fresh in citizens minds.

But decentralized protest is mushrooming even in areas of the world where penalties for rebellion are far less severe. The Occupy movement over wealth inequality, which started with Occupy Wall Street, went viral in 2011, after thousands of protestors pitched tents in the heart of New York City.

Most recently, Extinction Rebellion (XR), a global, non-violent protest movement sparked by the lack of government action over climate change, mobilized hundreds of thousands to take part in civil disobedience.

Decentralized organization gives you a great deal of autonomy, which I think appeals to people who become involved in protests and activism because they tend to be protesting against authority figures and rigid hierarchical structures anyway, Steve Tooze, a local organizer for XR, told Decrypt.

He believes that, like himself, many of those joining the movement have a minimal history of activism. I think people are desperatein our current climate of growing authoritarianismto feel empowered, and able to have agency of their own, and I think XR gives that to them, he said.

Tooze praised the fluid and transparent nature of the movement, which seeks to adhere to a detailed constitution, empowering anybody to act so long as they agree to its core principles, But he admitted that the process of reaching consensus on which actions to pursue could be time consuming and frustrating.

But the biggest challenge facing XR, he contends, is the authorities determined persecution of figures perceived to be XR leaders. Roger Hallam, one of the movements founders, is seen as something of a driving force behind it. Last week, he was accused of anti-Semitism for comments he made about the Holocaust, and disowned by the German faction of the group.

Earlier this year, XR members also disowned a controversial plan he was involved in, to fly drones and disrupt holiday flights at Heathrow, the UKs busiest airport. The consensus was that it crossed the line of non-violent protest.

But other controversial actions have gone ahead. During one rush-hour protest at Londons Canning Town, protestors attempting to stop trains were dragged down from their roofs by angry commuters.

Tooze said that the Canning Town action was massively controversial, but that, like other major actions, it was subject to extensive debate beforehand. He emphasized that, in 99.9% of cases, there were no problems, but explained that if a group of people decide theyre going to carry out an action, if there are three of you, and you adhere to the principles, you can act in the name of XR.

XRs decision-making structures, the connection between loose groups of rebels, and ways to make communications more effective, are all under review, said Tooze. The movement is currently processing an extensive survey among its membership, which will inform the future choices it makes.

Its very difficult for mass movements to prevent unwelcome or unhelpful actions or words by minorities among the memberswords or actions which can then be used by enemies to judge or condemn the whole movement, Carne Ross, author of The Leaderless Revolution: How Ordinary People Will Take Power and Change Politics in the 21st Century, told Decrypt.

The only recourse is to emphasize, to the press, that the minority do not represent the majority, even if its inevitable that those who use violence or provocative words will get more attention, he said.

He added that it was legitimate, in his opinion, to exclude and publicly condemn those who endanger the movement by negative actions or words. A former British diplomat turned anarchist, Ross contends that successful and long-standing examples of leaderless rebellion do exist, and can provide a template for the future.

As an example, he points to the forums that take the place of leadership in Rojava, a region in Northern Syria which revolted against the regime in 2012 and achieved de-facto autonomy as a result. He contends that, thanks to modern communications and social media, such movements can scale with unprecedented speed and range to a massive extentthats what is so exciting about them.

Technology, he said, means you dont need a leader to disseminate strategy, which can spread horizontally. And, while authorities can turn off the Internet, its not a viable long-term strategy.

By their nature, communication systems like WhatsApp are decentralized, said Ross. That characteristic of decentralization gives the network its powerboth as a tool to disseminate information and tactics widely, but also to protect users against the targeting of leaders.

He also believes that, should a revolution develop into a new and more democratic way of doing things, a new way of government, then a role for cryptocurrencies should be anticipated.

But not everyone agrees. In his book The Square and the Tower: Networks and Power, from the Freemasons to Facebook, historian Niall Ferguson, warns that a Libertarian utopiaof free, equal and interconnected netizensis a romantic ideal, not borne out by the past experience of history.

Vast, new networks have been made possible but, like the networks of the past, they are hierarchical in structure, with small numbers of super-connected hubs towering over the mass of sparsely connected nodes, writes Ferguson.

The powers that lend leaderless protest its force (such as decentralized networks on the Internet) can just as easily be co-opted by the less benign forces they seek to overthrow, he suggests.

So advocates of decentralization through blockchain should keep an eye on how decentralized protestand the authorities' response to itis evolving.

Continue reading here:

How Bitcoin points to the future of decentralized protest - Decrypt

Smog enveloping the capital city. New Delhi caught in that smog, human beings affected, breathless and restless. Choking and crying out, as smog tightens its hold on our throats and chestskilling us in that slow steady way.

Inhalers and masks the urgent need of the day, as citizens go coughing amidst cries trying to survive in this faade-ridden scenario where even encounters are turning out to be fake. Harnessing of that tiny little mosquito or any of the strays loitering around seemingly impossible by all possible might under the state machinery, so in utter frustration they hound and pound the two-legged human being ,who is anyway dying a painfully slow death in these developed times!

And as I walked around, gasping in the midst of this haze, I came across several freshly opened medical outlets equipped with surgical dens. Nah, not to be confused with surgical strikes, though not too certain of the near killing sessions well-inside in the operation theatres. Outside the hospital wards and operation theatres, the dying and even the undying discussing death and the human destruction in these developed times.

Though this smouldering smog can be called as one of those levellers but even here money coming to the rescue of those well-equipped with sagging-pockets. For them holds out an array of air purifiers and conditioners and all those get- away destinations How many amongst us can actually flee?

Wrapped in nostalgia, wondering rather aloud: werent we better off in those good old days when developing or under-developed we were with fewer wants.Just two square meals and that once in a while dining out sessions seemed to take care of everyday wants.

The skies up there looked blue .The flowers bloomed. The human face looked carefree and hassle freethe human form was still intact and those cravings for emotional anchorages were not to be confused with surcharged sexual releases. Those were the good old days when we actually lived and lived quite happily! Not like today where even the basic traces of survival are turning out to be an ongoing struggle for survival.

I am more than shocked when rulers of the day continue to talk of growth, development, longevity, and whatever else they can package in their package of lies. In fact, contrary to their claims, today, in these so called developed times we are more prone to deaths and decay.

The environmental pollution is killing our very organs. Not to overlook the noise pollution hitting the very heart. And the limbs cannot be left spared with strays around. In fact, in these recent months wherever I have travelled local residents have cried out, detailing the havoc caused by monkeys and dogs on the prowl. Blatantly attacking pedestrians and intruding into homes and fields yet there is nobody out there to harness their moves. Shouldnt the municipal authorities step in? Shield the human being from these deadly attacks. In fact, though we talk of dengue and viral fevers but little focus on rabies. Why? Whats become of us to be overlooking these deadly animal bites and attacks.Today who cares whether our flesh is ripped through and we die a painful death!

[emailprotected]

Read the original here:

Pollution woes add to our ongoing survival struggle - Tehelka

This week is the 70th anniversary of NATO, and it will be marked by a gathering of the Alliances leaders in London. The anniversary follows both President Emmanuel Macrons recent comments about the Alliance suffering from a brain death and the legacy of last years summit, during which tensions were high and questions swirled about NATOs longevity and utility.

This time around, Turkey is a topic of discussion in the lead-up, with some pointing to actions weve taken to protect our national security like our recent operation in northern Syria as evidence of our rejection of the Alliance. This analysis, however, is wrong-headed and a misinterpretation of the facts of our situation.

Turkey continues to exhibit its commitment to NATO in the most meaningful ways a country can. As one of its earliest members, we have the second largest armed forces in the Alliance, and with roughly 1.9% of our GDP going to NATO, we are one of its top contributors and have committed to raising this to the target 2% by 2024. Our troops have participated in NATO missions, operations and exercises around the world from the Korean War to the Balkans to Afghanistan - and play pivotal roles in humanitarian missions.

We observe a world around us with new challenges and shared security threats, and in that world, Turkey firmly believes that NATO is tremendously relevant and should be bolstered, ensuring it can function effectively and in a spirit of genuine alliance.

Our particular geography surrounded by Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Russia has for decades placed us at the forefront of the Alliance, first during the Cold War and now as the only wall stopping terror groups along our borders from traveling to Europe. This geography and all the realities it portends has made us acutely aware of the risks that exist in our world. There always will be threats state and non-state and while the form and tactics will change over years and decades, we will never be done with the job of securing ourselves. We can choose to be vulnerable, or we can choose to be well-protected. The fact is that we have been and will be safer when like-minded nations are allied, that NATO has made us all safer.

Crucially, we believe NATO will be decisive in the worlds ability to destroy terrorism in all its manifestations; united militaries and security apparatuses with a collective commitment to its defeat. This commitment, however, must be thorough or risks the entire project being thrown into question. And while our NATO allies have fought terrorists with determination in many parts of the globe, in one case, they have shirked their duty.

For years, Turkey called on its allies to help clear a corridor run by a terrorist group along our border that posed a serious threat to our national security and regional stability. The activities of this group, the YPG - the Syrian wing of the PKK, an internationally-designated terror group that has killed 40,000 of our citizens - included ushering ISIS prisoners toward Turkey and digging tunnels into Turkish soil to smuggle explosives to commit their heinous acts of terror. We repeatedly proposed establishing a safe zone with our NATO partners and we agreed on plans together with the US that werent followed through on. Action was needed and although we sought a collective approach, ultimately, we were left going it alone.

Most of our allies refused to help us identify and pursue a solution to the very real security crisis we faced with the YPG, leaving us on our own to put up a defense and then condemned us for doing just that.

This reaction is all the more galling because it follows Turkeys track record of approaching security and counter terrorism with the utmost seriousness and professionalism and a high level of coordination with our NATO allies. For years now in Syria, Turkey has led the Coalition military effort against ISIS by air and ground, with our army as the only NATO military to have fought hand-to-hand combat with ISIS in northern Syria.

We also provide resources, including Incirlik Air Base, a critical staging ground for Coalition counter terrorism operations in the region. Our NATO community knows us; theyve planned with us, been on-the-ground with us on combat missions the world over, and we share intelligence and coordinate counter terrorism efforts every day. This alliance, in its best form, would be working with us, finding ways to solve Turkeys serious security concerns together, and standing with us.

On our own, Turkey has taken every precaution to prevent civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure, including historic and cultural sites. We are avoiding impacting on the fragile humanitarian situation in Syria. Turkey, after all, has shouldered more burden than any other outside nation for the ongoing war and human suffering in Syria. We have hosted 4 million Syrian refugees equal to the population of Los Angeles hundreds of thousands of whom, incidentally, are Kurds who fled the tyranny of YGP terror group. Turkey has spent $40 billion (36 billion) on refugees education, healthcare and housing. We more than most understand the consequences of more destruction and have cause to pursue a peaceful, stable future for our neighbour.

Since launching the operation, we have twice reached agreements to pause hostilities, only to see them quickly violated by YPG terrorists. Meanwhile, we are working in northern Syria to restore basic services for the local population; repairing and equipping hospitals, water networks and the power grid. Turkeys fight is not against the Kurds, our previous actions have exhibited this without equivocation.

Anyone paying attention knows that our fight is against terrorists on our borders and in our region, and that we seek a secure, democratic Syria on our doorstep. This is well in line with NATOs priorities and international law.

Alas, Turkey will not throw the baby out with bathwater, so to speak. So, we continue our full-throated commitment to NATO, and we continue to back up that commitment financially and with the efforts of our brave troops. We also expect in the years ahead that the Alliance will adapt into an even stronger, healthier union one that serves true to its mission and principles, ensuring the safety and security of each ally.

NATO is a resilient and agile organisation that has shown it can evolve to changing times and the demands they bring. In the meantime, we are here, we are allied.

____________

Are you a recognised expert in your field? At Euronews, we believe all views matter. Contact us at view@euronews.com to send pitches or submissions and be part of the conversation.

Follow this link:

Turkey is a leading NATO member. Its time this commitment was recognised, not criticised View - Euronews

The national spotlight fell upon the Greek island of Ikaria and particularly the islands honey.

CBS News featured a video spot on the islands special elixir, which it suggested, could be the secret to the longevity of the islands residents who have one of the highest life-expectancies in the world.

The video featured the natural process involved in producing the honey, which involves no chemicals or industrial processing.

Honey throughout Greece is produced in similar ways, especially on Crete, which is one of the most prolific natural honey producers in Greece.

Most recently, Chef Maria Loi under her Loi brand of products began importing two kinds of honey from Crete to Whole Foods Markets throughout the Northeast, with plans for wider distribution throughout the United States.

But like the product from Ikaria, Chef Loi has a hard time keeping it on the shelves at the popular super market chain because of limited production.

We can only bring as much as the bees produce, Loi explains, adding that her honey is 100% natural and has no human or mechanical intervention other than the bee keepers pouring it from the beehives.

Many of her recipes feature honey as a substitute for sugar and her best-selling book, The Greek Diet, includes a lot of information about the medicinal values of the Greek delicacy.

Chef Lois honey isnt available via mail order but several brands of honey from Crete are, including a fine brand from the mountains of western Crete that is farmed and imported by the Saviolakis family, which sells it via Amazon.

Go here to read the rest:

National Spotlight on Ikarian Honey on CBS Sunday Morning News - The Pappas Post

Our bodies are home to an abundance of tiny organisms, collectively called the microbiome, which are essential to human health and longevity. But not all microbiomes are equal, according to an essay published on Tuesday in PLOS Biology that spotlights how access to healthy microbes is profoundly interlinked with social and economic inequities.

A team led by Suzanne Ishaq, an assistant professor at the University of Maine and an expert in animal microbiomes, outlines examples of the human microbiomes sensitivity to discrepancies in healthcare, nutrition, and safe environmental standards. This microbial inequality, as the essay calls it, raises the question of whether a healthy microbiome should be a right or a legal obligation for governments to pursue on behalf of people.

The diet that you eat and your lifestyle can have dramatic impacts on the gut microbes that you recruit and the benefits or the negatives that you derive from them, said Ishaq in a call. If you dont even have access to a good quality diet, you might be suffering the effects of not having those beneficial microbes and products in ways you might not have imagined.

Gaps in microbial health can emerge before a person is even born, because some of the most important microbes are fostered in utero. The fetal microbiome is influenced by the mothers access to healthy foods as well as her stress levels, which can be amplified by economic inequities. The availability of maternity leave or social support also affects the amount of time that new mothers can devote to breastfeeding their babies, which is another critical factor in the establishment of a healthy microbiome.

These microbial patterns play out over our entire lifetimes. Populations with access to quality nutrition will have better physical and mental health outcomes than those that do not, and that is reflected on a gut microbial level. The environmental quality of the buildings where we live and work also influence what lifeforms are inside us, as does our general proximity to greenspace, on the positive side, or polluting industrial and agricultural facilities, on the negative end.

Ishaq had been ruminating about these connections in her research for years, and decided to teach a special course on the subject at the University of Oregon over the summer. Fifteen undergraduate students with a wide variety of majors participated in the class, and are now co-authors on the new paper. Because the majority of the class were not science majors, the essay has an interdisciplinary approach that concludes with legal and political implications of microbial inequality, in addition to the medical dimensions.

They were actually much more familiar with the social policies than I was, given their background, which was really cool, Ishaq said of her students.

One of the questions the team explored is whether a healthy microbiome can be considered a human right or a legal obligation. One 2011 paper touched on this issue through the lens of biobanking, or archiving of human tissue, but there has never been a major legal case that establishes who owns an individuals microbiome, or if people are legally entitled to a healthy microbiome.

From the perspective of Ishaq and her colleagues, the dynamic nature of the microbiome suggests that legal arguments should emphasize access to healthy microbes, rather than ownership over ones microbiome.

Youre picking up and putting off hundreds of thousands of microbial cells every day so to think that whats in your gut is completely yours is probably the wrong way to think about it, Ishaq explained. They are more like passengers than things that you own.

In other words, healthy microbes could potentially be categorized as an essential resource or common good, like clean water, safe environments, and quality public health. Ishaq hopes the essay will encourage researchers across disciplines to think about the human microbiome as both a metric of social inequities, and a roadmap to more effectively bridge those divides.

It tends to be people that werent even involved with polluting water or growing too much food or pouring chemicals everywhere that end up being the ones that have to deal with these microbial-related problems, she said.

Addressing this problem will require restructuring our societies on the largest scales, in order to ensure that the small-scale lifeforms inside us can thrive, so that we can too.

This article originally appeared on VICE US.

View original post here:

Rich People Have Access to Better Microbes Than Poor People, Researchers Say - VICE

Its time to get serious about a major redesign of life. Thirty years were added to average life expectancy in the 20th century, and rather than imagine the scores of ways we could use these years to improve quality of life, we tacked them all on at the end. Only old age got longer.

As a result, most people are anxious about the prospect of living for a century. Asked about aspirations for living to 100, typical responses are I hope I dont outlive my money or I hope I dont get dementia. If we do not begin to envision what satisfying, engaged and meaningful century-long lives can look like, we will certainly fail to build worlds that can take us there.

In my view, the tension surrounding aging is due largely to the speed with which life expectancy increased. Each generation is born into a world prepared by its ancestors with knowledge, infrastructure and social norms. The human capacity to benefit from this inherited culture afforded us such extraordinary advantages that premature death was dramatically reduced in a matter of decades. Yet as longevity surged, culture didnt keep up.

Long lives are not the problem. The problem is living in cultures designed for lives half as long .

Retirements that span four decades are unattainable for most individuals and governments; education that ends in the early 20s is ill-suited for longer working lives; and social norms that dictate intergenerational responsibilities between parents and young children fail to address families that include four or five living generations.

Last year, the Stanford Center on Longevity launched an initiative called The New Map of Life. We began by convening a group of experts, including engineers, climate scientists, pediatricians, geriatricians, behavioral scientists, financial experts, biologists, educators, health-care providers, human resource consultants and philanthropists. We charged them with envisioning what vibrant century-long lives would look like and then began the remapping process. How do traditional models of education, work, lifestyles, social relationships, financial planning, health care, early childhood and intergenerational compacts need to change to support long lives?

We quickly agreed that it would be a mistake to replace the old rigid model of life education first, then family and work, and finally retirement with a new model just as rigid. Instead, there should be many different routes, interweaving leisure, work, education, family throughout life, taking people from birth to death with places to stop, rest, change courses and repeat steps along the way. Old age alone wouldnt last longer; rather, youth and middle age would expand, too.

We agreed that longevity demands rethinking of all stages of life, not just old age. To thrive in an age of rapid knowledge transfer, children not only need reading, math and computer literacy, but they also need to learn to think creatively and not hold on to facts too tightly. Theyll need to find joy in unlearning and relearning. Teens could take breaks from high school and take internships in workplaces that intrigue them. Education wouldnt end in youth but rather be ever-present and take many forms outside of classrooms, from micro-degrees to traveling the world.

Work, too, must change. Theres every reason to expect more zigzagging in and out of the labor force especially by employees who are caring for young children or elderly parents and more participation by workers over 60.

Financing longevity requires major rethinking. Rather than saving ever-larger pots of money for the end of life, we could pool risks in new ways. Generations may share wealth earlier than traditional bequests; we can start savings accounts at birth and allow young adults to work earlier so that compound interest can work in their favor.

Maintaining physical fitness from the beginning to end of life will be paramount. Getting children outside, encouraging sports, reducing the time we sit, and spending more time walking and moving will greatly improve lives.

In the year since this initial meeting, we have launched a postdoctoral program focused on deep dives into core domains of life that must change. The aim is to develop specific recommendations for governments, employers, businesses, parents and policymakers so that we can begin to lay the groundwork for cultures that support century-long lives. The challenges demand extraordinary social, scientific and educational investments. The opportunities are even more extraordinary.

Longer lives present us with an opportunity to redesign the way we live. The greatest risk of failure is setting the bar too low.

Laura Carstensen, a professor of psychology, is the director of the Stanford Center on Longevity.

Laura Carstensen, a professor of psychology, is the director of the Stanford Center on Longevity.

View original post here:

Commentary: We need a major redesign of life - Bend Bulletin

Tom Waits once said: "This whole division between genres has more to do with marketing than anything else. It's terrible for the culture of music. Like anything that is purely economic, it ignores the most important component."

Progress. The important component the venerable Waits was referring to in the above quote is progress.

Sly and the Family Stone was a funk outfit, but they also infused elements of psychedelic and acid rock, and this had a profound influence on soul, R&B and hip-hop. Black Flag was a hardcore punk band, but the Black Sabbath influence on My War made way for this sludgy, low-tempo punk sound that gave a blueprint to bands like Nirvana.

Musical styles are much more fluid and malleable, and seldom do artists that consciously try to meet all earmarks of a genre actually leave behind any semblance of a legacy. Having longevity as a musician means putting your own spin on something and opening up a new world of possibilities for other artists.

And this brings us to The 1975.

The English rock outfit played The Theatre at Grand Prairie on Wednesday night for an event titled ALT 103.7 Presents: ALTerium, so anyone unfamiliar with the band can readily deduce that they get frequently bestowed the label alternative rock. They also get labeled indie pop, synthpop and electropop.

These are valid labels for the bands musical style, but The 1975 are far too versatile to just be pigeonholed. The band took the stage at around 9:15 p.m. and kicked off with People, a rather polarizing single that found the band channeling the post-hardcore sensibilities of Refused. They immediately followed this abrasive number with the far more pristine Give Yourself a Try, which sounded just like your run-of-the-mill guitar-driven pop.

The contrast was stark, but it was a testament to just how frequently the band reinvents itself. There were times throughout the set when it felt like they experimented with a new genre as a means of seeing what could stick, but for the most part, they took on a wide palette of styles from the80s. Many of the backing instrumentals used throughout the set recalled the electronic-disco style of Giorgio Moroder, and the song Its Not Living (If Its Not With You) took on a new-wave influence, with an intro sounding a bit like The Cars. Tracks like fallingforyou and Me had an apparent post-punk influence, and even at these dark, bass-driven points did the occasional sax solo come out of nowhere.

The stylistic variation was, for the most part, satisfying, and The 1975 clearly make this style their own. Still, there were moments when the band sounded a bit too saccharine. Toward the end of the set, they played the song I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes), an acoustic ballad that, from a purely instrumental perspective, sounded like something a churchs praise and worship band would play as a pastor in a backward baseball cap talks about feeling the embrace of the Holy Spirit. If you replaced rhythm guitarist Matthew Healys vocals with those of some Eddie Vedder impersonator, it would have sounded like any00s post-grunge band.

This track couldnt have ended soon enough, but once it finally did, Healy urged the crowd to be silent as a Greta Thunberg monologue was played. As anyone would expect, Thunberg was talking about the imminent doom all organized human life faces if the issue of climate change isnt curtailed.

It is time for civil disobedience. It is time to rebel, beseeched Thunberg.

It was a chilling moment, and it was as depressing as it was inspiring. A considerable portion of the crowd cheered, but a handful of audience members crossed their arms and looked uncomfortable over the duration of this speech. Even if they werent swayed by the message, its at least of some comfort that the band wasnt just preaching to the choir.

Before we were soberingly reminded of mankinds imminent demise, Healy engaged in intermittent stage banter about how much they love touring the United States and how this was the last show in support of the bands latest LP A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships. As he conversed with the crowd, Healy took swigs from a glass of wine and took a few drags from a cigarette. He seemed relaxed and nonchalant as the crowd rapturously applauded through the night.

The crowds love for The 1975 was unwavering, and the volatile stylistic changes clearly did nothing to change that. Even then, the handful of fans they lost following singles like People are largely outnumbered by the number of newly converted fans. And judging by the quality of the promotional singles for the upcoming album Notes on a Conditional Form, it seems like that number is only going to continue coasting upward.

The 1975 are one of those bands whose best work will always be ahead of them. Over the years, they have shown a progressing, artistic maturity and have constantly reinvented themselves. They have been unafraid to take left turns, and given just how enamored the sold-out crowd in Grand Prairie was, they shouldnt have any reason to be.

And no genre label can adequately capture that.

Read the rest here:

The 1975 Played a Greta Thunberg Speech During Their Grand Prairie Concert - Dallas Observer

(Photo : Twitter)

Events of El Nio do not happen because of climate change; these are a natural phenomenon that has been happening for thousands of years. Scientists have a theory that it may be becoming worse as a result to climate change, but it is not yet 100% clear looking at how El Nio communicates with the change of climate. In terms of intense events of weather, climate change is most likely to affect the El Nio and La Nia impact.

Unfortunately, we cannot prevent El Nio and La Nia from happening. Since they are a natural phenomenon that occurs from climate patterns, humans would not be able to do anything as they cannot influence its duration or longevity.

Natural cycles of weather

As human beings contribute more and more gases, which traps the heat onto the atmosphere, the Earth gets warm. And this warming is going to cause something bigger, which might surprise us. Not only is the weather becoming more changeable, but warming is also causing intense heat, high sea level, loss of ice, and many more. Alternatively, it is making natural cycles of weather more compelling.

As the case may be, the most important natural change in the climate of the Earth is the process of El Nio. It is defined as the warm ocean surface temperatures in the Pacific for a short period of time. If La Nia happens, that region is colder than usual, while if El Nio occurs, the region will be warmer than usual. At times, if El Nio or La Nia is present and its waters are at a normal temperature-this is called a "neutral" stage.

Pattern of oscillation

Between El Nio and La Nia, the waters of the ocean start to switch back and forth every few years. It is like a pendulum, it does not happen often, but a pattern of oscillation is seen. And whether the cycle of El Nio and La Nia is present, there will be consequences around the world for this weather. For example, during the cycle of El Nio, we usually witness hotter and drier weather in South America and Australia while it is cooler and wetter in the south of the United States.

It is very important to be able to distinguish ahead of time the cycles of El Nio and La Nia. It is also important to comprehend how these cycles will change on the planet Earth. Cycles of El Nio have been known for a long time now. Its influence has also been known for almost 100 years around the globe. In 1920, the El Nio impact was discovered in places like the Indian Ocean, which is very far away. Scientists were known to have an aspect that something might start changing while observing the effects of El Nio for a century now.

ALSO READ:Here's how climate change is making El Nios more extreme

Link:

Global Warming Is Escalating The El Nio Weather - Science Times