Doctor Who season 12 revealed the true origin story of the Time Lords - but just how does Rassilon, founder of Gallifrey, fit into this?

The Timeless Child is the biggest retcon in the history ofDoctor Who - but how does Rassilon, founder of Time Lord civilization, fit into this?Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall promised that season 12 would change everything, and he wasn't understating the case. TheDoctor Who season 12 finale, "The Timeless Children," revealed the Doctor's true history has been concealed all this time."They lied to us," the Master revealed. "Everything we were told was a lie. We are not who we think. You or I. The whole existence of our species - built on the lie of the Timeless Child."

The Doctor is the Timeless Child, a mysterious being found at the foot of a Boundary into another universe. She was discovered by a Gallifreyan explorer named Tecteun, who took the Timeless Child as her own. Then, one day, tragedy struck. The Timeless Child suffered what should have been a fatal accident, but instead of dying she regenerated. Tecteun was astounded at what she had seen, and she set about trying to understand the Timeless Child's powers. The Timeless Child thus became thebase genetic code for all Gallifreyans within the Citadel, and the Time Lords were born. This is easily the biggest retcon in the history ofDoctor Who; in general it's foreshadowed fairly well by classicDoctor Who,thoughit sits uncomfortably with the post-2005 relaunched series.

Related:Former Doctor Who Showrunner Changes Regeneration Rules

There is one curious omission, however: Rassilon. Generally regarded as the founder of Time Lord civilization, Rassilon was an explorer who longed to see more of the universe than any man could in one lifetime. According to classicDoctor Who, and countless previous tie-ins, under Rassilon's reign the Gallifreyans discovered the secret of regeneration and became Lords of Time. Rassilon himself is immortal, although he believed no other Time Lords were worthy of this, and left the Game of Rassilon behind as a trap for any successor who would seek immortality. The Time Lords brought Rassilon back to lead them in the Time War, and he was opposed byDavid Tennant's Tenth Doctor in "The End of Time."

Rassilon is apparently entirely absent in "The Timeless Children," which seems odd given that Chibnall is an old-schoolDoctor Who fan. It is important to note, however, that "The Timeless Children" confirms Gallifreyan history has been deliberately obscured; that leaves a lot of wriggle-room. The most likely solution is that Tecteun, the scientist who discovered the Timeless Child and unlocked the secret of resurrection, was in fact Rassilon. Both have been portrayed as explorers who sought immortality; Tecteun gained the power of unlimited regenerations but chose to limit other Time Lords, just as Rassilon believed he alone should be functionally immortal. It's true that Tecteun was female while Rassilon was male, but that is hardly an issue given that regeneration allows a Time Lord to change biological sex.

This is a simple retcon, and it fits rather well. If this is the case, then during the Time War the Doctor found himself going up against the one being who truly understood what he was capable of. Little wonder Rassilon was so shocked and surprised in "The Day of the Doctor," when he realized how many incarnations of the Doctor were in play. It is ironic that Rassilon, the explorer who sought immortality to explore the cosmos, ultimately led Gallifrey to a pocket dimension where his people lived on in isolation, unable to return.

More:Doctor Who Already Has The Perfect 15th Doctor Actor

Agents of SHIELD's Final Season Is Eerily Similar To Fringe - Will It End The Same Way?

Tom Bacon is one of Screen Rant's staff writers, and he's frankly amused that his childhood is back - and this time it's cool. Tom's focus tends to be on the various superhero franchises, as well as Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Star Trek; he's also an avid comic book reader. Over the years, Tom has built a strong relationship with aspects of the various fan communities, and is a Moderator on some of Facebook's largest MCU and X-Men groups. Previously, he's written entertainment news and articles for Movie Pilot.A graduate of Edge Hill University in the United Kingdom, Tom is still strongly connected with his alma mater; in fact, in his spare time he's a voluntary chaplain there. He's heavily involved with his local church, and anyone who checks him out on Twitter will quickly learn that he's interested in British politics as well.

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Doctor Who Theory: How Rassilon Fits Into The Timeless Child Retcon - Screen Rant

Netflix dropped a new trailer for The Old Guard, starring Charlize Theron, days before it drops on the streaming platform on 10 July

The past weekoffered viewerstrailers of several anticipated shows. From the second season of the comic book adaptation of The Umbrella Academy to the final battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons in Hasbro'sTransformers: War For Cybertron - Netflix offered viewers a glimpse into the worlds of the popular shows.

On the other hand, viewers will be able to witness Charlize Theron delivering some good old action in the Netflix original movie The Old Guard - Forever.

Here is the trailer breakdown of the shows and movie to keep an eye on

The Umbrella Academy: Season 2

The story picks up from where the first season ended as Five and his siblings use Fives powers to escape the apocalypse of 2019. The family ends up in different time zones in and around Texas. But they will get another chance at saving the planet from the devastating apocalypse in the second season. But before figuring that out, the siblings need to come together, deal with the consequences of time travelling and defeat assassins on loose.

The Umbrella Academy: Season 2 premieres on Netflix on 31 July.

The Old Guard: Forever

The Netflix original feature film is based on the comic series by Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernandez. The word forever in the title is a nod to the group of extraordinary soldiers, led by Charlize Theron aka Andromache of Scythia, who never die. But the story focuses on the difficulties of immortality instead of focusing on its glamorous side. Andromache or Andy recruits Nile (played by Kiki Layne) who is the latest soldier to join them as their secret of immortality stands in front of the risk of being misused by the bad party.

The film premieres on Netflix on 10 July.

Transformers: War For Cybertron Trilogy - Siege

Unrelated to the popular video game series of the same name, this anime series focuses on the never told before story of the civil war between the Autobots and the Decepticons. Optimus Prime and Megatron lead their sides to the battle that has been touted to finally come to an end in the trailer. The whole lighting of the trailer is pretty dark to keep a balance with the war theme and features no human characters, much to the relief of fans.

It premieres exclusively on Netflix on 30 July.

Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison.

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From The Umbrella Academy season 2 to The Old Guard: Forever, trailers released this week on Netflix - Firstpost

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Vicki Daniel, Case Western Reserve University

(THE CONVERSATION) In an open lot just a block or so from where George Floyd was killed while being detained by officers, 100 plastic headstones were carefully placed.

Created by artists Anna Barber and Connor Wright, the Say Their Names Cemetery sprung up in south Minneapolis in early June, as protests over police brutality prompted a more wide-ranging conversation over the legacy of slavery and racism in the United States.

Each headstone documents a victim of police violence their name, age, date and location of death. Accompanying the biographical information reads a simple epitaph: Rest in Power a reworking of rest in peace that has gained popularity among Black Lives Matter activists and supporters to commemorate the dead.

#SayTheirNames

The cemetery forms part of a wider #SayTheirNames campaign aimed at resisting the public erasure of dead victims of brutality.

I study death rituals in the U.S.Scholars in my field have long argued that Black and African American commemorative practices are important in asserting the personhood of the deceased and maintaining and celebrating community. They have been used to proclaim Black autonomy at times when society has infringed upon the rights of Black people.

The fight to remember those killed by violence has roots in the history of slave cemeteries and burial practices. The enslaved were often limited in their choice of burial grounds, especially on rural Southern plantations. White owners relegated their cemeteries to marginal land that could not be cultivated. Many burials were marked only with a wooden post.

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Yet, enslaved communities were often allowed to bury and commemorate their dead, and these funerals were, in the words of historian David Roediger, value-laden and unifying social events that allowed for communal expression. Slavery made Black bodies into financial assets. In contrast, Black commemoration of the dead acknowledged their social relationships and the value of their lives.

Marking the graves of the dead with natural or man-made objects could carry tremendous spiritual meaning for the enslaved, sometimes evoking African precedents. In the Central African Bakongo tradition, the burial place was considered a portal between the living and the dead; objects left on the grave could serve as charms to communicate with and assist the spirit in its transition to the afterlife.

Such traditions appeared on American plantation burials as well, as mourners would leave items that had physical connection with the deceased, such as plates and cups.

There were other practices as well, such as putting items with an association with water, including shells and pitchers, close to graves. These reflected a belief in the association between water and the souls immortality and metaphysical crossing.

Such practices in America also helped to construct an African diaspora culture that celebrated Black humanity under a labor system that tried to systematically dehumanize the enslaved.

Hidden in plain sight

The absence of recognizable markers on enslaved burials today does not necessarily mean the dead were unacknowledged.

In some instances, grave markers are hidden in plain sight: Scholars have noted the common presence of periwinkle, cedar trees, yucca and other plantings, suggesting that some Black communities employed a botanical language of grave marking. Some of these plants may have been used for their symbolism, or for their visibility, standing out against an areas native plant life.

In other cases, enslaved communities marked burials with common fieldstones. Although not inscribed, these stones nonetheless provided some form of physical acknowledgment of the dead.

For example, the cemetery at Avoca plantation, near Lynchburg, Virginia, contains several irregular stones that appear to have been placed on the site. The cemetery also contains two pieces of pink quartz, which may indicate the burial of children, scholars believe.

Plantations owners and their families, however, often were laid to rest in family cemeteries. At Avoca, the family burial ground is defined by a low stone wall, and many of the people interred there received a formal stone marker of some kind. This feature conveys a sense of permanence that is often lacking in enslaved peoples cemeteries.

Gods Little Acre

There are some instances of stone markers in Black cemeteries from the antebellum period. One of the most well-known Black burial grounds lies in Newport, Rhode Island. Newport had a sizable community of free and enslaved Africans and African Americans in the colonial period.

Known as Gods Little Acre, the sites headstones serve as a remarkable testament of African identity, perseverance and memory, according to the cemeterys website. Both enslaved and free members of the Newport community received markers.

Some of the stones acknowledge the deceaseds African heritage; others were paid for by the deceaseds owners. Several of the Newport markers were made by enslaved African stonecutters a mason known as Pompe Stevens signed at least two of his works, one of which was for his brothers grave.

As political and social inequality continued into the 19th century, communal burial grounds remained important places for expressing the value of Black lives.

In 1807, men and women affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Baltimore founded the African Burying Ground which exists today as the renamed Mount Auburn Cemetery. As historian Kami Fletcher argues, the cemetery was founded as the simultaneous call for freedom and humanity as well as a call for actualized burial rights for Black people and people of color.

The cemetery let the local Black community bury its dead in ways that were significantly different from burials on nearby plantations: The dead could be named, placed near family and interred in land owned by their own community.

Remembering the dead

In recent years there have been efforts to locate and restore enslaved cemeteries that have been lost or threatened by development. This work exists in many forms, from the African Burial Ground National Monument in New York City to smaller cemeteries documented by archaeologists and local organizations. Universities and former plantations have made the effort to search for, and commemorate, slave cemeteries.

New discoveries of remains continue to raise questions about how to appropriately honor burial sites and the painful histories they represent. Even at sites where the names of the dead are lost, historical interpretation, digital projects and public education can act as long overdue markings of the dead.

As Minneapolis temporary Say Their Names Cemetery hints at, commemoration is not an apolitical act. Remembering those lost to violence whether that of slavery or of unchecked police power is important. It can serve as a reminder for the need for political and legislative change, led by communities who have spent centuries asserting the value of both Black lives and Black deaths.

The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. The Conversation is wholly responsible for the content.

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Black deaths matter: The centuries-old struggle to memorialize slaves and victims of racism - The Wilton Bulletin

In 2016, Jang Ji-sung's young daughter Nayeon passed away from a blood-related disease. But in February, the South Korean mother was reunited with her daughter in virtual reality. Experts constructed a version of her child using motion capture technology for adocumentary. Wearing a VR headset and haptic gloves, Jang was able to walk, talk and play with this digital version of her daughter.

"Maybe it's a real paradise," Jang said of the moment the two met in VR. "I met Nayeon, who called me with a smile, for a very short time, but it's a very happy time. I think I've had the dream I've always wanted."

Once largely the concern of science fiction, more people are now interested in immortality -- whether that's keeping your body or mind alive forever (as explored in the new Amazon Prime comedy Upload), or in creating some kind of living memorial, like an AI-based robot or chatbot version of yourself, or of your loved one. The question is -- should we do that? And if we do, what should it look like?

In Korea, a mother was reunited with a virtual reality version of her young daughter who had passed away years before, as part of a documentary project.

Modern interest around immortality started in the 1960s, when the idea of cryonics emerged -- freezing and storing a human corpse or head with the hope of resurrecting that person in the distant future. (While some people have chosen to freeze their body after death, none have yet been revived.)

"There was a shift in death science at that time, and the idea that somehow or another death is something humans can defeat," said John Troyer, director of the Centre for Death and Society at the University of Bath and author of Technologies of the Human Corpse.

However, no peer-reviewed research suggests it's worth pouring millions of dollars into trying to upload our brains, or finding ways to keep our bodies alive, Troyer said. At least not yet. A 2016 study published in the journal PLOS ONE did find that exposing a preserved brain to chemical and electrical probes could make the brain function again, to some degree.

"It's all a gamble about what's possible in the future," Troyer said. "I'm just not convinced it's possible in the way [technology companies] are describing, or desirable."

There's a big difference between people actively trying to upload their brain to try and live on forever and those who die whose relatives or the public try to resurrect them in some way through technology.

In 2015, Eugenia Kuyda, co-founder and CEO of software company Replika, lost her best friend Roman after he was hit by a car in Moscow. As part of the grieving process, she turned to tech. Kuyda trained a chatbot on thousands of text messages the two had shared over the years -- creating a digital version of Roman that could still "talk" to family and friends.

The first time she messaged the bot, Kuyda said she was surprised at how close it came to feeling like she was talking to her friend again. "It was very emotional," she said. "I wasn't expecting to feel like that, because I worked on that chatbot, I knew how it was built."

Eugenia Kuyda created a chatbot based on text messages from her friend Roman after he passed away in a car accident.

If this sounds like an episode of Black Mirror, it's because it was. The 2013 episode Be Right Back centers on a young woman whose boyfriend is killed in a car accident. In mourning, she signs up for a service that allows her to communicate with an AI version of him based on his past online communications and social media profiles -- ultimately turning it into an android version of her boyfriend. But he's never exactly the same.

However, Kuyda says her Roman chatbot was a deeply personal project and tribute -- not a service for others. Anyone trying to do this on a mass scale would run into a number of barriers, she added. You'd have to decide what information would be considered public or private and who the chatbot would be talking to. The way you talk to your parents is different from the way you'd talk to your friends, or to a colleague. There wouldn't be a way to differentiate, she said.

The digital version of your friend could potentially copy the way they speak, but it would be based on things they had said in the past -- it wouldn't make new opinions or create new conversations. Also, people go through different periods in life and evolve their thinking, so it would be difficult to determine which phase the chatbot would capture.

"We leave an insane amount of data, but most of that is not personal, private or speaks about us in terms of what kind of person we are," Kuyda said. "You can merely build the shadow of a person."

The question remains: Where can we get the data to digitize people, in full? Kuyda asks. "We can deepfake a person and create some nascent technology that works -- like a 3D avatar -- and model a video of the person," she added. "But what about the mind? There's nothing that can capture our minds right now."

Perhaps the largest barrier to creating some kind of software copy of a person after they die is data. Pictures, texts, and social media platforms don't typically exist online forever. That's partially because the internet continues to evolve and partially because most content posted online belongs to that platform. If the company shuts down, people can no longer access that material.

"It's interesting and of the moment, but it's a great deal more ephemeral than we imagined," Troyer said. "A lot of the digital world disappears."

Memorialization technology doesn't typically stand the test of time, Troyer said. Think video tributes or social media memorial pages. It's no use having something saved to some cloud if no one can access it in the future, he added. Take the story of the computer that Tim Berners Lee used to create HTML on the web with -- the machine is at CERN, but no one knows the password. "I see that as sort of an allegory for our time," he said.

"We leave an insane amount of data, but most of that is not personal, private or speaks about us in terms of what kind of person we are. You can merely build the shadow of a person."

Eugenia Kuyda, co-founder and CEO of software company Luka

One of the more sci-fi concepts in the area of digitizing death came from Nectome, a Y Combinator startup that preserves the brain for potential memory extraction in some form through a high-tech embalming process. The catch? The brain has to be fresh -- so those who wanted to preserve their mind would have to be euthanized.

Nectome planned to test it with terminally ill volunteers in California, which permits doctor-assisted suicide for those patients. It collected refundable $10,000 payments for people to join a waitlist for the procedure, should it someday become more widely available (clinical trials would be years away). As of March 2018, 25 people had done so, according to the MIT Technology Review. (Nectome did not respond to requests for comment for this story.)

The startup raised $1 million in funding along with a large federal grant and was collaborating with an MIT neuroscientist. But the MIT Technology Review story garnered some negative attention from ethicists and neuroscientists, many of whom said the ability to recapture memories from brain tissue and re-create a consciousness inside a computer is at best decades away and probably not possible at all. MIT terminated its contract with Nectome in 2018.

"Neuroscience has not sufficiently advanced to the point where we know whether any brain preservation method is powerful enough to preserve all the different kinds of biomolecules related to memory and the mind," according to a statement from MIT. "It is also not known whether it is possible to recreate a person's consciousness."

It's currently impossible to upload a version of our brain to the cloud -- but some researchers are trying.

Meanwhile, an app in the works called Augmented Eternity aims to help people live on in digital form, for the sake of passing on knowledge to future generations. Hossein Rahnama, founder and CEO of context-aware computing services company FlyBits and visiting professor at MIT Media Lab, seeks to build software agents that can act as digital heirs, to complement succession planning and pass on wisdom to those who ask for it.

"Millennials are creating gigabytes of data on a daily basis and we have reached a level of maturity where we can actually create a digital version of ourselves," Rahnama said.

Augmented Eternity takes your digital footprints -- emails, photos, social media activity -- and feeds them into a machine learning engine. It analyzes how people think and act, to give you a digital being resembling an actual person, in terms of how they react to things and their attitudes, Rahnama said. You could potentially interact with this digital being as a chatbot, a Siri-like assistant, a digitally-edited video, or even a humanoid robot.

The project's purpose is to learn from humans' daily lives -- not for advertising, but to advance the world's collective intelligence, Rahnama said.

"I also like the idea of connecting digital generations," he added. "For example, someone who is similar to me in terms of their career path, health, DNA, genomics. They may be 30 or 40 years ahead of me, but there is a lot I could learn about that person."

The team is currently building a prototype. "Instead of talking to a machine like Siri and asking it a question, you can basically activate the digital construct of your peers or people that you trust in your network and ask them a question," Rahnama said.

In the Intelligent Robotics Laboratory at Osaka University in Japan, director Hiroshi Ishiguro has built more than 30 lifelike androids -- including a robotic version of himself. He's pioneered a research field on human-robot interactions, studying the importance of things like subtle eye movements and facial expressions for replicating humans.

"My basic purpose is to understand what a human is by creating a very human-like robot," Ishiguro said. "We can improve the algorithm to be more human-like if we can find some of the important features of a human."

Ishiguro has said that if he died, his robot could go on lecturing students in his place. However, it would never really "be" him, he said, or be able to come up with new ideas.

"We cannot transmit our consciousness to robots," Ishiguro said. "We may share the memories. The robot may say 'I'm Hiroshi Ishiguro,' but still the consciousness is independent."

Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro (right) poses with the robotic version of himself.

However, this line is only going to get blurrier.

"I think in the near future we're going to have a brain-machine interface," Ishiguro said. This will make the boundary between a human and a computer very ambiguous, in the sense that we could share part of a memory with the computer.

"Then, I think it's quite difficult to say where is our consciousness -- is it on the computer, or in our brain?" Ishiguro said. "Maybe both."

Despite what you may think, this won't look anything like a science fiction movie, Ishiguro said. In those familiar examples, "they download the memory or some other information in your brain onto the computer. We cannot do that," he said. "We need to have different ways for making a copy of our brains, but we don't know yet how we can do that."

Humans evolved thanks to a biological principle: Survival of the fittest. But today, we have the technology to improve our genes ourselves and to develop human-like robots, Ishiguro said.

"We don't need to prove the biological principal to survive in this world," Ishiguro said. "We can design the future by ourselves. So we need to carefully discuss what is a human, what is a human right and how we can design ourselves. I cannot give you the answers. But that is our duty to think about the future.

"That is the most important question always -- we're looking for what a human is," Ishiguro said. "That is to me the primary goal of science and engineering."

This story is part of CNET'sThe Future of Funerals series. Stay tuned for more next week.

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Disrupting death: Could we really live forever in digital form? - CNET

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German Gertrud Schop lights candles in the shape of a cross for her country's Covid-19 victims in April. She plans to do it until a vaccine is found. Snita Ahir-Knight argues accepting the inevitability of death brings a degree of freedom.

OPINION: As New Zealand emerges from lockdown, there is a sense of freedom again perhaps when visiting our favourite barista, getting that much-needed haircut or going fishing again.

We are patting ourselves on the back for going hard and early. And rightly so. After all, the celebratory pat is for staying home and saving lives including our own.

So is now a good time to mention the D-word? Death.

The inevitability of death has never been so apparent. Yet little if anything is mentioned directly about the terror that comes from this heightened awareness of death.

READ MORE:* Can NZ win the world cup of Covid control?* Coronavirus: New York City death toll may be off by thousands* Creating new social divides: how coronavirus is reshaping how we see ourselves and the world

There is deep sadness about the loss of life to Covid-19 here in New Zealand. Plus the horrific news reports from overseas remind us of the scale of death this virus can cause. And that everyone has to dodge the bullet. Not only the senior and medically vulnerable.

And with the physical distancing markers and tracing registers we are reminded that the threat of Covid-19 is still out there.

Consciously or unconsciously, death is still lingering with us all in the Covid-19 world.

So I offer my thoughts on a kind of freedom that has, perhaps, not crossed your mind. The freedom that comes from accepting death.

Some researchers say that yes, sometimes, being aware of death can result in negative outcomes, but many studies suggest there is a positive side to being naturally reminded about our mortality. Such as increasing tolerance and empathy towards others. Increase in helping behaviours. And motivating us to change behaviours to improve our health.

Also, creative channels point out the benefits of recognising that death is inevitable. Such as in the lyrics of If We Were Vampiresby Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit. Where the downfalls of thinking that we were vampires and death was a joke include not making the most of the precious time we have. And that immortality would give little meaning to passion be that for a lover, as in the song, or for life.

And I blow off the dust from the work of the 16th-century French philosopher Michel de Montaigne, who draws upon the work of the Roman philosopher Cicero. (Yes, philosophy the discipline that is often ridiculed for being practically useless. So bear with me.) I am reminded of one powerful sentence: He who has learned how to die has unlearned how to be a slave.

The idea is that slavery is the fear of death. And this fear keeps us enslaved. So freedom comes from accepting that we are going to die.

Maybe not today or tomorrow. Or from Covid-19.But death is inevitable. As each day passes, death approaches. And a well-lived life is one that welcomes death.

But this unexpected and increased awareness of death in the Covid-19 world may fill us with terror. The thoughts may haunt us, so perhaps we deny the inevitable. Perhaps we are filled with anxiety.

This unexpected and increased awareness of death has shades of familiarity with being diagnosed with a chronic health condition in my case diabetes. Being given a diagnosis often leaves us shocked with pangs of anxiety and denial. And years of adjustment to cope again with ones mortality.

But, with time and emotional support, the constant reminders of our mortality, such as injecting life-saving insulin, become freeing. And we take news headlines, such as almost a third of Covid-19 deaths in England have been associated with diabetes, in our stride.

It takes hard work to accept that death is inevitable. So when you do, pat yourself on the back.And embrace freedom.

Snita Ahir-Knight is doing doctoral research in philosophy at Te Herenga WakaVictoria University of Wellington. She is also a social worker and child and adolescent therapist.

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It's time to talk about the D-word - Stuff.co.nz

As the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic keeps people at home and business closed, many galleries across the art world have made the pivot from in-person exhibitions to online viewing rooms (along with much debate about their efficacy and intent). One exhibition that is helping to put the emphasis back on the physical object is the latest show that Andrea Rosen and David Zwirner have collaborated on. Untitled (Fortune Cookie Corner), a worldwide exhibition featuring multiple iterations of a work of the same name, offers viewers a chance to experience a piece by Cuban-born, American artist Felix Gonzalez-Torres, albeit in a unique way.

The piece, first created in 1990, is the first of the artists now-famous Candy series, which uses wrapped candy heaped in piles in various formations. This series, as well as his larger body of work, draws on larger issues of loss, time and immortality, topics that feel all too timely due to the current circumstances. In this ambitious and unconventional curatorial undertaking, Rosen asked 1,000 people from across the globe from inside and outside of the art world to participate in helping to activate this exhibition in a new waynamely, by creating a version the work in their home or workspace or any place that is safely accessible to them.

Each participant was sent an invitation containing information about the core elements of the work, as well as a set of guidelines and questions to consider. People were asked to source their own fortune cookies and install between 240 to 1,000 in total that would be placed in a pile in their homes. The parameters of where and how they are arranged are left up to the individual.

Felixs work is perhaps some of the only work that can literally, physically be experienced at this time because of all of the things that he thought about, [particularly] in terms of what is the core of an object, what is the core of an experience? And that it doesnt have to revolve around permanency or aggrandizing something in a singular form, Andrea Rosen told Observer. Rosen explained that she wanted to put emphasis back on the physical aspects of viewing art during a time when people are overtaxed and under-stimulated by digital presentations. Rosen curated the project and is also president of the Felix Gonzalez-Torres Foundation.

Because of the way Gonzalez-Torres work functions, it is not confined in the same way other artists work is. Due to its open-endlessness, which is expressly laid out in the invitation that participant receives, it can be installed in more than one place at a time, giving it the chance to have multiple interpretations and interactions. Over the course of the six week show, Rosen also requested that participants document the installation to capture its evolution. Additionally, halfway through, people have been asked to replenish the cookies to the total number they started with.

Since the shows debut on Monday, there have been very ingenious installations of the work. Some participants include Guggenheim curator Nancy Spector, collector Darryl de Prez and Soho House Hong Kong.

In Spectors version of Gonzalez-Torres piece she placed the cookies in a portable lending library space near the home she is currently renting in Maine with the following text: Felix Gonzalez-Torres was the most generous of artists, creating work that gave itself to the public with the possibility of being endlessly regenerated. Yet, his sculptural spills of candy and stacks of printed paper in their depletion over time, rehearse the loss that is inevitable in life. Originally produced during the AIDS crisis, his work resonates with particular poignancy today as we all face the uncertainty of COVID-19.

Another version was installed in a train station in Seoul, South Korea, and was gone within an hour. And another iteration utilizes a newspaper vending machine that has been refashioned to house the cookies, complete with a camera to capture peoples reactions as they take one.

The exhibition is helping to create a breakdown between the personal and the performative and is creating a larger sense of time and space for its participants. Each piece will change over the course of the exhibition and is being captured through digital documentation.

Ultimately, this exhibition invites people to think more deeply about the world around them, their responsibility in it, and how generosity and the human condition can be transformed through these types of interventions. It challenges people to think through larger systems of access and the creation of barriers in societyquestions that are particularly timely, given how Gonzalez-Torres probed the concept of being or feeling isolated, along with his larger social commentary on the AIDS crisis, which also sadly claimed his life in 1996.

At the height of social isolation, when interacting with other people and art is occurring in limited forms, this show of Gonzalez-Torres work is helping people feel connected in a new way. Untitled (Fortune Cookie Corner) is about hope and possibility and it is helping people to feel a part of something that is larger than themselves through a shared experience.

People want to be connected, they want to be engaged.I think if you have the opportunity, especially at this moment, to realize that you are part of something meaningful, its inspiring and I think thats really at the base of Felixs work: using of this sense of generosity to both engage and move people to involvement, said Rosen.

Untitled (Fortune Cookie Corner) is on view until July 5. Viewers are encouraged to follow the hashtag #fgtexhibition to view the work and its progression on Instagram as well as viewing both Andrea Rosens website and David Zwirners website.

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This Felix Gonzalez-Torres Artwork Is Currently Installed at 1,000 Sites Around the World - Observer

As part of his Reuniting Apart YouTube series, Josh Gad reunited Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson with several members of the films cast and crew to discuss their memories of making one of the most beloved film trilogies of all time.

Joining Jackson and Gad were all nine members of the Fellowship of the Ring hobbits Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan, as well as Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys-Davies, Sean Bean and Ian McKellen. Also joining the chat were co-stars Liv Tyler, Andy Serkis, Hugo Weaving, Miranda Otto and Karl Urban, with composer Howard Shore and co-writer Philippa Boyens. The event was done in support of No Kid Hungry, a charity in support of ending childhood hunger.

Gads 50-minute interview covered a wide range of topics, including adapting J.R.R. Tolkiens famous tale for the big screen. To do so required some changes to the authors words, including some that became iconic moments in film history.

Also Read: 'Lord of the Rings' on Amazon Casts 13 Series Regulars

Gandalf does not say, You shall not pass! in the book, McKellen notes. He says, You will not pass.

Boyens also notes that Gandalfs first line in the trilogy was one she came up with herself, instead of coming from Tolkien: A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins. Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to.

Another moment from the trilogy that gained Internet immortality was Boromirs famous One does not simply speech, where he warns the Council of Elrond that trying to sneak into Mordor to destroy the One Ring is impossible. Jackson admits that the speech was written the day before the council scene was filmed and while Sean Beans speech was done so well that it became a meme, he needed some help to remember it.

Also Read: 'Parks and Rec' Reunion Zooms to Thursday's Top Ratings Spot

What Sean did, which I thought was really clever, is he got a print-out of the speech taped to his knee, Jackson said, pointing out Bean places his hand to his head to display Boromirs sense of despair. If you watch the scene now, youll see every time that Sean has to check his script.

Other moments include memories from Andy Serkis playing Gollum and the cast remembering their time with Christopher Lee, who played Saruman in the films and passed away in 2015. Watch the whole interview in the clip above.

The "Lord of the Rings" trilogy hit that increasingly rare sweet spot between the critics and the box office, combining to win 30 Oscars and gross $2.9 billion worldwide. It remains a landmark series that revitalized fantasy in pop culture and introducing J.R.R. Tolkien to a new generation. In celebration of its 15th anniversary, TheWrap has teamed up with IMDb to give you 15 facts about "The Fellowship of the Ring."

Peter Jackson almost didn't get the chance to turn "Lord of the Rings" into a movie series. Back in the 60s, the Beatles wanted to adapt "LOTR" themselves, with Paul McCartney as Frodo, Ringo Starr as Sam, George Harrison as Gandalf, John Lennon as Gollum, and Stanley Kubrick as director. Thankfully, Kubrick declined the project, instead going on to make "2001: A Space Odyssey." Then Tolkien, who still had the film rights to his books, shut down the project for good.

When pitching the film to various studios, Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh presented a screenplay for two movies, believing that no studio would ever greenlight a trilogy. At first, only Miramax showed interest, but with the caveat that the screenplay be further cut to fit the entire "LOTR" story into one movie. As a last ditch attempt, Jackson pitched the film to New Line, who asked for the screenplay to be turned into a trilogy.

Christopher Lee is the only member of the cast or crew to have met Tolkien. In fact, Lee mentioned in the extended cut commentary for "Fellowship" that Tolkien had given him his blessing to play Gandalf in any potential film adaptation of "LOTR." But when Lee auditioned for Gandalf, he was asked to play Saruman instead, as it was believed he was too old to play Gandalf. Lee accepted the role, but agreed that Ian McKellen was right for Gandalf.

According to the Extended Edition DVD documentaries, Viggo Mortensen initially didn't have much interest in playing Aragorn, but took the role after his Tolkien-loving son, Henry, pleaded for him to accept the role. After learning more about Aragorn, Mortensen viewed the character's sword as the key element to his character and carried it with him at all times during filming, even when he was not on set.

For his fight scenes, Mortensen was trained by Bob Andersen, one of the most legendary sword fight choreographers in film history. A former Olympic fencer, Andersen trained actors like Cary Elwes in "The Princess Bride," Sean Connery in "Highlander" and Errol Flynn in "The Master of Ballantrae." But his greatest claim to fame is his work in "Star Wars," where he wore the Darth Vader suit for the lightsaber duels against Luke Skywalker in "Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi."

Being a dwarf, Gimli is the shortest of the warriors in the Fellowship. But his actor, John Rhys-Davies, is over six feet tall. For some wider shots, a body double was used to make sure Gimli didn't look taller than Legolas or Aragorn.

Rhys-Davies also had to sit through three hours of makeup to get the big nose and beard so common amongst dwarves. Unfortunately, as Jackson revealed in the Special Edition, the makeup severely impaired his vision and triggered an allergic reaction to his skin that caused it to get inflammed. Despite this, Rhys-Davies swung Gimli's axe in every fight scene, though he had to skip every other day of shooting to allow his skin to recover from the makeup.

Every role required extensive time in the makeup department, but for the hobbits it was especially tough. According to the Extended Edition, Elijah Wood and his fellow halflings had to get up at 5 a.m.to get fitted for the trademark hairy hobbits' feet. They were not allowed to sit while the feet were applied because their ankles would bend and cause the prosthetics to warp, so the actors had to stand for over an hour while the feet were applied.

If you look closely, you might notice that Legolas' eyes change color from scene to scene. In the Extended Edition commentary, Jackson explained the blue contact lenses Orlando Bloom wore would have damaged his eyes if he wore them every day of shooting, and that some days they forgot to even put them in at all. The visual effects team was able to digitally change Bloom's brown eyes for some scenes.

During Bilbo's birthday party, you can see Jackson's children, Billy and Katie, among the kids listening to Bilbo tell tales of his adventures with Gandalf. Billy is the only actor in the film who did not wear a wig, as his dad noted that his naturally curly hair was perfect for a hobbit.

You can spot Peter Jackson playing an extra in each of the three "LOTR" and "Hobbit" films. In "Fellowship," look for the scene where the hobbits arrive at the Prancing Pony in Bree. Jackson can be spotted munching on a carrot outside the inn.

Sean Bean, who played Boromir, said in a making-of interview that he was scared of heights and hated helicopter flights. Jackson noted that during a later scene, Bean refused to fly to a remote set and instead hiked and climbed for two hours in full costume to get to the location.

Ironically, the scene where the Fellowship struggles through the blizzard on Caradhras was filmed on a soundstage under extremely hot spotlights. The snow was actually a rice-based compound that severely irritated the skin and eyes of the actors. On the flip side, many scenes filmed on-location were done during the winter, even though it was meant to be spring in Middle-Earth.

While filming the scene where Sam tries to stop Frodo from going to Mordor alone, Sean Astin stepped on a piece of broken glass while running into the water. Jackson said on the Extended Edition that the wound was bleeding so severely that he had to be airlifted back to a hospital.

The scenes for the Shire were filmed near the small farming town of Matamata in northern New Zealand. A portion of the set was left behind after filming for "LOTR" fans to take tours of, and was rebuilt in greater detail when Jackson returned to direct the "Hobbit" films. Visitors can now even have an ale at a fully-functioning Green Dragon inn.

Check out IMDb for more trivia and movie history.

Peter Jacksons film trilogy introduced J.R.R. Tolkiens classic fantasy novel to a whole new generation of fans

The "Lord of the Rings" trilogy hit that increasingly rare sweet spot between the critics and the box office, combining to win 30 Oscars and gross $2.9 billion worldwide. It remains a landmark series that revitalized fantasy in pop culture and introducing J.R.R. Tolkien to a new generation. In celebration of its 15th anniversary, TheWrap has teamed up with IMDb to give you 15 facts about "The Fellowship of the Ring."

Read the original:

Josh Gad Reunites 'Lord of the Rings' Cast Nearly 20 Years Later - TheWrap

Francis Wheatley RA (17471801) is best known today for his Cries of London, but, as Matthew Dennison explains, he was also a painter of delightful and accomplished portraits and landscapes.

Posterity has cocked a snook at the verdict on Francis Wheatley that was expressed in 1772 by the authors of Candid Observations on the Principal Performances Now Exhibiting at the New Rooms of the Society of Artists. This pithily titled critique made bold claims for the painter, not least that he [bid] fair to be of the first class.

Alas, it was not to be. Wheatleys career spanned three decades, beginning in the early 1770s. It included a series of small-scale group portraits or conversation pieces, landscapes in oil and watercolour, full-length portraits, so-called fancy pictures (genre studies of sentimental realism), scenes from Shakespeare and contemporary literature and a noteworthy handful of large group scenes, including The Irish House of Commons in 1780 and the glorious The Earl of Aldborough reviewing Volunteers at Belan House, County Kildare, commissioned in 1782.

Francis Wheatleys The Earl of Aldborough reviewing Volunteers at Belan House, County Kildare, commissioned in 1782. Credit: The National Trust / Waddesdon Manor

In all, Wheatley demonstrated both adroitness and liveliness of spirit, without achieving consistently the hallmarks of an artist of the first class. Until a century ago, he enjoyed immortality of sorts thanks to the enduring popularity of his best-known print series, his Cries of London.

The pictures painted in the 1790s showed a series of 20 down-at-heel street sellers in and around Covent Garden. There is none of the glittering archness of his earlier fancy pictures: here was a vision both kindly and picturesque, celebratory and charming. They were reproduced by engravers and sold well into the 20th century, even finding fame on biscuit tins and chocolate boxes. Today, however, his work attracts a small following.

Two bunches a penny primroses, two bunches a penny, from Wheatleys Cries of London.

Wheatleys career got off to a promising start, with prizes in his teens for drawing and draughtsmanship, admission to the new Royal Academy Schools in 1769 and to the Society of Artists the following year. Late in his career, he was elected a Royal Academician. That his contemporaries thought highly of him may not be surprising: among Wheatleys talents was his ability to assimilate key features and mannerisms from the work of his fellow painters. Early influences included the portraits of John Hamilton Mortimer.

Wheatleys first surviving landscape in oils, The Harvest Wagon of 1774, is modelled closely on a painting of the same name by Thomas Gainsborough. This was more than simple copying and the painter demonstrated considerable dexterity, not only of technique, but in the omnivorousness of his borrowing. View on the Banks of the Medway of 1776 clearly shows the influence of earlier Dutch landscape painting.

Wheatley built his early reputation on portraits of prosperous, but not necessarily top-drawer sitters. Invariably depicted in rural settings, his male subjects struggle to suggest patrician insouciance.

Francis Wheatleys Figures and cattle by a lake. Courtesy of the Royal Academy of Arts.

There is nothing cruel in Wheatleys gaze; indeed, most of his work is characterised by a warmth of feeling that is charming in itself. Best examples, such as his portrait of Lord Spencer Hamilton of 1778 in the Royal Collection, combine a successful composition with flashes of genuine insight.

The same applies to the group portraits Wheatley undertook, again influenced by Mortimer in addition to other exponents of the conversation piece, notably Arthur Devis and Johan Zoffany. The Saithwaite Family of about 1785, a gift to New Yorks Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2009, is a bravura exercise in the form. The characters of mother, father and little daughter are all clearly indicated in a setting that is both visually rich and harmonious.

The same is true of A Family Group in a Landscape, in the collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario, and Family Group of about 1775 in the US National Gallery of Art. Both are highly decorative; both appear to reveal truths about their sitters.

All three pictures, however, also point to a flaw in much of Wheatleys portraiture, a sense that the whole is less than the sum of its parts, with individual figures existing in apparent isolation from one another, despite their proximity within a canvas. This does not always matter.

Increasingly, as the 1780s progressed, despite recurring problems in his private life, usually related to chronic debts, Wheatley produced work of gentle elegance and, apparently, tenderness of feeling. More than others of his countrymen, he embraced the sentimental vision of French artist Jean-Baptiste Greuze. The results, as one observer noted, are deliciously limpid: save to the harshest critic, they are never simply vapid.

Recently, I found a copy of Mary Websters 1970 monograph on Wheatley on the charity table in the entrance to a City church. It made for a costlier than usual Sunday Eucharist. As did the church in question, it offered wonderful food for the soul.

Laura Gascoigne is enthralled by The Royal Academy's exhibition available in virtual form on their website focusing on Lon Spilliaert,

Helen Schjerfbeck is a national icon in Finland but hasn't had a solo exhibition in Britain since the 19th century.

The explosion in watercolour painting in the 18th century came not from artists' studios but rather from the unbeatable practicality

Canadian artist David Milne moved from city to country, eventually ending up as a hermit in a remote part of

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In Focus: Francis Wheatley, the Londoner who immortalised everyday Georgian life across the strata of society - Country Life

All you need to know about the Samudra Manthan episode. Pic courtesy: BR Chopra's Vishnu Puran 

The Samudra Manthan episode is one of the iconic events that happened in the middle of the ocean (Samudra). It was a task undertaken by the Devas and the Danavs to churn the Amrit (divine elixir) from the seabed to attain immortality. And the mammoth task required the help of the Mandara Parvat and snake Vasuki. The Samudra Manthan is also called theKshirasagara Manthana, as it refers to the cosmic ocean or the ocean of milk.

The Mandara Mountain was placed in the ocean as the churning rod and Vasuki twirled around it like a rope. But since the mountain couldn't remain still due to the undulating movement of the waters, Lord Vishnu appeared in the form of Kurma (tortoise) to give it a stable platform.

Thus, Vishnu held the mountain on his back after diving deep into the sea.

Subsequently, the Devas held the tail of the serpent while the Asuras grabbed the mouth. Then the two sides that represented the good and the evil respectively began churning, by pulling the snake to and fro. As the churning began, the halahalaappeared.

Halahala ((also known as Kaalkoota) was a poison that was the first outcome of the Samudra Manthan. The moment it appeared, the Devas and the Asuras fled to save themselves, and so did the other forms of life on earth. Therefore, to save creation, Lord Shiva consumed and blocked it in his neck.Check out the story of Neelkantha.

What Ratnas did the Devas and the Asuras see emerging from the Kshirasagar?

The things that appeared afterHalahalaare known asRatnas. Devi Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth, was the firstRatnato appear. She was followed byApsaras(Rambha, Urvashi and Menaka),Varuni, the consort ofVarunaDeva. Subsequently, theKamadhenuor the divine cow appeared followed byAiravata, a white elephant with seven trunks andUchhaishravas, a seven-headed horse with wings. Apart from these,Kaustubha(a jewel),Parijata(flower),Sharanga(conch),Jyeshtha(the Goddess of misfortune) andKalpavriksha(a tree that grants wishes). And last but not least,Dhanavantri(the God of medicines), appeared with aKalash(pot) containing theAmrit(divine nectar).

The Amrit emerged from the ocean bed after days of hard work by the Devas and the Danavas. Nonetheless, a Danav named Svarbhanu forcibly grabbed the pot from Dhanavantri's hands and fled.

Subsequently, to ensure, that the Danavas, who's Guru Shukracharya was already blessed with the Sanjeevani Mantra, do not consume Amrit, Lord Vishnu appeared as a woman named Mohini.

As Mohini, Lord Vishnu lured the King of Asuras, Kalketu, and convinced him to share the Amrit with the Devas. Thus, by doing so, she ensured, only the Devas consume it. Nonetheless, Svarbhanu too had consumed a portion of the nectar in the disguise of a Deva.

Surya and Chandra, who realised that Svarbhanu had deceived them, alerted Lord Vishnu (Mohini) about it. Subsequently, Mohini returned to her original form, to sever Svarbhanu's head with the Sudarshan Chakra. However, since Svarbhanu had already consumed the Amrit, he remained alive in two parts. His head came to be known as Rahu, while the body, as Ketu.

Continued here:

Vishnu Puran: Know how Samudra Manthan happened and what came out of it - Times Now

Long before the eight lateral miracle in Durham happened, a freakishly less fortuitous miracle materialized improbably from the humid Miami sky. Like a dagger delivered from the tops of Mount Olympus, a Doug Flutie hail mary shook hands in the heavens and descended ominously to collectively send Miami Hurricane fans into hell.

November 23rd, 1984 is a day I vaguely remember. But I will wholeheartedly remember the tears that streamed down my very young face after Gerard Phelan emerged with pandemonium's prize. I was in shock. Even then, it was unfathomable.

Phelan was the recipient of then Boston College quarterback Doug Fluties heave ho from their own 36 yard line. The last pass was the transcending one that will always procure residency in the pantheon of college footballs greatest plays but it wasnt the only pass.

Doug Flutie was Hades like and torched the Miami Hurricanes defense to the tune of 34-46, 472 yards passing and three touchdowns. The last pass was posterized in immortality but if the Hurricanes had a pulse in the secondary, it never would have even gotten the chance.

Remember Phelan? Yeah he caught the hail mary. You probably have seen the clip a dozen times for the sports media world will not let you forget it. But you probably forgot that he caught 10 other passes and amassed 226 yards including two touchdowns.

The Hail Flutie was as much self inflicted as it was exclamatory. The Hurricanes were victims of their own defensive ineptitude. To be honest, they deserved it that game. You dont want to be negatively immortalized like that? Just have some semblance of a clue.

Hurricane head coach at the time Dennis Erickson even admitted that he didnt spend practice time defending those types of plays. Erickson further went on to say that he probably should also keep his defensive staff in the coaches box until the end of the game.

Then again, shortly after the end of the game, UM defensive coordinator Bill Trout handed in his resignation. He would never set forth in a Miami coaching box ever again.

Would have, should have, could have. Those statements are typically the backdrop and constructors of calamity and seldom prohibit the tears from falling.

Grandpa what just happened? That was my question to one of my lifes rocks and nexuses. Surely he would find a way to rewrite history and tell me my new hometown favorite heroes didnt just scarf down a bowl of kryptonite cereal. After all, these were the defending orange and green cape wearing national champions.

Except his eyes told me long before his words ever did that reality was reality. Bitter pill. I was devastated. First time I ever remember crying over a sporting event. It wouldnt be the last.

Go here to see the original:

When Sports brought Tears: Doug Flutie - State Of The U

A state in which the rate of mortality from senescence is stable or decreasing

Biological immortality (sometimes referred to as bio-indefinite mortality) is a state in which the rate of mortality from senescence is stable or decreasing, thus decoupling it from chronological age. Various unicellular and multicellular species, including some vertebrates, achieve this state either throughout their existence or after living long enough. A biologically immortal living being can still die from means other than senescence, such as through injury, disease, or lack of available resources.

This definition of immortality has been challenged in the Handbook of the Biology of Aging,[1] because the increase in rate of mortality as a function of chronological age may be negligible at extremely old ages, an idea referred to as the late-life mortality plateau. The rate of mortality may cease to increase in old age, but in most cases that rate is typically very high.[2]

The term is also used by biologists to describe cells that are not subject to the Hayflick limit on how many times they can divide.

Biologists chose the word "immortal" to designate cells that are not subject to the Hayflick limit, the point at which cells can no longer divide due to DNA damage or shortened telomeres. Prior to Leonard Hayflick's theory, Alexis Carrel hypothesized that all normal somatic cells were immortal.[3]

The term "immortalization" was first applied to cancer cells that expressed the telomere-lengthening enzyme telomerase, and thereby avoided apoptosisi.e. cell death caused by intracellular mechanisms. Among the most commonly used cell lines are HeLa and Jurkat, both of which are immortalized cancer cell lines. HeLa cells originated from a sample of cervical cancer taken from Henrietta Lacks in 1951.[4] These cells have been and still are widely used in biological research such as creation of the polio vaccine,[5] sex hormone steroid research,[6] and cell metabolism.[7] Normal stem cells and germ cells can also be said to be immortal (when humans refer to the cell line).[citation needed]

Immortal cell lines of cancer cells can be created by induction of oncogenes or loss of tumor suppressor genes. One way to induce immortality is through viral-mediated induction of the large Tantigen,[8] commonly introduced through simian virus 40 (SV-40).[9]

According to the Animal Aging and Longevity Database, the list of organisms with negligible aging (along with estimated longevity in the wild) includes:[10]

In 2018, scientists working for Calico, a company owned by Alphabet, published a paper in the journal eLife which presents possible evidence that Heterocephalus glaber (Naked mole rat) do not face increased mortality risk due to aging.[11][12][13]

Many unicellular organisms age: as time passes, they divide more slowly and ultimately die. Asymmetrically dividing bacteria and yeast also age. However, symmetrically dividing bacteria and yeast can be biologically immortal under ideal growing conditions.[14] In these conditions, when a cell splits symmetrically to produce two daughter cells, the process of cell division can restore the cell to a youthful state. However, if the parent asymmetrically buds off a daughter only the daughter is reset to the youthful statethe parent isn't restored and will go on to age and die. In a similar manner stem cells and gametes can be regarded as "immortal".

Hydras are a genus of the Cnidaria phylum. All cnidarians can regenerate, allowing them to recover from injury and to reproduce asexually. Hydras are simple, freshwater animals possessing radial symmetry and no post-mitotic cells. All hydra cells continually divide.[citation needed] It has been suggested that hydras do not undergo senescence, and, as such, are biologically immortal. In a four-year study, 3 cohorts of hydra did not show an increase in mortality with age. It is possible that these animals live much longer, considering that they reach maturity in 5 to 10 days.[15] However, this does not explain how hydras are consequently able to maintain telomere lengths.

Turritopsis dohrnii, or Turritopsis nutricula, is a small (5 millimeters (0.20in)) species of jellyfish that uses transdifferentiation to replenish cells after sexual reproduction. This cycle can repeat indefinitely, potentially rendering it biologically immortal. This organism originated in the Caribbean sea, but has now spread around the world.[citation needed] Similar cases include hydrozoan Laodicea undulata[16] and scyphozoan Aurelia sp.1.[17]

Research suggests that lobsters may not slow down, weaken, or lose fertility with age, and that older lobsters may be more fertile than younger lobsters. This does not however make them immortal in the traditional sense, as they are significantly more likely to die at a shell moult the older they get (as detailed below).

Their longevity may be due to telomerase, an enzyme that repairs long repetitive sections of DNA sequences at the ends of chromosomes, referred to as telomeres. Telomerase is expressed by most vertebrates during embryonic stages but is generally absent from adult stages of life.[18] However, unlike vertebrates, lobsters express telomerase as adults through most tissue, which has been suggested to be related to their longevity.[19][20][21] Contrary to popular belief, lobsters are not immortal. Lobsters grow by moulting which requires a lot of energy, and the larger the shell the more energy is required.[22] Eventually, the lobster will die from exhaustion during a moult. Older lobsters are also known to stop moulting, which means that the shell will eventually become damaged, infected, or fall apart and they die.[23] The European lobster has an average life span of 31 years for males and 54 years for females.

Planarian flatworms have both sexually and asexually reproducing types. Studies on genus Schmidtea mediterranea suggest these planarians appear to regenerate (i.e. heal) indefinitely, and asexual individuals have an "apparently limitless [telomere] regenerative capacity fueled by a population of highly proliferative adult stem cells". "Both asexual and sexual animals display age-related decline in telomere length; however, asexual animals are able to maintain telomere lengths somatically (i.e. during reproduction by fission or when regeneration is induced by amputation), whereas sexual animals restore telomeres by extension during sexual reproduction or during embryogenesis like other sexual species. Homeostatic telomerase activity observed in both asexual and sexual animals is not sufficient to maintain telomere length, whereas the increased activity in regenerating asexuals is sufficient to renew telomere length... "[24]

Lifespan: For sexually reproducing planaria: "the lifespan of individual planarian can be as long as 3 years, likely due to the ability of neoblasts to constantly replace aging cells". Whereas for asexually reproducing planaria: "individual animals in clonal lines of some planarian species replicating by fission have been maintained for over 15 years".[25]They are "literally immortal."[26]

Although the premise that biological aging can be halted or reversed by foreseeable technology remains controversial,[27] research into developing possible therapeutic interventions is underway.[28] Among the principal drivers of international collaboration in such research is the SENS Research Foundation, a non-profit organization that advocates a number of what it claims are plausible research pathways that might lead to engineered negligible senescence in humans.[29][30]

In 2015, Elizabeth Parrish, CEO of BioViva, treated herself using gene therapy with the goal of not just halting, but reversing aging.[31]

For several decades,[32] researchers have also pursued various forms of suspended animation as a means by which to indefinitely extend mammalian lifespan. Some scientists have voiced support[33] for the feasibility of the cryopreservation of humans, known as cryonics. Cryonics is predicated on the concept that some people considered clinically dead by today's medicolegal standards are not actually dead according to information-theoretic death and can, in principle, be resuscitated given sufficient technological advances.[34] The goal of current cryonics procedures is tissue vitrification, a technique first used to reversibly cryopreserve a viable whole organ in 2005.[35][36]

Similar proposals involving suspended animation include chemical brain preservation. The non-profit Brain Preservation Foundation offers a cash prize valued at over $100,000 for demonstrations of techniques that would allow for high-fidelity, long-term storage of a mammalian brain.[37]

In 2016, scientists at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and the Mayo Clinic employed genetic and pharmacological approaches to ablate pro-aging senescent cells, extending healthy lifespan of mice by over 25%. The startup Unity Biotechnology is further developing this strategy in human clinical trials.[38]

In early 2017, Harvard scientists headed by biologist David Sinclair announced they have tested a metabolic precursor that increases NAD+ levels in mice and have successfully reversed the cellular aging process and can protect the DNA from future damage. "The old mouse and young mouse cells are indistinguishable", David was quoted. Human trials were planned to begin shortly in what the team expect is 6 months at Brigham and Women's Hospital, in Boston.[39]

In the September 2019 article, a group of scientists reported successfully reversing the epigenetic aging in humans.[40]

To achieve the more limited goal of halting the increase in mortality rate with age, a solution must be found to the fact that any intervention to remove senescent cells that creates competition among cells will increase age-related mortality from cancer.[41]

In 2012 in Russia, and then in the United States, Israel, and the Netherlands, pro-immortality transhumanist political parties were launched.[42] They aim to provide political support to anti-aging and radical life extension research and technologies and want to ensure the fastest possibleand at the same time, the least disruptivesocietal transition to radical life extension, life without aging, and ultimately, immortality. They aim to make it possible to provide access to such technologies to the majority of people alive today.[43]

Future advances in nanomedicine could give rise to life extension through the repair of many processes thought to be responsible for aging. K. Eric Drexler, one of the founders of nanotechnology, postulated cell repair devices, including ones operating within cells and using as yet hypothetical molecular machines, in his 1986 book Engines of Creation. Raymond Kurzweil, a futurist and transhumanist, stated in his 2005 book The Singularity Is Near that he believes that advanced medical nanorobotics could completely remedy the effects of aging by 2030.[44] According to Richard Feynman, it was his former graduate student and collaborator Albert Hibbs who originally suggested to him in around 1959 the idea of a medical use for Feynman's theoretical micromachines (see biological machine). Hibbs suggested that certain repair machines might one day be reduced in size to the point that it would, in theory, be possible to (as Feynman put it) "swallow the doctor". The idea was incorporated into Feynman's 1959 essay There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom.[45]

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Biological immortality - Wikipedia

Peach trees easily adjust to different types of soil. You can plant them in any type of soil and grow peaches. Furthermore, the peaches grow under a wide variety of weather conditions. Peaches are therefore cultivated in production areas across the country. With the exception of Heilongjiang in China's northeast, almost every other province in China grows peaches.

Available data shows that the overall surface area devoted to peach plantation in China already exceeded 670 thousand hectares. China leads the world in the production of peaches. However, this was not an easy year for peaches. An unexpected cold snap engulfed the country in the middle of April. Many peach orchards were covered in snow. A great number of peach blossom suffered frost damage, which reduced the volume of fruit on each tree.

Earlier this year, the outbreak of Covid-19 also had a disastrous impact on many industries in China. The purchasing power of Chinese consumers drastically declined. Furthermore, the Covid-19 pandemic spread across the globe and many countries restricted access through sea ports, which severely limited the export of honey peaches. Apart from the outbreak of Covid-19, the peaches also suffered from poor weather conditions. The peaches ripened one week later than usual. However, the flavor is slightly better than last year.

The most popular peaches in the Chinese market are the honey peach, golden nectarine, golden immortality peach, and the yellow peach. These peaches are relatively large, have a long shelf-life, taste good, and have a high sugar content. This makes them very popular with Chinese consumers.

Some buyers explain that the outbreak of Covid-19 definitely had an impact on the sales of nectarines earlier this season, but that influence is much smaller for the peaches that enter the Chinese market in June, such as the honey peach, immortality peach, and yellow peach. However, the retail conditions are still difficult to analyse as not all peaches have officially entered the market yet. However, it is quite certain that the peaches from Yunnan and Shandong will dominate the market and online sales will greatly increase in comparison with previous years.

Source: ifreshfair.cn

Continue reading here:

How did cold spring weather affect the Chinese peach market? - FreshPlaza.com

Greatness cannot be achieved without sacrifice. While it is the fire that burns inside that fuels the brilliance, the pursuit for perfection can also torment, turning relationships to ashes and niggling at the soul. The gifted can be loved and disliked. They can achieve immortality but still be flawed. They are, after all, human. But, ultimately, their extraordinary talent overshadows everything.

As Michael Jordan says in The Last Dance, the wildly popular 10-part docuseries covering the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls season: Winning has a price and leadership has a price.

Magnus Carlsen had just been introduced to chess by his father, Henrik, when Jordan was securing his first hat trick of NBA championships with the Bulls in the early 1990s. Still progressing through elementary school, and some years away from being described as the Mozart of Chess by the Washington Post, the young Carlsen never watched Jordans games but, nevertheless, collected NBA cards. Everybody knew who Jordan was, Carlsen tells CNN Sport.

Like millions around the world, Carlsen has been captivated by The Last Dance, which gives a courtside seat into what it took for Jordan to become the ultimate champion. Winner of six NBA championships and five MVPs, the American superstar who became a cultural icon had time for one thing: winning.

In the retelling of Jordans tumultuous final season with the Bulls and the dynasty he helped build, the audience is saddled with conflicting emotions. While his talent is awe-inspiring, his force of personality enthralling, some of the methods used to achieve excellence on the hardwood berating teammates, even punching one in the face can rankle, raising an internal monologue of questions during what is a sensationally good sports film.

But few watching what is reportedly the most in-demand documentary in the world can relate to Jordan, except for perhaps Carlsen, himself a master of his chosen craft, a once-in-a-generation talent who is relentlessly great at his sport.

There have been people saying in Norway you dont have to be an a***hole to win; whenever they say that from now on Ill say go and watch Jordan and Im going to use it as an excuse for any questionable behavior, Carlsen says, a wry smile engulfing his face as he speaks from his Oslo home.

Im certainly somebody who is very much in that school. There are no excuses. You always have to be the best, nothing else is acceptable.

Carlsen has been the world chess champion since 2013. Aged two he was solving 50-piece jigsaw puzzles. By five he was building magnificent creations from Lego. At 13, he beat former world champion Anatoli Karpov, drew with Russian great Garry Kasparov and became a chess grandmaster.

Six years later, he was the youngest chess player in history to top the world rankings. His rise was dazzling and, over the last decade, the prodigy has become one of the best there has ever been: four world titles and the highest-rated player in history.

So, is ruthlessness, that need to win come what may, an essential trait in an all-time great? I think you need it, Carlsen answers, after a moments reflection.

Much like Jordan, it is a loathing for losing that powers Carlsens merciless drive. The infrequency of the defeats does not soften the blow. In last months Magnus Carlsen Invitational, an online tournament with a record total prize fund of $250,000, he lost to 16-year-old rising star Alireza Firouzja. It pi**ed me off a lot, admits Carlsen.

And on his way to beating Ding Liren, he turned the air blue as his frustrations boiled over. He is, he says, more human than most.

When I blundered in one game thered be a bunch of expletives coming from my mouth; I think thats a good thing, Carlsen says, believing that a players freedom to be expressive makes rapidplay online chess, games which are normally completed in under an hour, more appealing to the many than the classical format.

Its real. People have these instant reactions, which you cannot actually have when youre at the board, he says. There must be room to be yourself and Im a super competitive person, and when I mess up in a way I shouldnt, that bites at me and theres really nothing wrong with expressing that. Its just part of who I am.

You can like it, or you dont like it. Its authentic and thats the most important thing.

People have been saying thats a good and bad thing about me. My emotions are usually outside my body. Thats not what you usually connect to a chess player in general, but thats the way that I am.

In 2010, Kasparov the world chess champion from 1985 to 2000 who was once Carlsens coach told Time magazine: Before he is done, Carlsen will have changed our ancient game considerably.

Still in his 20s, Carlsens impact on the game has been sizable, leading to modeling assignments with G-star, a deal with Porsche and his own app. All have contributed to his multi-million-dollar fortune.

For half his life, the Norwegian has been accustomed to traveling the world for around 200 days a year, so these last few months in Oslo are the longest he has spent at home since childhood.

And while Carlsens daily life during the global pandemic has not changed significantly I play chess for a living, he says all furrow-browed it has given him the opportunity to pause, and the consequence of that may indeed lead to a shake up of the ancient game.

The pandemic has provided Carlsen with the opportunity to put into practice his vision of making chess more interesting to the masses, in a time when sport has stalled and most of the world is dealing with devastation and unpredictability.

Earlier this month, he launched The Carlsen Tour, a $1 million series of online tournaments in which he will compete, providing hours of entertainment for chess fans until August.

The first event was the Carlsen Invitational, a final reportedly watched by an online audience calculated at over 115,000, and the second the Lindores Abbey Challenge, which is happening now.

His aim, Carlsen says, is to ensure chess players can have a livelihood, while also giving chess fans something to look forward to.

He would be surprised, he says, were he to play over-the-board chess this year. I suspect next year there will be some sort of return to normality, but who knows, Im not banking on it, says Carlsen.

Perhaps it will come as no surprise to hear him call his eponymous 16-day online tournament, which involved eight top-ranked players, as an instant hit, but he has not been the only one to praise the format. Earlier this month UK newspaper, The Guardian, wrote that the tournament proved a revelation, magnifying mistakes and intensifying the pressure.

It is also significant that the Norwegian describes his win over Hikaru Nakamara, the worlds top-rated blitz player, in the final as his most satisfying victory for a while.

It was really hard, he explains. The final two matches were both really close and I felt I was challenged in a way I havent been too often in rapid and blitz chess.

We can take from [the Invitational] two things, both that fast time control and the match format, that its this one-on-one combat, [and] both of them worked pretty well.

The first couple of days took some getting used to but after that I was fully focused and there were no worries and, also, for most of the time I had the thumbnail video of my opponent in the corner of the screen so I could see my opponent and see their facial expressions, so that made it more real.

You can actually see some of what theyre thinking and thats also something that people appreciate while watching.

Ending two days before the start of the Online Nations Cup, a competition run by governing body FIDE which Carlsen did not participate in, the timing of the Invitational raised some eyebrows. In interviews last month, Carlsen said there were no issues between himself and FIDE.

Following his 2018 world title win over Fabiano Caruana, Carlsen told the assembled media in London that had he lost he would probably never play a world championship match again. Had he bowed out, the impact on the world of chess would have been akin to Jordan abruptly retiring from basketball while in his prime nearly three decades ago.

But now there is no talk from Carlsen of prematurely quitting any format of the sport. For as long as his computerized brain allows him to flatten opponents, he will continue to set the standard.

I just enjoy the game so much, he says. [I] enjoy winning every time, hate losing every time that happens. Im eager to keep going.

There are moments when Im thinking, Ive done this before, why am I doing it again but they are few and far between and that doesnt happen much at all.

I feel like my top level is still the very best in the world. The fact that Im vulnerable on my bad days speaks to how good the others have become.

Im just motivated and love to play the game. As long as I feel like Im still top of my game and I continue to win, I dont see one reason to quit.

Originally posted here:

Magnus Carlsen: 'My emotions are usually outside my body and that's not what you usually connect to a chess player.' - KVIA El Paso

Dear Graduate,

Greetings class of 2020. My name is Rev Darrin Harvey of the First United Church of Christ here in Galion, and it is an honor to bring you this letter. Obviously, the ending of your seminal year did not go as planned. No one could have foreseen such circumstances surrounding and overshadowing this time in your lives, and that is unfortunate. By now of course you know to expect that life will not always be coming up roses for you. However, global pandemics are not your usual challenge and difficulty. So, on behalf of the world, we apologize, as you deserved much better.

We hope that you have been able to have celebrations with family and have taken time out to enjoy this milestone in life. From what I have seen, you all have borne the challenges of these times with grace, humility, perspective, and wisdom beyond your years. I am not surprised since I have gotten to know several of you. I have seen many examples when your class has displayed good citizenship, creativity, talent, maturity, and passion.

I would like to share a passage of scripture from Pauls first letter to Timothy. This is from the final chapter of that letter.

But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will bring about at the right time he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

NRSV16-6:111 Timothy

Paul was of course a well-known and respected Christian leader in the early movement of Christianity. But he was not going to be around forever, so wherever he went he trained up leaders to lead the churches that he started. One of them was Timothy, who from all accounts was a capable and enthusiastic leader in his own right. Paul invested time in Timothy and then handed him the keys to drive. So, in his letters to him he often reminds him what is important and encourages him to take up Gods call to continue to preach and teach.

First, Paul says to shun all this. What is he talking about here? Well, he just gets done telling Timothy that money is the root of all evil. I hope that you have heard that before. Most of us have, yet somehow, we all seem to make it an aim in life nonetheless, (at least in some respect). Money is a useful tool to live, but not something to live your life for.

Paul goes on to give more advice. Pursue these things righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. These qualities are things we must strive for because they do not come naturally to us. The world advances messages contrary to these things. It is implicit in our culture. Righteousness does not get you ahead in the eyes of the world. Most often, it is used in a negative way when we say someone is self-righteous. Show them instead the righteousness of Christ. Righteousness that does not derive from you. For you are attached to something else God.

Let your godliness show! Testify to your faith by living it out. Love generously! Show the world your endurance. You have persevered through 2020, the year that was supposed to be yours. Do not let it define who you become. Learn from this time to become people generous and kind. Do not let it spoil your plans, Persist, and keep dreaming. Many people give up their dreams after a few setbacks, be known for your enduring and persistent qualities.

Practice gentleness. In the eyes of the world gentleness is often seen as weakness. In the world people get their way through force and aggression and the personalities that are celebrated are driven by their egos. Be different. Humility and gentleness are a sign of inner strength-the strength of God. This is the kind of strength that you will win you fights. Use this and you will persevere all trials and tribulations.

If you are listening to this or reading this, then your faith is important to you. This is a gift to you. This gift of faith was planted inside of you when you were baptized and blessed. After this, at some point in your life you made a confession of faith. From that day forward you are claimed as a child of God. Take hold of that gift of eternal life and live an abundant life under Gods providence and care.

Congratulations once again class of 2020. May God bless and keep you as your journey continues.

Galion Area Ministerial Association

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A message to the GHS Class of 2020 from the Galion Ministerial Association - Galion Inquirer

Vishnu Puran: What does Samudra Manthan mean? 

Lord Vishnu, who is referred to as thePalanharorPalankarta, looks after the various forms of life on Earth. And he is also believed to be the one who existed since time immemorial. He isajanma(meaning the one who was not born). Therefore, hisLeelasoften get translated into events that lead to the welfare of humankind. One such episode of hisLeelais associated withSamudra Manthanor the churning of the ocean.

Samudra Manthan, or the churning of the ocean, was done to extract the Amrit (divine nectar). The Devas and the Danavas took part in a tug of war contest to churn the elixir from the ocean bed to attain immortality.

If one were to look at theSamudra Manthanfrom the perspective of spirituality, then it refers to the process of introspection that one must go through to extract all that seeks refuge in him/her. Some of the things that may arise may be conducive while the rest may prove detrimental. Therefore, the churning of the ocean means realisation.

Interestingly, Lord Vishnu wanted the Devas to take help from their arch-rivals, Daityas. The churning of the Samudra was not an easy task, and it required Mount Mandara and snake Vasuki's involvement. And to churn the Samudra, from the two sides, the Devas and the Asuras/Danavas had to team up as one.

Lord Vishnu knew that the Devas alone wouldn't be able to churn the ocean if they wished to obtain the divine nectar. Therefore, he asked Indra to meet Kalketu, the king of the Danavas and Daitya Guru Shukracharya with the proposal of working together for extracting theAmrit(elixir). The Danavas agreed to take part in the task after learning about the benefits of theAmrit. They wanted to become immortal, and therefore, they accepted the proposal.

Now, if we were to interpret what this plan means, then it points towards the presence of the evil to determine the value of the good. Therefore, the Danavas were essential, and so were the Devas. Moreover, myriad thoughts cloud a person's mind, but the one who takes the good and dismisses the evil leads a blissful life. And this blissfulness isAmrit.

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What is Samudra Manthan and why Lord Vishnu wanted Devas to take help from demons? - Times Now

Sky customers can watch the headlining film, Tiger Woods: Back, at 9pm, June 5, on Sky Documentaries and NOW TV. (Credit: Sky)

Sky has launched a brand new channel, Sky Documentaries, with a variety of feature-length content covering topics ranging from sport, to music and the environment.

The service offers documentaries on air and through online Sky Sports subscriptions and NOW TV.

Where can I watch the new channel and how much does it cost?

The new channel launched on Wednesday (27 May), and is now available to Sky Q customers at no additional cost, and is found on Sky channel 114.

Additionally, all of the shows on Sky Documentaries will be made available for on demand viewing on Sky Q and Sky+HD boxes, as well as online through Sky Sports and NOW TV subscriptions.

What are some of the highlights of the new channel?

The channel will feature a variety of feature-length documentaries as well as docuseries covering a range of topics from sport, politics to music and more.

Here are some of the schedule highlights:

Tiger Woods: Back

New Tiger Woods documentary, Tiger Woods: Back, details the golfers famous Masters victory at Augusta in 2019 - considered by many as the greatest comeback in sports history - and features never seen before footage.

The film also chronicles the lead up to his comeback, which involved four potentially career-ending back surgeries.

Viewers are given intimate access and insight into the sport stars personal battle with both his body and mind, as well with the sport itself.

Sky customers can watch the film at 9pm, Friday June 5, on Sky Documentaries and NOW TV.

Other sporting documentaries found on the service include Women of Troy, Busby, Kevin Pietersen: Story of a Genius, Ferrari Race to Immortality, Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes and The Armstrong Lie.

McMillions

Some of the confirmed films to be featured on the channel includes McMillions, which details the McDonald's Monopoly scandal that saw scammers steal $24 million from the fast food chain.

McMillions airs on Wednesday, May 27 2020.

Hillary

Sky customers can also watch the new four-part series, Hillary, which explores the career and presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton.

Hillary airs on June 5 2020.

Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men

Another upcoming film is the 2019 documentary Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men which chronicles the career of the popular hip-hop band.

Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men airs on June 24.

Hawking

An example of Skys own original documentaries featured on the new channel, is Hawking, a 90-minute film that details the life of the iconic physicist Professor Stephen Hawking.

The film includes footage from his private family archive, as well as interviews with members of his family, alongside friends and colleagues.

Excerpt from:

Sky launches a new documentary channel for customers - here are some of the highlights and how to watch - News Post Leader

If you're reading this, congratulations on having achieved the primary goal with which we begin each day: You have avoided death.

We're big on this idea of not dying. We love stories of immortal vampires and invincible superheroes, each of us wishing on some level that was us. If we didn't have to worry about death, we could finally get shit done.

But could we? If you take a moment to think about it, you realize immortality is grossly overrated.

Contrary to what many people believe, humans are still evolving. That's not a big deal if you have the kind of immortality that only lasts 1,000 or 2,000 years, but of course real immortality means you'll still be walking the earth, in your current body, a million years from now.

Science has no idea where future mutations might lead us by that point, so it's anyone's guess what your neighbors will look like in the future. You, on the other hand, will be walking around as the future equivalent of this:

Their bodies and brains are going to continue to adapt to an ever-changing world. Yours won't. Will your digestive system be able to handle the same food they eat? Will your brain enjoy the same entertainment? Will your non-evolved tongue even be able to speak the languages they speak in the year one million AD? Would an unfrozen caveman be able to do all of that now?

One thing we do know: You won't be getting any lovin'. It turns out that mother nature hates inter-species breeding, and is such a big cockblocker that science had to come up with a name to describe it: Reproductive Isolation. It's the reason there aren't packs of ligers or centaurs roaming around.

Read the rest here:

5 Reasons Immortality Would be Worse than Death | Cracked.com

Hollywood star Charlize Theron's much-awaited Netflix project, The Old Guard will premiere on July 10. The 44-year-old actor shared the news in a post on Twitter, sharing four stills from the movie.

"@oldguardmovie @netflix July 10," she wrote in the caption. Written and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, the film is based on the comic book series of the same name by Greg Rucka.

The story is about on a small group of immortal soldiers, led by a woman named Andy, who have been working as mercenaries for centuries. But the group gets a shock when they find a new immortal woman, not long after they discover an evil group has video evidence of their immortality.

Also read: Betaal trailer: Shah Rukh Khans new Netflix series unleashes army of zombies

Besides Theron, The Old Guard also features Kiki Layne, Marwan Kenzari,Luca Marinelli,Harry Melling,Van Veronica Ngo,Matthias Schoenaerts, andChiwetel Ejiofor.

Theron has also produced the project through her company Denver and Delilah, alongside Skydances David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

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The Old Guard: Charlize Therons Netflix film gets July 10 release date - Hindustan Times

Chicago Bulls Michael Jordan ( MIKE NELSON/AFP via Getty Images)

The Chase for Immortality: MJs ever-evolving motivation fueled the Bulls first three-peat

Michael Jordan had morphed into an illuminated superstar before he ever won his first championship with the Chicago Bulls. Prior to the rings, he was known as the talented young gun on the block that had every lethal death bullet in his barrel.

He had grace, explosive athleticism, a lethal first step, and an array of finishing moves around the rack. Jordan was the ultimate prominent young basketball player in the NBA prime and ready to take the throne from star players of his present time. The only dilemma was that his abundant talent couldnt officially collect the ultimate team goal; a World Championship.

Michael finally got over his title drought when he eclipsed the aging, but legendary Magic Johnson in a five-game series win during the 1991 NBA Finals. It was the ultimate title coronation as his last two victims during his path to obtaining a conference title and a league title were arguable two of the three giants of the 1980s: Isiah Thomas of the Detroit Pistons and Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers.

His Conference Finals performance against the Pistons in 1991 was a sweeping demolition that saw his effortless scoring output (29.8 PPG), his emergence as a playmaker (7.0 APG), and a defensive masterpiece on the perimeter (2.3 SPG) and around the basket (1.8 BPG). However, Jordans First NBA Final performance was a culmination of his complete stardom.

His assist average peaked at an all-time high vs the Lakers (11.5 APG) and his scoring prowess only outdid itself when the stakes were higher finishing with a series-high 31.5 points per game average. He was finally able to fulfill head coach Phil Jacksons implore of becoming a team-first basketball player in the biggest series of the NBA Playoffs.

From there, Jordans sky became a limitless roof.

The following rings Jordan won were driven by competition against the fading present-day legendary careers of Larry Bird, Magic, and Isiah. They were able to continue league success after getting to the mountain top by going through the championship ringer again and coming out as champs. So, for Jordan, he was only as good as the next wave of success meaning being a repeat championship offender wasnt a goal, it was the expectation.

Episode 5 and 6 ESPNs The Last Dance touch bases on the extended championship run of the Chicago Bulls from 1991-93. The teams first three-peat squad consisted of the well-known duo of Jordan and Pippen, but a talented Hall of Fame Third wheel in Horace Grant.

Charles Barkley spoke on the dominance of the Bulls first three-peat team being because of Grants basketball ability. In comparing the third wheel of Grant in Chicagos first three-peat to the third wheel of Dennis Rodman in the Bulls second three-peat, Barkley said this:

Dennis Rodman was a great rebounder and a great defender, but Horace Grant was the better basketball player.

Grant averaged double digits in points and high single-digit rebound averages during the Bulls three-year playoff run. He was the teams interior scorer within the triangle offense that kept defenses honest and unwilling to fully load up the perimeter and zero in on Jordan and Pippen.

Yet, in the finals, it was all about the superhuman ability of Jordan on both ends of the floor, the two-way ability of wingman Scottie Pippen, and unsung hero John Paxon that ultimately propelled the Bulls into repeat title defenders.

Jordan averaged 35 points on 53 percent shooting from the field in a competitive six-game series versus the talented but erratic Portland Trail Blazers. His memorable game one 1992 Finals performance consisted of a first-half six 3-pointer onslaught in his head-to-head duel with Blazers star Clyde Drexler to prove his dominance as the leagues best two-guard.

Game 5 vs. the Blazers was a 46-point clinic on 14-23 shooting assisted by Pippens 24-point, 11-rebound, and 9-assist performance that nearly amounted to a triple-double. The twos 70-point onslaught as a duo assisted by John Paxsons 6-11, 12-point gem supplied the Bulls 81 of the teams 119 points to push the series ahead 3-2 en route to their second consecutive title.

The scoring leaders in the Blazers series were the known co-stars in Jordan and Pippen, but John Paxson averaged over 10 points per game as well on 52 percent shooting. His championship services would come through in the clutch once again in next years NBA Finals series versus the Phoenix Suns.

The three-peat was what Jordan identified as being the separating factor from his aging contemporaries on the pedestal of Mount Rushmore. While Bird and Magic obtained multiple titles throughout their careers in three and five respectively, none of them amassed a three-peat as champions.

In fact, no one in the league did. Because of this, another motivating factor was born and ignited Jordan in the 1993 season that drove him to be an eventual champion.The road itself wasnt easy and contained backlash from the media and competition alike. His casino trip after a game one finals loss versus the Knicks in the conference final had reporters assuming Jordan possessed a gambling addiction.

The aftermath of the trip was a Game 2 defeat to the Knicks that had the Bulls behind the eight ball in the series facing a glaring 0-2 deficit. Jordan reacted to the vitriol by ghosting the media for a two-week span letting his on-court performance do the talking. It worked to the tune of four straight victories versus New York to claim the East in 1993 for the third straight season.

Jordan had a 54-point clinic in Game 4 to even the series and participated in the ultimate straight jacket defensive possession versus Knicks big man Charles Smith in the waning moments of Game 5 to prevent a potential Knick go-ahead basket. This made the series jump ahead 3-2 ultimately cementing a third straight finals appearance.

Jordans matchup with Charles Barkley and the Suns in the 1993 NBA Finals was a bout against the leagues best team and a league MVP, a title he claimed almost annually. In the documentary, Jordan alluded that Barkleys MVP award was an individual accolade he felt he deserved and admitted it fueled him in the NBA Finals series.

The box score throughout the Finals matchup showed that. Attacking the Suns lack of defensive activity and continuity, Jordan averaged 41 points on 50 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent from distance. Pippen averaged 21 points, 9 boards, and 7 assists along with two steals further cementing his claim as arguably the best small forward in basketball, while Horace Grant further buffered Barkleys claim as the best third wheel out of the Bulls two three-peat teams averaging a double-double (11. 2 PPG, 10.3 RPG) while protecting the paint above the rim (1.5 BPG) and below the belt (1.5 SPG).

As good as the trio played vs. the Suns in their six-game series, John Paxson ultimately avoided the series from going to a road Game 7. Paxons clutch open try helped the Bulls crack double-digits as a team in the fourth quarter. This bucket off of a great find from Grant down low cemented a three-peat for the Bulls and for Jordan the beginning of immortality after a rigorous three-year title defense.

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The Chase for Immortality: MJs ever-evolving motivation fueled the Bulls first three-peat - Sir Charles In Charge

The Legends find themselves in the middle of a London-based zombie outbreak in an upcoming episode of Legends of Tomorrow.

As DC's Legends of Tomorrow Season 5 moves closer to its finale, the Arrowverse series is about to take cues from British zombie films like Shaun of the Dead and 28 Days Later.

The CW has released the synopsis for the season's 13th episode, titled "I Am Legends," poking fun at its zombie apocalypse premise. The episode has the team stranded in John Constantine's London home, with the British capital in the midst of a zombie outbreak.

RELATED:Legends of Tomorrow: Matt Ryan Explains Constantine's Relationship With Lucifer

STICKING TOGETHER After drinking from Chalice, the Legends have immortality for 24 hours, which gives them time get to the Waverider and use the Loom of Fate. However, they quickly discover that the sisters have stolen the Waverider and they are stuck at Constantines (Matt Ryan) house in the middle of nowhere in London during a Zombie Apocalypse. Meanwhile, Gary (guest star Adam Tsekham) is left on the ship and once he discovers what is going on, he takes something important to the sisters. Caity Lotz, Dominic Purcell, Nick Zano, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Jes Macallan, Tala Ashe and Olivia Swann also star. Andrew Kasch directed the episode written by Keah Poulliot & Emily Cheever (#513). Original airdate 5/19/2020.

The second half of Season 5 has seen the season's true overarching villainLachesis surface, with the Loom of Fate to rewrite humanity's past, present and future. While the Legends have gained temporary immortality, they might find themselves with their hands full during a full-on zombie apocalypse.

RELATED:Matt Ryan Explains Why He Loves Playing Constantine

Airing Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on The CW, DCs Legends of Tomorrow stars Caity Lotz, Dominic Purcell, Nick Zano, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Tala Ashe, Matt Ryan and Jes Macallan.

Legends of Tomorrow: Matt Ryan Explains Constantine's Relationship With Lucifer

Sam Stone is a 10th level pop culture guru living just outside of Washington, DC who knows an unreasonable amount about The Beatles. You can read his work in the pages of Image+, follow him on Twitter @samstoneshow, and listen to his podcast Geek Out Show on iTunes and Google Play.

Excerpt from:

Legends of Tomorrow Is About to Go Full-On Shaun of the Dead - CBR - Comic Book Resources