For many in Buffalo, the opportunity to sleep in (or nap after the Turkey Trot) and the promise of a hearty meal Thursday means a chance to let loose Wednesday night.

That fact is not lost on bars, restaurants and clubs; Thanksgiving Eve is, as usual, absolutely loaded with parties, live music and general holiday revelry.

Expats in town for the week have a lot to consider, too, in addition to the enticing new venues that have joined the food and music scenes in the last year.

Philosofest IV, noon to 11 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 27, at 12 Gates Brewing Co. (80 Earhart Drive, East Amherst). No cost.

How can you resist an event based on a legend involving the Philosopher's Stone? 12 Gates' name comes from Sir George Ripley's "Compound of Alchymy," and alchemists long searched for the mythical stone said to grant immortality and turn regular metals into gold. No word on whether the stone will make an appearance at the event.

But really, this is ultimately a brewery taproom party with beer releases (with outstanding names), live music and extended hours. Dirty Dangles double IPA packs a wallop at 8.6% ABV, while the Danger Zone stout was brewed with brandy-soaked oak chips (sounds fairly fascinating).

Tiny Music, a Stone Temple Pilots cover band, plays 8 to 11 p.m., following Mike & Mandy Music from 4-7.

[Photos: Smiles at Rock the Gates 2019 | Explore craft beer at 12 Gates]

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Lowest of the Low, 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 27, at Town Ballroom (681 Main St.). Tickets are $32 in advance.

The inevitable: A Ron Hawkins holiday show (but it keeps happening because Lowest of the Low draws so well). The Canadian frontman and his bandmates tangle in Town Ballroom Wednesday, joining forces with Wolf Tickets and Ace of Wands. Word is that this show is already approaching capacity, too.

Lowest of the Low has been profiled so many times in The News it's hard to know what to focus on this Q&A by Tim O'Shei in 2017 and this Jeff Miers' review from 2012 are two good places to start.

...

Flip Hunger the Bird, doors at 7 p.m., show at 8 on Wednesday, Nov. 27, at the Cave (71 Military Road). Cost is $15 general admission, or $10 with the donation of a nonperishable food item.

One of Miers' suggestions for expats home for the holidays is a trip to the Cave, a short walk from the Sportsmen's Tavern in Black Rock and a key component of the Halls family's expansion project. This fundraiser on Thanksgiving Eve is a prime opportunity to take the critic's advice while supporting the Food Bank of WNY.

The Donny Frauenhofer Band, Farrow and Saranaide more different than they are similar in their musical approaches give listeners a refreshing variety.

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The Night Before Thanksgiving featuring Folkfaces, 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 27, at 42 North Brewing (25 Pine St., East Aurora). Admission is a canned good or winter clothing for Friends of the Night People.

The 42 North footprint is expanding in East Aurora, with four new Airbnbs, additional brewing space, a canning line with clean branding and lofty goals of becoming a major player in regional craft beer distribution; co-founder John Cimperman told The News' Scott Scanlon he's "in the business of selling an experience."

Folkfaces, a local Americana/roots band lauded by News contributor Mac McGuire, will perform on Thanksgiving Eve, just a few months after releasing wonderfully named album "Fat Ol' Rat."

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Lazlo Hollyfeld, 9 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 27, at McGarret's (946 Elmwood Ave.). Cost is $7 at the door.

Respect tradition. Sonny Baker and friends have a mix of music planned for their annual Thanksgiving Eve show in "the bar that has no name" (but it does have a name, it's McGarret's).

Hollyfeld's history of covering bands they love in this case, the Talking Heads. again continues, while they'll also play "the music of themselves," (or original music, but we like how they put it). The band had a tune-up of its Talking Heads set roughly two weeks ago when they played Hydraulic Hearth's fifth anniversary.

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Marquee Grand, 10 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 27 at Mr. Goodbar (1110 Elmwood Ave.). No admission cost listed.

For a variety of reasons, Goodbar is a popular stomping grounds on Thanksgiving Eve and whenever expats return to Buffalo. A great beer list, cheap live music, underrated wings and unpretentious atmosphere are at the heart of its appeal, which were elaborated upon when the bar celebrated its 50th anniversary last year.

Marquee Grand is a four-piece rock band from Buffalo, also with new music on the way after a strong gig at the Alternative Buffalo Birthday Show. The group will release a single, "Maybe," on Dec. 6.

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Beach Slang, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 26, at Mohawk Place (47 E. Mohawk St.). Cost is $20 in advance.

New music is right around the corner for Philadelphia punk band Beach Slang, so Mohawk Place concertgoers could be in for a treat. The coming album title, "Deadbeat Bang of Heartbreak City," is the work of James Alex, the band's only stable presence over the course of its five-year history.

Local opener Mom Said No. has generated plenty of buzz this year, as well as some praise from Miers, who thinks they could be the next band to break out of Buffalo.

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One-Eyed Cat Brewing holiday pop-up, 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 26, at Moor Pat (78 E. Spring St., Williamsville). No cost to attend.

One-Eyed Cat Brewing has done things the right way in starting its brewery, building industry relationships by staging pop-ups around the area before settling on their main taproom location, inside an old church at 10678 Main St. in Clarence Hollow.

Another chance to try their beer comes Tuesday at craft beer-crazed Moor Pat, a short jaunt from their eventual location. OECB will have three brews to sample: a New England IPA, a Russian Imperial Pumpkin Stout and the house imperial stout. More details on these beers at the event page.

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More options for Thanksgiving Eve

Jive Turkey Celebration at Duke's Bohemian Grove BarThanksgiving Eve Bash at the Cove with Hit-N-RunThanksgiving Eve party at Becker Farms/Vizcarra VineyardsStoutsgiving 2019 at Big Ditch Brewing Co.Strictly Hip at Tralf Music Hall

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Continued: "The Irishman" at Dipson Amherst, North Park Theater. Read the review and the feature on Buffalo-born actor Patrick Gallo.

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Sold out: Turkey Trot on Thursday in downtown Buffalo, but look back at last year's Smiles for good measure.

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3 quick-hitters for this week

Thanksgiving Night party at New York Beer ProjectOpening of Lewiston Family Ice RinkPints for Progress No. 7 at Taylor Theater

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5 events to look forward to this weekend

Hotel Henry holiday market beginsJingle Falls USA in Niagara FallsChristmas in EllicottvilleHandel's "Messiah" with BPO at OLV Basilica"The Nutcracker" at Shea's Buffalo

[Sold out for this weekend: World's Largest Disco; As I Lay Dying]

Email: btsujimoto@buffnews.com

More here:

This Week in Buffalo: Biggest party night of the year - Buffalo News

Living With LimericksBy Garrison Keillor. (Prairie Home Productions, 175 pages, $17.99.)

You can almost hear Garrison Keillor snickering like a naughty schoolboy as you leaf through his latest book, Living With Limericks, featuring dozens of mildly saucy rhymes, too tame for Playboy, too raunchy for the New Yorker. His obsession with flatulence is so deep, you may want to ground him for a week.

But between acts of juvenile delinquency, the former Prairie Home Companion host waxes wistfully through poems and anecdotes about childhood memories, surgeries and growing old. In many ways, the collection serves as a sneak preview to the memoir hes currently peddling to publishers.

He also bares his fangs, laying into everyone from Bob Dylan to local podcaster Nora McInerny, who wrote a scathing commentary about him for Time magazine shortly after he was accused of sexual misconduct. He never directly references the scandal, but he can be quite amusing while skirting at its hem.

Youre a phenomenon and a national treasure, he shares in a chapter about immortality. And then the earth turns and youre a guy spilling soup on his shirt.

When hes not playing the pity card, Keillor reminds us that he remains one of our most thoughtful wordsmiths and a generous one. At one point, he offers some helpful tips on how you too can improve your writing, something Dylan would never do.

Neal Justin

The Secrets We KeptBy Lara Prescott. (Knopf, 325 pages, $26.95.)

The dazzling prologue of The Secrets We Kept is a tough act to follow, but Lara Prescott pulls it off. Written in first-person plural, its from the perspective of women who toil in the secretarial pool at the CIA in the early 1950s. They tell us they are smarter and more skilled than the suits they work for and they close the prologue by asserting, Unlike some of the men, we could keep our secrets.

The plural chapters continue throughout the novel, but theyre interspersed with first-person accounts from several characters, including Irina, a Russian-American who quickly earns duties in addition to typing. Her job? Helping to smuggle into the U.S. a copy of Boris Pasternaks unpublished Doctor Zhivago, which the CIA intends to get into the hands of as many Americans and Russians as possible.

Prescott (yes, she was named after the heroine of Zhivago) also includes chapters featuring Pasternak and the real-life inspiration for Lara and, although theyre involving, theyre not as strong as the voices of the secretaries, who we miss every moment The Secrets We Kept isnt with them. Perhaps a sequel is in order, one where we find out what other secrets theyre keeping?

CHRIS HEWITT

Link:

BOOKS IN BRIEF: 'Living With Limericks,' by Garrison Keillor, and 'The Secrets We Kept,' by Lara Prescott - Minneapolis Star Tribune

The USF womens soccer team is headed to its first Sweet 16, even as its senior scoring dynamo heads to program immortality.

A week after her hat trick in Gainesville, Evelyne Viens scored two more goals Friday afternoon to propel the Bulls (16-4) to a 2-0 victory against fourth-seeded Washington (12-7-2) in an NCAA Tournament second-rounder in Tallahassee.

USF faces either top-seeded FSU or Brown in Sundays 1 p.m. third-rounder.

Its a big deal for me in my career, always trying to break through that second round, said Bulls coach Denise Schilte-Brown, who has led USF to six NCAA tourney appearances in her 13 seasons. I said I felt like this was the team to do it, but now that were here, it feels great.

MORE BULLS: Change of (flight) plans leads Greg Reaves from Air Force to prosperity at USF

Viens, already the American Athletic Conferences career leader in goals and points, has nine goals in her last four matches. Her first one Friday, in the 25th minute, came on an assist from Land OLakes High alumnus Sydny Nasello.

Sophomore goalkeeper Sydney Martinez the focus of Viens post-match praise had seven saves, stopping a Huskies penalty kick with a diving lunge to her right in the 76th minute.

(Viens) is so selfless, Schilte-Brown said. Honestly, shes such an incredible soccer player, and her first thought is always her teammates, so that is what makes Evelyne great. Its a great team. Sydney is amazing.

View post:

USF womens soccer tops Washington to reach first Sweet 16 - Tampa Bay Times

For every professional mixed martial artist in the world, when the cage door shuts, it's another opportunity to shine.

Moreover, for fans of the sport, it's the chance to watch mortal men and women try to achieve the sort of lasting legacy most folks can only dream of that keeps us coming back.

Of course, things don't always go according to plan. Often times, the path to MMA immortality is a treacherous one indeed.

Sure, anytime a UFC fighter steps in the cage, they run the risk of losing a bout in front of an audience of thousands sometimes even millions. However, losing isn't the worst thing that can happen to a fighter. After all, some of the greatest to have ever set foot inside the Octagon have several Ls on their records.

Most fighters eventually come to terms with a loss. However, suffering a humiliating mishap in the cage, the kind folks talk about years later, can be much harder to shake. In fact, embarrassing moments often become more synonymous with a fighter than their greatest achievement.

To provide examples of instances that would illustrate the previous points, let's take look at some of the UFC's most embarrassing moments.

Read more from the original source:

6 Most Embarrassing Things To Ever Happen Inside A UFC Cage - WhatCulture

Thanksgiving usually focuses on present-day blessings. As it should.

It also should include reflection on past blessings.

So on this pre-Thanksgiving day with local historical significance the 90th birthday of the Fox Theatre we give thanks for the people who blessed North Platte with such a fascinating history.

People like William F. Buffalo Bill Cody, naturally. William McDonald. Ira L. Bare. Keith Neville. Walter J. OConnor. The Hirschfeld brothers. William M. Jeffers. Rae and Denver Wilson. Butler Miltonberger.

Each represents not only himself or herself but also countless other early residents, familiar or otherwise, with whom they lived and worked.

But all saw or encouraged something priceless in North Platte and western Nebraska that we all would do well to remember when tempted to believe all those national flyover country put-downs.

Cody spent most of his adult life on the road, whether as an Army scout, a stage actor or leader of the Wild West Show.

But he kept his home base for decades in North Platte, which he first saw in 1869 as a Fort McPherson scout. The affection he and his hometown had for each other was palpable whenever he came home.

McDonald, the first white child born in Lincoln County, carried on father Charles merchant and banking interests. Their bank lasted more than a century. Born in 1860, he did, too.

McDonald joined with Bare, chronicler and promoter of our community for 67 years, to write a massive two-volume Lincoln County history that marks its centennial in 2020. Bare himself came to town as a young man in 1881 and died here 71 years later.

Neville, Nebraskas World War I governor and the first western one, could have become a Lincoln political denizen after his 1917-19 term.

He returned home instead, building on the legacies of his grandfather (rancher M.C. Keith) and father (U.S. Rep. William Neville) and building downtowns Neville Corner: the Hotel Pawnee and the Fox and Paramount theaters. All still stand. (Hes also the reason North Platte High Schools teams are the Bulldogs.)

OConnor, a British immigrant, came west from Grand Island in 1911 and developed his own long-thriving downtown corner of five-and-dime, department and drug stores at East Fourth and Dewey.

Joe and Hyman Hirschfeld came from Denver in 1917 to liquidate a mens clothing store. They chose to stay instead. Their store remains here a century later, now where OConnor first had his five-and-dime.

Jeffers, the hometown railroader made good, never broke his ties to North Platte. He was here the day he became Union Pacific president in 1937, celebrating with his friends. He generously enabled our service canteens in both world wars. Even retired, he helped plant Bailey Yards roots as a U.P. board member.

The Wilson siblings grew up in a railroad family, too. Rae Wilsons leadership qualities and passion to support the military gave birth in 1941 to the World War II Canteen, which next-door neighbor Helen Christ, Jessie Hutchens, Edna Neid and 55,000 others across the central Plains carried to immortality.

It was Denver Wilson whom Rae followed to Arkansas when he was first called up to prepare for the war. When Pearl Harbor happened, Denver was off with his hometown National Guard commanding officer, Miltonberger, who had to be called from hunting turkeys near Oshkosh to ship out.

Nearly four years later, both came home to a heroes parade. At its head was Miltonberger as one-star general of the 134th Infantry Regiment, the All Hell Cant Stop Us gang, which broke through the Nazis at St.-Lo with Lt. Col. Denver Wilson as a company commander and barreled across Europe.

We could mention many others since 1945 whose love for North Platte has shaped the town we know. Some left us only recently; others are still with us. (Feel free to offer other names if you wish.)

Every community has people who felt about it as these well-known people felt about North Platte. They all leave interesting stories behind, though we believe (in our biased opinion) our stories give our community an especially compelling narrative.

Lets give thanks this week for all our stories and the people who lived them, loved their families and communities and live still when we share memories.

Happy 90th birthday to the Fox, by the way. And happy Thanksgiving to all.

Read the original:

Editorial: Give thanks for those who came before us - North Platte Telegraph

Just over five years ago, River Plate boasted two Copas Libertadores in their trophy cabinet and were celebrating their first Primera Divisin title, following the humiliation of dropping down to the Nacional B. Having beaten out Boca Juniors to that crown in May, 2014, Millonario idol Ramn Daz stepped aside to make way for young, untested Marcelo Gallardo to take over.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Under Gallardo, River Plate have become an irrepressible force in South American football, reaching the Libertadores semi-finals in four of the coach's five campaigns. On Saturday, they take the field in Lima's Estadio Monumental in the hope of an incredible third win since the coach assumed his position, a feat that would seal Gallardo's place among the likes of Carlos Bianchi, Tele Santana and Luis Cubilla as one of the greatest coaches in the competition's illustrious history.

It will not be easy, of course. Standing between the Millo and another triumph is fearsome Flamengo, a team stacked with talent recruited from among Brazil and Europe's best and directed by another wily tactician, Portuguese veteran Jorge Jesus. Not always do such continental finals bring together the two sides who can claim to be the best around; but it is hard to argue that either River or Flamengo are unworthy of their spot in this first-ever one-off Libertadores decider.

Unlike their opponents, the Rio de Janeiro outfit only have faint memories of lifting South America's most coveted club trophy. Not since 1981, when the incomparable Zico led them to glory, have Flamengo gone all the way in the Libertadores, and those 38 years of disappointment have been made all the harder to digest given the procession of Brazilian sides that, along with their Argentine counterparts, have dominated the medal count in the interim.

They are great opponents. We are two very good teams. We have the same chance two teams which are similar with respect to players and tactics, Gallardo explained to reporters when quizzed on Flamengo. We have a chance, I'd say we're might even be level. We will see later if a final with good football comes out.

Although they may be a team that thinks first of attack and later about how to stop goals, River will have to be alert at the back. Fla duo Gabriel 'Gabigol' Barbosa and Bruno Henrique have smashed 69 goals between them in 2019 alone and will have to be nullified should Gallardo's charges stand a chance.

The Millo, in turn, will look to their stellar midfield and the likes of Enzo Prez, Exequiel Palacios and Nacho Fernndez to control the pace of the final, in the hope that the Brazilians' forward threat is starved through lack of service and that likely starting forward pair Rafael Borr and Matias Surez can make the difference at the other end.

It will be an intriguing clash between two of South America's biggest, most talented clubs and a fitting stage for this first one-off final which almost ended in debacle when its original venue Santiago was stripped of hosting rights just weeks before the ball starts rolling due to protests in Chile.

On one side Flamengo are gunning for the relief of title glory; for River and Gallardo, another step towards immortality.

Kick off:5pm, this Saturday

More:

Gallardo leads irrepressible River to another shot at glory - Buenos Aires Times

The Tutankhamun exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery, near Londons Sloane Square, is on its third stop on a 10-country tour. Its the last time these items will leave Egypt, and in some cases the first.

The familiar face and figure on all the posters is not Tutankhamuns famous death mask, which is too delicate to travel, but a 15-inch canopic coffinette that once held his liver. The closest we get to seeing the splendour of his coffin is various pieces of jewellery laid on a full-sized model of his mummy case.

Quotations from the Egyptian Book of the Dead feature throughout the exhibition, which focuses on the meaning of the boy-kings burial items, and on their significance in his journey into immortality. Tutankhamun was only nine when he came to the throne, and one of the most touching exhibits is his child-sized armchair.

The 150 exhibits are labelled well, giving both specific descriptions of each item and background information. What is most astonishing is their beauty, their bright colours, their perfection their freshness. Its almost impossible to believe that these artefacts are 3,300 years old.

The exhibition itself is well designed; its presentation at the Saatchi Gallery far less so. (As the Saatchi specialises in works by living artists, one wonders why it is hosting it.) The rooms arent connected, and are on three floors. The carefully planned transition of projected sound and vision from one room to the next the promised immersive journey just doesnt work when you have to go out to a corridor or up stairs to the next room. The piped New Age muzak in most rooms adds nothing to the experience.

The last and largest piece, which is given a room all to itself, is a quartzite statue of Tutankhamun; projected on the wall is the text Speak the name of the dead and you make them live again, implying that archaeologist Howard Carters discovery, and this exhibition itself, are granting the young king the eternal life he so desired.

I found it an enjoyable exhibition, with three caveats. First, the Saatchi Gallery has a confusing layout, and there is little indication of how to get from one room to the next not helpful to visitors.

Secondly, museum gift shops are always overpriced, but this one takes it to extremes: 10 for a small flask of Egyptian sand, 16 for a small scarab beetle and an exacting 50 for the exhibition book. This is on top of the widely criticised minimum entry price of 24.50 or an exorbitant 100 for a family of three at peak periods (including weekends).

The profits will help pay for the eventual home of these exhibits (and many more) in the Grand Egyptian Museum, opening next year in Cairo.

Tutankhamun: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh is at the Saatchi Gallery, London, until May 3, 2020

Read the original:

An Egyptian extravaganza that costs an arm and a leg - Catholic Herald Online

The story of cinemas most iconic family will finallybe concluding this fall. Star Wars Episode 9 will be hitting cinemas in December and with it, the Skywalker saga delivers its long, long awaited encore. As pre-sales figuressurpass even Avengers Endgame, the hype train is at warp speed, and theexcitement so thick you can cut it with a lightsaber.

However, the more we delve into the stream oftrailers, TV spots and other juicy bits of information, the more it all starts toring a bell... a magical bell. It has been eight years since we saw Harry Potter casthis last Expelliarmus, but his influence has clearly spread far and wide. Allthe way to a galaxy far, far away.

Be it spiritually connected characters or an evil manssupposed quest for immortality, a lot of the challenges facing Rey and co. inthe heavily anticipated finale are shaping up to reflect things Harry andhis friends went through during their own crusade against the dark side.

Read the original here:

10 Signs Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Is Ripping Off Harry Potter - WhatCulture

Pen of the Year 2020: Sparta.

Graf von Faber-Castell has been offering its annual Pen of the Year since 2003, and each year it has revealed yet another beautiful pen of historical significance. The 2020 collection is making an early debut and like its predecessors, this years editionSpartawill give you a new appreciation for pens and the stories they tell.

The myth of Sparta and its heroes come alive in this limited edition writing instrument, and the design and workmanship is based on the armor and weapons of the Greek heroes. For example, the ruthenium-plated, sandblasted matte barrel is reminiscent of the Spartans steel battle dress. The pens milled decoration pays homage to the striped protective armor worn, and its grip evokes the form of the breastplate. Inspired by the rivets reinforcing the ancient armor, there are seven hand-applied rough diamonds totaling up to 0.35 carats adorning the body.

Both the end piece and the cap of the Pen of the Year 2020 are polished to a high gloss. The spring-loaded clip is based on a Greek warriors helmet. The pen also immortalizes the Lambda symbol from the Greek alphabet, once emblazoned on the defensive shields of the Lacedaemonians. It is featured as a lacquered inlay on the end of the writing implement and is joined by another historical Greek decoration, the meander, which symbolizes immortality.

Pen of the Year 2020, Black Edition

In the Sparta Black Edition, the legendary strength of the Greek heroes is symbolized in an interplay between the dark color of the pen and the stones decorating it. The anthracite-colored, milled metal barrel with PVD coating is adorned with 42 rough diamonds totaling up to 2.1 carats, in seven rows of six, which are again reminiscent of the rivets on the protective armor of the Spartans.

The Sparta fountain pens feature an 18-karat ruthenium-plated gold nib in fine, medium, broad and double broad sizes; there is also a rollerball in each version available.

Each writing implement comes in a high-gloss, black wooden case, accompanied by a certificate signed by Count Charles von Faber-Castell confirming the authenticity of the limited edition.

Earlier Models

The Pen of the Year 2019, the Samurai, is an homage to the warriors who were considered military nobility in medieval and early-modern Japan. The Samurai is distinguished by its dark barrel made of stained and polished magnolia woodembellished with Japanese characters, worked by hand in 24-karat gold. Quoting the samurai warrior and philosopherMiyamoto Musashi,it reads: Today I win against myself of yesterday.

The Pen of the Year 2018, the Imperium Romanum, is made from statuario marble, and its cap features an engraving of he Colosseum. The pen is crowned by a miniature Roman coin modeled on a very rare silver coin from 44 BC depicting Caesars head.

ThePen of the Year 2017is an ode to the Vikings, with a platinum-plated barrel inspired by the graceful curves of the Viking longboats. Slivers of curly birch wood are integrated into the design of the fountain pen and rollerball in a nod to the wood used in Norse boat making.

Continued here:

Pen Of The Year By Graf Von Faber-Castell: New For 2020 - Forbes

I have a four-foot-tall robot in my house that plays with my kids. Its name is Jethro.

Both my daughters, aged 5 and 9, are so enamored with Jethro that they have each asked to marry it. For fun, my wife and I put on mock weddings. Despite the robot being mainly for entertainment, its very basic artificial intelligence can perform thousands of functions, including dance and teach karate, which my kids love.

The most important thing Jethro has taught my kids is that its totally normal to have a walking, talking machine around the house that you can hang out with whenever you want to.

Given my daughters semi-regular use of smartphones and tablets, I have to wonder how this will affect them in the future. Will they have any fear of technologies like driverless cars? Will they take it for granted that machine intelligences and avatars on computers can be their best friends, or even their bosses?

Will marrying a super-intelligent robot in 20 years be a natural decision? Even though I love technology, Im not sure how I would feel about having a robot-in-law. But my kids might think nothing of it.

This is my story of transhumanism.

Courtesy of Zoltan Istvan

My transhumanism journey began in 2003 when I was reporting a story for National Geographic in Vietnams demilitarized zone and I almost stepped on a landmine.

I remember my guide roughly shoving me aside and pointing to the metal object half sticking out of the ground in front of me.

I stared at the device that would have completely blown my legs off had my boot tripped the mine. I had just turned 30. The experience left me shaken. And it kept haunting me.

That night as I lay tense and awake in my hotel room, I had the epiphany that has helped define the rest of my life: I decided that the most important thing in my existence was to fight for survival. To put it another way: My goal was to never die.

Because I was not religious, I immediately turned to the thing that gave meaning to my world: science and technology. I took a leap of faith and made a wager that day. I later called this (and even later, dedicated a book to it) the transhumanist wager.

The life extension business of transhumanism will be a $600 billion industry by 2025.

My idea for an immortality wager came from Pascals Wager, the famous bet that caught on in the 17th century that loosely argued it was better to believe in God than not to, because you would be granted an afterlife if there was indeed a God. My transhumanist wager was based in my belief that its better to dedicate our resources to science and technology to overcome death while were still aliveso we dont ever have to find out whether there is an afterlife or not. It turns out I wasnt alone in my passion to live indefinitely through science. A small social movement, mostly of academics and researchers, were tackling similar issues, starting organizations, and funding research.

Some of them called themselves transhumanists.

Fast-forward 16 years from my landmine incident, and transhumanism has grown way beyond its main mission of just overcoming death with science.

Now the movement is the de facto philosophy (maybe even the religion) of Silicon Valley. It encapsulates numerous futurist fields: singularitarianism, cyborgism, cryonics, genetic editing, robotics, AI, biohacking, and others.

Biohacking in particular has taken offthe practice of physically hacking ones body with science, changing and augmenting our physiology the same way computer hackers would infiltrate a mainframe.

Its pretty obvious why it has emerged as such a big trend: It attracts the youth.

Not surprisingly, worrying about death is something that older people usually do (and, apparently, those younger people who almost step on landmines). Most young people feel invincible. But tell young people they can take brain drugs called nootropics that make them super smart, or give them special eye drops that let them see in the dark, or give them a chip implant that enhances human ability (like the one I have), and a lot of young people will go for it.

In 2016, I ran for the US presidency as the Transhumanist Party nominee. To get support from younger biohackers, my team and I journeyed on the Immortality Busmy 38-foot coffin-shaped campaign busto Grindfest, the major annual biohacking meet-up in Tehachapi, California. In an old dentists chair in a garage, biohackers injected me with a horse syringe containing a small radio-frequency-identification implant that uses near-field communication technologythe same wireless frequency used in most smartphones. The tiny deviceits about the size of a grain of ricewas placed just under the skin in my hand. With my chip, I could start a car, pay with bitcoin, and open my front door with a lock reader.

Four years later, I still have the implant and use it almost every day. For surfers or joggers like myself, for example, its great because I dont have to carry keys around.

One thing I do have to navigate is how some religious people view me once they understand I have one. Evangelical Christians have told me that an implant is the mark of the beast, as in from the Bibles Book of Revelations.

Even though Im tagged by conspiracy theorists as a potential contender for the Antichrist, I cant think of any negatives in my own experiences to having a chip implant. But as my work in transhumanism has reached from the US Military to the World Bank to many of the worlds most well-known universities, my chip implant only exasperates this conspiracy.

While people often want to know what other things Ive done to my body, in reality becoming a cyborg is a lot less futuristic and drastic than people think.

For me and for the thousands of people around the world who have implants, its all about functionality. An implant simply makes our lives easier and more efficient. Mine also sends out pre-written text messages when peoples phones come within a few feet of me, which is a fun party trick.

But frankly, a lot of the most transformative technology is still being developed, and if youre healthy like me, theres really not much benefit in doing a lot of biohacking today.

I take nootropics for better brain memory, but theres no conclusive research I know of that it actually works yet. Ive done some brainwave therapy, sometimes called direct neurofeedback, or biofeedback, but I didnt see any lasting changes. I fly drones for fun, and of course I also have Jethro, our family robot.

For the most part, members of the disabled community are the ones who are truly benefiting from transhumanist technologies today. If you have an arm shot off in a war, its cyborg science that gives you a robot arm controlled by your neural system that allows you to grab a beer, play the piano, or shake someones hand again.

But much more dramatic technology is soon to come. And the hope is that it will be availableand accessibleto everyone.

I asked to be added to a volunteer list for an experiment that will place implants in peoples brains that would allow us to communicate telepathically, using AI. (Biohacking trials like this are secretive because they are coming under more intense legal scrutiny.)Im also looking into getting a facial recognition security system for my home. I might even get a pet dog robot; these have become incredibly sophisticated, have fur softer than the real thing (that doesnt shed all over your couch or trigger allergies) and can even act as security systems.

Beyond that, people are using stem cells to grow new teeth, genetic editing to create designer babies, and exoskeleton technology that will likely allow a human to run on water in the near future.

Most people generally focus on one aspect of transhumanism, like just biohacking, or just AI, or just brainwave-tech devices. But I like to try it all, embrace it all, and support it all. Whatever new transhumanist direction technology takes, I try to take it all in and embrace the innovation.

This multi-faceted approach has worked well in helping me build a bridge connecting the various industries and factions of the transhumanist movement. Its what inspired me to launch presidential and California gubernatorial campaigns on a transhumanist platform. Now Im embarking on a new campaign in 2020 for US president as a Republican, hoping to get conservatives to become more open-minded about the future.

The amount of money flowing into transhumanist projects is growing into many billions of dollars. The life extension business of transhumanism will be a $600 billion industry by 2025, according to Bank of America. This is no time for transhumanism to break apart into many different divisions, and its no time to butt heads. We need to unite in our aim to truly change the human being forever.

Transhumanistsit doesnt matter what kind you arebelieve they can be more than just human. The word natural is not in our vocabulary. Theres only what transhumanists can do with the tools of science and technology they create. That is our great calling: to evolve the human being into something better than it is.

Because transhumanism has grown so broadly by now, not all transhumanists agree with me on substantially changing the human being. Some believe we should only use technology to eliminate suffering in our lives. Religious transhumanists believe we should use brain implants and virtual reality to improves our morality and religious behavior. Others tell me politics and transhumanism should never mix, and we must always keep science out of the hands of the government.

We need unity of some significant sort because as we grow at such a fast rate there are a lot of challenges ahead. For example, the conservative Christian Right wants to enact moratoriums against transhumanism. The anarcho-primativists, led by people like the primitivist philosopher and author John Zerzan (who I debated once at Stanford University), want to eliminate much technology and go back to a hunting-gathering lifestyle which they believe is more in tune with Earths original ecology. And finally, we must be careful that the so-called one percent doesnt take transhumanist technology and leave us all in the dust, by becoming gods themselves with radical tech and not sharing the benefits with humanity.

I personally believe the largest danger of the transhumanist era is the fact that within a few decades, we will have created super-intelligent AI. What if this new entity simply decides it doesnt like humans? If something is more sophisticated, powerful, intelligent, and resilient than humans, we will have a hard time stopping it if it wants to harm or eliminate us.

Whatever happens in the future, we must take greater care than we ever have before as our species enters the transhumanist age. For the first time, we are on the verge of transforming the physical structure of our bodies and our brains. And we are inventing machines that could end up being more intelligent and powerful than we are. This type of change requires that not only governments act together, but also cultures, religions, and humanity as a whole.

In the end, I believe that a lot more people will be on board with transhumanism than admit it. Nearly all of us want to eliminate disease, protect our families from death, and create a better path and purpose for science and technology.

But I also realize that this must be done ever so delicately, so as not to prematurely push our species into crisis with our unbridled arrogance. One day, we humans may look back and revel in how far our species has evolvedinto undying mammals, cyborgs, robots, and even pure living data. And the most important part will be to be able to look back and know we didnt destroy ourselves to get there.

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What it means to be a cyborg in 2019 - Quartz

MELBOURNE: To be dead, wrote the 20th century French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, is to be a prey for the living.Even Sartre, though, would have struggled to imagine casting James Dean in a movie 64 years after the actors death.

The curious announcement that Dean, who died in a car crash in 1955 having made just three films, will star in a movie adaptation of Gareth Crockers Vietnam War novel Finding Jack, has been met with outrage.

It would be a remarkable CGI achievement for any studio to resurrect an actor who has been dead since the Eisenhower administration.

True, the Star Wars movie Rogue One featured the late Peter Cushing reprising his role as Grand Moff Tarkin. But the new role given to Dean would reportedly be far larger and more complex. Cushing, at least, had already played Tarkin while he was alive.

In Finding Jack, James Dean will supposedly be starring in a film based on a novel written 80 years after he was born, set near the end of a war that started after he died. He will reportedly be reanimated via full body CGI using actual footage and photos; another actor will voice him.

The reaction to this goes beyond mere scepticism, however. Nor is it simply the now-familiar post-truth anxiety about no longer being able to tell whats real and what isnt. The rise of deepfakes presents a much greater threat on that front than bringing dead actors back to life.

RECKONING WITH THE DIGITAL DEAD

Whats at work here is another pervasive challenge of the online era: How we should live with the digital dead.

People die online every day. Social media is increasingly full of electric corpses; at some point the dead will outnumber the living on platforms like Facebook.

This already poses a range of ethical and practical problems. Some of these are the subject of an Australian Law Reform Commission inquiry into how we should deal with the digital assets of the dead and incapacitated.

These issues only get thornier once you add in the prospect of reanimation. For most of this decade, digital immortality was confined to press releases and fiction.

A string of start-ups promised breathlessly to let you cheat death via AI-driven avatars, only to disappear when it became clear their taglines were better than their products. The Twitter app LivesOns When your heart stops beating, youll keep tweeting was undeniably clever.

Be Right Back,a 2013 episode of the TV series Black Mirror, imagined a young woman who signs up for a service that brings her dead partner back to life using his social media footprint: First as a chat bot, then as a phone-based voice simulator, and finally as a lifelike automaton. It was brilliant, bleak television, but thankfully, it wasnt real.

Then in late 2015, 34-year-old Roman Mazurenko died in an accident in Moscow. As a tribute, his best friend, fellow tech entrepreneur Eugenia Kuyda, built the texts Mazurenko had sent her into a chat bot.

You can download Roman Mazurenko right now, wherever you get your apps, and talk to a dead man. Internet immortality might not be here yet, not quite, but its unsettlingly close.

WHY WE FEAR DEATH

Sadly, its not an immortality we look forward to. When we fear death, one thing we particularly dread is the end of first-person experience.

Think of the experience youre having reading this commentary. Someone else could be reading exactly the same words at the same time. But their experience will lack whatever it is that makes this your experience.

Thats what scares us: If you die, that quality, what its like to be you, wont exist anymore.

But what about living on for other people? The Mazurenko bot is clearly a work of mourning, and a work of love.

Remembering the dead, wrote Soren Kierkegaard, is the freest and most unselfish work of love, for the dead can neither force us to remember them nor reward us for doing so.

But memory is fragile and attention is fickle.

BETWEEN REMEMBRANCE AND EXPLOITATION

It seems reasonable that we might use our new toys to help the dead linger in the lifeworld, to escape oblivion a little longer. The danger, as the philosopher Adam Buben put it, is that memorialisation could slip into replacement.

An interactive avatar of the dead might simply become a stopgap, something you use to fill part of the hole the dead leave in our lives. That risks turning the dead into yet another resource for the living. The line between remembrance and exploitation is surprisingly porous.

That is whats ultimately troubling about resurrecting James Dean. To watch a James Dean movie is to encounter, in some palpable way, the concrete person. Something of the face-to-face encounter survives the mediation of lens, celluloid and screen.

To make a new James Dean movie is something else. Its to use the visual remains of Dean as a workable resource instead of letting him be who he is.

Worse, it suggests that James Dean can be replaced, just as algorithm-driven avatars might come to replace, rather than simply commemorate, the dead.

Well know in time whether Finding Jack can live up to its likely premature hype. Even if it doesnt, the need to think about how we protect the dead from our digital predations isnt going away.

Patrick Stokes is an associate professor of philosophy in Deakin University. This article first appeared on The Conversation.

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Commentary: When is it okay to use the CGI of dead actors in new movies? - CNA

There was a sense of safety in the rich, majestic, capacious voice of Jessye Norman, who died on Monday at 74. To have lost her is to have lost some part of that safety, too, which may have been one reason for the intensity of feeling that greeted the news of her death.

[Read the obituary for Ms. Norman, and our critics appraisal of her career.]

A fellow diva, Rene Fleming, called it a stunning, saddening loss on Twitter, posting a classic live recording of Ms. Norman singing the Liebestod from Wagners Tristan und Isolde. Yuval Sharon, who directed a foray into John Cage late in her career, shared on Facebook her commanding, committed Jocasta in Stravinskys Oedipus Rex.

More Wagner, as well as gorgeous renditions of Ms. Normans beloved Strauss and other composers, are on offer here, in selections by our critics and writers of some of her greatest performances. ZACHARY WOOLFE

Strauss: Four Last Songs

Was there ever a singer more suited to Strauss than Ms. Norman? Probably not, and in no music more than the Four Last Songs. Theres an extraordinary video online of her singing them with Wolfgang Sawallisch, but her studio recording remains without equal, backed by Kurt Masur and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, in unimaginably plush form.

Nobility, strength, power: Its all here. At the end of Beim Schlafengehen, as she sings of a soul unwatched soar into immortality, her voice lights the sky with defiant, unbounded joy. At the end of September, its her quiet, touching delicacy that shocks and enthralls.

And yet it is Im Abendrot that she inhabits most thoroughly: its lines unending, its spirit unyielding even as time takes its toll. DAVID ALLEN

Wagner: Die Walkre

It is one of the pivotal moments of Wagners Ring cycle and Ms. Norman defined it for me since I first heard the cycle live in the opera house. It comes near the end of Die Walkre, the second opera, when the bereft Sieglinde, who has just lost her lover, learns she is pregnant with his child. She goes from longing for death to fighting for life. Then, in a beatific, transcendent moment, she thanks Brnnhilde for helping her escape to safety so she can give birth to the young hero.

The way Ms. Norman sang it, her line of gratitude O hehrstes Wunder! Herrlichste Maid! (O noblest wonder! Most glorious maiden!) unspooled in an almost unimaginable torrent of powerful, rich, huge, pure sound. She hit every note cleanly; it was aural radiance. MICHAEL COOPER

Ms. Normans queenly quality, her larger-than-lifeness, suited her for myth: She didnt have to act! But since there wasnt anything ethereal about her full-bodied (though luminous and levitating) sound, the effect was that of both mortal and deity, an earth goddess. She can be intimate here, telling a story across a campfire, and then suddenly shes unfurling across the millenniums. ZACHARY WOOLFE

Behold: one of the great spectacles of our age. To commemorate the 200th anniversary of the fall of the Bastille, on July 14, 1989, the French government chose Ms. Norman as its Marianne. Dressed in a sweeping, hooded tricolor cape designed by Azzedine Alaa, and stalking like an animate statue the very embodiment of libert around the base of the obelisk in the Place de la Concorde in Paris, she announced La Marseillaise not as history, but as living truth. ZACHARY WOOLFE

And now for something completely different, though still in Ms. Normans pungent French. Better known for authority, she was also adept at the brand of dreaminess that permeates Debussys embrace of being alive in a sunset. Shes joined by one of her best partners, James Levine, whose pianism is as elegant as her singing. ZACHARY WOOLFE

Some singers speaking voices are far removed from the ones they produce in song. But when I interviewed Jessye Norman in 2009, I was struck by the beauty of her diction: each consonant polished, each word uttered in a resonant, inky tone. The dignity and gravitas she projected onstage were qualities she carried with her everywhere.

The first notes Ms. Norman sings in Mahlers Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen, from the song cycle Rckert-Lieder, are rooted in that deep, noble register. The song is about renunciation, and its patient vocal lines require extraordinary control and restraint. I am dead to the worlds tumult and rest in a quiet domain, she sings, beginning here at 4:30. Listen to how, on the word ruh (rest), she seems to stop time altogether with a voice that sounds drained of all ego, the pure sublimation of lonely, hard-won dignity. CORINNA da FONSECA-WOLLHEIM

Before I knew the range that Ms. Norman was capable of Wagnerian grandeur, French delicacy, moving spirituals I first fell, like so many others, for her famous (perhaps definitive) recording of Strausss Four Last Songs. I was so obsessed with it that for a long time I didnt fully appreciate the other treasures on the album, especially Morgen. This song is easy to come by, but a performance like Ms. Normans isnt. Her trademark clarity is there, but her voice is more modest, kept at a muted glow throughout like a gentle sunrise, wrapping each phrase in a ray of warm light. JOSHUA BARONE

The New York Timess obituary for Ms. Norman quotes a 1992 review by Edward Rothstein in which he refers to her a voice as a grand mansion of sound. You dont need to look any further than her Dich, teure Halle, from Wagners Tannhuser, to see why. Here she is at Carnegie Hall, singing with the New York Philharmonic under James Levine, completely upstaging a full orchestra in her ecstatic and effortlessly majestic entrance. But even in a concert performance, her dramatic gifts are on display as the opening gives way to a quieter, haunted pain when she recalls Tannhusers absence, then the joy of remembering his return. In musical rapture her voice takes flight, and it feels like youve been swept into the stratosphere with her. JOSHUA BARONE

Recorded as if she were singing in the middle of a huge, empty plain, the voice is grand here spacious and silken, a dark molten pool but never affected. The song is a single thought, intently communicated (listen to the urgency with which she lands on was ich near the end), as if the most important thing to say in the world is give thanks. ZACHARY WOOLFE

Hes Got the Whole World in His Hands

The gentle, caressing lightness of the beginning, like shes sharing the secret that will save your life, turns insouciant, and almost witty when she mentions the birds and the bees right in His hand. But its not a secret for long: The good word is something to shout from the rooftops, and Ms. Normans rendition builds to controlled whoops of ecstasy, capped by one of the most memorably flung-out high-note bolts youll ever hear. ZACHARY WOOLFE

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Jessye Norman: Hear 10 of Her Greatest Performances - The New York Times

ST. LOUIS The defending Stanley Cup Champion St. Louis Blues (that will never not sound weird, by the way) will drop the puck on a new regular season on Wednesday, October 2 against the Washington Capitals at Enterprise Center.

Just 113 days before that, they were carrying the most famous trophy in sports off the ice at TD Garden in Boston after a Game 7 that will never be forgotten.

They've had their parade (which lived up to the 52-year wait), they've each had their day with the Cup, their names have been etched into immortality, they've lived like rock stars and they've received their championship rings.

Now all that's left is to raise the banner to the rafters of the Enterprise Center.

After that, it's back to work on adding another one.

Hockey is the hardest sport to repeat as champion. These guys literally played their last game that counted about three months ago.

Since 1990, only two franchises have been able to accomplish the repeat feat. The Penguins did it in 1991 and 1992 and then again in 2016 and 2017, and the Red Wings did it in 1997 and 1998.

But we already know not to doubt this team.

The 2019 Blues were able to pull themselves out of the basement of the NHL in January to fight all the way back to the top.

Now, they have a clean slate to start a new season. A blank canvas if you will. They have a full year of Craig Berube at the helm upcoming and darn near a full returning roster that just won the Stanley Cup.

Watch: Ryan O'Reilly talks ahead of new season for Blues

If a team could ever be in perfect shape to repeat, the Blues are in it.

The roster taking the ice for opening night against Washington is in many ways BETTER than the team that left the ice against the Bruins.

Pat Maroon is a St. Louis hero. The hometown kid had a year unlike anything any of us who grew up here can even imagine. But his departure opens the door for some younger, faster players to get more ice time. Sammy Blais and Zach Sanford should both benefit from the opening, and both have breakout potential.

Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong also dropped a bomb on all of us just ahead of the start of a new season.

Watch: Justin Faulk talks about joining the Blues

Even though Armstrong's team is the defending Stanley Cup champs, he didn't sit on his hands. He went out and got an all-star defenseman in Justin Faulk and then locked him up in a long term contract.

Oh yeah, the Blues also get a full season of Jordan Binnington between the pipes. It would be unfair for fans to expect quite the domination he provided last year through the playoffs (the dude was on a level we had never seen before), but he'll prove to the rest of the league he's no fluke.

The players made it clear they've already turned the page on last year. Now, it's time for fans to do the same.

No, we'll never forget this Stanley Cup summer, but a new challenge lies ahead.

Vladimir Tarasenko had the quote of the offseason, and it's time for the city to get behind his words.

"One is not enough."

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RELATED: Comfortable in physical role, Blais wants to balance offense with grit

See the article here:

Can the Blues do it all again? - KSDK.com

2 October 2019 15:13 (UTC+04:00)

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By Laman Ismayilova

An exhibition of Turkish artist Ahmed Guneshtekin opened at the Heydar Aliyev Center on October 1 within the 2nd Nasimi Festival of Poetry, Arts, and Spirituality.

Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva and Arzu Aliyeva attended the opening ceremony of the exhibition.

Addressing the event, the director of the Heydar Aliyev Center Anar Alakbarov spoke about the 2nd Nasimi Festival of Poetry, Arts, and Spirituality organized by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation jointly with the Ministry of Culture.

"I take this opportunity to welcome guests who have come to the festival from around the world. First of all, I thank President Ilham Aliyev for the support provided in the implementation of cultural projects in our country and the announcement of this year as the 'Year of Nasimi'. I express gratitude to First Lady of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva for worthy promotion of Azerbaijani culture in the world and for the help in the implementation of such a festival," Alakbarov said.

He also expressed confidence that the exhibition would cause great interest.

Turkish artist Ahmed Guneshtekin, in turn, regarded Baku as a city of culture. He stressed the unique architecture of the Heydar Aliyev Center.

"This is a unique place. It is the same valuable architectural model as the Room of Immortality that I have created. I dedicated this work to the great leader of the Azerbaijani people, Heydar Aliyev, as a tribute to his memory. With this work, I tried to reflect the history of Azerbaijan and the personality of Heydar Aliyev," Guneshtekin said

Inspired by Nasimi's poetry, Turkish artist created a unique art work dedicated to him.

His work reflects the ideas of Hurufism, which is a literary and philosophical branch of Sufism. Among the exhibited works there is also the famous "Room of Immortality".

The artist created this installation under the influence of archaeological discoveries in Gobekli Tepe in Turkey. "The Epic ofGilgamesh" and "Nuh Tufans" legend were the main sources of his inspiration.

On the "Room of Immortality", the artist worked together with 130 people of various professions.

The art work consists of 22 thousand metal skulls and twisted horns. 35 tons of aluminum were consumed for its manufacture. The installation was first demonstrated in 2018.

Ahmed Guneshtekin is considered one of the prominent figures of contemporary Turkish art. Starting to paint at the age of five, Guneshtekin moved to Istanbul in 1981. In 1997, he opened the first studio in Istanbul. In 2003, Ataturk Cultural Center hosted its first major exhibition "Colors after Darkness".

In 2005, he presented the documentary "Following the Trail of the Sun". In 2010, the artist established the Guneshtekin Art Center in Istanbul. In 2013, he opened the first international exhibition in Venice and began to collaborate with the Marlborough Gallery.

The artists exhibition at the Heydar Aliyev Center will be open until March 31, 2020.

The 2nd Nasimi Festivalof Poetry, Arts and Spirituality was held in Azerbaijan from September 28 to October 1.

The festival, dedicated to the creativity of Imadaddin Nasimi, was organized by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation with the support of the Ministry of Culture.

The project aims at promotion ofthe national poets works, as well as exploring his philosophy, reflecting the phenomena of the modern world. As partof the project, a number of events were heldin Nasimis hometown Shamakhi as well as in Baku.

---

Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter:@Lam_Ismayilova

Follow us on Twitter@AzerNewsAz

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Exhibition of Turkish artist opens in Baku [PHOTO] - AzerNews

In an episode of My Moms Basement, the podcast by Variety's journalist Justin Kroll,we hearthat the next Matrix team, which will be the 4th and not a reboot, should hire a young recruit to play Neo. If the original cast, Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss - who will take over the roles of Neo and Trinity -, has planned to return to the matrix, the script could take us through the ages.

When some people have fun creating memes about Keanu Reeves' immortality or the possibility that his body will never age, rumors are already spreading that several of the main actors of the franchise could also have their young version in this new adventure, such as Morpheus, to whom Laurence Fishburne lends his features, Heroic Hollywood reminds us.

Only one of the two original directors, Lana Wachowski, will write and direct the film and no information as to why her sister Lilly is not part of the project. For the script, she will get some help from the American writer Aleksandar Hemon and the British novelist David Mitchell. The filmmaker had shared her enthusiasm with Variety in mid-August:

"Many of the ideas Lilly and I explored 20 years ago about our reality are even more relevant now. Im very happy to have these characters back in my life and grateful for another chance to work with my brilliant friends," Wachowski said.

The film is expected to go into production in 2020. In the meantime, we'll wait for every drop of information we can get.

Original post:

Wanted: Matrix 4 Is Looking For A Young Version Of Keanu Reeves - Konbini US

Kevita is among many brands of kombucha that have become popular in recent years. While rainbow ice cream and sushi donuts might disappear from the public eye as quickly as they came into it, kombucha has been around for thousands of years, and it isnt going away any time soon(Photo by Jordan Revenaugh).

Food fads are nothing new.

Sushi now comes in many different forms, ranging from donuts to burritos. Some foods, particularly ice cream, now come in unicorn colors, a fancy way of saying rainbow, while others come in charcoal. Classic foods, like lasagna, now come in a deconstructed style, because I guess eating noodles, marinara sauce and cheese together is antiquated. Now, the cool way to eat them is separately.

While many food fads come and go, one of them is here to stay: Kombucha.

Some of you out there roll your eyes at this. You wonder how people can enjoy a bitter, vinegar flavored drink. You wonder how they can stand the feeling of carbonation as the fermented tea-based drink bubbles on their tongues.

You have preconceived notions about kombucha because you assume its just like any other old fad: temporary. You judge kombucha the way I judge a deconstructed lasagna. But, unlike a lasagna that has already been deconstructed, theres more to pick apart when it comes to kombucha.

How long has this stuff been around?

While you might think kombucha was invented in recent years solely for health gurus and hipsters, thats not actually the case. Kombucha is thought to have originated in China approximately 2000 years ago. Records date back to 221 B.C., when kombucha was referred to as the tea of immortality.

Cool, butWhat is it?

Kombucha is a fermented green or black tea made with something called kombucha culture, a mixture of live bacteria and yeast otherwise known as scoby.

Similar to how kombucha is made with kombucha culture, scoby is actually an acronym that stands for symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast. The takeaway? When it comes to what ingredients make up kombucha, things are pretty straightforward.

Bacteria: Isnt that gross?

Not when its good for you.

As the scoby digests, it produces sugar. This goes on to create a long list of acids that, aside from amino acids, my chemistry for the non-science major course did not cover in-depth enough for me to understand. What I do understand, however, are the vitamins that are also produced in the digestive process. In addition to the plethora of acids, the decomposing bacteria release vitamins A and C along with B vitamins B1, B6 and B12.

Whats more is that while kombucha contains bacteria, according to Healthline, it also kills bacteria. While this might seem counterproductive at first glance, its not. Acetic acid, which gives kombucha a taste similar to that of vinegar, works to kill off bad bacteria in your gut. What it doesnt do is kill off scoby, the good bacteria within the effervescent drink, or detract from kombuchas natural probiotic properties.

Whats so important about gut health, though?

The thought of gut health tends to allude to thoughts of digestion, but we wont get into that. What we will get into, however, are all the things that are unexpectedly associated with what goes on in your digestive tract.

According to Time Magazine, the gastrointestinal system has been linked to many different health related issues in recent years, ranging from anxiety to many different chronic illnesses, such as Type 2 diabetes and various forms of cancer.

So, maybe its a little bit gross to think about scoby swimming around in your gut, but its doing some good work in there.

How do different kinds of kombucha compare?

When it comes to good old bucha, the list of brands and flavors is nearly endless. When it comes to popularity, GTs and Kevita are probably the most popular brands, each with a vast variety of different flavors.

With each bottle selling anywhere from $2 to $5, depending on where its sold, maybe that seems like a major hit to a college students already dwindling bank account. When it comes to kombucha, though, the pros outweigh the cons.

But if the ticket price is too high to gain approval in your budget (because honestly, thats fair), youre in luck. There are plenty of ways to brew your own kombucha in order to get your fix.

See original here:

Opinion: There's Nothing Bad About 'Bucha - Albionpleiad

The Death Stars were moon-sized battle stations developed by the Galactic Empire, capable of destroying entire planets. Thirty years later, the First Order followed suit, tunneling the kyber-rich planet Illum to build the Starkiller Base. That's par for the course for a militarized regime, but it always seemed like a waste of resources, given the Emperors objectives and his explicit disregard for building lasting political structures. But what if those feats of wartime engineering weren't what the Imperial and First Order officials thought they were? What if the true reason for their existence was to allow Palpatine to achieve immortality? Thats what the VR game Vader Immortal seems to be pointing at, through the legend of Lady Corvax and the Brightstar.

In Vader Immortal, the player character ventures beneath Fortress Vader on Mustafar to retrieve the Brightstar artifact for Darth Vader. Lady Corvaxs spirit guides the player on this quest, and along the way she explains that she stole the Brightstar, the sacred object that provided Mustafar with life, to create a device that would bring her dead husband back to life. (That's why Vader wants the Brightstar too: Hes trying to bring Padm back to life.)

However, while a portal was created, and her husband was trapped in the world between the living and the dead, the Brightstar energy destroyed Mustafar, transforming it into the volcanic inferno that it is now. The portal remained active, a rip in time and space, and it was a major plot point the Marvel comics series Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith, in which Vader is also on a quest to resurrect Padm (he blunders, although not because the portal wasnt working).

Vader Immortal peppers the screen with visual hints that this Brightstar is actually primitive Death Star technology: The Brightstar looks like a massive, spiral kyber crystal, within a cave of smaller kyber crystals. The pre-Corvax Mustafarians had been using it as an energy source, or perhaps as a way to keep their world in balance in the Force. Lady Corvax broke that balance to rip the veil of reality and bring back her husband, which caused the devastation.

RELATED: Star Wars, Stop With the Super Weapons Already

Canon material backs up that hypothesis: In Catalyst: A Rogue One novel, scientist Galen Erso discovers that kyber crystals could be faceted to become a very cheap source of energy for entire planets. He also proposed that kyber crystals were able to align the natural dark and light side of the Force to focus, balance and increase this energy output even more. However, without proper containment this energy would lash out and destroy everything that surrounded it as it could be seen in the Death Star I, II and the Starkiller Base, and on a lesser degree, Kylo Rens fractured kyber crystal and crackling, spitting sword, and in the explosion that results from Anakin's lightsaber breaking in The Last Jedi. That's exactly what happened to Mustafar after Lady Corvax unwittingly unleashed the energy of the Brightstar.

The Emperor was obsessed with immortality, and everything he did was designed to lead to that goal. Why bother to harness such a vast and time-consuming military power and building two massive and incredibly conspicuous space stations just to kill people? Could he have been trying to use the same kyber crystal energy around which the Death Stars were based to open a portal to a higher plane of existence, beyond life and death?

There is a plane like that: In The Clone Wars, the Gods of Mortis seem to inhabit and control a space where anything can happen. On Star Wars Rebels, Palpatine uses a Mortis portal to penetrate the World Between Worlds, the place in which the Force connects all points in time and space; staying there would have made him invincible. In the comic book Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith, Palpatine implies he knows about the portal under Mustafar, so he probably knew the legend of the Brightstar and its resurrection properties too. All of that, plus the Rur crystal (more on that in a moment), point toward the idea of an advanced civilization that knew how to wield the kyber crystals better than the old Sith and the Jedi. They went extinct, leaving behind only legends, artifacts and gods: a tempting puzzle for a Sith so obsessed with power and eternal life.

The Force Awakens featured Starkiller Base, which was originally the kyber-rich planet of Illum, the place where Jedi padawans went to retrieve crystals for their lightsabers. The First Order took advantage of the extinction of the Jedi to take over the planet, tunnel it and exploit its core to create the most terrifying weapon of mass destruction: one that killed suns and destroyed entire systems across impossible distances. In the novelization, it is mentioned they did this by ripping a hole through time and space. In Finns words, It doesn't operate in what we'd call normal hyperspace. It fires through a hole in the continuum that it makes itself. Everybody was calling it 'sub'-hyperspace." In a different internal monologue, General Hux, closest thing the First Order has to a chief science officer, thinks about how Starkiller melds the quintessence derived from dark matter with the kyber crystals at the core of the planet to create phantasm energy that can travel through the galaxy instead of across it.

RELATED: Kylo Ren Finally Proves He's Better Than Darth Vader - by Slaying a God

It sounds as if the First Order unwittingly created a rip in space and time that shortcut through the World Between Worlds. Within The Force Awakens, there are some interesting Force-related events that occur at the same time as the Starkiller weapon is being charged and deployed: Rey and Kylo Ren (two Force users) are on the base as the Starkiller, a massive machine surrounding an enormous amount of kyber crystals, sucks the sun dry. Kylo Ren surrenders to the Dark Side of the Force and kills his father. Poe Damerons targets the oscillator that ultimately destroys the planet, which coincides with the turning of the tables in the fight between Kylo and Rey. In the novel, interestingly, that's also the precise moment when Rey hears a cold, murderous voice in her head coaxing her to kill Kylo. It's a voice that sounds a lot like the Emperor talking through time and space. Why at that precise moment, and not before, unless Palptine's ability to communicate with the living was dependent on the existence of this hole and the presence of a kyber crystal planet?

But what about resurrection? Other than by ripping the fabric of reality and the balance of dark and light, is it possible for a kyber crystal to help someone come back to life, like Lady Corvax intended? We know that its possible for kyber crystals to hold conscience and Force powers, even for Jedi. In Marvel's canonical Doctor Aphra, the characters finds the ruins of the space-station fortress of the Ordu Aspectu, an ancient, pre-Republic sect of Jedi that wanted to achieve immortality. Their Rur crystal (another artifact that looks an awful lot like a massive kyber, but this time in green) was the computer core of their fortress, its source of energy and the vessel for the Eternal Rur, a corrupted Jedi spirit A.I.

Darth Vader eventually fetched the Rur Crystal, and it became a prized part of Palpatines collection. So, yes, in a way, kyber crystals could technically be used to contain the conscience of Force users. This ancient galactic concept, combined with the legend of Lady Corvax, would work perfectly for Palpatines quest for ultimate power and immortality, and would explain his very disparate interests in ancient history and technological advancement: all along, he was trying to replicate and improve upon these ancient technologies for his own benefit and his ultimate goal: immortality.

When Darth Vader killed the Emperor, he did so by throwing him deeper into the heart of the Death Star, where he exploded into energy. Part of that energy was seen hitting Vaders helmet (that might explain why it speaks to Kylo Ren), but most of it went down the chute, toward the kybers powering the Death Star's core. We know that Sith can attach themselves to objects, so what object would be better for Palpatines spirit than the core of a Death Star, made up of kyber crystals that were probably being tuned to manipulate reality itself?

If Palpatines spirit is indeed stuck in the Death Star, that would explain why Rey, Poe, Finn and probably Kylo Ren are heading to it in The Rise of Skywalker: they want to reach him before the other side does, and prevent him (or assist him) in escaping before another kyber-crystal is used to destroy. And, judging by the red-rimmed Sith Fleet with miniaturized Death Star cannons that blow up Kijimi in the Episode IX trailer, it seems like the amount of tiny starkillers able to assist him has multiplied a thousand-fold.

NEXT: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker's Biggest Clues May Be in Trailer Music

Tags:star wars,feature,vader immortal

Joker Is An Empty Vessel For a Fascinating Performance

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Star Wars Theory: Vader Immortal Might Reveal the True Purpose of the Death Star - CBR - Comic Book Resources

There's already a frontrunner on The Masked Singer and it's the Rottweiler. The judges and viewers quickly found out during the contestant's performance of "Maneater" by Hall & Oates that he was a professional musician (or at least he sounds like one). Judge Nicole Scherzinger raved that his was the best rendition of a song she'd heard yet on the show. But even though they were blown away by his talent, the judges couldn't come to a consensus about who was behind the mask. The viewers, though? They think they have this mystery solved.

When a photo of the Rottweiler first appeared on the show's Instagram page, fans couldn't decide who it might have been. One commenter guessed that it was Snoop Dogg, but that would be a little obvious for a season that has pledged to make the clues harder. Another fan guessed that it could definitely be a rapper, based on the styling of the costume alone.

After hearing the Rottweiler sing so well, most of the judges believed that he was someone from a boy band like the Backstreet Boys or NSYNC. Robin Thicke guessed Brian Littrell from the Backstreet Boys and Ken Jeong agreed, while also throwing out JC Chasez from NSYNC as an option. Jenny McCarthy guessed another boy band member, Nick Lachey of 98 Degrees. Meanwhile, Nicole Scherzinger threw out a complete wild card and said Bruno Mars.

All of the judges admitted that the clue package threw them off, so most of their guesses were based on singing talent only not on the actual hints. Fans on Twitter utilized both the clues and the performance to make their own guesses, though. Many of them came to the same decision that it could be Chris Daughtry from the rock band Daughtry (and from American Idol) under that mask.

When you look closer at the clue package from the show, that guess makes a ton of sense. In the video, blue roses are shown on a shelf, and Daughtry has a big tattoo of a blue rose on his arm. When he got the ink, he posted it to Instagram with a caption explaining his choice. "Blue roses are often portrayed in literature and art as symbols of love, prosperity and even immortality... one could say Eternal Life," he wrote.

He also said he rose to fame "almost overnight." Being on American Idol is one way to get some overnight success in the industry, and Daughtry was on season 5 of the singing show. There were also two references to football in the clue video. One said, "The first time I touched a pigskin under the Friday night lights, I learned preparation is key." And the other clue was a fantasy football champion ring. According to ESPN, Daughtry played football in high school but said he wasn't very good at it.

Perhaps, in the clue video, he was saying preparation was key for football and that he didn't prepare enough because he wasn't good. Also his championship ring is in fantasy football rather than real football because he didn't make it to the pros.

In the video there was a record named "Live" playing, and, as a musician, Daughtry has played live many times. He also said he wants to "show the doubters, it's not over." Well, "It's Not Over" is actually one of Daughtry's most popular songs. Take a look at the clue video for yourself if you want to be further convinced:

None of the judges guessed Daughtry when they heard the Rottweiler sing, but maybe next week they'll hear that tone in his voice. Or maybe we're totally barking up the wrong tree with this Daughtry guess. We'll just have to wait and see when the Rottweiler is unmasked.

Continued here:

Who Is The Rottweiler on 'The Masked Singer'? This Fan Guess Is The Most Legit One Yet - WomansDay.com

LOS ANGELES Susan Olsen has enjoyed many of the spoils that came with being a child actor on the legendary family sitcom The Brady Bunch.

Now,at 58 and fresh off an exciting HGTV special series, where the surviving castmembers renovated the venerable Brady Bunch house, Olsen is opening up about her time as Cindy Brady and why she detested being on the series.

'BRADY BUNCH' STAR SUSAN OLSEN RECALLS VISITING THE SHOW'S ICONIC HOUSE FOR THE FIRST TIME

I say in order to have immortality, you have to have a soul and the soul is love. And I think that the love that was shown on the show, it was genuine between all of us cast members and I think people pick up on that, Olsen told Fox News in reference towhy the show has managed to stand the test of time so many years after its television exit.

But she didn't always feel that positive.

I never thought I would say this because when I was younger I was very rebellious and I really hated the fact that I was in such a wholesome show with American values and family values. But guess what now I'm so proud of that, added Olsen while attending the Jose Iturbi Foundations rooftop dinner "Under the Stars" event at the Hollywood Bowl.

Members of "The Brady Bunch," cast, from left, Maureen McCormick, Eve Plumb, Susan Olsen, Mike Lookinland, Christopher Knight and Barry Williams participate in HGTV's "A Very Brady Renovation" panel at the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour on Thursday, July 25, 2019, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP)

The animal rights activist said she appreciates that people saw the Brady family as something they could aspire their households to be and explained that it was actually the role of Cindy Brady itself that helped Olsen come into her own as a young woman.

I think that being an actress helped me to grow. I don't really think that the show helped me to grow so much as people that watched the show learned to grow, shared Olsen. People would ask me, 'Don't you wish that 'The Brady Bunch' was your real family?'And I'm like no because my family is just as good and they're a little bit funnier, a little weirder, but I know so many people that literally say that the show saved their lives.

SUSAN OLSEN TALKS 'A VERY BRADY RENOVATION,' SAYS VOTING FOR TRUMP GOT HER IN TROUBLE ON RADIO SHOW

She continued: And you know, I had a great family life but for people and other people that had a great family life loved it too--but there were people that didn't have a great life and as children, they depended on the show. And it's for them that I really feel responsible.

The radio host said she never wanted to become an actress and simply used it as a means of helping her to focus on other avenues where her interests laid.

Well, I didn't pursue having a career in acting. I did at first because I just didn't have much imagination, Olsen explained. I thought, 'I've got my foot in the door with something that everybody wants,' and it took me a while to realize that I didn't want it. Acting is not really my medium I'm a creative person, but I prefer visual arts.

But now I'm teaching acting for kids among other things, so I love it but it's not really my thing, Olsen said, adding that she loves Cindy Brady for allowing her to connect with fans.

BRADY BUNCH CASTMATES ASK FOR FANS' HELP TO FIND ICONIC ITEMS FROM HOME

As far as careers go, you know, Cindy Brady has certainly been a good ambassador. She opens doors, people have a nice feeling about me and they may not know why. [They say] 'Gee, I just feel like I grew up with you.' I'm like, 'Oh, that's nice,' said Olsen.

When asked if fans of the series are ever surprised at her rebellious nature and problem with authority, Olsen said yes, adding that Cindy really wasnt that smart to begin with.

Susan Olsen as Cindy Brady in "The Brady Bunch." (Getty)

I think people generally are happily surprised when they find out that my tastes were not quite so wholesome, she said. You know, I was very into punk rock and rock music and I'm really outspoken. So I'm definitely not Cindy, but I don't want to be the anti-Cindy because she was fairly nice.

She just wasn't very bright, Olsen added with a laugh.

MARY TYLER MOORE STAR ED ASNER SAYS CAST WAS LIKE A FAMILY: WE FORGAVE EACH OTHERS FAULTS'

Today, Olsen says shes having the time of life and said when she isnt teaching acting classes or listening to her rock and roll, she passes her time with video games and cellphone apps that keep her mind sharp.

I play 'World of Warcraft," Olsen said.I am a big gamer kind of person, yeah. I'm not very good at fast things, but the strategies I'm good at.

Brady Bunch cast: (left to right) Maureen McCormack / Marsha Brady, Christopher Knight / Peter Brady, Susan Olsen / Cindy Brady, Mike Lookinland / Bobby Brady, Eve Plumb / Jan Brady & Barry Williams / Greg Brady in front of the original Brady home in Studio City, CA, as seen on A Very Brady Renovation. (HGTV via AP)

Olsen continued: I do some of those mental [exercises] deliberately because I'm not getting any younger. I do some of those apps on the phone. I try to keep frosty and try to learn new things. I teach children I teach a filmmaking class where we just put together a little film and just keeping up with the technology in video is a constant challenge.

Olsen said she had no more secrets she could share from the old Brady Bunch set, telling us that Barry [Williams] told all and then some because a lot of what he told in his book Growing Up Brady didnt actually happen if you read the book.

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Yeah I mean we all, we weren't really related, we didn't really share a house so yeah, we kind of tended to date each other, although I was too young to date, said Olsen.

But we made out in the dog house, she added. I mean we were just such good kids. We were a lot like the characters and in fact, we didn't argue as much as the characters because we didn't have to share one bathroom with no toilet.

That can make people cranky, Olsen said with amusement.

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Brady Bunch star Susan Olsen reveals reason she hated being on iconic sitcom - Fox News

Issued on: 30/09/2019 - 18:32

Paris (AFP)

Enable is at "her absolute peak" for Sunday's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, the superstar mare's trainer John Gosden said on Monday.

Frankie Dettori's mount is odds-on favourite to become the first triple winner of Europe's most prestigious race.

The last to attempt the feat was Treve, trained by Criquette Head-Maarek. The 2013/2014 Arc heroine missed out on turf immortality when finishing fourth to Gosden's Golden Horn in 2015.

Enable arrives in Paris in fine fettle, having extended her unbeaten run to 12 in the Yorkshire Oaks in August.

Gosden told Sky Sports: "She's got a great stride on her and a great head and a wonderful outlook. She's always got her ears pricked and she's very enthusiastic about everything."

The Newmarket trainer suggested that as a five-year-old Enable has reached the summit of her skills.

"She's filled her frame and there's no doubt in my mind that a flat thoroughbred horse is probably at their absolute peak at five. She's fully grown now and fully developed."

Leading the opposition to topple her are the Aidan O'Brien-trained Japan and Magical, French Derby winner Sottsass, last year's Waldgeist who finished fourth and three runners trained in Japan - Kiseki, Blast Onepiece and Fierement.

"We'll see how we go ? there's some mighty opposition coming at us, there's no doubt about that," said Gosden.

With a prize money pot of five million euros ($5.45 million) the Arc is the second richest turf race in the world behind Australia's The Everest.

2019 AFP

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Enable at 'her peak' ahead of Arc hat-trick attempt - FRANCE 24