Close to Home | Artificial Intelligence and us – Mindanao Times

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A curious event in 2018 when Facebooks AI robots started communicating among themselves with their own language which programming experts on Facebook could not understand had the company shutting down their bots and no news of having opened it yet again.

This happening with Facebook is not isolated. The AlphaGo incident where a professional human player of the game was beaten by a robot sent alarm to human beings concerned. AlphaGo is a computer program that plays the Chinese board game called Go. It was in March 2016 that AlphaGo beat Gos Best Player Lee Sedol in the game where combinations of moves are said to be as many as the stars in the universe.

A workshop called Sprit, Science, and Artificial Intelligence, facilitated by social scientist and activist Nicanor Perlas, discusses why these leaps on technology and the seemingly subsequent surrender of humans to it should be something that must be met with our full consciousness and wakefulness. With the technologys lure of conveniences and perfection, we human beings are slowly giving up our inherent capacities.

While we are so out to believe that technology is neutral, we need to dig deeper to come face to face with its inner logic. I used to say, and these days, I hear many say often, that technology is neither good or bad. That it is up to us to make it advantageous or otherwise. It sure looks like that on the surface level. But just beneath it, lies the inner logic of technology: if we look deeper, technology makes us give up our inherent capacities as human beings.

So then, it is best to ask ourselves: IF we have been created in the Divines image and likeness, what could be our inherent capacities? What could have been planted in us if we are to be the true and full human beings that the Divine intends us to be?

Technology tycoon Elon Musk has been very vocal about the threats to humanity that pervade with the proliferation of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Recently, Tesla, Musks company, released all its patents to help humanity survive. In first world countries, it is said that teachers are being replaced by robots and computers. If you have seen Jimmy Falons interview with the robot named Sophia, it looks amusing at a glance, but if given a thought, one might think of the danger with human resources being replaced by these technological devices that seem to supersede us in terms of intelligence.

The lure of technology in the name of AI (now gearing up to be Artificial Super Intelligence, [ASI]) has three facets: Super Health, Super Intelligence, and Immortality. This has been created by AI companies to counter human imperfections. People get sick, so they offer super health, people often think at a very slow pace and what poor memory, so they offer super intelligence. Finally, people die, so they offer immortality. The proponents of these ideas think that consciousness resides on the brain, and so by creating artificial bodies that can accommodate the consciousness in the brain, thus making immortality at hand. They call this Transhumanism.

This Transhumanism gear of AI is slowly leading the human being to mass extinction as this would mean no more reproduction as humans. Are we, as humanity, moving like the sleeping children who were led by the Pied Piper of Hamelin to the abyss?

We will be convinced of this technology hype if we do not stop and discern over this lures. But taking time to contemplate over these things, it will be revealed that all these lures are become effective once we deviate from the path of nature. Mother Nature has been cradling our humanity.

For our super health, we have the plants and the four elements to take care of us. For our super intelligence, our thoughts and capacity to create has been inherent in us, provided that we commune with her. It is almost forgotten but our ancestors showed super intelligence. There were documents that tell of our ancestors being capable of telepathy and teleportation. Yes, truth is stranger than fiction. And finally, for our concern of death. We only need to be assured that we no longer die. A Spiritual Being in the name of Christ had long defeated death for us. But if we only look at it in a materialist perspective, we cannot have the faculties to understand it. Nonetheless, it still needs to be said.

While AI poses an abominable threat to the existence of humanity, there is no need to fear. The call is to face this task wide awake and conscious. The AI has become a dragon to defeat because we have not been living up to who were truly are. Now, this dragon wants us to show our courage and together brave this challenge for the future of our humanity. Many, I, myself included, believe that by going back to nature, the human being will make manifest once more that no one is stronger than us except God. Simply because, we are the summit of His creations His own image and likeness.

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Close to Home | Artificial Intelligence and us - Mindanao Times

The 2020s May Be a Doozy. Stick With the Tried and True in Investing. – Barron’s

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Futurists must be off their game. Were entering 2020, and nice round numbers are supposed to invite dazzling, spooky predictions for the decade ahead.

But lately all I see are Wall Street forecasts about stuff like interest rates and demographics. Apparently, if you like low stock returns and crowded cities, youll love the 2020s. There is a risk of something called monetary impotence, and not even Pfizer has a cure for it.

But wait: What about airborne robo-taxis and disease-curing nanobots? Im worried that the current prognosticatory lull means our best futurists have reached peak holy mackerel.

Take Ray Kurzweil, author of the 2005 book The Singularity Is Near, which predicts that humans and machines will merge by 2045. He has been right about many things related to computing power and connectivity, and early, perhaps, on some other things. Wearable computers should rule by now, for example, but unless that means cramming 6-inch smartphones into 5-inch pockets, were not there.

In 2016, Kurzweil told PBS NewsHour, Were going to get to a point, 10, 15 years from now, where were adding more time than is going by to our remaining life expectancy. He was talking about immortality. Im skeptical, because I recently threw my back out sneezing, which doesnt feel like something an immortal would do. But the point is, I dont know how you top a forecast like that.

Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk seems to be trying. In 2018, he said there is a 70% chance hell move to Mars. Back in 2016, he said were all probably living in a simulation. At least that should make his move to Mars easier.

With heavyweights like Kurzweil and Musk having already gone full-Matrix, aspiring futurists like me will have to go big to get noticed. I predict that electric socks will become self-aware in 2023. There is a 70% chance Ill accidentally learn Mandarin from all of the robo-calls Ive been getting. The singularity is near? Too cautiousI say its the Thursday after next.

While were waiting for tech seers to work up their next big ideas, lets look at what market strategists are saying about the decade ahead, just in case this isnt all a simulation.

UBS points to 790 million more people expected to move to cities by 2030, the number of internet users expanding to 7.5 billion from 4.3 billion, and connected devices numbering 46 billion, up from 10 billion. That should be excellent news for semiconductor companies, like chip roll-up Broadcom (ticker: AVGO) and equipment maker Applied Materials (AMAT).

Barry Bannister at Stifel estimates that the S&P 500 index will offer just 3% a year in compound average returns during the 2020s, based on high starting valuations. He predicts a major rotation from growth stocks to value, which sounds harmless enough, but he also points out that in the past, those have started with the S&P 500 dropping by half over two years.

Dont panic yet. Near the end of the decade, Bannister expects us to enter a long period of runaway price growth in commodities. Now panic.

OK, time to breathe easier. Credit Suisses Jonathan Golub would like you to know that even though price/earnings ratios for stocks are one standard deviation above normal (which is to say, high), prices relative to free cash flow are at long-term averages. Valuations have further to run, he wrote on Dec. 18.

Bank of Americas strategy team calls the 2020s a decade of megatrends unlike any before it. Globalization will wane, and consumer prices will rise. Worldwide interest rates begin the decade at the lowest level in 5,000 years of recorded references to the cost of money, so central banks will struggle to stoke growth with monetary policy. On the other hand, Generation Z, or todays teens, will overtake millennials as the biggest generation globally, and the middle class will expand in emerging marketsgood for e-commerce.

By 2035, up to half of the worlds jobs could be at risk of replacement by robots, BofA says. From now until 2040, $20 trillion, or roughly three-quarters the market value of the S&P 500, will flood into morality-based stock strategies. Who will judge which companies are virtuous? I say, let people who have lost their jobs to robots take a crack.

The rest of the themes include climate change (good for electric cars), space tourism (good for aerospace and defense), smart everything (bad for privacy), and China overtaking the U.S. in artificial intelligence by 2030. (Is Musk looking for roommates on Mars?)

That is a daunting swirl of possibilities. I recommend preparing for this brave new world with tactics that are neither brave nor new. Stick with stocks and stock indexes. They represent companies run by clever people who can react quickly to the predictions that come true, and the ones that flop.

Im partial to U.S. stocks. Thats called home-country bias, and too much of it isnt good, so put some in other markets, too. Dont bail out of bonds. They are woefully overpriced, but theyll prove a bargain if stocks tank. Remember commodities? They were popular back when there used to be something called inflation. Add just a smidgen, for old times sake.

And just in case theres something to this singularity stuff, stay on good terms with anything with a silicon chip. As a futurist, Ive been saying thank you to vending machines for years.

Write to Jack Hough at jack.hough@barrons.com

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The 2020s May Be a Doozy. Stick With the Tried and True in Investing. - Barron's

Keanu Reeves is a Badass Cyberpunk Rockstar with McFarlane Toys – Bleeding Cool News

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Keanu Reeves is a man of many talents. FromBill and Ted,The Matrix,John Wick, and as of lately he is a featured character in the upcomingCyberpunk 2077 video game. We finally get a better look at not only Keanu reeves character Johnny Silverhand but the character Mule as McFarlane Toys announced their first wave of action figures. These figures are highly detailed and come with a nice set of accesories and a display base. Keanu does come with two figures in the first wave though, the first one is a 7 action figure that has a guitar, rock out hand, and a beer bottle. He is the action hero we all need not the one we deserve samurai. The second one is a 12 Johnny Silverhand statue, they classify it as a figure but it is stuck in a single position. Keanu Reeves is shredding on the guitar in his Cyberpunk 2077 outfit and any fan should own these figures.

The Cyberpunk 2077 Johnny Silverhand and Mule McFarlane Toys Figures are priced at $29.99 and are set to release in Spring 2020. The 12 Keanu Reeves Johnny Silverhand Statue is priced at $39.99 and is also set for a Spring 2020 release. All three figures are available for pre-order at GameStop or you can find them here.

Wake the f**k up, samurai. Weve got a city to burn.

Male V 7 Figure

Cyberpunk 2077 is an open-world, action-adventure story set in Night City, a megalopolis obsessed with power, glamour and body modification. You play as V, a mercenary outlaw going after a one-of-a-kind implant that is the key to immortality. You can customize your characterscyberware, skillset and playstyle, and explore a vast city where the choices you make shape the story and the world around you.

Product Features:

Features V in his Default Setting from the Cyberpunk 2077 Video Game

Designed with Ultra Articulation with 22 Moving Parts

7-Inch scale figure comes with a Base, Katana, Kang Tao-Dian SMG andMilitechSaratoga Pistol

Figure showcased in Cyberpunk 2077 themed window box packaging

Johnny Silverhand 7 Figure

Cyberpunk 2077 is an open-world, action-adventure story set in Night City, a megalopolis obsessed with power, glamour and body modification. You play as V, a mercenary outlaw going after a one-of-a-kind implant that is the key to immortality. You can customize your characterscyberware, skillset and playstyle, and explore a vast city where the choices you make shape the story and the world around you.

Product Features:

Features Keanu Reeves as JohnnySilverhandin his iconic outfit from the Cyberpunk 2077 Video Game

Designed with Ultra Articulation with 22 Moving Parts

7-Inch scale figure comes with a Base, Johnnys Guitar with strap and a Bottle

Includes bonus Rock-On Hand

Figure showcased in Cyberpunk 2077 themed window box packaging

Johnny Silverhand 12 Figure

Cyberpunk 2077 is an open-world, action-adventure story set in Night City, a megalopolis obsessed with power, glamour and body modification. You play as V, a mercenary outlaw going after a one-of-a-kind implant that is the key to immortality. You can customize your characters cyberware, skillset, and playstyle, and explore a vast city where the choices you make shape the story and the world around you.

Product Features:

Features Keanu Reeves as JohnnySilverhandin his Chrome Rock Concert pose from the Cyberpunk 2077 Video Game

12-Inch scale figure comes with a base and Johnnys Guitar

Figure showcased in Cyberpunk 2077 themed window box packaging

loves Marvel and the MCU. Has all of the Funko Pops for the MCU. He loves Tobey Spider-Man and insists The Phantom Menace is pure gold. He is still recovering from the aftermath of Avengers Endgame.

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Longtime columnist Mark Harvey bids adieu – The Daily World

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Editors note: If you havent already experienced aging in the senior citizen sense, yourself or with loved ones, you will at some point wish there was a clearly written manual. With his weekly column, Mark Harvey has been writing the rough draft for many years and this newspaper is grateful.

Im fighting off the urge to begin with The time has come, the walrus said

But, the time has come: Im retiring.

After 772 weeks of us meeting here, Im stepping away. I will be forever grateful to Doug Barker and all the good folks at The Daily World for their patience and encouragement, and for the amazing opportunity to meet so many of you.

How does one say goodbye after 772 weeks? I have no idea, so I wont even try. I think what I will do, however, is attempt to sum up what are, in my opinion, the most important aspects of this whole aging thing. And that usually begins with a question that goes something like this: How smooth is the road ahead likely to be?

Answer: About as smooth as the road behind. And if you take the time to think about it, I just told you a whole lot more than you think I did.

Folks in my business tend to spend an inordinate amount of time contemplating the question What do Elders want? in the same general tone of voice and inflection as the question What do Martians eat?

As though, at some magic age (60? 65? 79? 98? whatever), all those normal people stepped into the Elder Machine and were duly processed and homogenized into an anomalous species called Elders emerging with unfathomable habits, preferences, tastes, predilections, abilities, challenges and destinies.

Alas, allow me to be the bearer of thought-provoking tidings: There is no Elder Machine.

When you hit that magic age, heres what will be magically different: nothing. You will still be the same old you, with the same foibles, opinions, tastes, talents and beliefs. The same preferences and the same politics, the same joys and the same sorrows, and the same old body that got you here, more or less.

Oops.

Now, close your eyes for 30 seconds and visualize what you want your life to look like in 10, 15 or 40 years. Go ahead, well wait.

OK? Heres the picture most of us saw: a life that looks, more or less, like it looks right now colored by a few hopes, dreams, fears and the tyranny of genetics, certainly but we want life to continue to be life, as we have chosen to define it. We do not want to be less. We want to be us to continue.

Heres the only thing that really changes in that Elder Machine is the sudden realization that none of us will achieve immortality.

So, in my opinion and in my world, the game becomes: How can we keep life looking as much as possible the way it looks right now?

Ill offer these points:

Think health and health care, but think about it in terms of what you can do, not in terms of any diagnosis. We want to be able to get up and get going, and spend our days and our nights on our own terms, with as little help (think: interference) as possible.

So

1. Stop doing stupid stuff! We all know what we do that we shouldnt do, so stop doing it! (Or, at least, do less of it.)

2. Move! Use it or lose it applies so, unless youre done with it, use it!

3. Find a health care professional you trust and tell them the truth! Listen and talk! Then do what you need to do, as though it were your responsibility to be responsible for yourself because it is.

4. Figure out your health insurance or find someone who has, and make friends.

This is America; money counts. Like it or not, thats how it is, so figure it out and do the best you can. Plan! Get out of debt! Figure out Social Security! It is absolutely true that money cant buy happiness, but it does buy heat, food, medicine and underwear So, think about it!

Im often asked some derivation of the question: Whats the worst thing that is likely to happen to me as I get older? and people expect to hear something like falls or Alzheimers or stroke but heres whats more likely to get us:

Fear.

Ignorance.

Isolation.

Not knowing theres help out there, or being too proud to ask for it.

Being afraid that if they knew how much help I really needed, they would put me in a nursing home, so I isolate myself and go downhill fast, and pretty soon the self-fulfilling prophecy is fulfilled.

A little help on the front end can change everything.

I could bury you alive in programs, services and acronyms! I could put you into a coma with strategies, resources, advance directives and durable powers of attorney. I could drive you screaming from the room with health insurance nuance. But I cant give you the one thing that will do you the most good, because we all have to find it for ourselves: a sense of purpose. A mission. A reason to be.

The belief that there is a reason to continue. That there are still opportunities to contribute to be part of the solution to make things better to help. And that it truly is not over, until it is.

That every day is the next opportunity to begin again to get it right to do better.

I want you to hear that aging is not an affliction; its an achievement!

Be careful. Strive to be happy.

Love is all there is.

Thank you.

Mark Harvey is retiring this week as director of information and assistance for the Olympic Area Agency on Aging.

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Longtime columnist Mark Harvey bids adieu - The Daily World

Shinkowa Pharmaceutical: Notice for the Conclusion of NMN Product’s Material Donation Agreement (MDA) with Washington University in St. Louis -…

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This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191226005036/en/

NMN PURE VIP 9000 (Photo: Business Wire)

Washington University in St. Louis, (State of Missouri) has received grants for Scientific Research from the United States Department of Defense. Shinkowa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. signed a contract with Washington University in St. Louis, Material Donation Agreement, for donation of NMN products used for the clinical researches named Effect of NMN Supplementation on Organ System Biology.

In the clinical researches, Professor Shin-Ichiro Imai (Washington University in St. Louis, School of Medicine, Department of Developmental Biology/Department of Medicine(joint), and Samuel KleinMD, (William H. Danforth Professor of Medicine and Nutritional Science,Director Center for Human Nutrition, Chief, Division of Geriatrics and Nutritional Science, Director, Center for Applied Research Sciences ,Director, Weight Management Program) will play a central part and verify the benefits of NMN via oral administration. NMN provided by Shinkowa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. is highly regarded and so the products will be used officially in the researches.

NMN products provided by Shinkowa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. contains more than 99% overwhelmingly high purity NMN. In order to keep its quality and safety, 1) we manufacture the product by natural synthesis, not by chemical synthesis, 2) we have conducted and completed 24 weeks of human safety trial with National University. We hold scientific evidences and results (Appearance of SIRT1 longevity gene and increase in each growth hormone including melatonin) related to NMN only in the world.We also conduct researches, Elucidation of NMNs intracellular mechanism of action by Multi-Omics Analysis with the non-profit organization The Systems Biology Institute (SBI)(Representative: Dr Hiroaki Kitano) to elucidate NMN mechanism of action, and also Dogs Longevity and Anti-aging Effects by Medication of NMN : Confirmations of Positive Effects on Blood Component and Intestinal Flora with ,Activation of Longevity gene with National University of Yamaguchi, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (Professor Toru Kimura : Biofunction Course, Laboratory Zoology). It will be completed the analysis and announced its results.

Our 3rd Lecture was held and organized by Shinkowa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. The lecture Thinking about Health Realization of Productive Aging from the Vanguard of Aging and Lifespan was held at Hilton Hotel in Osaka, and the lecturer was Professor. Shin-Ichiro Imai from Washington University in St. Louis. This was the continuation of the lecture in Shanghai, China, held on 2nd of May 2019 and the chairman of which was Dr. Ryuji Hiramatsu who is an executive coordinator of Foundation for Biomedical Research and Innovation at Kobe. The lecture included Qs and As sessions and we had over 150 attendees including the customers and the parties.We will continue to aim to achieve productive aging worldwide and will hold more lectures.* the 1st lecture: Tokyo, the 2nd lecture: Shanghai, China, the 3rd lecture: Osaka

In 1989:

Graduated from Keio University School of Medicine; Obtained a medical license

In 1993:

Finished masters degree in The Graduate Keio University School of Medicine

In 1995:

Obtained Ph.D.

1993-1997:

Assistant Professor, Microbiology, Keio University School of Medicine (Dr. Toshiya Takano)

1997-2001:

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Leonard Guarente Laboratory)

From July 2001:

Assistant Professor, Washington University School of Medicine Department of Molecular Biology and Pharmacology

From July 2008:

Associate Professor (Tenured on 3rd October), Washington University School of Medicine,

Department of Developmental Biology (Renamed from 2008),

Department of Medicine (Joint)

From May 2013:

Professor, Washington University School of Medicine,

Department of Developmental Biology,

Department of Medicine (Joint)

Started cellular aging and immortality researches while in Medical School of Keio University.Continued researches to elucidate molecular mechanism of aging and longevity. In 1998, published Heterochromatin Island Hypothesis regarding aging and immortality mechanism. To prove the hypothesis, started yeast and mammal Sir2 researches at Guarente Laboratory in Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 2000, discovered that Sir2 is NAD-dependent protein deacetylase and its activation is important for controlling longevity. Since 2001, as a principal of laboratory in Washington University, engaged in mechanism of metabolism, aging and control of longevity researches focusing on mammal Sir1 and NAD synthesis.Encouraging on the importance of hypothalamus for aging and longevity control, the proof of importance of NAD synthetic intermediate, pursuit of NAD World that considers metabolism, aging and longevity as generalized control system, and establishment of anti-aging methodology to aim to Productive Aging.

Chairman: Dr. Ryuji HiramatsuDoctor of AgricultureDirector of Research,Industry-academia Collaboration of Institute of Biomedical Research and InnovationExecutive coordinator,Cooperation and Business promotion groupFoundation for Biomedical Research and Innovation at Kobe

With our NMN researches, under the theme The Science of Wellness, we aim to achieve productive aging worldwide. We will strengthen, extend, and publicize our researches, sales and efficacy of NMN to contribute to the improvement of humans Quality Of Life (QOL)Our NMN products are available via the following links.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191226005036/en/

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Shinkowa Pharmaceutical: Notice for the Conclusion of NMN Product's Material Donation Agreement (MDA) with Washington University in St. Louis -...

South African Reflection: Christmas is about humanity AND the cosmos – Independent Catholic News

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While the historical authenticity of the Christmas story, as traditionally told, can be debated, the focus and point of the story is at the very heart of what it means to be Christian. We celebrate a whole series of events (The Holy Family, The Baptism of the Lord and the Epiphany) in these weeks, each a part of the Christmas story. This narrative is at the centre of our self-understanding. All that comes before it and all that flows from it reveals to us that Jesus is chosen to be God's representative in history. The incarnation means that God is active and present in the person of Jesus. This is the transformative power of the Christmas story: it tells us that God is present and active in the life and being of Jesus and, through the Spirit that Jesus gives us, God is present and active in our lives now.

But there is more. The doctrine of the incarnation of Jesus teaches us about the significance of God's immanence within and presence to all creation in a personal way. God came into the world to save the world and not just the people in it. Many people believe that Jesus came into the world to save humanity, those of us with self-awareness and consciousness. But, God's saving action in Jesus goes beyond humanity and reaches all of creation - animals, oceans, mountains, deserts etc. How often don't we get this wrong? Even our catechesis has failed to highlight this fact: The incarnation has meaning for humanity and the cosmos.

If you take time to look at the narrative in these Christmas days you will notice that it is not just human beings who are involved in the story of Jesus' birth, the cosmos too has its role: light and darkness, cold and warmth, beasts in a stable witness the birth, heavenly hosts and stars.

Just as we know and experience our human frailty, our immortality, so too creation (we are fast learning in the age of climate change!) is fragile and immortal. Science tells us that the earth is struggling, the sun is slowly burning out and water is becoming a scarce commodity. We, in South Africa, have experienced drought and floods. We have seen changing weather patterns and the inability of some forms of life to continue to exist. There is a long list of species which are extinct or in danger of becoming extinct.

The cosmos too is mortal and needs salvation. The Christmas story reveals who will save the whole of creation: The God who becomes human in the person of Jesus.

Whatever you think of Pope Francis one thing is clear. His encyclical Laudato Si' is a prophetic document which calls us into a renewed relationship with God, others and creation. It reminds us that we are to care for everything - humans, animals, the earth, the seas and the air that we breathe. Our salvation is not just about right relationship with God and other people. It is about right relationship with the cosmos.

As we celebrate the Christmas story and take a time of well-earned rest, we might also want to ask ourselves the uncomfortable question: Does my lifestyle cherish and care for the cosmos the baby Jesus came to save?

Follow The Jesuit Institute on Twitter @JesuitInstitute

Tags: Jesuit Institute, South Africa, Russell Pollitt, Laudato Si

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South African Reflection: Christmas is about humanity AND the cosmos - Independent Catholic News

AgeX Therapeutics Announces Drawdown of Second Tranche of Loan Facility from Juvenescence Ltd. – Business Wire

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ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AgeX Therapeutics, Inc. (AgeX; NYSE American: AGE), a biotechnology company focused on developing therapeutics for human aging and regeneration, announced the drawdown of a $1.3 million tranche of financing pursuant to its unsecured loan facility from Juvenescence Limited.

Juvenescence is pleased to continue its commitment to AgeX through this additional drawdown under the loan facility, commented Gregory Bailey, MD, Chairman of AgeX and CEO of Juvenescence. Juvenescence remains committed to funding the future development plans of AgeX through further advancements under the loan facility or otherwise. Since Juvenescences initial investment in AgeX in June 2018, AgeX has been an important element in the Juvenescence mission and strategy. Juvenescence is also investing its time and personnel to support AgeXs business development initiatives which have impressive potential. We look forward to AgeX announcing its plans for 2020 as it pursues tissue regeneration in Reverse Bioengineering, while advancing the development of BAT and VASC 1, the coupling of HLA-G with PureStem-derived cells for transplant therapies, and exploring partnerships with third parties.

This round of funding will allow us to continue to execute on our strategic plan to provide therapies for certain chronic and degenerative diseases through cellular regeneration and replacement, commented AgeXs founder and CEO Michael D. West, PhD.

As announced in the companys news release on August 14, 2019, AgeX has obtained a $2 million credit facility from Juvenescence to finance AgeXs operations and advance its product development programs.

About AgeX Therapeutics

AgeX Therapeutics, Inc. (NYSE American: AGE) is focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapeutics for human aging. Its PureStem and UniverCyte manufacturing and immunotolerance technologies are designed to work together to generate highly-defined, universal, allogeneic, off-the-shelf pluripotent stem cell-derived young cells of any type for application in a variety of diseases with a high unmet medical need. AgeX has two preclinical cell therapy programs: AGEX-VASC1 (vascular progenitor cells) for tissue ischemia and AGEX-BAT1 (brown fat cells) for Type II diabetes. AgeXs revolutionary longevity platform induced Tissue Regeneration (iTR) aims to unlock cellular immortality and regenerative capacity to reverse age-related changes within tissues. AGEX-iTR1547 is an iTR-based formulation in preclinical development. HyStem is AgeXs delivery technology to stably engraft PureStem cell therapies in the body. AgeX is developing its core product pipeline for use in the clinic to extend human healthspan and is seeking opportunities to establish licensing and collaboration agreements around its broad IP estate and proprietary technology platforms.

For more information, please visit http://www.agexinc.com or connect with the company on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements that are not historical fact including, but not limited to statements that contain words such as will, believes, plans, anticipates, expects, estimates should also be considered forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements and as such should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect the business of AgeX Therapeutics, Inc. and its subsidiaries, particularly those mentioned in the cautionary statements found in more detail in the Risk Factors section of AgeXs Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commissions (copies of which may be obtained at http://www.sec.gov). Subsequent events and developments may cause these forward-looking statements to change. AgeX specifically disclaims any obligation or intention to update or revise these forward-looking statements as a result of changed events or circumstances that occur after the date of this release, except as required by applicable law.

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Canterbury father and son’s invention will revolutionise medical treatment – Stuff.co.nz

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A typical father and son project might mean restoring a classic car or completing a home renovation, but this Christchurch pair have set their sights a little higher. LEE KENNY reports.

Phil and Anthony Butlerhave utilised cutting-edge technologyused in the hunt for the Higgs Boson to invent the world's first 3-D colour X-ray.

Phil is a professor at University of Canterbury and a Fellow of New Zealand Institute of Physics, while Anthony is a clinical radiologist and a professor at University of Otago.

Together they have created the MARS scanner, which will one day replace many of the functions of the X-ray, positron emission tomography (PET) scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

ALDEN WILLIAMS/STUFF

Phil and Anthony Butler work on an arm scanner at MARS' Christchurch laboratory.

READ MORE:* What will be the biggest scientific breakthrough of 2020?* Defence Force medic's bleeding edge invention wins Manawat's Innovate 2019* Where did the curiosity go?

The non-invasive technique will enable doctors to see colour images from inside the body, allowing them to make a more accurate diagnosis when treating everything from a broken bone to heart disease.

Phil, 72, first thought about the concept while he was atCERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) in 2002.

Scientists working on the Large Hadron Collider used high-tech Medipix detectors to track particles and it was theorisedthey could also be used to detect X-ray photons.

Anthony joined CERN in 2005 and it was while the Butlerswere on a family holiday in Croatia that they decided to put the theory to the test.

Supplied

A 3-D image of Phil Butler's wrist taken by the MARS scanner in 2018.

They founded MARS Bioimaging in 2007 and today their 50-strong team consists of physicists, radiologists, mathematicians, biologists, engineers and computer scientists.

The company is part owned by University of Canterbury where it is based and has close ties to Otago Medical School.

Anthony, 44, explains the machine works by shining X-rays through the body and measuring the tissue composition before a computer reconstructs the information into a high-resolution 3-D colour image.

"The underlying process is often called spectral photon counting we measure the X-ray beam one photon at a time, which means we need to have very fast electronics to do this."

He says they have been looking at several medical applications for the scanners, across a range of clinical disciplines.

ALDEN WILLIAMS/STUFF

Professor Phil Butler is the chief executive of MARS Bioimaging but still takes a hands-on role.

"We've been working with orthopedic surgeons looking at fracture healing, cardiologists looking at the causes of heart disease and stroke, cancer specialists looking whether we can look at cell lines and the way they progress and we've looked at infectious diseases.

"That covers a large chunk of medicine and I expect we'll see [the scanners]hit the clinics at different times.

"It's going to be routine within a few years for a lot of point-of-care stuff."

The primary difference between the MARS scanner and other techniques is the level of detailed information it can record.

Anthony says the work is so cutting edge that components had to be built from scratch.

Dean Mouhtaropoulos

The MARS scanner was inspired by technology used at CERN, the World's Largest Particle Physics Laboratory.

"We did computer simulations to work out what we should be doing, then we had to come up with the designs, then manufacture it."

Dipanjan Pan, professor in chemical and biological engineering and radiology at University of Maryland Baltimore County, is an expert in nanomedicine and molecular imaging.

He collaborated with the MARS team for several years and says the3-D scanner has the potential to "dramatically change the ambiguity often found in black and white conventional CT imaging".

"Looking through MARS's proprietary photon counting CT 'magic lenses', you are visualising in colour the future of various biological processes as it merges with the present," he says.

"Their powerful reconstruction technique is astounding."

The technology has a range of uses from security and engineeringto physics and astronomy.

123rf

The traditional 2-D X-ray is good at showing solid objects like bones.

But the Butlers are focused on clinical applications and in July 2018 Phil became the first person to be scanned, with images generated of his wrist and ankle.

The next stage will be clinical trials next year when orthopaedic and rheumatology patients from Christchurch will bescanned.

Phil saysthe breakthrough is comparable to the first X-ray images in 1895 and the first low-resolution Computed Tomography (CT) in 1972.

"It's a major step. We went from 2-D to 3-D, now we're going from black and white to colour.

"The other thing that makes ours different from pretty much any other clinical system is we've got very high-resolution, basically 10 times the resolution of any other comparable technology."

Dr Diana Siew, associate director at MedTech Centre of Research Excellence at Auckland Bioengineering Institute, said the MARS X-ray scanner is a "game changer in medical diagnostics" because "it visualises what is happening in the body in a way that has not been achieved before".

"Different components of the body like fat, calcium, water and disease biomarkers show-up on the X-ray images in different colours, thus allowing a fuller and more accurate picture of a patient's condition," she says.

SUPPLIED

The new MRI scanner at Palmerston North Hospital had to be slotted through a hole in the wall when it was installed in April 2019.

"From a research perspective, this is exciting as it could underpin new understanding of disease onset and progression and be used to determine the efficacy of treatments.

"The MARS technology is a world's first and it is so exciting that it is happening in NZ."

As well as heralding a quantum leap in imaging capability, Anthony says the MARS technology will improve health treatment for Kiwis, as not everywhere has access to PET or MRI scanners.

"About half the people in rural New Zealand don't get appropriate cancer treatment, not because the country can't afford it but because the cancer centres are in large hospitals, the same is true for imaging," he says.

"If you are on the West Coast you cannot get a PET scan, you have to come over to Christchurch.

123RF

MRI scanners can record incredible detail but they are large and not widely available.

"So those access issues, we beat most of them because we use X-rays and they are very easy to have in a local practice, every dentist has got one."

Phil added: "One of the design goals for this system is to make it as easy to operate as a dentist's X-ray".

As well as the high cost of PET and MRI scanners, Anthony says there are other practicalities that make them less accessible.

"MRI requires rooms with big machines, you have to have liquid helium cooling it down, you can't put someone in with a pacemaker, certain vascular clips can't go in there [or] hip replacements," he says.

"With PET you have similar things, you have radioisotopes. In New Zealand we have one cyclotron in Wellington producing radioisotopes and they have to be flown around the country, so if it's a windy day in Wellington, no PET imaging can happen in the country."

Supplied

A 3-D image of Phil Butler's ankle, scanned in 2018.

MARS is operated from a secure area of University of Canterbury and as well as full-time staff, research is carried out by 15 PhD candidates.

Phil is in no doubt that a key component of the project's success is that it's based in Canterbury.

"If you look at the electronics or mechanical engineering skills of Christchurch, we can build anything," he says.

"We've got the skills to do it but the people also know each other, whereas if you go to a big city of several million, they can do it but they can't talk to their allied disciplines.

"That goes back to the farming industries, where people had to build their own machines and those skills of being able to build anything are all part of that."

Anthony agrees.

"If you go to really large research institutes they can be really skilled but they tend to have big silos. In New Zealand we tend not to operate that way.

Don Scott/Stuff

The Butlers, pictured here in 2010, examine coloured Iodine and Barium infused tissue.

"I think we're the sweet-spot in terms of size, where there's enough skill around that there's experts but we're not so big that we can't talk to each other."

Almost 15 years since the father and son team decided to embark on the research, they have made huge advances but there is still work to be done.

"If you look at where we were in 2006 or 2007 we were able to measure four colours but we had to do them one after the other, not simultaneously," Anthony says.

"We scanned the abdomen of a mouse, a pretty small object, and it [took] a day to image it and a month to do all the data reconstruction to get a picture to look at."

Day-to-day, Anthony is the company's chief medical officer and scientific lead.

Phil is the chief executive but, but according to Anthony, he still "does a lot of the technical work".

Working with family members can bring its challenges but Anthony says one of the advantages of partnering with his dad is the "innate trust" they have.

"It's actually a real pleasure," he says.

"I'm quite lucky, I didn't start working with him until I was in my early 30s, which meant I'd done all of my qualifications, established my own life.

"He had done many things himself and been pro-vice chancellor of the university and wanted to get more into practical applications so we founded this project together and that's been really nice.

"You're always going to have problems in any relationship but the fact that it's a family member gives you structure where you can actually work through problems and solve them and know that you're on the same team."

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Canterbury father and son's invention will revolutionise medical treatment - Stuff.co.nz

Scott Coker explains why Cris Cyborg is the greatest female fighter of all time – MMA Mania

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Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Strikeforce, and Invicta FC featherweight champion Cris Cyborg is the greatest female fighter of all time, according to Bellator MMA president Scott Coker.

Coker, who promoted Cyborg under the Strikeforce banner from 2009-2011, helped bring the Brazilian legend over to Bellator MMA this past September. After Cyborg had a rough falling out with UFC and Dana White, Coker was there to pick up the pieces and offer the former world champion a new home and contract.

The Bellator frontman signed Cyborg under the assumption that she can still dominate the competition like she has for so many years.

Cyborg is the greatest female fighter of all time. I dont care what anybody says, said Coker during a recent media scrum in Japan. I was there in the beginning too, Ive seen it all unfold, and its a much different environment today than it was back then. But I know whos been dominating for the last 10 years and whos been destroying people for the last 10 years. 10 years from now we can have a different conversation, see how far different ladies can take it. But as far as today, you have the greatest female fighter of all-time fighting Julia Budd.

While Cokers assessment of Cyborgs storied dominance is accurate, its safe to say that reigning UFC womens bantamweight and featherweight champion Amanda Nunes has surpassed Cyborg as the greatest female fighter of all time. Not only is Nunes the only fighter to ever knock out Cyborg doing so in just 51 seconds back at UFC 232 last year but Lioness also holds career wins over MMA greats Ronda Rousey, Miesha Tate, and Valentina Shevchenko.

So even though Cyborg has been dominating the competition for much longer than Nunes, the recent numbers and strength of competition certainly puts the UFC champion ahead of Cyborg heading into 2020.

Cyborg will make her Bellator debut at Bellator 238 on Jan. 25 live on DAZN from inside The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., as she takes on reigning womens featherweight champion Julia Budd in the main event.

For more Bellator 238 fight card news click here.

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Scott Coker explains why Cris Cyborg is the greatest female fighter of all time - MMA Mania

The Coolest (and Scariest) Military Tech of 2019 – Futurism

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PUTTING ASIDE our personal feelings on the nature of war and what it is or isnt good for, the fact is that its a terrible reality of life. Its also, often, where technological development advances at several paces beyond every other sector even remotely like it. These are some of literatures best (and most dystopian) ideas, fully realized. And 2019 especially boasted some of the most mind-bending military tech the worlds ever seen.

From an invisibility cloak to a sonic gun that vibrates a targets brain, military researchers really pushed the limits of what we thought was scientifically possible this year, no doubt at least partly thanks to their sometimes astronomically high budgets looking at you, America.

Without further ado, here isThe Coolest (and Scariest) Military Tech of 2019.

From a real-life invisibility cloak to a mysterious artificial brain capable of directing armed conflicts, some of the military tech we learned about this year sounded like it was pulled directly from science-fiction of the recent (and not-so-recent) past and some of it, we wish remained fiction.

Hyperstealth Biotechnologys Quantum Stealth Material

It works by bending the light around a target to make it seemingly disappear making the material what Hyperstealth calls a broadband invisibility cloak. Watch a Real-Life Invisibility Cloak Designed for Military Use

The National Reconnaissance Offices Sentient Program

[Its] a fully-integrated intelligence system that can coordinate satellite positions and may soon be used tomanage battlefield operations during military engagements. The Military Secretly Built an Artificial Brain Called Sentient

The Air Forces Robot Pilot

The robot can operate a planes yoke and throttle while operating various pedals and other controls, just like human pilots do. Instead of New Drones, the Air Force Built a Plane-Piloting Robot

Military researchers didnt limit themselves to creating better tools for soldiers in 2019 some also looked for ways to use science and technology to upgrade soldiers themselves.

The Pentagons High-Tech Cyborg Plans

The U.S. military has ambitious plans to turn its soldiers into high-tech cyborg warriors by making them stronger, enhancing their senses, and wiring their brains to computers. US Military Warns of Augmented Human Beings

DARPAsNext-Generation Nonsurgical Neurotechnology Program

The Pentagon is trying build tech that would give soldiers the ability to control deadly military drones with their minds. Working with drones and swarms of drones, operating at the speed of thought rather than through mechanical devices those types of things are what these devices are really for, DARPA neuroscientist Al Emondi toldMIT Tech Review. The Pentagon Wants to Control Drones With Soldiers Brain Waves

The Armys Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS)

No other piece of equipment has had this kind of impact since the introduction of night vision, Army Undersecretary Ryan McCarthy told Army Times. This takes night vision to the PhD level. The Military Is Developing Augmented Reality Night Vision Goggles

Sarcos Robotics Guardian XO

American robot developer Sarcos Robotics announced today that its been awarded a contract by United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) to deliver a pre-production, full-body robotic exoskeleton called the Guardian XO. And it looks absolutely brutal. The US Military Is Buying a Brutal-Looking Powered Exoskeleton

DARPAs AR Contact Lenses

[T]he Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is reportedly interested in the contact lens to augment troops visual capabilities in the field, according to Task and Purpose meaning the gadget could represent the augmented contact lens that DARPA has spent a decade searching for. DARPA: This Smart Contact Lens Could Give Soldiers Superpowers

Whether you find each of the below weapons breakthroughs really cool or incredibly frightening might depend on whether it was your home nation or another that developed it. For example

Chinas Portable Sonic Gun

All the wielder of the device has to do is point it at a crowd and shoot and focused waves of sound will cause the targets eardrums, eyeballs, and brains to vibrate painfully. Chinas New Weapon: A Sonic Gun That Vibrates Your Brain

The Pentagons Laser Induced Plasma Effect Weapon

The Pentagon is working on a weapon that uses lasers and plasma to transmit sound files, even human speech, directly to individual people at great distances the lasers could be beamed down from military planes or other vehicles to issue instructions or disperse crowds of protestors or otherwise disgruntled people in the area. Pentagon: New Laser Tech Can Make People Hear Voice Commands

Russias Filin 5P-42

The Filin is capable of firing powerful flashes of light that are intended to impair enemy equipment, according toSputnik and can even induce nausea and disorientation. Russian Military Confirms New Weapon Causes Hallucinatory Symptoms

The Armys High Energy Laser Tactical Vehicle Demonstrator

The system was designed to defend against missiles, rockets and artillery, according toDefense News. It could also prove useful against military drones and other unmanned aircraft. The US Military Is Buying a $130 Million Laser Weapon

If 2019 taught us anything about the future of warfare, its that militaries across the globe are really excited about unmanned aerial vehicles and systems designed to destroy them.

The Armys Black Hornet Personal Reconnaissance System

The U.S. Army has placed a $39 million order for tiny reconnaissance drones, small enough to fit in a soldiers pocket or palm. The idea behind the drones is that soldiers will be able to send them into the sky of the battlefield in order to get a lethal edge during combat, according toBusiness Insider. The US Army Is Equipping Soldiers With Pocket-Sized Recon Drones

Russias Sukhoi-S70 Okhotnik-B (Hunter-B) Drone

The stealthy drone could offer the Russian military a way to penetrate air spaces without being detected. Russias Top Secret Heavy Strike Stealth Drone Takes Flight

Anduril Industries Interceptor

Andurils device is able to identify and fly toward targets without any help and if it doesnt destroy an enemy drone with an initial hit, it doesnt give up, autonomously attacking a second or third time until its target is dead. See a Drone Kill Another Drone by Slamming Into It at 100 MPH

The Air Forces Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System Tech

The laser weapon, which can be mounted onto the back of a vehicle, is designed to help the Air Force take down hostile dronesThe laser itself can fire dozens of shots per charge, according to Raytheon. But the Air Force could also hook it up to a generator to deliver a nearly infinite number of shots, the contractor said. The Air Force Just Got a Brutal New Laser Cannon

To ensure super soldiers wouldnt be stuck marching into battle on foot, military researchers also unveiled several new transportation systems for troops this year as well as some that could get the job done without a crew.

Estonias THeMIS Robotic Tank

The robot, whichC4ISRNET reportswas equipped with a 12.7mm machine gun and a 40mm automatic grenade launcher during a demo in Estonia last month, is reminiscent of those T-1 robotic tanks from Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines a deadly inflection point in automated warfare. This Tank-Like Machine Gun Robot Is Straight out of Terminator

Yanjing Autos Armored Military Truck for China

A new Chinese military truck can drive into battle, armed to the teeth with 12 drones that turn the off-road vehicle into a comprehensive mothership of destruction. Chinese Military Truck Launches Killer Drones Like Artillery

Israels Carmel Tank Prototypes

Israel demonstrated three prototypes of the Carmel and based on that demo, the future of military combat might involve more game console-style controllers. Israel Demos Tank of the Future Featuring Xbox-Style Controller

Chinas Marine Lizard

China has announced what local media is calling the worlds first armed amphibious drone boat. The 39-foot-long Marine Lizard is designed to assist land assault operations and can form a web with other drone ships and airborne drones in order to act in tandem with them. Chinas Military Built an Autonomous Amphibious Landing Vehicle

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The Coolest (and Scariest) Military Tech of 2019 - Futurism

The best female MMA fighters of the decade – ESPN

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The evolution of women's mixed martial arts started right at the end of the previous decade, with Cris Cyborg vs. Gina Carano headlining a Strikeforce show on Showtime in front of almost 14,000 fans in San Jose, California. And it exploded in 2013 when Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche faced off in the very first UFC women's fight.

Over the past 10 years, women's MMA has grown exponentially, from smaller promotions and mere novelty acts to being a key piece of every UFC card.

It took three larger-than-life figures to help it thrive. Each of these three women left people no choice but to notice them for their technique, athleticism, killer instinct and dominance -- and that's why Cyborg, Amanda Nunes and Rousey are the best female fighters of the decade.

2:46

Take a look back at the biggest wins in the career of Amanda Nunes, including thrilling knockouts of Ronda Rousey and Cris Cyborg. Order UFC 245 here on ESPN https://plus.espn.com/ufc/ppv.

Accolades:

15-3 record from 2010 to 2019

10-fight win streak 2015-19, longest among female fighters in UFC history (9 of 15 wins by KO/TKO)

10 first-round finishes

7 UFC title fight wins (tied for most among female fighters)

Defeated every former women's bantamweight champion

12 UFC wins (tied for most among female fighters)

7 UFC knockouts (most among female fighters)

Key fights:

Def. Miesha Tate to win UFC women's bantamweight title (UFC 200, July 9, 2016)

Def. Ronda Rousey to retain UFC women's bantamweight title (UFC 207, Dec. 30, 2016)

Def. Valentina Shevchenko to retain UFC women's bantamweight title (UFC 215, Sept. 9, 2017)

Def. Cris Cyborg to win UFC women's featherweight title (UFC 232, Dec. 29, 2018)

Nunes' first fight in America came on Jan. 7, 2011; it was her Strikeforce debut.

She entered that fight against Julia Budd (another future featherweight champion -- in Bellator) with a 5-1 record. Nunes' lone loss at the time came in 2008 in her pro MMA debut. The Budd fight couldn't have gone better. She won in 14 seconds via TKO and, afterward, the announcing team on the broadcast wondered out loud whether Nunes would be the one to someday beat the great Cris Cyborg.

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"Cyborg's probably sitting at home watching this, going, 'Uh-oh,'" Showtime broadcaster Pat Miletich said seconds after the victory.

Well, it took 13 more fights and almost eight years, but she ended up beating Cyborg at UFC 232 ... in just 51 seconds. It was that win over Cyborg that cemented Nunes' spot as the female fighter of the decade.

If anyone says they saw this coming from the young woman from Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, however, they are lying. She followed up her win over Budd with a second-round TKO loss to Alexis Davis. The Cyborg killer hype abruptly stopped after that fight. Nunes' record in the six fights following her spectacular Strikeforce debut was a mediocre 3-3.

And forget fighter-of-the-decade talk following her UFC 178 loss to Cat Zingano in 2014 -- Nunes wasn't even in the title picture.

But a funny thing happened after that loss to Zingano. Nunes hasn't lost since.

Since then, Nunes is a perfect 10-0. Seven of those wins were finishes, with her three decision victories coming against Valentina Shevchenko -- a fellow fighter of the decade contender -- and inaugural UFC women's featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie.

More impressive than the streak itself is whom the wins came against:

First was the win over women's MMA pioneer Shayna Baszler, then a submission of Olympic silver medalist Sara McMann, followed by Shevchenko, and then the bantamweight title victory over Miesha Tate at UFC 200.

That's when people really started noticing Nunes.

Next, she retired Rousey with a 48-second drubbing. At this point, the world was watching.

She followed the Rousey win with another Shevchenko victory. Then, it was the one-sided Raquel Pennington title defense, and then the Cyborg showdown at 145 pounds. Nunes wrapped up the decade by dispatching de Randamie.

Cyborg entered the Cyborg fight last December with a 20-1 (1 NC) record. Like Nunes, Cyborg lost her pro debut in 2005 but had not lost since. She had also never been knocked out. It took Nunes just 51 seconds to change all that. In doing so, Nunes also made history by becoming the first female fighter to hold belts in two different weight classes and just the third fighter ever to be a simultaneous double champion in the UFC.

She followed that performance by becoming the first person to ever knock out former champion Holly Holm in an MMA fight in July.

This one was easy. Nunes is the female fighter of the decade, and in the eyes of most people, the greatest female fighter of all time.

Those Strikeforce announcers were apparently onto something nine years ago.

-- Helwani

Accolades:

12-2 record

12-fight win streak from 2011 to 2015

Headlined UFC 157 with first-ever women's fight on a UFC PPV

All 12 wins by stoppage (9 by submission)

11 first-round finishes

Holds the two fastest UFC finishes among female fighters (0:14 and 0:16)

Held Strikeforce and UFC women's bantamweight titles (7 successful defenses combined)

6 UFC title fight wins (tied for most among female fighters)

First woman inducted into UFC Hall of Fame

Key fights:

Def. Miesha Tate via first-round submission to win Strikeforce women's bantamweight title (Strikeforce Tate vs. Rousey, March 3, 2012)

Def. Liz Carmouche via first-round submission to retain UFC women's bantamweight title (UFC 157, Feb 23, 2013)

Def. Miesha Tate via third-round submission to retain UFC women's bantamweight title (UFC 168, Dec. 28, 2013)

Def. Bethe Correia via first-round KO to retain UFC women's bantamweight title (UFC 190, Aug. 1, 2015)

The manner in which Rousey exited the sport of MMA was abrupt, shocking and overwhelmingly one-sided -- but don't let that take away from what made Rousey who she was. And what defined Rousey was dominance. Eleven finishes inside the first round. Eight of those inside the first minute. Fourteen seconds. Sixteen seconds. Thirty-four seconds. Those were all UFC title fights. Rousey was so good that her challengers literally started experimenting different strategies as their only recourse. Cat Zingano went (uncharacteristically) flying at Rousey from the opening bell simply because -- why not? -- nothing else worked.

Even in her two defeats, which came against outstanding competition in Holm and Nunes, Rousey proved she did have resolve. She was willing to meet adversity head on, and was trying to win through the very end. Some might say that's a weak consolation, but it was a question Rousey answered on her way out. She did not fold at the first sign of a challenge.

For someone who had reached the level of celebrity that she had, who had become so accustomed to immediate success, that's worth noting. Rousey didn't quit. She forced others to pry the torch from her. She did not give it away willingly.

-- Okamoto

Accolades:

Former UFC women's featherweight champion

Most wins in UFC women's featherweight history (4)

Had 13-fight unbeaten streak this decade

Finished 11 of 13 victories by KO or TKO

Former Strikeforce women's featherweight champion

Former Invicta FC women's featherweight champion

Key fights:

Def. Marloes Coenen to retain Strikeforce women's featherweight title (Strikeforce: Miami; Jan. 30, 2010)

Def. Marloes Coenen to win inaugural Invicta FC women's featherweight title (Invicta FC 6; July 13, 2013)

Def. Tonya Evinger to win UFC women's featherweight title (UFC 214; July 29, 2017)

Def. Holly Holm to retain UFC women's featherweight title (UFC 219; Dec. 30, 2017)

Def. by Amanda Nunes to lose UFC women's featherweight title (UFC 232; Dec. 29, 2018)

For the bulk of the decade, Cristiane Justino, aka Cris Cyborg, was the most feared fighter in mixed martial arts. Not the most feared female fighter. The most feared fighter, period. Cyborg didn't just go unbeaten in 13 straight fights to begin the decade -- she absolutely smashed her competition. In 13 victories over the past 10 years, she finished 11 by knockout or TKO. Six of those stoppages came in the first round.

Cyborg, 34, is the only fighter to win titles in the UFC, Strikeforce and Invicta FC. She took home gold in every promotion she fought for during the decade, and she'll go for a fourth promotional belt in January against Bellator MMA women's featherweight champion Julia Budd. Cyborg clashed with the UFC and its president, Dana White, ultimately leading to her contract not being renewed in August. But Cyborg's performances in the cage were unequivocal.

No one could even touch Cyborg until Nunes was able to beat her by first-round knockout at UFC 232. Nunes, also the UFC women's bantamweight champion, has taken the mantle from Cyborg as best female fighter in the world. But for the bulk of the decade, that distinction belonged to Cyborg, outside Rousey's initial period of dominance in the UFC.

Cyborg finished the previous decade with an extremely influential main event win over Gina Carano under the Strikeforce banner on Aug. 15, 2009. She closed this one out with a bounce-back win over Felicia Spencer at UFC 240 in July. All told, Cyborg's record over the past 10 years was 13-1 with one no contest. That no contest stemmed from a failed drug test in 2011, but Cyborg calmed talks of performance-enhancing drug use by being in the UFC's stringent program run by the USADA.

-- Raimondi

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The best female MMA fighters of the decade - ESPN

designboom 2020 TECH PREDICTIONS: cyborgs and brainjacking – Designboom

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tech predictions 2020: glasses, prosthetics and cochlear implants, the idea of augmenting the human body is nothing new. as long as there have been humans, there have been dreams of superhumans. but in 2020, the line between technology and biology is set to blur beyond measure, and as intelligent machines become increasingly common, the idea of humans turning into cyborgs becomes less farfetched.

2019 saw elon musks latest startup neuralink, unveil a brain-reading device that uses small threads to detect neuron activity so that users can control computers with their mind (read more)

in recent years augmented reality and multimodal interaction technologies have enabled non-invasive ways to augment the body. google and snapchat have revived the idea of smart spectacles and wearable devices that enhance are normal functions have been imagined left, right and center. yet, VR solutions like facebook oculus and HTC VIVE remain still mostly relegated to the gaming industry, and exoskeletons are limited in impact due to their cost and niche rehabilitation applications. yet still, despite augmentations slow journey to mass-market popularity, humans want to break into its next level of capabilities

earlier this year, the design team atLAYER supported panasonic to create six near-future concepts including GROW, awearable device that promotes healthy hair growth (read more)

gartner, an IT research and advisory company, has named human augmentation as one of the major trends that will have a transformational impact in 2019. technology such as biochips, augmented intelligence, emotion ai and immersive workspaces will continue to grow in popularity over the next five to ten years, ushering in an age where bionics, brain-computer interfaces and neurotechnology are the norm. and as humans and machines increasingly work alongside one another, technology is making changes both inside and outside the body.

morphing matter lab and soft machines lab have collaborated to create electrodermis awearable electronic bandage (read more)

physical augmentation falls into four main categories: sensory augmentation (hearing, vision, perception), appendage and biological function augmentation (exoskeletons, prosthetics), brain augmentation (implants to treat seizures) and genetic augmentation (somatic gene and cell therapy). thats things such as powered exosuits to improve agility, which are already used to assist with lifting or to aid those with a physical disability, but also other more invasive augmentation

in september, designboom reported that scientists had developed a soft artificial skin that could be used to help users of virtual reality feel their surroundings (read more)

the US military has its own tech predictions, envisioning a future army made up of half-human half-machine cyborgs. enhancing soldiers using technological advancements, such as mechanical eye that can see parts of the electromagnetic spectrum beyond visible light or neural implants could allow them to control drones and other systems. experts from devcom the combat capabilities development command believe the military will have cyborg soldiers by 2050. it also imagines enhanced limbs for increased strength and an audio device that provides ultra- and subsonic hearing.

in august, a tetraplegic man who was paralysed in a nightclub accident was able to walk again using a mind-controlled exoskeleton (read more)

brain implants are the future of thinking

in july, multi-billionaire and tesla CEO elon musk, revealed details of an implantable wireless system that his company neuralink is currently developing. it is already being studied in monkeys, musk revealed, and it is hoped that human trials will start before the end of 2020. the idea is to use neuralink to treat different forms of brain or spine-related disorders, enabling paralysed humans to control phones and computers using their brainwaves. however, musk also envisions the implant as a means of enhancing your own brain, giving humans the option to achieve a symbiosis with artificial intelligence. to date, neuralink has received $158m in funding, $100m of it from musk.

the 65kgrobotic suit uses advanced computer software and two brain implants that read and transmit information via the patients sensorimotor cortex, which controls motor function

advances in such technologies are empowering, offering improvements to human health, quality of life, and functional performance, but like most technology, the future of augmentation is plagued with questions over ethics and morality. the amalgamation of human and machine creates the need to determine specific vulnerabilities, risks and moral issues. if digital devices can tap into our inner-thoughts, how do we keep our most intimate knowledge and data private? who owns the brain data and what is it being used for? and fears over brainjacking, which refers to the exercise of unauthorized control of anothers electronic brain implant, is being considered a very real potential threat.

of uses beyond that, no one can be sure. brain-to-brain communication? brain-controlled smart home assistants? enhanced memory and cognition? 2020 could really be a year to remember.stay tuned over the coming days as designboom continues to unveil its list of tech predictions.

kieron marchese I designboom

dec 26, 2019

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designboom 2020 TECH PREDICTIONS: cyborgs and brainjacking - Designboom

Top 10 MMA fighters of the 2010s: Discussion video, facts about our list – MMA Junkie

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In pitching the MMA Junkie staff on coming up with a composite ranking of the top 10 fighters of the 2010s, I had people asking me about the criteria. My answer was simple: There is no criteria. Whatever you think it means to be among the 10 greatest fighters of the last decade, thats the criteria.

To me, its better this way. I couldve emphasized in-cage results, in which case No. 1 ends up being Khabib Nurmagomedov without question. Same for emphasizing impact on the sport: Conor McGregor comes out on top easily. But what fun would that have been? Theres so much more to consider when trying to pick the top 10 fighters of the last 10 years among a pool of talent that never has been better.

The beauty of our list is that all 14 MMA Junkie staff members, whove spent so many years covering the sport, submitted individual top 10 lists. No discussion, no debate, no one persons bias determined our final rankings. We all had a say in this. From there, it was a matter of mathematics add up points for each fighter ranked and divide by 14 to determine the final rankings.

Did we get it right? Theres no such thing with these lists. But Id like to think ours is as official as it gets.

For reaction to our top 10, watch the roundtable discussion video above with MMA Junkies John Morgan and Dan Tom, and MMA Junkie Radios Gorgeous George and Goze.

Below is a ranking of all 26 fighters included, as well as notes about our list.

COMPLETE RANKINGS

1. Jon Jones2. Demetrious Johnson3. Daniel Cormier4. Georges St. Pierre5. Conor McGregor6. Amanda Nunes7. Ronda Rousey8. Khabib Nurmagomedov9. Jose Aldo10. Max Holloway11. Anderson Silva12. Cris Cyborg13. Stipe Miocic14. Henry Cejudo15. Tony Ferguson16. Cain Velasquez17. Donald Cerrone18. Dominick Cruz19-t. Joanna Jedrzejczyk19-t. Patricio Freire21. Frankie Edgar22-t. Ryan Bader22-t. Michael Bisping24. Douglas Lima25. Carlos Condit26. Eddie Alvarez

NOTES

INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS

Mike Bohn, senior reporter1. Jon Jones2. Georges St-Pierre3. Jose Aldo4. Demetrious Johnson5. Anderson Silva6. Conor McGregor7. Max Holloway8. Tony Ferguson9. Khabib Nurmagomedov10. Daniel Cormier

Dave Doyle, senior editor1. Demetrious Johnson2. Daniel Cormier3, Jon Jones4. Anderson Silva5. Georges St-Pierre6. Cris Cyborg7. Jose Aldo8. Khabib Nurmagomedov9. Conor McGregor10. Eddie Alvarez

Matt Erickson, assistant managing editor1. Daniel Cormier2. Demetrious Johnson3. Amanda Nunes4. Conor McGregor5. Max Holloway6. Patricio Freire7. Ronda Rousey8. Georges St-Pierre9. Ryan Bader10. Jose Aldo

Brian Garcia, MMA Junkie Radio host1. Georges St-Pierre2. Jon Jones3. Daniel Cormier4. Henry Cejudo5. Demetrious Johnson6. Khabib Nurmagomedov7. Stipe Miocic8. Amanda Nunes9. Max Holloway10. Ryan Bader

George Garcia, MMA Junkie Radio host1. Jon Jones2. Georges St-Pierre3. Daniel Cormier4. Khabib Nurmagomedov5. Demetrious Johnson6. Amanda Nunes7. Cris Cyborg8. Stipe Miocic9. Conor McGregor10. Henry Cejudo

Farah Hannoun, reporter1. Jon Jones2. Ronda Rousey3. Conor McGregor4. Demetrious Johnson5. Khabib Nurmagomedov6. Daniel Cormier7. Amanda Nunes8. Max Holloway9. Stipe Miocic10. Henry Cejudo

Ken Hathaway, senior video editor1. Jon Jones2. Amanda Nunes3. Ronda Rousey4. Max Holloway5. Conor McGregor6. Daniel Cormier7. Georges St-Pierre8. Anderson Silva9. Khabib Nurmagomedov10. Cris Cyborg

Simon Head, reporter1. Demetrious Johnson2. Daniel Cormier3. Jon Jones4. Amanda Nunes5. Donald Cerrone6. Georges St-Pierre7. Conor McGregor8. Douglas Lima9. Cris Cyborg10. Michael Bisping

Nolan King, reporter1. Jon Jones2. Daniel Cormier3. Amanda Nunes4. Demetrious Johnson5. Max Holloway6. Stipe Miocic7. Georges St. Pierre8. Jose Aldo9. Conor McGregor10. Khabib Nurmagomedov

John Morgan, lead staff reporter1. Jon Jones2. Conor McGregor3. Ronda Rousey4. Georges St-Pierre5. Daniel Cormier6. Demetrious Johnson7. Amanda Nunes8. Jose Aldo9. Michael Bisping10. Donald Cerrone

Simon Samano, managing editor1. Demetrious Johnson2. Georges St-Pierre3. Jon Jones4. Daniel Cormier5. Khabib Nurmagomedov6. Amanda Nunes7. Tony Ferguson8. Conor McGregor9. Ronda Rousey10. Max Holloway

Danny Segura, reporter1. Ronda Rousey2. Jon Jones3. Cain Velasquez4. Georges St-Pierre5. Demetrious Johnson6. Jose Aldo7. Cris Cyborg8. Conor McGregor9. Khabib Nurmagomedov10. Daniel Cormier

Abbey Subhan, video editor1. Georges St-Pierre2. Conor McGregor3. Jon Jones4. Daniel Cormier5. Amanda Nunes6. Joanna Jedrzejczyk7. Frankie Edgar8. Anderson Silva9. Carlos Condit10. Ronda Rousey

Dan Tom, fight analyst1. Jon Jones2. Jose Aldo3. Khabib Nurmagomedov4. Dominick Cruz5. Demetrious Johnson6. Conor McGregor7. Ronda Rousey8. Daniel Cormier9. Max Holloway10. Tony Ferguson

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Top 10 MMA fighters of the 2010s: Discussion video, facts about our list - MMA Junkie

The biggest MMA stories of 2019 – BJPenn.com

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2019 was a rollercoaster ride for the world of MMA, featuring plenty of ups and downs.

As the year draws to a close, BJPENN.com looks back on 10 of the biggest MMA stories of 2019, from the good to the bad to the downright ugly.

2019 wasnt the best year for some fighters, including the former bantamweight champion, TJ Dillashaw. In January 2019, he dropped down to 125 pounds to face flyweight champion Henry Cejudo. The decision didnt pay off for the 33-year old as Cejudo picked up a TKO win in less than a minute.

To add insult to injury, it was subsequently revealed that Dillashaw failed his drug test for their January bout. He tested positive for human erythropoietin (EPO), which is an injection-only performance-enhancing drug. As a result, he was stripped of his bantamweight belt, lost multiple sponsorship deals and was suspended from the UFC for two years.

2019 generated a string of anti-doping controversies including Nate Diaz allegedly beingflagged by USADA in the run-up to his UFC 244 fight, and Jon Jones testing positive for a banned substance metabolite for his UFC 235 bout against Anthony Smith.

In December 2019, USADA responded to this year-full of high-profile blunders by making major changes to their UFC anti-doping policies. They adjusted their leniency towards trace-level laboratory findings to attempt to separate intentional doping cases from contaminated supplements or accidental ingestion.

Another drop in the ocean that is MMAs never-ending anti-doping saga.

2019 served Weili Zhang well as she made history, becoming the UFCs first-ever Chinese champion.

At UFC Shenzhen in August, Zhang challenged the strawweight titleholder Jessica Andrade for the strawweight throne. The Chinese athlete had already accumulated 19 successive wins before fighting for the belt. In a shocking turn of events, the 30-year old unleashed a flurry of strikes on Andrade and sealed the TKO victory in 42 seconds of the first round.

Zhang received a herd of recognition from pros including Ronda Rousey and Dana White. Her dominant victory over Jessica Andrade reflected the rise of international fighting stars.

2019 has shown to be a great year for the sport on an international level. The UFC opened a new performance institute in Shanghai. Bellator has announced plans for rapid growth in the European market and is working closely with MMA coach, John Kavanagh to nurture European talent. Also ONE Championship conquered Japan with two blockbuster events in Tokyo.

The emergence of new competition for the UFC outside of the US borders is travelling full steam ahead into 2020 and should see more international events than ever before.

Arguably the most iconic MMA moment of 2019 was Jorge Masvidals infamous flying knee against Ben Askren during their UFC 239 bout.

The weeks leading up to the July bout were filled with insults and verbal exchanges from both fighters. Gamebred anticipated an early takedown attempt from the Olympic wrestler hed been matched up with. His predictions came true, as Askren went for an early takedown at the beginning of their fight.

Masvidal perfectly counteracted Askrens immediate takedown attempt with a flying knee. As soon as Masvidals leg connected with the face of Askren, his opponent crashed unconscious to the floor. The speedy exchange finished the fight as soon as it started and rewarded Masvidal a record-shattering 5-second first-round victory.

His show-stopping performance put an end to Askrens undefeated record. Not only did it destroy the unbeatable perception of the former welterweight champion, but it also changed the perception of Jorge Masvidal. After UFC 239, Gamebreds perception transformed from a streaking journeyman into one of the most deadly opponents in the welterweight division.

ONE Championships 100th show, which went down in Tokyo, Japan, featured Demetrious Johnson attempting to win the ONE Championship Flyweight World Grand Prix.

After beating Yuya Wakamatsu and Tatsumitsu Wada in the quarter and semifinals, Johnson positioned himself as a finalist in the Grand Prix final opposite Team Lakay stud Danny Kingad. Johnson delivered a masterful performance against his game opponent, utilizing his superior wrestling to accomplish a unanimous decision victory. In the process, he won the eight-man competition and broke Kingads six-fight win streak.

2019 was a busy year for Mighty Mouse as the Grand Prix format forced him to rack up three fights in a short period the first time hes done so since 2013.

By winning this ONE Championship Grand Prix, Johnson reaffirmed himself as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world perhaps the best outright and set himself up for a flyweight title fight with the champ Adriano Moraes.

For the first time in UFC history, a new belt was added that existed outside of traditional championships. The new belt was born out of a call out from Nate Diaz following his UFC 241 Antony Pettis victory, with which he targeted Jorge Masvidal. UFC President Dana White responded with the creation of the Baddest Motherf*cker Belt.

Masvidal and Diaz collided for the BMF title in the main event of UFC 244 in November. Due to a severe cut above Diazs eye, the fight was stopped somewhat anti-climatically after the third round. Gamebred was awarded the victory and the BMF title. Dana White revealed that the BMF belt was a one-off, but its greatness will go down in the UFC history books.

2019 was a great year for the current middleweight champion Israel Adesanya who made leaps and bounds in his MMA career. The undefeated star got off to a great start by defeating MMA royalty, Anderson Silva via unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 234 in February. He had the same success when he faced heavy hitter Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 236. The Last Stylebender won his first five-round fight against Gastelum by unanimous decision, earning him the middleweight interim belt and placing him in prime position for a title shot against undisputed champ Robert Whittaker.

In the highly anticipated UFC 243 main event against Whittaker, the title challenger made his Octagon entrance in style. Accompanied by an entourage of dancers, Adesanya busted out moves worthy of a Michael Jackson music video. His Octagon performance also lived up to expectation, as Adesanya flattened Whittaker with a jaw-dropping knockout at 3:33 in the second round. This solidified the Nigerian-born Kiwis rise to the top of the UFC middleweight division.

The former UFC, Strikeforce and Invicta featherweight champion Cris Cyborg has had a career full of twists and turns. 2019 was no exception, as Cris Cyborg parted ways with the UFC and signed a new contract with Bellator.

After losing to Amanda Nunes by first-round TKO in their 2018 bout, tensions between the former champion and Dana White were at an all-time high. The UFC kingpin had taken aim at Cyborg for allegedly avoiding a Nunes rematch, a claim which Cyborg vehemently denies. Their media spats included Dana White mocking Cyborgs appearance and Cyborg posting tampered video footage of a conversation with White. Their disagreement culminated in Cyborg being released from the company after her last contractual fight against Felicia Spencer in July.

After considering her future as a free agent, the womens featherweight signed a lucrative new contract with Bellator. She is looking forward to a future full of new MMA opportunities, and first on the agenda is a 2020 bout against Bellator featherweight champion Julia Budd.

After announcing his retirement from MMA in March 2019, youd think it would be a quiet year for the Irish superstar Conor McGregor. Apparently not, as McGregor became embroiled in multiple media scandals. One of those stemmed from his punching an elderly man in a pub.

Footage surfaced of The Notorious sucker-punching a fellow patron after he allegedly refused to drink a shot of McGregors Proper No. 12 Irish Whiskey. The fighters other 2019 controversies include troubles include smashing a fans phone, an two accusations of sexual assault, reported by the New York Times.

More recently, McGregor has been in the headlines for a more favorable reason: a comeback fight with Donald Cerrone. Earlier this month, it was confirmed that he will be returning to the Octagon on January 18 to face Cerrone in a welterweight bout. Whether McGregor can defeat Cowboy remains to be seen, but McGregor remains undoubtedly one of the biggest stars in UFC history.

The widely renowned G.O.A.T hung up his MMA gloves once and for all in 2019. Georges St-Pierre announced his official retirement from the sport on the 21st February 2019 at a news conference in his native Montreal. The Canadian fighter exited the sport as the most dominant welterweight fighter of all time.

St-Pierre defended his 170-pound belt nine consecutive times between 2008 and 2013. He is tied with Michael Bisping for the second-most wins in UFC history (20), only a few behind hyper-active fighter Donald Cerrone (22). The Canadian superstar also became a dual division champion after submitting Michael Bisping in November, 2017 and claiming the middleweight belt.

The MMA legend managed to step away from the sport whilst remaining on top and solidifying his legacy as the welterweight G.O.A.T.

This article first appeared onBJPENN.comon 12/26/2019.

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The biggest MMA stories of 2019 - BJPenn.com

Top-10 MMA fighters of the decade – BJPenn.com

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Check out BJPenn.coms list of the top-10 MMA fighters of the decade, featuring the likes of Conor McGregor, Jon Jones, Ronda Rousey, Demetrious Johnson and Cris Cyborg.

The first thing to note is that this is a very subjective and difficult list to come up with. There were so many fighters who could be included in the discussion, but ultimately we had to leave many of them off since its just a top-10. But before we do that, heres a list of some honorable mentions that just missed the list.

Honorable mentions: Max Holloway, Nate Diaz, Tony Ferguson, Eddie Alvarez, Donald Cerrone, Michael Bisping, Frankie Edgar, Rafael dos Anjos, Stipe Miocic, Cain Velasquez, Aung La N Sang, Kyoji Horiguchi, Junior dos Santos, Israel Adesanya, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Robbie Lawler, Douglas Lima, Patricio Pitbull, Michael Chandler, Mamed Khalidov.

And now, the top-10 fighters of the decade, along with their records from 2010-2019, and a quick rundown of their accomplishments in the sport.

10. Cris Cyborg (13-1, 1 NC)

Cyborg had an incredible decade as she held the UFC featherweight title, the Strikeforce featherweight title, and the Invicta FC featherweight title. She was the scariest female fighter for most of the decade and deserves a top-10 spot on this list. If Cyborg didnt lose to Amanda Nunes at UFC 232 she would be higher on this list, but that loss does knock her down a few pegs. Still, she was incredible. Some of her top performances include two stoppage wins over Marloes Coenen and her destruction of Leslie Smith in her UFC debut.

9. Jose Aldo (12-5)

Even though Aldo flamed out a bit at the end of the decade, what he did during the first half of it cant be forgotten. He started off the decade by defending the WEC featherweight title twice, then he became the first-ever UFC featherweight champion and went on to defend the belt seven times. Some of his most memorable performances include an epic battle against Mark Hominick at UFC 229, two crazy fights with Chad Mendes, and headlining the WECs first-ever pay-per-view against Urijah Faber at WEC 48.

8. Amanda Nunes (15-3)

Nunes was incredible this decade, winning the UFC bantamweight and featherweight titles the first woman in MMA history to be a champ champ and going 12-2 overall inside the Octagon while fighting the highest-level of competition. A couple of losses earlier in the decade drop her down a few spots and keep her out of the elite of this list, but theres no doubt Nunes was incredibly dominant. Some of her top performances include her KO win over Cris Cyborg at UFC 232, his KO win over Ronda Rousey UFC 207, and her submission win over Miesha Tate at UFC 200.

7. Georges St. Pierre (7-0)

GSP had an underrated decade, going unbeaten over the seven fights he had. He also became one of the few fighters to win two belts in two separate weight classes as he defended the UFC welterweight title six times and then beat Michael Bisping at UFC 217 to become the UFC middleweight champion four years after first retiring. Its a shame GSP didnt fight more frequently and retired twice or else he would have been higher on this list. Some of his top performances including his submission over Bisping and his controversial split decision win over Johny Hendricks at UFC 167 that led to his first retirement from MMA.

6. Demetrious Johnson (22-3-1)

Many will argue that Johnson deserves the top spot on this list, and if we go by pound-for-pound rankings theres a good argument he should be higher. After all, Johnson was a dominant champion in the UFC between 2012 and 2018, becoming the UFCs first-ever flyweight champion and defending it 11 times. The only problem with Johnson is that he wasnt able to win fans over in the way that some of the other fighters on this list did. But if we go by pure dominance inside the cage, hes right up there with the best of them. Some of his top performances include his two wins over Joseph Benavidez, his insane submission over Ray Borg at UFC 216, and knocking out Henry Cejudo at UFC 197. We should also mention he was part of the first-ever trade in MMA history for Ben Askren and went on to win the ONE Championship Flyweight Grand Prix after he left the UFC, further strengthening his resume on a new continent, and signalling more dominance to come.

5. Khabib Nurmagomedov (21-0)

It was an amazing decade for Nurmagomedov as he didnt lose a single one of his 21 fights, which was the best record of anyone on this list. Whats amazing is that Nurmagomedov missed two years between 2014 and 2016 with injuries, otherwise his record might be even better. He was dominant in the Octagon with a 12-0 record, with notable wins over the likes of Conor McGregor at UFC 229 and Michael Johnson at UFC 205. He also carried the torch from Fedor Emelianenko and became a huge star in Russian MMA.

4. Daniel Cormier (21-2, 1 NC)

DCs decade was among the very best as he was both the UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion, not to mention the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Champion. If it wasnt for his loss and No Contest to Jon Jones, theres an argument that DC could actually be at the very top of this list. But even with the Jones fights, what DC accomplished in the 2010s was astonishing. Some of his top performances include his KO win over Stipe Miocic at UFC 226 to win the UFC heavyweight title, beating Josh Barnett in Strikeforce to win the Grand Prix, and two submission wins over Anthony Johnson at light heavyweight.

3. Ronda Rousey (12-2)

Rousey ended up losing a few fights at the end of her career to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes, but its hard to argue that she wasnt the most important female fighter in the sport. Before Rousey, there was no such thing as womens MMA in the UFC, but she was the most important driver of bringing women into the Octagon. She was the UFC womens bantamweight champion and the Strikeforce womens bantamweight champion, and she defended that title seven times. Some of her top performances include submitting Miesha Tate twice, knocking out Bethe Correia at UFC 190, and tapping out Cat Zingano in 14 seconds at UFC 184. Its amazing she accomplished all of this in less than seven years.

2. Jon Jones (16-0, 1 NC)

Many will argue that Jones should be No. 1 on this list, and I can see the argument. He was insanely dominant during the decade and emerged as arguably the greatest fighter in MMA history. Jones burst onto the scene in the late 2000s then became the UFC light heavyweight champion in 2011 and he hasnt lost a fight since, defending it 10 times. If it wasnt for his issues outside the Octagon and with USADA, he would be No. 1 on this list, but we cant ignore those issues. Still, Jones was unstoppable for the most part and he deserves to be at the top of this list. Some of his top performances include beating Mauricio Shogun Rua at UFC 128 to win the UFC light heavyweight title, knocking out Daniel Cormier with a head kick at UFC 214, and his violent masterpiece against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 in what many regard as the best fight of the decade.

McGregor might not have the most wins this decade, but its hard to argue he wasnt the most important fighter of the 2010s as he transformed the sport of MMA. When the UFC was going through a transition with past stars like Chuck Liddell and Brock Lesnar retiring, McGregor entered the Octagon and became a living legend. He became the UFC lightweight and featherweight champion, coining the term champ champ in the process as he became the first UFC fighter to hold two belts at the same time. Some of McGregors most notable performances of the decade include his 13-second KO win over Jose Aldo to win the UFC featherweight title at UFC 194, his mauling of Eddie Alvarez to win the UFC lightweight title at UFC 205, and his two legendary fights with Nate Diaz. Plus his boxing match against Floyd Mayweather in 2017 broke pay-per-view records. You may not be a fan of McGregor, and some of his issues outside the Octagon hurt him here, but you cant argue with what hes accomplished when he has stepped into the cage.

What do you think of BJPenn.coms top-10 MMA fighters of the decade list?

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Top-10 MMA fighters of the decade - BJPenn.com

Kevin Smith Reveals His ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ Cameo – Talk Radio 1210 WPHT

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Photo Credit: Tanya Breen/Getty Images

In case you didn't know, comedy motion picture genius director and actor Kevin Smith had a near-fatal heart attack last year. At that time, Hollywood superstar writer and director J.J. Abrams made a deal with Smith: "Live through this and Ill put you in Episode 9!" FYI: Abrams had given Smith a small role as the voice of a stormtrooper in Star Wars: The Force Awakens back in 2015.

As fate would have it, Kevin Smith pulled through: and J.J. Abrams came through on his promise and castSmith inStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. As you'll see in the Instargam post below, Smith said, "Ducking Stormtroopers on Kijimi, Poe passes a cyborg walking beside a bundled-up local. That local is me!"

Congrats to @jjabramsofficial on the #1 opening and for closing out the @starwars saga - and thank you for letting me be in the series of flicks that I fell in love with 42 years ago! Back when I had my heart attack, J.J. sent me an email that said Live through this and Ill put you in Episode 9! When they went into production last year on #theriseofskywalker, I wrote J.J. and asked So... Im alive. That offer still good? He confirmed and I flew out to England to visit @pinewoodstudios for a few days, during which time I giddily watched J.J. do his thing until I was called into action! Ducking Stormtroopers on Kijimi, Poe passes a cyborg walking beside a bundled-up local. That local is me! J.J. had me voice a Stormtrooper in #theforceawakens and then put me in Rise - two things a young Emo Kev never couldve imagined happening while he fanned the flames of his fandom in the 70s and 80s! Thank you, my friend in the Force, for even making the offer in the first place, let alone following through on it! You gave me a rare sensation I havent had since I was an action figure collecting kid in 1983 when you let me come over to your house to play #starwars with you! #KevinSmith #jjabrams

A post shared by Kevin Smith (@thatkevinsmith) on Dec 23, 2019 at 9:42am PST

Source: NJ.com

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Kevin Smith Reveals His 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' Cameo - Talk Radio 1210 WPHT

Henry Cavill’s ‘The Witcher’ Gets An Official Rotten Tomatoes Score – Heroic Hollywood

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Henry Cavills The Witcher has received an official score on the popular review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

This past Friday, Netflixdropped the first season of Henry Cavills The Witcher, a television adaption of the fantasy books by Polish authorAndrzej Sapkowski. Fans of The Witcher novels and the subsequent video games based on the stories have been eager to see how the Henry Cavill would turn out and now Rotten Tomatoes has revealed the debut score for the long-awaited adaptation.

The Critic Rating for Henry Cavills The Witchercurrently stands at 58%based on43 reviews. The audience score, on the other hand, has reached 90% based on2300user ratings. There Critics Consensus for Henry Cavills The Witcher can be found below.

The world of The Witcher still only feels half-formed as it gallops onto screens, but Henry Cavill brings brawny charisma to a series teeming with subversive fantasy elements and dark humor.

Have you seen Henry Cavills The Witcher? What are your thoughts on the series so far? Sound-off in the comments section!

Here is the official synopsis for Henry CavillsThe Witcher:

Based on the best-selling fantasy series, The Witcher is an epic tale of fate and family. Geralt of Rivia, a solitary monster hunter, struggles to find his place in a world where people often prove more wicked than beasts. But when destiny hurtles him toward a powerful sorceress, and a young princess with a dangerous secret, the three must learn to navigate the increasingly volatile Continent together.

The Witcherstars Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, Freya Allan as Ciri, Anya Chalotra as Yennefer, Jodhi May as Queen Calanthe, Bjorn Hlynur Haraldsson as Eist, Adam Levy as Mousesack, MyAnna Buring as Aretuza, and Millie Brady as Princess Renfri, with Mimi Ndiweni and Therica Wilson-Read as novice sorcerers.

The Witcheris now available on Netflix. Stay tuned for the latest news on the Henry Cavill series!

Source: Rotten Tomatoes

Along with the premiere of the first teaser forDoom Patrol,DC Universe also debuted a collection of character posters for each of the members of perhaps the strangest team of characters to be adapted in live-action form for DC Comics.

In particular, these new character posters highlight Timothy Dalton's The Chief, Diane Guerrero's Crazy Jane, Joivan Wade's Cyborg, April Bowlby's Elasti-Woman, Matt Bomer's Negative Man and Brendan Fraser's Robotman. These posters each follow unique designs that reflect the nature of each character and tease unique personalities amongst the group as well.

You can start the gallery of new posters by clicking "Next".

Which of theseDoom Patrolposters is your favorite? Are you excited to see what the cast brings to these roles? Sound off in the comments below, and be sure to continue following Heroic Hollywood for all the latest news in the DC Universe.

Doom Patrol is a reimagining of one of DCs strangest group of outcast Super Heroes which includes: Matt Bomer as Larry Trainor/Negative Man, Brendan Fraser as Cliff Steele/Robotman, April Bowlby as Elasti-Woman, Diane Guerrero as Crazy Jane, Joivan Wade as Victor Stone/Cyborg and Timothy Dalton as Dr. Niles Caulder/The Chief.

Here is the synopsis for the show:

Doom Patrolwill find the reluctant heroes in a place they never expected to be, called to action by Cyborg, who comes to them with a mission hard to refuse, but with a warning that is hard to ignore: their lives will never, ever be the same.

Doom Patrolwill premiere on February 15, 2019 exclusively on DC Universe.

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Henry Cavill's 'The Witcher' Gets An Official Rotten Tomatoes Score - Heroic Hollywood

‘Star Wars’: Adam Driver Hosting First Saturday Night Live Of 2020 – Heroic Hollywood

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Fresh off of a busy year withThe Report, Marriage Storyand of course,Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,Adam Driver is set to host the firstSaturday Night Liveepisode of 2020.

Saturday Night Liveofficially announced that following the holiday season and for much of January, the legendary sketch comedy series will return to the airwaves on January 25, 2020 on NBC. Adam Driver is set to host, with Grammy-nominee Halsey as the musical guest:

This will be the third time Adam Driver will hostSaturday Night Live.He first hosted in 2016 with musical guest Chris Stapleton and for a second time in 2018 with musical guest Kanye West. His 2016 episode is particularly noteworthy, given that it came right after the hype ofStar Wars: The Force Awakensand featured an instant classic sketch in the form of a parody ofUndercover Boss.The sketch involved Adam Driver reprising his role as Kylo Ren and going undercover on Starkiller Base as Matt, the Radar Technician.

Given that this new episode ofSaturday Night Live will come off the heels of the release ofStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,it would be fun to see if anotherUndercover Bossparody sketch is produced, and if so, we see the return of Matt, the Radar Technician as well. Either way, it seems likeSaturday Night Liveappreciates Adam Driver enough to bring him back for a third time.

Are you excited about the prospect of Adam Driver hostingSaturday Night Livefor the third time? Sound off in the comments below, and be sure to continue following Heroic Hollywood for all the latest news on Adam Driver,Star WarsandSaturday Night Live.

Here is the synopsis forStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker:

Lucasfilm and director J.J. Abrams join forces once again to take viewers on an epic journey to a galaxy far, far away withStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the riveting conclusion of the seminal Skywalker saga, where new legends will be born and the final battle for freedom is yet to come.

Directed by J.J. Abrams,Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalkerstars Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyongo, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, Billie Lourd, Naomi Ackie, Richard E. Grant, Keri Russell, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Ian McDiarmid, and Billy Dee Williams. Carrie Fisher will appear as General Leia Organa through the use of previously unreleased footage shot forStar Wars: The Force AwakensandThe Last Jedi.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalkeris now playing in theaters.

Source: SNL

Along with the premiere of the first teaser forDoom Patrol,DC Universe also debuted a collection of character posters for each of the members of perhaps the strangest team of characters to be adapted in live-action form for DC Comics.

In particular, these new character posters highlight Timothy Dalton's The Chief, Diane Guerrero's Crazy Jane, Joivan Wade's Cyborg, April Bowlby's Elasti-Woman, Matt Bomer's Negative Man and Brendan Fraser's Robotman. These posters each follow unique designs that reflect the nature of each character and tease unique personalities amongst the group as well.

You can start the gallery of new posters by clicking "Next".

Which of theseDoom Patrolposters is your favorite? Are you excited to see what the cast brings to these roles? Sound off in the comments below, and be sure to continue following Heroic Hollywood for all the latest news in the DC Universe.

Doom Patrol is a reimagining of one of DCs strangest group of outcast Super Heroes which includes: Matt Bomer as Larry Trainor/Negative Man, Brendan Fraser as Cliff Steele/Robotman, April Bowlby as Elasti-Woman, Diane Guerrero as Crazy Jane, Joivan Wade as Victor Stone/Cyborg and Timothy Dalton as Dr. Niles Caulder/The Chief.

Here is the synopsis for the show:

Doom Patrolwill find the reluctant heroes in a place they never expected to be, called to action by Cyborg, who comes to them with a mission hard to refuse, but with a warning that is hard to ignore: their lives will never, ever be the same.

Doom Patrolwill premiere on February 15, 2019 exclusively on DC Universe.

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'Star Wars': Adam Driver Hosting First Saturday Night Live Of 2020 - Heroic Hollywood

Armstrong Marine Selected to Build Hat Island Ferry – The Maritime Executive

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By The Maritime Executive 12-24-2019 10:37:00

Boatbuilder Armstrong Marine USA has been selected to construct a custom passenger ferry for the community of Hat Island, Washington. The 49-passenger USCG Subchapter T vessel features a galley, head, Northern Lights 9kW generator, Garmin/NMEA electronics package, and PA system. Vessel completion is slated for Fall, 2020.

The 45 x 18 4 semi-displacement catamaran is designed with shaft & wheel propulsion powered by twin Cummins QSL9 405hp engines and SeaStar EPS electronic steering. A ZF CruiseCommand system provides superior vessel control from the raised pilothouse or second station forward. Two bow thrusters and aluminum push knees with rubber fendering ease repeated mooring.

Two passenger gates at the bow plus a side door aft expedite the boarding process. Additional exterior customizations include 12 deck tie-down points and an aluminum davit (500 lb. SWL) for cargo transport.

Inside the full width main cabin, cushioned bench seating accommodates passengers. Multiple lockers and overhead bins store luggage. The galley includes microwave and refrigerator along with additional storage shelving to ensure supplies are well stocked. Heat and A/C keep the cabin comfortable year-round. The head is accessed from the aft deck.

Charlie Crane, Armstrong Marine USA Sales & Marketing Director, commented on the contract award, Over the last two years, weve focused on taking our passenger vessels to the next level with thoughtful designs that improve not only safety and serviceability, but also the comfort and experience of each passenger. These changes are evident in the Hat Island Ferry; by closely collaborating with project stakeholders, weve designed a vessel that will be uniquely well-suited to their communitys needs.

Hat Island is a small, private island community in Snohomish County, Washington. The island is nestled in Possession Sound between Everett, Whidbey, and Camano Islands and operates a weekly ferry schedule to and from the Port of Everett. It's residents' requirements are reflected in the ferry design which received widespread community approval.

The products and services herein described in this press release are not endorsed by The Maritime Executive.

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Armstrong Marine Selected to Build Hat Island Ferry - The Maritime Executive

Maldives’ True Wonder Inside the World’s Best Island Resort – PaperCity Magazine

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Editors Note: Jane Howze recently flew around the world in 11 days with stops in Singapore, the Maldives and Dubai. Today, she reports on her time in Maldives.

In 2013, we visited the Maldives Islands and were so impacted by its beauty that we started planning our return visit as soon as we returned to Houston. Such a trip requires a bit of planning (and saving). The Maldives Islands, nearly 1,200 in number and extending more than 700 miles from North to South, are located halfway around the world in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean.

They are about four hours southeast of Dubai, one hour southwest of Sri Lanka and four hours northwest of Singapore. No American airline flies to the Maldives, and a trip there will require at least one change of planes. For Americans, the most convenient gateways are Frankfurt, Dubai, and Singapore.

There are 200 resorts in the Maldives, each on its own coral island. All of the popular and luxury chains have four- and five-star properties there. The Four Seasons offers three, and its own yacht to sail guests on a three-day journey from one to the others.

All of the resorts are expensive, partly because of their remote location, construction and maintenance costs, self-generating energy requirements, staff housing requirements, and the fact that all food and supplies must be imported. Resorts range in size from as few as 15 rooms to as many as 462. Some focus on diving while others emphasize family activities, night life or honeymoons.

It is important to realize that once you check in to your Maldives resort there is no going into town if you dont like the food or entertainment. You are there for the duration. That is why resort choice is important.

For our previous Maldives visit, we stayed at a luxury hotel chain over the Christmas holiday and loved our over-water bungalow, the attentive service, several dining choices and outstanding cuisine. But on Christmas Eve we were informed that only the main restaurant would be serving dinner, at a prixe fixe cost of $250 per person.

Although the dinner included champagne and a chocolate bar, we felt trapped. Our daily room rate excluded food, beverages and most water sports, and we felt nickeled and dimed. We resolved to make a different choice for this trip.

Finding Your Perfect Maldives Resort

Social media is a powerful vacation planning tool. Four years ago I discovered the names of luxury travel photographers and writers covering the leading Maldives resorts. A popular Instagram photographer listed his top four resorts and one caught my eye: the 15 over-water room Kudadoo Private Island, whose motto is anything, anytime, anywhere.

Kudadoo opened late last year, and the Robb Report has already named it as the Best Island Resort. Guests pay one (admittedly expensive) daily rate and everything is included. And by that, I mean everything room, food, excellent champagne, wines and liquor, water activities, spa treatments and laundry.

We figured it would be fun to test their philosophy and we wanted to enjoy our vacation without worrying about the price of a glass of wine or a massage.

Before we arrived, Kudadoo sent us a detailed lifestyle questionnaire, asking what water sports we enjoy, any dietary requirements, our pillow, mattress and fragrance preferences, and how we wanted our bar stocked. Our butler yes, every residence has a personal butler who serves as concierge wanted to know what activities interested us.

Did we want yoga in our room every morning? Meditations? Our choice of unlimited spa treatments massages, facials, manicures? Were we interested in candlelight dinners, snorkeling, jet skiing, lunch or dinner on a sand bar? We answered yes to all.

He let us know that there were no set dining hours. We could have breakfast, lunch and dinner any time we liked, 24/7 in the restaurant, in our room, on the beach, or among the trees.

Kudadoo is located on a small island about 80 miles north of Male, and is the only solar powered resort in the Maldives. You can walk the circumference of the island in about six minutes. Our private, Asian influenced residence was one of 15 built on a horseshoe shaped boardwalk over the water. It featured an outdoor seating area that included a hammock, a glass bottom floor to watch the exotic marine life, freestanding tub surrounded by orchids, our own infinity lap pool, and a ladder into the warm sea.

And of course we had views of the azure pristine water, and stunning white sand bars to enjoy in constant year round temperatures of 82 to 85 degrees.

Our five days at Kudadoo consisted of morning yoga, breakfast and various activities including a picnic on a deserted island, jet skiing, swimming with manta rays, snorkeling and soaking in the serenity of the most extraordinary beaches in the world. Our butler Ishaq scheduled daily massages before sunset and little and big surprises.

As he explained it, We realize a trip to the Maldives is a once in a lifetime experience. It is our mission to make sure it is special.

One night we arrived at dinner to find a table set up in the sunbathing shelf of the pool surrounded by glittering lights. Another night the staff surprised us with dinner on the beach. The menu changed every night, and Eduardo, the French chef, encouraged us to order anything we wanted.

Eduardo learned that I loved red velvet cake and the next night he presented me with the most delicious red velvet cake I have ever tasted. We have never felt so nurtured.

Another highlight was a five minute boat ride to Kudadoos sister resort, Hurawalhi, a larger property which is home to the worlds largest undersea restaurant, 5.8, named for its underwater depth (about 19 feet). After descending 42 stairs down a narrow circular staircase, I entered an underwater wonderland for 20 lucky (and well pocketed) diners. The abundant schools of exotic marine life seemed as attracted by us as we were by them. It was an extraordinary experience akin to dining in an aquarium.

All too soon our stay in the Maldives came to an end, and the seaplane waited offshore for our return to the real world. The kind and attentive staff, who worked so hard to ensure that our trip surpassed our expectations, gathered on the dock to bid us farewell. I was so touched that I shed tears of gratitude while planning our next visit to this special place. And with any travel there was a lesson to be learned.

Next stop: Dubai and a lesson learned.

Jane Howze is a managing director and founder of The Alexander Group, a national executive search firm headquartered in Houston.

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Maldives' True Wonder Inside the World's Best Island Resort - PaperCity Magazine