Immorality | Definition of Immorality by Merriam-Webster

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2 : an immoral act or practice

Synonyms

corruption, debauchery, depravity, iniquitousness, iniquity, libertinage, libertinism, licentiousness, profligacy, sin, vice

Antonyms

morality, virtue

religious denominations that regard drinking, smoking, and even dancing as examples of immorality a sermon about modern society's casual acceptance of or indifference to immorality

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These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'immorality.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

circa 1566, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Last Updated

18 Sep 2019

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: the quality or state of being without principles of right and wrong

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Immorality | Definition of Immorality by Merriam-Webster

Why There Will Be No Radical Life Extension, End Of Aging …

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Despite the recurring assurances of futurists and scientists that humanity is on the threshold of conquering death and bringing about an end to aging, there will be no such radical life extension. Its not going to happen. I will articulate the reasons for my pessimistic (realistic) view in this article.

The irrepressible optimists like futurist Ray Kurzweil, author of Fantastic Voyage: Live Long Enough to Live Forever, like to point to the fact that the average human lifespan has risen dramatically over the past century. They claim that the average human lifespan (currently about 80 years in developed nations) has doubled since the early 20th century and tripled since the Middle Ages. While this is technically true, it is very misleading. To the uncritical mind, such statistics seem to imply that no one lived to old age up until very recently and that there were no elderly people in 1900, the Middle Ages, and surely not in a pre-civilization era. This is emphatically not true.

The key word here is average. The average human lifespan was so short in earlier eras due to a very high infant mortality rate. Before the development of germ theory and the attendant development of sterile medical practices, it was not uncommon for 1 in 3 or 1 in 2 children to die at birth or shortly thereafter. Before the development of antibiotics and vaccines, many succumbed in childhood to a myriad of diseases such as smallpox, scarlet fever, and cholera.

If half of a population dies at age 0 and the other half lives to 70, then the average lifespan will be 35 years. If you survived birth and childhood and reached adulthood, you had a very good chance of living a full life of 70-75 years. There have been grandparents and the elderly for as long as there have been humans. Most of the Greek philosophers lived to a ripe old age (into their 80s) more than 2,000 years ago.

This is very important to understand: the increase in average human lifespan is due almost entirely to the dramatic reduction in infant mortality. It is no coincidence that the nations with the highest infant mortality rates (African nations) also have the shortest average lifespans and the nations with the lowest infant mortality rates (Western nations and select Asian nations like Japan) have the longest average lifespans.

In countries with good healthcare systems and expertly trained medical staff, they will almost never lose a newborn. This is the major refutation to the claims of starry-eyed optimists who love to point to a plot showing the exponential increase in human life expectancy and claim this trend will continue. It wont. Infant mortality has already been eradicated. All of modern medicine (heart surgery, pacemakers, organ transplants, etc.) has added at most 10-15 years to what the human lifespan would otherwise be.

Everything from intelligence to baldness to even longevity seems to be encoded in our genes and is beyond our control. Weve all seen the stories on the news of some Appalachian hillbilly whos celebrating his 100th birthday and claims the key to longevity is three shots of moonshine a day, or some woman in Georgia who was born a sharecropper and is celebrating her 105th birthday. Were also familiar with the fitness neurotic who never missed a daily workout only to keel over at 55 from a heart attack on one of his fun runs.

There seems to be no rhyme or reason for why one person lives to 100 and another croaks at 50. Obviously, we know things like excessive tobacco and alcohol use are not conducive to a long and healthy life, but there are many, many cases of people who drank or smoked their whole lives and seem to be naturally immune to adverse effects. These people won the genetic lottery. They are genetically robust. Likewise, there are many people who take immaculate care of themselves, eat well, exercise regularly, go for frequent doctor checkups, only to end up betrayed by their own bodies.

The aging population is already putting massive strain on the budgets of Western nations. An ever-expanding system of hospitals, imaging centers, nursing homes, and assisted care facilitiesall staffed by well-paid nurses and doctorsis already draining national coffers. Do you think governments want their people living even longer and collecting benefits even longer? Theyre already trying to eliminate us and kill us off with the deliberate introduction of GM food and endocrine disrupting chemicals in our food and water.

Additionally, Gen Xs and Millennials are already vocally complaining that Baby Boomers who failed to adequately plan for retirement are refusing to retire from their senior positions in government, academia, and industry and make way for them. This is effectively causing a log jam that is preventing younger people from advancing into higher paid positions. This in turn gives rise to bitter ageist resentment on the part of the stymied generations.

There is also an intercultural and intergenerational conflict looming in America where the growing young populationwho will be predominately Hispanic, Black, and Asianwill be expected to pay for the care of the retired aged populationwho will be predominately White. The established institutions (the Republican Party, the Catholic Church, etc.) have already realized that their future existence lies with fecund Latin America and Africa and not with the dwindling numbers of aging Whites in North America or Western Europe. Theyre moving their chips.

The left desires the elimination of people who hold traditional (oppositional) beliefs. Witness the ghoulish glee of Leftists, like filmmaker Michael Moore, who gloat about the passing on of whites, referring to them as dinosaurs going extinct. Leftists want these ideological holdouts gone and replaced with a new generation of fresh slates they can indoctrinate from birth.

Additionally, weve seen the recent clamor to exhume Confederate generals from their graves. If this is the reaction elicited by mere dusty bones, imagine what would happen if the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protestors got wind that some of those people who elected to have their brains preserved cryogenically at places like Alcor entertained quaint ideas on race or sexuality while alive.

As some people have chosen to be preserved cryonically since the late 1960s, it is entirely possible that some of these people might have held or articulated what today might be considered racist, sexist, or homophobic beliefs. I could easily imagine BLM protestors demanding Alcor unfreeze these bigots and let their brains rot in the Arizona heat so as to prevent any possibilityno matter how remoteof contaminating the future with the re-introduction of reactionary thinking.

So what will a future without radical life extension look like? We can anticipate several things as a consequence. Expect greater promulgation of the notion that we should accept death as a natural part of life. That it need not be feared. There will be no railing against the dying of the light as Dylan Thomas implored. Instead, we will be encouraged to go gentle into that good night.

I anticipate widespread promotion of acceptance with such insipid quotes as Emily Dickinsons That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet and Mae Wests You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough. I also expect the legalization and encouragement of euthanasia (assisted suicide), similar to the government-run elective suicide facilities depicted in the 1973 dystopian science fiction film Soylent Green.

I hope Im wrong. The thought of death and the idea of not-existing should scare anyone who feels he is unique and has differentiated himself from the teeming mass of humanity in thought or deed. But unfortunately, I think were Davy Crocket at the Alamo. Were the 7th Cavalry at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Were the 6th Army encircled at Stalingrad. And there is no relief party coming.

Read More: 5 Things That Will Not Happen In The Future

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Why There Will Be No Radical Life Extension, End Of Aging ...

Doctrine and Covenants 128

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An epistle from Joseph Smith the Prophet to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, containing further directions on baptism for the dead, dated at Nauvoo, Illinois, September 6, 1842.

15, Local and general recorders must certify to the fact of baptisms for the dead; 69, Their records are binding and recorded on earth and in heaven; 1014, The baptismal font is a similitude of the grave; 1517, Elijah restored power relative to baptism for the dead; 1821, All of the keys, powers, and authorities of past dispensations have been restored; 2225, Glad and glorious tidings are acclaimed for the living and the dead.

1 As I stated to you in my letter before I left my place, that I would write to you from time to time and give you information in relation to many subjects, I now resume the subject of the for the dead, as that subject seems to occupy my mind, and press itself upon my feelings the strongest, since I have been pursued by my enemies.

2 I wrote a few words of revelation to you concerning a recorder. I have had a few additional views in relation to this matter, which I now certify. That is, it was declared in my former letter that there should be a , who should be eye-witness, and also to hear with his ears, that he might make a record of a truth before the Lord.

3 Now, in relation to this matter, it would be very difficult for one recorder to be present at all times, and to do all the business. To obviate this difficulty, there can be a recorder appointed in each ward of the city, who is well qualified for taking accurate minutes; and let him be very particular and precise in taking the whole proceedings, certifying in his record that he saw with his eyes, and heard with his ears, giving the date, and names, and so forth, and the history of the whole transaction; naming also some three individuals that are present, if there be any present, who can at any time when called upon certify to the same, that in the mouth of two or three every word may be established.

4 Then, let there be a general , to whom these other records can be handed, being attended with certificates over their own signatures, certifying that the record they have made is true. Then the general church recorder can enter the record on the general church book, with the certificates and all the attending witnesses, with his own statement that he verily believes the above statement and records to be true, from his knowledge of the general character and appointment of those men by the church. And when this is done on the general church book, the record shall be just as holy, and shall answer the ordinance just the same as if he had seen with his eyes and heard with his ears, and made a record of the same on the general church book.

5 You may think this order of things to be very particular; but let me tell you that it is only to answer the will of God, by conforming to the ordinance and preparation that the Lord ordained and prepared before the foundation of the world, for the of the dead who should die without a of the gospel.

6 And further, I want you to remember that John the Revelator was contemplating this very subject in relation to the dead, when he declared, as you will find recorded in Revelation 20:12And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were in the books, according to their works.

7 You will discover in this quotation that the books were opened; and another book was opened, which was the book of life; but the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works; consequently, the books spoken of must be the books which contained the record of their works, and refer to the which are kept on the earth. And the book which was the is the record which is kept in heaven; the principle agreeing precisely with the doctrine which is commanded you in the revelation contained in the letter which I wrote to you previous to my leaving my placethat in all your recordings it may be recorded in heaven.

8 Now, the nature of this ordinance consists in the of the priesthood, by the revelation of Jesus Christ, wherein it is granted that whatsoever you on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Or, in other words, taking a different view of the translation, whatsoever you record on earth shall be recorded in heaven, and whatsoever you do not record on earth shall not be recorded in heaven; for out of the books shall your dead be judged, according to their own works, whether they themselves have attended to the in their own propria persona, or by the means of their own agents, according to the ordinance which God has prepared for their salvation from before the foundation of the world, according to the records which they have kept concerning their dead.

9 It may seem to some to be a very bold doctrine that we talk ofa power which records or binds on earth and binds in heaven. Nevertheless, in all ages of the world, whenever the Lord has given a of the priesthood to any man by actual revelation, or any set of men, this power has always been given. Hence, whatsoever those men did in , in the name of the Lord, and did it truly and faithfully, and kept a proper and faithful record of the same, it became a law on earth and in heaven, and could not be annulled, according to the decrees of the great . This is a faithful saying. Who can hear it?

10 And again, for the precedent, Matthew 16:18, 19: And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

11 Now the great and grand secret of the whole matter, and the summum bonum of the whole subject that is lying before us, consists in obtaining the of the Holy Priesthood. For him to whom these keys are given there is no difficulty in obtaining a of facts in relation to the of the children of men, both as well for the dead as for the living.

12 Herein is and honor, and immortality and eternal lifeThe ordinance of baptism by water, to be therein in order to answer to the likeness of the dead, that one principle might accord with the other; to be immersed in the water and come forth out of the water is in the likeness of the resurrection of the dead in coming forth out of their graves; hence, this ordinance was instituted to form a relationship with the ordinance of baptism for the dead, being in likeness of the dead.

13 Consequently, the font was instituted as a similitude of the grave, and was commanded to be in a place underneath where the living are wont to assemble, to show forth the living and the dead, and that all things may have their likeness, and that they may accord one with anotherthat which is earthly conforming to that which is , as Paul hath declared, 1Corinthians 15:46, 47, and 48:

14 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy; and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as are the records on the earth in relation to your dead, which are truly made out, so also are the records in heaven. This, therefore, is the and binding power, and, in one sense of the word, the of the kingdom, which consist in the key of .

15 And now, my dearly beloved brethren and sisters, let me assure you that these are principles in relation to the dead and the living that cannot be lightly passed over, as pertaining to our salvation. For their is necessary and essential to our salvation, as Paul says concerning the fathersthat they without us cannot be made perfectneither can we without our dead be made .

16 And now, in relation to the baptism for the dead, I will give you another quotation of Paul, 1Corinthians 15:29: Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead?

17 And again, in connection with this quotation I will give you a quotation from one of the prophets, who had his eye fixed on the of the priesthood, the glories to be revealed in the last days, and in an especial manner this most glorious of all subjects belonging to the everlasting gospel, namely, the baptism for the dead; for Malachi says, last chapter, verses 5th and 6th: Behold, I will send you the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

18 I might have rendered a translation to this, but it is sufficiently plain to suit my purpose as it stands. It is sufficient to know, in this case, that the earth will be smitten with a unless there is a welding of some kind or other between the fathers and the , upon some subject or otherand behold what is that subject? It is the for the dead. For we without them cannot be made perfect; neither can they without us be made perfect. Neither can they nor we be made perfect without those who have died in the gospel also; for it is necessary in the ushering in of the dispensation of the of times, which dispensation is now beginning to usher in, that a whole and complete and perfect union, and welding together of dispensations, and keys, and powers, and glories should take place, and be revealed from the days of Adam even to the present time. And not only this, but those things which never have been revealed from the of the world, but have been kept hid from the wise and prudent, shall be revealed unto and sucklings in this, the dispensation of the fulness of times.

19 Now, what do we hear in the gospel which we have received? A voice of ! A voice of mercy from heaven; and a voice of out of the earth; glad tidings for the dead; a voice of gladness for the living and the dead; glad tidings of great . How beautiful upon the mountains are the of those that bring glad tidings of good things, and that say unto Zion: Behold, thy God reigneth! As the of Carmel, so shall the knowledge of God descend upon them!

20 And again, what do we hear? Glad tidings from ! , an angel from heaven, declaring the fulfilment of the prophetsthe to be revealed. A voice of the Lord in the wilderness of Fayette, Seneca county, declaring the three witnesses to of the book! The voice of on the banks of the Susquehanna, detecting the when he appeared as an angel of ! The voice of , James, and John in the wilderness between Harmony, Susquehanna county, and Colesville, Broome county, on the Susquehanna river, declaring themselves as possessing the of the kingdom, and of the dispensation of the fulness of times!

21 And again, the voice of God in the chamber of old , in Fayette, Seneca county, and at sundry times, and in divers places through all the travels and tribulations of this Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! And the voice of Michael, the archangel; the voice of , and of Raphael, and of divers , from Michael or down to the present time, all declaring their , their rights, their , their honors, their majesty and glory, and the power of their priesthood; giving line upon line, upon precept; here a little, and there a little; giving us consolation by holding forth that which is to come, confirming our !

22 Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. , brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into . Let the speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the Immanuel, who hath ordained, before the world was, that which would enable us to them out of their ; for the prisoners shall go free.

23 Let the shout for joy, and all ye valleys cry aloud; and all ye seas and dry lands tell the wonders of your Eternal King! And ye rivers, and brooks, and rills, flow down with gladness. Let the woods and all the trees of the field praise the Lord; and ye solid weep for joy! And let the sun, moon, and the stars sing together, and let all the sons of God shout for joy! And let the eternal creations declare his name forever and ever! And again I say, how glorious is the voice we hear from heaven, proclaiming in our ears, glory, and salvation, and honor, and , and eternal life; kingdoms, principalities, and powers!

24 Behold, the great of the Lord is at hand; and who can the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appeareth? For he is like a , and like fullers soap; and he shall sit as a and purifier of silver, and he shall purify the sons of , and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an in righteousness. Let us, therefore, as a church and a people, and as Latter-day Saints, offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness; and let us present in his holy temple, when it is finished, a book containing the of our dead, which shall be worthy of all acceptation.

25 Brethren, I have many things to say to you on the subject; but shall now close for the present, and continue the subject another time. I am, as ever, your humble servant and never deviating friend,

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Doctrine and Covenants 128

‘Biggest game ever’ for Lions as immortality beckons – Irish Times

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New Zealand v British & Irish Lions

Venue: Eden Park.

Kick-off: 7.35pm NZ time/8.35am Irish/UK time.

On TV: Live on Sky Sports

The Lions embarked upon a tour described as suicidal by Graham Henry and both they and their head coach were derided after a scratchy opening win over the Barbarians and a loss to the Blues, and at various points along the way. Come the final Saturday, they stand on the cusp of immortality.

Its been quite the journey; a rollercoaster ride up and down the Land of the Long White Cloud which scaled epic heights in Wellington last Saturday when they became the first side to beat the All Blacks in New Zealand in eight years.

For the momentous climax came the hardest part of all, ending the All Blacks 37-match winning run at Eden Park since France won 23-20 in 1994.

Sen OBrien has played 49 Tests for Ireland and four for the Lions. Hes been part of a Lions Test series win, been in an Irish Six Nations-winning team and three European Cup-winning squads with Leinster. So how does this rate?

The biggest, he says with a steely-eyed intent. This is the biggest game Ive ever been involved in, I think, this weekend.

The former All Blacks winger and Italian and Blues head coach, John Kirwan, said earlier this week that regardless of the third Test result, Warren Gatlands legacy is secure, and theres even been grudging respect from the New Zealand Herald.

Yet the portrayal of him as a clown amid an almost daily demonisation of him will not be easily forgotten. One of his assistants with Wales and here, Rob Howley, said: The way Warren Gatlands been treated, its been a disgrace, hasnt it? Its an absolute disgrace. We all love sport and rugby and you can be critical of technical or tactical elements of the Lions or New Zealand, but when that becomes personal criticism I think we all step over the mark and thats happened over the last four weeks of the tour.

Hes a Kiwi. You have to applaud what Warren Gatlands achieved as a Kiwi in the northern hemisphere and Ive no doubt what hell achieve when he comes back to New Zealand as well. Hes probably one of the best coaches in world rugby at this moment in time.

Asked if he envisaged Gatland being All Blacks coach one day, Howley said: Yeah, I got no doubt he will be. Citing Gatlands success with Connacht, Ireland and Wales, not to mention Wasps, where Howley played, he added: I learned more as a player when I was coached by Warren Gatland at the age of 31 than I had by any other coaches. And Ive been very fortunate to be coached by a lot of coaches.

He understands the games, he understands players, and I think thats the biggest asset that hes got, said Howley, which was perhaps a legacy of his time as understudy to Sean Fitzpatrick.

All the while, Howley said, Gatland remained calm and relaxed in steering the Lions through a relentless schedule. At the start of the tour you were going at 25mph and now were going at 18mph, said Howley.

Having their key decision-makers, Owen Farrell, Johnny Sexton and Dan Biggar all available for the pre-tour camp in the Carton House was key.

The emergence of the Sexton-Farrell axis may have contributed to the All Blacks recalling Julian Savea, and an indication that they would defend pretty flat.

I think they will revert to the kicking game, he added, and theyll come off 9. Its about making sure that our systems in place that were good last week are better than they were the week before.

If we can do that, its making sure that when weve got the ball, we take our opportunities. Its one game, as a coach and a player that you are going to be so excited because it is the ultimate challenge of creating history. Thats what weve got to look forward to.

New Zealand: Jordan Barrett (Hurricanes); Israel Dagg (Crusaders), Anton Lienert-Brown (Chiefs), Ngane Laumape (Hurricanes), Julien Savea (Hurricanes); Beauden Barrett (Hurricanes), Aaron Smith (Highlanders); Joe Moody (Crusaders), Codie Taylor (Crusaders), Owen Franks (Crusaders), Brodie Retallick (Chiefs) Samuel Whitelock (Crusaders), Jerome Kaino (Blues), Sam Cane (Chiefs), Kieran Read (Crusaders, captain).

Replacements: Nathan Harris (Chiefs), Wyatt Crockett (Crusaders),

Charlie Faumuina (Blues), Scott Barrett (Crusaders), Ardie Savea (Hurricanes), TJ Perenara (Hurricanes), Aaron Cruden (Chiefs) or Lima Sopoaga (Highalnders), Malakai Fekitoa (Highlanders).

British & Irish Lions: Liam Williams (Scarlets, Wales); Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby, England), Jonathan Davies (Scarlets, Wales), Owen Farrell (Saracens, England), Elliot Daly (Wasps, England); Johnny Sexton (Leinster, Ireland), Conor Murray (Munster, Ireland); Mako Vunipola (Saracens, England,) Jamie George (Saracens, England), Tadhg Furlong (Leinster, Ireland), Maro Itoje (Saracens, England), Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys, Wales), Sam Warburton (Cardiff Blues, Wales, capt), Sean OBrien (Leinster, Ireland), Taulupe Faletau (Bath Rugby, Wales).

Replacements: Ken Owens (Scarlets, Wales), Jack McGrath (Leinster, Ireland), Kyle Sinckler (Harlequins, England), Courtney Lawes (Northampton, England), CJ Stander (Munster, Ireland), Rhys Webb (Ospreys, Wales), Ben Teo (Worcester Warriors, England), Jack Nowell (Exeter, England).

Referee: Romain Poite (France).

Previous meetings: Played 40, New Zealand 30 wins, 3 draws, Lions 7 wins.

Betting (Paddy Powers): 2/7 New Zealand, 22/1 Draw, 7/2 Lions. Handicap betting (Lions +11 pts) Evens New Zealand, 19/1 Draw, Evens Lions.

Forecast: The Lions to win.

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'Biggest game ever' for Lions as immortality beckons - Irish Times

Maradona, the mafia and immortality: three decades on from Napoli’s Holy Grail – The42

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Image: Peter Robinson

THERES A NEAPOLITAN phrase A carta vicino o fuoco sappiccia which literally means that paper close to a fire will inevitably go up in flames.

Of course, Diego Maradonas seven-year stint with Napoli did end tumultuously butamidst the cocaine and the mafia and the bastard son, there was a multitude of success too.

The city of Naples gritty, tough, uncompromising was and very much remains his spiritual home. He fled, in disgrace, 26 years ago but earlier this week, at a glitzy ceremony where he was granted honorary citizenship of the city, it was like he had never left.

Its understandable.

Maradona, after all, gave Napoli immortality.

He arrived in 1984 having tired of the endless kickings he received on the pitches around Spain. Memorably, his last appearance for Barcelona came in the Copa del Rey final against Athletic Club the league champions which culminated in a post-game free-for-all at the Santiago Bernabeu after Maradona retaliated to some verbal abuse with physical retribution.

With relations already strained between him and the club on account of his injury problems and the teams on-field struggles, there was certainly no going back after such a high-profile humiliation for Barcelona footballs most expensive signing and marquee name instigating a mass brawl in front of the King of Spain and millions of TV viewers.

When Maradona touched down in Naples for another world record amount (5m is the oft-quoted figure but in his superb biography of Maradona, Hand of God, author Jimmy Burns says it was, in fact, double that amount), it was treated like the Second Coming of Christ.

But Maradona would not just resurrect himself but, instead, an entire community. His signing became a symbol. Treated with disrespect and contempt by those in the north of the country, Naples was seen as the runt of the litter. To many in Italy it was a seedy, grim, unforgiving place. While it was left in the shadows in terms of politics and economics, it had struggled to compete on the football pitch also. Prior to Maradonas arrival in 1984, nine of the previous 10 championships had been won by teams based in just two cities Milan and Turin.

So, even when there were whispers about a possible deal for Maradona, supporters couldnt contain their level of excitement and anticipation. It would send a message to the rest of Italy.

When Barcelona demanded an extra couple of hundred grand during negotiations, thousands of local fans turned up a Naples building city to hand over their contribution to the pot. Within a day, the money was raised and not long after Maradona was unveiled.

Still, his time with Napoli is largely associated with the Camorra the citys mafia organisation. They were intrigued by what Maradonas signing could do for them: an increase in ticket sales (60,000 season tickets were sold for Maradonas debut campaign) would see exponential growth in touting a staple of the Camorra diet while there was also the economic value of Maradona coming to Naples and how it affected the Camorras other interests. Finally, they also took control of Maradona-related merchandise in the city. According to Burns, they made Maradonas agent, Jorge Cyterszpiler an offer he couldnt refuse.

Source: Peter Robinson

In many ways, it was an atmosphere that Maradona revelled in. In many ways, he saw the local gangsters as mirror images of himself. They had come from humble beginnings and graduated to positions of influence and power. They were rich and enjoyed nice things. Maradona slotted in quite effortlessly.

And, relatively quickly, he found his feet on the pitch too. There was an eighth-place finish in 1985 but Maradona still managed 14 goals and Napoli were only 10 points fromunfashionable champions Hellas Verona.The following season they were better and finished third. Maradona hit double-figures again before heading to Mexico and captaining Argentina to World Cup success.

This was him in his pomp.

There is a neat geographical metaphor regarding Naples vicinity to Mount Vesuvius. Locals get a daily reminder of the threat however inexplicable of eruption and the possibility of destruction. Maradona is the personification of that. But, like the Camorra example, he seemed to take great comfort from the chaos, like it was reassuring. If things were quiet for too long, Maradona would get suspicious. The cyclical explosions became normal.

So, as he excelled with Napoli, his private life was in disarray. His marriage to childhood sweetheart Claudia was falling apart and for a four-month period between December 1985 and March 1986, hed had a fling with a 20-year-old local woman named Cristiana Sinagra.

Source: SVEN SIMON

But when she became pregnant with his child, everything changed. The relationship ended, Maradona ignored his responsibilities, concentrated on the World Cup preparations and gleefully repaired things with Claudia.

The child a son- was born in September 1986 and Cristiana called him Diego Armando after his father. Quickly, the media latched onto the story and Cristiana was open with the press. She had nothing to hide and had been shunned by Maradona. Publicly, he lied, believing ignorance would be bliss.

About this I know nothing absolutely nothing, he said.

It would take five long years and a legal case for Maradona to change his tune.

By that stage, he had been forced into exile and his time with Napoli had come to an end owing to a 14-month suspended sentence for cocaine possession. Simultaneously, he had been banned from football for 15 months and both his professional and personal lives were in free-fall.

Still, if the paper ultimately went up in flames, Maradona had exceeded expectations in Naples.

1987 was the beginning of an unprecedented period of dominance for the club. Maradona scored 10 times as Napoli lost just two games in the entire league season to be crowned Italian champions for the very first time. They had already claimed a Coppa Italia and the celebrations were like nothing the city had ever seen.

Source: Peter Robinson

Everything stopped for a week as people partied in the streets. Sleep was negotiable. Perhaps no one really wanted to wake up from the dream.

Least of all Maradona himself.

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Maradona, the mafia and immortality: three decades on from Napoli's Holy Grail - The42

Speculation on the afterlife in Heaven and Hell – The Boston Globe

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A recent Pew Research Poll reports that 72 percent of Americans agree that there is a literal heaven, and 58 percent an actual hell. Yet, Erhman, an authority on the New Testament, surprises readers early in this book with the assertion that these views cannot be found in the Old Testament and they are not what Jesus himself taught.

The Old Testament thinkers did not conceive of an afterlife. Nor did they subscribe to a belief in the immortality of the soul. Death, for the authors of Job, the Psalms, Ecclesiastes, and Samuel, was final, uninteresting, and unredeemable. Jesus himself did not believe that a person would go to heaven or hell immediately upon death.

If the prototypes of eternal torture and Elysian Fields didnt come from the Bible, where did they come from? Though it would take centuries to arrive at the images we hold today, Erhman argues that it was Plato who most influenced later thinking, leading ultimately to the views of heaven and hell that developed centuries later in the Christian tradition. In Socratess famous last speech, written in the fifth century B.C.E., Plato has Socrates claim that the soul lives on, imperishable. Socrates argues that all who think rightly should die daily, escaping the confines of their bodies by focusing on the welfare of their souls.

The Greeks had evolved a keen appreciation of ethics and individual choice, and with these, the corollary issues of equity and justice. Five hundred years later, Virgil delivers a rendering of the underworld that reflects a first century B.C.E. awareness. Hell is a realm of cracking whips and dragging chains for those who die without confession; while for the good, there await fields of sport, singing, and feasting.

Erhman knows this territory as well as anyone writing today; the reader is struck by his nimbleness in drawing the thread of this rich-layered narrative, sprinkling larger thematic arcs with anecdotes that honor the non-lineal and multivalent nature of eschatological thought.

As the Greek and Roman views evolved, the Old Testament thinkers notions of divine justice shifted as well. From the eighth century B.C.E. until the sixth, Israels prophets were most concerned with the survival of the nation in the face of continuous invasion by the Babylonians and Persians. Isaiah 26:19 promises that God would return to bring his servant Israel back to life. When a victorious kingdom did not come about, the idea of a Cosmic Evil at work in the world was born. The world was controlled by forces of evil, but God would ultimately triumph on the Day of Judgment, ushering in a new Kingdom for his faithful.

This was the theological climate into which Jesus was born. An Apocalyptic, like many at the time, Jesus predicted that the Day of Reckoning would occur in his generation, and involve the full resurrection of the body. When the predicted reckoning did not occur, his followers had to reinterpret his teachings.

It was precisely during this interval that the visions of the afterlife we hold today came into their own as a literary phenomenon. Over time, the Day of Judgment was replaced by a vision that rested almost exclusively on rewards and punishments that would begin immediately at death.

We owe many of our lurid, fantastical images of heaven and hell men hanging by the genitals, women cast neck deep into pits of excrement to the Roman satirist Lucian of Samosata. The Passion of Perpetua, a second-century Latin text by a 22-year-old convert to Christianity, describes dream-visions of heaven beyond her impending martyrdom. The synchronous Apocalypse of Peter details bodies aflame, worms devouring entrails, and lightning piercing the eyes of mothers who kill their infants.

The cast of characters is vast and entertaining. There is Saul, arriving in disguise at the home of the Medium of Endor, a woman whose wizardry he had outlawed years earlier. Desperate in the face of an enemy army and the upstart, David, he seeks contact with his deceased counselor, Samuel, who the Medium produces through a sance. There is the pseudonymous 1 Enoch, in which Sons of God came to earth and impregnated women, producing giants who wreaked havoc by eating everything in sight (including humans), before God sends a flood to destroy them. And much more.

Erhman suggests that the intent of the prophets and fabulists were of a piece: not to impose the terror of death, but a concern for living a virtuous life. He repeatedly hopes that his study will offer assurance and comfort to an anxious world. In the process, he ably enlightens and entertains.

Even if we do have something to hope for after we have passed from the realm of temporary consciousness, he writes, we have absolutely nothing to fear.

HEAVEN AND HELL: A HISTORY OF THE AFTERLIFE

By Bart D. Ehrman

Simon & Schuster, 352 pp., $28

Kathleen Hirsch teaches at Boston College and blogs at kathleenhirsch.com.

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Speculation on the afterlife in Heaven and Hell - The Boston Globe

Where do you want Liverpool to win Premier League title and what do you predict will happen? – Liverpool Echo

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It's an exciting time for anyone connected with Liverpool Football Club at the moment.

The Reds are the European and world champions and are on course to seal the 2019/20 Premier League title for the first time in three decades as football gets ready to restart and lockdown restrictions ease following the coronavirus pandemic.

With nine games to go, Jurgen Klopp's side are 25-points clear of their nearest rivals Manchester City while it is mathematically impossible for any other side in the top flight to now catch up.

Liverpool need just six points for immortality having lost only once all season and know that should City lose to Arsenal on Wednesday night, an opportunity for them to claim the elusive Premier League trophy will present itself against Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday.

Should those events not take place, Klopp's men could win the title at Anfield against Crystal Palace in the following game or even against City themselves at the Etihad after that.

We want to know what your ideal outcome would be, where you want Liverpool to win the title and what you think will happen during the remainder of the season.

While you're filling in the survey, please take the time to consider signing up for our daily newsletter at the end. It arrives in your inbox before 9am every day and will give you an at-a-glance look at the biggest Liverpool Football Club stories that day. It's easy to unsubscribe if you decide you don't like it.

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Where do you want Liverpool to win Premier League title and what do you predict will happen? - Liverpool Echo

Immortality crowned best at Italian film festival – Tehran Times – Tehran Times

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TEHRAN -- Immortality by Mehdi Fard-Qaderi won the award for best feature movie at the 15th Ischia Film Festival on the Italian island on Saturday, the organizers announced.

The film was competing in the official section of the festival, which began on June 24.

A jury composed of Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Zanussi, Portuguese screenwriter Miguel Barros and German producer Dagmar Jacobsen picked Immortality for the courageous use of a single location in a single shot.

Beyond his mastery, we recognize that it is a well-written and recited movie whose purpose is to provide a unique fresco in modern Iran. What a success, the jury said in a statement.

Immortality, which is a one-shot feature film, tells the story of some strangers who have to spend a rainy night together on a train.

Photo: Director Mehdi Fard-Qaderi holds an award for his movie Immortality at the 15th Ischia Film Festival in Italy on July 1, 2017.

RM/YAW

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Atwater, Bruce, and Holt named football Hall of Fame finalists Thursday – KTVI Fox 2 St. Louis

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ST. LOUIS A trio of pro football stars is a step closer to Hall of Fame immortality.

Former St. Louis Rams receivers Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt, and Lutheran North high school graduate Steve Atwater were among 15 announced finalists for enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton.

Atwater, who played all but one season as a Safety for the Denver Broncos, has reached the semifinal stage nine times and is a finalist for the second consecutive year.

Atwater is one of several safeties to make the finalist cut, joining Denver and Tampas John Lynch, Pittsburghs Troy Polamalu and Green Bays LeRoy Butler, but hes had the longest wait.

Holt makes the finalist cut for the first time.

Bruce has been a finalist the past three years.

The three fall into the category of Modern-Era candidates, which will produce 5 members in the 2020 class.

Former St. Louis Rams head coach Dick Vermeil and Don Coryell, who coached the St. Louis Cardinals and later the San Diego Chargers, are among the eight finalists for two slots for coaches who will also be part of the class of 2020. A final decision on those candidates is expected sometime in January. The entire class will be announced on February 1.

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Seahawks QB Russell Wilson Building Hall of Fame Resume – Sports Illustrated

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Following his official retirement announcement on Friday, the debate about whether or not former Giants quarterback Eli Manning belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame rages on.

One of the most polarizing candidates in recent memory, Manning threw for over 57,000 yards and tossed 336 touchdown passes in 16 seasons in New York, ranking in the top-10 all-time in both categories. He also engineered two of the greatest Super Bowl upsets in history, including dethroning the undefeated Patriots in 2008.

However, much of Mannings productivity derived from longevity more than being an elite player at his position and playing in a pass-heavy era may not help his chances of making it to Canton. On three separate occasions, he led the league in interceptions. His career touchdown rate falls below Cam Newton, Andy Dalton, and Jameis Winston.

Per Pro Football Reference, Manning also ranks 42nd in adjusted yards per pass attempt, and though other Hall of Famers posted a similar number, hes also in company with the likes of Steve Beurlein, Jeff Garcia, and Neil ODonnell.

While time will tell if Manning gets into the Hall of Fame, several other quarterbacks currently in the league have built far more compelling cases for entering football immortality. Among those, Seahawks star Russell Wilson may already have one foot in the door in Canton after finishing his eighth NFL season.

This season alone, Wilson became the fifth-fastest quarterback to 200 career touchdown passes, joining exclusive company alongside Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, Dan Marino, and Aaron Rodgers. He also became the first player in NFL history to throw 200 or more touchdown passes and run for 15 or more touchdowns in his first eight seasons.

In addition, he joined the eldest Manning as only the second quarterback in league history to pass for over 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns in his first eight seasons. As he'll gladly tell you, Wilson feels he's "just getting started."

Using a holistic approach, Wilson already stands out in a number of critical categories compared to other Hall of Fame-worthy quarterbacks from his era and has a chance to climb even higher in upcoming seasons.

Despite playing in a run-first offense that has limited his throwing attempts for much of his career, Wilson has been as efficient of a passer as any quarterback in NFL history. Hes currently tied with Rodgers for the highest touchdown rate in league history, ranks second behind Rodgers in career passer rating, and trails only Tom Brady and Rodgers for the lowest interception rate all-time.

Though he sits 26th overall in passing touchdowns, hes managed to do so in just 128 games. Only one other player in the top 25 has played in fewer than 150 games, as Matthew Stafford has thrown 256 touchdowns in 149 games. If he maintains his career average of 28 touchdown passes per year over the next three seasons, he will quickly be closing in on the top-10 all-time.

In contrast, Wilson has thrown just 68 interceptions in his career, or less than nine per season on average. He and Andrew Luck are the only quarterbacks in the top 50 for touchdown passes with less than 100 interceptions. At his current pace, Wilson might not reach that point until after his 11th season when he turns 35 years old.

Further bolstering his resume, Wilson recently surpassed Steve McNair to move into fifth place in NFL history for rushing yards by a quarterback. Though his rushing touchdown total pales in comparison to the four players ahead of him, only Steve Young had more touchdowns and passing yards. Young already is enshrined in the hall and Wilson has a chance to pass him in both categories as early as next season.

Coming out of Wisconsin, Wilson fell to the third round because of concerns about his lack of height. But at 5-foot-10, hes proven shorter players can excel under center at the highest level and in the process, he has built an impressive first eight seasons that rivals any quarterback in history.

Assuming he continues to produce at an elite level for a few more seasons in Seattle and continues to avoid injury, Wilson will be a surefire lock to eventually join Walter Jones, Steve Largent, Cortez Kennedy, and Kenny Easley in Canton whenever he hangs up his cleats.

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Bhopal: Children are much more imaginative than adults – Free Press Journal

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BHOPAL: We adults always try to relive our childhood. But we do not give children, the right to be children. Gandhiji attained greatness and immortality only because he did not allow the child within him to die, said writer and poet Udyan Vajpayee, while addressing the participants of the Illustration Camp on Child Rights here on Saturday.

He said that children are much more imaginative than the adults and their curiosity knows no bounds.

Senior artiste Devilal Patidar said that children should be allowed to think beyond what they are taught in schools.

Art teachers, young illustrators and fine arts students of schools will take part in the three-day camp to mark the 30th years of the signing of the UN Child Rights Charter at the Tribal Museum.

The event is being organised jointly by the Child Rights Observatory, Art Design Teachers Forum and Tribal Museum, in collaboration with UNICEF, Bhopal.

Inaugurating the event, Nirmala Buch, chairperson of the Child Rights Laboratory said that the idea behind organising the event is to hone the creativity of the children and to give them an opportunity to express themselves.

Anil Gulati, communication specialist of UNICEF expressed the hope that the children would give expression to their creativity through their works.

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WILL THAULT: Reflection on the impermanence — and joy — of life – The Albany Herald

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Life is a precious gift.

We begin our years living in the moment, where time has no meaning. However, a strange thing happens. As we pass through adolescence, puberty and early adulthood, we become acutely aware of time. But it seems to stand still.

Our future dreams, expectations and independence seem to always be on some distant horizon. We wait impatiently. Then comes the independence, commitments and responsibilities phase: relationships, jobs, families, education, credit card debt, mortgages, car loans, etc.

Time is a blur. It only becomes an obsession occasionally especially during our milestone years ... 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 when you wonder how these years slipped by so fast. You remember a time when you thought 30 was old, and 50 and 70 was positively ancient!

If youre fortunate enough to maintain your health and avoid any devastating, life-altering misfortunes, it all comes to a head during whats called a mid-life crisis. The time of its arrival varies, from the 40s on up to the 50s. This is when you begin to stop long enough during your responsibilities phase to take stock of your accomplishments in life.

The illusion of immortality, or the subject matter, at least, is something that you finally come to grips with as well. Your age begins to show. You feel aches and pains that you never had before. And your stamina isnt what it used to be. Is it any wonder some of us go into panic mode and take bizarre or irresponsible actions, trying to recapture our youth one last time?

If we make it through this stage and the gift of time is added to our lives, the panic and anxiety give way to a kind of acceptance of impermanence the beauty and inevitability of change. The seasons change; we witness the cycle of life and death, the ebb and flow, light and dark, cold and hot, wet and dry, wind and stillness, passion and serenity, happiness and sadness always becoming, always balancing, always rejuvenating and never-ending.

If lucky, we come to realize that time is but a man-made construct a convenient measuring device exclusive to the cognitive mind of man, but of little use to plants, animals, earth, the universe and even God. As we reach our senior years, we begin to stop running for the roses and pause to smell them.

In fact, time gives way to the observance of more natural occurances, like the seasons, the grandeur of a mountain range, the undulation of a shoreline, the symmetry of a pine cone, the delicate intracacies of a dandelion, the intimacies of an enduring love, the preciousness of each breath, a closer relationship with God.

There is one special gift that comes with the cognitive mind that transcends time and impermanence. Its called memories. Like a photograph or a video, it allows you to temporarily leave the impermanence realm and bring the past to life.

Someone once said, The idea that just because something doesnt last forever, doesnt mean its worth is diminished.

Cherish the memories of loved ones whose lives have passed on before you. They once were a part of your life experience. You honor them when you pause to reflect on the special role they played in shaping your life. Remember the good times, the stories, the adventures, the smiles, the hugs, the tears, the love. This way, the bond between you will never be broken.

While living, you have the power to breathe life into their souls once again through your memories. Hold fast and revisit them. They become richer each time.

Find a quiet place ... better still, a spot where you once shared experiences together. Youll be surprised at the joy those memories bring back to your heart. Remembering will sometimes remind you of your loss, though. But thats OK. A tear shed for a loved one is never wasted. Besides, those memories tend to remind us of how precious and impermanent this gift of life really is.

Will Thault is a retired Albany businessman whose travels have led him to many memorable adventures.

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WILL THAULT: Reflection on the impermanence -- and joy -- of life - The Albany Herald

Stop Obsessing Over SleepYour Brain Will Thank You – WIRED

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Maiken Nedergaard considers herself a pragmatic woman. Shes got kids, a career, and she knows she feels better after a solid night of shut-eye. Shes also a neuroscientist at the forefront of research showing the biological value of sleep. In studies she coauthored in 2013 and 2019, she documented how during sleep, fluid washes over our brains, clearing out toxins like beta amyloid, which is linked to neurodegenerative diseases.

Suddenly sleep became a tonic: an Alzheimers wonder drug available, for free, every evening. For Nedergaard, the results made her anxious about her own bedtime priorities. Now, she says, I take sleep very seriously.

For the rest of us, who dont have labs full of equipment to study the inner workings of the brain, theres a growing suite of gadgets offering the illusion of science: nightly reports full of numbers and charts purporting to show just how well were performing while conked out. Fitbit kicked off this trend when it released the first tracker in 2009.

Little more than a glorified pedometer at the time, the Fitbit couldnt monitor your heart rate, pay for anything, or even tell you the time. (It even shorted a WIRED reviewers run by 0.6 mile: Not cool!) But it did include a sleep tracker that measured the duration and quality of your slumber, producing a sleep efficiency score. Since then, obsession with sleep optimization has only grown. The global sleep-tracking market topped $1 billion in 2016. Its expected to increase by another 18 percent by 2024.

Sleep, once no more glamorous than taking a shower, is now perched at the pinnacle of the well-being-as-a-lifestyle trend. The irony is that by agonizing over sleep, its also turning into a source of anxietythe kind of thing that keeps people up at night. Fears over bad sleep are getting the TED treatment and topping best-seller lists.

In his semi-pop-science distillation of research, Why We Sleep, UC Berkeley psychologist Matthew Walker warns that sleep loss is an epidemic that could have dire consequences. Our chronically overtired brains make our bodies more susceptible to diabetes, cancer, and other diseases, he argued. Getting a good 40 winks, on the other hand, would improve memory and mood, and even make us feel and look younger. Sleep is a nonnegotiable biological necessity, Walker proclaimed in his 2019 TED talk. It is your life support system. And it is Mother Natures best attempt at immortality.

Who among us would scoff at immortality?

And so weve slipped Oura rings onto fingers and wrapped Fitbits and Apple Watches around wrists. Beneath sheets and mattresses weve concealed Beddits and Emfits, sensors that promise to monitor heart rates and sleep cycles from their discreet hiding places. We track our REM and non-REM cycles, scrutinizing the length, quality, and depth of our rest on Reddit forums like r/sleep and r/Biohackers, where users write about the benefits of cold showers and question the need for pillows.

All this measuring, rating, tracking, and comparing now amounts to a new sleep disorder that some scientists are calling orthosomnia. A coinage of Greek origin that merges "straight" or "correct" with "sleep," orthosomnia is a condition where anxiety over proper sleep metrics actually induces insomnia.

The patients' inferred correlation between sleep tracker data and daytime fatigue may become a perfectionistic quest, wrote the researchers from Northwestern and Rush universities who came up with the term after observing three cases of people who relied more on their sleep-tracking data than on the advice of experts. In one case, a 27-year-old woman insisted she wasnt getting enough deep sleep and underwent a full examination in the lab. The test concluded she slept normally, but she remained unconvinced. Then why does my Fitbit say I am sleeping poorly? she asked.

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Stop Obsessing Over SleepYour Brain Will Thank You - WIRED

Why Emily Dickinson fans are excited about ‘Dickinson’ on Apple TV+ – Fast Company

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Have you read the one about Emily Dickinson and Death?

Because I could not stop for Death He kindly stopped for me The Carriage held but just Ourselves And Immortality.

If you havent, dont worry. Dickinson, one of several new series debuting November 1 on the Apple+ streaming service, dramatized it for you.

A glum but glam Emily Dickinson (Hailee Steinfeld), dressed in a sumptuous, off-the-shoulder red velvet gown, is sitting in a horse-drawn carriage with Death (a very seductive Wiz Khalifa). They are obviously enjoying each others company. Emily is afraid that her stern and conservative father wont let her publish her poetry. Death tells her not to worry: Her poems will be published. She shakes her head and sighs, unconvinced. My father will burn every copy if he has to, she tells him. Anything to prevent me from ruining the good name of Dickinson.

My darling, he purrs. Youll be the only Dickinson they will talk about in 200 years.

Hailee Steinfeld (left) and Wiz Khalifa (right) in Dickinson. [Photo: courtesy of Apple TV+]As it turns out, Death was right. Emily is the only Dickinson anyone is talking about 150 years after she wrote that poemand 1,788 othersduring her lifetime. But the dark-haired, free-thinking, fun-loving, living-out-loud Dickinson that Steinfeld channels is at odds with the traditional image of Dickinson alone in her quiet Amherst home gardening and baking bread in a starched white dress. Only the most passionate fans of the 19th century poet will recognize this alt-Emily.

But they all agree that modern readers should get to know the young, vivacious, and confident poet as a young woman.

Although the series includes fantasy sequences and a hip-hop soundtrack, it tries to stay faithful to Dickinson and her world. The series did get in touch, says Harvard Universitys Leslie Morris, the Gore Vidal curator of modern books and manuscripts at Houghton Library that houses an extensive collection of Dickinsons works and artifacts, including a reproduction of her writing room. I was impressed with the attention to detail. The production people were very conscientious about getting it right, she says, adding that she spotted several items from Harvards collection, including a famous portrait of Emily and her siblings in trailers for the series.

Although Dickinson departs from previous dramatizations of her life, scholars and fans agree that its not that far from the truth. Even at the start, there were two very different Dickinsons, says Christopher Benfey, a professor at Mt. Holyoke College and a Dickinson scholar. She died in 1886, and her poems started appearing in print in the 1890s. First, there was the Emily in her white dress writing love poems about nature; someone who never married or fell in love, but if she did, it ended tragically.

But people knew there was another side of Dickinson, he says. There were rumors around Amherst that Emily and her younger sister, Lavinia, were a bit promiscuous. Others were shocked that some of her poems didnt even rhyme. For about 100 years, these two Dickinsons have been around, but the first image stuck, he says. Certain poems were attached to that image, he says. It was a very New England image: reclusive and lonely.

Steinfelds Dickinson is hardly lonely. She is self-assured and determined, trying to reconcile her desire to write with the expectations for young women of her time. She pouts. She parties. She daydreams. She skips out on religious lectures at school. And most importantly, she writes.

Dickinson takes place during a pivotal time in the poets life, according to Martha Ackmann, a journalist and author of These Fevered Days, Ten Pivotal Moments in the Making of Emily Dickinson. Dickinson is on the verge of beginning her writing career in earnest. There are many letters to friends from her teenage years. Theres a huge paper trail, she says. One of the things that stands out is that she is so social. She has lots of friends and makes friends easily. Shes recognized by one of her teachers at Amherst Academy as a great writer, and theres even a little bit of jealousy among her peers.

Ackmann says Dickinson knew she wanted to make something of her life. In one letter to a friend, there is a reference to setting up her desk and getting ready to write. All things are ready, she wrote. Ackmann says the letter reveals a young woman with the confidence and developing talent she knows will take her someplace.

I have always been amazed that Dickinson knew her own worth as a poet, says Susan Elizabeth Sweeney, Murray professor of arts and humanities at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. Sweeney says that Dickinson once remarked that her barefoot rank was better than changing her style in pursuit of fame. I believe she was confident that her poems would be understood and appreciated.

Modern readers more likely to read Dickinson on their mobile devices relate to Dickinsons poems for a variety of 21st century reasons. The writer Lotte Jeffs put it this way in a recent article for the London Sunday Times: No one else has so elegantly articulated the complicated dichotomy of desire for public profile and privacy that shapes the way we navigate our online lives . . . . She also says that Dickinsons brevitywhat she cleverly calls her snackable presentationis another part of her appeal. Ideas so tightly packed in so few words you could almost Tweet them in their entirety.

And in the end, the poetry is the thing. Its a TV show, its not a scholarly monograph, says Harvards Morris. Im hoping very much it will deal with some of the issues Emily herself dealt with: friendship, love, creativity, and just daily life. I hope it gets people back to reading poetry.

Sweeney says the Dickinson she admires is an independent woman who managed to organize her life so she could devote it to poetry. With any luck thats the Dickinson viewers will see in Dickinson.

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Why Emily Dickinson fans are excited about 'Dickinson' on Apple TV+ - Fast Company

OP-ED: Examining the spiritual character of a bishop – The Guardian

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It seems possible to suggest that a bishops character must be in harmony with the spiritual qualities expected from the office.

For the sake of this reflection, spirituality is understood as a mechanism within each person that moves that person towards the pursuit of sacred meaning. In turn, sacred meaning is understood in the generic religious sense of how the bishops office engages in (1) the pursuit of the good, (2) the pursuit of immortality and (3) the pursuit of good relationship with God, including evidence of a desire to remove whatever blocks good relationship with God.

Finally, a person is taken to be a human being in action. Personhood is thought to arise from three generic streams of relationships. Personal choice associations cluster on the arms of those streams of relationships.

The first stream of relationship takes place at the level of the environment. It marks our biological DNA and is therefore first in the order of origin. The many associations that cluster about the arm of a persons environmental associations include all the physical dimensions of being human, but in the present context they arise primarily out of that persons spiritual search for sacred meaning in the environment. We expect the office of the bishop to hold the sustainability of the environment in the highest regard since it embodies the qualities of unity, truth, goodness and beauty that is God.

The second stream of associations that characterize a person (in the order of origin) is a stream of interpersonal relationships. The office of bishop is expected to draw spiritual meaning from building vibrant relationships between all the priests, deacons, lay ministries and parish clusters the bishops office serves. In order to measure a candidates strength in this area I would turn to the empirical evidence found in a priests parish building experience.

In my personal experience as a member of a parish bereavement team, I have observed how a priest can bring a bereaved family together by allowing them to tell their story of pain, their experiences with the deceased, what they would like to hear from the homilist about the deceaseds character, and so on.

The success in bringing together a grieving family at the time of death provides a good indication of the leadership qualities we expect from a bishop to unite and assist the faithful in their religious celebrations of successes, losses and complaints found in their parish experience. The need exists to meet parishioners in their experiential settings while demonstrating the ability to exercise an informed leadership role.

The third stream of relationships takes place at the level of introspection and reflection as the office of the bishop reflects on the data carried in the first two streams of relationships to administer diocesan resources. In the first instance, the office holder needs a certain normalcy about him. We cannot expect parishes to get their act together if the bishops own internal house is not in order. The ability to be centred, loving, compassionate and action-based ranks highly.

We recognize that no one is perfect. Ours is a spirituality of imperfection. We strive to find sacred meaning in all our relationships and pledge to do our best to ensure that our spirituality is aligned with a generic interpretation of the nature of religion.

The office of bishop and indeed of all persons of religious faith strives to find the good in all things while portioning the relationship between the terrestrial order and the eternal order. We seek eternal life and resist the destruction of evil, but we do so by pursuing the sacred good we find in the here and now, as we strive to grow our spirituality of imperfection.

Administratively, the office of bishop must be smart. It must recognize the autonomy of each parish and help grow their sacred search for meaning. It must provide parishioners an opportunity for informed consent through respectful teaching moments, and it must be seen to be fair, just, and respect privacy and confidentiality, but to do so within the administrative framework of regulatory laws, the good of the Church of Rome, and the harmony of the whole.

A fully developed discussion of this issue would also include a position statement on culture (attitudes, values and beliefs of parishioners), society (groups such as CWL, KOC), politics (regulations concerning the appointment), economics (costs, value added), environment (resources), and ethics (empirical evidence and normative standards).

Ken A. Bryson, PhD, is professor emerita of philosophy at Cape Breton University. He can be contacted at ken_bryson@cbu.ca.

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Indiana Jones: 10 Facts And Trivia You Didn’t Know About The Last Crusade – Screen Rant

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In 1989, the third Indiana Jones film titled Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was released. The film once again starred Harrison Ford as the famous archaeologist, but this time he is joined by Sean Connery, who plays his father in the film. The Last Crusade became the highest-grossing film of the series until Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull topped it in 2008.

RELATED:10 Best Spielberg Movies Ever, According to IMDb

The Last Crusade is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and even after three decades, there is a lot fans probably don't know about the movie. Here is Indiana Jones: 10 Things You Didn't Know About The Last Crusade.

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Before a storyline about the Holy Grail was conceived Indiana Jones 3 looked a lot different. Originally the film was called Indiana Jones and the Monkey King, which would have seen Indy go up against a ghost in Scotland in a haunted mansion. The Fountain of Youth would have been the legend that Indiana Jones focused on.

Things were changed up a bit in later revisions of the script, Indy instead searching for the Peaches of Immortality. Needless to say, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg decided to go a completely different route, which was probably for the best.

With The Last Crusade focusing on the quest for the Holy Grail, Steven Spielberg was worried people might think of another movie: Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Monty Python and the Holy Grail is the most famous of the Monty Python movies and still holds up to this day.

However, despite the film coming out in 1989, Spielberg was worried people would think of the 1975 film when they watched The Last Crusade. Spielberg once told Entertainment Weekly, Of course, I was worried that people would hear Holy Grail, and they would immediately think about a white rabbit attacking Monty Python.

After Indiana Jones makes it through the three tests leading to the Holy Grail chamber, Donovan and Elsa soon enter the chamber behind him. Elsa gives Donovan a cup she thinks is the Holy Grail, so Donovan drinks holy water from it. She chose poorly, so he quickly ages before turning into a skeleton.

Related: Indiana Jones: 10 Things You Probably Didnt Know About The Temple Of Doom

The effect was incredibly complex and is actually considered the first-ever complete digital composite effect in a movie. All three of the Indiana Jones movies have had some incredible special effects, but Donovans death is among the most impressive.

There were multiple locations used for Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade, but one of these locations was Petra, Jordan. At the time, King Hussein bin Talal and Queen Noor controlled the country. The King and Queen would often visit the set of The Last Crusade after Spielberg offered to let them watch production.

The Queen is said to have given Spielberg a ride to set and the King even lent them four horses. The horses that the heroes ride into the sunset on in the final scene of the movie belonged to King Hussein bin Talal.

There arent very many people that have starred in all four Indiana Jones movies. Harrison Ford has starred in all four of course, but before Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was released, Pat Roach had appeared in all three films. Roach appeared in Raiders of the Lost Ark as the Giant Sherpa who gets chopped to pieces by the airplane blades. In the second film, he appears as a guard in the Temple of Doom who whips the child slaves and fights Indiana before the mine cart scene.

The actor once again appears in The Last Crusade as a Nazi character named Gestapo, who has a very brief appearance in the movie. Roach likely would have had a cameo in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, but unfortunately the actor passed away in 2004 at the age of 67.

Alison Doody snagged the role of Elsa in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, but she wasnt the first actress to be offered the role. Originally, Amanda Redman had been offered the gig, but she turned it down. Redman would have had to do the scene in the tomb of the First Crusade Knight where Indy and Elsa are covered in rats.

Unfortunately, Redman has an extreme fear of rats so she had to decline the job offer. Redman is known for movies like Sexy Beast and Mike Bassett: England Manager, so needless to say, The Last Crusade would have been the biggest movie of her career.

Nazis have been antagonists in both Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade. The costume designers for The Last Crusade, Anthony Powell and Joanna Johnston, had to meticulously study Nazi uniforms from World War II to make sure the costumes in the film were as accurate as possible.

Related: Indiana Jones 5: 10 Scrapped Ideas From Previous Sequels It Should Use

While they created several Nazi costumes for the film, Powell was actually able to find several real Nazi uniforms that can be seen on screen in several scenes, including the book-burning scene.

Actors arent always comfortable while filming scenes for movies, but with as big of a star as Sean Connery was, the crew likely tried to make him as comfortable as possible. In one scene, they actually allowed Connery to film his scene without any pants on (although Connery probably didnt ask for permission).

The set for the scene where Indiana Jones and Henry Jones Sr. are on the blimp was incredibly hot, so Connery only wore his trousers to stay cool during filming. Ford followed suit so that neither of them were sweating during the scene.

Its safe to say that Steven Spielberg is one of the most successful and most well-known directors in history. He has directed several films like Jaws, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and Jurassic Park, all of which earned more than one Oscar at the Academy Awards.

Spielberg has also directed all four Indiana Jones movies, but he had to pass on Rain Man in order to direct The Last Crusade. Spielberg had worked on the script for Rain Man for nearly half a year, before having to leave the project to direct the third Indiana Jones movie.

Before Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull came out in 2008, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was considered the worst of the three Indiana Jones movies. Spielberg has even said in the past that Temple of Doom is his least favorite of the first three movies and regrets making the second film so dark.

He returned for the third film to make it up to fans and re-capture the spirit that made people fall in love with Raiders of the Lost Ark. Spielberg even brought back Denholm Elliott and John Rhys-Davies from Raiders of the Lost Ark to ensure that this happened.

NEXT:10 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About Raiders Of The Lost Ark That Are Guarded By Top Men

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Indiana Jones: 10 Facts And Trivia You Didn't Know About The Last Crusade - Screen Rant

Column: DCs sports riches dont come in Burgundy and Gold – WTOP

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Baseball is America's pastime, but football is America's passion. No matter how successful the other teams might be around here, it doesn't fill the void that each Redskins fan carries in their heart.

Sports championships present an opportunity to take stock of ones riches.

You might have heard that the Washington Nationals are Major League Baseballs World Series champions.

(Pausing here so you can joyfully scream again.)

The Washington Mystics raised a WNBA trophy of their own a few weeks ago across the Anacostia River.

(Its OK. Embrace the joy. Make some noise.)

And who could forget the Nats beloved bros up in Chinatown, the Washington Capitals? Theyre finally over their 2017-2018 Stanley Cup parade hangover, and theyre leading their division right now.

(Whos up for another parade in June? Yeah? Us too! Make some more noise!)

Give it up for D.C. United, too! Their new pitch is sweet, and they made a playoff run of their own this year.

(Yes, Rooneys gone, but its OK. Theyre still contenders. Lemme hear ya!)

And hey, how about those Washington Redskins?

Youre not cheering.

They beat the Dolphins!

Seriously? Nothing?

They got a damn good organizational culture, yall! Get excited!

Crickets, huh? Wow. OK, then.

Indeed, its impossible to take stock of ones riches without acknowledging the um deficiencies. And before any of yall start sending hate mail this way, keep in mind that social media started the fire here. Im just sayin.

To paraphrase Fox NFL analyst Howie Long: Baseball is Americas pastime, but football is Americas passion. No matter how successful the other teams might be around here, it doesnt fill the void that each fan carries in their Burgundy and Gold heart.

(Cue Rainbows to the End Zone.)

For once upon a time, legends walked the sod of RFK Stadium. Legends known now by their surnames: Theismann. Riggins. Monk. Rypien. Taylor. Washingtons passion was quenched, more than once, once upon a time.

Today, the void is vast. And it expands each year that Sith Lord Belichick raises the Lombardi Trophy.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but autumn Sundays arent an event around D.C. anymore. And for a struggling franchise, the one thing worse than being mocked is being ignored.

At least in this instance, theyre being mocked.

If the crew at Redskins Park needs some inspiration, they can look no further than Capital One Arena. While the Nats were climbing out of a two-run deficit and achieving immortality Wednesday night, Your Washington Wizards were holding their own against James Harden, Russ Westbrook and the Houston Rockets.

They gave up 159 points, yeah. But they rang up 158, too, and they probably wouldve gotten the W if Harden werent such an F-word.

Judging from the first few games, new GM Tommy Sheppard has put together a hungry, fun squad this year.

Perhaps the Wizards potential and the other local teams successes will elevate Washingtons NFL franchise. Perhaps it will drive them to take stock of themselves and make the right changes, so they can make a playoff run of their own in the near future.

Because the void can only exist for so long.

Right?

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Column: DCs sports riches dont come in Burgundy and Gold - WTOP

World Badminton Championships 2017 final: Lin Dan on the cusp of immortality as record sixth title beckons – Firstpost

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"There are a few chinks in his armour, so I'll believe I can win tomorrow, British shuttler Rajiv Ouseph told Badminton England after setting up a quarter-final clash with China's Lin Dan in the 2017 BWF World Badminton Championships in Glasgow.

File photo of Lin Dan. AFP

One wonders if the quote was relevant given the 34-year-old's dip in form and below average performances in big events this calendar year. To add weight to Ouseph's bold statement, Lin lost the opening game 14-21 on the next day and was on the back foot in the second, but the Briton was soon forced to swallow his words. Lin floored Ouseph after the interval in the second gameand held his nerve to enter the semi-final of the men's singles.

The result showed how onerous the task to stop the 33-year-old Chinese is. He never runs out of steam and is a player with complete control of the shuttle and the game.

In the next game, he was pitted against World No 1 Son Wan Ho of South Korea the man who reached the top of the rankings purely on the basis of points he gathered by entering the last four of Superseries tournaments. Having been stretchedto three games in his previous two matches, the onus was on Lin to stay steady against an in-form and a very defensive Son, who was coming on the back of an impressive straight-game win over the high-flying Kidambi Srikanth.

Despite a slow start, Lin raced into the lead and clinched the first game 21-17. Son, who was hesitant to play net shots, let the Chinese surge ahead in the second game and eventually gifted him a handful of points through net errors to lose the match in straight games. The only weapon Son had was to play long rallies, which Lin had a grip on throughout the match. And again, the Chinese ace proved he is not to be taken lightly at the world event.

The two results are, in fact, a reflection of Lin's vast experience in major tournaments. He has been under the toughest of situations and that's why he is considered an immortal figure in a sport where there are no favourites as such. It's the consistency that has left the world in awe of the man who became the first and the only player to complete the 'Super Grand Slam', having won all nine major titles in badminton: Olympics, World Championships, World Cup, Thomas Cup, Sudirman Cup, Super Series Masters Finals, All England Open, Asian Games and Asian Championships, all by the age of 28.

Lin, who had previously won the world title in 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2013, will have to beat 2016 Rio Olympics bronze medallist Viktor Axelsen in the final of the World Championships on Sunday. Nicknamed 'Super Dan' by his fans, the 33-year-old will play his seventh final in the World Championships. He lost only once in 2005. Incidentally, it was the Dane who sent Lin packing in the Olympics last year in the bronze medal match. Moreover, the scores are tied at 3-3 in the overall head-to-head meetings between the duo. Axelsen, the current World No 3, has barely put a foot wrong in the tournament with impressive victories over Ng Ka Long Angus, Chou Tien Chen and Chen Long en route to the final. However, Lin is just beyond comparison when it comes to finals.

With such unrivalled record at World Championships and a knack for creating history every now and then, the Chinese ace will be looking to surpass South Korean legend Park Joo-bong and Zhao Yunlei of China, who have five world titles each, to become the shuttler with themost number of gold medals at World Championships. In other words, to become immortal!

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World Badminton Championships 2017 final: Lin Dan on the cusp of immortality as record sixth title beckons - Firstpost