Category Archives: Immortality

As part of a multi-city tour, singer-songwriter Lucky Ali will be performing live in Delhi on December 12, 6 pm onwards. To take place at DLF Avenue Saket, the event will see the Indipop artist deliver some of his popular numbers, including O Sanam, Anjaani Rahon Mein and Ek Pal Ka Jeena, among others. Tickets are priced at Rs 2499 onwards.

On a Sacred Note

The sacred river of Ganga has been a subject of numerous tales. In the exhibition River of Faith, artist Jayasri Burman gives a visual form to some of these. To open on December 11 at Bikaner House, speaking about the exhibition, Burman says, If I could paint sound, I would try and capture the mystical notes of the Ganga. But how does one express the many facets of the mighty river its tranquility, wilderness, movement and immortality. Ganga is how I attempt to compose the balance between its fluidity and the rootedness of faith it evokes. Over 2020 and 2021s pandemic gloom, I have witnessed the abuse faced by Ganga on multiple occasions. Through my work I wish to spread the message that its a circle we all inhabit, and only if we nurture nature and not make her suffer, will humanity be able to live harmoniously.

Food Talk

The Indian Food Innovation Exhibition, organised by SIAL India, will take place from December 9 to 11 at Pragati Maidan. Also a forum for discussions, the event sees participation from across the world and includes products, equipment as well as eatables and beverages.

Between the Real and the Unreal

In her exhibition Kingdom of Cards artist Piyali Sadhukhan urges the audience to question the fantastical realities of our times. Taking place at Akar Prakar gallery, a note on the show describes it as a visceral portrayal of historical events and our shared lived experiences. While the titular work borrows from Rabindranath Tagores 1933 play of the same name to highlight the ramifications of blind faith in our gods and leaders, in another diptych titled Guardians of Honour, Sadhukhan reflects on the duplexity of such guardians or protectors that end up becoming their prisoners.

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Delhi this week: Enjoy Lucky Alis concert, participate in food talk - The Indian Express

Next week, the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M) will organise its 29th Annual World Congress at The Venetian and Palazzo Resort in Las Vegas. Since 1992, A4M has been on a mission to redefine healthcare through longevity medicine in order to optimise vitality and extend the human lifespan.

But the question is do we really want to become super seniors or centenarians in a disruptive world?

Co-founder Dr Robert Goldman believes in the possibility of "practical immortality" with a lifespan of 120-plus years. Nine years ago, I met the ebullient anti-ageing physician at a conference organised by VitalLife Scientific Wellness Center and Bumrungrad International Hospital.

I asked him whether it's unnatural to stop the clock with anti-ageing medicine as the body isn't designed to last over 120 years.

"It's as unnatural as taking a plane,'' he said. "Because if man was meant to fly, he should have been born with wings.''

The fact is anti-ageing interventions are not something new and the search for the fountain of youth has been part of human culture and societies for millennia.

Dr Goldman asserts that there's nothing out of line with anti-ageing medicine and its utilisation to stretch the life span and enhance quality of life.

The demand for anti-ageing programmes is being driven by baby boomers who don't want to age the way their parents did.

Its comprehensive approach to wellness encompasses nutrition, dietary supplements, lifestyle modification, and controversial hormone replacement therapy.

One mechanism of ageing is a decline in hormone levels, which sends a chemical message to cells that this body is old and they start to die off. Hormone replacement therapy attempts to trick the cells to think that they're still young.

However, it's not a quick fix or a magic pill as it takes effort and focus in adopting an anti-ageing lifestyle and treatments.

Through very early detection, prevention and reversal of age-related diseases, this field of medicine aims to prevent illnesses and disabilities. In addition, advances in biotechnology will drive dramatic changes in anti-ageing medicine to accomplish practical immortality.

Around a century ago, a 40-year-old was considered to be an elderly person, and today those in their 70s are in the winter of life. The practical immortality concept proposes that in the future people will not be considered old until they are centenarians.

On the other hand, longevity can be earned without taking supplements and hormones. For example, Japan's nonagenarians and centenarians are proof of natural and healthy ageing through diet, exercise, way of life and cultural factors.

Accordingly, the anti-ageing movement has faced controversy and been accused of being pseudoscience and a business that prescribes dietary supplements, hormone injections, as well as other products and services.

Nevertheless, over the three decades, A4M has grown into a global community with alliances in countries including Thailand.

Next week, its Annual World Congress event is being held under the theme "The Next Chapter: Unmasking The Hidden Epidemic", and it will address many neglected health crises in a world stricken by Covid-19.

The pandemic has posed numerous challenges and changes as we focus on fighting infectious diseases and viral mutations. We aim to be survivors and not be afflicted by a deadly virus and its economic consequences.

Accordingly, the past two years have put many of us in a health-conscious mode and made us dependent on self-care due to lockdown.

It has probably changed many people's perspectives of the world and the meaning of life. Stuck in a crisis for two whole years, we may not even care about outliving turtles and just try to cope with current circumstances, which reinforce how uncertainty in life remains absolute certain.

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Extending the human lifespan - Bangkok Post

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the names of 26 semifinalists on the eve of Thanksgiving and three former Philadelphia Eagles are one step closer to footballs version of immortality. Congratulations are in order for both longtime Eagles cornerback, one of the valedictorians of the Buddy Ryan era, Eric Allen and one of the more controversial players in team history, Ricky Watters.

Once January rolls around, fifteen finalists will be revealed in January. Kudos are also in order for senior finalist Cliff Branch and Art McNally, the latter being a contributor finalist. We also cant leave out another former Eagle and coach finalist, Dick Vermeil.

If hes inducted it will have been a long time coming for Eagles legend Eric Allen. NFL legend Deion Sanders even went to bat for him a little over a year ago, stating that the six-time Pro Bowler is long overdue to see his bust carved and placed in Canton, Ohio.

Allen has just under 800 tackles on his career resume along with 54 interceptions and nine defensive touchdowns. Hes a member of the Eagles 75th Anniversary Team and the franchises Hall of Fame.

Watters has long been forgiven for his For who? For what? comment. He spent three seasons in Eagles green, racking up 3,794 rushing yards, 1,318 receiving yards, and 32 total touchdowns in 48 career games.

Vermeil should need no introduction. He led the Philadelphia Eagles to their first-ever Super Bowl appearance and won more than 100 games in the City of Brotherly Love over seven seasons before returning from a long hiatus and leading the Saint Louis Rams to a Super Bowl victory. He too is in the Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame. His induction in Canton should be a no-brainer.

As it is every year, the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2022 will be introduced during the NFL Honors special on the eve of the Super Bowl. Mark your calendars for that one. and watch it live on Fubo TV. It airs live on Thursday, February 10th at 9 p.m. EST on your local ABC affiliate.

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3 Former Eagles are one step closer to Hall of Fame induction - Inside the Iggles

Jubilant George Kambosos Jr is challenging Australia's other title aspirants to follow their dreams overseas as he savours his place in boxing immortality as an undisputed world champion.

Kambosos is the first Australian boxer in history to win three world-title belts in one fight after scoring a stunning upset win over previously unbeaten American Teofimo Lopez in New York.

The new unified lightweight world champion was rewarded for his unwavering dedication after more than four years without a fight in Australia.

Sacrificing precious family time with endless months training offshore in the Philippines with the great Manny Pacquiao and fighting in the US, UK, Greece and Malaysia, Kambosos is now the holder of the WBA, WBO and IBF straps.

"That's something these other guys in Australia who are making a bit of noise, they talk a big game and say they want to come over here but when it comes to booking that flight, they don't," Kambosos told AAP.

"So I don't understand how everyone wants to get behind them but they don't want to get overseas and chase it where it really happens, chase the big fish.

"It's a big difference when you're comfortable in your own zone and you need to leave your comfort zone and take the risk and achieve and get to the top and achieve what it is to become a world champion.

"They don't want to do it but Kambosos has done it and has been doing it for many years. We're here, we're fighting for the biggest thing Australia has ever seen.

"It's the pinnacle of the sport."

Blood streaming from a nasty cast above his left eye, Lopez claimed he'd been robbed despite being sent crashing to the canvas by Kambosos in the opening round - the first time since he professional debut five years ago the American had been floored.

"You're a hell of a fighter but I won the fight tonight. I want everyone to know that," Lopez protested.

"The referee raised my hand, I won tonight. I don't care what anybody said."

Not for the first time over the past week, Kambosos branded the vanquished champion "delusional".

"I won the fight fair and square. Take a look at your face. Take it like a champ, let's do it again in Australia," Kambosos said.

"Eighty-thousand fans in Australia, let's do it again."

After years of offshore toil, Kambosos won't be defending his titles anywhere but Australia and dedicated his victory to wife Rebecca, three young children and his late grandfather George.

"This is for my kids, my grandfather George Kambosos, who passed away two months away," he said.

"It's for my family, my wife, my grandfather. I know he's in the ring with me right now."

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Kambosos hopes to inspire fellow Aussies - The West Australian

The Old Guardfeatures a group of immortal warriors, most of whom have been alive for centuriesbut how old are they exactly? The marketing material and movie itself offer several clues to the immortals ages. Charlize Therons Andy is the oldest, but most of her companions have had very long lives as well.

Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and based on the comic book seriesThe Old Guard, by Greg Rucka andLeandro Fernndez,the Netflix movie follows a team of warriors who have lived in the shadows for centuries, taking part in conflicts on whichever side they feel is right. The Old Guardis set in the modern-day, where a new immortal soldier Nile Freeman (Kiki Layne) joins the group after miraculously healing from having her throat cut. She is quickly initiated into the small group of warriors and learns how they have influenced history. While shes still learning about her new family, they come under threat from a greedy pharmaceutical executive called Steven Merrick (Harry Melling), who hopes to discover the secret to their immortality, bottle it, and put a price tag on it.

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Unfortunately for Merrick, hes not the first bad guy that the Old Guard has run into during their very long lifetimes. Heres a breakdown of when each member of the group besides Andy was born, and how old they are in the modern-day setting of the movie.

Whilethe movie form ofThe Old Guardkeeps Andys age ambiguous, it is known that she is the oldest member of the group. Her full name, Andromache of Scythia, refers to a Central Asian empire that ended in the second century CE, making Andy at least 1800 years old but likely older. A potential TheOld Guardsequel could expand the mythologyby exploring this, however the comics suggest that Andy is even older than her name suggests.

Rucka and Fernandezs comics depict Andy as being born circa 4500 BCE in the Western Steppe of Scythia. Andy developed immortality after being killed in battle, and led her tribe for hundreds of years. However, after centuries she left her position to seek justice and find other immortals. Andy even gives a precise age in the comics of 6732, meaning that she has been serving humanity for over six millennia.

Seen only in flashbacks and in The Old Guardsfinal scene, Quynhs (Veronica Ngo) age is perhaps the hardest to pin down out of all the immortals. In the comics shes called Noriko, and Andy recalls that they first metat the end ofAmr ibn al-As al-Sahmis conquest of the Byzantine Empire in 642, at which point Noriko had already been an immortal for a century. That puts her date of birth some time in early 500 AD,which would make her around 1500 years old during the events of The Old Guard.

However, in the movie its not specified exactly when or where Andy and Quynh met, except that Andy found Quynh when she was wandering through the desert, and that she was the first other immortal that Andy ever met. Many have speculated that Andy and Quynh will fight inThe Old Guard 2. In the comics, Andy met Lykon (Micheal Ward) before she met Noriko, and they fought together for two thousand years. Lykon also appears briefly in a flashback in The Old Guard, with Andy and Quynh both being present at the time of his death. If Quynh has been aged up in order to have been born before Lykon, she could actually be several thousand years old during the events of the movie. Hopefully,audiences willlearn more about her backstory including her age in The Old Guard 2.

According to his character poster, Joe (Marwan Kenzari) was born in 1066, making him 954 years old at the time The Old Guard takes place. Originally called Yusuf Al-Kaysani, Joe was a Muslim warrior during the First Crusade, who met the love of his life on the battlefield and killed him. However, fate chose them asthe next immortals to join the Old Guard, and after repeatedly slaying each other they realized that neither they nor the enemy soldier could be killed at which point their enmity turned to love.

Related: Every Song In Netflixs The Old Guard Movie

Younger than Joe by only a few years (which grew even less significant as the centuries pass), Nicky (Luca Marinelli) is 951 years old during the events of The Old Guard, based on a character poster that gives his year of birth as 1069. This means that he would have been in his late twenties 30 at most the first time he died. Like Joe and Andy, Nicky changed his name at some point from Nicol of Genoa to the more common name ofNick Smith, in order to aid his anonymity. This period of the Crusades has been a popular setting for movies as well as video games like Assassins CreedandCrusader Kings.Hailing from the city of Genoa, in what would later become the unified country of Italy, Nicky fought in theFirst Crusadeuntil he fell in love with one of the enemy, and instead began fighting new battles alongside him. After settling their differences, Joe and Nicky both met Andy and became part of the Old Guard alongside her and Quynh.

The baby of the group (at least, until Nile comes along), Booker (Matthias Schoenaerts) is 250 years old during the events of The Old Guard, with his character poster marking his year of birth as 1770. His treacherous actions make it unclear whether hell return for a potentialThe Old Guard2. Born Sebastien le Livre (his nickname comes from his surname, which is French for Book), Booker was a soldier under Napoleon who deserted during the campaign into Russia. He was caught and hanged, but came back to life still hanging from the noose, being 42 years old at the time of this first death in 1812. As he lived on without ageing, Booker experienced the trauma of watching his sons die and being helpless to stop them, even as they grew to hate him for not sharing his gift of immortality. Being a young immortal,the 100-year penance that Booker is sentenced to at the end of The Old Guard would still be a significant amount of time for him.

A pivotal part of The Old Guards cast is Nile, who acts as a viewpoint character. A brand new member of the Old Guard, Nile Freeman is 26 years when she dies for the first time, having her throat cut while trying to save the life of a man she has just shot. After she wakes up in the infirmary without a mark to show for her injury, shes shunned by her fellow soldiers and about to be sent away for some probably very unpleasant testing when shes abducted by Andy. Nile has a military legacy to uphold, with her father having been killed in action, but also has a family that shes at first keen to return to. By the end of the movie, however, she has decided to stick with Andy and the other immortals, having seen the good that theyve managed to do in the world.

There are plenty of unanswered questions from The Old Guard that could be addressed in The Old Guard 2, and the precise ages of Andy and Quanh are among them. The sequel could also fill in the centuries of backstory that each of the immortals have, making their ages very important for the franchise going forward.

More:The Old Guard Ending & Sequel Setup Explained

Ernie Hudson On Ghostbusters 2016: Wouldve Been Easier If It Wasnt A Reboot

About The Author

Hannah has been with Screen Rant since 2013, covering news, features, movie premieres, Comic-Con and more! You can follow her on Twitter @HSW3K

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The Old Guard: The Ages Of The Immortals (Including Andy) - News Nation USA

Its no secret that superheroes are all the rage in Hollywood right now, especially at Disney, which owns the mighty Marvel roster of characters as well as certain Fox assets like Kingsman, Alita and even Captain Underpants. The Mouse House has also produced their own homegrown cape and tights epics like Pixars two Incredibles films, but have they been producing more stealth entries in the superhero genre all along?

We say yes, and this week Walt Disney Pictures is providing Exhibit A to our assertion with the enchanting fantasy Encanto (read our review). The new animated film follows a Colombian family called the Madrigals who, after a terrible tragedy, were gifted a magical candle that grants powers to each of the newborn children over three generations. That is, it grants powers to all except our lead protagonist Mirabel Madrigal (voiced by Stephanie Beatriz), who stands by and watches her fellow family members flex their super strength (her sister Luisa), healing powers (her mother Julieta), weather control (her aunt Pepa), psychic ability (her uncle Bruno), communication with animals (little cousin Antonio), enhanced hearing (cousin Dolores), or the ability to grow beautiful flowers with a hand gesture (her sister Isabela).

Encanto deftly tracks Mirabels journey of self-discovery as she tries to keep her family together when cracks in the magic begin to occur. While the film has been described since its production announcement in 2016 as having elements of magical realism, comic book fans would not be faulted for finding correlations to superheroes like Storm, Professor X, Animal Man, Daredevil or even Poison Ivy. We even got to ask the movies co-writer/co-director Charise Castro Smith about the parallels between Encanto and other superhero properties.

It's funny, people have been making that comparison, Smith told IGN exclusively. From the inside it doesn't feel that way. From the inside it feels very much like a story about a family a lot like mine. A family with a lot of internal pressures and a lot of love. People who can do extraordinary things, people who have secrets. So yes, the characters in this movie do have superpowers, which is a really cool, interesting element, but I think what I gravitate towards the most is just the relatable family dynamics and sibling relationships. My own relationship with my grandparents, both of them, was a big element that I tried to bring into this story. So sure, yeah, Luisa is totally a superhero!

Luisas super ability to literally carry around a church or village bridge may seem like feats for Superman, but she and the other Madrigals are not alone in the annals of Disney history for seeming to possess superhero traits. Here are 10 other films from the studio that would totally fit the bill of being superhero movies

The tagline of 1978s Superman was Youll believe a man can fly. But what about an elephant? Granted, if you apply the definition of a superhero as any being with extraordinary abilities then just about every animal who ever walked on four legs and spoke in a Disney movie would fall under that category. Yet the character of orphaned Dumbo is exceptional even within the world of the film, as his ability to use his gigantic ears to fly distinguishes him from other circus elephants. He doesnt use this ability to fight crime but to get a Hollywood contract, which is well-deserved and probably what a modern flying elephant would do too.

Another character with the ability to fly is the famed boy who never grew up, Peter Pan. J. M. Barries character from the 1904 play Peter and Wendy checks all the boxes for superhero-dom: Sustained flight? Check. Colorful tights? Check. Immortality? Check. Kid sidekick? Heck, hes got his own gang of Lost Boys. Fights bad guys with strange disfigurements? Yes, Captain Hook definitely qualifies. Cool vehicle? Dudes got his own flying ship! If you need a comic-book corollary, you can look no further than Sprite from Marvel Studios recent Eternals, who in the comics is intended to have actually been Barries inspiration for Peter Pan after Sprite showed off to him one night in 1901.

Like Peter Pan, the title magical nanny played so memorably by Julie Andrews also has the ability to fly, but additionally boasts the power to speak with animals, telekinesis and reality manipulation. Shes also pretty good at transporting herself and others into imaginary worlds rendered in glorious 2D animation. One might say she is "practically perfect in every way." She even got that most superheroic of things, a sequel, with 2018s Mary Poppins Returns where Emily Blunt portrayed her.

Another Disney movie directed by Robert Stevenson (who also helmed Mary Poppins) and featuring a combination of live-action and animation was Bedknobs and Broomsticks, which was sort of a proto-Harry Potter. It stars Angela Lansbury as the good witch Miss Eglantine Price, who uses her magical abilities to fight Nazis during World War II. Shes a bit like John Constantine if he was a dowdy woman who adopted some war orphans. Its also possible she became a mystery writer in coastal Maine later in life, but that remains unconfirmed. The one aspect that separates her from Mary Poppins is she is a witch-in-training, so many of her spells backfire, but she is nevertheless formidable.

Based on the traditional fairy tale that was so memorably adapted by Jean Cocteau in 1946 as La belle et la bte, this 90s classic had the distinction of being the first full-length animated feature to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. It follows the beautiful bookworm Belle who frees her father by taking his place as the title Beasts prisoner, then comes down with a serious case of Stockholm syndrome for the hairy monster who was once a prince before he was transformed by an enchantress. This curse turned him into the Beast, but also gifted him with enhanced strength, speed, agility, durability, healing and senses, not to mention some sweet claws and fangs. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby were not feeling super creative when it came time to christen Marvels own blue-tinged version of the character: Hank McCoy, whose nickname on the X-Men team is Beast!

Both Marvel and DC have their own version of the Greek mythological hero, and Hercules papa Zeus was even featured briefly in Zack Snyders Justice League (both the 2017 and 2021 versions). Of course, the Disney version of the super strong hero was more a full-of-himself lunkhead than his comic book counterpart, who in recent years has been outed as gay in the Marvel 616 timeline and is dating a certified Guardian of the Galaxy named Marvel Boy. Still, a guy who principally rescues damsels in distress and fights monsters sounds like a superhero in our book.

This one is cheating slightly, as Edgar Rice Burroughs creation has its roots in the same early 20th century pulp novels that later inspired comic-book superheroes like Batman, The Shadow, etc. The very idea of a feral child raised by apes and being an expert hunter with great dexterity instantly brings to mind Wolverine. In many ways the Wolverine of the films led a kind of wild existence before he was civilized by Professor X, much the same way Jane Porter civilizes Tarzan.

Its fitting that Elsa, loosely based on the titular character from Hans Christian Andersons fable The Snow Queen, was originally envisioned by the filmmakers as the straight-up villain of the film since she has so many similarities to DC Comics baddie Mr. Freeze. Yet she also closely resembles Marvels mutant hero Bobby Drake/Iceman in her ability to conjure and manipulate ice and snow into weapons, shields, escape routes, etc. The fact that her uncontrolled abilities are turning her kingdom of Arendelle into a veritable snowpocalypse goes hand-in-hand with typical X-Men-style drama, i.e. a mutants emotions cause their powers to get so out of hand that they wind up harming or almost harming a ton of peeps. Luckily, Elsa learns to Let It Go proper, and by the sequel Frozen II has mostly mastered her abilities.

Like Mirabel from Encanto, the title Polynesian princess of Moana may not have much in the way of powers, but her sidekick on her journey -- the shape-shifting demigod of the wind and sea and master of sailing named Maui -- certainly qualifies. The fact that he is played with gusto by living superhero Dwayne Johnson only adds to that heroic charisma. Maui is also a bit of a selfish douche, but eventually answers the call of heroism in order to restore the heart of the giant goddess Te Fiti, and fights a ton of big sea monsters along the way. The big guy also has immortality and sentient tattoos, which at a certain point is almost gilding the lily but who are we to complain? Although hes not a comic book-accurate representation, Mauis fellow Pacific Islander Jason Momoa certainly bears some resemblance as Aquaman with his numerous tattoos and overall heroic reluctance.

The Southeast Asian hero Raya is a girl right after Frank Millers heart. Shes badass, excels at martial arts and hand-to-hand combat as well as weapons like swords and sticks, and rides a big bug/armadillo creature named Tuk Tuk just like Millers beautiful assassin Elektra! Okay, maybe Elektra never rode a giant bug-thing, but the similarities are definitely there. Raya is part of the street-level superhero tradition where the persons natural talents and skills more than make up for their lack of standard powers. There is a magical gem at the center of the story with some degree of true power, but its really mostly a MacGuffin to take Raya on her heros journey.

What other Disney characters are secretly superheroes? Lets discuss in the comments!

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Encanto and 10 Other Disney Animated Movies That Are Secretly Superhero Films - IGN SOUTH EAST ASIA

Louis Ren Beres, a specialist on matters of nuclear weapons and world politics, analyses whether the ends justify the means while engaging in counter-terrorism...

Nothing is real that is not eternal.

Miguel de Unamuno, Tragic Sense of Life (1921)

Though inconspicuous and easily misunderstood, there is no conceivably greater power in world politics than power over death. On its face, this preeminent form of power is problematic (how, after all, can one human being ever offer eternal life to another?) and is contingent on an irrepressible hunger of immortality. Nonetheless, if one were to survey the current landscape of global Jihadist terrorist organizations a landscape made more worrisome by the recent US defeat in Afghanistan and by expanding Sunni-Shiite polarities in the Middle East the nexus between martyrdom operations and life-everlasting would appear firm.

For the United States and Israel in particular, it is high time to understand the following: Improved counter-terrorism is never just about tangible strategy and tactics. In all such generally time-urgent matters, there are corresponding and converging elements of law. More precisely, those far-flung Jihadist insurgents who would seek to justify violent attacks on Americans and/or Israelis in the purifying name of religious martyrdom are acting contrary to authoritative international law. This is because all insurgents, even those who very passionately claim a just cause, must satisfy longstanding jurisprudential limits on permissible targets and permissible levels of violence.

In pertinent jurisprudence, these matters are not complicated. Under binding international law, even the most sacred rights of insurgency exclude the intentional targeting of civilians and/or the use of force to inflict gratuitous suffering. Frequently quoted witticisms notwithstanding, all is not fair in war. Not at all.

As for fairness in love, that is a separate issue. Accordingly, we can leave the well-worn adages to others.

Still, the legal bottom line is plain: Violence is terrorism whenever politically-animated insurgents murder non-combatants, whether with guns, knives, bombs or automobiles.

Sometimes, martyrdom-seeking terrorist foes advance a discredited legal argument known as tu quoque. This argument stipulates that because the other side is allegedly guilty of similar, equivalent or even greater criminality, our side is necessarily innocent of legal wrongdoing. Jurisprudentially, any such disingenuous argument is always wrong and always invalid, especially after the landmark postwar judgments of the Nuremberg (Germany) and Far East (Japan) ad hoc tribunals. Reciprocally, tu quoque arguments can never be used as a properly valid justification by any nation-states counter-terrorist authorities.

There is more. For both conventional armies and insurgent forces, the right to use armed force can never supplant the peremptory rules of humanitarian international law. Such primary or jus cogens rules (rules that permit no derogation) are normally referenced as the law of armed conflict or the law of war. Moreover, these synonymous terms concern state and sub-state participants in any armed conflict.

Endlessly, and without a scintilla of law-based evidence, supporters of terror-violence against non-combatants insist that the ends justify the means. Leaving aside the ordinary ethical standards by which any such argumentation must be dismissed prima facie as corrupt or indecent, the ends can never justify the means under binding international law. Further, there can be no defensible ambiguity regarding this significant conclusion.

For more than two thousand years, variously unassailable legal principles have specified that intentional violence against the innocent is always prohibited. This universal prohibition applies with equal validity to counter-terrorism operations, even those expressing manifestly moral and legal foundations. Under no circumstances can any nations counter-terrorism authorities be permitted to disregard the ordinary minimum standards of global human rights law. This is the case even when pertinent insurgent adversaries (individually or collectively) have been pre-designated as terrorists.

Prima facie, no such preemptive pre-designation can ever be exculpatory with regard to collective or arbitrary arrest, inhumane prison conditions, or the basically immutable human right to file an appropriate legal appeal.

Empty witticisms can never make binding law. In law, whether codified or customary, one mans (or womans) terrorist, can never be another mans (or womans) freedom-fighter. Although it is certainly correct that insurgencies can sometimes be judged lawful or even law-enforcing (consider American revolutionaries of the 18th century or Jewish anti-British insurgents of the mid-20th century), even allowable resorts to force must conform to the humanitarian laws of war.

Always.

Whenever an insurgent group resorts to manifestly unjust means, its actions constitute terrorism. Even if adversarial claims of a hostile occupation were to be accepted as entirely reasonable (e.g., Israel and the Palestinians), corollary claims of entitlement to any means necessary would remain patently false. As has been long-established under international law, most explicitly at Hague Convention No. IV: The right of belligerents to adopt means of injuring the enemy is not unlimited.

International law cannot be shaped or articulated ad hoc. Always, it has specifically determinable form and content. It cannot be casually invented and reinvented by terror groups or by non-member observer states (the Palestinian Authority) to justify selectively adversarial interests. This is especially the case where terror violence intentionally targets a designated victim states most fragile and vulnerable civilian populations.

There is more. National liberation movements that fail to meet the test of just means can never be correctly protected as lawful or legitimate. Even if relevant law were somehow to accept the questionable argument that certain terror groups had fulfilled the valid criteria of national liberation, (e.g., Iran-supported Hamas or Hezbollah), these groups could still not satisfy equally relevant legal standards of discrimination, proportionality, and military necessity. These enduringly critical standards were applied to insurgent or sub-state organizations by the common Article 3 of the four Geneva Conventions of 1949, and (additionally) by the two 1977 Protocols to these Conventions.

Standards of humanity also remain binding upon all combatants by virtue of certain broader norms of customary and conventional international law, including Article 1 of the Preamble to the Fourth Hague Convention of 1907. This rule, commonly called the Martens Clause, makes all persons responsible for the laws of humanity, and for the associated dictates of public conscience. There can be no exceptions based upon a presumptively just cause.

Under international law, even when inflicted by a non-member observer state (e.g. Palestinian Authority), the ends can never justify the means. Reinforcing the case of war between states, every use of force by insurgents must be judged twice, once with regard to the justness of the objective and once with regard to the justness of the actually applied means. There are no discernible exceptions.

Under law, terrorist crimes mandate universal cooperation in both apprehension and punishment. Inter alia, as punishers of grave breaches under international law, all states are expected to search out and prosecute, or extradite, individual terrorists. In no conceivable circumstances are states permitted to regard terrorist martyrs as forgivable or exculpable freedom fighters.

This is emphatically true for the United States, which incorporates international law as the supreme law of the land at Article 6 of the Constitution and which was formed by its Founding Fathers according to timeless principles of Natural Law principles largely originating in the Hebrew Bible. Though generally unrecognized, core legal authority for the American republic was derived from William Blackstones justly famous Commentaries.

Ex injuria jus non oritur. Rights can never stem from wrongs. Even if adversaries of the United States and Israel continue to identify the most recalcitrant jihadist insurgents as martyrs, such treatment could have no exculpatory or mitigating effect on attendant terrorist crimes. These Jihadist foes are animated by the most plainly compelling form of power, the power of immortality or power over death. Inevitably, power over death will trump all other kinds of power, including those tangible forms based on aircraft carriers, missiles or variously other advanced weapon systems.

Always, for both Washington and Jerusalem, a primary orientation of law-based engagement in counter-terrorism should coalesce around enemy attractions to power over death. For certain of these enemies, we have just seen, nothing is conceivably more real than what is eternal. At the same time, neither Israel nor the United States should ever presume that egregious terrorist crimes automatically justify absolutely any forms of response.

In correct legal assessments of terrorism and counter-terrorism, the ends can never justify the means. Going forward, the real task will be to operationalize this primary understanding in both insurgent and counter-insurgent calculations. This could happen, but only if the persuasiveness of international legal norms can first reinforce the incomparable promise of power over death.

Louis Ren Beres (Ph.D., Princeton, 1971) is the author of many books and articles dealing with nuclear weapons and world politics. In Israel, he was Chair of Project Daniel (2003). Professor Beres most pertinent scholarly writings can be found at Israel Defense and in the Harvard National Security Journal (Harvard Law School); The International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence; The Brown Journal of World Affairs; Yale Global Online; The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: Parameters: Journal of the U.S. Army War College; JURIST; The War Room (Pentagon); Modern War Institute (West Point); The Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs; World Politics (Princeton); The Jerusalem Post; International Security (Harvard); and Oxford University Press (Oxford Yearbook of International Law and Jurisprudence). Dr. Beres was born in Zrich, Switzerland, at the end of World War II. His twelfth and latest book is Surviving Amid Chaos: Israels Nuclear Strategy, Rowman & Littlefield, 2016 (2nd ed., 2018).

Suggested citation: Louis Ren Beres, Counter-Terrorism, Martyrdom and the Hunger of Immortality: Re-defining the Relevance of International Law, JURIST Academic Commentary, November 18, 2021, https://www.jurist.org/commentary/2021/11/louis-rene-beres-counter-terrorism-martyrdom/.

This article was prepared for publication by Sambhav Sharma, a JURIST Staff Editor. Please direct any questions or comments to him at commentary@jurist.org

Opinions expressed in JURIST Commentary are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JURIST's editors, staff, donors or the University of Pittsburgh.

Continued here:

Counter-Terrorism, Martyrdom and the 'Hunger of Immortality' - JURIST

San Jose, California--(Newsfile Corp. - November 23, 2021) - Metaverse creation platform MetaSpace raised $21 million in tokens and equity in its latest Series A round with SpaceY 2025.

In the next 100 years, there will be two great migrations of mankind. One to space and planets like Mars. The other to a digital parallel world in the Metaverse. This will finally be another contribution to the continuation of civilization and to realize the immortality of life. MetaSpace is a metaverse creation platform and has recently released the first tower defense game created with MetaSpace, SpaceY 2025.

SpaceY 2025 not only excites many KOLs and 120,000 player and community fans worldwide, but also numerous high-profile investors. The 3D Metaverse sandbox game about colonizing and defending Mars raised a total of $21 million in tokens and equity in its recent series A round: Among them are Ash WSB, Draper Dragon, Formless Capital, Huobi Ventures and Magnus Capital - just to name a few.

For Robin Duan, founder of SpaceY 2025, the metaverse cannot be built using the original Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol Internet architecture. Through the ERC-721 and ERC-1155 protocols, it is possible to clarify ownership in the virtual world. "The Metaverse introduces a new universe where each of us can be the creator in this parallel world. The oasis in Ready Player One and cyberspace in Cyberpunk 2077 become reality," says Robin, who has more than 20 years of experience in online games.

Dora Yue - Founder of OKEx Blockdream Ventures shares insights on GameFi and Metaverse and the reasons for investing in Spacey 2025:

"Axie Infinity soared violently from 0-3 billion in 3 years, a game to breed & battle with 1.85 million DAUs, which gamers could earn by Play. SpaceY 2025 is one of the most graphic examples of new-edge gaming experiences, where the community or game players could easily connect and own their property with NFTs, exploring the Mars LANDS and trading the valuable creations such as Martian assets and other digital items freely governed by its DAO."

Story continues

Harry Yin - Researcher from Huobi Ventures on why SpaceY 2025 was added to the portfolio as a Metaverse and GameFi project:

"The metaverse is the future of online gaming, and hardcore gamers have always expected it. Huobi Ventures decided to invest in SpaceY 2025 because it is a revolutionary project. It's worth noting that the SpaceY 2025 team is one of the first teams to do a 3A project."

Richard Wang - Partner of DraperDragon Fund about the investment in web3.0 and SpaceY 2025:

"Draper Dragon has invested in Web3.0 based on the belief that it is an essential new development. The Metaverse, as a new lifestyle of human civilization, will definitely be based on Web3.0. That's why Draper Dragon invests in innovative projects that can bring the Metaverse further into everyday life - like SpaceY 2025."

Jonathan Allen - Co-founder of Magnus Capital on the decision to fund SpaceY 2025:

"The Metaverse and GameFi have captivated an industry known for innovation. SpaceY 2025 aims to push those sectors to new heights with their beautiful game design, polished looks, and diverse ecosystem. Magnus Capital is honored to support a team as passionate and experienced as Blockfish on their journey."

Ash - Founder of AshWSB sharing the reasons to invest in the Metaverse and the GameFi sector in general and SpaceY 2025 in particular:

"The metaverse is going to be the next innovative space bridging different opportunities across everyone whether it be social, finance or gaming sector. SpaceY 2025 is delivering the essential components to garner my attention as an impressive project."

Juliet Su - Partner at New Tribe Capital explains what led them to allocation into the Metaverse and GameFi sector and SpaceY 2025:

"New Tribe Capital views the Metaverse and Gamify sector as one of the fastest growing sectors in the blockchain ecosystem for the next decade. SpaceY 2025 is a project that gamifies the blockchain by offering players incentives to earn while playing. (...) New Tribe Capital could not resist investing in such a revolutionary project."

Vn Qun - Co-Founder Titans Ventures on Metaverse and SpaceY 2025:

"Metaverse is expected to be an attractive investment that will bring many great solutions to humanity. SpaceY2025 has an excellent vision and is built by a very well-trained team, which makes Titan Capital believe in the future success of Metaverse NFT Blockchain and opens more opportunities for crypto investors."

Cecilia Li - Director of Formless Capital, explains the reasons for investing in SpaceY 2025, Metaverse and GameFi:

"Formless Capital believes GameFi can be one of the best opportunities for blockchain projects to finally achieve mass adoption and real use cases with solid, organic community engagement. Formless Capital has known the founder for many years and believes in his skills and experience. The studio has already launched very successful tower defense games. The Mars theme is also very appealing and the polished graphics and rendering quality will provide an advanced blockchain gaming experience."

About SpaceY 2025

SpaceY's vision is to become one of the leading open-source metaverse platforms that allows all players with or without programming skills to easily create independent games. That is how they want to realize their mission: use blockchain technology to inherit human culture genes and create a virtual parallel world based on a silicon-based civilization through NFT assets.

The investments will fund the further development of the SpaceY game series. A beta version was already published on the website in July 2021. The full version is expected for the end of November 2021. Additional versions for Steam and mobile gaming are planned for 2022. The team will continue to improve the game in order to offer its fans great and completely new gaming experiences - while they are also benefiting financially through the "play-to-earn" concept.

More about SpaceY 2025

Website: https://www.spacey2025.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/spacey2025Telegram (International): https://t.me/Spacey2025Telegram (Chinese): http://t.me/SpaceY2025ChinesecommunityTelegram (Russian): https://t.me/SpaceY2025_RussianTelegram (Arabic): https://t.me/SpaceY2025ArabicTelegram (Vietnamese): https://t.me/SpaceY2025VietnamDiscord: https://discord.com/invite/cUeNS8UzGWEmail: support@spacey2025.com

Learn more about SpaceY 2025: https://cointelegraph.com/press-releases/spacey-2025-metaverse-v1-is-online

PR ContactWebsite: Crypto World SeoContact: Sweta ChatterjeeEmail: info@cryptoworldeo.comTelegram: @swetachatterjee

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/104663

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Metaverse Creation Platform Metaspace and SpaceY 2025 Closes A Series with $21 Million - Yahoo Finance

K-dramas, at least in the previous decade can be defined as slotted in the 'pre Goblin' era and a 'post Goblin' era! The classic K-drama revolves around Kim Shin (Gong Yoo), a military general from the Goryeo Dynasty who has been cursed with immortality for committing the treacherous crime of killing soldiers in his tenure as a military general. The only way to put an end to his immortality is the Goblin's bride, whose aid in pulling out the sword will end his painful immortality. Ji Eun Tak (Kim Go Eun) summons the Goblin by chance and their tragic fates intertwine, revealing deep-rooted relations of the past between them.

The drama not only became a darling with the masses but over the years, has achieved cult-like status amongst K-drama fans! Not only did the critically acclaimed drama dominate the rating chart, but it led to a sudden surge in the popularity of 'fantasy' themed K-dramas! In the same year, we had Lee Min Ho and Jun Ji Hyun starrer 'Legend Of The Blue Sea', Lee Jong Suk and Han Hyo Joo's 'W: Two Worlds' and of course the multi-starrer 'Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Goryeo' amongst others.

However, five years down the line, there is an over-crowding of dramas in the 'fantasy' space and the passionate K-drama fan in me is not exactly happy with this development! I, for once am a fan of fantasy-themed K-dramas and have loved watching some amazing dramas in the genre as well. It also helps that Korean makers ace this genre so beautifully and have given us some wonderful gems in the form of 'Hotel Del Luna', 'The Master's Sun', 'Chicago Typewriter', 'My Love From The Star', 'A Korean Odyssey' to name a few fan-favourites amongst the best. But now, it seems like every second drama up for release has a 'fantastical' element to it, dealing with grim reapers, goblins, gumihos or some kind of ghosts! It is almost as if audiences are waiting for that plot twist to happen!

What started as an interesting 'novel' K-drama genre has now become almost unimaginative due to over-exposure and over-usage! It is only enjoyable now if used creatively and innovatively. '18 Again', where the protagonist goes back to his younger self to win over the love of his life or 'Signal', where a team of detectives rely upon an old two-way radio to solve blood-curdling criminal cases or 'The Uncanny Counter' which has been meted out some fresh treatment from its makers, making it a crowd-favourite.

There isn't a problem with the genre in itself, but what it needs is some serious reinvention with story-telling and presentation, perhaps the next decade offers us another classic in the genre. *Fingers Crossed*

Join the biggest community of K-Drama fans live on Pinkvilla Rooms to get one step closer to your favourite K-Celebs!Click here to join.

ALSO READ: Goblin: The Lonely God review: Good actors, good storyline but a CRINGEY romance

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Are we witnessing an overkill of the 'fantasy' K drama genre? - PINKVILLA

The Hall of Fame and Cooperstown Museum, has made official the ballot with each of the men among whom the next inductions to immortality will be chosen, in a ballot that has four Dominican players and two others from Venezuela as the Latino representation.

Of the Dominicans, outfielders Sammy Sosa and Manny Ramrez will have their tenth appearance on the ballot for the Hall of Fame (and last if they are not elected), while the next two representatives of Quisqueya la Bella are from Alex Rodrguez and David Ortiz, both at his first chance to immortality.

Rodrguez arrives with the tie of a full season suspension in 2014 after the use of doping, while another case related to steroids such as in 2009 reveals that he had used prohibited substances in 2003 before the league adapted policies against such cases against naturalness. of the game.

David Ortiz with everything ahead of him to be chosen, the breakdown would only be expected about developing most of his career as only an offensive player, although with the path made after Edgar Martnez today under the same conditions he rests in immortality.

Among Dominicans facing their last trip to the ballot, the rockiest road is made starting with Manny Ramrez who was suspended in 2009 and 2011 for steroid use, for a time of 50 and 100 games, respectively. While Sammy Sosa is accused without being proven of having used prohibited substances, who has in his favor that before 2003 there was no policy against this.

In addition to the aforementioned cork bat that was discovered, although the Dominican has the perfect slice. His position was always that it was a practice bat and the one that he intentionally used in an official game, although among other bats that were reviewed, no other trace was found that could look like a trap.

At least his offensive numbers leave David Ortiz as Hall of Fame, a 10-time All-Star player and 7-time Silver Bat bases. He has 2,472 career hits, including 541 home runs, 1,768 RBIs and a .286 / .380 / .552 offensive line.

He accumulated a total of 55.3 Wins Over Replacement (WAR) in his career, while a WAR7 as the representation of his best seven years in the league of 35.2, who for every 162 games averaged a WAR of 3.7 in his entire career in the pitch.

Possibilities: enter.

Statistics to enter has them all and one more chin, although his record for doping leaves everything to the discretion of the voters. Since 3 times MVP, 14 All-Star selections, 10 Silver Bats and 2 Gold Gloves. A career of 3,115 hits, 696 homers, 2,086 RBIs and an offensive slash line of .295 / .380 / .550.

With 1,272 games played at shortstop and 1,194 games at third base, his 117.5 lifetime WAR is the second-highest for a shortstop defender, as is his 64.3 WAR in his best seven seasons, while decorating such majesty. at 6.8 WAR for every 162 games played.

Possibility: criteria of the voters.

The Dominican watched most of his games with 1,037 from left field. Throughout his career he had 12 All-Star selections and 9 Silver Bats, connecting 2,574 hits, 555 home runs and a .312 / .411 / .585 offensive line.

His career WAR of 69.3 is 3.6 higher than the league average for players who have participated in the LF and finished in the Hall of Fame, while he had WAR in his best seven seasons of 39.9 and 4.9 WAR. on his average for every 162 games.

Possibility: criterion of the voter.

The native of San Pedro de Macoris among his award-winning career includes an award for MVP, 7 All-Star and 6-time Silver Bates. He had a career of 2,408 hits, including 609 home runs, having 1,667 RBIs and a .273 / .344 / .534 offensive line.

His total WAR of 58.6 ends up falling below the average for a Hall of Fame as RF (average of 72.1), equal to his WAR for every 162 games of 4.0 (5.1 of average), but his WAR in his best seven seasons of 43.8 is 1.3 out of the league average, as a result of how shocking it was in an era in history as the home run rivalry against Mark McGwire.

Possibility: criterion of the voter.

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Probabilities of Dominican players to the Hall of Fame 2022 - Central Valley Business Journal