Category Archives: Life Extension

Tuesday, October 26, 2021

Media Contact: Gail Ellis | Communications Specialist, Copywriter | 620-515-2498 | gail.ellis@okstate.edu

In a profession that involves backbreaking labor, life-altering financial decisions and the favor of Mother Nature, farmers and ranchers are especially vulnerable to mental health issues.

The number of Oklahomans who struggle with a mental health condition such as anxiety or depression jumped 25% during the pandemic, according to the Oklahoma-based, nonpartisan Healthy Minds Policy Initiative. The initiative also reports the states rural suicide rate has increased 27% since 2017, compared with a 3% rise in urban areas. Thats why the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry requested help from the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences and OSU Extension to develop Heal the Harvester, a Project ECHO line of assistance for rural Oklahomans. Hundreds of Project ECHO programs worldwide connect community providers with support specialists through virtual sessions on learning and mentorship. OSUs Project ECHO offers several training courses on topics, such as addiction medicine and pediatric psychiatry.

Heal the Harvester launched in October to help increase awareness of needs and resources to support rural residents experiencing mental health crises.

Life in agriculture is sometimes tough and isolating, said Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture Blayne Arthur. Producers are certainly some of the most resilient people, but natural disasters, disease, retailer demands, market uncertainties and misconceptions, and a seemingly growing list of other issues, wear on everyone.

While OSUs Project ECHO provides the management and information technology infrastructure for Heal the Harvester, OSUs Jason Beaman facilitates video sessions on mental health education and consultation for Extension educators. Beaman is chair of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at OSUs Center for Health Sciences and the executive director of training and education for OSUs National Center for Wellness and Recovery.

Extension educators interacting with farmers and ranchers on the ground is paramount, he said. When someone comes into a county Extension office with schizophrenia, or a rancher is going to lose his ranch because of alcohol disease, educators can offer information and support. We want to equip educators with the skills to do their daily jobs even better.

The education segment of each biweekly video session involves a 15- to-20-minute lecture followed by designated time for Extension educators to discuss real cases of farmers or ranchers in need of mental health assistance. Beaman answers questions and directs educators to therapists, physicians and other mental health professionals.

Damona Doye, associate vice president of OSU Extension, said helping health care providers reach people in rural areas where access is limited is a blessing to many families. Educators naturally connect with farmers and ranchers, families and youth.

Addressing mental health issues contributes to our mission of providing practical, research-informed knowledge for communities, Doye said. Weve assisted in this educational area throughout my career, dating back to challenges experienced during the financial crisis. The pandemic has added to everyones stress, and we want to assist.

Beaman has also conducted research that shows the opioid epidemic, often a factor in mental health struggles, has affected more residents and spread faster in rural counties than any other demographic.

Farmers and ranchers have a strong work ethic that sometimes works against them, Beaman said. When they are injured and are instructed to take it easy, they take medication to work through the pain. Opioids block the pain the body uses to signal a need for rest.

As the Heal the Harvester program progresses, Beaman plans to identify three county Extension offices that can offer telemedicine services. Heal the Harvester training is funded through support from ODAFF and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In addition to the program, Arthur said there are other resources available that also address the unique challenges of production agriculture.

Reach out, check in, lighten a load, have a conversation with a friend, Arthur said. We are all in this together.

More information about Heal the Harvester is available online.

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Heal the Harvester: Extension partners to address mental health challenges for farmers and ranchers | Oklahoma State University - Oklahoma State...

CIRCLEVILLE The Pickaway County OSU Extension Office is offering a challenge this holiday season to help keep people in the right mindset.

Michelle Treber, extension educator, said their six-week email wellness challenge is aimed to help people play your way through the holidays, which is also the name of this years winter challenge.

The email challenge connects participants with tips, research and resources to help you navigate life so you can spend time doing things that are truly important to you, Treber said.

During the week of Nov. 8, all registered participants will receive a pre-challenge message. Participants will then receive twice-weekly emails from Nov. 15 to Dec. 20.

Participants will have access to optional resources available, including the Ohio State University Extension Live Healthy, Live Well Blog and Facebook pages, a free four-part wellness webinar series and a fun bingo card. Pre- and post-challenge online surveys will be used to track participant progress and comments.

Play Your Way Through the Holidays will challenge you to make play a part of your holiday season through traditions, gratitude, food, communication, activity and laughter, Treber said.

The program is being offered for free and is sponsored by the Ohio State University Extension Office. To sign up, visit go.osu.edu/lhlwpickaway. A short questionnaire will precede the registration. The deadline to sign up is Nov. 5.

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OSU Extension offering course to promote positive holiday seasons - Circleville Herald

Cutting-edge ideas and proposals for the future of the Air Force include eliminating the F-15EX Eagle II, increasing F-35 production, and beginning a new-start Multi Role X stealth fighterprogram.

A newlyreleased Mitchell Institute for Aerospace report, titled The Future Fighter Force our Nation Requires: Bridge to the Future, outlines a series ofinnovative ideasintended to ensure the Air Force fleet can sustain global dominance in a world increasingly filled with Chinese and Russianfifth-generation stealth fighter aircraft. The report lists a number of detailed recommendations,includinga call to completely divest F-15C/DEagle, A-10CWarthogs and F-15EStrike Eagleinventories. The recommendations reflect a significant overall sensibilitythatfavors new over legacy, meaning 1980s-erafourth-generation fighters should move toward extinction and platforms such as an upgradedfifth-generation F-22Raptor, F-35fighter jetsorsixth-generationNext Generation Air Dominance(NGAD), which willexpand even further as defining elements of a future force.

The U.S. Air Forces ability to secure the sky is in crisis, the study suggests.

The thinking expressed in thestudy seemsto be grounded in thebelief that Russian and Chinese air defenses are too advanced, precise and effective for older airframes to survive.Thats whythe MitchellInstitute for Aerospace reportcalls for the divestiture of the much-discussed and massively upgraded F-15EX, as it is still afourth-generationairframe from the 1980s.

Although F-15C/Ds, the F-16C/Ds, and A-10Cs have all benefited from service life extension and modernization programs, the fact remains that they cannot be upgraded to the point where they can survive in advanced threat environments,according tothe study.

The study recommendscontinued life forthe F-16Fighting Falcon. This is perhaps related tothe role it can play inhomeland defense missions andotherscenarios where the Air Force has already achieved air supremacy. This may be in large measure based upon the realization that, while much less expensive than new-build F-15EXEagle II, upgraded F-16Fighting Falcons caneffectively performany missions requiringfourth-generation technology.For instance, the F-16Fighting Falconhasreceived a number of successful service-life extension enhancements, measures which include enhancements to the structure, airframe,weapons and electronics.

Additionally, the studys support for the F-16Fighting Falconis accompanied by a clear calf for a new-build, freshly designed stealthy aircraft able to embrace some of the missions expected for the F-16Fighting Falcon.Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Brownhasdescribedthe Multi-Role X conceptasbuildingsomething new and different thats not the F-16that has some of those capabilities, but gets there faster andfeatures a digital approach,according to the report.

Anew-start fighter program loosely modeled on the original Lightweight Fighter and F-117 program may be a good idea, per the report.If the service wants recapitalization options other than the F-35A and NGAD for the 2030s, it must begin a new-start fighter competition now.This wouldleverage thelong-term benefits of building a new platform with open architecture and common IP protocol standards such that it has the technological infrastructure to upgrade quickly as needed when new technologies, weapons, computing and avionics emerge, according to the report.

Another legacy fighter that receives even more support than the F-16Fighting Falconin the study is, not surprisingly, the F-22Raptor. The study expresses a measure of regret that the F-22Raptoracquisition program was truncated prematurely, resulting in a lesser-than-expected number of jets.What seems significant about the study is that, despite the rapid progress and promise of a paradigm-changing sixth-generation aircraft, the superiority of the F-22Raptoras an air dominance fighter is highly cherished as key to the future. This makes a lot of sense when one considers that the F-22Raptoris not only a stealthyfifth-generation aircraft believed to outmatch any fighterjetin the world, but theweaponsplatform continuesto receiveadditional lethalweapons, sensors, computing and avionics upgrades. Software upgrades have in recent years greatly hardened the targeting and flight guidance systems of crucial air-to-air weapons such as the AIM-9XSidewinderand AIM-120DAMRAAM. Expanding range, resiliency, precision and guidance technology on these weapons mightincrease their versatilityshould they come up against Russian or Chinesefifth-generation fighters.

Simply put, theAir Force simply needs larger numbers of fighter jets. This recommendation is grounded in the realization that even some of the most advancedfifth andsixth-generation fighters are likely to be lost or destroyed in a high-end conflict against an extremely advanced adversary such as Russia or China. The report usesthetermoperational density to argue that greater numbers of fighters will be needed in the event of some kind ofair war.

The future force must have additional reserves available to ensure operational density and tempo do not suffer from fighter battle damage and attrition,according tothe study.

Kris Osborn is the defense editor for the National Interest. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the ArmyAcquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.

Image: Flickr / U.S. Air Force

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Securing the Sky: Why the Air Force Isn't Ready for a Next-Gen War - The National Interest

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JUNE 18: Kevin Huerter #3 of the Atlanta Hawks reacts with Trae Young #11 after ... [+] hitting a three-point basket against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second half of game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at State Farm Arena on June 18, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

A record 11 members of the 2018 NBA draft class signed extensions before last Monday's rookie-scale extension deadline, and they weren't the only ones to secure their financial future. Veterans such as Jonas Valanciunas and Malcolm Brogdon and recent second-round picks Terance Mann and Daniel Gafford also inked new deals with their respective teams.

In total, 25 players signed extensions this offseason, according to ESPN's Bobby Marks, 24 of whom would have otherwise become free agents next summer. It's part of a sea change that's having devastating ramifications for teams pinning their hopes to free agency.

With so many players preemptively taking themselves off the free-agent market, next year's class looks increasingly bleak outside of Bradley Beal, Zach LaVine and Deandre Ayton. Since roster construction is a multi-year process, teams need to be asking themselves whether this is a short-term blip or a long-term trend to plan around.

There's reason to think it may be the latter. With the NBA's salary cap soaring to unprecedented heights, superstars aren't the only ones being presented with life-changing contract offers.

Consider this: Over the first 12 years of Michael Jordan's career, he earned a combined $28.4 million. Mann, who averaged 7.0 points in only 18.9 minutes per game with the Los Angeles Clippers last year, signed a two-year, $22 million extension earlier this month.

Atlanta Hawks guard Kevin Huerter, who agreed to a four-year, $65 million extension prior to the deadline, explained why he didn't hold out for more.

"The NBA does a good job of making $100 million seem like not a lot of money," he said after signing his extension, per Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. "To the rest of the world, my friends, my peers, my family, even $1 million is a lot of money. I tried to keep that in perspective throughout the whole thing. It's life-changing money."

For players such as Huerter and Mann, staying put on a title hopeful for $10-15 million annually may beat the allure of testing free agency. Even though they might be able to find a higher offer elsewhereparticularly given the depleted state of the 2022 free-agent classthose teams would likely be further away from legitimate title contention.

A few recent cautionary tales may also cause would-be free-agents to think twice about turning down big-money extension offers.

Back in 2017, the Dallas Mavericks offered Nerlens Noel a four-year, $70 million extension on the first day of free agency, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. He turned it down in the hope of landing a bigger offer elsewhere, but he wound up signing his one-year, $4.1 million qualifying offer with Dallas.

Noel proceeded to sign one-year minimum deals with the Oklahoma City Thunder in each of the ensuing two offseasons. He signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the New York Knicks last summer and a three-year, $27.7 million deal this past offseason, but he still has yet to recoup all the money he passed up four years ago.

Dennis Schroder likewise gambled on himself earlier this year, and it similarly backfired.

The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly offered Schroder a four-year, $84 million extension at some point last season, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst (h/t Dan Feldman of NBC Sports). He turned that down, as he reportedly wanted somewhere between $100-120 million, according to Armin Andres, the vice president of the German Basketball Federation (h/t Kurt Helin of NBC Sports).

That nine-figure offer never materialized for Schroder in free agency. Instead, he wound up settling for a one-year, $5.9 million deal with the Boston Celtics, although he at least had a good sense of humor about it.

Beyond the risk of cap space drying up in free agency, players also must weigh the risk of injuries affecting their earning potential. Isaiah Thomas and DeMarcus Cousins both looked like locks to receive max deals as recently as the 2016-17 season, but career-altering injuries wound up costing them hundreds of millions of dollars.

Between those cautionary tales and the rapidly rising salary cap, more players may become amenable to signing extensions instead of testing free agency. That could also behoove teams, as they'll be able to construct clearer long-term plans beyond "pray for a miracle in free agency and/or the draft."

Teams should be increasingly willing to offer extensions with the uncertainty of a new collective bargaining agreement and new national television contracts hanging over the league. With the cap likely to soar even higher once the new TV deals begin in 2025-26, any long-term deal signed in the next few years could look like a discount by the latter half of the decade.

The Phoenix Suns seemingly took that approach when they signed Mikal Bridges (four years, $90 million) and Landry Shamet (four years, $43 million) to extensions ahead of the rookie-scale deadline. Fresh off a run to the NBA Finals and with the sixth-best title odds this year, per FanDuel Sportsbook, they bet on continuity helping them to build upon their surprising success this year.

Every front office will be navigating these murky waters for the next few years until the new CBA and TV contracts kick in. It's impossible to know what the league's landscape will look like by the middle of the decade, or howif at allthe new CBA will address extension rules and/or the possibility of cap-smoothing to avoid a huge one-year cap spike. Signing players to long-term deals now can help mitigate those question marks.

We might not see quite as many fireworks during next years rookie-scale extension deadline. Outside of the top few picks, the 2019 draft class doesn't have as many clear-cut extension candidates as the 2018 draft class did.

But if Brogdon, Valanciunas, Terry Rozier and Julius Randle were any indication this offseason, don't be surprised if a number of veterans also wind up signing extensions over the next 12 months rather than test free agency in 2023.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats viaNBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the GlassorBasketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac.

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NBA Extensions May Have Reached A Tipping Point - Forbes

The Nuclear Plant Life Extension market study report offers an extensive assessment of the chief growth propellers, restrictions, limitations, and opportunities shaping the industry dynamics over 2021-2027, facilitating stakeholders in formulating effective growth strategies. It also stipulates the historical and present-day market framework to evaluate the future growth patterns.

Further, the research literature incorporates an exclusive section for assessing the growth potential of each industry segment. It also presents a thorough analysis of the competitive sphere by compiling detailed profiles of the major players along with a description of top strategies used by them. Moreover, the study provides the regional analysis of the industry domain to understand the market potential for the upcoming years.

Key Highlights of the Table of Contents:

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Product terrain

Application scope

Geographical landscape:

Competitive sphere:

In conclusion, the Nuclear Plant Life Extension market report has been composed carefully by assessing its various segments. Additionally, it elaborates on the important components of the industry value chain, including the raw materials & equipment suppliers, dealers, and consumers to help businesses in bringing their products to the marketplace.

The key questions answered in this report:

Reasons for Buying this Report:

To conclude, Nuclear Plant Life Extension Industry report mentions the key geographies, market landscapes alongside the product price, revenue, volume, production, supply, demand, market growth rate, and forecast, etc. This report also provides SWOT analysis, investment feasibility analysis, and investment return analysis.

MAJOR TOC OF THE REPORT:

Chapter 1 Industry Overview

Chapter 2 Production Market Analysis

Chapter 3 Sales Market Analysis

Chapter 4 Consumption Market Analysis

Chapter 5 Production, Sales and Consumption Market Comparison Analysis

Chapter 6 Major Manufacturers Production and Sales Market Comparison Analysis

Chapter 7 Major Product Analysis

Chapter 8 Major Application Analysis

Chapter 9 Industry Chain Analysis

Chapter 10 Global and Regional Market Forecast

Chapter 11 Major Manufacturers Analysis

Chapter 12 New Project Investment Feasibility Analysis

Chapter 13 Conclusions

Chapter 14 Appendix

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Nuclear Plant Life Extension market share from APAC, Europe, America application to rise at XX% CAGR through 2027 - Northwest Diamond Notes

Growing up, I heard about the American Dream a lot, not so much from my parents but from media like movies and television. The American Dream was about being a success, usually self-made. In time, I believe that Dream has evolved to encapsulate what it means to be a true American. Success, usually financial, is still a part of it, but so is this idea of us versus them.

When did this change happen, and where did it come from?

Im 37. In my lifetime, two events occurred that helped shape the America in which I now live: 9/11 and the advent of social media. In late 2001, a film was released that somehow managed to warn us about our current social climate. At least, thats how Ive managed to see it, as Ive often revisited it over the past 20 years. Vanilla Sky is about America losing its grip on reality in favor of a comforting falsehood.

Tom Cruise plays David Aames, billionaire and owner of a successful publishing company, who wakes up one morning to a quiet New York City. He drives to work, and on the way there, he, and we, begin to realize that the streets arent quiet. Theyre deserted. He continues on, eventually stopping his car in the middle of an empty Times Square. What the hell is going on? he and the audience must be asking. It turns out that David is actually having a nightmare.

Though it is never specified in the film, Vanilla Sky takes place sometime at the turn of the century, either 1999 or 2000. Writer-director Cameron Crowes remake of Alejandro Amenabars Open Your Eyes is such a time capsule of a film, representing New York (itself representing America, in as much as a remake of a Spanish film will ought to do) at a time just before 9/11.

When it premiered in theaters in 2001, just three months after 9/11, I dont think audiences necessarily wanted what the film had. As compared to the box office of other movies released that month (the prime example being the first Lord of the Rings film), it seems audiences wanted to escape far more than introspective science fiction. Heck, even critics at the time were lukewarm toward it. Just do the usual Google search for the movie and see that it currently has a 42% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Even now, as its 20th anniversary approaches, theres not much talk about Vanilla Sky. Thats a shame, because this is one of Cameron Crowes best films, and it has one of Tom Cruises finest performances. And I could go on and on about why I believe those two statements are true, but I want to focus on something Ive thought a lot about over the past two decades.

The lucid dream revelation in the final stretch of Vanilla Sky is more than just a plot device. It connects directly with the opening dream sequence, as well as the films final moment, in order to say something about artificial comfort in modern America.

This dream at the beginning of the film, of course, is more of a nightmare. In it, David is alone in the world, which for him is not something he desires. Hes a people person. He charms his way through most of his life, spending night after night with different women and then just moving on, doing his own thing. Hes living the dream, as he tells his best friend Brian at one point early in the film. This dream means existence with other people. Without anyone, life is a nightmare for David.

Davids lucid dream is supposed to be perfect, and for a while, it is. He gets the second chance he always wanted with the so-called love of his life Sofia, and he stays best friends with Brian. However, his subconscious seems to realize the people who surround David arent real. As such, again, this dream becomes a nightmare.

In the end, David is given the option of resetting his lucid dream or waking up, even though 150 years have passed in the real world. He chooses to wake up, because ultimately, a real-life, even one spent alone, is better than a dream where one is surrounded by fake people. What a statement to make.

At the end of 1999 and the start of 2000, there was a sense (true or not) that we were living in an optimistic time. The economy was doing well. Crime was down compared to the start of the decade. And, in pop culture, there was a sense that we were headed to a very interesting place with movies, television, and music.

Yet here was a film, made prior to 9/11, though certainly on the heels of the 2000 U.S. election, that suggested things werent as great as they seemed. Perhaps, the film told us, if we bothered to look closer, we would be able to understand that the American Dream we were always told about was actually an American Nightmare.

At that time, I believed this Nightmare stemmed from an unrealistic expectation of success, financial or otherwise. Nowadays, I believe this Nightmare comes in the form of social media (though still linked with the expectation of success).

This country is filled with people like David Aames or people wanting to be like David Aames. Its easy to say that this is because David is a successful white male who seemingly goes through life with more charm than actual talent, but theres more to it than that. David represents all who are scared of being alone.

In the film, David is an orphan, which explains why he is both willing to distance himself from some (his one-night stands with women) and attach himself to others (Brian and Sofia). He simultaneously wants to be with people and doesnt, because he understands that nothing lasts forever.

Except the lucid dream can last forever. And what is a lucid dream exactly? Its the notion that when we dream, we can become aware of this state and thereby take control of it. The thing is, though, the lucid dream from the film isnt supposed to make itself aware to David, which Ill get to in a moment. In this instance, the lucid dream in the film is false, much like the so-called American Dream. In both cases, the word dream is attached, suggesting an unreal state.

As such, when David is confronted by his subconscious, the following statement is made to him:

This is a revolution of the mind.

This is spoken to David a few times in the film as a way to get David to understand that he is dreaming. Essentially, the dream world is revolting against itself, breaking down the barrier that separates itself from the dreamer.

David and the lucid dream are separate, even if it seems as if they are one. After all, it is Davids subconscious that populates and moves things along. This is how he can have whatever he desires. Hes the creator of this world, and yet when the dream begins to break down, that illusion reveals itself. Life Extension is actually the creator of this world, and they even maintain it. Because of this, Davids subconscious wont accept this dream world and so rejects it.

Similarly, Americans, at times, are able to actually see through the illusion of the American Dream, usually when there is a breakdown of some sort, like powerful people in office getting away with immoral and unethical acts, or Facebook and Instagram literally going down for hours. It is at those times when a revolution of the mind occurs, and when that happens, we see the truth.

Ultimately, we can strive for the American Dream until it turns into a nightmare.

Or we can wake up.

In America, we strive for success, but the pursuit is never-ending, possibly because success encapsulates so much now. If we continue down this path, we open ourselves up to things like stress, health issues, lack of self-worth, and isolation. We run the continued risk of comparing our lives to the lives of others. As David says midway through the film:

My dreams are a cruel joke. They taunt me. Even in my dreams, Im an idiot who knows hes about to wake up to reality. If I could only avoid sleep. But I cant. I try to tell myself what to dream. I try to dream that I am flying. Something free. It never works.

If we can wake up, though, we can live our lives beyond a dream. As David says near the end of the film:

I want to live a real-life I dont want to dream any longer.

David needs people like we need each other. Modern society has replaced this need, though, with superficial friends, a la social media. This, in turn, results in a nightmare world, where the only way out is waking up, or logging off. In this sense, the lucid dream in our world consists of spaces like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc. These places allow us to not feel alone, and yet we are alone. Were isolated from one another while on these apps and web pages.

But it feels great to be with others in this virtual space of social media, even if it creates and supports herd mentality. Us versus them is nothing new, but its become ever more prevalent, whether its because of politics or even movies. Its the idea of my dream is not your dream; hence, my reality is not your reality.

Sometimes, though, perhaps all it takes is a glitch, or one of these spaces going down for a few hours, for us to see the truth once more. That social media is the collective dream weve all bought into. Then again, I suppose Im curious if America really is filled with people like David Aames. In the films final sequence, David literally calls out:

I want to wake up! Its a nightmare!

Can we do the same? Does the collective we even qualify in this case? Think about all the people who take the falsehoods found in social media and then take that into the real world. For them, its all the same. Its all a dream, and they dont even realize it. So many have bought into this new American Dream to such an extent that waking up is very unlikely for them.

The rest of us, though, can see the difference sometimes. It is in these instances that we can choose to wake up from social media to reality, which is neither dream nor nightmare. It contains many of the same elements, for better or worse. The key difference is that one is true, and one is not. Of course, reality is much scarier than social media, but thats because its real. I guess its no wonder why so many choose to stay asleep.

As we find ourselves in an America where a large portion of the population continually decides to stay in their social media dream state, its interesting to see how much has changed since Vanilla Skys release nearly 20 years ago and how much has simply morphed into a different version of the same thing.

Last year, in 2020, it was not unheard of to see an empty Times Square, thanks to COVID-19. What would a new version of Vanilla Sky need in order to suggest loneliness? Would it even need a visual metaphor, or are we past that at this point? Americans still long to be with people, but there exists actual lucid dream technology now, even if its not so literal.

We need not go to a place like Life Extension and pay untold amounts of money. All it takes is an internet connection and some kind of social media. Twenty years before America became the country it is now, Vanilla Sky gave us a statement that actually seems more relevant now than it did then. Ever since I saw it, though, these notions have been swirling in my mind, begging me to wake up.

Some days, I manage to. Other days, not so much. So many of us lose ourselves in the artificial comfort of the American Dream, whether it be financial success or the success of having as many followers online as possible. Its a tough thing to wake up from because it almost feels like giving up. I mean, why not stay and fight the nightmare? Why not do what it takes to turn that back into the dream?

Except, thats not possible, because the American Dream was never real. Some people are self-made, while most get to where theyre going with the help of others. And some stay in social media circles spewing hate, while others use social media to heal the world. It doesnt make us any less American than the other. Were all Americans. We just need to continually find ways to realize were in a nightmare and wake up.

That Vanilla Sky had ideas like these in it 20 years ago is quite something to me. Then again, it just takes time for these things to reveal themselves sometimes. Ever since I saw this film in a theater, Ive thought about the notion of waking up, and the longer I live in this country, the more I can recognize that that idea doesnt necessarily have to be taken literally. Writing this article has helped me understand that better.

David Aames is not a hero or a role model, but there is something to be said about watching a character go through a journey and genuinely coming out changed on the other side. Its classic, ideal storytelling, because how often do we change so dramatically in real life? Most people like David would be fine living the dream, even if that meant losing loved ones. Thankfully, we have characters like David who teach by example. To get away and wake up, sometimes, you have to confront your fear and jump.

Like David, Im unsure as to what exactly awaits us when we wake up. In the film, David isnt waking up to life as it once was. So much time has passed, and so much will be uncertain for him as he enters reality once again. It will be difficult for David to find comfort in the real world after so much time in his lucid dream, as it is for us when we wake up from social media, but he knows that its so much better to live a real life.

Because the thing is, waking up does not equal giving up. Its not about being unsuccessful or being unable to put up with the nonsense that seems to fill social media. Its about revolution; the end of something unreal and the beginning of something real. Its the only way we can truly live because its the difference between dreaming with our eyes closed and opening them to wake up, hence that final moment in the film. After all, dreams only exist when were asleep, not awake. Vanilla Sky tells us that no matter how appealing the dream is, its still just a dream.

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Vanilla Sky and the American Dream - 25YearsLaterSite.com

Jay Olshansky, 67, once attended a party where he was one of the youngest people in the room. The party was for SuperAgers, people over the age of 80 that have the cognitive abilities of someone 30 years younger, as part of an ongoing research study. Olshansky, a professor at the Center on Aging at the University of Chicago, felt lucky to be in the rarified presence of the 1 percent of our population whose cognitive abilities do not deteriorate with age.

When I sat around the table with them, if I closed my eyes I couldve been at a roundtable with a bunch of CEOs of major companies, Olshanksky told The Daily Beast. They were that sharp. Their age was completely irrelevant.

The SuperAgers study, run by the Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimers Disease at Northwestern University, is part of an emerging body of new research on aging and what a world where we live longer and healthier might look like. Back in the 1500s, humans used to have a life expectancy of 30. Now, life expectancy is about 77, and it might be increasing from there. One May 2021 study in Nature estimated that humans could live until 150. A September 2021 study in Royal Society Open Science journal said there is no upper limit. Other studies say nanotechnology can delay deathin some estimates, by beyond 100 years.

Whatever the final number is, having a large population of seniors could mean later retirement, more artistic contributions, and changing values for Americas youth-obsessed culture. Yet there are also some definite drawbacks to longevity and old age, even if your mind is still sharp as a tack. In a world where social safety nets are not built to handle a growing senior population, and being over 65 comes with the onset of chronic conditions, living longer than youre expected to can put people in a precarious situation. Getting people to live longer is the hard partgetting them to live well in old age is the even harder part.

Before she passed away in 1997, the 122-year-old Jeanne Calment was the oldest person alive. Anthony Davison, co-author of the Royal Society Open Science study, told The Daily Beast reaching that age could be a possibility for more of us.

Davison compared the likelihood of aging until 130 to an annual coin flip. If someone reaches 110, on their birthday, they flip a coin, he said. If it comes up heads they live to 111, if it comes up tails then they're going to die soon. The likelihood of someone who is 110 living until 130 is the chance of getting 20 coin flips all coming up heads. It could happen, said Davison. And if you have a million people flipping coins, then it's quite likely to happen.

Changiz Geula, a research professor at the Mesulam Center, has spent the last ten years co-directing the Northwestern SuperAgers study, and he told The Daily Beast getting labeled a SuperAger isnt easy. Being a SuperAger means you have the mental ability of someone decades younger. Few actually qualify. For a 2017 study, the lab screened over 1,000 people who all considered themselves to have excellent memory. Only 5 percent actually participated in the final research.

Candidates for the SuperAging study get tested on their episodic memory, their ability to remember events that occurred years ago. They also get tested on other cognitive abilities, undergo an MRI test, and take a questionnaire on their psychological well-being. Interestingly, most SuperAgers report maintaining robust social relationships.

After a decade of studying, Geula and his fellow researchers have found that SuperAgers have brains that look 20 to 30 years younger than they should, that their brains are resistant to certain protein interactions known to be signs of Alzheimers disease, and that their brains have higher levels of certain neurons that scientists think are important to communication.

As the worlds population grows, so does the number of SuperAgersand elderly folk across the board. While the pandemic has had an effect on peoples life expectancy (in America it dropped by a whole year) and climate change will have a similar effect on many, peoples lives are still being extended. According to Davison, this is due to the worlds population getting bigger and healthier (especially thanks to lower rates of smoking), and the elimination of certain cancers in Western countries.

In many countries, the oldest are actually among the fastest growing segment of the population, Geula said. When we compare them to the generation that was born in the 20s or 30s, just nutrition alone is a huge factor. Geula pointed out that the millennial generation, with its wellness obsession and unprecedented access to all kinds of vitamins, health supplements, and protein shakes, will be a sort of aging test case on the effect of increased nutrition on life extension.

On its face, that seems like excellent news. But there are some latent problems to consider, because society is simply not built to handle just a large elderly population. In Europe, retirement ages are creeping up because social security systems cant afford to care for such large populations of non-working adults, most requiring large amounts of healthcare. In England, older people are taking part-time jobs because the social safety nets they relied on cant afford to take care of them. Thats a trend we can anticipate, said Davison, People being employed longer, and maybe changing their career pattern entirely later in life.

This increase in seniors will force a reckoning of our cultural values. Economically, if we are only thinking of productivity, then we will run into a problem, Geula said. Not everyone can afford to retire, and the system cannot handle an aging population with increasing health problems. We will have to consider what is our definition of productivity and what are our values as a society.

Nir Barzilai, founding director of the Institute for Aging Research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, interviewed hedge fund manager Irving Kahn when Kahn was 104 years old. (Kahn died in 2015, at the age of 109.) When asked what would happen if his job, managing assets at his $700 million investment firm, was taken away, a still-ruthless Kahn responded that he would just buy it back.

When youre over 100 and youre healthy, like Kahn, life is good, Barzilai told The Daily Beast. What people are unhappy about is being sick. We need to target the aging process. In his view, were asking the wrong questions. Its not how long we live that mattersits how long our health lasts. In wonkier terms, its not lifespan, but healthspan we need to be obsessing aboutand targeting the aging process is key.

This could come in many different forms. The diabetes drug Metformin is thought to potentially slow aging by lowering inflammation and inducing other beneficial cellular effects that slow aging. Resveratrol, found in red wine, is thought to help stimulate the activity of anti-aging proteins in the body. Rapamycin, an immunosuppressant used to help make organ transplants safe, has been shown to help increase longevity in some cases. It may have a similar mechanism to caloric restrictiongoing on a diet without incurring malnutrition. Caloric restriction is fairly well established as a way to increase longevity and bypasses the need for pharmaceuticals or supplements, but it might also result in decreased mental integrity.

Scientists are learning that SuperAgers cortices in the brain (the region between the yellow and red lines) shrink twice as slowly as most peoples' cortices, which may explain why they retain better mental cognition and memory.

Northwestern University

None of these leads have panned out yet as anti-aging breakthroughs. Most people over 60 will develop at least one illness. The older they get, the more illnesses and complications they will acquire. We might live longer these days, but were not necessarily living healthier.

That sentiment hasnt stymied the influx of money funneling into longevity research, especially as tech billionaires and millionaires, now middle-aged, face the prospect of one day dying. In September 2013, Google cofounder Larry Page created Calico, a research lab researching the biology of aging. Peter Thiel is an investor in Unity Biotechnology, a company designing drugs to delay aging in cells. Jeff Bezos has invested in anti-aging startup Altos Labs, which wants to stop aging by directly reprogramming cells themselves. Barzilai himself is hoping to get funding for a study on Metformin.

Perhaps these wealthy investors are doomed to face the realities of old age. As opposed to making an old body young again, Barzilai thinks the real future is in slowing aging in a younger body. In the future, probably the easiest thing to do, will be to take a 20-year-old and give him a treatment once a week or once a month or once a year to basically erase the epigenetics of aging, he said. Then we have a Peter Pan who will live longer than 115.

I think the next 10 years are going to be eye-opening, Barzilai predicts. Were going to increase our healthspan all over the body. Its already happening now.

Not everyone buys into this future. Olshansky thinks all of this talk about slowing aging is nonsense. To suggest that theres no upper limit to human longevity is equivalent to suggesting that theres no limit to how fast we can run, he said. The current world record is 3 minutes, 43 seconds for the one mile run, and it would be essentially impossible for our bodies to trim that time down to two minutes.

Similarly, there are inherent limits to the functions of our body. Our teeth get weaker over time. We have nonreplicating parts of the body, like muscle fibers or neurons. The plasticity of our brainits ability to adapt to changing circumstancesdeteriorates. Aging marches on, said Olshansky. We cannot stop the process but we are searching for ways to influence it.

The SuperAgers are essentially the closest to immortality humans have ever gotten. When Olshansky got to the SuperAgers party, he said that as someone who studies aging for a living, he was impressed at the sight of all these people in one room. Its a wonderful thing to see, he said. It doesn't happen to everyone, but when it does happen, its remarkable.

Read the original post:

Maximum Human Lifespan Could Reach Age 150 Thanks to Nanotechnology and Drugs but Society May Not Be Ready - The Daily Beast

Engineering and defence giant Babcock International has welcomed more than 200 new apprentices and graduates to its Devonport operations.

The aerospace, defence and security company said the 138 apprentices and 78 graduates will support a variety of projects and business areas, from life extension programmes on frigates and submarines, to advanced manufacturing happening at the vast site in Plymouth..

The apprentice roles are varied, from welders, fabricators and pipe workers, to electrical fitters, mechanical fitters and computer numerical control (CNC) machinists, while the graduates are involved in a wide range of roles within the business including: mechanical, electrical, process and civil engineers, naval architects and project managers.

Paul Foster, Babcocks managing director for Devonport operations, said: Our apprentices and graduates have a really important role in shaping our future here and I extend a very warm welcome to all of our new recruits.

It is great to see so many new starters who will be working across different areas of the business. There are many opportunities to establish and grow a fulfilling career with Babcock and at a time of major investment across the site there has never been a better time to join us.

This year has seen an increase in the number of applications for our apprenticeship programme, building on the success of the online assessment centres from last year.

Each apprentice and graduate applicant went through a rigorous process which involved online testing and video recorded interviews.

Ryan Metcalfe, higher level mechanical apprentice, said: I chose to do an apprenticeship as I was looking to gain job experience whilst working towards a qualification at the same time, so an apprenticeship is the perfect route for me. Im most looking forward to starting a career in something that I really want to do and meeting new people who want to do the same thing as me.

Business Live's South West Business Reporter is William Telford. William has more than a decade's experience reporting on the business scene in Plymouth and the South West. He is based in Plymouth but covers the entire region.

To contact William: Email: william.telford@reachplc.com - Phone: 01752 293116 - Mob: 07584 594052 - Twitter: @WTelfordHerald - LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com - Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/william.telford.5473

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Business operations graduate Molly Richards said: After hearing from numerous employees about how reputable an employer Babcock is, I looked into the Graduate Scheme and decided to apply due to the great opportunities for job progression and support systems in place.

I put a lot of time and hard work into the recruitment process which was all worthwhile as I feel very lucky to be offered a position. Since joining Ive received much support from everyone. The work is challenging but Im enjoying learning and Im excited to see how far my career here goes.

Originally posted here:

More than 200 apprentices and graduates join Babcock in Plymouth - Business Live

Carson City resident and University of Nevada, Reno Extension Dean and Director Emeritus Karen Hinton was inducted into the National 4-H Hall of Fame in Washington, D.C. recently.

Karen Hinton, dean and director emeritus of University of Nevada, Reno Extension, and current Carson City resident, was inducted into the National 4-H Hall of Fame this week, for her lifetime achievements and contributions to 4-H, the nations largest youth development organization that develops citizenship, leadership, responsibility and life skills in youth through experiential learning.Nominated by the University of Nevada, Reno and the Nevada 4-H Youth Development Program, Hinton was one of 20 people inducted to the National 4-H Hall of Fame during the ceremony held at the Kellogg Conference Hotel at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 12. The honorees were chosen from a slew of nominations from across the country for their exceptional leadership at the local, state, national and international levels.It is a distinct honor to be chosen as a part of the 4-H Hall of Fame Class of 2021 and to see how individual laureates have significantly impacted youth across the country, Hinton said. Through their dedication and tireless effort, countless youth from diverse backgrounds, both rural and urban, have learned skills through 4-H that prepare them to navigate life and become productive citizens.At the ceremony, Hinton was presented with a National 4-H Hall of Fame medallion, plaque and memory book. Sarah Chvilicek, who worked with Hinton and is the current 4-H Program coordinator for the northern and rural parts of the state, and current Nevada 4-H Director Carrie Stark were there to see her receive her honors.It was so great to see Karen receive this well-deserved honor, Stark said. She truly used her career in 4-H and Extension to try to make a positive impact on peoples lives. Her legacy is known far beyond Nevadas borders. She is respected by Extension and 4-H leaders across the country for her innovation, hard work and passion for serving our countrys youth.As a youth, Hinton was a 4-H member in Happy, Texas, where she lived on a 1,280-acre farm. She began her Extension career in 1981, and spent the next 31 years working for University of Nevada, Reno Extension, first as an Extension home economist in Douglas County, and then as an Extension educator in Carson City. She soon moved up the ranks to the position of western area director, overseeing all Extension programs and operations for Washoe, Douglas and Storey Counties, and Carson City. In 1998, she became the dean and director of Extension, overseeing all Extension operations, statewide. She retired in 2012, after serving as the Universitys longest-serving female dean.Karen's leadership spurred many programs that made a real difference to youth, volunteers and Nevada's citizens, Chvilicek said. Almost all the 4-H events and opportunities for youth in our state have been impacted by Karen's leadership.Hinton helped create Nevada 4-H Capital Days in the 1990s, which still exists today and includes the opportunity for youth to meet state elected officials during the legislative session. Civic engagement was essential to Hinton, who always encouraged staff and 4-H youth to interact with local-level decision-makers and place 4-H in front. By providing youth opportunities to speak to local decision-makers, they gained confidence that they could make a difference at the local level. On the national level, Karen served as the co-chair of the National 4-H Task Force formed from the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy to increase the visibility of 4-H with federal legislators.Hinton drilled into her staff to assess needs at the local level and collaborate with others to address those needs. She encouraged 4-H faculty and staff to work with community agencies and organizations, such as the Boys and Girls Club and Hispanic Services' teen leadership programs to reach underserved youth. In Carson City, when teachers indicated elementary students needed to learn where their food came from, Hinton encouraged the 4-H staff to work with Nevada Farm Bureau, agriculture producers and the school district to offer students a field trip to see live animals and hands-on exhibits and demonstrations regarding agriculture and food production. The event was dubbed Capital City Farm Days, and is ongoing today.Although Hinton never lost touch with Extensions roots in agriculture and rural life, she was also one of the first to embrace new technologies to help fulfill the missions of Extension and 4-H, co-founding and serving as the board chair for eXtension, a national website/database where citizens from across the country can get answers to their questions from Extension experts. Hinton brought that same type of innovation to Nevada, where she secured funding to install interactive video conference equipment in each Extension office, allowing 4-H staff, youth and volunteers to interact with one another more often, and participate in or plan events with little or no travel costs. The technology was also made available to other groups and organizations throughout the state, to allow them to conduct business without incurring travel time and costs.Throughout her career, Hinton believed that volunteers were the heart of the 4-H Program.Karen envisioned the role of caring adults who worked with young people as very important and did not consider them just a volunteer," Chvilicek said. She valued our volunteers, and also held them to the same high standards and professionalism as she did our staff, even making sure we developed official job descriptions for our volunteers.Perhaps one of Hintons greatest passions was for 4-H camp, and in particular, the Nevada State 4-H Camp, located on the shores of Lake Tahoe, in South Lake Tahoe. During her time as dean, she led and oversaw many improvements to the camps buildings and grounds, including being on the cutting edge of energy-efficient construction, getting a green-energy-efficient cabin constructed at the camp during her tenure. She greatly valued outdoor educational experience for youth. She structured the camp program with hands-on educational workshops, evening campfire entertainment highlighting local history, cooperative games to foster a sense of belonging, and training for adult chaperones and teen counselors. She also designed an undergraduate- and graduate-level course for adults to receive college credit for volunteering as chaperones at 4-H camp.Hinton was an active member of, and at times served in leadership roles for, many national and regional associations during her career, including NAE4-HYDP, National Extension Family and Consumer Sciences, National Association County Agricultural Agents, Extension Committee on Organization and Policy, Western Extension Directors Association. In retirement, Hinton continues to be an avid supporter of 4-H and Extension. She currently serves on the fund development committee for the Nevada State 4-H Camp.

Read more:

Carson City resident Karen Hinton inducted into 4-H Hall of Fame - Nevada Appeal

According to a Trends Market research report titledLactoferrin Supplements MarketGlobal Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis and Forecast by 2021 2030. The Research study on Lactoferrin Supplements Market is a crucial document for the industry players to understand competitive Lactoferrin Supplements Market scenario. The base year considered for Lactoferrin Supplements Market analysis is 2020. The report presents Lactoferrin Supplements Market industry chain structure, market overview, present industry statistics, market share & volume. All Lactoferrin Supplements Market industry is spanned across regions namely North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East & Africa, South America and Rest. Lactoferrin Supplements Market key players analysis, regional analysis, product insights, Lactoferrin Supplements Market types, and applications are elaborated.

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See more here:

Lactoferrin Supplements Market Estimated To Experience A Hike In Growth By 2029 The Host - The Host