Lightning on the doorstep of a championship – Bolts by the Bay

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Theyve overcome injury. Theyve overcome scrutiny. Theyve overcome the ghosts of 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019. And now now the Tampa Bay Lightning are knocking on the door of their second Stanley Cup Championship in franchise history.

Theyve done it with the offensive outpouring of Brayden Point, Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman, and Ondrej Palat. Theyve done it with the stern resiliency of Andrei Vasilevskiy who has played every minute in the bubble. Theyve done it in spite of the roaring criticisms of head coach Jon Cooper.

But the job isnt done.

The Lightning enter Saturday nights game against the Dallas Stars up 3-1 in the series and can end it all with a win in game five. Two months in the bubble and they can return home as champions of the National Hockey League.

It hasnt been easy. The word Ive stressed time and time again has been resiliency. They were resilient yet again in game four. Down 2-0 in the first then Brayden Point had one of the most spectacular breakaways in Lightning postseason history thanks to an incredible pass from Palat.

Down 3-2, its Alex Killorn who rip a turnaround shot that gets past Anton Khudobin for the tie. Its Yanni Gourde who puts the team up 4-3 in the third period until Kevin Shattenkirk sees a puck redirect off his knee and go into his own goal to tie the game at 4-4.

Then thenwe get the embellishment call. Im not going to dive too much into the officiating but there is no man on earth that could have taken the shot to the groin Point did and not react the same way. And for any Stars fans reading this yes, that was absolutely a penalty on Jamie Benn. Playoffs or not, you cant scream and cry about officiating with a completely legitimate penalty while the Lightning were called for embellishment and the Stars got away with two high sticks and a crosscheck to the neck. The Lightning have one more power play in the series than Dallas. The difference is that Tampa Bay is capitalizing on their power plays while the Stars are not.

Anyway, back to Shattenkirk. The man who saw the tying goal ricochet off himself resiliency. It was off his stick that the game winning goal was sniped past Khudobin. He went from the goat to the hero in a matter of minutes.

So, it all comes down to this. The Lightning can end the series or the Stars can live to see another game. There hasnt been a team come behind from being down 3-1 in a Stanley Cup Finals and win it all since 1942. Seventy-eight years. The Stars are in a position where they are going to attempt something that hasnt been done since the league was expanded beyond the original six. Its up to the Lightning to stop them.

Its disappointing that Steven Stamkos will not suit up in game five, but as I talked about here, that 2:47 of ice time in game three may have been all his teammates needed from him to get them over the top. Its up to the men that got them to this point Kucherov, Hedman, Point, and Vasy to finish the job and bring home the cup. Dont let the Stars back in it. Dont give them a reason to believe. Step on the gas step on theirthroats and dont you dare let up for one second.

Sixty minutes away. Sixty minutes from finishing what was started in 2015. Sixty minutes from immortality. Hopefully, thats all the Lightning will need.

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Lightning on the doorstep of a championship - Bolts by the Bay

When will ‘DC’s Legends of Tomorrow’ Season 6 return? Here’s how the team might deal with Sara’s alien abducti – MEAWW

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DC's campiest, most ridiculously fun time-traveling superhero television series ended on quite a cliffhanger and fans are eagerly awaiting the show's return. Life aboard the Waverider has definitely been shaken up, as the team has made room for new members, said goodbye to some old ones and had their leader quite suddenly abducted by aliens. We take a look at where Season 5 left off, when we can expect the show return for Season 6, and what we hope happens when it does.

At the end of 'DC's Legends of Tomorrow' Season 5, the Legends managed to defeat the Three Fates, restoring free will to the world after the Fates had taken control of it and forced people to live lives with pre-written destiny. One of their own team members, Charlie (Maise Richardson-Sellers) helped the Legends fight against her fellow Fates and now that she's free of the threads of Destiny and immortality, she decides to leave the team and continue her life with her British punk band, The Smell. After going to the past to attend one last concert of The Smell, the Legends are too distracted as they leave the concert venue to notice Sara Lance's (Caity Lotz) abduction that happened right behind them.

While the Waverider is a functioning spaceship, 'DC's Legends of Tomorrow' has spent most of its five seasons galavanting through Earth's history, parodying a number of different film and television genres and properties in the process. The show has since moved on to dabbling in explorations of magic, then Greek myths, but with aliens thrown into the mix, we're hoping to see the show lean in more to science fiction and explore space more than time. While the show began as a time-travelling series, it's been made abundantly clear that 'DC's Legends of Tomorrow' can do whatever it wants to, and sci-fi battles with aliens would really switch things up.

The pandemic has put a lot of series on indefinite hold, but what helps is that 'Legends of Tomorrow', like many CW shows, is shot in Vancouver, which has fewer coronavirus concerns. Warner Bros. has committed to starting production soon on some of its Canadian-based TV shows, meaning that it's likely that 'DC's Legends of Tomorrow' could return in the spring or early summer of 2021.

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When will 'DC's Legends of Tomorrow' Season 6 return? Here's how the team might deal with Sara's alien abducti - MEAWW

Will Nicolas Cage’s Superman finally get to fly in The Flash? – The Guardian

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As rumours go, the one this week that Nicolas Cage might end up starring as Superman in Warner Bros Flash movie takes some beating. Theres every chance it was dreamed up to create waves in the blogosphere on a slow news day. Yet it is tantalising nonetheless, largely because this is just the sort of role no other actor in Hollywood but Cage would take on.

He is, after all, the actor who felt he was perfect for the role of Kal-El in Tim Burtons abortive Superman Lives, despite all evidence to the contrary. The excellent 2015 documentary The Death of Superman Lives: What Happened? even unearthed footage of the actor in costume, revealing a version of the last son of Krypton resembling a cross between Alice Cooper and an extra from Rollerball. And yet herein lies even more plausibility, for we already know The Flash is set to star Burtons Batman, Michael Keaton, as a version of the caped crusader who Barry Allen meets after crossing into an alternative reality. Given that Superman Lives would have connected to Burtons Batman films, why shouldnt Burtons Superman also appear?

The famously comic-book-crazy Cage would surely take this role in a second. He jumped at the chance to voice Superman in Teen Titans Go! To the Movies (2018) and did an excellent imitation of Adam West-era Batman as Big Daddy in Kick-Ass (2010). Never mind that in the comics Superman is shown to be eternally in his 20s or early 30s (thanks to his Kryptonian near-immortality), the 56-year-old Cage would still play him in a heartbeat.

The next question, of course, is whether we want him to. There is surely going to come a point in Andy Muschiettis 2022 film where abundant stunt casting starts to unbalance the narrative. This movie already has Ben Affleck as (another version of) Batman, and there are even suggestions that Christian Bale, Val Kilmer and George Clooney could be asked to return.

Suddenly this looks less like an intriguing big-screen adaptation of the bravura 2011 Flash graphic novel Flashpoint, in which Allen breaks the multiverse after using time travel to save his mothers life, and a lot more like the superhero equivalent of the rather rubbish 1967 James Bond comedy version of Casino Royale, in which seven different versions of 007 appear, including Woody Allen as Little Jimmy Bond. There is surely such a thing as too much fan service, and, in any case, it ought to be hard to track down more than a handful of fans worldwide who really want to see Kilmer or Clooney as the caped crusader again.

On the other hand, this is Hollywood we are talking about, an industry that almost waved through Superman Lives, a movie about a long-haired, emo man of steel that would have climaxed with a scene in which Kal-El fights a giant spider. And it is Warner Bros/ DC we are talking about, the studio that green-lit Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), a slice of celluloid garbage so pungently rotten that the whiff is still detectable four years later.

And yet maybe they could pull this thing off. The Flash could be a car crash waiting to happen, but there is still the nagging temptation to take a quick peek through your fingers at the inevitable, horrifying carnage. As screenwriter Kevin Smith said of Superman Lives: Now when you think about it, if somebody was to say, Would you like to see a Nic Cage Superman movie? Id be like, Yes, take all my money cos I want to see what that looks like.

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Will Nicolas Cage's Superman finally get to fly in The Flash? - The Guardian

The Immortal Cells of Henrietta Lacks and Infections Below the Belt – The Great Courses Daily News

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By Barry C. Fox, M.D., University of Wisconsin HeLa (Henrietta Lacks) cells are most commonly used in biological research. (Image: Heiti Paves/Shutterstock)Cervical Cancer Diagnosis

In the 1950s, many women were dying of cervical cancer. Ten years earlier, a Pap smear test was invented by George Papanicolaou.However, some women chose not to have the test done and 30-year-old Henrietta Lacks was one such woman.

Henrietta Lacks died in October of 1951, less than a year after her diagnosis. Just before Henrietta died, a surgeon took a sample of her tumor cells and put them in a petri dish. Over the next 24 hours, they kept reproducing over and over at a rapid pace and they never stopped.

In the 1950s, research scientists were looking to study human cells that could stay alive for many generations in cell culture. Human cells died within hours when attempts were made to grow them in a Petri dish. They needed cells that could reliably replicate and could be frozen to examine various intermediate stages. Lackss unlikely gift to all of us was the worlds first immortal cells.

These cells, taken from a tumor in her cervix, were known as HeLa cells.

In the 1950s, the polio epidemic was devastating and it was decided to set up a HeLa cell factory to develop trillions of cells each week to be used for vaccine development.

Having this abundant cell stock was the only way the polio vaccine could be developed quickly and mass-produced. The lab was set up at Tuskegee Institute, a prestigious Southern university. The resulting cells were sent to 23 Salk vaccine testing centers around the country and the vaccine passed the test.

Today, HeLa cells are in cell culture labs all over the world. Theyre being used for many different types of researchstudying genes that turn on and off cancer cellsand testing different drugs for their efficacy in treating everything from leukemia to influenza.

HeLa cells were also sent on several missions to outer space to see how cells behaved under zero-gravity conditions. In fact, much of the research today in the area of sexually transmitted diseases uses HeLa cells.

This is a transcript from the video series An Introduction to Infectious Diseases. Watch it now, on Wondrium.

There is also a complex mix of organs involved in other infections that involve the urinary tract, prostate gland, and reproductive organs.

Usually, bladder infections in women are uncomplicated and can be treated for 3 to 7 days. Nearly every woman has had a bladder infection, otherwise known as cystitis, sometime in her life.

Bladder infections are common in women because the bacteria found near the female urethra are similar to those near the rectal area. The rectal area has a readily abundant supply of germs to cause an infection. And since the female urethra is short relative to males, its easier for bacteria to gain access into the female urethra.

The bodys immune response will be triggered to attract white blood cells only when a true infection occurs. A true infection occurs when the bacteria invade the inner surface of the bladder wall.

Nonetheless, the presence of bacteria in the urine does not necessarily mean that there is a urinary tract infection. Sometimes, bacteria can learn to exist harmoniously in the bladder without actually causing an infection, a condition known as asymptomatic bacteriuria.

Learn more about bubonic plague, malaria, and polio.

When there is a real bladder infection, more than 90% of cases of cystitis will have symptoms. These symptoms, such as urinary frequency, urgency, burning or pain with urination, discomfort over the bladder, and often blood in the urine, are all too familiar to women. The body temperature may be slightly elevated as well.

Any infection in the elderly can cause a change in cognition as a manifestation of infection. But this change is non-specific and should be persistent or worsening before blaming a urinary tract infection, especially without bladder symptoms.

In a report in the spring of 2014 by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the unnecessary use of antibiotics for presumptive urinary tract infections was the number one cause of antibiotic overuse, and, therefore, increased the likelihood of antibiotic resistance.

There are also myths that the use of cranberry pills or cranberry juice reduces the chances of developing an infection. Although these products are safe and have no serious side effects, studies so far have not yielded any evidence in support of the usage.

Learn more about emerging and reemerging diseases.

On some occasions, the bacteria causing a bladder infection can ascend the urinary tract and lead to a kidney infection, a condition that we know as pyelonephritis. The usual symptoms include a higher fever of 101 degrees and associated pain in the flank or underneath the rib cage. However, some elderly individuals may have neither fever nor back pain and still have a kidney infection.

Pyelonephritis is a more serious medical condition, and it prompts the need for stronger antibiotics for a longer duration of up to fourteen days. This condition might require intravenous antibiotics, or even hospitalization.

Men have their own unique infection of the prostate gland, called prostatitis. If bacteria enter the male bladder, they dont have to travel very far to invade the prostate gland.

When this occurs rapidly, leading to sudden difficulties in urination and associated pelvic pain, the condition is known as acute prostatitis. An extended course of antibiotics specifically targeted at the unusual acidic environment of the prostate is needed for cure.

The cells of Henrietta Lacks reproduced over and over at a rapid pace and they never stopped.

Several studies conducted do not provide any positive evidence in support of the usage of cranberry pills or cranberry juice to reduce the chances of developing a bladder infection.

The bacteria found near the female urethra are similar to those near the rectal area and the female urethra is shorter than those of the males, its easier for bacteria to gain access into the female urethra. Hence, bladder infections are common in women.

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The Immortal Cells of Henrietta Lacks and Infections Below the Belt - The Great Courses Daily News

Holiday Gift Guide 2020: What To Buy The Psychonaut On Your List – Forbes

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With the Covid-19 pandemic in full swing, vacations might be out of the question this holiday ... [+] season, but trips are not.

From a fixture of the counterculture to a sector on the stock market, psychedelics have gone mainstream in a big way in 2020, and with that, the psychonauts in your life have likely come out of the proverbial closet. (If there isnt a friend in your circle talking about microdosing yet, its only a matter of time.)

With the Covid-19 pandemic in full swing, vacations might be out of the question this holiday season, but trips are not. After a year like this one, venturing into the recesses of the mind with the help of an entheogen could be one way to bring some clarity to 2020so long as youve put some planning and intention into your experience and youve prepared a safe and comfortable setting. Many of the gifts on this list are also complementary to meditation, yoga, and other wellness or spiritual practices.

While safety is priority number one when taking a mind-altering substance, enhancing the sensory effects of a psychedelic journey comes in at a close second. When the trip is over, integration is also key. This list was built with these things in mind.

A private online sound bath with Dynasty Electrik

Dynasty Electrik is Jenny Electrik (vocals, theremin, singing bowls) and Seth Misterka (production, ... [+] DJ, sax, guitar, vocals, singing bowls, gong).

Any experienced psychonaut knows the synesthesia that comes with a psychedelic experience begs for some sort of sound, whether its your favourite Tame Impala record or the sounds of nature. Now imagine floating along the vibrational waves of a private sound bath complete with gongs, singing bowls, flute, vocals, electronic tones, and more while your turned on, tuned in, and dropping out. Seth Misterka and Jenny Deveau, the musicians and practitioners of Dynasty Electrik, say their work at the Mystic Journey Crystal Gallery in Venice, California takes listeners on a sonic healing and restorative journey, promoting deep states of meditation and relaxation while helping to balance energy. The duo has adapted to Covid-19 by offering virtual events as well as private customized sound baths. You can assure the recipient of this gift this will be unlike any Zoom session they've had all pandemic.

Mindfold Relaxation Mask

The Mindfold mask blocks out all light while still allowing the wearer to keep their eyes open.

Invented by legendary psychedelic artist Alex Grey back in 1978, the Mindfold has since been redesigned for comfort, and is not your average eye mask. It is a light-tight eye covering that allows the wearer to keep their eyes open, making it a great tool for facilitating the journey withinalthough customers also rave about its usefulness for things like meditation, sleep, travel, and headaches. Its high-density soft foam padding makes for a comfortable fit, while the adjustable strap means it will stay in place while youre wearing it. The Mindfold comes with a pair of memory foam ear plugs to block out sound if youd prefer to deprive your senses and fully dive inward.

DoubleBlind is a biannual print magazine and media company covering "untold stories about the ... [+] expansion of psychedelics around the globe."

A subscription to DoubleBlind Magazine

The beauty of a biannual print magazine is the buildup to each issue, and the two creators behind this psychedelia-centred publication have it down pat. Since Shelby Hartman and Madison Margolin launched the magazine in 2019, DoubleBlind has become a preeminent publication on psychedelics, curating a mixture of long-form articles, poetry, art, photo essays, and more in their twice-a-year print issues. Online, DoubleBlind offers readers features with headlines likeWhy We All Need to Be Spanked and Trip Right Now and How Tripping Can Help Us Reimagine Capitalism Ahead of Psychedelic Commercialization. The magazines store offers an assortment of options including the Essentials Kit with its three latest print issues, the choice to buy individual issues, or the option to subscribe.

Artwork by Chris Dyer

Chris Dyer is a Peruvian-Canadian artist based in Montreal where he works out of his home, nicknamed ... [+] "The Positive Portal." Dyer's work is available in prints and also on clothing, home decor, and more.

The work of Peruvian-Canadian artist Chris Dyer can be described as vibrantly colorful, impeccably detailed, and positively hallucinatory. For two decades the Montreal-based artist has been creating art inspired by the psychedelic experience, painting murals and sharing his work in cities throughout the U.S. and Canada as well as in Australia, Cuba, Jamaica, and Thailand, among others. The artists medium of choice is painting, but for those who arent on the hunt for wall fixtures, Dyers online shop offers a wide variety of merchandise for the multidimensional explorer, including clothing, bedding, skateboards, tapestries, yoga mats, puzzles, pillows, and more.

The Immortality Key by Brian C. Muraresku, foreword by Graham Hancock

The Immortality Key by Brian C. Muraresku explores the role psychedelics have played in the origins ... [+] of Western Civilization.

Some theologians have said there is reason to believe Moses was tripping on a hallucinogen when he saw the burning bush. This is just one of several instances in the bible believed by some to be associated with psychedelic plant medicines. While there has been much speculation on the role psychedelics may have played in early Christianity and the origins of Western civilization, Brian C. Muraresku seeks to bring some clarity to the conversation in his debut book. In The Immortality Key: The Secret History of The Religion With No Name, Muraresku puts 10 years of research to paper, offering readers a deep dive into the connections between Ancient Greece, Christianity, and the ancient use of visionary drugs. Using scientific research, classical literature, biblical scholarship and art, Muraresku offers the real story behind Jesus and the biggest religion in the world.

Glow CBD Bath Bomb by Kush Queen

Kush Queen's Glow CBD bath bomb is a great enhancement to your post-trip soak.

After a psychedelic trip, taking time to reflect and integrate is important. Olivia Alexander is the founder of cannabis brand Kush Queen, and is an advocate for cannabis and psychedelics for health and wellness. She began her line of bath bombs for people to experience cannabis in a more approachable way. After an experience with psilocybin, one of her favourite ways to ponder it is with a bath. When I trip, I think having a bath the next morning can really take the experience deeper, like putting a period on the end of the sentence of a trip by bringing you more into your body, she says. The Glow bath bomb features 200 milligrams of hemp-derived CBD, a combination of essential oils, and a special non-toxic ingredient, mica, to make it glow in the dark. A little charge under a light before your soak and this handmade bath bomb will bring some groovy vibes to the tub. Use a black light for a more intense glow.

Chocolate molds

Psilocybin-infused chocolates make ingestion of magic mushrooms much, much more pleasant.

While some might be content to chew magic mushrooms whole, eating what tastes like a mouthful of dirt might not be the most ideal method of ingestion for some. Its easy enough to toss a couple of stems and caps onto a pizza, but the shared history of mushrooms and chocolate (well, cacao) makes them a great combinationand one thats much more delicious than eating the dried fungus on its own. The Aztecs sometimes combined cacao, the food of the gods, and mushrooms, the flesh of the gods, in a beverage to be consumed in religious ceremonies as the two ingredients are thought to have a synergistic effect. Making mushroom-infused chocolates is one way to capitalize on this connection. Combined with this DoubleBlind recipe for infused chocolates, a fun set of chocolate molds make a great stocking stuffer for the DIY-type on your list. Try Etsy for mushroom-shaped molds and Amazon for, well, anything else.

The Story of the Grateful Dead: A vinyl boxed set on 14 LPs

This 14-record set comes complete with four studio albums, four live albums, a six-episode podcast, ... [+] a book of liner notes, and a commemorative box.

Because no psychedelic-themed wish list would feel complete without a nod to the Deadheads out there, this curated boxed set by VMP is for the people on your list who were tripping on psychedelics during the Summer of Love and the years that followed. This 14-vinyl set will take listeners on a joyride through one of the deepest catalogs and richest legacies in rock history, and comes with eight essential albums, a six-episode podcast series about the band, a booklet of liner notes featuring essays by contemporary musicians about the Dead, and a commemorative box to hold it all together. Pressed on 180-gram colored vinyl, all titles but one were cut from the original analog tapes. According to VMP, the quality is so good, it sounds like the Dead is playing in your living room.

A subscription to Synctuition, a meditation app that uses 3D sound

The Synctuition app stands out from the crowd of existing mindfulness tools for its rich layers of ... [+] sound, personalization, and friendly user interface.

Meditation apps are nothing new, but for the psychonauts out there, one stands out from the crowd of existing tools for its rich layers of sound, personalization, and friendly user interface. Developed over the course of 10 years, Synctuition combines 3D sound, binaural beats, rhythmic sounds, and your own personalized frequency (determined with a voice recording when you set up the app) to provide a series of 25-minute soundscapes for meditation that promote better sleep, relaxation, clarity, lower stress, and reduced anxiety. On a personal note, I maintain a regular meditation practice and was intrigued to learn about Synctuitions features. When I tried it for the first time (without the use of psychedelics), I found myself taken to a place far away from this world, but deep within myselfprecisely where you want to be when youre meditating or on a psychedelic journey. Subscribers rave about the app, lauding it for promoting more creative thinking, a deeper connection to intuition, and even spurring lucid dreams. Find it in the app store.

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Holiday Gift Guide 2020: What To Buy The Psychonaut On Your List - Forbes

DONALD CONKEY: Sustainable societies and the great divide – Cherokee Tribune Ledger News

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Recently, while reading a talk that defined sustainable societies, I noticed that the author had discussed two societies he described as sustainable, one for many years, the other for only 200 years.

One of the two such sustainable societies he declared was the City of Enoch, the same Enoch that, according to Genesis 5:22, walked with God, and whose society was so sustainable, for 365 years, verse 23, that he was not, meaning, as it declares in verse 24 God took him, meaning as some scholars believe, that Enoch and his entire city was translated to heaven to be with God.

The author then declared that the other sustainable society was the other people with whom the Lord went to visit as recorded in chapter 10:16 of John. The history of this people in this sustainable society declared the people were all converted unto the Lords laws, as were Enochs people, where there were no contentions and disputations among them, and every man did justly one with another. This record then said that there were not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift.

As I continued to read the history of this sustainable society, I learned that this sustainable society lasted only 200 years before pride began to tear it apart. Continuing to read I learned that this tearing apart continued to grow and that in the 231st year of this society, due to pride, there took place a great division among the people.

The phrase, great division among the people, caused me to wonder just how long Americas sustainable society, that began on April 30 1789, the day that George Washington accepted the presidency of the United States in Philadelphia, had lasted before the great division amongst the people that took place on Nov. 3, 2020. In doing the math I learned that it has been exactly 231 years since Washington took office in 1789 before this great division among the people took place.

Why had the City of Enoch society lasted 365 years and this other people society lasted only 201 years? My pondering this question led me to believe that the longevity of Enochs sustainable society was because God literally walked with Enoch and pride did not hinder them during this entire period while this other society, a democracy, allowed pride to come between them and their God.

I continued to read the history of this other people to see what had transpired following the great division among the people. I learned that by the 244th year the more wicked part of the people did wax strong, and continued to wax stronger through the 260th year when they began again to build up the secret oaths and combinations of their ancestors. As I read this part of their history I could not help but think of our own secret oaths and combinations that were brought out into the open during the past four years, in what has become known as the Washington Swamp, a swamp that has fought hard not to let its history be revealed, as with the recent revelations of the son of a prominent political figure in the swamp who became rich by merchandising his fathers political connections over the course of many years.

The history of this other people revealed that as the years continued to roll by the divided people began to war with each other and after 385 years the wars became so fierce that that hundreds of thousands were slain by the sword, including men, women and the children, with one side of the division being totally killed off.

This historian who observed and recorded this history closed out his record with these words: And the day soon cometh that your mortal bodies must put on immortality, and these bodies which are now moldering in corruption must become incorruptible bodies; and ye must stand before the judgement-seat of Christ, to be judged according to your works;

As I pondered the history of this other people that had had the great divide I wondered just what course our beloved America will follow following this recent great divide between the left and right. I suppose we will learn what will happen as soon as the results of this divisive election is determined. The results, regardless of which side wins, will likely end up before the U.S. Supreme Court, and then, as they did in 2000, determine what direction America will follow, leaving it to our descendants to make the difficult choices to maintain their precious freedoms.

Donald Conkey is a retired agricultural economist who lives in Woodstock

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DONALD CONKEY: Sustainable societies and the great divide - Cherokee Tribune Ledger News

‘I’ll never be the same again’: facing family trauma in a Nazi concentration camp – The Guardian

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The new Guardian documentary, Colette, follows the remarkable story of a former member of the French resistance, as she travels to Germany for the first time to the Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp where her brother died 75 years ago. Persuaded to go on the journey by history student Lucie, 17, the pair support one another through an emotional journey into the past. When I cross into Germany Ill never be the same again, says Colette, 90.

Giacchino: In April 2018, Alice and I were in France scouting a completely different world war two story about an American veteran whose glider had crashed in Sainte-Mre-glise during the Normandy invasion. Over lunch, our tour guide told us he knew a woman in Normandy named Colette who had been in the French resistance and he offered to make an introduction.

Doyard: The first time I spoke with Colette, I was amazed by her strong mind and her vivid memories of the war. She spoke about her lost brother Jean-Pierre with a frank, truthful, yet tender tone. I knew we should help give her voice, to tell the world what she was communicating.

Doyard: We very soon had a strong interview for a memorable portrait but we wanted to show her in action, perhaps embarking with her on a new episode of her life. In filmmaking, I believe there is nothing more important than revealing the authentic experience of your characters, and we wanted to explore the deep connection Colette felt with her lost brother.

Giacchino: Eventually we wondered if Colette would consider going to Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp. But as much as we were intrigued by this notion, we felt we couldnt suggest it without a purpose beyond simply visiting the spot where her brother died. And hanging over all of this was the fact that Colette had vowed never to go to Germany, frankly telling us that she spent the last 70-plus years trying to forget this part of her life.

Doyard: In parallel, through research I discovered that a project to document the experience of French deportees to Dora was under way at La Coupole Museum near Saint Omer in France. Thats where we found a 17-year-old aspiring historian named Lucie Fouble. It occurred to us that Lucies presence on a visit would be invaluable from the point of view of Colette being able to see that this tragedy mattered to future generations. It is that which convinced her to make the journey.

Doyard: For me, having worked in very difficult situations in Congo and other zones of conflict, I am very conscious of the need to protect the emotional wellbeing of contributors. So no step was taken without careful discussion. Before each sequence we were brainstorming together about how to film it. No prejudice, no message to tell, but room for Colette to express and have the final word. The scene in the restaurant when the former mayor of Nordhausen talks to Colette about his memories of the war is a genuine expression of how we worked: when Colette wanted the camera to stop, the camera stopped.

Giacchino: Its hard to pick! The day we filmed with the former mayor of Nordhausen certainly stands out because of Colettes reaction to his words. Or Colette realising she didnt have flowers to leave at Dora for Jean-Pierre. That was hard to watch as it happened. And of course the moment Colette gave Lucie the ring. It was not only a surprise for Lucie, but for the whole crew. In an instant, we all experienced the legacy embodied in that ring and I dont think there was a dry eye among us.

Doyard: It is wise not to impose too much of the past on the present. Although authoritarianism and intolerance are on the rise we are not living in the occupied Europe of the 1940s. That said, we can learn from the example of Colette the importance of acts of resistance against tyranny and from Lucie the importance of examining history to seek its truths rather than live on its myths. In France this is particularly important because so much of the past is problematic but I believe it holds true also in a more universal sense.

Giacchino: This isnt only a problem in France, but also in the US, where there is a large movement demanding we truthfully reckon with our own past, specifically the legacy of slavery and the devastation of indigenous populations. Like Colette realises in the film, no matter how hard you try to suppress it, you can never really escape your own or your countrys past.

About the filmmakers:

Anthony Giacchino is an Emmy Award winning filmmaker living in New York. His last documentary, The Giants Dream (Warner Bros ), tells the story behind Academy Award winning director Brad Birds first feature film, The Iron Giant. His first feature-length documentary, The Camden 28, aired on the PBS series POV, and was nominated for a Writers Guild of America award for outstanding achievement in writing for the screen. Giacchino is a former Fulbright Scholar at the Albert-Ludwigs-Universitt in Freiburg, Germany.

Alice Doyard is an award-winning producer and director, with credits that include: Earthmasters: Playing God with the Climate (Arte), World War One from Above (BBC 1), Immortality A Scientific Investigation into Cryogenics (Arte), Inside Frances Young Far-Right (BBC News), Paris Attacks (BBC News), Big Screen Splendors Following Bridget Jones In London (Arte).

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'I'll never be the same again': facing family trauma in a Nazi concentration camp - The Guardian

MLB Hall of Fame: Breaking down the 2021 ballot – Call to the Pen

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(Photo credit should read KATHY WILLENS/AFP via Getty Images)

The announcement of the MLB Hall of Fame ballot is a time of excitement and remembrance. It is a chance to look back at the careers of those players, remembering their greatness and the highlights of their career. For some, it is one final chance to be in the spotlight, their names appearing on the ballot for that one year before falling off, their careers fading into the distance.

For others, it is a chance to have the fans remember how good of a player they had been. While they may not be inducted, they remain on the ballot for those ten years, their accomplishments being highlighted year after year. While they too fade away, their legacies stand out a bit longer, reverberating through MLB history a bit louder.

Then there are those select few for whom the MLB Hall of Fame ballot is a coronation. Whether they are inducted in their first year or their last year, it is a call for immortality. Those players are immortalized forever in the hallowed halls in Cooperstown, their legend secure. It is a time for celebration, of both those players and the history of the game.

Which players will get the call of immortality, finding out that they have been inducted in the MLB Hall of Fame this year? Lets take a look at the 25 man ballot.

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MLB Hall of Fame: Breaking down the 2021 ballot - Call to the Pen

X-Men: X of Swords Pushes Mr. Sinister Into a Battle With His Own Clone – Screen Rant

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In the latest issue of Hellions, Mr. Sinister has the perfect plan to avoid responsibility and danger in X of Swords... or so he thinks.

Warning: spoilers ahead for Hellions #5

Marvel's "X of Swords"event is well underway for the X-Men's island nation of Krakoa, as its ten mutant champions have gone out to collect their blades for the coming tournament against Arakko, with the winner claiming Krakoa as the prize. This is all being orchestrated by Lady Saturnyne, the regent of Otherworld, whose realm stands between Krakoa and its long lost sibling nation of Arakko, which has been taken over by the forces of Apocalypse's children. While Krakoa's Quiet Council deliberates, one of their members, Mr. Sinister, comes up with a plan to stop the coming conflict before it even starts. However, he gets more than he bargained for by proposing this plan, motivating Sinister to do something quite drastic (with hilarious results).

Mr. Sinister's amazing plan is quite sinister (surprise, surprise), but possibly very effective. Sinister wants to send his team of Hellions to Otherworld to try and steal the swordsthat Arakko's champions are searching for, thereby forcing a forfeit and precluding the need for any bloodshed or loss of life, as the mutants' ability to resurrect has been disabled. As a result, the Council reaches a majority vote to send the Hellions on a mission to fulfill Sinister's plan. However, the Council also votes to send Sinister along as well to lead his team, something that he was not expecting or wanting at all. With the Council having spoken, Mr. Sinister has no choice but to go to Otherworld and risk death. Or does he?

Related:X-Men Theory: X of Swords Will End With a Sinister Betrayal

After meeting with the Council, Sinister returns to Bar Sinister, his resident base of operations on Krakoa. Almost immediately, he thaws out one of his clones to go instead inHellions #5,written by Zeb Wells with art by Carmen Carnero. However, a clone of Sinister is still Sinister, personality and all, so why should he go when he just woke up? Caught in a stalemate with himself, the two Sinisters do the only thing they can to resolve the issue: The Noble Contest.

Of course, readers have no clue which Sinister won the "noble contest" of Rock, Paper, Scissors, though part of the fun of this interaction is that they don't really need to. Furthermore, it totally makes sense that Sinister would have his own secret and illegal cloning facility off the books, as his experiments towards creating Chimera mutantsare no doubt already underway. Plus, it comes in handy to always have a decoy and means of immortality. Even if he ends up being the one who has to risk his life, at least he can be confident that he'll live on with the next clone.

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X-Men: X of Swords Pushes Mr. Sinister Into a Battle With His Own Clone - Screen Rant

Moloney in the States as he prepares for Inoue – Big Fight Weekend

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Published on October 7, 2020

Jason Mayhem Moloney (21-1, 18KOs) returns in a Bantamweight unification bout with arguably the most feared man in Boxing The Monster Naoya Inoue on October 31 in Las Vegas at the MGM Bubble.

Inoue was originally slated to face WBO Bantamweight Title John Riel Casimero before the pandemic. Casimero opted to go in another direction and defeated Duke Micah on The Charlo Twins PPV doubleheader on Showtime late last month. Thus leaving the door open for hard-hitting Australian Bantamweight Jason Moloney.

Jason Moloney and his team arrived Friday, and both brothers were subject to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) testing on Saturday and all accompanying team members, including their career-long manager Tony Tolj and WBO #10 Flyweight Andres Campos and prospect Vegas Larfield.

The whole team had a COVID test (on Saturday), and they all came back negative and COVID-free, confirmed Jason Moloney.

Moloney opened up on facing Naoya Inoue for the Ring/WBA and IBF bantamweight titles;

It is a dream come true. This is the opportunity that I have worked towards my whole life.

My goal and my dream is to become the best bantamweight in the world, and to become the best, you must beat the best. This is the ultimate challenge, and I feel that I am 100% ready for it.

Legendary Top Rank Promoter Bob Arum discussed the upcoming Bantamweight clash.

We are going to do the Jason Moloney vs. Naoya Inoue in the Bubble, said Arum. Inoues papers and visa are cleared. Jason will fight Inoue on October 31st, and a couple of weeks later, Andrew Moloney will get a rematch with Joshua Franco. Jason Moloney is a helluva a fighter. I cannot wait to watch the Inoue-Moloney fight. That could be the fight of the year.

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Moloney in the States as he prepares for Inoue - Big Fight Weekend

What We Are Reading Today: Early Chinese Mysticism by Livia Kohn – Arab News

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Situated in the political maelstrom that marked the transition to a postwar world, The Daughters of Yalta is a remarkable story of fathers and daughters whose relationships were tested and strengthened by the history they witnessed and the future they crafted together.The Yalta conference, a pivotal meeting between the Big Three (Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Stalin) was held in February 1945 discuss the postwar reorganization of Germany and Europe.This is the story of the fascinating and fateful daughter diplomacy of Anna Roosevelt, Sarah Churchill, and Kathleen Harriman, three glamorous young women who accompanied their famous fathers to the Yalta Conference with Stalin. Author Catherine Grace Katz skillfully marshals diaries, letters, oral histories and memoirs to support her thesis that the pressures of wartime had warped normal familial bonds, so that the Western leaders relationships with their daughters had become more like those between business partners than between parent and child, said Jennet Conant in a review for The News York Times.

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What We Are Reading Today: Early Chinese Mysticism by Livia Kohn - Arab News

How best to welcome your workforce back safely?

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This coronavirus pandemic has made numerous changes in everyone’s life and has also affected our finances and business sector badly, although people had set up virtual systems and started completing their work from home, mostly the employers and employees have suffered loss, so here the good news is that now the condition is getting better and the situation has been controlled to a certain level which also means that it is the time to get back to your desk. If your workforce isn’t following the safety and protection rules, you may put your whole staff at risk and reduce your profitability.

In case, you have planned to start a new business in the lockdown period and now you see the things are going back to normal, you might see it as a chance to start your business, but for this matter, you need to have all the significant knowledge about how would you run the business, so you may have to buy a contractors book, the book will help you avoid anything that can put you in loss and also help you with all the legal matters. The contractor books are not only for the beginners, it can be even used by the people who’re doing business for a long time. Continue reading →

The fading immortality of Bapu – The Times of India Blog

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Its irony that the name Gandhi which once used to be synonym for India, which resonates the culture we stand for, which portrays our desire for independence and free spiritedness, is restricted to a date. The name which was visualised as a lean man, wearing spectacle, walking quick with stick followed by masses, and a charismatic orator whose words and thoughts are in sync, has been replaced now with a man wearing kurta, folding his sleeves up, followed by paid crowd, and an inarticulate spieler. To stop image superimposition I prefer to address the father of nation as Bapu.

People may debate on giving full credit to Bapu for Indias independence, but he has to be revered for his power to galvanise masses and to make them follow his principles. Unfortunately with the passage of time irrespective of their usability, the principals are losing their gleam. Though all principles hold true for humanity but Truth, Non-Violent and Simplicity are more pertinent in todays time for individuals.

Truth:- Its strange that everyone claims of speaking truth as each portrays the situation in their own ways.

As per definition truth is when one talks complete as per his understanding and knowledge, without worrying of its consequence or its benefit or loss. But people only speak what suits them. The media which is expected to work on these lines is doing absolutely opposite and working as per pre-defined narrative, further ruining the society.

For example in the present Hathras rape and murder case, no one is addressing the deceased as a human but as Dalit or Valmiki or Girl.

If we would have adopted the principle as part of our culture we would have saved the social damage and the country.

Non-Violence :- Its a very important principle as the one who follows it generally accept others perspectives, remain calm, and the disagreement also leads to Matbedh and not Manbedh with each willing to accept non agreement as difference in thought.

Unfortunately in todays time everyone is hellbent to enure that other agrees to his/her views by any menans or it leads to verbal or physical violence. No one is ready to accept the divergent views. As a society, in the past we have always been open to accommodate varied opinions without getting angry. To keep our diversity intact the principle of Non-Violence is of utmost importance.

Simplicity :- Despite being a mass leader, Bapu has always kept a low profile, leading a simple life and channelising his energies towards his goal. He followed Simplicity not only in his lifestyle but in his thoughts as well, an example of it is his writings which is simple with no pompous words.

Unfortunately the society which once was divided by caste is now divided by wealth power or soft power. It has added to our existing worries by bringing comparisons and further divisions.

Social media like FB or Insta is further taking us away from simplicity.Corona has made us realise the value of simplicity and necessities and we hope people learn from it.

India has a bright future and Gandhis principles will drive the way towards it. Though millennials missed the chance but generation z will revive Bapus fading principles. Their free spirited, carefree and independent attitude helps them to speak truth. They have broader vision as are connected better with word due to social media, so can accept divergent views easily hence will be Non-violent. They are happy in their own self and prefer to explore the world rather horde the riches and leading life with simplicity.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

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The fading immortality of Bapu - The Times of India Blog

‘Peanuts’ celebrates 70th anniversary with art – Oklahoman.com

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NEW YORK The virus pandemic won't stop Charlie Brown, Snoopy or the "Peanuts" gang from marking an important birthday and they're hoping to raise the spirits of sick kids while they celebrate.

The beloved comic celebrates its 70th anniversary this week with new lesson plans, the announcement of a new TV show and a philanthropic push that includes donating "Peanuts" murals for kids to paint in 70 children's hospitals around the globe, from Brooklyn to Brazil.

"When kids see the familiar face of Snoopy, they feel like they are at home watching the cartoon," said Dr. Kusum Viswanathan, who heads the pediatrics department at Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center in New York. "I think it'll really help in positive coping and distraction. It makes the environment very comfortable, as opposed to being very stiff and professional."

The 4-foot-8-inch wide by 4-foot-1-inch high murals have been sent to participating hospitals in six pieces, along with smocks, brushes and paints in 13 colors. Children and hospital staffers are encouraged to paint the easy-to-follow templates, a diversion that gains even more importance during coronavirus restrictions.

The initiative is being welcomed at the CHOC Children's Hospital in Orange, California, where the virus pandemic has shut down the playrooms and cut back on starry, well-wishing visitors, like baseball star Mike Trout.

"There's really nothing to look forward to so I thought even just painting something like this at bedside is going to really truly mean something, especially during this time," said Amber Chavez, the special programs coordinator.

The finished murals show an image of Snoopy and Woodstock sharing a laugh atop his red doghouse. It's co-sponsored by Peanuts Worldwide and the Foundation for Hospital Art. They hope the custom murals bring a smile to worried families.

"Art is always very therapeutic," Viswanathan said. "Any child who comes even if a child comes for a regular check-up it's always a slightly scary event and I think it helps patients feel a sense of normalcy."

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'Peanuts' celebrates 70th anniversary with art - Oklahoman.com

Josh Taylor wants unification fight with Jose Ramirez, no matter where it takes place – DAZN News US

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Scotland's Josh Taylor (16-0, 12 KOs) is two fights away from light-welterweight immortality and if he can retain his WBA, IBF and The Ring titles this weekend against Apinun Khongsong (16-0, 13 KOs), he doesn't care where or when he gets WBC and WBO titlist Jose Ramirez (26-0, 17 KOs) in a unification showdown, as long as it happens.

Taylor vs. Khongsong takes place on Saturday at the BT Sport studios in London, behind closed doors. The boxer who holds onto their unbeaten professional record at the end of that main event is expected to move on to a winner-takes-all scenario against California's Ramirez.

And as much as Taylor, 29, would love to bring Ramirez over to a British venue, perhaps in London or Glasgow, he just wants to make sure it happens if he remains champion come next week.

Im really not sure where it would be, Taylor told BoxingScene.com.

And to be honest, Im not bothered. Ill fight anywhere."

Taylor went on to explain that the light-welter unification deserves to have a crowd in attendance, though with the UK Government recently confirming that crowds will not return to live sports as quickly as they'd hoped, it's hard to tell at this stage whether they'd be able to get many fans in, if any, any time soon.

He continued: "With a fight of this magnitude, I would want it to be when the crowds are there. I wouldnt want it to be half capacity and stuff like that.

"I think its one of the biggest fights in boxing at this moment in time, so I would want this fight to have a full-capacity crowd. Whether its in Scotland or America, Im not fussed. But, for sure, I would want that fight in front of a big crowd, a hundred percent.

Taylor was a proven draw at both London's O2 Arena and Glasgow's SSE Arena prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, while Ramirez's promoter Bob Arum has been quoted as agreeing that the two absolutely should be holding off on a unification fight until crowds are allowed back in.

I would love it to be in front of the big crowd, Taylor said.

Its what every fighter dreams of: fighting these big unification fights, becoming undisputed champion in front of thousands of people and millions of people on TV. You know, thats what every fighter dreams of.

"It would be a wee bit of a kick in the teeth to have a fight like that, and not have any fans there.

"So, of course, I would love for the fans to be there. Thats the dream come true, isnt it? That is the dream.

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Josh Taylor wants unification fight with Jose Ramirez, no matter where it takes place - DAZN News US

Kearse, author of many big moments for Seahawks, retires – The Daily Herald

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By Bob Condotta / The Seattle Times

Jermaine Kearses retirement announcement Tuesday seemed at odds with the career that has now officially ended.

Kearse quietly released a statement at 7:50 a.m. via social media stating that he was done playing. He last played with Detroit in 2019 before suffering a broken leg in the preseason that ended his season.

After 8 years playing in the NFL, Im leaving the game feeling extremely grateful and content with what I was able to accomplish out there on the field not only for myself, but my family as well, Kearse wrote. Going through some extreme highs and some extreme lows has taught me a lot about myself and by the grace of God he was able to pull me through the rough times and in the end all those experiences were all worth it.

Thus officially ended a career in which, for roughly a decade, Kearse always seemed to find himself at the center of some of the most memorable moments in Seattle football history.

Kearse, 30, made the winning catches in both of the Seahawks NFC title victories in this decade as well as the juggling, did that really happen? reception that moved the Seahawks to the 5-yard line in the Super Bowl against New England.

But if those were the most memorable, they were hardly the only ones.

Kearse, a graduate of Lakes High in Lakewood, was the second-leading receiver in University of Washington history when he departed in 2011 behind another Lakes High grad, Reggie Williams. Hed committed to UW as a three-star recruit in the winter of 2007, turning down Oregon and Washington State to stay close to home and revive a then-struggling Huskies program.

It was there that his Forrest Gump-like quality of always being in the middle of the big moments first came into bloom.

As a sophomore, he made the catch that set up the winning field goal in UWs stunning upset of a Pete Carroll-coached USC team in 2009.

And with UW trailing in the fourth quarter of a game at California late in the 2010 season and the Huskies needing to win to keep bowl hopes alive, Kearse made a diving, sprawling catch of a throw that Jake Locker later admitted was a bad ball, actually for a 46-yard gain that sparked the final drive that ended in the famous Gods Play touchdown by Chris Polk that won the game for the Huskies, 16-13.

A week later, Kearse caught a 27-yard touchdown pass from Locker with 44 seconds remaining for the winning touchdown as the Huskies won the Apple Cup and snapped a seven-year bowl drought.

Undrafted out of UW despite all the numbers and big catches, he signed as a free agent with the Seahawks.

It might be easy to forget now, but Kearse did not make the Seahawks initial 53-player roster in 2012, instead was waived and then re-signed to the practice squad.

He stayed there for two months until an injury to Ben Obamanu opened up a roster spot in late October.

He played mostly special teams the rest of his rookie season, and as 2013 training camp approached he was hardly a sure thing to make one of the most talent-laden rosters in NFL history.

Seattle had Doug Baldwin, Golden Tate, Sidney Rice and Ricardo Lockett returning as receivers, then traded for Percy Harvin, drafted Chris Harper in the fourth round and signed free agent Stephen Williams, who would turn out to be the unexpected star of training camp.

One national publication called Kearse a dark horse to make the team heading into camp.

But Harvins injury and Harper flaming out helped Kearse stay on the roster.

And in the first game of the greatest season in team history, it was Kearse who made the key play, catching a 43-yard touchdown with 10:21 left at Carolina to put Seattle ahead 12-7. The Seahawks would hold on to win by that score, a victory that not only jump-started the season but at the end of it proved to be the difference in the Seahawks having home-field advantage in the playoffs.

He never had to worry about his spot on the roster again, emerging into a regular role in the receiving rotation after Rice went down midseason and Harvin ended up playing only one regular-season game.

And when the Seahawks faced a fourth-and-7 at the 49ers 35 early in the fourth quarter of the NFC title game, Wilson targeted Kearse when the 49ers jumped offsides and the receivers went deep, resulting in a touchdown that gave Seattle the lead for good.

He scored a touchdown in the Super Bowl two weeks later, along with the rest of the receivers gleefully refuting the tag that they were pedestrian.

The 2015 title game was, for more than 60 minutes, the most frustrating of Kearses career the first four times he was targeted, the Packers came away with interceptions, and the Seahawks seemed on their way to one of the most disappointing defeats in team history.

But, the comeback happened. The Seahawks won the toss to start overtime, and given one more shot on a first-down play at the Green Bay 35, Kearse beat Tramon Williams and held onto the ball as they slid into the end zone to send Seattle to another Super Bowl. Kearse excitedly threw the ball into the stands, something he came to regret. Luckily, the fan who caught the ball turned down an offer of $20,000 for it, eventually giving it back to Kearse for a signed jersey.

Two weeks later came Kearses shot at true football immortality with the catch that put the Seahawks on the New England 5 with 1:06 left. You dont need reminding what happened next that turned Kearse from being a potential Super Bowl hero to an unhappy afterthought.

True, Kearse could be frustrating to fans he tended to drop a few easy ones, and he went through the bizarre spell of offensive pass interference penalties in 2016, which turned out to be his last season in Seattle. He was traded a week before the 2017 season to the Jets in the deal that brought Sheldon Richardson to Seattle.

But he never shirked the attention that came with the tough times, always available to talk about the drops or the penalties as much as he was the winning catches.

Kearse remains tied with good friend Doug Baldwin for the most postseason touchdown receptions in team history with six, more than half of the total of 11 touchdowns he had in five seasons with the Seahawks, and also has the longest reception in a playoff game in team history a 63-yard touchdown against Carolina in a divisional playoff victory in 2015.

Hes clutch, Wilson once said. As clutch as it gets.

And as playing legacies go, you could do far worse.

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Kearse, author of many big moments for Seahawks, retires - The Daily Herald

Lets Talk About the Antebellum Twist – Vulture

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This movie cares little for its characters, who are brutalized in the filmmakers pursuit of one thing: tricking the audience. Photo: Matt Kennedy

I remember the feeling of my 9-year-old brain imploding when M. Night Shyamalan reveals the extent of Bruce Williss mortality in The Sixth Sense. Or when I clutched my proverbial pearls upon discovering the Armitages nefarious plot in Jordan Peeles Get Out. I love a horror film with a good twist, especially when the revelation propels my understanding of the characters and the worlds theyve been inhabiting. But thats the inherent difficulty in manufacturing a shocking narrative pivot: Bad reveals feel like a gotcha gimmick, more intent on tricking the audience than saying anything insightful about the story. Directors Gerard Bush and Christopher Renzs horror debut, Antebellum, falls into this exact trap. While initial trailers for the film inspired comparisons to Octavia Butlers eerie 1979 novel Kindred in which an African American woman experiences the suffering of her ancestors by mysteriously time-traveling to a Maryland plantation the infuriating premise for Antebellum decides to take a left turn.

Janelle Mone plays Eden, a Black woman who, at the beginning of a film I can categorize only as a slave thriller, finds herself on a brutal, preCivil War southern plantation. Restricted by Confederate soldiers from speaking, she and her fellow slaves endure beatings, rapes, and brandings. In the first act alone, we watch a fleeing Black woman get lassoed, dragged to the ground, and unflinchingly executed with a bullet to the head by a captain (Jack Huston) riding horseback. Eden herself is harshly whipped with a belt and later branded, by a general known only as Him (Eric Lange), because of her refusal to speak her slave name aloud. But subtle anachronisms are afoot, foreshadowing Bush and Renzs eventual plot twist. For instance, some of the indentured possess opulent gold chains or septum piercings, both of which seem notably contemporary. However, we unfortunately learn nothing more about these characters or their surroundings before the filmmakers make clear what those anachronisms are hinting at: Eden is really Veronica, a 21st-century best-selling author and successful public speaker who has been kidnapped by rich, racist white folks and forced to work on their modern-day plantation.

How are the rich, racist white folks pulling this off, you may ask? The prime rule at this amusement park masquerading as a plantation demands that participants not carry their cell phones while in costume, lest a slave get hold of one. Of course, one of the Confederate cosplayers violates that rule. In a birds-eye-view shot before the audience understands the parameters of this nightmare, we see a traumatized Veronica recovering from one of the generals latest sexual assaults. But rather than exploring the physical, emotional, or psychological damage that has just been inflicted upon her, the filmmakers use rape as a kitschy doorway to a reveal: the sound of a nearby vibrating cell phone, one that her rapist seems to have neglected to leave behind. With that, the film shifts and Eden, now named Veronica, wakes up in a beautiful present-day apartment she shares with a husband and daughter. Was all that antebellum horror a dream? My nana used to say our ancestors haunt our dreams to see themselves forward, Veronica tells a friend later. Alas, no. After a lot of fruitless exposition on Veronicas professional and personal life (shes an equestrian, she practices yoga; these are small details that will play into the movies conclusion but little else), the audience is thrown back onto the plantation. It turns out a group of wealthy white people have actually been kidnapping successful Black people and imprisoning them in a nightmarish playground for racists that has gone unnoticed by the outside world. Why? Well, we get about as much characterization of the white villains as we do of the people theyve enslaved. Their motives remain unremarkable. Perhaps thats the point the filmmakers fail to effectively make.

One character in particular suffers greatly from the directors inability to provide a backstory or interiority: the pregnant Julia (Kiersey Clemons), who demands that Veronica lead a full-on rebellion or escape. Unbeknownst to Julia, Veronica has already been testing the creaks in her cabins floorboards. She has been planning to rob the general of his phone and use the flexibility she gained as a yoga enthusiast to run away silently. But Veronica neglects to tell Julia of her scheme. Instead, the latter endures a savage beating by a young soldier, which results in a miscarriage. Still, Veronica tells her nothing. Not until after Julia hangs herself does Veronica decide to enact her plot. And why? Because Veronica isnt protecting her own secret; shes protecting Bush and Renzs twist. Julia is a martyr for their suspense.

When viewers discover Bruce Willis has been dead all along in The Sixth Sense, the surprise speaks volumes about his characters unwillingness, even beyond the grave, to relinquish his career, a vocation that cost him his marriage. When Chris learns of the Armitages plan to colonize his body for their immortality in Get Out, their strategy underscores just how much value white folks place on Black bodies rather than souls. These filmmakers withhold the surprises in their narratives not to trick the audience but to allow us time to build empathy for the antagonists and to explore the universes they master. But in Antebellum, were not granted a glimpse into the characters or the worlds they inhabit. The only other slave we encounter on the plantation is a man so lightly sketched his name doesnt extend past his profession the Professor (Tongayi Chirisa). The others are nameless, faceless men and women silently resigned to their fate, which suggests a startling reality that only Kanye West would agree with: Theyre slaves because they allow themselves to be. As Julia intimates, they need the rich, talented Veronica to lead them to freedom. The films eventual conclusion serves only to reinforce such classist notions. Veronica succeeds in stealing the phone, contacting her husband, and riding off on a horse to freedom through a field of battle reenactors just as police arrive on the scene.

Its fair to ask if Antebellums twist even qualifies as such. When we learn Veronicas true identity, the information doesnt alter the trajectory of the story: Black bodies remain under threat from white folks either way. By rendering the historical pain of slavery in such an apathetic fashion, the filmmakers wield Black trauma with the thoughtfulness of a kid playing with a Super Soaker. By repositioning that historical pain in the contemporary United States, theyre saying these times are bad and not so far removed from antebellum America as we like to think, but they fail to reflect upon how the savagery of Confederate sympathizers has inevitably evolved over the years. And by omitting the fantastical aspects of a story like Kindreds, they underestimate the genre and the way myths can communicate ungraspable concepts when realism fails. The twist in Antebellum is barely a twist because it says nothing remotely introspective about our country. Rather, the reveal says everything about Hollywood and the kind of political content its willing to produce.

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Lets Talk About the Antebellum Twist - Vulture

New Legends of Monkey: Why TVNZ should let Netflix have this fab family fantasy – Stuff.co.nz

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REVIEW: Ive read about quests, they dont traditionally get easier.

Pigsys (Josh Thomson) warning proves to be rather prophetic as the 10-part, second season of The New Legends of Monkey (3.40pm weekdays on TVNZ2 from September 21 and available on TVNZ OnDemand) unfolds.

We rejoin our heroes in the immediate aftermath of them reclaiming the sacred scroll of immortality. Having narrowly escaped yet another demon attack, the irrepressibly self-confident Monkey (Chai Hansen) declares to anyone who will listen of their intention to secure the other six fabled parchments.

As the rest of his merry misfits fear that such proclamations are unwise, demon lords gather for the first time in 500 years to debate what to do about scourge of the Monkey King. Their solution? Issue a reward to any demon, bandit or bounty hunter who can end his life.

Supplied

The New Legends of Monkeys merry misfits, from left, Josh Thomson, Chai Hansen, Luciane Buchanan and Emilie Cocquerel.

READ MORE:* Going ape for The New Legends Of Monkey * The New Legends Of Monkey actress didn't flinch about getting the chop* Amid ninjas, there is Josh Thomson: Inside his other project reviving Monkey Magic* The New Legends Of Monkey: Josh Thomson and the stinky trailer

But, with his cloud powers back, the reckless Monkey has only one thought and that is pressing on with his mission, even if it means leaving his colleagues behind.

Wait, we just let the one guy who cant read fly off to look for sacred scriptures in an inaccessible labyrinth of scrolls? laments Pigsy. It isnt long though, before Monkey is back with his tail between his legs and without his hands. I still have my wits, he protests, as the rest groan at his incompetence. Upstairs is basically for growing hair with you, Pigsy retorts.

supplied

Josh Thomsons Pigsy is The New Legends Of Monkeys undoubted scene-stealer.

Its the injection of this kind of banter that lifts this trans-Tasman co-production. While perhaps lacking the compelling surrealness and sheer nuttiness of the late 1970s Japanese take on the 16th Century Chinese tale, theres a lightness of touch and likeable swagger that makes for fabulous family viewing.

Yes, it relies heavily on copious amounts of swordplay, scarred villains and a synth-heavy soundtrack, but the central quartet are all well-realised characters, performed with aplomb. While The Projects Thomson is the undoubted scene-stealer, look out for other great cameos from the likes of Rachel House, Joel Tobeck and Michelle Ang.

If theres a disappointment, its only that while many parts of the rest of the world have been enjoying this second series for the past six weeks on Netflix, weve had to wait for local distributors TVNZ to find a slot.

That it is a mid-afternoon series dump, rather than the first series prime-time Friday night slot is rather disappointing and troubling, sadly reminiscent of how the state broadcaster has treated many beloved family shows of the past. Not everyone wants post-dinner reality television six nights a week.

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New Legends of Monkey: Why TVNZ should let Netflix have this fab family fantasy - Stuff.co.nz

How QAnon took hold in the UK – Wired.co.uk

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In 2017, the year the QAnon conspiracy theory was born, most people in the UK would have cackled at the mere suggestion that such an outlandish set of lies would ever gain traction in the British isles. By summer 2020, people were waving Q-themed placards outside Buckingham Palace.

A study by anti-extremism think tank the Institute for Strategic Dialogue has found that Britain is the second country in the world for output of Q-related tweets: 309,652 tweets between November 2019 and June 2020. Granted, a distant second: the US was far ahead with over nine million posts; but the UKs share of the Q pie had been growing from 2.1 per cent in 2019 to June 2020s 2.8 per cent. And that is only Twitter, and that was only June.

If you turn to Facebook, the picture is similar. Data from CrowdTangle, an insights tool owned and operated by Facebook, shows that the membership of the top 20 open Facebook groups catering to a UK public and regularly posting about QAnon or QAnon-adjacent themes shot up about 800 per cent between March 1 and September 18 2020, to over 160,000 members. That chimes with the findings of a scholar who has been observing QAnons spread since its beginnings, but who is not authorised to speak on the record, who puts the overall number of UK-based QAnon believers at around 200,000, a 900 percent increase since the beginning of the coronavirus lockdown. Between its publication in May and mid-September, UKs Hidden Shadows, a YouTube video supposed to be the British version of the American Q-related documentary, Out of the Shadows, received over 52,000 interactions and was shared 17,000 times on Facebook, CrowdTangle shows.

The rise of QAnon in the UK has been as rapid as it is surprising. The conspiracy theory was born out of the 4Chan messaging board where a supposed intelligence agent (Q) maintains that Donald Trump is actually a white knight waging a secret war against a powerful cabal of elite Satanist paedophiles using a secret language involving pizzas and harvesting childrens blood to create an immortality elixir.

It is hard to attach a solid number to the British QAnon fandom first of all because Facebook started cracking down on Q content in August, causing some groups to disappear, or to reinvent themselves as private invitation-only groups, or to decamp to other channels like Telegram or Bitchute. But it is also because maybe exactly to dodge moderation QAnon itself has shape-shifted, spreading under the guise of watchwords, mottos and themes rather than by mentioning Q itself. Now, for instance, QAnon has morphed into an anti-child-trafficking online campaign, alternatively called Save our children or Save the children; the elite cabal drinking kids blood is not written on the tin, and an unsuspecting parent wishing to save their children from something might legitimately join a relevant social media group, before being hurled down a rabbit-hole connecting everyone from Bill Clinton to Jeffrey Epstein to Prince Andrew to Lady Gaga to surprise surprise the Rothschilds.

The Q-UK Facebook group has over 3,000 members; Q Anon Updates is a public page with an UK-based admin, who has raked in 25,000 likes and followers since its inception in 2018. You can easily find a post explaining in detail why Boris Johnson is a white hat, a Trump ally pursuing the same paedo-lite-busting plan.

But most of the groups and pages are coy about their messaging. They are ostensibly about fighting paedophilia, or about law and order in general, with the odd Q-related slogan tossed in; they might be far-right or pro-Brexit groups; or be about other conspiracy theories, from 5G-causes-Covid, to anti-vaccination panic, and use QAnon as a new framework to connect all those baseless dots. Some of the most popular Facebook pages with UK admins posting about QAnon are ostensibly about energy therapy and New Age mysticism a common enough junction that has led to the coinage of the term conspirituality.

QAnon has been latent in the UK for a while and it has been given the occasional boost by people like singer Robbie Williams mouthing off on YouTube about Pizzagate, a debunked, Q-linked, conspiracy theory, or by the Daily Mail publishing a story on the connection between pizzas and child abuse. Between June and August 2020, 14 public UK Spotted pages local Facebook communities reposting direct messages from their followers published at least one QAnon post. But it was the collision of Covid-19 with the #Saveourchildren campaign, a worldwide effort whose origins have been chalked up to a beached-up actor in California, that spurred QAnons UK growth. Conspiracy theories tend to flourish in times of crisis, when people are looking for answers and for ways to cope with difficult circumstances and challenging emotional conditions, says Karen Douglas, a professor of social psychology at the University of Kent. People are frustrated and feel isolated, and they are looking for explanations that make them feel better and less powerless. They end up spending a lot of time on social media, too.

The movements culmination was a series of #savethechildren marches taking places in various parts of the UK from August, including those near Buckingham Palace and the BBCs Broadcasting House in London.

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The rise of, and the differences between, two major UK Facebook groups spreading the word about the marches is revealing. One, Eyes Wide Open, is a private group counting over 47,000 members, half of which joined since July. It makes very little mystery about its affiliation: there is a funny disclaimer in its about section swearing that it is neither a pro-Trump nor a Q group, but you just need to scroll down to find memes about pizza parlours and pictures baselessly claiming that US Democrat politician Joe Podesta kidnapped Madeleine McCann.

The other, StandUpX, is a generic protest movement anti-everything from Bill Gates to facemasks. Fronted by weather forecaster and conspiracy theorist Piers Corbyn, brother of former Labour leader Jeremy, it started off as an anti-lockdown movement in late June, and for a while it seemed to be your standard fare of anti-vaxx, anti-lockdown, anti-corporate, anti-5G megagroup, prone to leaning left rather than Trump. But if you looked closely enough, you could see it soaking up QAnon under your eyes. A video of a protest posted on the groups Instagram on July 10 features, fleetingly, one woman in the crowd waving a Q-slogan banner, and stating we are run by paedophiles. On July 23, a video of protesters besieging the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundations London office ended with an interview of an activist discussing "elite paedophilia rings". By August 22, a protest in Liverpool erupted with QAnon slogan where we go one, we go all. From then on, it was all David Icke, #saveourchildren and pizza slices. So much so that shortly after a big protest in London, in September, StandUpXs open group boasting about 40,000 followers was shut down by Facebook. Its pizza-covered Instagram page survives.

Like a parasite, QAnon has latched onto other, vaguer conspiracies and cannibalised them. That, to an extent, is perfectly natural."One underlying feature of most conspiracy theories is the secrecy that is, something is being hidden or covered up. Weve shown empirically that this is why people who believe in one conspiracy theory are also [likely] to believe in others." says Douglas. Because conspiracy theories share the overarching idea that something isnt quite right, then the details of the specific conspiracy theories dont seem to matter as long as you believe that basic premise.

We are talking small numbers, though: the crowds at the protests are relatively puny and, online, QAnon's British following amounts to a few hundreds thousand people. Should we be worried? Maybe we should. For one, because you only need one person taking the idea of a clandestine paedophile ring too seriously to end up with a tragedy. Fact-checking organisation Logically has counted already six Q-inspired cases of real-life violence in the US between 2018 and 2020.

Secondly, QAnons ease at using other conspiracy theories as trojan horses opens up a real can of worms. The save the children movement is QAnon Light, says Aoife Gallagher, the author of the Institute for Strategic Dialogues QAnon report. It is a simple and effective message that works as an entry point.

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How QAnon took hold in the UK - Wired.co.uk

End-times: How the dead will rise and when? The Manila Times – The Manila Times

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Someone may say, How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come back? [The body] is sown corruptible; it is raised incorruptible. It is sown dishonorable; it is raised glorious. It is sown weak; it is raised powerful. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual one. The First Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians, 15:35, 42-44

The above Epistle passage from Fridays first Mass reading describes resurrection in Christian belief. Rather than just getting back their former bodies, the risen will have spiritual bodies, endowed with supernatural qualities as the Risen Christ showed in dazzling with divine light, appearing and disappearing anywhere, floating heavenward and, of course, living forever.

That is what believers of the Rapture expect when Jesus Christ returns in the end times. The righteous still alive during His Second Coming will not die just to be instantly resurrected. Rather, their living bodies will be transformed into the same resurrected constitutions the dead will have.

So said St. Paul later in his First Letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor 15:51-54): We shall not all sleep [die] but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet [said to be before the Rapture]. ? For this perishable nature must put on the imperishable, and this mortal nature must put on immortality.

The Apostle explains further in his First Letter to the Thessalonians (4:16-17): For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangels call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead will rise first; then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.

When will Christ return?

The question for believers since our Lords Ascension, of course, is: When?When the first disciples were still alive, Christians thought the Second Coming would happen in their lifetime. Hence, as quoted above, St. Paul said, We [believers] shall not all sleep? or die before Jesus returned.

In the two millennia since those Apostolic times, the faithful in different eras thought they too would live to see Christ return in triumph, as foretold in Scripture. Such end-times or eschatological expectations tended to intensify amid periods of widespread distress and disaster like today.

Thats because the Second Coming or Parousia is supposed to happen after war, famine, pestilence and death predicted in the Book of Revelation or Apocalypse, said to be about the end-times, and Chapter 24 of the Gospel of St. Matthew, called by many the mini-Apocalypse.

Now, with worldwide pandemic, economic dislocation and civil unrest, plus intensifying geopolitical rivalry and saber-rattling between superpower America and fast-rising China, eschatological expectations are again burgeoning. So are Second Coming expectations, along with Rapture proclamations, some as early as this December.

The billion-strong Catholic Church, the largest Christian denomination, does not share such expectations, at least officially. As discussed in this column two Sundays ago, the Church expects five major prophecies to happen before the Parousia, including Israels conversion to Christianity and the seven-year Tribulation.

Plus: the rise and rule of the evil Antichrist, who will even declare himself God for all to worship (https://www.manilatimes.net/2020/09/06/opinion/columnists/topanalysis/you-are-the-watchman-warn-the-people-for-me/764797/).

While also going by similar end-times timetables, other Christian groups argue that Christ will not wait till all five events have happened before Rapturing his bride, the Christian Church.

Rapture, not ravage, the bride

Indeed, perhaps the most widespread belief among Christians pondering the end-times is Rapture before Tribulation. According to this Pretribulation view, Christ will not let his bride, the multitude of believers, be ravaged through the seven years of worldwide calamity, tyranny and death, including the demonic rule of the Antichrist, who is predicted to force all humanity to worship him on pain of death.

Why, Pretribulation advocates argue, would Christ subject his loyal followers awaiting his Second Coming to immense agonies, including threats that may prod many to apostasy from the faith and idolatry of the Antichrist?

Well, Pretrib opponents may counter, God did not spare His own Son, not to mention countless martyrs over the millennia, from St. Stephen in Jerusalem soon after the birth of the Church at Pentecost all the way to believers beheaded on YouTube by Daesh. Why would He have qualms about subjecting todays faithful to the ultimate test of faith at the murderous hands of the Antichrist?

In todays first Sunday Mass reading, the Prophet Isaiah declares: For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9).

Our Lord will come and take his followers when and how he wishes, whatever human thinking may surmise he would do. And we can only turn to the Lord for mercy, to our God, who is generous in forgiving, as Isaiah admonished in the first reading.

Or as Jesus taught us to pray, Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Amen.

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End-times: How the dead will rise and when? The Manila Times - The Manila Times