Daily Archives: July 25, 2022

A recent survey conducted by the health company Life Extension looked at a bunch of different data to rank the Best and Worst States for Wellness in the United States. And while Maine didn't rank near the end of the list, the fact that it was only positioned in the middle-of-the-pack was almost just as equally bogus.

Jeremy Thomas

According to the Life Extension survey, three key areas were looked at went putting this list together: Physical and Mental Health, Access to National Parks and Nature, and Interest in Integrative Health Practices. And somehow, even though we crush all those categories in Maine, we still ended up buried in the middle of the survey.

And here are the five reasons we think that's absolutely bogus.

Whether it's joining a stereotypical gym, a kettlebell gym, a Crossfit gym, or a yoga and pilates studio, Mainers for sure get their physical health on. Even without a membership to some kind of exercise facility or health club, look out a window on any beautiful Maine day and you'll see parents walking their children in strollers or hand-in-hand, owners walking their dogs, and of course Mainers either going for a solo walk, jog, run, or bicycle ride.

How we hardly got any credit in the National Park access category makes absolutely zero sense. Especially whenAcadia National Park is one of the most-visited in the entire country, according to a Boston.com article, let alone the most frequented in New England itself.

You can't say that we don't absolutely dominate the "Access to National Parks and Nature" category when we have Acadia as mentioned above, but also endless hiking trails and mountains that New Englanders near and far take day trips to for healthy hikes and beautiful sights. (We're looking at you, Mount Katahdin and Appalachian Trail, for starters.)

In the survey, Life Extension mentions the use of Dietary Supplements as inclusion in the Interest in Integrative Health Practices. But is that an actual statistic you can include when ranking a state's health practices? How many reports are there mentioning dietary supplements aren't a healthy means of weight loss, etc? Vitamins are one thing, but dietary supplements? Seems like a reach to use as a statistic.

A lot of the information gathered by Life Extension for their survey relied on searching certain terms on Google Trends. And on the topic of Interest in Integrative Health Practices, one of the Trends that Maine ranked high in was "mindfulness." However, when you break it down more, the actual search term included researching mindfulness along with the Apple Watch. So, does that actually even prove anything?

Basing surveys on Google searches or Google Trends doesn't fully capture the entire essence of a place. And we damn well know that Maine is not only a special place, but reeks of all the good wellness and damn well deserves to be ranked higher on a list deep-diving into wellness amongst states across the country.

We all know Baxter State Park is picturesque, so this list looks outside of BSP.

Looking for fun thins to do in Portland, ME? Here is what the reviewers on TripAdvisor say are the 20 best attractions.

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Five Ways This Survey About Maine's Wellness is Absolutely Bogus - WJBQ

The members of Virginias largest private industry will gather at the 2022 Virginia Ag Expo on Aug. 4 to examine the latest trends, technologies, and research in agriculture that will help shape the agricultural future.

This years Ag Expo theme, Precision for Profits, is exemplified by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences' research, Virginia Cooperative Extension, and the education land-grant mission.

For the second year in a row, Virginia Techs Center for Advanced Innovation in Agriculture will co-host an exhibition tent at the event, where producers will learn about not only the current technologies available to them, but also emerging technologies that may strengthen agricultural efficiencies and economies. To strengthen partnerships and share the science-based techniques, Extension specialists also will be part of the field demonstrations that help producers solve problems and put knowledge into action.

The Center for Advanced Innovation in Agriculture is hosting the tent along with the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station. Extension has delivered educational content at Ag Expo for many years, including the Extension specialists that help bring the land-grant mission to life. Additionally, several of the Agricultural Research and Extension Centers (AREC), including the Eastern Virginia AREC and the Virginia Seafood AREC, will host display tables.

Producers, industry members, and all other attendees at the Ag Expo event are invited to stop by the tent to learn from leading agricultural experts. The partnerships help Virginia Tech scientists and engineers design improved, secure, and economically valuable agricultural technologies and translate the science to help increase production yields, efficiencies, and economic value.

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Center for Advanced Innovation in Agriculture, Virginia Cooperative Extension help Virginia Tech showcase its land-grant mission at 2022 Virginia Ag...

Reversal of ageing deals with therapies or any such procedure that successfully reverses our physiological aspects. Instead of tackling age-related illnesses and impairments one at a time as they occur, why not prevent or delay ageing in the first place?

In 2007, Shinya Yamanaka became the first scientist to convert normal cells (with potential to transition into any cell type) into stem cells (reprogramming cells from aged individuals, to rejuvenate/reset the cells to their embryonic stage. The entire process takes around 50 days and involves four critical molecules known as the Yamanaka Factors.

It was demonstrated that cells may be regenerated without losing function, and that rejuvenation restores some function to elderly cells- delaying the ageing process. The fact that they also saw signs of age reversal in genes related with illnesses is very encouraging for the longevity industry.

In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Darshit Patel, Chief Scientific Officer at Decode Age, shared, "Our chronological age tells us close to nothing about our own health, fitness or susceptibility to sickness, or cognitive performance. What is truly important is our biological age or how our body functions in relation to our calendar age. He listed a few tips to rewind the biological clock and take the reins of ageing in your control:

1. Daily exercising - Cycling, jogging and other forms of stamina exercise will retain our youthfulness. Long-distance bikers have reported lower cholesterol levels and increased disease-fighting traits in their old age. Weight-bearing training also improves bone health and helps combat osteoporosis.

2. Nutrition - Our goal must be to consume nutritional-dense foods that have inherent anti-inflammatory properties. In our body, beneficial fats such as omega-3 fatty acids are converted into anti-inflammatory molecules that serve to keep our cells young. They are found in fish oil, olive oil, raw nuts, seeds and avocado.

3. Maintaining your gut health - Our gut represents an important element of our immune systems hence we should aid it with immunity-boosting meals. Gut flora is the foundation of good health, so choose foods that support it, such as garlic, onion, artichokes, oats, and fermented foods like sauerkraut (finely cut raw cabbage, fermented by various lactic acid bacteria). A healthy gut also majorly impacts our mental and physical well-being, as the gut is linked to the brain via the vagus nerve.

Darshit Patel advised, The best part is, to reset our biological age clock we can start right away, with the simplest steps, by being conscious about our diet, duration of physical fitness and routine overall health check-ups, to avoid neglecting the damages we cause to our bodies, over time. Additionally, with the surplus of health-tech gadgets and wearables, biohacking methods and available natural supplements, life extension is becoming a dependable reality.

Originally posted here:

Anti-ageing tips: Here's how to rewind your biological clock - Hindustan Times

There would be times in life when good things happen, even if you had to be dragged towards them kicking and screaming. Kyler Murrays new contract with the Arizona Cardinals might seem bad for everyone else in the NFC West, but its good news for the 49ers. I explained why on todays Gold Diggers podcast.

As Michelle Magdziuk pointed out, things with Kyler Murray look great on the surface. Last year he had a higher completion percentage, passing yards per attempt, and passer rating than both Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen. He routinely makes big-time throws down the field and had the fourth-fewest turnover-worthy plays in 2022. The teams record with him at the helm has also improved each year under center.

Look a little deeper, however; there are things that should be music to 49ers fans ears. Murray does not deal well with failure. Why would he? He hasnt had very much of it in his athletic life. He was, after all, the first player ever taken in the first round of both the NFL and MLB drafts.

Look at last years playoff game against the Rams as an example. Arizona was beaten to a pulp all day, including Murray. Throughout the game, he could be seen sitting alone on the bench, looking like he wanted to be anywhere else in the world other than SoFi Stadium. With a minute to go, 49ers-killer Colt McCoy came into the game to finish things out. Afterward, we learned that McCoy encouraged Murray to finish the game with his teammates, but Murray had pulled himself out of the lineup and refused to go back into the game.

NFL Networks Mike Garafolo later reported that the Cardinals are looking for Murray to take a step forward in a number of areas maturity, body language on the sideline, having a bigger voice with his teammates and leadership.

So much of playing quarterback comes down to how you act in a crisis, and Murray is not at his best when the chips are down. The Cardinals performance down the stretch of the last two years isnt a bug; its a feature.

Furthermore, now that Murray is going to be extended, the Cardinals have firmly established that they are moving forward with Kyler at QB, Kliff Kingsbury as the head coach, and Steve Keim as the GM. Thats not exactly an insurmountable trio.

Keims greatest wins as a general manager appear to be accepting a ridiculous trade offer for DeAndre Hopkins from Bill OBrien and being bad enough at his job to have the opportunity to draft Josh Rosen at ten and Murray first overall a year later.

Kingsburys teams have usually started fast, only to fade later in the year. It happened at Texas Tech and has happened in the last two years with the Cardinals.

2013: 1-5

2014: 2-8

2015: 2-4

2016: 2-6

2017: 2-6

2018: 0-5

2019: 2-7 (Cardinals)

2020: 2-5

2021: 1-4

That doesnt happen that many years in a row (and in two different places) by accident. Between Kliffs offenses being figured out halfway through the year and Kylers inability to pull the team together during crisis, Arizona isnt built to deal with good teams like the Rams and the 49ers on a regular basis.

Call me a homer if you want to, but I am not worried about having to face this era of Cardinals football twice a year for the foreseeable future. Theres no doubt that the 49ers have to improve their 3-3 record against them since 2019 going forward, but against those three keystone pieces, I have no doubt that they will.

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Why 49ers fans should be happy Kyler Murray agreed to an extension - Niners Nation

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Only a couple days after being traded, Matthew Tkachuk already feels at home in Florida.

The newly acquired Panthers forward's parents are building a home about an hour from where his new team plays its home games. He has familiarity with the Panthers, is already friends with some of his new teammates, and is working on quickly building relationships with head coach Paul Maurice and general manager Bill Zito.

And on Sunday, for the first time, Tkachuk -- whose father Keith was a longtime NHL star and brother Brady plays for Ottawa -- began explaining why he believes leaving Calgary for Florida is the best move for him right now.

"It was just kind of putting myself in a position to reevaluate everything -- life, on-ice, off-ice, the future and I came to the decision that I was going to look elsewhere and have a change," Tkachuk said in an interview with Sportsnet's Ryan Leslie, streamed on Instagram. "And Florida kind of fell right into my lap within the last week or so. So, very happy with a very tough process. Hard, mixed emotions, sad, happy, everything, but very ecstatic to be ending up in Florida."

The Panthers will formally introduce the 24-year-old Tkachuk on Monday at their arena. Tkachuk plans to spend the next few days in South Florida, looking for a place to live and starting to truly get settled in an effort to have as few loose ends as possible to deal with when training camp begins in September.

He was traded Friday night in exchange for fellow left wing Jonathan Huberdeau -- Florida's all-time scoring leader -- and defenseman MacKenzie Weegar, along with prospect Cole Schwindt and a lottery-protected 2025 first-round draft pick. As part of the deal, Tkachuk agreed to an eight-year, $76 million contract with the Panthers, days after telling the Flames that he would not be signing an extension with them.

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"I was kind of seeing how I envisioned my life going for the next eight-plus years," Tkachuk said. "I'm here in Florida now, not for an eight-year contract, hopefully for a lot longer than that. I plan on playing, hopefully 15, however many years, and this is where I want to be. I want to be at this part of my life in Florida. That's just the way it goes. But it's got nothing to do with my time in Calgary. That was the most special six years of my entire life by far."

Tkachuk had career bests of 42 goals, 62 assists and 104 points this past season for Calgary. Huberdeau tied a career best with 30 goals for Florida, plus set marks with 85 assists and 115 points -- both of those being franchise records for the Panthers as well.

The trade means Calgary is now without its two leading scorers from this past season. Johnny Gaudreau, who led the Flames with 115 points, signed a seven-year deal with Columbus as a free agent earlier this month.

Florida won the President's Trophy this past season for the first time and won the franchise's first playoff series since 1996, but got swept by Tampa Bay in the second round of the playoffs.

The Panthers' offense ran dry against the two-time Stanley Cup champs in Round 2, and they lost to their in-state rival for the second time in two postseasons. Florida has been in a state of change ever since, hiring Maurice and watching interim coach Andrew Brunette head to New Jersey as an associate coach. The Panthers also saw forward Claude Giroux sign a free-agent deal with Ottawa, and now, two of the team's standouts are in Calgary.

Zito would like to capitalize on a core group that is young enough to compete for titles, but is lacking an edge and grit that often rises to the surface in playoff series.

"I think that I'm a guy," Tkachuk said, "that can go in there and help a lot."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Adamant that 'this is where I want to be,' forward Matthew Tkachuk thrilled to join Florida Panthers - ESPN

Staff report| Abilene Reporter-News

Meet and greet

The Big Country Young Democrats will conduct a meet and greet with Texas House of Representatives District 71 candidate Linda Goolsbee at 4 p.m. at Majestic Coffee Shop, 181 Pine Street.

Rafael Cruz speaks

Rafael Cruz, father of Sen. Ted Cruz, will give a presentation with Texas Right to Life at 6:30 p.m. at the Abilene Public Library, 202 Cedar St.

'9 to 5'

As part of Viewers' Choice Week, the comedy "9 to 5" will be shown at 7:30 p.m. at the Paramount Theatre, 352 Cypress St. Tickets are $7 for adults and $6 for students, seniors military and children. For tickets or information, go to paramountabilene.com.

Square dance workshop

TYE The Wagon Wheel Squares will conduct a square dance workshop at 6 p.m. at the Wagon Wheel. Tracey Dowell will be the caller.

'Sleepless in Seattle'

As part of Viewers' Choice Week, the romantic comedy "Sleepless in Seattle" will be shown at 7:30 p.m. at the Paramount Theatre, 352 Cypress St. Tickets are $7 for adults and $6 for students, seniors military and children. For tickets or information, go to paramountabilene.com.

Bilingual storytime

Isabel Trujillo will present a program of stories and music in both English and Spanish at 10:15 a.m. at the Mockingbird Branch of the Abilene Public Library, 1326 N. Mockingbird Lane.

'Legally Blonde'

As part of Viewers' Choice Week, the comedy "Legally Blonde" will be shown at 7:30 p.m. at the Paramount Theatre, 352 Cypress St. Tickets are $7 for adults and $6 for students, seniors military and children. For tickets or information, go to paramountabilene.com.

Fire recovery

PALO PINTO The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension will conduct a workshop for people affected by the 2022 wildfire season from 1-5 p.m. at the Palo Pinto AgriLife Extension office, 221 S. Fifth Ave. To register, go to forms.office.com/r/i3Df1qMB6p.

'Airplane!'

As part of Viewers' Choice Week, the comedy "Airplane!" will be shown at 7:30 p.m. at the Paramount Theatre, 352 Cypress St. Tickets are $7 for adults and $6 for students, seniors military and children. For tickets or information, go to paramountabilene.com.

Sea Tales

As a part of the Abilene Public Library's "Sea Tales" program, a showing of the documentary "Sacred Planet" will begin at 4 p.m. at the South Branch Library in the Mall of Abilene.

'Twister'

As part of Viewers' Choice Week, "Twister" will be shown at 7:30 p.m. at the Paramount Theatre, 352 Cypress St. Tickets are $7 for adults and $6 for students, seniors military and children. For tickets or information, go to paramountabilene.com.

Movie at the library

A free showing of "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" will begin at 2 p.m. at the Abilene Public Library, 202 Cedar St.

Summer party

The Abilene Public Library will wrap up its "Ocean of Possibilities" summer theme with a party at 3 p.m. at the south branch of the Abilene Public library, in the Mall of Abilene. Games, stories and crafting will be available, and costumes are encouraged.

Drag fundraiser

Abilene Pride Alliance will conduct a drag brunch fundraiser from noon to 3 p.m. at Mezamiz Coffee House, 3909 S. Seventh St., Suite C.

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Things to do in Abilene this week, July 25-31 - Abilene Reporter-News

Recently, a two-judge bench of the Delhi high court (HC) refused to allow a woman, who was in the 23rd week of her pregnancy, to abort her foetus. Reports of the hearing indicate that the judges stressed that the woman had been in a consensual, unmarried relationship, and was, therefore, barred from obtaining an abortion under the existing legal framework. Later that week, the HCs order was set aside by the Supreme Court (SC), and the woman allowed to terminate the pregnancy, subject to a medical board decision on whether the abortion would endanger her life.

However, the HC hearing and the judicial observations reveal certain deep-seated problems with the legal regime governing abortions in India. Under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act (MTPA), the default position is that a woman is allowed to get an abortion until the 20th week of her pregnancy, subject to the opinion of a medical practitioner that either the continuance of the pregnancy would cause a risk to the life or the physical or mental health of the woman, or if there is a substantial chance of foetal abnormality. The Act then extends this period to 24 weeks, for certain categories of women, which are to be specified in rules made by the government.

In October 2021, the government notified new rules under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act. These rules set out seven categories of women eligible for termination of pregnancy until 24 weeks, including survivors of sexual assault and minors. One of the categories specified is women who have had a change in marital status during the ongoing pregnancy (widowhood and divorce).

It is these rules that the judges appeared to be indicating towards, when they observed that the woman in question had been in a consensual, unmarried relationship. This raises the question, however, of why this distinction matters in the first place. Both the MTPA and MTP rules recognise that abortions should be allowed in principle until the 24th week of pregnancy, but only to specific categories of women. However, if we look at the categories, there seems to be no organising principle for why the permission to abort until the 24th week has been limited to only those cases.

Indeed, the category of change in marital status suggests that, in the view of the government, if the raising of a child creates a new set of burdens that the woman could not have foreseen at the beginning of her pregnancy, then she should be entitled to the extended 24-week period, instead of the 20-week period.

This assumption, however, ignores the fact that we live in a patriarchal society that continues to impose the primary and in most cases, exclusive the burden of childcare upon women, whether married or unmarried. The MTP Rules effectively make losing a husband (widowhood or divorce) the basis upon which a woman is entitled to the extended 24-week period, presumably because the additional burden involved justifies greater time to make the choice of whether to continue with a pregnancy or terminate it. If, however, that is the basis for the extension, then given our social realities, and the highly asymmetric burden of childcare that is placed on women that choice should be available to all women, and not just those who may be widowed or divorced during the period of pregnancy. In other words, constitutionally, the government may not grant a right to one class of people, while arbitrarily withholding it from another.

In cases of this kind, the courts are entitled to hold that executive-made rules go beyond the scope of the law, and are, therefore, to that extent, invalid. A second option is what the SC did when the case was carried in appeal: While leaving the larger question of validity open, the SC read the term marital status broadly, to include changes in any relationship, not just marriage. This is, of course, an important and urgent clarification, while the SC considers the larger question.

Needless to say, even that will not resolve the many problems with the MTPA, such as the extensive control that it grants to medical practitioners and medical boards in deciding whether the facts of particular cases warrant a woman being entitled to an abortion or not. In its present form, the MTPA does not adequately respect bodily autonomy and reproductive choice. However, extending the benefits of the 24-week period to all categories of women, and not just some, will be an important start towards that goal.

Gautam Bhatia is a Delhi-based advocate The views expressed are personal

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Extend the 24-week limit for abortion to all - Hindustan Times

The California Interscholastic Federation-Southern Section (CIF-SS) and HEAD Penn Racquet Sports have announced the signing of a four-year renewal agreement with Penn as the Official Tennis Ball of the section. The partnership is effective immediately for the next four boys and girls tennis seasons through 2026.

We are very pleased to announce the extension of our partnership with Penn as our official tennis ball, said CIF-SS Commissioner of Athletics Rob Wigod. We truly value our long-term relationship with this outstanding company and look forward to many more years of working together in service to our member schools.

Penn Tour Penns long-lasting premium tennis ball specifically designed for consistency and longevity for high performance will be the exclusive tennis ball for the CIF-SS, CIF SoCal and NorCal Boys and Girls Regional Tennis Championships. Its proprietary rubber core technology retains the pressure inside the ball for a prolonged period of time, and the extremely durable and highly visible LongPlay felt extends the overall life of the ball, making it a popular choice for varsity tennis.

Penn is very excited to renew our long-term partnership with the CIF Southern Section, said Jeff Ratkovich, Senior Business Manager for Penn balls at HEAD Penn Racquet Sports, North America. We are committed to supporting high school tennis with our performance HEAD and Penn equipment through our multi-year partnership. High school tennis athletes represent the future of our sport and we are excited to continue this sponsorship so that they can look forward to playing with Penn tennis balls throughout the post season playoffs at both section and state levels.

Continued here:

CIF-SS and HEAD Penn announce renewal of partnership - Orange County Breeze

Karl-Anthony Towns didnt expect any of it not the crowd, not the press conference, not any of the hullabaloo made over the Timberwolves stars inking of his most recent max extension that is slated to keep the big with the team through the 2027-28 season.

Yet he got it all Friday at the teams practice facility.

There was the big stage, surrounded by a pair of large projector screens playing his highlights on a loop. There was Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey, both there to attend the press conference and honor Towns with a scroll that declared it Karl-Anthony Towns Day in the city. And there in the front row were the people closest to Towns, from his girlfriend to his father to his agent, and everyone else in between.

It all meant so much to the unsuspecting big man. He didnt get any of the hooplah the last time he signed a max deal. That signature came just days prior to training camp in 2018, and Towns extension was overshadowed by the Jimmy Butler drama.

So much has changed since then, including Towns himself. Those changes allowed him to savor Fridays moment for all it was worth. Hes grateful for everything that comes his way.

Ive truly made it a thing in my life where I always try to look at everything where the glass is half full instead of half empty. Im very appreciative of the things I do get, instead of being upset with the things I didnt get, and I think that comes with maturity, Towns said. Because when youre young, you always are upset about what you didnt get, instead of just being happy about what you did get and about what life has given you. I feel like thats probably my biggest maturity, my biggest growth that Im happy about everything, instead of being happy about some things, and then letting things that dont make me happy take over with the things that are really good that I should be celebrating more.

Friday was indeed a celebration. For the Timberwolves, it was because they locked in one of the pillars of their organization for years to come. For Towns, it was because he took another major step in living out his dream to spend his entire career in Minnesota, the state he now calls home.

My dream was always to try to retire here and live every single day of my NBA career as a Wolf, Towns said. So, you know, obviously Im longer and you know, deeper into my career. New contract. I feel very good with the possibility of that happening.

It certainly wasnt always a guarantee it would play out like this. Towns himself had doubts in the past about his future here. How could he not have? He is the longest-tenured Timberwolves player by four years. Minnesota has experienced so many struggles and so much turnover. There has been next to no stability during his tenure.

It would have been asinine to assume things would work out just so.

Theres been a lot of thoughts like that, theres been a lot of time and elongated time, not just little moments where I didnt feel like I was going to be given the opportunity to retire here the way I wanted to, Towns said. So it was nerve-wracking, because you never really know. Even through everything Ive been through, even with all the amazing things Ive been able to do here and find success here so much, I didnt feel like that was going to be able to keep me being here and being able to finish out my dream here.

All of that is why even this summer, after Minnesota experienced a successful season that included a playoff berth and saw Towns make All-NBA, new basketball boss Tim Connelly didnt want to take Towns commitment for granted. Yet he could have, because the all-star wasted zero time putting pen to paper once the offer could officially be presented.

I think its such a testament to who he is as a person that through all this lack of continuity, the countless different faces and a lot of rough times, hes seen the good in the organization, in the city, Connelly said. And this is a well-earned moment where we can say, you know, better days are ahead of us, and thanks for sticking with us.

Over the past 15-plus months, with the help of Chris Finch, Anthony Edwards and Co., Towns has re-routed the franchise onto a path to success where all doubt about the organizations direction has been removed.

There are two near certainties in Minnesotas future Karl-Anthony Towns and a lot of wins.

Life happens in weird ways, and now were here at this moment and were still talking about me wearing a Timberwolves jersey, hopefully for the rest of my career, he said. So, you know, God is good.

This is where Towns wants to be. Hes comfortable in Minnesota, playing basketball and living his life here. He doesnt mind the snow. He thinks the area produces a special energy.

Its something that brings a deep sense of comfort, Towns said. But just the guys you know, the people in this organization, the people in the locker room, the friends Ive been able to make here in Minnesota, it just feels like home.

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Karl-Anthony Towns dream to spend his career in a Timberwolves jersey feels more attainable now than ever before - St. Paul Pioneer Press