Category Archives: Immortality

Gene HolmanSpecial to The R-C

In the Old Testament section of the Bible, truth is at the top of essential moral virtues along with goodness, righteousness, and justice. Israels greatest prophet Isaiah warned the nation in words found in Isa 59:14-15, Justice is turned back, And righteousness stands afar off; For truth is fallen in the street, And equity cannot enter. truth fails, And he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. The pervasiveness of corruption and disdain of truth in Isaiahs day led to confusion and weakening of the whole nation resulting in its ultimate fall to the Assyrians in 701 B.C.

In the New Testament, a most profound statement of truth was made by the Lord Jesus in John 14:6 where He said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

The implication of this statement touches the limits of comprehension. Jesus begins the statement with, I am the way. The way here means the path, the road, or means, and the context indicates He is referring to immortality and a future paradise. Notice that He does not say, I am a truth but, I am THE truth.

This means that He claims to not only be the origin and source of truth but the essence and personification of truth itself.

It is disturbing and distressing that truth in modern times has become of such little significance just as in the days of Isaiah and ancient Israel and there is every reason to expect it will bring the same fearful results. Along with false witnesses and character assassins, the truth is often taken so lightly as to be of no relevance thus perpetuating and ignoring a most diabolical moral evil instead of condemning and censoring it.

This is what the Bible says about the fate of liars in Rev 21:8.

But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone.

Concerning the inherent evil of Satan in John 8:44, Jesus said He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. But of truth He said. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice (teaching). John 18:37

Another important statement Jesus made concerns the value of truth is in John 8:32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. Implications drawn from these words is that falsehood leads to limitations of free and fearless thought and action while truth has the opposite effect.

May the Spirit of truth make us greater lovers and followers of truth for truth is the foundation of restoration and fellowship with God. His truth is marching on and will ultimately prove to be incomparably superior over fabrication and dishonesty.

Pastor Gene Holman of Living Word Fellowship in Gardnerville is a member of Carson Valley Ministers Association

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'You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free' - The Record-Courier

Jillian Conrad, "Hydras," detail, 2022, courtesy of the artist

Houston artist Jillian Conrads new work takes broad inspiration from the work of Rice electrical and computer engineer Jacob Robinson, who studies hydra: Tiny, resilient and endlessly regenerative freshwater organisms, hydra are nigh-immortal, capable of reproducing through asexual budding and seemingly unable to die of something as commonplace as old age.

Conrads work also involves creative replication, taking material and repurposing it into something novel, then transforming it into yet another form or shape.

With her new work just installed in the lobby at Rices BioScience Research Collaborative (BRC) last week Conrad took deflated mylar birthday balloons, put them on a flatbed scanner and printed the resulting images in high resolution using archival ink on silk organza. She then layered and crumpled the fabric, adding a whole new dimension to the images printed on the silk.

The ongoingness, the immortality of the hydra reminded me of my own work and my process, said Conrad, who is also an associate professor in the University of Houston School of Art.She was commissioned by Rices Moody Center for the Arts, who invited guest curator Ylinka Barotto to oversee the project as part of the universitys public art program.

I find a balloon, then I turn it into a digital file, then I turn it into a printed piece on organza and then I turn it into this sculpture it keeps rolling over and going and going and going in different iterations of itself, Conrad said. And you could say that each one is a different thing, but in some ways, it's the same thing over and over again.

The commission draws from imagery obtained from the Robinson Lab, which is housed at the BRC. Exploring the visuals rendered from Robinsons study of the millimeter-sized invertebrates done in the pursuit of advancing the treatment of neurological disorders Conrads piece welcomes visitors and allows for a practical and accessible visualization of complex scientific research.

Conrads work, Hydras, will be celebrated with an opening reception Saturday, Feb. 12 from 6-8 p.m. at the BRC. For more information, visit moody.rice.edu.

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'Hydras' artwork inspired by Robinson Lab imagery | Rice News | News and Media Relations | Rice University - Rice News

Don't forget to like and share! Theater Preview With just weeks left before opening night the Tuck Everlasting cast is hard at work. The play members ran through their show many times at rehearsal to get ready for the big performance. Photo by McKenzie Sacks.

With a new semester comes more theatre! The Snow College Department of Theatre has an eventful spring ahead of them with plenty of performances for students to get involved in and support.

To start off the rest of the season, musical Tuck Everlasting will premiere Feb. 23 and run through Feb. 26, only a few weeks away! The story starts off with a young girl named Winnie Foster, who seeks adventure out in the world beyond the border of her home, and eventually stumbles upon a spring that gives any who drink of its water immortality. This production is being directed by Ed Swidey!

The other main production of the semester will be The Foreigner, which will be directed by Trent Bean. The Foreigner tells the story about a pathologically shy young man, Charlie, who overhears a sinister plot developing around him amongst all sorts of other drama under the guise of the fact that he cant understand or speak English. The show will have live performances from April 13-16. Another entertaining part of the semester is the LTI shows! Let Them Improvise is Snows improv team, a team that puts on a handful of shows during weekends throughout the semester in which the team performs hilarious improv games on the spot whilst receiving prompts from the audience. The first shows this semester are Feb. 4-5 and only cost a dollar to see!

Theres more! Exclusive to the spring semester are the works from student directors in the directing class, who will put on two of their own productions later in the semester as well. A collection of 10-minute plays will debut in March, and a one act play in April. All Badgers are encouraged to come audition and be a part of these! Auditions for both are Feb. 28 and Mar. 21 respectively.

Speaking of, Badger Sarah Danella recently directed her own play, Eleemosynary written by Lee Blessing, which ran Jan. 28-29! The play follows Dorothea, her daughter Artie, and Arties daughter Echo, and their relationship with one another as they progress throughout their own life journeys. Sarah had a good experience directing the play, saying, [it] has been very different, hard but fun at the same time. I took Andys directing class last spring and it was probably one of the hardest classes Ive taken but also one of the most rewarding. I knew I wanted to direct shows in some capacity. Getting my start so early on is truly amazing.

Its not too late to get involved! Badgers are welcome to sign-up for any number of theatre classes, from acting to voice and diction, and most importantly, encouraged to attend the live performances!

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Previewing the Upcoming Theatre Season | SnowDrift - Snowdrift

Select events happening in metro Detroit this week. Submit your events to metrotimes.com/calendar. Be sure to check venue websites for COVID-19 policies.

Thursday, 2/10: Flesh for Frankenstein is one of four movies screening as part of Skin City, a series of pop-ups at Outer Limits Lounge all focused on viewing onscreen erotica among a crowd. Paul Morrissey's Italian-produced 1974 riffs off more than an adaptation of Mary Shelley's work. Starring a young Udo Kier as Baron von Frankenstein, who rails in disembodied consonants about his dreams of producing a new, somehow superior race of stitched-together corpse-men, his desires are fraught with contradiction. Dying to create a new Adam and Eve subservient to him, he's both horny eugenicist and wannabe slave-driver, neglecting his sister-wife and children and abusing his assistant in favor of his wild pet project. In working to construct a mating pair of obedient behemoths, he's after a kind of vain immortality as fragile as his God complex. George Elkind

Starts at 7 p.m. at Outer Limits Lounge; 5507 Caniff St., Detroit; cinemalamont.com. Tickets are $10.

Friday, 2/11: Prolific Detroit artist will close out Eyes Watching Me, his solo exhibition of visual works and the first solo show at Spot Lite, with a dance party. Jay Daniel joins McFly on the decks. Lee DeVito

Closing reception is from 6-9 p.m., with an afterparty from 9 p.m.-2 a.m., at Spot Lite; 2905 Beaufait St., Detroit; spotlitedetroit.com. Ages 21+ only.

Saturday, 2/12: We're big fans of Ann Arbor-area singer-songwriter Dani Darling, whose ethereal, neo-soul falls somewhere between Billie Holiday and Radiohead. Last year, she released The Future, a collection equally inspired by Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon and Marvin Gaye's What's Going On as it was the pandemic and the summer of Black Lives Matter marches, born out of jam sessions at Ypsilanti's Grove Studios. (The track "The Age," a nearly eight-minute ambient-jazz suite, is a centerpiece of the record.) This is Dani Darling's first 2022 performance, and Emma Guzman and Ki5 are also on the bill. Lee DeVito

Show starts at 7 p.m.; Otus Supply; 345 E. Nine Rd., Ferndale; 248-291-6160; otussupply.com. Tickets are $13 advance, $15 day of show.

Saturday, 2/12: Here's one for the brave, or at least those who like to take off their clothes for a good cause. Cupid's Undie Run makes a Detroit stop to raise funds to research neurofibromatosis, a genetic neurological disorder that causes tumors to grow on nerves throughout the body and affects 1 in every 3,000 births. The event kicks off at Detroit's Tin Roof with some drinking to help get people in the mood, then commences for a mile-run that ends back at the Tin Roof for a nearly-naked dance party. If that all sounds like too much work, at least the people-watching should be good. Lee DeVito

From noon-4 p.m. starting at the Tin Roof; 47 E. Adams Ave., Detroit; my.cupids.org. Tickets are $50.

Saturday, 2/12: The Detroit Shipping Co. is kicking off a new club for people who like to drink cold craft beer next to a warm bonfire. The Cold Muggin' Club will see a bonfire in Detroit Shipping Co.'s courtyard with a giant tent, live music, and hames. Members get their own mug that they can take home with them, $5 off pitchers and other discounts, and an annual Cold Muggin' appreciation party. Lee DeVito

From 1-9 p.m. at the Detroit Shipping Co.; 313-462-4973; detroitshippingcompany.com. Membership is $35.

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Dani Darling, Sheefy McFly, Cupids Undie Run, and more things to do in metro Detroit this week - Detroit Metro Times

If we are to believe Lin-Manuel Mirandas musical masterpiece and the Ron Chernow biography Founding Father Alexander Hamilton was obsessed with not just his legacy, but mortality itself.

Its made quite evident in several parts of the Broadway hit, but probably no better than where Hamilton and then bestie Aaron Burr talk about fallen comrade, Brig. Gen. Hugh Mercer, whose sacrifice in the Revolutionary Wars Battle of Princeton was memorialized through a Manhattan street.

The Mercer legacy is secure, Burr tells Hamilton. And all he had to do was die.

New York City is much bigger today than it was in Colonial times, with more than 6,000 miles of street at our disposal. But securing legacies of our most prominent people is near impossible, since everything that can be named has been. More or less.

But there is an alternative. One that can honor those deserving of such, without forcing neighbors or businesses to officially change their address.

Honorary street naming has existed in the city for decades. A few years back, a retired city planner named Gilbert Tauber started compiling those names into a searchable database at NYCStreets.info. There, youll discover well over 1,500 such names including more than 380 in the Bronx alone.

Theres Regis Philbin Avenue on Cruger Avenue near Little Yemen where the late television personality grew up.

And then theres Big Punisher Way at the intersection of West Fordham Road and the Grand Concourse, named for the Bronx rapper who died in 2000.

Television writer and actor Carl Reiner earned his intersection at Arthur Avenue and East 188th Street just last year thanks to then-councilman Ritchie Torres.

More locally, we have Vincent Giudice Place on West 236th Street, the 50th Precinct officer killed in the line of duty back in 1996. A few blocks down is Chuck Seidner Way named for the longtime Loesers Deli manager, itself not far from Loesers Deli Place, which received that distinction just months before decades-old Kingsbridge business shuttered for good.

Whether they were internationally famous or simply made a difference in our neighborhoods, how lucky we are to have a way to honor each and every one of them. Its something that is sometimes made over-complicated unnecessarily, when in the end, its just intended to say thank you.

Community Board 8 has taken the first steps to honor Bill Stone, a longtime public servant we lost back in 2020, with his own honorary street naming. And Councilman Eric Dinowitz did what his predecessor refused to do and honor Villa Rosa Bonheur developer John McKelvey Sr., in Spuyten Duyvil.

Burr simplified whats required to gain immortality: Its not about dying. Its about living, and making how we all live even better. And we say thank you.

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Touch of immortality - The Riverdale Press

Local children in period costume take part in celebrations in Dublin to mark the centenary of "Bloomsday" on June 16, 2004.HO/Reuters

Ive put in so many enigmas and puzzles, James Joyce once explained to Jacques Benoist-Mchin, the translator of the French edition of Ulysses, that it will keep the professors busy for centuries arguing over what I meant, and thats the only way of insuring ones immortality.

The first of those centuries has reached an end: Ulysses was published 100 years ago today, on its authors 40th birthday, Feb. 2, 1922.

Professors continue to argue over what Joyce meant, to analyze those puzzles and enigmas, and as he predicted, his immortality seems assured. Its all but certain that scholars and academics will scrutinize, study and debate Ulysses for at least another hundred years. But will Ulysses continue to attract new readers readers with no motive or desire other than to enjoy the experience of reading a book?

Who reads it? Martin Amis asked seriously, in the 1980s. Who curls up with Ulysses? It is thoroughly studied, it is exhaustively unzipped and unseamed, it is much deconstructed. But who reads Ulysses for the hell of it? While inarguably Joyces masterwork, the towering literary achievement, Amis argued, is not reader-friendly, and is indeed difficult to read, in the readerly fashion, from beginning to end.

Ulysses is a work of genius. But its very genius seems to scare readers off: Ulysses the fearsome, the formidable, the ever daunting.

The circumstances of its publication contribute to its rarefied air. The Little Review, the literary magazine in which the novel was first serialized, faced obscenity charges over its content as a result of complaints filed by the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice. A first willing publisher, Pelican Press, declined to publish the completed manuscript; a second, Ovid Press, backed out after deciding it would be too costly an undertaking. Cash-strapped and increasingly desperate and facing the serious possibility that the book he had spent the previous decade of his life writing was unpublishable Joyce accepted an offer by Sylvia Beach, owner of the Parisian bookstore Shakespeare and Company, to print an exclusive, deluxe edition of 1,000 numbered volumes, to be sold for a 350 francs apiece (the equivalent of about $234 today).

The high cover price, combined with the limited number of copies available, placed the book firmly in the domain of Frances cultural elite. This had the immediate effect of amplifying the general publics impression of Ulysses as obscene because they could not afford to read the book themselves to see what all the fuss was about. And because Ulysses appeared just as English literature was becoming a popular field of academic study, it quickly cemented its reputation as a major (and recondite) work of high modernism a peculiar curse and blessing, Declan Kiberd observed in Ulysses and Us: The Art of Everyday Life in Joyces Masterpiece, that whisked the book into the canon at the same time the broader reading public was being cut off.

For Kiberd, this was antithetical to Joyces true intentions. His greatest ambition for the novel was as wide and appreciative a readership as possible. Ulysses was at heart a book about ordinary people, about a day in the life of two regular Dubliners, and the essence of the mundane it so exquisitely captured, Joyce hoped, was pleasure every reader could savour.

A book which set out to celebrate the common man and woman endured the sad fate of never being read by them, Kiberd writes. Is the book heady? Full of arcane references? Willfully obscure? Yes, but it was Joyces dream that readers might find the novels complexity edifying, not repellent. It was designed, concludes Kiberd, to produce readers capable of reading Ulysses.

One of the most famous anecdotes about Ulysses takes place on the day of its publication. Joyce, wanting to celebrate the books arrival, invited Beach out. As they were leaving his apartment, the author pointed to the concierges young son, who was entertaining himself on the buildings front steps. One day, Joyce said, that boy will be a reader of Ulysses.

Lawrence Rainey, in his book Institutions of Modernism, calls Joyce laughably naive for this proclamation. But if this centenary is occasion to celebrate anything, it ought to be the hope that Joyce, after all, was correct: that there is a Ulysses reader in each of us. We can read it, in the readerly fashion; we can curl up with Ulysses. And in so doing we can carry Joyces immortality forward, well into the centuries to come.

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As Ulysses turns 100, James Joyce's exquisite classic will live on - The Globe and Mail

As the flames leapt up to consume the mortal remains of Lata Mangeshkar, Gulzar's words set to R.D. Burman's music, which the Nightingale immortalised with her ageless voice -- "Meri awaaz hi pehchaan hai ..." -- kept swirling in the hearts and minds of her followers around the world.

There couldn't have been more appropriate words to encapsulate the truth that only a few souls are able to stir the consciousness of generations, transcending all boundaries. Lata Mangeshkar was one of those rare souls.

The Nightingale's radiant image seemed to shine above the political and tinsel stars who had converged at Mumbai's Shivaji Park to pay their final respects to the departed soul. More than her smile, that famous twinkle in her eye seemed to assure Lataji's countless fans that she was very much there.

And how can she ever go away? Each of her more than 50,000 songs in 14 languages will ensure her immortality.

As much as her voice is mesmerising, equally her carefully draped saree and tightly held hair with a small round 'bindi' in the middle of her forehead will remain etched in the memory of every Indian. She looked very much like a goddess in 'avatar'. It wasn't without a reason that generations has regarded Lataji as Goddess Saraswati incarnate.

Lata Didi, as the nation fondly calls her, has forever set the standards that perhaps may never be matched. Singing will never be like hers, although clones are in thousands.

Songs for every mood, every age, all seasons, festivals, celebrations, all occasions of happiness or sadness. From spiritually uplifting bhajans to soothing romantic numbers, to racy, pacy tracks, she did them all in her 73-year career as the voice of the nation.

Not a day or hour goes by when her songs are not being aired, sung by talent hunt participants, or remixed by sound engineers. remixed is not being aired or even hummed. Even for the upcoming generation, her songs are the lessons to be learnt and in musical talent shows aired on TV channels or FM radio, it is mostly her songs that are sung.

Lataji continues to live in her songs. She has been immortalised in her songs, and each time a song by her is sung, Lataji will come alive.

All her songs are iconic; each is unique in its own style. There is no one that is the best, because all are the best. Her voice gave that magical touch to Hindi movies that have always been mostly about song and dance.

Lataji is every singer's dream, and for the masses her songs are emotions that they have grown with. Listening to her songs on the radio and TV, seeing them picturised in movies, singing them in school and college competitions, or in 'antaksharis', and dancing to them in wedding sangeet ceremonies, we have lived Lataji's songs for decades. They have been a part of the growing-up years of all Indians. Lata Mangeshkar has always been there, the quintessential diet of our emotions.

"Meri awaaz hi pehchaan hai ... chehra ye badal jayege ... meri awaaz hi pechaan hai ... ghar yaad rahe" (My voice will be my identity even if the way I look changes). Gulzar sahab seemed to have written these words, which Lataji sang with Bhupinder Singh in 'Kinara' in 1977, inspired by her life.

Lata Didi, as the world will always remember her as, her voice and her face radiating magnanimity will never fade away.

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The Nightingale will live forever in her 50,000 songs in 14 languages - Ahmedabad Mirror

2015 finale of the television series CSI

Episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

"Immortality" is the two-hour series finale of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation aired on September 27, 2015, on CBS.

When a suicide bomber detonates his vest on the floor of the Eclipse casino, owned by Catherine Willows, the FBI special agent returns from Los Angeles to join the investigation. Gil Grissom, meanwhile, working to preserve sharks in international waters, is arrested for trespassing at the Port of San Diego, and D.B. Russell offers Sara Sidle the chance to supervise the local investigation into the bombing. Sidle, who is vying for the position of director of the Las Vegas Crime Lab, is initially irked when Sheriff Conrad Ecklie inquires about Grissom's location when "Lady" Heather Kessler is linked to the crime. Ecklie ensures Grissom is released from custody, and Willows and he, alongside Eclipse security officer Jim Brass, assist in locating the suspect.

As the team works to restore safety to the streets of Las Vegas, Russell decides it is time for him to "head East" and pursue new challenges, while he places a plaque, dedicated to the memory of Julie Finlay, alongside his personal possessions. Willows expresses an interest in leaving the FBI and working alongside her daughter Lindsey in the Las Vegas Crime Lab, noting that, should Sidle reject the promotion she is going to be offered, Willows will accept it in lieu of her former colleague. The series ends with the newly promoted Sidle, upon hearing a recording of Grissom confessing his love for her, sailing from the Port of San Diego with Grissom.

Off-screen, Sidle resigns, and Willows is hired as lab director. Scenes were filmed to explicitly depict the transition, although they were cut from the aired episode.[1] A second scene, featuring Willows and her daughter, was also deleted; in it, Willows informs Lindsey that she should only resign if she does not feel like "King Kong on cocaine" following her first arrest. She then informs Lindsey that Holly Gribbs was killed in the line of duty.[citation needed] A third deleted scene shows Russell visiting Finlay's grave.[citation needed]

The finale was shot over 17 days. Filming for the principal cast began on July 29, 2015, and production wrapped on August 21, 2015.[4] The finale was filmed with the option to be broadcast as two episodes under the titles "Immortality Part I" and "Immortality Part II", respectively. The production codes for the episodes are 1601 and 1602.

During the CBS 2015 Upfront, Les Moonves and Nina Tassler announced that former lead actors Marg Helgenberger and William Petersen would reprise their roles as Catherine Willows and Gil Grissom, respectively.[5] Ted Danson, who starred in the series since the beginning of the 12th season, also returned as D.B. Russell.[5] On July 24, 2015, it was confirmed that both George Eads, who played Nick Stokes for 15 seasons, and Elisabeth Shue, who played the lead role of Julie Finlay for four seasons, had declined options to return. Elisabeth Harnois, Jorja Fox, Eric Szmanda, Robert David Hall, Wallace Langham, David Berman, and Jon Wellner all reprised their roles, as did Paul Guilfoyle.[6]

Melinda Clarke, who appeared as Lady Heather Kessler, a long-time friend of Grissom, also returned.[6] Katie Stevens was cast as Lindsey Willows, Catherine's daughter, a CSI level 1.[7] Recurring guest star Marc Vann also returned as Sheriff Conrad Ecklie,[8] as did Larry Mitchell as Officer Mitchell.[9]

The episodes were directed by Louis Shaw Milito, and written by series creator Anthony E. Zuiker. William Petersen assisted in the breaking of the story.[10] Like the series, the finale used "Who Are You" by The Who as the opening and closing theme. Executive producers included Ann Donahue, Carol Mendelsohn, Anthony E. Zuiker, Jerry Bruckheimer, William Petersen, and Cynthia Chvatal. The episodes were produced by CBS Television Studios, distributed by CBS Television Distribution, and broadcast on CBS. The film's run-time was 88 minutes.

Following the end of the series, Ted Danson joined the cast of CSI: Cyber in his role as D.B. Russell. This relocation was alluded to in the movie, with Russell announcing his intention to "head east".[11] Elisabeth Shue's Julie Finlay was featured prominently in archive footage during the Cyber episode "Hack ER".

The episode received 12.22 million viewers and an 1849 rating of 1.8.[12]

Upon reviewing the series finale, Gavin Hetherington of SpoilerTV named the episodes "the perfect send-off for such an epic show".[13] He later called the episode a "dream come true" for fans of the series with the reunion of Gil, Catherine and Sara.

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Immortality (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation) - Wikipedia

The top four teams were in action once again in the latest round of action in the Saudi Pro League. Below are five things we learned.

1. Talisca makes spectacular use of greater freedom

It was hardly the most fluid of performances from Al-Nassr as they beat Damac 2-0, but the Yellows will not care as that makes it four wins in a row and five from the past six. The title challenge is well and truly on, though the gap behind Al-ittihad in first remains six points with one more game played.

Pity Martinez, with his first goal in almost a year, would normally be the one making the headlines, but this game was all about Talisca, though Waleed Abdullah pulled off some good saves in goal.

Since taking charge last month, coach Miguel Angel Russo has given the Brazilian greater freedom to roam. As Al-Nassr built an attack in the first half, Damac were perhaps expecting Talisca to be in the area. Instead he arrived late just outside the box, was given too much time and then fired a delicious shot into the top corner. The goal took him to 11 for the season and first place in the scoring standings, pretty impressive for someone who is not an out and out striker.

2. When even Hawsari scores then all is going well for Al-Ittihad

Al-Ittihads 2-0 win over Al-Feiha was a sixth league victory in a row and a welcome return to clean sheets after two successive 3-2 wins. It is almost crazy to think that Al-Ittihad fired their coach after losing two of the first three games of the season.

That is ancient history now with the Tigers three points clear at the top with a game in hand. It was a comfortable and deserved victory with the second goal a thing of beauty: A chipped pass from deep from Bruno Henrique into the area was met first time by Romarinho who lifted the ball over the goalkeeper in a way that only an expert poacher can.

Though less easy on the eye, the opening goal was noteworthy. Omar Hawsawi rose high to head Henriques first-half corner home. It was a regulation move but the first league goal the 36-year-old has scored since 2016. If the center-back is getting in on the scoring act then this really could be Al-Ittihads year. A first title since 2009 is looking increasingly possible.

3. Ighalo back in action, but cant shoot Al-Shabab to victory

Nigeria may not be happy that Al-Shabab refused to release Odion Ighalo for the African Cup of Nations campaign but the Super Eagles loss should be the Riyadh clubs gain. Not quite on Saturday, however, as despite the best efforts of the former Manchester United man, Al-Shabab were held to a 1-1 draw by Abha.

It could have been worse as the title-chasers fell behind early but then had the chances to win the game and then some. It is a case of two points dropped to leave the six-time champions three points off the pace, even if there is a long way to go.

If Ighalo was annoyed at not getting the chance to become AFCON top scorer for the second successive tournament, he did not show it. The Nigerian worked hard and had the ball in the net early in the game, only for the strike to be ruled offside by VAR by the narrowest of margins. He came close again, but it was not to be. At least Ighalo looked sharp and Al-Shabab still look dangerous.

4. Damac lack game changers

It has been pointed out before that Damacs title challenge was always unlikely to last. The 2-0 loss to Al-Nassr means they have taken just two points from the last four games, but the fact that they still sit in fourth place in the standings is testament to just how good they were earlier in the season.

This game was a pretty even affair, but the difference between the two teams was clear to see. Simply put, Damac lack talents of the caliber of Talisca and Pity Martinez. Croatian playmaker Mijo Caktas is a fine player who has had an excellent campaign so far, but the former Hajjduk Split star is unable to consistently change a game in the way that Al-Nassrs creative players do.

For Damac, the important thing now is to keep their heads. There was always likely to be a dip at some point in a long season. The real challenge is to ensure that the slump does not become a major slide. Damac performed well enough against the in-form Al-Nassr, but the big game is next weekends clash with Al-Tai and the target is a win that will get the former leaders back on track.

5. Al-Taawoun trying to escape fierce relegation scrap

A 2-1 win over bottom club Al-Hazem looks to have given the Buraidah outfit some much-needed breathing space. It has been a roller-coaster few years for the Al-Taawoun faithful. In 2019, they finished third, almost got relegated the season after and last time around managed to take fourth spot in the league.

This campaign has been hugely disappointing. No wins, though plenty of goals, from the first nine games had the team in real trouble but the situation is improving. Last weeks 3-0 victory over Damac gave Al-Taawoun confidence and the latest victory pulls them up into the dizzy heights of 11th.

There is still a long way to go, however, and the relegation battle is shaping up to be fierce. Al-Hazem are in danger of getting cut off at the bottom, but then just four points separates the next eight teams. It is unfortunate for Al-Taawoun that their new-found momentum may well be broken next week at the home of champions Al-Hilal.

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Arab stars have a shot at immortality as they head into Africa Cup of Nations - Arab News

From Gilgamesh onwards, quests for the fountain of youth have not ended well. That has not deterred Silicon Valley billionaires such as Peter Thiel, who once described death as a problem that can be solved.

The quest to extend longevity radically is the first blue sky idea Lex is examining in our annual focus on early-stage innovation.

Jeff Bezos is reported to be among the other tycoons backing the endeavour. Altos Labs, incorporated in the UK and US, is pursuing biological reprogramming technology. It will build on pioneering research of Nobel Prize winner Shinya Yamanaka, who will be an unpaid adviser. He discovered that adding four specific proteins can make mature cells revert to something approaching an embryonic state. They can then be transformed into any type of cell needed to treat diseases.

Such an approach might be able to restore vision damaged by glaucoma, a leading cause of age-related blindness. That is the implication of recent experiments on mice by a team from the Harvard Medical School. In September, researchers largely based in Germany reprogrammed heart cells in the same animals. They were able to regenerate cardiac tissue after a heart attack.

Calico, an Alphabet-backed anti-ageing company founded in 2013, is also working on reprogramming, publishing a paper on the topic in 2021. It conducts more than 20 early-stage programmes addressing disease states in collaboration with US-based AbbVie. In June 2021, the partners agreed to invest another $1bn in the pursuit of new insights into the biology of ageing and targets for age-related diseases.

There are numerous challenges to overcome before such treatments can be tested on humans. The main risk is that reprogramming will awaken cancer-causing genes. But advocates for this and other approaches, such as clearing senescent zombie cells and reducing inflammation, insist it has great potential.

There are people alive today who will live for 1,000 years, according to one biomedical gerontologist. That, if taken seriously, conjures a dystopian future. If the technology is expensive, only the rich would have access to it; if not, it would further strain environmental resources.

A less contentious and more realistic goal would be delaying the onset of age-associated disorders. Treatments that target multiple disease pathways could lighten the economic burden of an ageing population.

Tech titans chasing after immortality are ridiculed for their hubris. But anti-ageing research could have wide benefits if it is able to reduce years of ill health at the end of every life.

This is the first of five articles on blue sky thinking published by Lex today. Look out for the others in Lex online.

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Blue sky ideas: the disruptive promise of tech titans immortality quest - Swift Digital news agency