Category Archives: Immortality

Jeff Bezos has done it again!

From time immortal, the human race has been in a quest of sorts to find a way to arrest ageing, reverse ageing, thus reach immortality. The Egyptians were the first that dabbled in their quest to turn themselves into timeless beauties; we have all heard of Cleopatra and her weird beauty regimes, right from crushing red beetles to lend the right red tint to her cheeks and mouth to bathing in milk and salt sea as a scrub. Her beauty regime was in tandem with wanting her appearance to exude beauty and the quest to arrest ageing.

Cut to 2021; the fact is that if one dwells deeper into Cleopatras beauty regime, most of the ingredients she used are still sought and used as part of ingredients in almost all cosmetic skin companies.

The latest to join this quest is Amazons founder, now retired, and Blue Origins founder Jeff Bezos; he indeed comes out with unique ideas and concepts and takes a plunge into the unknown.

His latest venture and investment is in an anti-ageing research company working on reprogramming human cells.

It has been rumoured that Jeff Bezos has a fairly long-standing interest in longevity research; at 57 years, some say that it might just be a case of a mid-life crisis, or maybe he realized that he has too immense a fortune that he can spend in this lifetime.

After all, he has tasted immense success with Amazon. He also wears the tag of either the richest or the second richest man in the world, has a $ 200 billion fortune and has also achieved his long-standing dream of venturing into space.

Hence, it is only natural that his interest should take him to exciting ventures, and if that venture is about reversing the process of ageing he can have his cake and enjoy it too!

If he tastes success, it would put him in an even more dominating/ formidable space and thus, participating in the creation of a startup with fellow billionaires makes sense indeed.

However, this is not the first time that Jeff Bezos has invested in anti-ageing research; he had in 2018 financed a similar company Unity Technologies which is still working on making anti-ageing therapies.

Introducing Altos Labs

Research-based company Altos Labs, founded in 2021, has claimed to have Jeff Bezos on board as one of their investors. The foundation of Altos Labs is fascinating in itself.

The name Altos Labs is a derivative from the Palo Alto mansion of a Russian investor and also a tech mogul Yuri Milner and the interesting bit is the fact that Altos Labs was first theorized here after a twoday conference.

The target of the company is to understand how biotechnology can be used to make people younger.

What Altos Labs intends to do?

The startup is looking to recruit some of the best university scientists to research how cells age and how to reverse the ageing process. Scientist Shinya Yamanaka first introduced the reprogramming technique in 2012, for which he had also won the Nobel Prize after he demonstrated the method in mice.

Taking it further from here, Altos Labs research would work on reprogramming which would involve adding proteins to a cell that essentially instruct it to revert to a stemcell-like state.

Altos is said to be pursuing biological reprogramming technology, a way to rejuvenate cells in the lab that the recruited scientists think could be extended to revitalize entire animal bodies, ultimately helping in prolonging human life.

However, no official announcement has been made by Altos yet, but it has been incorporated this year in Delaware and as per the securities disclosure filed in California this year in June indicates that the company has raised approximately $270 million.

Apart from Bezos and Milner, it said that the company has also recruited other wealthy tech figures and venture capitalists as investors.

Who is Yuri Milner?

Now that we know that it was in Yuri Milners mansion in the Los Altos Hills above Palo Alto where the startup was conceptualized, Milner is a Russian born billionaire who made a fortune on Facebook and Mail.ru. He is also known for starting the extravagant black-tie Breakthrough Prizes $3 million awards given to outstanding mathematicians, physicists, and biologists each year.

Competitors in the Field

The quest for discovering anti-ageing is not new, and a number of startups have been dotting the scene that are pursuing reprogramming technology.

Some of the more prominent are Life Biosciences, Turn Biotechnologies, AgeX Therapeutics and Shift Bioscience in the UK. Although none of them have struck gold in this field, nor have they ventured on to any treatments tested on people in clinical trials.

What is the opinion of the medical and scientific community?

If one comes to think of it, one may question it is as if the most serious concern that the world is facing is old age itself, but are we?

Suppose one was to ask a local practitioner or the common man himself. In that case, one may find that their immediate concern is not old age but diseases Cancer, AIDS, Multiple sclerosis, Mental Illness and even Covid -19.

For a commoner, the thought of immortality makes little sense if he is not able to sustain himself and his family through tough times of financial despair, disease, stress and so on.

Hence, immortality is perhaps a thought engaging enough for those who have accumulated wealth that they cannot even think of spending entirely in this lifetime alone. Bezos understands that science has already succeeded in rejuvenating old mice, and thus if he were to invest in research of the same and if it were actually to work, he would perhaps be the first in line to try the same for himself.

Also, while preserving life is fundamental, rejuvenating is hugely personal. Think about it we have enough data around us that shows that people and not just celebrities and influencers but ordinary people like you and me who may not shy away from cosmetic procedures to take a few years of the face or the body. Some may even attain a completely new face since they do not like what they see in the mirror.

We have already reached the age where if we dont like something, we have the resources to change, modify, or improve via a plastic surgeon, botox, fillers, etc.

Though what is stopping Jeff Bezos from trying any of these available fix-ups, just that it is accessible to people, and he may want to not disguise by surgery but rather go further and obliterate ageing for himself.

However, my questions only seem to grow in number

Perhaps, we may have to build rockets that orbit Earth as living pods while Earth goes through its motions, though the question still is its for the super-rich; what happens to the commoner?

Some researchers question whether reprogramming is a technology that can benefit from hundreds of millions in commercial investment.

Some experts also say investment in anti-ageing techniques is something government funding agencies cannot do quickly enough; hence, for now, it remains in the hands of those who have the wealth to invest in the same.

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Billionaires Now Seek To Unravel The Mystery Of Anti-ageing; Jeff Bezos, In The Forefront, Funds Anti-ageing Biotech Startup Altos Labs In 2021. -...

Each Monday, this column turns a page in history to explore the discoveries, events and people that continue to affect the history being made today.

Ironically, it was a quest for immortality that led to the invention of the deadliest weapon before the arrival of the atomic bomb.

Experimenting with life-lengthening elixirs around A.D. 850, Chinese alchemists instead discovered gunpowder. Their explosive invention would become the basis for almost every weapon used in war from that point on, from fiery arrows to rifles, cannons and grenades.

Gunpowder made warfare all over the world very different, affecting the way battles were fought and borders were drawn throughout the Middle Ages.

Flying fire

Chinese scientists had been playing with saltpeter a common name for the powerful oxidizing agent potassium nitrate in medical compounds for centuries when one industrious individual thought to mix it with sulfur and charcoal.

The result was a mysterious powder from which, observers remarked in a text dated from the mid-9th century, "smoke and flames result, so that [the scientists'] hands and faces have been burnt, and even the whole house where they were working burned down."

Gunpowder was quickly put to use by the reigning Sung dynasty against the Mongols, whose constant invasions into the country plagued the Chinese throughout the period. The Mongols were the first to be subject to flying fire an arrow fixed with a tube of gunpowder that ignited and would propel itself across enemy lines. More gunpowder-based weapons were invented by the Chinese and perfected against the Mongols in the next centuries, including the first cannons and grenades.

The psychological effect alone of the mystifying new technology likely helped the Chinese win battles against the Mongols, historians believe.

Explosive trade

Gunpowder somehow remained a monopoly of the Chinese until the 13th century, when the science was passed along the ancient silk trade route to Europe and the Islamic world, where it became a deciding factor in many Middle Age skirmishes.

By 1350, rudimentary gunpowder cannons were commonplace in the English and French militaries, which used the technology against each other during the Hundred Years' War. The Ottoman Turks also employed gunpowder cannons with abandon during their successful siege of Constantinople in 1453. The powerful new weapon essentially rendered the traditional walled fortification of Europe, impregnable for centuries, weak and defenseless.

The next important step for gunpowder came when it was inserted into the barrel of a handgun, which first appeared in the mid-15th century and was essentially a cannon shrunk down to portable size. Guns literally put weaponry into the hands of the individual, creating a new class of soldier infantry and giving birth to the modern army.

Gunpowder is still the basis for many modern weapons, including guns, though it's certainly no longer the most explosive force available to armies.

Need to celebrate a victory in battle, though? Gunpowder is there for you. The powder is also at the heart of the fireworks that make the Fourth of July and other holidays so special. To produce the aerial spray of reds, golds and blues, pyrotechnicians pack a tube with gunpowder, colorizing chemicals and small pellets that create the shape and shimmer of the firework.

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How Gunpowder Changed the World | Live Science

From Thor through Avengers: Endgame, Chris Hemsworths immortal character brought something unique to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The MCU is full of vital, interesting characters, from the sardonic, brilliant Iron Man/Tony Stark to the naive charm of Peter Parker/Spider-Man. But few characters have earned more fan acclaim than the character of Thor.

The legendary comic book character was brought to life in the MCU by Hemsworth has appeared in some of the most influential movies in the franchise. With another Thor-centric film on the horizon, some fans discussed how hes contributed in unique ways.

Thor, the mythical son of Odin, debuted in the 2011 film of the same name. Impulsive and a bit reckless, Thor follows his heart. He makes several rash decisions in the film that lead to his exile to earth by his father. It is on earth that Thor meets scientist Jane Foster, and experiences his first encounter with SHIELD. Over the films that follow, Thor joins up with the Avengers Initiative. He becomes one of the most vital and powerful members of the elite group.

By Avengers: Endgame, Thor has matured a great deal. His gravity and sense of purpose add much to the Avengers. Thor never loses his compassion and big heart. However, the deaths of some of his friends and close family do a great deal of emotional damage to the Asgardian. Most notably, the loss of his brother Loki, the unpredictable and tenacious god of mischief, causes him great sadness.

In Avengers: Endgame, viewers see that Thors experiences in Infinity War have changed him. Those experiences lead to his struggles with PTSD in the film.

Interestingly, Thor wasnt always presented as an immortal being in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In fact, in the movie Thor, he is introduced as the god of thunder. But hes never actually described as being immortal. However, in recent years, Marvel has changed up Thors status a bit, describing Thors relationship with the concept of time as being closer to what an immortal deity would experience.

According to Screen Rant, making Thor immortal doesnt take away any of the trauma that the character experienced, however. Rather, those experiences became heightened. Thor defines himself by the tragic deaths of his father, mother, and brother, as well as the loss of his homeworld and comrades. It is no wonder, therefore, that the formerly powerful god would be such a tragic figure when audiences see him in Avengers: Endgame: depressed, overweight, and reclusive.

Viewers can see the next phase of Thors arc when Thor: Love and Thunder, debuts in May 2022. While few details about the storyline have been revealed, many fans believe that the film will be Chris Hemsworths swan song in the MCU. The movie could set up a story arc that would involve Jane Foster wielding Thors mighty hammer.

For now, Marvel executives and those involved continue to keep specifics under wraps. So it could be several months before fans get any real answers about what the MCU holds for Thor.

RELATED:Fans Upset Over Natalie Portmans Casting as Lady Thor in Thor: Love and Thunder: See Why

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How Thor's Immortality Adds Depth to the Entire MCU Story and His PTSD at the End of 'Avengers: Endgame' - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

There is a new culture arising between (wo)man and machine. The digital afterlife avatars we created throughout the years, photos and accounts we accumulated, contacts and messages we exchanged is challenging our assumptions about life and death.

The new frontiers we try to establish between the real and the virtual, between past memory, current experience, and futuristic vision are blurry. Who owns all the data we leave behind? How will we be remembered in this modern-day collective consciousness? Do we need a digital will? And how does this impact the grieving process of those we leave behind?

We know that todays data is increasingly interwoven with individual life stories. The internet even jumps in to substitute spiritual remembrance practices where theyve lost meaning.

And its true: the internet, as the most modern version of a hereafter, will outlast us all. The traces you leave there will outlast you and remain present and tangible for those mourning and remembering you.

Your smartphone, often worn on the body like a piece of jewelry and filled to the brim with experiences, memories, thoughts, and feelings, will take a central place in their mourning process.

So are parts of us becoming immortal thanks to digitization? Is survival possible in this materialized collective memory?

A wide variety of new developments can be observed that make use of these hopes, which are essentially as old as humanity, and yet come in a new guise.

What might have sounded like science fiction material only a short while ago is already a reality today with Kanye West gifting Kim Kardashian a hologram of her late father for her 40th birthday something that everyone can achieve thanks to providers such as the Dutch company Here we Holo.

When we spoke to its CEO, Desmond Frencken, explained the core of this idea: Being able to give a speech at your own funeral has been on my bucket list. Now we made it possible. Its a very personal message and better than a film. You can stand there, the projection is so crisp and clear, as if it was you.

There are also other forms of digital resurrections, such as a much-discussed example of a South Korean company using artificial intelligence to allow a mother to meet her deceased daughter one last time in virtual reality. That way she was available to say a proper goodbye, an opportunity she hadnt been granted in real life.

So the real question isnt whether well live on in the digital realm after our deaths, but how

It seems that we want to remember our dead exactly the way we experiencedthem while they were alive which includes the internet. But what do we want for our own afterlives?

Do we limit ourselves by trying to freeze ourselves for digital eternity? But arent we much more than avatars or bots? So will the real question be around what the limitations of AI in creating our digital souls are?

As we experiment with increasingly sophisticated methods of digitally bringing the dead back to life, there are both risks and benefits, and the question remains how we reconcile our offline and online selves after weve passed.

Some of us will never be content with interacting with a memorial page, speaking into a void that never responds. Others will rage against the dying light and build magical and monstrous manifestations of the afterlife, refusing to let the dead stay dead. We believe that we will need to find a balance between digital recollection and emotional release.

And we believe we should not let our future be dictated by technology instead, we should develop technology for the future we want to have. And for the way we want to be remembered.

If youre curious to know more about the digital transformation of death and get some practical tips on your own digital legacy, check out our talk at TNW2021. Well be joined by 150+ other great speakers who are experts on every facet of tech imaginable.

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You need to start planning for immortality in the metaverse - The Next Web

The Old Guard 2 is one of the most anticipated releases set to premiere on Netflix in 2022. The sequel will return fans of the first film to a world where an elite immortal force intervene in the globes affairs to keep the planet on the right track.

The ending of The Old Guard, however, put several things in stark perspective for Andy, Nick, Joe, Nile, and Booker from the reveal that Andy is no longer immortal to the twist that her partner, Quynh is alive. Not to mention they still have the problem of their secret potentially getting out if they cant help keep people safe and stay hidden.

Copley has been brought into the fold to assist the team in covering their tracks and helping to direct which missions to take in order to have a greater impact in the world.

But what can fans expect from The Old Guard 2s plot? Heres what we know!

There isnt an official synopsis for the sequel, however, we do have an inkling of what its in store for the audience. The second volume in the comic book series that the movies are adapted from has the following plot:

When youve waged war as long as Andy and her squad, youve gotten your hands more than bloody. Now, the day has come to confront the sins of the past. But as Nile struggles to make peace with the team, the last person Andy expected ever to see again returns to challenge not only what Andy believes in, but what the team is willing to fight for.

While we dont expect The Old Guard 2 will follow the comic books narrative to the letter, we do believe Andy and Quynh will be reunited which is sure to ripple through the group. As will Andys mortality as she leads with the reality of death very firmly in the forefront of her and everyone elses minds.

During a TUDUM panel with fellow Netflix action heroines, Charlize Theron teased that her character Andy is once again warring over the things that she cannot change in her life. In the first movie, shed grown bone wearily tired of living. Immortality had taken its toll, and she wished it was possible for her to die.

Now, however, Theron says Andy will struggle with her mortality. As we saw in The Old Guard, it made her a liability and hindered her ability to lead. Obviously, that will continue to be an issue for her and the team.

What will this mean for Andy now? Will she be out of the field? Will she become the woman behind the computer screen? Well have to wait and see, but were definitely intrigued by where this sequel is set to go especially with Andy wanting her immortality back.

Stay tuned to Netflix Life for more The Old Guard 2 news and coverage.

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Andy struggles with her mortality in The Old Guard 2 - Netflix Life

Netflix has a ton of original movies now, but only a few end up standing out in terms of popularity and quality. The Old Guard debuted in 2020 and became a surprise hit with many Netflix subscribers. The Old Guard 2 is on the way now and Charlize Theron has shared more details about what her character, Andy, will be dealing with throughout the film.

The Old Guard is based on a comic book series and follows a small group of elite immortal warriors who have been secretly fighting for humanity throughout history. The ending of the first film saw Andy losing her immortality, making her now incredibly vulnerable. Also, in a post-credit scene, we saw the return of Quynh (Veronica Ngo), Andy's companion from long ago who was initially thought to be trapped at the bottom of the ocean.

Copley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) has been brought into the fold to help keep their secret and find them missions where they can have a greater impact on the world. However, we still don't know what those missions are. Not much has been revealed about the plot for the second movie thus far.

However, during Netflix's Tudum event, Theron teased that Andy will be "once again warring over the things that she cannot change in her life." In the first film, Andy had grown weary of life and become tired of her immortality. Her immortality is now gone, meaning that she has to come face-to-face with her own mortality. Her mortality led to an almost fatal injury and it may be hard for her to lead the team as she is a potential liability in every mission.

Also, Andy will probably encounter Quynh, who may be looking for revenge after being horribly tortured for hundreds of years. The two have a complicated past with one another and this may come back to haunt Andy. We still don't know what the main narrative will be for the Charlize Theron lead sequel, however, since it is based off the comic book series, we may have an idea. Here is the synopsis for the second volume of the comic book series:

This description of the second volume of the series does seem like it could be accurate, especially with the return of Quynh. Nile (Kiki Layne) may also be fighting to make the team trust her again as she left to go visit her family and the team later ended up getting kidnapped. She did save them, but they may have trouble believing in her commitment to the team.

The Old Guard 2 is expected to release on Netflix in 2022. Victoria Mahoney is stepping in as the new director, with Gina Prince-Bythewood coming back as producer.

Topics: The Old Guard 2, The Old Guard, Netflix, TUDUM

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The Old Guard 2 Has Charlize Theron's Andy Struggling with Her Own Mortality - MovieWeb

Jeff Bezos has done it again!

From time immortal, the human race has been in a quest of sorts to find a way to arrest ageing, reverse ageing, thus reach immortality. The Egyptians were the first that dabbled in their quest to turn themselves into timeless beauties; we have all heard of Cleopatra and her weird beauty regimes, right from crushing red beetles to lend the right red tint to her cheeks and mouth to bathing in milk and salt sea as a scrub. Her beauty regime was in tandem with wanting her appearance to exude beauty and the quest to arrest ageing.

Cut to 2021; the fact is that if one dwells deeper into Cleopatras beauty regime, most of the ingredients she used are still sought and used as part of ingredients in almost all cosmetic skin companies.

The latest to join this quest is Amazons founder, now retired, and Blue Origins founder Jeff Bezos; he indeed comes out with unique ideas and concepts and takes a plunge into the unknown.

His latest venture and investment is in an anti-ageing research company working on reprogramming human cells.

It has been rumoured that Jeff Bezos has a fairly long-standing interest in longevity research; at 57 years, some say that it might just be a case of a mid-life crisis, or maybe he realized that he has too immense a fortune that he can spend in this lifetime.

After all, he has tasted immense success with Amazon. He also wears the tag of either the richest or the second richest man in the world, has a $ 200 billion fortune and has also achieved his long-standing dream of venturing into space.

Hence, it is only natural that his interest should take him to exciting ventures, and if that venture is about reversing the process of ageing he can have his cake and enjoy it too!

If he tastes success, it would put him in an even more dominating/ formidable space and thus, participating in the creation of a startup with fellow billionaires makes sense indeed.

However, this is not the first time that Jeff Bezos has invested in anti-ageing research; he had in 2018 financed a similar company Unity Technologies which is still working on making anti-ageing therapies.

Introducing Altos Labs

Research-based company Altos Labs, founded in 2021, has claimed to have Jeff Bezos on board as one of their investors. The foundation of Altos Labs is fascinating in itself.

The name Altos Labs is a derivative from the Palo Alto mansion of a Russian investor and also a tech mogul Yuri Milner and the interesting bit is the fact that Altos Labs was first theorized here after a twoday conference.

The target of the company is to understand how biotechnology can be used to make people younger.

What Altos Labs intends to do?

The startup is looking to recruit some of the best university scientists to research how cells age and how to reverse the ageing process. Scientist Shinya Yamanaka first introduced the reprogramming technique in 2012, for which he had also won the Nobel Prize after he demonstrated the method in mice.

Taking it further from here, Altos Labs research would work on reprogramming which would involve adding proteins to a cell that essentially instruct it to revert to a stemcell-like state.

Altos is said to be pursuing biological reprogramming technology, a way to rejuvenate cells in the lab that the recruited scientists think could be extended to revitalize entire animal bodies, ultimately helping in prolonging human life.

However, no official announcement has been made by Altos yet, but it has been incorporated this year in Delaware and as per the securities disclosure filed in California this year in June indicates that the company has raised approximately $270 million.

Apart from Bezos and Milner, it said that the company has also recruited other wealthy tech figures and venture capitalists as investors.

Who is Yuri Milner?

Now that we know that it was in Yuri Milners mansion in the Los Altos Hills above Palo Alto where the startup was conceptualized, Milner is a Russian born billionaire who made a fortune on Facebook and Mail.ru. He is also known for starting the extravagant black-tie Breakthrough Prizes $3 million awards given to outstanding mathematicians, physicists, and biologists each year.

Competitors in the Field

The quest for discovering anti-ageing is not new, and a number of startups have been dotting the scene that are pursuing reprogramming technology.

Some of the more prominent are Life Biosciences, Turn Biotechnologies, AgeX Therapeutics and Shift Bioscience in the UK. Although none of them have struck gold in this field, nor have they ventured on to any treatments tested on people in clinical trials.

What is the opinion of the medical and scientific community?

If one comes to think of it, one may question it is as if the most serious concern that the world is facing is old age itself, but are we?

Suppose one was to ask a local practitioner or the common man himself. In that case, one may find that their immediate concern is not old age but diseases Cancer, AIDS, Multiple sclerosis, Mental Illness and even Covid -19.

For a commoner, the thought of immortality makes little sense if he is not able to sustain himself and his family through tough times of financial despair, disease, stress and so on.

Hence, immortality is perhaps a thought engaging enough for those who have accumulated wealth that they cannot even think of spending entirely in this lifetime alone. Bezos understands that science has already succeeded in rejuvenating old mice, and thus if he were to invest in research of the same and if it were actually to work, he would perhaps be the first in line to try the same for himself.

Also, while preserving life is fundamental, rejuvenating is hugely personal. Think about it we have enough data around us that shows that people and not just celebrities and influencers but ordinary people like you and me who may not shy away from cosmetic procedures to take a few years of the face or the body. Some may even attain a completely new face since they do not like what they see in the mirror.

We have already reached the age where if we dont like something, we have the resources to change, modify, or improve via a plastic surgeon, botox, fillers, etc.

Though what is stopping Jeff Bezos from trying any of these available fix-ups, just that it is accessible to people, and he may want to not disguise by surgery but rather go further and obliterate ageing for himself.

However, my questions only seem to grow in number

Perhaps, we may have to build rockets that orbit Earth as living pods while Earth goes through its motions, though the question still is its for the super-rich; what happens to the commoner?

Some researchers question whether reprogramming is a technology that can benefit from hundreds of millions in commercial investment.

Some experts also say investment in anti-ageing techniques is something government funding agencies cannot do quickly enough; hence, for now, it remains in the hands of those who have the wealth to invest in the same.

Read more:

Billionaires Now Seek To Unravel The Mystery Of Anti-ageing; Jeff Bezos, In The Forefront, Funds Anti-ageing Biotech Startup Altos Labs. - Inventiva

By Lori Harwood, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Tuesday

The annual Downtown Lecture Series, hosted by the University of Arizona College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, will return to an in-person format in October, after being held virtually last year.

Speakers for this year's series will address the topic of compassion from four approaches: spirituality and mindfulness; psychology and cognitive science; social conflict and public opinion; and racial justice and transformation.

Titled "Compassion: A Tool for Human Understanding and Liberation," the series will be held every Wednesday in October at 6 p.m. at the Fox Tucson Theatre, 17 W. Congress St.

Attendees can register online for free tickets. The Fox Tucson Theatre requires all attendees to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of attendance. Masks are required. The talks will also be livestreamed for those who can't attend in person, with livestream links available on the lecture series website.

This is the ninth year of the popular Downtown Lecture Series. Previous years have focused on happiness, food, immortality, privacy, truth and trust in the global scene, music, animals and woman power.

"We are excited that we can return the series to its regular home at the Fox Tucson Theatre after holding the series online last year due to the pandemic," said John Paul Jones III, dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. "We hope people leave these talks with additional insights into the complexity of compassion and the ways it can be cultivated to help our own well-being and to create a more just world."

The Downtown Lecture Series is sponsored by The Stonewall Foundation Fund; Holualoa Companies; TMC HealthCare; Barbara Starrett and Jo Ann Ellison; Rowene Aguirre Medina and Roy Medina; and Tiana and Jeff Ronstadt.

Oct. 6: Compassion is Not a Luxury: Practices of Care in Community

As we grapple with the struggles of this time, a growing interest in compassion as a path for healing from personal and collective trauma has emerged. In this talk, Leslie Langbert, executive director of the university's Center for Compassion Studies, will explore the power of practicing compassion in community, drawing on current research as well as the roots of compassion practices from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.She will argue that compassion used for self-care and reciprocal-care is essential for our survival.

Oct. 13: Are Our Brains Wired for Compassion? The Science Behind Caring for Others

Our brains appear wired to respond to the suffering of others. In fact, our reward circuits fire when we alleviate suffering. In addition, cultivating compassion through training practices like meditation activates brain circuits related to positive emotion, reduces stress and leads to overall well-being. In this talk, Jay Lacoste Sanguinetti, associate director of the university's Center for Consciousness Studies, will explore the fascinating new science of compassion and how intentional cultivation of this ability may have wide-ranging impacts on our individual and societal health.

Oct. 20: Compassion for Whom? Shifting U.S. Conversations about Palestinians and Israelis

As the discourses over social and racial justice intensify in the United States, do attitudes toward the suffering of others in faraway places change as well? In this talk, Maha Nassar, associate professor in the School of Middle Eastern and North African Studies, will discuss recent shifts in U.S. public discourse about Palestinians and Israelis, focusing on the rise in Black-Palestinian solidarity. She will examine the relationship between structural inequalities and social justice and addresses the question: For whom do we have compassion?

Oct. 27: Compassion as a Tool for Liberation and Racial Justice

Rather than waiting for compassion to appear as a "nice" feeling that suddenly overtakes us, a practice of radical care for one another can be forged out of sentiments of anger and frustration against injustice. In this talk, Buddhist minister, teacher and activist Lama Rod Owens will help us think about compassion as a practice more intentional than simple gestures of benevolence. He will discuss how by "sitting with our discomforts" about the state of the world, we can confront the traumas that harm us and speak the truths to one another that lead to healing and liberation.

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Compassion Will Be the Focus of In-Person Downtown Lecture Series - UANews

Super Specific is a bi-weekly blog about superheroes in pop culture.

If I had a dollar for every time Disney put out a new big blockbuster movie proudly proclaiming that they have the first openly gay character, Id have seven dollars too many. And those dollars arent worth much.

Lets be clear, a two second clip of two background characters kissing isnt acceptable LGBTQ+ representation. Neither is a gay Joe Russos throw-away line in Avengers: Endgame, or LeFous murky nondescript look in Beauty and the Beast. LGBTQ+ characters deserve to have lead roles. They deserve to have the big kiss and the swoon-worthy love declaration while a building explodes in the background.

The fact is, we have a LGBTQ+ representation problem in our big budget films, particularly superhero movies.

The more immediate problem Marvel and DC has with putting queer characters on the big screen has everything to do with China. China has year-by-year gained more traction in Hollywoods revenue. They took up $8.66 billion of Hollywoods big box office revenue in 2018.

China also has a specific media administration to survey foreign films for candidacy in the country. When it comes to depicting homosexuality, while there is no immediate rule against it in China, the topic is sensitive among censors, and more often than not these films are banned in-country.

It is indeed an obstacle, money makes the world go round after all. But film companies cant use that as an excuse anymore. Marvels latest release, Shang-Chi, still isnt approved for screening in China due to a characters reportedly racist inspiration in the comic and comments from star Simu Liu that supposedly criticized the Chinese government, yet its still on track to become the highest grossing movie of the year.

So clearly, studio executives can successfully market and make money on big budget superhero movies that arent approved for China, so they can make one with LGBTQ+ leads. The next obstacle is giving these characters meaningful storylines.

I would like to present Netflixs hit movie The Old Guard as a textbook example of how to do so.

Based on the Image comic of the same name, The Old Guard tells the story of a group of immortal mercenaries lead by Andromache the Scythian (Charlize Theron) a 4000-year-old warrior whos become disaffected with her place in the world.

The movie centers around the induction of a new immortal into the group, Nile Freeman (Kiki Layne), and how her newfound immortality puts the group into the crossfires of an egomaniacal CEO.

If you didnt think watching Charlize Theron swing an axe around was enough incentive to watch this movie, wait until you see the romantic stars of the film. Yusuf al-Kaysani (Marwan Kenzari) and Nicolo di Genova (Luca Marinelli), known by their nicknames Joe and Nicky, share what is quite possibly the most romantic scene Ive ever seen in my life.

They share a classic enemies-to-lovers backstory, having met 1000 years ago on opposing sides of the first Crusade. After killing one another in battle, they fall in love and spend the next millennia of their lives loving one another all around the world.

And while I could praise the swoon-worthiness of Joes van speech for hours, what makes these characters so fantastic is that their development is not simply limited to their relationship.

Joe and Nicky kick ass. Theyre front and center at every fight scene. Joe is a poet and an artist. Nicky has a fantastic knack for cooking. In between the heavy action scenes we are given glimpses into the long lives of all these immortal characters, and Joe and Nickys lives are just as fleshed out as Andromaches or Niles might be.

When people say they want good LGBTQ+ representation, they dont want to see these characters killed off, ridiculed or shoved aside in favor of a more typical cishet storyline. These characters should be able to live as their authentic selves just as straight characters have been doing on screen for decades.

You dont have to have to sacrifice one to get the other. It is simply a fact of taking an LGBTQ+ superhero and placing them into a storyline where their opinions and more importantly their relationships matter.

Theres plenty of options Iceman, Mystique or Poison Ivy. Marvel already introduced characters into the Marvel Cinematic Universe who are canonically queer in the comics. Characters like Wiccan and Loki, who in a moment of brief joy earlier this year, explicitly confirmed his bisexuality on-screen.

Kevin Fiege promised more LGBTQ+ representation in the MCU in the future. If he follows through, we can expect some of these depictions in upcoming movies such as The Eternals and Thor: Love and Thunder. DC is only slightly ahead of them, casually referring to Harley Quinns bisexuality in Birds of Prey.

Sure you can find queer characters in other film genres, but Ive seen Portrait of a Lady on Fire, and as much as I love me some angst, I want to see a woman kicking baddies through skyscrapers like Superman and kissing her hot girlfriend at the end of the day.

Queer people exist everywhere, not in just in depressing Oscar dramas. We can save the world too.

More here:

Super Specific | The Old Guard is the queer superhero representation we need - The Pitt News

Deaths Door, an isometric dungeon-crawler that came out for PC and Xbox earlier this year, is a master class in elegant game design. Nowhere is that more apparent than in one late-game boss fight. In pretty much every wayvisually, thematically, mechanically, musicallythe bout is a tour de force. I cannot stop thinking about it.

Major spoilers follow for Deaths Door.

The setup for Deaths Door is fairly simple: You play as a crow, a rank-and-file employee in a bureaucratic organization that collects the souls of the dying. In the rules of this agency, when youre in the field, you can die. But once you return with your assigned soul, youre back to immortality and an indefinitely extended (after)life.

Your first gig is to field a soul from an octopus-looking monster thats not quite ready to say goodbye to being alive. You pull the job off, because its basically a tutorial level, and then an older crow who calls himself Grey Crow comes out of nowhere and steals the soul thats by rights yours. Apparently, he needs souls to open the titular Deaths Door, behind which hes lost a soul of his own, so he can return to an ageless existence. Grey Crow then tasks you with defeating three Giants, each of whom live, in classic Zelda style, deep in the pits of labyrinthine dungeons. Once you complete your task, shit gets real.

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Using all three Giant souls, you open Deaths Door. There, you meet Death, who is not a concept but actually just a former reaper named Death, who, while wearing a fanny pack, regales you with the big twist. Years before the events of Deaths Door, your boss, the Lord of Doors, sought eternal life in a conspiratorial plot that required locking Death behind a door and tossing away the key. Grey Crow cant handle this information overloadcant handle that he devoted the bulk of his life to a fruitless causeand becomes consumed with rage, transforming into his boss form, The Grey Crow.

Though hes tough, The Grey Crow is by no means the most difficult boss fight in the game. (That dishonor unequivocally belongs to Betty, the third Giant.) But its certainly the prettiest. Heres a video from Fuzzy Bearbarian, a YouTuber who specializes in creating boss fight guides, showing a no-damage (!!) match:

Yes, its an impressive feat. But also: the music! The stark visuals! Its like that definitive black-and-white segment from Gris, Nomada Studios excellent 2018 puzzle-platformer, except stretched and molded into a boss fight that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Gris.Screenshot: Nomada Studio / Kotaku

The fight against The Grey Crow stands out not just because of what it does but because of what it doesnt do. Most of Deaths Door constrains you to a specific space. Dungeon fights are typically bordered by walls or bottomless pits. Prior boss fights, meanwhile, go down in tightly confined arenas, circular or square platforms that can fit in the space of a single frame. But when youre up against The Grey Crow, you can run and run and runforever. (Yes, yes, I understand that its an optical illusion, a graphical trick that makes you feel like the space is without bounds. Still, after spending an entire game navigating dictated boundaries, the sensation of limitlessness is intoxicating.)

But it also plays with the games form in a way no prior boss fight does. Deaths Door doesnt have health bars or hit points or anything like that. Rather, as you chip away at an enemys health, theyll slowly develop fuschia-colored cracks. Once an enemy looks ready to shatter, you can usually do away with them in a hit or two. The Grey Crow introduces an extra wrinkle: Every time you land a hit, hell lose a feather. Any detached plumage will turn into homing projectiles that slowly track you. If you can line it up right, you can smack those projectiles right back at him, thus delodging another feather, creating a cycle akin to a dance.

Defeating The Grey Crow might take you a few tries, depending on how comfortable you are with isometric action games. Like Fuzzy Bearbarian, I found it easiest to pepper him with the upgraded fire spellfound in the catacombs en route to the Witchs Mansionwhich deals consistent damage over time. In the latter half of the fight, hell start dropping gravity wells that can ruin your day, so shooting those is imperative.

Eventual victory brings one of Deaths Doors themes into crystal clarity. Despite its name and its ostensible focus on, yknow, reaping souls, the game about life. Its about how, when the time comes, most folks dont want to die, and will do anything within their power to avoid it. But thats not how things work. Without death, Death points out, there cannot be life.

Theres a haunting, melancholic bent to the whole thing. Yes, you win, but its one of those in-name-only victories. The Grey Crow doesnt revert to his previously even-keeled manner. He doesnt have an epiphany and give up the fight. Hes just...gone. By your hand.

Im sorry about your big feathered friend back there. Its always hard for the living to let go of the dead, Death tells you once you walk back out of his door. Even more of a rough one, having to reap him yourself.

Go here to see the original:

The Boss Fight That Proves Deaths Door Is On Another Level - Kotaku