Category Archives: Immortality

Ver LumodNovember 22, 2019

Doctor Sleep is a bracingly contemplative horror film that manages to make its case for being a worthy sequel to both Stephen King and Stanley Kubricks The Shining.

The film focuses on Dan Torrance, played by Ewan McGregor, as he eventually overcomes his trauma from the horrific ordeal he had endured at the Overlook Hotel as a child. He now works in a hospice in New Hampshire, where he comforts its dying patients with his shine abilities that earn him his titular nickname. Danny later comes into contact with Abra, played by Kyliegh Curran, a teenage girl who has more powerful shine than his. She enlists his help in defeating the True Knot, a predatory, quasi-vampiric cult led by Rebecca Fergusons merciless Rose the Hat who brutally feed off psychic kids who also possess shine abilities for their immortality. It then becomes a cross-country trek to supernatural danger and possible redemption on behalf of Danny, as the three brace toward an inevitable showdown.

McGregor earns his spurs as the main character, played by Danny Lloyd in Kubricks film (and who has a cameo as a chatty spectator in a baseball game). He manageably makes sense of his portrayal as a despairing alcoholic who eventually overcomes his addiction, which is one of many characteristics of director Mike Flanagan that makes Doctor Sleep steer away from Kubricks detached tone in The Shining. Currans command of her character is impressive for her first film role, as she straddles the path between scared victim and confident badass. But it is Ferguson that shines the most, as her villain comes off as terrifying while at the same time fascinating.

At first glance, Doctor Sleep feels like an episode of Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House, also directed by Flanagan. People who loved Kubricks coldly atmospheric adaptation of The Shining may find themselves disappointed in this film. But for the open-minded cinephiles, it is actually a refreshing case study for how Flanagan delivers when not relying too much on what made The Shining iconic across horror film circles. There is always an eerie air hazed with visually muted color palettes floating throughout the film. There are some disturbing scenes that will test the uninitiated viewers endurance for nightmares. Nevertheless, Flanagans penchant for uneasy optimism, which happens to share Kings vision for the source material, makes Doctor Sleep stand out on its own.

For most of the film, that is. A sequel to a landmark horror film such as The Shining inevitably has to check that mark of consideration. Slight spoilers aside, Doctor Sleep returns to the Overlook Hotel in what may be a potentially divisive final act. Some may find it playfully nostalgic, while others may find it bordering on sacrilege. What is unmistakable, though, is that the film at this point struggles to live up to the imposing monolith that is The Shining, even if the painstaking recreation of the iconic hotel is downright impressive by Kubrickian standards. Still, Flanagan pulls off some smart tricks that only just redeem Doctor Sleep by the time the credits roll.

While the films runtime might make it seem a bit of a drag even by the standards set forth by the equally long The Shining, it still possesses a hauntingly potent quality that is worth checking in for. Flanagan makes King and Kubricks conflicting legacies work quite well by adding his signature touch. The resulting imperfect hybrid shows Flanagans talents as a hopeful and compelling filmmaker. Moreover, Doctor Sleep delivers as a doable treatise on how people wracked with PTSD caused by all forms can still shine on in the end.

Design by Ariel Landry. Photo credit: Ariel Landry

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Doctor Sleep shines on introspection and nostalgia - Maroon

Since 1981, Indiana Jones has been a popular, cultural figure. From having the smug, likable Harrison Ford bring him to life, to have his own ride at Disneyland, it's no wonder many consider the world's best archeologist a real hero and a national treasure.

Although we might not like to hear it, the unfortunate truth is thatIndiana Jones exaggerates the archeologist's profession and often times his adventures are highly illogical. From watching God melt a Nazi's face, to finding the fountain of immortality, all the way to discovering the existence of alien life, here are 10 memes that make Indiana Jones logic highly laughable.

RELATED:10 Most Memorable Quotes From The Indiana Jones Movies

Henry Jones taught Indy everything he knows, including the mastery of over 27 languages. So that probably makes traveling around the country to outrun Nazis an easy task, right? Well according to some vigilant fans that are not the case as we can see in the picture.

Holding his newspaper upside down would probably be a dead giveaway that Jones and his crew are probably not German and most likely three guys on the run. That or reading newspapers upside down is a normal thing in Germany. Good thing Indy is a master at improvising. Otherwise, not a very subtle move Henry Jones.

Being a world-renowned archeologist means Indy is no stranger to brushes with death. In fact, in every movie, Indy is being shot at, punched, and nearly thrown off a cliff, so it's safe to safe to sayhe's pretty quick at thinking on his feet. In fact, it's his quick thinking that saves him from an incoming nuke when he decides his best chance at survival is stuffing himself in a fridge.

Lucky for us, it does just the trick and keeps our favorite history professor out of harms away and radioactive free. He would not recommend you try at home, Dr.Jones is very clearly a professional.

When it comes to rare and ancient artifacts, we all knowthat travel is a must. For Indy, throughout the four movies seemed to be going everywhere around the world, seeing Nazis, British Raj, British Egyptians, and even the Hatay Army.

Luckily for him, the armies got easier as the movies went along because he would've been in big trouble taking on entire armies with nothing but his trusty whip. The logic behind this is hilarious because and the grave robber would've easily been taken out but the armies might have been too soft for him. Keep doing you Indy.

It's funny that throughout his time exploring Indy is considered one of the best archeologists in the world, gaining notoriety. But do we ever actually see him do any? We see him as a history professor, an adventurer, a lover, even a Nazi when he disguised himself, but never actually doing his profession.

Most of the time the treasure falls on his lap or he almost always has some form of help that helps do the minimum work. Not to take away from his knowledge, but we just don't see much of that in the movies. So if he's not an archeologist, what do we call him?

RELATED: 10 Things From The Indiana Jones Franchise That Haven't Aged Well

Being an epic adventurer leaves little time for grading papers or having office hours, so when the 100 students want to talk about the upcoming finals what better way to respond then by just heading out the window.

A move professors probably wouldn't recommend, it's safe to say Indy probably isn't the best professor, given hemost likely misses half the year finding the Lost Ark or a Crystal Skull.Add the fact he's not the most supportive authority figure(see Short Round and Mutt), it's no wonder he chooses to run away rather than face his students. Good luck in History kids.

Being a grave robber, there isn't much Indy hasn't seen, so it's safe to say he's not afraid of much. At least that's what you would think. Indy has seen faces melt, men literally rip hearts out, even seen a man turn into dust and he still manages to dust himself off.

One thing he will absolutely not do is deal with snakes. A long-running joke in the movies, Indy has a crippling fear of the snake, something he wouldn't even touch to save his life. He would definitely not mind if all the snakes in the world would just disappear, something that wouldn't be too far of a stretch in the Indyverse.

In many Spielberg and George Lucas films, there is always some subtle hint that points to something that will happen later in the movie and this meme talk about just that.

For those familiar with The Last Crusade,we know the premise of the movie has to do with God's real name being Jehovah and a puzzle that Indy has to solve to get to the goblet of immortality. In the scene, he forgets the Latin "J" is actually an "I" and almost falls to his death. It was a funny and interesting way of foreshadowing.

RELATED:Indiana Jones: 10 Things You Didn't Know About The Last Crusade

As mentioned before, Indy is good at thinking on his feet, quite literally. So when anything goes south, it's easy to bet onDr.Jones to get you out of any pickle. inTemple of Doom,when Indy Short Round and Willie ran off in a train car, they soon found out that the brakes were faulty and they were sure to meet their death.

Indy thought quickly and jumped in front of the train car, attempting to stop it. In an act that probably would've killed most, Indy is left with a bad case of Athletes foot and not much else.

When you're on your way to discovering an artifact that has been lost for 1000s of years, you have little time to brawl. As impressive as his moves are, Jones just takes his gun and with one shot ends it all. Not that Indy doesn't know his way in a fight, he often goes the easy way to concentrate on what really matters. In this case, a guy with swords is less important than the Lost Ark of the Covenant.

In typical fashion, he just shoots the would-be threat, ending any type of conflict then and there. Poor Sword guy.

RELATED:Indiana Jones: 10 Things You Probably Didnt Know About The Temple Of Doom

Short Round made his way into our hearts inTemple of Doom as Indy's trusty and loyal sidekick. As the Robin to Indy's Batman, he actually tried to steal from Indy before befriending and taking him in.

Although Indy isn't the perfect father figure, he still cares for and treats Short Round with some respect. So when Willie accidentally called Indy "Jones" instead of his rightful "Dr.Jones", Shorty made sure she never made that mistake again. As a loyal sidekick, it's nice to see where Shorty sets his priorities and how much he respects the caretaker that took him off the streets.

NEXT:Indiana Jones: 10 Things You Probably Didnt Know About The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull

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10 Indiana Jones Logic Memes That Are Too Funny For Words - Screen Rant

In a recent experiment, American participants were asked: Please describe the emotions that the thought of your own death arouses in you and Write down as specifically as you can what you think will happen to you physically as you die and once you are dead. Moments later, those who had been asked to contemplate their mortality reported more negative attitudes towards immigrants, greater opposition to a mosque being built in their neighbourhood, and a greater likelihood of voting for Donald Trump for president.

What could possibly explain these findings?

In The Denial of Death (1973), cultural anthropologist Ernest Becker argued that while humans share a basic biological predisposition towards self-preservation with all life forms, we are unique in our capacity for symbolic thought, including self-awareness. This gives rise to the unsettling realisation that death is inevitable, can occur at any time, and that we are ultimately no more significant or enduring than turtles or turnips.

The unvarnished awareness of death engenders potentially debilitating existential terror, which humans manage by embracing cultural worldviews for example, a religious identity such as Christianity, or a national identity such as Englishness. These worldviews confer a sense that one is a person of value in a world of meaning, and hence eligible for immortality (either literally, through the heavens, afterlives and souls central to most religions; or symbolically, by being a member of a great and enduring tribe or nation, having children, amassing great fortunes or producing noteworthy works of art or science). People are therefore highly motivated to maintain faith in their cultural worldviews as a psychological bulwark against existential dread.

Becker then argued that because cultural worldviews are essentially symbolic, they can never completely overcome the terror of death. There is always residual death anxiety, a rumble of panic underneath everything. This free-floating panic settles on to those we regard as different to ourselves, as possible threats. Having assumed material form, this fear can at least be managed: in our minds these people become repositories of evil. They are then denigrated, demonised, dehumanised and, in some cases, destroyed.

Immigrants, including those who practise different religions, such as Muslims and Jews, have historically served as these scapegoats, as living embodiments of our existential dread.

Experiments carried out under the rubric of terror management theory the framework I and my fellow researchers used for understanding these behaviours corroborate Beckers account. They illuminate the existential underpinnings of hostility and disdain toward designated outgroups. After being reminded of their mortality (by answering the questions above, being interviewed in front of a funeral parlour, or subliminally exposed to the word death), Christians had more favourable impressions of other Christians and more negative impressions of Jews; Germans sat closer to Germans and further away from Turkish immigrants; Iranians were more supportive of suicide bombings; and Americans advocated using nuclear, chemical and biological weapons against countries that posed no direct threat to the US.

After being reminded of their mortality Christians had more favourable impressions of other Christians and more negative impressions of Jews

But how can these ideas help explain why death reminders increase support for Trump? The German sociologist Max Weber theorised that in times of historical upheaval, when existential anxieties are salient, people embrace charismatic political leaders. In 1951, moral philosopher Eric Hoffer, in The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, added that the primary impetus for populist movements is economic and psychological insecurity, leaving people in desperate need of something to live for.

Authoritarian populist leaders, Hoffer argued, need not be intelligent or original. Rather, the primary qualifications seem to be: audacity and a joy in defiance; an iron will; a fanatical conviction that he is in possession of the one and only truth; faith in his destiny and luck; a capacity for passionate hatred; contempt for the present; a cunning estimate of human nature; a delight in symbols (spectacles and ceremonials) the arrogant gesture, the complete disregard of the opinion of others, the singlehanded defiance of the world [and] some deliberate misrepresentation of facts.

They transform followers fears into rage and righteous indignation directed toward designated outgroups for political purposes. For example, Trump campaigned for president by inflaming animosity towards Mexicans and Muslims. After the 2016 election, Trump admitted in calls to then Mexican president Enrique Pea Nieto that Mexico needed to pay for the wall to fulfil his campaign promise, and to Malcolm Turnbull, then prime minister of Australia, that he would look foolish if he honoured a previous agreement to allow refugees to come to the US.

Studies confirm that mortal terror amplifies support for Trump. Prior to the election, participants reminded of being in pain had more favourable impressions of Hillary Clinton than Trump. However, impressions of Trump improved significantly if participants were reminded of their mortality. Moreover, Americans asked to think about the construction of a mosque in their neighbourhoods, or immigrants moving nearby, showed higher levels of nonconscious death thoughts thus demonstrating that persistent efforts to demonise Muslims and immigrants had been quite successful. Americans also rated Trump more favourably after being asked to imagine a mosque or immigrants in their neighbourhoods.

People do not respond monolithically when existential concerns are aroused. For example, in response to a death reminder, French and US participants who scored high in rightwing authoritarianism characterised by submission to authority, moral absolutism, and punitive intolerance made more pejorative assessments of immigrants. However, participants who scored low on rightwing authoritarianism had more favourable impressions of immigrants after pondering their demise. Additionally, negative reactions to immigrants following death reminders were reduced when participants were also encouraged to think of universal human experiences shared by people from diverse cultures.

These findings suggest the hopeful possibility that we can encourage the development and maintenance of cultural worldviews that emphasise commonalities rather than differences between individuals and foster tolerance of such differences.

It is also important to acknowledge that support for Trump in the US, and similarly rightwing, anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim populist movements in Europe, is not solely a defensive reaction to mortal terror. A host of complex political, economic, psychological and cultural considerations contribute to ones political predilections. However, the fact that fleeting death reminders have a potent effect on political preferences conflicts with the democratic ideal that electoral outcomes result from rational deliberation.

Perhaps the best approach to fortifying those democratic ideals is to monitor, expose and oppose efforts by all candidates to exploit existential anxieties for personal and political gain.

When politicians claim we should vote for them because they are uniquely qualified or divinely ordained to eradicate evil, we should actively combat the inclination to allow mortal terror, rather than cogent assessments of candidates qualifications and positions on issues of importance, to determine our choices. Fearmongering mendacity would then become an electoral liability, rather than a potent political advantage.

Sheldon Solomon is a professor of psychology at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York. He is co-author, with Jeff Greenberg & Tom Pyszczynski, of The Worm at the Core: On the Role of Death in Life

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The secret to Trumps success? Its sheer existential dread - The Guardian

We regret to inform you that your petition to not die has been denied.

We had a tremendous number of applicants this year, more than five hundred million, as awareness of our services, once considered a hoax, spread across unedited social-media platforms.

We assure you that we reviewed your application thoroughly. We remind you that omission of any material was cause for rejection, and you wrote N/A on the areas marked heirs, life-insurance policy, and number of times youve used the expression I could just die. However, we conducted our review with the information available.

According to your Statement of Eternal Purpose, you have an idea for an app that decodes dreams and then recommends charities based on those dreams; you fact-check people who post misleading information on Twitter about your favorite TV shows; and you plan to adopt a dog from a rescue shelter. These attributes, while encouraging, describe more than ninety per cent of our applicants, many of whom are children.

A few judges were initially persuaded by your argument that your parents told you that your death was so far away it would practically never happen, and therefore it would be unfair if you actually had to die. However, we ultimately concluded that if we granted you immortality on these terms we would have to spare everyone whose parents told them this, which would create an insurmountable logistical and metaphysical problem for our systems.

We are pleased that your yoga practice has helped you recognize the light in all beings, and that you dont even feel weird about having the loudest ujjayi breathing in the class. But your story about meditating for thirty minutes did raise some questions among our panel about your ability to handle an eternity of the mind.

The judges were unclear whether you have a fatal illness or another imminent threat to your life. A few members of our panel argued that your answer to the adversity questionBody pains that could be cancerwas the reason for your petition, but others pointed out that the doctors report you submitted indicated that you are in excellent health.

Which made us wonder whether your impetus for submitting this application was simply your realization that you would one day die. And, Madam, we must admit, this gross lack of understanding, only recently corrected, did not recommend you to our judges as a candidate for eternal life.

In terms of a future resubmission, we suggest that you take another look at your references. The descriptions your boss provided of the skills youve acquired and the projects youve managed at the media company where you work were impressive, but they offered our judges little insight into how you would perform when faced with the burden of infinity. The rest of your references appear to be recommendations for college written by high-school teachers.

Madam, we caution you: immortality is not for everyone. If you have a cowlick, you will have a cowlick for all time. You will have to forgo any plans to haunt anyone. You will have to forgo fantasies about your own epic funeral.

We hope that you understand how incredibly selective this process is. We wish it could be different. We wish all human beings could be afforded the giftor, some might say, the cursethat we provide. Every day, were working to bring you new solutions. But, at the moment, our immortality options are limited to cryogenic freezing, vampirism, and really, really good gut bacteria.

We know this news must be devastating. We appreciated the opportunity to read your application, including the supplemental childhood drawings you submitted of yourself beside a bearded figure with a wizard hat labelled GOD. Its always disappointing to hear that your entire existence, your body, soul, and consciousness, will rot into the soil of a temporary earth and disappear into vast nothingness. We encourage you to reapply, reminding you that we accept application fees on a rolling basis.

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Your Immortality Application - The New Yorker

Silas was one of the most powerful characters on The Vampire Diariesbut who is he and what's his backstory? When the Mikaelson siblings aka The Originals made their debut in The Vampire Diaries season 2, they were introduced as the first immortals and thought to be the oldest supernatural beings in existence. However, after the introduction of Silas in the fourth season it soon transpired there was a being far older than the Mikaelson clan who had achieved immortality long before they had.

To properly understand Silas place inThe Vampire Diaries universe, some knowledge of his history is needed. Thousands of years ago in Ancient Greece, Silas (Paul Wesley) was a powerful witch that was part of a group known as The Travelers alongside his fiance Qetsiyah (Janina Gavankar). Silas convinced Qetsiyah to make an immortality elixir for them to drink so they could be together for eternity. It turned out to be a trick when Silas drank the elixir with his real true love Qetsiyahs handmaiden Amara (Nina Dobrev), a mere mortal - which made them the first true immortals.

Related: Vampire Diaries Series Finale: Who Lived & Who Died

Silas plan to live forever with Amara hit the fan when Qetsiyah exacted her revenge. She created a cure for immortality and led Silas to believe shed given it to Amara before killing her but had really desiccated her and bound her to the Other Side as its anchor. Qetsiyah then gave Silas an ultimatum; take the cure and die a mortal before spending eternity with Qetsiyah on the Other Side - a sort of purgatory for supernatural beings - or rot away as an immortal. He chose the latter and spent the next few thousand years prior to the modern-day events ofThe Vampire Diaries imprisoned in a tomb in an underground cave on a desolate island.

InThe Vampire Diaries season 4 Silas was freed from his tomb by a motley crew that includes Shane, Bonnie, Jeremy, and Katherine. After being freed, Silas used his powerful magic to take on the form of various Mystic Falls residents and manipulated people into enacting his plan to destroy the Other Side so he could be reunited with Amara. At the close of The Vampire Diaries fourth season, it was revealed Stefan was Silas doppelganger as he took his place and locked him in a safe which he then threw in a quarry.

In The Vampire Diaries season 5, Silas goes after Katherine whose blood now contains the immortality cure. After feeding on her and becoming a mortal witch once more, Silas sets out to destroy the anchor but soon finds out the anchor is none other than Amara, who he thought to be dead. Unfortunately for Silas, spending a couple of millennia as the anchor had sent Amara a bit crazy and she immediately fed on his cure-filled blood so she could also become mortal and die.

By the end of The Vampire Diaries season 5, Silas gets his wish of dying alongside Amara after Stefan fatally stabs him and Amara then kills herself. But because he didnt destroy the Other Side in time, Silas is sent there after dying while Amara goes to regular human afterlife. Youd almost feel sorry for the star-crossed pair if it wasnt for the trail of blood and dead people left in Silas wake during his time on The Vampire Diaries.

Next: The Vampire Diaries Season 9 Updates: Is It Happening?

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The Vampire Diaries: Silas The First Immortal Explained - Screen Rant

It turns out that all that talk about aHocus Pocus sequel wasnt a bunch of well, you know. Disney+ is developing aHocus Pocus 2 movie withWorkaholics writer and co-producerJen DAngelo set to pen the script. The original cast hasnt been confirmed to return, but DAngelo has reportedly been tasked with bringing back the bewitching trio played byBette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, andKathy Najimy.

Collider broke the news that Disney has tappedJen DAngelo, who served as a writer and co-producer onWorkaholics, to write the script for the long-awaitedHocus Pocus 2. The sequel to the 1993 Halloween cable rerun classic is set to debut on Disney+.

Theres no word on whether the Sanderson sisters, played by Midler, Parker, and Najimy, will return, but Disney is hopeful that the original stars will be involved in some capacity. Whether this means that they will take the stage once again as the sinister witches who kidnap children to attain immortality, or whether they will pass on the torch to a new generation, is uncertain.

But I cant seeHocus Pocus 2achieving quite the same level of success as the original if the terrific trio dont return. Midler, Parker, and Najimys hammy charisma and star presence is what elevated the film from being a forgettable fantasy-comedy Midlers glamorous and campy performance in particular.

The original, directed byKenny Ortegafrom a script byMick GarrisandNeil Cuthbert, was not a major box office hit when it opened in theaters in 1993, but gained new life once it hit the TV rerun circuit. As a Halloween-season staple,Hocus Pocus became an essential part of many a Millennials childhood. Endlessly quoted and memed, nostalgic fans have demanded a sequel for years, but a sequel without the stars that made it would not cast the same magic spell. The original film also starredOmri Katz,Thora Birch,Vinessa Shaw, andDoug Jones, none of which have confirmed to return for the sequel either.

However, ifHocus Pocus 2 is being developed for Disney+, Disneys forthcoming streaming service, I have the sinking feeling this sequel will end up being more of a new-gen spin-off in the vein of the services other titles based on familiar IP likeHigh School Musical. But perhaps Midler and co. will want to return for one more bid at immortality.

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Hocus Pocus 2 Movie is in the Works at Disney+ /Film - /FILM

Hello, Radio Readers. Im Jane Holwerda from Dodge City, Kansas, to chat up with you the fourth book in our Fall 2019 Book Club series. The fourth book, yet another best-seller, is Yuval Hararis Homo Deus: A Brief History of the Future. The paradox of the title anticipates the mind-bending ideas posted by Harari, an historian and professor at a prominent university. Its taken me some time to read it, mostly because the ideas are so dense, so provocative, Ive had to frequently set the book aside to think about these ideas and their implications.

For example, in the final sections, Harari riffs on a study published in 2013 by researchers at Oxford. This study predicts that within 30 years a variety of current professions will be obsolete, the work of which will be done more efficiently and accurately by computer algorithms. The list of professions is wide-ranging, including sports referees and underwriters, lifeguards, archivists, and carpenters, security guards, chefs, tour guides and paralegals. Harari also predicts that the work of physicians, attorneys, bankers and stock brokers will also become the function of digital algorithms. And, he asks, as humans are displaced from work, what will we do? Play computer games and self-medicate? Return to school to retool our skills? Well, Harari quips, already, right now, companies are developing interactive algorithms that not only instruct individuals in various topics but can also by coding reactions and responses of students-- summon up and deliver individualized instruction to best meet each students learning styles and needs. This is to say, we can add teaching to the list of disappearing vocations Then, as humans are displaced from work, Harari asks, what will we dowith our lives and to sustain ourselves? As we have more time free of work, and what with advances in medicine, more time to live, what will it mean, if anything, to be human? History shows us similar patterns, of course, especially in historical shifts from agrarianism to industrialization to corporatization as we know, new types of employment emerge, new ways of filling our days and lives.

But in our cybernetic era, Harari predicts the emergence of a small elite of upgraded superhumans which in times past have been labeled by philosophers and graphic artists as the uber-mensch and superman. One difference is that Hararis upgraded superhumans are unlikely to fight never-ending battles for truth, justice, and the American way. Instead having gained an invulnerable immortality, in Hararis view, these few upgraded superhumans will have become divine. Hence, Homo Deus, literally god-men, or men who are as gods. Of course, each of us can identify at least one or two of those in our daily lives, right? But imagine those one or two with empowered consciousness and control of all algorithms, including each of ours.

If, or as, this comes to pass, what will life on the high plains become? More or less populated? Greater or fewer resources? Improved access to improved health care, to goods and services? If youd like to hear more about Hararis ideas and vision of our future, keep listening to Radio Readers book bytes and check out his books, or catch him on a Ted or YouTube talk.

Meanwhile, Im Jane Holwerda from Dodge City KS for HPPRs Radio Readers Book Club. And right now, Im headed outside, to feel the changing of the seasons and in other ways revel in the beauty of our High Plains.

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Radio Readers BookByte: Think About It - HPPR

A new patch for the Overwatch PTR dropped on October 23 and it contains an update for Mei, Baptiste, and Sigma along with bug fixes and someWorkshop updates.

The latest PTR update isn't massive, but it does contain a lot of updates for the Workshop along with changes that might be helpful to Mei mains.

Hero updates are also included for Sigma and Baptiste, along with a number of bug fixes for various heroes.

Blizzard Entertainment

The PTR patch comes in the middle of the Halloween Terror event.

The hero update apply to Mei's Ice Wall, Sigma's Gravitic Flux and Baptiste's Immortality Field, which willall now more heavily prefer edges over placing as far away as possible.

This should make it easier to place the abilities in the most effective spot - especially when it comes to Ice Wall.

Ice Wall should be a bit easier to place accurately after the latest patch.

Bug fixes include a hilarious-sounding glitch thatcaused Anas legs to twitch when her Halloween TerrorPharaoh skin is equipped.

They also fixed a bug thatcaused Roadhog'sChain Hook tosometimes incorrectly connect with Symmetras Teleporter, Ashes Dynamite, and Junkrats Steel Trap and Concussion Mine.

Blizzard Entertainment

Hog should have less problems hooking things he didn't mean to.

Also included in the update is a new gameplay option forHigh Precision Mouse Input whichwill allow Overwatch player's to use their mouses native polling rate when determining exactly where to shoot.

A mouse's polling rate is how often it reports its position to a computer andahigher polling rate can decrease the lag between when you move your mouse and when the movement shows up on your screen.

The full list of updates in the October 23 PTR patch are listed below:

New Gameplay Option: High Precision Mouse Input

Enabling this option will allow Overwatch to use your mouses native polling rate when determining exactly where to shoot. Note: There may be a slight performance cost to enabling this option.

New Workshop Features:

New Workshop Values:

General

General

Workshop

Maps

Heroes

Ana

Doomfist

D.Va

Moira

Roadhog

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Mei and Sigma changes included in October 23 Overwatch PTR patch - Dexerto

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The Litany of the Holy Eucharist is given in the Order for the Solemn Exposition of the Holy Eucharist, No. 178. It is recommended to be prayed when a person is in the presence of the Eucharist during eucharistic adoration or on a visit to the church when it is reserved in the tabernacle. It can be offered anytime.

The response to the first series of invocations is have mercy on us. Part I of the litany begins: Jesus, the Most High, the holy One, Word of God, only Son of the Father, Son of Mary, crucified for us, risen from the dead, reigning in glory, coming in glory, our Lord, our hope, our peace, our Savior, our salvation, our resurrection, Judge of all, Lord of the Church, Lord of creation, Lover of all, life of the world, freedom for the imprisoned, joy of the sorrowing, giver of the Spirit, giver of good gifts, source of new life, Lord of life, eternal high priest, priest and victim, true Shepherd, and true light.

It concludes: Jesus, bread of heaven, bread of life, bread of thanksgiving, life-giving bread, holy manna, new covenant, food for everlasting life, food for our journey, holy banquet, true sacrifice, perfect sacrifice, eternal sacrifice, divine Victim, Mediator of the new covenant, mystery of the altar, mystery of faith, medicine of immortality, and pledge of eternal glory.

Part II is the Invocation of Christ, and the response to Part II-A is Lord, save your people. The invocations are: Lord, be merciful, from all evil, from every sin, from the snares of the devil, from anger and hatred, from every evil intention, from everlasting death, by your coming as man, by your birth, by your baptism and fasting, by your suffering and cross, by your death and burial, by your rising to new life, by your return in glory to the Father, by your gift of the Holy Spirit, and by your coming again in glory.

The response to Part II-B is have mercy on us. The invocations are: Christ, Son of the living God, you came into this world, you suffered for us on the cross, you died to save us, you lay in the tomb, you rose from the dead, you returned in glory to the Father, you sent the Holy Spirit upon your Apostles, you are seated at the right hand of the Father, and you will come again to judge the living and the dead.

Part III is the Prayer for Various Needs and the response is Lord, hear our prayer. The invocations for Part III-A are: Lord, be merciful to us, give us true repentance, strengthen us in your service, reward with eternal life all who do good to us, and bless the fruits of the earth and of our labor. The invocations for Part III-B are: Lord, show us your kindness, raise our thoughts and desires to you, grant eternal rest to all who have died in faith, spare us from disease, hunger and war, and bring all peoples together in trust and peace. The invocations for the final section are: guide and protect your holy Church, keep the pope and all the clergy in faithful service to your Church, bring all Christians together in unity, and lead all to the light of the Gospel.

Father Van Sloun is pastor of St. Bartholomew in Wayzata.

Tags: bread of heaven, Bread of Life, bread of thanksgiving, divine Victim, eternal sacrifice, food for everlasting life, food for our journey, holy banquet, Holy Eucharist, holy manna, Jesus, life-giving bread, Litany, Mediator of the new covenant, medicine of immortality, Mystery of Faith, mystery of the altar, new covenant, perfect sacrifice, Picks, pledge of eternal glory, true sacrifice

Category: Faith Fundamentals

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The Litany of the Holy Eucharist - The Catholic Spirit

A newly discovered exploit with Baptiste's Immortality Field can allow Overwatch players to live for longer thanks to its lingering effect, and as it turns out, the same effect applies to other abilities too.

While many abilities in Overwatch have a lingering effect, this is often by design. For instance, Moiras primary healing lasts a few seconds after applied. However, it does less healing overall, which implies it was intended by the developers.

With Baptistes Immortality Field drone and a few other abilities, the effect lasts completely even after a player leaves its proximity for a short amount of time something that may not have been intended by the games developers.

Blizzard Entertainment

Baptiste's Immortality Field can save enemies from dying.

A Reddit user by the name of 'kaiomm' posted a replay clip of gameplay on Nepal in which a Reinhardt pinned another player who had only a fraction of health left. During the pin/charge animation, the Reinhardt getting pinned was briefly in the line of sight of a friendly Baptiste Immortality Field.

As the charge continues, the Reinhardt doing the pinning hits his opponent into the wall, which should have done enough damage to result in a kill. Instead, it appears as if the drone continued to keep the player alive even after being pinned outside of its area of effect.

Some abilities which buff friendly players function the same way. As 'Lightning_Laxus' pointed out in the comments, A lot of abilities are like that. Lucio's aura and Orisa's Supercharger for example. Supercharger is easier to visualize because of the giant beam. They both linger for 1 additional second after leaving the range and/or LoS.

Lucios aura and Orisas Supercharger/Mercy's beam could potentially be taken advantage of to help secure a kill or restore a player's health even though they've left the effective range.

For instance, a player chasing after a retreating enemy could fire one last shot or use one last ability with the buffed damage from Orisa's Supercharger briefly after turning a corner and leaving its line of sight.

With Baptiste, a way to counterplay the Immortality Field, aside from just destroying it, is to boop or knock foes out of its line of sight. But with a one second lingering effect, players may need to wait a moment before using an ability to confirm a kill on foes knocked outside of the field or else it wouldnt result in a kill.

For anyone playing against a Baptiste, its something to consider before wasting ammo or a cooldown on a target who leaves the drones effective range.

Blizzard Entertainment

Baptiste had such a knowledge of the drone that he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying.

But if you're playing with one on your team, taking advantage of the lingering effect could cause your enemies to waste cooldowns and making your opponents waste cooldowns could win you the game.

It will be interesting to see what Blizzards stance on lingering effects in Overwatch is and if they address this problem in a future patch.

The rest is here:

Overwatch exploit gives Baptiste, Mercy and more an unfair 'buff' - Dexerto