Category Archives: Human Longevity

I stopped making New Years resolutions a long time ago, when I realized that they were all doomed to failure.

I never lost all that weight I resolved to lose.

I never went to a Chicago Cubs World Series game.

Most importantly, I never stopped drinking once I realized that Irish whiskey made all my other problems vanish.

So instead of making doomed resolutions, I long ago decided to use New Years Eve to assess the status of the one resolution I have succeeded in keeping the resolution to live forever.

And this years assessment is: So far, so good!

I realize that I am not the first dude who decided he wanted to dodge the whole dying deal. A lot of other folks have tried their hand at immortality but they have fallen short probably because they forgot to check their progress every New Years Eve.

Jeanne Calment of France made a good run of it until she died at 122 years old as the oldest recorded human being in history. And she wasnt just staying alive, she was living! She was smart enough to keep hitting the port wine and chocolate right up to the end, but it was probably her resolution to give up the cigarettes at 117 that did her in.

Ive got a ways to go before I pass Ms. Calment in the geezer department, but Ill get there, because Im vigilant enough to keep checking every New Years. And once I show her my tail lights, there are a few other oldies Ive got to set my sights on.

For example, the oldest orange roughy lived to be 149 years old. Ive had filets at Long John Silvers that were probably nearly that old, but at almost a century and a half, thats one tough roughy, you have to admit.

Read more:
The View From Planet Kerth: Another check on my endless New Year's resolution

Craven County employs more than 600 people, and 102 of them were honored recently for their dedication to, and longevity with, the county.

It may sound a little vain, said Jack Veit, Craven County manager, but I think the best asset we have in county government is our county employees. I really believe that.

They all work for a common goal, to make the lives of our citizens better. I respect you for that and appreciate you for the jobs you do.

At a recent luncheon event, Veit, Craven County Human Resources Director Amber Parker and five Craven County commissioners stood on a podium at the New Bern Riverfront Convention Center and shook employees hands as certificates of appreciation were distributed to those with tenures hitting five-year milestones.

The longest serving employee in that category was Craven County Planning Director Don Baumgardner, who marked 35 years in 2013.

Baumgardner, 59, grew up in West Virginia, but his mother was originally from New Bern and brought him back to Craven County after his graduation in business and economics from Shepherd College (now Shepherd University) in Shepherdstown, W.Va., and following a few years working for the National Parks Service.

In an interview, Baumgardner said, Its been 35 years of enjoyment working with the governing board and citizens of this county. It would not have been enjoyable if I hadnt had the good people I had the opportunity to work with and serve.

Most people think with sound reasoning when they hear all sides of an issue, and I understand that I work for the public. I have grown in the job: There is not one day I come to work that I dont learn something new.

Baumgardner said thinks his long tenure has worked in his and the countys favor. When problems arise, sometimes we know because of years of experience how to deal with it or where to go to try to solve the issue.

Hired by then-planner Tyler Harris, who later became county manager, Baumgardner started as a one-employee department in a county whose people did not feel comfortable with official planning and zoning.

More:
Long-serving county employees recognized at event

What makes up the true factors of longevity? This site focuses on bringing together the best information from a variety of sources such as:

The latest health science and anti-aging research The healthy lifestyle factors found in every longevity society The anti-aging secrets of ancient cultures Instinctual, intuitive and common sense health philosophies

With the overabundance of health information on the internet, it is easy to get caught up in random anti-aging advice that is all theoretical and just plain fraudulent, such as the ridiculous, yet popular notion of taking Tylenol to protect your heart...

If you have enough self-respect to truly pursue human excellence within yourself, then you are going to love what this site has to offer! With humanity's average life expectancy predicted to grow exponentially over the coming years, it is very realistic that super centenarians will be the new 80. Along with living longer, you want to have vitality in these extra years. The information in these pages shows you how to achieve both!

Here are some examples of the types of articles and anti-aging secrets you will be able to find on this site:

~ A list of superfoods and adaptogenic herbs ~ The benefits of mind exercises such as meditation ~ Basic lifestyle habits for a long life ~ Why you don't need to inherit a long life gene ~ Why live, raw foods make up the best type of anti-aging diet ~ How sex and relationships impact your health ~ How you can get a high protein vegetarian diet if you need it ~ Why should people exercise?

"Stacking" a wide variety of healthy lifestyle factors and healthy habits into your daily routine is one of the key antiaging secrets I reveal in these pages. It's time to begin exploring your youth potential!

Embrace Life Without Limits, Zak

P.S. Please feel free to add me as a contact on any of the sites listed below:

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Secrets Of Longevity In Humans: anti-aging secrets, live ...

Frank Hu at The future of human longevity conference
Frank Hu, Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health says prevalence of metabolic syndromes and obesity in rural areas of China...

By: Swiss Re

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Frank Hu at The future of human longevity conference - Video

Srinath Reddy at The future of human longevity conference
How can effective and affordable interventions be provided in India to reduce cardiovascular death? Srinath Reddy, President, Public Health Foundation of Ind...

By: Swiss Re

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Srinath Reddy at The future of human longevity conference - Video

Thomas Zeltner at The future of human longevity conference
In all countries we see an enormous rise in chronic diseases: says Thomas Zeltner, Special Envoy for Financing, World Health Organization.

By: Swiss Re

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Thomas Zeltner at The future of human longevity conference - Video

Joseph Brain at The future of human longevity conference
Joseph Brain, Professor of Environmental Physiology at the Harvard School of Public Health explains why the SEARCH partnership between Swiss Re and the Harva...

By: Swiss Re

Follow this link:
Joseph Brain at The future of human longevity conference - Video

What are the opportunities of an ageing population? video
Our fourth Ageing Population Quarterly event explored the opportunities presented by the growing number of older people in the UKThe video uploaded in other videos, here.. We are living...

By: Funn Babb

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What are the opportunities of an ageing population? video - Video

"We want to predict the future"
For the third year in a row "The future of human longevity" conference took place at the Swiss Re Centre for Global Dialogue. The programme was divided into ...

By: Swiss Re

Excerpt from:
"We want to predict the future" - Video

Marie (Zoe Derauf) and her magical toy in "Loyce Houlton's Nutcracker Fantasy." (Courtesy photo: Jim Smith)

So pervasive are productions of "The Nutcracker" on Twin Cities stages this time of year that it's easy to forget that it was still something of a novelty when Minnesota Dance Theatre founder Loyce Houlton created her own version in 1964. While many a dance company makes the ballet an annual tradition, "Loyce Houlton's Nutcracker Fantasy" has them all beat for longevity.

And this year's version of the "Nutcracker Fantasy" still summons up a lot of magic. On opening night Friday at Minneapolis' State Theatre, the Minnesota Dance Theatre company and a few dozen guest artists and MDT trainees presented a production full of sparkle and grace. The Christmas party of the first act swirled with energy and excitement, the colorfully rendered setting bursting with color and movement.

However, the performance lost some momentum in the second act, when the choreography was often far too safe and unspectacular to match the passion that poured forth from Pyotr Tchaikovsky's score as played by a 44-piece orchestra under Philip Brunelle's direction. But things always took an elegant turn whenever Kevin Iverson appeared onstage as Godfather Drosselmayer. He's the magnetic maker of magical toys who leads young Marie (a consistently impressive Zoe Derauf) on her dreamy odyssey to a dessert-laden landscape. There, she's joined by her now human-size nutcracker, beautifully danced by Zachary Manske.

Iverson's every flowing movement was impressively synchronized with Tchaikovsky's music. Opening the ballet amid a slanted, enchanted village (a delightful design by James Guenther), Drosselmayer is soon sending human-size dolls off to a party with a sharp crack drill squad of rifle-toting soldiers, human marionettes manipulated by invisible strings, and dozens of dancers taking a shift in the spotlight.

The international assembly of dancers that entertains Marie and her prince proves a mixed bag. While Katie Deuitch and Chris Hannon offer a lovely hybrid of ballet and flamenco as the Spanish couple, neither the Arabian nor Chinese dances ask much of the performers. In some versions, these are the most thrilling dances in the ballet, but they were too simple to be satisfying. The lone excitement comes from the lithe, leaping Russians, Serena Lu giving the proceedings a needed shot of adrenaline with her twirling, tumbling performance.

The grand pas de deux of Act 2 can similarly provide an explosion of emotion with its surging strains and lovely lifts, but Houlton's choreography proved disappointingly conservative, although impeccably executed by Katie Johnson and Sam Feipel, their solos far more intriguing than their duets. But one can find plenty of outstanding ensemble work in the "Dance of the Commedia Dell'Arte" and "Waltz of the Flowers."

This production is at its best when creating a kind of three-ring circus of a ballet, something interesting always happening somewhere onstage. Such scenes feel like the ballet equivalent of a sugar rush, something of which we could use more as it winds to a close.

Rob Hubbard can be reached at rhubbard@pioneerpress.com.

Who: Minnesota Dance Theatre

Read more:
Review: Loyce Houlton's 'Nutcracker' retains its energy