Image source, Starlink Image caption, A SpaceX rocket blasts off from Cape Canaveral, carrying Starlink satellites Elon Musk's SpaceX company has been launching thousands of satellites into orbit. Many people say they've seen them in the skies. They're part of the Starlink project, which aims to provide high speed internet services from space, to remote areas on Earth. Starlink provides internet services via a huge network of satellites. It is aimed at people who live in remote areas who cannot get high-speed internet. "There are people in the UK in that category, but more across the world, in places like Africa," says Dr Lucinda King, Space Projects Manager at the University of Portsmouth. Starlink's satellites have been put in low-level orbit around the Earth to make connection speeds between the satellites and the ground as fast as possible. However, a great many low-level satellites are needed to provide full coverage of the globe It's thought Starlink has put some 3,000 of them into space since 2018. It may eventually use 10,000 or 12,000, says Chris Hall. "Using satellites solves the problem of getting internet connections to remote locations in deserts and mountains," he says. "It bypasses the need to build massive amounts of infrastructure, like cables and masts, to reach those areas." Compared to standard internet providers, Starlink isn't cheap. It charges customers $99 per month (£89 per month in the UK). The dish and router needed to connect to the satellites costs $549 (£529 in the UK). However, 96% of households in the UK already have access to high-speed internet, as do 90% of households in the EU and the US. "Most of the developed world is already well connected," says Professor Sa'id Mosteshar of London University's Institute of Space Policy and Law. "They're relying on a small share of the market for revenues." The company says it has 400,000 subscribers in the 36 countries it currently covers - mostly in North America, Europe and Australasia. This is made up of both households and businesses. Next year, Starlink plans to extend its coverage further across Africa and South America, and into Asia - regions of the world where internet coverage is more patchy. "Starlink's prices may be too high for many households in Africa, say," says Chris Hall. "But it could play an important role in connecting schools and hospitals in remote areas there." As Russian forces have advanced in Ukraine they have closed down Ukrainian internet services and tried to block social media. Elon Musk made Starlink available in Ukraine immediately after the invasion started. About 15,000 of Starlink's sets of dishes and routers have been shipped to the country. "Starlink has kept things going, like public services and government," says Chris Hall. "The Russians haven't found a way of disabling it." It has also been used on the battlefield. "Ukrainian forces are using it to communicate - for example, between headquarters and troops in the field," says Dr Marina Miron, defence studies researcher at Kings College London. "Its signals cannot be jammed like ordinary radio signals can be, and it takes only 15 minutes to set up the kit." In addition to Starlink, rivals such as OneWeb and Viasat - who also run satellite internet services - are putting thousands of satellites into low-Earth orbit. That will lead to problems, says Sa'id Mosteshar. "It makes space less and less safe in terms of collisions," he says. "Satellites could hit other vessels and create fragments of wreckage and these, in turn, could cause a lot more damage when flying at high speeds." "If there are too many fragments, it could make low-Earth orbit unusable in the future," says Dr King of Portsmouth University. "And we may not be able to get out of low-Earth orbit into higher orbits, where our navigational satellites and telecoms satellites are situated." Starlink satellites often show up in photographs as streaks of light, obscuring stars and planets. Starlink's satellites are also creating problems for astronomers. At sunrise and sunset, they may be seen by the naked eye because the sun glints off their wings. This can cause streaks on telescope images, obscuring the view of stars and planets. "Astronomers saw the problems early," says Professor Mosteshar. "They were the first to complain."  Read Full News here

Jason M. Allen was almost too nervous to enter his first art competition. Now, his award-winning image is sparking controversy about whether art can be generated by a computer, and what, exactly, it means to be an artist. In August, Allen, a game designer who lives in Pueblo West, Colorado, won first place in the emerging artist division’s “digital arts/digitally-manipulated photography” category at the Colorado State Fair Fine Arts Competition. His winning image, titled “Théâtre D’opéra Spatial” (French for “Space Opera Theater”), was made with Midjourney — an artificial intelligence system that can produce detailed images when fed written prompts. A $300 prize accompanied his win. “I’m fascinated by this imagery. I love it. And it think everyone should see it,” Allen, 39, told CNN Business in an interview on Friday.   Allen’s winning image looks like a bright, surreal cross between a Renaissance and steampunk painting. It’s one of three such images he entered in the competition. In total, 11 people entered 18 pieces of art in the same category in the emerging artist division. The definition for the category in which Allen competed states that digital art refers to works that use “digital technology as part of the creative or presentation process.” Allen stated that Midjourney was used to create his image when he entered the contest, he said. Midjourney is one of a growing number of such AI image generators — others include Google Research’s Imagen and OpenAI’s DALL-E 2. Anyone can use Midjourney via Discord, while DALL-E 2 requires an invitation, and Imagen has not been opened up to users outside Google. The newness of these tools, how they’re used to produce images, and, in some cases, the gatekeeping for access to some of the most powerful ones has led to debates about whether they can truly make art or assist humans in making art. This came into sharp focus for Allen not long after his win. Allen had posted excitedly about his win on Midjourney’s Discord server on August 25, along with pictures of his three entries; it went viral on Twitter days later, with many artists angered by Allen’s win because of his use of AI to create the image, as a story by Vice’s Motherboard reported earlier this week. “This sucks for the exact same reason we don’t let robots participate in the Olympics,” one Twitter user wrote. “This is the literal definition of ‘pressed a few buttons to make a digital art piece’,” another Tweeted. “AI artwork is the ‘banana taped to the wall’ of the digital world now.” Yet while Allen didn’t use a paintbrush to create his winning piece, there was plenty of work involved, he said. “It’s not like you’re just smashing words together and winning competitions,” he said. You can feed a phrase like “an oil painting of an angry strawberry” to Midjourney and receive several images from the AI system within seconds, but Allen’s process wasn’t that simple. To get the final three images he entered in the competition, he said, took more than 80 hours. First, he said, he played around with phrasing that led Midjourney to generate images of women in frilly dresses and space helmets — he was trying to mash up Victorian-style costuming with space themes, he said. Over time, with many slight tweaks to his written prompt (such as to adjust lighting and color harmony), he created 900 iterations of what led to his final three images. He cleaned up those three images in Photoshop, such as by giving one of the female figures in his winning image a head with wavy, dark hair after Midjourney had rendered her headless. Then he ran the images through another software program called Gigapixel AI that can improve resolution and had the images printed on canvas at a local print shop. Allen is glad the debate over whether AI can be used to make art is capturing so much attention. “Rather than hating on the technology or the people behind it, we need to recognize that it’s a powerful tool and use it for good so we can all move forward rather than sulking about it,” Allen said. Cal Duran, an artist and art teacher who was one of the judges for the competition, said that while Allen’s piece included a mention of Midjourney, he didn’t realize that it was generated by AI when judging it. Still, he sticks by his decision to award it first place in its category, he said, calling it a “beautiful piece”. “I think there’s a lot involved in this piece and I think the AI technology may give more opportunities to people who may not find themselves artists in the conventional way,” he said. Allen won’t yet say what the text prompt was behind his winning image — he’s planning to keep it a secret until he publishes a larger related work that he hopes will be finished later this year.   Read Full News here

After a historic drop in 2020, life expectancy in the United States took another significant hit in 2021. According to provisional data published Wednesday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, life expectancy at birth dropped by nearly a year between 2020 and 2021 – and by more than two and a half years overall since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Life expectancy at birth fell to 76.1 years, the lowest it has been in the US since 1996, and the biggest 2-year decline in a century. Covid-19 was the driving factor, with deaths from the virus contributing to half of the decline from 2020 to 2021, according to the report from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. The death rate from Covid-19 was higher in 2021 than it was in 2020, so it wasn’t particularly surprising that life expectancy would fall again, Bob Anderson, chief mortality statistician for the CDC, told CNN. Also, drug overdose deaths reached a record high in 2021, killing about 109,000 people. And deaths from unintentional injuries – about half of which are due to drug overdose – was the second-leading cause of the decline in life expectancy. Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, also said it wasn’t surprising, but it is frustrating. “It is distressing to see a continuing negative impact of drug overdose on the life expectancy of Americans. These deaths often occur in young adults and therefore represent a tragically high number of years of life lost and devastating impact on individuals, families, and communities,” she said. “We have the science and the tools available to help us reverse this trend and reduce the number of overdose deaths in this country. But these tools are not being used effectively.” Even if expected, the scale of the decline is still extraordinary. In 2021, mortality rates due to influenza and pneumonia decreased, and if not for these “offsetting effects,” the decline in US life expectancy would have been even greater, according to the report. “Mortality generally, mainly since the 1950s, has changed rather slowly,” Anderson said. Changes of more than a few tenths of a year have been considered substantial. The recent decline among American Indian and Alaska Native people is particularly “astounding,” Anderson said. The life expectancy for this group plunged by nearly 2 years between 2020 and 2021 and a startling 6.6 years since 2019 – more than twice as much as it did for the total US population. At 65.2 years, the life expectancy for American Indians in 2021 was equal to the overall US life expectancy in 1944. “When I saw that, in the report, I just – my jaw dropped,” Anderson said. “It was hard enough to fathom a 2.7 year decline over 2 years overall. But then to see a 6.6 year decline for the American Indian population – it just shows the substantial impact that the pandemic has had on that population.” Deaths from Covid-19 directly were the leading contributor to the decline in life expectancy among American Indian people in 2021, but deaths due to drug overdose and other unintentional injuries, as well as chronic liver disease, which is often caused by alcohol abuse, were nearly equal contributors for this group. When it comes to the pandemic, Anderson said, “I’m not just talking about Covid-19 necessarily, but also the other factors that seem to have increased during the pandemic.” Experts say the pandemic exacerbated already existing disparities for American Indians and others. Dr. Matthew Clark, a chief medical officer with the Indian Health Service, said the findings of the new CDC report are concerning, but it has been known that American Indian and Alaska Native people “suffer disproportionately with regard to health outcomes for a broad variety of conditions.” There are “unique aspects to addressing health outcomes” in these communities, he said, and this data should be viewed as a “call to action, an opportunity to redouble our efforts” to address a broad range of factors that impact the health of these populations and engage with tribal communities to find solutions. “Even in the midst of a very concerning report like this, I do think that there’s hope,” Clark said, and “there is an opportunity to move the needle in the other direction.” To do that, the goal should be to explore the root causes of those disparities for American Indians and others, said Ruben Cantu, an associate program director with Prevention Institute, a nonprofit focused on health equity. “A lot of the talk is going to be around the pandemic,” Cantu said. “But we need to think about what has driven the conditions that have allowed certain communities to be more vulnerable” in the first place, like crowded housing, poor access to health care and low-income jobs that don’t allow for paid sick leave. A separate study, published as a preprint in June, found that the decrease in life expectancy in the US over the course of the pandemic was “highly racialized” and substantially larger than it was for a set of comparable countries. In fact, that study found that life expectancy increased slightly between 2020 and 2021 for the set of 21 peer countries. The new data from the CDC highlights differences in life-expectancy trends by race and ethnicity, as well as by gender. In the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, life expectancy declined least among White people. In the second year of the pandemic, however, this group saw the second-biggest decline in life expectancy – and deaths due to Covid-19 contributed to the drop among White people more than any other racial or ethnic group. Once the most vaccinated group, the share of the White population that is fully vaccinated with their initial series now lags behind that of the Black, Hispanic and Asian populations, CDC data shows. Life expectancy in 2021 was highest among both Asian women (85.6 years) and men (81.2 years), the CDC data shows. Hispanic women were the only other group with a life expectancy greater than 80 years. In the total US population, life expectancy fell more among men than among women in 2021, widening a gap that has been growing over the past decade. The disparity in life expectancy between men (73.2 years) and women (79.1 years) is now nearly six years. The life expectancy for American Indian men in 2021 was 61.5 years, lower than any other group. Black men had the next lowest, at 66.7 years. A recent project by the Prevention Institute focused on the mental health and well-being of men and boys. It found that men and boys of color – especially Black and Native American men – “start out with higher rates of trauma and mental health challenges,” Cantu said, which can make them more vulnerable to other conditions. “Over the last five or six years, we’ve heard a lot more about diseases of despair – things like substance use, alcoholism and suicide – and a lot of those things are connected,” he said. “It helps to point out how vulnerable certain communities can be to a lot of other conditions.”   By Deidre McPhillips, CNN https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/31/health/life-expectancy-declines-2021/index.html

What’s happening Earlier this month, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that it is planning to rename the disease known as monkeypox and even created a way for the public to weigh in on what the disease should be called in the future. Since the early weeks of the ongoing global monkeypox outbreak, which has led to nearly 50,000 known cases around the world, many public health experts have been loudly advocating for a new name based on the belief that the term “monkeypox” was misleading and fueled harmful stereotypes. In June, the WHO said it had begun the process of selecting a new label, though it has given no timetable for when a final choice might be made public. Monkeypox got its name after it was first discovered by Danish scientists in lab monkeys in 1958. Monkeys are not known to be major carriers of the disease, though. Most cases of animal-to-human transmission are tied to rodents. The current outbreak is being driven by transmission between humans, primarily men who have sex with men. The effort to rename monkeypox fits into a much broader campaign within the global health community to shed some of the practices that have been historically used to identify pathogens. Since 2015, the WHO has used an updated set of naming conventions that specifically bar the use of geographic titles and species names in order to “minimize unnecessary negative impact of disease names.” Those rules formally apply only to new diseases that need labeling, like COVID-19. There are still countless previously known illnesses on the books — like chickenpox and Middle East respiratory syndrome — that violate these new practices. Why there’s debate Experts broadly agree that monkeypox is, at best, an imperfect name for the disease, but there’s a lot of debate over whether changing its name would have a real effect on the scope of the global outbreak. The simplest argument used in favor of a name change is that it’s confusing and inaccurate, since monkeys don’t spread the disease and the virus is not isolated to parts of the world where they live. But the deeper reason many advocate for a change is their belief that monkeypox promotes dangerous stigma against African countries where the disease has been endemic and evokes the “painful and racist history” of Black people being compared to animals. While experts agree that increasing access to testing, vaccinations and treatment are the most important steps for containing monkeypox, supporters believe a “non-discriminatory and non-stigmatizing” name would make the public and health officials take the risks of monkeypox more seriously. But skeptics doubt that giving monkeypox a new name would make much of a difference, and some worry that such moves can sow public confusion. Many experts argue that racist and anti-LGBTQ stigma would exist regardless of the disease’s name. “The name per se is not a major issue. It’s the weaponization of these names,” Mike Ryan, a WHO executive in charge of global emergency response, told reporters last month. There are also practical concerns, with some experts worrying about how changing the name of a disease that’s been documented for more than 60 years might hurt the continuity of scientific research into the disease. Others say it may be close to impossible to find a unique name that is simple enough to be discussed by the public and does not draw controversy. What’s next Experts say the process of renaming a disease can be painstaking and it may be several months, if not years, before monkeypox is officially renamed. In the meantime, some health authorities have begun using their own alternatives — California’s health department has been calling it MPX and a few other states are using hMPXV. It’s unclear if these names can catch on for everyday use. Perspectives Supporters The current name unfairly directs blame at poor countries and people of color “There are no wild non-human primates in Europe. There are many monkeys and apes in Africa, Asia, and in Central and South America. Monkeys are usually associated with the global south, especially Africa. In addition, there is a long dark history of black people being compared to monkeys. No disease nomenclature should provide a trigger for this.” — Moses John Bockarie, Conversation The name monkeypox fuels stereotypes of LGBTQ people as ‘the other’ “I can say, anecdotally, that all my gay friends are talking about this threat and taking it very seriously. But the name ‘monkeypox’ doesn’t help—it associates the virus with ‘animalistic’ behavior. … No one wants to be called a monkey. That’s particularly true at this historical moment, as the LGBTQ community is watching our hard-fought equality get stripped away, bit by bigoted bit.” — Jay Michaelson, Daily Beast Anything that makes it harder for vulnerable groups to openly discuss the disease must be remedied “Because speaking frankly about sexual behaviors is difficult, certainly for men who have long struggled to live in their bodies without apology, this is where our communication becomes deeply fraught. … Stigma swirls around this diagnosis. It doesn’t have to. Changing that starts with what we call this virus.” — Arjun V.K. Sharma, Boston Globe A name change would have effects long after the current outbreak has subsided “If monkeypox—or maybe rather, MPX—is here to stay, maybe we all ought to think about how to reduce the impact of its name.” — Hannah Docter-Loeb, Slate The name is simply inaccurate “Even the name ‘monkeypox’ is highly misleading and problematic. Monkeypox does not come from monkeys; the reservoir for it is in rodents.” — Ranit Mishori, The Hill Skeptics Changing the name won’t end the bigotry surrounding the disease “HIV is no longer called ‘gay-related immune deficiency,’ but gay men are still frequently ostracized over the condition. Connotation outlives denotation. Even COVID-19—a disease name that was designed from the very start to be as inoffensive as possible—can easily be turned into a slur.” — Benjamin Mazer, Atlantic Labels aren’t the reason that the health response to monkeypox has been so broken “At the moment, the things that are really standing in the way of a successful response are just having access to testing, to vaccine and to treatments. And if those things were fine, there'd be no monkeypox to talk about.” — Keletso Makofane, public health researcher, to NPR Renaming a well-known disease is a lot harder than it sounds “It turns out renaming viruses and the diseases they cause is not an easy thing to do. It raises concerns about the continuity of the scientific literature. It can be difficult to find an alternative that doesn’t offend. And something that works in one language or culture may not work in another.” — Helen Branswell, STAT It will be tough to find a new name that satisfies everyone “Tossing out the old name is easier than deciding on a new one.” — Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times Is there a topic you’d like to see covered in “The 360”? Send your suggestions to the360@yahoonews.com. https://news.yahoo.com/does-monkeypox-need-a-new-name-155554269.html?

This apple scones recipe is the perfect fall treat! The scones are moist, warmly spiced, and packed with sweet apple flavor. This post is in partnership with Jewel-Osco®. Happy September! Fall may not officially start until the 22nd, but I’m already excited for warming soups, comforting pastas, and cozy baked goods like these cinnamon apple scones. These cute little treats are everything I crave on a crisp fall morning. They’re lightly sweet, moist, and warmly spiced, with a delicious apple-y flavor that pairs perfectly with a steaming cup of coffee or tea. They’re easy to make, and I love that all the ingredients are available at the Jewel-Osco® just down the street from our house. Check out the recipe below, or head to Jewel-Osco®’s Fall into Flavor content hub to find it and more fall recipe ideas! The site also offers virtual cooking classes with celebrity chefs and tons of fun cooking tips and tricks. It’s a great place to find seasonal meal inspiration as we head into fall. Learn more here! Apple Scones Recipe Ingredients But back to the scones! To make them, you need these basic ingredients: Apples, of course! These scones are PACKED with diced fresh apple. You can use any variety, but I especially like Honeycrisp. Applesauce – For even more apple flavor! It also makes the scones wonderfully moist. Open Nature® Original Almond Milk or make your own Almond milk – It provides additional moisture. Baking powder and eggs – They help the scones rise. O Organics® All-Purpose Flour and O Organics® Whole Wheat Flour – I love using a mix of white and wheat flours in this recipe. The white flour keeps the scones from becoming dry or dense, while the wheat flour adds extra fiber and nutrients. O Organics® Cane Sugar – It makes the scones lightly sweet. O Organics® Coconut Oil– I swap it in for the butter that you’d find in a traditional scone recipe. O Organics® Cinnamon,  O Organics® Nutmeg, and O Organics® Vanilla Extract – They add warm, cozy autumn flavor. And sea salt – To make all the flavors pop! For an optional (but highly recommended) finishing touch, drizzle the scones with a simple glaze made from powdered sugar, almond milk, and vanilla extract. Sprinkle them with chopped pecans for crunch! Find the complete recipe with measurements below. How to Make Cinnamon Apple Scones These cinnamon apple scones are easy to make! Here’s how you’ll do it: First, combine the wet ingredients. Place the eggs, applesauce, almond milk, and vanilla in a medium bowl, and whisk vigorously to combine. Next, pulse the dry ingredients in a food processor until the spices are fully incorporated into the flour. Then, you’ll add the coconut oil. It should be firm and cut into small pieces. My #1 tip for this recipe is to measure the coconut oil while it’s still soft. Place it in a small bowl, or on a sheet of parchment paper, and put it in the freezer to harden for 15 minutes. Then cut it into small pieces and proceed with the recipe. After you pulse in the coconut oil, transfer the dry ingredients to a large bowl. Stir in the diced apple, and then add the wet ingredients. Use a spatula to fold until the dough just comes together. Place it on a lightly floured surface and gently knead until you can form it into a ball. Divide the dough ball into two equal disks. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for 20 minutes. While the dough chills, preheat the oven to 400°F. Remove the dough from the freezer and cut each disk into six equal wedges. Separate the wedges and arrange them on another baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until the scones are golden brown around the edges. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool. While the scones cool, make the glaze. When the scones are cool to the touch, drizzle it over them and sprinkle on the chopped pecans. Enjoy! How to Store Scones We love these cinnamon apple scones when they’re freshly baked, but they also keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, freeze them for up to 3 months. They thaw perfectly at room temperature or after 30-ish seconds in the microwave. I hope you love these yummy fall treats! For more fall meal inspiration, head to www.jewelosco.com/fall to find easy-to-shop recipes, seasonal cooking tutorials, and more. rate this recipe: Serves 12 These cinnamon apple scones are the perfect fall treat! Diced fresh apples, applesauce, and warm spices fill them with delicious autumn flavor.   In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, almond milk, applesauce, and vanilla. In a food processor, place the all-purpose and whole wheat flours, the sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg pulse to combine. Add the hardened coconut oil and pulse a few times until the coconut oil is just combined. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and stir in the apple. Add the egg mixture and use a spatula to fold until the dough just comes together. Be careful not to overmix. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead lightly, using more flour as needed to prevent sticking. Form the dough into a ball, divide it in half, and flatten each half into a 1-inch-thick disk. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line another baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the freezer and cut each disk into 6 wedges. Separate the wedges and arrange them on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Make the glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, almond milk, and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled scones. If desired, sprinkle the glazed scones with chopped pecans. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.   *It’s easiest to work with the coconut oil for this recipe if you measure it while it’s soft. Then, place it in a small bowl and freeze for 15 minutes. Use a paring knife to cut it into small pieces. This post is in partnership with Jewel-Osco®. https://www.loveandlemons.com/cinnamon-apple-scones/

Many people want to ensure their workouts are effective but is yoga exercise? Well, that depends on what you want to achieve. If you're looking for something that can improve your mood and flexibility then yoga is a perfect fit. But if you're searching for some heart-pumping aerobic exercise (opens in new tab) you might need a different activity.  We've combed through the research to find the benefits of yoga (opens in new tab) – and we've got hands-on with some of the best yoga mats (opens in new tab) – but we still wanted more answers. So we asked Libby Hinsley, a physical therapist and certified yoga teacher, to weigh in on the topic.  Before we evaluate whether yoga counts as exercise, it's important to actually define exercise.  "Exercise includes any activity that gets the body moving or requires some physical effort, and it's undertaken with the intent of improving health or fitness," informs Hinsley.  Hinsley says yoga qualifies as exercise if it's practiced in a way that fits such a description. And it's important to remember that we all have different ability levels, so what qualifies as 'exercise' will vary from person to person.  She also highlights that yoga, as a whole, isn't solely about improving fitness. "The tools of yoga practice include ethical lifestyle principles, yoga postures, breathing exercises, and meditative practices," she explains. "Ideally, practitioners will reap broader benefits from their yoga practice in addition to fitness."     Does yoga provide a workout? If you're practicing a more dynamic form of yoga and flowing rapidly between poses, you'll get a low-intensity cardio workout. Examples of this type of yoga include vinyasa flow, Ashtanga vinyasa, or power styles of yoga.  A meta-analysis published in the International Journal of Cardiology found that yoga could have a positive effect on cardiovascular disease risk factors, suggesting that the activity does have a direct impact on our cardio systems. Regular yoga practice could not only improve systolic and diastolic blood pressure – both of which are linked to heart and cardio disease – it could also positively impact heart rate, breath rate and waist circumference.   (Image credit: Getty) Some styles of yoga could also increase muscular strength and endurance. These practices focus on holding poses that involve multiple major muscle groups. A meta-analysis of 12 studies, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (opens in new tab), concluded that regular yoga practice could have "moderately positive effects on muscle strength." There are also more relaxing and restorative styles of yoga that don't really boost your fitness but help to relax the body and calm the nervous system. "This [restorative style] may aid in recovery which could lead to indirect benefits in cardiovascular endurance or strength," Hinley says.  Does yoga count towards your weekly activity? Despite the findings above, there are some big limitations on yoga as exercise. For example, Hinley says yoga doesn't really provide a lot of resistance, which is an important component of a well-rounded exercise routine. It's also unlikely that a yoga practice would count towards your weekly dose of much-needed cardio exercise.  Guidelines for physical activity issued by the American Heart Association (AHA) state that adults should aim to complete 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise each week or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity.  (Image credit: Getty) A study published in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine (opens in new tab) examined whether a typical yoga practice with common poses was sufficient to meet these physical activity recommendations. It found that the metabolic costs of yoga were similar to walking on a treadmill at 3.2 kph (2 miles per hour) and did not meet recommendations for levels of physical activity for improving or maintaining health or cardiovascular fitness.  Another study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (opens in new tab) also corroborated these results, finding that the intensity of yoga averaged only 2.17 METs over the workout. (A MET is used to indicate how much energy is being expended by a person. According to Harvard sources (opens in new tab), one MET is the amount of energy used while sitting quietly, while running is usually 8-9 METs, so 2.17 is very low on the scale.) In light of these findings, Hinley's advice seems prudent: "While a dynamic or moderately vigorous yoga asana practice can certainly contribute to a person’s overall fitness, I always recommend that people incorporate a variety of different types of movement into their exercise routine." Live Science News https://www.livescience.com/is-yoga-exercise

Summary I used to invest in rental properties, but as I learned more about REITs, I came to the realization that they were superior investments in most cases. Put simply, they generate higher returns with lower risk and don't require any effort from you. Moreover, they protect you from liability risk, don't affect your personal credit, allow you to focus on your career, improve your lifestyle, are tax-efficient, and more opportunistic. Looking for a portfolio of ideas like this one? Members of High Yield Landlord get exclusive access to our model portfolio. Learn More »   fstop123/E+ via Getty Images   One of my favorite topics to discuss on Seeking Alpha is how rental properties compare with publicly-listed REITs. It interests me so much because I started my career in private equity real estate, made private investments, but later sold them and transitioned into the REIT space when I came to the realization that REITs were superior investments in most cases.   I have written several articles on this topic so I won't rehash all the same facts, but in short: REITs offer higher returns: Several studies have shown that REITs outperform private real estate investments by 3-6% per year on average over a full-market cycle. That's mainly because REITs enjoy significant economies of scale and have access to the public equity market, which allows them to grow externally by raising capital at cost x and reinvesting it at return y, earning a positive spread in between. Private investors don't have this possibility and so their growth is limited to what they can achieve organically. REITs are a lot safer: REITs are public, liquid, diversified, and conservatively financed. Rentals are private, illiquid, concentrated, and heavily leveraged in most cases. Thousands of private real estate investors file for bankruptcy each year. Yet, REIT bankruptcies are extremely rare because once you have this level of diversification, it is really hard to mess it up. The only bankruptcies that we have seen in the REIT sector were overleveraged mall REITs like CBL (CBL) during the pandemic. REITs are completely passive: Since REITs are professionally-managed, you don't need to worry about the ugly 3 Ts: tenants, toilets, and trash, and you earn returns without having to actually work for them. Even better, the management is professional and highly cost-efficient. In comparison, owning and managing one or a few rental properties is time-consuming and cost-inefficient. It is closer to a part-time job than a passive investment, and it isn't worth it for most people. source source   All of these reasons are good enough for you to stop investing in rentals to buy REITs instead. In most cases, they offer higher returns with lower risk and don't require any effort from you, the investor. I would go a step further and argue that even if rentals were more rewarding (which they aren't), REITs would still provide better risk-and-hassle-adjusted returns in most cases. But the story doesn't end here. There are actually many more reasons to favor REITs, some of which you probably haven't even considered, and I want to shed more light on those in today's article. In addition to what was mentioned previously, there are 5 other reasons why I quit buying rental properties to buy REITs instead: Reason #1: Rental Can Be a Huge Legal Liability. REIT Investors Are Better Protected. Charlie Munger has famously said that there are three ways for smart people to go broke: "liquor, ladies, and leverage". But even more important is the concept of liability. Liquor, ladies, and leverage can only ruin you if you are personally liable for the resulting costs. Most business owners and investors ignore the topic of liability until it is too late to do anything about it, and that's how a lot of wealthy and successful rental investors go broke every year. They are personally liable for all the loans, and they are also the first person who gets sued by tenants, contractors, brokers, etc. when things go south. To give you an example: let's assume that some mold has been accumulating in the restroom of your rental, your tenant gets sick, and decides to stop paying rent and sues you for an exorbitant amount, claiming that you did not take proper care of the property and put his/her health at risk. Now let's make it a bit worse: let's also assume we just entered a recession and you lost your job, just when you needed it the most to make up for the missed rent payment and the lawsuit. Maybe, you are now also missing additional rent checks from other tenants because 50%+ of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. If you are long enough in business, it is only a question of time before you get in this type of trouble. Suddenly, you could face significant financial and emotional stress because you are personally liable for the loans and the potential lawsuits. Importantly: there is no point in earning good returns for 20 years if, in the 21st year, you are hit with missed rent payments, lawsuits, and the bank takes it all away from you because you defaulted on your loans. Rental investors commonly use up to 80% leverage, which leaves little margin for error, and that's why so many end up filing for bankruptcy each year.   REITs, on the other hand, are structured as corporations, and as a minority shareholder, you enjoy the full benefits of limited liability. This means that you cannot lose more than you invest and you will never be sued by anyone for more than that. This is huge risk mitigation because if you are a landlord for long enough, it is inevitable that you run into some kind of liability issues at some point. Yet, it is rarely mentioned when debating the characteristics of REITs vs. rentals. I sleep a lot better at night knowing that no one has ever lost money owning a well-diversified portfolio of REITs in the long run. The same cannot be said about rentals because they expose you to liability issues. Reason #2: Rentals Put Your Personal Credit On The Line. REITs Give You The Benefits of Leverage Without Affecting Your Credit Related to the previous point, when you buy a rental, you commonly need to put your personal credit on the line. Banks require this because it reduces their risk, but it also means that you cannot just put your LLC into default and walk away. Your credit rating is also impacted by the amount of debt that you are taking, which could limit you in other ways. Perhaps, you would like to create a new business and need a loan to get started. That's just one example among many others. With REITs, you enjoy the same benefits of leverage, but importantly, you are not personally liable for them and it does not affect your credit score. There is this common misconception that you cannot use leverage when investing in REITs, but the reality is that REITs are already leveraged. When you buy shares, you provide the equity and it is the equity that's publicly traded. Then the REIT takes mortgages to leverage your equity and earn better returns. In the end, you enjoy the same benefits of leverage, but you are in a much safer position and it does not affect your personal credit. This is particularly important for me because I am a small business owner. Reason #3: Rentals Can Ruin Your Career and Lifestyle. REITs Give You Complete Freedom To Advance in Your Career and Personal Life. Rental investments take a lot more time than most people understand. Just to find the right deal, negotiate it, do your due diligence, secure a loan, rehab it, and find a tenant, you may spend 10s of hours per week for months on end. Then after that, you still need to manage the property and deal with all the issues that come with that, and finally, someday, you may want to sell the property, which will again, require a lot of time and effort.   What a lot of people don't realize is that all this work could have been put into your main career, which probably earns you a lot more money than managing rentals, which is a low-margin business. The worst example is when a physician or a successful business owner or other high-earner decides to invest in rental properties. This person could make a lot more per hour working their main job than what they would ever get for the efforts they put in the rental business. But even if your value is let's say $20 per hour, then you probably shouldn't buy rentals because you are much better off putting that time into earning money through your job, investing in REITs, and focusing on advancing in your career. The rentals will only slow you down and result in fewer earnings in the long run. Let's take a look at a real-life example: Purchase price: $200,000 Monthly NOI: $1,000 (after major expenses) On the surface, it seems like a pretty good with a 6% cap rate, which turns into a double-digit annual yield once you add leverage to it. But now, let's assume that you use 5 hours per week on average in the year (to find the property, negotiate it, rehab it, market it, manage it, etc.) and the value of your time is $20 per hour, then you need to deduct $100 per week or $400 per month from the above return. After all, that $400 is not the result of a passive investment. It is the result of your work and you could have earned it working your other job. So the real monthly NOI is just $600, and the real cap rate is 3.6%. Is this 3.6% cap rate worth all the risk and work? No. You would be much better off focusing on your career and using the extra earnings to invest in REITs. And even ignoring the financial aspect, REITs will also improve the quality of your lifestyle. You won't have to worry about tenants, repairs, midnight calls, and weekends being ruined from bad surprises. You also won't be stuck in one location, be able to travel, and sleep better at night. This freedom is very important to me. Reason #4: Rentals Can Expose You to Important Tax Complications. The Taxation of REITs is More Simple And Efficient. Another common misconception is that rentals are highly tax-efficient, especially when compared to REITs. I disagree. Yes, you can depreciate your property to lower your immediate tax burden, but in the process, you also lower your cost basis which will hurt you down the line when you sell the property, and/or lower your flexibility to switch from an asset class to another. In the worse case, you are then stuck with your rentals forever and can never sell them due to the tax hit that it would cause.   Moreover, you will again end up spending a lot of time trying to deduct expenses, depreciate the property, document it all, etc., and all of that time that could have earned you money working your main job. The complexity, in the end, costs you money indirectly, even if you don't see it. REITs, on the other hand, are very simple and tax-efficient. They pay no corporate income tax. They distribute 60%-70% of their cash flow, which means that 30%-40% isn't taxed at all. A portion of the distribution is "return of capital," which isn't taxed. The portion that's taxed enjoys a 20% deduction. Generally, REITs are more growth-oriented real estate investments, and therefore, more than half of the total return is tax-deferred appreciation. Finally, if you want to defer all taxes, you can simply hold them in a tax-deferred account. You still retain the freedom to move from one asset class to another. When you take all of that into account, I actually pay less taxes investing in REITs and it is also a lot easier and more time-efficient. Reason #5: Rentals Limit You to One Market. REITs offer a Larger Universe of Opportunities. Finally, if you want to buy a rental, you are limited to investing in your local market. Sure, you could use a platform like Roofstock to buy a property on the other side of the country, but that's the last thing that I would do. If you don't know your market and you aren't close to the property, then you are taking even bigger risks and the management will be costly and complicated. As an example, it is not uncommon for property managers to take 12% of the rental revenue when the management cost of REITs like Realty Income (O) is only ~4% of their revenue. REITs, on the other hand, let you invest in all property sectors and geographies from the comfort of your own home. There are over 20 different property sectors to choose from: Office. Example: Boston Properties (BXP) Industrial. Example: Prologis (PLD) Apartment. Example: Mid-America (MAA) Retail. Example: Simon Property Group (SPG) Hotel. Example: Host Hotels (HST) Net Lease. Example: STORE Capital (STOR) Senior housing. Example: Ventas (VTR) Skilled nursing. Example: Omega Healthcare (OHI) Hospital. Example: Medical Properties Trust (MPW) Medical Office. Example: Physician Realty Trust (DOC) Manufactured Housing. Example: Sun Communities (SUI) Single-Family Rental. Example: Invitation Homes (INVH) Student Housing. Example: American Campus Communities (ACC) Self Storage. Example: Public Storage (PSA) Timberland. Example: Weyerhaeuser (WY) Farmland. Example: Gladstone Land (LAND) Billboard. Example: Lamar (LAMR) Data Centers. Example: Digital Realty (DLR.PK) Infrastructure. Example: American Tower (AMT) Ground Lease. Example: Safehold (SAFE)   And also over 20 different countries that have REITs these days: USA Canada UK France Germany Singapore Japan Australia Etc. source At High Yield Landlord, we invest globally and across most of these property sectors, which ultimately leads to higher returns with less risk. Right now, we are invested in properties in the US, Canada, France, Germany, Estonia, Singapore, etc., and have professional management teams with skin in the game taking care of it for us. Our approach to REIT investing has generated ~20% annual returns since the inception of our portfolio, and we have done so well because we have such a large universe of opportunities to choose from: Source: Interactive Brokers (IBKR) Bottom Line To recap: REITs Rentals Higher returns Lower returns Lower risk Higher risk Passive Work-intensive No liability risk Liability issues No personal credit risk Personal credit risk Boosts lifestyle and career Hurts lifestyle and career Simple and efficient taxation More complicated taxation that limits your flexibility Wide universe of opportunities Limited universe of opportunities These are all the reasons why I favor REITs over rental properties, and that's despite coming from a private equity background, having studied two university degrees in real estate investing, and being born in a family of real estate entrepreneurs. If I decide to favor REITs, it is simply because they are far superior investments in most cases. Are there exceptions? Of course, there are. As an example, I think that most people should buy their home because it has non-financial benefits. Some crowdfunding platforms like FarmTogether may also make sense for specialty property sectors like farmland; and finally, if you are getting an exceptional deal, then, by all means, a rental property may be a good investment. But the point of this article is that in 90%+ of cases, you will do a lot better with REITs and that is why I quit buying rental properties years ago.       This article was written by Jussi Askola Author of High Yield Landlord    

TV personality and doctor Dr. Mehmet Oz wants Dr. Anthony Fauci to resign. Oz said he believes Fauci should be held accountable for misleading the American public and Congress on matters relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Fauci, who heads the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, faced intense scrutiny after he contradicted himself on a number of guidelines, including the use of face masks. Oz, who announced last month that he was running for the Pennsylvania Senate, took aim at Fauci.    

According to the 2021 giving report from the for-profit fundraising platform GoFundMe, Ireland topped the list of most generous countries. On GoFundMe, where individuals can quickly raise money for everything from college tuition to disaster relief, Ireland donors gave the most per capita. To get donations, all they need is a photo, a short story to share, and a verified bank account. In 2021, the most generous person on GoFundMe made 434 donations.

People who own mutual funds investments will see taxes on dividend gains, even if they reinvest the dividend income. Some experts recommend offsetting the dividend gains by selling underperforming stocks at a loss. Those that have tax-sheltered accounts, such as a 401(k), qualified Roth IRA, don't have to worry about reinvesting dividends. Since it's been a decent year of dividend distributions, some experts recommend reinvesting mutual fund dividends into ETF stocks for diversification. 

China is developing its space capabilities "twice as fast" as the US, said Gen. David Thompson, vice chief of space operations for the US Space Force. Gen. Thompson warned China could overtake the US in space capabilities by the end of the decade at a panel led by CNN's Kristin Fisher at the Reagan National Defense Forum. General Thompson says if we don't accelerate development and delivery, we'll be overwhelmed very soon. Many experts predict that China will be ahead of the United States by 2030. Gen. Thompson was joined by Rep. Jim Cooper, a Tennessee Democrat who chairs the House Armed Services Committee's strategic forces subcommittee, which oversees the Space Force's budget, and Chris Kubasik, president and CEO of L3Harris Technologies. Cooper said, "Hell yes," when asked if the US is competing in a so-called space race with China. Kubasik and Thompson agreed with Cooper's assessment. Cooper says the Space Force isn't moving fast enough to compete with private industry. "It's great that the private sector is so much more innovative than our Air Force was, and we need to get the Space Force to be much more innovative and try to keep up with the private sector," Cooper said. He added: "To really be superior, we've got to go beyond Elon Musk's imagination, Jeff Bezos' imagination, beyond their pocketbooks. (The) budget right now is $17 billion -- that's a lot of money, but considering how crucial space is, are we doing enough?" According to Cooper, the Space Force should be more like the National Reconnaissance Office, which oversees government satellites and provides satellite intelligence to numerous US agencies. Cooper said, "The NRO has done a pretty good job." "They're not as well-known as some other agencies. ... But I had a recent side-by-side briefing with the NRO and Space Force. My conclusion after that briefing was: thank God for the NRO. I anxiously await the day that I can say the same about the Space Force." Gen. Thompson replied, "Congressman Cooper always asks what he can do to help, and I always tell him the same: continue to be our strongest supporter and our toughest critic, and this morning he continues to do both effectively," to which the room erupted into laughter.

Imagine driving down the street, and your car's windshield fogs up. So you turn on the defroster. The fog goes away but returns a few minutes later. Annoyingly you repeat the process of turning on your defroster for temporary visibility.  Why Does Your Windshield Fog Up? The temperature and humidity inside your vehicle is higher than outside the vehicle, causing windshield fog. If it's winter, the fog forms inside the vehicle. If it's summer, the fog forms outside the vehicle. Here are some ways to prevent a foggy windshield: 1. Clean your windows. Get rid of dirt and oil to prevent condensation buildup. 2. Use an anti-fog spray.  3. Use home anti-fog remedies like shaving cream or potato residue as a fog repellant. 4. Turn off the recirculate button on your air-conditioner/heater. 5. Turn the heat and A/C on at the same time. 6. When all else fails, blast the defroster to the max.

A woman in Chino Hills, California filmed several UFOs flying above her house. At first, she thought it was a grand opening but later found out that her community had no scheduled aerial events.  Within 40 minutes, the unidentified flying lights disappeared to never be seen again. The United States Pentagon is starting to take these sightings seriously by dedicating resources to studying them.

One week down, 17 to go. After the NFL season's first week, several teams showed early promise as potential contenders. Only time will tell as the season progresses, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs look like they have pieces in place to return to Super Bowl. This week's slate of games begins Thursday night with an NFC East showdown between the Washington Football Team and New York Giants. Here are the top 10 teams heading into Week 2. 10. Buffalo Bills Tre'Davious White of the Buffalo Bills celebrates breaking up a pass during the second quarter against the Denver Broncos at New Era Field Nov. 24, 2019 in Orchard Park, New York. Buffalo defeats Denver 20-3.  (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) Record: 0-1 Week 1 result: 23-16 loss to Steelers Outlook: The Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Ravens were also considered for the No. 10 spot in this week's rankings. However, the Bills came in at this spot despite a home loss to the Steelers. Buffalo will try to get back on track next week against the Dolphins in Miami. 9. Los Angeles Chargers Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert on the run against the Denver Broncos in the third quarter at SoFi Stadium Dec. 27, 2020.  (Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports) Record: 1-0 Week 1 result: 20-16 win over Washington Outlook: Justin Herbert threw for 337 yards and one touchdown in a tough road win over the Washington Football Team. Keenan Allen had nine receptions for 100 yards. A showdown between the Chargers and Cowboys will go down in Week 2. 8. Seattle Seahawks Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson reacts to cheering fans at the end of an Oct. 4, 2020 game in Miami Gardens, Fla. The Seahawks defeated the Dolphins 31-23. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee) Record: 1-0 Week 1 result: 28-16 win over Colts Outlook: Russell Wilson completed 18 of 23 passes for 254 yards with four touchdowns in a big win over Indianapolis. Wideout Tyler Lockett had TD receptions of 23 and 69 yards. The Seahawks will take on the Titans next. 7. San Francisco 49ers San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance signals at the line of scrimmage against the Detroit Lions In the first half in Detroit Sunday, Sept. 12, 2021.  (AP Photo/Lon Horwedel) Record: 1-0 Week 1 result: 41-33 win over Lions Outlook: San Francisco held a 28-point lead before Detroit made a late attempt at a comeback. Rookie running back Elijah Mitchell had 19 carries for 104 yards with a rushing score. The 49ers travel to Philadelphia to face the Eagles in Week 2. 6. Pittsburgh Steelers Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt prior to a game against the Buffalo Bills at Bills Stadium Dec. 13, 2020.  (Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports) Record: 1-0 Week 1 result: 23-16 win over Bills Outlook: Down 10-0, the Steelers managed to pull out a victory over the Bills in Buffalo. Pittsburgh defensive end T.J. Watt had two sacks and a forced fumble. Next up for the Steelers is a matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders. 5. New Orleans Saints New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston throws a pass during the first half Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.   (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack) Record: 1-0 Week 1 result: 38-3 win over Packers Outlook: Jameis Winston took care of business in his debut as the starter for the Saints. He completed 14 of 20 passes for 148 yards with five touchdowns in the dominating win. New Orleans will travel to Carolina to square off against the Panthers in an NFC South matchup. 4. Arizona Cardinals Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) is congratulated by tight end Maxx Williams (87) after Murray ran for a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans in the first half Sunday.  (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski)) Record: 1-0 Week 1 result: 38-13 win over Titans Outlook: Kyler Murray completed 21 of 32 passes for 289 yards with five total touchdowns in a dominating 38-13 victory over Tennessee. Wideout DeAndre Hopkins had six receptions for 83 yards with two scores. Arizona will host the Minnesota Vikings next. 3. Los Angeles Rams Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford throws a pass during the first half  against the Chicago Bears Sunday in Inglewood, Calif.   (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) Record: 1-0 Week 1 result: 34-14 win over Bears Outlook: Quarterback Matthew Stafford dazzled in his debut with the Rams. He completed 20 of 26 passes for 321 yards and three touchdowns in the victory. Los Angeles will travel to Indianapolis to face the Colts in Week 2. 2. Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes grins during a November 2020 game against the Carolina Panthers.   (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner) Record: 1-0 Week 1 result: 33-29 win over Browns Outlook: Facing a 22-10 deficit at the midway point, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs outscored Cleveland 23-7 in the second half. Mahomes threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns in the comeback win. Kansas City will square off against the Ravens in Baltimore. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin (14) drops a pass against the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth quarter of a Sept. 9 game at Raymond James Stadium.  (Jeremy Reper/USA TODAY Sports) Record: 1-0 Week 1 result: 31-29 win over Cowboys Outlook: Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady threw for 379 passing yards and four touchdowns in the comeback victory to kick off the 2021 NFL season. Next up, Tampa Bay hosts the Atlanta Falcons.

Beginners in the running world may not know how to breathe while running - but it doesn't have to be the massive stressor your mind makes it out to be.  Your heart rate and muscles will change once you start running faster, but panic can also set in.  You can get faster and feel less stressed when you run if you learn how to breathe effectively. You might even start to appreciate the wind in your hair and your breathing as you pound the pavement. Here's how to breathe while running - and if different breathing patterns can reduce the stress on your lungs when you're running.  How should you breathe when you're running? Running harder will make you out of breath since your respiratory system is used to breathing a certain way. You can breathe better if you relax as much as you can. Nick Anderson, head coach for Saucony and GB & EA running coach, says people go out way too fast and don't learn to pace themselves. What happens if you run too fast? You can only operate in anaerobic mode for a short period before you need to slow down to get back into aerobic mode." Tana von Zitzewitz, a master trainer at Barry's UK, says nasal breathing gives you a lot of oxygen and helps your body get rid of carbon dioxide. Ten runners were tested for six months on nasal breathing by Colorado State University. Their breathing rate and breaths per minute decreased when they inhaled more oxygen and exhaled more carbon dioxide. When you inhale, your nose should be your point of entry, and when you exhale, your mouth should be your point of exit. She feels good about how hard she's working when she runs with Tana, a UKA Run Leader. Run at a pace you can hold a conversation with someone next to you in your early weeks: "If it's hard for you to talk to someone next to you, you're running too hard. As you get fitter, you can run at a different pace." What's the deal with rhythmic breathing? Running is said to calm the nervous system by breathing rhythmically. Studies on running and cortisol levels have also shown that running can increase levels of cortisol in the body, a hormone linked to stress if you're running at a moderate to high intensity.  Breathing rhythmically isn't natural, but it can calm your body. How should it be done? Breathing out is necessary for emptying the lungs. Taking in five deep breaths, holding them for five seconds, and exhaling them through your mouth. A study at the University of Utah found that rhythmic breathing is an excellent way for runners to reduce stress on their respiratory systems, which in turn reduces respiratory muscle fatigue. It also improves breathing efficiency through improved gas mixing, transport, and exchange. "Rhythmic breathing and running require a lot of concentration," von Zitzewitz told Live Science. "You have to count the steps you take inhaling, then exhaling, then counting each step." Take five minutes to do the breathing exercise while listening to relaxing music. You can try this technique on a slow jog once you become comfortable with it and see if it helps you improve your running, then you can gradually incorporate it into your routine. von Zitzewitz suggests that, if this technique is too laborious for you, being more aware of your breathing while running will help you run better. When running long distances, start slowly and remember to breathe. You should be able to breathe effortlessly in through the nose and out through the mouth once you get up to a steady pace. You will fatigue if it becomes too labored too quickly, and so your pace will not be sustainable, so you will need to make small adjustments. Running improves with practice by making small, consistent improvements over time. Start with your base pace and add little improvements over time. As well as Pranayama, she states it helps you be more flexible in your lungs and helps you breathe more effectively when you're running, and suggests, "Make sure to warm up and activate your lungs prior to your run by doing these deep breathing exercises." Do you breathe differently when you run? You'll naturally find that your form is off if you're breathing laboriously or are stressed when running.  If you aren't relaxed while running, you'll naturally slouch. If your shoulders are down, your back is straight, and your hips are forward. The hardest thing about running is learning how to relax, but if you breathe correctly you can quickly accomplish that. It should then correct itself by itself, but if you still feel stressed, Anderson advises runners to let go of stress, yet stay aware of posture. She says, "Drop your shoulders down and raise your arms - this will take your mind off the stress your breathing is causing."

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), more than a third of sharks and rays on Earth are endangered. Earlier reports by the group claimed the loss was mostly due to overfishing and ocean pollution.  The latest IUCN Red List includes a reassessment of the world's shark and ray species, which finds 37% are in danger of going extinct. It shows there are few effective management measures in place for much of the world's oceans. Sharks and rays are being overfished. 31 percent of these species are in danger due to habitat loss and climate change.". RBGS Kew's Eimear Nic Lughadha says reassessing sharks and rays is important for maintaining the value of the Red List as a barometer of biodiversity. While shark and ray statistics are strikingly similar to those for plants, habitat loss and degradation pose the greater threat of extinction than climate change." Red List of Threatened Species includes 138,374 species, of which 38,543 are deemed threatened with extinction. Researchers published a new study, published in Current Biology, that found that 32% of chondrichthyes species were at risk for extinction, including sharks and rays. "That statistic increases to more than one-third (37.5%) if Data Deficient species are assumed to be threatened in the same proportion as assessed species," the IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group said in a post following the news. Chondrichthyes have lived on Earth for hundreds of millions of years and three species have not been seen in nature for several decades, according to the Smithsonian Magazine.  That said, the species are considered to be exceptionally susceptible to overfishing because they tend to grow slowly and produce few offspring and pollution and habitat degradation are key risks.  Climate change currently impacts 10.2% of threatened chondrichthyes, the IUCN's shark group said.  Despite countless commitments to improve the management of fisheries in the tropics, too many of these inherently vulnerable species have been heavily fished for more than a century by a variety of fisheries that remain poorly managed," Colin Simpfendorfer, adjunct professor at James Cook University, said in a statement. "As a result, we fear we will soon confirm that one or more of these species has been driven to extinction from overfishing, a deeply troubling first for marine fishes. Our goal is to make this study a turning point in efforts to prevent further irreversible losses and secure long-term sustainability."

Afghanistan's Taliban have tried to offer hope that the country - and the world - won't return to the 1990s hard-line regime. According to Al Jazeera, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said: "Our nation is a Muslim nation, whether 20 years ago or now." "But when it comes to experience, maturity, vision, there is a huge difference from 20 years ago." Both the United States, which invaded after the Taliban government sheltered Osama bin Laden and other Al Qaeda members, and the Afghans scarred by the militants' violent struggle for power and oppression have sided with skepticism. Burqa-clad women sit outside a door in Herat in 1999. Per-Anders Pettersson / Getty National security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters at the White House on Tuesday that it's "premature" to say whether the Biden administration recognizes the Taliban as governing power in Afghanistan. The Taliban must show the rest of the world who they are and how they plan to proceed, Sullivan said. "Track record isn't good." In the early 1990s, the Taliban were formed to fight the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. This group was led by Mullah Omar, who died in 2015, after the country plunged into civil war after many fighters who had expelled the Soviets turned on each other. The group, which adheres to a strict interpretation of Sunni Islam and ruled the country as an emirate without a parliament or elections from 1996 to 2001, was initially hailed for attempting to restore order. After the U.S. overthrew the Taliban, democracy and equal rights became enshrined in the constitution, if not in daily life for many Afghans, and the lives of minorities and urban women improved. The Taliban still controlled parts of Afghanistan during this time. So they took over state hospitals and schools and ran their own justice system. Afghans viewed the central government as corrupt and inefficient, so they preferred the Taliban. Taliban fought U.S.-backed governments in Kabul for 20 years. Since 2009, more than 100,000 civilians have been killed or injured. Other groups blame the Taliban for planting improvised explosive devices in public places, often injuring civilians, and for assassinating prominent Western and liberal figures.. In the first six months of this year, the group was responsible for nearly 40 percent of civilian casualties, more than any other party to the conflict, according to the United Nations. Taliban leaders have denied targeting civilians. In February 2020, the militants made a deal with the Trump administration that all U.S. troops would withdraw from Afghanistan within 14 months. When this didn’t happen, the Taliban launched an offensive to take back the country. While the Taliban — run by a supreme leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada, and three deputies, Mawlavi Yaqoob, son of Mullah Omar, Sirajuddin Haqqani, leader of the powerful Haqqani militant network, and Abdul Ghani Baradar, who heads the Taliban's political office in Doha — now control three-quarters of Afghanistan, their capacity to govern is unclear.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) recently exposed a scheme that hijacks social media and mobile phone accounts and nets criminals millions. According to the Department of Justice, criminals conspired to steal cryptocurrency through a practice called "SIM-swapping." Declan Harrington, 21, of Massachusetts, pleaded guilty to conspiracy, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft, according to the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney's Office. Due to crypto accounts worth millions of dollars, SIM-swapping has become a lucrative crime. Authorities say Harrington and his co-conspirators targeted people they thought had a lot of cryptocurrency and "high value" social media account names. DoJ says they stole (or tried to steal) more than $530,000 in cryptocurrency from 10 victims across the country. Two of the victims' social media accounts were also hacked by one of the conspirators. Sim swapping net millions With the rise of cryptocurrency accounts worth millions of dollars, SIM-swapping has become a lucrative crime. Mobile phone SIMs contain unique ID numbers for each subscriber. In SIM swap, the SIM (linked to the subscriber) is switched to the criminal's SIM. After that, the attacker resets the password for the mobile phone account. THWART TOP PHONE HACKERS WITH ONE SIMPLE STEP The DOJ said cybercriminals can then access the victim's account without authorization by resetting the victim's log-in credentials. Europol reports that several people were arrested for attacks that stole more than $100 million earlier this year. Millions of victims were targeted, including internet influencers, athletes, and musicians, Europol said. There have been other high-profile cases in the last few years of criminals netting millions.   Following are the final steps in a criminal SIM swap: Identify digital currency keys, wallets, and accounts held in the victim's accounts. Defeat SMS-based or mobile application-based two-factor authentication on any accounts with control of the victim's phone number. "Steal currency: Transfer the digital currency from the victim to the attacker's account."

An "Olympic bat" the size of a human thumb flew over 1,200 miles from London to Russia before being killed by a cat. When a resident of the small Russian town of Molgino in the Pskov region saw the female Nathusius' pipistrelle bat on the ground, it had been damaged by the feline. According to the Bat Conservation Trust in the United Kingdom, she weighed only 8 grams (.28 ounces) and was rescued by a Russian bat rehabilitation organisation before succumbing to her injuries. Nathusius pipistrelle bat (Pipistrellus nathusii), Europe. (Photo by: Arterra/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) The bat had "London Zoo" scrawled on it when it was discovered, indicating that it had traveled 1,254 miles. Brian Briggs, a bat recorder, had ringed the bat in 2016 in Bedfont Lakes Country Park near Heathrow in west London. "This is a thrilling prospect. It's wonderful to be able to help with international conservation efforts to conserve these magnificent animals and learn more about their interesting lives "Briggs stated. According to a news statement from the Bat Conservation Trust issued last Thursday, the voyage was one of the world's longest known bat migrations, the furthest known record from Britain across Europe, and the only long-distance movement documented "like this" from west to east. The journey was one of the longest known bat travels globally, the furthest known record from Britain across Europe, and the only long-distance movement recorded "like this" from west to east, according to a press release last Thursday from the Bat Conservation Trust.  

Caroline Clarin, who works from her rural Minnesota home and attempts to bring hope to those who convey heart-wrenching messages of desperation from a world away, has had her phone ringing for days with pleas for aid from Afghans. Ms. Clarin, who headed a US Department of Agriculture program in Afghanistan, and her wife, Sheril Raymond, have assisted in the immigration of five Afghans and their families from her program since 2017. They are now attempting to assist over a half-dozen more Afghans and their families in escaping Afghanistan. Americans around the country are scrambling to assist Afghans fleeing their homeland following the Taliban's quick takeover. Those pitching in are everyone from volunteers at refugee resettlement groups to individuals like Ms. Clarin and Ms. Raymond who are helping on their own, all motivated by compassion.   More than 2,000 Afghans have been transported to Fort Lee Army Base in Virginia since late July, with thousands more on the way. Afghan government employees and their families may be eligible for special immigrant visas. Due to a backlog of visa applications, tens of thousands of others who also qualified have been left behind. Nonprofit groups that operate on a combination of government grants and private donations provide temporary food and shelter help refugees during the first 90 days. Long-term services, such as language and citizenship programs, are available, but they are expected to become self-sufficient.  

Seeing Jurassic Park left me gobsmacked, which is not a term I use often. The first dinosaur I remember seeing in 1993 was a brachiosaurus and I remember clutching my popcorn with wide eyes. I shouted with excited jibes as I walked out with my parents: "Can we really make dinosaurs viable again, Dad? Were we able to? Can we?” Reading Natasha Bernal's piece in Wired UK highlighting the growing field of biobanking animal cells brought back memories. Bernal answers the question of whether extinct animals could be brought back with a tentative yes as science has proven, for years, that "frozen cells of extinct animals can be used to revive species" - however, that is not what biobanking is all about. Cloning is intended to prevent further loss of species, rather than to bring back existing species. With a species' decline, its genetic pool shrinks, and frozen cells from extinct animals can potentially be used to prevent extreme inbreeding.  Tullis Mason is one of Bernal's case studies, a guy who wears shorts even while wearing a lab coat. The family farm in Shropshire, England, is home to Matthew's artificial insemination company for racehorses. However, on the side, he is also planning to save the animal kingdom by building the biggest biobank of animal cells in Europe. While Mason uses a device like a condom to hook up an elephant penis, Bernal describes the science and the ethics the article discusses as not always dignified. The dinosaurs may not be coming back to life any time soon, but with the help of biobanking, life may still find a way to thrive on this planet.  

Perhaps you have felt disappointed when you start an especially vigorous workout routine only to see the scale go above the weight you started with. Is there a biological reason behind why exercise makes me gain weight? There are many aspects to the answer. Exercise does not make you fat. Weight gain after working out is most likely a combination of several factors, but you shouldn't give up. Professor Corinne Caillaud, an Australian professor of physical activity and digital health, says people typically don't realize the health benefits of exercise even when they gain weight. In regard to weight management, exercise is important, but diet also plays a role, said Caillaud. A person who notices their weight increasing should review the quantity and quality of the food they're eating, she said. What and how much they eat can explain their post-exercise weight gain.  "Unfortunately, a lot of people think that they can eat more because they've exercised," Caillaud said. Although eating junk food occasionally may not be harmful, exercising will likely not counteract the effects of increasing the frequency with which you consume it.  The weight gain may be due to a few different biological factors, even if your diet hasn't changed. It is possible to overstrain your muscles if you aren't accustomed to good workouts and then go all out. According to University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio, when this happens, your muscles are damaged by microtears, but these are not cause for concern, since your body helps repair the damage by sending nutrition to the muscles. As a result, your muscles ache the next day, but eventually your muscles grow.  

Beyoncé, who turns 40 next month, looked back on her life and career during an interview with Harper’s Bazaar released Tuesday. In the cover story, the singer said she can come across as “closed off” because of a conscious decision she made years ago. “I’m grateful I have the ability to choose what I want to share,” she told the magazine. “One day I decided I wanted to be like Sade and Prince. I wanted the focus to be on my music, because if my art isn’t strong enough or meaningful enough to keep people interested and inspired, then I’m in the wrong business. My music, my films, my art, my message — that should be enough.” Beyoncé said she has intentionally set boundaries between her public persona and personal life. “My family and friends often forget the side of me that is the beast in stilettos until they are watching me perform,” she said. “Those who don’t know me and have never met me might interpret that as being closed off,” she said, adding that “the reason those folks don’t see certain things about me is because my Virgo ass does not want them to see it. ... It’s not because it doesn’t exist!” Beyoncé also said she found new ways to practice self-care during the pandemic, including using CBD to help alleviate soreness and insomnia — which has led to her planning to grow her own hemp and make her own honey. “I’ve even got hives on my roof,” she said.

LAKEWOOD, Colo. -- The creators of the irreverent animated television series “South Park” are buying Casa Bonita, a quirky restaurant in suburban Denver that was featured on the show. Matt Stone and Trey Parker said in an interview with Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Friday that they had come to an agreement with the current owners of the restaurant, which closed to diners in March 2020 as the pandemic took hold. It declared bankruptcy in the spring. “We’re excited to work with everybody and make it the place we all want to make it,” Parker said. The Lakewood restaurant has been in business since 1974 but gained wider recognition when it was featured on a 2003 “South Park” episode and when the Denver Broncos announced some of their draft picks there in 2018. The Mexican restaurant is known for its decor, which includes a pink facade and large indoor waterfall, as well as its cliff divers and skits that feature an excitable actor in a gorilla costume. But some have noted there is room for improvement. “The one area that we would all love to see an upgrade — and I think I speak on behalf of everybody who patronizes Casa Bonita — is the food could be a little better,” Polis said. “I think it could be a little more than a little better,” Stone added. Casa Bonita's 85-foot-tall (26-meter-tall) pink clock tower stands out in the otherwise nondescript strip mall. The 52,000-square-foot (4,831-square-meter) restaurant can seat more than 1,000 guests. The 30-foot-tall (9-meter-tall) waterfall at the center was designed to resemble the cliffs of Acapulco. Stone and Parker, who met at the University of Colorado Boulder, did not offer any details about the sale, which is pending bankruptcy proceedings. But they did say they would make some upgrades, like having two gorillas in the skits instead of just one.

Chimps and bonobos signal "hello" and "goodbye" to one another when entering and exiting social encounters, a new study finds. In other words, these apes, which share about 99% of humans' DNA, politely greet and bid adieu to each other, just like humans do. Until now, this behavior hasn't been documented outside of the human species, the researchers said. "Our findings show that two species of great apes habitually go through the same process and stages as humans when establishing, executing and terminating joint actions" of hi and bye, the researchers wrote in the study, published online Aug. 11 in the journal iScience. Granted, the apes didn't just give their equivalent of a vocal "What's up?" during social visits. Rather, they had a slew of nonverbal cues. This happens with humans, too. For instance, when people approach to interact, they often orient their bodies toward each other, look at each other and display the intention to touch, hug or kiss before they start talking, the researchers wrote in the study. When leaving an interaction, people often turn their bodies away from each other. These behaviors amount to a "joint commitment," which is partly a feeling of obligation that we feel toward one another, but also a process of setting up a mutual interaction and agreeing when to end it, the researchers said. To determine whether chimpanzees and bonobos practice these behaviors, the researchers analyzed 1,242 interactions of apes at zoos, and they discovered that these primates often communicate with one another — often with gestures that include gazing at and touching each other, holding hands or butting heads — before and after encounters such as grooming or play. Of the two species, however, the bonobos were definitely the more polite ones, greeting each other more often than the chimps did, the researchers found. When beginning a joint interaction, bonobos exchanged entry signals and mutual gazes in 90% of cases, whereas chimps did so 69% of the time, the researchers found. During departures, bonobos also outshined chimps, displaying exit behaviors 92% of the time, whereas chimps showed it in 86% of interactions. The research team also investigated whether these behaviors changed when the apes interacted with close confidants. They found that the closer bonobos were with one another, the shorter the length of their entry and exit behaviors. This isn't so different from human behavior, said study lead researcher Raphaela Heesen, a postdoctoral researcher in the department of psychology at Durham University in the United Kingdom. "When you're interacting with a good friend, you're less likely to put in a lot of effort in communicating politely," Heesen said in a statement. In contrast, the length of the chimps' entry and exit behaviors was "unaffected by social bond strength," the researchers wrote in the study. This might be because in comparison with the hierarchical chimp society, bonobos are largely egalitarian, socially tolerant and emphasize friendships and alliances between females and mother-son relationships, the researchers said. As such, it makes sense that the bonobos' social relationships would have strong effects on their "hellos" and "goodbyes," the researchers wrote in the study. Meanwhile, there was no significant effect of rank difference on the presence of entry or exit phases in either ape species, they noted. The findings suggest that perhaps a common ancestor of apes and humans practiced similar behaviors, the researchers said.  "Behavior doesn't fossilize. You can't dig up bones to look at how behavior has evolved. But you can study our closest living relatives: great apes like chimpanzees and bonobos," Heesen said. "Whether this type of communication is present in other species will also be interesting to study in the future."

False and misleading claims about Covid-19 vaccines, fertility and miscarriages are still circulating online, despite not being supported by evidence. Doctors are extremely cautious about what they recommend during pregnancy, so the original advice was to avoid the jab. But now, so much safety data has become available that this advice has changed and the vaccine is now actively encouraged (as getting Covid itself can put a pregnancy at risk) We have looked at some of the more persistent claims - and why they are wrong. This theory comes from a misreading of a study submitted to the Japanese regulator. The study involved giving rats a much higher dose of vaccine than that given to humans (1,333 times higher). Only 0.1% of the total dose ended up in the animals' ovaries, 48 hours after injection. Far more - 53% after one hour and 25% after 48 hours - was found at the injection site (in humans, usually the arm). The next most common place was the liver (16% after 48 hours), which helps get rid of waste products from the blood. The vaccine is delivered using a bubble of fat containing the virus's genetic material, which kick-starts the body's immune system. And those promoting this claim cherry-picked a figure which actually referred to the concentration of fat found in the ovaries. Fat levels in the ovaries did increase in the 48 hours after the jab, as the vaccine contents moved from the injection site around the body. But, crucially, there was no evidence it still contained the virus's genetic material. We don't know what happened after 48 hours as that was the limit of the study. Some posts have highlighted miscarriages reported to vaccine-monitoring schemes, including the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) Yellow Card scheme in the UK and the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) in the US. Anyone can report symptoms or health conditions they experience after being vaccinated. Not everyone will choose to report, so this is a self-selecting database. There were indeed miscarriages reported in these databases - they are unfortunately common events - but this does not mean the jab caused them. A study has found data showing the miscarriage rate among vaccinated people was in line with the rate expected in the general population - 12.5%. Dr Victoria Male, a reproductive immunologist at Imperial College London, says these reporting systems are very good for spotting side-effects from the vaccine that are normally rare in the general population - that's how a specific type of blood clot was linked in some rare cases to the AstraZeneca vaccine. If you suddenly start seeing unusual symptoms in vaccinated people, it raises a red flag. They are not so good at monitoring side-effects that are common in the population - such as changes to periods, miscarriages and heart problems. Seeing them in the data doesn't necessarily raise these red flags because you'd expect to see them anyway, vaccine or not. It's only if we start getting many more miscarriages than are seen in unvaccinated people that this data would prompt an investigation - and that's not been the case so far. Some people have also shared graphs showing a big rise in the overall number of people reporting their experiences to these schemes compared with previous years, for other vaccines and drugs. This has been used to imply the Covid vaccine is less safe. But the rise can't tell us that, it can only tell us that lots of people are reporting - possibly because an unprecedented proportion of the population is being vaccinated and it is a much talked-about subject. A widely shared petition from Michael Yeadon, a scientific researcher who has made other misleading statements about Covid, claimed the coronavirus's spike protein contained within the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines was similar to a protein called syncytin-1, involved in forming the placenta. He speculated that this might cause antibodies against the virus to attack a developing pregnancy, too. Some experts believe this was the origin of the whole belief that Covid vaccines might harm fertility. In fact syncytin-1 and the coronavirus's spike protein are just about as similar as any two random proteins so there is no real reason to believe the body might confuse them. But now evidence has been gathered to help disprove his theory. US fertility doctor Randy Morris, who wanted to respond directly to the concerns he'd heard, began monitoring his patients who were undergoing IVF treatment to see whether vaccination made any difference to their chances of a successful pregnancy. Out of 143 people in Dr Morris's study, vaccinated, unvaccinated and previously infected women were about equally likely to have a successful embryo implantation and for the pregnancy to continue to term. The women were similar in most other respects. The study is small, but it adds to a large volume of other evidence - and were the claim true, you would expect that to show up even in a study of this size. Dr Morris pointed out that people spreading these fears had not explained why they believed antibodies produced in response to the vaccine could harm fertility but the same antibodies from a natural infection would not. The problem is, while scientists are rushing to provide evidence to reassure people, by the time they can report their findings people online have moved on to the next thing. As Dr Morris explained: "The hallmark of a conspiracy theory is as soon as it's disproven, you move the goalpost." By Rachel SchraerBBC News

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas -- A Texas death-row inmate has sued state prison officials to allow his pastor to lay hands on him as he dies from a lethal injection. John Henry Ramirez, 37, is scheduled to be put to death in the Texas death chamber on Sept. 8, but his attorneys said in a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday in Corpus Christi that state prison officials had denied his request to have his pastor lay hands on him as he dies. The lawsuit asked a federal judge to allow Dana Moore, pastor of the Second Baptist Church, a Corpus Christi congregation of about 200 worshippers, to be present in the death chamber at his execution and lay hands on him as Ramirez dies. The lawsuit states that Moore has ministered to Ramirez for five years. Officials of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which operates the Texas state prison system, had no comment, said a department spokesman. The lawsuit cites a 2019 U.S. Supreme Court order that stayed Patrick Murphy's execution unless the inmate's Buddhist spiritual advisor be allowed to accompany Murphy in the Texas execution chamber. Murphy, who is one of the “Texas 7” gang of escaped inmates convicted of killing a suburban Dallas police officer, has not received a new execution date. Ramirez was condemned for the 2004 stabbing death of Pablo Castro, a 45-year-old Corpus Christi convenience store worker. Authorities say Castro was stabbed after a robbery that netted just $1.25. Ramirez has already had two stays of execution, once in 2017 so he could get a new attorney and again last September because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

United States regulators on Thursday said transplant recipients and others with severely weakened immune systems can get an extra dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to better protect them as the Delta variant continues to surge. The announcement by the food and drug administration applies to several million Americans who are especially vulnerable because of organ transplants, certain cancers or other disorders. Several other countries, including France and Israel, have similar recommendations. It's harder for vaccines to rev up an immune system suppressed by certain medications and diseases, so those patients don't always get the same protection as otherwise healthy people — and small studies suggest for at least some, an extra dose may be the solution. "Today's action allows doctors to boost immunity in certain immunocompromised individuals who need extra protection from COVID-19," Dr. Janet Woodcock, the FDA's acting commissioner, said in a statement. The FDA determined that transplant recipients and others with a similar level of compromised immunity can receive a third dose of the vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna at least 28 days after getting their second shot. The FDA made no mention of immune-compromised patients who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The announcement comes as the extra-contagious Delta version of the coronavirus surges through much of the country, pushing new cases, hospitalizations and deaths to heights not seen since last winter. Importantly, the FDA's decision only applies to this high-risk group, estimated to be no more than 3% of U.S. adults. It's not an opening for booster doses for the general population. Instead, health authorities consider the extra dose part of the initial prescription for the immune-compromised. For example, France since April has encouraged that such patients get a third dose four weeks after their regular second shot. Israel and Germany also recently began recommending a third dose of two-dose vaccines. Separately, U.S. health officials are continuing to closely monitor if and when average people's immunity wanes enough to require boosters for everyone — but for now, the vaccines continue to offer robust protection for the general population. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to formally recommend the extra shots for certain immune-compromised groups after a meeting Friday of its outside advisers. Transplant recipients and others with suppressed immune systems know they're at more risk than the average American and some have been seeking out extra doses on their own, even if it means lying about their vaccination status. The change means now the high-risk groups can more easily get another shot — but experts caution it's not yet clear exactly who should. "This is all going to be very personalized," cautioned Dr. Dorry Segev, a transplant surgeon at Johns Hopkins University who is running a major National Institutes of Health study of extra shots for organ recipients. For some people, a third dose "increases their immune response. Yet for some people it does not seem to. We don't quite know who's who yet." One recent study of more than 650 transplant recipients found just over half harbored virus-fighting antibodies after two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines — although generally less than in otherwise healthy vaccinated people. Another study of people with rheumatoid arthritis and similar autoimmune diseases found only those who use particular medications have very poor vaccine responses. There's little data on how well a third dose works, and if it causes any safety problems such as an increased risk of organ rejection. Wednesday, Canadian researchers reported that transplant recipients were more likely to have high levels of antibodies if they got a third dose than those given a dummy shot for comparison. Other small studies have similarly found that some transplant recipients respond to a third dose while others still lack enough protection.

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I’ve had people contact me to speak at conferences who found me through my blog. Blogging enables anyone with something interesting or valuable to say to be identified as an expert. 5. Learn and train your brain to organize thoughts: Blogging forces you to teach yourself what you don’t know and to articulate what you do know. When you begin writing a blog post, you are forced to organize your thoughts. If there are any gaps in the topic that you are writing about, you will have to learn about it.  6. Blogging enables you to be your own media company: You can tell your story the way you want to tell it without being dependent on journalists. When you are writing about a topic of your own interest, you can decide how to portray a story, what information to include, and what information to exclude. Blogging allows you to ensure that all information included in the blog is factual. 7. Meet new people: The audience you attract through blogging doesn’t have to just be your “audience.” They can become your friends, colleagues, partners, or lovers. I’ve had many people reach out to me directly after reading my blog. Some of those people have become friends or good business contacts. 8. Stand out: According to “the 1 percent rule,” only 1 percent of Internet users actively create new content, while the other 99 percent of the participants simply view it. By blogging, you separate yourself from the 99 percent of people that don’t blog. Standing out is essential in an increasingly competitive economy. 9. Blogs are the new resumes: Blogging about a topic you would like to be viewed as an expert in, can illustrate to readers, employers, and your network, that you are are skilled and knowledgeable. 10. Make money: There are several ways to monetize your blog. Promote your services. Advertise. Sell other people's products through affiliate marketing.   11. Google Loves Blogs: When your blog is ready, Google crawls your pages and it will be listed on Google search. It means you will start receiving additional visitors from the search engines. Isn’t that great? Search engines help to bring new people to your blog that can become your new friends or future business partners.    Why Do We Charge?  Because we give you traffic. We will email our 200,000 members your blog and maybe someone will like you and buy your services and products. If you don't want to pay $39.99, the 2nd option is to pay for your own: 1. website 2. buy software 3. advertise on Google for $1.00 per click to get traffic 4. website hosting Maybe all of that will be around $300 a month. Or pay UniqueThis $39.99 and just write?   FAQ? 1. Q: Can you put a link on someone's blog since their content is similar to mine? A: NO. Write your own blog or create an advertisement with your link here. 2. Q: Can you let me create a blog for free? A: NO. Will Netflix let you watch for free? Will Amazon Prime let you subscribe for free? 3. Q: Can we trade services? A: That's like asking Netflix if you can trade your homemade brownies for access to their movies. Keep your brownies (true story) and pay the $39.99. 4. Q: Can UniqueThis pay me to post blogs and articles? A: No, we are not going to give you money to blog about your own business or your client's business.  5. Q: Can I write about anything? A: Yes, you can write about anything. 6. Q: Can I advertise my UniqueThis Blog to get more traffic? A: Yes, use any ad network or social network you want to promote your blog on this website. 7. Q: I have more questions A: contact here     

Instead of working yourself into an early grave, consider investing in stocks that pay monthly dividends. Since your bills come monthly, you can structure your investments to pay you monthly. It is possible to get paid while you sleep, while you eat, while you live your life. Honestly, if you can’t figure out a way to make passive income around the clock, you will have to sacrifice your mind, body, and soul until the end of time. Here are steps you can take to make your money immortal:   Step 1: Make as much money as possible at your day job, side hustle, or entrepreneurship without burning out. Consider getting a commission sales job that pays unlimited income if your current job forces you to live pay check to pay check. If you don’t make at least 2 times your monthly expenses, it’s time to leave your job as soon as possible.   Step 2: Open a brokerage account to invest in stocks, etfs, and mutual funds. You could use brokerage apps like Robinhood, Stash, Acorns, but I prefer going through my bank. The benefit to opening a brokerage account at your bank is you will be able to see your checking account and brokerage account at the same time when you login to your bank profile. Plus, transferring money between your checking account and bank brokerage account is faster than using stock apps like Robinhood.   Step 3: Save 6 months of living expenses for a rainy, stormy day. You never know when you are going to get fired or when your car breaks down. Step 4: After you pay your monthly bills, throw the rest of your money into stocks, etfs, mutual funds that pay monthly dividends. Keep the mindset that cash is trash. Why? Because inflation will destroy the value of your money over time. Money in stagnation will die. When you invest your money, it has a chance of increasing in value, and if you’re smart with how you invest, you could get monthly dividends. It might take years, but when your monthly dividends exceed your monthly expenses, you can safely quit your job. One goal you can set is to keep working your day job until your monthly dividends reach at least $4,000 a month or higher. The goal is to get paid rather you want to work or not.   Step 5: Now it’s time to make your money immortal, meaning, buy the stocks one time (or repeatedly), and get paid monthly dividends for the rest of your life. Eventually you can pass it on to your children. Hence immortal money. Money that does not die. Don’t be afraid to adjust your monthly dividend stock portfolio periodically because all companies evolve for better or worse.  Here are 70 monthly paying dividend stocks we like:  AGNC INVESTMENT CORP  ALARIS ROYALTY CORP  ARMOUR RESIDENTIAL REIT  CROSS TIMBERS ROYALTY TR  DREAM INDL REAL ESTATE  DYNEX CAP INC  EXCHANGE INCOME CORP  ENERPLUS CORP  GLADSTONE INVESTMENT  GLADSTONE CAPITAL CORP  GLADSTONE COMMERCIAL  GLOBAL WATER RESOURCES  HORIZON TECHNOLOGY  INTER PIPELINE LTD  GLADSTONE LAND CORP  LTC PROPERTIES INC  MAIN STREET CAPITAL CORP  REALTY INCOME CORP  ORCHID ISLAND CAPITAL  OXFORD SQUARE CAP CORP  PEMBINA PIPELINE CORP  PENNANTPARK FLOATING  CHOICE PROPERTIES REIT  PERMROCK ROYALTY TR  PROSPECT CAPITAL CORP  PERMIANVILLE RTY TR  SABINE ROYALTY TRUST  SHAW COMMUNICATIONS  SAN JUAN BASIN RTY TR  STAG INDUSTRIAL INC  SOLAR SENIOR CAPITAL LTD  SUPERIOR PLUS CORP  TRANSALTA RENEWABLES INC  WHITESTONE REIT  GLOBAL SUPERDIVIDEND ETF  VANECK VECTORS TR ETF  VANGUARD TOTAL BOND ETF  WISDOMTREE HIGH DIV ETF  GLOBAL SUPERDIVIDEND ETF  GLOBAL X MSCI ETF  VANECK JPM EMRG MKTS ETF  VANECK VECTORS TR ETF  INVESCO TR II KBW ETF  FT VI MULTI ASSET ETF  OSHARES US QUALITY ETF  INVESCO TR II ETF  ISHS PFD & INCM SECS ETF  GLOBAL X FDS ETF  INVESCO TR II PFD ETF  GLOBAL X S&P 500 ETF  GLBL X MSCI SUPERDIV ETF  GLOBAL X SUPERDIVID ETF  SHARES 0-5 YR HIGH ETF  GLOBAL X SUPERINCOME ETF  INVESCO S&P 500 HIGH ETF  SPDR PORTFOLIO ETF  INVESCO S&P 500 LOW ETF  GLOBAL X ETF  GLOBAL X FDS ETF  BLACKROCK LIMITED  CORNERSTONE STRATEGIC  EAGLE POINT CREDIT CO  STONE HARBOR EMERG MKTS  STONE HARBOR EMRGNG MKTS  WELLS FARGO MULTI-SECTOR  ABERDEEN ASIA PAC INCOME  FIRST TRUST NEW OPPTYS  COHEN& STEERS MLP INCOME  OXFORD LANE CAPITAL CORP  REAVES UTILITY INCOME FD    Written By: Damien Demetri Blackwell

One theory bouncing around in the paranormal world is “Alien Zoo Theory.” The idea that aliens are observing us like one would observe animals in a zoo. The zoo theory speculates that aliens have been with us from the very beginning. They watched our evolution as a species like a giant theatrical play. The earth is our stage, and they are at their alien homes on a different planet, watching us on their alien TVs. We are here for their entertainment according to the Alien Zoo Theory.  There could be millions of alien species on millions of planets in the universe. Imagine an alien species that has had a million year head start. What would their technology be like? Could they time travel or teleport through space? Could they morph into an invisible spirit form and watch us when we don’t know it? The alien zoo theory speculates that some aliens could be superior mentally than us, like comparing Einstein to a monkey (and we are the monkeys). What could beings a thousand times smarter than Einstein be able to create, especially if they had a million year head start over humans on earth?  Some say, if aliens truly existed, then why don’t they just pop out and say hi like the movie ET. According to the “Alien Zoo Theory” there may be extraterrestrial alien scientists studying our cultures, environment, biology, and maybe even altering our DNA for the next episode of the human tv show. So, it would be important for them to remain hidden and unseen.   Written By: Damien Demetri Blackwell