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Cancun is a popular and well-loved destination for a winter getaway. With its sparkling beaches, crystal clear waters, and no shortage of high-quality, all-inclusive resorts, its no wonder as to why. With so many great resort options to choose from, you might have a hard time narrowing it down. Here are 6 all-inclusive resorts in Cancun that wont disappoint.

This gorgeous beachfront spa resort offers guests a variety of experience packages that ensure youll have the perfect vacation. Couples can look forward to offerings such as candlelight dinners, couples massages, and wine tastings. That makes this a great choice for a romantic getaway or a honeymoon. Families will enjoy the outdoor playground, complete with a splash pool and waterslides, for younger children. Older children and teens arent out of luck either. The resort also offers countless activities theyll love trying out from water polo to aquatic aerobics. One of the best things about Grand Fiesta Americana Coral Beach is without a doubt how they not only offer high-quality service but also nearly endless ways to personalize your vacation to make it fit your dreams.

Check prices at Grand Fiesta Americana Coral Beach Cancun

This stunning all-inclusive resort features a modern, avant-garde feel, as well as views of the Caribbean sea. Their all-inclusive experience includes countless, almost endless, offerings. You can look forward to choosing from one of over 20 restaurants and bars to dine from, 24-hour suite service, and nightly live entertainment.

Check prices at Atelier Playa Mujeres

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This adult-only resort is the perfect choice for those looking for relaxation during their getaway. A wide variety of amenities and activities are included with your stay. You can look forward to live entertainment such as acrobatic circus shows and mariachi bands. Amenities include a poolside bar, and enjoying a delicious meal from one of the resorts restaurants, among other things. The resort also offers some additional, optional perks, including spa treatments and private cabanas, for an additional cost as well.

Check prices at Hyatt Zilara Cancun

Hyatt Ziva is a gorgeous, all-inclusive resort. Turquoize is the adults-only area of this otherwise family-friendly resort. The resort features modern, spacious suites. Some of the suites even offer unique features such as swim up access. The resort also has no shortage of perks in its all-inclusive package. You can look forward to over a dozen bars and restaurants to choose from, 3 infinity pools, and nightly entertainment.

Check prices at Turquoize at Hyatt Ziva Cancun

This luxurious, all-suite resort has practically everything you could dream of. Their spa offers a wide variety of treatments ranging from facials to beachfront massages. When it comes to dining, Haven Riviera offers practically every experience you could want. You can enjoy casual meals at Flavours Marketplace and more formal dining at Satsu.

Check prices at Haven Riviera Cancun

Enjoy a sparkling oceanfront pool, elegant suites, and endless luxury with a stay at Le Blanc. This adults-only resort is the perfect place for a relaxing getaway. Enjoy a delicious gourmet meal at Lumiere, or a casual lunch at Pure among countless other dining options. Then, relax at Blanc Spa. Blanc Spa offers treatments such as wraps, massages, and hydrotherapy.

Check prices at Le Blanc Spa Resort

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Most women are either tied up with balancing their professional life with their personal one or are busy with never-ending household chores. Many dont even get time for themselves and indulge in activities like exercise. As they grow older and they know that their kids will do alright without them, they decide to involve in things that theyd probably never thought of. For instance, focusing on their physical fitness. The first step is to think that yes, you will start working out today. The next thing to think about is which exercises women over 60 can do!

Exercising is not easy irrespective of the age, but it can be especially intimidating for women over the age of 60 who have never worked out before. This can be especially true for those who have underlying health issues or have only led a sedentary lifestyle.

Worry not as exercising can be an incredibly beneficial and enjoyable experience. You just need to know the right approach. So, Health Shots connected with fitness trainer Varun Rattan, Co-founder of The Body Science Academy, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, to find out what women of over 60 need to keep in mind before taking up exercising.

If you are new in the world of exercising or didnt take it up as you have an interest in it then youll think of ways to skip it one or two times in a week. But its best not to do that and regularly exercise as it can help to improve physical and mental health, increase mobility, and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. Rattan added, It also empowers them as they can maintain their independence. Exercising also provides a sense of well-being.

Here are five most beneficial exercises women above 60 can do:

You dont have to straight away hit the gym. Senior citizens can enjoy walking, which is one of the least demanding forms of exercise, according to the expert. It is also one of the most accessible exercises, so you cant come up with an excuse not to do it.

Like to swim? Then try this. Water is known for supporting your joints, so water exercises are perfect for those with arthritis or other joint problems, said the trainer. Among various things, water aerobics help in building strength, flexibility, and balance. You can get all these benefits without putting excessive strain on your body.

Once you grow older, you might face muscle atrophy, which happens when muscles waste away.

According to Rattan, strength training one of the best methods for countering the effects of muscle atrophy in older people. It can help increase bone mineral density, insulin sensitivity, and help them manage weight.

A lot has been researched on yoga and its health benefits, and Rattan said that studies have shown that yoga can provide neurological and mental health benefits. It can also maintain physical mobility as well as functional independence in seniors.

Tai chi might look complicated as it is an internal Chinese martial art that is often practiced for defense training. But the expert said that it is one of the excellent choices for older adults who want to improve balance.

As women age, their bodies become more fragile and prone to injury. While it is important to stay active as we grow older, it is also necessary to know which exercises are a big no-no.

It demands exceptional grip in addition to strong arms, back, and legs. Finger injuries and tears in the rotator cuff and meniscus are common in rock climbing, shared Rattan.

It might cause low back pain, or might accidentally smash their knees on floor.

Theres an increased risk of tripping over the rope or suffering an ankle or knee injury or low back pain.

Repeated flexion and extension of the lumbar region can cause low back pain while performing crunches.

They put a lot of stress on the wrists and neck. Since the risk here is higher than the reward, its best to avoid it, suggested the trainer.

Original post:

5 exercises that women over 60 can safely do - Health shots

Published: 12/7/2022 6:13:28 PM

Modified: 12/7/2022 6:13:07 PM

HADLEY Signs containing narratives and graphics to inform visitors and residents about Hadley history are expected to be placed around town in the coming months.

On Tuesday, the Planning Board unanimously approved the concept for the four, 2-foot tall by 3-foot wide signs, subject to additional permission that would be granted by the Select Board and building commissioner.

Historical Commission Chairwoman Diana West explained that the signs, made from black powder coated aluminum, will provide details about a particular area of town and associated historical sites. One side will have the information in English and the other side will have the information in Spanish.

The locations chosen for the educational signs are near the Hockanum Schoolhouse on Route 47, the Goodwin Building on Middle Street in town center, the West Street Common at the Norwottuck Rail Trail and in North Hadley on the traffic island formed at Mount Warner Road and River Drive.

The idea, West said, is to have places where people will be enticed to stop and then safely pull over their vehicles to read the signs.

The project has been developed in recent years with assistance from consultant Berkshire Design Group of Northampton. While originally the commission had planned to have more signs, West said a decision was made to have a more limited scope.

In other business, the board approved signs for The Aerobics and Fitness Studio, a business that is being run by Kim Davidson at 220 Russell St., and for the Hot Table restaurant, 344 Russell St.

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Hadley to tell its history with new sign project - GazetteNET

Dementiais a debilitating disorder that can affect your cognitive abilities like memory, judgment, and thinking so severely that day-to-day activities and routines are disrupted. Dementia is a common condition and according to the World Health Organization, "Currently more than 55 million people live with dementia worldwide, and there are nearly 10 million new cases every year. Dementia results from a variety of diseases and injuries that primarily or secondarily affect the brain. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia and may contribute to 60-70% of cases."

The major risk factor is age and mostly people over 65 have reason to be concerned, but that's not true in all cases. Dr. Jacob Hascalovici MD, PhD Clearing Chief Medical Officer says "People should know that dementia doesn't only affect older people. It can impact people under 65, too. Typically, it involves changes that are more pervasive and more concerning than simply forgetting a word here and there or occasionally dealing with an episode of brain fog."

Dementia isn't a normal part of aging and according to WHO, "Dementia is currently the seventh leading cause of death among all diseases and one of the major causes of disability and dependency among older people globally." While there's no cure for the condition as of now, knowing the warning signs can help get treatment sooner and prolong the symptoms. Eat This, Not That! Health spoke with doctors who share what to know about dementia and signs to watch out for. Read onand to ensure your health and the health of others, don't miss these Sure Signs You've Already Had COVID.

Tomi Mitchell, a Board-Certified Family Physician with Holistic Wellness Strategies explains, "Dementia is a general term for a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life. Memory loss is an early symptom. Other early symptoms may include problems with language, disorientation (for example, getting lost), mood changes, and personality changes. As dementia progresses, symptoms can include increasing confusion and restlessness, behavioral problems such as aggressiveness and agitation, delusions and hallucinations, loss of bodily functions (such as toileting), and increasing dependency on others.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to managing dementia, but strategies to help manage the condition include: engaging in mentally and physically stimulating activities; maintaining social and physical activity; eating a healthy diet; exercising regularly; getting enough sleep; and managing stress levels. People with dementia often require specialized care as the condition progresses. This can be provided at home, a nursing home, or another long-term care facility. There is no known cure for dementia, but treatments are available to help manage the symptoms. These include medication, cognitive stimulation therapy, and supportive care. With proper treatment and support, many people with dementia can live happy and fulfilling lives."

Dr. Hascalovici says, "Though it's difficult to predict who exactly might develop dementia, certain lifestyle habits make dementia more likely. These include regularly getting enough sleep, following an anti-inflammatory diet, maintaining a fulfilling social life, and staying physically active. In addition, the body needs a challenge every once in a while to stay healthy. That's why weights, walking, and aerobics can help so much. In a similar vein, the brain needs a regular workout, too, especially if you've recently retired or find yourself becoming bored or "spacy" a lot. You could decide to take up a new language or teach yourself a new skill, for example. Games and puzzles help, too, though their effects may not be as substantive as teaching yourself a new hobby."6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

Dr. Mitchell shares, "As our population ages, the incidence of dementia is on the rise. While there is no surefire way to prevent this degenerative disease, there are steps that can be taken to lower the risk. One of the most important things you can do is to stay mentally active. Regularly engaging in activities that challenge your mind can help to keep your brain healthy and slow the onset of dementia. Additionally, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is important. Eating a nutritious diet, exercising regularly, and managing stress can all help to reduce the risk of dementia. Finally, staying socially connected is also crucial. Isolation has been linked to an increased risk of cognitive decline, so it's important to stay engaged with family and friends. By taking these steps, you can help to lower your risk of developing dementia."

Dr. Hascalovici states, "You might cover it up or figure out ways to excuse yourself from conversations that "take a turn," but if you find yourself regularly fumbling to converse, forgetting common words and phrases, being unable to maintain concentration on a dialogue, or feeling awkward or "lost" within a conversation, it could be sign of dementia."

Dr. Mitchell adds, "Dementia is a common degenerative disease that typically affects older adults. Early symptoms of dementia can be subtle and may not be immediately apparent to family and friends. However, some warning signs can indicate the early onset of dementia. One of the most common early signs is difficulty tracking time and dates. This can manifest in forgetting the day or the inability to keep track of appointments. Another early sign of dementia is trouble keeping track of conversations. This may involve forgetting what was just said or jumping from topic to topic without any apparent connection. If you notice these or other changes in a loved one's behavior, you must see a doctor for an evaluation. Early diagnosis and treatment can help to slow the progression of dementia."

According to Dr. Hascalovici, "Dementia can impair your spatial and navigational abilities, meaning you may get lost even in places you know like the back of your hand. If you find it strangely difficult to navigate to familiar places like church, the grocery store, work, or a friend's house, it could be time to check for dementia. It may be tempting to offer excuses like "being tired" for why it's becoming tough to find your way, but catching dementia early on can slow its progress, so it's important to act fast on any hunches or suspicions."

Dr. Mitchell says, "There are several reasons someone may struggle to follow instructions or complete familiar tasks. Dementia is one possible cause, as the condition can lead to cognitive impairment and difficulty with executive functioning. Other causes of these struggles could include mental health conditions like ADHD or OCD, brain injuries, or simply getting older and experiencing age-related cognitive decline. If you are struggling in this way, it is important to talk to your doctor to rule out any underlying medical conditions. In some cases, cognitive rehabilitation and other therapy forms can help improve symptoms. However, if the cause is dementia, there is currently no cure. Therefore, it is important to be aware of the early signs of the condition so that you can seek treatment as soon as possible.

Sometimes, the problem may be that the person can no longer plan or organize their thoughts effectively. This difficulty is often related to problems with the brain's frontal lobe, which controls executive functions such as planning and decision-making. Dementia can also cause short-term memory problems, making it challenging to complete familiar tasks requiring a sequence of steps. This memory loss is typically associated with damage to the brain's temporal lobes. If you notice that someone is having difficulty completing familiar tasks, it may be a sign that they are experiencing early dementia symptoms and should be evaluated by a doctor."

Dr. Mitchell tells us, "As we age, it's normal for our memory and thinking skills to decline slowly. However, sometimes these changes can be a sign of dementia, a serious condition that causes memory loss and impairs cognitive function. If you're experiencing changes in your mood or behavior, such as increased anxiety, depression, irritability, or apathy, it may be a sign that you're developing dementia. Other early signs of the condition include difficulty planning or solving problems, trouble completing familiar tasks, and confusion about time or place. If you're concerned about your cognitive health, you must see a doctor for a comprehensive evaluation. With early diagnosis and treatment, you can slow the progression of dementia and enjoy a better quality of life.

Apathy is a state of indifference or a lack of interest or concern. It can manifest as a personal quality or an overall attitude. In either case, it represents a disengagement from life. While apathy is not inherently bad, it can be problematic when it leads to a lack of motivation or action. For older adults, apathy can be an early sign of dementia. When left unchecked, apathy can lead to social isolation and physical and mental health decline. In some cases, it may even hasten the progression of dementia. As such, loved ones need to look for signs of apathy in older adults. If you notice that someone you care about has become more withdrawn or uninterested in things they used to enjoy, don't hesitate to reach out for help. Early intervention can make a world of difference in this devastating disease.

If you notice any of these changes in yourself, don't ignore them. Talk to your doctor about getting evaluated for dementia. Early diagnosis is important because it gives you and your family time to plan for the future and access treatment and support services."

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These Dementia Symptoms Can Appear Early. Catch Them Fast to Live a Longer Life Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That

If there could be said to be a general diagnostic problem within the reception of the death of God, it is perhaps the interconnection between its originary Nietzschean articulation and the rationalist atheism of the Enlightenment as such. It is certainly true that Nietzsche is expressing a statement of unbelief in God not entirely unlike his Enlightenment predecessors. Nietzsche, just as much as Diderot or DHolbach, dispenses with the idea of God and does so with a familiar degree of flourish and self-satisfaction. The similarities, however, end somewhere around there. Not only is what emerges from the Nietzschean articulation of atheism a different sort of discourse, but it is also a discourse that will find itself establishing and even cultivating an antagonism to its rationalist corollary, not to mention generating its own internal genealogical lines and maneuvers. Here, I would like to outline what I take to be a secret history of the Nietzschean form of the death of God, one that runs beneath and counter to its dominant form, which runs rather straightforwardly from Nietzsche to Heidegger. It is this pedigree that elides the death of God with the foreclosure of Western metaphysics, the prestige of which has been received warmly by both atheistic and Christian post-Heideggeriansa rhapsodizing for which, in my opinion, the bloom is long off the rose.

Yet rather than play to my worse angels, I will defer my castigation of this line of thought for another time. Here, my focus is on Nietzsches afterlives, and it must begin with a return to the phenomenon of Nietzsche, to Nietzsche as phenomenon, to Nietzsche as navel, to borrow an image from Freuds interpretation of dreams. What I hope to show is that Heideggers reception of Nietzsche is just one such reception in the early twentieth century and it is both the less interesting and less intellectually viable one, at least (and this is me being modest) for religious forms of thought. The reception of Nietzsche that interests me is the one enacted first by French Surrealism and later by French traditions of Freudian thoughta distinction that is real but less than absolutewhich bequeaths to subsequent French and French-styles of philosophical thought a Nietzsche that is more wild, libidinal, and manicand less fascistthan the one we find in Heidegger. What is at issue in the individuation of Nietzschean genealogies is the role and place of pathos. It is pathos that effectively demarcates Nietzsche from rationalist atheism, and it is the modulation of pathos that continues to mark traces within this secret history. It is also pathos that invites the application of psychoanalytic terminology, which will come largely from Freuds famous essay Mourning and Melancholia, in order to map this terrain as well as to come to some degree of constructive engagement with Christianity. It is through a Freudian lens that we not only see Nietzsche best but also through which we can establish the categories that identify what is common to both these forms of the death of God and even the most mainline forms of redial Christianity.

Fundamental to Freuds Traumdeutung is what he calls the dreams navel, the point in the dream which refuses interpretation and knowledge of it end, the spot where it reaches down into the unknown. To treat Nietzsche as both navel and phenomenon is not to speak out of both sides of my mouth: Nietzsche figures within the properly phenomenological field of appearance as the impenetrable point at which atheism reaches down into its own unknown, the point that refuses rational appropriation, the point at which rationalist atheism loses its bearing in the face of the tremendum of what cannot in principle be known. Thus, the point cannot be that Nietzsche is an atheist but rather the operation of what he does to atheism, to unbelief. My claim is that Nietzsche is the first to transform utterly unbelief by the investment of pathos into it, and, moreover, to foreclose the drole haughtiness of Enlightenment rationalism, and it is from here that we can go back and retrieve other forms of unbelief to identify their pathologies. Within this genealogical line, the recovery of a pathologized Hegel is paramount.

Nietzsche is the first, in Terry Eagletons words, to confront . . . the terrifying, exhilarating consequences of the death of God.[1] That is, it is Nietzsche who is the first to see the death of God not as the conclusion of an argument, but as a premise. It is for this reason that Nietzsche could be considered the first real atheist. Thus, the transmutation of mere unbelief into (Nietzschean) atheism represents the normalization and regularization of a pathological attitude towards the determinations of truth. In the Genealogy of Morals, for instance, Nietzsche describes atheism as an awe-inspiring catastrophe, the outcome of a two-thousand-year training in truthfulness, which finally forbids itself the lie in the belief in God.[2] The atheist, then, is not one who merely rejects belief in God, but is rather the one who denies herself the luxury of supernatural comfort. Atheism, for Nietzsche, is a form of self-denial rather than affirmation, giving structure and character to his program of philosophical askesis on the whole.

If such real atheism finds its origin with Nietzsche, it is only through structurally similar transformations that original formulations of true atheism are produced. That is, if a new formulation of atheism is to surpass rationalist mere unbelief, it must pass through this Nietzschean manifold in which it is divested of its rational justification and becomes invested with pathos. Paul Ricoeur argues for a reading of Freud as precisely within the Nietzschean genealogical project, one in which the analysis of the illusion at work in religion consists in discovering in the hidden movements of consciousness the source of an illusion whose function is myth-making.[3] Freuds contribution to the Nietzschean project is nothing less than a new type of this criticism.[4]

Following Ricoeur, Lonergan writes, Freuds originalitythe originality of Freudian atheismis that his atheism is not just another instance of philosophical atheism or scientific positivism, but of an interpretation of personal experience.[5] There Lonergan identifies the way in which Freud brings atheism under the mantle of personal experience, such that atheism is no longer the conclusion to a logical argument, but is rather an outcome of self-reflection, a self-reflection that is opened up to and complicated by the discovery of the unconscious. In any case, both Ricoeur and Lonergan recognize the legitimacy of the psychoanalytic reading of religion, not on the grounds that its judgment is final, but rather because the critique is incomplete. What is more, Lonergan continues, this incompleteness itself must be addressed, as in the past Freud has reinforced the faith of unbelievers, so that in the future he may be used to reinforce the faith of believers.[6]

It is this mode of reinforcement of the faith of believers that I am trying to pinpoint. Following Ricoeur and Lonergan, we can consider Freuds atheism as a development within the pathology of Nietzschean atheism insofar as it formalizes the identification of God as being on the side of the transfiguration of the image of the Father,[7] that is, as being genetically implicated in the traumatic economy of the Father, mythologized as the murder of the primal father and pathologized as a consequence of the process of repression.[8] In short, Freud enables us to see atheism itself as a symptom of the repression of paternal trauma. The matter of repression links Nietzsche to Freud, but where Nietzsche advocates for the virtues of that repression in the form of an active forgetfulness, Freud will caution us against it with the reminder that what is repressed always returns. On a Nietzschean account, the death of God is the traumatic event par excellence and it is thus the supreme achievement of the active will to have forgotten it.

The fundamental difference between Nietzsche and Freud on this point is that Freud locates the death of God in the order of primordial repression (Ur-Verdrngung), that is, in Slavoj ieks words, not as a repression of some content into the unconscious, but a repression constitutive of the unconscious, the gesture which creates the very space of the unconscious.[9] In other words, God survives Gods death but only in the unconscious register of repression as the fundament of prohibition as such. Thus, the configuration of Freud and Nietzsche is properly dialectical insofar as Freuds recognition of the genius of Nietzsches pathologization of atheism surpasses the Nietzschean frame precisely by taking it beyond the strictures of the active and conscious will. At the same time, however, Freud gives us the means to pathologize attitudes towards atheism, such that the notion of active forgetting is not merely a concession to Gods revenant existence in and as repression, but also as the expression of an unconscious grief, which for Freud will manifest itself as melancholic or mournfulthat is, as confronting a loss that is either pathologically incomprehensible or consciously accepted and integrated.

In the post-Freudian era, the reception of Freuds understanding of the death of God and its implicit connection to the primordial murder of the primal Father is destabilized in the thought of Jacques Lacan. What is mainly in question for Lacan is the effectiveness of the death of God in forestalling a divine post-mortem existence for God. Or, to put it otherwise, the question is whether a genealogical critique of religion, be it in a historicist or psychoanalytic mode, is sufficient for the task of articulating an affirmation of atheism at all, especially if that form of atheism coextends with the death of God. Lacan will argue that it is not. What Freud fails to see in his own theory is that the death of God fundamentally contradicts atheism; Freuds discovery of the unconscious was likewise the discovery of the very means by which God covertly continues to enjoy a posthumous life. Nietzsches exclusive focus on the conscious, active will likewise implies that the paternal trauma of the death of God cannot be properly identified and integrated, which casts the entire Nietzschean project as melancholic, as a sustained failure to confront the immensity of the loss that Gods death truly represents.

The true formula of atheism is not that God is dead, Lacan will claim, but rather that God is unconscious, though God is not the unconscious or a projection of the collective unconscious, as Jung says in his work on Job. That God is unconscious does not pertain to belief but is rather a recognition of how beliefs are unconsciously structured. Thus, atheism can rid itself of God only at the level of conscious intentionality in the mode of repression. That is, if God is unconscious is the true formula of atheism, then the entire horizon of atheism must be redrawn, and redrawn in such a way as to include God within it. Thus, Lacan presents a vision of atheism in which coexistence with and co-affirmation of God is its only viable avenue, yet at the same time he identifies it with the theological task per se. As Lacan says in Seminar XX, it is the theologian, the only true atheist, who speaks Gods words, and does so without fear of Gods continuing to speak from exile in and through human language, even or especially in the pronouncement of Gods death.

In other words, atheism, like theology, is limited not only to God but also by God insofar as God subsists in the very structure and structuration of belief. Lacans contribution to atheism, then, is a way out of melancholia, a means to confront and identify with the loss announced by the death of God. In short, it is to make atheism into a mode of mourning. From the Christian vantage, I want to insist that we at the very least try to see a kinship. Both atheism of this sort and Christian theology of any sort can be seen as what Freud calls Trauerarbeit, the work of mourning. Christians are baptized into the death of Christ who is and was and will be God; we commemorate and sustain ourselves by his death in the Eucharist; we appeal to his death for the forgiveness of sins, and so forth. What else could our soteriology, liturgical theology and practice, and even our trinitarian theology be if not the work of mourning? For both the Christian and the atheist, God survives Gods own death. For us, granted, that death is sweetened, even sublated, by resurrection and the hope of eternal life, but does (or should) theology ever cease to be done for the sake of his sorrowful passion? Does theology ever cease to be the work of confronting the loss represented in the Cross, even if (or especially if) it is regained beyond measure in Gods saving work? As Slavoj iek has rightly pointed out, it is the atheist who very often shares more profoundly in Christs exclamation de profundis of godforsakenness, even if we insist, and I think we must, that it is atheism that has left those depths unplumbed. The threat to atheism is not belief in the same way that the threat to belief is not unbelief, but is rather to give our grief over to melancholia, to refuse the hard work of identifying with a God who has died, to see only absence or presence when in fact there is both.

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How God Survives the Death of God | Church Life Journal | University of Notre Dame - Church Life Journal

It has become terribly fashionable to lament the ongoing existence of Andrew Tate. For the blessed minority who still know nothing of this peculiar man, catapulted to fame by the invisible hand of social media only then to get slammed by the iron fist of Big Tech, the following details should be more than enough.

Born in Luton, England, Tate made his millions as a pornographer and casino tycoon in Romania. Before the financial success and his ascent to global stardom as a machismo, outspoken guru offering life advice to young men on TikTok, Tate enjoyed an impressive career as a kick-boxer. The fighting spirit, the fast cars, and the flamboyant entourage of scantily clad women are all a key part of Tates image, but thanks to his relentless self-promotion and his addiction to courting controversy with intemperate remarks, this post-modern King Solomon is now infamous throughout the world. Content posted under the hashtag #AndrewTate has been watched more than 13 billion times and counting. He is on record as having said all sorts of things which have made him, in many ways justifiably, persona non grata. A lot of it is just oh look at how edgy I am locker-room talk: women cant drive, wives are their husbands property, etc. At other times, it gets much darker. Its bang out the machete, boom in her face and grip her by the neck. Shut up bitch! Tate shouts in one video, talking about how he would react to a woman if she accused him of cheating.

It is not always clear when Tate is actually being himself and when he is, rather, amusing himself. Particularly in an appearance on the Your Moms House Podcast, he seemed to shift from impassioned, even intelligent diatribe on serious subjects at some junctures, to breaking character at others. Often, after an especially grotesque comment, ill-disguised laughter (perhaps even caused by his own cartoonish alter-ego) would get the better of Tate. Are we always seeing the real man? His critics do not care. Still less are they interested to learn whether, buried deep beneath the obnoxious, shock-jock bravado, Tate might have some valuable things to say. Back in August, the social media giants caved to the squawking, intolerant wokesters. Tate was banned by Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.

As will be apparent, Tate has very little time for political correctness. He often serves, therefore, as a strong defence against the continued spread of harmful but fashionable orthodoxies. He objects to the way in which the feminization of men has weakened the backbone of the West and made the inhabitants of decadent, advanced democracies more vulnerable to top-down control and social engineering. He encourages young men to be aspirational, enterprising, and independent-minded. It is no real surprise that such basic messages should resonate in a modern culture which, at least according to the ascendant narrative, demands that menmany of whom feel neglected, apathetic, even invisibleapologize for their apparent privileges and prostrate themselves before the altar of social justice. Tate, by contrast, calls on men to take up the struggle of an adventurous life. By his reckoning, that means shunning petty mandates, making loads of money, and striving for masculine excellence. He also boasts the virtue of being, at least on occasion, somewhat funny.

But this man is not just a jacked Jordan Peterson, only lacking the degrees and sporting a skinhead. He has said some grotesque things. For example: The reason 18 and 19 year old [girls] are more attractive than 25 year old girls is because theyve been through less d**k. True enough, in most cultures throughout history, virginity has been highly valued. In this sense, Tates statement can be interpreted as a uniquely revolting way of stating a basic principle of social conservatism: that women should prize their sexuality enough to save it, rather than degrading themselves by lowering the standards a man must meet to obtain it. According to Tate, it is not righteous, still less attractive, for a young lady to have had countless sexual partners.

But why should this standard apply only to women? Tates own definition of the good, by which he claims to live, reads more like an ode to licentiousness: I think righteousness is living true to your heart, and doing good by people, not snaking anybody, not lying to anybody. On what grounds, then, does Tate condemn women for acting in a promiscuous fashion? Living true to your heart provides no sound basis for condemning female sexual vice as Tate routinely does. If Tate is righteous for living true to his heart, and his heart rules that sleeping with scores of women is not only permissible but a testament to his masculine vigour, then why should the same not also hold for these women themselves? Moreover, Tates virile, liberated ideal of manliness, according to which self-restraint and Christian gentility are thrown in the bin, really depends on the ready availability of fallen women. On Tates own criteria, how else can a man be great if not by treating women as trophies to be collected? And yet, again according to Tates criteria, for a woman to reduce herself to a trophy, an accessory that testifies to the sexual conquests of men like Tate, is for her to lose her value. For one sex to be virtuous, the other must be drenched in vice.

Tate would probably reply that, while high-value men should be free to sleep around, they are entitled to expect perfect monogamy from their women. As such, there is no real contradiction between the male pursuit of excellence through sexual prowess and the female virtue involved in remaining loyal and self-restrained. Tates ideal man can have sex with countless women without making them into sluts, so long as these women are bound exclusively to him.

This is not a convincing escape. First, Tate has openly boasted about engaging in one-night stands. Does he really expect that these lucky ladies, the vast majority of whom never hear from him again, will for monogamys sake withdraw from the sexual arena following this single encounter? In reality, the more Andrew Tates there are in the world, the more promiscuous women will be needed to fuel their profligate lifestyles. The cancelled social media star is a leading manufacturer of dissolute hoes, yet goes around identifying as righteous and presuming to tell the rest of us, as if we did not already know, that there is nothing more beautiful than a modest, devoted, self-respecting lady.

Second, there is also a public interest in sexual relationsa fact which Tate, oddly enough, has at other times acknowledged. A culture that embraces enforced monogamy will, ceteris paribus, produce the optimal conditions in which to raise children. But in order to perform its proper social function, enforced monogamy must work both ways. Tates liberal critics, therefore, are mistaken in condemning him from the clichd angle that maximal sexual autonomy is great, but should be embraced by women as much as men. Conservatives have a stronger retort: monogamy is desirable for collective social flourishing and must therefore make a claim on everyone, including the men who may otherwise be tempted to become indulgent, serial playboys like Andrew Tate. Meanwhile, on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Tate hinted that he secretly has numerous wives. He certainly keeps a string of sexual lovers. Such polygamy, practised on a societal scale, is profoundly destabilizing.

Tate calls himself a libertarian, so he regards individual freedom as the ultimate value in political, social, and moral life. But there is in fact a strong Nietzschean side to Tates understanding of liberty, for he equates freedom not only with the absence of external constraint, but with the cultivation of knightly-aristocratic virtues which facilitate the maximal exercise of individual power. If Tate were a literary genius, he might give the following list of the keys to virtue: powerful physical development, a richness and even superabundance of health, together with what is necessary for maintaining life, on war, adventure, the chase, the dance, the tourneyon everything, in fact, which involves strong, free and joyous action. Tate would only add sex and perhaps even threesomes to Nietzsches catalogue of strong, free, and joyous activities. The odd bit comes when Tate attempts to unify this heroic, individualistic philosophy of personal salvation with a traditionalist take on sexual ethics, though of course men are exempt from the strictly monogamous standards which he believes women alone should apply to their own sexual behaviour. We may regard Tate, then, as an entertaining, unlikely mix of Ayn Rand, Lord Byron, and Mary Whitehouse. Tates recent conversion to Islam further complicates the picture. The strange move may be sincere, but there are many who suspect, given his track record, that it is little more than an attempt to put a divine sheen on his polygamous incontinence.

The sexual revolution, it seems, has created two male types. There is of course a varied spectrum, but young men increasingly tend in one of two directions. They either become so-called incels (shorthand for involuntary celibates), frothing with such resentment at their circumstances that they only make themselves further undesirable to women, or they are made into ultra-proud, promiscuous hedonists. Resentment should never be encouraged. The incels should look inwardly for solutions to their sexual failure before scapegoating the women who are repulsed by or indifferent to their existence. Still, there is a sense in which the second type of man, who triumphs where the first type abjectly loses, makes life harder than it needs to be for these incels.

Sexual liberation has turned dating from a respectful game of courtship, with established patterns of conduct, into a loveless, toxic blood-sport. A culture that prizes the norm of one man and one woman creates rotten conditions for the libertine scoundrel, but it does also discipline the male instinct for aggression by giving every man a reasonable chance in the sexual sweepstakes. In our semi-polygamous society, meanwhile, the overdose of sexual freedom means the fact that eighty per cent of the women pursue just twenty per cent of the men makes practically everyone miserable and unfulfilled. These men are under no cultural pressure to pick just one woman wisely and devote the rest of their lives to her happiness. Liberated as these new men are, they can pick as many as they choose. Following in the footsteps of Andrew Tate, they will then boast endlessly about their high body counts.

This does three things. First, it leads to despair among the vast majority of men who must live without female attention. Second, it makes the tiny minority of successful men develop a cynical attitude to women, whom they will now forever associate with ease and sensation. Finally, it deludes many women into believing that, just because they can command the attention of a high value man for a single evening, they will also be able to command that attention long enough for what began as casual sex to blossom into a loyal, flourishing relationship. The bottom eighty per cent of men will thus continue to be neglected, as the majority of women are too busy trying to tame the very men who have profited most from sexual liberation and are therefore least likely to give up the narcotic of promiscuous gratification. The ideal of the strong Christian gentleman and the old belief in enforced monogamy were thrown out as patriarchal constructs in the 1960s. Andrew Tate is our punishment.

Still, somewhere behind Tates impressive bodily frame and jock bravado, there is a sound social conservative trying to get out. I believe in family, I believe in children, he says on Piers Morgans show. But these obvious goods require restraint and sacrifice on the part of fathers at least as much, if not more, as they demand virtue of mothers. Tate preaches old-fashioned sexual ethics to the women of this world, yet encourages men to combine a Nietzschean drive towards master morality with the hollow, playboy hedonism of Hugh Hefner. No wonder there are now swathes of unsatisfied women. Given the importance of boundless pleasure to the few men who thrive in our mad-max sexual dystopia, those who can find a loving, committed boyfriend, still less a husband, willing to give her undivided romantic love and erotic attention, are dwindling in number.

Still, it is no good criticizing Tate out of resentment. I have mentioned Nietzsche, one of Christianitys most challenging critics in the history of thought. The German philosopher argued famously that the religion of faith, hope, and charity triumphed not through the influence of the Holy Spirit, but due to a cunning psychological trick played by the weak against the strong. The wretched slaves of pagan antiquity, claimed Nietzsche, found in Christianity a universal ethic which not only sanctified their lowly, pathetic condition, but could be weaponized against domineering, would-be Caesars. For this reason, Nietzsche believed the animating emotion of Christianity to be not love, but ressentiment. One of the most gripping ideas to emerge from this polemic is the sense that it is at best suspect and at worst invalid for us to condemn an act if we are physically or spiritually incapable of performing it ourselves. After all, without this test, it is impossible to know whether we condemn it out of genuine outrage or wounded envy. No doubt there are today many men jumping on the bandwagon to attack Tate less out of principle than an agonizing sense of jealousy.

Nietzsche was correct to identify the ways in which cowardice and resentment often cloak themselves in the more illustrious colours of high-minded moral judgement. Kant had said ought implies can to emphasize the fact that a system of ethics must be built on the presupposition of free will or risk incoherence. Nietzsche then came along to add, in effect, that ought not implies could. A truly virtuous form of masculinity would involve men becoming capable of imitating Andrew Tate and then willingly refusing to do so. For what could be less admirable than a man who makes hateful, performative utterances about the villain in the company of others while living vicariously through his exploits in his own daydreams?

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The Real Problem With Andrew Tate The European Conservative - The European Conservative

You probably knew this already, but nihilism is in. Im a chronically late adopter I only found out about skinny jeans in 2012 and Id be growing a beard around now if my follicles were up to it. A cultural vibe shift has to be seismic before I notice it. So if new-gen nihilism is on my radar, it must be everywhere, a dense, pillowy fog of meh enveloping the globe.

There were hints earlier: I remember being charmed by the Why dont you just give up and let the moss reclaim you? meme of 2019 its certainly a phrase Ive whispered countless times since, imagining inhabiting a silent, primeval forest, nostrils filled with the damp, earthy smell of moss as it slowly conquers my inert form, all thoughts of Virgin Mobiles call centre and our perpetually clogged sink forgotten.

Despite that, I missed Wendy Syfrets book The Sunny Nihilist in 2021. In it, Syfret reframed nihilism as a potentially life-enhancing response to the relentless pressure to self-optimise in an exceptionally suboptimal world. She describes this nothing matters philosophy, appealingly, as a balm for a group burning out over exceptionalism, economic downturns, performative excellence, housing crises and living your best life on Instagram.

What has taken me from a vague attraction to moss, to a sense, as 2022 fizzles miserably out, that nihilism is everywhere? Its logical, I suppose, that roiling permacrisis makes us more receptive to the notion that striving is pointless. You can get Nietzsche coasters and nothing matters cross-stitch kits on Etsy now. For me though, it was an egg that did it.

Im in thrall to Gudetama, the lazy egg. On the off-chance youre as out of touch as I am, Gudetama is a listless cartoon egg created in 2013 by Sanrio, the kawaii megacorp behind Hello Kitty. Kitty-cute, but sluggishly disengaged, Gudetama cant see the point of anything in the face of their certain fate: being eaten. They are joyless and hopeless and completely without opinions or ambitions, except to be left alone to squelch and loll in their own malaise, according to a New York Times feature on the ovoid antiheros new Netflix animated series, which launches

Does that appeal? Like many (Gudetama has a huge fanbase), Im drawn to this desultory puddle of albumen and anomie, urging us to accept the essential futility of everything. There are alternative nihilist role models: a TikTok of a sheep with a bucket on its head, supposedly at a place in her life where peace is a priority resonates. Noodle, the pug who slumped in his basket to announce a no bones day died recently, but his spirit lives on. When life is fraught, I Google the blunt-headed burrowing frog, a tiny-eyed, marsh-dwelling amphibious blob. I dont know what it is about the burrowing frog, but Im instantly soothed by contemplating its impassive features and imagining myself belly-down in a Thai marsh.

Neo-nihilism makes sense as a corrective to frenetic hustle culture, multi-jobbing and tech oligarchs futilely trying to biohack their way to immortality with flaxseed sludge and 23-hour fasts. Vision boards, manifesting and five-year plans feel ridiculous when the traditional sources of meaning fulfilling work, forming a family, having a home, planning a future have never felt more out of reach for so many. Thats terribly sad when you think about it: no wonder it feels more soothing to conclude that nothing matters.

Is that really where we are? Im probably behind the curve and over optimistic, but I dont think nihilism is about to conquer the world most of us are fortunate enough to feel our lives still have meaning. Even so, plenty of things dont matter nearly as much as we feel they do. As a thought experiment, there might be sanity in having the spirit and fortitude not to care at all, as the Gudetama cookbook urges, at this time of year. No turkey, courier lost your presents, a family member spoiling for a fight about pronouns? None of it matters. Wrap your egg white around you like a cosy blanket, become moss, enter the marsh. Peace is your priority now.

Emma Beddington is a Guardian columnist

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I am getting into neo-nihilism it is so soothing to conclude that nothing matters - The Guardian

What makes a chief executive officer? Kevin Norquay uncovered more surprises than stereotypes when he investigated for a 12-part series starting today.

What are our CEOs made of? Not snips and snails, not puppy dogs tails, nor sugar, spice and all things nice. But pretty close.

One business leader comes from a family so poor they ate scraps intended for the pigs, another had an alcoholic father; tough times.

Three of the 12 worked at Greenlane Hospital, three more reached the top from South Auckland, some could do every part of their business, others are more hands off.

READ MORE:* Are our friends in the Beehive fickle spinners of tall tales, and mythical slogans?* 'You're Awesome': 800 vouchers for Auckland health workers as thanks for Covid-19 efforts* Pensioners claim bad tax advice to blame for bills

John Kirk-Anderson/Stuff

Peter Beck, CEO of Rocket Lab.

One wrote a thesis on Nietzsche's philosophy of love, then sought to find himself backpacking overseas and failed; some see their career as a series of random lucky events; others simply followed their hearts.

Pop band Fleetwood Mac features, as does English football side Leeds United, leagues Northcote Tigers and Glenora Bears, while a pair of netball wing attacks, and a Poneke rugby club lock talk of how they soared to the top.

These are the new CEOs, challenging the view of what a business leader looks and thinks and behaves like. Old stereotypes have gone, with nary a tie to be seen; they are juggling ideas, visions and children, several overcame rough starts in life to show what is possible.

So what bonds these community and industry leaders, other than having to cope with Covid smashing into their best laid plans?

Abigail Dougherty/Stuff

Auckland Rugby League CEO Rebecca Russell.

OfficeMax boss Kevin Obern offers Stuff one theory.

Lots of chief execs I've talked to, we're about impostor syndrome. Oh, someone's going to find I'm not as good as they think I am, he says.

If you're a real person, you're true to yourself, true to your own values and the things that matter to you, that's the first step.

If you don't do that, there won't be any other steps. Or if you do go forwards, you won't stay very long because you're going to get found out.

Self reflection is another theme, then stir in getting the best people to work with you and supporting them back, making the best decisions you can, and dont (or try not to) beat yourself up if they go wrong. Front up and own it.

With all the negativity swirling in 2022, sitting down with a CEO comes recommended as an uplifting vaccine, pillars of can do and optimism, each inspiring in their own way.

MONIQUE FORD/Stuff

Margie Apa, chief executive of Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand.

Here are the leaders and visionaries you will meet over the next few weeks.

Peter Beck (Rocket Lab); Margie Apa (Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand); Paul Newfield (H.R.L. Morrison & Co); Cheyne Chambers (Ryman Healthcare New Zealand); Nick Astwick (Southern Cross Health Society); Arihia Bennett (Te Rnanga o Ngi Tahu); Chris Blenkiron (New Zealand Aluminium Smelter); Mark Ryland (Milford Asset Management); Naomi Ballantyne (Partners Life); Kevin Obern (OfficeMax); Rebecca Russell (Auckland Rugby League).

This week: Rhiannon McKinnon (Kiwi Wealth).

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Apart from Covid smashing our best laid plans, what common traits do we share with chief executives? - Stuff

As domestic maize (corn) prices are trading higher by about 34% year-on-year at Rs 2,225 per quintal (ex-warehouse Chhindwara). Due to higher prices, the government is considering curbs on the export of maize.

As per market sources, the Ministry of Food Processing Industry has written to the Commerce Ministry proposing a ban after starch manufacturers raised the case of higher maize prices and non-availability. As maize is not included under the essential commodity, it is unlikely that the government would impose an export ban.

India is not a regular exporter of maize and comes under the export picture whenever there are global shortages or supply chain crises across the world. Indias maize export share to production is only about 10% in the previous two years. India exports maize mainly to South Asia and a few Southeast Asian nations, major export destinations are Bangladesh, Nepal, Vietnam, and Malaysia.

In the coming months, the export demand from India for maize to the South East Asian nations would fade as their demand would shift towards South American corn as Argentina and Brazil start their new crop harvest.

India would be uncompetitive for exports in the Southeast Asian market as the FOB rates for Argentina corn is $282.5/MT, and Brazil is $287.25/MT while India is offering at $305/MT, and the CIF quote for Vietnam is $330.75/MT.

On the other hand, there are no severe supply shortages of maize crops in India this year. The Kharif season maize crop was estimated at 21.31 Million MT, 2% lower than the previous years 21.77 Million MT.

In the ongoing Kharif season, maize prices have bottomed out at Rs 2,100 per quintal (ex-warehouse Chhindwara). The strong demand for maize from stockists, traders, exporters, and feed manufacturers kept the prices firm despite the peak arrival season. Also, the rail rake movement of maize remains strong this year.

Meanwhile, the domestic maize demand is expected to improve this year, domestic demand would increase by 2.3% year-on-year to 28.8 million MT due to an increase in feed demand by 2.5% year-on-year to 17 million MT while food and industrial demand would increase by 2% year-on-year to 11.7 million MT. Hence, strong growth in maize demand coupled with firm prices for substitute feed grains would keep the maize prices sentiment bullish.

We believe maize prices would trade sideways in the coming days unless there is clarity on the export ban. Thereafter, maize prices would trade bullish towards Rs.2300 per quintal in the short term and Rs.2500 in the medium term.

Origo Commodities Maize Production Estimate: CY 2022-23Table-Commodities-

He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying. - Friedrich Nietzsche

Continued here:
Commodity Column | Will the Government impose an export curb on maize? - Economic Times

Rapper Big Naughty and his mother will be appearingas special guests onMBC's variety program 'DNA Mate.

On the upcoming December 6 KST broadcast of MBC's variety show 'DNA Mate', rapper Big Naughty and his mother caught the attention of many with their relationship that resembled that of two friends, rather than the typical mother and son. Here, they talked about how Big Naughty competed on Mnet's hip hop survival show 'Show Me The Money' when he was just17 years old, quickly making it to the finals. Big Naughty continuesto see a lot of success with his music even after the show, earning the title "music chart gangster",and even winning music awards for his music.

In the upcoming broadcast of'DNA Mate', Big Naughty' showedthat he spendshis morning at the recording studio, hard at work as usual. Barefoot and comfortably lounging in his studio, Big Naughty turned heads by suddenly reaching for a book titled, 'Nietzsche's Words'. When Big Naughty's mother showed up, it was revealed that her favorite artist is Big Bang, to the point where she even put Big Bang's albums on display in the house, instead of her own son's albums. Despite the mother and son sharing their love formusic, many were shocked to learn that Big Naughty's mom was actually not that happy to learn her son had passed the first roundat 'Show Me The Money'. The reason for thiswill be revealed in the upcoming episode.

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Rapper Big Naughty's mother says she wasn't happy when her son passed the rounds on 'Show Me The Money' - allkpop