The Holy See......

 

The  Vatican and Facebook's Instagram are cooperating to trace the origins of a "like" on a bikini model's post that appeared to come from Pope Francis' official account.

Social media users last week pointed out that the pope's account, "franciscus," appeared to have given the sign of approval to a photo of Brazilian bikini model wearing a racy outfit. The Vatican said Frances himself wasn't responsible.

A Vatican official confirmed that the "like" did not come from the Holy See and that the Vatican is working with Instagram to determine what happened.

Polarization...

 

Dogmatic people are very firm with their convictions, which usually come from some sort of authority. The authority is often religious, but it doesn't have to be.  
Anything dogmatic is by the book. If you're dogmatic, you're 100% sure of your system despite evidence to the contrary.

Dogmatic individuals tend to form less accurate judgements thanks to a generic resistance to seeking out additional information, according to new research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). 

We have never been so free to decide if we have enough evidence about something or whether we should seek out further information from a reliable source before believing it.

In turn, if we don’t check on quick and uncertain judgements, this can leave us quite vulnerable to misinformation. Understanding the mechanism behind such decisions and how different people approach them is therefore important when we try to understand the current societal climate.

Focused on dogmatism is because, it’s an important driver of polarization. Secondly, it seems that dogmatic people are less interested in information that might change their mind. 

However, it was unclear if this is because a specific opinion is of high importance to them or if more fundamental processes are at play that transcend specific opinions.

Plant...

 

For optimal heart health,  the goal is to maintain normal blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose levels, and body weight which is why some follows a mostly plant-based diet. 

A diet that’s rich in fresh plant foods can help lower your sodium intake to less than about two grams daily. Plant foods also help optimize your cholesterol levels to reduce your risk of heart disease, she adds.

Another benefit of plants: They’re high in fiber, which has loads of health benefits for your heart and body. Insoluble fiber (found in foods like vegetables and whole grains) helps control appetite and weight; lowers your risk of diabetes, heart disease, and some types of cancer; and prevents constipation. Soluble fiber (found in oats, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, and peas) may help lower total cholesterol, blood pressure, and inflammation.

On the flip side, fried food (which is high in saturated and trans fats), processed meats, and foods with lots of added sugar (like soda) substantially increase the risk of stroke and heart disease when consumed regularly. 

Happy...

 

 This was the best Thanksgiving ever. and mainly different. I did mute all the irritants and enjoyed it.

Hope you all enjoyed it.

Sense...

 

Promise...

 

Guests...

 

Moot...

 

Supreme Court’s order temporarily blocking New York from setting coronavirus capacity limits at houses of worship is “irrelevant” and “moot,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo claimed Thursday.

In the 5-4 decision, the court sided with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn and Orthodox Jewish synagogues, who sued Cuomo over his restrictions on congregating in state-designated coronavirus hot spots, saying his actions trampled on religious freedom.

Cuomo, in a Thanksgiving Day conference call with reporters, insisted the order was moot because the houses of worship in question in the court battle are no longer in designated red and orange zones in Brooklyn in Queens so the restrictions no longer apply to them.

The safety restriction to tame the pandemic imposed attendance caps at houses of worship from 10 to 25 people, respectively. The plaintiffs argued that the restrictions violated their religious freedoms under the First Amendment and unfairly targeted them while businesses deemed essential, including groceries and takeout restaurants, were allowed to operate. Just a thought.

Moderate...

 

Countless studies show that people who are active are less likely than more-sedentary people to develop or die from a host of health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, dementia, cancer, obesity and many others. Active people also tend to live longer and feel happier. 

   
Up to 40 minutes of "moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity" every day is about the right amount to balance out 10 hours of sitting still, the research says – although any amount of exercise or even just standing up helps to some extent.    

That's based on a meta-analysis across nine previous studies, involving a total of 44,370 people in four different countries who were wearing some form of fitness tracker.  

The analysis found the risk of death among those with a more sedentary lifestyle went up as time spent engaging in moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity went down.

"In active individuals doing about 30-40 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity, the association between high sedentary time and risk of death is not significantly different from those with low amounts of sedentary time," write the researchers in their published paper.

Maradona...

 

Diego Armando Maradona was loathed by a nation for the ‘Hand of God’ in Mexico City but adored by the world for his moment of genius just four minutes later.

The combustible Argentinian, who has died at the age of 60, was without doubt one of the greatest football players in history.

Maradona – a fiery, indomitable personality, a man so drastically different in his world view from Brazil’s beloved Pele – was an unstoppable force on his course to reaching the very top of the game.

After winning the World Cup in 1986, his fall from grace was swift, bizarre and, like the man himself, totally unpredictable.