Latest news with #BenjaminFranklin
Medscape
9 hours ago
- Health
- Medscape
More Than a Number: Sleep Quality Next Target for CV Health
From the Dalai Lama's claim that it is the 'best meditation' to Benjamin Franklin's insistence that it makes a person 'healthy, wealthy, and wise,' a good night's sleep has long been touted as the secret to a healthy life. And the American Heart Association (AHA) agrees. In 2022, the AHA added sleep duration to Life's Simple 8, their checklist for optimal heart health. This was on the basis of strong evidence from epidemiologic studies linking sleep duration to poor cardiometabolic outcomes, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and stroke. But emerging research suggests that it's time for cardiologists to consider more than just sleep duration. 'Lack of sleep has been long known to be associated with coronary heart disease,' said Martha Gulati, MD, the director of Preventive Cardiology in the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai, in Los Angeles. Gulati emphasized that achieving adequate sleep (between 7 and 9 hours) has also been associated with healthy traits, such as better blood pressure, better cholesterol control, and healthy weight. Martha Gulati, MD However, the number of hours a person sleeps each night just scratches the surface she said. Research has shown that consistency and preferred timing of sleep, known as sleep chronotype, are important as well. In a 2023 UK-based study, middle-aged adults who considered themselves night owls — the evening sleep chronotype — had signs of potentially detrimental cardiac remodeling on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging compared with morning folks. And the damage may start early. In a recent study in adolescents, shorter sleep duration was associated with adverse markers of left ventricular wall remodeling and liver fat accumulation suggesting a cumulative effect on health, according to the authors. The MESA Sleep Ancillary study found that people with greater irregularity in sleep patterns — such as falling asleep at different times each night — had a higher coronary artery calcium burden than those with more regular sleep patterns. Because sleep is associated with a range of cardiometabolic diseases, Julie Marcus, MD, a cardiologist at Weill Cornell Medicine/New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York City, said addressing poor sleep has become an important but underappreciated aspect of maintaining a healthy heart. Julie Marcus, MD She added that patients also need to be aware that poor sleep can affect their health and what the various components of healthy sleep are. 'Beyond saying do you snore [or] stop breathing at night and do you sleep between 7 and 9 hours, there's so much more to sleep that is important,' Marcus said. Expanding the Definition of Sleep Health Early this year, the AHA published an updated scientific statement that addresses multidimensional sleep health. This includes duration, timing, regularity, sleep-related daytime functioning, satisfaction, continuity — the ability to initiate and maintain sleep — and sleep architecture, or the amount and timing of the various sleep stages. Marie-Pierre St-Onge, PhD, a sleep health researcher and lead author of the AHA statement, explained that it was developed to promote the breadth of new research. 'We want to let people know that sleep is more than just how long you sleep at night,' said St-Onge, who is the director of the Center of Excellence for Sleep and Circadian Research at Columbia University, New York City. Marie-Pierre St-Onge, PhD For example, she explained excessive daytime sleepiness has been associated with cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, stroke, and all-cause mortality. Similarly, sleep disturbances have been linked to hypertension, arterial stiffness, and coronary heart disease. Understanding Poor Sleep's Mechanism of Action St-Onge emphasized that new research has also increased understanding around the associations between poor sleep and worsening cardiometabolic outcomes. Her research has shown that sleep restriction increases oxidative stress in the lining of the arteries that could lead to endothelial dysfunction. Short sleep also impairs the body's ability to counteract this oxidative stress. 'We see immune suppression from poor sleep duration and poor sleep quality,' St-Onge said. In addition, we have found links between sleep regularity and eating patterns, St-Onge noted. Gulati believes that the AHA statement represents an opportunity to raise awareness among patients, cardiologists, and clinical researchers about the importance of better understanding these causal effects of poor multidimensional sleep health. 'I think it is also a call to action to improve the assessment of sleep, particularly in research so we can rigorously assess these components,' Gulati said. 'We need to know what interventions can improve components of sleep as well, and their effect on cardiovascular health. Those knowledge gaps need to be closed.' Talking About Sleep Health Those knowledge gaps are why the statement did not offer guidance for clinical approaches, but St-Onge emphasized the importance of educating and discussing this topic with patients now. She recommended asking an open-ended question: 'How's your sleep?' 'That opens up a conversation for people to express exactly what's bothering them with their sleep.' For example, she said, 'It may be they get plenty of hours of sleep, but they lie there awake for way too long, or they're having a hard time falling asleep, or they get a lot of sleep, but they still wake up not feeling refreshed during the day.' Starting the conversation — and documenting it in clinical notes — will be the first step to helping patients with poor sleep health, she said. Marcus agreed that cardiologists should make time to discuss sleep health with patients, even though it can be more complicated than addressing cholesterol or blood pressure because 'sleep is not a number.' Still, she said that understanding a patient's poor sleep health can also provide physicians with new modifiable risk factors for improving their cardiovascular health. 'Sleep is the next target,' Marcus said. 'We know it impacts health, and it's just a matter of how do we screen for it.' Gulati reported financial relationships with Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Medtronic, Merck & Co., New Amsterdam, and Zoll.
Time Out
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Muse at RSA House
Muse is not your average brass-and-marble speakeasy. Just off The Strand, it's like stumbling into an elegant little laboratory dedicated to turning small-batch and sustainably sourced British spirits into memorable (and reasonably priced) cocktails. What marks it out is its location: right in the heart of the Royal Society of Arts, a Georgian temple to creativity that once counted Charles Dickens and Benjamin Franklin as regulars. Chat to the boss, Marcis Dzelzainis, or his long-time potion master Kevin Price-Houghton about foraged ingredients, their favourite Cotswolds eau de vie or Kentish rhubarb soda and it's clear they've embraced the RSA's spirit of high-IQ invention. Or just kick back at the end of a long work day with a classic martini (£9.50) and watch the world go by in a blur outside. You might just meet a genius.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Money making money even while one is asleep
If a child pesters his father for money, his usual retort would be, 'Do you think I'm out there shaking a money tree.' Yes, in a way, he is right, you can't just pluck money off a tree. But even a small penny is like a seemingly small seed, which when nurtured and nourished carefully, can be the beginning of a forest. Power of compounding In the world of finance, there is one such seed, which not only grows into a tree but could become an entire forest — the power of compounding. The magic of compounding is that it starts small but grows exponentially over time. More than two centuries ago, Benjamin Franklin, the first Postmaster-General of the United States and author of the book Poor Richard's Almanack, echoed this concept saying, 'Money makes money. 'And the money that money makes, makes money.' Further, highlighting its potential of exponential wealth creation in the long run, famous physicist Albert Einstein said, 'compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world.' Though the phrase 'the compound effect' existed for aeons, especially in mathematics, it became quite popular in the realm of finance, productivity and personal development after a bestselling book by U.S. author Darren Hardy. Compound effect The compound effect is like a snowballing effect wherein a small, consistent action or an investment accumulates over a period, leading to an exponential growth. In personal finance, it refers to the process wherein your initial invested money earns interest, and the interest earned earns interest, which subsequently generates interest, and the chain goes on and on. This way, you make a gigantic leap from your original invested amount. Not just this, the beauty of the compound effect is that you need not work hard for it, as even if you are sleeping, your invested money will silently work and keep on generating money for you. You need to give time for it and just be patient. Consistency is the key. Let's imagine this scenario. God wishes to give a boon and places two choices before you. First – He will clear all your debts instantly, say ₹35,00,000. Second – He will give you ₹1 on the first day with a promise that it will double every day for one month. So, which one do you choose? Almost all 10 people would only choose the first option for two reasons. The first being instant gratification and the second is the lack of awareness of compounding effects. In contrast, mathematicians or financial experts will only choose the second option of taking the ₹1 that doubles every day for 30 days. They do not mind waiting for 30 days, let's find out why. Money doubles On day one, God gives you ₹1, it doubles to ₹2 on the second day, to ₹4 on the third day. Likewise, it doubles to ₹512 on the 10th day. Your patience is being tested here. In a similar doubling strategy, your money becomes ₹16,384 on the 15th day. Time is the secret; time begets money. On day 20, it would be ₹5,24,288, which is way less from the first choice. But wait, we have 10 more days. On day 24, it would have doubled to ₹83,88,608 and on the last day, it would be ₹53,68,70,912. In just 30 days, ₹1 transforms into a whopping sum of more than ₹53 crore. You call it mind blowing but that's the power of compounding. SIP investment Now, let's take a real-life example. Priya invests ₹1,000 every month in a Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) that gives her 12% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR). After five years, her investment would have grown to almost ₹82,000. After 10 years, it becomes ₹2,32,000 (approximately) and after 20 years ₹9,99,000. But wait, the magic has not happened yet. In 30 years, it becomes ₹35,29,000 and in 40 years, a whopping sum of more than a ₹1 crore. So, just a ₹1,000 in monthly SIP transforms into more than a ₹1 crore in 40 years. That's the reason all financial experts advise us to start saving right from the first salary, so that, by the time you retire, you would have saved enough, and your money would have worked for you even when you were sleeping. If you need more money, just step up your SIP amount of ₹1,000 per month by just 10% every year, witness the magic and enjoy your retirement life comfortably and worry-free. Start saving early. (The writer is an NISM & CRISIL-certified Wealth Manager)
CNN
4 days ago
- CNN
‘It's all still here.' This seafaring town brings the past to life
See More Videos It's Sunday night at Middleton Tavern, where a handful of drinkers at the rustic wooden bar are surrounded by glimpses of America's colonial past. Copper pots hang over a fireplace, while seascape paintings, farm tools, old naval uniforms and models of sailing ships adorn the walls. The patio offers views of Annapolis' City Dock, where Chesapeake Bay watermen once brought in the day's catch. And the tavern itself dates to 1750 – before America became a country – when Horatio Middleton opened it to lodge travelers crossing the bay on his ferry. If you believe the local lore, George Washington and Benjamin Franklin once drank here. 'This is one of the oldest – if not the oldest – bars in Maryland,' says bartender Steve Frederick, an amiable guy with a lanky frame and a trucker hat. 'There's a lot of history here.' MORE AMERICA'S BEST TOWNS TO VISIT 2025 1. Ithaca, NY 2. Missoula, MT 3. Asheville, NC 4. Bend, OR 5. Annapolis, MD See all 10 towns How we picked the Best Towns to Visit Share your picks for our top towns in 2026 Indeed, there's a lot of history throughout this cozy waterfront city, whose narrow streets, brick sidewalks and handsome Georgian buildings could serve as an 18th-century movie set. But Annapolis, Maryland's capital and a 45-minute drive from Washington, D.C., offers visitors much more than historic charm. A key port on the Chesapeake, it provides numerous ways to explore the Bay, from sunset cruises to outings aboard a historic skipjack, a working sailboat once used for dredging oysters. The city of 40,000 also is home to the US Naval Academy, whose uniformed midshipmen are seen all over town. And seafood lovers can feast at white-tablecloth restaurants or roll-up-your-sleeves waterside joints serving steaming piles of Maryland's famous blue crabs. Many of these attractions lie within Annapolis' well-preserved, walkable downtown, lined with stately brick homes and charming row houses. 'Annapolis is amazing, in that when you walk the historic district … it's all still here. It's all real – it's not something that's been recreated,' says Mary-Angela Hardwick, a vice president at preservation group Historic Annapolis. 'I mean, if the buildings could talk they would be able to tell you who had walked these streets – Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, George Washington … they all were here,' she adds. 'It's really like traveling back in time. We call it a museum without walls.' Prev Next Founded by English settlers in the 1600s and named for England's Princess Anne, Annapolis was a bustling colonial capital. Its location on the Chesapeake at the mouth of the Severn River was ideal for shipping tobacco, then a leading Maryland cash crop. The city also was a seat of government and even served as America's first peacetime capital for nine months in 1783-1784. By state capitol standards, the Maryland State House is a small, understated building — there's no grand, neoclassical dome. But as the nation's oldest state house still in legislative use, it's full of history and worth a visit. It was here on December 23, 1783, that George Washington formally resigned as commander of the Continental Army — a major event in the history of the fledgling country. And Congress met at the state house in 1784 to ratify the Treaty of Paris, officially ending the Revolutionary War. The moment is immortalized with a life-size bronze statue of Washington, placed in the approximate spot in the old Senate Chamber where he addressed Congress. An original copy of his resignation speech is on display as well. Many other handsome historic buildings are within a short walk. Annapolis is the only American city where you can see the surviving homes of each of its state's signers of the Declaration of Independence. The most prominent of the four homes (not all are open to the public) is the William Paca House, a Georgian brick mansion built in the 1760s by the man who later became Maryland's third governor. Historic Annapolis offers public tours of the Paca house and its elaborate terraced garden, home to rose beds, fruit trees and a small pond. Like many historic towns on the Eastern Seaboard, Annapolis also harbored ships carrying enslaved people from Africa. The city's status as an 18th-century slave port is chronicled in Alex Haley's famous 1976 novel 'Roots,' whose main character Kunta Kinte landed in Annapolis before being bought by a plantation owner in Virginia. Today 'Roots,' and the city's legacy of slavery, is commemorated with a memorial on the City Dock featuring a bronze sculptural installation of Haley reading to three children. The memorial also reflects Annapolis' complicated African-American history as a city that held slave auctions in the early 1800s while also becoming home to a thriving community of free Black people, some of whom owned businesses and were granted the right to vote. Despite being a state where people were enslaved, Maryland sided with the Union during the Civil War. 'Being able to hold both things as true … can be confusing to folks,' says Briayna Cuffie, a volunteer at the Museum of Historic Annapolis. 'Because people associate freedom with the North and enslavement with the South … and we are the border state right in the middle, experiencing all of it.' Annapolis' status as a commercial hub was eventually eclipsed by Baltimore, whose deeper harbor could host larger, ocean-going ships. But the city remains deeply linked to the waters of the Chesapeake Bay, the nation's largest estuary, and its maritime heritage is still evident almost everywhere you look. Cross a short bridge from downtown and you'll find yourself in the charming Eastport neighborhood, the traditional heart of Annapolis' commercial fishing and boating industry. Here you'll find boatyards, marinas, shipbuilders, sailmakers and seafood processing plants, along with a growing number of restaurants and a brewery. The Annapolis Maritime Museum, located in a former oyster canning factory on the banks of Eastport's Back Creek, offers displays on the history and ecology of the Bay, along with rotating exhibits of works by local artists and photographers. Crabs may be king in Maryland today — especially in the warmer months, when crabbers fan out to harvest them — but for many years the Bay's watermen favored another marine species: oysters. Annapolis' fisheries hauled in millions of bushels of oysters annually until the early 1900s, when overharvesting decimated the population. ESSENTIAL ANNAPOLIS EAT: Fresh Chesapeake Bay seafood at Boatyard Bar & Grill DRINK: On The Choptank's vast rooftop deck with harbor views STAY: At the historic Maryland Inn, a short walk from most sights SEE: The United States Naval Academy, which offers daily tours Because oysters are vital to a healthy Bay ecosystem — a single oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of seawater a day — the museum is highlighting efforts to rebuild oyster reefs and repopulate the mollusks. The results show up on restaurant menus throughout Annapolis. Today, recreational boating has joined the seafood industry as a key driver of Annapolis' economy. The City Dock features a narrow waterway nicknamed 'Ego Alley' for the showy yachts that tie up there. Sloops and motorboats fill the city's marinas, while its docks and surrounding waters host boat shows, crab feasts, sailing lessons and regattas. 'There's a lot to do,' says Eileen Hayden, a maritime museum volunteer, noting the city's festive spirit and packed calendar of nautical events. 'Annapolis always wants to have a party about something.' Annapolis is nicknamed 'America's Sailing Capital,' and to fully appreciate the city, it's best to get out on the water for views of its harbor, aquatic life and picturesque skyline, along with such nearby landmarks as the four-mile-long Chesapeake Bay Bridge and the 150-year-old Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse. Visitors will find no shortage of boating options, from water taxis and fishing charters to two-hour sailing cruises aboard the Woodwind schooners, whose crew may even let you steer and help raise the sails. Or you can book a heritage tour on the Wilma Lee, the maritime museum's 47-foot skipjack, which was built in 1940 as part of the last commercial sailing fleet for fishing in the country. A trip to Annapolis isn't complete without a visit to the Naval Academy, established in 1845 on the site of an old fort. The rigorous institution has produced 55 NASA astronauts — more than any other school — plus such notable alumni as President Jimmy Carter, business tycoon Ross Perot, football great Roger Staubach and NBA Hall of Famer David Robinson. A brief walk from the City Dock, the academy's handsome waterfront campus — known locally as the Yard — offers daily, 90-minute walking tours of its history, unique culture and many sites of interest. Among the highlights: Bancroft Hall, a grand Beaux Arts building which houses all 4,400 midshipmen ('midshipmen' is a rank; about a third of the academy's students are women) and is the largest dormitory in the country. The sprawling complex has almost 5 miles of corridors and its own zip code, and its massive dining hall serves more than 13,000 meals daily. For an added bonus, time your visit to witness the noon meal formation ceremony, at which the midshipmen line up in battalions — along with the USNA band — and march into Bancroft Hall for lunch. Lejeune Hall, a sports facility housing the academy's two Heisman Trophies and an Olympic-size pool where all midshipmen must pass rigorous swimming tests before graduating. 'You may not know how to swim when you arrive (at the academy),' one recent tour guide said. 'But you won't leave here until you do.' The Naval Academy Chapel, whose striking dome is a dominant feature of Annapolis' skyline. Its soaring interior features elaborate stained glass windows designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany, some of them depicting naval battles. Underneath the chapel is a crypt with a sarcophagus holding the remains of John Paul Jones, considered the father of the Navy. The US Naval Academy Museum, which offers exhibits on the history of sea power, foreign flags captured in battles and an impressive collection of antique ship models. Annapolis and the USNA are especially festive during Commissioning Week, an eight-day celebration each spring with parties, a parade and an aerial performance by the Blue Angels. The week culminates with the academy's graduation ceremony, where midshipmen are officially commissioned as officers and fling their caps into the air in triumph. Annapolis offers no shortage of worthwhile places to eat, drink and be festive. History buffs will appreciate the colonial charm of Reynolds Tavern, which dates to 1747 and looks the part. Music lovers have long flocked to the Ram's Head, a tavern and adjoining stage featuring national touring acts. Downtown's Main Street has a mix of restaurants serving steak, tacos, teriyaki and Thai food. For a quintessential Chesapeake Bay experience, though, it's hard to top a meal of local seafood. The most popular restaurant in town may be the Boatyard Bar & Grill, a lively Eastport hangout whose walls are festooned with college banners, nautical scenes and a mounted blue marlin. Its menu offers all the local hits: crab soup, oyster shooters, fish tacos and, of course, lump crab cakes. The Boatyard is one of many Annapolis eateries that lay claim to serving the area's best crab cakes. Other worthy contenders in Eastport alone include its upscale neighbors Carrol's Creek Cafe and O'Leary's Seafood or even Davis' Pub down the street, a homespun joint also known for its crab pretzel. Be forewarned, though: a pair of crab cakes at many places in town will set you back $50. In Annapolis you're never far from the Bay or its tributaries, which means – yay! – waterside dining. Downtown's best views are at The Choptank, a newer, splashy seafood place whose large rooftop deck offers sweeping vistas of the harbor and City Dock, making it a prime happy hour spot. For a classic meal with a laid-back vibe, a 10-minute drive brings you to Cantler's Riverside Inn, a rustic crab house on the peaceful waters of Mill Creek. In the summer months customers come by boat – docking is free – and gather on the deck to drink beer and chow down on blackened rockfish, peel-n-eat shrimp or blue crabs slathered in Old Bay seasoning. Finally, don't miss Chick & Ruth's, a beloved greasy spoon that's been slinging diner fare for 60 years in a bustling Main Street space with a lunch counter and cozy booths. Its hearty menu offers everything from crab omelets to sandwiches named for local politicians (a cheesesteak inspired by former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan is called Hogan's Hero.) If you're feeling brave, tackle the 6-pound milkshake – finish it along with a large sandwich and they'll put your photo on the wall. This Gold Rush-era boomtown still delivers culinary riches
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
That's a career-wrap on Michael Douglas
Michael Douglas has hung up his bifocals and dashed any hopes fans had for a sequel to his Benjamin Franklin series. Speaking at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) in the Czech Republic yesterday, per The Hollywood Reporter, and following nearly 60 years on screen, the 80-year-old Oscar winner announced that he has 'no intention' of working again, saying he'd rather hang out with his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, which, yeah, makes sense. It was a long time coming. Douglas says that he hasn't worked since 2022 when he realized 'I have to stop,' and indeed he has. Throughout his career, Douglas rarely went a year without a new release, and in the last two decades, he also survived throat cancer, a Wall Street sequel, and the ups and downs of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In that time, in addition to an Emmy-winning performance in Behind The Candelabra, he also enjoyed runs on the Netflix hit The Kominsky Method and a Green Eggs And Ham show that we're all just finding out about. Sadly, that's a wrap on Michael Douglas, who, weirdly, 'did not want to be one of those people who dropped dead on set.' Though he stops short of saying he's retired 'because [if] something special came up, I'd go back,' he reiterates, 'I have no real intention' of doing so. In the meantime, he's 'happy to play the wife,' which we'll take in the good spirit of his sentiments and not as a weirdly regressive way of looking at his marriage with Zeta-Jones, who he admits is '25 years younger than' he and 'very busy right now.' Douglas' IMDb page lists a couple more projects in the pipeline, including a drama called Looking Through Water, which is reportedly scheduled for release this summer, and the long-in-development Reagan & Gorbachev mini-series, co-starring Christoph Waltz, for Paramount+. Selfishly, we implore Douglas to reconsider his retirement until after his dramatic retelling of the Reykjavík Summit. Still, we understand if he'd rather play Catherine Zeta-Jones' wife until something really good comes along. More from A.V. Club Superman gets a big, blue reboot that supercharges a beleaguered genre Spoiler Space: Jurassic World Rebirth once again makes dinosaurs everyone's problem Federal court of appeals unsubscribes Americans from "Click to Cancel" Solve the daily Crossword
