BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Retirement presents a well-deserved opportunity to rest, relax, and pursue new interests. However, something not many are aware of is how this transformation can affect your cognitive health. While taking a break from the daily grind is positive, you should continue to engage in activities that keep your mind sharp and engaged. Research indicates that maintaining mental stimulation and social engagement is critical for preventing cognitive deterioration as we age. Here’s how to keep your brain healthy and active during retirement. The relationship between retirement and cognitive decline Retirement usually comes with a dramatic shift in daily patterns, resulting in a decline in mental and social activity. Memory specialist Jim Kwik, author of Limitless: Upgrade Your Brain, Learn Anything Faster, and Unlock Your Exceptional Life, believes that the true issue is not retirement itself, but the retirement of the mind. When people stop engaging in mentally challenging activities, their cognitive capacities may begin to deteriorate. Research backs up this statement. For example, studies have found that a lack of purpose and decreased social connection in retirement can raise the risk of cognitive decline. One study found that people who have a strong sense of purpose have a decreased mortality risk and improved brain health. Another study in rural China found that the implementation of a pension program hastened cognitive deterioration due to decreased social involvement and mental activity among retirees. Keeping your brain active during retirement The good news is that you do not have to continue working full-time to preserve your cognitive health. To keep your brain occupied and sharp, incorporate a few crucial activities into your routine: Take a class: Spend your free time learning something new. Whether it’s a language, baking, philosophy, or something artsy like painting or ceramics, learning new things keeps your mind active and interested. Pursue a new hobby: Retirement is an excellent opportunity to experiment with new hobbies. Gardening, crafts, and even travel can engage your brain and give you a sense of success. Volunteer: Volunteering is a terrific way to stay connected to your community and keep your mind active. Volunteering, whether at a local school, animal shelter, or community garden, promotes social contact and offers a sense of purpose. Stay physically active: Light sports like pickleball, swimming, or cycling not only keep your body healthy, but they also improve your mental health. Physical activity boosts blood flow to the brain, which improves cognitive performance. Challenge your mind with games: Crossword puzzles, Sudoku, chess, and language games are all fun methods to train your brain and develop your cognitive abilities. Prioritize brain-healthy nutrition: A well-balanced diet high in brain-boosting foods such as berries, almonds, and leafy greens is crucial. Consider taking brain vitamins/supplements to get an extra boost. Retirement allows you to focus on what is actually important to you, but you must remain mentally and socially engaged to safeguard your cognitive health. You can have a fulfilling retirement without losing your edge by taking advantage of new learning opportunities, moving your body regularly, and nurturing your social life. Keep your mind active, and you’ll be on your way to a healthy, vibrant existence.The post Prevent cognitive decline with these steps to keep your brain active after retirement first appeared on The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News.

As a Braves fan, I can't knock the man's hustle

American kids are now taught that before Christopher Columbus wrecked things, peaceful Native Americans protected the environment. Hollywood movies feed the narrative. Disney’s “Pocahontas” sings, “I know every rock and tree and creature has a life, has a spirit, has a name.” Political science professor Wilfred Reilly says that’s ridiculous. “Native American hunters gave names to every rabbit in the woods around them?” Reilly asks. “That’s not a real thing that happened.” Reilly’s new book “Lies My Liberal Teacher Told Me” and my new video debunk such myths. “We’ve gone into almost this cultlike romanticization of the Natives,” says Reilly. “They were great warriors and poets, but they hunted buffalo by driving herds of them off 100-foot-tall cliffs.” A U.S. government guide for teachers says: “Native Americans lived in harmony with nature. … There was a love of every form of life. [They] did not kill anything they could not use.” “Objectively untrue,” says Reilly. “That would mean no young male warrior … ever killed for sport. We just know that’s false.” Reilly’s book is a response to the hugely popular, left-leaning book “Lies My Teacher Told Me.” It corrected many things history textbooks got wrong about America. When I grew up, Columbus was portrayed as simply a hero. His brutality and enslavement of Native Americans was ignored. But Columbus himself wrote about his slaves, saying: “Indians … make all our food … extract gold from the mines … perform all other … labors.” “The book was valid, right?” I say to Reilly. “I don’t necessarily think your focus should be white and Native atrocities against one another in a sixth-grade class. The morality of today didn’t exist anywhere in the world until about 60 years ago.” I push back: “What’s the harm in sending a countermessage?” “You don’t need a countermessage,” Reilly replies. “No one denies that whites and Native Americans killed each other. In 1970, in some Southern schools, people might have been taught a jingoistic view of American history, but the reverse has been true for 40 years.” The professor says the old myths don’t justify new ones. Like the myth that Natives lived in harmony with nature. In reality, Natives manipulated their environment. To make farming easier, they set big forest fires to clear land. “Burning alive hundreds of thousands of small animals and slower-running deer,” Reilly says. “Probably killing members of other tribes … modifying the environment more bluntly.” U.S. government curriculum guides claim that Native Americans had “no prejudice” and “no major wars.” “Nonsensical,” says Reilly. “In the Aztec capital, there were 90-foot towers of human skulls brought back from their defeated enemies.” Natives also took slaves and considered them “objects of wealth.” Yet the myth of peaceful Natives lives on. “When myths persist, despite obvious objective reality,” Reilly explains, “that’s an indicator of a brain virus among people who want the myth to be real. You’re looking at people saying the absolute opposite of reality.” Why would today’s teachers teach “the opposite of reality”? “To me, it’s just downstream from Marxism,” says Reilly. Marxism? Yes! In colleges today, Karl Marx is the most assigned economist! Despite the murderous failure of Marx’s philosophy, American college students are taught that capitalism and Western values are bad. “Westerners and white people being so evil. Why is it so popular?” I ask. “I think that a lot of rich people don’t like their father,” Reilly quips. “There is a lot of dislike for our society among people who are pretty near the leadership class.” I assume the people who teach these myths mean well. They want minorities to feel included. But they should at least also teach that America’s sins were not unique—that just about every society had slavery, cruel wars, and environmental destruction. The seldom-taught good news is that now, the West leads the world in trying to make things better. And the much-maligned capitalist countries lead the world in both lifting people out of poverty and protecting the environment. Schools ought to teach that. COPYRIGHT 2024 BY JFS PRODUCTIONS INC. We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post Distorting the Truth About Native Americans appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The Georgia State Election Board is mulling a proposed rule to ensure that the number of votes considered for counting equals the number of votes cast by voters. That might seem to be a minor administrative matter under normal circumstances. But less than three months away from the Nov. 5 presidential election in one of the nation’s hottest battleground states, the proposal in Georgia has emerged as a major point of contention.  On Monday, Georgia’s five-member election board will vote on a so-called reconciliation rule to set a uniform standard for county election boards to ensure that the number of votes cast and tabulated matches the number of voters who voted. The board is taking public comments through Sunday.  The scheduled vote coincides with the opening day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are scheduled to accept their party’s nominations for president and vice president, respectively. President Joe Biden dropped out of the race last month and endorsed Harris. Janice Johnston, a Republican appointee on the Georgia State Election Board, said she plans to vote for the proposed rule and expects it will be approved.   Not having the rule in place, Johnston said, “is like having the math student write their own math exam, grade their own math exam, and not allow the teacher to review the math exam or see the student’s work.” “Simply put, the board should have access to and review of any election documents that confirm who voted, how many ballots were cast, and how many votes were counted,” Johnston told The Daily Signal in an email. “Georgia has a short certification requirement and this petition complies with the expected deadline (5 p.m. Monday, after the election).” Several left-leaning organizations have expressed opposition to any proposal that would empower local election boards beyond what such groups claim is a proper “ministerial role” to certify elections.  Meanwhile, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Republican, said Thursday that any new rules added at the “11th hour” could slow down certification of the state’s election results. Raffensperger didn’t specify his opposition to the proposed reconciliation rule, and the State Election Board is considering several different proposals. “Activists seeking to impose last-minute changes in election procedures outside of the legislative process undermine voter confidence and burden election workers,” Raffensperger said in a public statement.  Raffensperger also referred to Georgia’s election law reform legislation, Senate Bill 202, enacted in 2021 and including, among other things, applying a voter ID requirement to mail-in ballots. “The [Georgia] General Assembly knew that quick reporting of results and certification is paramount to voter confidence and passed SB 202, but misguided attempts by the State Election Board will delay election results and undermine chain of custody safeguards,” Raffensperger said. “Georgia voters reject this 11th-hour chaos, and so should the unelected members of the State Election Board.” On the national stage, both the Right and the Left have weighed in on Georgia’s proposed rule on vote tabulation.  Cleta Mitchell, founder and chair of the Election Integrity Network, a conservative-leaning group, has encouraged individuals to make public comments to the board in favor of the reconciliation rule.  “It is basic kindergarten math. I don’t know why anyone would oppose it,” Mitchell told The Daily Signal. “Democrats don’t want reconciliation, but most people are surprised it’s not already happening. Georgia law already requires it.” Reconciling the number of voters with the number of ballots is a requirement of state law, although it is not enforced by every county. Georgia Code § 2I-2-493(b) states that a county’s superintendent of elections “shall compare the registration figure with the certificates returned by the poll officers showing the number of persons who voted in each precinct or the number of ballots cast.” The state law adds that if the number of votes “exceeds the total number of persons who voted in such precinct or the total number of ballots cast therein, such excess shall be deemed a discrepancy and palpable error and shall be investigated by the superintendent; and no votes shall be recorded from such precinct until an investigation shall be had.” The proposed rule says a county’s election superintendent will transmit a reconciliation report to the Office of the Secretary of State about the total of ballots cast in each precinct and the number of voters who received credit for voting in each precinct.   “Any discrepancies in the aggregate total of ballots cast in each precinct compared to the aggregate number of voters who received credit for voting in a precinct shall be fully investigated by the election superintendent or designee,” the proposed rule says. “The explanation for any discrepancy shall be included in the reconciliation report.”  This is not unlike how many businesses operate, Mitchell noted.  “At the end of the day, bank tellers and grocery store clerks have to make sure the numbers match,” the lawyer told The Daily Signal. “All this rule would do is have a consistent standard across the state.” The America First Policy Institute, founded by veterans of the Trump-Pence administration, also backed the proposed rule, sending a letter in support.  ? @A1Policy proudly supports Georgia Board of Elections' proposed rule 183-1-12-.12, which strengthens election integrity and ensures transparency in our democratic process. Together, we stand for secure and fair elections in Georgia! ???? #ElectionIntegrity #GeorgiaElections… pic.twitter.com/7HxaDwwoex— America First Policy Institute Georgia (@A1Policy_GA) August 15, 2024 However, the rule gained opposition from the Left.  Noah Bookbinder, president of the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, posted Wednesday on X about what he called “the risk of county officials refusing to certify this fall’s election, with the biggest risk in Georgia.”  I spoke to @costareports on @CBSNews about the risk of county officials refusing to certify this fall's election, with the biggest risk in Georgia, why it matters, and what states can do about it, as set out in @CREWcrew's new report.https://t.co/8TYdQuOQ6C— Noah Bookbinder (@NoahBookbinder) August 14, 2024 A spokesperson for CREW didn’t immediately respond to The Daily Signal’s emailed request for comment. The American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia expressed opposition in a post on X without explaining why. The organization didn’t respond to an email inquiry from The Daily Signal.  We need your voice to prevent an election rule change!Georgia’s election board is considering another proposal that could delay election results statewide. Your comments put the spotlight on public sentiment for the board and make a huge difference. https://t.co/rMIHNZiAdI pic.twitter.com/I7ZL0kteve— ACLU of Georgia (@ACLUofGA) August 15, 2024 Earlier this month, several organizations on the Left opposed a similar rule approved by the Georgia State Election Board, which authorized local election boards to investigate discrepancies. The groups said this change could allow local boards to block certification of elections.  CREW teamed in June with the Public Rights Project and the Georgia chapters of the ACLU and Common Cause to send a letter to state board members opposing a separate but similar change in rules. In that case, the change allowed a “reasonable inquiry” by a county election board to be completed before the first Monday after an election.  ??Today, we joined @CREWcrew, @ACLUofGA, and @CommonCauseGA to ask the Georgia State Election Board not to adopt an amendment that would increase the risk for certification abuse??See the full statement here:https://t.co/QZZJH4xdJE— Public Rights Project (@public_rights) June 25, 2024 Early voting in Georgia will begin Oct. 15.  The Peach State has 16 electoral votes. In the 2020 presidential race, Biden narrowly won the state over incumbent Donald Trump, becoming the first Democratic presidential candidate to get a victory there since Bill Clinton in 1992.  Local boards are supposed to play an active and important role in ensuring a transparent election, said Hans von Spakovsky, who for five years was a member of the Fulton County, Georgia, Board of Registration and Elections.  Von Spakovsky is currently manager of the Election Law Reform Initiative at The Heritage Foundation, where he is a senior legal fellow.  “Under Georgia law, those county boards act as the superintendents of their county elections with a fiduciary duty to administer their elections in compliance with all applicable state and federal laws and to correct any errors, mistakes, or discrepancies that may occur,” von Spakovsky wrote in an Aug. 14 letter to the Georgia State Election Board.  Groups on the left contend that the local election boards are supposed to be less involved, pointing to a 1947 Georgia Supreme Court ruling in the case of Thompson v. Talmadge. That decision said those boards have “no discretionary power except to determine if the returns are in proper form and executed by the proper officials and to pronounce the mathematical result, unless additional authority is expressed.” “The GA State Election Board’s election rule changes allow pro-Trump election officials in Georgia’s 159 counties to arbitrarily refuse to certify election results,” Max Flugrath, communications director for the Georgia-based liberal group Fair Fight Action, posted on X. “This conflicts with Georgia law. Experts and judges say certification is ministerial, rather than discretionary.” The GA State Election Board's election rule changes allow pro-Trump election officials in Georgia’s 159 counties to arbitrarily refuse to certify election results. This conflicts with Georgia law. Experts and judges say certification is ministerial, rather than discretionary.— Max Flugrath?? (@MaxFlugrath) August 14, 2024 However, GOP state board member Johnston noted that existing Georgia law explicitly says local election boards shall “inspect systematically and thoroughly” the conduct of elections.  “Georgia law clearly states that boards are instructed to exercise the powers and perform the duties granted by the legislature to ensure that elections are conducted honestly, efficiently, and uniformly,” Johnston told The Daily Signal, adding: “In recent years, there seems to have been a perceived loss of authority of some county boards, to the extent that some boards were expected to ‘certify’ elections with no participation in the canvass or review of election documents.” The post ‘Kindergarten Math’: Georgia Considers Rule to Match Counted Votes With Counted Voters appeared first on The Daily Signal.

ESPN Cleaning Conservative House Again: Sam Ponder Out

ESPN has reportedly let go of two its most recognizable on-air personalities: Samantha Ponder and Robert Griffin III.On Thursday afternoon, Andrew Marchand of the Athletic reported on X that ESPN had fired Ponder and RGIII to cut costs.ESPN has fired hundreds of employees in the past several years as part of larger restructuring efforts. However, this fiscal year, Ponder and Griffin appear to be the only ones getting the boot, Marchand noted.Griffin, a former Heisman winner who spent several seasons in the NFL, most notably with the Washington Redskins, joined the network in 2021 and still had two years left on his contract.He had also recently been demoted from his role on "Monday Night Countdown," according to the New York Post.Griffin also appears to be taking the news in stride, posting to X a short, humorous clip from the movie "Friday" in which character Willie Jones asks his son Craig: "How the hell you gonna get fired on your day off?"'She had the wrong politics and dumping her salary frees up cap space for ESPN to overpay Stephen A Smith.'Ponder's apparent firing is more surprising. She has been with the network since 2011 working as a sideline reporter. She made frequent appearances on the hit show "College GameDay" and eventually become the host of "Sunday Night Countdown."However, she has also repeatedly criticized male infiltration into sports and teams reserved for women and girls."What's happening to women in sports is insane," Ponder tweeted in April 2023, "and any reasonable person knows it."A month later, she expressed support for those cowed into silence on the topic out of "fear of lost employment/being called hateful.""It is not hateful to demand fairness in sports for girls." — (@) Now, many believe that Ponder is the one who has "lost employment" for demanding "fairness in sports for girls." Awful Announcing noted that she had "increasingly strayed" from ESPN's request that on-air personalities "stick to sports."Riley Gaines also weighed in, noting that with former "SportsCenter" co-host Sage Steele gone as well, the Worldwide Leader in Sports now has no woman there who wants to preserve women's sports for women only."So ESPN fires @samponder, the only woman at the network who was publicly said men don't belong in women's sports. 3 weeks before football season?" Gaines wrote. "Sam is one of the most beautiful, genuine women I've ever met along with @sagesteele who had a similar fate....not a coincidence."Bobby Burack of OutKick agreed, telling Blaze News that it makes no sense for ESPN to fire Ponder, whom he described as ESPN's "lead NFL host," three weeks before the NFL season kicks off just to save a few bucks."Keep in mind, Sam Ponder was the only woman left at ESPN who has publicly rejected the idea that we should celebrate men for calling themselves 'trans' and competing against women in female competition," Burack told Blaze News. Jason Whitlock, host of BlazeTV's "Fearless," also indicated to Blaze News that Ponder's "politics" almost certainly played a role in the decision."A lot of factors at work with ESPN releasing Sam Ponder," Whitlock told Blaze News. "She had the wrong politics and dumping her salary frees up cap space for ESPN to overpay Stephen A Smith."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Georgia police said a man already facing charges for allegedly starving his daughter to death will face additional charges after he attacked another inmate in jail and was stabbed with his own makeshift weapon. 32-year-old Rodney McWeay was already facing a list of charges related to the death of 4-year-old Treasure McWeay and torture of other family members. He will face additional charges for allegedly attacking an inmate in an attempt to steal his belongings. 'He dropped the shank ... I picked it up and stabbed him with it.' The Atlanta Police Department said officers were called to Hughes Spalding Children's Healthcare of Atlanta on Dec. 11 after the child was brought in found to be extremely malnourished. She was pronounced dead soon after. An autopsy found that the girl weighed only 25 pounds at the time of her death, and a detective described her as being "pure bone." Police interviewed McWeay, and after searching his squalid apartment they found there were only expired eggs and expired milk at the home. Three children lived at the home, and police said they could not find clothing for them. McWeay was charged with murder, first-degree child cruelty, second-degree child cruelty, kidnapping, and false imprisonment. He is charged with three more felonies over the attempted robbery. His would-be victim was identified as Durricor Humphrey, who is also in jail on charges of murder. "Yeah, I stabbed him," said Humphrey in an incident report. "He came in my room with a shank and tried to rob me for my store," he continued. "We got to tussling ... He dropped the shank ... I picked it up and stabbed him with it."Officials found McWeay with deep wounds to his cheek, neck, shoulder, and two wounds in his back. Humphrey was not charged but faced disciplinary action. WAGA-TV reported that the investigation concluded officials of the Division of Family and Children Services could have prevented the girl's death had they coordinated better with Atlanta police. Here's a YouTube news video report from WAGA. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

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