In a year full of pandemic pressures and social unrest, a coalition of Zachary neighbors found new connections, shared fitness goals, and a way to socialize safely while on the move. They are the Zachary Community Riders and thats how they roll.

The Zachary Community Riders come from different walks of life, represent all ages groups and are racially diverse. The love of hitting the road on a bike and meeting new friends is the glue keeping them together and growing.

The group met Saturday at LSU Lakes after two rides in the week that left from the Zachary Community Park. After Saturdays ride, the Community Riders had logged more than 100 miles in the month of August.

Founder Serrita Givens was on a personal mission long before the pandemic turned attention to health concerns. Her wake-up call came in the fall of 2018. I was 320 pounds in September of 2018 and I knew I had to lose weight it was hard to breath and exercise, I was lazy, and just the extra weight was holding me down, she said. So, one day I just decided that I had to get fit.

Givens turned to social media to help find other people to exercise with her and support each other. She found a community of mothers and women interested in walking. The slogan Get Fit with Ree became a battle cry for Givens and a newfound group of supporters.

The group expanded its reach and methods in early summer. Bike riding was added to change the exercise pace and attract more people and families looking for ways to get out, get exercise, and safely practice social distancing under the sky instead of confined under a roof. I just kept the name attached it to the Community Riders because we're still getting Fit with Ree, but we're just doing it another way, Givens said.

Heather Steinberger has only been in Zachary for four years so she could relate to the need meet new friends while also on a similar weight-loss journey. She moved from San Antonio, Texas, and will often ride with her three children making the Community Riders a family affair as well as a way to pursue health goals. I had to drop some pounds and I set a weight loss goal is 100 pounds, she said. I've already dropped 40 since last year just by diet alone. Now I'm working in the exercise part of it.

Richard Wilkinson is a lifelong resident of Zachary, but he had a need to do something different and connect when he started riding with the group a month ago. I was riding to meet people and to get out the house, he said. Now I can't stop; I gotta go ride.

Kathy Hale and Kelli Harrison are new to Zachary, but not to each other. The Hale and Harrison families moved to Zachary from Vermont a year ago. Both of their husbands relocated to work at the River Bend Nuclear Power Station. Their families have a strong connection to each other, and they sought to develop ties in their new community.

Moving here and only knowing Kelli in this entire state, I wanted to join something, Hale said. And I had been a part of a group for over 12 years and I thought about starting another book group, and then the pandemic and I realized that wasn't probably going to happen.

Hale worked as a recreation therapist for more than 35 years, so she had a strong desire to find some physically active and outdoors. She hadnt formed ties with anyone on her street and saw the Get Fit with Ree social media post. I reached out to her because she wanted to start a multiracial, multigenerational group, and I was all up for that, Hale said. So, it was a win-win to know that all these great people and we're doing our part to find common bonds as we get to know everybody, and its a wonderful thing.

Givens has connected her family with other families in the riding group. Her son, Darryl, is a linebacker on the Zachary High Football team and he joined his mother Saturday to loosen up his legs and work on endurance. Givens brother, Jason, is a teacher and health enthusiast. He adds advice on bike routes while supporting his sisters health and fitness goals.

The group got a boost in support after the development of the Community Unity Project in Zachary. The social justice organization has held marches, forums and community discussions as national attention was sparked following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. The two groups seem to have different missions, but they shared a need to bring people in the community together and develop both relationships and alliance. CUPs core leaders are young, so many participate in both sets of activities.

The riders meet three days a week Tuesdays and Thursdays evenings at the Zachary Community Park on Scenic Highway and they take the show on the road to different routes on Saturday mornings. For more information or to connect, look for Zachary Community Riders on Facebook.

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Community Riders find the wheel to form bonds, stay fit - The Advocate

Picture this:You live in rural Arkansas and tragedy strikes. A family member has fallen ill with that contagious respiratory illness that has already killed so many but you dont have enough space in your small home to quarantine them in a room of their own. Your relatives case doesnt appear to be life-threatening, but you are terrified that their persistent cough will spread the illness to more vulnerable family members. You call the local public health authority to see if there is room in local hospitals, and they explain that they are all stretched too thin with emergency cases. There are private facilities, but you cant afford those.

Not to worry, you are told:A crew will be by shortly to set up a sturdy, well-ventilated, portable, tiny house in your yard. Once installed, your family member will be free to convalesce in comfort. You can deliver home-cooked meals to their door and communicate through open windows and a trained nurse will be by for regular examinations. And no, there will be no charge for the house.

This is not a dispatch from some future functional United States, one with a government capable of caring for its people in the midst of spiraling economic carnage and a public health emergency. Its a dispatch from this countrys past, a time eight decades ago when it similarly found itself in the two-fisted grip of an even deeper economic crisis (the Great Depression), and a surging contagious respiratory illness (tuberculosis).

Yet the contrast between how U.S. state and federal government met those challenges in the 1930s, and how they are failing so murderously to meet them now, could not be starker. Those tiny houses are just one example, but they are a revelatory one for the sheer number of problems those humble structures attempted to solve at once.

Known as isolation huts, the little clapboard houses were distributed to poor families in several states. Small enough to fit on the back of a trailer, they had just enough space for a bed, chair, dresser, and stove, and were outfitted with large screened-in windows and shutters to maximize the flow of fresh air and sunshine considered essential for TB recovery.

As physical structures, the TB huts were an elegant answer to the public health challenges posed by crowded homes on the one hand and expensive private sanatoriums on the other. If houses were unable to accommodate safe patient quarantines, then the state, with Washingtons help, would just bring an addition to those houses for the duration of the illness.

Its worth letting that sink in, given the learned helplessness that pervades the U.S. today. For months, the White House hasnt been able to figure out how to roll out free Covid-19 tests at anything like the scale required, let alone contact tracing, never mind quarantine support for poor families. Yet in the 1930s, during a much more desperate economic time for the country, state and federal agencies cooperated to deliver not just free tests but free houses.

And that is only the beginning of what makes it worth dwelling on the TB huts . The cabins themselves were built by very young men in their late teens and early20s who were out of work and had signed up for the National Youth Administration. The State Board of Health furnishes the materials for these cottages and NYA supplies the labor, explained Betty and Ernest Lindley, authors of a 1938 history of the program. The total average cost of one hut is $146.28, or about $2,700 in todays dollars.

The TB cabins were just one of thousands upon thousands of projects taken on by the 4.5 million young people who joined the NYA: a vast program started in 1935 that paired young people in economic need, who could not find jobs in the private sector, with publicly minded work that needed doing. They gained marketable skills, while earning money that allowed many to stay, or return to, high school or college. Other NYA projects including building some of the countrys most iconic urban parks, repairing thousands of dilapidated schools and outfitting them with playgrounds; and stocking classrooms with desks, lab tables, and maps the young workers had made and painted themselves. NYA workers built huge outdoor pools and artificial lakes, trained to be teaching and nursing aides, and even built entire youth centers and small schools from scratch, often while living together in resident centers.

A group of men planting trees during a Civilian Conservation Corps project on the Nett Lake Reservation in Minnesota.

Photo: MPI/Getty Images

The NYA served as a kind of urban complement to FDRs better-known youth program, the Civilian Conservation Corps, launched two years earlier. The CCC employed some 3 million young men from poor families to work in forests and farms: planting more than 2 billion trees, shoring up rivers from erosion, and building the infrastructure for hundreds of state parks. They lived together in a network of camps, sent money home to their families, and put on weight at a time when malnutrition was epidemic. Both the NYA and the CCC served a dual purpose: directly helping the young people involved, who found themselves in desperate straights, and meeting the countrys most pressing needs, whether for reforested lands or more hands in hospitals.

Like all New Deal programs, the NYA and CCC were stained by racial segregation and discrimination. And the gender roles were lets just say that the girls discovered they could sew, can, and heal; and the boys discovered they could plant, build, and weld. Black girls in particular were streamed into domestic work.

Yet the scale of these two programs, which together altered the lives of well over 7 million young people over the course of a decade, puts contemporary governments to shame. Today, millions upon millions of young people are beginning their adulthood with the ground collapsing beneath their feet. The service jobs so many young adults depend on for rent and to pay off student debt have vanished. Many of the industries they had hoped to enter are firing, not hiring. Internships and apprenticeships have been canceled via mass emails, and promised job offers have been revoked.

These economic losses, combined with the decision of many colleges and universities to close residences and move online, have abruptly severed countless young adults from their support systems, pushed many into homelessness, and others back into their childhood bedrooms. Many of the homes young people now find themselves in are under severe economic strain and are not safe or welcoming, with LGBTQ youth at heightened risk.

All of this is layered on top of the pain of the virus itself, which has spread grief and loss through millions of families. And that is now mixing with the trauma of tremendous police violence directed at crowds of mostly young Black Lives Matter demonstrators, compounding the murderous events that precipitated the protests in the first place. In the background, as always, is the shadow of climate breakdown, not to mention the fact that when members of this generation first heard terms like lockdown and shelter in place related to the pandemic, many of their minds immediately turned to the terrorizing active shooter drills U.S. schools have had them practicing since early childhood.

It should be little wonder, then, that depression, anxiety, and addiction are ravaging young lives.

According to a survey conducted by National Center for Health Statistics and the Census Bureau last month, 53 percent of people aged 18-29 reported symptoms of anxiety and/or depression. Fifty-three percent. Thats more than 13 percentage points higher than the rest of the population, which itself was off the charts compared with this time last year.

And that still may be a dramatic undercount. Mental Health America, part of the National Health Council, released a report in June based on surveys of nearly 5 million Americans. It found that younger populations including teens and young adults (25<) are being hit particularly hard by the pandemic, with 90 percent experiencing symptoms of depression.

Some of that suffering is finding expression in another invisible crisis of the Covid era: a dramatic increase in drug overdoses, with some parts of the country reporting increases over last year of 50 percent. It should all be a reminder that when we talk about being in the midst of a cataclysm on par with the Great Depression, it isnt only GDP and employment rates that are depressed. Huge numbers of people are depressed as well, particularly young people.

This is, of course, a global crisis. U.N. Secretary-General Antnio Guterres recently warned that the world faces a generational catastrophe that could waste untold human potential, undermine decades of progress, and exacerbate entrenched inequalities. In a video message, he said, We are at a defining moment for the worlds children and young people. The decisions that governments and partners take now will have lasting impact on hundreds of millions of young people, and on the development prospects of countries for decades to come.

As in the 1930s, this generation is already being referred to as a lost generation but compared to the Great Depression, almost nothing is being done to find them, certainly not at the governmental level in the U.S. There are no ambitious and creative programs being designed to offer steady income beyond expanded summer job programs, and nothing designed to arm them with useful skills for the Covid and climate change era. All Washington has offered is a temporary break on student loan repayments, set to expire this fall.

Young people are discussed, of course. But it is almost exclusively to shame them for Covid partying. Or to debate (usually in their absence) the question of whether or not they will be permitted to learn in-person in classrooms, or whether they will have to stay home, glued to screens. Yet what the Depression era teaches us is that these are not the only possible futures we should be considering for people in their late teens and 20s, especially as we come to grips with the reality that Covid-19 is going to be reshaping our world for a long time to come. Young people can do more than go to school or stay home; they can also contribute enormously to the healing of their communities.

While guest hosting Intercepted this week, I dug into what it would take to launch youth employment programs on the scale on the NYA and CCC programs that, like their predecessors, addressed broad social needs while giving young people cash, skills training, and opportunities to work and possibly live in each others company. Put another way: What are the modern day equivalents of the home-delivered, NYA-built tuberculosis isolation hut?

Delving back in the history of New Deal youth programs, I was struck by how many of its projects have direct application to todays most urgent needs. For instance, the NYA made huge and historic contributions to the countrys educational infrastructure, with a particular emphasis on low-income school districts, while training many young women as teaching assistants. It also provided significant reinforcements for an ailing public health system, training battalions of young people to serve as nursing aides in public hospitals.

Two members of the Fire Department of New Yorks Emergency Medical Team wheel in a patient with potentially fatal coronavirus to the Elmhurst Hospital Center in the Queens borough of New York City on March 30, 2020.

Photo: Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images

Its easy to imagine how similar programs today could simultaneously address the youth unemployment crisis and play a significant role in battling the virus. As just one example: We sure could use some of those nursing aides if there is a new surge of the virus this winter. A New York Times investigation last month quoted several doctors and nurses who are convinced that significant numbers of the Covid-19 deaths that took place in New Yorks public hospitals could have been prevented if they had been adequately staffed. In emergency rooms where the patient-to-nurse ratio should not have been higher than 4 to 1, one public hospital was trying to get by with 23 to 1; others werent doing much better. Nightmare stories have emerged of disoriented patients pulling themselves off of oxygen machines and other vital equipment, trying to get up, and with no one there to stop them, dying alone. More nurses would have made all the difference.

Then there are the public schools, similarly understaffed after decades of cutbacks, that will be trying to enforce social distancing this year. If we werent in such a rush to get back to a bleak and diminished version of normal, there would be time for a NYA-style program to train thousands of young adults to help reduce class sizes and supervise kids in outdoor education programs.

And since we know that the safest place to gather is still outdoors, some college-age students could pick up the work begun by the NYA and expand the national infrastructure of trails, picnic areas, outdoor pools, campsites, urban parks, and wilderness trails. Thousands more could be enrolled in a rebooted CCC to restore forests and wetlands, helping draw planet-warming carbon out of the atmosphere.

Creating these kinds of programs would be complex, and costly. But the individual and collective benefits would be immeasurable. And as was the case during the Great Depression, many young people would be given the chance to do something they desperately want and need to do right now: Get the hell out of their childhood homes and live with their peers.

On Intercepted, I spoke about this prospect with Neil Maher, professor of history at Rutgers UniversityNewark and the author of a definitive history of the Civilian Conservation Corps, Natures New Deal. He told me that in his research into the CCC, he came across many participants describing their time in the program as a kind of sleepaway camp or even an outdoor university: a unique chance to live collectively, away from their families and the city, and become adults. But unlike so many actual university campuses that cant reopen safely given the daily commutes of faculty, staff, and many students modern-day CCC-inspired camps could be designed as Covid bubbles.

The program would have to test participants on the way in, quarantine anyone who tested positive for two weeks, and then everyone would stay at the camp until the job was done (or at least their part of it). It could be that rare triple win: Heal some of the damage done to our ravaged planet, offer an economic and social lifeline to people in need, and design what might be one of the most Covid-safe workplaces around.

In the panic about this lost generation, there has been a lot of talk about how there is no work for young people. But that is a lie. There is no end of meaningful work that desperately needs doing in our schools, hospitals, and on the land. We just need to create the jobs.

Read more from the original source:
How Not to Lose the Lockdown Generation - The Intercept

After the last 16 wrapped up over the weekend and several big teams bowed out early -- Juventus even changed managers after losing to Lyon -- we are down to the final eight, competing in Lisbon, for the 2019-20 Champions League.

The format has been altered in light of the coronavirus pandemic, with the traditional "two-legged" home-and-away structure for the quarterfinals and semifinals replaced by a simple one-and-done knockout through to the coronation of a winner. There are no more away goals or aggregate scores; instead, we get 90 minutes for a winner to emerge (or, if that doesn't happen, another 30 minutes of extra time followed by a penalty shootout).

Which teams have the best shot of advancing to the semifinals? Which players could be key in settling the quarters? Will Bayern cruise to the trophy, or will a brand-new team win it in 2020?

Consider this your guide to the quarterfinals.

Jump to: Will we get a new champ? | Depay's redemption | Don't sleep on Atalanta | Why Bayern are confident | PSG's best, and worst, chance to win | Key players | Atletico perfect for this competition | Picking the winners

It's a numbers game, isn't it? You have eight teams left. Only two, Bayern Munich and Barcelona, have won it before, and as luck would have it, they play each other on Friday night, which means three of the four semifinalists, come what may, will be sides who have never lifted the European Cup.

Beyond that, there's plenty of evidence to suggest we'll get a new winner, starting with the fact that the format and circumstances are entirely unprecedented. These are single-leg, straight knockout games, and they tend to be less predictable than the standard home-and-away affairs. Everything, of course, is behind closed doors, and everyone will be in a bubble in Portugal. Most of these teams are accustomed to the former, but not the latter, as during their domestic seasons post-lockdown they were still living at home. We're in uncharted waters here.

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But does that mean an underdog will triumph? Not necessarily. Whoever emerges from the heavyweight Bayern vs. Barcelona quarterfinal will still be a favorite. And while neither Paris Saint-Germain nor Manchester City have won it before, given their spending over the past decade and the fact that they've been Champions League knockout-stage regulars, you wouldn't describe either as an underdog.

Those four clubs are all in the global top six when it comes to spending on salaries, so it's not particularly romantic, but it's fair to say that while the others aren't exactly "superclubs," they aren't all minnows either. Atletico Madrid have reached the final twice in the past decade, but they revel in the ugly, street-fighting underdog status, partly thanks to Diego Simeone, partly because they share a hometown with the game's ultimate blue bloods, Real Madrid.

Leipzig have been in the German top flight only since 2016 and this is only their second Champions League participation, but theirs isn't quite the romantic upstart tale, which is why so many traditional fans dislike them. Or, more accurately, they might admire their state-of-the-art scouting, entertaining football and high-energy style, but lament their heavy reliance on corporate sponsorship. They're underdogs of a different sort, more like outcasts.

Never fear, though -- Atalanta and Olympique Lyonnais fit the underdog tag to a tee. The former's wage bill is less than a tenth that of PSG, whom they face on Wednesday. But they've punched way above their weight the past few seasons, playing an all-out attacking style that has seen them outscore almost everybody in Europe's top five leagues.

As for Lyon, because the French league was abandoned in March, they've played only two competitive games in the past five months. They also had a rough domestic campaign, changing managers in the fall and finishing seventh. Nevertheless, they managed to knock out a heavyweight, Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus, in the round of 16. If you want to root for the (relatively) little guy, go for one of those two. -- Gab Marcotti

When Memphis Depay left Manchester United for Lyon in January 2017, it was as much to do with the Dutch forward's commitment and attitude as his performances on the pitch which, for a 25m signing, were consistent only in terms of their mediocrity. Louis van Gaal, United's manager at the time, believed he could mould Depay into a team player, having worked with him during his spell as Netherlands coach, but when the then-21-year-old reacted to being dropped to the reserves by turning up for the game in a Rolls Royce while wearing a cowboy hat, it was clear that he had some growing up to do.

United proved to be the wrong club at the wrong time for Depay, but moving to Lyon has been his salvation and the 26-year-old will lead the French team's Champions League assault in Lisbon having come of age with Les Gones.

Depay was handed the captaincy by coach Rudi Garcia earlier this season -- a remarkable turn of events to those who knew him at Old Trafford -- but a cruciate ligament injury suffered in December halted his progress at Lyon, threatening to both end his season and force him out of Euro 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic, which led to both Ligue 1 and Euro 2020 being canceled, has inadvertently led to Depay being able to return to action, however, and his penalty in the round of 16 second-leg tie against Juventus in Turin proved to be the decisive goal that sent Lyon through to the quarterfinals on the away goals rule.

Lyon will now face Manchester City in Estadio Jose Alvalade on Saturday and Depay will go into the game knowing he already has haunted his former club's neighbours in the Champions League. Back in September 2018, Depay created the goal for Nabil Fekir for Lyon's shock 2-1 group-stage win at the Etihad before providing the assists for both of Maxwel Cornet's goals in the 2-2 draw in the return game in France two months later.

City were probably expecting to face another former United No. 7 (Juve's Ronaldo) in the quarterfinals, but they should not feel a sense of relief that it will be Depay instead.

Unusually for United, they insisted on a buy-back clause in the deal that took Depay to Lyon three years ago. They knew what he was capable of in the right circumstances and he has clearly found himself in Lyon. -- Mark Ogden

If footballing aesthetics are your thing, then Atalanta are playing arguably the most beautiful football in Europe at this point in time. But speak to those who have followed the club for years and they're pinching themselves that their beloved Atalanta, so often the outsiders in every competition, are considered genuine Champions League contenders.

Having lost their Champions League opener 4-0 away at Dinamo Zagreb, they somehow edged through the group before dispatching Valencia 8-4 on aggregate in the second round, a pair of games that gained added notoriety in light of the coronavirus pandemic. This is all very new for the Nerazzurri faithful. Though they finished third in each of the past two seasons, they were traditionally a more midtable Serie A side, operating on a low budget and the equivalent of easy prey for other bigger footballing vultures. Their last major trophy was in 1961 when they won the Coppa Italia, but they're now the envy of much of Europe, perhaps this season's "neutrals' favorite" as Ajax were in 2018-19.

Atalanta's 3-4-1-2 formation is focused on overloading their opponents, with the midfielders there to dictate exactly which areas of the pitch they need to be playing in. It creates both space and opportunity -- their speed in transition involves shifting the point of attack from left to right, and vice versa, creating space in the middle of the pitch for the brilliant roaming Alejandro "Papu" Gomez, Josip Ilicic, Luis Muriel and Duvan Zapata. This tactical trickery is to manager Gian Piero Gasperini's immense credit; he has moulded this team so the players can interchange positions in the blink of an eye, while making them structurally elusive to stop consistently.

This season, Atalanta scored the most goals in Serie A (98, third most in Europe's top five leagues), had the most shots on target and third-most chances (535 -- behind Manchester City and Napoli). In short, they will give PSG a real run for their money with a squad that cost 94m, less than half what their opponents paid for Neymar.

But equally, this is unknown territory for them. They've never been in the Champions League before this season, and they're only a couple of injuries away from trouble -- they are already potentially without Ilicic for the PSG game due to personal reason. While many pundits expected them to bow out gracefully, Atalanta are quietly adamant they will be a force come the final throes of this competition. The scariest thing for PSG? Atalanta have nothing to lose.

"We can beat anyone over a single leg," said Atalanta midfielder Remo Freuler. "We believe in our chances, of course, otherwise we wouldn't even bother going to Lisbon." -- Tom Hamilton

1:22

Steve Nicol is surprised Bayern Munich dominated Chelsea despite time off after their Bundesliga season ended.

Bayern Munich are second-favourites to lift the trophy, and when you talk to those who were part of the 2013 class that won the Champions League, you'll learn about two key factors that must swing in your favour if you are to conquer Europe.

Firstly, according to Bayern Munich centre back Jerome Boateng, you need "a little bit of luck." Then you need to have a "strong mentality," with everyone pulling in one direction. He thinks of Liverpool last year: "They were a little family sticking together." But while Bayern are now in unison, earlier in the season they were a disconnected bunch.

Boateng was one of the club's more experienced players, like Thomas Muller, who, back when the 2019-20 season was still in its infancy, found himself on the periphery of the squad under previous manager Niko Kovac. They were contemplating life away from Bayern, but now, under Hansi Flick, as Boateng reflects on winning his eighth straight Bundesliga and their Champions League aspirations, he smiles as he talks about his coach.

"He [Flick] brought back the joy for us as a team to play football, to have fun," Boateng says. And they play like they're having fun, too: lightning-quick fullbacks, ridiculously talented midfielders, wingers sprinting infield to attack the middle and then Robert Lewandowski, arguably the most prolific striker in world football, leading the attack.

But do not underestimate the importance of Boateng and that partnership with Manuel Neuer. The experienced centre-back has seen it all in a rich and varied career, and he possesses a level-headed personality that gives the impression he is internally evaluating all potential influencing factors in the remaining rounds of the Champions League. He personally feels fitness will be king, with Bayern ideally playing four games in 15 days through to the final.

"At the end, whoever wins will say, we won the Champions League with this kind of little tournament, it was different but we made it," Boateng says. "I think every season of course has its own story and to win this Champions League ... it's really hard work and it's special." -- Tom Hamilton

1:10

Frank Leboeuf says Kylian Mbappe will make the final call on playing in PSG's Champions League match.

Thomas Tuchel has been at PSG for only two years, but on Wednesday night, he neatly explained the dynamic between the club and the Champions League.

"Every time we get close to a Champions League game, something negative happens. I don't know why," the German said. Through the years, even going back to the pre-QSI era, PSG's European campaigns have often been jinxed by injuries, suspensions, mistakes, pressure and the stress of sky-high expectations. This season is no different.

If you look at the season as a whole and where the team is now, with the progress made in the past 12 months, how Neymar and Kylian Mbappe have been playing, how they finally have a top goalkeeper in Keylor Navas, there's a lot of optimism that this could finally be the year. The draw was kind to them. The one-legged games will take away all the ghosts of the humiliating remontadas they suffered last season against Manchester United at home in the last 16, and in 2017 away at Barcelona at the same stage. Over 90 minutes, the French champions are certainly capable of beating anyone. We saw it when they destroyed Bara 4-0, Bayern 3-0 and Real Madrid 3-0 in the past three years.

With their Brazilian superstar and their French prodigy, they have two of the best players in the world, each capable of winning a game on their own. Neymar has never been happier in Paris; he finally feels at home, and the club is hoping that they could renew his deal, just like they did Mbappe's. The atmosphere inside the dressing room is also the best it's ever been. That's why, collectively, they have become better on the pitch too.

They still naturally rely a lot on the individual brilliance of Neymar and Mbappe, but the impact that Angel Di Maria had this season, the output of Pablo Sarabia and the creative talent of Marco Verratti have made the team stronger as a unit. And in Mauro Icardi, they have one of the best finishers in the game if he gets the service he needs.

Strong defensively, balanced in midfield, exceptional offensively and with a manager who hopefully would have learned from his mistakes of last season, with great momentum after winning a domestic treble and a favourable draw: all the lights should be green for PSG. And yet, it's the worst time for them to finally win this Champions League.

The decision taken by the French league to stop Ligue 1 while the rest of Europe's top leagues eventually concluded safely means that the Parisians have played only two competitive games in five months.

Equally, PSG will struggle even more because they won't have their strongest side out. First, Mbappe was the victim of a mistimed but horrible tackle from Loic Perrin against Saint-Etienne. He is a huge doubt for Wednesday's game. After losing Neymar from January and February onward in the past two seasons, PSG really wanted to avoid losing another of their stars. Without the Frenchman, this is a totally different team given the added pressure on Neymar. Then defender Thilo Kehrer hurt his back and broke a bone in his ear, Layvin Kurzawa is out (hamstring) and to top it all, Verratti injured his calf at training last week and should miss the quarterfinal. Even if Mbappe and Verratti can play, they won't be 100 percent for the game and it will be a much weaker PSG side as a result.

On top of that, the club was hoping that the out-of-contract trio, Thiago Silva, Edinson Cavani and Thomas Meunier, would stay to finish the season; PSG were also hoping to keep the very promising Tanguy Kouassi at the club. Only Silva will be there to face Atalanta. Kouassi left on a free transfer to Bayern Munich, while Cavani and Meunier declined the offer of a two-month extension. If you add that Di Maria is suspended, it means that PSG have gone from high hopes and ambition to gloom and pessimism.

All the recent setbacks and bad news will certainly make their life harder. But considering PSG are a club that's never ceased to amaze, both in good and bad ways, you can never say never. -- Julien Laurens

1:42

The FC guys weigh-in on whether Clement Lenglet should've been called for a push before netting Barca's opener.

Single-game knockout rounds tend to lend themselves to impactful individuals imposing themselves on the action, so we asked pro scout Tor-Kristian Karlsen to look at a trio of players who could be especially significant next week.

Alejandro "Papu" Gomez, FW, Atalanta: Although highly respected in Italy, the creative Argentine attacking midfielder still hasn't quite achieved the worldwide recognition he deserves. Gomez is a technically brilliant player, full of lovely little touches and layoffs, with the ability take on opponents in wide and central areas, set up teammates or finish with a thunderous shot. Perhaps somewhat underappreciated due to never having played for one of the established Italian giants, Gomez has earned only four caps for his country.

Now, at 32, Gomez is playing the football of his life, and Atalanta's chances of causing an upset against PSG rest heavily on their inspirational captain.

Emil Forsberg, MF/FW, RB Leipzig: Once regarded as one of the most exciting, up-and-coming players in the German Bundesliga, the Swedish winger/attacking midfielder hasn't quite managed to push on from his excellent 2016-17 season when he topped the assist charts with an impressive 22. Even so, Forsberg is still an outstanding footballer, and while Timo Werner has grabbed the headlines (and since gone to join new team Chelsea), the 28-year-old does have the technical ability and touch of class to make a valuable contribution -- be it a brilliant cross or a well-executed direct free kick -- when it matters the most.

He scored Leipzig's first-ever Champions League goal (vs. Monaco in 2017-18) and will need to have a big game as a possible fulcrum in Leipzig's attack.

Renan Lodi, DF, Atletico Madrid: The left-back had the most traumatic of La Liga debuts when he was sent off before half-time against Getafe in August last year. Then followed a period of inconsistency and frequent displays of defensive frailty, but Diego Simeone stuck with the young Brazilian. Renan Lodi is no longer a weak spot and has since established himself as a regular in the Atletico Madrid side. The 21-year-old masters both phases of the game; he loves defending (and an old-fashioned tackle), is able to deliver crosses from advanced positions and is smart and technically gifted enough to engage in combinational play. He was man of the match in the Champions League home leg against Liverpool. -- Tor-Kristian Karlsen

Does it heighten your suspicion that Atletico might be the "shock" winners of this redesigned tournament if you know that under Simeone, they've never lost a knockout Champions League tie or match unless Ronaldo's been in the other team? If nothing else, it should certainly heighten your appreciation of the Argentinian coach.

Of course, Atleti lost two finals to Ronaldo-inspired Real Madrid teams, plus a semifinal and a quarterfinal. Then, last season, it was Ronaldo's hat trick for Juve that dumped Los Rojiblancos out at the first knockout stage.

So is the fact that Ronaldo and Juve flopped last week and aren't in Lisbon a hint that nothing can stand in Atleti's way now?

That has to be too big a conclusion given Simeone still has a fitness concern over a key player, Thomas Partey, and ongoing calibration required to get the best out of his decent array of attacking players. The likelihood, you'd say, is that he doesn't double down on his post-lockdown idea that Alvaro Morata and Diego Costa don't work well enough as a starting pair. Meaning, in all likelihood, that Costa is preferred up front, potentially with Marcos Llorente as his partner. In fact, there's a good chance that this is his starting XI against RB Leipzig: Jan Oblak; Santiago Arias, Stefan Savic, Jose Gimnez, Renan Lodi; Angel Correa, Koke, Sal, Yannick Carrasco; Costa, Llorente.

Realistically, Atleti are one of those sides who lose something with the absence of a home crowd. The brand-new Wanda Metropolitano might not be quite as rabidly passionate as the Calderon was, but those fans are special, and they help. The huge plus for Atleti in one-off matches is that they're awfully hard to beat, starting with a keeper in Oblak who often plays like he's the best in the world in that position. There have been three Champions League/European Cup finals for Atleti and three terrible "sob" stories thanks to two extra-time equalisers from opponents to deny victory, and a heartbreaking penalty shootout loss. This might just be the panacea year. -- Graham Hunter

Last, but not least, we have predictions! Which teams will be left standing in Lisbon? Here are our best guesses.

PSG vs. Atalanta (Wednesday): Before the coronavirus stoppage, PSG had been one of the three most dominant teams in the Champions League field thus far, generating 19 points from eight matches (third best) with an average goal differential of +2.0 per match (second best). EloFootball.com ranks them third in Europe, too. But March was a long time ago, and Atalanta played a lot of matches, at a solid level, this summer. If the layoff, and Mbappe's absence, don't matter, PSG is a solid favorite.

RB Leipzig vs. Atletico Madrid (Thursday): This is a stylistically fascinating matchup, and it might be the most statistically tight, too. FiveThirtyEight gives RBL a 52% chance of advancing, while Atletico has a slight edge per EloFootball. Atleti's form was better after the summer restart, though, and while Leipzig should be formidable again next season, they haven't yet had an opportunity to replace new Chelsea addition Timo Werner. That alone probably tips the scales in favor of the 2014 and 2016 finalists.

Bayern Munich vs. Barcelona (Friday): Despite the seemingly nonstop existential crisis around Messi and co, there's nothing inherently wrong with Barcelona. But Bayern has played like one of the top two teams in Europe for much of the past nine months, while Barca has been merely very good. Bayern had the best post-restart goal differential among the top leagues, and they have yet to suffer a single blemish in the Champions League. They would be favored against anyone except maybe Manchester City, and it's no different here.

Manchester City vs. Lyon (Saturday): Here's your David vs. Goliath matchup. FiveThirtyEight ranks Manchester City and Lyon as the No. 1 and No. 40 teams in Europe, respectively. For context, Lyon ranks between Everton and Sheffield United, two teams that were outscored by Man City by a combined 8-2 in four Premier League matchups this season. City have had an attention span problem this year, suffering about one baffling loss per month during the Premier League season, but that's really the only thing you can reference to think Lyon's got a chance. -- Bill Connelly

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Champions League quarterfinal preview, predictions and the sleeper team to watch hint Atalanta - ESPN

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After declaring 2020 the year of me, Kelly Osbourne revealed that shes dropped 85 pounds after sharing a selfie to Instagram.

Today Im feeling #Gucci, Osbourne wrote in the caption, rocking a chic updo and full face of glam. Many fans called out how the reality TV star looks just like her mom, Sharon Osbourne, in the photo.

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Other fans took notice of Osbournes transformation, and the reality TV star let everyone in on her secret. The Real co-host Jeannie Mais mother commented Oh my gosh, you lost a lot of weight. Osbourne replied: Thats right mamma Mai I lost 85 lbs since I last saw you. Can you believe it?

In another Instagram Story, Osbourne shared a photo of a clothing tag that reads size 26. Yes, I'm bragging because I worked hard and it feels so good!! she wrote.

Osbournes weight loss comes several months after she declared that she would focus on herself this year. In an Instagram post from December 2019, she admitted that 2019 had been one hell of a year.

In many ways it has been amazing especially in terms of self-growth. In many ways it has been gut-wrenchingly difficult, she wrote alongside a collage of photos. However, through all the good and bad it has been incredibly educational for me. I have come to the realization that I constantly put the needs of others before my own.

Osbourne further explained that she has a fear of conflict. With almost 2 1/2 years of sobriety under my belt I still struggle with confrontation (which was NEVER a problem when I was using) Well this all STOPS today, she said. Its time to put myself first, stop taking on other peoples shit, and be the badass sober women I was born to be.

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While Osbourne has yet to reveal the exact routine that led to her weight loss, her personal trainer Lacey Stone opened up to Hollywood Life about her go-to high intensity interval training (HIIT) workout.

Stones HIIT workout involves squats, lunges, deadlifts, push-ups, dumbbell bicep curl shoulder press, and tricep dips. Id recommend you do a circuit like this 2 to 3 times per week and spin class or any sort of cardio class 2-3/week, she told the outlet.

Shes also a huge fan of spinning and strength training. Spin is a great way to lose pounds, but strength training is an absolute must-have to keep your curves, Stone said. You dont want to do so much cardio that you lose definition and thats why adding a strength component is essential to a weight loss plan even though youd think it adds size; stimulating muscle will really help highlight those curves and definition.

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Kelly Osbourne Says She Worked Hard for Her 85-Pound Weight Loss Transformation - Prevention.com

Amanda Rose, like so many others, had been let down by the weight-loss methods she had tried. Facing a delay in her planned bariatric surgery, she decided to try something new: eating like a bear.

The Delano native who now lives in California Hot Springs has built a social media following with her diet and will now reach a wider audience with her appearance in the new issue of the weekly magazine Woman's World.

In the cover article, she discusses how her plan, which combines principles of keto diet and intermittent fasting, got its unusual moniker.

She told Woman's World, I live in Californias bear country. I know bears feast and hibernate, and as they hibernate, their bodies are fueled by fat. Id tell people I was eating like a bear.

Of course the cornerstone of her diet is not something you'd imagine a bear consuming in the wild. The "ridiculously big salad," or RBS, was what Rose turned to in 2017 when she was looking to lose weight.

At 280 pounds, Rose looked into gastric sleeve surgery to lose weight.

"I was clamoring to get the surgery in spring 2017 but I wasn't able to get in and approved in time," Rose said.

The doctor's schedule and her planned family trip to Wyoming to view the total solar eclipse meant surgery would have to wait six months, which she decided to use to her advantage.

She said, "In that period of time I decided I needed to dial in on the diet. ... I was going to prove to myself that I did everything I could do. I thought about all the diets I had done in the past."

Considering going for low carb and high fiber, she considered a meal that met her needs and was filling. Having heard of success with intermittent fasting, she incorporated that as well, although being a self-described "extreme person," she opted to reduce that eating window to one hour.

"I made a giant salad and it filled me up like it was Thanksgiving. I lost a half a pound a day."

The salad was based in greens, with options including cabbage, iceberg or romaine (Rose said her typical salad consists of two romaine hearts), and 8 ounces of protein (eggs, chicken, fish or meat). Vegetables and other low-carb toppings like nuts, cheese, avocado and bacon are also OK, and it's all topped with homemade dressing. Focused on consuming healthier fats, Rose adjusted mayo-based dressing recipes by substituting Greek yogurt.

With a Ph.D. in political science, Rose said her experience with negotiation theory may have helped her with her weight-loss efforts.

"It's mastering the internal negotiation, when you're facing the doughnut versus the long-term goal."

By January 2018, Rose was down 90 pounds, just 10 pounds from the projected weight loss expected with surgery.

BUILDING THE BEAR COMMUNITY

Family members noticed the change as did some of her fellow Delano High alumni (Class of 1987) when she posted she now weighed less than when she was in school.

Rose shared her journey on social media, including a video, and when others found her online, she started the "Eat Like a Bear!" Facebook group in July 2018. Although there are men in the group, Rose said it's about 95 percent women with 80 percent age 45 and older.

"You would be amazed at the photos and the gray hair. If people ever wonder if you can do it, I had a woman who was 83 and got down to her high school weight."

Although Rose still sticks with that one salad a day, she said others have adapted the method to their own lives (her husband, Sander, eats two meals within a five-hour window and has lost 30 pounds). The key is establishing the intermittent fasting and sticking to low-carb/keto meals.

"I never intended to start a weight-loss platform," she said. "It was all these years of just struggling. Being a weight-loss guru is one of the stupidest things on the planet."

Rose is very supportive of her online community, including her century cases, people who have, like her, lost more than 100 pounds with the method.

And those success stories are what she says got the attention of a freelance writer who pitched the story to Woman's World.

"When I had my interview that was one of the things I really zeroed in on," Rose said of the cases of significant weight loss. "Then we had 30 people who lost 100 pounds. We have 50 now. By early 2021, were going to hit 100."

When she found out she might be a contender for the cover, Rose was excited to prepare for the photo shoot with Jennifer Williams-Cordova of Willis & Williams Design. Photos were shot at her home in California Hot Springs.

Rose was given a style guide with suggested colors to wear. Finding a highlighter-yellow-colored shirt, she realized she might need some support to look her best.

"I looked all busty. When you've lost weight you don't like to look that way. I headed to The Bra Shoppe in Bakersfield. I didn't realize it had reduced hours with COVID. Luckily (owner) Elizabeth (Sotelo) was in there and she had sympathy for me and she did this quick minimizer fitting."

With her website and Facebook community and a new book, Half My Size with The Ridiculously Big Salad," on the way, Rose is excited for people to continue their weight-loss journey.

"They find their own framework. The locus of control of their weight loss is themselves. ... People learn the solution is themselves. It's phenomenal."

Stefani Dias can be reached at 661-395-7488. Follow her on Twitter at @realstefanidias.

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Discovering 'Bear' necessities of weight loss - The Bakersfield Californian

CAESAREA, Israel, Aug. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Epitomee Medical, a privately held biomedical company based in Israel and Nestl Health Science, a global leader in nutritional science, announced that they have entered into a strategic partnership for the commercialization of Epitomee's weight loss product. The Epitomee Capsule is an innovative and patented product with demonstrated efficacy and safety in various preclinical and clinical studies, resulting in significant weight reduction and other beneficial health impacts.It is considered a medical device and will be sold under medical prescription (Rx) in the US and Europe.

Under the terms of the agreement, Epitomee grants Nestl Health Science exclusive and global commercial rights to use the weight loss product. Nestl Health Science will use its global marketing and sales channels to launch the product and bring it to the global market.

Hans-Juergen Woerle, Chief Scientific & Medical Officer of Nestl Health Science, said, "The research and development that Epitomee is doing is very promising. We look forward to working together to realize the commercialization of the product, an innovative approach to reducing weight and managing other associated metabolic health co-morbidities."

Epitomee CEO Dan Hashimshony, PhD commented, "This transformational deal is another recognition of the good science, hard work, commitment, and vision of our team. Nestl Health Science is an ideal strategic partner for Epitomee. This partnership around the Epitomee Capsule will enable the worldwide scale-up this product deserves. Our strategic intent to develop more science-based nutritional health solutions and focus on fighting metabolic disorders."

Shimon Eckhouse PhD chairman of the board and co-founder of Epitomee said "The Epitomee capsule and its associated technology platform is offering, for the first time, a safe and effective solution for almost 1 billion people around the world suffering from over-weight and its comorbidities. We are proud to team up with Nestl Health Sciences to bring our proprietary technology to the large number of people around the globe suffering from metabolic syndrome."

Epitomee Medical Ltd.is a privately held Bio-medical company based in Israel that has developed a proprietary, ingestible device in the form of an easy to administrate capsule that induces a feeling of satiety and reduces caloric intake to address metabolic disorders. The Epitomee gastric retention platform synergistically balances ingestible devices and the body's natural mechanism to tackle some of today's most prevalent chronic diseases at their. Epitomee's first product is drug-free, self-administered shape-shifting Capsule which aims to prevent diabetes, address obesity-related comorbidities, and establish a healthier lifestyle. The company was co-founded by Shimon Eckhouse, PhD.

Nestl Health Science, a wholly owned subsidiary of Nestl, is a globally recognized leader in the field of nutritional science. At Nestl Health Science, we are committed to empowering healthier lives through nutrition for consumers, patients, and their healthcare partners. We offer an extensive consumer health portfolio of industry-leading medical nutrition, as well as consumer and VMS brands that are science-based solutions covering all facets of health, from prevention, to maintenance, and all the way to treatment. Headquartered in Switzerland, Nestl Health Science employs over 5,000 people around the world who are committed to making a difference in people's lives, for a healthier today and tomorrow.

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Epitomee Medical Ltd. and Nestl Health Science Announced Partnership for Development and Commercialization of the Epitomee Weight Loss Capsule -...

A thali can contain more preparations than ten depending on the part of India you are eating in. A typical thali contains a healthy mix of:

Lentils: Dal or sambar depending on if you are in north or south India. It gives the daily dose of protein.

Grains: A grain such as rice or a flatbread like wheat chapati can be served. Some thalis contain both in controlled amounts. They supply the body with healthy carbohydrates and fibre.

Vegetable: A simple preparation made with seasonal vegetable with less oil or spices. They serve as a source of vitamins and minerals.

Raita: Curd mixed with spices and chopped vegetables. A great source of probiotics.

Pickles: Zesty pickles usually made of raw mango, although this one might vary from region to region. They are good for digestion.

Papad: A deep-fried and salted snack made with lentils, tapioca (sabudana), flour or rice. It is a source of protein and carbs.

Chutney: A tangy condiment made with spices, herbs, fruits and even fish or vegetables depending on the region. A source of vitamins and minerals it is.

Drink: The filling meal is topped off with buttermilk, coconut milk-based drink or kokum drink depending on the region. Acts as a great digestive.

Ghee: Mostly added to the chapatis, dal and rice is an excellent source of vitamin A and antioxidants.

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How eating a basic Indian Thali is ideal for weight loss and immunity - Times of India

Weight loss is more than just skipping meals. To be successful in bringing the scales down, you need to put effort into it. You also have to make sure that you are doing it in a healthy way.

However, most people do not have the luxury of time to focus on their weight loss regimen as they go about their everyday lives. So a quick fix would be very much welcome.

Fortunately, there are a lot of options to do just that, and one of them is replacing your breakfast and snacks with smoothies.

But, not all smoothies are healthy. Even the fruits you use for your smoothies have natural sugar, so you have to be sure to use only small portions.

So, what exactly makes a healthy smoothie? A well-concocted smoothie should have proteins, healthy types of carbohydrates, and good fats. It should be able to jumpstart your weight loss with nutrients.

Also, smoothies with the right ingredients can satiate your cravings or make you feel full until the next meal, so you can do away with snacks, according to Kim Pearson, a nutritionist.

Pearson told the Daily Express that to make a healthy smoothie, you should not use fruit juice as the liquid for your smoothie. Instead, use unsweetened nut milk or simply just water.

A good weight loss regimen should be able to regulate your sugar intake. Even naturally occurring sugar such as those in fruits can still be harmful if taken in excess. So, you have to keep the number of fruits you use to no more than two portions.

Adding protein powder to your smoothie will help you feel full longer, said Pearson, which means you will not need a snack until lunch.

The nutritionist also said that adding half of an avocado can satisfy the healthy fat requirement that your smoothie must-have. Or maybe a palmful of seeds, such as linseeds, pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds. You can also use unsweetened nut butter to make your smoothie creamy.

And, one other ingredient that your smoothie must-have is the veggie or the greens. One advantage of having green leafy veggies in your smoothie is that there is less chance of tasting them, that is, if you are not a big vegetable eater.

A smoothie is a good way to start your day and your weight loss regimen. Once you've decided on the ingredients, it will be easy and quick to make. And, you can also make different flavors every day.

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Weight Loss: How to make smoothies healthy and help in shedding excess pounds - EconoTimes