Covid-19: Super Flu or a Mild Cold?
American Thinker | 03/20/2020 | By Anthony J. Ciani
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FESTIVE FEARS Beware the new ‘super flu’ that leaves sufferers with ‘brains like porridge’ and ‘passed out on bathroom floors’
The Sun ^ | 12-14-23 | Isabel Shaw
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Flu season arriving early in US, amid warning of a fast-spreading ‘super flu’ variant
Just the News | 12-22-25 | Joseph Weber
Scientists Find Unprecedented Lemon-Shaped Planet That Shouldn’t Exist
Study Finds | December 18, 2025 | Michael Zhang (University of Chicago)Nothing about this planet makes sense. And that’s both confounding and exciting for astronomers.
In A Nutshell
* Astronomers discovered a Jupiter-sized planet with an atmosphere unlike anything seen before, dominated by carbon molecules in ratios that defy current planetary formation theories.
* The planet orbits a pulsar (a dead star’s ultra-dense core) every 7.8 hours and is blasted with gamma rays, heating its atmosphere to nearly 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit while stretching it into a lemon shape.
* The carbon-to-oxygen ratio exceeds 100 to 1, and carbon-to-nitrogen tops 10,000 to 1—numbers so extreme that no known planet orbiting a normal star comes close, leaving scientists without an explanation for how it formed.
* The planet’s unusual heating from gamma rays creates powerful westward winds and dramatic temperature differences between its day and night sides, making it a unique laboratory for studying atmospheres under extreme conditions.
“Oh — and did we mention it’s lemon-shaped?”
The dispersal of domestic cats from North Africa to Europe around 2000 years ago
Science | 27 Nov 2025 | Vol 390, Issue 6776…domestic cats were introduced to Europe from North Africa starting at ~2 thousand years ago (kya), several millennia after the onset of the Neolithic in Europe.
Our research suggests a late arrival of domestic cats in China, with the earliest skeletal remains, imagery, and written records appearing no earlier than 1,400 years ago, in the 7th century, both in China and along the ancient Silk Road.
Can ya blame the cats?
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Chinese Guy: “What the…! Who scratched all this silk?”
Happy Christmas Eve. I hope everyone has some festive plans for tomorrow. The Annual Intern Christmas Ball is going to be lit!
Results from 12/16/2025
| (7) Britt Ekland | No Preference | Catharine Schell |
|---|---|---|
| 183 | 1 | 28 |
| (15) Maud Adams | No Preference | Angela Scoular |
|---|---|---|
| 206 | 1 | 8 |
New Matches for 12/24/2025
Match 1
Cassandra Harris (Countess Lisl von Schlaf) vs Carmen du Sautoy (Saida)
| Contestant | Record | Total Scores |
|---|---|---|
| Cassandra Harris | 1 – 5 – 0 | 325 – 16 – 749 |
Actress: Cassandra Harris Nationality: Australian Bond Movie: For Your Eyes Only (1981) Synopsis:
Countess Lisl von Schlaf was the mistress of Milos Columbo, a Greek smuggler. Columbo asked Lisl to stage an argument with him at dinner, as an excuse for her to go off with Bond, to discover some information about him. Lisl and Bond spent the night together, and got on quite well. They went for a walk on the beach the next morning, and Lisl was tragically killed by henchman Locque.
VS
| Contestant | Record | Total Scores |
|---|---|---|
| Carmen du Sautoy | 1 – 5 – 0 | 268 – 21 -953 |
Actress: Carmen du Sautoy Nationality: English Bond Movie: The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) Synopsis:
Saida was a Lebanese belly dancer, and the ex-lover of agent 002, Bill Fairbanks. When Fairbanks is found dead, Bond visits Saida to find out what happened. Saida mentions that she found the bullet that killed Fairbanks and now uses it as a lucky charm belly button. Bond tries to casually steal the bullet, but after getting hit on the back by the club bouncer, he swallows it by mistake.
This poll is no longer accepting votes
Match 2
Francoise Therry (Chew Mee) vs Kristina Wayborn (Magda)
| Contestant | Record | Total Scores |
|---|---|---|
| Francoise Therry | 1 – 5 – 0 | 220 – 7 – 957 |
Francoise Therry Nationality: French Bond Movie: The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) Synopsis:
Chew Mee was a mistress of businessman Hai Fat. While visiting Hai Fat, Bond first saw sight of her while she was swimming naked in the palaces’ pool. Bond asked how the water was, and Chew Mee responded that he should come in and find out. Chew Mee had only a brief appearance, and Bond didn’t make it into the pool.
VS
| Contestant | Record | Total Scores |
|---|---|---|
| Kristina Wayborn | 2 – 4 – 0 | 549 – 7 – 531 |
Actress: Kristina Wayborn Nationality: Swedish Bond Movie: Octopussy (1983) Synopsis:
Magda was the right-hand woman of Octopussy, and assisted her smuggling partner Kamal Khan on many occasions throughout the film. After attending an auction in which Bond stole a Fabegé egg, Magda was sent to sleep with Bond so that she could steal it back. After Octopussy found out that Khan tried to kill her, her cult of girls, Magda included, storm Khan’s palace.
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Jailed 3 Months Over a Bag of Cotton Candy
Lawsmith — YouTube | December 18, 2025This video details a woman’s harrowing experience, jailed for three months after a bag of cotton candy was mistaken for methamphetamine due to flawed technology.
Good night.
Anne Hathaway vs Julianne Moore
Anne Hathaway (5-0-0 Pts. 293 Avg. 58.60)
VS
Julianne Moore (2-3-0 Pts. 183 Avg. 36.60)
This poll is no longer accepting votes
Emily Blunt vs Selma Hayek
Emily Blunt (2-3-0 Pts. 196 Avg. 39.20)
VS
Selma Hayek (5-0-0 Pts. 326 Avg. 65.20)
This poll is no longer accepting votes
Good afternoon.
Jennifer Love-Hewitt vs Natalie Portman
Jennifer Love-Hewitt (3-2-0 Pts. 265 Avg. 53.00)
VS
Natalie Portman (3-2-0 Pts. 205 Avg. 41.00)
This poll is no longer accepting votes
Why the world is running out of frankincense
BBC | 12/21/2025 | Lauren HadeedThe precious, fragrant resin is the scent of the festive season and rising in popularity in the wellness industry – but its natural source is being decimated.
Salaban Salad Muse has built his whole life around frankincense.
Living the small town of Dayaha in the Sanaag region of Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia, he works as a seasoned harvester of the famously aromatic resin, obtained only from the Boswellia tree.
Every year, Salad Muse camps for three to six months in a cave near the site he owns with these trees on it.
Wait . . . what? I’d have thought that the odds of my ever reading that sentence were darn close to zero.
Good morning.
Elizabeth Olsen vs Jessica Chastain
Elizabeth Olsen (0-5-0 Pts. 129 Avg. 25.80)
VS
Jessica Chastain (0-5-0 Pts. 148 Avg. 29.60)
This poll is no longer accepting votes
2 weeks to go.
Results
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This poll is no longer accepting votes
This poll is no longer accepting votes
This poll is no longer accepting votes
Standings
| Contestant | Record | Points | Average | Points Against | Average Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selma Hayek | 5 – 0 – 0 | 326 | 65.20 | 127 | 65.20 – 25.40 |
| Anne Hathaway | 5 – 0 – 0 | 293 | 58.60 | 155 | 58.60 – 31.00 |
| Jennifer Love-Hewitt | 3 – 2 – 0 | 265 | 53.00 | 197 | 53.00 – 39.40 |
| Natalie Portman | 3 – 2 – 0 | 205 | 41.00 | 224 | 41.00 – 44.80 |
| Emily Blunt | 2 – 3 – 0 | 196 | 39.20 | 230 | 39.20 – 46.00 |
| Julianne Moore | 2 – 3 – 0 | 183 | 36.60 | 238 | 36.60 – 47.60 |
| Jessica Chastain | 0 – 5 – 0 | 148 | 29.60 | 283 | 29.60 – 56.60 |
| Elizabeth Olsen | 0 – 5 – 0 | 129 | 25.80 | 290 | 25.80 – 58.00 |
Week 6
