Great white shark scared out of habitat by just two predators ScienceAlert (Chuck L)
Return of Weird Ted Gioia
Were classical statues badly painted? Work in progress (Anthony L)
This remarkable book about “wild children” reveals what makes us human The Washington Post (Anthony L.)
What makes you human? julian macfarlane
There was a small explosion at Black Diamond Pool in Biscuit Basin in Yellowstone National Park this morning 💥
The USGS called it a kabrui (sudden, dramatic, often nasty explosion). Great words!pic.twitter.com/QkzpPAjZpS
— Volcaholic🌋 (@volcaholic1) December 20, 2025
Editing is only good if editing is good, and a lot of editing is bad Freddie DeBoer. My book editor recently came out of the marketing field and sent me an email saying something along the lines of, “That disrupts reader flow.” Dealing with her allowed me to overcome my WASP inhibitions and rant at the agents I had to intercede with all too often. What broke the camel’s back was that, after asking multiple times if I cared about the format of the footnotes, they told me they had to be Chicago style, after I had turned in half the chapter. I said I hadn’t fixed it in the finished chapter (and I was under a very tight and strict publication deadline, which is un-bookish) and that that was their job. It turns out that there is self-censorship among book authors. Many people report being treated badly by editors, but that’s only visible to fellow book writers. In contrast, when I write for magazines or big online outlets like Bloomberg, I have very good editors.
Ancient sewers reveal hidden health crisis in Roman Britain Science Daily (Kevin W)
Giving boys the HPV vaccine could eliminate cervical cancer ScienceAlert (Chuck L)
FDA Approval of Leucovorin – Deviation from JAMA Standards of Evidence. important. More corruption from RFK Jr. JJ: “That’s weird. It’s not actually science.”
#New Coronavirus Infection/Pandemic
⚠️Breaking news:
Hospitals lose nearly 13,000 beds to ‘bed block’ patients as superflu spreads across UK
Schools have been closed as they battle the influenza epidemic. Authorities are urging sick people to skip Christmas, and lawmakers are calling for emergency vaccinations. pic.twitter.com/6B5vS1X4Vm
— SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) (@COVID19_disease) December 22, 2025
The Wall Street Journal seems to have found a way to prevent archiving, so instead of linking to findings from recent articles, they should report on what passengers should do if they’re concerned about toxic fumes. N95 masks only block particles, not gases, but they do block P100. So if you’re seriously germ paranoid, you can now use toxic gas as a justification for wearing a half-face mask like Darth Vader.
I hadn’t set foot in a supermarket in two years, but I went to buy a turkey. Arrived before opening (lined up). I was put on a respirator. Saw another mask – surgical). No sidelong glances or comments, no one noticed. Put on a respirator. No one cares. Enjoy a disease-free Christmas. pic.twitter.com/z3cMVFuvRL
— Lara – Coronavirus is airborne (@fillthewhole) December 22, 2025
Climate/Environment
British church organ tuning book contains notes about global warming The Guardian
German news: 1 in 3 food bank beneficiaries are children DW
Here’s the bad climate news you missed this year Bloomberg
China?
China turns on giant experimental network it claims is successor to ARPANET The Register (Chuck L)
Stanford University released a quiet bombshell that went largely unnoticed by Western media.
China’s open source AI models have not only caught up with the US, but in some areas the US is ahead.
According to Stanford University’s DigiChina project, Chinese promiscuous models such as DeepSeek, Alibaba Cloud… pic.twitter.com/bf7Iek5MQW
— Barrett (@BarrettYouTube) December 21, 2025
China’s rush to technological superiority cannot hide its porous economy, Wall Street Journal. lead story. There is no archive version yet. While the film makes valid points about overproduction, sluggish consumption, a weak social safety net, and President Xi’s determination to keep increasing exports, there’s a broad sense as if the writers take it for granted that American audiences will buy what they’re selling, so the support for the argument seems intended rather than well-substantiated.
India
Why the US-led Pax Silica Technology Alliance despised India Asia Times (Kevin W)
Africa
Tens of thousands of people have fled the Democratic Republic of Congo to Burundi as rebels take control of the main city of Al Jazeera. resilc: “I thought Trump brought peace.”
“Sudan is facing the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Yet, Sudan receives less than 35 percent of global funding needs.”
— #AJO pinion by Nabiha Islam⤵️ https://t.co/5HVACiEdYD
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) December 23, 2025
south of the border
Oil and arms-funded think tank experts: ‘Go big’ in Venezuela – Responsible National Strategy (resilc)
Russia urges US not to make ‘fatal mistake’ in invading Venezuela (+UN Security Council) Orinoco Tribune (Robin K)
Bari Weiss praises El Salvador’s dictator before bringing up torture prison Zeteo’s ’60 Minutes’ story
discord in europe
Machine translation reveals the EU’s sanctions against Jacques Bo and their legitimacy The current state of the EU anti-Spiegel movement (Micael T)
President Macron reaffirms France’s support for Danish sovereignty, Greenland Anadolu Agency
israel vs resistance
Bondi after the bullets in Independent Australia (John Helmer). It’s a must read.
Yes, we need to talk about Jewish supremacy.
Please take 10 minutes to read Chapter 6, “Political Consequences,” in Israel Shahak’s 1994 book, Jewish History, Judaism. It’s amazing to think that this was written over 30 years ago.
——
“Nagging… https://t.co/6QoYrsRHPC
— BM (@ireallyhateyou) December 5, 2025
Tucker Carlson named ‘anti-Semite of the year’ for opposing Israeli genocide in Gaza Middle East Eye (Kevin W)
* * *
Israeli forces bulldozed farmland on Monday in the town of Sirat al-Khalitiya, west of Jenin in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian media reported, citing local officials.
Sirat al-Harithiyah Mayor Samir Zayoud told local media that Israeli bulldozers had started moving. pic.twitter.com/tFj8U3wNp5
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) December 22, 2025
The True Meaning of the Intifada Asa Winstanley
Israeli Ben Gvir proposes prison ‘surrounded by crocodiles’ for Palestinians Middle East Eye (resilc)
A new war that’s not so cold war
Another failure: EUCO summit conditions Ukraine’s new ‘loan’ repayment on total victory over Russia Simplicius
“We will support the Ukrainian military for the next five to 10 years.” – NATO Lt. Gen. Remigijus Bartlenas dreams of a Ukrainian victory over Russia.
“We believe that our European allies, along with our American allies, are sending the best possible… pic.twitter.com/xfTTe16MVn
— Zlatti71 (@Zlatti_71) December 23, 2025
Brief Frontline Report – December 22, 2025 Marat Khairullin, Mikhail Popov.
The New York Times strangely publishes bizarre propaganda article about Putin President Larry Johnson
big brother is watching over you
Flock releases AI-powered camera to the internet. We tracked ourselves. 404 Medium
Flock and Cyble Inc. Weapons ‘Cybercriminal’ Takedowns to Silence Critics Am I Flocked? (Paul R.)
imperial collapse watch
US diplomatic incompetence and Russia preparing for NATO attack Mark Sleboda
Leave Greenland alone Daniel Larison
David Betts: The West on an Irreversible Path to Civil War Glenn Diesen, YouTube
Trump 2.0
Democrats renew threat of government shutdown as tensions with President Trump escalate The Hill
Trump administration suspends offshore wind leases to protect U.S. national security Department of the Interior
Fentanyl-free American DEA. resilc: “It’s not an onion.”
Trump administration live updates: President unveils plans for new ‘Trump-class’ battleships New York Times
Kash Patel’s new armored BMW sparks new controversy over alleged job perks Forbes (resilc)
‘Trump Performing Arts Center’ defends Sam Husseini
US farmers say President Trump’s $12 billion package isn’t enough to undo damage from tariffs, The Guardian (resilc)
🚨🚨BREAKING: The Trump administration is negotiating with former intelligence analyst Edward Snowden for a full and complete pardon and for Snowden to return to the United States. These talks are reportedly being led by longtime Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. pic.twitter.com/3mhK9TJdhV
— Joshua Hall (@JoshHall2024) December 22, 2025
immigration
ICE detainees hit record high Guardian (resilc)
Long-distance trucking was a haven for Sikh immigrants. Until now. new york times (resilc)
Judge extends order barring Abrego Garcia from being remanded The Hill
supremes
Progressive Judicialism Steve Vladeck
republican clown car
Turning Point: How the Republican Deal on Israel Defeated the Harpers (guurst)
JD Vance: Nick Fuentes can ‘eat shit’
Conservatives feud at tipping point, Vance refuses to set red line on bigotry The Associated Press
Think tank bankrupts the Wall Street Journal (resilc), leading cultural heritage executives to defect to Mike Pence’s nonprofit. There is no archive version yet.
Lafaire Epstein
Epstein, Israel, and the CIA: How the Iran-Contra Plan Reached Les Wexner’s Stronghold American Conservatives
In new photos released by the New York Post, Epstein is seen kissing and hugging a little girl, with her stomach turned. This should be included in the price….
Bill Clinton’s press secretary says he doesn’t need ‘protection’, calls for release of all Epstein files The Hill
Exclusive: One ‘Jane Doe’ tells CNN she’s frustrated that her name wasn’t redacted multiple times in the Epstein files CNN (Kevin W)
The Epstein files represent a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to clean up politics Council Estate Media (resilc)
economy
President Trump said small cars could lead to significant price cuts. Here’s why CNN is unlikely
A.I.
Boys at her school shared nude AI-generated images of her. After a fight, she was expelled Associated Press (resilc)
AI and cryptographic data centers are straining the world’s power grids – Satellite Imagery RT (Kevin W)
basil
Uber allows violent criminals to drive. The passenger accused them of rape. New York Times (Kevin W)
Spotify music library scrapped by pirate activist group billboard
class war
Republican Nurse War Washington Monthly
What happens when disaster recovery becomes a luxury item?
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