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How to Set Up and Get to Know Your New PC, Mac, Android, or iPhone
You’ve unwrapped your presents and received everything you’d hoped you’d get. But now what? We’ve got you covered this holiday season with several guides to help you get acquainted with your brand new gadgets.
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Qatar and Russia agree on Syria peace plans – Al Jazeera English
Qatar and Russia have discussed what is needed to catalyse peace talks between the Syrian opposition and President Bashar al-Assad’s government, according to the Russian foreign minister.
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A new three-part BBC adaptation of And Then There Were None is imminent.
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Don’t toss those candycanes: Fun ways to cook up leftover Christmas food | Grist
Since we’re in the midst of another abrupt climatic shift right now, it just might be the critical time to heed our planet’s red flags.
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Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan – review | Children’s books | The Guardian
Magnus’s mother passed away two years ago and since then he has been living on the streets. He has family but his mother had always warned him about his uncle who seems to be on the evil side.
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Surprise! These 15 Common Grocery Store Items Are Almost Never Recyclable | New Republic
The trash from our meals is piling up. For starters, supermarket goods are hitting the shelves in increasingly elaborate packaging—think soup pouches, snack packs, and squeeze tubes.
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‘It’s been devastating’: former NFL players count the cost of concussion | Sport | The Guardian
George Visger sat in his truck, a prized possession since everything else was gone, but struggled to remember the model and year. “It’s, uh, a Chevy. Yeah. A Trailblazer, I think. 2003. No, wait, 2009. Probably around then.”
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The Weirdest Christmas Traditions in the World | New Republic
Christmas has become a cultural event, associated with the giving of gifts and lavish meals with friends and family. But the traditional understanding of Christmas is that it’s a Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus.
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The best photographs of America 2015 – in pictures | Art and design | The Guardian
Wildfires, drought, a historic win for the Kansas City Royals and gun crime were some of the issues that dominated the news in 2015. The Guardian’s US picture editor Sarah Gilbert selects her favourite images from the year
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Palestinians in Syria desperately need Yarmouk truce – Al Jazeera English
A deal brokered by the United Nations hopes to end the suffering of thousands of residents stuck between a government-imposed siege and armed opposition groups in a Palestinian refugee camp on the outskirts of Damascus.
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ONE-PUNCH MAN – Anime – DAISUKI
ONE-PUNCH MAN – Anime – DAISUKI https://t.co/voPe4PvQrE
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Pope Francis backs peace efforts in Christmas Day message – BBC News
Pope Francis has appealed for peace and reconciliation in a wide-ranging Christmas Day speech that covered numerous conflict zones. Speaking from St Peter’s Basilica in Rome the Pontiff backed UN resolutions for peace in Syria and Libya.
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The Hottest Space Porn of 2015 | Motherboard
If 2014 made space look easy, 2015 made it look hot. Thanks to boundary-pushing missions that have taken us closer than ever before to a bunch of photogenic space bodies and increasingly high resolution imaging capabilities, the year has brought us …
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Frank Cottrell Boyce: Five things to learn from the Moomins | Books | The Guardian
One of the greatest gifts a children’s book can give you is to add future nostalgia to the small pleasures that will get you through the hard times when you’re older. The world of the Moomins is threatened by comets and subject to terrifying winters.
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December 25, ~4 B.C.E.: The Christ Is Born (Allegedly) | The Nation
On this day in the year 1, the Christ was born. One thousand nine hundred and nineteen years later, a pastor and religious writer named Allan A. Hunter wrote an article for The Nation, “A Christmas Pilgrimage,” about a visit to Bethlehem shortly aft…
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For 35 years, Johnny Rodrigues has been trying to get people to pay attention to conservation issues in Zimbabwe’s Hwange national park, with limited success.
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South Sudan president creates 28 new states – Al Jazeera English
South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has dissolved the nation’s 10 regional states and created 28 new ones, in a move which could undermine a peace deal signed in August to end the country’s two-year civil war.
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Analysis: The many battles over Syria – Al Jazeera English
The assassination of Hezbullah’s operative Samir Kantar in Syria last week has sparked a heated debate about the circumstances surrounding his presence in Syria.
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Christmas’s War on America – The Atlantic
Every year, a new round of politicians attempt to breathe new life into America’s thoroughly exhausted war on Christmas. But this year, maybe it’s time instead to examine Christmas’s war on Americans. For centuries, the holiday has served as a flash…
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The Top MoJo Longreads of 2015 | Mother Jones
In 2015, MoJo readers proved yet again that great long-form reporting belongs online. These richly detailed reports are sparking discussions and inspiring readers to share stories in greater numbers than ever before.
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Here’s How to Get Rich or Die Podcasting | Mother Jones
Despite a successful career in public radio, Alex Blumberg says he never showed any “entrepreneurial spunk.” That changed when he left a comfortable post at NPR’s Planet Money and, together with Matt Lieber, began to court venture capitalists to hel…
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David Lynch’s life advice: ‘Keep your eye on the doughnut’|Dangerous Minds
There’s not much to say here. Just 1 minute of life advice from David Lynch about keeping your eye on the doughnut. Don’t forget it folks, this might be the most important thing you’ll ever hear.
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Wildfires destroy homes in Australia’s Victoria state – BBC News
Wildfires in the Australian state of Victoria have destroyed houses and caused residents to flee. Scores of firefighters and water-bombing aircraft tried to bring the fires under control as they moved towards Separation Creek near Lorne, local media…
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New Deadpool trailer delivers red and green presents for Christmas Day | The Verge
It’s Christmas Day and Deadpool is celebrating in red and green. A new full-length Deadpool trailer gives us a closer look at Colossus and all the violent and bloody action you’d expect.
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NBA stars appear in anti-gun violence advertisement – BBC News
Stars from the US National Basketball Association (NBA) are speaking out against gun violence in advertisements being aired from Christmas Day. The first features players and gun violence victims calling on Americans to back efforts to end shootings.
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How acid rivers are corroding South Africa’s landscape – in pictures | World news | The Guardian
Skip to main content South Africa Guardian Africa network How acid rivers are corroding South Africa’s landscape – in pictures In a new book photographer Eva-Lotta Jansson documents the mining industry’s environmental destruction Friday 25 December …
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Harper Lee: a happy return to Maycomb? – books podcast | Books | The Guardian
John Crace takes a satirical look at Harper Lee’s unexpected second novel, Go Set a Watchman, boiling it down to just 600 words.
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India’s civil code: A source for ideological disputes – Al Jazeera English
India follows a system of legal pluralism that allows different religious communities to be governed by their own codes of personal law.
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Bit by Bats – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bit By Bats were an Australian three piece originally hailing from Adelaide before moving to Melbourne. Forming in 2003, the band had existed just a matter of weeks when they laid down their first demo (later released as their first ep).
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The Myth of the Christmas Truce Soccer Match | New Republic
As everyone knows, the main feature of the First World War’s Christmas truce was an impromptu football match (soccer to Americans), which is featured in all the memorials to the 1914 armistice. The Christmas truce statue at St.
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Deadpool | Red Band Trailer 2 [HD] | 20th Century FOX : movies
TrailersDeadpool | Red Band Trailer 2 [HD] | 20th Century FOX (youtube.com)submitted 1 hour ago by loading…
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Afghan and Taliban forces trade blows in Sangin battle – Al Jazeera English
Afghan special forces troops are locked in an intense battle with Taliban fighters in Afghanistan’s strategic Sangin district, after re-taking some government buildings from the armed group, officials said.
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India PM in surprise Pakistan visit – BBC News
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
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Christmas Day flood warnings prompt meeting of emergency Cobra committee | UK news | The Guardian
The government’s emergency Cobra committee is to meet as thousands pray for a dry Christmas Day with another storm rolling across the UK prompting more flood warnings.
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Delhi to tackle traffic pollution with new car usage rules – BBC News
From 1 January, many private cars will disappear from the roads of Delhi, as part of efforts to tackle air pollution. New rules mean vehicles with odd and even number licence plates will have to operate on alternate days.
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These TWO New Deadpool Trailers Might Just Drive You Totally Insane
Happy Deadpoolmas! There’s a brand new full-length Deadpool trailer, jam-packed with insane violence, ridiculous jokes, fourth-wall-mauling, and totally inappropriate superhero behavior. Plus a redband trailer, feauring all that plus more swearing a…
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Sydney to Hobart race sees record number of foreign yachts – BBC News
A record 28 foreign boats will compete in this year’s Sydney to Hobart yacht race, one of the world’s most challenging ocean events. It began in 1945, and pits amateur sailors against professional crews. More than 100 vessels will start the race on …
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‘Concussion’ Director Defends Controversial Film: ‘The Best Defense Is the Truth’ – The Daily Beast
Despite its myriad problems, from domestic abusers like Greg Hardy and Ray Rice receiving slaps on the wrist for their heinous offenses to its unsettling relationship with high stakes Fantasy Sports firms, the National Football League is rarely kept…
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Tired and cold, refugees wait to head into the unknown – Al Jazeera English
The morning cold was intense as my crew and I set off from Thessaloniki, northern Greece, to reach the border with Macedonia. It was in Evzoni, not far from the border, when we first saw more than a dozen buses loaded with refugees.
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Gaza’s Christians: ‘Israel can’t beat us down’ – Al Jazeera English
Gaza City – Devout worshippers in the packed pews rise in unison as the Archbishop turns to face the congregation at Gaza City’s ancient 1600-year-old Saint Porphyries Church. As he turns his back a few seconds later, the worshippers fall back onto …
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Every time I hear an argument on Climate Change : funny
We’re not killing the earth. We’re killing ourselves. The planet will live on happily without us for millions of years. My physics teacher described it as us dying would be like a blink to the life of a planet, so don’t save the planet, save us!
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Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin – review | Children’s books | The Guardian
It is the year 1956 and Yael is on a mission to kill Hitler. But there’s a catch: she has to take part in the world famous Axis tour. She has to train and to become a racer called Adele by using her supernatural ability.
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2015 in books news: tragedies and triumphs | Books | The Guardian
The year opened in tragedy, as two masked gunmen opened fire at an editorial meeting of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, launching a wave of attacks across Paris that left 17 dead.
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The dirty dozen: 12 guys who deserve some holiday jeers | Culture | The Guardian
Christmas is ostensibly the time of year where we’re all supposed to forgo our petty differences, our prejudices and our micro-aggressions to come together as one human race – assuming you are Christian, well-to-do enough to afford presents and free…
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Having lost track of video gaming somewhere around the turn of the millennium, I admit that I have no idea which generation of Playstation you or a friend or family member may have joyfully unwrapped this Christmas morning.
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A bit old but still makes me laugh. : gaming
Aight, I put on my robe and wizard hat. I cast Lvl. 3 Eroticism. You turn into a real beautiful woman.
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Alibaba To Invest $1.25B In Restaurant Delivery Service Ele.me, Says Report | TechCrunch
Alibaba will reportedly invest $1.25 billion in Ele.me, a food delivery service based in Shanghai, says financial news site Caixin (link via Google Translate). The deal would Alibaba the startup’s biggest shareholder, with a 27.7 percent stake. Acco…
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Love Everyone Often Peace Beauty Balance Life Light Magic: Star Colors and Pinyon Pine
Star Colors and Pinyon Pine https://t.co/559KCyHUVC https://t.co/68aKXNV8i4
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Peace Love Beauty Wisdom Balance Imagination Truth Consciousness, My beautiful Cherry 🙂 via /r/aww…
My beautiful Cherry 🙂 via /r/aww https://t.co/qAvso3xqBx https://t.co/s8f2oB7thW https://t.co/KAPHYr29YR
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My beautiful Cherry 🙂 via /r/aww https://t.co/qAvso3xqBx https://t.co/s8f2oB7thW https://t.co/KAPHYr29YR
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This guy takes selfies with animals : aww
This guy takes selfies with animals via /r/aww https://t.co/OdXfxBEEXw https://t.co/0KtHv0mNKB https://t.co/k0tsUpYGDr
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This guy takes selfies with animals via /r/aww https://t.co/OdXfxBEEXw https://t.co/0KtHv0mNKB https://t.co/k0tsUpYGDr
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Sunrise in West Palm Beach [OC] [5312×2988] via /r/SkyPorn https://t.co/juwAftW9Sf https://t.co/qzE7XcAsS6 https://t.co/Muxljojept
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Sunrise in West Palm Beach [OC] [5312×2988] : SkyPorn
Sunrise in West Palm Beach [OC] [5312×2988] via /r/SkyPorn https://t.co/juwAftW9Sf https://t.co/qzE7XcAsS6 https://t.co/Muxljojept
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They are “ocean liners”, “thoroughly unusual and very grand” and “magnificently odd”: Nicholas Hawksmoor’s churches rear up above their surroundings like fossilised beasts.
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ExplainedELI5: If a handheld GoPro can record at 4k resolution, why do movie and television productions use such large cameras? (self.explainlikeimfive)
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Pope urges Return to Essential Values | Al Jazeera America
Pope Francis led the world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics into Christmas Thursday, urging those “intoxicated” by possessions and superficial appearances to return to the essential values of life. Celebrating a Christmas Eve Mass in St.
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On the road with the American ‘vandwellers’ – Al Jazeera English
It’s a 15 minute drive from Quartzsite, Arizona to the area where the so-called “vandwellers” live. These are people who live in converted vans full time; we’ve gone to the desert to find out what drove them to live in these small, mobile spaces.
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Ex-American hostages in Iran win compensation – Al Jazeera English
The 53 Americans taken hostage in Iran in 1979 will finally get financial compensation that has eluded them for decades, after US politicians included a payment provision in sweeping spending legislation.
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Milkyway – Lago Espejo, Rio Negro, Patagonia… – Just Space
Milkyway – Lago Espejo, Rio Negro, Patagonia Argentina js https://t.co/pNBNayORUC https://t.co/elqc6fS7RV https://t.co/iEvH9Ubto1
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Milkyway – Lago Espejo, Rio Negro, Patagonia Argentina js https://t.co/pNBNayORUC https://t.co/elqc6fS7RV https://t.co/iEvH9Ubto1
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The Carina Nebula. js – Just Space
The Carina Nebula. js https://t.co/n0pAqKK3cU https://t.co/8twoOy3TMv https://t.co/IAf0Ie6Y0p
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The Carina Nebula. js https://t.co/n0pAqKK3cU https://t.co/8twoOy3TMv https://t.co/IAf0Ie6Y0p
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If Harrison Ford was a dog. – Imgur
If Harrison Ford was a dog. https://t.co/yLq9mlwPIx https://t.co/iFcWpGbqmN https://t.co/er1ZZ9u2gP
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If Harrison Ford was a dog. https://t.co/yLq9mlwPIx https://t.co/iFcWpGbqmN https://t.co/er1ZZ9u2gP
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js https://t.co/2LoKlwEAWX https://t.co/cIXLMrN301 https://t.co/YsYMeBYmyd
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Peace Love Beauty Wisdom Balance Imagination Truth Consciousness, js http://ift.tt/1TdGvy7
js https://t.co/2LoKlwEAWX https://t.co/cIXLMrN301 https://t.co/YsYMeBYmyd
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What’s your 2015 pop-culture gift to the world? · AVQ&A · The A.V. Club
Welcome back to AVQ&A, where we throw out a question for discussion among the staff and readers. Consider this a prompt to compare notes on your interface with pop culture, to reveal your embarrassing tastes and experiences, and to ponder how our di…
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Whether you’re trying to figure out which movies to watch today or waiting on your Chinese food delivery or still trying to avoid family, we know that the internet never sleeps, so we’re back again today with even more of our favorites from 2015. We…
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Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Friday, December 25 & Saturday, December 26. All times are Eastern. Doctor Who Christmas Special (BBC America, 9 p.m.
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CAR postpones crucial election over technical concerns – Al Jazeera English
The Central African Republic (CAR) has pushed back by three days a key national election that is intended to be a fresh start for a country mired in sectarian violence since a coup in 2013.
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His name is Louie, we found him alone and terrified, 2 weeks old. Now it’s been 2 years, he’s grown so much! (imgur.com) Thank you! Bonus Sleeping Cat Pic: http://imgur.com/NADky7V
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Scores killed in Nigeria gas tanker fire – Al Jazeera English
A gas tanker truck ignited an inferno at a crowded industrial gas plant in Nigeria, killing more than 100 people lining up to refill their cooking gas cylinders.
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Star Colors and Pinyon Pine via NASA https://t.co/FQssxFz3jg https://t.co/5qBJBVlgk9 https://t.co/zY3wmzBFT2
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sorcery https://t.co/EynU2jBKE4 https://t.co/yNZdfMILf7 https://t.co/B8UToEKAdU
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Peace Love Beauty Wisdom Balance Imagination Truth Consciousness, sorcery http://ift.tt/1Oc6BBx
sorcery https://t.co/EynU2jBKE4 https://t.co/yNZdfMILf7 https://t.co/B8UToEKAdU
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:p https://t.co/wlQHWHzcAg https://t.co/MPhdM8kmtc https://t.co/g9QxSbGV2F
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Peace Love Beauty Wisdom Balance Imagination Truth Consciousness, :p http://ift.tt/1ObWKeZ
:p https://t.co/wlQHWHzcAg https://t.co/MPhdM8kmtc https://t.co/g9QxSbGV2F
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APOD: 2015 December 24 – Star Colors and Pinyon Pine
Explanation: Beautiful, luminous decorations on this pinyon pine tree are actually bright stars in the constellation Scorpius and the faint glow of the central Milky Way.
Star Colors and Pinyon Pine via NASA https://t.co/FQssxFz3jg https://t.co/5qBJBVlgk9 https://t.co/zY3wmzBFT2 -
A drone was used to find this hidden glacial pool in the Himalayas – Imgur
A drone was used to find this hidden glacial pool in the Himalayas https://t.co/wztgtbB5G8 https://t.co/d6EeCJ96XD https://t.co/C76J1w2VY1
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A drone was used to find this hidden glacial pool in the Himalayas https://t.co/wztgtbB5G8 https://t.co/d6EeCJ96XD https://t.co/C76J1w2VY1
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Hubble Ultra Deep Field js – Just Space
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I Went to a ‘Forget the Year’ Party With a Japanese Robotics Lab | Motherboard
It’s not every day you receive an invite to a Japanese robotics lab’s bōnenkai, or “forget-the-year” drinking party, a celebration where you literally wash away the past year’s troubles with booze. So I was chuffed when I was asked to attend one hos…
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Georges Bizet in Present Day – The New Yorker
Georges Bizet’s opera “Les Pêcheurs de Perles” (1863) is a classic example of nineteenth-century French exoticism: it paints a rosy picture of humble pearl fishers in the faraway land of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) with a perfumed, Gallic-sounding score …
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Hubble Ultra Deep Field js https://t.co/lqXNCgi4C7 https://t.co/e103q6YOgf https://t.co/UTthzLZbiy
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Quality Eats: Tables for Two – The New Yorker
The menu at this svelte new West Village restaurant reads like a glutton’s day in Heaven, if such a thing were allowed: grilled bûcheron cheese, Nueske’s bacon with peanut butter and jalapeño jelly, creamed-spinach hush puppies, butternut brioche br…
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Riddling Widow: Bar Tab – The New Yorker
In 1805, when Madame Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin’s husband, François, died, she found herself, at age twenty-seven, the Veuve (“widow”) Clicquot.
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M106: A Spiral Galaxy with a Strange Center. js – Just Space
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Andrea Martin in “Noises Off” – The New Yorker
In 2013, Andrea Martin gave theatregoers one of the most euphoric moments in recent Broadway memory, playing the life-loving grandma in Diane Paulus’s circus-infused revival of “Pippin.
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M106: A Spiral Galaxy with a Strange Center. js https://t.co/846ESAngIg https://t.co/S1xamtnAq8 https://t.co/cI3f4IeYXk
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Black-and-White Gorilla Image, Dallas, Texas – National Geographic Photo of the Day
This spot should be left empty to be filled in by the Photo of the Day logic.
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Pelican Nebula js – Just Space
Pelican Nebula js https://t.co/g9Q8uJnEaN https://t.co/Txp2SXY6gY https://t.co/NTHCejGsLJ
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Pelican Nebula js https://t.co/g9Q8uJnEaN https://t.co/Txp2SXY6gY https://t.co/NTHCejGsLJ
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Japan reported to be proposing ‘comfort women’ solution – BBC News
Japan is reported to have proposed setting up a government fund to resolve a longstanding disagreement with South Korea about sex slaves during World War Two. The “comfort women” were forced to work in Japanese military brothels.
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Bones of Utah outlaw who shot park ranger found in cave by reward seeker | US news | The Guardian
The remains of a man police believe shot and wounded a Utah state park ranger in 2010 and eluded more than 100 officers in a desert manhunt were found on Thursday, authorities said.
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When my sister and I switch faces, she looks like herself without makeup and I look like a beautiful lesbian. (imgur.com) I concur. No beard.
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FRANKLIN, N.H. — It is a slur that would make most conservatives wince: You’re a Republican Barack Obama.
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KABUL, Afghanistan — In a sign of deep political tension within the Taliban, a collection of religious leaders in the group’s headquarters in Pakistan issued a letter of rebuke this month to the new insurgent leader over his bloody crackdown on diss…
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Open thread for night owls: Okay. Let’s have a few hours without any Bah! Humbug!
At FiveThirtyEight, Andrew R. Lewis and Paul A. Djupe write—Where To Say ‘Merry Christmas’ vs. ‘Happy Holidays’ It is easy to imagine saying “merry Christmas” as another cudgel in the culture wars between Christians and the irreligious. The actual s…
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Astronaut Tim Peake calls wrong number from space station – BBC News
UK astronaut Tim Peake has apologised for dialling a wrong number from space and saying to a woman on the other end of the line: “Hello, is this planet Earth?”Mr Peake said on Twitter it was not intended to be a “prank call”.
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FORSSA, Finland — War in Syria and Iraq seems distant from the incongruously named Villa Eden Care, a glum former hotel now housing some 300 refugees on the edge of this tidy, snow-swept town of 18,000.
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Peace Love Beauty Wisdom Balance Imagination Truth Consciousness, Most Interesting Cat
Most Interesting Cat https://t.co/9e6FKwLco5 https://t.co/wKo6idgDMO
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Spain elections: King Felipe calls for national unity – BBC News
King Felipe VI of Spain has appealed for unity and dialogue in his Christmas Eve message after elections at the weekend produced no conclusive result. He called for “understanding and a fraternal spirit” to end uncertainty.
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‘Twas The Night Before Christmas In 2015 | TechCrunch
‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not an iPhone was buzzing, nor the click of a mouse; The Androids were plugged on the night stand with care, In hopes that new Snapchats soon would be there; The children were nestled in t…
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It was a blue Christmas for the ‘Battered Bastards of Bastogne’
[German Major] Henke asked about the contents of the reply because if it was affirmative, they were authorized to negotiate further.
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Most Interesting Cat @ Smoky Mountain National Park https://t.co/khHfYf58YE
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‘Point Break’: A Homoerotic Classic – The Daily Beast
There may be no more pointless 2015 release than Point Break, a remake of the 1991 Keanu Reeves-Patrick Swayze extreme sports saga opening on Christmas Day.
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Parents call cops on teen for giving away banned book; it backfires predictably : books
If they wanted kids to not read the damn book they should have put it on the curriculum. Same. Only book I liked reading in school was Count of Monte Cristo. I genuinely enjoyed it.
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The year in business: A review of 2015 – BBC News
2015 was a very bad year to be in the business of digging things out of the ground, thanks to a dramatic slowdown in growth in China. Commodity prices tumbled, with oil and copper both down by more than 30%.
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FanDuel and DraftKings sue in Illinois to prevent a shutdown | The Verge
FanDuel and DraftKings filed lawsuits in Illinois today in separate attempts to remain operational within the state. The Boston Globe reports that both companies have asked courts to declare their daily fantasy sports businesses to be legal under Il…
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Houston — I REMEMBER the year my mother ceded the holidays to me. I was still in my 30s, with a new baby, and a new house, and in-laws who had decided to come down from Virginia and, in my mother-in-law’s always guileless words, “help out.”
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The ‘Black Mirror’ Christmas Special Starring Jon Hamm Is Finally on Netflix – The Daily Beast
More than a year after it first aired in the UK, the disturbing Black Mirror Christmas special, starring Jon Hamm, is finally available to stream on Netflix. It’s finally here.
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He Found a Real-Life Miracle Baby in Jesus’ Crib – The Daily Beast
As Christmas neared, priests from seemingly everywhere were telephoning to inquire about the living baby who had been found in the crèche, the manger scene depicting the birth of Jesus.
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American Tourists Quit Trying to Understand the World – The Daily Beast
That sentiment was attributed to an American traveler on his return from Europe in the 1890s.
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Ethiopian Christians Go Underground to Celebrate Christmas – The Daily Beast
ROME — It has been more than 30 years since that old rocker Bob Geldof launched the charity initiative Band Aid for famine in Ethiopia with the poignant tune, “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” Since then, it would seem from afar, Ethiopia has hovered o…
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The Worst White House Christmases Ever – The Daily Beast
It is a tension that’s launched many sappy holiday movies and songs. What happens when trouble in the workplace, the family, the world, hits “the season to be jolly?”
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Best Big Idea Books of 2015 – The Daily Beast
Moving from Romanticism to Modernism, from Delacroix to Hodgkin, the essays in this collection reveal a novelist with a painter’s eye, or at least an eye for what painters cherish and what we cherish in their work.
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Aquavit, Gin’s Nordic Cousin, Is Your New Bar Mainstay – The Daily Beast
This holiday season, there’s new reason to enjoy skåling—the Scandinavian drinking tradition of staring at your drinking partner, taking a shot, and looking them in the eye again—thanks to the rise of aquavit.
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Which States Prefer to Say ‘Happy Holidays’ or ‘Merry Christmas’? – The Daily Beast
The longest-running battle in the goofy, cable-news-concocted “War on Christmas” has been over whether people should say “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays.
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Will South Carolina Spend Millions on a Fake Flag? – The Daily Beast
It seemed like a reasonable compromise at the time.
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James Naismith Created Basketball to Counter Football’s Violence – The Daily Beast
This Christmas, Concussion will bring to the big screen the latest saga in football’s inherent reckoning with the damage and violence it inflicts upon players. This sort of condemnation, however, is not new.
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A Republican Who Stood for Immigrants – The Daily Beast
Maybe it’s wishful thinking, but the authors of a new book on Jack Kemp, a self-declared “bleeding heart conservative,” cite his ideas on reaching out to minority communities, ramping up supply-side economics with a flat tax, and embracing immigrati…
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Holiday TV Episodes: Glee, Charlie Brown, Seinfeld, and More – The Daily Beast
From “The Chanukah Song” to the Peanuts gang’s Christmas spectacular to Everybody Hates Chris paean to Kwanzaa, WATCH VIDEO of the best in holiday TV. The crème de la crème of Christmas specials, 1965’s A Charlie Brown Christmas was the first prime-…
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A long-standing dispute led to gunshots at a crowded North Carolina shopping mall on Christmas Eve, police said, with an off-duty officer responding and fatally shooting a man who pointed a gun in his direction.
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Santa is on the move and NORAD is on it
The big man in red is on the move and NORAD is all over it. You can track Santa’s every move here, you can read all about the history of NORAD’s involvement in Santa-tracking here … or you can talk about your holiday plans or whatever else is on you…
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10 Trends That Will Shape Southeast Asian E-Commerce in 2016 | TechCrunch
Following in the footsteps of China and the U.S., Southeast Asia is on the cusp of an e-commerce golden age. With online shopping accounting for only 1 percent of retail today, the region is slated to reach double-digit China-esque numbers within th…
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2015: The year in science and environment – BBC News
While astronomers homed in on habitable worlds beyond our Solar System, negotiators in Paris were very much focused on preserving our own bit of real estate in the cosmos. The BBC’s Paul Rincon looks at the year in science and environment news.
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This museum is a shrine to Apple’s greatest designs | The Verge
Apple doesn’t have a museum dedicated to its storied product history, but that hasn’t stopped a private collector from establishing one in the capital city of the Czech Republic.
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My champagne is only bubbling in the middle : mildlyinteresting
Wow, it’s my time to shine! Likely the glass walls are extremely smooth and the only rugged area is found right at the bottom of the glass — that’s the spot where carbon dioxide bubbles can form.
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Pope Francis in his Christmas homily denounces materialism – BBC News
Pope Francis has warned the world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics not to be “intoxicated” by possessions in his annual Christmas homily. He called for more sobriety in a world obsessed by “consumerism and hedonism, wealth and extravagance”.
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Apple wants Samsung to pay another $180 million for copying its design | The Verge
Apple is demanding Samsung pay an additional $180 million in the companies’ long-running patent dispute. The request comes less than two weeks after Samsung finally agreed to pay Apple $548 million in accordance with the original verdict.
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Baby laptops, baby cellphones, talking farms — these are the whirring, whiz-bang toys of the moment, many of them marketed as tools to encourage babies’ language skills.
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Countries including Australia, Britain and the US have issued Christmas security warnings for westerners in Beijing’s popular Sanlitun diplomatic and entertainment district as Chinese police step up patrols.
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Environmental Peace Ecology is out! https://t.co/w20LHJekDl
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Film in 2016: A look ahead – BBC News
From Star Wars to Spectre to Jurassic World, the box-office tills in 2015 have rarely stopped a-chinging. Records tumbled like ninepins as cinemas bruised by 2014’s lacklustre takings got the perfect pick-me-up: namely, one must-see blockbuster afte…
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My Best Christmas Was Behind Bars – The Daily Beast
Some of my best Christmases have been in prison. From 1990 until 2003 I spent 13 Christmases behind bars, from the county jail where I was first taken after my arrest, to the old state prison I was eventually released from, on Bastille Day.
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How chemists plan to sniff out bombs – BBC News
The suicide bombers in the Paris attacks used an explosive that is relatively easy to synthesise at home. Chemists, however, are leading an effort to develop sensors to sniff it out.
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Stormtroopers – the world’s biggest army? – BBC News
In the Star Wars universe, Stormtroopers are the armour-clad foot soldiers of the Empire – hundreds (perhaps thousands) can be seen in the films, gamely battling the Rebellion. But how many Stormtrooper toys exist in our world? Are they the biggest …
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LCD Soundsystem Release First New Song in Five Years | Rolling Stone
LCD Soundsystem Release First New Song in Five Years Dance-rock outfit reunites for “Christmas Will Break Your Heart”
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Archbishop gives warning over threats to Christianity – BBC News
Christianity faces “elimination” in the Middle East, the region where it began, the Archbishop of Canterbury will warn in his Christmas Day sermon. The Most Reverend Justin Welby will say so-called Islamic State is “igniting a trail of fear, violenc…
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Threatened mountain goat gets help from the skies – BBC News
Populations of Spanish ibex are being hit by a deadly disease. Now scientists are using drones and thermal cameras in an effort to conserve the mountain goat. A herd of wild mountain goats leap and scatter at a sudden sound overhead.
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Indian and Russian leaders praise partnership – BBC News
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have proclaimed the partnership between their two countries as they signed defence, energy and other deals. President Putin announced that Russia would build a series of nuclea…
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Prove Your Star Wars Devotion With a $25,000 Floating Lightsaber Fountain Pen
Think you’re the biggest Star Wars fan in our neck of the galaxy? Here’s your chance to prove it once and for all, because only the most loyal of Star Wars devotees will be willing to spend just shy of $25,000 for a lightsaber fountain pen and a nif…
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A Brilliant Glimpse of the Aurora Borealis Dancing in the Sky Near the North Pole
Photographer Frode Ramone snapped this stunning shot of the Northern lights illuminating the frosty skies above Svalbard, a group of islands that’s about halfway between Norway and the North Pole.
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Cheers and Jeers: Xmas Eve Bean Supper, Nudeblogging…and Sharing of Conspiracy Theories
Note: C&J will return on Tuesday for our Very Special Look Back at 2015, a year that actually didn’t suck. So hooray for that. Percent of U.S. voters who thought there was an actual war on Christmas in 2012 and who think that today, respectively, a…
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I am putting myself to the fullest possible use
A behind-the-scenes photo from “2001: A Space Odyssey” from Coudal’s treasure trove of “Stuff About Stanley Kubrick.
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Ja Rule Reads ‘How The Grinch Stole Christmas’ – Digg
Curious Entertainment Fame You can thank Santa for BBC Radio 1’s gift of this recording. Our hearts just grew to three times the size. Now learn about the math behind the words of Dr.
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The dogs had been lying on the ground for days before they were found last Thursday. They numbered 62 or 63, adult mutts whose bodies were strewed around deep woods in part of northern Arkansas where almost no one goes. One of the few surviving dogs…
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Fujitsu is splitting its PC and mobile divisions into new companies | The Verge
Fujitsu is spinning off its PC and mobile divisions in an attempt to create more efficient businesses that can better compete in their increasingly competitive markets.
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Actor / Entertainer – LiveI’m Daniel Stern. You might know me as Marv from Home Alone (or from City Slickers, The Wonder Years or some other stuff). AMA! (self.IAmA) Hi guys! This year is the 25th anniversary of Home Alone…
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Animal ScienceScientists just discovered a weird new shark that glows in the dark, so they officially named it the ‘ninja lanternshark’ (businessinsider.com)submitted 2 hours ago by loading…
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Thailand murders: Amnesty International call for police torture probe – BBC News
Amnesty International has called for an independent investigation into allegations that two Burmese men, convicted of murdering two UK tourists, were tortured by Thai police. Champa Patel from Amnesty said the police in Thailand had a “long and dist…
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Los Angeles — EARLIER this month the Canadian singer Nelly Furtado, who has sold more than 20 million singles worldwide, released an album that almost no one could find, and even fewer could listen to.
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Earthrise Reimagined : Image of the Day
On December 24, 1968, during a live Christmas Eve broadcast from orbit around the Moon, Apollo 8 astronauts shared a spectacular image of Earth rising on the lunar horizon. The image, known as Earthrise, offered us one of the first views of our plan…
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Erowid notes that Merck patented MDMA on December 24, 1912.
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Someone Spent A Lot Of Time Building This Huge, Functioning Boeing 747 Model – Digg
11 diggs Aviation Toys Building model planes is a fun and wholesome hobby, but the person who built this giant, functioning Boeing 747 has taken it to the next level.
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The planet might be telling us that there’s a big change coming | Grist
Tis the season to be jolly — and wasteful as all get out. Advice maven Umbra Fisk dispenses a few tips for what to do with your holiday trash. The city boroughs’ boards have rejected de Blasio’s gentrification-by-another-name housing plan. Will the…
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Tired of the classic Christmas hymns? Try these – Vox
Tired of the classic Christmas hymns? Try these https://t.co/1hTdwW5GAq https://t.co/ERoue7vJqO
Christmas music tends to be pretty tame, with most bands opting to do straightforward covers of the same small repertoire of seasonal classics. But some still manage to make holiday songs memorable. Here are some of our favorite indie-rock Christmas… -
Queensryche – Silent Lucidity – YouTube
Queensryche – Silent Lucidity – YouTube https://t.co/Zyc3p7nmRH
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Google and Microsoft launch Santa trackers that let kids explore the globe | The Verge
Google and Microsoft are once again giving kids a better way to wait for Santa’s arrival than looking at the clock.
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The long-distance couple that found a way to join their worlds – BBC News
Ever been in a long-distance relationship? Shin Danbi left Seoul and her fiancé Li Seok to study in New York. To cope with loneliness, the couple found a way to combine their worlds on Instagram.
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Teaching Grit On The Water: A Top Coach Mixes Rowing With Life : NPR Ed : NPR
The education at the Rose City Rowing Club starts long before oars touch the water. The first lesson from Head Coach Nick Haley is about punctuality. Afternoon practice begins at four o’clock sharp at this club in Portland, Ore.
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Reminder From Oculus Founder Palmer Luckey: “First To Market Is Hard” | TechCrunch
There are tons of questions around the product itself including guesses on how Oculus will actually execute the distribution of the Rift. The original founder of the company has continued to support the original mission of the team, especially as it…
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Nigeria gas explosion ’causes casualties’ – BBC News
Scores of people are reported killed in an explosion at an industrial gas plant in southern Nigeria. Reports of casualties vary from 35 to more than 100 people killed, including factory workers and neighbours.
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Why Miami Cubans Roast Christmas Pigs In A ‘Chinese Box’ : The Salt : NPR
In Latin American cultures, Christmas Eve is Noche Buena and time for a big family celebration, often featuring a pig roast. There are lots of ways to cook a whole pig.
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Hyatt becomes the latest hotel chain to get hacked | The Verge
The Hyatt hotel chain became the latest in a series of hotel companies to get hacked, with the company announcing yesterday that it had discovered credit-card stealing malware in its payment system, Reuters reports.
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Canadian woman mauled by bear ‘killed by husband’s bullet’ – BBC News
A woman mauled by a bear at her home in Canada’s Yukon Territory was killed by a bullet fired by her husband while trying to rescue her, a coroner says.Claudia Huber and her husband Matthias Liniger were attacked at their home in Johnson’s Crossing.
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Shortage of affordable homes hits Nigeria’s Abuja – Al Jazeera English
Nigeria’s capital Abuja is a city under construction. Hundreds of new homes are built each month. But all too often, they are priced beyond the reach of the average person. As a result, most of them remain empty.
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World’s Christians celebrate Christmas – BBC News
Across the world, Christians have begun marking Christmas with services, with Pope Francis holding midnight mass at the Vatican.
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Fox News wants you all to stop sucking the joy out of Christmas
Or else. This holiday season, remember that it’s not about the birth of Jesus or Santa’s annual carpetbombing of the wee small children. It’s about the sucking. Mrs. Gordon, just a great lady. She said she had been putting up a Christmas tree in her…
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Peace Love Beauty Wisdom Balance Imagination Truth Consciousness, Cat
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Why you should emoji review your sleep
The other day I posted about the trend away from five-star reviews to emoji reviews, and on Twitter reader Taylor Hodge shared his unique method of using emoji to data label his sleeping patterns: “Recently I’ve been using emoji as data labels in @s…
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Three Ways To Stay Current In The Financial Services Industry | TechCrunch
The financial services industry is a cutthroat market with razor-thin margins, making it one of the toughest industries in which to generate profit. Yet, for fintech startups, it is one of the least chartered, most lucrative sectors.
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When persuasion fails in Fallout 4. : gaming
When persuasion fails in Fallout 4. (i.imgur.com) Uhhhhh just pretend for one minute I’m retarded and please explain to me what F9 would do?
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Peace Love Beauty Wisdom Balance Imagination Truth Consciousness, Cat
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Cat @ Smoky Mountain National Park https://t.co/ekTevJt9Ui
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Cat @ Smoky Mountain National Park https://t.co/b2OpAgd8e5
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Record High Temperatures in Northeast | Al Jazeera America
Northerners accustomed to cozying up to a roaring Yuletide fire in a bulky sweater with a mug of hot chocolate may have to open the windows come Christmas.
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The Key Difference Between Urban Fantasy and Horror
Are you an urban fantasy protagonist or a horror protagonist? The answer may depend on just how you’d react if an eldritch, uncanny supernatural being burst out and decided to attack you.
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Track of the Day: ‘Father Christmas’ by the Kinks – The Atlantic
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Frozen Testicular Tissue Gives Cancer Patients New Hope – The Daily Beast
A nine-year-old boy has become the first person in Britain to have testicular tissue frozen as a means of preserving fertility later in life.
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A Brief History of Drunk-Ass Politicians, From Susana Martinez to Martin Van Buren – The Daily Beast
New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez has been slammed by critics and the opposition as vindictive, petty, and weak. Federal agents have probed years-worth of the Republican’s sketchy fundraising activities, and in 2010 she was caught on tape calling a po…
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Doctors Warn Brazilian Women: ‘Don’t Get Pregnant’ – The Daily Beast
An outbreak of Zika virus, a relatively new mosquito-transmitted infection, has caused substantial alarm in Brazil. Since its appearance in spring of this year, thousands of people have become infected.
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The fight for Ramadi: A turning point against ISIL? – Al Jazeera English
For months, the Iraqi government has promised a major offensive to retake cities held by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group. And in the last week it has begun to deliver on that pledge by moving to win back the city of Ramadi.
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3 College Seniors Contemplate Their Appointment With The Real World : NPR Ed : NPR
Going to college today is a very different experience than it once was. The cost has soared, and the great recession cut into many of the assets that were supposed to pay for it. This week All Things Considered is talking with young people about the…
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U.S. Launches Airstrikes In Support Of Afghan Operation In Sangin : NPR
NPR’s Robert Siegel interviews Sune Engel Rasmussen, who covers Afghanistan for the Guardian, about the latest on the siege of Sangin in southern Afghanistan, which the Taliban attempted to overrun. U.S.
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Massive Methane Gas Leak Displaces Thousands In Los Angeles County : NPR
A major methane leak from a Los Angeles County natural gas storage field is spewing huge amounts of the potent climate change chemical into the air. Nearly 2,000 elementary students whose schools are nearby will have to enter different schools by mi…
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Suburban Virginia Nativity Concert Captures Essence Of Christmas Season : NPR
Performers conduct a dress rehearsal of the annual nativity concert at Falls Church Anglican in Virginia. The event attracts hundreds of people on Christmas Eve. For decades, Falls Church Anglican in suburban Virginia has staged a nativity concert f…
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Rising From The Ocean Floor, Developers Create New City In Nigeria : NPR
The number of people living in Nigeria’s most populous city, Lagos, is set to double in coming years. Developers are creating a new city on what was until recently the ocean. It will cater to the super rich, which critics say will only exacerbate an…
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Nigerian President Tells BBC War Against Boko Haram ‘Technically’ Won : NPR
Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari said in an interview that the war against Boko Haram has “technically” been won. NPR’s Ari Shapiro speaks with the BBC reporter who conducted the interview, Abdullahi Kaura Abubakar, about what this statement mean…
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Why Does Santa Live In The North Pole? A Political Cartoonist’s Vision : NPR
NPR’s Ari Shapiro interviews historian Fiona Halloran about the origins of placing Santa in the North Pole. She says it all began with Thomas Nast, a famous political cartoonist in the 19th century who completely redrew the image that Americans had …
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Not All Santa Costumes Are Created Equal: A Tariff Dispute Over Red Suits : NPR
Not all Santa costumes are equal under the eyes of the law. U.S. trade regulations draw a line between costumes and clothing. But it’s a fuzzy line with real business consequences. Jacob Goldstein of the Planet Money podcast dons the red suit and bl…
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Encore: Among Santa And Mistletoe, A British Christmas Includes Comedy : NPR
For many people in the United Kingdom, the Christmas season includes a visit to a pantomime or a silly comedy musical. This story originally aired on Dec. 25, 2014 on All Things Considered.
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Encore: Born A City Kid, Bernie Sanders Drifted To The Green Mountain State : NPR
Bernie Sanders grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., but the 73-year-old has called Vermont home for almost his entire adult life. Weekend Edition Saturday.
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Parisians Adjust To New Reality Following Terror Attacks : NPR
Heavily armed soldiers on street corners, security checks to get into department stores, fewer people eating out or going to the theater. Is this the new normal for Paris?
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Surge In Online Holiday Shopping Puts Pressure On Retailers : NPR
As more people do their holiday shopping online, the pressure grows for delivery companies and retailers to get Christmas packages to their destinations on time.
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Interview: Eddie Redmayne On ‘The Danish Girl’ : NPR
Actor Eddie Redmayne won an Oscar last year for playing Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything. Now he’s been nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in another biopic, The Danish Girl.
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Small Town Set To Swear In Idaho’s First All-Latino City Council : NPR
The tiny town of Wilder, Idaho, is about to make history by swearing in the state’s first all Latino city council. Latino advocates are hoping to set an example for other majority Latino communities.
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Is Santa An Elf? Discuss : NPR
Earlier this week, I tried to describe Santa in a story as an elf. But I ran into some serious opposition from my editor, Rose Friedman, who was convinced Santa was definitely not an elf. He had a broad face and a little round belly, That shook when…
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Robert Downey Jr pardoned for 20-year-old drug conviction – BBC News
US actor Robert Downey Jr has been granted an official pardon for a drug conviction that sent him to prison nearly 20 years ago. California Governor Jerry Brown announced pardons for 91 people who had been out of custody for 10 years and proved they…
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Tornadoes rip through southern US states – BBC News
Tornadoes have ripped through parts of the southern US, killing at least 10 people and injuring dozens more. The fierce storms have left a path of devastation in Mississippi and into Tennessee – as well as leaving thousands without power in Indiana …
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US plan to deport undocumented families angers Democratic candidates | US news | The Guardian
Hundreds of undocumented families in the US could be rounded up and deported as soon as January, according to a report that has shocked immigrants rights’ advocates and provoked condemnation from Democratic presidential hopefuls.
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December Puzzler : Earth Matters : Blogs
Each month at the Earth Observatory, we publish a new satellite puzzler to challenge your remote sensing and image interpretation skills. But this December, a bit of mirth and mischief got into us. (“I could say ‘Elves,’ but it’s not elves really…”)
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This Piracy Group Promises to Leak 40 of Hollywood’s Top Movies in a Row | Motherboard
A movie piracy release group called Hive-CM8 says it’s planning to leak no fewer than 40 top Hollywood movies over the next few weeks.
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Scientists Discovered a “Wake-Up” Switch in the Brain | Van Winkle’s
Sleep has a blueprint. A night of rest is comprised of N-REM and REM sleep, and their various sub-phases. Fittingly, then, the structure and pattern of rest is known as “sleep architecture.” (How elegant, right?)
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Tourists enjoy shorts weather in New York – BBC News
In the movies, New York is always cold and covered in snow at Christmas – but this season it’s an unseasonably warm and wet wonderland.
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A New Film Explores Houdini’s Quest To Debunk The World of Mysticism
When you hear the name Houdini, you probably get a very specific image in your head. That of a man in a straight jacket escaping something. But a new movie will explore a side of the legend many people don’t know existed: The skeptic.
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Obamacare open enrollment nets 8.3 million subscribers, handily beating last year’s numbers
Merry Christmas, everybody! Here, have some health insurance. The even better news? Young people are signing up for insurance.
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I Hope No One Tries to Hack This Shining-Inspired Gingerbread Hotel to Pieces With a Knife
‘Tis the season for rendering architectural icons out of cookies and plotting to murder your family in a remote mountain hotel. Now the two best things about Christmastime are together at last.
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Merry Christmas, everyone! We got ourselves a tepid bath of a planet | Grist
We take you on board a fishing boat in the San Juan Islands, where local fishermen are bringing back traditional Native American catch methods. Prepare yourselves for snowballs, witch hunts, and a big measles outbreak.
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The Overlook Hotel in gingerbread
Amazing! Redditor eudicotyledon and family win the holiday season with this exquisite gingerbread rendition of the Overlook Hotel from “The Shining,” complete with scary gingerbread twins and edible wallpaper, Danny lost in a hedge maze made of gree…
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Queen – Under Pressure-1981 (Official Video) HQ – YouTube
Queen – Under Pressure https://t.co/DuRE38BmNp
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Here’s the first trailer for Sesame Street on HBO | The Verge
Sesame Street is moving to HBO, and now the first trailer of the show’s 46th season is here. The show will make its debut on the premium cable service on January 16th, 2016 with back-to-back 30 minute episodes.
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Activists To Protest at Chicago Shopping District | Al Jazeera America
Scores of protesters marched through downtown Chicago’s high-end shopping district Thursday to draw attention to the 2014 police killing of a black teenager who was shot 16 times by a white officer.
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Reddit Is Voting on the Best Videos of the Year | Motherboard
As 2015 comes to an end, perhaps nobody has a better handle on the top videos that graced the web than the “front page of the internet.
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George Will: ‘unpleasant,’ ‘disagreeable,’ ‘needy,’ ‘insecure’ Trump will destroy the GOP
They sure loves them their Putin-loving Trump! George Will, panicked conservative, on the person mesmerizing close to half of the GOP base: If you look beyond Donald Trump’s comprehensive unpleasantness — is there a disagreeable human trait he does …
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Changing your life in 4 months [Image] : GetMotivated
Yea, but he got a microwave. That’s some real life shit right there. That’s his workout.
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Robert Downey Jr pardoned in California for felony drug conviction | Film | The Guardian
The governor of California pardoned Robert Downey Jr on Thursday for a nearly 20-year-old felony drug conviction that sent the Oscar-nominated actor to jail for nearly a year.
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The best after-Christmas deals | The Verge
Now is the traditional time of year when stores unload their unsold holiday stock, and consumers go buy whatever wasn’t under the Christmas tree. Retailers like Amazon and Best Buy start offering discounts shortly after Christmas on things like tele…
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Fernando Machado and Diane Rodriguez announced their pregnancy, believed to be the first of its kind in South America, on social media earlier this month and it’s received widespread attention in a continent that has seen a sudden explosion in the r…
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Cyprus leaders in joint TV address – BBC News
Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders on the divided island of Cyprus have for the first time given a joint TV address to wish residents a happy holiday. President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci said they hoped for a peace …
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‘Rebels to leave’ Damascus suburbs under deal – Al Jazeera English
Wounded fighters belonging to armed groups will be allowed to withdraw from the suburbs of Damascus as part of a deal with the Syrian government, according to a UK-based monitoring group.
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Midday open thread: Fox stacks deck for Trump; woman charged with attempted murder in abortion case
• Does Paris deal fall short? Yes. But no difference between the parties on climate change? Come on, by Ian Reifowitz From May 1 to December 15, leading Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump lapped the rest of the field in interview airtime…
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A Christmastime Pardon for Robert Downey Jr. – The Atlantic
California Governor Jerry Brown has pardoned 91 people, including Robert Downey Jr., the actor, who spent more than a year in prison following a drug conviction in 1996.
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What to Do on Christmas When You Don’t Celebrate It
Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year—unless you’re like me and don’t celebrate it. Then you’re stuck with a world mostly shut down and seemingly nothing to do.
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Why Love Actually is worth loving despite its flaws – Vox
For the past few years, as November turns to December, the time for a cherished holiday tradition arrives. I refer, of course, to fighting about Love Actually on the internet.
Why Love Actually is worth loving despite its flaws https://t.co/vTWAaMs0hk https://t.co/Z7epOkhpnN -
13 Beatles Albums & 4 Compilations Now Streaming Free on Spotify | Open Culture
This morning, Josh Jones highlighted for you the new HD versions of Beatles videos on Youtube, and, along the way mentioned that, starting today, the Beatles’ music catalog — 13 albums and 4 compilations — would become available on various music str…
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Twitter’s Fiscal 2015: Up, Flat, And Down | TechCrunch
Twitter did not have a lovely 2015. The world-famous social company saw its revenue rise, its usage flatten, and its share price fall.
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Hear Green Day’s Festive Punk Anthem ‘Xmas Time of the Year’ | Rolling Stone
Hear Green Day’s Festive Punk Anthem ‘Xmas Time of the Year’ Band’s first new song in over 18 months celebrates last week of December
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Best Buy Turned the $10 Toy Into a $120 Wifi-Enabled Piece of Crap | Motherboard
Best Buy is a dystopian hellscape. Not because it’s Christmas Eve and because everything has been picked over by the masses, but because the store’s selection has shifted to completely insane products no one could possibly want.
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All the sounds you never knew you wanted to hear
What does it sound like when a woman in red high heels walks across a dining room table? What does it sound like when a big guy gets slapped in the nape? What does it sound like when a forest watches itself? “Unnecessary Sounds” reveals all.
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How to sound smart around the Christmas table – BBC News
It’s that time of year. The gifts are wrapped, the turkey is stuffed and your opinionated relatives are on their way round for dinner. In fairness, some families will get along swimmingly this Christmas season. But some may not – any issue may spill…
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Learn What All Those Confusing Whiskey Label Terms Mean With This Guide
Whiskey can be a little intimidating, especially when you don’t know terms like “single-barrel” and “blended.” Or what the difference between “whiskey” and “whisky” is. This simple glossary can help you out.
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Happy Life Day Eve! Let’s Bask in the Spectacular Awfulness of the Star Wars Holiday Special
Tomorrow is Life Day, and as you’re steering your starship to Kashyyyk to celebrate with your Wookiee relatives, take a moment to reflect on the best possible way to commemorate this intergalactic holiday: By watching the Star Wars Holiday Special.
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In 2015, I conducted a series of 19 interviews with philosophers and public intellectuals on the issue of race. My aim was to engage, in this very public space, with the often unnamed elephant in the room.
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This Was the Year That Iran Finally Started to Come in From the Cold | VICE News
Trita Parsi founded the National Iranian-American Council in January 2002, the same month that US President George W. Bush included Iran, the country of Parsi’s birth, in an “axis of evil” that included North Korea and Iraq under Saddam Hussein.
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Paris airport worker arrested ‘for taking diplomat’s money’ – BBC News
A worker at a Paris airport has been arrested after picking up €20,000 (£15,000; $22,000) dropped by a Moroccan diplomat, police say.The diplomat was leaving a VIP lounge at Charles De Gaulle airport to board a flight when he realised that the money…
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Tom Hanks should play Andrew Ryan in a Bioshock movie. : movies
DiscussionTom Hanks should play Andrew Ryan in a Bioshock movie. (self.movies) Hanks has that gravitas that could make Andrew Ryan come to life. After watching Road To Perdition, I feel like he could fit the mold.
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Kylo Ren Is Everything That Anakin Skywalker Should Have Been
Kylo Ren had a huge legacy to live up to in the new Star Wars, because Darth Vader is one of cinema’s all-time great villains. But Vader’s legacy is also a huge part of what makes Kylo Ren so fascinating—because he’s everything that Anakin Skywalker…
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This Is What China Looks Like When Its Cities Are on a ‘Red Alert’ for Smog | VICE News
Chinese authorities have issued air pollution warnings for 10 additional cities, following two “red alerts” announced by Beijing this month that covered the capital and several other major cities in the country’s east.
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Ten Odd and Mysterious Historical Finds of 2015 | Ancient Origins
Skip to main content Main menu News Home / News / Ten Odd and Mysterious Historical Finds of 2015 Suggested Books Active forum topics More Suggested Books Popular content
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A North Korean Diplomat Accused of Smuggling Rhino Horn Was Kicked Out of South Africa | VICE News
A North Korean diplomat was ejected from South Africa after he allegedly was discovered to be smuggling rhino horn, according to reports from national media outlet News24.
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Columbia House is relaunching to take advantage of vinyl’s comeback | The Verge
For decades Columbia House sold mail-order subscriptions for records, tapes, and CDs, before getting killed by the rise of digital music. Now it’s planning to relaunch by embracing its past and selling vinyl.
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Make an Impromptu Cheese Grater Out of a Soda Can
If you’re in need of some shredded cheese, but you don’t have a cheese grater, a soda can will work in a pinch. This video from youtuber Shake the Future demonstrates a clever method for turning a soda can into an impromptu cheese grater.
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Sanders and O’Malley condemn Obama administration’s reported deportation plans
This isn’t going to be pretty. According to reports, the Obama administration plans to deport hundreds of people who came to the U.S. fleeing violence in Central America. Two of the three Democratic candidates have responded to the reports:
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Quentin Tarantino is a scholar of old movies with a particular antiquarian fetish for the ways they used to be made and consumed.
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As 500 Startups Eyes Aggressive Expansion In 2016, Diversity Tops The Agenda | TechCrunch
The accelerator 500 Startups is eyeing an aggressive global expansion plan in 2016, with 10 new micro-funds planned worldwide, and as the investment firm plots its next course founder and managing director Dave McClure says that diversity in the fun…
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Bessemer Venture Partners’ Ethan Kurzweil Talks Video In 2016 | TechCrunch
Now there are services like Periscope and Meerkat, which are enabling users to broadcast the world around them live. We also saw YouTube launch a subscription model.
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Americans in Iran hostage crisis to receive compensation – 36 years later | US news | The Guardian
The 53 Americans taken hostage in Iran in 1979 will finally get financial compensation that had eluded them for decades, after US lawmakers included a payment provision in sweeping spending legislation.
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The Force in a Jar speaks to you
You want the Force. But how do you get it? You buy it in a bottle for $16. It’s The Force in a Jar.
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‘Thomasine & Bushrod,’ the blaxploitation Western with music by Arthur Lee and Love|Dangerous Minds
Thomasine & Bushrod is one of four movies Super Fly director Gordon Parks, Jr. (son of the director of Shaft) made before his death in a plane crash at the age of 44.
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Use Math to Make Your Gifts Look Less Like Trash | Motherboard
I’ve given up on wrapping gifts. I know it’s a tradition, having a jumble of boxes perfectly covered in colourful paper, festooned with neat bows, sitting under the tree and all, but the truth is I’m absolute shit at wrapping gifts.
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A federal judge has refused to dismiss charges against a suspected Libyan militant charged in the 2012 Benghazi attacks that killed the US ambassador and three other Americans. Lawyers for Ahmed Abu Khattala had asked a judge to throw out all but on…
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Carly Rae Jepsen remade the original Full House theme for Netflix’s spinoff | The Verge
Carly Rae Jepsen is winding down a big year that saw the release of her third (and pretty great) full-length album Emotion and a string of top notch music videos.
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Two indie zombie novels that may make Christmas Eve pass easier / Boing Boing
I’ve read a bunch of new indie zombie novels, via Kindle Unlimited, this week! Here are two very funny, fasted paced stories that will help pass the time, as you wait in ambush for an overweight, red suited home invader to exit your chimney.
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What do I want for Christmas? I’ll settle for a little more insight into how to make the perfect cappuccino, the stuff that has reliably kept this site running day in, day out, for the past 9 years.
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Pakistan cricket hit by fresh wave of controversy – Al Jazeera English
Pakistan cricket team’s training camp in Lahore has become a conflict zone.
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Columbia House to Relaunch as Vinyl Subscription Service | Rolling Stone
Four months after declaring bankruptcy, mail-order retailer Columbia House thinks they have uncovered a path to solvency: Vinyl. Hoping to capitalize on the record fad, Columbia House’s new owner announced plans to revive the company as a vinyl-only…
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Argentina floods force thousands to evacuate – BBC News
At least 7,000 people have been evacuated in north-eastern Argentina as heavy rains cause rivers to swell. Those living close to the Uruguay River in Entre Rios province are reported to be among the worst affected.
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Ben Carson’s Presidential Campaign Has Been Troubled by Dysfunction Within – The Atlantic
When Ben Carson appeared on CNN Wednesday night to defend his campaign’s management, he praised his staffers’ ability to shape him into a candidate. But his campaign still requires a boost after being rattled by dysfunction within.
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WASHINGTON — After spending 444 days in captivity, and more than 30 years seeking restitution, the Americans taken hostage at the United States Embassy in Tehran in 1979 have finally won compensation.
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Deadspin The Worst American Sportswriting Of 2015 | Jezebel Little Girl Calls 911 After Touching Her ‘Elf on a Shelf’ | Gizmodo The Biggest Change to How Americans Go Out to Eat in the Last 50 Years | Gawker How Not to Beat Ted Cruz |
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10 Brand New Characters Who Joined Our Favorite Series, And We Didn’t Hate Them
The biggest challenge for the new Star Wars was to make us love Rey and Finn as much as Luke and Han. Mission accomplished! But most of the time, when a venerable franchise introduces new characters, it’s a horrendous failure.
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Avoid These Traps When Shopping for Health Insurance
Health insurance is tricky to shop for. You pay a ton of money just to try to stay healthy, and if you get seriously sick or injured, you could still be on the hook for thousands more. Smart shopping can keep your expenses low, and give you more opt…
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Sleazy Serial Killer Drama Wicked City’s Cancelled Episodes Are Now on Hulu
Wicked City was a serial killer show on ABC that relied heavily on 1980s Los Angeles nostalgia—including, but not limited to, setting crucial scenes on the Sunset Strip.
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‘I am Free:’ El Salvadoran Man Weeps Leaving Canadian Church for First Time in Two Years | VICE News
Jose Figueroa seemed unable to believe it. Standing at the door of the church that had been both a sanctuary and a prison for two years, he shook with emotion as he took his first step into the outside world.
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PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Sega CD, and 13 other consoles come to OpenEmu 2.0 | Ars Technica
The creators of OpenEmu, the attractive multi-console emulator frontend for OS X, have released version 2.0 of the software just in time for the holidays. OpenEmu 2.
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Nativity cat is feeling the holidays
Nativity cat!
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Enso for iOS Finds New Music with Swipes
The idea here is pretty simple: Enso gives you previews of songs, then you swipe left on the songs you hate and right on the songs you like. You can then connect Enso to Spotify to listen to full songs or check out the entire song on YouTube.
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US man who denies crime released from jail after 28 years – BBC News
A US man who says he was wrongly accused of attacking a woman has walked free after 28 years in jail.A judge overturned Clarence Moses-EL’s rape and assault conviction, saying he would likely be found innocent if the case went to trial again.
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Homeless Shelter In Downtown L.A. To Feed Thousands On Christmas Eve | ThinkProgress
They started lining up the night before the night before Christmas. Some 3,000 people are expected to eat at the Los Angeles Mission in downtown on Christmas Eve, bringing a little Christmas spirit to Skid Row this year.
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‘Joy’: A Manic Cinderella Gets the Job Done | New Republic
Writer-director David O. Russell loves the chaotic vitality of everyday life so much, it doesn’t appear to bother him that his vibrant movies don’t resemble reality at all.
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Iran hostage crisis: Victims ‘to be compensated’ 36 years later – BBC News
The US victims of the Iran hostage crisis are to receive compensation 36 years after their ordeal, reports say. Each of the 53 hostages or their estates will receive up to $4.4 million, according to a US spending bill passed last Friday.
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Happy holidays from The A.V. Club · Newswire · The A.V. Club
As we do every year, Newswire will be shutting down for the next few days so we can recharge our batteries and try to locate batteries for the toys we got our family members for Christmas. We’ve got a few pieces of content, including part two of our…
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African Migrants Win in Spain’s Christmas Lottery | Al Jazeera America
About 35 African migrants, including at least one rescued at sea from an overcrowded wooden boat, are among the top prize winners of Spain’s Christmas lottery, according to the owner of the lottery agency that sold more than 1,000 tickets that shell…
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In September 1997, writer, wit, raconteur and gay icon Quentin Crisp named his ten favorite gangster movies for Neon film magazine. The list was featured under the magazine’s “It’s not what you think” page—a monthly selection of favorite things.
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The Performance-Art Work That Is Getting Through the Holidays with My Family – The New Yorker
In this group performance, an eclectic corps de ballet is established by means of traditional movement denoting affection.
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‘I am Free:’ El Salvadoran Man Leaves Canadian Church for First Time in Two Years | VICE News
Jose Figueroa seemed unable to believe it. Standing at the door of the church that had been both a sanctuary and a prison for two years, he shook with emotion as he took his first step into the outside world.
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Make Perfect Korean Egg Rolls by First Straining the Eggs Through a Sieve
Here’s a beautiful alternative to the traditional omelet or a crepe: a Korean-style egg roll that cooks up quickly. Eugenie Kitchen demonstrates how to roll up the delicate egg (mixed with carrots and onions here) in a round frying pan.
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NASA releases a colorful psychedelic video of Pluto | The Verge
NASA has released hundreds of photos of the Pluto system since the flyby in July, but a handful of them have supremely psychedelic. A new video released today is no exception.
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14 Last-Minute Subscription Gifts For Your Internet-Connected Friends | TechCrunch
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Americans are drinking themselves to death at record rates. Merry Christmas! Some very uplifting holiday news from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Alcohol related deaths are up 37 percent from 2002. From 2006 to 2010, excessive alcoh…
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The journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, today – Al Jazeera English
As censorship increases worldwide, journalists are being attacked, kidnapped and even killed for exposing the truth. Is anti-Islamic sentiment threatening Australia’s celebrated multicultural identity?
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The US Is Selling Weapons to Taiwan — That’s Going to Really Piss Off Beijing | VICE News
Last week, the White House officially notified Congress of a wide-ranging arms deal with Taiwan, worth $1.83 billion.
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We often associate jukeboxes with 1950s teenagers and rock and roll and such. At least I do. But the rise of the jukebox actually occurred long before Elvis was ever cued up at any Milwaukee soda shop.
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School District Rehires Cafeteria Worker Who Gave Needy Student Free Lunch | ThinkProgress
Last week, a cafeteria worker at an Idaho middle school was fired for giving a free lunch to a hungry 12-year-old student. On Wednesday, after significant backlash against the school, she was offered her job back.
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Nottinghamshire’s Alex Hales is set to make his Test debut when England begin their four-match series against South Africa in Durban on Saturday. Hales, 26, will be the eighth opener to partner Alastair Cook since 2012.
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Florida supreme court denies stay of execution for convicted killer | US news | The Guardian
The Florida supreme court has denied a stay of execution for a 53-year-old convicted killer from the Tampa Bay area. The court’s late Wednesday decision regarding the case of Oscar Ray Bolin was posted on its website Thursday morning.
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Holiday Season Brings Uncertainty to Afghans Who Are Desperate to Make It to Europe | VICE News
In a small flat in Zeytinburnu, an Istanbul neighborhood that has become home to the majority of the city’s Afghan community, two young Afghan men lay dozing on mattresses on the floor. In their languid state all they said is that they arrived two d…
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The story of The Nutcracker – in pictures | Books | The Guardian
Skip to main content Fairytales The story of The Nutcracker – in pictures From the folk tales of ETA Hoffman and Alexandre Dumas to Tchaikovsky’s ballet and beyond, translater Sarah Ardizzone traces the evolution of one of our best-loved Christmas s…
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What We’re Following Thursday Afternoon, 12/24 – The Atlantic
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Americans Want More Guns Under The Tree This Year | VICE News
If you’ve recently added a Smith & Wesson to someone’s stocking, you may be among Americans shopping for an increasing number of firearms this holiday season.
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Retro-tech: 2015 was an astounding year for one cassette tape factory | Ars Technica
Cassette tapes, like vinyl albums, are making a comeback. While CDs and digital media still reign supreme, according to a 2015 mid-year Nielsen report, the largest operational cassette factory in the US reports an impressive increase in demand.
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How to read a Russian criminal’s tattoos
Arkady Bronnikov is an expert when it comes to translating the tattoos of criminals in Russian. To date, he’s collected over 20,000 tattoos, and he’s compiled a “jail slang” dictionary with over 10,000 terms. “Some general rules: crosses often depic…
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Track Santa with Your Kids and Also Get Them Coding with Elves
It’s Christmas Eve. Unless you’re still not done buying or wrapping presents or baking cookies, there’s nothing left to do but wait for Santa. Google’s Santa Tracker is back again this year, complete with coding games for the little ones.
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Former CIA chief’s rendition sentence reduced in Italy – BBC News
Italy has reduced the sentence of a former CIA station chief convicted in his absence of extraordinary rendition. Italian President Sergio Mattarella commuted Robert Seldon Lady’s sentence from nine years to seven. He also cancelled a three-year sen…
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‘A city on the edge’: In Lashkar Gar, Helmand Province – BBC News
Afghan security forces have claimed to have killed 50 Taliban fighters in a battle for the key town of Sangin in Helmand Province. The dead are said to include a senior Taliban commander.
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Tornadoes and severe storms across southern US leave at least seven dead | US news | The Guardian
At least seven people were killed in a storm system that raged across the southern US on Wednesday, as the east coast experienced record high temperatures and persistent rain.
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You Can Now Pre-Order this Obscenely Expensive But Working Hoverboard
It’s expected to cost a staggering $20,000 if it ever goes into production, and its battery can only power the device’s 36 fans for about six minutes. But unlike all the other hoverboards grabbing the media’s attention these days, Arca Space’s hover…
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‘The problem with the Confederate flag isn’t the Confederacy.’ Jeb! gets it half wrong, half right
Republican presidential hopeful Jeb Bush continued his sorta-against-the-grain streak on a campaign stop earlier this week when he defended his decision to remove the Confederate flag from the state capitol when he was governor of Florida. However, …
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Emergency crews in several US states assessed the damage this morning after more than 20 tornadoes left a deadly path of destruction days before Christmas.
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Samsung and HTC both launch new phones in China | The Verge
HTC and Samsung have each officially new phones exclusive to China today, after weeks of rumors and leaks. The 5.5-inch HTC One X9 has a full HD screen and is powered an octa-core MediaTek processor and 3GB of RAM.
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I Heart You, So Please Buckle Your Uber Seatbelt | TechCrunch
Force fields aren’t real, at least not yet. Cars are dangerous. So whether you’re in an Uber, Lyft, taxi, or you’re driving yourself, buckle your seatbelt. Several friends of mine recently had their Ubers run into by other cars.
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NASA Astrobiology –“Alien Life May Be More Complex Than Anticipated” (2015 Most Popular)
When astrobiologists contemplate life on nearby planets or moons, they often suggest such life would be simple. Instead of there being some kind of multicellular organism on, say, Jupiter’s moon Europa, scientists instead aim to find something more …
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Americans’ Nostalgic Quest for the Christmas of Their Childhoods – The Atlantic
On an icy Maine pond one December morning, Chester Greenwood, a 15-year-old boy with oversized ears, was freezing. He cut a few strokes on his new skates before the ear-piercing cold became unbearable.
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A Holiday Dinosaur Fossil Gift Giving Guide, Specifically for Nicolas Cage | Motherboard
You might want to rethink those dinosaur skulls you have tucked under the Christmas tree. Earlier this week, actor Nicholas Cage announced he would be returning the $276,000 Tyrannosaurus bataar (a relative of the T-Rex) skull he purchased back in 2…
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Here’s What Happens Now When You Push The Rdio Button On The Roku Remote | Motherboard
There’s one final casualty following the death of streaming music service Rdio: the integrity of my Roku’s remote control.
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The White House Is Looking To Play Ball With MLB And Cuba | ThinkProgress
As relations between Cuba and the United States warm up, Major League Baseball is hoping to avoid human trafficking of potential players by dealing directly with the communist government.
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Obamas, Bidens Unveil Personal Holiday Playlists | Rolling Stone
Celebrate Christmas White House-style thanks to a pair of seasonal playlists curated by the Obamas and the Bidens.
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Flashback: See Dolly Parton and Sisters’ Hairspray-Heavy Holiday Song | Rolling Stone
Following the double-platinum success of her Once Upon a Christmas LP with Kenny Rogers in 1984, it was a natural that Dolly Parton would eventually release another holiday-themed album.
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Canada’s Oil Country Is Bleeding Jobs and Suicides Are on the Rise in Alberta | VICE News
There was supposed to be a life path for an Alberta oil worker. It started after leaving high school — with or without a diploma — and an entry level job somewhere in the field.
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Ja Rule reads the Grinch – YouTube
Ja Rule, the rapper with four Grammy nominations, six top-ten albums and is also known for some well-publicized feuds with 50 Cent and Eminem, reads the Grinch for BBC Radio 1. Merry Christmas!
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“He would turn over in his grave if he knew I’m about to read this,” says Stan Lee, Marvel Comics’ grand poo-bah, before launching into Clement Clarke Moore’s “The Night Before Christmas.
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Butterflies in church, bats along the river | Letters | UK news | The Guardian
The mild weather is definitely having its effect (Ice rinks melt as Christmas goes crackers, 24 December). We have plants flowering in the gardens that really shouldn’t be at this time of year, such as Phacelia, and we even have a few roses still in…
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Costume-Design Secrets About Cate Blanchett’s Sumptuous Carol Wardrobe | Vanity Fair
Powell says that one of her favorite pieces from the film, which happened to be one of the most difficult to design, is the suit that Carol wears to lunch with Therese.
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Footage shows family at Gatwick after flight permission refused – BBC News
A Muslim family of nine from London, including four children, were refused permission to board a flight to the US out of Gatwick on 15 December.
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December tornadoes churn through US Southern states – Al Jazeera English
The twister appears to have stayed on the ground for over 160km, starting in northern Mississippi, crossing Tennessee and ending up in Kentucky. This is by no means the longest track nor most damaging tornado, but in late December it is very surpris…
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John Cleese revives Basil Fawlty for TV advert – BBC News
John Cleese has revived his famous hotelier Basil Fawlty for a TV advert, 36 years after Fawlty Towers ended. Cleese has recreated the 1975 scene in which a frustrated Fawlty berated his broken down car before giving it a “damn good thrashing” with …
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LPT: Carry a small pocket knife with you for the next few days. You will become the hero who can open all the new packages and boxes. (self.LifeProTips) In which case, GET ON THE GODDAMN GROUND! LET ME SEE YOUR FUCKING HANDS ON YOUR HEAD!!
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Why Did Lindsey Graham Run? – The New Yorker
Lindsey Graham dropped out of the Presidential race on Monday. He had been a genuinely different choice in the large field of candidates.
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In “The Revenant,” a period drama reaching for tragedy, Leonardo DiCaprio plays the mountain man Hugh Glass, a figure straight out of American myth and history.
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The US Just Bombed the Taliban to Stop it From Taking Afghanistan’s Largest Province | VICE News
The US carried out two airstrikes in Sangin, a district in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, a region that has been overrun by Taliban fighters. The bombing was meant to bolster embattled government forces who may be on the verge of losing control ove…
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Where Is Santa Claus? How to Track His Journey Live on NORAD – The Daily Beast
Since 1955, on every Christmas Eve, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) has produced an annual entertainment program called “NORAD Tracks Santa.
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How the Internet of Things Limits Consumer Choice – The Atlantic
In theory, the Internet of Things—the connected network of tiny computers inside home appliances, household objects, even clothing—promises to make your life easier and your work more efficient.
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A Modern Day Myth Explaining the Color of the Oceans
Vincent Peone’s “The Sea Is Blue” is a lovely tale about a girl’s journey, with the requisite voiceover telling the tale. As it should be, when you’re dealing with fairy tale mixed with myth. With his writing/directing partner Josh Ruben, Peone is b…
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Failed bus attack in Kenya ‘linked to IS faction of al-Shabab’ – BBC News
Kenya’s police chief, Joseph Boinnet, has said al-Shabab militants behind this week’s thwarted bus attack were linked to the Islamic State (IS) group. Mr Boinnet said al-Shabab, the Somalia-based Islamist group, had split in two – one faction remain…
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In 2015, Apple’s ecosystem got larger (and harder to leave) than ever | Ars Technica
Apple had an extraordinarily busy 2015. Most of its efforts were focused on hardware and software rather than niche initiatives like CarPlay or HomeKit—we got new kinds of Macs, a new kind of iPad, and an iPhone with a couple of twists.
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The three rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination showed enough sense of responsibility in their debate on Saturday to freely discuss the nation’s epidemic of gun violence. Unfortunately, this was only half the debate voters deserve.
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The now-discredited Rolling Stone feature, “A Rape on Campus,” was published over a year ago.
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How to Install Unapproved Apps on an iPhone Without Jailbreaking
Apple’s notoriously picky about what apps are allowed in their store, which means a lot of great apps get locked out. Jailbreaking has always been the go-to method for getting unapproved apps, but jailbreaking can be a hassle.
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Concussions: Lattice Shape May Improve Safety Padding – Scientific American
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The obvious next step for the Star Wars franchise: reboot the prequels – Vox
Star Wars: The Force Awakens isn’t a perfect movie. But there’s near-universal relief that it doesn’t stink — that the newest addition to the Star Wars franchise is parsecs better than the three flawed prequels. After two decades of disappointment, …
The obvious next step for the Star Wars franchise: reboot the prequels https://t.co/sgXyrWLS5F https://t.co/qLKZS0lLBW -
Obituary for an infamous madam
One of the world’s most famous madams, Madame Claude (real name: Fernande Grudet), has died at 92, leaving behind a colorful obituary in which it’s hard to discern what the real story was behind the mere maquerelle to the world’s most powerful men.
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After trying and failing to juggle too many plots in “AKA 1,000 Cuts,” Jessica Jones considerably improves by doing less in “AKA I’ve Got The Blues,” relaxing the pace to explore the relationship between Jessica and Trish and how it’s changed since …
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Password Hacker – Scientific American
Introduction Do you have your own email or other online account? If so, you probably use a password to log in.
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Zooniverse: Shakespeare’s World – Scientific American
Larry Greenemeier is the associate editor of technology for Scientific American, covering a variety of tech-related topics, including biotech, computers, military tech, nanotech and robots.
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Fifa scandal: Former vice-president extradited to Uruguay – BBC News
A former Fifa vice-president, Eugenio Figueredo, has arrived in his native Uruguay to answer charges related to a massive corruption scandal.Mr Figueredo, 83, was one of seven officials arrested in Switzerland in May at the request of US prosecutors.
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These Beatles albums still can’t be streamed on Spotify or Apple Music | The Verge
Today’s arrival of The Beatles on Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play Music, Tidal, and everywhere else marks a huge moment for streaming music. The band’s discography, from Please Please Me up through Let It Be is finally available on demand.
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“Beyond Apollo” –China’s Chang’e-3 Moon Mission Solves Long-standing Mysteries
The Moon, thought to have been created by the collision of a Mars-sized body with the Earth, began as a molten or partially molten body that separated as it cooled into a crust, mantle and core.
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Venezuela’s Ruling Party Packs the Supreme Court With Judges It Likes | VICE News
Venezuela’s ruling Socialist Party has packed the country’s supreme court with 13 new justices, days before it loses control of the national legislature for the first time in 17 years.
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A very special Christmas Gift – YouTube
We surprised mom with a special Christmas GiftTo use this video in a commercial player or in broadcasts, please email licensing@storyful.com
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Why do I believe the film Concussion will deliver a teeth-rattling blow to the NFL? Why am I sure this Christmas-release/Oscar hopeful will raise far-reaching questions about the price we collectively pay for loving football? Why can I guarantee it …
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Whether the departure is from a home or an office, there is often something melancholy about saying farewell to a place pregnant with memories.
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Indonesia ferry accident: Death toll rises to 63 – BBC News
Rescuers have recovered 40 more bodies from the sea after a ferry accident off the Indonesian province of Sulawesi, bringing the death toll to 63. The fibreglass boat carrying 110 passengers and 12 crew was reportedly overwhelmed by 3m (6ft) waves d…
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O Christmas Tree, Why Are You So Dry? – Scientific American
This Christmas season, Jeri Seifert’s Scotch pines do not look festive. A few years ago, these bright green quintessential Christmas trees with 1-inch needles boasted sturdy branches, perfect for displaying heavy, colorful ornaments and twinkling li…
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Sheriff’s SWAT team poses with warrant, “Come Back With a Warrant” doormat / Boing Boing
The Come Back With a Warrant” doormat is an American classic (I prefer my suburban take on the motif).
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How Data Helped Win The Battle Over Same-Sex Marriage | FiveThirtyEight
Thalia Zepatos, director of research and messaging for Freedom to Marry, helped change American attitudes on same-sex marriage.
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Eighteen migrants drown as boat capsizes off Turkey – BBC News
Several children are among at least 18 people who drowned when their boat capsized trying to cross from Turkey to Greece, officials say. The wood boat capsized in high waves as it tried to cross from Turkey’s Izmir province to the Greek island of Le…
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Make Tax Prep Easier With a Three Folder System
In the next several weeks, our 1099s, W2s, and other tax-related documents will be making their way to our mailboxes. This means a big mess of paperwork come April. Make it easy on yourself by organizing everything in a three folder system.
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Fabiola Gianotti, the Italian physicist who announced the discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012, will from January 1 take charge at CERN, the laboratory near Geneva, Switzerland, where the particle was found.
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Make your very own Jarvis Cocker Xmas ornament|Dangerous Minds
If you fancy having Jarvis Cocker hanging off your Christmas tree this Holiday season, then hop on over to BBC Radio 6 Music where you can download your very own Jarvis Cocker tree decoration. Other poptastic baubles include Laurie Anderson, and…er……
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‘Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?’: Watch Tiny Tim’s incredible late-night disco trainwreck|Dangerous Minds
Tiny Tim was one of the great oddballs of American popular music. Though viewed by most as a ‘60s novelty act, he was well known in the Greenwich Village folk scene for his encyclopedic knowledge of music from the early 20th Century.
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There’s A Very Different Man In Red For Deadpool’s Festive Trailer Tease
While it might be Christmas Eve, for Deadpool, today is Trailer Eve—and ahead of the full event, Fox have released a suitably festive teaser to celebrate. Seems like Santa’s got some new competition in the “Jolly guy in a red suit” department.
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The Very American History of Christmas Lights
Christmas lights are a uniquely American tradition. That’s not just because the first electric Christmas lights appeared in America. The tradition embodies a certain American-ness, an ingenuity and hunger for innovation, that’s easily overlooked. Am…
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Bangladesh police detain members of banned armed group – Al Jazeera English
Bangladesh security forces have detained seven men linked with the banned armed group Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and seized weapons during a raid in the capital Dhaka.
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The Best Christmas Eve Deals: 75% off Any Movie Rental, Cheap Samsung Tablet, and More
Discounted movie rentals, cheap magazine subscriptions, and a fun IR thermometer highlight today’s best deals.
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Cheese Can Now Power a Town — in France, of Course | VICE News
The small Alpine town of Albertville, which is best known for having hosted the 1992 Winter Olympics, has recently become home to a new type of power plant — one that turns cheese into electricity.
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Where America’s Christmas trees come from, in one map – Vox
If you’re among the more than 99 million Americans who set up a Christmas tree each year, there’s a decent chance your tree comes from Oregon. Christmas trees are grown commercially in 44 states.
Where America’s Christmas trees come from, in one map https://t.co/JL6LJEQs50 https://t.co/N3N6xoiWSY -
Google And Microsoft Launch Their Santa Trackers | TechCrunch
Remember when kids just peered out at the stars, trying to spot the lights of Santa’s sleigh (or Rudolph’s shiny nose)? Well, those days are long gone. Santa tracking once again has received its annual digital upgrade.
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Alcohol, explained in 35 maps and charts – Vox
The history of alcohol is as long and complicated as the history of human civilization. While a lot of people love their alcohol, very few are familiar with its past and the risks involved with the tasty beverages.
Alcohol, explained in 35 maps and charts https://t.co/T7Fg0gMoTA https://t.co/YPs3cEzora -
Italian president reduces sentences in CIA kidnapping case | World news | The Guardian
Italy’s president has shaved two years off the sentence of a former CIA base chief convicted in absentia in the 2003 extraordinary rendition abduction of an Egyptian terror suspect.
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This chart shows something actually great that happened in 2015 – Vox
The world had a rough year in 2015, with the ongoing civil war in Syria and rise of ISIS’s international terrorism, the intensifying global refugee crisis, a spate of mass shootings in America, the rise of Donald Trump’s racist presidential campaign…
This chart shows something actually great that happened in 2015 https://t.co/wddS57m4ae https://t.co/hSX6WD5rpY -
This hoverboard costs $20,000 and can fly for six minutes | The Verge
But will it blow up? 2015 was literally and figuratively the year of the hoverboard.
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Your Birth Control Pills and Hamburgers Might Be Making These Fish Intersex | VICE News
A strange thing is happening to male smallmouth and largemouth bass swimming in waterways in parts of the Northeast: They are increasingly showing up with characteristics of the opposite sex.
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VICE News’ Year in Review | VICE News
In 2015, VICE News went to 64 countries, to report on crisis, conflict, and the human cost of war. Here are the most powerful and memorable things we saw.
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Detangling enthusiasts trade snarled yarn to tease back into order / Boing Boing
Online communities like Ravelry’s “Knot a Problem” invite knitters to ship them their most tangled yarn, which they patiently unravel and wind into usable skeins, as a kind of knitting-adjacent hobby, one that combines problem solving with topology.
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She smiled to herself.
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EXCLUSIVE: The Story Sheldon Adelson Didn’t Want You To Read | ThinkProgress
Two weeks ago, conservative billionaire Sheldon Adelson and his family purchased the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Nevada’s largest paper. On Tuesday, its editor-in-chief of five years, Mike Hengel, resigned.
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The Perfectionists by Sara Shepard – review | Children’s books | The Guardian
Who doesn’t want to be perfect? Not many people will decline this opportunity, if ever offered. But if you live amongst the perfect(s) it’s a curse. Everyone around you is better than another. Everyone is striving to reach the very top.
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These GIFs of bouncing bubbles and water droplets are mesmerizing – Vox
These GIFs of bouncing bubbles and water droplets are mesmerizing https://t.co/Rs9XN8gfNL https://t.co/SYNavGipfQ
Water has some odd physical properties. Its solid form floats on top of its liquid form. It boils at a much hotter temperature than predicted by its molecular weight. And as a liquid, it exhibits a very strong surface tension. So strong that even dr… -
3 ways Christmas can be the saddest holiday, as told through pop culture – Vox
Not every Christmas is a merry one. At the core of the almost manically upbeat whirlwind that is the Christmas season, there is often a quiet melancholy. Christmas is supposed to be a time to gather your loved ones close, appreciate what you have, a…
3 ways Christmas can be the saddest holiday, as told through pop culture https://t.co/JcQma7lqJa https://t.co/ZFHuKj1I4r -
Why Just Cause 3 is my game of the year | The Verge
Few games have the capacity to disappoint like Just Cause 3, my game of the year.
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“Doesn’t it get, like, distracting? Hearing me breathing?” Hwa asked. Her feet pounded the pavement. She ducked under the trees that made up the Fitzgerald Causeway Arboretum. Without the rain pattering on the hood of her jacket, she could hear the …
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What The Force Awakens Borrowed From the Old Star Wars Expanded Universe
Whether intentional, by coincidence, or because the plot points are obvious continuations of the established characters, there are a number of things in The Force Awakens that tread over ground the old Expanded Universe also walked. Major spoilers a…
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Line Cupcake Tins with a Foil Topper for Easy Cleaning
Cupcake tins aren’t that hard to clean, but every now and again those cupcakes bubble over and leave the pan covered in baked-on batter.
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Coalition Strikes ISIL in Ramadi to Aid Attack | Al Jazeera America
U.S.-led coalition air forces pounded positions held by ISIL in Ramadi on Thursday, Iraqi military statements said, in support of government troops seeking to retake the western Iraqi city and push on to drive the fighters from key population center…
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The Best Movie Pairs of 2015 | Vanity Fair
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David O. Russell’s Self-Reflexive “Joy” – The New Yorker
In Search-Engine Roulette, the name of the director David O. Russell always lands in the same pocket: not a clip from one of his films or even an interview, but a video of his infamous harangue of Lily Tomlin on the set of “I Heart Huckabees.
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Not Your Mom’s Carols: A Guide to the Best Alternative Christmas Songs – The Daily Beast
Christmas music has been revived well beyond its white-bread roots through reinvention. In the mid-’60s, Phil Spector’s A Christmas Gift for You and the Vince Guaraldi Trio’s A Charlie Brown Christmas made an old story sound new and are to this day …
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TSA transparency activist seeks injunction against mandatory full-body scanners / Boing Boing
Ever since the TSA broke the law and abused him, Sai has been suing them over their illegal conduct, forcing them into court and then demonstrating to the court that the agency refuses to play by any rules, even its own.
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This is What the Year in Mass Shootings in The US Looked Like | VICE News
This past June, after a gunman walked into a Charleston church and killed nine people, President Obama delivered a speech that has since become familiar.
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At Least 7 Are Dead as Storms Strike the South – The Atlantic
At least seven people are dead and dozens injured as unusual pre-Christmas tornadoes ripped through three Southern states on Wednesday, and threatened more areas on Thursday.
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Confident Eyewitnesses Considered Credible – Scientific American
DNA tests have made it clear that innocent people have been sent to prison after a witness picked them out of a lineup. In fact, since 1989, more than 70 percent of 333 wrongful convictions in the U.S. have been influenced by misidentification from …
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Convicted of rape based on a dream, man relishes freedom after 28 years | US news | The Guardian
On a summer night in 1987, a Denver woman was out drinking with three men, and after saying goodnight and returning home, was severely beaten and raped in her apartment. Her facial bones were broken and she lost sight in one eye.
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Hateful Eight, Joy, other Oscar contenders leak before theatrical run | Ars Technica
If you keep tabs on the Internet’s largest depositories for pirated music, films, and TV series, you’re used to an annual deluge of major films appearing in illicit fashion a month or so before the Academy Awards—typically sourced from DVD screeners…
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From Sim Chi Yin’s Instagram feed: Winter solstice offering at an ancestral hall for the Huang clan, #taiwan, 22 Dec.
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Portraits of the women of Botswana’s heavy metal subculture / Boing Boing
South African photographer Paul Shiakallis produced a series of photos, “Leathered Skins, Unchained Hearts,” of the “queens” of Botswana’s heavy metal “Marok” scene, mostly in their homes.
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Syria conflict: IS militants ‘to leave south Damascus’ – BBC News
Islamic State (IS) militants are set to be allowed to withdraw from areas on the outskirts of Damascus under a UN-brokered deal, a monitoring group says.
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Russia has bolstered its military and asserted itself on the world stage with a forcefulness not seen since the Cold War, ratcheting up tensions with the West. Here is what Russia has been doing to reclaim its influence. DEC. 24, 2015
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PETERBOROUGH, N.H. — The two leading Republican candidates not named Donald J. Trump who most need a victory in the New Hampshire primary have wooed voters here by promoting their experience, their tough-mindedness and their seriousness. Now, as Gov.
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Happy holidays! I say this with some trepidation, because Donald Trump has vowed that when he is president, “We’re all going to be saying ‘Merry Christmas’ again.” That was a while ago, during his war on the Starbucks coffee cup design.
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Rolling Stone magazine is urging a judge to throw out a $25m lawsuit filed by three former fraternity members at the University of Virginia who claim they suffered humiliation and emotional distress because of the magazine’s debunked article about a…
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For a White Christmas This Year, Try Alaska – Scientific American
The weather outside is frightful, because it is not beginning to look a lot like Christmas. In fact, only a smattering of Americans has a shot at waking up to a fresh dusting on Friday.
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King Louie Recovering After Gunshot to Head | Rolling Stone
Chicago rapper King Louie is recovering after being shot in the head at the city’s Ashburn neighborhood on Wednesday afternoon. The rapper was shot while in his vehicle at 3:30 p.m. local time and brought to Chicago’s Advocate Christ Medical Center …
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The Hateful Eight, Quentin Tarantino’s new film, is a deeply interesting failure – Vox
Everything about The Hateful Eight is a provocation. The new Western from director Quentin Tarantino provokes through its content. The N-word is tossed around liberally, mostly by white people, and after Tarantino has courted controversy numerous ti…
The Hateful Eight, Quentin Tarantino’s new film, is a deeply interesting failure https://t.co/sU00EQiaTo https://t.co/TOutggDytf -
Rare Christmas Full Moon Will Add to Holiday Light – Scientific American
Holiday lights will adorn many neighborhoods this Christmas, but look out for a very special lighting treat in the form of a full moon this Friday. This month, the full moon will peak at 6:11 a.m. EST (1111 GMT) on Dec. 25.
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Transform Your Hot Chocolate by Simmering It With a Banana Peel
There’s obviously nothing wrong with plain hot chocolate, but if you want Bluth’s Banana Stand in a mug, consider simmering the yellow peel along with your chocolaty brew. This tip (along with seven others from Epicurious, linked below) couldn’t be …
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Why Every Great Christmas Movie Is Actually About Disappointment | Vanity Fair
Tangerine, the shot-on-an-iPhone comedy about trans sex workers that has made so many year-end Top 10 lists, is also a Christmas movie. You’re forgiven if you forgot that.
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Bisma: The death of a toddler and ‘VIP culture’ in Pakistan – BBC News
The tragic death of a toddler has gripped Pakistan’s social media conscience over the last 24 hours. But this is also a story which has cut to the heart of the country’s political conscience and raised questions about so-called VIP culture.
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J.J. Abrams’ Greatest Regret About Star Wars
Lawrence Kasdan talks about how the Han Solo spinoff movie will approach the character. Peter Capaldi ponders his future on Doctor Who. Stefan Kapicic talks playing Colossus in Deadpool. Mark Ruffalo teases a new characterization for the Hulk. Plus,…
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SpaceX’s reusable rockets will make space cheaper — but how much? | The Verge
The company can land its rockets. Now it has to get them back into space Now that SpaceX has landed a rocket after launching it into space, the possibility of reusing rockets isn’t as fantastic of an idea as it once was. But is it really that much m…
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The feds are making it a lot less profitable for local police to take your stuff – Vox
The feds are making it a lot less profitable for local police to take your stuff https://t.co/AR6Y1VPnp2 https://t.co/FfaZpFfZfQ
Quietly, just a few days before Christmas, the federal government made a huge change to the way it cooperates with local police departments: it’s no longer giving local police departments a share of money or property seized from people who haven’t c… -
Runner’s routes make Star Wars maps – BBC News
Gene Lu used a fitness tracking app to record the routes he took, and posted the results on social media. In the last month he has mapped out the face of a Stormtrooper, Darth Vader, a TIE fighter and an AT-AT transporter.
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Southwest’s Conifers Face Trial By Climate Change – Scientific American
Christopher Intagliata
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These Healthcare Apps Keep Us On Our Best Behavior | TechCrunch
For too long, healthcare technology has focused reactively on treating the acutely ill. Instead, our system, and new innovation, should prioritize proactively keeping people well.
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Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans – bright mischief, quiet melancholy | Books | The Guardian
“In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines …” If you know these lines at all you cannot help but know more of them; the rhythm practically defies you not to continue: “lived twelve little girls in two straight lines.
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The best (and worst) smartwatches, fitness bands, and wearables of 2015 | Ars Technica
It has been a big year for wearables. The Apple Watch was born (finally), Google Glass died (finally), and bands that track everything from steps to mood changes have grown up and become not terrible (finally!).
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You’ve heard of Misty Copeland. Now meet the other ballerina who made history this year. – Vox
2015 was a groundbreaking year in ballet.
You’ve heard of Misty Copeland. Now meet the other ballerina who made history this year. https://t.co/s0ti0v8uRD https://t.co/L3jLxSlB3y -
The Remarkable Reach of “Growth Mind-Sets” – Scientific American
Do you think it is possible to increase your intellectual ability? For decades I have studied the power of this belief to become reality and watched as the concept of maintaining a “growth mind-set” has taken root in education and parenting circles.
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TOM THE DANCING BUG: Thank Goodness for Goodguy-With-A-Gun! / Boing Boing
Tom the Dancing Bug, IN WHICH we all trust Goodguy-With-A-Gun to protect us, not because we want to, but because we have to. Follow @RubenBolling on Twitter and Facebook.
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Watch Alton Brown Demonstrate Why “Unitaskers” Have No Place In Your Kitchen
Alton Brown knows a thing or two about kitchen gadgets, and making sure they’re multipurpose. In this hilarious video from the Daily Dot, he makes fun of some more colorful ones, and explains why most of these “unitaskers”aren’t worth your money.
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The musician from Diyala – Al Jazeera English
In the hot, grimy Balkan summer of 2015, hundreds of thousands made their way north. Men, women and children walked countless kilometres and slept in ditches or makeshift camps, depending on the hospitality of strangers for shelter and water.
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Morning Digest: Kentucky’s new Republican governor rescinds restoration of ex-felon voting rights
● IN-Gov, MT-Gov: There’s often a lot of turnover among lieutenant governors: It’s almost always a crummy job with few real responsibilities, so it’s seldom surprising to see one move on. For instance, Montana Lt. Gov.
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The Ghosts of Christmas: Was Scrooge the First Psychotherapy Patient? – The New Yorker
For much of my adult life, I believed, inaccurately, that I knew the story of Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol”—that I remembered it from childhood. It was about a miser called Ebenezer Scrooge who, when wished a “Merry Christmas,” always said, …
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Vladimir Putin calendar: The gift that keeps on giving? – BBC News
For those of us doing last minute Christmas shopping, here is some unlikely inspiration in the form of a Vladimir Putin calendar. It features the Russian president in a variety of poses, from topless fishing to exercising, along with a thought to ac…
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Israel examines video showing arson death ‘celebrations’ – BBC News
Israeli police are investigating a video of Jewish extremists apparently celebrating the death of a Palestinian family in an arson attack. Saad and Riham Dawabsha and their 18-month-old son, Ali, were killed four months ago in a West Bank attack Pal…
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Daily Kos Radio is on, OLD SCHOOL at 9 AM ET!
Ooooooooo! Ebeneeeeeeeezer! You will be visited by three ghosts this Christmas week! By which I mean, of course, the three “encore performance” reruns of Kagro in the Morning. Why, what did you think I was talking about? We’ll be back on the air liv…
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Israeli forces shoots four Palestinians dead – Al Jazeera English
Israeli forces have killed four Palestinians in in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, taking the total Palestinian death toll since the start of October to 134. The 134 Palestinians, including unarmed demonstrators, bystanders and assailants, have …
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Wingnut Year In Review: Just In Time For The Holidays
Are you dreading another holiday dinner with a talkative right-wing relative or two? Here’s a year’s worth of wingnuttia to shut them up.
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Supportive Housing for Single Moms and Ex-Cons – The Atlantic
Not long after after Johnny “Knuckles” DeVincenzo finished serving his 44-year prison sentence, he was hanging out in the lobby of his apartment building. He noticed a woman with a small, crying child—they were both hungry, the woman explained. So D…
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The Smart Jukebox of the Future | Motherboard
The classic jukebox as we tend to picture it—art deco-style blaring that rock music to white-shirted teens in a 50s diner—is a beacon of nostalgia right up there with Polaroid film and cassette tapes. But the jukebox isn’t dead at all; it’s just gon…
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Chelsea Manning spends sixth Christmas in prison with no end in sight | US news | The Guardian
Chelsea Manning, whose role as the source of one of the largest leaks of US government state secrets in history earned her a 35-year prison sentence, will be spending her sixth Christmas in military custody with no end in sight for her ordeal.
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Fernande Grudet, who under the name Madame Claude operated a deluxe call-girl ring in Paris in the 1960s and ’70s that attracted the patronage of world leaders, business executives and playboys and made her a byword for sophisticated sex, died on Sa…
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Kalluk, Tatqiq and Chinook played in the snow as it blanketed their exhibit at the San Diego Zoo. For certain four-legged residents of San Diego, the year-round warmth is not the city’s best feature.
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“Unprecedented!” “Amazing!” “Novel!”: the rise of hype in scientific journals – Vox
“Unprecedented!” “Amazing!” “Novel!”: the rise of hype in scientific journals https://t.co/8E2dLB7dKS https://t.co/6o6etTjrts
In the brutally competitive world of academic publishing, it can be hard to get noticed. So in recent decades, many researchers have turned to overhyping their studies. -
Wedding Video Shows Jewish Extremists Celebrating the Death of Palestinian Baby | VICE News
Video footage of Jewish extremists mocking the death by arson of a Palestinian baby has sparked outrage and a police investigation in Israel.
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There Could End Up Being Little Difference Between No Child Left Behind and the ESSA – The Atlantic
For years, there has been talk of leaving the 2002 “No Child Left Behind” law—the first real attempt by the federal government to hold schools accountable for helping all students learn—behind. 2015 is the year it finally happened.
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12 Days of Christmas Songs: The Adorable Grandiosity of ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’ – The Atlantic
Welcome to The 12 Days of Christmas Songs: an attempt to uncover the forgotten history of some of the most memorable festive tunes. From December 14 through 25, we’ll be tackling one secular song and one holy song each day. Adore is a curious word.
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Bison “Vote” on the Direction They’d Like the Herd to Move – Scientific American
Every few years Americans in major cities elect a mayor. The process is relatively straightforward: we vote, and the candidate who carries the majority wins. The same goes for certain bovines.
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How Critical Slowing Down in a Complex System Is Nature’s Warning Signal – The Atlantic
Nestled in the northern Wisconsin woods, Peter Lake once brimmed with golden shiners, fatheads, and other minnows, which plucked algae-eating fleas from the murky water. Then, seven years ago, a crew of ecologists began stepping up the lake’s popula…
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What Makes Unforgettable Images So Memorable? – The Atlantic
One of the surreal things about living in the age of blossoming artificial intelligence is that the definition of humanity keeps narrowing. That is, as machines learn more and more, they continue to edge into spaces that previously seemed dominated …
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Animal War Robots Have Replaced Rudolph – The Daily Beast
Google’s Boston Dynamics are showing off their animal-like war robots again, this time with a softer side.
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Search “Bubble Level” On Google On Your Phone to Get a Working Level
Google has recently added yet another occasionally handy tool to its search box, if you’re searching from a phone. Just type in “bubble level” and you can get a box that uses your phone’s accelerometer to determine if something’s level or not.
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Jezebel Madonna’s Son Is Being Legally Forced to Spend Christmas with Her in New York | Sploid Proof That Jet Fuel Weakens the Hell Out of Steel Beams | Gawker Banksy Has Done It Again | Black Flag Can We Talk For A Minute About How Star Wars Podrac…
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Why Fates and Furies was this year’s most talked-about novel | Books | The Guardian
To qualify as the US book of the year – that ineffable title to which Lauren Groff’s third novel, Fates and Furies, lays persuasive claim – a novel needs more than just blockbuster sales.
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Inmarsat places big contract with Airbus for new satellites – BBC News
Inmarsat, the British satellite telecommunications company, has awarded the contract to build its next-generation constellation to Airbus. Two spacecraft have been ordered at a cost of 550m euros (£405m).
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All the science fiction books you’ll want to binge read over the holidays | Ars Technica
The winter holidays are looming, and many of you will soon be spending time in terrible places like airplane seats or the homes of relatives who want to lecture you about something deeply annoying. You need to escape.
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Christmas revelers: take heed. Last year, 190 people ended up in the emergency room as a result of Christmas decorations. They include a 31-year-old woman who slipped while stapling a Christmas light and ended up stapling her left hand.
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The Science To Look Out For in 2016 – Scientific American
Sucking up CO2 A Swiss company is set to become the first firm to capture carbon dioxide from the air and sell it on a commercial scale, a stepping stone to larger facilities that could one day help to combat global warming.
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#MisguidedPR: The Industry’s Internal Crisis | TechCrunch
A U.S. Department of Labor report last year stated there were approximately 57,000 PR managers and 208,000 PR specialists in America; conversely, there were only 46,500 journalists. Do the math.
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Getting Out of Debt Is a Lifestyle Change
Getting rid of debt is a math problem. You need to develop a long-term plan that will reduce your debt over time until it’s eliminated. However, it’s also a lifestyle choice, and that’s something you need to anticipate.
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2015 – Year of the migrant: Noujain Mustaffa’s story – BBC News
In 2015 the news was dominated for months by the apparently ceaseless flow of refugees heading for western Europe and the hostile reception they received in places. Some countries, like Germany, have been more welcoming and this is where one particu…
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Four Resolutions that Got Me Out of My Comfort Zone This Year
What’s not to love about your comfort zone? Even the phrase itself sounds nice. I imagine a cozy nook where I can be alone and content, far away from the whole crazy, uncomfortable world.
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Voices from Kosovo: We want ‘discussion, not violence’ – Al Jazeera English
Pristina, Kosovo – Since the beginning of October, opposition parliamentarians in Kosovo’s government have disrupted sessions by dispensing tear gas canisters in the session chamber.
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You Suck at Christmas – You Suck at Cooking (episode 28) – YouTube
Subscribe: http://bit.ly/1HuynlYSoupscribe: http://bit.ly/1kh2urxA 100 percent full throttle high adrenaline speed chase through the history of christmas. Wishing you all a great close to your year!
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Using a 250 sized mini quad for aerial cinematography is not only possible, but the ONLY way to achieve this shot. Gopro Hero 4 black stabilized with ReelSteady. http://www.ReelSteady.com Aerial inquiries: RobertMcIntoshInfo@gmail.com
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Molten Copper vs Coconut – YouTube
Today i’m pouring molten copper inside a coconut that i got from the store. I made a hole on top so the copper can go inside. I have many more great videos coming up. Don’t forget to subscribe, so you wont miss out and if you like this video hit the…
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Tree-top turbulence helps flapping vultures soar – BBC News
Some species of vultures have developed the ability to tap into turbulent air as a way of gaining altitude according to a new study. Researchers found that these species compensate for their poor flapping skills by seeking out turbulence at low alti…
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Blood Moon Over Yellowstone’s Old Faithful Wows Photographer
Scattered showers and thunderstorm littered the landscape at Yellowstone National Park, but photographer Jeffrey Berkes captured this stunning moment earlier this year as the moon entered full eclipse right when Old Faithful erupted. The moon passed…
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Rare Christmas Full Moon a Cosmic Gift for the Holidays: What to Expect
The image of a bright moon coinciding with Christmas Eve can be found in the classic poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” (today more commonly known as “The Night Before Christmas”) first published in 1823.
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We think of the eighties and early nineties as the age of music video, as predicted by the Buggles all the way back in ‘79. There’s precious little reason to argue with the cultural prescience of their “Video Killed the Radio Star,” the very first v…
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U.S., U.K. Warn their Citizens of a Possible Threat in Beijing – The Atlantic
The U.S., British, and other embassies in Beijing warned their citizens to be vigilant in the popular Sanlitun neighborhood on or around Christmas Day. “The U.S.
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Jihadi Cool: Why ISIS Propaganda Is So Powerful – The Atlantic
If you want to get a sense of what attracts westernized Muslims to ISIS, you could do worse than listen to one of its sympathizers, as opposed to its legion of opponents, who are liable to pathologize the group’s appeal as an ideological contagion t…
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Is war imminent in the Caucasus? – Al Jazeera English
For the past three weeks, there has been a steady escalation of clashes between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
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How Sugar and Fat Trick the Brain into Wanting More Food – Scientific American
Matthew Brien has struggled with overeating for the past 20 years. At age 24, he stood at 5′10′′ and weighed a trim 135 pounds.
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What’s Causing This Warm Christmas In The Eastern U.S.? | FiveThirtyEight
The map looks like it was misplaced from a different season: 73 degrees in Washington. 76 in Raleigh. 65 in Louisville. 73 in Little Rock. And here in New York, 73 degrees, two degrees cooler than it was on July 4.
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Abbreviated Pundit Round-up: Trump, vulgarity and anti-semitism
Zei Gezunt, Lindsey Graham. The Republican senator from South Carolina had good reasons to quit the Republican presidential race, as he did this week. He had succeeded in his goal of making the rest of the field more hawkish. He avoided an embarrass…
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Galaxy Grows Monstrous X-Ray Tail
This image shows X-ray observations from NASA’s Chandra space telescope overlaid atop optical data of the region inside the Zwicky 8338 cluster. The tail and its parent galaxy are annotated.Credit: X-Ray: NASA/CXC/University of Bonn/ G. Schellenberg…
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Why Ryan Gosling Had to Wear an Ugly Wig to Explain the Financial Cris | Vanity Fair
“What would happen if pop culture actually told you things you needed to hear?” That was the question Adam McKay asked himself when deciding to include numerous pop culture icons in The Big Short, from footage of the first iPhone going on sale to se…
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Hollywood’s Christmas is being ruined by unprecedented leaks | The Verge
Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight and Alejandro González Iñárritu’s The Revenant starring Leonardo DiCaprio have already leaked online ahead of their Christmas Day openings.
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Syria conflict: Government ‘ready to attend peace talks’ – BBC News
Syria’s government is prepared to take part in UN-brokered peace talks aimed at finding a political solution to the four-year conflict in the country. Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said it would be “ready as soon as we receive a list of the opposit…
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12 Days of Christmas Songs: Jingle Bells Is a Racy Drinking Song (For Thanksgiving) – The Atlantic
Welcome to The 12 Days of Christmas Songs: an attempt to uncover the forgotten history of some of the most memorable festive tunes. From December 14 through 25, we’ll be tackling one secular song and one holy song each day. “Jingle Bells”: It’s the …
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Why the Cleveland Cavaliers Need LeBron James – The Atlantic
One early November night, during a game in downtown Cleveland, LeBron James received a pass on the left wing.
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Activists decry plans to revoke citizenship in France – Al Jazeera English
Measures proposed to strip dual citizens of French nationality convicted of terrorism are likely to fuel racism and could open the door to discriminatory practices, activists and human rights groups have said.
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German migrant crisis: Arson suspected in refugee home fires – BBC News
Twelve people were hurt, including seven teenagers, when fires broke out at two neighbouring refugee hostels in the south German region of Bavaria. A man was arrested after the fires at Wasserstein and police suspect arson. No-one in the hostels was…
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The Eight Best Extinct Species Discovered in 2015 | Motherboard
2015 was an exceptionally productive year for paleontology. Brontosaurus made a comeback. Paleontologists further decoded the coloration patterns of long extinct animals. Jurassic World brought dinosaurs back to the big screen.
Love Everyone Often 12/25/2015
How to Set Up and Get to Know Your New PC, Mac, Android, or iPhone You’ve unwrapped your presents and received everything you’d hoped you’d get. But now what? We’ve got you covered this holiday season with several guides to help you get acquainted with your brand new gadgets. tags:…
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