Most galaxies have a single nucleus — does this galaxy have four? The strange answer leads astronomers to conclude that the nucleus of the surrounding galaxy is not even visible in this image. The central cloverleaf is rather light emitted from a background quasar. The gravitational field of the visible foreground galaxy breaks light from this distant quasar into four distinct images. The quasar must be properly aligned behind the center of a massive galaxy for a mirage like this to be evident. The general effect is known as gravitational lensing, and this specific case is known as the Einstein Cross. Stranger still, the images of the Einstein Cross vary in relative brightness, enhanced occasionally by the additional gravitational microlensing effect of specific stars in the foreground galaxy. via NASA https://go.nasa.gov/3LduAXK
https://www.youtube.com/watch/dk1faLTSqvA Why Trump Isn’t Attacking ‘South Park’
Judd Apatow explains to The Last Laugh’s Matt Wilstein the likely reason why Trump isn’t going after ‘South Park’ and why ‘South Park’ does such a great job with its satire.
📖 Title: Judd Apatow: Why Trump Has Been Silent About ‘South Park’
👂 Podcast: The Last Laugh
📺 Episode: 315
🎧 Format: Short
📅 Date: December 23, 2025
👨💼 Guest: Judd Apatow
🎙️ Host: Matt Wilstein
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https://www.youtube.com/watch/dWyPW4hqMYg Power should answer to people, not rule over them… 😳😳😳 #truelife #edwardgrobinson
Power should answer to people, not rule over them.
What makes a democracy strong? A constitution carved in marble, or the humility to admit we don’t know everything? In With Honors (1994), Joe Pesci’s Simon Wilder, a homeless man with a surprising grasp of history, delivers a spine-stiffening rebuttal to Gore Vidal’s elitist professor. In just a few lines, Simon reframes American power, not as something bestowed by intellect or title, but as something earned by listening and changing. “The president isn’t an elected king, no matter how many bombs he can drop,” he says. In an age where political ego often eclipses public good, it’s a reminder that real leadership is about humility, not authority. Government should be fluid, accountable, and human, not a monument to its own self-importance.
More than Harvard, this film explores the cracks between privilege and principle, and how sometimes the person with the least is the one who sees the most clearly. Simon’s words challenge the myth that wisdom only comes with degrees or podiums. He doesn’t pretend to have all the answers, but he defends the right to question those who claim to. At a time when trust in institutions feels uncertain, this scene reminds us: power should listen before it leads. It should serve, not reign.
With Honors (1994), directed by Alek Keshishian, stars Brendan Fraser, Joe Pesci, Moira Kelly, Patrick Dempsey, and Josh Hamilton. It’s a deeply moving dramedy that explores the unexpected friendship between a privileged Harvard student and a homeless man who takes possession of his thesis. It’s also just a great watch. Pesci’s performance, equal parts wit and grit, earned critical praise for its warmth and gravity. The film is an underrated gem that asks timely questions about class, intellect, and dignity.
The Full Moon is the brightest lunar phase, and tonight you can stand in the light of the first Full Moon of 2026. In fact, the Moon’s full phase occurs on January 3 at 10:03 UTC, while only about 7 hours later planet Earth reaches its 2026 perihelion, the closest point in its elliptical orbit around the Sun, at 17:16 UTC. January’s Full Moon was also not far from its own perigee, or closest approach to planet Earth. For this lunation the Moon’s perigee was on January 1 at 21:44 UTC. You can also spot planet Jupiter, near its brightest for 2026 and close on the sky to the Full Moon tonight. But while you’re out skygazing don’t forget to look for rare, bright fireballs from the Quadrantid meteor shower. via NASA https://go.nasa.gov/491NcmA
https://www.youtube.com/watch/5nIileGCjcA Play the odds; your adopted kids might be smarter | The Phoenician Scheme | BINGE
Play the odds; your adopted kids might be smarter.
Stream the new Wes Anderson film The Phoenician Scheme now on BINGE.
Heather “Digby” Parton joins Sam and Emma to wrap up the week’s news. The three dig into the Epstein files, Trump’s impromptu speech on Wednesday, the results of the DNC’s self-audit, and more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch/8vv6V-hK5Kw Trump signals Russia blocking path to peace as CIA rejects Putin’s drone attack claim
Correction: When this piece aired, a video of a Russian Air Force general was inadvertently played over a quote from chief of the general staff Valerie Gerasimov. We regret the error.
The CIA has assessed that Ukraine was not targeting a residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin in a recent drone attack, a claim that Putin told President Trump, and that Trump seemed to accept. Trump now suggests that he agrees with European leaders that it’s Russia blocking the path to a peace agreement. Nick Schifrin discussed more with Angela Stent.
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In 2011, on January 20, NASA’s NanoSail-D2 unfurled a very thin and very reflective 10 square meter sail becoming the first solar sail spacecraft in low Earth orbit. Often considered the stuff of science fiction, sailing through space was suggested 400 years ago by astronomer Johannes Kepler, who had observed comet tails blown by the solar wind. But modern solar sail spacecraft designs, like NanoSail-D2, Japan’s interplanetary spacecraft IKAROS, or the Planetary Society’s Lightsail A, rely on the small but continuous pressure from sunlight itself for thrust. Glinting in the sunlight as it circled planet Earth, NanoSail-D2’s solar sail was periodically bright and visible to the eye. These remarkably detailed images were captured by manually tracking the orbiting solar sail spacecraft with a small telescope. via NASA https://go.nasa.gov/4quybiT
https://www.youtube.com/watch/cHLbaOLWjpc Orkestra Obsolete play Blue Monday using 1930s instruments – BBC Arts
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Watch the BBC first on iPlayer 👉 https://bbc.in/iPlayer-Home More information: http://bbc.in/1SC6Atc New Order’s Blue Monday was released on 7 March 1983, and its cutting-edge electronic groove changed pop music forever. But what would it have sounded like if it had been made 50 years earlier? In a special film, using only instruments available in the 1930s – from the theremin and musical saw to the harmonium and prepared piano – the mysterious Orkestra Obsolete present this classic track as you’ve never heard it before.
THIS MUCH I KNOW TO BE TRUE, the new feature film directed by Andrew Dominik, featuring Nick Cave & Warren Ellis, captures their exceptional creative relationship as they bring to life songs from albums Ghosteen and Carnage.
Gatlinburg Garden Castle Rainbow Tower Library Imagination Station Temple Water Spirit Guardian Labyrinth Treasury Magic Healing 