This Week in Historyby Dianne Hermann “The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliteratetheir own understanding of their history.” George Orwell Dec. 9-15, 2024 December 9 1803 – Congress passes the 12th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, directing Electors to vote for a President and for a Vice-President rather than for […] The post This Week in History: Dec. 9-15, 2024 appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

Lumpfish are strange but also incredibly important to ecosystems. Visit a lumpfish hatchery with us to discover this fantastic little fish. These fish get their name from the bumps that cover their bodies, giving them a lumpy appearance. The lumps also aid in their defense. These small fish have a suction cup disk on their bellies, allowing them to cling to rocks, seaweed, and other fish. That’s a good thing because they can barely swim. @sibleyaqua Check it out! Lumpfish! These peculiar fish have suction disks on their bellies, which can hold up to 18 kilograms, letting them cling to rocks and seaweed despite being poor swimmers. Covered in tubercles, their lumpy bodies provide both defense and their signature appearance. Hence where they get their name. This hatchery raises lumpfish until they’re big enough to thrive at sea in Scotland’s salmon farms. There, they help tackle sea lice by cleaning salmon as they swim by. In order to film these lumpies in all their glory, I had to take some out of the water to film. Rest assured, no lumpies were out of the water for more than a few seconds, which they can handle without issue. I work with both Salmon Scotland and Mowi. I regularly visit Mowi’s farms, as well as others, to learn more about how aquaculture operates in this region. #fishtok #seafood #salmon #atlanticsalmon #aquaculture #farmraised #farmedsalmon #fishhealth #lumpfish #sealice #lumpsucker #lumpies #wales #scotland ♬ original sound – James Sibley The video is from a lumpfish hatchery in North Wales. The entire farming process is extensive, considering how tiny the lumpfish are. Other names for the little fish are “Lumpies,” “Cleaner Fish,” and “Lumpsuckers.” Their pectoral fins have developed into the suction-cup-like disk on their belly. They are native to the North Atlantic but may travel as far south as the Chesapeake Bay. Farmers raise them in hatcheries to become “employees” at salmon farms. The lumpfish remove parasites from the salmon, which helps salmon farmers keep their stock healthy. Image from TikTok. Lumpfish enter the hatchery as eggs but hatch quickly. They begin life with a greenish color but turn bright blue as they mature to the juvenile stage. The hatchery grows the helpful little fish until they are large enough to vaccinate. Each fish must be immunized by hand, which can take several weeks. Once the fish have their vaccines, they are almost ready for transport to salmon farms. Each fish must reach about 25 grams in weight before they can be released at the salmon farms. The process, from hatching to shipping out, takes about eight months. The lumpies ride to the salmon farms via trucks equipped with tanks. Please share if you think these lumpfish are ugly but also adorable. You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post Bizarre Wildlife: Clip Shows Off Assortment Of Strange Lumpfish appeared first on InspireMore.

A post on X purports to show President-Elect Donald Trump giving a speech where he announces plans to annex Canada

A viral image shared on Threads claims Canada has purportedly banned President-elect Donald Trump from entering the country.   View on Threads   Verdict: False Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has not made any explicit mention of Canada banning Trump via his website or verified social media accounts, and there is no other evidence to […]

A viral image shared on Instagram claims President-elect Donald Trump has purportedly announced a plan to prosecute the Biden administration over 325,000 missing children.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Craig Johnson (@jesus.is.only.way.to.heaven) Verdict: False The claim is not referenced on Trump’s official website, his TRUTH Social account, or his […]

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—A coalition of conservative leaders, led by a think tank founded by former Vice President Mike Pence, is urging the Senate to maintain the integrity of the Supreme Court by passing a constitutional amendment. “With the recent election representing a resounding rejection of such proposals,” the letter to U.S. senators says, “it is time for Congress and the States to preserve the integrity and independence of the Supreme Court through a constitutional amendment limiting the number of justices on the court to nine.” The coalition, led by Advancing American Freedom, asks senators to cosponsor the Keep Nine Amendment to begin the process of adopting a constitutional amendment “to ensure the independence of the Court and the liberties of the people it was created to protect.” According to the letter, the legitimacy of the Supreme Court “as an impartial institution and nonpolitical branch under our Constitution” is under attack. “From leaking draft opinions to threatening Justices and their families outside their homes,” the letter says, “perhaps no attempt to influence judicial opinions would damage the Court’s integrity so much as the threat of court-packing.” When Vice President Kamala Harris was asked on the campaign trail whether she supported packing the Supreme Court with additional justices, she said, “I do believe there should be some kind of reform of the court, and we can study what that actually looks like.”  In September, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., introduced the Judicial Modernization and Transparency Act, which would expand the number of Supreme Court justices from nine to 15 over the next 12 years. “Attempts to increase the number of Justices on the Court to achieve political ends used to be widely recognized as destructive of the institution,” the coalition says. The conservative leaders who signed the letter include the general counsel for Advancing American Freedom, J. Marc Wheat; the director of the Keep Nine Coalition, Roman Buhler; Students for Life Action President Kristan Hawkins; the CEO of Concerned Women for America, Penny Nance; the chairman of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, Ralph Reed; the director of the Center for Judicial Renewal, Phillip Jauregui; and many others. The letter lays out past attempts to pack the Supreme Court. President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1937 proposed expanding the highest court in the land. The effort faced fierce opposition from Republicans and Democrats alike. Henry F. Ashurst, a Democratic senator from Arizona at the time, is often credited with delaying the bill and ensuring it died in the Senate. “Only in the last few years has the bipartisan consensus against the threat of court-packing broken down,” the letter says. “Now is the time to lower the temperature. Proponents of such proposals claim it will restore the Court’s integrity, but nothing could be further from the truth.” The now-deceased Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez’s court-packing scheme made the South American nation’s highest court into a “political arm that today supports the dictatorial excesses of [his successor] Nicolás Maduro.” Venezuela demonstrates how court packing can “destroy judicial independence and transform the judiciary into a political pawn,” the letter says. The post EXCLUSIVE: Conservative Leaders Urge Constitutional Amendment to Block Efforts to Pack Supreme Court appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Rosie O'Donnell's Herpes and Other Democratic Chronic Conditions

Archaeologists believe they may have uncovered the original resting place of Saint Nicholas—the real-life inspiration behind Santa Claus—at the Church of St. Nicholas in Demre, Turkey. While Santa Claus is a beloved figure known for delivering presents to children worldwide at Christmas, he is based on a historical person: Saint Nicholas, a fourth-century bishop from Myra, an ancient city in present-day Turkey. Approximately 200 years after his death, the Church of St. Nicholas was built in Demre, Antalya, and his remains were placed in a limestone sarcophagus there. Historical records indicate that in the 11th century, Saint Nicholas’ bones were moved again to the Basilica di San Nicola in Bari, Italy. Now, archaeologists excavating the original Church of St. Nicholas believe they may have discovered the actual sarcophagus where Nicholas was first buried. The sarcophagus is buried about 1.5 to 2 meters underground and measures 2 meters in length. It features a raised lid and a pitched roof, consistent with other burial styles in the region. “Our biggest hope is to find an inscription on the sarcophagus,” said Associate Professor Ebru Fatma Findik to Turkiye Today. “This would help clarify the burial contents and allow us to determine the exact period it dates from.” Finding an inscription would provide crucial evidence to confirm whether the sarcophagus indeed holds Saint Nicholas’ remains. This discovery is significant as it directly links the historical Saint Nicholas to the modern-day legend of Santa Claus, bridging the gap between history and popular culture. Further excavations are planned, and researchers hope to uncover more evidence in the coming months to validate their findings. If confirmed, this discovery would not only authenticate the origins of Santa Claus but also enhance our understanding of early Christian burial practices and the veneration of saints. The potential identification of Saint Nicholas’ original sarcophagus offers a fascinating glimpse into the life and legacy of the man behind one of the world’s most cherished holiday traditions. Archaeologists in Türkiye believe they might have discovered the tomb of Saint Nicholas, famously known as Santa Claus Archaeologists have announced the discovery of a sarcophagus near the original burial place of Saint Nicholas at the Church of St. Nicholas, located in… pic.twitter.com/0QpzjuQi8K — Sandeep Neel (@SanUvacha) December 7, 2024 The post ‘Real-Life Santa Claus’ Sarcophagus Discovered in Ancient Turkish Church appeared first on Anomalien.com.

Rayman creator and Beyond Good and Evil director Michel Ancel says the sequel, Beyond Good and Evil 2, has struggled throughout development due to “problems between managers.” Ancel's comments come after he left Ubisoft amid allegations of toxic management in 2020 while working on the highly anticipated sequel. BGE 2 has been in development at Ubisoft for over a decade, yet it still doesn't have a firm release date. Continue reading Beyond Good and Evil 2 is a victim of “problems between managers,” ex dev says MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Review, Beyond Good & Evil 2 announcement, Beyond Good & Evil 2 release date