Just drawing note to a model on Instagram with the handle "kristinarii", who appears to be named Krissy Airi. It's hard to be sure. Now, she caught my eye because of one stunning black-and-white photograph, which I provide below, along with a more "normal" recent photo.
I couldn't pass up this article about a possible sighting of dark matter by astronomers. I provided their description of it as the title of the post.
After a Century of Searching, We May Have Finally Seen Dark Matter
"Many researchers believe dark matter consists of WIMPs, weakly interacting massive particles, perhaps 500 times heavier than protons. Theory predicts that when two WIMPs collide, they annihilate each other and release gamma rays with specific energies.
[Prof. Tomonori] Totani and team found exactly that signature in Fermi telescope data, gamma rays with 20 billion electronvolts of energy forming a halo structure extending toward the galactic center. The shape matches theoretical predictions for dark matter distribution. The energy spectrum matches WIMP annihilation models and the frequency of collisions falls within predicted ranges. Crucially, more common astronomical phenomena can't easily explain these gamma rays. Other known sources don't produce this energy signature in this distribution pattern."
This is a really great demonstration. I want to do it myself. Unfortunately, I think if I did, I'd make a mess in the kitchen and waste a lot of flour. So I guess I'll leave it to the geology classes.
I truly just learned about this. In the battle that broke the siege of Vienna by troops of the Ottoman Empire in 1683, the largest calvary charge in history took place.
Initially, the siege and the battle that ended it might have seemed a huge mismatch: supposedly the Ottomans had 180,000 troops against a defending force of 15,000 or so. But a relief army was raised from Poland and surrounding countries/fiefs/kingdoms/whatever the social borders were back then, and the Ottoman troops were unreliable (the Tatars), sick (disease killed a lot of them), and sick of sitting in the summer heat while besieging Vienna (thus, a lot of desertions). So the battle wasn't as much of a mismatch as the initial numbers might have indicated.
You can read more on Wikipedia -- The Battle of Vienna. There are probably several military history sites in the Webiverse that have detailed descriptions, too.
So, about the charge. The battle that broke the siege culminated with a charge of 18,000 calvary troops, which induced the final retreat of the losing Ottoman side.
Below is an artistic depiction of the battle. There are many. There's even a movie! But I don't think it's easy to find for viewing. The trailer is on YouTube, though.
If you look in the Lighthouse Directory, in the section on the Philippines, there are a lot of sections for all the different provinces and islands of the country. I've featured a couple, but there are a lot more, so I'll have a few more this year.
Starting with this one, which is in the Batanes province. That's a small group of islands, well north of all the other islands, about halfway between the Philippines and Taiwan.
To find the location, just click here. But don't trust the map, look at the satellite image instead. You'll see why.
Speaking of the Lighthouse Directory, it tells us this about the Sabtang Lighthouse (also called the Sabtang North Lighthouse, as it says in the title.
"2006. Active (?); focal plane unknown; two red flashes every 10 s. Approx. 18 m (56 ft) round rubblestone tower with lantern and gallery. The tower is unpainted; the watch room and trim are painted white and the lantern red. ... An adjoining rubblestone cottage had not been completed as of spring 2007; evidently the funds to complete the cottage ran out. A 2011 photo shows the cottage finally roofed .The light was not accepted by PCG [Philippines Coast Guard] until December 2022."
The pictures are below. It does look different.
OK, at least I think it's real. A gigantic star sapphire (and if you watch the video, the star is much easier to see).
Put it this way: it's the size of a baseball. I used the Google calculator to determine it is just over 1.5 pounds.
Model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley has been with actor Jason Statham for years, and they have two children born into their relationship in that time.
As has been written about numerous times, they're engaged but haven't gotten married, and they've been in that state for years.
I assume that the all the legalities regarding the kids have been taken care of.
So some couples don't have to get married to validate their relationship. I get that. Same goes for Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, apparently.
But still, when you've got it this good and you don't think that's going to change, why not seal the deal officially?
She's repping Marks & Spencer lingerie, by the way.
OK, smell, odor, fragrance, bouquet, aroma ... well, what we're talking about is a new perfume, eau de toilette, or something like that -- model/supermodel Bella Hadid is the spokesmodel and brand developer for Orebella. Actually, it is rendered ‘Ôrəbella, when I copy it from the official website.
I'll have to find a perfume store somewhere to sample it. The main reason I'm writing about it is that the Daily Mail had an article about it with several pictures of Bella.
She looks very great, despite the ongoing battle she has been experiencing with Lyme disease.
Feel free to look at the photos of Bella in the article. Below I have another example from the campaign. It's good to see her looking well, and I bet she smells great, too.
I recently found out about an immersive exhibition that is or was in London (it might be closing soon). It is entitled "The Last Days of Pompeii", and from what I've seen of the video, which I have of course provided here, it gives an immersive experience of what it could have been like to be in Pompeii when Vesuvius went Plinian.
That means when it had the massive eruption in AD 79 that buried Pompeii in ash and Herculaneum in a pyroclastic flow, preserving the buildings, art, floors, and even some of the people for posterity.
I'd like to see this exhibition, but it doesn't look like it's scheduled for the USA at this time.
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The Discoverer Blog (and newsletter) has a lot of advertisements, but it does offer some interesting material. It regularly does lists, such as the one I'm featuring here. I have to admit, their lists catch my attention, which is clearly what they are intended to do. I end up checking out my home state and other states I'm familiar with.
So this one is about natural springs.
Must-See Natural Springs in All 50 States
So, first inquiry, have I visited or seen any of these?
No, but I've been near four of them. (Maryland, Wisconsin, Hawaii, and New Mexico)
Second inquiry, which one would I like to visit?
The one that really caught my attention was Norris Hot Springs in Montana. The Discoverer Blog describes it like this:
"Montana boasts several excellent hot springs, and the most popular is Norris Hot Springs in the southwest part of the state. The 1200-square-foot pool is drained every night and cleaned without chemicals so it can refill with hot mineral water naturally by morning. Adding to the appeal here is the natural garden and the live music each weekend, Friday through Sunday, which can be enjoyed even while still soaking in the medicinal waters. There is a campground here and a bar and grill featuring organic and gluten-free choices."Website: Norris Hot Springs
I've seen a few. When I was young, there was a Blue Hole in Castalia, Ohio that I liked. It's closed to the public now. And I've been to Yellowstone National Park, which has numerous hot springs, and it's hard to choose one in particular. I didn't climb the hill to get a good look at the Grand Prismatic Spring, likely the most famous. Crested Pool was intriguing.
But I've also been to Florida, and I've seen several of the springs there, which aren't warm or hot springs, but which are really beautiful. I've had the fortune to see both the developed attractions and some undeveloped springs in the more rural areas. Peacock Springs was great.
However, the most impressive springs I've ever seen are the ones in New Braunfels, Texas, that feed into the Comal River. They flow fast and powerful.
This painting showed up as the background for a classical music piece I was listening to on YouTube. Now I can't remember the piece, but I did some research and found out who painted it, as well as a review of it.
However, there is still a mystery -- did it depict an actual event, or just a calamitous shipwreck that had no connection to reality? One can hope the latter, in which case no actual persons suffered and no ships were lost (as well as treasure).
Read about it here: Shipwreck in a Rocky Inlet by Carlo Bonavia
Actor/TV host Joe Manganiello, who is very commonly pictured carrying a little puppy, has also been frequently pictured with his new bride-to-be, Caitlin O'Connor, also an actress at times, and a host, and a model.
She's been pictured out shopping for wedding dresses while not wearing a bra (the Daily Mail likes to point things like that out).
I featured Caitlin in a post a couple of years ago. At the time, she was with a different partner, and they took some quite intimate, but tasteful, pictures together. After the shower (first babe of 2019)
I think Joe has good taste. He was married to Sofia Vergara, which helps solidify that suspicion.
Eventually, there are going to be a lot of people eating insects, and protein derived from black soldier flies.
Not kidding.
But this is about dessert. Brownies, in fact."The research, led by doctoral student Marta Ros, flour made from mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) in the form of pasteurized dairy products and brownies, conducting the first tasting in the Mediterranean area to find out how well they are accepted in this cultural and culinary setting. The results were very positive, especially in the case of the brownies, finding that the hydrolysate improved their texture, making them softer and more elastic. This shows that, with the right formulation, products with insect protein can be attractive to consumers and have a place in our cuisine."
As I noted last week, in the post about the Goat Island lighthouse in Rhode Island, there is also a Goat Island Lighthouse in Maine, near Kennebunkport. So this week, the Lighthouse of the Week post is about that one.
As you will see, it has some unique features. I'll get to those in a moment, down below. First, though, as is the norm, clicking on this link will reveal its location. Note that is quite near Cape Porpoise.
Now, about the lighthouse and the features that make it unique. I'm excerpting liberally, not conservatively, from the Lighthouse Directory:
"1859 (station established 1834). Active; focal plane 38 ft (11.5 m); white flash every 6 s. 25 ft (7.5 m) round cylindrical brick tower with lantern and gallery; 300 mm lens. Fog horn (blast every 15 s). Tower painted white, lantern and gallery black. The original 1-1/2 story keeper's house is occupied in season by caretakers. Square pyramidal fog bell tower; the bell is on display at the Kennebunkport Historical Society on North Street, Kennebunkport. ... In 2008 the Coast Guard installed a new VLB-44 LED optic. [It did have a Fresnel lens.] ... Located on an island in the mouth of Cape Porpoise Harbor southeast of Kennebunkport. Accessible only by boat (a dock is available). Site open; tower generally closed, but New England Eco Adventures offers cruises from Kennebunkport with guided tours of the lighthouse."
One of the things the directory doesn't mention, but other sites do, is that the lighthouse is connected to the keeper's house by a covered walkway. I'll bet a lot of the lighthouse keepers on frigid stormy shores wish they had that feature.
Here are other websites about this one:
Goat Island Lighthouse (New England Lighthouses)
Goat Island Lighthouse (Lighthouse Friends)
Pictures and a video below.
Sorry, this one wrote itself.
Common Acne Drug Linked to Lower Schizophrenia Risk
"The finding aligns with research linking neuroinflammation and abnormal synaptic pruning to schizophrenia, suggesting that modifying inflammatory processes early in life could help protect the brain. Since doxycycline is already widely prescribed and well understood, it presents a realistic starting point for exploring preventive strategies in psychiatry."
Sophia Quinn Nomikou is a 1.98 meter tall model, and I'll show you how I know that.
In addition to a pair of very long legs, a slender and extended torso, and just the right amount of curves, she also has fabulous eyes. Long dark brown hair is quite nice, too.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news -- in fact, I hate to be the reader of bad news.
Reading about what H5N1, otherwise known as avian/bird flu, has done to populations of pinnipeds (seals, sea lions, elephant seals) is definitely reading about bad news.
It's downright scary. And the BBC headline doesn't make it less so.
'It was a horrible scene to witness': How bird flu has decimated elephant seal populations
"In 2023, however, it was impossible to know the full number of dead adults, as additional deaths could have occurred at sea. Or how many females had become pregnant after the outbreak. So at the end of 2024, in the following breeding season, Campagna and colleagues from WCS [World Conservation Society] along with scientists from the University of California, Davis and the Argentinian research agency Conicet – returned to survey the beaches once again.
Their results, released at the end of September 2025 and seen by the BBC, reveal that the elephant seal population at Peninsula Valdés decreased by 60% overall after the bird flu outbreak. According to researchers, this population drop fits the criteria of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to push a species population once considered of "Least Concern" to "Endangered". While the official change of the species conservation status hasn't happened yet, Uhart believe it will soon.
According to their latest findings, the total number of alpha males dropped 43% (from approximately 450 to 260), while female adults decreased by 60% (from about 12,000 to 4,800), compared to pre-pandemic seasons. The annual offspring was also slashed by nearly two-thirds, from around 14,000 to only 5,000.
"Before 2023, it was impossible to think that a healthy population like the one in Peninsula Valdés could become endangered from one year to another," says biologist Valeria Falabella, seashore conservation director at WCS Argentina. "This is a warning," she adds, noting that climate change brings additional risks and uncertainties for the species."
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| It's definitely something to shout about |
If it has slipped past your attention (and that's OK, there's a lot of news these days), a couple of years ago the Florida government decided to re-tool and re-configure a lot of their higher educational assets. They strove to end DEI, get rid of or pressure "liberal" professors to leave, changed the membership of various Boards of Regents to be more conservative, attacked curricula, changed departments and classes they offered, and generally tried to wreck a decent university system.
But the worst was what they have attempted to do to New College. It was a bastion of liberalism, attracting an outstanding and diverse student body (emphasis on diverse), with a unique curriculum and scholarship model.
DeSantis and friends dismantled it, installing new leadership, getting lots of outstanding professors to leave, and forcing out scads of students that had made the college what it was, and what it no longer is.
So, what was the result? As might be predictable, disaster. But not more progresssive liberalism, aka "wokeness". The Daily Kos summed it up this way.
Florida college goes broke -- but at least it's not woke
"Despite having shed all sorts of woke baggage like qualified faculty, library books, and gender studies, New College somehow costs the state much more. Much, much more. In the 2020-2021 school year, New College’s total spending was $53 million. Now? $93 million.
Hmm. Did they keep any math people on at New College? Because some back-of-the-envelope math shows that’s a 75% jump. Similarly, the college’s costs per student sit at $83,000—or four times the university system average.
But surely this money is getting great results, right?
Wrong. The graduation rate at New College stands at a triumphant 19%, which is the second worst in the state."
Not exactly a conservative success story, is it?
Just when you thought vaccines in the USA were being phased out (and under the idiocy of RFK Jr.'s leadership of our national health structure, that could still happen) -- we get a great story about a form of a vaccine for whooping cough that can be administered via the nose.
Well, it's an advance.
Nasal Vaccine Blocks Whooping Cough Spread and Infection
This strategy could transform both whooping cough prevention and the broader market for respiratory bacterial vaccines."In a landmark study published in Nature Microbiology, the team demonstrated that their nasally-delivered, antibiotic-inactivated Bordetella pertussis (AIBP) vaccine not only prevents severe disease but also curbs bacterial transmission — an achievement long sought by vaccine developers worldwide.
The work, led by Professor Kingston Mills and Dr Davoud Jazayeri of Trinity’s School of Biochemistry and Immunology, introduces a needle-free mucosal vaccine platform capable of inducing durable local immunity directly at the infection site.
This strategy could transform both whooping cough prevention and the broader market for respiratory bacterial vaccines, addressing an urgent global need for next-generation immunisation technologies."
Not all state parks feature remarkable geological features or beautiful sights or wildlife, both plant and animal, that deserves protection and preservation.
Some of them are just for fun.
I found out about this one from the Food Network show Girl Meets Farm, which features some very good food. She made sandwiches (BLFGT, which stands for bacon, lettuce, and fried green tomatoes) and took them to the park for a picnic with a couple of friends. The episode was entitled "Turtle River Hike".
So, about the park. It's located about 20 miles west of Grand Forks, which you can see on this map.
The North Dakota Tourism Division has this page on it, with a short video: Turtle River State Park
So, it's a nice little park, created by the Civilian Conservation Corps (a very liberal FDR program responsible for a lot of the nice little things we take for granted in state and national parks, and national forests, and national seashores and lakeshores, etc.) It has a lodge and cabins and trails and a river (the Turtle River, of course).
So here are a couple of pictures, but it's probably better in person.
I led off the year with a gorgeous picture of stunning model Nicola Cavanis, which I captured from her reels. She obliged our curious eyes with a color version of the same shot, as shown below.
It's an amazing shot. Kudos to the photographer.
So coffee, normally accused of making people more edgy and jittery (The Flash TV show had a coffee shop named Jitters), can actually help with the cardio jitters called atrial fibrillation.
Really.
A Daily Coffee May Cut Atrial Fibrillation Risk by 39%
" “Coffee increases physical activity which is known to reduce atrial fibrillation,” said Gregory M. Marcus, MD, MAS, who holds the Endowed Professorship in Atrial Fibrillation Research and is an electrophysiologist at UCSF Health. Marcus is the senior author of the paper, which appears Nov. 9 in JAMA. “Caffeine is also a diuretic, which could potentially reduce blood pressure and in turn lessen A-Fib risk. Several other ingredients in coffee also have anti-inflammatory properties that could have positive effects.”Now that was a clever name.
"Researchers named their study DECAF for Does Eliminating Coffee Avoid Fibrillation? It is the first randomized clinical trial to investigate the link between caffeinated coffee and A-Fib, and it was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)."
I found a place in Italy where it snows quite a bit. It happens to be north of the latitude of Mount Etna, and Etna is high in altitude and gets snow, but this place is at a much lower altitude (though it does have mountains).
It's called Sila National Park, and it's located here. It seems to be nearly surrounded by the usually warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea, which is why I didn't expect much snow.
But it does. This is a picture of the ski area. Apparently the Calabrian region does have four seasons.
Learn more about it:
If you search my blog for "Rhode Island" and "lighthouse", you'll find a few Lighthouses of the Week. Given the size of the state (it's not big), there can't be that many, right? But it is on the coast, and it does have a big bay, and it has several harbors.
This lighthouse is semi-officially the Newport Harbor lighthouse, but it goes by the somewhat ignominious moniker of the Goat Island lighthouse. Let's find out where it is (sometimes people have to be reminded where Rhode Island is, east of Connecticut.)
As I was looking up the location, I discovered there is also a Goat Island lighthouse in Kennebunkport, Maine. Maybe I'll do that one next week.
Back to Rhode Island, here's some info from the Lighthouse Directory:
"1842 (station established 1823). Active; focal plane 33 ft (10 m); continuous green light. 35 ft (10.5 m) octagonal granite tower with lantern and gallery, 250 mm lens. The keeper's house was demolished in 1923 after being damaged when a submarine ran aground on the island. [I bet that's a unique aspect of this one.] A 5th order Fresnel lens is on display at the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum in Centerport, Long Island. ... . Located on the northern tip of Goat Island in Newport Harbor; the island is accessible by a bridge from RI 238 in downtown Newport and the lighthouse is accessible by walking through the hotel lobby. [That might be unique, too.]
Lighthouse Friends (with more history): Newport Harbort (Goat Island), RI
Now consider the pictures. I acquired one from Lighthouse Friends that shows the lighthouse keeper's house that got hit by the submarine. I wish there was a picture of that.
Let's start the 2026 blogging right.
In this black-and-white photograph, with stunningly perfect lighting accentuating the close-to-perfection of her beauty, Nicola Cavanis is luminous and transcendent.
(And hot.)
See if you agree. This was captured from her Instagram reels.
