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The article linked below features ten cases in which people, due to strange and rare medical conditions, have abilities unlike those of the general population. Their senses may be incredibly acute. They may have "superhuman" strength. Or in the case of Lizzie Velasquez in the video above, they are unable to gain weight normally.

While some of these conditions sound like enviable states of being, many are debilitating problems that render the lives of the affected a daunting, daily challenge. Yet with the incredible grace and perseverance of people such as Velasquez, the "afflicted" can change the lives of people who are much less physically challenged but have yet to master positive mental attitudes about their own lives.

Read about nine other people with amazing abilities due to unusual medical conditions here.

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Brian Flemming was once a 625-pound alcoholic who consumed over 6,000 calories and a fifth of vodka daily. Flemming made a new friend in 2012 who gave him a "tough love" lecture that prompted him to think about his life in a new way. After his friend-induced epiphany, he immediately launched into a campaign of diet and exercise that led to his shedding over 390 pounds.

Yet Flemming has a number of pounds he still hopes to lose in the way of loose skin. His friends are helping him raise funds on GoFundMe to help pay for the costly surgery. Flemming's message to others in similar positions as his before he started his transformation is inspirational.

Image: Clay Enos

Photographer Clay Enos was authorized by Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice director Zack Snyder to shoot and reveal the first photo of Jesse Eisenberg as he will appear playing the character of Lex Luthor in the film. The movie release is scheduled for March 25, 2016. Thoughts, readers? Do you think Eisenberg looks the part?

Read more and see a video about the upcoming film at Entertainment Weekly.

Earlier this month I wrote about 21 Abandoned Movie Sets That Everyone Can Visit. One such site was the complex of buildings in Tunisia that served as the set for Luke Skywalker's home planet of Tatooine. Yet recent developments have led government officials in countries including Britain and the United States to caution tourists against visiting a number of areas in Tunisia, including some relatively near destinations with remnants of Star Wars sets. 

It seems that the Tunisian city of Tataouine has become a "way station" transit point for terrorists looking to enter Libya to join ISIS. The city Tataouine, the name of which inspired the name Tatooine in the film, is some 60 miles from the Libyan border. The United States Embassy warns travelers to stay away from border areas. The British government cautions against "all but essential travel" to a large expanse that includes Tataouine as well as the sites of a number of Star Wars film locations, including Nefta, the location of the exterior scenes representing Luke Skywalker's childhood home.

Recently ISIS has been overtaking and controlling territories with intent to establish a caliphate (Islamic government). It is estimated that the terrorist organization controls one third of Syria and is quickly making gains in Iraq. Read more on the story here.

This two-week-old clouded leopard kitten is the current pride and joy of Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo, not just because he's so adorable, but because his species is severely endangered. Zookeepers say the male kitten, now thriving in veterinary care, is very vocal, particularly when it's time for him to eat (which is approximately every four hours)!

Clouded leopards are the smallest of the big cats, weighing just 30-50 pounds as adults and measuring about five feet in length (including their long tails). Native to Southeast Asia, the species is typically shy and reclusive. Tragically, its native range of rainforest is undergoing the world's fastest regional deforestation rates. Heavy hunting and poaching in the area make the species even more vulnerable to extinction.

Learn more about this cutie at the Lowry Park Zoo website and do not miss this video of the kitten at their Facebook page -- it's the most adorable big kitten video I've seen in ages.
 

When it comes to cats in the movies, who could forget Dr. Evil's feline sidekick, Mr. Bigglesworth? Certainly not you. Because that would make Dr. Evil angry, which would upset Mr. Bigglesworth. And you know what happens when Mr. Bigglesworth gets upset. 

Mr. Big's real name? Ted Nudegent. As Austin Powers International Man of Mystery was Ted's first film gig, he had to be trained to sit still while Mike Myers as Dr. Evil screamed, evaluated fembots and performed other parts of his schtick, for up to 45 minutes at a time. Nudegent's trainer Tammy Maples told the Philadelphia Daily News.

"It helped that he had been a show cat and was used to having lots of people around. And also that he just loved Mike Myers. Mike always took time to talk to Ted. It wasn't just 'sit down, roll cameras.'"

Read about more feline film stars here. 

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Cacti are flowering plants, thus they all are capable of blooming when they reach maturity. The age and the conditions/care of the plant are the determining factors as to whether it will bloom. This video shows the stunning sights that Echinopsis cacti bestow upon our landscapes when their flowers appear and bloom. The rare beauty is captured well in this artful footage.

Image: Paramount

Promotional materials from Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation include the gem shown above. Surely you didn't just expect the internet to leave that golden meme nugget alone. And no, it didn't escape the current meme requisite riding the woodpecker shot. That's required material these days. Check out the 'shop work here and see which is your favorite so far. I'm partial to Tom jogging with Katie and clinging to Tom, who is clinging to Tom, and so on. It's like a Scientologist's version of M.C. Escher.

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This hilarious footage features my latest spirit animal, an older Boxer, showing a rambunctious pup how to race at top speed around a snow bank. Yet simply because she's using the situation as a teaching moment, it doesn't mean that she plans to do the workout. Come on, be reasonable! -Via Tastefully Offensive

These fantastically detailed guides to coloring and markings of domestic cats are by Sarah Hartwell of Messybeast, a website devoted to all things cat. Feline lovers, check the color guides out here and see where your cats fall on the wide spectrum of color and pattern. -Via The Presurfer

Good ol' Steve Buscemi participated in a Reddit AMA recently to promote a documentary he's crowd funding and producing called Check It, about a gay and transgender gang in Washington, D.C. Buscemi's answers were as down-to-Earth and likeable as he seems to be. A sample:

Q. Best memories from Big Lebowski?

A. "Anytime you're on a Coen brothers set, it's just the most fun and relaxed set.

I just loved doing those long takes with John Goodman and Jeff Bridges. And I love sitting between them, you know? There's that one scene where we're at the counter in the bowling alley, and I'm seated between them, and they're arguing - and I LOVED just being around those guys.

I was once in a hotel room, and through the wall, I could hear this loud voice on the phone.

And at first I thought Oh my god, I have this really loud neighbor. Maybe I should switch rooms! And then I recognized the voice, and it was John Goodman. So I actually heard him ordering room service, hahaha, loudly! And so when the room service tray came up, I popped my head out the door, and he was very surprised to see me. And he said "Forget room service! Let's go down and have dinner!"

And I just love being around him.

And of course, Jeff Bridges is one of the sweetest guys. He's a really great photographer. He would take pictures of us on-set. And he's been in like, all these great movies, and it was just fun to hear him tell us stories of what it was like to work with John Huston on the set of FAT CITY...

Jeff Bridges could bring about world peace."

Read more from a best of Buscemi's answers article here; link to full AMA on Reddit is here.

Image: Wikipedia

The interactive map linked below lists the average speed of the internet in the United States by state. A similar map in 2009 revealed the average speed in the United States to be only 4.8Mbps. This new map shows that circumstances have greatly improved in the United States in terms of internet speeds. Data for the map is from Speedtest.net. -Via Gizmodo

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Dr. Sidney Cohen was a career-long proponent of LSD. In this rare video cilp from the 1950s, Cohen experiments by dosing a female homemaker, previously psychologically tested to ensure that she was "normal." Suffice to say that she enjoys her journey away from the doldrums of housework in the 'burbs, and "feels sorry" for those who haven't had the experience. (If I ever publish a novel, I intend to fit the line "I wish I could talk in Technicolor" into the text, no matter how hard it is to work it into the proper context.) -Via Daily Dot

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Little kitties are not afraid to exude big 'tude when it comes to their much larger canine counterparts. Given the typical temperament of the average dog, these pups are in for a lifetime of putting up with it, too. -Via Tastefully Offensive

Image: Imgur 

Anyone who is into taking photographs knows that, in many cases, the accidental shots are the best of the bunch. It's aways thrilling to go on a shoot and upload the pictures, only to find that a snap you didn't even count on being cool is the money shot. This grouping of photos snapped at opportune moments is a lot of fun to peruse. See the entire collection here. 

Image: Imgur 

Image: Imgur 

Image: SophiaGreenTour