Snowflake's Forum

Monday's Rose Garden appearance is just the latest episode in an unusual political friendship. President Donald Trump introduced those tuning into his nightly coronavirus task force briefing on Monday to a special guest: Mike Lindell, the multimillionaire inventor and CEO of the MyPillow empire. "Boy, do you sell those pillows," Trump said, asking him to step up to the mic and tell Americans how his company was helping them deal with the outbreak. Lindell then launched into a short infomercial for his company, going on to describe how the firm was manufacturing cotton face masks and effusively praising the president for his pandemic stewardship. “I did not know he was going to do that, but he is a friend of mine, and I do appreciate it,” Trump said. It’s hardly their first encounter. Lindell has told associates that the president is encouraging him to run for governor of Minnesota in 2022, to “keep Minnesota red beyond” the 2020 race, according to a person with d...

'Virus-fighting' scientist gets magnets stuck in nose Daniel Reardon had to go to hospital to have the magnets removed An Australian astrophysicist who hoped to create a device to help stop people catching the coronavirus has ended up in hospital - after getting magnets stuck up his nose. Dr Daniel Reardon came up with a plan to create a necklace which would react if your hands were near your face. Unfortunately, the device did not work quite as planned. "My invention had the opposite effect – it buzzed continuously until a magnet was put close." 'I knew I was in trouble' "I had a laugh and gave up temporarily," he told the BBC. "Then I started mindlessly placing the magnets on my face. First my ear lobes, then my nostrils – like a magnetic piercing. "The problem was when I put magnets in my other nostril. They all pinched together, and the ones on my septum got stuck!" The university research fellow remained calm, h...

The Pioneering Health Officer Who Saved Portland From the Plague Esther Pohl later in life Tasked with curbing a 1907 outbreak, Esther Pohl emphasized the importance of clean, vermin-free environments Esther Pohl was a familiar sight around Portland, Oregon, by the summer of 1907.  Thirty-five  years old, with wavy hair  piled  atop her head, she was known for bicycling from house to house visiting the patients of her private  obstetrics practice . One of the  first women  in Oregon to practice medicine, she had also served on the city health board since 1905. But on July 11, 1907, she added a new feather to her cap when the health board  unanimously elected  her Portland’s health commissioner. That made her the first woman to serve as health officer in a major American city. Pohl began her term battling common infectious diseases of the early 20th century—maladies like smallpox, whooping cough, and tuberculosis, which she  ...

Sales of garden compost and seeds up 250% as people give their back yard a makeover in coronavirus lockdown Britons cooped up at home have been turning to gardening as a way to pass the time while in coronavirus quarantine. Sales of compost and seeds are just some items to have seen a spike in recent weeks as people stock up on essentials to give their outdoor areas a makeover during the lockdown. According to  The Guardian , gardening centres experienced an increase in trade before they were forced to close after government measures called for all but essential businesses to shut up shop. The Blue Diamond Group - who have 37 outlets around the UK - experienced a boost the day after people were urged to work from home that was 64% higher than in 2019. Rates of customers purchasing compost and seeds were up by 250%, while propagation products saw a rise of 150%. Dobbies, the country’s biggest garden centre chain, has witnessed large numbers of shoppers getting their ha...