‘Alternative facts’? Journalists from Venezuela to Turkey have ‘seen this movie before’
The early months of the Trump presidency will involve fierce battles about such policy matters as health care, trade and immigration. As its very first fight, though, his administration chose a target that has alarmed observers of authoritarian leaders: ( Read more... )

There's gloom and doom aplenty, but here are 99 Reasons Why 2016 has been a great year for humanity.

Also, dinosaur tail, complete with feathers, found in 99-million-year-old amber from Myanmar. Seriously, people, "the tail of a non-avialan theropod (coelurosaur) preserved in Burmese amber, combining bone outlines with microscopic details of ( Read more... )

Proposal: Name hurricanes after politicians who deny climate change.

But maybe you'll think twice before signing that petition: some folks wonder if the NSA's surveillance program is really meant to spy on environmentalists. Now, that may sound like excessive paranoia to you, but as Paul Bibeau says on his Goblinbooks blog: "The NSA Is Beyond ( Read more... )

“Attention! From 19.01.2012 the icon of Vladimir Putin in the church started to seep myrrh, and the same happened to his sainted portrait,” the Holy Mother says in her blog. “God is sending us signs of his blessed presence.” Um... right. Good to know.

Is there any interested party who hasn't yet seen the blog post about PIPA supporters' ( Read more... )

Leaked: US government strategy to prevent leaks.

Also in U.S. news: We have snow in 49 states including Hawaii. Today, Florida is feeling left out. (Link via yasminke.)

In more serious weather news: You can donate to the flood relief appeal here.

Unrelated to current news: After I'd finished reading Why We Read What We Read, I looked around on the ( Read more... )

Essentially, officials want Congress to require all services that enable communications - including encrypted e-mail transmitters like BlackBerry, social networking Web sites like Facebook and software that allows direct “peer to peer” messaging like Skype - to be technically capable of complying if served with a wiretap order. The mandate would ( Read more... )

Today I went out intending to buy some bras and possibly a shirt or some jeans if any suitable ones were to be found, spent hours indoors on a lovely day scouring the shelves and racks of all likely stores in a local shopping mall, and came home carrying a box of licorice tea and a bar of dark chocolate with golden flax seeds and thyme. I've been ( Read more... )

The White House on Thursday released a statement by Obama instructing his Health and Human Services secretary to draft rules requiring hospitals that receive Medicare and Medicaid payments to grant all patients the right to designate people who can visit and consult with them at crucial moments.The designated visitors should have the same rights ( Read more... )

Elizabeth H. Blackburn, Carol W. Greider, and Jack W. Szostak are this year's winners for the Nobel Prize in medicine for their research into telomeres (the tips of chromosomes) and telomerase (the enzyme that builds telomeres); discoveries which, in the words of the prize committee, "have added a new dimension to our understanding of the cell, ( Read more... )

Based on news reports coming out today, incoming U.S. President Barack Obama seems to be right on track in his goal to assemble the Hottest Administration Evar. Behold the potential Surgeon General!

Info via urbpan, who may think the potential Surgeon General doesn't look enough like Dr. Koop, but still includes a lovely photo in this post.