Why the one country that can curb North Korea won’t. It’s time again to evaluate how Quartz’s annual geopolitical forecasts stacked up against actual events.
We had a good year: our 2015 forecasts mostly panned out—we were five for six. In addition, we won a side bet with other journalists, best sussing out where Brent oil prices would end the year. One prediction went dramatically wrong—our second consecutive year committing the very same blunder. How Credit Cards Tax America. Photo by Frankieleon How much money did you send your bank this year when you used your credit card?
Did you notice that you paid a $400 fee—one of the highest in the world? J.J. Abrams responds to fans who say Star Wars: The Force Awakens was a 'rip-off' J.J.
Abrams responded to criticism over narrative choices in Star Wars: The Force Awakens in a podcast recorded with The Hollywood Reporter this week. When considering accusations that the film relied too heavily on plot elements found in the original Star Wars trilogy, Abrams acknowledged the film could come off to some fans as a "rip-off," in Abrams' words. "I respect every reaction. I completely see that is a problem for some people," he said. History, Travel, Arts, Science, People, Places. History, Travel, Arts, Science, People, Places. What a Loss in Syria Would Mean for Putin's Russia. Last September, Russia deployed dozens of jets to Syria to rescue the ailing regime of Bashar al-Assad.
Vladimir Putin aimed to protect one of Moscow’s few foreign allies and gain leverage for the coming peace negotiations over the Syrian Civil War. Russian media presented the mission as a heroic attempt to save the civilized world from Islamic terrorism. Why the one country that can curb North Korea won’t. When An Index Card Of Financial Tips Isn't Enough, This Book Is There : All Tech Considered. Harold Pollack's index card of finance tips.
Harold Pollack hide caption toggle caption Harold Pollack Harold Pollack's index card of finance tips. Make a Secret Bookshelf Stash for Hiding Valuables With Some Old Binders. Uk.businessinsider. The CES Trends We Saw That Will Matter in 2016. Where Are Amazon's Data Centers? Once in a while—not quite often enough to be a crisis, but just often enough to be a trope—people in the United States will freak out because a huge number of highly popular websites and services have suddenly gone down.
For an interminable period of torture (usually about 1-3 hours, tops) there is no Instagram to browse, no Tinder to swipe, no Github to push to, no Netflix to And Chill. When this happens, it usually means that Amazon Web Services is having a technical problem, most likely in their US-East region. What that actually means is that something is broken in northern Virginia. Unions and the Friedrichs Case. On Monday, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case that experts say could provide a sizeable blow to the unions that represent millions of American public employees.
“There is a huge sector of the U.S. labor movement that is now going to potentially experience a dramatic change if the court rules in favor of the plaintiff,” said Kent Wong, the director of the UCLA Labor Center. The case concerns a teacher in California, Rebecca Friedrichs, who has sued the California Teachers Association, arguing that being required to pay a fee to the union violates her First Amendment rights. Friedrichs is not a member of the union, but, like many other public employees, is required to pay a so-called agency fee to cover the costs of collective bargaining and other negotiations with the school district—union activities that all teachers, even non-union teachers like Friedrichs, benefit from in the form of higher salaries and better benefits.
“Today’s decision in Harris v. #LifeLessons from an 80 year old man — The Bigger Picture. #LifeLessons from an 80 year old man. 1.
Have a firm handshake.2. Quora. The Second Amendment: Original Intent. December 5, 1791 James Madison House of Representatives Dear James, How is it almost 1792?!
Quick question on the right to bear arms thing in your “Bill of Rights”—the wording and punctuation are slightly confusing. Uk.businessinsider. Edward Snowden speaks at Consumer Electronics Show disguised as a robot. There are lots of people pitching fancy gadgets at the Consumer Electronics Show this week here.
Add to that list: Edward Snowden. The former National Security Agency contractor, famous for handing over western government secrets to the Guardian and other publications, made a virtual appearance at the Suitable Technologies booth here. "Literally the greatest headline USA Today will ever write:" by TheEmeraldRaven in funny. Uk.businessinsider. AP Photo/Lekan OyekanmiNigerian soldiers at a checkpoint in Gwoza, Nigeria, in April, when the town was newly liberated from Boko Haram.
On December 12 and 13, violence broke out in Zaria, in Nigeria's northern Kaduna state, between the military and members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria. The IMN is the leading Shiite Islamist movement in Africa's most populous country and largest economy. And its leader, Ibrahim Zakzaky, who was injured and arrested during the violence, is the country's most prominent Shiite cleric and a notable supporter of Iran's state ideology.
Is Bitcoin The Future Of Money? Talk To The Expert. What flight attendants really think about when they first greet you. Wild bee populations are declining where they are needed. Between 2008 and 2013 wild bee populations declined in 23% of the United States, and were low in 39% of all agricultural areas dependent on pollinators. The declining bee population is a costly issue facing farmers and puts crop production at risk. A recent report published in PNAS maps the status and trends of wild bee abundance across the United States and identified potential problematic areas.In addition to honey bees that are often managed by commercial beekeepers to optimally pollinate crops and enhance yield, wild bees are also valuable pollinators. In fact, over $3 billion of the United States agricultural gross domestic product in 2009 was provided by wild bee pollination.
Relative wild bee abundance in 2013. Do You Really Know Why Earth Has A Solstice? : 13.7: Cosmos And Culture. In this composite image, the sun has reached its northernmost point in Earth's sky, marking a season change and the first solstice of the year 2004. NASA/ESA hide caption toggle caption NASA/ESA It's the solstice again, which is an astronomer's favorite time of year. Jennifer Lawrence Looks Back On A Career-Changing 'Yes-Or-No Question' Jennifer Lawrence stars as Joy Mangano, the creator of the Miracle Mop, in the comic drama Joy. Courtesy Twentieth Century Fox hide caption toggle caption Courtesy Twentieth Century Fox Jennifer Lawrence stars as Joy Mangano, the creator of the Miracle Mop, in the comic drama Joy.
Courtesy Twentieth Century Fox Starring in the Hunger Games was the opportunity of a lifetime, but when the role of Katniss Everdeen was offered to her, Jennifer Lawrence hesitated. BP boss predicts oil price fall. The head of one of the world's biggest oil firms says oil prices could fall by nearly two-thirds within a decade from the current $70 (£38) a barrel. Lord Browne, the chief executive of the British oil giant BP, predicted prices would remain high in the near future.
But he said that large reserves still remained undiscovered or untapped, and that new technology would bring down extraction costs. Sustained high oil prices have sparked fears of a global downturn. "We cannot really count on oil prices easing very much in the near future," Lord Browne said in an interview with the German weekly Der Spiegel. But he said in the medium term - the next five years or so - prices could average about $40 or so per barrel.
Obama and the Wrong Side of History. Men Explain Lolita to Me. Star Wars: The Force Awakens: 5 ways the new movie copies the original film. Snowden: Clinton's Call for a 'Manhattan-Like Project' Is Terrifying. Riding High. Nursing Home Workers Share Explicit Photos of Residents on Snapchat. AI Machine Learns to Drive Using Crowdteaching. Ideas That Moved Us in 2015 — The Story. What kinds of actions do people think of as most stupid? ‘Stoner sloth’ anti-drug campaign gets reality check as medical experts walk away. Tim Cook calls Apple's tax questions 'political crap' The Diminishing Middle — And Why That Widens The Gap Between Us. Quora. Uk.businessinsider. Quora. Quora. The cultural differences between East and West, according to one artist. Paul: Nobody read the $1.1 trillion omnibus bill. Slack and the State of Technology at the End of 2015. Good governance: CBSE books to be made available online for free, says Smriti Irani.
Physicists and Philosophers Debate the Boundaries of Science. Lunch With Jeremy Clarkson. Forgotten Weapons: The Burgess Folding Shotgun. Su-24 flight recorder confirms Russian aircraft did not violate Turkish airspace - PravdaReport. Uk.businessinsider. Quora. White House computer science push. 8 shows you need to watch on Crackle. Humans Are Slamming Into Driverless Cars and Exposing a Key Flaw. Devils, Deals and the DEA. Secret Code Found in Juniper's Firewalls Shows Risk of Government Backdoors. Comedy wildlife photography is the best wildlife photography. Baby Steps: Love And 'The Big Bang Theory' : Monkey See. Businessinsider. Who Won the Democratic Debate? Fish oil turns fat-storage cells into fat-burning cells in mice, study finds.
Uk.businessinsider. Kindergarten Has Become the New First Grade. In America's Heartland, Building One Home For Three Faiths. Chuck Hagel Reveals Obama's Negligence in Syria. Budget bill heads to President Obama's desk with CISA intact. Why we’re going back to the Moon—with or without NASA. 14,000-Year-Old Bone Found in Red Deer Cave Points to Archaic Human Species. Quora. Quora. Learning Soft Skills In Childhood Can Prevent Harder Problems Later. White House Supports Privacy Destroying CISA, Despite Past Promises It Would Not.
Which inequalities matter and which taxes are appropriate? The Big Bang Theory is at its best and worst in a milestone episode for Sheldon. The Disillusionment of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Agents, Years After a Tijuana Cartel Bust. A huge underclass of ghost workers are making your shirts in their homes. ELI5: How will the new CISA bill affect the average citizen? : explainlikeimfive. A key under the doormat isn’t safe. Neither is an encryption backdoor. Twitter gets real about mental health with #WhenIThinkOfMentalIllness. Dandelion preserved in resin. Gary Marcus, A Deep Learning Dissenter, Thinks He Has a More Powerful AI Approach. NASA Is Seeking Astronauts. Do You Have The Right Stuff? How The Food Industry Helps Engineer Our Cravings. Making the grade: Certain abandoned ski runs recover better than others. Quora. Eight Sensible Gifts for Hanukkah Survey Results.
Businessinsider. How To Raise An Immortal Cat. Congress snuck a surveillance bill into the federal budget last night. Senate probing whether Cruz leaked classified surveillance data during debate—Update. Doctors can’t take care of us unless they start taking care of themselves. Quora. History, Travel, Arts, Science, People, Places.