Amanda Shendruk

The Friday after the Thanksgiving holiday is the busiest shopping day of the year in the US. It’s estimated that nearly a third of Americans (all in turkey comas) hit store aisles this year, spending $23 billion. It’s also the day the federal government chose to release an alarming, 1,600-page report on climate change. The odd release date has led many to question whether the timing was a deliberate move to limit the public impact of the report. If it was, it may have backfired.

Over the past 100 years, the way Americans eat has drastically changed. These aren’t just shifts in preference: War, technology, and globalization have together woven a tapestry of American cuisine that is as diverse as the country itself.

When it comes to the English language, Brits and Americans agree on one thing—the meaning of mediocre. That is, when asked to quantify the word “mediocre” with a value on a numeric scale from good to bad, residents of each group give it nearly the same score.

Stan Lee’s death on November 12 has brought new attention to the value of the cast of superheroes and villains he co-created with artists like Jack Kirby, and Steve Ditko. Many of the hundreds of characters he is associated with turned into multi-million and -billion dollar franchises.

The winners of the 2018 midterms include a significant list of firsts—especially for women. Among others, the first Muslim women were elected to Congress, as was the first Native American woman. These new lawmakers will go a long way towards improving representation for the country’s diverse citizenry.

Here’s a safe assumption: People donate to candidates who reflect their own politics.

Voters often conclude that the effort needed to cast a ballot is simply not worth it. So, researchers at Northern Illinois University set to find the most US states where it’s hardest to vote.

For a recent assignment, I had the misfortune of stumbling upon newswire photos tagged with “mannequin.” Turns out, the uncanny valley is alive and well in the image databases for Reuters and the Associated Press.

Theresa May, the UK’s prime minister, was supposed to be meeting with European Union leaders in Brussels today to finalize the terms of Brexit—the UK’s exit from the EU. Her foreign counterparts pulled out (paywall) of a planned meeting next month, but May’s greatest hurdle isn’t bargaining with the EU. She still has an enormous obstacle at home—gaining enough support to pass any deal in Parliament.

This fall, the world’s great symphony orchestras will open their 2018-19 seasons. And just as they have for decades, many of them will be sharply segregated by gender.

Those tasked with mapping Scotland and its remote Shetland Islands will need to start thinking outside the box.

The US’s first lady, Melania Trump, is visiting Africa this week—Ghana, Malawi, Kenya and Egypt—but her husband, president Trump, has never traveled to the continent in an official capacity. He isn’t alone. Only eight sitting American presidents have visited an African nation.

Less than two months ago an unanticipated Tweet emerged from Elon Musk announcing that he was “considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured.” It was an auspicious claim from the company’s chairman and CEO. Now, that Tweet has cost him $40 million.

Just weeks before the annual United Nations General Assembly began in New York, the United States made a bold, potentially devastating financial decision. The Trump administration announced it would cut all funding to the UN agency that assists Palestinian refugees, calling the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) “irredeemably flawed.” As the agency’s largest single donor, the US’s decision represented a 30% loss to its annual budget.

The US pays 22% of the United Nations’s operating budget, 28% of its peacekeeping budget, and makes sure the world knows how unhappy it is about that.

As the United Nations’ annual meeting gets underway in New York City, one point of tension could be Donald Trump’s past threats to cut the organization’s funding.

Here’s a video to prove it.

When a small pet leaves the UK it can fly with its owner in the passenger cabin. When it comes back, however, the Brits force it to ride as cargo. That’s a deal breaker for many pet owners.

When the Hague decided to fix its curb-trash problem, it found a solution underground.

As you run through the terminal you might notice it on your ticket, beside your gate number, or even on a t-shirt. Nearly every airport in the world has a unique three-letter identifier. The signifiers are assigned by the International Air Transport Association, and many reference the airport’s name, or letters in its city’s name. Others are much more obscure.

It’s not you; it’s hot in here. The Earth is experiencing some of the warmest days on record; 2018 is expected to see the fourth hottest summer ever observed.

On July 1, a small community outside of Toronto broke a daily weather record almost as old as Canada itself. At 33.9 Celsius (93 Fahrenheit), the temperature in the town of Kincardine topped its previous record high of 33.3 Celsius, established in 1867.

If you’ve tackled a hefty Russian novel, you know the only way to keep track of the complex cast is to dog-ear the list of principal characters. Following the web of people involved the Paul Manafort trial will be just as tricky. Bookmark this page, and consider it your quick guide to this American-Ukrainian-Russian saga.

Environmental economists have calculated how much Californians want to see their beaches restored to a pristine state.