The United States Department of State is trying to hire a firm to provide janitorial services to its consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The State Department’s solicitation notes, the contractor must provide housing that offers “security, peace and dignity, and at a minimum” have 36 to 50 square feet of living space per employee.
Voiced by Chris Pratt, the blissfully happy toast enthusiast Emmet Brickowski has returned in the Lego Movie: the Second Part. The film fell millions of dollars short of expectations, pulling in around $34 million in North American box-office receipts over its opening weekend according to Comscore. The film is part of the effort to support Lego’s multi-billion dollar toy business with multi-million dollar movies pumped full of the diverse cast of characters contained in its sets.
After massive protests of Venezuela president Nicolás Maduro yesterday (Jan. 23), national assembly speaker Juan Guaidó swore himself in as the nation’s interim leader, giving the South American country two heads of state. Shortly after, the US recognized Guaidó’s move, followed by 11 other nations—Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, and Peru—as well as the EU.
Scientists have provided the latest imagery from the New Horizons spacecraft. It’s a stereo anaglyph: a simulated 3D image. It helps understand the topographic and geological features of the Kuiper Belt object, Ultima Thule.
Today, NASA gave us an update on Ultimate Thule, the Kuiper Belt object 2014 MU69 as relayed by the New Horizons spacecraft. Alan Stern the principal investigator of the mission, told reporters it was “a technical success beyond anything ever attempted before in spaceflight.” The 32,000 mph (51,500 km/hr) flyby provided the most detailed images of the comet yet.
As a partial government shutdown entered its second week, US president Donald Trump invited congressional leaders to a Jan. 2 White House briefing to discuss the border wall. The meeting—the first between Trump and leaders from both parties since the shutdown began—takes place just one day before Democrats are set to take control of the House.
As Earth celebrated another rotation around the sun last night, millions of party-goers texted family and friends instantaneous New Year’s wishes. It wasn’t until 10:30am EST on Jan. 1 that NASA got its own festive greeting: a blurry picture from its most distant explorer, the New Horizons space probe.
The New Year is coming and you want it to be a good one. First step, put on your finest polka dot apparel and prepare for a big meal… you’ll need the energy when you start tossing your appliances out the window later. Food is a big part of New Year’s observances across the globe. Part superstition, part tradition, here’s your New Year’s eve menu to ensure an auspicious New Year.
On Sept. 27, 1996, after three days of fighting in Kabul, the Taliban abducted former president of Afghanistan Mohammad Najibullah and tortured, shot, and hanged him in front of the presidential palace. Their jurisprudence closed girls’ schools, banned music, and resulted in public amputations and executions. It marked the beginning of the Afghan civil war, and lasted until the Taliban’s 2001 ousting by an American-led invasion of the country.
The US National Parks Service (NPS) offices are closed due to the federal government shutdown. However, while their staff may be furloughed, and their offices are inactive, many of the parks themselves remain partially opened. This typically means that access roads and trails are open, while comforts like campgrounds, restrooms, trash facilities, and restaurants are indefinitely shuttered.
In 2018, 106 rockets left Earth’s atmosphere carrying over 120 satellites in total. They joined the ranks of the already 1,768 orbiting instruments relaying communications, studying stars, and looking back down at earth. With more satellites comes more frequent views of the Earth, making it simpler than ever to track and report on world events. Sometimes the satellite images break the news itself. We asked experts to tell us what they thought were the most important images to come from outer space this year.
By making miniaturized versions of their iconic consoles, Sony and Nintendo dipped into the childhood memories, and pockets, of their core audience. Last year saw Nintendo’s sold-out success with the pint-sized NES, and 2018 holiday sales suggest Sony’s Playstation tapped into the same indelible market opportunity: nostalgia.
There is perhaps no better measure of a place’s quality of life than how long its residents are expected to live. Life expectancy reflects a neighborhood’s safety, the quality of its health care, its environment, and the wealth and mental health of the people who live there.
In early November, it looked like books about Donald Trump’s presidency—including Michael Wolff’s Fire and Fury and Bob Woodward’s Fear—would define 2018. Michelle Obama wasn’t having it.
US president Donald Trump flew to more than 40 political rallies in the months leading up to the 2018 mid-term elections, to coax his loyal fans to come out to the polls for Republican candidates. A Quartz analysis of Trump’s travel schedule and the latest Department of Defense operating figures for Air Force One aircraft suggests the tab for the air travel alone was $17 million.
GM’s decision to idle five plants in North America could mean around 11,300 US workers losing their jobs. However, an American brand retreating from US production won’t really hurt Americans’ ability to buy a US-made car. In our globalized economy, automobile origins are as international as their brands. You might own a “Japanese” Toyota, but it could be made in Kentucky. How can you tell? It’s called the Vehicle Identification Number or VIN.
NASA spacecraft InSight successfully touched down on Mars today (Nov. 26) at 11:54 am Pacific time. The landing marks the eighth time in human history we as a species have descended on our red neighbor. It also may mark the first time humanity has used Slack to accomplish such a feat.
Hidden Springs Tree Farm, a family-owned outfit in Atascadero, California, is an idyllic place to pick up a Christmas tree. There are thousands of options to choose from, each of them sturdy, sustainable, and organic (because, trees). The scenic backdrop makes for a great Instagram photo, and perhaps most important: They serve customers free hot apple cider.
Holiday air travel can be stressful on the mind and tiring on the body. Hours spent squeezed in an ever losing battle of leg and elbow room, while you inhale dry, recycled air begging that the circular conversation next to you stops. It’s easy to wish to be anywhere but here, stuck on a plane, then you remember your destination: your childhood home.
As the Woolsey fire tore through more than 90,000 acres of Southern California over the weekend, it scorched land at a closed-down lab where the US government and private companies tested nuclear weapons and rocket engines for decades beginning in the 1940s.
On Nov. 7, California’s governor-elect Gavin Newsom issued a State of Emergency, as three major wildfires—the Camp, Woolsey, and Hill fires—continue to burn across the state.
The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) is seeking a contractor to manufacture “marijuana cigarettes.” In a posting from October 24, the United States’ premier health research organization requires applicants prove they are a small business capable of producing and shipping the wares.
