Naomi Novik’s latest book, Uprooted, combines fantasy, fairy tale, and coming of age stories in a way that is both original and deeply compelling. If any of those three descriptors sound interesting, go pick up this book. … [Read more...]
Hundreds Missing as Cruise Ship Capsizes in China
Six people were rescued from inside a cruise ship that capsized in a storm on China's Yangtze River with hundreds more aboard, state broadcaster CCTV reported. At least 12 others survived, including the captain and chief engineer, while five were killed during a cruise late Monday from Nanjing to Chongqing, reported CCTV. At least 458 people were aboard the ship, most of them … [Read more...]
Hundreds of Cattle Rescued From Texas Floodwaters
After the rainiest month in Texas’ recorded history, the aftermath of the flooding rainfall is being felt by everyone and everything – even (and perhaps, especially) the livestock. About 30 miles northeast of Houston, Texas on Sunday, 500-600 cattle were left stranded by flood waters in the small town of Dayton. … [Read more...]
Drought Is Bearing Fruit for Washington Wineries
YAKIMA, Wash. — American wine, for all the hype and hyperbole in recent years about Idaho rieslings or Pennsylvania pinot noirs, is still overwhelmingly a California thing. Even in an off year, wineries there produce more than 20 times as much wine as the vineyards here in Washington State, the perennial No. 2 in the rankings. … [Read more...]
The 13 Strangest Deities in Dungeons & Dragons
Every fantasy land needs a fantasy religion for the locals to believe in. When you have a fantasy setting as sprawling as D&D, that means various peoples, races, and even monsters pray to countless gods and goddesses. Here’s a baker’s dozen of the most bizarre divinities your players can worship. … [Read more...]
The Mysterious Syndrome In Which Healthy People Can’t Recall Their Past
The authors of a recent study published in Neuropsycholgia say they’ve identified a new syndrome characterized by the inability to re-live previous experiences. It sounds a lot like amnesia, but people with this rare condition are otherwise healthy and have no history of brain damage or psychological trauma. … [Read more...]
American Tourist Attacked and Killed by a Lion
An American tourist inside a car was killed and a tour operator was injured in an attack by a lion at a park near Johannesburg, South Africa, a spokesman for The Lion Park told ABC News. Staff members hurried into an enclosure at the park to fight off the lion and called an ambulance after the attack took place around 2:30 p.m. local time, or 8:30 a.m. ET, the spokesman, … [Read more...]
Over 120,000 Saiga Antelopes Have Inexplicably Died Since Mid-May
Scientists are trying desperately to understand the cause of a mass die-off that has cut the global population of the critically endangered saiga antelope nearly in half. Saiga antelopes, known for their distinctive flexible proboscises, live in large herds on the steppe grasslands and semi-arid deserts of central Asia. More than 120,000 have died in Kazakhstan over the past … [Read more...]