Headlines from December 3, 2014

Contrary to popular belief, the US divorce rate has been declining over the last 20 years.
A poor Moroccan kid in France is much more likely to move into the middle class than a child born into a poor family in Mississippi.
Britons joining Amazon Anonymous— pledging to enjoy an “Amazon-free” Christmas—commit to spending £2.59 million elsewhere.
China bans wordplay in attempt at pun control, to prevent “cultural and linguistic chaos.”
Articles from Nature and 48 other scientific journals are now free.
Tourist borrows key to New York’s Gramercy Park, and now a bastion of exclusion is on Google Maps.
Twenty years ago, scientists predicted growing climate extremes and more disasters; we now live in that world.
Southern California gives thanks for first rain day in a long time; LA expects the biggest rainfall in two years.
See also: Yesterday’s lyrical essay on TMN about the plight of California’s fish and farmers.
Poets remain irrelevant as long as they continue to wall themselves off, linguistically and culturally, from the world. #opinions
Rise of the “beer mile” has little to do with alcohol, lots to do with elite runners trying to beat each other.
In the high-stakes world of competitive bass fishing, cheaters hide previously caught fish underwater.
Nine of 13 Cleveland cops who fired 137 shots at an unarmed black couple in 2012 now claim to be victims of racial discrimination.
South Korean Christian groups rebuild a Christmas tree that North Korea has threatened with military artillery.
Gas stations increasingly house gourmet restaurants to attract customers.
This week’s TMN gallery, “Woman in My Heart,” portraits of kothis in South India.
Pizza Hut debuts “the world’s first subconscious menu,” with eye-tracking tablets.
Double-barrel cooking cannon shoots shrimp through jets of egg, flour, and fire to land fully cooked on a plate. #video