* Coders ridicule Heathcare.gov. * What is your most cherished Christmas memory? Knitted jumpers, overcooked Brussels sprouts, family arguments? Time to try Christmas in North Korea! * By next June, Pyongyang will have Carmen Electra. * Once the elixir of British kings, mead experiences a surge of popularity in the U.S.—it
* Editors of the National Review offer Republicans three strategies for ending the shutdown without losing too much face. * Far-right Republicans are deeply angry because America's political reality really does seem to have a liberal bias. * There have been at least five shootings and bombings on the Capitol
* Maybe our leaders, who seem so quick to threaten violence or shut down the government, should spend some time with dairy cows. * The Congressmen who drove the shutdown come from overwhelmingly white, gerrymandered districts—and represent 18% of the population. * A study correlates conspiracy theorists with those who distrust scientists
* People tell Jimmy Kimmel whether they prefer the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare. * Many Americans think their politicians spout childish nonsense, but rarely have they actually revelled in doing so. * FBI arrests alleged Dread Pirate Roberts, man behind Silk Road, the online drug bazaar. * Corruption takes on "mind-bending
* International inspectors head to Syria to begin chemical weapon dismantling. * In terms of military cooperation and trade investments, China-U.S. relations are improving, though still tense. * A Q&A on the policy substance behind the shutdown. * See also: In October 1975 the New York Daily News published a
* Fox News: "It's more of a slimdown than a shutdown." * Veterans break down barricades at WWII Memorial, plan more shutdown disobedience. * Which government employees are required to take unpaid leave and which ones have to stay, in one tidy graph. * The reason Congress members get paid—
* Many parallels found between the last 48 hours in D.C. and a traditional Hollywood Western. * Additional "really top-notch commies" added to Washington Post's list of America's top communists. * Behind-the-scenes report from the sale of the Washington Post to Amazon.com&
* With all the attention on Syria and Iran, Egypt has slipped under Washington's radar. * Government shutdown bewilders other countries. * The government has "shut down" 17 times since 1976—we should stop calling it a "shutdown." * What the shutdown means for you: "Any attempt
* Kentucky governor tells Republicans to "get over" Obamacare. * Parsing the doublespeak around the government shutdown uncovers triple negations and results in headaches. * With the shutdown edging nearer, Republicans lay the groundwork for avoiding blame. * The Heritage Foundation's 1980 Mandate for Leadership proposed universal health care and
* Gun ownership among women has doubled in the past year; advocacy groups teach defense-based target practice and firearm safety. * See also: A childhood ban on toy guns didn’t erase death from a group of friends, but it changed their view of mortality. * Running away to China to learn
