China lashes out at a dozen nations placing "discriminatory" restrictions on its travelers. Meanwhile, the year's biggest economic event gets going. / Forbes, The Economist

California prepares for a third atmospheric river. The rest of the country prepares for severe weather as a result of the second one. / NPR, Accuweather

David Zipper: Do you hate the CLEAR service in airports? Get in line. / Slate

A rising number of coups in West Africa, a tenuous peace in Ethiopia—a good summary of a year in African news. / This Week in Africa

See also: A round-up of the year in "weird and stupid futures." / Read Max

Over at TMN, we asked some of our favorite journalists, writers, and thinkers: What were the most important events of 2022, and what were the least? / The Morning News

Booksellers recommend their favorite personal reads from last year. / The Los Angeles Review of Books

Works going into public domain this year include To the Lighthouse and Death Comes for the Archbishop. / Center for the Study of Public Domain

Despite what you've heard, there's no consensus on how to draw the Periodic Table, or who has the final word on its organization. / Pioneer Works

Economists want the government to go after the food industry—for marketing sugar—like it went after tobacco companies. / Quartz

The more "plant-based" has become ubiquitous as a marketing term, the less clarity we have on what it means. / From the Desk of Alicia Kennedy

Launched last Christmas, the JWST is exceeding expectations. However, one hour of observing time costs about $19,000. / The New York Times

Related/unrelated: Almost nobody understands how ATMs work. / Bits About Money