“Dark money” refers to spending meant to influence political outcomes where the source of the money is not disclosed. Here’s how dark money makes its way into elections:" Read more at OpenSecrets 

"Is it really inflation? Or something else? .... Ordinary Americans have been watching their grocery bills climb to new heights as prices rise on cereals, meat, dairy, fruits, and vegetables — virtually everything we eat. ........ Read more

"An enduring democracy will encourage rather than discourage media criticism. Attacks by politicians and exposure of unethical acts clearly lower public trust in journalism. But measured skepticism can be healthy and media criticism comprises an essential component of media literacy – and a vibrant democracy."  Read more

"...Astonishingly, honeybees possess one of the most complicated examples of nonhuman communication. They can tell each other where to find resources such as food, water, or nest sites with a physical “waggle dance.” This dance conveys the direction. distance and quality of a resource to the bee's nestmates" .....Read more at The Conversation

"It’s kind of strange how the labor market remains quite strong, with notable gains in labor-intensive service sectors like hospitality and leisure, health care and retail. That’s also where wage growth in February was strongest"...Read more

Pi Day π (pi) is observed on March 14 (3/14 in the month/day format) since 3, 1, and 4 are the first three significant digits of π.
Pi (π) Day has become an international holiday, celebrated live and online all around the world. 

What is pi anyway? Divide any circle’s circumference by its diameter; the answer (whether for a plate or a planet) is always approximately 3.14, a number represented with the Greek letter π. Mathematicians have been calculating π’s digits with more and more accuracy and have discover they go on literally forever, with no pattern.

"Fran Ruhl’s family received a startling letter from the Iowa Department of Human Services four weeks after she died in January 2022 ~ The letter got right to the point: Iowa’s Medicaid program had spent $226,611.35 for Ruhl’s health care, and the government was entitled to recoup that money from her estate, including nearly any assets she owned or had a share in. If a spouse or disabled child survived Ruhl, the collection could be delayed until after their death, but the money would still be owed ~ The notice said the family had 30 days to respond" Read more.

"The insurance industry and Republicans are using the debt ceiling fight and President Biden’s vows not to cut Medicare to fend off changes to private Medicare Advantage plans, which are popular among the public but have faced criticism about their costs to the government."  More at Roll Call ➜

Seventy years ago, on February 28.1953, Cambridge University scientists James D. Watson and Francis Crick announced  that they had determined the double-helix structure of DNA (short for deoxyribonucleic acid). DNA was discovered in 1869 but its significant genetic inheritance role was not demonstrated until 1943. Many other Scientists were working on figuring out the structure of DNA. Read more

Source: NIH National Library of Medicine

"You’ve probably seen ads promoting gas and oil companies as the solutions to climate change. They’re meant to be  inspiring and hopeful, with scenes of a green, clean future to climate change.
But shiny ads are not all these companies do to protect their commercial interests in the face of a rapidly heating world. Most also provide financial support to industry groups that are spending hundreds of millions of dollars on political activities, often to thwart polices designed to slow climate change."  more at The Conversation

When you use supermarket discount cards, you are sharing much more than what is in your cart—and grocery chains like Kroger are reaping huge profits selling this data to brands and advertisers.  More at The Markup ➜

"Much like love itself, St. Valentine and his reputation as the patron saint of love are not matters of verifiable history, but of faith".Read more