The enormous teeth of a “giant sea monster” were restored by fossil expert Chris Moore after he and Steve Etches endured the painstaking task of removing a huge fossil skull 12 meters (39 feet) up a cliff in Dorset‚ UK. It belonged to a pliosaur‚ an ancient marine reptile with a bite force that could’ve bested Tyrannosaurus rex in a fight‚ according to scientists working on the discovery.The enormous pliosaur was retrieved from a beach in Kimmeridge‚ Dorset‚ which sits along the Jurassic Coast. The region is famous for its fossils – and while anybody can expect to find ammonites walking its shores‚ finding part of a 12-meter pliosaur is a very special discovery.“Fossils along [the Jurassic Coast] have been collected for hundreds of years now‚” said Moore to IFLScience. “It was [once] a shallow‚ marine‚ warm sea very rich in life‚ and it’s constantly eroded by the English Channel. We get big storms that wash away the soft clay and continually reveal new fossils.”“From west Dorset to east Dorset you’re walking through the whole suite of Jurassic rock‚” added Etches. “So you’re going through time. You can see every Jurassic sequence of rocks.”Following its discovery‚ Moore got in touch with friend David Attenborough to see if the BBC might be interested in documenting the retrieval‚ and you can watch the resulting film at 8 pm GMT on New Year’s Day on BBC One in the UK and iPlayer. In the lead-up to its release‚ Attenborough and BBC Natural History Unit producer Mike Gunton shared some background into the series’ creation in an interview with the BBC.For people who may not be familiar with the idea of a pliosaur‚ can you say what is it and how much we know about it?David Attenborough: Well‚ we know a lot about ichthyosaurs‚ but this was a great hunter of the ichthyosaurs‚ and it’s called a pliosaur – an immense animal that ruled the seas during the period of the dinosaurs.It could obviously move at great speed and the teeth that were found in the tip of the skull have vertical ridges down them‚ which break the suction and allow it to withdraw the jaw from prey quickly  - that's the sort of deduction that we're able to make and which we show in the programme.Some ichthyosaurs were massive‚ but even they weren’t safe when pliosaurs were around.Image credit: BBC StudiosWhat were your first impressions of the whole skull when you saw it for the first time?  DA: Oh‚ no question about that. That is one of the biggest skulls you've ever seen. I mean‚ it's huge and so although I was aware of the tip that was first discovered‚ I hadn't fully appreciated how big the whole head would be and it's enormous. So‚ sheer scale was what first impressed me. But then I talked to the scientists who knew about this particular group of fossils‚ and pointed out to me the little details‚ the little pores‚ sensory pits. There is also the parietal eye – in some animals‚ including this one‚ it seems there is a primitive eye in the top of the head. Think of a crocodile in the middle‚ between the eyes at the top. It could have told you which way was up‚ if you were down in the deep sea - that's the sort of detail which we weren't sure about but which this skull has already given us more information about.Mike Gunton: My recollection was that Steve said how unusual it is to get a skull that is not disarticulated‚ in other words‚ you finding it as it would have been in life. I don’t know‚ but that’s rare and that would have been exceptional‚ wouldn’t it?DA: Well I mean the thing about the skull is that it’s not only by far the most informative part of the body‚ it is by far the most delicate too. And it’s the detail‚ and that is so rare to find it. And this is as near perfect as it can possibly get.MG: One of the scientists‚ Andre [Rowe]‚ he says it’s a one in a million‚ no! One in a billion fossil…Sir David Attenborough with fossil experts Steve Etches and Chris Moore examining the skull of the pliosaur in the workshop of the Etches Collection Museum‚ Kimmeridge‚ Dorset‚ UK.Image credit: BBC StudiosHow closely did the team collaborate with the scientific community and experts during the making of this programme?DA: They can tell us all kinds of things. There's an American expert‚ Dr Andre‚ and he was blown away by it. He said‚ “It was the most terrifying animal in the seas”.   I asked  him perhaps a rather childish question because it was very big‚ and it's bigger than the Tyrannosaurus rex by [a] long way‚ so I asked this schoolboy question‚ I said‚ "Now‚ supposing Tyrannosaurus rex met this extraordinary pliosaur‚ who would win?” And this chap was American and Tyrannosaurus rex is an American dinosaur‚ so I expected his answer to be that. He said‚ “Well‚ I think it probably was this pliosaur that won.”  Other scientists told us that it's almost certainly a new species of pliosaur. So‚ it's a new species‚ and it would have been able to deal with Tyrannosaurus rex straight up in a fight. So‚ what more do you want?  Don’t miss Attenborough and the Giant Sea Monster at 8 pm GMT on New Year’s Day on BBC One in the UK and iPlayer.

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It was a challenging task but an esteemed panel of NewsBusters editors led by MRC President L.Brent Bozell and MRC’s Vice President for Research and Publications Brent Baker boiled down all the biased outbursts from lefty hack hosts‚ anchors‚ reporters and pundits in 2023 and on December 18 announced The Brian Stelter Memorial Award for Quote of the Year.   Of course‚ every year there is way too much bias for just one category. So Baker led a panel of NewsBusters editors to break down the Worst of 2023 into eight additional categories (The Craziest Analysis Award; The Damn Those Conservatives Award; The Joy of Hate Award for Joy Reid Rants; The Jihadist Journalism Award for Helping Hamas; The Damning Florida’s Dictator Award; The Praising and Protecting Old Joe Award; The Cursing the Conservative Court Award and the Celebrity Freak-Outs Award).   Today we present the WORST OF 2023: The Damn Those Conservatives Award.  Without further ado here is the winner (followed by the top runners-up): WINNER     “He’s [Donald Trump] basically portraying a future for America‚ if he is put back in the White House‚ in which we don’t have another election after that….Because the elections are all rigged‚ that the democratic process can’t be trusted‚ that Congress should just work for him‚ the Justice Department should just work for him. That’s a strong man form of government….He wants to put MSNBC on trial for treason so that he can execute us….If they’re going to elevate somebody like that to represent their party in a general election….the Republican Party will have to reckon with that for — till the end of time in terms of what they did to this country.”— MSNBC host Rachel Maddow on ABC’s The View‚ October 18.   The following are the runners-up:     RUNNERS-UP “Republican-controlled legislatures approved nearly total abortion bans in 14 states. These states are now unsafe for women….You support sterilization of women by denying them the health care they need. How depraved are you?... These are real stories‚ horror stories that Republicans have inflicted on women across the country because of their antiquated‚ unrealistic‚ highly judgmental and ill-informed view….Look at the Republican Party….it’s just inhumane….on so many levels. Whether it’s pushing an unhealthy gun culture where everyone should have an AK-47‚ lying to migrants and shipping them off on planes and tricking them and dumping them places‚ or forcing children who were raped to carry babies to term. They are leading a sick‚ inhumane political party at very best.” — Co-host Mika Brzezinski on MSNBC’s Morning Joe‚ June 23.   When a guy [Speaker of the House Mike Johnson] gets this nod and says that God ordained it‚ I’m like ‘Well‚ boss‚ whose God is that?’...The whole point here is that we separate church and state‚ that we believe in the peaceful transfer of power and the reason this guy is Speaker is none of us have the time to read his resume and realize he’s David Duke-lite.” — Former CNN+ host Scott Galloway on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher‚ October 27.   “If Trump-aligned Republicans win control of the presidency and both houses of Congress next year‚ you could say they would end American democracy as we know it. But it’s simpler and probably more effective to just say they would end America as we know it — and therefore must be stopped.”— Former Washington Post reporter Perry Bacon in a November 28 column.

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Anyone who thinks Kevin Williamson’s commentary recently in the Wall Street Journal is about what the title signifies would do well to reconsider the notion. Although Williamson’s piece‚ “Election 2024: You Asked for It‚ America‚” is supposed to be about the “Biden-Trump rematch‚” our author has different fish to fry. Like others associated with the Dispatch‚ Williamson loathes Donald Trump‚ almost as much as he despises the entire populist right‚ which he identifies with the former president.Williamson regrets that the “old media gatekeepers” are losing their power‚ and those who have rushed in to fill the instructional void are‚ as he views them‚ almost subhuman. Our minds‚ according to this critic‚ are being poisoned by “QAnon cookery on Facebook [and] conspiracy theories powerful enough to vault the cretinous likes of Marjorie Taylor Greene into Congress.” Williamson also complains about the “fake-ish news subsidized by Viktor Orbán and his happy junta‚ and whatever kind of poison butterfly Tucker Carlson is going to be when he emerges from the chrysalis of filth that he’s built around himself.”It seems that “democracy has failed” because‚ in its present “gross” state‚ it has produced a matchup that Kevin Williamson finds repellant.Although for the sake of appearing evenhanded‚ Williamson sprinkles his anti-populist harangue with unkind references to “Joe Biden‚ a plagiarist and fabulist‚” in the same sentence in which he mildly chastises Biden‚ he tells us this about Biden’s adversary: In the “dreadful and contemptible 2024 presidential race‚” there will be Trump‚ “a depraved game-show host who tried to stage a coup d’état when he lost his 2020 presidential bid.” Williamson seems hardly concerned about the raging anti-white black nationalists‚ woke warriors against gender distinctions‚ or the LGBT fanatics among Biden’s handlers. He is too busy declaiming against Trump and the working-class right. But this is not surprising. Williamson was already walloping the same whipping boy when I read his notorious piece expressing relief that the white working class in small-town America was in the process of dying out — and that they had it coming‚ too. Given his ties to the Dispatch and his already-stated opinions about those he hates‚ one might wonder why the Wall Street Journal would publish what reads mostly like a rant for MSNBC. Like Williamson‚ the Journal scorns Trump and MAGA Republicans. Its editors and backers are now driving home that message. Indeed‚ getting someone from the Dispatch who has never hidden his venomous views to write about Trump and his fans indicates precisely where the Wall Street Journal stands on these matters. Trump isn’t Williamson’s only target‚ of course. He also attacks the fairly establishment Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson as a “swamp grotesque from Louisiana” who believes “he is the second coming of Moses‚” which presumably is a slur on Johnson’s biblically grounded Christian convictions. As for former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.)‚ Williamson derides him as a “knee-walking Trump sycophant.” Such lowlifes‚ we’re led to believe‚ do not understand what‚ for Williamson‚ are “critical national priorities.” And what are those priorities? Atop them is having “functional political parties‚” which means‚ in effect‚ not allowing a despised Republican candidate who “will act like some kind of mid-century caudillo” to win next year. Even worse‚ according to Williamson‚ with a Trump victory‚ we “can expect something along the lines of Jan. 6.” Perhaps throwing this would-be caudillo and his MAGA supporters in jail‚ with those who are already wasting away there because of their putative January 6 connections‚ is Williamson’s answer to this crisis. Like the New York Post and Fox News‚ the Wall Street Journal is a creature of the Murdoch family‚ and it is far from coincidental that both the Journal and the Post have become noticeably partial toward Nikki Haley. The former South Carolina governor is a favorite in the presidential sweepstakes among some not particularly conservative but pro-intervention plutocrats like the Murdochs. And Williamson’s complaints that we’re not spending enough on military defense lines up with the expressed views of Haley and the Journal’s board. It seems that “democracy has failed” because‚ in its present “gross” state‚ it has produced a matchup that Williamson finds repellant. But he also seems to dislike one candidate vastly more than the other one. Would he be complaining if Trump were not the inevitable Republican nominee? Are we supposed to believe Williamson would have been less disturbed by past presidential contests? Given Williamson’s tendency to ascribe racist views to anyone on his right‚ would he have been happy voting in the presidential race of 1844 between two slaveholders‚ James K. Polk and Henry Clay? What about all those other presidential contests between candidates who would have fallen well short of Williamson’s ideological standards? Most of our 19th-century candidates would have made Marjorie Taylor Greene‚ Williamson’s special bête noire (next to Trump)‚ look like a raving progressive. Yes‚ I know his editorial is mostly fustian and hyperbole. But I’m just speculating on why it was published and possibly solicited. Allow me to express my profound skepticism that the Wall Street Journal published Williamson’s diatribe because it wishes to encourage a free exchange of ideas. When was the last time that paper published a paleoconservative or any member of the old right? One might have to research ancient history to uncover such an unexpected act. I certainly wouldn’t expect any changes any time soon.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lashed out at former President Donald Trump in an interview Friday‚ warning that the Republican front-runner will thwart climate alarmists' grand designs should he win the 2024 election. Although Trudeau has long used Trump as a foil‚ his apparent need to present both his detractors and his few remaining supporters with a southern antagonist is especially great now‚ as 69% of Canadians want the prime minister to resign. What's the background? Vice President Kamala Harris journeyed to the oil-made Arab city of Dubai in early December to take part in the U.N.'s COP28 climate alarmist summit. She pledged to funnel $3 billion in U.S. taxpayer dollars into a climate-themed slush fund for China and other so-called developing nations called the Green Climate Fund — purportedly an initiative that "accelerates transformative climate action in developing countries." The Biden administration has already sunk $2 billion into the GCF. However‚ Reuters noted that this time around‚ a Republican-controlled Congress will ultimately decide whether to sign off on authorizing the release of funds. Trump made clear in a Dec. 13 speech in Coraville‚ Iowa‚ that if elected‚ he would revoke the pledge. "As we speak‚ the Biden administration is also negotiating to redistribute billions and billions of dollars in American wealth to other countries through the so-called climate reparation‚" said Trump. "In other words‚ we're paying a reparation. They're saying we were so bad that we're paying reparations to other countries." "That means we are paying for years of abuse to other countries when we've been abused by them‚" continued Trump‚ still leading President Joe Biden according to the latest polls. "Their dirty air from China blows right over our country. We're supposed to be cleaning our air‚ but their air‚ if you look at the streams‚ their air blows right over our country and their air is quite dirty. You know they're building a coal plant a week." After stressing that the U.N. wealth redistribution scheme coupled with Democrats' anti-fossil fuel agenda makes America less competitive‚ Trump vowed‚ "When I am back in office‚ all climate reparation payments will be canceled immediately. We're not paying reparations to other countries who have abused us on trade‚ who have abused us on NATO‚ and we'll work to claw back any transfers made by crooked Joe." Trudeau resumes antagonism of Trump In his first bilateral meeting with President Joe Biden in 2021‚ Trudeau said‚ "Thank you again for stepping up in such a big way on tacking climate change‚" reported The Hill. "U.S. leadership has been sorely missed over the … past years‚" continued Trudeau. "And I have to say‚ as we are preparing the joint rollout and communique from this one‚ it's nice when the Americans aren't pulling out all references to climate change and instead adding them in. So we're really excited to be working with you on that." Cognizant that Biden is headed for a potential defeat in the next election‚ Trudeau is now warning that their climate alarmist initiatives may be in peril. The Canadian prime minister sat down for a year-end interview Friday with Rosemary Barton‚ a sympathetic state media host who previously filed a lawsuit against Trudeau's political opponents during the 2019 Canadian federal election. Trudeau‚ who the Canadian polling outfit Angus Reid last indicated had a disapproval rating of 64%‚ told Barton that Trump's "threat to rip up NAFTA" while previously in office and his "desire to move backwards on climate change was a menace not just to Canada but to the world." "There's a concern particularly around the environment at a time where it's so important to move forward on protecting and building an economy of the future where energy workers‚ miners‚ forestry workers across this country‚ and manufacturing across this country continues to be successful as we move towards lower emissions‚" said Trudeau. "A Trump presidency that goes back on the fight against climate change would slow down the world's progress in ways that are concerning to me‚" added Trudeau. Even if Trump is unsuccessful in the U.S.‚ Trudeau faces immense opposition at home — and not just from likely voters. Trudeau's transition off of affordable energy is understood by provincial leaders‚ particularly in Western Canada‚ to constitute a major threat both to hundreds of thousands of jobs and to the oil and gas industry‚ which makes up 5% of Canada's GDP. Extra to concerted opposition from various premiers over Trudeau's climate alarmist polices‚ Reuters indicated that Alberta has specifically vowed to develop a "constitutional shield" against the Liberal regime's proposed oil and gas emissions cap‚ which seeks to bring down carbon emissions by 38%. Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre‚ poised to beat Trudeau in the next federal election‚ has vowed to "axe" Trudeau's carbon tax and other punitive climate policies that have adversely impacted the working and middle classes. According to Abacus Data‚ the Conservative Party would net nearly twice as many votes as the Trudeau Liberals if the Canadian federal election was held this month. A year-end interview with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau | CBC News Special (2023) youtu.be Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal‚ drawing out three prerequisites that must be met before there can be peace in Gaza. Netanyahu began the piece by plainly stating the three prerequisites‚ writing that "Hamas must be destroyed‚ Gaza must be demilitarized‚ and Palestinian society must be demilitarized."The Israeli prime minister went on to suggest that Hamas — the terrorist group responsible for the slaughter of 1‚200 Israelis on October 7 — is a "key Iranian proxy" and that it must be destroyed before there can be peace in the region. He wrote that the U.S.‚ U.K.‚ Germany‚ France‚ and other supporting countries have made it their intention to take out the terrorist organization. Netanyahu noted the only "proportional response" to ensure that Hamas will not carry out more attacks in the future is to destroy the organization itself. "Anything less guarantees more war and more bloodshed‚" Netanyahu added."This is especially challenging because an integral part of Hamas’s strategy is to use Palestinian civilians as human shields‚" the prime minister wrote. "Hamas places its terrorist infrastructure inside and underneath homes‚ hospitals‚ mosques‚ schools and other civilian sites‚ deliberately putting the Palestinian population at risk."The Hill recently reported that the Biden administration‚ while in support of Israel‚ has signaled that it wants an eventual end to the conflict. The report added that there have been internal and external pressures on the Biden administration to push for peace in the region.Netanyahu also vowed to “continue to act in full compliance with international law‚" but he stated that this can be difficult since Hamas militants use Palestinian civilians as human shields. The prime minister wrote that it is paramount to protect civilians during the conflict.“Unjustly blaming Israel for these casualties will only encourage Hamas and other terror organizations around the world to use human shields‚" Netanyahu wrote. "To render this cruel and cynical strategy ineffective‚ the international community must place the blame for these casualties squarely on Hamas."In its attempt to demilitarize Gaza‚ Netanyahu said Israel would need to maintain "overriding security responsibility in Gaza‚" going on to dismiss the potential of the Palestinian Authority watching over the territory.The prime minister said it “will require establishing a temporary security zone on the perimeter of Gaza and an inspection mechanism on the border between Gaza and Egypt that meets Israel’s security needs and prevents smuggling of weapons into the territory.”In an attempt to deradicalize the region‚ Netanyahu said that the leadership would need to change in the region. The education of children in Gaza would also need to be re-evaluated.“Successful deradicalization took place in Germany and Japan after the Allied victory in World War II. Today‚ both nations are great allies of the U.S. and promote peace‚ stability and prosperity in Europe and Asia‚” he wrote.Netanyahu concluded: "Once Hamas is destroyed‚ Gaza is demilitarized and Palestinian society begins a deradicalization process‚ Gaza can be rebuilt and the prospects of a broader peace in the Middle East will become a reality." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

As the woke mob has grown stronger‚ films and television have become weaker. However‚ that hasn’t stopped Lauren Chen from picking a few favorites. “It’s a very short list‚” she says‚ adding‚ “Maybe I am overly negative‚ or maybe Hollywood just isn’t delivering it like it used to.” Her top film pick was "The Equalizer 3" starring the one and only Denzel Washington. “This may be one of the rare situations where the third movie in the franchise is actually the best of the series‚” Chen explains‚ noting that the film received a 94% audience score and a 76% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. Her next favorite was "A Haunting in Venice‚" which is a must for murder mystery fans. “You can’t go wrong with an Agatha Christie adaptation‚” Chen says. Rotten Tomatoes audience and critic reviews were essentially tied on this film‚ which received a 77% audience score and 76% critic score. "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" almost made the cut. It is an excellent film to bring your children to. “I think the reason why this movie is worth seeing and why so many people did go see it is that it is — imagine that in 2023 — just a regular kids movie” that “doesn’t feature any non-binary characters or same-sex relationships‚” Chen explains. As for television‚ Chen has picked some clear winners as well. "Only Murders in the Building" is her first pick; it is available on Hulu. “If you’re a fan of murder mysteries‚ you can’t go wrong with this show‚” Chen says. "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan" had its final season release this year‚ and that was another obvious success in Chen’s eyes. “If you haven’t seen that show yet and you’re into that military thriller kind of vibe‚ I think John Krasinski is great in it‚” Chen says. Her honorable mentions go out to "Reacher" and "The Terminal List‚" which are the same sort of genre. “I think with shows like ‘Terminal List‚’ ‘Reacher‚’ and ‘Jack Ryan‚’ the studio shows us that they can do good work if they put their minds to it and if they have the right people in charge.” Want more from Lauren Chen?To enjoy more of Lauren’s pro-liberty‚ pro-logic‚ and pro-market commentary on social and political issues‚ subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America‚ defend the Constitution‚ and live the American dream.