What Happened When ‘Birthright Tour’ Participants Sought Answers About Palestine

On a tour of Israel organized by Birthright, a few Americans were labeled “troublemakers” as they sought out a different perspective on the Israel-Palestine conflict; academics are studying emojis; and in some towns, it floods even when there’s no rain now. These discoveries and more below.

They Walked Out On Birthright To See Palestinians — And Created Their Own Conflict

Katie Fenster says that she wasn’t planning on walking out on her Birthright Israel tour when she arrived. But during the free 10-day trip, she grew increasingly frustrated that the answers to her questions about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict “all came from one perspective” and “did not include Palestinian views.”

From Yiddish to Outer Space: On the Origins of One Mysterious Word

What’s in a glitch? You’d be surprised.

Why TV Shows Have Better Queer Characters Than Movies

There’s a reason TV is ahead. This video explains.

VR: Between Hope, Hype, and Humbug

Virtual reality has found its place in the sun.

Soaring Cost of Clues Leaves Thomas Friedman Apparently Unable to Buy One

In a period of record-low productivity growth, Thomas Friedman tells us the robots are taking all the jobs. Hey, no one ever said you had to have a clue to write for the New York Times.

Sanitized Radicals: Whitewashing 20th Century Socialists

Ah, conservatives. From Fox News to the Wall Street Journal, their reflex response to any fundamental change to the market economy is immediate patronizing dismissal.

Space Is Full of Dirty, Toxic Grease, Scientists Reveal

Research to calculate amount of ‘space grease’ in the Milky Way found enough for 40 trillion trillion trillion packs of butter.

Did Anthony Kennedy’s Son Loan Donald Trump $1 Billion?

Deutsche Bank loaned Trump over $1 billion while Supreme Court Justice Kennedy’s son led a real-estate division.

Why Palestine Matters

Why does Palestine matter? It’s a question I ask myself nearly every day. Another way to put it is, “Is the devotion of major attention to the plight of the Palestinians an obsession worthy of suspicion or an appropriate response to a grave historic and continuing injustice?”

17th-Century Dutch Painters Were the Original Instagram Influencers

Pronkstilleven—or “showy still-lifes”—conveyed the social aspirations of the middle class. Dutch basics, if you will.

Meet America’s New Climate Normal: Towns That Flood When It Isn’t Raining

In an extract from “Rising,” Elizabeth Rush explains ‘sunny day flooding’ – when a high tide can cause streets to fill with water.

Please Enjoy This Incredible Video of Two Canadians Trying to Avoid Arrest at a Convenience Store

You need to watch all the way through for an absolutely tremendous twist.

The Blame is Bipartisan: How the Democrats Ruined Central America and Worsened the Mess at the Border

Those who forget history are doomed to repeat its mistakes blah blah blah, someone said —Americans don’t even pay attention to the news, so how the heck are they supposed to remember it after it becomes history?

Academics Gathered to Share Emoji Research, and It Was