Immigrants from Russia make up a surprisingly large percentage of the Israeli population. Find out why this is so, now more than ever.
Author Archives: Mikki Gibson
iCivics
Begun by Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the iCivics website encourages young people to become engaged and active citizens. Check out the resources and play the games.
Photography in the Age of Falsification
Even when Photoshop can create false or impossible images, we still tend to trust what we see in photos as real. But not only can we not trust the veracity of photos now—images have been manipulated for aesthetic and political effect since the dawn of photography.
Survival Exercise Scenarios
Survival is no game, but preparing for it can be one. Try out these games to help you make collaborative life-and-death decisions.
As Long As We Both Shall Live
Explore this site, which combines photographs with interviews to provide insight into the bonds shared by couples who have been together for over four decades.
9/11 Attacks
Videos document the events and aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
How Animal Farm Gave Hope to Stalin’s Refugees
Ukranians oppressed by the Soviet Stalin regime managed to smuggle in a translation of George Orwell’s indictment of Stalinism.
Losing the Dark
The next time you feel like looking “up in perfect silence at the stars,” you might be out of luck. Light pollution is increasingly obliterating our view of the stars. Watch this short film to find out more.
A Better Way to Talk About Faith
Religious traditions that bring some people together may drive a wedge between others. An organization called Interfaith Youth Core is working to bring together people of all faiths and none to focus on their shared tenets instead of their differences.
Next generation of activists confronts Mississippi’s violent past on Freedom Summer anniversary
Fifty years after the murders of three young civil rights workers shocked the nation, a group of students visited the small Mississippi town where it happened to reflect on the past and look toward the future.
Up, Up, and Oy Vey!
An old joke goes that if you meet a guy whose name has “man” at the end, either he’s from a Jewish family or he’s a superhero. A rabbi digs into the Jewish roots of our most popular superheroes.
Optical illusions show how we see
Being fooled by optical illusions may be fun, but the reason why they work is serious. The same mental mechanisms that allow us to be tricked today may have saved our ancestors’ lives.
To the brain, getting burned, getting dumped feel the same
When a friend talks about a painful breakup, you might assume that the pain is only metaphorical. But brain scans show that the perception of pain is real.
Remembrances of the Mysterious, Maligned Soviet Censor
What kind of person becomes a censor? An American journalist learns who his Soviet nemesis was.
Hope, Despair, and Memory
Author and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986. Read his powerful Nobel lecture.
Ocean Explorer: Technology
Earth’s last frontier is the ocean. Learn about the history of ocean exploration and the latest technology that’s helping today’s explorers learn more than ever before.
7 Famous Slave Revolts
Slavery has existed from ancient times to the present day. Learn about some famed revolts against this “peculiar institution.”
Order vs. Disorder
The world may seem chaotic today, in part due to the failure of the Arab Spring to live up to its great promise. Pulitzer-winning writer Thomas Friedman notes that one cause of this disorder may be inequality of freedom: Many of those who have won freedom from oppression have yet to gain freedom to conduct their lives as they wish.
Why We Don’t See Ourselves as Others Do
The difference between perception and reality hits home for many people every time they look into a mirror. Why are we likely to view ourselves more negatively than other people view us?
Beyond: What drives the urge to explore?
Why do some people feel driven to explore, while others are content to remain at home? Learn how these variations benefit humans.