As Israel expands the ground war against Hamas, the Palestinian death toll tops 20,000—nearly 1% of Gaza’s population before the war. / AP

There’s scant evidence to support Israel’s claims that Hamas was using Gaza’s largest hospital as a command and control center. / The Washington Post [+]

An analysis of aerial imagery purports Israel used 2,000-pound bombs in south Gaza after ordering civilians to evacuate there. / The New York Times [+]

See also: Maps and diagrams show how Israel pushed nearly 1.9 million Palestinians—85% of Gaza’s population—into a tiny corner of the region. / The Washington Post [+]

A deep dive into how, in 1970, the FBI weaponized a New York Times article on antisemitism to sow divisions between Black and Jewish communities. / Twitter

By assembling an antisemitism advisory group whose political beliefs align with influential donors, Harvard is ignoring its own antisemitism experts. / Jewish Currents

The Pentagon wants to pursue a “new nuclear gravity bomb that would be 24 times as powerful as the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945.” / Salon

After 16 months of silence that began after Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan, the US and China resume military talks. / Semafor

No white Christmas: Record heat across the US next week will mean temperatures 20 to 35 degrees above average. / Axios

See also: How extreme heat is changing tourism. / Fast Company

“Since air in warmer climates tends to absorb and dampen higher frequency sounds, languages there developed more sonorous and resonant sounds that could better withstand that distortion.” / Atlas Obscura

Readers weigh in on their 10 favorite Longreads picks of 2023. / Longreads

See also: Five video essays worth your holiday downtime. / Hyperallergic

“Percentages are reversible. Working out 4% of 50 will give you the same result as 50% of 4.” A wealth of simple yet effective life hacks. / Reddit

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The Pentagon says China hopes to double its nuclear arsenal to over 1,000 operational warheads by 2030. / BBC News

In all likelihood the United States will continue to seek nuclear primacy “behind a screen of superficially reasonable rhe…

The Europaen Union reaches a deal on how “to collectively receive, manage and relocate the irregular arrival of migrants.” / Euronews

Some thoughts on the current state of citizenship, and how the concept has been declining since the 1960s. / Sidecar

Askfhsjkd, kkkk, awdjyt—how different societies laugh online. / rest of world

The Colorado Supreme Court rules that former President Trump cannot appear cannot appear on the state’s primary ballot next year. / Axios

Harry Litman: We are in for a wild and woolly constitutional ride over the next 16 days. / The Los Angeles Times

An investigation into a Chinese gang’s abusive online scam operation. / The New York Times [+]

On January 1, 2024, a version of Mickey Mouse enters the public domain—a guide to what you can do with it. / Duke Center for the Study of Public Domain

Photographs from inside a Seattle coffee museum. Photographs of regional eggnogs. Photographs of a Nordic winter. / Sprudge, The Eggnog Project, Colossal

A series of “reading parties” in New York City invites guests to enjoy books together quietly. / The New York Times [+]

Selections for the year’s best movie posters. The year explained in 84 sentences. / Creative Review, The Ringer

Related: “This was the year of breathing through our noses.” / GQ

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Footage of a volcano in south-west Iceland erupting, following weeks of seismic activity. / BBC News

The United States announces a 10-nation task force to protect ships traveling through the Red Sea. / The Associated Press

The British Library suffered a massive cyberattack back in October, and the library’s reading rooms “are now zombies.” / Public Books

Why are Americans getting slightly shorter? Nutrition, inequality, access to modern medicine, etc. / The Washington Post [+]

Unrelated: Unpacking the “cockroach theory” of crypto to explain why Bitcoin is up by almost 150% this year. / The Economist

Most Americans think crime has gone up. They’re wrong. / NBC News

An investigation into San Francisco car thieves using glitter bombs. / YouTube

Confessions of a public defense attorney. “Clients lie to me—exclusively to their own detriment.” / Singal-Minded

An assessment of Lancaster, a California town that’s become “a darling for the new urbanism movement.” / SF Gate

Scientists are making transparent wood. Meanwhile, Japanese artisans make “the world’s clearest ice.” / Knowable Magazine, The Kid Should See This

Related: Ten of this year’s most significant material innovations. / dezeen

Why are there “12 days of Christmas?” The answer is the Moon. / Atlas Obscura

Portions of the internet believe the family in Home Alone afforded their big house because the dad was a gangster. / Mental Floss

Askfhsjkd, kkkk, awdjyt, ?????—how different societies laugh online. / rest of world

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Migrants from as far away as Africa and China are making their way through the jungle between Colombia and Panama to reach North America. / AP

Fifty years ago, US auto regulations loosened the definition of “trucks,” setting in motion an epidemic of bigger and bigger cars and more and more pedestrian deaths. / Slate

See also: Tesla’s massive US recall was an opportunity to improve the safety of its Autopilot software, if only federal authorities had pushed harder. / Clean Technica

VW is bringing buttons back to its cars following complaints about its touch controls, which one reviewer called “likely the worst I’ve ever come across.” / The Drive

Homelessness in the US has increased by around 12% since last year, and is at its highest number since reporting began in 2007. / Axios

See also: A San Diego veterinarian who treats the pets of homeless people is CNN’s Hero of the Year. / The San Diego Union-Tribune

“Who your dad voted for [in the presidential election] could influence your risk for a very serious [football-related] ailment or injury.” / The Washington Post [+]

When breastfeeding struggles arise, physicians are becoming quick—and, some parents and pediatricians argue, too quick—to recommend tongue-tie releases. / The New York Times [+]

See also: Charges are filed against a cardiologist who performed medically unnecessary procedures on elderly patients as part of a Covid testing company’s referral network. / New York

“You go into a bookshop…and you can’t move for books with snow and bodies.” On the UK tradition of Christmas murder mysteries. / Atlas Obscura

At nearly eight inches tall, Rembrandt’s smallest known formal paintings will go on display for the first time in almost 200 years. / Hyperallergic

Geography quiz: Can you label all the states? / xkcd

“If you go to a rave, no one tells you that it’s been 20 years since anyone called them ‘raves.'” Explaining Bourdieu’s theory of taste. / Dynomight Internet Newsletter

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A binder of classified intel on Russian election interference went missing at the end of Trump’s presidency, and still hasn’t been located. / CNN

The British Library’s vast digital collections vanished in a cyberattack. The physical editions remain intact, but we lost something nearly as essential: access to knowledge. / Public Books

Following news that thousands of items have been stolen from the British Museum, an independent review says the museum should keep better records of its artifacts. / The Guardian

See also: “The irony of British Museum thefts is not lost on nations awaiting return of looted artifacts.” / Arab News

In building its brain collection, the Smithsonian targeted DC’s most vulnerable populations, an investigation finds. / The Washington Post [+]

“To think of fanzines is to think of our younger, stumblebum selves. Warmly, bemusedly. Was that who I was? Oh God—I’m still that person now!” An exhibit on 50 years of zines. / 4Columns

Water has become a precious commodity in California, which is now reexamining the water rights it granted settlers who arrived over a century ago. / The New York Times [+]

See also: Ocean waves have long been posed as an answer to California’s energy needs, yet the reality is the technology remains frustratingly out of reach. / CalMatters

Culture war war: Texas and California being on the same side in the forthcoming Civil War movie makes no sense, only it makes perfect sense. / The Ringer, VICE

“There is something paradoxical about trying to pin a name on an age characterized by extreme uncertainty.” How should we name our current era? / The New Yorker

Writing checks may seem anachronistic today, yet the same method of payment—extending credit to cover a transaction—is exactly what underpins our financial system. / Bits About Money

Why don’t musicians pump out holiday songs every year? The lure of nostalgia—and the public domain—would spawn more versions of “Jingle Bells” than you could ever want. / Monday Economist

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There were 34 legal abortions in Texas in the first half of the year, far below the expected number of cases where the mother’s health is in danger. / STAT

See also: “No sector of the Texas economy is immune.” Fifty-one Texas businesses sign onto a letter challenging the state’s abortion ban. / The Hill

A marketing team at Cox Media says it can use smartphones, smart TVs, and other devices to eavesdrop on people’s conversations and target ads. / 404 Media

This week we learned that dolphins have fingers, only they’re concealed by flippers. / Live Science

“That’s three and a half hours on a treadmill, singing the entire time.” Attempting Taylor Swift’s tour training regimen. / Outside

A fascinating blend of interactive art and storytelling in this heartbreaking story of long Covid. / The New York Times [+]

It’s not exactly true that we stop paying attention to new music as we age, it’s that the ways we pay attention change. / Can’t Get Much Higher

“For the next four and a half minutes, it’s like being reunited with your first and truest love.” Writers list their five favorite songs by the Cure. / Welcome to Hell World

A look back at 2023 in shoegaze—more than a revival, the distortion-soaked genre seeped into a wide range of unexpected music. / Pitchfork

The best rejected book covers of 2023. / Fast Company

“The family you choose will always stick together, no matter what you might pull.” The secret queer history of Studio Ghibli films. / IndieWire

When subversive art was snuck onto the sets of Melrose Place. / Dezeen

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The House of Representatives votes to authorize an impeachment inquiry into President Biden. / BBC News

Related: “An impeachment inquiry into Biden very likely does not happen without organizations like Fox News rewarding members of Congress.” / Reliable Sources

A report says the Ukraine war has cost Russia 315,000 dead and injured troops, or nearly 90% of the soldiers it had when it invaded. / Reuters

Polish infrastructure circles are being “roiled” by a train company threatening white-hat hackers. / 404 Media

A skirt returned to an H&M store in London traveled 15,467 miles only to be dumped in a vacant lot in Mali. / Atmos.earth

Related, via Nextdraft: “This is what happens to all the stuff you don’t want.” Because “we’re all addicted to cheap stuff.” / Nextdraft, The Atlantic, Vox

TikTok users say Pantone’s choice of “peach fuzz” for color of the year prioritizes “the interests of tech conglomerates.” / Hyperallergic

In India, “looking like a wow” would likely beat “rizz” for phrase of the year. / rest of world

A giantess fetish—a sexual desire for giants—is said to be the hot kink for 2024. / Mashable

An online database records scents culled from 16th- to early 20th-century European art. / Smithsonian Magazine

“There can’t be many footballers who have gone from playing for a military team to the cover of Vogue in a few months.” / The Athletic

Some thoughts on what it’s like to be a North Korean novelist. “You’re saying I need protecting from something?” / The Dial

Correction: A link yesterday was labeled Oregon when it should’ve been Maine, ayuh.

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The COP28 summit ends with the world’s governments agreeing that “the era of fossil-fuel consumption and production is ending.” / Semafor

The United States expects solar and wind power generation to surpass coal-fired energy for the first time in 2024. / AEE

Related: “Noctalgia.” “Global boiling.” Recent jargon to describe the year in climate crisis news. / Grist

More than 60 percent of French speakers now live in Africa. / The New York Times [+]

Author Joe Sacco’s graphic novel about Gaza, which pioneered “comics journalism,” is being rushed back into print 20 years later. / The Guardian

A day in the life of a young homeless person in Oregon. / The Portland Press Herald

Nearly half of Gen Zers say they feel anxious and stressed nearly all of the time—”and it’s starting to get on their bosses’ nerves.” / Business Insider

Genetic testing company 23andMe changes its terms of service to prevent customers from filing class action lawsuits. / engadget

An attempt to capture some of “the funniest, weirdest, and most memorable posts before Twitter completely burns down.” / The Verge

A surprisingly interesting conversation with Grimes about artificial intelligence. / Palladium

Karen Attiah: Let’s finally stop pretending Beyoncé stands for liberation. / The Washington Post [+]

See also. “ABBA picks up where a 19th-century songwriter leaves off.” / The Guy Stevens Weather Report

Puma is close to making a biodegradable shoe. Meanwhile, stylish young men are said to be wearing ballet flats. / dezeen, GQ

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The United Nations climate talks in Dubai, aka COP28, may be in jeopardy over a draft deal on fossil fuels deemed “weak.” / BBC News

Young people around the world are holding their governments accountable for climate change inaction. / The Kid Should See This

A day in the life of an environmental activist at COP28. “He was ready to do it all over again the next day.” / Grist

Unrelated: A day in the life of a handyman. / Plough

Details behind Prime Minister Netanyahu’s years-long effort—billions of dollars over roughly a decade—to prop up Hamas. / The New York Times [+]

An official for the UN compares Gaza to “hell on earth.” / Al Jazeera

Zara says it regrets a “misunderstanding” about ads criticized for using photos resembling images from the Israel-Gaza war. / The Guardian

An ad agency repurposes aesthetics used by tobacco companies to highlight the deadly effects of loneliness. / It’s Nice That

“I try to focus on niacinamide and hydrating ingredients,” says an 11-year-old in an article about skin-care routines. / The Wall Street Journal [+]

See also: Is your smartphone the reason you feel broke? / Intelligencer

Google drops its “Year in Search” list. Matthew Schnipper drops his 100 best songs of the year. Also, perhaps some movies you’ve never seen. / Google Trends, Deep Voices, BFI

Some selections for the year’s best visual and data-driven journalism. / The Pudding

An interactive version of Wheel of Fortune with strategy tips. / The New York Times

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