* Iraqi Kurds, who have long wanted their own state, may finally have their chance as Iraq tears itself apart. * Late historian Cherie Woodworth tackles the question of Yiddish’s origins. * If Scotland votes for its independence in an upcoming referendum, its best choice of currency would be Norway’s krone.
* While you weren't paying attention: Four Russians toilet-paper the US embassy in Moscow. * Primer on Russia's proxy war in Ukraine. * Somali-linked Islamist militants kill at least 15 in second night of attacks on Kenya's coast. * Austin is America's 10th-most
* Their only protection was a sheet, painted with the words “children, children, children,” that was taped around the minivan. * The crisis in Iraq has brought about unprecedented levels of post-1979 US-Iran cooperation. * Palestinian woman plants flowers in tear gas grenades. * On the life of Haruki Murakami. * Some pig:
* Sunni fighters captured two more Iraqi towns overnight in a "lightning sweep" towards Baghdad. * Sixty-five-year-old woman stayed in her house for two years because of the violence in Homs, Syria. * Newsweek journalist finds inanity in George Will's archive. * Brief history of the fiasco
* Mass shootings in the US aren't on the rise—media coverage of mass shootings is. * Last month, the Iraqi government fruitlessly asked US to airstrike militants. * Related: Dexter Filkins on Iraq. * After more than 50 years of boots-on-the-ground intervention, the US should reconsider its military-
* To stock cheap shrimp at Walmart and Costco, Asian "ghost ships" use slave labor. * Why Cantor lost his primary to the Tea Party: Maybe immigration, likely his DC insider status, possibly Obama. * There have been at least 74 school shootings in the US since Sandy Hook. * You can
* Democrats say broad acceptance of the need to fight climate change makes a carbon plan a winning issue. * President Obama just did something he hasn’t done in years: speak frankly and passionately about his views on climate change. * More than one-quarter of Israelis want to get rid of
* Armed gunmen storm Pakistan's busiest airport, throwing grenades and shooting government security forces. * Online bookseller for the Middle East to open a banned books section. * New season of Orange Is the New Black sparks "Humanity Is the New Black" campaign to improve conditions at the show&
* On the 60th anniversary of D-Day, photographs of sites then and now. * German exports rise, its industrial output increases, and its growth forecast gets a boost. * Many laundry-solving tech startups are, like many other tech startups, competitive, self-deluding, and douchey. * Inside the world of New York City&
* China bulldozes mountains to create new business zones, wreaking environmental havoc. * Related: By staying silent over Tiananmen Square, China has assured the event's place in history. * All but 60 of Israel’s 273 original collective farms have abandoned socialism to become serious businesses. * Britain's main streets
