Introduction
A new wave of violence has shaken Jerusalem and Israel, in the middle of three important religious holidays.
I’ll explain what’s going on. Plus: Has A-I come up with the perfect American road trip?
Those stories and more today on… Notice News.
Violence in Israel
Hey guys and happy Monday, I’m Angie here at Notice DC. Our top story today:
This was the scene in Israel late last week as tensions again are on the rise there in the middle of a place that’s central to three religions – and in the middle of a time that’s key to those three religions.
It started on Wednesday, when Israel raided Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque saying protestors had barricaded themselves inside.
The mosque is part of the third most holy site in all of Islam, just feet away from the Dome of the Rock, the place where Muslims believe Mohammed, the founder of the religion, ascended into heaven.
Both sit on top of the Temple Mount – which was the site of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem – the one talked about extensively in the Jewish and Christian Bibles – before it was destroyed by the Romans shortly after the death of Jesus in 70 A-D.
All that remains of it is this, the Western Wall – which is a holy site for Jews.
And if that weren’t enough, just a stone’s throw away is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre – built in the 4th century over the site where some say Jesus was crucified and his empty tomb found.
This map from CNN shows just how close all three holy sites are to one another and the recent violence comes during Ramadan, an Islamic holiday, Passover, a Jewish holiday, and Easter, Christianity’s main holiday.
Escalating tensions aren’t unusual this time of year, as pilgrims flock to the Holy City, and media report all sides – thankfully are working to reduce tensions as much as they can.
Headlines
Here’s what else is making news right now…
Jeremy Renner says a snow plow accident that nearly killed him over the winter was quote his mistake. He says he forgot to set the parking brake when he fell out of the plow’s cab rolling underneath it.
A new study suggests baseball’s explosion of home runs can be traced, in part, to climate change. Warmer air, caused by climate change, is less dense and can carry balls further. And…
This guy in Connecticut owns more than 2,000 pairs of Crocs, hoping to one day claim the world record for owning the most Crocs… Because apparently that’s a thing.
AI Generates Perfect Road Trip
Have you ever wanted to do a big American road trip? Well now you might have the perfect itinerary… thanks to artificial intelligence.
A data scientist in Oregon used a sophisticated algorithm to map out a three month trip across the country, visiting all of the lower 48 states, while factoring traffic and the most scenic routes.
The result was this – a 14 thousand mile long trek that would take 9 and a half days to drive without stopping.
But if you didn’t stop you’d miss key landmarks like…
Mount Rushmore in South Dakota…
Acadia National Park in Maine…
Cape Canaveral in Florida…
And the Alamo in Texas.
The data scientist made the map back in 2015, but it’s resurfaced again as people get ready for their summer vacations. You can find the map on our website, Notice News.com.
Conclusion
That’s it for today – but let’s see how closely you were paying attention. Go take the Notice News quiz on our website noticenews.com.
Jonathan will be back tomorrow with more from us, Notice News.