Too Close

Jan. 16, 2015

Belgian police kill two in raid on suspected Islamists Belgian police killed two men who opened fire on them during one of about a dozen raids on Thursday against an Islamist group that federal prosecutors said was about to launch "terrorist attacks on a grand scale," Reuters reports. The raids came as anxieties over Islamic extremism remain high in France and across Europe in the wake of the attack on French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo last week. + One man arrested in Belgium "claims that he wanted to buy a car from the wife of [Amedy] Coulibaly," the gunman who killed four at a kosher market last Friday and was reportedly linked to the Charlie Hebdo shooters, the Associated Press reports. + The Muslim man who saved a dozen in the market hostage crisis is finally getting the recognition he deserves. + Charting 13 years of terrorist attacks in Europe is incredibly revealing. + Seven comic essays from cartoonists around the world on the Charlie Hebdo attack Satellite images reveal the horrifying aftermath of Boko Haram's deadly Nigeria massacre The destruction of Boko Haram's latest attack, which left an estimated 2,000 people dead, is now visible from space. New satellite images provided by Amnesty International reveal the horrifying extent of last week's assault on villages in the West African nation by the militant Islamist group. The attack targeted the Nigerian towns of Baga and Doron Baga and is said to be one of the bloodiest in the group's history.  The images, which were taken on Jan. 2 and Jan. 7, illustrate the stark desolation of the towns in Boko Haram's wake. "These detailed images show devastation of catastrophic proportions in two towns, one of which was almost wiped off the map in the space of four days," said Daniel Eyre, who researches Nigeria for Amnesty International.  And the 2015 Oscar nominees are...  The Oscar nominations added intrigue, if not diversity, to an Academy Awards race by favoring one late-season release (American Sniper) over another (Selma). Boyhood collected its expected six nominations, including supporting nods for Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke. Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) landed a co-leading nine nominations alongside The Grand Budapest Hotel, including best actor for Birdman's Michael Keaton. + Here's the full list of 2015 Oscar nominees. + Mic's Marcie Bianco critiques the lack of diversity at the awards show as indicative of who really runs Hollywood's culture-industrial complex: "In a matter of minutes, Hollywood reminded all us of who really runs the show: white people, but especially white men." + She's not wrong: The Oscars haven't been this white in 19 years. + The best films of 2014 aren't the ones you'll see at the Oscars.

The countries that watch the most porn aren't the ones you'd expect. Mic How one teenage whiz kid found himself in a world of international intrigue. Rolling Stone What it's like to date your dad. New York The myth behind owning a gun "for defense." Politico There's a devastating epidemic you're not hearing about on the news. Mic The psychological reason "Billie Jean" kills at weddings. the Atlantic The 39 best literary references from The Simpsons. Mic The curious case of the sweaty nipples. Boing Boing Watch a handcuffed Florida teen save the life of the police officer who just arrested him. Mic Want to be more creative? Cheer up! Nautilus The Mormon church is excommunicating a man who's pushing for gay rights. Mic

Photo of the Day Detroit may now be associated with economic destitution, but the early part of the 20th century saw the city rise to prominence on the huge growth of the auto industry and related manufacturers. The 1940s were boom years of development, but the decade was full of upheaval and change, as factories retooled to build war machines and women started taking on men's roles in the workplace, while men shipped overseas to fight in World War II.

We woke up like this. Did we miss something you wanted to read about? Want to see us focus on an under-covered issue? Have a tip for the next edition? Email jared@mic.com. Follow us Copyright (c) 2015 Mic. Unsubscribe from MicCheck