Israel Border Protection Searches Tourist Emails

by McLean Robbins on

Najwa Doughman, a 25-year-old architect and University of Virginia graduate living in New York City, arrived in Israel on May 26 with a friend, Sasha Al-Sarabi, another UVA grad working in finance in the same city. Doughman was visiting Israel for the third time, Al-Sarabi for the first. But it turned out neither would see the country beyond the walls of Ben Gurion Airport.

As Doughman chronicles on the Israel-focused blog Mondoweiss and as Israel focused publication Haaretz reported, the women’s trials began about an hour after landing, when Doughman was asked her father’s first name. Both Doughman and Al-Sarabi’s parents are of Palestinian descent and were expelled from Haifa and Akko in 1948.

Sad as it is, it is rather commonplace to be detained at the Israel airport (21 activists were barred in mid-April), particularly for those of Palestinian descent, although less so for young American-born women on vacation.

She writes of being heckled and searched repeatedly by guards, stating that one guard inquired repeatedly as to her motives for entering the country:

But you have been here two times already. Why are you coming now for the third time? You can go to Venezuela, to Mexico, to Canada. It is much closer to New York, and much less expensive!

Two notable instances came out of the interrogation, however – the first that Doughman claims that she was forced to log into her Gmail account and allow security to run searches for words like “Israel,” “Palestine,” “West Bank” and “International Solidarity Movement.” The second is that Doughman claims that the American Embassy was less than sympathetic to her plight and simply urged her to leave the country on the next available flight. She wrote:

If we were two American citizens in a Syrian or Iranian ‘facility,’ would the American embassy’s reaction be the same? Would Obama himself not have made a statement by now, demanding our release? If we were Americans of Polish or Chinese descent, would we have been treated this way? American citizens are usually given a three-month visa upon arrival. Why were we an exception? There are a lot of things wrong with a lot of systems, but when we are funding one with billions of our tax dollars, this means that we are supporting it.

A sad situation indeed, if the events in fact occurred as described.

What do you think, readers? Has anyone else had a similar experience?

Tickets Now On Sale For The Luxurious Boeing 787 Dreamliner

by Jessica Festa on




For those who haven’t heard about the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, it’s a luxurious aircraft with space for 219 passengers, large windows with an adjustable tint, spacious storage compartments, lower cabin altitude, higher humidity levels, a quieter and less-turbulent cabin, faster flying, tech enhancements and 20 percent less fuel usage than normal airplanes.

Do you want to try this innovative airplane out for yourself? Tickets for U.S. passengers to ride the new aircraft have just gone on sale, as United Airlines announced a daily, nonstop Denver-to-Tokyo route. Passengers can book now for travel beginning March 31, 2013.

“I want to recognize the efforts of Mayor Hancock, Kim Day, Manager of Aviation, and her team at Denver International Airport, and the business and civic leaders in Denver who have worked together to bring this great new international destination to our customers in Denver,” said Jeff Smisek, United’s President and CEO. “Our customers will enjoy the direct, nonstop service on our new Boeing Dreamliner aircraft, which will provide a spectacular flying experience.” For a visual idea of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, check out the video above.

The Future Looks Hopeful For New York’s Proposed Underground Park

by Jessica Festa on


Back in September, we told you about New York’s proposed Delancey Underground, or “Low Line.” While we were unsure of its future at that time, it now looks as if the city’s first underground park will become a reality.

The park, which was inspired by New York’s “High Line,” an abandoned elevated railway, also makes use of the concept of disregarded spaces. In fact, the project’s founders, Dan Barasch and James Ramsey, are planning to build the park in an abandoned subway station. People obviously love outlandish ideas, as the pair was able to surpass their Kickstarter goal by $50,000, raising $155,000 of crowd-sourced funding. For the Low Line to work, special technology will need to be used, and the pair will now be able to show people exactly how this will work.

For a better idea of what helped the proposed park’s success, check out the Kickstarter video above.

What are your thoughts on an underground park?

Air Canada Passengers Get A Free Concert On Their Delayed Flight

by Jessica Festa on



Sometimes, having a delayed flight isn’t such a bad thing, at least not for passengers aboard a recent Air Canada flight from Toronto to Frankfurt. Luckily for them, the Canada-based Lemon Bucket Orkestra were on the flight, and able to provide some free, impromptu musical entertainment.

According to USA Today, the group is a self-proclaimed “Balkan-Klezmer-Gypsy-Party-Punk Super-Band.”

“Our plane got delayed 20 minutes so we got out the instruments,” the band explains on their YouTube page.

You can check out the live performance above. What do you think?

Expedia Launches Flip Flop Report On Beach Behavior Around The World

by Jessica Festa on

Have you ever wondered what country enjoys the beach most? Or what culture is most likely to sunbathe in the nude? To help unravel the mystery of beach behavior around the world, Expedia has shared the results of a global study that looked at 21 countries on five continents. Some areas the study examined include what things people look at when choosing a beach, preferred beach activities and what makes people most nervous about going to the beach. Some of the findings from the study include:

  • The average beach vacation lasts 7.7 days, although this is less true of Koreans, Japanese and Singaporeans, who seem to prefer beach weekends.
  • For Americans, one of the least important criteria when selecting a beach destination is a desire to find a new location. This is the opposite for Indians, who view finding a new location to be one of the highest priorities.
  • Germans are the most likely to sunbathe nude, and are also the most likely to spend time at the beach with a stranger.
  • Fifty percent of travelers keep the presence of sharks in mind when deciding on a beach location. Likewise, 68 percent of beach vacationers admit to not swimming at a beach due to the possibility of sharks.

Click here for the full report. If you’re having trouble viewing the infographic, click here for the interactive version.