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Hey Mum!

Remember a couple of months before you died, when you told me the Freemasons had installed Pope Francis? And that he was in cahoots with Obama, who was the Antichrist? You waved your iPad at me, with the YouTube page open that laid it all out. And I said, kind of testily, that Catholics are supposed to believe the Holy Spirit chooses popes, without help from secret societies. And that Obama was just a former president, not a supernatural force bent on destroying the Church and the Constitution for good measure. You gave me that smug smile, but dropped it. No blowup that evening.

Well, guess what happened a few weeks ago? Your “Freemason puppet” Pope Francis went to his reward. And you would not be happy about his replacement.

Pope Leo was Francis’s protégé—pulled up through the ranks by “that liberal,” as you called him. And the new Pope promises to build on his predecessor’s legacy.

A healthy person can survive forty to sixty days without food, depending on how fat they were to begin with. Women last longer than men (woman are better at all extreme endurance feats I am aware of.)

It’s been about two months since Israel cut off all food and water to Gaza. There were storehouses and some food, and it took about 30-40 days to exhaust the stores, but even before that there wasn’t enough.

A quarterly column from Carrie Brownstein, who is better at dispensing advice than taking it

Q: About a year ago, my friend asked me to start sharing my real-time location with her. At first, the layer of forced transparency made me anxious. What if I want to reschedule our plans, but I’m just sitting at home? What if I’m running late because I can’t figure out what to wear, and not because I’m stuck in traffic? But here I am a year later, getting ready to meet up with Location-Sharing Friend, and I’m the one who’s abusing my power. I just checked her location to see how far away she is—a habit I’ve formed, and something I do even when we have no plans. She’s five minutes away. What’s your opinion on location sharing? Is it a sign of intimacy, or just downright invasive?

Ella M.
Location not found

Illustrations by Katie Gorman.

What a glorious life I lead as the boon companion to a great hero! I am a noble steed, ready to leap into action at any moment should my hero call me. Tally-ho!

Today, the hero left me standing on the edge of a cliff as he glided off with some kind of flying machine. I did see a staggering amount of horse bones at the base of the ravine, as though someone was crass enough to just run their horse right off the cliff. Unsure why he needed me to gallop at full speed for no more than thirty feet, but he always knows what’s right and good. I’m sure my contribution was necessary and strategic, not just something he tried because it’s cool.

‘Small talk’ is a misnomer. Here are some simple strategies to transform it into an opportunity to connect, learn and grow

- Video by the Harvard Business Review

Watch on Psyche

- by Kevin Aho

Read at Aeon

In Spanish, I wasn’t the clumsy son of the town amputee. Learning the language catalysed my reinvention

- by Timothy Hampton

Read on Psyche

Attorneys Mark Lemley and Shawn Musgrave discuss the legal challenges of taking on the Trump administration’s executive overreach.

The post The Last Line of Defense: The Courts vs. Trump appeared first on The Intercept.

Is the fault of whale strandings partially in the stars?

The post Whales Run Aground by the Sun appeared first on Nautilus.

A mantle-rocking asteroid impact could have made curious glass beads on the surface

The post Moon Marbles Hint at Lunar Depths appeared first on Nautilus.