Reading

In this column, Kristen Mulrooney writes letters to famous mothers from literature, TV, and film whom she finds herself relating to on a different level now that she’s a mom herself.

Dear Mrs. George,

I hope this letter finds you well and I’m not interrupting the buzz from your afternoon daiquiris.

I’m sorry, that probably came across as judgy, and I promise I’m not here to judge you. I’m writing because as I acclimated to motherhood, I thought often of something you said:

“I’m not like a regular mom. I’m a cool mom.”

You’re the last person I ever thought I’d find common ground with, mainly because I wouldn’t be caught dead in a Juicy Couture tracksuit and I don’t believe in supplying alcohol to minors, but when you said you’re not like a regular mom, I felt that. I never saw myself as a regular mom either, and I had my anxieties about entering #MomLife, because I was afraid I’d have trouble finding my place there.

Attention passengers: This is your captain speaking. The JetBlue crew and I are sorry to disturb you, but we are seeking any passengers with medical training who could assist a fellow novel whose interiority has unfortunately taken a turn for the worse. It’s urgent.

I repeat: We have an urgent novel onboard whose dazzling gravitas has spilled into the zeitgeist. Any help is welcome.

Attention passengers: The crew and I don’t mean to alarm you, but the novel is nothing short of an emergency. The novel is currently suffering from a miasma of catharsis and contemplative self-awareness, and anyone with even basic first aid training would be instructed to come to the front of the cabin, well, now.

Any assistance provided will guarantee you an additional 1,200 JetBlue Points plus a complimentary beverage of your choice on your next JetBlue flight.

Attention passengers: The crew would also like to ask whether anyone has a pen—not to write anything, but to pierce this novel’s trachea so that it can breathe a fresh, new voice into the American literary canon.

At 23.21 on Friday, February 28 1986, Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme was murdered on the street in Stockholm. His murderer has not been identified and remains at large. At this time every year, Swedish newspapers and the mass media to speculate on new theories about who might have done it. But far too few […]

- by Aeon Video

Watch at Aeon

While the U.S. continues to provide ironclad support to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, Palestinian political figures are pushing for national unity.

The post Dr. Mustafa Barghouti on the Struggle for Palestine’s Future Amid Gaza Genocide appeared first on The Intercept.

‘Get the f*** out of my country. You don’t belong here. No Muslims do.’ That was the opening of an email I received the other day. I have had to get used to things like this. My first death threat came through just a few weeks after I became the youngest ever Muslim MP. So […]