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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 Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen,
Let me start by saying I would never doubt most of your claims to fame. First of her name? The records can prove it. The Unburnt Queen of Meereen? I saw it with my own eyes! Breaker of chains? Absolutely, it was some of your best work.
If I’m being honest, though, for a while, I wasn’t so sure about the whole “Mother of Dragons” thing. Even considering your plans for world domination, I still thought you were at your most delusional when you unironically declared that three fire-breathing dragons were your babies. I’m writing now to say I was wrong.
The temperature is climbing, the flowers are poking their little heads out of the dirt, and soon the sidewalk will be riddled with nothing but exposed feet. Yes, feet season is coming. It’s time to prepare.
It’s likely been a while since you’ve seen any feet up close, including your own, so it’s best to begin your preparations gradually. You can start by looking at hands. Hands are a bit like feet, except much more beautiful.
After familiarizing yourself with hands, let’s move on to toes. Not actual toes. God no. We’re not ready for that yet. But a baby carrot is shaped like a toe. Try looking at one of those. No, don’t eat it. It’s for demonstration purposes only. Do. Not. Eat—oh, fine, but just that one.
Now that you’ve looked at some hands and had a snack, you’re ready to look at some feet. Specifically, your own feet. Start by locating your toes. How do they look? Not so good? Stop, don’t shove them back inside your boots. It’s not boot season anymore. It’s feet season, and we’ll get through this together.

- by Keri Leigh Merritt

- by Shayla Love
There’s an upbeat mood among RMIT workers after an all-out strike for three and a half days in the week leading up to Easter.
The post Strike action heats up at RMIT University first appeared on Solidarity Online.
President Joe Biden’s handling of the Gaza war might impact the decisions of at least a quarter of Democratic voters in November.
The post 1 in 5 Wisconsin Democrats Said Gaza War Will Impact Their Primary Vote appeared first on The Intercept.
We have lived under representative democracy for a long time now, and while it has had its victories and there have been good leaders, it’s fair to say that most of the leadership, most of the time, has been bad or even evil, and that representative democracy has failed its biggest test—managing climate change and environmental collapse.
This is a Green Age After the Collapse Article. You can read the others (this is the fourth), here.
The importance of feeling small and insignificant.
The post How a Total Eclipse Alters Your Psyche appeared first on Nautilus.
Recent controversies bode ill for the effort to detect life on other planets by analyzing the gases in their atmospheres.
The post Doubts Grow About the Biosignature Approach to Alien-Hunting appeared first on Nautilus.