Kylian Mbappé: The New King of Football
France's Kylian Mbappé is celebrated as a statesman, comedian, and dealer of hard truths. According to Aaron Timms, Mbappé is the most thrilling and compelling figure at this year's World Cup. His on-field speed and violence come with a pickpocketing nonchalance, while off-field he has delivered a volcanic denunciation of a Paraguayan senator's racist attack. Timms writes that Mbappé appears happy with a world where far-right acolytes go shoeless, unlike Michael Jordan's 'Republicans buy sneakers too' approach.
Gaza's Resilient Music Conservatory
Most instruments in Gaza's bomb-shattered Edward Said conservatory have been destroyed, but teachers are restarting classes in a makeshift replacement on the beach. Coordinator Ahmed Abu Amsha, who lost his most talented guitar student in a cafe bombing, says music has become an important tool for psychological relief. Flute teacher Osama Jahjouh, who lost his instruments when his home was destroyed, resolved to make his own, producing a playable instrument despite the difficulty. Student Mohammad Khader, 17, learning the oud, says music calms his nerves. Yara Abu Amsha, 15, chose the violin, saying it gives her a chance to escape reality.
Surviving Stalker Neighbours
Amanda Hutton and Richard Burton fell in love with a dilapidated Welsh farmhouse and its countryside, but when Francis and Cassie bought the land next door, their dream turned into a nightmare. Behaviour that started as odd escalated to threats, vandalism, and a full-blown campaign of terror. Burton recalls one frightening moment: 'He hadn't been trying to scare us. He'd been trying to kill us.'
Rachel Aviv on Motherhood
New Yorker staff writer Rachel Aviv, known for her investigation into Alice Munro's partner's molestation, is exploring the complexities of the mother-daughter relationship in a new book. She tells Greta Rainbow that the bond seems to defy a fixed point of view, and she is wary of oversimplistic writing about motherhood.
Celebrity Impersonator Cruise
Mina Tavakoli filed a dispatch from a cruise with Marilyn Monroe, Walter White, and Ozzy Osbourne impersonators, among 4,000 other passengers. One impersonator, a former corrections officer who plays Ozzy, lost several sons to addiction and plays the heavy metal icon as a 'drug-free preacher man'. The trip leaves Tavakoli meditative: 'Accept that there are few complete originals. Make do with your earthly gifts. Understand that to be close enough to greatness is, very often, more than enough.'
