We’ve all read stories about “ISIS brides,” i.e., Western women who have fallen in love with jihadists on social media and traveled to Syria and Iraq only to find out that their fairy tale was anything but. Our lead story today takes you inside that world: How it happens, who it happens to and what happens when it all falls apart. It’s an amazing story, and I highly recommend you check it out.
But it’s not the only thing we published today. We’ve also got an in-depth look at food delivery app fees, all the things it’s totally okay to steal from your office and much, much more.
Must Read
“The ‘Jihottie’ Who Stole Her Heart”
Features writer Hussein Kesvani spent the past six months talking to “Priya,” an Indian woman who fell in love with an ISIS fighter online. He claimed his name was Hamza Azeri, and that he was 22 years old. Priya’s story isn’t unique—it’s similar to that of the hundreds of young women who have travelled to Syria to become wives of ISIS fighters. That’s because ISIS has used social media to devastating effect as a recruitment tool, a core component of the organization’s radicalization strategy. READ MORE
Seamless Ain’t Free
Meal delivery via apps like Seamless, Postmates and Uber Eats is convenient, but if you’re not careful, delivery fees can end up costing you a fortune. What, though, are those fees for exactly? And what don’t we know? Allow us to freak you out about your 1 a.m. pizza delivery.
Hot And Dumb
Fuck. It’s hot. And besides making you sweat your balls off, the heat has another wicked side effect: It makes you stupid.
Flirting on the ‘Gram
MEL (paid) intern Magdalene Taylor is a self-described hot girl and a poster of thirst traps on Instagram. Not surprisingly then, her DMs get slid into all the time, and most of the messages she receives range from awkward (“Fucking gorgeous, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise”) to downright creepy (“I’m looking for feet hand butt breast or pussy model. I pay u if I can jerk off on your boobs”). And while she’s happy to explain what not to do, she’d much rather explain that, yeah, there’s a right way to flirt on the ‘gram that just might result in an IRL meet up—and even might get you laid.
We’re Hiring
Do you like to write? Do you like to write… about dudes? Then have we got a job for you! We’re looking for part-time writers to join our daily team, so if you’re creative, curious, thoughtful and enthusiastic, apply today. Who knows, if you get the gig, maybe they’ll sit you next to me and we can talk about the Dodgers and stuff.
Things That Are Okay to Steal From Work: A List
These are the types of things you’re totally justified in stealing from the office:
- Food (talking snacks here, not Jim in Accounting’s lunch)
- A pen
- Paperclips
- A notebook
- Post-Its
- Other miscellaneous office supplies
- Printing
Here’s why, and why we get off on stealing shit from the office in the first place.
Put Some Ice On It
Let’s go back to the summer of 2010: The country was in the midst of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression; people we’re losing their homes, their pensions and their life savings; and our armed forces were embroiled in two nasty wars. The future looked bleak.
So how did we respond? By inventing a fad that involved—surprise!—chugging and Smirnoff fucking Ice.
I’m talking about “icing,” and it was all the rage back then. And now that it’s 2018, and shit is terrible again, it’s time we brought it back.
60 Seconds of British Dick
Taking a whiz after sex can be a lot like putting your thumb at the end of a garden hose: The stream is strong, and it flies everywhere. But why does this happen? And what other weird things happen when you try to take a pee after sex?
Jeff Gross
Jeff Gross is MEL’s senior editor for social media and content marketing. His daily ICYMI column, which chronicles all things meta on the site, is the quickest way to catch up on MEL, and the funniest thing you’ll read all day. Follow him on Twitter.
