The Concussion Diaries
Suspecting he had CTE and that it would eventually kill him, a former high school football player kept a diary of what was has happening to his brain.
The Martyrdom of Leonard Peltier
The unmaking of a legend.
Jace Clayton is a music writer and musician who records as DJ /rupture. His book is Uproot: Travels in 21st-Century Music and Digital Culture.
“What does it mean to be young and have some sound inside your head? Or to be in a scene that you want to broadcast to the world? That notion of the world is changing, who you’re broadcasting to is changing, all these different things—the tool sets. But there’s this very fundamental joy of music making. I was like, ‘Ok. Let’s find flashpoints where interesting things are happening and can be unpacked that shed different little spotlights on it, but do fall into this wider view of how we articulate what’s thrilling to be alive right now.’”
Thanks to MailChimp for sponsoring this week's episode.
The High-Cost, High-Risk World of Modern Pet Care
How the veterinary industry went corporate.
The Crimes of Seal Team 6
They are the most celebrated in the U.S. military. But hidden behind the heroic narratives is a darker, more troubling story of “revenge ops,” unjustified killings, mutilations, and other atrocities.
President Duterte’s List
The president of the Philippines’ kill list is reputed to have over million names of supposed drug pushers and addicts, including many mayors and politicians. There is no reliable way to get off the list other than dying in a hail of bullets from assassins on motorbikes.
Stage Oddity
The writer recalls collaborating on an abandoned musical with David Bowie featuring aliens, (fake) lost Bob Dylan songs, and a mariachi band.
The Spy With No Name
In 1977, Johanna van Haarlem finally tracked down the son, Erwin, she had abandoned as a baby 33 years earlier. She immediately travelled to London to meet him. It was the perfect cover.
The Tumultuous Life and Lonely Death of Marion Barry’s Only Son
Chris Barry was born into Washington D.C. royalty. He died alone, essentially homeless, just a year after losing a race for his father’s former seat.
How Albert Woodfox Survived Solitary
As one of the Angola 3, he was in isolation longer than any other American. Then he came home to face his future.
Sweet Bitter Blues
Tokyo’s reverent “black music” fandom.
A.J. Daulerio Is Ready to Tell His (Whole) Gawker Story
Not all that long ago, as the editor in chief of Gawker.com, Daulerio was among the most influential and feared figures in media. Now the forty-two-year-old is unemployed, his bank has frozen his life savings of $1,500, and a $1,200-per-month one-bedroom is all he can afford. He's renting here, he says, to be near the counselors and support network he has come to rely on lately.
The 3,500-Year-Old Tomb of An Ancient Soldier
In 1939, acting on a tip and clues from The Iliad, archaeologists unearthed King Nestor’s palace on Pylos. Recently, another discovery in Pylos, the grave of an even earlier soldier, could change our entire understanding of how western civilization developed.
The Longform Guide to Wine
Red, white, expensive, cheap, fake, poisoned.
The Detective of Northern Oddities
When a creature mysteriously turns up dead in Alaska, veterinary pathologist Kathy Burek gets the call.
Get-Rich Doula Clique
ProDoula wants to revolutionize the touchy-feely doula profession — and make millions of dollars along the way.
A Remote Town in Romania Becomes Cybercrime Central
A trip to Râmnicu Vâlcea, a town of 120,000 where the primary (and lucrative) industry is Internet scams.
What Ever Happened to Joseph Randle?
He was supposed to be the Dallas Cowboys’ star running back. Instead, Joseph Randle is in prison.
A Radical Approach to Gun Crime: Paying People Not to Kill Each Other
The impact of a life map and a stipend on those in the gang life in Richmond, CA.
Fiction Pick of the Week: "Outside Kandahar"
A man cares for his ex's mentally unstable brother.
The Couple Who Saved China's Ancient Architectural Treasures Before They Were Lost Forever
How a poet and an architect rescued a nation’s riches.
Death of a Giant
Stalking bluefin tuna, the most valuable wild animal in the world.
The Vertical Farm
Growing crops in the city, without soil or natural light.
Terry Gross is the host and co-executive producer of Fresh Air.
“Part of my philosophy of life is that you have to live with a certain amount of delusion. And part of the delusion I live with is that maybe, from experience, I’m getting a little bit better. But then the other part of me, the more overpowering part of me, is the pessimistic part that says, ‘It’s going to be downhill from here.’ I try not to judge myself too much because I’m so self-judgmental that I don’t want to over-judge and get into too much of ‘Am I better than I was yesterday, or not?’”
Thanks to MailChimp, Squarespace, and Blue Apron for sponsoring this week's episode.
Micro-Dosing
Silicon Valley’s biohacking craze has turned its sights on small doses of LSD for the workplace.
