A Song of Beer and Weed
The origins of Lagunitas are laced with THC.
Inexcusable Absences
Truancy is punishable by fines, probation, and in some cases throwing parents in prison. Does any of that really keep kids in school?
Where the Bodies Are Buried
Gerry Adams, the leader of Sinn Fein, denies that he was ever in the IRA. The murder of Jean McConville threatened to expose him as a liar.
(Actually) True War Stories at NBC News
It’s a mess inside the network – and Brian Williams may still come out on top.
Though the Heavens Fall
On old Texas newspapers and a pair of men who shaped the story of civil rights.
Exile On Charles Street
Hamid Karzai’s older brother owns a restaurant in Baltimore.
Queen Sabrina, Flawless Mother
A drag pageant pioneer dropped out of the public eye after the 1960s. What happened to her?
Mary Cain Is Growing Up Fast
A profile of a promising young runner.
Let Us Now Appraise Famous Writers
A correspondence school for writers turns out to be a sham. This piece forced it into bankruptcy.
My Murderer's Futon
Renting the apartment formerly inhabited by the accused killer Robert Durst.
Battling America’s Other PTSD Crisis
The everyday violence of some urban neighburhoods in America takes its own emotional toll.
The Original Corporate Raiders
The East India Company was once “too big to fail.”
Birdman
A man’s love of pigeons leads him to build a Ponzi scheme out of birds.
The Crazy, Bitter Battle Over Benihana
The family feud Steve Aoki left behind.
Brianna Wu vs. the Troll Army
“I laugh off 90 percent of the stuff I’m sent,” Wu says. “But it’s the 10 percent.”
The Man in the Van
Daniel Norris lives out of his car. He’s also the #1 pitching prospect for the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Exhibitionist
The controversial owner of the Dallas World Aquarium once nearly caused a riot over pygmy sloths.
The Killers of Swaziland
Bringing a serial killer to justice reveals the country’s other sources of death and suffering.
Collections Sponsored
How Will We Communicate in 2020?
Our sponsor this week is HP Matter, a new digital magazine where the brightest minds in business share their perspectives on a technology driven world.
The latest issue looks at the future of the telecommunications business. How is Facebook approaching its next era? How will big data change the way we interact? And who's building the machines that will power it all?
HP Matter: The Telecom Issue is out today and you can read the whole thing for free. Here are some favorite pieces:
Fiction Pick of the Week: "Let's Go"
On medical crises and Doctor Who.
"When Doctor Who dies, he regenerates into a new physical form. I’ve heard good things about Matt Smith, the Eleventh Doctor, and Peter Capaldi, the twelveth, but I’m not ready to let go of Number Ten. I’m not done traveling with him. We haven’t watched the second half of the last episode; I’m just not ready despite the possibilities. The doctor is dying, but he’ll become Matt Smith. Could be good, could be annoying. I choose to linger in the in-between."
The Demolition of Workers’ Comp
An investigation into the steady dismantling of safety nets for injured workers.
Josh Dean has written for GQ, Fast Company, New York, and more. His latest piece, "The Life and Times of the Stopwatch Gang," was just published by The Atavist.
“I sort of reject the whole idea of something being beneath me. There are obviously some stories I wouldn’t do or that I have no interest in, but this job is fun and should be fun. And I wouldn’t turn something down that seems like a fun thing for me to do just because maybe the story is not something that 10,000 people are going to tweet about. I don’t give a shit.”
Thanks to TinyLetter, Squarespace, Lynda and HP Matter for sponsoring this week's episode. If you would like to support the show, please leave a review on iTunes.
Riding Giants
A rookie competes in the World Elephant Polo Championships.
This Is What It’s Like To Go To Prison For Trolling
The afterlife of a thoughtless, cruel insult.
Conrad Hilton and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Flight
An eyewitness tells us what it was like to be there.
