The Fight to Live
The angry last days of Ty Cobb.
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The Rise and Fall and Rise and Fall of Terrance Roberts
A respected anti-gang crusader shoots and paralyzes another man.
Into the Pines
Jeffrey Holliman was deep in debt and out of options. So he took to the woods outside his small East Texas town. Then he started taking from his neighbors.
Ariel Levy is a staff writer at The New Yorker.
"I like an older awesome lady, I don't think enough is written about older awesome ladies and I don't think there are enough role models for younger awesome ladies. It’s great fun hanging out with an older awesome lady. It’s inspiring. And it makes you think 'Jesus, I might be rocking it when I’m 80!'"
Thanks to TinyLetter and ProFlowers for sponsoring this week's episode.
The Loneliness of Vladimir Putin
The Russian president has crushed all dissent, but he’s more vulnerable than ever.
Wikipedia: Voynich Manuscript
An illustrated codex, hand-composed in an unknown writing system.
Who Killed the Jeff Davis 8?
After eight women are murdered in Louisiana, what was initially thought to be the work of a serial killer becomes something much more troubling.
Inside the Iron Closet: What It's Like to Be Gay in Putin's Russia
The coordinated government attack on queer Russia.
Hammer Blow: The True Story of the Carderock Killing
“‘When I heard the facts,” says Matt Kull, one of DiPaolo’s former climbing partners, “I thought, That’s what Dave is capable of.’”
In Conversation: Lorne Michaels
An inteview with the Saturday Night Live producer.
Previously: The Longform Guide to SNL.
Going After the Frog Man
After Berkeley biologist Tyrone Hayes said that a widely used herbicide was harmful, its maker launched an attack on him.
Philip Seymour Hoffman, 1967-2014
An Alternate History of Sexuality in Club Culture
On the “queer roots” of Disco, House, and beyond.
The Secret Life of Johnny Lewis
A murder involving the late actor leaves unanswered questions.
Mia's Story
“There was an unwritten rule in Mia Farrow’s house that Woody Allen was never supposed to be left alone with their seven-year-old adopted daughter, Dylan.”
How a Math Genius Hacked OkCupid to Find True Love
After nine months of striking out, Chris McKinlay decided to change his online dating strategy. It worked.
The Post-Hope Politics of 'House of Cards'
On the Netflix hit drama and its show runner, Beau Willimon.
Can People and Bears Co-exist?
Orlando’s suburbs become an accidental testing ground.
The Spectacular Unraveling of Washington’s Favorite Shrink
How a once-lauded psychiatrist became a prolific prescriber of painkillers in one of Virginia’s poorest and most isolated counties.
Fatal Indifference
On hit-and-run deaths, and in particular, that of Tiara Nichelle Jackson on the Beltway.
The Houseboat Summit
An extended conversation on the problem of whether to “drop out or take over” conducted on Alan Watts’ houseboat, the S.S. Vallejo.
Ghosts of the Tsunami
The haunted aftermath of disaster in Japan.
Far From Home
On the foreign workers of Dubai, who now make up 90 percent of the city’s population.
Woman Marries Snake
A love story.
