Al Goldstein: The Anti-Hef
A profile of the publisher of Screw, who died this week.
The Mysterious Story of the Battery Startup that Promised GM a 200-Mile Electric Car
How an up-and-coming company went bust.
The Tale Of Freak Show Star Julia Pastrana, Mexico’s Monkey Woman
An exploited celebrity’s long journey home.
Concealed Carry: How Utah Became America's Gun Permit Mill
A journey through America’s convoluted gun laws.
Tyler Hadley's Killer Party
He murdered his parents. Then he threw a party.
Joe Sexton is a senior editor at ProPublica and a former reporter and editor at the New York Times, where he led the team that produced "Snow Fall."
"My experience in a newspaper newsroom over the years has been: The word you hear least often, the word that's hardest for people to say in that environment, is the word yes. It's safer to say no. You get second-guessed less often if you say no. Your job's not on the line if you say no. But if you're willing to say yes and you're willing to face the consequences of having said yes, then quite amazing things can happen."
Thanks to Random House and TinyLetter for sponsoring this week's episode.
The Welfare Queen
Ronald Reagan made Linda Taylor a notorious American villain. Her other sins were far worse.
Temporary Work, Lasting Harm
Asphyxiation, heavy machinery accidents and heat stroke–the dangers of America’s temporary workforce.
A Rebel's Recollections
A Confederate soldier’s point of view on the Civil War.
The Longform Guide to George Saunders
This guide is sponsored by George Saunders's Tenth of December, the acclaimed short story collection published this year by Random House. A National Book Award Finalist and one of The New York Times Book Review's Top 10 of 2013, Tenth of December has been hailed by critics as "an irresistible mix of humor and humanity," "a visceral and moving act of storytelling," and "a feat of inventiveness."</p>
It's really, really good. Makes for a great gift, too. Buy it today. Should you need further convincing, here is a collection of classic Saunders stories, both fiction and non-fiction, from our archive:</em>
Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Indiebound
Buy Tenth of December today:</p>
Kindle • Nook • iBookstore</strong>
Searching For Mecca
Investigating the unsolved murder of Malcolm X’s grandson.
The Rhyme of History
On the echoes between the world leading up to World War I and our present international trajectory. Then, as globalization, nationalism, and radicalism converged, and tensions within the Balkans served as a spark. Today, conflicts in the Middle East, whose borders were mostly drawn in the wake of World War I, could play a similar role.
Your Friends and Rapists
An essay on dick culture.
Cows Might Fly
Why a cow being airlifted by a helicopter says so much about the Swiss economy.
The Sculpture on the Moon
The tale of the only art exhibit in space.
The Bear Slayer
On Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu’s lust for blood-sport.
The Longform Guide to Debt
From Detroit to Greece, pro sports to Hollywood—a collection of articles about going broke.</p>
What Kind of Monster Wants to Shoot Up His School?
The case of a teenager who didn’t kill his classmates—but talked about it.
Reprints Arts World Movies & TV
Peter O'Toole on the Ould Sod
After two years of filming Lawrence of Arabia, Peter O'Toole returns to his childhood home in Ireland.
Plus: 50 years later, Gay Talese remembers the late Peter O'Toole.
The Fall of the House of Tsarnaev
An investigation into the family of the accused Boston Marathon bombers.
Who Am I to Judge?
A profile of Pope Francis.
The Belly of the Beast
The price we pay for cheap meat.
Murtha and the FBI: The Director's Cut
In 1980 a convicted con-man named Melvin Weinberg was sent by the FBI to offers bribes to U.S. Congressmen on behalf of a phony Arab sheik. The Abscam, short for ‘Abdul Scam’, sting brought down for several representatives, but longtime politician John Murtha narrowly avoided offering a bribe on camera.
The Manhunt for Christopher Dorner
The search for a disgraced ex-LAPD officer bent on killing his former colleagues and their families.
Show Dog
“If I were a bitch, I’d be in love with Biff Truesdale. Biff is perfect. He’s friendly, good-looking, rich, famous, and in excellent physical condition. He almost never drools.”
