“Love purifies. Suffering never purified anybody; suffering merely intensifies the self-directed drives within us. Any act of love, however--no matter how small--lessens anxiety's grip, gives us a taste of tomorrow, and eases the yoke of our fears. Love, unlike virtue, is not its own reward. The reward of love is peace of mind, and peace of mind is the end of man's desiring.”

The author's first published article.

A tour with the Stones, an appearance on The Munsters, and a song about “how Boston is a shit hole.”

Buddy Cianci, former Providence mayor and convicted felon, is running for the city’s top office. Again.

A profile of Costa Rica’s most famous bull, who is responsible for two riders’ deaths and a brand of craft beer.

“A curious thing about the United States is that anticommunism has always been far louder and more potent than communism.”

“In some ways, joining the military is an act of faith in one’s country—an act of faith that the country will use your life well.”

How A+E’s CEO is navigating the new TV environment with hit shows like “Duck Dynasty.”

Kevin is the only surviving Von Erich brother, born into a wrestling family that lived and died by the code of the ring.

Beyond the fact that he lacked a pulse, little is known about the man found on an Adelaide beach in 1948.

The poet died when he was hit by a car in 1965. Everything else about his demise is a mystery.

The adventures and controversies of the avant-garde poet Kenneth Goldsmith, who believes plagiarism is an art form.

Twenty years ago, Brian Peixoto was convicted of killing his girlfriend’s 3-year-old son. But is he innocent?

How the new store is—and isn’t—changing Detroit.

Even for a high-powered “A-Type,” living on forged documentation is an endurance test.

Locals on the Outer Banks are arguing about whether climate change is real. Meanwhile, their islands are disappearing.

Lonnie Sue Johnson is an artist who can’t retain a memory for longer than a minute or two.

Contemplating Gaudi’s unfinished masterpiece, the Sagrada Familia church, as the controversial finishing work is completed.

At three NYC comedy theater/schools, students and students-turned-instructors (a “benign pyramid scheme”) pursue the elusive simulacrum of human interaction that is longform improvisation.

On the late comedian Bill Hicks, just as a performance on Letterman is deemed unfit for network TV.

One of most popular Libyan figures amongst Western intellectuals and democracy advocates is… Qaddafi’s second son, Saif.

“While its source remains something of a mystery, Stuxnet is the new face of 21st-century warfare: invisible, anonymous, and devastating.”

Computer scientist tycoon Robert Mercer is at the heart of a shockingly well-funded propaganda network.