On the eve of the release of The Tree of Life, a look back at the turbulent making of Terence Malick’s debut.

On the 1934 lynching of Claude Neal, and the Florida town that kept the identity of those responsible a secret.

On the labor conditions behind branches of NYU, the Louvre, and the Guggenheim in Abu Dhabi.

A report from the campaign trail.

On the insane business of bottled water.

A history of the celebrity profile.

On the sex lives of the castrati.

The life and death of the racehorse Secretariat.

The true story of the first Thanksgiving.

The legacy of the Guatemelan adoption industry.

The challenges of growing up in the modern world as the reincarnation of a famous Tibetan lama.

The water’s nearly gone in the San Joaquin Valley, and an old farmer sees the writing on the wall.

David Chase, the creator of The Sopranos and director of the series finale, analyzes the final scene shot-by-shot.

On the enduring political influence and entrenched racism of the Greek system at the University of Alabama.

The importance of the sports metaphor in the American consciousness and why Lewis Lapham didn’t join the C.I.A.

Inside the bleak world of Joe Francis, the man behind the “Girls Gone Wild” franchise.

With the 428th pick in the 1974 NFL draft, the Green Bay Packers selected…one of the most violent killers in U.S. history.

A religious order funded largely by the founder of the Cheesecake Factory announced plans to build a temple in a small California town. The town wasn’t thrilled.

The need for a new letter on an old manual machine leads the author to the shop of Martin Tytell — repairman, historian, and high priest of typewriters.

Intended for cremation, 244 bodies are instead harvested for organs and tissue. The story of the families of the dead, the men who profited off the scheme, and the unwitting recipients of black market body parts.

On the rapid disintegration of the ecosystem in Las Vegas.

The director on Obama, the state of black cinema, the Knicks, the Nets, the tragedy of public education in America, gentrified New York and why he lives on the Upper East Side.

Cyril the Swan was the mascot for a low-level soccer club in the UK. He was known for fighting with other mascots. And refs. And opposing coaches. He also saved the club’s financial fortunes. Then the nine-foot-tall bird became the prime suspect in a serious assault.

The documentary filmmakers from Longbow Productions said they wanted to tell the story of the Bundy Family and their standoff with the government. Their cameras were real, but the people behind them were undercover FBI agents.

Attending the Afterlife Awareness Conference.