Articles Tweeted

Newest Picks

The Rise of the Tick

A black-legged tick, which carries Lyme and other diseases. Photo: David Scharf/Getty
LENGTH: 22 minutes (5593 words)

The day I saw 248 girls suffering genital mutilation

Midwives wait for the next girl to be brought in for circumcision in Bandung, Indonesia. Photograph: Stephanie Sinclair / VII It's 9.30am on a Sunday, and the mood inside the school building in…
PUBLISHED: Nov. 18, 2012
LENGTH: 11 minutes (2761 words)

Nate Silver: it's the numbers, stupid

Nate Silver: 'It's numbers with their imperfections versus bullshit.' Photograph: Mike McGregor for the Observer Nate Silver is a new kind of political superstar. One who actually knows what he's…
PUBLISHED: Nov. 17, 2012
LENGTH: 10 minutes (2568 words)

Orlando Cruz: 'I wanted to take out the thorn inside me and have peace'

'There is suicidal death – when a gay man cannot stand being unaccepted and takes his own life,' says Orlando Cruz. 'And there is homophobic murder. In both I want to be a force for change.'…
PUBLISHED: Oct. 18, 2012
LENGTH: 10 minutes (2631 words)

Bad to the bone: A medical horror story

By Mina Kimes, writer
PUBLISHED: Sept. 18, 2012
LENGTH: 31 minutes (7791 words)

Fear of a Black President

The irony of President Barack Obama is best captured in his comments on the death of Trayvon Martin, and the ensuing fray. Obama has pitched his presidency as a monument to moderation. He peppers his…
LENGTH: 11 minutes (2971 words)

PD James: inside the head of a criminal mastermind

PD James, at home in Holland Park, London: her ability to keep readers guessing hasn’t failed her in half a century. Photograph: Sophia Evans for the Observer At 10 o'clock PD Jame
PUBLISHED: July 15, 2012
LENGTH: 10 minutes (2739 words)

The Penge Mystery: the murder of Harriet Staunton

Only one photograph is known to exist of Harriet Staunton, nee Richardson: it was taken to mark the occasion of her engagement at the age of 33 to a hard-up auctioneer's clerk, Louis Staunton, in…
PUBLISHED: April 15, 2012
LENGTH: 8 minutes (2075 words)

Is the food revolution just a great big fat lie?

In the second half of the 20th century, western consumers were treated to an unprecedented array of high-quality, low-cost food. Monochrome national cuisines were spiced up by immigration,…
PUBLISHED: March 2, 2012
LENGTH: 12 minutes (3117 words)
}