On Knowing the Winged Whale

Are humpback whales the Justice League of the oceans?

Source: Hakai Magazine
Published: Jul 7, 2020
Length: 25 minutes (6,300 words)

American Degeneracy

The link between Confederate memorials and Nazi art.

Source: Artforum
Published: Jun 27, 2020
Length: 8 minutes (2,069 words)

Unlucky Charms: The Rise and Fall of Billion-Dollar Jewelry Empire Alex and Ani

“Astrology, private equity, a $1.1 billion gender discrimination lawsuit, and a precariously built bangle behemoth.”

Author: Aaron Gell
Source: Marker
Published: Jul 8, 2020
Length: 43 minutes (10,868 words)

Waste Away

“To say that we’re drowning in our shit—the shit we all made together—is no longer a figure of speech in Lebanon today.” Lina Mounzer writes about Beirut’s broken sewage system and the political and economic factors that have drowned the city in its own waste.

Source: The Baffler
Published: Jul 7, 2020
Length: 13 minutes (3,363 words)

Our Team Climbed Everest To Try To Solve Its Greatest Mystery

“Were Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay really the first to summit the world’s highest peak? We searched for a camera that could rewrite history.”

Published: Jun 16, 2020
Length: 16 minutes (4,214 words)

Did a Chinese Hack Kill Canada’s Greatest Tech Company?

“Nortel was once a world leader in wireless technology. Then came a hack and the rise of Huawei.”

Published: Jul 1, 2020
Length: 13 minutes (3,473 words)

Thandie Newton Is Finally Ready to Speak Her Mind

“What I am evidence of is: You can dismiss a Black person. If you’re a young Black girl and you get raped, in the film business, no one’s going to fucking care. You can tell whoever the fuck you want, and they’ll call it an affair. Until people start taking this seriously, I can’t fully heal.”

Source: Vulture
Published: Jul 7, 2020
Length: 31 minutes (7,920 words)

Knowing Our ‘Mad’ Ancestors: Why It’s Time to Look Again at Mental Illness in History

“Can Joan be a heroine who, perhaps, also experienced hallucinations? I am trying to move towards a place where mental illness doesn’t fundamentally change her story to the point of delegitimising her successes or struggles. Can we accept that someone with mental illness might also be a competent hero?”

Published: Jul 6, 2020

An American Legacy of Unpaid Labor

At hundreds of rehab facilities that aren’t tracked by the federal government, recovery means work without pay, and with little regard for safety.

Source: Reveal News
Published: Jul 7, 2020
Length: 20 minutes (5,191 words)

Breonna Taylor, Say Her Name.

“Louisville poet and activist Hannah Drake reflects on the women in her family whose names were lost and stolen and the names of Black women that must never be forgotten.”

Published: Jul 7, 2020
Length: 6 minutes (1,591 words)