The Casino That Time Forgot

“In an exclusive excerpt from his forthcoming book, ‘The Vapors,’ David Hill unearths a tale of the grandest casino in what was once the premier gambling destination in America: Hot Springs, Arkansas.”

Author: David Hill
Source: The Ringer
Published: Jun 29, 2020
Length: 21 minutes (5,272 words)

He, She, One, They, Ho, Hus, Hum, Ita

Amia Srinivasan on language and pronouns: “Language is a public system of meaning. No individual can unilaterally decide what a word means, or whether any given word, according to standard usage, truly describes them. And yet the definitions of words – as any lexicographer will tell you – depend on patterns of actual human usage, which can and do shift over time.”

Published: Jul 2, 2020
Length: 29 minutes (7,429 words)

How Dollar Stores Became Magnets for Crime and Killing

“Discount chains are thriving — while fostering violence and neglect in poor communities.”

Source: ProPublica
Published: Jun 29, 2020
Length: 25 minutes (6,336 words)

The Radical Quilting of Rosie Lee Tompkins

“A triumphal retrospective at the Berkeley Art Museum confirms her standing as one of the great American artists — transcending craft, challenging painting and reshaping the canon.”

Published: Jun 26, 2020
Length: 17 minutes (4,363 words)

Hitchhiker, hero, celebrity, killer: The strange journey of the man called Kai

“In 2013, Caleb McGillivary became an unlikely hero and an even unlikelier star. There were TV appearances and concerts, women and new friends, the promise of money and a reality show. Instead, three months later, the Alberta man was facing life in prison for a murder he says was self-defence.”

Published: Jun 25, 2020
Length: 23 minutes (5,848 words)

Beach Boss

New York City’s lifeguard corps is Baywatch meets Tammany Hall, the fiefdom of a man named Peter Stein.

Published: Jun 23, 2020
Length: 33 minutes (8,427 words)

What Is Owed

A sweeping examination of racial wealth inequality in the U.S. brought about by centuries of government policies that have worked against Black Americans. Nikole Hannah-Jones argues that reparations must be the center of any policies adopted to help reduce the wealth gap.

Published: Jun 24, 2020
Length: 34 minutes (8,663 words)

A Football Career on the Cusp of Glory, Dashed by the Pandemic

The odyssey of Bradley Sylve.

Published: Jun 22, 2020
Length: 7 minutes (1,893 words)

The End of Girlboss Is Here

“The girlboss didn’t change the system; she thrived within it. Now that system is cracking, and so is this icon of millennial hustle.”

Source: GEN
Published: Jun 22, 2020
Length: 10 minutes (2,592 words)

The Inside Story Of How Arkansas Exploited COVID To Stop Abortions

“Under pressure by anti-abortion activists―including a board of health member―the state health department became a weapon.”
Source: HuffPost
Published: Jun 22, 2020
Length: 17 minutes (4,485 words)