Malcolm Gladwell, Eclectic Detective

Have you ever wondered why there are so many kinds of mustard but only one kind of ketchup? Or what Cezanne did before painting his first significant works in his 50s? Have you hungered for the story behind the Veg-O-Matic, star of the frenetic late-night TV ads? Or wanted to know where Led Zeppelin got the riff in “Whole Lotta Love”? Neither had I, until I began this collection by the indefatigably curious journalist Malcolm Gladwell.

Published: Nov 7, 2009
Length: 17 minutes (4,357 words)

Can One Good Man Redeem a Nation for the Sins of Guantánamo?

As the Obama administration prepares to try the 9/11 plotters in military tribunals, David Iglesias stands at the ready to prosecute them — and maybe just save the legacy of the White House that fired him #Sept11

Author: Tom Junod
Source: Esquire
Published: Dec 1, 2009
Length: 14 minutes (3,642 words)

Rich Harvard, Poor Harvard

Only a year ago, Harvard had a $36.9 billion endowment, the largest in academia. Now that endowment has imploded, and the university faces the worst financial crisis in its 373-year history. And how much of the turmoil is the fault of former Harvard president Larry Summers?

Author: Nina Munk
Source: Vanity Fair
Published: Aug 1, 2009
Length: 13 minutes (3,386 words)

Confessions of a Sweatshop Inspector

Presidential candidates are calling for tougher labor standards in trade agreements. But can such standards be enforced? Here’s what I learned from my old job.

Published: Apr 1, 2008
Length: 32 minutes (8,239 words)

Racing on Carbon Fiber Legs: How Abled Should We Be?

Source: Gizmodo
Published: Nov 12, 2009
Length: 18 minutes (4,638 words)

An Iranian couple’s revolution

Both were members of the Basiji elite, the hard-line Iranian militia. Over time, they took different paths, one embracing feminism and the other mellowing, then turning back to the use of force.

Published: Nov 11, 2009
Length: 12 minutes (3,091 words)

Will Somebody Please Save NBC?

The beleaguered and tattered Peacock Network deserves better than Jeff Zucker, Jay Leno, and maybe even Comcast.

Published: Nov 8, 2009
Length: 10 minutes (2,598 words)

Addicted to Cute

America has been flooded by a tsunami of cute–we’re drowning in puppies and kittens and bunnies and cupcakes–that is transforming marketing (the Geico Gecko), automobiles (the Smart car), and movies (Up). But is the world bound to sour on all this sweetness?

Source: Vanity Fair
Published: Dec 1, 2009
Length: 36 minutes (9,115 words)

Destroying al Qaeda Is Not an Option (Yet)

If the world’s most notorious network goes down, terrorism will get a whole lot messier.

Source: Foreign Policy
Published: Nov 10, 2009
Length: 4 minutes (1,017 words)

The Self-Manufacture of Megan Fox

Published: Nov 11, 2009
Length: 22 minutes (5,660 words)