American Beauties

“The life of a plastic bag is really an endless series of entanglements.”

Source: Topic
Published: Aug 1, 2018
Length: 10 minutes (2,728 words)

Les Moonves and CBS Face Allegations of Sexual Misconduct

Meticulous reporting from Ronan Farrow on allegations from six women who say they experienced unwanted sexual advances from Les Moonves, the chairman and C.E.O. of CBS Corporation. In addition, 30 current and former CBS employees described experiences of “harassment, gender discrimination, or retaliation at the network.”

Source: The New Yorker
Published: Jul 27, 2018
Length: 36 minutes (9,000 words)

Losing Earth: The Decade We Almost Stopped Climate Change

We’ve long known we’re headed for climate change disaster. And in the 1980s, a small group of scientists, activists, and politicians almost got us to do something about it. Almost.

Published: Aug 1, 2018
Length: 122 minutes (30,663 words)

‘Country Music … Was Anything BUT Pure’: An Interview with Bill Malone and Tracey Laird

The co-authors of ‘Country Music USA’ – a revised edition of the genre’s definitive history – talk with music writer Will Hermes about the music’s African-American tributaries, its unpredictable politics, country radio’s woman problem, and working on Ken Burns’ forthcoming doc.

Source: Longreads
Published: Aug 1, 2018
Length: 14 minutes (3,585 words)

Axes of Evil

In August 1976, North Korean soldiers stationed in the DMZ hacked two U.S. officers to death with axes. For the next four days, the world teetered on the brink of conflict as Washington plotted revenge—by cutting down a poplar tree.

Author: Josh Dean
Source: The Atavist
Published: Jul 31, 2018
Length: 51 minutes (12,935 words)

Tokyo’s Long Lines Lead to Magic (And Life-Changing Ramen)

What do you do when you’re sent to Tokyo with no notice — and no dinner reservations? You learn how to be a person who waits.

Source: AFAR
Published: Jul 31, 2018
Length: 9 minutes (2,283 words)

What It Takes to Be a Trial Lawyer If You’re Not a Man

Contempt in court: female lawyers still consistently confront archaic discrimination.

Source: The Atlantic
Published: Jul 30, 2018
Length: 21 minutes (5,360 words)

The Long, Noble and Stinky Quest to Make Human Shit Useful

There’s gotta be something we can do with it instead of mixing it with potable water. Enter: the poop composters.

Source: Wired UK
Published: Jul 31, 2018
Length: 9 minutes (2,370 words)

Working in a Wasteland

Even though the land was a Superfund site, officials said the former Hunters Point Naval Shipyard near San Francisco was safe. So why did members of San Francisco’s specialized police units get sick while stationed there?

Published: Jul 27, 2018
Length: 28 minutes (7,206 words)

My True South: Why I Decided to Return Home

Why would a successful black woman leave the West Coast for her native Mississippi? Because Mississippi is America in all its racial violence, intergenerational trauma, leafy beauty and hope, and why run from a place you can remake together.

Source: Time Magazine
Published: Jul 26, 2018
Length: 8 minutes (2,122 words)