Happy Sunday, Welcome to Rikers

New York’s chronically slow court system continues to be a problem for thousands of detainees being held at Riker’s, who are left waiting for a trial that might not happen for several years.

Source: The Intercept
Published: Jun 1, 2016
Length: 16 minutes (4,113 words)

Not Yet Lost

When Solastalgia, my mom’s exhibition, opened in 2013, I attended the exhibit, but I don’t remember thinking about the meaning of the word: comfort, pain. It is only now that I realize that the term also describes my parents. They fear that they will lose what they love most—that the piece of land they bought thirty-eight years ago, which allowed them to chart the course of their lives, grow food, and make art, is slowly being destroyed by forces beyond their control. They are angry about this loss, and the only way they know how to express their anger and fear is through art.

Source: Oxford American
Published: May 11, 2016
Length: 8 minutes (2,030 words)

Tornado Town, USA

The first big tornado recorded in Oklahoma happened on April 25, 1893. Witnesses claimed it was more than a mile wide. It hit Moore, which had just been incorporated that same year. Yes, one of the first things that happened in the town was the destruction of the town.

One town. Sixteen years. Four big, powerful tornadoes. It’s a hell of a coincidence. Can it really be just the work of random chance?

Published: May 26, 2016
Length: 18 minutes (4,689 words)

Citizen Khan

The origins of a Muslim community in northern Wyoming is a quintessential American story. It starts more than 100 years ago with a man named Zarif Khan selling tamales in the American frontier.

Source: The New Yorker
Published: May 30, 2016
Length: 30 minutes (7,610 words)

Twitter Is Betting Everything on Jack Dorsey. Will It Work?

Nick Bilton, author of Hatching Twitter, returns with a sequel.

Source: Vanity Fair
Published: Jun 1, 2016
Length: 20 minutes (5,007 words)

My Life As a ‘Sex Object’

“Just keep pointing and laughing, rolling your eyes in the hope that someone will finally notice that this is not very funny.” An excerpt from Jessica Valenti’s new memoir.

Source: The Guardian
Published: May 31, 2016
Length: 14 minutes (3,621 words)

‘They’ll Tell the Story of Tonight’

Joe Posnanski on fatherhood, which memories stick with you, and taking his 14-year-old daughter to see “Hamilton.”

Published: May 31, 2016
Length: 11 minutes (2,897 words)

Hillary Clinton vs. Herself

Rebecca Traister gets a closer look at Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail and finds both a stiff, off-putting performer, and a warm, hard-working civil servant.

Published: May 31, 2016
Length: 33 minutes (8,327 words)

Memorial

From the Bayeux Tapestry to D-Day, an essay on the complicated interplay of war and memory.

Source: Berfrois
Published: May 27, 2015
Length: 15 minutes (3,857 words)

Preparing for a Beautiful End

Can the end of the world be the impetus for a brief but beautiful renewal of community, hand-crafting, and slow living? A Canadian couple turns the stereotype of “doomsday preppers” on its head, and looks for the beauty in armageddon.

Published: Jan 14, 2015
Length: 15 minutes (3,811 words)