Too Many Men
A story examining the effects of the significant imbalance in the number of men and women that has developed in both China and India.
Behemoth, bully, thief: how the English language is taking over the planet
Far from being under threat as is sometimes claimed, the English language’s global dominance appears to be stronger than ever. Not only is it on a user acquisition spree that would make any tech startup jealous, but it has also turned into a “net exporter” of words, infiltrating other languages with Anglicisms. This piece examines these and other ways in which it is asserting its position as the first “hypercentral” language.
How Canada’s Health Care System Helped Create a Killer
A piece looking at failures in treatment that led to a tragic outcome when an innocent person was murdered in Ontario by a young man with a well-documented history of mental health issues. The author interviews key people involved to try to understand what happened and how it came to pass.
Palantir Knows Everything About You
An investigation into Peter Thiel’s data mining company reveals the extent of the surveillance done by government and corporate clients using their technology.
The Tyrant and His Enablers
Stephen Greenblatt, Professor of the Humanities at Harvard and Shakespeare scholar, examines the author’s preoccupation with politics, and more specifically with tyranny and how it comes about.
A Terrifying Journey Through the World’s Most Dangerous Jungle
The Darien Gap between Colombia and Panama is a treacherous stretch of jungle filled with drug smuggling gangs that’s almost impassable. It is also a major route for migrants trying to reach the USA.
Homer and Harold
Harold Israel and Homer Cummings were from very different backgrounds and met when the latter was the state’s attorney in the former’s 1924 murder trial. Cummings proceeded to deliver a performance that “will live in the annals as a standard by which other prosecutors will be judged.” More remarkable even than that is the enduring involvement they had in each other’s lives. The story of the trial was noteworthy enough to be made into a film, but the story of their lifelong association is just as remarkable.
Tales from the new Silk Road
Stories from different players involved in a vast Chinese infrastructure project aimed at expanding trade routes – a “bid to shape our century”.
The Lost Children of Tuam
The tragic story of the fate awaiting the Irish children born out of wedlock who ended up at St. Mary’s Mother and Baby Home in Tuam.
“Oh My God, This Is So F***ed Up”: Inside Silicon Valley’s Secretive, Orgiastic Dark Side
A piece examining the sex party culture in Silicon Valley.