The Bloody History of the True Crime Genre
The current trend for true crime stories told on television, in longform articles and in podcasts has a long list of precedents stretching back to the 16th century.
The Subversive
A profile of US Senator John McCain, written in 1997 by author and journalist Michael Lewis (Lewis’s notable works include Moneyball, Flash Boys & The Big Short). He found an unusual politician, unwilling to operate like most of his peers, something that has proven both a strength and a hindrance throughout his career.
The African Enlightenment
A piece proposing that many of the ideas of Enlightenment philosophy put forward by Locke, Hume and Kant had actually been conceived a century earlier in Ethiopia.
Anthony Scaramucci Called Me to Unload About White House Leakers, Reince Priebus, and Steve Bannon
If freshly minted White House Communications Director Anthony “Mooch” Scaramucci appears to you like a three episode antagonist from a 5.2/10-on-IMdb show you watch anyway because you wish the West Wing was still going, then this story is 100% true to type. Since the story was published on Thursday, it has gone viral and White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus has been replaced with a retired four star general.
Wild Thing
A history of our domestication of animals, and the genetic impact this has on the animals in question, and their human keepers.
I’ve Done Really Bad Things
An interview with a former police officer involved in undercover drugs operations, whose views have radically changed since he left the force.
McMaster and Commander
A look behind the scenes at how H.R McMaster adapted from the military into his role of National Security Adviser, and the reality of dealing with a boss who takes in little of what you say. His solution was straightforward – “If Mattis was a babysitter, then McMaster was a waiter, presenting the Commander-in-Chief with a menu, and letting him order.” What this didn’t necessarily allow for was any questioning of what was going on the menu.
“I Have Power”: Is Steve Bannon Running for President?
An illuminating profile of Steve Bannon’s activities outside the White House.
Once a Model City, Hong Kong Is in Trouble
A piece positing the theory that over the 20 years since handover, Hong Kong has changed from a “model city” to a “cautionary tale”.
North America’s Lost Medieval City
On the trail of Cahokia, a city in what is today Illinois – at its peak around the year 1000, it was bigger than Paris, but it was later totally abandoned.