Narrative
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The Boston Globe Uncovers More Sexual Abuse
In a near perfect reflection of The Boston Globe‘s unearthing of extensive allegations of sexual abuse within New England Catholic churches, the Spotlight team has published a new article — this time revealing widespread instances of sexual abuse at New England private schools. According to the article, part of the problem could be the students’ isolation from their families…
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Zingers in Pakistan
This story of the introduction and evolution of the KFC “Zinger” in Pakistan is surprisingly gripping. Here’s what happened when KFC first opened in Pakistan in 1997: People jammed into the glass-fronted restaurant for days on end. At one point, KFC had to call in the Karachi police for help managing the door. Far from…
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An Exercise in Trading Places
I really like this article from Esquire, examining the different lives of four men across the income spectrum. It’s hard to imagine the way other people live—how they plan their finances, what keeps them up at night, what they do on a daily basis—especially if, like me, you’ve never been exceptionally rich or exceptionally poor. Esquire‘s…
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Stories of Conversion
Kelsey Osgood asks: “Can an Outsider Ever Truly Become Amish?” In this collaboration between Longreads and Atlas Obscura, Osgood profiles two cases of Amish conversion: one successful, one unsuccessful. She writes of her experience in an Amish church: I sneak a few furtive glances around the room, and then look up to Alex, who is…
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Inked!
I got my second tattoo finished today! Here it is next to the original sketch I drew: It’s on my right ribs, so the image is a bit distorted since I’m raising my arm to show the entire piece. I got it done by Matt Kolling at Uptown Tattoo — check them out if you’re…
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April Fools’ Day Wrap-Up
I made it through the day unscathed. A coworker put a Post-It note on the bottom of my computer mouse, rendering the clicker on-screen immobile for a couple seconds. For my part, I clipped a loud, chirping plastic bird to the bottom of my boss’s chair. She didn’t find it until the end of the…
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The Story of How Under Armour Won Steph Curry
Clickbait title notwithstanding, this story from Ethan Sherwood Strauss is pretty incredible. It took me awhile to get around to reading it (the dynamics between a millionaire athlete and billion-dollar companies didn’t much appeal to me), but it surprised me with its substance and drama. While the article avoided all the predictable David vs. Goliath cliches,…
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Here’s the plan. I ripped my pants.
This post originally appeared on Medium. I work for a really big mall. One of the biggest malls in the world, in fact. I usually work downstairs in the offices in the mall’s basement. But last week, I was sent aboveground to help set up an art exhibit on the second floor. Curators had laid…
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With Apologies to My Typewriter
We’re off to a rocky start. I’m writing right now, but not on you. You’re sitting quietly underneath my bed. Your case is gathering dust and beating off bugs. We haven’t rendezvoused in months — and even then, it was only a quickie. I tickled your keys for a passing moment and succeeded only in producing a…
Timothy Pate 