A Cult and A Cult?

Featured Articles

The Cult in the Forest

The New Yorker - 19 Aug 2024 - ~8300 words - Archive Link

This piece is a haunting exploration of faith and manipulation as it dives into the chilling world of a cult in Kenya led by a charismatic figure named Mackenzie. Followers are drawn deeper into his extreme teachings in a remote forest, and the story reveals unsettling truths about belief, desperation, and the tragic consequences of blind faith.

Mackenzie's indoctrination also started benignly. He began by promising to cure his followers' ailments and end their hardships . . . "They were promised hope," Julius Gathogo, the religious-studies professor, said.

The Cult of Wellness

Toronto Life - 14 Aug 2024 - ~6200 words

The article discusses the rise of wellness culture in Toronto, highlighting experiences at Othership, where people engage in ice baths and saunas for emotional healing and community. Many participants share transformative stories, claiming to have found belonging and improved mental health through these wellness practices, while some others compare it to a cult.

Toronto may not strike the average wellness investor as fertile ground for business—we come across as too reserved, our bodies hidden away for most of the year. But that is apparently why both Nutbar and Othership are thriving: we're just the right amount of depleted. "Los Angeles isn't our customer," Bent says. "We need a hub of working people who are on their phones all the time, where the weather is cold and everyone is a bit miserable. A place where people are struggling."

Recommended Articles

Joe Biden’s Interrupted Presidency

New York Times - 18 Aug 2024 - ~9550 words - Archive Link

This is probably the best profile I've read on Biden, and it reveals how Biden’s long history in politics shaped his current role and the challenges he faced.

. . . he seemed to speak and move with a younger man’s ease, somehow lighter than before, as if no longer burdened by his father’s admonition, 'Get back up!' Biden had risen as high as any American could go, had fallen back to earth, had gotten back up one more time and now had relinquished the pursuit that had animated his entire political career.

At the Salton Sea, Uncovering the Culprit of Lung Disease

Undark Magazine - 19 Aug 2024 - ~3200 words

Researchers are unraveling the mystery behind respiratory issues in the Salton Sea region. Their findings could have implications far beyond this unique ecosystem as they investigate the connections between dust, environmental toxins, and health.

Scientists have long understood there to be a connection between the dust and the region's poor respiratory health. But after years of research, recent findings have offered surprising new insights: The prime suspect now is a naturally occurring toxin, embedded in the dust. The discovery holds far-ranging implications — not only for the Salton Sea, but for other drying lake systems around the world.

Escaping Spotify’s algorithm

MIT Technology Review - 16 Aug 2024 - ~3150 words

What do we lose when we rely on Spotify as the only source of music discovery? This piece explores how the platform's focus on personalization may limit our music discovery, leading us into algorithmic bubbles. Discover how music enthusiasts find new ways to reinvigorate the joy of exploring music.

Because personally recommending songs revealed our taste, we had a vested interest in what we recommended. But the algorithm assumes no risk, simply offering what’s mathematically sound.

Kathy Hochul’s ‘Big’ Plan to Ban Phones in Schools

Intelligencer - 19 Aug 2024 - ~2450 words - Archive Link

New York Governor Kathy Hochul is considering a statewide ban on cell phones in schools, inspired by positive outcomes observed at Bethlehem Central High School, which implemented a near-total ban on electronics. This article presents important questions about the impact of smartphones on young people's mental health and the ongoing debate surrounding their presence in educational settings.

During the prior few years, when a class period would end, students would walk in near-total silence through the halls, heads down, engrossed in their phones. Surveillance cameras would sometimes capture distracted teenagers walking into a wall or even, according to Rounds, falling down stairs.

The Trouble With Allies

Foreign Affairs - 19 Aug 2024 - ~5700 words - Archive Link

For a country like the U.S., managing relationships with allies is a persistent challenge. In this article, Richard Haass explores the various tactics the U.S. has used to navigate disagreements with friends and allies. Historical examples illustrate the pitfalls and successes of different approaches.

When one looks at this long history of disputes between the United States and its friends and allies, six relatively distinct tactics for managing them emerge. Some involve carrots, others involve sticks, and still others accept that the ally's unwanted behavior won’t be changed—or can be changed only if its regime changes.

The rise and fall of Britain’s infamous preacher of hate

New Statesman - 17 Aug 2024 - ~3800 words

For nearly two decades, Anjem Choudary was a notorious figure in Britain, known as the "preacher of hate" and a leading voice of radical Islam. His rise and fall, as chronicled in this in-depth article, stands as a personification of the growth of Islamist extremism in 21st-century Britain and the ongoing struggle to combat it.

Abu Rumaysah joined the chat from Syria and challenged Choudary to declare his support for Islamic State, telling him to take an oath of allegiance to its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. It was impossible for Choudary to back down and he was forced to take the oath. For authorities spying on the meeting, it was the moment they had been waiting for.

The cruise that will get you chased by the Chinese coastguard

The Economist - 23 Jul 2024 - ~3700 words - Archive Link

You can embark on a thrilling journey to the Philippines' Kalayaan Island Group, where some of the world's most unspoiled destinations await. But beware - as this article reveals, a trip to the Spratlys may lead to an unexpected encounter with the Chinese coastguard.

A few tourists had brought binoculars, through which they could make out two Chinese navy vessels trailing us, just to show us that they knew we were there.

Birthrates are plummeting world wide. Can governments turn the tide?

The Guardian - 10 Aug 2024 - ~2300 words

As birthrates decline worldwide, many governments are scrambling to find solutions to what’s being called a demographic crisis. This article from The Guardian explores the complex reasons behind this trend, from climate anxiety to economic pressures. It examines whether policies like baby bonuses and parental leave can truly make a difference.

The report said that "women today bear one child fewer, on average, than they did around 1990", and that the world’s population is now expected to peak at about 10.3 billion in the mid-2080s (up from about 8.2 billion today) before starting to fall.