Pennies & Walking Mongolia

Featured Articles

America Must Free Itself from the Tyranny of the Penny

New York Times • 1 Sep 2024 • ~7550 words

This piece explores the curious existence of pennies, America’s most produced coin. They seem to be everywhere yet rarely used, becoming a symbol of governmental dysfunction. They delve into the bizarre cycle of minting and disposing of pennies, raising the question of whether it’s time for the U.S. to finally let go of this outdated currency.

Because these replacement pennies will themselves not be spent, they will need to be replaced with new pennies that will also not be spent, and so will have to be replaced with new pennies that will not be spent, which will have to be replaced by new pennies (that will not be spent, and so will have to be replaced). In other words, we keep minting pennies because no one uses the pennies we mint.

Walking Mongolia beyond Ulaanbaatar

Walking The World • 1 Sep 2024 • ~5350 words

This piece shares the author's journey through Mongolia beyond the usual tourist path of Ulaanbaatar. With a genuine curiosity about the culture and people, they explore the complexities of a nation shaped by its nomadic past and current realities, revealing how a deeper understanding of Mongolia often requires stepping outside of familiar routes. It also discusses the cultural and linguistic differences across Mongolia's diverse regions, the challenges of navigating the country's transportation infrastructure, and the strong regional identities and connections that shape Mongolian society.

The trip revealed that my inability to understand why Mongolia feels more mysterious than any other place I've been isn't entirely my fault. Mongolians themselves don’t seem to fully understand their country—or perhaps they aren’t as curious about it as I am. It’s challenging to get straightforward explanations about why people do the things they do or why some things are the way they are without encountering regional prejudices, half-truths, or indifference about distant places.

Recommended Articles

How a Leading Chain of Psychiatric Hospitals Traps Patients

New York Times • 1 Sep 2024 • ~2800 words • Archive Link

This heartbreaking and infuriating story reveals how Acadia Healthcare, one of the largest psychiatric hospital chains in the U.S., has allegedly held patients against their will to boost insurance payouts. With accounts from former employees and alarming instances of wrongful detentions, this piece explores the dark side of mental health care in America.

. . . after police officers raided an Acadia hospital in Georgia, 16 patients told investigators that they had been kept there “with no excuses or valid reason,” according to a police report . . . Acadia held all of them under laws meant for people who pose an imminent threat to themselves or others. But none of the patients appeared to have met that legal standard, according to records and interviews.

A Celebration of Working in America

JSTOR Daily • 1 Sep 2024 • ~500 words

While not a long-form article on its own, this Labor Day post from JSTOR is a collection of some of their daily stories on workers’ rights, labor unions, and related issues. I’m sure you’ll find something that will pique your interest there.

Europe jumps on the train

EL PAÍS English • 1 Sep 2024 • ~3150 words

Many travellers are rediscovering the joys of train journeys across Europe. The article discusses the growing popularity of train travel in Europe, driven by environmental concerns and a desire for a slower, more leisurely pace of travel. It explores the challenges and opportunities facing the European rail network, including the resurgence of night trains, the differences in rail infrastructure and pricing across countries, and the perspectives of various travelers.

. . . there are also those who, tired of a society that moves too fast, are looking for a different pace for their professional and leisure time. A slower, more leisurely — more humane? — pace in which the train has no rival.

From Rats to Riches

Nautilus • 30 Aug 2024 • ~2050 words

Redonda Island’s journey from an overrun wasteland to a thriving ecosystem is nothing short of remarkable. This piece dives into a conservation project that tackled an invasion of rats and goats, exploring the challenges faced and the surprising successes that followed. It’s a testament to the resilience of nature and the impact of dedicated efforts in restoring balance to fragile environments.

Before I tell you about the rats, I must tell you about the feral goats. I don’t know how it is where you are from, but in Antigua, people are very goat-sensitive . . . So, before we could do anything else, we had to relocate the goats. We had to bring the goats to Antigua.

Moleskine Mania: How a Notebook Conquered the Digital Era

The Walrus • 30 Aug 2024 • ~2800 words • Archive Link

In a world increasingly dominated by digital tools, the Moleskine notebook has carved out a unique niche, becoming a symbol of creativity and inspiration for writers and artists alike. This article explores the journey of Moleskine, from its origins linked to literary giants to its place in the modern creative landscape, highlighting how a simple notebook has managed to thrive amidst technological disruptions.

Discreetly minimal it may seem, but the whole package is as shot through with brand messaging as anything labelled Nike, Mercedes, or Apple—and, like the best cues, the messaging works on a subconscious level.

Mexico: Anatomy of a Mass Murder

The New York Review of Books • 29 Aug 2024 • ~4700 words • Archive Link

This book review is also a powerful exploration of Mexico's ongoing struggle with cartel violence. It takes us to San Fernando, where mass graves reveal a chilling history of brutality and corruption. Through her firsthand accounts and deep research, the book sheds light on the systemic failures that allowed these tragedies to unfold, making it a compelling read for anyone interested in understanding the complexities of violence in modern Mexico.

Her devastating account of the case, *San Fernando, Última Parada*, does what the country’s criminal justice system failed to do: explain how and why hundreds of young men traveling north by bus to the border cities of Reynosa and Matamoros were abducted and murdered.

Patronage Partitions

Phenomenal World • 29 Aug 2024 • ~5050 words

This article provides an in-depth analysis of the complex political landscape in post-Apartheid South Africa. It examines the complexities of the ANC's decline, the rise of new political players, and the enduring challenges posed by deep societal divides—all while exploring how this fragmentation could reshape governance in a country with a turbulent history.

The ANC’s “liberation dividend”—the condition-free support it has been granted in appreciation for its role in delivering democracy—appeared to have expired. The ANC was becoming an ordinary party, in an ordinary country.

How Italy’s largest fossil fuel company uses sustainability-linked bonds as a loophole to keep financing hydrocarbons

Voxeurop • 2 Sep 2024 • ~3500 words

Eni, Italy's largest fossil fuel company, is raising eyebrows with its "Sustainability-Linked Bonds" that are marketed as environmentally friendly but may actually fund carbon-emitting activities. This article dives into the complexities and contradictions of Eni's strategies, exploring how these bonds are being used and the lack of oversight for them.

Eni’s CEO Claudio Descalzi has persuaded thousands of investors across Europe to back a sustainability strategy that can be summed up as: Give me your money to mitigate climate change, and then I'll decide how much of it goes towards exacerbating climate change.