Story of Victor & Familial Estrangement

Featured Articles

This Campground Host’s Favorite Bear Was Killed. Here’s What She Wishes Campers Knew.

Outside Online • 29 Aug 2024 • ~1450 words

We all know how humanity can be so destructive towards wildlife, but individual stories like this can still be heart-wrenching. In this story, campground host Delaney Prince shares the tragic story of Victor, a beloved bear who was killed after an unfortunate encounter with campers.

“We should do better,” the campground host concluded. “We are the humans, they are the animals.”

Why So Many People Are Going “No Contact” with Their Parents

The New Yorker • 30 Aug 2024 • ~6300 words • Archive Link

This piece explores familial estrangement by looking at the experiences of individuals who have chosen to go "no contact" with their parents. Through the story of Amy, who navigates her transformation away from her evangelical upbringing, the article sheds light on the emotional complexities of these relationships and the societal expectations that often complicate them. For further reading, see this article we recommended on August 13th, which discusses the same topic. Also, see below for another recommendation.

In recent years, advocates for the estranged have begun a concerted effort to normalize it. Getting rid of the stigma, they argue, will allow more people to get out of unhealthy family relationships without shame.

Recommended Articles

America’s Families Are Not Okay

persuasion.community • 19 Aug 2024 • ~5300 words

This essay discusses familial estrangement, the same topic as the featured article from the New Yorker, and it's just as powerful. It explores some other perspectives and is more reconciliatory in tone. Additionally, it touches on the cyclical nature of estrangement, as it can be passed down through generations.

There is an option other than despair or resentment. It’s possible to acknowledge a broken situation, mourn it, and express love nonetheless.

In the Green Zone

The Baffler • 28 Aug 2024 • ~5000 words

This piece delves into the complex motivations behind the Iraq War, challenging the simplistic but sometimes popular view that it was purely about oil. By examining Paul Bremer’s ambitious but misguided plans for Iraq’s economic overhaul, the article reveals a broader vision of integrating Iraq into a modern global economy and explores the consequences of that vision. It's a nuanced look at a controversial chapter in recent history that prompts us to rethink the narratives we accept.

This is one of the better-written articles I've read on the topic, and I added the book it's excerpted from to my reading list.

Today, it is usually leftists who are stereotyped as believing that economics lies at the foundation of all meaningful political change, but in 2003 it was Bremer, a man who looked like what an AI image generator would produce if given the prompt “twentieth-century middle-aged Ivy League Republican,” who thought that Iraq’s transition to democracy depended entirely on the success of his economic reforms.

A Father’s Search for a Son Who Didn’t Want to Be Found

New York Times • 29 Aug 2024 • ~2750 words • Archive Link

This piece shares the story of Bob Garrison, a father on a mission to find his son, Robert, who has slipped into homelessness. As Bob navigates the streets of California, searching for clues and holding onto hope, the article delves into their complicated relationship and the broader issues surrounding mental health and addiction. It’s a heartfelt journey that raises questions about the difficulties of supporting a loved one with mental illness and the complexities of homelessness.

He said he was changing his name to “Apollyon DeCecco” and shared his life story, largely echoing his parents. The climbing accident. The aneurysm. Then the story diverged, and he described the moment in 2021 when “the light touched me and healed me and changed me” during what he believes was a cardiac arrest.

Taking Money Seriously

Phenomenal World • 29 Aug 2024 • ~7350 words

This piece is a very dense read if you are not already well-versed in economics (I'm not), and it explores the long-standing debate in economic thought about the relationship between the money world and the concrete social and material world. It argues that money and credit are active forces that shape the concrete world of production and exchange, and that the interest rate is not simply the price of saving or time, but rather the price of liquidity.

It’s inaccurate to talk about putting money in the bank. The bank’s record is the money. On one level this is common knowledge. But the larger implications are seldom thought through. What did this transaction consist of? A set of promises. The bank made a promise to the borrowers, and the borrowers made a promise to the bank. And then the bank’s promise was transferred to the sellers, who can transfer it to some third party in turn.

Under industry pressure, IRS division blocked agents from using new law to stop wealthy tax dodgers

ICIJ • 29 Aug 2024 • ~4500 words

The article discusses how the IRS's Large Business and International (LB&I) division, under pressure from the tax industry, may have blocked agents from using a new law to pursue wealthy tax dodgers. It examines the influence of former private sector tax lawyers who moved into high-ranking IRS positions, and the challenges the IRS faces in enforcing the economic substance doctrine against large corporations and the ultra-wealthy.

An LB&I agent . . . said he worked on an audit several years ago in which a wealthy individual had dodged millions in taxes through a series of maneuvers that the agent believed could be challenged under the economic substance doctrine. But, the agent said, the July 2011 directive stopped him from using it, partly because of hesitance from the IRS attorneys he worked with.

Can dumping seaweed on the sea floor cool the planet? Some scientists are skeptical

Science • 29 Aug 2024 • ~2550 words • Archive Link

The article discusses the controversial idea of using seaweed to fight climate change by growing it and sinking it to the ocean floor to sequester carbon. It explores the potential benefits and risks of this approach, as well as the unanswered questions about how much carbon it could actually capture and the potential ecological effects.

Research has also shown seaweed such as kelp isn’t a static vessel filled with CO2. Instead, it’s a leaky one—shedding carbon as it decays. And before an industry can claim credit for sequestering carbon in seaweed, those leaks need to be accounted for.

Is Vertical Farming the Future of Texas Agriculture?

Texas Monthly • 29 Aug 2024 • ~2650 words • Archive Link

This piece discusses vertical farming attempts in Texas, exploring its potential benefits and challenges. Companies like Eden Grow are pushing to decentralize agriculture, attempting to grow fresh produce right on site. The article also raises questions about the importance of maintaining local food supplies.

Womack also paints a far bleaker vision of the future, one in which technology such as Eden Grow’s will become a necessity after cyberattacks, pandemics, war, or other economic disruptions cripple global food supply chains. “Everything that made globalization work is ending,” he said, describing a bifurcation of society into those who adjust and grow their own food supplies and those who subsist on “bug paste” delivered by Amazon.

Le Bloc: An Account of a Squat in Paris

The Paris Review • 29 Aug 2024 • ~4100 words

This story provides a detailed account of a large squat called "Le Bloc" in Paris. Through the voices of its diverse inhabitants, we explore how this unconventional space became a hub for artistic expression and community, despite the challenges within and around it. It's an interesting look at how people can forge a sense of belonging and creativity in unexpected places.

The beauty of Le Bloc was not that it took in everyone but that it took in anyone; one of its failures was that it could not take in everyone.

The Powerful Potential Of Tiny Conservation Plots

NOEMA • 28 Aug 2024 • ~3100 words

In the middle of concrete jungles, urban gardening is emerging as a surprising supporter of biodiversity. This article explores how community gardens, like those in Brooklyn, are not just about growing food but also creating vital habitats for native insects and other wildlife. It's a thoughtful look at how even small green spaces can play a role in environmental conservation.

There’s a tendency, especially in the United States, to try to separate ourselves from the rest of the natural world — we place “culture” in one box and “nature” in another, never expecting the twain to meet. But that mindset doesn’t reflect reality.