In partnership with

Hi 👋 

We’re back again with another reading list of some of the best longform journalism across the internet ✨

As always, there are lots of fascinating and compelling stories in this edition of The Lazy Reader. I’d also say that we have some sort of a climate theme going on, but just barely. This was completely unintentional. Maybe I was just subconsciously gravitating toward environment stories. 🤷‍♂️

In any case, here’s what you can expect in this edition:

• Scientists (as well as governments and international organizations) are increasingly turning to insects to address the food crisis. Right-wingers have turned this into a new political battlefront.

• Nike execs promised to make the company more environmentally sustainable. But their private jets show otherwise.

• A heartfelt essay about what it feels like to have a freedom fighter as a parent.

• More and more, insurance companies are using AI and drones to disqualify more people from coverage. This is how it feels like when you find yourself on the receiving end of that.

• And many, many more 😏

As with last week, please let me know what you think of the list this week by voting in the poll below.

ORRR you can also fill out this super quick survey 🙏 It’ll only take a few minutes at most. I promise! And it’ll be a huge help to us in improving The Lazy Reader.

And we’re still trying to grow the newsletter! If you like what you read, please consider helping us grow by sharing it to your friends, colleagues and family! 🫶

Happy reading and see you again next Monday!

Story in Spotlight

Greenwashing is all the rage these days, it seems.

I’ve always noticed that companies like to run egregious marketing campaigns to boast about their “environmentally conscious” (not really) products, but it feels like it’s become much more common in recent years.

Suddenly, everything is planet-friendly. Even some types of fossil fuels (I mean come on!!) have been marketed as green.

But that’s just what these are: Marketing stunts. And there’s no shortage of misleading or downright untruthful—and potentially harmful—marketing stunts that companies have pulled in the past. Absolutely no regard for their consumers or the climate; just purely a profit play.

(Kellogs’ “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day” is one, as is BP’s carbon footprint concept.)

One of the most effective greenwashing ploys, as it turns out, is recycling. Grist traces the history of recycling as a concept and identifies points in time when both the oil and plastics industries commandeered efforts to cut back on waste, and turned the entire push on its head, ultimately producing even more plastics, even more trash.

The deception started decades ago, but their consequences continue until today, and the impacts will likely be around for years to come.

The situation might be approaching a breaking point, though, because more and more countries are starting to refuse the U.S.’s garbage exports (I hope my country starts taking note). In turn, America will increasingly need to deal with its trash domestically—and there’s just not enough infrastructure and manpower (and potentially political will) for that.

This is a really good story. Probably one of the best climate longreads I’ve seen in a while. Definitely set aside some time for it this week.

Pretty long and can get a bit thick with the details in some spots. But trust me: It’s very much worth your time. And it’s an important story to keep in mind ahead of the elections. Probably allot 1 hour for it.

The Longform List

💦 OnlyFans’ Porn Juggernaut Fueled By a Deception | Reuters, Free

I’ve been especially fascinated by OnlyFans lately—and no, not because of the porn! It’s been interesting to see how the website has quickly taken so many dark and decidedly corporate turns. What was once billed as a platform that would allow creative entrepreneurs (not unlike myself) to take better control of their income has now become a cesspool of abuse and lies.

I wonder what that says about sex work. Or, more broadly, about the endeavor of turning your creative passion into a business.

Pretty long, but a very compelling read. I’d say 20 minutes? 

🦗 A Lab at Texas A&M is Part of a Program Studying Insects as Food. Cue Rightwing Conspiracists. | TexasMonthly, $

I’m happy that the entire discourse of turning to insects to address our growing food insecurity is finally starting to leave expert circles and break into the mainstream. I first came across the idea when I was still in uni, many many years ago, and even then it seemed like it wasn’t entirely novel. What is new to me, however, is that the Right is seeing this as another ideological battlefront, as something that Big Government is forcing onto us for some nefarious gain.

Another hit from TexasMonthly.

Not too long plus it’s very interesting. I’d say 10 minutes if you can manage to stay focused.

💊 Eagle Scout. Idealist. Drug Trafficker? | The New York Times, $

I won’t lie: For probably the first half of this story, it reads just like a typical drug crime story, with some tech trappings. That’s not in any way a knock on this article. The writing is incredible and the subject itself is nothing short of fascinating.

But where the story starts to truly sing, in my opinion, is in the latter third or so, when writer David Segal tries to reconcile the two personas of Ross Ulbricht. He ends up painting an image of a certain type of criminal that, since I first read this article many years ago, has colored my experience of the true crime genre.

Very, very long. But this story sucks you in and keeps you engaged. I think I finished this in 30 minutes.

✊ To Save the World, My Mother Abandoned Me | The Atlantic, $

I have… very complicated feelings about this story. But that’s part of its appeal for me. Through a very heartrending essay, the author outlines the experience of having a freedom fighter as a mother—and coming to terms with life (both as a child that had been essentially abandoned and an adult with progressive, left-of-center values) after her guiding star inevitably steps back from the fight.

As someone who once upon a time also put my body on the line for the things that I believe in, there’s so much that I want to say here. But that would derail this newsletter. Maybe in a future edition.

Also very long, and honestly can get difficult in some spots. I finished this in an hour ish, but I intentionally took this story slow because it was particularly heavy for me.

✈️ After Nike Leaders Promised Climate Action, Their Corporate Jets Kept Flying — and Polluting | ProPublica, Free

Ah yes. A company says they’ll do one thing—for the planet, supposedly—but then goes ahead and does the opposite. Shocking. 🙄

But seriously. This kind of sh*t happens so much that we should be expecting it by now. As the spotlight story makes painfully clear, corporations don’t actually care about the environment. They care about seeming like they do care, to win cookie points from their customers. I wouldn’t expect such a big company like Nike (or any of its cohort, for that matter) to break that trend.

Not too long and extra infuriating. If you like to rage-read then this will go really quickly for you. Took me maybe 10 minutes. 

🛖 An Isolated Tribe Emerges From the Rain Forest | The New Yorker, $

I’m always a bit shocked by how little we in the Media write about indigenous peoples. (Okay. “Little” may be a bit unfair—I just mean that relative to how big it is, the number of longreads on it seems paltry).

In this story, Jon Lee Anderson cuts right to the heart of one of the most contentious questions in this space: How do we manage our contact with indigenous communities? Should we be as hands-off as possible? Or should we interfere and help them keep up with the times? There’s not a quick and easy answer here.

Another long story, which also honestly can get a bit slow in some spots. But definitely still worth the time investment. I’d say 40 minutes.

🏛️ How the World’s Oldest Bank Brought a City to its Knees | Financial Times, $

Oh I loved this one. Even with all the finance talk (which I concede I’m mostly clueless about). Today, banks are largely seen as enduring symbols of capitalism, but as this story illustrates, that wasn’t always the case.

The world’s oldest bank, tellingly, had for a long time functioned as a development partner for its local community. Only when it got swept up in corporatism and greed (and the need to enrich shareholders) did it start going astray, ultimately bringing itself to the brink of destruction—and the community that relied on it to desperation.

Really compelling. But all the finance details could slow you down. I also took my time with this story to chew on all the technicalities. I read it in 45 minutes.

🛰 Through the Roof | Business Insider, Free

I was recently talking with a friend who works in a tech start-up and, as all employees do, he was ranting about his boss. That’s become par for the course for us, but this one stood out to me—he was complaining about how the boss wanted to use AI in everything. I found his rant a bit shocking because I always imagined this friend of mine to be a big proponent of AI. But apparently (and thankfully), even people like him have their limits, too.

For some reason, that entire dialog kept replaying in my head while reading this story. I have no doubt that AI can be extremely helpful to some industries (even though they may come at the cost of jobs). But maybe, as this story illustrates, companies need to be smarter and more prudent about how and when they use AI.

Not too long, actually, and easy to read. Probably 10 minutes tops.

🕙 The Expendables: How the Temps Who Power Corporate Giants Are Getting Crushed | ProPublica, Free

This one is from a few years back, but with how fraught the job market has become in recent years, I’m not sure that things have changed for the better. Many workers continue to be treated like disposable manpower by their employers, who in turn do everything in their power to minimize costs by pushing down wages.

Important for me is a sort-of-underdeveloped theme in this story, which is that when someone finally stood up for temps, she ended up losing work. It’s difficult to prove vindictive behavior by these agencies, but it’s pretty obvious that on some level, there’s some vengeance being taken here.

Not overly long but it’s also not difficult to follow the narrative through. Maybe 20 minutes if you can stay focused. 

🕵 Inside the Dark World of Doxing for Profit | WIRED, $

It’s common knowledge by now that the Internet is a fertile breeding ground for theft, extortion and other criminal activities. So it’s not really shocking to me that doxxing has become a thing, and that some very nefarious people have found a way to make a business out of it. I just wish the article did more with this story, though—maybe look at a potential law enforcement angle? Or even just a compelling human narrative at the center of this.

Not too long and I personally found it boring in spots partway through. I’d say give it 15 minutes. 

🏅 The Crybaby Olympics | The Atlantic, $

The Olympics are officially over but I think it’s still important to push this essay. Even though I’m not sure that it’s entirely correct, it nevertheless raises an important point. There have been heartwarming stories of sportsmanship out of Paris this year, but I’ve also been shocked at how many sore losers there seem to be. Is that just a recent phenomenon? Or have high-end sporting events always had crybabies?

Not long at all. Probably 15 minutes—and that’s including distractions.

Custom Design Your Dream Engagement Ring

Find your perfect ring at JamesAllen.com! We offer over 500,000 certified lab grown and natural diamonds and more than 500 unique ring settings. Customize your dream ring from scratch or choose one of our stunning existing designs. Our non-commissioned 24/7 customer service team is here to guide you, offering free diamond consultations. With special financing, a lifetime warranty, and free worldwide shipping, you’ll experience exceptional quality and service. Shop the smart way with James Allen.

SHOP YOURS NOW

Around the world

Here are some of the most important/interesting/infuriating news bits from around the world last week:

1 - On needless wars:
+ Israel has not eased up its offensive on Gaza, prompting another round of strong condemnation from the U.N.
+ Meanwhile, after blocking several previous attempts (led by South Africa and other developing, majority Black/Brown nations) to force a ceasefire in Gaza, the U.S. now pushing for its own proposal, alongside Egypt and Qatar. Forgive me if I’m a bit skeptical about this one.
+ Meanwhile, the Russia-Ukraine conflict has stretched beyond 900 days, which was marked by a Ukrainian offensive destroying a strategic bridge for Russia.
+ The U.S. has also announced another round of security support for Ukraine.

2 - Elsewhere in politics, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will step down next month amid an ongoing financing scandal. 
+ Kishida will also not run for the leadership of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

3 - In Thailand, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has been removed from his post after he appointed a minister with a known criminal conviction. 
+ Don’t you just wish all political systems would have similarly strict restrictions against allowing convicted criminals into the highest levels of public office?

4 - Mpox has again become a global emergency. But notice how there’s such a big difference in media coverage between now and in 2022?
+ The outbreak, caused by a deadlier strain, has made it outside Africa.

5 - Cartoon Network’s website has been taken down, yet another casualty in the push to streaming. ☹️ 

Thanks for reading! Please, please reach out if you have feedback, suggestions, or questions. I know some of the stories I recommend might be behind paywalls, and maybe I can help you with access to those, too!

Also, I’d appreciate it so much if you help me grow by sharing The Lazy Reader with friends or family who you think might also enjoy a good longform story 🫶

Until next Monday! 👋