Hi 👋 

Work thoroughly beat my 🍑 last week, so I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get a strong list out today.

But our longreads below are absolutely ace—if I do say so myself. We’re trying something new with our spotlight story, which isn’t too in-depth or overly long. All I will say up top is that it’s about a cat, and that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. I personally love the slight break in tone it gives us.

Of course, we’ll still be reading some mildly stressful and infuriating stories, including one about a massive refund scam, the expansive reach of the plastic lobby’s tendrils, and the worrying infiltration of AI content into mainstream and legacy media. I mean… what’s a TLR newsletter without those, right?

In any case, as with last week, please let me know what you think of the list this week by voting in the poll below. 🙏

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!

One long read…

I know this might be divisive but I think it’s time to out myself as a cat person 🐱

I mean at least I think I am? I don’t actually have a pet, and I find cats and dogs adorable (as well as ducks, parrots, turtles, sea otters, and so many other animals), just that cats have a slight edge in my heart.

But I digress. This story is the perfect opportunity for the TLR newsletter to take a quick break from all the grim deep dives we’ve been spotlighting, without straying too far from the type of story that we all love.

This one still reads like a true crime narrative, but without the impossibly high stakes and the stressful, grotesque scenes.

It really has no reason to be as compelling as it actually is. Considering the subject—which in my opinion is honestly just a glorified neighborhood spat—the writer does an incredible job of stringing together scenes and dialogue that move the story along.

I will concede, though, that it really helps that I like adorable animals. And that sprinkled throughout the story are photos of the very adorable cat getting into some very funny (to me) shenanigans. Definitely kept the interest levels high.

Not long and not difficult. Also pretty fun to read, again, if you like cute animals. Won’t take you more than 30 minutes, even with distractions.

… and then some

📱Did TikTok Videos Inspire a Teen’s Suicide? His Mom Says She Found Graphic Evidence | NBC News, Free

Did you really think I’d let an entire TLR edition go without something at least mildly disturbing? No luck. That said, please be careful reading this one. It does talk about self-harm in graphic ways, and it also points to specific TikTok accounts that might have similarly triggering content. If you, or anyone you know, are in crisis, please reach out to a professional.

Not too long. Maybe an hour, including a few breaks that you might need to take.

💸 The Package King of Miami | The Intelligencer, $

This is one of those classic tech-scam stories but told really well. I know it’s written really well because honestly, the lives of the ultra-rich kids don’t interest me at all, but this story was still able to hold my attention. It helps, too, that the scheme in this story was compelling and interesting enough to sustain it through to the end.

This one is long, but it flows really well. I’d say it’s a minimum 1-hour commitment.

🚮 Plastic, Plastic Everywhere — Even at the UN’s “Plastic Free” Conference | ProPublica, Free

This is our signature infuriating story for the week—and boy does it do the trick. The story takes a long, hard look at how deep the plastics lobby has embedded itself into our structures of governance. It’s crazy. Even at the highest levels of supposedly pro-environment, anti-pollution summits, they’re there, influencing decisions.

Not too long, I’d say. Maybe 45 to 55 minutes, distractions included.

💦 I Went Undercover as a Secret OnlyFans Chatter. It Wasn’t Pretty | WIRED, $

I really, really wanted to make this our spotlight of the week. Like the Kitty Snows story, I think this one is a perfect blend of gripping and dark, but still fun; serious, but doesn’t take itself too seriously. The writer has impressive prose. I don’t know how he was able to still give the subject matter the respect and depth it deserves, but still be funny and light and conversational. That’s talent.

This is pretty long, but it’s a really smooth read. It took me under an hour because it just held my attention so well.

👵🏻 The Untold Lives of Mature OnlyFans Performers | Huck Magazine, Free

Two OnlyFans stories in a week! Blame it on the algo (definitely not my search history…) The title doesn’t give it away, but this story doesn’t only dive into a side of the Internet that I really didn’t expect, but it’s also surprisingly heartwarming.

Not an overly long story. Maybe 45 minutes or shorter if you stay focused.

🤖 Meet AdVon, the AI-Powered Content Monster Infecting the Media Industry | Futurism, Free

I don’t know about you, but this story went viral a few weeks ago on my corner of the Internet. I didn’t want to hop on the bandwagon at first, just because so many people have already shared it and I have that aversion (immature, I know), but boy am I glad I did. Futurism did great investigative work here, despite AdVon being connected to its parent company.

This is a long story—good investigations typically are—and it might take you well over an hour.

👨🏻‍⚕️ Prescription for Controversy | Science, $ (If you’ve burned free stories)

Yet another impressive investigation, and this one is especially interesting to me because I work in this area of science. It’s also a very worrying investigation because it looks at how the publishing crisis in science is being taken advantage of, and how this can lead to some shoddy findings that could affect our treatments and policies.

Not too long, and not boring, too, which is unfortunately rare for a science story. 50 minutes tops.

💾 Obsolete, But Not Gone: The People Who Won't Give Up Floppy Disks | BBC, Free

I sincerely and deeply hope that you, dear reader, at the very least know what a floppy disk is, because this will be such a good nostalgia trip if you do. But what’s most interesting to me about this story is that floppies are still apparently widely used in some of the most crucial industries. Huh. Who knew.

Pretty long, and also not terribly gripping. It’s floppy disks. So it might take you more than an hour if you’re easily distracted.

🏠 Sicily Sold Homes for One Euro. This Is What Happened Next. | AFAR, Free

I’m always really happy to find longform stories from these niche industry publications because they typically have deeper, more insider knowledge on topics, and can often give smarter insights. That’s the case with this story, which was not at all what I expected. Really great descriptions, too, which make me feel like I’ve been transported to Sicily.

This one is a bit long, too, but I always find travel stories to be a breeze to read. I spent maybe 40 minutes on this.

Bonus reco!

If you felt that the Kitty Snows saga up top was a bit short, then I’ll make up for it with a second spotlight story for this week.

The Nakba happened last week. As per a UNGA request, the world every May 15 commemorates the bloody dispossession and displacement of the Palestinian people during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.

It’s been decades since then, and yet still Palestinians are on the receiving end of unbelievable, unimaginable violence. I wouldn’t be surprised if Palestinians are much worse off now than they were immediately after 1948.

This story is just one of the many (and mounting) accounts of violence against Palestinians. It looks at one specific detention facility—which houses detainees that haven’t been even proven guilty or Hamas-associated yet—that employs horrendous abuse to its prisoners.

Even the Israeli whistleblowers are starting to feel wrong about the entire thing.

And I know this is a divisive issue. But I don’t think it should be. There shouldn’t be anything overtly political or rabidly polarizing about human life and human rights.

This is only fairly long and it’s the most difficult read on this week’s list. Definitely take your time with it so it doesn’t overwhelm you. And take extra care when reading through it.

Around the world

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

1 - Speaking of the Nakba, this year’s is, indeed, the Palestinians’ worst.
+ Meanwhile powerful people in the U.S. continue to throw their weight behind crackdowns on pro-Palestinian protests.

2 - Magician David Copperfield is on the receiving end of sexual abuse allegations from former teen models.
+ Some even claim that he drugged them.

3 - In Australia, a billionaire has tried to get an unflattering painting of her taken down. She has so far been unsuccessful.

4 - With AI dead center in the current cultural zeitgeist, OpenAI has reportedly scrapped its existential-risk research unit.

5 - Mice studies have found that an up-and-coming ‘trojan horse’ drug could outperform current obesity medications, such as Wegovy and Zepbound.

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! 👋