Hi 👋 

We’re back again with another reading list of some of the best longform writing across the Internet! 🤓

Crime stories are back with a vengeance, it seems. I hope you like ‘em, because we have quite a few on this week’s list.

Our spotlight, for example, is about the self-proclaimed “biggest FBI sting operation in history.” And while I’m inclined to always challenge superlatives like this, I’m probably not going to even try with this one. Because holy sh*t. The sheer scale of the crime in this story—and in turn, the unbelievable expanse of the law enforcement operation—is very difficult to grasp.

You’ll know what I mean when you read the story. Just try and take a few minutes to sit with its scale.

On an equal level of holy sh*t is this carbon trading fraud scheme that rocked Europe. There’s a special place in hell for people who look at honest efforts to curb the climate crisis and, instead of participating in good faith, try to hijack the system for personal gain.

If you’re not into crime, there’s still a lot of stories for you in this week’s list. Like this trip to the Mexican Baja peninsula and the ongoing battle over its land, or this deep dive into masturbation.

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 just want to be upfront about something, before you invest your time into this story: This is an adapted excerpt from a book. It is not a complete story on its own and the ending is, admittedly, a bit hanging.

That said, it’s still a very fascinating story.

It goes deep into the world of drugs and follows a very prolific and violent (and increasingly unhinged) crime kingpin who has established himself as a central personality in the underworld.

And it also tells the story of how his empire unraveled.

Like most crime stories, there isn’t a grand, profound lesson to be learned in this one (or at least not in this excerpt). The twists and turns and outsized characters are more than enough to keep it engaging.

The writing and research is impressive, too. The sentences are really dynamic and the paragraphs move fast (even though some are a bit too long for my liking). The writer does a great job of making the settings feel tangible (showing, instead of telling), which is really just a testament to how incredibly granular he got with his details.

All of that said, I think the overall structure of the story does nothing to help with readability, especially with how long it is. I know it was taken from a book, but maybe they could have broken it up into smaller subheads when they adapted it?

The story felt a bit underbaked on the law enforcement parts, but that might be because it’s an excerpt. Maybe it’s given the space it deserves in the book, which, btw, I’m now very interested in buying.

A very, very long read. But definitely a fun one. I’d commit just a bit over an hour, if I knew I could stay focused. Otherwise, maybe two hours or more.

… and then some

🏛️ Spying, Hacking and Intimidation: Israel’s Nine-Year ‘War’ on the ICC Exposed | The Guardian, Free

This is one of the most important stories of our time—and I say that as someone who’s not the biggest fan of the ICC. I think that there’s a kernel of truth in the criticism that it’s often used as a weapon to keep African (and other Black/brown countries) in line, but I do understand its value. And I think that governments should respect its purview and mission, regardless of how powerful they are. Israel (and the U.S., for that matter, despite not being part of the ICC), has no business trying to interfere with the work of the Court.

This is a pretty detailed investigation. But at the risk of being too emphatic, it’s incredibly important. I think that if you have maybe 45 minutes to spare, you should read this story.

🏭 Watch it Burn | The Atavist Magazine, Free

If you’re having a nice day and want to ruin your mood for some reason, then this is just the story for you. I know I shouldn’t be surprised anymore, but wow. Some people are truly evil, exploiting the very carbon systems supposed to save the planet—just to make themselves richer. And it’s not just a few bucks, too, but hundreds of millions of dollars. I couldn’t find it in my heart to be sympathetic to the characters.

A very, very long story. And heavy on the heart, too, because it’s so infuriating. Easily over an hour.

📣 You Think You Know How Misinformation Spreads? Welcome to the Hellhole of Programmatic Advertising | WIRED, $

Our second WIRED story this week is also our second book excerpt. I try to avoid excerpts and duplicate magazines in the same edition, but I think this story is too important to pass up. I dipped my toes a bit into programmatic advertising when I was a lost writer trying to break into marketing, so I have a very, very elementary grasp on the entire system.

But I never really considered how central it could become to the systems threatening democracies, or propping up violent governments. I also never thought of how easy it is to weaponize programmatic advertising. These are all important points for us to reflect on moving forward.

This is also a very, very long story, which can become a bit thick with technicalities in some parts. But I also heavily recommend that you find the time for it this week. Maybe 50 minutes, with distractions, will be enough. Hit me up for help with access.

🏖️ Buying Baja | Hakai Magazine, Free

I really, really adore science stories that take a strong political stance. It helps, too, that I agree with the story’s main points. I live in a country that relies on tourism for much of its economy, so I can see first-hand the ravages of gentrification. Locals are pushed out and left behind as markets inflate like crazy, and the environment is destroyed. There has to be a more sustainable and humane alternative.

I enjoyed this read very much, so it flew by quickly for me. Maybe 30 minutes without distractions.

♻️ Amazon Packages Burn in India, Final Stop in Broken Recycling System | Bloomberg, Free

In grade school, I was taught that we should recycle to help save the earth. I’ve gotten a bit disillusioned throughout the years, but I still try to be responsible with my waste as much as possible. This story—along with many other first-hand experiences—has really cast strong doubt on the spirit of recycling, though. Am I really helping to save the earth? Or am I just assuaging my guilt?

Pretty long and pretty tough to read. Maybe 40 minutes if you stay focused.

💦 Masturbation Abstinence is Popular Online. Doctors and Therapists are Worried | NPR, Free

This is a fun, if not a bit worrying, story about how we as a society can over-correct too much and, in the process, overlap with concerning conservative sentiments. I mean. I’m not surprised that the NoFap circles are rife with abusive hyper-macho men and right-wing philosphies, but it really does make you wonder why. I wish the article explored that part a bit more.

Not too long and neither is it too difficult to read. Maybe 30 minutes tops.

🌏 The Great Carbon Divide | The Guardian, Free

I loved this article when I read it last year, and my affection for it has only frown since. It argues for more awareness of how unfair the climate crisis is: The world’s richest 10% hold the large bulk of the responsibility, but poorest half suffer the most. The article also holds to account to the comfortable 40%—those who aren’t necessarily obscenely rich but have some degree of wealth. They, too, are partly to blame for the environmental meltdown, too.

Not too long, which I think is unforunate because some of the arguments could have been fleshed out some more. Commit maybe 25 minutes.

🛰️ The Internet’s Final Frontier: Remote Amazon Tribes | The New York Times, $

Modernity comes for us all, it seems. And I understand that that’s a good thing, broadly, but I also know that it has its own specific harms. This story does a nice job of bearing those consequences out, but I will say that I thought it was too short. I felt like there’s a lot more that could be told regarding the internal tensions in the tribe in terms of Internet access, and how that reflects the very real push-and-pull between technology and tradition.

Not long enough, in my opinion. But a very quick read. 20 minutes tops.

☢️ How a Nuclear Weapons Lab Helped Crack a Serial-Killer Case | Undark, Free

This is from Undark’s What I Left Out initiative, which makes feature articles out of stories that book authors left on the cutting room floor. I think it’s such a great project. That said, this particulary story did feel a bit short to me, though that might be a me thing. I’m such a sucker for science and crime narratives that I can never get enough of stories like this, which is right in the middle of those two categories.

Too short! Probably 15 minutes. But because of it, I’m definitely now interested to pick up the writer’s book.

🪴 Where the Wild Things Are: the Untapped Potential of Our Gardens, Parks and Balconies | The Guardian, Free

I really like this essay. The writer makes a very interesting case for using parks and gardens and other pockets of greenery (no matter how small) as sort of a corridor between larger wild areas, like forests and fields. I do think that in some parts, the writer was a bit too enthusiastic and impassioned, which is not a bad thing. It’s just not my speed.

Pretty long, but not a difficult read. I’d say 40 minutes at most. 

Around the world

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

1 - Israel continues its bloody campaign in Gaza. Its latest target is a UN school, with an airstrike reportedly killing more than 30 people.

2 - In the last 12 months, the planet has seen record-high temperatures. But because we aren’t doing anything about the climate crisis, it’s just going to get hotter from now on, according to experts.

3 - Nature has taken things into its own hands, it seems. Scientists have found a fungus species munching on plastic waste out on the ocean.

4 - Yet more distressing news. There have apparently been two massive leaks at Google, which could have exposed sensitive data from many users.

5 - South Korea’s migrant labor scheme is accused of modern-day slavery, ensnaring Filipinos in a system rife with abuse.

6 - In Japan, the Tokyo Metropolitan government has launched its own dating app to combat its worrying low birth rates.

7 - Lab-grown diamonds are endangering a largely legacy luxury industry in one of the world’s major markets: China.

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! 👋