A few years ago, I was in Charlotte, North Carolina and a mutual friend suggested I look up Tommy Tomlinson, a longtime Charlotte Observer columnist who was transitioning from the paper to becoming one of America’s best longform sportswriters. Tomlinson proposed lunch at a Greek restaurant not far from my …
Read More »Weed Chefs: Coming to a Screen Near You
There’s something deeply satisfying about getting high and drooling over images of a gorgeous, marijuana-infused dinner — and a new crop of shows offer a look into how these intoxicating feasts are made. Take Viceland’s Bong Appétit, by far the biggest hit of the genre. Last year, it was nominated …
Read More »Why Can't Allyson Get Ahead?
Allyson Costello stared at the two lines on her pregnancy test and knew — immediately and beyond a shadow of a doubt — that she would get an abortion. She was 21 years old. She was on the pill, taking it religiously every morning. And it had been only a …
Read More »Army Medic, Addict, Bank Robber, Novelist: How Nico Walker Wrote New Book 'Cherry'
Before this summer, Nicholas “Nico” Walker was known as an Iraq War veteran, a bank robber and a heroin addict. Now, he can add “novelist” to his resumé, care of his debut novel Cherry, out last month. But you won’t see him on a book tour in the near future; …
Read More »How the Stress of Family Separation May Permanently Damage Migrant Children
Government video released Monday showed migrant children held in cages. Audio published that same day by ProPublica captured the wails of kids crying out for their parents as they’re mocked by Border Patrol agents. And photographs taken recently at the U.S.-Mexico border recently expose minors lost, confused and scared. Over …
Read More »Why Is it So Hard to Study Pot?
Earlier this year, the Drug Enforcement Administration announced it is “streamlining” a research application process for studying Schedule I drugs, including ecstasy and LSD. The news release failed to mention cannabis, which has also been lumped into the classification the federal agency created for substances having “no accepted medical use …
Read More »