economics The Hobbit economy not bucolic utopia but tenant farming and ostentatious displays of clan wealth Rob Beschizza
unions Major film schools scab WGA strike by bringing in movie executives to speak at commencement Thom Dunn
colonialism Puerto Ricans resist disaster capitalists and "Puertopians" in Hurricane Maria's wake Elías Villoro
Disney New Smithsonian exhibit on Disney theme parks focuses on how the parks reflect American culture Ruben Bolling
books Tears of the Trufflepig is a head-shakingly brilliant novel about contraband animals, Mexico and a labyrinthine conspiracy Elías Villoro
education Free school lunches are not worth the cost, according to rich, out-of-touch pundit Ben Shapiro Mark Frauenfelder
theranos Theranos bilked elite old-money investors of $400 million, say prosecutors Mark Frauenfelder
Billionaire Boys Club People wondering why Larry Page was let into New Zealand are forgetting that billionaires can do anything they want Mark Frauenfelder
corruption Tens of million in CARES Act loans went to the families of just 28 Congresspeople Thom Dunn
tabloids America set to be nuked, anarchy in the US, and the men who knew too much, in this week's dubious tabloids Peter Sheridan
facebook Facebook's new Fact-Checking policies have carved out an exemption for climate deniers Thom Dunn
Journalism VICTORY! New Free File rules ban tax-prep firms from hiding their offerings, allow IRS to compete with them (a love-letter to Propublica) Cory Doctorow
