In Washington DC, an obscure publication by a quirky man is widely read among the ruling class.

GQ

The Comedian's Comedian's Comedian By Amy Wallace

An inquiry into Gary Shandling as comic innovator: it hints at what humor might look like if our cultural obsession with irony makes space for an earnest but sophisticated avant garde.

THE GUARDIAN

Insane Clown Posse: And God Created Controversy by Jon Ronson

Behind the nasty lyrics, the profane antics, and the clown makeup, a Detroit rap duo reveals a two-decade long plot to trick their fans into accepting Jesus as their savior.

THE WEEKLY STANDARD

The Boy From Yazoo City by Andrew Ferguson

If you only read the passage that caused its subject, Haley Barbour, so much trouble, you missed out on the fascinating life story of "Mississippi's favorite son."







This Is A Business

PLANET MONEY

Dreaming of Plastic Crates in Haiti by Caitlin Kenney

It should have been a simple project: if Haitian mango farmers would just put their fruit in plastic crates they could double their income. In international development, however, nothing is ever that simple.

TEXAS MONTHLY

The Lost Girls by Mimi Swartz

The sex trade is thriving in Houston - and many of the people working in it are little better off than slaves.

NEW YORK

Rachel Uchitel Is Not A Madam by Lisa Taddeo

A peek inside New York City clubs where bottle girls play the role of 21st-century courtesans.

THE WASHINGTON MONTHLY

The Closing Of The Marijuana Frontier by John Gravois

In Mendocino County, California, pot is king - and its cultivators face complications unlike any other American farmers.

THE AWL

My Summer On The Content Farm by Jessanne Collins

How the Web's content farms produce the empty-calorie content that clutters up your Google results.

DESIGN OBSERVER

All Those Numbers: Logistics, Territory and Walmart by Jesse Lecavelier

What the discount retailer - the largest private employer in the United States - can teach us about design and efficiency.

VANITY FAIR

Beware Of Greeks Bearing Bonds by Michael Lewis

"How on earth do monks wind up as Greece's best shot at a Harvard Business School case study?" Michael Lewis descends on the country to find out, and discovers a peculiar brand of fiscal madness.

THE ATLANTIC

God Help You. You're On Dialysis. by Robin Fields

The dirty secret of America's dialysis centers, where kidney patients are needlessly dying.

THIS AMERICAN LIFE

NUMMI by Frank Langfitt

In the mid 1980s, one of Japan's most successful auto-makers willingly shared all the secrets of its success with GM. This is the story of why the company failed to take advantage of the opportunity.

THE NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKS

The Pirates Are Winning! by Jeffrey Gettleman

The celebrity outlaws of Somalia and their brazen, violent, largely successful plunder of global commerce.

THE BELIEVER

Sweatpants in Paradise by Molly Young