I can't stop reading ..... the 100 greatest magazine articles of all time

On vacation this week so I'll keep it short and sweet. This is a compilation put together with the help of a bunch of contributers of the 100 greatest long-form magazine articles of all time. The list is separated by decades with the articles receiving the most nominations appearing at the beginning. Two articles I've posted before made the list, the article on hospice care, and the article on the death penalty and the arsonist from Texas. The list gets updated so check back from time to time.

I can't stop reading .... about hospice care

I posted another article by Atul Gawande a while back that dealt with health care costs by looking at two towns in Texas. This excellent and at times tear-jerking article deals with looking at reducing health care costs and improving quality of life through the use of hospice car. The article hit close to home on several fronts, but I think anyone regardless of past experience can relate to what he talks about. The article does an amazing job of describing the dilemma physicians face when talking about end-of-life-care as a result of society's view of death. I still blame the GOP for mischaracterizing, nay, lying, about "death panels" when health care was being debated and causing reimbursement for counseling to disappear, but I realize now the problem goes much deeper than that. More than anything, it comes down to a choice between the societal ideal of fighting death to the bitter end or giving up the chance to be healed and focusing on enjoying life and minimizing pain.

I'd like to thank Mike for being the bigger (read: more weak-willed) man and finally posting. The blog is back at least until next month when it's been another six weeks since his lazy-ass has posted.

I can't stop reading .... essays I should've read a while ago

Here are two long-ish essays from the New Yorke that David Brooks repped in a column last week. The first deals with health care and analyzes two cities as a means of determining what's wrong with the system. The second is an article on inequality in the justice system, more specifically about an inmate on Texas death row that may have been innocent. The article makes a compelling case for abolishing the death penalty. Admittedly, I may have found this article more compelling than the average person, since representing prisoners claiming actual innocence was what I devoted my pro bono time in law school towards, but regardless, I think most people would find it a little disconcerting that the State of Texas may have killed an innocent man.

McAllen, Texas and the Cost Conundrum

Trial by Fire

I can't stop reading..... Eating the Dinosaur

Full Disclosure: I loved Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs, so Eating the Dinosaur was bound to be right in my wheelhouse. For those of you who haven't read his stuff, Klosterman is essentially a pop-culture essayist in these two books. The books really don't have any kind of cohesive theme. Instead, they read like a collection of essays that on their surface state outrageous or absurd claims (Kurt Cobain is a lot like the leader of cult from Waco in the '90's David Koresh), but actually deal with something much broader (how self-perception influences the production and sale of an art form). Part of the appeal to me is the in-depth examination of the inane. One of my favorite essays is his discussion of the use of time travel in movies in which he gives 8 bullet points that list all of paradoxes of time-travel, a discussion Mike and I have had on numerous occasions both drunk and sober.

I can't stop reading. . . .Machine Man

I love the author Max Barry (he's written Jennifer Government, Syrup and Company). His books are quick-reads, but I find them not only entertaining but insightful looks at the effects that corporations have on our lives

He just started an interesting project called Machine Man. Its his new book, but he is writing it in a very different way - he is writing a page a day, and then sharing that page with the readers via email. So, basically everyday you open your email and there is a new page in this book. Its an interesting way to read a book - and unlike all of those daily emails from Barack, I actually read these. His blog is also interesting and includes information about the process of writing in general and how writing this book is different than his other projects.

Anyway, I cant stop reading this new book and his comments about it. You can sign up to get the first 46 pages free, then its like 5 bucks or something to continue if you are enjoying. (Also, if you haven't read any of his other stuff, check out Jennifer Government - truly a great read).

More information about the project from Max

Try it for free here