Writing Worth Reading
Writing Worth Reading
World's most popular sport is deeply corrupt. Football (soccer) "match fixing has become a massive worldwide crime, on par with drug trafficking, prostitution and the trade in illegal weapons." A key fixer says he'll lift the lid
Report from high-security prison in Norway. Where rehabilitation is focus, not retribution. Prisoners include murderers, paedophiles. Yet every cell has flat-screen TV and private shower. Warden can't remember last fight
Story of Hans-Jürgen Kuhl. Made fortune in leather hot pants. Bankrupt, turned to "art". His quest? A perfect $100 bill. "Warhol copied currency, and his prints are now priceless. Kuhl copied currency, got busted, and is now broke"
Married to the 'Ndrangheta. "Ms Cacciola was forced into a loveless marriage at the age of 16, with a man who almost immediately disappeared into the solitary confinement wing of a prison. From then on, she was rarely allowed out"
Troubling story of Carlos DeLuna, executed in 1989 for the brutal murder of a young woman. DeLuna always insisted that the killer was a lookalike, Carlos Hernandez. But police denied Hernandez even existed. They were wrong
Dieter Machold ran a family business of impeccable reputation, trading in antique violins. When he needed capital, his banks were happy to accept a Stradivarius or two as security. Until, one day, the music stopped
Anyone still think for-profit prisons are a good idea? Well, this should change your mind. Horrifying account of a children's prison out of control. Drugs, weapons, beatings, rapes commonplace. Often with prison staff complicit
Best piece yet on the notorious Kim Dotcom, and file-sharing website Megaupload. "His plan was to create a more artist-friendly distribution platform where creators would get paid more than they do when Apple sells their product"
Robber, con artist, plane hijacker, escaped prisoner, domestic terrorist. George Wright is all of the above. He spent 41 years on the run. Until police trapped him in Portugal. But there was still time for one last great escape
In 1846 Albert Tirrell was put on trial for the gruesome murder of his mistress. He seemed certain to be convicted. Until his lawyer Rufus Choate, “great galvanic battery of human oratory”, launched a most unusual defence
A glimpse of what actually goes on at a murder crime scene. "I'm the conductor of an orchestra. I don't need to know how to play the violin, but I need to know what sound they make and, more importantly, when to bring them in"
Who is George Zimmerman? Before you dismiss him as an irrational racist vigilante, read this piece. It adds some useful background and context on the accused in the killing of Trayvon Martin
Image from Wikimedia Commons
