Words for the Weekend

The best stories we read this week. 

The Robots are Here

TECHNOLOGY: Smart machines are transforming how we live and work and play. This isn’t news. What is: technology is also changing the structure of American politics.

Who is responsible for the pain pill epidemic?

MEDICINE: Over the past few decades, prescription drug use has got out of hand—so much so that the FDA recently tightened the rules governing how docs prescribe some of the most common painkillers. So should we blame big pharma or the doctors who aren’t saying “no”?

After 30 Years of Silence, the Original NSA Whistleblower Looks Back

SURVEILLANCE: It’s easy to forget that Edward Snowden had a predecessor. Perry Fellwock was the first NSA whistleblower; now, forty years later, he’s a Long Island antiques dealer.

Obama’s Ethanol Policy an Ecological Disaster

ENVIRONMENT: When the U.S. government decided it would use ethanol to slow global warming and curb greenhouse gas emissions, it didn’t anticipate ethanol’s not-so-friendly side effects. What was originally thought to be an environmental boon is wreaking havoc on millions of acres of conserved land, contaminating the water, and transforming Midwestern agriculture.

Want to Prevent Sexual Violence? Accept That You Know a Rapist

CULTURE: They are your roommates, your neighbors, your colleagues, your friends—rapists are all around us. Sexual violence permeates modern culture and we’re only just beginning to talk about it. Discussing is the first step, but in order to enact change, we need to talk to the next generation.