Two excellent articles for this week, the first one is just insane and particularly helpful for writers. As I’ve always said, one thing that viewers/readers truly love is watching/reading about something which is both 1. realistic and 2. they didn’t know about. Hit two those buttons and you’ll keep people very intrigued. Second article a nice long read for your Saturday or Sunday coffee . . .

TOP TEN WAYS TO BREAK INTO AND OUT OF ANYTHING – The title says it all. But they talk about safes, garages, chain locks, etc. – goo.gl/mDuvMR

A DRUG FAMILY IN THE WINNER’S CIRCLE – Fascinating article about money laundering, horse racing, drug cartels. I mean c’mon – Who doesn’t love those three things together? – goo.gl/7bjkJ1

 

Some of my favorite articles from past #WEEKENDREADS, collated by yours truly:

THE GREAT DENVER AIRPORT MYSTERY – Did members of the “New World Order” build Denver’s airport and fill it with post-apocalyptic symbols and images? goo.gl/DxBeoH

THE MYSTERY OF THE OVERNIGHT SAVANTS – Brain damage has unleashed extraordinary talents in a small group of otherwise normal individuals. Will science find a way for everyone to tap their inner virtuoso? goo.gl/nhVsxD

SECRET BUYERS UP IN THE CLOUDS – Is luxury real estate the new Swiss Bank Account? goo.gl/8KT9r4

THE DRAGNET – How a man accused of million-dollar fraud uncovered a never before seen, secret surveillance device. I read about the Stingray in 2011, and the only thing that surprised me was the fact that people didn’t think this thing existed. If one were a criminal, I think it would be best to assume that a device like this exists instead of the opposite. Just saying.  – goo.gl/UhhZ1F

THE MAN WHO SOLVED HIS OWN MURDER – How a spy, poisoned in London, helped investigate his own murder from his hospital bed. A super-interesting article, also notable because at one point I was planning on traveling to London and literally staying in this same hotel! Crazy. – goo.gl/ixgtKX

DICK CONANT, THE MISSING BOATER – More of a human interest story mixed with Walden/Thoreau vibes, and a very well written and researched article from my perennial favorite the New Yorker. – goo.gl/VNOCnp

EDITOR OF RUSSIAN GQ FINDS “FREEDOM” IN SCREENWRITING. NYTimes article about the former editor of Russia GQ, and his trials and tribulations as a creative leader in Russia. – goo.gl/c7TToh

BAD GRANDPA HIKES KIDS ALMOST TO DEATH AT GRAND CANYON. I have rafted the Grand Canyon in the middle of the summer. It is absolutely, definitely not a place you want to try to conquer without the right supplies. But what I like about this Indianapolis Monthly article is not just the jovial tone, but the lack of black-and-white. Both points of view are represented very well… goo.gl/Q0mwyR

Boom! Inside a British Bank-Bombing Spree by Nick Summers – goo.gl/XVRsPN
No American ATM has ever been robbed with explosive gas. The same WAS true in Britian – Until 2013. Now there have been more than 90.

The Deputy Who Disappeared by Claire Martin for LA Magazine – goo.gl/PmBhvu
This is a truly fascinating story about an LA County Sheriff’s Deputy who disappeared off the face of the earth while long-distance running in the Antelope Valley. What starts out as a possible lost-and-perished-in-the-woods tale starts to become something much different as the article proceeds.

None Dare Call It a Conspiracy by Scott Anderson for GQ – goo.gl/BJ60fG
False flag terrorism, in which one entity conducts a terrorist attack but makes it seem like another is responsible, in order to provoke a counterattack, is age-old. But is still still practiced today? This article is very controversial, as it’s about Russia, and Putin, and the apartment bombings that marked the beginning of Putin’s reign… And you won’t be able to stop reading.