This week’s list is wildly varied, hope you enjoy:
Abandoned Suitcases Reveal Private Lives of Insane Asylum Patients – Very moving project by one photographer to bring to light the most precious and important items of former asylum patients. (Hunter Oatman-Stanford for Collectors Weekly)
The Secret Of Costco’s Success – I try not to be much of a consumer (not judging you), but I have to admit that I have always loved Costco (don’t judge me). I’d like to think my reasons are the same reasons Costco is so successful, i.e. they choose to take care of their employees, among other things. Turns out they run their business empirically, and don’t get caught up hiring strategic consultants and chasing the latest economic or b-school “innovations”. (Kathleen Geier for the Washington Monthly)
What Type Of American Would You Trust To Work At The NSA? – The correct answer should be “none of the above”, but we tend to view the NSA as a system or machine that provides “safety and security”, which lets us convince ourselves (sometimes) that somehow they can find employees who will keep the public trust without abusing it. Of course, no specific person could actually do that while following an NSA job description/scope. (Conor Friedersdorf for the Atlantic)
The Long Con – Who was Bernie Madoff before Bernie Madoff? Phil Ferguson, and his pyramid-empire lasted through the 1980s and 90s, far longer than it should have. Once the fraud was exposed, he escaped Indiana and stayed one step ahead of capture for almost 15 years. (Michael Rubino for Indianapolis Monthly)