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Karen MacDonough had paid her mortgage for years, raised her family, and lived a quiet life in her Quincy, Massachusetts home—until one day, a group of strangers appeared on her lawn, claiming her house was up for foreclosure. What followed was a surreal discovery of “zombie mortgages,” forgotten second loans from the housing bubble era The post Planet Money: Zombie 2nd Mortgages appeared first on 99% Invisible.
8 months ago

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Build, Interrupted: A Conversation with Ezra Klein

In 2022, a group of developers proposed transforming a Nordstrom parking lot in San Francisco into nearly 500 apartments, many of them affordable and close to public transit. But before they could even begin the formal approval process, they faced a preliminary review. This step wasn’t approval to build or denial—it was simply a list

6 days ago 8 votes
Foreign in a Domestic Sense

On a recent trip to Puerto Rico, producer Jeyca Medina-Gleason discovered a piece of her family history: a manila folder with her grandfather Tomás Velez Lopez’s photo attached to the front. Across the top in bold letters, it read “Division of Special Investigations” followed by a case number. This folder—known in Puerto Rico as a

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Fishing In The Night

The Divided Dial is a podcast series about the history of radio from WNYC’s On the Media and longtime 99PI contributor, Katie Thornton. In season 1, Katie explored the rise of right wing talk radio in the United States. The newest season of The Divided Dial is all about shortwave. Across four episodes, Katie dives

2 weeks ago 11 votes
Fishing In The Night

The Divided Dial is a podcast series about the history of radio from WNYC’s On the Media and longtime 99PI contributor, Katie Thornton. In season 1, Katie explored the rise of right wing talk radio in the United States. The newest season of The Divided Dial is all about shortwave. Across four episodes, Katie dives

2 weeks ago 12 votes
😅⚖️

In 2021, a Canadian farmer named Chris Achter responded to a buyer’s grain contract with a simple 👍 emoji. What followed wasn’t just a misunderstanding—it was a legal showdown that captured global attention. Achter, based in Saskatchewan, had a long-standing business relationship with the buyer. They often finalized grain deals over text. That year, when

3 weeks ago 14 votes

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Inside a Wooded Hideaway Where Every Room Opens to Nature, Even the Sauna

Tucked into a five-acre wooded site just outside Seattle, Washington, the Interurban Residence is a quietly bold family home designed by Heliotrope Architects. Created for a family of four, this home turns its back on urban hustle and instead reaches deep into the forest, embracing sun, air, and natural materials with equal parts elegance and restraint. With interiors crafted by Amy Baker Interior Design and a landscape thoughtfully composed by Land Morphology, Interurban feels not simply placed within the forest, but deeply rooted in it.

3 hours ago 1 votes
Reading List for 05/31/2025

Wind wars, ALARA, power plant water use, grassroots opposition to data centers, and more.

2 days ago 3 votes
At First This Small Apartment Looks Simple, Then You Notice the Loft and Hidden Office

Located in Vila Mariana, one of São Paulo’s most traditional neighborhoods, this small apartment (398 square feet or 37 square meters) is a standout example of how compact living can be redefined through intelligent design. With interior design by RMV Interiores, the renovation focused on vertical space optimization and a contemporary material palette that balances efficiency with refined aesthetics.

3 days ago 3 votes
When There Is No Intelligence in Artificial Intelligence

AI is a tool for design, no more, no less. Humans are the creators.

4 days ago 4 votes
Can We Afford Large-scale Solar PV?

In the US solar energy has steadily risen in how much of our electricity it supplies.

4 days ago 5 votes