Once a luxury good, the soft fiber is now everywhere — which has led to a goat boom in Mongolia. Zachary Crockett tugs at the thread.

• SOURCES:
  • Myagmarjav Serjkhuu, manager of the Mongolian Sustainable Cashmere Platform for the United Nations Development Programme.
  • Carolyn Yim, designer and owner of Ply-Knits.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Sandstorms and Desertification in Mongolia, an Example of Future Climate Events: A Review," by Jie Han, Han Dai, and Zhaolin Gu (Environmental Chemistry Letters, 2021).
  • "How Sustainable Cashmere Is Reversing Land Degradation in Mongolia," by Mariana Simões (United Nations Development Programme, 2021).
  • "Exploding Demand for Cashmere Wool Is Ruining Mongolia's Grasslands," by Kathleen McLaughlin (Science, 2019).
  • "From H&M to Gucci, Fashion Rethinks Cashmere, Citing Environmental Harm," by Matthew Dalton (The Wall Street Journal, 2019).
  • "2018 Annual Cashmere Market Report," by Marco Spina (The Schneider Group, 2019).
  • "How This Brand Made a Cashmere Sweater for $75 Ethically," by Esha Chhabra (Forbes, 2018).
  • "Pastoral Nomadism in the Forest-Steppe of the Mongolian Altai Under a Changing Economy and a Warming Climate," by D. Lkhagvadorj, M. Hauck, Ch. Dulamsuren, and J. Tsogtbaatar (Journal of Arid Environments, 2013).

Behind almost every character you see displayed on a page or a screen, there’s a complex — and sometimes lucrative — web of licensing deals. Zachary Crockett is just your type.

• SOURCES:
  • Lucas Czarnecki, creative director of Type Network.
  • Gerry Leonidas, professor of typography at the University of Reading.
  • Chantra Malee, co-founder and C.E.O. of Sharp Type.
  • Lucas Sharp, professional font designer and co-founder of Sharp Type.

• RESOURCES:
  • "What Fonts Are Used by The New York Times?" by Nona Blackman (Envato Tuts+, 2024).
  • "Legendary Type Foundry Monotype Sold to Private Equity for $825 Million," by Suzanne LaBarre (Fast Company, 2019).
  • "Calibri’s Scandalous History," by Ross Arbes (The New Yorker, 2017).
  • "This Was The First Computer Font," by John Herrman (BuzzFeed News, 2012).
  • "Manuscripts and Special Collections," by the University of Nottingham.

• EXTRA:
  • "Are Our Tools Becoming Part of Us?" by People I (Mostly) Admire (2024).

Americans throw away 320 million books every year. How do some of them find a second life? Zachary Crockett is just browsing. 

• SOURCE:
  • Francisco Hernandez, owner of Leaves bookstore.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Reinventing Retail: The Novel Resurgence of Independent Bookstores," by Ryan L. Raffaelli (Harvard Business School Working Paper, 2020).
  • Gravity's Rainbow, by Thomas Pynchon (1973).
  • The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison (1970).
  • Leaves bookstore.

• EXTRA:
  • "Dying Is Easy. Retail Is Hard," by Freakonomics Radio (2024).

The tradition of sending cards to loved ones was in decline — until it was rescued by a new generation. But millennials have their own ideas about what sentiments they want to convey. Zachary Crockett is thinking of you on your special day.

• SOURCES:
  • Mia Mercado, writer and former editor at Hallmark.
  • George White, president of Up With Paper and former president of the American Greeting Card Association.

• RESOURCES:
  • 34th Louie Awards - Finalists & Winners, (2022-2023).
  • "Season’s (and Other...) Greetings," by Maria Ricapito (Marie Claire, 2020).
  • "Hallmark Greeting Cards Have Adjusted to the Digital Revolution," by Trent Gillies (CNBC, 2017).
  • "Testimony of Don Hall, Jr. President and CEO of Hallmark Cards, Inc. Before a Joint Hearing of the Senate Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services and International Security and the House, Postal Service and the District of Columbia" (2010).

It’s unreactive, lighter than air, and surprisingly important to the global economy. Zachary Crockett goes up an octave.

• SOURCES:
  • Sophia Hayes, professor of chemistry at Washington University in St. Louis.
  • Phil Kornbluth, president of Kornbluth Helium Consulting.
  • Bo Sears, C.E.O. of Helix Exploration PLC.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Why Semiconductor Growth Will Drive Helium Demand," by Kitty Wheeler (Technology Magazine, 2024).
  • "The World Is Running Out of Helium. Here's Why Doctors Are Worried," by Caroline Hopkins (NBC News, 2022).
  • "Nothing on Earth Can Replace Helium — and It’s in Peril," by Joseph DiVerdi (The New York Times, 2019).
  • Selling the Nation's Helium Reserve, by the National Research Council (2010).
  • "Discovery of Helium in Natural Gas at the University of Kansas," by the American Chemical Society (2000).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Is Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade Its Most Valuable Asset?" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).

How did Florida International University’s new football stadium come to be named after the rapper and singer Pitbull? Adrian Ma and Wailin Wong of The Indicator from Planet Money explain.

• SOURCES:
  • Scott Carr, director of athletics at Florida International University.
  • Adrian Ma, co-host of The Indicator from Planet Money.
  • Wailin Wong, co-host of The Indicator from Planet Money.

• RESOURCES:
  • The Indicator from Planet Money

Mannequins may be made out of plastic or fiberglass, but for retailers they’re pure gold. Zachary Crockett strikes a pose.

• SOURCES:
  • Stacie Bornn, vice president of sales, marketing, and creative at Fusion Specialties.
  • Judi Henderson, C.E.O. and president of Mannequin Madness.

• RESOURCES:
  • "How This Oakland Business Gives Mannequins New Life (Almost)," by Christopher Beale (KQED, 2024).
  • "Nike's Controversial Plus-Size Mannequin Is a Brilliant Business Decision," by Kate Taylor (Business Insider, 2019).
  • "A Glance at History of Store Mannequins," by Anne D'Innocenzio (AP News, 2014).
  • "Making a Fashion Statement, With or Without Clothes," by Elisabetta Povoledo (The New York Times, 2011).
  • "Stores Demand Mannequins With Personality (Heads Optional)," by Stephanie Clifford (The New York Times, 2011).
  • "Body Design, Variable Realisms: The Case of Female Fashion Mannequins," by Sara K. Schneider (Design Issues, 1997).

Incarcerated people grow crops, fight wildfires, and manufacture everything from motor oil to prescription glasses — often for pennies per hour. Zachary Crockett reports from North Carolina.

SOURCES:

• Laura Appleman, professor of law at Willamette University.
• Christopher Barnes, inmate at the Franklin Correctional Center.
• Lee Blackman, general manager at Correction Enterprises.
• Brian Scott, ex-inmate, former worker at the Correction Enterprises printing plant.
• Louis Southall, warden of Franklin Correctional Center.

RESOURCES:

• "Prisoners in the U.S. Are Part of a Hidden Workforce Linked to Hundreds of Popular Food Brands," by Robin McDowell and Margie Mason (AP News, 2024).
• "Ex-Prisoners Face Headwinds as Job Seekers, Even as Openings Abound," by Talmon Joseph Smith (The New York Times, 2023).
• "Captive Labor: Exploitation of Incarcerated Workers," by the American Civil Liberties Union and the University of Chicago Law School Global Human Rights Clinic (2022).
• "Bloody Lucre: Carceral Labor and Prison Profit," by Laura Appleman (Wisconsin Law Review, 2022).
• "Prison Labor Is on the Frontlines of the COVID-19 Pandemic," by Eliyahu Kamisher (The Appeal, 2020).
• Correction Enterprises.

EXTRAS:

• "Can Data Keep People Out of Prison?" by People I (Mostly) Admire (2023).

It takes millions of giant green placards to make America navigable. Where do they come from — and who pays the bill? Zachary Crockett takes the exit. 

• SOURCES:
  • Lee Blackman, general manager at Correction Enterprises.
  • Gene Hawkins, senior principal engineer at Kittelson and professor emeritus of civil engineering at Texas A&M University.
  • Renee Roach, state signing and delineation engineer for the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways, 11th Edition," by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration (2023).
  • "Who Picks the Businesses on Highway Exit Signs?" by Janet Nguyen (Marketplace, 2022).
  • "The Road to Clarity," by Joshua Yaffa (The New York Times Magazine, 2007).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Do People Pay Attention to Signs?" by No Stupid Questions (2022).

When a zoo needs an elephant, or finds itself with three surplus penguins, it doesn’t buy or sell the animals — it asks around. Zachary Crockett rattles the cages.

• SOURCES:
  • Hollie Colahan, deputy director of the Birmingham Zoo and chair of the AZA's Animal Population Management Committee.
  • Dwight Lawson, executive director and C.E.O. of the Oklahoma City Zoo.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Oklahoma City Zoo Announces Near-Total Redesign in 2024 Master Plan," by Sam Royka (The Oklahoman, 2024).
  • "Panda Diplomacy: What China’s Decision to Send Bears to the US Reveals About Its Economy," by Chee Meng Tan (The Conversation, 2024).
  • "Oklahoma City Zoological Trust Financial Statements," (2023).
  • "Modern Zoos Are Not Worth the Moral Cost," by Emma Marris (The New York Times, 2021).
  • "The Tiger King of the 19th Century," by Betsy Golden Kellem (Slate, 2020).
  • Animal Population Management Committee of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Tow-truck drivers: roadside rescuers or car confiscators? Zachary Crockett gets hooked.

• SOURCES:
  • Bill Giorgis, president of Mike’s Wrecker Service.
  • Max Karimi, co-owner of H&M Roadside.
  • Teresa Murray, director of the Consumer Watchdog Program at U.S. Public Interest Research Group.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Getting Off the Hook of a Predatory Tow - Part II," by Jacob van Cleef and Teresa Murray (U.S. PIRG Education Fund, 2022).
  • "Getting Off the Hook of a Predatory Tow," by Grace Brombach (U.S. PIRG Education Fund, 2021).
  • "Beware of Car Towing Companies That Patrol Private Parking Lots," by Ann Carrns (The New York Times, 2021).
  • "After a Wave of Injuries, Tow Truck Drivers Want Us All to Slow Down," by Kristian Foden-Vencil (Oregon Public Broadcasting, 2021).
  • "AAA’s Grip Forcing West Coast Tow Companies Out of Business, Owners Say," by Annie Sciacca (East Bay Times, 2016).
  • r/Hookit.