10 Weekend Readings: The Big Picture

• sow apocalypse: Can anything stop the invasion of wild pigs? They have invaded nearly the entire state, causing hundreds of millions of dollars worth of damage a year despite widespread eradication attempts, including traps, contraceptives, and a heavily armed Ted Nugent. (Texas Monthly)

• Pre-rolled joints and TikTok fights: is this the diamond district? The demise of Manhattan’s Old World jewelry industry has been predicted for years. But the hustle and bustle of 47th Street still has some life in it. (New York Times).

• The eccentric pioneers of vegetable electricity: In the 19th century, a handful of scientists became seized with a strange obsession: that electricity could be harnessed to make plants grow better. Could they have been onto something? (BBC)

• The secret ingredient of bustling culture: A Virtual Assistant in the Philippines How office work is outsourced from Silicon Valley to Manila. (Rest of the world)

• How Jim Jordan, a Trump-aligned fighter, fought his way to power: The Ohio Republican defines himself by his inclination to strike back, whether it’s against allegations that he was involved in a sexual abuse scandal or attempts to impeach the former president. (New York Times).

• The Florida sheriff against neo-Nazis ‘trash’. “There is always a risk, yes, that you may pay more attention to them,” Chitwood said. “But if you expose them for who they are, I think the vast majority of us will think, ‘wow, nobody wants to be like that. (Washington Post)

• The cult of Sigmund Freud: The inventor of psychoanalysis lured failed scientists and sexual opportunists, and built his legacy on myth and error. (new statesman)

• you have a new memory: What do we mean when we say that the Internet is reading our minds? (Board)

• The Vietnamese climate trap: As rising sea levels ruin crops, Mekong Delta farmers move to big cities, straining their finances and their families. Climate change is displacing a million farmers in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, but for most, migration is not an option. Their stories challenge conventional wisdom about what ‘climate refugees’ look like and where they go. (balloon and mail)

• Welcome to The Ringer’s Top 125 Players in the NBA Ranked– A year-round ranking of the players making the biggest impact in the league right now. Throughout the regular season and offseason, our triumvirate of analysts – Rob Mahoney, J. Kyle Mann and Michael Pina – will update this list based on recent results. Check back regularly for revised rankings, updated analysis, new features, fan mail from Ringer friends and family, and more. (the ringer)