BBC: How a dose of MDMA transformed a white supremacist - really interesting and there’s promise here, but it also feels like everybody involved needed to take a step back and go “wait what are we doing here”??

BBC: Inside North Korea - so, so bleak, but well worthwhile, in particular to understand that even in countries that seem intent on stopping time, life marches on and things can always get worse

July

BBC: France riots: 'For the politicians we are nothing'

Politico: The Prigozhin Affair Is Much Less than Meets the Eye

The Washington Post [US]: Once hailed for decriminalizing drugs, Portugal is now having doubts

The Guardian: I’m a psychologist with a history of anxiety. Treating it as a permanent problem might make young people feel worse

The Guardian: I made upskirting illegal. This is why I don’t want to change any more laws - this is a very difficult space to navigate, but a conversation worth having about how to maximise would-be victims’ safety from all harm, and the complex nature of finding your responses as a victim

August

Newshub: John Cleese shocks The Project Australia host Waleed Aly by asking 'what kind of a name' he has - man fell off hard

The Guardian: I have long rejected claims that Israel is an apartheid state. Now I believe that is where it is heading

Politico: ‘I Could Use a Little More Self-Flagellation’

Vox [US]: Is the populist right’s future ... democratic socialism?

BBC: Anonymous Sudan hacks X to put pressure on Elon Musk over Starlink - wildest headline and story of the year

September

The Guardian: Blasphemy law is no answer to bigotry in the wake of Denmark’s Qur’an burnings

“ “ “ “: At a stroke, Slovakia could soon become Russia’s newest ally

Substack [US]: Elon Musk is a genius. He's also an idiot.

BBC: Alien life in Universe: Scientists say finding it is 'only a matter of time' - a real paradigm shift in a field that seemed increasingly consigned to hopelessness

October

Newsroom: Luxon’s empty Christchurch pitch

BBC: A spooked and lonely Taiwan looks for new friends

November

Substack: OpenAI: The Battle of the Board

December

Nothing here, I'm afraid.

Well, folks, there’s no more Favourite Articles of 2023. Just an announcement: there will only be one more Favourite Articles article, ever.

Frozen Peaches was born out of the desires to 1) have something of my own and 2) share my thoughts with others instead of sitting on them. Favourite Articles doesn’t tickle 1), but the format worked for 2) so long as I was interested in delving through the media and finding good reads. Now that I’m out of university, my focus has shifted. While I keep up with the news, I just don’t read nearly as many articles as I used to, which makes for slim pickings these days.

So! What I intend to do is, whenever I feel like getting around to it, I’m going to put up my Favourite Articles for the Other Bajillionty Years. That will do two things: 1), it’ll store every good read I’ve enjoyed that was written before the blog got rolling, and 2) be a place to put any exceptional reads post-2023 I do still happen to come across. Assuming there's still any media left post-2023. Between Vice and Newshub going down, the landscape's looking pretty bleak.

In the meantime, I’ll be wrapping up reflections on 2023. From there, with election year well and truly done, and new challenges on the horizon, articles will slow down (assuming, of course, that there isn’t the most incredible influx of political news). We’ll see if the pace picks up towards the end of the year as the US presidential election approaches. For now, though, expect fewer posts.

All right. You know now. I’m proud of the reading I’ve done. That’s all.

My Favourite (Non-NZ Election) Articles of 2023

January

February

March

April

May

June