Most of the time, being British in the United States is riddled with perks. Americans love our accent, routinely ask if we are friends with King Charles, and assume that our intelligence, honesty, and wit are unrivalled — a view debunked by the mere existence of John Oliver. But every year, as July Fourth approaches, […]
The United States under President Donald Trump is liked less by the rest of the world than it was during the presidencies of Barack Obama and Joe Biden, but it is furtively much more admired. It is also more respected in the way that matters most, which is that other nations know they cannot ignore […]
There is no time when the Declaration of Independence‘s true meaning is not worthy of deep reflection. But certainly this Independence Day, which marks the beginning of a year of celebrating the 250th anniversary of the declaration’s signing, is a worthy occasion for such reflection. To be sure, there’s no shortage of commentary to spur […]
I learned soon after leaving home for college, after leaving the conservative bubble in which I was raised, that it’s best not to admit you like the Fourth of July. Even after I was quick to quip, “My parents are immigrants, I’m allowed to be patriotic,” this admission was still taboo. Best not to admit […]
Good neighborhoods and bad neighborhoods differ in many ways, but the most important may be the trust gap. You can tell a place is nice to live in because children leave their bikes on front lawns, and front doors are often unlocked. Happy countries also differ from unhappy countries in many ways, but trust might […]
The most famous merchant of America, Jeff Bezos, got married in Venice over the last weekend of June. While the world gawked at the $50 million price tag of the festivities, the 90 private jets of 200 fellow billionaires and Hollywood celebrities who descended on the Italian islands, and the gilded and garish parade of […]
Being a liberal bookstore means you must pretend Republicans are “banning” books when you’re the one actually doing it. This is true even if the author is a literary titan. Enter Booksmith, a nearly 50-year-old bookstore in San Francisco that is finished with J.K. Rowling, who wrote the wildly popular Harry Potter series that has dominated entertainment, through books, movies, and […]
People are decreasingly literate and increasingly desperate. Pair that reality with a fast food coupon, and you have modern advertisement. For Jimmy John’s, sub sales are the goal of the beach read campaign accessed through its Summer Menu of Ultimate Temptation, or SMUT. Use a promo code to order one of the four items on […]
It’s been a dangerous spring for American Jews. The country’s anti-Israel movement has traditionally focused its ire on the Jewish state. However, adherents are now brazenly harming Jews, and a suspected Jew, in the United States. Over seven weeks, Jews suffered three high-profile attacks. On April 13, the official residence of Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) […]
If you are a Generation Xer, or maybe even an older millennial, your perception of a possible artificial intelligence apocalypse is most likely defined by the Terminator movies. In the first of many possible timelines, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s reprogrammed protector T-800 tells Sarah Connor that Skynet became self-aware at 2:14 a.m. Eastern Time on Aug. 29, […]
Just two months after President Donald Trump began a brief detente with Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, he’s ramping up his old pressure campaign. Although Trump has stopped short of reiterating his prior, but since-retracted threat to fire Powell, the president has teased announcing his nominee to replace him long before the beleaguered central bank […]
I am part of the repertory cinema scene in Los Angeles, that lonely confederacy of men in graphic tees, paying for parking just to watch movies you could easily rent on Amazon. So I speak from both authority and trial and error when I say the David Geffen Theater at the Academy Museum of Motion […]
Two important things happened on May 13, 2021. The first was that, according to a bulletin posted that day on the website of the American Hospital Association, “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today updated its interim guidance stating that fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear a mask or physically distance in […]
Paris is a city of great pleasures, but one of the best is sitting on the exterior terrace of a cafe, drinking something delicious, and puffing away on a cigar. It’s a pretty complete experience — two kinds of intoxicants entering the bloodstream, the bustle and hum of the city as it passes by, the […]
