In-N-Out stands above all competitors not only because of its quality but also because of its positive association with the state it calls home (Sorry, Texas, Whataburger just doesn’t compare). But that relationship is slowly dwindling, and the “In-N-Out” name might soon describe the chain’s time in California. In-N-Out was founded in California in 1948, becoming a West Coast […]

There’s usually a fun element to fictionalizing history. Imagine a world where Dwight Eisenhower shot Adolf Hitler to end World War II in place of the führer’s bunker suicide, or John Wilkes Booth being stopped by a good Samaritan who saved Abraham Lincoln’s life and allowed the 16th president to deliver on his promise of […]

PITTSBURGH — It should come as no surprise that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent declined to be the next Federal Reserve chairman. Spend any time listening to Bessent talk, and it is clear he is laser-focused on one thing, something he can only accomplish in his current job: lifting America’s economy into a position where both […]

Gallup’s annual surveys on the moral acceptability of various issues have produced largely predictable results, with social conservatives remaining in the minority on most measures. The findings were generally unremarkable, except on the question of polygamy, which stands out as a growing point of divergence among younger respondents. It remains the case that a strong […]

In a surprise move, CBS is sunsetting The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Colbert’s show debuted following the retirement of David Letterman, who hosted Late Night on the network from 1993 to 2015. Much has been made of the cancellation, and naturally, CBS is taking a lot of arrows from those claiming the move is […]

A while back, I told you about Specialist Grundle, the annoying soldier who deployed with us to Farah Province, Afghanistan, in 2004. He was furious about not having been promoted and compensated by claiming superior soldier ability and quoting useless weapons statistics. I was disgracefully overweight when I began my tour, but the extreme desert […]

On a visit to Budapest in the 1930s, an unimpressed H.L. Mencken remarked that the former imperial capital had the feeling of “an empty ballroom.” Having been shorn of half its territory after World War I, Budapest’s grandeur was an awkward fit for a country of 8 million people caught between the rising totalitarian powers […]

I emailed a young colleague a few days ago to ask about an upcoming project. We were supposed to have a meeting to discuss it this week, but I hadn’t received any confirmation.  It’s a delicate email to write. On the one hand, I’d like to get the project going as soon as possible. On […]

Charmed as his life might be (stable and remunerative employment at a daily city newspaper!),  it’s easy to feel sorry for Superman. Having been around for now the better part of a century, the blue unitard-wearing hero’s name has become almost metonymic with an idealized, impossible conception of “goodness” (see: everything from the ponderous 2010 […]