In 1899, Thorstein Veblen published The Leisure of the Theory Class. It popularized the terms conspicuous consumption and conspicuous leisure. Veblen, imbued with the austerity of his…
Remember how the world, especially the American media, fawned over former German Chancellor Angela Merkel? The adoration was so over the top that in 2015 Time magazine…
With sales exceeding 20 million per annum recently, Americans have been buying more guns over the past few years than ever before. As with any other product,…
America’s all-volunteer military is in danger of becoming an all-small volunteer military. The reason: All of the military services, except for the tiny Space Force, are at…
“Today, we turn a page on Roe v. Wade.” Lynn Fitch, the attorney general of Mississippi, was standing on the steps of the Supreme Court rallying a…
Admittedly I am hijacking my own language column a bit to insert my interest in climate change this week, but bear with me. We’ll get to the…
The title of this column is a line from the terrific movie Moneyball. In it, Billy Beane (in an outstanding performance from Brad Pitt), the general manager…
“Stupid and cruel.” That’s America, says Jeff Tweedy on “Cruel Country,” the title track for his band Wilco’s 12th album. Born in Belleville, Illinois’s working class and…
Something desperately needs fixing with airlines in the United States. An otherwise wonderful trip abroad this month was marred at both the front and back ends by…
This summer marks the 15th anniversary of the iPhone’s debut. The smartphone changed how we live, but its innovations also heavily influenced tech policy in Washington for…
