With skirmishes erupting near the Persian Gulf and a memorandum of understanding reportedly moving toward the president’s desk, the Middle East is teetering between renewed […]
Silence in the Mix: How ‘Tuner’ Turns a Piano Tuner’s Disability into a Masterful Heist
The recent film Tuner bears striking similarities to several productions from the past decade, which may lead some to question its originality. A storyline centered […]
Scandalous to Sacred: How Oscar Wilde and Others Found Faith in the Catholic Church
The Catholic Church saw incredible growth in the United States this past year, especially among young people (men, in particular). If you’re tuned into the […]
Spitz’s Rolling Stones Biography Ignores the Band’s Darker Truths
Bob Spitz has compiled a press-cuttings history of the Rolling Stones. Like much of their music, it is hacked together from other people’s work, though […]
The Surprising Power of Constraints in a World of Endless Choices
Fifteen years ago, when my older children were in preschool at our synagogue, I participated in a focus group. The synagogue’s leadership wanted to understand […]
U.S. Senator Urges Immediate Sanctions Against Iran’s Proposed Hormuz Toll System
Key Republican senator claims he is drafting new legislation to prevent Tehran from generating up to $2 million per ship through a proposed toll system […]
Why Recessions Happen: A New Study Shows They’re Unpredictable Shocks, Not Economic Cycles
In the 1920s and 1930s, economists grappled with a pressing issue: dramatic economic fluctuations that plagued much of Western Europe following World War I’s devastation. […]
Philadelphia Museum’s 250th Anniversary Exhibit Turns American History into a Punishing Indictment
The Philadelphia Museum of Art—in the city where the Declaration of Independence was drafted and signed—is marking the 250th anniversary of the founding of America […]
American Kids’ Picky Eating: A Century-Long Shift from Omnivores to Selective Eaters
Historian Helen Zoe Veit’s new book, Picky: How American Children Became the Fussiest Eaters in History, traces a dramatic transformation in childhood eating habits over […]
Hideki Tojo: The War Leader Whose Calculations Led Japan into Catastrophe
General Hideki Tojo served as Japan’s war minister (administrative leader of the Imperial Army) from July 18, 1940, to July 18, 1944, and then concurrently […]