Taking the fast train back to imperialism
Laos is now an economic vassal of China, a protectorate, or feudal satellite firmly in Beijing’s orbit
Life
Thursday
Breakfasts, massages and reinvigorating Swiss thermal waters
My father would have loved this new spa life. I’m not sure about my mother. But I did
The Karoo has seen so much, but changed so little
From the Khoisan to springbok herds to British soldiers, many have passed without leaving a mark
Baseball may be trapped in a two-party system
The sport braces for another Dodgers-Yankees scrum, a duopoly less about parity than power
Why German-origin Americans keep quiet about their culinary contributions
The influence on food is so widespread, and has fused so successfully with American culture, that one might forget it is there
The excellent wine of Mount Ventoux
Fortunately for us wine drinkers, the Benedictine monks who have been planting grapes on the slopes for centuries were not sissies
Friday
Are we still doing phrasing?
In our irony-sodden age, children may be the last reminder that words mean something
Thursday
Road-tripping with Wittgenstein
Prior generations of children grew up with definitive signs of when they had entered an adult space. Their senses told them so
A week at the World Backgammon Championship
Only 300 players entered the World Championship in 2024 — and I was one of them
Thursday
The war against slovenliness
As a father you are part prison guard, three parts beat cop
The Spectator’s 2024 Holiday Gift Guide
Our staff and regulars help you spread goodwill to all men
Monday
Cacophony at the dinner table
The NIH operates a website called Noisy Planet. There you will learn that experts advise you to ‘move away from the noise’
Thursday
My parental lobotomy
In my experience anterograde amnesia is just as essential to the creation of new life as wine
Eighty years on, Smokey Bear has aged like a fine oak
These days, he has been modernized into a sleek, digital, AI-looking creature
The return of CRT TVs
For enthusiasts of retro video games and other esoteric media hobbies, what others see as trash is their treasure
Monday
A new approach to swimming lessons
You do not need the US Coast Guard or CCP manufacturers, hot tub trade groups or international standards agencies to avoid tragedy
A brief history of parties
The political implications of soirées
My World Series of Poker debut
In the beginning, it looked great for your hero
Thursday
Waste not want not
Any child can transition out of diapers in a weekend so long as Dad commits to the Lethal Weapon 2 method of potty training
Monday
Plane stupidity: my waking flight-mare
My iPhone spent almost a week last October trapped inside the belly of a Boeing 767
