Will the queue bring down Putin?
Few things symbolize late Soviet decay like the queue. I remember, in 1991, walking to the grocery store from school so I could hold a…
Mamdani’s MAGA power
Zohran Mamdani won’t be able to eat the Democratic Party alive. The man who would probably be, on the basis of raw political talent, the most thrilling of the 2028…
Why David Brent died in Slough
“If you put Varun in front of people, he’ll just talk about startup fundraising for two hours. I highly doubt David Brent could do that.” We’re in Slough’s premier office…
Can Dolly Parton save America’s truckers?
Traffic was at a standstill on Interstate 40 through the Pigeon River Gorge when the message came through. Read more The Ukraine War’s big lie Whoa. Breaking News. Dolly is…
The Ukraine War’s big lie
It has become something of a seasonal ritual. Every summer, Brussels launches a fresh propaganda offensive on Ukraine — and this year is no different. “The tide is turning”, Commission…
Did Homer have a woman problem?
When an enormous Hollywood blockbuster is extruded, the actors cast in it are employed to put on a sage voice and discuss its importance. Lupita Nyong’o took up the challenge…
Farage’s Clacton reckoning
In politics, triumph and tragedy run close together. When Nigel Farage decided to resign from parliament and force a by-election in Clacton he clearly thought he had pulled a masterstroke…
A cancellation novel’s lunar sequel
The year 2011 saw the release of two movies — one, an auteurist masterpiece by Lars von Trier starring Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg; the other a low-budget think-piece starring…
Meta glasses are for perverts
Kylie Jenner asks her brand-new Meta glasses what the weather is like in New York City. Another Kylie Jenner, from inside said glasses, responds: “It’s around 68 degrees … light…
JD Vance’s convenient Catholicism
JD Vance was the first real writer to appear on a winning presidential ticket since Woodrow Wilson in 1912. Each embodied the fashions of his age. Wilson owed his cerebral…
America: land of the cheats
“Ball don’t lie.” This phrase, originally attributed to NBA star Rasheed Wallace, comes from American basketball culture and implies that, no matter what the referees or back-office bureaucrats do to…