On certain February Sundays the country pauses and performs a ritual that feels older than it is. Families gather, food… Read more
The Ninth Inning of American Patience
The game unfolds the way it always has, without apology, without hurry, without the slightest concern for what the rest… Read more
Who is Simona de Silvestro and why you want to know.
There are many ways to become an Olympian, and they tend to follow familiar lines. Childhood specialization. Early promise. A… Read more
Why Rockets Don’t Care What You Believe
At a launch site in Florida, the moments before liftoff carry an odd restraint. Engineers sit behind glass walls, studying… Read more
The World Cup Was Built on Cities It Locked Out
When Philadelphia learned it would host World Cup matches in 2026, city officials projected the usual benefits: tourism revenue, global… Read more
Why Transparency Works and Authority Fights It
The story begins, as so many stories do these days, with something that seemed purely technical and ended somewhere much… Read more
Why You Know a Bad Slice When You Taste One
There are still places in American life where standards are enforced without argument, and you can usually find them wherever… Read more
What Happens When Customers Are Also Owners
American capitalism is often described as a contest. Firms compete. Investors choose. Markets decide. That story, repeated so often it… Read more
The Machinery of Democracy: Literature as a Software Service and a Public Good
In 2020, Kanye West tried to get on the presidential ballot in Wisconsin. He needed 2,000 signatures. He submitted 2,422…. Read more
The Quiet Return of Taxation Without Representation
Bruce Richardson has spent a lifetime around tea. He runs Elmwood Inn Fine Teas in Danville, Kentucky, imports leaves from… Read more