Too damn high
Why does everything in the U.S. seem so expensive? Peter Ganong on the pandemic, a broken construction sector, and a steep decline in American social mobility.
Note: ‘Compassion’
111 MHz: ‘Compassion.’ This is the title track for the jazz pianist Vijay Iyer’s standout new album, with Linda
Note: ‘Assad or We Burn the Country’
5 W Main: Assad or We Burn the Country. Damascus has fallen. Bashar al-Assad has fled Syria. Within the space
Note: ‘We’re going to be in a new world’
‘We’re going to be in a new world.’ The combined military budget of the United States is now nearly
Mutually assured
Why is the United States building up so much military capability? Adam Tooze on how America’s great-power rivalries with China and Russia are transforming U.S. priorities.
Note: ‘Isotope’
111 MHz: ‘Isotope.’ Cookin’ 1960s Jazz is the mode here, with a quartet led by the pianist McCoy Tyner and
Note: Another fall in Europe
Another fall in Europe. The government in France collapsed on December 4, after the National Assembly passed a no-confidence motion—
Note: Meanwhile, in Tokyo …
Meanwhile, in Tokyo …. For the past 55 years, Japan has—effectively, for the most part—been a one-party state. In
Note: ‘Fluorescein’
111 MHz: ‘Fluorescein.’ Aria Cheregosha and Lauren Spaulding formed Tallā Rouge—which means “the gold-red” in a combination of Farsi
Future blues
Why has Japan’s longtime ruling party lost its majority? Tobias S. Harris on political scandals, economic struggles, and a deep loss of public confidence in the country’s institutions.
