Posts by Swedan Margen
A Lesson of Vietnam: Getting in Is Easier than Getting Out
The war was sustained by a seductive delusion: that an unwinnable conflict might still be managed into an outcome short of humiliation. Source link
Read MoreR. Kikuo Johnson’s “Meet-Cute”
For the cover of the April 20, 2026, issue, the cartoonist R. Kikuo Johnson, a new father, tackled an issue that people in his age demographic often face. “I was childless into my early forties,” Johnson said. “By then, my partner and I noticed that a lot of our peers were at a similar crossroads: dog,…
Read MoreThe Violence in Vermeer
As yet, archival research has failed to substantiate this conversation, although it appears, more or less intact, in the 2003 movie version of Chevalier’s book, with Colin Firth, as a well-wigged Vermeer, issuing instructions to Scarlett Johansson, as Griet. Meanwhile, we have a fresh contender for the role of the girl in the painting. In…
Read MoreThe Dignity Act Is the Same Bad Deal as Ever | National Review
Make no mistake, the proposal grants legal residence to millions of illegal immigrants. Source link
Read More“Blue Heron” Is an Exalted Drama of Troubled Childhood
The movie’s fluid observational construction conjures drama by compounding micro-incidents; its narrative emerges from the shaping of young Sasha’s inchoate sensibility as she observes the troubles that surround her. The story is something of a palimpsest, with Romvari’s own perspective intertwining with the character’s and conveying a sense of being both inside and outside the…
Read MoreElle Fanning Gets Maternal
The Oscar-nominated actress discusses collaborating with Nicole Kidman, the art of playing a performer, and her new series, “Margo’s Got Money Troubles,” in which she stars as a single mom who turns to OnlyFans to make ends meet. Source link
Read MoreFlood advisory issued for parts of L.A., Ventura County
The National Weather Service issued a flood advisory for parts of Los Angeles as heavier rain is expected to fall across the region through Sunday, with wetter weather and a chance for thunderstorms after spring kicked into full bloom. “This is when the weather gets a little more wild, technically, because we’re starting to see…
Read MoreIt’s the Economy, Viktor | National Review
Hungary’s prime minister could lose his election bet on ‘unorthodox economics.’ Source link
Read MoreThere Are Many Reasons to Cheer Up About the State of the Middle Class | National Review
Statistics show that the middle class is healthier and more secure than ever before. Source link
Read MoreMad About the Mandolin
Calace, I discovered, was a Neapolitan workshop that had been making mandolins since 1825, and Raffaele Calace, the grandson of the founder, had been the greatest composer for mandolin in the late nineteenth century. But his music was quite different from the pieces that Paolo introduced me to over the next year, all of which…
Read More“Exit 8” Is a Video-Game Adaptation That Ingeniously Subverts Its Source
The rules of this netherworld announce themselves, early on, via a nondescript wall sign. “Do not overlook any anomalies,” it says. “If you find an anomaly, turn back immediately.” An anomaly, the Lost Man realizes, can be a visual, aural, or situational discrepancy of any kind: a light fixture tilted at a bizarre angle, a…
Read MoreSan Francisco’s Latest Radical Experiment | National Review
Unlike some of the city’s other adventures, this one is actually working out. Source link
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