If I were Mark Zuckerberg — newfound defender-to-the-death of liberal free expression even if it includes outright lying except if there’s female nipples, a would-be curer of all the world’s disease, side-gig education reformer, immigration crusader, quirky dad, fifth wealthiest person in the world, hobnobber to pundits and politicians and all-around do-gooder digital hegemon who… Read more »
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How Italians became ‘white’
Congress envisioned a white, Protestant and culturally homogeneous America when it declared in 1790 that only “free white persons, who have, or shall migrate into the United States” were eligible to become naturalised citizens. The calculus of racism underwent swift revision when waves of culturally diverse immigrants from the far corners of Europe changed the… Read more »
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The Clinton legacy: Impeachment hurts the president
Conventional wisdom holds that the Republican Party suffered a big political penalty for impeaching Bill Clinton in 1998. But that’s not quite right. Republicans paid a modest, short-term penalty, while the costs to the Democratic Party appear to have been larger and longer-lasting. This history has obvious relevance today. As in the 1990s, the economy… Read more »
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The scandal of a Nobel laureate
When I was about 8 years old I wrote my first fan letter, to Roald Dahl, for “Danny, the Champion of the World.” Not knowing where to find the author, I addressed the envelope to “Roald Dahl, England,” and added extra postage stamps. I never heard back. Years later, I learned that Dahl was an… Read more »
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Global economy slows, recession risk hangs in the balance
Economic growth around the world has slowed to a crawl but (so far) there are few signs of the second-round effects on jobs, income and spending that would turn a significant slowdown into an outright recession. The International Monetary Fund has forecast global output will increase by just 3.0% this year, the slowest expansion since… Read more »
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When China comes for Pooh Bear …
What happens when China’s enforcers come after Winnie-the-Pooh? Will we reluctantly hand over Pooh Bear? Really sorry about this, Winnie, but China’s an important market! Winnie-the-Pooh has been banned in China online and at movie theatres because snarky commentators have suggested that he resembles the portly President Xi Jinping. But these days Xi doesn’t want to… Read more »