America's Most Critical Journal since 1999
Grandparents always ask their grandchildren the same questions, so why don’t their grandchildren have a quiz of their own for Grandma and Grandpa? After telling them how school is, your favorite subjects and the names of your best friends, you should have a ... More »
ANDY Jeff told me you still had some questions about our TSX 400. I’m the infotainment professor, and I’ll try to answer them all. I’m not a salesman, and I’ll be entirely impartial. SAM We had a pleasant scenic ride through the countryside, but the fi... More »
Weary of the continental breakfast of four tablespoons of orange juice, a tiny pot of coffee, a huge pitcher of steaming milk and the daily basket of one delicious croissant, one inflexible hard roll and a packet of something akin to zwieback? Reluctant to pou... More »
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men Couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty together again. Though our contemporary Humpty Dumpty may never have been as completely together as the original, there... More »
Think about it for a moment. Primitive man didn’t pack. Once he had found and killed his target, he ate the insides and wore the hide. A wardrobe was whatever happened to be within range of a stone ax and a spear. The only endangered species were human being... More »
After experience with Basic Travlish, everyone knows a “cozy” hotel room is big enough for a pair of leprechauns; that a “centrally located” establishment is right across from the train station and mere meters away from the city’s fabled bell tower. ... More »
A recent addition to the New York Times is a heartwarming weekly list on page 2 of the paper. The Week in Good News poses an immediate question. Is it better to read the good news before the rest of the paper or save it for after the editorial and the Op-Ed co... More »
Of course, anyone can follow the excellent examples available from government officials, but individual circumstances need original falsehoods. The first step is to list all the potentially illegal or accidental situations for which a plausible lie might be us... More »
Rock concerts are so over! Totally. They’re just too 20th century. Most operas were written way back in the 19th, but they seem brand-new compared to a lot of the rap music we’re hearing. The love songs in operas are romantic, and the breaking-up ones are ... More »
What can be about 6 feet tall, weigh more than a Honda sedan and turn up in the news for a month or more? (Hint). Last known address was San Diego. (Next hint). Misnamed. (Third hint). Vegan. Fourth hint. (White) Guess again. It’s the Northern White Rhinoc... More »
GEORGE WASHINGTON “Government is not reason; it is not eloquence; it is force! Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.” NOW So maybe he got it right for once. Who cares? THOMAS JEFFERSON “One man with courage is a majority.” N... More »
We’re having a very special party in the Rose Garden. The date isn’t finally set just yet, but we’re reading applications now. Send us a letter telling us what you did in 200 words or less, and the President himself will decide if you qualify for a pre... More »