Is it this best or worst of times? Pessimism sells, but the reality of our daily lives makes a case for optimism today and hope for the future. The preponderance of negativity and pessimism in th...
https://rlo.acton.org/archives/125519-dickens-diabetes-and-positive-sum-games.html
G.K. Chesterton once said that a stolen umbrella confirmed for him that the Catholic Church was where he belonged. As he explained, when attending different Christian churches, he often left his ...
https://rlo.acton.org/archives/125516-the-church-is-all-right.html
Based on the 1975 novel of the same name (adapted before in 1980), Shogun is a 10-episode miniseries set in 1600s Japan and follows multiple characters from multiple points of view as they vie fo...
https://rlo.acton.org/archives/125513-shogun-a-refreshingly-unironic-historical-drama.html
In today’s ever-changing world, contentment seems like a forgotten virtue. The pace of our gig economy only seems to be speeding up, as institutions and organizations all struggle to adjust to ...
https://rlo.acton.org/archives/125508-finding-contentment-in-the-chaos.html
Patricia Highsmith’s novels have a long history in Hollywood. Her debut, Strangers on a Train, was adapted in 1951 by Hitchcock into a remarkable thriller about corruption among the wealthy and...
https://rlo.acton.org/archives/125505-ripley-and-the-art-of-the-cruel.html
The May issue of First Things includes an article by Matthew Schmitz titled, “JD Vance, Religious Populist,” in which Vance is portrayed as perhaps the last hope for the survival of Christian...
Trendy title aside, Tyler Cowen’s new book, GOAT: Who Is the Greatest Economist of All Time and Why Does It Matter?,is a mini masterpiece. Cowen takes the reader on a whirlwind tour of the life...
https://rlo.acton.org/archives/125495-brady-jordan-or-hayek-whos-the-real-goat.html
A few weeks ago, cultural critic and jazz musician Ted Gioia wrote a must-read essay that lays out today’s dismal cultural situation. His thesis: “2024 may be the most fast-paced—and danger...
https://rlo.acton.org/archives/125492-the-coming-education-dark-age-and-what-to-do-about-it.html
The new film Civil War may want to be edgy, timely, even thoughtful, but it has nothing to offer beyond surface-level thrills, which makes its grisly portrayal of war feel more like a romanticiza...
https://rlo.acton.org/archives/125489-civil-war-a-shallow-and-dangerous-fantasy.html
We all know that person who always seems to have the latest Apple gadget. In many ways, Apple products have become a status symbol. While there is a dedicated and loyal group of Apple fans who be...
https://rlo.acton.org/archives/125483-is-apple-a-monopoly.html