We live in a society where, as sociologists like Charles Derber have argued, the professional classes — their self-interest, their ethos and prejudices — are a hugely powerful force in our life, especially insofar as the professional group in question is itself powerful. Few such groups compare with doctors in…

With the Marvel Cinematic Universe apparently pressing ahead with another shot at a really successful Fantastic Four series (the more clearly so after Reed Richards’ little cameo in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) one may wonder if the third time will not prove to be the charm —…

Recently looking at Robert Ludlum’s Trevayne earlier this year I read with a fair bit of interest the introduction to the 1988 edition, in which he remarked the writing of the older book — the product of the Watergate years and the wide public outrage over the revelations of arrogance…

When George and Meredith Friedman’s The Future of War: Power, Technology and American World Dominance in the 21st Century appeared in 1996 the book, while certainly getting its fair share of attention, did so in spite of being distinctly unfashionable. After all, the authors’ concern in the book was traditional…

As China’s economy has burgeoned, so have the revenues of its movie theaters. On average the Chinese remain poorer than their American counterparts (with a per capita GDP of $10,000, as against $63,000 for the U.S., in 2020). Still, at $9 billion in 2019 the gross of the Chinese “box…

Since the outbreak of the pandemic the box office has just not been the same, with the theaters shut during the period of lockdown, and then after reopening, seeing significantly lower attendance. The clearest indication of that disruption was the absence of the big hits that account so disproportionately for…

I remember back about the turn of the century Thomas P.M. Barnett emerged as a national security counterpart to Thomas Friedman who could be characterized as devoting himself to explaining just how, exactly, “McDonnell-Douglas” would back up “McDonald’s.” Barnett’s conformity to the globalization-singing conventional wisdom of the day made him…

In the twentieth century the economic game was all about getting consumers to spend more. …

Extending the success of its spectacular Memorial Day weekend opening Top Gun: Maverick’s gross has in the first 18 days of its North American release crossed the $400 million mark. As things stand the film has a good chance of not only reaching the half billion-dollar mark domestically, but even…