Author: sp (sp )

Home sp
The Moral Paradox of Extreme Wealth: Why People Oppose It Yet Are Reluctant to Take Steps to Reduce It
Post

The Moral Paradox of Extreme Wealth: Why People Oppose It Yet Are Reluctant to Take Steps to Reduce It

In 2026 – up until July – Elon Musk’s estimated wealth was growing by somewhere between US$30 million and $100 million an hour, making him, at least briefly, the worlds’ first trillionaire. By comparison, the typical American worker earns between $23 and $56 an hour. While Musk’s wealth, even in the face of recent losses,...

The U.S. Wine Market Is Changing. Foreign Producers Need to Change With It.
Post

The U.S. Wine Market Is Changing. Foreign Producers Need to Change With It.

For decades, the path into the American wine market was relatively predictable. A French or Italian winery found an importer. The importer found distribution. The distributor purchased inventory, put salespeople behind the brand and presented the wines to restaurants and retailers. The producer shipped the wine, supported the occasional market visit or tasting, and waited...

‘The Odyssey’ Is a Striking Portrait of the Psychological Wounds That Can Emerge When People Violate Their Deepest Values
Post

‘The Odyssey’ Is a Striking Portrait of the Psychological Wounds That Can Emerge When People Violate Their Deepest Values

Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” a new adaptation of Homer’s epic tale of Odysseus’ perilous journey home after the Trojan War, is already being described as a case study in post-traumatic stress disorder. But even more so, actor Matt Damon’s tortured and broken portrayal of Odysseus offers a look into what psychologists call moral injury. According...

AI Won’t Kill Art, but It Will Change How We Value It
Post

AI Won’t Kill Art, but It Will Change How We Value It

When photography emerged in the 19th century, many predicted the death of painting. If a machine could reproduce reality more quickly and accurately than any artist, what purpose would painting serve? The response was robust. As photography assumed some of painting’s representational functions, artists became increasingly experimental, developing ever more innovative styles: Impressionism, Expressionism, and eventually...

How I Became an Artist: Betye Saar
Post

How I Became an Artist: Betye Saar

‘An early work that stands out in my mind is Record for Hattie [1975], which is about my great-aunt Hattie Parson Keys. When she passed, I inherited her ephemera – notes, letters, dance cards, gloves, handkerchiefs – essentially her life’s mementos. I made the piece so long ago, but I think my process is the same to...

More Testosterone Won’t Make a Better Soldier or a Tougher Man – Aggression and Strength Drive T Levels, Not the Other Way Around
Post

More Testosterone Won’t Make a Better Soldier or a Tougher Man – Aggression and Strength Drive T Levels, Not the Other Way Around

How low is too low when it comes to testosterone levels? When Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced in July 2026 that U.S. service members ages 30 and older will have their testosterone tested every year, neither he nor the Pentagon specified what level of the hormone would be considered “low” enough to require treatment –...

The World’s First Influencers Were French and They Emerged After the Revolution
Post

The World’s First Influencers Were French and They Emerged After the Revolution

In 1806, the Parisian gastronome Grimod de la Reynière launched a new periodical, the Journal des Gourmands et des Belles in post-revolutionary France. From the first issue, it set out to provide readers with advice on food, fashion, and theatrical life, all in one publication. Almost entirely forgotten today, the journal was perhaps the first...