A classical geopolitical theory explains current US politics and provides a warning for our future. — The historian Thucydides proclaimed that the Peloponnesian War was made inevitable by the rise of Athens and the fear that this instilled in Sparta. …

A traveling poet in a postmodern land I don’t know why I sound British. Father was the first to notice and I lacked a good response. I ‘d lived in the same New York town all my life, and was 10, an age little heralded for clever retorts. Best guess…

And, right now, it’s very hot — I’m exhausted right now. And yet I got over eight hours of sleep the last two nights. I did about an hour of exercise both days. I’ve done some writing but nothing crazy. Am I stressed? Of course. …

We’re putting a great movie into a box (Spoiler-free) In The Heights is a major Hollywood musical starring an overwhelmingly Latino cast. Before release, there was quite a bit of commentary comparing it to Black Panther and Crazy Rich Asians. …

Here are nine possibilities, five of them serious — (Major spoilers for the first two episodes of Loki, and slight spoilers for both previous Marvel Disney+ shows.) We need to talk about Loki. Why? Because it’s really fun, and I don’t have anyone else to talk about it with. But, also, we all agree the TVA is evil, right? …

Don’t defame those poor dalmatians — Cruella is a masterpiece in pop-punk blockbuster filmmaking. It’s such a roaring adventure that I spent an hour wishing it would let up just so that I could use the restroom. It’s a really good movie. So it’s a bit of a shame that, right now, its biggest pop culture…

Sometimes it’s better to just skip to the fireworks — When the story of 21st century American cinema is written, Those Who Wish Me Dead will likely be a footnote to an appendix. It isn’t a particularly innovative film and it doesn’t pretend to be. …

Take these lessons from a master of the art — I procrastinate a lot. Even right now, I’m supposed to be rescuing my brother from his collapsing volcanic lair. Wait… he’s gone. Honestly, it’s a relief not to have that on the list anymore. I also overthink, which is — mostly — a separate issue, but it means I’ve thought…

But what is memory, if not Lincoln persevering? — Disclaimer: This story is intended to be random and humorous. It is published in Fill in the Blanks publication, inspired by the classic game, Mad Libs. Random words contributed by Dariuš Butkevičius, Len Morse, Sandi Parsons, Anna, Quy Ma, Sandra Grauschopf, Amanda Clark-Rudolph, Cara J. Stevens, Panos Grigorakakis, Kayla Vokolek…