Comrade And Car

Rethinking Comrade And Foreigner

Henry Cheng | Made In China Journal | 17th June 2026

Joan Hinton, physicist and American Maoist, moved to China in the 1940s "disillusioned by Cold War politics and the militarisation of nuclear science". In the US, she was a traitor, while the Mao regime publicly praised her as an "internationalist warrior". The Chinese authorities never truly trusted or integrated the Hintons, however. They were "useful but potentially unreliable foreigners" (3,900 words)

Puzzle: Play Nomido, the Browser’s daily word game.

“You Killed the Car”

Jason Klamm | Chicago | 9th June 2026

How the climactic scene of Ferris Bueller's Day Off, in which a Ferrari is launched through the window of a mid-century modern home and into a ravine, was filmed. The car itself was too expensive to use, so the film actually features a kit replica. The ravine had to be protected with burlap sacks. The effects worked as intended, but director John Hughes was disappointed that the car didn't sustain more damage (5,400 words)