A Promised Land

America as a Developing Country

It Takes a Village

A Small City Takes on an Oil Giant

A Great Day by the Bay

Three years ago, my wife Betty and I moved to the small Bay Area city of Benicia, 45 minutes north of San Francisco. We were enticed by its waterside setting, balmy breezes, safe streets, affordable housing (by Bay Area standards), thriving art scene, civic pride, and small town celebrations such as wine walks and dog festivals. Its catchphrase, to attract visitors, is “A Great Day by the Bay.”

The town has an unusual political history. It served as the state capital from 1853 to 1854. According to local lore, during Prohibition its bars and hotels provided an off-the-beaten-track escape where politicians, judges, and the like could engage in, ahem, apolitical indulgences.

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The Coup Attempt I Witnessed 35 Years Ago

Can we take heart from our political heart attack?

In 1987, I witnessed a violent, nearly successful coup attempt in the Philippines. If someone had told me back then that a U.S. congressional committee would investigate an insurrection of our own 35 years later, I would have scoffed.

I knew that our own democracy was flawed. I never dreamed it might be fatally so.

But here we are.

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He’s Back: The Terminator Takes a Star Turn in the Ukraine Information Wars

It’s the role of a lifetime

Let’s talk

“Your lives, your limbs, your futures…”

In the 1984 film, The Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger played a robot sent from the future to the (then) present, to try to condemn the human race to a horrible fate. In its 1991 sequel, he reversed the role, seeking to save the world. His iconic line from both movies was, “I’ll be back.”

In 2022, Arnold’s in fact back again. This time, to try to help save us in real life.

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A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Tears

Photos and stories from Ukraine could help make a difference. Or at least we can hope.

Capturing the human cost

So much of the discussion of the Ukraine invasion has understandably focused on geopolitics: military strategies, remarkable resistance, Western assistance, economic sanctions, petrochemical markets, etc. But images best capture the human cost. The numerous photos embedded in this Vox story shine a searing light on what’s going on over there.

The shots are painful, like shots to the heart. But they help us comprehend this calamity in ways no in-depth analyses can.

Such images and accompanying human interest articles could accordingly prove far more powerful than detailed geopolitical assessments and arguments in influencing how the world reacts, what Russians think and what Russia does down the line. Over time, they may prove somewhat able to circulate and resonate in Russia, despite Putin’s efforts to draw a new informational iron curtain around the country.

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If the Russians Love Their Children Too

Sting's 1985 masterpiece proves tragically appropriate in 2022.

One of the most moving, powerful songs I’ve ever heard – yes, for those who know me, powerful even in comparison with Springsteen’s stuff – is Sting’s 1985 composition, “Russians.” Released as part of his first solo album, near the height of Cold War fears of nuclear holocaust , it’s a plea for peace at a time of intense international tension.

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