Comments on the Oliver Stone film “South of the Border” accompanied by a Carmen Miranda tune, at Berkley’s Elmwood Theatre, July 17, 2011, with economist and scriptwriter Mark Weisbrot (with Tariq Ali-in the film) fielding…
Posts published in “Essays”
The war in Afghanistan is nearly nine years old — the longest in American history. After the US quickly toppled the Taliban regime in October 2001, the Taliban, by all accounts, came back stronger and…
It is not unusual for members of the diminishing upper middle class to drop $20,000 or $30,000 on a big wedding. But for celebrities this large sum wouldn’t cover the wedding dress or the flowers.…
Bach’s sons remained in the homeland — until the last, Johann Christian. Born in 1735, he was called, though even from beyond the grave, father Bach might have regretted that second name after his youngest…
Once in a while the US Supreme Court gets things right. It did so recently regarding Healthy San Francisco, the city's local “public option” now giving more than 50,000 residents access to health care. The…
We didn’t usually have to leave the waterfront for entertainment. Waldo Point was its own ongoing movie and endlessly entertaining. But when Mark Whittington, the Independent Journal reporter for southern Marin, came over to my…
“Fate tried to conceal him by naming him Smith.” — Oliver Wendell Holmes As I answer the ringing phone, I am distracted by my cat chasing his tail and do not hear the brief telltale…