There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things.

-Nicolo Machiavelli
The […]

There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things.

-Nicolo Machiavelli
The […]

For the great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearances, as though they were reality, and are often more influenced by the things that seem than by those that are.

- Nicolo Machiavelli, The 8th […]

There are four candidates for mayor of San Diego – City Councilman Carl DeMaio, District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, Congressman Bob Filner, and California State Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher.

DeMaio has […]

The Boston Globe reported this week that during the 10-year ownership of the Red Sox by John Henry, Tom Werner, Larry Lucchino and their partners, the team has contributed more than $52 million to charity, the […]

I started writing for the Presidio Sentinel in 2005. I did so at the invitation of Chuck Fox.

Last night he passed away. He was a lovely man, who somehow dealt with the adversity of ill health with pluck and […]

The item that follows is more than a baseball note. Baseball teams that play in ballparks funded in whole or part by public money are thereby inherently fair game for political comment and […]

Justin Catlin, won the 110-meter semis on Sunday at the Olympics in 9.82 seconds, posting a faster time in the semi-finals than Ursain Bolt.

When asked by an NBC reporter after his amazing race what it meant? […]

Mitt Romney is not my candidate for president. But I have sought to be respectful of him as a person and as someone who has taken on the great challenge of wanting to lead the USA (that respect, by the way, is […]

Mitt Romney is not my candidate for president. But I have sought to be respectful of him as a person and as someone who has taken on the great challenge of wanting to lead the USA (that respect, by the way, is […]

Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never – in

nothing, great or small, large or petty – never give in, except

to convictions of honour and good sense.

-Winston Churchill

To the […]

Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never – in

nothing, great or small, large or petty – never give in, except

to convictions of honour and good sense.

-Winston Churchill

To the […]

On April 6, 1992, the first major league game was played at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, ushering in a new era for Baltimore and its beloved O’s. From the day it opened through Sunday’s game with the […]

Nick Canepa of the U-T San Diego wrote a column last week on the need to change the make up of the San Diego Padres’ front office, claiming whoever ends up owning the Padres should affect a clean sweep. Canepa […]

The following speech was addressed on May 9, 2012 to the Denver Forum by Kathleen Kennedy Townsend.

“It’s great to be with you and I am delighted my good friend George Mitrovich asked me to speak to The Forum […]

Justice triumphed in a San Diego courtroom Monday of this week. Madison High student Chase Knox was fully vindicated by Judge Timothy Taylor’s ruling against the California Interscholastic Federation-San […]

Barack Obama took the presidential oath of office January 20, 2009. The challenges he inherited on that historic occasion were as great as any president has faced – including Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. […]

Most Americans knew Mike Wallace for his work on CBS’ 60 Minutes, and because of him and his remarkably talented colleagues that hour on Sunday nights became the most important hour in network television […]

Recently The New York Times ran a lengthy Sunday article on Gloria Steinem, “A Woman Like No Other”. Having known her since 1969, I posted a statement and a link to the Times story on Facebook, saying, among […]

I started writing opinion pieces and magazine articles 39 years ago. I’ve written for the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Boston Globe, Baltimore Sun, and other U.S. and Canadian newspapers. Since March of […]

“If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.”
-Meister Eckhardt

The coming of Christmas, whether accepted in either a spiritual or secular context, is a time when many […]

In 1963 The New York Times began a national edition. As an inveterate reader of newspapers having The Times available in California was exciting (I was then working for the San Francisco Chronicle and living […]

The former governor of Massachusetts, Michael Dukakis, came to San Diego last weekend with his remarkable wife, Kitty. They didn’t come for the weather, which is what most San Diegans think when someone comes […]

I have never before had a “blog.” But I think I get it.

That said, please know The City Club of San Diego and the Independent Voter Network a working relationship. Part of that relationship involves this blog […]