Alan Markow

Professional writer and communicator 40+ years. Senior corporate communications exec in high tech, telecom, banking, and chemicals. Navy journalist during Vietnam era. IVN blogger since inception. Political views range from liberal to libertarian.

'Restrepo' reveals what our soldiers face in Afghanistan

In the documentary film 'Restrepo', viewers experience what a deployment in one of the most deadly parts of Afghanistan actually feels like. We follow soldiers of the Second

By Alan Markow

June 11, 2011

Tahoe planning agenices won't let facts get in the way of environmental progress

The biomass plant being proposed for the small North Lake Tahoe community of Kings Beach looks more and more like a disaster in the making rather than a smart environmental

By Alan Markow

June 2, 2011

A Bio-Mess in Kings Beach

A hand-lettered sign at the corner of Speckled and Bear Avenues in Kings Beach, CA -- two narrow lanes by most city's standards -- cries out for attention to

By Alan Markow

May 26, 2011

The New Journalism: If it bleeds, it probably doesn't lead

In an egregious case of drive-by journalism, an important healthcare story slipped by the general public because it appeared in the nearly unread Saturday, May 13 edition of the

By Alan Markow

May 19, 2011

Quality healthcare an American myth

It was nearly a year ago that Anthem Blue Cross of California helped enable passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (sometimes called Obamacare) when it attempted to

By Alan Markow

May 12, 2011

Newsom leads California Democrats in drive toward green jobs

Democrats have a lot to crow about this week. Their president has overseen the demise of Osama Bin Laden while the opposition party seems focused on tearing itself limb from

By Alan Markow

May 5, 2011

Birthers lose the battle, but will they admit it?

It's doubtful that "birthers" are wallowing in embarassment today over the president's release of his long-form birth certificate. They never really cared about

By Alan Markow

April 28, 2011

Freedom isn't always our business

The confluence of three cultural events this week has raised my awareness of the precious value of freedom. Two were just completed novels, and one was the repetition of an

By Alan Markow

April 21, 2011

Prop 13: Time to grab California's third rail of politics

There is an oddly populist aura to Prop 13 that hides the reality of corporate control that appears to drive the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and its supporters. Look at

By Alan Markow

April 14, 2011

California Assembly beefs up security with armed guards

Politics has never been considered a business for the faint of heart, but California's Assembly now considers it a life or death matter. The Assembly has decided to

By Alan Markow

April 7, 2011

The Great Winter of 2011

Making left turns on some city streets up here in North Lake Tahoe has become about as challenging as navigating a double black diamond run at Squaw Valley. There'

By Alan Markow

March 31, 2011

War, taxes, Presidents, and Governors

I'm having a lot of trouble reconciling the ease with which the President of the United States unilaterally took our country into war against Libya with the difficulty

By Alan Markow

March 24, 2011