Category Archives: Politics
Muhammad Yunus
On Friday, we attended a talk, sponsored by the Seattle World Affairs Council, given by Professor Muhammad Yunus, winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize. Professor Yunus is the founder of Grameen Bank and the pioneer of microcredit in his … Continue reading
A (very) little sympathy for Mitt
I don’t much like Mitt Romney. I disagree with his positions on several issues: he’s anti-abortion (fairly recently it seems and still with some exceptions); he supports a constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union between a man and a … Continue reading
Mitt Romney @ Microsoft
Mitt Romney, former Massachusetts governor and candidate for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, spoke to members of the Microsoft PAC today on the Microsoft campus in Redmond, WA. My overall impression is that Romney is one of those people who … Continue reading
An Open Letter to Michael Mukasey
Dear Attorney General Mukasey, By all accounts you are an honorable man with a distinguished career record. Why on earth would you want to sign on with the Bush Administration? OK, I get it, serving as United States Attorney General … Continue reading
Bill Clinton @ Microsoft
On Friday, I attended a speech given by former president Bill Clinton when he visited the Microsoft campus in Redmond, WA. Here’s my terribly grainy cell phone picture of Steve Ballmer introducing Clinton. He spoke about his new book, Giving, and the … Continue reading
“A nightmare with no end in sight”
That’s how retired Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez described the war in Iraq in a speech on October 12, 2007 to luncheon of military reporters and editors. It’s a veritable machine-gunning of American leadership and policy. Some of the more pity quotes: … Continue reading
Book Review: To the Castle and Back
In December 1989, when the Communist government was driven from power in Czechoslovakia, the crowds demonstrating in the squares of Prague chanted “Havel na Hrad!” or “Havel to the Castle!” They were calling for the playwright turned dissident Václav Havel … Continue reading
We’re all Zapruders now
This article from the International Herald Tribune casts an interesting light on the recent protests in Burma. (I’m going to use the old name of the country since the new name, Myanmar, was imposed by the military junta.) The article notes … Continue reading
Protests Grow in Myanmar
Photo: Reuters This report in the New York Times and elsewhere talks of growing protests led by Buddhist monks against Myanmar’s military regime. Yesterday the protestors were greeted by Aung Ssn Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize winner and leader … Continue reading
“Sir, I don’t know, actually.”
Listening to and reading about General David Petraeus’ report to Congress this week has been completely depressing. When asked by Senator John Warner (R.-Va) if his strategy in Iraq was making America safer, Petraeus responded, "Sir, I don’t know, actually. I’ve not … Continue reading
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