contributing columnist
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Our presidential election elicits impassioned responses from citizens abroad
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“Unemployment brings misery,” says José Luis Galván. He’s a fisherman and we’re at the edge of the Guadalquivir River near the town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda in southern Spain. Columbus sailed from here on his third voyage and in 1519 Magellan left Sanlúcar to circle the globe. Now it’s a small town known for seafood…
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The movie Lincoln is almost as satisfying as reading “Team of Rivals”
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Last week, my friend and colleague, Doug Young, wrote a brilliant review of the recently released Stephen Spielberg film, Lincoln. As follow up, I have three enthusiastic recommendations: First, go see the movie. Second, take 5-10 minutes to read the actual texts of Abraham Lincoln’s two greatest speeches, the Gettysburg Address (November 19, 1863) and…
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Hidden Treasures at the Gift Shops of Denver’s Cultural Institutions
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(Sung to “Deck the Halls”) Deck the stores with pre-wrapped presents, fa-la-la-la-la-la-laNot much new from last year’s remnants, fa-la-la-la-la la la la la.Hold your breath it’s more perfume, fa-la-la-la-la la la la la.Ditch the malls for something new… fa-la-la-la-la la la la la.Okay, I’m not a great lyricist, but I am a great shopper,…
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Our presidential election elicits impassioned responses from citizens abroad
—
by
“Unemployment brings misery,” says José Luis Galván. He’s a fisherman and we’re at the edge of the Guadalquivir River near the town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda in southern Spain. Columbus sailed from here on his third voyage and in 1519 Magellan left Sanlúcar to circle the globe. Now it’s a small town known for seafood…
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The movie Lincoln is almost as satisfying as reading “Team of Rivals”
—
by
Last week, my friend and colleague, Doug Young, wrote a brilliant review of the recently released Stephen Spielberg film, Lincoln. As follow up, I have three enthusiastic recommendations: First, go see the movie. Second, take 5-10 minutes to read the actual texts of Abraham Lincoln’s two greatest speeches, the Gettysburg Address (November 19, 1863) and…
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Hidden Treasures at the Gift Shops of Denver’s Cultural Institutions
—
by
(Sung to “Deck the Halls”) Deck the stores with pre-wrapped presents, fa-la-la-la-la-la-laNot much new from last year’s remnants, fa-la-la-la-la la la la la.Hold your breath it’s more perfume, fa-la-la-la-la la la la la.Ditch the malls for something new… fa-la-la-la-la la la la la.Okay, I’m not a great lyricist, but I am a great shopper, and…
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“Abraham Lincoln, a Prince of Men.” Just ask his harshest critics
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This weekend, the much-anticipated movie, Lincoln, will be debut across the country to much fanfare and pre-release hype. In preparation for what will likely be another Stephen Spielberg masterpiece, starring, among others, Daniel Day Lewis and Sally Field, it seems appropriate to reflect upon a few of the complexities and ambiguities of our 16th and…
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Everyday heroes now and in the past…
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I’ve been thinking a lot about Adolph Dubs the past few weeks. Who? Following the recent assassination of J. Christopher Stevens in Benghazi, most news reports noted he was the first American Ambassador in 33 years to be murdered in the line of duty. Like Stevens, “Spike” Dubs was a career foreign service officer appointed…
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The hollow crown vs. the hollow man
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If I’ve learned anything after forty years in politics, it’s the fact that charisma, like beauty, exists far more in the eye of the beholder than within the character of a candidate. Any politician who embraces this madness from the crowd — popular adulation without limits — does so at considerable risk of wrenching disillusionment…
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As long as there’s a market here in the U.S., the drug war cannot be won
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What do Hector and Yeira Beltrán, Enrique and Bethsaida Cisneros, and Iván and Claudia Vasquez have in common? They are victims of our drug war. They live on the Mexican side of the U.S. border in the pathway of the billions of dollars in drugs that come northward to meet the demand in this country.…