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California High-Speed Rail No. 9—the Chairman's Turn Again
As a reminder, this is No. 9 in a series on the plan for a north-south California High-Speed Rail system, which according to me deserves national attention as the highest-stakes infrastructure project...
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California High-Speed Rail No. 10: Palate Cleanser
As a reminder, this is No. 10 in a series on the proposed north-south California High-Speed Rail system, which deserves national attention as the highest-stakes infrastructure project underway anywhere...
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You Guide to the Latest Depressing News Out of China
First, for fair-and-balanced purposes, if you'd like to start with some depressing trends out of the US, be sure to read “The punditry vs. the presidency,” by Michael Cohen in the NY Daily News. It is...
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Annals of the Security State, Presidential-Vacations Edition
I believe I am the only amateur pilot who’s a Democrat. Okay, I'm exaggerating. I can think of four others. No, five! Therefore when people in the aviation community talk about the effect of...
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Rashōmon Comes to Hong Kong: 3 Ways of Viewing the Latest News
Yes, yes, I am aware that Rashōmon is a Japanese reference, and we're talking about events in China. But bear with me—at the moment it's a convenient shorthand for the contradictory possibilities, and...
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California High-Speed Rail No. 11: Thinking in Time
If you're joining us late, this is No. 11 in the roman fleuve known as the California High-Speed Rail series. HSR is of course a major part of Gov. Jerry Brown's legacy and platform as he runs for an...
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The Scottish Independence Vote
We all have our tribal loyalties and identities, usually starting with our family. For me, after my family, they would be: tribal identity as an American, based on the years outside the country that...
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What Scottish Independence Might Mean for a Less-Great Britain
As advertised, I don't plan to host an open-ended forum on the merits of the Scottish independence vote. If you'd like to see the Scottish government's white paper supporting a Yes vote, go here. If...
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Before Tonight's Speech About ISIS
Tonight I won't be able to hear President Obama explain what he intends to do in Syria and elsewhere, and why. So rather than giving my reaction after the speech, let me give it before. The magazine's...
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The Eagles Come to Allentown, and So Does 'American Futures'
In a few hours, our partners at Marketplace will carry their latest “American Futures” report, this one on an unusual, high-speed, and high-stakes effort to revive the tattered downtown district of...
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"You Gotta Have Faith." And Hope, and Rock Stars—the Countdown in Allentown
Yesterday Marketplace had a very thorough story about Allentown’s effort to revive its downtown, and I did a teaser for a series of posts we’ll start next week. If you check the Marketplace link, you...
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Greening Up in Burlington, Rocking Out in Allentown
1) Green Power in Vermont. Last year our American Futures team reported on several almost-too-good-to-be-true aspects of life in Burlington, Vermont. A print newspaper that was thriving. A commercial...
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The 100% Renewable-Powered City: Too Good to be True (Even for Vermont)?
Yesterday I mentioned the latest accomplishment of Burlington, Vermont. Previously the site of such implausible-sounding but actually true achievements as "an airport that is pleasant" and "a newspaper...
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Made in America, Again
In the decade after World War II, the United States produced more goods than the rest of the world combined. Now America’s share of world production is about 20 percent, which, depending on how you...
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First Bowling Alone, Now Vaulting Together
Whether in admiring ways (from Tocqueville to Frank Capra) or disparaging / mocking (from Babbitt onward), observers of America have marveled at the informal organizational fabric that held this...
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Water, Water, Everywhere: Lehigh Valley Edition
Water is increasingly the theme that connects the world's big energy, environmental, and climate-related questions. Fracking in the United States, China, and elsewhere is creating new, cheaper,...
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Iron Pigs Rising
It turns out that the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs aren't really that good at baseball, at least this year. They lost two of the three games we saw at Coca-Cola Stadium last month—a day-night doubleheader...
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"When we felt threatened, we opened umbrellas and raised our hands."
From a reader in Hong Kong: I was at the uneventful (if tense) Legco [Legislative Council] demonstration on Saturday as well as last night's demonstrations between Causeway Bay and Central. It was as...
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A Day on the Road: A Story-Map View of Allentown
The real reason to be a reporter is the chance it offers to see, ask about, and prowl around the world. For more on the high concept of the reportorial satisfaction in seeing, you can check this post...
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'On the Other Side of the Shenzhen River'
My friend Hai Zhang, who is originally from Kunming and whose writings and photos you can see more about here, sends this picture just now from across the Shenzhen River that separates Guangdong...
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