Where I Go: Your Doctor, My Car, Our Neighborhood
What Volunteering to Drive My Aging Neighbors Taught Me About Life and Community
In the film industry, when a new movie flops, the studio often responds with layoffs, in part to cover the ...
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You’re No Trickster, Elon Musk
The Real ‘Agent of Chaos’ Does More Than Disrupt the Status Quo
The term “agent of chaos” has been rattling around in the back of my brain since a billionaire announced ...
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The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of California’s Direct Democracy
Keep the Mail-In Ballots. Lose the Money and Special Interests. Give the People More Information
While majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and independents in California agree that the state’s ...
Looking Deportation in the Face
The Fence Between Tijuana and San Diego Reminded Childhood Arrivals of Their Exile—Until They Used It to Share Their Stories
The archive, it keeps growing. Another story. This time, Jorge. Yesterday it was Angel, the day before that, Ruben, Andy, Hector, Alex.
I first met Jorge in June 2017, at a Father’s Day celebration at Friendship Park in Playas de Tijuana. We were steps away from the border fence separating Mexico and San Diego’s Border Field State Park. Jorge, who was one of the only young folks there that day, and he reminded me of my younger brother Jose, and my friends back in Compton. Jorge, who was 26 years old, wore a long white t-shirt, high white socks, and baggy khaki shorts. He had a short haircut, tattoos, and a piercing in his ear. He mostly spoke English, and he made American cultural references, quoting artists such as Dr. Dre and Kendrick Lamar. Jorge liked to sing along with Lamar’s “DNA” when he rode in the car. The lyrics—“I was born like this, since one like this… I transform like this, perform like this”—align with his story ...
People, Not Politicians, Should Reshape Direct Democracy
After Sitting on Four Commissions Over 30 Years, I’ve Discovered Why Legislator-Led Efforts Are Almost Always Bound to Fail
When War Comes for the Museum
I Led the Rescue of Syria’s Cultural Heritage—Here’s What We Need to Do to Protect World Treasures from Politics and Strife
Protecting cultural heritage during crises and wars is a big challenge, especially if conflict erupts suddenly and consumes a country with violence.
As head of the Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums in Syria during the worst stage of history for my country, I contended with this challenge firsthand. That’s why I know, in this moment, it is essential for Ukraine to choose the right strategy to protect its threatened cultural legacy. Not everything can be saved in such circumstances, but we have a scientific, moral, and humanitarian responsibility to provide all forms of support to help guarantee the protection of our world heritage.
My leadership tenure was the most difficult period of my life. For five years, from 2012 to 2017, I took on the work of overseeing cultural heritage preservation during the war. But these years were also the most important ones of my life. I gladly served as a volunteer, without a monthly salary or any compensation, for the honor of helping ...
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Where I Go: The Best Basketball Court in Lisbon
At Campo dos Mártires da Pátria, There’s Only One Shared Language, and Everyone Is Welcome
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Where I Go: My Life as a Mentalist
For 20 Years, I’ve Wowed Audiences by Reading Minds—and Making the Impossible Possible
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Where I Go: At the Ice Rink, My Feet End in Knives
An Adult Figure Skater Pivots Past Gendered, Classist, Racist Norms
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Californians Shouldn't Need a High School Diploma to Go to a Public University
To Make Up for the Pandemic-Era Student Achievement Gap, Our Higher Ed Systems Should Skip the Requirement
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Dianne Feinstein Is California's Future
The Senator's Age and Memory Lapses Are Inviting Calls for Retirement. They Also Reflect How Fast the Golden State Is Aging
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A ‘Peculiar Mix of Ego and Insecurity’ Drives the Race for L.A. Mayor
To Lead a City of Imported Stars, You’ve Got to Make It in Sacramento or Washington First
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May Poetry Curator Cynthia Dewi Oka
Sailor Moon Was My Childhood Hero
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Legal Scholar Jody David Armour
I Want to Unite Popular Culture and High Theory
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First Amendment Litigator Jean-Paul Jassy
I’m Very Drawn to Trees
