The San Francisco Experience

China has been building its' diplomatic, economic and security ties with the island nations of the South Pacific: It recently signed a security pact with the strategic Solomon Islands. The United States is concerned and is trying to re-engage after years of neglect. We are reopening our embassy in the Solomon Islands that we closed in 1993 and opening new embassies in Tonga and Kiribati.

Peter Singer is a strategist and senior fellow with New America, a think tank in Washington. He is also the founder and managing partner of Useful Fiction which creates fictional narratives to help policy makers visualize some of the most complex national security threats like nuclear accidents, bio terrorism, artificial intelligence and cyber attacks on critical infrastructure. Visualizing before...

Will Putin use the pretext of protecting the Russian speaking minorities in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to attack them as he did in the Donbas Region of Ukraine ? Such a move would trigger Article 5 of the NATO Treaty, provoking a unified NATO response. Or would it ?

The 1968 film Bullitt starred Steve McQueen at the peak of his acting career and features the iconic car chase up and down the hilly streets of San Francisco. McQueen gives a nuanced performance and still engages audiences 54 years since the film debuted.

School leadership is key to ensuring that black and brown students in particular get a good education. Decoteau Irby recounts a five year project where he led a project to improve racial equity in a school that saw black and brown students increase from 8% of the student body to 30%. 

The unsealed warrant which was used to search his residence and resulted in 10 boxes of documents being taken away by the FBI,  indicates that the former President is being investigated under the Espionage Act. 

In today's episode Alex Domash gives us an overview of the Fed's fight against inflation and the prospects of a recession in the next 12 to 24 months. 

Think Big is essential to your career. Dr. Lordan, a noted Behavioral Scientist at the LSE gives us a toolkit based on data to set and achieve our career goals. She has an engaging style, proven track record and a compelling message to help you succeed and reach your goals.

Did Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taiwan change the status quo of the US China relationship ?

Georgina Wright works for the Paris based Think Tank, Institut Montaigne. She brings 10 years of Think Tank  experience working on European and British issues in London and Brussels. Today she focuses on the Conservatives' vote to replace ousted Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The race is between Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary and Rishi Sunak, former Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Set in San Francisco in 1974, the world's tallest building - 138 stories tall - is being inaugurated. But amidst the ceremonies, a fire breaks out and panic and pandemonium ensues. Shaun Chang recounts the plot, the backstory and discusses the ensemble cast including Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, Faye Dunaway, William Holden and Fred Astaire to mention some of the outstanding cast. He also talks abo...

Will Nancy Pelosi be the highest ranking US elected official to visit Taiwan in her trip to Asia in 25 years? The Beijing authorities are vehemently opposed to such a trip and even President Biden has said that the US military thinks it's not a good idea. Is it just a showy, counter productive gesture at a time when US China relations  are so fraught ?

Critically acclaimed and prize winning thriller, Upon This Rock was David's debut novel in 2020. Set in Orvieto Italy, it is a story of intrigue, terrorism, history, art and the secrets of the Church. The sequel features the same protagonists, Lee and Adriano, a gay couple from San Francisco, set in one of Spain's beautiful "pueblos blancos", Grazalema. The small town's Civil War scars and secrets...

Acclaimed Chinese American novelist and screen play writer Geling Yan has published 28 novels which have been translated into 18 languages. But when she dared to criticize the Chinese Government handling of the Covid 19 outbreak in early 2020, she has been the victim of an official erasing in China. Her business manager and husband Larry Walker recounts the tale of her fight to get credit for a Ch...

Shaun Chang returns to the podcast to discuss the most recent Downton Abbey film. As always, Shaun brings his in depth insights, opinions and lively commentary to bear on the second Downton Abbey movie.

Adam White's debut novel is a national bestseller and is featured as a New York Times Editor's Choice book. A crime drama set in small town Maine, it contrasts the fortunes of two very different families. One has become very successful though townsfolk question how did they make their money. And the other family by contrast, or at least the husband seeks to answer that question.

oXYGen Financial takes a different approach to financial planning, focused on strategy, tracking and accountability. And yes, you will likely need a supplemental source of income in addition to pension, social security and investments. Ted maps out the alternatives.

Mayor Breed's appointment of Brooke Jenkins after the historic recall of Chesa Boudin, the duly elected DA, is a political minefield. Played out against the backdrop of San Francisco's fractious political scene, Brooke faces the voters in little more than 90 days. Jason walks us through how the race might unfold.

America's most affordable city for first time homebuyers is Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania with a median home price of $169,000. But one of its' least affordable cities is San Francisco with a median home price of $1,100,000. Why the huge disparity and how is affordability gauged ? Listen to today's episode for some answers.

Victoria shares with us her journey from agricultural worker in the fields of Salinas, California - the Nation's Salad Bowl - through her career as a journalist and today head of her own Communications firm. It's a story of determination and commitment to her passion, her career and social justice.

Set in San Francisco in the mid-1970s, Hitchcock captures the Zeitgeist of the City by the Bay at that time. A light hearted thriller that features an amusing couple as the protagonists - she a clairvoyant, he an aspiring actor/taxi driver, they cross paths with a calculating pair of villains. Listen to this podcast before watching the film for a richer more nuanced experience.

US Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr has written to Apple and Google requesting that they remove the Tik Tok app from their stores. He argues that Tik Tok fails to adhere to Apple's and Google's own security practices and as such, should be dropped as an App Store offering. The ball is in the tech giants' court to respond.

The United States Supreme Court overturned this 49 year landmark precedent which gave a woman the right to an abortion. As a result of this decision, regulation of abortion will be de-constitutionalized and returned to the states. But 26 states plan to restrict or abolish abortion. The remaining 24 states where abortion will remain available may become sanctuaries for women to obtain abortions.&nb...

Jeff gives us a broad market overview discussing inflation, interest rates and the stock market. He also shares Mariner's best thinking for investors in these choppy markets. 

The physical geography of countries, mountains, rivers, lakes, coastlines etc  largely dictate the political decisions of their leaders.  We tend to overlook those critical facts when conflicts arise. And no country is as much a victim of its flawed geography as Russia. On the other hand, few nations are as advantaged by their geography as the United States.