I am Colombian by birth, but San Francisco has been my home since 1997 though I attended Stanford University both undergrad and grad so I have lived in the Bay Area on and off since 1981 with stints in San Diego, Vietnam, Indonesia, Colombia and Switzerland. I consider myself a freethinking citizen of the world.
A historian by training, I also have an MA in International Public Policy and an MBA and that led to a long stint on Wall Street as an equity analyst but I have also found employment as a university professor, an employee of UNHCR doing relief work in West Africa, a food writer, and an export consultant.
I’ve also sat on the Board of Directors of two other non-profits that primarily do community work in the US and abroad but I am not serving on any Boards at this time. I also write and have traveled extensively. I’ve been the world over and that tempers my judgment and extends my horizons, oddly enough confirming my earliest suspicions about the beauty and wonder of this one planet of ours.
Politically, I consider myself a progressive Liberal but primarily a dissenting voice of caution. Once I thought neo-liberal economic theory the key to progress but now I confess my guilt for the evidence does seem to run to the contrary. Globalization in my mind is becoming a race to the bottom for most of humanity. That’s quite statement considering I once worked at Wall Street investment banks such Alex. Brown & Sons and Goldman Sachs. I am also a member of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil and I believe that we live in a world of rapidly diminishing resources that when coupled with unrestrained population growth amidst climatic change and environmental degradation presents significant challenges to humanity.
My core belief is that if we are to change the world that means empowering women. I know no other investment that yields a higher return than that of female education.
Quoted in the Press:
San Francisco Chronicle, October 2000
Forbes Magazine, March 2001
The Olympian, January 2002
Berkeley Daily Planet, January 2002
Los Angeles Times, June 2002
Retail Traffic, June 2002.
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, September 2002
New York Times, December 2008
New York Times, February 2009
National Journal, February 2009
New York Times, February 2009
National Journal, March 2009
Washington Independent, April 2009
The Atlantic, August 2009
Chicago Tribune, August 2009
The Atlantic, September 2009
The Democratic Strategist, A Journal of Public Opinion and Political Strategy, October 2009
The Democratic Strategist, A Journal of Public Opinion and Political Strategy, February 2010
The Atlantic, February 2010
The Atlantic, March 2010
MSNBC’s First Read, March 2010
Real Clear Politics’ Best of the Blogs Selections 2010
US GDP Jumps 5.7% in 4Q09 on an Inventory Bounce Published on MyDD on January 29, 2010.
Death by a Thousand Filibusters Published on MyDD on March 1, 2010.
Real Clear Politics’ Best of the Blogs Selections 2008-2009
Rep. Parker Griffith Bolts to the GOP Published on MyDD on December 22, 2009.
The Mounting Woes of Mark Sanford Published on MyDD on November 24, 2009.
Unemployment Reaches a 26 Year High Published on MyDD on November 6, 2009.
Admiral Mullen: “More Troops and More Time Published on MyDD on September 15, 2009.
Massachusetts AG Martha Coakley Eyes the Senate Published on MyDD on September 1, 2009.
A Balance of Power Tilting Towards Beijing Published on MyDD on July 29, 2009.
It Just Doesn’t Add Up Published on MyDD on July 14, 2009.
The Threat of Continuismo Published on MyDD on July 3, 2009.
“No One in Their Right Mind Can Believe” Published on MyDD on June 17, 2009.
A Partial Win on the War Supplemental Published on MyDD on June 9, 2009.
The Somber Unemployment Picture Published on MyDD on June 8, 2009.
The Laughable Loyal Opposition Published on MyDD on May 27, 2009.
Pursue Sanctions that Work Published on MyDD on May 26, 2009.
The Games Pakistan Plays Published on MyDD on May 18, 2009.
A Step in the Right Direction Published on MyDD on May 14, 2009.
Is Pakistan’s Civil War a Class War? Published on MyDD on May 7, 2009.
A Parallel Taliban Administration Emerging in Pakistan Published on MyDD on April 24, 2009.
A Weighty Decision Published on MyDD on April 17, 2009.
In Af-Pak Debate, The Counter-Insurgency Side Prevails Published on MyDD on March 27, 2009.
The President Hits the Mark on Wall Street Incentives Published on MyDD on March 23, 2009.
The Obama Doctrine Begins to Take Shape Published on MyDD on March 20, 2009.
In Geithner We Trust Published on MyDD on March 19, 2009.
The Lost Art of Letter Writing & Diplomacy Published on MyDD on March 3, 2009.
Running After Two Hares Published on MyDD on February 23, 2009.
Iran and the Virtual Bomb Published on MyDD on February 20, 2009.
The President on the Role of Government Published on MyDD on February 10, 2009.
The President Takes His A-Game to Williamsburg Published on MyDD on February 06, 2009.
Illusory Thinking Published on MyDD on January 26, 2009.
UK Foreign Secretary Miliband: The War on Terror A “Mistake” Published on MyDD on January 14, 2009.
What Gives? Published on MyDD on January 13, 2009.
The American Crisis Published on MyDD on January 09, 2009
Blessed Are The Gatekeepers Published on MyDD on January 06, 2009
Clinton’s State Department Published on MyDD on December 23, 2008
US Election Turnout Published on MyDD on December 14, 2008
In addition to being a front pager at MyDD, I contribute articles for a variety of blogs and Web magazines including The Daily Censor, ReThink Afghanistan, Brave New Films and South Africa’s Soapbox.
Odds and Ends
My Liberal Identity:
You are a Working Class Warrior, also known as a blue-collar Democrat. You believe that the little guy is getting screwed by conservative greed-mongers and corporate criminals, and you’re not going to take it anymore.
Take the quiz at www.FightConservatives.com