My father was in the CIA. I’m trying to make peace with his complex legacy

During my freshman year at Boston University in 1983, my phone rang in the early morning hours. I stumbled across my messy dorm room and picked up the receiver. It was Dad. After a quick greeting, he said, ‘Listen — the US is going to invade Grenada. I’m telling you before it hits the news.’ …

Women, Girls, and LGBT Fight for Rights in Myanmar.

Apr 15, 2021 In early February, women, girls and members of the LGBT community hit the streets of Yangon, Mandalay and other cities throughout Myanmar to protest the country’s military takeover. Protesters—many of them young women—have continued to marched, beat pans and hang their undergarments (known as htamein) in creative and colorful protest, not just against …

Total Immersion: Swimmers take the plunge

JULY 14, 2019 Every September, the South End Rowing Club—a historic nonprofit swimming, rowing and handball club in Aquatic Park—hosts its annual fundraiser, the Alcatraz Invitational swim, where people come from all over the world to swim the roughly one mile distance from The Rock to San Francisco. Usually in the low 60s, the Bay is …

Get In Good Spirits At Savage & Cooke Whiskey Distillery

JULY 14, 2019 It’s a perfect day for bourbon—overcast and gray—when I arrive on Mare Island, a small peninsula around 30 miles northeast of (and just over a one-hour ferry ride away from) San Francisco. I’m here for a VIP tour of the Savage & Cooke whiskey distillery, given by Napa wine icon Dave Phinney. He’s best known …