The San Francisco Experience

Labyrinth of the Wind is the critically acclaimed debut novel of Madhav Misra. Set in Teheran, Iran in the late 1970s as the Shah's regime is coming to an end and the fundamentalist Islamic Revolution of Ayatollah Khomeini is unfolding it is a complex story of a young expat's struggle to serve several masters. A fascinating look back to a Westernizing Iran awash in petrodollars and fabulous wealth but also poverty. And even the Shah wanted to build a nuclear capability for Iran over 40 years ago.

San Francisco has been picked on by the East Coast press for decades. Of late, they have criticized us for our homelessness mess, high cost of housing, City Hall Corruption - I agree with them on that score - and the recent tech exodus to Austin, Seattle and points East because of the high cost of living. They seem to think we live in a Film Noir Warp. But San Francisco always bounces back. In fact the mythical Phoenix, rising from the ashes,  adorns our city flag. Don't count us out !  

Joseph R. Biden Jr. was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States on January 20, 2021.  His predecessor Donald Trump did not attend the ceremony, but he left a letter of support for the incoming President in the Oval Office. Biden's 21 minute inaugural address spoke of unity and toning down political rhetoric. While new American Presidents enjoy a honeymoon with the voters, his challenge will be to forge links to the 74 million Americans who chose Donald Trump for President rather than him.  Fighting for national unity while the country goes through an impeachment trial of Trump to disqualify him from future political office, will be a tall order. 

As awful as 2020 has been been, 1968 was even more momentous with political assassinations, the Viet Nam War, the Prague Spring and Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia as well as major civil unrest throughout America. Amidst all these tectonic changes, a major political realignment occurred with segregationist  George Wallace winning four dependably Democrat states. And we even had a mini-Pandemic, the Hong Kong flu. 2020 also witnessed a major political realignment which is still underway. But the jury is still out whether it will be a populist or liberal realignment.

The 17 mile trail that crosses San Francisco from the Bay in the South East corner of the City to Land's End in its' North West Corner,  cuts right through the heart of our 49 square miles of natural beauty.  It traverses urban gardens, solid neighborhoods, the Presidio, Golden Gate Park and leads you to the dramatic cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The brainchild of Bob Siegel a one time Peace Corps volunteer and college professor, the Crosstown Trail has become a top attraction during Covid gym shutdowns. It's also becoming an inspiration for cities as far afield as New York and Glasgow to create similar trails.

The Siege of the US Capitol one week ago illustrated how US politics have become militarized under Donald Trump. Militias and their members were a visible presence at the infamous rally beforehand and at the storming of the Capitol. The Million Militia March scheduled for Inauguration Day January 20 will be met by 3000 National Guard troops if it turns violent.  A 7 foot high unscaleable fence now surrounds the Capitol. And Trump faces a second impeachment for inciting the riot. Yet his followers still back him.

Air India initiated a new nonstop flight from San Francisco to Bangalore - 17 hours nonstop - over the North Pole. The crew was all female, Captain, First Officer, Navigator. The new flight will link San Francisco's Silicon Valley and India's Technology powerhouse Bangalore which are already Sister Cities. And the 2.7 million Indian immigrants to the United States are very successful. But China's clashes with the Indian Army last Summer and America's trade tariffs seem to be driving India and America into each others arms. Where is this three way relationship heading ?

The 25th Amendment permits the Vice President and a majority of the cabinet to declare a President unable to discharge the duties and powers of his office and replace him. Should Vice President Pence and the cabinet remove President Trump in the last 13 days of his term which expires January 20, 2021 ? 

The Covid 19 Pandemic was a Black Swan event unleashed on the world in early 2020. A Black Swan event is an extreme outlier occurrence with a huge impact which is only explainable after the fact.  Do any Black Swans lurk in our future for 2021 ? By nature they are unpredictable and unknowable beforehand, but we will attempt to predict some areas that could produce  black swans in the next twelve months.