Politics, Development, and Economics
The Development Challenge: Indonesia and Malaysia, 1960-1990
(52 pages) A look at the policy choices Indonesia and Malaysia made in the latter half of the 20th century, and what they teach us about economic development.
Controlling Immigration: A Global Perspective
A book review of Controlling Immigration: A Global Perspective by Wayne A. Cornelius, Takeyuki Tsuda, et.al., eds. First published in SAIS Review, an academic journal for which I was assistant editor.
Non-Proliferation Strategies for India and Pakistan in the Aftermath of the May 1998 Tests
A 20 page paper that examines what political, military, and economic levers we have at our disposal to pressure compliance with the nuclear non-proliferation act (short answer: very few).
Privatization of Public Utilities: What Are the Gains? Why the Public Opposition?
A 30+ page overview of the economic effects of privatizing pubic resources, and a look at, if privatization can be so beneficial, it is so bitterly opposed.
Overwhelming Force: Promoting Democratization in Cuba will Require a Radical New Approach.
First published in the Bologna Center Journal of International Affairs, which you can download in its entirety from that site. I was the layout editor for the publication.
Democratic Consolidation in Nicaragua: 1979 - 2003.
Looks at the growth and strength of Nicaragua's move to democracy since the overthrow of the Somoza dynasty.
Open Source, Technology, and Software
Extending Thunderbird: The Best of All Worlds
This two pager about the well-loved Thunderbird email software is available from Tux Magazine. It was printed in Issue 6 (September 2005)..
The Internet in the Open Source Age
The Internet was built on open standards that encouraged its rapid growth and adoption. Is the open source paradigm the magic bullet that will prevent it from being co-opted, controlled, or manipulated? (quick answer: "it will be highly useful but no magic bullet").
A look at how document formats are being used to the consumer's disadvantage. First published in La Dotta magazine. Read it on-line here.
TeX, LaTeX, and Lyx
A presentation I delivered 7 May 2003 to the PBCLUG. I have used LaTeX to write several of the documents on this web site.
SuSE 8.0
A review of SuSE Linux 8.0 I prepared for PBCLUG in September 2002.
Woodnotes Guide to Emacs for Writers
A 23 page manual on how to use the Emacs text editor for writing text documents - books, fiction, and so on. First in a developing series of Woodnotes. Or read it on-line here.
Woodnotes Guide to the Mutt Email Client
Mutt is an extremely powerful but not-so-easy-to-configure email client for Unix/Linux and even Mac OS X. This is my easy to read manual describing how to configure and use Mutt. Read it on-line here.
Nicaragua
The Nicaraguan Energy Sector: Characteristics and Recommendations
(58 pages) An energy policy paper for Nicaragua in the year 2005. Key word: geothermal.
Democratic Consolidation in Nicaragua: 1979 - 2003.
Looks at the growth and strength of Nicaragua's move to democracy since the overthrow of the Somoza dynasty.
Nicaragua
This is a presentation I have delivered to promote tourism in Nicaragua and the travel guidebook I co-authored (Presentation: March 2003, Book: November 2002).
Nicaragua - its people and geography
I delivered this presentation in 2004 in Italy as part of a cultural seminar series.
Miscellaneous
A guide for SAIS students going to Bologna. Collected experiences and tips on how to acquire a visa for your spouse and/or family. (Revised April 2004)