Free Republic

Mayor Gavin Newsom declared San Francisco strong and getting stronger in his annual State of the City address Wednesday and said he will create a city of hope and opportunity that embraces emerging industries and trains a competitive workforce -- at the same time making the surroundings more safe, healthy and beautiful. "As we reshape our urban environment,'' Newsom said, "we are reimagining San Francisco as a city of possibility, a city that will attract families and so nurture the next generation, a city that will attract economic investment and so ensure that our basic needs are met.'' Newsom delivered...

Political theorist Benjamin Barber, actor Warren Beatty, columnist Maureen Dowd, rock critic Greil Marcus, and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom are among the speakers at this year's graduation ceremonies at the University of California, Berkeley. The Class of 2005 selected Barber as the keynote speaker for Commencement Convocation, to be held at 4 p.m. on Wednesday at the Greek Theatre. He is a Professor of Civil Society at the University of Maryland and founder of The Democracy Collaborative, a nonprofit think tank. Barber, who has lectured frequently at UC-Berkeley over the years, said he plans to address the role of...