There are days when you might enjoy being an editor a little less, due to one crisis or another. It is absolutely vital, to me, in a period of technological evolution and sometimes financial stress that I and my colleagues not only put out a fantastic magazine and Web site and all the rest, but also that we are smart enough about what we are doing.

Russian is such a tough and complex language that I am happy enough to understand everything and read most things pretty well, but, without constant practice, my speech is not what I wish it was, and I would sooner write in crayon than write a letter in Russian.

A huge constituency, such as Hispanics, is not 100 percent Democratic.

Nature is cold, wet, hard and unforgiving.

I think we should be alarmed, watchful, and, as journalists, rigorous and fearless. I think we should be alert.

100% of the people who get the magazine say they read the cartoons first - and the other 2% are lying.100

I'm interested in Russian language, culture, history... and I lived there, for four years, as a reporter for the Washington Post and have visited many times since.