All posts by jmp

American Activism

Sage observations from a veteran activist: Nonviolent resistance does not happen overnight or automatically. It requires an informed and prepared public, keen to the strategy and dynamics of its political power. Although nonviolent campaigns often begin with a committed and experienced core, successful ones enlarge the diversity of participants, maintain nonviolent discipline and expand the Read More

Status Quo – NOT!

credit: Kara Q. Lewis How do you feel about the status quo? Business as usual. The same old same old? Our new president is taking a lot of credit for shaking up the status quo in Washington, D.C., but one would prefer creative destruction as opposed to the mayhem he’s inflicting on the system. The Read More

Harbinger: Signs of Change

Harbinger. I first heard the word when I was eight or nine. I asked my mother what it meant. “A sign,” she said. “Like the first robin of spring.” In my boyhood home of Colorado, where the winters could be long, the coming of warm weather, the melting of all that snow, was a sign Read More

Small Wall or Big Wall?

Very disappointing that our newly elected president is thinking small. A wall between the U.S. and Mexico should be only the beginning. With a little courage and a couple of $hundred billion more, we could build a wall around our entire country! credit: here Think of it! We can keep out the Asians, the Canadians, Read More

Floating Cities of the Future

What to do about climate change? There are any number of thoughtful responses to mitigating the problem, and some more fanciful plans for dealing with it and moving on. The impact of rising sea levels on coastal communities can be explored here One proposed response can be seen here Will all the coastal cities of Read More

Grid Security #1

How secure is the nation’s electrical grid? There are any number of challenges to protecting it from intrusion and a lot to say on the subject. A quote to keep in mind: A 2014 Transmission & Distribution World article, “Cyber security: Protecting critical infrastructure in a changing world” by ABB characterized the issues addressed by IEC 62443 and related Read More

Politicians

Ah! Politicians! Another election cycle has come and gone. How’d this latest slate of candidates strike you? Who among us has not wanted to wring their neck or spit in their eye? But, hey, let’s be kind: it’s not an easy life they lead. Kissing babies, shaking hands, pretending to care. How’d you like to Read More