Category Archives: politics

Why I host conversations in 2017

Why should anyone host a conversation in 2017? I’ve been meditating on this question over the past few weeks, between multiple professional trips (all in the US this time), a series of online presentations, several face-to-face presentations, three meeting facilitations, … Continue reading →

Posted in politics, presentations and talks | 6 Comments

Two new free college plans and the future of higher education

Last week Bernie Sanders and allies introduced legislation to provide tuition-free public higher education for students in families making less than $125,000 per year.  At the same time New York’s governor announced the Excelsior Scholarship, setting up a similar plan … Continue reading →

Posted in politics | Tagged , | 2 Comments

The extractive democracy in 2017 and beyond

Two years ago I wrote about extractive democracy.  I used the term to describe America’s recently acquired habit of extracting wealth from the poorest of us, in order to shift those monies to the wealthiest, using mechanisms of state.  I cast … Continue reading →

Posted in politics | 1 Comment

Explaining the 2016 elections: the generational pivot

One of the essential uses of studying history is the way the past can sometimes shock you into a different awareness of the present, along with adding glimpses of possible futures.  We certainly need more awareness when it comes to the … Continue reading →

Posted in demographics, politics | 4 Comments

Notes on the Trump inauguration speech

Greetings from Malta, where Europeans have plenty of thoughts on the new American president. I watched the inauguration on the web from a hotel room in San Anton, and also followed via social media until it was time to walk … Continue reading →

Posted in politics | 4 Comments

The shock of the old: how Americans actually got election news in 2016

Much discussion about the 2016 American presidential election touched on the role of digital technologies. buy finasteride online buy finasteride no prescription generic  Social media and web-based fake news are popular (if partial) explanations of Trump’s victory.  Yet if a … Continue reading →

Posted in politics, technology | Tagged | 4 Comments

Boris Badenov, hacker: skeptical thoughts on the Russian election espionage affair

I’ve been following the Russian American election hacking story between speaking gigs, physical meetings, international travel, winter storms, and holiday planning.  Finally I have a few minutes to write about this here.* Overall, I’d like to caution people at this … Continue reading →

Posted in digital literacy, politics | 12 Comments

Will the United States experience civil unrest in 2017-2018?

The 2016 American elections saw many passions and surprises, sometimes directed at the political process and structure of American society.  Is it possible that these clashes will break out into civil unrest? I don’t mean to ask this in an … Continue reading →

Posted in future of education, politics, Uncategorized | Tagged | 14 Comments

The struggle for the Democratic party's future begins with calls to head left

Greetings from Finland, where I’m enjoying a week’s residency kindly supported by Arcada University.  This Nordic/eastern European perch is an interesting one from which to view the results of our American election. Let me pick out one aspect for this … Continue reading →

Posted in politics | 4 Comments

Lame broadband is a direct hit on Vermont's livelihood

(Just published this on VT Digger) Now that the 2016 election is over and we’re looking forward to the near future, we should consider one Vermont issue that hasn’t received a lot of attention. Rural internet connectivity is not doing … Continue reading →

Posted in politics, technology | 1 Comment