Names in the News: A Crossword Puzzle

by Nomad

Distraction time- it's a crossword puzzle, specially made for Nomadic Politics readers! 

The theme is names of political people who are currently in the news. Some of them are well-known and some of them are a little obscure. 

Invisible People: Why It is Important to Hear the Stories of the Homeless

by Nomad

But For the Grace of God

Throughout my childhood, I grew up hearing from my mother this phrase: "There, but for the grace of God, go I."

This was drummed into my head at the earliest age, not as some kind of arrogant boast of divine favoritism. It was instead a reminder never to take things for granted. No man, no woman or child should ever feel exempt from misfortune.

The vagary of life, sudden changes in circumstance, is the one things we all share. A business shuts down, an accident or illness, a poor choice, a hundred things beyond our control. (Add to that the temptations of drugs and alcohol and the instant relief of from boredom, stress or emotional pain.)

All of these things, whether we choose to acknowledge it or not, are a part of our common humanity. Today, it might be that person who is begging on the street, living in their car or suffering from an addiction, but never ever think it could not be you or I in that situation tomorrow.
That was the greatest lesson my parents learned from the Great Depression.

Sanity Sunday - Six in Ska

by Nomad

Last week, somebody commented that reggae music made them smile.With the news of the nation essentially on autopilot and Florida being ravaged by Hurricane Irma, bringing smiles is something of a challenge.
So, I thought I would devote this post to Reggae's precursor, Ska. The selection of these six is random; a few of them are originals and a few cover versions of earlier popular songs but with a Jamaican spin.

Before the Storm: A Special Announcement to Readers about Hurricane Irma

by Nomad

Today the nation is holding its collective breath as Hurricane Irma sweeps across the Bahamas, threatening the state of Florida and very likely Georgia and the East Coast in general.  The latest prediction is that Irma will make landfall in the early hours of Sunday as a Category 4 hurricane.

It is possible - but unlikely- that Irma will surprise the weathermen and veer out to sea. Nothing is impossible. However, Few sane people are counting on that miracle.

The window of opportunity is closing as we speak. By now, all of us have heard the reports of mandatory evacuations and residents desperate to get out of Irma's path. We have seen images of crowded airports and highways blocked with traffic.

Good News Round-Up- for Week 2 September 2017

by Nomad

This month's Good News focuses on the big picture. Confident in knowing that these dark days of Trump and weather-related disasters will soon pass, I decided that I ought to look at the quiet revolutions going on around us which are transforming the planet.

Even while the bad news makes the headlines, progress continues. So let's take a look at that for a moment.

New Reports See Bright Futures for Wind and Solar

According to two recent reports, we might be underestimating the influence that solar and wind energy will play in the near future. These optimistic forecasts suggest that the radical trends of the last decade are unstoppable and what we are looking at is something akin to an energy revolution.

Both of these reports offer forecasts that are wildly optimistic relative to the mainstream modeling community, but it’s not because they predict wind and solar are going to have some unprecedented explosion.