Author Archives: Peter Wilson

Cambridge’s 64 public housing programs

The New York Times printed a startling admission in a recent article: “The deficit crisis that threatens the euro has also undermined the sustainability of the European standard of social welfare, built by left-leaning governments since the end of World … Continue reading

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Community organizing 2.0

The Cambridge Climate Emergency Congress is a casebook study of a new movement of “climate community activism” that pushes sustainability issues in municipal governments. The largest player in this movement was founded in 1990 to fight ozone pollution, under the … Continue reading

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If you get too cold, I’ll tax the heat

NASA scientist James Hansen spoke at the Cambridge Forum last month about what he calls a Carbon Tax and 100 percent Dividend. The proposal is detailed in his new book, which bears the melodramatic title, Storms of My Grandchildren: The … Continue reading

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Cambridge City Council ponders resolution to close Pandora’s Box

Following the recent “longwinded” City Council debate on abolishing nuclear weapons (“Nuke talk sparks heated Cambridge council debate,” Chronicle 9/23/09), the Chronicle posted an online poll, asking, “Would you support a ballot question calling for the end of nuclear weapons?” … Continue reading

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What’s the rush?

Things are built in China at an incredible pace. Need a new airport expressway for the Olympics? Done. Decide to create a new economic zone in Shanghai across the river with skyscrapers that rival Manhattan? Done. Projects the size of … Continue reading

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What is social justice?

When we were looking at schools for my daughter, one prospective teacher related how she had organized her kindergarten class into a protest march against the city workers who had been instructed to clear brush at a nearby park. The … Continue reading

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Should global warming be part of Cambridge school curriculum?

The Chronicle recently reported that the King Open School in Cambridge received an unnamed $1,000 grant “to educate and engage teenagers in ‘on-the-ground’ actions to address global warming.” It turns out that the source of the grant was a program … Continue reading

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Don’t be fooled by the man behind the multiculturalism curtain

Criticizing multiculturalism is tricky business, so I better make it clear from the outset that I celebrate diversity as much as the next guy—especially if the next guy is from my 02138 ZIP code. I love Cambridge for its diversity— … Continue reading

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