by admin | Feb 4, 2017 | Activism, Books, Climate, Disaster, Drought, Industry, Natural Hazards, Resilience, Science, Water, Wildfire
In times of political hostility to scientific truth, knowledgeable people sometimes wonder how we can progress without federal support for important initiatives such as adaptation to climate change. The answer, in a vibrant democracy, is that the truth often bubbles...
by admin | Jan 26, 2017 | Activism, Climate, Disaster, Disaster policy, National security, Natural Hazards, Public policy
I was made aware yesterday of a new petition on the White House website concerning climate change. The White House website has long contained a mechanism by which citizens can initiate an online petition on an issue of concern and then seek support from others to...
by admin | Jan 15, 2017 | Activism, Chicago, Disability, Healthcare, Politics, Public health, Public policy
“Six weeks ago,” said Sen. Dick Durbin, the Illinois Democrat who is assistant minority leader in the U.S. Senate, “I got a call from Burlington, Vermont.” It was Sen. Bernie Sanders, who told him “we need to rally in cities across the U.S.” to preserve health care...
by admin | Jul 9, 2016 | Activism, Adoption, Civil rights, Crime, Immigration, Personal history, Public safety, Racism
Our nation is suffering from a terrible social disease. It is not a sexually transmitted disease, though it can be spread orally, through the things we say to each other and over the Internet and the air waves. Since everything seems to need a name, I will call it BJ...
by admin | Jul 4, 2016 | Activism, Books, Civil rights, Government, History, Immigration, Political philosophy, Racism
Long ago, in a graduate urban planning course at the University of Iowa called “Collective Decision Making,” I had an interesting exchange of views with Professor Mickey Lauria, now at Clemson University. We are both much older than we were in 1982, so it might be...
by admin | May 15, 2016 | Activism, Blogging, Careers, Journalism, Personal health, Personal history, Writing
Have you ever tried to visualize yourself in a prominent, visible role other than whatever you do for a living? Can you see yourself accepting a Grammy, say, or racing across the goal line with a touchdown pass? Most of us at some point have some fantasy about...