by admin | Sep 5, 2022 | Blogging, Books, Education, History, Immigration, Journalism, Literature, Personal history, Writing
My mother was definitely a neatnik. Everything in its place, but don’t keep too many things in the first place. If something did not have an obvious use, get rid of it. A sentimentalist, she was not. She lived her life in the suburbs of Cleveland, which is where I...
by admin | Apr 16, 2022 | Activism, Books, Civil rights, Government, History, Personal history, Politics, Racism, Travel, War
It was spring break in the Chicago Public Schools this past week (April 11-15). Despite busy lives, I thought my wife and I should do something special with Alex, our 13-year-old grandson, so I proposed a visit to Springfield, the Illinois capital, to visit the...
by admin | Feb 7, 2022 | Activism, Books, Christianity, Climate, Infrastructure, Public policy, Religion, Renewable Energy, Science
It is Sunday evening as I start this blog post. Whether I finish it tonight is less important than simply getting it done. I had intended to get it done earlier, but other matters intervened, including a death in the family, so I am doing it now. Part of my motivation...
by admin | Jan 6, 2022 | Activism, Books, Civil rights, Crime, Government, History, National security, Personal history, Politics, Public safety, Racism, Terrorism
Like most people, I learned of the insurrection that resulted in five deaths and considerably more than 100 injuries to Capitol police from television news. Don’t ask me which channel; it was probably either CNN or MSNBC, but honestly, I don’t remember. I only...
by admin | Oct 8, 2021 | Books, Chicago, Climate, Disaster, Geography, Hazard Mitigation, History, Journalism, Natural Hazards, Public safety, Resilience, Science, Weather, Wildfire
Back on August 11, during a family vacation that involved circumnavigating the shores of Lake Michigan, my wife and I and two grandsons visited the small town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin, and spent an afternoon at the Peshtigo Fire Museum. It is housed in a former church...
by admin | Apr 27, 2021 | Activism, Books, Business, Climate, Coastal Management, Disaster, Disaster policy, Economics, Environment, Floodplain management, Government, Hazard Mitigation, Infrastructure, Natural Hazards, Politics, Public policy, Resilience, Transportation, Urban Planning, Water
President Joe Biden’s $2.3 trillion infrastructure bill aims to fix much that is ailing in America, and its sheer size is drawing predictable—and short-sighted—fire from Republicans in Congress. The nation has a great deal of aging infrastructure, which will...
