by admin | Nov 1, 2020 | Activism, Coronavirus, Crime, Government, History, Journalism, National security, Personal history, Political philosophy, Politics, Public safety, Terrorism
In two days, those who have not yet voted by mail or in person at an early voting site will have their last chance to express their views on America’s future. It is by far the starkest choice in my lifetime, and I will add that Harry Truman was in the White House when...
by admin | Oct 21, 2020 | Disaster, Disaster policy, Hazard Mitigation, History, Natural Hazards, Public policy, Urban Planning
When a law makes a powerful impact over time, it is sometimes hard to remember what life was like before it was enacted. In U.S. history, for example, both Social Security and, later, Medicare, created a new reality for the elderly that makes it almost impossible for...
by admin | Sep 20, 2020 | Activism, Art, Climate, Coronavirus, History, Literature, Politics, Racism, Wildfire, Writing
I might have thought by now you would have found the exit from the hall of mirrors. But no. You are mesmerized by its dreamy distortions, imprisoned by its illusions. Perception arises from wave lengths and shadows, reflections against a shifting surface. Tall becomes...
by admin | Aug 30, 2020 | Agriculture, Chicago, Climate, Disaster, Emergency Management, Geography, Government, Hazard Mitigation, History, Natural Hazards, Public safety, Resilience, Urban forest, Weather
What in the U.S. Midwest would spur comparisons to a hurricane? What could spread damage over an equally wide area? It is a good bet that most people are unfamiliar with the word “derecho,” which comes from Spanish, meaning “straight,” but such a storm made itself...
by admin | Apr 20, 2020 | Activism, Blogging, Civil rights, Coronavirus, Disaster, Education, Emergency Management, Government, History, Immigration, Politics, Public health, Public policy, Racism, Resilience, Volunteerism
What follows is an adapted, re-edited version of a Facebook post from today that seems to have struck a nerve, attracting dozens of likes, comments, and shares. As a result, I concluded that perhaps I should add it to this blog. No pictures here, just observations:...
by admin | Jan 21, 2020 | Activism, Books, Christianity, Government, History, National security, Political philosophy, Politics
In the mid-1960s, before the advent of the personal computer, when a manual typewriter was the state of the art in original document production, I took a high school typing course in which I learned the QWERTY keyboard and how to manipulate my fingers to put words on...
