by admin | May 4, 2026 | Activism, Chicago, Climate, Economics, Energy Conservation, Environment, Government, Infrastructure, Personal history, Public policy, Renewable Energy, Urban Planning
The ceremony began with the ritual burning of some coal in a small firepit outside the front door of Augustana Lutheran Church of Hyde Park, in Chicago. The coal fire was soon extinguished, but the flame was used to light candles as people processed, singing “This...
by admin | Mar 30, 2026 | Activism, Chicago, Civil rights, Government, Immigration, Personal history, Racism, Veterans, Volunteerism
“What does democracy look like?” the speaker asks from the stage of the No Kings rally in Chicago’s Grant Park before an estimated 250,000 protesters on March 28. “This is what democracy looks like!” they respond. Indeed, democracy looks like many other things,...
by admin | Mar 13, 2026 | Aging, Books, Careers, Chicago, Civil rights, Climate, Disaster, Disaster policy, Disaster Recovery, Emergency Management, Government, Hazard Mitigation, History, Hurricanes, Immigration, Minnesota, Natural Hazards, Personal history, Politics, Public policy, Public safety, Resilience, Social Equity, Texas, War, Wildfire
Given the almost comically corrupt nature of Kristi Noem’s administration of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as its Secretary, I half-expected that her inevitable meltdown after the most recent Senate hearing would lead to flying monkeys celebrating as...
by admin | Feb 4, 2026 | Chicago, Climate, Coastal Management, Disaster, Florida, Hurricanes, Insurance, Iowa, Journalism, Movies, Parks, Personal history, Restaurants, Sports, Tornado, Urban Planning, Weather
It was about 11:15 a.m. on Sunday, January 25, when my United Airlines flight from Sarasota, Florida, landed at O’Hare International Airport, and I finally started getting text messages again. The very first one was from Angel, our 22-year-old grandson, whom I had...
by admin | Jan 15, 2026 | Activism, Chicago, Civil rights, Crime, Death, Government, Immigration, Minnesota, Personal history, Politics, Public safety, Racism, Terrorism, Volunteerism
The Grinch paid an early visit in an attempt to steal Christmas in Chicago, but Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Chief Greg Bovino did not stay long after a surprise return from warmer haunts down south. In my previous blog post, “Moral Blowback in Chicago,” I made...
by admin | Aug 26, 2025 | Crime, Death, Government, Personal history
Most of us have had some experience in dealing with bullies, either directly as objects of their behavior, or indirectly in perhaps assisting or defending someone else who was the target. The subject has taken on new urgency since the most recent presidential...
