by admin | Feb 19, 2025 | Activism, Blogging, Books, Christianity, Civil rights, Government, History, Immigration, Movies, Personal history, Politics, Racism, Religion, Russia, Volunteerism, War, Writing
It is early in the morning as I begin to write this—too early in the view of most people I know. I awoke just before 5 a.m. in part because Tyson, our big Husky-German Shepherd mix, seemed to want to go outside in the bitter cold. (He did not; he merely wanted water,...
by admin | Dec 26, 2024 | Careers, Climate, Disaster, Disaster Recovery, Education, Floodplain management, Hazard Mitigation, History, Iowa, Natural Hazards, Personal history, Public policy, Resilience, Retirement, Texas, Urban Planning, Weather
About the time the rising Cedar River crested in downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on June 13, 2008, a torrential downpour from an incoming thunderstorm joined forces with it to create the perfect flood. In the previous flood of record in the city, the river had reached 20...
by admin | Nov 5, 2024 | Activism, Books, Crime, Government, History, Immigration, Personal history, Political philosophy, Public policy, Public safety, Russia
Some time in 1997, I undertook a reading experiment I have never regretted, which was to begin to read, sequentially, biographies of U.S. presidents. I am not sure exactly when I picked up Cincinnatus: George Washington and the Enlightenment by Garry Wills, but it...
by admin | Nov 4, 2024 | Climate, Coastal Management, Disaster, Emergency Management, Floodplain management, Florida, Geography, Hurricanes, Natural Hazards, Resilience, Weather
Barrier islands serve a purpose in nature’s scheme, offering a barrier of sorts to the movement of storm surge and high tides to the continental mainland. In both the Southeastern U.S. and the Texas Gulf Coast, such islands abound, but we have often ignored the power...
by admin | Sep 3, 2024 | Activism, Books, Christianity, Civil rights, Crime, Government, History, National security, Politics, Racism, Religion
Donald Trump has an Achilles heel that sticks out like a sore thumb. Yes, I may be flirting with cuteness by using a mixed metaphor. But think about it. This man who so desperately wants to be seen as tough, even invincible, has created his own massive psychological...
