by admin | May 17, 2015 | Activism, Books, Climate, Disaster policy, Resilience, Urban Planning
In recent years, there has been growing interest in and activity around the concept of resilience. For many people long involved in trying to make the world’s communities safer from disasters, the interest has been heartwarming. The underlying idea is that a community...
by admin | Feb 24, 2015 | Activism, Chicago, Homeless
If, like me, you work in the central business district of a major city, you probably cannot escape it. On the way from the CTA train station to the office, a four-block walk, it seems that I pass the homeless on every street corner. One part of me would like to do...
by admin | Jan 19, 2015 | Activism, Civil rights, Government, History, Movies, Political philosophy, Racism
On this weekend of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, my wife and I spent last night watching the movie Selma before going out to dinner. Produced by Oprah Winfrey, who also plays the part a Selma protester, the movie focuses on Dr. King’s leadership of the March...
by admin | Jan 4, 2015 | Activism, Chicago, Government, Public safety, Racism
If I were a major celebrity like Oprah Winfrey, I could expect immediate and fierce feedback whenever I chose to comment on a controversial issue. I am not, but she is, and on Saturday, January 3, she got such feedback after expressing doubts about the leadership of...
by admin | Dec 15, 2014 | Activism, Government, Political philosophy, Racism
There has been considerable angst in recent weeks about relations between police officers and young black men, and more than a little finger-pointing. While I certainly think this nation needs ongoing discussions about how race relations affect police activity and...
by admin | Sep 25, 2014 | Activism, Books, Climate, Disaster policy, Environment, Government, Science
Reportedly, about 400,000 people attended the People’s Climate March in New York City last weekend. I was not one of them, but that is not because I don’t support their objectives. I had planned to be in Iowa City, and will discuss that visit in an upcoming blog to...
