by admin | Sep 12, 2022 | Activism, Books, Chicago, Crime, Government, Immigration, National security, Personal history, Public policy, Racism, Religion, Social Equity, Social Science, Terrorism
When I first moved to Chicago, in November 1985, I came alone from Omaha. My wife, who grew up in Nebraska, chose to stay there until the fall semester was over. She was teaching across the river in the Council Bluffs, Iowa, public schools. I needed to settle in with...
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...
