by admin | Jun 11, 2017 | Blogging, Books, Chicago, History, Humanities, Information technology, Journalism, Literature, Recreation, Writing
Chicago, a city that has spawned at least its fair share of writers and attracted many more, has spawned a national museum dedicated to people who propagate the written word. The American Writers Museum (AWM) opened May 16 at 180 N. Michigan Avenue, situated amid a...
by admin | Feb 26, 2017 | Books, Civil rights, Economic development, Geography, Government, History, Movies
The Republic of Botswana, a paragon of progress in today’s Africa, did not start life with any apparent advantages. In fact, the former British protectorate of Bechuanaland, which became independent Botswana, appeared in the 1950s to have bleak prospects, in no small...
by admin | Feb 4, 2017 | Activism, Books, Climate, Disaster, Drought, Industry, Natural Hazards, Resilience, Science, Water, Wildfire
In times of political hostility to scientific truth, knowledgeable people sometimes wonder how we can progress without federal support for important initiatives such as adaptation to climate change. The answer, in a vibrant democracy, is that the truth often bubbles...
by admin | Nov 27, 2016 | Books, Climate, Government, National security, Science
It was the end of yet another trip to Washington, D.C. I generally find myself in the nation’s capital between three to five times per year, all depending on project needs, meeting invitations, and other factors mostly relevant to my work for the American Planning...
by admin | Oct 22, 2016 | Adoption, Agriculture, Blogging, Books, Business, Careers, Chicago, Civil rights, Climate, Cooking
Floods generally result from regional storm systems producing intense precipitation, from fast melting of winter snows, and occasionally from the failure of protective infrastructure such as dams and levees, often as a result of pressure from such events. We tend to...
by admin | Jul 4, 2016 | Activism, Books, Civil rights, Government, History, Immigration, Political philosophy, Racism
Long ago, in a graduate urban planning course at the University of Iowa called “Collective Decision Making,” I had an interesting exchange of views with Professor Mickey Lauria, now at Clemson University. We are both much older than we were in 1982, so it might be...