by admin | Jul 2, 2017 | Aging, Books, Education, Government, History, Journalism, Personal history, Politics, Social Media
There is no doubt about it. President Donald Trump’s latest tweets have rightly triggered a firestorm of disgust and angry responses. The personal attacks on MSNBC reporters Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski have revealed a level of meanness and misogyny even...
by admin | Jun 27, 2017 | Government, Healthcare, Journalism, National security, Politics
This is not going to be a polite blog post. It is going to be blunt and brief. Politeness serves a purpose in life, but mostly when engaging with other people of honest intentions but different perspectives, in an effort to keep discussion civil and respectful. It is...
by admin | Jun 4, 2017 | Blogging, Careers, Climate, Disaster, Economics, Government, Natural Hazards, Urban Planning
This is a story both personal and political. On May 31, the American Planning Association hosted a wonderful retirement party for my last day on the job as Manager of the Hazards Planning Center. I have spent much of the past quarter-century helping to make natural...
by admin | May 11, 2017 | Disaster, Disaster policy, Floodplain management, Floodplain management, Government, Natural Hazards, Resilience, Urban Planning
Earlier this year, the American Planning Association’s Hazard Mitigation and Disaster Recovery Planning Division, in cooperation with Texas A&M University, sponsored a student paper contest for students in urban planning programs across the country. The papers...
by admin | May 7, 2017 | Agriculture, Business, Environment, Government, Politics, Public policy
The people of Iowa are about to get a new governor. Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds will be sworn in as soon as Terry Branstad wins confirmation to his new post of U.S. ambassador to China and he resigns his position as governor. President Trump nominated him because of the...
by admin | Mar 22, 2017 | Activism, Climate, Disaster policy, Environment, Floodplain management, Government, Public policy, Resilience, Urban Planning, Water
It is time to make America resilient. The trends have been moving us in the wrong direction for a long time, but we know how to reverse them. Planners — and elected officials — have to embrace the science that will inform us best on how to achieve that goal, and we...
