by admin | Jan 1, 2024 | Activism, Aging, Blogging, Healthcare, Medical, Personal health, Personal history, Resilience
I have never been terribly enthusiastic about New Year’s Eve resolutions. This is not because I lack resolve, but because the start of a new year has usually struck me as a rather arbitrary time to gain such resolve or to turn over a new leaf. If one is committed to...
by admin | Nov 27, 2022 | Aging, Blogging, Coronavirus, Hazard Mitigation, Healthcare, Medical, Personal health, Personal history, Public health, Resilience
Now I know what it feels like, or may have felt like. Kind of. Sort of. I will never experience, in all likelihood, the very worst the COVID-19 virus can inflict on human beings. I was lucky in many ways. First, the virus just never found me as a target until early...
by admin | Jan 1, 2022 | Coronavirus, Education, Healthcare, Medical, Personal health, Public health, Urban Planning
I am proud to announce that I started the New Year on a negative note. Having had a very mild fever Thursday evening and a very mild nagging cough, I thought the better part of wisdom these days was a COVID test, even though I would have bet serious money that it was...
by admin | Nov 28, 2021 | Gratitude, Healthcare, Movies, Parenting, Personal health, Personal history
People often lean toward traditional expectations of traditional holidays. We expect them to unfold in predictable ways. It’s not just, for instance, that we know we should be thankful on Thanksgiving, but also that we have family traditions of a feast with certain...
by admin | Feb 28, 2021 | Aging, Chicago, Coronavirus, Education, Government, Healthcare, History, Medical, Personal health, Personal history, Public health, Restaurants, Weather
I am not a doubter when it comes to the COVID-19 vaccines. All I want to do is sign up and let them put a sharp needle in my arm and inoculate me. Do it twice if the vaccine demands it. Even my experience in early February with the shingles vaccine cannot deter me. On...
by admin | Jul 20, 2020 | Activism, Business, Chicago, Coronavirus, Disaster, Disaster policy, Government, Healthcare, Natural Hazards, Politics, Public health, Public policy, Racism, Resilience, Transportation, Urban Planning
In recent years, the development of local or regional recovery plans following major natural disasters has become increasingly common. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has long encouraged such planning, and I led the production of two major FEMA-funded reports...