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 | Mar 9, 2022 | Activism, Chicago, Cleveland, Foreign policy, Government, History, Immigration, National security, Personal history, Politics, Terrorism, War
This past Sunday, I attended a rally for Ukraine at Chicago’s downtown Daley Plaza. I am no expert at crowd counts, but it was clear that hundreds attended, filling most of the plaza. The point was painfully obvious: People were hugely upset with the unwarranted...
by admin | Nov 23, 2020 | Activism, Agriculture, Books, Civil rights, Climate, Economic development, Environment, Government, Hazard Mitigation, History, Immigration, Industry, Nature, Politics, Public health, Public policy, Racism, Resilience, Science, Urban Planning, Water, Weather
A presidential transition has always been a time to look forward in American history, anticipating change, contemplating new directions. Sometimes we like the new direction, sometimes we don’t; sometimes we think it just doesn’t go far enough to remedy the problems we...
by admin | Apr 20, 2020 | Activism, Blogging, Civil rights, Coronavirus, Disaster, Education, Emergency Management, Government, History, Immigration, Politics, Public health, Public policy, Racism, Resilience, Volunteerism
What follows is an adapted, re-edited version of a Facebook post from today that seems to have struck a nerve, attracting dozens of likes, comments, and shares. As a result, I concluded that perhaps I should add it to this blog. No pictures here, just observations:...
by admin | Oct 29, 2019 | Activism, Books, Chicago, Christianity, Civil rights, Crime, History, Identity, Immigration, Personal history, Public safety, Racism, Religion, Terrorism, Volunteerism
Last week was for me an eventful time, including a four-hour trip to Dubuque, Iowa, on Thursday for the Growing Sustainable Communities conference, an event the city sponsors every year. I spoke in a session that afternoon, October 24, on community planning for...
