Month: August 2017

When we bail out Houston, we will be massively redistributing wealth.

August 30, 2017

People are wondering whether climate change caused Hurricane Harvey. That’s the wrong question. Hurricanes have been happening on Earth as long as there have been oceans. The question should be “How did climate change influence Harvey?” Some pieces over the last few days from USA Today, Gizmodo, Michael Mann’s piece in The Guardian, and an interview with Dan … More When we bail out Houston, we will be massively redistributing wealth.

A public works building founded on health, a land ethic, & neighborliness

August 22, 2017

The following is the Owner Project Requirement I wrote for the design of the Ferguson Township Public Works Building. As you’ll see, it’s founded on our state’s and township’s policy commitments to supporting the health and well-being of the community understood as people and the land. * * * The Board of Supervisors approved the … More A public works building founded on health, a land ethic, & neighborliness

What is education for on a planet where these are our realities?

August 22, 2017

What is our role on this planet we have changed so much? If today is a typical day on planet Earth, I estimate we will lose 77 square miles of rainfores, or about two-thirds of an acre per second. We will lose another 126 square miles to encroaching deserts according to the UNCCD, as a result … More What is education for on a planet where these are our realities?

Woven words were the closest sounds to divinity. Seven years on, I miss you dad.

August 18, 2017

My father died seven years ago today. He loved woven words. They were the closest sound to divinity for him. In them and through them, he connected to our family, his friends and colleagues, and thousands of students. It was a testament to his passion for language and connection that so many of those students … More Woven words were the closest sounds to divinity. Seven years on, I miss you dad.

Abraham Lincoln’s consolation to Mrs. Heyer

August 15, 2017

Executive Mansion, Washington, August 13, 2017. Dear Madam,– I have just been notified by the findings of the Justice Department and a statement of the Attorney General that you are the mother of a daughter who joined men and women, black and white, who gloriously marched for the equality and dignity of their brothers and … More Abraham Lincoln’s consolation to Mrs. Heyer

In Ferguson Township, we stand for justice & love.

August 15, 2017

I was appalled by the alleged “Unite the Right” gathering in Charlottesville, Virginia. What organizers claimed was an event to bring people together about white plight, was a thinly veiled threat against all who disagree with them. It didn’t take long for that veil to be pulled away and their true colors to show. Like … More In Ferguson Township, we stand for justice & love.

Barred owl

August 5, 2017

silent sentinel barred owl     leaf shadow dappled crossed crooked rock creek [Yesterday I saw a barred owl in Yellow Creek State Park while I was mountain biking.]

My letter to Penn State’s Board of Trustees about our citizens, our land, & the Cottages

August 5, 2017

Dear Chairman Dambly and the Penn State Board of Trustees, Thank you for your service to Penn State University, our Commonwealth’s storied land grant university. I am a proud son of Penn State faculty and staff, an alumni, and an employee of Penn State[1]. As a servant myself, I appreciate the time you take to … More My letter to Penn State’s Board of Trustees about our citizens, our land, & the Cottages

The State College Borough Water Authority staff and board are comfortable with the Cottages.

August 1, 2017

The State College Borough Water Authority has released a statement on the proposed Toll Brother development. At the Ferguson Township board’s first meeting in July I asked Steven Jackson, the Ferguson liaison to the State College Borough Water Authority, to request that the authority address the issue of risk from the Cottages development. Two weeks ago … More The State College Borough Water Authority staff and board are comfortable with the Cottages.