Up in the Air
This week's newspaper column: (Read it in the Hattiesburg American.)As oil from BP’s deep sea well continues to spill into the Gulf of Mexico, the debate on the future of energy has shifted. “Drill,...
View ArticleFrank Lloyd Wright Week (part 1)
Yesterday, on Frank Lloyd Wright's 143rd birthday, I sent out a reprise of my original post on the man I introduce as "America's first green Architect." Of course, as Mr. Wright admitted (at least on...
View ArticleFrank Lloyd Wright Week (part 2)
One of my favorite Frank Lloyd Wright-designed buildings is the Society Meeting House in Madison, Wisconsin. The drawing above is a sketch I did while sitting on the church lawn sometime in 2001....
View ArticleFrank Lloyd Wright Week (part 3)
Frank Lloyd Wright's largest collection of buildings is in, of all places, south Florida. Credit visionary president Dr. Ludd Spivey who, while the country was still mired in the Great Depression,...
View ArticleFrank Lloyd Wright Week (part 4)
I've wanted to see Frank Lloyd Wright's Greek Orthodox Church for a long, long time, and last summer I finally made the trek to Wauwatosa, Wisconsin for a walk-around. In most photographs - to me - it...
View ArticleFrank Lloyd Wright Week (part 5)
The Price Tower gave me my first proper introduction to practical - and magical - geometry. Although this structure is not one I'd call "pretty," it is one of the most beautiful buildings I've ever...
View ArticleFrank Lloyd Wright Week (part 6)
As much as I'd like to continue this series on the organic architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, it's time to turn the page and start another chapter.I'll wrap it up with a very cool "Taliesin Timeline"...
View ArticleThe Traditional Air Conditioner
Design and Drawing by James Ray Polk, ArchitectThis week's newspaper column: (Read it in the Hattiesburg American)In spring, thoughts turn to love.In summer – even for hopeless romantics - thoughts...
View ArticleBattle of the Bulge
Mississippi is home to the most obese people in the world. That's right. The fattest people in the world, on average, reside within the state lines of this small (3 million people) southern state.I'm...
View ArticleWalkable Neighborhood Interview
Thursday morning, as a part of Mississippi Public Broadcasting's week-long "Battle of the Bulge" series, I was interviewed on the topic of how walkable neighborhoods facilitate better health. (Or, if...
View ArticleA New Evangelical Environmentalism?
I came across an interesting blog post this morning (prompted by a story on NPR) by Dr. Russell Moore, Dean of the School of Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. It's a bit of a mea...
View ArticleRetrofitting Suburbia
Ellen Dunham-Jones, director of the architecture program at Georgia Tech, has done quite a bit of research on retrofitting suburbia. In her new book - Retrofitting Suburbia - written with co-author...
View ArticleDeclaration of Energy Independence
Image: American painter John Trumbell, The Declaration of Independence (1795)For the want, will, and hopes of the people, and with acknowledgments to Thomas Jefferson and the Second Continental...
View ArticleAre you Happy?
Image: Meiklejohn and Alex H/34At last, a user-friendly flow chart for that eternal question: Are you happy? Are you?.
View ArticleFood For Thought
This week's newspaper column: (Read it in the Hatteisburg American)Most Americans are very sure they know exactly where their food comes from:the Grocery Store. That’s right.We drive to the supermarket...
View ArticleBuck Up, America
This week's newspaper column: (Read it in the Hattiesburg American.)“If you think you can, or if you think you can’t, either way, you’re right.”Attributed to Henry Ford, this is one of my favorite...
View ArticleFeng SHe Launches Today
There's excitement in the air. Today is the launch of a brand new website devoted to achieving a balance of masculine and feminine energies in all areas of our lives. It's called Feng SHe.And, I'm...
View ArticleA More Perfect Union
This week's newspaper column: (Read it in the Hattiesburg American)“Be the change you want to see in the world.”When taken to heart and followed up with action, this is one of the most empowering and...
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