Feb 23, 2021John Keats 1821–2021Two hundred years ago today, one of the great poets in the English language died of tuberculosis at the age of 25. One hundred years ago, this loss was reflected upon in The Nation magazine by Mark Van Doren, in his essay “John Keats: 1821–1921.” Van Doren had become a…Poetry3 min read
Feb 10, 2021Cancel Culture’s Victims: A Cut-Short ListDonald Trump. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Josh Hawley. We are told that because of being blocked on Twitter, or being accused (correctly) for being linked to QAnon, or losing a Simon & Schuster book contract, these three people are victims of “cancel culture.” Like so much else in white American culture…Cancel Culture4 min read
Feb 3, 2021My Taylor-Made Story About Nobelist Paul CrutzenIn which my shortcomings as a research scientist led to a nice e-mail from the only Nobel Prize winner in my discipline’s history The Who and the Why Atmospheric chemist Paul Crutzen died last Thursday at the age of 87. His passing was international news, because he shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1995…Nobel Prize15 min read
Oct 15, 2020Originalism is Displaced Religious FundamentalismThe topic of the moment in American politics is “originalism,” on public display at the Amy Coney Barrett hearings. For those of us who grew up in the “Christ-haunted” South, the arguments for originalism sound extremely familiar. And I think there’s a reason why. The Complicated Hugo Black Many years ago, when originalism was…Amy Coney Barrett4 min read
Jul 6, 2020Reflections On Yet Another COVID-19 DeathThis is what we are bringing down upon our nation by gaslighting a pandemic. This isn’t the flu. This isn’t an “old people’s disease.” This isn’t just an inconvenience for you. This isn’t a vast left-wing conspiracy to keep you from watching sports in person. This. Is. A. Pandemic. Younger people as well as older people are dying horrible deaths. This poor man suffered…Covid 194 min read
Jul 4, 2020Microaggressions in the Physics-On-Top World of ScienceLife in the Purity Cult I’m a meteorologist. I shouldn’t have to apologize for that. But everyone in my field does at one time or another. I have a Ph.D. from a famed public university. I did a post-doc at a renowned Ivy League university, and worked in an internationally recognized NASA institute. I do…Science13 min read
Apr 10, 2020Inspiring teaching, and excellence in atmospheric sciences: UGA traditions since 1801With a look back at the first UGA meteorologist, Josiah Meigs On the occasion of my receiving the Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professorship, I thought I’d use my 15 minutes-or-fewer of “fame” to shine a spotlight on the person this professorship is named for. It’s also a chance to shine…University Of Georgia17 min read
Dec 19, 2019The Dilution of the Perfect ACT ScorePerfect, Then and Now — When I was a junior in high school in 1982, I had a good day on the American College Testing (ACT) standardized test, one of the gateway tests for college admission. I did a little more prep than my friends. I bought a book and practiced a little bit with…Education5 min read
Dec 17, 20191,946 Misconceptions About “OK Boomer”Now that I have your attention — no, I’m not addressing nearly 2,000 misconceptions about the meme and saying of the cultural moment. The list is under ten. And the moment may have already passed, while I was busy professoring and school boarding in earnest this fall. …Millennials16 min read
Nov 1, 2019The Physical Birth and Critical Death of John KeatsOn September 23rd I celebrated the 200th anniversary of John Keats’s miracle year with a tribute to his life and work and his “perfect ode,” To Autumn. Tonight I celebrate the 224th anniversary of his birth, as I do each year. This year I celebrate it somewhat mournfully, by continuing…Writing6 min read