Opinion Columns - The Hartford Courant
Updated May 18, 2006, 2006
Slabs or rock breaking up. Life likes it that way.
See Curriculum Vitae for List of Other Publications.
All of the columns listed below were published on Thursdays, unless otherwise noted.
130. Sept. 28, 2006, p. A 13. Marketing's Missing Link: Intelligence. (On stupid Cave Men and even dumber marketers).
129. Sept. 21, 2006, p. A 13. Don't Mess with Nature. (On Indonesian gas drilling and the mud lake.)
128. Sept. 14, 2006, p. A 13. Grown-Up Thinking. (On the definition of an adult and brain development).
127. Sept. 7, 006, p. A 17. In Chile, A Long time to Overcome 9/11. (On the overthow of the government by military force and with the aid of the U.S.).
126. Aug. 31, 2006, p. A 11. Little Lost Planet. (Loss of Pluto is good news).
125. Aug. 24, 2006, p. A 11. Defining Best Professors. (On Tuesdays with Morrie and spoiled students).
124. Aug. 17, 2006, p. A 11. Science has no measure for strength of prayer. (On a scientific study of intecessory prayer).
123. Aug. 10, 2006, p. A 15. Lesson in Entertainment. (On Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth and the Lyceum).
122. Aug. 3, 2006, p. A 15. Digging into History. (On Venture Smith, slavery, and strength).
121. July 27, 2006, p. A 11. Roadkill's Got a Role in the Natural Order. (On road ecology and migrating species).
120. Jul 20, 2006, p. A9. Midnight Golfers Fight Global Warming. (On forest fires, Fairbanks, and Arctic warming).
119. Jul 13, 2006, p. A 11. Fishing Lessons. (On father son relations and the great outdoors).
118. Jul 6, 2006, p. A 9. A Better Anthem. (On changing the national anthem to America the Beautiful).
117. Jun 29, 2006, p. A 15. Something Sinister in the Air. (On methane and catastrophic warming).
116. Jun 22, 2006, p. A 15. Size Really Matters. (On the problems with the Three Gorges Dam, China).
115. Jun 15, 2006, p. A 19. Hope Takes Flight: For Bird Watchers, the Goal is always in Sight. (On the Ivory Billed Woodpecker).
114. Jun 8, 2006, p. A 15. Agency Working Too Hard on Paperwork Mountain. (On Department of Mental Retardation Meeting for Adam Thorson).
113. Jun 1, 2006, p. A 11. The Spirit of Exploration. ( On the good news of renaming the Connecticut Science Center).
112. May 25, 2006, p. A 15. Hello, New Breed. (On the cross hybrid between Grizzly Bears and Polar Bears)
111. May 18, 2006, p. A11. What's Nature Really Worth? ; Adding up Value of Earth's Services (On calculating the value of ecosystem services globally. )
110. May 11, 2006, p. A15. It’s Going Under: One More Reason to Stop Pouring Money Into Doomed City. (on the loss of hurricane season).
109. May 4, 2006, p. A11. School’s Out for…Spring? (on UConn’s early graduation).
108. April 27, 2006, p. A13. It May Be Hot Down Below, But It’s Cold Up There (on Easter and springtime).
107. April 20, 2006, p A9. Immigration, Cellphones And the Rule of Law (on setting rules that aren’t enforced).
106. April 13, 2006, p. A13. Rising Waters Should Erase All Doubts (on rapid ice sheet melting).
105. April 6, 2006, p. A15. Bambi Myth Must Die (on the scourage of whitetailed deer).
104. March 30, 2006, p. A11. Children Being Cheated Out of Fuller Education (on No Child Left Behind).
103. March 23, 2006, p. A19. Daytime Lobotomy in the Jury Room (on intrusive television in otherwise dignified settings).
102. March 16, 2006, p. A9. Where Elephants Roam? American High Plains Preserve Would Protect Species (on the true benchmark for habitat restoration).
101. March 9, 2006, p. A19. Darfur’s Drumbeat of Disaster (on the “dead heart” of Africa in geological terms).
100. March 2, 2006, p. A11. Mountain in Motion (on deadly lahars in the Philippines).
99. February 23, 2006, p. A17. Goldilocks and Gridlock (on transportation improvements and the Indiana toll road).
98. February 16, 2006, p. A15. The Geese Have Got to Go (on gross-outs and water pollution from too many geese).
97. February 9, 2006, p. A11. Highway’s No Place for a Giant TV Sex Ad (on electronic billboards and invasive TV).
96. February 2, 2006, p A13. Broadwater Drawbacks (on liquefied natural gas facility in Long Island Sound).
95. January 26, 2006, p. A11, Dust from the Beginnings (On the space mission Stardust).
94. January 19, 2005, p. A9, Evolving Curriculum (On Intelligent Design as Philosophy).
93. January 12, 2006, p. A11, Elemental Danger (On the Sago coal mining disaster).
92. January 2, 2006, p. A11, A Handful of Resolutions for a Top-Drawer New Year (On the stories of drawer junk).
91. December 29, 2005, p. A13, What Are penguins Doing Here? (On the absence of penguins from the arctic).
90. December 22, 2005, p. A15, It's Christmas -- And Not Just for God's Sake (On Christmas as a secular word).
89. December 15, 2005, p. A15, Two Predators Engagted in Timeless Ritual. (On the New Jersey Bear Hunt).
88. December 8, 2005, p. A13, The Places You'll Go (Review of Book Award Finalists on on the Environment).
87. December 1, 2005, p. A15, Big-Box Schools Have Their Price. (On supersized high schools).
86. November 24, 2005, p. A13, Thanks for the Mysteries (a Thanksgiving day natural meal).
85. November 17, 2005, p. A17, Nature for Its Own Sake (An obituary for John Fowles and an ode to trees)
84. November 10, 2005, p. A13, No More Name Changes (On the silliness of UConn Husky Way).
83. November 3, 2005, p. A11, No Difference Beteen a Chilean and a Pole? (on cross-cultural personality traits).
82. October 27, 2005, p. A13, Dead Deserve Revenge: Thefts, Vandalism Despoil Bolton Resting Place.
81. October 20, 2005, p. A13, Pumpkins Aweigh!: Pumpkin Flood a reminder of fall high-water season. (On river flooding from hurricane storms.
80. October 13, 2005, p. A11, For the Love of Leaves: Don't begrudge heritage corridor a little green (on autumn).
79. October 6, 2005, p. A11, Faith Trumps All: On Human origins, most think with their hearts. (On Dover Pennsylvania).
78. September 29, 2005, p. A13, Safe in the Center: Rugby's A World Away from Gulf (on the stable continental interior).
77. September 22, 2005, p. A11, No Sense in Rebuilding (New Orleans).
76. Septemeber 15, 2005, p. A9, Running a River Dry: Blame thoughtless overconsumption at UConn.
75. September 8, 2005, p. A13, Warming Welcome? Trend could tip us into gentler cycle. (on the North Atlantic Current).
74. September 1, 2005, p. A11, Spoiled or Preserved? Edgartown's a gem -- not so for the doorway to Denali. (on blight).
73. August 25, 2005, p. A11, Have Faith; Together We Can Weather The Storm. (On the heat wave and climate change).
72. August 18, 2005, p. A11, Cleanup: Open and Shut Case (On saving the submarine base).
71. August 11, 2005, p. A9, Under a Cloud: Bomb's roots deep within our nature. (On the 50th aniversary of bombing Japan).
70. August 4, 2005, p. A11, Silly, But So Exclusive: Buy-in is high, but reward is status (on Martha's Vineyard's Private Beaches).
69. July 28, 2005, p. A9, Down the Drain: Who's to blame for disapeearing Siberan Lakes?
68. July 21, 2005, p. A7, Addicted to Golf: Incredibly Bad courses Show How Far Committed Players Will Go.
67. July 14, 2005, p. A11, It All Runs Downhill (On silly signage, protecting Long Island Scound, and taxpayer's money).
66. July 7, 2005, p. A13, Military Calling Shots at MIT? (On Theodore Postol and the militarization of campus).
65. June 30, 2005, p. A13, Destroying Tracks of History at UConn (The state fossil, Eubrontes, being ignored)
64. June 23, 2005, p. A11, A Place for Windmills (Yes for Nantucket, No for Berkshires).
63. June 16, 2005, p. A19, Tapping the Feeling of Fatherhood (what I think about being a Dad.)
62. June 9, 2005, p. A15, Not Necessarily for God. (Memorial Day should not be for public religion).
61. June 2, 2005, p. A15, No Dummy He Is: Brain Size Matters, But I'ts Not the Whole Story. (an essay on Yoda from Star Wars and Homo florsiensis).
60. May 26, 2005, p. A13, How Geography Funds Got Lost: (John Rowland's corruption took down the CT Geographic Alliance).
59. May 19, 2005, p. A15, Belielf Doesn't Make it Science: Creationism Born Again as Intelligent Design.
58. May 12, 2005, p. A9, Barriers in the Stream (The effects of large dams on the world's river systems).
57. May 5, 2005, p. A15, Earth Calling Space Cowboy (NASA's budget preferences for heroic missions at expense of earth science.)
56. April 28, 2005, p. A9, Unidentifiable Freeway Objects Heading Your Way (On the dangers of poorly secured or thoughtlessly secured loads).
55. April 21, 2005, p. A13, In Praise of Dust: Much Maligned Material Plays Key Roles in Cycle of Life.
54. April 14, 2005, p. A13, Fishing With Buddha: Under The Surface, Angling Taps a Spiritual Current. (reflections on opening day).
53. April 7, 2005, p. A19, The Wilding of Ruburbia (Return of the coyotes to New England).
52. March 31, 2005, p. A9, Deadly Lake Defanged (Lake Nyos, Africa and limnic eruptions).
51. March 24, 2005, p. A9, Religious Values Casting Long Shadow Over Science. (Life and Death with the Terry Schiavo Case).
50. March 17, 2005, p. A13, Oil Glutton U.S. Should pass on Wildlife Refuge (Environmental impacts on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge).
49. March 10, 2005, p. A11, Getting A Measure Of The Oceans' Warming (Climate science and the new findings from oceanography).
48. March 3, p. A11, It's hard to Relate to Einstein's example (Scientific heroes and appropriate models).
47. February 24, 2005, p. A11, Warning: Labels Should Be Critically Considered Before Application (On Banning Evolution from the public schools).
46. February 17, 2005, p. A11, Liberal Academia? Look Who's Minding The Store (on the conservative element in academia).
45. February 10, 2005, p. A13, Death Penalty Isn't Rocket Science - Unfortunately (On the complexity of social science and the death penalty).
44. February 3, 2005, p. A 11, The Farming Life is no Country Club (Farmland preservation isues).
43. January 27, 2005, p. A7, To Student's Benefit, UConn Campus Taken by Storm (Governor's call to stay home during blizzard releases tickets for students).
42. January 20, 2005, p. A7, We all pay a price for ignoring the warning signs (California landslides are ignored).
41. January 13, The fearful practice of treating global warming as fiction (Michael Crichton's new book creates a problem for those who like fiction).
40. January 6, 2005, p. A9, 2004: Tragedy and triumph on many levels (Year in Review)
39. December 30, 2004, p. A9, Tsunami warning system could have saved lives. (Indian Ocean tsunami).
38. December 23, 2004, p. A9, Unwrapping a gift from the heavens. (Star of Bethlehem and the Chesapeake Bay impact structure).
37. December 16, 2004, p. A13, Canst Thou hear me now? (cell phones and church steeples are a good combination).
36. December 9, 2004, p. A15, Time's a-wasting: Get going on Yucca Mountain. (If the Japanese can site a high level waste site on their risky island, then we can do so at Yucca Mountain.)
35. December 2, 2004, p. A15, My weekly correspondence with the public. (review of first seven months).
34. November 25, 2004, p. A11, The day the turkeys listened. (developing self confidence through turkeys).
33. November 18, 2004, p. A15, Kerry ignored the frog vote. (expert speaker gagged for political reasons in a state that went blue).
32. November 11, 2004, p. A15, Choking on second hand television. (visual/noise pollution).
31. November 4, 2004, p. A19, Fossils from out of left field. (new human species, Homo floresiensis).
30. October 28, 2004, p. A11, I would love a well-planned parade. (conflict of interest between acaemics and athletics).
29. October 21, 2004, p. A13, Bush is for technology; Kerry is for science (based on statements to the AAAS).
28. October 14, 2004, p. A13, There's a better way to choose school names (chosing between academic achievment and social equity).
27. October 7, 2004, p. A11, Appreciating subtlety, but longing for fireworks. (Mt. St. Helens and the presidential debates).
26. September 30, 2004, p. A15, That Sinking Feeling n New Orleans (New Orleans subsidence).
25. September 23, 2004, p. A17, Blurring the line between art and science. (geology and impressionist art.)
24. September 16, 2004, p. A15, Healing the Land's Chemical Wounds (brownfields and wildlife refuges).
23. September 9, 2004, p. A11, Any way you slice it, Spam is bad for the environment. (Agricultural feedlots and internet spam)
22. September 2, 2004, p. A19,The few, the proud the archaeologists. (cultural resource management).
21. August 26, 2004, p. A11, Mother Nature is not out to get you. (hurricanes).
20. August 19, 2004, p. A11. Keeping greenhouse gas from seeing the light of day (underground sequestration).
19. August 12, 2004, p. A15. Earth tips the scales (Earth has bluges of weight gain and loss.).
18. August 5, 2004, p. A9, What does it really mean to be a "Native American?" (Kennewick Man).
17. July 29, 2004, p. A15, Ernst Mayr belongs in the Hall of Fame. (evolutionary bilogy).
16. July 22, 2004, p. A11. It's easier to stay connected in Canada (internet services).
15. July 15, 2004, p. A13, The unwelcome predators in my backyard. (feral cats should be taken care of)
14. July 8, 2004, p. A9, An environmental disaster to celebrate (historical debris flow).
13. July 2, 2004, p. A11, The "old man" has met his maker: Nature. (New HampshireÕs Old Man in the Mountain).
12. June 24, 2004, p. A13, Set children straight on climate change. (critical of Hollywood climate change scenarios).
11. June 17, 2004, p. A13, Academics have reason to cheer for college athletics. (ccademic marketing).
10. June 10, 2004, p. A15, For mad humanist, life's trials written in stone. (celebrating insights form nature writing).
9. June 4, 2004, p. A11, Climate change: coming to a region near you. (commentary on the movie, The Day After Tomorrow).
8. May 27, 2004, p. A15, Cicada-phobia: good news for the environment (outbreak of periodic cicadas).
7. May 20, p. A13, Our monument to wastefulness. (Hartford landfill).
6. May, 13, 2004, p. A11, The mother of all scheduling conflicts (family policy).
5. May 6, 2004, p. A13, Pollution could leave river in no condition to thrive (Long Island Sound policy).
4. April 29, p. A13, Spring weekend, There's a message in the madness (youth culture).
3. April 22, 2004, p. A13, Brainy "cabbage" deserves better treatment(spring skunk cabbage is a misnomer).
2. April 15, 2004, p. A15, Getting soaked could pay off for eastern states (western water policy).
1. March 26, 2004, p. A13, Uconn's geology department was a dinosaur (why the geology department was dissolved).
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