In my 34 years working as a climatologist in Illinois, I have seen a lot -- from the Great Floods of the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers in 1993 and 2013 to the crippling droughts of 1988 and 2012. But I never saw a growing season like this one. First, we had the wettest January through June on record for Illinois with precipitation that was 9.3 inches above normal. This resulted in substantial delays in both corn and soybean planting, as well as leading to many acres not getting planted at all.

Back in the day, prophets wore animal skins, ate locusts and honey, stood by rivers, cried, “Repent!” These days, Donald Trump calls us to repentance. After all, hasn’t he risen out of the sea of our culture like the beast in Revelation? The fact we elected Trump as president points to our flaws as a culture. He’s a narcissist, convinced only he can solve our nation’s problems. But don’t we shrug off help, certain we can do it ourselves? And haven’t we made selfishness a virtue, calling it self

Politicians fixate on domestic issues, and thus do us a disservice. Urgent as these issues are, we also face urgent international problems. In order to preserve domestic tranquility, we must meet these challenges. The challenges can be subsumed under one heading. What should be the international role of America going forward? We may forswear the role of world policeman, but we must not abandon the world. Isolationism is just defeatism by another name. China seeks hegemony. Russia pursues at

Think about this the next time you pick up a book: You are holding history. I'm talking about personal history. Other people's lives, moods ... even maybe what they had for breakfast. Books tell a tale beyond the story within. I always check the publishing date to see when a book started its journey into other lives. Then I look for clues about those lives. I have found poems, letters, cash, personal notes and scribbles jotted into the margins. I don't cringe at such markings. I see a message

When a bully hurt me, my mother used to say, “Sticks and stones can break your bones, but names can never hurt me.” My mother was wrong. Words did and do hurt. Name calling left lasting bruises on my sense of self. A well-chosen hateful word is more destructive than a punch. It’s only words? No! Words are like arrows slung from the bow and when they find their mark, they pierce your heart. I’ll say it again -- words matter. The words we use are windows to our souls, exposing our hurts and

When I was little, I remember whiling away summer evenings by catching fireflies. Dorothy and I would carefully place the fireflies in a clean pickle jar. We would add a bit of grass and then rummage up a piece of screening to attach to the jar with a rubber band. That way, they could breathe and enjoy the grass which we figured they ate. Little did I know that what I was really doing was interfering with the fireflies’ social life. You see, fireflies light up to attract potential mates. By

What are the sounds of summer you’ve been tuned into this season? Crickets, lawn mowers, the sizzle of grills, birds, and what about bees? Have you heard many buzzing? Due to yet another ignorant, self-serving move by the current White House administration, we’re set to hear less and less of that buzzing. Earlier this month the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Alexandra Dunn announced she was “thrilled” to approve the insecticide, sulfoxaflor, for new, more widespread use, thereby

One of my favorite expressions is, “When someone shows you their backside, then you always know what it looks like.” The nation has spent a week debating whether or not Tweets that challenged four U.S. Representatives of color to go back to where they came from if they didn’t like the country were racist. The reactions spanned the gamut, from incensed to dismissive. Was it racist? Some will say absolutely. Others absolutely not . Let’s be honest, though. The uncomfortable fact is presidential

I had the “procedure” nearly 10 years ago. Called my insurance company and then the doctor’s office. The day came and I was done in about 30 minutes. Low-key weekend. An ice pack here and there. Recovery was uneventful. Yes. It was that simple. That’s what agency and autonomy is. Men clearly have it when it comes to health care and their bodies. Sure, my wife and I talked about the procedure and came to a mutual decision. We were happy with the kids we had and we didn’t want more. However, let’s

Today I want to talk on behalf of those who cannot speak -- specifically, two small endangered birds named Monty and Rose. Monty and Rose are piping plovers. By current estimates, they are only 1 of 70 breeding pairs in the Great Lakes region and the first pair to nest on Chicago’s lakeshore in some 50 years. The fact that these endangered birds have decided to set-up shop on Montrose Beach is both fortuitous and harrowing. It is fortuitous because we have a unique opportunity to see first-hand