This picture, painted by Sumner Crane with no wave legends Connie Burg and Rudolph Grey as models, was based on a Dashiell Hammett detective novel; Sumner also painted scenes of the Irish landed gentry from the novels of J. P. Donleavy. Scenes from books, in the Sumner Files. tinyurl.com/mvc5xm8k

This week's Sumner files is an audio podcast interview with Weasel Walter! Weasel's own music merges "extreme rock forms and free jazz," but he's also a scholar who knows more about no wave than just about anyone. It was an honor and a pleasure. deep-convection.org/2026/02/15/t...

This image is detective novelist Dashiell Hammett, painted by Sumner Crane on a piece of cardboard. Portraits, in this week's Sumner Files. deepconvection.substack.com/p/the-sumner...

The joy of victory, the agony of defeat, and some quieter moments too. Sports scenes, painted in the early 1980s. In this week's Sumner Files, the substack newsletter I've been writing about my late uncle, the artist Sumner Crane. deepconvection.substack.com/p/the-sumner...

In this week's Sumner Files, two paintings of the block where #sumnercrane lived from around 1978-86. I use them as a prompt to reconstruct some of his life, relationships and art during this period, a particularly fertile one for him. deepconvection.substack.com/p/the-sumner...

In this week's Sumner Files: urban landscapes from lower Manhattan, painted in the early/mid 80s, the last years in which #sumnercrane lived in the borough. Diverse in light, color and perspective, by turns sweeping, intimate, and gritty. tinyurl.com/2kkknkm8

Walz: "What's happening in MN defies belief. News reports simply don't do justice to the level of chaos & disruption & trauma the federal govt is raining down... This long ago stopped being a matter of immigration enforcement. Instead, it's a campaign of organized brutality against the people of MN"

Important opportunity to help save climate and weather science. From the fantastic group who brought you the climate livestream.

In this week's Sumner Files: zebra centaurs. tinyurl.com/j2fhhxbu #sumnercrane

A thorough investigation is being conducted of the deceased victim while the killer was exonerated by Noem before her body was cold.

EPA proposes to stop measuring benefits of environmental regulations, just industry costs. Seat belts cost car companies money. Pollution controls on coal plants cost utilities money. Water quality standards cost industry money. EPA says ignore the lives they save. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/12/c...

It feels a little wrong to post about art at this time. But it's what's keeping me sane. So, here's the weekly Sumner Files, on a major #sumnercrane masterwork, dated 1989: The Shopping Centaurs. deepconvection.substack.com/p/the-sumner...

There aren't a lot of resources for what people can do to prevent the destruction of NCAR, so I made this: #NCAR #climate #climatescience #weather #meteorology #activism #myresources

Our paper exploring the drivers of the November 2023 “Taylor Swift” heatwave in Rio de Janeiro is officially out in WCD! Take a read to learn more about the causes of this record-breaking heatwave and Rio’s emerging risk for extreme heat: wcd.copernicus.org/articles/6/1...

From wildfire warnings to flood forecasts, NCAR's research impacts everyone in America. President Trump's attempt to dismantle it for political vengeance is beyond reckless. We will fight against this dangerous scheme every step of the way.

Some reflections after returning back from a conference at which I and 20,000 colleagues learned that the Trump administration intends to dismantle #NCAR. This outrage should not happen. deepconvection.substack.com/p/save-ncar

Please write to your congressional reps about the NCAR budget cuts

Climate is simply a longer-term average of... weather. Climate change research is simply the study of changing weather patterns. NCAR has been at the forefront of weather / climate research and providing essential datasets for decades. It is one of the world's best training grounds for scientists.

The administration dismantling NCAR is scientific vandalism, much like the Taliban demolishing cultural artifacts. www.theguardian.com/world/2001/m...

Some perspectives from our community on what NCAR means to weather and climate researchers: "NCAR is quite literally our global mothership" @katharinehayhoe.com "I came to the US over 10 years ago for a postdoc at NCAR. It changed my life..." @climateflavors.bsky.social #SaveNCAR

Attacking NCAR is enormously self-destructive for America. NCAR is the leading centre in weather and climate research in the world. We Europeans often travel to NCAR to collaborate, discuss and learn. Hurting the centre will cause damage that is irreversible for years to decades with global impact.

Threatening to dismantle NCAR, our premier weather and climate research institute (apparently) because Colorado refuses to pardon someone accused of tampering with voting machines is a sad example of our current kakistocracy in action… www.nytimes.com/2025...

NCAR is a unique & valuable asset - far more than a climate model, or observations, or technology, or training ground, or gathering space. It covers weather, space weather, data, climate, paleo-climate, and everything in-between. It's building is an icon, but it's iconic status goes far beyond that.

For those at #agu25 #saveNCAR 12:15pm - Group Photo/Video at the "science strong" wall across from the Plenary Hall at the entrance to the convention center 1:30-5:30pm - drop in interviews at PJs Coffee in front of Hall C - look for the person with the "We ❤️ NCAR" sign. More info:

This is an intellectual war crime. NCAR is one of the nation's, and the world's, pre-eminent research institutions. www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...

This week on the Sumner Files: the first new audio podcast episode in some months. I spoke to Arto Lindsay again, now in person, after we'd looked through the #sumnercrane archive (in which Arto is well represented, incl. drawings he did for Jack Texas) for a couple hours. tinyurl.com/4tt3f2wv

To finish up the series on #sumnercrane and childhood, a few stories on adult Sumner's interactions with the children in his life via art. tinyurl.com/3jwv3ajt

In which I show drawings of musicians by child and teenage Sumner, and consider the confluences of music and visual art in his early life. bit.ly/48dE9yB #sumnercrane

Re-upping this position before the December 1st application deadline. I'm looking to hire a post-doc - could be a climate scientist or environmental economist. Ideal start early 2026 but could be later. Please circulate!

In which I show some of Sumner's childhood drawings. I consider the influence of comics on his work, and the way youth and age met in it, figuratively and sometimes literally. #sumnercrane tinyurl.com/4vdaacmc

In the early 80s, Sumner formed a trio with Rudolph Grey and Arto Lindsay to do paintings & drawings and show them together under one name, Jack Texas. Here I ask: who does this - i.e., form a band, but for visual art - and why? And I document their show, at Danceteria, in 1983. bit.ly/4pf20Dp

BREAKING: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is illegally closing 13 campus buildings (including ~100 laboratories). Report coming from GESTA, the Goddard employee union

In the early 80s, #sumnercrane, Rudolph Grey and Arto Lindsay all signed the name Jack Texas to their visual art. Sumner and Rudolph did works based on comic book panels by Sumner's hero, artist Bob Powell, including a couple of Powell's "Cave Girl" character. More here bit.ly/49d6hTq

"But perhaps the most consequential long-term loss for federal science is that of institutional knowledge and expertise — and the downstream effects on the training of early-career researchers." "We lost people with decades of experience and everyone who was very early career, ...”

In which I introduce Sumner's art, starting with what I think may be the first paintings I ever saw in my life. In these, Sumner was strongly influenced by his teacher Milton Resnick. He also put in found objects, at least one of which has great personal meaning for me. bit.ly/4hQAGcj

🚨The Moore Lab at UC Davis is hiring!🚨 Post-doc for a project with @adamsobel.bsky.social on the valuation of climate information for adaptation Could be a good fit for an environmental economist or a climate scientist - flexible start date and location Apply by Dec 1st: recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07346

October 26 5pm ET: #Melissa, unfortunately, has never looked better on satellite. The NHC indicates Melissa is now up to 145 mph winds (Category 4). We'll see if this goes Category 5 in the next 24-48 hours. High potential for catastrophic impacts in Jamaica, Cuba, and Hispaniola. Heartbreaking.

"Damaging winds and heavy rainfall... will cause catastrophic and life-threatening flash flooding and numerous landslides before potentially devastating winds arrive... Extensive infrastructural damage, long-duration power and communication outages, and isolation of communities are expected." 💔😔

My late uncle Sumner had 15 minutes of fame in the 1970s as a member of the band Mars. But there was much more to him. I wrote a little biographical essay. Though only a few pages, I believe this is the most substantial written document of his life and work that yet exists. bit.ly/3L63zFb

For those interested, I’ll giving a departmental colloquium on “Nine months in the federal assault on climate science” on 10/29 at 11:30am EDT Register here:

It was a pleasure to talk with Matt Goldklang at the Man Group about climate risk, for his nice article on the subject in their newsletter, "Lets get geophysical." I hate looking at myself on video though... maybe just listen with picture off😑 letsgetgeophysical.substack.com/p/decoding-c...

I've started a substack newsletter. If you've liked my podcast or media articles, you might like this too. In the short term, mostly about my late uncle, artist Sumner Crane. But eventually, climate, life, politics etc. First post is just saying hi, real content soon. substack.com/home/post/p-...

Looking forward to visiting Brown!

📣 Postdoc opportunity alert! Join our dynamic community of Earth, environmental, and climate scientists as LDEO postdoctoral fellow. Principal criteria: scientific excellence + clear plan to investigate problems at forefront of Earth science. ➡️ Apply by Nov 7: lamont.columbia.edu/about/postdo...

Our friends @saveaidsresearch.bsky.social have just begun their own 24 hour livestream to #saveAIDSresearch. Go support them and learn about what decades of federally funded science has achieved and we stand to lose!

We're hiring! We have an open search for an Assistant Professor in physics of the ocean and/or atmosphere in Columbia's Dept. of Earth and Environmental Sciences. Please circulate this information to good candidates, and apply yourself if you are one! Ad & link to apply: apply.interfolio.com/173819

Today is a day of action to protect science and American innovation. Email Congress, call your representative. www.protectscienceandinnovation.org

I was thrilled that @climatefran.bsky.social let me play a supporting role in this work. It's a step towards the big goal of a broad theoretical framework for adaptation-oriented climate risk science.

If Trump's proposed budget were adopted, it would end the United States' longstanding dominance as the world leader in science and innovation.