Monthly Archives: January 2010

I’m a member of an endangered species — a journalist

It's a small story, as mine often are, but I'm not going to apologize for making a living reporting and writing. Here's a heartwarming local story, thanks to the Star, with nice pics by Joe Garcia.  A quote from Maria: “Oh man, I wish I could hug all the people who helped me that aren’tContinue reading “I’m a member of an endangered species — a journalist”

How bad for the environment could one plastic bottle be?

WASHINGTON—Wishing to dispose of the empty plastic container, and failing to spot a recycling bin nearby, an estimated 30 million Americans asked themselves Monday how bad throwing away a single bottle of water could really be. "It's fine, it's fine," thought Maine native Sheila Hodge, echoing the exact sentiments of Chicago-area resident Phillip Ragowski, recentContinue reading “How bad for the environment could one plastic bottle be?”

Let Poetry Die (and be reborn again, outside academia)

So argues a New England poet: I love poetry. But as far as the public is concerned, poetry died with the modernists. No poets ever filled their shoes. And though there remain a number of minor masters and one hit wonders, few passing pedestrians could name a poet from the last 50 to 60 yearsContinue reading “Let Poetry Die (and be reborn again, outside academia)”

Some good rain…and a “blown forecast”

Ventura County is now at about 200% of normal rainfall for this time of year, twenty inches in our immediate area, which is wonderful, but, as Emily Green and others have pointed out, comes nowhere near the 1 to 1.5 inches of rain an hour predicted for Wednesday of last week.  In Green's post, forecasterContinue reading “Some good rain…and a “blown forecast””

Matt the Electrican mocks weather weenies of Phoenix

Went to see a gifted Austin folkie named Matt the Electrician at a "house concert" last night. (He got his name because he took up a building trade to support his music habit, which fortunately has developed well enough to support him and his family, now.) But he's still wry and funny, with a raskyContinue reading “Matt the Electrican mocks weather weenies of Phoenix”

Accuweather: Storm is “war on the Southwest”

Oh, c'mon. Now Accuweather is just getting silly: The last and strongest in the train of Pacific storms will unleash a new round of flooding rain, mudslides, feet of mountain snow, damaging winds and severe thunderstorms on California and the Southwest into Friday. Is is an all out weather war being waged by the atmosphereContinue reading “Accuweather: Storm is “war on the Southwest””

Rainy weather in SoCal: Overfeared?

Is it just my imagination, or are people — including authorities like the National Weather Service — overly frightened of rain? Take a look at the latest "storm warming," copied from the NWS via the Ventura County Star: …PERIODS OF HEAVY SNOW AND STRONG WINDS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE MOUNTAINS THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT… AContinue reading “Rainy weather in SoCal: Overfeared?”

Kate McGarrigle (talk to me of Mendocino)

Kate McGarrigle, of the McGarrigle sisters, writer and singer of many a great song, died yesterday of liver cancer. Linda Ronstadt, who recorded some of the sisters' songs (and had a monster hit with their "Heart Like a Wheel") had a very nice quote about them in the Los Angeles Times: "They had a vibeContinue reading “Kate McGarrigle (talk to me of Mendocino)”