Forget the inescapable Tea Party for a second. Just consider: GOP voters nominated a woman to run for a Senate seat in a populous Eastern state whose signal achievement in life, seemingly, is not having sex. Isn't that a little, um, peculiar? Not an exaggeration. Here's Christine O'Donnell opining on the subject of procreation onContinue reading “Is America getting weirder?”
Author Archives: Kit Stolz
Scary graph of the day: the heaviness of the USA
The US is not alone in this trend…but why are we so much worse than other wealthy nations? For more troubling stats, see Economix. h/t: Andrew Sullivan
The plot escapes me, but the wraith of memory remains
In the New York Times Book Review, novelist James Collins admits an embarrassing secret. I have just realized something terrible about myself: I don’t remember the books I read… Nor do I think I am the only one with this problem. Certainly, there are those who can read a book once and retain everything thatContinue reading “The plot escapes me, but the wraith of memory remains”
Falconry from the bird’s-eye point of view
The English have always been legendary falconers; here, a scientist's camera and the BBC reveals what it looks from the bird's eye view… .
NBA: Five weeks away
Mark Heisler has held down the NBA beat for The Los Angeles Times for the last quarter-century or so. SoCal is lucky to have him; he's as spiky and surprising as ever, with no sign of weariness. Heisler's also ahead of his time, stylistically. He's been mixing commentary into his league updates, which Times reportersContinue reading “NBA: Five weeks away”
The most Orwellian twist in today’s most Orwellian novel
Gary Shteyngart is a fan of George Orwell, but his new Super Sad True Love Story, a dystopian novel inspired by l984, isn't all that Orwellian a book. Why? Because, for all Orwell's greatness, Shteyngart is a much more amusing writer. But the book does have a couple of surreal and ominously Orwellian moments. The mostContinue reading “The most Orwellian twist in today’s most Orwellian novel”
Delta earthquake risk serious, but not catastrophic: USGS
A soon-to-be-released report from the US Geological Survey finds the Sacramento-San Joaquin delta would be hit even harder by an earthquake than previously believed, but with winter rains, the Delta would also recover more quickly than was estimated in a state study just three years ago. This excellent story by Pat McBroom in The CaliforniaContinue reading “Delta earthquake risk serious, but not catastrophic: USGS”
The politics of climate change denial, worldwide
From George Monbiot: Australian politics provides yet more evidence that climate science divides people along political lines. [Tony] Abbott is no longer an outright denier, though he still insists, in the teeth of the facts, that the world has cooled since 1997(5). Some members of his party go further: Senator Nick Minchin, for example, maintainsContinue reading “The politics of climate change denial, worldwide”
Scary graph of the day: Arctic sea ice
Via ClimateProgress: Commenting on the trend, Mark Serreze, director of the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center told the Vancouver Sun: There are claims coming from some communities that the Arctic sea ice is recovering, is getting thicker again. That's simply not the case. It's continuing down in a death spiral. Serreze may be thinkingContinue reading “Scary graph of the day: Arctic sea ice”
“War and Peace” in one sentence
I looked up War and Peace and it's about this guy Pierre who fights in France, and all this terrible stuff happens to him, but in the end because of his charm he gets to be with this girl he really loves, and who really loves him even though she cheated on him. Gary ShtenygartContinue reading ““War and Peace” in one sentence”
Kit Stolz 