The great Tom Toles, the Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist, said to be the 48th most-powerful man in D.C. by one survey, has a nifty new website, complete with rants. Last Friday the heat got under his collar, and he turned on climate change deniers, who love warm winters, and see warm temps at that timeContinue reading “A heated rant against deniers: Tom Toles”
Author Archives: Kit Stolz
Quote of the week: California earthquake edition
From an eminent seismologist at UCLA, on why we should pay attention to earthquake studies, even if they can't predict the exact time of a powerful earthquake likely to hit California in coming years: "Suppose you are the minister of the defense, and you are told the enemy is mobilizing its forces and will attackContinue reading “Quote of the week: California earthquake edition”
“I misquoted the Bible on national television”: Coleman Barks
Some of the best of our literary reviews have had the most trouble putting up a website. Perhaps the nature of literature — a desire to create something out of nothing that can last — is opposed to the nature of the web. The Internet never forgets — for better or worse. Human memory worksContinue reading ““I misquoted the Bible on national television”: Coleman Barks”
California’s Katrina: levee failure in the Delta
Do I exaggerate? Time will tell. One similarity can't be denied: levees can fail in California, just as they failed in Louisiana. And if they do, a major disaster and economic collapse could befall our culture, just as it befell New Orleans'. If a big — 6.9 or larger — enormous earthquake hits the BayContinue reading “California’s Katrina: levee failure in the Delta”
Yosemite backcountry July 2010: It’s still coming down
At the wilderness center in Yosemite Valley yesterday, I overheard the rangers discussing in amazement the weather, which surprised forecasters by producing not just some rain, but substantial and painful hail this week in the mountains. From last Wednesday, in the early afternoon at Lower Ottoway Lake: Those innocent-looking clouds built up and gave usContinue reading “Yosemite backcountry July 2010: It’s still coming down”
Back on the trail again
Up the Four Mile Trail to the Ilillouette watershed around Starr King, south of Yosemite. Hoping there's less snow that there was the last time I saw it, back in October….see you in a week.
Science never saw a ghost: John Muir
After a few years in the Sierra, encouraged by friends, in the 1870's John Muir quit his job running a sawmill in Yosemite Valley and began to explore the Sierra mountains in earnest. At the same time he began to take scraps of paper along with him on his forays into the higher elevations, andContinue reading “Science never saw a ghost: John Muir”
The Great Recession still going strong
For the unemployed, the long-term unemployed, and the underemployed — which is about 17% of the population — this is the scariest graph ever: via TPM and Calculated Risk.
Vanishing weather, vanishing species
Fascinating quote from modern-day wit Douglas Coupland (inventor of the phrase "McJob"): "The modern world is devoted to vanishing species, vanishing weather and vanishing capacity for wonder." From his latest novel, The Gum Thief. I think this perception is true. But how does one make inquiry into such a trade? Have to admire the creatorContinue reading “Vanishing weather, vanishing species”
The Southern Lights…
…from astronaut Bruce Wheeler's perspective. Does it matter that this astonishing image comes via Twitter' — or Twitpik? Not to me. Like it like that. For more on the mission, here's a report from Discover.
Kit Stolz 