Author Archives: Kit Stolz

Okay, this blogging thing is getting out of hand

Wondering where that cold air over California is coming from?  Do your own jetstream tracking at home, via NOAA, and find out!  No, I'm not kidding. That's what Bad Mom, Good Mom did, and then wrote up the scientific recipe for home consumption, in a post called Do you know where that's been?  Here's aContinue reading “Okay, this blogging thing is getting out of hand”

Theme song for the drought-averse in SoCal

It's raining, slightly, and yes, I'm happy…we're now at about 110% of normal, which is pretty much right on the button of what Terry Schaeffer, forecaster extraordinaire, predicted for Ventura County in January.  http://www.lala.com/external/flash/SingleSongWidget.swf Only Happy When It Rains – Gar…

Try, try again for a climate bill in Washington

For all the flaws of the climate bill that passed the House but ground to a halt in the Senate this past winter, the need for action to reduce the risks of costs of climate change remains as acute as ever. The practical attitude towards this central question, as expressed recently by Ron Brownstein, anContinue reading “Try, try again for a climate bill in Washington”

Happy Fortieth, Earth Day

Well, my story about the fortieth birthday of Earth Day for the Ventura County Reporter is a few days early, but what the heck — the occasion does deserve celebrating, and a few questions for local enviros.  Let me recommend it to you.  My favorite quote, from Paul Jenkin, of the Ventura County chapter ofContinue reading “Happy Fortieth, Earth Day”

Reasons to love Barack (vol. 9003)

Despite the Obama's inability to nudge this country, far less the world, towards climate sanity, there remain plenty of reasons to love the guy. Here are a couple of examples I've been meaning to post: In the popular inside account of the 2008 campaign, Game Change, we learn what happened at the crucial meeting onContinue reading “Reasons to love Barack (vol. 9003)”

The reductio ad absurdum of climate change skepticism

Because the vast majority of scientists on the planet agree that climate change is happening, and because this consensus view is shared even among most members of the public — although that consensus is eroding — the curious result is that most of the discussion about global warming is now happening at the ideological fringesContinue reading “The reductio ad absurdum of climate change skepticism”

Don Blankenship: A coal-black villain worthy of Oliver Stone

Though Oliver Stone is reviled and sometimes revered for his political opinions, those who love the movies of the last three decades know him (or should) as the screenwriter mostly likely to understand — and bring to life — villains.  In Platoon, it was the alcoholic sergeant Wall Street, Sgt. Barnes, played by Tom Berenger,Continue reading “Don Blankenship: A coal-black villain worthy of Oliver Stone”

Dangerous gases, by Tom Toles

Love the mordant subhead on this one by Tom Toles, who once again insists on keeping his eye on the ball.  Well, that is, once again he insists on making us look at what we must face but would rather not, which is threat of climate change.  Is there a better advocate for confronting theContinue reading “Dangerous gases, by Tom Toles”

These dreams are full of portent: Werner Herzog reads Madeline

Werner Herzog movies will take you aback, and can make you gasp and even mutter to your significant other sitting next to you, equally astonished by what you have just seen, but the man himself in conversation is no less startling and perhaps even more memorable.  In conversation with Pico Iyer this past Wednesday at UC SantaContinue reading “These dreams are full of portent: Werner Herzog reads Madeline”