Environmentalists Accused of Climate Denialism

Great to see a writer without a famous name roil the blogosphere, as Adam Sacks sets off a storm with an accusation flung in the face of fellow environmentalists on Grist: We're deniers every time we say “80 percent by 2050,” or even “80 percent by 2020”; every time we refer to tipping points inContinue reading “Environmentalists Accused of Climate Denialism”

Who Will Be the Last Human to Eat Bluefin Tuna?

Barry Estabrook asks a great question: There is a strong likelihood that someone in this generation will be the last human to eat a bluefin tuna. By most scientific accounts, the species hovers on the brink of extinction, if it hasn’t already crossed that line. As they say, read the whole thing. Probably it willContinue reading “Who Will Be the Last Human to Eat Bluefin Tuna?”

Why China Needs to Think About Climate

James Fallows, a wonderful writer and blogger for the Atlantic, is not one to panic, but when it comes to the ice at the roof of the world — upon which hundreds of millions of people depend — he sounds scared. Here's his post from today, on what Obama should be talking about on hisContinue reading “Why China Needs to Think About Climate”

Palin’s Little Sister Goes Rogue on the Appalachian Trail

The insta-celebrity Carrie Prejean, right-wing heroine and defrocked beauty queen, has been brought low by that most embarrassing of all self-destructive acts…a sex tape. According to Google Trends, her (unreleased) sex tape was the hottest search item on Google Trends a couple of days ago, and the chart still looks like a rocket going up.  Continue reading “Palin’s Little Sister Goes Rogue on the Appalachian Trail”

Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer

Is urban farming really a sustainable lifestyle? This is a question Novella Carpenter spent ten years of her life trying to figure out in Oakland, California, and it's a question she answers in her new book Farm City. Here's a picture of the writer on her urban farm: The book gets a favorable mention onContinue reading “Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer”

Sunbathing in Scotland by 2060?

From the staid London Times: The government’s chief scientific adviser has warned that climate change could destabilise populations across Europe, potentially triggering a wave of migrants heading for cooler regions such as the British Isles and Scandinavia. Professor John Beddington believes that, without deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, average temperatures could rise by aboutContinue reading “Sunbathing in Scotland by 2060?”

Water Deal: Delta Savior, or Unworkable Mess?

Yours truly has been trying to make sense of the massive California water deal headed for the Governor's desk. Haven't made a whole lot of progress yet; it's so big that apparently most of the legislators who voted on it, either pro or con, didn't even try to read it. But I have come acrossContinue reading “Water Deal: Delta Savior, or Unworkable Mess?”

Sarah Palin: A Job in Heels with Cross-Eyes

If you find the Palin phenomenon fascinating, if alarmingly irrational, you will want to read the astounding rant on the subject from Matt Taibii, not published by Rolling Stone, but available via True/Slant. Here's a selection: Palin’s paranoid ramblings and self-pitying tantrums on the way out of office not only didn’t injure her chances forContinue reading “Sarah Palin: A Job in Heels with Cross-Eyes”

For Those Who Hate Daylight Savings Time

That's from PostSecret. For thoughtful sorts who like a little reasoning to go with their instinctive hatreds, here's Ryan Sager from True/Slant, making a shocking amount of sense. I'll just mention his first of ten reasons to dump daylight savings time: Daylight Saving Time (DST) was sold as an energy-saving measure. But it doesn’t saveContinue reading “For Those Who Hate Daylight Savings Time”