Well, we know who is the biggest, um, talker: From Tom Toles, of course, who follows up with a Denier’s Club of the usual misleaders. A deep post, adapted from his new book The Madhouse Effect with scientist Michael Mann, who originated the famous “hockey stick” graph that some folks very much do not wantContinue reading “Who is the biggest climate villain in the land?”
Author Archives: Kit Stolz
Tennessee Williams and the “basket of deplorables”
Hillary Clinton stepped in it over the weekend by throwing “about half” of Donald Trump’s supporters in a “basket of deplorables.” She said (to repeat her phrasing, a lumpy blend of awkward and wonky): To just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump’s supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables. Right? TheContinue reading “Tennessee Williams and the “basket of deplorables””
The earthquake in Oklahoma in 2016 — and in Colorado in 1966
Oklahoma is now the most earthquake-prone state in the nation, considerably outdistancing California, according to the USGS. Yesterday morning a 5.6 in magnitude quake hit northcentral Oklahoma, with shaking felt as far away as Arizona and the Midwest. The record-settling quake has been linked to oilfield wastewater disposal, according to state regulators, who ordered aContinue reading “The earthquake in Oklahoma in 2016 — and in Colorado in 1966”
the Lyell mountains and glacier chain
The high ridge on the upper right overlooking a north face still heavy with ice and snow is Mt Lyell, at 13.100 the highest peak in Yosemite National Park. In that whiteness a hundred and fifty years ago John Muir discovered the first “living glacier” in California. From a wonderful trip led by Pete DevineContinue reading “the Lyell mountains and glacier chain”
Trump + Mussolini: Trussolini?
Countless commentators, from a Congressman in Utah, to the President of Mexico, editors and Twitter wizards like Marlow Stern to famous comedians like Bill Mahrer to the most admired of our publications have pointed to the frighteningly fascistic tendencies of Donald Trump and specifically his alarming similarity to Benito Mussolini, in looks and in language. But theContinue reading “Trump + Mussolini: Trussolini?”
PCT section L: Paradise Lake to Sierra City
Think this might be the shortest and possibly the easiest section on the entire 2663-mile PCT. That’s based on a personal knowledge of two-thirds of the trail in California. That’s all I know, admittedly, with some reading and searching, for instance such as Jeffrey Schaffer’s venerable and helpful set of guides on Wilderness Press. Still. Turns out the sectionContinue reading “PCT section L: Paradise Lake to Sierra City”
People of the PCT: Birdman
Met Birdman a day or maybe two south of Sierra City, in Section L, north of Donner Pass. He’s a true thruhiker: “flip-flopped” the AT last year (meaning he went up and back down). “And I’ll tell you, it’s a lot more dramatic finishing up at Mt. Katahdin than it is in Springer, Georgia!” heContinue reading “People of the PCT: Birdman”
Forget Me Not PCT (from section M)
Back to the PCT, after seven months absence. These from section L, still very much in the Sierras, north of Donner Pass. Area is lower and less spectacular than Yosemite or the Minarets or comparable high mountain ranges, around 8,000 feet, but still has the beauty particular to these mountains, of granite, clear water, pines and snowContinue reading “Forget Me Not PCT (from section M)”
Stay on Trail: Jordan Fisher Smith on our Nat’l Parks Bday
Jordan Fisher Smith, who has an excellent new book out called Engineering Eden, (on the challenge of managing wild bears in places like Yellowstone and Yosemite), brings his experience as a naturalist, a ranger, and a writer to bear on the meaning of our parks in an essay in the author’s on-line magazine Signature Reads.Continue reading “Stay on Trail: Jordan Fisher Smith on our Nat’l Parks Bday”
Trump, Sanders Agree: Blame the Media
If there’s one thing that “outsiders” agree on in political life in America today, it’s that it’s the media’s fault. Here’s Bernie: “On Tuesday night, on the 7th, you’re going to hear from media saying that Hillary Clinton has received, whatever it is, 80 or 90 delegates, which she certainly will from New Jersey and other states,”Continue reading “Trump, Sanders Agree: Blame the Media”
Kit Stolz 