In Night of the Iguana, a play first performed in 1961, but evolved out of a short story over a period of about fifteen years, Tennessee Williams expressed anger at our species for ruining our planet. In the movie of 1962, starring Richard Burton as a disgraced priest, his character, at the end ofContinue reading “Nature in a can: Tenn Williams and Thom Pynchon”
Author Archives: Kit Stolz
Why are Americans so extreme?
Heather Havrilesky wants to know what it is about extreme fitness that fascinates Americans: A blond woman in a hot pink spandex tank hoists a sledgehammer over her shoulders, then slams it down with a dull thud onto the big tire in front of her. Beside her, another woman swings her sledgehammer even higher, grimacingContinue reading “Why are Americans so extreme?”
NASA vs. NOAA: battle of the winter forecast charts
The headline exaggerates, of course, but doesn't in fact mislead. Here's a graph of a NASA climate model, depicting a forecast of precipitation in the U.S. for the next winter. Colors tell the story. In truth, it's a little hard to decode the anomalies chart, but this turns out to be just one of eightContinue reading “NASA vs. NOAA: battle of the winter forecast charts”
El Niño 2014 October forecast: Glass little over half full
NOAA released its October outlook for our winter, based on ocean temperatures, and continues to find a 60-65% chance of the appearance of the boychick. Here's my fave set of graphs today, from another site, and here's my fave single graph: These are tempeartures taken across a section of the equatorial Pacific, the vast belt acrossContinue reading “El Niño 2014 October forecast: Glass little over half full”
The American pine-nut vs. climate change: NPR
A week or so ago had the privilege of living in the western fringe of the pine-nut forest of the Southwest and became fascinated with these super-hardy and super-productive trees, upon which so much life in this region depends. (Not so much human life these days, true, but once upon a time.) So today IContinue reading “The American pine-nut vs. climate change: NPR”
The arrival of autumn — in the eastern Sierra
Mountaineer/photographer Cory Freeman reports that fall has come to the eastern Sierra, a week or two early. Wish we could say the same in SoCal.
Puzzles and mystery: How they differ
Sometimes the computational powers that be conspire to foil a post. That yet-to-be-posted item might have been trail inspirational: this one I found thought-inspiring. From a medical blogger flying under a banner headline: Embrace the Mystery This distinction between puzzles and mysteries is described in a powerful new book by Ian Leslie: Curious: The Desire toContinue reading “Puzzles and mystery: How they differ”
Students vs. obesity in Santa Paula CA
Let me belatedly post the main story I have been at work on for the last six months or so, as part of a Reporting on Health fellowship, about obesity — and those battling it — in Santa Paula. Turns out, appropriately, it's students and young adults who have taken up the fight. Not toContinue reading “Students vs. obesity in Santa Paula CA”
Eliza Gilkyson: I’m so worried about everything
Eliza Gilkyson is a folk singer, an unexpectedly good guitar player, and a wit. For years she's been writing about nuclear war, environmental and economic collapse, and has had the nerve to issue whole records on these themes (notably the excellent song "The Party's Over"). But she also writes songs about herself, of course, andContinue reading “Eliza Gilkyson: I’m so worried about everything”
What if we honored solitude as we honor group thinking?
Apologize for not catching up to all that is going on with climate environmental news. Yes, even bloggers — perhaps especially bloggers — can suffer from environmental overwhelm. In response, perhaps, have been reading into solitude lately, notably an appropriately thoughtful book called The Republic of Noise, an award-winning book from 2012, that looks atContinue reading “What if we honored solitude as we honor group thinking?”
Kit Stolz 