As has been much discussed, the Tribune chain of newspapers — including the Los Angeles Times — is up for sale, and the billionaire Koch Brothers say they want to buy it, according to reliable sournces, including the Wall Street Journal. A HuffPo summary: Tribune emerged from bankruptcy in 2012, and began preparations to sell offContinue reading “Don’t like the latest science? Kochify the News!”
Author Archives: Kit Stolz
The lull in the rise of global temperatures: NYTimes
Justin Gillis for the NYTimes writes definitively on "the lull" in the rate of increase of global temperatures. It's confident writing that coolly savors the ironies of the crisis, even as it depicts the news with jaw-dropping facts. Speaking of the leveling out of global mean temperatures in the last fifteen years, he writes: What toContinue reading “The lull in the rise of global temperatures: NYTimes”
The dark side of science: The control of nature
As mentioned in a post not so long ago, Rachel Carson believed in "Silent Spring" that DDT represented an attempt to control nature. Which she abhored. A book about a fascinating friendship between a genius physicist, Nobel laureate Wolfgang Pauli, and Carl Jung, reveals that the physicst thought physics also represented an attempt at control.Continue reading “The dark side of science: The control of nature”
John Luther Adams at Ojai Music Fest (outdoors)
Thanks to a video maven from Bart's Books, here's what the final movement of composer John Luther Adams' Strange and Silent Music looked like this morning at Besant Hill in Upper Ojai. During the entrancing performance, which began on the drums, moved to the east for a soft thudding playing of the gongs, to theContinue reading “John Luther Adams at Ojai Music Fest (outdoors)”
Changing — and being changed by — the sea around us
Brian Fagan, whose The Great Warming is the single best history of climactic change over the course of history, writes this week in The New York Times of the unseen dangers of rising sea levels: Fifty thousand drowned, steamships aground with their bows among trees, cattle rolled head over heels by gigantic waves — storiesContinue reading “Changing — and being changed by — the sea around us”
Can hipsters take a joke?
Guess we'll find out. Here's Ted Rall on the subject (along with a long rant on the subject of Time and their piece on Millenials vs. Gen X'rs): And here's a joke to match, courtesy of Dr. Dave White: How many hipsters does it take to screw in a light bulb? It's a really cool number,Continue reading “Can hipsters take a joke?”
Climate Myths: The Campaign against Climate Science
Energy analyst Dr. John Berger's Climate Myths: The Campaign against Climate Science expertly separates climate fact from misinformation, and is especially good at reminding us of past deceptions put out by fossil fuel companies. Who can forget, for instance, The Greening Earth Society? "A creation of the Western Fuels Association," writes Berger, "…this benevolent-sounding "green organization"Continue reading “Climate Myths: The Campaign against Climate Science”
Greatest nature drawing ever? by Albrecht Durer
Christopher Knight suggests such is the case for Albrecht Durer's "Great Piece of Turf": The drawing's technical mastery is astounding. Watercolor can be an unforgiving medium, allowing for few mistakes. Yet even in the face of this complicated, seemingly chaotic tangle of plants, the 32-year-old artist made no evident missteps. The viewpoint is head-on, seenContinue reading “Greatest nature drawing ever? by Albrecht Durer”
A home in the wild, under the wind
Three nights ago I slept tentless in the desert. I slept despite a breeze, moving over my pad and bag, over my face exposed to the night. The moon came up bright, woke me at midnight, but the air had gone still and quiet, and I found my way back to my dreams. A dayContinue reading “A home in the wild, under the wind”
Mad Men of climate change denial: Steve Brodner
The right has its ways and means, but the left — as usually seems to be the case — has the artists, including Steve Brodner. No else depicts the banality of climate change deniers (er, "skeptics") with quite the same verve (and this is just the sketch — for the color/adman version, see this): ForContinue reading “Mad Men of climate change denial: Steve Brodner”
Kit Stolz 