Caitlin Flanagan, the writer, has a lot of nerve, and the arrogance can grate on a reader. (And maybe grated on her editors at The New Yorker too, which might explain why she's not there anymore.) A writer who reviewed her most recent book went on air with her and Tom Ashbrook a year ago andContinue reading “Why gay men like Marilyn Monroe: Caitlin Flanagan”
Author Archives: Kit Stolz
Katrina-sized hurricanes much more likely in 21st century
Kerry Emmanuel, one of the most prominent of researchers into the connection between climate change and hurricanes, edited a just-released study of hurricanes in PNAS that looks at hurricane magnitude and risk in a new way, by storm surge instead of wind speed or reported damaged, and finds that "Statisically downscaling 21st century warming patternsContinue reading “Katrina-sized hurricanes much more likely in 21st century”
What to do about cigarettes, and why: Mayor Bloomberg
Mayor Bloomberg thinks cigarettes are bad for you and should be kept out of sight, like porn: Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, fresh off a defeat in his campaign to limit large servings of sugary drinks, proposed legislation Monday requiring stores to put cigarettes out of public sight and to increase penalties on the smuggling and illegal salesContinue reading “What to do about cigarettes, and why: Mayor Bloomberg”
When the L.A. River (and Sisar Creek) ran wild
This month in this part of Southern California, we've had a lowly 36% of average rainfall (although precipitation in this region of the world is so variable that "average" is more of a mathematical construct than a reality to be relied on). Still, we've had about five inches of rain, roughly half of what itContinue reading “When the L.A. River (and Sisar Creek) ran wild”
Editorial ‘toons w/facts: illographix from Brodner and Rall
The marvelously talented Steve Brodner, nominated for a prize by the design community, says he is pioneering a semi-new kind of drawing, the "illographix," which involves graphing and charting as well as illustration. Here's one example, worked out with two notables editors, and submitted for a prize: Not sure how new this concept really is.Continue reading “Editorial ‘toons w/facts: illographix from Brodner and Rall”
Why Obama should ask a farmer to lead on climate change
The acerbic Timothy Egan of the NYTimes has an interesting idea, re: the politics of climate change: It’s one thing to persuade hipsters in Portland, Ore., or Brooklyn to grow organic — hey, how cool is an artisan radish — in their rooftop gardens. It’s a much tougher push to get Big Ag, made upContinue reading “Why Obama should ask a farmer to lead on climate change”
Could climate change explain good spring job numbers?
David Drayen thinks out loud: …experienced jobs-report watchers have noticed an odd trend over the past several years, one that could temper optimism over the positive indicators for February. Since the start of the recovery in early 2010, the BLS [Bureau of Labor Statistics] reports have shown solid growth numbers in the winter and earlyContinue reading “Could climate change explain good spring job numbers?”
The Sierra Club High Trips and why women liked them
In the High Trips, for about thirty years at the start of the 20th century, the Sierra Club as a mountaineering club peaked, surely. On those brilliantly organized journeys, as many as 200 people at time went into the High Sierras, having committed to a walk of a minimum of two hundred miles, over several weeks of hiking. Though theContinue reading “The Sierra Club High Trips and why women liked them”
A pilgrimage to the snow on the mountain: 2013
Every year for the past fifteen or so I've walked up our local mountains, called Topa Topa, during the snows. This year, as you can see, we've had only dustings… …but still, I was not alone. Saw nearly two dozen fellow travelers, from age one or so to seventy, in all shapes and sizes, withContinue reading “A pilgrimage to the snow on the mountain: 2013”
Be true to your depression: James Hillman
The late great Jungian analyst James Hillman, on depression. Christian myth, the soul, and the path depression offers to those who experience it. From his compilation A Blue Fire: "Depression. Because Christ resurrects, moments of despair, darkening, and desertion cannot be valid in themselves. Our one model insists on light at the end of theContinue reading “Be true to your depression: James Hillman”
Kit Stolz 