Author Archives: Kit Stolz

Independent voters want warming action taken, polls show

From a good, broad-based story in Bloomberg: Among likely voters, 78 percent of Democrats and 56 percent of independents believe humans are warming the earth, according to a Bloomberg National Poll. That finding is consistent with other polls that show undecided voters, and majorities in contested states such as Ohio and Virginia are in lineContinue reading “Independent voters want warming action taken, polls show”

Did Neil Young just buy Crazy Horse’s beaded jacket?

For 10k? I hope so. Someone did today, anonymously, at an auction I happened to cover. No one in our culture has loved Crazy Horse better than Neil Young. No one individual better deserves a chance to have a beaded jacket that appears to be (at least through the Internet) more of a sacred vestmentContinue reading “Did Neil Young just buy Crazy Horse’s beaded jacket?”

The undecided voter: Hating the hating of politics

Joel Achenbach of the Washington Post is one of the best of this nation's roughly 40,000 reporters, a man who likes complicated science stories, but also a shoeleather reporter ready and willing to go on a hunt to hardscrabble Ohio in search of that mythical beast, the undecided voter. How does he find him (or her?)Continue reading “The undecided voter: Hating the hating of politics”

We saved the ozone layer. We can save the climate.

From Daniel Doniger at the NRDC last week, a reminder on the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Montreal Protocol, that Republicans and Democrats in this country, including the Reagan and Bush administration, allied to support an international treaty to save the ozone layer.  Millions of lives saved.  Hundreds of millions of cancers averted. Continue reading “We saved the ozone layer. We can save the climate.”

Daniel Larison: GOP is a party about nothing

Strange irony of the political punditry today: Nobody, but nobody, has been tougher on the GOP than the gang at The American Conservative. Here's Daniel Larison on what the Republicans will learn from their loss this fall:  The GOP’s predicament is that it is mostly running on nothing, or at least nothing that isn’t aContinue reading “Daniel Larison: GOP is a party about nothing”

Lyle Tuttle: How to be a real tattoo artist

Covered a tattoo convention over the weekend for the Star, and had a chance to interview Lyle Tuttle, the man who made tattooing safe for women, back in the 60's, beginning most famously with Janis Joplin. (And here she is, displaying her armband, courtesy of Tuttle.) Here's his part of the story:  Among the celebrities atContinue reading “Lyle Tuttle: How to be a real tattoo artist”

The post-modern candidate who is about nothing: Romney

Mitt Romney's latest "secret video" debacle has been unexpectedly depressing for me. Think conservative Jonah Goldberg (of all people!) put his finger on the reason why here: Romney’s remarks reinforce the overriding problem with his campaign: It is bloodlessly non-ideological. And that is by design. Stewart Stevens, Romney’s top strategist has made it abundantly clear heContinue reading “The post-modern candidate who is about nothing: Romney”

The $400 million snow job, thanks to David Koch (et al)

Jane Mayer of The New Yorker fills in the details on the latest from David Koch, revealing that he and his allies plan to spend $400 million on this year's elections…mostly to preserve the Bush-era tax break on dividends.  Toles visualizes the scene:  Scary thing is, Koch may be making a rational decision in terms ofContinue reading “The $400 million snow job, thanks to David Koch (et al)”

Downbound Train: The kids think Springsteen is all right

At age 62, Bruce Springsteen is on tour, and the young bucks (or semi-young bucks) of today, including Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam, and Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, are joining him on stage.  Good to see, and great to read a full-scale feature on Springsteen by the editor of The New YorkerContinue reading “Downbound Train: The kids think Springsteen is all right”