John Muir wrote poetry almost unconsciously. Or so it seems. For him metaphors — such as the idea of a land of clouds — were embedded in his thinking from his early days, and evolved easily into poems (though they're easier to see with a few line breaks). Here's an entry in his journal fromContinue reading “Indian summer snowfall in the Sierra: John Muir”
Author Archives: Kit Stolz
Salt Lake City Doctor: GOP/Romney energy policy filthy
Startlingly fresh climate change commentary from a medical doctor in Salt Lake City: As I listened to Mitt Romney deliver his energy plan for America and read the Republican Party platform, I was struck by parallels to a book about the atrocious medical care given to President James Garfield after he was shot on JulyContinue reading “Salt Lake City Doctor: GOP/Romney energy policy filthy”
Bob Dylan: He’s back and he’s electric — again
Once upon a time in rock and roll, a great rock star, set off by something called Johnny Rotten. wondered out loud in song if rock and roll demanded a fiery, perhaps suicidal finale. Neil Young set off a storm with the idea, on Rust Never Sleeps, one of his greatest albums, and among hisContinue reading “Bob Dylan: He’s back and he’s electric — again”
Jobs versus extinction: Romney and Calvin and Hobbes
Romney's remark on climate change last night has occasioned a great deal of commentary. Here's Kate Sheppard, reporting on the moment for Mother Jones: "If you didn't catch Mitt Romney's acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention on Thursday night, you really missed an amazing snapshot of how he'll treat environmental issues as president: as a laughContinue reading “Jobs versus extinction: Romney and Calvin and Hobbes”
Obama and Romney on warming this week in campaign
Romney [from convention speech to be delivered]: "Obama promised to slow the rise of the oceans and heal the planet. My promise is to help you and your family." Obama [from speech to college students]: Denying climate change won't make it stop. According to Ben Domenech of RedState, Romney's crack is the single best lineContinue reading “Obama and Romney on warming this week in campaign”
Big Oil backs Romney campaign: USA Today
USA Today runs the SuperPac numbers: WASHINGTON – Mitt Romney's campaign and a super PAC backing him have received more than $15 million from oil, coal and other energy interests, many of which would benefit from the energy plan Romney unveiled Thursday. At least 35 people who "bundle" donations for the Romney campaign are fromContinue reading “Big Oil backs Romney campaign: USA Today”
Hurricane Issac on track for New Orleans
Oh boy. Landfall expected Wednesday, seven years after Hurricane Katrina.
Larry McMurtry on selling 300,000 books
Besides being a great writer, Larry McMurtry is a great bookseller. The story of The Last Book Sale is a moderately long but fully fascinating: McMurtry wrote it up for the NYRB blog. Suffice to say that in August, McMurtry sold off the contents of several of his bookstores, to make sure he didn't burdenContinue reading “Larry McMurtry on selling 300,000 books”
Wishing to get away from it all: Dusy Basin
From the great Tom Killion, one of his latest: Killion often goes for bold, almost surreal colors in his woodcut art, but for the Sierras, espeically at night, likes deep blue tones. Love the contrast between the austere mountains and the warm little human shelter. So true. The Dusy basin is a gorgeous bowlContinue reading “Wishing to get away from it all: Dusy Basin”
Study: Warming brings more precip to VC, less to NorCal
Kim Lamb Gregory for the Ventura County Star reports on a new study based on an almost unimaginably vast dataset that looks at precipitation records from around the continental U.S. over the last sixty years. It's called When It Rains It Pours: Global Warming and the Increase in Extreme Precipitation from l948-2011. Lamb writes that it findsContinue reading “Study: Warming brings more precip to VC, less to NorCal”
Kit Stolz 