Covered a talk by the dean of climate reporters, Andrew Revkin, last week at UCSB, for the Santa Barbara Independent. In part because he got so sick of "the yelling" around climate, a couple of years ago Revkin gave up traditional reporting to teach at Pace University, and to run the great Dot Earth blogContinue reading “Andrew Revkin: on climate change in a post-media world”
Author Archives: Kit Stolz
Eulogy for a watershed: Tam Valley in Marin County
My good friend David Healy sends along a touching/troubling essay about the development of his Marin County town, Tam Valley, in the days of his and my youth, approximately fifty years ago. When I was a kid in the valley, we didn't need "facilities." We had the hills to hike in and the fields to playContinue reading “Eulogy for a watershed: Tam Valley in Marin County”
The Sierras: A lot younger than they look
The Sierra Nevada mountains are nowhere near as old as they look; geologically, they're shockingly young. That's the news from David Perlman, a science writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. The mountains of the Sierra Nevada are still rising, and they're a lot younger than most scientists previously thought. That's the conclusion of Earth scientists inContinue reading “The Sierras: A lot younger than they look”
How to salve the pain of long-term unemployed: Retire
Could early retirement be even better for the long-term unemployed than marriage? A new study by a team of German economists tests a theory that suggests so. The thery posits that we all have a "identity utility," and thus the unhappiness we feel due to unemployment — which in countries like Germany and even theContinue reading “How to salve the pain of long-term unemployed: Retire”
To see the Prez, it helps to be a whale
In Las Vegas, to be a "whale" — a high roller — you have to be ready to live large, even if it costs $500,000 an hour. It's a little like what you have to do if you want to get into the White House and see the President. Big bucks, as this graphic shows.Continue reading “To see the Prez, it helps to be a whale”
How to live forever: become a pop music star
This year at Coachella, the late great Tupac Shakur performed live with Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre. You can see it for yourself: Okay, yes, it's digital trickery, employing unimaginably vast quantities of data, but still — it's pretty awesome. I'm ready to see the Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain versions, which are promised soon.Continue reading “How to live forever: become a pop music star”
Rilke: gathering the sweetnessnesses of plant love
While walking the Appalachian Trail with a friend a couple of weeks ago, all through Georgia and into far western North Carolina I found myself in the company of wild violets. Brought to mind this quote from the fourth of Rilke's wide-ranging and ever-fascinating Letters to a Young Poet: …all beauty in plants and animalsContinue reading “Rilke: gathering the sweetnessnesses of plant love”
“I will not walk away from the promise of green energy”: Obama
This year, despite the failure of the solar firm Solyndra, to which a half-billion dollars of Federal aid was guaranteed, President Obama reaffirmed his support of green energy. He said so in January, when the right was stirring on pot of this issue, reminding one and all of a lost $535 million. The Prez confronted theContinue reading ““I will not walk away from the promise of green energy”: Obama”
Winner of Ventura county climate action award: 2012
Yours truly doesn't often win awards — it's been since college, actually — so when I won an award for my climate reporting (cited was Drought-Proofing Ventura County) it's news worth posting here. I was up against fellow reporter and friend Zeke Barlow, who unfortunately for the county has taken a job in Virginia,Continue reading “Winner of Ventura county climate action award: 2012”
The feminism of The Hunger Games: Katha Pollitt
It's cultural news when an esteemed writer/critic/poet goes head over hells for the latest in pop culture. Expresses his or her love for a work's artistry, even if a million other people love it too, even if it's making a gazillion dollars. To a believer in democracy, this ardency speaks for itself. Philosophers such as PlatoContinue reading “The feminism of The Hunger Games: Katha Pollitt”
Kit Stolz 