Francine Prose explains: As far as I can understand it myself, here’s why I burst into tears at the Occupy Wall Street camp. I was moved, first of all, by what everyone notices first: the variety of people involved, the range of ages, races, classes, colors, cultures. In other words, the 99 per cent. IContinue reading “Why Occupy Wall Street made Francine cry”
Category Archives: activism
Another bad day for climate change denial
Richard Muller, a MacArthur fellow at UC Berkeley, and a contrarian who led a group of scientists — mostly physicists — into the foul waters of climate change denial, funded in large part by the justly-infamous Koch brothers, has been forced to admit by the extensive resampling of data from 40,000 field stations that yes, theContinue reading “Another bad day for climate change denial”
Climate change in Canada: the funny version
Here's an editorial cartoon about global warming, from a young artist… …who notes that countless species are migrating northward to survive. But Stephanie McMillan is right on another count, too: Climate change is coming to Canada, and could cost as much as $5 billion a year by 2020, and 20-42 billion by 2050, accordingContinue reading “Climate change in Canada: the funny version”
Wangari Maathai, rest in peace
The great tree-planter and feminist, Wangari Maathai, Nobel Prize winner, died yesterday. We were fortunate enough to see her speak a few years ago, and I was frankly awed by her ability to find simple, enduring truths in complicated, desperate situations. Even today, speaking about the unhappiness of development in Kenya, her words resonate withContinue reading “Wangari Maathai, rest in peace”
“Real Science” denier site called out by real scientist
Look at this chart from researchers at the University of Bremen, via a compilation page of scientific Arctic data sources, and ask yourself: What trend do you see? Now look at the same basic question — how much of the Arctic is covered by ice, in recent years — from the point of Steven Goddard, whoContinue reading ““Real Science” denier site called out by real scientist”
Obama administration chooses tar sands over climate
As numerous cynics expected, the Obama administration is giving every sign that it will choose to support the Keystone XL pipeline, even if it means the end to the climate as we know it. “It’s not perfect, but it’s a trade off,” [Secretary of Energy Steven] Chu said. Meanwhile, it's curious that the most passionateContinue reading “Obama administration chooses tar sands over climate”
Congress cuts weather satellite funding in disastrous year
The weather in these United States has been truly frightful in the last couple of years, as this graph — provided to Congress with testimony from NOAA administrator Kathryn Sullivan last month — illustrates: [The graph shows the number of events from last year, but this year will be worse, Sullivan said] Yet as theContinue reading “Congress cuts weather satellite funding in disastrous year”
America’s top climatologist arrested at White House
Wish I could have been there to report on the tar sands protests, but… Solve Climate News: What is motivating you to travel to the White House and risk arrest? James Hansen: Einstein said to think and not act is a crime. If we understand the situation, we must try to make it clear. IContinue reading “America’s top climatologist arrested at White House”
Poll: Rick Perry disses climate science, loses moderates
The governor of Texas, Rick Perry, has jumped into the race for the Republican nomination for President, and — according to Public Policy Polling — instantly made it a two-person race. They say he's looking like "the favorite" for the nomination. This has alarmed moderate Republicans, all three or four of them, including Mitt RomneyContinue reading “Poll: Rick Perry disses climate science, loses moderates”
Western water reporter recounts being ripped off
A nasty little irony: A first-rate Western writer about water, Emily Green, recounts how her massive five-part newspaper series on a Las Vegas water grab was scooped up and rewritten into a book by a another writer. In other words, her work on a rip-off was in turn ripped off (and she has the quotesContinue reading “Western water reporter recounts being ripped off”
Kit Stolz 