The great science reporter Andrew Revkin has been posting early newspaper stories about global warming (as we call it today). These stories go back a hundred years and more. From his Twitter account, here’s an interesting example, featuring a talk given at a Midwestern college by the Swedish scientist, Svante Arrhenius, who first calculated theContinue reading “Earth will become like Mars: Discoverer of Global Warming”
Category Archives: art and humor
Baked Alaska
From The New Yorker, of course, in today’s daily cartoon. It’s worth noting that in earth’s long history yes, evidence of the existence of palm trees and other tropical plants living at the North Pole has been documented. A tropical Arctic existed for over a million years. Runaway global warming is not only possible, it’sContinue reading “Baked Alaska”
Who is the biggest climate villain in the land?
Well, we know who is the biggest, um, talker: From Tom Toles, of course, who follows up with a Denier’s Club of the usual misleaders. A deep post, adapted from his new book The Madhouse Effect with scientist Michael Mann, who originated the famous “hockey stick” graph that some folks very much do not wantContinue reading “Who is the biggest climate villain in the land?”
People of the PCT: Birdman
Met Birdman a day or maybe two south of Sierra City, in Section L, north of Donner Pass. He’s a true thruhiker: “flip-flopped” the AT last year (meaning he went up and back down). “And I’ll tell you, it’s a lot more dramatic finishing up at Mt. Katahdin than it is in Springer, Georgia!” heContinue reading “People of the PCT: Birdman”
Wait — is that a Half Dome in your beard?
Happy Birthday John Muir! Taken wholesale for Jer Collins, a fascinating artist and adventurer, highly recommended, for his care in drawing, and for his imagination. On Instagram. Affiliated with National Geographic.
a rare soupcon of spicy humor
From Kelly Conaboy at The Awl: What does a bay leaf taste like? Nothing. What does a bay leaf smell like? Nothing. What does a bay leaf look like? A leaf. How does a bay leaf behave? It behaves as a leaf would, if you took a leaf from the tree outside of your apartmentContinue reading “a rare soupcon of spicy humor”
The Revenant: from the bear’s POV
The Revenant, the most spectacularly cinematic contender for Best Picture in years, did not take home that particular Oscar at the Academy Awards presentation this past Sunday, but it remains a massive world-wide hit, far bigger than “Spotlight,” won three other major awards — best director, best actor, and best cinematographer — and will almostContinue reading “The Revenant: from the bear’s POV”
Scalia passing: Quail react (via Samantha Bee)
Samantha Bee has a new show on the television, called Full Frontal, about which I know nothing, but this post from her on the passing of Antonin Scalia from the perspective of quail in Texas is pretty hilarious. One example, from a bird labeled simply “Quail.” Quail “As a quail, I’m a firm believer inContinue reading “Scalia passing: Quail react (via Samantha Bee)”
Bound for Glory: Haskell Wexler
Haskell Wexler died yesterday, cinematographer for countless great movies, including the under-appreciated Bound for Glory, not to mention other lefty faves including One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, as well as Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation, to me arguably his best work, although Wexler went uncredited. Roger Ebert appreciatedContinue reading “Bound for Glory: Haskell Wexler”
PCT haiku from section C
semi-circle of pine bark half-mooned on the trail waiting to be crunched
Kit Stolz 