In 21st century America, melancholy seems passe, dated, all but forgotten. It's something that happens to people in Chekhov plays, or other countries. Everyone knows about depression, by contrast, and ten percent of Americans are taking anti-depressants, according to one study, and one in four middle-aged women. “It’s not only that physicians are prescribing more,Continue reading “The Wisdom of Melancholy: Alain de Botton”
Category Archives: thinking out loud
Why I didn’t ask for company on section e of the PCT
From what I had seen of the Antelope Valley, I feared it would look something like this: Which it did.
Section e of the Pacific Crest Trail: Worried Man
This past week I completed Section E of the Pacific Crest Trail, which goes for about 112 miles from Agua Dulce (north of Los Angeles) to an exit off Hwy 58 (north of Mojave). Man is it a tough section. Here's my fave picture. After hiking for approximately twelve miles with approximately 1-2 liters ofContinue reading “Section e of the Pacific Crest Trail: Worried Man”
Ojai Chatauqua on fracking: know your CA geology
Part of what the Ojai Chautauqua tries to do every couple of months is bring out information regarding complex topics, which is what I tried to do in part as a moderator this past Sunday for a panel on fracking. What did we learn? Well, here's one item, from Kimberly Rivers story in the OjaiContinue reading “Ojai Chatauqua on fracking: know your CA geology”
“The creative adult is the child who survived”: Banksy
Is this true? Or is there something to be said for the creativity of adults? Langer at Harvard might agree about the importance of the youthful mindset, if this fascinating and brilliant study of adults sent back in time is any guide.
Anterra suspected of dumping hazardous waste in Ventura County
As I mentioned in a post in early September, Anterra, a small company with two offices in the Ventura County, was raided back on September 8th by District Attorney Christopher Harman, for a suspected criminal violation of law. I talked to the District Attorney in a story published in the Santa Barbara Independent, butContinue reading “Anterra suspected of dumping hazardous waste in Ventura County”
“I got trapped on a path”: Charles Bowden
About ten years ago I wrote an essay, perhaps my best to date, about John Muir, that was published in the spectacular nature magazine Wild Earth. (Which sadly no longer publishes, nor can it be found on-line.) I found myself in good company, with the likes of E.O. Wilson, but the best piece in theContinue reading ““I got trapped on a path”: Charles Bowden”
Nature in a can: Tenn Williams and Thom Pynchon
In Night of the Iguana, a play first performed in 1961, but evolved out of a short story over a period of about fifteen years, Tennessee Williams expressed anger at our species for ruining our planet. In the movie of 1962, starring Richard Burton as a disgraced priest, his character, at the end ofContinue reading “Nature in a can: Tenn Williams and Thom Pynchon”
Why are Americans so extreme?
Heather Havrilesky wants to know what it is about extreme fitness that fascinates Americans: A blond woman in a hot pink spandex tank hoists a sledgehammer over her shoulders, then slams it down with a dull thud onto the big tire in front of her. Beside her, another woman swings her sledgehammer even higher, grimacingContinue reading “Why are Americans so extreme?”
NASA vs. NOAA: battle of the winter forecast charts
The headline exaggerates, of course, but doesn't in fact mislead. Here's a graph of a NASA climate model, depicting a forecast of precipitation in the U.S. for the next winter. Colors tell the story. In truth, it's a little hard to decode the anomalies chart, but this turns out to be just one of eightContinue reading “NASA vs. NOAA: battle of the winter forecast charts”
Kit Stolz 