From George Monbiot: Australian politics provides yet more evidence that climate science divides people along political lines. [Tony] Abbott is no longer an outright denier, though he still insists, in the teeth of the facts, that the world has cooled since 1997(5). Some members of his party go further: Senator Nick Minchin, for example, maintainsContinue reading “The politics of climate change denial, worldwide”
Monthly Archives: September 2010
Scary graph of the day: Arctic sea ice
Via ClimateProgress: Commenting on the trend, Mark Serreze, director of the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center told the Vancouver Sun: There are claims coming from some communities that the Arctic sea ice is recovering, is getting thicker again. That's simply not the case. It's continuing down in a death spiral. Serreze may be thinkingContinue reading “Scary graph of the day: Arctic sea ice”
“War and Peace” in one sentence
I looked up War and Peace and it's about this guy Pierre who fights in France, and all this terrible stuff happens to him, but in the end because of his charm he gets to be with this girl he really loves, and who really loves him even though she cheated on him. Gary ShtenygartContinue reading ““War and Peace” in one sentence”
The unheard-of and suddenly indispensable Smartpen
Take it from veteran journalist and computer writer James Fallows, of the Atlantic: For my own workaday purposes, the most useful recent invention has been the Livescribe Pulse pen, which I bought just after its introduction early last year and now can hardly be without. It looks like a somewhat bulky, cigar-shaped metallic writing instrument.Continue reading “The unheard-of and suddenly indispensable Smartpen”
The truth about Super Sad True Love Story
Super Sad True Love Story is a brilliant new satirical novel, set in the near future, built on what writer Gary Shteyngart realized was the crucial difference between the great futurist novels Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, and l984, by George Orwell (of course). As Shteyngart points out in this typically great interview withContinue reading “The truth about Super Sad True Love Story”
The science of attraction: which size do men prefer?
In response to complaints from fans that this site is too doomy, an effort is being made to look for insights offered into subjects less dire than climate change. (And, to be fair, climate change will not be all bad for everyone; after all, it might tend to cool L.A.) But nevermind. Here's a storyContinue reading “The science of attraction: which size do men prefer?”
Our children, messengers
Surely the most beautiful quote ever seen in a parenting book: …someday we will regard our children not as creatures to manipulate or to change but rather as messengers from a world we have long since forgotten, who can reveal to us more about the true secrets of life, and also our own lives, thanContinue reading “Our children, messengers”
Media wakes up to underemployment on Labor Day
Give credit where it's due: both the Los Angeles Times and NPR's Scott Simon ran excellent stories about the difficulty of being unemployed or underemployed this Labor Day weekend. I especially liked the LA Times story, because so often reporting on this topic falls into the either/or trap; that is, either you have a full-timeContinue reading “Media wakes up to underemployment on Labor Day”
Environmentally Incorrect: the Peripheral Canal
…as depicted by the late, great Paul Conrad: We as a state have forgotten — if we ever knew — the environmental facts about the peripheral canal through the San Joaquin-Sacramento delta, but we remember this: the l982 vote against its construction was an expression of a resentment against Southern California. That's what Paul ConradContinue reading “Environmentally Incorrect: the Peripheral Canal”
LA Times: out of the fire, into the Eisner frying pan?
The Los Angeles Times is in the middle of a bankruptcy proceeding that is opaque, to say the least, from the outside; it's shed literally hundreds of reporters and editors over the last few years, its circulation has plummeted…but despite all that, it's been on fire this summer. Its series on the public pensions inContinue reading “LA Times: out of the fire, into the Eisner frying pan?”
Kit Stolz 