Pragmatism takes no chances and always protects the status of the pragmatist -- There is this line in the 2017 article in New York Magazine that would become David Wallace-Wells' The Uninhabitable Earth, in which he's listing off the many reasons humanity has been in denial about
Living with the knowledge that things are going to get much worse in your lifetime This one's a little dark so enjoy this nice picture of a rabbit. To be exact, a Young Hare, by Albrecht Dürer, 1502 -- One of the takeaways from the IPCC's
The air conditioning dilemma hammers home the almost-comical limits of individual action to solve this global problem Oceanic birds of South America. v.1. c1936. -- One thing that is getting difficult that I didn't anticipate but probably should have when writing a newsletter about how people live
The desert in the summer is above all an environment of extremes Thistle cholla cactus at Saguaro National Park. Photo by me. -- Spending time in Arizona during the summer is a good reminder that weather can kill you. Jamie and I recently returned from a two-week stay in Phoenix
A list of 15 things you can do about climate change, ranging from easy to illegal Dodo in a Landscape with Animals, c. 1629, Roelant Savery -- In last issue's link extravaganza, one of the more popular articles was a post by Emily Atkin, from her awesome climate
Enjoy this extensive list of articles that are mostly pretty depressing to be honest Anton Zwengauer, Landscape with Deer at Sunset, 1847 -- Hey everyone this has been a packed week and I have no good words left so we're doing a links only roundup issue today. My
‘You could be in trouble if you get caught in the wrong place at the wrong time' The Birds of California, 1923. -- For 22 years or so I lived in Arizona, where the summers sear into you the childhood memories of chlorine-stained hair, blistered skin, scorched feet, drinking
For a while we all get a good look at what exactly we are reaping and none of us can easily turn away Sand Dunes at Sunset, Atlantic City, Henry Ossawa Tanner, c. 1885 -- When the infamous "hothouse Earth" study came out a couple years ago, painting
Because what's a superhero story without a sequel Tiger in a Tropical Storm, Henri Rousseau, 1891 -- A few weeks ago I talked about the perils of America's fixation with fictional and real-life superheroes, this class of people who stand above the rest, acting with impunity
Maybe the best thing about MacKenzie Scott's philanthropy is that she is making other billionaires look terrible. Ferns in a Forest, Isaac Levitan, 1895, oil on canvass I wasn't planning to write about MacKenzie Scott's philanthropy for the newsletter, because it is all anyone
What gets built has little to do with the interests of the community and everything to do with what builds more wealth -- The sun is shining, the masks are off, and the sounds of gentrification are ringing in the air. In any given direction from where I am sitting
"I understand the appeal of superhero stories, but I think they are problematic on a couple of levels. One is that they are fundamentally anti-egalitarian because they are always about this class of people who stand above everyone else."