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."
Changing societal norms leading to policy change, which leads to even faster-changing societal norms Portrait of an Extraordinary Musical Dog, Philip Reinagle, 1805 — Every now and then I'll read something in a book or an article in which the author at least seems to come to a conclusion
Recognizing that climate change and policing are a similar kind of problem, but also that really they are kind of the same problem Peonies, by Yun Shouping, via Wikimedia Commons -- There was one part in last week's issue that I didn't want to get too
Near enemies is a concept that I came across a few years back that I have found useful when thinking about climate change, but also just life in general. I can't even remember how I first heard the term, but it's actually a Buddhist idea that says for every desirable behavior or state of mind, there