This week I finished: The Social Life of Forests, by Ferris Jabr, about Suzanne Simard: This six-thousand-word New York Times article asks: “Trees appear to communicate and cooperate through subterranean networks of fungi. What are they sharing with one another?” and profiles a scientist at the forefront of studying forests. I came to it following up reading The Overstory, since one of its characters is based on Simard. Here’s an[…] Keep reading →

This week I finished: Take the Lead, by Sasha DiGiulian: The author is one of the premier climbers today. The book describes her journey from childhood to winning too many competitions to count and being the first to climb many faces around the world, along with the fame that comes with it. My nephew loves climbing and she went to college where I did (Columbia), so when her team sent[…] Keep reading →

This week I read and watched: The Overstory, by Richard Powers: People recommended this long novel for a while, saying I’d like it for being about nature. I didn’t find it boring, but didn’t get it either for the most part. I found the language distracting. I prefer the grammar and syntax not to call attention to itself, away from the meaning. I don’t find ecoterrorism appealing. The author did[…] Keep reading →

What would Jesus do? Would he kill trees in a Pagan tradition for a few days and then put them in the garbage, like this? It’s January 2 and my neighborhood is swimming in dead trees people used for a couple weeks. I know people are just starting to throw away their Christmas Pagan trees, so I’ll post these few now and update with more. Why? So you can remember[…] Keep reading →

This week I finished: Drug Dealer, MD, by Anna Lembke: She wrote this book before Dopamine Nation, which I finished last week. You know someone likes a book when after finishing it he reads the author’s previous book the next week. Drug Dealer, MD wasn’t as personal as Dopamine Nation, but described the growth of addiction well. She described the systemic forces driving doctors, insurance companies, government, medical associations, patients,[…] Keep reading →

Today is my second winter solstice relying on solar for my electrical power. Tomorrow I’ll have more daylight than today, not counting clouds. Last year I couldn’t believe I was making it as long as I was and was going to NYU several times a week to power my phone and computer. I didn’t notice, but last week began my sixth month since my last electric bill. This year, courtesy[…] Keep reading →

This week I listened to: The Ministry for the Future, by Kim Stanley Robinson: People have been suggesting I read this book for a while. It’s not exactly a novel. Robinson uses the book to teach about monetary theory and possible climate outcomes. I can see why people suggest it to me. He has thought through where humanity could go in more detail and more comprehensively than most people. I[…] Keep reading →

I finished this week: Bonhoeffer (2003), Directed by Martin Doblmeier: Wow, I knew of him before, and 90 minutes can only cover so much, but this documentary showed the challenge of living by your values in a corrupt system. While safe in the U.S. during the war, he chose to return to Germany to continue acting. He struggled with his conscience. He led others. The documentary also shows some of[…] Keep reading →

This week I watched and read: Elinor Ostrom videos: Ostrom won the Economics Prize that isn’t really a Nobel Prize, but has the Nobel name attached to it. It’s still prestigious. Her research showed how the situation described as “The Tragedy of the Commons” doesn’t result in the problems people think. It does create some incentives to overgraze and pollute, but it doesn’t stop there. Communities have found ways to[…] Keep reading →