Some time around the middle of March, 2020, I found the above sign in a quick clip art search, printed it, and stuck it up with a piece of yellow masking tape on the door of my office at home before our first Zoom class. Or maybe my first Zoom lecture recording, I don’t remember …
Continue reading ‘The Pandemic and the Magic Masking Tape’ »
In a Zoom meeting with a colleague yesterday (running a university in the time of pandemic) I learned that dragons love tacos. This was unsurprising, though it was surprising to learn that dragons do not like hot, spicy salsa: Dragons Love Tacos
Walking after Christmas eve dinner, we came upon a rainbow of luminarias around the corner from our house. The luminaria is a tradition in the southwestern United States, a little paper sandwich bag with a bit of sand in the bottom to weigh it down and a candle to light the way for Christ’s spirit. …
My daughter noticed the new Starbucks Vonnegut cups: Really psyched about the Starbucks Vonnegut cups: "This is a picture of an asshole" pic.twitter.com/cKfwReOUFK — Norapinephrine (@NoraReed) November 2, 2014
If one wanted the Kansas portion of the Ogallala Aquifer to last forever, to be farmable sustainably in perpetuity, one would need to cut back current groundwater mining by 80 percent to bring withdrawals into line with natural recharge, according to a new study published last week in PNAS. That ain’t gonna happen. But even …
Lingering at my sister Lisa’s dining room table this evening after dinner, my eye drifted to this casserole on a shelf opposite. My memories of childhood are vague, and I often depend on Lisa for the sort of specifics I can’t quite grab hold of. But neither of us could remember the casserole’s story, other …
So what if we pump California’s Central Valley aquifers to empty? On The Public Record twiddles on the back of an envelope: Before this report, my rough feel was that about one million acres of irrigated lands in CA are supported by unsustainable groundwater withdrawals. If overdraft is 10 MAF/year in the Central Valley, it …
Continue reading ‘On the implications of pumping California dry’ »
The bemused Brits at the Economist paid Pat Mulroy a visit: The main reason why Lake Mead, currently only 40% full, has been getting emptier is a decade-long drought. Whether this is a cyclical and normal event, or an early sign of climate change, is unclear. But even if the drought ends, most scientists think …
Continue reading ‘Having to rip out your lawn is not the worst thing that can happen’ »
Global food prices are down 6 percent from one month ago, 34 percent from a year ago, according to the Economist’s food price index.
The global price of food is down 27 percent from a year ago, says the Economist. I’d link, but I’m typing this on my iPod.