Stream of Reading (Prepare to be Forwarded) – An Archive of What I'm Reading
Story highlights Ciudad Acuña, Mexico, is struck by a tornado At least 13 deaths have been reported It is the same storm system causing floods in Texas At least 13 people were killed, including three children, Acuña Mayor Evaristo Lenin Perez said. Another 200 were injured. Photos from the scene, which sits right across the…
The ubiquitous — and endangered — food may soon be a luxury item. Will the California drought signal the end of affordable guacamole for all? Photo: Bobby Doherty Do you love avocados? I mean, really love them? Because as much as you might think you love avocados — and maybe you are one of the…
In the midst of a historic drought, Californians have no way of knowing who’s guzzling the most water. That’s not an accident. It’s by design, thanks to an obscure 1997 measure that weakened one of the state’s chief open government laws, the California Public Records Act. For the source of this legislation, look no further…
Atlantic Puffins. Photo: Stephan Rech/Westend61/GmbH/AlamyHere are a couple of warnings I offer, free of charge, to savvy consumers of glossy-magazine think pieces: 1) Beware rhetorical questions in headlines or subheads (e.g., “Has climate change made it harder for environmentalists to care about conservation?”) [1]; and 2) Beware paraphrased quotes in which the writer doing the paraphrasing…
We have seen the real cause of the California drought, and it’s one crunchy inch tall. One gallon of water to grow a single nut? BAN THEM ALL, writes everyone. But almond outrage is misplaced. We shouldn’t stop eating any fruit or vegetable due to how much water it takes to grow it. Especially when…
1. By now, you know that California has been in a horrible drought for years. Justin Sullivan / Getty 2. I’m not exaggerating when I say the deadliest and most morally sinister cause of our water shortage is ALMONDS. 3. California is the only state that produces almonds commercially, according to the Agricultural Marketing Resource…
Photo Houseboats are dwarfed by the steep banks of Lake Don Pedro in La Grange, Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown ordered mandatory water restrictions on Wednesday to deal with the drought. Credit Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Video close media-action-overlay California’s Extreme Drought, Explained The state is experiencing the worst drought in its history. Find out just how…
Claims that climate science is a hoax, that human action is not a factor: these are not just positions in a normal debate. They are ways of saying — saying to the press — hey, the evidence doesn’t matter. In October of last year, the New York Times ran an in-house interview with its own…
The Miami coastline: there are fears that even a 30cm rise in the sea level could be catastrophic. Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty A drive through the sticky Florida heat into Alton Road in Miami Beach can be an unexpectedly awkward business. Most of the boulevard, which runs north through the heart of the resort’s most opulent…