“That good anchorite, who boasted of having been as far as the end of the world, said likewise, that he had been obliged to stoop low, on account of the joining of the sky and earth in that distant region.” — Francois de la Mothe Le Vayer, 1662 The lovely engraving of a pilgrim — […]
Life + Outdoors
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Options for My New Email Auto Reply Message
Thanks for messaging me. I will endeavor to respond to you in a timely manner but, due to the sheer volume of emails arriving in my inbox with each passing moment, I will fail. Sweet Jesus, there’s another dozen. Cheers. Thank you for contacting me. And kudos in advance for your heroic patience in awaiting […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Aspirin: The World’s Most Popular Drug
About 2,400 years ago, Hippocrates, the so-called Father of Medicine, wrote about the curative and pain-killing properties of willow leaves. In particular, he recommended willow leaf tea to relieve the pain of women in childbirth. He was following a long tradition: Ancient Sumerian tablets had recommended willow leaves to treat rheumatoid arthritis, while the Egyptian […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Birding Above the Fog in Kneeland
Have you ever wanted to just get away from it all? Like, recently? Maybe you made the mistake of catching a few minutes of national news and now your go-to birds — the raucous Whimbrels and wheeling Caspian Terns off the Hikshari’ Trail in Eureka and the cheery Common Yellowthroats at the Arcata Marsh — […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Plant a Cabbage, Welcome the Amphibians
In our last article (“Gardening Undercover,” March 13), we suggested ways to protect your vegetable garden from slugs, snails and other pests by using physical shelters. There are other great ways to control pests, like inviting amphibians into your garden. After all, frogs and their kin live and hunt on the ground where most pests […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Department of Forest Efficiency
Thank you all for tromping out into the woods for this press conference. Let’s get started so we can all return to the safety of fluorescent lighting as soon as possible. As you know, this administration is very concerned with the environment, particularly our forests. And together with the Department of Government Efficiency, headed up […]
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Milankovitch Cycles and Climate Deniers
Talk to a climate denier — someone who believes global warming has purely natural causes — and chances are you’ll soon hear the phrase “Milankovitch cycles.” These, not humans, are responsible for climate change, they’ll say. Actually, this is what your regular climate denier will claim. In the extreme version, some of these benighted souls deny […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Purple Jellies of Doom
Hi there. I’m a stranger from the future here to beg you to stop reading these Washed Up stories. The asshole who writes them made a vast fortune by bilking his readers. Then he became another one of those tedious billionaires who buy their way into political power and do a bunch of stupid stuff. […]