PicoBlog

I have a document of Essential Fire-Carrier books and articles that I’ve been adding to and pruning for years. Last Sunday, I came across one that I immediately added. It is a lecture transcript that was put out as an article and it comes from the fantastic Rob K. Henderson speaking at the University of Richmond for their Masculinity in a Changing World speaker series. Few modern thinkers have added as much to the masculinity conversation.

The other day someone asked me how I plan travel itineraries that lead me to the kind of encounters I share in my new book Kokoro. It was hard to answer, because that isn’t really how it works. I tend to show up with a couple of things (but mostly spaciousness) in the diary and a ton of questions in my suitcase. I wander a lot, I take slow trains to small towns, I meet up with old friends and chat to strangers.

The idea of earth as a living and self-organizing system, where ecology and climate synergize as an organism, is an enticing one. Over the past century and a half, various pioneering researchers have been working on the story of how this could be so from a scientific perspective. This story is one of circulation. Sunlight is absorbed by plants, turns into chemical energy and circulates through the food web. Water circulates through the ecosystem and atmosphere.

Wanda Sykes released her newest stand-up comedy special Tuesday on Netflix, but at midday, you would’ve found her promoting a cause larger than her own. Sykes was one of many speakers at a three-hour rally for the Writers Guild of America, who’ve now entered the fourth strike week of work stoppages. Hosted by comedian and late-night writer Josh Gondelman… ncG1vNJzZmiomZuzorrYZ6qumqOprqS3jZympmegZMKvtc6nZKynnJ6xor7IrbBmr5%2BnuKq6xmarqJ%2BVqbWmvg%3D%3D

Geopolitics today is like an onion being peeled back that makes everybody cry. The recent revelations by no other than the New York Times (normally friendly to the current White House) are part of a tear-jerking tragedy that has evolved into the threat of a nuclear strike. President Putin has said that Russia’s nuclear capability is now “ready,” and his friend Viktor Medvedchuk says a nuclear strike is “most likely” coming.

NAPA VALLEY, Calif. — Shakespeare may have believed that a rose by any name would smell as sweet, but a well-considered plant name — or an ineptly chosen label — can significantly enhance or tarnish its subject forever. In the plant world, botanical nomenclature experts frequently name plants after their discoverers and rarely consider how those names might affect a plant’s future popularity. Saddled with a name that fails to glide off the tongue, Heuchera (pronounced HEW-ker-ah) is a family of plants that deserves better recognition for adaptability to our climate and soils, drought tolerance and, especially, the beauty of its leaves and fairy-lamp flowers.

Welcome to the latest edition of Unlikely Sources, a recurring feature where I invite creatives from different walks of public life who are not typically associated with their love of hardcore to choose and discuss three songs that have some personal meaning to them. This month, I’m speaking with Graham Elliot. As a chef and restauranteur, Graham has been awarded two Michelin stars and at least three James Beard Award nominations.

I’ve linked to work by organizational psychologist Adam Grant in several recent posts, like this one about director Christopher Nolan’s reading habits, or this one about why it matters what we post on social media after atrocities. I link to Adam’s work regularly because he is the rare combination of very prolific and very interesting. Plus, we have some significant areas of overlapping interest. For instance: how to get better at stuff; how to enjoy stuff; and how to enjoy getting better at stuff.

All the myriad permutations of beings, humaning. Missives from the dirt with a dash of poetry, a modicum of humour and a barefoot dance in the mud when required. Which is to say, whenever there is rain. By Gina Chick · Over 4,000 subscribersNo thanksncG1vNJzZmismJq%2Fpq3LoKCnmZOdtqS3jaysm6uklrCsesKopGg%3D