Climate Culture
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Umbra on burning yard waste
Dear Umbra, Your recent column seemed to be discussing mostly the burning of trash. What about yard waste? Each year I pull out tons of non-native and invasive honeysuckle. There is far too much to take to a landfill, and it would take years to rot down if left in some kind of compost pile. […]
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This Just (W)in
Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth nominated for best-documentary Oscar Sure, Dreamgirls may be getting all the pre-Oscar press, but a little flick we like to call Dreamy Al has picked up two nominations of its own. There’s the Best Documentary Feature nod for An Inconvenient Truth, not all that surprising, and then there’s … Best […]
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From Globes to Graffiti
Global swarming The first-ever “green” Golden Globes awards bash was held Monday in an eco-space filled with foliage, reclaimed-wood tables, and organic foodstuffs. Among the attendees were Amy Smart, Daryl Hannah, Green Pink, and Napoleon Dynamite, who caught a delicious Lance Bass. Photo: John Shearer / WireImage.com Dress reversal We were going to attend the […]
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And other adventures in touching celebrities
I thought my closest brush with fame this week would be nearly taking out James Redford with a boom mic last night. But then I accidentally touched him inappropriately, and later, cornered his father. Son Redford presented Everything’s Cool at the special pre-screening last night, giving a glowing account of the film and announcing the […]
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Umbra on which wood to burn
Dear Umbra, I live in Maine, land of many loggers. My home is heated by an oil furnace, and I try to keep the temps down with thermostat timers to use as little oil as possible. I supplement my heat with a wood stove, as many Mainers do, and in my travels I have noticed […]
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Best movie of the year, hands down
I saw Children of Men the other night, and I can’t stop thinking about it. It’s easily my favorite movie of the past year. The basic plot is: a numb and disillusioned ex-activist lives in London, 18 years after a sudden, unexplained worldwide epidemic of infertility. There are no children. The rest of the world […]
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From Blue to Blackbird
H to the WTF Dear Jay-Z, Why you frontin’? We were big pimpin’ your efforts to raise awareness about the world’s water crisis. But we’re not crazy in love with your latest venture. A “Jay-Z Blue” gas-guzzler? Seriously? Excuse me, mister, but we thought your color was green. Photo: John Shearer / WireImage.com The pen […]
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Times reports on vegan fashion
The Times reports on cruelty-free fashion today. Not that any of us can afford this stuff. But still. Just saying. It’s there. And we’re glad of it. But could this bring eco-fashion to the fashion-conscious masses? And could it signal the end of Summer Rayne Oakes’ unchallenged hegemony in the sphere of eco-fashion?
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Frosty the No Man
Washington school board puts a moratorium on An Inconvenient Truth First sex, now science? What will they tell the kids about next? The parents of a high-schooler in Federal Way, Wash., have complained to the district’s school board about a teacher’s plan to screen Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, and the board has put a […]
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Umbra on that time of the month, again
Dear Umbra, You mentioned in “Kid Commando” that the “disposable vs. reusable diaper fight is in a stalemate for the foreseeable future.” Is the same true for sanitary napkins? Clara Yuan Ithaca, N.Y. Dearest Clara, I haven’t heard tell of the debate, frankly. I certainly get several “which is better” diaper questions a month, but […]
