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Recent Posts
- On Maggie Gylenhaal’s “The Bride”: Bonnie & Clyde in Stitches
- On George Saunders’ New Novel “Vigil”: Jumping the Shark Across the Heavens
- On HBO’s New Series “DTF St. Louis”: Charm & Glory of the Mundane
- On “Dr. Strangelove” 62 Years Later: General Jack Ripper in Charge Now
- On Tom Waits in “Father Mother Sister Brother”: Grifter Like Me
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Author Archives: williamjcobb
Lewis & Clark's Lolo Pass Campsite, 207 years later
So I’m traveling in Montana just now, and visited Lolo Pass and the Glade Creek campsite of the Lewis & Clark “Corps of Discovery” almost exactly 207 years after they were there (they passed through on September 13th, 1805, and … Continue reading
Posted in Climate Change, The West, Weird Weather
Tagged Climate Change, The West, Wildfires
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On Bogus Book Reviews, Facebook Hoopla, & Why Book Reviews Even Matter
So I read with some amusement and (tempered, jaded) dismay a good piece in the NY Times about bogus, “bought” online book reviews, here. I didn’t know about any of this, exactly, but I’m not too surprised. The ‘net is … Continue reading
Posted in books, The West, Uncategorized
Tagged Book Reviewing, Cormac McCarthy, The West
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Review of David McGlynn's "A Door in the Ocean"
So my review of David McGlynn’s just-published memoir, A Door in the Ocean, appears today in the Dallas Morning News, here. It’s a good book, and gives an interesting insider’s viewpoint of competitive swimming, how grueling and isolating it can … Continue reading
Posted in Birding, books, Photography, The West, writing
Tagged Birding, Good Fiction, The West, Wildlife photos
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Teenage Mutant Cannibal ATV Riders & The Coming Megadrought in the West
So last weekend I was camping in the Medicine Bow Wilderness Area of southern Wyoming, loving it, my family all alone in a beautiful campground, when the sound of loud motors, screams, dogs barking, and shouting wafted through the forest … Continue reading
Posted in books, Climate Change, The West, Uncategorized
Tagged Climate Change, Drought
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On Frozen Penises and Rivers Coated With Pelican Feathers: Reading Stephen Ambrose's "Undaunted Courage," About the Lewis & Clark trip of 1804-6
So I’m heading up to Montana/Wyoming in a month, to Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks, and to get warmed up for it, I’m reading Stephen Ambrose’s Undaunted Courage (1996), which is in some ways a retelling of the Lewis & … Continue reading
Posted in Birding, books, Climate Change, Photography, The West, Water Crisis
Tagged Birding, Climate Change, The West
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Good Review of "The Bird Saviors" in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Cormac McCarthy News
So there’s a good review of The Bird Saviors in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (or “SeattlePI”), here. I’m not thrilled with the word “meandering,” but then again, the reviewer gives much praise, so I’ll set aside my quibble. Here’s a pic … Continue reading
The Smell of Drought and Feckless Politicians
So in this hot-as-hell summer it’s hard to keep up with all the bad news on the Climate Change front, and I can barely bring myself to read ThinkProgress.org lately, good as it is, because the news is just a … Continue reading
Richard Muller's "Conversion of a Climate Change Skeptic" in the NY Times, Simon Winchester's "Atlantic," Plus One Glorious Bird
So it’s heartening to see that a climate change skeptic has changed his tune, and makes his case for human-induced climate change in today’s NY Times, here. I was hanging out with my two teenage nieces this week, and made … Continue reading
Posted in Birding, books, Climate Change, The West
Tagged Birding, Climate Change, Simon Winchester
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The Raptors of Custer County
So living in a high-desert mountain valley, I see a ton of raptors on the telephone poles and fence posts as I drive to and from town. Most of the time they’re easily identified (or guessed) as Red-Tailed Hawks, since … Continue reading
"Dust-Bowlification" and Climate Change in the NY Times
So Paul Krugman has a good piece in today’s NY Times, here. ThinkProgress.org has blasted the Times for its recent blather about climate change, so it’s nice to see at least Krugman seems to get it. I like his ending … Continue reading