DEEPER INTO FIRE and WATER
ELIXIR: A History of Water and Humankind
by Brian Fagan; Bloomsbury. Our historical relationship with water, from sacred gift to exploited resource, and our renewed reverence for it.
FIRE SEASON: Field Notes from a Wilderness Lookout
by Philip Connors; HarperCollins. For almost a decade, former Wall Street Journal reporter Connors has spent half a year keeping vigil over 20,000 square miles of desert, forest, and mountain chains from atop a tower 10,000 feet above sea level. One of a handful of seasoned, seasonal fire-watchers in New Mexico’s Gila National Forest, Connors introduces us to his wilderness in this ruminative, lyrical, occasionally suspenseful account.
THE RIPPLE EFFECT: The Fate of Freshwater in the Twenty-First Century
By Alex Prud’homme; Scribner. As the climate warms and world population grows, demand for water has surged, but supplies of freshwater are static or dropping, and new threats to water quality appear every day. An inquiry into the fate of freshwater in the twenty-first century.
THE WAVE: In pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks, and Giants of the Ocean
by Susan Casey; Anchor Books. The Author traveled the globe searching for big waves, the scientists who study them and the surfers who ride them.
FIRE
by Sebastian Junger; W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.. The events explored in Fire focus on “people confronting situations that could easily destroy them,” and as he demonstrated in The Perfect Storm, Sebastian Junger is skilled at breaking such situations down to their core elements.
WEATHER REPORT: Art and Climate Change
Essays by Lucy R. Lippard, Stephanie Smith, and Andrew C. Revkin; Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art.
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The Element of Water
Discusses the appearance of water, physical water, spiritual water, symbols, and religious meanings of water. Water, together with Wind, Earth, and Fire is one of the four known basic Elements, which represent the substance of the world. Water in its physical form is needed for survival amongst the species. | View Website
The Element of Fire
Discusses the appearance of physical fire, spiritual fire, symbols, religious meanings of fire and myth/lore. Fire, together with Wind, Earch and Water is one of the four known basic Elements, which represent the substance of the world. Fire provides light, warmth and can serve as a heat source to cook upon. It is a dangerous element but can give wings of courage or signs of compassion. It is seen as a force burning inside us giving us the power to work towards our goals. | View Website
Scientists Find Signs Water Is Flowing on Mars
The possible presence of liquid water is certain to revive speculation that Mars is teeming with microbial organisms. The recipe for life, at least as we know it, calls for liquid water, carbon-based molecules and a source for energy. | View Website
Volcano Man
Award-winning poet Craig Arnold, who went missing in Japan in late April, is presumed to have died after a fall, his employer, the University of Wyoming, announced Friday. The university had established a fund to try to find Arnold after Japanese authorities ended their search. | Facebook | LA Times
Toxic Waters
Charles Duhigg’s New York Times series about the worsening pollution in American waters and regulators’ response. | View Website
Doctor Atomic
Doctor Atomic is an opera by the contemporary American composer John Adams, with libretto by Peter Sellars. It premiered at the San Francisco Opera on October 1, 2005. The work focuses on the great stress and anxiety experienced by those at Los Alamos while the test of the first atomic bomb (the “Trinity” test) was being prepared. A documentary was made about the creation of the opera, titled Wonders Are Many (2007). | View Website