Subject: Ya gotta laugh (plus: meet Grist in NYC this weekend!)
From: Chip Giller <[email-masked]>
To: John <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 14 Nov 2014 16:04:05 -0500

Dear John,

We interrupt the planet hurtling toward its inevitable destruction to bring you a few tiny glimmers of good news. The U.S. and China, as you’ve probably heard, announced an historic agreement to cut carbon that is, in the words of Grist’s Ben Adler, “a game changer <http://link.grist.org/525c85edc16bcfa46f7788ad1zklt.gb/VGOdW0mO8Okcmre7Ce924>.” (Ben also explains why some Republicans are losing their minds <http://link.grist.org/525c85edc16bcfa46f7788ad1zklt.gb/VGTwQ0mOMpXfG55mC3cda> over the deal.) And though that agreement is only a starting point, one look at the growing movement on the ground -- seen in the faces of the climate marchers <http://link.grist.org/525c85edc16bcfa46f7788ad1zklt.gb/VCBRgkmOI0t6D93JCeabb> in New York this fall -- suggests the pressure for real change is increasing.

Hey, I said they were glimmers.

The dearth of good news doesn’t mean we should keen and wail and tear our hemp shirts. In fact, Grist’s entire existence is built on the idea of laughing in the face of impossibly tough odds -- we are your “beacon in the smog” after all -- and then rising up to do something about the mess we’re in. I truly believe in that prescription for survival. If we can’t laugh, what can we do?

This month, we’re bringing that mantra to the live stage, hosting a Grist comedy night on November 16 in Brooklyn, N.Y. <http://link.grist.org/525c85edc16bcfa46f7788ad1zklt.gb/VGIjdcPoK9UG1KzFC7b47> Featuring our board member and all-around funny guy Eugene Mirman, the night will also showcase comedians Todd Barry, Mike Birbiglia, Maeve Higgins, and Brooks Whelan. I hope you’ll join us if you can -- it should be a great event, and a perfect way to release all that post-election tension. (Email Patrick Schmitt at [email-masked] if you’d like to attend, and we’ll hook you up ASAP.)

If you can’t meet us in person, allow me to suggest a Top Five of recent Grist pieces that approach the issues in an unexpected, irreverent way: 

1. As part of an exploration of sustainability and reproduction, one of our journalism fellows, Eve Andrews, watches and analyzes a video of several vasectomies <http://link.grist.org/525c85edc16bcfa46f7788ad1zklt.gb/VGD4RkmOVU-ItSobCe076> -- over breakfast

2. We feature an elevator pitch about a cap-and-dividend system <http://link.grist.org/525c85edc16bcfa46f7788ad1zklt.gb/VGFbUEmOMpXfG4RXC9d12> -- in an actual elevator

3. Several staffers brave that most daunting of assignments -- seeing a movie -- then engage in a lively roundtable about the science of Interstellar <http://link.grist.org/525c85edc16bcfa46f7788ad1zklt.gb/VGD4RkmOVU-ItSoYC8dfc>

4. Deep thinker David Roberts explains postmodern conservatism in 36 tweets <http://link.grist.org/525c85edc16bcfa46f7788ad1zklt.gb/VGKd4cPobtPxqClGC6943> (and earns retweets from Mark Ruffalo and Joss Whedon, among others)

5. Beloved advice columnist Umbra Fisk tackles the meaty question of whether a vegan can ever truly love a carnivore <http://link.grist.org/525c85edc16bcfa46f7788ad1zklt.gb/VGTwQ0mOMpXfG55oC0898>.

We’re not forsaking the tough assignments -- in another one of my favorite recent pieces, writer Brentin Mock digs into the true story behind why a coalition of black politicians is pushing against renewable energy <http://link.grist.org/525c85edc16bcfa46f7788ad1zklt.gb/VEFFDUmOEXlwTGH-C6b4c>. But we think our readers (and writers) deserve to lighten their existential loads once in a while. If a spoonful of agave makes the medicine go down, we’re happy to serve it up.

Thanks for your support,

Chip

Chip Giller
Founder and CEO, Grist <http://link.grist.org/525c85edc16bcfa46f7788ad1zklt.gb/UktQaOYQ1eYSXqaaC1a68>
@cgiller <http://link.grist.org/525c85edc16bcfa46f7788ad1zklt.gb/VGZIwUmOoYLjnTLQCdaa0>

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