Yearly Archives: 1997

The Art of the Plausible

11/6/1997 – 11:05 am

Tuesday was election day, an off-year election. I didn’t vote this year, not as a protest, but only as an expression of my rootless circumstance. In lieu of voting, I’d like to take a few moments to meditate on the state of American politics in 1997. The phrase that keeps rolling through my mind is, […]

By floegel | Posted in Commentary | Comments (0)

Trick or Treat

10/30/1997 – 11:03 am

Tomorrow is Halloween, which has become a fairly harmless holiday, unless you’re one of those people who think Halloween is an unholy alliance between Satan worshippers and Hallmark cards. After all witches, goblins and the occasional headless horseman are nothing to get upset over compared to say, the conniption fits Wall Street has been through […]

By floegel | Posted in Commentary | Comments (0)

The Fall Classic

10/23/1997 – 11:02 am

Did you see the last game of the American League Championship Series last week? In the bottom of the 11th inning, with a runner on first and two out, Roberto Alomar of the Orioles is standing in the batter’s box facing a full count. Cleveland Indian pitcher Jose Mesa throws a pitch that is way […]

By floegel | Posted in Commentary | Comments (0)

Mariachi to the Rescue

10/16/1997 – 11:01 am

I’m speaking this week from Mount Pleasant, a neighborhood in Washington, DC where life is often not as pleasant as the name implies. Mount Pleasant is home to a number of immigrants from Central America who are clinging to the bottom rung of the socio-economic ladder in the nation’s capital. Families try to keep the […]

By floegel | Posted in Commentary | Comments (0)

It Takes an Ecosystem to Raise a Fish

10/9/1997 – 11:00 am

I’m speaking to you this week from the shores of the Gulf of California. Being here is one of the few graces of unemployment. The water of the gulf is a deep blue-green. Shrimp boats from Puerto Penasco trawl along the horizon. Closer to shore, pelicans glide and dive, working the surf. Given the setting, […]

By floegel | Posted in Commentary | Comments (0)

Shooting My Mouth Off

10/2/1997 – 10:58 am

The newspapers reported, a few weeks ago, that a cross-section of Americans was given a quiz about the Constitution and of course, we failed miserably. On one particular point of ignorance, only six percent of those polled could name the four freedoms guaranteed in the Constitution. I’ll give you a second if you want to […]

By floegel | Posted in Commentary | Comments (0)

The Job is Over, the Work Goes On

9/25/1997 – 10:56 am

This is the last week I’ll be greeting you as “Mark Floegel of Greenpeace.” By this time next week, I will no longer be working for Greenpeace. I’m sure many of you have heard the news reports of Greenpeace’s recent financial woes and our subsequent downsizing. I’m part of that downsizing. Much has been made […]

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