Yearly Archives: 1998

What’s Happening to Us?

12/17/1998 – 12:04 pm

Eleven months ago, I pre-empted a planned commentary to talk about the president’s sexual indiscretions. I wasn’t happy about that, but no one seemed able to focus on anything else that week. Since then, I’ve tried to speak about issues that really matter as the opportunities and the days of our lives slip away while […]

By floegel | Posted in Commentary | Comments (0)

The Golden Rule

12/10/1998 – 2:49 pm

Several months ago, I told you about controversy over school funding here in Vermont. A state law, Act 60, decreed that every student deserves an equal education and began dividing school taxes on a statewide, rather than townwide, basis. In the geography of Vermont, a few hilltops of faux-urban prosperity look down on broad valleys […]

By floegel | Posted in Commentary | Comments (0)

A Contradiction in Bumper Stickers

12/3/1998 – 2:47 pm

I was driving down the street in Burlington last week when I noticed two bumper stickers on the Toyota station wagon in front of me. One said “Free Tibet,” the other said “Girls Kick Ass.” This was a problem. The bumper stickers created a philosophical tension my mind could not ease. There seemed, to me, […]

By floegel | Posted in Commentary | Comments (0)

From the Mouths of Babes

11/26/1998 – 2:45 pm

Happy Thanksgiving. Welcome to the holiday season, which officially began last night with Thanksgiving eve festivities. Thanksgiving is a holiday for children, a day to think about what we put in our mouths and a day when many of us begin to think about that other holiday, which is now less than a month away.

By floegel | Posted in Commentary | Comments (0)

Occupational Hazards

11/19/1998 – 2:43 pm

We moved to a new apartment recently, and in the process of signing a lease, we provided our new landlord with references. I heard back later that the landlord said, “Mark claims to be a writer – but that just means he doesn’t have a real job, right?” It is an occupational hazard for writers […]

By floegel | Posted in Commentary | Comments (0)

Altered Harvest

11/12/1998 – 2:42 pm

The vegetables stopped coming last week. This year Adrienne and I bought a farm subscription and for a scandalously low price we received a half-bushel of organic vegetables, starting in late spring, running through summer and into autumn. It’s a good deal for us, but hard work for the farmers. The words “organic farm” hold […]

By floegel | Posted in Commentary | Comments (0)

But it’s a lot to me…

11/5/1998 – 2:40 pm

It was cold and rainy Monday. October was gone, November was here, time for winter in the north country. The furnace was broken, but a repairman from the gas company came out early and as the apartment is small, by 10:30 it was warming up nicely. I went downtown around noon; the Democrats were holding […]

By floegel | Posted in Commentary | Comments (0)