There are a number of people who will tell you they never watch tee vee, then go on to qualify what they mean by “never.” I’m one of those people. I never watch tee vee, but the World Series is on this week. Last week it was the league championships. Because I live on the […]
I’m calling you this week from the city jail in New London, Connecticut, where I’m currently under arrest. This is my one phone call. I’m here because of a crime that’s being committed in British Columbia, a continent away. Does that sound confusing? Bear with me. Across the globe, we have less than 22 percent […]
I’ve traveled extensively in America. I’ve driven across country four times and visited every state except Hawaii. I’m always amazed that all of this – the different landscapes and temperatures, the different attitudes and accents, are all part of one nation. I’ve traveled overseas, but I really enjoy seeing America first, like the billboards used […]
As if I don’t already have enough to do, I lost control of my senses a while back and agreed to help put together a conference on nature and environmental writing. When organizing a conference, the easy part is lining up the tangible goods: rooms, chairs, lecterns, food. Or so I thought. As it happens, […]
In Louisiana, between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, both sides of the Mississippi River are lined with factories. Oil refineries, chlor-alkali production facilities, plants producing plastics and polyolefins. The Chamber of Commerce types are proud of the concentration of industry; they call the area the “Chemical Corridor.” If you stop in a diner down there, […]
Vermont held its primary elections last week, and the contest for the Republican nomination for senator was a curious one. The campaign pitted a Republican who is not from Vermont against a Vermonter who is not a Republican. The first, Jack McMullen of Massachusetts, is a millionaire businessman with no experience in politics. He’s owned […]
Not Necessarily Doing Anything
It’s late autumn in the north country. The leaves are off the trees and the tourists they attract have gone home. The woods are quiet; songbirds have headed south, geese and ducks are passing through as they do the same. Nights are cold, mornings are frosty and afternoons gloriously warm with the heat inversions of […]