Who, exactly, is the president of the United States? The occupant of the Oval Office’s first name is George, his last name is Bush, and his middle initial - at least one of them - is W. But is this the presidency of George W. Bush, the son or George H.W. Bush, the [...]
“The Catholics hate the Protestants, the Protestants hate the Muslims, the Muslims hate the Hindus and everybody hates the Jews.” Those aren’t my words, they’re Tom Lehrer’s, written many years ago and meant as satire. Like all good satire, there is truth at their core and some three decades later, the barb is [...]
Tuesday was town meeting day in Vermont. The first Tuesday of March is set aside for direct democracy. Citizens gather to conduct the town’s annual business, vote on school budgets and choose members for a selectboard which deals with mundane matters arising between now and the next town meeting. Issues decided at [...]
In the past few weeks, the science sections of newspapers and magazines have been full of stories about the recently-sequenced map of the human genome. Most opened with a tone of theotechnic awe. Science writers, unlike sportswriters, don’t often get the opportunity to announce a new epoch in human history. We haven’t [...]
Green, As in Greenback
Over a week has passed since the vernal equinox, daylight savings time begins on Sunday, there’s still three feet of snow in my front yard, March madness will not end until April second and if your phone is ringing, don’t answer it.
Chances are, the person at the other end of the ringing phone is a [...]