Author Archives: floegel

All the Fuss

5/4/2000 – 4:35 pm

The Vermont legislature gave final approval to same-sex civil unions last week and Governor Howard Dean quickly signed the bill into law. I’m sure you’ve heard. It takes effect July first, income and insurance benefits kick in at the first of the year. Two non-related people, 18 or older, may enter civil union by getting […]

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Travel Documents

4/27/2000 – 4:38 pm

I have a pile of passports on my desk. They come in various sizes and colors, with emblems and code numbers embossed on their covers. They share the pile with bookmarks, bumper stickers I refuse to put on my car and baseball schedules from years gone by. I usually ignore this particular pile and if […]

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Far From Over

4/20/2000 – 4:39 pm

The protesters marching in the streets of Washington last weekend did a good job calling attention to the World Bank, but the bank itself remains mysterious to many, so I thought I’d spend a few minutes talking about how all this international high finance works. This description will be, by necessity, very simple, so I […]

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Diplomatic Schizophrenia

4/13/2000 – 4:41 pm

What does it mean to go to war? My dictionary says war is “open armed conflict between countries.” What does that mean? We shoot at them; they shoot at us? When was the last time one of their shots hit us? A few weeks ago, at a human rights conference, the writer Michael Ignatieff said […]

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No Law Abridging

4/6/2000 – 4:42 pm

Years ago, when as a young journalist, I engaged my editors in the daily argument of “what is news?” I suffered a long string of defeats. The last word from editorial Olympus was often, “Freedom of the press belongs to those who own one.” That may be a hardhearted interpretation of the First Amendment, but […]

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Patent Nonsense

3/30/2000 – 4:44 pm

My friend Brian is an inventor. Not one of those crackpots you see on late night cable tee vee, but an industrial designer. He and his colleagues design tools for a particular industry. But Brian has an engaging mind and he saw an opportunity to design a better version of a product used every day. […]

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University, Inc.

3/23/2000 – 4:48 pm

It’s spring in Burlington and the last traces of snow are receding to the north side of buildings and shrubs. The breeze carries the aroma of wet earth and renewal. The University of Vermont is on spring break and the town is pleasantly empty. The students at Groovy UV may be the only college students […]

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