Author Archives: floegel

Global Warming or Cold Turkey

9/7/2006 – 12:24 pm

In January’s State of the Union address, George Bush admitted America is addicted to oil. Little did we know how prophetically his words would play out in the months that followed. According to the Department of Energy, the average price of gas in the U.S. the week of Mr. Bush’s speech was $2.33 a gallon. […]

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It Ain’t Just Labor

8/31/2006 – 1:14 pm

Welcome to Labor Day, the holiday America forgot. We still take the three-day weekend; it’s considered the official end of summer and the traditional (ha!) beginning of election season, but we don’t take a moment and think about the working people of this country, the way we think of soldiers on Memorial Day or thank […]

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It’s All North America

8/24/2006 – 2:36 pm

Today’s New York Times has a story about the ongoing, sporadically violent standoff in the city of Oaxaca, Mexico between citizens and the state government. Oaxaca (pronounced wa-HA-ca), capital of the state of the same name, is in southern Mexico. I spent 10 days there last winter, visiting Adrienne, who was there for two months. […]

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August is a Tortured Month

8/17/2006 – 2:46 pm

Mid-August in Vermont is as close to heaven as we’re permitted while alive. The July heat wave has passed. Cicadas drone through the sunny days, crickets sing in the cool evenings. Goldenrod blooms by the roadside, warning that this ripeness will not last. On Wednesday afternoon, I could hear a chorus of children singing “I’ve […]

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Biggest Polluter

8/10/2006 – 9:57 am

Sunday’s local newspaper reported that gasoline sales in Vermont were 13 percent below prediction in February of this year and almost 15 percent low for May. I have no theories on the May swoon, aside from the toll continued high prices are having on us all, but I’m reasonably sure the February dip was due […]

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A Higher Standard

8/3/2006 – 11:42 am

Last week’s commentary sparked a number of discussions with readers. For me, that’s one of the best things about this exercise. (You can, btw, use the comment function on the web page and include more people in the conversation.) Those discussions were gratifying, because it’s difficult to write about the Israeli-Arab dispute. Each side seems […]

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Being Wronged is Not Enough

7/27/2006 – 9:38 am

Phyllis Diller says that even into her late 30s, she didn’t understand the significance of a solitary, upturned middle finger. “On the other hand,” she said, “at the time I didn’t know how to drive.” There are moments in all of our lives as drivers when a jerk cuts us off in traffic or runs […]

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