Category Archives: Asides

Iowa Predictions

This ain’t kid stuff. If I’m going to put one of these things up on the web, I should have the courage to make some predictions. If I’m wrong, I’ll take my lumps; if I’m right, I’ll try not to gloat. On the Democratic side, my prediction is: Hillary Clinton comes out of Iowa weaker […]

2007 By the Numbers

Not all the numbers, but some significant ones. As we ring out the year, the price of gas averages $2.98 per gallon in the US, up 64 cents from a year ago. The price of oil is $96.93 per barrel, up from $55.95 at the end of 2006. Gold is selling for $840 an ounce, […]

The Cold Grows Weaker

“As the days grow longer, the cold grows stronger.” That’s the old Vermont weather adage that refers to the fact that every year just after winter solstice, the thermometer heads toward zero. Vermont has always had white Christmases and New Year’s Eve is usually unutterably cold. Good night to stay inside. This year, we had […]

It’s the Only Thing

Illegal drugs are big news here in Vermont. In Windsor county, Robert Sand the state’s attorney (the equivalent of a district attorney) has long been an advocate of reforming marijuana laws. He says prosecuting cases and sending people to jail for small amounts of marijuana is a waste of taxpayer money and diverts resources from […]

Ray Carver and the SRA Box

When I was third grade at St. Margaret Mary’s School in the late 1960s, we used to have “the SRA box” in the corner. The SRA box had dozens of color-coded sheets, each sheet had a little story and a few questions at the end. We’d read a story, answer the questions, Mrs. Ortolani would […]

It Can’t Happen Here?

Ohio journalists Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman have been charging that the way voting was conducted in their state in the 2004 presidential election was suspicious almost from the moment George W. Bush was declared winner. Winning Ohio gave Mr. Bush his second term in office. Now a report from the Ohio Secretary of State […]

Rocket Juice

I woke in the night and said, “Of course. Why else would Roger Clemens throw at Mike Piazza’s head? Why else would he throw the barrel of a broken bat at him? He was so juiced on steroids he couldn’t see straight.” My midnight musings had no proof steroids were involved in those ugly incidents […]