Category Archives: Commentary

Political Pollution

6/15/2000 – 4:09 pm

Dioxin is back in the news. It’s the chemical that won’t go away, in more ways than one. The Environmental Protection Agency is releasing the results of its nine-year reassessment of dioxin. Nine years of study reveal exactly what the environmental community has said all along: dioxin is a much greater health hazard, in smaller […]

By floegel | Comments (0)

The Price of Justice

6/1/2000 – 4:16 pm

You’ve seen, I’m sure, the news reports from Zimbabwe, where black Africans have been seizing farms from, and in some cases killing, white Africans. The issue is land. What is now Zimbabwe was seized from the Bantu people by the British in the 19th century and, until a few decades ago, called Rhodesia. The majority […]

By Justin | Comments (0)

Thinking Like an Ecosystem

5/25/2000 – 4:22 pm

It’s gray and overcast today, the forecast calls for more rain. It’s been a cool, wet spring in New England, very much like the spring of ’98. Burlington usually gets three inches of rain in May, but we’ve already had five. We’re running six inches ahead on rain for the year. Lake Champlain hovers at […]

By floegel | Comments (0)

Shoot and Release

5/18/2000 – 4:28 pm

To everything there is a season, and in Vermont, from late March until late May, it is the season to shoot fish. You think Vermont is all about civil unions and comfortable shoes? Think again. Vermont is the only state in the union where it is legal to take fish with a firearm. Each spring, […]

By floegel | Comments (0)

You Want the Truth?

5/11/2000 – 4:31 pm

The Food and Drug Administration last week announced it will not require food manufacturers to label products which contain genetically-engineered ingredients. Spokespeople for the FDA said this step is being taken in response to consumer concerns regarding the safety of genetically-altered foods. The powers that be at the FDA must have wax in their ears, […]

By floegel | Comments (0)

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 […]

By floegel | Comments (0)

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 […]

By floegel | Comments (0)