Category Archives: Commentary

Controlling My Money

7/16/1998 – 2:06 pm

A friend of mine called last week and in a soft voice advised me to buy stock in Pfizer Pharmaceuticals. Now, a tip like that hardly constitutes insider trading. In the first place, my friend is not an insider. Second, you don’t have to be Charles Schwab to know that since Pfizer introduced its impotence […]

By floegel | Comments (0)

The Drug of Childhood

7/9/1998 – 2:04 pm

I’m a freelance writer, and as such, I can occasionally indulge myself by becoming involved with screwball projects that do not involve writing. To be specific, I am spending this summer as a camp counselor. One of my duties is to pester the campers to write letters home, and since I’m supposed to lead by […]

By floegel | Comments (0)

War is Over

7/2/1998 – 2:02 pm

Last week, in what was probably a bureaucratic mixup, the Burlington daily newspaper began showing up on my doorstep every morning. The Burlington paper is owned by the Gannett chain and I have a low opinion of it, but free is free, so after breakfast on Sunday, I peeled it open to see what it […]

By floegel | Comments (0)

What’s Going On Under Your Siding?

6/25/1998 – 10:14 am

What’s going on under your siding? Do you know? You, homeowner, I’m talking to you, yes you. What’s going on under your vinyl siding? Moisture? Mold? Carpenter ants, maybe? You really don’t know, do you? How are you feeling about your vinyl siding? How long has it been now? Four years? Five? Do you remember […]

By floegel | Comments (0)

My Daughter and My Money

6/18/1998 – 10:15 am

There are colleges all over New England, so it’s not unusual for me to be driving down the road looking at a bumper sticker that says, “My daughter and my money go to Acme University.” I always wonder how the daughter feels about that. For 12 years, through elementary and high school, she studied hard, […]

By floegel | Comments (0)

Business is Business

6/11/1998 – 10:17 am

I met Ken Saro-Wiwa once, in Washington, DC. Ken, a writer and activist from oil-rich Ogoniland in the Niger River delta, was in the U.S. seeking support in his struggle against Nigeria’s oppressive dictator, Sani Abacha. I think it was in 1992 when I met Ken, but memory begins to fail. I do remember his […]

By floegel | Comments (0)

Don’t Mess with Texas

6/4/1998 – 10:19 am

Vermont’s only congressman, Bernie Sanders, identifies himself in the House of Representatives as an Independent, but back here on the home turf, it’s well-known that he’s a socialist. He’s not the only one, but people don’t use the “s-word” in public, so everyone left of a Vermont Democrat just calls themselves “progressive.” You might say […]

By floegel | Comments (0)