Category Archives: Commentary

How Bad Can It Get?

9/15/2011 – 1:50 pm

It’s a question I’ve stopped asking myself, because I have too often thought, “It can’t get any worse,” and then it does, usually within a week.  “It” could apply to the weather, the climate (not the same thing), the food, the culture or all of the above, collectively.  Today, however, I mean political discourse. Witness, […]

By floegel | Also posted in Electoral Politics | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Orwell was an Optimist

9/8/2011 – 4:18 pm

Quick quiz, two questions: 1 – What percentage of scientists think global warming is occurring?  2 – What percentage of scientists think global warming is caused by human activities?  Read those again carefully; it’s not the same question twice. The answers (I won’t make you wait) are 100 and 98.  No statistically significant number of […]

By floegel | Also posted in Economy, Electoral Politics, Global Warming | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Race to the Bottom: Homestretch

9/1/2011 – 1:25 pm

In this space the first week of January 2004, I predicted it would be the year that would determine whether or not American democracy would survive.  In the last month of that same year, I was forced to conclude, with sorrow, that American democracy is doomed.  Although I’ve been allowed brief moments of hope since […]

By floegel | Also posted in Economy, Energy, Global Warming, Nuclear Energy, Oceans, Oil | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (0)

“Pre-Positioned Weapons of Mass Destruction”

8/25/2011 – 2:44 pm

The tenth anniversary of the 9-11 attacks is a bit more than two weeks away.  People in DC and New York were viscerally reminded of this when an earthquake – unusually strong for the east coast – rattled them Tuesday.  Although human-induced climate change may affect hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, droughts and blizzards, earthquakes remain an […]

By floegel | Also posted in Civil Liberty, September 11th, Toxics | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

“It’s Just Death”

8/18/2011 – 3:48 pm

It’s August and blight is upon us.  The tomatoes have early blight, which is bad, but can be controlled by cutting away the blighted parts of the plant and not (!) composting them.  We put them in plastic bags and send them to the landfill. Late blight is worse, usually taking out the whole plant […]

By floegel | Also posted in Economy | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Buy Honey Now

8/11/2011 – 10:46 am

If you just want the bottom line, you can stop reading.  The headline said it all.  If you like honey and want to keep eating it, buy it now before the price goes up. I attended the summer meeting of the Vermont Beekeepers Association Saturday and the main topic of conversation: no honey.  No one’s […]

By floegel | Also posted in Economy | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Drowned in a Bathtub

8/4/2011 – 3:17 pm

The heat has broken in Vermont; it’s perfect summer day.  Maybe I should be outside, instead of merely sitting near the window, but I’m supposed to be working.  I’m not working either. I was working, but then I kept seeing the news about the stock market.  I was going to write about something else today, […]

By floegel | Also posted in Economy | Tagged , | Comments (0)