Category Archives: Commentary

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 […]

By floegel | Comments (0)

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 […]

By floegel | Comments (0)

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 […]

By floegel | Comments (1)

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 […]

By floegel | Comments (0)

As High As The Sky

7/20/2006 – 10:48 am

Three months ago, I predicted airlines would feel the first pinch of peak oil. They’re pinched and passengers are screaming. My ears are full of complaints from friends who’ve been traveling in the past month. I’ve got to fly in 10 days; I’m not looking forward to it. The price of oil is creeping toward […]

By floegel | Comments (0)

The Sacred City

7/13/2006 – 9:56 am

If you walk down Church Street, Burlington’s downtown retail/pedestrian mall, you can see scribed in stone, the names of cities and towns around the world with which Burlington has a relationship. Some are “sister cities,” including Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua. It’s nice to walk down Church Street on a summer evening with the vending carts out, […]

By floegel | Comments (0)

Fading Away

7/6/2006 – 10:33 am

As this year turned, the People’s Republic of China was busy persecuting journalists and democracy activists with the assistance of American internet service providers like Microsoft, Yahoo!, Google and Cisco. Spokespeople for the corporations pleaded that their companies need to “operate within the laws, regulations and customs of the country in which they are based.” […]

By floegel | Comments (0)