Articles
Contemplating New England’s energy fate
Most of us have a pretty good idea where our heat energy comes from. Our electricity? Not so much, except a vague understanding that it comes out of a wall outlet at the flip of a switch. But these energy sources are inextricably linked. A week and a half ago, the six New England governors
Lobster prices surge as industry chooses sides
The Maine lobster industry has survived two price crashes during the past five years—the first following the 2008 financial crisis when demand for all premium seafood collapsed and the second in 2012 following a glut of lobsters hitting the market earlier in the season than the markets could handle. The effect of these two crashes—one
Google that barge!
When you hear something you don’t understand, the natural reflex these days is to resort to a web search to learn what is going on. But what if the thing you are Googling turns out to be a Google barge on the Portland waterfront that Google does not want you to know about? Hmm”¦ Turns
What is that seahorse doing in my trap?
Last March, the seriously high-minded magazine The Economist published a cover story based on a leak from a draft from the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), reporting that global warming had slowed during the 2000-2010 decade. “The rate of warming of over the past 15 years,” the story reported, “has been lower than
Easy money in the lobster dealing biz
It is dark now when the throaty diesels rumble back to life on their moorings and the slow progression of lobster boats begins rounding the outer edge of the harbor for the fall run. Historically, October has been the biggest month of the year for lobstermen, not only because the catches are generally larger as
Promises in the wind and the pipeline
One thing we knew—or thought we knew—about alternative energy is that it is more expensive than energy derived from conventional sources like coal, nuclear and hydro. Some have been willing to pay a higher price for a cleaner environment; most have not. But stop the presses! Several Massachusetts and Connecticut utilities have just signed long-term
Tales of Rocky and Nutkin
Ever wake up in the middle of the night from an anxiety dream worried that squirrels have gotten loose in your attic, and are gnawing so loudly you think they are inside your cranium? Welcome to Rodentia-land! Our summer began with the annual installation of not one, but two, birdfeeders—the traditional one in the backyard
Birdland and the bird man of the Bronx
We relate to birds on a deeply instinctual level because, like us, birds communicate vocally and visually mostly during daylight hours, unless you are a nightingale. Other mammals mainly communicate through their sense of smell, usually at night. Imagine leaving your calling card on a bush from one of your scent glands as a
Get a dog, become more human
I owe whatever success I’ve had becoming more human to dogs. I got my first dog after college while working in the foothills of the Sierras. Of course, back then, everyone in California had a dog. But that’s beside the point. As a kid our family had quite a few dogs for pets, but they
Our world’s place in the big world
They come increasingly from all over the world for a brief taste of Maine island summer. Well, maybe not China and Japan so much, but certainly from all over this hemisphere and Western Europe. The days when Northeast Harbor was known as Philadelphia on the Rocks or when Boston Brahmins recycled remnants of 19th century