Commentary
Editor’s Notebook: Trails and shadows
It’s easy to slip. The shadows are thick in the middle of the petite mountain, and frozen snowmelt glazes some, but not all, of the rocks. And that some-ness makes matters worse. Traction is a lullaby on the trail, and the inhale-step-step-exhale rhythm sends attention flying, dreamlike, from the terrain toward more distant concerns. Inhale, […]
Fed hopes for ‘soft landing’ for the US economy, but history suggests otherwise – commentary
The Federal Reserve will likely soon learn what gymnasts already know: sticking a landing is hard. With inflation surging to a new 40-year high and continuing to accelerate, the Fed is expected to lift interest rates by a half-percentage point at the end of its next meeting on Wednesday, May 4. It will be the […]
New Englanders support more offshore wind power, just don’t send it to New York – commentary
In Rhode Island, home to the first offshore wind farm in the U.S., most people support expanding offshore wind power – with one important caveat. Our research shows they’re less likely to support a wind power project if its energy flows to another state, and especially if it goes to a rival state. We found […]
How race and religion have always played a role in who gets refuge in the U.S. – commentary
In the weeks since Russia invaded Ukraine, millions of Ukrainians have fled the country as refugees. Hundreds of those refugees have now arrived at the southern border of the United States seeking asylum, after flying to Mexico on tourist visas. At the border, Ukrainians, alongside thousands of other asylum seekers, must navigate two policies meant […]
Rising authoritarianism and worsening climate change share a fossil-fueled secret – commentary
Around the world, many countries are becoming less democratic. This backsliding on democracy and “creeping authoritarianism,” as the U.S. State Department puts it, is often supported by the same industries that are escalating climate change. In my new book, “Global Burning: Rising Antidemocracy and the Climate Crisis,” I lay out connections between these industries and […]
Lawmakers were right to delay funding for state-owned drones – commentary
As reported in the New Hampshire Bulletin, the Joint Legislative Fiscal Committee this month put off a request by the New Hampshire Department of Safety to obtain drones for use in disaster situations. Currently, the department relies on helicopters and planes for such operations, but the department argued before the committee that unmanned aircraft systems […]
The pandemic’s gardening boom shows how gardens can cultivate public health – commentary
As lockdowns went into effect in the spring of 2020 to slow the spread of the coronavirus, reports emerged of a global gardening boom, with plants, flowers, vegetables, and herbs sprouting in backyards and on balconies around the world. The data backs up the narrative: An analysis of Google Trends and infection statistics found that […]
How to end our reliance on synthetic fertilizer – commentary
As the world’s farmers watch the cost of synthetic fertilizer continue to increase, and food prices shatter records kept by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, the global food system so many of us have come to rely on is being stressed like never before. This upheaval in the global food system just demonstrates its […]
3-Minute Civics: Partisanship and local politics don’t mix
The problem with “the new normal” is that I quite seem to have forgotten what normal really feels like. I’ve served in local politics for the last three years, and so much has changed in that time. Between the economy, politics, and pandemic, there are so many more visible and invisible tripwires scattered throughout the […]
Anti-vaccine legislation puts health care organizations in an impossible situation – commentary
As the chief executive officers of New Hampshire’s community health centers that serve 112,000 Granite Staters, we write today out of grave concern for the future of public health in New Hampshire. What began as an effort to eliminate COVID-19 vaccine requirements has transformed into a movement at the state Legislature to kick the legs […]
Bill passed by House would weaken children’s behavioral health treatment systems – commentary
Our kids are in crisis. Over the last two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the behavioral health concerns facing our children and families. Data shows that children in New Hampshire and across the country are experiencing higher rates of depression and anxiety, and we fear this will only get worse in the years to […]
Editor’s Notebook: Searching for the right words
There is an old man standing in front of a downtown bank on a sunny Monday morning. Can you see him? The building is a mix of red brick and white decorative columns, with a series of arched windows that wrap around the corner. The man is tall and thin, but he looks strong. He’s […]