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When it comes to the worsening climate catastrophe that we are living through, the news just keeps getting worse. Last week, it was reported that the world’s leading climate scientists expect global temperatures to rise to at least 2.5oC (4.5oF) by the end of this century. Many of the scientists see a “semi-dystopian” future, with famines, conflicts and mass migration, driven by heatwaves, wildfires, floods and storms that will intensify over time.
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The Department of Homeland Security has indicated that the “real” deadline for the new licenses known as “real ID” is May 7, 2025. So, if you do not have some other form of identification, like a passport, NEXUS card, global entry card with you when you are flying you will likely be unable to board an aircraft.
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I assumed Jake Samascott had heard everything, at least everything related to apples, when I reported to his family’s sprawling Kinderhook, NY orchard last Saturday morning. The reason was a workshop on apple tree care sponsored by the Columbia Land Conservancy. -
The day I recorded this commentary, the print edition of the New York Times published an OP ED by Michelle Cottle entitled “Inside the MAGAverse on the Eve of Trump’s Trial” (April 17, 2024: A20). In it, Ms Cottle captured the self-satisfaction of the cult-members she interviewed at a Trump rally Saturday, April 12 in rural Pennsylvania.
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It's that time again! Here are this week's highlights from the WAMC Listener Comment Line. -
Of all the differences between American soccer and the sport played around the world, perhaps the most notable is the concept of promotion and relegation. That’s a system where the highest finishing teams from one league move up to a higher division next season, and the lowest teams move down.
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I’m giving my spirits a break with a more light-hearted classically trained musician’s take on immigration.
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The cherry trees that line Washington’s Tidal Basin are not a species bred to yield tasty pies, jams and jellies. Washington’s cherry trees live mainly to display abundant clusters of delicate pinkish-white flowers. I was admiring them a couple of weeks ago, at the peak of what the Japanese call Sakura hanami — the season of viewing the cherry blossoms.
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If media reports are to be believed, Governor Hochul and the state’s legislative leaders are inching toward a budget deal this week. The big issues – housing, K-12 education funding, Medicaid – have been getting all of the airtime, but there are many other important policies that are in play.
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A major celestial event occurred at our house this week. It’s not the one you’re thinking of. Indeed, the total eclipse of the sun turned out to be a partial bust. Thick clouds rolled in approximately half an hour before totality – or the ninety-five percent of it we were granted in our part of the Hudson Valley – and didn’t part for a good sixty minutes. -
It's time to roll back this week's highlights from the WAMC Listener Comment Line. -
I feel like I write some version of this topic every couple of years, only with a different sport and a different city. It might be St. Louis, or the Nets, or the Raiders.
