By Christine Morabito – December 2015 What we have is a problem of energy inequality. In terms of energy costs, Massachusetts residents pay the highest prices in the nation – three to four times as much per kilowatt hour for electricity. We are so accustomed to paying this exorbitant amount, that we rarely question it. The […]
By Christine Morabito – November 2015 “Killer Tomatoes” was a cute name for a really silly horror flick. When the term is applied to genetically modified organisms, things get even more absurd. Ditto, the names, “Frankenfoods” and “Terminator Seeds,” which unfairly depict one of the greatest advancements in agricultural history. Unfortunately, these scary words are effective, […]
By Christine Morabito – October 2015 Organic farming has become a multi-billion-dollar industry. What you don’t know about it may surprise you. Eating organic is supposed to be healthier and better for the environment. However, there is a serious lack of evidence that either of these things is true. It seems these food purchases are more about perception […]
By Christine Morabito – September 2015 While it is fashionable to say you care about the environment, at least one nonprofit organization is putting words into action. I recently had the opportunity to join the Clean River Project on the Merrimack River in Lawrence. The clean-up was sponsored by Siemens, and I was amazed at what […]
By Christine Morabito – August 2015 It is difficult to believe that a project which will permanently alter the environment, kill thousands of birds and bats, threaten marine life, trample the religious freedom of Native Americans, destroy the livelihood of fishermen and those in the tourist industry, risk oil spills, jeopardize public safety and public health, all […]
By Christine Morabito – July 2015 Supporters of Cape Wind desperately want you to believe that those opposed to the massive offshore industrial project are afflicted with the “not in my backyard” (NIMBY) syndrome. This conjures up images of affluent, elitist Cape Coders, who cannot bear to have their precious views spoiled by unsightly turbines. […]
By Christine Morabito – June 2015 As an environmentalist and bird lover, it gives me no pleasure to criticize the largest conservation organization in New England; an organization of which I am a member. Personal conflict aside, it seems apparent that Massachusetts Audubon Society’s support for a massive industrial project threatens thousands of birds a year. […]
By Christine Morabito – May 2015 It would make a great movie. The story begins in 2001, with an elaborate plot, filled with beautiful, wealthy, and powerful people. There are cowboys and Indians, Kennedys, whales, drugs, sex and of course, lots of lawyers. In the end, the people of Massachusetts dodge a bullet, or at […]
By: Christine Morabito – April 2015 In the late fifteenth century, the cause of disease was still a mystery. Astrology, on the other hand, was “settled science.” After much debate, a consensus was reached concerning the highly contagious sexually transmitted disease, called syphilis. The so-called French Disease arose from the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter […]
By: Christine Morabito – March 2014 (revised) I’ll try not to judge. I’m sure you would never knowingly celebrate a violent, bloodthirsty hit-man for Fidel Castro, the brutal communist dictator. If we learned anything from Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot and Mao, it’s that tyrants are good at marketing. The trick to selling their snake oil is […]
By: Christine Morabito – February, 2015 If clean, safe and efficient energy is to be our standard, then why use wind power at all? When we examine the entire process, the construction and operation of wind turbines is a dangerous and toxic affair. It begins with the mining of rare earth minerals, a collection of […]
By: Christine Morabito – January, 2015 It’s easy to go green when you don’t have to go hungry. Free from the stress of foraging for food, environmental activists have the luxury to experiment with alternative energy sources like wind and solar. These well-fed, self-appointed arbiters of morality have the benefit of time to travel the […]
By: Christine Morabito – December 2014 The 21,000 residents of Ferguson, Missouri have been unwitting pawns in a game where everybody loses. Over the past several months, racial unrest has caused an unwelcome invasion of anarchists, Occupiers, Communist agitators, race-baiters, convicted felons, and otherwise petty criminals, who refuse to let the facts get in the way […]
By: Christine Morabito – November 2014 On a recent trip to Maine, I hiked the beautiful Wells Reserve at Laudholm. The quiet solitude, view of the salt marsh and resident wildlife was well worth the trek — except for one thing. Dotting the landscape were dozens of unsightly white structures, resembling cages. A sign on […]
By: Christine Morabito – October 2014 If Ballot Question 2 passes in Massachusetts this November, your grocery bill and your honey do list will increase significantly. This ballot initiative expands the bottle bill of 1983 to include a 5 cent deposit on bottled water, juice, iced tea, sports drinks and other non-carbonated beverages. As has […]