Dear Friend and Reader: When Silent Spring was published in 1962, its impact and influence sprung from its beauty. The book, after causing a huge controversy, ultimately turned world opinion on the pesticide dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane, or DDT. Its chemical formula is C14H9Cl5, and as a double benzene ring molecule, it is similar to dioxin and PCBs. … Read more
Posted on May 10, 2020 | Link to original Dear Friend and Reader: On Wednesday, Venus turns to retrograde motion in Gemini. The retrograde effect has been present for a while, as Venus and Vesta have been moving through Gemini in a long conjunction, which culminates over the next couple of weeks. The retrograde lasts … Read more
Posted on May 7, 2020 | Link to original Dear Friend and Reader: In early 2006, when I was living in Brussels, I attended my first event at the European Commission headquarters as a newly credentialed reporter. It was a symposium on a possible flu pandemic, potentially coming soon, that had press attention at the … Read more
“Only puny secrets need protecting. Big secrets are protected by public incredulity.” — Marshall McLuhan Dear Friend and Reader: I’ve been seeing and hearing the term “conspiracy theorist” flying around, and in tonight’s letter I want to offer a few thoughts about this. The term has been coming up in the context of those who … Read more
Posted on April 26, 2020 | Link to original Dear Friend and Reader: There is a gem of a book from the early 1970s called The Lazy Man’s Guide to Enlightenment. It’s about 50 little pages in total and designed to be memorized. The purpose of the book is a trip guide. At the time, … Read more