Guest Column
- Guest Column
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- Saturday, June 4, 2011
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Take steps to combat illegal dog fights
Dog fighting is a felony in all 50 states. However, because of loopholes in the laws in New York state, many dog fighters go free. This has made New York a haven for these vicious criminals. People come from other states and cities to rural areas like ours to take part in the criminal activity of dog fighting. Otsego and Delaware counties are close to the Pennsylvania border and within an hour of Binghamton and Albany, making us a central location.
- Saturday, May 21, 2011
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Gas Wars: A play in three acts
Act One: The Prequel. Starts in 2008 and ends with the publication of the Supplemental Generic Impact Statement.
- Saturday, May 14, 2011
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How fracking made me an activist
My husband and I took a drive one Sunday from Brooklyn to Sharon Springs back in 1999. We were so moved by the tranquil, rural beauty of the land that we suddenly found ourselves buying an abandoned house on 80 acres and moving up here.
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The Iron Curtain of ideas
A long time ago, and far, far away, I stood on the border of two distinct cultures. The "Wall" was a stone divide between two very different political ideas, but one people.
- Saturday, May 7, 2011
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HealthWorks helps keep workers safe on the job
As emergency response and local cleanup crews work to respond to accidents, road and property damage resulting from recent flooding, they are exposed to a range of serious hazards. Every year, public employees die during emergency response work, hit by cars, tree limbs, and even via electrocution from live power lines.
- Saturday, April 16, 2011
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Would you like benefits with that?
How come people don't want to live here? Over the past decade, my county, Delaware, lost one percent of its population, according to the 2010 Census. Chenango County lost two percent, while Otsego County was up slightly, by one percent. The net exodus from upstate New York has people worrying about "brain drain" and a loss of representation in Albany and Washington.
- Saturday, April 9, 2011
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The rime of the upstate anti-fracker
In Samuel Coleridge's oft-quoted late 18th-century poem of the violation of nature and Christian redemption, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," a wayward, desperately thirsty mariner laments, "water, water, everywhere, Nor any a drop to drink."
- Saturday, April 2, 2011
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Funds needed to save farmers' lives
On Aug. 18, a 52-year-old onion grower was killed when his tractor rolled on top of him at his family farm in the town of Oswego.
- Saturday, March 19, 2011
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Colorectal cancer screening tests important
By Dr. Jose Monzon Annually, March is recognized as Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month as a way to raise awareness of the fourth most common cancer in both men and women. The good news is that colorectal cancer is preventable, treatable and beatable, and through preventive screening you can significantly lower your risk for the disease.
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Anti-drilling 'information' misleading
I was at the Feb. 24 presentation by Dr. Janette Barth and Nicole Dillingham at the United Church of Christ in Norwich and feel the need to correct some of the misinformation that was given out at that time.
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Think twice before taking away NPR's subsidy
National Public Radio is in the news again. The network was in the news a few months back because they fired Juan Williams, one of their regular longtime contributors. Mr. Williams made some comments about feeling trepidation when boarding an airplane along with travelers wearing Muslim garb, and that sentiment, it seems, was in conflict with NPR's editorial policy. Some thought the real reason behind Williams' ouster was because he had another job as a commentator on the Fox News network, and that perhaps NPR was dismissing him for working in the enemy's camp.
- Saturday, March 12, 2011
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Drilling debate fractures populace along class lines
As a gasser walking into a meeting, I look for team jackets, denim and feed caps -- the Walmart people. On the other side of the aisle, literally and figuratively, are the LL Bean people. I sit with the Walmarts.
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Predictable tuition would help students and SUNY
As New York's financial downturn persists, its impact on municipalities, health care, public schools and higher education becomes more dramatic. While our elected leaders contend with a sour economy and an $11 billion deficit, they also must move our state toward long-term recovery.
- Saturday, March 5, 2011
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Public workers' battle: A zero-sum game?
Some interesting things have been happening in Madison, Wisc., lately. And I'm not just talking about the case of the disappearing legislators -- the 14 Wisconsin state senators who went AWOL rather than vote on legislation that would rob Wisconsin public workers of bargaining rights.
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Parallels between abolitionism and anti-fracking push
Recently, my students in American Literature and I have been reading the 19th-century debates about slavery, including the positions taken by abolitionists and by those who called abolitionists bigots and extremists. We've also read examples of what were then considered moderate positions, such as John Pendleton Kennedy's "Swallow Barn," a novel that attempted to reconcile differences between these polarized camps and to reach some compromise.
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Many factors at work in high food prices
Consumers will be paying more for food in 2011 for a variety of reasons linked to domestic and international factors. One of the most significant factors is that commodities such as corn and soybeans have experienced increased demand from abroad and prices to U.S. farmers are at record highs. This constricts meat and milk production as farmers try to minimize input costs and results in lower supplies of meat and milk products. Russia has experienced a long drought and is importing more grain, along with China, where a growing population and a poor wheat crop mean that it must import a record amount of grain from the U.S.
- Saturday, February 19, 2011
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Difficult decisions to be made on schools
This year is even tougher then last, the economy being what it is. It has taken a toll on all of us, and I don't see it getting better any time soon.
- Tuesday, February 8, 2011
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A day to myself: an outsider's view of Oneonta
Have you ever wished for some time that was free from work and obligations? How often do you ever get the luxury of a whole day to yourself?
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"The King's Speech" holds important messages
I have always thought that Americans had a role model in the British when it came to writing and speaking good English. One American academic editor once said to me, supporting my view, that the Brits know how to use the language, adding, "After all, it's their language, isn't it?" Not only do the British write good English, less willing to take liberties with syntax and grammar, perhaps, than Americans, they seem fascinated with the challenge of delivery. Somehow, they seem a nation of performers.
- Monday, February 7, 2011
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A day to myself: an outsider's view of Oneonta
Have you ever wished for some time that was free from work and obligations? How often do you ever get the luxury of a whole day to yourself?
