Guest Column
- Guest Column
-
- Saturday, March 19, 2011
-
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
-
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.
-
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
-
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.
-
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.
-
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
-
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
-
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?
-
"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
-
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?
- Tuesday, February 1, 2011
-
Fatherhood gives insight into abortion issue
More years ago than I care to remember, my wife was pregnant with our oldest daughter. Other than a little morning sickness and a new, expandable wardrobe, nothing much changed. I don't recall how far along she was, but early one Sunday morning as I lay in bed, I felt something kicking me in the back.
- Tuesday, January 18, 2011
-
Gas could be accelerant for economy
Upon returning from a meeting in southern Pennsylvania, we were heading north on Pennsylvania Route 61. This is by no means Interstate 88. Even routes 7 and 23 are bigger roads.
- Saturday, January 15, 2011
-
Political climate in America is our beast
"In one of the most beautiful films ever made, Jean Cocteau's 'Beauty and the Beast,' a young woman is held captive in a chateau by a man who wears elegant lace shirts and speaks French in a husky, passionate voice. The young woman is clearly attracted to this philosophical and aristocratic beast/man until the night she hears grunts and shrieks from the front lawn. She discovers her host, her captor, gnawing on a stag he has just trapped. Repelled by the carnage, La Beaute reproaches La Bete, but his reply is quick and honest: what did you expect from a beast? It is at that moment that the lace shirts and husky voice begin to pale on La Beaute and she begins to plan her escape." Thus began a Nov. 15, 1982, article by New York Times sportswriter, George Vecsey, ("The Beastliness in Boxing"), as boxer Duk-Koo Kim lay in a coma following a bout against Ray Mancini. Kim would die from his wounds two days later.
- Tuesday, January 11, 2011
-
A Christmas leftover you can't eat
As we begin the New Year, I hope it's not too late to remind everyone that white Styrofoam is recyclable and should not be thrown out with the garbage.
- Saturday, January 8, 2011
-
Strengthening Oneonta city government: Revising our city charter
A city charter, like the federal constitution, defines the overall organizational structure and key roles and responsibilities for government operations. For the past year a group of Oneonta city residents has been working to understand our city government operations and develop suggestions for improvements to our guiding city charter. We are now beginning to consolidate and finalize our recommendations.
- Saturday, December 18, 2010
-
'Friends' should unite for Rogers
Not only can concerned citizens be "Friends of Rogers Environmental Education Center," but "Friends of Natural Gas" as well. Why not let Rogers generate its own funds? Hydrofracking doesn't just have to be insanely profitable; it can be fun and educational too! Let's take a look at the possibilities.
-
Change for sake of change not the way to go
Democracy isn't the only thing I just can't seem to define lately. I seem to have misplaced belief in "political ethics," decency, AKA, honesty, and the meaning of "for the people and for the betterment of humankind."
- Saturday, December 11, 2010
-
Why First Night?
Times are tough. But so are we.
- Friday, December 3, 2010
-
Lamenting the death of compassion
There are moments when I feel that I have awakened on the wrong planet. Some of these moments came this past week.
-
Look past hysteria surrounding deer hunting
There are pursuits in life that attract the best and worst of people. Those pursuits usually are described or written about with the attachment of great deals of misinformation and unsupported emotional opinion. Hunting is one of them, and the guest column by David Irving in the Nov. 27 issue of The Daily Star is a good example of the hysteria that is attached to the pursuit of deer hunting.
