Fossil fuels are a lazy choice
The lazy man's choice of oil, coal, natural gas and nuclear energy are temporary energy sources. Ultimately, in a few short years we will be forced to develop sustainable energy sources anyway, so why not do it now and prevent pollution to the air, soil and water?
Inexhaustible sources such as solar, wind and geothermal energy are not only feasible, but are being greatly researched and utilized by European countries where there are no giant oil and gas lobbies to prevent it.
We in the U.S. are sorely lagging behind. Our leaders need to show political courage. Let's have more confidence in American ingenuity and innovation.
Necessity is the mother of invention. We also need to open up our imagination to invent energy solutions not yet discovered. It's a matter of will, commitment, and a can-do attitude. Learn more about the dangers of natural gas drilling in New York at this Senate Marcellus Roundtable: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZj5BJuGU&feature=lated. The full draft of the SGEIS environmental plan is available at www.dec.ny.gov/energy/58440.html, with a link for the public to give feedback and suggestions by the end of the year.
James Little
Endicott
School is playing deceitful game
There's nothing wrong with an institution wanting to put its best face on. But it borders on criminality when a board of education and superintendent do so at the expense of their students. That appears to be happening in our own backyard.
Striving to remain atop the Newsweek Best High Schools standing is little more than an unethical sham. The process of the ranking is acknowledged by educational experts (including Jay Mathews, designer of the criteria) as flawed. Essentially, basing school ranking on the number of students who take an AP exam regardless of their outcome is no different than sleeping through an opera. Both are laced with arrogant fraud.
Yet, more to the point, why would a school cajole students who are not college-ready (i.e., fail to attain benchmark scores on SAT (1200/1600 or 1770/2400) or ACT (25) exams) into taking an AP class. Why? Because it makes the school look better in the Newsweek ranking. And how does the school manipulate the seniors through the process? By telling them that it will look good to colleges that won't see the results until after acceptance. Ouch! Is our school teaching deceit?
It is time to apply effort to providing our students with the basic skills so they are college-ready. The ACT reports that 77 percent of those entering college are not. As a result, 50 percent of college enrollees drop out and another 25 percent must enroll in remedial courses so they can continue.
But Cooperstown Central School is ranked high in the Newsweek Ranking (mind you, they are middle of the road in every other state and national assessment). Should we applaud the game of deceit, or should we provide our students with the tools they will need to succeed in the future?
Eric Rheinhardt
Cooperstown
