Pardon me, but is anyone out there as baffled by this pardon thing as I am? Cornucopias normally spew edible things like fruits, flowers or nuts. Since when are clearly defined presidential powers misconstrued as pardon cornucopias? Put mildly, things have gotten a bit out of hand.…
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Columns - Page 5
As Glimmerglass celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2025, we reflect on our intrinsic link with our local community. The festival is woven into our region’s cultural and economic fabric—a hub for artistic collaboration, education, and storytelling.…
In 2023, this “Citizen Science” column focused on distinguishing science from pseudoscience; in 2024, we sought to demystify energy by studying the various flavors of real energy. This year, we’ll further develop our critical thinking skills and sleuthing abilities by looking at outstanding mysteries in physics—what the problem is, why the solution continues to elude us, and what’s been done so far to solve it.…
110 YEARS AGO: The hopes of the builder, J. Arthur Olsen, were realized Saturday when the bi-pane which had been under construction for several weeks at the Francis Wagon Works moved gracefully into the air, and after a flight of nearly a mile was brought to the surface of Otsego Lake again by the pilot, William B. Stewart, because of engine trouble. As soon as it can be taken down and packed it will be shipped to Boston, Massachusetts for…
135 YEARS AGO: In the United States, according to tables recently compiled, there were 50,025 persons killed and 53,427 seriously injured as a result of trespassing upon railways between the years 1901 and 1910. In Great Britain during the same period, there were 4,434 persons killed in like fashion and 1,315 injured. The difference, the startling difference even after taking into account the difference in population—seems to be that in Great Britain the laws against railway trespassing are strictly enforced,…
Most folks think you are wealthy if you have a lot of money. But having a ton of cash does not necessarily mean you are wealthy. That’s one of the bigger myths about how the economy works. To debunk it, we only need to revisit stories of individuals who die and leave behind loads of cash after appearing to be poor during their lifetimes.…
Coping with isolation from social groups, reduced physical activity, lack of sunlight, and, worst of all, boredom, can be very challenging. I present a few easy-to-implement strategies for curbing winter blues, if only for a moment in your day.…
210 YEARS AGO: Fire—On Thursday morning last, at about 3 o’clock, the Distillery near Shankland’s Mills, owned by Mr. William Cook, which was just got into operation, was consumed by fire. His loss is estimated at about 1,000 dollars. Our villagers were again alarmed by the cry of fire, about 11 o’clock last evening, which proved to be in the shop of Jonah Foster, cooper, which was wholly consumed, but by the usual exertions of the citizens, the adjoining building…
70 YEARS AGO: There is a unique, friendly quality to Oneonta that makes it the shopping, recreational and cultural center for folks from a four-county area. Why? Because it’s not too big; and it’s not too small. Folks who shop here say that Oneonta department stores have everything you’ll find in the big cities. But, it is much easier to go to Oneonta. Oneonta, too, is the center for farm machinery, for home and business needs, for banks and loan…
Solar panels do not need fertile soil. They do not need to have their hair cut and they do not bike to class in the morning. There are many other places solar fields can go. Where else is Chestertown supposed to go? There are not many other spaces the rest of Chestertown can grow into. At least not without contributing to what the Greenbelt Master Plan describes as the Eastern Shore’s “auto-oriented suburban sprawl, which threatens to erode its rural…