Bound Volumes: September 16, 2021 185 YEARS AGO Excerpts from a general address to the Farmers, Mechanics and Workingmen of Otsego County: “The time has arrived when it has become necessary for us to come forth as independent freemen, in defense of the rights and privileges for which our fathers fought and bled. Our political institutions which have resulted from the wisdom of those revered statesmen and patriots, and to establish which they nobly periled their lives and their fortunes,…
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Opinion - Page 121
Life Sketches by Terry Berkson An egg layer with a taste for egg eating I have a problem with at least one of my chickens. She’s been eating eggs out of the laying boxes. It’s hard to determine which one is the culprit, but if left unchecked, the habit will be contagious. Egg eaters are aggravating. I’ve already consulted local experts, Vaughn and McNulty, who told me the problem is likely because of a calcium deficiency. “If you don’t have…
Letter by M. Langhorne Keith Writer objects to Salka’s anti-vaccination stance This is a letter I sent to Assemblyman John Salka: Dear Mr. Salka: I read that you are holding a meeting to facilitate so-called “religious objections” to getting vaccinated. My wife and I are in our 80’s and were both vaccinated in February.…
Opinion by James Herman and Wayne Mellor Local ag pollution is down, but so is farming One can read all manner of truly dire reports about the global use of agricultural chemicals. Billions of dollars have been set aside to settle lawsuits alleging agricultural chemicals caused claimants’ cancers. Millions have been awarded, but we still do not have enough science to fully back up the claims. So where does Otsego County stand in relation to these reports?…
Opinion by Julie Dostal, PH.D. Prevention comes in many forms for LEAF Prevention is a common word in our culture. We use it in a variety of contexts, such as prevent heart disease, prevent bug bites, or prevent kitchen fires. It’s good that it is common, because, at the root, prevention simply means, “to stop a problem before it ever starts.” That’s the work we do at the LEAF Council on Alcoholism and Addictions. It is at the heart and…
Editorial Live free and die? With the news this week that the Lewis County General Hospital in Lowville was going to “pause” operations of its maternity services because of the resignations of several members of that department who refused to be vaccinated against COVID-19, the not unexpected consequences of the recent New York state and federal mandates for healthcare workers suddenly hit very close to home. While it is certainly difficult to envision both the future of these workers when…
The Dog Charmer by Tom Shelby How to help an anxious new puppy stay home by itself Dear Tom, She came to us at 12 weeks at the start of pandemic lockdown. Well, I know it’s my fault for taking her everywhere with me, for putting her in her crate at night and staying until she settles, etc. With three adults in the household, she focuses on me ALL the time. If I go out without her, she’s a mess…
Up on Hawthorn Hill by Richard deRosa: While popping beans from the vine, thoughts come to mind Thoreau was determined to know beans well. Over the past several days I, too, have come to know beans well, black beans that is. We harvested our first black bean crop last week, hung the plants in the barn to finish up the drying process (too much rain to leave them in the ground), and are now popping the hard black beans out…
Life Sketches by Terry Berkson: A silo salesman striking with a sledgehammer Over the years, Paul Sarafin had come to believe that silos were like barometers. “When the economic weather for farming was good they went up” he says. “And when it was bad, they often came down, sold secondhand to someone looking for a buy.” Sarafin, 78, lives near Richfield Springs, and had been in the silo business for almost 50 years. At first, he built them for the…
Letter by Edward T. Lentz: Lisbon garage project becomes subject of rumors Rumors and misstatements are rampant in New Lisbon about the proposed new highway garage. We don’t need a new garage! We can fix the old garage! Taxes will go up by 20%, 30% (pick a number)! There are conflicts of interest! Professional fees are exorbitant! The proposed garage is too large and too lavish! Plans are being rushed! No one is considering alternatives! And more.…
