June 29, 2009 07:41 am
—
Discussion on
gas wells needed
I’d like to commend Maryland’s
town board for its open discussion of a
gas drilling moratorium for a new natural
gas well slated for drilling soon in
the town. The moratorium would delay
work while the town considers how to
best protect itself from the considerable
dangers associated with gas drilling.
The well is located close to a Boy
Scout camp and private seasonal
camps as well as creeks that flow into
the Susquehanna River, springs, wetlands
and at least a dozen local water
wells. The driller has plans for many
more gas wells in the area, as well as
the new technology, high-volume horizontal
hydrofracking.
The discussion was lively and it was
clear that both those for and against
had thought long and deeply about
their positions and truly cared about
their community’s well-being. The discussion
was a welcome change from
the lack of open public debate on the
issue up until now.
The changes that full-blown gas
fields will bring to our communities
will be monumental, and we all need
to decide if this is the future we want.
This is not something to be decided in
just an evening or two.
We’ll only be able to make the best
decisions if we all bring our best information
forward and spend time together
weighing options. We’re facing
very tough choices brought on by diminishing
fossil fuel supplies, rapidly
accelerating climate change and a failing
economy.
What’s the best long-term solution
for our communities?
It would be wonderful if each of our
town boards now facing gas wells in
our backyards would have this kind of
discussion.
A group named Action Otsego
(actionotsego@gmail.com) can offer
background information on the pertinent
issues and to help arrange information
sessions similar to the one
heard most recently by our county
board.
Paddy Lane
Pittsfield
We’re not wired
to text and drive
How can we do two things at the
same time, that is, drive and text message?
A closer look at how we see _ our
vision _ will give us some insights.
Vision is uniquely divided into two
independent systems, guidance (peripheral)
vision and focal (foveal) vision.
Each goes to a different brain structure
enabling us to do two things simultaneously,
for example, walk and
read at the same time. Guidance vision
is responsible for “where we are going”
and keeping us on our path. Focal
vision enables us to identify “what we
are looking at.”
When we drive, these two systems
work together. If we look down for a
few seconds, guidance vision keeps us
on the road.
Since our guidance vision is so adept
at keeping us on the road, we develop
a false sense of confidence that
we are capable of doing something
else, such as text messaging.
If a vehicle or pedestrian is in the
line of travel, the “what is ahead” vision
isn’t available, and we will not
detect an obstacle ahead in a timely
fashion.
How many close calls have we had
when we were distracted and looked
elsewhere only to realize the vehicle
ahead has stopped?
Getting back to the example of
walking and reading, if we fail to see
an obstacle ahead as we are too busy
reading, we will mostly suffer from embarrassment
as we unexpectedly walk
into that obstacle. In a moving vehicle,
failure to heed what’s ahead can lead
to very tragic consequences.
Rule of thumb: Guidance and focal
vision must be allowed to contribute
their unique abilities simultaneously
so that we can safely reach our destination.
Dr. Lawrence T. Guzy
Oneonta
Guzy is a Distinguished Teaching Professor
in the department of psychology
at State University College at Oneonta.
Blame terrorists,
not former leaders
In the June 17 Letters to the Editor,
Walter Wouk presented the claim that
after World War II. Japanese soldiers
were executed for waterboarding. I am
curious if this claim can be backed up
as a stand-alone fact, or if it is simply
more left-wing spin mastering. Is it
sort of like saying Jeffrey Dahmer was
imprisoned because he was gay, or
that Ted Bundy was executed because
of his infidelity and because he was a
serial cad.
To give Nancy Pelosi and other liberal
icons a pass, and place any and
all blame on President Bush and Vice
President Cheney is the height of partisan
cowardice.
If you believe that waterboarding is
an offense that requires incarceration,
you have to lobby for the incarceration
of all who sanctioned it _ from Bush
to Pelosi, from Dick to Hillary. Anyone
who signed off on it is guilty _ you
can’t pick and choose only those you
want to be mad at.
Those who oppose “enhanced interrogation”
rail that if we do not uphold
the Geneva Conventions, how can expect
our enemies to do the same with
American detainees?
Does the name Daniel Pearl mean
anything? How about Nick Berg? Eugene
Armstrong? Jack Hensley? As a
terrorist organization fighting a shadow
war, al-Qaida is a walking violation
of the Geneva Conventions.
How about a little condemnation of
THEM for a change?
James FitzGerald
Sidney Center
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