Take precaution, but don’t rush to judgment “Virologists will tell you that predicting how a new virus might evolve is a fool’s errand. Predicting that it will evolve is money in the bank.” – The Economist. Since the genome for Covid-19 was first sequenced in January 2020, there have been 5.6 million sequence variations added to the database. Obviously most variations do not make much difference, but a very few do so spectacularly. The Omicron variant is different than others…
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Columns - Page 100
Let’s verb again, like we did last Christmas By Ted Potrikus Do you remember the classic comic strip “Calvin and Hobbes”? It was my daily must-read back when it ran in newspapers; it remains a go-to in its various printed collections or online. My favorite among the strips finds Calvin telling Hobbes this: “I like to verb words.” He goes on: “I take nouns and adjectives and use them as verbs. Remember when ‘access’ was a thing? Now it’s something…
Bound Volumes 185 YEARS AGO Man is so constituted, that when he directs all his energies to a single employment, the products of his labor are far more abundant and excellent, than when he follows several employments. By confining both body and mind to a single operation, a degree of skill and dexterity in that operation is acquired, which could not be attained if the same, or even a much greater amount of labor had been bestowed on several direct…
Hometown History 110 Years Ago At about 8:30 o’clock last Thursday evening, while a double rig from the livery of Dr. Hamilton at Delhi was being driven from that village to Oneonta, the wagon was struck by a light engine at the Ulster & Delaware crossing between Sherman Lake and West Davenport. Both horses were killed and the wagon entirely demolished. All three occupants of the wagon, Emery Young of Calicoon, Henry Young of Scranton, and Carl Bartholomew of Delhi,…
Bound Volumes 210 YEARS AGO Advertisement – The co-partnership of Cory & Cook is, by mutual consent, this day dissolved. All persons indebted to said firm are requested to make immediate payment to said Cory, who will attend to said business at the store of Mssrs. Goodsell & Cook. They do not forget to offer their sincere thanks to all those who have been their good customers. O.L. Cory, Seth Cook, Cooperstown. November 30, 1811…
News from the Noteworthy: Prepare against holiday disappointment Deck the halls! Light the candles! Hang the lights! Prepare the feast! And then wait with excited anticipation of family and friends coming over to share the celebrations of the season. Whether you observe Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, or a blend of traditions, the hopes for joy and peace are high in the hearts of most. Then, for some of us, there are the thoughts of “that” guest or “that” situation everyone knows…
Poor “Carol of the Bells” By Ted Potrikus It’s a lovely melody, to be sure, one that indeed invokes the pleasures of the winter season. It’s easy pickings for advertisers, though, because it’s in the public domain. No one has to pay royalties for its use, so it’s fair game. And every year, there’s some honcho at an ad agency thinking he or she is the first one ever to shout out during a brainstorming session, “Hey! Let’s use ‘Carol…
Hope for the best, prepare for the worst In 24 months, we have learned many things about responding to a pandemic of a dangerous disease. Don’t ignore it. Take reasonable precautions to prevent the spread. 1918 is still relevant. Work on treatments and immunizations and use them when available. And more: Lessen our travel. Wear a mask if it’s transmitted by air. Avoid any behavior that promotes spread. Work hard to do all the above. Don’t panic. That won’t help.…
Life sketches by Terry Berkson: Too stuck up for Thanksgiving Several years ago, two friends from Richfield, Tiger Goodale and Rootie Marriot, came up the drive with what they thought was a good story for me to write. They had been in the Genesee, one of the local watering holes, when this guy came in and told how he or some other one-legged man — they didn’t make it clear — was up in a tree, building a stand for…
Bound Volumes 210 YEARS AGO Education – Mr. Bond offers his services to the inhabitants of Otsego Village to give Lessons in a new and fashionable style of Dancing. Mr. B. proposes to give his first Lesson on Friday Evening next, at Stephen Fitch’s Hall in said village, where he solicits the patronage of the Parents and Guardians of Young Masters and Misses who may wish to encourage this accomplishment. Satisfactory references will be given by applying to Mr. Isaac…
