KingstonObserver.com: Columnists

Books by Nancy: April 2008

Sat, 18 Apr 2008 14:31:00 GMT

Hari, now living in Maryland, recently served as translator for courageous journalists like Ann Curry and Nicholas Kristof and others both here and abroad when they investigated the genocide of the indigenous peoples of Darfur in Sudan. He was imprisoned and tortured for his work after immigration violations brought him to the attention of the authorities.

Maple Moon

Fri, 17 Apr 2008 04:50:00 GMT

I wrote last month’s column long before that terrible car accident. I couldn’t know that it would appear in print at the same time as the accident. My heart goes out to all the families involved. I only mentioned driving and accidents because so many people are hurt on the roads, especially young people. I hoped my comments might make a difference to the way a driver thinks.

Playing Hide & Seek with Myself

Fri, 17 Apr 2008 04:35:00 GMT

I think I’m beginning to acknowledge the fact that I’m getting older. Now mind you, I still think young, but there are reminders out there that no matter how I think, old age is creeping in. There are times I head out of the office and drive up the hill heading North. Halfway up I start wondering where is it I’m heading? I figure that if I just keep driving I’ll spot something that will trigger my memory; most of the time it works and it’s either Sovereign Bank or Stop & Shop that is my destination.
Now, I can’t tell you how many times I can’t find my car in the S & S parking lot. I just become just another person going up and down the rows with my shopping cart in tow. I become convinced that the car has been stolen, when, there it is, parked nowhere near where I swear I put it.

The Weekend Warrior

Fri, 17 Apr 2008 04:32:00 GMT

Back in the early 70s, for reasons which will forever remain a mystery, I became nostalgic for military service and almost on a whim I decided to join the active Army Reserve and become a Weekend Warrior.

Books by Nancy: March 2008

Tue, 10 Mar 2008 04:28:00 GMT

Buchanan takes on George Bush and the neo-conservatives whose ideology it is to bomb recalcitrant countries into democracy, or perhaps more accurately, capitalism, whether they want it or not. Buchanan’s position is ‘America first’, and given the decline of the American economy in the past eight years, it’s hard to disagree with him even if you’re a liberal democrat, and I am.

Getting the most out of the moment...

Fri, 06 Mar 2008 19:04:00 GMT

Sometimes it seems like my wife and I take turns driving each other nuts. We have vastly divergent philosophies; she worries about everything and I worry about almost nothing. I tell here it's an ideal situation because between the two of us we have just the right amount of anxiety.

On the Road Again

Wed, 04 Mar 2008 13:28:00 GMT

If you take exit 13 off the north bound lane of Route 3, you see a large, dead white pine on the far side of the exit. Look to the top, and quite often, you will see a red tailed hawk sitting in that tree. Recently, I saw three of them, one in the tree, and two circling above the highway.

Forward through the ages...

Wed, 04 Mar 2008 13:25:00 GMT

When I turned 66 two days after Christmas it was no big deal. Men can deal with things like getting older. I feel pretty good, I can lose those extra pounds whenever I want and with a few prescription drugs life is not so bad. The fact that I have a paunch doesn’t bother me, baldness doesn’t keep me awake at night, the wrinkles could be worse, the varicose veins don’t show and my blood work is usually pretty good. The gist of it all is that being old doesn’t bother me. Actually, there are benefits; if you forget a name, or are late for an appointment, you can blame it on old age. The Dunkin’ Donut senior discount is available seven days a week and people very often give up their seats in deference to your age.

There’s no accounting for opportunity...

Wed, 04 Mar 2008 13:19:00 GMT

The potential retirement of John LaBrache as Town Treasurer has set a chain of events in motion leading to the possible inclusion by the Board of Selectmen of an additional article (or perhaps several) for the Special Town Meeting warrant. Presently, selectmen are evaluating whether to ask voters if they approve of changing the Treasurer’s position from elected (which it currently is) to appointed (which it currently is not).