As FDR said in his first inaugural address in 1933, when the country was in the midst of a horrendous depression: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” More recently, Governor Cuomo said the current situation is not in itself so horrific. It is fear that can lead to hoarding of food and other socially harmful behaviors.
In what may be the last Gardiner town meeting for a while that the public was able to attend live and in person, the Town Board voted unanimously on March 10 to adopt a local law to establish a Community Choice Aggregation program.
Here’s one happy truth that may help us all: Being on “lockdown” when the adversary is a microorganism that inhabits human hosts does not necessarily mean staying indoors all the time. We can take walks, so long as we stay more than six feet away from other people and avoid touching surfaces that get touched a lot. We can celebrate the upcoming Vernal Equinox, Arbor Day and Earth Day by hugging a tree; it won’t get sick.
“In the case of coronavirus, which we’re all experiencing very intensely right now, scientists had been warning that certain species were more likely to harbor viruses that could jump to humans, and some of those species were being housed in optimal conditions for such jumps to occur.”
In the “current affairs” department, no other topic could be explored on this page right now. You wouldn’t think “germs” and “astronomy” would ever share the same headline or news story, but it has happened three times.
Rather than cite classics that I turn to again and again, I’m going to browse through my nine years of Almanac Weekly reviews and offer digested-down descriptions of some movies that lifted my spirits. Maybe they’ll perk you up as well.
When I was asked to compile a topical piece on the best songs about isolation, solitude and quarantine, I took it to the people, and the people responded in spades.
As of today, the most dangerous danger of these extraordinary times is itself born in intimacy and connection, and the thing we are called to sacrifice is the very thing we first turn to in times of crisis: each other, love, communion, hugs, the good free stuff. When I make my list of what groups of people I most feel for during the pandemic, rating a solid third or fourth (below those most susceptible to disease and financial devastation) are those in love.
New Paltz High School seniors want to walk the stage on their own turf, Jacob Patel told members of the New Paltz School Board last week.
New Paltz school Board trustees and members of the public got a broad-brush look at the budget proposed for the 2019-20 school year at their March 4 meeting. Coming in at $62,255,505, it’s a 2.54% increase over last year, which would result in a 2.84% hike to the tax levy itself due to a challenging state aid environment, which could well get bleaker if proposals in this year’s state budget get passed.
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