Compressor project should be scrapped
On Oct. 13, the Montgomery County Legislature voted to further study the natural gas compressor project in Minden.
This body was entirely correct in calling for further review. Previously, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission had let this project pass with no detailed environmental impact studies.
As a citizen of New York state and inhabitant of this area, I am very concerned about the impact the Dominion Compressor project will have on this or any region. The potential for permanent damage is high. Additionally, it does not even benefit New York at all — the gas pipeline just heads up to Canada.
It must be said that the safest course is to scrap this project. It does nothing positive for us, yet it would have possible long-lasting negative effects. This project should not be allowed to continue.
Christopher Krug
Danube
Foundation boosting Schenectady schools
“Drumming Up Support,” which appeared in the Oct. 29 edition of The Daily Gazette, was a fascinating article on the hard work and creativity of teachers in the Schenectady City School District. They are using DonorsChoose.org as a tool to raise funds to purchase materials and equipment that enhance learning for their students. They are to be commended for their efforts.
I am writing to let the public know that the citizens of Schenectady have created and supported another vital tool that Schenectady City School District teachers use to help their students learn more effectively.
The Schenectady City School District Educational Foundation (SCSDEF) has been giving grants to teachers in the district since 2005. Since then, 180 teachers have received grants totaling over $130,000. The foundation has funded over $30,000 in project requests by teachers during each of the last two years.
These grants have allowed teachers to take students on field trips and bring in guest performers. Students have had access to new musical instruments and been able to meet with favorite authors. They have learned with Kindles and iPads, used biology kits, read books in classroom literacy centers, worked out with physical education equipment and had access to research materials in classrooms and libraries.
Students participated in Girls on the Run, band programs and drama productions. The foundation also funded the creation of a greenhouse, engagement in robotics, and weather stations. Thanks to the generosity of the people of Schenectady this year, the SCSDEF will be awarding over $30,000 in grants.
Anyone who wishes to learn more about the past grant recipients, the SCSDEF annual Education Celebration and the other activities of the Schenectady City School District Educational Foundation should check out its website, www.scsdeducationfoundation.org.
William J. Schultz
Schenectady
The writer is president of the SCSDEF.
Actions make writer regret Hillary support
In the 2008 election, I worked feverishly making phone calls, reading my script and deviating when necessary to secure funds and votes for Hillary Clinton. You can imagine my deep disappointment when she lost to Barack Obama.
Fast forward to 2015. I have been watching Hillary in her role as secretary of state, growing more disappointed with her as time has gone by. She was the one who persuaded Obama to topple Moammar Gadhafi, leaving a vacuum (bad judgment). She then was derelict in her duty to monitor the situation as it quickly deteriorated.
The British closed their consulate in Benghazi after their ambassador’s convoy was hit by a grenade in 2012. She not only did not close ours, but paid no attention when her hand-picked diplomat, Stevens, made countless requests for more security. In fact, she, herself, had almost no communication with him and he had no way to communicate directly with her. He did not have her number.
During the recent Benghazi hearings, Clinton testified that they did actually give Stevens five security personnel and that there is, after all, a budget.
I have since learned something about the 2012 State Department budget. It included $100,000 to send three comedians to India to make chi, not war; $650,000 for Facebook ads; $700,000 for landscaping at the Brussels embassy; $108,000 for an electric charging station for the new Chevy Volts in the Vienna embassy; and $5 million for green programs in the State Department’s Energy Efficiency Sweep of Europe.
Marine security guards were provided to embassies at the request of the secretary of state. There were none at Benghazi or in Libya at the time of the attack. The next day, after the Benghazi attack, 50 Marines were deployed to Benghazi, (too late) and the Marines since have begun training an additional 1,000 troops to be sent to embassies that are in danger.
So you see, it’s not just Hillary’s documented lies about the video that’s disturbing, it’s the colossal lack of good judgment she has shown. And back in 2008, I showed bad judgement, as well, when I supported her. Today, I could not support her for any position requiring good judgment.
Corinne Cazer
Niskayuna
There’s a better way to educate our kids
The Common Core standards were introduced in the state of New York while I was still a student at Niskayuna High School. In my personal experience, the increase in testing did not advance my learning in any way. I believe that instead of planning curriculum based around students performing well on exams, we need to move toward an experiential curriculum of environmental education.
Environmental education works to increase knowledge on environmental problems through engaging students in real-life, local issues. Rather than looking for a wrong or right answer, as we often do with test-based curriculums, environmental education acknowledges that real-life problems are not so easily defined and resolved.
For instance, by studying a local watershed, students can learn geography, ecology of the marine community, how humans impact this ecosystem and possible solutions for those impacts.
In fact, research has shown that students learning an environmental education curriculum perform better on tests than those sitting in the classroom. Environmental education improves students’ understanding in not only science, but also in math, reading and social studies because all these subjects are interconnected through environmental examples.
New York state standardized testing, however, emphasizes separating teaching each subject individually. By shifting toward a curriculum that encompasses the ideas of environmental education, we could revolutionize public education in New York state.
Christina Battiste
Saratoga Springs
Guest columns
The Gazette invites readers who possess expertise on a subject to submit guest columns on current issues.
Column submissions should be 500-650 words. (Guest columns are not a away to get around the word limit for letters to the editor.)
Columns may be edited for space, accuracy and libel, and publication is at the editor’s discretion.
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Categories: Letters to the Editor
