More than 30 years ago, when Dan Karnovsky was the age Nick Karnovsky is now, Arthur Railton ran the committee boat and the Menemsha Pond races. He was extremely knowledgeable about all things nautical, and appeared rather strict and even stern. We all called him Mr. Railton, and I continued to do so until it seemed ridiculous to deny our evolving friendship. Appearances concealed a much softer if salty side, and his wit was revealed in person and in his weekly articles for the Gazette.

Back to School Basics

One girl was buying more pencil sharpeners than she could hold in one hand at EduComp on Wednesday, the day before school. Her father asked, “Do you really need six or seven?” “Well, Dad . . .”

What student can be sure what she needs at school? Something cool to wear, or better, some certainty about what is cool. A kind classmate. Snacks. Maybe seven pencil sharpeners.

Gone Fishing

With the anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy upon us, bringing back to life the incredible suffering it caused and the remarkable service our nation’s police and firefighters provided, I am prompted to share some thoughts. A recent news article about Jim Vercruysse, who’s taking over as chief of the Aquinnah volunteer fire department from Walter Delaney, struck a very deep emotional chord in me. It’s a vivid reminder of firefighters and the sacrifices they are willing to make for our well-being, and a reminder of those my father and grandfather made in particular.

In my eighth decade of life, it is astound ing to read and hear day by day that, with the exception of Jon Huntsman, the entire field of self-proclaimed Republican candidates for President in 2012, led by Rick Perry and Michelle Bachmann, do not accept evolution as a natural biological mechanism. Neither do they recognize manmade global climate change as real, which is arguably far more important. One has cause to wonder when they will deny the existence of gravity, electromagnetism, the spherical shape of the planet, or the heliocentric structure of the solar system.