I was extremely impressed with Elaine Weintraub’s results from her high school classes voting during our last election. The young women’s concerns and interests were so different from those of her young male students! It brought to mind my own experience in the 1980s while taking courses in Denmark. Apparently in Scandinavia, women must be represented in their parliaments by their percentage in the general population, 52 per cent.

A week ago I made a wager and lost. I bet an acquaintance that Mitt Romney would win the election. It reminded me of a story I read a long time ago.

A woman, waiting in the hallway, approached Benjamin Franklin as he emerged from a meeting of the cabinet. She inquired, “Well, what do I have sir?” He replied, “Madam, you have a Republic, if you can hold onto it.”

Sadly, as a World War II veteran, I feel that I lost something much more valuable than a mere bet!

After visiting my wife’s childhood home at Rockaway Beach last week in Queens, and seeing how devastated that seaside community was, I was grateful we were spared Sandy’s full fury here on the Island. Of course, there was some damage and major erosion. But I see a silver lining here. All my summer buddies have been asking me if Lucy Vincent was really ruined, as portrayed in the media and conversation.

A message to the 75 per cent who voted against the roundabout and others of this community.

The construction you see happening at this writing is not part of the roundabout. It is only a pump installation by the Oak Bluffs water department.

This is a minor construction preview of what we can expect for up to three years if the roundabout project proceeds. Think of all the signage and nighttime lighting! How very rural Vineyard.

Thank you, Islanders and visitors alike, who shared both time and inclination to honor Pat Sayre at Saturday’s Grace Church Memorial Service, filling our memories as well as the place of worship to overflowing.

I voted for Mitt Romney because I thought he did a solid job as governor of Massachusetts and because his skills as a manager of complex things struck me as being sterling (to borrow a word used by Bill Clinton earlier this year when asked to describe Romney’s resume).