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Ukraine invasion a waste of humanity

CHAUTAUQUA—Sometimes worship services are striking in ways that go unspoken. So it was with the Aug. 10 sacred-song service at Chautauqua Institution. The service focused on “the family of Abraham,” and thus on the religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—tracing their roots to Abraham and Sarah. Taking part in the service were three young people: One Jew, one Christian, and one Muslim, each a participant in an interfaith program at the institution. Let your imagination run regarding what went unspoken: Had these three young people been born in another place, been ...

Rounding Third: Lifelong blessings from early career

Barbara, my friend of 60 years, came to visit over the weekend. We keep in touch occasionally, but it was time to catch up on our lives and our families. We always fall easily into fond memories, laughter, and enjoyment. We met through her brother, John, a TWA captain who lived next door to me in the Big Apple back in the 60s. After college, Barbara also joined TWA as a tall, willowy flight hostess. She even met her husband at my wedding 58 years ago. Although I knew we would chitchat non-stop, I couldn’t allow her visit to pass without meeting Alice, a lovely local friend. ...

‘Empire’ strikes in upstate issues

Upstate struggles from It is said that New York is called the Empire State because of its historical significance, economic power, and cultural influence, particularly during the late 18th and 19th centuries.  The name is also attributed to a George Washington 1785 letter in which he referred to New York as “the Seat of the Empire”. I suppose that New York state was once the seat of the American empire, but the glories of the 18th and 19th centuries are nothing more than the glories of a past age and I suspect that if President Washington was afforded the opportunity to visit ...

Be wary of BESS solicitation

Gov. Kathy Hochul plans to issue more incentives for building lithium Ion Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) throughout New York State. (“Hochul Announces Bulk Energy Storage Solicitation,” July 29). There was no mention of the real costs and dangers BESS sites will pose to our rural communities. Several New York towns recognize the danger of thermal runaway BESS fires and have passed laws prohibiting the installation of Battery Energy Storage Systems in their towns. These towns include Amsterdam in Montgomery County, Duanesburg and Princetown in Schenectady County, Rush, in ...

Why neatness matters

While growing up on the farm, my father always stressed the importance of neatness in the way things were done. He didn’t make a lot of money in dairy farming, but he also never spared spending when it came to keeping the barn painted, maintaining the farm equipment, or mowing the lawn. To him spartan living did not mean slovenly living. It was important to keep things cleaned up, and to do the best with what you had. That has always stuck with me, and I give a “lot of points” to people and organizations who keep things neat and clean. In that vein, for example, I was pleased ...

Textbooks often reveal inconsistencies

“At the present time there exist upon the earth five races… each very different from the other. The first is the Ethiopian or Negro type originating in Africa and finally . .. the highest type of all, the Caucasians, represented by the civilized white inhabitants of Europe and America.” This brazen racist quote contradicted the biblical teaching of humanity originating from one set of parents, Adam and Eve. The anti-biblical quote came from the public school biology textbook at the center of a firestorm which resulted in a historic court case known as the Scopes or Monkey Trial in ...