Breaking News

Opinion

Tech advances not moral progress

Commentary

A threat lurks in our world. It is bigger than our culture. It is bigger than our economy, but will include them both. From the beginning, humans have used technology to replace us: human labor cut short by a machine that did the job. It was convenient. It was economical. By this means, humans created civilization, but we have never been in control of this process, and it was an illusion that humans ever were. Technology is a thing that happens to us. The machine will use us up, and we will expend bodies and resources. So long as the progress continues, no cost will appear too high. ...

Comments keep village accountable

Commentary

The OBSERVER that at the last Fredonia Board of Trustees workshop session this past Wednesday (May 20) that the Mayor and Trustee Esperson intend to impose as soon as possible a suspension of the public comment period at Village Board meetings. The allegation made by the mayor was Fredonia citizens were threatening the mayor and board members. Not true. I observe or attend most Village Board meetings and this allegation of threats or harm to Village officials are not true. There is nothing that has happened at Village Board meetings to justify the claim it’s unsafe to the ...

President Trump’s trip to China

Commentary

We have had a year of confrontations under Donald Trump — the humiliation of the President of Ukraine in the Oval Office, the put-down of the Prime Minister of Canada, threats against our ally Denmark to take over Greenland...I could go on. Thus, it was with a sigh of relief that we watched the unfolding of the President’s recent visit to China. The White House played down having any great expectations about issues like access to rare earth metals, tariff relief, the status of Taiwan, and even of the Iran War—and there were no major breakthroughs announced on these ...

People’s column

Peoples column

Art teacher was ‘influential’ Editor, OBSERVER I read the article that was published 5/14 to honor Gary Worosz and Michele Dolce from Forestville Elementary. I had Mr. Worosz in second grade, and Mrs. Dolce as a fifth grade teacher. Although I had a lovely experience with Mr. Worosz, and he deserves recognition for his outstanding teaching career. I would like to add that Kristin Britz is by far the most influential person mentioned in that article without any recognition. She was my elementary art teacher and in my senior year of high school, Mrs. Beth Runkel had retired ...

The OBSERVER’s View: Electric bus decision a start for state

The OBSERVER’s View

A five-year delay in the state’s electric school bus mandate is a reasonable compromise in the state budget. The electric bus mandate was always far too optimistic that technology would be ready quickly. Early adopters of electric buses have found the technology isn’t ready for New York’s winters. And, in a state where Gov. Kathy Hochul has proposed relatively flat state aid for many smaller districts, the cost of bonding for electric school buses was going to be more than most districts’ taxpayers were going to be willing to spend for technology that couldn’t yet handle ...

Making the right karate connection

Commentary

I grew up watching Bruce Lee movies and Kung Fu the television series starring David Carradine. I was fascinated with the martial arts. No way my parents were going to let me study karate. When I was a senior in high school I signed up for evening karate classes at Fredonia State. They were inexpensive and taught by a SUNY student. Sensei Jim was a macho jerk but I wanted to learn karate so badly I would have taken affordable classes from anyone. Jim the sensei jerk said I had real potential but I sure didn’t like his attitude. He bragged about how he worked as a bouncer at a local ...