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The Exciting World View From The Cockpit

Those were the days. Before the savagery and idiocy of 9/11, the aviation world was calmer. More relaxed. Nicer. And w-a-a-a-a-y before, when I flew as a stewardess in the ‘60s, and ‘70s, the atmosphere allowed for lots of wonderful experiences. Every flight has a designated lead flight attendant. In those days we were all women. We bid for specific positions on trips – each position has slightly different job responsibilities. I enjoyed bidding for the #1 position for a few different reasons. In my early flying days, I was airsick. A lot. I didn’t mind working the ...

Speaking Truth To Power

This year, our President, Donald Trump, decided to go to Davos, Switzerland for the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum. While there he gave his usual, off-the-cuff grievance speech about how Europe and most of the rest of the world was falling behind, and how, under his leadership, America was the best of all nations and was charging ahead. There were some lines in his speech that people laughed at, but, in general, President Trump gave his usual meandering political stump speech, the kind that he typically performs at the rallies he has for his base in this ...

Federal Actions Can’t Be Condoned

You cannot consider yourself an informed citizen and condone what this administration is allowing ICE to do in our communities. You cannot rationalize targeting states with immigrant numbers in the low 500,000’s such as Minnesota while ignoring states such as Texas with numbers over 6 million. This is the result of a president whose only “vision” is vengeance, cruelty, and greed. He is the only president in our history that has put the United States on the Human Rights Watch List. The Homeland Security funding bill is attempting to maintain ICE’s annual budget of ...

Majority Leader: Review Needed For Affordability Proposals

During the January 28, 2026 meeting of the Chautauqua County Legislature, two resolutions; Resolution 18‑26 (the “Affordability Act of 2026”) and Resolution 19‑26 (Amend Senior Real Property Tax Exemption) were brought directly to the floor without having gone through the Legislature’s required committee process. Because neither item was submitted through the proper channels and neither qualified as an emergency resolution, the Legislature appropriately voted to refer both resolutions to committee. This action was not a rejection of affordability measures nor senior tax ...

Trump Derangement Syndrome Is Severe

Here we are at the first anniversary of the Trump presidency. Or the fifth, depending on how you count. * * * Many things are striking about it. One of them is the number of his opponents with Trump Derangement Syndrome. Another is the severity of their Trump Derangement Syndrome. Is derangement a new malady among opponents of presidents standing athwart the statist agenda? No, of course not. Yet Trump Derangement Syndrome is different in both the number of his opponents who have it and in its severity. So what’s up? If those with Trump Derangement Syndrome are ...

Having A Sweet Tooth During A Blizzard

By Marcy O’Brien Running out of Werther’s hard caramels doesn’t qualify as an earth-shattering crisis. Unless the only hard candy left in the house are the candy canes hanging on the Christmas tree. And they of course contain sugar. I’m supposed to limit my sugar intake. Werther’s, a German company, has been making their butterscotch-flavored morsel since 1909. They sell their candies in 100 countries. Here in the States, the candy has developed a reputation as a senior citizen favorite. Last Christmas, my grandson, Malcolm, said my candy dish was full of “old lady ...