Telling Secrets To A Machine

January 31, 2026

I know people who are using ChatGPT as their personal therapist, and they always seem amazed by the quality of Chat’s answers. I’m guessing a great percentage of the questions posed to Chat go something like this: “This guy I like never called me back, and so I texted him, and he wrote a flat answer back with no emojis, and so I tried to call him like two days later, and he never picked up and never called back, and I don’t know what to do. Do you think he likes me?” And Chat will answer with something like this: “No.” Chat is definitely not the “Girl, give him ...

Memorable Tales Of Lorna Doone

January 31, 2026

Lorna Doone is a historical romance novel that was written by R.D. Blackmore, and was first published in 1869. To be perfectly honest, that’s about all I really know about it. I do have, however, some very fond memories of a different Lorna Doone, and its place in my past, and present. Back in the days of growing up at 92 Bowen St. in Jamestown, Saturday mornings were planned out for us, before we could plan anything else. On some Saturdays, my brother Lou and I had Altar Server (Knights of the Altar) meetings at St. James Church, and after coming home we each found a note from mom ...

Brady Is An Excellent Choice

January 30, 2026

ORCHARD PARK—Let’s pick up where we left off last week. To be sure, dismissing a nine-year, grade-A head coach because one wants to do even better has its risks. On Jan. 21, Buffalo Bills’ owner Terry Pegula acknowledged as much. The Bills’ most important task this off season is to make this decision work. The team took the first step in that direction on Jan. 27 by promoting its offensive coordinator to head coach. * * * Joe Brady, a Hollywood, Fla., native, grew up in Pembroke Pines, Fla.; spent his undergraduate years at the College of William & Mary, where he was ...

A Life In Linen

January 24, 2026

As a hobby, from time to time, I visit estate sales looking for fine linen to resell. While all the other bargain hunters are in deceased women’s closets looking for designer bags and clothes, I’m happily alone in the linen closet, looking at napkins and tablecloths. Florida is a wonderland for estate sales. The wealthy retire here, and they bring all their stuff with them. They have curio cabinets full of Lladre figurines and Baccarat crystal, closets bursting with designer clothes, and new purses stiff with intention. A long life of consumerism often ends with a line of people ...

The All-Time Best Lullaby, if Needed

January 24, 2026

As infants, when our parents tried to get us to fall asleep at naptimes, and bedtimes, we were usually serenaded with the popular Braham’s Lullaby, which has probably put more children to sleep as bad movies or Thanksgiving turkey and wine has done for adults. It was popular because it was soft, sweet, and had a nice rocking rhythm, to sway, a small child back and forth in one’s arms. Most infant wind-up mobiles attached to cribs and/or playpens play Braham’s Lullaby to soothe and calm children, eventually lulling babies to sleep, giving parents, or sitters a few minutes to take ...

Facing Challenges Of Local Government

January 24, 2026

We tend to forget that it takes dedicated people to run our local government institutions. One of my earliest memories of politics was observing my Dad’s duties as Supervisor of the Town of Kiantone. It was not a job that he really wanted—he was plenty busy running the farm—but the Republican Committee asked him to run for the position, so he did. After a couple of terms, a neighboring dairy farmer, a Democrat, Frank Bratt, decided to run for the job. My Dad’s reaction was: “Well, if he wins, he will do a good job.” Bratt did win, and I remember my father saying shortly ...