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One Person Can Make A Difference

In 1971, the Art Metal plant in Ashville closed. What was to be done with it? There were not many companies interested in taking over a 1 million square foot manufacturing facility in Upstate New York. The county had taken over the responsibility for the building through its Industrial Development Agency (IDA,) but for three years this shell of a huge manufacturing facility remained empty. Then, one day, a faraway company from the State of Indiana called and expressed interest in taking a look at it. On the day that a person from Cummins Engine came to take a look at the plant, a ...

Quality Of Life Choices

When speaking about an optimal “quality of life,” different people can have very dissimilar definitions. It usually depends on each person’s individual preferences. These days, we often hear people rave about how perfect they think life is in Middle America. They tend to romanticize the lifestyle they envision there. Most are generally referring to a less complicated, stable, happy life lived in a safe, small town. They imagine a place where they can live quietly in a spacious, clean, and healthy setting alongside kind, helpful, and cooperative neighbors who all share their ...

Let Ukraine Be Ukraine

On December 1, 1991, the people of Ukraine voted overwhelmingly 92% to 8% to be an independent country, no longer a part of the Soviet Union (which soon dissolved on December 26, 1991). From December 2, 1991, onwards countries around the world recognized Ukraine as an independent state. For over 30 years the world recognized Ukraine (which had been the second largest Republic in the USSR) as an independent and sovereign nation before Russian President Putin’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Putin alleged that Ukraine, in fact, was not a nation but an historic possession ...

Parishioners Work With Holy Spirit

JAMESTOWN—Oh, Happy Day. Or maybe we can—under these special circumstances—take the liberty of putting that another way: “Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum.” Those are the words—“I announce to you a great joy”—with which a cardinal standing on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City heralds the election of a new pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Such words also apply to the Dec. 6 announcement that Jamestown’s Holy Apostles parish—which includes Saint John Roman Catholic Church and Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church—will not merge into ...

Tax The Rich And Make America Great Again

Zorhan Mamdani proclaims to be a Democratic Socialist. What exactly does that mean? Well, as mayor he wants to provide taxpayer-supported public transit, so people can get around. He wants to provide publicly funded child care, so parents can get to work. He wants to provide public grocery stores, so people can eat. He wants to promote affordable housing, so people have a decent place to live. In short, he wants the government to respond to the needs of the people. My god, he’s terrible! We, the citizens of Jamestown know first hand, the value of public services that put the ...

Facing The Reality Of AI

Though I don’t completely understand it, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is here to stay. It is the latest permutation in our high-tech world and has taken over the stock market, if not our lives themselves. In a way, AI sort of crept on me. I didn’t think much about it when I began to ask “Siri” to dial a phone number or asked “Alexa” to play Johnny Cash on the radio. But, the development of voice recognition technology should have alerted me to the fact that AI was coming. Now, you can ask your computer or smart phone almost anything and it will get back to you in a ...