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Something To Know About Trees

Local Commentaries

By Margot Russell Next time you are walking through a swath of trees, whether on a trail near Westfield or in the shady confines of your backyard, I want you to picture this: that the trees all live in their own small village, with rambunctious saplings playing the role of the village youngsters, the elder trees playing the stately kings and their court, and the newly established trees the princes waiting for their elders to fall so they can take their rightful place in the sunshine. And don’t believe for a second that the trees are inanimate and idol. There are dramas being played ...

Ah, The Luck Of The Irish

Local Commentaries

There are many celebrations of holidays where we gather with friends and party with strangers, depending on where we might be, that might involve special dress, special colors, special greetings, songs, and/or traditions. Themes are very important in the celebrations of these days. Some come with a day off from work or school, some become a little more excitable (rowdy?), but celebrating them makes for a very enjoyable time. This coming Tuesday, March 17, is one of those days. It’s the yearly celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, where we see many shamrocks, green clothes, festive ...

How Is Housing Homeless In Hotels Not On State’s Radar Already?

In Our Opinion

Only in New York state is coming up with an acceptable letter to send to state officials about an unacceptable situation considered progress. But that’s the situation we’re in when it comes to housing the homeless in hotels. Sen. George Borrello and Assemblyman Andrew Molitor put together a roundtable discussion with about 20 local elected officials, police officials and county officials to discuss alternatives to housing the homeless in hotels like the Quality Inn in Falconer or the Comfort Inn in Ellicott on the outskirts of Jamestown. Borrello said during the meeting he ...

Mother Nature Interferes With Warfare

Local Commentaries

Sometimes we think that, as humans, with all of our technology, we can conquer anything. It just takes a hurricane or a flood to remind us of who really is in charge. The same is true in warfare. You can have all of the fancy software and technology in the world—but war still takes place over real terrain in real places. I was thinking of this recently when the war news came out that some 200 oil tankers were trapped, stuck in the Persian Gulf because of the closing of the Strait of Hormuz. Through that strait runs 20% of the world’s oil, so with its closing, oil prices jumped ...

The Long Game In Iran

Local Commentaries

The choice of Mojtaba Khamenei to replace his father shows that the Islamic Republic of Iran plans to dig in and prolong the war as long as possible with the goal of inflicting maximum damage on the economies of the U.S. and our allies. This seems like an illogical approach unless you understand The people of Iran and the Islamic Republic of Iran regime are two different things. A regime that routinely detains, tortures, and kills its own citizens doesn’t care if innocent Iranians die in US-Israeli airstrikes. In fact, civilian deaths may galvanize more support for the regime. ...

Texas Candidate Walks A Tightrope

Local Commentaries

I’ve always been vigilant about the separation of church and state and wary of political figures who tout their faith. But I’m intrigued and encouraged by James Talarico’s candidacy for Senate. Why? Because Talarico is that rare Democrat who, as a Presbyterian seminarian, is well versed in Christianity. Moreover, he doesn’t shy away from talking about his faith in the political arena. Instead, he has the wisdom to channel his spiritual convictions into persuasive, secular rhetoric, instead of holier-then-thou talking points. For far too long—at least since 1954 when ...