We made Time Magazine!

We made Time magazine -- the July 11th - July 18th edition.  Well, maybe not us personally, but our area of the country is featured -- substantially.  In my view - that counts.  It seems that Time decided to put out a "99% Politics Free" issue in response to readers begging desperately for a break from the political news front.  Nice to know that someone out there listens; isn't it?  So -- anyway -- the title of the issue is "240 Reasons to Celebrate America Right Now"  and guess what? Our section of this great country is featured in #191 and #192. #192 even has a photograph!

Just in case Time is sold out everywhere around here by the time this blog is posted... I offer a few details.  #191 focuses on the New York state side of Niagara Falls and their $70 million plan to replace part of a highway with hiking trails. And -- although the reporter/writer is, what I find to be unnecessarily snarky in describing Niagara Falls as a "shopworn honeymoon destination", he/she does end on a positive note. I have to wonder why no one is given credit for writing that copy....  Hmm....

#192, entitled "A place where learning is personal", by Nancy Gibbs, is about Chautauqua Institution (sort of). I say "sort of" because the author who penned this snippet writes about Chautauqua like someone who doesn't live in the area -- rather -- a summer visitor, passing through briefly, who researched the Chautauqua experience rather than felt it. I do give her credit for recognizing a good thing when she sees it. Further -- I have to say that although the writer's references to Teddy Roosevelt are a bit too researched -- and thus seem a bit of a filler, she does manage to capture some of what Chautauqua is... a teeny bit...maybe.

If you read the essay at the end of this issue, written by Joel Stein, you may find him to confirm what I said earlier about the snarky element of this edition, but then -- you know what?  We do have a lot to celebrate in this wonderful country of ours and if Joel Stein thinks a break from politics is not a good thing, and if Ben Goldberger, the editor of this issue, had a hard time coming up with 240 reasons to celebrate -- too bad for them.