Thumbs up to a truly gentle giant, Bill Goldberg, a retired professional wrestler and WWE star. When on his way to Chautauqua County for an appearance at Merritt Estate Winery, Goldberg had a chance encounter at the airport in Charlotte, N.C., with 3-year-old Bradley Bates of Forestville and his family. Bradley was severely burned in early August when he fell into a fire pit, and faces a long recovery. Goldberg has committed himself to rounding up support for the Bates family, saying, ''In a world where everyone is worried about themselves, we need to sit back, take a deep breath and figure out what is important in life."
Just so.
Thumbs up to you for considering adopting the cute and super sweet little ''Yogi," a beagle and pug mix waiting for a forever home at the Strunk Road Adoption Center. Yogi is described as a wonderfully humble little boy who walks well on a leash, likes to go for car rides and is a cuddle bug. This 5-year-old is not much of a barker and simply likes everyone. Thanks to a Chautauqua Region Community Foundation grant, Yogi's adoption fee is reduced. Chautauqua County Humane Society's center on Strunk Road, Jamestown, is open noon to 4 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays. It is closed Sundays and Thursdays.
By the celestial calendar, autumn begins a week from today. And as you know, some trees are not only showing color, they have already started dropping leaves in earnest.
Thumbs down, then, to the news from Cornell University's Karl Niklas, a plant science professor, who predicts the dry summer will result in a less colorful autumn in parts of upstate New York.
But The Associated Press also reports that George Hudler, a plant pathologist, says the early shedding of leaves is a defensive mechanism when trees sense they do not have enough water.
So, well, thumbs up to Mother Nature for creating a way for her charges to survive overly dry seasons.