I have said that I would start posting more of my poetry here in the past.  Well, I don’t really ever do it.  But I guess by posting this I am actually posting more.

Enjoy or not.

Women’s Rights

A Facebook friend of mine shared a link to a post on the Ms. Magazine blog called “10 Things That American Women Could Not Do Before the 1970s” by Natasha Turner.  The post was a real eye opener in and of itself when you consider the 70s weren’t that long ago.  Even in 21st century America, women still lag behind men in how they are compensated for the same work.  In a lot of parts of the rest of the world, women are still considered less then men.

I loved this comment from the Ms. Magazine blog post by Elizabeth Martin:

I am a woman. I am Canadian. I am also 62 years old with accumulated wisdom and knowledge which has been accrued gradually but not gently. I have watched the passage of time and the impeccably slow journey that women throughout the world have made in gaining any sense of the obligatory “equality” or “rights” so freely given to holders of penises. With much amazement I realize that the Women’s Movement from the 1970′s seems to have stopped somewhere in the cosmic sense of time, and that which I take for granted is not even recognized in many other parts of the world; and even in our neighbour to the south; the U.S.A. Young women of todays era must re-kindle their brains to continue the fight to the stage where “rights” are a given; no longer to be fought for. Sadly, internationally, the fight must go on.

That sums what still needs to be done.

Sergio Rodriguez Interview on Trending Buffalo

Brad Riter and Christopher Smith do excellent job here .

Listen to Audio:

Yesterday I posted about the Buffalo’s mayoral race.  One thing I believe is that Sergio Rodriguez could bring a new approach to the mayor’s role in managing the city and addressing problems long plaguing the Buffalo.  This interview gives you a glimpse at what he wants to do and what he is all about.

Part of Why I do what I do in Broadway-Fillmore

Re-posted from BFA…

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I made my my first confession at Saint John Kanty back in 1974.  I have countless family members who did the same over the last century…mother, cousins, brothers, aunts, uncles, etc.

It brought tears to my eyes to have my son Jonah do the same.

Saint John Kanty and the other heritage churches in the neighborhood are important.  They are living breathing links to Buffalo’s past. Someday, my son will tell his children about the history and the connection to his ancestors.  It is a unique shared Buffalo experience.

If you have a link to neighborhood and its history, embrace it.  Our ancestors need us to tell their stories and honor them by supporting places like Saint John Kanty.

Painting for Preservation

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One of the coolest preservation initiatives around is a little something called Painting for Preservation.  The whole concept surrounds artists, community members and preservationists showing up at site to bring attention to an area or building that should be preserved done in a flash mob way through art.

I have participated in a few “Art In” events for the effort.  It is really amazing to see the  different type of artists who show up and participate.  My photos above are from a series of properties on East Utica in Buffalo done at an “Art In” on 05/18.

You can read more about Painting for Preservation and the next “Art In” at the former Trico Plant at Washington and Tupper in Buffalo by clicking here—>

Here is a video with founders Sara Zak and Meagan Baco in 2011.

Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath is my favorite band ever…they are my Beatles.

I can’t wait for the album 13 coming out next month featuring OzzY on vocals.  It is the long overdue reunion album by most of the original members of Sabbath.

In waiting for the new album , I have been listening to a lot old Black Sabbath music featuring Ozzy.  This is “Johnny Blade” from their last album with the Oz man on vocals in 1978 Never Say Die.  Great song!

Capital Punishment

My only real knowledge of the Jodi Arias saga comes filtered through my Facebook news feed.  I know there are a lot of people who are all caught up in the trial…some even to a disturbing level.  Reading what people post or comment about the trial has given me a look at what people think about the death penalty in the United States.

Personally, I am against capital punishment.  My opinion here comes tainted with that.

What I have been amazed with are the number of people who want to see Jodi Arias die.  She has been found guilty of murder and should be punished.  But what does it say about our culture when we want people to die?  What does it also say about us that we want vengeance through killing another human? And what does it say about us when we are cheering to bring death to someone?

This is the cover photo from a Facebook page called Jodi Arias better get the Death Penalty.  There are others out there too.

What it tells me is that there are still a lot of people out there who have no problem with  the death penalty at all.  I found it surprising, but Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised at all.  This graphic is from a Pew research study from 2011.

While the graph shows a steady decline of support for the death penalty over the last 20 years, 62% of Americans are still for it. It backs up what I was seeing on Facebook. I also find interesting the ups and downs of support over the years.  It makes me wonder if the current downward trend has been spurred on by the rise of the number of people being cleared of crimes they were sentenced to death for by technological advances in the way evidence is processed.  I was also really surprised to see the height of support was in the 80s and 90s.

Get me a Ghetto Blaster

I had a ghetto blaster in the 80s and the 90s.  Now, I want one again.

The latest versions of the blasters come equipped to handle modern devices.  I can’t believe I didn’t explore this as an option already, but I will.

I love the idea of bridging a part of past with today.  Nothing was cooler than bringing quality sound to impromptu parties back in the day with my friends.

Party First, Future of Buffalo Somewhere Down the List

When I saw that the Erie County Democratic Committee endorsed Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown’s bid for re-election, a few thoughts came to mind.

1. Trying to create party unity for the local Dems trumps any idea of coming up with a candidate who could truly lead and push Buffalo into a new direction.
2. If Byron Brown wins, Buffalo will have had only three different mayors in  40 years…something about that just says FAIL.
3. The last time Buffalo had a large number of candidates for a mayoral election was 2005.  If memory serves me right, there were at least 7 candidates before the primaries.  In 2009, there we only 2.  This year, there will be only 3.
4. I can understand the need for local party unity.  But that need shouldn’t mean less choices for voters in the primaries in a city screaming for new leadership.
5. In the end, I don’t see how Brown can lose in the primary or general election.  He has the money.  He has the weight of the party Dems and all that brings behind him.  Unless Republican Sergio Rodriguez can gain serious traction with city voters and gain some serious cash to in the lead up to November, the race will not even be close.

This all makes me wonder if Buffalo and WNY can escape the political leadership vacuum.

Da Bills

With all the admin and coaching changes down at Uno Bills Drive, count me as excited.  The Bills clearly want to go in a new direction and I applaud them for that.  Will that translate to wins on the field?  Only time will tell.

Buffalo

If you have never read Kelly Sedinger’s local blog Byzantium Shores, put it on your reading list.

He posted a piece on Buffalo here—>

From the post:

There are a lot of cities in America. Quite a few of them are doing very well, and some, like Buffalo, are not. If all the things we always cite as reasons we should be doing better aren’t getting it done, what does that tell us?

In Buffalo, I think we look at our potential through rose colored glasses.  We take our negatives and try to position them as positives and take our positives and make them out to be better than they really are.  A lot of people spend a lot of time (me included) trying to show that this crazy town of ours matters to the rest of the world.  I wonder who we are trying to convince more…the world or ourselves.

It is a shame the show had an adverse effect on him personally.

The show was simply great. I love the first skit in the video I’ve embedded here. This spoof of “Law & Order” is a fine example of his genius. It’s too bad he couldn’t have done more.

Enjoy.

Solars Panels Are Nice But…

Wow…solar panels are going to be installed at the Broadway Market.  That’s nice, but it is like putting lipstick on a pig.

If the city the is truly committed to breaking the slow and steady decline at the Market, it would be better served in investing money into garnering more year-round vendors, improving the customer experience, create food related events that actually draw a lot of people and market the Market.

The Broadway Market’s decline outside of the Easter shopping season has been a problem for decades.  What is lacking from the city is a high level plan to address what I have outlined and proper management to implement it.  The Broadway Market should be viewed as the epicenter of rebirth for the Broadway-Fillmore business district and the neighborhood.  It is getting to the point where vendors can’t just survive on Easter alone anymore.  Why is it so hard to reinvent the place?

Is Progress Pushing People Out in Buffalo?

Whitey leaves…whitey moves back in…screw the poors and the blacks.

The NHL Doesn’t Get It

The beauty of the NHL’s Winter Classic was that it happened once a year on a slow day in sports.  It was showcase game.  Now the league is going to have multiple outdoor games.

The NHL powers want to capitalize on the popularity of the games outside on TV and in the stands as a money grab.  There is a part of me that understands.  On the other hand, what this does is make the games outdoors not so special.

Buffalo Story Project

If you are looking for a great blog to read, go to http://www.buffalostoryproject.com. Excellent writing and great stories…my only wish is that they would publish more content.

I loved their recent piece about an estate sale in the Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood.

Carl Paladino and Buffalo Schools…HELLO!

Message to Mr. Paladino:

You have an opportunity to truly make a difference for Buffalo schools.  What I don’t want to see is a circus sideshow at every board meeting.  You are a successful businessman who obviously cares deeply about the city, its schools and the children of Buffalo. I am sure there will be fireworks at some of the school board meetings.  That won’t be hard to accept if what you are doing isn’t only for show.  The children of Buffalo deserve nothing less than your best.

R2-D2 DOES LOVE BUFFALO!

And, I clearly need to make better choices with my available free time.