R.I.P. Rodney

Here is a scene from Caddyshack, one of my favorite comedies of all time. This movie was hysterical. I like the tension displayed between Ted Knight and Rodney Dangerfield. It's too bad they are no longer with us. Lots of great one liners from Dangerfield in this scene as he manages to offend just about everyone in it. I don't know why, but that strikes a chord with me...

Our South Buffalo Team

Please click on the picture for a better view.

Jim Keane returns from Florida for a day

The Fresh Air Club came back to Butler Park (by Mineral Springs and Pawnee Pkwy.) and conducted a bicycle tour last weekend. They stopped at specific addresses, honored certain individuals, rode back to the park, and reminisced about how great the neighborhood was (which is why most of them moved to the suburbs).

The group dedicated this year's ride to the late Dick Keane. Dick Keane was a great guy. He and my uncle Tom Blake were best friends until their recent deaths. They both ran the famous St. Patrick's Day Luncheon at the Bflo Irish Center for years.

Pictured here with Tony "the barber" Scaccia and his son Tony Jr. is Florida resident and Dick's brother, Jim Keane. Jim came back from Florida to pretend to be from S. Bflo again for the weekend. A few years back, Keane pretty much had his bags packed for the County Executive's office. Luckily, the voters could see right through the phoniness and insincerity of this career politician and elected Chris Collins instead.

Current residents became confused when they heard all the commotion going on at the park. One was heard asking, "what are all of these crazy honkies doing over here?".

Who needs the Metro Community News?

This blog kind of came about by accident. Here's the story. The Metro Community News had a column called Blow off your Steam. I would email them about once every other month with my take on local events. For example, I spoke out about neighborhood topics like the closing of the Cazenovia Library. Things like that. I was very careful not to be too negative or use names because I knew they wouldn't print it.

Some people liked the rants and would tell me they read "my column" in the Metro Community News. I tried using pseudonyms but my friends still knew it was I (probably because of the topics chosen). Anyway, one day, they stopped printing my emails. Since some of the topics had been political in nature, I suspect that someone close to an elected official or an elected official himself made a phone call.I had been unceremoniously banned! They also changed the column and started printing more politically correct topics. They started refering to it as Steam. What does that even mean???

I had enjoyed provoking community discussion and figured why not eliminate the middleman? Thus, the blog was born. In the future, I hope to print positive things and announcements as well as my take on things. It certainly is not fancy. Videos, links, cheesy pictures, etc. I think the purchase of a cheap scanner might be in order. I'm pleasantly shocked at the number of hits so far even if half of them are from me.

To borrow from Animal House after the poor kids had all been expelled from school at the hands of the wealthy fraternity, "we could fight them with conventional weapons but that could take years and cost millions of lives. This situation calls for a futile and stupid gesture to be done on somebody's part." And as John Belushi responded, "we're just the guys to do it." I hope you like the topics as much as I enjoy discussing them. If you're the subject of one of my posts, you're welcome to refer to me as the antichrist and throw things at me in public.

Fortunate Son(s)

Thank you Mark Schroeder for ensuring both your sons were granted permanent jobs with the city and the county even though we've worked seasonal positions with no benefits, health insurance, or vacation days for over 10 long years. That seems fair and just to us. I hope some crazy blogger doesn't help spread this to everyone in S Bflo. It might hurt the fake image you try and portray as a friend of the working man.

Sincerely,

All city of Buffalo seasonal employees

"Some folks are born silver spoon in hand. Lord, don't they help themselves."
John Fogerty

Civil Disservice Lists

Many young men and women pay the $15-$20 to take the police and fire exams for the city of Buffalo. What they don't know, if they're not part of the entitled class, is that there are two parts to the exams. The first part everyone knows about. It's where you actually take the exam and your score is recorded.

The second part is known as the shenanigan phase or making "the phone call". It's where mommy and daddy make the phone call to uncle So and So. It's where political contributions to the Mayor, County Legislator, State Reps, and Congressmen take place.
One time I scored number one on a test for Youth Program Monitor. I was not given the job as they could pick from any of the top three scores. Needless to say, they didn't want someone with a proven track record running youth programs.

I could look at the police and fire test lists and predict who will be chosen based on their scores and who their relatives are. Guess what? It will not be straight from the test scores. I'm hearing stories of connected people getting second chances to show up to interviews (after they blew off the first appointments). I'm hearing stories of people being given up to six chances to pass physicals.

Here are some lists of campaign contributions to the mayor. Check out all your S. Bflo neighbors contributing heavily. These are the people that want jobs for themselves or their kids. They are mostly self serving and should be made fun of in public as often as possible. They are mostly degenerates.

INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTORS REPORTED JULY 15http://www.elections.state.ny.us:8080/reports/rwservlet?cmdkey=efs_sch_report+p_filer_id=C23403+p_e_year=2009+p_freport_id=K+p_transaction_code=A

INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTORS REPORTED JAN 15http://www.elections.state.ny.us:8080/reports/rwservlet?cmdkey=efs_sch_report+p_filer_id=C23403+p_e_year=2009+p_freport_id=J+p_transaction_code=A

Greed

This story has everything. People selling counterfeit handbags and kidneys. Two Mayors, a Deputy Mayor, several rabbis, and two state lawmakers getting arrested. I didn't know kidneys went for $160,000. I'm so broke, I'd be willing to part with one of mine for $160 and some change.

It's just funny how all these people gained the public's trust and they all turned out to be frauds. Allegedly. Hard to believe it happened in New Jersey. That state has such a clean past. It sounds like it could be another Joe Pesci movie waiting to happen.

Dozens arrested in Jersey*

The Kiss of Death

This is a great scene from The Godfather II. Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) finds out it was his brother Fredo that leaked information to a rival family that almost led to his assassination. For this, he will have to be eliminated. Michael informs him of this at a New Years Eve party in Cuba with "the kiss of death". It's a great scene. Hope you like it.

Bless Me Father For I Have Sinned...

This local priest made only $20,000/year yet he owned an expensive house in Colden, a 9 acre condo in Florida, and a condo in the US Virgin Islands. Oh yea, he also admitted to stealing $213,000 from his church. I think this guy has what it takes to run for office in S. Buffalo. Check out the mug shot from the article. He looks like such a trusting guy (haha). My only regret is that I never got to hear one of his confessionals." For your penance, say three hail Mary's, an act of contrition, and give me $25 towards my house in Florida".

Ex-pastor admits theft of $213,000 from parish*

Recap

I've gotten some feedback regarding my latest endeavor. Many people like the blog. Despite limited exposure, it has received over 150 hits in a short period of time. Thank you to everyone for all the positive comments you've given me regarding it. They mean a great deal to me. I will be sending the link to over 800 neighborhood residents on my email lists soon. You try to get by on hard work and an education, however the people mentioned in my posts apparently have no idea what actual community service means. Most got to where they are because they were born into fortunate circumstances. Surprisingly, some of the subjects of my posts are not too fond of my work. I feel bad about this and would like to offer my sincerest apologies...

To West Seneca resident James Kane and East Amherst resident Dave Thomas, I'm sorry. And thank you for making the Bflo Public Schools the model for all other area school districts to follow.

To the Comerford family, I'm sorry for calling you entitled. I know you all work in the private sector and are uniquely qualified for every job that's ever been handed to you (oh, I mean that you earned).

To Mark Schroeder, I'm sorry. You truly have earned your $100,000.00 part time salary. It's ok that you handed both of your sons full time jobs with the city and the county. The dozens of guys that have been working as seasonal employees with no benefits for several years don't resent it. You sincerely care about the little guy. We don't need term limits. We should just declare you as an emperor and not waste any more time holding democratic elections.

To Joe Mesi, you are truly a boxing champion. Good luck with your career. I hear your next fight is against a bouncer from SoHo. The HSBC arena might be too small for such an event. You might have to hold it at the Ralph. The only question is what's going to happen first? You getting a title shot or Buffalo landing a Major League baseball team?

To Senator Bill Stachowski, I'm sorry for calling you borderline disabled. The fact that you've stayed in office for over 28 years without a single accomplishment whatsoever is impressive. It leads me to believe that you are smarter than I give you credit for.

To the Steele brothers, I'm sorry for putting you on the same page with real burglers like Goin' South.

To Goin' South, I'm sorry. You have such high integrity. With the great skills you possess and the high professionalism you display, you all could be making so much money in the private sector yet you choose to serve us by working in the public sector. Thank you.

To Mayor Urkel. I'm sorry for implying that you had no backbone and were a wimp. Thanks for being a man and admitting when your inebriated son stole the family car and nearly killed some of your neighbors. (Oh, I forgot. You tried to cover it up for nearly two weeks. Sorry.)

I promise to be much nicer during the 2nd half of 2009. In fact,I'd like to invite all of you to Cazenovia Park next week. I'll buy some Coke and we can all hold hands just like in this classic commercial.

Hopkins St. Bridge reopens

Apparently, last year officials deemed the Hopkins St. Bridge (the bridge which leads to S. Park Lake) unsafe for motorists. I could be wrong but it seems like there wasn't much (or any) work done to it after it was closed. Now it is reopened? Maybe they just determined it was ok. Who knows? I'm not losing any sleep over it, but I'll probably take the S Park Ave entrance to the park if I want to check out the deer some evening.

I've seen too many Tru TV Shocking Videos showing bridges collapsing in various parts of the country I guess. It doesn't seem like there is too much oversight. It seems like in many cases, officials just cross their fingers and hope for the best. Don't worry. It's not the 50 foot fall that will get you. It's the sudden stop at the end.

Separated at Birth?

You hear people all the time say, "He never really does much but I guess I like him." He renames streets, cuts ribbons, and talks real slowly about nothing. Urkel did nothing in the State Senate for about 5 years. Now, he has continued that record as Mayor. There is a new scandal every week and he always says, "I didn't know this was going on." This guy is a complete joke. The city is being run by Steve Casey, one of his 12 unelected deputy mayors. Whether you liked him or not, everyone knew who was in charge when Griffin was mayor. The buck stopped with him.

The two guys we've had since then are stiffs. Watch and see which of your neighbors have signs out for Mayor Urkel. These will be the people with their hands out should he win. This guy epitomizes the phrase "empty suit." Here is a story about him blowing off meetings. I guess he was too busy doing important things like giving T.O. the key to the city.

Brown misses many of agency’s meetings*

I thought this was kind of cool

A Colorado mountain is covered with swarms of ladybugs. I haven't figured out yet how to show videos without forcing you to leave the site. After watching the video, use arrow on top to come back to page. I'll figure it out eventually. I need to hire one of these computer literate kids as an assistant soon.


http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/index.php?cl=14478650

Goin' South Collects its 30 Pieces of Silver

Brown and Kearns gain major backers*

Despite daily corruption being reported involving the Byron Brown administration, Goin' South has endorsed Brown over one of its own neighbors. I don't know what Mickey Kearns is going to do to overcome the 12 votes Goin' South brings to the table. Anyone with half a brain knows this "group" is simply a front for Ray McGurn to try and further his career and that of the 5 or 6 other families that belong to it. This endorsement should put to rest any notion that they care about South Buffalo. The word corruption seems to follow McGurn around like a broken record. The ironic thing is if Kearns wins, these vultures will be the first ones knocking on his door looking for handouts. This will only help solidify McGurn's reputation as the consummate political hack.

Rosa Gibson (1930-2009)

Buffalo lost a true leader this week with the passing of Rosa Gibson. While she was alive, politicians would describe her as "crazy" because she had the nerve to hold them accountable and could not be bought off. I only met her once, briefly when I worked at the Old 1st Ward Community Center.

I remember when she was fined over some protest involving the garbage user fee and she brought in huge bags full of pennies to pay it. She really made a difference and didn't care who she offended, what office they held, or what race they were. In fact, Gibson and Jimmy Griffin worked together to fight the unfair garbage tax in the 90s'.

I could tell you about people that introduce themselves as activists and are always looking for government money. They are actually very good at promoting themselves. They say, "look at me! I just planted a flower! Now, give me funding." Gibson never had to do that because her work spoke for itself. I really hope there is someone out there to fill the huge void she leaves.

Gibson leaves legacy of activism*

The Steele Brothers

Everyone knows the famous athletes and journalists that have come out of S. Bflo. (Warren Spahn, Patrick Kane, Tim Russert, Jimmy Griffin, etc.). However, one family has been completely overlooked for their role as S Bflo icons. Known as the Steele brothers, Howard, Albert, Merle, and David Steele have been known to police since the 70s as professional criminals. At least one cop has taken the time to write a book on their exploits. In fact, one of them (not sure which ) was the first person to ever escape from the Attica Correctional Facility. To add to his legend, he did it twice. One time he clung to the bottom of a garbage truck and drove off. The second time, he got his hands on a guard's uniform and walked out of prison. He went so far as to wave goodbye to his "coworkers". From what I understand, Albert Steele handles all the demolition contracts for the city and now makes a ton of money. I say good for him. The rest of the people running the city and the state are crooks. At least the Steele family has been upfront about it their entire life.

Looks like he got caught recently in possession of $5000 worth of fireworks. He was just trying to celebrate the birth of a country that has been very good to him.

Police seize large cache of fireworks from home*

Durant Park Press Conference

Thank you to everyone for showing up to Durant Park today. Councilmembers Mike Kearns and Rich Fontana called a news conference regarding the state of secondary parks like Durant and Hillery. They plan on installing cameras in Durant Park to prevent future vandalism . We had between 50-75 people show up on two hours notice on a workday. The kids all showed up with soccer balls and started practicing on their own. It was great to see. Neighbors came out and thanked us for taking back the park. The youth soccer players love their game and take great pride in representing the south side of Bflo.

Tom Finn's email re. Durant Park

To Whom it may concern:
Last night we (The South Buffalo Soccer Club) were forced to cancel the games at Durant Playground because there were 3-5 inch tiretracks all over the field. This act of vandalism actually put me over the edge. They ruin the nets regularly but we diligently repair or replace them to show them that they won't win the battle for control of the playground. I was called to the field last night because the tracks and divots ruined the field to the point where it is unusable. They ruined the nets with the vehicles to the point where they cannot be repaired with our limited resources. I have personally picked up the portapotty 6 times. On one occasion the 12-15 people on the park benches laughed at me and one person told me not to waste my time, they would just knock it down once I left. Sure enough, I drove past 5 minutes later and it was on it's side again.
We regularly remove the dog droppings off the field as the nieghbors don't feel it is their job to do so. Sometimes there are as many as 20 piles of droppings on the field. There is no pride left in the neighborhood.
The one negative thing I find with the county work crews was that the field was lined well, but someone must have noticed the tracks on the field but we were never notified. It would not have made much difference, we still would have made the same decision to cancel the games but it would have been helpful to hear about the vandalism when it was first noticed. In the future you can tell the crew that it is not necessary to line the field anymore. It will not be used by us.
Moving forward, we are forced to move to the Casino field in Cazenovia Park and Southside School. I hate to give up on the Durant Field because Mike Blake worked hard to have the soccer goals put there many years ago, but I should not have to fear for my safety when I ask a group of kids to stop swearing around the children. I don't feel comfortable there anymore.
I would like to request that the beat up portapotty at Durant Playground be moved to Southside School. There is a portapotty at the playground but the 4-5 year olds have a difficult time reaching the playground "in time". If it could be put near the entrance to the track, it would be great. Thanks to Tim Kennedy for getting the portapotties at the other fields! There are a lot less complaints this year!
I asked Mr Hornung if there is any greenspace available in South Buffalo that we can utilize to make more soccer fields. Maybe you can give me some ideas? The sport continues to grow and I'd like to be able to limit the field abuse by using more fields. Every year we have a conflict with the South Buffalo Football league because we both need Hillary Park. I would love to have the luxury of not needing to use those fields after Aug 1 but there aren't any extra fields around.
I would also like to take this opportunity to humbly ask for some funding in the future. The goalposts at Potter Rd, Tennis Courts, and Behind Tosh Collins are all anchored in the ground. I would like to purchase some semi-portable goals so we can move the lines each year a bit so the goal areas have a chance to grow grass. Each year we plant grass or lay sod in the goal areas but it never lasts because the field is used everyday and gets worn out usually before the season is underway. I'm sure Mr Hornung can give me 50 other reasons for the grass not growing but I think the time has come for some real goalposts. Thank you to Mickey Kearns for helping last year when our goals were stolen for scrap metal last year and to Mr Hornung for putting me in contact with another organization that had an extra set of goals. With the goals at Hillary, we are able to move the field each year and the fields remain in good condition. I hope to be able to do that on all fields.
Thank you for your time and please let me know if you are willing to help!
Tom Finn
President
South Buffalo Soccer Club

Baby Joe Looking for Work

The last time you saw this tomato, he was getting his clock cleaned by some Russian boxer half his size. Mesi runs for office with loads of Tom Golisano's money. He loses. Gets handed a $70,000/year job (pretending to run the district Senate office).

Didn't Rocky find work at the local meat processing plant in Rocky II? Stop hanging out with the region's biggest lowlife Steve Pigeon and go get a real job on your own, Joe.

Coup prompts Mesi to resign Senate post*