Bad news on the doorstep

 
There are two things I find funny about the Buffalo News. Unfortunately, for our endangered overpriced daily (soon to be weekly) newspaper, neither is for the right reasons. 

Their Off Main Street column, where they actually attempt to be humorous, is usually about as funny as a child stricken with cancer. Unfunny people should not attempt humor. It's like when Michael Jordon attempted to be a professional baseball player or Bruce Willis, a singer. It usually doesn't end well. What I do find funny is that anyone would pay 75 cents a day to read Associated Press stories from two weeks ago. 

The other waste of time is their local political endorsements. The News always goes with the favorites of the status quo. This part isn't funny, but when they attempt to justify their endorsement in print, it's pretty hilarious. You end up having two guys and a woman from Williamsville attempt to tell the readers why Joe Blow is the best choice to represent South Buffalo or the Fillmore District. These endorsements are merely ads, just like one of their full page ads for JC Penney. 

I feel bad for A.J. Verel, Kevin Lafferty, or Paddy Burke, if any of them went down to the News interview yesterday thinking they actually had a chance to impress the editorial crooks, err I mean staff. I'm sure by now, the word has already been passed down to the bloodsuckers on Scott Street that Christopher Scanlon is going to be the savior of South Buffalo. It's nothing to be upset about, just business as usual. Thank God that paper is on it's last leg. I invite you three and the growing number of people affected by the News' bias to continue reading yours truly to get a different take on the news. I won't be describing the physical attributes of male subjects like Donny Esmonde, but I'll do my best to write the truth. 

Newspapers are going the way of record players, rotary phones, and VHS tapes. While I miss those three, I won't miss the Buffalo News and it's status quo preserving agenda...

But February made me shiver
With every paper I'd deliver
Bad news on the doorstep
I couldn't take one more step...

Lovejoy incidents

The Buffalo News Editorial Board is at it again. The nameless, faceless cowards who endorse every machine-backed politician now feel they have the right to cast judgement on city neighborhoods...

Things should work differently in mature communities. It should be that if a hate group tries to spread its racist message, it would be met by a peaceful but determined group of protesters, many of them white, to let the racists know they aren't welcome there.

That doesn't seem to be happening now in Lovejoy, and that's one of the saddest aspects of the harassment being visited on the African-American family of Ann Cooper.

So, in other words, the people in Lovejoy aren't as "mature" as the editorial board members and their neighbors. First of all, I'd like to ask the members of the editorial board why they fled to all white towns like Getzville and Clarence in the first place? These people have no idea what it means to be poor, yet they have the right to tell the poor how to live? If they're so concerned about neighborhoods like Lovejoy and the Old 1st Ward, why don't they sell their suburban homes and move down there? I guess it's much easier to throw stones from Spaulding Lake without even knowing the whole story.

The only people who really know what is going on down in Lovejoy are the people involved and the police. People in Buffalo's poorer neighborhoods live next to people of color all the time. When things like this take place, the media is usually not getting the whole story. My neighborhood is multiracial these days. However, a scumbag is a scumbag, and they come in many different colors. We had a drug dealer recently evicted down the street. He happened to be white. I'm sure my white neighbors and the black people living next door to me were both happy to see this guy gone. If he had been black, would we have been racists to want to see him out of the neighborhood?

I don't know the real story going on in Lovejoy. From what I understand, it's a house with 14 people living in it. One Buffalo News reader close to the neighborhood described it as a "welfare motel." The teens in the house recently robbed both a pizza deliveryman and a Chinese delivery worker. The question I have is how many kids live there and by how many fathers? Are the fathers present in the house? Do the juveniles involved (both white and black) have criminal records? For the Buffalo News to tell the residents of Lovejoy they need to be more mature (without knowing any of the facts), is the ultimate in hypocrisy. Thank God nobody wastes their 75 cents on the nonsense they pass off as journalism anymore. Like I said, if the people on the editorial board are really concerned about Buffalo being one of the most segregated regions in the country, sell your suburban homes and move into a city neighborhood. These people have no idea what actually takes place on city streets on a daily basis.
Where's the outrage?

Share|

Unjust war on teachers continues

I don't blame the teachers for not removing the clause, which would have chronically absent students count on their evaluations. Basically, they are saying, you can't evaluate the academic progress of students who are never in class. The state and the Buffalo News are saying, just go along with it, we need the money.

That's not the teachers' fault. Students who are chronically absent should not count against their evaluations. And I don't feel it's the teachers' job to get them in school (like some are saying). It's the parents' job to get their kids to school...


The Buffalo News editorial in favor of counting the absent students is another one of their all time classics. Apparently written by one of the failing students themselves, the title of the editorial is Absentees Should Count.??? I love this excerpt, where they tell the teachers to count the absent students because it will only count towards 20% of their evaluation...

For one thing, this part of the state's new evaluation template accounts for only 20 percent of a teacher's rating. That's not an insignificant amount -- nor should it be -- but that still leaves 80 percent based on other factors. Indeed, 60 percent is to be based primarily on classroom observation.

20% isn't a significant amount? Tell that to someone who just lost their job based on an evaluation. I think most statisticians would disagree. 20% is very significant. I wouldn't vote for counting absentee students if it counted towards 1% of my evaluation. Buffalo teachers are not responsible for the district's fiscal woes. Amber Dixon's threatening of layoffs is way too predictable. How about focusing on getting these students in school and having them not act like animals when in the classroom? Do that and you won't need any more money.
Absentees should count

Share|

Bflo. News contradicts itself on Schroeder

The Buffalo News' editorial board/bores really came after City Comptroller Mark Schroeder today. Here are some excerpts...

The biggest offenders are the party hacks who don’t require competence of their candidates for office.

In the case of the city comptroller in Buffalo, the selection was rigged so that residents were never given a chance to vote for anyone except the party-approved nominee.

The consequence is we are stuck with Mark Schroeder as the next Buffalo city comptroller.

Not long ago, the News had Mark Schroeder as their chosen hero. Here's an exact quote taken from their endorsement of him a few years back for the NY State Assembly seat...

“If Teddy Roosevelt came back to life to oppose Mark Schroeder, we'd have to think long and hard before backing TR,” said the Buffalo News, who also called Schroeder a “perpetual motion machine” with a “solid record of achievement” who “values the taxpayers’ dollar” and “stands up for what he thinks is right.”

They are that stupid that they portray some of these politicians as super heroes from time to time, and then act surprised when they let them down.

The guys in the suits from East Amherst didn't stop there...

Schroeder, of course, has absolutely no background helpful in running the Comptroller’s Office. He is not only not an accountant, he’s weak in the entire field of finance.

His experience is being a politician, currently an assemblyman, living off the taxpayers at the public trough.

Had they done their homework, the News would know that Schroeder came to Albany from many years working in the private sector. He was involved in sales for a large company out of Dunkirk called CliffStar.

The News didn't mind when Anthony Nanula bought his City Comptroller seat a decade ago with his father's money and no accounting experience. I guess that was o.k. because he came from money. What really matters to them is whether the person does their bidding or not. I couldn't see myself sitting down with the editorial board for an endorsement interview ever again. They don't know what goes on in the neighborhoods. They already know who they plan on supporting and it's a no win situation for any challenger. I also love how they write a scathing article like this, anonymously. Whether you agree with them on Schroeder or not, do not trust the Buffalo News. None of them live near you or I. It will be interesting to see if Schroeder's camp comes up with a response.

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial-page/buffalo-news-editorials/article687021.ece


Share|

Maybe Dewey did defeat Truman...

I don't know if anyone caught it yesterday, but the Buffalo News had an article, straight from the Associated Press (on around page A-6), detailing how Muammar Ghaddafi was holding his own against the Libyan rebels in his hometown. This was in their afternoon edition. I found this kind of amusing, given the fact that he had been declared dead by every other major news organization 24 hours earlier.

Way to be on top of things, guys. By the way, I'm not sure if you heard, but we were able to kill Osama bin Laden in Pakistan the other day.


Share|

Buffalo News endorsements

The Buffalo News came out with their endorsements this week for the Buffalo Common Council races. There are four contested races this year and the News endorsed all four incumbents. What a shocker!

This includes 25 year incumbent Dave Franczyk. They must think this is going to be the year he comes up with ideas to improve the Fillmore District.

How many people on the News' editorial board actually live in the city? I think we all know the answer to this. Thank God their daily paper is dying and most people get their news for free online these days. I would encourage all future challengers to incumbents to boycott interviewing with News. It doesn't matter who the more impressive candidate is anyway. The News has an agenda (see their stories about Carl Paladino as proof). They pick the candidates that benefit them the most and those candidates are almost always the incumbents. Save your seventy five cents and buy the New York Post. It's a much better paper.

Share|

Buffalo News runs slander piece on Paladino

The Buffalo News continued it's petty, sophomoric attacks against Carl Paladino last week, accusing Paladino of embellishing his military service. People need to know the truth behind their cowardly agenda. Paladino, whether you agree with him politically or not, has fought for the removal of unnecessary thruway tolls, improving the Buffalo Public school system, and against the dysfunction taking place in Albany (wholeheartedly supported by The Buffalo News). His crime has been pointing out that the News has,either directly or indirectly, supported this corruption throughout the last 35 years. They rail against the problems of the state, yet continuously endorse the same career politicians year in and year out.

When I started this blog two years ago, I wondered whether my amateurish writing style would be on par with legitimate publications such as the News. Surprising to me, was how many mistakes and facts of error take place in the Buffalo News every day. So it was no surprise when I read this quote from Buffalo News' editor Stanley Lipsey (who still sports the silver spoon he was born with), talking about what he found out about Carl Paladino through, of all sites, Wikipedia...

"Yet when you search for Paladino on the internet, Wikipedia pops up with his bio and says he spent three years on active duty in the Army. Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, has become one of the main sources of information on the internet."

If Stanley Lipsey had spent any time in 6th or 7th grade classrooms, he would know that Wikipedia is not considered a reliable source by legitimate scholars. Teachers routinely tell their students they cannot use it as a source in term papers (because it is filled with false information and untruths). Anyone can use it to slander or make something up about one of their enemies. The Buffalo News itself did a piece a few years ago, about malicious things people were putting on the Wikipedia pages of local officials (most of which were untrue). It makes you wonder whether Lipsey even reads his own paper.

I spent most of last summer selling my t-shirts and bumper stickers at Paladino events. I never once heard him brag about his military service during countless speeches. I specifically remember him honoring a veteran at an event at Fontana's Picnic Grove. (I heard the speech as I was trying to load up on free pizza and chicken wings). He thanked the young man, but never tried to sell himself as any sort of military hero. This is yet another hatchet job by the Buffalo News. I'll leave you with a quote from their Wikipedia page to show how ludicrous they are...

In 2009, Warren Buffet, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, called his continued ownership of the newspaper "not totally rational", saying that the industry's practice of giving away its online content when charging for it in print has been a mistake.

Yea, but if everyone read the Buffalo News online, what would bird owners use to line their cages?





Share|

She was just sassing

We're finally starting to see everyday citizens pointing the finger where it belongs on the education crisis in the city of Buffalo: on the students and their parents themselves. Letters to the editor are finally being written on this subject, exposing what is really going on inside these buildings.

When cops crossed the line in Lancaster and West Seneca, I took the side of the citizens. In the case of 17 year Riverside High School student Ieshia Huffman, I have to side with the police officer. Of course, Buffalo News columnist Rod Watson doesn't see it this way. He thinks the police officer should have taken poor little Ieshia aside and given her a hug. My favorite part of these articles is when the News' writers (usually Donne Esmonde or Watson) throw in the one line grudgingly conceding the poor behavior of the students led to the problem...

No one’s pretending that cops are always dealing with Beaver Cleaver and Marcia Brady. The girl was wrong for pointing the fake rifle; ROTC should have taught her to treat every gun as if it’s loaded. She also was wrong for mouthing off and cursing instead of obeying; one would hope the program also instills more respect for authority.

But respect has to be earned.

Respect has to be earned? That's where most people would disagree. Kids in decent families are taught at a young age to respect police officers and teachers from the word go. In a previous article, Watson dismissed the disrespecting of adults by Buffalo schoolchildren as "sassing." This girl is a 17 year old single mother, still immature enough to be disruptive in school.

I've been very critical of Superintendent Williams as well as Phil Rumore on here. However, the biggest problem with the schools these days in Buffalo is not them or the teachers or the length of the school day. It's disruptive, disrespectful students and the adults that enable them (see Rod Watson and Donne Esmonde). I feel so bad for Ieshia that she had to listen to some curse words while she was trying to "sass" an authority figure.
Cops must set example, not dumb down

Share|

Location location location

The Buffalo News always shows their ignorance when try to describe (inaccurately, of course) the locations of city neighborhoods. Nobody on Perry Street or South Buffalo considers Perry Street to be in South Buffalo. I guess that's what happens when your entire staff is suburban...

Cocaine bust in South Buffalo
Buffalo police said they found Larry J. Paige, 21, with 18 small plastic bags containing crack cocaine when they approached him around 1 a.m. today outside 495 Perry St. In a report, police said Paige acted suspiciously, then jumped into a vehicle operated by his mother. Officers said they found both with marijuana, and they found the crack cocaine in Paige's pants pocket. Paige, of 71 Littlefield Ave., is charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana and possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell. His mother, Nadine I. Thomas, 52, also of 71 Littlefield, was charged with marijuana possession.

I agree with this comment submitted underneath the article...

Two things wrong with the headline, "South Buffalo." Perry is DOWNTOWN, and LITTLEFIELD is EAST SIDE near Schiller Park. Does anyone at the Buffalo News know where South Buffalo is? It's SOUTH OF THE BUFFALO RIVER and starts approx Smith/South Park and Bailey/Seneca

Share|

Buffalo News reduced to tattle tails

The Buffalo News' petty, unprofessional feud with developer Carl Paladino reached a new low today. The News is reporting that Paladino does not have a valid permit with the Thruway Authority for his billboard along the 190 South....

The billboard’s location within 660 feet of the Thruway requires a permit from the Thruway Authority that Paladino’s company has not obtained, according to Thruway Authority spokeswoman Betsy Feldstein.

“The sign you’re referring to is not currently permitted by the Thruway Authority,” she told The Buffalo News.

And this is newsworthy how? I can just see Donny Esmonde approaching Stanley Lipsey (because Esmonde strikes me as a whining pathetic tattle tail).

(Esmonde):"Mr Lipsey! I hear Paladino doesn't have a permit for that terrible billboard he put up near the Thruway! I think we should do a story about it and make him look bad!"

(Lipsey):"You know, little Buddy. That is a wonderful idea. Then, we can have it taken down and that evil man will go away forever, and we can get back to pushing our political agenda, without anyone questioning it. Donnie, you're a genius! Can you come into my office and rub my shoulders like you used to?"

(Esmonde): "Sorry Mr. Lipsey. Congressman Higgins asked me first! But I'll be back tomorrow."

The article then claims to know Paladino's reasons for putting up the billboard...

The billboard currently attacks The News with a sign that reads: “Spineless Stan Lipsey & The Buffalo News threw WNY under the bus.” Paladino posted the sign in December, angry that The News endorsed Andrew

M. Cuomo for governor instead of him and because the newspaper also accepted advertising on behalf of the Democratic candidate.

I don't think Paladino really cared that the News accepted advertising on behalf of Cuomo or that they endorsed him. In fact, many people in Western New York (including Paladino) considered the News' endorsement process a sham and the "kiss of death".

Perhaps Paladino was upset that the News wrote several unflattering stories about him, yet never mentioned Cuomo's controversial tenure at HUD or anything from Cuomo's highly suspect, personal life.

It's hilarious that the News is even spending one minute on the billboard. What's so funny, is that most citizens had forgotten about it. They drive by every day and it has become as familiar as a Cellino & Barnes ad. Now the News, with this childish and vindictive article, has succeeded in making the billboard a topic of conversation once again. Is Lipsey such an insecure wuss, that he even cares about something so trivial? Oh, no. I hope his feelings aren't hurt. Don't cry out loud, Stanley...

Share|

The Buffalo News' weak hatchet job on Paladino

The Buffalo News is really getting desperate in their blatant attempts to destroy the reputation of South Buffalo developer Carl Paladino. Paladino owns 250 properties in Erie County and their "investigation" discovered that two of them are eyesores. That's some investigation! Have they been to the Pasquale on the waterfront? Have they been to the Belesario building on Main St. downtown? I have. Those buildings were falling apart and now they are beautiful high rent lofts.

The funniest part of the article is where Lou "Pinocchio" Petrucci babbles about the city's attempt to punish Paladino...

Lou Petrucci, the city's chief building inspector, said the department has sought penalties in Housing Court for the continuing problems, which, at present, involve three outstanding violations, including the failure to repair the roof or replace missing windows.

"We've asked three times for sentencing and the previous judge thought because of the unique situation of the building that it was better to keep it as an open court case," Petrucci said.

Maximum penalties for uncorrected code violations include a fine of $1,500 or 15 days in jail.

If Petrucci were to see Paladino in person, he'd go down on his knees and tell him how great Paladino was. What a hypocrite. I hope Paladino spends $40,000 to have Pinocchio defeated in the next school board election. I can't believe how stupid some people in this city are. Petrucci makes up half the things he says. His main talent in life is being Ray McGurn's yes man for the last 20 years. He lies about everything under the sun, so his quote in today's paper should carry very little credibility with it.

Paladino's eyesores

Share|

Not newsworthy

Yet another example of why The Buffalo News' Off Main St. is the worst column in local media...

If people at the Westwood Country Club ever need a favor from someone in County Hall or the State Capitol, they won’t have trouble getting their calls returned. An item in Wednesday’s Business pages noted that former Assembly Majority Leader Paul A. Tokasz was elected president of the club’s board of directors.

Further, Robert E. Davis, the former Erie County Republican chairman, is secretary and ex-Erie County Executive Joel A. Giambra—a Democrat turned Republican—is on the board.

“We’re a bipartisan country club,” Tokasz, a Democrat now working as a lobbyist, told Off Main Street.

A member of Westwood for eight or nine years now, Tokasz said he didn’t seek out the top job on the board but did agree to serve.

When asked which of the three is the best golfer, Tokasz said it’s probably Giambra because he gets out more often.

“Davis,” Tokasz added with a laugh, “he can’t carry either one of our bags.”

I'm glad the one newspaper in Buffalo considers this nonsense to be newsworthy. A bunch of lowlife thieves belong to an exclusive country club and we're supposed to consider this humorous. Who cares? None of these people have contributed anything positive to Western New York. I wonder if the News realizes about half of their readers are currently unemployed? Here's a thought Buffalo News: If you want to write one funny column a week, find one remotely humorous writer. Courier Express: Where art though?

Share|

Protest against Buffalo News

Where were all these Cuomo haters when I was trying to sell my t-shirts? The word being leaked to me is that the Buffalo News is planning on ripping Paladino tomorrow with a full page cover attack story. If I was the Buffalo News, I don't think I would do anything to draw attention to myself. It's a well known rag...

Share|

Who cares who the News endorses?

I love how the Buffalo News claims to support change, yet keeps supporting the same incumbents year after year...

Thus, it would seem no incumbent would be safe in the upcoming Nov. 2 general election. Yet some incumbents earn their keep. So it is with two Western New York representatives whom The News enthusiastically endorses.

This paper is an embarrassment. The people on the editorial board are out of touch with the people who buy their newspapers. Why are they endorsing anybody? Nobody cares who the News likes. What credibility do they have?All they do is take stories from the Associated Press and pass them on to the readers. Fortunately, everyone is getting their news online these days. I've recycled stories from the Associated Press on this blog and then seen the news print the same story three weeks later! Donne Esmonde has an embarrassing schoolgirl crush on Brian Higgins. Bruce Andriarch should be writing for a Middle School newspaper.

I do this part time. I have a freaking Phys Ed degree, and probably spend 1-2 hours a day reporting and writing stories. The News has a huge, full time staff and their articles leave a lot to be desired. Why would anyone take stock in who they endorse for anything? They're obviously bought and paid for. I have more respect for the West Seneca Bee.

Two solid incumbents - Buffalo News editorials - The Buffalo News

Share|

The kiss of death

What more evidence do you need that Andrew Cuomo is bought and paid for? The Buffalo News editorial board has endorsed Cuomo for governor of New York. Paladino supporters everywhere can be heard rejoicing in the streets. Listen to their outrageous reasoning. Career politicians are actually looking out for us. You just don't know it yet...

While it has become trendy to sneer at "career politicians," the fact is that a good one knows his stuff: how to work the levers of power to best advantage; who the players are; where the bodies are buried. Cuomo knows all that and he has laid out an approach for taking the state back from the special interests and the lawmakers they have bought.

Is the News serious? This explains why all Cuomo's donations have come from the very same special interests the News thinks he's going to take on. It's really reassuring that Andrew "knows who the players are." We know who the players are, too. That's why most people want to change the lineup...
Cuomo for governor - Buffalo News editorials - The Buffalo News



Share|

Don't believe what you read in the paper

It's a good thing people are getting their news these days from crackpot bloggers like myself, instead of the traditional media. I couldn't believe it when I read Tom Precious' article in today's Buffalo News, basically writing off Carl Paladino's candidacy. Should Paladino go on to win in November against Andrew Cuomo, Precious should seriously consider resigning and taking a job at Target stocking shelves.

Precious tries to quantify something which can't be measured. He doesn't realize how angry voters are these days. The fact is even moderate Democrats and Republicans are angry with the handpicked, status quo candidates the major parties keep trying to stuff down our throats (see Rick Lazio). The voters seem to finally be on to their schemes after all of these years. From Precious' article:

Democrats and many political analysts give Paladino no chance against Andrew M. Cuomo, unless something unknown emerges to dent the Democratic candidate.

Nothing is or will be known about Cuomo, because he's going to duck and send out feel good advertising, making New York state out to be some kind of Margaritaville. He'll have his behind the scenes hacks trying to paint Paladino as insane (for actually trying to bring real change to Albany). We saw it today when Ed Koch, Alphonse Tomato, and Carl McCall dusted off their cobwebs and wrote a letter (probably written in crayon) telling us how horrible Paladino was. I love it when entrenched lobbyists tell us who is good and who is bad and try to come off as being independent. Precious goes on to quote Douglass Muzzio, a Manhattan political science professor...

"How do you run a race when you have called the speaker of the Assembly 'Hitler' and when you say you will take a baseball bat to Albany? We've already had [former Gov. Eliot L. Spitzer] and his 'steamroller.' We'd be moving from dysfunction to psychosis," said Douglas A. Muzzio, a professor at Baruch College in Manhattan.

Nevertheless, said Muzzio, the Baruch professor, "there's no foreseeable circumstance in which Paladino wins."

I hate to burst Muzzio's bubble, but I've spoken to many Independents and Democrats who can't wait to vote for Paladino. He's energized the race with his straight talk. Cuomo couldn't be a better symbol of the dysfunctional status quo that has gotten us to where we are- the verge of bankruptcy. When Muzzio was sitting in his ivory tower, babysitting college kids, Carl Paladino was out in the community taking risks and creating jobs for people. What jobs did Mario Cuomo or the entitled Andrew Cuomo ever create? Jobs for their rich relatives, maybe. Tom Precious should go out to any barber shop or restaurant and speak to everyday people, not liberal, out of touch political science professors from Manhattan.
Can Paladino really win it all? - City & Region - The Buffalo News

Share|

Editor listens to complaints on article

Margaret Sullivan showed up at the True Bethel Church so Rev. Pridgen could get even more free media exposure. She listened to the relatives of the City Grill shootings vent their anger towards her and the Buffalo News.

I thought she's handled the whole controversy well. It's one of those debates where both sides make valid points. Printing the criminal pasts of the victims right after their funerals was insensitive to their families. However, the public at large had a right to know the information. Sullivan herself admitted she should not have put the story on the front page with a sensational headline.

I still don't hear anybody talking about the real issues facing urban areas today: the breakdown of the family, the availability of handguns, and a complete disdain for education.

Share|

Activist plans boycott march of paper

A group protesting the Buffalo News is planning a march tonight from city hall to the newspaper's headquarters on Washington St. They are upset with the news for publishing the criminal backgrounds of the City Grill shooter. I wish I didn't have plans already tonight. I'd like to protest the Buffalo News endorsement process and their editorial board. They ripped me when I ran for the Common Council in 2001 and spoke in great terms about my two opponents, both of whom now reside in the suburbs.

Share