Gallivan should not be given a job at taxpayers expense

Former Sherrif Patrick Gallivan is considering a run for Dale Volker's soon to be vacated US Senate seat. You might remember when Gallivan was in office. He did nothing, smiled for cameras, and wrote the most ridiculous articles I've ever seen in local newspapers. His articles would cover such important topics as safe trick or treating, not swimming right after eating, and the dangers of not wearing sunscreen. I was embarrassed to read such crap in print, as it was a blatant attempt to get his name in the paper without saying anything. Now, he is considering running but would have to vacate his spot on the parole board (which is due to expire soon). Look at how brazenly the Buffalo News talks about efforts to find a no show job for him while he's campaigning:

Other sources say that Gallivan would have to resign his $101,600 job with the Parole Board and that efforts are under way to find an interim position to support him during the upcoming campaign.

People are out of work, struggling to make ends meet, and Paterson is talking about furloughs. Yet, we can afford to find a position for this entitled bureaucrat! Sorry, dwarf. If you want to run for office and need a paycheck, go apply at Wegmans. Western New Yorkers (both Democrats and Republicans) should oppose any job specifically created for this lousy actor. I don't use this word often but his articles were the gayest things I've ever seen a man write.

Domagalski-Gallivan showdown seen : City & Region : The Buffalo News#comment#comment#comment#comment#comment#comment

Don't tase me, Bro!

Police in Philadelphia tased a 17 year old fan who ran onto the field during a Phillies game on Monday. Most players are for it according to the accompanied article. For the amount people pay, I think fans should be allowed to tase the players. If you haven't seen the video yet, now you have...

Players applaud Taser use for fan on field : MLB : The Buffalo News

The most famous tasering would have to be this one at the University of Florida where this wackjob college student yelled, "Don't tase me, bro!" at a John Kerry speech:

Dr. Arsenic has his day in court

Remember this guy? Anthony Pignataro was the West Seneca quack who tried to kill his wife with arsenic. I read once that he got his medical license from the Phillipines, Guam, or Puerto Rico. I can't remember which it was. Pignataro is famous for inventing a hair transplant procedure which he formerly offered to his customers:

New York, New York: A New York doctor has invented a hairpiece so easy to wear, it's a snap. The hairpiece snaps into tiny metal pegs that are surgically imbedded into the wearer's skull, said Dr. Anthony Pignataro, a cosmetic surgeon who designed and wears the hairpiece. So far, the doctor and two others wear the snap-on wig, but Pignataro said he believes 3,000 men will be wearing them in 1997. The metal nuts are imbedded into the skull 3 to 4 millimeters deep, and it takes about three months for the skin and bone to grow back before the hairpiece can be snapped on.

Check him out in his latest court appearance in the white shirt looking like Kojak. Apparently, he doesn't stand behind his product:

State Teachers Union attacks charter schools

The New York State Teacher's Union is against charter schools. Who would have ever believed this? Charter schools are doing considerably more than the traditional public schools with less. Yes. They are kicking out troublemakers and sending them packing. Yes. These same troublemakers end up going to the traditional public schools where they are allowed to continue to cause trouble. How about creating alternative schools and separating these kids from the kids that do know how to behave? You wouldn't believe how disruptive these students are at many of the Buffalo Public Schools. It's a longstanding joke that people are afraid to talk about.

According to the article, 41 out of 192 students returned to public schools from charter schools were for behavioral reasons. The teacher's union complains about this like it's a bad thing. Why should the well behaved kids at the charter schools be forced to have disruptive kids in their classrooms? Guess what? As soon as these troublemaking kids are kicked out, the other students know it's a privilege to be in their school. If the traditional public schools don't like it, then maybe they should start enforcing some kind of discipline at their schools. I guess it's easier to keep giving out free breakfast, lunch, and dinner and telling these disruptive kids how special they are.

Park district school board member Lou Petrucci said earlier this week that administrations at the charter schools did not have to disclose their financial salaries. A month ago, South District Councilman Michael Kearns asked Dr. Williams from the Buffalo Public Schools to disclose the salaries of all his flunkies working over at city hall and Williams refused. How come Petrucci isn't equally concerned about this? Williams obviously has something to hide (excessive no-show jobs ).
NYSUT report lambastes charters : Home: The Buffalo News

Sheldon Silver- biggest crook in Albany

If you want to read a good column discussing how corrupt Sheldon Silver is, I suggest you read Douglas Turner's link underneath this post. Turner talks about how the state gets handed the responsibility of redistricting the Assembly, Senate and Congressional seats based on the census. He goes on to show how one guy (Silver) controls this whole process. Usually, Congressional incumbents start lining the pockets of Silver this time of year in exchange for him making their seats nearly unbeatable. All of this nonsense happens in a country that at one point aspired to be a Democracy. What it amounts to is the Congressman bribing Silver to get a favorable district. Don't feel sorry for the incumbents. They have partys in which individual citizens can become "bronze" donors or "gold" donors based on the amount they donate to them. These people donate out of the kindness of their hearts. Isn't that nice of them? Another clear example of bribery.

Why has Silver chosen to turn his back on the UB autonomy bill, which almost everyone agrees would create jobs? The students are for it.The problem is the union representing the faculty. They oppose it and Silver answers to them. Turner sums up this nonsense best when he says:

Silver couldn’t care less that these links thwart progress and worse, foster mediocrity. That’s why the Peoples Republic of New York, under the grip of unlimited public union power, is looking more like stagnant England before Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher threw off socialism’s yoke.

Schroeder has stood up to this evil man while guys like Sam Hoyt sit back and allow stuff like this to go on. One thing I think everyone can agree with (Democrats, Republicans, members of the Whig Party) is that Silver has overstayed his welcome and needs to go.
Douglas Turner: Silver’s dominance blocks UB progress : Douglas Turner : The Buffalo News

Delano believes Wienckowski was murder victim

Add former Buffalo detective Dennis Delano to the list of people who believe 20 year old Amanda Wienckowski was murdered and did not die from a drug overdose. In this story on channel 2, even a layperson can see the marks on her neck that certainly seem to point to strangulation. I would guess that the murderer was one of the last three people to talk to her on the phone before her death. And how did her body get into the garbage tote? Who is the person that dumped her there? Wouldn't a normal person call an ambulance or 911 if somebody overdosed in their house? Wienckowski's mother will not quit until she gets the justice she deserves.
Former detective says Wienckowski was murdered : City of Buffalo : The Buffalo News

Mariemont Avenue stabbing

In case you missed it. A Buffalo police officer apprehended an Altruria St. teenager suspected of stabbing someone on Mariemont Avenue.

Buffalo police officer catches suspect after chase

A police officer chased a teenager wearing a blood-soaked shirt for nearly a quarter-mile across heavy traffic, over rusted chain-link fences and through dimly lit backyards before arresting him early today.

Daniel Silver, 17, of the 100 block of Altruria Street, was charged with reckless endangerment and obstructing governmental administration for running from the officer, according to an arrest report.

Arresting Officer Mark Andrezejak, responding to a 911 dispatch call about a possible stabbing on Mariemont Avenue, spotted Silver walking along the street toward South Park Avenue.
Silver's shirt had "a significant amount of blood on it," so Andrezejak ordered him to approach his patrol car, the report said.Silver fled, and the officer pursued him. He was arrested at 12:45 a.m. on Sheffield and South Park avenues. No information was available from police about the reported stabbing.

Many unresolved questions surround Wienckowski case

A national expert hired by the family of Amanda Wienckowski has uncovered evidence that points to strangulation as the cause of her death, not a drug overdose. This case didn't pass the smell test from the very beginning. Wienckowski was the 20 year old Lewiston women found dead in a garbage tote with her hair cut off on the East side of Buffalo.

Dr. Sylvia Comparini, a west coast pathologist, has discovered pre mortem pressure marks around her neck consistent with strangulation. However, she cannot rule on a cause of death until the Erie County Medical Examiner turns over her hyoid bone, thyroid, and heart.

Also strange is the fact that the Erie County Medical autopsy was signed by four medical examiners. Normally, these reports are signed by one examiner. Comparini also notes that part of Wienckowski's tongue was bitten off before her death. With all the advances in technology, a competent forensic specialist should be able to trace the bite marks or DNA to one individual. I've seen it a million times on Forensic Files. I'm not accusing anybody of a coverup. Wienckowski's lifestyle obviously contributed to her untimely death. However, she did not walk into a garbage tote on her own after her death. Police need to find out who placed her there. This story will not be going away soon.

Her lawyer says one of the men who last saw Wienckowski has a history of strangling women. We are innocent until proven guilty in this country but not on this blog. To me, this guy's past makes him the prime suspect. Stories like this also make me long for a return to the days of the angry mob...

Second autopsy suggests strangling : City & Region : The Buffalo News#comment#comment#comment#comment

Random Thoughts From the Ghetto-Volume 27

I look out my window and see the empty 40 oz beer bottles, hypodermic needles, crack pipes and abandoned shopping carts on my front lawn and I begin to think. The end results have become known as my random thoughts from the ghetto...

-I was talking to someone in a large group a few weeks ago. We were talking about people who were born with bizarre names. He told me his father's name was Fred Krueger. I am not making this up. I asked him if his father knew a guy named Mike Myers or a Jason Voorhees.

-Facebook.com is a very scary site. I post links to my blog on it and put up pictures on the South Buffalo Soccer Alumni & Friends page and that's about it. I really don't want to know that you love your family or are having a terrible day. However, I do look at the status updates from time to time. They're like a bad traffic accident. You don't want to look but you cannot avoid it. I've found myself talking to people in real life and I know things about them that I feel I shouldn't no, so I just pretend not to know. I wonder if anybody else has done the same thing?

-I've discovered what I call the Metro Community News White Trash Test. If you want to know the worst house(es) on your street, check to see who still has their Metro Community Newspaper on their railing on Thursday. (They are distributed on the weekends). If so, it is usually accompanied by an uncut lawn with garbage on it. I'll bet, this is the worst house on your street. It shows they don't like to read, don't care about what is going on in the community, and don't pick up after themselves. The triple crown.

-I read recently that the WWE announced it is banning chairshots to the head due to wrestlers suffering too many concussions. It's good to know the WWE has finally decided to enforce the rules after 30 years. What's next? Are they going to ban Mr. Fuji dust and the dreaded foreign object as well?

-When we were kids, parents of people my age used to threaten to drop their kids off at Father Baker's in Lackawanna if they did not behave. The 21st century equivalent is to threaten to sell your kids on Ebay. One guy around here last week actually did put his kids up on Craigslist.

-Whenever someone says they are sick, people always respond by saying,"it's going around." I do this myself. Is there ever a time when it's "not" going around?

-It's always funny when the city or county announce that they have a surplus. Then, two weeks later, they announce that they're going to go bankrupt if the state doesn't come through with more aid. Which is it?

-The Sabres flat out stink. It's funny how they won their division yet everyone expected them to lose in the playoffs. Connolly and Roy looked more like Siegfried and Roy against Boston.

-A few people have asked me if I knew who the anonymous person was that comments on some of my posts. I really didn't care because I had him pegged as a spoiled, lazy, entitled quitter anyway. A few tipsters have both given me the same name. I had wondered why this person was too embarrassed to say who he was until I was told who he probably was. Now it all makes sense. If I was this person and I flopped as badly as he did, I wouldn't want my identity made public either. Don't worry about me. I'm just a nobody from the ghetto. I have no influence. Don't worry about the 1,ooo people that read this blog every week. I would never bring up a major "incident" in Washington that took place this year involving this underachiever and the help he got from a certain local Congressman. There are lots of canaries down by the docks. Don't you think I hear things? I have to go now. My back is really bothering me.

Letter to the editor- Publicity seeking principal

A letter to the editor today from a school principal defending himself for allowing to be "slimed" by one of his staff members:

Creative principals inspire their students to succeed

Buffalo News

Principals in today’s educational system build relationships with their students, teachers, support staff, parents and community members. They are no longer contained to their offices and discipline wayward students. Principals today know their students’ names, shake their hands, have conversations with them, read, tutor and counsel them. They build a mutual respect with their school community. Students do not need to fear their principals in order to respect them.

Setting goals, working toward those goals and having an intrinsic or extrinsic reward for meeting these goals is part of life. Students today are not always motivated intrinsically to complete their schoolwork with all of the other activities surrounding them. Principals have adapted and found ways to encourage academic performance. If being slimed is one of those ways, then more power to those educational leaders.

One of the side effects is an expanded feeling of respect from the student body toward their administrators. The kids will aggressively work toward the set goals because their principal is willing to do something so non-stereotypical. I appreciate every effort made by my students to surpass our educational goals. I will not stop, nor should the other educators who find creative ways to inspire children to succeed.
John F. Diodate
East Amherst

Spoken like someone who is completely out of touch with the youth of today. Principals have adapted and found ways to encourage academic performance? I don't think so. Being slimed by your students or painted by your students is a publicity stunt. It is not going to benefit the students one bit. All it is doing is saying "Look how much I care about these students!" "Look at me!" I hate to tell you but the staff members are not impressed either and view it as grandstanding on your part.You can know the students' names and their interests and help them reach their goals without making yourself look like a publicity seeking idiot. You want the students to reach their goals? Why don't you try doing something "non-stereotypical" like acting like a leader. That doesn't mean you have to be mean, just fair and observant. Students can tell when someone is on the ball or not. Engaging in some ridiculous stunt is not going to change their attitudes one way or another.

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