Sometimes we get so wrapped up with what’s going on here in our own little universe in WNY that we often forget that there is a larger world out there. If you aren’t already, you should read up on the genocide that is currently happening in Africa.

400,000+ dead.

3.5 million people hungry

2.5 million displaced

People being raped and tortured every day.
It’s truly a terrible, terrible situation.

Now I’m not one who thinks that the U.S. should go in and save every single tiny problem that other countries have. But this isn’t a tiny problem. This is a huge problem. And we need to intervene. We have the power to change things for the better…and it’s our responsibility to do so…we have an obligation as the most powerful country in the world.
Not only do we have a responsibility, we need to encourage the international community to get involved as well with peacekeeping efforts, $$, whatever it takes…

It’s easy to ignore what’s happening.  But please don’t. It’s much too important!

The Sabres now lead the series 3-2, going back to Philadelphia for game #6 on Tuesday evening at 7 PM.  Today’s game was a lot more of what we’ve seen in the past…fast skating, hard hitting, no punches, hockey.  The Sabres dominated the ice from the first face-off and never let up.

Ryan Miller had a superb game, helping to make up for the not-so-great performances he had in games #3 and #4 in Philly.  It was good to have Teppo Numminen back on the ice as well…he didn’t score, but is a dominating presence when he’s on the ice.

And it was good to have silenced Peter Forsberg, who carried his team in the games in Philly.  We heard virtually nothing from him today, which is a good thing for us!

Game #6…let’s hope we can put this one away!

Today’s game is crucial.  With Friday night’s loss in Philadelphia, game 5 can be the turning point of the series.  Good to know that Teppo Numminen will be back on the ice after getting the all clear from cardiologists yesterday.  Numminen suffers from a ‘dilated aorta’ which has required one surgery (two years ago) and will require another one during the off season.  It’ll be good to have him back on the ice…maybe it’ll spur the team on to play even harder today.

I imagine that the HSBC Arena will be all fired up today…I’ll be home watching it on television/listening to it on the radio (the national t.v. hacks that broadcast are awful).

Oh and kudos to the Buffalo Bandits for beating Rochester last night and making it to ‘the superbowl of lacrosse’ on Saturday, May 13 in Buffalo!!!  Way to go guys!!!

I went to see it this afternoon. Shortly after I posted about the movie, there was a showing at the theater near my house, so I ran over and caught it. I missed the first couple minutes of the movie (no previews)…I think what I missed was (according to some reviews I’ve read) the terrorists in their hotel rooms praying before going to the airports.

I have to say that I completely agree with Joel Siegel’s review about the movie. It’s a great movie that is impossible to recommend. It’s strange to sit and watch a movie that is based on fact, but really fictional because nobody really knows what happened on that plane.

The theater was 2/3 packed…and I quickly made my way to the back of the seats. So much of what they show was on the ground and the scrambling that the air traffic control centers in different cities had to contend with as well as how the military handled the situation.

The movie itself was really moving, honestly, as I had suspected it would be. I took kleenex, but didn’t need them. There is a minimal amount of development of the people on board, heard mainly through their panicked conversation and phone calls home to loved ones to say goodbye when they realized they were going to die.

Todd Beamer’s ‘let’s roll’ that got so much play immediately following 9/11, was just rolled casually into his conversation, just as I imagined it would have been. We’ll never know, but in that situation, I can’t see it being a huge display of words. If they had been able to take the plane over, there was a pilot on board who had only flown single-engine planes, but was ready to do his part…he was worried about landing…there happened to be a former air traffic control worker on the plane as well.

What was interesting and something that either I missed completely, or information wasn’t really shared after 9/11, was that the air traffic control workers never officially declared that American Airlines flight #11 was the plane that hit the south tower (the first plane). After both towers and the pentagon were hit, the military still believed (because of reports from the air traffic controllers) that AA#11 was headed for Washington, D.C.
There were many theories after United flight #93 crashed into the ground in Shanksville, PA, that the military had shot it down. According to the last scenes of the movie (information on the screen), it was 10:18 before President Bush authorized military intervention (too late of course) and the closest planes were 100 miles away from there.

I’m glad I went to see it. But again, I can’t tell you whether or not you should go see it. It’s certainly heavy on the emotions and the heart. As the plane is plummeting to the ground, the screen fades to black. All you could hear in the theater (and I’m sure in theaters across the country) were quiet sobs…

I’ve been reading a lot of reviews and posts about this movie. It’s getting tons of press because of its delicate nature. And I have to admit that I have mixed feelings about it. Do I see it or not? Alan posts here about the movie and the fact that he won’t see it. I totally respect and understand that. I also understand why he didn’t see ‘Passion of the Christ’. I saw it.

There’s something about this movie in particular that makes me feel obligated to see it. I don’t know whether it’s the fact that I feel like I owe it to the people on that plane or what. I can’t explain it…wish I could. Obviously, none of us has or could forget the events of that horrific day almost 5 years ago…even if we tried our hardest.

I was in New York City in 2001, 11 days after September 11th. It was my first ‘official’ trip to the city. I had flown in and out of Laguardia and JFK, but never spent any actual time there. I was with my cousin and his partner and we spent that Saturday afternoon walking through the city for 8 hours. And I will tell you that it’s an experience I am so glad I got to have and one that changed me. We walked as far south as the police would let us go…4 or 5 blocks from the site of the towers. You could look down and see the remains of the towers. Having a police presence on every corner was certainly something I never envisioned, but a necessary presence in light of that month’s events. I saw New York City at its most vulnerable time in its history…and still found it to be one of the best cities I’ve been to in the world (we all know how much I love Buffalo & I love some of the cities in Italy, too).

And while the passengers of Flight 93 will never know exactly where their plane was headed, although it was likely the White House or Capitol Hill, I feel like their story was an important one to tell…and I guess that’s the reason why I feel compelled to see the movie. If the family members had been against it, I think I’d have a completely different view about seeing it, but all of the family members were on board for the making of this movie and several of the flight control personnel play themselves.

More to come…

Well, last night it officially became a series between Buffalo and Philadelphia.  Mind you, it was always a series, but last night, the Flyers tied up the series.  The Sabres’ playing was sloppy last night and they seemed to lack the speed they usually dominate with on the ice.

Maybe it’s because Nummanen was back home in Buffalo having his heart checked and Rory Fitzpatrick was playing - although he played pretty well.  Maybe it’s because they went into last night’s game and the game on Wednesday thinking it was going to be easy.  Or maybe it’s that Peter Forsberg.  You can never really count him out, can you?  I posted a couple days ago about how even at 80%, he is still better than 75% of the league.  And he continues to prove it every game.

Here’s hoping for home ice advantage and a crazy crowd at Sunday’s game!

En-lightened

Originally uploaded by Transguyjay.

One of my favorite things about having a website is to post about cool things that are happening. I’m pleased to share with you information about the WNY Book Arts Collaborative brought to you by our same friends that run the P22 Type Foundry.

‘The WNY Book Arts Collaborative exists to promote, encourage and develop the Printing Arts through education and access for individual artists and underserved communities. Through active programs such as lectures, workshops and exhibitions of all facets of the printed word and image — printmaking, papermaking, illustration, design, writing, binding — the long history of multiple editions from stone carving to the e-books can be explored and made accessible to the public as viewer and participant.’

In addition to their website, they also have a blog where you can find information on the advancement and promotion of fine printing and book arts in Buffalo and WNY.

They will soon be looking for people interested in taking workshops and volunteering for their various events. It’s very cool to have people like them working hard at keeping the written word alive!

No Smoking

Originally uploaded by cutlassdude70.

Gas keeps going up…and up…and up…I posted a few days ago about the fact that I paid $38 to fill my Beetle. Luckily, I get good gas mileage, so it doesn’t bother me as much as people who drive big SUVs or fuel inefficient cars!

Locally, Buffalo Gas Prices gives the top 10 highest and top 10 lowest gas stations in WNY. You can search to find the cheapest gas prices in your city or suburb and also report places you suspect of price gouging…a good resource…thanks to my friends Shredd & Ragan for giving us the heads up on this one…

Brooms provided in Shwedagon Pagoda

Originally uploaded by Christiane Sch..

Well, unfortunately, there will not be a sweep for the Sabres in the 1st round of the playoffs. They lost last night, 4-2, in Philadelphia.

I wasn’t really that surprised, honestly. After Monday’s devastating loss, you had to guess that Philly would come out with a vengeance last night…and they did.

And you’ve really got to give it to Peter Forsberg. He’s only at 80% with his groin injury. And at 80% or on his worst day, he’s still better than 75% of the players in the league. He really came through for them last night.

The Sabres looked sloppy and slow last night. They had multiple penalties and didn’t just seem to be the same team that dominated on Monday.

Game 4 tomorrow night in Philadelphia. Winning at home on Sunday would be sweet!

During the NFL off-season, other than trades and the draft, not much happens.  Yesterday, however, was a very busy day for a bunch of teams, including our very own Buffalo Bills who just announced that former safety Mark Kelso will be the color guy in the broadcast booth with John Murphy this season.  As you may or may not know, Alex Van Pelt was the color guy last year (it was like a Bills’ fan being in the booth).  Alex is now the Quality Control Coach for the team.  Kelso is a WNY guy.  He’s lived in the area since 1986 and loves it here.  His family is here…and he works in Lancaster at St. Mary’s.  I heard him this morning talking on Shredd & Ragan and can’t wait to hear him in the booth…

Two other NFL notes…

No big surprise, Brett Favre has decided to return for the 2006 season…that was pretty anticlimactic…

And Miami will be hurting without Ricky Williams who has been suspended for one year after violating the NFL’s drug policy for the 4th time - that’s right, 4th time…nice work, Ricky…so much for being clean, eh?