Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show...(the opening lines of David Copperfield as written by Charles Dickens;inspired by MTM). Or at least this ACCOUNT will, perhaps, have a reflection on whether I'm going to be the hero in my own life.
So before the light
Hold me again
With all of your might
In the still of the night~~~In The Still Of the Night - The Five Satins
Hey!!! Here is a twist---nothing out-of-the-ordinary, at the workplace this week.
On Tuesday, 22 February, I had some blood-work done at Quest. The technician took four vials from me. I'm thinking that Doctor O'Neill must be trying to cover all the bases. And even though it was cold, I had to get an EKG, so I sauntered up to Millard Fillmore Suburban to have that taken care of. I literally had to park at the tail-end of the lot. Thank God for the little Scooter---that could.
Much revolutionary contagion in the news this week. What has been an everyday activity in Madison Wisconsin, has become contagious domestically. This contagion has become a catalyst in several other states, from both---the governing body, as well as the affected state-employees, standpoint. In effect, even as the state-employees have expressed a willingness to concede wage and benefit provisions, the governing bodies are hell-bent on breaking the collective-bargaining apparatus. As of this time, there appears to be five other states, besides Wisconsin, that are looking to get their budgets out-of-the-red by adopting this union-busting strategy. And~~~everybody is watching.
On the international beat, the activity that everybody is still watching is the Pan-Arabic Epiphany. Of course, whom is center-stage, but the megalomaniac himself, Muammar Gaddafi, the self-proclaimed president of Libya. From the Halls Of Montezuma, to The Shores of Tripoli!! By mid-week, he is blaming Osama bin Laden for all his woes, and he is labeling his enemies Rats & Cockroaches. Hmmmmm!!! I'm going to take that as a complement---rats and cockroaches have been around FOREVER.
I did not know this, but as huge as Libya is, it has just six-million countrymen. If the Tripoli metropolitan area(district area) has a population of 1,065,405(2006 census), and Benghazi, the population of the entire district was 500,120 in 1995 (census) and has increased to 670,797 in the 2006 census, most everybody else is living along the Mediterranean Sea coastal areas. As TIME MAGAZINE puts it, this week: Gaddafi's Last Stand---The Arab revolution confronts a dictator determined to keep power at all costs. Expect a bloody old-fashioned civil war. What is at stake?? An oppressed people taking aim at the possibility of an established Republic to be governed by legitimately elected officials in a constitutional structure.
Oh~~~wait; gasoline!!! What was I thinking?!?!? Of course it is the gasoline, that is at stake!! Why would we care about anything else. Hell!! I wouldn't be surprised if we dropped in some DESERT FOX Delta-Special-Forces Units, and just plain take over the oil production fields in the western part of Libya. And to make sure that the shore outlets for the oil were not sabotaged by Gaddafi, we would send the USMC---into TRIPOLI. Heck!! It is not like we haven't done that~~~before.
NB: Terrified residents of Tripoli said today they are barricaded in their homes, describing a city under siege where armed gangs loyal to Moammar Gadhafi are shooting people indiscriminately.
Fears are growing that a desperate but defiant Gadhafi -- who has lost control of most of the country except for Tripoli -- may also use chemical weapons and aerial bombardment, as Russian-made helicopters packed with firearms buzzed over the capital.
"I am beyond scared and my little daughters are beyond scared," a businessman -- who wanted to be referred to as Massin -- told AOL News today via Skype from his home in central Tripoli.
"We don't dare go out. We don't know what's going to happen. Gadhafi's guys are driving around in cars shooting at everyone to scare us. We are all fearing the worst."
Rahm Emanuel, formerly of The White-House Chief-of-Staff, did successfully win the election to become Mayor of the City of Chicago. Chicago has always been my~~~Second-City, so I was following this current event and wanted to include this
in my reflections.
AP - Former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel was elected mayor of Chicago, easily overwhelming five rivals to take the helm of the third-largest U.S. city as it prepares to chart a new course without the retiring Richard M. Daley.
Emanuel trounced all opponents with 55 percent of the vote - a margin that allowed him to avoid an April runoff. He needed more than 50 percent to win outright.
It was the city’s first mayoral race in more than 60 years without an incumbent on the ballot and the first in more than two decades without Daley among the candidates. Daley and his father have led Chicago for more than 43 out of the last 56 years.
Emanuel called the victory “humbling” and thanked Daley for his lifetime of service, saying the outgoing mayor had “earned a special place in our hearts and our history."
But he added: “We have not won anything until a kid can go to school thinking of their studies and not their safety. Until the parent of that child is thinking about their work and not where they are going to find work, we have not won anything.”
With his straight-forward, and sometimes in-your-face approach, Chicago will continue to hold down the reputation as the Big-City---that works.
On 23 February, 2011, the City of Buffalo had a historic development unfold at the HSBC Arena. The ownership of the Buffalo Sabres hockey team was changing hands. History has those 'moments' that define a manifest-destiny. Clinton DeWitt's Ditch, Seward's Folly, The Lewis & Clark Expedition, and the Louisiana Purchase are the building-blocks to facilitate an objective's completion. Buffalo can now be included in this sense of its own Manifest-Destiny---with the Pegula-Purchase, of The Buffalo Sabres.
The introduction of the Sabres' new owner was an unquestioned success in HSBC Arena. He laughed, cried and proved himself to be a Buffalo guy, albeit one with deep pockets.
"I can tell you one thing: I'm a fan," the 59-year-old said. "You won't find a bigger fan than me because I just bought a hockey team. That's a pretty big commitment as a fan. There's only 29 other fans in the country that can pull that off."
None of the previous three fans/owners of the Sabres was able to win a championship, but Pegula repeatedly said that is his only goal. Prior owners, notably outgoing boss B. Thomas Golisano, looked at the bottom line harder than the win column. Pegula, who became a billionaire with a Pennsylvania oil and natural gas exploration business, promised to spend whatever it takes to bring titles to Buffalo.
"If I want to make some money, I'll go drill a gas well. I don't need to make it in the hockey business," Pegula said. "Starting today, there will be no financial mandates on the Buffalo Sabres' hockey department. ... I'm going to make decisions based on winning the Stanley Cup and what is right for the fan base and the team.
"We will aspire to be the best in the league at finding, developing and keeping our players in their new Buffalo Sabre family."
For a sports town that has experienced more than its share of heartache, the words were inspiring.
"He believes in Buffalo and Western New York," National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman said. "He is probably as committed as anybody has ever been to bringing the Stanley Cup to Buffalo, so this is a great day for hockey in Buffalo."
It was a day that started back in 1975. Pegula, a Florida resident who previously lived in Olean and Orchard Park, became entranced by the Sabres during their run to the Stanley Cup final, particularly dazzling young center and future Hall of Famer Gilbert Perreault. Pegula couldn't get enough. A season-ticket holder from 1980 to 1999, he said many times through the years he was going to own the team.
"There's a magazine article on me that was written in around 1991 or '92, and I said in there I wanted to own a hockey team. It was the Buffalo Sabres," Pegula said. "The genesis started a long time ago. The serious part of it was last spring."
His resources finally matched his desire. He told his friend Cliff Benson about the dream, and the next thing Pegula knew he was sitting in a Pittsburgh club talking with Sabres minority owners Larry Quinn and Dan DiPofi.
Nearly one year and $189 million later, the longtime fan is in charge.
"This is so huge for him it's hard to put into words," said Benson. "He loves this place. He loves this team. The cliche is 'dream come true,' and this has been his dream for a long, long time.
"This isn't a hobby. From the minute he wakes up to the minute he goes to bed every night, it's going to be Buffalo Sabres, and it's going to be fun."
It was clear soon after the news conference started how much the day meant to Pegula. He looked to his right, saw Perreault and broke down. With his face flush and tears filling his eyes, Pegula said, "You're my hero." Vogel/Buffalo News
The Sabres had a home game Wednesday evening against the Atlanta Thrashers. The Thrashers are coached by the onetime Sabres famous Checking-Line stalwart Craig Ramsey. And the contest has some pre-game festivities celebrating the new ownership. Included in the pre-game show, is bringing onto the ice---The French Connection. I was impressed with Rene Robert!! He still has a spring in his skate as the French Connection were making their way to center ice. In the FORTY FOR FORTY picks of the best Sabres ever---Robert is ranked; number 11(good number). I intend on getting that selection autographed. And trust me, I have the 'connection' to make that happen. Still working on number 2; Gilbert Perrault, and number 4; Richard Martin. I just may have a CONNECTION for that autograph!!
So Thursday, 24 February, I'm at this dinner that is related to activities that are part & parcel with my routines at the Board. It is a salute to the Democratic ECBOE Commissioner Dennis Ward. Plenty of fanfare, speeches, and very good food.
In getting home, I find myself having to deal with a major reparation project. Those whom know me well, know that when traversing the shorter distances, I do so using two canes. The one cane that is ALWAYS in my left-hand is the cane with the brass elephant-head handle. I was so upset. The opening of the handle that is fastened onto the nodule of the upper part of the cane~~~came apart; completely separated. After recomposing myself, I realized I had to do something to correct the problem. First of all, I need two canes; am not able to mobilize on anything less. Secondly, the cane has sentimental value. The cane has been in the extended-family for at least three decades now. I set about to remake something from nothing. Having Andrew as my 'runner', in my good clothes, using power drill tools, I am doing reparation work of this cane, on the newly-placed, kitchen floor. It was a bit tricky because much of the work was being done free-form; that is to say, I did not have any vices to grip the material that I was trying to make sure stayed aligned as I was sending the drill-bit through. The end result was magnifique!! My elephant-head-handled cane~~~is as good as new.
Friday, 25 February, is an anniversary of sorts. It was 47 years ago that my Father did something for me, that I continue to hold dearest, as a Father/Son memorable moment. On 25 February, 1964, was the first Cassius Clay~~~Sonny Liston Fight. Even at 13 years old, I KNEW THIS TO BE AN EPOCH SPORTING EVENT. And I subsequently was able to learn that even as the fight was taking place in Miami, FL, it was going to be made available to the viewing audience in Buffalo, NY via the technology of closed-circuit television at The Century Theatre in downtown Buffalo, NY. In conversations with his brother, my Uncle Pat, I had discerned that my Father was going to attend this event. I begged him, and begged him, to allow me to attend this event with him. He, of course, at first would not allow it. It was simple economics for a family that was trying to survive~~~living on the other-side of the tracks. The tickets were $25.00 a head; first-come, first-served. Come fight-night, he told me to put on a warm coat---and decided to take me!! I was excited and admittedly scared, at the same time. Keep in mind---this is downtown Buffalo in 1964, and the two world-class prize-fighters that are in this bout, are Black; African-American. In close-quarters, I had never been in such a large gathering mix of blacks and whites. My Dad and I were pulling for Cassius Clay---"What's My Name; What's My Name?!?!"
Thank you, Dad!!! I tried to make good on that memorable moment by taking my Father to the Ray Boom-Boom Mancini/Livingstone Bramble fight, in downtown Buffalo, NY at The Aud, in June of 1984. While this fight sadly, did not turn out to our expectations, I know my Father had a good time.
So Saturday, 26 February, Andrew and I go for supper at the Star of India Restaurant on Delaware Avenue here in Kenmore. It has started to snow, so the roads and walkways are starting to get slick. As I am making my way beyond the back of the van to get up the snow-cleared part of the curb that is in front of The Star of India Restaurant, Andrew hustles ahead~~~to get the door. Of course, while he is getting the door~~~I'm still---in the street. There is a 'silent-shroud-of-snow' already on the surfaces. The curb is high and there is no railings. So here goes!!! As hard as I could try, I could not make the step up the curb elevation. Being in that momentary period of suspended animation, I am now losing my balance. I have nowhere to go, and nobody, or nothing, to grab onto. So that I have two hands to break the fall, I let go of my canes and fall down back onto the street. Thank God I went down between two parked cars, and I had my thick NorthWestern University Varsity coat on. Between the arms and the coat, the fall was shock-absorbed in that manner. Andrew hustled over to pick me up and drag me over to the nearby vehicle. This allowed me to stabilize myself into an upright manner, until Andrew could pick the canes up so I could proceed again. This time, Andrew gave me his shoulder to hold onto, while I was again trying to navigate the curb and the sidewalk to the restaurant. Now being a little rattled, my legs are very spastic; very rigid. But I am able to settle into our chairs~~~and enjoyed good East-Indian cuisine, and some good, and articulate conversations, courtesy of Andrew!!
--{-=@
Hickok
The Promise
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