Al's Blog-o-Sphere

The United States spends over $87 billion conducting a war in Iraq while the United Nations estimates that for less than half that amount we could provide clean water, adequate diets, sanitation services, and basic education to every person on the planet .

And we wonder why terrorists attack us ?

Confessions of an Economic Hitman by John Perkins

I’ve been a skeptic about E Bay as long as it’s been around. I have both bought and sold items on it, but for the most part whatever I try to buy, I either get outbid or get a bad feeling and never bid at all.

The concept of an online auction site is something that has appeal to most people. It’s so convenient to look for something at a bargain price or to sell something that you’d never find the right person willing to pay what it is worth any other way. But after you play with it a while, you begin to realize it’s not an online version of your family garage sale. Continue Reading…

You already probably know I enjoy music and that the kind I like best is live, and even better free or at least cheap!

So it’s been a topic of conversation several times recently with people I know. The new Molson Canal/City Center series in Lockport, the North Tonawanda series that replaces the one moved to Lockport and the old standbys, Thursday at the Square in Buffalo and the Artpark shows on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

I made a comment recently to a local supporter of the Lockport concerts that they were okay, but I wished they weren’t acts that we’ve already seen play in summer concert shows around here in the recent past. His point of view was that it’s Lockport – anything we have is better than nothing which is what we had had before. But does that mean we should settle for anything?

I don’t want to sound negative. I like the concerts and I’ll probably be at them. The sky will probably be blue, too. No, I’ll be at as many as possible, just because they are so close to home. But my observation stands. Not only that, it applies to almost all the local shows. They only seem to pick, safe, time-tested acts that we’ve all seen before and it’s turning into the oldies-but-goodies circuit.

Now, there are always fans who will show up to see Band X because they are Band X fans and will go see Band X every time Band X plays locally no matter what because they are Band X fans. Isn’t that repetitive though? Aren’t you tired of Band X by now, I am. Continue Reading…

The Buffalo PD are still waiting to hear from Marshawn Lynch to hear about hit involvement in a hit-and-run last weekend. We’re still waiting for the truth.

A recent report claims a witness identified Lynch at the scene and the victim, a visitor from Ontario, has been publicly identified.

But Marshawn remains mum. Continue Reading…