Elevates emotions as bill is passed to avert default.

Legislation moves through House as Arizona Congresswoman makes appearance.

Good show, cashmob...Good show...

Count me in as excited for the opportunity to help spread the love to local businesses with #BuffCashMob, the brainchild of WNYMedia’ own Chris Smith. This great idea seeks to support local businesses with an organized en masse “flash mob” style patronage in the attempt to spend one thousand dollars. Decide on a business (details to still be worked out), get 100 people to spend 10 to 20 bucks there apiece, and spread the love.

I hope to take part in such an event, as long as reader input doesn’t foster bitter disagreement on how and who the money should be spent on, and there’s always a good chance of that happening in Buffalo. Apparently, Chris came up with the idea late night in a “data center”: a fancy-pants way to say “comupter server room”. But he had other ideas beforehand, and since he saved a draft in Word Perfect 97 on one of the servers he was babysitting, the good people at LulzSec broke into the lax computer security and sent me a copy of his rejected ideas…

1.) Flash Mob (alternate):

Bring a buzz to local business by having 100 people show up dressed as the fastest man alive, The Flash! But, we can probably allow Flash Gordon fans to attend too…

2.) Flash Mob (alternate 2):

Gather 100 people at local business and give them public exposure by exposing yourself to the local business…

3.) Rash Mob:

Gather 100 people at local business to share and trade various dermatitis conditions. Local boutiques that sell moisturizers and creams could especially benefit.

4.) Gash Mob:

A “3 Stooges”-type event where 100 patrons suddenly hit each other on the skull with blunt objects. Not sure how this would help business…back burner on this one…

5.) M*A*S*H Mob:

Suicide is painless...

Break out your scrubs as we gather 100 people to dress like their favorite character from the good ole’ 4077th. From Radar, to Hot Lips, to cross dressing Klinger! However, not sure why the annual MASH Bash changed their name, so it could be because of a “cease and desist”. DO NOT PISS OFF ALAN ALDA…

6.) Stache Mob:

Assemble 100 men (and brave women) to show off their various styles of facial hair under their nose. Perhaps we can select a salon or barbershop to patronize. Or perhaps a fine Italian establishment, as Peter Griffin did…

Scusi; boppity-boopy?

7.) Crash Mob:

Organize a 100 car pile up near a local business to bring extra press attention to their location, maybe an auto-body shop?

8.) Splash Mob:

Perhaps bring attention to a local public pool or local business’ water-park by having a bunch of people cannonball into the water. May not generate revenue, but I’ve been so freaking hot this past week or so…

9.) Trash Mob:

Pick a local business who’s pissing us off (like the whiny bitches Jim’s Steak Out have become in their attempt to squash the so-called competition of roving food trucks). Assemble 100 people to litter outside such establishments. NO PUBLIC DEFECATION…

10.) Hash Mob:

Support local entrepreneurs who deal in illicit drugs such as pot by organizing a mass purchase of nickel bags of high grade hashish or plain old weed grown in basement hydroponic bays. Will probably also increase revenue to late night food stands due to “the munchies”…

OTHER REJECTED IDEAS:

Smith Mob: One hundred people give me 10-20 bucks! Better than that pyramid scheme I did time for in Chicago…

Mob Cash Mob: Support local organized crime families by helping them launder 10-20 dollars at local establishments. Then we can use our mafia friends to muscle in on Buffalo Rising…

The above gives you an idea of the creative process that ultimately led to #BuffCashMob. After all that brainstorming, you can see how the final product deserves our support. I’m in. Are you? “Like it” on Facebook today, but follow it on The Tweeter!

We note today the 30th anniversary of the first day of programming of MTV (Music Television), although MTV’s programming ceased to be music-video centric in the mid-1990′s. Among all the complaints and jibes today about how the channel should be renamed NMTV (No Music Television - h/t to Melanie Gregg), it is important to recall the pop landscape in which MTV was born and the seismic change its launch and subsequent dominance in all matters pop wrought.

The launch of MTV a few minutes after midnight on August 1, 1981 was one of a number of landmarks in the growth of cable television in the U.S. (The launch and explosion of another cable channel, ESPN, two years earlier is ably captured in the oral history Those Guys Have All The Fun). FM radio was the platform through which most fans experienced their favorites’ latest releases and the only way one could actually see an act was paying for a concert ticket or hoping they’d be booked to perform on a TV variety show. Image was dictated to the audience from the performer (or, more likely, the performer’s management and record label) through carefully arranged appearances.

With the advent of MTV and the marriage of music and video (which has its origins in the rock ‘n roll films of the 50′s and the Beatles’ cinematic larks in the 60′s), a clear shift in audience attention and commercial viability benefitted the young and good-looking. Veteran acts who were still producing quality music found themselves lost in the video age, supplanted by acts who made visually pleasing (and, in some cases, arresting) videos for tunes with drum machines and programmed synthesizers.

I’m not, however, one of those fuddy-duddies waving his cane and decrying MTV’s debasement of pop music. As a preteen at the time of MTV’s launch, I was absolutely riveted by the channel and marveled at each opportunity I got to watch it at a friend’s house (my own Luddite household did not have cable TV). One of the cultural milestones for my generation was the first video you got to see on MTV – mine was Men At Work’s “Who Can It Be Now?” followed by Asia’s “Heat Of The Moment.”

My transition into my teenage years had MTV as its soundtrack (my parents finally gave in and signed up) and my attentions were drawn away from the 97 Rocks and CHUM-FM stations for good. As my music tastes matured, I began seeking more sophisticated and avant-garde music video programming (the USA Network’s Night Flight was a favorite) than what MTV offered, but I always tuned in to catch World Premiere Video airings and the genre shows that MTV began airing in the late 80′s. I was introduced to a lot of music (and artists) that I would not have heard on the radio or thought to browse in Record Theatre.

MTV is a channel for the young and, while I went backwards searching for Santana and Allman Brothers bootlegs, MTV pressed on, serving its primary audience well. MTV gave us the lunkheaded, neanderthal hair metal of the late 80′s-early 90′s, but also ushered in the tidal wave of grunge by playing Nirvana’s “Smell Like Teen Spirit” about twenty times a day.

As I mentioned, MTV stopped being primarily video-driven fifteen years ago and now, when I do tune in, it’s more for the adventures of Snooki on Jersey Shore. I’m still proud, however, to be part of the MTV generation and remember it fondly…after all, I can always get my MTV nostalgia fix on VH-1 Classic!

Here are my favorite things from MTV’s golden age:

1. As any American boy growing up in the 1980′s can attest, Martha Quinn

2. Being introduced to British metal through Judas Priest’s video for “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming”

3. Repeats of The Young Ones and The Monkees

4. The utter ridiculousness of Adam Curry’s hair

5. Remote Control, the pop culture game show which gave the world Adam Sandler, Denis Leary, Colin Quinn and brought a snarky cool to the channel

6. 120 Minutes

7. Beavis and Butthead, primarily because it led to the most wickedly funny cartoon this side of the Simpsons – Daria

Call comes on anniversary, and Congressionally imposed deadline, of legislation tied to the crash of Continental Flight 3407.

Multiple houses in line for improvements through a federal noise-abatement program for communities near airports are no longer eligible.

The pads were on for the first time for the Bills at training camp and though the tempo hasn’t been dialed up to full live work just yet, the power of strength of the defensive line was. The defens...

Ultraviolet Hippopotamus is a five piece rock band from Grand Rapids, Michigan whose strength in original compositions and ability in effortlessly flowing from one genre to another has made them a captivating force in the midwest music scene.  The energy, crowd banter and light show make this band hard to ignore.  It started in the summer of ’04 when a few friends from Big Rapids, Michigan got together for a few low-key jam sessions.  Before they knew it, they had established a couple of sets of music containing fun covers and even some original musings.  As they tried to settle on a name for their new group, they stumbled across a story containing a fictional...

Addresses buying 195 branches — including 71 in Western New York.

In the past decade, Buffalo's Roswell Park Cancer Institute has increased its inpatient and outpatient business by 40 percent and 60 percent respectively. As a result, the treatment center needs to expand its patient care and research facilities. This goal requires the help of thoughtful community members.  Consequently, the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation, a non-profit organization that manages Roswell Park's donations, began a campaign to raise funds for patient treatment. The Campaign to Build a Greater Roswell now aspires to finance a $40 million capital improvement project to build a new 123,500 square-foot clinical sciences center.
           
Recently, Roswell announced that a group of 10 local philanthropists and families have donated $1 million each, bringing the campaign's complete earnings to $30 million (see back story). Another $10 million had been previously secured by a Roswell Park  Cancer Institute grant and another $10 million from other donors. The group of local philanthropists, dubbed the "Circle of 10," have made contributions unprecedented in Roswell Park Cancer Institute's history according to Roswell Park Alliance Foundation president Lee Wortham. The funding has greatly increased prospects to fund and create the center as quickly as possible.  
           
Members of the Circle of 10 include Buffalo businesspeople, philanthropic leaders, and past Roswell patients and family members of patients. The Circle of 10 members' kindness has been realized in the past, and their newfound contribution proves their consistent benevolence. Considering the many altruistic actions of the 
"Circle of 10", Buffalo Rising has chosen to explore the philanthropic history of the ten members. Our hope to celebrate the tremendous past and present accomplishments of Circle of 10 members and explore Buffalo and the potential for Buffalo's continued philanthropic growth.

The Circle of 10

Scott Bieler, the current president of West Herr Automotive group, began his career as a company salesperson in 1975 and ascended to the position of West Herr president. Bieler's strong sense of community shows through his service involvement. He holds positions on the boards of the Buffalo Zoo and the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, and has developed much of the humanitarian programs of West Herr. Most notably, he began a partnership with Roswell Park Cancer Institute alongside West Herr's chairman Brad Hafner. Thanks to their efforts, West Herr now sponsors activities such as "Drive for Roswell" (originally titled "Round up for Roswell"), a program designed to donate a percentage of car profits to Roswell Park and the "Horizons of Hope campaign," in which West Herr donates mini-vans for Roswell to use to shuttle patients. Bieler's commitment to assisting those in need has been recognized with such notable awards as an honorary doctorate from Hilbert College for both his business conduct and ethics, and Roswell Park's Katherine Anne Gioia Award for volunteer leadership. Scott Bieler has promoted kindness within the business realm and devoted much of his time and effort to helping others, a testament to the origins of his incredible altruism.

William and Nancy Gacioch and family have generously chosen to support the community that has nurtured them in the past. They are the founders and owners of National Property Management Associates, and have previously offered their philanthropic efforts through donations to the Buffalo City mission, the Salvation Army, and the Buffalo Chapter of the American Red Cross. They support education by offering substantial financial gifts to their respective alma maters Niagara University and Daemen College, which had provided them financial aid when they attended. They also funded a lecture series at Daemen, entitled the Nancy Haberman Gacioch Entrepreneurship Lecture Series. The series focused on the theme of education's importance in achieving business success, emphasizing the Gacioch's belief in extending the kindnesses that others bestowed upon them in the past.
           
The Garman Family, the founders of the non-profit and charitable Garman Family Foundation, have devoted their entire livelihood to helping others. Their giving legacy is almost unparalleled. Through the foundation, the family has provided grants to many Buffalo programs, including universities and colleges, the Buffalo Philharmonic, and Girl Scouts. The Garman Family also has a long history of contributing to Roswell through their funding of career positions at the institute.
           
Richard and Anthony Gioia, past executives of Gioia Macaroni, and their respective wives, Anne and Donna Gioia's turned family tragedy into a brave and admirable opportunity for giving. Anne and Richard lost their daughter, Katherine, to leukemia in 1989, and the family has reached out to community members suffering from cancer. Anne and Donna founded Roswell Park Alliance, the vital organization that raises donations for Roswell Park. Roswell Park Alliance has raised over $68 million for cancer patients since its beginnings. Additionally, Anne heads Roswell Park's Center for Genetics & Pharmacology, one of the institute's vital centers for researching treatments for cancer. The family gives back to the community in a multitude of other was as well, such as contributing to political causes and campaigns they deem important to Buffalo.
           
G. Wayne and Charline Hawk have demonstrated their compassion for serving both cancer patients and other community members. G. Wayne Hawk, executive of Acme Electric, serves in many Buffalo venues, including serving on the board of trustees at Buffalo Meals on Wheels and the Niagara Lutheran Health Foundation Board, running a fundraiser for the Buffalo Philharmonic, contributing finances to his alma mater Purdue University alongside his wife, Charline. Furthermore, G. Wayne Hawk's engineering and aerospace background has inspired much of his charitable service to the community, serving as the president of Buffalo's Ida G. Ross Aerospace Museum and focusing his donations to Purdue's Aeronautics and Astronautics program. He also fundraises for cancer projects alongside Charline. Charline Hawk, a breast cancer survivor, founded Bosom Buddies, a group dedicated to providing comfort and information to women diagnosed with breast cancer, alongside her dear friend, the late Doreen Mortimer. They also founded a walk dedicated to promoting cancer awareness, which has since raised over $700,000.  
           
The Jacobs Family, the owners of Delaware North, focus much of their energy in aiding Buffalo and other communities. The business contributes to noteworthy local and national causes. For instance, following Hurricane Katrina, they began a partnership with Habitat for Humanity in New Orleans to build homes in ravaged neighborhoods. They also donated money for Nichols School to add vital additions to their campus. Additional educational causes included scholarship funds to the Culinary Institute of America and the University of Buffalo. The company also focuses much time on helping health institutions, contributing to auctions for Children's hospitals and putting together the Pan-Massachusetts challenge, a bike-a-thon raising funds for cancer research. At the individual level, Jeremy M. Jacobs is the chairman of UB's council.
           
Patrick P. Lee, the director of the Patrick P. Lee Foundation, financially supports local education and social issues. A previous inventor and engineer, Lee formed Enidine Incorporated, which expanded into International Motion Control. He sold IMC and used its funding to create the Patrick P. Lee foundation through a $250,000 donation. Now, Patrick P. Lee devotes all his time to financing numerous causes, including scholarships at local colleges, New Hope C.O.R.P.S., an organization devoted to assisting homeless men in finding medical care, and Hospice. In addition to the foundation's generous financial assistance to worthy causes, Patrick P. Lee also devotes time as a board member in many Buffalo organizations, and he finances political campaigns for positive Buffalo change.
           
Stanford Lipsey, the dedicated publisher of the Buffalo News, and his wife Judith have always displayed a passion for helping others. Stanford Lipsey always included assisting his community in his career goals. Lipsey, a supporter of educational drives, donated a $3 million gift to his alma mater, the University of Michigan, in 2005, established The Buffalo News' "Kids Day" event, and "Books for Kids," a program which has donated more than a million free books to impoverished children. He encourages political involvement as well, creating a "Kid's Voting" program allowing students to research political issues and vote at "polls" on election day. Judith Lipsey has been a very positive force in Buffalo, serving on the boards of the Burchfield-Penney Art Center, Buffalo Niagara Partnership, and Buffalo Zoological Society.

The family of Lawrence Minet has also contributed in his memory, realizing their beloved relative's passion for helping people with cancer. Lawrence Minet, an economics professor for many years at Canisius College, placed great importance in learning and helping others. In his free time, he shared his knowledge of Buffalo's history and literature with his friends and family. He also offered a great deal of financial support to Roswell prior to his death in memoriam of a close friend who died of cancer.

Finally, Ralph Wilson Jr, the current owner of the Buffalo Bills, has used his leadership and business skills to assist others in need. He founded the Ralph Wilson Foundation to provide support to various charitable interests. Through the foundation, he provided $1 million to support adult day care and home car in New York. He has always provided beneficial services to health organizations, having contributed more than $11 million to various medical research projects. Notably, he is involved in the Phi Delta Theta Foundation, a program that uses much of its assets to raise awareness of Lou Gehrig's disease.
           
Each Buffalo citizen can appreciate the unparalleled generosity of these accomplished donors. Reading about the incredible charity of each donor can be an inspiration for individuals to reach out to support their communities. The incredible combined effort of the donors shows that both small and large efforts to make positive change have an impact on both Buffalo and other communities.

Considering last year's success, Brewfest 2011 should be even more spectacular. Joseph Cozzo, CEO and president for the Buffalo Hearing and Speech Center, stated that 2010's BrewFest sold out and boasted more brewers than ever before. Consequently, BrewFest 2011 has been expanded. In addition to its usual location on the first two floors of HSBC Arena Atrium and the surrounding Arena Plaza, this year's event will also use space on parts of Perry Street. This will allow 5,000 people to attend the event as opposed to the previous limitation of 3,500 people. Furthermore, Mr. Cozzo commented to WIVB that brewers will be asked to craft exciting new brews for the event, making the event a truly unique opportunity.

The festival offers visitors the opportunity to taste beer brews from all over the world while supporting the Buffalo Hearing and Speech Center Foundation. According to www.buffalobrewfest.com, over 40 breweries will be present at the event. These breweries will offer over 100 types of craft brews. In addition to beer, there will be live music and beer-themed food samples from Delaware North created specially for the event. 

The event takes place this Friday, August 5th, 2011 at HSBC Arena Atrium from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Attendees must be 21 years of age. Tickets can be purchased through HSBC's official ticket outlet, at area Consumer's Beverage locations, and at tickets.com. Purchasers will receive 20 tasting tickets and a souvenir sampling glass for the event. Pre-purchased tickets cost $25 and tickets purchased at the door cost $35.

Read to Succeed Buffalo encourages children to actively engage in reading while incorporating their parents into process.

First Niagara deal ends speculation.

A long ago faded mural painted on a sprawling wall at the corner of Tonawanda and Amherst Street is in the process of getting a makeover. Youth from the Boys and Girls Club of the Northtowns are busy priming the wall in preparation for the Historical Society to paint a mural depicting The War of 1812 (in celebration of the 200-year anniversary).

Director of Teen Services, Gabrielle Mosher (blue shirt with roller), was also busy painting the wall in the hot sun. "This site is a dedicated area," Gabrielle told me. "The Summer Youth Program is happy to be a part of helping to bring this mural to the neighborhood. I'm happy to see more murals being painted in Buffalo." As we spoke, a neighbor who lives behind the wall approached to take drink orders for the youth who all asked for a glass of water.

This part of Black Rock acts as a bookend to Amherst Street where a renaissance is occurring. Another mural was painted last summer at the corner of Amherst Street and Grant (seen here). These types of initiatives go hand in hand with the commercial investments that we are seeing in Black Rock.

Ex-Packer agrees to deal to replace inside linebacker Paul Posluszny.