What’s happening in #Ferguson is far away from home – but then again, it’s not. We’re all in this together, America. Policy of not blocking/unfollowing people who tweet about Ferguson…
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Smartest Things in Buffalo

3 Smartest Things in Buffalo – August 2014
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What’s happening in #Ferguson is far away from home – but then again, it’s not. We’re all in this together, America.

We can’t fix everything in one fell swoop, but we do need to work together – to listen and learn from each other – in order to do our best. Chin up, everyone, and do the right thing.

Smart Thing 1: Buffalo Blogger Slays Bon Jovi Reanimators

That Bongiovi character has caused a lot of folks to brown their trousers in our fair city, but the horror of it all hasn’t stopped. In all likelihood, his group’s hapless bid is all but tagged in the morgue, but we can’t seem to shake the idea that he’ll come back from the dead to steal our footballs away from our children. Or something like that. Is the threat really still real, or are we just bored? Well, it is August, and there isn’t much else to grab clicks over. From Buffalo Wins:

“TBN had a story about how Bon Jovi/Jim Kelly had discussions to team up, yet, the ONLY lines of communication we got from Jim Kelly was Tim Graham leaving a message for Dan Kelly. Really? Like, you couldn’t call Jim Kelly? I’m pretty sure everyone in the Buffalo media has his number on speed dial. You know, he hasn’t been shy to show his face around town in the last five months.  Keep in mind I have no doubt there was validity to Graham’s story. I don’t think Graham is a liar. They met.

It was a smart move by Bon Jovi to try this out since he’s public enemy #1.  Then, Graham on Twitter decided to float the idea of how a Bon Jovi/Kelly partnership could work. Of course, you can only imagine the responses to that. Again, posting stuff that will get a reaction. Its web traffic 101 and we are all guilty of it. Of course within 24 hours of the story coming out, cold water was thrown onto it because The Kellys weren’t interested.

So, did they decide to just pull out after Sunday School or brunch? Or did just leaving a message for the Joey Travolta of The Kellys allow the story to get posted Saturday without getting the ‘We aren’t interested’ dynamic? I’m willing to bet The Kellys weren’t interested prior to the 1st story coming out.

Nice post, Joe. Thanks for keeping all of this noise in perspective. (And the good fracking news is that it will all be over soon.)

Smart Thing 2: We’re Keeping the Bills AND Taking the Combine

HARBORcenter

The Sabres are rebuilding not just a team, but the team’s reputation as being entrenched in a town with nothing more to offer a high flying NHL superstar than some old architecture, images of Niagara Falls, and video of wings being tossed around in a pan.

The Combine will be a helluva way to celebrate the triumph of Pegula’s Harborcenter – but it also gives the Sabres a chance to woo the top 200+ incoming NHL prospects over the next two years.

Perception has been a huge part of reality in Buffalo. Now, Pegula’s Sabres have won over the league, and now have a huge chance to win over the newest top prospects..

(And as an aside, it should absolutely be noted that Toronto’s facilities “look like the inside of a rotten burrito,” and that “They (Torontarians) have all the pretension of a Kardashian and all the class of that one dirty abandoned sock you see on the side of the road.  The prevailing theme to the city is inescapable failure.”)

Smart Thing Three: Buffalo is Banking on Refugees

Refugees in Buffalo are being offered a fantastic financial opportunity from the Good Neighbors Federal Credit Union.

From Buffalo Business First:

“It’s common for refugees living in Buffalo to hail from countries where there is no federally insured banking system.

So instead of trusting a financial institution, they cash checks at corner stores, paying fees that range from $5 to $20. In all, state estimates say the “unbanked” or “underbanked” in Buffalo pay an annual average of $900 in unnecessary fees.

To address this issue, a group is slogging through the difficult process of establishing Good Neighbors Federal Credit Union, which will focus on the city’s West Side.”

A financial foothold goes a long way – be it in the grocery checkout aisle or in a future savings account.

Smart Thing Honorable Mentions/Tweet Roll:

I love the sentiment, but I really hope they didn’t breathe in the fumes:

  Good on Bon Jovi for doing the ice bucket challenge. Still…  

I am more and more convinced, every year, that we have more fun with hockey in this town than anywhere else in the nation:

Appreciating animated masterpieces doesn’t have to mean just sitting in a seat and watching them:

And this message of hope:

Hmm.

Looks like we’ve got another candidate for the Bills offensive line.

 

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Note: Questions? Comments? Have a Smart Thing? You can find Scott Michalak on Twitter sharing GIFs of Bon Jovi getting punched, at @ScottyMCSS

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