Our Latest Hollywood Star: Genny Cream Ale
Philip Seymour Hoffman isn't the only local product making waves in Hollywood. I saw 'A History of Violence' this past weekend and, as your Man About Town, I highly recommend it. Not only is it a good flick, but a fine local product has a very small but highly important role in the film. Viggo Mortensen, who hails from Watertown, NY, walks into a bar in Philadelphia and orders a beer. But not just any beer. He says to the bartender, "Genny Cream" and not only does the bartender not laugh in his face, he goes and gets a pint of our local award-winning brew. Damn it looked tasty. Beyond that, there is a Genny Cream Ale sign in the background too. If only there were Oscars for best product placement...
Robach Listens to Roch-a-Cha Rant; Gains Respect
Apparently someone was listening when I went off on Joe Robach and the rest of our State delegation for not fighting for Rochester's fair share of State funds. Please forgive my immodesty, but I am taking credit for
Senator Robach's tirade at the State Senate panel hearings on the local aid portion of the budget. This is exactly the type of representation our city deserves. This excerpt from the D&C sums it up:
""If we're going to start getting parochial," said Sen. William Stachowski, D-Buffalo, "then we're not going to be serving the state as a whole." "That's easy to say when Buffalo gets the most in every (aid) category," Robach shot back. He said he'd "reject out of hand" a plan that gave Rochester and Buffalo equal size increases."
Game-set-match. Robach has gone from being in my doghouse to being IMO the best representative we've got. I must say though, as a Democrat, I'm embarrassed by my party's utter disrespect for my city. Granted, our city/region's Senate delegation is exclusively Republican, but that should be beside the point. Senate Democrats should see the value in saving Rochester from the same downward spiral that Buffalo followed. Dems seem to think that we should be punished for being fiscally responsible all these years. Don't they realize Rochester is a Democratic city?
Is the opposite occurring in the Assembly, where the city is exclusively represented by Democrats? We have yet to hear a peep from the bumbling idiot David Gantt, who bears a striking resemblance to General Grievous (see below -
if you disagree, suggest other characters that he resembles). Gantt should be our city's most vocal leader, but instead he spends most of his time hating whitey and praising Lovely Warren. Don't get me wrong, I hate whitey as much as the next guy, but I can put my racism aside for a few minutes to do my job. Why can't he? Do we need to rely on Susan John? Probably not, considering it was dirty downstate money that bought her re-election. Thus, it all comes down to the little guy, Joe Morelle. My money is on him breaking Robin Schimminger's nose and then bitch-slapping Crystal Peoples. Call me crazy, but that's what I want out of my representatives. Is that so much to ask?
Assemblyman Gantt
General Grievous
No More J-Mac, Please!
Call me an asshole if you'd like, but I'm sick and tired of hearing about J-Mac and his heartwarming achievement. Don't get me wrong, it's astonishing what he was able to do, but does it really merit a rap song? I don't remember any hip-hop tributes to the dog that could sink free throws. Is that any less impressive? I dare say it is not. It has simply gotten way out of hand. Hugs from the President, blockbuster movie deals, offers to play ball in Germany; it's ridiculous. Please, Iron Butter, go away before you embarrass yourself any more.
Chili Destroys its History for Walgreens
I hate Walgreens. As a matter of fact, I hate CVS, Rite-Aid, and Eckerd too. But Walgreens is special. They just can't seem to do anything right around these parts. Whether they're using illegal out-of-town labor or beginning construction before they've received proper approvals, they're always in the news for being the latest corporate assholes to come to town. Now they're making their presence known in the Town of Chili, where they are going to tear down the 185-year old Stagecoach Inn at the corner of Union Street and Buffalo Road and replace it with a large typical drugstore with its neon signs and abundant parking.
What pisses me off more than the audacity of Walgreens, is that the shit-for-brains officials in Chili would actually approve this development. I understand that there is very little in Chili to be proud of, but why does that give the Town the right to rip out one of their only remaining historic structures? Why don't they respect their people or their local history? What will this Walgreens do for the Town that could not have been accomplished at a different, less historically-significant location? Look, I have no reason to go to Chili and I've only passed through that intersection once in my life, and that was by accident. Now, I'm even less likely to venture over there. Not only does the City have most of its history intact, we have drugstores too.
I really shouldn't be complaining though. The Illinois-based developer is going to construct a monument wall telling the history of that location and on top of that, Walgreens is going out of its way to "incorporate various aesthetic architectural features including a gabled entrance that comes to a peak and arches over all the windows of the building." Wow. North Chili will finally have an intersection they can be proud of.
Rochester's Powerless State Delegation
Ever since Mayor Duffy took office, he has been traveling to Albany seeking Rochester's fair share of state funds. As we've heard for many years, every other large city in Upstate New York receives significantly more state funding per capita than does Rochester. This is the unfortunate result of Rochester being prudent with its finances, unlike the dolts that run Buffalo, Syracuse, Utica, Schenectady, Albany, Troy, Yonkers, Poughkeepsie, Niagara Falls, and Binghamton. Rochester has finally reached a point where it cannot hold its own any more, yet New York State continues to give Rochester the finger.
You would think that this would piss off Rochester's New York State delegation. You would think that they would promise to fight for every cent that they can wrestle from the claws of our greedy neighbors. But alas, you would be wrong. Where are David Gantt, Jim Alesi, Susan John, David Koon, Mike Nozzolio, George Maziarz, Bill Reilich, and Joe Errigo? Do they want to represent a pauper region? Are they too proud to beg? We've heard from Joe Morelle on the issue, he seems pretty pissed, but I have yet to hear of him being tossed from the Assembly floor for picking a fight with Sheldon Silver. Yesterday we heard from Joe Robach, he says we're getting an additional $14 million, as is every other upstate city. Apparently he thinks we should happy with that. "The bottom line is, minimum, they are going to get $14 million, which is real cash," Robach said.
Wow. Real cash. It's not just Monopoly money, Joe? Gee, thanks. The City needs $36 million and you get us $14 million. You deserve a real nice pat on the back for a job well done. I'm sure the folks in Buffalo, Syracuse, and elsewhere hope you continue to get re-elected because they now realize that you aren't willing to fight for your community. That means more money for them! The brain-dead Senator from Greece apparently thinks that all cities getting $14 million is a "small but significant step in equalizing appropriations." How is it getting any closer to equalizing if all cities get the same amount, Joe? It's basic math. Please tell me you at least got a GED before being elected to office on the strength of your father's name.
Well, it seems as though we only have one choice left. No, not secession, I've already ranted on that and besides, why would Buffalo join us in forming a new state when New York gives them such a hefty allowance? The only choice is for all Rochester residents to refuse to pay our State income taxes. Our rallying cry should be, "No Taxation Without Representation," or better yet "No Taxation Without Equal Appropriation." The other choice is to vote out worthless do-nothing representatives like Gantt and Robach - but they know we're too stupid to do that.
The City of Rochester Needs More Housing
Apparently, the anti-sprawl movement is gaining some traction in our community. No, we haven't stopped a Wal-Mart or a Walgreens, we haven't denied new subdivisions in Penfield or Parma, and we haven't elected Bill Johnson as Monroe County Executive in a special election. What we have done is bought up almost every available single-family house in the City of Rochester. Yesterday's
Democrat & Chronicle pointed out that while house sales are down 13% across the region, they are up nearly 20% in the City of Rochester.
What does that mean for someone looking to purchase a home in the City? For the most part, that means they'll either have to live in "the Crescent" or they'll have to rent. But don't take my word for it, check out
Homesteadnet to see for yourself. There are currently only 30 homes available in the entire City priced between $100,000 and $150,000, and at least a few of those are sale-pending. Of those, only 18 are located in the highly-desirable Southeast quadrant, and most of these are on the periphery - not truly "inner-city." If you perform that same search in the southeastern towns of Monroe County (i.e., Brighton, Henrietta, Pittsford, Perinton, Penfield, and Webster), you are given 118 houses to choose from!
While this is truly a good sign for the City's future, it is not good for those of us who are currently considering buying a home here. It seems like local home builders are just not interested in building new (or refurbishing existing) homes in the City. Situations like this force people to move out to cookie-cutter subdivisions in the 'burbs, and that is simply unfair. Sure, there aren't big open spaces in the City upon which to build. But there are vacant lots, there are brownfields, there are surface parking lots. There are many opportunities for developers to satisfy our appetite for good City housing. These need not be typical 3BR, 2.5 BA houses. They can be high-rise condos, brownstones, rowhouses, etc. Use your imagination. Let's hope they step up to the plate, because renting is starting to wear on me.
NEWSFLASH: Never Start a Knife Fight With a Police Officer
Late last week, two Rochester police officers were called to a house on Weldon Street in the City's 19th Ward for a domestic disturbance. Upon entering the home to which they were called, the officers encountered an irate obese woman yelling, screaming, and acting belligerent. We will probably never know exactly what happened in the ensuing moments, but initial reports indicate that the woman went to her kitchen, grabbed a large knife, and ran towards the officers with the knife raised over her head in a threatening manner. Needless to say, the cops did what any sensible person holding a gun in that situation would do. They fired one shot at point blank range into the woman's chest. The bullet struck vital organs and she later died.
If you've read my previous posts, you'll know that I'm as liberal as they come on most matters. When it comes to matters of law enforcement however, I apparently am quite the conservative. In my opinion, the men and women of the Rochester Police Department put their lives on the line day in and day out so that residents of this city can live in relative peace. Without the often heroic efforts of our policemen and women, this city would be a warzone. Therefore, you can count me among those who were once again outraged yesterday by the self-anointed "Pastor" Joy Powell and her infantile protests against the RPD.
Where is this person when children in our city are killed by gun-toting thugs? Where is she when open-air drug markets decimate the quality of life for low-income seniors, making them prisoners in their own homes? Where are her protests when violent gang disputes threaten once-thriving neighborhood business districts? Just last night, not too long after her protests ended, Rochester welcomed its first homicide victim in nearly a month. Did Ms. Powell show up to protest that? Of course not. She is nowhere to be found when it comes to any of the real urban issues that affect us all. Yet she is all over the news when the RPD has to use deadly force to protect themselves and others. She is a mindless and shameless self-promoter in the vein of Rev. Raymond Graves, although much more easy on the eyes.
There is much more to hate about this situation than just Joy Powell. There is the dead woman's husband, who called 911 because he couldn't get control of the situation, but forgot to inform the dispatcher that his wife has a history of mental problems. Coincidentally, he did not forget to point out that his wife had just smoked a whole bag of weed with his daughter and that his wife just so happens to get violent when she's high. Now that husband is changing his story, likely hoping to profit off of this tragedy, and possibly trying to get in Joy Powell's pants.
And what about the mental state of any law enforcement officer in upstate New York right now, just one week after two of their brethren were murdered in the line of duty in Utica and Elmira. It's only human to protect yourself when you are being threatened and these officers made the courageous decision to fire a single shot to disarm a violent and irrational person before she caused harm to them, her family, and herself. It is tragic that she died as a result of that one shot, but it is obvious that we are all safer for their decision.
