Buffalo, NY -

I’ve been hearing that a lot lately.

I admit it. Over the years, I have often let Veterans day pass with little to no remembrance of those who fought and lost their lives for my freedom.

Sheltered by time, distance and the fast paced thing we call life, we tend to push things like the war in Iraq to the back of our minds.

That is until it starts to hit a little too close to home. The tragic loss of Sgt. Daniel Shaw is the first time, over the course of this “war” that someone I have known personally has lost a loved one. The first time I have actually met someone who gave their life for our freedom. Sure I covered these stories in the past, and have met families who have lost loved ones, but this was different. I’ve played poker with Dan. Although I can count on one hand the times I’ve met him, it didn’t matter.

On Sunday, former Buffalo Bill Adam Lingner was on Hardwick’s show promoting a new political social networking site he’s started called Voters Direct. Its mission:

This website has been launched to reduce the impact of money in politics and to return the power to you, the American Citizen.

I absolutely detest MySpace, and Facebook is marginally better than that. At least this site has a purpose, despite having only 29 users signed up as of this writing. It’s homegrown and it’s somewhat different. Check it out.

A new Buffalo and WNY holiday tradition begins!

Since 1888, the Broadway Market has been a unique community resource for fresh meats, produce and some of Buffalo’s best loved foods.

The Market is now ready to launch a new holiday celebration, and we would like you to be a part of it!

Broadway Market vendors will set up shop and sell their wares to downtowners at the Statler for one day only. The BSC Group and The Park Lane will host these vendors in the Main Lobby and Terrace Room, both located in the main level of the Statler. The Broadway Market vendors will offer a unique selection of ethnic delicacies, seasonal sweets, holiday decorations, and distinctive stocking stuffers.

Buffalo, NY - First-time author Sergio R. Rodriguez announces the release of the upcoming children’s Christmas book classic entitled Little Santa & Snowboy.

An ideal story for children ages 3-7; this is the first release in a series of books chronicling the childhood adventures of Santa Claus. The title characters, Little Santa and Snowboy, embark on a journey to discover the true meaning of friendship.

Communicating via e-mail, Sergio enlisted the whimsical illustration talents of Australian Simon Scales for this collaborative effort. Sergio drew inspiration while living in Buffalo, NY, a landscape reminiscent of the North Pole.

Local printing press Chakra Communications, located on Ellicott Street in Downtown Buffalo will produce a limited print run of 5,000 copies. These will be distributed throughout local venues and book stores in the Western New York market.

Anthony Capozzi and now quite possibly Lynn DeJac make you wonder just how many people are sitting behind bars that are innocent..According to the Innocence Project..”A report released today by the shows that New York outpaces almost every other state in the number of wrongful convictions overturned by DNA testing – but lags behind most other states in implementing policy reforms that can prevent wrongful convictions.

The 118-page report, titled “Lessons Not Learned,” details 23 wrongful convictions in New York that have been overturned through DNA evidence, analyzes each case to identify the causes of wrongful convictions and outlines reforms that can improve the state’s criminal justice system”