Author: kmonaco

Kristin Brandt and Cassondra Argeros grew up 3 miles from each other in Tonawanda but it wasn’t until years later, in Philly, when they met. Argeros a glass artist and Brandt a painter connected on many things including a deep appreciation for their hometown and a driving desire to bring public art to it. Inspired by the variety and profusion of public art in Philadelphia, a city that greatly encourages and supports it, Argeros and Brandt have put in the sweat equity, dollars and commitment to make their dream come true. Their vision encompasses an organization that both facilitates the creation of community public…

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What is Epistemology? It’s the way you know what you know.There are a number of ways to approach this question – a popular and easy to understand way of breaking it down is using four categories: experience, reason, tradition, and scripture.Before we apply this to theology, we can see it at work in a more simple question. Suppose somebody asked, “How do you know the sky is blue?”If you answer “Because I have seen it,” you are using experience as your authority.If you answer, “The molecules that make up the air tend to filter light in such a way that…

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Even though reaching out to people through the Internet is not at all what I imagined ministry would be like, I have been called the spiritual adviser of Buffalo Rising more than once. Unfortunately, my seminary didn’t offer a blogging/hyperlocal media class, so I have to figure out what that means and how to do it on my own.But here’s a start–theology, like politics, is best done locally. So what I would like to do, each Thursday (or so), is a take a theological concept, and look at what it might mean for the neighborhoods of Buffalo.And though I am…

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The Priscilla Project, a group that provides care and mentors for pregnant refugee women in Buffalo, has a challenge when it comes to education.Most of the women they serve have never received formal schooling, and therefore classroom settings are uncomfortable. That makes education more difficult, particularly around important, but difficult topics, like contraception.Experience has taught the staff of the Priscilla Project that a shared meal is a safe, fun, and culturally sensitive way to cover these topics. The only problem is that the project doesn’t have the resources to provide food, and neither do the women in the class.This is…

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Sometimes, the lazy, selfish thing to do is still the right thing to do. I’ve volunteered twice now with Westside Ministries-Housing, and I plan on doing it again–and it’s not really because of the difference it makes for other people (although I am glad to help people own a home), it’s all about what I get.Each time, I’ve volunteered, I’ve met some good people, had a nice snack, learned a new skill, and left with an “I’ve done something good” buzz. As much as I love a night out at a local restaurant, I have to admit that this is…

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If you’re looking to grab a bite, catch a live band, and throw back a few cocktails this weekend, why not head to a place where you can help cure pediatric cancer at the same time?This Saturday, April 4, the Association for Research of Childhood Cancer (AROCC) will be hosting its 5th annual Rock and Roll for AROCC.  The event kicks off at 8PM where Buffalo music scene staple JoyRyde, along with their legendary Hitman Horns, will be rocking out until midnight at Father Justin’s Knights of Columbus 2735 Union Road in Cheektowaga.A $25 ticket includes a buffet, beer, wine,…

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Amongst the clanging of dishes and cat-calls of baristas, I recently sat down with Shasti O’Leary-Soudant at a local coffee house.  Confident and humble, articulate and funny, she runs her own creative business mostly designing book covers for major publishing houses like Penguin Putnam, Random House, Simon & Schuster, and Doubleday.  Wife of documentary photographer, Jethro Soudant, and doting mom to Ruby, 5, Shasti repeatedly gushes about how much she loves her urban neighborhood and her daughter’s school.But Shasti doesn’t live in the East Village or Park Slope where you would think a successful artist of her caliber would be…

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