If I could change the world, I would stop all war. If I could make the world a better place, I would end world hunger and end all the wars. If I could improve the world, I would end abuse, end hunger and stop all the wars. If I could make the world a better place, I would eliminate disease, end abuse, end hunger and end the wars. If I could improve the world, I would be sure that every person got the respect they deserved, eliminate disease, put an end to abuse, ensure everyone had enough to eat and…
Author: Norbert Rug
She was a good Catholic girl from the wrong side of the tracks. Pure of heart and mind. She was at a birthday party a friend was throwing for her boyfriend “Boots”. He was a hippie/bad boy from Amherst. He wore a chain bracelet, had a beard, long hair and rode a motorcycle. He drove a car with a racing stripe that he used to road race in. He dressed in an untucked, paisley shirt and a vest. His favorite vest was one made out of black vinyl although he had a leopard print one, a faux fur one, and…
I lament the loss of local newspapers and consider it to be one of our largest threats to our democracy. Whenever a despot takes over a country, one of the first things they do is either shut down the press or subvert it for their own use. If you’re reading your local newspaper, thank you! Just by looking at a page, in print, you are doing a vital service for your hometown, your state, your country and for democracy as a whole. It’s not a secret that local newspapers are in trouble, and they have been for quite some time.…
I try to be nice to everyone. I put this one first because I feel it is the most important guideline. You know, the “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” thing. It costs me nothing to be nice to people. It can be as simple as a “Good morning” when I first see them each day. Be nice to everyone, especially those that aren’t nice to you. It might just bring them around. I make an effort to respect others. Respect is essential because it demonstrates that I value the dignity of someone else as…
The players: My wife surprised me with a fiftieth birthday party at the Fieldstone restaurant and I secretly vowed to get even. My wife’s birthday is in late June but after being married for many years I really don’t know what to get her anymore. She doesn’t need jewelry, she has a newer car and our taste in clothing is diametrically opposed. We don’t need any more Knick knacks, brick-a-brack or geegaws laying around and collecting dust either. We had been together for several decades and she usually gets what she wants. If it is something large she wants I…
I recently received a photograph of a water color done by a local Buffalo artist that she had painted. The image was of an older couple walking away, hand in hand, down a tree lined path. She sent this because of an article I wrote and had published in an area newspaper. The article reminded her of the painting she had completed a few years ago. The image reminded me of how my wife and I are always walking, hand in hand, wherever we go. I remember first meeting my wife at a birthday party that I had crashed with…
Nothing shouted summer to me as much as the chaotic excitement that a vacation looming in the future did. Some people flew to Europe, went to Disney World or spent their lazy summer days reading trashy novels by the pool. Many of my summer, childhood adventures involved that classic American experience of the family road trip. By the time I was a teenager, I had visited a few exciting places with my family like The Grand Canyon. I am told the only thing I wanted to do was spit into it. Hey! Don’t judge! I was six at the time.…
I grew up in Buffalo in the 50’s and early 60’s. It was an entirely different time and place than it is now. I remember walking to PS #68 and back home again without the need for my parents being there to protect me. Many days we would jump the fence and play baseball in the school playground when it got locked up and school had let out for the day. I recall playing outside till we were either called home or the street lights came on. We played stickball, hide and go seek, duck duck goose, and red light…
The opinions written here reflect those of the writer only. They do not necessarily reflect those of this newspaper, or its employees. This newspaper does not endorse these opinions nor recommend them. Do not try this at home. Proceed at your own risk. I have observed that we now live in a world filled with legal disclaimers. During a sitcom I was watching on television recently, a commercial came on telling about the success story of a company that makes investments in mutual funds. While spending a large amount of the 30-second ad telling me that over the past several…
One warm, lazy, sunny summer day my buddy Ed and I were sitting around enjoying our freedom. We could hear the sound of birds singing, crickets chirping and the occasional cicada, singing his loud song. Feeling bored, we decided to try our hand at canoeing. I mean, how difficult could that be? We had seen people on TV and in the movies canoeing and it looked relatively easy. We heard about a place on Ellicott Creek that rented canoes so we jumped in my car and I drove there. The place wasn’t very easy to find as it only had…