There was an article today in the Buffalo News re: Coffee & fire
See
for background info.

Fine imposed in case of Elmwood Ave. fire
By MATT GRYTA
News Staff Reporter
11/29/2006
    Former Buffalo businessman Lon Coldiron was fined $5,320 Tuesday but spared a jail term in connection with the mysterious fire that destroyed his Elmwood Avenue coffee shop and killed his dog two years ago.

Erie County Judge Timothy J. Drury, however, denied a request from Travelers Insurance that Coldiron pay $283,500 in restitution.

Coldiron, 40, was found guilty in May of attempted grand larceny. A jury that deliberated four days couldn't reach a verdict on a felony arson charge.

Michael McCabe, chief of the district attorney's Arson Bureau, told Drury that prosecutors would not retry Coldiron on the arson charge.

Drury pointedly turned down Travelers' request for compensation from Coldiron for the amount it had paid to Ramesh Chainani of Amherst, who had leased the three-story Buffalo building to Coldiron.

Both the judge and prosecutor noted the insurer "cannot lawfully request" restitution because Coldiron, recently fired from a trucking industry job, was not convicted of setting the fire.

Drury ordered Coldiron to perform 100 hours of community service over five years while on probation, pay $320 of his court fines within a month and begin making $500-a-month payments until the full court debt is covered.

David G. Jay, Coldiron's attorney, told the judge the case was his client's first involvement with the criminal courts.

Noting that Coldiron had taken the stand in his own defense, Drury said he agreed with probation officers who found the former businessman to be "a good candidate for probation."

Coldiron was rescued from his third-floor apartment above his business during the early morning fire.

After sentencing, Coldiron said he will appeal his conviction, contending he never attempted to collect insurance.

"I still say that I'm innocent of the charges of which I was convicted. I am a good guy," he said.

He noted no flammable liquids were found linking him to the fire.

Coldiron said Chainani, his former landlord, had sold the property at 718 Elmwood for about $180,000 shortly after the arson in addition to collecting the full insurance coverage.

He also claimed arson investigators ignored "evidence of a door jammed open" that he said suggested intruders had torched the building.

On the witness stand in May, Coldiron denied any involvement in the arson and told the jury he had been receiving threatening telephone calls for weeks before the fire.

Prosecutors presented evidence that the state Department of Taxation and Finance had been hounding Coldiron for $24,000 in overdue sales tax payments. He also had casino gambling debts, had only $800 in the bank and took out insurance policies a month before the fire, prosecutors said.

Coldiron insisted his landlord had forced him to obtain the insurance and said he never attempted to collect on those policies.

He also insisted he had expected to work out his tax problems with the state and had been confident the coffee shop would have become very successful.

I'm so angry that the arson investigators never contacted me and this guy is lying through his teeth. Things possibly could have been different if I had testified. Yet even after trying to contact them, they never questioned me once.

Today I got this email from my Grammy in response to the email from my Great Aunt I posted previous to this one. She also sent a bunch about Latinos taking over the country, but I only posted one.

I just want you all to know that I am disappointed in these recent
e-mails
my sister, ******, sent out to the family. I just wanted you to know
that I
don't like this type of e-mails.
Mom

I love my Grammy and Grandpa. Isn't it cute she can do emails too?

Here are some quotes from urbandictionary.com that I find amusing re Honky

"You stupid honky bitch!"

"Man, dat honky got no ass!"

"Go back to your trailer and fuck your cousin some more, you goddamn honky."

"Honky' is just as vulgar as the n-word and should not be used by anyone"

(Sorry this will be the last time I speak Honky tonk)

Yup thought that title would grab your attention, it sure got mine. I thought it must be a joke, because I got it from a family member. Here is the email.

I received this email and thought it made some interesting/valid points, I did however hesitate to send it onto anyone. I don't like to stir controversy but I just couldn't shake some of the truth that the original author speaks of. So I pass it on to you for consideration.




There are African Americans, Mexican Americans, Asian Americans, Arab Americans, Native Americans, etc. And then there are just Americans.

You pass me on the street and sneer in my direction. You Call me "White boy," "Cracker," "Honkey," "Whitey," "Caveman" and that's OK.

But when I call you, Nigger, Kike, Towelhead, Sand-nigger, camel Jockey, Beaner, Gook, or Chink you call me a racist.

You say that whites commit a lot of violence against you, so why are the ghettos the most dangerous places to live?

You have the United Negro College Fund.
You have Martin Luther King Day.
You have Black History Month.
You have Cesar Chavez Day.
You have Yom Hashoah
You have Ma'uled Al-Nabi
You have the NAACP.
You have BET.

If we had WET (White Entertainment T elevision) we'd be Racists.
If we had a White Pride Day you would call us racists.
If we had White History Month, we'd be racists.
If we had any organization for only whites to "advance" our lives, we'd be racists.

We have a Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, a Black Chamber of Commerce, and then we just have the plain Chamber of Commerce. Wonder who pays for that?

If we had a college fund that only gave white students Scholarships, you know we'd be racists. There are over 60 openly proclaimed Black Colleges in the US , yet if there were "White colleges" that would be a racist college.

In the Million Man March, you believed that you were marching for your race and rights. If we marched for our race and rights, you would call us racists.

You are proud to be black, brown, yellow and orange, and you're not afraid to announce it. But when we announce our white pride, you call us racists.

You rob us, car jack us, and shoot at us. But, when a white Police officer shoots a black gang member or beat s up a black Drug-dealer running from the law and posing a threat to society, you call him a racist.

I am proud. But, you call me a racist.

Why is it that only whites can be racists?

There is nothing improper about this email.

Let's see which of you are proud enough to forward it.

I'm ashamed that someone from my family would forward something like this. I feel that if I don't respond in some manner that this person would believe that I share the same thoughts. I'll have to spend some time thinking this over before I send anything in response. It will have to be carefully worded and all considering who it is. This topic seems to be coming up an awful lot lately. Maybe that is good, a chance to grow? Suggestions are welcome.

After going to Rochester and back, my car brakes are failing. I checked the brake fluid and saw that it needed some. After buying a bottle I refilled it using almost the entire bottle. Still, the brakes aren't working properly. I'll check them again tomorrow by moving it back and forth on the street. This is annoying because I had a leak before and they replaced the brake lines. I got it done at Meidas when I got home from Cuba, after my car had been sitting in my Dad's Driveway for four months. Meidas was the closest service station to my dad's house. Of course they didn't put the cap back on the brake tank and I was understandably upset. Brake fluid shouldn't be exposed to air or dirt. When I was refilling my windshield washer fluid two weeks later I noticed the cap to the brake fluid sitting on the battery! I got them to agree to drain the fluid and replace it...if they actually did it I'm not sure. So now less than a year later, there is a leak again.

I have no $ for a tow let alone to fix this. Maybe I'll call the Meidas. I'll have to see if there is a guarantee or something. Problem is they are in Rochester, but they replaced my fluid after the mistake in Buffalo. Finding a good mechanic is like finding a good Dr. Any suggestions? I need a primary care physician that takes Aetna too.

Thanks (e:jenks) for taking my fishies and frogy. Sorry the frog has a tumor on his knee, but maybe it will go away in your tank cause you have smoother rocks. I feel less guilty giving them away knowing that they are in a good place. I'll feel even better when my friend gets the tank and her goldfish will have a bigger home.

The bunnies in her basement are soo cute. It was nice to see two bunnies together for the companionship. I bought them some purple cabbage that they had never seen before. They inspected the foreign object before deciding it was edible and then devoured the pieces. The space that they are in is nice. They are being well cared for. Even got the idea of getting straw mats for Coco that he could sit on and eat. Rabbits are hard work. Think twice before getting them! And what is that saying...something like fuck like rabbits? Luckily they are probably both female. Maybe they can be lesbian rabbits, that would be convenient. They can get artificially inseminated or something and they can both mother the babies.

I was thinking today about how we all have the ability to affect another person's day and how this continues as a chain reaction. It makes me ponder the influence we all have on one another. Maybe our fundamental darkness is not believing we can positively affect the world. Or maybe it is also that we don't believe that what we do can negatively affect the world. I think this darkness is easy to fall into for all of us. We all got a dark side right?

This weekend has kind of sucked. I have been cleaning non-stop and am looking forward to a break. Good thing is I'm making some cash. $$ Don't like to write too much about work, cause I think I need to respect people's privacy. It would be interesting though if I didn't.

A while back I wrote about how I was asked to take on some responsibility. Didn't get into details then, but here they are...

Was asked to be Young Men's Division leader for a new district in the Soka Gakkai (Buddhist Org.) After careful thought, and typical Gemini fickleness, I decided to accept the position. The entire organization in the Buffalo Area has been reorganized. All of the old districts were dissolved. This brings about both excitement and the challenge of letting go of familiar routines and comfort. My old district was amazing. In Buffalo we get tons of youth that come and go. Lots of students, who like many, decide to leave or need to leave after graduating. Since I joined the organization like 4 years ago or so, I have seen so many people come and go. Lots of Japanese youth who attend UB, but also members from China, Korea, India, Italy and one from the Sudan. It is certainly a diverse community and I'm always so happy to have such a wide range of people supporting one another and working towards the same goal.

My new district is called the Peace Bridge Group (As we are close to the Peace Bridge). Funny thing about me being the Young Men's District leader is that I am the only young man in the district! As an organization we are growing and this will definitely change. The reason for the redistricting is to make smaller groups allowing for better support of the members. We are currently working on getting a new community center to accommodate the growth.

Gotta say that I have grown quite fond of Buffalo. Sure I hate the weather most of the time, but the people here are amazing. Buffalo can once again be a thriving city. It took me a long time to come to this realization. When I got here in 2000 I didn't like it. No friends, lots of poverty, crime and a rapidly decreasing population. I would like to stay, but that all depends.

My mother wants me to move to Florida. I could live with my sister and teach, as Florida only requires that you be tested for certification. Supposedly, I can make a whopping $35,000 a year starting out. With my student debt I need to make at least this much to live. I don't really want to live in the Sun Shine state. It would be wonderful to live close to my mother, sister, Aunt, Uncle and Niece. Yet I hate suburbs, I hate the redneck mentality and I can't stand Walgreens on every corner and the monotonous track housing. Florida is facing environmental disaster much faster than we are (hard to believe). They are sucking dry their ground water, which is causing houses to sink. Meanwhile they are pouring tons of toxins into the earth mostly for pest control. Hurricanes and rising waters are only part of the problem.

This is getting excessively windy so that is all.

I'm happy with the outcome of the election. Record numbers voted in this midterm elction, in particular, young people. Sure not a lot will be done in the next two years, but at least the brakes will be applied to stop what I consider a country gone out of control. The people elected are not far left. They are a teeny bit left if not center.

What I think needs to be done in the next two years are investigations. I'm certain that there is more to be revealed besides sex scandals. Bush has always advocated accountability and that is exactly what we need. Impeachment will not occur at this time, but there is more to know about this secretive regime. I'm disgusted with the information we already have about the Bush administration, yet this isn't enough. More will be uncovered over time.

Whether or not we had great options for this election, the people are pleading for change. They asked for it from the only available alternative in our system.

Goodbye Rumsfeld. You are a disgrace to this country.

It was nice to read everyone's thoughts regarding the election. Thanks for sharing.

I found this site seems interesting because they list polling instances by state and county. I was able to look at Niagara county but not Erie which had 42 instances in 2004. It kept saying invalid state every time I did a search under Erie.

I don't want any problems with voting. That would really piss me off. I heard on the news that it is possible that certain precincts aren't prepared for the election. Something about not paying some of their contracts until last minute. Not too sure the details so don't quote me. I tried searching for a news story but couldn't find one. I'm so glad we aren't voting on some stupid computer. Who could really trust something like that? Unless of course it left a paper trail...which as you know, they don't. d:coffee led me to votergate which you can watch online. I never saw it, but I knew before that this stuff was going on. Still it was freaking scary. Would you really want your vote cast on something so insecure?

What will tomorrow bring?

Today was crazy and I'm tired. (e:jenks) I would be happy if you took the fish. Are you sure you have enough room? The plant is big and the fish are pigs.

(e:museumchick) still want to get together for Bengal Pause but not sure when.

My other ram died today so I have decided to give my fish tank away. My friend has some goldfish that need a bigger tank so she is going to get it. I do have three sunburst platys and a dwarf frog that need a home. If anyone is interested you can have them. They all have to go together and be in an appropriate environment. They also come with an amazing java fern. Good hearty plants can be hard to come by. Let me know soon if you are interested.

The Bishop accepted an offer for the house. Not sure what this means, although I'm fairly certain I have a couple of months still. They said he is an architect and is using the downstairs for an office. I guess I have to wait and see. Hopefully he will contact us asap and let us know what his intentions are. That is all.