So (e:MrMike) posted about the Aud Yesterday. What I want to say is that it is to bad that there is no way to reuse it, it really is but here is a story about it from the Buffalo news.

During a final look at Buffalo's Aud, 'I'll never forget the time . . .'
By Sharon Linstedt
News Business Reporter
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Bill Wippert/Buffalo News Debris surrounds one of the old turnstiles in the Aud, which for 12 inactive years has been nothing more than a symbol of events long past.Bill Wippert/Buffalo News The site of the Aud Club, longtime social nexus for a sports-intensive city, is a shell of its former self during final tour. More photos on Picture Page, C10.
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Memorial Auditorium, arguably Buffalo's most beloved white elephant, has a November date with destiny.

After nearly six decades of use as a sports and entertainment venue, and a dozen years of stagnation while politicians and planners debated its future, the massive landmark will soon be demolished.

By this time next year, a Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World store, museum and public plaza are expected to be under construction on the five-acre site.

"We all have memories, we all have sentiments about this building, but life goes on. It's time to move on," said Jordan A. Levy, chairman of Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp., who led a final tour of the venerable arena Tuesday morning.

Dark, chilly, with walls torn open from asbestos removal and with open spaces at its rooflines, the Aud hasn't totally lost its identity.

The arena's scoreboard still hangs from the rafters. Concession stand menus are frozen in time from the days when the Canadian exchange rate was 35 percent in favor of the greenback.

The Aud hosted its last hockey game April 14, 1996, when the Buffalo Sabres beat the Hartford Whalers, 4-1. The team has played in nearby HSBC Arena since the start of its 1996-97 season.

The last concert in the Aud was Sept. 11, 1996, with R&B ensemble Bones Thugs-n-Harmony as the final act in an entertainment history that included Bruce Springsteen and Frank Sinatra, the Ice Capades and the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus.

Levy, who heads the agency overseeing redevelopment of the inner harbor site, has more than his share of personal memories of the Aud, having worked at the arena from 1970 to 1976.

"I was here for some amazing hockey and basketball games, and fantastic concerts. I'll never forget the time I spent in this building," said Levy, whose jobs included patching up the ice between periods of Sabres games and operating the escalators on concert nights.

Levy was joined by Rep. Brian Higgins, D-Buffalo; Mayor Byron W. Brown; and Erie County Executive Chris Collins in a final walk through the 69-year-old building, and all of them shared personal memories.

Collins recalled seeing his first hockey game in the Aud in 1976. "I had moved here from Alabama and didn't even know what hockey was. I kept asking, 'What are they doing? What's a blue line?' " Collins said, noting that he is now so hooked on hockey that he purchased 26 full season ticket packages to Sabres games for use by his family and his businesses.

For Brown, memories center on the Aud's hardwood floor and Buffalo Braves basketball. The mayor's first trip to the Aud was to see the Braves as a Buffalo State College freshman, when he dreamed of playing college basketball and going on to the National Basketball Association.

Memorial Auditorium: One Last Look
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"Some upperclassmen brought some of us to the game, and we sat in the nosebleed section. It was wonderful," Brown recalled.

Higgins, who grew up in South Buffalo, said Aud events were always part of his life. "I couldn't tell you how many times I've been in here, too many to count," he said.

But the outspoken advocate of waterfront redevelopment said it's time to look forward. "We have an unprecedented opportunity to remake Buffalo's waterfront and seize a once-in-a-lifetime economic-development opportunity," he said. "Let's hold onto the memories and step into the future."

A six-month-long environmental abatement, which will result in the removal of about 2,000 tons of asbestos and other hazardous materials from the Aud, is set to wrap up in the next two weeks. Demolition crews will arrive by mid-November.

Jon Williams, co-owner of Buffalobased Ontario Specialty Contracting, said his firm is drafting demolition plans as it waits for the state to sign off on its $1.5 million contract. "Exactly when we start depends on getting the paperwork through Albany," he said, "but the expectation is we'll be on the site by the middle of next month."

The crews will dismantle the 450,000-square-foot auditorium piece by piece. Much of its steel and concrete structure will be recycled.

Developers are expected to unveil details of the Canal Side project, a $400 million effort that covers about 20 acres of the inner harbor, including the Aud parcel. The development will include more than a half-million square feet of retail, entertainment, hotel, office and residential space.

The first phase of construction will follow completion of a state environmental review, which is expected to take six to nine months.

City-sponsored live and online auctions of Aud "blue" seats and dasher boards are scheduled for Nov. 15-16. The "Farewell, Old Friend" event, which will be held in the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center, will also feature guest appearances by former Sabres and Braves players.

slinstedt@buffnews.com

Check out the web page looks like there is some nice stuff there.


I know that Wal-Mart does get a lot of bad press and that they are evil and do a lot of bad stuff. Some of that is depending on how you look at, hey if you need a job and you get one there you are better off. But that isn't what I'm talking about they gave a big donation to food banks in NYS and it looks like a big boost to buffalo here is the article.

Wal-Mart gives Food Bank big boost
$577,000 to aid operations here and across the state
By Deidre Williams
News Staff Reporter


Wal-Mart and the Food Bank of Western New York joined Tuesday to announce a new partnership to feed the hungry across the state.

Wal-Mart executives came bearing a $577,000 check to help address the problem.

The Food Bank of Western New York will get about $65,000 of that amount, as well as any food collected from a drive Nov. 22-23 in 10 area Wal-Mart stores.

The partnership between the retail giant and the Food Bank Association of New York State is called "Feeding New York: Rolling Back Hunger One Meal at a Time." The initiative will provide funding, food and volunteers to the eight regional food banks in the state.

The check from the Wal-Mart Foundation was presented at the Food Bank distribution headquarters on Holt Street.

In addition, Wal-Mart delivered canned soup, vegetables and fruit, cereal and rice to the local food bank.

It comes at a much-needed time, officials said, as the Food Bank has seen an 11 percent increase in food distributed to member agencies since last year, said John T. Evers, executive director of the Food Bank of Western New York.

Wal-Mart chose Buffalo as the site to announce the statewide initiative because of the city's dedication to philanthropy, said Steven V. Restivo, a director of corporate affairs for Wal-Mart.

"The Buffalo area is No. 1 in terms of contributions to the Children's Miracle Network," which is sponsored by Wal- Mart and supports Women and Children's Hospital, he said.

Besides the food drive next month, Wal-Mart staffers will make a commitment to volunteer at the local Food Bank next year.

dswilliams@buffnews.com

The reason why I give both the story and the link is because if you want to read the story then you can. But also with the link there is sometimes links from that page to other stories. But with the Buffalo News once it goes into archives then the link won't work and you have to pay to see the archives.

So it has quickly gotten cold. Last night on my way home I had a little scar or freak out a bit. As I was heading home I saw what looked like a giant gray cat cross the street and it walked in front of me and I stopped cause that was one fat cat it turned it head and it was a raccoon and I stopped in shock, I didn't go near it and then is walked into the darkness. I was thinking about that this morning when I left at 5am and as I was looking around what I thought felt like rain kinda looked like snow in the sky and it kinda floated like snow. So then later I get off my bus in Chektogwaga (how ever it is spelled) and again I can see the stuff float so I say today was the first snow fall. I know most people count when it sticks but I say it is today.

So in my previous post I mentioned I wanted to post about something but forgot what it was, I remember now. I had this idea well it was long ago but I remembered it this morning of a cool idea for a photo shoot. I admit it isn't to original it sounds like something Spencer Tunic would do but it really isn't. The idea would be to have some take pictures of me or of a chick completely naked but in a setting where you wouldn't notice the nudity. Of course Guerilla photography can be dangerous and could get one arrested. Part of doing it good is using a tripod and having all the lighting set ups preplanned and written down so the person could set up the camera then yell go and then the person runs out of the van and the person with the camera takes the picture. The picture would be of City Hall with someone nude it front of it one close up to confirm the person is nude then zoom out and get most of the building and then all of. The point of the picture would be that you would get the entire building and the only person in front of it would be nude but compared to the rest of the building you would hardly be able to see the nudity at all. I don't know what that says from an art point of view but I kinda like what it says. Of course any location would have to be prescouted. I think other places in Buffalo that might work but not sure are HSBC Arena maybe since it isn't to tall maybe laying down, maybe some form of Dunn Tire Park might work but again Height is a problem, ECC Downtown and the HSBC tower would work for sure. There might even be a bunch of churches with there tall towers would work pretty good. Not saying I would do this and I'm not recruiting anyone to take the pictures but it is kinda a cool idea. I think that it might work some place like NYC where there are more iconic places like the statue of Liberty and places like that. It might even be cool to travel to cities to do and only do it in front of famous places. If some goes through that much trouble someone might as well get someone else to video it. So if anyone needs a cool art project there you go. I wouldn't be surprised if this has all ready been done. The difference though between me and Tunic is it isn't about the nudity or the mass of bodies it is about being out side and in the nude but making so you don't notice the nudity because of what is being shot in the background. By the way if what is in the background of the picture is the point of the picture does the terminology change.

So if you have read my posts you might have noticed I like TV and movies. I have also written about how it seems things I like are on at the same time. Sunday Night I watched Family Guy then Star Wars the clone wars and I hit Record on Chanel 7 to Burn Desperate Housewives. So I wake up this morning and the piece of shit machine stopped recording after 13 minutes, ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHH
This isn't the first time it has Happened. It sucks that it is undependable like that. I think I may know the cause but I'm not positive. This machine also records VHS tapes so it is a dual deck. If something is copyright protected it won't record it. So any thing on HBO you press record and it says uncopyable movies even if it is a TV show. This also happens on I think Sundance and IFC and what ever other network is the same company as HBO. It is frustrating to think you have this show and then you don't. It also sucks because you don't know if you can record something or not. I wonder if they make any recorders that don't follow that. I know they do make DVD players that don't follow the region codes so maybe some company makes one where you can record everything. I have tried watching Pushing Daises and Desperate Housewives through ABC's website but it doesn't work really the dialog repeats or doubles and it is anoying. I think the reason for the non recording of a show half way through is that what ever the signal is, get given off by the TV station and that triggers it to stop. I hope that I get all of Heroes and My Worst enemy. I'm guessing Boston Legal might not work since it is the same network as ABC. ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG maybe when I have more time I can llook into this more on line.

Well I was going to post about something else but once I saw this story it looks like EliteXC is no more and going out of Business. I wonder if Gina Carano will find some place else to fight. I like to see women fight, plus when they are hot it is an added bonus here is the story.

Elite XC down for the count
By Dave Meltzer, Yahoo! Sports


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Elite XC, which produced seven of the 10 most-watched MMA matches in U.S. history on two CBS specials in recent months, will be closing its doors at the end of the week. This leaves a roster of fighters, including top draws Kimbo Slice and Gina Carano, looking for work in a constricted environment.

Elite XC joins the International Fight League and Bodog Fight as high-profile competitors to the industry leader, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, to fold during the past year.

With deals with CBS and Showtime, the latter a major shareholder, Elite XC had the exposure the other failed challengers lacked, but lost more than $55 million in its two years of operation. Its losses included having a bad television deal in the first year with Showtime, causing them to lose money on every show; losing millions on trying, and failing, to build a website that was designed to be a destination for the MMA community; and purchasing four promotions outright and putting money into a fifth.

One of them, the U.K.-based Cage Rage promotion, set them back $18 million in losses.

"I got a call earlier [Monday] telling me they were shutting down," said Frank Shamrock, who was a television commentator, a main event fighter and a shareholder in the promotion.

Elite XC's two biggest attractions, Slice and Carano, are unlikely to be moving to the sport's highest-profile group. UFC president Dana White has repeatedly said he won't use Slice, who made his reputation as a backyard streetfighter on YouTube videos but is not the caliber of even a mid-level MMA pro. White also has said he's not interested in promoting women's fighting, although Carano's success as a draw may cause him to reconsider. Her match with Kelly Kobold two weeks ago ended up adding more new viewers than any MMA match on television in the U.S.



Several agents for fighters have been in contact all day with the UFC. Some, like welterweight champion Jake Shields, would be welcomed into the promotion.

It had been widely known that due to the losses, and the inability to raise new capital, that the Elite XC would either be sold to Showtime or be forced to fold by the end of the year. Others within the company said bankruptcy papers would be filed.

Kelly Kahl, the CBS senior executive vice president of programming operations who oversaw the three Elite XC events on the station, declined to comment on the situation.

It is not known if CBS will start its own MMA company or strike a deal with one of the two companies left standing, the UFC or Affliction. Affliction was a sponsor and co-promoter of the Oct. 4 show, paying for the Andrei Arlovski-Roy Nelson match. The other active match promotion, Strikeforce, has a late night television deal with NBC, which has had preliminary talks with the company about doing live events.

The Elite XC sale was believed to be close to completion heading into the Oct. 4 show on CBS. The show was a ratings success, beating both Major League Baseball playoff games and both major college football games in the target male 18-49 demographic, but left the brand tainted due to a controversy stemming from the main event.

CBS funded the event because Elite XC didn't have the money to continue while negotiations for the sale continued.

Ken Shamrock, scheduled as the opponent of Slice, got into a money argument with Elite XC officials before the show, and then, to blow off steam, did a training session in which he suffered a cut above his eye that required stitches. When he returned from the hospital, the Florida State Boxing Commission wouldn't allow him to fight.

Seth Petruzelli, a journeyman fighter in a light heavyweight preliminary match, was chosen as the fill-in opponent for the 236-pound Slice, and the scenario couldn't have gone worse, as Slice charged in, Petruzelli threw a jab on one leg and still knocked Slice down, and finished him with punches on the ground in 14 seconds.

While CBS officials were thrilled with the ratings, a controversy over a radio interview done by Petruzelli looks to have foiled the purchase.

"The promoters kind of hinted to me and they gave me the money to stand and trade with him," Petruzelli said two days after the fight on "The Monsters in Orlando" radio show. "They didn't want me to take him down.

"Let's just put it that way. It was worth my while to try and stand up and punch with him."

The next day Petruzelli said that what he meant was that he was offered a bonus for a knockout. Jeremy Lappen the head of operations for Elite XC confirmed Petruzelli got a knockout bonus, believed to be between $20,000 and $30,000 to go along with his $35,000 guarantee and $15,000 win bonus, but not a submission bonus.

A media outcry followed, with accusations a company official tried to manipulate the fight in favor of Slice, even though it backfired, leading to an investigation by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulations. The question was whether Petruzelli was offered a bonus to not take Slice down, which would be illegal, as opposed to a knockout bonus, which is legal and not uncommon.

With the investigation started, Showtime pulled out of negotiations and people inside the company were being told all day that Elite XC was shutting down.

Keith Kizer, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, said Monday that he had not received word that the next show, scheduled for Nov. 8, in Reno, Nev., had been canceled.

But the website Graciefighter.com, which represents Cesar Gracie, the manager of Nick Diaz, who was scheduled to fight next month, wrote Monday night, "We are confirming that Elite XC has folded. What this means for our fans and supporters is that there will not be a Nick Diaz vs. Eddie Alvarez fight on Nov. 8."

Oh Yeah and I keep forgetting to post this one post I thought of about gay sterotypes it would be comedy about why you could consider me gay or not gay but I need time to think about it again when it is posted remember it is comedy and don't get mad ok.