Category: Blog

A Manifesto of Love

Posted on by Paul In The Buff

To this city, and this region – Buffalo – the City of Good Neighbors. We don’t always exemplify that, but I would like to think we exemplify it more often than not. Yes, you’ll see more examples in the media of us not being good to each other, but the media doesn’t often tells us about the acts of kindness we see, and perform every day. Rarely do you hear stories of the success of our refugee programs, of the community organizations that help welcome the world to Buffalo, and give them the help they need when they get here. Rarely do you hear of how those same refugees are building their own communities, and running successful businesses while adding to Buffalo’s diverse culture. There is no coverage of neighbors helping neighbors daily, not out of obligation, but out of a want to be helpful, and to foster a kind, and cooperative community. 

I want to be a bigger part of this. I want to show love to my neighbors, those who come here seeking a better life, and the future generations who will call this region home.

Weigh-In Wednesday – Three Decades Later

Posted on by Paul In The Buff

By far, the people who complain the most, and about the most trivial, nonsensical things are Conservatives/Republicans/The Religious Right.

While they sit back, and call others “snowflakes” for things like, not wanting to be shot while in school, or not wanting the police to kill you during a routine arrest (often a BS arrest), or things like justice, and civil rights, those on the other side worry about coffee cups not being Christmassy enough, religious symbols not being allowed on public (tax funded) buildings, and scream about their faux persecution in the face of others demanding equal rights. They live on socialist ideals, and taxes, yet complain the policies they don’t want are all socialist, and therefore evil. They stump over free-market ideals, but when the free-market puts them in their place they complain they’re being discriminated against.

It’s a shopping list covering every aisle of hypocrisy, and irony when you think about it.

Wix... wait, what?

Weigh-In Wednesday – Stunning Websites without Stunning Images

Posted on by Paul In The Buff

I saw an add for Wix.  Wix annoys me. They promote their services as “do it yourself for free,” and try to convince people they can just build a wow-factor website in under 15 minutes at no cost. 

Eight days later, most users have an incomplete website that looks like a 5th grader built it in 1998 using Microsoft Frontpage and Paint, and on this monstrosity there’s a Wix advertisement in just about every corner that pops up whenever your mouse cursor gets within 30 pixels of it.

Weigh-In Wednesday – Something Missing

Posted on by Paul In The Buff

#PHOTOGRPAHYWITHOUTLIMITS

I came up with that tag a number of years ago in a way to express that I’m kind of a go-anywhere, do-anything for a good shot kind of photographer. Obviously, I have limits, but they’re usually based more on how can I get the shot AND keep my camera safe? Because if I can’t retrieve the shot, then it’s not worth the shot.

At the start, someone believed it was in response to a threat lodged by a former colleague that I would never take photos at an event in WNY again. That was a silly threat, with no chance of being enacted, so I wasn’t really worried. Since then I have photographed countless events. I can try to count them. Shall we?

World’s Largest Disco, multiple times. Witches Ball, every year. Pride Parade, on behalf of 2 different organizations. Cupid Undies Run. Carley’s Club fundraiser. St. Paddy’s Day Parades.  Not to mention dozens of Yelp community events, Buffalo Without Borders, and thanks to my relationship, First Night, Steam Punk Fest, and a dozen other events she has performed at. 

Silent Voices - where I got to play a complete jerk. Conservatives would say this would influence me to become one.

Weigh-In Wednesday – All This, and More

Posted on by Paul In The Buff

For those who need to hear it – the nicest people generally get a lot more hardship thrown into their lives. It is one of the things that makes them the nicest people.

They know what it’s like to struggle. They’ve fought battles, and those battles have built their uncompromising character. They have empathy for the struggles of others because they’ve struggled, and don’t want to see others struggling. They have big hearts, and tend to be extremely generous because in the end everything they’ve fought through teaches them the most important things aren’t money, or material possessions, but love, and seeing those they love live fulfilling lives. They understand true morality isn’t found in a book of fables, but in the way you treat someone who can do nothing for you in return.

This concluded my text based, non graphical internet inspirational meme.

Pride - And my Views in Buffalo Rising

Weigh-In Wednesday – Walking The Line

Posted on by Paul In The Buff

No, the Red Party isn’t our local communists. Let’s be honest, most communists are only called communists because that’s how the conservative right wants to define anyone with socially altruistic ideals, and demonize them for it.  This Red Party is about  raising funds for local organizations that provide services to underrepresented populations in Buffalo, specifically women in situations that may prevent them from being able to afford, or procure sanitary products when necessary. This is actually a major problem for many populations, whether the women are members of refugee groups that make it to America with little more than the clothes on their back, homeless women trying to get by, or women escaping domestic violence relying on the help of others to figure out where to go next.

It is a serious social issue, and for women in these situations, it is a matter of healthcare, and dignity. 

Screen Capture from the movie Breathe

Weigh-In Wednesday – Staying Steady

Posted on by Paul In The Buff

I feel more empathy for the families of our fallen. No one has a child with the hopes that they lose that child at a young age in a meaningless war. I spent more time on Memorial day remembering war is something we should have evolved away from eons ago, but resource ownership still dominates our societies, and the common people are the pawns of the wealthy. We still allow ideologies to control our societies, instead of focusing on what is best for humanity, and our planet. Oh yeah, and it’s all pretty meaningless if we destroy the livability of our planet, yet a lot of you keep voting for war-mongering, religion-bent, science-denying sociopaths based on stupid ideological platforms. That is a war that will eventually kill more people than you can even consider… 

Maybe the best way to remember those who sacrificed their lives for our “nation” would be to learn the lessons we should have learned from those wars in the first place, and work at making our nation a better place, instead of what we’re doing now… otherwise, what did they sacrifice for?

Shaving a Bit Close to the Bone

Posted on by Paul In The Buff

When you’re at that age, so few people have the ability communicate such complex feelings; the dark, and dismal thoughts that you know won’t result in understanding, but a trip to the doctor, or worse. People only hear what they want to hear. You’re supposed to do what you’re told. You don’t often get options, and these days, what you get are a diagnosis, a label, and drugs. We understand more but everything is a diagnosis, and the end goal is to make everyone a “productive member of society” rather than a healthy person, who is right with him or herself. Suicide prevention is so often pasting a list of phone numbers on social media, when what people really need is empathy, listening, better healthcare, a hopeful future, love, and to know that they are important enough to others to get their time, their patience, and their best efforts at understanding each other. We’re told to take better care of ourselves: get a gym membership, eat healthier, drink 64-ounces of water every day! But no where in our society do we get told, you’re emotionally exhausted? Take a day off and nap, read a book, and talk to your friends – it’s ok! Feeling like you’re going to have a mental breakdown? Take time for yourself, and do something enjoyable. Focus on you, and what you need, not your job, or kids, or bills… it’s ok!

Living In The Buff Ten Year Anniversary!!!!!!

Weigh-In Wednesday – Banning the Bans

Posted on by Paul In The Buff

Religions just need to piss off from this planet entirely. I really don’t care what loopy fables you want to believe, what invisible being you want to worship, or what book you read it all from. You’re delusional. Delusions shouldn’t influence legislation, or even society. They should be treated like a disease, and eradicated as quickly as possible for the over-all health of our society.

We don’t need abortion bans. We need delusional thinking bans.