(Amherst, NY)—Erie County Legislator Ed Rath, 15th District (R)will conduct an Open House Saturday, November 15, 2008 from 9:00AM to 11:00AM at his Williamsville District office, 5500 Main Street, Suite 1. The entrance is to the left of the main building entrance. Legislator Rath states “As a citizen legislator, I look forward to talking with residents of the 15th district and other concerned Erie County citizens.”

            Residents may learn more about how the budget process works and what

Mr. Rath’s focus is for the coming year. Please feel free to stop in with your suggestions, comments or concerns. Mr. Rath will be joined by Michael Ranzenhofer the Senator–elect from the 61^st Senate District. 

            Additionally, income qualified Seniors may visit the office that day to fill out a HEAP application to receive assistance with their winter heating bills.

For more information on this event, or to make a personal appointment with Mr. Rath regarding an issue please contact the  district office at 5500 Suite 1, Williamsville, NY or by E-mail at rathe@erie.gov or by phone 633-0617. No RSVP is required for “Coffee and Conversation with Ed Rath.”

The parent company of Fisher Price has announced that at 12:00 p.m. today they will be laying off globally1000 employees.  There will be layoffs at our Fisher Price Plant in East Aurora.  Approximately 70 higher-end workers are going to be laid of here.

Every one of us knows someone with cancer.  Somehow scientists just haven’t been able to find out what causes this terrible disease, until now.  Some scientists have decoded all the genes of a person with cancer and found a set of mutations that might have caused the disease or aided its progression.

“Using cells donated by a woman in her 50s who died of leukemia, the scientists sequenced all the DNA from her cancer cells and compared it to the DNA from her own normal, healthy skin cells. Then they zeroed in on 10 mutations that occurred only in the cancer cells, apparently spurring abnormal growth, preventing the cells from suppressing that growth and enabling them to fight off chemotherapy.”

“The findings will not help patients immediately, but researchers say they could lead to new therapies and would almost certainly help doctors make better choices among existing treatments, based on a more detailed genetic picture of each patient’s cancer. Though the research involved leukemia, the same techniques can also be used to study other cancers.”
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There’s no rest for the weary.  Following his historic win on Tuesday night Barack Obama was at work on Wednesday to build his administration and make good on his ambitious promises to point the United States in a different direction.

“A day after becoming the first African-American to capture the presidency, Mr. Obama announced a transition team and prepared to name an ally as his White House chief of staff in his first steps toward assuming power. President Bush vowed to work closely with Mr. Obama to ensure a smooth transition in the first handover since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.”

“Representative Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, the fourth-ranking House Democrat and a close friend of Mr. Obama’s from Chicago, has been offered the job of chief of staff, and although he was said to be concerned about the effects on his family and giving up his influential role on Capitol Hill, many Democrats said they expected him to accept it. Mr. Obama named John D. Podesta, the former Clinton White House chief of staff, to lead his transition team along with Valerie Jarrett, a longtime adviser, and Pete Rouse, his Senate chief of staff.”
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Those who adhere to a strict kosher diet will find it difficult to purchase meat products now that Agriprocessors Inc. has filed for bankruptcy.  The scramble is on to supply the demand for kosher meat products.

“The filing late Tuesday signaled the demise of a company that has been operated by a single family: the owner, Aaron Rubashkin, and his son Sholom, who built the company into the country’s dominant supplier of kosher meat.”

“Although demand for Agriprocessors’ products declined after the raid, supermarkets and butcher shops nationwide supplying Jews who observe strict dietary laws reported shortages of kosher meat this week, after the plant stopped slaughtering cattle a week ago. Agriprocessors sells meat under the Rubashkin’s, Aaron’s Best and Shor Harbor labels, among others.”
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In California, Arizona and Florida there was great sadness on Tuesday night.  No, not because Obama won.  Each of those states had a proposition on the ballot that would allow for same-sex marriages.  The voters said, “No” in all three states.

“The across-the-board sweep, coupled with passage of a measure in Arkansas intended to bar gay men and lesbians from adopting children, was a stunning victory for religious conservatives, who had little else to celebrate on an Election Day that saw Senator John McCain lose and other ballot measures, like efforts to restrict abortion in South Dakota, California and Colorado, rejected.”
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Christmas is coming and almost every retailer is bracing for a dismal retail season.  Not Wal-Mart.  They are bracing for the biggest embrace the public is giving this year. 

“Sales at department stores and specialty retailers are in free fall. They are cutting staff, discounting merchandise and closing stores to survive. But even as the financial turmoil strangled discretionary spending at many stores, it sent struggling consumers into the arms of Wal-Mart — and left it, the world’s largest retailer, poised for a blockbuster Christmas.”
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Since Tuesday night the world has been saturated with the philosophy of Barack Obama the new President elect of the United States of America.  His is a philosophy of self realization, that you can achieve any goal you strive for with hard work.

The ritualistic approach of organizations which been in place in our area for years, retain the same leaders producing the same unsatisfactory results year after year.  Their leaders should be pushed out and the reins taken over by people who have the desire to make real changes.  A prime example is our Amherst Democratic Committee.  The same old leaders consistently produce the same poor results.  Slates filled with unsuccessful candidates have been their hallmark for 20 years. 

It’s time for a change!

Debbie Bucki has been informed by the Erie County Board of Elections that she has won the position of Amherst Town Clerk by over 1400 votes.  Council member Bucki will take office January 1^st 2009.

It’s election night.  Coverage begins at 7 on the major networks.  OK.  How long can you watch before you want to pull your hair out?  How about a football game diversion? 

Tonight UB has national exposure on ESPN2.

BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo football program is preparing for a primetime and an Election Night football game versus Miami University of historic proportions Tuesday night at UB Stadium for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.

Fans coming to the game will be part of the first-ever nationally televised game in UB Stadium’s history, as the Bulls, in the thick of the Mid-American Conference East Division title chase, look for their third straight victory on ESPN2.

The contest is the only college football game in the country on Election Night and UB is pulling out all the stops to fill the stands for the national television audience on a day where early weather predictions are for a high of 60 degrees in early November. The Bulls enter the game with an overall record of 4-4 and are 2-2 in the Mid-American Conference, tied for first place with Akron (with UB a perfect 2-0 against MAC East competition). A win would put Buffalo over the .500 mark for the first time in November in its 10 years in Division I-A and would move it one win closer to the school’s first bowl bid since the 1958 team fifty years ago.

“We are extremely excited to showcase the growth of our football program to a national audience,” said Warde Manuel, Director of Athletics, “and in the process show that Western New York embraces college football and our program in a great way. We encourage folks to get out and vote early in the day and then take part in another great American tradition with the college football experience. It promises to be a unique, exciting and historical day and we hope our fans come out to support our team, or if out of town, watch on television.”

Among the many events that are being planned for the game, here are a few:
• UB is offering a buy one, get one free ticket for the game.
• Both teams will accentuate the Red vs. Blue political theme of the day as the Bulls will be in all blue uniforms and the RedHawks of Miami will be in all red. The teams got an NCAA exemption to do so.
• In honor of a great Buffalonian on Election night, UB will honor one of the great voices in political journalism, the late Tim Russert with a video montage, while his sister Kathy Russert Hughes and daughter Ashley will serve as honorary captains for the coin toss. In addition, Tim’s son Luke Russert will have a video welcome prior to the game.
• There will be free coffee and hot chocolate provided to fans by Tim Horton’s as they enter the stadium.
• Popular Channel 2 personality Kevin O’Neill will bring sideline reports throughout the game on the videoboard on Election Night results as they happen.
• There will be spirit wavers (a new version of the popular thundersticks) with the Bulls’ logo given to the first 2,500 fans through the gates.
• The first 1,000 students at the game will be given rally towels.
• There will be a poster making contest at the “True Blue” tailgate party for the ESPN cameras.

Fans can purchase tickets by calling 1-877-UBTHERE or at www.buffalobulls.com.