Inside the News

No Iowa town is too small for candidates' attention

TRAER, Iowa … Imagine the buzz if a presidential candidate decided to campaign in Angola.

   You'd probably think the candidate was either crazy, or from Angola, or both.

   But Traer, a tiny town set amid the cornfields of eastern Iowa, is about the same size as Angola, and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton came here Sunday. And by the ways of Iowa, it made perfect sense.

   After all, the Iowa caucuses are coming up this Thursday, and candidates like Clinton have to fight especially hard for votes in rural areas, which get a disproportionate share of the delegates in this state's, well, unusual caucus system.

   I'll be writing more about the caucus system in a story later this week, but for now let me note that Clinton has been coming to places like Traer more often lately to deliver a shiny happy new stump speech. And many of the farmers and teachers and housewives whom I met Sunday were thrilled to hear what she had to say.

   Of course, the Hillary haters … and there are some everywhere … didn't show up in the first place. But several of the voters I talked to, who had been lukewarm about Clinton, said they were sold.

   Come to think of it, it kind of seemed like what was happening in places like Angola back in 2000, when Clinton was running for the Senate for the first time.

-- Jerry Zremski

Sweating chill in the polls, Giuliani stages fire drill in Iowa

  CLIVE, Iowa -- Rudy Giuliani has always been tough on crime, but based on his campaign appearances Saturday, he seems to have a soft spot in his heart for apparent fire code violations.

   First a battalion of journalists and Giuliani volunteers crowded into a small office in a strip mall here for a meet-and-greet with the GOP presidential contender. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder and back-to-front in sweaters and parkas, the crowd quickly began to melt.

   "Hey, can somebody crack the door?" a network cameraman shouted. "It's so hot, somebody's gonna pass out."

   That never happened, but after speaking for about five minutes Giuliani didn't look so good, with beads of sweat glistening off his pale forehead.

   As if that wasn't bad enough, the entire scene repeated itself a few hours later in Indianola, as Giuiani and his attendant horde pushed their way into Funaro's Deli and Bakery for his second meet-and-sweat of the day.

   Believe it or not, all of this poses some important political questions.

   Why is Giuliani back in Iowa five days before the Iowa caucuses when the polls make it look like he's about to get crushed here?

   And why, five days before those caucuses, is he having intimate meet-and-sweats here in the Des Moines area while scheduling bigger town hall meetings in rural burgs like Fort Dodge and Mount Pleasant?

   I explore questions like that in my story in Sunday's News, but if you have any possible answers, I'd love to hear them, too.

-- Jerry Zremski

Assessing Mayor Brown at mid-term

    Mayor Byron W. Brown has been in office two years. How's he doing?

   Today and Monday, The Buffalo News is publishing a five-story package that examines the mayor at mid-term. The News has found his track record thus far is mixed.

    Nearly 150 business and civic leaders and government officials who have had first-hand dealings with Brown gave him mixed grades in a written survey. They gave him 3.3 of a possible 5 points for personal and professional attributes ranging from intelligence to accessibility.

   Six in 10 respondents gave him a positive job performance rating and said the city is headed in the right direction. Respondents were more divided on Brown's impact on City Hall. Half said city government is now functioning better than under former Mayor Anthony M. Masiello; the other half said things are the same or worse.

   In the neighborhoods, meanwhile, The News spoke with residents in different parts of the city, and found most like their new mayor, and think city services are improving. But crime and housing issues remain a concern.

   What do you think?

   How's the mayor doing? How's the city doing?

   -- Jim Heaney 
   

What do our Web searches say about us?

      When we go online, at work or at home, we most often search for basic information like the eather, further details on breaking news or hot gadgets … and celebrity gossip.

   Lots and lots of celebrity gossip.

   Giant search engines Google, Yahoo! and AOL recently reported their lists of the most popular search terms for 2007, based on data collected from their millions of users.

   Yes, we search a lot for generic things like the weather and driving directions.

   And the Web is usually the first place we turn when breaking news such as a bridge collapse or a political assassination is happening.

   But quite a few of our searches involve popular culture and just-plain Hollywood gossip.

   Vast numbers of people, apparently, wanted to know everything possible about Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and the other troubled young starlets in the news.

   What's going on here? What do these lists say about how we use the Internet? Should these results make us fear for our society?

   Or is it OK if we spend a few minutes each day trying to learn the latest shocking thing that our favorite starlets are up to?

-- Stephen T. Watson

'Tis the season for a new style of ads

   DES MOINES, Iowa … For those of you who think that political reporters lead a life of glamour on the campaign trail, ponder for a moment the dilemma I faced when I woke up Friday morning and saw that Iowa was yet again covered with a fresh blanket of snow.

   I could either make a 90-mile drive along icy roads to see Republican presidential contender Rudy Giuliani, or I could huddle up by the DiLonghi space heater in my hotel room and watch campaign commercials on the Internet.

   Given that Giuliani will be appearing close to Des Moines today … and that I wanted to see the campaign as most Iowans are seeing it … I opted for the campaign commercials.

   And while my story in today's paper dwells on the most recent ads, the most memorable ones were those released a week or so ago, in which the candidates tried to cope with the inconvenient timing of Christmas just 10 days before the state's all-important caucuses.

   Apparently thinking that if they couldn't beat Christmas, they should join it, several of the candidates created ads themed for the season.

   Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., sat by a Christmas tree and sorted through her gifts for voters, such as "energy independence," "universal health care" and "universal pre-K."

   Similarly, in an ad aired in New Hampshire, Giuliani said his Christmas wish list included "peace with strength" and the hope that the presidential candidates "will just get along." That prompts Santa Claus (gee, I thought he was a Democrat) to break out in a hearty "Ho-ho-ho."

  Meanwhile, John Edwards stands before a Christmas tree and lectures America about poverty yet again. And Barack Obama sits with his family in front of a
tree and looks on lovingly as his impossibly adorable young daughters wish
America a merry Christmas.

   And most famously of all, Mike Huckabee, a Baptist minister, reminds
viewers that Christmas is all about the birth of Christ … and lest they
forget, he's sitting in front of a bookcase that for all the world looks like
a cross.

   Somehow, it all got me to thinking what I wished for and didn't get this
holiday season: a hotel room where I didn't need a DiLonghi space heater.

   -- Jerry Zremski

Niagara Falls' casino bet still hasn't paid off

   Niagara Falls is still a city in waiting.

   Five years after the Seneca Niagara Casino opened its doors in Niagara Falls with much excitement and fanfare, vacant buildings in the neighborhood await development, and business owners hope for more spillover.

   The casino's 26-story glass hotel glimmers on the skyline and can be seen from miles away as tourists approach the city. Inside, restaurants, a spa and slot machines bustle throughout the day and night.

   The streets surrounding the casino are a much different story.

   During the past five years, have you visited the casino?

   If so, has your visit been limited to the casino and casino-related businesses? If so, why?

   If you've ventured beyond the casino in downtown Niagara Falls, where have you gone? What's that been like?

   What needs to be done to encourage private developers to invest in the casino's neighborhood?

   … Denise Jewell Gee

Iowa voters remain in an undecided state

 

   DES MOINES, Iowa … I dunno.

   It's astonishing how many times I've heard that phrase, or something synonymous with it, at the two Hillary Clinton campaign events I attended Wednesday and the two Barack Obama rallies I went to on Thursday.

   I asked about two dozen Iowa Democrats who they are supporting in the Jan. 3 caucuses to pick a presidential candidate, and nearly half told me they were still, to one degree or another, undecided.

   It sort of makes me feel a bit foolish, running like I do day after day to realclearpolitics.com to check the latest poll results. One week Obama is up, and now Hillary looks like she's making a comeback … but it all may be a mirage, and it may just be that nobody has any clue what will happen.

   There are plenty of reasons for that beyond the "show me" attitude of the voters of the state just north of Missouri, and I will detail them in future stories … which will also look at the Republican side of things. But in Friday's News I'll tell you a bit more about all those don't-know Democrats.

   Don't go away thinking, though, that they're undecided because they're uninformed. On the contrary, practically every voter I've met in five visits here over the past year can talk about the issues and where they stand on them at a level of depth that I find shocking.

   Will what they ultimately decide be shocking, too? We'll see.

-- Jerry Zremski

No secret behind the surplus

   A number of county officials might claim credit for Erie County's 2007 surplus. The county executive will point to his prudent management. The state-appointed control board provided oversight. The Legislature monitored spending through the year.

   But property taxes have gone up. And Erie County's sales tax rate of 8.75 percent is among the highest in the state.

   County officials realize the benefits brought by all those Canadian shoppers, who are not Erie County residents. But considering the burden placed on the taxpayers, who really deserves the credit for Erie County's year-end budget surplus?

-- Matt Spina

Flash mob -- new wave phenom or flash in the pan?

If a flash mob falls in a mall, and a lot of people don't notice it, does it make a sound?

   That's one way to think about what happened Saturday in the Boulevard Mall, when flash mobs made what appeared to be their debut in Buffalo.

   The concept has been around since 2003. People organize a flash mob online, just as this one got started with an ad posted on Craigslist.

   The organizers send out e-mails letting people know when it's happening, where and what they'll be doing. At the appointed time and place, the crowd gathers, does something goofy or whimsical and then walks away -- in a flash -- like it never happened.

   The biggest flash mobs, in New York City and London, can get hundreds of participants.

  Saturday's event, held in the Boulevard Mall, got about a dozen.

   The organizers said they were inspired by flash mobs in other cities and they wanted to do something challenged people to think.

   Their flash mob pretended to pay homage to the Boulevard Bear Band display in the center of the mall.

   Some people watching it wondered what was going on, but many just seemed to ignore it.

   Experts say it's another example of people using the Web to make social connections. Others might say it's just an old-fashioned, non-destructive prank.

   What do you make of all this? Does anyone have a better idea for the next flash mob?

-- Stephen T. Watson

Last-minute shopping can be fun, or torture

   It's fun, right? Last-minute Christmas shopping, we mean.

   All the crowds. All the bargains. All that Christmas spirit.

   No? Bah, humbug you say!

   It's torture? Spending all your hard-earned money to buy presents for people you hardly know who will likely be regifting whatever you buy them anyway. No wonder you waited until the last minute!

   What do you think? Last-minute fun or last minute misery?

Collins makes his first key appointments

   Chris Collins said he wants the best and the brightest, but he also wants people he knows, it seems, judging by a few of his new department heads.

He selected a controller from one of his companies as Erie County's budget director, and a 12-year acquaintance as deputy county executive.

   Only performance will determine the success of the Collins administration.

   But what's your opinion of his moves so far, and of the first five people he has named to high-level posts?

   --Matt Spina

Gimme (snowfree) shelter

   As the Buffalo Niagara area gets over the first major snowstorm of the season last weekend, the effects of it are being felt still at Metrobus stops and shelters across the region.

   While many of the stops and bus shelters along major streets and roads - particularly in the City of Buffalo - were cleared of ice and snow, many were not.

   For example, the Delaware Avenue corridor had lots of problems. Nearly each stop or shelter from the Tops Plaza to Amherst Street were a mess, packed with snow about a foot deep. The interior of shelters were not cleared. Many sidewalks had not been cleared, and mounds more than a foot deep had accumulated curbside from snowplows doing their jobs.

   That meant passengers had to walk in the street when getting on and off the bus. People had to jump over the curbside mounds. And some just plain slipped and fell.

   The city and the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority plan to meet before year's end to determine who's responsible for clearing the curbside mounds and the interior of shelters.

   Meanwhile, the situation could become even more problematic as the winter season approaches, which traditionally brings lots more snow and ice.

   Tell us your horror stories.

   --- Deidre Williams

Waiting to hear from Spitzer on Thruway tolls

      For now, there appears to be only one real solution to stop a planned Thruway toll increase … but that means today's political leaders will have to undo a fiscal gimmick pushed through 15 years ago.

   In the early 1990s, then-Gov. Mario Cuomo and legislators were looking for cash everywhere to deal with deficits. He "sold"' Attica prison to an authority one year. And, in 1992, he had the Thruway take over the costs from the state of running the canal system. He also pushed through a plan in which the Thruway would pay for costs of two toll-free downstate highways that his state Department of Transportation previously had to fund.

   Nowadays, it costs $80 million to operate the canal system. Its users, mostly pleasure craft, including luxury yachts that ply the summertime waterways, pay nothing. Instead, the costs are borne by Thruway drivers at the toll booths.

   So, will Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who has made rebirth of the upstate economy his supposed No. 1 priority, fix the 1992 gimmick and eliminate the need for a toll increase? So far, he's given no indications he would in a climate when the state budget next year is facing a $4.3 billion deficit. And, on Wednesday, it should be noted that a state authority controlled by Spitzer approved a plan to raise New York City subway fares.

   Those aren't good signs for those looking for the governor's help on the Thruway toll issue.

   -- Tom  Precious

Negative Obama ad detonates minefield of doubts about Hillary

    Nobody spawns hate mail like Hillary Clinton spawns hate mail.

   Practically every time I write about the New York senator … and I write about her a lot … I get the most nasty, vituperative, overheated e-mails you can ever imagine.

   And that's a description of what these e-mailers say about me. What they say about her is much worse.

   Most of these e-mails come from a rather predictable cast of characters: folks I have known virtually now for years, most of them from the right wing of the political spectrum.

   But what surprised me on my trip last week to Iowa, where Clinton is campaigning for the presidency, is that I heard the same sort of thing … from some Democrats.

   It seems that the Clinton campaign's decision to go negative on Sen. Barack Obama had unleashed some pent-up doubts that Democrats have about their own presidential front-runner.

   You will see more about all of that in my story in Wednesday's Buffalo News.

   And it all makes me wonder: How deep are those doubts? And how widespread?

-- Jerry Zremski

What it takes to be great

The final report by the State Commission on Higher Education isn't due out until June, but it's no coincidence the preliminary recommendations are out now.

   Watch for some of the commission's recommendations to come up in the coming weeks, as Gov. Eliot L. Spitzer gives his state of the state address and rolls out his budget for next year.

   Spitzer -- who is facing a $4.3 billion state deficit next year -- said he wants to invest in the New York's higher education system, and not just to raise its profile among the nation's elite.

   Where there are great universities, Spitzer said, the jobs have migrated.

   It will be interesting to see if state legislators will agree.

-- Jay Rey

Coping with the many wounds of war

   Twenty-one-year-old Eddy Delmonte sat in a downtown Buffalo coffee house as he shared his Iraq war experiences.

   His hands pitched upward together to visually recreate a plume of rising black smoke as he explained that before you hear an improvised explosive device explode, you see it.

   The speed of light beats the speed of sound.

   "You actually see the blast first, then you hear and feel the booooooooooom on your chest."

   Embedded in Delmonte's injured brain are many close calls he had with death while serving 12 months in the war zone back in 2005.

   He went there halfway into his 18th year and returned an old man with back injuries, memory problems and nightmares.

   "Those blasts are terrifying. I'd rather be shot at all day long. At least you know where the enemy is. With an IED, you're riding down the road wondering where it's going to happen."

   That plays hard on the nerves.

   Now, thousands of miles from the war, the Hamburg resident still hears loud and clear the voices of two battle buddies disoriented inside a Bradley Fighting Vehicle that tipped off a narrow bridge into a canal of raw sewage somewhere in the Sunni Triangle, a.k.a. the Triangle of Death.

   Delmonte managed to escape the vehicle as it started filling with sewage and silt, but crawled back inside when he heard two other infantry soldiers screaming "I can't breathe," "I'm dying," and "There's no air."

     What spiked their fear, said Delmonte, was the roar and the fumes of the 33-ton Bradley's engine, which hadn't shut off. He guided them to safety.

    But even though they lived, Delmonte says he still hears their voices and it doesn't matter if it's night or day.

   But, he wants to quiet them.

   And he wants to do it by helping other veterans.

   So as part of his unofficial therapy for post-traumatic stress, Delmonte is starting a veterans' advocacy group called Iraq Veterans United to lobby for better treatment of returning combat veterans, whether it be with medical care or disability benefits.

   Anyone interested in helping or in need of help can reach Delmonte by e-mail at  iraqveteransunited@yahoo.com.

   Sipping his coffee at the downtown shop, Delmonte says, "This is my passion, to help other vets."

… Lou Michel

The Bratz doll controversy

I found Bratz dolls, and the issue of sexualized toys, to be a charged issue while working on today's front-page story. A number of parents and others that I interviewed were deeply disturbed at how Bratz were being marketed to adolescents and even toddlers.

They were also alarmed by the marketing of a stereotype they felt both objectifies girls and suggests they mostly care about boys, shopping and looks.

Other parents -- even some not thrilled by how risque the Bratz dolls look -- felt the dolls were not a big deal, and any negativity could be offset by good values instilled in the home.

How do you feel about Bratz dolls, and the overall issue of sexualized images being marketed to young girls?

Do you allow your daughters to play with Bratz dolls or are they banned from a place under your Christmas tree?

-- Mark Sommer

The answer for Buffalo: Blowing in the wind

   We can find our future in our past.

   Today's column deals with making the same geographic assets that made Buffalo a manufacturing center work for us again.

   Wind energy is an industry of the future. Manufacturing the giant machines is the job-creating prize that renewable energy experts say is within our grasp, if we reach for it.

   Newly cleaned industrial land near the old Bethlehem Steel plant is a prime site for a windmill manufacturing plant. It is a road-and-rail hub with, more importantly, Great Lakes access to ship the mammoth windmill parts by water, the preferred method. Water routes connect us to the Midwest, the East Coast and to Europe. Add our skilled manufacturing work force, and Buffalo has what it takes to be a frontrunner in the race for a windmill plant.

   The problem is the local political and economic development community either does not understand the potential or does not believe in it.

   Landing a plant will take a united push from business, political and economic development types. Yet Buffalo Niagara Enterprise, the region's business marketers and the obvious candidate to lead the charge, is reluctant to adjust its agenda to push hard for this. No business type or politician is putting together the needed coalition or making noise with Dan Gundersen, upstate's new economic czar.

   The way I see it, unless folks get their heads out of the sand (and into the wind, heh
heh), a great opportunity will be squandered.

… Donn Esmonde   

Away in a ... public park?

   The space in front of Olean City Hall has been cleared of religious displays for the moment, although Mayor David Carucci's interpretation of the city's laws allows them there.

   But manger scenes have been on display in many communities around Western New York for a number of years, generating relatively few challenges.

   Does your town or village have such a display - Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Wiccan or otherwise -  on public property? And should they?

  --- Elmer Ploetz

New technology expands horizons for the disabled

   People who are visually impaired, hearing impaired or who have a severe physical disability in the past could have difficulty communicating with others.

   People who are deaf had to rely on the assistance of others to place a phone call. Someone who is blind could find it time consuming to search for information and was limited by the holdings of the nearest Braille library. And someone who is non-verbal and limited in the use of his hands would have difficulty expressing himself to others.

   Today, the latest adaptive technology is helping people with disabilities communicate more readily and do so with a greater sense of independence.

   This assistive technology is opening social, educational and career opportunities for the disabled, experts said.

   Some of this technology is helping people with disabilities take full advantage of the computer and Internet revolutions.

   For example, someone who has limited use of her hands can control a mouse cursor through the movements of her head or, failing that, just her eyes.

   The Internet, and the digitization of information, has opened a vast new library of books that can be downloaded in audio format or onto a refreshable Braille display for the blind.

   And two deaf people who are most comfortable communicating through sign language can have a conversation over a pair of video phones.

   Though obstacles to access remain, advocates for the disabled are excited about the new opportunities that this assistive technology is creating.

   It's giving people who want a chance to go to college, to work, to participate more fully in society, the chance to do just that.

-- Stephen T. Watson

A hefty boost for the Philharmonic's future

   A $6 million gift has nudged the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra closer to financial stability.

   The commitment from the John R. Oishei Foundation, Western New York's largest private foundation, is contingent on the orchestra's "Secure the Future" endowment campaign reaching its $30 million goal within a year.

   The single largest contribution in the orchestra's 72-year history brings the total collected thus far to $21.1 million. With grants totaling $7 million "under consideration" by other foundations, and a $5 million public campaign under way, Philharmonic leaders are confident that the target will be reached on time.

   It's all part of the continuing turnaround at what is one of the crown jewels of Buffalo's cultural scene.

   --Tom Buckham

The rules of the roads

  Today's column focuses on the tragic death of A.J. Larson, 20, in a car accident Dec. 3 in West Seneca, and the planned lowering of the speed limit along a stretch of Clinton Street that might have saved him.

   Larson's car apparently slid at the end of slick Bosse Lane into the path of a truck on Clinton. The truck driver was cleared of any blame. But neighbors for months tried to have the speed limit lowered from 45 mph to 35 along that stretch, which includes Clinton Street Elementary School. Larson's mother, Kelly Cline, thinks her son might still be alive if the lowered speed limit had been in place and a flashing yellow light placed near the school.

   In the larger picture, there are plenty of streets and highways in Western New York where road signs and speed limits have not caught up with population shifts and changing conditions. The 45 mph limit was set on Clinton Street when the neighborhood was mainly farmland. That changed decades ago. When subdivisions appear on once-rural landscapes, once-sleepy byways become major highways. Lower speed limits … particularly in school zones … and other traffic-slowers need to follow. Had they been in place on this stretch of road, there is a chance that A.J. Larson might be alive today.

   The problem stretches beyond Clinton Street in West Seneca. If you know of other roads and highways where safety has not caught up with population shifts, this is your chance to be heard.

-- Donn Esmonde

Restoring his good name

   When historians Barbara Nevergold and Peggy Brooks-Bertram started their Uncrowned Queens and Kings project at the University at Buffalo, their goal was to resurrect the lives of ordinary black men and woman whose extraordinary stories have fallen through the cracks of history.

   With A.J. Smitherman, Nevergold did one better.

   Smitherman, a 1920s newspaperman in Tulsa, Okla., was indicted 86 years ago for inciting
the 1921 race riot that devastated Tulsa.

   He left Tulsa, and resettled in Buffalo.

   But as the years went by, history of the riot faded … even in Tulsa.

   No one was ever prosecuted, and Smitherman died nearly a half century ago.

   Maybe no one remembered, or cared, that his name was still linked with history through the old grand jury indictment still on the record.

   But it was an issue for Nevergold. As she worked on the Uncrowned King initiative, Smitherman became a side project. For three years, she pieced together his life through the help of archives, and was convinced he was wrongly accused.

   Finally, she contacted the Tulsa County District Attorney to ask that Smitherman's name be
cleared from the record … a motion the DA was scheduled to make today.

   "I figured nobody had tried," Nevergold said. "The worst [the DA] could said is no."

   It goes to show, it never hurts to ask.

--Jay Rey

HIV: A health story that is far from over

     Ten years ago I was among the reporters who arrived in Jamestown after health authorities decided to warn the community about a man with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Posters with Nushawn Williams' mug shot were on supermarket bulletin boards.

     It was the first, and last, time an American community saw such posters.

     At the suggestion of former News reporter Nicole Peradotto, who with me reported from Jamestown 10 years ago, I tried in today's story on Page A1 to explain what has changed regarding the epidemic in the last decade.  Staff Reporter Charity Vogel and I wanted to introduce readers to some of the local people who have been living with HIV and were willing to share their compelling personal stories.

     New treatments have ended the specter of AIDS as a death sentence, easing the kind of public concern that led to the Nushawn posters. That's the good news.

     The bad news is that complacency, among other factors, is leading people to underplay the impact of an epidemic that continues to rage. In the United States, about 17,000 people still died of AIDS in 2005, and the numbers of reported HIV infections is inching back upwards.

     Every year, the number of people in the U.S. infected with the virus reaches new levels.    Yet much of the fear of HIV and AIDS has faded -- and that's just not healthy.

-- ANDREW Z. GALARNEAU

Audit of Thruway Authority could derail toll-hike proposal

     Proposed Thruway toll hikes by yet another unelected, largely unaccountable state authority goes beyond the extra dollars we would pay in tolls. It is another brick on the towering wall of fees, expenses, taxes, tolls and subsidies that suffocate upstate businesses, kill jobs and drive people to the Carolinas and other job-growth states in search of a steady paycheck.

   The thought here is the coming audit of the Thruway Authority will uncover enough pots of patronage and waste to offset the push for toll hikes, which are becoming politically indigestible as public disgust mounts.

   Speaking of public disgust, how do you feel about the proposed Thruway toll increases?

-- Donn Esmonde

Remembering the day of infamy

    It is a sad, well documented truth that every day, 1,000 World War II veterans die.

   There were two noted in The Buffalo News' death notices on Friday. Friday, of course, was the 66th anniversary of the day the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and day the United States  entered the war.

   More than 2,300 lost their lives that terrible day and the brazen, devastating air attack left Americans stunned.

   President Franklin Roosevelt famously dubbed it "a date which will live in infamy."

   West Seneca resident George Lasezkay, who survived Pearl Harbor, worries that as veterans like him pass on, no one will remember what happened that day.

   So The News is asking you to ask a loved one who was alive on Dec. 7, 1941 about Pearl Harbor.

   Perhaps they were in Hawaii. Or maybe there were right here in Western New York learning about the terrifying events.

   We're asking you to share their memories on this blog to ensure that their stories will live on and so we won't forget the bravery of our men and women in uniform and the horrors of war.

-- Maki Becker

"Golden Compass" draws fire of some Christians

   It's not quite the hullabaloo as the premiere of "The Da Vinci Code" in 2006, but in some ways, today's release of "The Golden Compass" is provoking an even more impassioned response from Christians.

   Why? Mostly because "The Golden Compass," with a cast that includes plenty of children and fantastical representations of talking animals, is bound to attract a huge audience of kids, even if it is rated PG-13.

   "The Da Vinci Code," meanwhile, was aimed at adults and dealt with topics and characters too dense for most kids to wrap their arms around.

   Interestingly, "The Da Vinci Code" inspired forums, sermons and lectures and was viewed as a teachable moment by many churches, while "The Golden Compass" movie … which removed any negative references to Christianity found in the book … might face boycotts.

   Some Christians are especially galled by the movie's release during the Christmas season, one of their central holidays. They worry kids will see the movie and want as a Christmas present the source book by British author Philip Pullman, who they believe is pushing an atheist agenda through his children's novels.

   But others say that children should be exposed to Pullman's graceful, award-winning writing, and a movie that encourages kids to read should be embraced rather than condemned.

   What's your take?

   -- Jay Tokasz

GOP enjoys limelight at Thruway toll-hike hearing

   
   Some would say that Republican members of the Assembly are about as useful around here as tanning lotion in January. They're pretty much powerless in the house is that is Democratically controlled.

   But the minority caucus seemed to score points with the public and even Democratic officials, like Erie County Clerk Kathleen C. Hochul, on Wednesday as it convened a hearing that allowed a host of Thruway constituents to spout off about the proposed toll hikes for the superhighway.

   Even Democrats like Hochul took the opportunity to rail against the idea, calling it "unconscionable."

   And for Republicans, it allowed minority members to enjoy the rare opportunity to bask in the glare of television lights.

   "Our role is to focus attention and raise the temperature on this," said Assemblyman James Hayes, R-Amherst.

   That's exactly what happened a day before Gov. Eliot L. Spitzer comes to town, where he is expected to be peppered about the toll-increase proposal. His official wait-and-see stance contrasts with his pro-active role in heading off a fare hike for New York City buses and subways. And Wednesday's hearing in Buffalo may have prompted one of the governor's top transportation advisers to ask the Thruway Authority to justify its request for a toll hike.

   All of this is likely to refocus attention on the role of the state's public authorities, which came under heavy fire during Wednesday's hearing. Spitzer has asked many of the same questions, and authorities also are expected to be subjected to the magnifying glass in coming
months.

      -- Robert J. McCarthy

To ski or not to ski?

   My passion for skiing is well-known in the newsroom, so how could I refuse a request to write about the opening of the ski season - especially when an editor suggested that I should take a few runs myself?

   After working a night shift Tuesday, I went home and assembled my gear, filled with the excitement that I know all skiers experience on the eve of a new season.

   I figured I'd get down to Holiday Valley early, talk to a few people, ski a few runs and head back to write the story.

   Duh.

   I'd heard about the $4 lift tickets but never anticipated the crowds. After all, I was going there to work … not playing hooky.

   Seeing the traffic jam sank my spirits, as a skier, but piqued my interest as a reporter. By the time I finally parked, I reluctantly left my gear in the car and went off solely in pursuit of the story.

   So, to all of you who waited out the traffic jam, the ticket lines and the lift lines, I've got to ask:

   Was it worth it?

   --- Janice L. Habuda

Giambra ventures into the private sector

   
   Back when he was 19 years old, Joel A. Giambra obtained his first job as sergeant-at-arms in the Buffalo Common Council.

   Thirty-one years later, the outgoing county executive ventures into the private sector for the first time in his adult life as a lobbyist for the Park Strategies firm headed by former Sen. Alfonse M. D'Amato. He will join the New York City-based lobbying outfit shortly after he leaves office on Dec. 31.

   The move marks a new chapter in Giambra's long career, but does not divorce him completely from the political and governmental arena in which he has thrived. Expect him to capitalize on other longtime relationships as he attempts to bring new business to the D'Amato firm that now expands into the upstate arena.

   As former Buffalo comptroller, Giambra also has extensive Wall Street contacts and a background in municipal finance that could serve him well in his new career. And, though he has had his share of troubles at home in recent years, it is often said of the county executive that his reputation is strong across the state and away from Buffalo.

   And D'Amato and Giambra are old friends. A 1998 Politics Column in The Buffalo News outlined the day the two joined then-New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani at GarAngelo's Cafe on Hertel Avenue to twirl some pasta and talk politics. Back then, Giambra was a Democrat, and local Democratic leaders like G. Steven Pigeon, then the chairman of the Erie County Democratic Party, blasted him for consorting with the enemy.

   But months later, Giambra made his switch to the GOP official, and he was on his way to the
first of two terms as head of upstate New York's largest government. Now he embarks on a new
career, and proves once again he is a survivor.

-- Robert J. McCarthy

Rudy stays above the fray

   BOCA RATON, Fla. -- Those close to former New York Gov. Rudy Giuliani said he would wage an unconventional campaign for president -- and has he ever.

   While his Republican rivals are dashing through the plains of Iowa, he's spending more time here in the Sunshine State, hoping its Jan. 29 primary will provide a "fire wall" for his candidacy after likely losses in Iowa and New Hampshire.

   And that's just the start of it. Whereas Giuliani's main rivals in both parties routinely spend two or three days in one state before moving on, Giuliani plays hopscotch across the country, often staying in a state only for one rally and one fund-raiser.

   And while the other presidential candidates routinely release their public schedules, Giuliani's itineraries often remain cloaked in mystery.

   For example, I never would have known about his rally here -- the centerpiece of our front-page campaign story today-- without doing a database search for "Giuliani" and "Florida." That's  where I discovered that the campaign apparently had announced the event to the Florida press only.

   And to top it all off, Giuliani rushed off the stage after his event here without lingering to kiss babies and shake hands.

   In contrast, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton -- the reputedly icy Democratic front-runner -- routinely stays for an hour after each campaign event to greet  everyone who wants to meet her. What's more, she seems to enjoy every encounter with every voter.

   Maybe none of this will matter when the voters start voting, but my experience in 16 years of campaign reporting is that candidates perform better when they work hard to make the most of every encounter with voters.

   What do you think? How far can Giuliani's high-flying, above-it-all campaign really fly?

  -- Jerry Zremski

Canadian inva$ion could be tip of the iceberg

   Remember when we flocked to Toronto -- not just for the shows, museums, zoo, and all the other attractions -- but also for the great bargains? The Eaton Center, the weekend deals on hotels, the Toronto Islands, the zoo and the shows and cultural attractions. Many of us had our favorites and could afford them, too.

   Hang on to those memories, because it could be a long time before our favorite spots in Canada will be as affordable again.

   But now, some of the excitement has shifted to this side of the border. Just when it could really help the Buffalo economy, we're suddenly a bargain destination for Canadians and their newfound buying power.

   The wave is starting at the malls and in Cheektowaga's hotel row, across from the airport. But it could easily grow to benefit more and more of the Buffalo economy.

   And, if we're smart and light on our feet, we can learn to welcome our visitors from the north, and to make their stay as pleasant as possible, just as many Canadians did for U.S. visitors in the past.

   The Buffalo area not only has great attractions, but a big and generous heart.

   Is it time to put out the welcome mats? [and, not just because we can make some money.] Or should we continue to complain about Canadian shoppers leaving their discarded clothes in our malls?

   What do you think?

   --  Tom Dolan