Avery tied with Socrates for money raised

Yes, the philosopher who has been dead for centuries has posted the same amount of money raised as our very own Craig Avery –    $ zero.

Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center’s Rock-A-Thon is on for Friday, and no money has been pledged for the Hub’s Tub.

So much for friendship and community support.  Come on people, what does it take?

HOW ‘BOUT EVERYONE WE TALKED UP ON THE SOAPBOX KICK IN A BUCK?

HOW ‘BOUT EVERY PERSON WHO EVER PARKED IN OUR LOT TO MAIL A LETTER AT THE MAIN ST. POST OFFICE PLEDGE THE AMOUNT OF A FIRST CLASS STAMP?

HOW ‘BOUT ANY PAINTERS, PLUMBERS, CARPENTERS, ELECTRICIANS WHO EVER GOT A CHECK FROM ERDCO DEVELOPMENT SEND ME FIVE DOLLARS BACK?

Oh, I get it. It’s a surprise party tomorrow! That’s right.  No wonder no one pledged any money. You’re all gonna be there tomorrow (Friday the 27th) at 12:00 noon to throw the money at me and sing “Viva la Vida.” So, nevermind. See you then!

NFMMC upper lobby, noon, throw money, sing , see ya (or feel the shame and hit comment below to pledge or send us an email)

The Soapbox with Craig Avery (April 25, 2012): Doug Mooradian

Doug is helping several good causes in the community while juggling a great job and growing a family. Proud to be here, and we’re proud to have him (unless you have to feed him.)

Tired of the naysayers? Check out “The Soapbox” where everyday we present a new friend of the Hub making a living here in Western New York, and can speak positively about the experience.

Learn about businesses that have been here for decades, or hear about new ventures from our area’s entrepreneurs. Upcoming events, political issues, and funny stories of days gone by, you’ll hear it all on Niagara Hub’s Soapbox.

Click play to listen!

Don’t see the player above on your device (iPad or iPhone)? Click here to hear the Soapbox!

Avery to Rock Docs at Memorial

With today’s pressures on exercise and fitness, it’s uplifting to find a docile activity that is good for something.  Join me at Niagara Falls Memorial’s 11th annual Rock-A-Thon on Friday, April 27th.  What do you have to do?  Sit on your butt and rock in a comfortable rocking chair.  Here’s the scoop:

For immediate release April 24, 2012 Contact: Patrick J. Bradley Phone: 716.278.4569 Cell: 716.200.9829 Pat.Bradley@nfmmc.org

Memorial to hold 11th Annual Rock-a-thon

The Auxiliary of Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center will hold its 11th annual Rock-A- Thon on Friday, April 27, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the hospital’s upper lobby.

Participants will rock in chairs for half-hour increments with each rocker soliciting pledges. Proceeds will be used to purchase needed equipment for the medical center. The Auxiliary has raised nearly $90,000 at previous rock-a-thon events.

Rockers will receive free parking and a 20 percent discount card to be used in the hospital gift shop.

If interested in rocking or for more information, please call Mary Norton at 278-4159 or Jane Schroeder at 579-3406.

I’m calling today and shooting for a slot somewhere around noon or one o’clock to rock.

My last rocking attempt didn't turn out so well

Join me on a chair, or send a pledge to the Hub to help me help the Hospital. Send your pledge to : theniagarahub@gmail.com and let us know if we can publish your name on the Hub as a proud sponsor of what we are doing and what the Hospital is doing for our community.

Emergency Preparedness Training available Through Niagara University

A great alternative to cleaning the garage!  NU has announced the start up of two new sessions of their CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training courses aimed at preparing the community for natural disasters, acts of terrorism, or just having a bad hair day.  Today’s Soapbox features the director of the program, Valerie Haseley as she describes the benefits of getting involved and being ready should disaster strike.  All the info is noted below, but make sure you listen to the soapbox for April 24 for the real scoop. 

 FREE Emergency Preparedness Trainings Available in Niagara County  Border Community SERVICE of Niagara University will host two free CERT training courses in Niagara County. CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training is a community preparedness course that includes academic and hands-on instruction as well as a disaster training exercise that is designed to prepare you to help yourself, family, and neighbors in the event of a catastrophic disaster. Individuals can make a difference by using CERT Training to save lives and protect property in your neighborhood.

Classes at Wrights Corners Fire Company, 4043 Lake Avenue in Lockport start May 1st from 6:30-9:30 pm and run nine consecutive Tuesday nights culminating with a disaster simulation on June 26th.  

Classes at Cambria Fire Company, 4631 Cambria-Wilson Rd in Cambria (Lockport) start May 3rd from 6:30-9:30 pm and run nine consecutive Thursday nights culminating with a disaster simulation on June 28th.

CERT training topics include:·        
Disaster Preparedness: Disasters and disaster workers, community preparedness·        
Emergency Medical Operations I: Triage and treating life threatening injuries·        
Emergency Medical Operations II: Public health considerations and patient treatment·        
Fire Safety:  Fire chemistry, hazards, safety, and suppression·        
Light Search and Rescue: Search and rescue size up and operations·        

CERT Team Organization and Incident Command System (ICS 100)·        
Disaster Psychology: Impact of disaster on rescuers and victims and its mitigation·        
Terrorism and CERT: Terrorism and its goals, CERT protocols for terrorism·        
Disaster Simulation Training Exercise: Course Review & Hands-on Exercise

Participants must be at least 16 years-of-age and plan to attend all sessions. To enroll in the course, register online at www.niagara.edu/bcs-enrollment. Please indicate which class you are enrolling in.

For more information, please contact Valerie Haseley, Niagara County Project Coordinator at (716) 205-0076 or vhaseley@niagara.edu. The mission of Border Community SERVICE (Special Emergency Response Volunteer Initiative for Community Empowerment) of Niagara University is to provide emergency preparedness training to citizens and to encourage their participation in opportunities that enhance regional emergency readiness.

From City Hall: Free electronics recycling available

Contact: Department of Public Works (716) 286-4840

The City of Niagara Falls in cooperation with the Niagara County Refuse Disposal District will be receiving electronic recyclables at the Department of Public Works 1785 New Road, Niagara Falls on Thursday April 26 from 9am to 2pm.

This program is free and no appointment is necessary to make a drop-off.

Materials accepted: computers, monitors CRT & LCD, laptops, TV’s, printers, scanners, VCR/DVD players, stereos, fax machine/photocopiers, audio visual equipment, all electrical wire, telephones (cell or wired), wireless devices, power supply units, computer chips, cases, hard drives, keyboards, mice, speakers, electronic, video game consoles and cable or satellite receivers.

Materials will be recycled in accord with required recycling regulations.

Televisions can no longer be placed curbside on garbage day they must be recycled.

Video: Groups join to create peace garden at Gill Creek Park

A picture is worth a thousand words and a video is worth 1001.  So with three videos, you’ve got 3003 words.

What a great day for Gill Creek Park as volunteers and employees of National Grid team up and begin to construct a peace garden at a popular area park.

There was no parking available along Niagara Street (just like Third Street) on Thursday as workers were jammed in to help beautify and make functional, a neighborhood respite.

Check out these videos for the real story.

Hangover? Four hundred bucks will get you up and moving

If you party too hard in Las Vegas, a new service says it can help you recover from that “morning after” feeling.

Hangover Heaven’s website claims it will send a board-certified staffer to your room.

They’ll give you an IV full of vitamins, medications and amino acids and in about 45 minutes the company says you’ll be good to go.

There’s also a fleet of tour buses that stop at various hotels.  A room treatment can cost you $400.

The site warns while the service can “work magic,” it can’t “bring you back from the dead.”

There’s no word on whether the company will expand into the Niagara Falls market.

Reach out? Here’s something to reach for…

In one of the recent episodes of  The Soapbox, I went off on a bit of a rant about the trendy phrase, “Reach out.”  I would like to further pontificate my frustration with this phrase, as I believe it to be an underlining viral threat to communications as we know it.  When e-mail first came about, I was concerned that messages would get  lost in the letters.  People could not transmit a message with facial gyrations or emphasize a point with volume or sympathy in a tone of voice.  Letters and words were simply going across an electronic media, and you really didn’t know how the person on the other end of the line could interpret it.  I suppose when the telephone was first put to use, people had the same fears that without a personal visit complete with body language and handshakes, one could easily misunderstand a message that he only heard with his ears.

Anyway…. along came instant messaging, then texting, facebook, twitter, God, we just don’t have time to talk anymore.  In the days of the phone, if you didn’t get ahold of someone, or just forgot to call, you would say, “I tried, but your phone was busy.”  Then the excuses became, “I sent an email, but it got returned, do I have the right address for you?”   And now?  “Oh I dropped my Blackberry in the toilet, sorry man.”  Or, “Dude, my iPhone cloud ran out of Gigs, can you believe it?”

People, you are missing the point – get the message through, connect, don’t avoid communications.  This week we had two important groups of business people who used every reason in the book not to talk to each other because they may have been afraid of what the other side was going to say.  Hey, I was in the Hazardous Waste business, we were afraid of what the other guy was going to say all the time, but we still made the calls.  That’s right, we picked up the phone, dialed a friend or a foe and faced the issue at hand.  And if things went well over the phone, a dinner would be soon to follow.

So, today we have invented “reach out.”  “I tried to reach out to him, but he never got back.”  “We’ve reached out several times, but there is no interest apparently.”  “Hey why don’t you reach out to our neighbor and tell him to keep his damn dog quiet.”  Reach this folks.

You know who reaches out?  Ghosts with sheets over them walking down a hall.  HOOOOOHHHO!!!  Do they get anywhere? No.  People who sleepwalk usually reach out.  How effective are they?  Ziltch.  Jane Fonda reached out in the 70’s with her exercise tapes, and all she got was a good stretch out of the deal.  You can reach, but you can’t make contact.  How bout these old words; “Call him.”  “Talk to her.”  “Go see them.”  “Get ahold of someone.”  Words have true meaning. You can take them literally or figuratively, or both.  Don’t mambee pambee around getting in touch with someone if you want to get something done.  Be the initiator, be proactive, make a call, and make things happen. Don’t count on your computer or somebody else to do it for you.  Save your reaching for something  like the stars.

Do we need an association for the associations?

Friday’s Soapbox featured Frank Croisdale, one of the founding members of a new Chamber of Commerce serving the Niagara Frontier. This week we will feature interviews with the other organizations in our region that have been formed for similar purposes. The Niagara USA Chamber, led by President and CEO Deanna Alterio Brennen along with representatives of several area business associations will have a chance to discuss the services each offers. We would like them to either weigh in on concerns that redundancy is rampant or to adopt the philosophy, “the more the merrier.”

Perhaps the only reason to add an "s" to chamber

 The attention to this issue started last week when The Hub facilitated a meeting with the two chambers and a few area business associations. Several had not even met each other. Since communication is a large part of the services these organizations are to offer, I find it unacceptable for them to follow the typical head in the sand approach to life in NiagaraCounty.

Which ones can rise above the fray and truly provide a service to their members and the community? Can an honest evaluation be made to guide these groups in a direction that will actually take them somewhere?

There is enough work that needs to be done to help area businesses grow for all to participate.
We just want to make sure it is being done efficiently and focused on an agreed upon outcome.

We need your comments as well, so write us, call us, or stop in, and help The Hub get things spinning faster in Niagara Falls.

NFHS Presents: Guys and Dolls Thursday through Saturday

 

Put the TV remote down and head over to the High School’s presentation of Guys and Dolls.  A great performance by tomorrow’s stars. And stay tuned to the Hub as we learn more about the goings on in the big building on Porter road!

GUYS AND DOLLS

March 22-24, 2012

7pm at the PAC

  THURSDAY NIGHT SPECIAL
General Admission $5.00, Senior Citizens and Students $1.00

Fiday and Saturday
General Admission $8.00

Seniors and Students $7.00, Children 5- 12-$6.00

 For Group Discounts and More Information contact Kate Muldoon at 286-7979