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GOOD DAYS ARE COMING It is now February 2021 and since we last touched base, we have been witnesses to a failed insurrection, a presidential impeachment and a presidential inauguration. And that was just the first three Wednesdays in January! The year 2021 is only a month old, and already things seem to be leaning towards the better. As I write this, our hometown Buffalo BILLS were eliminated from Super Bowl contention, falling to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game. Although as a BILLS fan it was very disappointing to see our team lose, it was still a hell of a season that many Buffalonians and Westsides will remember. Honestly, I cannot complain, not many of us expected the team to go as far as it did, and all the pieces are there for a good run in the coming years. The BILLS will be back, and good days are ahead. With the turn of the monthly calendar, we are also seeing some positives with the COVID-19 pandemic. This of course is due to the vaccines that have been rolled out but also, with the new Biden administration creating an actual plan for mandating facial coverings in public places. We certainly are still in the thick of this pandemic, however, knowing that we have an administration in the White House that cares about getting a handle on the pandemic, unlike the demagogue rabble rouser that lied to his cultish followers. As we all know, February is the shortest month of the year and before we know it, Pitchers and Catchers will be reporting. March will be here very soon, and just like that, Spring is around the corner. Flowers will bloom, birds will chirp, the sun will shine again, and  the summer sounds and smells of the West Side will be in full force. You may ask, why am I so positive, since we still are in a pandemic that has taken the lives of 400,000 Americans at the time of this writing. You see, we have made it out of 2020. More importantly, we have survived the Trump Years. The Biden administration already has begun to undo many of the harmful executive orders Trump signed early on in his administration. There is talk of additional stimulus packages to help those effected by the economic slowdowns. I for one am hoping there is student loan relief in the works as well. Our country is healing; however, it will take time, especially when you consider 74 million Americans voted for an open white supremacist. Good days are ahead because, my friends, we reached the bottom on January 6th, during Insurrection Day. The day will live in infamy; however, we Americans will rise above it as Americans always have.  —— Until next time. Read More From This Writer All Post Business Culture Food Government Health Interviews Lower West Side Business & Economic Development Medical Our Community Peace People Sports GOOD DAYS ARE COMING February 18, 2021/No Comments POST TITLE (CAPITAL) Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus Read More SIEMBRA COMO EL JIBARO SIEMBRO December 18, 2020/No Comments SIEMBRA COMO EL JIBARO SIEMBRO December is upon us, and while colder weather and the holiday season is in full Read More MY BUFFALO LOWER  WEST SIDE STORY November 18, 2020/No Comments MY BUFFALO LOWER  WEST SIDE STORY In early October I returned to my hometown of Buffalo to film interviews for Read More Load More End of Content.

Each January, with the arrival of a New Year is the coming hope of a better year than the one that just passed. In my forty-two years on earth, I cannot think of a more difficult year than the one that just ended. The year 2020 was one we may all need to put an asterisk next to. I like to call it the “Forgotten Year” of our lives. Living through a Pandemic that lead to the recession affecting many American lives due to failed leadership in Washington, it’s very easy to see why many are excited to turn the page on 2020, especially with new leadership moving into our nation’s capital. I speak from experience as I was one of the millions of Americans who lost their job due to the pandemic. That being said, we still must be vigilant here at home. At the time of this writing, our hometown Buffalo BILLS have clinched the AFC East Championship for the first time since I was in my junior year at McKinley High School, back in 1995.   Living here in Florida, I would be lying if I said I was not excited and wished I could go out and celebrate with fellow BILLS fans as they arrived back home in the winter night, to a crowd of thousands. Sitting here in my living room though, I saw footage of the “BILLS Mafia” celebrating their team at the airport, people crowded, circling cars as they drove by trying to get a glimpse of their football heroes. Two things I did not see much of was social distancing or masks. We are still in a pandemic people! Regardless of what some business owners think, we need to be mindful of ourselves and the safety of those most vulnerable. Although we are all aware there are two vaccines that are being administered, there is no telling how this virus will mutate, as it already has in the UK. Celebrate your BILLS but do it at a distance, from home and away from others.  I would love to see the BILLS in the Super Bowl, but sadly, seeing the crowds of people cheering their playoff berth and AFC Championship, I cannot help but think there are folks in that crowd that may not survive to see it happen if the BILLS do reach the big game come early February. Wear your masks. Keep your distance and celebrate the New Year with a better focus on eradicating this virus. Let us not bring in those 2020 habits with us into the New Year but leave them back in the year 2020 where they belong. Let us make the phrase “hindsight is 2020” come true, and look toward the future with a safer, healthier mindset. I honestly believe the year 2021 will bring on many great things, but it all of course starts with us here at home.  Keep social distancing, keep safe and wear your masks and GO BILLS!!! Read More From This Writer All Post Art Books & Poems Business Community Education Entertainment español Food & Culture Health Interviews Military & Veterans Peace People Politics Sports A BITTERSWEET NIGHT, LISTENING TO THE MUSIC OF “GITANAA July 6, 2023/No Comments On Saturday, June 24th, my wife and I joined a few friends and enjoyed a night of live Latin music Read More MAKING A MARK ON OUR YOUTH June 6, 2023/No Comments During my column last month, I wrote about having the opportunity to visit my childhood school, Herman Badillo Bilingual Academy, Read More IT STARTS WITH A BOOK May 12, 2023/No Comments IT STARTS WITH A BOOK On Friday, April 29th, I will have attended the 13th Annual Dia del Ninos y Read More Load More End of Content.