City November 3, 2009 10:50 AM

BRO on BFO: News Sources, Mark Heats Up about Online Anonymity, UB's Physical Plan, Yoga on Grant, Zonies

Elena Cala Buscarino 17

This was a rather spirited week for the Buffalo Rising Roundtable in Studio B with WBFO News Director Mark Scott.

There was yelling...or close to it, and argument, and then some pretty good laughs. In talking about the panel Newell and I will be sitting on come Thursday night, Mark got all fired up about anonymous commenters who act trollish, and addressed one in our pre-recorded podcast. It was sort of exciting to see our mild-mannered friend take issue with something he sees as wrong - when it goes after individuals with unsubstantial claims. You have to hear it...

Newell and I went toe-to-toe again about the release of the Comprehensive Physical Plan for UB's three campuses. But because Mark suggested that he thinks most people read this weekly posting to glean information rather than listening to the podcast, I'm not going to give it all away. If you want to hear about it, you know where to go (link above).

Then we talked about yoga on Grant Street (I hadn't posted about Veda Yoga Space on Hertel until after we recorded the podcast), and other happenings and businesses there.

Finally Newell clued us in on Zonies at 1122 Elmwood, near Forest. It seems the name "Zonies" is a derivative of calzones, and according to Newell, Zonies will pack them with anything including a spaghetti dinner, shepherd's pie, mac and cheese. "Think of your favorite thing," Newell said, "if it's not on the menu, that can be calzone #52." We like the concept, and we'll go there soon in order to tell you more.

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bufwego

November 3, 2009 11:38 AM

I go to SUNY Oswego where they have a zonies, there is also one in Ithaca. It is the definition of Drunk Food. I would not consider it a good eat unless the alcohol was flowing. Hence why they are open until 5 am. They are open until 5 am in Oswego and bars close at 2am. The one good thing I guess is you get big portions for the low cost. I think they are 5.95 each.

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DMZ

November 3, 2009 12:33 PM

Although I read most posts, and only some comments on this site, I'm not 100% sure what comment they were referring with regards to "Bush" league. If was about this article

http://www.buffalorising.com/2009/09/two-great-tastes-one-great-place-snack-shack-mashes-up-with-quaker-bonnet.html#post-comments

I'd gladly defend my statement, although it doesn't need much defense because it's pretty self explanatory and tame by BRO standards. If it's in regards to that article then I apologize for assuming that my comments were that important.

Furthermore, when you sign up you have to give an e-mail address. I'm part of several blogs with more readership, and less staff, and they have no issues sending out an e-mail letting us know to drop it, watch it, way to go, let it go, etc." I'm not sure how many people sign up for an account a day, but it seems like the same people are commenting on a regular basis.

If in the future you want real first and last names, I'd have no problem with that, after all I signed up with my e-mail address which is my first and last name, and my user name are my initials.

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STEEL

November 3, 2009 1:57 PM

Elena WRONG! Show any student the Amherst campus and then show them an active urban campus and I bet any sum that the vast majority will choose the urban setting.

The Amherst Campus is a big dead weight for attracting the best students and teachers

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Elena Cala Buscarino

November 3, 2009 2:46 PM

Steel, it seems counterproductive to the growth of UB, the region, and the headway they're making on the South Campus and Downtown Medical Corridor to continue to rail against the decades-old poor decision to build in Amherst.

The fact is, UB is attracting better students, the Buffalo Campuses are getting huge boosts (you may have to qualify the "best students and teachers" comment), and it's a very good concession to a previously wayward decision. Few would argue that it was a good decision initially.

What we need is a subway system that connects it all. Then I will be happy, rather than merely satisfied. As the comprehensive plan stands now, I am satisfied with the Buffalo presence. In my fantasy world, I'd love to see Empire State College grow to the point where it would move into the Amherst Campus from the mall in Cheektowaga it now occupies, and all of UB would move downtown. Other than that, what do you see as an alternative? What would you do with the Amherst Campus?

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sbrof

November 3, 2009 4:45 PM

I agree with what you say but the happiness of our students is far below other Universities. School pride, attendance to sports, activities... etc.

When you talk to people who have been in Buffalo for 4-6 years and you ask them what they think about downtown and they respond with... PJ Bottoms is fun... You realize just how disconnected UB students are from the real city.

UB can't abandon Amherst (I wish they could) but unfortunately the employees are entrenched in the community and would never ever allow it. They already scoff and talk down the idea of a downtown campus... which is completely necessary to break people away from this 1950's mentality and pervades the admin at UB.

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STEEL

November 3, 2009 5:32 PM

I am not meaning to disparage the students who attend or have attended UB, I am one. But the fact is that there is intense competition for the best students and campus experience is an important asset in getting an advantage in that competition. The Amherst campus is a dead weight instead of an asset. On top of that it is counter productive to keep making a mistake that almost everyone acknowledges as being possibly the biggest blunder in the history of WNY. Do you keep driving toward Oklahoma when your destination is NYC?

My concept? Enhance Main Street and intensely build downtown. Amherst should be converted to an office park/adult learning campus. Phase it out over time. Sell the land or better yet let it go back to a natural state. That kind of car based development is ruining not just Buffalo but also our country too. It should have no place in our society anymore, especially looking 10-20 years into the future.

Funny how no one asks what should be done with city infrastructure as it is abandoned. It just gets left behind with no questions asked. A region with limited resources and negative population growth needs to focus the resources to the maximum benefit, not spread them out into a dead end 20th century mistake.

Why are the art students, Music students, Theater students law students isolated from the city. Cities have historically been the thing that generates the vibrancy of these fields and yet here in Buffalo we incubate them form human contact. CRAZY!

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dblplusgood

November 3, 2009 6:29 PM

You are hilarious! I can see why UB hasn't called you back from Chicago to plan their campuses. Do you really believe that Buffalo will be a car free society in 20 years?

Let me ask you this... your concept is to enhance Main Street and build downtown, a revolutionary endeavor that hasn't been proposed before. Where in our downtown core would you build a University that is scalable and expandable, able to accommodate the research and engineering sciences as well as the current facilities in Amherst? Would you want to put a department in each vacant building downtown, just to have something there? Would you want to demolish a huge section of the city and start rebuilding the Amherst campus in an urban setting? Would you do what is current and trendy, like they did in Amherst in the 60s? What exactly is your innovative plan to move UB downtown and turn the entire Amherst campus into an office park?

On a related note, if Buffalo is going to be car free in 20 years, then how would people get to this new office park and adult learning center in Amherst?

Would you just admit that you despise the suburbs and cannot stand anything that is built there. It would make it so much easier for us to cut through the BS of your opinions on the aesthetics of Amherst and the mindset of all 30,000+ students who are enrolled there.

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STEEL

November 3, 2009 8:01 PM

DBL,

I reread my comment. There is nothing in it about making Buffalo car free. As for fitting a major university in downtown Buffalo. Are you kidding me? Have you been there lately? There is more than enough empty space for UB and more. Perhaps you have not noticed that Buffalo has become somewhat vacant since the Amherst campus was built.

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dblplusgood

November 5, 2009 10:49 AM

STEEL - I am not kidding you. Where would you build a new campus downtown? What neighborhood would you eliminate to do it, what buildings would be sacrificed or altered. How many armchair architects and preservationists would have their panties in a wad over this decision? I can imagine people debating the merits and mistakes that UB and Buffalo made by moving the campus. We do this now with things like HSBC Arena and the Convention Center. We eulogize what was taken away and criticize what was built. I can just imagine the outcry if something like this was done, especially if it displaced a housing project or low income neighborhood. So where would you plan on building this in the city?

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sonyactivision

November 3, 2009 9:02 PM

The Amherst campus could easily be marketable if enough thought were made in reorganizing the space innovatively using World-class architects. Unleash Zaha Hadid and Rem Koolhaas out there and what kid wouldn't want to hang in a sexy environment?

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r129

November 3, 2009 3:13 PM

I was so excited when the 2-4-1 Pizza awning came down. I thought for sure that they'd restore what was uncovered. They'd be crazy not to, right? Then, the 2-4-1 awning was reborn into the Zonies awning.

I suppose they just wanted to maintain the character of the block, with India Gate, the Chinese Place and Subway.

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Dan

November 3, 2009 4:16 PM

You're right. That section of Elmwood is the bubble awning block. It's like the commercial equivalent of vinyl siding and decorative metal railings. Unfortunately, businesses in Buffalo REALLY like their bubble awnings; they're far more plentiful in the Queen City compared to other metro areas, with perhaps the exception of the outer boroughs in NYC.

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JSmith

November 4, 2009 9:59 AM

Dan, that's an interesting point about NYC. I was in Brooklyn last month, and took note of the storefront facades and awnings. They are not very aesthetically pleasing, but they are occupied and full of customers. I don't know if I would call these streets "thriving" (we were on 5th Avenue in Bay Ridge) but they were certainly functional and stable.

I'm a little ambivalent about some of the design standard stuff for awnings and signs in the Elmwood Village design guidelines, for example. Yeah, aesthetically, canvas awnings and blade signs are pleasing to the eye and lend a nicer upscale mood to the district. But if I could have Grant Street or Bailey Avenue with all storefronts occupied and bustling, I will give up a few gooseneck lamps and let a few lighted bubble awnings slide!

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PaulBuffalo

November 4, 2009 10:30 AM

Just walk Broadway north of 125th Street and you'll see the same awnings. Mom & pop stores in NYC are not the only culprits. DuaneReade drug stores there have a history of often being just as offensive.

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Matthew Nisbet

November 5, 2009 9:16 AM

Re: blog comments

Does Buffalo Rising have a comment policy or have you considered one? Just as Buffalo Rising has editorial guidelines for posted stories and guidelines for advertising, a news site should also have a comment policy. One such policy might be simply "Keep it substantive, on topic, and respectful."

Comments that fall outside this editorial policy would be moderated. There is also the question of whether or not anonymous comments have value. One of the functions of Buffalo Rising is to promote community dialogue, connections, trust, and social capital. If someone is participating anonymously, does it contribute to this community function? I can see arguments on both sides, but it is something to consider, especially if anonymous commenting undermines civil and substantive discourse.

I am an Amherst native living in Washington, D.C. who enjoys keeping up with Buffalo via this site and the podcast discussions at WBFO. I am also a professor of Communication who studies the role of the media in community building. As both a supporter of Buffalo and a scholar, I am very much a fan of your work, the site, and your partnership with WBFO. Keep up the great work.

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davvid

November 5, 2009 11:17 AM

I agree with Matthew. The ways in which users are encouraged to participate should jive with Buffalo Rising's expectations of civility, positivity and pointedness.

I'm thinking back to an article posted about Bruce Jackson's lawsuit against the Sabres which inspired over 30 comments attacking his character. The very first comment by lenlam was "And this guy's a professor!! What kind of a role model is he for his students? Unbelievable and sad." In this case, I believe the commenters responded to a cue from Buffalo Rising's article to rip on Bruce Jackson.

Personally, I'm fine with the nasty Wild West blogosohere, but if Buffalo Rising has greater expectations they should be reflected in the policies, user limitations, and cues from BR written content.

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O'Brien

November 5, 2009 11:35 PM

I disagree with Matthew. I find the articles on BRO to be informative and sometimes enlightening, but I honestly visit BRO for the comments. This is a small town and many people are afraid of voicing their honest opinions about the state of the City, our politics, the unions, business, neighborhoods, and the like, for fear that it may come back to haunt them in the future. I know a few of the regulars on BRO, WNY Media, and Artvoice, and we have discussed the merits and liabilities of anonymous blogging. Although I agree that there is something to be said for putting your name to your comments, this practice also stifles the honesty and sincerity of the comments.

I tend to like the tangential nature of BRO. I like the opportunity to butt heads and lock horns with some people and discuss issues in a way that is completely unacceptable in today's professional world. This forum provides a necessary outlet for many people, and I would fear what would happen if they had no release or balance for their opinions. In today's politically correct world, you have to be very careful of whatever you say or write. Same is true in academia, social clubs, organizations, and often at home. We have to be careful of what we say and how we say it, but this forum allows for free expression. Gloves are off, and ideas flow.

I am fine if BRO decides to monitor the forums, require verified identities, sign your posts, or whatever might be available. My guess is that there will be fewer comments, less diversity, and that this site will become just another mediocre blog with the same homogeneous thoughts from like minded people. We have a lot of those already, and I'd hate to see this happen to BRO. I can definitely see both sides of this debate, and I am siding with anonymity.

BTW, I used to work with your father when I was just starting out as a social worker at Gateway. Great man to work for, and good to see you have done well for yourself. Hope your brother is doing well too.

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