wednesday may 7th 2008
Segregation Perpetuation
Letter to BRO
This morning my heart fluttered. I was watching WGRZ’s Day Break, as I so often do by default because my wife likes it, and I realized that those public organizations that perpetuate segregation need to be exposed and held accountable. For a while now, every time I watched that program, this tension would build in me; the kind of tension that feels almost like you wished Grand Theft Auto was real; and you were the main. And it would usually happen during Kevin O’Neil’s segment, “Celebrating Western New York”. First of all, he’s not funny…not in the least and second, Western New York to him is all things Polish, German and Irish, forget about everything and everyone else.
Most of the time, unless it’s for some holiday or specific recognition, most minority news of any sort begins with “trouble” and ends with court, jail or death. Rarely are the feel-good stories generated out of WGRZ about…
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queenseyes
Unfortunately, in the year of '07, Buffalo lost a remarkable Falcon. That Falcon was irreplaceable. For a long time it looked as if Buffalo was going to lose another type of falcon as well (the endangered Peregrine kind). Well, if you've been following the progress of these birds that have made their home atop The Statler, then you know that they have been staging a comeback in recent years.
If you are unfamiliar with this terrific story, then you may want to head on over to the Buffalo Audubon Society's website. It is there that you will find The Falcon Cam - a camera that lets you see what these birds are up to at any given moment (click here to visit). The Buffalo Audubon Society has set up this official falcon website so that we might learn about the…
queenseyes
Monday evening Councilman Brian Davis called me to say that work was being started on clearing the Tower Shoreline Beach. When I asked him when, he said, "They're working late evening and night so as not to disturb visitors during the day." So last evening I though I might head over to check out the work in action, but unfortunately the work does not even get underway until after 10pm.
When I arrived at 8:30pm I discovered a large crane that was being used to remove the driftwood from the beach. There were also large rolling illumination spotlights so that the workers could light up the task before them. Brian told me that City Hall had located a contractor who was willing to come in and remove the wood for free. Apparently there is a price tag on the wood, and that made it attractive for someone to acqu…
queenseyes
While biking home last night from the Cobblestone District, I couldn't help but wind my way through two flowering tree-lined plots outside of Dunn Tire Park. Each one of these patches of trees acts as bookends to the exterior park that runs along Swan Street. As much as the trees brought a sense of comfort, I also felt that they were there to act as buffers to the slower traffic on Washington and to the Oak Street speedway. In-between the two sections of trees is a long stretch of concrete that is way underutilized.
There is big potential here for The Bisons to reach out and brand its image to the community. Of course you cannot see into the stadium to see what is taking place... I would think that the land outside of the stadium could become a destination for people who were interested in the game of baseball. Maybe a big fountain to add a sense of excitement when you're walkin…
tuesday may 6th 2008
Consider Trees
queenseyes
It's anyone’s guess as to when and if traffic will return to Main Street. Either way, there are sections of Main that could really benefit from the addition of foliage. When the street was adapted for the Metro Rail, it was literally paved from the buildings on the West side of the street to the buildings on the East side. There are vast stretches of paved blocks where bike riders and walkers are king. But at the same time it is easy to recognize which sections need trees, bushes... anything that resembles plant life.
Greenery is necessary for a number of reasons. During the summer months the trees offer shade on hot days. The trees also add life (movement and sound) to dead sections of the street. The vibrant color infused into a brick and stone landscape can be pleasing to the eye. Trees also soak up the rainwater that otherwise dumps into the sewers. At this point in time w…
Eli George
Since 1995, Grassroots Gardens of Buffalo (GGB) has been trying to make a difference in the East and West Side neighborhoods by creating community gardens. Now with a grant of $7,500 from the HSBC in the Community (USA) Inc. foundation, Zoe Lavatelli, community garden coordinator for GGB, says they will be able to build two new community gardens.
“That grant was for material support for the gardens,” says Lavatelli. That includes buying produce plants for vegetables. “Growing food is just a huge empowerment for our gardens,” says Lavatelli.
The HSBC in the Community (USA) Inc. foundation supports education and environmental projects that improve the quality of life, making the GGB a perfect partner. The GGB helps empower neighborhoods and gardeners throughout Buffalo by helping to build a sense of community while beautifying many areas decimated with blight and vacant l…
Elena Cala Buscarino
Buffalo born artist Ralph Sirianni will have an opening reception this Friday, May 9. A student of Walter Prochownik at the University at Buffalo, Sirianni describes himself as an abstract expressionist who lives and breathes art.
Indeed, everything Ralph does is art related, but his collective endeavors run the gamut from poetic to scientific. A Marine Corp veteran himself, Sirianni's day job is that of art therapist at the Veterans Administration hospital. In keeping with sharing his art, he is also an instructor of portrait drawing through Ken-Ton Continuing Education.
On the flip side, Sirianni is a police volunteer, doing sketches of criminal suspects for the local news as well as the national television show, America's Most Wanted, when he was asked to draw a 10-year beyond composite of bike path rapist, Altimio Sanchez, based on the description of a past 14-ye…
queenseyes
If you happened to be roaming around Allentown last night, chances are that you may have run into a rogue mariachi band. When I first saw these guys at Cozumel they were walking around serenading the diners (and the partiers). Then, once we left to see what other Cinco de Mayo activities were happening at the other establishments, we realized that the band was on the loose. They were walking up and down the street serenading passersby, and they were also popping their heads into places like Sample to sing to the customers.
I know that the mariachi band was there to promote Cinco de Mayo... and I'm not saying that there should be a permanent mariachi band in the neighborhood... but Allentown should consider hiring different acts to entertain people. Another memorable weekend in Allentown is the Infringement Festival. For one solid week there are performers who take their art and …
Elena Cala Buscarino
Developer Rocco Termini was pleasantly surprised this week with the Excellence in Historic Preservation Award award from The Preservation League of New York State for his involvement in developing the Webb Lofts.
As stated: This statewide awards program recognizes individuals and organizations for demonstrating an outstanding commitment to the preservation of New York State’s irreplaceable architectural heritage.
The Webb Lofts, on Pearl Street in Buffalo, feature 32 apartments and a day care center in this five-story masonry building. After having stood vacant for more than two decadesthis circa 1888 structure had nearly reached the point of no return, when Termini's Signature Development began the restoration efforts on in January of 2007. Completed the following October, the project cost Termini a total of $11M.
"This is the first time anyone in Buffalo has …
Eli George
Summer means the third annual Party On The Portico Summer Happy Hour Series at the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society. Guests get to come and enjoy beer, wine, hors d’oeuvres, free tours of the History Museum, live music, and great scenery, all for only $10.
The party is right in the view of Mirror Lake, Delaware Park, and the Japanese Gardens and while taking in the scenic backdrop, guests get to hear live music from some popular WNY musical acts. May 16th will be the first Party On The Portico featuring John and Mary and the Valkyries. The band is pictured above and plays acoustic rock and features two former members of the 10,000 Maniacs.
The series runs once a month on Friday evenings from 5pm till 8pm and will feature the following artists:
June 20 – Brian What and Groggy Darlin’ (alternative country and indie folk)
July 18 – Wendell Rivera’s La…
