What happens when you mix two people who are good with kids and like to fix bicycles? An environmentally focused art program that engages kids in the creation of bicycle sculptures! The results of which will be on display at the Grant Street Gallery on Friday September 3rd from 6:00-9:00pm, located at 220 Grant Street (at Lafayette Avenue).
This project was conceived at the Gloria J Parks Community Center by Arts Coordinator, Alissa Corby and Program Director, David Harter, both Green Options Buffalo volunteers.
The students, who ranged in age from six to ten years old, worked to deconstruct the bicycles and recreate them into works of art with guidance on the proper use of tools in a hands on, collaborative setting. All bicycles, bicycle parts and appropriate bicycle tools were supplied through Green Options Buffalo's community bicycle workshop, which offers classes that are available to all members of the community to learn how to recycle, repair, and maintain bicycles.
Throughout the project, students worked in teams and individually, helping each other in supportive and noncompetitive ways. Alissa Corby stated that "While building their sculptures, students had total freedom in the design and construction of their projects. Each created a concept on paper and then worked slowly through the challenges posed by bonding pieces together, distributing weight and accomplishing their visual goals."
Through this project there was a specific focus on engaging students in environmental issues providing them with a sense of stewardship of their world. Program Director, David Harter explained, "We tried to expose the students to a lot this summer. It was important for us to have kids walk away with both a greater sense of curiosity about the world and a greater understanding of their capacity to alter it."
Through the generosity of Prish Moran to donate the space at the Grant Street gallery, these youth will have their work on display for the public to view. As Dave Harter went on to say, "for these youth to be able to see their recycled art on display at The Grant Street Gallery, made with their own hands, tells them that their efforts are respected and worthwhile. Lessons that, we can only hope, they will carry with them forever."
Come support the artists of Buffalo, present and future!
It was a hero’s welcome for local soldier back from Iraq. Adam Claybolt returned home on leave after serving abroad for the past year.
Buffalo Police are investigating a incident that killed a young boy outside of the Tops on Niagara Street Wednesday afternoon. Our Kaitlyn Lionti spoke with witnesses who describe the unfortunate sequence of events.
Police in Silver Spring, Maryland said the man who took several people hostage at gunpoint at the headquarters of the Discovery Channel has been shot and killed by police and the hostages have been freed.
This year's Mass Appeal fashion show is taking on a different twist. Designers and fashion boutiques are being asked to dress it down for once - the concept is based on a timely favorite... wearable art. That means that fashion gawkers will rejoice in seeing some totally unusual and original works of art being worn by some of Buffalo's hottest fashionistas. Designers are being asked to incorporate 'found' objects into the clothing. Ever witnessed a pop bottle cap vest strutting down the runway? Or a model sporting real headlights? This could be the year.
The fashion show has sold out in previous years, much to the satisfaction of Producer Erin Habes and sponsoring organization the Elmwood Village Association. Elmwood Avenue boutiques are being asked to participate in the event in conjunction with non-fashion merchants that can help by offering the different 'found' materials for the wardrobes. Mass Appeal takes place on Friday, November 5th at Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church.
Any designers looking to get in on the action can contact Erin directly.
Lafayette Ave Presbyterian Church
875 Elmwood Ave
Buffalo, NY 14222
Police in Silver Spring, Maryland said a man who took several people hostage at gunpoint at the headquarters of the Discovery Channel has been shot by police and the hostages have been freed. His condition is not yet known.
East Side Redevelopment Task Force Director Darnell Jackson turned himself in at Buffalo Police headquarters around 5 a.m. Wednesday, after a warrant was issued for his arrest. He’s accused of intimidating a witness in an incident not related to the City Grill mass shooting.
City Grill Mass shooting suspect Riccardo McCray pleaded not guilty to multiple murder charges. An Erie County court judge denied bail
Hosted by Ken Wolf and David Ungaro from NEXT Financial:
Here's a stretch of road that could use some real help. West Delavan Avenue, from Main Street to Delaware Avenue could, and should, be altered to become pedestrian and bike friendly. If you think about it, this is the connection between Canisius College and the Elmwood Commercial District. The four car lanes could be downsized to two. The elimination of roadway would mean that a sidewalk could be added to the north side of the street that runs along Forest Lawn Cemetery. Bike lanes could also be added.
Why is this important? For so long Canisius College (see dorms in photo) has been disconnected from important parts of the city. West Delevan is the natural thoroughfare for students who don't necessarily have cars. If the street was to be narrowed and the pedestrian and bike-friendly features were to be added, that would mean that two unimpressive intersections could also be reworked, much in a similar manner as the intersection of North, Franklin and Linwood. This section of West Delavan is such a depressing corridor that could be a dynamic East/West connection. The cars don't even drive side by side - they drive single file for the most part. And don't forget about the Canisius Big Blue Wall. That corner could really use some help. Then, greenscape the gas station corners to reflect the Forest Lawn entranceway and return that intersection into one of beauty (as much as is possible, considering the corners are occupied by urban-sprawl-style developments.
^Delaware Avenue
^Main Street
v FYI: Not far from the Delaware Avenue corner the former One Sunset building shows signs of a new business moving in called Blush Nightclub and Lounge...
As I predicted, the attempts of cash-strapped New York State to collect hefty cigarette taxes from the Seneca Nation of Indians has been blocked at the 11th hour by a federal judge. And already the angry rallies are starting up in anticipation of the state trying to keep persistently attempting to collect these taxes.
In their challenge before Arcara, Seneca lawyers contend that the taxation would violate Indian treaties dating from as long ago as 1794, but state lawyers say that is inaccurate.
“Judge Arcara’s ruling sets the stage for an orderly and thoughtful legal review of what we believe is an illegal, ill-conceived attempt by New York State to use the Seneca Nation and other Indian Nations … as piggy banks to balance the state budget,” said Barry E. Snyder Sr., the Seneca president.
Huge amounts of money are at stake.
Andrew D. Bing of the Attorney General’s Office estimated Monday that the deficit-ridden state could collect $110 million in cigarette taxes from Native American businesses in the first six months after the law takes effect.
That’s it: All this muss and fuss over a measly $110 million in projected tax revenue? This issue shouldn’t be debated anywhere beyond this absurdity. We can discuss the morality of cigarette smoking until the six-winged Martian chickens come home, but violating Indian treaties shouldn’t factor into a more important issue: the completely inability of NYS to balance its budget. The recently-mandated $4.35 per-pack tax was a feeble attempt to fill a budget shortfall. That is why people are flocking to the reservations for cheap packs and cartons.
If you tax an addictive vice ridiculously high, addicts will find a cheaper way of getting their fix. It’s kind of like the old cliche about plugging up a garden hose with a golf ball. Let’s just say the state is able to impose their tax on the Natives. Enterprising individuals will start smuggling mass quantities of cigarettes from states without the hefty tax. A black market will ensue. We all know what this means: criminal activity and all sorts of real tax dodging; stuff that will clog up our already overburdened legal system. Not smart, guys. We all know where prohibition leads.
Let’s balance the budget first by cutting out all the useless waste that need not exist anymore. Then, later we can worry about how to treat smoking as a public health issue and subsequently get more people to quit. This can all be done in a way that doesn’t involve resorting to oppressive taxes and the violation of Indian treaties.
Update on 120 South Park from Tim Tielman:
"By next Wednesday an engineer and an architect will have gone through the building. An engineer already has done exterior survey, and submitted an affidavit that the building is in no danger of collapse; some minor masonry work which might take a crew one day to accomplish is all that needs to be done. Unfortunately, the owner seems determined to continue the steps toward demolition; a crew is there now disconnecting subsurface utilities. Presumably they have city permits to rip up the sidewalks.
"The good news is that Nowak has stayed the demolition order pending hearing arguments from us on Wednesday why the demolition order is unnecessary. We hope to be able to submit reports from the engineer and architect then. The City needs to continue vigorous inspections of the property, followed by enforcement actions. This could result in the owner being fined on a daily basis for outstanding violations. It is also possible to order that, rather than an emergency demolition, emergency repairs be ordered. It may cost $50,000 or more to demolish the building. Why not use that to stabilize the building? "
I started blogging in late 2003, and started focusing on local issues about a year later – after John Kerry lost the presidential election. Soon after that, in early 2005, George Johnson contacted me about Buffalo Rising – it was then a print publication that was starting a blog, and they were going to cover “New Buffalo”. George even made these handy widgets that said, “New Buffalo” and were used to promote not just Buffalo Rising, but the idea that Buffalo was finally shedding its rustbelt image of failure, and that great things were coming. They were just around the corner. This time, we’re going to get it right.
Some, like Christopher Byrd, say it was stupid to think it ever existed. We at WNYMedia.net promoted the notion that there wasn’t a “new” or “old” Buffalo, but One Buffalo. I had bought in to the notion of there being a “new Buffalo” because I know first-hand how dramatically a city, a region, and a mindset can change. The city I grew up in, White Plains, was once a typical little suburban city with a bustling main street (Mamaroneck Avenue), and you had your drug stores, Woolworth’s, movie house, music store, donut shop, photography store, Macy’s, etc. Then they built the Galleria mall, and Mamaroneck Avenue started looking dingy and forgotten. But in the last decade, a massive transformation took place right downtown in the shadow of a newer, fancier mall – Mamaroneck Avenue is booming again and features names on it like “Target”, “Ritz-Carlton”, and “Trump”.
Likewise, when I first moved to Boston it was a lot like Buffalo. Clinging to past glories, still thinking it was the hub of the universe, gritty but progressive thanks to a massive yearly influx of young, energetic people with disposable incomes. Now, it’s Boston.
Buffalo? I think the idea of “New Buffalo” is dead. The time of death, in my estimation, was the moment Byron Brown was re-elected Mayor of the City of Buffalo in 2009. He’s had 5 years to do something palpable to change not just the city for the better, but also its culture of back-scratching and backbiting. But it’s only gotten worse. And if you think about it – who’s out there who could take that job and possess, much less articulate, a coherent, credible vision for Buffalo’s future? We always come back to: no plan, no vision, no goals, no aspiration. Just make sure Goin’ South and Grassroots get their promised jobs, and STFU.
New Buffalo existed, after all, in the aspirations and hopes of people who love this area and want to see it grow. People who are here not because they have to be, but by deliberate, conscious choice. People who know it’s good elsewhere, and want to make it good here, too.
My goodness, January 2005 was filled with hope. And that’s just one example. Half a decade later, and Tom Suozzi is no longer going to be in elected office, much less Fixing Albany or its 3 men in a room. The Brennan Center’s simple recommendations for legislative and rules reform haven’t been completely implemented, and Albany pols don’t seem energized to make those changes. Revitalize Buffalo? Gone. WNY Coalition for Progress? Gone. Kevin Gaughan’s push for regional, metropolitan government? Gone in exchange for downsizing town boards and consolidating towns & villages.
We cheer small successes and are mentally and emotionally numb or immune to our disappointments. But as far as movements of the young and plugged-in, the big trend seems to be to get together and pow-wow about social media. You know who’s not using social media? The Erie County Legislature, the administration running the City of Buffalo, the Mayor of the City of Buffalo, the Buffalo Common Council, your town/village/city government, and most likely your representative in the State Senate/Assembly/town or city council. And if they were using social media, chances are they’d use it for one-way announcements rather than conversations about WNY and its government.
The red/green budget crisis seemed like a cathartic moment when we would finally get our political, economic, and social act together to jettison the past and work towards the future. Didn’t happen. The same fights get fought by the same people. Some who seemed as if they could be positive actors for change turned into raving, indecent lunatics. Others gave up.
New Buffalo as a concept may be dead, but plenty of people and organizations are taking little steps towards making a better WNY and a better life for them and others. Buffalo isn’t just a place, it’s something of a state of mind.
Buffalo needs goals, a plan to reach them, and leadership to steer us through the plan. When those three things converge, then we’ll have a truly New Buffalo.
As reported by various media outlets, including the esteemed Paul Miller on our own page, the Bills have been rumored to show interest in Cardinals’ QB Matt Leinart. While buffalobills.com reported that the Bills have not been in any discussions on Leinart, it would be foolish for the team to announce on its own web site an interest in a player they may not acquire. ESPN has cited that two sources have reported the Bills have indeed had ongoing discussions this summer about acquiring Leinart. ESPN also reported the Bills are less likely to take on Leinart due to his $7.36 million salary next season. However, I think that they need not look further than his ability to be an NFL QB to rid themselves of any ideas of acquiring the Cardinals’ backup QB.
Leinart is rumored to be on the trading block because he has not been able to outshine former Pro Bowl QB Derek Anderson. Upon further investigation, the guy Ken Whisenhunt has been starting ahead of Leinart is the 2009 backup QB on a 5-11 Browns team, who completed 44.5% of his passes last season, throwing 3 tds and 10 ints in eight games. Bills’ fans may remember Anderson’s impressively terrible 2 for 17, 23 yard performance (amazingly in a 6-3 victory) against the Bills at The Ralph last season.
At least the bench in Arizona is warm...
This has not been atypical for Leinart. He had every opportunity to win the starting job in his rookie season with the Cardinals, starting for the first time in week five of his 2006 rookie season for the 1-3 Cardinals. Warner, though difficult to remember now, came to the Cardinals after being let go by the Giants, and led the Cardinals to a 5-11 record the season before. Leinart lost his first two starts, but showed some promise throwing 4 tds and just 1 int, almost toppling the undefeated 5-0 Bears on national television, before letting them off the hook. Leinart threw just 7 tds and 11 ints the rest of the season, and ceded control of the offense to Warner for the past three seasons.
This preseason, Leinart felt he did “everything…they’ve asked me to and more,” to retain his starting role. He led his offense to three consecutive three-and-outs against the Tennessee Titans in the Cardinals’ second preseason game, those possessions being his only three in the game. If that’s more than Leinart expects of himself, I don’t think his expectations are quite as high as he perceives them to be.
Let’s compare Leinart to QBs on the Bills’ roster in terms of career statistics:
Matt Leinart – 29 games, 340-595 (completions-attempts), 57.1%, 3,893 yards, 6.5 yards per attempt, 14 tds, 20 ints, 70.8 rating, 7-10 record
Trent Edwards – 32 games, 506-826, 61.3%, 5,498 yards, 6.7 ypa, 24 tds, 25 ints, 77.9 rating, 14-16 record
Ryan Fitzpatrick – 28 games, 424-734, 57.8%, 4,104 yards, 5.6 ypa, 21 tds, 27 ints, 67.7 rating, 8-14-1 record
So if the Bills were in the market for a backup QB, Leinart might make sense without his inflated rookie contract. The other teams rumored to be interested in Leinart, the Giants and Raiders, are looking at Leinart for that specific purpose. Personally, I don’t see the need for a $7 million backup QB with Fitzpatrick and Brohm as possibilities.
Take into account that Leinart has questionable arm strength, and completed only 57 percent of his passes in all the inclement weather Arizona encounters. Then, factor in his desire to hang out with the likes of Paris Hilton, and get his picture taken while he’s out partying, and Buffalo becomes that much worse of a fit for Leinart. You thought Willis McGahee was unhappy here? Bills fans should hope Buddy ‘Nix’es this one.