Tonight, there is a free preview of “The War Tapes”, the critically acclaimed Iraq War documentary filmed by three NH National Guard troops. The movie doesn’t actually open until Friday, but you can catch it tonight at the Market Arcade theater.

7 PM

Market Arcade Theater - Main Street

IT’S HOT OUTSIDE!

STAY COOL WITH OUR OPEN BOOK PANEL DISCUSSION!

This Tuesday, August 1st, 15th and 29th, from 12 – 1 p.m. in the
air-conditioned comfort of the Buffalo Architecture Center.

“What does it mean to be an educated human being in the Twenty-first
Century, and can a well designed community attract educated, creative
people?”

“What is the role of a Twenty-first Century community in helping people
reach their potential?”

The Landmark Society of the Niagara Frontier and just buffalo literary
center jointly present an Open Book Discussion of

“The Rise of the Creative Class: And How Its Transforming Work, Leisure,
Community and Everyday Life,” by author Richard Florida.

Chuck LaChiusa will facilitate our panel discussion.

Panelists on Tuesday, August 1st  will be: Jade Chen, Production Manager,
Buffalo Spree; Harvey Garrett, Community activist; and Matt Steinberg,
Creative Services Manager, Buffalo Niagara Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Buffalo Architecture Center, Market Arcade, 617 Main St., Buffalo. Admission
is free, but space is limited to 30. Please reserve by calling the Landmark
Society of the Niagara Frontier at 716-852-3300 or e-mailing
info@landmark-niagara.org

Chances are pretty good that if you’re reading this, you have a computer with internet access. And if you have a computer with internet access, chances are pretty good that you get bombarded on a daily basis with junk e-mail promising everything from $30 million to a larger… well, you know. I have no patience for spam, and I’m ruthless as I sift through my inbox, even if it means risking deletion of something important. Tonight, a piece of spam somehow got through my supposedly iron-clad defenses, and caught my attention enough for me to open it.

It was a mass emailing promoting attractions in and around Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and the entire message was hotlinked to a travel booking service. It was nicely designed and attractive, though, of course, it failed on the most fundamental level, as I continue to have no interest whatsoever in visiting Pigeon Forge. But I know a good idea when I see one, and this was a good idea.

Buffalo’s online community is thriving, thanks to sites like Buffalo Rising, StudPuppy.com, Buffalo Pundit, and our own Revitalize Buffalo blog. Issues are raised and discussed, information is shared, connections are made, and, very often, things get done. That’s great, but it’s also passive, in the sense that people need to visit the site in order to start the ball rolling. Pigeon Forge doesn’t sit back and wait for folks to find them. They go out hunting. Does Buffalo do anything similar to this? Informative, attractive, creative email messages targeted to specific audiences would be an easy, inexpensive method of spreading the word about Buffalo. Imagine an overview of Buffalo’s amazing architectural heritage sent out to architects all over the country. Who knows what would happen? Maybe a few of them would take a trip here, or book a convention, or heck, even relocate. At the very least it would put out some positive information to show people we’re more than just blizzards and chicken wings.

There may well be something like this already in place that I don’t know about. But that’s a problem in and of itself… any online communication piece would be more effective if Buffalo’s thriving online community was involved. Any marketing folks out there? Maybe we can make something happen. Wait, what am I saying? No “maybe” here. We can make something happen.

There are lots of new blogs popping up over at WNY Media, including my own personal blog.

Here’s the list:

Buffalo Amy (me!) - http://buffaloamy.wnymedia.net - this will be all the things I’d like to say, but can’t say on this site.
Back to Buffalo (Pat) - http://backtobuffalo.wnymedia.net - help Pat move back here from Charlotte…he’s trying! (Pat is currently blogging at http://getbacktobuffalo.blogspot.com, but will soon be in the WNY Media family!)
Buffalo Bloviator - http://buffalobloviator.wnymedia.net
Cindy Locklear - http://insideout.wnymedia.net
Fed Up in Buffalo - http://fedup.wnymedia.net
Throwing Stones - http://throwingstones.wnymedia.net
WOW!!! That’s a lot of new blogs! Thanks to Marc and Jay for helping get us started and making sure things run smoothly over there…

Tonight, there’s another Happy To Be Back (Here) Happy Hour on the Left Bank patio from 5-9.  There will be an opportunity to register for Buffalo Old Home Week events as well as volunteer to help us at the events!  The happy hour is open to all…

Dollar sign

Originally uploaded by tednmiki.

So, the arbitrator in Toronto has decided that Danny Briere is worth $5 million dollars for one year. Briere and the Sabres had hoped to come to a long-term agreement, but this is what it’s come to. Now, it’s up to the Sabres to decide if they want to keep Briere and start renegotiations in January. If they decide against the deal, Briere becomes a free agent.

Here’s my thing…he’s a strong forward and a decent leader of the team. But in my mind, Chris Drury was and has been the captain of the team. If we lose Briere, we’ve got to get someone else that can score goals.

Kevin muses about the Briere offer over at Bflo Blog. He sizes up the options for you with the likelihood of each.

We hate to see players leave, especially the ones that want to stay in town. I agree with Kevin, though, if we keep Briere, we need to trade Biron and Afinogenov to stay reasonable under the cap.

Next move=Sabres…

So here’s something I don’t understand…and I’m sure that it’s just me…why does construction, mostly of roads, take so long?  Like Main Street for instance, which seems to be taking years to complete.

Last week, they stripped the pavement on Starin between Hertel and Amherst (very near my house)…and had it repaved in guess what = 2 days!  It’s a freaking Christmas miracle.

I know Main Street is much longer and probably more involved, but too bad the guys who redid Starin aren’t working on Main Street…it would have been done about 3 years ago!

Now they’re working on parts of Parkside…

There’s no shortage of top-quality produce here in Buffalo, but while Guercio’s is grand and Wegmans is wonderful, you just can’t beat home grown. For those of us not blessed with a green thumb (or back yards) the farmers market at Bidwell Place is a dream come true. It’s not large as these things go, but there’s still a fantastic selection of farm fresh vegetables, fruits, berries, beef, poultry, eggs, flowers, honey and even pickles. Each well-stocked table is a mad riot of color.

An antique “display hive” filled with bees caught my attention from across the street, and three generations of bee experts answered all my questions (and a few I didn’t even ask) about bees. Did you know a hive can house up 60,000 bees or even more? Did you know Fall honey has a stronger flavor than Summer honey? Did you know beekeepers use a special marker to tag queen bees to make them easier to find in the hive? I left with a greater knowledge of bees - and a bottle of Summer honey!

I’m betting at least a few of us could stand more fresh produce in our diet, and the farmers market at Bidwell Place is a delicious way to help make that happen. Note: all photos above were taken Saturday morning at the market. 

Funnel cloud

Originally uploaded by dogstar1956.

Another spout was spotted in Niagara County. What’s with all this crazy weather lately?

Buffalo Central Terminal

Originally uploaded by dmealiffe.

Don’t forget that the Restore Buffalo/Car Show is taking place today at the Central Terminal. It’s an opportunity for non-profits to network with each other.

It’s raining outside with no end in sight until tomorrow morning. It’s the perfect day to get in your car and head over to the Terminal, especially if you’ve never been there. It’s a brilliantly beautiful building…