All the news and views fit to consume during your morning grumpy.
1. The cash mob idea that started here in Buffalo made it on to Public Radio International yesterday, spent the day at the top of Reddit.com and was seen by about 5MM web readers. So, a good day for the idea as it continues its organic growth throughout the world. Yes, the world.
Meanwhile, back in Buffalo, we hosted our seventh cash mob and it was a tremendous success. The event was held between 5-7PM last night at Thin Ice on Elmwood and was attended by over 100 people. At the conclusion of the night, the store owner reported 10x her typical sales and that money not only went to support her store, but also the local artists who stock her shelves. Due to the way we organize the event, the staff was able to spend time with these new customers, build a relationship and hopefully build repeat business. Afterwards, many of the attendees crossed the street and enjoyed dinner and drinks at The Acropolis and stopped by Chow Chocolat for some dessert. A very successful night.
In the next week or so, I’ll have some exciting news about the establishment of several suburban cash mobs in WNY as well as some new partnerships. Each time we host this event, it’s surprising to see how many people respond enthusiastically and support our courageous local entrepreneurs. Thank you for your support!
2. As usual, Matt Taibbi nails it. His take on the Republican debate on Wednesday night and the overall orthodoxy of the current party.
This is the last stage in any paranoid illness. You start by suspecting that somebody out there is out to get you; in the end, you’re sure that even the people who love you the most under your own roof, your own doctors, your parents, your wife and your children, they’re in on the plot. To quote Matt Damon in the almost-underrated spy film The Good Shepherd, they became convinced that there’s “a stranger in the house.”
This is where the Republican Party is now. They’ve run out of foreign enemies to point fingers at. They’ve already maxed out the rhetoric against us orgiastic, anarchy-loving pansexual liberal terrorists. The only possible remaining explanation for their troubles is that their own leaders have failed them. There is a stranger in the house!
3. Paul Tsouflidis, owner of The Acropolis restaurant has been using his personal blog to blast opponents of his restaurant expansion plans and take members of the Buffalo Common Council to task.
Mr. Locurto, you have been lobbied by a very few people to vote against a bar on the second floor and shame on you for that. I have 1000 signatures of people supporting Acropolis. I have gone to great lengths to convert many of the opposition into supporters. The EVA even changed their tune when (EVA Executive Director) Justin (Azzarella) came into the council chambers and stated on public record that the EVA isn’t opposed to the bar upstairs, the 2nd floor patio, or a music license. But that isn’t enough for you.
In the end, my councilman and his protege Brad Hamm has been playing dirty politics with me and I will expose this because I already know I lost my dream restaurant with his decision. I lost a lot but I didn’t lose everything. What you lost Mike is a financial supporter, a voter, and hundreds upon hundreds of voters who will never put trust in you with their vote again.
I’m writing a larger story on this issue, but you can read his blog for some backstory.
Fact Of The Day: Apple computer co-founder Steve Jobs was born in San Francisco on this day in 1955.
Quote Of The Day: “It would be almost unbelievable, if history did not record the tragic fact, that men have gone to war and cut each other’s throats because they could not agree as to what was to become of them after their throats were cut.” – Walter P. Stacy
Cartoon Of The Day: “Dog Gone South” – Chuck Jones
Video Of The Day: Lollipop – The Rockafire Explosion Band
Song Of The Day: “Dead Sound” – The Raveonettes
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