Its rare that I use my space here on (e:strip) to endorse a product or service, but this time has to be different - I think I found my new favorite spot.

Yesterday (e:jason) and I went down to Hardware after work to drink some Westmalle Dubbel (oh, and we got let in on a couple secrets they keep in the cooler) when I thought about food. Where the hell are we going to eat? I looked out the window across the street at Lagniappes. I thought, "Oh, I read about this guy (gulp) on Buffalo Rising's website!" BRO readers gave the place a ringing endorsement so I had to check it out. Besides, they have po'boys and I haven't had a proper one since I was last in New Orleans.

Its a small place but I'm telling you, the place smells like love. I'm sorry but there is nothing like a small area smelling fragrant with the creole spices in the air. When a place smells that great, you just know that the food is going to be good. Bottom line - I love this kind of food. I ordered the fried oyster po'boy with remoulade, and (e:jason) ordered a fried soft shell crab po'boy. I also got an order of the jambalaya to share with my brother.

I didn't get to the jambalaya and in fact its sitting in my fridge, which is a shame because I did have a bite of it and its freaking lovely. I loved my sandwich - you get a choice of side and I went for the black eyed peas. Absolutely delicious. For a side (e:jason) went for the fried okra - I nicked one when he wasn't looking and agreed with him after letting him know I stole one that they were excellent.

This is not your normal sandwich shop though - the man in the kitchen is an award winning chef. I think it would have been more pragmatic to skip the extra entree I ordered and went for the gumbo. There is little pretentious about the place, with the possible exception of artwork on the wall created by local artists.

Lagniappes dinner hours are Tuesday - Saturday, from 4pm - 2am, and lunch hours are Tuesday - Friday from 11am - 2pm. Read carefully - no Sundays or Mondays. They also deliver if you are so inclined. Here is their website - - give them a try if you haven't. The desserts are listed on their menu as "Fresh Selections Daily - Please Ask." So, for me the only question left is this - where are the beignets?

Quick note - the prices on the online menu are wrong - a few items have gone up a buck or two. A good example is the jambalaya I ordered - originally it was $8 and I paid $10 last night. Nor am I complaining about it really. Keep in mind that their prices are subject to change without notice. The priciest thing on the entire menu is their cajun sampler, at $19 - it includes crab cake, jambalaya, red beans and rice, a cup of gumbo and fried oysters. It must be a mountain of food and I'm sure that it would be a great meal to share with a like minded person of the opposite sex (or same sex, depending on your persuasion). You know, creole spice smells in bed aren't a turnoff for me. Does that make me weird?

Jack shit.



I suspect that this is the closest thing to an honest day's work he's ever put in, so I have to admit I feel conflicted. Does he deserve scorn or does he deserve praise for this effort?

I received an e-mail from Buffalo.com about a free "seminar" being hosted by the Buffalo News tonight regarding citizen journalism. I have a proper rant to launch on this topic later on. Suffice it to say, as usual I have found something (or things) to be skeptical about. Some of you may be compelled to see it my way - I'll lay out the evidence and let you decide.

Today I will find out if O3 Cafe in Snyder has decent food. O3 Cafe is located within the Snyder location of Everything Elmwood - there really is nothing like selling our neighborhood character to the burbs directly, is there?

Sorry - I am a technological Luddite when it comes to phones. I've solicited (e:paul)'s advice but I haven't gotten my bootleg Nokia phone yet. In other words, there will not be any pictures of the food!

I actually have a food question for y'all. I've heard of a few new local joints in and around Allentown have opened up. Seeing as I rarely make it south of West Ferry for anything other than booze, what can you guys tell me about the Quaker Bonnet and Steel Crazy?

I swear I'm going to skin somebody alive if this happens again. 3:30am this stupid fucking bastard screamed at the top of his lungs 'ASSSSSHHHHLLLLLEEEEEYYYYYY!" Finally, after the third time, I got up, ran to my window, opened it and snarled/shouted "SHUT UP!!!" I don't think I've ever sounded so primal. They got the message and left.

I have to admit I'm beginning to harbor major resentment and sooner or later its going to be impossible to be nice about it. This moron must really not realize that he's waking up an entire neighborhood. I'm simply going to begin calling the police, or in lieu of police, I'm breaking out the supersoaker and it will be filled with synthetic deer urine scent.

Impressive really - it broke the records that Halo 3 set for opening day sales and opening week sales.

The subplot involves a potentially hostile takeover by EA. As the article states, its a $2b deal for the parent company, Take 2 Interactive. Seeing as the offer falls short of the trading price I think this is absolutely frivolous. They compare it to MSFT and Yahoo, but at least in MSFT's case they are offering well above the trading price. I don't see EA getting a sniff unless they are willing to pay a reasonable premium for an obviously hot commodity.

I've been trying to use the webcam on my new work laptop and I finally got my first work candid -



Not bad for a guy who hasn't slept due to his neighbors noiseathon last night, in combination with not showering or shaving, and basically putting on whatever was on the floor this morning. For a little built-in webcam its not so bad really.

I'm thinking of a cruel trick to get even - like blasting prog rock out of the windows at 1pm when THOSE fuckers are trying to sleep. I'll be having my revenge and when I do its going to be epic.

This is primarily for anyone addicted to scandal.

I'm trying to scoop that picture out of my head with a spoon, regardless of the fact that its 30 year old news. The last time someone peeled back the Depends undergarments to get to the honey pot is yet to be determined.

I get Stereogum's weekly "Gumdrop," which is essentially a newsletter that contains articles, interviews, giveaways, etc. Stereogum is not my favorite source of information - I essentially read nothing and only enter the free giveaway. Until this week.



While my favorite parts of Dark Side of the Moon are in fact Gilmour's as well, Roger Waters performing Dark Side live IS NOT akin to Ringo performing Sgt. Pepper's. Ben Gibbard, a respected and dare I say idolized musician and leader of Death Cab, is a fucking idiot for saying that. It makes me cringe to think of his worshipers nodding like drones at those words... pathetic.

Firstly, Roger Waters wrote the album and was always the leader and primary song writer of Pink Floyd. Without Gilmour there is something missing, but for a musician to not be able to acknowledge the right of the owner and original creator of the music to perform it is absurd. Secondly, since Ben Gibbard made the comparison and I did not - Ringo Starr did not write Sgt. Peppers therefore there is no direct comparison anyway.

It was good to see virtually all reaction to the article along the same lines as my own. It was so blatantly obvious that I'd be shocked otherwise.

What really caught my eye was this - the opening sentence of the article.

The boys of DCFC are gearing up for a busy festival season -- Coachella, Sasquatch, Bonnaroo, Pemberton -- where they'll be playing songs from the forthcoming Narrow Stairs, which hasn't leaked yet.

HAHA! Hasn't leaked yet? I've had it for a few weeks now. Either these morons are counting on finding it on their s00pur l33t private music sharing sites, or are simply not resourceful enough. Trust me, you can find almost anything if you know what you are doing.

Between licking Ben Gibbard's balls and stating an untruth as a fact albeit out of ignorance rather than intentionally telling a lie... now you know why I rarely read what these amateurs write.

Greetings from the French side of the river - Gatineau is directly across the river from the Ottawa, the Canadian capital. This is my first trip to the area. It was nice to see the Parliament building, and really they do have a nice riverwalk area. Its strange though - once you cross the river literally no signage is written in English. I thought by law in this country the signage must be bilingual... what gives?

In any case, you don't need to know what "ARRET" means when you are staring at an octoganal shaped red sign. Essentially the river divides Ontario and Quebec. You really do get an appreciation here of the vast bureaucracy put in place to manage a country with a tenth of the population of our own - I'm on the 7th floor of a Holiday Inn staring out of my window at an enormous government building, and this is just one of many in the area.

We are working for about two hours, and driving home for about five and a half. We'll cross the border at the 1000 islands bridge - having never lived outside of NYS I've never actually driven through this stretch of the state so I'm actually looking forward to it. Hopefully I can see the Adirondacks in the distance, but I don't really know if they are visible from 81... here's to hoping!

Greetings from the French side of the river - Gatineau is directly across the river from the Ottawa, the Canadian capital. This is my first trip to the area. It was nice to see the Parliament building, and really they do have a nice riverwalk area. Its strange though - once you cross the river literally no signage is written in English. I thought by law in this country the signage must be bilingual... what gives?

In any case, you don't need to know what "ARRET" means when you are staring at an octoganal shaped red sign. Essentially the river divides Ontario and Quebec. You really do get an appreciation here of the vast bureaucracy put in place to manage a country with a tenth of the population of our own - I'm on the 7th floor of a Holiday Inn staring out of my window at an enormous government building, and this is just one of many in the area.

We are working for about two hours, and driving home for about five and a half. We'll cross the border at the 1000 islands bridge - having never lived outside of NYS I've never actually driven through this stretch of the state so I'm actually looking forward to it. Hopefully I can see the Adirondacks in the distance, but I don't really know if they are visible from 81... here's to hoping!

Today I learned something about the cameras that may be worth testing.

This "first of its kind" citywide system, the Buffalo Integrated Wireless and Intelligence System, is designed to assist the Buffalo Police Department in crime prevention, support the City's commercial districts by providing additional public safety support, enhance Buffalo's Homeland Security activities and provide city residents with free access to a high-speed broadband system.

Can someone test this out? Even if its true, would you EVER transmit sensitive data through it anyway? Lets see - freedom or free internet. Which do you choose? I wouldn't be surprised if this was bullshit anyway - Peter Cutler is a fucking goon.

I think the city should have considered something - if these cameras can be accessed via wireless broadband then certainly someone with the knowledge and the tools could hack the camera sooner or later.

The Snooze Loves Freedom-Sapping Cameras

The Buffalo News has an article today about the cameras, like presto.

There is also mention of it on the local radio today - there is a bit of a multimedia PR blitz being pursued if you ask me.

I don't know Brian Meyer but I can't help but feel a strong desire to eviscerate his article, and basically every single lying word that comes out of the mouths of our city officials.

By the end of the year, more than 100 cameras will be placed in high-crime areas, business districts and in locations deemed important to homeland security.

I'm insulted beyond words by the assertion that ANY of this is related to homeland security. If a city official were to suggest this to me my first question would be, "well, if this is the case then is it true that the Department of Homeland Security are tapping into these cameras as well?"

"Everybody is really excited about the system," said Linda J. Freidenberg, president of the Board of Block Clubs of Buffalo and Erie County. "People are hoping it will end up reducing crime."

Who is this person? Now is when I do my best (e:hodown) impression and drink deep of the Interweb in an attempt to gather information. Well well well, look who is on the board of the New York-New Jersey Regional Center for Public-Safety Innovations? It appears that this lady is a professional not-for-profit teet sucker. How do people get careers like this?

According to this the Board of Block Clubs is "loosely" under the auspices of the city's Department of Community Services. Guess who is President? Working with the city to achieve common goals is one thing but being "loosely" under the city's thumb is another. If you perceive that I'm suggesting the possibility for funny business then you are "loosely" correct. I fully recommend reading the article and drawing your own conclusions not just on this but a few other things that raised my eyebrow. I wonder if she has a camera on HER street.

Back to the original Buffalo News article.

David M. Spinda has lived in Riverside for more than a half-century and is a member of the Public Safety Committee of the Black Rock-Riverside Good Neighbors Planning Alliance.

"I think people feel a lot more comfortable, and they want more cameras," Spinda said. "It's like candy - everybody wants more. But this is a start."

I pity this fella. THIS IS NOTHING LIKE CANDY.

Eventually, the system will be able to stream video into police cars, giving officers new vantage points as they arrive at crime scenes.

Interesting.

Police officers on light duty have been monitoring some cameras on a 24/7 basis since early March. This summer, civilians will be hired to perform monitoring chores.

Then this organization should be infiltrated by freedom-loving people who won't hesitate at blowing the whistle when the police inevitably abuse this system.

The city plans to spend up to $5 million for the 100 cameras, financing the project through state grants. In the longer term, the Police Department hopes to expand the system by obtaining viewing rights to cameras that the Buffalo Public Schools and the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority plan to install around some of their properties.

So the police wants access to other camera systems as well. Should the police be given this access, and should parents have the ultimate say? After all, this whole thing is going to be sold as something thats in the best interests of your kids. Shouldn't YOU be the one to make that judgment?

Gipson agreed that even sophisticated surveillance cameras can't replace officers.

"They help enhance our ability, but the real job of policing is still left to boots on the ground," Gipson said.

This is what I've said all along, and the city of Buffalo largely does a shit job to begin with. Did the one cop/one car policy undermine their efforts to effectively patrol our streets and is this camera policy a taxpayer-funded attempt at correcting poor decision making? When homicides skyrocketed as they did it after the introduction of that bad idea it certainly makes you wonder if the cameras are the paper for the cracks in the system... that could possibly have been avoided if wiser decisions had been made.

A new class of officers will hit city streets this summer.

I can't wait to crack open this can of suds. Let the endless speculation begin as to what "class" of officers is being introduced. Gestapo? Bicycle riders with cameras? Even worse, undercover cops who monitor citizens within a certain number of feet of the cameras?

Gipson said he knows of only one property owner who expressed concern during the pilot project; she wanted to make sure the camera couldn't zoom in on her window. Gipson said the system has filters to block out specific areas, so cameras can't, for instance, take images of residential windows. Gipson insisted that the Police Department has no desire to "play Big Brother."

I call bullshit on multiple counts. Until this "filter" is demonstrated to the public I think this is an absolute steamy load. I am sorry, but yes - the police and the city DO have a duty to allay the fears of the people, and just saying "trust me" isn't good enough. Only one property owner complained during the pilot? Well, all I think our Commish has to do to realize a lot people hate this idea is to walk up and down Elmwood and ask people about it. You might not be able to see into windows but I'm telling you right now, the camera on Elmwood WILL see normal everyday civilians doing what they do on their own properties. If I lived merely on the other side of the street the cops could zoom in while I grill, or watch while an attractive neighbor of mine sunbathes. I refuse to believe that our Commish is this naive. Is this guy a cop or an ostrich?

While our Police Commissioner "insists" that they don't want to play Big Brother, I "insist" that they shouldn't have been given the tools to make this a possibility to begin with.