Byzantium's Shores: chronicling the misadventures of an overalls-clad hippie

WE ARE BUFFALO! HEAR US ROAR!!!

(This is the attitude Buffalo needs, and lots of it. Go, Donn Esmonde!)

A few other Buffalo notes abound on this most crappy of Thursdays (it's cloudy and breezy, actually not "crappy" at all, a nice break from the hot and humid of the last couple of days):

:: Via Bookslut I see that, on this list ranking American cities by literacy, Buffalo ranks 33rd. The first thing that strikes me is that they use a population figure of 328,123, which is an old figure: in the 2000 census, Buffalo's population dipped below 300,000 people for the first time since...well, it's been quite a while. But 33rd seems like a pretty decent placement, considering that Buffalo manages to outrank New York City, Chicago, Dallas, and other much larger metropolises that I would figure would be much more literate. (Especially NYC! But then, I'm certainly proud of Buffalo outranking Indianapolis...heh!)

The study on which the ranking is based looked at five factors in determining overall literacy: Education, Publications, Newspapers, Libraries, and Booksellers. Buffalo's rankings on these is as follows:

Education:    58
Publications:    46
Newspapers:    18
Libraries:    5
Booksellers:    41

Obviously, Buffalo's relatively high placement in the main ranking is largely due to the excellent Buffalo and Erie County Public Library system, which is surprisingly extensive for a city of Buffalo's population. And I'm a bit surprised that Buffalo's bookselling rank is actually as high as it is, given that Buffalo really isn't that great a city for bookstores.

:: I don't recall if I've mentioned this before, but one project I think is pretty nifty is the building of a filling station, based on architectural designs by Frank Lloyd Wright, in Buffalo. This is in connection with Buffalo's Pierce-Arrow Museum, and will further cement the city as a prime destination for people interested in Wright, as well as being another jewel in Buffalo's architectural crown.

:: Finally, congrats to Kara Kerwin on her new job, even if it means another smart person leaves Buffalo.