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Spectrum Playlist
Feb. 17, 2010With the Winter Olympics now underway in Vancouver, it is so easy to see why the United States of America is the best country in the world.
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Daddy's home
By Nicholas Pino | Feb. 17, 2010Bioshock is back and this time it's packing more plasmid-pumping, gene-splicing, over-the-top action than ever before – all of it served from the prototype ‘Big Daddy' himself. The in-house development crew at 2K studios worked internationally to make this game as dark, or even darker, than the first. But like all metal juggernauts, this game has a few exploitable weaknesses. For those new to the franchise, this game may not appear to be anything special. Yet, delve into the city of Rapture for a few hours and the difference between this game and other shooters will become noticeable. The biggest feature of this game is the use of the super-substance ADAM to wield plasmids. These plasmids are bio-enhancements meant to give the user superhuman powers, like telekinesis or the ability to shoot lightening. For returning players, the best news about the sequel is the ability to have both a weapon and a plasmid out at the same time. Sadly, these plasmids don't become powerful until about mid-game, which makes for much more difficult gameplay. However, players will get a chance to use Subject Delta's drill, which dishes out quite a beating. Whether it's directed at another hopped-up gene-splicer or the new Big Sisters, the drill is the bread and butter of the player's arsenal. The game developers made the use of this weapon more difficult by making it run on drill fuel, a sparse commodity in the submerged apocalyptic Mecca that is Rapture. Thankfully, every gun in the game comes with its own unique melee move, similar to a Left 4 Dead push back. The melee doesn't inflict an incredible amount of damage, but can give the player a bit of space to work with. The game's plot is enthralling from the moment the player picks up the controller until the credits; Bioshock 2 isn't lacking in story department. Focusing on retrieving Delta's little sister, the story begins by showing the game's antagonist Sofia Lamb, a psychotic psychologist with dreams of total control. Without giving away too much of the game's artfully crafted plot, Sofia Lamb wants Subject Delta dead, and she succeeds. The game begins with Subject Delta's forced suicide, as Lamb attempts to take back her daughter, Eleanor. Resurrected eight years after the events in Bioshock, Delta sees that Sophia Lamb has become the new leader of Rapture after the death of Andrew Ryan. Let's just say that Lamb has a pretty deadly sense of the word 'community' as she rallies the inhabitants of Rapture to hunt Delta. The game is polished, yet it lacks a certain dynamic to help new players get into the franchise without getting incredibly lost. The game can be overwhelming at times, as it throws the player into the action. Hordes of splicers will attempt to kill your little sister while she tries to harvest the all-important ADAM from seemingly random corpses. Multiplayer is the real standout addition in this game. Players will take on the role of a splicer endorsed by Sinclair Solutions, the famed plasmid manufacturer. Chaos ensues as the player can either play a capture-the-flag type game involving little sisters, or the standard variation of a death match. The game is great for the fans of the franchise, since they can explore more of the Bioshock universe and enjoy every facet of the incredibly deep plot. But for those new to the franchise, Bioshock 2 may not be the droid you are looking for. E-mail: arts@ubspectrum.com
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Unfortunate accident
By Editorial | Feb. 17, 2010The ongoing 21st Winter Olympics had its first whiff of controversy the day of the opening ceremonies. Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili died in a training accident when he lost control of his luge in the final turn of the world's fastest course and slammed into a steel support at over 90 miles an hour. It's a tragedy when any young athlete dies. Luge is a crazy sport – imagine sliding down an ice chute at 90 miles an hour, lying flat on your back, only shifting body weight to steer. To say it seems dangerous is an understatement, but in fact, the last luge accident that resulted in death, before Kumaritashvili, was in 1964. Whistler Sliding Centre's track has been nicknamed the 'beast'. In light of the accident, many have cried out over the lack of safety of the track. Let's be clear: the simple fact that the concrete pillars weren't padded is reprehensible. It points to the fact that extra padding and retaining walls should be added to all tracks. An article in the American Journal of Sports Medicine analyzed luge injuries between 1985 and 1992 at Lake Placid, NY. Its luge course is considered to be a technically tricky course to many lugers, although considerably slower than Whistler's. The study analyzed more than 57,000 runs by competitive lugers of both sexes. Participants were between the ages of 12 and 35 years old. It recorded 407 injuries. An overwhelming majority of them were muscle sprains, bruises and scrapes. Over the seven-year study, only 10 injuries were serious enough to force athletes to miss training. In fact, the study found that injuries to the athletes were more likely to occur while carrying their luges away from the track than on it. Whistler's track has been around for three years. Its crash stats are no different than other tracks around the globe, according to officials from the International Luge Federation. Out of more than 30,000 runs in three different sliding sports — bobsled, luge and skeleton — Whistler has seen 340 crashes total. Even coaches and lugers at the Olympics have never seen an athlete thrown from the course like Kumaritashvili was. 'Everything came together at the same time,' said Tony Benshoof, a U.S. luger, 'but there are places on every track where that could feasibly happen.' Lets call this what it is – a terrible freak accident. It was correct for the modifications to be made on the track. The ice on curve 16 was shaved down to make it harder for sleds to fly up the wall. In addition, a new retaining wall was put in place and a lower start point was being used. Are these modifications enough? No one will know. Dangerous sports such as luge will have freak accidents, and the athletes who choose to participate know this going in.
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Suspects identified in credit card scandal
By JENNIFER GOOD | Feb. 17, 2010New but limited information has been released in the ongoing investigation regarding two UB students who stole credit card information with the help of local businesses. Police have released the names of the two male suspects accused of using a skimming device to obtain credit card information and then buy various items. Donlet O. McCalla, a senior psychology major, and Theron J. Harris, an undergraduate student in the School of Management, are the two UB students facing charges. According to Tracy Gast, special agent in charge of Buffalo's Secret Service office, there really hasn't been much new information since the charges were filed, aside from the release of their names. 'Because it is still an ongoing investigation, we have to be careful what we release,' Gast said. McCalla is the former health chair of UB's chapter of NAACP, which was derecognized on Jan. 31 for breaking SA club regulations regarding proper money handling. No correlations of the two incidents have currently been made. McCalla and Harris could not be reached for statements. SA President Ernesto Alvarado was aware of the allegations against the two UB students, but was shocked to learn of McCalla's involvement due to his previous position in the NAACP. 'We're obviously deeply disappointed in his actions. We don't stand for anything like that,' Alvarado said. 'They should be prosecuted to the fullest extent.' E-mail: news@ubspectrum.com
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Lack of oversight
By Editorial | Feb. 17, 2010Binghamton University was enjoying its recent basketball success with its first berth in the NCAA men's tournament last March, but the dream ended last week. SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher ordered the investigation into Binghamton's athletic program. The probe's findings were published in a nearly 100-page report about how the University's administration, mainly the school's president and athletic director, allowed the basketball program to go haywire. The repercussions from the fallout could be detrimental for all SUNY schools. Some might argue that what occurs at one school has no bearing on another. They would be incorrect. More eyes will be on athletic programs, looking for misconduct. The fact remains unchanged that these student-athletes are, in fact, students first. The litany of misconduct that occurred at Binghamton is amazing. The report states that players and assistant coaches discussed cash payments and help with homework and papers. Even the head coach lobbied on behalf of players to get failing grades changed. In fact, one athletic official asked an admissions officer, 'What do you care if we have six guys who don't go to class?' The coaches seemed to care more about covering up these infractions than punishing players. Another example of this is the assistant coach who helped a player pay a fine after the player stole condoms from Wal-mart. Many of the infractions have been in the sphere of academics. Binghamton has built its academic reputation as the crown jewel of the State University of New York system. It's all been wiped away in one shot. President of Binghamton University Lois DeFleur will work hard to implement the changes the probe suggests until her retirement in July. Athletic Director Joel Thirer already has resigned as news of the scandal broke. Head men's basketball coach Kevin Broadus has been placed on administrative leave and, in all likelihood, will not be asked to return. This is a very big blow. The situation isn't easy for Zimpher to clean up. The school's president is leaving, its athletic director is gone and it will be hiring a new head coach. The probe will be turned over to the NCAA, which will decide if any penalties are warranted for the university's actions. It may be naive to think that college athletics is completely clean, but surely winning football and basketball games cannot be more important than giving young Americans an education. Athletics provides a great deal to the university setting, such as school spirit and common gatherings for students to visit and cheer on classmates. It is deeply troubling when schools tend not to care. It leaves a bad taste for anyone who loves college basketball and fans of Binghamton athletics. Maybe this incident is just another warning sign of what American society values — winning at all costs. It doesn't matter how it's achieved. In its hunt for athletic supremacy, Binghamton admitted several transfer players with academic and legal problems. One even left the country on bail. Every college in the United States should have an oversight officer to make sure that priorities on programs are to make sure student-athletes get an education and that coaches are role models who follow the rules. The ones who aren't are snake oil salesmen and hurt the integrity of their school, their sports and, most importantly, their players.
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A Manning's worth
By Christy Suhr | Feb. 15, 2010Last Sunday, a record 106.5 million people tuned into Super Bowl XLIV to see the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints battle it out. Most people I know are neither Colts nor Saints fans, so the game held little personal significance for them. Still, they watched because they expected it to be a great game.
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A walk to remember
By Lauren Nostro AND Jessica DiGennaro | Feb. 15, 2010With pictures of their loved ones' faces pinned to their red parkas, around 150 close friends and family members of the victims of Flight 3407 symbolically reached the destination that their relatives could not one year ago.
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NFTA missed the mark
By STEPHEN MARTH | Feb. 15, 2010The moment that Continental Connection Flight 3407 crashed in Clarence Center, Western New Yorkers united as they always have, showing America how strong our community really is.
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UB students accused of credit card fraud
By JENNIFER GOOD | Feb. 15, 2010E-mail: news@ubspectrum.com
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"Sneakers, Newports and pomegranates"
By Lauren Nostro | Feb. 15, 2010On America's favorite Hallmark holiday, where saying you hate it sounds just as a cliché as partaking in it, I'm not alone.
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Used to the pressure
By JAMESON BUTLER | Feb. 15, 2010Tuesday night, the Rapids Theater in Niagara Falls will house one of the best hard rock showcases of the upcoming semester.
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UB bites into Apple
By Steve Nielans | Feb. 15, 2010iTunes has come out with a new feature over the past year called iTunes U, which is similar to the podcasts that most students are already familiar with.
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Can it work?
By Editorial | Feb. 15, 2010The debate about how to properly educate the youth of America about sexual intercourse has been turned on its ear. A study done recently has shown that teaching abstinence can delay the start of sexual activity among inner-city youth.
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China and Tibet relations
By Editorial | Feb. 15, 2010For 58 years, the Dalai Lama has been a citizen of the world. Exiled from his native Tibet, he seeks its independence from Chinese control.
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Update: Lockwood Library Cleared
By Matt Mosher | Feb. 15, 2010University Police have completed a search through Lockwood Library and have found nothing, according to UPD. Amherst Police left the scene around 6:45 p.m. after a preliminary sweep through the building. University police cleared the building an hour later and it will remain closed for the remainder of the night.
