News

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Why you should care

I'm going to tell you what CNN won't – why you should care. And I'm going to do it in plain English.

I saw the sign

It's amazing the state of inconceivable stupidity one can be allowed to sink into.

Favre's Viking quest

I've never been a Brett Favre fan.

Haiting American 'compassion'

Wake up America. Why are we donating millions upon millions of dollars to Haiti now?

UB professor leading team of engineers in Haiti

After the initial shock of a 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastated the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince and the proceeding days of aftershocks, the entire city has nearly been reduced to rubble. Yet some buildings still stand. That's where Andre Filiatrault, a UB Professor of Civil, Structural & Environmental Engineering and director of Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research, and a team of 10 engineers and architects have offered their expertise. The MCEER team consists of French speaking engineers to better understand the French-based Haitian Creole language of the people and government they are trying to help. While in Haiti, the team will be hard at work evaluating which buildings are safe for the hundreds of thousands of residents that were left homeless to start reusing. Filiatrault said in an interview with the UB Reporter that close to 100 percent of the Port-au-Prince population is sleeping in tents or outdoors. The team has been selected by the United Nations as its interim lead coordinating team and will be assessing infrastructure and many different buildings, including hospitals and private buildings, according the article. 'In Haiti, the damage the country has sustained to its infrastructure and to its population is so extensive that it is largely up to the international community to conduct these inspections,' Filiatrault said. 'Once we have assessed the safety of the most critical structures, then those facilities that are deemed safe can be fully utilized for relief efforts – in particular hospitals, food storage and distribution centers and ports.' Filiatrault said the lack of understanding of earthquakes in the country has added to the hardship of the disaster, adding that it is 'disturbing' to see hospitals not being utilized due to fear of aftershocks, although some of the buildings are fine. People are being treated outdoors and under tents, suffering from not only their wounds, but the Caribbean heat as well. Despite the devastated condition of the city, Filiatault and the team have been making progress and have kept busy with requests from the UN, local schools and hospitals. 'Things are going well for our team despite difficult conditions we encounter daily in the field,' Filiatrault said in the article. 'This work is pretty intense and the environment is rough, both physically and psychologically. Many cases are difficult, but at the same time inspiring.' The team consists of engineers from institutions and businesses around the country and has paired with Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group, a national non-profit organization that helps with renewable energy, sanitation and clean water. Members of the AIDG-MCEER team include Reginald DesRoches from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Wassim Ghannoum of the University at Texas, Caroline Zennie of Parsons Corporation, Scott Dehollander of MRB Group and Eddy Germain of the New Jersey Department of Transportation. Established in 1986, MCEER is headquartered at UB and is 'dedicated to the discovery and development of new knowledge, tools and technologies that equip communities to become more disaster resilient in the face of earthquakes and other extreme events,' according to its Web site. MCEER has assisted in many disasters since its creation, including relief and assessment efforts in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Members also traveled to Asia in 2004 after a tsunami off the Indian Ocean killed nearly 230,000 people. Filiatrault and the team will return on Friday. E-mail: news@ubspectrum.com

From Bull to bowl

He trekked from Weston High School to the University at Buffalo and currently has a home in Indianapolis. Now, Jamey Richard will be completing his journey down the East Coast with a weekend in Miami.

A resignation explanation

To the editor,

An insider's look at sushi

Sushi is one of the few cuisines that, although popular, is complex and difficult to prepare without special training.

Kickin' butt

Student groups united in promoting a smoke-free campus by kicking it up a notch during the Kickin' Butt at UB celebration in the Student Union on Tuesday.

SISH loses Orrange and elects Conroy

From the drawing room

Galapagos: A Novel by Kurt Vonnegut (1985). Experience Vonnegut's satirical humor as you journey back one million years ago to 1986 A.D., where you will take a journey on 'The Nature Cruise of the Century' in the Galapagos Islands.

Hotel party ends in shooting

Rensch Road rezoning for UB research

Based on a resolution made this past Tuesday by the Amherst Town Board, it appears UB may finally get its wish — 23 acres of property near Rensch Road. The town of Amherst rezoned the area for UB research and development.

Bobcats trample defenseless Bulls

Every starter on the Ohio Bobcats men's basketball team scored in double figures Saturday afternoon against the visiting Buffalo Bulls.

In Arts' perspective

Battling the banks

The goal is to limit concentration, which has increased greatly over the past two decades and even further accelerated during the crisis when healthy banks bought failing ones. For example, the four largest banks currently hold more then half of the financial industry's assets.

Bench life with Sean Smiley

Imagine having to give a presentation at work. Though you know what you need to talk about, it is unknown when, or if, you will be called upon to speak.

Concerts to brighten your winter

Anti-Flag

I wanna know what love is

Album: What is Love?

Bought and paid for

The alternative is to make Senator Dick Durbin's campaign reform bill a law.