News

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'Sociology of Seinfeld' is about nothing

As a SUNY Oswego sociology professor, Tim Delaney would often use "Seinfeld" references in his classes to illustrate basic sociological principles.He attempted to do the same on Friday evening at the Center for Inquiry, but his lecture, plugging his new book "Seinology: The Sociology of Seinfeld," did little more than summarize episodes of the popular sitcom; failing to bring up any connections to sociology."Seinfeld was and remains a sociological phenomenon," Delaney said.Using props like a tiny puffy shirt, a black and white cookie and Junior Mints, Delaney gave a synopsis of various Seinfeld episodes for his audience.Delaney would name a topic such as "mental health," and then summarize the Seinfeld episode -- in this case, "Serenity Now," where mental health and bottling emotions is the focus.

At war with ingenuity

The Flaming Lips did it again, managing to reinvent that same peculiar sound redolent of patchouli and poorly oiled robots."At War with the Mystics," The Flaming Lips' 11th studio album released on April 4, is somewhat nostalgic considering their previous efforts such as "The Soft Bulletin" and "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots." Though there is something disingenuous about this album in comparison to their last two releases, the change can probably be attributed to the sneaky influences of pop, similar to what occurred when Weezer went from "Blue" to "Green." The Flaming Lips just didn't take as embarrassing of a course.

The Week Ahead 4.10.06

Malcolm in the middle of two genders

Imagine feeling like you were born in the wrong body, like maybe someone made a mistake. In the documentary entitled "Call Me Malcolm," viewers follow one man's struggle with spirituality, love, and gender identity.

Columnist's argument loses focus

I would like to respond to some of Katie Beczak's comments in her editorial piece "Protesting the protesters" (April 7). I think she has a good point in mind, but sadly she misses the mark.Ms. Beczak's argument starts out solid.

Paying for the future

Comprehensive fee hike charges students for the wrong reasonsAlthough the student comprehensive fee has increased religiously for the last eight years to improve campus conditions and services, this year's proposed increase will lighten undergrads' wallets without making an immediate impact on the students' college experience.The proposed 3.5 percent increase in the student comprehensive fee will bump the financial burden to over $800 a semester, but to make matters worse, more than half of the proposed fee increase will support elusive UB 2020 initiatives, a program designed to address future improvements in academic and civic engagement programs.The reality of this fee hike is that students will be spending more money for improvements that may not go into effect until after they cross the stage in cap and gown attire.

Ben Sargent Cartoon: 4.10.06

Schedule

BaseballTuesday: vs. Canisius, 2 p.m.W. TennisTuesday: at Akron, 1 p.m.M. TennisTuesday: vs. Niagara, 4 p.m.

"Don't bend, push back"

As you've probably read, The Spectrum has taken some potshots at UB Students Against Sweatshops in the past few issues.

Spitzer speaks at Center for the Arts

New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer made a call to arms at the Center for the Arts Saturday afternoon as part of a gubernatorial campaign stop at the New York State College Democrats Convention.His short appearance brought several rounds of applause from a group of about 75 College Democrats from schools across the state and other spectators as he spoke on politics, integrity in business and higher education."The reason we need a new generation is that ideas have the energy, by and large through our history, to come from folks who are recently out of college, who see the world in a different way, are willing to stand up to the status quo or willing to say, 'Wait a minute, we don't agree with you, and we're going to push that'," Spitzer said.There are two types of politicians, "those for whom politics is a profession and those for whom politics is a cause," according to the democratic hopeful for New York State Governor.

"Present a 'substantive argument,' not 'generalized attacks'"

I'd like to respond to Katie Beczak's article on Friday ("Protesting the protesters, April 7). It seems that the first people to speak out against the justice for janitors campaign are the same that have failed entirely to listen to and understand what we're saying.

'Thank You' cuts through the smokescreen

Smoking by the bricks before detention went out of style long ago, but that doesn't mean cigarettes aren't still at large.

"Last week, it was all Greek to UB"

The smell of paint in the Student Union last Monday morning meant only one thing: the start of Greek Week.

Bulls finish strong in Ohio

A broken school record and a national qualifier were just two of the achievements that the outdoor track and field team made while competing in last weekend's Miami Invitational.The Bulls left Rider Track in Oxford, OH with a second-place finish on the men's side and a fifth-place finish on the women's.Junior Roy Richards led the men's squad with an all-around performance, as he won the long jump, the 100-meter dash and ran the anchor leg on the winning 4-by-400-meter relay team for Buffalo.Richards proved he was back on top in the long jump with a leap of 24-3 3/4.

Spectrum Cartoon 4.10.06

Sidelines

Football first scrimmageThe football team had its first intra-squad scrimmage Saturday afternoon.

UB men's rugby experiences Ireland on and off the field

For the UB men's rugby team, who spent Spring Break in Ireland for an international tournament and were in Dublin on the weekend of St.

Researcher says not to discount the possibility of Bigfoot

This letter is in response to the March 27 story "Making ghosts of mysteries," in which paranormal investigator Ben Radford said there is a lack of solid evidence -- hair, blood, teeth, bones or bodies -- proving the existence of Bigfoot.On Bigfoot hair, I have some.

Speaker series gets the flu

While the bird flu is not a new medical dilemma, it certainly has been raising recent concern among the public.

Ten straight wins for Novaceanu

The women's tennis team raised the bar this weekend as sophomore Andrea Novaceanu broke the school record for most consecutive singles victories.