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MAC rankingsThe Mid-American Conference announced Saturday that the UB wrestling team shares a second-place ranking with Northern Illinois in MAC pre-season polls.

Gunmen rob Heights students in home invasion

A UB student and his roommates were robbed at gunpoint in their Minnesota Avenue home last Wednesday by five masked attackers, according to The Buffalo News.The robbers stole three cell phones and about $450 before running away.

"Fasting, feasts and family for Ramadan"

Before a single ray of sunlight rose above the horizon in the early hours last Tuesday, Muslim students at UB and around the world began their first day of fasting to mark the beginning of Ramadan.Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim calendar, is a time of worship and contemplation for the Islamic community, and is celebrated with thirty days of fasting from sunrise to sundown."Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam and a blessing that comes only once a year," said Viqar Hussain, president of the Muslim Student Association.

"Bumblers, developers and fans"

NYC threats expose Homeland SecurityGeorge W. Bush's terror speech to the nation last week was disappointing in light of the "specific threat" New York City's subway system faced.

UB alum heads 'the anti-Blockbuster'

Movie buffs who are frustrated that their only option for movie rentals are mainstream venues like Blockbuster or Hollywood Video need look no further than Mondo Video."We have all the movies Blockbuster doesn't carry.

Million-dollar men

With Hollywood superstars Matthew McConaughey and Al Pacino, "Two for the Money" isn't a gamble, but an automatic box-office success."Two for the Money" is a sentimental narrative about the sports gambling business intermixed with humorous accounts to keep movie watchers entertained.The film portrays the lives of gamblers and their addictions to alcohol, money and of course, betting.

Cross country runs victorious at UB Open

Running through the brisk air over the swampy ground of Beaver Island State Park can be nice this time of year.

The Holy Rollers

There is a dreaded knock at the door just as you're settling in for your third viewing of "The Lord of the Rings" movies.

Hull heats up Tuesday nights

Sweet, shoe-tapping sounds of jazz drift through the bar as people congregate with beers in hand.The romantic resonance of the saxophone fills the room.

Akron zips by UB in battle of ranked teams

It turns out the difference between two and 20 is three.Twentieth-ranked UB men's soccer fell 3-0 to the number-two ranked Akron Zips Friday in a rainy, penalty-leaden game at UB Stadium.The highly anticipated match-up was the first conference test for each squad, whose records are the best in the Mid-American Conference.The Zips (10-0, 1-0 MAC), who tout the two leading MAC scorers, landed their first two blows early as Ross Mackenzie scored at the 11:33 marker followed by an impressive goal from Sinisa Ubiparipovic from an indirect kick at 14:15.The Zips stuck to their style of play as they packed their defensive half of the field, stopping the Bulls (10-2 overall, 0-1 MAC) from a head-on attack while winning the midfield."It's their style to press themselves defensively and just win balls at midfield," said head coach John Astudillo.

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"Neither burning out, nor fading away"

For decades, Neil Young has tested, mixed and invented songs in his musical laboratory, creating some of the most revolutionary and prodigious compositions of the past half-century.The 60-year-old musical genius has temporarily ceased the experimentation and offered a straightforward, easy listening, candy-for-the-ears album in "Prairie Wind."Employing the time-tested formula, "Prairie Wind" is somewhere in the crosshairs of folk, country and rock that is reminiscent of Young's golden melodies from the 1972 release "Harvest" and its 1992 sequel "Harvest Moon.""The Grandfather of Grunge" has laid down the electric guitar and replaced extensive epic guitar solos with softly strummed acoustic country melodies."Falling Off the Face of the Earth" is a lighthearted hymn that's catchy enough to be deposited into one's memory bank and "It's a Dream" crescendos a collage of violins, light guitar riffs and Young's characteristic vocals that flow together to form a classic track.Many songs echo the Neil Young of old like "This Old Guitar," with its gentle guitar melody that pleasantly resembles "Harvest Moon." Comparisons can also be drawn between "Prairie Wind" and classic songs like "Helpless" and "You and Me" for their slow tempos and choral backgrounds.Along with the songs of life on the prairie, the album features overtly political songs like "When God Made Me," which Young played at the Live 8 concert, and "No Wonder" that reads a little like Bob Dylan's "Masters of War."The album is a carefree romp through outdoor life and the Canadian countryside but may be too delicate for those who crave Young's harder tunes.

Radical documentaries

Black activism has played a large role in shaping the history of this nation, even shedding light on the wrongdoings of America's past.Thursday night, the CFA screening room showed two new films in the third week of the Margaret Mead Traveling Film & Video Festival, both of which featured African-American stories relating the civil rights movement.The first film, Aaron Mathews' "A Panther in Africa" (2004) was the highlight of the night.

Fage chips in overtime win

For the UB women's soccer team, winning occasionally with their injured, patchwork team must feel just as rewarding as going undefeated with a stacked lineup.The women's soccer team left Homecoming Weekend with one win and one loss -- a rainy defeat on Friday preceding an overtime victory Sunday.Freshman forward Brooke McCalla jumped up to win a 50-50 ball during the second overtime in Sunday's game when she was fouled outside Northern Illinois' goal box.

"Bulls lead at half, collapse late"

If only the game had ended after the third quarter.A late comeback from the Akron Zips spoiled homecoming Saturday and a chance for UB to capture its first win of the season, as the home team fell 13-7 amid an ugly collapse of dropped passes, costly penalties, and crushing sacks of Bulls quarterback Drew Willy.Over 8,000 students, alumni, friends and family came together, thundersticks in hand, as the Bulls battled on the gridiron with Mid-American Conference rival Akron (3-2, 2-1 MAC) at UB stadium.

One loss among many after Katrina

As time passes after the destruction incurred by Hurricane Katrina, and life for those affected begins again, the stories of those who lived it start to surface.For Lori Eldridge, a fourth year UB graduate student working on her doctorate in anthropology, Hurricane Katrina was more than just another event in the news.

The big book of Buffalo history

A new work of art on display in the Capen Hall lobby isn't your regular "David" by Michelangelo.In fact, according to one UB professor, the whole idea behind the 2,000-pound bronze book, whose pages can actually be turned, is to rethink the very concept of public art."Public art today is very abstract," said Frank Fantauzzi, an associate professor in the UB department of architecture, who was the creative director for the project.

SAT essays create more questions than answers

UB officials have still yet to use the new SAT in their admissions process, despite all the national commotion about the addition of a writing section to arguably the most important standardized text in the country.Jennifer Hess, associate director of the office of admissions, said the new writing section would eventually be incorporated in the admissions process, but not yet.

Ben Sargent Cartoon: 10.10.05

UB professor makes underdog run at top Amherst job

This Election Day may bring with it the biggest upset in the history of Western New York politics: UB civil engineering professor Satish B.