News

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The Game on top of his own

As the term dynasty becomes increasingly relevant to the world of sports, fashion and unfortunately even American politics, it is no small surprise that the popular concept would manifest itself in the world of hip-hop.Just as the New England Patriots begin to enjoy the prestigious title, it seems that the Shady/Aftermath camp has also recently concreted their status as mainstream hip-hop's newest juggernaut with their release of the newest G-Unit member debut album, The Game's "The Documentary."On "The Documentary," the Compton-based G-Unit delegate utilizes a formula for success similar to that of his Shady/Aftermath predecessors 50 Cent and Eminem, delivering an emotional lyrical autobiography, accompanied by the best production the industry has to offer, with beats composed by Dr. Dre, Kanye West, Timbaland and Just Blaze.The lyrical content on "The Documentary" moves in several different directions, keeping listeners interested.

Ben Sargent Cartoon: 2.9.05

Corrections

Monday's edition said the women's swimming and diving team did not beat a single Bowling Green athlete in a meet held on Feb.

Rock and rhyme wreck

El Pus is a self-proclaimed fusion of rap and punk from Atlanta, whose lyrics embody none of the raw passion associated with those genres of music.

Sidelines

Fork in the roadThis past weekend, the men's tennis team earned a split on the road, falling to national powerhouse Western Michigan and defeating Xavier, another highly regarded program.The 5-2 Broncos quickly showed why the road to Mid-American Conference supremacy goes through Kalamazoo, as they trampled the Bulls 7-0, sweeping all the matches.

Fee items should be optional

One of the prevailing themes by the some of the administration and students at UB regarding The Spectrum's Metro article ("Talks on free Metro passes move slowly," Feb.

The beer and the dream

As you may recall, last week I covered a few topics that I would like to see pondered or changed in the world, followed by a shout out to Pistons forward Rasheed Wallace.There are a few more changes I'd like to make, and I guarantee that steroids, SUVs and Mark Kelso will all be covered in full.Baseball players doing steroids.Is it possible?

"Amid violence, Sphere owner looks to sell complex"

In the wake of a number of violent incidents, including the stabbing of a UB student two weeks ago, the owners of the Sphere Entertainment Complex have announced they will be selling the popular downtown venue.Michael Slyder, the chief financial officer of the Sphere, said he and his business partner, Joseph Guagliardo, both of whom also own Marcella's, have considered selling since as early as September.The process has been accelerated, though, as a result of the negative press the Sphere has received in regards to a number of violent incidents that have occurred near the downtown club, Slyder said."This move is largely in response to the media's reaction to the random acts of violence that have occurred outside of our facility," Slyder said.

"Clippers, poets and gardens"

Jazz is the invigorating answer for at least a few Buffalo musicians and patrons.A mature quartet of Dixieland jazz musicians called the Nickel City Clippers were jammin' up and down the aisles of the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens Sunday.The weekly free event was part of an ongoing series entitled Concerts in the Conservatory and opened with about an hour of poetry readings from local poets.

Proposal could hike med school tuition

This is part one of a two-part series that will look at the medical school's tuition hike plan.When the New York legislature votes on the state budget later this spring, it will also be voting on a proposal that might require all SUNY medical students to pay out-of-state tuition if they don't agree to work in a needy area of New York state.The plan does not specify how long the students would have to work in an "underserved" part of the state to qualify for the in-state tuition, but students would be required to work there right after they graduate, according to David Brooks, the student representative on the UB Council.Brooks, who is a medical student, said that medical students statewide are scrambling to fight the tuition hike plan.

Bhangra club gets ready for big competition

Looking to make a splash in Buffalo's cultural scene this weekend, UB's Bhangra dance club will host the first-ever Bhangra Blizzard Dance Competition on Saturday night with teams from across the East Coast competing at the Center for the Arts.The Bhangra club is only about a year old now, but event organizers hope Saturday's competition will mark something of a breakout for the group.While the club does emphasize the bhangra style, the group is also dedicated to promoting other types of Indian dance from the excitedly fast-paced to the soothingly slow, according to group members.Rena Malik, the president of UB Bhangra, said the club is looking forward to bringing the art of bhangra to the university community with its first competition."Bhangra is a type of North Indian dance that originates from the state of Punjab, which is often recognized from the song by Jay-Z and Punjabi MC, Beware of the Boys," Malik said.Though the competition is Saturday, the Bhangra Blizzard 2005 festivities start Friday night with a dinner at South Campus' Harriman Hall.

Rhyme and Rhyson

The timeless sounds of Marvin Gaye waft through the room as Rhyson Hall cautiously measures his words before he speaks, and when his words come out they are earnest and endearing.

Scoreboard

M. BasketballTuesday:Buffalo85WMU79W. BasketballMonday:WMU70Buffalo58

Defaulting on borrowed hopes

Buried deep in President Bush's 2006 budget proposal is a seemingly small number that could have big implications for UB students.

Schedule

W. BasketballWednesday: at EMU, 7 p.m.

"Bulls battle back, beat Broncos"

Despite the inability to consistently knock down a free throw, the UB men's basketball team (14-7 overall, 7-6 Mid-American Conference) was able to outlast Western Michigan University, beating the Broncos by a final score of 85-79.With the victory, the Bulls were only the second team in the last two and a half years to walk out of University Arena in Kalamazoo, Mich.

Locked out by greed

In a parallel universe, in which good faith tempers greed and unconditional love is rewarded, the Washington Capitals would be coming to town to play the Sabres Thursday night.There would be vicious hits, miracle saves and elegant breakaway goals.

Stranded at the border

Ideals of freedom, rule of law and minority rights are what inspired Sawsan Tabbaa, a clinical assistant and instructor of orthodontics at UB, to come to the United States.But an experience she had returning to America from Canada over winter break following a conference in Toronto made her seriously question if those ideals were more than just words.Officials stopped Tabbaa and her family for interrogation, and held them for three or four hours along with about 40 other Muslim-Americans without explanation, she said.Dr. Tabbaa's son, Hassan Shibly, a freshman political science major at UB, was one of the detainees, and sat with Tabbaa as she recounted her experience.As she approached the United States border via the Peace Bridge at 2 a.m.

Bulls lose focus and succumb to Western Michigan

After breaking a five-game losing streak last Tuesday at Akron, the Bulls looked to Monday night's home game against the Western Michigan Broncos for their second win in a row, a feat the young team has not managed to accomplish this season.However, the Bulls (4-16 overall, 2-7 Mid-American Conference) lost their intensity and focus late in the game, eventually falling to the Broncos (8-14, 5-6 MAC), 70-58."Western Michigan didn't do anything different in the second half than they did in the first half," said Bulls' head coach Cheryl Dozier.

Students get word out on health issues

Fifty-two percent of Buffalonians who die from AIDS are African American, and according to the members of the Black Student Union, the more people who know that fact, the better."We're trying to shed light about diseases that affect the African American community, especially AIDS, where African Americans are one of the highest races affected," said Simone Hicks, president of the Black Student Union.Aiming to increase awareness of the diseases that affect the black community, the BSU along with the NAACP and Omega Psi Phi pooled their energy and resources on Tuesday for a health fair in the Student Union in the spirit of Black History Month.Event organizers offered free and confidential HIV testing, with results available on the spot, and with more than 30 students taking the initiative to get tested, the overwhelming message of the health fair seemed to be heard loud and clear."A lot of people in America, especially the youth, are suffering from HIV, so it's just so important to get yourself tested," said Sharee Hereford, vice president of the UB NAACP.