News

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African Countries Represent at Jambo Pageant

Harriman Hall on South Campus was transformed into UB's own slice of Africa Saturday night, as about 100 students packed the hall for the African Student Association's annual Jambo cultural dinner and pageant.Combining African pride and talent, each contestant from African SA represented the country of his or her choice to compete for the title of Mr. and Mrs. Jambo 2004.According to African SA Secretary Mary Ademola, the word Jambo means "welcome," a perfect fit for the warm atmosphere of the event.Before the pageant, dinner was served in the style of several African cultural groups.

Spiraling Out of Control

The UB women's basketball team can count on Jessica Kochendorfer to turn in an excellent performance every time they go out.This year's problem, however, is that as good as Kochendorfer's effort is, it has usually not been nearly enough for the beleaguered Bulls.

Upcoming Games

BuffaloW. BasketballTuesday: vs. Ohio, 7 p.m.

Stumbling Out of the Gates

The UB women's tennis team dropped two consecutive matches at the Village Glen Tennis Center this weekend against Mid-American Conference opponents, the Bowling Green Falcons and the Ball State Cardinals.Buffalo (4-4, 0-2 MAC) opened the weekend on Friday with a loss against the Bowling Green Falcons (7-4, 1-0 MAC) by a final score of 4-3.UB started the match strong, as doubles pair Miglena Nenova and Kristen Ortman earned their 12th doubles win of the season by knocking off BGSU's Susie Schoenberger and Andrea Meister 8-1.

Crowd Salutes Kerry

A shout went up from a line of people curled around the Ellicott Square Building Sunday afternoon as John Kerry drove by, waving, in a black Chevy Suburban, escorted by police vehicles.And when he walked into the glassy atrium of the downtown Buffalo office building, Kerry was greeted by over 500 Western New Yorkers chanting, "Kerry!

DDR: Weird Hobby or Dance Revolution?

Every Monday night at 8p.m., the flag room in the union is noisy with the sounds of familiar songs and the voices of students enjoying their time playing a video game that is attracting many people on campus.Like some video games, points are earned, music is played and everything is displayed on a television screen.

What's the Difference?

It's no secret that the Bulls are one of the best turnaround stories in the nation. From a 5-23 2003 season to a 14-11 record thus far is a pretty big leap.

Better Than Stick Figures 3.1.04

Sidelines

Track and FieldThe UB men's and women's indoor track and field teams competed in the Mid-American Conference Championships this past weekend, with Buffalo sophomore Sarah Vance taking home the MAC shot put championship at the Bob Parks Indoor Track at Eastern Michigan on Saturday.Vance's winning throw went 48 feet and two inches, six whole inches further than Ashley Morrow's (Northern Illinois) second place throw.Eastern Michigan continued their dominance of the championships, as the men took home the overall title for a stunning ninth-straight year.

Super Tuesday in New York

It is very unfortunate that voters in New York State will not have a full range of candidates to choose from.

Scoreboard

BuffaloM. BasketballSaturday: Buffalo87Miami (OH)73W. BasketballSaturday: Miami (OH)98Buffalo71BaseballSaturday: Georgetown8Buffalo1Saturday: Georgetown7Buffalo3Sunday: Georgetown10Buffalo0Sunday: Georgetown10Buffalo2SoftballAt Frost ClassicFriday: Alabama6Buffalo 3Friday: Wisconsin4Buffalo 2Saturday: Buffalo5Tennessee-Chattanooga1Saturday: Tennessee Tech4Buffalo1Sunday: Buffalo2North Texas1Sunday: Tennessee-Martin2Buffalo1W.

Cold Start to Frost Classic

A chilly three-game losing skid is what the UB softball team (3-5) endured when they kicked off host Tennessee-Chattanooga's Frost Classic on Friday in Tennessee.The Bulls lost their two opening games on Friday, when they were defeated by the ninth-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide 6-3, and Wisconsin Badgers 4-2.Alabama was up 6-0 before Buffalo could smell home plate and rally for three runs.Breanne Nasti put the Bulls on the board with a sixth-inning, three-run home run blast.Jennifer Wright struck out 10 Buffalo batters while only allowing three hits in her complete game.

"Officials Hope Lectures, Contest Will Spark Interest"

Sheltered by a ring of highways in Amherst, the UB campus can be all but invisible to many Western New York high school students.But through a lecture series on emerging fields and a poetry contest that is attracting national interest, the College of Arts and Sciences is attempting to change that.Uday Sukhatme, the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, is hoping the Cutting Edge Lecture Series, which begins Saturday, will spark the interest of local students."The Cutting Edge Lecture Series is intended to showcase the wide spectrum of cutting edge research activities in the College of Arts and Sciences," Sukhatme said.

A 'D'oh' By Any Other Name

Imagine William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" as a one-man show. Now imagine that one man performing the play in the voices of over 40 "The Simpsons" characters.The result is Canadian actor Rick Miller's entertaining, but often cluttered, "MacHomer," which came to the Center for the Arts Mainstage Theater on Friday night.The show is not a straightforward performance of "Macbeth." Rather, Miller picks and chooses specific lines from the play, while paraphrasing other parts in character.Entering in a Shakespearean costume through an alcove set in front of an oversized television screen, Miller started off with limitless zeal and kept it going throughout the entire show.A show like "MacHomer" relies heavily on the actor's ability to faithfully reproduce the famous voices of the "Simpsons" cast, and Miller's talent varies depending on which character he chooses.Certain impressions, like those of Mr. Burns (as Duncan), Marge (as Lady MacHomer), Barney (as MacDuff) and Flanders (as Banquo) are outstanding.

More Fun than a Barrel of Mud

For those who enjoyed eating mud pies in the first grade and would like to brush up on their volleyball skills, Oozfest season can't get here fast enough.Sign-ups have begun for the April 24 competition and organizers recommend that interested students register as soon as possible since space is limited.Now in its 20th season, Oozfest is one of the largest mud-volleyball competitions across the nation, according to 2004 co-chair Rachel Nashett, a sophomore environmental studies and political science major."This is going to be even bigger and better than last year," said co-chair Ruth Kleinman, a junior psychology and sociology double major.Originally designed as a stress-reliever for students before finals, the University Student Alumni Board's Oozfest has become one of UB's time-honored student-run traditions.Because this is Oozfest's 20th anniversary, the theme is "Almost Legal" and organizers are considering a number of fitting activities including root beer pong.

RedHawks Snatch Third Straight Championship

Miami University (OH) flutter kicked, dove and flew past the competition during last weekend's Mid-American Conference Championships held in Oxford, Ohio.

Sidelines

The Sharpest PointDue to the gravity of UB's victory over Kent State, this week's installment of The Sharpest Point will be postponed until next Friday when "Pog Collecting" Paul Feuer wages war with "Bombastic" Brian Weinstein.The first round is nearly complete, with only two matches remaining before the second round commences with the eight remaining contestants.Spectrum Athlete of the WeekDaniel Gilbert, Yassin Idbihi, Calvin Cage and Turner Battle all share this week's Spectrum Athlete of the Week award.It was nearly impossible to pick one, because all four provided huge performances for the Bulls that were integral to the victory.Battle nearly had a triple-double while playing 40 minutes, Gilbert dropped in 22 on 8-11 shooting, Cage scored 18 points and Idbihi shot a jaw-dropping 4-4 from 3-point land.

Upcoming Games

BuffaloM. BasketballSaturday: at Miami of Ohio, 4 p.m.W. BasketballSaturday: at Miami of Ohio, 4 p.m.BaseballSaturday: at Georgetown (DH), noonSunday: at Georgetown (DH), noonSoftballAt Frost ClassicFriday: vs.

Reader Disagrees with Feedback on 'Jenin'

The murder of innocent civilians is wrong, no matter of circumstances. To those Palestinian civilians that were killed during Operation Defensive Shield in Jenin, I am sorry.

Bulls Win without the Music

The UB men's tennis team may be without Randy Rocchio, who was injured and missed this Wednesday's match in Rochester, but the Bulls were able to overcome the loss of their best player to defeat the University of Rochester by a score of 5-2.Rocchio, one half of UB's self-titled "Rock and Roll" doubles tandem injured his elbow and may be out for a prolonged amount of time."We don't know quite yet as to the extent of how long he'll be out," said head coach Russ Crispell.