News

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The Future Is Now

In a town where a consistent sports team is at a premium these days, UB students have hope on the horizon, as the men's basketball team has shown flashes of brilliance this season.Although the words "flashes of brilliance" are generally associated with teams above .500, most victory-starved UB fans say they will take just about anything these days.UB Alumnus Greg Nowicki ('90) thinks that this is the best Bulls team he's seen since his years as a student:"Over the last five years in the conference, I've seen the program develop pretty rapidly," said Nowicki on Saturday afternoon.

Softball Opens With Split

The Buffalo Bulls softball season officially began this weekend in Athens, Ga., where Buffalo looked to take a bite out of the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association's seventh-ranked Georgia Bulldogs.They never did get a shot at the Bulldogs due to poor weather, but were still able to play on Friday against both Virginia Tech and Appalachian State.The season got off to an auspicious start as the Bulls were smoked 5-0 by the Hokies, but they were able to come back and win the second game against ASU by a score of 6-5.UB's invitational games began Friday afternoon against Virginia Tech, where the Bulls seemed as unfamiliar with their opponent as they did with the Athens climate.The Hokies' Megan Evans had an RBI in the bottom of the first inning to draw first blood and continued her hot streak to the sixth inning, cranking out a lead-off home run to extend the lead to 2-0.The sixth inning certainly proved to be the climatic stretch of the game as Caitlin Murphy brought home two additional runs and RBI single from Kelly Brown gave the Hokies a comfortable 5-0 lead that held up to be the games final score.The Bulls were unable to conjure any type of offense, managing only three total hits in the game, two from senior Dominique Jones.

Sidelines

MAC StandingsBuffalo's 75-66 victory over the Chippewas on Saturday afternoon kept them in a three-way tie for third place in the Mid-American Conference East Division with a record of 6-7.

Better Than Stick Figures 2.16.04

Feedback Letters Missed their Points

The Feb. 13 issue of The Spectrum featured feedback letters that both missed the point of their respective issues.In his letter on file sharing, Eric Tower missed much of the deeper meaning that contained within George Zornick's column.

Upcoming Games

Local Pro TeamsBuffalo SabresMonday: vs. Atlanta, 2 p.m. (Empire)

Different 'Tones' for Fleck at the CFA

On Wednesday night, there was a great concert and nobody came.Banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck and Grammy Award-winning bassist Edgar Meyer stopped by the Center for the Arts to play two one-hour sets of acoustic, and entirely instrumental, music.Although Wednesday night's gig marked Fleck's sixth annual show at the CFA, only a little more than half the seats in the Mainstage Theater were occupied.

"Music for Dance, Music for Attitude"

MTV's superstar DJ Skribble plays commercial pop, progressive house, hypnotic trance, thumping techno, hip hop beats - whatever vibes the crowd feeds him.All in one set.

Heil Peace!

For those of you who don't know by now, Adolf Hitler has been nominated for the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize.

Upcoming Games

BuffaloM. BasketballSaturday: vs. Central Michigan, 3 p.m.W. BasketballSaturday: vs. Akron, 1 p.m.M.

Music through the Scope of Human Emotion: Kafka

Much like an exotic dish, the enjoyment of classical music typically falls into the two categories of complete love and utter distaste.At the beginning of Tuesday night's faculty recital at Slee Hall, there were representations of both categories in attendance.Slowly, as the music progressed, the crowd thinned and only the enthusiasts remained.

Committee Appointed to Investigate Obscenity

The response to the Super Bowl halftime show by lawmakers is misguided and a waste of time and money.

The Sharpest Point: Who's Next to Get Off of the Coaching Carousel

The security of a head coach's job has never been in a greater state of flux these days, so naturally we decided to throw a "who's next" question at this week's contestants.Joe Torre.

Away Messages and the Art of Storytelling

Dehlia Bailey loves a good away message.When the senior communication major signs on to AOL Instant Messenger each day, she makes it her goal to see what all her friends are up to"I read everyone's away messages," the senior communication major said.

UB Bioinformatics Spreads to Local High Schools

Most students who walk through Norton past the displayed jewels of the Center for Computational Research wonder just what happens inside those rooms.Despite the impressive aura of the CCR computer cluster, UB students are bringing the mysterious science it unlocks to a decidedly non-expert audience - high school students.Recently, the center has developed a high school curriculum that introduces the emerging field of bioinformatics to local secondary schools."The goal of the program is to introduce (bioinformatics) to the teachers who introduce this to the students, and then we reach the whole school," said Thomas Furlani, co-director of the CCR.Furlani said the new class originated from a two-week long summer program.

Better Than Stick Figures : 2.13.04

Bulls Fall by Four to East-Leading Flashes

Buffalo's game Wednesday night at Kent State's M.A.C. Center can be described in a few ways.First and foremost, it was "loud.""That may have been about the loudest we've ever heard a crowd," said Bulls' head coach Reggie Witherspoon.

Sidelines

MAC StandingsDespite a Mid-American Conference record of 9-11 after Wednesday night's loss in Kent State, the UB men's basketball team is still in third place in the MAC East and in the runnings for a home playoff game.The Bulls trail the 11-1 Flashes and 8-4 RedHawks in the East, but still play both of those teams twice.

No Fall at Slippery Rock for Bulls Wrestling

Although it seems improbable, there are a number of reasons why the UB wrestlers are now 11-4 (1-2 Mid-American Conference) on the 2003-04 season.Their high-intensity workouts, a tightly knit team and athletes unafraid to step up to win at meets are all part of the formula that has produced Buffalo's recent success.This formula was at work again Tuesday night and it produced a staggering victory at Slippery Rock, Pa.

Scoreboard

BuffaloM. BasketballWednesday: