OPINION
War on antipoverty
Mar. 6, 2014On Tuesday, Representative and House Budget Committee member Paul Ryan released a report attempting to discredit U.S.
Opinions
OPINION
Rebuilding the confidence of Sabres fans
Mar. 4, 2014Emotions and confusion stirred this weekend. The Buffalo Sabres traded goalie Ryan Miller and captain Steve Ott, and shortly thereafter President of Hockey Operations Pat LaFontaine resigned. Fans' emotions were justified - the confusion is unacceptable. The Sabres, continuing to press forward in their rebuild of the troubled team, traded mainstays Ott and Miller to the St.
OPINION
Crimean crisis calls for comprehensive solutions
Mar. 4, 2014The crisis in Crimea requires a strong and concerted response from the United States, for the sake of Ukrainians and this nation's foreign policy. Following violent anti-government protests that erupted after a failed deal in November between Ukraine and the European Union, former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych fled Kiev in late February.
OPINION
Just say 'yes' to regulating e-cigarettes
Mar. 2, 2014With the newest nicotine-delivery trend sweeping the nation, calls for common-sense regulation are both warranted and necessary. Last week, e-cigarette regulations burst upon the political stage of the western world.
OPINION
"Looking back, moving forward"
By SAM FERNANDO | Mar. 2, 2014Just before Christmas, one of my mother's best friends completed suicide. She was 64 years old and her birthday was the following week.
OPINION
Governor makes right call in maintaining food stamp benefits
Mar. 2, 2014The food security provided through the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) ensures a human right to members of an advanced democracy like the United States. SNAP is funded through federal farm bills that also fund protections and subsidies for farmers.
OPINION
Where are the students?
Feb. 27, 2014The University at Buffalo is a flagship university - the largest and most comprehensive campus in the 64-campus State University of New York system, with a student body head count of 29,117 students, of which 19,506 are undergraduates, with approximately 6,000 students living on campus.
OPINION
Understanding the past to change the future
By Chad Cooper | Feb. 27, 2014Wednesday night, I had the opportunity to photograph Mary Frances Berry and Diane Nash, who came to UB as part of the Distinguished Speakers Series.
OPINION
An eye for an eye makes the whole world undiplomatic
Feb. 27, 2014In an eye-for-an-eye diplomatic expulsion Tuesday, the United States set a dangerous precedent for pettiness. The Obama administration expelled three Venezuelan officials, giving them 48 hours to leave the United States.
OPINION
A lack of deliberation for significant action
Feb. 27, 2014Ignoring any notions of due diligence or reasonable debate, the Student Association Senate radically changed the way the organization is elected this week. The group unanimously passed six amendments, including one that will eliminate the distinction between on- and off-campus representatives in the Senate - and all this in under an hour. Eliminating the distinction between on- and off-campus senators means all senators could theoretically be on-campus students, removing any representation for off-campus students. The situation isn't as unlikely as it may sound at first blush. Ending the distinction means there is no longer a requirement for an equal number of on- and off-campus senators.
OPINION
Understanding the past to change the future
By Chad Cooper | Feb. 27, 2014Wednesday night, I had the opportunity to photograph Mary Frances Berry and Diane Nash, who came to UB as part of the Distinguished Speakers Series.
OPINION
The SAFE Act lives up to its name
Feb. 25, 2014The trial for the first New Yorker charged under the state's SAFE Act, which introduced much-needed common sense gun control legislation to New York just over a year ago, starts next week. Benjamin Wassell, a resident of Western New York, was arrested and charged after "selling illegally modified semi-automatic rifles" to an undercover police officer, according to theAssociated Press. Wassell had made illegal value-increasing alterations to the guns and sold one to an undercover officer, even after being told he was a felon for domestic violence. The provisions under which Wassell was charged, which limit the size of gun clips and prohibit felons from owning guns, are reasonable and responsible laws for any modern state. With his trial approaching, support for the veteran and father has surged.
OPINION
Military spending in a time of austerity
Feb. 25, 2014Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's proposed military spending cuts should not be made on the backs of our service members. Hagel presented a military budget to Congress on Monday, which he said "recognizes the reality of the magnitude of our fiscal challenges." Proposed cuts include trimming the Army to 450,000 members - the smallest number since before World War II - while reallocating funds toward cyberwarfare and special operations and making significant compensation reductions. At half a trillion dollars annually, the budget for 2015 and subsequent years remains a mammoth of governmental expenditures.
OPINION
The G.M.O. you didn't know
Feb. 23, 2014The cornerstone of our capitalist market, for better or worse, is consumer choice. And choice is meaningless if consumers are not able to make informed decisions. The debate over genetically modified organisms (G.M.O.'s) used in our foods has been long and controversial with those decrying "frankenfood" railing against those portraying the process as the savior from food shortages and high food prices. The battle over labeling these foods has been gaining significant traction in recent weeks, with states like Colorado putting labeling initiatives on their ballots for the upcoming elections. The process of genetically modifying food involves introducing new genes into foods for perceived benefits, such as drought-resistance, improved nutritional value and the ability to withstand herbicides. While these are doubtlessly beneficial for consumers' pocketbooks and farmers' finances, there has been long-standing opposition to G.M.O.'s and questions regarding its impact on health. The science has remained generally inconclusive, leading to claims that research doesn't demonstrate the safety of G.M.O.'s. But a recent effort by Italian researchers who cataloged 1,783 studies of G.M.O.
OPINION
"State's relocation of sex offenders to near local park is unjustifiable
Feb. 23, 2014Sex offenders belong nowhere near a town park frequented by local children, and though the move might be legal, the state has no moral authority to place them there. Nearly 300 residents of West Seneca furiously protested on Saturday, reacting to the relocation of seven developmentally disabled sex offenders to two group homes in a neighborhood in the relatively small town just south of Buffalo. The protesters are justifiably unhappy.
OPINION
Freeway under fire
Feb. 20, 2014An iconic Buffalo landmark has come under criticism from an outside group, though it's one that fails to appreciate the rich and complex history of this city. Last week, a Congress for New Urbanism (CNU) report titled "10 Freeways Without a Future" included the Buffalo skyway as a highway in need of demolition. The report referred to the freeway as an eyesore that "mars public views" of the waterfront, citing that "41,500 vehicles per day" cross the corridor, before going on to call it "blighted" and "obsolete." What is missing is a clear, vetted proposal for what would replace the skyway, though a Department of Transportation (DOT) review of the bridge's future is underway. The CNU report made no mention of many benefits the skyway has offered, particularly for the drivers of those 41,000-plus vehicles.
OPINION
Breaking barriers to nuclear power
Feb. 20, 2014Tackling climate change and reducing carbon emissions begins with dismissing outmoded ways of thinking, including fears about nuclear energy. Yesterday, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz announced a $6.5 billion loan deal between the Obama administration and the Alvin W.
OPINION
A good start to a continuing problem
By JORDAN OSCAR | Feb. 20, 2014The U.S. penitentiary system creates a vicious cycle that never ends: people go to prison, serve their time, get released and can't find jobs as convicted felons - many wind up back in jail. This pattern isn't just destructive to communities throughout the country.
OPINION
Mergers and acquisitions of power
Feb. 18, 2014A deal proposed last week threatens to kill any notion that Americans still believe in competitive capitalism. Just in time for Valentine's Day, Comcast wooed Time Warner Cable (TWC) and investors by offering $45.2 billion to purchase the company.
