OPINION
Spreading the Buffalo Billion around
Apr. 6, 2014Buffalo is finally receiving the $1 billion committed to redevelopment projects promised by Gov. Andrew M.
Opinions
OPINION
"As Rwanda pursues reconciliation, let's not forget to remember "
By TRESS KLASSEN | Apr. 6, 2014Twenty years ago Monday, Hutu extremists, armed with machetes and machine guns, began killing their neighbors.
OPINION
From a door ajar to an open floodgate
Apr. 3, 2014Any illusion of a government by, for and of the people was put to death Wednesday by five Supreme Court justices.
OPINION
"Thank you, Kurt Cobain "
By JOE KONZE JR | Apr. 3, 2014There was a silver external hard drive that my mom found when she helped me clean out my room the summer before I left for college in 2010. Neither of us knew what was on it.
OPINION
"Know when to let go: Love announces a Cobain musical is ""very likely"""
By MEGAN WEAL | Apr. 3, 2014Let's think about Kurt Cobain. This year marks the 20th anniversary of his still questioned death - his joining the 27 Club. He was universally considered the ultimate personification of the bad-boy rebel. His problem-riddled, drug-fueled life was heavily publicized as he and his band, Nirvana, catapulted to fame. His face now appears on commercialized t-shirts worn idly by teenage girls, unaware of the struggle and pain etched into every photograph and corresponding remake. Now, the story of his fragile and unstable life is being pitched to become a musical. In 2012, Cobain's former wife, Courtney Love, shunned all rumored ideas of a musical to one side by stating that some things are best left alone.
OPINION
Losing the lead among top minority and disadvantaged students
Apr. 3, 2014Imagine entering high school among the top quarter of your class in reading and math, only to have a lower GPA, SAT and ACT at the end of your tenure there. The counter-intuitive result is the reality for tens of thousands of minority and socioeconomically disadvantaged students across the country, according to a new study released by The Education Trust this month. Following a reading and math exam administered by The Education Trust, students scoring in the top quartile were labeled "high achieving." These students were then tracked throughout high school.
OPINION
Road to a poorly selected Fest paved with good intentions
Apr. 1, 2014The Spring Fest 2014 lineup, chosen and organized by the Student Association, draws some immediate questions, including but not limited to: Who are these bands?
OPINION
The billion-dollar blues
By BRIAN WINDSCHITL | Apr. 1, 2014Let me first say that I am in no way a "bracketologist." My expertise of March Madness includes skimming the match-up overviews that pop up on my computer with the click of a button as I sit and pick my tourney winners. I, as they say, dabble in college basketball. But this year, my interest in March Madness increased exponentially when Quicken Loans teamed up with Warren Buffett to offer $1 billion to whoever can somehow craft the mythological perfect bracket. Now, I may not be the most enthusiastic, well-versed fan of college basketball, but I would definitely not be complaining about an extra billion dollars in my ever-dwindling bank account.
OPINION
(Local) food is (local) culture
Apr. 1, 2014Drop the dining hall dishes and Student Union tedium. Western New York's Local Restaurant Week offers the perfect opportunity to venture off campus and away from mundane mediocrity. WNY's Local Restaurant Week is a biannual event that runs in the early spring, when restaurant attendance tends to sag.
OPINION
Every season is beer season
By ANTHONY HILBERT | Apr. 1, 2014As the Buffalo winter melts into spring, it's time to celebrate the season as you'd welcome any other long-awaited arrival - with good times accompanied by good brews. Spring beers bring the sweet, complex and floral tastes that are strongly evocative of the flower buds pushing through the earth again and warmer days to come.
OPINION
"TM' - The Match: How I Met Your Mother finale disappoints many fans, but is only sensible ending"
By OWEN O'BRIEN | Apr. 1, 2014Warning: This article contains spoilers. It may not have been the ending we wanted, but it was the one Ted Mosby needed. I wish I could say I was shocked while reading mostly outrage when searching
OPINION
"Banks, not Buffalonians, need to shoulder burden of abandoned homes"
Mar. 30, 2014The City of Buffalo is being overrun by 'zombie' foreclosures, with the problem spreading from depressed urban areas into suburbs in the region.
OPINION
All politics - and political contributions - are local
Mar. 30, 2014Distorted campaign contributions by a wealthy, politically active duo may be coming to a local election near you, courtesy of the Americans for Prosperity (AFP) super PAC funded by David and Charles Koch. The billionaire barons are infamous for their political proclivities, often articulated through huge campaign contributions to right-wing and industry-friendly candidates.
OPINION
Report lists Buffalo-Niagara as deeply income-segregated Metro
Mar. 27, 2014Buffalo-Niagara Falls has been rated the seventh most income-segregated metropolitan area in the United States. As part of an ongoing series in The Atlantic, noted urban studies theorist Richard Florida spoke to a rapidly growing trend in large American metros - segregation by income group.
OPINION
"But first, let me take a selfie"
By MEGAN WEAL | Mar. 27, 2014Tilt your head a fraction of an inch to the side, find the right balance between a pout and a smile, lift your cheekbones and widen your eyes before pressing the button, adding a filter and clicking upload. I just searched #selfie on Instagram and 91,357,684 posts popped up in return. If we stop and think about it, that's pretty weird. If social media didn't exist, people wouldn't walk around handing out photos of themselves to others.
OPINION
Transparency and cooperation 'outside president's purview'
Mar. 27, 2014With a proverbial shrug of the shoulders and turn of the cheek,
OPINION
Embracing what scares you
By SAM FERNANDO | Mar. 27, 2014On Wednesday, Dr. Sanjay Gupta spent the evening telling the crowd at Alumni Arena stories about his experiences as a journalist and doctor. One story in particular stuck with me. When Diana Nyad was 29 years old, the long-distance swimmer failed in her attempt to swim from Cuba to Florida - 110 miles.
OPINION
"Bulls, fans pay the price for athletic director's failure"
Mar. 25, 2014A cohesive team, strong senior players and momentum from improving performance in past years were all squandered in Cleveland because of poor leadership.
OPINION
The 'experience'
By EMMA JANICKI | Mar. 25, 2014Location, location, location: the mantra of real estate agents. What does 'location' mean for a college student? Where you choose to live is an integral part of your 'college experience.' It can determine how involved you are on campus, who your friends are, where you hang out and what you do in your spare time.
OPINION
A family member's love can last a lifetime
By JOE KONZE JR | Mar. 25, 2014You can't turn back time. It's impossible. There is no technology, no magic potion, no genie popping out of a lamp to grant you one wish. There isn't a Monopoly-style 'do-over' or 'roll-again' like your parents might have given you when you landed on a space that ran you into bankruptcy. What you choose to do with the time you are given in your lifespan is something that I thought about as I sat on the couch in my grandma's apartment in Panama City, Fla., last week during Spring Break. The aroma of fresh garlic and ground beef filled the kitchen as she stirred the metal pot that was filled with her famous sauce. While this was going on, I contemplated how many times she had made sauce, how many family dinners she had made and how much love she had put into that sauce no matter how tired or how sick she was of making it. When I was younger, anytime I lost track of what day of the weekend it was, I would simply walk into the kitchen of my grandma's house and smell the aroma of famous sauce. Instantly, I knew it was Sunday, and we were all getting together as a family.
