Opinions - The Spectrum

OPINION

Comme des Carson - Mend your mainstream mistakes

Nov. 17, 2013

Editor's note: This article is satirical and is not meant to be taken literally. Dear Carson, As the resident hipster at The Spectrum, you are the omniscient presence that guides a massive readership into the realm of new-wave original swag, holding our hands in unity in a band of defiance before the mainstream with a PBR-can wizard staff the size of Gandalf's member - do you get offended when someone else tries to take on that role?

OPINION

WIVB fails in reporting on the Heights

Nov. 14, 2013

Students being robbed at gunpoint - some being burglarized inside their homes; innumerable housing violations; the University Police not having jurisdiction to patrol the neighborhood; scores of students and community members distraught over the university not doing enough to combat horrid living conditions. These are just some of the stories media outlets in Buffalo should be paying attention to regarding the University Heights neighborhood.

OPINION

The LAX shooter is a terrorist. So let's start calling him that.

By MOHAMMED SHARIFF | Nov. 14, 2013

On Nov. 1, Paul A. Ciancia walked into the Los Angeles International Airport with an assault rifle and opened fire.

OPINION

A vital way to help low-income college students

Nov. 14, 2013

In a recent opinion piece in The New York Times, Sandy Baum, an economist at George Washington University, Kristin Conklin, a founding partner in HCM Strategists, and Nate Johnson, a consultant at Postsecondary Analytics, address the problems regarding federal Pell Grants. In "Stop Penalizing Poor College Students," they write: "The problem is that the program provides support for only 12 credit hours per term, which the government defines as full time for financial aid purposes." It is certainly true that this makes it more difficult for recipients of Pell Grants to graduate in four years.

OPINION

An intellectually fruitful evening with Malcolm Gladwell

By AARON MANSFIELD | Nov. 14, 2013

A perfect day for Malcolm Gladwell is one in which he does not say a word to anyone until after dinner.

OPINION

A perversion of protocol

Nov. 12, 2013

Two weeks ago, when Jonathan Martin left the Miami Dolphins for reasons due to emotional distress, many people jumped to conclusions.

OPINION

Calamity in the Philippines

Nov. 12, 2013

It was just over a year ago that America saw the damage caused to the Mid-Atlantic coastal states by Hurricane Sandy.

OPINION

Remembering the signal amidst the noise

Nov. 10, 2013

As the Obama administration continues to face intense criticism over the rollout of the Affordable Care Act, now is an important time to remember the purpose behind health care reform. There is no denying, though, that the president was wrong to misrepresent how implementation of the ACA would affect all consumers.

OPINION

An economic fallacy

Nov. 10, 2013

Last Tuesday, New York voters made a mistake by passing a referendum allowing seven private casinos to be added throughout the state.

OPINION

We 'hear America singing'

Nov. 7, 2013

Everything that was expected to happen on Tuesday did. Chris Christie won for reelection handily in New Jersey; Terry McAuliffe edged off Kenneth Cuccinelli II narrowly in Virginia; and, for the first time in 20 years, a Democrat will be the mayor of New York City with Bill de Blasio's landslide electoral victory. So what does this all mean? Regardless of how premature it is for commentators and strategists to speculate on the 2016 presidential elections this early, we all do it.

OPINION

A winning strategy

Nov. 7, 2013

On Tuesday night, the UB football team faced one of its biggest games in years. With a national audience watching on ESPN2 and expectations as high as they've ever been, the Bulls came through - they won by 27 points. As Buffalo football continues to labor toward its ultimate goal, a MAC championship, what has been a constant this season, more so than in the past, is the sustained and spirited support of its fans.

OPINION

Time for everyone to catch on: Neutz is the real deal

By AARON MANSFIELD | Nov. 6, 2013

On a night when there were so many things to take away - Buffalo improving to 7-2 and 5-0 in conference play, Branden Oliver popping off for a Division IA school record 249 yards, the Bulls thoroughly dominating an impressive opponent on ESPN in a raucous UB Stadium - the unheralded star was Alex Neutz. There is probably no better word to sum up Neutz's career than just that: unheralded.

OPINION

The necessity of neutrality

Nov. 5, 2013

This week, the Supreme Court will consider the role of prayer in a legislative setting for the first time in 30 years.

OPINION

Comme des Carson - Mend your mainstream mistakes

Nov. 5, 2013

Editor's note: This article is satirical and is not meant to be taken literally. Dear Carson, I want to get my ear pierced.

OPINION

Discriminating who gets protected against discrimination

Nov. 5, 2013

On Monday, 61 Senators voted to defeat a Republican threat of filibuster to pass the Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA) - a measure that is long overdue.

OPINION

Not 'loving it'

Oct. 31, 2013

Last week, McDonald's announced it made $1.5 billion in the third quarter. That puts the world's largest food chain up 5 percent from last year. But last week, it was also announced that taxpayers are paying $1.2 billion in public assistance to the McDonald's workforce. Those numbers are merely a coincidence but draw attention to how the McDonald's Corporation is making enormous profits as its employees struggle to pay for food, housing and medical care. Low Pay Is Not OK, an advocacy group, recorded a telephone call Nancy Salgado made to McResource, a helpline for McDonald's workers, in which the representative assured Salgado she would have no issue receiving assistance from government programs. Without ever asking Salgado much she makes an hour or how many hours she works, the representative assured her she could qualify for food stamps and heating assistance.

OPINION

A partial victory

Oct. 31, 2013

It was under the pretense of trying to protect women's health and safety that a Texas law that restricted abortion rights throughout the state was passed in July.

OPINION

A conundrum of ethics

Oct. 29, 2013

The Miami Student, the student newspaper of Miami University (OH), has announced it will no longer publish the names of student criminal suspects. As its editor in chief, Katie Taylor, has indicated, in today's world, the standard for reporting is evolving.

OPINION

The choice to chaperone

Oct. 29, 2013

Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler has spurred a national conversation. Last week, the state's top law enforcement officer drew headlines when a picture of him at a teenage beach-house party was released.

OPINION

Tis the season for Halloween

By RACHEL KRAMER | Oct. 29, 2013

It's the end of October, a time for overindulging in Halloween candy, carving pumpkins, drinking apple cider and complaining about the chilly fall weather.