Issue8 by Generation Magazine

GENERATION MAGAZINE

Traveling Abroad, Journeying Through Life

An alternative voice since 1984 An SBI publication 01282014 Vol. 31 Issue: 08

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Table of Contents

05 EIC Letter 07 Agenda Hit or Bullshit What’s on our Playlist 08 Jodhaa Akbar 09 Are you a Belieber? 10 2014 UEFA 11 DIY Washi Tape PULSE 14 Eclipsed: Will China Steal the World Stage from the U.S.? 15 Filibuster Reform FEATURE 16 From Undecided to Children’s Author BUFFALOVE 18 Buffalo Billion 19 Cuisine for the Curious LITERARY 20 Conversations 21 All Your Own PARTING SHOTS 22 On Sherlock and Neat Endings Scientists are Lying to Us

Cover designed by Emily Butler. Photos taken by Steve Bernhardt. Photo source from all credits goes to respective photographer. blog.peauxeticexpressions.com (7), hollywoodreporter.com (9), globalregulatoryenforcementlawblog.com (9) Generation Magazine is owned by Sub-Board I, Inc., the student service corporation at the State University of New York at Buffalo. The Sub-Board I, Inc. Board of Directors grants editorial autonomy to the editorial board of Generation. Sub-Board I, Inc. (the publisher) provides funding through mandatory student activity fees and is in no way responsible for the editorial content, editorial structure or editorial policy of the magazine. Editorial and business offices for Generation are located in Suite 315 in the Student Union on North Campus. The telephoane numbers are (716) 645-6131 or (716) 645-2674 (FAX). Address mail c/o Room 315 Student Union University at Buffalo, Amherst, NY 14260. Submissions to Generation Magazine should be e-mailed to ubgeneration@gmail.com by 1p.m. Tuesday, a week before each issue’s publication. This publication and its contents are the property of the students of the State University of New York at Buffalo 2013 by Generation Magazine, all rights reserved. The first 10 copies of Generation Magazine are free. Each additional copy must be approved by the editor in chief. Requests for reprints should be directed to the editor in chief. Generation Magazine neither endorses nor takes responsibility for any claims made by our advertisers. Press run 5,000. ≠≠≠

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Editor’s Letter

You Are What You Drink: A Field Manual of Self-Exploration

e’ve all heard the saying “you are what you eat.” But this is college, and with the struggle and strife of academia lurking patiently behind every corner, it seems as if a better motto might be “you are what you drink.” From the weekend warriors to the functioning alcoholics, liquor (or the promise of it) makes the world turn for many students and provides them an escape from the crippling pressures of term papers, pop quizzes and professors that insist on taking attendance every class (accountability is archaic; let the grades speak for themselves). The type of booze you choose can say a lot about you as a person, whether you know it or not. I will be presenting you with a comprehensive guide to finding your alcohol avatars; think of it as your second zodiac sign. (PLEASE NOTE: If you feel personally victimized by your alcohol personality, take comfort in the delusion that you may be an exception to these extremely scientific and thoroughly tested results. Or, change what you drink.)

Beers (Bad) The basement-of-a-frat beers (Natural, Keystone, Budweiser, Corona, Busch, and the like) are almost as prominent on campus as sharply dressed Asians with Apple products, and are equally as likely to annoy you and make you feel bad about your shoes. The consumers of these pale lagers tend to be innocent victims of the “cover charge” frat parties, where for a small fee you can drink all you’d like, but you might as well be drinking monkey piss. Those who go out of their way to drink them on purpose are usually pretty easy to spot. Underage and unseasoned, this guy is probably rocking the “socks and Adidas sandals” look and has been since high school, where he developed an attachment to his now favorite drinks. (What else was his older brother supposed to buy at the gas station at midnight on a Thursday?) His female counterpart is probably speaking to you at a completely inappropriate volume while you wait in line for the bathroom, insisting that you meet her friend Jen, who left to get her another Natty Lite while she adjusts her thong. Beers (Better) The college student who invests in craft beers is the college student doing it the right way. A privilege usually reserved for those of-age, unless you have a very respectable and generous circle of friends, the consumption of funky and foreign brews is an immediate sign of intelligence and sensibility. These swell humans aren’t taking their eminent liver damage for granted; if they’re going to drink to blackout, they’re going to do it in style. You’ll know he’s arrived when he announces it politely to the 3 other people at the dinner party, one of whom is a girl who is pleasantly surprised to find that she has brought the exact same kind of Dogfish Head. (They will later become good friends and

have acoustic guitar jam sessions every other Thursday).

Wine The wino is a classy, but tragic SOB. Wine is portrayed by popular culture as a romantic and sophisticated accessory to any candlelit dinner, mature gathering of bejeweled socialites or grand Parisian masquerades. That being said, the college wine lover is in a constant state of mental cacophony trying to feel at all romantic while sucking Franzia right out of the box. You’ll see him immediately when he walks in to a lecture hall Monday morning, sporting a nice maroon sweater and teeth, tongue, and lips to match. The female wino might be a little bit harder to pinpoint, because she’s probably locked herself in her room to read Sylvia Plath and cry about a boy she met on the Internet who turned out to be a hockey mom from New Jersey. Vodka Let me be very clear about the college vodka-drinker: this is not a person you want to fork with. Nine times out of ten, this troubled soul is looking to get as drunk as possible, as quickly as possible and eleven times out of ten, they will succeed. It doesn’t matter if it’s Grey Goose or Skol, this stingy, stingy, acid juice has seeped directly in to their soul and nothing will soothe the ache like more stingy, stingy, acid juice. Vodka victims are sometimes tricky to detect at first, due to the seemingly normal “group shots” that occur at almost every event, ever. But if you pay close attention, you’ll notice that no one actually dared him to drink straight from the bottle, he just did that thing where he moved his mouth to the side, changed the pitch of his voice, and pretended to be someone else. And she made it look like she was going to put cranberry juice in that cup, but when no one was looking, she knocked that full Solo cup back like it was tap water. It’s much easier to just look for them the next morning, when they’re lying unconscious on top of the bus shelter outside of the Union wearing nothing but one sock and a Canadian flag. (How did they get up there in the first place? Let’s pray to God we never have to know). Now that the most easily distinguishable booze characters have been revealed, the important thing to remember is that this is, first and foremost, a rich and assorted University. UB constantly boasts its hard-on for diversity, so don’t be afraid to mingle with your fellow drunkards in harmonious, intoxicated solidarity.

STAFF 2013 Editor in Chief Keighley Farrell Managing Editor Angelina Bruno Creative Director Emily Butler Assistant Creative Director Babita Persaud Photo Editor Steve Bernhardt Web Editor Gabi Gosset Copy Editor Audrey Foppes Associate Editors Laura Borschel Jori Breslawski Sushmita Sircar Circulation Director Matt Benevento Business Manager Nick Robin Ad Manager Andrew Kim Assistant Ad Manager Adinda Anggriadipta Contributing Staff Adam Johnson Cara Zainab Alkhamis

t T I i H ullsh B

HIT

A group of guys from Denver are going to play a group of guys from Seattle in the big sports game they have every year. You know, the sports game with all those silly commercials?

T I H LLS

BUIt has been really cold and it will continue being

really cold. What is this thing called winter, and why do we need it?

HIT

With sites like Jezebel demanding un-retouched photos from star photo shoots including Jennifer Lawrence’s Flare Magazine cover and Lena Dunham’s Vogue cover and spread, even offering ten thousand dollars for the Vogue originals, it is refreshing to see companies like Aerie taking a negative issue and making it positive. Aerie’s newest ad campaign features unretouched models, a first for the retailer. They hope to promote a healthy body image by leaving imperfections such as stretch marks, freckles, scars and tattoos in place.

T I H S ULL

The awkward moment when an artist who was previously nominated for best song at the Grammys gets nominated the following year for best new artist…

Timber- Ke$ha HillBilly Man- Gorillaz Midnight City- m83 Goodbye, Goodbye- Tegan and Sara Drunk in Love- Beyonce Team- Lorde Pompeii- Bastille Sweater Weather- The Neighbourhood Headband- B.o.B feat. 2 Chains White Walls-Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

AGENDA February 1st:

Ice Cream for Breakfast Day! Angelina’s Birthday! When you wake up this Saturday, shivering in the frigid temperatures of the polar vortex, instead of frying up some eggs, grab a scoop and make yourself an ice cream Sundae. February 1st is officially Ice cream for breakfast day! A more appealing option might be to add coffee ice cream to a steaming cup of joe. Either way Angelina will be having birthday ice cream cake to celebrate! 07

Article By: Zainab Alkhamis

hen thinking of the Mughal Empire, many great and fantastic things come to mind, almost readily. Ask anyone to name the first thing that comes to mind upon hearing those words and it is more likely than not that the Taj Mahal, for one, will be mentioned. This beautifully constructed architectural masterpiece is also one of the most well-known buildings in the world and represents the pinnacle of the great architecture that came out of this empire, along with their love of the arts and accurately reflected their luxurious lifestyles. In addition, the Mughal Empire, especially under Jalaluddin Mohammad, was known for its religious tolerance. The popular Bollywood film, “Jodhaa Akbar,” which, boiled down, is merely a simple love story of the greatest Mughal emperor of all time and his Hindu wife, a Rajput princess. Before delving into the analysis of the film, a bit of background on the Mughal Empire, and Jalaluddin Mohammad (Akbar), is needed to provide a platform. The third Emperor of the Mughal Empire, Jalaluddin, more commonly known as Akbar, is regarded as one of the great rulers of all time. The Mughals brought about many changes to Hindustan (modern day India), including a centralized government (portrayed very clearly in the film), which is how Akbar very successfully annexed many smaller kingdoms of Hindustan. Other accomplishments of the Mughal Empire include: art and culture, creating Urdu, great religious tolerance, and their unique style of architecture. In addition, the Mughals are Mongolian descended, clearing inheriting their military prowess (they were amongst the first to utilize guns in battle – this is also somewhat portrayed in the film). Upon ascending to power in Hindustan, however, the Mughals loved and respected the lands. Akbar especially loved his land – he was the first Mughal emperor to be born on Hindustan lands. Akbar succeeded his father at a very young age, after his father’s accidental death. The empire flourished under him, due to his shrewd and pragmatic political, as well as military and tactical prowess. To this day, Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar remains one of the world’s greatest leaders of all time. Akbar expanded his empire and gained favor with his Hindu subjects by not subjecting them to Islamic practices an act which although it was unpopular within his own court, made for a very happy empire.

Given my understanding of the Mughal Empire before watching the film, it was very easy from the onset to distance myself from the actions unfolding in the movie. Going into the movie regarding it as a piece of historical fiction, it was easy to notice and pick out what had not been necessarily true historically, (and just made for a good screenplay) versus the actual historical fact that was incorporated into the storyline. It is definitely the cinematography that convinces the audience of its accuracy, or at the very least, doesn’t incite enough doubt to make them question it. Everything in the film is big and grand: the palaces, the armies, and most importantly, the love story. And that, in the end, is what makes a convincing and compelling tale. In particular, Jodhaa Akbar focuses primarily on the wealthy, upper ruling class. As this is a film more grounded in fiction than fact, the directors almost overdo it in their attempt to reconstruct the opulence that the empire exuded in the most mundane of actions. From the impressive sets (for example, the Rajput and Mughal palaces) to the jewelry, the directors and producers of this film rely on the audience to believe in what they see –the visual representation of what they believe the empire should be. Production values are lavish; the costumes complemented by richly dressed locations in Rajasthan and northern India and that, in the end, is what convinces the audience of its historical accuracy. The film, though dramatized very well, focuses more on character and dialogue – the internal struggles and desires of the characters – rather than on actual recorded and historicized events. There are several instances in the film that demonstrate this: for example, the relationship between Jodhaa and her cousin Rajkumar Sujamal. Sujamal was originally supposed to be the crown prince of the Rajputs, but political alliances ended up passing him in favor of other, more powerful princes. And so, Sujamal is torn between his love for his ‘sister’ and his lust for power. On several occasions in the film, she is shown thinking of her during a discussion of prospective attacks on Akbar’s men, and would resist, weighing the options. This sequence is very well developed and the climax to this relationship is quite fitting. One thing that was very disappointing to me was the action sequences of the film. As

aforementioned, the film primarily focused on the internal relationships and dialogues of the characters, but yet, the Mughals were well renowned for their military prowess as well. There are several action sequences in the film that are engaging. The taming of the elephant scene, which is where Raja Bharmal (Rajput king, father of Jodhaa) is first introduced to Akbar, is quite remarkable. Instead of laughing it off, as I know some people have done, I choose to praise it, for it was extremely well put together. Countless numbers of people have lived by the sword, in order to defend and live by their religion. Religion both inspires and devastates. The Mughal Empire, as aforementioned, especially under Akbar, was praised and still is praised to this day for its religious tolerance; indeed, it could even be argued that this entire film preached about religious tolerance (as it was the love story of a Muslim emperor and a Rajput princess). The portrayal of religion is very well done as well. Both Muslim practices and Hindu practices were elaborate and accurate – the marriage scene, especially, was very well done. Of course, in an empire of the sheer size and containing a the Hindu working class ruled by a Muslim ruling class, that there existed religious strife comes as no surprise (little has changed in that regard in modern day India, unfortunately). The fact that the Mughals were able to sustain any form of rule over Hindustan for over 400 years, given that they represented a minority demographic – all that goes back to the policy of religious tolerance that Akbar enforced under his rule. The initially tumultuous relationship between Akbar and Jodhaa is very well portrayed –the bit where Jodhaa’s wish for a temple inside the Mughal fort is shown as a prerequisite to the wedding is perfectly done. In a post 9/11 world, it is difficult to find a film that portrays Muslims in a positive light; however, the night of their wedding, where Akbar tells Jodhaa that Islam gives an equal right to women, as it does to men, to nullify a wedding is a modern-day tangible issue that is seldom discussed in contemporary society and it is very refreshing to see it brought to light. This isn’t simply the case with Muslims, but there are many instances where it is done with Hindus as well. Even now, in our supposedly “modernized” times, it is difficult to find acceptance. The internal struggle Akbar faces, for having married a Hindu woman, is well showcased –from

his conservative to liberal advisers on religion (indeed, some definitely viewed the union as “impure”), to his growing love for Jodhaa and his unwillingness to tolerate any defamatory statements against Jodhaa. Despite being a movie that focused on the upper, ruling class of Mughal society, the film made great efforts to portray Akbar as a compassionate man and not the shrewd and calculating politician he was. For example, the scene where Akbar goes into the market to hear firsthand what the common man thought of the Empire (something that also tied back into religion, as the “common man” of Hindustan was more often than not Hindu). This is comparable to our own times – it is the sort of move that politicians and businesspeople in the market would put on. The most touching part was when Akbar asked his adviser if he knew of the tax imposed on the pilgrims. To the adviser’s affirmative response, Akbar’s reply “Why doesn’t anyone tell me this?” was fitting of a great and compassionate ‘Emperor’. Even with the portrayals of the foods made it was very easy to visualize oneself in the Mughal dining hall, inhaling the aroma of the wondrous foods, and enjoying the way they were presented; the presentation was very aesthetically pleasing; costumes and props to make the film present itself as historically accurate, must have cost a fortune. A big reason for why Jodhaa Akbar works is the quality of the acting. Both Hrithik Roshan (who plays Akbar) and Aishwarya Rai (who plays Jodhaa) are fantastic. What matters the most in this film, and what the director is trying to portray, is the underlining terms of tolerance and understanding of different faiths and religions all within the context of a very turbulent period in the 16th century that saw a lot of blood flow as the Mughals consolidated their position in India. Akbar did indeed marry a Hindu princess and what the audience needs to see – what the director intends for the audience to see – is just how it blossomed from a convenient alliance designed to create peace into a memorable love story. History has many faces; the director does a marvelous job at portraying a highly romanticized version of one of the most renowned leaders of all time in a film that humanizes him, straddling the behind the scene politics of both the kingdom and the families.

ARE YOU A BELIEBER? Article by: Laura Borschel

ith Justin Bieber’s escalating antics from soliciting prostitutes, vandalism and calling out Bill Clinton while peeing in a mop bucket, it’s no surprise that he has now landed in hot water for egging his neighbors, resulting in over twenty thousand dollars of damage and possible felony charges for Bieber. While various celebrities and news outlets have commented on the issue, perhaps the most alarming result from Bieber’s actions is the coke bust that happened at his mansion. What has everyone up in arms is not the fact that Bieber was caught with cocaine in his house, but what happened after: Bieber’s friend Lil Za was thrown under the bus and arrested instead of the young Canadian crooner. Needless to say there have been outcries of racial targeting by cops and racism on the part of Bieber, who got his friend into the situation. This type of reckless self-serving behavior has always been present with young stars since virtually all of us can remember, from Britney Spears to Amanda Bynes. But what perhaps is the most concerning, though, is how institutionalized systems of oppression still work in favor of, or even against, stars who appear to be too wealthy, too famous or above the afflictions that American society faces. We can see this clearly not only with the recent events of Justin Bieber’s egg and cocaine scandal, but in the lesser-known incident of domestic violence between Evan Peters and Emma Roberts. Over the summer

it was reported that there was a physical altercation between the two American Horror stars that resulted in Evan Peters being severely attacked by Roberts. Upon hearing about this incident I decided to do more research and discovered that Roberts’ had been arrested in Montreal after assaulting Peters, and left him with severe bite marks and a bloody nose. No charges were pressed and she was consequently released without any incidence. There were comments from media outlets posing questions to Peters about “how he could let a girl do that to him” and questioning his masculinity. There however weren’t many critiques about Roberts’ actions or behavior towards her boyfriend. To me, it was a bit shocking because I had figured that given the amount of privilege and status in society that these celebrities had, that they would be somewhat immune to the institutionally based oppression that people face at the hand of whatever minority status or lack of power that they have. It was however, very clear that this was not the case at all. Despite the fact that Peters was relatively well known, he still faced the same problems that male domestic violence victims face at the hands of their female partners. The fact that he didn’t press charges and has since acted like the incident never happened is an ominous reminder that celebrities can suffer from these very real institutions. Reflecting back on the latest Bieber scandal, it is evident why it was so easy for the police

to arrest Lil Za over Bieber, despite the fact that the drugs were found in Bieber’s place of residence. As a young black male, Lil Za’s statistical likelihood of being arrested on drug charges far surpasses that of Bieber’s, and the fact still remains that young black men face a mountain of institutionalized racism at the hands of the police due to the fact that the system is rigged against them. We can also see other modes of injustice to even more prominent celebrities like Chris Brown and Rihanna and the whirlwind that was their highly publicized abusive relationship. After pictures of Rihanna’s beaten face surfaced, the American media had a field day as to what was going on between the couple. While the media generally supported Rihanna, she faced a wave of unforgiving backlash when she got back together with Brown. The world was stunned that she got back with her abuser, much like how victim’s of domestic violence often do go back to their abuser. However, the world and the media did not act favorably towards the singer, and instead black listed her. People failed to realize that Rihanna was also just a person facing the common struggle of domestic violence. Looking at all of these representations of how different systems effect the lives of even the most powerful and influential people in pop culture at this time, makes me wonder if any of this can be stopped or if everyone, despite status or position in society, is still placed into boxes that society arbitrarily assigns.

2014 UEFA

Article B

y: Mat

t Bene vento

Champions League Knockout Round Preview 2014 has arrived and football (soccer) fans are preparing for another exciting year of Europe’s top teams battling each other in the world’s biggest club competition. The 16 teams that fought their way through the cup’s group stages in the latter half of 2013 have their eyes set on the ultimate prize of travelling to the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon and securing their claim as the best club in Europe (and arguably the world). Manchester City (England) - Barcelona FC (Spain) The action commences with two of the most powerful teams in their respective leagues. After Barcelona was brushed aside by Bayern Munich last year, they will be looking to reclaim their title as the undisputed best team in Europe. The Catalans boast one of the most impressive first elevens in the game, spearheaded by four time Ballon d’Or winner; Lionel Messi. Manchester City might feel hard done by such a tough draw in their first foray into the knock out rounds but, after they spent heavily in the transfer market since being bought out by billionaire Sheik Mansour, City should have the quality to hold their own against the Spanish champions. Bayer Leverkusen (Germany) - Paris Saint-Germain (France) 2013 Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain continue their hunt for European glory and worldwide recognition. The Qatari-backed club ran away with the French league in 2013 and qualified at the top of Group C in December. Leverkusen faced a tough time in the group stages narrowly qualifying ahead of FC Shakhtar Donetsk. Though the odds appear to be in PSG’s favor, if Leverkusen can replicate their impressive league form in the Champions League, then anything is possible. Atletico Madrid (Spain) - AC Milan (Italy) Atletico is one of the most exciting teams in Europe at the moment sharing the top of the table in the Spanish league with Barcelona. The Spaniards demolished their group rivals finishing ten points above runners up FC Zenit. Led by rising star Diego Costa, Atletico has what it takes to be serious contenders this year. Newly appointed Milan manager Clarence Seedorf will be looking to make a name for himself and dig his old club out of trouble. The Italian giants sit mid table in Serie A and barely beat out Ajax in the group stages. Olympiacos (Greece) - Manchester United (England) 2014 will be Manchester United’s first trip to the knockout rounds in over 20 years without legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson. The Red Devils will be looking to offset their relatively abysmal league campaign against Greek champions Olympiacos. United fared well in the group stages taking Group A by four points, while Olympiacos only made it past Portuguese club Benfica by the

slimmest of margins. United manager David Moyes will be keen to prove himself on the biggest stage and utilize one of the only avenues of success left to the English champions. Zenit St Petersburg (Russia) - Borussia Dortmund (Germany) Borussia Dortmund managed to top the closest fought group of the 2013-2014 campaign. Tied with Londoners Arsenal FC and Italians SSC Napoli on 12 points, the Germans persevered with the best goal difference and head to head statistics. Dortmund’s mercurial manager Jürgen Klopp will be looking to make it to the finals again this year and cement Die Schwarzgelben’s place amongst Europe’s top clubs. Though a force in their domestic league, Zenit have struggled to compete with the European powerhouses over the last few years. Zenit has however, made big moves in the transfer market and shown that they have the financial might to challenge Europe’s elite. Galatasaray AS (Turkey) – Chelsea FC (England) With the return of manager Jose Mourinho to Chelsea, the west London club will have their sights aimed that the highest honors in club football. The Blues topped Group E and have had enjoyed good form in their domestic league. The headline of the match will be Galatasaray striker Didier Drogba playing against his old club, for whom he scored the winning goal in the 2012 Champions League Final. FC Schalke (Germany) - Real Madrid (Spain) Real Madrid continues their quest for an unprecedented tenth European Championship. Led by the 2013 Ballon d’Or winner; Cristiano Ronaldo, Los Blancos decimated their competition in Group B. New Madrid manager Carlos Ancelotti will also be looking to add another Champions League victory to his CV. FC Schalke will have their work cut out for them after an unimpressive group campaign and poor form in the Bundesliga. Players to watch out for are Schalke’s up and coming star Julian Draxler and Madrid’s record signing Gareth Bale. Arsenal FC (England) - FC Bayern Munich (Germany) Possibly the most anticipated match-up of the tournament will be between reigning champions Bayern Munich and English league leaders Arsenal. The Bavarians got the better of the North London club last year but Arsenal’s impressive league form indicates that the outcome is far from decided. The battle between newly appointed Bayern manager Pep Guardiola and long serving Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger will likely produce the frontrunner for the competition.

At first I did not buy into the craze, I saw the project tutorials increase in number online but could not imagine actually purchasing said tape to make little cupcake flags, decorate notebook covers or greeting cards. When I started to see more useful ideas, like decorating and differentiating between phone chargers, removable picture frames for dorm or apartment walls and fancy laptop covers, I realized that I might be able to incorporate this tape into my life if I found it for cheap enough. When I happened across a couple packs in the clearance section at Target, I snagged them. After purchasing my tape I’ll admit that I admired the different patterns for a couple of weeks before using any of them. They sat on my nightstand in a neat little colorful stack, egging me on to start a project. The only problem was they seemed almost too pretty to use, what if I used up a whole spool on a project that didn’t turn out well? It would be such a waste. Finally the idea for the perfect project came to me. My nightstand is a wire shelf so it is a bit unstable when setting things like a glass of water or “juice” on it. After the knocking over of glasses and the spilling of their contents onto everything housed on the shelf below became a common occurrence, I set out in search of some sort of tray for my nightstand. Something water proof, stable to place glasses on, and with a nice pattern. When none of the trays I found in stores satisfied my requirements or taste, it dawned on me that it was finally time to break out the Washi tape.

complimented each other well with their similar hues. I carefully lined them up along the traced lines and trimmed them at the edge of the triangle shape I had outlined. Next time I plan to use an Exact-o knife to make the edges turn out more precise. After finishing the first part of the pattern, I traced lines across the remaining cardboard area to use tape with larger navy blue dots running in the opposite direction. I liked the finished product but I felt like it needed something else to liven it up and cover up some of the uneven lines. I chose hot pink tape as an accent color.

DIY:

ashi tape, the glorified patterned masking tape that has become a new crafting staple, actually lives up to all the hype. Not only is it easy to use but it is also pretty and relatively inexpensive.

I intend to further waterproof my piece by sealing it with Mod Podge but will probably wait until Buffalo thaws out so I can open the windows to escape the smell. Altogether I am pretty pleased with my first foray into Washi tape design. I plan to tackle covering a circular cardboard tray next, a cardboard oatmeal container, my iPhone charger—the possibilities are endless. At this rate, my whole room will probably be covered in Washi tape by the end of the month and I’ll be handing out Washi tape Valentines during the next. I am definitely a goner.

First I took a square of cardboard leftover from some packaging and measured out how many rows of the tape I would be able to fit across the cardboard based on the width of the washi tape.

Article By: Angelina Bruno

Next I traced out the lines on the cardboard, and erased some based on a geometric pattern I had in mind. Next I chose the solid navy blue and dotted navy blue and white tape to alternate, creating a pattern. They

Generation

Photos By: Angelina Bruno

Abroad Winter Session in

Italy

Eclipsed Will China Steal the World Stage from the U.S.? Article By: Jori Breslawski

hina stands within reach of becoming the world’s next hegemon as its economy sky rockets at unprecedented levels of growth. Its GDP (Gross Domestic Product—the most common measure of an economy’s size) for the year of 2013 weighed in at a whopping 8,230,000,000 USD, second only to the U.S. However, China’s significant drop in growth during the past year has caused an uproar, raising questions of where its economy will go next. Some argue that China will continue to grow and surpass the U.S. in the next decade, while others suggest that it runs the risk of collapse if it doesn’t continue to grow at its current rate. Although the economy’s 7.7% increase in GDP this year dwarfs those of western countries, where a 2% increase is considered an achievement, the number represents a large drop from the growth experienced in the past few decades. What does this slowing mean for China’s (and the rest of the world’s) future and what challenges stand between China and their rise to hegemony?

for the majority of the population. The problem with such a large proportion of the country’s demand being comprised of investment is that household consumption is too small, leaving China at risk of suffering from an investment bust.

If truth be told, China’s economy may have slowed down just in time—some analysts have compared it to a runaway train. Debt has piled up to dangerous levels, the financial sector has taken bigger and bigger risks and some say the country invests too much— nearly 50% of their GDP—a lofty amount that can only continue to produce the growth seen in China with larger and larger infusions of credit. Furthermore, some argue that these investments have been misdirected, dedicated to real estate development and projects that cost hundreds of billions of dollars such as the high-speed railways that are too expensive

China faces an aging population due to a combination of modern medicine and declining birth rates from the one child policy –despite the policy recently being eased by the economic reforms, it will take time for this to translate into China’s population. Due to this, China’s total working population is set to fall continually over the course of the next 20 years. In addition to implications in the work place, an aging population means increasing economic pressures on China that no country of a comparable income level has seen before.

President Xi Jinping and his team have recognized the challenges that their economy faces and as a result have chosen not to use the state’s power to pump up growth, as previous leaders of China have done. Instead, China looks to liberalize its economy, opening up financial markets and empowering the private sector. If the reform package revealed this past November continues to be honored, China’s economy will become stronger and far more stable. However, there are more than numbers and statistics when it comes to the success of a nation and although China has set itself up to continue booming economically, there are issues that make the possibility of the country becoming a superpower a little less believable.

China also faces a significant gender imbalance: there are only 100 girls to every 120 boys. This phenomenon is due to the societal and institutional preference for boys, which resulted in femicide and abortion of female babies. These numbers point toward the inevitable fact that 1 in 6 men will not have a wife, which could lead to instability and serious social problems for China in the coming decades. The future of China’s economy will have a huge impact on a wide array of issues, from their ever increasing involvement in Africa to a rising level of accountability in terms of China’s violations of human rights. For China to be seen as a legitimate superpower in the world’s eyes, there will have to be a genuine meritocracy among the ruling authority. That ruling authority will also need to develop the sincere support of its people; a support that is not inspired through fear, but through the freedom of the population at large. Much speculation revolves around China’s economy and its future trajectory, and for good reason. China’s economy does not only hold implications for its own country, but for the entire world. So what lies ahead for the economic giant? The truth is, it’s difficult to predict what the coming decades will bring. China will undoubtedly continue to grow and probably even surpass the U.S. in terms of GDP, however, unless there are radical changes made outside of the economic sphere, China will not realize the hegemonic dream that an increasing number of people seem to believe. If China wants to become a superpower, they will have to act like one, in all facets of life.

or the first time in a long while, something has occurred in the Senate that actually matters. I wrote that previous sentence with a bit of excitement because, let’s face it, for the past few years, anyone mildly interested in the workings of one of our most powerful political institutions has had practically nothing but gridlock and whining to examine. Like a ray of sunlight breaking through the perpetual cloudy gloom of a Scottish moor, something has ridden forth from the heavens to warm the frosted intellectual fields of the congressionally interested mind. For out of that conclave of 100 preschoolers we call senators has come Filibuster Reform!!! Alright, filibuster reform still isn’t very exciting, but it will have important consequences on how the Senate will conduct itself in the future. Fed up with the current G.O.P. strategy of obstructing practically everything, the Democratic majority in the Senate adjusted the rules around executive branch and lower court judicial nominations so that only a simple majority of 51 votes was needed to end filibusters put forth by the minority party. Interesting right? Please wake up, that’s a bit rude you know. The rather sudden change in a process that has become the symbol of Congressional dysfunction has led to a heated debate around its affect both in the present and the future. The current rule change only affects nominations made by the president in regards to the lower courts, cabinet departments and other agencies, but it isn’t impossible that this change could soon come to affect Supreme Court nominations, legislation or even treaties. The hope is that with a majority unrestrained by pure obstruction, instances like the weeks long government shut down that led to an economic loss of millions of dollars (and a serious loss of international prestige) won’t occur again soon. The move obviously has its critics. Some argue that the rule change has started a trend in which the Senate will

The filibuster reform only affects Senate procedure. Senators, at least in the general sense, are still held accountable by the American voters, who despite the alarming studies of voter ignorance and apathy can generally do the right thing with their rather remarkable bit of power. Voters, more than any other structure, restrain senators. If, as some fear, far-right or far-left majorities decide to use their (still only theoretical) power to push through coercive veganism or the complete destruction of social welfare, they would be heavily punished in the next elections, and any gains would thus immediately (in political time) be reversed. Politicians, more than anything else in the world besides immortality, want to be reelected. They would not undertake actions that would hurt their chances towards obtaining that goal. Republican threats of massive payback for whenever they get back into power are thus quite hollow. They may be able to do minor bits of damage to the Democrat’s agenda, but nothing that will change American life. And the lower court and cabinet department positions that the Dems will push through unobstructed in the next few months will most likely not affect your life. As to any Republican response in the present, they’re already obstructing everything anyway so there’s not much more they can do. So with all this said, why then does this bit of Senatorial rule changing matter to you, the ordinary apathetic and probably under-informed voter? The underlying hope of the filibuster reform, and any future rule changes of a similar ilk, is that by getting rid of the minority’s all powerful ability to obstruct, at least some members of both parties will have to move towards the creamy nougat ideological center. Stripped of their ability to childishly block any form of action, the minority party will actually have to work with the majority to fulfill their agenda. The majority will also have to work with the minority if they want to fulfill their agenda when they eventually become the minority. Both parties have abused the filibuster tool in the last decade horrendously. And just like in preschool, if you can’t take care of the things you use, then you will eventually have them taken away. Thus, there stands a chance that more filibuster reform in the future will be in some way a starting cure for the nihilistic partisanship that has made our political system a joke.

Article By: Adam Johnson

“Both parties have abused the filibuster tool in the last decade horrendously. And just like in preschool, if you can’t take care of the things you use, then you will eventually have them taken away.”

eventually become a majoritarian body that would ignore the ideas and desires of the minority party. In such a case, the Senate would become an authoritarian hell scape where the majority party rules with no checks to enforce its own hippie/tea party agenda against the will of the people. Of course, the most likely result is far away from this hyperbole employed by senators and talking heads that don’t get precious air time unless they say something brain-numbingly crazy.

ociety’s current educational standards encourage parents and teachers to start preparing children for college right out of the womb. Standardized tests, activities and concentration programs are developed earlier and earlier in students’ academic careers. The new mantra has become: If they know what they want to do now, they’ll be better prepared for college. With this sort of mentality, once a student enters college, choosing the correct undergraduate major may seem like the most important decision of his or her life, marking the word ‘undecided’ as a toxic part of the vernacular. Indecision makes parents and students writing sizeable tuition checks each year uncomfortable. They find themselves desperate to see a return on their investment as soon as possible. Children’s author Kevin Kurtz has enjoyed success. The success of four published books, A Day in the Salt Marsh, A Day on the Mountain, A Day in the Deep and the e-book, Uncovering Earth’s Secrets. His e-book is also being developed into an interactive app for use on iPads and tablets. Kevin’s success might seem intimidating to a current college student. We hear someone’s story and immediately get the nagging feeling that we aren’t doing enough to capitalize on our own college investment, that we have no direction compared to people like Kevin who are doing something with their lives.

Article By: Angelina Bruno

In reality many of us have lost sight of what going to school and being a student means. We are so concerned with the outcome that we don’t think about the journey to get there. Kevin Kurtz, now a published author, was once in the same boat as many UB students are today. He entered UB in 1989 as an undecided student. When Kevin, clad in acid wash jeans, moved into Roosevelt in the Governors dorm he was surrounded by other honors students, many of which were engineers. He had always been pretty good in math so he briefly tried out some engineering courses. Kevin did well enough, but soon found that engineering wasn’t the right path for him. Eventually after taking other general education he chose to major in English. English courses helped Kevin to improve his writing skills. He remembers the difference between struggling to write one of his first five page papers for a introductory level English course as a freshman, to confidently writing much more substantive pieces by the end of his four years in school. Kevin discovered his passion for writing and cartooning. He even drew up some comic strips for Generation back in the day. The strip was called “Peter, Sue and Hank,” sort of an inside joke being that none of the characters in the comic went by any of the titular names.

Like Kevin, if you are an English major you may be familiar with the phrase: ‘What are you going to do, teach?’ Kevin heard it plenty of times and since he had always enjoyed his job as a soccer coach and working with kids, he thought teaching might actually be the right job for him. He moved to South Carolina and went to school at the College of Charleston gaining a master’s degree in elementary education. While student teaching, Kevin realized his classroom management skills were not conducive to wrangling a classroom full of 6th graders. Kevin rethought his path again and went back to delivering pizzas, a side job he had done while in college, to pay his bills. He decided to finally put himself out there as a writer, submitting stories to journals and comic strips to newspapers, but he received rejection after rejection. Kevin knew he definitely did not want to deliver pizzas for the rest of his life so when he heard about an opening at the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources he applied. He started out as a plankton sorter, lucky to beat out the actual marine biologist college students who would not be out of school for another month or two.

As a field and lab research assistant, Kevin may have sorted plankton, but he also was finally able to use the skills that he developed as an English major. His ability to analyze, synthesize and think critically helped him to move up in the workplace. He was constantly asked to take on new responsibilities, especially tasks that required writing. Kevin’s ability to narrow in on important concepts also helped him to make sure business meetings ran smoothly, even when the rest of his team did not see eye to eye. Kevin used his skillset to make himself a valuable asset to his department. Soon, Kevin was also able to incorporate his past experience and elementary education skills to use as well. He became the Public Information Specialist at the Center, in charge of teaching and coordinating marine science programming for grades K-12. While Kevin had not found success as a teacher in a classroom, he now was able to educate, something he had always loved doing, without the management aspect. Oftentimes teachers asked Kevin on their visits for suggestions for books about the topics he taught at the center and later the South Carolina Aquarium. When Kevin realized there were no books out there to suggest, he decided to combine all of his skills and interests to write them himself.

Writing is a process: research, structure, write, revise—it never ends. If you don’t enjoy what you are doing, you definitely will not want to repeat this process over and over again. Even if you actually like the process it can get tiresome, but generally you should enjoy it if you want to call yourself an author.

Like an athlete, a writer must work at their craft. Olympic medalists don’t sit home on the couch, they go to the gym everyday for several hours and perform grueling workout routines. Compared to that, pouring yourself a nice cup of coffee, sitting down at your desk and writing for an hour or two doesn’t sound too terrible. This also goes along with the “like to write step.” If you enjoy writing then writing everyday will not feel like practicing to you. The stories and ideas will start to come organically.

This step comes with a disclaimer. Get people to read your writing includes get people to read your drafts. Letting people read your drafts can be difficult. You have worked hard on your story and you may not want to hear it criticized. Kevin refers to this as “the gift of feedback.” You cannot be overly sensitive about your writing because hearing from others can only help you improve if they are providing constructive criticism. You can only be lectured about using passive sentences so many times before you fix the problem just so you don’t have to hear about it anymore.

Kevin found a hole in the market of children’s books that just so happened to coincide with his interests and knowledge of salt marshes. He took his everyday work and turned it into an enjoyable rhyming read, perfect fro kids to learn from in the classroom.

In order to write about a topic you must fully understand it. In Kevin’s case he worked very closely with his subject matter and did research on his own time. Remember, if you stay true to ideas that you like, researching the actual idea and concept will be enjoyable for you.

Always look at your work with a critical eye. Revising and editing are some of the most important steps to making your work polished. Show publishers you are willing to take the extra step to improve your work. There is a lot of talent out there and refining your work is the way to make yourself stand out.

If Kevin were to submit his children’s book manuscript to a publishing company that publishes adult novels, or even non- scientific children’s books, he would not be considered for publishing purposes. It would be nice if there was a handy guide to tell you which publisher to submit to and what kinds of books will sell out on the shelves of bookstores, but, alas, there is not. In order to figure out what topic to write about and where to send your finished product, you need to research the market yourself and find the perfect place for your work.

You will probably hear “no” a lot, but you should not let rejection stop you in this business. Kevin shared a helpful tidbit, at many publishing houses the editors who read our work are in their twenties, paid small amounts and looking for a new job. That means that even if you already submitted to a publisher, the chance of the same person reading your work is minimal and the new person might like it better. Kevin’s story proves that the ability to make decisions, even decisions that may seem wrong at the time, is what helps to lead to eventual success. He is still working toward new goals, with plans to write books for slightly older students, possibly even chapter books. He may also foray into fictional children’s books. Kevin’s life, like his books, follows a theme of exploration. Although it may have taken him some time to find his path, Kevin believes every experience was necessary in order to lead him to where he is today, living a happy and fulfilling life.

rom Albany to Buffalo, every student who receives an elementary education in New York State learns the Erie Canal Song. At the time, giggling over the idea of a mule named Sal or visiting a lock in the Buffalo area and daring each other to touch the slimy wall, we were young and unaware of the magnitude of what the canal meant to our state, to our city. The once physical link across New York, a body of water, which allowed for trade and commerce to boom in the empire state, is now replaced by a new canal—a canal of information and technology which has the potential to again lead to Buffalo’s success. It is easy to be a skeptic living in Buffalo. Generations have passed in which decline has been the nature of Buffalo’s economy and spirits. Natives watched their once vibrant city rusting around them. People tended to focus on Buffalo’s great past while struggling to ensure a successful future. After years of failed attempts at projects to bolster Buffalo’s economy, enthusiastic support for big ideas and possible solutions to the city’s problems has decreased as well.

BILLION Article By: Angelina Bruno

During the panel held downtown at the Adams Mark hotel on Thursday November 21, there was a strange and unfamiliar sensation in the crowd—a feeling of palpable excitement at the Governor’s presence in Buffalo. Everyone crowded into seats and standing room in the converted banquet hall seemed to hold their breath as a short clip, detailing the major economic announcement that had garnered Governor Cuomo’s visit, began to play. Images of a beautiful, streamlined and modern building complex flashed across the screen. Words like clean energy, investment and Buffalo manufacturing echoed in the room as the camera took us inside the computer-generated model of the facility. Digitally rendered human beings milled about the stylishly designed interior, representing the employment opportunities that the center will offer. After the clip finished and a round of applause ensued, Governor Cuomo announced that the state will invest 225 million dollars in the Buffalo Billion Riverbend project. Two hundred acres of land from the old Republic Steel site, once part of Buffalo’s booming steel industry, will be the location of new state of the art facilities housing research and development of clean and efficient energy. “Buffalo is a place of great yesterdays but also of great tomorrows,” said Cuomo to the sounds of rousing support from the crowd.

This site, where many grandfathers and great

grandfathers worked during Buffalo’s Glory days will now serve a purpose again. Making a name for Buffalo as a center for economic and innovative growth, the new smart growth project will take Buffalo from “one of the dirtiest industries in the world to one of the cleanest,” says County Executive Mark Poloncarz. SORAA and Silevo, both companies that are proven leaders in the clean energy development market, have been selected by the state after thorough research to be the first tenants at the Riverbend facility. They plan to invest a combined total of 1.5 billion in the Riverbend project that will serve as a production and research site for their work in nanotechnologies. SORAA, will produce their specialty, high quality and efficiency LED lights while Silevo will manufacture highly efficient solar panels out of the Buffalo plant. The key to SORAA and Silevo’s successful business model is outsourcing low-end manufacturing to locations in China and setting up their advanced production in the United States. Alain Kaleyeros has made sure to take advantage of this model by acting as an instrumental agent in bringing nanotech development first to Albany and now Buffalo, completing the new age technological canal in New York State. For years Kaloyeros, senior vice president and CEO of SUNY Albany’s College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, had been working to bring nanotechnology to the forefront of Albany and now Buffalo’s economies. Albany’s state owned facility produces computer chips and processors that are used to run devices such as smartphones. The new facility in Buffalo will follow their model and connect with Albany’s project by providing a site for the production of the LED technology that lights up the screens of said phones. Already, the success of Albany’s site is promising; the rapid progress made in developing and executing the project is astounding. “In the six months I’d been at school they had built a building and moved a highway,” says Alex Dvorscak, a UB student from Albany, NY. “They don’t just move highways in Albany.” These promising tidings have locals very hopeful for Buffalo’s future. We look to see our city grow with the times and once again be a place of innovation and light. As governor Cuomo put it, “This is going to blossom into an industry of the future.”

Cuisine for the Curious

BuffaLove Article By: Audrey Foppes

he University of Buffalo serves a student body boasting nearly 30,000 students, from countless cultures, countries, and cuisines. One of the results of such diversity has been the infusion of exotic palettes into the surrounding food culture of Amherst and the greater Buffalo area. Although many of us are readily familiar with Five Guys and Friendly’s, an easy place to grab the all-American burger and a shake, many delicious culinary adventures are available just a few steps off our campus.

The Eastern Pearl the red pepper cafe

This restaurant is one of my personal favorites (but that may be because my boyfriend fronts the bill). Although The Eastern Pearl is a bit more expensive than The Red Pepper Café, they do offer a dining experience well worth the price. Whereas The Red Pepper specializes in preparing mainly “classic” dishes very well, The Eastern Pearl’s menu sports several more signature dishes, which are served with artistic flair and culinary design. My favorite so far has been the elaborate carrot-slice blossom that topped a plate of broccoli served on a banana leaf. If you are an Instagram Foodie, this place is for you. Their menu even sports an entire section devoted to “Pearl Specialties,” which include such dishes as the Seafood’s Bird’s Nest, Sautéed Slice Conch with Scallops, Sesame Ahi Tuna, and Mango Scallop or Shrimp. For those of you who are less enthusiastic about seafood, fear not! The Eastern Pearl also sports a plethora of chicken, beef, and vegetable options, as well as many soup and noodle dishes. If The Red Pepper was a good “date-night” destination, The Eastern Pearl would be an excellent anniversary or birthday venue. But that’s just my wallet talking. If my stomach had its way, I’d be there tonight. And tomorrow night. And the night after that.

kabab and curry

The Red Pepper Café is not, in fact, another hipster coffee joint. It is a Chinese-Vietnamese restaurant, a remarkable little hidden treasure just over on Maple Road, a mere 2 minute drive from campus. Indeed, depending on traffic, you could walk there more quickly! And your reward, indeed, would be great. The Red Pepper offers all the glorious dishes traditionally associated with Chinese takeout in a sophisticated, and frankly, gorgeous gourmet restaurant setting. In the midst of deep mahogany booths and tables, surrounded by the gentle rippling of their elaborate indoor coy pond, patrons of The Red Pepper can enjoy such classics as egg rolls, egg drop soup, and Moo Goo Gai Pan. If you are feeling adventurous, why not try some of their more exotic dishes, like their Dragon and Phoenix, a chicken and shrimp dish with water chestnuts and their signature white sauce. After you have had your fill of delectable Chinese-Vietnamese dishes, you can work yourself back up to the act of walking by beginning with a stroll over the bridge through their indoor coy pond garden. I told you, this place is gorgeous. Furthermore, the prices are completely reasonable, well within the typical starving-college student budget, and, at times, The Red Pepper can be downright cheap! Considering it’s proximity to campus, the stunning ambiance, the delicious food, and the manageable bill, The Red Pepper makes a great date destination, but no on would blame you for pigging-out on your own.

Now we travel to a completely different corner of the world: India. I have a special fondness in my heart for Indian cuisine, and like to think of myself as an amateur connoisseur, but when your friends from India recommend a place, you know it must be pretty fantastic. And, indeed, the Kabab and Curry does offer some of the most delicious Indian and Pakistani cuisine to be found in this neck of the woods. Nestled over on Transit Road in an unassuming brown building, Kabab and Curry is definitely one of Buffalo’s best-kept secrets. Although I have not yet eaten my way through everything on their menu, considering their oven-fresh bread and brewed-to-order chai, I expect each dish would be as exceptional as the last. My favorite is their Makhani dish, which is an amazing tomato-based sauce that comes in chicken, shrimp, and paneer (cheese) varieties and is served with endless rice or fresh naan. When ordering your Makhani, or any of their other delicious entrées, you can make it as spicy (or not) as you like, using their scale of spice levels 1 to 8. Kabab and Curry’s menu also carefully denotes which dishes are available in a healthy, vegan, or gluten-free option and specifies which dishes contain nuts. As far as your wallet is concerned, Kabab and Curry may seem a little expensive, until you see the size of your order. In my opinion, Kabab and Curry makes for a completely reasonable and completely delicious night out.

conversations

Short Story By: Sushmita Sircar

hen they move in- first Andrei, then Lidisthe house is no longer the solitary retreat of exhausted evenings. In the flurry of getting suitcases up to the bedrooms, providing directions to the nearest stores and metro stations, peering out of windows and doors at untrammeled views for the first time, the house, once mine, every corner meticulously known, no longer remains so. It is easier to talk to Andrei than it is to listen to him. As long as I can counter each country of his with one of my own- if secondhand, if imagined- I do not feel entrapped, judged within the boundaries of the house I’ve lived in for the past ten years. Daniel used to be like that- every story of his incited only defensiveness on my part, for how does the melting of chocolate, the sprinkling of coriander, the stirring of milk, stand up against bank accounts? I lose track of the specificities of Andrei’s anecdotes, against the avalanche of his enthusiasm to share them. It is easy to dismiss Lidis. The reflective eyes that widen in fear at the prospect of conversation, the nervous pulling back of hair, the scarves that engage her hands when conversation can’t. Talking to her the first few nights at dinner, I get the impression that she doesn’t want to be here. No questions return my interest in her life- hers, perhaps, a misanthropy surpassing by far Andrei’s disinterest in others.

For a long time, I called these fruits persimmons. Having spotted them at a farmer’s market two years ago, heaped against a brown rucksack, I was reminded of their citrusy astringency, the seeds adding to the bitterness, funneled into jams, devoured on winter afternoons. Seeing their bright orange flesh, I decided that they were called persimmons by the world at large. It wasn’t till months later when my friend made me persimmon sorbet that I realized my mistake. I still do not know what they are called, having forgotten even their Bengali name.

The sugar patterns the surface of the milk, stirred against the heat, sinking into its condensing depths. The gur turns the pale whiteness a wan brown, the sifted vapors saturated by powdered sugar. By now the rice is softened, poured into the saucepan, stirred for long minutes. They meld, the milk absorbing the sugar, enveloping the grains of rice, pushed to permeability by proximity. “It’s payesh,” I tell the others at dinner the day of Lidis’ birthday. “My grandmother always made some every year on mine.”

It’s the moment that the onions sputter against oil that one must listen for. The heat perceptible against the hand as the onions are scraped into the pan, watery eyes blurring the scene. From that moment, the timer dictates the addition of the spices, the seeds, the prepared meat and vegetables- allocate a half hour and the recipe is done, the cumin, the coriander, the turmeric blurred and heightened by the palette of greens. Almost mechanical, rendering the chef obsolete, even. It is the first step that demands attention.

“That’s ever so nice of you,” says Lidis, her eyes brightening. “I really wasn’t expecting anything.” “Do you miss home?” Andrei asks her. “I miss certain things.” Lidis shrugs. “The key to the front door, the iced coffee across the street, the fifteen minute walk back from work… And you, do you miss, um, anything?” Lidis is terrible at spooling sentences into conversations, coming up short with questions every minute or so. I don’t listen for his reply.

Lidis is out when the clear skies dissolve into pouring rain, so I step into her room to pull the windows closed. Ambrel shoots out from under the covers to flee the room- the cat had taken to napping here rather than my room for the past month. Before I leave, I turn and glance at the room, now silent against the roaring winds outside. The cupboards, the drawers, all carefully closed. There are no discarded clothes on the floor to hint at a disorganized week, no books left open at pages as indicators of works-in-progress. There are textbooks and worksheets piled next to the bed- a life of constant deadlines and meaningless work that never seemed to add up to concrete knowledge, only uncertainty about correct answers and evaluations. The notes that cover them are painstakingly impersonallocalization, cultural context, multiple scripts and among them one I vaguely recognize from years ago.

I take to talking to Andrei over breakfast, before he leaves for work. Against my comfortable settling back with tea and a novel, his poured cereal and engulfing milk is jarring. His sentences are spurts of descriptions- lesson plans of Cinderella and the alphabet, the darkening streets when he walks back in the evenings- and his hurry to finish eating leaves me time to respond- with my own version of the cities, to point out the bakeries that are open late, the reasons for the absurd grammatical tendencies of his class. And the unreeling spool of verb conjugations and syntactical whimsies leads inevitably back to my own first days with the language, the stages struggled through and so evident in Andrei’s fumbling attempts. I do not laugh, but my eyes twist in amusement, and the amusement is shared.

Dancing in fields of strawberry and wine, a place forever unknown And you’re there alone, Unseen and unheard, Creating a world all your own, No hatred, no violence, no money or greed, A place where you can feel free, Free to be just who you are, Or were always hoping to be Alone with your thoughts, It must be quite scary, Without home, or a face that you know But the warmth of the past, Will find you at last, And show you how it feels to glow

Article By: Cara Shelhamer

Don’t forget me my friend, I’ve stayed by your side, As you were there for me, You made me feel safe, And loved me so sweetly, I wish this did not have to be If I had the power of riches on riches, I could save you and keep you with me, But gold rules the Earth, and it makes up your worth, And defines your possibilities So there in the field you can live, And can dream and dance without ever a fear And I’ll come up to meet you, dear friend, And I’ll greet you, like time has not even gone by

Parting Shots Article By: Sushmita Sircar

ll this talk of a new year, new semester, new beginnings and the end of college (for me) is beginning to drive me slightly insane. And part of that anxiety comes from the need to explain everything in life into certain time units. I was thinking of this as I talked with a friend about the third season of Sherlock. She was disappointed by the seeming lack of plot—indeed, the scripts deliberately seemed to put the details of how and why on the backburner. The writers never really explain how Sherlock survives his fall. The first two episodes are more interested in Sherlock and Watson’s relationship. The solutions to the cases are absurd at best and physically impossible at worst. Surely this is inexcusable for a detective series?

On Sherlock and Neat Endings Except, who really cares about plot in any case? There are only so many reasons why people kill other people and only so many ways in which murder is committed. Perhaps this is why most detective series devolve into, “oh, here’s a couple of clues that the audience wasn’t privy too, but which are absolutely fundamental to solving the case.” And audiences buy it. After all, look at the original Sherlock Holmes by Conan Doyle –yes, Holmes is brilliant, etc.—but his observations are not available to the reader. When he deduces a client’s travels from the patch of mud on his coat, these are not clues that the reader has access to. The details are placed there to help the plot along, and if sometimes the plots are a bit silly, it’s all okay in the end, because rarely was I reading merely for the case. Most often, it was for the charisma of Holmes. And in Sherlock, millions of viewers watch because of the pure brilliance of Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. On a larger scale, a lot of science fiction remains deliberately elusive about finality. I once tore through the four 600 page-novels of the Rama series by Arthur C. Clarke during my final exams in an attempt to figure out what the aliens really were after and

Scientists Are Lying to Us

t is a well-known fact that all scientists are parasitic money grubbers looking for massive research grants with which to sit around playing with steaming test tubes and super-strong robot arms all day. Of course, the best way to get this fine, fine government cheese is to come up with some super scary, anti-capitalist, anti-freedom theories about man’s “negative” impact on the Earth, aka Global Warming. Scientists say the world is growing warmer due to our “releasing millions of tons of harmful chemicals into the air” and our “incessant demand for nonrenewable resources.” Well Al Gore, you may have fooled us once, but you can’t fool us twice. It is a commonly known fact that it has been really, really, really cold this winter. Our hard working journalists have toiled tirelessly to convey this very fact, throwing steaming pots of water into the frigid air and filming it turn into ice before touching the ground. Temperatures have reached record lows throughout the United States and meteorologists (think of them as scientists who look at thermometers) are predicting an even harsher road ahead. So scientists, where’s your global warming now? Is it hiding in the same cave with your

the elusive purpose of the universe as promised by them. Needless to say, the book failed to provide this. Never had I felt more betrayed. In The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams parodies this compulsive human need for answers. A computer that takes hundreds of years to assemble finally calculates that the answer to life, the universe and everything is precisely 42. The attendants are left to ponder what the question was in the first place. But while 42 as the ultimate answer gets parodied everywhere, there is an even more telling scene at another point in the novel. Arthur Dent, the last surviving human, finds himself on another planet of human-like creatures and settles down there. Only, these creatures completely lack the human need for purpose or rationality. Dent’s despair is directed at their books, which are all cut off abruptly at 300 pages irrespective of the exigencies of plot. One book goes on for 17 pages after the protagonist dies for no reason at all. And since wrapping up this article would entirely undercut my point, I think the correct course of action is to go binge watch House and hope that someone more brilliant is always around to provide the answers.

Article By: Adam Johnson ‘evolution’ and ‘dinosaurs’? You see, global warming is a theory, and theories can only be understood by observation. I don’t feel global warming happening, therefore, it doesn’t exist. Scientific method! Scientists lie about the theory of global warming just as they lie about the theory of gravity. When I throw a baseball into the air, it goes up, not down! At least, that’s the part I can remember before I get mysteriously knocked in the head by a wayward baseball. Nonetheless, if gravity was real, the ball would go down. Case closed. And then there’s that other theory that scientists purvey all the way to the bank: that the Earth is spherical. Yeah right, the Earth is round? What else are you gonna tell me, that we revolve around the sun? Ha, don’t be so ridiculous. The Earth is flat. I’ve been in airplanes. When I look down at the earth, it’s flat (except for those pesky mountains of course). You’d think if the Earth was round, I (in my airplane way up high) would be able to see the curve. Well guess what, I don’t. Observations!

Global warming is a myth invented by greedy scientists and useless tree-huggers who think unregulated industry and mining are bad for the environment. Well, the Earth has existed just fine for 6,000 years and it will continue existing just fine in the bright future of freemarket economics and American military superiority. The wide scale burning of nonrenewable resources will not hurt America. I burn Styrofoam in my backyard all the time and Earth is still functioning fine (I wish the same could be said of my nervous system). Scientists should stop banging on about global warming and go back to more pressing matters: building a super army of Thomas Jefferson clones to be used against those communists in Finland.

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leT The Games begin. UB WinterFest ‘14 ❄ Sat., Feb. 1, 2014 ❄ Register today at buffalo.edu/winterfest

Ahhh. Winter in Buffalo. What’s better? Winter festivals have been a part of UB tradition for more than 50 years. So come out and enjoy the snow at WinterFest ‘14. Free to all UB students, faculty and staff. Date: Saturday, February 1, 2014 FREE GIFT TO ALL PARTICIPANTS! - Broomball: 12 pm - 4 pm - General Events: 1 pm - 4 pm - Award Ceremony: 4 pm

EVENTS LOCATION: STUDENT UNION

• Broomball • Ice Skating • horse drawn wagon rides • Snowman making Contest • Polar bowling • Indoor Events Some events may change subject to weather.

BROOMBALL, POLAR BOWLING, ICE SKATING, INDOOR EVENTS, CHILI IN A BAG, PRIZES & MUSIC!

2014 buffalo.edu/winterfest EXPERIENCE UB Presented by: UB Student Affairs, UB Athletics and University Facilities

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