Generation Magazine Vo 28 Issue 2

Generation Magazine - September 21, 2010 - It’s gettin’ rainy up in here.

CONTENTS

Featured Also

9

05 | Editor’s Letter

Its 2010. Do you know where your newspaper is?

07 | Agenda

Will anything fun ever happen again?

| Hit or Bulls***

What’s hot and what’s not in Buffalo.

Inside advice you might not want to follow.

08 | He Says, She Says

14

09 | Snapshot

We sit down with the hottest guy at Fall Fest.

Generation Magazine’s foreign correspondant takes us through his journey in Ireland

10 | The 4-Leaf Journal How to Live Luxuriously

Wanna feel like Young Money? We have a few tips on how to get the most bang for your buck.

12 | Gallery

Favorite pics from Fall Fest 2010

We take a look at some news ways to discover music online.

18 | Music Gets Social 20 | Literary

Seamus Heaney’s “Human Chain” reviewed. And some poetry from right here at UB.

22 | Fall Playlist

18 (716)2010-GEN

16

Real-Life Farmville

Ever wonder what it’s like to hang with Amish people? Steve Neilans gives you the inside scoop.

We leave you with 9 albums that you absolutely must download from your favorite source, to complete your fall semester.

Text or call our anonymous tipline with suggestions or questions for our advice columns. Forward us your texts from last night.

If you’re still spinning away at a rotary phone, just call us at 201-0436.

Photo credits: Cover design by Dino Husejnovic. All Flickr photos are under Creative Commons Some Rights Reserved license, non-commerical, free to build upon license. Above, Chandalier by Flickr Username U-g-g-B-o-y. Above, Amish crossing, Flickr User Cloudsoup. Above, Robert Francis, courtesy of Atlantic Records. Above, Ping logo, courtesy of Apple, Inc. Page 6, Google and Google Logo are properties and trademarks of Google, screenshot courtesy of Google.com. Page 7: Nickelback Concert Photo by Flickr User Shayne Kaye; Beyond/In WNY logo from Facebook event page; Miller Flickr photo by user Jeremy Roof; Wall Street 2 screencap courtesy of 20th Century Fox; Social Network poster courtesy of Sony Pictures; Page 9: Robert Francis, courtesy of Atlantic Records. Page 16, Farm photo by Fickr User See1, Do1, Teach1.

EDITOR’S LETTER

Slowly dying in your hands

Well, not actually. Student activity fees and ad sales already pay for the printing of the magazine you’re reading right now, but some local and national publications are not as fortunate.

I was a bit surprised when I visited Mashable and a headline read “New York Times Will Go Out of ‘Print’ Sometime in the Future.” Say what?!

According to Mashable, at a recent conference, Arthur Sulzberg, Jr. announced that The New York Times would eventually no longer be printed on paper. The date has yet to be determined, but the statement itself has a lot to say about the struggle of traditional media to keep up with current times. This is frightening.

Print makes sense for UB. It is easy for students to pick up a printed copy of Generation Magazine or The Spectrum as they whiz through the Student Union. Many, if not more, also pick up the New York Times or USA Today. It is free, quick and convenient. But what happens when we graduate and there is no more paper? Will you buy a Kindle or an iPad just to be able to pay more money for a digital copy? Or can one be an informed citizen without paying for “The Gray Lady” or the Buffalo News?

According to New York Times’ Audit Bureau of Circulations, in the six-month

period prior to the end of March, circulation has fallen by 9 percent. At this rate, it should be obvious that The New York Times has to figure out some other way to stay alive.

PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Global Entertainment and Media Outlook tell us that Internet ad revenue will surpass newspaper ad revenue by 2014. More people are reading stories on the web.

More companies are advertising on the web. Therefore, charging for web access is the answer to their woes? I think not.

To be honest with you, I would never pay for online news. I don’t think the majority of UB students would pay for news. Online news sites have been free since the beginning of the Internet era, and I do not think people would suddenly be inclined to start paying for online access to currently free news sources, such as The New York Times. This is one industry that has shot itself in the foot and is stuck in a downward spiral.

When The New York Times puts up a pay-wall to their content, their most loyal readers will most likely pay up to read, but I am assuming that the rest of us will go somewhere else for their news. In terms of ad and subscription revenue, I do not think it will be enough to ever bring back the true value of newspapers, and recycled AP stories are certainly not the biggest selling point.

The real issue here is not how we will get our news, but who will find the news in the first place? Newspapers used to do a great job with exposing corruption and working hard to get the truth to the people, but true investigative journalism is becoming hard to come by.

Take, for example, the Wall Street Journal. The Journal, which already charges for online access, used to be known for their in-depth research on companies and how they functioned.

Now, everyone is a “wire reporter.” Last year, in an internal memo, Managing Editor Robert Thompson called for a change in the way the publication attracted readers. Instead of working on in-depth stories, they would shift their focus on little snippets that would result in headlines.

The reality is that we have to pick up the slack and bring out the truth to keep people and institutions account-

able. There are many bloggers in Buffalo, such as The Answer Lady or Mike Blake, who take their time to voice their opinion, ask questions about current stories, and look a bit deeper into the matter with research. The Answer Lady, a master of digging up public records, focuses on issues pertaining to University Heights, UB, and the surrounding area. Mike Blake, whose blog is titled “My Unbalanced Opinions,” takes local and national news snippets that relate to the people of Buffalo and blogs about them in a Stephen Colbert satirical-type fashion.

A simple headline is not enough to inform the public. A headline that says “President Simpson to Retire” and a story giving us the date of his retirement does not even come close to telling the whole story. Did he fall or was he pushed? How exactly is the appointment process carried out? Was there even an appointment process? Why did he make his announcement on the first day of school? All of these questions need to be answered, but sources that are struggling to survive do not go that deep.

The future of public information is uncertain, and that is not good. To ensure that we stay informed, we must take it upon ourselves to bring the truth to the masses. By asking the tough questions and being critical of the ones in power, through a blog or a tiny tweet, we can ensure that we keep accountability a priority, and public information free.

If you have no idea what Twitter is or how to set up a WordPress blog, Generation Magazine is your answer. We are looking for critical and inventive writers who wish to put their critical skills to use.

We want you to push the boundaries of typical writing and speak your mind in a way that will resonate with the rest of the UB population. If it takes dropping a couple of f-bombs, then we shall print a couple of f-bombs.

I look forward to hearing from you, and wish everyone a wonderful fall season!

Dino Husejnovic Editor in Chief

Submit your letters and articles at ubgeneration.com, or e-mail us at ubgeneration@gmail.com

Generation Magazine 2010 - 2011 Staff Editor in Chief Dino Husejnovic

Managing Editor Kathryn Przybyla

Creative Director Elizabeth Flyntz

Copy Editor

Catherine Prendergast

Associate Editors Seon McDonald Steve Neilans Allison Balcerzak

Photo Editor

Allison Wasneechack

Circulation Director Rashid Dakhil-Rivera

Contributing Staff Josh Newman Josh Gordon Elyssa Rogers Vincent Chia Nathan Grygier

Business Manager Ariella Goro

Ad Manager Tommy Zhao

Asst. Ad Manager Ted DiRienzo

Cover design by Dino Husejnovic.

Generation Magazine is owned by Sub-Board I, Inc., the student service corporationat 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 telephone 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 1 p.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 2010 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.

ubgeneration.com | 5

BORED?

Write for us. ubgeneration.com ubgeneration@gmail.com 716-2010-GEN

AGENDA CONCERT | NICKELBACK | SEPTEMBER 21

Fresh off the success of their “Dark Horse Tour”, Nickelback did the smart thing by extending it well into the fall. Joining the tour are the bands Three Days Grace and Buckcherry, so expect this to be the rock event of the season in Buffalo. Tickets start from $53. Venue: HSBC Arena

ART | BEYOND/IN WNY 2010 | SEPTEMBER 23 – 26

Artist Didier Pasquette kicks off the Innovative art season with a stunning tightrope walk on September 23rd.

The exhibits featuring many local artists in and around Buffalo open the next day and will run until December. Venue: See Pasquette walk the tightrope at the Liberty Building

SPORTS | SABRES VS. MAPLE LEAFS | SEPTEMBER 25

Ice Hockey fans, tis the season again to support the official Buffalo team as they aim for gold, squaring off against Toronto. Venue: HSBC Arena

MOVIE | WALL ST : MONEY NEVER SLEEPS | SEPTEMBER 24

Michael Dougals and Shia LeBouf team up for Oliver Stone’s “Wall Street 2.” Douglas plays the greedy, manipulating and Oscar-winning investment banker Gordon Gekko, who has just come out of jail. Shia LeBouf, who is also in the investing game, learns the hard way why Gekko went to jail in the first place.

MOVIE |SOCIAL NETWORK | OCTOBER 1

Jesse plays Mark Zuckerberg, the Facebook CEO we all love to hate. Justin Timberlake joins the cast as the Napster co-founder who became the founding president of Facebook, and Andrew Garfield plays Eduardo Saverin, the Facebook co-founder who de-friended Zuckerberg over money. If you are interested in the evolution of Facebook and the dramatic story that unfolded on the Harvard Campus, check out Social Network.

TEXT US YOUR QUESTIONS! 716-201-0436 8 | ubgeneration.com

He Says, She Says An advice column divided by the sexes, starring Catherine Prendergast and Nathan Grygier

I’ve seen so many attractive girls on campus and in my classes. What is the best way to stir up a conversation with them?

CP: “Excuse me, have I fucked you yet?”

“Fuck me if I am wrong, but haven’t we met before?” “Fuck me if I’m wrong, but isn’t your name Lauren?” “Hey baby, let’s go make some babies.”

“Hey I am a wrestler, let me take you down.” “I miss my teddy bear. Would you sleep with me?” “I wanna put my thingy into your thingy.” “Let’s bypass all the bullshit and just get naked.”

“I’m drunk.” If none of these pick-up lines get you two talking, or at least a giggle from her, you are a loser.

NG : Personally, I think that the best approach to getting a girl interested is to use the Frank Reynolds method from It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia.

It’s quite simple actually. When you see a girl you think is bangin’, you simply drop a wad of hundred dollar bills along with a few magnum condoms.

Then you casually say “Oh, I seem to have dropped my wad of hundred dollar bills and magnum condoms.”

Hook, line and sinker. However if any ladies are reading, you should be aware that this method does not work for picking up guys. If you drop some condoms guys are gonna think one of two things. They’ll either think that 1. you’re a tranny or 2. you’re a prostitute who has no shame in flaunting it. Either way, that won’t help you get any.

I’ve noticed many signs that say UBreatheFree, yet there are still many people smoking on campus. What can I do about this?

CP: I will answer your question with a question: how does the government deal with the tobacco industry? There are anti-smoking pamphlets, antismoking advertisements in magazines

and public transit, anti-smoking commercials on television, and just in case one was unaware, there is a warning message stating that smoking causes lung disease on every package of cigarettes. Do any of these methods actually work? They do not. And if these do not work, is a sign on campus calling our school a smoke-free place really going to make a difference? You should not be upset about people smoking on campus, as they are outside in the open air, you should be annoyed by how the new policy has made campus clean-up unresponsive to all the litter of cigarette butts on the ground.

NG : I think that your best course of action is to form a renegade posse of sorts that deals out your own brand of cigarette related justice. Grab a few friends that have nothing better to do then dress up in ridiculous outfits and stop the smokers of campus. Take the PETA approach. When you see someone doing something that you don’t like, smoking in this case, throw a bucket of water on them. You’ll extinguish the problem and you’ll be remembered for sure. Will you get your ass beat for your actions? More than likely. However, will your point have gotten across? Oh most definitely.

I’m a guy and I love getting me sum head. However my girlfriend thinks it’s gross and refuses to suck my venom if you will. How do I convince her? I need knowledge to get brain!

CP: U need to get sum head. U need that knowledge. U r stupid.

Dump girlfriend and go 2 bar. Many girls there who enjoy venom sucking and do not think it’s gross.

NG : First of all, stop talking like that.

No girl will ever think it’s sexy or be

swayed further when you refer to oral sex as brain. Now if she refuses to do it, there’s really no way that you can make her. However, you can fight back with psychological warfare. Even though the economy may be in the shitter, there are still people developing useful things, such as the Fleshlight. Not sure what that is? Well you see it’s a male sex toy made of medical and food grade phtalate-free polymers, which is guaranteed to be the most scientific thing you’ll put your dick inside of. The best part about it?

It’s dishwasher safe! I’m sure the developers thought it was a good idea because if you’re going to have sex with it in the first place, you probably have no qualms washing it along with all of the things you eat off of. Have sex with your Fleshlight often enough, and she’ll either cave eventually or leave you. Don’t complain if it’s the latter option.

My boyfriend really wants to experiment with food and sex, but I’m a little hesitant to say the least. Is it safe?

NG : Your hesitation is not without just cause. Let me tell you a little story/urban legend. There was a couple who felt like getting it on, unfortunately they were out of their trusty lubricant.

However, they would not let this little problem get in the way from their desires, so in a stroke of genius they applied mayonnaise to the man and got to work. About a week or so later, the girl started to feel some tingles and jingles in her pants, so she went to the doctor. What was the cause of this sensation you ask? Oh nothing that serious, just VAGINAL MAGGOTS. Vaggots. So next time your boyfriend wants to play Mr. Frosty and cover your genitals in chocolate sauce, you better think twice.

CP: Tell your boyfriend to go eat a

hamburger and jerk-off. Putting chocolate sauce, peanut-butter, sushi rolls, Nutella, or whipped cream on your body is the biggest waste of food I have ever heard of. There are starving children all over the world! Unless you package the leftovers and send it overseas, you should feel guilty about your overindulgent sexual actions.

I’m a broke college student, what are some good ways to make a little extra cash?

NG : I have one word for you : Craigslist. You can do odd jobs for old people, sell the shit that you forgot you had and probably don’t need, or find a part time job. Unfortunately, you can no longer sell your body on Craigslist, because too many states have filed lawsuits against the website. A word of advice though, stay away from the personals. Clicking on any personal ad is almost guaranteed to result in being bombarded with dick pics that you didn’t ask for or have any remote desire to see. You have been warned.

CP: Really? You’re a broke college student? You mean you’re exactly like the rest of the UB population, who has taken out multiple loans, occasionally borrows money from parents or other family members, and hardly has time, with your eighteen-credit schedule, for even a part-time job? Really? I am so sick of hearing about broke college students strapped for cash. We are all broke, honey, we all need extra cash.

This question is so annoying that I am taking a writer’s liberty and changing it to “Hey guys, I’m financially stable and have some free time for pocket change. Any tips?” Ah, how refreshing; a question worth answering. Unfortunately, I cannot even imagine being financially stable or having free time, as I am a broke college student. Good luck!

We don’t know why this picture is here either.

It just looked cool. Also, Quality Markets Part 2 is on page 15.

GENERATION September 7,2010

SNAPSHOT

ROBERT FRANCISQ&A

by Dino Husejnovic

Robert Francis, who was the opening act at Fall Fest 2010, took some time before his performance to talk to Generation Magazine about his music, success and life in general.

DH: Being from Los Angeles, how excited are you to come to Buffalo, NY? It’s already getting chilly.

RF: Yeah, it’s colder over here. I love New York, any time I get to spend here, whether it’s Buffalo or the city, or Rhinebeck, or whatever it is, I’m always happy. I’m looking forward to it.

How has touring with Jason Mraz been so far?

It’s been awesome. His audience is some of the most supportive people that I’ve gotten to play for. I’ve toured with almost every type of band and artist, and there are a lot of kids out there who are jaded and are very happy to hear our music. There are also kids that you literally have to win over and it takes a lot out of you. Jason’s audience is sort of like, I can do my thing and I can really get into it. It’s kind of the best situation for me right now.

What is the biggest crowd you have played for?

I’ve played for about 70,000 people in London. [Fall Fest] is the second show with Jason, but the first show we played in Bangor, Maine was like 5,000 people.

Knowing that One by One was a result of a tough relationship and that Before Nightfall is a reflection, can you summarize the relationship for us? How did you meet,

how was it, and what the hell happened?

Around the time that I dropped out of high school, I was 17 and I had met this girl that I sort of fell in love with. At that point, I was more interested in playing guitar and I wasn’t gung-ho about being the frontman or even a serious song writer. I started taking care of this girl, since she was also out of school, didn’t have an ID, credit card, license or any money. Nothing. I ended up taking the paternal role almost. What ended up happening was that in my mind, I wanted the American Dream to come to fruition. I had a girlfriend. I had a 1960’s Chevelle. I had this house with a white picket fence. I had a dog.

The whole thing. We were just too young or too crazy at that point in time, so it fell apart.

When “One by One” happened was during the point when I was in the thick of the relationship and I was much more naive. “Before the Nightfall” was sort of the aftermath and looks back at the relationship.

It’s been a long time since the breakup.

Are you dating again, or do you think all women are evil?

It’s kind of impossible to date women. I’ve probably been with a lot of women, but as far as dating goes, being on the road makes it impossible to sustain that or keep it up.

But yeah, I forgive women.

Regarding relationships and breakups, did you learn any lessons the hard way that you would like share with the guys

at UB? The reality of it is that, looking back, even though it was all dramatic, depressing and hard to deal with, I think to sort of go through that and come out of it, in my opinion, is one of the most intense ways to learn what it feels like to be a man. There’s nothing wrong with getting your heart broken at some point.

Would you generally say that dropping out of school paid off for you, and do you think it is sometime the right choice for some people?

I think that if you know exactly what you want to do and how to do it, and this is something that you know you love and you are born to do, you should not let anything stop you. If school is getting in the way and you know what you want, there is your ticket out of there. If you are unsure in any way, even if five percent of your mind is unsure about what you want, stay in school and finish it. Otherwise, what I did, I thought, was the best decision.

For those who are hearing your music for the first time this week, what do you want them to go away with?

I want people to just have fun and hopefully, for the guitar players out there, to inspire them to play a little bit of guitar and not be afraid to hit some wrong notes to express themselves however they want.

When did you start using the air conditioner just for the sound of it?

I’ve been doing that since I started touring.

Probably since last October.

What do you think of Jersey Shore?

I’ve never seen it, but I think it’s awesome.

I know what it’s about and I think it’s great.

Is there a reason why you follow Sasha Grey on Twitter?

Hah. Well, I mean, who else are you going to follow on Twitter? And she’s also a pretty rad pornstar.

Is Jason Mraz a good wing-man?

We haven’t gotten into that yet, but I would think he would.

Speaking of wings, will you be grabbing any Buffalo wings this week?

Are Buffalo wings from Buffalo? I’ve never gotten into Buffalo wings. Which is crazy, because my band loves them, it’s their favorite thing. Maybe I’ll try them because I’m in Buffalo.

Did you get to play with the monkey in the “Keep on Running” video?

He was starting to get a little freaked out by the end of it. There were naked French girls walking around while he was there and he was starting to freak out. Maybe he was getting aroused by the chicks. He’s a good monkey.

We don’t blame him. ubgeneration.com | 9

The Four-Leaf Journal The ‘Tirst

By Josh Q. Newman Walking along Parnell Street I went into a pub. I don’t remember its name but I do remember the large striking photograph of Irish revolutionary Michael Collins, militaryuniformed and all, hanging next to the door.

The bar wasn’t terribly bright; in fact, were it not for the daytime and the sports game on the TVs it would have been quite hard to navigate. The people in the pub were mostly old, veteran Dubliners going through Guinness like water – that is no joke – eyeballing the young American that just walked in. I sat down uncomfortably and ordered a Guinness. The bald bartender poured the drink and let it settle on the bar. For those of you that don’t know, Guinness is a dark stout that takes a few minutes to fully form.

I wasn’t aware at the time, so I asked the bartender for my drink.

“What?” he said.

I was nervous. “Is that my drink?”

He gave me a puzzled look. Before I could say anything the barfly next to me interrupted.

“Just calm down, laddie,” he said.

“Yes, calm down,” said the bartender.

“I’m just letting it settle.”

10 | ubgeneration.com

I smiled and quietly laughed, knowing all along that they were being facetious. Then the bartender said something I’ll never forget.

“It looks like ye have a ‘tirst on ya.”

“A what?” I asked.

“A ‘tirst.”

“A what?”

“A ‘tirst.”

“Pardon me?”

He beckoned his thumb and pinky finger and made a drinking motion with his wrist. “A ‘tirst! A ‘tirst!”

“Oh,” I said amazed. “A thirst.”

So began my first full day in Dublin. I had arrived in the ancient and beloved city the day before but I didn’t really get a chance to see it until the day after. I wasn’t expecting that incident but that probably is the best introduction I’m ever going to get.

Dublin, old and fabled, is something to be had. It’s a close-knit city; everything you could want to have or could want to see is within reach. There are no skyscrapers or palaces, the tallest building I have seen being about ten stories high. Instead steel gives way to brink: metal, really, into stone.

It gives Dublin a cosmopolitan, wholesome look that works to its advantage. The colors

red, green, and marble dominate the city.

Every pub, store, and apartment contains a variation of the three. The streets are crowded and busy. Nifty cars race hectically by while the blue and yellow buses roll though the lanes like Russian tanks and the taxis prowl every nook, searching for the lost and lazy. People of all kinds can be seen strolling the city; tongues from every continent can be heard. Historic buildings, too, can be found almost everywhere. Trinity College, the school I currently go to, is in the middle of Dublin. Right next to it are the Bank of Ireland (formerly the old Irish Parliament), Temple Bar, and of course the River Liffey. Overall, Dublin has an eclectic taste, distinctly Irish yet with European, 21st century overtones. It’s like nothing I have ever seen before.

As I write this I can see three large cranes working on a construction site a few miles away. The noise – oh the noise! – of hammers and backing-up trucks is nonstop. Especially in the northern and eastern (seaport) part of Dublin, construction is everywhere. Dublin has experienced a boom in property value so high that in 2006 it beat out Tokyo as the most expensive city to live in the world. The Celtic Tiger, the nicknamed bestowed upon

the Irish economy ever since the 1990s, refers to the economic boom that has made Ireland one of the most developed EU countries. Pretty good for a nation that has had a long, painful history of poverty and colonialism.

That history of struggle, though irrevocably better, is starting to creep back up again.

The economy has recently taken a nosedive due to bank failures. The situation is similar to ours: too much money being lent out, too few investments being returned in full, bailouts, unemployment, emigration.

You name it. And because it’s such a small country, their situation could be considered worse. People are worried, and rightfully so.

Yet they are getting by. The economy is not putting a halt to Dublin’s rich festivities and culture, nor did it clamp the amazement I experienced (and still experience) when I arrived fresh off the plane.

I was put in a plush suburb of Dublin called Rathmines along with most of the other kids in my program. The program, called the Semester Startup Program (SSP), was a three-week orientation session that introduced exchange students to Irish culture, history, and heritage. SSP included lectures, tutorials, and field trips. We went

GENERATION September 21, 2010

to, among other places, Trim Castle, Tara Hill (the ancient inaugural ground of Irish kings), the Tithe an Oireachtais (the current Irish Parliament), St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and the Abbey Theatre. We were taught Irish history and literature as well as architecture and art history by Trinity faculty and staff. The program was amazing. No one wanted it to end.

We all knew that we’d never have such a lax yet interesting tour of our four-month adopted country again.

The kids in my group, though they hail from all over the country, are from for the most part uppity, liberal arts/private schools on the east coast. Colby, Middlebury, Wellesley, American, Georgetown, NYU, Williams, Bates, Northwestern, UPenn. I did meet a few public school kids – University of Massachusetts (Amherst), University of San Francisco – but I felt a little left out, educationwise. But no matter. Though it’s natural for me to loath prestigious schools (for reasons

that I should perhaps reserve for another article), I get along with the kids just fine. I even made a few friends.

One thing, though: they like to drink. A lot.

After our first big SSP meeting we all went out to a pub. In my table there were six kids and all they talked about was the many, exuberant ways they liked to get wasted. Shots, games, vomiting, blackouts, etc. There was no end to the inferno of drunkenness. As someone who didn’t drink much before I got here, I was bored out of my mind. I just sat there, drinking my Guinness and wondering off into space. But somewhere in that void, quite honestly, I was a little appalled.

These kids were supposedly the best of the best. They studied English, philosophy, and the classics. They read Faulkner and disagreed with Descartes. They had high GPAs, played sports, and led the debating teams.

And yet here they were, talking so casually about drunk hookups, tequila shots, and the

virtues of plastic-contained liquor. It was as if they were trying to outdo each other in how trashed they could get. It was like something out of a Bret Easton Ellis novel or Tom Wolfe’s I Am Charlotte Simmons. It irritated the hell out of me. I suppose, though, that I shouldn’t be surprised. Kids like to drink everywhere and prestigious schools, especially, are notorious for this sort of thing. I’m not the moral police, either. I like to drink as well. I just feel a bit conflicted that kids with such privilege and rank are also berserk party animals. Though this may not have to do with Dublin, I would have never have been truly exposed to the “I’m Rich, White, Go to a Great School, and Drink” culture had it not been for the trip.

My three weeks here so far have been characterized by trips, SSP, and drinking. The pubs are amazing, the Guinness pure. So much so, in fact, that according to a friend of mine who has lived here for months, Irish-

men will get into arguments over which pub serves the best Guinness. I’ve been to pubs in Wicklow and Kilkenny. I’ve toured the Smithwick’s brewery. I saw the James Joyce statue and have seen more posters of Irish nationalists and authors than I can think of. In all, I have done more than I can justly put on paper. Once I start classes and travel more, there will be more to come. I assure you. So I will end with this, if you go to Ireland and a bartender asks if you’re “tirsty,” you’ll now know what to do. And if you go to a rich liberal arts college in New England and a student asks if you’re “thirsty,” you’ll know what it means.

UB Fall Fest 2010

photos by Allison Wasneechak 12 | ubgeneration.com

GENERATION September 21, 2010

LIVING LUXURIOUSLY AS A STUDENT

by Kathryn Przybyla

Did you have an exciting weekend? Did it start off with a one hour Swedish massage at a local spa and then lead to booking a weekend in Santa Monica at an ocean view suite? Did you make reservations at a five star restaurant followed by a night out for a Broadway show? Did you get tickets to a movie screening after hanging out on set for a film shoot? Did you know you could do all this on a college student’s budget?

Living luxuriously is no longer for the rich and famous anymore. Here at Generation, we live like kings with our weekends getaways and all access passes, but we don’t pay big bucks for it (frankly, because we don’t get paid enough).

Never fret, we’re about to let you in on

When we’re not taking trips to the spa, traveling is another fine way to pass the time by. Nowadays I don’t know anyone who doesn’t use Travelocity, Hotwire, or Expedia to book a trip, but there may be a better (and cheaper) way to travel. Offandaway.com lets you buy bids to use in auctions for available suites at over 50,000 hotels. Some recently closed auctions include 2 nights at the Meritage Spa in Napa that went for $48 (compared to $1,050 as listed on the hotel’s website) and 2 nights at the Little Nell in Aspen that went for $28 (compared to $1,200 as listed on the hotel’s website).

Some of these deals are outrageous.

Traveler’s purchase bids at $0.10 a piece and then bid on packages listed on the

all our little secrets of how we pass our fabulous time when we aren’t writing. College is rarely a time of great wealth, but Groupon.com/buffalo can make you feel like you are living the good life. Check out the deal of the day for slashed prices on things like a 90 minute deep tissue massage for $60 (regularly $125) or a 2 hour sightseeing cruise for $7 (regularly $15).

But what makes this site different is that the deals are only valid if enough people take up the offer. Most incentives bring upwards of 100 people, so actually getting the Groupon deal is usually pretty easy. All these offers might not apply to you, but checking every so often is sure to result in a good time.

site. If they win the overall auction, they pay the last price they bid and if they lose the auction the collection of $0.10 bids they spent are put towards booking a different hotel. Depending on the interest in a certain location/getaway, the final price can be a couple hundred dollar bills or a couple twenty dollar bills. Either way, it’s worth checking out.

When we can’t find the time to explore the world, we make up for it with fine dining on any given night. Restaurant.com is a great tool to use when looking to check out some high quality places without paying the high quality price. Some offers listed right now include a $25 Buffalo Chophouse gift certificate for $10 and a $25 Tandoori’s

14 | ubgeneration.com

gift certificate for only $17.50.

There are over 50 participating restaurants in the Buffalo area that are just waiting for you to stop in. Everyone has their own favorite spots, but if you are looking to try something new, and something a little pricier than Putnam’s, check out Res-

When writing about upcoming events, we try to stay on top of our game with movies, music and everything else. One of the best kept secrets in film would be GoFoBo.com. Signing up on this site allows you access to pre-opening day, movie screenings. It’s from screenings like these

taurant.com for some good food.

After a good meal, a night out can make the whole day come together. Being a theatre geek myself, I always enjoy a good performance. But rather than emptying my savings account on a trip to New York, checking out a few Broadway shows in Buffalo will have the same effect. Touring shows (rather than Broadway) are usually cheaper for full price tickets, and you are getting the same entertainment.

Shea’s Performing Arts Center in Buffalo is the best theatre to check some shows out. This upcoming season includes Mary Poppins, Dreamgirls, Wicked, and West Side Story. All of which are huge Broadway shows that won’t cost you the huge amounts of dollars you would be spending in New York City.

that movies can create a good buzz, and improve ticket sales.

For us, it’s just a way to brag to our friends, but it’s still very cool. All of these screenings are free and you can print out your passes on your own computer. The only catch is they usually overbook, meaning they hand out more passes than actual seats, so come early for a good seat (if there’s any left!)

Hopefully this will make your life a little more luxurious than the average college students. It’s all about finding a way around the lack of funds and sticking it to the man with coupons and wicked awesome deals. Who says you can’t afford a five star hotel for the weekend when Ramen noodle dinners are usually your specialty?

GENERATION September 21, 2010

RespecT Your Elders

By Nathan Grygier

For those of you who had read my story from Quality Markets last week, then you’re already fairly familiar with the patrons that frequented Quality. For those of you who did not read, they are mainly categorized into two groups. Fat people, and old people.

When these two groups collide, well hilarity ensues. It was a normal day, and I was just standing around in the customer service desk killing time, when I noticed that a bit of an altercation was occurring at a register.

Now I hope that I can capture the ridiculous essence of this fight in text, it was between two old men, over how fast they were traveling. One was in a wheelchair, and apparently he was going too slow for the man who was not in a wheelchair, because he was just haulin’ ass with his walker. So I start to overhear their bickering, which included phrases like “Let’s take this outside, I’m not afraid to fight you”. I’m not going to lie, I was pretty giddy at the possibility of a fight between two senior citizens.

However, to the disappointment of me and many others, the fight did not escalate to a physical confrontation. That being said, they did continue to argue with each other about what was an ac-

ceptable speed of transportation in a supermarket setting.

As enjoyable as this was, it got kicked up a notch when an irritable fat woman was walking by and chose to get involved.

She had been paying attention from a distance for sometime, but she wanted to speak her mind as the obese seem to enjoy doing. So she just gets right in between them and says “Excuse me, why don’t we worry about real things. My husband is fighting in Iraq right now.” Immediately, the man in the wheelchair shot back with “Why don’t you worry about your weight fatty!” I honestly wanted to applaud the man. If this scene was scripted in a movie I don’t think it could have played out better. He was just so quick and snappy with his comeback. And the best part: the woman abandoned her cart and just left the store.

It was just too excellent. She knew that she couldn’t come back with anything else or regain pride. After she left, the old men stopped their arguing and just went on their merry way. If only the fat woman had been insulted AND the old men gotten into a fight, that could have been the best day ever, although the day was pretty hilarious as it was.

REAL-LIFE FARMVILLE

by Steve Neilans

Waking up in the middle of the night to milk the cow and squeezing some teets isn’t as cool as it sounds. Trust me.

For the first 18 years of my life, I lived in a town with a population just about as large as some of the classes in Knox. My graduating class had 55 students, and we were a “big” class. More Amish people pass my house than cars, and there are definitely more cows per square acre than people.

Living in the country is like living in one of those Brett Favre Wranglers ads. Everything feels like it’s going in slow motion, everything involves a football in some way, and everything definitely involves a truck. If you don’t have a truck, you are lame.

I never had a truck. My house isn’t actually on a farm, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t lived the country life. I’m hardly a country boy, but if I can help shed the light on a couple of random facts which LI girls wouldn’t know otherwise, I will consider this page of the Generation a success.

Beginning with anything except Amish people would be a shame. So let’s begin there first.

Most Amish people seem like they tame

16 | ubgeneration.com

and docile (which they are for the most part), but the Amish people who are crazy are CRAZY. One Amish kid I worked with a couple summers ago got a DUI and was arrested for disturbing the peace. To me, it seemed crazy enough that an Amish kid got arrested for anything. When he told me he was arrested because he rode his buggy through town blasting heavy metal after he had polished a handle of Jack Daniels, I had to seriously re-evaluate my perceptions of Amish.

Amish people party, and they party hard. If you remember anything from this article, remember that.

Amish people also love garage sales.

For one day a year, my hometown turns into a gigantic garage sale. Needless to say, the Amish really love this. “Ashville Day” is my town’s effort to set a pinnacle for trailer trash. Everybody gets drunk and races souped-up tractors while they debate which tribal patterned UFC shirt makes them look the most badass. I really wish I could say I was making this sort of stuff up.

One of my earliest life lessons actually involves the crazy sans-electric mystery

people and a garage sale during “Ashville Day”. I apparently talked to an Amish person and told him he could use the toilet inside my home. I thought nothing of it.

My mom did. Amish Abe had not only gone number 2; he hadn’t flush and left a trail of dirt in the bathroom. My mom still tells me that that Amish people have some of the weirdest smelling turds ever (sorry, TMI).

DO NOT let Amish people use your toilet.

Not everything about the country is about Amish people however. There are plenty of other crazy people in the boonies as well. The kind of people who will trap squirrels by the lake and drown them in the water while trapped in a cage as two normal people stand there in shock (not that I have any repressed memories or anything).

It seems like if I did anything bad as a kid, I was chased around with a shotgun. I playing hide and seek in some kid’s garage, and the crazy neighbor who was 5 years older than me started chasing me and my best friend with a BB Gun. I also remember hiding in a chicken coop at one of my other friend’s houses, until some crazy grandma

decided it was time to run around with a shotgun and yell at us to go home.

Be prepared to be chased around with a shotgun if you play hide and seek on a farm.

For as much as I hate associating myself with a town full of hilljack crazy people, I guess it has become a part of me in some way. It would be massively cliché for me to say I wouldn’t trade it for anything, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. When farmers start to name cows after you so you come over and visit more often, you know there’s a special bond that can’t be duplicated anywhere else.

Bottom line: if you feel like seeing how the world looked 100 years ago, visit a farm. Just watch out for those crazy Amish people and NRA members.

And finally, if you ever date someone from the country, just make sure you find out there position on drowning helpless baby animals. You might be shocked at how crazy they actually are.

GENERATION September 21, 2010

TOP 5 5.

CELEBRITIES WHO ARE TOO YOUNG TO PURSUE

Selena Gomez – 18th B-Day = July 22, 2010 Yes, Selena Gomez is now legal, but that doesn’t mean she is too young to pursue. Just ask Vinny from Jersey Shore. At this year’s VMAs, Vinny asked Selena if she wanted to meet up because she was now 18. Gomez responded “Tonight, I’m not 18!

My mom would kill me!” I think that The Situation would agree that this situation is bombed.

4.

Greyson Chance – 18th B-Day = August 16, 2015 The YouTube hit of the summer was arguably Greyson’s performance of Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi”.

Since it was released, Greyson has gotten over 31 million views (Gaga’s version has 35 million). Ellen DeGeneres has even started a new record company and signed the 13-year-old heartthrob to a new deal. While he may be too young for us college students to pursue, I have a feeling that the girls in the background of the video are already all over him.

3.

Chloe Moretz – 18th B-Day = February 10, 2015 Kick-Ass kicked ass, and it was mostly because of Hit Girl. Moretz single-handedly became the definition of hardcore with one character. From the minute she made a guy shoot himself with his own gun, I knew I was in love. Unfortunately, any person who tries to date her will probably end up with a bowie knife hanging out of the top of his forehead.

2.

Miley Cyrus – 18th B-Day = November 23, 2010 Don’t break my achy breaky heart Hannah Montana. If Amanda Bynes were cryogenically frozen for about 6 years and given medication to make her less funny and Southern, Miley Cyrus would pop out of the chamber. Cyrus is the All-American girl with everything. Movies, TV shows, a one-hit wonder dad; the girl has it all. People also tell me she can apparently sing (these are the same people who tell me Ke$ha can sing).

1.

Justin Bieber – 18th B-Day = March 1, 2012 The Mayans believed that the world was going to end in the year 2012. If that’s true, it will be the second most important thing to happen that year.

Bieber’s pre-pubescent voice has the power to make babies, and there are unfortunately no contraceptive devices to defend against it. I’ve never met a girl who didn’t want to pursue J Biebs. I’ve probably never met a guy who didn’t want to pursue J Biebs. Bieber has that kind power. Bow down to the king.

By Steve Neilans

&mUSIC+ &gETS+ &sOCIAL+ &by+ seon+ mcdonald+ “Have you heard that new song on the radio?” The Radio? I haven’t tuned into a radio station in ages. The fact is, discovering music is no longer limited to hitting the FM frequency, browsing dusty record shops or using the old tried and true “word of mouth” system. The new way to keep up with new music is to “follow it” via social networking.

Artists and record labels saw the rising popularity of social websites as an opportunity to market their wares directly to the listener, as the music industry faced an uncertain future with sagging CD sales. MySpace became a haven for bands, and many singers managed to be “discovered” from their profiles. Now just about every artist can be “followed” on Twitter or “liked” on Facebook. So if you are woefully behind on what’s hip and cool to listen to these days, here are some useful ways to keep abreast.

iTunes Ping Apple recently unveiled a whole new iPod line, as well as a tweaked iTunes 10. What is special about this new version of iTunes is the inclusion of a service called “Ping”.

Ping allows you to follow your favorite artists, your friends and also lets them follow you. The music you listen to is updated and shown to the public. You can like songs and comment on artists’ status updates. It is a lot like Facebook and Twitter, which might be familiar to a lot of users. However once you set up your profile, you begin to realize the shortcomings of this service, and coming from Apple, this is hardly shocking. Ping is only accessible through iTunes. You can only 18 | ubgeneration.com

like songs in the iTunes store that you purchased or will purchase. Ping ignores your own music collection that was begotten from some other source. As far as Apple is concerned, you ought to be buying your content through iTunes and only iTunes. Yeah, right.

It has potential though, and with some decent improvements and a way to link songs outside of iTunes, Ping can be a great tool in music discovery.

The Zune Social The Zune Social is sadly one of Microsoft’s best-kept secrets. Almost no one is aware that the Zune has featured a way to follow artists, make friends and see what they’re listening since 2007. The usual stuff is here; you can be friends with people who listen to similar music, comment on their profiles or follow artists. What is unique about the Zune Social is that the more you play a song, album or particular artist, you are awarded a badge, ranging from bronze to gold. As you listen to more music, your “honors” increase; a nice personal touch to show off to your friends.

Except it is likely you have no other friends who have a Zune. It is unfortunately sad, and not very social. Nonetheless, coupled with a Zune pass subscription, you might have one of the most useful music-centric social tools that will help you discover not only what’s new and popular but also decent obscure bands that no one else heard of, but you swear is amazing.

Apps There are numerous apps that make finding new music a pinch. The most notable ones are also free.

Shazam This music discovery app is a must have for every mobile phone. Say you walk into Abercrombie and Finch, and you hear some obscure dance song that you just must hear again. Pull out your phone and tap tag. A clip of the song is recorded and matched to Shazam’s servers. Once found, you can see the artist, album and if you want purchase the song directly on the phone. You can also share your tagged songs on Facebook or Twitter and check out charts of most tagged songs. The free version allows 5 tags per month, while the paid version ($4.99) provides unlimited tagging and the ability to preview the songs. The app is available on iPhone, Android, Nokia and Windows mobile.

Pandora Radio What is unique about this app is its efficient way of finding songs and artists similar to the ones that you like and listen to. It is your own personalized radio station, which you customize by selecting a song or artist that you like and Pandora plays a selection of songs that are similar in genre, style and sound. While playing, you can “thumps up” or “thumps down” a song to skip it. Small caveat: the free version allows you up to 12 song skips per day. This app is also multiplatform and is available on just about any phone that has apps.

Last FM Like Pandora radio, Last.FM promises a “personalized” radio stations based on the music you like to listen to. However, Last.FM goes even further and gives users the ability to read artist bios, check out tour dates and select whether or not they’re attending. The killer feature though is the ability to “scrobble” the music habits that you’ve already developed through your desktop player to your Last FM profile, where others can see what you’ve been listening to. You can add friends and see what they’re listening to, suggest music to them and share your musical proclivities with your favorite social networking sites. Last FM is available on the iPhone and online.

AOL Radio Decidedly the most traditional of the music apps, AOL Radio is most like the FM radio.

There are over 200 stations to choose from with genre, artist, and even mood options to choose from. You can tune in to your favorite FM stations too like KISS FM, Hot 93 or local stations from your state. It is essentially the radio station streamed to your phone, including those pesky audio commercials.

Music discovery here is easy, as artists information is displayed during airplay. You can ‘favorite’ songs for later purchase. AOL Radio is available on the iPhone and from the web for free.

Being in college means you’re likely too busy to be keeping up with the Kardashians much less what’s new on the radio. Try any of these social tools and you won’t look so clueless next time some ask you “Dude, have you heard that new jam on Radio?”

GENERATION September 21, 2010

MOVIES Upcoming DVD Releases

which resulted in him leaving the palace.

In his journey, he traveled with Princess Tamina (played by the super-hot Gemma Arterton). Dastan eventually discovers the secrets behind the mystical dagger of time (it turns out that his uncle is also after the dagger, talk about predictable right?).

Next, his journey continues and he actually meets rather interesting characters, which adds a splash of humor in the film. Like a duo of evil looking merchant-bandits in the valley of slaves, who turns out to be an ostrich race organizer!

Dastan eventually goes back to confront his uncle after he discovers his diabolical plans, and saves the princess, together with the dagger of time (like I said, predictable ending).

Overall, the films cinematic effects are truly exceptional, but I guess all the hype that I’ve heard about the film just made me expect more from it, and in the end I actually left the cinema feeling a little high and dry, if you know what I mean. But all these negativity aside, the film stayed true to its root concept with the plot, and is somewhat in tandem with what you can find in the video game. Also, the eye candies in the movie sure made up for the lackluster plot.

Robin Hood (2010) Prince of Persia, The Sands of Time (2010) Directed by Mike Newell, and produced

by Jerry Bruckheimer (“Pirates of The Caribbean”). Although the film is packed with stunning visual effects, and a star-studded cast, however, the “punch” or the “wow” factor in the show was largely destroyed due to the highly predictable story line.

I understand that this film is supposed to follow fairly closely to the famous video game series of the same title, but personally I felt that the plot could be enhanced with a few twists and turns to make it less . . . dreary (please understand that this is just my opinion, those of you who are die-hard fans may disagree, and I’m cool with it. Just don’t come with torches and pitchforks to my home!).

Alright, back to some great points about the show. In the film, Jake Gyllenhaal plays Dastan, who’s originally an orphan kid, but was later adopted by the king after he proved to possess both courage and integrity. Years later, Prince Dastan grew up to be a great warrior, but was eventually betrayed by his uncle, Nizam (played by Ben Kingsley – its always the bald guys that are the evil ones),

What can I say about the newly “repackaged” “Robin Hood”? To be honest, I have to say that this film showed me a lesser-known side of Robin Hood. Directed by Ridley Scott (Gladiator), Robin Hood features a stellar cast, which includes: Academy Award winner Russell Crowe, and Oscar winner Cate Blanchett, Mark Strong (who played the villain in Sherlock Holmes), along with others.

The collaboration between director Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe has a long history dating back to 2001, when Russell Crowe was the lead protagonist in his film: Gladiator.

In this film, the spectacular plot, coupled with the rising tension, and thought-provoking elements in the story left a lasting impression on me. To me, the movie “Robin Hood” embodies: action, romance, humor, as well as thriller.

“Robin Hood” is set in the late 12th century in England. Originally named Robin Longstride, he was a skilled archer in the military.

After witnessing the assassination of their king, Robin takes on the identity of a fallen knight and was intending to go back to England while impersonating as a nobleman, with hopes to get richer in the process.

What he didn’t expect was how his fate will get intertwined with the treachery and deceit that’s about to unfold. Upon returning to England, he witnessed the coronation of their new king, and fell in love with Lady Mar-

ian, the widow of the fallen knight, played by Cate Blanchett.

Meanwhile, under the new rule of king John, England was experiencing plenty of social unrest. Robin Loxley went on to unite his people to defend from an invasion by France, and the betrayal from Sir Godfrey, played by Mark Strong (notice how the villain happens to be bald again?) who is a secret partner to the French king, where he uses his political and royal decrees to create unrest and civil war in England. I know, the long history lesson is getting boring.

Eventually Robin defeats the French army, and brought freedom to his people. Upon seeing his accomplishments, King John felt threatened and ordered the arrest of Robin as an outlaw. In response, Robin left with Lady Marian, and his friends who went into Sherwood Forest where they became the famous “Merry Men of Sherwood”. And later, Robin was known as – Robin of the hood.

Which translates to the Robin Hood that we know today.

The movie “Robin Hood” explains to us the history, and the man behind one of the most famous heroic outlaw in English folklore.

Robin Hood isn’t your typical goody-twoshoes hero (of course who likes a predictable hero right?), but more importantly, he was a commoner who actually made a difference.

The action scenes, and cinematic experience of the movie is simply breath taking.

Also, the emotional aspects of the story, as well as the historical significance was integrated seamlessly into the plot (and at least now, the outfit of Robin Hood is more stylish, as opposed to a man wearing Lincoln green clothes).

ubgeneration.com | 19

LITERARY “Route 110,” the collection’s longest work.

In it, he juxtaposes the underworld with the life he has had above: loves gained and lost, parties had, family, etc. The Northern Irish “Troubles” make an appearance as well:

Behind the Grief Cordons

And what in the end was there left to bury Of Mr Lavery, blown up in his own pub As he bore the primed device and bears it still Mid-morning towards the sun-admitting door Of Ashley House? Or of Louis O’Neill In the wrong place the Wednesday they buried Thirteen who’d been shot in Derry? Or of bodies Unglorified, accounted for and bagged Behind the grief cordons: not to be laid In war graves with full honours, nor in a separate plot Fired over on anniversaries By units drilled and spruce and unreconciled.

by Josh Q. Newman Seamus Heaney’s 12th collection of poetry, “Human Chain,” is a concise work in the epic tradition. Its graceful imagery and short, very sweet lyricism evokes a variety of topics and styles, from the Irish oral “hermit songs” to Virgil’s “Aeneid,” which he does a reconstruction of. Heaney is often compared to William Butler Yeats and in many ways this is accurate. They both depict the beleaguered Irish condition in universal terms, never overstretching their shadow over a grim and nostalgic topic. The two Irishmen give expression to, borrowing a phrase from the Nobel committee, “the spirit of a whole nation.” It is, in fact, partly why they were awarded the Nobel Prize in literature. But more importantly, they realized that humans are interconnected and that poetry is one way to explain what brings people together and tears them apart. Yet while Yeats can become quite lugubrious (“That is no country for old men,” Yeats writes, so effortlessly borrowed by Cormac McCarthy and later the Coen brothers), Heaney doesn’t lose site of the irrevocable joys of life. At least in this collection, Heaney mourns what needs to be mourned – the passing of friends and family, the sectarian violence that ravished his country – while observing in honeysuckle terms the quiet baby-steps and large leaps that define the human condition. In his dawning years, Heaney sees fit to write about his grandchild, Harvard Yard, and his upbringing in Northern Ireland. “Human Chain” is not a reflection of things past nor is it a celebration of things future. It is also not a jumpfor-joy proclamation of life and nature, 20 | ubgeneration.com

which seems to be a stereotype inflicted on poetry. It is rather an observation of commonness in an existence that can easily be toyed-around and set ablaze by other lackluster poets.

One of the great mysteries of life is time. Heaney explores the concept, not with a concrete notion but a wry sense of its consequences. The first poem, “Had I Not Been Awake,” describes the effects of a strong breeze rattling the speaker’s house.

His eloquent description of the wind can stand by itself, yet what gives the poem a fatalistic twist occurs in the last stanza: “A courier blast that there and then / Lapsed ordinary. But not ever / After. And not now.”

The messenger, any messenger, comes but once. It’s not necessarily our responsibility to catch it but it’s a point in time that cannot be repeated or emulated, much like how you cannot cross the same river twice.

In another poem, “The Baler,” the speaker admits this much. “It was evening before I came to / To what I was hearing / And missing: summer’s richest hours.” Loss and repudiation, lapsed ordinary, is the standard in which time should be measured. It would be a stretch, perhaps, to relate Heaney’s writings on time to some sort of end-all theory of relativity, yet Heaney does have a poetic, systematic view of time that is expressed rather sneakily in these short poems.

In addition to his respect of time, Heaney reverts to great works of time past. He chooses two things: traditional Irish lyrics and poems and “The Aeneid.” Of the first, Heaney is obviously well known for creating and reviving the tastes and flare of the Irish

language in English. “An Old Refrain,” for example, recalls the subtle tastes of nature with candid “stitchwork”: Robin-run-the-hedge We called the vetch – A fading straggle Of Lincoln green English stitchwork Unravelling With a hay-nonny-no Along the Wood Road.

Sticky entangling Berry and thread Summering in On the tousled verge.

Heaney’s talent for detailed description without, to quote “Amadeus,” “too many notes,” fosters an intrinsic musicality to his writing. The stanzas are brimming with a natural vernacular. He writes of the Irish landscape very intimately. He never loses sight of his Irish, particularly Northern Irish, roots. Because of this, he both refers to and reinvents traditional Irish oral and written poems. He is a muse for his land, and in poems such as “Derry Derry Down” and “Hermit Songs” it becomes clear that Ireland serves as instant and infinite fodder for his carefully chosen words.

Yet Heaney also is mindful of an ancient and far-away land, Rome, and its poet, Virgil. As mentioned before, he does a reconstruction of “The Aeneid.” The epic poem’s underworld is featured prominently in

Heaney, like all great poets, is mindful of the dead. He chose “The Aeneid,” in part, to make his experiences larger than life. It is an ancient and revered text on the foundation of Rome. I can’t comment on the poem too much considering I haven’t read it, yet Heaney definitely had and has a solid grasp of the text at hand. “Route 110” oozes with erudition, a mastery of his recollections and the poem in which it draws from.

How does this relate to us, you may ask?

The human chain referred to in the title, admittedly, is a wide gesture. It assumes that a boy from Bellaghy can connect with anyone. The answer is not simple: poetry never is. The best I can offer is a faith of his works.

He knows what he’s doing and the texts flow convincingly. The collection is short, his language definite. “Human Chain” deserves great attention and admiration, not because Heaney is famous but because he is a voice of his generation. The other poems in the collection are intertwined with his troubled life and country and his growing up as a budding scholar. His language has both traditional and contemporary strains; he is a modernist with a respect for the conservative. Therefore, “Human Chain” successfully sets out to be a commentary of the human condition. Without stretching out the poems, I suggest that the work shows how connected we are: from Buffalo to Belfast.

The milk of human kindness is not lost on Heaney. It can only grow on the reader.

GENERATION September 21, 2010

LITERARY

A DARKENING SKY By: David Dodge Once outside, the sky darkened instantly.

Large, ominous, clouds the size of stadiums – just formed, Out of nowhere – out of nothing, And yet, impossibly, they were everything.

Those amusement park rides that go too fast for the small child, And swirl him into oblivion before he even knows it as reality, Such was the twist of the most eastward cloud.

Nothing grows so much on the fuel of electrified air.

First, it was a raptly growing statue Then a tall building of the swirling ripples Into the largest of mountains, That come from the sky.

Are you God? Are you man?

Are you destiny or fate?

Are you death, come to take me?

We are but a collective spec on the universal plane, A micro liter of blood has more in it for us than we for the universe, Vast amounts of technology, Educations firm and true, Lives of wonder and horror, These things are but nothing to a darkening sky.

I’m Down

By: Onion Jack

But, you pulled me back Away, away from harm.

I never knew who you were, Where you came from.

G could be in Space (to be continued?)

This couldn’t be polished and wouldn’t it be interesting, interesting.

Nontached tached pon pon my gravity cling Cutcut my ties to the theory striiiing And you best stop yonder bitching Cause in fact There’s a mountain of places I could be right now and today, It’s gonna be space.

ubgeneration.com | 21

FALL PLAYLIST

By Joshua Gordon

Every year as autumn lurks around the corner, I feel a sentimental attachment towards the changing environment. Perhaps the best compliment to this feeling of nostalgia is an association to music of the past. Easily some of the best albums I’ve ever heard were released in the fall, and I don’t think it comes as any coincidence. Radiohead’s In Rainbows was released in October 2007 as well as Iron & Wine’s The Shepherd’s Dog the previous month. Hearing these albums again almost 3 years later conjures feelings reminiscent to that time and place.

They were the soundtracks to my life as I walked from class to class or drove back home for the break.

Seasonally themed music is not uncommon. George Winston’s discography is filled with long piano compositions structured around a specific time of year or place. For example, his album autumn produces Romantic sensations about progression of the season through each month-titled track. Although it is hard to describe why the music characterizes the fall, it is not surprising that Winston envisioned his compositions to compliment the aesthetic beauty of the autumn color palette and weather. Another great example would have to be Bon Iver’s debut album For Emma, Forever Ago. Written over the course of a few months in Justin Vernon’s cabin in the Wisconsin countryside, the listener is taken into a personal and

isolated atmosphere that was inspired by the depressing loneliness of wintertime.

Every human sense is involved in the process of recalling memories. Walking around the parking lot of an outdoor concert on a summer day goes hand in hand with feelings of independence and youth. Olfactory smells of cigarette, and barbeque are a staple of any outdoor show. Waiting on line in the freezing cold trying to get tickets to a sold out show indoors provides an obvious contrast and shows the diversity of emotions portrayed by each season.

Now that Fall Semester has kicked into full gear, we look forward to an entire season of new releases, awesome shows, and a change of weather. So, to prepare for the inevitable cold weather, I have compiled a short list of some of my favorite fall albums.

Phish Tour Haiku

By Joshua Gordon

Phish announced Fall Tour Closest show is Utica Who has my extra?

The Shepherd’s Dog

Yellow House

Sea Change

Iron & Wine

Grizzly Bear

Beck

In Rainbows

The Band

Radiohead

The Band

Deerhunter

Autumn

Feels

New Morning

George Winston

Animal Collective

Bob Dylan

22 | ubgeneration.com

Microcastle/Weird Era Cont.

GENERATION September 21, 2010