Youth is about capturing your passion and living your life enjoying what you love to do.

Youth is spontaneity, feeling the fire arousing in you when you do something you love and breaking these boundaries.

Youth only happens in a bit of our lifetimes.

Capture the moment with ____(insert camera brand)____.

A Massive Plan to Save Our Town

Many may ask this question. What’s in a name? As Juliet has put it, would any rose smell as sweet? We all need a title though, as a head start and a promise to the people. UB 2020 – sounds promising. The plans are strong, and offer Buffalo a chance to shine as brightly as it did before as the Queen city.

Will the University at Buffalo be able to lead Buffalo hand in hand onward to a brighter future? Will it lead this city’s economy into success within the short span of the next 12 years? We believe so. A path has been set by the major administrators of this massive educational institute, the sole heart of Buffalo’s economy.

Recently, it was reported that Buffalo has been ranked the 3rd largest poor city in the entire country with poverty numbers standing at 28.7% of the population. With such a murky forecast, surely there is still hope for the city. UB 2020 is a plan developed by UB President John B. Simpson for the expansion of UB as a premier research institute, the flagship university of the SUNY system, and as a tool to ultimately aid Buffalo’s economy.

It is multi-faceted and involves all the financial help it can get, as progress will depend thoroughly on the funding throughout the process of achieving UB 2020’s final objectives. The most recent move was the unveiling of a draft of the plan to redesign and reconfigure its campuses.

For many students, the tuition fees and costs of staying on-campus will be drastically affected. On December 2nd, the university announced a fee hike of over a thousand dollars for the spring 2009 semester due to the current economic crisis. Even when New York State is facing such tough times, the university still intends to go ahead with the plans to reach their goals for UB 2020. We wonder if that move is justified as the increase came at such short notice.

Regarding this issue, the current system of occasional large tuition hikes should be replaced with a fairer system of smaller annual increases, so that the students and their sponsors will know what to expect with regards to their educational funding. This method would help UB such that they would be able to plan out their financial expenditures in a methodological way and comes as a win-win situation.

At this point of time, UB 2020 is still at its infancy stage. A lot of work will need to be done to reach the goals, and we do support its ideas fully. Looking through UB 2020’s website, we found that the administrators have put up quite a lot of information and effort to persuade people that this plan is worthy.

Worthy or not, we will find out 12 years down the road. Where will Buffalo’s economy head? There is no answer now. Hopefully, just hopefully… UB and its plans for the future will light downtown up again and return it to its full former glory.

Do not abuse our right to the world’s resources

The world is running out of power?! Well, not really. But it might happen someday. Is anyone going to risk it? We certainly hope not. The University at Buffalo, which is part of SUNY, is the core of Buffalo’s economy. It powers research facilities and fuel the passion for learning. The large North Campus and its neighboring South Campus spans a very big area. Massive amounts of energy are needed to sustain the community which thrives within the university.

Are faculty, staff, and most importantly, students doing enough to help the institution conserve energy and built a greener environment on the campuses? For one, UB Green is a campaign that pledges to help with sustaining our environment and making it a greener place.

Let’s talk about the residential halls now. They are massive and students fill up almost every room that is available in there. Energy consumption shoot skywards for many live, eat, drink, and sleep in these buildings. The expansive Ellicott complex houses over two thousand students. If there were to be any impact on the school’s expenditure of energy, a lot would come from these buildings.

Recently, pairs of volunteers have shown up in the hallways of the Ellicott Complex on the North Campus knocking on the doors with their UB Green t-shirt on the eve of Halloween. The objective was to collect bottles that can be recycled and give out candies to their fellow schoolmates. Such initiatives are good and help pass the message of recycling, reusing and reducing – the three important “R”s.

Students get heating, lamps, sockets, and facilities in the residence halls. Power consumption is up to them and restrictions aren’t placed. However, signs have been put up by the staff and residential advisors of the halls – a reminder to switch off all lights when not in use, save energy, save water and to recycle.

However, students may not feel obliged to recycle. Maybe they think that the actions of one cannot make a difference to our society and environment. The truth is: when accumulated, the effort of everyone matters. They may also think that since they paid their fees already, they are entitled to the privilege of wasting precious resources. What is not realized is that the consumption of energy and the production of waste make the most major impact on the environment.

Therefore, one should always think if their actions will hurt the future generation. They should not be denied of their right to the power supplies and a thriving environment. If we do not protect our Earth and reduce our impact on the environment, surely we will lose all these privileges. UB deserves credit for the attempts to decrease its carbon footprint as much as possible. However, everyone affiliated to the institution ought to support the cause toward energy and environmental conservation.

“Call me a villain. But honestly, who cares? Saving the environment? Energy conservation? I never thought that it would affect me adversely.” There are many people out there who stand by this view – one that states very clearly that the environment is not falling apart due to the works of an individual, and that there is no point in making an effort in conserving energy. Not that one lamp being switched on or off matters. How would anyone care if someone wants to leave their lamps on? It is simply too insignificant to make a difference!

Here is the truth: Think about it. Niagara Falls is right at Buffalo’s doorstep right? Everyone can testify to it that the water flows almost all year round and generates quite an amount of electricity to fuel the city’s thirst for energy. It is the biggest waterfall on Earth that has ever been discovered by humans. It is one of the Seven Wonders of the World! Why? Because people can make the most of this natural source of power – there is no need to waste our effort trying to conserve power – it is available to us, naturally.

Yes, yes. There are talks about fossil fuels running out in awhile. With the Earth’s four billion years of existence, there is no way we can ever wipe out the fossil fuels that quickly! There really isn’t a need for the University at Buffalo to waste their resources on creating websites or movements striving for the conservation of energy. They should instead channel these resources towards providing a better quality of student life on campus.

If students want to recycle, they can go ahead and recycle. There is really no need to keep reminding people to recycle, or turn off the lights – or switch this off, switch that off. No amount of posters reminding us to recycle is going to encourage a person who is not interested in recycling to recycle. In fact, these posters are a waste of paper. A few recycling bins here and there would suffice. There is absolutely no point in blocking every corner and pathway with huge, hideous bins that never ever gets filled to the brim, or are littered with rubbish instead.

Now count. Through UB Green’s websites, how many links can you get to affiliates that are part of UB’s ongoing effort for environmentalism and “going green”? Clicking on the “Links” page would generate one hundred and twenty seven links to different organizations supporting the environmentalism effort. If only all of these resources and effort were channeled for more productive things, everyone could gain a stronger foothold and advance technology for the people of the future!

After all, Esther Boserup once said that “necessity is the mother of invention.” Technology will find its way to ensure our survivability. Go figure.

Fancy Eating Food Created by Your Favorite Rock Star?

What a mouthful. No, I mean it literally! Ever found yourself searching for a decent diner in the middle of a cold, snowy night to satisfy your empty stomach? I found myself in that situation last Friday after a night out at the movies.

If you are tired of the regular menu items from the local Denny’s, you might want to unleash your inner fan-girl (or boy) and dig in at their recently launched “Denny’s Rockstar Menu 2”.

The brainchild of Mark Chmiel, the chain’s “chief marketing and innovation officer”, it features concoctions from bands Boys Like Girls, Hoobastank, Taking Back Sunday, Plain White T’s and singer Katy Perry (remember "I Kissed a Girl" playing on radio?)

The menu boasts of items ranging from the “Hooburito” to “Taking Back Sunday’s Melty Grilled Chicken and Sausage Quesadilla”. Try telling your server that in one breath! No prizes for guessing which bands invented those two creations up there.

Checking into the local Denny’s along Maple Road at midnight, I was faced with the decision of ordering the familiar “French Toast Slam” versus the phony sounding, fan-girl attracting dishes that these modern day chart-toppers created.

The first thought that shot through my mind was that these special menu items could only attract hard core, screaming fans. And, I must mention I was quite right when I ordered the quesadilla with an exuberantly long name.

The moment Bobby (our server for that night) put the dish down, the thought rang in my head: “that’s it?”

It didn’t have that much of a rock star factor embodied – nothing really quite shone through, apart from it being a regular quesadilla with cheese, grilled chicken and the stuff it’s made of – cheese, onions, pico de gallo and peppers. You know what a quesadilla is if you have been here long enough. Moe’s serves better ones, I reckon.

Even though it’s not extraordinary, I would have to say that plate satisfied my hunger. It wasn’t a huge serving like you get in Moe’s, but it was alright and decently priced for a diner at $6.99 without tax and gratuity.

What do I think about the rock star menu? Well, you know. This whole concept is gimmicky. But it’s fun! And restaurants ought to cook up some creativity with special dishes from time to time. Try it once, but I won’t bet on you coming back to have it again after that.

An Internship Looks Better On Your Resume

Should students get job internships to replace credits or should they focus on studying in the classroom? It seems that people have many things to say about these two choices. Whichever is better, then, for the senior who is graduating soon from college and about to embark into the working world? I personally think that an internship would look better on your resume.

Some people say that internships are a waste of time, pay peanuts, and you have to do all the odd jobs that come along like brewing coffee for your boss. How true is that? It depends on the company, I guess.

Stories abound that tell of student interns who work all day in the office photocopying documents for their “superiors”, instead of applying what they have learned in class. Experience is what every employer wants; however, if not given a chance, students will not be able to gain that bit of “experience” that many employers expect out of them. On the other hand, some tell of great internships that give students the opportunity to fully utilize the skills they have picked up in the lecture hall, and gain a whole load of practical experience on the way.

What about advanced classes? Are they not the same as taking job internships? I think that advanced classes are just what they are – classes. It is not “real” world experience. You have no chance to exercise your skills in a real situation that is happening in a company. All you have to do is read your textbook, and do your assignments. That’s it.

If you are able to achieve something out of an internship, think about how good that will look on your cover letter? For example, “I helped with publicizing an event and gathering people to sign up for a good cause. The turn-out was massive and the overall event was a success”. Imagine how useful that is!

Along the way, internships might provide you the chance to pick out the path that you are most interested in! If you work in a certain firm and you are assigned certain tasks that make you feel accomplished, you could probably look for something similar in the future. Internships can help determine your career interests, and picking out tasks where you can hone your skills will certainly help develop and stir interest in the different scopes in which you may end up in the future.

I am not saying advanced classes are completely useless. But to have an advantage over others with real working experience is what most employers seek. A recent talk that I attended had the founder of a New York City-based PR firm, Four Corners Communications, Inc. tell PR students that the core thing about getting a foothold out there in your career is to get internships, and establish lots of network connections.

Networking is absolutely a core point in career endeavors. However, if you are stuck in a classroom, you will not get the chance to talk to people outside of your school. Entering a company may very well let you have a chance to connect to more people in the organization itself, and beyond it. That is really where it all counts.