The establishment, located at 318 N. Mesa, is the realization of an idea that began in the mind of Raul Gonzalez, nick named “Rulis.” The concept behind Rulis’ International Kitchen is a twist on fine dining: express gourmet. Rulis wishes that his customers experience an elegant atmosphere combined with a “laid back attitude.” Rulis’ is a great place to enjoy a glass of wine or a delicious frothy beer. The prices are structured so that they are accessible to more than 90% of the local population. UTEP students on a budget can enjoy a gourmet meal just a few blocks away from campus.

Lately, there has been a growing trend toward higher quality food and beverage. Shows such as Top Chef, Hell’s Kitchen, and the popular Food Network have allowed anyone with a television to become a “food connoisseur”. Rulis’ has catered towards this trend by providing high quality meals at an affordable price.

The food is delicious, varied, and innovative. True to the owner’s word, despite the variety and elegance of the meals, the restaurant still manages to remain down to earth. The menu varies from breakfast to dinner.

For breakfast, one can have waffles topped with fruit that varies with the seasons. Another good option are the breakfast sandwiches, like the St. Dennis Ciabatta which consists of scrambled eggs, mushrooms, and ham in wine sauce served on a ciabatta roll.

For lunch and dinner, a great dish is the Gambas al Ajillo; an entrée made up of six tiger prawns marinated, sautéed, and served in spicy garlic-chili oil. Another option is the Patatas Bravas; a dish that consists of thick cut potatoes spiced up and served with a cilantro aioli and a chipotle aioli. Another personal favorite is the Cuban Panino; a dish that consists of grilled pork tenderloin, black forest ham, pickles, mustard, homemade aioli, and Swiss cheese on a ciabatta roll. The sides range from kettle chips to fried green beans.

Superb food is not the only thing Rulis’ has to offer. Hand in hand with the concept of elegance and a laid back attitude is the restaurant’s recent addition of wine and beer. Rulis said he wants everyone to know that “anyone can drink wine” and “you don’t have to be rich” to enjoy a glass. On that basis, Rulis’ regularly holds wine and beer tastings. Alternating every week is Wine 101 and Beer 101; two events where anyone can learn the basics of wine and beer.

Rulis’ International Kitchen invites anyone who wishes to enjoy a superb meal at an affordable price in a casual yet class atmosphere. For more information, visit their website at www.rulisik.com.

I have lived in the border region for more than two decades and yet the region still surprises me with places I never knew existed. When I enrolled in college, I decided to find local fun and interesting places. There are fantastic places hidden around town. These places tell a rich story about the community and its culture, and they prove that there is more to do than go to the mall and the movies. I call these places “secret treasures” because most are unknown to the locals.

Memorial Park

Memorial Park, one of the largest parks in town, is conveniently located in a central location. The park is not a fully kept secret because most cities have their own version of a “Memorial Park.” However, only a few people I have talked to know where the park is.

Many large and old trees inhabits the park, which is an impressive sight in our desert region. It is a fantastic place to go to for a picnic, a photo shoot, or to walk pets. Nearby trains occasionally pass and break the park’s gentle silence with a brief exciting uproar. If somebody wishes to enjoy a childhood cliché, they can cautiously place quarters on the tracks and wait patiently for the next train to squash them (I have always wanted to do this). There are also two rock wall bridges. One bridge has an arch, a perfect place for kids to play and let their imaginations roam.
The park is perfect for dates (just think of romantic comedies). For those off the market, the park is also a great place to spark romance with their significant other.

Finally, the park is next to the public library, which is another great place to visit.

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A student can buy used books, but it is a hassle working with ravaged, withered, underlined, and highlighted collections of glued back pieces of paper. A few lucky students may get fortunate enough to avoid the ridiculous purchase prices of new books by purchasing substantially cheaper, hardly opened, used books. Having said that, if a student has to pay $150 for a book that originally cost $200, he or she is still paying in the triple digits.

Some students have stumbled across and have been pleasantly surprised by another solution: international edition textbooks. These books usually cost half, or less than half, of what a U.S. edition textbook costs. The most amazing thing about international edition textbooks is that they are the same as their U.S. counterparts.

Although international textbooks may look different from their U.S. counterparts, they feature the same content. The most obvious difference between a U.S. textbook and its international version is the cover. International textbooks usually are soft cover and portray a different cover image. Additionally, the paper in an international edition textbook is not the glossy commodity that publishers print U.S. editions in. A textbook’s most crucial element is the written knowledge that the books hold. Not only do international and U.S. print the same written knowledge, they print the same knowledge in the same prose, and in the same formatting. The author of a U.S. textbook also owns the international edition’s copyright and thus receives royalties from both editions.

If international editions are comparable to their U.S. counterparts, why are students reluctant to buy them? One possible explanation is the fear of being defrauded. International books are available online from third party sellers who sell the books on sites such as Amazon, EBay, AbeBooks, andValoreBooks. These books are not found in U.S. campus bookstores, nor are they available at your local Barnes & Noble.

The words “Not for Sale in the United States” that are printed alongside the titles is another factor that makes people reluctant to purchase international editions. This message scares U.S. consumers away because of copyright infringement and potential lawsuit nightmares.

There is good reason to fear the almighty copyright, so piracy should be discouraged. However, international books do not violate the law. In 2003, Tamar Lewin wrote a story on the copyright issue of international textbooks for the New York Times. Lewis notes that some students have taken it upon themselves to provide students with the cheaper international alternative. These students purchase a bundle of international books and sell them to other students in their campus.

There have been instances where companies have tried to block the importation of their products from countries where they are sold at substantially reduced prices. Lewin’s article refers to a supreme court decision made in Quality King Distributors, Inc. v. L’anza Research International, Inc. The case in question involved the re-importing of goods sold legally in foreign markets. “It appears that after L’anza’s United Kingdom distributor arranged for the sale of several tons of L’anza products, affixed with copyrighted labels, to a distributor in Malta, that distributor sold the goods to petitioner, which imported them back into this country without L’anza’s permission and then resold them at discounted prices to unauthorized retailers. L’anza filed suit, alleging that petitioner’s actions violated L’anza’s exclusive rights under the Copyright Act of 1976”.

The Court ruled against L’anza and found that “after the first sale of a copyrighted item lawfully made under this title,” any subsequent purchaser, whether from a domestic or from a foreign reseller, is an “owner” of that item. In simpler terms, the ruling states once an individual purchases a copyrighted material legally, it is his to do with what he will (except pirate said material), which includes selling, importing, or exporting.

The Supreme Court ruling established that the purchase and use of international edition textbooks is perfectly legal and a viable option for students. With that said, there is no reason why a student should not buy the less expensive versions of their textbooks. After all, why should student purchase U.S. editions at such insane prices?

Lastly, for any student who wishes to save cash next semester, the remainder of this article will briefly explain how to find international books.nte

The best place to find international books is online. Popular e-commerce websites and booksellers, like Amazon and EBay, offer international editions. There are also several websites that specifically cater to academia, such as abebooks.com, valorebooks.com, and textbooks.com. These websites also offer international editions from various individuals who sell them from their place of origin.

The easiest way to locate international books is to:

1. Visit a specialized search site, like bigwords.com.
2. Enter the U.S. edition ISBN# and run a search. BigWords runs a search of the major online textbook providers and displays a list of the various prices for new and used books.
3. Scroll down the page to view the listed international editions of the books.
4. Follow the links and secure your purchases. Each link comes with descriptions, pictures, and details about the seller. Most sites guarantee that their international books will have the same specifications as the U.S. books. The sites also usually handle disputes very well and promptly reimburse buyers who experience any problems.