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So a Guy Walks into a Best Buy...

I was taking a study break when I came across a YouTube video. I thought it was cool so I decided to share:

Above: Skillz, a hip-hop artist from Virginia, supports The Roots by purchasing multiple copies of their latest album, Rising Down.

I hear and read a lot about the music industry’s recession: Record labels find it difficult to cope with the shift from CDs to downloading. Musicians lose millions at the click of a button because of Internet piracy. Even the most popular artists have trouble making money and seek other sources of revenue.

Unfortunately I can’t afford one copy of anything right now, but unemployment turned out to be a good thing. I found plenty of places to get free (and legal) music online:

Ruckus (description from the site)-"Ruckus.com is the leader in the digital media space offering college students a unlimited free downloads from a music library of over 2.5 Million tracks and over 4,000 movies and TV programs. Ruckus music downloads are 100% legal, virus free and available to anyone who has a valid school (.edu) email address."
http://www.ruckus.com/ruckus/home.do

MTVU Discover & Download- MTV's version of what college students listen to. Discover. Download. For free.
http://www.mtvu.com/music/discover_and_download/

Adult Swim- Adult Swim is a block of programming that airs on Cartoon Network from 11pm to 6am. It teams up with record labels to provide free music mixes. There are a couple available for download now (Ghostly Swim and Definitive Swim). Sometimes the mixes they offer have a limited number of downloads though.
http://www.adultswim.com/williams/music/index.html

Okayplayer-a community (not a label) for like-minded music artists and fans. Occasionally there have been posts on the news blog with links to artists giving out songs (sometimes entire albums) for free. Mostly it’s hip-hop/rap, but in my experience, following one link can often lead to another with music of a different genre.
http://www.okayplayer.com/

Plus:

• iTunes offers a new free download every Tuesday. You can download the iTunes program for free here.

• If you frequently drink Pepsi or any Coca Cola Product, save the tops and you can trade the codes under the cap for mp3 downloads. Get Pepsi Stuff here and Coke Rewards here.

• Your favorite artist may have a MySpace page with free songs available. You need a MySpace account in order to download though. If you loathe the idea of having an account, find a friend with one.

It takes time to look for music this way, but finding artists that I never would've heard of otherwise makes the search worthwhile.

Okay, back to the books.

SEX AND THE SOUL: Juggling Sexuality, Spirituality, Romance, and Religion on America's College Campuses

Thursday April 10, 6:30pm
Speaker: Donna Freitas, Boston University
Location: Hofstra USA
Based on over 2500 online surveys and dozens of face-to-face interviews, Donna Freitas’ new book Sex and the Soul explores the sexual and spiritual lives of today's college students. She crisscrossed the country, visiting a range of America's colleges and universities--from public to private, Catholic to evangelical--to find out what students had to say about these highly personal subjects. In Sex and the Soul Freitas asks students: Is there a relationship between sexual exploration and spiritual exploration? Can romantic relationships and sexual promiscuity shift, split, or even shatter religious identity? Is the much-hyped "hook up culture" during college a reality-or do students just take it on "faith," without investigating whether activities behind closed doors support this perception? Her findings will surprise you. In this talk Freitas reports what she learned in her study, but also asks students to think with her about what the situation is like at Hofstra.

For more information see the link: Donna Freitas.

HUHC Formal

HUHC Formal

Time and Place
Date: Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Time: 7:00pm - 11:00pm
Location: Filomena's Italian Restaurant
Address: 1037 Hempstead Turnpike

Franklin Square, NY

Tickets are $35 a head. Go to the Honors Lounge located at 037 Axxin Library and ask PeggyAnn for tickets ASAP. Includes appetizer, dinner, dessert, and dancing! Dates from outside the University are permitted. There are only 110 seats so get your tickets fast! Formal/Semi-formal attire is recommended.

FREE TRANSPORTATION! If you would like to take the HUHC provided bus to this event, please let Peg know when you buy your tickets. Hope to see you there!

Awesome Website: DailyLit

So, instead of studying for my midterm tomorrow I was procrastinating online when I came upon an amazing website.

http://www.dailylit.com/

I've only been exploring the website for a little bit but from what I understand, it's like having a whole library of books right at your finger tips. Many of the pieces that we read for C&E last semester are here online for free because they are considered public domain. All you need to do is register and you only pay for the books that you want to read that cost money. Anything free that you want to read you do a quick search for in the DailyLit database and then just click on it, fill out the send information, and it gets sent to your e-mail or in RSS format and voila you can enjoy in the comfort of your dorm without having to go the library or bookstore! I just got the first installment of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein sent to me and it's identical to what's in my C&E Frankenstein novel. Alright, time to get studying, I hope you find this website useful.

-Ania

HUHC POLITICAL PARTY PARTY

March 4th is it! The day we find out whether Clinton can turn things around or Obama seals the deal. To celebrate the moment, and to provide those of us who have less information than we'd like a chance to learn a bit more - HUHC's Dean's Advisory Council, along with the SGA, the Center for Civic Engagement and the Political Science Department, will be sponsoring the

POLITICAL PARTY PARTY - on March 4th at 6:00PM in the Multi-Purpose Room West in the Student Center.

Campus party reps. will be present. Information about issues, and smaller parties will be available too. NO PRESSURE! Just good food, informal atmosphere - and TV's to watch the early returns. Don't miss! Invite your friends.

THIS EVENT IS OPEN TO ALL HOFSTRA STUDENTS

HUHC Student Voices: Where will you be on Spring Break?

The Student Voices feature returns this week with the following question:

Where are you going on Spring Break? And, if where you'll be is not your first choice, tell us where you'd rather be?

Brought to you by the HUHC Dean's Advisory Council

HUHC HOLDS THIRD ANNUAL VALENTINE DAY CHOCOLATE TASTING

Some 30+ HUHC students attended the third annual Chocolate Tasting event in the HUHC Living Room on Valentine Day. Associate Dean Donahue gathered a great variety of chocolates from the ultimately intense 99% cocoa dark chocolate bars to the complex, but sweeter flavors produced by chocolatiers like Max Brenner (the Baldman) of NYC.
At one point during the celebrations Dean Donahue received a 99% cocoa dark chocolate challenge.

HUHC STUDENTS HELP START: STUDENTS FOR A GREENER HOFSTRA

After several organizational meetings in the HUHC Living Room last Fall, a group of mostly HUHC students worked with HUHC Associate Dean Neil Donahue to launch a new student group at Hofstra called Students for a Greener Hofstra. The group co-sponsored the events of Hofstra’s program on Climate Change in the first week of the semester, including a screening of two new documentaries on climate change: Leonardo DiCaprio’s The 11th Hour and The Great Warming by Keanu Reeves and Alanis Morrisette. Two SGH students appeared in a newsclip on Hofstra’s climate change program with HUHC Associate Dean Donahue and Geology Professor Christa Farmer on the Regional News Network.
See Hofstra's video account of the week by clicking here.
That week was also the SGH’s recruitment drive and membership went from 12 to 48. SGH has a lot planned for spring ’08, in anticipation of Hofstra’s Earth Day celebration on April 22. Though it began in HUHC, the SGH is open to anyone at the university, and will soon have its own website. The SGH will have regular meetings every other Thursday, starting February 21, 1008, at 8:45 a.m. in the back of the Student Center cafeteria.

Dance-a-thon for Ugandan School

Schools for Schools is sponsoring a Dance-a-thon to raise $1,000 for
Hofstra's sister school in Uganda. The event will be in Hofstra USA on
March 6, from 7pm-2am. Awesome dance music from the 70s, 80s, 90s, and NOW,
performances by Hofstra dance groups, MOE'S Southwest Grill taco bar, and
PRIZES!!! We'll be raffling off gift cards, Netflix subscriptions, and an
iPod throughout the night! There will also be prizes for various dance
contests!

MARCH 6 7:00PM-2:00AM HOFSTRA USA

Only $5 at the door will get you admission to the biggest event of the
semester! All proceeds will go straight to Atanga Secondary School in
Uganda, so please come have fun and help some kids can go to school!
Hosted by Schools for Schools and co-sponsored by NAACP and Honors College.

Submitted by Carrie Hoffman

HUHC Formal

ATTENTION ALL HONORS STUDENTS:

The Dean's Advisory Council would like to have an Honors College Formal on April 24th, conveniently located at the Marriot. This formal has been an honors tradition for years now, and we would like to keep it going. Not only is it a good time to be with friends, it is a great excuse to dress up and enjoy a nice meal! Tickets will go on sale soon, so keep an eye out for more information!

When- April 24th

Where- Marriot

Cost- Approx. $50

NOTE: This event is only open to Honors College students however an Honors College student may bring anon-honors date (2 tickets neccessary).

Chinese New Year

On February 7th, 2008, Asian families across the world rejoiced at the coming of the Lunar New Year. (Although most know of it as 'Chinese New Year') Celebrations are even taken to the streets, with the NYC Chinatown being filled with festivities during this time. Confetti and fireworks are used and the community dons the color red during this time.

If you had the chance to come to the NYC Chinatown two years ago and this year during the Lunar New Year, you'll find it was heavily raining on both of those days. It was a sight to behold back then, there was wet graffiti all over the floor and all the dye started coming off of the paper. Simply stepping on the sidewalks dyed your shoes in the red ink. Good times.

This year, we come to the year of the Rat, the very first animal in the Chinese zodiac cycle. The cycle will continue next year with the Ox, then the Tiger, followed by the Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, then finally, the Pig. But, make no mistake, the Chinese New Year is not always celebrated on February 7th of every year, it varies from year to year; this is due to the Lunar calendar (Which the Chinese use) having a different cycle than the Gregorian calendar we all know and love here in North America.

When Chinese families celebrate the coming of the New Year, we go all out. Various charms are hung around the household, many candies and snacks are put out on display for eating, gargantuan dinners are prepared, folks say the new year's greeting, "Gung hay fat choy," to each other, and money is distributed amongst the family as gifts. Generally, us Chinese-Americans don't celebrate the Lunar New Year as long as people in Asia do, America doesn't stop for us, you know? However, China does indeed stop for the Chinese New Year--for an entire week. Businesses take a hiatus, shops close up, and people go home to spend time with their families.

The charms, mostly made of paper and colored red and gold, are hung around the house in key locations. With auspicious messages like "Luck and Prosperity," they are sure to bring happiness amongst the family for the entire year.

Candy and treats are displayed in elegant bowls to pass the New Year's luck to those who eat it. Treats vary by household and there are many staple treats to choose from. Some popular treats include: Dried coconut shreds, lotus seeds, shrimp chips, (Very popular with the kids) sugared taro root, Sugus, (A Starburst imitation) dried melon, and dried ginger.

Chinese New Year dinners are generally huge, with some families exceeding 8 different dishes made with various lucky vegetables and meats. Taro roots, chicken, fish, and much more are served to assure abundance for the entire year.

Another key tradition in the Lunar New Year is the distribution of laisee, red envelopes stuffed with money, to younger members of the family; parents, older relatives, and friends hand out these laisee for good luck. The amount that goes into each envelope is not set in stone and is entirely at the discretion of the person who is handing them out. Ask a few of your Chinese friends how much they received for Chinese New Years, and they'll all give you different answers, usually in the three-digit range. (There are some people who receive money in the thousands!)

Dorming on a college campus makes it hard to truly celebrate Chinese New Years, which is best done with your family. However, it's the spirit that matters, so if you know your folks are at home celebrating the Lunar New Year, give your parents a call and give them a zealous "Gung hay fat choy."

The Vagina Monologues (this weekend!!)

The Vagina Monologues are here at Hofstra! Get a group of your closest friends together and come support your classmates by attending this heartwarming, heartbreaking, and hilarious production at Monroe Lecture Hall at 8 p.m. tonight(2/8/08) and/or tomorrow night(2/9/08)! All proceeds go to The Nassau County Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Tickets are going fast but don't worry if you haven't purchased yours yet. We will have tickets available at the Box Office which opens at 7:00 p.m. (so you can buy tickets) and then we're opening the House at 7:30p.m (so you can get good seats)! First come first serve!

Tickets Costs:
General Admission (Parents, Neighbors, etc.) $20
Hofstra Student with I.D. $10
Student with I.D. (other than Hofstra Student) $12
Senior Tics $16

Here's a list of the fabulous ladies in the Vagina Monologues Cast... I bet you know some of them!

Allison Thomas
Narrator 1 (Activist)

Jessica Hackett
Narrator 2 (Business Woman)

Anna Swinarski (That's me!!)
The Flood

Emily 'Skip' Miethner
The Woman Who Loved to Make Vaginas Happy

Chelsea Chrostowski
My Angry Vagina

Jessica Wilson
My Vagina was My Village

Jacqueline Dawn Lyons
The Vagina Workshop

Katie Przylepa
They Beat the Girl Out of My Boy

Courtney Hahn
Hair

Quinn McClure
They Beat the Girl Out of My Boy

Erin Carr
Producer

Stephanie Darmofalski
ASM

Annalise Ellis
I was There in the Room

Kristin Marie Nemecek
Because he Liked to Look at It

Adrian Jones
The Little Coochie Snorcher that Could

Sue Guarrieri
My Angry Vagina

More Details on V-Day:

"The V-Day College Campaign invites members of college and university communities around the world to present benefit productions of "The Vagina Monologues" on their campuses to raise money and awareness to stop violence against women and girls.

The purpose of these events is to raise awareness about violence against women and girls as well as raise money for local beneficiaries that are working to end the violence.





Benefit performances of "The Vagina Monologues" have been done in thousands of colleges and universities since 1998, with unrivaled success. These events have been responsible for raising millions of dollars for local charities over the last 10 years."

For even more information and to access the V-Day gift shop you can visit www.vday.org

words of the year

Merriam-Webster Inc. has named a new word of the year. They asked visitors to their site to vote from among 20 words and phrases that were most looked up over the year. And the winner is...



w00t

yes that is with 2 zeros not o's.

it is a phrase of joy mostly used by gamers and texters.
This signifies a new direction that the English language is taking because gamers and texters are now becoming more mainstream. Even the movie industry is getting into the gamer's market by making movie remakes of such video games as Doom and Hitman.

The runner up was facebook, which has been turned into a verb meaning to look up on Facebook or to add someone to the list of friends. Mostly known in the sentence "I facebooked your mom last night" which is somewhat of a joke in the Gamer community.

Here is the website where I got the story. It is an interesting read.

HUHC Student Voices: THE CANDIDATES ARE COMING

By now you’ve all heard that Hofstra will be hosting the third and final presidential debate of 2008. When something like this comes along we should all be thinking long and hard about ideas for programs, events, activities, discussion groups and other things that would allow us to take advantage of this great moment in Hofstra history. Think about it – this is something that will be happening here during YOUR college years. So, what do you think? What would you like HUHC to be doing in anticipation and celebration of the fact that Hofstra will be playing host to the person who will become the 44th president of the United States.

I encourage you all to THINK BIG. Hofstra is going to pull out all the stops for this moment when we are literally the focal point for thousands of news related organizations. So, give it your best shot. I’ll bring at least two ideas forward as proposals for the Provost and President to consider. Post them on the blog at www.HUHCConversation.com or send me an email directly.

Warren Frisina, Dean, HUHC