Last month in The Congress, two bills were introduced that would have expanded the power of the United States government to fight trafficking of copyrighted intellectual property on the internet. One bill, The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) was introduced in the House of Representatives while another, The Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act (PIPA) was introduced in the Senate. Both bills were introduced to attack illegal distribution of copyrighted and trademarked products which have become a worldwide, multibillion-dollar industry according to some …

Farmville’s Habitat chapter is benefitting from Hampden-Sydney support this year in a variety of ways. There have been fund-raisers, construction and de-construction, and renewed club activity.
Last fall, the Habitat Golf Event raised over $2,500 to enable them to “continue building homes and building hope.”  Included among the 32 golfers were two H-SC teams: the Circle K team of Tim Shen, Patrick Lynch, Scott Cutler, and Steven Ellmann; and the Phi Gamma Delta team of Conner Rund, Andrew Near, Eric Rutherford, and Samson Canovos. Faculty golfers included Drs. Curt and Susan …

Why you Shouldn’t Ignore Ron Paul

Last week the Wall Street Journal pointed out, “Ron Paul didn’t win Iowa. He didn’t win New Hampshire. He won’t win here [South Carolina] on Saturday, and he won’t win Florida. The Texas congressman will not likely be the first choice for Republican nominee in a single U.S. state.” This journalist seems so perplexed with Paul’s campaign strategies that she asks “What does Mr. Paul want?” (WSJ, Strassel, Jan 20). Despite his enormous popularity, Ron Paul doesn’t have the kind of traction that the front-running …

With the Republican Primaries well underway and the Presidential Election in the not-too-distant future, it will only be a matter of time before we are reminded about our patriotic duty to vote. Many well-intentioned citizens, from celebrities proclaiming “Vote or Die” or our grandparents complaining about how corrupt our generation has become, present voting to us as a remedy for an ailing society. The problem, as many of these well-intentioned people see it, is that bad, wicked, and corrupt politicians are in office and that they simply need to be …

 
Drake-Take Care
Rating: B+ (4.5)
In his second album Drake proves that he deserves to be among the best rap artists making music today. Take Care is solid work from start to finish. The album opens with “Over My Dead Body,” a mellow tune that has Drake quasi-singing over a soft piano melody about how despite the money, he hopes not to change. Resisting the temptations of money is the main theme of the entire album, along with his reactions to an ever-changing environment and his hope to remain true to who …

In an unprecedented turn of events, Hampden-Sydney recently lost yet another student from the class of 2014. On October 27, a memorial service was held at College Church for sophomore Zack Grier. As members of the community filled into the church, it was for the third time in less than a year. And for such a small community, three is not just a number. It is a significant absence that will continue to be felt. But H-SC is showing the symptoms of what is becoming an outbreak in colleges around …

With two drug and alcohol-related deaths of Hampden-Sydney students within a year, the time has come to reevaluate entertainment options available on campus. The weekends at H-SC have become a ghost town with no opportunity for entertainment but football games and frat parties whenever they appear. This leads to one of three choices for public entertainment on campus: party, do nothing, or go home. This in turn leads to the taking of substances either as part of the party action or from pure boredom.
This culture on campus has led to …

                 Even though smoking marijuana comes with many negative health effects and legal consequences, consumers demand it. Government decree is not enough to stop the forces of supply and demand or keep innovative, profit maximizing entrepreneurs from creating marijuana substitutes that provide a marijuana-like high without the associated risks. One of the most common substitutes is K2 or ‘Spice.’ K2 is typically used as incense, composed of herbs and a few synthetic compounds, and designed to replicate marijuana when smoked, except it’s legal.
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Last week, a Detroit news station ran a story about the dangers of privatization in the foster care business. They interviewed a grandmother who was trying to adopt her grandchildren, but the supposedly “private” adoption agency  refused to let her adopt them. Why? The adoption agency stands to make between $5,000 to $10,000 for in-state adoptions, but only $3,000 for out-of-state adoptions, and the grandmother just happened to live out-of-state. The news station was quick to berate the private adoption agency, accusing them of trying to make a quick buck. …

Editor, The Tiger:
Let me start this article with an admission: I am biased. As a former Marshal, or Pledge Master, and current Rush Chair of Theta Chi. I am, therefore, ideologically committed to the idea of Fraternal Organizations. I will attempt to be self-aware enough to check that and approach this article as purely a student.
Every week I, like all students here, spend hours upon hours secluded in academic buildings, computer labs, and the library attempting to gain an education that rivals any offered in the world. The incredible faculty …