Trinity Hip-Hop Festival Merges Cultures

The Trinity International Hip-Hop Festival is the largest international hip-hop event in the United States. It has garnered worldwide attention for its effectiveness in blending cultures, in combining hip hop with education, and bringing together the wisdom of the "old school" pioneers with the passion of hip-hop musicians from around the world.

Oprah and Obama

Oprah Winfrey's coming to town for Senator Barack Obama, scheduling a three-state tour beginning Dec. 8. Ms. Winfrey, who has been fiercely protective of her extraordinary brand, is dipping into presidential politics for the first time with a visit to Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. Reporters looking for experts to interview on this topic, can find them online at the collegenews.org database of news sources and subject matter experts from America's leading liberal arts colleges, including the following (click on names for contact information):

Barbara Trish - Associate Professor of Political Science, Grinnell College - Since joining Grinnell, Trish has examined and researched the Iowa Caucus system as well as the "coordinated campaign" efforts in the Midwest. She has served as president of the Iowa Conference of Political Scientists (2000-2001) and is active in party and campaign politics.

Keith Reeves - Associate Professor, Swarthmore College - The Director of Swarthmore's Center for Social and Policy Studies, Reeves is an expert on the impact of racial politics on electoral behavior. He is the author of Voting Hopes or Fears?: White Voters, Black Candidates, and Racial Politics in America.

Ronald Lembo - Associate Professor of Sociology, Amherst College - Lembo teaches and writes about the sociology of mass media and mass culture, news and entertainment systems, media corporations. His newest book is Thinking Through Television: Viewing Practices and the Social Limits to Power.

News Sources: Downloader Loses Lawsuit

The music industry has won a key legal victory in a US civil trial on illegal downloading, a case likely to send a strong message on piracy through cyberspace. In the first US trial to challenge the illegal downloading of music on the Internet, a single mother from Minnesota was ordered Thursday to pay more than $220,000 dollars for sharing 24 songs online. Reporters looking for experts to interview on this topic can find them online at the collegenews.org database of news sources and subject matter experts from America's leading liberal arts colleges, including (click on names for contact information):

Zorina Khan -Assistant Professor of Economics, Bowdoin College - Zhan has published articles on technological change in the 19th century, including patenting and patent law; changes in patterns of litigation and the settlement of economic disputes; and antitrust litigation dealing with technology. Peter Christenson - Professor of Communication, Lewis & Clark College - Christenson is the co-author of It's Not Only Rock: Popular Music in the Lives of Adolescents, covering 30 years of research on teenagers and their music. He has completed a study of impact of video game ratings and the only study to date on music warning labels. His interests are in mass media and socialization of children and adolescents.

Raymond Riley - Associate Professor of Music, Alma College - A classical pianist and a first-prize winner in the Society of American Musicians competition, Dr. Riley has also conducted extensive research in the area of computer technology and new media that is reshaping the music industry today. He teaches several courses in MIDI composition, digital recording techniques, and multimedia development.