As the third major action flick in the past month, “Punisher: War Zone” is without a doubt the most eager of the three to sacrifice an intriguing story and talented actors for boxes of Hollywood’s famous fake shell casings.

A whirlwind of heartbreak blows into the atmosphere with Akon’s third album, “Freedom.” This album focuses on a softer R&B sound with more singing than rapping and tune-filled hooks that guide each track, which might disappoint if the listener is looking for Akon’s edgier rap verses.

Going Away to Think” presents an ongoing struggle between enjoyment and activism, between savoring and saving. If saving/savoring are goals, like a mountain peak, understanding place is the trailhead. Appreciation and activism both start with an understanding of place. As an ecocritic, “place” is perhaps the most important topic in professor Scott Slovic’s work.

The end of another year is upon us, and it’s time to say goodbye to 2008. It’s been a rough year for sure, but I think we need to take a moment to reflect. I want to highlight some of the good things that went down this year: I want to talk about awesome records. We’ve had a bunch of them, and a lot of them came out of nowhere.

The seasonal city of Reno goes through many stages throughout 365 days. Early summer celebrates the beauty of the Truckee River, whereas the end of summer concludes with Hot August Nights. Warm, comfortable weather is accompanied by farmers’ markets, and many other events keep the culture of Reno alive year-round.

After 11 months of financial torrents plundering the economy, the National Bureau of Economic Research expressed in a statement Dec. 1, that America is now in a recession.

With Christmas quickly approaching and money running short, frugalness has become more necessary than ever before.

Stretching a dollar can be difficult and fluctuating prices often make shopping a financial nightmare. However, there is still one establishment that has frozen prices to make shopping a truly affordable experience.

Shorter days and cinnamon. Jingle bells and eggnog. Sweaters, cocoa and early morning snowmen. As the beauty of winter slowly drapes across our lovely college town, the window of opportunity becomes festively ajar for all the above-mentioned items and events.

Of all the towns to enjoy an icy solstice, Reno is the ultimate winter wonderland. Set just east of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range, frozen summits keep us protected from the tropical breezes that grace California during these months.

For Laurel Stovall, finishing this semester at the University of Nevada, Reno marks a tremendous change in her life.

Stovall, a 22-year-old journalism major, recently signed a contract with New York Model Management and will return to New York after graduation to further pursue her career in modeling.

A ukulele, a keyboard, a turntable and a pair of speakers are among the musical equipment in the taupe-colored room that is home to the six culturally-diverse members of local underground hip-hop/R&B group Key Ringz’s music.

Their studio is in the basement of one of the member’s houses. Within the basement is a small room they refer to as their recording booth. Inside, there is one microphone, a set of headphones and a music stand. Foam padding is stapled to the walls in the booth.

Located conveniently near campus on Virginia Street, Fritz Bar and Grill is a significant figure in the University of Nevada, Reno community. Inside the bar, customers have regularly been greeted by posters covering the wood-paneled walls and rock ‘n’ roll music playing from speakers or a small platform designated as the stage on which local bands and DJs have often performed.

Reno’s newest bar, the St. James Infirmary, has brought a new interpretation of nightlife to the Biggest Little City.

Recently, Kanye West brought back the regrettable use of autotune on his new album, in testament to the Cher in all of us, and perhaps as a dangerous indicator of the shape of things to come in modern hip-hop.

But there’s another trend in music that hopefully, unlike the unfortunate vocal effect, won’t go out of style any time soon.

I’m talking activism and music, and it’s well-meaning, less politically-charged kid-sister, philanthropy and music.

Disney has struck gold again by taking some bits of pop culture and throwing them into a blender to make “Bolt.” Combining the animation quality of Pixar with the voice talents of television star Miley Cyrus and the draw of a 3-D option, “Bolt” is the best of “Wall-E,” “Hannah Montana” and “Journey to the Center of the Earth 3-D” all in one.

Action star Jason Statham (“Death Race”) returns as the 21st-Century Jean-Claude Van Damme-Steven Seagal hybrid in “Transporter 3.” A weak storyline and an even more feeble attempt at acting put this shoot-‘em-up film on the list for 2008’s worst films of the year.

Guns N’ Roses fans — provided they didn’t lose consciousness years ago — can stop holding their breath. The band, which has only one remaining original member (lead singer Axl Rose), finally released its monumentally anticipated album “Chinese Democracy” Nov. 23, silencing a worldwide running joke once and for all.

• Big break for 'model' student
• Students question provost on budget cuts
• 25 percent tuition increase unlikely
• Audio Slideshow: First-generation student graduates
• Denison’s suspected killer arrested
• ‘Daisies’ gets a premature burial
• Dec. 3, 2008 - Provost Marc Johnson answers student questions
• First-generation students face extra barriers in college
• Williams gives Pack post presence
• 'Bolt' saves the holiday

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• Big break for 'model' student
• Students question provost on budget cuts
• 25 percent tuition increase unlikely
• Audio Slideshow: First-generation student graduates
• Denison’s suspected killer arrested
• ‘Daisies’ gets a premature burial
• Dec. 3, 2008 - Provost Marc Johnson answers student questions
• First-generation students face extra barriers in college
• Williams gives Pack post presence
• 'Bolt' saves the holiday

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