So you’re snowed into your room, it’s too cold to leave and no paths have been cleaned but you
still want to get your workout in. It’s bound to happen; we’re in Hazleton after all. So, what do you do?

Unless you found a way to fit a personal gym into your dorm room, you’ll have to look at some alternatives. While there’s nothing quite like bench pressing or doing dead lifts with a barbell, there are things you can do to get that sore feeling in your muscles you’ve grown to love until you can get back into the gym and pump some iron.

With the assistance of kinesiology instructor Karen J. Stylianides and sophomores Lauren Piazza and Ally Blazejewski, a list of six ex-ercises has been compiled here that anyone can do from the comfort of their own room, free from judging eyes and nostril burning stenches. There are, of course, other things
you can do, but you have to start somewhere right?

So once you’ve stretched and gotten out of your PJs, give these exercises a try. You don’t even have to be snowed in to do these. If you resolved to work out more, but you don’t feel ready to enter the gym
try these six exercises. If your gut is rounding out a bit and need some- thing quick to do during commercial breaks, these exercises can help: 

Tricep dips
Sutton uses the chair to work the arms with a set of tricep dips. An object, such as a book, can be placed between the legs to add some weight and difficulty.

Squats
Piazza uses a textbook to do a set of squats while being sure to not let her knees extend past her feet.

Step-ups
Blazejewski uses a chair to do a set of step-ups. A bookbag can be used to increase the difficulty.

Isometrics
Piazza holds this position for several seconds and holding the book doesn’t make things easier.

Wall sits
Blazejewski and Piazza demonstrate the proper way to do wall-sits with their legs bent at 90 degrees.
To make things even more difficult trying holding something heavy out in front of you like a textbook.

Oblique twists
With textbook still in hand, Piazza does some oblique twists with her feet hovering slightly above the ground.

The sensational Taikoza made a pit stop at Penn State Hazleton on Jan. 23rd as part of a Pennsylvania road trip. Taikoza originally began in New York City.

It was powered by members of a popular group who started the renaissance of taiko in Japan. In translation, taiko means big drum, which makes sense once you see this group of talented musicians and performers light up the stage with their large 170 pound drums.

With Hazleton weather at an outstanding nine degrees, Taikoza opened up with a piece about the month of May, with the hopes to "bring Hazleton some warm weather."

Between sets, the drummers took a moment to briefly share the background and history of the pieces they were performing for the crowd.

Taikoza drummer, Marco Lienhard, informed the audience of the many May festivals that take place in Japan each year. One is called Aoi Matsuri, which includes some 500 people dressed in ancient costumes and make-up parading through the streets of Kyoto, Japan.

Aside from its large (and small) drums, the group also incorporated other Japanese instruments. They included the Shakuhachi, which resembles a traditional flute except this particular one is one foot and eight inches long. The Shakuhachi has four holes in the front and one in the back. In order to change the sound, the musician must alter the angle in which (s)he is holding the instrument.

Once the group was warmed up and got “in the zone,” they began to interact with crowd, handing some of the younger audience members their drum- sticks, letting them be a part of Taikoza for a while. The show also included pieces that are often used in Japan for meditation and to call and celebrate the gods.

For more information about Taikoza please visit their website, http://www.taikoza.com.

To learn more about upcoming events for Penn State Hazleton please contact student affairs, [email protected].

What can be better than buying your sweetheart roses? Receiving them! No matter whether you are on the buying or receiving end of flowers, The Spanish Club is providing everyone with a chance ti make someone happy this Valentine’s Day.

The Spanish Club is sell roses, in a variety of colors at the following prices: a bundle of three for $8, six for $15, 12 for $33 and a single rose for $3. Anyone interested can stop by the The Spanish C table in the Butler building from noon-1 p.m. to place an order.

On Valentine’s Day, the Spanish Club is holding a party in the Slusser/Bayzick building. For more info check the blue screen.

Second Year Experience
This week’s session of SYE will focus on housing at University Park. It seeks to augment the housing meeting that took place last semester with a more informal discussion environment. Please bring any questions or comments you have about the process. Discussion topics range from things like roommate agreements to an overview of important information you might have forgotten. Stop by at noon in G-155 and bring a friend.

Groundhog Day is so important to Pennsylvania German culture that, according to PA Dutch culture, a group formed in 1933 to meet each year on Feb. 2 to commemorate the holiday and preserve Pennsylvania culture. In more modern times, the lodges also hold outreach, teaching Pennsylvania German classes and assisting with research.

The Groundhog Day tradition comes from Europe, wherein a badger was used to predict
if people would have six more weeks of winter. In fact, people point to many different animals for predictions, from bears to wooly caterpillars.

America’s most famous groundhog, however, got his start in 1887. A journalist proclaimed Punxsutawney Phil, the local groundhog, to be the one and only weather accurate groundhog. It may be that this was a publicity stunt of the highest order, but nevertheless, Phil survives to this day.

According to his website, he gets a magical drink every summer to keep him healthy for seven more years. News outlets in the area report the club does not speak about how many groundhogs have taken on the forecasting role, though it can be an educated guess based on the average lifespan of a groundhog, which is about seven years.

Although most know Groundhog Day stems from Europe, its’ origins are not totally clear. Some scholars say that it began through Candlemas. This holiday was one wherein candles were lit and distributed on some of the darkest days of winter.

This holiday eventually declared clear skies on Candlemas meant a longer winter. Others assert that imbolic, a Celtic holiday that honored the fertility Goddess Brigid, and a foremother of
Candlemas was the true beginning of Groundhog Day.

There is a rhyme common in many households “If the sun shines on Groundhog Day/Half the fuel and half the hay” that is often said about Groundhog Day. So for the rural Pennsylvanians, getting a favorable outcome meant that life could be a little easier and the warmth of spring is a more vibrant hope.

In 2010, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) suggested that Phil be replaced by a robot due to the stress he experiences. The president of the club that oversees Phil said he is treated “better than most children in Pennsylvania.”

Phil consumes ice cream and dog food, as well as traditional groundhog foods of leafy greens. He lives in an enclosure with other groundhogs at the library in Punxsutawney.

In 2012, Phil’s accuracy rate was about 39 percent, according to Stephanie Pappas of LifeScience. While his rates are poor, most people who celebrate Groundhog Day do so out of cultural tradition and as a way to honor nature. Being that devotees often stand in freezing temperatures in hopes of seeing Phil, they are indeed close to nature.