Plagiarism or misrepresenting someone else’s work as your own is generally not an amusing topic.
These three YouTube clips demonstrate how using a bit of humor along with a video recording can produce some amusing results that are also educational. Because of plagiarism issues in the online course, I have had to change the instruction on Plagiarism and Academic Integrity.
The first two of these videos will be used in the “Copy and Paste Generation: Promoting Academic Integrity and Preventing Plagiarism” presentation for the Online Teaching Conference at Cabrillo College this June in Aptos.
A parody of Carrie Underwood’s video “Before He Cheats” from a teacher’s perspective dealing with a cheating student in her school. This Lyrics & Video production comes from Jim McKenzie with music performed by Kristen Huish. You can access the lyrics on the YouTube Site.
The Woman Challenge is a new a program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health (OWH) also known as WomensHealth.gov.
Woman Challenge is a part of the Office on Women’s Health year-long Woman Activity Tracker program. The challenge runs from May 10 through July 4, 2009. It is a way to get women involved, thinking about their health.
Each week that you meet or exceed your personal physical activity goals, you will receive a virtual Woman Challenge Trophy. Earn 8 trophies in 8 weeks and receive a certificate of completion! From May 10 to August 22, 2009 you will receive weekly e-mail newsletters with tips on staying motivated.
There will also be weekly quizzes to test your knowledge of fitness and nutrition and give you a boost towards your weekly goal.
The FDA urges consumers to discontinue use of Hydroxycut products in order to avoid any undue risk. Adverse events are rare, but exist.
Consumers should consult a physician or other health care professional if they are experiencing symptoms possibly associated with these products.
Linda Katz, M.D.
Interim Chief Medical Officer
FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
I saw an ad for Hydroxycut in a magazine this morning and was wondering about the safety and claims made by the product. Another one of those…”looks too good to be true” and “buyer be ware.” I guess it was only been a matter of time that something would come up.
Today the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) issued an official release warning consumers to immediately stop using Hydroxycut products. To date the FDA has received 23 reports of serious health problems ranging from jaundice and elevated liver enzymes, an indicator of potential liver injury, to liver damage requiring liver transplant. In addition one death due to liver failure has been reported to the FDA.
About Hydroxycut Products
Hydroxycut products are dietary supplements that are marketed for weight-loss, as fat burners, as energy-enhancers, as low carb diet aids, and for water loss under the Iovate and MuscleTech brand names. The products are prodiced by Iovate Health Sciences Inc., of Oakville, Ontario and distributed by Iovate Health Sciences USA Inc. of Blasdell, N.Y.
Return Products to Place of Purchase
Consumers who have any of the products involved in the recall are advised to stop using them and to return them to the place of purchase. The agency has not yet determined which ingredients, dosages, or other health-related factors may be associated with risks related to these Hydroxycut products. The products contain a variety of ingredients and herbal extracts.
List of Hydroxycut Products being Recalled:
The list of products being recalled by Iovate currently includes:
I learned about Shelby Allen’s story listening to a local newscast following the season finale of E.R. The executive Producer of E.R. John Wells was inspired to base the series finale on the death of his 17-year-old niece, Shelby Lyn Allen. This storyline included a group of young girls doing shots at a party. One of them was still in a coma as the show and the season ended.
In real life Shelby Allen didn’t survive the drinking game.
On December 20th 2008 17 year old Shelby Lyn Allen diedat a friend’s home of alcohol poisoning. You would have liked her, she was fun, lively, silly and wise beyond her years, but what she didn’t know killed her.
She and her friends were ignorant of the fact that approximately 8 ounces of hard liquor (the size of a small juice glass) consumed in under 2 hours can be lethal.
Shelby’s Rules Foundation
The Shelby’s Rules - Alcohol Poisoning Education Foundation was founded by her mother Debbie to raise awareness about Alcohol Poisoning:
I founded the Shelby Lyn Allen Alcohol Poisoning Education Fund after my 17 year-old daughter, an 11th grade student at Foothill High School in Palo Cedro, California died of acute alcohol poisoning. On the first night of Christmas break 2008, my daughter and her friends began drinking at a nearby home. It is unclear what happened, but we are told Shelby became violently ill and was semi-conscious when her friends left her propped up over the toilet. When she was discovered the next morning, she could not be revived.
I have vowed to do whatever I can to educate teens, young adults and parents to the dangers of alcohol poisoning. I want all of them to know that immediate medical intervention can save lives. It is my deepest desire that no other families or friends will have to endure the pain of loss that we experience every day of our lives.
Shelby’s Rules
The rules that the foundation has come up with
“Secrets Kill”
Alcohol + Vomiting = 911
They are also working on getting out the word about the Warning signs of Alcohol Poisoning:
Warning signs of alcohol poisoning:
* Vomiting
* Person cannot be roused
* Semi-Concious or Unconcious
If you see someone with one or more of these symptoms, CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY.
Waiting can result in brain damage, coma or death.
Don’t be afraid to call, every second counts.
It is a very sad legacy to have left behind for one’s parents. I talked to my daughters (9 and 7) about Shelby’s story and told them about the possible deadly effects of drinking too much Alcohol this morning. I hope it registered with them.
Image: Nico Van Der Merwe. Shot Glass 02. Royalty Free Use.
It is not too often that my worlds of Nutrition and Grief overlap, but they did in the case of Sam Spady.
I discovered one of my poems, “A Message from an Angel Above,” was being used as a tribute on a Memorial Page set up for a college student, Sam Spady, who died of alcohol poisoning on September 5, 2004.
You can learn more about Sam Spady by watching the Video clips below:
Death By Alcohol: The Sam Spady Story
In June 12, 2006 Sam’s Parents Rick & Patty Spady and film producer Barry Bortnick appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America to discuss binge drinking and the new DVD on Sam’s death.
You can watch the interview with co-anchor Charles Gibson here.
More about the Sam Spady Foundation
The mission of the Sam Spady Foundation is to educate all parents and students on the dangers of alcohol, specifically high risk consumption, and the signs and symptoms of alcohol poisoning.
In addition to making public appearances and having a DVD available on Sam’s unfortunate story, the Sam Spady Foundation also makes SAM Wallet Cards available for students. The foundation advocates that this is the one card that every student needs.
The back of the card has good reminders of what to do in case of suspected Alcohol Poisoning.
You may order up to 10 cards at no charge by sending an email to walletcards@samspadyfoundation.org with your name, shipping address and how you will be using the cards.
We’ve been doing a garden at our house with the girls for the past 4 years. As they have grown they are able to do more. Needless to say, I was very happy to hear that the Obamas were starting a garden at the White House for the first time since the first time since first lady Eleanor Roosevelt planted her “Victory Garden” during World War II.
Michelle Obama shared her thoughts on the garden:
We want to use it as a point of education, to talk about health and how delicious it is to eat fresh food, and how you can take that food and make it part of a healthy diet.
Michelle Obama
This video shows twenty-six elementary schoolchildren wielded shovels, rakes, pitchforks and wheelbarrows to help first lady Michelle Obama break ground on a produce and herb garden on the White House grounds.
Michael Pollen, author of Omnivores Dilemma and advocate for agricultural reform had this to say about the garden.
A garden like this is one of those small gestures that is powerfully symbolic…it teaches important habits of mind — helping people to reconnect with their food, eat more healthily on a budget and recognize that we’re less dependent on the industrial food chain, and cheap fossil fuel, than we assume.
These slides are part of a poster Presentation “Low-Cost Programs to Increase Children’s Physical Activity and Inspire Healthy Lifestyles” for the 2009 Network for a Healthy California “Inspiring Healthy Change Together” Conference held in March 2009 in Sacramento, CA.
The focus of the 11th Network for a Healthy California Conference s on “Inspiring Healthy Change Together.” The conference held in early March is two days of inspiration and ideas to collectively focus the spotlight on perspectives and actions that lead to positive change. Participants will learn from over 100 speakers and poster presenters who will share their insights, tools, and strategies for making change happen in their community.
A new study came out this week in the New England Journal of Medicine demonstrating what many of us have been saying for years. With dieting, it doesn’t matter what diet you are on, what matters is that you are eating less (or taking in fewer calories) than you are expending.
Calories In = Calories Out
If you eat more than you burn up for the day, you will gain weight.
If you eat less than you burn up for the day, you will loose weight.
Or in more technical terms, the conclusions of the published study:
Reduced-calorie diets result in clinically meaningfulweight loss regardless of which macronutrients they emphasize.
The Study
In the study 811 overweight adults were randomly assigned to one of four diets with varying percentages of energy derived from fat, protein and carbs. Each of the diets consisted of similar foods and all met guidelines for cardiovascular health.
Participants were followed for a period of 2 years. They were also offered group and individual instruction sessions during this time.
The main outcome measured at the end of 2 years was the change in body weight. Among the 80% of participants who completed the study, the average weight loss was 4 kg (8.8 lbs.). A smaller percentage 14 - 15% experienced a reduction of at least 10% of their initial body weight. This study also found that attendance at group sessions was strongly associated with weight loss.
A new study published in January’s Issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine is demonstrating that the ratio of sodium to potassium may be more important than the amount of sodium or potassium alone.
Senior author Dr. Paul Whelton from Loyloa University Health System was quoted as saying:
There isn’t as much focus on potassium, but potassium seems to be effective in lowering blood pressure and the combination of a higher intake of potassium and lower consumption of sodium seems to be more effective than either on its own in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Potassium Rich Foods
In general, the more processed a food is, the more sodium and less potassium a food has. The diagram from the textbook Understanding Nutrition shows the differences in how much sodium vs. potassium are in food that has been processed or food that has not been processed.
One way of getting plenty of potassium is to be sure to eat a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables. Some examples of Potassium Rich foods:
One Banana - 400 mg Potassium
One Potato - 900 mg Potassium
One cup Spinach - 950 mg Potassium
1/2 cup Raisins - 600 mg Potassium
8 ounces (one cup) Orange Juice - 500 mg Potassium
The FDA urges consumers to discontinue use of Hydroxycut products in order to avoid any undue risk. Adverse events are rare, but exist.
Hydroxycut Regular Rapid Release Caplets
A new study published in January’s Issue of the 
