The beginning of my last semester at JMU....and the job hunt begins!

Well, I have officially completed my last "first week" of college ever! It's an exciting, yet bittersweet feeling, but I know the battle of conflicting emotions will only increase as the semester progresses and brings about many more realizations of "lasts" as a JMU student. My professors have certainly wasted no time dishing out assignments; I have 6 chapters of assigned reading to complete this afternoon, along with writing a news brief, and getting started on a video project. So much for a gradual transition back into the typical college workload. That's certainly one thing I already miss about my "real world" internship experience in D.C.; when I left the office at the end of the workday, the evening was mine to enjoy (well, with the exception of several reading and reporting assignments for my NJC internship component, but those assignments were nothing compared to a semester full of coursework)! Getting re-acclimated to this concept of having massive amounts of homework is proving to be rough thus far. Then again, I've survived the same transition at the start of every semester for the past 3 years so this should be no different, however, this time there's an added component that I hadn't fully considered until a few days ago: job hunting!

Throughout the summer, I was continuously presented with this seemingly simple question: "So what are your plans for after graduation?" Not being the type of person who plans my life out in advance, I usually responded with something along the lines of "Oh, you know, I'm just gonna look for a job in TV news, or maybe something in politics if the media market still isn't doing any better by then." And so it went that I would provide this rather vague response time after time, taking relative comfort in having the padding of one more semester at JMU standing between me and the real world.

Then, last week, I had a few extra minutes to spare in between classes (but not enough to warrant starting on any homework), so I stopped by the office of someone who has become a mentor-like figure to me over the past year, with the intention of catching up on each other's summer experiences. Well, the conversation quickly turned to him asking me: "So, you're graduating in December...how many resumes have you sent out so far?" I stared back at him with what I'm sure was a comically blank expression on my face. "Well, just one so far," I replied. "But I don't graduate for several months and the jobs that are open need to be filled now; nobody is going to even consider my resume when they see that I can't start working until January!" He then started shaking his head and provided me with some insight that somehow hadn't occurred to me previously: It's better to have your resume on file now so that employers might make note of it if a position opens up when graduation time rolls around, as opposed to receiving and seeing your resume for the first time in January along with 15 others who are applying for the same job. This seemed logical (and I don't have a logical mind, hence why I probably hadn't thought of it before, lol), but despite being the typically relaxed, take-life-as-it-comes-at-me kind of person that I am, now I felt like I was already behind on this whole job hunting process.

Thus, I spent some of my spare time this weekend perusing numerous career search engines and relevant websites, looking for leads on media or political jobs. There doesn't appear to be anything out there currently, unless you have at least 3-5 years of experience, but of course, I'm going to keep looking and praying that the right job will be waiting for me when I graduate. In the meantime, I get to teach myself the art of balancing school and job hunting, without letting senioritis kick in and destroy my GPA. Ha!

Sorry for the rambling personal narrative....I'll aim to post something of actual substance soon! As always, take care and thanks for reading! :)

“From Mean To Green: Why Conservatives Should Conserve”

If you scroll down through my posts to the one about Joe Scarborough’s book promotion event at the NPC, you’ll see that I promised to share my reaction to The Last Best Hope. Well, I know it’s long overdue, but I had a pretty busy summer and now that my internship is complete and I have a few days until classes start up, I’ve had some free time to pick the book back up. Yesterday afternoon, I picked back up where I left off in chapter two, but once I finished reading that chapter and turned to the first page of chapter three I literally started jumping up and down with excitement (this is not an exaggeration, either! LOL). Joe’s clever title gave me the only details I needed to know before reading it that this would be my favorite chapter: “From Mean To Green: Why Conservatives Should Conserve.” Before I read any further, I ran to my desk and grabbed a notebook and a pen. Now, anyone who knows me very well is aware of the fact that I rarely even take notes on reading assignments for my classes, much less on a book that I’m reading for enjoyment’s sake. So, that should give you an idea of how excited I was to learn what Joe had to say about Republicans and the environment. As it turned out, I wanted to jot down nearly every sentence in the chapter and refer to it in this post (yes, it was really that good)! However, that would a) be an infringement of copyright law, and b) take entirely too much time, so I forced myself to narrow down the points/ideas that particularly resonated with me. Alas, here is my summary/review/praise for chapter 3 of The Last Best Hope.

Scarborough begins the chapter with a quote from Ronald Reagan, which begins “What is a conservative after all than one who conserves….” One thing’s for sure, there’s no better way to grab the attention of a devout conservative than by mentioning the Gipper. Great way to draw them in to the topic, Joe! Another effective approach he uses is to state up front that he has no intention of taking a stand one way or the other regarding “global warming, carbon footprints, or how human activity is altering geographic patterns.” Scarborough goes on to say that “those debates only distract from my larger point, which is that now is the time for American conservatives to go green” (99).

Joe argues that “despite the misuse of the environment to promote a radical agenda, now is the time for conservatives to claim the cause of conservation….Why? Because it is both morally right and politically smart” (101). I couldn’t agree with him more! This is exactly what I have been trying to tell my fellow Republicans, though mostly to no avail. But then again, I’m just an ambitious college student, therefore I guess they think that I don’t have enough life experience/knowledge to know what I’m talking about. However, since Joe has a pretty impressive resume, including former congressman representing the first district of Florida, it is my hope that our fellow GOPers will read his book with an open mind, consider his points, and finally come to embrace his views on conservation. Regardless of whether or not our political cohorts will actually step up and join our cause, I applaud Scarborough for his well-versed arguments and his efforts to bring others onboard.

On a related note, Joe also discusses how John McCain’s pro-environment values, once reflected in his senate voting record, were forced to take a backseat after he secured the GOP presidential nomination. “When winning the hearts of his party’s true believers required a shift on the issue, John McCain forgot he was an environmentalist” (106). Scarborough urges a need for this to change, and reminds his readers that if members of today’s Republican Party would stop and trace their roots back to the likes of Teddy Roosevelt, they would realize that conservation has not always been an unpopular concept in the GOP. And when it comes to voter opinion regarding the issue, he points to his own experience as a “green” congressman: “I doubt I ever lost a vote on the right for my environmental stance. But I certainly picked up moderate voters en masse” (110).

Well, with that, I'm still not quite halfway finished with the book (although it's going to be awfully tough for the rest of it to compare to chapter 3 in my opinion, but I'm sure I'll enjoy it nonetheless), but I just had to stop and share my excitement/echo Joe's points/cheer him on while the material was still fresh in my mind. Now, I'm off to resume my reading with chapter 4! :) As always, thanks for reading and please visit your local bookstore to pick up a copy of The Last Best Hope, and when you finish reading it, share it with a friend so the message will be spread far & wide, and then we can get our party back on track!

Well-known Economist Offers Advice For “Winning Back Prosperity”

Last evening, Wall Street Journal economist and editor, Stephen Moore, warned a gathering of several hundred college students about the “axis of evil."

However, he was not implicating the threat of nuclear attacks or terrorist activity from Iraq, Iran, and North Korea. Instead, he urged a pressing need to defeat the health care, cap & trade, and card check bills-- “three most dreadful pieces of legislation”--that are presently before Congress.

These keynote remarks were directed at an attentive audience of conservative students that filled the grand ballroom of George Washington University’s Marvin Center. The banquet concluded a full day of events that kicked off the beginning of the Young America’s Foundation’s 31^st Annual National Conservative Student Conference.

The conference brings together college students from across the country, and even a handful of international students, to the nation’s capital in order to train them to uphold the conservative movement by spreading its ideals throughout their respective college campuses. Speakers such as Moore provide critiques of liberal policies and aim to motivate students to action.

In his address, titled “Winning Back Prosperity,” Moore discussed the history and implications of the current economic crisis. He even pointed a finger at Republicans of the Bush administration era for squandering away the $200 billion surplus that had been accumulated by 2000 as a result of the effective budgetary policies of the 1994 Republican Revolution. He suggested that Republicans are in disfavor with voters today because “they were supposed to give us limited government, but instead they decided to spend money like drunken sailors."

Moore also took this opportunity to make a case for tax reform, complementing his speech with various charts, graphs, and economic statistics. In order to provide an illustration to demonstrate his point that the rich pay more than their fair share in taxes, Moore presented a relevant scenario to the students.

“Let’s use tonight’s dinner as an example. So let’s say I split this room in half and everyone sitting on the left side of the podium makes up the rich 1% of the tax bracket and all of you on the right side are in the bottom half of the tax bracket. Then, if I divided the bill between you based on the current tax system, the group on my left would have to pay 97% of the tab, while those of you on my right would only have to pay 3% of the whole bill.”

He wrapped up his speech by offering three suggestions for fixing the economy. He called for an 18% flat tax in which everyone, regardless of income bracket, would pay a fixed rate of 18% on income. Second, he encouraged a cap on government spending, and his final proposition—followed by cheers from obvious Ron Paul supporters in the crowd—is for the US to return to the gold standard.

Attendees showed their support with a standing ovation following his remarks.

In addition to Moore, other notable speakers scheduled to address conference attendees this week include Senator Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), Rich Lowry, Monica Crowley, and Ann Coulter.

Coming Down to the Home Stretch...

It certainly doesn't feel like 2 whole weeks have passed since I wrote that last post, but alas, my summer in D.C. has dwindled down to its final week. As far as progress on my list goes, my biggest accomplishment has been finally venturing to the Newseum. As expected, this news junkie was not disappointed! It was definitely worth the $18 admission fee (with valid student ID).

While many of the goals on my list remain unfulfilled, here are a few activities that I've completed over the past 2 weeks in addition to the ones I had originally intended:

• Dined at Froggy Bottom

• Enjoyed a late dinner at Utopia Bar & Grill while soaking in the ambiance and listening to some phenomenal live jazz musicians!!!

• Dined at Jackey Cafe in Chinatown
• Nats vs. Cubs game (7/19/09)
• Went dancing at Lima and Lotus
• Dined at Capitol City Brewing Company
• Attended Michelle Malkin's book promotion event at the NPC
• Dined at Mayur Kabab House
• Attended a service at Reston Bible Church
• Dined at Lucia's Italian Ristorante in Herndon

Despite the way that it looks, I promise that my life doesn't entirely revolve around eating out, but it's so hard to resist when there are so many enticing options to choose from! Anyway, as far as this week goes, tonight's plan is to walk over to the Mall with friends to Screen on the Green where On The Waterfront will be playing. I'm pretty excited as I hear that it's quite a classic movie (not to mention the fact that it will be one more thing to mark off my list! :) Well, on that note, I guess it's time to get back to work. Have a wonderful week ya'll! :)

Only 3 Weeks Left?!?!

It almost doesn't seem possible that I have lived in D.C. for exactly 2 months now! That being said, I only have 3 weeks left as a resident of Capitol Hill. Before I moved up here, I made a list (which I've frequently made additions to as the summer has progressed) of things that I wanted to do/places I wanted to visit/restaurants I wanted to try/etc. I've fulfilled quite a few things, but still have quite a few left to do.

Here is a condensed version of that list for anyone who might be interested in what I've been up to aside from my internship. Also, if anyone has any suggestions for things that aren't on my list that I should do or see before I leave, please feel free to share your ideas! :)

Fulfilled:
• Go to a Nationals game (Nats vs. Pirates 5/19/09)
• Go to a real Irish Pub w/ a live band and dancing (The Old Brogue in Great Falls=great fun!)

• Visit the Library of Congress

• Visit the National Harbor
• Visit the Museum of American History

• Visit the Supreme Court and sit in on a ruling

• Visit the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum

• Go see Night at the Museum II at the Air & Space Museum IMAX theater

• Visit the National Zoo (x2)
• Visit the U.S. Botanic Gardens
• Visit the WWII, Lincoln, Washington, Vietnam, and Jefferson memorials/monuments at night

• Attend a service and intern Bible study at Capitol Hill Baptist Church

• Attend National Community Church services at the Union Station Phoenix Theatre

• Enjoy coffee at Ebenezer's Coffeehouse (they brew fair-trade coffee, the atmosphere is very chill, it's only a 2 minute walk from my building, AND all of the proceeds go toward church missions....can't beat that!)

• Attend a service at the National Presbyterian Church

• Go kayaking in Maryland

• Dancing at Third Edition
• Visit Eastern Market (x3)
• Go shopping in Georgetown
• Walk around Georgetown University’s campus
• Get cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcakes (sooo yummy!)
• Go to “A Capitol Fourth Celebration” concert on the Capitol lawn (Barry Manilow!!! need I say more?!?!)

• Visit the National Gallery of Art

Restaurants I've Been To:

• Rosa Mexicano

• Ardeo

• The Dubliner
• White Tiger
• Union Pub
• Kelly’s Irish Times

• Eat First in Chinatown

• Jaipur Royal Indian Cuisine in Fairfax (delicious and the decor was all PINK!!!)

• Peacock Café in Georgetown

• The Reliable Source at The National Press Club

• Banana Cafe

• Armand's

• Market Lunch (for the infamous "blue buck" pancakes!)

• Mediterra

• Clyde's of Chevy Chase

• Cafe Luna

• The Cheesecake Factory (kahlua cheesecake=AMAZING!)

• Chadwick’s by Georgetown Waterfront

• Station Grill at Union Station

• Rock Bottom Brewery in Ballston

• Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe in Dupont (cool atmosphere with tasty coffee drinks)

Things I Still Need to Accomplish:

• Go to the Newseum

• See a show at the Shakespeare Theatre
• Go see “Spring Awakening” at the Kennedy Center

• Visit Old Town Alexandria

• Take a Ghost & Graveyard tour in Old Town Alexandria

• Spend an evening at a piano bar

• Find a fun karaoke bar and sing there! :)
• Go to Screen on the Green

• Go out in Clarendon

• Visit the Museum of Natural History (it's been several years since I've been there)

• Go hiking/have a picnic at Great Falls Park

• Take a day trip to Baltimore to see an O's game and visit the Inner Harbor (one of my fave places to visit!)

• Visit Annapolis

• Put my detective skills to good use at "Spy at Night" at the International Spy Museum

Dine at:

• La Loma Mexican restaurant
• Kenlaya Thai Cuisine
• Mehak Indian Cuisine

• Thai Coast

• Cactus Cantina

• Old Ebbitt Grill

• Busboys & Poets

• Teaism

• Tortilla Coast

• Nirvana

All in all, I feel that I've had a wonderful city-life experience with a decent mix of touristy adventures combined with a taste of what it feels like to be an actual resident of the nation's capital. Now, I just have to make sure that I squeeze in as many things from my list as I can before August 9th!

Have a wonderful weekend ya'll! :)

“Saving Freedom” From The Hands of Big Government

In the aftermath of our country’s largest government bailout, the concept of big government is an evident reality to many Americans.  In his new book, “Saving Freedom,” Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) sends out a “cry for help” by offering advice and a call to action for his fellow Americans to join the fight against big government.

On Wednesday evening, DeMint promoted his book by addressing a crowd at The National Press Club.  Attributing the title of his book to an inspiration from the award-winning film, Saving Private Ryan, the senator emphasized the importance of ensuring that our freedom is maintained.  “It’s key for younger generations to understand where our freedom comes from.”

DeMint claimed that many Senators today are failing to uphold the oath that they affirmed upon taking office, in which they each swore to ”support and defend the Constitution of the United States.” He pointed out that the founding fathers intended the document to limit government, but that intention is being compromised by the government’s “death grip” on healthcare, transportation, energy, and other prominent issues. “You’re delusional if you think we’re following the Constitution,” he said.

The senator also pointed to religion as a driving force for freedom. “Democracy doesn’t work without Judeo-Christian values.” He explained that the values of early America created the principles of freedom that our country is built upon. “We don’t want a government that is trying to purge religion.”

Again making reference to a Hollywood classic, the senator stressed the important role of every American in preserving the freedom of our country.  For the younger audience members, he briefly recounted the plot of It’s A Wonderful Life, in which James Stewart’s character, George Bailey, believes the world would be better off without him.  Then, his guardian angel shows him the negative effects his town would suffer without him in it, and helps him realize that he has indeed touched lives and made a difference in his community. 

 

Similarly, DeMint believes that individual Americans have a responsibility to get involved in the government process.  “We can’t look at the problems in Washington and say ‘someone needs to fix it.’ It starts with the individuals.”

 

The senator recently attempted to put those words into action when he became the first Republican to support S. 604, The Federal Reserve Sunshine Act of 2009.  S. 604 is the companion to H.R. 1207, legislation introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Ron Paul, calling for an audit of the U.S. Federal Reserve.  However, on Monday, Democratic leaders in the Senate blocked DeMint’s proposed amendment to the annual spending bill based on procedural grounds.

 

Despite this bump in the road, he is not backing down from his fight against big government.  He acknowledged that U.S. spending is following an unsustainable course that requires action.  “I do think it’s the eleventh hour….and if we continue to vote with our hearts instead of our brains this November, we’re going to lose our country.”

I'm Back! and "The Last Best Hope"

Well, after three straight semesters of being required to maintain this blog for my political communication courses, I'm finally home free! However, tonight I realized that I actually kind of miss blogging and want to pick it up on my own again. So alas, here I am!  For those of you who are not aware, I'm interning in D.C. this summer, which gives me lots of opportunities to attend events and find some decent content for blog posts. 

This evening, I was very excited to attend Joe Scarborough's book promotion event at the National Press Club!  Joe and his co-host Mika Brzezinski made a stop in the nation's capital today as part of their book tour to promote "The Last Best Hope."  Scarborough and Brzezinski kept the audience entertained with their friendly jests back and forth.  They fielded questions from the audience ranging in topic from gay marriage to whether Joe has ever considered running for president, in response to which he made a witty remark about working his way up the offices of Rotary Club.

At the close of the Q & A, I hopped in a rather long line to get 2 copies of his book autographed. The wait was quite lengthy, but it was totally worth it!  Joe and Mika both took extra time to engage in personal conversations, pose for photograph after photograph, and write personal messages in books.  I found them both to be refreshingly delightful!  They even told me that I have a lovely name (thanks Mom & Dad!). LOL.

As I was waiting at the Metro station following the event, I read a few pages of my freshly autographed book. On page 6, I read the following:

Because of Burke--and the words of Russell Kirk and Ronald Reagan--you'll also discover another area where I believe conservatives can make great gains, and that's the environment. To my friends on the Right I say, "Hear me out. It's the job of conservatives to conserve."

Amen to that!!!  Thank you, Joe!  Finally, a fellow conservative who is willing to take a stand when it comes to the environment!!!  That statement perfectly conveys the point that I've been trying to make to other conservatives for quite some time now.  How can we call ourselves "conservatives" when we don't make an effort to conserve the earth which God left to us to preserve for all of the generations after us?!  What if our ancestors had been as careless toward the environment as so many of us are today?  It's a scary thought!

Obviously, I was completely thrilled when I read Scarborough's take on this issue, and I'm sure there will be plenty more "ahh yes! well said!" moments as I read the rest of the book!

On that note, I'm off to pack for a weekend trip back home! :)

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

The poli. sci. major who took this pic didn't do the best job with the framing, but we can't all be SMAD majors after all :P

"Brew 4 JMU"?

Last Thursday, I stopped by the Commons to check out an event sponsored by a few of my fellow classmates. These guys chose to advocate an open discussion about bringing alcohol to JMU's campus. While JMU has an ABC license and is allowed to serve adult beverages at catered events, there is no place where students can hang out and enjoy a beer with friends. Apparently, George Mason and several other universities across the country have such on-campus pubs, which prompted my classmates to explore bringing a similar facility to campus. A handout that they provided outlined several reasons why we should consider bringing a bar to campus. These included: providing "revenue for the school during difficult economic times," providing a "much safer and supervised environment for students 21 & older to drink in," possibility of promoting "positive drinking habits," and "strengthening connections between JMU and the local community" by selling beers from local microbreweries. This is certainly a controversial topic, but the guys were out on the Commons, handing out pizza, stickers, and flyers in hopes of engaging others in conversation about the idea. I was there early on, and at the time, while lots of flyers were handed out, few people actually stopped to discuss the matter, but this may have changed as the evening progressed. Personally, I have mixed feelings about the idea of a bar on campus. While it is widely known that college students drink, I am unsure as to whether the line should be crossed between the behaviors we engage in off-campus and those that are promoted/allowed on-campus. "Brew 4 JMU" certainly has the potential to spark arguments from both sides, and the result should prove to be quite interesting.

A Post-Event Analysis of the Healthy Eating Advocacy Project

Now that it's over, it is nice to be able to look back over the course of the semester and see how our final project planning came together and resulted in an actual advocacy event with moderate attendance. If you read over my posts from earlier in the semester, you will notice that my fellow group members and I were initially unsure of the type of event we wanted to promote. Early on, we were leaning toward sponsoring a healthy run/walk for children and families, but soon realized that such an event would require money and more time/effort than we would be able to devote to it in the midst of a semester already filled with lots of papers and projects for other classes. A brainstorming session led us to the idea of hosting an on-campus speaker from the nutrition field who would discuss healthy eating. After further discussion, I suggested hosting a panel of speakers so we could present varying perspectives from experts in different nutrition/health related fields. The other girls liked this idea, so we agreed to move forward with planning for such an event. Each of us contacted possible speakers for the event; I contacted JMU Dining Services, while the other girls contacted professors in the Health Comm. dept, UREC staff, and the Dietetics dept. It turned out that the Health Comm. professors declined our invitation, since they don't really focus on nutrition, which we understood. Then, I received an enthusiastically positive response from Dining Services, who promised not only to provide a speaker for the panel, but also agreed to cater healthy snacks for the event! This was certainly an encouraging response to receive as we were excited to have secured at least one speaker, along with snacks that would provide an incentive for students to come to our event. Then, we heard back from UREC, who recommended a particular grad student who would be able to participate on our panel. Also, our contact in Dietetics referred us to the registered campus dietician from the Health Center. We reserved a room in Harrison for Thursday, April 23rd at 6:30 p.m., since this date and time worked best for those we had asked to speak. We thought 6:30 would be early enough to catch some students who were still on campus, while not affecting typical Thursday night college activities. It turned out that the dietician had to cancel at the last minute due to a funeral, but we replaced her with another person from dining services. So, for our actual event, we had 3 panelists: the marketing director of dining services, the district manager of dining services, and a UREC grad assistant.

All in all, we felt that our event was a success. While the speakers did an excellent job of talking about nutrition, fitness, and eating healthy on campus, it would have been nice to hear a dietician's opinion. Also, during the question and answer session, several questions addressed topics that only a dietician could effectively answer, and the panel speakers noted that fact. The speakers provided lots of informative handouts for students, but the most impressive part of the event was the selection of "light snacks" that Dining Services provided. As you can see from my pictures in the previous post, the catering far exceeded our expectations! The spread consisted of red pepper hummus dip, pita bread, bean dip, couscous salad, fresh veggies, trail mix, and angel food cupcakes. Attendees even got to take home leftovers!

Finally, in hindsight, there are several things that we could have done differently that may have resulted in increased attendance. Near the end of the semester, students tend to be busy with projects and papers, and aren't likely to attend educational type events unless they are required. Holding the event earlier in the semester and attempting to make it a wellness passport event would likely have helped attendance. Also, I realized that we should have created a Facebook event to invite friends and classmates, since it would have provided a subtle reminder for those who may have considered coming but forgot about it. Lastly, most students are eager to get off campus on Thursday evenings, so a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday may have been a better idea. Despite these factors, I still feel that things went very well for our first attempt at putting on such an event. Hopefully those in attendance left with a greater knowledge of how to incorporate healthy choices in their everyday lives.

Pics from tonight's event

Overall, we deemed tonight's event a success!!! Here are some pics so you can see how it turned out. I'll post a write-up within the next week.

Delicious & healthy refreshments courtesy of JMU Dining Services

I know what you're thinking..."how are cupcakes healthy?" They're angel food and made with low-fat ingredients...even health nuts can enjoy tasty treats! :)

Handouts for attendees

Mrs. Angela Ritchie, Marketing Manager of JMU Dining Services

Stephanie Hoshower, Director of JMU Dining Services

Sarah Price, UREC Graduate Assistant

Sarah, Kristen, Alex, and Me...all smiles that our event was successful! :)

Amusing Conversation at Market One

Leave it to me to engage in a healthy-eating related discussion in the drink line of a campus dining facility...but I found this exchange amusing and wanted to share it with you all.

So, I had just gotten my red pepper hummus and veggie wrap (like I do practically every day) from the sandwich shop in Market One and was standing in line at the fountain drink machine. One of the dining services ladies was in line ahead of me. It turned out that we both began filling our cups at the same time, mine with Coke Zero and hers with Mr. Pibb. She looked over at my cup, then back to hers and said "Yeah, I prefer the high fructose corn syrup in my soda, while you're being all healthy with your no-calorie drink." I laughed a bit and then she added, "but at least I'm being somewhat healthy and eating a salad along with it!" She motioned to the prepackaged salad in her hand, and I couldn't resist jumping at the opportunity to take our discussion one step further. "Ah, well that's good...but are you going to put dressing on it?" She responded "Oh yes, but not too much though." To this I replied "Oh ok, but what kind of dressing?" I had a feeling I knew what was coming...and she quickly validated my suspicion. "Oh, I love ranch dressing!" At this response, my health conscious self couldn't resist making a final remark. "Ohh, but ranch is one of the worst ones for you!" I played this off with a slight laugh, as if I was joking, in an attempt to keep from offending her, to which she responded "Oh well, it's not like it matters to me...I'm not on a man hunt or anything!" Priceless response, although it's kind of sad that the only incentive for some people to eat healthy is the idea that they should maintain their weight in order to impress the opposite sex.

While my discussion with the dining services lady in Market One today was quite amusing (to me at least), it provides an example of a typical healthy eating myth that needs to be debunked. While it is true that eating a plain salad, or one with low-calorie/low-fat dressing is indeed healthy, combining it with a sugary soda and high fat dressing completely obliterates its healthiness. Many restaurants have taken advantage of this recent popularity of salads by introducing all types of chicken salads, fiesta taco salads, cobb salads, seafood salads...you name it, and it's probably in a salad! Sure, anything with "salad" in the title automatically sounds healthy, but once they add cheese, croutons, creamy dressing, bacon bits, etc. these salads end up having as many calories and fat grams as a burger!

Now, I'm not saying that you shouldn't order salads...definitely not! Just make sure that you make smart choices when you order (i.e. order a low cal dressing and ask for it on the side, avoid anything crispy, and ask them to go easy with the cheese). Okay, I feel better now that I've debunked that myth for anyone who was unaware of this. Be sure to come out to our Healthy Eating panel discussion tomorrow to hear many more myths "debunked!" (Shameless plug for our advocacy event....you knew it was coming!)

Hope to see you there!

Healthy Lifestyle panel discussion event...finalized details!

It's hard to believe that our Healthy Lifestyle panel discussion is this week! For anyone who is interested in coming (and we hope you will!), our event is this Thursday, April 23rd in Harrison room 1241 from 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.! There will be representatives from UREC, Dining Services, and Dietetics engaging in discussion and answering panel questions. As an added incentive to attend, Dining Services has kindly agreed to provide free healthy snacks for all attendees! I realize there are many other things you might rather be doing on a Thursday evening, but our event will be over by 7:30, which leaves plenty of time to go enjoy the typical H-burg Thirsty Thursday nightlife. Our group is really excited to see our event coming together and really want it to be a success! Hope to see you at our event on Thursday, and please bring friends! :)

Healthy Lifestyle event progress

Well, things seem to be coming together for our advocacy event.  Sarah, Kristen, Alex, and I met several times over the past 2 weeks to plan who was going to contact which potential panel speakers, coordinate possible days/times to hold the event, and update each other on the progress we were making.  We came up with a tentative title for our event: "Debunking the Myths: Nutrition in College, On & Off Campus." It turns out that our initial idea of having a Health Comm professor on the panel wouldn't really make sense, since neither of them specializes in nutrition. However, Professor Thompson provided some useful suggestions on people from the Dietetics department to contact. So far, we have lined up a speaker from Dining Services and another from UREC, and working on finding one more speaker, hopefully from Dietetics, to complete our panel. Tentatively, we have set the date for our event on April 23rd, but are still waiting for confirmation of an available room in Harrison or Taylor, and also need to make sure that date will suit everyone on the panel. Dining Services has even been so kind as to offer to provide light, healthy snacks for event attendees. Hopefully all of the details will be finalized within the next week, at which point we can begin publicizing/promoting our event through fliers, table tents, word-of-mouth, making announcements in classes, etc.

So far, this event has been fun to plan! The members of our group are really passionate about our topic and we work well together. We just hope that everything comes together and that we have a decent-sized turnout for our actual event. Nutrition and healthy eating habits are essential at every stage of life, but with our busy and sometimes stressful schedules, college students tend to neglect focusing on what they should be eating. Instead, many of us choose the most convenient options, which are usually the least nutritious. By putting this issue at the forefront of students' minds, we hope to alter their every day lifestyles and make them think twice before reaching for that Pop-Tart or whatever unhealthy foods they typically turn to. Let's just hope that we are successful at achieving this goal!

C-SPAN Civics Bus Visits JMU

Following class this afternoon, several of my classmates and I flocked across the Quad and boarded the C-SPAN Civics Bus, which was parked in front of Wilson Hall today as part of James Madison Week. The inside of the bus was pretty impressive, complete with all sorts of technical equipment that was definitely appealing to a SMAD digital video major like myself. There was even a soundproof interview/edit room in the back of the bus. We were escorted onto the bus and sat down on a couch that faced two large flat-screens. The presenter proceeded to show us a split-screen that demonstrated the difference between C-SPAN's unbiased, non-commentated coverage as compared to the presentations of the same story as presented by other popular news networks, including CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC, in which these stations used split panels in order to emphasize certain aspects of stories. She also showed us C-SPAN coverage of the steroid hearings from several years ago. The sneak peek into the bus was really cool, and it was neat to have an opportunity to take a behind the scenes look and realize that there's more to C-SPAN than just the seemingly neverending telecasts of Congressional hearings.

Advocacy Project Topic in Planning

My advocacy project group met today after class in order to narrow down our advocacy project topic. Initially, we had tossed around the idea of putting together a Fun Run/Walk for kids that would provide healthy snacks for participants, along with display tables that would promote healthy lifestyles at a young age. However, we realized that this would be a pretty large undertaking for only four students without a means of providing funds for this event. We thought about getting sponsors for such an event, but then decided that it would be difficult to get everything together by April. Instead, we have decided to sponsor an on campus lecture in which a panel of speakers in nutrition and health fields will discuss the fallacies of junk food advertisements and how we can advocate healthy lifestyles/eating in a more appealing manner. We still have some specifics to nail down, like who in particular we plan to ask to be on the panel, when/where it will take place, etc. However, we are excited about the event that we are advocating and hope that with the necessary planning and publicity it will be successful in raising students' awareness of the importance of healthy eating.

As always, thanks for reading, and if you have any suggestions for health/nutrition professionals who we could invite, please let me know. :)

Have a wonderful afternoon!

Ehninger & Zarefsky articles applied to argument for healthy eating

We read an article for class this week by Ehninger, who provides various characteristics of an argument.  He says that argument is not the same thing as coersion; arguments always require some type of a risk.  In the case for healthy eating, people must decide whether they are willing to give up their favorite, unhealthy foods in exchange for a healthier lifestyle.  Ehninger also discusses argument as bilateral, where no force is involved, but rather free choice is always employed.  Advocates of healthy eating do not force healthy foods down others' throats; instead, they present reasons (i.e. avoiding health problems, having more energy, physical appearance, losing weight) that encourage other people to adopt a healthy lifestyle.  Argument must end with a compromise.  In this case, that compromise may be that everyone is allowed to reward themselves once in a while with an unhealthy treat that doesn't fit into the typical healthy diet.

In a different article by David Zarefsky, the author presents his belief that reality is constructed through argument.  He discusses his idea that "definition of terms is a key step in the presentation of argument."  He also believes that power lies in the ability to create a definition for the topic at hand. When applying Zarefsky's ideas to my advocacy topic, I realized that the first step is in defining what exactly "healthy eating" is.  This can mean many different things to many different people, so in order to fully present our case in favor of adopting/maintaining a healthy diet, advocates must create a definition of what "healthy eating" means to us.  

My response to the "Learning From Losers" lecture this afternoon

I just returned from Dr. Anne M. Fletcher's "Learning From Losers-Healthy Weight Management for a Lifetime" lecture, which was sponsored by JMU Dining Services. As I mentioned in my previous post, this interested me since it is right on target with my advocacy topic, and it worked out perfectly that both of my afternoon classes ended up being cancelled (for differing reasons), which allowed me to attend the lecture. I arrived approximately 40 minutes early to ensure that I received a free, autographed copy of Dr. Fletcher's national bestseller Thin For Life.  There ended up being a standing room only crowd, likely due to the fact that this was a passport event and several teachers apparently required their dietetics students to attend. However, I can happily say that nobody forced me to go, rather, I attended because I am genuinely interested in diet and nutrition.

Dr. Fletcher started her discussion by sharing 2 disturbing statistics: 1 out of 3 teenagers and 2 out of 3 adults in the U.S. are overweight. Surprising? Unfortunately not, but certainly not something to be proud of. She then discussed obstacles that prevent college students from maintaining healthy diets, such as stress, lack of sleep, less physical activity than in high school, unlimited choices/portions in campus dining halls, low budgets of off-campus students, and last but certainly not least, partying.  Regarding that last factor, she then displayed a chart showing caloric value of some common alcoholic beverages:

• 12 oz. beer=160 calories
• 5 oz. glass of wine=100 calories
• 8 oz. margarita=270 calories
• 2 oz. shot of liquor=128 calories

Obviously, college students are not prone to being satisfied with only 1 drink, so multiply any of the above by 3 and that's at least 300 extra calories, (and on any given Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night, you would need to multiply that number by many more than 3).  Not to mention the fact that alcohol consumption lowers inhibitions and makes you likely to eat incredibly unhealthy food that you might not eat if you were thinking clearly (Chanello's at 3 am anyone?).  These facts alone are enough to make anyone run to UREC the next afternoon to work off all those empty calories, but even a rigorous workout won't be able to undo all of the damage.  Some students may not see signs of this yet, but my guess is that college partying behavior will catch up to their waistlines sooner than they might think.  Dr. Fletcher didn't elaborate about college behavior as much as I just did, but the information she shared was enough to make me start analyzing the situation.

She also shared her "12 Keys to Success" for losing weight and keeping it off.  This list included tips ranging from the obvious (i.e. not skipping meals, exercising, down-sizing portions, keeping track of what you eat, etc.) to ones not quite so typical ("Be realistic-find a comfortable body weight," "Don't deprive yourself," and "Get rid of the diet mentality").  In her book, Dr. Fletcher tells the stories of people whom she calls "masters of weight"-adults who diet, lose weight, and successfully keep the weight off for years after they lose it.  Their stories serve as an inspiration for others who want to be successful at maintaining a healthy diet.  Many times, we only hear negative stories and statistics about dieters who lose weight and then gain it back, so the author feels it is important to share success stories in order to motivate others and make them realize that this not an impossible feat.

Following her talk, attendees were invited to a mini reception next door where Dining Services had prepared several of the healthy recipes that Dr. Fletcher includes in her books.  Overall, I enjoyed the lecture, and I can't wait to delve into her book whenever I get some free time....whenever that might be. LOL.

Have a wonderful evening everyone, and as always, thanks for reading! :)

Now, go eat an apple! :P

Best-Selling Health & Lifestyle Author to Speak at JMU

From the JMU Dining Services website:

In partnership with JMU Dining Services, Anne M. Fletcher, M.S., R.D., a best-selling health and lifestyle author, will make an appearance at the Festival Ballroom on Tuesday, February 10 at 2:00 pm. Fletcher has appeared on the Today Show, The View, CNN, the CBS Early Show, and Good Morning America. Come and hear firsthand her secrets and tips for maintaining a healthy weight and making healthy eating selections a part of every day life. The first 50 attendees will receive a free copy of her national bestseller, Thin For Life, and there will be a question and answer session at the end of the presentation.

I am looking forward to the lecture and will hopefully have time to post a response sometime tomorrow evening. Hope to see some of you there!

Follow Up on Yesterday's Post...

As I mentioned in my previous post, I personally strive to maintain healthy eating habits, and (as many of my family members and friends will tell you) I sometimes attempt to impose those habits on the people close to me. I won't bore you with a laundry list of items that are included in my diet, but here's a basic overview: I don't eat red meat. Instead, I get my protein from hummus and tofu. I am also overly obsessed (and willing to admit this fact) with strictly watching my intake of unnecessary fats. Pretty much everything I cook or bake (including desserts) is either low in fat content or fat-free. I enjoy trying new, healthy recipes and then testing them on my loved ones. For instance, one of my specials is Tofu Spinach Lasagna...but when I serve it, I fail to mention the tofu part until they've eaten it. (Cruel huh?)

Thinking back on it, I guess my awareness regarding the importance of a healthy diet came to full bloom during my senior year of high school. In my agro-ecology class at governor's school, we spent a decent amount of time focusing on nutrition and healthy eating. Assignments for this unit included reading Eric Schlosser's eye-opening novel, Fast Food Nation, and viewing Morgan Spurlock's documentary Super Size Me. Then, with a newfound interest in the subject, I chose to read Spurlock's book Don't Eat This Book: Fast Food and the Supersizing of America. Let me just say that after being exposed to all of this disturbing information, I had never been happier to be a semi-vegetarian! Now, don't get me wrong, the occasional enjoyment of unhealthy food is okay as long as it is done in moderation. However, based on statistics, it seems that many Americans choose unhealthy foods more often than they opt for fruits and veggies.

So, I hope this gives you some background on why I choose to advocate healthy eating habits.

Thanks for reading!

Advocating a Healthy Lifestyle

Okay, so after thinking about my advocacy topic over the past week, I have decided to shift gears from my usual pro-environment concerns to another issue which I find to be incredibly important: maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Of course, there are many components involved in living a healthy life, including diet, exercise, proper ways of dealing with stress, and lifestyle behaviors (such as drinking or smoking), among other factors. Narrowing this down, I intend to focus on the importance of healthy eating and nutrition as part of every person's ongoing daily routine. This is a topic that I have been advocating informally for several years now, and I feel that society as a whole would greatly benefit if more Americans became more health conscious. Some individuals may argue that their personal eating habits are their own choice and do not affect anyone other than themselves, however, in a country where obesity rates continue to climb (and thus the number of people suffering from obesity related diseases like Type 2 Diabetes also increases), we will all eventually suffer from increased insurance rates in order to cover these costs. I feel that steps are being taken in the right direction in order to overcome these circumstances (i.e. schools replacing soda machines with bottled water), however, there is still a long way to go. This issue is really important to me, and I look forward to working with several classmates on an advocacy project that will promote healthy lifestyles.

I will post again later regarding my personal eating habits and the amazed reactions I sometimes receive when acquaintances first become informed of my non-mainstream diet. But alas, that post will have to wait until late tonight or tomorrow...class awaits. Have a wonderful Thursday everyone! :)

My First Semester as a....SENIOR!!!!

It hit me yesterday that this upcoming semester will (hopefully) be my last spring semester at JMU (thanks to transfer credits from governor's school and taking extra credit hours during several semesters...guess that stuff was worthwhile after all! Haha). I still can't completely grasp the fact that I'm set to graduate next December. Then I'll be forced to enter the real working world...which should prove to be interesting based on the current job market. Ah well, in the meantime, at least I have another year left to enjoy college! Speaking of which, the whole initial point of this post was to inform you all that for the third semester in a row, I again have Mike as a professor for political communication. This semester, I am taking his Argument and Advocacy class, and yet again, he is requiring that we maintain a blog. The difference is, this time we have to blog about a single topic that is important to us. This may come as a big shocker to most of you (insert sarcasm here :P), but I'm strongly leaning toward focusing on conservationism. I'm going to think about it a bit more before I make my final decision though. Another exciting, yet challenging component of this course is to complete an advocacy project concerning the issue that we blog about. So in other words, if I choose conservationism as my advocacy issue, then I will have to organize a campus or community-wide event that puts my advocacy into action (i.e. a park clean up day). I'm open to any ideas/suggestions about this, so please feel free to comment with any ideas that you may have.

Thanks for reading and have a wonderful week! :)

Happy New Year!!!!

I spent my final afternoon/evening of 2008 doing two things that I absolutely love: running and singing karaoke (not simultaneously though! lol). There's nothing quite like running a 5K in 31 degree temperatures with a bitter wind blowing and snow flurries flying! But once you run the first half-mile or so and the feeling returns to your toes, it's not so bad. After the race (and several hours of relaxing/warming up at home), it was off to Luray to ring in the new year by singing some Page County karaoke! It was certainly a fun-filled way to send out 2008 and bring in 2009!

It just hit me that I will (hopefully) be graduating at the very end of 2009, so I am looking forward to my senior year of college and the opportunities ahead. I wish you all a very happy and blessed new year!!!! Here's to 2009!!!