Best and Worst Foods to Eat When You’re Sick

The foods that you consume can have a strong impact on how fully and quickly you recover from sickness.  Whether you come down with a cold or the flu, your diet can have a distinctly positive or negative impact on your recovery.

The Best:

Soup.  Especially broth-based, soups contain an important amino acid known as cysteine.  This helps thin out mucus in the lungs and maintain moister in the nasal cavity.

Citrus Fruits.  All citrus fruits contain high quantities of vitamin C, an essential when it comes to combating sickness, especially the cold.  Lemons, grapefruits, oranges, and limes contain flavonoids which boost your immune system.

Spicy Foods.  These eye-watering foods are natural decongestants.  Eat chili peppers, wasabi, or horseradish (yum) to relive congestion symptoms.

Vitamins. Vitamins are important to anyone who does not consume enough daily fruits and vegetables.  If you do eat enough fruits and veggies each day, then a multivitamin still couldn’t hurt.

The Worst:

Anything High in Fat or Sugar.  Keep fast food, candy, and dessert items off your plate if you are trying to make a timely and effective recovery from your sickness.  These foods are difficult to digest and can suppress the immune system as well as cause inflammation.

Dairy. Though dairy products are important to one’s long-term diet, consuming large amounts of dairy while sick can actually increase your symptoms.  Milk-based products promote mucus production, which can worsen your congestion.

It is important to note that the body requires a greater caloric intake to recover from sickness effectively.  Especially when you have a fever or infection, your body needs more food to fuel the internal battle.  Also, hydration is especially important when you’re sick.  Keep your energy levels up with healthy foods, drink plenty of water, and get plenty of sleep to get better as quickly as possible.   

Paper 4: Gen Ed Reform (Draft)

 

Abstract

General Education at Penn State, though effective in some ways, could improve tremendously from carefully implemented reforms.  Gen Ed classes should engage students’ interests in an environment that facilitates mental growth and development.  To successfully benefit the entire student body, the General Education system must cater to the goals and interests of each student.  A dynamic, personalized approach to Gen Ed coursework is needed to achieve a greater applicability to all students.  General Education is not intended to cause stress and a uniform experience for all students, but rather to encourage individualized student growth and exploration.

General Education Reform

The primary objective of General Education is to provide an opportunity for students to explore knowledge in a variety of disciplines, to discover unknown interests, and to develop communication skills.  Changing the current General Education system has great potential, as the current system is far from perfect.  However, the extent of which each student benefits from General Education depends heavily upon its applicability to each student’s unique interests and education goals.  Therefore, a flexible approach to General Education is the best option.  There should be two separate Gen Ed routes for incoming freshmen to select between, based upon their personal preference: exploration emphasis and skills emphasis.  A General Education system that focuses on theme would not be as beneficial to the entire student body.  In order to transform Generation Education into a more effective learning environment, some of the courses should be pass/fail.  English 15 and CAS 100 should remain separate courses as they are under the currently.  In order to improve upon the effectiveness of General Education, reforms should increase students’ interest in their classes by granting them flexibility regarding their course content.

Learning capacity is not directly correlated to the rigorousness of a course, but rather the students’ desire to learn the material presented to them.  An audience of students that is interested in the material of a specific course is naturally more inclined to retain and benefit from that material.  However, when considering Gen Ed reform, especially at a school as massive as Penn State, it is important to acknowledge that each student is entitled to his/her personal interests and educational goals.  Certain students have identified their goals and interests before college, while other students enter freshmen year unsure of their anticipated career path and eager to explore possibilities.  General education should benefit both groups of students by allowing flexibility.

Students who enroll at Penn State should have the option to follow a General Education system that focuses on exploration.  This option would benefit students who are undecided about their major or simply desire a broader understanding of the world.  An estimated 40% of students enter college undecided about their major, and approximately 75% of students change their major at least once before graduation. (http://dus.psu.edu/mentor/2013/06/disconnect-choosing-major/)  The exploration Gen Ed option should include a diverse array of courses, covering topics from a variety of disciplines. Students should possess the ability to select from these courses based on their personal preferences.  This would allow for students to engage in topics of their greatest interest, and thus offer the most effective learning experience for students who wish to explore.

An alternative, skill-based General Education structure should be offered as an alternative to the exploration option.  This skill Gen Ed system would benefit students who enroll at Penn State with distinct and definite education goals.  The courses should focus primarily on strengthening and developing skills that are required for living in the modern era.  Classes should include computer and modern technology-based content.  Because most students in the skills emphasis Gen Ed system would have an idea of their future career path, they could benefit by selecting skills classes to help with their specific degree.  There should be different skills Gen Ed classes for each college at Penn State.  For instance, students in the College of Engineering should take skills-based General Education courses in topics related to engineering, such as computer programming and using engineering equipment.  Whereas students enrolled in the Smeal College of Business who know their career plans can take different courses that support their specific goals, such as courses about using stock software or courses that develop skills with business writing.

Offering two discrete General Education paths, one exploration-based and one skills-based, benefits students by offering courses that are specific to each student’s needs.  This would effectively harness more student interest in the course material because the content would relate more directly to each individual student’s career goals.  Another way to increase student engagement in course material is to offer more pass/fail Gen Ed courses.  Many students select their Gen Ed classes strictly based upon the incentive to attain the highest grade possible.  This involves registering for classes with “easy A” professors and classes with and minimal coursework, regardless of the students’ interest in the content.  It also inherently encourages cheating, plagiarism, and other dishonest behavior as a means to receive an “A”.  Each of these shortcuts are detrimental to a healthy, effective learning environment.  Alternatively, if students do not obsess over their quantifiable grades in Gen Eds — classes that are designed to spark interest and engagement — they will focus more on gaining personal benefit from the classes.  This would likely result in more knowledge retention and a more pleasant and supportive learning environment.  A study conducted by Washington State University concluded that pass/fail classes, as an alternative to traditional GPA-based classes, serve many benefits for students.  Firstly, they lower stress and anxiety levels, allowing students to perform better in other classes.  Pass/fail classes also contribute to greater group cohesiveness, which is an important aspect of General Education. (http://facsen.wsu.edu/current_agenda/exhibits_092712_04113/mayo%20clinic%20full%20pharmacy.pdf)

Another General Education practice that needs reform to improve student cohesiveness is the current policy of capping the number of A’s that can be administered in a General Education class.  This policy is counterproductive to the the educational objectives of a learning institution.  Establishing that a certain quantity of student can receive A’s, regardless of the student body’s efforts and improvement throughout the semester, discourages students from striving for improvement.  It also creates a situation where students are competing against one another to attain the limited A’s.  This transforms a potentially cooperative, unified learning environment into a competitive situation.  Important student interactions of many classes, such as peer editing, is less mutually beneficial in an environment where students are competing for grades.  A’s should alternatively be delegated to students who earn them through effort, improvement, and knowledge of the course material, independent of the other students’ performances.

Another important aspect of General Education to facilitate learning is reiterating course material multiple times in different environments.  Combining English 15 and CAS 100 into one year-long class would counter this idea.  Though these classes have similar content, taking each class separately gives students more time to absorb the material.  Studies suggest that “distributed practice”, or spreading out study sessions rather than focusing on a set of topics for one long duration, improves content understanding. (http://ideas.time.com/2013/01/09/highlighting-is-a-waste-of-time-the-best-and-worst-learning-techniques/)  Also, the information would likely be presented to each student by two different professors with unique perspectives and teaching styles.  Thus, students can benefit more from two separate classes than one year-long combined class with a uniform teaching style and repetitive content.  Maintaining separate classes for English 15 and CAS 100 would also improve schedule flexibility, allowing students to construct their schedules in a more dynamic manner.

(Conclusion)

 

Gen Ed Recommendation

The primary objective of General Education is to provide an opportunity for students to explore knowledge in a variety of disciplines, to discover unknown interests, and to develop communication skills.  Administering changes to the current General Education system has great potential to improve upon it, as the current system is far from perfect.  However, the extent of which each student benefits from General Education depends heavily upon its applicability to each student’s unique interests and education goals.  I thereby believe that a flexible approach to General Education is the best option.

 There should be two separate Gen Ed routes for incoming freshmen to select based on their personal preference: exploration emphasis and skills emphasis.  The exploration option should be more catered toward students who are unsure of what degree to pursue, or simply desire to attain a broader understanding of the world.  Whereas the skillsoption  would more directly benefit students who know the goals of their education at Penn State and wish to improve upon skills that can build a foundation for the field that they are pursuing.  The skills courses would be focused around modern standards of many employers, such as computer skills, media communication skills, etc.  Both the exploration and skills options have flexible courses to cater to each student’s individual preferences.

Satisfy Your Spring Fever

The climate is warming, the birds are chirping, and the outdoors are calling.  Spring is finally showing its green colors and sunny skies after a long and bitter winter.   So don’t hold back, embrace your spring fever and get outside in the sun.  It will benefit you in more ways than you may think:

Vitamin D:  Spending time outside and in the sun actually allows you to absorb this valuable vitamin.  This can help protect against future bone problems, diabetes, heart disease, and many other health issues.

Vision:  Believe it or not, spending time outside can decrease your chances of becoming nearsighted.  By exercising your long distance vision, you actually strengthen it.

Exercise:  One of the more recognized benefits from being outside is the exercise that the outdoors often coincides with.  Do whatever: play Frisbee, go for a run, take a walk, or anything to get your heart rate up and expend some energy.

The Mind:  Studies have also proven that exposure to nature can reduce ADHD symptoms and improve one’s ability to focus.  Spending time outdoors can improve critical thinking skills which translates to students’ performances in school.

The Spirit:  We all know that being outside can help clear your mind and ease your stresses, and there is also science to back this up.  Being outdoors can release endorphin which promotes longevity and optimistic perspective.  Stress levels have been proven to fall significantly after just minutes of being exposed to a green environment.

Try to take full advantage of the nice weather that we are expecting over the next couple weeks here at Penn State.  Spend a few hours each day out in the fresh air.  Hike Mount Nittany, throw a football, play cricket, hopscotch, whatever.  Even if you are too swamped with schoolwork to get outside and have fun, try taking your notes or homework outside – the outdoor environment may just provide the mental boost that your studying needs.

Some of the Best Foods For You

We are all faced with daily decisions on what foods we should eat.  It is important to know the benefits and consequences of eating certain foods.  But what really are the best foods out there with the greatest benefits?

Sweet potatoes. These vegetables are loaded with carotenoids.  They also offer a lower carbohydrate alternative to the yellow potato.  Sweet potatoes offer an excellent source of Vitamin C and are a common ingredient in healthy foods such as sweet potato pancakes.

Mangoes.  These delicious tropical fruits offer a delicious source of energy and nutrition.  In fact, one cup of mango offers 100% of a daily requirement of Vitamin C and a large amount of Vitamin A.  One of the greatest things about mangoes is that they are unlikely to contain large traces of pesticides.

Greek yogurt.  Get plain if you can.  Plain Greek yogurt offers an excellent source of protein and calcium, with zero fat and zero sugar.  Each serving of Greek yogurt is guaranteed to fill you up and leave you a healthier person.

Broccoli. I know you hate it.  But eat it anyway.   Broccoli is loaded with Vitamin C and Vitamin K.  It also is loaded with a rare nutrient known as folic acid.

Salmon.  Another great  source of protein, salmon is a low fat and delicious alternative to traditional meats.  Salmon also offers omega-3 fatty acids.  If you consume wild salmon, it contains low levels of PCB which is also better for your health.

Watermelon. A delicious source of nutrients and hydration, watermelon is a fundamental food to include in anyone’s diet.  Watermelon contains large quantities of Vitamin A and Vitamin C, making it a great fruit to add to you fruit salad or enjoy on a hot summer day.

 

General education is an important concept to bridge the gap between high school and college education.  It is required to facilitate learning in an array of different topics.  Also, general education courses are designed to induce interest in specific fields for students who are unsure of their future career path.  Having a theme for all general education courses is an option that requires consideration. I believe that it is important for students to have a say in what sort of topics that their general education focuses on.  However, if general education classes are too challenging, they will not offer as much of a positive and beneficial experience.

Paper 3: Rebuttal (Rough Draft)

Stephen Colbert of The Colbert Report utilizes satire, one of the most effective methods of persuasion, to discredit conservative opinions.  By using techniques outlined in Thank You for Arguing, Colbert provides a unique perspective on controversial political issues.  He reveals his disagreements with conservative ideas through satirical explanations, using humor as a means to deliver his opinions.  Through a range of techniques, including American commonplaces, fallacies, and other satirical tools, Colbert discredits and censures conservative opinions.

In order to effectively satirize conservative ideas, Colbert often addresses issues and events that the conservative party expresses strong opinions about.  One particular episode, titled Simon Schama, begins with Colbert describing marijuana.  He mentions that everyone who smokes marijuana dies, proving its true danger.  This statement utilizes the wrong ending tool.  This logical fallacy alludes that smoking marijuana kills people, when in reality, everyone ultimately dies regardlessly of marijuana usage.  Colbert then invents the word “Potsylvania” to describe colorado now that marijuana is legalized.   He also described the people who have created businesses in the Colorado marijuana industry as “ganjapreneurs”.  This fictitious word, though not supported by an established definition, offers a message understood through the combination of the meanings of the two words it combines.

Colbert utilizes the identity strategy to further his satire of Colorado’s marijuana situation.  He says, “Here’s how you spot people who have been on the marijuana ski bus: they’re the ones snowboarding”.  This generalization associates snowboarders with marijuana.  The Colbert Report continues by establishing that smoking marijuana is a commonplace of Colorado.  Colbert then uses the tool of editing out loud to correct himself by saying “… pot use is booming in colorado, actually everywhere”  He speaks louder when saying “everywhere” to further the effect of his satire, using the turn the volume up technique outlined by Thank You for Arguing.  While many conservative figures express that marijuana has become a major problem in Colorado ever since its legalization, Colbert discredits this opinion through his use of satire.

For the next segment of the show, Stephen Colbert changes the subject to Obama.  He plays Fox News videos and satirically analyzes them.  In the first video, Fox News mentions that Obama is pushing for salaried workers to become eligible for more overtime pay, bypassing Congress’s decision.  Colbert then sarcastically states that Obama is killing America with this legislature, which mocks Fox New’s overreaction.  Colbert also sarcastically refers to Obama as “Emperor Obama”.  The word “emperor” has a tyrantic vibe that Colbert utilizes as a blatant fallacy.  Stephen Colbert shifts the blame upon congress by saying “Congress does not support these new overtime rules.  But why should they? They don’t work overtime, or time at all”.  This intentional red herring changes the blame from directed toward Obama to Congress.

For the next segment, Stephen Colbert begins to discuss the Conservative Party’s criticism of Obama about the lack of people who signed up for Obamacare.  Colbert says, “No one has signed up for Obamacare, give or take 4.2 million people,”  The second part of the sentence provides a surprise ending to expose the truth that contrasts the conservative criticism.  Stephen Colbert then mentioned that Obama was so desperate to alert people about signing up for Obamacare that he appeared on a show called “Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis”.  Colbert then stated that this immature behavior of the president “started a firestorm everywhere, from Fox News, to later in the day on Fox News”.  This surprise ending persuasive technique emphasizes that Fox News is essentially the only group that found President Obama’s behavior inappropriate.  Colbert later played a video clip of Bill O’Reilly claiming that Abraham Lincoln would never have appeared on a show like “Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis”.  In response, Colbert raised his volume and stated, “It’s true, Abe Lincoln would never have done a viral web video”.

(Conclusion)

p 218, 180, 228, 162

A Fishy Solution

Doctors and researchers speculate that taking a daily dietary supplement known as fish oil can have profoundly beneficial effects on one’s health.  Studies suggest that fish oil not only can improve one’s physical health, but also one’s mental health.  This cheap (as inexpensive as $0.07 per pill) supplement can be taken much like a multivitamin – one pill per day – with 3 or 4 grams of fish oil per pill.

One of the most prominent effects of fish oil on human bodily functions is its effect on protein.  Consuming fish oil daily is linked to increased rates of protein synthesis, which reduces the risk of cardiovascular problems and facilitates muscle growth.  This is due to two omega-3’s present in fish oil: DHA and EPA.  Furthermore, fish oil supplementation can  decrease the rate that the body breaks down protein.

The omega-3’s found in fish oil also are proven to increase one’s metabolic rate.  An increased metabolic rate essentially means that one burns more energy naturally, which can assist weight loss.  Fish oil also changes the cellular membrane compositions, improving nutrient delivery to cells.  This can lead to an overall healthier human body.

Consuming fish oil supplements daily can improve brain health by further developing the brain and coordination, as well as improving one’s overall mood.  Mothers who consume fish oil regularly while pregnant  typically have children with improved hand and eye coordination.

So, can’t you get fish oil naturally from simply eating fish instead of supplementing with pills?
Yes and no.  Fish oil is found naturally in fish livers.  However, one would have to consume a large amount of fish to get enough oil to fully benefit.  Such a large amount of fish would result in dangerous levels of mercury.  But not to worry; supplementing with fish oil pills is cheap and effective.  So what are you waiting for?

Paper 3: Idea/Outline

For paper 3, I will write option 3: a rhetorically analysis of a satiric work.  I will analyze an episode of the Colbert Report through then lens principles outlined in Thank You For Arguing.  I have not yet decided on a specific Colbert Report episode to analyze, but I will include the following in my analysis:

  1. Introduce the premise of the report, including the topic and the opinion that Steven Colbert is attempting to persuade the audience to agree with.
  2. Talk about the false comparison that the Colbert uses, including natural fallacies, false analogies, and unit fallacies.
  3. Mention the bad examples and hasty generalizations present in the report.  Identify the goal of these fallacies.
  4. Identify usage of false choice present in the Colbert Report episode.
  5. Draw upon instances of innuendo, humiliation, and nasty language used to satirically deliver a specific message
  6. Conclude by summarizing previous points.

March 7 Satire Assignment

1.) Marijuana Legalization (The Daily Show)

http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/fri-february-28-2014-

In this episode of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart uses satire to address the issue of marijuana legalization.  He starts off by analyzing a news report about Colorado legalizing recreational marijuana.  Stewart talks about the “new pot industry” of Colorado, implying that it is a fallacy that marijuana is new to Colorado.  He then sarcastically mentions the “strict purchasing qualifications”, including: purchasers must be at least 21, pot shops cannot open until 8:00 AM and must close by midnight.  The sarcasm in his voice indicates that it is actually quite simple to obtain marijuana.  He further compares Colorado sarcastically to the “wild west” to introduce the fallacy that marijuana can cause aggressive, criminal, and uncivil behavior.  Stewart then asks the rhetorical question “So what are the restrictions of how much marijuana one can possess?”,  then plays a clip from a government official stating that one can possess no more than one ounce.  The camera returns to Stewart with a smirk on his face.  He says, “So no restrictions”.   Stewart satirically attacks the conservative view by playing a clip of Bill O’Reilly (conservative ethos) saying that smoking marijuana is “literally like playing Russian Roulette”.  Stewart reiterates the false nature of this statement by repeating it in a mocking tone.

2.) Drones (The Daily Show)

http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/fri-february-21-2014-

In this episode of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart uses satire to address the issue of drone usage.  He starts off the episode by sarcastically stating that the drones are greatly successful in assassinating leading members of Al Qaeda.  He then mentions that though sometimes the drone assassinations do not work out perfectly and they end up shooting innocent citizens.  Stewart then makes fun of the unclear logos followed by the government in determining when drones can be used.  He plays a clip of a government official stating, “drones are only to be used in cases of imminent threat”.  This outlines the fallacy that the justice department is entirely lawful and follows judicial procedures when conducting missions.  Stewart then attacks the ethos of Vice President Joe Biden by playing a clip of Biden saying, “…ain’t constitutional” in a foolish way.  Stewart later talks about the unconstitutionality of using drones for other purposes, such as spying on farmers for environmental purposes.

3.)  Malaysia Missing Airplane (The Onion)

http://www.theonion.com/articles/malaysian-airlines-expands-investigation-to-includ,35524/

This article, posted on The Onion, offers a satirical approach to the missing Malaysian airplane.  The main purpose of this article is to address the failure of the people searching for the plane to narrow down the realm of possibilities of what could have happened to it.  The article satirically states that not only has the range of possibilities expanded to a mechanical failure, pilot error, terrorist activity, hijacking, but also, “the overarching scope of space, time, and humankind’s place in the universe”.  The article also calls upon sarcastic logos, mentioning that the plane could be anywhere in the several hundred square miles of the Indian Ocean, or it could be in each of the 7 to 22 additional spatial dimensions of the universe.  This satirical approach renders the search efforts as pathetically inconclusive.  In fact, instead of narrowing the possibilities, as time goes on, search efforts are broadening the possibilities of what was the actual fate of Flight 370.  The article concludes with a satirical remark regarding the ethos of the Malaysia Airlines, “Our top people are  on it right now.”