31 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(02/17/14 8:50pm)
The Curious Fox is as intriguing as its name suggests.
Tucked away in Downtown Opelika, walking into the intimates boutique is like stumbling upon a treasured secret. Hardwood floors creak as you walk in. Artisan jewelry and delicate lingerie are displayed on cream-colored walls like art hung in a museum. The aesthetic is minimalist and inviting. Eucalyptus and spearmint waft from a candle burning on the front desk.
The smiling brunette behind the counter is Saramia Arenas, an Auburn native who studied photography at Savannah College of Art and Design.
"When you think of a woman as a fox, it's a woman that's beautiful, confident, cool," said Arenas, who serves as manager, sales associate and buyer for The Curious Fox.
According to Arenas, intimate apparel plays an important role in boosting women's self-confidence. Taking the time to treat herself and feel attractive can change how a woman feels in and out of the bedroom.
"We aim to provide an experience that makes women feel empowered--a place where women can come to celebrate being a woman," Arenas said.
Pieces by Simone Perele, Mary Green and Montelle Intimates are laid out with simplistic visual merchandising.
The airy hues, handcrafted lace and China silk are presented to the shopper as delicate heirlooms--a far cry from flashy, overtly sexual designs found in major retailers.
"The idea from the beginning was to be the complete opposite," said Phil Moody, owner of The Curious Fox. "I just felt like we didn't want to give any kind of image to the women. I didn't want to project anything to them so they can just come and be whoever they wanted to be."
As a small business, The Curious Fox is a champion for shopping local. From pushing customers to sign up for credit cards to impersonal customer service, Moody explained that retail chains are treating shoppers like numbers.
"We as consumers are getting smarter and we're not falling for that as much," Moody said. "I think they've hit a tipping point where they don't deserve to be around. I think places like this deserve to be around, where knowledgeable staff will come help you and spend time with you."
Moody, a graphic designer from Lafayette, La., transformed the former office space in September 2013. While the boutique was his vision, Moody has handed the reins over to an all-female staff to ensure customer comfort and privacy.
"I want people to think of Saramia when they think of the Fox," Moody said.
In addition to promoting female empowerment and local business, The Curious Fox has a commitment to supporting local artists.
"People don't realize how important art is," Moody said. "Artists tend to be mini profits. They bring trends to the area because they see things and create things and if they're artists who are also business-minded, man, they can really do things."
After carrying Opelika-based artist Kate Manning's line of scarves and knitwear in December, The Curious Fox decided to seek out more homegrown artistic talent.
"We're a store, but we like to think of ourselves as very curated, similar to an art gallery," Arenas said. "We're always on the lookout for something cool and unique."
Arenas pointed out two fox paintings hanging on the wall by R.C. Hagans, an Opelika native. A curtain sewn and decorated by Jane Randall of Opelika's Jane Sweet Jane designates the dressing room area, and Oxford shirts designed by Moody's friends, Jonathan and Holly Powell, hang on a silver rack.
"I like the idea of investing in art and people, so I'll always have a piece of RC in here. I'll always have a piece of Jane. I'll always have a piece of Jonathan and Holly in here," Moody said.
Moody has also invested in the talent of Auburn University student, Ashley Kickliter. The junior in graphic design was recruited to produce editorial photography for The Curious Fox.
Kickliter said she was thrilled to be part of this small business.
"I'm a photographer and I've had a portrait business here since I was 16, but fashion photography is what I really want to do," Kickliter said. "They hired me to a shoot for them with models in their products and gorgeous sleep shirts."
The Curious Fox views their lingerie as an investment, and prices of apparel start at $20.
"Hopefully, the idea is that when people buy a piece, they love it, so it's almost like a piece of art that they've taken home," Moody said.
The Curious Fox also carries handcrafted luxury items from Freedom Soap Company and The Green Bottle Candle Company from Birmingham and artisan jewelry from Red Earth Trading Company.
Open only on weekends, The Curious Fox is located at 711 Avenue in Opelika, Ala.
(02/13/14 2:50pm)
After being eliminated from Oxygen's "Glee Project" in 2012, Auburn musical theatre graduate, Shanna Henderson has stolen Nashville's heart as a blossoming country music star.
The delicate Southern dialect, blonde hair and bright blue eyes could be misleading, but Henderson is nothing close to an antebellum damsel in distress.
Besides her powerful voice, the Real Town native has a fierce stance against cyberbullying and life experiences have proven her to be nothing short of a warrior for change.
"Bullying is so different now," Henderson said. "Everyone is hiding behind their computers."
In an age without iPhones and Twitter, the bullying Henderson experienced was upfront and more personal.
"The bullying I endured was about truthful facts," Henderson said. "People thought they knew my story, but they didn't know me. It was hard in the moment to overcome that."
Because of her mother's struggles with drug addiction, Henderson said peers degraded her by calling her a "crack baby."
The bullying, which began in kindergarten, reached a climax in high school when Henderson found the severed head of a deer in her mailbox.
With it, a note said, "You're next."
Henderson said that despite the torment, her grandparents encouraged her to avoid living like a victim.
"They said, 'You are not a victim, you will not be a victim, you will move forward and you will be okay,' and it really was their continued understanding that helped me do that," Henderson said.
Sharing her story on "The Glee Project", a reality show in which the winner appeared on the television show "Glee", set Henderson apart from her competitors in a way that revealed the drive and depth within the sunny blonde.
Henderson placed sixth in the show.
"One of the best things I learned at Auburn through BFA was about finding those experiences that really trigger an emotion and using those for your benefit and turning it into a positive," Henderson said.
When she isn't recording with famed songwriter Pat Alger, who wrote songs for Country greats like Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, Henderson visits local schools to share her story of triumph over bullying.
"A lot of those kids that bullied me have apologized, and I've totally forgiven them because I guarantee to the victim of bullying--if you just continue to push through and ignore, you will come out on top on the other end--you will win," Henderson said.
As a motivational speaker, Henderson said she is occasionally approached by students who are being cyberbullied.
"I'll never forget a little girl coming up to me after hearing my story and giving her a little bit of hope--even if it wasn't enough hope to really change her perspective, it was enough to give her a little bit of light," Henderson said.
Her ability to seek out the positive in the midst of negativity, allowed Henderson to see her elimination from "The Glee Project" as an optimistic turning point in her career that solidified her goal to pursue a life in music.
"With one meeting and performance, Shanna Henderson got my attention," said Jennifer Bohler, Henderson's manager and publicist.
Also an Auburn graduate, Bohler has worked with artists ranging from Reba McEntire and Little Big Town to the Troubadour Kings.
"She understands things many people twice her age have yet to figure out. I think there is no limit to what she will accomplish in the entertainment world," Bohler said.
Alger, Henderson's writing partner and mentor, described his first songwriting session with Henderson.
"After an hour or so I also realized I was sitting across from a terrific soulful singer--the kind that has seen some things and survived but is still full of hope," Alger said. "She is obviously young but wise, full of crackling energy but also focused."
Henderson, who is also working on film projects and plans to write a motivational book, has kept close friendships with her Auburn Theatre classmates.
She has completed the pilot for Auburn grad, Kat Grilli's series "Broken Things," and lives with her best friend from her graduating class at Auburn.
She urged anyone seeking a career in the arts to maintain positive relationships by helping other artists.
Henderson is becoming known for her resilience as an artist and as a human being. When asked about it she replied matter-of-factly.
"You share what you are with other people," Henderson said. "I'd rather share a smile with someone rather than my pain."
Through it all, Henderson has proven to be a woman of substance, firmly rooted in the belief that any bad circumstance can turn out to a blessing in disguise.
(02/11/14 4:47am)
Women looking to empower each other need to look no further than Between Women, the discussion group created by Diamond Brown, junior in clinical laboratory science. Run by students for students, Between Women exists to unify and foster understanding between women of different backgrounds and cultures.
"It's geared toward LGBT women, but we welcome all types of women," Brown said.
After attending a Women's Initiative conference as a freshman, Brown was inspired by the success of the unified women who presented. Already familiar with Spectrum, Auburn's gay-straight alliance, Brown created a group to deal specifically with women's issues. She organized the group in fall 2012.
"We've been taking issues that women have and then applying that to the LGBT community." Brown said. "Like employment: 'How much do you get paid? If you're going to get hired, can you get fired legally?'"
Bonnie Wilson, coordinator for the Women in Science and Engineering Institute (WISE), helped Brown establish Between Women after teaching her in the WISE learning community course.
"It was literally just an idea, and she took it and ran with it and it's been great," Wilson said.
According to Wilson, Between Women provides a safe, intimate forum for discussing topics like domestic violence, relationship struggles and equality.
"It's smaller than other LGBT groups around campus, so it's very insulated, very protected and very private," Wilson said.
Brown explained the small size of the group allows more introverted women to feel comfortable expressing their opinions and sharing personal stories. Brown and her vice president, Sami Lee, junior in biomedical sciences, research the challenges women face in professional, legal, educational and domestic spheres before bringing them to the group.
"We do all the research for them, boil it down to something really simple--put it in layman's terms--and then give it to them and see what the think," Brown said.
According to Brown, this spark of discussion is critical to young adult women.
"You're going to go into the real world after this, and so you need to be prepared for what the real world has to throw at you," Brown said.
According to Lee, Between Women and its blog also provide a link between women and the resources they have access to as Auburn University students.
"Resources are out there that not a lot of people are aware of," Lee said. "Auburn University has a lot of resources available for women."
Between Women meetings are held once a month and are open to any women who are lesbian, bi, transgendered, or questioning and their straight allies. The group hopes by spreading awareness of the inequality against women and providing a platform for dialogue, they can enact change.
"The more people see that equality is needed in Alabama physically with their eyes, they can't hide it and pretend it's not there and be in denial about it," Brown said.
Between Women's blog can be found at http://aubetweenwomen.weebly.com/
(02/10/14 12:20pm)
From stuntwoman to writer to producer, Grilli has taken Los Angeles by storm. With her original pilot, "Broken Things," completed and in marketing stages, Grilli is ready for the big time.
(02/03/14 12:05pm)
Sunlight twinkled through the paper banner taped over Wake Up Coffee Company's front window a week before its opening on Tuesday.
Wade Preston, shouted down from a ladder while he sanded the whitewashed walls of the formerly sherbet-colored interior.
"We kind of did the opposite of what most people do when they find out they're expecting a child," said Preston, who owns the second location of the globally-minded coffeehouse started in 2009 by Bo Mann in St. Simon's Island, Ga. "We'd rather have our kid grow up knowing that her parents lived out their calling," he said.
The 2006 Auburn philosophy graduate met his wife while both were working for nonprofit organizations.
While living in North Florida the couple became close friends with Mann and regulars at Wake Up Coffee.
A mission trip to Liberia, however, solidified their dream to help further economic growth in developing countries by opening a branch of Mann's fair trade coffee shop.
"I think going to Liberia and just seeing how they live there and the difference that an education and opportunity can make in their lives. Individuals and families and entire communities are being transformed when they can find meaningful well-paid work. I think that's probably what got us hooked," Megan Preston said.
Preston left his position in college ministry at Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, to train as a barista at Batdorf and Bronson Coffee Roasters and The Dancing Goat's Coffee Bar, eventually winning third in the Southeast Regional Barista Competition in 2012.
The Prestons then made the decision to spread the practice of fair trade coffee and retail goods to Auburn.
"Coffee is a $90 billion industry and it's predicated completely of people who live between the 20th parallels in some of the most economically depressed nations in the world," Wade Preston said, "It can be a tool to empower them or a weapon to oppress them depending on how it's used."
In order to ensure coffee bean farmers get a fair percentage of sales profits, Wake Up Coffee Company deals exclusively with fair and direct trade models.
The company also has partnerships with farmer-direct coffee importers, like Thrive Coffee.
Many bags of coffee in the shop are marked with the familiar Fair Trade label, but some remain unlabeled.
"Every time you have a Fair Trade logo on a bag of coffee, you're paying 25 cents to the Fair Trade organization. A lot of the stuff we do is more like direct trade. So we give the 25 cents directly to the farmer instead of paying for the little stamp," said Chandler Roberds, a junior in human development and family studies, and a barista at Wake Up.
Wade Preston explained that direct trade procedures are the best way to give the farmers a fair cut of the profits.
"Some of them are direct partnerships with folks that we know on the ground in places like Nicaragua, for example. We work on a direct trade partnership there--like we actually know the producer," he said, "Here's the farmer's phone number, if you speak Spanish you can call him."
Wake Up Coffee Company has made a $.25 million impact on developing countries since its opening, according to Wade Preston, who is eager to educate others about the importance of fair trade practices.
"If we can pay attention to the way we act as consumers--because that's what we are in America--if you can think of yourself as a responsible consumer then you can make a large impact on the world without being the type of person who can stroke a check for tens of thousands of dollars, and that's one of the reasons we exist," he said.
In addition to selling organic and fair trade coffee, Wake Up specializes in handmade artisan goods.
Megan Preston explained that while she will be running the coffee bar some and managing baristas, the majority of her responsibility revolves around the retail portion. "I'm buying from companies that work directly with artisan groups in the developing world and pay them a fair wage to create these products which help put them and their families out of poverty," she said.
One company Wake Up works with employs HIV-positive women in Ethiopia who make jewelry out of artillery shells that are gathered by farmers in fields of civil conflicts. Preston said she was excited to show people the difference their dollar can make in
impoverished countries and that there are alternatives to their usual spending habits. Wake Up carries fair trade jewelry and scarves as well as more practical home goods. Ultimately, Wake Up Coffee Company seeks to become a gathering place for the Auburn community.
"We want to make awesome coffee and awesome products, but more than anything just create a space for people," said Wade Preston. After the closing of Cambridge Coffee and Taylor's Bakery, the Prestons saw a need for a coffee shop on College Street. Wake Up Coffee Company plans to stay open until midnight with extended hours during exams so students can relax and study.
Later in the spring, Wake Up will carry craft beer on tap from Monday Night Brewing, wine and fair trade chocolate, and by the fall Wake Up Coffee's espresso truck should be up and running on campus. And though the last business to occupy 131 S. College Street closed after only a couple of years, the Prestons are optimistic about their location.
"To walk out the door and see Toomer's and Samford Hall--this is my office," said Wade Preston, "We want the heart of this shop to be about the same things that Auburn's about: about family, about community, about doing things the right way."
(02/03/14 12:03am)
When Cliff Hare purchased Auburn Art in 2011, he married two of his passions: art and Auburn football. "I grew up as just a huge Auburn fan and part of the community. After that, I spent eight years hanging out with every type of artist you can imagine," said Hare.
After graduating from Auburn with his degree in industrial design, Hare received a degree in photography from The Art Institute of Colorado.
Hare, whose great-grandfather's name is on the University's stadium, started his own tradition at Auburn Art in 2012 by holding a yearly competition to discover new artistic talent in Auburn.
"It was just a way for us to get that information out there and find new people who wanted to show off their ability and their Auburn spirit in a way that they previously hadn't had the chance to do so--kind of give all the artists around Auburn a bit more of a voice and a little bit more of a showing that they couldn't get," Hare said.
Most of the entrants are Auburn football fans.
"Some of our best artists like Scott Brannan, for example, are huge football fans. They go to every game--they're crazy. They're your nacho-eating, beer-drinking guys that love it, but they're also artists," he said.
For Brannan, the winner of Auburn Art's first contest, art has always been a way to express himself, but he had never considered a career in it.
The 2000 Auburn graduate was the first of his family to attend college and received a degree in health promotion with a minor in business.
"Back in 1996, when I graduated high school, Auburn was the only place I applied to go to school. There was pretty much no other option. It's always been Auburn," Brannan said.
Brannan's winning painting, "Tradition Lives Here," commemorates Auburn's 2010 season and features Cam Newton celebrating under the Toomer's oaks.
The win has allowed Brannan to showcase his abilities and sell new works at Auburn Art. His latest project, "Midnight on Toomer's," was a response to the Toomer's Oaks' poisoning in 2011. The depiction of Aubie under the trees has exploded in popularity.
"Midnight on Toomer's" t-shirts can be purchased at Tiger Rags and Auburn Art. A percentage of proceeds go back to the University to fund scholarships.
Lisa Mosow, 2013's Auburn Art competition winner, said that winning helped bring awareness to her art.
"Winning the contest, you become their featured artist for the year, so they're going to carry your art and promote you to people that you could never be able to get in touch with," she said.
The Auburn graphic design alumna was working on an independent project in Charleston, S.C., when her sister pointed out that the contest would give her a personal deadline. Her winning map of Auburn University was the first in a series of SEC campus maps.
"I know Auburn's constantly changing, and obviously I guess this is kind of my version of Auburn," Mosow said. She explained that as a graphic designer, she feels separation anxiety after completing a project for a client.
"I was thinking, 'Who would be the best client in the world?--and it would be me. I'm going to be my own client and make something that I love and hopefully other people will love it too, and I'm going to promote it and it will be part of my life forever,'" Mosow said.
For Mosow, combining her love for Auburn and her talents is a way to keep ties to the University even after moving to Charleston. She hopes that her prints can help other Auburn students cure post-graduation homesickness.
"It's so nice to be able to look on the wall and reminisce about college and Auburn, or be able to bring it up to friends or acquaintances and say 'This is where I went to school, I'm proud of it, it's on my wall, let me tell you about it,'" she said.
The next Auburn Art competition is set for the fall. According to Hare, the contest is open to anyone who wants to enter.
"We've had 5-year olds submit colorings of Aubie and we've had 90-year olds submit crochet or needle-point that says War Eagle," he said, "Anybody that wants to be an artist or show their work or anything like that can get their work out there."
And because Auburn Art is always looking for new talent, any medium is acceptable.
"There's no boundaries, anything you want to do, anything you want to show, we're open to checking it out," Hare said.
(01/25/14 4:00pm)
Garfield opened his door to a horde of relatives. They found out he won the lottery and wanted a handout. As the relatives swarmed his porch, I looked up from my breakfast. In loud, twangy Southern dialects, the feline family harassed the famous cartoon-strip cat.
"The Garfield Show," a computer-generated monstrosity on Cartoon Network nowadays, is not the first of its kind to feature stupid, crude and often violent Southern-sounding characters.
In an episode of "Spongebob Squarepants," Patrick and Spongebob are captured by the "trenchbillies," who challenge them to a banjo contest, a "hoot n' hollerin" competition and a wrestling match.
I know cartoons are supposed to be mindless entertainment, but I believe comedic performances can serve as the best timeline. From blackface minstrel performances to the pointed anti-conglomeration messages in Anchorman 2, entertainment is a reflection of what's on the country's mind. It wouldn't sell tickets if no one related to it.
The portrayal of Southern dialects in popular culture is worrisome (need I mention Honey Boo-Boo?).
What it says is this: Southerners are stupid. Southerners are lazy. And since this skewed depiction continues to air, we can infer that audiences are eating it up.
Patsy Rodenburg explains in her book, "The Right to Speak," that it is human nature to rate someone's intelligence solely by the way they speak. What is important here is the phrase "the way they sound," because somewhere along the way, respect for the actual words coming out of a Southern mouth was generally lost.
It isn't just Southern speech that has suffered unfortunate stereotyping. MTV's "Jersey Shore" crushed the New Jersey dialect by filming the most idiotic citizens in the state. The Cockney dialect in the United Kingdom has always been a mark of an uneducated street urchin, a direct opposite to England's Received Pronunciation.
What I propose is a change. It will be gradual, at a snail's pace. It probably won't happen in my lifetime, but we should start it now.
First, be proud of your heritage. My grandparents are Great Depression-era survivors and pioneers of education in their families. The speech that comes from their Southern mouths is wisdom. The cadence of Mack Sheehan is like poetry. Phalere Cannon's Panhandle Florida bayou tongue is acerbic and witty.
Second, fight against the stereotype. You are equipped with the knowledge that people will judge you for your dialect. Make these years in college count. Study hard so you can continue to speak intelligently. Read to your children, too, when you have them, so they will follow your steps to correcting society's view of the South. Equip your heart with gentleness that is not related to the way you sound, but to who you are as a person.
Lastly, be aware that other pop culture stereotypes may influence you. When you watch the news, cartoons or reality TV, really listen to what's being said. Strip away the segregating filter that is affixed to your ears. It's not your fault it's there, but you can start tuning it out now
(01/22/14 7:43pm)
Domestic Obsessions, an art exhibition by Amy Stevens presented by Auburn University's department of art, will be free and open to the public in the gallery at Biggin Hall until Feb. 21.
The exhibit features Stevens' photo-series, Confections.
In response to her 30th birthday, Stevens said she attempted to bake and decorate 30 cakes using guides from Martha Stewart and online videos.
"When I realized that it wasn't going to be quite as perfect as the cakes I was looking at, I decided to take a turn and just make them kind of crazy and ridiculous and funny," Stevens said.
After eight years, Stevens has baked and photographed more than 100 cakes against cheery fabric backgrounds, which are on a slideshow in the gallery.
The process of creating Confections allowed Stevens to examine female domestic roles and the impossible search for perfection.
"It became more about issues surrounding perfection and being a woman in this do-it-yourself and domestic popular culture," Stevens said.
In the middle of the gallery is a tower of 25 bright patterned pillows. "I Just Need One More..." is Stevens' interpretation of domesticity as obsessive accumulating. Stevens was inspired to create the exhibit after she bought her first house. Stevens said the freestanding structure would ideally be complete with more stacks of pillows around it.
"It's funny because I actually need more than just one more," Stevens said.
Using leftover fabric from Confections, Stevens crafted other 3-D installations which are on display in Biggin. These include scattered groups of fabric yo-yos collectively titled "Accumulations," the unwieldy ceiling-to-floor "176 Coasters" and "Gathering," a fabric wall hanging.
Throughout the gallery, Stevens' signature color pallet prevails: girlish pinks, vibrant citrus and cool greens. Florals, polka dots and paisley patterns cover the cloth pieces.
Equally influenced by home decor magazines and Pinterest, Stevens explained in her artist's note that the exhibit is meant to be an exuberant feminist dialogue that is both humorous and provocative.
Jonathan Bailey, a junior in Fine Arts, was first struck by the bright colors and retro patterns in Stevens' installation.
"Everything's very full," he said. "It's not subjects that I'd really put with these textures, but I like it a lot."
Rachel Herring, a junior in graphic design, noted the interplay between the fabric backgrounds and the icing artwork in Confections.
"There's definitely more to it than I thought," Herring said. "It's so intricate."
Jessye McDowell, exhibitions and lectures coordinator at Biggin, said Stevens' aesthetic was different from other styles of artwork shown in the gallery.
"We want students to be exposed to a wide range of approaches and ways and working with a variety of mediums," McDowell said.
According to McDowell, Stevens combined the tradition of commercial photography with the symbolism of what was considered women's work--sewing and cooking--to develop pieces that are "grotesque and aggressively cheerful."
McDowell felt Stevens' work would benefit Auburn art students as much as it would new patrons of the arts.
Unusual for most exhibits held in Biggin, Stevens unites multimedia, installation art and framed photography to express a complete idea.
(01/21/14 5:06pm)
Since December 2013, the media have been buzzing over multivitamins and questioning the belief that they can prevent future diseases. Vitamin supplements are being touted as harmful and a waste of money.
Auburn University specialists examined the studies to help shed some light on these dramatic claims.
"My belief is that vitamins can be beneficial and harmful, depending on who's taking them, what their food intake is, [and] especially how that food actually rates in the quality and quantity of vitamins and minerals," said Jessica-Lauren Newby, registered dietitian at Auburn's Recreation and Wellness Center.
Newby said that women of childbearing age, women who are pregnant and the elderly could benefit from certain vitamins.
For example, people who avoid dairy products for fear of fat and calories could have compromised their calcium intake and would profit with supplementing calcium.
Those at risk include people who are over-supplementing, as certain combinations of vitamins have negative interactions.
A few vitamins have the potential to reach a level of toxicity, Newby said, but the most commonly supplemented--Vitamins B12 and D--do not. Newby also said Vitamin C could be detrimental if too little or too much was taken.
After investigating numerous articles, Newby said, "We do better to get our vitamins and minerals through food always, but where there are gaps in the diet, a vitamin can be sometimes helpful for bridging the gap."
She pointed out that vitamins occur in food sources that have other components that aid in absorbing the vitamins.
Vitamin D is a naturally occurring nutrient that can only be absorbed in the presence of fat, so adding fat-free dressing or drinking skim milk is actually inhibiting a healthy diet.
"You are consuming these foods that are actually high in vitamins and minerals, but you aren't absorbing them to their full potential because that fat isn't present to take them into your cells," Newby said.
Blood work with a physician followed by a dietary intake with a nutritionist can show those curious about their vitamin regimen where their food choices have fallen short. Newby cites this as a good preventative measure to fighting vitamin deficiencies.
Richard Davis, a PhD student in Pharmacy concentrating in drug development and discovery, referred to a five-year study conducted at Oxford University.
In 2002, researchers began administering vitamins to adults with pre-existing cardiac, respiratory and neuropsychiatric conditions.
At first, vitamin supplements showed small statistical improvements among participants. However, at the end of the study, their conditions had not improved, but had not worsened either.
"Something that you always have to address when you take a vitamin if you go to look at any website or you read the back of any label: 'Discuss with your physician before starting a really heavy regiment,'" Davis said.
He explained that multivitamins are not typically dangerous, but supplements may adversely affect the potency of other medications.
"If you take a stimulant like Adderall, for instance, and you take Vitamin C before you take that medicine, it may decrease the ability of the medicine to absorb in your intestines after you take it, because it changes the acidity of your body very slightly," Davis said.
For Davis, unless there is a deficiency of a particular vitamin, taking a multivitamin is up to the individual, as there seems to be very little risk involved. However, the scientific community is continually researching the subject.
Davis admits that there is still more to discover.
"These papers are constantly assessed," Davis said. "The science of it is always changing and it may be a question that we never really find the answer for."
Dr. Suresh Mathews, Graduate Program Director in the Department of Nutrition, Dietetics, & Hospitality Management, examined an article published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in December titled "Enough is Enough: Stop Wasting Money on Vitamin and Mineral Supplements."
The article addresses a study conducted by the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force.
"Based on the systematic review that they did, their findings indicate that if you're well-nourished, then getting these multivitamin supplements really don't add any further benefit in the prevention of chronic diseases," Mathews said.
Beta-carotene, Vitamin E and possibly high doses of Vitamin A could be harmful if taken separate from a multivitamin, he said.
Like Newby and Davis, Mathews said he believes certain populations may have vitamin deficiencies, which are aided by specific supplements. He mentioned that mega-doses of a multivitamin are commonly sold to cardiac patients to help lower triglycerides and that wheat products are now enriched with Folate, which is preventative against birth defects.
Mathews described the best way to add vitamins to your diet: "What we teach in nutrition is Variety, Balance and Moderation. These three are the founding principles of nutrition."
If your meal plan involves a rainbow of food, lots of whole grains and protein, you most likely will not need to supplement with any vitamins, Mathews said.
(01/15/14 10:08pm)
Auburn will be the site of the ninth annual Universities Fighting World Hunger Summit, Feb. 28-March 2, at the Auburn Hotel and Dixon Conference Center.
Each year, the summit is held at a worldwide campus and features keynote speakers. Ideas and tactics are shared to solve hunger on a global scale.
"The theme for this year's summit is Innovations: so, asking how to solve hunger not incrementally, but how can we quantitatively just take a quantum leap in solving hunger," said Paula Gray Hunker, director of strategy and policy for Auburn's Hunger Studies Institute.
The Universities Fighting World Hunger Summit will feature presentations from former Lost Boy Alfred Orono Orono, entrepreneur Mick Jackson and US International Development Administrator Rajiv Shah.
The Hunger Studies Program is a component of the Auburn War on Hunger Initiative, which began in 2004 when Auburn's College of Human Sciences was invited by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to be its lead academic partner in a student War on Hunger campaign. The institute has developed into a University minor, which Hunker encourages students of all majors to explore.
"Everybody has a part in solving this," Hunker said. "The concept was really to make it multi-disciplinary and collaborative in terms of bringing people together."
Dr. Kate Thornton, director of hunger and sustainability initiatives, said. "As the hunger effort has grown across campus, we've had a lot of faculty members express interest in incorporating these topics in their classes."
Thornton helped develop and teaches some of the courses in the hunger studies curriculum, along with other faculty members from across the University. Even if you aren't pursuing the hunger studies minor, Thornton explained that the intro class, Hunger Causes, Consequences and Responses, could be valuable to any major.
"It's a catchall class," Thornton said. "But I hope that by the end, you'll be able to speak intelligently on world hunger and understand news media."
According to Hunker and Thornton, the issue of global hunger and finding a solution is more complex than one might think.
"The good news is huge. Huge progress has been made," Hunker said. "But the bad news is with the growing population and the growing impact of climate change, we need to grow more food."
The estimate from the UN is that 50 percent more food needs to be grown by the year 2050, when the global population is projected to reach 9 billion. But, the issue of hunger is more complex than simply growing more food.
Hunker said the hunger studies minor is looking for communications majors, engineering students and political scientists to help solve world hunger and poverty on governmental levels.
Last year, the hunger studies capstone course presented hunger solutions to the WFP, UNICEF and The Food and Agriculture Organization in New York City. The presentation was such a success that the class was asked to send representatives to present before the WFP in Rome, Italy.
Sophomore Sara Raines, a double-major in nutrition and agriculture with a minor in hunger studies, was one of the two students selected to travel to Rome.
"Although the problems are really complex, even the simplest solution can make a huge difference," Raines said.
Raines also pointed out how students can make an impact in Auburn, whether they are a part of the hunger studies minor or not.
"There's so much poverty and hunger here and people aren't aware of it, even in Auburn--we're just in this little bubble," Raines said.
Raines said she advised students to get involved at local, off-campus food pantries.
The Universities Fighting World Hunger Summit will be preceded by a pre-summit conference and will feature international university presidents. All students are encouraged to attend and a student discount will be available.
(01/15/14 7:55pm)
"After all, I didn't get to be 96 because I was lucky," Chester H. Cooper said on his
birthday, Jan.11.
"I never, ever, ever smoked," Cooper said. "You know about the Marlboro Man? He died of lung cancer."
Standing in his apartment at Morningside Assisted Living, the veteran Air Force pilot looks younger than his 96 years. He attributes this to 30 minutes of physical training a day and callisthenic exercises picked up from his Air Force training.
Elected 2013's Best Dressed Male by his peers at Morningside, Cooper was dressed for comfort in a navy blue Adidas track suit, a Member's Only jacket draped over his couch.
Born in 1918 in Lancaster County, Pa., Cooper has seen the world transform from horse-drawn carriages to smart cars. Cooper said his father purchased their first family car, a Model T Ford, for $400.
"We took our lives into our hands every time we got in the car with him," Cooper said. "He didn't have good instruction, let's put it that way."
After enlisting in the Air Force during World War II as an aviation cadet, a young Cooper enrolled in flight school at the University of Massachusetts. He trained as pilot in Montgomery at Maxwell Field; Arcadia, Fla; Sumter, SC; and Valdosta, Ga.
The walls of Cooper's apartment are hung with photographs and artwork: an impressionist Parisian street scene painted by Caroline Burnett, a handsome photo of Cooper at age 26 in a suit and tie and framed pictures of his children and grandchildren.
"This kind of tells you the story," Cooper said.
He waved toward a framed collage of photos in his bedroom with "Chester & Shirley Forever" written across the top of the frame. Underneath were black and white photos of Cooper with his wife smiling through the years, posing with children, looking down from a balcony in a church.
"It just evolved," said Cooper, whose wife passed away. "We just cared for each other and so we spent our life together."
Cooper was introduced to the outgoing Shirley by his sister.
"I wasn't shy, but I just didn't have an outgoing personality," Cooper said. "Living with her and being in love with her, it's something that just kind of rubs off on you."
Cooper's easygoing nature helped the Pennsylvania native adjust when his job as a sales representative for Armstrong World Industries brought him to Alabama in the early '50s.
"When we moved here, there was a lot of animosity against people from up north," Cooper said.
His grandfather fought for the Union under General Sherman. Two of Cooper's great uncles became prisoners of war and died at Andersonville Prison in Georgia during the Civil War.
"I was considered a Yankee," Cooper said.
But the differences didn't stop Cooper from making friendships in the South.
"You can always find something about somebody that you like," Cooper said. "Why focus on the things you don't like?"
After 35 years in Alabama and having a son who is an Auburn alumnus, Cooper is a huge Auburn fan.
"That Malzahn--as far as I'm concerned, he hung the moon," Cooper said. "War damn eagle!"
Jeanne Winters shares a table with Cooper in the Mornigside dining room and has been a resident for a year.
"Everybody here's a character," Winters said. "Chester was in the Air Force and so was my first husband, and we talk about what they went through together."
Roshunda Lott, a sophomore in psychology and a resident service staff member, said Cooper is a master conversationalist.
"He really likes to talk to the ladies," Lott said.
"In regards to how old or young you are, you still have romantic notions, even at 96," Cooper said. "I have had a couple girlfriends, but I outlive them."