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(04/03/14 7:30pm)
As the weather gets warmer, apartment complexes open their pools, baggy sweaters are traded out for mini skirts, and the need to lose weight is looming over some student's heads. Diet pills and programs are an alternative some students are using. "Just through like, the media and magazines and celebrities that young women, even young men, get so obsessed with like, looking perfect that they'll do anything, including going to extreme measures such as taking diet pills to have the perfect image," said Patricia Perlitz, senior in nutrition dietetics. "Even more so in the South and where we are, there's this push to look a certain way and to be tiny and be little and cute, and I think people are willing to go to so many extreme measures." Perlitz said she has never felt the need to take diet pills, but after she heard a story of a high school girl who overdosed on diet pills and had a heart attack, she has been sure to steer clear of them. P. David Brackett, coordinator for clinical services at the Auburn University Pharmaceutical Care Center, said he suspects some students are using medications such as Adderall and Vyvanse to lose weight. Brackett also said the most dangerous types of pills are the ones that contain amphetamines. "They can cause tachycardia and other types of changes in heart rhythm," Brackett said. Brackett also said different types of diet pills can have different side effects. According to Brackett, Alli, a diet pill that can be bought over the counter, decreases the body's ability to absorb fat. "The primary side effects of that drug would be . . . gastrointestinal," Brackett said. "If you were to take that drug and then eat a high fat meal, you'd have things like diarrhea." Brackett said Alli is probably less effective and less dangerous than Adderall, but Adderall is more effective and more dangerous for weight-loss purposes. Kathryn Davis, senior in interior design, did a 24-day challenge using AdvoCare. According to Davis, the first ten days of the challenge are the cleanse phase, where participants take an herbal cleanse, omega plex, and energy drink mix called AdvoCare Spark. The next phase is called the max phase. Users take a variety of pills and meal replacement shakes. "I've never done well with pills, so my body did not like those, and I got really sick feeling off of them, and it was just too much," Davis said. "I couldn't finish the whole max phase because I just got way too sick off of them. I ended up starting taking halves of the pills, which helped a little bit." Davis said she believes the program is a healthier option compared to other diet pills because she could still eat regular healthy meals. She said she thought it would be more successful for people who are overweight and have the ability to lose more weight. "None of these ways that you take pills for weight loss are 100 percent safe or effective," Brackett said. "They all have their problems." Perlitz said she thinks making small changes in one's lifestyle and not just in one's diet could be more effective than taking a pill once or twice a day. Brackett said regardless of the diet pill, most still require the user to be cognizant of their diet and exercise habits. "Some of these [pills] may be effective for limited term, and they may be effective in combination, [but] many of them come with side effects and potential dangers and they all still require you to change your lifestyle," Brackett said. FACTS:
Diet pills can increase your risk for heart attack
Some diet pills contain amphetamines, anti-anxiety drugs and antidepressants that can be addictive (http://www.myfooddiary.com/blog/7-dangers-of-diet-pills)
Diet pills work differently.
Some reduce fat absorption, others decrease appetite and some reduce the amount of glucose produced by the liver.
Diet pills, if abused, can cause chest pain, insomnia, headaches, blurred vision and tremors (http://www.addictionhope.com/diet-pills#Diet-Pill-Abuse-Statistics)
According to eatingforlife.org, 5 percent of college women and 2 percent of college men are taking diet pills to lose weight.
(03/26/14 4:45pm)
Auburn University's annual fashion event, Soiree, will be making a fashion statement on Thursday, March 27, at the Auburn Arena. The show is a product of the Department of Consumer and Design Sciences, Apparel Merchandising and Design Association and the students in the fashion show management course.
The show will have a gallery and a runway portion.
"[The gallery] is basically a gallery that displays experimental designs, which [are] designs that aren't supposed to be worn," said Alexandra Gilreath, junior in apparel merchandising and co-coordinator of the fashion show. "They're just more of like, an art piece, and they are made out of unconventional materials. Then there will be merchandising and design portfolios that will be displayed around the gallery."
According to Gilreath, the runway portion will be split into four different sections. They will include pieces from an alumni designer with Southern Fashion House, designs from a Korean university Auburn has partnered with, Auburn student designs and designs from International Textile and Apparel Association.
Katherine Knell, sophomore in apparel merchandising and budget committee chair, said there's a benefit to having a wide variety of designs.
"We have current students, we have students that have graduated and made a name for themselves and are showing some of their works in the show, as well as international students [. . .] kind of just drawing on creativity from all different angles," Knell said.
The show will also feature videos explaining the purpose of the show and introducing some of the designers.
Chance Nowell, junior in apparel design and marketing chair and media co-chair for the fashion show, helped with the videos.
"There's going to be some designer spotlight videos which will just talk about what it means to designers to have to be able to show their garments on the runway and how they've grown as a group together [. . .] under the pressures of our program," Nowell said.
The Korean students will also have a video shown, as will Southern Fashion House, explaining their brand.
The Korean students will not be present at the show with their garments, but Auburn students will soon have a chance to send their pieces to Korea to be featured in the fashion show at the university in Korea.
Nowell said while most fashion shows have six to 12 months to be planned, they have been able to plan this fashion show in approximately two and a half months.
"The show is, of course, for entertainment for people who don't know what we do," Nowell said. "The biggest thing that we do is try to show off the things that we've created throughout the year [. . .] we do a lot of hard work that people don't see and this show is really a chance for people to see how much hard work and dedication we do put into our craft."
Some of the proceeds from the show will go to an AMDA Peer Giving Scholarship that is presented to multiple students of the faculty's choice, Nowell said.
The gallery will open at 6 p.m., and the runway show starts at 7:30 p.m. General admission tickets are $15, and premier seating is $50, which includes VIP seating in the front row. To purchase tickets go online at www.humsci.auburn.edu/fashion.
(03/21/14 6:15pm)
It can be hard to keep up with a social life in addition to trying to work a job or do well in school. Some people might not want to have to take the time to search for their favorite bands or interesting things to do in the area.
It can be nice to switch it up every once in a while and try something new. eventseeker can be the app to use to help you find events or activities in your surrounding area that may not always be advertised or easy to find in other places.
eventseeker, available on Android, iOS and Windows 8, is an event planner you can keep with you at all times.
The app uses different social network outlets to recommend events based on your location, interests and mutual interests of your friends.
When you first open the app, it asks you to link the app to your device library, Twitter, Spotify, Pandora, Facebook and other social media platforms.
The app uses this information to recommend events or places it thinks you would enjoy.
The discover page begins with five general recommendations for your area.
You can check the discover page at the beginning of the week and see what the app recommends, including a variety of events from sports, music, festivals or theater that it thinks are the best picks of the week.
If you want to see more options in a certain category, you have a range of options, such as concerts, theater, sports, festivals, nightlife, arts and museums, family, educational, community, business and tech, tours and dance.
It will show you a variety of options from speakers that are coming up, or a rodeo that may be coming to town.
You can keep track of groups you follow and find out the location, time, price and where to buy the tickets all in one place.
Some artists have a description of the event or band.
Under an artist news category, you can scroll through articles, pictures and posts from different artists you like.
It can be a way to stay updated on things you would normally "like" on Facebook, but without the clutter of anything else besides those artists.
You can invite your friends to join eventseeker.
This allows you to coordinate different events to go to together, and expand the array of events you can hear about.
If you want to look up a city you are not currently in, you can change your location and plan to go to events ahead of time in a place you may be visiting in the future.
Under the logo, the app is described, "eventseeker makes artist and event discovery easy and social. We give you the tools you need so you'll never miss an event again."
It is easy to discover new artists by the personalized recommendations the app gives you based on what you like and what you listen to.
eventseeker is the type of app that could be used on a daily basis, or just whenever you go to a new city, but it can be useful in a variety of different situations.
(03/20/14 6:00pm)
Students added international members to the Auburn family this spring break with service trips through Alternative Student Breaks. Two locations the group visited were Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic.
Approximately a week before the trip, Rohith Vadlamudi, senior in biomedical sciences; Patty Maxham, junior in special education; and Nic Ellison, senior in biomedical science, described what the groups would be doing during their trips.
According to Vadlamudi, the Costa Rica group went to San Jose and La Fortuna, Costa Rica, where they worked at an orphanage the group has also worked with in previous years. The orphanage houses approximately 25 children up to the age of 11.
"We're starting off our trip at an orphanage in La Fortuna, and we'll be spending the first three days there doing renovation projects, playing with the kids, [and] fixing up the place," Maxham said. "Then we'll be traveling to the capital, San Jose, and we'll be aiding a Nicaraguan refugee center. We'll be doing construction, painting, fixing up whatever they need done, as well as working in an after school program for the kids there."
The group had 11 students going, and they stayed in hotels. Vadlamudi said in the future, they would like to stay with a family that could house them in one location.
Maxham said they would also have a guide to help translate. Maxham said she was most excited about going to the orphanage.
"That's what really hit home for me last year on the trip - getting to see all the kids and interacting with them and just seeing their pure joy regardless of their circumstances," Maxham said.
A second group of 15 students went to to San Cristoval, Dominican Republic. Vadlamudi said they would be staying with a host family they know closely from previous years.
"[The students] will be going to some of the poorest parts in the entire world really," Vadlamudi said. "They'll fly into Santa Domingo. [Then] they'll immediately drive out to this tiny little town - run down, so poor - it's called San Cristoval."
Vadlamudi said this group would be working with orphanages, housing and on a small project.
"The best part definitely (is) it gets people out of their comfort zone," Ellison said. "You meet people and experience cultures that you're not accustomed to."
Vadlamudi said when the students have free time on their trips, they play games and do activities that help them get to know each other better.
"We intend ASB to be a wholly immersive type of alternative break," Vadlamudi said. "Service is such a big part of it, but it's also about teamwork. It's about building relationships with other people."
(03/06/14 6:00pm)
The light at the end of the tunnel is finally here--Spring Break. After a tumultuous beginning of the semester with multiple snow days, this semester has been chaotic. Classes have rearranged and tests have been moved off track.
Some classes have even had to reschedule to Saturdays. The break is finally here, and students are going all over the globe to take advantage of their week of freedom.
One option students had was to apply for an Alternative Student Break through Auburn University. They had options to go internationally or domestically.
One of the trips is going to Disney World with the program Give Kids the World. Students will be working with children with life-threatening illnesses or disabilities.
"It's basically an opportunity for terminally ill and some disabled kids to come and have a paid trip to Disney," said Allison McKinley, president of Alternative Student Breaks and senior in nutrition. "Our volunteers go and [. . .] help out with their entertainment and really kind of just make the week about them, and they volunteer their time just to make that Disney week for them just as normal as any other kid."
McKinley said more than 80 students applied for the trip, but only eight were chosen. Another trip Alternative Student Breaks provides goes to New Jersey to help with disaster relief for Hurricane Sandy.
The program is through the Fuller Center for Housing and will be benefiting the Tabernacle community.
Other students are leaving the country to explore new areas. Cassie Rawles, junior in economics, is going to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, for spring break. Rawles is staying at a friend's house with approximately 20 of her friends.
"We fly into Cabo San Jose and then take a shuttle," Rawles said. "I think we're going zip lining one day, and then [. . .] we might take a boat out."
Rawles said she has never been to Cabo San Lucas before, and she is most excited about relaxing in the sun and having nothing to do. Rawles and her friends are staying in Montecristo Estates, which is a part of Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach.
Another group of students are going abroad through Campus Crusades, to Managua, Nicaragua.
Allison Childress, junior in public relations, has been going to Campus Crusades since freshman year. Childress heard about the trip from previous years and decided to sign up.
Childress said the group will stay at a Chosen Children Ministries camp. Each day, they will split their group up into different teams to work in different areas doing door-to-door evangelism, bible school with the children, or building houses and working construction.
"It's all in the same area, but your job might change each day," Childress said. Childress said she's excited to meet the people going on the trip with her. "I haven't been on a mission trip, like an international mission trip, since my freshman year of high school," Childress said. "This isn't something I do all the time, so I'm just excited to see like where it may lead and who all I'm going to meet, and [. . .] the relationships that I'm going to develop."
(03/04/14 1:55pm)
There are countless apps that people can use to alter their photos, to make themselves look tanner, younger, or their food look more delicious. But what if that's not what a user wants? Now, there is an app with a different type of editing, that isn't purely meant to make something look different, but to create something new. With the Bazaart app, photoshop quality is no longer just for the professionals.
Bazaart allows users to get the next best thing with their app. Users can create art with a few taps of their fingers, and it's free. With Bazaart you start by choosing photos, taking photos, or adding texts.
Users can use their own photos, search a Bing web image, or they can use some from Bazaart's provided categories. They have photos under the categories of backgrounds, social networks, photography, fashion and home. Under backgrounds, users can choose from love, solids, gradients, patterns, paper or textures.
Under social media, they can connect with Facebook, Instagram, Google Plus, Flikr or Etsy. Photography includes abstract, animals, black and white, city and architecture, concert, family, film, food, still life, people and many others.
The fashion and home categories are unique because not only can users use the pictures for their collage, but it is also connected to Gilt Groupe's Fashion and Home Decor items. It shows users what website to go to in order to find the item, and how much the item costs.
The app also tells users when sales end on the item, and it gives a short description on what it is. Once users have selected all of the different photos, backgrounds, objects and writing they want to use. Then, comes the editing.
Users have the option to flip, copy and change the opacity of each image. If they want to change the shape of a photo, or just use a portion of the photo, they can use the cutout feature.
This can remove the background of the photo. This feature includes an option to select which part of the photo they want to keep, which part of the photo they want to remove, or auto, if they want the app to do it for them.
This part is surprisingly accurate, and is usually easier than doing it manually. Once the users are done, they can post it and choose a channel that they think it should go under.
These include photomontage, selfies, funny, celebs, animals, fashion, nature and holidays and events. This way, when people click on those sections, they may find the collage.
Bazaart Ltd. is an Israel-based start up company founded in 2012 by four entrepreneurs: Stas Goferman, Uri Kogan, Dror Yaffe and Gili Golander. The Bazaart app is available for free on the iPhone, iPad and in the App Store. Now, users can share not only just filtered photos with their friends, but also edited masterpieces that can be different every time.
Photoshop programs can be expensive, and although this app doesn't have all of the features a computer program would have, it meets basic photo editing needs.
(02/26/14 9:30pm)
Auburn University clinicians, dieticians and directors are all working together to help students who are suffering from eating disorders. They are using an app called Recovery Record to aid their treatment of the patients.
"Recovery Record allows them to track what they're eating, but also the thoughts that they're having [and] feelings that they're having," said Ann Marie DelSignore, senior staff clinician at the Auburn University Student Counseling Services and coordinator of the eating disorder treatment team.
The app provides a variety of services to the user. On the Recovery Record home page, there is a link to log thoughts, meals and feelings.
"For me, the most helpful part is the thoughts and the feelings that they're having that they record in relation to either their food or their body image, or whatever it might be," DelSignore said. "I really think that they prefer to use an app than to actually write down, you know, a paper journal."
Jessica-Lauren Newby, registered dietitian at Campus Recreation, said she uses Recovery Record to monitor food intake, thoughts, feelings and eating disorder behaviors in her eating disorder clients.
The app provides a charts section that highlights insights, trends and progress.
"The beauty of Recovery Record...is it allows tracking down and data collection from a providers perspective without the triggering effect of something like My Fitness Pal...or the other types of apps that are geared more toward weight loss and calorie counting," Newby said. "It was designed by an individual who lost a best friend to an eating disorder, and she wanted to provide something that individuals could use on a smart phone or device to aid in their recovery."
Newby said the app can help with any type of eating disorder, and it is designed with significant emphasis on positive reinforcement and motivation.
Part of the positive reinforcement aspect of the app is the rewards component, where users can collect puzzle pieces for logging meals and earn hidden rewards when they finish the puzzle.
A scrapbook feature enables users to save their favorite quotes, encouraging words, or images they find motivating.
"I think it's something that can be very helpful, especially in the beginning of a recovery when they are trying to really figure out what are my triggers, when do I do well with eating, when do I struggle and when do I need more accountability," Newby said. "It's really helped with reflecting and gathering data about yourself."
Users can log both their goals and goals set by clinicians.
They can also plan their meals with the meal planner and keep a list of coping tactics.
Psychologists and dieticians use the information from the app to learn when the patients are eating.
Then they relay the information to Suzanne Graham-Hooker, the assistant director of medical education at the Auburn University Medical Clinic.
"If there's something serious that goes on, like if the patient is having suicidal problems or if they're cutting, or if they're having things that need immediate adjustment before the time they come in for their appointments with me, then they will call me," Graham-Hooker said.
Users can also pair up with other users on the app anonymously to send each other messages of encouragement.
A helpline, initiated through Recovery Record, has professionals working the line if users want to call to talk.
"I think it's really important that if you do see yourself as someone who could benefit from the Recovery Record app, that it's also important that you link up with a physician and a dietician and a psychologist," Newby said.
Though she recommends the app, DelSignore said she might tell patients at a particular point, such as those excessively counting calories, not to use Recovery Road, as they would not benefit at that stage of their treatment.
(02/20/14 9:15pm)
Instagram took over social media as the new place to share photos with friends, and then, later, with video. But unless users use an outside source to form a collage, they can only share one picture or video at a time.
The new app Momentage, sold to Apple July 2013, introduces a whole new way to share experiences.
"Momentage is a multimedia type app that allows you to share, capture and organize in the most elegant way possible," said JoAnn Ippolito, co-founder and COO of Momentage. "It really brings everyday moments to life and makes it as engaging as possible with the community."
According to Ippocito, through Momentage, users can take photos, videos and sound images and post them in one single post.
George Castineiras, founder and of Momentage, said they wanted to figure out how to modernize the way people around the world capture the most precious content they have, protect it and share it.
Castineiras said he wanted to find a better alternative to the way people have done it before, such as with digital cameras.
"We need a tool that helps people capture content with multiple media," Castineiras said. "We want to make sure people can share it the way they want. We don't want to define the user. We want the user to define, you know, the application."
The app has a discovery page with a variety of Momentages from different users. You can scroll down to see Momentages, even from people you don't follow.
Justin Bowen, chief technology officer at Momentage, said the discovery page is a place where they're trying to define rich content.
"It's kind of a blend of users that you should be following that have been on the app for a long time, and users that you should start following because they joined the app, and they have really rich content," Bowen said.
According to Ippolito, the app is organized per moment.
For example, if a user goes to the beach all day, they can upload their photos, videos and sound images in one clip and continue to add to it throughout the day.
"You can constantly go back to your beach day and keep adding unlimitedly," Ippolito said. "If you decide that you want to organize it a little bit differently and capture, 'ok, well now I'm actually heading to a boat, and I'm doing a little boat trip on top of the beach day,' you can categorize that and then change that to a completely different moment. Then you can add specifically what you want regarding the beach day versus the boat day in two separate categories, or keep it all together."
Castineiras said Instagram is a terrific app if all users are doing is communicating with their friends in a single post.
In terms of function, Castineiras compared Momentage to books and Instagram to dictionaries.
"What I mean by that is you're going to get a much richer experience in observing and experiencing someone's moment versus a single post," Castineiras said.
(02/20/14 2:35pm)
Auburn is an ever-changing community that never ceases to keep its students on their toes. Whether it's by adding a fleet of food trucks to campus or spontaneous raves in the library, Auburn students are always experiencing new things on campus.
The Auburn University Acrobatics Club is one of these new things that has been added to Auburn's campus.
Anna Caudle, junior in ESA performance, had experience with acrobatics in high school and decided she wanted to do something similar at Auburn.
New this semester, the club already has approximately 25 members just from students who heard about it by word of mouth, Caudle said.
"It's been even more successful than I thought it would be," Caudle said.
The group only practices once a week, Fridays from 2 - 3:30 p.m., in the upstairs dance studio of the theater building.
Caudle said she leads the practices, starting off with some exercise.
"We start out each class with a 30-minute intensive workout because a lot of the stuff we do requires a lot of muscle and a lot of endurance," Caudle said.
After that, they stretch and begin learning new tricks. Most of the tricks they learn are done with partners, but juggling has recently been added to their skill set.
"We started out learning just basic moves, like little flips and stuff like that, and as we got a feel for who our best partner was, we've been able to move on to much more advanced tricks," said Jordan Lunstead, sophomore in musical theater. "One of our dance professors is supposed to be getting certified in stilts this summer. So, hopefully, we will be having stilts classes next year."
Teddy Childers, junior in biomedical sciences, said they usually learn three to four stunts a day. Childers' favorite stunt is called the fallen angel.
"I have a girl in front of me, and she jumps, and I am holding her [...] by the small of her back over my head with one hand," Childers said. "That seems to be the most difficult."
Lunstead described another trick, where one acrobat throws another into the air, where latter does and is caught in the middle of a split.
Caudle said she thinks the coolest move involves two people on the bottom as bases and one flyer, the person who gets thrown in the air. The two bases hold onto the hands and feet of the flyer and flip them into a backbend in the air.
"It's definitely a high level of intricacy," Caudle said. "It looks incredible."
According to Caudle, they have never had an injury at practice.
The club uses gymnastics mats the members lay out before they start practicing tricks.
"We only ever do partnering tricks one at a time so we can have people actively spotting the people that are doing the tricks in case anything goes wrong," Lunstead said.
The group has already had a few performances and hopes to have more in the future. Anyone who is interested in joining the club can contact Caudle at acc0027@tigermail.auburn.edu.
(02/17/14 9:47pm)
The invention of Siri for iPhones brought a new way to find restaurants, get directions and ask random questions only Siri would know. AroundMe is an app with similar qualities, but you don't have to depend on Siri deciphering your question before you get an answer.
AroundMe works for both travelers and locals. With 19 different categories, such as banks, gas stations, hotels, movies and more, it can be can be beneficial for anyone who is trying to save money or try new things in a familiar area.
Once the app is opened, it uses your GPS to locate things in each of these categories in a close radius. Some of the categories, such as nearby, which tells you what buildings are nearby, have a description of what the building is used for, how much it costs and when it was built.
If you want to figure out what bar to go to in a new city, you can click on the bar and see comments from other people via Foursquare. For Toomer's Drugs, one of the comments says, "Enjoy a glass of freshly squeezed lemonade. It is an Auburn Tradition."
The app also tells you how far the destination is from your location and shows you a map of how to get there.
Some of the categories include relevant information, such as the phone number and the website where users can find more information.
Foursquare also links photos users have taken of the location if they are available, so you can see if a place is ideal for a date or if it looks subpar. The deals category, powered by Groupon, tells you places nearby with good deals.
Another useful category for travelers is the gas stations section, which lists the prices for each gas station divided by unleaded, midgrade, premium, diesel and nearest. It also tells you the last time the price was updated.
The hotels category is rated by stars, lists the price and allows you to book your room by transferring you to booking-
.com.
If you're in a hurry and need a place to park, the app will show you places nearby and include the format of the parking and any restrictions on parking.
Although free, you can eliminate advertisements with a $2.99 upgrade. It's a simple app that doesn't have too many distractions.
You can get the information you need fast and efficiently.
(02/12/14 6:05pm)
Valentine’s Day is here, and Auburn restaurants are ready for the influx of couples to wine and dine for a romantic evening. Some places are even providing live music. If your cooking skills aren’t up to par, or you want to impress your significant other with a nice dinner, here are some restaurants in Auburn providing special Valentine’s Day menus. Ariccia Italian Trattoria & Bar is having special menu with two options. One column says, “for you,” and the other says, “for two.” Each option is $49 per person. The “for two,” column starts off with a choice between a dozen blackened chard grilled or raw oysters. Another option is the spinach and goat cheese ravioli. The second course can either be a mixed grill, which includes salmon, shrimp, chicken, Alabama sausage, NY steak, market vegetables and roasted potatoes, or a rack of lamb with herb crust, cast iron potato au gratin, spinach, roasted market vegetables and olive jus. For desert, they will have a chocolate and barista station with a variety of chocolates, a chocolate fountain and coffee. Amsterdam Cafe will have a special Valentine’s Day menu, which will not be released until closer to Valentine’s Day. The pricing will be similar to their regular menu. Hamilton’s will also have special Valentine’s Day features in addition to their regular menu, but the menu won’t be available until Valentine’s Day. If you haven’t had time or a special occasion to try Acre yet, this could be your time. Acre’s Valentine’s Day menu starts off with deep fried brie with puff pastry and red wine, cherry sauce and arugula, broiled Virginia oysters with pork belly crumbs and fennel butter, gulf blue crab and corn chowder with bacon bits and chives, or strawberry-walnut salad with bleu cheese, bacon, spinach and sherry-honey vinaigrette. The entrees include a butter-poached grouper with crispy fried Gouda grits and a pickled red onion-arugula salad topped with lemon-herb sauce. They will also offer seared diver scallops, fried pork belly, picked grapes, sweet potato puree, sherry molasses and fresh basil. The final two entrees are a crab and lobster pasta with angel hair, vegetables, tomato-basil butter and Parmesan cheese or a grilled filet mignon with whipped potatoes, haricot verts, and crimini-cabernet sauce. Finish the night off with sweet potato bread pudding, chocolate bette noire, or a raspberry sorbet “float.” Zazu Gastropub will be setting a romantic atmosphere with a live violinist to go along with their fixed-price $50 dinner menu. The meal will start off with one of three appetizers, including lump crab cakes and fried green tomato with house-made remoulade and baby arugula, sautéed langostino tails, or porchetta with pork tenderloin stuffed pork belly, shaved parmesan, and baby arugula. The next portion will offer soup and salad options including shrimp bisque, mixed greens, Caesar, baby spinach, and baby iceberg. The entrees are pan-seared filet mignon, pan-seared duck breast, mahi-mahi scallopini over house made papparedelle, roasted airline chicken breast, or low country shrimp and grits with Andouille sausage. Finally, for dessert they have crème brulee, chocolate and hazelnut pudding, or strawberry liquor-soaked sponge cake. Café 123 has reached their maximum reservation count for Valentine’s Day, and they will not be taking any more reservations or walk-ins.
(02/08/14 5:38pm)
Having a home birth is an option many Alabama women don't have and an option that can send midwives behind bars. The Alabama community is fighting for midwives, and some of them are here in Auburn.
Lisa Clark, vice president of the Alabama Birth Coalition, is the liaison between the ABC and the Alabama Midwives Alliance.
"We advocate for all midwives," Clark said. "[Both] Certified Professional Midwives, who are specialist in out-of-hospital births, but we also advocate for Certified Nurse Midwives who, in Alabama, are limited to attending only hospital births."
Certified Nurse Midwives are licensed in Alabama, according to the ABC's website, but the state has not authorized Certified Professional Midwives to practice legally.
"The Alabama Birth Coalition is a volunteer [. . .] grassroots organization just by moms who have had to go and give birth in Mississippi or other states, or who are passionate about changing the laws that criminalize [Certified Professional Midwives] from practicing within their scope of training," said Katie Hanna, regional board member. "The midwives have to be able to work under the doctor, and so the doctor has to sign off [. . .] so the midwives don't have any autonomy."
When Hanna first came to Alabama, she said she initially wanted to have a home birth for her son here, but couldn't find any midwives. Hanna had to go back to Brooklyn, N.Y., to have the home birth she wanted.
Jennifer Crook, lobbyist and Certified Professional Midwife, decided to become a midwife after witnessing a hospital birth of a family member.
"I had all these ideas in my head about what it would be like, and I walked into the room and it was not as I had imagined," Crook said. "There was a nurse in the corner monitoring a computer and not the mom. It was a perfectly normal low-risk pregnancy and birth, but the baby was born with abrasions on his face."
Crook said she walked away from that experience certain she didn't want birth to be that way for her, and so she began to look into midwifery.
Crook said she practiced legally in Tennessee.
"In Tennessee, I can be above board and I can make a transfer of care and carry charts and lab results and call a doctor on the phone and walk into the hospital and know that I'm protected by law," Crook said. "It's never a way to give the mom the best care, going into a pregnancy and birth, you know, wondering 'what if something happens where I need to transport . . . am I going to end up in jail?'"
Hanna said she doesn't think there is anything wrong with obstetricians, but she thinks the midwife model of care is much more personable. Hanna's midwife would spend an hour or more with her each visit, and came to her house for appointments at the end of her pregnancy.
"The midwife model of care is much more personable, much more in depth, and it just creates a very deep bond," Hanna said. "You can see your doctor the whole time in the hospital, but if they're not on call you get Joe-Shmo."
Hanna is a part of the Lee County Supporters of Alabama Birth Coalition, which is a group of moms and students who can come learn more about midwives and homebirths before making a decision.
"Women in Alabama really just deserve the choice to be able to have options in childbirth and not just be stuck with one model of care," Hanna said. "And they deserve that choice to be safe and comprehensive."
Hanna said she believes everyone knows what works best for them, and not everyone should have a homebirth, and not everyone should have a hospital birth. For more information about the Alabama Birth Coalition or local meetings with the group, call Katie Hanna at (818) 644-3111.
(02/04/14 10:35pm)
With Auburn's football season over, Saturdays will no longer be filled with tailgating. This spring could be the perfect opportunity to add variety to weekend activities. There are many events and locations available for entertainment Auburn students may be unaware of.
In Auburn, students can take a night off from Ramen noodles and Easy Mac for dinner, and head to Ariccia at The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center. On Feb. 13, Ariccia will have a craft beer dinner, featuring beers from Left Hand Brewing Co. and dinner by chef Fernando Cruz.
"This is actually the first brewery that we haven't done inside of Alabama," said Adam Keeshan, Ariccia's food and beverage director. "We met Left Hand Brewery through our Oktoberfest event this past October, so we thought it would be a neat idea to bring in a little bit larger of a craft beer company."
The dinner will be $49 a person for four courses, with a different beer paired with each course.
The first course will be roasted butternut squash soup, smoked pancetta and beer croutons paired with St. Vrain Triple Ale. The second course will be three house-blackened chard oysters, chives and lemon drops paired with their Sawtooth Ale.
The third course will be coffee crusted steak, glazed carrots, potato puree and nutty jus with their Fade to Black Ale V5. The last course will be a float and dulce de leche lava cake, with a Nitro Milk Stout.
For some daytime entertainment, the Columbus Botanical Gardens offers a relaxing day in nature.
According to Amy McMann, the office manager for the Gardens, the park has 22 acres of green space, a mile-and a-half long walking trail and a house that was built in 1896.
According to McMann, the botanical gardens have areas for picnicking and allow dogs as long as they are on leashes. McMann said the best time to go to the botanical gardens in the spring is mid-afternoon.
"The botanical garden itself is open every day of the year from dawn until dusk," McMann said. Their office is open Monday through Friday, from 9-5 p.m.
Auburn offers different options for thrifters, including Harvest Thrift Super Center, Goodwill and Angel's Antique. For shoppers who want to go thrifting outside of Auburn, Columbus has the Front Porch of the South, an indoor thrift mall with over 130,000 square feet on one floor. They sell antiques, vintage items, jewelry, handmade items and conduct live auctions.
"We sell things from antiques to brand new things that people bring in like phone cases," said Ashley Oschmann, cashier at the Front Porch of the South. "We sell some clothes, books, movies, pretty much anything you can think of."
Despite the absence of football, Auburn still offers plenty of ways to fill a Saturday.
(02/05/14 11:00pm)
College is the time in students' lives when everybody wants to know what their plans are for the future and what they're doing with their life. It can be overwhelming, especially when the student has no idea what they want to do.
Today, there seems to be an app for everything, and this category of life is no exception. LinkedIn provides a package of apps that can help students with job interviews, focusing on specific interests, and creating connections in the job market. There is the LinkedIn app, Pulse and Recruiter Mobile. The LinkedIn app is the most general of the apps.
"It's a feed of your updates from your network," said Charlton Soesanto, associate product manager at LinkedIn. "It might include things like people who changed jobs, people who moved recently, anything that your network is sharing, or any news that might be interesting based on the industry and your profile information."
Soesanto said the most important part of the app for college students is its ability to look people up so you can learn more about them.
"As a college student, I'd be really . . . interested in like finding new opportunities and kind of learning about what people do and what people have done to get where they are," Soesanto said.
If a user has a dream job, they can use the LinkedIn app to look up different people in that job, and see what jobs they had to get first as stepping-stones to the top.
It can also help users become more informed in their areas of interest, to narrow their job search down.
"Say maybe you're a pre-med student, and you're connected to other people that are physicians," said Krista Canfield, who works with public relations and mobile product for LinkedIn. "You might see what articles they're sharing about the industry, and news that's going on that day in their industry, or you might see that they changed hospitals and now they're working at another hospital, and actually that's the one you want to intern at."
Another app that LinkedIn has is Pulse. Pulse focuses on reading content, so they put the reading content first and foremost, Soesanto said.
"You have to keep yourself informed, you have to . . . know what's going on in the world . . . and that's where Pulse really comes in," said Ankit Gupta, LinkedIn Pulse's senior product manager.
With Pulse, users can subscribe to topics that they are interested in, or their favorite publishers, and other things that they prefer to show up first when they open the app.
Canfield said students can use the app for classes by browsing the most recent articles that have topics related to their class discussion for the day.
Gupta started working on Pulse in graduate school, as a class project unrelated to LinkedIn. Three years later, LinkedIn acquired Pulse in April 2013.
"For your job, for your industry, or as a student . . . in order to get the job that you want, in order to explore a bunch of industries that you're interested in, Pulse will be the one place to help you do that," Gupta said.
Recruiter Mobile is a third app under LinkedIn, that is not available for students, but Canfield said students should become aware of it for the future.
Joe Roualdes handles public relations for LinkedIn's Talent Solutions business. "It sells products and services to recruiters that help them find the best and brightest people on LinkedIn," Roualdes said. "Essentially any company you can think of is using LinkedIn from a recruiting standpoint."
Whether it is to find connections in the job industry, brush up on facts in the industry before an interview, or helping users become available in the job market, LinkedIn covers multiple bases.
(02/04/14 3:30pm)
Cell phone policies can vary from class to class, making it difficult to keep up with what classes students can or cannot use phones in.
Some teachers allow students to use their phones in class to live Tweet speakers or to check facts for group discussions.
Other teachers, however, don't want the distraction of cell phones in their class at all.
Charlotte Sutton, associate professor in the department of management, has adapted a unique policy for cell phone usage in her classrooms.
"I've just implemented a policy that if I catch you texting, then . . . Aubie will take your cellphone," Sutton said.
Aubie isn't actually in her classes, but Sutton uses a slipper version of Aubie to keep the student's phone for the rest of class.
"I have one in each classroom that I just leave there, and I keep the phone until the end of class," Sutton said.
According to Sutton, her method takes care of the issue without being a direct approach.
"That's one way of doing it that is perhaps not as confrontational as . . . it could be," Sutton said.
James Carver, assistant professor in the department of marketing, has a different policy for his class.
Carver said he is going to start asking the student to leave if they are using their cell phone in class.
"I've talked to individual students," Carver said. "It's getting to the point where people know that I'm trying to give them every benefit of the doubt, and now it's getting taken advantage of."
Carver said he knows teachers who will take up a phone if it goes off in class and kick the student out for a day.
Carver also makes the student put their phone in a basket at the front of the classroom for the rest of the semester.
Carver said he has had students complain that they are being distracted by other students using technology in class.
"I've had students come up to me and voice after class that fellow students were texting, Tweeting, Facebooking, Snapping, so on and so forth, and it was extremely distracting to them," Carver said. "If you look at it as each student pays the same amount of money, then they each deserve the same opportunity to learn."
Deron Overpeck, assistant professor in radio, television, and film in the school of communication and journalism, said if he sees someone texting, he will ask them to stop.
If it happens repeatedly, he will take the phone until the end of class time.
"I have told students that if they leave to take a call, that they should just go ahead and take the rest of their stuff with them because . . . class is over for them at that point," Overpeck said.
However, there may be exceptions.
Overpeck said he does allow students to discuss with him at the beginning of class if they know they have a family emergency, or something of that nature, going on and that they may need to step out and take an important call.
The Auburn University Student Policy eHandbook, states instructors are encouraged to include guidelines for classroom behavior in their syllabi.
The eHandbook also states, "examples of improper behavior in the classroom (including the virtual classroom of e-mail, chat rooms, telephony, and web activities associated with courses) may include, but are not limited to, the following."
The eHandbook then lists many disruptive behaviors, including distractive talking and cell phone usage.
"If you were going to into, let's say, an interview with an employer or . . . you have a job and you're in a meeting, then obviously you're going to turn your phone off," Carver said. "Why wouldn't you do the same in class?"
(02/04/14 1:00pm)
As more and more of my friends have had their 21st birthdays this year, it has dawned on me how much the birthday celebrating tradition has changed, and not just because we're getting older. I mean the way birthdays are planned, celebrated and recognized has completely changed, and I think it's because of social media and technology.
In middle school, I remember the days when my best friends would wake up before sunrise and sneak into school to decorate my locker with wrapping paper and balloons.
I would pretend to be surprised even though it would have been the end of my birthday happiness had it not been there.
I knew they cared because they chose lack of sleep to make me feel special, and I would do the same for them on their big day.
Now, waking up on your birthday can be followed by a feeling of dread as you check your Instagram and Facebook to see how many unfortunate looking pictures your friends have unearthed of you from Snapchat and selfies you thought would never see the light of day again.
Instead, they are added on Facebook and Instagram and you are tagged in them so your entire news feed can enjoy pictures of you at your worst.
Facebook makes it possible for friends to find pictures of you from your prepubescent days and share them for all of your friends to see in an instant.
An Instagram collage from friends has taken the place of wrapping lockers, and Facebook wall posts have taken the place of phone calls or birthday cards sent in the mail.
People you've maybe met once or twice, and who would never think of sending you a birthday card, can now write on your wall wishing you happiness and a safe celebration.
When is the last time you actually received an invitation in the mail to celebrate someone's birthday?
Before social media, going out and celebrating with your friends used to be more of a private matter.
Now, every embarrassing and awkward thing your friends make you do on your birthday can be set as a Snapchat story or Instagram video for the world to see.
The 21st birthday celebration is no longer safe. Every time you check something off your list of 21 embarrassing things to do on your 21st, there will be people Snapchatting and Instagramming your actions.
Social media has brought the good and the bad to birthday celebrations.
The days of locker wrapping are over, so embrace what may happen on your next birthday, because change is inevitable.
(01/28/14 2:57am)
For patients looking for herbs, acupuncture, hot rocks, and relaxation, Paula Lord at Acupuncture for Southern Living can help.
Lord began using acupuncture after having severe pain from getting whiplash about every five years in Los Angeles.
After trying physical therapy, her symptoms were still getting progressively worse until she went to an acupuncturist and for the first time, felt relief. From there, she took an interest.
It took Lord almost seven years to complete her schooling in Eastern medicine including Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese, and Chinese.
"I had to get my degree and then get a masters in it," Lord said. "I went to Emperor's College in Santa Monica."
Lord said she learned for thousands of years, no matter what was wrong with someone, they went to a local person who looked at the body as a whole. This is where they differ from Western medicine.
"(Western medicine has) experts, a heart expert, a gut expert," Lord says. "They're not taking into account any other organ systems, but the body is a unit."
Lord gives her patients sheets that say what different body parts do in the eyes of Western medicine, and then also in Eastern medicine.
The sheets show what physical and emotional symptoms patients may have when different organs aren't working well, what foods to avoid or eat most, and what time of day an organ is at its peak. She also gives patients different herbs for their problems.
"Any time I prescribe herbs, I always have a big sheet of paper as to what organs its doing, what is its purpose, how many to take. . . [and] nutrition suggestions and lifestyle," Lord said. "You can't come in with a problem and not change anything and expect to get better. I try to get them to become active in their healing."
Lord's daughter, Katie Hanna, works at Acupuncture for Southern Living. Hanna helps with Gua Sha, hot rocks and Moxa, a healing herb that they light.
"What [Moxa] does is go around each needle and it acts like a laser," Hanna said. "It warms it up and makes it even more potent. It's really relaxing."
Hanna started acupuncture because she suffered from migraines since childhood. After two to three acupuncture treatments, her migraines were gone, Hanna said.
Bebe Macdougall, director of operations for Auburn security, also helps Lord. She said that patients come in for a variety of reasons.
"It all depends on the individual," Macdougall said.
They treat patients for acne, neck and shoulder tension, ADD, ADHD, digestion problems, and women trying to get pregnant, among other things.
There are three treatment rooms with soothing music where the needles are kept in sterile containers.
"I have super small (needles) for hands and feet, and if I have to do one on the face," Lord said. "Then I have medium and then I have larger for like the thighs and things like that."
Lord doesn't touch the part of the needle that actually goes in the body.
She does full body, but said that she mostly does it on the knee down, the elbow down and on the torso.
"Those are called distal points to make sure the organs are going all the way down and all the way up," Lord said. "It's signaling information to the organs on that channel, it's mainly to signal some action to happen."
(01/24/14 5:50pm)
Traveling around the world in one semester may seem intangible, but, through the University of Virginia, it is a possibility. Auburn University offers study abroad programs of its own, but it also works with other schools so that students can benefit from outside programs as well.
The University of Virginia organizes Semester at Sea, and allows students from other schools to apply to its program.
The students live on a ship for an entire semester, or summer, and travel the world while taking classes on the ship.
"There are a few similar programs, (but) Semester at Sea is by far the most popular one," said Korbin Dimmick, Auburn Abroad Coordinator.
Amanda Paulson, junior in political science and history, and Nathaniel Walden, senior in history, are two Auburn students who went on Semester at Sea for their study abroad experience. Paulson went on the voyage in Spring 2013.
They went all over the world, starting in San Diego and traveling to Mexico, Japan, China, Vietnam, Myanmar, Singapore, India, South Africa, Ghana, Morocco, Casablanca, Spain, and Hawaii, to name a few.
"My favorite place to go was Myanmar, or Burma, because everybody was excited to see us," Paulson said. "It was a brand new country that Americans had been allowed to go to."
Paulson said that she had the best experience in Ghana.
Walden said he enjoyed Ireland and South Africa the most during his fall 2012 trip.
Walden said a typical day on the ship wasn't too different from a day at Auburn. "It was just like a regular college day,"
According to Paulson, the students' classes were a hour and a half each, and they could take up to five classes. All of the classes were taken on the ship and ranged from a class size for 10-80 people per class.
There were different forms of entertainment on the ship for students, including a basketball court, insanity workouts, orientations about the countries they would see, a full-size library, and movies.
"I actually almost enjoyed the boat part . . . as much as being in countries," Paulson said. "You're cut off from the world. We had no Internet [and] no phones. You really sat down and talked to people."
Paulson said she got closer to the people on the ship in two months than a lot of the people she has known in Auburn for two years.
Paulson said the living situation was great, but Walden had reservations about the food served to the students.
"The food was terrible on the ship," Walden said.
According to Walden, a group of students participated in a boating excursion not affiliated with the Semester at Sea program, which resulted in the death of one of the students.
Walden said he doesn't blame anyone for the tragedy, which he called a freak accident.
"You know, when you're traveling to some of these foreign countries, they don't have the same safety regulations," Walden said. "It's just a risk you have to take."
Walden said other than the bad accident and bad food, his only other complaint about the trip was how long the ship took to get from country to country. Students could only take classes on the ship, so they had to go slowly between ports. Crossing the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean could take as long as nine or 10 days, the longest time the ship was at sea.
"We'd be at sea sometimes for nine or 10 days straight without seeing any land," Walden said. "You kind of. . . get sick of that."
Walden said his trip was approximately $25,000, not counting the expenses in the countries or ports.
According to the program, fees begin at $23,950. The program offers financial and scholarship opportunities, and students' aid from Auburn also may be transferrable.
Walden said he didn't know any other students on the trip, but he wanted to do something different then everyone else.
"Instead of just one country for three months, you get to go to 15 or 16," Walden said.
Though some Semester at Sea courses require or offer a field lab component, Paulson said on her trip, students had the freedom to explore different countries on their own.
As long as they submitted a form saying where they would be in case something happened, they truly could go wherever the sea took them.
Editor's Note: factual errors from this article have been corrected online, including the reference to the ship as a "boat" and the clarification that the boating accident was a part of an excursion neither affiliated with, nor endorsed by, the Semester at Sea program.
(01/22/14 11:23pm)
After a month of Christmas parties, eggnog and endless varieties of desserts, working out may be the last thing on student's minds.
Active Auburn is a class that keeps students accountable to their workout plan, while earning class credit at the same time.
Active Auburn is a two-credit class and is offered in five different sections taught by graduate teaching assistants.
"It really motivates people through a grade to become physically active and explore the different opportunities... that are offered on campus," said Lorena Salom, graduate teaching assistant for Active Auburn. "It really helps students kind of find their niche and find what they enjoy physical activity wise."
Students have to take an average of three group fitness classes a week for the semester and finish an online portion.
According to Salom, the online portion includes different modules about physical activity, including how to start exercising and health benefits of exercising. After students read the modules, they take an assessment at the end.
With the new Recreation and Wellness Center came a new policy for Active Auburn students.
In the past, Active Auburn students could just show up to a group fitness class without signing up beforehand.
Starting in fall 2013, students have to register using a new reservation system for the class they want to take before they show up. Class spots are split between people with group fitness passes and Active Auburn students.
"You have to register... for a spot to take the class, and we split it up pretty much 50-50," said Susannah Taylor, fitness coordinator at campus recreation. "So, if the class is only open to 20 people, it would be open to 10 Active Auburn [students] and 10 Group Fitness [students]."
Taylor also said if those spots remain available, there is a standby option to fill the extra space.
"There is also a new cancelation policy that says students have to give notice two hours in advance over email," said Pam Wiggins, director of group fitness. "If the student continues to not show up, then they block their pass for one week."
Wiggins said although they can no longer reserve classes, it does not necessarily mean they cannot take a class,
Wiggins also said Active Auburn started three years ago with only two sections and it has continued to grow since.
"The goal to me is to give them a whole look at what group fitness offers," Wiggins said.
Wiggins said as a result of Active Auburn classes, students are more likely to take classes outside their comfort zones. For example, she has seen more males doing yoga classes and women taking strength classes, like kettle bells and Tiger Pump.
"If it hadn't been a requirement, I don't think they would have shown up," Wiggins said.
Wiggins also said she thinks Active Auburn students continue to take group fitness classes even after they're done with the class.
Salom said Active Auburn students are mostly sophomores, juniors and seniors because there is a class specifically offered for freshman that has similar objectives.
Salom also said she never gave any failing grades unless the student never showed up to the classes.
"Most everybody was able to keep up with it quite well," Salom said. "Everybody who stayed in the class, which was a large majority, was able to finish their classes just fine."
(01/20/14 11:54pm)
QuizUp is for the days when you get out of every class early and you have a 20 minute period where there isn't enough time to wait in line for food before class, but you feel too eager sitting outside the classroom door waiting for it to start.
To pass the time, QuizUp is a good alternative to rechecking Instagram and Twitter for the hundredth time in hopes that something new has been added to distract you.
QuizUp's tagline is "The biggest trivia game in the world." They have hundreds of different topics to choose from and over 100,000 questions.
This app lets you log in through Facebook or Twitter to play people you know, or make your own username and allow QuizUp to match you up with other users.
You start off by picking a topic. The broad categories offered are educational, games, arts, literature, movies, history, geography, science, lifestyle, business, nature, sports, music and TV. Under each of these categories are sub categories that get as specific as Johnny Cash or British royals. Once you pick your category, you can either type in a friends name that you want to challenge, or let QuizUp match you up with another player from anywhere in the world.
Each match has seven rounds where you are asked a question and given four options for answers. The faster you choose the right answer, the more points you get.
The last round is worth double points and can be a game changer in some cases. You can also chat with opponents on QuizUp and challenge them in a rematch if you enjoyed playing them.
Each topic has a discussion board where you can talk about ideas that you have. Each time you answer a question right, you gain points toward a higher level.
Even if you lose the match, if you got some of the questions right, you will still receive points.
After you've played a few times, you can check your rankings to compare your QuizUp knowledge with your friends scores. Users can see their global, country, state, friends and local rankings.
QuizUp gives out different achievement awards for specific accomplishments. Some examples are the "tortoise," which is received after you win a match after getting the first four questions wrong, or the "zen master," which is received after you win with a perfect score.
QuizUp is free, but if you want to raise your score faster you can buy boosters that last one hour each. The double is $1.99, the triple is $3.99, and the quadruple is $5.99.
You can make your profile private so you can accept users as friends before they can challenge you, chat you, or view your profile.
QuizUp will be available for Android in the future, and QuizUp users can check their rankings online, but can only play the game on a phone.
Unlike Candy Crush, QuizUp doesn't have a limit to how many times you can play, even if you lose. Some of the questions repeat themselves if you play the category enough times, so the more you play, the better you can get. If nothing else, QuizUp will teach you random facts you may never have heard of and that you can use in casual conversation to surprise your peers.