Finals Week

So finals week is upon us (actually started yesterday, Monday the 12th) but nonetheless it is still stressful for all, including professors who have to grade all of them after we're done handing them in! Luckily this week becomes a little less stressful with some FREE lunch from the College of Public Health Student Association (CPHSA) from a local restaurant called Oasis, which is a Falafel joint....what is Falafel you say? Well, I didn't know either, but everyone states it when you say the name Oasis, so I looked it up and stole right from their website:

This classic Mediterranean staple begins with chickpeas that are soaked overnight, then ground with garlic, onion and spices, formed into patties and flash fried. At Oasis, we use trans fat-free soybean oil that is GMO-free and low in saturated fat.

Go figure, I'm learning even with a free meal ;)

Happy finals!

Ryan

Stand Together: 2.0

I am not sure why the sign reads backwards, but I wanted to get it up as soon as possible and couldn't stand one more moment that I didn't support such a wonderful cause and public health mission :)

Ryan

Stand Together!

So I had gotten home from a long day of working on assignments and going to meetings Friday and turned the TV on for some background noise, when Extreme Makeover: Home Edition came on and it was about how a 11-year old boy committed suicide because of bullying and how the family had been struggling ever since. It absolutely broke my heart and I definitely had some teary eyed moments watching the two-hour special episode that had a strong public health message of ending bullying across America!

The mother of the 11-year old boy created a foundation to STAND TOGETHER to end bullying, and I went online to join the cause and I hope you do too! The information is found at this website to join and I hope you help take a stand against bullying to prevent such tragedies from happening in the future:

Stand Together

Ryan

PS - Also here is a very powerful performance by Demi Levato, "Skyscraper," that was featured on the episode:

Meetings!...AIDS

Hello all,

So to go along with the new year and an executive seminar I attended today with my department, MEETINGS seem so basic, but if you really think about it they can fail miserably and I think we've all been to a meeting before where it didn't go well or we thought it could have gone better.

Mr. Staley, Sr. Associate Director UIHC presented on the topic and gave his advice as well as took advice from those attending. There were definitely come comical moments along with some serious discussion on how to effectively have a meeting or simply decide when not to have one. For example, if there needs to be a vote or dissemination of information, most likely than not, this can be done electronically, either through email or another form of electronic communication.

Either way, I learn a few new things and took-away a lot of great information and connected again with Mr. Staley, who I was introduced to while working on the Public Health Emergency Management plans for the University of Iowa with State Hygienic Laboratory director, Chris Atchison.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

Ryan

PS - World AIDS day!

I was unable to attend a lot of the events going on yesterday for World AIDS day, but wanted to state my stance that this is an increasing issue within the United States, even though I feel like a lot of the attention tends to be international:

AIDS in America

I would bring your attention to the number of new cases and would encourage you to look at this movie that I watched in my Media and Health class:

“Out of control: AIDS in Black America” A documentary that aired on ABC’s Primetime show on Aug. 24, 2006. To date, the only TV hour devoted to the topic.

"Out of control: AIDS in Black America"