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Straight to the source of the Source's funding
June 23The Primary Source receives $20,000 per year from the Tufts Community Union to operate. That $20,000 comes from your Student Activities Fee.
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Summer Music Picks | The Daily makes the A-side of its summer mixtape
June 23When I was studying for finals, the only thing that kept me from setting the library on fire and chuckling while it burned was the looming heat and relative liberation of summer '06. And why not? Summer's a time when we can all throw down with people we missed, get tan and not think about being evaluated for a few months.
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Nutrition Spotlight | Question: To D or not to D?
May 23With final exams finished and end-of-semester papers handed in, you can finally relax and enjoy that much-anticipated light at the end of the tunnel - sunlight, that is. Although we've been told for decades to protect our skin and eyes from too much sun exposure, as harmful UV rays can lead to skin cancer, wrinkles and cataracts, our skin actually needs some sun exposure. Our bodies utilize UV rays to synthesize vitamin D - an essential nutrient that plays a vital role in our overall health, particularly in bone health. Recently, researchers found that many more people are vitamin D-deficient than previously thought, and this discovery has spawned much debate about too little versus too much sun, and how best to get enough vitamin D. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin (meaning it is transported and absorbed by your body via fat) that helps build and maintain strong bones by promoting calcium absorption and bone mineralization. The best food sources of vitamin D are fish, eggs, cod liver oil and fortified milk. Two cups (16 fluid ounces) of fortified milk will provide you with the minimum recommended amount of vitamin D per day. It's important to note that not all dairy products (for example, yogurt and cheese) are fortified with vitamin D, so read labels carefully. However, unlike many other vitamins, dietary intake is not the only source of vitamin D. As previously mentioned, our bodies can actually produce vitamin D - given that we get sufficient sun exposure. UV rays from the sun activate a compound in the skin, transforming it into "previtamin D." Previtamin D is then absorbed into the bloodstream, where it travels to the liver and kidneys to be converted to an active form of vitamin D that the body can use. Factors that affect our ability to get adequate UV ray exposure include season, geographic latitude, time of day, cloud cover, smog, skin pigmentation and sunscreen. For example, in the greater Boston area, we don't get enough sunlight exposure from November through February for our bodies to make sufficient vitamin D. So, now that long, hot summer days are quickly approaching, do we pull out the sunscreen, hats and sunglasses to protect our skin from the sun, or do we stretch out on the beach to maximize our sun exposure - and thus, our vitamin D production? According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), everybody, regardless of skin type, should use a sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of at least 15 year-round, especially on days you plan to be in the sun for more than 20 minutes. Protecting your skin from the sun is crucial, the AAD says, because sun exposure is the most preventable risk factor for skin cancer. But vitamin D is now gaining increased attention for its potential role in actually preventing certain cancers. Dr. Cedric Garland, professor of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of California - San Diego School Of Medicine, presented data at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) meeting just last month suggesting that women with higher vitamin D levels have a significantly reduced risk of breast cancer. Other researchers have linked low vitamin D levels with other types of cancers and even multiple sclerosis. Sunscreens with an SPF of eight or higher block the UV rays that allow the skin to synthesize vitamin D. Thus, protecting your skin while still getting enough sun exposure to make adequate amounts of vitamin D continues to be a topic of debate. Some experts believe that the recommended intake of vitamin D should be increased, some suggest fortifying more foods with vitamin D, and others recommend taking vitamin D supplements. At this point, though, it is agreed that more extensive vitamin D research is necessary before making any of these changes. You'll likely get enough sun exposure this summer doing your everyday activities, so there's no need to bake in the sun all day just to make enough vitamin D. Too much sun can definitely be harmful. As we like to say in the nutrition field, "everything in moderation" - and the case of sun exposure and vitamin D is no exception.Katherine Kwon is a graduate student and dietetic intern at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and the Frances Stern Nutrition Center. She has a BS in dietetics from the University of California.
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Blight on the Hill | Why I'm never donating money to Tufts
May 23I've been spending much of the past week thinking about Lance Armstrong. I'll explain about Lance in a few paragraphs, and for those of you who were wondering, no - he didn't leave Sheryl Crow to be with me.
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It's 'the life in your years' that counts
May 23"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years," Abraham Lincoln once said. In my mind, no other quote better articulates being a college student at Tufts.
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How To... | Avoid sickness while traveling
May 23Pina colada, hot sand, cool ocean and... diarrhea? Vacations are definitely a time to splurge and relax, but all too often ignorance paves a one-way road to the emergency room. With a few precautions, illness from unsanitary water or ill-prepared food can be avoided.
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Restaurant Review | Good-for-you, inexpensive fast food is no longer an oxymoron at b.good
May 23Yes, b.good may be fast food. You order. Your food arrives fast. But the end result tastes unlike typical fast-food fare. Yes, there are lots of burgers on the menu. But these are "lean, hand-packed burgers" that are ground fresh daily using 100 percent choice steaks. This extra special care translates into a really tasty hamburger.
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Immigration... from the other side
May 23There has been a lot of heated debate recently about the positive and negative effects immigration has on our country, and I feel that there have been very valid arguments made on nearly all sides of the issue.
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A year full of tangible achievments
May 23Fellow Jumbos, I wanted to take the opportunity to give you a brief and hopefully mildly entertaining year in review of things the Senate has accomplished since September.
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An upsurge in queer visibility at Tufts
May 23Tufts is becoming an increasingly queer-friendly environment. During the last four years, our community has gone through many changes. As out, queer seniors who have been greatly involved in the LGBT community, other social justice initiatives and additional facets of campus life, we have witnessed a transformation in the Tufts queer community as well as in how it is perceived by the campus at large.
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When it comes to unintentional overeating, size really matters
May 23Do you know that you may be eating more than you think? Impossible, right? Well, maybe not. Dr. Brian Wansink, a professor from the University of Illinois, has been studying consumer behavior for years and has made a career out of investigating the many reasons why we unknowingly overeat. What he has found is that size really does matter - package size, that is - as do visibility, convenience and many other factors that affect our appetites.
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Get Your Motor Running | Q. I always get confused about when I am supposed to breathe while strength training. Can you help?
May 23Q. I always get confused about when I am supposed to breathe while strength training. Can you help?
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Convenient meals and snacks don't always have to be unhealthy
May 23It's 5 p.m. You have just gotten out of class or work, and your stomach is starting to rumble. Do you know where your dinner is?
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Finding Balance | Graduating and no job... but I'm going to celebrate
May 23Graduation. A time to celebrate your achievements, hang out with friends and family and revel in the fact that, yes, you're finally done!
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Cage-free' eggs may be a misnomer
May 22Earlier this spring, Tufts Dining Services announced its decision to serve cage-free liquid eggs.
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Directors' Cup | Tufts likely to post best-ever ranking in Directors' Cup
May 22Vaulting up the ranks from a No. 54 Directors' Cup finish in the 2004-2005 year, Tufts is gunning for a top-10 finish in '06, and while the spring point totals are still being decided, this year is a virtual lock for Tufts' best-ever ranking.
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Women's Crew | Team concept to thank for Jumbos' trip to Nationals
May 22Often filed away as a consistently solid program, the women's crew made a splash this year, quietly storming up the polls and making history along the way.
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Fast cars, new books and German shepherds
May 22Today, the class of 2006 will listen to Lance Armstrong's advice about the future. Tomorrow, they will be the future. So what does the future have in store? While the majority of the graduating class will take the subway or mom's old station wagon to work, seniors Andrew Gordon and Todd Putnam will be driving $585,000, 750 bhp (brake horsepower), 2700-pound cars.
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IR curriculum passes in unanimous vote
May 22After a discussion lasting approximately two years, the faculty voted on May 10 to overhaul the International Relations (IR) curriculum with a proposal presented by the International Relations Executive Committee (IREC).
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