Drink Up

I’m standing before you today to discuss the issue of alcohol. Now, I’m not here to tell you whether you should drink or not drink; instead, I’m going to tell you what you should be drinking and why. Most of your life you’ve probably been told at some point that drinking isn’t good for you, and to some extent that statement is true. However, there are elements of drinking that are often left in the dark. My purpose isn’t to encourage you to go out and binge drink every night; instead I want to tell you that drinking in moderation is actually good for you and there are numerous benefits to responsible consumption.

The first issue that should be addressed, is the problems that arise with alcohol abuse. We all know that drinking large quantities of alcohol can lead to all sorts of health problems such as: internal organ failure, several different types of cancer, sexual dysfunction, high blood pressure, etc. It would be hard to say that people would want to actively destroy their bodies through the use of alcohol, which according to the Greater Dallas Council on Alcohol and Drug abuse website, says is the number one drug among young people. However, these studies are only looking at the people who are problem drinkers. What it fails to address are the potential health benefits (yes there are in fact many benefits to drinking in moderation) and why people can profit from moderate drinking. Groups that often speak out against alcohol are also only referencing the statistics that work for them. They’ll use any evidence that potentially supports their cause, regardless of whether it is actually true or not.

Drinking can be good for you, it may be a difficult to grasp such a concept but research has proven there are health benefits to enjoying a brewski (or wine or hard liquor if that’s more to your liking). The Alcohol Problems and Solutions website says sensible drinking can help reduce the risk of diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, bone fractures and osteperosis, kidney stones, digestive ailments, and stress and depression among other factors. So, you know that any of the potential negative affects that have been cited with drinking alcohol, can in fact be taken care of by drinking alcohol. However, it is important to note that moderate drinking means you’ll consume one 12-oz beer, a 5-oz glass of wine, or a shot of liquor in one sitting.

Another benefit of drinking alcohol, as cited by the Alcohol Problems and Solutions website, is that people who drink moderately, tend to live longer. The website points out that numerous studies around the world all revealed the same thing: people who drank a moderate amount of alcohol were less likely to die from all causes. Now, stop and think about that for a moment. If you drink alcohol in moderate amounts, keeping in mind the studies reference moderate drinkers, then you could potentially extend your life span. How many of you in this room would like to be able to live as long as possible? (Pause to survey the room to see who does, or doesn’t, raise their hands.)

There is only one more issue to address about alcohol that many people believe is true, despite there not being any research to bolster the myth: the classic beer belly syndrome. Does anybody here believe that drinking more alcohol will lead to excessive weight gain? (Pause to look around and see how many people believe it does) Well, there simply isn’t any evidence that shows people who drink alcohol will gain weight. In fact, research has shown that drinking alcohol can lead to women actually losing weight. The Alcohol Problems and Solutions website cited studies that, although they can’t determine exactly why alcohol won’t cause you to gain weight, it is believed that the energy in alcoholic beverages isn’t used efficently in your body, and drinking alcohol will actually increase your metabolic rate. Alcoholic beverages don’t contain any fat, cholestrol and only a small amount of sodium, and although alcoholic beverages differ in their nutritional value from drink to drink, drinking in moderation will not have any adverse affects on your weight.

Your greatest danger while drinking alcohol is not how many calories you’re consuming in your drink, but how many calories you take in from the meal you’re eating. If you want to stay in shape and still enjoy alcohol then go ahead; however, you should watch how much food you shovel into your face on a daily basis.

Now that you know the facts about alcohol, and a few of the myths like alcohol causing you to gain weight have been debunked, you can go out and enjoy that glass of wine, pint of beer, or shot of hard stuff. Go out, drink, and be merry!

Lyndon State to Host Cultural Festival

Lyndon State College

1001 College Rd.

Lyndonville, Vt. 05851

626-6200

News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Feb. 9, 2010                                           

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

 Lori Werdenschlag  

Professor of Psychology

626-6435

lori.werdenschlag@lyndonstate.edu

Lyndon State to host cultural festival

LYNDONVILLE, Vt.-- The Lyndon community will have a chance to pique their palettes during the 14th annual cultural festival at Lyndon State College.

The festival, organized by Lori B. Werdenschlag, professor of psychology, and Kelly Glentz-Brush, professor of digital and graphic design, is a way to create an appreciation for and opportunity to express cultural diversity on campus, says Werdenschlag. 

“A goal was set to start an annual tradition on campus, one to which the entire campus community contributes and participates in and looks forward to with enthusiasm each year,” Werdenschlag said. 

This year’s festival runs from March 8-17.

Werdenschlag will be running the international food court, which consists of ethnic dishes contributed by staff, faculty and the administration. “I ask faculty, staff and the administrators to make their favorite ethnic dishes,” says Werdenschlag. “Each year we get about 30 dishes.”

Anyone is welcome to stop by and sample the food for free, Werdenschlag said.

This year’s big event, and of particular interest to Werdenschlag, is the KIDZ WORLD event, now in its third year, which focuses on giving children in the community the opportunity to experience different cultures.

Participants are given a passport and are then able to explore various tables, hosted by students from the St. Johnsbury Academy English as a Second Language Department. 

Opportunities for the children to explore at each table include: displays, snacks, and crafts as well as the opportunity to participate in games children in other countries play, says Werdenschlag.

News Release

Mountain East Medical Hospital names new purchasing chief.

Johnny Toler will replace Bob Wilkinson as the head of the purchasing department.  Wilkinson came to MEMC in 1975 after working for a small rural community hospital.  “Bob’s abilities will be greatly missed,” says Hospital Adminstrator Harry Illscott., “but I know that Johnny Toler is a person who we can all depend on to do whatever is necessary to keep his department going.  Wilkinson will take a job with City Memorial Hospital. 

Toler began as the assistant druggist in the hospital pharmacy 13 years ago before being moved to the purchasing department as assistant head of the department.  Toler’s wife, Carolyn, is head of the gynecology department at MEMC.  “This hospital means a great deal to me and my family, and I will give my best efforts to making our purchasing department the best,” Toler said.  “I learned from a fine man—Bob Wilkinson—and I hope I can continue to build on the foundation he established.”

PR: The Good, The Bad, and the just plain irrelevant

The first example of good PR I found was a piece done about Georgia-Pacific joining an environmental web site (http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/georgia-pacific-joins-mother-nature-network-to-tell-its-sustainability-story-83340692.html). I found the piece to be effective simply from the opening line which talks about the long-running company moving to a more online presence. The release was written well enough that I wanted to continue reading to see why Georgia-Pacific was getting involved with the environmental web site.

I found an example of exceedingly bad PR (http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/over-200-business-leaders-from-20-targeted-states-come-to-dc-to-participate-in-business-advocacy-day-for-jobs-climate-and-new-energy-leadership-on-capitol-hill-on-february-2nd-and-3rd-83343157.html) that almost prevented me from reading it just from the headline on it. Also, the first paragraph of the release was an exceedingly dense block of text that had too much information related to different topics, all in one place.

The next piece of PR that I found that I thought was effective (http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/parkmobile-usa-inc-introduces-pay-by-phone-parking-in-atlanta-83351732.html) once again began the press release with a very interesting, simple sentence that grabbed my attention. The press release itself dealt with the idea of being able to pay for parking using your cell phone, which is an interesting idea on its own, but the person who wrote the release did an excellent job of hooking me with the very first line of the release.

Finally, the last piece of PR that I found to be ineffective (http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/health-latest-news/statement-from-the-american-health-care-association-and-national-center-for-assisted-living-in-anticipation-of-president-obamas-state-of-the-union-address-82715222.html) had similar problems as the first poorly written piece of PR that I found. The beginning of the release throws a lot of information at you that isn't that accessible to people who aren't familiar with the topic. Also, the title of the press release is ridiculously long and if I saw the press release as a journalist, I would most likely throw it away after just glancing at the title.