What's Happening This Week at JMU

Did you hear what's happening this week at JMU? (10/25-10/31)

Mark your calendars! University Program Board (UPB) is sponsoring two huge events this week, one being the B.o.B concert this Thursday, 10/28, and the other being OctoberFest (co-sponsored by SafeRides) this Friday, 10/29. Other events are outlined below :) Enjoy & have a great week everybody!

Monday 10/25: Tonight there's an Internship Panel hosted by Alpha Kappa Psi at 6pm in HHS 1301. Basically people who have been interns before are going to talk about their experiences and be there for you to ask questions.

Tuesday 10/26: LGBTA is having an open house from 11-2pm in Warren 403...meet volunteers, check out the resource room and enjoy snacks!

Wednesday 10/27:

• F to eMbody will be in Memorial at 7pm for free. Confused on what this is? The link above directs you to their website. The group travels to different schools and "brings Trans art and visibility to college campuses through performance and customized workshops." They sound pretty legit too: They've performed with notable artists...The gossip, Ani Difranco, the Indigo Girls, John Cameron Mitchell and Poets from HBO's Def Poetry Jam. Intrigued? Check it out! 
• aKDPhi Male Date Auction, TDU from 7-10pm They're auctioning off the charming brothers of Lambda Chi Alpha...come buy your eye candy! (pictures of the auction boys are on the Facebook page)

Thursday 10/28:

B.oB concert! Unfortunately, if you didn't get a ticket yet, the closest you'll be getting to this is listening from your iPod outside of Wilson. Yup-it's sold out people!! But for all of those who have a ticket, have a blast! :) This concert is part of the Wilson concert series, the first performer was Cartel in September, and our next is Sara Bareilles (Tickets on sale 8am Fri, Nov 5, concert is Dec 2)




Friday 10/29: 

• Supersmash Brother N64 tournament in TDU or Festival Conference Room 6/7 from 4-9pm. 
• Movie Night in Warren 403 at 6pm, continuing the transgender theme: watching the TransGeneration Documentary series every Friday until November
• Octoberfest is hosted by SafeRides and UPB! Go to Festival Lawn from 9-11pm because they're having a Haunted Village, a bunch of games & activities (including a Haunted SafeRide ;), pumpkin painting & cookie decorating), our lovely a cappella groups, dance groups and a costume contest to win an iPod touch! Basically it's going to be baller.
• New & Improv'd Late Night Show at TDU 10pm-12am. Go watch our improv group! 
• Trick or Treat on the Row: you'll see a bunch of adorable kids running around greek row mid-day in awesome costumes. 

Saturday 10/30: 

• Phi Sigma Pi's 9th Annual Frosty 5k at 9:30am. Register that morning at the lower level of Festival and support research for Multiple Sclerosis...food and prizes after the race!
• Nightmare at UREC: UREC's hosting a dance with a DJ, costume contest and inflatables. I'd definitely go for the inflatables. 10pm-2am

Sunday 10/31:

Happy Halloween! JMU Steel Drum Band is having a Halloween Concert at the Forbes Center at 3pm, $4. Apparently they're having the scariest music you can think of...that might be a challenge for you to go and decide for yourself. The last bit of motivation: best costumes get prizes!












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Just Call Me Rachael Ray: Recipe #3

This week was by far my favorite meal of the Rachael Ray 30 minute meal recipes!

Hot-or-Not Grilled Sliced Chicken with Cheesy Polenta and Guacamole Salad


I'm going to be honest with you, I almost didn't buy the polenta. I was in Martin's (Yes! I tried a new store for grocery shopping, and got a Martin's card for free =D), on the phone with my roommate, Elayna, and I was so close to just cooking my favorite side, rice pilaf. She described polenta as similar to grits, which did nothing to motivate me to buy it. Eventually, I just realized I would go with the flow, follow the recipe and be adventurous. SO HAPPY that I did because the polenta was my favorite part of the meal! You mix it in with corn, milk, green peppers (supposed to be poblano chiles on the recipe...yes, I altered some things), chicken stock, butter and cheese. It was so good! Highly recommend it!

Also, notice the name of the recipe. I chose the NOT choice of hot-or-not in the title. The sauce that goes with the chicken was so delicious. I have successfully enjoyed chicken (or meat) without ketchup for all three of these recipes! My horizons are broadening. :)

I'm finding a common reoccurrence of ingredients for these 30 minute meal recipes. I've been able to reuse tomatoes, cheese, my olive oil, salt and pepper, the chicken stock, green peppers, lemon juice in almost all three of the recipes so far, which is great! Less money to spend. Speaking of money, here's the breakdown for this recipe:

Ingredient list/MARTIN'S price:

2 poblano chiles (AKA green peppers): $2.57
Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO): already had!
4 pieces skinless, boneless chicken breast: (I got 8) $10.58
Salt and pepper: already had!
4 tablespoons of butter: already had!
A handful cilantro or flat-leaf parsely, finely chopped: $3.39
2 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped: already had!
2 teaspoons chipotle chile powder (hot) or sweet smoked paprika (not): paprika: $3.99
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano: $1.85
1 cup fresh of frozen corn kernels: $1.27
1 cup of milk: already had!
2 cups chicken stock: already had!
1 cup quick-cooking polenta: $3.35
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese: already had!
1 ripe avocado, sliced: $1.79
2 vine-ripe tomatoes, sliced into wedges: $1.87
1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced: $1.08
Juice of 1 large lemon: $.89

Grand Total: $32.63


Find the full ingredient list and recipe at Rachael Ray's magazine website.



Bon appetit!















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Shots Fired at Pentagon This Morning

Did you hear about the shots that were fired at the Pentagon this morning?

I read a tweet about it around 11:00am today from two of the fourteen news stations' Twitter accounts (washingtonpost and cnnbrk) and was pretty curious as to why I didn't hear more about it throughout the rest of the day.


Apparently the shots were fired in the section of the Pentagon that's being renovated and there were no injuries. The shots were overheard by policemen and construction workers around 4:50 this morning, and officials found two bullet fragments in 3rd and 4th floor windows, which did not shatter because they're bulletproof.

I'm assuming because it didn't cause any damage or cause anyone harm is why it was a generally unknown occurrence to the public...at least the JMU public. Most of the people I talked to about it today had absolutely no idea it occurred, which is understandable seeing that it didn't have a big affect at all to anyone in the Pentagon. Police are labeling the shots a 'random event'.

Officials are currently investigating the situation and looking into ballistics tests. They thought there might've been some ties between the shots this morning and the shootings at the Marine Museum, but there are no apparent links between the two.

Are you shocked to hear this news or don't really care because nothing really came out of it?

Also today concerning the Pentagon...
The US military is allowing recruiters to accept gay and lesbian applicants for the first time ever! The Pentagon is instructing military recruiters to accept the applicants of gay men and lesbians who wish to join the armed forces, but must inform potential recruits that a moratorium on 'don't ask, don't tell' could be lifted at any moment. According to President Obama, "The 'don't ask, don't tell' policy will end, and it will end on my watch."

Thoughts?

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United Airlines 747 Flying in Circles Around San Francisco's Golden Gate...

Did you hear about the United Airlines 747 jet that flew really close to the Golden Gate bridge?

Hearing a lot of controversy about this video. What do you think? Optical illusion/depth perception/it was actually that close?

Now ya heard, spread the word.

Working Out Helps You Sleep!

Did you hear that you will probably get a better night's sleep if you workout?

Exercising during the day takes away from the tossing and turning in bed at night, according to MSNBC.

Most people claim that they don't work out on a regular basis because they are too tired. Ironically, it's probably because they are not exercising that they are tired in the first place.

A study at Northwestern University studied 23 adults (women, 55 years and older) who had difficulty falling or staying asleep. The lead researcher, Dr. Phyllis Zee, said that most of the poor sleepers became good sleepers after 16 weeks on an aerobics training program. The program included either exercising on a treadmill or stationary bicycle, and average sleep quality improved.

Studies such as these are making doctors look aerobic exercise as a treatment for insomnia.

Zee's study also noted that the improved sleepers also reported, "better moods, fewer depressive symptoms and enhanced vitality. Vitality is everything. It's how somebody feels, how alert."

Best times to work out and why:

• Late afternoon/early evening
• Most direct effect on getting a good night's sleep
• Raises your body temperature above normal a few hours before bed, allowing it to start falling just as you're getting ready for bed. This decrease acts as a trigger that helps you ease into sleep. *Don't exercise up to 3 hours before you go to bed! i.e. going to bed at 11pm, exercise before 8pm*
• Morning exercise 
• Relieves stress and improve mood (which, indirectly improve sleep)
• To get a more direct sleep-promoting benefit from morning exercise, expose yourself to outdoor light. Being exposed to natural light in the morning (whether you're exercising or not) can improve your sleep at night by reinforcing your body's sleep-wake cycle

Some tips for pre-bed time:

• No caffeine! (obviously...)
• No TV or video games
• If you're reading before you go to sleep...do it somewhere else, and then move to your bed when you are tired
• Don't exercise up to 3 hours before you go to bed

JMU UREC GROUP FITNESS

JMU's URec offers tons of group exercise classes and even more facilities and activities for working out. If you have never been there...go. If you want to force yourself to get into a habit, sign up for the group classes! You have 24 hours before the actual class to sign up online, and if you sign up and decide not to attend more than 3 times, you can't sign up anymore for the semester. That's probably the most forceful way to get you to go to the gym, but when it really comes down to it, getting into the habit is all up to you.

Read more about tips and benefits for sleeping and exercising here.

Collegiate Cook

Did you hear about the website called Collegiate Cook?

Not that I'm saying my Rachael Ray recipe's aren't as good as this website...this is just a very handy link for college students to have.

First, let's look at the navigation tabs. This website is geared towards, obviously, college students. It has tons of recipes, ranging from breakfast/lunch/dinner foods to party foods, desserts, snacks and special diet foods. Unlike my Rachael Ray recipes, this is probably food and materials you already have handy in your kitchen. One nifty feature that they have is the "Freebies" section. If you look at their Twitter page, they are constantly updating with deals you can get or free food you can find! For example:

Follow collegiatecook on Twitter!

Sad for us living in Harrisonburg, VA, there is not a White Castle conveniently located near us. However, there are a tons of other deals and updates like this, so if you're on Twitter, this may be one to follow!

With homecoming right around the corner (for JMU, at least, this weekend! Welcome back alumni!), check out the article, "A healthier take on college tailgating." A lot of their articles can be applied to your everyday life, seeing as they are targeting college students for their audience.


Check out this website for recipes, health tips, videos, free food deals and ways to update and decorate your kitchen!

Now ya heard, spread the word.

The iPhone: Saving the World, One Home at a Time

Did you hear about the guy who caught the burglar of his home through his iPhone?

Peter Cooperman is a resident of Norwalk, CT (my hometown) and his home has been broken into three times before last week. Because of this, he had an app on his iPhone that linked him to the video source he had of his home to his iPhone.

On Wednesday night around 6pm, an alarm went off in his house which sent off a notification to his phone. Through his iPhone he could see footage from his security cameras, as well as the guy breaking into his house. He was driving home when he ran into the same guy he saw through the footage. The scary part of this story is that he caught the guy running into Wilson Point, aka, my neighborhood. The burglar ran from Cooperman when he inferred about the breaking and entering, but the police caught him shortly after.

When under the custody of the police, Cooperman got to confirm that it was the same guy he saw on his video footage as well as the guy he caught running away.

The Hour article

This isn't the first time the iPhone has played a part in capturing a burglary. On August 26, 2010, a man that was 1,400 miles away from his house in Dallas watched men break into his house using a brick to shatter his windows. As he called 911 from out of state, he also got to see the cops come to his house and capture the men.

Dallas News article

The app that was used was called the iCam, a $4.99 webcam video streaming app that allows you to remotely monitor multiple live video and audio feeds.

iPhone- 1
Blackberry- 0






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Just Call Me Rachael Ray: Recipe #2

This week of following and imitating Rachael Ray's 30 minute meals was...
Drunken Pork Chops and Savory Green Rice with Fontina

Drunken Pork Chops and Savory Green Rice with Romano

I'm not sure if I was ever really a big fan of pork chops...until this weekend. When I've had them in the past, I guess I just never remembered or craved them because it never compared to the juicy steaks my Dad grills on the weekend. Maybe (and probably) it was because I made them myself, but I thoroughly enjoyed pork chops this time around! 

I should probably admit that I did not accurately follow this recipe to the T. Fontina cheese and anchovy paste are apparently not sold at Walmart, my go-to grocery store. So...with that said, the recipe turned into Drunken Pork Chops with Savory Green Rice with Romano, (and a tomato flavor in the marinade instead of anchovy.) No matter, it was still delicious.

Wait...you're looking at the picture, and the rice is green? My roommate, Erika, is a proud owner of the Magic Bullet, and to finish the rice you blend together spinach and parsley along with olive oil, lemon juice and garlic, and mix it in with the rice, chopped tomatoes and the cheese cubes. It was really tasty. Maybe if you're not in the mood to make the pork chops, you can just create the rice as a side dish, because it is a lot more interesting to serve than just plain rice or a salad!

Also, a huge note is that my kitchen successfully did not ignite a fire! The process of following this recipe was A LOT smoother than round 1 of Rachel vs The Kitchen. However, I still cannot get this "30 minute" part of the recipes down. I guess I'm just not a pro at chopping and preparing my food as quickly as my girl Rachael.


Ingredients and price:
** (already had from previous recipe)
1/2 cup dry red wine $2.18
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) ** $4.88
3 large cloves garlic, 2 thinly sliced and 1 finely chopped ** $.68
3 sprigs rosemary, coarsely chopped $2.28
2 teaspoons anchovy paste $.40 (SUBSTITUTE TOMATO PASTE)
4 bone-in pork chops, no more than 1 inch thick (I got 5) $8.88
Salt and Pepper ** $.93
1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice $3.12 (could definitely have gone with the smaller bag, I have PLENTY of leftover)
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock $1.34
Juice of 1 lemon $.48
1 cup baby spinach or arugula $2.50
1 cup flat-leaf parsley $.88
A few grates fresh nutmeg $2.14
1 plum or vine tomato, seeded and chopped $.74
1/3 pound italian fontina cheese, such as fontina val d'aosta, or gruère cheese, cut into small cubes $3.98


Grand Total: $29.64 (without ** items)

Get the full recipe here! The serving size was from 4-6 people, depending on how many pork chops you bought. I fed 4 people, and had plenty of leftovers. (Of rice at least...I made an extra pork chop to begin with.)

The entire meal

Now ya heard, spread the word.