Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Final Project


Weekly Wellness

Column by: Morgan Forester

Congratulations! You have made it through hell week! Everyone knows that exam week is stressful but this past week has been a whirl wind of projects and final papers which I think is worse so give yourself a pat on the back for making it through. Now the pressure isn’t off by any means. Exams are next week and although you can take a small breather it’s right back to the grind. Try to make time to decompress. Watch a movie this weekend in ASAC 100 or go to the talent show. Remember that grades are important but it’s also important to know when to take a break, get food, move around and do something for you. Hope these ideas help get you through the week so you can enjoy your well deserved Christmas Break!

Exercise of the Week: Hill Climbers

Courtesy of Brad Collins, Exercise Science

Get down into a push-up position then raise butt so that you form more a “V” shape with your body. Staying in this position bring your right knee into your chest then return to starting position. Repeat this motion for your left leg. Alternate bringing your knees in. The faster you do these the more cardio you get. I like to use these as quick study breaks, 20 minutes of work, 2 minutes of hill climbers.

Recipe of the Week: Microwave Chicken Casserole

Ingredients:

1 bag of Fresh Steamers Mixed Veggies

1 bag of Uncle Ben’s Brown Ready Rice

1 can of Campbell’s Broccoli Cheddar Soup

1 box of Tyson’s Chicken Tenders

Directions:

1. Open Chicken Tenders and place on a microwavable plate

2. Microwave Tenders for 3:15 minutes then turn over the Tenders and continue heating for another 3:15 minutes.

3. Place Veggies in microwave and heat for 5-7 minutes. (It helps to take out in the middle of heating and shake the veggies to get more evenly steamed veggies)

4. Squeeze Ready Rice bag to break up the rice inside then tear open top 2 inches and place in microwave. Cook for 1:30 minutes

5. Open can of soup and empty contents into a microwavable bowl. Place bowl into microwave and heat for 2:15 minutes. (Stirring the soup half way through cooking time heats the soup more evenly.)

6. In a medium bowl or serving dish combine soup, veggies and rice and stir together until everything is coated with the soup.

7. Place chicken tenders on top of rice and veggie mixture.

8. Grab your roommate or suitmates and enjoy dinner!

Activity of the Week: Jam Out

With so much going on this week it is necessary to just take a breath and do something simple to break up the hours of studying. Make a playlist! It can be calm chill out music, raging get-all-my-frustration-out music or a dance mix so you can have a mini dance party in your suit. Have fun making it. Share it with friends or make them together. Most of all use your playlist this week when you need a study break.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Story for Video Project

Survey Shows College Equals Weight Gain

By: Morgan Forester

Wake up after three hours of sleep. Grab whatever is closest and easy to eat on-the- go. Sit in class for hours. Grab another quick bite and a soda to keep you awake for another round of classes. Head back home for even more hours of homework and studying, perhaps a part time job, and finally go to sleep just hours before you have to be in class again. That’s a typical college student’s schedule. It’s long and chaotic only to get worse on the weekends when partying takes the place of classes and alcohol adds to a junk food diet. With an obesity epidemic occurring throughout America it’s time to take a serious look at how college life can lead to weight issues, poor nutrition and overall health issues.

When there are classes to get to and piles of homework to do, college students often forego the sleep they need and opt for a sugary coffee or energy drink. Whatever food is fastest and most likely to immediately boost their energy is a prime choice. Pizza, fried foods, chips, soda and candy tend to be staples in a college student’s diet. They are fast foods that can often be taken to go without much hassle and candies and soda allow for an almost instant sugar high to wake you up.

“…eating habits in this group are not great. Most don't eat five fruits and vegetables per day, and many don't get enough exercise," says Susan S. Deusinger, Ph.D., professor and director of the Program in Physical Therapy at the School of Medicine at Washington University.

Dr. Deusinger did a survey of students between the start of college and the end of sophomore year to see if the myth of the “Freshman 15” had any truth to it. The surveyed showed that “70 percent of students gained a significant amount of weight.”

The weight gain seems to be directly linked to the poor eating and exercising habits of college students. "We were dismayed a bit that these young people didn't change much in terms of their habits," Deusinger says. "They grew a little taller, but they also tended to remain sedentary, high-fat, fast-food people."

The lifestyle often lead by college students is not helping their health and with the rise of obesity in our country it is time to make healthier living a bigger focus on college campuses.

Lyndon State College is known for offering a community based college experience in ecologically aware Northern Vermont, but is also very accommodating to health and exercise needs. The college offers healthy food choices at both the Dining Hall and at the Hornet’s Nest on the second floor of the main building, Vail. There are fried food options and pizza offered at both, but there is a hot meal prepared for each meal in the Dining Hall and there is a salad and sandwich station in the Hornet’s Nest as well as fresh fruit and healthy snacks like cut veggies or hummus and pita chips for on-the-go. If you are an off-campus student and you do not have a meal plan, the cost of these meals may be concern you. However, at the Hornet’s Nest it is almost the same cost to order a sandwich as it is to get chicken nuggets and fries so choosing the healthier option won’t break the bank as it often does in supermarkets.

Finding time to exercise is not easy to come by as a college student, but Lyndon State has a multitude of ways for students to get in the suggested 30 minutes a day or more should they choose. Not only do we have a Fitness Center on campus, but we also have personal trainers available for specialized workout plans and individualized attention to help achieve better results.

Weight rooms have typically been male oriented in the past but according to Brad Collins, a personal trainer in the Fitness Center, women are taking over.

“I typically see more guys taking advantage of the LSC fitness facility, although in the past year I have notice a dramatic increase in women utilizing the facilities,” says Collins.

He also says that all of his clients so far have been women so if you are a woman thinking “I don’t want o be the only girl down there,” chances are you won’t be the only lady so get up and get the exercise you need. Not to mention, the program as well as the access to the Fitness Center is free for students and faculty and is a great way to continue exercising during winter months.

If you prefer outdoors exercise there are tons of trails to hike on both on campus and around the area. Intramural sports are pretty big at Lyndon too, and are always welcoming new members. Or go for a swim in the indoor pool and make your workout fun.

It is still up to the individual to be healthy but having these options available seems to be half the battle in fighting obesity at the collegiate level.

"There's literature that suggests if exercise options are in good proximity to work or home, people are more likely to use them," says Dr. Deusinger who also suggests that people will tend to eat what is readily available for them so rather than junk food, making healthy food more available could have an effect on college students’ eating habits. This seems to be what Lyndon State College has been working on by providing the services it does.

It’s not easy staying healthy as a college student. There are plenty of obstacles that get in the way of maintaining a healthy weight and a balanced nutrition but your health is not something to mess with. Once you gain the weight and begin to make unhealthy decisions, it is much harder to break the habit and get healthy again. Take advantage of what your college has to offer.

Final Project

I want to do an interactive map with video and slideshow work. I'm thinking of doing a day in my life. I think it may be on a saturday so I can get both of my jobs into the slideshow. Just about every saturday I am at work by 8am, am at teh college until 3:30pm. My shift is scheduled until 4pm but I use my lunch break to skip out early so I can get ready for my job at elements and get to st. j by 4pm. Then I work at elements until about 9 or 9:30pm. I get out of work and go home for a bit and decided whether or not I'm going out. I'm thinking I can use a google map of the area and trace a route. each stop will have a different slideshow or video. The one for the college will obviously be longer but I want to capture the time passing over my 8hr shift so...
Anyway I think its the best way for me to incorporate all of these mediums.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Video Project Ideas

So I haven't finalized my idea but I do know that all that keeps coming to mind is a black and white or at least antiqued video. Maybe grab one of my friends and take them on a walk through fields and forests around the area. I also thought of asking one of my friends if we could take the puppies out f or a day and just have that be the video. I've found a lot of music I like on creative commons websites so the only issue would be sound. pretty sure it would be nat sound because I really want the black and white aspect where the image and music overlay are the main focus. I'm seeing something really artsy and I can't get away from it so I'm hoping that in talking to some friends I can get a better feel for what this is really going to be. I had also thought about doing a video for the Packing House taking video while I'm oout on saturday but I figured there would be a lot to deal with permission wise.
I've got some thinking to do.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Audio Slideshow


These are the recipes used for the slideshow.


SPINACH SALAD

INGREDIENTS:

1 bag of fresh baby spinach


1 cup of dried cranberries

¾ cup sliced almonds

Goat cheese to taste


CIDER VINAIGRETTE

2/3 cup vegetable or salad oil

1/3 cup cider vinegar

1 tsp. honey mustard

½ tsp. honey

¼ tsp. cilantro

¼ tsp. marjoram

Fresh ground salt and pepper

Blend well and shake before use.

SWEET POTATO BISQUE

INGREDIENTS:

6 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
3 3/4 cups chicken stock
small pinch ground nutmeg
1 1/2 sticks cinnamon, crushed
1 1/2 cloves
3/4 tablespoon maple syrup (or more to taste)
3/8 cup heavy cream
3/8 cup Dry Sack sherry
salt and pepper, to taste
whipped cream for garnish



PREPARATION:

Bring chicken stock, sweet potatoes, maple syrup and spices to a simmer. Simmer until sweet potatoes can be easily crushed. Puree and return to simmer. Add cream and sherry, return just barely to a simmer. Adjust seasonings with salt, pepper and more maple syrup to taste. Strain and serve, garnished with whipped cream and dash of cinnamon.


PORK ROAST (3 lbs)

RUB

3 Tbsp maple syrup

1/8 cup minced garlic

2 Tbsp. cumin

2 Tbsp. cayenne

Fresh ground salt and pepper to taste

VEGGIES FOR ROAST

1 sweet potato

1 small butternut squash

Half a bag of baby carrots

3 stalks of celery

2 medium onions

Baby carrots stay whole, everything else cut in large pieces

You will need 2/3 cup vegetable stalk for roasting

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Take pork out of packaging, rinse with water and pat dry. After mixing together the ingredients for the rub, generously cover the outside of the roast leaving the netting on. Once covered to your liking, set roast in a roasting pan and cook in uncovered for 20 mins. Take roast out of the oven and reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Place veggies in roasting pan around pork add vegetable stalk. Cover with tinfoil and place back in the oven for 45mins-1hr. Use a meat thermometer to check that meat is thoroughly cooked (at least 160 degrees in middle for pork). When ready let meat sit outside of the oven for 5-10 mins to allow settling.

Libbys Pumpkin Roll

Ingredients

· 1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)

· 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

· 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

· 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

· 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

· 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

· 1/4 teaspoon salt

· 3 large eggs

· 1 cup granulated sugar

· 2/3 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin

· 1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

· 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

· 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

· 6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

· 1/4 cup powdered sugar (optional)

Directions

1. PREHEAT oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle towel with powdered sugar.

2. COMBINE flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts.

3. BAKE for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.

4. BEAT cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake; remove towel. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

APPLE SAUCE

5 medium Cortland apples

1/3 cup water

1 Tbsp. cinnamon

1 or 2 tsp. maple syrup

Peel and cut apples. Reduce apple pieces in medium pot on stove with water cinnamon and maple syrup until apples have been cooked all the way through and can be easily mashed. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving with the pork.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

iReports critique

First one I looked at was simply a picture of carved pumpkins that lead into the shortest story I think I've ever seen. Basically this guy wants better results from Occupy Wallstreet. Wasn't very informative and didn't do him justice.

The second was a video about a voodoo ritual in Haiti. It had a viewers discretion block on it but I'm not sure I understand why. It was interesting trying to figure out what was happening because no one is narrating. A 14 year-old girl is leading the reporter through the ritual but its hard to tell what its about.

The third I watched was a music video apparently created to raise awareness to African people that they are not receiving good medication. It didn't describe which medications or what they are being used for but it the message was to make sure you are getting good medicine and not bad.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Menu Ideas

Cranberry Spinach Salad with homemade cider vinaigrette
Baby spinach, cranberries, sliced almonds and goat cheese.
looking for a vinaigrette recipe
Maple Sweet potato Bisque
Looking for a recipe

Autumn Pork Loin Roast with apples, sweet potatoes and cubed butternut squash
adding carrots, onions and maybe celery.
Rub for pork
coarse salt and pepper, cayenne, cumin, garlic maybe some ginger possibly maple. mixed with olive oil.

Pumpkin Roll with maple cream cheese filling

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Slideshow project preview

I'm thinking that I would do best with a cooking lesson. I love to cook and my friends and I were already looking forward to spending a day in my kitchen, so my thought is to do a full meal (haven't decided courses yet) and perhaps even a paired cocktail. We'd start with pics of grocery shopping for the day and then of all of us getting to work with specific pictures for certain instructions. I'm thinking of doing voice over for instructions and having music and/or us talking in the background. We'll probably have music playing anyway cuz we like to jam out like dorks when we're together. I have to get my friends' ok but that shouldn't be hard just difficult to get us all together with a full day to cook. But that's my plan for now, need to go make a menu.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Photo Gallery

http://www.photographysites.com/galleries/g514-travel.html

On this site there were many excellent photos but the problem was that the theme of the gallery didn't stay with each artist. You would have photos within the theme that all were cohesive but you didn't have them from one artist so you could not tell a story with them. Photo galleries can make a story but not always which is why I think slideshows are better for the average storytelling unless you are doing a photo editorial which is planned out to tell a story. There are plenty of photo coffee table books but the majority of the photos are accompanied by some text. With a slideshow you can automatically add the text into the slide making it more effective.

Slideshow with sound

http://animoto.com/sample-videos

It's Sample Video "Fun on the Go"

I love this one because it mixes all of the photos with some video as well so you capture the whole day. It also has catchy music in the background that gets you in a good mood and makes the experience of the photos that much better. I also like the text inserts that further the story of that day so you aren't guessing about whats happening.

More Slideshowing

http://mypicpals.com/view-slideshow.php?sid=214834

I realize I already have one without sound but I really liked this slideshow. I felt like it was more of a photo gallery in motion but it is a really neat idea. I've seen some of this artwork before but the people were new and entertaining.

Update 10/17/11

After reading the text I realize that it isn't a photo gallery by definition. A photo gallery is usually set up in thumbnail format therefore this is just another slide show.

Slideshow critique 1

http://www.slideshow.com/users/shine02396/ninja-trio--1196738850

I looked at this slideshow because I was once an anime geek and watch a few episodes of this particular anime.
I felt that the slides moved a bit too fast considering the amount of text that you need to read. Plus the images in the background sometimes made it difficult to read the text. I do like that pictures, especially the beginning one and the way the beginning pictures and the ending picture are similar so it provides a connection. I'm not sure having fall leaves as the background theme is appropriate for the anime but it doesn't look all that bad.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Some audio for podcast project

https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=c752c7aba1&view=att&th=132f5d220d5cf1de&attid=0.1&disp=safe&realattid=1382425869198980598-1&zw

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Podcast Viewing

The first podcast I looked at was actually a video podcast called Scam School and from what I watched they followed this one guy who scammed people or made them do impossible brainteasers. It was interesting at first but gets old after a while.
The second I found was only audio, called CD Baby, it puts together a collection of new music this group has discovered. They do it from all over and have a lot of variety and even started a sister podcast for the new metal music they have come across. This one was really neat because I love finding new music and this one is free.
The third one that I found, I thought it was going to be funny because its a comedy skit by Mark Maron called WTF? I didn't really find any of it to be funny, it was mostly him rambling and that got boring.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Interactive Map Project


View Health Scores-Saint Johnsbury, VT in a larger map

This is an interactive map or eight restaurants in St. Johnsbury Vermont. They range from Fast Food to High End dining experiences. All of the restaurant icons are accompanied by a picture, the health score they were given by the Health Department, their hours, and a brief paragraph of our experiences of eating at them. All of our restaurants scored above 80 points so they are clean and suitable places to eat. None of them scored a perfection 100 but I would imagine it would be difficult to reach a score of 100 in the food service industry.

This map was a collaborative effort among four students in Intro to Multi-Media Storytelling.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

NSNSports.net Critique

Nice Banner
Slideshow is Eye Catching
Has ads but all local and entertaining
Has networking specifically to the pages they want you to see
The articles aren't as eye catching but they are all there
Nice to have the upcoming games right at the top of the page

Sunday, September 18, 2011

School System Restaurant

School run restaurant, The Eatery, will be closing down at the end of the school year after a decade of service.

The Eatery originally began as a project for special-education students at the Ticonderoga County school. The students went to the restaurant during the day to learn about the food-service industry as they worked.

The school now has ties with about 80 other restaurants in the area where these students can get the same experience as at The Eatery but without the $20,000 to $50,000 price tag.

Accident At Subway Central

A 59 year old man died at Memorial Hospital yesterday after suffering a heart attack brought on by a vehicle crashing through the window of the restaurant he regularly patrons.

John Barker was seated in Subway Central Restaurant when 82 year old Annie Coulter's brakes failed on her car. She swerved to avoid hitting a pedestrian and ran the vehicle through the window.

There were minor cuts from flying glass but no other injuries were reported until Barker complained of chest pains and was transferred to the hospital.

Other Blog Critique

Blog: Funny Zone
URL: lmfao-zone.blogspot.com

It is at a high status
Has multiple ads
Simple in layout and concept but both work
Background doesn't match the theme of the blog
Simple humor that makes you laugh

CBS Atlanta Critiique

Easy to find headlines and recent footage.
Drop down menus for easy guidance.
Professional background but blends in with advertisements on top of the page as well as the sides.
Displays social networking tools to promote networking and adding their site to your regular routine.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Ticket for Dog Biting

Midville Police Department officers and an animal control officer found a 6-year-old boy at an apartment at 1240 Victor Ave. Thursday night with bite wounds around his ear and neck.

The child's wounds came from Gordy Jamison's dog, a Chow mix, who reportedly bit another small child last year. According to Daniel Wright, a MPD spokesman, Jamison was given a citation for violating leash law and the dog was quarantined for 10 days, after which Jamison got the dogs shots up to date and tags for the animal.

The child was treated for minor injuries at the Children's Hospital.

Jamison has been issued a citation for for owning a vicious dog.