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Eva Kor
Emma Gomes, Staff Writer
On Wednesday Feb. 21,
Meredith’s Communication Ciub
wiii host a iive video chat with
Eva Mozes Kor, who wiii share
her story and view of the power of
forgiveness. This tooi has heiped
Eva Kor heai and iive a purposefui
iife where she educates others on
“the importance of never giving
up, the dangers of prejudice, and
the need for genocide prevention
today” (candieshoiocaustmuseum.
org). The live video chat will take
place in the Jones Chapel at 10
am. This live-stream presentation
and discussion qualifies as an
Academic/Cultural Event in
General Education.
Eva Mozes Kor was born
on January 31,1934 in Portz,
Romania. A decade later, Eva
Kor and her family arrived at the
Auschwitz concentration camp,
where they faced the devastating
aftermath of being separated from
one another. Eva Kor and her twin
sister, Miriam Mozes Zeiger, were
noticed by a Nazi soldier who
allowed them to remain together.
They and others were referred
to as “Mengele twins” and were
subject to Dr. Mengele’s genetic
experiments. Although Eva did
become severely sick, they both
survived the heinous genetic
experiments they were forced to
be a part of.
Cn Jan. 27, 1945, the
Soviet Union liberated Auschwitz.
Although Eva Mozes Kor lost
her childhood and faced many
tragedies due to the Nazi regime
and the terrifying events that took
place in Auschwitz, when Eva
came face to face with a Nazi
doctor, Dr. Munch, in 1993, she
found the power within herself to
forgive him.
She views forgiveness
as a form of self-healing. In
1984, Eva Mozes Kor, alongside
Miriam Mozes Zieger, founded the
CANDLES Holocaust Museum
and Education Center in Terre
Haute, Indiana, in search of other
surviving Mengele twins. To learn
more about her advocacy work
and ways to help, check out the
official website of CANDLES at
candlesholocaustmuseum.org.
The Last Plastic Straw
Huma Hashmi, Staff Writer
The Last Plastic Straw
is a project of Plastic Pollution
Coalition.
By some estimates,
Americans throw away 500 million
plastic straws a day. In only the
past twenty years, people have .
come to expect plastic straws
in every drink, in an example of
extreme waste being generated
for minimal convenience. Straws
and other plastics cause harm to
marine life in many ways. Birds,
fish and other sea life consume
plastics accidentally or when they
mistake it for food. Plastics don’t
biodegrade. They break down into
finer microscopic pieces. After the
first use, these tools are usually
discarded without further thought,
becoming a part of the plastic
pollution problem.
The Last Plastic Straw
movement seeks to activate
citizens through a grassroots
campaign to encourage individuals
to push for change in restaurant
protocol and practices in their local
communities around the world.
This movement begins with
the consumer, and as a consumer,
take a stand and say no to plastic
strawsi Request no plastic straw
at restaurants, and try to convince
others to do so as well. If this
seems hard, let’s maybe do it on
#SkiptheStraw Day this Friday,
Feb. 23. With approaches from
students, local coffee shop. Lucky
Tree is currently participating in
this challenge.
If this doesn’t seem
like enough in the face of the
gargantuan plastic monster,
there are even more things that
we can do. Make a personal
commitment to say “no” to plastic
straws. Whenever ordering a drink,
politely request “no straw, please.”
Encourage your friends and family
to take the pledge, too! If you
want to take your impact even
further, use your own paper, glass,
bamboo, or stainless steel straw
instead, and start a conversation.
Try to reach out to some local
eateries in your neighborhood or
town and ask them to change their
protocol to only serve straws upon
request.
* Encourage those same
eateries to make a change to non
plastic straw options - like paper,
glass, or stainless steel - if diners
do request a straw. A good option
would be advocating for Aardvark
straws, FDA food grade paper
straws, to restaurants. Another
suggestion is to host a screening
of STRAWS the film in your
community, which Meredith has
already done at the documentary
film festival in January.
Consider how you can help
reduce plastic waste from straws
today!
What You Need to Know About the Flu
Tishya Robertson, Staff Writer
Flu season is upon us, and
there are a few types of people:
those who are flu survivors making
up for the work they missed,
people who aren’t thinking about
the flu at all, and those who are
frantically washing their hands and
taking vitamin C more often than
necessary. Unfortunately, Meredith
College is not immune to the flu.
Here are some common questions
about the flu, answered by Dr.
Mary Johnson, Director of Health
Services.
Is it too late to get the flu shot?
No, it’s never too late! You may
have some trouble finding the
vaccine right now because it is late
in the season, but call a few local
pharmacies to get one.
What strains are covered by the
fiu shot and who even decides
that?
Twice a year, the World Health
Organization meets with
representatives of key national
laboratories and academies. They
review the results of flu studies and
the availability of vaccine viruses,
then make recommendations on ’
the composition of the influenza
vaccine. Meetings take place in
February for the selection of the
upcoming Northern Hemisphere’s
seasonal influenza vaccine and
in September for the Southern
Hemisphere’s vaccine. WHO
recommends specific vaccine
viruses for inclusion in influenza
vaccines, but then each country
makes their own decision about
which viruses should be included
for their country. In the United
States, the Food and Drug
Administration makes the final
decision about flu vaccines in the
U.S. every February.
There are even two kinds of
flu vaccines: trivalent and
quadrivalent. The trivalent one
protects against three strains of
the virus: HI N1, H3N2, and the
Victoria lineage of the B virus. The
quadrivalent one (that Meredith
offered) contains the same
strains as the trivalent shot plus
the Yamagata lineage of the B
virus. Although the trivalent one
is cheaper, the vaccine offered
varies depending on where you
get it.
Does the flu shot cause the flu?
No. Unfortunately, people assume
that because they got sick after
getting the vaccine, the shot
caused their illness. The vaccine
is made from inactivated virus and
it cannot transmit infection. People
that develop an illness after
receiving a flu vaccination were
likely going to get sick anyway. It
can take up to two weeks to get
protection from the vaccine. The
purpose of a flu shot is to expose
your body to a non-infectious
version of the virus so your body
can develop protective antibodies
without you having to battle the
actual fiu.
How can you stay well during
flu season?
Wash your hands. Stay away
from people who are sick. Take
Vitamin C and Zinc. Get a good
night’s sleep. Decrease your
stress levels. Exercise. Eat
healthy Wash your hands!
Can you get the flu more than
once a year?
While rare, it is possible to get
one of the strains of the flu and
then contract the another strain
as there are many influenza virus
strains active each season.
For more information about the
flu and other wellness topics,
check our Student Health 101 at
meredith.edu/sh101 and follow @
SHIOIatMeredith on Instagram.
If you are experiencing flu-like
symptoms, visit the Health Center
in the first floor of Carroll Hall.
*These questions were submitted
by students and faculty on January
31, 2018.
MEREDITH