1E& /AeMMkIfemJd 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

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