We All Screen For Ice Cream

           Ice cream is something we all have come to know and love throughout the years. Here at Virginia Tech we are lucky enough to have our own creamery right here on campus. Today as I waited at Deet's to purchase me frozen treat, I began to think about where it can be traced back to For me ice cream makes me think of fun summers with friends, ice cream parties for town soccer, birthday parties and weekends at my family's house in New Hampshire. It brings back memories of childhood and happiness for me. Now science is showing that ice cream has the same effect on many people today.

Making ice cream seems like a simple process but its not. Ice cream is mainly a combination of milk fat, non-fat milk solids, sugar and air.  Along with these it also contains emulsifiers, which keep it smooth and stabilizers that hold the air bubble structure together for its texture. Due to these ingredients regulations are strict about what is actually considered ice cream and what is not. In recent years there has been a trend moving toward substitutes like frozen yogurt, because it is healthier then normal ice cream. Many chains like Pink Berry, The Frosty Parrot, Red Mango and Yogli Moogli are using this substitute to create places where people can serve themselves. This ensures that people can make whatever they want.

Ice cream contains ingredients that have different effects on the human body, which can be both physical and mental. The amino acids that make up the proteins, boosts neurotransmitters that make people for energetic and alert. Tryptophan is another neurotransmitter that is found in milk, but it has been found to lead to a calming effect due to increasing serotonin production. However many people, will eat ice cream when they are stressed and in this case those calming effects do not occur because of the stress being put onto the body.  Sugar that can make a person energetic can also be harmful. Since ice cream is contains a large quantity of sugar it can have a definite effect on a person's blood sugar levels. If it is too high signs can be depression, fatigue, blurred vision and irritability. The specific type of sugar found in most dairy products is lactose. Another problem associated with it are mood swings caused by having a mild allergy to it. With these health effects we need to be conscious that even though it tastes good we are being careful about what we put in our body.

           

http://www.livestrong.com/article/532951-how-ice-cream-affects-your-mood/

http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/edible-innovations/ice-cream.htm

Snowball fight of 2012

Today was the epic Corps of Cadets vs. Civilians snowball fight. To win the Cadets must be pushed off the drill field back to their dorms. It was a close mach filled with blood shed, and at the end it was a close call. The Cadets were pushed all the way to Upper Quad but not completely off the field. In past years there has been arguments for the Corps of Cadets to not have the snowball fight, because fights have broken out and civilians have been know to use rocks to throw at the Cadets. However it has continued because it is a part of the Virginia Tech tradition that has come to be a fun-filled event for the students.
I interviewed a friend that also lives in Slusher tower about her thoughts on the snowball fight. She said "I thought is was very fun and intense, with everyone chucking snowballs at me. It was a memorable experience with so many people being involved. I think that if a lot of people were getting hurt then I would understand shutting it down, but it is a fun tradition that I guess has sometimes gotten out of hand. "

Cattle in Society

Today I had to work with a yearling Hereford that I will halter break for a class. It got me thinking about what that means exactly. In history class we learned that horses were utilized by Native Americans for hunting buffalo and war. They learned that them and the horse could act as one unit, which was more efficient then just the person alone. However before this could happen the horses had to be as many say "broken." Where they learn to accept a person riding them and tack on their back. This takes time and patience. We are training our yearling to accept a halter on their face, a person leading them and basic human interaction.
People go about halter-breaking a number of ways. One is to tie the calf to a fence for short increments of time.  This teaches the calf to respect in halter, and the feeling or pressure of it on the calf's face. You can also keep the halter on the calf and let them walk and stand with it. This way when they step on it it applies pressure to the nose and chin area, but their head will also be jerked down. This will get the calf to stop fighting the halter and accept that when they pull on it they will get jerked back. After a while they learn not to pull at all. When you teach it to be led then start with little in a small pen and when the calf responds to you pulling it then give it slack as a reward. (Longhorn Network)
This can seem harsh or cruel in its methods, but its not if does responsibly. Cows and horses are large and powerful animals so some force must be taken or they will just overpower or ignore you. I see it as teaching the cattle how to interact with humans so that they can be handled safely. However sometimes it can be interpreted as breaking the animals spirit which couldn't be farther from the truth. It is about trust and human and beast working as one, like they used to when it first started.