So I was going to write another kitschy column about how I’ve morphed into a frat bro. It was going to be pretty great, too, replete with mid-’90’s hip-hop references and copious use of the phrases “legit,” “bro” and “yo.” But I am experiencing a brief bout of self-righteousness, so please excuse this foray into the semiserious. Don’t worry: Next time I will return to talking about myself.

It probably comes as no surprise that college students make up one of the unhealthiest demographics in the country. Part of it comes from the “invincibility-complex” that plagues every incoming freshman. Trust me, I’ve been there. I can’t even begin to count how many times I headed to class in shorts and a t-shirt when the temperatures were below freezing outside. But then when you graduate, you realize just how senseless you were all those days and you finally understand that if you actually took a few seconds to take care of yourself that you wouldn’t have been sick as often as you were.

There are two unavoidable truths that many people don’t tell you, and if they do, you’re bound not to take them too seriously. The first is that the more you stress, the more you spend. The second is that the more you stress — unless monitoring it greatly (which can also be another factor for stress, right?) — the crappier you eat. Because there’s no time to do otherwise, and when there is, you’re just too tired to cook something healthier.

There are two unavoidable truths that many people don’t tell you, and if they do, you’re bound not to take them too seriously. The first is that the more you stress, the more you spend. The second is that the more you stress — unless monitoring it greatly (which can also be another factor for stress, right?) — the crappier you eat. Because there’s no time to do otherwise, and when there is, you’re just too tired to cook something healthier.

OK, so that’s not exactly true, which may be why the children’s book of the same name didn’t do nearly as well as its predecessor. Still, peeing is of great importance — it is number one, after all — and there’s probably a lot that you do and don’t know about it.

For example, you might not know what gives urine its particular color, but you most likely know that public urination is acceptable for dogs and not for humans. I could start off this column with some humorous personal anecdotes, but I don’t want to be scolded for “unprofessionalism,” so let’s just dive right in:

My pee is yellow

With a tense health care debate dividing our country, our communities and even our families, I would like to take an opportunity to share a personal and rather ironic story, a rare instance of the existing health care system simultaneously demonstrating its inefficiency while saving my family and health insurance company a substantial sum of money. I really hope my personal experiences shed light on the importance of restructuring our nation’s health care system.

Although there has been no reported case of swine flu at Cornell or in Tompkins County, members of the Cornell community should “be alert and cautious but not panic,” according to Sharon Dittman, associated director of community relations at Gannett Health Services.

As of yesterday, 45 cases of swine flu have been confirmed in at least five states in the United States, including New York. Because it is a new strain of influenza, people are unlikely to have natural immunity against the flu, which is passed from human to human, according to Gannett’s website.

Dittman said that symptoms of the swine flu are “basically identical” to those of seasonal flu, which include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue.

Cornell Global Development Club hosted the University’s first Summit on International Women’s Issues in Global Health and Development this past Saturday in Goldwin Smith Hall. Approximately 200 graduate and undergraduate students, professors, health professionals, civic leaders and women’s rights advocates gathered to discuss the challenges that women presently face around the world.

Last spring, Vanessa Coleman ’10, former president of the club, came up with the idea of holding a conference that would just focus on women’s issues. Current Club President Carrie Bronsther ’10 explained that the goals of the conference were to shed light on the international crimes against women that had often gone unheard, promote the sharing of ideas and get people motivated to take action.

For more than a handful of food industry executives, T. Colin Campbell, nutritional sciences, is public enemy number one.

“It’s really between me and the dairy industry,” he said.

Campbell is the son of a dairy farmer and the first in his family to attend college. He grew up glugging milk like any good Virginian farm boy. Why, then, is he a self-described heretic in the nutrition community?

Campbell is a professor emeritus in nutritional sciences, but he is known worldwide for his best-selling book The China Study. Co-authored by Campbell’s son Thomas ’99, The China Study places Campbell’s most famous project within the context of his research at large.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Tom Daschle withdrew Tuesday as President Barack Obama's nominee to be health and human services secretary, dealing potential blows to both speedy health care reform and Obama's hopes for a smooth start in the White House.

"Now we must move forward," Obama said in a written statement accepting "with sadness and regret" Daschle's request to be removed from consideration. A day earlier, Obama had said he "absolutely" stood by Daschle in the face of problems over back taxes and potential conflicts of interest.