Solon: Penalize hospitals engaged in work experience for sale

A lawmaker wants to impose penalty against hospitals owners who are demanding payments from nursing graduates that want to gain work experience required for employment abroad. “No matter how the hospital administrators call the pernicious practice—training, skills building, volunteer work or whatever—what they are doing is plain and simple exploitation,” said Rep. Edgar San Luis (4th District, Laguna), author of House Bill 5985. San Luis said these nurses are obliged to pay the hospitals in exchange for work experience. The bill seeks to penalize public and private hospitals that demand payment from graduate nurses in exchange for actual nursing experience gained while working in a particular hospital. Violators faces the penalty of not more than one year and a fine of not more than P100,000. The penalty shall be imposed on the president, treasurer, or any other person responsible for the violation if the offender is an association, corporation or any other juridical person. For the first offense, a warning shall be issued to the hospital; for the second offense, suspension of license to operate for a period of not less than six months and cancellation of license for the third offense. Any post graduate nurse who shall be required by a hospital to pay in violation of this Act shall be refunded the full amount paid to the hospital plus interest of six percent per annum till fully paid. A salary equivalent to not less than the minimum wage or as may be fixed by the court shall be paid by the hospital for services rendered. San Luis said nursing job opportunities are scarce in the country because of oversupply of nurses prompting many of them to look for jobs in other countries. He said that in 2008 the total number of nursing graduates has reached more than 67,000 and of those who took the June 2008 nursing board examinations, only 27,765 passed. Furthermore, of the 70,000 nursing graduates in 2007, half of them are still unemployed, he added. San Luis said more and more nursing graduates end up unemployed while many of them shifted to work in call centers, retail stores and other non-professional positions. “Those who are lucky enough to land employment abroad usually end up as caregivers, dental assistants or nursing aides,” he said.

SOURCE

Filipinos welcome Swiss Parliament proposal to hire Pinoy nurses

News clip lifted from News.ch

AARGAU, SWITZERLAND — The Filipino community is elated over published news reports that the Swiss Parliament is set to discuss the hiring of Filipino nurses to help address Switzerland’s problem of its aging population.

The Swiss Federal Statistics Office had forecast that by 2050 the number of people over 65 would rise by 90 per cent to 2.2 million, or 27 per cent of the population. The current population of Switzerland is 7.7 million.

Hence the growing demand for nursing care in the country’s Alterheims (homes for the elderly), Pflegeheims (nursing homes) and in hospital geriatric wards.

Up to 30 percent of the current nurses are already Ausländer (foreigners), mostly coming from European Union neighbors Germany and France.

But Frank Wyss, secretary of the health directors’ conference of Switzerland, said the EU itself is already missing a trained workforce in nursing care, according to a news item from the German-language “Sonntag Zeitung” this month.

Wyss said health directors had opened the possibility of recruiting a nursing workforce from even far-away lands such as the Philippines.

“Filipinas are well-trained and educated and they are training more nursing staff than they need themselves,” was how Wyss defended the proposal.

The small community of Filipino nurses here said there is certainly room for more.

“Palagay ko sa aming station kailangan pero hindi ko pa alam, kasi marami ring mag-retire ngayon. Hindi ko alam kung kailan pero talagang kailangan pa ng nurse dito,” said nurse Romy Bocalon, who has worked 17 years in a psychiatric hospital in the canton.

Lilibeth Ladaga, one of the 14 Pinoy nurses and three nursing aides in the same hospital added “natuwa talaga kami nung narinig naming, dahil siyempre may makapasok na bagong Pilipina nurses. Alam mong dito sa amin, gusto nila ang Pilipino nurses dahil magagaling mag-trabaho at masipag.”

News clip lifted from 20 Minuten Online

Advantages
Aside from good training and education, the Pinoy nurses enumerated the advantages of Filipinos over other nationals.

“Sa trabaho maaasahan talaga tayo, masisipag. Kuntento sila (patients) sa atin, mababait daw tayo, matiyaga, magaling mag-pasensiya,” said nurse Lucy Camay who works in Brugg, Aargau.

Concerns were raised by the Swiss over nursing care standards following a recent case of mistreatment and abuse of an elderly psychiatric patient in a hospital in Zürich. Nurses had reportedly ordered the patient to strip and dance naked and had taken photographs of the patient using a mobile phone. The incident raising raised howls of protest over the country.

But Lucy Camay said this would never happen with Filipino nurses “dahil masyadong pasensyoso tayo at iba ang ugali natin.”

Language as a requirement
But the nurses said newcomers would have to learn the local language in Switzerland, which has German, French, and Italian-speaking cantons, and even Swiss Reto-Romanish parts.

“German talaga (ang gamit), ang halo French o kaya Italian. Pero mostly German. At Schweizer-German pa. Hindi lang German, mas malalim pa,” said Camay.

“Karamihan sa mga tao dito hindi marunong mag-Ingles, kaya kailangan talaga ‘yang German sa mga pasyente at sa pagsulat, at saka sa interview ng mga doctors at sa lahat-lahat pa,” Bocalon said

They said however, newcomers can learn the language through intensive six-to-12-month courses or through in-work language trainings offered by employers.

An estimated 15,000 Filipinos live and work in Switzerland, most of them in the main cities of Zürich, Geneva, Basel and Bern. There is a Philippine Embassy in Bern and a consulate in Geneva, although there is also an honorary Consul-General based in Basel.

By BRADY EVIOTA, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau | 04/01/2009 11:52 AM

SOURCE

INS Provides New Guidance On H-1B Visas For Registered Nurses

Immigration and Naturalization Service Associate Executive Commissioner Johnnie Williams has issued a field guidance memorandum that for the first time clarifies when a nurse will be eligible for an H-1B nonimmigrant work visa. The memorandum is critical because if a nurse cannot qualify for an H-1B visa, the nurse must wait for a green card to be processed. This means that instead of being able to come in to the US to work for an employer in two to twelve weeks, a nurse could wait eighteen to twenty-four months to enter the US.

The INS made it clear that normal RN positions will not qualify for H-1B visas unless the state where the nurse seeks a license requires a bachelor’s degree. Currently, only North Dakota requires a bachelor’s degree for RNs. The INS did, however, list a number of positions that might qualify for an H-1B visa and the new guidance will hopefully lead to greater consistency in reviewing H-1B petitions.

The following is a summary of the memorandum. The text of the actual memorandum is attached for your review.

General Requirements

In order to qualify for an H-1B visa, an employer of a nurse must show the following:

1. a bachelor’s or higher degree (or its equivalent) is normally the minimum requirement for entry into the position;

2. the degree requirement is common to the industry for parallel nursing positions (i.e., employers in the same industry require their employees to hold the degree when they are employed in the same or a similar position);

3. the employer normally requires a degree or its equivalent for the position or the nature of the position’s duties is so specialized and complex that the knowledge required to perform the duties is usually associated with the attainment of a bachelor’s or higher degree (or its equivalent).

Employers who can meet these requirements can apply for an H-1B visa.

Advance Practice Registered Nurses

The INS also discusses specific nurse positions. First, advance practice registered nurses (APRNs) will generally qualify for H-1B visas because these are advanced level positions requiring more education and training than the typical RN. An employer may require that the prospective employees hold advanced practice certification as one of the following: clinical nurse specialist (CNS), certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA), certified nurse-midwife (CNM), or certified nurse practitioner (APRN-certified). If the APRN position also requires that the employee be certified in that practice, then the nurse will be required to possess an RN, at least a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), and some additional graduate level education.

The INS lists the following positions that will normally qualify for an H-1B visa:

• Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS): Acute Care, Adult, Critical Care, Gerontological, Family, Hospice and Palliative Care, Neonatal, Pediatric, Psychiatric and Mental Health-Adult, Psychiatric and Mental Health-Child, and Women’s Health

• Nurse Practitioner (NP): Acute Care, Adult, Family, Gerontological, Pediatric, Psychiatric & Mental Health, Neonatal, and Women’s Health.

• Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA); and

• Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM).

Administrative Positions

The INS will also approve H-1B visas for certain administrative nurse positions. According to the INS memorandum, “upper level nurse managers” in hospital administration positions may work for H-1B visas since these positions usually require bachelor’s degrees. Nursing Services Administrators should work since these positions involve supervisory functions and they typically require a graduate degree in nursing or health administration.

States that Require Bachelors Degrees

As noted above, the INS will consider an H-1B visa to be appropriate for any RN if the state where the nurse’s position is requires a bachelor’s degree. Right now only North Dakota has such a requirement. This raises the intriguing possibility of making North Dakota a gateway for employers seeking to bring nurses to the US quickly. Two possible scenarios come to mind:

1. A nurse contractor establishes an office in North Dakota and petitions for the nurse to enter North Dakota for their initial orientation with the contractor employer. The employer then files for an I-140 and concurrently files for an I-485 petition and employment authorization document. After the employment document is approved, the nurse could then move to a different state.

2. North Dakota health care facilities and employers can take advantage of this loophole and have easy access to foreign nurses. They can then take advantage of this unique market position and potentially spin off their own staffing companies or cut deals with existing staffing companies to contract their nurse employees to health care facilities around the country using the I-140/I-485 process noted above.

Specialized Nurse Positions

Aside from the Advanced Practice Registered Nurses noted above, nurses in certain specialized areas may file for H-1Bs. The INS specifically cites critical care and peri-operative (operating room) nurses as two examples of positions requiring a higher degree of knowledge and skill than a typical RN or staff nurse position. The INS indicates that passing a certification examination for a particular type of position is an important indicator. Examples of these types of certification examinations are school health, occupational health, rehabilitation nursing, emergency room nursing, critical care, operating room, oncology and pediatrics.

Such nurses should meet the general requirements noted above. Evidence to show these requirements could include affidavits from independent experts or other means showing that the job duties are so specialized and complex that a bachelor’s or higher degree is appropriate. The INS notes that these cases will be adjudicated on a case-by-case basis so the outcome of such applications is far from certain.

READ MORE

6 Natural Tips for Deep Sleep

Would you like to sleep like a baby without taking drugs? Americans spend upwards of 3 billion dollars a year on sleep medications, but to avoid the side effects, there are a number of natural remedies you can try first. Read on to learn some of the ways to get a good quality night’s sleep.

1. Relaxing Rituals to Rest Easy
In Chinese Medicine, nighttime is yin time—or, simply, when the body takes care of itself instead of your desires. Proper sleep is required for your body to repair itself and regenerate. To reach deep, restful sleep, your spirit and heart must be calm. Excessive worry, anxiety, and depression can all disturb the spirit and activate the mind—making it near impossible to fall asleep and stay asleep. Rituals to sooth your spirit and induce a sleep response before bed include soaking your feet in Epson salts for 15 minutes, writing all of your thoughts in a journal to get them out of your head, and practicing relaxation before bed, like the Stress Release meditation below.

2. When Food Disturbs Sleep
When you eat late, you wake up tired. Your body will be busy digesting your dinner while you are trying to sleep, so you won’t feel rested in the morning. Do not eat anything for at least three hours before bedtime. Also, cut back on eating bacon, cheese, chocolate, ham, potatoes, tomatoes, and sausage, especially before bed. These foods contain tyramine, which inhibits neurochemicals like norepinephrine and can cause insomnia. And, of course if you have sleep problems, caffeine should be cut out.

Eat for sleep! Try eating more grains at dinner; carbohydrates tend to make people sleepy. Another snooze snack is a warm cup of milk; because milk is rich in the amino acid tryptophan, it can sometimes aid in deep sleep. Mix in natural vanilla flavoring for a soothing snack. Or if you prefer, eat 1 cup of natural yogurt an hour before bedtime.

3. A Peaceful Place for Sleep
Your sleeping environment makes a huge difference to the quality of your sleep. Do everything you can to create a quiet and cozy atmosphere. Ideally, your bedroom should be located in the quietest area of your home. Keep the décor minimal. Lighting should be dim and any music that is played should be soothing. Research has found that lavender, vanilla, and green apple are among the best scents to help lower anxiety and induce sleep, making these smells a good choice for a scented candle or heated essential oil. Try to limit your pets to outside of the bedroom because their movements will keep with your body from fully relaxing into deep R. E. M. sleep. As much as possible, your bedroom should be only for sleep.

4. Exercise Enables Sleep
People with regular exercise routines often sleep better and have fewer incidents of insomnia than those don’t get regular physical activity. Exercise promotes sleep and improves sleep quality by altering brain chemistry. Exercising moderately for 20 to 30 minutes three times a day, combined with meditation or tai chi in the evening, will not only help you fall and stay asleep, but will also increase the amount of time you spend in R.E.M. sleep. In fact, for some people, exercise alone is enough to overcome sleep problems. Exercise in the morning or afternoon, but do not exercise for at least two hours before bed.

5. Herbs to Sleep Tight
A calming tea before bedtime can ensure a good night’s sleep. Drink valerian or passionflower (or passiflora) tea before bedtime every night for one month. Simply steep 1 to 2 tablespoons of the dried herbs in one cup of hot water and drink just before bed. Or look for one with the traditional Chinese herbs zizyphus or jujube seed, bamboo shavings, and oyster shell, which soothe the mind and spirit.

You might also try Calm-Fort/Sleep formula with useful herbs like lily bulbs, polygala and turmeric that help manage stress and calm the spirit while relieving restlessness and insomnia.

6. A Sleep-Friendly Meditation
I had one patient with insomnia who also felt anxious and even a little depressed. In addition to acupuncture and herbal therapies, I decided to teach her a stress release meditation that she could do before bedtime to help with her anxiety. I am happy to report that she is now sleeping like a baby.

Try this Stress Release meditation, which works for the majority of my patients who have sleeping problems:

Sit comfortably or lie down on your back. Slow your respiration to deep, abdominal breathing. Utter the word “calm” in your mind with every exhalation. Focus on relaxing each area of your body in sequence, from the top of your head to your toes. Starting with the top of your head, inhale and then exhale while visualizing your scalp muscles relaxing. Say “calm” in your mind. Repeat this with each body part as you move down through all body parts, front, back, and sides, in succession: your face, throat, chest, arms, stomach, abdomen, thighs, knees, legs, ankles, until finally you reach your feet.  When you’ve relaxed your feet, visualize all the tension in your body leaving through your toes as dark smoke. Practice this for at least 15 minutes before bedtime.

It will have you sleeping in no time. If you do better with meditative visualizations that are narrated, try my Stress Release CD.

I hope you find the ways to resting easy and waking up refreshed!

May you stay healthy, live long, and live happy!

-Dr. Mao

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To learn more about Dr. Mao and other natural health tips, go to askdrmao.com.

By Dr. Maoshing Ni – Posted on Tue, Apr 07, 2009, 2:36 pm PDT

World’s Strangest Laws

Driving shirtless, strolling in your swimsuit, or just forgetting to flush the loo: Here are some odd laws that can get you in trouble around the world

By Katrina Brown Hunt

No Feeding Pigeons

Italy

Laws here are city-specific, and Venice takes issues with pigeons speckling their beloved buildings with pigeon poop. Likewise, officials don’t appreciate tourists adding to the crowd and mess in St. Marks Square by feeding said pigeons. They also don’t want visitors sitting around shirtless, climbing into fountains, or even sitting on the sidewalk eating a sandwich. In Rome, climbing into fountains to cool off causes similar stress.

Penalty: At first, just a warning; fines can reach up to $600, though probably no more than $50 or $60 if you pay quickly. “The local police are quite tolerant about tourists feeding pigeons just to take a picture,” says a Venice spokesman.

Stopping On the Autobahn

Germany

As though driving the autobahn in Germany weren’t daunting enough, the laws add other risks. Running out of gas on the legendary highway is illegal — and your troubles snowball from there. Say you do find the needle on “E” and have to pull over to hoof it, in pursuit of gas. Walking along the autobahn is illegal, too… not to mention terrifying.

Penalty: A little under $100 for endangering other drivers — once for running out of gas, and again for walking.

Driving Shirtless

Thailand

Don’t let the tropical weather tempt you to joy ride with your shirt off in Thailand. Police can (and do) hand out tickets if they spot you topless while driving a car or motorcycle.

Penalty: A mere slap on the wrist (or sun-burned shoulders). Tickets go for a few hundred baht (about $10).

Paying in Pennies

Canada

Canada’s Currency Act of 1985 sets out the guidelines for how coins should be used, including reasonable limits for the shelling out of endless coins. What’s reasonable? Don’t try using all coins to buy something that costs $10, or even using all one-dollar coins (sometimes called “loonies”) to pay for an item that costs more than $25. But then, what kind of loonie wants to carry so many coins anyway?

Penalty: If the seller actually wants to take all your pennies, he can, but by law he can also tell you to scram.

No Kissing at Train Stations

France and England

By some accounts, April 5, 1910 was the day romance died on French railways: Kissing was reportedly banned to help deter lover-induced rail delays. But the law seems to be unheard of today. “Are you sure this isn’t a law in Great Britain?” a French spokeswoman at the consulate asked us. What a coincidence: It turns out that Virgin Trains has recently posted “No Kissing” signs at its station in Warrington Bank Quay, in northwest England.

Penalty: While there’s no penalty now for train-related kissing in France, the folks at Warrington Bank Quay will politely ask you to move your smooching to the designated “kissing zone” near the car park.

Driving a Dirty Car

Moscow

Some say this is just an excuse for Moscow police to over-ticket drivers, but you should still watch the filth factor on your rental car. How dirty is dirty? That’s unclear. A recent newspaper survey explored the idea of how to even define “dirty” — almost half said a car was too filthy if you couldn’t read the license plate, while 9 percent said the determining factor was if you couldn’t see the driver.

Penalty: You can get a ticket. Fines might be, shall we say, open to interpretation. Here is a case where you might politely offer to pay the officer up front — $100 should cover it — and be on your way.

Strolling in a Bathing Suit

Grenada

Visiting cruise-ship passengers have gotten under the skin of the local police in Grenada, who cringe at tourists walking off the beach during their shore excursions and into town wearing nothing but their swimsuits. The police chief instituted a fine, and supposedly has also expressed interest in fining folks who wear their jeans too low.

Penalty: In theory, a $270 ticket, though the tourist board assures us that they don’t think it has really been enforced.

Driving With Headlights Off

Denmark

Renting a car? You must always drive with headlights on, says the law in Denmark, to distinguish you from a parked car. Do the Danes really drive so slow that there’d be any confusion? Actually, studies have found that other drivers are more aware of surrounding vehicles when other cars’ lights are on, thus reducing accidents. The law may get adopted across the European Union.

Penalty: Driving without headlights will get you a fine of a little under $100.

Chewing Gum

Singapore

Feeding birds, spitting, and not flushing public toilets will also get you in trouble. Singapore’s most quirky-seeming laws stem from the government’s well-meaning desire to keep things tidy — and let’s face it, gum wads, pigeon droppings, and unflushed toilets aren’t pretty. The infamous gum law actually loosened up in 2004, and Nicorette is now legal (though you have to get it through a doctor and they take down names). Selling regular gum is more of a problem than just casually chewing it, a spokesman says. And more changes are on the way: Gambling will become legal later in 2009, and you can now legally dance on top of bars.

Penalty: About $100 a ticket, especially for leaving a toilet un-flushed; many public loos auto-flush, we learned, but it’s wise to double-check on your way out.

My Pitchie

Pitchie is turning 2 months this April 19, 2009.

She’s very very cute. Hihi.

What Kind of Diseases Make OFWs Unfit to Work?

Employers have to make sure that all their workers are in good physical condition. A healthy worker is considered an asset in the workplace because the fact that they are free of diseases assures the excellent quality of their work performance.

For this reason, all overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) go through a rigorous medical examination before their employment

documents can be processed. Patients who are diagnosed with a disease face the risk of being stamped unfit to work, and lose the opportunity to work abroad.

It is therefore important to be aware of the list of diseases that would make OFWs unfit to work in Gulf countries. This was recently announced by the Gulf Cooperation Council-(GCC) Accredited Medical Clinics Association (Gamca). The OFWs and other foreign workers from other Asian countries are required to pass the medical tests conducted only by Gamca clinics.

Countries included in the GCC are the following: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The list of diseases that make OFWs unfit to work in GCC countries are the following:

Infectious category
HIV/AIDS reactive
Hepatitis B surface antifgen, HCV reactive
Microfilaria positive and malaria blood film positive, known leprosy patients
Tuberculosis – any type, X-ray showing active PTB, past evidence of PTB or healed • Pulmonary scar, including minimum fibrosis, calcification (granuloma) pleural thickening, pleural effusion, tuberculosis lymphadenitis
VDRL/TPHA reactive

Non-infectious category
Chronic renal failure
Chronic hepatitis failure
Congestive heart failure
Hypertension
Diabetes mellitus
Known case of cancer
Psychiatric disease and neurological disorders
Physical disabilities, i.e. color blindness, deafness

Source:

http://nursingguide.ph/article_item-490/What_Kind_of_Diseases_Make_OFWs_Unfit_to_Work_.html

Nurses Abroad Warned of Overfriendliness

PDOS Advisory no 004

Series of 2009

All prospective overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and returning OFWs are reminded of cultural peculiarities in dealing with foreign nationals. Our penchant for overly expressing out friendliness/ closeness through physical contact or “touching” (pagkalabit o pagyakap-yakap o paghawak-hawak) may be wrongfully interpreted as sexual harassment, sexual advance or uncalled-for friendliness.

This advisory is being issued to prevent further repetition of such incident, which ended up with a female Filipino nurse in London, England being hailed to court but was fortunately proven innocent of the charge of sexual harassment.

Carmelina F. Velasquez

Director IV, FIMO-PDOS

All prospective overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and returning OFWs are reminded of cultural peculiarities in dealing with foreign nationals.

Source:

http://www.nursingguide.ph/

Best Foods for a Flat Belly

What if someone told you that the way you eat could whittle your waistline? Sure, you’d think. Give up carbs and rely on rabbit food. Not true! I’m happy to tell you that there are other, yummier ways to go. Certain foods and styles of eating can indeed help flatten your belly (and everywhere else, for that matter). Try these tips and you’ll uncover an amazing middle in no time.

Gimme a C: I love pink grapefruit and that’s a good thing, since research has found that foods that are naturally rich in vitamin C—think citrus fruit, cantaloupe and red peppers—can help reduce fat absorption. In fact, skip it and you may see your middle expand, since diets low in vitamin C have been linked to bigger waistlines. Meet your daily goal of 75 milligrams by snacking on an orange or a cup of strawberries. See how these small changes can add up to big results.

Tea up: Women with the highest consumption of catechins, the plant-based antioxidants in tea that may boost fat burn, put on fewer pounds over 14 years than those who drank less tea, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reveals. Try to choose green or white varieties, which contain the most catechins. Learn how to maximize the benefits of tea and other superfoods.

Peel it off: Reach for a banana and you’ll banish bloat faster than you can say Buddha belly. The fruit contains 422 mg of potassium, which controls the amount of puff-producing sodium in your system. Toss a banana in your bag for a fabulous ab-flattening snack. Try our Flat Abs Fast plan for more bloat-reducing tips and tricks.

Go low: Consuming just one meal of low-glycemic-index foods, those that your body digests slowly, can help you feel fuller all day so you’re less likely to pack your tummy with treats, a study in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition reports. Low-GI foods include oatmeal and vegetables (sorry, not potatoes), as well as some fruit like grapefruit and blueberries. Oatmeal Meatballs are a tasty way to curb cravings.

Stroll away your sweet craving: Loco for cocoa? Me, too. A little dark chocolate is fine, but if you’ve already hit your limit, try lacing up your sneakers! Chocolate lovers who walked for 15 minutes reported reduced hankerings during the walk and even afterward, according to a study in the journal Appetite.

Ditch high-fructose corn syrup: Scan labels and you’re likely to see high-fructose corn syrup on many ingredient lists…even on things like tomato sauce! When you do, put down that jar and look for something else. Why? High-fructose corn syrup can cause a surge in your blood sugar, and some research suggests it messes up your hunger and satiety signals, like leptin, leaving you less satisfied and causing you to eat more. When leptin responses fail, it’s tougher to control appetite. The result: Extra calories get deposited as fat. To prevent this, trade packaged foods with high-fructose corn syrup for ones with healthy fats and fiber—think veggies, hummus, nuts or sunflower seeds.

Snap your snack: Taking a photo of your plateful of food can keep you slim. People who took pictures of everything they ate for five days reported consuming fewer snacks and being less likely to go back for seconds than during a week-long period in which they kept a written food diary, a study from the University of Wisconsin at Madison finds. Try capturing your meals for a week to help eyeball portion sizes as well as color variety—aim for more green, less white (unless it’s cauliflower). See an example of this, and get ideas for healthy, photo-worthy meals of your own, at Eat Like Me.

Conficker survival guide

It’s April 1 — is D-Day for Conficker, as whatever nasty paylpacking is currently set to activate. What happens come midnight is a mystery: Will it turn the millions of infected computers into spam-sending zombie robots? Or will it start capturing everything you type — passwords, credit card numbers, etc. — and send that information back to its masters?

No one knows, but we’ll probably find out soon.

Or not. As Slate notes, Conficker is scheduled to go “live” on April 1, but whoever’s controlling it could choose not to wreak havoc but instead do absolutely nothing, waiting for a time when there’s less heat. They can do this because the way Conficker is designed is extremely clever: Rather than containing a list of specific, static instructions, Conficker reaches out to the web to receive updated marching orders via a huge list of websites it creates. Conficker.C — the latest bad boy — will start checking 50,000 different semi-randomly-generated sites a day looking for instructions, so there’s no way to shut down all of them. If just one of those sites goes live with legitimate instructions, Conficker keeps on trucking.

Conficker’s a nasty little worm that takes serious efforts to bypass your security defenses, but you aren’t without some tools in your arsenal to protect yourself.

Your first step should be the tools you already have: Windows Update, to make sure your computer is fully patched, and your current antivirus software, to make sure anything that slips through the cracks is caught.

But if Conficker’s already on your machine, it may bypass certain subsystems and updating Windows and your antivirus at this point may not work. If you are worried about anything being amiss — try booting into Safe Mode, which Conficker prevents, to check — you should run a specialized tool to get rid of Conficker.

Microsoft offers a web-based scanner (note that some users have reported it crashed their machines; I had no trouble with it), so you might try one of these downloadable options instead: Symantec’s Conficker (aka Downadup) tool, Trend Micro’s Cleanup Engine, or Malwarebytes. Conficker may prevent your machine from accessing any of these websites, so you may have to download these tools from a known non-infected computer if you need them. Follow the instructions given on each site to run them successfully. (Also note: None of these tools should harm your computer if you don’t have Conficker.)

As a final safety note, all users — whether they’re worried about an infection or know for sure they’re clean — are also wise to make a full data backup today.

What won’t work? Turning your PC off tonight and back on on April 2 will not protect you from the worm (sorry to the dozens of people who wrote me asking if this would do the trick). Temporarily disconnecting your computer from the web won’t help if the malware is already on your machine — it will simply activate once you connect again. Changing the date on your PC will likely have no helpful effect, either. And yes, Macs are immune this time out. Follow the above instructions to detect and remove the worm.