Q: Try to think of everyone who might be willing to write you a positive letter of recommendation in your particular field. Generally, places requesting letters of recommendation will ask for at least two and no more than three, but it's a good idea to think of a larger list, in case any of your ideal candidates don't work out. Try to come up with at least 5-7 possibilities. How you choose to assign "strength" to the candidates will be relative, but in general you want to find a balance between the familiarity of the letter writer with you and your work, and that letter writer's standing in the field. While you might have had a better relationship with a co-worker or a TA for one of your classes, a letter from them may be less desirable than from a supervisor or a Professor who also knows your work, but may need some reminding. Consider collecting profiles or portfolios of your work to share with potential recommenders who may be less familiar with you and what you do. This is a good way to make contact with a successful person in your field and shows initiative. The easier you make their job, the more likely the candidate will be to do you the favor.
A: Write out a complete list of possibilities. Order the list. Aim high.

Q: One of the most effective ways to prevent SARS is thorough and frequent hand-washing. This minimizes the spread of the virus from surfaces that many—or infected-- people touch.  Use a mild soap and hot water and wash your hands in warm water for at least 20 seconds. Use a hand sanitizer of at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available. Make sure to wash your hands even after you’ve taken off disposable gloves. If there is a chance that you may come into contact with someone who has SARS, or their body fluids or feces, wear disposable gloves. This can help ensure that you don’t accidentally infect yourself.  You can use surgical-type gloves to prevent contamination.  Make sure to check for any rips or punctures before you put on the gloves.  Dispose of the gloves after each use in a lined wastebasket. Never wash or reuse gloves. You can get disposable gloves at many pharmacies and most medical supply stores. Typically, a person with SARS will be hospitalized and isolated, with no visitors allowed except for the few hospital staff caring for them. If you are in the same room as a person with SARS, wear a surgical mask. This can help minimize your risk of inhaling the virus.  There is some evidence that in addition to wearing a surgical mask, wearing glasses may also a certain amount of protection against SARS. You may want to purchase an N95 particulate respirator as your surgical mask. Although there is varying information on the type of surgical mask with which you can protect yourself from respiratory viruses, the N95 is specifically designed to protect against large droplets and smaller respiratory particles.  Put the mask in front of your mouth and nose. Secure the mask to your face with the pointer finger and thumb of your dominant hand. Push the mask on to your face until you are sure there is no space between your face and the mask. Pull the garter than ensures your mask will stay on your face. This should be found on the top of the mask. Stretch the garter over your head and secure it on the back of your head. You can purchase surgical masks at many pharmacies and most medical supply stores. It’s vital to wash any personal items shared with SARS patients. From utensils to bedding and clothing, making sure these items are properly washed can help minimize the risk of contracting the disease.  You should not share clothing, towels, or bedding with a SARS patient. However, wash any laundry in a washing machine with warm or hot water and detergent. You can also consider adding some bleach to the load.  Make sure to wear gloves when handling any soiled garments.  You should not share eating utensils with an infected person, but you also don’t need to separate utensils for use by the patient. You can wash any dishes and eating utensils the infected person has used in a dishwasher or by hand with soap and hot water. It may help to separate infected waste into a separate bag or container from your wastebasket. You can then close the bag with the infected waste and place it in your regular wastebasket. This measure can help ensure that animals, small children, or other people don’t accidentally come in contact with infected waste. The SARS virus spreads easily in places such as bathrooms or on kitchen surfaces. Cleaning and disinfecting these spaces frequently may help prevent spreading the virus.  Any surface touched by an infected person—such as the toilet or bathroom sink—should be cleaned and disinfected as often as possible, even after each use if possible.  You can use anti-septic or anti-bacterial cleansers or a bleach mixture to disinfect surfaces.  Make sure to wear gloves when you clean and throw them away after use. If a person in your home is infected with SARS, they will require isolation for at least 10 days. During this period, limit the number of people in your home as much as possible. This can minimize the risk of any family getting the virus or transmitting to the outside world.  Patients should only leave the home for routine medical treatment. You may also want to separate the person from family members as much as possible.  You can ask friends or family members to host for any person who has no symptoms of SARS if possible.
A: Clean your hands frequently. Put on disposable gloves. Cover your nose and mouth with a surgical mask. Wash shared personal items. Bag infected waste separately. Disinfect shared surfaces and spaces often. Limit the number of persons in the household.

Q: Reading the food labels on food packages will allow you to figure out exactly how many or how much of the food is in one portion.  For example:  15 chips, 1/2 cup or 1/2 the package.  This information will also help you figure out how many calories, fat or carbohydrates are in one serving of the food.  This can be helpful if you're dieting or following a particular eating pattern. It's particularly important to follow the serving sizes for calorie-containing beverages like juice or sports drinks and snack foods.  Sometimes the "individual" sizes are actually 2 servings. Aim for at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day.  These low-calorie powerhouses provide essential nutrients to your diet.  About 1 cup of raw vegetables and 2 cups of leafy greens counts as 1 serving of vegetables.  About 1 cup of fruit or 1/2 cup dried fruit counts as 1 serving of fruit.  The amount of fruits and vegetables you need each day may depend on your age, gender and level of physical activity. High carbohydrate foods like grains and starches can be a healthy part of your diet.  However, compared to fruits, vegetables and lean protein, they contain fewer nutrients and more calories.  It's important to monitor your portion sizes of these types of foods.  1 slice of bread, 1 cup of cereal or 1/2 cup of pasta, rice or barley is considered one serving.  Allot 2-3 servings of grains daily.  Always try to choose 100% whole grains when possible.  These have higher amounts of fiber and nutrients compared to refined grains.
A:
Read the labels. Eat larger portions of fruits and vegetables. Eat smaller portions of grains and starches.