The practice of mixing energy drinks with alcohol is quite common amongst teenagers and young adults. There is a misguided belief that the mixture of the two allows one to drink for a longer period of time, and heightens one’s ability to safely drive while under the influence. While the energy drink may give the...Read More

Have you ever lived in a rural community? Rural America can be simultaneously beautiful and isolating. You might find this to be an unusual question. Have you ever lived in a rural community? Based on the 2010 census only 19.3% of the U.S. population lived in rural areas, while 80.7% of the population resided in...Read More

How often do you reminisce about your adolescent years?  The word “reminisce” infers a pleasant experience. Don’t you think? Consider meeting with childhood friends, paging through scrapbooks, attending a family reunion…or just daydreaming about days gone by. We might recall great teachers, school plays, dances, sporting events, and graduations. But for as many wonderful memories...Read More

“Let’s diminish the stigma. Let’s remind one another that we’re beautiful. Maybe you’ll help a friend. Maybe you’ll help yourself. And if you’re reading this and you’re suffering, please know you’re not alone. Tell someone: The people who love you will listen, I promise. And you’ll feel better.”     Zosia Mamet, Glamour Magazine – September...Read More

The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Every generation has their “cool” kids… It’s true. If you think back to your own grammar and high-school days there might be certain classmates that you thought of as “cool.” Maybe you even wanted to be one of the “cool” kids. Perhaps secretly you liked...Read More

Facebook logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia) What do you glean from FACEBOOK? You might think glean is the wrong verb to associate with FACEBOOK; however, we really do learn, discover, or find out about news or new ideas, usually little by little on FACEBOOK. Of course there are always the items that go “viral” – the...Read More

“The gathering tragedy is that Ralphie is not special. Heroin, long considered the affliction of the criminal, the derelict, the debauched, is increasingly attacking America’s children. Part of the dread and the danger of the problem is that it spreads all too invisibly. No one knows how many heroin addicts of any age there are...Read More

It seems bullying is starting in kindergarten… Just this past week an ABC News headline caught our attention – ‘Mean Girls’-Style Bullying Happening in Kindergarten. Since we were working on a bullying series we decided to check it out. After watching the news video and perusing the transcript, we realized that it would be helpful...Read More

Women’s physical education exhibition in Herron Gymnasium 1916 (Photo credit: Miami U. Libraries – Digital Collections) Study examines effects of teasing on young children and exercise In the January/February 2014 issue of the Journal of Pediatric Psychology the results of a new study about teasing and bullying were published: Associations Between Teasing, Quality of Life,...Read More

 Logo of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an agency within the United States Department of Health and Human Services. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) “CDC 24/7: Saving Lives, Protecting People” How much do you know about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)? For example, did you know that its roots date back to...Read More