The Descent of a Barcalounger
After a long week (and it was only Tuesday), I was tired enough to get under the covers and curl up with a cat before the sky was dark. Instead of snoozing, though, I turned on the TV and was introduced to ABC’s Downfall. Oh, it was bad. Really bad. Contestants stand near a conveyor […]
Relationship Status: Divorced
Facebook and other social networking resources are becoming big factors when it comes to divorce, according to a new study by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. In fact, four out of every five attorneys say they’ve seen an increase in the number of cases that use social media as evidence against an ex- or […]
A Big Pain in the Neck (and Back and Shoulders)
As I type, my right shoulder blade feels like a World Cup player is dribbling it. For the last three days my favorite companions have been a heating pad, an ice pack and some aspirin. Why? Well, it’s not because I played anything fun like softball or ultimate Frisbee. I didn’t even lift anything heavy […]
Luuuke, I Need a Doctor …
Have you ever wondered what really caused Darth Vader to turn to the dark side? Maybe not. But there’s new research that points to an answer. And it has nothing to do with the Force. French psychiatrists have studied Anakin Skywalker’s cinematic metamorphosis into the nasty piece of work who caused Luke’s daddy issues and […]
Death Does Not Become Us
Even in death, some celebrities can’t escape the spotlight. After actor Gary Coleman’s tragic passing, a controversy of sorts erupted when it came to light that pictures of his final hours—and some shots of him after his death—were apparently being shopped to the tabloids. Surfing news sites last week, I saw some headlines about the […]
Babies Gone Gaga
It’s a trend most of us would love to see come to an end: young children acting out adult roles, prompted by clueless parents who apparently want the 15 minutes of digital fame and fortune only a viral YouTube video can provide. There have been many such videos, but here are few of the most […]
Media and the Death of Empathy
A new University of Michigan study reveals some unsettling information: “College kids today are about 40% lower in empathy than their counterparts 20 or 30 years ago,” says lead researcher Sara Konrath. To reach this conclusion, Konrath and other researchers analyzed data from nearly 14,000 students and combined the results of 72 different studies on […]
Teen Pregnancy More … Acceptable?
It seems teenage pregnancy is becoming more acceptable among American youth. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers interviewed more than 2,600 teenagers ages 15 to 19 from 2006 to 2008. The newly released study found that 18% of sexually experienced boys and 14% of sexually experienced girls claim they’d be a “little” or “very” […]
Target Targets Lost Fans
I own three perfectly good smoke detectors, but I wanted to buy another one during the Lost finale. That’s how good Target’s marketing was. The finale itself? Meh (in my opinion …). But the Target advertisements? Fabulous! And I’m not the only one who thought so. The Nielsen Company says First Alert’s “smoke monster” ad […]
The Squishy Temptations of Facebook
Ever heard of the “Marshmallow Test?” No, it’s not a s’mores-eating competition (though that might be nice). It’s an experiment that researcher Walter Mischel conducted in the late 1960’s. He gave marshmallows to 4-year-olds, promising them more marshmallows if they could resist eating the first one for 15 minutes. In a nutshell, he found that […]