For millions of Americans, drinking a cup, or two, of coffee in the morning is part of their routine to kick start the day. Heck, sometimes we even need a little boost in the afternoon too! Right? And now, energy drinks, like Red Bull, have become the go-to caffeine jolt that teens have flock to when they’re tired. While we know these energy drinks are loaded with caffeine, until now we didn’t know how dangerous they are for teens to consume.
According to Dr. Stephanie Lai, a pediatrician at Palo Alto Medical Foundation, energy drinks often contain twice as much caffeine as coffee and eight times as much as soda. Yikes! She says that teens are mixing alcohol with energy drinks, which is especially dangerous to their health. Combining high-caffeine energy drinks with alcohol may give a teens the perception that they’re not drunk, when they really are. And when they don’t feel tipsy, they tend to drink more, which is SUPER BAD. Remember Four Loko?
The side effects of too much caffeine are well known. It increases blood pressure, heart rate, palpitations, insomnia, and dehydration. Not good. And, caffeine is addicting, which means that teens will experience caffeine withdrawal when they don’t get their drinks. Withdrawals cause anxiety, tremors, irritability, headaches, and fatigue.
Because energy drinks are classified as “natural dietary supplements” and not food, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t regulate it. Can you believe this? Many energy drink companies don’t list their caffeine content because they claim that it is a “proprietary blend.” Wow.
So it’s time to have that talk with your preteens and teens. Give them the facts about caffeine, energy drinks, alcoholic energy drink mixes, addiction, and health risks. Then recommend that they simply get more sleep, exercise, and eat healthy foods.
[Source]
For millions of Americans, drinking a cup, or two, of coffee in the morning is part of their routine to kick start the day. Heck, sometimes we even need a little boost in the afternoon too! Right? And now, energy drinks, like Red Bull, have become the go-to caffeine jolt that teens have flock to when they’re tired. While we know these energy drinks are loaded with caffeine, until now we didn’t know how dangerous they are for teens to consume.
According to Dr. Stephanie Lai, a pediatrician at Palo Alto Medical Foundation, energy drinks often contain twice as much caffeine as coffee and eight times as much as soda. Yikes! She says that teens are mixing alcohol with energy drinks, which is especially dangerous to their health. Combining high-caffeine energy drinks with alcohol may give a teens the perception that they’re not drunk, when they really are. And when they don’t feel tipsy, they tend to drink more, which is SUPER BAD. Remember Four Loko?
The side effects of too much caffeine are well known. It increases blood pressure, heart rate, palpitations, insomnia, and dehydration. Not good. And, caffeine is addicting, which means that teens will experience caffeine withdrawal when they don’t get their drinks. Withdrawals cause anxiety, tremors, irritability, headaches, and fatigue.
Because energy drinks are classified as “natural dietary supplements” and not food, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t regulate it. Can you believe this? Many energy drink companies don’t list their caffeine content because they claim that it is a “proprietary blend.” Wow.
So it’s time to have that talk with your preteens and teens. Give them the facts about caffeine, energy drinks, alcoholic energy drink mixes, addiction, and health risks. Then recommend that they simply get more sleep, exercise, and eat healthy foods.
[Source]
With the Stanford attacker in the headlines because he raped a young woman while she was unconscious and received a ridiculously lenient sentence of just 6 months in jail and probation, everyone’s talking about sexual assault crimes on college campuses. That’s a good thing.
We’re trying to open the dialogue about sexual and gender-based violence so that victims will feel supported as they come forward. Everyone knows that rape victims who speak out about their attacks typically find themselves belittled and chastised as defense attorneys try to paint an image of the victim’s promiscuity as if she asked to be raped. This is why reports of rape on college campuses have been widely underrepresented.
So when the Washington Post wrote “These colleges have the most reports of rape,” I cringed. Readers will comb the lists of colleges to see which ones have the most reported rapes, which may change their pristine images. No, I am not trying to play down the importance of publishing these huge numbers. It is appalling that Ivy League and other prestigious colleges rank in the top 10 with 40+ rapes per year.
The reason I cringe is that these colleges probably don’t have more rapes than other colleges. Instead, they have probably created a comfortable and supportive atmosphere on campus where victims of rape tell authorities and press charges against their attackers. So the reason for the recent increase in rapes on campus may really just be the fact that at these particular colleges, more victims are comfortable with coming forward and being counted.
According to the Washington Post, one in five women say they have been sexually assaulted while in college. As you review the list of colleges, keep in mind that all of these colleges have underreported numbers – even the top 10 colleges with the most reported rapes. The sooner sexual assault victims are treated like victims, and rapists are treated like perpetrators and criminals, the sooner we’ll see a decline in attacks on college campuses. For tips about how to protect yourself against rape, check out this blog I wrote.
Don’t let Hillary’s premature announcement that she is the presumptive Democratic nominee stop you from getting to the polls today! It’s your civic duty – and you might be surprised by what the young voter turnout does for this exciting race.
Some of you may think it’s too late, or too confusing, to vote if aren’t affiliated with a party or may have lost your ballot. Don’t be.
Here are 3 easy tips to make voting TODAY easy for you.
#1: If you are a “No Party Preference” voter and have received a nonpartisan vote-by-mail ballot, simply take your blank ballot to your polling location to exchange it for a Democratic crossover ballot.
#2: If you lost your ballot, or haven’t received it, just go to ANY POLLING LOCATION and vote by provisional ballot. Easy peasy!
#3: If you’ve received your vote-by-mail ballot, you can drop it off at ANY POLLING LOCATION in your county today.
Now go VOTE!
Hey Californians! Don’t forget to vote tomorrow!
If you’re confused about the ballot measures and all of the people running for offices OTHER than President, check out Ballotpedia. All you have to do is enter your zip code, and you’ll get tons of information on everything (and everyone) on your ballot. If you don’t have time for that, just vote for what you know – it’s ok to leave sections blank.
If you have a preference for the presidential race, please make sure you vote for that person.
Just remember – make your voice heard and VOTE!
I remember giving my teachers gifts on the last day of school. No – it wasn’t to bribe them for good grades, but to thank them for teaching me all year long. They weren’t expensive gifts: a box of candy, a nifty ruler, the proverbial shiny apple. It was a time when kids – and their parents – respected and appreciated teachers.
Not like today, when students demand good grades (even if they didn’t earn them), and parents accuse teachers of unfair grading and challenge them about topics covered on tests (when the parents don’t like the grades their kids receive).
I’ve always believed that you should always support your child’s teachers. They’re overworked, underpaid, and bullied by parents and students alike. Besides, when parents and students are respectful and grateful to teachers, this encourages the teachers to become even better teachers. After all, “praise begets emulation, — a goodly seed to sow among youthful students” – Horace Mann.
So, now that the school year is winding down, spend a moment (and maybe a few bucks to buy a gift) to thank your children’s teachers. You have no idea how much they’ll appreciate it.
It’s been 8 years since Jaclyn danced with the competition teams at No Limits Dance and Performing Arts.
Jaclyn and Kory nailed “I’ll Be” and won 1st Overall at most of the competitions that year.
It’s my favorite duet! Great memories!
This number was choreographed by Athena Harrah (now Knight) – thanks Athena!
In this clip from the show “Newsroom”, Toby from “The Office” is trying to let people know how it is, but people are just too optimistic.
Funny, but sadly true. Click to play:
I consider myself a politically conscious person. I vote. I debate. But this year politics is different. We have more at stake than ever before and the candidates who are running for the most important office in America are widely different.
As I stood in line to hear Bernie Sanders speak here in Santa Cruz this morning, I overheard hundreds of people talking about how they called in sick or took time off from work to hear Bernie speak.
What was fascinating to me was how many of these people said that they had never gone out to hear a candidate before. The audience was filled with young people. Lots of them. It was invigorating to see how passionate these kids are about stopping the oligarchy that has consumed our political process, and return our nation to a true democracy. Most have never voted or volunteered for a political campaign before.
Bernie is resonating with the youth and creating a grassroots movement. I am voting for the candidate who sees climate change as one of the most important issues that we face today.
And we’re running out of time. I’m hoping for a political revolution, because there’s more at stake now than there ever has been, and a revolution is what it’s going to take to solve the problems that face us.
Remembering both fallen and living veterans today. Thank you.
Summer’s just around the corner, and it’s time to make plans!
With 12 weeks off, even the busiest kids get bored. You can only sign them up for so many weeks of Junior Guards or summer camps. To make this summer the best ever, consider creating a custom summer program that meets the needs and desires of your children – at no cost to you! By creating a special summer “camp” for just a few kids, you can set up your kids’ favorite activities and new outings that will keep them engaged all summer. I did this with my girls when they were young and now some of our best memories are from our summer programs. Here’s what’s involved:
I organized an 8-week summer program that included academics, arts, sports, and theater. My girls selected the activities and outings that they wanted to do and even helped me pick the theater productions we presented each year. Here’s what the summer program looked like:
Mondays-Thursdays: At our house
9:00 am-12:00 pm: Reading Newbery books (to enjoy the best children’s literature)
Writing autobiographies (to develop good writing skills)
Math games and exercises (to keep their math brains going)
12:00-1:00 pm: Lunch and Freeplay (basketball)
1:00-2:00 pm: Art: ceramics, watercolor painting, calligraphy, stained glass
2:00-3:00 pm: Swimming and outdoor sports
3:00-5:00 pm: Theater rehearsal
Fridays Offsite
Exploratorium, Egyptian Museum, Monterey Bay Aquarium, olalieberry picking, bodysurfing, hiking in forest, camping
I hired teachers to teach the academics in the morning, art and sports in the early afternoon, and theater in the late afternoon. By inviting about 6-8 kids to join the summer fun (and pay our tuition), my children had the best summers ever – and it didn’t cost me a dime! At the time, I worked from home, so I oversaw all of the activities but I wasn’t directly involved. I enjoyed joining them on field trips and the theater productions. So even if you work full time, you can still set up a program like this and give your kids the ideal summer program. I even wrote a book to help parents organize these activities.