Medical Myth Buster: Chocolate Vindication
MYTH: Chocolate Causes Acne BUST: Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve got good news for you all: It is not true! How did a bogus rumor like this get started in the first place? Perhaps because chocolate is often linked to fat and sugar content. But remember, not all chocolate is created equal. (By now, we’ve all [...]
20 Things You Didn’t Know about Atheists
Some atheists are well known and open about their non-belief, while others are more noncommittal. Kevin Bacon’s name graces many lists of celebrity atheists. Given the Six Degrees of Separation game, we wondered what would the Six Degrees of Freethinkers look like? Further, when we think of the concept of atheism, many of us think [...]
Atheists Among Us? Absolutely.
It was 1988 and I was sitting in my junior year religion class at my Catholic high school. Despite the best efforts of my teacher (a perky ex-nun, think Kathy Najimy in “Sister Act”) I was bored to tears. Suddenly, the door to the classroom opened and the vice-principal walked in with a tiny, shy-looking [...]
50 Paulo Coelho Quotes to Always Carry Inside
Brazil has graced the world with tons of sacred gifts: samba, cachaça, capoeira, açaí—and everyone’s favorite modern mystic, Paulo Coelho. Through the many spiritual ruminations of The Big C—he who has tread the paths of the hippie, the Jesuit, the occultist, the lawyer, the mental asylum inhabitant, the writer and the misunderstood son—we can come [...]
A Daughter’s Dilemma: Will I Repeat the Cycle of Violence?
Mami and my stepfather are arguing more often. I hear their spats from my bedroom and want to hide in my closet, shrinking in a corner like a 7-year-old that is scared of The Boogie Man. I hate conflict. I can’t stand the yelling and the slamming of doors. It reminds me too much of [...]
Snack Your Way Thin
If you’re anything like me, you’ve found it hard to lose weight even when you’re exercising regularly and are eating healthful foods. Because weight gain and loss are really a matter of simple mathematics (calories in versus calories out) it doesn’t take a genius to realize that difficulty losing weight is due to too many [...]
A Mother’s Love: Ill Mom Seeks Caregiver for Autistic Son
All mothers worry about their children’s welfare. But for mothers of children with special needs, the anxiety of finding a good caretaker can be crushing. They have a particular burden of leaving their children in good hands to live safe and loving lives. Diana Rivera is now facing that challenge. She has been the primary [...]
Rules of Attachment: Moms Weigh in on Mayim Bialik’s “Beyond the Sling”
Last week, Mayim Bialik best known for her starring role on the 90’s sitcom Blossom and her current turn as Amy on The Big Bang Theory—appeared on ABC’s The View to discuss her new book, Beyond the Sling. Introducing her, Whoopi Goldberg called her parenting style “unconventional,” giving as an example Bialik’s “not sharing a [...]
Leprechauns and Chihuahuas: Stereotypes We Share with the Irish
From our bedroom window in Brooklyn, we’re lucky enough to have a view of the Manhattan skyline, replete with the Empire State Building. The famous skyscraper changes the colors of its display according to the seasons and holidays, and I know that in a few weeks, it will be green. Years ago, this would have [...]
You Need More Sleep
We’ve all been there, when your lids are so heavy, you can hardly keep your eyes open. What do you do? You reach for the coffee, soda or food—anything to take your mind off the fact that you’re sleep deprived, have a pile of work to tackle and won’t be reunited with your pillow for [...]
