Hearing loss is far more common than commonly believed; with most hearing loss linked to age related changes . In 2005, 80,000 members of the National Family Opinion (NFO) panel participated in a unique study designed to quantify the number of individuals in the US suffering hearing loss. The study, known by its name as [...]

Today would have been my mother’s birthday, but she died nearly 2 years ago after a long battle with emphysema — she smoked from the time she was 16 until she was diagnosed.  And by that time, it was too late.  She knew what was coming.  She’d watched her older brother die of emphysema a [...]

Did you know more calls are made on Mother’s Day than any other day of the year?  More than Christmas…. more than Father’s Day…. more than New Years Day. Mother’s seem to hold a place in our hearts that’s hard to replace.  So, I thought it would be interesting to see what the blogosphere has [...]

Sure, what’s a game without a few brews? And sneaking a flask of something 80 proof is a ritual at many college games where alcohol is not sold. And, some of those folks will drive home from the game with more than a little buzz on.  So, maybe it’s not surprising that traffic accidents go [...]

Reports suggest over 4 million baby boomers are lighting up the same way they did in college — with a marijuana pipe.  Another study found nearly 2% of baby boomers regularly smoke pot.  After all, we’re still the generation that grew pot plants in our dorm rooms.  Heck, I can even remember students walking past [...]

Tomorrow, at midnight, all good tax returns should be safely in the IRS office -- or at least in the mail to avoid interest and penalties. Of course, you can also choose to file for an automatic extension, but interest still accrues if you owe money on your return.

This is a guest post from Tanya, who was a member of our B’Nai Mitzvah class.  These are the remarks she made regarding the process during the ceremony.  She talks about building community which is an important aspect of our lives, whether you’re Jewish or not, so enjoy and thank you Tonya. I am Tanya [...]

I’m excited and exhausted.  This week we welcomed a new baby into our lives.  My daughter had a little baby boy, Micah, at 12:05 am on Wednesday, March 21.  He weighed 6 lbs and 12 oz.  Mother and baby are both doing well. This is my first grandbaby and we’re really enjoying him – he [...]

Remember those Encyclopedia Britannica book we all grew up with — we had the red-bound version with alphabetical listings of all kinds of information about Aardvarks and Zebras.  Most “responsible” middle class parents bought these tomes for their kids so we could write the inevitable reports required in school. While it might seem a little [...]

Over the last few weeks, a local TV news station broadcast a series of reports on teen drinking.  Issues discussed were how young kids were drinking, how easy it is for teens to get alcohol, and how drinking affects these young kids. Since, this issue is a major concern for my readers, I wanted to [...]