This story should turn your stomach.  It should scare you if you spend anytime using any form of social media.  It was published a few days ago by the NY Times.  It's a story about a middle-aged woman befriending a Marine in Iraq.  They became friends on Facebook and she spent thousands of dollars helping him out, even providing him with a $5,000 plane ticket home.  Problem was, there was no such flight.  Yes, the Marine existed.  But he wasn't the person this woman had befriended and showered … [Read more...]

Everyone says they want to be better-be a better person, be a better father, a better mother, etc.  But do they really want to do the things that make that possible?  More importantly, do they know how to take that step? In the 1980's, such questions were answered by focusing on the self and ways to improve one's image, self-worth, etc.  However, now we are experiencing a swing back to the classical definition of what it takes to be good and do good.  The first thing to know is that it isn't … [Read more...]

Our gulf coast of Florida has been in the news recently and it's not about tourism or our beaches.  It is the outbreak of flesh-eating bacteria that has sickened residents and tourists alike. It's called necrotizing fascitis-a rapidly spreading condition caused by a “flesh-eating” bacteria that destroys tissues in infection areas – from the Gulf. The bacteria associated with the condition is Vibrio vulnificus, a naturally occurring bacteria found in warm salty water such as the Gulf of Mexico … [Read more...]