Category: Articles
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Social Benefits of Laughter
When the world seems dark and hopeless, laughter has the magical ability to lift our spirits and lighten the heavy burden a lot of us are carrying. For example, comedians, caricature art, television comedies, comedy films, and even silly music have directly benefited society in times of distress. In fact, caricature artists have been around…
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Sports As Community Building
In my many years of experience as a spectator, a coach, and a player, I have found many ways sports can act as a strong agent to build communities. Here are some of the avenues I have had direct participation in with sports community building, including the following, but not limited to: By participating in…
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Real Life Examples of Courage
(Photo Credit: If_I_Were_King_of_the_Forest Wizard of Oz Warner Brothers) In my humble opinion, we must summon the courage to face life on life’s terms – the good, the bad, and the ugly. It does not matter where you came from, what religion or non-religion you were raised with or practice, the color of your skin, your…
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Risk Factors of Dementia
Thankfully, there are many specialists in memory care and far more information regarding dementia and Alzheimer’s today than there was in the early 1980s. My great-grandmother (Grammy) suffered from a head injury when she was in her twenties and later, starting in her late sixties, suffered from Alzheimer’s and died by the time she was…
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Why is Interfaith Dialogue Important
(Photo credit: CNS photo/Vatican Media – Pope Leo XIV greets Buddhist monks ) Although I grew up in a Sicilian, Roman Catholic family, because I was raised by a single mom who was a flower child hippie feminist of the 1960s, I was encouraged to explore and learn about the world’s other faiths, or lack…
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Ground Cover Plants that Choke Out Weeds
I absolutely adore living in the beautiful Lakes Area of northwest Oakland County, Michigan, where we are surrounded by the Huron River, the Clinton River, and hundreds of small to medium-sized inland lakes. Wherever I turn, there is an inland lake to play and explore in. In fact, we have more than 1,400 lakes and…
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North Carolina Wildfires
(Is there a history?) From the rolling mountains in the west to the 300 miles of barrier island beaches to the east, North Carolina is filled with natural beauty. The Tar Heel State is home to a wide variety of wildlife as well as hiking spots and parks that people love to explore year-round. But,…
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What Areas of Texas are Most Likely to Get Hit by a Major Hurricane?
One big reason that contributes to the state’s high exposure to major hurricanes is its lengthy coastline along the Gulf of Mexico. This makes cities like Houston, Galveston, and others along the Gulf Coast some of the most hurricane-prone areas in the state. The Lone Star State ranks second among U.S. states most frequently hit…
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Are Lithium-Ion Batteries Prone to Fire?
A fire caused by Lithium-ion batteries, whether from electric vehicles (EVs), e-bikes, or other battery-powered devices such as nicotine vape pens, has happened, but how often and why are the questions that we’ll attempt to get answers for. In February 2025, CBS News reported a massive fire that took hours to put out at EMR…
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Jersey Boardwalk Fire Cause
If you were lucky enough to have my grandmother (Nana) and grandfather (Papa) in your family, you got to grow up in a fun, exciting, traveling, camping family. They were the best – always exploring and taking their grown children and grandchildren along for the ride, wherever the road took us. We consistently traveled the…