The Caffeinated Carbivore

Didn't get your morning Zzzs? Your face may be showing the signs. Caffeine has long been revered for its ability to energize not only the body but also the skin. Many brands now include this ingredient to help pick up where your morning "Cup of Joe" left off. It's time to tighten up and lighten up! Start by firming up your face with Fresh's Black Tea Instant Perfecting Mask . This is a great option for all skin types. Next, rev up your under-eye area. Essential-C Eye Cream by Murad will diminish those tell-tale signs of sleep deprivation. And, of course, moisturize! Ginzing by Origins will give your skin a little glow, with the added bonus of sun protection. Why not display your latte love? Get the new Caffeine Hit Chai Kiss Nail Polish from Nails Inc.

Pair this: Time's Bitter Pill: Why Medical Bills are Killing us with this video

Educators across the globe have been deeply affected by the tragedy in Sandy Hook. We have seen multiple Tweets and Blogs about how to address violence in our schools. We haves seen parents, military personnel, and police officers camped out at our schools to make our children feel more safe. President Obama released a gun violence statement today before the NRA press conference – people are pointing fingers at the NRA, gun salespersons, even Call of Duty . In all the media blitz, we have forgotten that the families who lost loved ones must find a way to put their lives back together; regardless of whether violent games are to blame, they still lost their children. In memory of those students, Aflac has started a fundraiser to create a scholarship for survivors. Please donate today.

This new term has been flying across the internet, from creative to advertising mediums. So what exactly is a TransMedia project? A TransMedia project places content on multiple stages, such as Facebook or Twitter, and uses each medium to tell a part of the story. This type of storytelling offers a deeper appreciation for projects because of the varying strengths of these mediums. In this way, viewers often become more engrossed in stories or characters because they can interact with them on Facebook, get live and instant updates via Twitter, and watch new episodes on YouTube. This type of advertising offers strength in its variety; the message is sent to multiple audiences simultaneously and can be altered accordingly. One new TransMedia project is highly anticipated in the comedy world: I Made America . Particularly timely in light of the upcoming election, I Made America is a comedy sketch about a few founding fathers stuck in the mire that is our current campaign trail. The father...

The abundant elemental resources available to us often go unused (i.e., solar and wind power. Solar panels are too expensive! We could power most of the United States if we covered the entire state of Nevada in solar panels, but the trade-off between a hot shower for every American and thousands of acres of desert is clearly too much to ask Windmills cause visual displeasure apparently larger than gray smog and smoke stacks). Teachers complain daily of poor performers, American hunger is on the rise (what's worse, as food stamp usage increases, so does its abuse ), 1/3 of foster children are abused , juvenile crimes are increasing , the population is at an all time high, and scientists worry about feeding future generations. The idea of eating our own children is simply barbaric, so I have my own modest proposal* : Babies. Crawl, Baby! CRAWL! Too cruel? Exploiting children to make your clothes cheaper is cruel. Destroying habitats is cruel. Too illogical? Burning corn when half the...

There has been a great deal of speculation of the years about how the Internet is effecting the next generation of students: does it shorten their attention spans? Do they expect different lesson plans ? While technlogy in the classroom offers new formats for education, not all students are more tech-savvy than their older counterparts , nor do they always prefer to use technology (this is a stereotype of their generation that teachers should avoid). The implications of technology may extend past new technique or preference, however. Recent studies presented by the BBC found a correlation between a persons' Facebook friends count and the size of the "social", "memory", and "emotional" areas of their brain. The social impacts of social media may not be suprising. Dr. Ryota Kanai of University College, London, states, "We have found some interesting brain regions that seem to link to the number of friends we have - both 'real' and 'vir...

Abstract words are often difficult for students to define. Words like "love" change with time, your experiences, and your context. Many reserachers and educators wonder at the impact the recent anniversary of September 11th and the bleak outlook for the American economy has on current students image of America and patriotism itself. Depending on how you execute this lesson, this activitiy offers a unique opportunity for students to learn and excersise multiple skills: -Defining abstract words: Understanding that a word can have multiple meanings (both to themselves and others) and learning how to negotiate words' multiplicity. -Creativity: Understanding that words do not appear just in letters, but also images. Learning how images impact the viewer . -Basic letter writing skills (no, they are not a foregon art): Learning how to write a saluatation, introduction, and conclusion (this is also helpful when learning to write a self-narrative and basic paragraph). -Civic Engag...

Dr. Scholl's For Her (they sell those cushy high heel insoles) is sponsoring a $25,000 shoe donation to Dress For Success, a company devoted to providing underprivileged women with business attire. Women are STILL under-represented in many higher level positions, and worse, STILL make less money than men . In recent news, the Supreme Court threw out the largest sex discrimination case in history this week. Needless to say, this campaign is timely and desperately needed. You can vote for the shoes you want donated here . However, the shoe selections leave something to be desired. While I believe a woman doesn't have to hide her curves at the office, there is a certain sort of decorum that must be maintained in an office setting. This is important, as there are so many other things working against promoting women (they're too emotional, they'll get knocked up, and other ridiculousness) their dress should not be one of them. Thus, a short blurb on office dress code for la...

The French have quite a few odd rules, as Matthew Fraser points out, but this one strikes us Social Media bandits to the core: Not being able to say Facebook or Twitter on air?! The social media hold a great deal of power in today's society: 1. Political power, as evidenced by the Obama campaign and the rallies in Egypt 2. Social power (how many couples meet or maintain relationships online?!) 3. Educational power (interactive lessons, teacher immediacy...studies show that students may even learn better with social media. How many times has Google gotten you over that brainfart, "Who was the director of that movie...gosh I can't remember...this is going to keep me up tonight...better just Google it."). The evidence is in our culture. Language serves those who use it, and social media have certaintly taken the driver's seat in creating new turns of phrase like "I'd "Like" that","Tweet this" or "Facebook me". An even stron...

Imagine if this was floating at the bottom of your glass of water: PUR is running an interactive campaign that your kids can play, and with parent's permission, donate to the cause. Click here for more details!

Graduation day brings all kinds of new assignments, especially for recent ROTC grads. Many of them will be reporting for duty very shortly. Mom gets her wings from Air Force graduate *Copyright Stephanie Bushman This image captures the sacrifices of the American community. While the armed men and women are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, their families are sacrificing, too. God Bless. Remember, just because you don't support the war doesn't mean you can't support the troops.

At first I was a little worried that I was the only one to notice the 475th anniversary of Anne Boleyn's beheading. Then I signed on to Tumblr. Images of Showtime's The Tudors, The Lady of the Tower, and even replicas of Anne's necklace flooded the pages. I'm glad to see, despite the hate campaign of Henry VIII, she is still beloved and not forgotten. Some credit her as the impetus behind the English Reformation (not just as the lustful inspiration, but the provider of philosophy and insight. After all, Henry DID respect her knowledge, not just her looks). She gave England a lot more than Elizabeth I. Today, she still stands as a symbol of the oppressed feminine voice. Even today, she may have been seen as a shrew instead of as a scholar. Flowers adorn her grave in England today, as does poetry much like the works of her one-time lover Wyatt. Inspired, I have combined pieces of her final speech on the scaffold, love letters written to her, and historic documents to make...

The timeline of Osama Bin Laden's terror extends far beyond September 11th . His death does not mark the end of his impact in the United States, either. Osama's burial at sea today does not mark the end of the War on Terror. Obama states that the rallies have brought temporary unity to the US: "I think we experienced the same sense of unity that prevailed on 9/11," said the President. "We were reminded again that there is a pride in what this nation stands for and what we can achieve that runs far deeper than party, far deeper than politics," (cnn.com). However, there may be larger implications to celebrating Osama's violent death. 1. The first negative ramification is the bonding that occurs over such a violent event. There is a big difference between cheering "USA!" and " F*uck Osama ". 2. The ideology lives on...someone else will take his place. 3. The cultural ramifications of Osama's burial. According to Islamic tradition, Os...

Prior to the White House address, Facebook statuses were speculating as to what the President would announce. Within minutes after the speech had concluded, students swarmed the ISU campus, cheering and shouting. The mob grew to over 2,000 students by its conclusion after 1:30 am. Many speculate that student political disinterest is a type of epidemic in American society; without educated voters, democracy cannot continue. However, the quick and passionate student response to this news may indicate the use of social media to spread awareness. After all, a presidential address at 1030pm would be difficult to catch otherwise, especially with finals coming up this week. With the help of Facebook and Twitter, students became aware of the event. They shared their congratulations and concerns via social media; social media allows all of us to become news reporters. In a few hours, videos and pictures of the rally will begin to flood Facebook as the students capture their place in American hi...

Everyone loves a good story. In fact, we love good characters so much that they often re-appear. The step parent was evil in Cinderella, and that hasn't changed much in the new blockbuster Step Father . The media has always been a vehicle to tell a large story to a large audience. Now with the dawn of the digital age, we too can become story tellers. We share our personal narratives with our Tweets and add our voice to movements on Facebook and newstories on CNN. But who's story is NOT being told? Those without access to technology, either because of their membership in a lower economic group or a higher age group. Aka, those without the skills or the money cannot be cultural storytellers. This was not the case in Egypt, however. While the inernet was shut down, only outsiders could tell the Egyptians' story. BBC and American news networks innitially told the tale of the Egyptians without adding individual narratives. Instead, blanket statements about the protestes (not as ...

A few studies have begun to research the positive affects of students using social media. For example... From Mashable: Four sections (70 students) were given assignments and discussions that incorporated Twitter, such as tweeting about their experiences on a job shadow day or commenting on class readings. Three sections (55 students) did the same assignments and had access to the same information, but didn’t use Twitter. In addition to showing more than twice the improvement in engagement than the control group, the students who used Twitter also achieved on average a .5 point increase in their overall GPA for the semester. My original thoughts: Awesome-Positive correlation (as social media use goes up, grades go up). After a more critical glance, I noticed that the sample size was a bit small. Further, the study does not explicitly describe the terms it was trying to study, which minimizes the possibility that someone could accurately replicate the study. As if to answer t...

Sometimes I find myself more pleased with these starters than with the whole meal! Try this simple copycat recipe to have these carbalicious biscuits at home. Cooking Time: 10 min Ingredients • 2 cups Bisquick • 2/3 cup milk • 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese • 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder Instructions 1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. 2. Mix Bisquick, milk and cheese until a soft dough forms. 3. Drop by spoonfuls onto an ungreased cooking sheet. 4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown. 5. Mix butter and garlic powder. Brush mixture over warm biscuits before removing from cookie sheet. Find more copycat recipes at http://www.RecipeLion.com/.

What place do politicians have on Twitter? The primary one (pun intended haha). We've heard a lot of complaints about the costs of campaigns, specifically where the politicians are getting their money from. A politician likes social media for two reasons: 1. It's cheap 2. With the help of your Facebook fan list, Facebook offers a highly targeted ad to a highly targeted audience. Recent research shows that Facebook users may become resentful of the presence of big business on Facebook. The degree to which a politician is considered a big business or a representative thereof has yet to be seen. However, the study did find that young users in particular were open to brands which they felt represented themselves. The takeaway? A politician's ad on Facebook is more likely to be accepted by young users if they seem to be "one of the in crowd"...aka youthful, earthy, and not corporately oriented. A great example of politics, via social media is Comedy Central...

I find it interesting that, of all the campaigns, support for the New York City libraries is by far the smallest. I believe this is for a few reasons. 1. Many Americans are taught "rich guilt", or that we should feel guilty for having while others have not. This mentality is supported, and fostered, by charities looking to support children in other countries. They create the image that the suffering in other countries is greater than the suffering in our own country. Children in America need to read just as much as children in Africa. 2. The American Dream. Our American culture teaches us that if we work hard enough we can achieve anything. Thus, we assume that those who have not achieved have not worked hard. The truth is the American Dream is still not equal. Our nation's poverty, homelessness, and hunger are often similar to those countries we seek to help, and yet the support Americans give to other countries far outnumbers the support given to our own citizen...