Modern American society is constantly in a fast-paced, go-all-the-way mindset that sometimes has people looking for that little boost in the middle of the day. In this environment, people often turn to boosters with terms such as “vitamin supplements” as well as traditional energy drinks. Energy drink sales were up 6.7 percent this year, according to the online journal Caffeine...

With an extensive amount of distractions each day, people often drift into the world of music, which helps block out all unwanted background noise, and allows a little peace and quiet for the mind. But not everyone knows about the positive and negative effects of music on our concentration. Multiple research papers have been written regarding music’s effects on cognitive...

Music is a universal language that is able to break cultural, social and racial barriers. Certain musical pieces can also traverse through time, retaining the emotional resonance from the day they were first released. Timeless songs, from “Hey Jude” by The Beatles to “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana, have etched themselves in the halls of music history. But what...

For Christy Damron, a former Santa Monica College student, it is not easy for her to see her father, a grown man, cry."One moment he'll be hanging out on the couch, very normal," Damron said. "The next he'll be crying and going ballistic. Bipolar can be terrifying."Many people associate mental disorders with homeless people, drug addicts, or people with rough...

Home to Chicago sports teams, Lincoln Park, and the Chicago-style hot dog, SMC student Jon Ball says the city of Chicago is definitely a place to visit. After living in the western suburbs of Chicago, Ill. for nearly 14 years of his life, Ball says the passion for the seasons and holidays of Chicago were some of his most memorable...

Francisco Munoz spent Thanksgiving 2012 in Afghanistan with his fellow soldiers. Although sharing a holiday dinner with his unit felt like a family gathering, he relished the feeling of having a Thanksgiving meal back home in the United States. On Thursday, Munoz and other veterans who attend Santa Monica College were treated to an early Thanksgiving feast courtesy of the...

Christmas is a holiday celebrated by many, but with the great concentration on the worldwide holiday, many do not realize that there is more than one Christmas that people celebrate around the globe. Veronika Oleynik, a 22-year-old linguistics major at Santa Monica College from Russia, celebrates Orthodox Christmas with her family on Jan. 7, enjoying traditional eastern European dishes. Some...

Ever wanted to gain experience working in the career of your dreams while still attending school? Some college students do not wait until they graduate and receive their degree to begin working in the professional field of their choice. These students obtain internships that usually deal with their major. College-level internships can last for a few months, and summer and...

As the curtain closes on Halloween and Dia de los Muertos, Santa Monica's Virgina Avenue Park Center is busy preparing for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Located on Virginia Avenue, only two blocks from Santa Monica College, the center takes care of dozens of children within its Thelma Terry Building, as well as teenagers within its Teen Center. The center provides several...

Jeffrey Wasserstrom, professor of history at University of California, Irvine, is a specialist in modern Chinese history, author and blogger, who gave a lecture at Santa Monica College on Thursday on the history of U. S. relations with China, as well as the future ahead. A Santa Monica native, Wasserstrom first visited China in 1981, where he spent a full...