Blog Posts by The_Stir

Miami Vice

It's almost here. Memorial Day. The one day of the year that signifies summer has pretty much arrived and it is going to be warm for give or take a glorious warm three months. You know what's best in the summer? Cocktails. Not just any cocktails, of course. Iced, cold, fruity, and refreshing ones.

Whether you'll be spending your Memorial Day poolside or cozied up with good friends by the barbecue, it's the perfect chance to introduce summer's fruity cocktails into your beverage rotation. Take a look at these 5 refreshing drinks perfect for summertime:

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Classic Mojito

Classic Mojito

The fresh mint taste in a classic mojito is refreshing for even the hottest days.

Ingredients:

• 12 mint sprigs
• 6 ounces light rum
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 6 Tablespoons lime juice
• Club soda
• 4 lime slices

Instructions: 1. Place rum, ice, mint springs, sugar, and lime juice in shaker. Shake well.

upset toddlerMoms take note: Those cherished sippies, bottles, and binkies could be dangerous, according to a new study published in the journal Pediatrics.

It seems kids who cruise around the the house with these time-tested soothers in their mouths are ending up in the emergency room.

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Researchers at the Nationwide Children's Hospital and Ohio State University combed through ER records and found that 45,398 children were rushed to the hospital with injuries caused by bottles, sippy cups and pacifiers between 1991 and 2010.

That's nearly 2,300 cases a year of lacerations to the mouth, cuts and bruises on the lip or tongue and chipped teeth. Baby bottles were the biggest offenders, making up 65.8% of the cases and newly cruising one-year-olds accounted for two-thirds of the injuries.

This should give parents a whole new perspective on the notion of baby-proofing. Plug up the electric sockets, latch commodes and

The pricey memory foam mattress is known as the "Lexus of mattresses" and is good for many things -- our backs, our sleep, and our general health. But it's very bad for one thing. And that one thing matters a lot. Memory foam mattresses are reportedly bad for sex. This doesn't bode well for the mattress.

Let's face it, mattress fads have come and gone. Between separate twin beds and memory foam beds, there were also water beds and other beds for married couples, but we always come back to the same kind of bed. I wonder why. Just kidding. In fact, I don't wonder at all.

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Sure, sleep may be winning NOW (according to Yahoo, memory foam now has a 20 percent market share), but in the long run, people want to have sex in bed. Besides, how great IS the sleep?

In all seriousness, how could anyone justify having a bed that didn't allow for sex?

Those interviewed for Yahoo claimed it was like having sex

Living together is pretty awesome, isn't it? The idea, I mean. It's one of the first steps of building a future together and, well, waking up next to the one you love can be one of the most amazing feelings in the world.

But before you pull the plug on your apartment, you should have a nice sit-down with your partner and get into the nitty-gritty of cohabitating. Here are some things to do before you guys shack up.

*Discuss where you BOTH see your relationship going. Yeah, it's great and sweet to live together, but if you're seeing wedding bells and he's seeing his rent cut in half, you better get that straightened out.

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*Take a look around your partner's current place - is he or she a neat freak? Type A? Or is he the sort that's kinda...slobby? If so, can you handle it? People aren't easily changed and if you're the sort that can't stand clutter or mess, and he seems to create a trail of

bentley williams being offered a rose by ashley hebertWe may be loath to admit it, but sometimes we women just want a bad boy. How else can you explain how Bachelorette Ashley Hebert fell to her feet for two-faced suitor Bentley Williams? She may have even realized that he was seriously bad news and would end up breaking her heart, but it didn't matter. Sometimes, we find ourselves drawn to complete jerks over the nicest of guys.

But why? Why do we find ourselves not only infatuated with but actually attempting to pursue relationships with totally toxic men?! Well, scientists believe they've got the fall guy here: Our ovaries. That's right -- our reproductive parts and our fertility are making us chase Mr. Wrong.

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The researchers -- from The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) College of Business -- say that in the week around when we ovulate, our ovaries release hormones that affect who we see as being potential good baby daddies. Our ovaries basically slap red

Imagine a job that is physically demanding, low-wage, usually doesn't offer health insurance or benefits, and more likely to make you depressed than other jobs. If you thought, "Hey, that sounds just like MY job," then there's a good chance you're in the food service industry, according to a round-up by Health.com.

Ah, memories! My first job, while I was still in high school, was at a pizza parlor. Talk about physically taxing, low-earning, and depressing. I have a theory: When people are hungry, they become rabid, frothing-at-the-mouth jackholes. Something about pizza especially makes ... people ... craaaazy.

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Now, don't get me wrong. I do know a woman who was a waitress for over a decade. She liked it. She actually loved her customers. However, even she quit her job eventually (and went into journalism) because she felt that the older she got, the more difficult it would be to be on her feet all day. And need I mention that the health insurance plan was expensive, paltry, and not worth having?

guy with ipad on his lapThe "New iPad" (or third-generation iPad) is pretty sweet. The resolution is amaaaazing, and it's got all the snazzy bells and whistles you could possibly want from a tablet. But it's not really the gamechanger we've all been waiting for from Apple. You know what would be? An iPad Mini -- as in, the same awesome bells and whistles, but in a more compact form.

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Well, those of us who believe better things come in smaller packages might be getting our wish sooner rather than later. There's new buzz that the iPad's "mini me" could be slated for an October release!

If rumors are true, five reasons the Mini could become the must-have tablet.

1. The portability. At 7.85-inches, the new iPad Mini would be the perfect solution for those of us who need something that's smaller than a laptop but bigger than our smartphone -- especially when it comes to work. For instance, I could see it helping my electrician

back painI've always been skeptical about chiropractors, you know, mostly because of that persistent "chiropractors are quacks" rumor. So even though I've had some back-breaking aches in my day, I've never gone that particular pain management route. Just because I figured it wouldn't do anything to help.

Forget helping -- as it turns out, going to the chiropractor can actually HURT.

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According to a recent study, most of the "randomized clinical trials" done on chiropractic treatments "failed to report any adverse effects."

Meaning, all of the randomized clinical patients who went crawling out of their chiropractor's office feeling worse than when they went in? The researchers just didn't bother mentioning those guys.

Uh, yikes!?!? That's pretty scary. But that's not even the scariest part ...

According to Professor Edzard Ernst (the dude who spearheaded this trial result-debunking effort):