Blog Posts by Lylah M. Alphonse, Senior Editor, Yahoo! Shine

(Photo: Getty Images)The articles on Shine only tell part of the story; the rest can usually be found in the comments, where Shine readers weigh in with clever quips, stinging sarcasm, and smart discussions. Here are five of our favorite comments from readers this week.

The one that wins for sarcasm
Bob weighed in on the controversy over a Utah teen who got kicked out of class for dyeing her hair auburn. "Dye your hair? That's debauchery among our youth! Why can't she be a normal pregnant lesbian, with a handgun in her purse, like the other girls in school?"

The one that nailed it
Greenman clears up the confusion around Indiana's anti-gay prom plan: "Hooray! Let's talk about Free Speech again. Here is comes... Ready? Free Speech means you can tell the President to go F himself and they can't arrest you. That's Free Speech. But if you tell your boss to go F himself, he can totally fire your butt."

The one your mom didn't want you to see
Do you have a favorite kid? Lippy's mom did. "My mother always told

Read More »from Comments of the Week: School Rules, Huge Burgers, and Free Speech

Heart healthy? Maybe, but it also increases your risk of cancer, a new study shows. (Photo: Getty Images)New research shows that even a single alcoholic drink per day can increase your risk of developing certain types of cancer, including breast cancer in women.

Though people have long believed that a glass or two of wine can be good for your heart, the new study, conducted in conjunction with researchers in the U.S., Canada, and France, shows that the cancer risks far outweigh any heart-healthy benefits.

Related: What the Author of "Drinking With Men" Has to Say About Boys, Bars, and Drinking Alone

"Alcohol has long been known and recognized as a human carcinogen, so even some alcohol consumption raises your risks," Dr. Timothy Naimi, an alcohol researcher at Boston University's School of Public Health and a physician at the Boston University Medical Center who helped design and direct the study, told Yahoo! Shine in an interview. "On the balance of all people who begin drinking, many more people are killed by alcohol than helped by it."

Related: Heavy Drinking Raises Risk of Divorce

Read More »from Even Moderate Drinking Linked to Increased Cancer Risk

This photo is a fake: That's Rep. Earnest Smith's head, but it's definitely not his body. (Photo: Andre Walker/Georgia Politics Unfiltered)Inspired by the plight of a teenage girl who was being cyber bullied last year, Georgia state representative Earnest Smith proposed legislation that would make it make it illegal to digitally add an "unknowing person" to a photograph showing nudity or sexual conduct. People who do so would be charged with "offense against public order" including defamation, and would have to pay a $1,000 fine.

Related: Where's the Line Between Free Speech and Hate Speech?

His proposal, House Bill 39 (cosponsored by fellow Democratic Representative Pam Dickerson), was challenged almost immediately by Georgia blogger Andre Walker, who pasted a digital photo of Smith's head onto the body of a male porn star and then published the image on his blog.

"I did exactly what Rep. Smith wants to make illegal," Walker wrote at Georgia Politics Unfiltered.

There's a pretty big difference between parody -- which is what we think Walker's obviously fake photo of Smith is -- and cyber bullying,

Read More »from Should Posting Fake Naked Photos Be Illegal? Proposed Ban Stirs Up Controversy, More Lewd Photos

Tulle? What's tulle? (Photo: Getty Images?)While some women seem to be born speaking "bride" (hello, single women who plan their weddings before getting engaged!), other women (like me) ended up sort-of learning the lingo as the big day approached. So we understand that, for many grooms-to-be -- and for some brides as well! -- certain wedding-related words don't make much sense at all. We did a little research, put out a call on social media, and asked around a bit to find out which words cause the most confusion. Here's what we discovered.

Bride-to-Be's Good Deed Pays Off

You say: Tulle.
They hear: Tool. Possibly the knife used to cut the wedding cake.
Explain it: A light, mesh-like fabric used for anything from decorating to dresses.

You say: Fondant.
They hear: Fondue.
Explain it: A thick icing that can be molded and sculpted. Not made out of cheese.

You say: Blusher.
They hear: Makeup. Or something you do when you're embarrassed. Are you mad?
Explain it: A short veil that usually covers just the face.

You say: FAB

Read More »from What Guys Hear when You Speak 'Bride'

Bert Jacobson set this postcard to his mom when he was 13 -- in 1967. She just got it a few days ago. (Photo: Newson6.com)The big trip out east was going so well that 13-year-old Bert Jacobson just had to write home about it.

While traveling along the east coast with his father and cousins, buying concrete trucks and equipment for the family business, the teen took a few minutes to write a postcard to his mom, who was back in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma. He mailed it from the Old Country Store Museum in Hereford, Pennsylvania. In 1967.

Related: U.S. Post Office to Eliminate Saturday Delivery

It showed up in her post office box on Friday—46 years later.

The inky postmark from a generation ago is still clearly visible, with wavy lines running over the 4-cent Lincoln stamp. Jacobson's message to his mom is written in careful script on the back.

Related: 98-year-old Message in a Bottle Sets World Record

Bert Jacobson told local news stations that he's pleased his postcard finally arrived. (Photo: Newson6.com)"Mom, Hi. We've been having a great time, and this card is a picture of where we visited. It's real nice and the man told information on antiques. He said our old things we found like axes are worth lots of

Read More »from Boy's Postcard Finally Reaches Mom -- 46 Years Later

In the sea of dark businesses suits and fitted jackets in Republican red or Democratic blue, First Lady Michelle Obama shone at Tuesday night's State of the Union address in a sleeveless oxblood-and-black organza tweed dress by her go-to designer Jason Wu.  Accented with a silver cherry blossom  brooch, the dress is part of Wu's pre-fall 2013 collection, according to style blog Mrs-O.com.  That's the second time Jason Wu dressed the first lady in less than a month—the 30-year-old designer also took credit for the shoulder-baring red gown Obama wore at January's inaugural ball.

"I don't think any designer could ask for any better endorsement," Wu told the Financial Times during New York's Fashion Week on Sunday.

As President Obama  prepared to give his State of the Union address Tuesday night, all eyes (and tweets) were on his wife. Vanity Fair cheekily tweeted that her flower pin -- created by Alexis Bittar, who also designed the elongated brooch she wore at last year's State of the

Read More »from Michelle Obama Goes Sleeveless in Jason Wu at State of the Union Address

Unnatural? Rylee MacKay was kept out of class because of her hair color. (Photo: MacKay family via Facebook)In the past few months, schools have banned everything from yoga pants and Ugg boots to birthday candles and peanut butter sandwiches. But one Utah middle school is cracking down on hair color—even if the color in question isn't a garish blue or green but just a dark shade of red.

Related: What Else Has Been Banned From Schools?

After being kicked out of class last week for dyeing her brown hair auburn, an honors student at a Utah middle school has been allowed to return to school—but only after she toned down her hair color.

Though Rylee MacKay, 15, had been dyeing her hair the same shade every six weeks since September, it wasn't until earlier this month that the school took issue with the color. On Feb. 4, Hurricane Middle School vice principal Jan Goodwin spotted Rylee in the halls and ordered her into the office. She had just had her hair touched up two days earlier.

The Washington County School District dress code states that "Hair, including beards, mustaches and sideburns,

Read More »from Utah Teen Kicked Out of Class for Dyeing her Hair... Auburn?

Just because it's fresh doesn't mean it's better for you. (Photo: Getty Images)Just a few years ago, seeing the word "fresh" on a restaurant menu was a clue about the quality of ingredients. But now? Thanks to the fast-food industry, the word is mostly just a marketing term, and "fresh" doesn't mean much any more.

Related: The 5 Worst 'Healthy' Fast-Food Meals for Kids

"I think it's meaningless, almost, now," Mark Crumpacker, the chief marketing officer of Chipotle, told Slate. "I don't think there are any rules around 'fresh.' You can just say it with impunity. And I think lots of people do."

Consumers tend to assume that "fresh" also means "unprocessed" and "healthy," and restaurants are happy to play to that perception. McDonald's, for example, markets its salads as "Yummy, fresh, freedom in a bowl," but add a little protein and dressing and suddenly one crispy chicken salad (450 calories, 21 grams of fat) is about the same as a double cheeseburger (440 calories, 23 grams of fat). National chains tout their freshly made pizzas without focusing on how the

Read More »from The Word to Watch Out for on Fast Food Menus? Fresh