Hookah--Don't Think It's Safe

The trend of engaging in Hookah smoking is growing in popularity. Whether it is going to hookah bars or doing it in their homes, more teens and college students are engaging in hookah thinking it is safer than cigarettes. According to medical professionals such as the Mayo clinic, hookah smoking is not safer. People who would never smoke a cigarette engage in Hookah because they don't realize it still contains tar, nicotine, and other dangerous chemicals that threaten their well-being. Not to mention, if you go to Hookah bar and they don't sanitize the equipment well it is a good way to spread germs, such as catching a cold. It may look fun, but Hookah is by no means safe.

Binge In A Can

Alcoholic energy drinks were very popular before a spate of illnesses resulted in the FDA and other governmental entities having companies quit putting caffeine in their energy drinks. It was a good thing because just look at the size of a Four Loko compared to a regular energy drink such as "Steaz":

At 12.0% alcohol by volume, "Alcopops" such as Four Loko may no longer contain caffeine, but still are quite frankly a, "Binge in a can," in the sense that if you drink a whole Four Loko in one sitting there is no question you are going to get quite intoxicated. To give credit where credit is due, on the Four Loko website they make an effort to stress their product is for those 21 and over and should only be marketed as such in stores. Still, with the bright and colorful can designs is this really a beverage that a 30 year old would want to pick up or something much more appealing to youth?

Four Loko is an alcoholic beverage and like all alcohol the key is moderation and responsibility by those who are legally old enough to ingest it. Also, making the can not look like a fun new soda would probably help.

Apparently It Isn't Just Deep Dish Pizza Being Delivered In Chicago.

Double-check it's Pamesan cheese that's making that pizza so white. 

According to this article, out in Chicago, Illinois, there was a ring of pizza restaurants that weren’t just delivering food, but were also dropping off cocaine. 19 different individuals have been charged, and many people now know that the extra surcharge wasn’t just for delivery.

Songs Encouraging Binge Drinking?

Suppose a song declared that if you weren't getting drunk to get the "bleep" out of the club, would you think that song maybe, just maybe encouraged binge-drinking? Well, LMFAO's song "Shots" is essentially one long ode to over-drinking.

It came out back in 2009 but continues to be popular today. Go to a bar or nightclub and you are almost sure to hear this song played at some point throughout the night, with the whole club chanting along. Another pop song that has seen quite a lot of popularity and which is focused pretty much exclusively on the ingestion of alcohol is Trey Songz (featuring Nicki Minaj) with, "Bottoms Up":

These songs are admittedly quite fun, with exciting dance beats, catchy hooks, and popular artists. The issue is that all this fun is being devoted to an activity such as drinking. There isn't necessarily an easy solution to this, artists can sing about whatever they want, and people who are drinking in the club maybe like doing shots to the song, "Shots," but maybe artists can try and exercise their creativity a bit more and write about a wider range of topics. For instance, does Ke$ha really need to brush her teeth, "with a bottle of Jack?"

Lazy Cakes—Not your average brownie!

Within the last six months, Lazy Cakes have emerged as popular new trend for people who want to relax as if in a drug-like state. Discussed by NPR, Lazy Cakes contains a mixture of herbs and chemicals that can make someone tired, sleepy, and otherwise…lazy.

The main chemical is one that naturally occurs in the body at smaller doses known as melatonin but is found in large amounts in Lazy Cakes. The danger with melatonin is that too large a dose can cause the central nervous system to slow down and cause one to have trouble breathing.

With Lazy Cakes you are only supposed to eat only half a brownie, but who honestly would eat just half? If Lazy Cakes make adults feel exhausted and tired, imagine what it would do to a child.

Lazy Cakes are also only meant for adults but if a child were to ingest a whole one -- it isn’t a stretch to say a toddler will need to be hospitalized. Lazy Cakes are currently unregulated, and they are treated as if they are just herbal supplements—in the same manner ass energy drinks.

 are (ironic considering they have an opposite effect). This lack of regulation is a concern and Lazy Cakes need further examination before any conclusions can be drawn about their safety. So little is know about them now, and the danger to children needs to be investigated.

Salvia: The Unknown Drug

Salvia is a drug growing in popularity. You may hear about it on the news as a dangerous drug, or read about it in magazines or on the internet as a safe and legal way to experience psychedelic effects. Salvia also got a lot of national attention when popular celebrity Miley Cyrus was filmed smoking it. The thing is though, how many people know just what Salvia actually is, what it does, and how safe it is or isn't? Let's go in-depth about Salvia and shed a little light on just what the drug Salvia is.

Videogames and Misunderstandings.

Don't be afraid.

We all see it happen in the media, some violent videogame is spotlighted and while it may be something actual gamers would never go near people who don’t know about the industry get upset. For example, a new game that I won’t even dignify with a link will be coming out with you going to various instances of school shootings and re-living them as the shooter. A regular person reading about this would get extremely freaked out, because they don’t know that this isn’t an actual game being released at retail by a big company, but instead something done by an independent developer whom the mainstream game community pays only wrath and disgust.

Almost all independent games are on computers as big companies won't let games like the one discussed be released on their consoles

People hear about a “mod” to a game—which is when an individual or small group make their own version of a popular game they share with others—and think it is a huge release when in fact no one will actually be playing it in the gamer community outside of those with no taste. These so-called “games” don’t even go through the regular game industry, being rated by the volunteer organization the ESRB which assigns appropriate age-ratings based on a games content before it is released for sale in stores. No, these games can only be found online as free or paid-for content people download, that is how underground these sick individuals are.