Dr. Cheryl Pappas

I've been wondering lately what it would be like to have just arrived on earth from another planet and turn on CNN for the first time. Now playing might be bloody footage from Syria, political corruption trials, loud, mud-slinging campaign ads on behalf of Romney and Obama, and news pieces...

And the Accidental Hero Award goes to President Barack Obama.

Yes, Obama finally "came out", on Disney-owned ABC morning television, with the long-awaited magic words of support for gay marriage.

Historical, and somewhat hysterical, at the same time.

The hysteria is the gay rights community's celebratory amnesia about this president's...

This week, the brilliant Arianna Huffington, in her adroit weekly roundup column, introduces the new, "GPS for the Soul."

She discusses "Freedom," a popular app that "allows users to cut off from the Internet."
Maybe I've been adrift on my own island of the mind, but pow! this hit...

De Niro responds to Newt Gingrich's Response to De Niro's Words.

Ann Coulter Defends De Niro Remark.

These are typical headlines, the breaking news of our day. In this case, the question is: how many days will this non-story feed the media?

Apparently, Robert De Niro, at a...

Oh, for the days when words were spoken.

Instead, we are looking at the demise of real talk, and it ain't pretty.

I realize I have the annoying practice of questioning the emptiness of verbal communication wherever I hear it.

Yesterday at the Apple store, the technical adviser...

Americans love sports. These following nine months leading up to the presidential election appear sadly almost exclusively to be a sport for most Americans, a mesmerizing reality show competition between contestants promoted and funded by various conglomerates for our entertainment and our votes.

Which candidate will be the most...

We have received the news that Paula Deen, popular television cook and self-titled "queen of Southern cooking," has Type 2 diabetes. There is outrage against Ms. Deen for advertising unhealthy eating, which I find particularly fascinating.

Here's the question: are we or are we not personally responsible for what we...

What does it mean to practice acceptance in our closest relationships?

Acceptance, like its blood relative, forgiveness, is a matter for serious study.

One of the largest realities showcased in the news today is a profound lack of acceptance in our society.

This is a time of fighting celebrity headliners...

Sometimes a shocking episode from life's infinite collection of bizarre experiences knocks rudely on the door of your heart and your life.

Helloooo! You might answer, consumed with milder matters, more than likely amidst the stupor of your favorite denial strategy.

Sometimes it is possible to immediately identify what this...

As I read the heart-warming tributes on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and the beautiful words of hope and encouragement for our future, I can't help but revisit the truth of the social images from these last 10 years in America.

I'm talking about personal and social behavior...

Of course, you know by now that almost every television commercial is a drug company selling prescription anti-depression drugs and repeating the mantra tag line of this new century in advertising, survival, and mass hypnosis: "Ask Your Doctor."

What you may not know is that this is a benevolent campaign...

I am wondering about the emotional fallout from Monday night's split-screen appearances by President Obama and Speaker John Boehner. It is tempting to liken this presentation to a reality contest. Something perhaps called, "Who is the most believable?"

It's easy to trivialize politics today. This frivolous response is brought to...

The real estate business is in tear-down condition. The confluence of the economy, the end of real estate boom days, the internet, and increasing consumer savvy pops the question of how much longer community real estate agents can hope to hold their decades-long maniacal control over home sellers.

The membership...

The President yesterday conducted a town hall meeting by Twitter. For the many people who do not tweet, including me, this "tweet meet" was a curious occasion.

Is Obama an opportunist hoping to distract with his cute abbreviations via this "tweet meet"? Or could it be that he's trying to...

New York has just legalized gay marriage, while the dust settles on President Obama's NYC efforts to garner money and votes from the gay community.

At a LGBT fundraiser, Obama once again displayed his lack of support for gay marriage by not mentioning it. As transparent as his campaign...

Alec Baldwin is the epitome of modern.
He is brilliant, using his celebrity opportunity to express and appear everywhere doing just about anything that grabs him.
This spans all mediums, it turns out, because he is one talented dude.
What could be more modern than grabbing...

The tornado in Missouri is just a horrible event, no doubt about it.

The crazy weather in the world and the possible connection to a global warming crisis is on every thinking person's menu of concerns today.

Surely, we urge those with power and political platforms in America to move...

What would happen to the news if celebrity fighting was removed from the headlines?

Would people stop reading or watching television news if John McCain's threat to beat up Glen Beck was a private matter, rather than appearing in a headline? What about if Britney Spears had parents who expressed...

The emotional change of this past year smacked me in the ass, in a good way, when I returned home from Paris last week. Email requests from other websites to re-feature my Mother's Day piece, "Mother's Day: It's Complicated," written one year ago for The Huffington Post, awaited...

There was a time long, long ago when to say something was a "brand" would bring to mind soup (Campbell's) or canned pineapple (Dole). This dates me, and so did my high school boyfriend, escorting me to memorable restaurants where nary a canned or branded food product was served. But...