On Monday, President Obama opened the second White House Conference on Mental Health with a meaningful plea to end the stigma surrounding mental illness and bring these issues out of the shadows. Almost 14 years ago to the day, President Clinton had similar comments as he closed the first-ever White...

It may seem unimaginable to witness an event that brings together HIV and AIDS education in Africa, bone marrow transplants, celebrities and soccer for people of all ages. That event took place, however, Sunday at LAFEST at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA. LAFEST co-founders and soccer enthusiasts Dylan...

It seems everyone is coming out of the woodwork to talk about the need for dialogue about mental illness. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius recently mentioned that the White House will be starting conversations about this issue in the next few weeks. Robert...

There are a lot of alarming trends in these recent tragedies. One that is often overlooked is that the shooters in Aurora, Oregon, Newtown, and many other past atrocities are all college-aged. That fact begs the question, what kind of mental illness and or mental health education is being taught...

There's something enchanting about visiting wineries. Getting to see firsthand where the wines are made, smelling the fresh air, admiring the scenery and taking in the whole process is always a special process. However, sometimes it's just not possible to get to an area where there are wineries.

When...

In my last piece I called blended wines the ice cream sundae of all of my favorite grapes. Blends are some of the most complex and interesting types of wine. In order to learn more about the process, I spent a day with Mariana Onofri, a sommelier and Wine Director...

It seems just about everyone I meet has a variety of opinions about wine. I never know what to believe. Should I stick to Paul Giamatti's advice and not drink Merlot? When I tilt my wine glass and it appears to cling to the side like Spider-Man is that because...

My typical wine selection experience doesn't usually go well. I walk into a store. Stand in front of hundreds of bottles of wine. Then I try to decipher some hidden wine code that allows me to walk out with a quality bottle. I'm pretty sure a child could pick the...

The 27 months of Peace Corps service flies by. Some volunteers start thinking about what comes next early in their service and others don't worry about it until they are back in the U.S. All of us hope to utilize new skills we gained in foreign countries. Returned Peace Corps...

The word oak doesn't usually trigger instant enthusiasm. Some people have a negative connotation with the word, particularly when it comes to wine. However, experts know oak can often make or break a wine's flavor, price and even has scientists trying to develop ways to copy its importance.

My...

The two most important parts to determine a good wine are smell and taste. In my last piece, I covered three steps to become a wine aroma expert. Now that you have that part down, it's time to move on to a really useful trick to identify the...

As a person who rarely even selects which wine to drink when I am out for dinner, I am definitely a novice when it comes to properly identifying wine aromas. I can't tell you how many times I have put my nose over a glass and guessed, purely out of...

When a lot of people think about the most difficult parts of the 27 months of Peace Corps service they tend to focus on the time spent in the foreign country, but for numerous volunteers the hardest adjustment is coming back to America. There can be a bit of culture...

One of the hardest preparations before leaving for Peace Corps service is figuring out how to fit most of the things you will need for two years into two 45-pound bags. I spent days trying to fill every possible crevice. Weighed the bags. Repacked. Drank a few beers out of...

Veterans and current soldiers are often honored for serving their country on the front lines of wars, conflicts and truly unimaginable experiences. On Memorial Day it's common to see images of soldiers in uniform, giving thanks from military bases all over the world or retired veterans marching in hometowns with...

Peace Corps Volunteers are known for their ability to adapt, succeed in spite of difficult odds and learn about themselves in the process. GLBTQ Peace Corps Volunteers definitely possess all of these traits and so many more as they serve in countries where being gay or lesbian is illegal.

Balancing...

When family and friends say goodbye to someone joining the Peace Corps they expect him or her to return in two years or longer with a lot of stories, maybe some interesting clothes, a plethora of pictures and perhaps a different view on life. It's natural to assume a Peace...

The Peace Corps Experience; Perception vs. Reality

When I was applying to the Peace Corps, I saw their ads and wondered if the stories were real. Promotional materials seem to capture the perceived stereotypical experiences of Peace Corps Volunteers. There are images of one volunteer surrounded by 40 smiling children,...

Volunteering in a foreign country can be a life altering experience. That feeling of going somewhere different, helping people and attempting to make a change provides a sense of purpose. It's you against whatever plague you're fighting. You're not sitting and watching it on TV. You got on a plane...

Getting to spend time with the highest-ranking American official in any country doesn't seem like a strong possibility to most people, but that's not the case in Botswana. U.S. Ambassador Michelle Gavin thoroughly enjoys leaving the Embassy to travel to villages and towns across the country.

She feels her...