Colleges have always been pressure cookers. The crucibles in which young adults can be fired to greatness are also heating some students to dangerous levels. Suicide and attempts are rising, as is campus violence. What’s going on? Helping us to understand the myriad pressures that today’s kids are under is Dr. Lynda Doyle, a therapist in-touch with the college generation. We also look at the controversial book, "Doing School" by Denise Clark Pope. Music heard on the show includes "Under Pressure" by David Bowie.

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Personal reactions to Hillary Clinton have been increasingly on my mind. I’m not referring to her political stances or affiliation, but rather to the organized and not so organized emotional responses to her as the first US woman to make it this close to the front door of the Oval Office. Hillary is a trailblazer. As such, she is perceived and judged differently than a man.

No matter what Hillary says, wears, or does, she provokes unending criticism. (more…)

I’ve been thinking about some of the recent and not so recent murders and suicides involving teens and young adults in the US. The Illinois campus. The Virginia campus. The shooting/suicides that took place in the wealthy Colorado suburban high school not too many years ago. Schools are clearly not the only settings where these tragedies happen. But they are the very places that have been created to provide hope. To offer life opportunities through learning.

I don’t doubt there must have been a variety of factors that triggered these murders and suicides. Nonetheless, I am convinced these kids share a sense of being hopelessly alone. Desperately misunderstood. Without a future.
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Turns out that what you put out on You Tube and other places in the Citizens Media can come back to bite you in major ways. That is, according to an article in Information Week that Ken sent today.

On Blame Game we talked about employers checking out social networks. But did you know the CIA closely follows You Tube and chat rooms for “honest-to-goodness intelligence”?

These are public spaces. Postings made in public are fair game for everyone. That includes the CIA. Schools. Employers. Voyeurs. Makes me think even more about the importance of using good judgment. Necessity of managing a hot temper. And how someone you never met may interpret your words. Food for thought.

The seamy underbelly of social networking sites. Accusations fly, kids punk their parents, people get canned, everybody it seems is out to get somebody. Forget MySpace and Facebook. Have you seen EnemyBook? Advice for a grad student with a bully for an advisor. Music heard on this show includes “Blame Game” by Keith Hinton. Call my comment hotline 888-378-5463 or email me at asknow@askdrharriet.com

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Spare us the histrionics! Is there a drama queen in your life? Everything is always about them. Adversity befalls only them. One thing you must not do is play into it. Here’s is your DQ survival kit. Guest Wendy Susman. Music heard on this show includes “Drama Queen” by Dave Blackledge. E-mail me at asknow@askdrharriet.com

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It’s campaign season again. Reminds me of the last several campaigns. If you think  political campaigns inspire trust, vote yes. If you don’t, vote no. I sure have my doubts. Broken promises. Reassuring public statements followed by private betrayals. Little accountablility. Outright lies.

Lack of trust is not limited to politics. It’s in business. Remember Enron? You see it in local communities. Public figures say one thing. Then do another. I’m concerned about the consequences on a public level. And think about the implicit permission for private relationships. If it’s OK for a celebrity to violate trust, then maybe it’s not too bad for me to sometimes act that way.
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Ring in 2008 with a look back at our favorite moments of Ask Dr. Harriet. Ken and I hope you get as much enjoyment from listening to the very best of 2007 as we had bringing them to you! We’re excited about what’s cooking for our second season. Happy New Year my friends! Thanks so much for your loyalty! ~ Harriet.

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Not enough money. Not enough time. Family expectations. The “Supposed Tos” wring all the joy out of the holiday season. Why do we play the game? Here’s some sound advice to help you avoid the traps and have more fun.

Eat your heart out, Christie’s. The 1% FTP auction raised nearly $19k. JJ’s guitar went for $15-hundred and change!

Music heard on this show includes “Money, Money, Money” by ABBA.

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Every workplace has one - or six. They suck up to senior management. They steal your ideas and waste your time. They constantly criticize, spread malicious gossip and get good people in trouble. And that’s just minor bad behavior compared to the damage they can do. Fear not! Here are some simple steps you can take to detox your office environment.

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