Rebecca Renner

Ronald Reagan pulled up to the curb in a sleek black town car, rolled down his tinted window, and beckoned for Lance Weller, author of the novel Wilderness, to join him. The long-dead president escorted Weller to a comic book shop stocked with every title Weller had ever wanted, but before he could make a purchase, Reagan swiped his wallet and skipped out the door.
Of course, Weller was dreaming. He is one of many people around the world—including more than 600 featured in just one study—who ...

Across the United States, brilliant fireworks displays will ring in the New Year in just a few days, but few people know what it takes to bring those incredible displays to life. Among those select individuals is Shelby Smotherman, a fireworks technician in Tampa, Florida, who has worked at some of Central Florida’s biggest theme parks, helping to orchestrate their fireworks shows. More than most, Smotherman knows that beyond the sparkle and glamour, a steady threat of danger lurks—when you’r...

Genetic testing may result in a clear diagnosis, supporting more informed disease management.
for Spark Therapeutics
Certainty can be rare in the medical profession. Doctors often treat symptoms without knowing their underlying cause. Now, health care professionals are beginning to utilize genetic testing to diagnose inherited diseases with more confidence, allowing for more informed management plans and connecting their patients to the appropriate network of support.
Genetic testing is havin...

Tired of boring lunch ideas? Try these healthy twists on classic lunchbox treats.
If you have a picky eater on your hands, you have probably noticed that when it comes to school lunches, the junk food you pack disappears while the healthy stuff gets the round-trip treatment, ending up back in your kitchen where it started. Add some pizazz to your lunches with these twists on lunchbox classics, thanks to ACME Markets.
Pizza Dip Bento Box
If your kids love Lunchables, but you’d rather give them...

Working on a screen all day can hurt your eyes. Schedule an eye exam to prevent more damage.
(Photo: RapidEye, Getty Images)
If you’re like most people, you spend the majority of your work day staring at a computer screen. After work, we turn our attention toward other screens. It isn’t just you. The average American spends about seven hours every day working on a screen and even more for recreation. This can lead to eye damage and computer vision syndrome, which is also sometimes called digi...

(Photo: monkeybusinessimages, Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Where your food comes from may seem like a minor decision with all the other choices we have to think about these days. But did you know that buying local produce can make a real difference? Buying local is better for the environment, and it strengthens local economies by helping small farms, the backbone of U.S. agriculture. As if you need another reason, local produce tastes better, too. Fortunately, you don’t have to go far to find it...

Most people will need a lawyer someday. Plan ahead by finding these common types.
(Photo: fizkes, Getty Images/iStockphoto)
It’s easy to assume you won’t need a lawyer. But lawyers aren’t just for people who break the law – legal experts can provide crucial assistance during some of life’s most difficult situations. When an emergency, tragedy or major life event occurs, it’s important to have a plan in place.
Consider which type of lawyer might come in handy and do your research about who you...

Atlantans who want to forage for food close to home are in luck: Last month, the city council voted to purchase a seven-acre nascent food forest in southeast Atlanta. It is expected to be the largest food forest in the country.
Food forests are layered, woodland versions of community gardens. They can include fruit and nut trees, shrubs, perennial vegetables, herbs, and vines.
A food forest “kind of flips our agricultural model on its head,” said Mike McCord of the nonprofit Trees Atlanta, wh...

Have you ever had a nightmare so vivid and terrifying that you were sure it was really happening? What if you could consciously change the course of a dream, even while asleep, so that you woke up feeling great instead of shaken? That’s the idea behind lucid dreaming, the ability to realize that you’re in a dream and potentially control the actions. It may sound like something out of a science fiction movie, but lucid dreaming is more common than you might think—and it’s something you can act...

(Photo: Artfully79, Getty Images/iStockphoto)
You would never go to the beach without sunscreen. Isn’t it time to take that much care of your eyes?
Summertime conditions can put your vision at risk. While you’re having fun at the beach or the pool, your eyes are exposed to more ultraviolet, or UV, light. Too much UV radiation can cause damage to the surface of your eye and its sensitive interior parts, like the cornea and lens. It can increase your likelihood of developing cataracts or eye ca...

Nothing goes better with Miami’s perfect beach day weather than a margarita, the traditional cocktail that’s an ideal canvas for reinvention. New spins on the iconic cocktail come with fruit, spice, herbs, salt, and premium liqueurs like Grand Marnier. You can go weeks without trying the same drink twice, and in Miami’s eclectic restaurant and bar scene, you won’t have to. Daring foodies and traditional noshers alike will discover new flavors and delectable pairings on this list of the best m...

The Facebook-owned messaging app said the attack had signs of coming from a private company working on surveillance.
A security breach on the popular private messaging app WhatsApp may have originated from a government entity. Sources at WhatsApp also believe the breach was made with privately developed surveillance technology, and that its intended target may have been human rights groups. WhatsApp referred the breach to U.S. Department of Justice.
The company said only a “select number of u...

Working on a screen all day can hurt your eyes. Schedule an eye exam to prevent more damage.
(Photo: RapidEye, Getty Images)
If you’re like most people, you spend the majority of your work day staring at a computer screen. After work, we turn our attention toward other screens. It isn’t just you. The average American spends about seven hours every day working on a screen and even more for recreation. This can lead to eye damage and computer vision syndrome, which is also sometimes called digi...

The name Holly Golightly is synonymous with sex and sophistication, but viewers may not know as much about her as they think. Audrey Hepburn’s portrayal of the character in the 1961 adaptation of Truman Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s, with her iconic little black dress, ushered in a new fashion era for women. But the movie also signaled a change in the average person’s attitude toward sexuality. As the 50s became the 60s, sexual mores strayed from the rigid monogamy of the past into the cult...

For the folks at Forever Young Charter Company, preparations for the Upper Keys Lionfish Derby start days in advance. Owner Tony Young and his crew fill up scuba tanks and ready their gear so on the morning of the derby, they can be out on the water early.
While it’s possible to catch a lionfish with a rod and reel, the name of the game on derby day is speed, and most teams use spear-fishing techniques in order to catch as many fish as possible. During the most recent derby, which took place ...