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You Can’t Reconnect with Family Through a Screen You Won’t Put Down

When families say, “We never really talk anymore,” the holidays are supposed to be the fix, the one time of year everyone gets under the same roof, sits around the same table, and finally catches up. But in 2025, most people arrive at those gatherings with a second guest in tow: their phone. New behavioral data from Offline.now, a digital wellness platform founded by author and CEO Eli Singer, shows 8 in 10 people want a healthier relationship with technology, yet more than half feel too overwhelmed to know where to start. That makes the holidays a natural “reset” moment; if parents and other adults are willing to change their own habits first. Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist Gaea Woods says phones have quietly become the “third party” in many households: “Phones are killing interpersonal relationships - not because tech is evil, but because we use it unconsciously at the moments connection matters most. When you’re scrolling at dinner, you’re sending the message, ‘My phone is more interesting and important than you.’” Research on “phubbing” aka phone snubbing backs this up, linking partner and family phone use during conversations with lower relationship satisfaction and more conflict. Offline.now’s experts see the same pattern: when screens show up at the table, intimacy and meaningful conversation drop. Executive Function Coach Craig Selinger argues that the real leverage point isn’t screen-time rules for kids; it’s modelling by adults: “If you want behavior change in kids, start with the parent model. A 12-year-old will not put their phone away at dinner if their parents won’t. Kids copy what you do, not what you say.” When kids see parents physically turn phones face-down and set them aside, it creates permission, even relief. Over a few days of holiday visits, those small moments can add up to something families say they miss most: unhurried conversations, shared jokes, and the feeling that the people in front of you are more important than the feed on your screen. For journalists covering holiday family dynamics, tech and relationships, or digital wellness, Offline.now can offer expert interviews on: How to design realistic, family-wide phone rules for gatherings Why parental modelling matters more than any app setting Simple scripts parents can use to set expectations without shaming kids Featured Experts Gaea Woods, MA, LMFT – Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist specializing in digital dependency, intimacy, and communication in modern relationships. Craig Selinger, M.S., CCC-SLP – Executive Function Coach and child development specialist focused on how tech impacts learning, attention, and family systems. Expert availability can be arranged through Offline.now’s media team.

Georgia Southern University uses innovative simulation technology to help revolutionize logistics in the region

Kamran Kardel, Ph.D., associate professor of manufacturing engineering in the Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Computing, is leading a multidisciplinary research team to help regional logistics companies increase efficiency. Funded through the college’s Remotely Operated Warehouse Services (ROWS) Laboratory, with seed money from Crider Foods Inc., the team is composed of Kardel, Ryan Florin, Ph.D, assistant professor of computer science and students. Kardel and his team are using the software to build simulations, known as “digital twins,” that replicate warehouse operations like picking, packing and shipping. The ROWS Laboratory will serve as a development site, allowing the simulations to be thoroughly tested and validated before being presented to third parties. The ultimate goal is to provide industry partners with simulation capabilities using AnyLogic Software and Internet of Things (IoT) integration. The IoT refers to a network of physical devices located within and around the warehouse, such as mobile robots, sensors and cameras, that collect and share real-time data over the internet. That ensures optimal accuracy and responsiveness. The ultimate goal is to provide industry partners with simulation capabilities using AnyLogic Software and Internet of Things (IoT) integration. This industry collaboration also provides important professional development for the students working on the project. “I have a few students, both undergraduate and graduate, who are going to be involved in this project from beginning to end,” said Kardel. “Several of them have mentioned to me that this is their first time with direct access to the industry and potential employers.” Continuing the theme of collaboration, the project could result in shared postdoctoral positions with Ireland’s South East Technological University in its Lean Industry 4.0 Lab. While still in its early stages, Kardel hopes this partnership will give this research an even larger scope. “The Lean Industry 4.0 Lab has a lot of experience in IoT,” Kardel explained. “By joining Ph.D. programs, hopefully we can work together and improve logistics here in our region and in Ireland.” Ultimately, Kardel says this research can give companies a leg up in an increasingly digitized world. “As far as automation, for companies in southeast Georgia and South Carolina, I would say it’s becoming more common,” he said. “It’s still a mixed bag, though some warehouses are fully automated, some are not. The work we are doing can help companies remain competitive.” Looking to know more about Georgia Southern University or connect with Kamran Kardel? Simply contact Georgia Southern's Director of Communications Jennifer Wise at jwise@georgiasouthern.edu to arrange an interview today.

How corporate competition can spur collaborative solutions to the world's problems

Why can’t large competitive companies come together to work on or solve environmental challenges, AI regulation, polarization or other huge problems the world is facing? They can, says the University of Delaware’s Wendy Smith. While it's difficult, the key is to have these companies collaborate under the guise of competition. Smith, a professor of management and an expert on these types of paradoxes, co-authored a recent three-year study of one of the most profound collaborations. Her team looked at the unlikely alliance of 13 competitive oil and gas companies that eventually formed Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA), which works with experts worldwide to find innovative solutions for environmental and technical challenges in the region. Smith and her co-authors found that those companies were willing to collaborate, but only when collaboration was cast in the language, practices and goals of competition. Given the scope of our global problems, companies must continually work together to offer solutions. Creating that collaboration becomes critical, Smith said. This research offers important insight about how these collaborations are possible. Among the study's key findings: Competition can drive cooperation — if leaders harness it. It would make sense to assume that competition undermines collaboration. But the study finds that those who championed alliances used competitive dynamics to strengthen cooperation among rival firms. Rather than suppressing rivalry, leaders leveraged competition as a mechanism to enable joint action toward shared environmental goals. This reframes how organizations can manage tensions between competition and cooperation in partnerships. For example, COSIA leaders created competition between partners to see who would contribute the most valuable environmental innovations. Partners could only gain as much benefit from other company’s innovations commensurate with what they shared. A “Paradox Mindset” is key to complex collaborative success. The research identifies the importance of what the authors call a paradox mindset, which sees competition and cooperation not as opposites to be balanced but as interrelated forces that can be used in tandem. Leaders in the study who adopted this mindset were more thoughtful and creative about how to engage both competitive and collaborative practices in the same alliance. Traditional balance isn’t the goal — process over stability. Instead of pursuing a simplistic “balance” between competing and cooperating, the study shows that effective alliances evolve through process, where competition remains visible and even useful throughout the lifecycle of the alliance. To connect with Smith directly and arrange an interview, visit her profile and click on the "contact" button. Interested journalists can also send an email to MediaRelations@udel.edu.

Charities spend big to defend their board’s corporate agendas, new study reveals

Charities with corporate leaders on their boards spend an average of $130,000 a year lobbying on behalf of their connected companies. That’s according to a first-of-its-kind study that shows how companies benefit from their charitable work — and how charities may be all-too-happy to support their powerful board members in return for lucrative connections. The researchers behind the study say the findings could help policymakers and charity stakeholders keep tabs on a previously hidden form of political influence, but that such arrangements are perfectly legal for now. “Charities stand to gain something by behaving in this way. It doesn’t always have to be corporations pushing charities to behave in a way they don’t want to,” said Sehoon Kim, Ph.D., a professor of finance at the University of Florida and senior author of the new study. “It’s a natural quid pro quo arrangement that arises from the incentives corporations and charities have.” The American Medical Association shows one example of these incentives in action. In the 2010s, they actively lobbied against efforts by federal agencies to curb opioid prescriptions. This benefited companies like Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin widely blamed for exacerbating the opioid epidemic in the U.S. It turned out that Richard Sackler, the former president of the company, sat on the board of AMA Foundation, a relationship viewed by many as controversial at the time. But Sackler had arranged for millions in donations to the foundation, and other charities are likely looking to corporate board members to help engineer large donations for their charitable work by connecting charities to other companies and leaders with deep pockets. Lobbying on behalf of their new friends, then, may simply be the most efficient way to ensure those donations keep flowing. Kim collaborated with UF Professor Joel Houston, Ph.D., and Changhyun Ahn, Ph.D., of the Chinese University of Hong Kong to conduct the analysis, which is forthcoming in the journal Management Science. They painstakingly hand collected data covering more than 400 charities and over 1,000 corporations that identified board connections, donations and lobbying activities that fell both within and outside of the charities’ typical political activity. The researchers focused on larger charities that already engage in some lobbying on their own behalf. These lobbying charities are three times larger than smaller nonprofits that never lobby. After a new corporate board member joined, these charities changed their behavior. They were far more likely to lobby outside of their own interests and to even work to support or defeat legislation that affected their new board member’s company, even when that legislation had nothing to do with their charitable mission. It worked out to about a 14% increase in the charity’s lobbying expenditures. “These were the smoking guns that there’s something going on that’s not supposed to be happening,” Kim said. Because lobbying is such an efficient use of resources, and because charities may lend their friendly brand to these lobbying efforts, this help from charities could significantly benefit these connected corporations. “These are previously unrecognized channels at play in terms of corporate political influence that policymakers need to be mindful of when assessing how influential corporations are likely to be,” Kim said.

Affordability is Key Issue for NYS Lawmakers

Lawrence Levy, associate vice president and executive dean of the National Center for Suburban Studies, talked to Newsday about New York State lawmakers returning to session with a mandate to address affordability, specifically childcare and rising utility and health care costs.

Sleep Is the First Casualty of Your Screen Habit

Everyone says they want to “sleep better” in the new year. Most start with new pillows, supplements or blackout curtains while the biggest sleep disruptor in the room is still glowing inches from their face. Digital wellness platform Offline.now, founded by author and strategist Eli Singer, has found that we now spend about 10 of our 16 waking hours on screens, roughly 63% of our day. Psychotherapist Harshi Sritharan, MSW, RSW, who specializes in ADHD and modern anxiety, says sleep is often the first system to collapse under that load. Harshi explains that phones and screens emit blue light that hits the retinal ganglion cells in our eyes and tells the brain it’s time to be alert, the opposite of what we need at night: “When we’re leaning towards using our phones right before bed, that blue light hits our system and says, ‘We should be awake.’ It disrupts our circadian rhythm. For people with ADHD or other neurodiversity, whose rhythms are already fragile, adding late-night screen exposure completely throws things off.” She notes that exposure between roughly 11 p.m. and 4 a.m. is particularly damaging for stress and sleep regulation, leaving people “tired all the time throughout the day.” Morning habits can be just as destructive. Sritharan warns that checking your phone first thing essentially programs your brain to chase distraction: “Don’t be on your phone first thing in the morning — it hijacks your attention and your dopamine for the rest of the day. After that kind of stimulation, everything else feels harder and less interesting.” She also calls the snooze button “a pattern that’s making us more tired,” because it fragments REM sleep instead of helping us feel rested. The good news: the data suggests you don’t need a perfect digital detox to see real benefits. A JAMA Network Open study on young adults found that reducing social media use for just one week, not quitting entirely; led to about a 24.8% drop in depression, 16.1% drop in anxiety, and 14.5% improvement in insomnia symptoms. Singer argues that the real barrier isn’t willpower, it’s confidence. Offline.now’s research shows 8 in 10 people want a healthier relationship with tech, but more than half feel too overwhelmed to know where to start. “When people tell us they feel overwhelmed, it’s not laziness. It’s a crisis of confidence,” says Singer. “Lasting change doesn’t require deleting Instagram or TikTok tomorrow. You need to win one personal victory today, and then another tomorrow. That’s how confidence rebuilds.” For journalists covering sleep, mental health, or digital dependency, this story connects the dots between phones, dopamine and insomnia and offers a realistic alternative to the all-or-nothing “digital detox.” Featured Experts Harshi Sritharan, MSW, RSW – Psychotherapist specializing in ADHD, anxiety, insomnia and digital dependency. She explains how blue light, dopamine cycles and “doomscrolling before bed” undermine sleep, especially for neurodivergent clients. Eli Singer – Founder of Offline.now and author of Offline.now: A Practical Guide to Healthy Digital Balance. He speaks to the behavioral data behind digital overwhelm, the confidence gap, and the Offline.now Matrix that turns vague resolutions into actionable micro-steps. Expert interviews can be arranged through the Offline.now media team.

Georgia Southern’s Care Station project launched in downtown Statesboro to improve access to health products and testing

Georgia Southern University’s Institute for Health Logistics & Analytics (IHLA) has launched the Care Station project to address barriers to accessing over-the-counter health products. Care Stations are standalone kiosks open 24/7 that allow users to purchase a range of over-the-counter health products. Items can be paid for using a digital wallet on a mobile phone; cash is not accepted. The first Care Station is located in the alleyway behind Georgia Southern’s City Campus, located at 58 E. Main Street in Statesboro. The project team, led by Jennifer Drey, IHLA community outreach coordinator, and Jill Johns, project manager, prioritized the specific needs of the local population when developing the idea. “By understanding the unique needs of the community, we can offer customized health products and tests in easily accessible locations,” said Drey. Because many of the products are personal in nature, the team designed the kiosks to provide users with privacy. “These kiosks are easy to use, safe and completely confidential,” said Johns. “Whether someone is purchasing pain relievers or sexually transmitted infection tests, their privacy is protected.” To help ensure the Care Stations meet community needs, IHLA encourages Statesboro and Bulloch County residents to share anonymous feedback through an online form at bit.ly/CareStation_Statesboro. To expand access, a second Care Station will open soon in Vidalia, Georgia. Drey said the project serves as a pilot initiative, with the long-term goal of replication statewide. “Rural communities often experience difficulty accessing essential health care supplies and testing compared to their metropolitan counterparts,” she said. “We hope our pilot machines serve as a model for expansion of the program to other rural communities across Georgia.” The Care Station project builds on IHLA’s recently completed Community Health Resource Project (CHRP), which identified key health disparities across rural counties and strengthened partnerships with local stakeholders. A public ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held on Jan. 5, 2026. IHLA uses an integrated One Health approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals and ecosystems. Its mission is to transform the health and well-being of communities through applied evidence-based practices and technology integration. Products and tests currently available at the Statesboro Care Station: General Health Allergy medication Bandages Condoms Eyeglass repair kit Hand sanitizer wipes Hygiene kit Pain Relief and Wound Care Ibuprofen Urinary pain relief tablets Rinse-free bath wipes Wound care kit Children’s Health and Wellness Children’s Tylenol Diaper changing kit Menstrual Products Pads Tampons Diabetes Care Glucose tablets Testing Test My Drink sheets Pregnancy tests HIV and syphilis tests Looking to know more about Georgia Southern University's Care Station? Simply contact Georgia Southern's Director of Communications Jennifer Wise at jwise@georgiasouthern.edu to arrange an interview today.

The H³ Plan: How to Retire Without Losing Your Mind & How You Can Support Older Relatives

MEDIA ADVISORY Retirement planning expert Sue Pimento introduces her H³ Plan — a research-backed framework for maintaining mental and emotional health in retirement that goes beyond financial planning. The framework identifies three essential pillars — Hope, Help, and Horizon — that help combat the emotional flatness many retirees experience after leaving structured work. Drawing on neuroscience research and clinical insights, Pimento offers a practical "emotional pension plan" for the growing population of Canadians navigating this life transition. Sue Pimento is available for interviews on retirement wellness, healthy aging, and the psychology of life transitions. Retirement doesn't arrive with a crash. It arrives quietly. One day, you stop setting alarms, stop racing against the clock, stop feeling urgently needed—and no one gives you the mental and emotional playbook for what comes next. There should be a chapter titled:  How to Keep Your Brain Engaged, Regulated, and Not Mildly Irritated by Everyone. Instead? 404 page not found.  (Translation: the system is actively seeking guidance… and coming up empty.) And if you're nodding along thinking "yes… exactly" — IYKYK. (If You Know, You Know. And if you don't yet, give it time.) Understanding Your Emotional Pension Plan After years of writing, researching, listening, and living through this stage myself, three factors consistently emerge as essential to maintaining mental and emotional health as we age. I call it H³: Hope, Help, and Horizon. Here's why each one matters—and why neglecting any of them leaves you emotionally drained. Think of them as your emotional pension plan — not optional, not fluffy, but essential. 1. Hope: Not Just Wishful Thinking — Agency, Clarified In her reflective New York Times article, "Your Hopes," journalist and believing host Lauren Jackson examines increasing cynicism, waning trust, and—most importantly—what research indicates truly can turn the tide.  One line sums up the difference perfectly: Optimism is believing the future will improve. Hope is believing you can make it so. Here's why that matters. Optimism versus Hope (Plain-English Edition) Optimism is passive: "Things will probably work out." Hope is active: "I can influence what happens next." Optimism awaits. Hope takes part. From a psychological perspective, hope is based on: • Agency (I am able to act) • Pathways thinking (I can find a way) Research from the University of Oklahoma's Hope Research Center indicates that hope is one of the strongest predictors of well-being, often surpassing income, education, and even past success. For retirees, this distinction is important because aging narratives often aim to gently remove us from the driver's seat. Hope replies with something more like: Back off, sister. I refuse to buy into outdated stereotypes. I've upgraded to a more modern version of aging—like a new iPod model. (Stereos are out of style. Keep up.) Hope maintains the nervous system in an engaged state rather than resignation. In fact, some see hope as far more nuanced. Frank O’Dea, best known for his personal comeback story — from being homeless to later becoming a very successful coffee entrepreneur as the co-founder of the Second Cup shares his thoughts in his book, “Hope is Not a Strategy.” His personal narrative reinforces a deep belief in hope as a powerful emotional engine, but never as a substitute for action. O’Dea, who later went on to be a co-founder of the Second Cup Coffee Company and is a recipient of the Order of Canada for his philanthropy and humanitarian work, speaks to the human tendency to confuse optimism with preparation — people often wish their way into opportunity, rather than work their way into readiness. I love this line from his book: “Hope is important — it gives us purpose. But without a strategy, it leaves us vulnerable. We win not by wishing, but by working.” — Frank O’Dea 2. Giving Back: Your Brain's Favourite (Unpaid) Job Giving back isn't about virtue. Or virtue signalling on social, for that matter. (It's not a branding exercise. No hashtag required.) It's about nervous system regulation. Over the holidays, I was listening to an interview on CBC Radio and found myself doing that thing where you stop playing Vita Mahjong mid-game because someone said something so logical but also completely fascinating. Gloria Macarenko’s episode with Vancouver-based psychologist and therapist Lawrence Sheppard explored in detail how giving back influences us and what he has personally observed in his practice. The message? Giving back is a key factor for mental health. Certainly, we've all heard the well-known phrase "tis better to give than receive"—or a version of it. But Sheppard wasn't referring to virtue or being kind. He was discussing what truly happens in the brain when we give. Here's the short version: Helping others shifts the brain out of threat mode and into meaning mode. So what's Happening Neurologically? Building on Sheppard's clinical work and broader neuroscience: • Chronic stress forces the nervous system to stay hyper-vigilant. • Rumination shifts inward and intensifies the sense of threat. • Contribution shifts focus outward • Helping activates reward pathways and emotional regulation. Giving back restores balance. • purpose • structure • connection • competence Giving back reminds your brain it's still engaged—just not earning money. (My definition of volunteering. Not Webster's.) And many retirees miss that feeling more than the salary. They also miss the tangibles: vinyl records, 99-cent bread, and the quiet satisfaction of being needed somewhere at 9 a.m. Importantly, giving back—like hope—helps regulate the nervous system by decreasing feelings of isolation and restoring a sense of predictability. Your brain prefers knowing where it belongs. 3. Something to Look Forward To: Anticipation Is Medicine This one is sneaky powerful—and well documented. Having something to anticipate generates excitement. And excitement is not merely a feeling. It's a nervous system event. Here's the connective tissue: All three pillars—hope, giving back, and anticipation—work because they shift the nervous system away from threat and stagnation, and toward engagement, reward, and regulation. The Science (Why Anticipation Works) Research by neuroscientist Wolfram Schultz showed that dopamine spikes most strongly before a reward—not during it.  Later studies in affective neuroscience confirmed: • Anticipation boosts motivation and positive emotions. • Future-oriented thinking diminishes depressive rumination. • Predictable positive events enhance mood regulation. In plain English: Your brain lights up when it knows something good is coming. In many instances, anticipation offers more emotional uplift than the event itself. Think: • first date • first kiss • first solo trip • first "I can't believe I'm actually doing this" moment You cannot buy that feeling in a bottle. (Not even the little blue pill will do it.) Why This Matters in Retirement Work used to provide: • deadlines • milestones • future orientation • purpose • feedback • connection • a sense of accomplishment And yes—before anyone writes me a letter—stay-at-home moms, caregivers, and volunteers: that is work. Don't get me started. When structured work concludes, those inputs aren't automatically replaced. Without things to look forward to: • time flattens • mood dulls • life becomes emotionally beige Something—anything—on the calendar restores forward motion. What Giving Back Looks Like in Real Life My friend Janet retired at 63 with a solid financial plan and no emotional plan. Six months in, she was climbing the walls—bored, restless, wondering why she felt so flat when she "should" be enjoying herself. Then she started tutoring at the library (Help), signed up for a pottery course (Horizon), and realized she could actually shape this chapter however she wanted (Hope). Different person. Same retirement account. Completely different nervous system. Big Things Are Overrated Waiting for something big to look forward to is often just perfectionism wearing a sensible cardigan. We tell ourselves the next big milestone will fix everything, when in reality, progress usually happens in a game of inches. Small choices, taken consistently, create big shifts. Direction beats intensity every time.  As I wrote in my last blog about my Everest Base Camp and MBA journey: Even Cs get degrees. And I'll add: Consistent B- work wins most races. Small counts: • weekly plans • standing dates • tickets bought months ahead • regular commitments Anticipation is hope with a calendar invite. The H³ Framework for a Happy Retirement (Hope. Help. Horizon.) All three regulate the nervous system and keep us engaged. Hope — I can still shape things Help — I'm useful and connected Horizon — My life has forward motion If life feels flat, add one from each column. That's the prescription. Retirement isn't just about slowing down. It's about re-wiring. In plain English: You are not done yet! Remember, hope keeps you engaged. Giving back keeps you grounded. Looking forward keeps you light.  Or, translated: A happy retirement isn't passive. It's practiced. A Note for Those Supporting Older Relatives If you have aging parents, relatives, or friends in your life, be on the lookout for signs of depression, resignation, or apathy. The signs are obvious if you're paying attention: flat affect, repetitive complaints, withdrawal, that vague sense they're just going through the motions, or their smile doesn't reach their eyes. Here's what not to do: point it out directly or suggest they "find a hobby" or "volunteer somewhere." Here's what does work: create Hope and Horizon by scheduling regular outings—lunch, a walk, a movie, anything with a date attached. Sometimes we underestimate how much seniors look forward to our visits and connections. It's better than any tonic or medication to lift spirits, young and old. In this scenario, action speaks louder than words. Talking about depression often brings up shame and further withdrawal. Instead, think of love as a verb, not a noun. You don't need to fix anything. Just show up. Regularly. Predictably. No grand gestures. No reinvention required. Just presence with a pulse - and notifications on mute! Be that person! Don't retire. Re-wire. — Sue Want more of this? Subscribe for weekly doses of retirement reality—no golf-cart clichés, no sunset stock photos, just straight talk about staying Hip, Fit & Financially Free.  Subscribe Here