News bulletin…news bulletin! As heard on CNN this morning…

“The recent economy problems faced by the nation revolve around finances and money!”
So-Called Economist Specialist

Well there’s no big d’uh there! Imagine that, a financial fall on Wall Street revolving around money. Where did CNN dig this guy up? Sometimes I think news agencies grab anyone they can just to include a sound-bite inside a newscast. Give me a break guys, it’s time to start listening to what you’re doing before going live on the air with this silliness.

While it is indeed good news that Wall Street and the stock market had a rebound day yesterday, some were saying all along to just take a deep breath. Many people panicked, much of the panic was caused by the White House itself, and jumped out of the market. But, others took the advice of some calm thinking people, took a deep breath and waited for things to turn around. Knee jerk reactions to bad situations rarely do any good. In this case, for those who lost money, they will never regain it if they jumped out. But, for those who remained calm, they will make up some of what they lost.

With the turnaround in the markets, just in time for the Christmas spending season, Neiman Marcus has released his annual Christmas book of top dollar gifts! Now in its 82nd edition, the department store has announced the 2008 list of “must haves” for the upper crust of society this holiday season.

Read on …

Just when you thought you’d heard everything…

Yesterday I blogged about tracking truant school kids with a GPS system and today there’s yet another GPS tracking story.

There was a time when GPS was something for the rich and famous and something that came as an add-on in your car. Such is not the case these days. My new Blackberry phone has built in GPS and my wife loves it because she can keep track of my speed while I’m driving. One day while driving down the highway I commented that while the GPS is a cool toy, I wonder how easy it is for the government to track me. After all, if I can track myself on some little side street in New York State on my phone, that means I’m a number out there on a satellite some place. It begs the question - If I’m a number on a satellite, what would it take for someone else to tap into that number, attach my name to it, and find out where I am and how fast I’m going?

Just something that makes you go…”Hmmmmm…”

Now, on top of GPS tracking me, GPS tracking truant kids, GPS tracking stolen cars and GPS tracking pets, we have GPS tracking beer kegs!

Read on …

School is back in session!

Of course that means kids all over the nation are sad, while parents everywhere are singing “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” (Do you remember that commercial? One of the classic back to school commercials from a few years back.)

With students returning to school, New York State released a survey with some rather staggering statistics about graduation rates. According to the survey, girls are graduating from high school in New York State at a much higher rate than boys. Statewide, 73.4 percent of girls graduated in 2007 after four years of high school. That’s compared with 63.9 percent of the boys graduating. Some educators believe it all boils down to effort and focus with girls more serious and sincere about school. The New York State Education Commissioner, Richard Mills, says the consequences can be major with high school dropouts finding themselves on the margins of society financially, politically and socially.

So, what can be done about graduation rates? Of course this is a discussion that’s been on-going and there’s no quick and easy answer. But, how about keeping kids in school. That might be a good start. Many school systems struggle with truancy rates and many are trying to figure out what to do about truancy. Child welfare authorities in San Antonio, Texas think they’ve come up with the perfect solution.

Read on …

Do you ever get tired of the same old same old news. You know what I’m talking about. News about politics, gas prices, Olympics. Whatever it might be, sometimes we just get tired of doom and gloom news. It’s also especially hard to talk about such stories around the water cooler at work.

Well, have no fear, it’s time to give you something I call The Water Cooler News so you’ll have something a little more interesting to chat about around the water cooler today. Stories for today include;

• Mother Celebrates Birthday By Helping Son Rob Gas Stations
• Wife Beats Up Husband With Tomatoes
• Senior Citizen Shows Teen Who’s Boss
• Naked Man Steals Pick Up Truck

Read on …

There was a time when cheating brought with it the stigma of embarrassment, turning a person into a social outcast. There was a time when the phrase cheaters never prosper resonated in the minds of people looking for integrity, causing them to think twice before cheating, and in many cases, stopped a person from cheating. But, such is not the case these days. Instead, cheaters seem to be exalted. As a matter of fact, cheating seems to be expected in many arenas.

Barry Bonds*, the poster boy for cheating with steroids, gets defensive when it’s pointed out that he cheated all the way to the record books. When he found out his record breaking baseball would end up in the Baseball Hall of Fame with an asterisk
on it, Bonds* said if the ball is placed in Cooperstown with an asterisk on it, he would never set foot in the building. Reality is this, Bonds* shouldn’t even be considered for the hall of fame. Pete Rose will never be named to the baseball hall of fame because of gambling. If Rose will never find himself in the hall of fame, why should Bonds* show up there.

What does all of this mean? Apparently the phrase cheaters never prosper has morphed into cheaters are made hero’s.

Read on …

A new study, or is it an old study. It’s really hard to tell because most of these things seem to cycle around and around and around. This time there’s a new/old study which says cell phone use might be hazardous to your health. Dr. Ronald B. Herberman, the head of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, is warning his faculty and staff to limit their use of mobile phones. Of course his warning flies in the face of studies that have shown there’s no definitive link between cell phone use and contracting brain cancer.

In issuing his warning, Dr. Heberman states, “At the heart of my concern is that we shouldn’t wait for a definitive study to come out, but err on the side of being safe rather than sorry.” Some scientists have warned about the effects of electromagnetic radiation on the brain since cell phones first hit the market. They stick to the claims even though it’s never been much of a concern among brain specialists.

Read on …

Potato sack races and three-legged races have been part of kid’s summer experiences and school activities for decades. But that’s no longer the case in Washington, England. School officials there have banned such events from an upcoming sports day because they say the children might hurt themselves.

Say what! Phil Gramm said we live in a society of wimps and he may very well be onto something. No more potato sack or three-legged races because the kids might hurt themselves. Give me a break. Simon Woolley, an education official in County Durham said, “We looked at a three-legged race and a sack race, but what we want to do is minimize the risk to the children.” So, what are the planned events? Woolley went on to say the kids will do some “hopping and running because there’s less chance of the children falling over.” They will also be allow to “toss ping pong balls into a bucket.” You better watch out for that game Mr. Woolley, the kids might get hurt if a ball bounces off the rim and hits them in the eye.

What is this world coming to!? Not only do we live in a society of wimps, but we’re creating a society of wimps. Of course much of the silliness revolves around the fact that we live in an age of litigation where people are looking for any reason to sue just to make a quick buck. As a result, we’re coddling our kids and creating a sense of fear about everything. Personally, I have no idea how my generation ever survived. We rode bicycles without helmets, and took vacations without seat belts. To top it all off, we also took part in potato sack and three-legged races, and from time to time, we even played dodge-ball! When will someone finally stand up and say — “Stop the foolishness!”

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

Like usual, 6 o’clock tonight brought with it both dinner, and the news on WROC-channel 8 in Rochester, New York. Tonight as we watched the news three questions came to mind.

1) Do You Own A Grammar Check?
Now I know you’re not alone in this glaring grammatical error, but come on people. The past tense of plead is NOT pleaded! It’s pled. Let’s get it right please. Making matters ever worse, while reading the story the little headline box you proudly display in the upper right hand corner of the screen with the picture of the criminal, boldly declared Pleaded Guilty. Ugh!

2) Global Warming in 1936?
The record high temperatures for the next few days all occurred in 1936. Did they call it global warming back then?

And last, but certainly not least…

3) Vet Wearing A Viagra Hat?
Would you please tell me why the vet in your story about the number of cats at an area Humane Society was wearing a surgical cap that said Viagra on it? We found it very humorous that while she was taking about the spaying and neutering process, her cap was advertising Viagra.

Now I must admit the last two questions are said with tongue firmly planted in cheek. But, the first question is a real one. Not only is this a real question for WROC, but it’s a real question for anyone involved in media who have fallen into the trap of slang, instead of proper grammar.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

Times are tough. The economy is slipping, the dollar is falling, and of course, just in case you’ve forgotten, gas prices continue to rise. Unemployment is up and people are looking for work all over the place. If you’re looking for some great pay, but what many might call a horrible job, here’s a list of some positions you might want to consider. This list comes from Business Week’s list of the worst jobs in American, with the best pay.

Gastroenterologist - Average pay - $269,500
Podiatrist - Average pay - $125,663
Private Security Contractor in Iraq - Average pay - $120,000
IT Worker - Average pay - $103,400
Crop Duster Pilot - Average pay - $53,870
Crime-Scene Cleaner - Average pay - $50,400
Roughneck - Average pay - $46.867
Toll Collector - Average pay - $45,000
Long-Haul Trucker - Average pay - $43,200
Embalmer - Average pay - $42,400
Sewer Inspector - Average pay - $34,960
Crab Fisherman - Average pay - $29,000

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

Could Bigfoot still be out there somewhere? He’s recently been the star in a few beef jerky commercials, but maybe he’s had a falling out with his agent. Instead of doing commercials, did he head back to the woods in New York State?

As a kid I remember doing school projects on this furry guy. Does he exist? Or is he like the Loch Ness Monster. Possibly a figment of our imagination. He’s been tracked, he’s been photographed, allegedly anyway, but he’s never been caught. I haven’t heard anything about Bigfoot in a number years, but this week he showed up in the news once again. Now people are reporting sightings of Bigfoot in New York State. That’s right folks, apparently Bigfoot is back. Or so some think anyway.

I don’t know what’s more odd about this story. The fact that people say they’re seeing him? Or the fact that there’s actually an organization out there dedicated to tracking Bigfoot!? The recent sightings of mysterious animals have drawn a team of trackers of the mythical Bigfoot creature to the Greene County town of Catskill, New York. The founder of Searching For Bigfoot Incorporated announced earlier this week that he’s put together an eight member team to investigate those reports. He said the search team to the area was triggered by reports from Catskill reporting that they’ve seen the creatures, believed to be Bigfoots, on their property.

I wonder of the Searching For Bigfoot organization receives government funding? I wonder if there’s something hidden in a top secret hanger somewhere? I wonder if this could be connected with Roswell?

I wonder if I should pull out my school research notes once again?

Just random questions running through my mind.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus