In Search of Some Cane Masters

Cane-fu is sweeping the nation!

Possibly coming to a community center near you soon! It’s called “Cane-fu” fighting. It’s the art of self-defense involving, yes you guessed it, a wooden cane. I am not making this up!

It’s true! It sounds very odd and strange, but Cane-fu fighting classes are springing up all over the place. The self-defense tactic uses canes, which are usually used by seniors or disabled. But, when you think about it, I guess it was just a matter of time before someone decided to make a buck off such a tactic.

Mark Shuey founded Cane Masters, which manufacturers hardwood canes. He said the canes have an extra hook on them to snare a potential assailant.

Read on …

Tick Tock, Tick Tock, Minutes, Hours, Days Passing By

My high school drama teacher would be proud. I still remember that poem from so long ago! I don’t remember much more, but at least I remember how it started. It was just one of those exercises to teach us rhyme.

But how appropriate when looking at life.

No matter what, the clock continues to tick tock. When I was younger, it seemed the days were numberless which were ahead of me. But, as I get older, I’ve discovered a couple things. First off, my Dad was right! Time does seem to pass faster the older you get. I’ve also discovered the once numberless days that lay ahead, may actually have a number, other than infinity.

As the clock ticks down every day, there are times most people dread. And, if a new British survey of 3,000 people is any indication, you may want to leave your office a little early for lunch today!

According to the survey, the worst minute of the week
comes every Tuesday!

Read on …

Late For Work Excuses

I loved the show Welcome Back Kotter. I especially enjoyed the ever popular late note from Epstein. Whenever he was late for class, or missed class, he always had the ever popular note from home.

Of course the note was always signed…
Epstein’s Mom.

When it comes to homework, kids always have excuses for not having that done too. I’ve done some adjunct teaching in an area college and I have to tell you, even college students come up with amazing excuses for lost homework.

It seems the art of excuse making is not lost on adults either. The only thing that changes, is the environment we find ourselves in. Instead of missing school, missing homework, or simply showing up late for school, adults are faced with making excuses for being late for work.

Read on …

Vacation Time Is Right Around The Corner!

Spring has sprung, and with the warmer weather, many people start making plans for vacation destinations. With the current economy, a lot of people are making slight adjustments in their vacation plans, but never-the-less, they are making plans. In New York State reports out show an increase in camping reservations at the many State Parks. I remember as a kid our many family camping excursions. They were always a lot of fun. We camped with a huge group of friends. I think all together there were about 10 to 15 families that we camped with. It was a blast!

Of course most people have a good time when they go away on vacation. But, there are some people who will always find something to complain about.

Read on …

It’s Root Canal Awareness Week!

In honor of Root Canal Awareness Week, which runs through to April 4th, a new survey by the American Association of Endodontists reveals the obvious. Most Americans are afraid to go to the dentist. Of course the majority of those cite pain as the number one reason why they don’t like to go the dentist.

In the words of Gomer Pyle…
“Well surprise, surprise, surprise!”

Here’s some of the high points from the survey;

• 80% of U.S. adults are fearful of going to a dentist, with more than half citing pain as the main reason for not going.
• 54% of Americans are afraid of getting root canal. That’s compared to 57% who are afraid of flying on an airplane in a storm and 42% who say they’re afraid of public speaking.
• One third of the respondents said their fear of the dentist was based on hearing of another persons experience, rather than their own.
• Patients who’ve had root canal are six times more likely to describe the procedure as “painless” than people who have not had root canal treatment.

Yours in “drilling” pleasure!
Dr. Rus

Take Me Out To The Ball Game!

The new baseball season is right around the corner! Spring training camps are well underway and soon the Boys of Summer will hit the diamond for another exciting season of baseball. Personally, I don’t watch much baseball on TV. But, I do love going to the ballpark. There’s just something about sitting in the stands that makes it much more exciting. At least for me.

Going hand in hand with baseball and the baseball park - ballpark food! Whenever I go to a Red Wings game in Rochester, New York I love to get one of the cool sundaes in a nifty plastic baseball batters hat bowl. It’s the best! Aside from the ice cream, the foot-long hotdogs are usually a must too.

Then of course, there’s the great hamburgers!

Read on …

Looking For The Modern Stone Age Family

Flintstones. Meet the Flintstones.
They’re the modern stone age family.
From the town of Bedrock,
They’re a page right out of history.

Let’s ride with the family down the street.
Through the courtesy of Fred’s two feet.

When you’re with the Flintstones
you’ll have a yabba dabba doo time.
A dabba doo time.
You’ll have a gay old time.

Ahh yes. Fred, Wilma, Barney, Betty and we can’t forget Dino! I used to love watching that show. As a kid I wondered how in the world you could start a car with your feet. I also wondered how you could train a dinosaur to work in a rock pit. I thought if I could figure those questions out, I could make millions of dollars! Well, that never did quite work out.

I also wondered what it would be like to live in a cave-house. Of course the wisdom of my Dad told me that could never really happen. I never could figure that one out either. After all, if Fred and Wilma and the gang could all live in a cave-house - Why couldn’t I?

After having my childhood dreams of living in a cave dashed upon the rocks, a story now comes out about a family in Missouri doing just that!

Read on …

Underwater Basket Weaving 101

As a kid in high school, thinking of college, I remember joking about some of the great classes I’d like to take. Of course most kids come up with wild classes they’d like to see offered in college. After all, that’s what kids are supposed to do right?

Even as a parent, when my kids were younger, I would joke about what classes I would offer if I taught college classes. Now that my kids are older, and actually thinking about college, I find I don’t joke about that quite as much. After all, I’m now wondering what my kids will do with their lives. What will they major in? And most importantly, what kind of bang for their school-buck will they get.

Suddenly when college becomes a reality for my kids, the idea of Underwater Basket Weaving 101 as an option, is not funny anymore. Add on top of this the fact that every time you turn around the cost of higher education seems to go up, the thought of joke courses lands even further down the list of important aspects of college life.

Parents, if you’re getting ready to send your kids off to college, you might want to peak at the course catalog.

Read on …

New Survey Reveals Young Adults Thoughts On Marriage

Now this is very interesting.

But, maybe it’s simply proving that we really do live in a society where things cycle around. There’s really nothing new under the sun. We simply re-discover what may have gone out of style from an earlier time.

Marriage could be coming back!

Read on …

Can You Be Easily Hacked?

Just how safe are you on-line?

Just when you think you’ve found the perfect password, someone comes along and figures out how to decipher it! Programs abound offering new password tricks. But with so many sites asking for passwords, it gets confusing remembering what your password is. People write their passwords down and hide them under the desk blotter. Others put them all into a Word document and save them on their computer. But, if you have an on-line backup, what happens if someone hacks into your backup files? Suddenly your password list is available!

Then we have multiple password safety sites on-line. These sites offer the user a “safe” place to store all their various passwords. Some even offer ways to automatically change your password once a month.

While this sounds like a wonderful idea…
just how safe are those sites?

Read on …