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If you have not already heard about it or tried it, the newest innovation from the mass beer producer, Budweiser, is their touted ‘American Ale.’ The makers claim that it is as rich as a bottle of the finest micro brew currently available – that is a rather lofty claim, don’t you think? Not to knock anybody who is a fan of this beer, or any other Budweiser products, but the world afar already knows that this beer is a cheap beer, not comparable in any way to a fine micro brew, so why try and compare it? Cheap Beer is Still Cheap Beer The taste of American Ale is mostly birch, thick and foamy – much like Bud Light, only thicker. It has a clean after taste and goes down smoothly, but the drink-ability factor is terrible; you will not want to have more than one or two before you switch up your beers for the evening. Case and point: cheap beer is still cheap beer. American Ale, while innovation for a company likes Budweiser, is still just another cheaper knockoff beer that claims to be something it truly can never be: a micro brew of high quality. Micro Brews Make Far Tastier Ale In reality the brewing process for micro brews is far more complex than just bottles streaming down an assembly machine line. The brew masters will throw out entire batches is they deem them unacceptable, and they spend years on developing the perfect master recipes. In the end American Ale may suit some, but if you want a real beer, you will have to pay for it. It’s like comparing a Hyundai to a Porsche, you just can’t.

Are you still stuck in the yesteryear of personal dental care? You know where you have reel out a length of dental floss every day before you go to sleep and slide it between your teeth so you can clean out debris and food, and oxygenate the area for healthy gums. Well the good news is that yes, flossing is essential to keeping healthy gums and teeth, but at the same time, it is also greatly outdated. Newer technologies have come to the fore that have been clinically proven to be up to 80% more effective than dental floss, and are far easier to use. Water Picking is the Wave of the Future You can wave goodbye to flossing forever when you pick up a newer water pick to clean out your teeth with every day. A water pick is basically a water jet that streams water through a tapered end at high velocities into your mouth. Many allow you to control the power of the stream, so you can find the most comfortable setting. As opposed to using dental floss, water picking jets water into your mouth and thoroughly cleans your teeth, and helps to oxygenate your gums and fight bacteria. Most dentists are recommending that their patients pick up a water pick to make flossing an easier task to accomplish every day, and because it has been clinically proven to be more effective than flossing. Case and point: flossing is outdated, so head into the future of tooth care with a water pick for your teeth.

If you are like millions of people out there who have forever and a day dreaded each and every single time that they have to go into the dentist to get a treatment, there is good news on the horizon for you. Recent advancements in dental technologies have afforded some newer options for those who inherently fear having to go to the dentist. And who really wants to suffer through the pain of having a tooth pulled, or getting root canal, when there are ways that they can, so to speak, not even be there at all? Now that you are curious about this, here is the low-down. You can Get Dental Treatments While you are Asleep No joke! The newest fad to take over general dentistry is called sedation dentistry. Many dental offices are now offering this method of treatment for their many patients who are entirely intimidated by the dentists and the procedures. Basically, you are prescribed two pills to take, in most cases, one that you pop before you leave home for the dental office, and the other which is administered when you arrive. Within a few minutes of taking the second pill, you are asleep soundly. The Treatment Occurs While you Snooze Now that the dentist has you knocked out, they can perform whatever treatments are necessary for your teeth, without you feeling one single shot, or any pain whatsoever. When you wake up, you are all done, and you can head home. No more fear. No more pain. No more nothing, but a sound nap and waking up to a completed dental procedure. Now that is something to raise your glass to.

Dr. Steven Chu, winner of the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics, has been nominated by President-Elect Barack Obama to serve as the incoming administration's Secretary of Energy. He currently holds a post at the University of California at Berkeley. As seems to be the typical reaction to every one of Barack Obama's cabinet picks who aren't already familiar faces in Washington, both politicians and pundits are asking if Dr. Chu has the experience necessary to rise to the occasion of a major governmental post. Were Steven Chu not a highly accomplished professional in the same field as his proposed spot in the incoming cabinet, this would be a valid question. It seems that, though the election ended a month and a half ago, some people are still pursuing the smear campaign. Dr. Steven Chu is not Harriet Miers. He is qualified for  the job of Energy Secretary due to his experience in the field that has most recently become relevant to US energy concerns. Our country needs an energy policy based on new innovations, many of which are being developed in the area of experimental physics. We aren't facing a future dependent on how to build a better oil drill, but rather one based on the potential of improved wind, solar and hydroelectric power. Even the prospect of fusion energy is no longer science fiction, but an eventuality. Whomever sits in the White House advising our president on energy policies ought to know a thing or two on the subject. Dr. Chu has the knowledge and hands-on experience. He was awarded the Nobel Prize while he was on staff at Stanford University, sharing the honor with fellow US academic William Daniel Phillips of the University of Maryland and French physicist Claude Cohen-Tannoudji of L'École Normale Supérieure in Paris. Together they developed a process known as laser cooling, a system that makes it possible to slow atoms in a gaseous state for closer study. But Steven Chu has never held political office. Blunt as it may sound, when it concerns a position like Secretary of Energy, doesn't it beg the question, "So what?" Sure, I could see some concern arising over an inexperienced Secretary of State or Vice President, but where specialized cabinet departments are concerned, we want experts, not familiarity. I can't recall a president going under so much scrutiny for every decision. When Obama chose Rahm Emanuel and other Clinton-era staffers to join him in the White House, it took all of five seconds to register the first pot-shot against Obama's platform of change. Of course, when he selects apolitical outsiders like Steven Chu, the argument turns toward experience. As always, the burden of proof is going to be on Obama and his staff when they're actually in office. For a strong counter-argument to the whole Change vs. Experience debate, just look at our current president's cabinet. Condoleezza Rice's resume was fairly impressive upon her selection, as was Dick Cheney's. In their respective cases, experience didn't equal diplomatic outreach or operational transparency. On the other end, Bush selected Margaret Spellings to be his Secretary of Education despite her having approximately zero teaching and administrative experience. That resulted in the useless "No Child Left Behind" program. Any speculation concerning the abilities of Dr. Steven Chu as Secretary of Energy beyond his base of expertise is fairly empty. He has a solid background and he hasn't yet been mired in Washington politics. As with everyone on the new White House team, it will certainly be interesting to see how he handles himself next month and beyond.