When you go to your local grocery store, how many of you see individuals with designer, reusable, cloth bags for their merchandise purchases? Many stores are even giving a discount to those that bring their own shopping bags. This is in an effort for the stores to support the environment and “go green.”
Now, what about the dental industry? Take a look around your dental office at your next comprehensive visit. There is a great possibility that your office is adopting more eco-friendly procedures and products. Time has taught us in dentistry that disposables are not the way to go in the future. Disposable products had their place and time. They certainly were effective and made a dental assistant’s job easier and faster. However, we have learned through organizations like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that our methods are damaging the environment.
The bulk of the disposable products used in a dental office on a day to day basis are plastic and not easily broken down in landfills. There are limitations on the availability of recycling these products. However, there are dental products that are constructed from refurbished materials. Dr. Fred Pockrass, D.D.S is the founder of the Eco-Dentistry Association (EDA). He recommends that dentists strongly consider changing their methodology with regards to the following: reusable instruments, paper products instead of plastic, use of refurbished materials, washable patient napkins, disinfectant cloths, environmentally friendly chemicals, digital radiology, paperless administration duties and a mercury free disposable system. These methods of reusable products are completely safe and follow OSHA protocol and compliance.
These eco-friendly changes in dentistry are new and exciting. This allows a dental assistant to help support the community and to provide a safe environment. As if dental assisting was not rewarding enough with the opportunities of giving back to patients, now dental assistants can give back on a larger scale. Keep your eyes open and see what is green at your next dental visit.
By Eric M. Koehler, PGA YTI Golf Course Management Instructor
When autumn passes and winter begins, the leaves are gone and the temperatures are dropping daily. The days get shorter and shorter as our hopes of playing one more round of golf before being snowed in. Well it is time to call it a season and pack the sticks away for a few months. Or is it? You may ask yourself, how can I improve my golf game when there is little daylight and too cold to even think about leaving the house? There are several areas of your golf game that can be worked on from the friendly warm confines of your own home.
The following are a few tips that may help you prepare for the next season.
Focus on distance control.
Studies show that about sixty percent of the strokes during an 18 hole round come from within 100 yards of the green, most of them of course are on the green. Since most of us do not have 100 yards to work with during the winter months, find a carpeted area in your house. You can use anything handy as a target to aim at like a coin, cup or a leg of a piece of furniture. I would also suggest putting during the commercials of your favorite shows rather that running to the refrigerator and packing on the winter weight. A hitting net and chipping mat would also be great investments in you have the space available in a basement or garage.
Golf fitness during the off season.
Running on a treadmill, and hitting the gym from time to time both can help before golf season. If you do not have access to those amenities, there are some simple exercises to follow that do not need any special equipment. Stretching is key to any workout both pre and post workout. Push up and sit ups can be very helpful as well. The winter months slow us down while we consume a large variety of holiday cooking thus we need to stay active with any form of cardio workouts. These can range from exercise classes to running or simply taking long walks. The less time we need to drop a few pounds at the start of the golf season, will allow for more time to focus on our game.
Improve your course management skills. This skill area is often forgotten or overlooked as an area of importance. To work on this important area of the game, I suggest playing a golf video game such Tiger Woods Golf for the Wii system. This may not be of interest to everyone but it certainly can help you prepare to be a better thinker on the golf course. You can play shots to certain areas of the course rather than just using the “grip it and rip it” method of playing golf. Golf is often thought of as making a shot that best prepares you for your next shot. The Wii system also requires some physical movement to perform the game therefore a little exercise can be obtained while playing the game.
By spring time, you will be one step ahead of your competition. I hope these tips have helped you get through your cold winter months.
Calling all high school students! Want to try to win something? Put your skills to the test and enter YTI’s 2nd Annual Computer Aided Drafting & Design Contest.
The contest encourages excellence in design drafting effort and discipline and will give recognition to outstanding high school students. Advanced students interested in attending YTI can compete for a chance to win YTI scholarships. All entries must be submitted or postmarked no later than January 8, 2010. So hurry up and get those creative gears turning!
Don’t get pushed overboard. Get the career training you need at YTI Career Institute. Take charge of your life by calling 1-800-764-8952 or visiting www.yti.edu today!
Southern Roast Turkey with
Bourbon Peach Glaze serves 15 plus leftovers
For the dish: 15-Pound WHOLE TURKEY fresh or frozen
1-1/2 Teaspoon salt
½ Teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ Cup peach preserves
2 Tablespoons bourbon
2 Teaspoons Angostura bitters
For the garnish:
5 pickled peaches
Flat Italian parsley sprigs
For the Turkey: Remove giblets and neck from turkey; reserve for gravy. Rinse turkey with cold running water and drain well. Blot dry with paper towels. Sprinkle salt and pepper in the cavities of the bird. 3. Fold neck skin and fasten to the back with skewers. Fold the wings under the back of the turkey. Return legs to tucked position. Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a large shallow (no more than 2-1/2″ deep) roasting pan. Insert an oven-safe thermometer into thickest part of the thigh, being careful it does not touch the bone. Roast turkey in a preheated 325 degree F. oven about 3-3/4 hours. Baste with the pan juices. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, over low heat, combine preserves, bourbon and bitters. Cook until preserves have melted. During the last 30 minutes of roasting time, baste the bird with the bourbon peach glaze. Continue to roast until the thermometer registers 180 degrees F. in the thigh, or 170 degrees F. in the breast. Remove turkey from the oven and allow the bird to rest for 15-20 minutes before carving. Place on a warm large platter and garnish with pickled peaches. Enjoy!
“My Choice of Wine” The reason I went with a red wine is because I’ve realized that we’re eating more than just turkey. There’s the stuffing with sausage, and herbs, and nuts, and maybe even fruit. (Mrs. Chef Rob has been pushing those dried cherries lately.) There’s the gravy. There are the sweet yams and sometimes even candied sweet potatoes, and of course, we can’t forget the Brussels sprouts. Moreover, what if there’s wine’s most difficult culinary foe: the artichoke? It makes almost any wine bitter.
Bonny Doon, Grenache Village, Navarra Grenache ($10.99) Deep ruby in color with beautifully long legs, the wine has a bright red berry/boysenberry nose. On the palate it delivers plenty of luscious flavor with distinctive notes of sweet plums and only the mildest of tannins. It’s wonderfully fruity and finishes well.
Enjoy with the compliments of Chef Rob and the gang at YTI’s Culinary Arts/Restaurant Management program!
Warning: Social Networking Can Be Hazardous to Your Job Search
By Kate Lorenz, CareerBuilder.com Editor Article on MSN Careers
Once it’s on the internet, it’s a free for all! According to this article, a recent study by the executive search firm ExecuNet found that 77 percent of recruiters run searches of candidates on the Web to screen applicants; 35 percent of these same recruiters say they’ve eliminated a candidate based on the information they uncovered.
Not all employers search candidates and employees online, but the trend is growing. Protect your image by following these simple tips:
Be careful, nothing is private.
Be discreet; if your network offers the option, consider setting your profile to “private.”
Be prepared, check your profile regularly.
With the expansion of technology, the internet and social networking, everyone is a reporter.
Success Stories: I Changed Careers By Rachel Zupek, CareerBuilder.com writer Article on MSN Careers
Apparently it is not that crazy to change careers in today’s economy. People need to continue to provide for themselves and/or their family during financial hardship. If their current source of income is dwindling and the need for their position is declining in all markets, a new career move is imperative.
In this article, Zupek asked readers to share their career changing success stories which included:
Rabbi to comedian
Corporate to geese herding
Catering to wedding pastor
IT to culinary
Carpenter to LEGO model designer
Sales to bridal boutique
Wall Street to cupcakes
While YTI doesn’t offer Comedy or Geese Herding, we do offer programs that meet the other needs of the local economy. For more information on YTI Career Institute, visit www.yti.edu.
Have you ever wondered how golf courses get their lawns so perfectly lush and green? At YTI Career Institute’s Golf Course Management Discovery Day on October 23rd, I learned one of the tricks of the trade. Bentgrass, a very fine, beautiful grass that is well suited for the northern United States is used on many local golf courses, athletic fields and high end lawns. It prefers full sun and can grow in multiple soil types – perfect for long, open fairways on expansive grounds.
Participants at YTI’s Discovery Day made their own mini putting greens using bentgrass. They layered containers with dirt, gravel and sand and used a hair pick to dimple the sand to hold the grass seeds. Within two weeks, the seeds should germinate. There were many other activities throughout the day including re-griping golf clubs, lessons, and video swing analysis.
Have you ever wondered how golf courses get their lawns so perfectly lush and green? At YTI Career Institute’s 