Most attacks of hiccups aren’t nearly as severe, but they can be annoying for the victim as well as those nearby. Drugs, and in some cases surgery, have proved helpful, but no specific treatment has been shown to be completely effective. That hasn’t stopped well-intentioned people from prescribing all sorts of remedies, including these:

Hold your breath.

The idea is to force your dia­phragm to relax. Take a deep breath, and hold it for 10 seconds. Let it out partially, then continue to hold your breath for another five seconds. Repeat until you run out of air. You may have to do this two or three times.

Drink water.

This popular method calls for you to drink a glass of water while holding your breath and pinching your nostrils shut.

Plug your ears.

Stick your fingers in your ears, or on the soft spots behind your ears, for about 30 seconds. This will stimulate your vagus nerve and cause it to stop or at least ease your hiccups.

Stick out your tongue.

Extend your tongue from your mouth as far as you can (preferably when no one else is watching!). This opens your throat wide and helps you breathe more smoothly.

Try some sugar.

A spoonful of dry sugar can overload the nerve endings in your mouth and throat, some say. One variation: Soak a sugar cube in lemon juice and hold it in your mouth until it dissolves. (Some sources also recommend slowly eating a slice of dry bread.)

The app prompts users who’ve downloaded it to input information on how happy they are at random intervals, along with what affects their emotions.

The top activities that produce happiness are, in order:

• Physical intimacy

• Exercise or participating in sports

• Going to the theater, a dance, or a concert

• Singing or performing

• Visiting a museum, art exhibition, or library

Consider the kinds of activities that make you lose track of time, and choose volunteer work that incorporates your particular passions. Make a list of your limitations and preferences. Do you work better at night or in the morning? Do you like to be in charge of projects or prefer a supporting role? Remember that your goal should be to find volunteer work that gives you a charge, not one that leaves you depleted and stressed.

You might consider making a list of skills you’d like to improve or acquire, like public speaking or managing a team. Volunteering is a great opportunity to “dip your toes in the water” and see how you do.

Once you’ve started volunteering, keep a journal to reflect on how you are feeling, what you enjoy most, and what responsibilities leave you exhausted or frustrated. Remember to take care of yourself, too, because you can’t help others if you feel exhausted.

Brits have been overdrinking since Willy Shakespeare and have finally been overrun by – texting.  Texting is now more harmful than drinking.

I’ll have to text that to some friends.

A study conducted by Brown University research­ers looked at data that approximately 22,000 adults collected from 1999 to 2008. They found that 46 percent of patients who relied on the ER didn’t know they had high blood pressure, and 72 percent weren’t aware they had high cholesterol.

People visited the ER for general health care were also two to four times more likely to have suffered a previous heart attack or stroke than those who saw a primary care doctor regularly.

The study reinforces the idea that having a single primary care physician can make a big difference in how well people manage their health issues.

Learn to organize your work­space by memorizing the acronym RAFT:

• R—Refer to someone else.

• A—Act on the item immediately.

• F—File it away.

• T—Toss it out.

Maintain an in-box for each type of document. Whenever you receive mail or other paperwork, put it in its appropriate file. Then, as time permits, deal with each file.

Remember that the key to staying organized is consistency. Schedule a little bit of time every day for creating order in your office, and you’ll be a more effective worker.

Wedding dresses.

You don’t have to go to a fancy bridal salon. Look for a simple, classic gown that doesn’t require a lot of alterations. A white dress that’s not specifically designed for weddings can be just as attractive.

Invitations.

Instead of getting engraved invitations from a specialty printer, consider designing and printing your own using your computer. Stick to standard size envelopes that don’t require additional postage. And include a reply postcard instead of another envelope to save on money.

Reception.

Instead of an expensive ballroom, look for other memorable options: a public garden, a spacious back yard, a church fellowship hall, or something similar. (Maybe the school where the bride and groom met?) Take a close look at meal options, and consider such variables as the time of day, the length of the reception, whether you want to provide booze, and so forth.

But some people just don’t get it. As part of a survey on workplace etiquette, the Robert Half organization asked employees to share some of the most outrageous workplace scenes they’d witnessed or heard about. Here are some of the “winners”:

“A co-worker fell asleep at her desk and another team member took a picture of her snoozing and sent it to the boss.”

“Someone was stealing other people’s lunches from the lounge area.”

“A colleague purposely sneezed in the boss’s coffee cup.”

“After asking me a question, a co-worker talked excessively for 30 minutes without letting me get in one word.”

“I once heard an employee screaming at a customer.”

“Someone thought he put a customer on hold and then used inappropriate language within earshot.”

“Employees were walking around the office barefoot.”

“A person took a cell phone into the restroom while still talking.”

Don’t join this club. Here are some simple tips for proper workplace behavior:

Watch your language.

Crude language, naughty jokes, and insensitive comments don’t belong in the workplace. If you wonder whether something is safe to say, it probably isn’t.

Don’t criticize or complain in public.

Trashing a colleague, customer, or boss where others can hear makes you look petty and unprofessional. If you have a problem, deal with it in private.

Stay cool.

Take a moment to collect your thoughts and control your emotions before responding to a difficult co-worker or an annoying situation. If you gain a reputation for losing your temper, few people will want to work with you.

I went to a party the other day and was definitely looking for the bar, and I did see many people with drinks in their hands.  But, my phone was red-barring and I had less than 10% of my juice left – and needed to be on a call soon and didn’t want to lose touch with my family (and forgot the charger for my car).

So, I asked around and was directed to several spots to find a cable and plug and charge up.  It was the strangest thing.  Like an airport terminal.  I found three different outlets and all six plugs were being used by various cables for PDAs and phones.  One of the plugs had an iPad attached and one had some weird device to charge up electric cigarettes.

By the time I charged up, I forgot about drinking and made it through the hour or so I was there with sime finger food and water.

So, this is my new technique.  Carry dozens of electric devices with me so I need to charge them up.

Research by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project found that 81 percent of adults ages 18-29 go online for fun, along with 66 percent of adults 30-49, and half of the 50-64 age group. And all of these groups have doubled in size over the past 11 years.

Even among adults 65 years and older, with only 23 percent using the Internet as a diversion, the percentage has quadrupled in the past decade. The Pew researchers attribute the upsurge to the availability of broadband connections and the growth of social networking.