All Blog Posts from Couric & Co.

Katie’s on assignment.

President Teddy Roosevelt had a motto: "Speak softly and carry a big stick."

As USA Today reports, some senior citizens are taking that advice to heart.

More than 3,500 of them across the country are studying Cane Fu. They're learning to use their canes as weapons for self defense through an association called Cane Masters International.

We've all seen those terrifying stories on the news - an elderly man or woman hit or pushed by a cowardly robber. Well, seniors are disproportionately the targets of thieves, and about 90 percent of attacks against them involve property crime.

Hopefully the people studying Cane Fu won't ever have to use it, and will practice proper techniques so they don't get injured.

But for that extra bit of confidence it may bring, there's nothing wrong with learning how to protect yourself.

That cane could give you a greater handle - on your safety.

I'm Michelle Miller, CBS News.

Hari Sreenivasan is a CBS News correspondent based in Dallas.

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I became a U.S. Citizen today. There were 507 others with me this morning at a convention center in Dallas, Texas. They came from 66 different countries; each with their own stories, here's a slice of mine.

I immigrated here in 1981 – and have had the right to become a citizen for more than 20 years, but I've struggled with the concepts of citizenship and identity; cultural and political, so taking today's oath was a long time coming.

Even through the application process I was unsure whether or not shifting allegiances from my country of birth was right for me. I downloaded the forms this January, stared at them all of February, filled them out in March, and after a long 20 minutes outside a mailbox in April, I finally dropped them in.

India has given me ...

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Hari Sreenivasan is a CBS News correspondent based in Dallas.

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A left turn at an intersection, it can seem a bit complicated to a new driver; when to wait, when to proceed into the intersection, when to turn the wheels and when to go- well it certainly can seem more complicated to an old driver. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety 40% of fatal crashes of drivers over 70 include hitting other drivers in intersections.

It was at an intersection that one of the central characters of our story, Katy Bolka, was killed. She was waiting at the intersection when an elderly driver who had run a red light rammed directly into her car. She was a gifted young teenager, and her parents decided to take on the cause of her death by drafting and getting the laws of Texas changed. Katy’s Law, which will change the rules for how elderly drivers must renew their licenses, will take effect in September of this year.

The most interesting little nugget which I found in the story was how most seniors naturally reduce their driving as they perceive increased risk. Many don’t drive at night, avoid freeways, and try not to go very far from home. But the one thing that has been proven to work in saving their lives and the lives of others is to require them to appear in person for a periodical exam. This was the conclusion of a study by the Journal of the American Medical Assocation in 2004. It works for several reasons. Most seniors who don’t think they are going to pass the test simply choose to forfeit their license.

It's such a simple addition to a privilege, I’m surprised more states don’t do it.