International Trade and Public Works

In 1992, Ross Perot warned that the NAFTA agreement would lead to a "giant sucking sound" of American jobs going south to Mexico. He was part-right. There was a sucking sound, but it wasn't immediate. Many American companies moved operations south of the border a number of years after the signing of NAFTA as the Mexican government improved its system.

International trade creates wealth and prosperity. The amount of new wealth created is always greater than the amount of economic loss encountered; which means that there is enough money that is gained as a result of these changes to compensate the displaced workers. There are three possible things that the government can do for the displaced workers. The first is job retraining. The second is welfare. And the third is hiring them on to do public works.

The job retraining has been the most widely advocated approach; but so far not much has been achieved by that direction. The skills that are had by industrial workers are not easy to convert into skills in growing fields such as nursing, and the lack of economic growth for over a decade has meant that most displaced workers remain displaced. The market is not generating enough jobs, and job retraining does not result in jobs acquired. Something that works well in a growing economy does not work well in a stagnant economy, and the job retraining initiatives have mostly failed to live up to their promise.

Welfare is the least politically attractive option. The taxpayers do not want to foot the bill, and the displaced workers see being on welfare as an indignity. Welfare cycle, once started, can be very difficult to break; and, with "welfare as we know it" having ended under the Clinton administration, there is little likelihood that either party in power would be attempting to bring it back.

The idea of public works has been attacked a lot in American political debate, starting with Reagan. And yet Reagan's own family had been saved by the New Deal policies of FDR. The public works projects during the time of FDR saved a lot of American people from starvation and abject poverty; and the more recent public works projects - such as the Interstate system and the Internet - have been vast contributors to American prosperity, providing an infrastructural and informational backbone for business to do its work. Given the pressing need for both infrastructure upgrades and energy sector conversion, and the abundance of displaced blue collar workers, it makes perfect logical sense to put into place public works projects that would hire these displaced workers to do something that benefits the nation's economy and the nation's future.

This therefore should be a positive-sum match. Ongoing international trade will continue producing business prosperity, and the money gained through taxation of businesses will be enough to fund projects that put American people to work while producing works that sustain prosperity at home. The problem has been this. The taxation system in America actually gives tax incentives for outsourcing jobs, and there are many tax shelters of which the companies doing this can avail themselves. Which means that most of this money does not reach America and instead finds its way into offshore tax shelters in small islands where it benefits no one.

Now it makes every economic sense to support free trade, and I have enthusiastically done so ever since I was an economics major at University of Virginia. What makes no sense, political or economic, is giving American companies an incentive to outsource American jobs. Support and sustain free trade, but don't provide incentivizes for doing things that are not in the national interest. Provide, or don't provide, incentives for creating jobs at home; but don't provide tax incentives for moving operations overseas.

The money involved in this matter is vast, and if some of that money comes home then it would do a long way to solving America's budget debacle. Just closing some of the tax loopholes would result in hundreds of billions of dollars coming back annually to America. This money would restore budget to balance and fix all the problems associated with the budget being out of balance for as long as it has been out of balance. And the result would be not only a balanced budget, but also a sustainable prosperity.

There are two things therefore that America can do for its workers without embracing trade protectionism or sabotaging the global economy. One is bringing home the money that now find its way into offshore tax shelters; and another is using some of that money to hire the displaced industrial workers to put into place the much-needed infrastructural and energy sector improvements. The best outcome of this is that free trade will continue producing prosperity, and the American workers and budget would gain from it. And that will result in the best-case scenario of free trade continuing to produce prosperity and its benefits reaching those who are dislocated by it.

View the original article here

What Spirituality Isn't

Your religion isn't spirituality. No matter how spiritual you may want to behave, if you are still tied to a particular religion, you are far from spiritual. Spirituality isn't good deeds. If you are counting how many times throughout the day that you are "good" then you are far from spiritual. Spirituality isn't prayer. While prayer does play a role in spirituality, it is by no means spirituality in itself. There are many fleshly minded people who pray, but they are far from spiritual. Spirituality isn't anything that you can read from a book. Books are written by men, for mankind. Reading certain books may assist you in becoming spiritual, there is nothing written in books that can guide you into true spirituality.

Spirituality is the act of creation. If you are failing to create, then you are far from spiritual. This type of creation begins in the mind and ends with the manifestation inside of the material world. The Creator is spirit, therefore everything that claims relationship with the creator must also be spirit and creative. It is also important to understand that whatever a spiritual person creates, must also be creative and spiritual. We can only create things that are similar to what we are.

It is obvious from the current condition of our world that humanity is far from spiritual. It appears that the only thing that we know how to create is destruction. We have destroyed the planet beyond repair, and religion has been one of the most effective weapons in this assault. We spend billions of dollars on research to discover new ways to fight wars, while we have yet to figure out a way to make sure that everyone on our planet eats. Politics are used to divide and kill, while the politicians live lives that are out of our reach. You would think that with all of the religions that pollute our planet, that we would have figured out a way to live in peace, but we haven't. The reason for this is because religions are void of spirit. The truly spiritual people of the earth are those that are creating ways to stop destruction. I understand that people will always disagree on some issues, but we should all agree to live peacefully with each other. Spirituality isn't about the uplifting of one's own self-righteousness but the promoting rationality and love. We have to learn to become people who create by nature, not destroy.

Geary Davis is an author, spiritual teacher and commentator. My latest book entitled "The Devil in the Flesh-The true origins of the adversary" speaks on the origins of evil and the creation of mankind. My books and organization information can be found by visiting http://www.g-d-project.webstarts.com/

View the original article here

Sexual Child Abuse - Penn State Aftermath

No doubt like me; you are sickened by the Penn State child sexual assaults; as you were no doubt sickened by previous mass incidents of child sexual assaults by Priests, Clergy, Rabbis. The non-reporting and cover-up syndrome at Penn State is no different than clergy cover-up for sex offenders within the religious fabric of society.

While the media, professionals and collegiate officials debate how to handle the Penn State tragedy, including the systemic cover-up by university leaders, and others; like myself; you want the public to know how sexual abuse impacts children's lives.

You no doubt heard commentators make innate and blatantly calloused comments: 'What's done is done,' 'There's no one left to go after,' 'Why punish the students and the athletes by placing sanctions on Penn State?' Unlike the religious entities and Penn State University the damage quickly fades into the back ground; sexual abuse does not fade into the back ground.

It's time to heal those who bear the aftermath, and it is time for society to pull their heads out of the sand about sexual child abuse and sex offenders. In my book "If I'd Only Known... Sexual Abuse In Or Out Of The Family: A Guide To Prevention," I set-forth the details and the stark aftermath of sexual child abuse and how to prevent it in or out of the family. If these commentators, professionals, clergy or collegiate officials were the victims, or their children were, I know they would demand restitution and changes going forward so that a tragedy of this nature would be prevented.

Hearing the supporters of the university's football program nullify the damage is reminiscent of a society that is in denial about the full scope and magnitude of sexual child abuse aftermath. Penn State's board could do the noble gesture and make it easy for themselves by self-imposing the 'death penalty' option - temporarily shutting down the embattled football program.

As horrific as sexual child abuse is, left untreated by a protocol specifically focused on sexual child abuse recovery, rather than treating the symptomatic behaviors and physical maladies, the volume of lifelong negative consequences is worse than the initial assault. Children often hear the voice of their abuser in their minds-telling them they're bad, they're ugly, they're worthless, that no one would believe them, or no one would care or they wanted and/or liked the sexual assault-long after the abuse occurred and/or was reported. The emotional torture continues until the recovery process is in an advanced stage.

Without a recovery process specifically focused on sexual child abuse the lasting scars, include, but are not limited to:

• Difficulty managing emotions. One of the strongest signs of well-being is the ability to manage adversity, to keep emotions balanced. "For sexual abuse survivors, a lasting legacy is the opposite of well-being." Sexual abuse survivors usually have difficulty expressing feelings, which are then bottled up, often leading to sporadic periods of depression, anger and anxiety. Many survivors use excess alcohol and/or drugs to numb the pain.

• Feeling a core sense of worthlessness, dirty or damaged. The physical side of sexual abuse is one aspect, what haunts survivors is the voice of the abuser, constantly reinforcing a lack of personal value. As time passes the survivors mature into adults, who are unable to invent in themselves. With a deep sense of being damaged, they often feel incapable or unworthy of career success and higher-paying positions.

• Difficulty trusting relationships or people on any level is omnipresent. 80% of child sexual abuse is perpetrated by family members, 19% is perpetrated by people the child knows and trusts-- family friends, church leaders, teachers, sports coach, scout leaders, et al. U.S. Government statistics reveal 1% of children sexually abused are abused by a stranger. Children who can not feel secure within the family, the most fundamental relationships, develop deep and pervasive trust issues. Relationships are often doomed because the survivor trashes good relationships, fearing their partner will ultimately either control, hurt or abandon them as was the case with the trusted family-member perpetrator. More often than not, survivors are drawn to an abusive person because they do not know what a healthy relationship feels like or entails.

When I hear the 'Yeah, but,' argument from people who are in denial and defend and thereby allow sexual child abuse to continue, whether it is the tragedy of Penn State, the Catholic Church, Judaism, Protestant or Mormon Church, my convictions that society needs to do more to raise awareness about sexual child abuse rises another octave. Society needs to raise awareness on how sex offenders are created; how sexual abuse offenses can be prevented; and enforcing the law, which requires professionals and persons in authority to report the abuse when the person first suspects there is reason to believe an adult is on the verge or already has sexually abused a child.

In the final analysis, we have a responsibility to protect our children so they can reach their greatest potential, free of adults who may exploit and alter that divine gift-potential.

No more denial. No more cover-ups. No more excuses or reasons for any child being sexually abused by someone who has authority or responsibility for the child's well-being.

Dr. Neddermeyer has developed and facilitates workshops on preventing sexual child abuse, identifying would-be sex offenders and the signs of sexual abuse. http://drdorothy.info/?page_id=9

Dorothy M Neddermeyer, PhD has studied human health and well-being for decades, earning a Masters in Clinical Social Work and a Doctorate in Metaphysics. In 1994, she founded Genesis Consultants, Inc. a personal and professional consulting firm. She facilitates Emotional, Physical and Spiritual Transformation (EPST) a highly effective protocol to Transform the root cause of all issues and symptoms. EPST is direct, focused and combines creating health while transforming the past. She is a keynote speaker and offers programs for schools, organizations and in corporate settings. http://drdorothy.net/

View the original article here

A Few Facts on Electric Cement Mixers

Machine-technologies have given us a great invention in the electric cement mixer. Before this handy piece of equipment was invented the only way to get this material mixed correctly was to have it done in one of the big trucks that bring it to large jobsites. If you needed a small amount of the substance you had to mix it by hand, and that was quite a job.

The electric cement mixer can be handled by just one person and they can mix very small batches of concrete up for us, or they can do medium size batches of concrete. The machine-technologies that have given us this tool has also given us the ability to do smaller jobs with less trouble, and better finished results.

Each year more and more machine-technologies are put into play that allows us to do our jobs with more ease. The electric cement mixer is but one of the many different tools that have been invented, improved, and advanced over the past few years.

This is understandable because as we use a tool we learn more about the tool and we learn what we could change about the tool to make it better. We adjust the items and improve the items until we have something that we can use where we need it, when we need to, and for the length of time we need to.

When you are doing a project that calls for small amounts of concrete to be mixed up, and then you need to have an electric mixer to do this with. The electric mixer can stir the sand and mortar mixture more completely than you can stir it with your hands.

When the product is mixed more thoroughly then you get a better finished project because the concrete can be made smoother than if it was stirred by hand and left in a partially raw state. The better the completed project looks the better you feel about your skills. If you are doing this work for hire the better it looks the more references you will receive from the customer.

You can buy these items at a lot of the building supply and hardware stores around the country. You can buy small versions that are hand held and larger versions that have wheels on them to make them easier to move around the job site.

The price of these items varies depending on the size of the item you need, the brand that the item has on it, and the power that the mixer has. The price of this item is far cheaper than having a truck load of cement delivered, because if you order less than five yards of cement there is a delivery charge, and generally when you order less than five yard of cement you get the leftovers from a larger order that is already beginning to get too hard to work properly. This situation leaves your job really looking poorly when the concrete sets up before you can get it worked correctly.

An electric cement mixer is part of machine-technologies that the average person can use to complete smaller jobs. The items afford you the luxury of having smoother concrete finishes on small amounts of cement.

View the original article here

Little Things That Will Save You Money - And Will Save The Planet!

To some people, the phrase "save the planet" seems over-exuberant at best, and perhaps even downright fatalistic, as these people tend to believe that there is really nothing wrong with the planet at all, and that there is really no need to save it; on the other hand, there are those who feel that the phrase "save the planet" is overly-hopeful, as these people tend to believe that the planet is in such awful shape that it is beyond saving already! No matter whether you fall on one side or the other of this discussion, however (or, if you - like most people - fall somewhere in the middle), a couple things everyone should be able to agree on are that A) we should take care of the planet, regardless of the shape we believe it to be in, and B) saving money is always great!

One of the first things you can do to save money while also taking care of the environment is to pay closer attention to your use of water, as a lot of people leave their water running when brushing their teeth, or fail to fix leaks and drips in their homes, all of which can actually make a big difference over time - both monetarily and environmentally.

Another great move is to make the switch from standard light bulbs to compact fluorescent light bulbs - and while many people think CFLs will cost them a lot more money, the initial cost of these bulbs is nothing compared to the fact that they last up to 10 times longer than standard light bulbs, all while using about 30% of the energy!

Paying closer attention to your driving is another awesome way to hold back on the energy you are using; by simply accelerating and decelerating more slowly, you will be able to use a lot less gas over time!

And finally, understand that there are lots of things around your house you can do to use less electricity - such as turning off lights when you are not in a room, and unplugging appliances that are not in use - and this will save you money on your electric bill, and will aid in protecting the planet!

There is definitely plenty of debate these days regarding the current state of the environment, but amidst all this debate, the important factor being pushed aside is the fact that this planet is a gift, and each of us should be doing what we can to make sure we are taking care of this planet; start doing your part to keep Earth green - and even though it may seem like the things you are doing are too small to make a difference, these "too small" things will start to add up, until you are truly impacting the direction of the world!

~Esther Ingram

Do your part to take care of the planet!
http://www.beautisticgreenoffers.com/

View the original article here

Gruesome Shark Attacks of 2012

The United States is surrounded by two big bodies of water which are the Pacific and Atlantic ocean. Various kinds of fishes swarm at the temperate parts of these oceans including sharks. With the shark's teeth and powerful big jaws, sharks can inflict severe injuries and even death.

Sharks are known to like the taste of sea lions and seals due to its blubbery taste. Sharks especially the tiger and great whites, usually attack humans but not eat them. According to sources, sharks don't like meat with too many bones like that of humans. Sharks tend to attack, bite humans and back away. This allows humans bitten by sharks to go and seek for shores. Bull sharks, on the other hand, will keep on attacking its victim. Because of this, there are a lot of deaths from bull shark attacks. Great whites are also known to have a attacked a lot more people in history, with more injuries and deaths than the tiger and bull sharks made altogether.

The most recent shark attack incident was just last August 16, 2012 in the state of Alabama. While swimming, a man's leg was bitten by a shark in the gulf shores of Mexico. It happened about mid-morning and the man was taken to the hospital in Foley. The water is just as high as his waist when the shark attacked him. A purple warning flag was displayed in the beaches after the occurrence.

Another recent incident was last July 30, 2012 at Cape Cod. The victim Chris Meyers was in Ballston Beach to do body boarding when the shark attacked him. He's just 100 feet away from the shore when the shark came up and grabbed his legs. The incident caused severe lacerations to his lower legs and was rushed to the General hospital in Massachusetts to recover from the incident. It was reported that the increasing number of seals in the area brought the great whites as well.

Shark in Cape Cod - YouTube Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-i9pShD4UIU

Within the U.S. alone, there are a total of 3 reported incidents of shark attacks for June 26, 2012. There is also 4 incidents of shark attacks in June 14, 2012 at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. All in same area and same day. It was believed to be black tips that may be in their feeding frenzy. Looking at the map, shark attacks are usually from the lower east part of U.S. this year, mostly in Florida.

All over the world, the number of shark attacks went up to 33 with 5 fatalities. According to sources, sharks attack humans since they believe it's food. Attacks only happens when people venture into shark's environment. Sharks reportedly don't eat boney creatures. Humans unlike sea lions and seals have too much bones with no blubber to begin with. With just one bite, sharks tend to let go immediately as they sensed that what they've just bitten is not the right food to eat.

Great White Shark Eats Surfer - YouTube Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_y-fyDmB_2g

Experts said that humans may have over fished and caused a shortage of food for sharks, which may be the reason why they've ventured near shores. Another reason may be mistaken identity. At times, people share their recreational space with sharks living in fresh waters, like the bull sharks. Just like humans who attacks intruders in their own homes, shark on the other hand perceives the waters as their home too and may see humans as a threat to them when they've come across to one. Because of this, there is no wonder why sharks attack humans after all.

View the original article here

New Black Box Standards for Cars Set for Sept 1

When you are in a car accident, there's always an inevitable he-said-she-said as both parties report to the insurance companies. Claims investigators sometimes have little else to go on besides what each person has said.

Black boxes eliminate some of the guess work from car accident claims. Vehicle event data recorders aren't actually black or in a box, but they do keep track of important measurements for car crashes. For example, the device records if the brakes were engaged, how long before the crash before they were activated and the speed at the time of impact are some examples of important data black boxes hold.

The perception is that these recorders are new to vehicles and would require time and money to install into cars. This isn't the case as a majority of cars, over 90 percent in fact, already include event data recorders in the manufacturing process. Major automakers like Ford, GMC and Toyota have had some form of event data recorders in their vehicles for years.

While there is an overwhelming majority of voluntary installation of black boxes, Congress has been working to make it mandatory for all cars by September 1. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposed their intent to mandate their installation to all cars in 2004. In 2010, it estimated that over 85 percent of cars would have event data recorders already installed anyway by the time they successfully passed the standard.

The black box legislation is essentially a new set of rules for Event data recorders since so many vehicles are already equipped. The mandate now requires the black boxes record 15 types of measurements: pre-crash speed, engine throttle, brake use, changes in forward velocity, driver seat belt use, airbag warning lamp status and airbag deployment times.

All of the data is also required to be publicly available. Already, Ford and GMC have made the information recorded on the devices available to the public since 2009. Some automakers with older event data recorders installed may have to disable them until new software can be installed. However, the device will still be recording data.

The new standards will also allow first responders to an accident scene access to the black box data immediately. Police with warrants will also be able to access the data should it become pertinent to an investigation. The device is technically owned by the vehicle's owner, but in the event of a crash or other incident the information will be made available.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has estimated the costs of including black boxes in the final 8.4 percent of cars without them to be around $24 million. That assumes that 15.5 million vehicles will be sold this year since the estimate.

Currently, event data recorders are subject to few regulatory standards. Some only recorded pre-crash or post-crash data and some may be as old as 20 years, depending on the make and model of the vehicle. The devices have become integral in recreating crash scenarios and improving safety over the years.

For those who have been in a car accident this year in California, contact an accident attorney to represent your best interests in court. Visit http://bestaccident-attorneys.com/ to learn more.

View the original article here

Migrant's on the Margin

Britain's immigration rules do not give Romanians and Bulgarians full access to the labour market, but British laws do entitle them to compensation for injuries that are their employers' fault.

Yet the migrants' anxiety over their immigration status can deter them from making claims - a tendency that employers may be tempted to exploit.

Since their countries joined the EU in 2007, Romanian and Bulgarian citizens have had the right to work anywhere within the bloc.

However, the UK has imposed tight restrictions on their direct employment. Similar restrictions do not apply to citizens of the eight countries that joined the EU during its previous burst of expansion in 2004.

Exact numbers are hard to come by, but most Romanian and Bulgarian migrants to the UK are believed to have taken jobs in the construction and hospitality sectors.

Partly as a result of their immigration status, many of them end up working through agencies rather than being hired as employees by a company. If they are builders, they may be paid cash-in-hand.

The more "casualised" the work, the greater the likelihood that employers may endanger or exploit the workers. They may not adequately assess the risks behind a particular job, or they may neglect to provide protective equipment and training.

Workers in the building sector are particularly accident-prone, with unions estimating that 80 per cent of injuries on construction sites in the UK go unreported.

Builders often avoid reporting accidents at work because they fear losing their jobs and endangering their prospects.

According to a representative from UCATT, the UK's largest construction union, companies also prefer staff who don't make a fuss. This creates a climate where all but the most severe accidents tend to go unreported.

Remus Robu, a paralegal with Levenes, a British law firm that pursues claims arising from accidents at work, said Romanian and Bulgarian migrants needed to be better informed of their rights. They should be aware that nationality and employment status had no bearing on their eligibility for compensation or on the amounts awarded, he said.

Nor should migrants be put off by the prospect of a lengthy court case. According to Robu, most cases involving accidents at work were settled before trial, as employers did not wish to incur heavy legal costs where their liability had been established.

But while Romanians and Bulgarians may see themselves as victims of a harsh immigration policy, they have also seemed reluctant to make use of Britain's kinder laws.

Read more articles by Sorana Stanescu, and many more by award-winning journalists, on the leading English-language news site covering the Balkans; http://www.balkaninsight.com/

View the original article here

Human Abnormalities

The human population has exceeded 7 billion. Unfortunately, there are many within our society dealing with human abnormalities. Some abnormalities occur at birth, while others are acquired later in life. Regardless of their unusual differences, many are still able to live a normal life. Many will try to correct their odd look with surgery, while others choose to stay the same. In fact, there are people who choose to take advantage of their abnormal conditions to make money. They often have full-time jobs working at circuses and freak shows. Their eccentric appearances certainly draw attention from the curious around the world. Here are examples of human abnormalities.

Epidermodysplasia Verruciformis: Epidermodysplasia Verruciformis is an extremely rare hereditary skin disorder. It is associated with a high risk of skin cancer. Those with the condition are susceptible to acquiring a skin virus called human papillomaviruses (HPVs). The HPV infections cause growth of scaly macules (discoloration of the skin) and papules (elevations of the skin varying in size) usually on the hands and feet. The onset of the condition occurs between the ages of 1-20. However, it is occasionally present in middle-age. Unfortunately, the condition worsens over time. Lifelong eruptions of macules and wart-like papules develop on the face, neck and body. Skin lesions are usually spread over the body.

Dede Koswara is known all over the world as "The Tree Man". He has a rare combination of conditions causing large growths to spread all over his body. His condition caused him to lose his marriage, job and independence. Dede took action to correct his extremely abnormal condition by getting surgery. The surgery was very successful. Dede was able to use hands as well as walk pain-free for the first time in over ten years. After leaving the hospital, he returned home and celebrated his amazing surgical transformation.

Diprosopus: Diprosopus is an extremely rare congenital (existing at birth) disorder. Part or all of the face is duplicated on the head. This rare condition is usually not caused from fusion or incomplete separation of two embryos. The usual cause is a protein called sonic hedgehog homolog (SHH). The protein, along with genes are a big factor in signaling facial bone patterns during embryo development. It eventually starts to excessively widen facial features as well as duplicate facial structures. The wider the face gets, the more duplication of structures. The features often look like a mirror image. Most infants born with disprosopus are stillborn. There are very few cases of survivors living past minutes or hours after birth.

Progeria: Progeria is a rare genetic abnormality that occurs in children. The physical signs and symptoms give them a look of premature old age. The disorder is so rare it only occurs in one in every eight million live births. Those born with Progeria usually live only to their teens and early twenties. Infancy is usually the time when children develop their first symptoms. Low body weight for a child's age is an early symptom. Following infancy, additional symptoms occur around 18-24 months. Symptoms include limited body growth, hair loss on head and body, pinched nose, small jaw and small face. As the child ages, their condition causes wrinkled skin, loss of eyesight, kidney failure and heart problems. Their bones become fragile like an elderly person. They also begin to lose body fat and muscle. Leon Botha was (4 June 1985-5 June 2011) one of the world's oldest survivors of Progeria. He became a full-time painter after graduating high school. He also became a hip hop artist and DJ in South Africa. He never let his abnormal condition stop him from achieving his dreams.

Regardless if we have abnormalities or not, we all have our own look that makes us unique. Unfortunately, human abnormalities can set one apart from others. Their eccentric differences often draw attention which often leads to them being teased and laughed at. Some even have a difficult time finding a normal job. It is amazing that many still stay resilient in not letting their unusual looks hinder their desire to live a normal life.

For more interesting information on human abnormalities, visit human oddities. If you have a general interest in oddities visit oddities store Oneshotvariety online.

View the original article here

Emergency Preparedness: Hurricanes And Wildfires - Are You Ready?

This past summer has been filled with emergencies and natural disasters. In Colorado there was the Waldo Canyon fire which destroyed close to 350 homes. The Western United States has been a tinderbox for nearly a decade now with near drought conditions. Year after year. So it's no wonder that the number of wildfires has far exceeded normal.

Then recently everybody has heard of hurricane Isaac and the damage and destruction that caused. Natural disasters and emergencies such as wildfires and hurricanes cause temporary loss of housing and create conditions that are difficult to cope with. They are made even more difficult if you're not prepared for them and to be honest, most people aren't.

Many people actually do prepare for emergencies. Emergency preparedness and disaster planning have been on the minds of many for the last few years. The drought out west caused fire departments and homeowners to do vegetation abatement around homes to mitigate the effects of a wildfire.

In the Waldo Canyon fire for example, many homeowners were given 15 minutes to get out of their homes. Many of them were not allowed to return for as long as two weeks. Some of them lost their homes forever. If you do some planning you can actually take some of the sting out of an emergency.

Fifteen minutes to leave your home doesn't give you any time to prepare food for your family. Shelter is almost always available somewhere but food isn't. Emergency food supplies are available in a wide choice of configurations that can provide for a family of four up to a year. Most of them have a 25 year shelf life and are easy to store and transport.

When there is an emergency, law enforcement, fire department and all manner of first responders are busy doing other things-they don't have time to help you. So the more you know, the better off you're going to be in protecting yourself and even your neighbors to help get them through the emergency.

There is a written resource that we recommend authored by a retired fire department captain who speaks from experience. He shows you how to survive nine crises that usually follow disasters.

There are things that homeowners can do for emergency preparedness and disaster planning. They include stockpiling an emergency food supplies and knowing what to do when disaster strikes. And for many people in the U.S. who live in floodplains or drought stricken areas, it is not a question of if an emergency will occur but when.

Emergency Food supplies can feed a family of four for one month with 120 meals. There are other food choice options too.

The Self Reliance Disaster Handbook guides you through nine different crises that follow disasters.

The Home Security Superstore is one of the oldest and largest independent distributors of high quality home security, surveillance, spy, self-defense, survival and safety products. We carry a wide range of self-defense products including tasers, stun guns, pepper sprays and other nonlethal weapons that can save your life in the event of an attack.

View the original article here

Is Occupy Wall Street Dead?

Last year on September 17th about 1,000 people set up camp in Zuccotti Park to express their frustration with the system they believed broke the promise of the American dream. The people who joined this protest and those who expanded it to other cities captured the attention of the media, academics and Congress, causing them to wait with bated breath to see what this new movement would do. However, almost a year later, the mainstream media considers Occupy to have fizzled out. The question now is, "is Occupy dead?" I believe that the answer is "no."

The media claims that Occupy failed because there was no underlying message, so when authorities tore the encampments down, the movement also collapsed (1). However, even though the original protestors had different reasons for converging on Wall Street, they seemed to agree that the place that once symbolized the ideals of class mobility and equality of opportunity had come to represent the source of their destruction. Occupy became a platform for the "99%" to voice their discontent with (among other things) the lack of jobs for those who desperately wanted them, the corporate influence on politics, and the unfair compensation of members of the "1%." The tents that the protestors erected symbolized their reclaiming of property that was intended to be for the people whose labor created it - not for those who bought it. The encampments reflected the shared belief among the protesters that there was something deeply wrong with the United States (2).

The media latched onto Occupy because it was theatrical and, therefore, filmable; however, when the authorities across the country dismantled the encampments, the news stations lost their ability to record the story of the new movement. It is fairly simple to document a movement when it is in almost every state and is doing something "newsworthy" such as violating ordinances and societal norms by setting up encampments in parks and other public areas. But when that movement's physical expression is mostly gone and only the ideas remain, the mainstream cameras can no longer capture it (2).

So where does Occupy stand? The mainstream media has judged Occupy's success by comparing it to the Arab Spring and, by those standards, has determined it has failed. However, because the issues that gave Occupy shape and energy still exist, it follows that this new movement is not dead but, instead, changing or solidifying its form (1). Last fall, Occupy created its political shape and gained support by using Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter. Much like in the Arab Spring, the Internet served an important role in creating the messages of Occupy. But unlike the Arab Spring, the goals of Occupy were never to tear down the existing government and start from scratch; instead, the objectives were to change the existing system. The standard for comparison of these two movements is erroneous, and the use of this standard has led people to conclude that Occupy has failed.

There are at least three differences between the movements. The media has pointed to economic disparity as a triggering factor for both Occupy and the Arab Spring; however the inequality of wealth in the US has not risen to the level of that which ignited the Arab Spring. Another difference is that Occupy protesters had a constitutional right to voice their concerns, whereas the "rebels" in the Arab Spring did not. In addition, Occupy protesters were able to set up tents and document it on their smartphones in comparative safety while the Arab Spring protesters were being killed by the thousands by their own governments for daring to demand the liberties that the Occupiers enjoyed (2). The differences do not diminish the significance of Occupy, but they do explain why, when comparing these two movements, the media has concluded that Occupy failed. In short, Occupy did not produce the immediate headlines seen in the Arab Spring.

The issue is that some people do not recognize that although these movements occurred around the same time, they were caused by different factors, occurred in different political environments and, therefore, will behave differently. Occupy is, in some ways, more complicated than the Arab Spring because it is more difficult to determine, and agree upon, what about the US needs to change. Because various groups that compose Occupy have different goals, it will take time for a primary goal to emerge around which the entire movement can rally. Furthermore, because this movement seeks to reform the current government as opposed to replace it with an entirely new system, the change will take place over a longer period of time.

In order to discover its unifying message as well as the best way to achieve its central goal, Occupy would do best to return to where it garnered most of its support: the Internet. If Occupiers brought their concerns, goals and proposed courses of action to the Internet, there would be a process of natural selection where the strongest and most persuasive ideas would survive and evolve. The benefit of returning to forums and social media sites would be that people would be forced to work together to create and objectively evaluate goals and plans. Instead of the loudest or most well connected people's beliefs gaining sway, the ideas would be evaluated on their merits. The lack of tangible action that would occur during this time of discussion would be worth the result of having a well-articulated message that would set out clear objectives as well as tactics for achieving them.

Journalists and academics have criticized Occupy for not having a central message; however the inclusive nature of this new movement has also been what has drawn many to it. Selecting the strongest ideas would result in less favored ones falling by the wayside, potentially causing some people to leave the movement. Nevertheless, the benefit of having a clear direction and purpose would outweigh any loss in participation; and it is likely that if Occupy were to have a strong message, more people would become involved, bringing to it additional momentum and resources.

This lull in mainstream activity is not a sign that Occupy is dead, but more likely that it is incubating on the Internet in social media sites, forums and discussion groups, preparing to manifest in a stronger and more focused form.

View the original article here

National Water Research Institute Publishes Third Edition of UV Water Disinfection Guidelines

As the most recent conference of the International Ultraviolet Association (IUVA) convened on Aug. 12-14, 2012 in Arlington, Virginia, a notable event in UV water technology took place. The National Water Research Institute (NWRI) chose the conference "Moving Forward: Sustainable UV Solutions to Meet Evolving Regulatory Challenges" to release the third edition of the Ultraviolet Disinfection Guidelines for Drinking Water and Water Reuse. NWRI is a non-profit organization that was created by a group of California water and wastewater agencies in 1991 to collaborate on research projects and activities that promote innovation and solutions to water supply and resource challenges. The original UV guidelines were published by NWRI in 1993.

These widely accepted guidelines were developed by leading engineers and scientists in the field of UV technology, and recently revised by two of its contributing authors: Robert W. Emerick, Ph.D., P.E., of Stantec Consulting Services and George Tchobanoglous, Ph.D., P.E., NAE, of the University of California, Davis. Dr. Emerick was responsible for the first permitted unfiltered drinking water UV disinfection facility in the U.S. Dr. Tchobanoglous is an internationally renowned expert on water and wastewater treatment and solid waste management.

Among those who peer reviewed the third edition revisions were Karl G. Linden, P.D., of the University of Colorado at Boulder, and Brian Bernados, P.E., of the California Department of Public Health.

This publication is designed for state, federal, and municipal agencies responsible for UV disinfection systems in drinking water and water reuse and water utilities that deploy the technology. Adoption of the guidelines is at the discretion of federal, state, and municipal authorities. Currently, the California Department of Public Health is using theses standards, and so are others across the United States.

Jeff Mosher, Executive Director of NWRI, spoke about the guidelines at the IUVA 2012 Americas Conference. He said, "Because of its advantages, demand for UV is growing, based in part on the use of recycled water to meet water supply needs." Mosher added, "The UV Guidelines are the most commonly used reference by regulators, water and wastewater agencies, design engineers, and equipment manufacturers to ensure the efficacy of UV installations."

The 100-page guidelines are available online at http://www.nwri-usa.org/uvguidelines.htm. The UV guidelines are designed to be dynamic and will be updated as new UV technologies emerge. This resource is not a planning manual for design of UV disinfection systems - that is the responsibility of the design engineer and manufacturer. The UV guidelines recommend the use of adequate filtration to remove secondary affluents prior to UV disinfection and do not purport to cover the effectiveness of these types of methods or systems in the guidelines. The guidelines include a standard for measurement of water cleanliness after UV disinfection takes place.

Some, though not all, of the highlights of the new edition include:

- Standardized protocol for spot-checking performance bioassays, which replaces velocity profiles
- Standardized UV dose-response relationship
- Revisions to Chapter 3: Protocols
- All reclamation systems must undergo tests that demonstrate disinfection is consistent with design intent.

This short introduction to the third edition of these guidelines is intended to spark the interest of experts in the water industry and the public for further review and analysis. The IUVA members and supporters were honored that NWRI chose the conference to release this new, noteworthy edition of Ultraviolet Disinfection Guidelines for Drinking Water and Water Reuse.

Deborah Martinez is the Executive Director of the International Ultraviolet Association (IUVA) in Washington, D.C. She provides leadership, strategic guidance and management for the daily operations of IUVA. The International Ultraviolet Association brings together scholars, scientists, industry and government leaders to keep interested individuals up-to-date in the latest UV Water disinfection technology. Visit http://www.iuva.org/.

View the original article here

Hurricane Preparedness and Evacuation Tips

If you live in an area where there is a possibility of a hurricane coming onshore you need to know how to prepare for these storms. Unlike a tornado, these storms have enough warning time for the citizens in their path to prepare. The following tips will help you to prepare your family for the stormy days ahead.

Prepare an Evacuation Plan
The number one thing that you need to do before a hurricane strikes is have an evacuation plan ready. These plans are best made when there is not a storm threatening you.

• Plan where you will go in the event that the storm comes inland in your area.
• Decide who will be driving the vehicles that you are taking
• Decide which family members will be riding in which vehicles
• Make plans for carrying your pets with you
• Have emergency rations packed. Make one person responsible for packing the emergency rations in the vehicles.
• Have a check-list of things that need to be done before you evacuate so you can make sure you have everything you need

Packing Emergency Rations in Advance
It is a good idea that you keep a container packed with the emergency rations you would need during an evacuation. Pack these items in a container that is waterproof and has a good lid. Keep them in one place in the house and make sure everyone knows where they are located. Assign the job of placing these rations into the vehicle to one family member. Practice what you would do if ordered to evacuate so the person in charge of these rations can be familiar with their responsibility.

Things to pack in the box:

• A flashlight and batteries for the flashlight

• Enough water for everyone that will be evacuating to have drinking water for at least three days

• Non perishable food products. Pack enough for each person to have adequate food rations for three days

• Blankets and pillows

• Food for your pet

• At least three changes of clothing for each person

• Non prescription first aid medications like aspiring, Tylenol, allergy medications, bandages for minor cuts, antibiotic ointment, teething gel for infants, etc.

• Prescription medications for each person. The pharmacy will generally refill your prescriptions even if it is not time when a storm like this is threatening your area.

• Emergency cash

• Toiletries like shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, and feminine hygiene products.

• Your important documents like passports, deeds to land, titles to vehicles, birth certificates and professional licenses.

View the original article here