Beware of Fake Mystery Shopper Opportunity

I recently partially fell for a scam involving a mystery shopping opportunity which seemed like a dream come true in this economy; I was offered $400.00 US a week plus additional cheques to cover transportation expenses etc from a company that frequently passes itself off as Ocean View Company Limited or Ocean View Consults, a fake international mystery shopping company.

As I have done this type of work before and I have worked as a journalist for years for various community and business newspapers in addition to other projects it seemed like an ideal opportunity for much needed additional income.

The last person I spoke with assured I would have a package containing complete instructions and the cheques in the mail within four business days –but when they seemed reluctant to give me background information on the company and then gave me the name of Canadian Paid Surveys which has nothing to do with them or mystery shopping I started checking through the Internet and thankfully came across the Anti Fraud International web site which warned me about this scam.

If you look at their web site by typing in "Ocean View Consults" you'll see how at least one person made the mistake of cashing their cheques and had to pay the money back. Many more persons have discovered that it is all a scam.

They could be trying to steal personal information or infect your computer with a virus when you click on these e-mails so BEWARE.


 

 
Another danger here is that these people might be trying to steal personal information and or infect your computer with a virus as well. So beware.


 

Whom Can You Trust?

Everywhere you look you see reports of fake medicines, foods like baby milk contaminated by toxic materials, baby toys and other items with toxic paint, fake research done by supposedly ethical medical research but who slant their findings to paint pharmaceutical companies in the best light. This list could go on and on; this is just the top of that old iceberg.

For instance how many persons have bought insurance policies that were supposed to protect only to find out that when an emergency did arise the policy contained loopholes that enabled the insurance company to deprive them of expected coverage?

How many times have consumers bought health food supplements or organic foods on the basis of what was promised on the labels only to find out later that the label was lying?

How many times have you gone back to your family physician or psychiatrist because the medication he or she prescribed was causing adverse reactions – only to be told something to the affect that, "You are a troublesome patient who does not want to get well! You have to take more of the pills you are taking – and finish them all! If you don't listen to me I am going to drop you."

While most of the people you deal with are going to be honest and ethical not all of them are. All of these situations arise because you or somebody else initially trusted the word of the person they were dealing with. Unfortunately, in today's world such blind trust can lead to traffic problems: Like the case of investors being defrauded of their life savings; like a mother watching her son die in a hospital because of fake medicine or contaminated food; or like patients who die because their doctor forced them to continue taking medication that they were allergic to.

All of this could easily make you very paranoid, but fortunately there is a relatively simple to thwart the efforts of the occasional unethical person you deal with by learning to ask questions. Remember the reporter's "Five W's" – who, what, why, where, when" Don't forget the "how" either !.

For instance when you are talking to your doctor about some health problem ask questions about what he or she is telling you concerning test results and suggested treatment with questions such as: "How accurate is that test? What have been the results with other patients? Who designed the test? If I take this medication you suggestion and I find that it does not work with me what are you going to do – are you going to be willing for me to try something else –even some type of complementary treatment?"

This type of interview with the person you are dealing with -- whether it is a doctor or insurance agent, or any other person you are dealing with -- can avoid a lot of problems later. If they object to you asking questions you should drop them right away.

 

Remember that such effective questions (that the person can not just answer with a "yes" or "no" valuable tools not just for reporters or legal investigators but –everyone s—to protect yourself from fraudsters. And remember too to be diplomatic and friendly. You do not want to sour potentially beneficial relationships by being aggressive or antagonistic to start with.

 

 

 

The Complete Picture is Critical

Here is another example of the need to take in the complete picture when you meet somebody and remembering to do this could be critical to you regardless of who you are to protect yourself from unsuspecting attack or to detect a criminal despite clever disguises.


 
In this particular example a security officer was stationed in a lane behind a burned building to protect it from thieves or unauthorized entry by homeless persons or people with some criminal intent.


 
He soon met two different men from different races who were in reality the same man, sometimes wearing readily available facial prosthetics that enabled him to create a completely different racial appearance very quickly.


 
Fortunately this guard was trained to take in the complete picture when he met people – meaning not just their physical appearance at any given time but also any voice or physical mannerisms that made them unique from other persons. This enabled him to quickly detect this ruse, take pictures of both individuals which he turned over to the police and be prepared for action.


 
What gave this individual away was the similarity in physical stature shared by the two men: their height, approximate weight, physical shape, shape other their head and eyes and other features – as well as their similar gait when walking and the way the held their cigarette in their left hand.


 
This individual who disguised himself never tried to use his disguise to try and catch the security officer off guard or anything else, but if he had tried the security officer was prepared to take whatever action he had to protect himself and the property he was guarding. And that is the important thing. Whenever he saw either individual he was doubly alert and ready to act.

This need to take in the complete picture like this is critical not just to security people but all of us when we meet new people in this age when it is so easy to somebody to change their appearance so radically and quickly.


 

 

 

Protect Your Best Friend From A Shock Collar

 

Protect your best friend – dogs – from the torture of a shock collar!. I never knew this one but apparently putting such shock collars on dogs by some trainers and individuals is fairly common.

 

You can help put an end to this barbaric practice by signing a petition found through this e-mail address: info@banschockcollars.ca

 

 

Fight Chronic Pain Without Medication

 
Younger Canadians are now facing a life of pain which severely limits their activities and quality of life according to according to reporter Rebecca Lindell of Postmedia Services on December 15, 2010.

In her article "1 in 10 Younger Canadians Experience Chronic Pain".she describes how a sudden injury to a young lady forced her to make drastic changes in her daily activities in order to cope with a life of chronic pain – which she has faced for 26 years. This has forced her to abandon a career in urban planning and survive on a disability pension.

And she is not alone. According to a recent report from Statistic Canada some 10 percent of young Canadian between the years of 12 and 44 years do face lives of chronic pain as a result of back and of her injuries. According to Lindell the Statistics Canada report also showed that some 63 percent of people as a whole are prevented from performing everyday tasks at home, school, and work" as a result of pain.

In the article Dr. May Lunch of the Canadian Pain Society said: "Not only is it causing suffering in people, but its costing Canada big bucks. People living with pain cannot function as well as people who don't have pain. Even when people do manage to drag themselves to work they are not as productive or as focussed or as efficient as they would be if their pain were under better control."

The problem for many of these people is that the medications they take can cause other productions through side effects and the addiction to the medication if they take it over a long term.

There, is though, another way to help your body cope with chronic pain like fibromyalgia and that is through reflexology treatments. The practitioners of this complementary therapy massage pressure points in your feet, hands and other areas to help your body to relax and recover from injuries as well as other health problems without the extensive use of pharmaceutical medications.

Of course you want to talk to your family physician before embarking on any type of complementary care like this I can tell you that reflexology has helped millions of persons throughout the word to recover from or cope with a wide variety of health problems and protect their enjoyment of life

For more information about this story contact Rebecca Lindell at Post Media Services. For more information on Reflexology contact the Canadian Reflexology Society or one of the other associations you can find on-line.


 

Prevent The Death or Injury of Your Baby

 
Although the Canadian federal government is set to enforce guidelines and standards for manufacturers of portable baby beds and other child care products and toys this still leaves parents as the front line of protection when they are buying any of these items.



In a recent article in the Vancouver Sun Post Media reporter Sarah Schmidt quotes the federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq who said: Canada' requirements for cribs and cradles are already among the toughest in the world. These changes will make them even tougher."



She was referring to standards that manufacturers will have to meet to eliminate the danger of young babies and toddlers being killed or injured by shearing or pinching parts and other hazards. This follows the death of a two-month old baby boy in Winnipeg Manitoba in February 2009.



Alukkaq assures parents that, "If manufacturers do not voluntarily meet these standards the government could enforce regulations," but that in itself is not a guaranty that some manufacturers or retailers will not try to sell dangerous products to unsuspecting parents – so parents need to be extra vigilant when buying any of these baby products – to ask a lot of questions and check for possible hazards to their babies before buying anything.

[For more information on this topic see the Vancouver Sun December 12, 2010 and thee article "Ottawa Unveils Safety Rules for Bassinet Makers" by Sarah Schmid].


 
Other  dangers to toddlers and young children are  highlighted in the same edition of the Vancouver Sun  in the article "Holiday Hazard from Deadly Toys" from Reuters.



These deadly toys continue to appear  on retailers shelves according to the Public Interest Researach Group or PIRG in its annual "Trouble in Toyland " report. Among the dangers are a Dora the Explorer backpack that contains the toxic chemical bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and a Bib Bang rocket that could cause hearing damage.



In addition to these two  other toys continue to be produced with choking, cutting, blinding and strangulation hazards. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission in the United Sates, "toy-related injuries sent 250,100 children to U.S. hospital emergency rooms in 2009 and resulted in 12 deaths, including two from choking." And this carnage in Canada and other countries where such toys are sold is not doubt very high as well.



As Jacinda Adams, vice president with Prevent Blindness America said in the article…."at the end of the day, it's up to parents and consumers to be aware …[of the danger]to avoid winding up in the emergency room for Christmas."

[For more information see the Vancouver Sun Dec 1, 2010 and the article, "Holiday Hazard from Deadly toys"].


 

Kid's Poor Sleep Habits Dangerous to Health

If you let your children build poor sleep habits you could be killing them.


According to recent study by a cardiologist at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario, Canada children who don't get enough sleep could suffer from heart disease later and more and more teenagers suffer from sleep deprivation

This in turn, according to Dr;. Brian McCrindle, in a recent report to the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress in Montreal can lead to childhood obesity, which he says, "can lead to premature heart disease.

While not claiming yet that poor sleep habits cause heart disease he stresses that poor sleep habits and a lack of proper rest during the night has been associated with more and more teenagers suffering from being overweight and obese he said. This in turn leads to blood pressure and blood cholesterol problems. And new studies have discovered premature artery hardening in obese children.

In addition to this other health problems encountered by obese children and adults (and many obese children become obese adults) include diabetes as well as bone and joint problems.

One of the best ways of course to fight obesity is be more physically active and that is where part of the problems lies according to George Honos, spokesman for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. He said, "lack of sleep alone may not be an independent risk factor for heart disease…but it's a red flag. If [children are] zombies the next day, they're not going to do a lot of sports."

 

[For more information on this topic see the Montreal Gazette Nov. 26, 2010 and the article "Sleepless Kids Prone to Heart Disease" by Charles Fidelman


 

 

Protect Your Home and Family With a Camera

 
In this age when home invasions and break ins are quite common you can discourage such criminal activity or at least make sure you have photographic or video evidence of the criminals involved -- if you have installed a high quality residential camera system.



Many of these systems are wireless and quite easy to install as well as connect to your camera in your home as well as your computer at work, or even your laptop if you are on the road a lot.



You might think that any camera would be easy to take out by someone before they break in or invade your home but while some of these cameras are quite large not all of them. You can also install what is often called a pinhole camera with lenses no larger than the eraser at the end of a pencil and these can be concealed above doorways or windows without much expertise. Of course it is not a bad idea to have one of the certified companies install these for you to make sure the installations and set up are done correctly.



The critical thing in all of this is that you don't just run out and buy the first residential camera system you see. Do your homework. Check out several brands first as well as the services of companies who specialize in such residential camera system installations.



There is a wealth of such information on the Internet such as: www.homesecurity.com, www.surveillancevideo.com, and www.youdoitsecurity.com for starters.

Remember to do your independent research and build a good background knowledge of what is out there in the way of residential security camera systems and ask a lot of in-depth questions when speaking to sales and service people before buying and installing any system.



A security camera system can be a valuable ally in your efforts to protect your property and family – if you go about selecting and installing a system carefully.


 

 

How Well Do Your Know Your Site?

Whether your site is some construction project, an industrial or retail complex or condo tower if you are a professional security officer – or whether it is your home, office, or other place of business how well do you know the layout? In an emergency could you get around it in the dark – without the aid of a flashlight?



You should be able to so you could navigate through the building or area quickly and safely if some emergency did happen and you were caught without a flashlight – or it was too dangerous to let others who had invaded your property know where are.

You should practice this on a regular basis of some sort, particularly if you live or work in an area which has a history of break ins, building invasions, or other problems like power failures etc.



You should know where all the doors lead to and where all the places of refuge can be found. If you frequently work outside in the late night or early morning hours you should know where all the routes inside your site or property lead to as well as what roads or trails lead up to the perimeter of your site or property. You should know where they come from as well as who normally uses these routes – and where they would take you if you had to retreat from the area for some reason. 




And you also want to keep in mind whether roads or trails, or access points  converging on your position from two or more different directions would leave you vulnerable to attack from two directions. Then keep an eye of these routes periodically while you are working – in an alert – not paranoid fashion.



This type of awareness about your property or site should become a habit, particularly for security people stationed in outside area but often it does not All too often you can walk or drive right up behind them from a direction they were not monitoring and catch them completely off guard – particularly guards sitting in their own vehicles listening to the radio or I pods etc.



No, problems do not happen often on most sites, but it takes only one when you are not alert to ruin your day (or night).


 

 

Create The Whole Picture

Create the whole picture when you meet new people; it could be critical to do this.

This was clearly illustrated in a recent incident involving a young Asian man who attempted to hide his true identity when he boarded an airplane headed for Vancouver, B.C., by wearing a mask that created the impression of a very old man. This combined with false identify papers initially helped him slip past trained officer at loading check points who assumed he was this elderly person returning to Canada.

He would have gotten away with this except he made two mistakes: First he forgot to make sure his hands matched his facial features and for some reason he decided to abandon his mask in the airplane's washroom mid flight.

The alert passenger next to him had already alerted the flight crew that something was suspicious about this person because young hands did not match his old facial features so when he emerged from the washroom as a young Asian man the crew immediately alerted the authorities in Vancouver and he was nabbed when the airliner landed.

Who knows how many other people use such disguises. If you read Eye Spy magazine you'll agree that there are probably many, many incidents like this in other settings. And this type of thing can be very hard to detect as any good makeup artist will show you.

I can be done, however, if you get into the habit of capturing or creating the complete picture of the person you are confronting or see – their face, their eyes, -- their hands -- as well as other features and even body language – everything you notice about that person.

Do they create a picture of the person her or she is supposed to be?

 

 

 

 

 

Create A Clear Picture of Suspects

One of the most critical pieces of evidence in any criminal encounter is a clear description of the suspect. Yet it is often the most flawed with some innocent person being convicted of crimes they had nothing to do with and police officers being sent on search missions with a description of the suspect that is the complete opposite of reality.

This happened in the case of one bank robbery I heard about during which the Bank Manager had a rifle barrel inches from her head during the ordeal. After the robbers fled and the police arrived she told then that the suspect was stocky and obese with black hair so for some time this was the type of person they were looking for but they never found him – because in reality he was quite tall, muscular and had blond hair. Another witness luckily had also observed him and when this person came forward with a more accurate description the police were able find him and lay charges.

The Bank Manager couldn't believe how her description was the complete opposite of what the person actually looked like – but then the trauma of having an assault rifle pointed at your head can cause your mind to play games like that.

This faulty description problem is a big one for police forces throughout North America and the rest of the world. It is not as easy as you might think to capture an accurate picture of somebody, sometimes in just a few seconds and then recreate accurately for police artists and investigators. And it is one reason why more and more I try to carry a good digital camera (some cell phone cameras I hear are excellent) when I do security in case I need to get that accurate description of a suspect.

Just remember that while in most areas of North American it is quite legal to take a picture of a person on the street some persons will get quite agitated if they even think you are taking a picture of them. So always make sure that you do not endanger your safety while doing and that you have the permission of the security agency that you are working for.

If you choose not to use a camera you can still create more accurate descriptions of suspects by regularly working on your description skills before something happens. You came do this both while you are working as well as during your time off when you are out in public. Just make a habit of taking a good look at people passing you on the street once in a while ( Don't stare of course.) Then after they have passed try to recreate that person visually in your mind in as much detail as possible.

It is like learning to ride that bicycle when you were a child. At first you were quite rough. But the more you practiced the better you became. Learning to recreate a person's appearance after only a quick glance is just like that. Before long you will get better and better. And you will be only be a big asset to your security agency, their client, and the police but you will also be able to detect anybody who might be stalking you quickly as you will remember faces from the past much easier.

How Well Do You Use Your Senses?

Professional security officers are taught to use at least four of their senses – sight, smell, hearing, and even touch to detect problems around the sites they are stationed at. Objects that suddenly appear around the site that weren't there on earlier patrols such as cigarette butts or wrappers etc on the ground as well as unusual sounds, and smells such as drugs or alcohol, like radar or sonar on a ship, can be early alerts that something is wrong – either somebody slipped by you or that some other problem such as a fire is starting or equipment is starting to malfunction

But others too can make good use of their senses to detect problems or dangers around them -- but few of us are very good at it. I have seen this many times in the prospective security guards I have taught. Although I mention at the beginning of the five day course that I am going to ask them to describe the entrance lobby and stairway leading up to the second floor classroom on the last day of the class invariably very few of them can do it without a lot of trouble.

Yet you can learn to use these senses to protect yourself and your property more effectively. It is just like learning to ride a bicycle. Make a point of paying attention to who is walking down the street beside you and what they look like. This could pay off in spades as some would say as this would help you to provide the police with accurate descriptions of suspects if something does happen.

A good example of just how critical the ability to accurately people around you and remember what they can look like is the experience of a friend of mine. While doing some working on a street in one part of the city he noticed both a middle-aged man on one of those mobile scooters observing him as he passed by and a tall man with a goatee, accompanied by a much shorter Asian woman also passing by him twice. There was something about both the man on the scooter and this couple that sent off alarms. And sure enough a two weeks later both the man on the scooter and this couple started showing up near another site my friend was working on – for no good reason.

This is possibly a continuing saga so it is going to be interesting to see exactly what – if anything these people are up. The important thing is that because he made a point of create that accurate picture of these people in his memory my friend is now more prepared for trouble and also has a photograph of all of them.

Develop such effective use of your other senses is also critical. Pay attention to what different things smell like such as the smell of smouldering wires, as well as the different sounds the electric fan or other appliances and other equipment in your home or other location makes when it is working properly. You should become familiar with all of the regular sounds and odours around you house or other structure as well so that other sounds which could warn you of danger or problems will stand out clearly.

It is really worthwhile to work at developing these senses. If we do we will not only appreciate our surroundings more but also be more secure as we go about our daily activities.

 

How Would You Respond?

If you were a security officer sitting on a lonely street or lane in the early hours of the morning – or at any time for that matter and a car or motorcycle suddenly turned down the street and started towards you then continued passed you and turned around at the end of the lane or street to approach you from the rear how would you respond?

Would sit there and wait for it to pass you again from the rear or stop beside you? Waiting for it to do either of these things could be risky, especially in a dangerous neighbourhood.

A far better response would be to already have your car in motion traveling in the opposite direction of this vehicle by the time is passing you the first time head towards the end of the lane or street.



Then you can either leave the area in as normal a manner as possible until you are sure about the other driver's intentions or turnaround and travel back to meet and pass the other vehicle as it heads towards. This will give you a good opportunity to get a good look at the driver – and if possible – get a picture of the vehicle and plate number with your cell phone camera.

One veteran security professional I know makes a practice of this type of thing and is sure from the reaction of the -- some – of the other drivers – who often wear a mask of anger and confusion – as they invariably leave the area – that he has avoided some unpleasant situations with this tactic. Drivers who have just made a wrong turn might look at little bewildered by your reaction to their approach too but they don't tend to get upset.

It is a little trick that all drivers who find themselves in suddenly uncomfortable situations like this could practice Remember that sitting in a stationary vehicle – especially for any length of time makes you very vulnerable to attack.


Naturally this is not something you are going to do with every vehicle that approaches you while your are parked. The security professional I just mentioned often waits until the vehicle passes him the first time and observes the people inside the other car first. But he already has vehicle idling so all he has to do is throw it into gear if he has to move quickly.



(See Also:  It Could Happen below)

 

Never Forget It Could Happen

Most of us walk around oblivious to potential dangers around us, conveniently putting out of mind the possibility that something or somebody very dangerous could be "invisible", but very close to us or one of our family members or a friend

A current news story on our local television station (CTV) here in Vancouver illustrates this. According to the story a group of friends were walking through a local Vancouver area park when one of them, a teenaged girl about 15 or 16 years old, fell behind her friends and was suddenly attacked by a youth or young man with a baseball bat who jumped out of the bushes.

He beat the young lady so severely that she later died of her injuries in the hospital.

Although it is unclear exactly why the young lady fell behind her friends on the park path and we would make ourselves paranoid wrecks if we all walked around like we were members of some historic Spark military phalanx while we are going about our business, social, or recreational activities what happened is a reminder that we DO NEED to stay aware of the possibility of the unexpected happening on such occasions.

This is true even if we or our friends have never been mugged or attacked – or become the victim of an accident before. It takes only once to cause us a lot of grief.

Break Insurmountable Problems Down

 

If you found yourself trapped on a mountain peak in frigid temperatures wearing only a sweater and shorts with possible rescue 8 hours away how would you survive?

That is exactly the dilemma Professor Denis Shackel found himself after his brother in law slipped and died on a New Zealand mountain peak according Wallace Immen in his feature When a Challenge Seems Too Big Break It Down in the June 10, Globe and Mail.

Immen writes that Professor Shackel decided that the only way he was going to survive the eight hour overnight wait in minus 30 degree temperatures was to break the problem down into five second internals while keep a clear vision of being alive watching the sun come up the next morning.

He started counting to five between each icy breath while keeping his long-range goal of seeing that morning sun clearly in his mind. Eight hours later the helicopter rescue crew took him off the mountain alive.

Shackel believes you can protect yourself from failure while working to reach any goal by breaking it down into smaller parts like this and is now teaching success techniques to others using his experience as an illustration

More information about Schakel and his program can be found in the Friday, June 4, 2010 edition of the Globe and Mail in the Careers section.

What Type of Security Program Should You Set Up

 

Creating the most effective security program for your business can be a little trick especially if you do not have a huge security budget. There are a fair number of options you can choose from including:

• Stationary or Static Guards
  
• Site Patrol Guards
  
• Multi-Site Patrol Guards
  
• Bicycle Patrol Guards
  
• Loss Prevention Officers
  
• Personnel Escort Specialists
  
• VIP Bodyguards
  

  
   

• Alarm Systems
  
• Security Camera Systems
  
• Electronic Access Control Systems
  

You can of course use any one of these systems alone or in combination to create a tight security system. The key is to start with an effective site assessment done by your in-house security manager or by a contract security company looking into the past and current problems you have encountered in protecting your property as well your employees and customers while on your property.

If you have decided to work with a contract security company or company that installs alarm or camera systems have at least three different companies provide you with a detailed site assessment including information about how they would go about meeting these needs.

Consider all our options carefully. Should you use a security officer? Should you use a combination of physical security officers and alarm and camera systems? Or should you rely on an alarm or camera system that is monitored by the police or a alarm or camera monitoring company that would contact the police or other emergency services directly in the event of an emergency – eliminating the need for any security guards at all? All of these things are things you have to consider carefully.

Then before you sign any contracts make sure you do a diligent background check on the security company you are interested in. Asking probing questions not only about what type of security the company can provide but also how they treat people. Ask to speak with current clients. Ask about working conditions in the security agency. And also check with any employee labour standards boards or see if there are any employee grievances against the security company.

Guards who have to work long hours to just barely survive financially or work under sub-standard working conditions (Both of these things are more common than you might imagine.) are more prone to cause more problems than they solve.

There are many excellent security industry companies out there who have top flight people working for them – but you have to look. And while you naturally want to keep costs down don't always look for the lowest bidder.

 

 

 

Is Your Family Being Poisoned?

 

Many of us – especially young children whose central nervous systems are still developing -- are being poisoned by lead in products as well as our atmosphere and in many cases the homes we live in – often ignorant to the dangers around us – mislead by earlier information about safe levels of exposure to lead.

The latest research shows that some exposure levels once considered safe can actually cause a wide range of problems such as:

• Attention Deficit Disorder
  
• Other Behavioral Problems
  
• Stunted Growth
  
• Impaired Hearing Problems
  
• Kidney Problems
  

Young children, are especially vulnerable to such things because according to the National Safety Council in the United States they absorb up to 50 percent of the lead they ingest while adults absorb only 10 to 15 per cent. But everyone is vulnerable: While the brain and nervous of a fetus in the mother's womb and young children might suffer the most older people can almost suffer from things like nerve disorders, muscle and joint pain or problems with memory and concentration as a result of on-going lead exposure.

For everyone things to avoid if possible include the following:

• Earthenware glazed with lead finishing
  
• Lead from gasoline (in at least 100 countries according to the WHO)
  
• Lead based paint. Even particles from flaking paint or the dust from paint during removal of paint can be extremely hazardous. And lead paint contamination involves some 40 per cent of the homes even in the United States.
  
• Lead from oil water pipes in homes. You should lead water run for at least 60 seconds before drinking water if you live in an older home with lead pipes according to the Mayo Clinic in the U.S.
  

Remember that ingesting large amounts of lead can kill quickly – especially with young children who often put highly contaminated toys and other items in their mouths , but the long term build up of lead in adults' bodies can also have disastrous consequences. These levels will go down, thankfully once the source of the lead contamination is removed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Protect Your Business from Bogus Sick Claims

Bogus sick claims infect the business world and must cost business owners many millions of dollars just throughout North America and Europe if one person I know of who books sick every time he needs extra time to look after personal family chores crops up is any example and he definitely seems to be from the information published in the July 17, 2010 issue of the Vancouver Sun. Fortunately there are ways that business people can fight this according to the reporter, Howard Levitt.

What he suggests in his feature is that employers resort to tactics used by automobile insurers and government agencies such as Work Safe BC which compensate people with workplace related injuries or illnesses . That of course is video surveillance.

Of course you want to make sure such activity is legal in your part of the world in most areas of North America it is perfectly legal to take pictures or videos of people with their permission – so long as those pictures are not going to appear in some magazine for your personal financial gain. Companies and government agencies such as a workers compensation board do this all the time to expose fraudulent claims. And such video evidence, as the discretion of the Court, can even be used in legal proceedings.

In order to protect yourself, however, as the employer there are a few things you want to do to protect yourself when doing this. First, as Levitt points out it is a good idea to have an employment policy in place to makes it very clear that any sick claims must be backed up by solid medical evidence that will be examined by the company's own doctor and that any suspicion of fraudulent claims will be investigated.

Second, if you do resort to using video surveillance (It might be a good idea to hire a private investigator for this.) make sure that you have a qualified and certified health care practitioners examine any video evidence to make sure that it does expose activity that the employee should not be capable of with sick claims he or she has made. The last thing you want to do is use any video evidence gather to deprive honest employees of sick day compensation they need and deserve.





Want to Learn More About Bible Science? clock on: www.biblescience.blogspot.com  

Just Because It Never Happens Doesn't Mean It Never Will

 

The other day my wife intercepted two very pretty young girls on their way to a rather isolated park near our house to play. When my wife sent them back to their mother with the warning that it was too dangerous they retorted, " Our mother lets us go there by ourselves – all the time – and nothing ever happens to us!"

That was echoed by their mother herself who came down at first very indignant at what she perceived as unwarranted meddling in her affairs. It was only when my wife refused to apologize and warned the women that just because nothing ever happens to her young children it doesn't matter it never will that she took her children back home.

This woman's overconfidence is not an isolated case and it all too frequently ends up with tragic results in many of our activities such as when:

• People get killed in vehicle accidents after they have run a yellow or red light because they have done it many times before and nothing ever happened.
  
• A policeman gets killed from a bullet shot through a door because nothing has ever happened before when he got careless and stood right in the centre of the doorway.
  
• A young women disappears while jogging through an isolated park trail by herself – which she has done many times before.
  
• A man walking along the sidewalk is gunned down by two men in a black car – that he has seen passing – many times before.
  
• A young woman is attacked and raped by a man she met in a night club she has met many times before and always seemed so sweet and warm.
  
• A trainer at one of the Seal World centres in the United States in dragged under the water and drowned by a killer whale -- she has worked with many times before.
  

You could go one with many other examples of this type of thing because we do it all the time – that is believe that because we have done something many times before that has the potential to be very dangerous but nothing ever happens – nothing ever will.

We do it because we get careless or take our safety for granted and it can have tragic consequences. When we do things we know we should not do but take the chance anyway.

A very good example of this type of thinking and the consequences is the oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. Somebody shut down an alarm system – because it wake the crew unnecessarily if it should go off.

Some are trying to say they don't know for sure if that action cost any lives but at the same time there is a good possibility it did. And what was the rationale behind that? Was it because they had done that many times before – and nothing ever happened?

Who knows! People who do these types of things are playing Russian roulette with their own or other peoples' lives. It is a dangerous and often tragic way to live.

Protect Yourself from Fraud Artists and Identity Thieves

    Some of the cleverest minds in the world are busy devising schemes to separate you from your money, banking information or even your personal identity – which could result in you being held responsible for debts you never ran up -- or even crimes you never committed.

To protect yourself from such things be extra careful not just with your money but also with all types of personal identity such as:

• Personal papers
  
• Bank statements
  
• Cheque books
  
• Driver's licenses
  
• Social Insurance cards or other government identify cards
  

Rarely provide information from such cards on the internet. Some supposedly secure sites might tempt you to make exceptions but be careful. Also be careful when providing such information in person. The only time should be when you are buying something or are legally required to do so.

In addition to being extra cautious at these times don't fall into the habit of throwing old statements or other forms containing confidential information into dumpsters or garbage bins behind stores or office buildings. Information thieves, even some private many private investigators, are very skilled "dumpster divers", able to piece an entire history about you or your from documents that you forgot to shred before discarding them.

Plant Trees To Protect Yourself

 

This is not exactly an new idea but you can protect yourself by living in a neighbourhood where there are a lot of trees growing as they help to moderate the temperature keeping it cooler on scorching summer days and also eliminate much of the pollution surrounding us – something than can be critical if you or a family member suffers from things like asthma.



The July 13, 2010 of ENN Community trees native to an area not only grow much easier but also provide much needed shelter for birds and other wildlife but also help to prevent flooding by absorbing the excess water to rainy weather, reduced air pollution (including noise from nearby highways or industrial equipment).

You can protect your young children who suffer from asthmas by living in such neighbourhood. Studies in England, according the quoted Woodlands Trust, say that while some 15 per cent of young children in that country researchers have also found out that for every 340 trees planted in a square kilometre the number of young asthma suffers drops by a quarter.

So if you don't already living in area that is surrounded by trees and can't move to such a neighbourhood it wouldn't be a bad idea to plant some native trees around your property. It not only enhances your land but also help to protect your health and health of your loved ones – as well as the neighbourhood itself.



If you live in some strata complex in a condominium or other dwelling where it is hard to plant trees in the ground around your home the are other ways to do this such as planting the trees in pots or planters.  Your local landscape supply or gardening supply store should be able to help you out with idea about this.


There are says, for instance to control the height of trees that would normally grow very high by selective pruning of the top and other branches. I can't think off hand about the name of the gardening art that deals with this, but the technique is very similar to those used by those who specialize in growing miniature trees using "bonsai" trimming techniques.


Surrounding yourself with trees and other pollution fighting plants can be achieved even if you are a person who spends a lot of time indoors. 


If that is your problem you can also get small indoor trees and other plants to help to create a relaxing atmosphere inside yourself – as well as absorb much of the indoor pollution – which, as you know, can actually be much greater than what you find outside.


 

Remember That Many Are Playing A Role

 

I have been following the latest story in the media here in Vancouver BC about an elderly couple that vanished while on a trip in their recreational vehicle from Edmonton to Chilliwack area of British Columbia, Canada that is a stark reminder of how this is so true so many strangers we meet.

Although they might seem very friendly and sweet such as the person a friend of ours recently met in a bar. "He even told me how I look like his wife who recently died of cancer and showed me her picture," she said.

While this person might be genuine often, as recounted in the newspaper as well as such shows as Americas Most Wanted and other programs, that friendliness is often just as mask to hide vicious intentions.

Everyone, but especially young attractive women and elderly persons should keep this in mind when meeting new persons. During your first encounters with people you should view them as an unknown risk or threat until they prove what their intentions towards you really are.

Women who meet that sweet, good looking guy in a bar with that hear breaking story about how his wife just died etc. etc. etc. just be extra cautious.

But this is a caution that everyone should be practising. Ask yourself if that sweet smile or personality is really genuine or if it is a mask.

This is not so difficult and t here are some excellent books on reading people that are on the market such as People Watching and Body Language by Desmond Morris that can help you become more adept at detecting phones and other dangerous persons by looking beyond their facade of friendliness and love.

Master this art to protect yourself and family members from the unscrupulous persons you meet and trust your finances or personal safety with practically everyday of your lives. Remember as Shakespeare said that all the world is a stage and everyone has their role to play – and that with some people that role is not very nice.





Note:   See also new post today  below.





 

Protect Yourself from Dementia

Protect yourself from dementia the scourge of the "Golden Years" of retirement that are turning out not so golden for hundreds of thousands of persons succumbing to this this disease after they retire.

In one study conducted by researchers in California they found that if you are physically active during your teen years the monsters of dementia will retreat in your Golden years.

 

Researchers in San Francisco and Ontario included 9,395 women 65 and older in their study. They found that women who were active as teens had much better cognitive scores that those who were more prone to be couch potatoes during their earlier years.

According to the editors of the Journal of The American Geriatric Society who originally published the story, said the researchers did an assessment of these women when in their teens, thirty's and fifties and found that those who were more active during the teen years had better cognitive skills when older. Those who caught the exercise bug in later years did not do as well although those who started when they were in their thirties and continued to exercise did reap some of the benefits.

However, don't be discouraged by the results of these tests which seem to indicate that you have missed the boat if you started an exercise program when you were older than that.

Other studies have shown that a regular exercise program (especially one under a doctor's supervision when you are older) will help to stave off dementia and other cognitive plagues.

The thing to take away from this story is the fact that a good – continued – exercise program involving a sport or activity which you enjoy doing will help to fight dementia when you are older. The important thing is to start to one – and as early in life as possible to protect your mental and physical health throughout your life.

You can find more information on this topic in the Los Angeles Times in the story written by Karen Kaplan and The Vancouver Sun of July 1, 2010 which carried her original feature.

 

Protect Your Communication Equipment

How well do you protect your communication equipment?

Silly question you might say. "Of course I take care of communication equipment. I make sure my cell phone is kept in a proper case to protect it against falls or dampness. The same thing with my tape recorder and cameras. They're all kept in proper cases and in secure places at home – and especially when I have to leave them alone when I travel or have to take them with me in my vehicle."

And I'm sure you do, but how well do you protect the communication system you were born with – without which most of this stuff would be useless? Your brain. Your lungs, your throat (along with its larynx and voice box), your tongue, your teeth, your lips – and your ears and eyes. all make one of the most awesome communications systems in the world – without which we would be unable to gather information or share it effectively with others.

Everything you want to say starts off as a puff of air in your lungs which forces the air up your throat past your larynx and voice bocks which turns it into sounds, on past you tongue, teeth and lips which all do their part to transform this initial sound into meaningful words.

And with our ears and eyes we can quickly appreciate not only how our voice sounds and ideas are going over from the response from our audience but we can also continually increase our repertoire of ideas and information by listening to others or researching new ideas.

Ironically, while nobody would deliberately drop a cell phone on the floor all too often we don't think about how we are destroying our brains and other components of our vocal system through smoking, excesses with drugs and alcohol or other detrimental lifestyles.

Yet if we want to have long careers as successful presenters whether we are singers, actors or speakers we must give as much care to our "natural equipment" as we do our electronic aids.

 

 

 

 

Capture Them on Film

One of the best deterrents and tools to help to identify people who break into your business or residential property is some type of video camera system – but a surprising number of persons don't seem to be making use of if.

I was talking to the General Manager of construction company specializing in renting the climbing cranes after the fourth alleged theft of copper wiring from construction cranes which would reportedly cost about $100,000.00 to replace according to one police officer.

Amazingly even thought this has allegedly happened on four previous occasions nobody has thought to install a camera system around this property and the Manager seemed absolutely stunned that I would suggest such a thing.

Yet a good quality colour camera system that could be set to work in concert with a motion detector so it was not running all the time would be one of the best ways not only to discourage such crimes but more importantly to get good descriptions for the police. Something they do not seem to have in this case.

In addition to such installation around business property it would be a good idea to install such camera around the perimeter and interior of the homes of any elderly family members who are living by themselves.

You could discourage any such attacks by posting notices on the exterior of the house and making sure that the cameras where installed with battery back-ups and in locations where criminals could damage or remove them before trying to break into the house.

These cameras nowadays do not have to be huge (think pin-hole cameras) to take excellent pictures.




 

Gulf Oil Crisis Illustrates Murphy's Law

The recent explosion at a BP oil drilling operation in the Gulf of Mexico is a tragic illustration of Murphy's Law (that if anything can go wrong it will and at the worst possible moment) in operation and also the need to create a continuous assessment, planning and action program in order to deal with emergencies of all kinds.

With modern technology it would have been too difficult or design and create working models of that oil right coping with all kinds of natural or man made disasters from tropical storms and hurricanes to disasters such as the one which resulted in many deaths as well as the continuing destruction of animal and bird life in the Caribbean.

If they had any it doesn't appear that it included a plan to cope with things like explosions and how to deal with them. This has left BP having to play a desperate catch-up game which does not appear to be working.

Ideally one of the most critical things they should have done – and on a smaller scale – every person should do – is make it a practice to not only develop a plan to assess problems, plan effective responses and take the most effective action as they are erupting but also to make it a practice to anticipate problems -- before -- they happen so an effective solution can me put it place immediately instead of experimenting in the hope that something will work.

Maybe some of the game developers so preoccupied with creating war games could divert a little of their attention to creating a few games with possible solutions to such problems if nobody else can dol it.



See the report from AP  on the Google News  page Saturday, June 26, 2010 for a good illustration or example of what I mention here. Click on "Little Spent on  Oil Spill Clean Up Technology"


 

Assess – Plan --  Act

Whether your are working in the law enforcement and security fields or just going about your daily business, social, or recreational activities this is a critical formula if you want to protect yourself.



Now I know that everyone does a lot of this stuff automatically, but if you're at all like me you probably don't do it as much as you should and the more we make a conscious habit of all this the more likely  the APA habit will become more a beneficial havit in  our all of our daily activities.


A perfectly good example of this is a little accident I just had in running my car wheel up against the roadside curb. This resulted in one of the plastic hub caps getting pushed in.  My first inclination after taking a quick look at the wheel was to run over to Canadian Tire here in Vancouver and buy a new hub cap which I was sure was ruined.


Then I remembered the APA formula, drove the car home and discovered that the damage was wasn't as bad as I thought and that I could probably repair it  myself with a kitchen knife and a small hammer.  In the end this worked and I saved  myself a needless bill (about $75.00 Cdn.) for a new hubcap.  So making that careful assessment, then planning  -- before acting worked. And it can work for everyone in a wide variety of situations.


It involves the need to carefully assess situations we are entering either while working as a security professional or while just out for a stroll in the evening.

You need to constantly analyze the situation you find yourself in. This of course requires not only that you stay aware of not only of your ability to handle any possible violent encounter, but also of any sudden changes in disposition or demeanour in the person or persons you are dealing with.

Their initial friendliness or cooperativeness could be only a tactic to get you to let your guard down, leaving you open to assault.

It is also critical to maintain good peripheral vision when dealing with anybody you do now know -- or when you are just talking down the street by yourself -- to protect yourself from being suddenly attacked by somebody you were not even aware was nearby.

Even professional security professionals , such as a Loss Prevention Officer in a store who was suddenly attacked by a person with bear spray make this mistake. He was so engrossed in dealing with another man that he had not noticed his attacker sneak up on the other side of him. He took a full blast of bear spray right in the face. Fortunately in this case a paramedic team just happened to be parked outside the store and were able to flush out his eyes.

You might not be so lucky. One young lady I was reading about in the news a few weeks ago was not. She ran down a trail into a park by herself and just disappeared. Her burned body was found some time later.

This assessment should continue from the start of our encounter with this other person or persons -- or while we are passing through a potentially dangerous area by ourselves -- right through to the time it is all over and you are away from the person or area.

You do not want to make a nervous wreck out of yourself with all of this but you do need to be constantly assessing your surroundings and then be ready to take quick evasive action to protect yourself from dangerous people and other threats.



It is even something you should be doing when out riding your bicycle in traffic or driving your car or other vehicle. You should stay aware of your surroundings, alert to potential dangers and ways to protect yourself from them.

What would you do, for instance, if a car suddenly cut you off while you were riding your motorcycle or bicycle. or was suddenly heading right for you from behind? Or what would you do if an approaching vehicle suddenly swerved into your lane and was on a collision course with your car or truck? Is there another lane to turn into? Would it be better to go over a bank? These are things you should thinking about (in a very relaxed manner).

Such assessing, planning, and acting (sometimes very hastily) could become a part of your daily activities.

Although we are talking only about physical dangers here this APA formula can be put to good use in just about all of your daily activities – even when you are planning and engaged in carefree recreational activities.






 

Playing Russian Roulette with Your Eyes?

 

The old game of putting one live cartridge into a chamber of a revolver, spinning the cylinder and then putting the pistol to your head and pulling to trigger Russians used to force captives to engage in –with the promise that would be spared if the gun didn't go off is still played today in many countries and with many different versions.

One version which popped up here in British Columbia, Canada , was created by the Ministry of Health and has to do with your eyesight and probably exists in other parts of the world as well.

 

The game started here in British Columbia when the Ministry of Health in BC, Kevin Falcon reversed his ministries previous stand and has decided to allow people with existing prescriptions to buy glasses directly from such online lens retailers as Coastal Contacts without an optometrists examination.

The about-face not only made this possible but it has also made it possible for opticians (who have less training than optometrists) to conduct sight tests without having their findings reviewed by a medical. Until now their clients still had to have this done in order to have a prescription filled.

Falcon's rationale for this is that by lowering the standards it will open up more opportunities for customers and that there is no medical evidence to show that an examination by an optometrist -- is absolutely necessary -- in healthy adults.

What all of this has done of course is to put the whole problem in the hands of the customer which is fine –except for the fact that things like cataracts, and glaucoma have a habit of sneaking up on you –even in otherwise health adults.

The bottom line is that if you are tempted to buy your eyewear here in British Columbia or anywhere in the world where this is an option, you should still be having your eyes examined regularly by an optometrist who is trained to detect such problems at an early stage. (In addition to this they can also often detect other health problems during such examinations).

Protect your eyesight in this way and there should be no reason why you could not also save money by filling existing prescriptions online. Just make sure that you have made a diligent background search about any such online retailers – first.

More information about this topic can be found in the April 24, 2010, edition of The Globe and Mail on page A7/

The Benefits of Acting Like Superman

Nobody will be able to soar through the air, deflect bullets, lift huge vehicles in order to rescue people trapped underneath or perform any of the other acts depicted in Superman, Batman or other super hero movies, but according to one researcher we can still benefit physically and emotionally by copying their examples.

At least that is the claim of Kent Gray a Canadian psychology student at Harvard University as reported in the editorial pages of the Vancouver Sun on May 15, 2010. Gray claims that his research has revealed that people stereotype heroes ( and villains) as having , "a mind less sensitive to pain and more capable of exerting willpower."

And he says that studies show that does happen. Persons who are engaged in thinking about or even better - doing good things for other persons do gain in both physical and emotional endurance while engaged in these activities.

As it turns out the same studies Gray speaks about also showed that persons engaged in evil thoughts or actions that resulted in harm to other also gained both physical and emotional strength and endurance while engaged in these -- but we won't go there because we know that such acts in the end are destructive not only for the victims but also for the perpetrators.

Our brains and consciences are just like that automatic pilot on an airplane. Good information loaded into that automatic pilot will help ensure a safe flight. Wrong will cause a disaster, like guiding that airliner into the side of a mountain and killing everybody. Wrong information or ideas that we load into our brains and conscious will also result in a disasters for ourselves and others.

What we want to focus on is doing good for other because the studies that Gray referred to showed that the real winners were people who were engaged in thinking about and carrying out acts that helped others.

You can get more information about this at either the Vancouver Sun Web site: vancouversun.com or the print journal - Psychological and Personality Science.

It sounds like it could be very interesting reading – and very logical. If you listen to the stories from people who have spent years working tirelessly to help people in Africa and other countries you realize that Superman was really onto something.

Be More Observant

 

I see it everywhere: I see it in pedestrians who cross intersections oblivious to what vehicles are bearing down on them. I see it in cyclists who really believe they are safe because of their flashing lights or brightly coloured jackets. I see it in drivers who pull out of inter- sections completely unaware of cars coming down the other way and just missing them by inches. I see it in people – men and women – walking along the sidewalk lost in another world – blind to who is sitting in a car they are approaching or just past or who is walking beside or behind them on the sidewalks or who is watching them from a doorway. And I see it in people who take strangers they have just met at face value – just because they have a beautiful smile or appearance or personality.

 

And then – I see it in news accounts of pedestrians killed as they attempted to cross the street -- of cyclists scattered along the roadside like rag dolls -- of drivers whose mangled bodies have to be cut out of their vehicles and of women and men who simply vanished after going for a bike ride or to a dance or for a drink at the local pub. With this last group sometimes their bodies turn up alongside a trail, in a lake or river. Sometimes they vanish forever.

All of these tragedies occur because people go about their activities without being tuned into their environment – until it is too late.

 

The need to continually access our environment and then take appropriate action to protect ourselves never goes away. Unfortunately very few of us remember this and practice that continuous assessment, planning and acting to protect ourselves – no matter what we are engaged in.

 

Don't Kill Your Pet with Vaccines!

 

Like many pet owners you are probably bombarded with reminders from your local veterinarian to protect your cat or dog by having its latest booster vaccine shot – but by following their advice you might be killing your pet rather than protecting it. At least that is the opinion of a Dr. Jean Hofve, a Dr. of Veternary Medicine

According to Dr. Hofve, writing in the April-May 2010 edition of The Pet Connection Paper giving your cat or do the annual booster vaccinations which many mainstream veterinarians promote is not only a waste of time and money but also create dangers for your pet.

He says, that, "Additional vaccine doses in an immunized animal do not increase or improve the immunity, but they do increase the risks."

According to this doctor you should think twice about subjecting your pet to any additional vaccination after the first one when they are young because of the risk that some of these vaccines might cause Vaccine Associated Sarcomas (VAS) in the connective tissues of the cats and can also have adverse affects on the connective tissues of dogs as well.

According to Dr. Hofve statistics show the vaccination can cause this cancer in up to 1 in 10,000 cats in some studies or as many as 1 case in 1,000 cats in other studies.

Obviously more research needs to be done but regardless of the severity of the risk, as he points out in his article, you could be subjecting your pet to this risk for nothing and your pet could be one of the ones to develop cancer from a vaccine – especially if they have a genetic susceptibility to cancer already.

Here is a case were you need to assess the facts carefully before giving in to any pressure from your pet's veterinarian to continue a series of booster vaccinations throughout their lives.

You could be cutting their lives short rather than protecting them from disease.