Stand Or Die!

Well, I guess it is not quite that bad but according to some medical researchers sitting for long periods of time as typically done by many office workers -- or security officers -- could be dangerous to your health.

The latest warning has appeared in the  "West Coast News" section of the Vancouver Sun  Saturday, March 19 in the article "Sedentary workers would benefit from standing up for their health" by Denise Ryan.

According to Ryan, experts claim that sitting for long periods of time is the "new smoking" because of the disastrous physiological responses it causes in your body.

Apparently these responses can cause  chronic disease and premature because of the way they affect glucose tolerance and blood lipids among other things.

It is really quite serious a problem because although most of us never think of things like this medical experts like Dr. Mark Tremblay of Children Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute in Ottawa On  warns that while you are sitting down for 5 to 9 hours a day (average for Canadian workers)  your body shuts down.

And you can not make up for these long sedentary hours simply by  remaining slim, because it affects everyone - obese and slender people  or by running to the gym for a an hour a day after work.

According to this and other  articles,  the only way to overcome this threat to your health is by getting up and walking around every half hour or by working at a stand up desk which are becoming more popular.

You can find more information on this topic in the Vancouver Sun March 19, 2011. Click on vancouversun.com

Don't Forget These Cell Phone Dangers If You Own A Business!

There have been many debates about the possible radiation dangers of cell phones and that is something you want to keep in mind and take precautions to minimize the dangers -- particularly if you use your phone often   or for  long periods of time  But if you own a business or are responsible for protecting a company's confidential information there is another danger you should never forget.


That is the stealing of information through cell phones. According to the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine  Zeitung back in 2004 (You can imagine how much this threat has grown since that time.)  many companies were alarmed at the potential of cell phones as espionage tools because first of all unethical employees or other persons could easily photograph classified  information to sell to competing companies. And even if they are caught often they have already transmitted pictures containing this information to their clients before they are apprehended.


Because of this you might want to ban the use of such phones in security sensitive areas such as design and   product testing departments if you don't do this already.


And on a personal level you don't want to leave your driver's licence and other cards containing personal information lying open,  or in pouches that are easy to open, within easy access by persons you do not know. It would be very easy for anybody (and you would be surprised at who the identity thieves are sometimes) to photograph with their cell phones --  or even copy with the old fashioned pencil or pen.

Make A Quick Check Back

There are certain malls here in Vancouver B.C. where somebody seems to be getting into my car after I park it - even when I am sure that Ihad  locked the doors.

Just today after parking in the underground parkade of a local supermarket I decided to check out my theory that in this parkade  for some reason my van was being broken into (likely by a person with one of devices tow truck drivers use when you lock your keys inside).

Sure enough, when I got back to the van about 10 minutes after I parked I found the front door button up although I had made sure that I pushed the locking button down as I was getting out.  

I didn't see anybody around the car this time, but from now on in the parkade I will check sooner as well as take a quick walk around vehicles parked nearby to see if I see anybody suspicious sitting in one of them.  And of course I'll make sure that I leave nothing valuable where it can be grabbed easily.

Maybe someone will come up with some type of video monitor and sensor that could transmit a signal to your cell phone --complete with a picture of the culprit in the meantime just be careful too. Remember to check back on your vehicle after leaving it in suspect areas. You just might catch some thief in the act of breaking into your vehicle.

Academic warns of unnecessary potassium iodide intake

Academic warns of unnecessary potassium iodide intake

How Effective Is Your Fire Alarm in Waking Young Children?

Would your young children wake up to the sound of a fire alarm -- and know what to do?


As reported  in the Epoch  News  March 13, 2011 really young children can often sleep right through a 3 minute fire alarm according Dr. Dorothy Bruck of Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia.


In her study of 123 children only 27 children were awakened by the alarm  and only 47 percent of them knew they had to flee the house.


In addition to this, researchers were alarmed by the fact that 87 percent of children between 5 to 10 years of age did not wake up to the alarm at all.


For the complete feature  on the topic "Most Children Don't Wake Up to Smoke Alarms" by Stephanie Lam, an Epoch Times  staff writer  click on www.epochtimes.com

Pharmaceutical company recalls high blood pressure drugs over dangerous labelling mix-up

Pharmaceutical company recalls high blood pressure drugs over dangerous labelling mix-up

: Japan wind change to blow radiation over Pacific

: Japan wind change to blow radiation over Pacific

Are You Truly Prepared For Emergencies?

Are truly prepared for emergencies?  The Japanese earthquake and tsunami tragedy  has really hit home in the Vancouver B.C. area of Canada and many persons are rushing to stock up and emergency food rations and supplies.  A good idea!


No matter where you live our climate is changing so much and creating such unexpectedly wild weather it is good to make sure that you really are prepared.  Many of us  keep putting off even the smallest of emergency prepared such as installing a rope ladder near windows and third floor bedrooms and ending up being unable to get out when fire erupts.  Don't let this happen to you!


And don't install such things and other emergency equipment -- but put off critical practice in using them.  Just having something -- whether it is a skill or piece of equipment is not going to help if you are not skilled in its use. 


Years ago in some police officers found this out the hard way. Being mainly traffic control officers they never actually fired their weapons for years. Then when they suddenly encountered violent criminals they were practically helpless to defend themselves and others properly. I'm sure such things don't happen nowadays, but that left these officers in quit e a predicament -- one that could have cost them their lives.


Don't let things like  lack of practice with your emergency equipment or skills create dangerous situations for you. Many security officers are guilty of this. After they finish their initial self-defense training they forget all about in many cases. While many of them get away with this for years and nothing happens one day it could cost them and it takes just one person  (or emergency of some sort) after years and years of nothing happening to make you regret  lack of preparedness. 

Protect Yourself At Home

 

You take steps to protect your vehicle with alarms and other devices and insurance, but how well protected are you at home –especially if it is a condominium or apartment building that might not be in the best part of town as developers nowadays try to revitalize run-down sections of the city with new residential and commercial buildings?

Some of the things you should be looking for after a careful assessment of your neighbourhood to see what potential dangers surround is the building itself. Does it offer things such as:

• 24-hour concierge
  
• Security cameras
  
• In-suite alarm systems
  
• Protected underground parking facilities monitored by cameras and or a security guard
  
• Friendly observant staff who are concerned about your welfare who will come to your assistance in an emergency.
  

These are all good reminders from Laura Malloy writing in New Condo Guide published by home Trader.ca March 11, 2011 in Vancouver, BC.

If you are living in such a building just remember to become familiar with all of the security features, services and personnel and make good use of them to protect yourself. This includes remembering to wait until the parkade doors reclose before moving on – whether you are entering or leaving; you'd be amazed at how many people do not do this making it easy for somebody to sneak in behind you.

Another thing you can do (whether you are living in a condominium or apartment – or a single family home is to install your own security cameras at entry points (as well as the outside perimeter if your live in a single-family home).



When installing camera systems around your condo or single-family dwelling you, of course, have the option of posting a sign to warn others that you do have such a system. This can be a big deterrent in itself. Or you can have hidden cameras with lens no bigger than the end of a pencil if you want to keep your system secret.


Just remember to have either type of system mounted in a way that does not interfere with the privacy of your neighbours.   It could be a good idea to work with a professional installer so you keep everything not only effective but also legal.