There was a small crew of men walking along the edge of the road this afternoon. They were carrying large canvas bags slung over one shoulder and a long pole to spear trash from the side of the road. As I passed the men walking, I noticed a large truck parked on the side up ahead. There was a man standing on the rear bumper and he had a shotgun or a rifle in his arms. That startled me. I don’t usually see anyone with a gun around here. Obviously, he was guarding prisoners on a work detail. That was the first I’d seen such a thing around here. It was a little disturbing to know that a dozen convicts are walking down my street and just one man was assigned to shoot anyone trying to run off. But at least the trash got picked up – no one else around here seems to care about it.
Cheesy
What does cheesy mean to you? For me, it means something that is being cooked with lots and lots of cheese.
For others, it is an adjective for something that is a pun or funny in a strange way. The commercials for Denny’s are playing on the word cheesy because of their new sandwich that is cheesy. It is a cute commercial.
Reruns
There are so many popular shows that are being shown on other cable channels as reruns now. You can watch really old shows, like the “Andy Griffith Show.” Or you can watch relatively new shows, like “Monk.” I like the Star Trek reruns – even though I saw all the original shows, it is fun to watch them again.
Litter Control
I wonder why some streets and neighborhoods always seem to be clean and orderly – and others always seem to have trash scattered along the side of the road, piles of trash alongside the houses and old broken down cars left in the yards, driveways or streets? Is it really a function of the neighborhood and the standards of the people who live there? Or is there more to it than that?
My neighborhood is always spotless and yet I never see a clean up crew walking down the street picking up litter. That’s probably because there is not any litter left in the street in the first place. I know that I have to pick up an empty can or stray piece of paper from along the edge of the street every once in a while. If I see it there – even across the street by my neighbor’s property, I’ll pick up the litter and dispose of it. That only takes a minute and I don’t mind doing my part to keep the neighborhood looking nice.
Seven Organizations for Emergency Preparedness
The terror attacks of 9/11 were responsible for a major shift in how Americans looked at emergencies. Though the terror attacks were a manmade emergency, the shift in focus also applied to other emergencies, such as natural disasters. The result has been increased emergency preparedness and response agencies and employees, as well as increased planning in how to handle emergencies when they arise. Following are eight organizations in the US designed to handle emergency preparedness and response.
- FEMA- The Federal Emergency Management Agency is the federal government’s primary agency designed to respond to emergencies. FEMA takes the lead in responding with personnel and with funds whenever disaster strikes. FEMA will respond to both natural disasters, like hurricanes, manmade disasters like oil spills, and to terrorist acts. FEMA sends rescue personnel as well as emergency managers to help during disasters. FEMA also provides resources to help Americans be more prepared in the event of a disaster.
- American Red Cross – The Red Cross has been in place since 1881. It is a non-profit agency that has grown into the country’s premier provider of volunteer emergency and disaster preparedness and relief. They are most widely known for providing blood, but actually provide a wide variety of disaster relief services.
- The Salvation Army – The Salvation Army has provided many types of relief to the poor over the years. Their services during times of disaster include mobile feeding stations, temporary shelter, medical assistance and missing persons services.
- Samaritan’s Purse – Samaritan’s Purse is an international relief organization that provides help in areas of war, poverty, disaster and disease. While they have many ongoing programs, they are always on call for disaster aid.
- State Emergency Management Agencies – In addition to FEMA, each state in the US operates their own emergency management agency. Most states are able to manage smaller emergencies without the intervention of FEMA.
- National Emergency Response Team – the NERT is designed to meet the basic needs of food, shelter and clothing during disasters. They operate through mobile units that can be rapidly deployed to disaster areas.
- Christian and Jewish Relief Agencies – Rather than a single organization, these are a group of organizations sponsored by churches throughout the US to respond during times of disaster. They include the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Organization, the International Orthodox Christian Charities, Lutheran Disaster Response, Catholic Charities, USA, Baptist World Aid, International Association of Jewish Vocational Services, Nazarene Disaster Response and Mennonite Disaster Service. These organizations work independently of each other as well as together to help meet the needs of disaster victims throughout the world.
Though there are many disaster relief organizations in the US and throughout the world, it can still often be difficult to meet all the needs of disaster victims in the aftermath of a tragedy. Sometimes the physical restrictions on getting supplies to affected areas can cause delays as can the difficulties in reaching affected areas because of damage. But, the organizations on this list, as well as others, make tremendous efforts to help disaster victims as quickly and comprehensively as possible under extraordinary circumstances.
Phyllis T. Zerkle enjoys blogging in order to help students find the information they need about online homeland security degrees.
Jerks Anonymous
Sometimes I think I am the jerk magnet – not the jerk whisperer. I have had enough with the jerks at work. Please make tomorrow a jerk-free day. I need a break.
Cultural Mixing Pot
There is one place in this city where you can go and see the biggest diversity of cultures all in one place. Do you know where that would be? There are probably a lot og good guesses, but the place I am talking about is Sam’s Club – the warehouse shopping store.
I was in Sam’s club with my friend, Pacaras, last night. I never heard so many different foreign languages being spoken in the aisles before. It seems like I was the only English speaking customer in the whole store last night. Not that it is bad – just remarkable to discover that in this white bread city. Even Pacaras noticed it and mentioned it while we were on our way across the parking lot.
Spam and Hackers – The Villains of Today
It seems every generation has their particular villains. I know that hackers and people who send all this awful spam are the villains of today. The hackers can strike any time and all you can do is install virus protection software and change your passwords. The spammers get filtered out and blocked now – thank goodness. So I have to wonder if the spamming actually produces anything for those awful people?
Quick Roast
My roommate wants to buy a roasting pan. I say, use the Reynolds Cooking Bags. They are inexpensive, they work great and they make clean up a snap. The bags keeps in all the juices and the meats always turn out moist and juicy and flavorful. Plus, they cook faster so the oven is on less time. I love the cooking bags.
Deep Woods Off
What did the people do back in the old days before there was Deep Woods Off? That stuff is like magic and it keeps all the biting bugs away. I can’t imagine 100 years ago having to be outside and dealing with biting flies and mosquitoes with no way to stop them. Ugh – mosquito bites are awful, and I’ve been bit by black flies, green flies and horse flies before. But now I use Deep Woods Off before heading out – what a difference that makes!