Category: Current Issues

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Bad News Travels Fast

Lately I have been hearing the bad news on Facebook from friends much faster than hearing about it on TV. I think that is one of the cool things about Facebook. There is usually someone who is plugged in with whats happening and they post it on their wall before it can even make the news. If you have enough friends, you can find out anything you need.

One of the features of Facebook that never existed anywhere else and I really like is the pages they create during a natural disaster so people who are safe can check in to let everyone know. This is really helpful when internet service and cell phone use can be limited or not available in the disaster areas. It puts my mind at ease to know that people I care about are OK.

There are also community pages where people in your own neighborhood or local area can post short messages to alert everyone. I have seen a lot of lost and found animals – and almost all of them have a happy ending. I have seen posts warning about car break-ins and stolen vehicles. Warnings about roads closed or choked because of an accident. Good news, such as the opening dates of farmers markets and fresh vegetable stands. And a lot of recommendations sought and received for essentials services, such as auto repair, junk haulers, hair dressers, in-home daycare – even doctors and dentists.

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I didn’t know about all these home remedies

I learn something new everyday. Today I learned that there are home remedies for fleas, ticks and mosquitoes that will keep them off of your dogs. Go figure. Of course if I mention this to my wife, she will tell me that she already knew it and I will laugh because she probably did. However, I like that I learned it on my own. Did you know that if you put garlic in a dogs food every day, it will keep fleas away from the dog? Black walnut hulls given in pill form from the nutrition store will keep all three away from your pet as well.

I think that is so cool. We have a ceder filled bed for our little dog already, and now I know why my wife bought it. Herbal shampoos can also help with killing and keeping fleas off of your pets as well, without having to pay top dollar for expensive pet shampoos. That is really amazing. You never know what you are going to learn each day and each day never ceases to surprise me. I think it is time to go look up more herbal remedies and see what else I can find that will not only save us money, but keep chemicals out of our house.

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Eco housing

I have been reading up on Eco housing and green energies. I have found that there are thousands of people building houses out of all manner of things. Some are using hay bales, some are using old tires and most are making use of old glass and glass bottles in some form or another. It’s not just here in the US either, it is happening in many western countries too, like the UK and Spain. The move towards green energy has also extended to building houses and I think that is amazing. People will come up with the darnedest things to not only save money but to save this planet.

This house is in Barcelona, Spain. Posted by Eco Village and shared on Facebook to let people see just what people can build with a little ingenuity and effort. It is a totally green house. I think it is beautiful and very artistically done. Who says an Eco house has to be ugly? No one. I have found that they look much better and are very unique, each with it’s own personality. So if you want to build a house that will last and build is cheap and green, you should definitely check out Eco housing.

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Crazy weather

There has been such crazy weather across the country this year. For many parts of the country they had a mild winter with no freezing or snow, just a lot of rain. There are parts that have had more snow dumped on them then they have had in years and yet others who never get snow but had flurries in spite of their southern clime. I can imagine the weather people are going nuts about now, unsure of what to report next. That doesn’t count the tornadoes that are getting stronger and stronger.

I am not a scientist, but I am starting to believe the reports of Global warming, never mind what the government says. The obvious changes planet wide are becoming a real concern for anyone smart enough to pay attention. Between the polar caps melting and the extreme weather, I don’t see how people can say that Global Warming isn’t happening. I suppose that when it is too late, they will finally admit that something isn’t right. Of course we may be going into an ice age at that point but hey, at least they will finally get it. Kinda makes me want to smack people in the back of the head and ask them if they are just plain stupid.

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Hard to Believe it is 2012 Already

Looking back at 2011, there were a lot of news stories and a lot of drama over the year. Between all the bad and extreme weather, like earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes and drought and the pomp of the royal wedding, it was quite a year. This coming year is going to be heavily political because of the coming elections. But I have high hopes that 2012 will be good to us. Let’s hope.

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Eight Measures for Transportation Security

In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks, the federal government established additional government measures to safeguard American travelers from terrorism. Several new security measures were added, and existing measures were improved or enhanced. Today, these eight measures protect Americans as they travel.

  1. Federal Air Marshals – These law enforcement officials ride aboard commercial flights in order to provide protection to air passengers and to prevent terror in the air.
  2. Enhanced Airport Screening – Security measures in US airports have been significantly upgraded since 9/11. Beyond mere metal detectors, travelers are screened with backscatter x-ray and millimeter wave detection machines that help security officers detect metal and non-metal weapons. In addition, passengers can be singled out for additional searches of their person or their belongings if deemed necessary.
  3. Luggage Search – The Transportation Security Administration has the authority to search any luggage passing through American airports. In addition, they have the authority to cut, disable or otherwise destroy locks in these searches.
  4. Border Patrol – While the primary responsibility of border patrol is to prevent terrorists and weapons from entering the country, border patrol also helps protect travelers as they leave and enter the US, by performing searches of passengers and cargo as deemed necessary.
  5. Port Security – Passengers boarding vessels in the US are subject to port security searches and checks to ensure their safety once onboard.
  6. Coast Guard Patrols – The US Coast Guard patrols US coastlines and waterways to protect all Americans on any sort of water transportation in American controlled waterways.
  7. Security measures abroad – Newer TSA requirements went into effect in January 2010 regarding international flights bound for the US. Enhanced screening is required for all passengers bound for the US who are traveling from or through countries that are state sponsors of terrorism.
  8. The Transportation Security Administration also oversees security for general aviation in the US. These measures protect private and business small aircraft to ensure protection for travelers. Measures regarding security for general aviation are highly dependent upon the nature of each individual flight and airport.

Protecting American travelers is no easy feat, particularly with the number of commercial flights and the thousands of miles of land borders and coastline around the country. In its efforts to increase security in the aftermath of 9/11, the TSA has come under some criticism for invasion of passenger privacy and for making the process of traveling through US airports too time consuming and cumbersome. There have also been criticisms that, in spite of tougher measures, not all terrorists are weeded out.

However, it is certain that air, land and sea travel in the US is safer today than it was ten years ago. Despite its faults, the American government has clearly demonstrated that the safety of American travelers is taken very seriously, and that all necessary measures will be taken to thwart terrorists who aim to harm travelers or to use transportation as a terror device.

Phyllis T. Zerkle enjoys blogging in order to help students find the information they need about online homeland security degrees.

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Speaking Spanish

In school we had to take a foreign language for two years to be able to graduate with enough credits. So I took Spanish. But I honestly don’t remember much of it. I don’t speak it very well and don’t have the chance to speak it often. But there are a lot more people in the area who speak Spanish as their first language. There was a recent report in the newspaper that our population is now at least 10% Hispanic. That is a big jump since the last census.

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Sixteen inches of snow in Colorado?

Oh my goodness!!  My friend in Colorado just told me that they got 16 inches of SNOW!!!!  That is awful if you ask me.  The up side is that it’s supposed to be in the 60’s later on in the week.  That sounds like the kind of weather to make a lot of people sick.  As if we don’t have enough to worry about with the Swine Flu, now the weather out there is trying to help it all out.  I think I need a warm vacation after hearing about all of that snow!!!!

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Can you feel it?

Well it definitely feels like fall is in the air all of a sudden.  There is a bit of a chill in the air that wasn’t there last week.  I find it totally amazing how the seasons change and sometimes it can be rapidly and other times, it flows from one to the other with very little change.  I like it when it just sort of flows into the next season.

A friend of mine that lives in Colorado said they are under a winter advisory next week.  Winter?  Not ready for that right now.  Let’s get through fall first.

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Now is the time to save

With everything that you need for getting the kids back to school, now is the time to save.  It can be expensive to have to buy new shoes, all those supplies that they need and not to mention, the clothes they need because they out grew most of their school clothes over the summer.

Nothing helps better than finding Wal-Mart discount coupons.  They already have low prices and then add a discount and you can really save.  Another good place to go is Payless shoe stores.   I even found Payless shoes discount coupons online.   I’m going to have to start looking online more for coupons.  I didn’t realize how much we could save.