Safety Tips

[Butterfly]

Generators poison some trying to cool off

 Dan and Kathryn Wedepohl didn't have electricity. But they did have a perfectly good portable power generator just collecting dust in their Bel-Ridge garage. Normally, they used it for camping.

The 4-year-old machine was powerful enough to cool off their bedroom with a portable air conditioner and offered hope for a restful night's sleep. So they decided to gas it up.

It seemed like a great idea at the time.

Hours later, both were nauseous and battling piercing headaches. Kathryn Wedepohl collapsed on the bedroom floor and required treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning at DePaul Health Center in Bridgeton.

Important

[Guardian Angel]

Generators should be outside the house, otherwise you are taking an unnecessary risk.

[Guardian Angel]

Google has implemented a new feature  which enables you to type a telephone number into the search bar and hit enter and you will be given the person's name and address. If you then hit MapQuest, you will get a map to the person's house. Everyone should be aware of this!  It's a nationwide reverse telephone book.   

If a child gives out his/her phone number, someone can now look it up to find out where he/she lives. The safety issues are obvious, and alarming.

Note that you can have your phone number removed or blocked. I tried  my  number and it came up along with the mapquest and directions straight to our house. I did fill out the removal form for myself, and encourage all of you to do the same. Quite scary.

Please look up your own number.

In order to test whether your phone number is mapped, go to: google ( http://www.google.com/ ) Type your phone  number in the search bar (i.e. 555-555-1212) and hit enter. If you want to BLOCK Google from divulging your private information, simply click on your telephone  number and then click on the Removal Form. Removal takes 48-hours.

Check your own number and although this may not apply to you if you have an unlisted number or cell phone as primary contact, but you may know someone who needs to know this.

Please share this information with friends and family.

[Guardian Angel]

Received this in an email and thought it was worth posting for everyone to see.


Read this and then to read more click on www.snopes.com ,click on toxins, scroll down, click on hand sanitizer.  This is true! This site also has a lot of other information.  Worth saving in your favorites to check things out.

This particular story happened in Tulsa, but according to www.snopes.com it is not an isolated incident.
 
Ok. I don't know where to begin because the last 2 days of my life have been such a blur. Yesterday, My youngest daughter Halle who is 4, was rushed to the emergency room by her father for being severely lethargic and incoherent. He was called to her school by the school secretary for being "very VERY sick." He told me that when he arrived that Halle was barely sitting in the chair. She couldn't hold her own head up and when he looked into her eyes, she couldn't focus them. He immediately called me after he scooped her up and rushed her to the ER. When we got there, they ran blood test after blood test and did x-rays, every test imaginable. Her white blood cell count was normal, nothing was out of the ordinary. The ER doctor told us that he had done everything that he could do so he was sending her to Saint Francis for further test.
 
Right when we were leaving in the ambulance, her teacher had come to the ER and after questioning Halle's classmates, we found out that she had licked hand sanitizer off her hand. Hand sanitizer, of all things. But it makes sense. These days they have all kinds of different scents and when you have a curious child, they are going to put all kinds of things in their mouths.

When we arrived at Saint Francis, we told the ER doctor there to check her blood alcohol level, which, yes we did get weird looks from it but they did it. The results were her blood alcohol level was .85 and this was 6 hours after we first took her. There's no telling what it would have been if we would have tested it at the first ER.

Since then, her school and a few surrounding schools have taken this out of the classrooms of all the lower grade classes but what's to stop middle and high schoolers too? After doing research off the internet, we have found out that it only takes 3 squirts of the stuff to be fatal in a toddler. For her blood alcohol level to be so high was to compare someone her size to drinking something 120 proof. So please PLEASE don't disregard this because I don't ever want anyone to go thru what my family and I have gone thru. Today was a little better but not much. Please send this to everyone you know that has children or are having children. It doesn't matter what age. I just want people to know the dangers of this.

[Guardian Angel]

If you sometimes get the sudden urge to run around naked. Drink some Windex. It will keep you from streaking.

[Marilyn]

Google has implemented a new feature  which enables you to type a telephone number into the search bar and hit enter and you will be given the person's name and address. If you then hit MapQuest, you will get a map to the person's house. Everyone should be aware of this!  It's a nationwide reverse telephone book.   

If a child gives out his/her phone number, someone can now look it up to find out where he/she lives. The safety issues are obvious, and alarming.

Note that you can have your phone number removed or blocked. I tried  my  number and it came up along with the mapquest and directions straight to our house. I did fill out the removal form for myself, and encourage all of you to do the same. Quite scary.

Please look up your own number.

In order to test whether your phone number is mapped, go to: google ( http://www.google.com/ ) Type your phone  number in the search bar (i.e. 555-555-1212) and hit enter. If you want to BLOCK Google from divulging your private information, simply click on your telephone  number and then click on the Removal Form. Removal takes 48-hours.

Check your own number and although this may not apply to you if you have an unlisted number or cell phone as primary contact, but you may know someone who needs to know this.

Please share this information with friends and family.

OMG !!    
I not only just blocked my number but forwarded this to friends and family. 

[Marilyn]

Your name tag can easily make you a target !!
One of the salesclerks was walking the short block from Royal Donut to her home. She automatically paused and turned when she heard a man call her name. When she realized it was not someone she knew, she ran to the closest house and neighbor walked her home.  The stranger knew her name from name tag we all wore at work.  Manager immediately approved the no name tag policy. 
DO NOT PLACE YOUR CHILD'S NAME ON CLOTHING OR BOOK BAGS!!
           
Most of us grew up in a time when doors were seldom locked and we were safe to play in the neighborhood, park, or even go downtown.  It's sad to imagine that now we are not safe as adults in our own yards.  It is taking a lot of thought to remember but I'm getting better at it ......
KEEP DOORS LOCKED - DAY AND NIGHT !!
I keep storm doors locked so when I open the entry door, I am still behind a locked door.
If a stranger is at my door,  it's not uncommon for me to say "may I help you" or something similar from the kitchen window near back patio or bay window (which has open view of front porch).
I also grab the phone and as I'm answering door, I say - "hold on, someone's at the door."  Tip .. turn phone on so it doesn't ring while your are pulling this bluff ..LOL..
I lock doors and carry my key while I'm working in the yard because I can't see back door while in front yard or front while out back.
LEAVE A LIGHT ON !!  I know .. we are trying to conserve with increasing power prices BUT you can't put a price on your safety.  I got one of those energy bulbs that is supposed to have the light of a 60W bulb but uses 15W energy.  I leave that on all night on back patio.  I have the big security light by front porch.  It's one put up by power company and is like a street light. 
I keep by cell phone by my bed.  If intruder is serious and/or experienced home invader, he may think to cut phone line. 
You should keep cell and flashlight close to bed for emergency purposes anyway. 
   
I prefer to shop early a.m. (between 7 and 10).  This is what I refer to as the "blue hair" shopping hours.  I have a coat with patch pockets that I can carry my billfold.  The larger the purse .. the greater the invitation!  I also stopped wearing my jewelry (especially the diamonds) unless I'm going somewhere specific.  Let's face it .. a gray haired lady in a pair of sweats, no jewelry, no purse, climbing out of a widdle S10 truck does not look like a profitable target ..LMAO..   
Is it not sad that life has come to this ............................. ....

====================
I have to share a "stupid" moment I had this summer ..
It was in the middle of the afternoon when a neighbor reported the 2 houses directly behind me had been broken into.  The following day, 2 guys returned and broke in again.  This time, they were so gutsy as to call The Wall and have Chinese delivered .. can ya' believe that!  That's how they were caught .. lady next door saw delivery van and knew the house was empty cause Mrs. Smith was in nursing home.
I went into a panic.. the security light in back yard was destroyed from a falling branch during spring storm so I hopped in my truck and rushed up to Menards to buy security lights.  On the way home it hit me .. STUPID !  home invasion was in broad daylight - security lights aren't going to make a difference. 
I did get the begibbers scared out of me about a week later when neighbor lady (2 houses down) called to tell me that she came out of bedroom and a man was standing in her hallway.  He tried to say he was there to check her water and was trying to get her to go into the bathroom to turn on faucet.  His friend was outside trying to get her husband to go behind the garage (where there's a lot of trees and bushes).  She started screaming and they jumped in their car and sped away. 

[Guardian Angel]

Wow, that is scary.  We have a sensor light over the garage and I keep my cell phone beside the bed.  My doors are always locked and like you, I carry my keys in my pocket when I am in the yard.  You just can't be too careful.  My grandson and George both scoff at me, but that is OK.  At least I feel safe.

[Butterfly]

Thank's for all the tips Marilyn.  I also keep the doors locked at all times and carry my keys in my pocket.  The hubby's cell phone is always on the bedside table.  I prefer to shop early in the day, never after dark and try to be aware of my surroundings wherever I am.  Not too long ago a guy knocked on the door (here at the son's house), he was selling something.  Lance the big puppy came to the door with me....   The first thing the guy asked me is "Does your dog bite?"....I answered.........not yet.....   When I told him I didn't want any of what he was selling, he left in a hurry...

[Guardian Angel]

I never realized that a wet dishcloth can be a one size fits all lid to cover a fire in a pan!
       
This is a dramatic video (30-second, very short) about how to deal with a common kitchen fire ...oil in a frying pan. Read the following
introduction, then watch the show ...It's a real eye-opener!!
       
At the Fire Fighting Training school, they would demonstrate this with a deep fat fryer set on the fire field. An instructor would don a fire suit and, using an 8 oz cup at the end of a 10-foot pole, toss water onto the grease fire.
       
The results got the attention of the students. The water, being heavier than oil, sinks to the bottom, where it nstantly becomes superheated.
       
The explosive force of the steam blows the burning oil up and out. On the open field, it became a thirty foot high fireball that resembled a nuclear blast.
       
Inside the confines of a kitchen, the fire ball hits the ceiling and fills the entire room.

Also, do not throw sugar or flour on a grease fire. One cup of either creates the explosive force of two sticks of dynamite.
       
This is a powerful message---watch the video and don't forget what you see.
       
Tell your whole family about this video. Or better yet, send this link  to them.

http://video.yahoo.com/watch/468906/2562101

[Guardian Angel]

Microwaving Water!

A 26-year old man decided to have a cup of coffee He took a cup of water and put it in the microwave to heat it up (something that he had done numerous times before). I am not sure how long he set the timer for, but he wanted to bring the water to a boil. When the timer shut the oven off, he removed the cup from the oven. As he looked into the cup, he noted that the! water was not boiling, but suddenly the water in the cup 'blew up' into his face. The cup remained intact until he threw it out of his hand, but all the water had flown out into his face due to the build up of energy. His whole face is blistered and he has 1st and 2nd degree burns to his face which may leave scarring.

He also may have lost partial sight in his left eye. While at the hospital, the doctor who was attending to him stated that this is a fairly common occurrence and water (alone) should never be heated in a microwave oven. If water is heated in this manner, something should be placed in the cup to diffuse the energy such as a wooden stir stick, tea bag, etc.., (nothing metal).

General Electric's Response:

Thanks for contacting us, I will be happy to assist you. The e-mail that you received is correct. Microwaved water and other liquids do not always bubble when they reach the boiling point. They can actually get superheated and not bubble at all. The superheated liquid will bubble up out of the cup when it is moved or when something like a spoon or tea bag is put into it.

To prevent this from happening and causing injury, do not heat any liquid for more than two minutes per cup. After heating, let the cup stand in the microwave for thirty seconds! before moving it or adding anything into it.

Here is what our local science teacher had to say on the matter: 'Thanks for the microwave warning. I have seen this happen before. It is caused by a phenomenon known as super heating. It can occur anytime water is heated and will particularly occur if the vessel that the water is heated in is new, or when heating a small amount of water (less than half a cup).

What happens is that the water heats faster than the vapor bubbles can form. If the cup is very new then it is unlikely to have small surface scratches inside it that provide a place for the bubbles to form. As the bubbles cannot form and release some of the heat has built up, the liquid does not boil, and the liquid continues to heat up well past its boiling point.

What then usually happens is that the liquid is bumped or jarred, which is just enough of a shock to cause the bubbles to rapidly form and expel the hot liquid. The rapid formation of bubbles is also why a carbonated beverage spews when opened after having been shaken.'

If you pass this on you could very well save someone from a lot of pain and suffering.

[pesoto74]

That's interesting.  I had never heard of this before.  I heat cups of water in the microwave all the time, but I have never needed to go past two minutes.

[Guardian Angel]

Got this in an email and thought it was worth sharing.....

GOOD VISION IN A DOWNPOUR
 
How to achieve good vision while driving during a heavy downpour.  I can vouch
for this!!
 
We are not sure why it is so effective just try this method when it rains heavily.
This method was told by a Police friend who had experienced and confirmed it.
 
It is useful...even driving at night.
 
Most of the motorists would turn on HIGH or FASTEST SPEED of the wipers during heavy downpour, yet the visibility in front of the windscreen is still bad......
 
In the event you face such a situation, just try your SUN GLASSES (any model will do), and miracle!  All of a sudden, your visibility in front of your windscreen is perfectly clear, as if there is no rain.  Make sure you always have a pair of SUN GLASSES in your car, as you are not only helping yourself to drive safely with good vision, but also might save your friend's life by giving him this idea..
 
Try it yourself and share it with your friends!  Amazing, you still see the drops on the windshield, but not the sheet of rain falling.  You can see where the rain
bounces off the road.  It works to eliminate the "blindness" from passing semi's
spraying you too.  Or the "kickup" if you are following a semi or car in the rain.
 
They ought to teach that little tip in driver's training.  It really does work.

Next time it rains........I'm trying it!

[Guardian Angel]

Make Sure you read this all the way to the end.

13 Things Your Burglar Won't Tell You

1.  Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your
carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.

2. Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your
yard last week. While I was in there, I unlatched the back window to make
my return a little easier.

3. Love those flowers. That tells me you have taste .... and taste means
there are nice things inside. Those yard toys your kids leave out always
make me wonder what type of gaming system they have.

4. Yes, I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway. And I
might leave a pizza flyer in your front door to see how long it takes you
to remove it.

5. If it snows while you're out of town, get a neighbor to create car and
foot tracks into the house. Virgin drifts in the driveway are a dead
giveaway.

6. If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don't let your
alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it's set. That
makes it too easy.

7. A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the
windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom-and
your  jewelry. It's not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there too.

8. It's raining, you're fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to
lock  your door-understandable. But understand this: I don't take a day
off because of bad weather.

9. I always knock first. If you answer, I'll ask for directions somewhere
or offer to clean your gutters. (Don't take me up on it.)


10. Do you really think I won't look in your sock drawer? I always check
dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet.

11. Helpful hint: I almost never go into kids' rooms.

12. You're right: I won't have enough time to break into that safe where
you keep your valuables. But if it's not bolted down, I'll take it with
me.

13. A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm
system. If you're reluctant to leave your TV on while you're out of town,
you can buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the
flickering glow of a real television. (Find it at faketv.com.)

                8 MORE THINGS A BURGLAR WON'T TELL YOU:

 1. Sometimes, I carry a clipboard. Sometimes, I dress like a lawn guy and
carry a rake. I do my best to never, ever look like a crook.

2. The two things I hate most: loud dogs and nosy neighbors.

3. I'll break a window to get in, even if it makes a little noise. If your
neighbor hears one loud sound, he'll stop what he's doing and wait to hear
it again. If he doesn't hear it again, he'll just go back to what he was
doing. It's human nature.

4. I'm not complaining, but why would you pay all that money for a fancy
alarm system and leave your house without setting it?

5. I love looking in your windows. I'm looking for signs that you're home,
and for flat screen TVs or gaming systems I'd like. I'll drive or walk
through your neighborhood at night, before you close the blinds, just to
pick my targets.

6. Avoid announcing your vacation on your Facebook page. It's easier than
you think to look up your address.

7. To you, leaving that window open just a crack during the day is a way
to let in a little fresh air. To me, it's an invitation.

 8. If you don't answer when I knock, I try the door. Occasionally, I hit
the jackpot and walk right in.



 Protection for you and your home

 If you don't have a gun, here's a more humane way to wreck someone's evil
plans for you.  I guess I can get rid of the baseball bat.

 Wasp Spray

 A friend who is a receptionist in a church in a high risk area was
concerned about someone coming into the office on Monday to rob them when
they were counting the collection.  She asked the local police department
about using pepper spray and they recommended to her that she get a can
of wasp spray instead.

 The wasp spray, they told her, can shoot up to twenty feet away and is a
lot more accurate, while with the pepper spray, they have to get too
close to you and could overpower you.  The wasp spray temporarily blinds
an attacker until they get to the hospital for an antidote. She keeps a
can on her desk in the office and it doesn't attract attention from
people like a can of pepper spray would. She also keeps one nearby at
home for home protection... Thought this was interesting and might be of
use.

 Wasp And Hornet Spray

 On the heels of a break in and beating that left an elderly woman in
Toledo dead, self defense experts have a tip that could save your life.

 Val Glinka teaches self-defense to students at Sylvania Southview High
School.  For decades, he's suggested putting a can of wasp and hornet
spray near your door or bed.

 Glinka says, "This is better than anything I can teach them."

 Glinka considers it inexpensive, easy to find, and more effective than
mace or pepper spray.  The cans typically shoot 20 to 30 feet; so if
someone tries to break into your home, Glinka says, "spray the culprit in
the eyes".  It's a tip he's given to students for decades. It's also one
he wants everyone to hear. If you're looking for protection, Glinka says
look to the spray.

 "That's going to give you a chance to call the police; maybe get out."

 Maybe even save a life.