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Sometimes bad things happen to good people. Unfortunately, according to Murphy's Law, it will also happen at the most inopportune time and at a maximum cost. There really isn't much you can do to stop it. Bad things do happen – even to good people. What you can do is prepare for it. Sometimes bad things happen on a geographic scale. Consider the earthquakes in California a couple years back. There were dental and medical offices that were totally flattened. There was nothing left to salvage in the practice – just rubble. No charts, no chairs, no computer systems. Whole offices were just flattened and gone. Nothing to recover. Hurricane Katrina resulted in a similar situation for the offices in...

Recently the southern part of the United States was hit by another natural disaster. Prolonged rain soaked the Atlanta area causing flooding. Although not nearly as widespread as the flooding that Hurricane Katrina subjected the New Orleans area to, the floods that rolled through Atlanta caused a lot of evacuations. This time around people seemed to take the flooding in stride. The reaction by government agencies was better coordinated and overall more helpful for the people hit by the floods in Georgia. No, people were not treated as lavishly as the guests staying at a Caribbean all inclusive resort, but they were treated well. Flood refugees at a Red Cross shelter felt that they had what they...

Self-Generating Flashlight Have you seen them on the TV: the shaker flashlights that need nobatteries? Lots of people want to buy one. Now here's where that gets tricky. I have combed thousands of booths at trade shows, specifically looking for themanufacturers of those very flashlights. These durable LED lights run by gentlymoving a magnet back and forth through a simple copper coil to create electricity. The longer you shake it, the more light you get. But this is gentle movement, soeven those with arthritis should have little or no problem. The casings are clear sothat you watch them work while you shake them. It's cool retro-back to basics. Oldcars used to have those coils for energy. The...

p>Congratulations on waking up each morning and greeting the day with renewed determination! Perhaps you rise and say, "Today is the day - I will make it through the entire day sticking to my diet and weight loss goals." What a wonderful, optimistic way to begin a fresh day. Ahead of you lies the promise of a new day, a fresh start. Sometimes though, as experience has shown, good intentions alone are not enough to overpower food cravings of the urge to binge. Willpower alone is not enough to overcome the desire to comfort eat, binge, or compulsively overeat. This is where positive desire needs to be coupled with a sound action plan. What provides empowerment is a predetermined, personalized plan of...

I'm a recent Hurricane Rita evacuee and survived the evacuation and the ensuing hurricane. Running from a hurricane isn't something I've ever had to do before, nor is it something I'd ever like to do again. However, as a solo business owner, I'm quite thankful that I have a virtual business. The fact that I'm virtual and can operate from anywhere that there's electricity and phone service was of great help to me in this disaster and helped me reopen my business a scant 4 days after the landfall of Hurricane Rita. As a solopreneur, what can you do to make your business disaster-proof? It seems that we have an increasing number of hurricanes making landfall in the coastal states, and add to that...

An interesting and disturbing phenomenon is happening here in Colorado Springs and being replicated across the land in other cities. As you know police resources are funded thru a city budget: equipment, personnel, training-the whole nine yards. Now there is a growing threat to community security and safety that may be unavoidable. City budgets nationwide are based on revenues from sales and property taxes. With the value of real estate falling like a rock property taxes are on the decrease. The economy is flat with only minimal growth meaning sales taxes are flat lined. That is only the half of it. On the expense side GAS PRICES HAVE SKYROCKETED and HEALTH CARE BENEFITS ARE OUT OF CONTROL. This is...

Clinical trials are tests conducted to find out the safety and efficacy of drugs before they are launched in the market. Clinical trials are conducted on a small group of people and analyzed to see if there are any adverse reactions to a particular drug. These trials also monitor the effectiveness of drugs. There are different phases of clinical trials that are closely monitored by regulatory bodies. Almost all pharmaceutical companies and biotechnology firms utilize an efficient Clinical Trials Management System (CTMS) to manage the huge amount of data that clinical trials produce. A quality Clinical Trials Management System helps track, collate and analyze data during clinical trials. Here are the...

With the knock on effect of swine flu and fear of the virus hitting businesses - do you have a contingency plan in place to deal with this problem? What about using the expert skills of a Virtual Assistant who works from home? If you're business environment already has the virus, why bring another person into the office to go off sick - invest in a home working Virtual Assistant to do the work for you instead. Virtual Assistants charge an hourly rate for their services so you're in control of how much you want to spend per week/month. To give you an idea of the type of services they offer:o word processing and audio typingo creating content for emailso website editing - changing written content and...

During the course of day-to-day business, only one thing can be expected. That is that problems how will arise. Some businesses hold individual managers responsible to resolve problems. Others address problems through teams of managers aligned either organizationally or functionally with the problem. And yet other businesses intentionally or unintentionally ignore problems until they are so impactful on business outcomes that they must be addressed in some manner. The latter usually requires additional resource due to the crisis nature of the problem. In that business problems are a given, there should be a consistent methodology for addressing problems as they arise. The purpose of this document is...

"Moose Enterprise has announced an immediate and voluntary Australia wide product recall for its Bindeez Beads toy after being informed that some children who had swallowed the beads required medical attention. As a precaution, Moose Enterprise has advised that parents and carers of children should immediately remove the product. The company has advised that if the product has been swallowed, parents should seek immediate medical attention, even if the child is not showing any adverse symptoms. Moose Enterprise, CEO, Manny Stul, says that the safety of children is the company's first priority. In order to best protect the safety of children who have, or may, come into contact with the toy, the...

For any business large or small there needs to be some sort of backup system to protect your information. Information can be anything from contact information to record keeping to actually information based products. Backing up information and preparing for a disaster can be done in many different ways but as long as you reach the same goal of protecting your information. You can use a variety of programs to backup information, from the windows backup utility, to 3rd party software, to open source or free utilities, to even on line services now for very cheap. But a few things should be consistent across the board about creating a backup plan. 1. Backups should be done consistently 2. Backups should...

When most business owners and managers are asked how they would cope in the event of a disaster that would result in losing all of their data, the answer is overwhelmingly that they wouldn’t cope at all. The fact is that many businesses face either closing down their operations permanently if their data records are lost in a disaster. Total data loss can occur in many disaster scenarios, such as fire, flood, a combination of both from a fire sprinkler system, burglary and theft, equipment failure, tsunami; I think you get the idea... And that’s just data. There is also loss of connectivity to the Internet, computer hardware loss and internal network disruptions. It seems that the more a...

When you have put up your posters and stamped your mark on your new home take a bit of time to check that your place is fire and carbon monoxide safe. Your landlord should provide you with an up to date Gas Safety Certificate for the property and this should show that there has been a service within the last year. Have a nose around your new house and ensure that there is adequate ventilation around all gas appliances. Your landlord will be able to tell you where the carbon monoxide alarms and smoke alarms are located, and if there isn't one then arrange to have one fitted. Carbon monoxide is tasteless, odourless, invisible and above all deadly. It can't be detected unless you have a special alarm...

Everyone loves an open fire; perfect for creating a cosy atmosphere and a fireside seat is the perfect answer to a hard day's work, especially if the weather is cold outside. Relaxing in front of an open fire with a good book and glass of wine is an appealing scenario that most of us would enjoy experiencing. Although it must be remembered that fires also pose a safety risk and should be treated with a little respect and caution in order to avoid any fire related accidents. Every year in the United Kingdom the fire service is called out to over 56,000 house fires in which around 11,000 people are injured. Fires in the home are therefore not uncommon but with awareness and pro-activity they can be...

Retailers and manufacturers are reporting a huge increase in sales, the key drivers being the interest in environmentally friendly technology, the potential for saving money, particularly in light of ever increasing domestic fuel bills, and the fact that architects are building them into their plans as a secondary green heating source because planners favour this option. Correspondingly, estate agents report that wood-burning stoves are increasingly popular with home buyers, people just love them! They are apparently the latest word in green heat.... but do people new to their use understand how to operate them safely? Why have wood-burning stoves become so popular? - A wood-burner is much more...

Home inspectors look at many different areas of a house or condo. During the inspections home inspectors come across a variety of issues. Some of the issues found are fire hazards. Fires can be started from a variety of reasons. Electrical issues are one such reason. One of the issue a home inspector will look for when looking inside an electric panel is that of conductor size. Electric conductors that are too small in diameter for the amperage of the breaker that it is connected to is a fire hazard. The conductor can have too much electricity flowing through it and get hot, starting a fire. Another issue found in the electric panel is that of "double taps". A double or multiple tap is where there...

Smoke detectors are an easy and inexpensive way to prevent and minimize fire damage to your home. They are the most important appliances you will ever buy. What is the number one thing you can do to protect your house from the dangers of fire? Ask any firefighter and they will say that you need to make sure you have working smoke detectors installed. Detectors have saved tens of thousands of people's lives, and prevented just as many, if not more, injuries. They are available at the hardware store, the grocery store, and home improvement stores. They are incredibly inexpensive and often run on just a battery that will last them over a year. Additionally they are simple to install and will mount...

When disaster strikes, quite literally, where can you go to recover your business' workflow without sacrificing data or profit? Whether it be the destruction of a facility (9/11), flooded (Nashville) or without power or plumbing (Katrina) off site work areas are crucial in ensuring continued business success and safety in the more dire of scenarios. The work area suites at a company like Recovery Point offers each consist of 100 workplaces, with 48 inch wide desk in cubicle, ergonomic chair, PC, multiline Alcatel phone, under desk filing cabinet and assorted office supplies. All of the workspaces in all of the facilities are of identical specifications - important if for some reason the personal...

The one thing that we must be ready to face when running a business is crisis. Frequently, crisis blind business owners and they only learn about it when they are already in their advanced stages. Sometimes a crisis is brought about by a simple event that escalates and starts taking a path that seems to have no end. But one thing is for sure, crisis always comes to an end. As much as the tough times are unpleasant, ultimately they come to an end and life resumes to normalcy until another problem crops up again. This then brings to the core of this article, which is in time of crisis there are assumption that any business owner must take into account. Business owners should realize that problems...

As my biggest experience with earthquakes was Northridge, I will use that as an example. I'll point out what we did right, what we did wrong and some of the problems others faced, both in the neighborhood and in the region. What we did right: We had a family plan and followed it, that was important. We all stayed in our beds, and our young daughters pulled their blankets up to protect themselves from glass. As their window broke and some of it landed on our elder daughter's bed, that was a good precautions. The girls waited in their beds until we could get to them and lead them out of the house. Again, a good idea as the electricity was out and there were things on the floor that could have hurt...

It is all well and good wanting the perfect railing designs in your home and garden, but it is absolutely essential that you follow the safety instructions to the very last letter. There are safety codes which state exactly what you can and cannot do and you really do need to follow these in order to prevent an accident. The regulations are not just there to protect you; they are there to protect anybody who steps foot onto the deck including your friends and family. The Main Safety Points to Remember The main thing to bear in mind is that all decks need railings. It is absolutely essential otherwise people could fall and injure themselves. As for the height of the railings, each area will have its...

An employee of a laboratory on chemicals will enjoy his experience once he knows that the provisions on health and safety measures as well as those required by the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 or the COSHH are being strictly implemented. With this, he knows that his work will be safe and that accidents are prevented. However, it is not enough that you know there are such laws and that companies engaged in dangerous substances are compelled to take these laws in effect. It is of great importance that you know what is being required by the law itself. Good health and safety are essential for any person working in a chemical laboratory. Chemical burns and irritation are...

In these recent days, everyone is able to obtain various types of information that they need on the internet. Internet has become everything for them, whether they look for headline news, education, entertainment, shopping, and a variety of needs and other information on the internet indefinitely. With the presence of internet today, it may cause some bad and good impacts, especially to children and teenagers. Let's discuss more on the bad impacts or risks that caused by the internet. To avoid this risk, parents must be actively monitoring their children while going online on the internet, especially if they are still under the age of 18. It is strongly advised that parents should know and learn...

RTO deals with the how promptly an application has to be back up and running after a failure, while RPO deals with the amount of data that can be lost. RTO and RPO can also be described in terms of money. That is, how long can you afford to be down and the amount of data can you afford to lose. When described in monetary terms, it becomes quite clear as to where the focus needs to be.   There are numerous solutions that provide data RPO in the seconds range. However, by comparison, there are surprisingly few solutions that can also provide the same, for application RTO. Neverfail is one of the select few, to have developed the vital technologies required to deliver a solution that delivers...

Our nation faces two interesting challenges when it comes to the healthcare response to disasters. The first is that according to an Institute of Medicine report published in June 2006, hospitals have by and large failed to meet even the most basic standards for disaster preparedness. In other words, they have failed to develop the relationships within their own communities, ignoring even EMS and community-wide Emergency Response Services thus failing to integrate these critical services into the hospital disaster plan. Further, most hospitals, now six years after 9/11, still fail to provide basic disaster response training to all of their employees. Basic Incident Command training that would...

"The Bay Area has the highest concentration of earthquake faults in the world." -Bill Lettis, earth sciences consultant. What happened in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast of the United States was not only the worst natural disaster in the history of this country, but also the loudest wake-up call ever experienced by our comfortable over-confident society. We never dreamed something of such horror and magnitude could ever happen here - even though all the TV meteorologists told us it might, then days before the storm hit land, told us it would. "The bad news: The chances of the Big One happening in the next 30 years are about 90%, and the odds are that it will be in our own back yard." -reporter Chris...

Are you challenged keeping team members involved in the continuing effort of developing and maintaining your company's business continuity plan? We know their reasons: too busy, don't understand the process, don't see the value, and don't perceive the project as a real company priority. Our challenge and concern: have team members seriously consider the information they are submitting to the continuity plan. Not surprising is the fact that families and households are not planning for emergencies, disasters or terrorist attacks at home either. Everyone is busy. It is easy to gamble that nothing will happen. Every day that passes without incident reinforces that lack of action. As BC planners, we...

When one hears the term 'First Responder,' the images that most often come to mind are of brave Firefighters carrying people out of burning buildings, or the blaring sirens of an Ambulance racing to a motor vehicle accident. These brave men and women put themselves into harms way routinely, to help and protect people during emergencies. With their training and experience, they are able to quickly assess any situation, make decisions based on the resources available to them and effectively deal with the incident. Rarely however, are these Community First Responders on the scene of an incident when it first happens. In fact, most of the time they are three to five minutes away, or in the worst case...

In the context of today's fast globalizing business landscape and the unpredictable terrorism happening around us, a Business Resilience Plan is a critical business requirement to preserve your critical business processes in order to maintain functionality and ensured continued profitability. The Business Resilience Planning in simplified terms, must minimally fulfill two major objectives, namely to enable data integrity & data restoration (to ensure continuance of business) as well as avoid or reduces the loss of human lives. The following outlines the three phases of Business Resilience Plan. This is a framework which is not exhaustive and the scope of which may be adapted to suit your...

Jim Burtles worked for several years as Principal Consultant with Safetynet PLC, where he taught business executives how to cope with, and plan for, minor emergencies, disasters and absolute catastrophes ranging from a faulty air-conditioning system to the aftermath of major earthquakes or terrorist attacks. In his current role, as a Director of Total Continuity Management, he is now working with senior executives of international corporations and government departments to help them develop complete emergency response plans and processes which include appropriate counseling and training programs to cope with emergency situations. Tyler: Welcome, Jim. I'm glad you could join me today. To begin, tell...

year, exposure to cold, vehicle accidents caused by wintry roads, and fires caused by the improper use of heaters injure and kill hundreds of people in the United States. Add these to other winter weather hazards and you have a significant threat to human health and safety. Winter storms can range from a moderate snow over a few hours to a blizzard with blinding, wind-driven snow that lasts for several days. Some winter storms are large enough to affect several states, while others affect only a single community. Many winter storms are accompanied by dangerously low temperatures and sometimes by strong winds, icing, sleet, and freezing rain. How to Protect Yourself in Winter Storms Winter storms are...