January 2009 Archives

There are growing concerns throughout the nation as to how the economic problems will effect our safety and security as a nation. More and more companies and home owners are finding it a prudent move to install security camera and alarm monitoring systems in their buildings to not only insure that their possessions are safe, but also their families and workers. This is a sad state to be in. Unfortunately, there is a growing importance to protect against what could be a wave of crime created by people who are becoming unemployed and desperate for their family's survival. I listen to security news and they are saying that more and more people are installing alarm systems than ever before. And when interviewed, most said that it was really more for safety than the fear of having stuff taken. They felt that if someone were to come in to take their stuff, then people could get injured or killed, and this seemed to be the biggest issue on peoples minds when purchasing a security monitoring system.

One thing that I can't emphasize enough is that these security systems are very reasonably priced, and having someone constantly watching out for you in case of fire, injury, or other break in, can bring a lot of peace of mind.

Personally, I have family members who thought that an alarm system was going to be too expensive and then once they had their home broken into, decided that they couldn't sleep at night if they didn't get one. They have told that story many a time and said that when they finally decided that they needed this type of system they were actually amazed at how affordable the thing was, even to have it constantly monitored. They said for a small monthly payment, they could finally sleep at night again knowing that there was always someone looking out for their safety.

If you own a home or a business, then getting a fully monitored security system is a necessity. Protect your loved ones and your property with a wireless alarm system and you will be glad that you did.

Hunting has always been second nature to me. I grew up with a family full of hunters, and I went on my first hunting expedition when I was 7. I have always loved sitting in the woods in the snow for hours at a time, just waiting for little creatures to come along. I find that I can think more clearly sitting still for a while, with nothing to do but think. It is a very cleansing experience and one that everyone should experience at least once.

On a recent hunting trip with some friends, we had a good time. We partied every evening, and hunted every morning. A friend of a friend let us use his cabin and it was just an all around good time. On this trip a friend of mine killed a buck with a Ka-Bar. I am not really sure how he did it, but somehow this guy was able to get close enough to kill it with his bare hands. We thought maybe there was something wrong with the deer, because usually in the woods a deer won't let you get that close to it. I just think that he was lucky not to have gotten shot by another hunter who spotted the deer. He said it was his lucky knife, which I must admit was really quite a large old knife. He said that this knife had actually been in his family for at least the last 60 years, he thinks it may have actually been in his family for longer than that, but that he can only trace it back that far.

Well, when we got back, I looked up knives on the web, mostly because this guy is known for his storytelling and I just wanted to see for myself what I could find out about the knife. Well, in researching this particular knife it seems like it was made in about 1930 and Ka-bar knives of that quality were selling for about $1000 on the web. I called my friend and told him, not because I thought he would sell it, but just to let him know that he may want to stop using it and put it into storage. He said no way, it was his lucky knife, and he would continue to use it.

These days everyone is so focused on AIDS and HIV being sexually transmitted, it seems like no one even thinks about all the other STDs that are out there like Syphillis, Chlamydia, Genital Herpes, and Gonorrhea. For instance, did you know that in this country in 2006 there were 358,366 cases of Gonorrhea reported. Or that there were 36,935 cases of Syphillis reported in 2006 and an overwhelming 1,030,911 cases of Chlamydia reported. There were no statistics reported on how many cases of Genital Herpes there were, however, it is believed that about 80% of the people with this disease don't even know that they have it. Therefore, it is believed that it is constantly being spread from partner to partner. It seems to be more prevalently spread from male to female during sex, however, there have been several instances of women passing it to a male partner, no one is exactly sure why.

I am not saying that HIV which may eventually lead to AIDS is not a serious problem, all I am saying is that seems to me that there needs to be more of a focus placed on all STDs and more information needs to pushed to our young people, letting them know about the risks to their health and their future. Having unprotected sex is just a bad idea, especially when you are young. HIV is considered a young persons illness because most of the cases being reported are in those persons 25 and under. This means that they really need to be careful out there, because one night of pleasure could lead them to a lifetime of pain and illness or even death. Making teens aware of the risks involved is only one part of this. They should have kids come into the schools to talk about their STDs much in the same way that MADD comes in with a crashed up car. These kids need the shock value of the whole experience, they don't think that it is going to happen to them, but looking at the statistics, there is actually a strong possibility that they are next.

In finance class we had to compare a lot of different insurance plans and coverage's and prices. We were given different scenarios and people with all different kinds of locations and lifestyle choices and had to get short term health insurance quotes as well as long term quotes for the same people and then compare them.
It is crazy the difference it could make depending on where you live or the choices you makes or even just your age. One of the things we had to do was look into Texas health insurance for a family of four and the dad was healthy, at a good weight, didn't smoke, had no car accidents or tickets and was young. Then we had to compare the same family health insurance for the same state and all of the same lifestyle choices and traits except the second man smoked. The rates for that man skyrocketed. It was unbelievable the difference it made. Another thing that made a big difference was someone who was really overweight. Comparing them to someone that is fit and healthy makes a big difference too.
I think one thing that is sad and although makes sense, is very unfair is preexisting health conditions. If someone is born with a health condition and requires more medical attention then they will have to pay more than someone who is healthy (even though in many of the cases they were born that way or got sick as a child and they really had no say in it and it wasn't their fault at all). In some of the situations we looked up, people who had preexisting conditions had to pay more than the people who smoked. This seems so unfair to me because smoking is a choice. You are deliberately hurting yourself and your health and even other people around you. It is so sad to me to think that a baby who has no control over their health may one day have to pay more than someone who was born healthy but decided to smoke and deteriorate themselves for health insurance.
But I guess that there are a lot of little things that go into figuring out insurance and rates and premiums and who should pay what and I am sure that there is a lot of history that they go off of, but sometimes it just breaks my heart to think about it.

My mother keeps telling me that with the economy in the shape it is in, I should consider going to trade school as opposed to college, and I honestly think that she may be on to something. I really think that setting myself up with a lot of debt right now, just doesn't make much sense, and I have a really good friend who finished college, got her degree and started working for someone else, but she had to move back in with her parents after school so that she could afford to pay her student loans. With the amount that she was making she couldn't afford to live and pay off her loans at the same time, I don't want that to be the case for me. I have been researching a lot of information about jobs and professions online and have found some labor statistics on surgical techs and have found out that this is considered one of the best jobs to have. They see the demand for surgical techs on the rise for the next few years, and so I decided to look into information about Surgical Tech Schools in the area. Honestly, I never realized that there were so many schools right in the area that teach this particular specialty. There is such a growing demand for people in medicine and medical related fields that I know that I will be able to get a job right out of school and that will be great. Then I wouldn't have to move in with mom and dad again, and I know that they would appreciate that as well. Also, surgical tech school costs much less than traditional college, and they even help you find a job after you finish your schooling. I just know that I am making a good sound decision for my future, and I am glad that my mother suggested considering a college alternative. This was a really good idea, and a good way to get started in the medical field quickly. I can always return to college later on if I want to, but at least I will have a career and be able to begin earning my own money right away, and that is a great thing.

I am really into natural soap. Ever since i learned that mineral oil is actually toxic for human skin, yet is found in most skin products, I started reading soap labels to look for better ingredients. It is actually very hard to find natural soaps because most product use various chemicals to reduce the cost of producing it and to preserve it so that it has a shelf life beyond the reaches of human civilization. I guess the cockroaches that survive the end of the world will have plenty to clean themselves with. Natural soap makers, on the other hand, produce their soaps without any unnecessary additives and use only natural materials like glycerin or jojoba. I have seen some soaps made of olive oil, cocoa butter, palm oil, rice bran oil, soy, goats milk,tea tree oil,and so many other options. The thing all natural soaps have in common is that they leave out chemical additives. In place of chemical additives many natural soaps do add other lovely natural products to create special scents and textures like sandalwood, lemongrass, sea salt, cedar, vanilla, almond,cinnamon, citrus, sage, mint, oatmeal, poppy, rosemary, anise, and a countless number of other things to make the soap special. Seems like soap is often made with themes of herbs, spices, and food. I wonder why that is. I guess there is nothing more natural than things that are edible. I once bought a soap that was blended with liquid caffeine. It was called the zinger and it did give me a boost of pick-me-up any time i used it. I stocked up on it, but have since ran out. I will have to get some more soon. I can still remember the zippy citrus sent it had. I always used it in the morning and never at night because it would keep me up. I got i from a flea market and it was made by a local couple that makes all their soap by hand with all natural ingredients. But not all natural soaps are made by hand from small businesses. There are several companies that mass produce all natural soap products including bars, liquids, shampoos, dish and laundry soap as well. Most of them are only sold in health food stores and are usually a bit more expensive than chemical ridden soaps. But like they say, you get what you pay for.

When my doctor prescribes me medication, I always go online to check out the drug reviews. The FDA is very quick to put drugs on the market and then find out later what is wrong with them, so in this spirit I like to be informed. There is a lot of information available about drugs on the web, and I truly recommend that anyone who is taking any medications needs to check out the meds reviews online and find out all they can about the drugs they are taking. Another great way to find out about the drugs you are taking is to ask your pharmacist. They actually have a more intricate drug education than doctors, because that is the focus of their job. They have a strong understanding of not only the different drugs and what they are for, but also information about effects, side effects and drug interactions. Any time you are on a medication and are thinking about taking something along with it, it is always a good idea to check at the pharmacy counter, or online for all the drug interaction information you can find. Personally, I rely on my pharmacist a lot, and I know that he is someone who will give it to me straight and let me know what I am dealing with.

I don't take much medication, but I do find that with my mother and grandmother for instance, using the resources you have available becomes more important with the more and more medications you are taking. There can be many more issues with drug interactions the more of them you take, and therefore, for not only your health but your well being, choosing the right pharmacist or researching each drug online is imperative. I recommend not even considering taking a drug without checking into it fully first, unless it is an immediate life or death situation, then obviously, you need to just take the medication and hope for the best.

A doctor can prescribe medication for you, however it is a good idea to know all there is to know about the drugs you are taking. This knowledge could save your life.

The other day online I ran across a website (well more of a web blog) written by Jared Lansky. The web blog is all about giving tips to people and teaching about how to be successful in the business world. From online advertising to all different things you should expect from the business world, Jared Lansky is full of knowledge.
This is the kind of website that we as students are taught to look for. I went to a high school that did everything they could to prepare us for college. Everything we did was a step towards college or making us stand out on college applications and getting in wherever we wanted. Once we got in though, everything we do in college now is just to get us ready for the 'real world' (as if we aren't already living in it). We are taught how to write resumes and again, make ourselves stand out. Because (like they told us in high school) everyone has a good GPA and goes to college now a days, so just having that on your resume won't cut it anymore. You need to make yourself stand out. You need to be able to speak another language or be involved in something outside of work or be unique in some way. I feel like no matter what we are doing, we are just preparing for the next step instead of living in the one we are currently in. Once I get into this so called 'real world', then what? Will I be preparing to get married, or have kids, or save for retirement, or get ahead in my job? It feels like we never really get to live in the moment anymore. It is such a competitive world out there that we constantly are needing to make ourselves better or stand out and are working towards that every day. So instead of sitting in class just learning the material, I am sitting there learning it for a test, so that when I pass that test I will pass that class and then I will be able to graduate once I pass all of my classes and then find a job then further my career and so on and so on.
When will the day come when we are able to sit back and relax and not constantly have to better ourselves or prepare for the future? When we are dead?