Hop on over and take a peek, then linger and explore this neat lady's website.
Showing posts with label Guest post. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Guest post. Show all posts
Monday, June 17, 2019
Evangelism for introverts
I have a guest post up on author Davalynn Spencer's blog entitled "Evangelism for introverts."
Hop on over and take a peek, then linger and explore this neat lady's website.
Hop on over and take a peek, then linger and explore this neat lady's website.
Friday, October 25, 2013
Guest post: Why didn't I think of that?
Following is a guest post by Nikolas Baron of Grammarly.
_________________________________________
Have you ever picked up a book, flipped through it, and thought to yourself, “Darn! Why didn’t I think of that?” Amateur writers, from housewives to students and retirees equipped with a dinosaur of a computer, are entering the scene with one simple idea and their ideas are proving to be immensely popular. Think C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton, and even Malcolm Muggeridge. While the books that are flying off the shelf generally belong to writers who write fiction, and amateur writers really aren’t confined to this genre. The golden rule isn’t to find a missing niche in the market; as an amateur writer, it’s best to start with writing what you love. Let me assure you that unless you’ve been isolated on a desolated island for decades, your idea would appeal to a substantial amount of readers.
So now the question is, where and how do you start?
As part of my work at Grammarly, a proofreading website available worldwide, I’ve spent a good proportion of time evaluating what writers write, and various writing ‘pitfalls’ they make. Here are some of the best pointers I’ve gathered for you to get started on your winning idea.
The most important part is simply to take the leap and decide to start. Though seemingly simple, many writers hide in their closets hoping to somehow ‘find themselves’ as writers first; but the thing is, you don’t need to wait until you know who you are to get started. It is in the act of generating ideas, putting it down, scrapping it, re-editing, and refining your ideas that you figure out who you are. No, it doesn’t make you a phony or your writing pretentious. I’ll let you in on a secret – most of the time, none of us knows what we’re doing anyway. ‘Then how in the world did you think of that?’ You ask. Well, truly creative work can come out of nowhere; it is simply in the act of doing that it does come.
Go back to basics and don’t start at the computer. At the beginning, this seemingly-incredible technology is your number one enemy. Write out your ideas on paper, sticky notes, or anything that will otherwise make deleting your ideas difficult; try permanent markers and the wall, if you must. The thing about computers is that it is just too tempting and too easy to place that little pinky on the delete key and delete away what could have possibly been the next award-winning idea. Give your ideas a chance to develop and mingle with each other. It is in the mingling that awesome ideas puff out of nowhere.
In line with going back to basics, don’t be afraid of having too many ideas. At this stage, more words are good. Write everything you think of down onto paper, with no judging, no censoring, and no favouritism just yet. Look at your ideas separately, group them together, take them apart, and regroup them again. It doesn’t matter if the idea isn’t used eventually. What you also want to do is to train and hone your writing muscles for the final product. When you’ve generated enough ideas on paper to kill a small forest, start eliminating. In the words of Scott Adams, “Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.”
Finally, if you want to get published, there is nothing more important than impeccable proofreading. More often than not, word programs don’t have the ability to catch sentence structures or minute grammar mistakes. One way you could overcome this is to allow someone else to read your script. Another alternative many writers use are writing tools such as Grammarly, which has the capacity to pick up on the slightest punctuation, grammatical, and even sentence structure errors to ensure flawless writing.
The best time to start is right now. Take a shot at these simple tips to come up with the next big thing, and get others wondering, “Why didn’t I think of that?”
_________________________________________
Have you ever picked up a book, flipped through it, and thought to yourself, “Darn! Why didn’t I think of that?” Amateur writers, from housewives to students and retirees equipped with a dinosaur of a computer, are entering the scene with one simple idea and their ideas are proving to be immensely popular. Think C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton, and even Malcolm Muggeridge. While the books that are flying off the shelf generally belong to writers who write fiction, and amateur writers really aren’t confined to this genre. The golden rule isn’t to find a missing niche in the market; as an amateur writer, it’s best to start with writing what you love. Let me assure you that unless you’ve been isolated on a desolated island for decades, your idea would appeal to a substantial amount of readers.
So now the question is, where and how do you start?
As part of my work at Grammarly, a proofreading website available worldwide, I’ve spent a good proportion of time evaluating what writers write, and various writing ‘pitfalls’ they make. Here are some of the best pointers I’ve gathered for you to get started on your winning idea.
The most important part is simply to take the leap and decide to start. Though seemingly simple, many writers hide in their closets hoping to somehow ‘find themselves’ as writers first; but the thing is, you don’t need to wait until you know who you are to get started. It is in the act of generating ideas, putting it down, scrapping it, re-editing, and refining your ideas that you figure out who you are. No, it doesn’t make you a phony or your writing pretentious. I’ll let you in on a secret – most of the time, none of us knows what we’re doing anyway. ‘Then how in the world did you think of that?’ You ask. Well, truly creative work can come out of nowhere; it is simply in the act of doing that it does come.
Go back to basics and don’t start at the computer. At the beginning, this seemingly-incredible technology is your number one enemy. Write out your ideas on paper, sticky notes, or anything that will otherwise make deleting your ideas difficult; try permanent markers and the wall, if you must. The thing about computers is that it is just too tempting and too easy to place that little pinky on the delete key and delete away what could have possibly been the next award-winning idea. Give your ideas a chance to develop and mingle with each other. It is in the mingling that awesome ideas puff out of nowhere.
In line with going back to basics, don’t be afraid of having too many ideas. At this stage, more words are good. Write everything you think of down onto paper, with no judging, no censoring, and no favouritism just yet. Look at your ideas separately, group them together, take them apart, and regroup them again. It doesn’t matter if the idea isn’t used eventually. What you also want to do is to train and hone your writing muscles for the final product. When you’ve generated enough ideas on paper to kill a small forest, start eliminating. In the words of Scott Adams, “Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.”
Finally, if you want to get published, there is nothing more important than impeccable proofreading. More often than not, word programs don’t have the ability to catch sentence structures or minute grammar mistakes. One way you could overcome this is to allow someone else to read your script. Another alternative many writers use are writing tools such as Grammarly, which has the capacity to pick up on the slightest punctuation, grammatical, and even sentence structure errors to ensure flawless writing.
The best time to start is right now. Take a shot at these simple tips to come up with the next big thing, and get others wondering, “Why didn’t I think of that?”
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
A Nutritious Garden for the Prepared Family -- Guest post
This is a guest post by Mackenzie Kupfer, who writes for Avant Garden.
_________________________________
A Nutritious Garden for the Prepared Family
Since I was small, I’ve been raised to be able to take care of myself in case Something Bad were to happen. I grew up foraging, sewing, shooting, and cleaning the deer my father brought home. On the east coast, where I was born and spent much of my childhood, there just don’t seem to be quite as many people preparing their kids with these kinds of skills. That’s one of the reasons my father decided to migrate out west, here to Idaho. I was always a little bit of an outsider out east because no one else went mushroom hunting and shooting with their dads. So it was nice to come out here and realize that I wasn’t alone in my upbringing!
By far, my favorite skill I’ve learned is gardening. Dad’s mother, my Nana, has let me trail along behind her in her garden since I was six, gathering tomatoes off the vine and peppers to grill over the fire pit. She taught me that what how you use your land is sacred and that you must respect what you put in it if you want to get good things out of it. Growing food for your loved ones and then cooking it for them, she said, is the best way to provide for them and prepare for hard times.
I don’t have a ton of room for things like corn in my Boise yard, but I am blessed to be able to raise up a fair number of crops in the space I have. What I’ve learned from my family and from trial and error is that there are some vegetables that are worth your time, space, and effort more than others.
Cucumbers and celery are two tasty veggies that haven’t given me much trouble to grow, but what nutrition they offer might not be worth the time and space if you’re trying to support your family. While new research suggests that they might be more worthwhile than they seem, I’d prioritize other options.
Spinach and kale are two of my favorite additions to a garden. Both are pretty low-key when it comes to maintenance and both tend to like the cooler temperatures of spring and fall. They’re also powerhouses of nutrition! They both contain tons of vitamins that help with eyesight and heart health and manganese, which is good for healthy bones.
Summer squash is a yearly staple in my yard, especially because it’s such a prolific grower! It doesn’t take much to get a big harvest. Primarily it gives a lot of Vitamin C, but it also contains molybdenum, which helps prevent anemia and tooth decay.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about the root vegetables – in particular beets, radishes, and potatoes are all fairly easy to care for. And the turnaround on radish is nuts! Within a month of planting, you can start pulling up tasty, spicy gems.
For My City Friends
Some of my friends in the city aren’t as lucky as I am in terms of space. A couple of them don’t have much room to garden- one even has a cluster of garden boxes on her balcony! For them, I always recommend pole beans because they can be trellised vertically to take up less space. Unfortunately, the other trellis plant I can recommend is tomatoes, which are finicky in my experience. Otherwise, apparently beets, radishes, and peppers do pretty well cooped up in a pot.
I applaud their efforts. While it might not sustain them for very long if things went badly (and being in a city at all certainly wouldn’t be good), they have an appreciation for their food and a connection to where it comes from that all vegetable gardeners gain. I really have to respect that.
No matter which of these vegetables you choose to nurture in your garden, you can rest assured that you will have access to precious nutrients in case Something Bad happens. If you pair vegetable gardening with the skills of canning and preserving, and remember to save your seeds for the following year, you’ll be in good shape to begin surviving on your own. I’m grateful to my father and my Nana for teaching me these skills and this mindset – I know that I can provide for my family as I indulge in my favorite hobby.
_________________________________
A Nutritious Garden for the Prepared Family
Since I was small, I’ve been raised to be able to take care of myself in case Something Bad were to happen. I grew up foraging, sewing, shooting, and cleaning the deer my father brought home. On the east coast, where I was born and spent much of my childhood, there just don’t seem to be quite as many people preparing their kids with these kinds of skills. That’s one of the reasons my father decided to migrate out west, here to Idaho. I was always a little bit of an outsider out east because no one else went mushroom hunting and shooting with their dads. So it was nice to come out here and realize that I wasn’t alone in my upbringing!
By far, my favorite skill I’ve learned is gardening. Dad’s mother, my Nana, has let me trail along behind her in her garden since I was six, gathering tomatoes off the vine and peppers to grill over the fire pit. She taught me that what how you use your land is sacred and that you must respect what you put in it if you want to get good things out of it. Growing food for your loved ones and then cooking it for them, she said, is the best way to provide for them and prepare for hard times.
I don’t have a ton of room for things like corn in my Boise yard, but I am blessed to be able to raise up a fair number of crops in the space I have. What I’ve learned from my family and from trial and error is that there are some vegetables that are worth your time, space, and effort more than others.
Cucumbers and celery are two tasty veggies that haven’t given me much trouble to grow, but what nutrition they offer might not be worth the time and space if you’re trying to support your family. While new research suggests that they might be more worthwhile than they seem, I’d prioritize other options.
Spinach and kale are two of my favorite additions to a garden. Both are pretty low-key when it comes to maintenance and both tend to like the cooler temperatures of spring and fall. They’re also powerhouses of nutrition! They both contain tons of vitamins that help with eyesight and heart health and manganese, which is good for healthy bones.
Summer squash is a yearly staple in my yard, especially because it’s such a prolific grower! It doesn’t take much to get a big harvest. Primarily it gives a lot of Vitamin C, but it also contains molybdenum, which helps prevent anemia and tooth decay.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about the root vegetables – in particular beets, radishes, and potatoes are all fairly easy to care for. And the turnaround on radish is nuts! Within a month of planting, you can start pulling up tasty, spicy gems.
For My City Friends
Some of my friends in the city aren’t as lucky as I am in terms of space. A couple of them don’t have much room to garden- one even has a cluster of garden boxes on her balcony! For them, I always recommend pole beans because they can be trellised vertically to take up less space. Unfortunately, the other trellis plant I can recommend is tomatoes, which are finicky in my experience. Otherwise, apparently beets, radishes, and peppers do pretty well cooped up in a pot.
I applaud their efforts. While it might not sustain them for very long if things went badly (and being in a city at all certainly wouldn’t be good), they have an appreciation for their food and a connection to where it comes from that all vegetable gardeners gain. I really have to respect that.
No matter which of these vegetables you choose to nurture in your garden, you can rest assured that you will have access to precious nutrients in case Something Bad happens. If you pair vegetable gardening with the skills of canning and preserving, and remember to save your seeds for the following year, you’ll be in good shape to begin surviving on your own. I’m grateful to my father and my Nana for teaching me these skills and this mindset – I know that I can provide for my family as I indulge in my favorite hobby.
Mackenzie Kupfer is a writer and gardener. She believes that everyone should have at least rudimentary gardening skills for practical needs, peace of mind, and strength of body. She writes with Avant Garden, the folks from whom she got her cast iron fire pit.
Monday, September 9, 2013
On establishing a neighborhood watch
Following is a guest post from Naomi Broderick, a rural mother of three who writes on behalf of Protect Your Home, an authorized dealer of ADT Security in Phoenix, Arizona.
(As a personal side-note, years ago we needed a security system for an office where I used to work. The office had mice in it, so standard security systems wouldn't work because the movement of the mice would trigger the alarm. After some research, we contracted with ADT Security (which silently monitors by sound) and were very pleased with the result -- especially after a thug threw a rock through an office window and tried to make off with some equipment. He was caught on the premises.)
Before our colonies even became a nation, and before our modern era of home security equipment and alarm systems, town watches were the answer in keeping neighbors safe. These organizations were formed on mutual trust out of the common interest of protecting everyone’s families from wrong-doers and domestic disputes.
While they’re called “neighborhood watches” these days, the essence of these groups remains the same. While keeping home surveillance or firearms available to defend yourself can be effective in deterring crime and taking action, there’s a certain sense of peace in a neighborhood watch that money can’t buy. They represent the sense of security that bonds a community, and the fabric of good will towards neighbors that defines American suburbia.
More important than what they represent is the fact that they’re darned effective. According to the FBI’s neighborhood watch statistics, communities with such watches have a reduced crime rate of up to 43%. On top of deterring crimes, these programs are fantastic at locating and reporting crimes when they take place. They also help citizens in cases of accidents, fires, or other emergency situations.
Many skeptics call foul with these programs as being a way for mavericks to take the law into their own hands, but the true role of watches is to observe and contact authorities when something seems amiss. Given their help in aiding authority, these programs have also been prided among many communities as developing better relations between residents and the authorities.
If you live in a rural or developing suburban neighborhood, it’s very possible that your neighborhood lacks such a watch program. You can locate watches in your neighborhood using USAonWatch’s locator. It can be difficult to establish a credible watch alone without competing with the voices of other watches; ideally a neighborhood would have one unified watch in which everyone is on the same page.
But if you’re unsuccessful in finding a neighborhood watch to participate in and care for the welfare of your area, it might be a great time to register your own watch with your neighbors. Some essential components for any neighborhood watch are:
• A group of committed neighbors with sound judgment and a respect for legal boundaries to plan and execute a watch schedule
• A means of regular communications, such as a mailing list, e-mail addresses, or cell phone communications
• A meeting place, such as a resident’s home or a community center
• The involvement of an officer of the law to help train members (contacting authorities to explain your desire to start a watch will often allow them to offer you an available officer)
• Brochures on appropriate watch conduct and protocol
It’s also crucial to hold meetings regularly, and be sure to keep up with certain trends and hotspots related to crime in your area. For more specifics on starting your own credible neighborhood watch on protecting your home and neighbors, see more information in this manual.
(As a personal side-note, years ago we needed a security system for an office where I used to work. The office had mice in it, so standard security systems wouldn't work because the movement of the mice would trigger the alarm. After some research, we contracted with ADT Security (which silently monitors by sound) and were very pleased with the result -- especially after a thug threw a rock through an office window and tried to make off with some equipment. He was caught on the premises.)
_________________________________________
Before our colonies even became a nation, and before our modern era of home security equipment and alarm systems, town watches were the answer in keeping neighbors safe. These organizations were formed on mutual trust out of the common interest of protecting everyone’s families from wrong-doers and domestic disputes.
While they’re called “neighborhood watches” these days, the essence of these groups remains the same. While keeping home surveillance or firearms available to defend yourself can be effective in deterring crime and taking action, there’s a certain sense of peace in a neighborhood watch that money can’t buy. They represent the sense of security that bonds a community, and the fabric of good will towards neighbors that defines American suburbia.
More important than what they represent is the fact that they’re darned effective. According to the FBI’s neighborhood watch statistics, communities with such watches have a reduced crime rate of up to 43%. On top of deterring crimes, these programs are fantastic at locating and reporting crimes when they take place. They also help citizens in cases of accidents, fires, or other emergency situations.
Many skeptics call foul with these programs as being a way for mavericks to take the law into their own hands, but the true role of watches is to observe and contact authorities when something seems amiss. Given their help in aiding authority, these programs have also been prided among many communities as developing better relations between residents and the authorities.
If you live in a rural or developing suburban neighborhood, it’s very possible that your neighborhood lacks such a watch program. You can locate watches in your neighborhood using USAonWatch’s locator. It can be difficult to establish a credible watch alone without competing with the voices of other watches; ideally a neighborhood would have one unified watch in which everyone is on the same page.
But if you’re unsuccessful in finding a neighborhood watch to participate in and care for the welfare of your area, it might be a great time to register your own watch with your neighbors. Some essential components for any neighborhood watch are:
• A group of committed neighbors with sound judgment and a respect for legal boundaries to plan and execute a watch schedule
• A means of regular communications, such as a mailing list, e-mail addresses, or cell phone communications
• A meeting place, such as a resident’s home or a community center
• The involvement of an officer of the law to help train members (contacting authorities to explain your desire to start a watch will often allow them to offer you an available officer)
• Brochures on appropriate watch conduct and protocol
It’s also crucial to hold meetings regularly, and be sure to keep up with certain trends and hotspots related to crime in your area. For more specifics on starting your own credible neighborhood watch on protecting your home and neighbors, see more information in this manual.
Friday, August 16, 2013
Guest Post: Food Insurance
The following is a guest post from Chett Wright with FoodInsurance.com
_____________________________________
Easy to Carry Foods for 72 Hour Kits
As we continue on our preparedness journey, we decided to do a piece on emergency food preparedness. Like most families, we understand how important it is to feed your family only healthy, quality foods. Even after man-made and natural disasters, families are still concerned about the foods they consume. Just because you’re going through a crisis, that doesn’t mean your family has to suffer, eating foods they wouldn’t normally. So as part of general preparednesss, we’re going to help you prepare for emergencies with 72 hour kits.
Most rural survivalists enjoy farming and gardening in order to eat natural, fresh products. However not everyone has this luxury. Yet after a disaster strikes, road conditions may make it impossible to travel. And stores won’t have what you need in stock, due to early shoppers who acted quickly for their own emergency preparedness. Therefore it will be up to you to provide your family with the foods needed to continue eating healthy, good tasting food until things return to normal.
A 72 hour kit is an emergency preparedness kit intended to help you remain self-sufficient for three entire days. These 3-day survival kits are very efficient tools for short-term survival after a catastrophe has struck. Being prepared for any disaster will help to keep things from getting chaotic and hectic around you. You’ll be able to grab your kit in a hurry, and run out the door if needed.
Convenient Foods to Put in Your 72 Hour Kit
Many rural areas are located far away from big city areas. That means that it could take emergency crews and personnel even longer to reach you after a crisis. Not only will they have to deal with bad road conditions, there may be extreme weather conditions involved. Not to mention, they must tend to the hardest hit areas first.
So what does this mean for you? Basically you need to be prepared to be self-sufficient, even if only for a few days. A 72 hour kit is a great tool for this purpose. It must contain products you can eat after an evacuation or without the use of electricity or gas. Here are some of those convenient foods that would make great additions to your 3-day emergency kit:
• Turkey or beef jerky
• Freeze dried meats
• Raisin packages
• Cookies
• Powdered milk
• Applesauce cups
• Pudding cups
• Suckers
• Trail mix
• Fruit cups
• Fruit rolls
• Freeze dried fruits
• Freeze dried vegetables
• Hot chocolate mix
• Hard candy
• Power bars
• Bread sticks
• Freeze dried soup mix
• Saltine crackers
• Juice boxes
Note: Do you have a garden? Well be sure to grow a nice supply of vegetables and fruits. If you’re not required to vacate, these fresh foods will be great additions to your food storage products.
Inspect Your 72 Hour Kit Regularly
Living in a rural community means having to count on your neighbors and your own devices for emergency survival. It could take days... weeks... even months for help to arrive. It could be even longer before roads are repaired and stores are restocked and reopened. So be prepared with a 72 hour kit, your quick, grab-and-go emergency survival kit.
_____________________________________
Easy to Carry Foods for 72 Hour Kits
As we continue on our preparedness journey, we decided to do a piece on emergency food preparedness. Like most families, we understand how important it is to feed your family only healthy, quality foods. Even after man-made and natural disasters, families are still concerned about the foods they consume. Just because you’re going through a crisis, that doesn’t mean your family has to suffer, eating foods they wouldn’t normally. So as part of general preparednesss, we’re going to help you prepare for emergencies with 72 hour kits.
Most rural survivalists enjoy farming and gardening in order to eat natural, fresh products. However not everyone has this luxury. Yet after a disaster strikes, road conditions may make it impossible to travel. And stores won’t have what you need in stock, due to early shoppers who acted quickly for their own emergency preparedness. Therefore it will be up to you to provide your family with the foods needed to continue eating healthy, good tasting food until things return to normal.
A 72 hour kit is an emergency preparedness kit intended to help you remain self-sufficient for three entire days. These 3-day survival kits are very efficient tools for short-term survival after a catastrophe has struck. Being prepared for any disaster will help to keep things from getting chaotic and hectic around you. You’ll be able to grab your kit in a hurry, and run out the door if needed.
Convenient Foods to Put in Your 72 Hour Kit
Many rural areas are located far away from big city areas. That means that it could take emergency crews and personnel even longer to reach you after a crisis. Not only will they have to deal with bad road conditions, there may be extreme weather conditions involved. Not to mention, they must tend to the hardest hit areas first.
So what does this mean for you? Basically you need to be prepared to be self-sufficient, even if only for a few days. A 72 hour kit is a great tool for this purpose. It must contain products you can eat after an evacuation or without the use of electricity or gas. Here are some of those convenient foods that would make great additions to your 3-day emergency kit:
• Turkey or beef jerky
• Freeze dried meats
• Raisin packages
• Cookies
• Powdered milk
• Applesauce cups
• Pudding cups
• Suckers
• Trail mix
• Fruit cups
• Fruit rolls
• Freeze dried fruits
• Freeze dried vegetables
• Hot chocolate mix
• Hard candy
• Power bars
• Bread sticks
• Freeze dried soup mix
• Saltine crackers
• Juice boxes
Note: Do you have a garden? Well be sure to grow a nice supply of vegetables and fruits. If you’re not required to vacate, these fresh foods will be great additions to your food storage products.
Inspect Your 72 Hour Kit Regularly
Living in a rural community means having to count on your neighbors and your own devices for emergency survival. It could take days... weeks... even months for help to arrive. It could be even longer before roads are repaired and stores are restocked and reopened. So be prepared with a 72 hour kit, your quick, grab-and-go emergency survival kit.
This article was created by Chett Wright, a food storage expert with FoodInsurance.com. Ready to become part of the rural revolution? Get more emergency preparedness tips and order your 72 Hour Kit from FoodInsurance.com today.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Guest post: Lessons from Hurricane Sandy
The following is a guest post from Philip J. Reed on behalf of Exede, a provider of satellite internet.
While the recent effects of Hurricane Sandy are still fresh in the minds of East Coast residents, homeowners along the Gulf Coast haven’t forgotten the 2005 mayhem caused by Hurricane Katrina. Similarly, Chicagoans and other northerners can easily recall the 2011 Groundhog Day Blizzard, and the inhabitants of San Francisco and the West Coast think of the tsunami dangers posed that same year. The possibility of some sort of natural disaster continuously looms over residents throughout the United States.
The good news in the midst of all these disasters is that the majority of them are predicted at least 24 hours in advance, giving local residents the opportunity to prepare and protect themselves. Proper training and pre-crisis actions can mitigate the damage that these natural disasters wreak on the ill-prepared. In this technological age, advances in satellite connections and state-of-the-art computer applications can greatly reduce the loss and damage to possessions in addition to potentially saving lives.
Satellite Internet
Companies such as ViaSat Inc. are able to provide internet to the government, the military, and everyday consumers through their mobile networks based on the world’s highest capacity satellite. When a natural disaster strikes, it could very likely disturb the local telephone lines and cellular towers, preventing residents in crisis from reaching emergency crews to request help. ViaSat Inc., and other companies like it, keeps communication paths open through satellite connections that cannot be destroyed or interrupted due to downed or broken lines.
This service is instrumental in requesting immediate assistance in any type of emergency and can be credited with saving lives during natural disasters. The American Red Cross Disaster Services announced on November 13, 2012, that the group will be using ViaSat Inc. services for its official warnings and rescue efforts. By taking advantage of this group’s satellite internet service, the American Red Cross can operate more efficiently to target specific areas for emergency assistance while remaining continuously available.
Community Disaster Information System
One of the top methods of relaying information to communities facing an impending crisis or those recently affected by a natural disaster is online communication. After the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina, many communities in the southern states began to create a local resource database for disaster relief. These local databases, commonly called Community Disaster Information Systems (CDIS), may include information about emergency food and shelter locations, about modes of transportation, and about local equipment companies that could help in the event of property damage.
These CDIS groups may assist the local chapters of the American Red Cross and other government agencies in charge of community outreach. Prior to the CDIS, most local records were kept more informally in file folders and in copies of the Yellow Pages, making them nearly impossible to distribute or use effectively, especially in the case of an unexpected crisis. The disorganized systems of the past would result in long delays for victims needing assistance and in a reduction of the services necessary for survival.
Now records are kept and organized by the local community and available to any authorized users. The meticulous CDIS records electronically store names, addresses, digital maps, phone numbers, and general services all geared for immediate accessibility and retrieval in the event of an emergency. When used in combination with satellite internet options, this system of information storage is one of the best options for the Red Cross and other disaster relief efforts. For this reason, many communities beyond those that suffer from hurricanes are creating their own databases.
Video Game Technology
Following Hurricanes Gustav and Katrina, software programs based on video games allowed emergency workers and Good Samaritans to rescue stranded people and pets across a wide radius of ravaged land. Volunteer engineers used Google Earth, MapPoint, and other similarly useful mapping software to locate floating victims and open evacuation routes. These simulators can be vital for both preventative measures and rescue missions.
A program called Depiction is marketed specifically as disaster-modeling software that can create rescue plans based on real-time images integrated from Google Earth or other satellite maps. Depiction is a useful tool to plan escape routes prior to an oncoming crisis. The maps it creates can then be sent in e-mails to emergency workers and news outlets for broadcast of the safest paths around potential pitfalls. Additionally, the program updates in real time, allowing rescue crews to locate downed power lines and blocked roadways without becoming trapped themselves.
The People Locator and Patient Tracking Systems
New technologies are also being utilized to assist hospitals and live-in care facilities as they evacuate and track patients who may be unable to care for themselves during a natural disaster. Under the guidance of the National Library of Medicine, the People Locator is being researched and created as an online “lost and found” that can house personal information as part of the Lost Person Finder. In the event of a natural disaster or other crisis, concerned family members can search for a person’s name, age and health condition to more quickly locate an evacuated patient.
Similarly, the Patient Tracking and Locating System, run by the National Library of Medicine’s Office of Computer and Communications Systems, will transfer patient records in an electronic online format between patient care facilities in the event of an evacuation or displacement. The group hopes that this system will be the prototype for many of the hospitals and clinics across the country to handle in-patient care and crisis management in a user-friendly and quickly accessible format for both the medical facility and families.
__________________________
Lessons From Hurricane Sandy:
How Technology Can Assist With
Disaster Preparedness
While the recent effects of Hurricane Sandy are still fresh in the minds of East Coast residents, homeowners along the Gulf Coast haven’t forgotten the 2005 mayhem caused by Hurricane Katrina. Similarly, Chicagoans and other northerners can easily recall the 2011 Groundhog Day Blizzard, and the inhabitants of San Francisco and the West Coast think of the tsunami dangers posed that same year. The possibility of some sort of natural disaster continuously looms over residents throughout the United States.
The good news in the midst of all these disasters is that the majority of them are predicted at least 24 hours in advance, giving local residents the opportunity to prepare and protect themselves. Proper training and pre-crisis actions can mitigate the damage that these natural disasters wreak on the ill-prepared. In this technological age, advances in satellite connections and state-of-the-art computer applications can greatly reduce the loss and damage to possessions in addition to potentially saving lives.
Satellite Internet
Companies such as ViaSat Inc. are able to provide internet to the government, the military, and everyday consumers through their mobile networks based on the world’s highest capacity satellite. When a natural disaster strikes, it could very likely disturb the local telephone lines and cellular towers, preventing residents in crisis from reaching emergency crews to request help. ViaSat Inc., and other companies like it, keeps communication paths open through satellite connections that cannot be destroyed or interrupted due to downed or broken lines.
This service is instrumental in requesting immediate assistance in any type of emergency and can be credited with saving lives during natural disasters. The American Red Cross Disaster Services announced on November 13, 2012, that the group will be using ViaSat Inc. services for its official warnings and rescue efforts. By taking advantage of this group’s satellite internet service, the American Red Cross can operate more efficiently to target specific areas for emergency assistance while remaining continuously available.
Community Disaster Information System
One of the top methods of relaying information to communities facing an impending crisis or those recently affected by a natural disaster is online communication. After the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina, many communities in the southern states began to create a local resource database for disaster relief. These local databases, commonly called Community Disaster Information Systems (CDIS), may include information about emergency food and shelter locations, about modes of transportation, and about local equipment companies that could help in the event of property damage.
These CDIS groups may assist the local chapters of the American Red Cross and other government agencies in charge of community outreach. Prior to the CDIS, most local records were kept more informally in file folders and in copies of the Yellow Pages, making them nearly impossible to distribute or use effectively, especially in the case of an unexpected crisis. The disorganized systems of the past would result in long delays for victims needing assistance and in a reduction of the services necessary for survival.
Now records are kept and organized by the local community and available to any authorized users. The meticulous CDIS records electronically store names, addresses, digital maps, phone numbers, and general services all geared for immediate accessibility and retrieval in the event of an emergency. When used in combination with satellite internet options, this system of information storage is one of the best options for the Red Cross and other disaster relief efforts. For this reason, many communities beyond those that suffer from hurricanes are creating their own databases.
Video Game Technology
Following Hurricanes Gustav and Katrina, software programs based on video games allowed emergency workers and Good Samaritans to rescue stranded people and pets across a wide radius of ravaged land. Volunteer engineers used Google Earth, MapPoint, and other similarly useful mapping software to locate floating victims and open evacuation routes. These simulators can be vital for both preventative measures and rescue missions.
A program called Depiction is marketed specifically as disaster-modeling software that can create rescue plans based on real-time images integrated from Google Earth or other satellite maps. Depiction is a useful tool to plan escape routes prior to an oncoming crisis. The maps it creates can then be sent in e-mails to emergency workers and news outlets for broadcast of the safest paths around potential pitfalls. Additionally, the program updates in real time, allowing rescue crews to locate downed power lines and blocked roadways without becoming trapped themselves.
The People Locator and Patient Tracking Systems
New technologies are also being utilized to assist hospitals and live-in care facilities as they evacuate and track patients who may be unable to care for themselves during a natural disaster. Under the guidance of the National Library of Medicine, the People Locator is being researched and created as an online “lost and found” that can house personal information as part of the Lost Person Finder. In the event of a natural disaster or other crisis, concerned family members can search for a person’s name, age and health condition to more quickly locate an evacuated patient.
Similarly, the Patient Tracking and Locating System, run by the National Library of Medicine’s Office of Computer and Communications Systems, will transfer patient records in an electronic online format between patient care facilities in the event of an evacuation or displacement. The group hopes that this system will be the prototype for many of the hospitals and clinics across the country to handle in-patient care and crisis management in a user-friendly and quickly accessible format for both the medical facility and families.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Guest post: Bakery buckets, a Prepper's best friend
I have a guest post up on the blog Getting Your Life in Order entitled Bakery Buckets: A Prepper's Best Friend. Go take a peek.
This is a neat blog chockful of good prepping info, so make it a part of your regular reading!
This is a neat blog chockful of good prepping info, so make it a part of your regular reading!
Monday, July 2, 2012
Ten ways to cut your grocery bill
I fell into contact with a blogger named Emma who was seeking guest posts on preparedness and frugality, so I ended up sending her an unpublished article called "Ten Ways to Cut Your Food Bill." I wrote this a couple years ago for a mainstream magazine (hence the slight "green" tinge) but it was rejected. I'm glad Emma could get some use out of it!
Hop on over to Emma's cool blog (called Getting Your Life in Order) and take a peek.
Hop on over to Emma's cool blog (called Getting Your Life in Order) and take a peek.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Guest post - The essential rules of liberty
In response to my post The Essential Rules of Liberty, Bruce Gordon (author of Self Evident Truth) wrote a rebuttal. Since it was too long to fit into the comments, I invited him to submit it as a guest post.
So without further ado...
_______________________________________
The essay written by Brandon Smith entitled The Essential Rules of Liberty was, in part, well written. I have to say, though, that as a whole his essay really bothered me. The essay bothered me because it was incomplete and a very large portion of it--the central premise of his argument, in fact--was factually incorrect. I'll explain.
Mr. Smith said:
“The desire for freedom is as inborn and natural as our own heartbeat, as our own breath. It is instinct. It cannot be erased from within, only oppressed from without. The tide has always been against tyranny, always, though we may find that hard to believe. If liberty was not ingrained into our very DNA, humanity would have succumbed to bondage and self destructed long ago.”
That just isn’t true. Ever since Adam and Eve committed the original sin and broke God’s perfect creation, men have always “succumbed to bondage and self destruction” as the path of least resistance. Read the Book of Exodus to see a very clear illustration of this indisputable fact. The Israelites were constantly carping at Moses about how this long march to freedom was just too hard and too dangerous. They continually cried about how they were much safer and more secure as slaves in Egypt. This pattern has continued over and over again throughout history. Men have always traded liberty for “security.”
The truth is that, until 1776, no nation in all of human history had ever been founded upon principles of true, God-given individual liberty. It’s also true that those Founding Fathers who fought so hard for liberty were actually in the minority. Most colonists would have been content to remain under the boot of the King! That sad fact makes the birth of America all the more remarkable.
But America was born as a free and independent nation, and the truth is that no nation in the history of the world has ever fought so hard for so long, or has ever sacrificed as much blood and treasure, for the advancement of liberty than has the United States of America. This has been necessary because the natural impulse of men is to trade true liberty for the false promise of “security” offered by tyrants.
So….what makes the United States different? Why did we become a “shining city on a hill” for the advancement of liberty? The answer to this question goes to the heart of what Mr. Smith left out of his essay. America was founded upon the Biblical principles of Christianity by men and women who were devout Christians. The Declaration of Independence stated very clearly that men and nations are subject to God’s Law, with God over men and men over government. The Declaration stated that liberty is a gift from God, not from government, and that God gives liberty to each of us, individually and equally. Government’s ONLY role is to preserve and protect our God-given individual liberty. The key to preserving liberty is found in God and in His saving grace through His Son Jesus Christ, but Mr. Smith never mentioned God in his article.
The Bible says:
“Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” (2 Corinthians 3:17; KJV).
The Bible also says:
“If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:13-14; KJV).
Having said all that, I would offer the following as a truer (and shorter) set of guidelines for restoring individual liberty in America:
1. Individually, if we haven’t already done so, we must accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior (Romans 10:5-13).
2. We must humble ourselves before God, repent of our sins (both individually and as a nation), pray for forgiveness, and seek to do God’s will.
3. We must pray continually and regularly study God’s Word so that He may guide and direct us as we seek to do His will, follow His commands, advance His Kingdom, and restore liberty in America.
4. We must study America’s founding charters—the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights—as well as the other writings of the Founders so as to become more educated about what it takes to limit government and preserve liberty.
5. We must spread our knowledge to our families and friends. We must follow Jesus’ command to be “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:13-16).
We must be the change we want to see here in America, but it will not happen without God.
So without further ado...
_______________________________________
The essay written by Brandon Smith entitled The Essential Rules of Liberty was, in part, well written. I have to say, though, that as a whole his essay really bothered me. The essay bothered me because it was incomplete and a very large portion of it--the central premise of his argument, in fact--was factually incorrect. I'll explain.
Mr. Smith said:
“The desire for freedom is as inborn and natural as our own heartbeat, as our own breath. It is instinct. It cannot be erased from within, only oppressed from without. The tide has always been against tyranny, always, though we may find that hard to believe. If liberty was not ingrained into our very DNA, humanity would have succumbed to bondage and self destructed long ago.”
That just isn’t true. Ever since Adam and Eve committed the original sin and broke God’s perfect creation, men have always “succumbed to bondage and self destruction” as the path of least resistance. Read the Book of Exodus to see a very clear illustration of this indisputable fact. The Israelites were constantly carping at Moses about how this long march to freedom was just too hard and too dangerous. They continually cried about how they were much safer and more secure as slaves in Egypt. This pattern has continued over and over again throughout history. Men have always traded liberty for “security.”
The truth is that, until 1776, no nation in all of human history had ever been founded upon principles of true, God-given individual liberty. It’s also true that those Founding Fathers who fought so hard for liberty were actually in the minority. Most colonists would have been content to remain under the boot of the King! That sad fact makes the birth of America all the more remarkable.
But America was born as a free and independent nation, and the truth is that no nation in the history of the world has ever fought so hard for so long, or has ever sacrificed as much blood and treasure, for the advancement of liberty than has the United States of America. This has been necessary because the natural impulse of men is to trade true liberty for the false promise of “security” offered by tyrants.
So….what makes the United States different? Why did we become a “shining city on a hill” for the advancement of liberty? The answer to this question goes to the heart of what Mr. Smith left out of his essay. America was founded upon the Biblical principles of Christianity by men and women who were devout Christians. The Declaration of Independence stated very clearly that men and nations are subject to God’s Law, with God over men and men over government. The Declaration stated that liberty is a gift from God, not from government, and that God gives liberty to each of us, individually and equally. Government’s ONLY role is to preserve and protect our God-given individual liberty. The key to preserving liberty is found in God and in His saving grace through His Son Jesus Christ, but Mr. Smith never mentioned God in his article.
The Bible says:
“Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” (2 Corinthians 3:17; KJV).
The Bible also says:
“If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:13-14; KJV).
Having said all that, I would offer the following as a truer (and shorter) set of guidelines for restoring individual liberty in America:
1. Individually, if we haven’t already done so, we must accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior (Romans 10:5-13).
2. We must humble ourselves before God, repent of our sins (both individually and as a nation), pray for forgiveness, and seek to do God’s will.
3. We must pray continually and regularly study God’s Word so that He may guide and direct us as we seek to do His will, follow His commands, advance His Kingdom, and restore liberty in America.
4. We must study America’s founding charters—the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights—as well as the other writings of the Founders so as to become more educated about what it takes to limit government and preserve liberty.
5. We must spread our knowledge to our families and friends. We must follow Jesus’ command to be “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:13-16).
We must be the change we want to see here in America, but it will not happen without God.
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