New, Slimmer GPS-Based Outdoor Rescue Beacons

Rescue beacons like the SPOT Messenger and ACR personal locator beacons (PLBs) offer outdoor lovers an invaluable safety tool. If ever you find yourself in a life-threatening situation, rescue is just a simple click of a button away. While the devices use different infrastructures, their aim is the same: transmit your location via satellite to a team of rescue personnel who can come give you the assistance you desperately need. While these type of devices might be overkill for many a user, it's not to hard to envision just how vital they could be in the right...wrong... situation. Two factors that have made them a bit impractical are the price tag (PLBs typically cost in the $400 to $600 range and SPOT costs around $150 for the equipment, but is a subscription-based service) and size. While expense remains a factor barring some from using these safety accessories, size is something that both SPOT and ACR have addressed recently. Each company has released a new, slimmed-down model that should make carrying one of these lifelines easier than ever. I've personally been testing out an original SPOT unit, and while it's worked well for basic communications so far, I can attest to the fact that it's bulky size can get in the way. I prefer to wear it on the front of my belt, so that it remains accessible. However, when hiking, particularly on steep terrain, the SPOT unit tends to bang up against my leg and stomach, making it rather uncomfortable. In short, a slimmer unit could do a lot toward complementing the safety benefits of a SPOT or PLB with a bit more comfort and usability. SPOT 2 Messenger The new SPOT 2 Satellite GPS Messenger is 30% smaller and lighter than the original SPOT, weighing in at just 5.2 ounces and measuring 3.7 x 2.6 x 1 inches. In addition to the slimmed-down profile, the Messenger gets a few other enhancements including an advanced chipset, improved antenna for more effective communication in heavy foliage and other obstructed areas, GPS acquisition light, illuminated buttons, covers over the 911 and Help buttons to protect from accidental activation, and a new function. While the original SPOT contained a four-operation system (Get Help, Check-In, 911 and Track Progress), the new Messenger adds a fifth function: Custom Message, which allows you to send a pre-programmed message to contacts in your profile, giving you another option in addition to the Check In and Help functions, which also communicate with preset contacts. Rather than text, the buttons are now designated using internationally-recognized symbols, which hopefully you'll actually recognize before needing to use them. The slimmer SPOT Messengers are available in either orange or silver for a retail price of $150. Each unit includes a neoprene armband. Basic service costs $100 per year. Note: SPOT recalled some of its SPOT 2 units due to battery and messaging problems. For more information, click here. ACR Sarlink ACR PLBs operate on the Cospas-Sarsat system, a global cooperative that monitors and administrates the worldwide rescue initiative. The Sarlink and Sarlink View are the latest models for outdoor users. ACR describes the Sarlink as one of the smallest, lightest 406 GPS PLBs in the world (2.25 x 5.88 x 1.29 inches). It weighs in at 8.9 ounces. The Sarlink also contains a bright LED strobe light, for on-ground solicitation of help. Unlike SPOT, which relies on GPS, the Sarlink uses three levels of signals--GPS, 406 MHz and 121.5 MHz. Unlike the multi-functional platform provided by SPOT, ACR PLBs were originally designed solely to get help in an emergency and featured a one-button interface for this purpose. ACR recently added subscription packages for sending non-emergency messages and location information to contacts. The basic 406 Link package allows you to self-test the unit and runs $39.95 per year. The Plus package enables you to send 'I'm Ok' information and location to up to five contacts. ACR also offers the Sarlink View, which provides an LCD screen that shows coordinates and assists with optimizing the unit. The SarLink retails for $400 while the Sarlink View is $649.

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How to make a level playing field at the Paralympics

(Photo: Nick Procaylo/Canwest News Service) There is little doubt that the physical attributes of athletes like sprinter Usain Bolt and swimmer Michael Phelps, both of whom are at least 6-foot-5 and relatively slender, give them a competitive advantage. But nobody’s arguing, at least not yet, that shorter, stumpier sprinters or swimmers should be given a head start or have their times adjusted to reflect their shortcomings. Similarly, the National Hockey League can find a place for the likes of Brian Gionta and Martin St. Louis without special dispensation, even though the top of their helmets barely reach Boston Bruins defenceman Zdeno Chara’s armpits. But in the world of Paralympic sport, where size isn’t so much a determining factor as which limbs an athlete might be missing or how much functional trunk movement a paraplegic might have, levelling the playing field is crucial. Gary Kingston of Canwest News Service examines how it is accomplished at the Paralympics. The new system Basically, if you’re a paraplegic, a leg amputee or have some other lower body impairment, you plop yourself into a sled or a wheelchair and go out and compete. It’s in the three other sports, alpine skiing, cross-country skiing and biathlon, where a levelling of the playing field is required. The most significant move the International Paralympic Committee made was to adopt, for the 2006 Games in Turin, the International Ski Federation’s format of grouping athletes into a mere three categories — standing, sit skiers and visually impaired. In previous Games, different classifications within those categories would race together, with athletes sometimes winning gold against only four or five other competitors. The three-category system reduces the number of races and medals, and increases the number of contenders per race, the legitimacy of the competition and the value of medals. 39 pages long But how can someone like para-alpine skier Lauren Woolstencroft of North Vancouver, B.C., — who was born missing both legs below the knees and her left arm below the elbow and is classified as an LW3-1 — compete on an even basis with Andrea Rothfuss of Germany (LW6/8-2), who is missing the hand on her left arm, or Solene Jambaque of France (LW9-2), who has some partial paralysis on one side of her body? Is there a system fair enough to adequately measure the relative abilities of Squamish, B.C., para-alpine skier Matt Hallat (LW2), who lost his right leg through the knee to cancer at age six, and German superstar Gerd Schoenfelder (LW5/7-2), who lost his right arm above the elbow and some of his left hand in an accident at 19? Well, it is complex and might require a mathematics degree to figure out. The classification rules and regulations for alpine skiing alone run 39 pages. Adjusted times In the standing category, for example, there are seven different classifications and eight additional sub-classes. That’s where factoring comes in. A factor is a number between zero and one — it typically extends to seven decimal points, as in .9252867 for Woolstencroft, pictured, in downhill — that is multiplied by the actual time it takes a skier to complete the course. The result is known as “adjusted time,” which is displayed immediately on scoreboards at the venues so fans can know instantly who won. The factor is determined by an IPC working group, which includes coaches, the chair of the alpine committee, a person versed in doing calculations and application of statistical methods, and others. Working with assessments of athletes made by doctors, therapists and others, plus past results, they determine a factor for each class or sub-class. The best skiers are winning “What we’ve been able to see in the last few years is how many different races are being run with athletes in different categories being the winner. It’s a very fair system and nobody can say they never have a chance,” says Eric Angstadt, the IPC’s winter sport manager. “It is harder [to win] with the three-class system,” Sandy Dukat of the U.S. said after winning a bronze in the women’s standing slalom at Turin. “But it gives more credibility to my ability as a ski racer.” “For the most part, what they’ve got is fair,” Hallat says. “Speaking for the men’s standing category, there’s some days on certain hills where some classes don’t do as well as others … but nine times out of 10 it’s fairly accurate and the best skiers are winning.” All about the draw Virtually all the rules of able-bodied curling apply to the wheelchair game, with one exception — there’s no sweeping. The curlers have the option of releasing their rocks by hand or using a delivery stick. Almost all choose the stick. The only gender stipulation is that a team must be mixed, with three men and two women — counting the fifth player — being the most common arrangement. The wheelchair version of the game consists of eight ends. The other difference spectators will notice is the number of rocks in play. Wheelchair curling is still very much a draw game, but recently, as teams develop the ability to throw bigger weight, the takeout game is starting to become a factor. Surprisingly fast and agile “I always tell someone when they haven’t seen a [sledge hockey] game before, whatever you think it’s going to be, it’s going to be completely different,” Team Canada’s Ray Grassi said before a test event at Vancouver’s University of British Columbia last year. “It’s, ‘Oh, you paraplegics or whatever play hockey. That’s going to be fun.’ When they get here and see how rough it can be, it completely changes their idea of disabled sport.” In sledge hockey — which is open at the elite international level to athletes with a lower body disability, including amputees, paraplegics and spina bifada sufferers — players sit on lightweight titanium sleds, which have skate blades underneath. They propel themselves around the ice by using short, double-ended hockey sticks, equipped with small picks on one end and curved blades for passing and shooting the puck on the other end. The best players are surprisingly fast and agile. At a skills session last season, Canada’s fastest player did a loop of the rink in 15 seconds. That compares with 13 seconds for top NHLers. Top players are also remarkably skilled, able to ambidextrously slide the puck underneath their sled to keep it away from defenders.

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Joey Logano To Make State Appearance Monday

Sprint Cup Series driver and Middletown native Joey Logano will be heading home for an appearance Monday. The 19-year old Joe Gibbs Racing driver will be greeting fans Monday in his home hometown during an appearance from noon to 1 p.m. at Middletown Toyota at 634 Newfield Street. "Who knows, maybe if people come out to get an autograph or see what is going on, they can look into buying a new Toyota," Logano said in a release from Joey Logano Racing. Logano, in his second year in the Sprint Cup Series, is 14th in the standings after four races this season. "I love going back to Middletown because there is nothing like going back to your hometown and the support you get from people there," Logano said in the release. "Anytime we are there, the fans turn out in big numbers."

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How Avid Golfers Can Avoid Joint Erosion

If you are an avid golfer that plays several times a week, there is a risk that you could develop joint erosion. This is a painful process that can reduce your swing, and make it difficult to function normally. However, there are steps every avid golfer can take that will help them avoid joint erosion. Wrists This [...]

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Michelle Alexander on "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness."

Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness was on Democracy Now! this week for a two-part interview (Part 1, Part 2). And she wrote an essay for TomDispatch, introduced as "The Age of Obama as a Racial Nightmare". It began thus: Ever since Barack Obama lifted his right hand and took his oath of office, pledging to serve the United States as its 44th president, ordinary people and their leaders around the globe have been celebrating our nation's "triumph over race." Obama's election has been touted as the final nail in the coffin of Jim Crow, the bookend placed on the history of racial caste in America. Obama's mere presence in the Oval Office is offered as proof that "the land of the free" has finally made good on its promise of equality. There's an implicit yet undeniable message embedded in his appearance on the world stage: this is what freedom looks like; this is what democracy can do for you. If you are poor, marginalized, or relegated to an inferior caste, there is hope for you. Trust us. Trust our rules, laws, customs, and wars. You, too, can get to the promised land. Perhaps greater lies have been told in the past century, but they can be counted on one hand. Racial caste is alive and well in America. Most people don't like it when I say this. It makes them angry. In the "era of colorblindness" there's a nearly fanatical desire to cling to the myth that we as a nation have "moved beyond" race. Here are a few facts that run counter to that triumphant racial narrative: * There are more African Americans under correctional control today -- in prison or jail, on probation or parole -- than were enslaved in 1850, a decade before the Civil War began. * As of 2004, more African American men were disenfranchised (due to felon disenfranchisement laws) than in 1870, the year the Fifteenth Amendment was ratified, prohibiting laws that explicitly deny the right to vote on the basis of race. * A black child born today is less likely to be raised by both parents than a black child born during slavery. The recent disintegration of the African American family is due in large part to the mass imprisonment of black fathers. * If you take into account prisoners, a large majority of African American men in some urban areas have been labeled felons for life. (In the Chicago area, the figure is nearly 80%.) These men are part of a growing undercaste -- not class, caste -- permanently relegated, by law, to a second-class status. They can be denied the right to vote, automatically excluded from juries, and legally discriminated against in employment, housing, access to education, and public benefits, much as their grandparents and great-grandparents were during the Jim Crow era. Of course we all know that blacks are arrested, prosecuted and jailed out of all proportion to their numbers, most notably with respect to the war on drugs, when data have repeatedly shown that drug use is virtually identical across racial boundaries. And some of us even recall the role that felony disfranchisement played in letting George W. Bush close enough to steal the 2000 election. But what Alexander does here is focus attention on what was previously hidden in plain sight--the much broader, much deeper, systematic effect of such selective law enforcement in re-legalizing second-class status for a majority of adult black men, and an increasing number of black women as well. If we want to know what's wrong with the promise of Obama, if we want to truly, deeply grasp the nature of the gap between the promise and the reality, there is not better way, no clearer picture than that drawn by Alexander. On Democracy Now! she elaborated: MICHELLE ALEXANDER: Yes, thanks largely to the war on drugs, a war that has been waged almost exclusively in poor communities of color, even though studies have consistently shown that people of color are no more likely to use or sell illegal drugs than whites. The war on drugs waged in these ghetto communities has managed to brand as felons millions of people of color for relatively minor, nonviolent drug offenses. And once branded a felon, they're ushered into a permanent second-class status, not unlike the one we supposedly left behind. Those labeled felons may be denied the right to vote, are automatically excluded from juries, and my be legally discriminated against in employment, housing, access to education, public benefits, much like their grandparents or great grandparents may have been discriminated against during the Jim Crow era. Think of that. Think long and hard. Think 10 to 20 years. Think 20 to life. Think Scooter Libby getting off without serving a day, even after being convicted. Think about all the rest of the Bush Administration war criminals, and how Obama dismissed his Nuremberg obligations to hold them accountable, saying he wanted to "look forward, not look back." Think who the real criminals are, and who exactly it is who believes in--and stands for--democracy. Think what would happen if one of these millions were to stand before a judge and argue that he shouldn't be charged, because the judge should "look forward, not look back." Then there's the trivial nature of the crimes alleged--crimes whose triviality is readily recognized, day in, day out, when the offenders are middle-class whites: JUAN GONZALEZ: Well, you mention that the-in the war on drugs, four out of five people arrested have actually been arrested for use of drugs, not for-or possession or use of drugs, not for the sale of drugs. Could you talk about how the-both political parties joined in this increasing incarceration around drug use? MICHELLE ALEXANDER: That's right. The war on drugs, contrary to popular belief, was not declared in response to rising drug crime. Actually, the war on drugs, the current drug war, was declared in 1982 by President Ronald Reagan at a time when drug crime was actually on the decline. A few years later, crack cocaine hit the streets in poor communities of color across America, and the Reagan administration hired staff to publicize crack babies, crack mothers, crack dealers in inner-city communities, in an effort to build public support and more funding, and ensure more funding, for the new war that had been declared. But the drug war had relatively little to do with drug crime, even from the outset. The drug war was launched in response to racial politics, not drug crime. The drug war was part of the Republican Party's grand strategy, often referred to as the Southern strategy, an effort to appear-appeal to poor and working-class white voters who were threatened by, felt vulnerable, threatened by the gains of the civil rights movement, particularly desegregation, busing and affirmative action. And the Republican Party found that it could get Democrats-white, you know, working-class poor Democrats-to defect from the Democratic New Deal coalition and join the Republican Party through racially coded political appeals on issues of crime and welfare. And the strategy worked like a charm. You know, within weeks of the Reagan administration's publicity campaign around crack cocaine, you know, images of black crack users and crack dealers flooded, you know, our nation's television sets and forever changed our nation's conception of who drug users and dealers are. And law enforcement efforts became targeted on poor communities of color in the drug war. And drug law enforcement agencies, state and local law enforcement task forces committed to drug law enforcement, have been rewarded for drastically increasing the volume of drug arrests. Federal funding flows to state and local law enforcement that boost the volume of drug arrests, the sheer numbers. Many people think the drug war, you know, has been targeted at violent offenders or aimed at rooting out drug kingpins, but nothing could be further from the truth. Local and state law enforcement agencies get rewarded for the sheer numbers of drug arrests. And federal drug forfeiture laws allow state and local law enforcement officials to keep 80 percent of the cash, cars, homes that they seize from suspected drug offenders, granting to law enforcement a direct monetary interest in the profitability and longevity in the drug war. And the results have been predictable. Millions of poor people of color have been rounded up for relatively minor nonviolent drug offenses. In fact, in 2005, four out of five drug arrests were for possession. Only one out of five were for sales. Most people in state prison for drug offenses have no history of violence or significant selling activity. And during the 1990s, the period of the greatest expansion of the drug war, nearly 80 percent of the increase in drug arrests were for marijuana possession, a drug now widely believed to be less harmful than alcohol or tobacco and at least as prevalent in middle-class and suburban white communities as it is in the ghetto. Today, we can look back in stunned horror on the late 1800s, a period marked by waves of racial hysteria, and mass lynchings of black men (which actually persisted for decades into the 20th Century), all thinly justified by invocations of rape that were deemed so heinous it was considered intolerable to even try to make sure that the right offender was hanged--let alone to inquire if there were actually even an offense committed in the first place. And yet, for all the bloody horror of that time, the greatest impact was that of intimidation on an entire people. The numbers of those hanged was "only" a few hundred or so a year. In our time, the number of blacks incarcerated and deprived of their rights is roughly a thousand times that. How, then, will people a hundred years from now, look back on us today?

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Best Place For A Koi Pond. Desinging It Best Posted By: Paul Kramer

When designing from scratch, first consider the location of the pond within the garden. The right location can enhance a pond's visual impact, make it easier to maintain and also improve the health of the koi that live in it. Avoid placing the pond too close to an existing deciduous tree. When the leaves drop in autumn, many will be inevitably end up in the pond. It is not a good idea to plant willow or yew trees near a pond because if their toxic nature. As well as the position of a pond within the overall garden design, give some thought to the availability and location of services such as water, electricity, gas and sewage, the position of the house in relation to the pond, the potential for sunlight to fall directly into the water, and a convenient viewing place. Experience has shown that when temperatures are kept stable, particularly in autumn and spring, there are far fewer fish losses. You can achieve temperature stability using thermostatically controlled electric heaters or gas broilers, but if the pond is well placed and benefits from direct sun, you will be less reliant on these devices to maintain the water temperature.Koi Pond

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make money while you sleep

make money while you sleep, $10,000 moe and more. You can sucsess without downline. If you want fast. Plase reffer 2 refferals. Harga: Rp. 2.600.000,- Nama pengiklan: P. Siepu Telepon: 085296669996 Alamat: jl baiturrahman Kota: BINJAI Kunjungi situs: tviexpress.com/missmurry

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New Wave: Make it or Fake it with these Haircare Finds

Good hair does not come easy. Seriously, have you seen Chris Rock's wise-cracking documentary "Good Hair" about the lengths African American women go to for their coif? Hysterical but haltingly serious. Unless you were blessed with a naturally perfect head of hair (lucky you!), odds are that you drop a pretty penny or two on regular hair salon visits. And the last thing you want is your style to fall flat once you leave the stylist's chair. Here's the latest wave in haircare products that prolong your style or when all else fails, help you to fake it! HerCut Haircare Collection. It's the greatest thing since sliced bread, at least in the beauty world -- a haircare line tailored specifically for your haircut. Each styling product addresses one of the five major categories of haircut -- the bob, the pixie, the shag, the blunt cut and long layers. HerCut uses what they call "catalysts" to molecularly ensure that hair conforms to your cut, picking up where your stylist leaves off. The catalysts are custom to the specific needs of every cut (e.g., weighted, forward motion for bobs and controlled separation for shags) to maximize style regardless of hair type. Available at select Sephora stores and sephora.com, $22 to $28. More at hercut.com. Hairdo Clip-In Bangs and Wrap-Around Pony. Developed by celebrity stylist Ken Paves and Jessica Simpson, these hair pieces pump up the glam in minutes. The bangs simply affix to your own hair at the crown with three clips. The Wrap-Around Ponytail easily wraps around the base of your own ponytail and connects with Velcro. Both come in a multitude of hair colors and the Tru2Life fiber can withstand heat up to 350 degrees, making it easy to change the look until heat-styled again. Get it at QVC, ULTA, extensions.com and other select salons, $29-$49. Avon Advance Techniques Grey Root Touch-ups. When grays start to sprout, grab this simple, no-mess solution until you can make it to the salon. Peroxide-free and formulated with proteins that strengthen and repair hair, the Touch-up works like a mascara wand to blend away gray roots until your next shampoo. Available at avon.com for $5.99. Redken Style Connection and Curl Bounce Collections. The hair masters at Redken won't rest until they have a product for every look. From the new Style Connection, Velvet Gelatine 07 goes on before blow drying for a cushioned finish, Matte Sponge 05 goes on dry or damp hair for a roughed-up look and Wool Shake 08 goes on dry hair for a textured finished. Embrace your curls with Redken's new Ringlet 07 Curl Perfector, Soft Spin 05, Curl Wise 14 styling aids. Buy it at select salons for $12-$20. Visit redken.com for a list of local retailers. Philip B Russian Amber Imperial Shampoo. This ultra rich hair cleanser redefines luxury shampoo. Dramatically high concentrations of nutrient-rich vitamins and amino acids hydrate hair on a cellular level, leaving it plump and sexy with tons of shine and laced with the luscious scent of exotic botanicals. Work the rubber-like formula into the scalp, drape it through the strands and leave on for up to 5 minutes for an unforgettable shampoo experience. Get it at philipb.com for $140 (gulp!). Hair Rules Daily Cleansing Cream Moisturizing No Suds Shampoo. Be kind to your cut with this sulfate and paraben-free daily cleansing cream. Nothing like the typical shampoo, this no-suds (zero suds, nada!) formula encases strands in rich botanicals like honey, awapuhi and hops. Hair is amazingly clean and super soft. Especially good for kinky and wavy hair textures. Available at hairrules.com, $22. Kairos Acne Care Solutions Hair System. If acne breakouts are detracting from your rocking haircut, meet Kairos -- the marriage of healthy skin and hair. Developed by medical professionals, Kairos Acne Care is the first hair care line to address acne-causing factors linked to hair and hair products. The Clarifying Complexion-Clearing Shampoo, Balancing Breakout-Controlling Conditioner and Flex Hold Clear Finish Hair Spray are each formulated without acne-aggravating and pore-clogging ingredients. What they do have are botanicals and natural moisturizers made from "safe oils" that don't clog pores. The products are $24-28 and available at kairosclear.com.

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Teach Your Child Weather Safety

This article will be written in a different format than you are used to here on “Teach Kids How. EInstead of age group, teachings for weather safety will be written to categorize the individual weather phenomenon, to give an overall view of ways to teach your children to take cautionary measures for each category. Therefore, for each age group it is advised to go over these weather conditions with your child as you see their learning ability is best understood. No matter what age your children there are online venues, books and other creative material for you and your child to review. The material was intended to help you and your children understand how these systems develop and ways to protect themselves, should an incident occur locally. Many families have prepared them and their families with an emergency kit should tragedy strike, this is a good idea to have. You can purchase a large plastic bin and keep it in the basement or other safe place, like under the stairs, in case of a natural disaster. In your emergency kit you could include water (at least a gallon per person for a few days), a flashlight with batteries, canned foods with a can opener, a radio, any emergency medications and first aid kit, blankets, moist towels, pet food(if applicable), and a whistle to signal for help. You can include other emergency items at your discretion of things you and your family might need. Thunderstorms - Lightening storms Thunderstorms can rumble through any part of the country at any time, sometimes without a lot of notice. The crackle of thunder can be especially frightening for young children. It’s important to talk to children about what to expect when a thunderstorm rolls through their community. They should be secure in their home and stay away from windows. A neat way to see how far away a thunderstorm is can be done when you see the flash of lightening; count until you hear the BOOM of the thunder. Once you have your number of seconds, divide that number by five. For instance if you count 30 seconds divided by five, the thunderstorm is six miles away. This is a fun way to help children with their fear issues of a thunderstorm. Yet, thunderstorms are not to be taken lightly as thunderstorms are producers of tornadoes, which you can read more about in the next part of this article. Be sure to go over the below safety tips with your children. Main safety tips to address: If they see or hear a thunderstorm, they should come inside right away. Stay away from metal objects when a thunderstorm is going on. If they cannot get inside, they should stay away from anything tall and crouch down on their knees, protecting their head with their arms. Tornadoes Tornadoes can happen just about anywhere in the United States, they are extremely dangerous, and can quickly emerge without much of a warning. Tornadoes come from thunderstorms, which is the very first step in the creation of a tornado. Children should be aware of the danger of tornadoes, as being the most violent land produced storm. Tornadoes can reach winds of up to 200 mph and can demolish an entire community within a matter of minutes. The dangers of tornadoes are apparent and precautionary measures can be discussed with your children in the area of things to look out for when a large thunderstorm is approaching. This would include coming inside before a thunderstorm hits, the sights and sounds of a tornado, what the warnings mean on the news and ways to safely secure themselves should a tornado hit. Explain to your children that tornadoes sound like a locomotive or sometimes explained as the sound of an airplane. If the local siren goes off right before, during or right after a major thunderstorm or they hear the sound of a tornado they should take cover right away. When bad weather is approaching, the news should be displayed on the TV or listened to on the radio. They will indicate whether a tornado watch (meaning the conditions are right for a tornado to form), or there is a tornado warning (meaning a funnel cloud or tornado was spotted and you should take cover.) Go over with your children the main safety tips below. Main safety tips to address: Go to a basement or if there is no basement go under something sturdy, such as a staircase, or in a closet in the center of the house. This should be the lowest lying area in your home as well. Stay away from windows or doors. If you are in a car get out and go to a sturdy building or the lowest lying area of ground you can find, such as a ditch. Keep your face covered with your arms protecting your head. Hurricanes - Typhoons Talk to your children about how hurricanes and typhoons are formed and how they approach coastal cities. Hurricanes can approach coastal areas with much more preparation time than other storms. Normally hurricanes are confirmed to be developing in the oceans and can give those, who are in the path, a few days for preparation and/or to get out of the projected path. Hurricanes can become major storms that can range 400 miles in length, with an eye reaching 20-30 miles alone. As interesting as these storms can seem children should also be aware of the danger they impose on coastlines. There are two alerts you and your children can discus about the hurricane, one is a watch that indicates a storm is within 24-36 hours of the area under the watch, the other is the warning indicating that the storm is within 24 hours of the coastal area. Go over with your children the main safety tips below. Main safety tips to address: Get out of the house if you can. If you cannot get out of your home, go to a basement, safety shelter or the most secure part of your home. Stay away from windows and doors. Floods - Tsunamis Go over flood and tsunami information with your children, especially if you live in an area where either or both of these can happen. Although tsunamis and floods are different, tsunamis mostly end with a terrible flood and their main safety tips are one in the same. While a tsunami doesn’t have much warning, a flash flood will normally have warning and watches for floods or flash floods. The only indication that a tsunami may occur is when an earthquake is felt near the body of water that normally means a tsunami will follow. A tsunami can reach the height of 100 feet, but can go undetected while traveling through the ocean waters until it reaches more shallow waters. Tsunamis are known to move at a rate of 500 mph, as fast as a jet aircraft, but they usually slow down as they reach shallow waters and the coastline. For those who live in high flood areas review your landscape and those in the community close to you, know the highest ground in your immediate area, if you get caught in the car in the middle of a flood get out of the car and go for the highest ground you can. If you are in your home when a flood happens get to the roof, taking something bright with you to indicate you are trapped there and flag down for help. Be sure your children understand, while playing in water is fun, these two types of floods are deadly and can harm anyone who doesn’t feel they could be affected by either of them. Main safety tips to address: Get to the highest point in your home. Do not drive through rushing waters during a flood. If you are caught in flooding waters get to a tree, higher ground, or grab a hold of anything that is floating in the water to climb on. If you are in a car, get out ASAP. Resources Resources that can help you in your venture include: Weather Wiz Kids - http://www.weatherwizkids.com/index.htm The Weather Channel - http://www.weather.com Dan’s Wild, Wild Weather page - http://www.wildwildweather.com/ Ski Diary - http://skydiary.com/kids/ Interactive Weather Maker - http://www.scholastic.com/kids/weather/ NOAA’s Play time for kids - http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/reachout/kidspage.shtml Make your own Weather Station (Miami Museum) - http://www.miamisci.org/hurricane/weatherstation.html Ready Kids - http://www.ready.gov/kids/

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How to Strip DRM off iTunes M4V Movies TV Shows and Burn to DVD

The following article will share with you how to strip DRM off protected iTunes purchased M4V movies and TV shows and burn to DVD for backup, enhancement or playback on traditional TV sets, home DVD players with Media Converter Ultimate. *Step 1. Download Media Converter Ultimate (http://www.softdiggs.com/media-converter-ultimate.php), install and run it.* ( free download (http://www.softdiggs.com/download/daniu-media-converter-ultimate_full525_477180.exe) ) *Media Converter Ultimate* (http://www.softdiggs.com/media-converter-ultimate.php) combines into one prgram the functions of DRM Remover, DVD Creator, DVD Ripper, Media Converter, Media Transfer, etc. It is fully compatible with Windows XP, Vista (including 64 Bit) and Windows 7. *Step 2. Strip DRM off iTunes purchased movies and TV shows* Click the "Add" button to load iTunes media. iTunes movies and TV shows are usually located in the Movies and TV Shows folders under *:\My Documents\My music\iTunes\iTunes Music. After making some necessary settings, click the "Start" button to begin the conversion. Image: http://www.softdiggs.com/img/remove-itunes-drm-burn-dvd1.jpg *Step 3. Burn iTunes movies and TV shows to DVD* After the conversion, there is a pop-up dialog asking you to either "Burn to DVD" or "Copy to Devices" (media transfer). Choose the former and a window will pop up, with the (DRM free) files you just converted listed ready to be burnt. Click "OK" to go to the next "Burn to DVD" window, where you can choose a menu template, set background image/music, etc for the output. Image: http://www.softdiggs.com/img/remove-itunes-drm-burn-dvd4.jpg Click "Next" to make further DVD burning settings. You can choose to burn to DVD drive (insert a DVD disc first), burn to ISO file or burn to DVD folder. You can also specify the output path for the ISO file or DVD folder, choose TV Stardand (NTSC or PAL), Aspect Ratio, etc for the output. Besides, the software will estimate result file volume for you. Click "Start" and the whole DVD burning progress gets started. Image: http://www.softdiggs.com/img/remove-itunes-drm-burn-dvd5.jpg The burning status will be clearly shown in the progress bar. After the whole burning process, you can get the output file and start to enjoy your favorite iTunes movies and TV shows on a DVD player. Click here to take a look at the best DRM removal software review (http://www.softdiggs.com/reviews/drm-removal-review.php).

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