Kamis, 31 Desember 2009

When The World Goes To War

0 komentar
A war is possibly the last thing anybody would want to live to experience. The world has already been a witness to several wars. As students, we have studied different wars and how the people during those times have lived. War times are definitely not good times. Recently, different parts in the world have gone to war. We see different war footages on television and notice how the number of casualties exponentially rises up. Although almost everybody realize that there are no victors in wars, we cant seem to totally eliminate the prospect of having to go to war. Somebody famous once said, if we want peace, we have to prepare for war. But as mere civilians, we dont have that much power to largely make a difference during war times. The most we could probably do is to prepare ourselves, if in case war breaks out suddenly. Just like in preparing for natural calamities, we need to stock as much food and water as possible. Equally important are pieces of cloth that we could use to cover our mouth and nose, and sunglasses for our eyes as protection against dust particles brought about by bombings and the like. On a larger scale, the government planning to involve in a war should have prepared emergency underground facilities. These facilities would contain grain silos and medical stockpiles. Civilians and injured soldiers are usually housed in one of these underground facilities. Large cities in the United States have several underground centers that they could use during war emergency situations. Examples of these are the underground facilities near major railroads. Aside from gun and ammo, the government should also equip themselves with machineries such as truck transportable bridges, mobile refineries, mobile decontamination services, and water purification systems. Other amenities such as petroleum supply are especially reserved for times of war. Of course, the government will have to organize effective cooperation between its different civil services. The police, healthcare service, fire service and other public utility providers are expected to work together to ensure that civilians get as much protection as possible. Sometimes, able bodies might be requested to undergo special training programs to help protect the rest of the civilians. War is such a large scale event that as individuals and small communities, we could only do so much. Most of the preparations involved are left to the national government and international security institutions. As citizens, we will be left with no choice but to follow where the government leads us in times of war. Collective effort is very important for survival. Probably the most effective way of preparing for war is to disseminate information effectively and rapidly. Information on self-protection should be disseminated to the public. Concerned international authorities will also be able to benefit from information sharing. A large pool of information resources will be helpful for both parties, and would allow them to hopefully come into an agreement even before war could eventually break out. Because of high technology, which greatly affects how the world goes to war, preparing for war is getting more and more complicated. We already have nuclear, chemical and biological weapons which can wipe out a continent within a few minutes. High walled palaces made of stone which used to protect early civilizations from war are not enough anymore with the severity of the damage which these weapons can cause.

What Do You Do When A Volcano Erupts Tomorrow?

0 komentar
Volcanic eruptions are one of the powerful disasters nature can bring. Volcanic eruptions are catastrophic enough that it can wipe out several towns in a few hours. They can also cause temporary changes in the Earths climate. Volcanologists are the scientists who study volcanoes. They predict the possibility of a volcanic eruption as well as the severity. However, Volcanologists can not always exactly forecast when and where the next volcanic eruption will occur. That is why, it is important to know the basics in on how to prepare for an emergency volcanic eruption. 1. First, you need to be at least familiar with the terms associated with volcanic eruptions. These will be very helpful in understanding news about volcanic eruptions. Volcanic ash refers to small dust particles or large pieces of rocks which are erupted to the air and carried down together with volcanic gases. These volcanic ashes can corrode metals, decompose fabrics, clog machineries, block water intakes and drains, and of course kill vegetation. Pyroclastic flows are those streams of molten volcanic rocks. These flow at hurricane velocity. Because of their high temperature and speed, they can destroy everything in their path. 2. Coordinate with your local emergency team to check for any areas in your region which are prone to pyroclastic flows and volcanic ash. 3. If the volcano is starting to show some signs of eruption, do not go anywhere near it. As mentioned above, Volcanologists could not precisely predict the time a volcano may erupt. You can get immediately killed by a sudden eruption. 4. Follow your local governments advise when they say you need to evacuate. You should avoid lower areas, especially to those places downwind. Although high infrastructures, such as tall buildings can offer protection from volcanic ash, these are not enough shelter for rock debris and lava flows. 5. As much as possible, do cross a bridge because of the danger caused by mudflows. If you need to cross bridges, look upstream first and ensure that no mudflow is approaching. Take note that mudflows move faster than you can ever run. 6. If the volcano has started emitting volcanic ash, do not go outside until the ash has settled. Also, avoid opening any windows and doors in the house. 7. Once the air is clear, immediately remove any volcanic ash which may have settled on your rain gutters and roofs. Volcanic ash can be disastrous if they have thickly accumulated on your rooftops. In addition, these can cause severe respiratory diseases, especially to infants and old people with lung problems. 8. If you need to drive, avoid areas which have already been heavily covered with dust. Maintain a speed slower than 30 mph. 9. Of course, you need to prepare enough food and water to last for several days. You would also need spare batteries and dust masks. You can use extra clothing to cover your head and thin cloths to breathe with. When news of volcanic eruption is out, be sure that you are always prepared wherever you maybe. Arm yourselves with enough knowledge to reduce the great impact that a volcanic eruption have. Always listen to the radio for updates and advice on how you can safely overcome this disaster. Volcanic eruption preparations do not stop after the volcano has erupted. Once the disaster is over, there are a lot of cleanup operations needed. Recovering from a volcanic eruption takes a long time. Cooperation within your community is needed.

Using Multiple Pets to Find Pet Health Insurance for a

0 komentar
Using Multiple Pets to Find Pet Health Insurance for a Low Cost You love your pets. They are the first things you see when you wake up in the morning. They lay at your feet while your eating breakfast, they run with you as you get your early morning exercise, they look heart broken when you leave them behind, when you get home from a long day at work they are so happy to see you that they can hardly contain their joy, they listen attentively as you rant and rave about the trails and tribulations of your day, at night they crawl into bed with you and keep the nightmares at bay while you sleep. What they don't do is criticize you, judge you, or abandon you. There is very little you wouldn't do for your pets. Thats what you think almost everyday of the year but on the days you have to take them to the vet and pay the obligatory bill you have to wonder. All your cat had done was a treatment for a mild case of ear mites. And your dog had been a yearly rabies vaccination. The whole processes for both pets took less then fifteen minutes. How could it possible cost so much? You might be able to see the benefits of pet health insurance. You might salivate at the idea of not dealing with the ginourmous vet bills you get every six months ago. You might even daydream about the day you don't dread the financial repercussions of taking your dog or cat the vet. But right now you simply don't think you can afford to monthly bill a pet health insurance bill would put on your budget, after all its not like having pet health insurance would make the vet bills completely disappear, more then likely you would still have to pay the office visit. You might not think you can afford pet health insurance at the moment but dont walk away from an offer, not yet. Looking at a policy does not mean that you have to walk away from it. If you are a clever bargain shopper there are ways to find pet health insurance at a low cost. If you have more then one pet you probably automatically qualify for a lower premium. Lots of pet health insurance companies offer multiple pet discounts. There is one little catch, a lot of the companies only offer multiple pet discounts if the pets are the same species. In other words if you have two cats that you insure you will pay a lower premium but if you have a cat and a dog lots of pet health insurance companies will consider it two completely different accounts. Are you starting to despair? Don't worry two much, while many companies don't consider pets of separate species ground for a multiple pet discount a lot of those same companies have a policy that offers discounts to customers who carry more then policy with the company. The multiple policy discount usually takes about ten percent off the total bill but a good bargains shopper can find companies that offer higher discounts all they have to do is be willing to spend the time to shoe around.