Michael K Houser's Blog

The National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association (NBFAA) recommends the following safety tips for protection against carbon monoxide poisoning.

* Install CO alarms outside each sleeping area of the home and on each floor of the home. For greater protection, connect the CO alarms throughout the home so that when one activates, they all activate.
* Adhere to all manufacturer’s guidelines and instructions for installation.
* Identify and store all local emergency contact numbers for a CO alarm emergency. Program these numbers in your cell phone as well, in case you are not at home when an alarm activates.
* Test monthly and confirm that each CO alarm is operating properly to the manufacturer’s instructions.
* If the CO alarm activates, immediately relocate everyone in the home to a safe location outdoors, or move into an open doorway that leads outside.
* Call for help only from a safe location, and remain in the safe location until emergency personnel arrive.
* Never start and run an automobile in an enclosed area such as a garage. Simply opening a garage door is NOT sufficient ventilation.
* In the event of a large snowstorm, ensure that all exterior dryer, furnace and/or stove vents are clear of any debris or packed snow.
* A gas-powered generator should only be used in a well-ventilated outdoor location.
* Never operate gas or charcoal grills indoors. Use in only outdoor manufacturer recommended locations.

Unlike smoke which can be detected by sight and smell, carbon monoxide can fill a home without any warning. Installing a monitored carbon monoxide detector in your home not only gives you peace of mind, it could also be your first line of defense.

This topic seems to be a common struggle I hear from a lot of people… They want to get lean, but they don’t want to give up drinking alcohol.

Now, I’m not talking about alcoholic type of drinking (that is obviously a problem)… we’re just talking moderate social drinking here.

First, although some people may willingly choose to give up alcohol entirely, I still think most of us can drink in moderation, and still stay perfectly healthy and lean. But there are a few tricks that can help you to not pack on the pounds… and I’ll mention those in a little bit.

As for myself, it comes down to choosing what I’m going to be strict about to maintain my fitness lifestyle and what I’m not going to be strict about.

For example, I’m pretty strict about never eating anything deep fried or made with trans fats, never eating white bread, and never drinking sodas or sweetened soft drinks of any kind… but I’ll admit that one thing I’ve chosen to not be strict about is drinking alcohol.

I’m in my 30’s now and I certainly don’t drink as frequently as I did back in my crazy college days, but I’ll certainly enjoy some cold ones when hanging out with friends, going to a bbq or dinner party, or during a night out at the bars and nightclubs.

It’s all about balance in your life, and not every aspect has to be perfect in order for you to still get the body and health that you want. You’ll drive yourself crazy if you’re trying to be perfect.

Of course, if you have no problem abstaining from alcohol, then that will certainly be the best thing for your health and your body.

However, for the rest of us, that actually do like to partake in some social drinking, here are a few tips that have helped me to stay single-digit bodyfat lean, while still drinking occasionally.

1. Obviously alcohol gives you extra empty calories on the days that you choose to drink. Alcohol has 7 calories per gram, compared to 4 calories per gram for carbs and protein, and 9 calories per gram for fats.

On nights that I know are going to involve some drinking, it helps to make sure that dinner is based only around protein and vegetables. You’re going to take in a lot of empty calories with the alcohol, so eating a good portion of appetite-satisfying protein along with nutrient-rich vegetables can help to control your appetite and give your body the nutrients it needs.

Plus, most importantly, there’s just no room for loads of carbohydrate-rich foods if you’re also going to be consuming alcohol. Carbs + alcohol is a perfect recipe for growing a beer belly!

2. If you want to save your body from adding layers of ugly fat, by all means stay away from syrupy, fruity drinks that are loaded with sugar… this is a double whammy for your gut as you’re not only getting all of the empty alcohol calories, but also loads of empty sugar calories. Big fruity drinks such as a margarita can sometimes have as much as 500-600 calories per serving!

Instead, your best bet is to stick with a clear alcohol mixed with club soda and a squeeze of lime or lemon. Vodka with club soda and extra lemon/lime squeeze is my drink of choice at the bars/nightclubs.

Stay away from tonic water mixers! Some people don’t realize this, but tonic water is loaded with almost as much sugar as regular soda pop… on the other hand, club soda has no calories at all. It’s clearly the lowest calorie way to drink.

3. If you’re going to drink beer, you’re better off choosing just 1 or 2 dark beers rather than 5 or 6 light beers. Sure, dark beers have more calories than light beers, but dark beers also have more B vitamins and antioxidants than light beers, so you actually get more nutrition from the dark beer. As long as you keep it to just 1 or 2 dark beers, you may still stay within 150-400 calories.

4. Try to get in a high intensity full body workout before your night out of drinking. At least you’ve revved up your metabolism and have your body processing calories a little faster.

Also, trying to get in some sort of exercise the morning after your night out can also help to get your body back to a good state of health. This may not be your best workouts in terms of energy, but it can help to just get your body moving and break a sweat.

5. Avoid the late-night munchies after a night of drinking! This is where most people do the biggest damage to their waistlines.

Instead, make sure to have some lean protein and vegetables quickly available at home (perhaps some pre-cooked chicken breasts, grass-fed steaks, or even tuna fish and some veggie sticks) so that you can satisfy your late night post-party appetite with lean protein instead of carbohydrates.

The worst thing for your body is loading up on pizza, ice cream, and other carb-rich junk after a night out of drinking.

6. If you drink multiple drinks socially, try to keep drinking alcohol to only 1-2 days/week maximum if you want to stay lean. On the other hand, if you never drink more than 1-2 drinks per day, I think having 1-2 drinks daily with a meal can still be part of a healthy lifestyle. As long as those calories are accounted for and you still stay within your daily caloric maintenance.

7. Wine is one of the healthier drink choices… if you must have a drink, you might as well choose wine so you at least get a good dose of antioxidants as well. Red wine is known for it’s antioxidant content, however even white wines contain antioxidants as well.

And finally, like I mentioned before, drinking alcohol just adds one more thing to your list that you have to work against in getting the body you want.

Abstaining may always be the best choice, BUT we also need to be realistic and know that social drinking is not something that most people are willing to give up entirely.

For that reason, this list of tips to help manage social drinking in a healthier way can really help you to stay leaner and healthier and still balance a little bit of social drinking into your life.

Mike Geary

“Do not rely on chain latches as locks. They may give a false sense of security. They are easily kicked or pried loose. Install a double cylinder deadbolt — 1-inch deadbolt and double cylinders with hardened cylinder guards. This lock must be used if glass is within 40 inches of the locking device. A single cylinder deadbolt may be used if there is no glass within 40 inches of the locking hardware. If the double cylinder deadbolt is locked when the house is occupied, a key should be left in the inside keyhole as a means of fast exit in case of fire. Always remove the key when leaving home.”

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1. Leave the copy machine set to reduce 200%, extra dark, 17 inch paper, 99 copies.
2. In the memo field of all your checks, write “for sexual favors.”
3. Specify that your drive-through order is “TO-GO.”
4. If you have a glass eye, tap on it occasionally with your pen while talking to others.
5. Stomp on little plastic ketchup packets.
6. Insist on keeping your car windshield wipers running in all weather conditions “to keep them tuned up.”
7. Reply to everything someone says with “that’s what you think.”
8. Practice making fax and modem noises.
9. Highlight irrelevant information in scientific papers and “cc” them to your boss.
10. Make beeping noises when a large person backs up.
11. Finish all your sentences with the words “in accordance with prophesy.”
12. Signal that a conversation is over by clamping your hands over your ears and grimacing.
13. Disassemble your pen and “accidentally” flip the ink cartridge across the room.
14. Holler random numbers while someone is counting.
15. Adjust the tint on your TV so that all the people are green, and insist to others that you “like it that way.”
16. Staple pages in the middle of the page.
17. Publicly investigate just how slowly you can make a croaking noise.
18. Honk and wave to strangers.
19. Decline to be seated at a restaurant, and simply eat their complimentary mints at the cash register.
20. TYPE IN UPPERCASE.
21. type only in lowercase.
22. dont use any punctuation either
23. Buy a large quantity of orange traffic cones and reroute whole streets.
24. Repeat the following conversation a dozen times.
“DO YOU HEAR THAT?”
“What?”
“Never mind, it’s gone now.”
25. As much as possible, skip rather than walk.
26. Try playing the William Tell Overture by tapping on the bottom of your chin. When nearly done, announce “No, wait, I messed it up,” and repeat.
27. Ask people what gender they are.
28. While making presentations, occasionally bob your head like a parakeet.
29. Sit in your front yard pointing a hair dryer at passing cars to see if they slow down.
30. Sing along at the opera.
31. Go to a poetry recital and ask why each poem doesn’t rhyme.
32. Ask your co-workers mysterious questions and then scribble their answers in a notebook. Mutter something about “psychological profiles.”

More than 50 million kindergarten through 12th grade students will soon return to classrooms with backpacks full of new pencils and books. But, one more must-have item should be checked off the back-to-school list — school safety.

According to the most recent statistics from the U.S. Department of Education, an estimated 2.2 million crimes were reported on public school campuses nationwide during the 2005-06 school year alone and 78 percent of schools reported violent incidents.

Patrick Fiel, former head of security for Washington, D.C. Public Schools says, “Parents who are actively involved in their student’s school security can improve their child’s safety and success on campus. Bullying, gangs, drug sales, weapons and sex predators are on the streets every day.”

To help parents here is a developed list of safety tips to keep kids safe before, during and after school.

Before school:

* If your child walks or rides a bicycle to school, help him or her choose the safest possible route with the fewest street crossings and walk or ride with him or her if possible. According to a child safety organization, pedestrian injury is the second leading cause of accidental injury-related death among children ages 5 to 14. Talking with children about biking and walking safety can help to reduce their risk of injury.
* Be sure there is at least one parent with children waiting at a school bus stop. This is a time when potentially risky activity, such as bullying and fighting, can take place.

During school:

* Educate yourself about school safety and security. Talk to your children about their safety concerns and visit their campus to talk with an administrator about the school’s security plan. Find out whether your child’s school uses technology like access control and visitor management systems to protect students from potential sex offenders and criminals who may try to gain access to the campus. If a parent can walk into a school unchallenged, so can unwanted visitors.
* Get to know the law enforcement officials or other security personnel assigned to your child’s school. Find out when they are on campus and what their responsibilities include. If your child’s school does not have regularly assigned law enforcement or security presence, work with school administrators and other parents to get it done.

After school:

* If kids are alone in the afternoons, teach them to go straight home, keep doors locked and not answer the door for anyone.
* Do not keep firearms easily accessible in your home and talk to kids about the potential dangers of guns and what to do if they find one. If you do have a gun in the house, it is vital to keep it unloaded and in a locked area with the ammunition stored separately. Parents should check their weapons periodically.

“Keeping kids safe is one of the most important things parents, teachers, administrators and the surrounding community can help to accomplish this year,” Fiel said. “We hope that these tips will remind parents to make school safety a priority so they are able to send their students off to school with confidence.”

Brink’s Home Security Holdings Inc. recently announced that it is changing the name of its home and business security offering to Broadview Security.

The company noted that its NYSE ticker symbol, “CFL,” which represents its mission to create “Customers For Life,” will remain the same.

“Our new name, Broadview Security, reflects the wide range of security services we offer and the active protection we provide to families and businesses,” Allen said. “It represents our long-standing commitment to deliver peace of mind to our customers. Broadview Security provides a strong platform to continue our growth through the expansion of our security offerings.”

Brink’s Home Security Holdings Inc. spun off as a separate publicly traded entity from its former parent on October 31, 2008. As a condition of the spin-off, the company is required to change its brand name and corporate name within three years. Today’s announcement marks the introduction of the new brand, Broadview Security.

The development of the new brand will be supported by a major marketing investment of an estimated incremental $70-$120 million over the next two to three years. The majority of the investment will focus on direct response television advertising. The new advertising campaign will break on July 6 on over 40 cable television stations, introducing Broadview Security and carrying the tag line “the next generation of Brink’s Home Security.”

IQinVision recently announced that Waterford Township, Mich. is using IQeye megapixel cameras as part of a comprehensive IP video solution to better protect its valuable water resources. Tallahassee, Fla.-based Mainline Information Systems was selected to provide video surveillance consulting, solution design, and integration.

As suggested by its name, water makes up 11 percent of Waterford Township’s 36 square miles. The Township’s Department of Public Works (DPW) Water and Sewer Division treats and distributes high-quality potable water to residential, commercial and industrial customers through the utilization of 18 wells, 11 water treatment plants, 355 miles of water main and 8.25 million gallons of storage.

To protect these critical resources, the DPW began implementation back in 2003 of a multi-phased broadband wireless system to provide the township with high-speed wireless connectivity, including links to remote water and sewer facilities. This early project phase included a number of VGA-quality video surveillance cameras located at various water treatment, storage, and sewer facilities to stream real-time video back to DPW’s main office for monitoring and recording purposes.

Recently, DPW Director Terry Biederman participated in an Oakland County Homeland Security Grant program to upgrade and augment the system with high-definition cameras and an advanced software viewing and recording package. Mainline designed a computerized monitoring system that includes IQinVision megapixel cameras, JDS Softsite32 Enterprise video management software, and Mainline professional services. The IQeye 2-megapixel smart cameras combine video analytics with high quality HD video in the camera.

JDS Softsite32 software is used to manage the cameras. Biederman noted that the IQeye 2-megapixel resolution cameras “provide higher quality recording, allowing us to zoom in on an area and get more detail even on recorded video.”

The IQeye cameras can resolve minute detail while recording event-based situations, and can be controlled by a computer on which objects can be tracked semi-automatically.

The system is programmed to alert DPW personnel, via e-mail to a desktop or hand-held device, that an event has occurred by sending a series of crystal-clear IQeye images or a 15-second video clip within five seconds of the event. Combined with the DPW’s advanced Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system, which provides intrusion and motion alarms at facilities, the system provides highly actionable information for a timely, specific response.