Hurricane Preparation

What is a hurricane?

Understanding hurricanes is the first step in hurricane preparation. A hurricane is a severe, rotating oceanic weather system that has maximum winds in excess of 119 km per hour or 74 mph. It is created and strengthens over tropical oceanic regions. Hurricanes are generally smaller around 500 km in diameter as compared to mid latitude storms and occur near the ocean surface, air spirals in counterclockwise direction. Due to its height, the cyclonic circulation weakens and eventually at the top of the storm it turns clockwise.

Things to do during a hurricane warning:

If a hurricane warning is issued, there are a few basic steps you need to follow as part of hurricane preparation:

Get current updates from your local news or radio channels or from weather.com. Ensure you have a battery powered radio. Keep your emergency supplies kit, sleeping bags, and blankets handy with you. Get your pets and children indoors. Inform your family's emergency contact person about your plans. Ensure your car's fuel tank is full and you have extra cash in hand. Bring loose objects near your house inside. Secure all windows with ply or shutters. Place all records and valuables in a waterproof container and place it at the highest point in your house.

How do you get ready for an evacuation?

As part of hurricane preparation, local authorities might ask you to evacuate. In that case you need to follow certain procedures:

Turn off water taps, switch off and unplug all electrical appliances. Switch off the main fuse. Pack your family's emergency supplies kit, sleeping bags, and blankets. Bring photocopies of important documents like insurance policies and photos of your home's contents. Lock doors and windows before leaving. Evacuate as per routes advised to avoid crowded roads or flooded and washed away roads and bridges.

What to do if you aren't told to evacuate?

If you are not advised to evacuate, hopefully you should have had ample time get supplies as part of hurricane preparation.

Here are some tips you also may want to consider: Stay at home. Leave the roads for those who have been advised to evacuate. Clean the bathtub using bleach and fill it with water for cleaning and washing. Set the temperature of the fridge to maximum and close it. If advised by local authorities turn off utilities like water and power.

During a hurricane if you can't get out, stay inside your house, away from doors and windows and take shelter under something sturdy like a staircase or large piece of furniture.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is a great source to keep updated during a hurricane threat. (NOAA)

Protecting Your Business With a Commercial Insurance

While you are working hard towards building sustainable and progressive strategies for your new business, also take into consideration the risks involved in running a fledging business. Investing in commercial insurance for your business is a simple solution to protect your assets from unforeseen events such as natural disasters, theft, and other legal liabilities that are a financial strain on a new business.

1. Understanding what your Coverage Requirements are -

The coverage that you eventually choose and the cost of your premium will depend on the type of business you own.

2. Investing in a Property Cover -

You may have to purchase insurance on your own if you own an office space. If you are renting, then you need to check with your landlord if your rental agreement includes a cover. A property cover typically includes the structure of your building and the contents of your business.

3. Personal versus Commercial Property -

As an owner of a new business, there may be a number of items that may cross over between your personal use and for professional use. For example, it is likely that you bring in your home computer system to use at work, or use your family car to go for business meetings. In such situations, it is important that you ensure your personal coverage suffices your business needs.

4. Always invest in a Liability Insurance -

Whether your business is incorporated, is a partnership or a sole proprietorship, there are a number of situations in which you can be held personally liable for a number of actions on behalf of your business. It is important to cover yourself and your business from the risk of being sued in case a customer or third party injures themselves in your premises, and also protect yourself from clients who allege financial losses due to negligence.

Doctors and lawyers usually protect themselves with the help of a professional liability coverage which is also commonly known as malpractice insurance. If your business involves manufacturing and / or sale of physical products, you can invest in a product liability coverage which protects companies from lawsuits in case a consumer is injured as a result of the product. The extent of your cover must be directly proportional to the potential risk your product poses to its users.

5. Worker's Compensation Coverage -

Any business, new or old is expected to purchase a worker's compensation cover and preferably also a health insurance plan to protect the health and well being of your employees. Laws pertaining to this cover vary in each country.

As a new business owner, it is recommended that you work towards indentifying an insurance agent or service provider and start building a long term relationship with them. With all the various covers that you may be expected to purchase in the due course of your business, and in some unfortunate situations, the requirement to make claims, it is important that you have a singular "go-to" person who would help you through the complexities of getting insured and making claims.

A Piano Thanksgiving - Help Your Child in Piano Lessons Count Their Musical Blessings

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to for families to give thanks for all the blessings they have received over the past year. It's also a great time to teach your children to do the same. Children taking piano lessons, because they are supported by so many people, have a wonderful opportunity to learn this tradition. You can help them realize how many people are in their musical community of support who play an important role in helping them reach their goals. One of the most difficult concepts young adults learn is how much others give to their success, and not to take such efforts on their behalf for granted. For most piano students these efforts would include the work of:

1. Piano Teachers

2. Their Parents and Family

3. Friends who recognize their need to practice

4. Music teachers at school.

5. Choruses they may also be involved in at school or church.

6. Family members who give them music gifts such as CD's or music books.

7. The Piano Technician who tunes your piano and keeps it good playing condition.

8. Other piano students who share their enthusiasm for music with them.

9. The local music store that provides a great selection of music for teachers to choose for their students.

10. The Piano Sales Gallery that also provides a wonderful piano and Recital Hall where students perform for their family and friends and for auditions.

There is a lot for piano students to be thankful for. Helping kids learn to be appreciative early pays off in the long run. So take a few minutes at the dinner table this holiday season to help your piano student give thanks for all their musical blessings.

History of Skateboarding - From Pastime to Passion!

The idea of the skateboard dates back to the time when kids used to build rafts and used logs to float across the streams for fun. Similarly, during the winters they used to slide over the icy slopes using sledges. Those were the times when bi-cycles were greatly popular yet an extremely expensive thing. Not every family could afford one for their kids or even themselves, for that matter. Skates, on the other hand, were the best and most affordable alternative for bi-cycles. But those skates were designed poorly and were easily broken. At the same time they could not serve the same purpose as the bi-cycles as they did not have a carrier attached to it, neither could they run as fast as a bi-cycle.

In order to make the skateboards more useful, kids used to attach a handle to that and make it look like a paddle-less bi-cycle. That would help them hang a bag of goods on the handle and they could use it for different utility purposes like grocery shopping. That was how a skate board was used in its initial stages.

As the time passed and the basic designs began to take more refined shapes, those creative ways of transportation emerged as sports like biking and roller-skates. Adventure skating is one of the ways of transportation that has surfaced over the last few decades as sports. Youngsters have shown great deal of interest in this form of sports.

In the late 1950's skateboarding started getting some reorganization when teenagers used to kill their after-school time on their skateboards roaming around the in the neighborhood, performing cool tricks. As the number of skateboarding enthusiasts grew, so did the competition among the kids. Everyone wants to be the coolest kid on the block, so they started to learn new tricks and built inclined planes and wood structures in the neighborhood where they could practice and display those tricks.

As the initially pastime idea gained popularity, it was adopted as a sports. This gave those kids a platform to showcase their skills and make a living from it. More and more companies started to sponsor events and they were held more frequently. Skateboarders were given the chance to go on tours and showcase their skills to a greater audience.

Some of the skaters out-performed the others and started to perform such dangerous tricks which the sporting events could not allow them to do in front of the audience. This gave rise to extreme sports where all the extra-ordinary bikers and skateboarders could perform dangerous tricks and show off their skills. They had become so passionate about the sports that they are will to take greater risks and perform stunts that would leave each one of us in awe!

Maintenance of Marine Batteries

The strength and capacity of a marine battery is defined by its plate size and amperage output. Marine starting batteries, used on larger vessels that have many "house" electrical systems, have high amperage outputs and more plate surface for bursts of energy lasting for five to 15 seconds. Starting batteries are independent of all the other electrical systems on board a craft, including house batteries.

House batteries have thicker but fewer plates than starting batteries, use (DC), or direct current and are designed to supply electricity to on board components such as the windless, stereo, bilge pump, navigational instruments and lighting. Smaller craft use a single dual-purpose deep cell marine battery, designed to start and run all electrical systems. Picking a starting or house battery requires matching the amperage and type of battery to the engine size and number of electrical components on the craft, which is outlined in the owner's manual.

The charging fluids in marine batteries come in three basic types: wet cell, AGM (absorbed glass mat), and gel. Wet cell batteries are filled with a watery charging fluid, which can be inspected from a removal cell cap. These batteries last long and are cheaper than the other types. They need to be vented to dissipate internal pressure and pose the problem of acid spills and deterioration. AGM batteries are sealed, making them maintenance free. They resist shock and vibration better than the wet type, but cost more. They are also heavier and can suffer damage from overcharging. Gel batteries, also maintenance free and resistant to shock damage, have a very low discharge rate, making them the optimum choice for long-period storage. They cost more than the other types, and are more sensitive to recharging techniques, which requires a special gel-type battery charger.

Maintenance on the AGM and gel batteries requires only a visual inspection, to check for outer case damage and clean-tight cable connections. Since they are sealed, a voltmeter is used to measure the standing volts, or charge capacity. A 100% charge will indicate 12.73 volts; a 60% charge will indicate 12.24 volts and a 20% charge will show a reading of 11.66 volts. Wet cell batteries can be checked with a hydrometer in each of the battery cells, or by a voltmeter. A hydrometer will show the specific gravity of the acid fluid by indicating a reading that is produced by a floating ball inside a tube. The scale on the hydrometer tube will show charge rates beginning with low and ranging to full. Wet cell battery fluid must be checked and maintained at least once a month. Distilled water is added to the cell, to bring the level up to 1/8-inch over the top of the plate.

Quick Mexican Chicken, Tortilla, and Cheesy Broccoli Casserole

After a busy day you want to come home, get a meal on the table quickly, put your feet up and relax. This casserole is made from pantry ingredients. I bought extra tender, skinless, de-boned chicken breasts and sauted them. You may buy a rotisserie chicken and shred the meat, or use grilled chicken breasts, available in the grocery store deli or cheese aisle.

Salsa con queso is a slightly hot cheese sauce with green chiles and it gives the casserole a little "kick." The mild tomato salsa rounds out the flavors and also adds color. Use mild salsa, not medium or hot, if you have young children.

This is a meal -- protein, vegetable, and starch -- in one dish. If the broccoli flowers are large, cut them into smaller pieces. To round out the meal, serve buttered corn and a green salad. Quick Mexican Chicken, Tortilla and Cheesy Broccoli Casserole is a satisfying dinner or lunch. You may wish to make two casseroles, and freeze one for future use.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra light olive oil

15 ounces chicken breasts (about two cups, cooked)

5 wheat tortillas, 7 1/2" in size

15-ounce jar salsa con queso

2 cups frozen broccoli flowers, defrosted

8-ounce package reduced fat, shredded Mexican cheese (four cheeses combined)

1 1/2 cups mild chunky salsa

Method

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Pour olive oil into skillet. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and saute over medium heat until slightly brown. Coat a two-quart, 8" x 11" baking dish with cooking spray. Cut tortillas in half with kitchen shears. Lay three halves in bottom of baking dish. Layer half of the cooked chicken over the tortillas. Scatter half of the broccoli over the chicken. Sprinkle half of the shredded cheese over broccoli. Repeat layers once, finishing with three tortilla halves. Dot the tortillas with spoonfuls of chunky salsa. Cover casserole with release foil and bake for half an hour. Uncover and bake 15-20 minutes more, until the cheese is bubbly and the tortillas start to brown. Makes 6-8 servings.

Copyright 2012 by Harriet Hodgson