Flame retardants linked to lower-birth-weight babies

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Exposure during pregnancy to flame retardant chemicals commonly found in the home is linked to lower birthweight babies, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley's School of Public Health.

In the study, to appear Tuesday, Aug. 30, in the peer-reviewed publication American Journal of Epidemiology, researchers found that every tenfold increase in levels of PBDEs, or polybrominated diphenyl ethers, in a mother's blood during pregnancy corresponded to a 115 gram (4.1 ounce) drop in her baby's birthweight.

"This is the first, large population-based study to link PBDEs with babies' birth outcomes," said study lead author Kim Harley, adjunct assistant professor of maternal and child health and associate director of the Center for Environmental Research and Children's Health (CERCH) at UC Berkeley. "A 115-gram decrease in weight is a fairly significant finding. By way of comparison, consider that smoking during pregnancy is associated with about a 150- to 250-gram decrease in birthweight."

The researchers are careful to point out that, while the study found a decrease in birthweight overall, very few babies in the study were born weighing less than 2,500 grams (5.5 pounds), the clinical definition of low birthweight. Low birthweight babies are more likely to experience social and cognitive delays in development.

"This was a very healthy population, and we didn't see many low birthweight babies. What we saw was a shift toward lighter babies among women with higher PBDE exposure rather than a dramatic increase in the number of low birthweight babies," said Harley. However, she points out that a 115-gram shift could make a big difference for babies already at risk of being low birthweight, including low-income populations with poor access to prenatal care.

This is the latest finding from the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS) longitudinal study led by Brenda Eskenazi, UC Berkeley professor of epidemiology and of maternal and child health at the School of Public Health. Previous findings from the CHAMACOS study, which examines environmental exposures and reproductive health in an agricultural community, have associated PBDE exposure to reduced fertility and altered thyroid function in women.

The current study examined PBDEs found in the PentaBDE flame retardant mixture. These chemicals are commonly found in foam furniture, baby products and carpet padding. The use of PentaBDE began increasing in the 1970s in response to fire safety standards implemented in California at that time.

Although these PDBEs were phased out in 2004, the chemicals persist in older furniture and household items and are known to leach out into the environment and accumulate in human fat cells. In California, because of its unique furniture flammability standards, levels of flame retardants found in household dust can be up to eight times higher than in other parts of the country. Recent biomonitoring studies estimate that detectable levels of PBDEs can be found in up to 97 percent of Americans.

"There is a growing body of evidence that PBDE exposure impacts human health, and not a lot of evidence that these chemicals are making our homes safer from fires," said Eskenazi. "Other chemical flame retardants are replacing the old PBDEs, but more information is needed about exposure to the newer chemicals. More attention should also be given to finding non-chemical approaches to achieving fire safety."

The researchers measured PBDE levels in the blood samples of 286 women ? almost all Latina ? enrolled in the CHAMACOS study during pregnancy. They accounted for factors that could influence a baby's weight, including a mother's use of tobacco, alcohol or drugs, as well as maternal body mass index.

Most of the mothers in the study were recent immigrants from Mexico and had PBDE concentrations comparable to the general U.S. population. However, recent findings published by the CHAMACOS researchers found that the children born into the study had blood concentrations of PBDEs that were among the highest reported in the world.

"It remains to be seen what the reproductive health implications will be for the current generation of California children, given their high blood concentrations to these flame retardants," said Eskenazi.

Because PBDEs are so prevalent in household dust, Harley advises precautionary measures such as wet mopping when dusting and frequent hand washing, particularly before eating, to reduce exposure.

###

University of California - Berkeley: http://www.berkeley.edu

Thanks to University of California - Berkeley for this article.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/112924/Flame_retardants_linked_to_lower_birth_weight_babies

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Commercial Real Estate ? 7 Compelling Reasons Business Owners ...

I already feel your skepticism.?Buy commercial real estate? This year? Doesn?t this guy know that vacancy rates are skyrocketing, unemployment is on the rise and market sentiment is that commercial real estate will be ?the next shoe to drop??

Actually, I do, and I want to be very precise with my strong buy recommendation.?This article is specifically for business owners who are currently leasing space and who also intend to be in business for at least the next 10 years.?If that?s you, the remainder of 2009 may present the best buying opportunity you will see in your lifetime.?Consider the following:

?

1)????You Need a Place to Operate Your Business

?

This may seem obvious, but unless you?ve set up shop in your home, every business needs space to operate.?You?ve already decided to be in business, now you must choose to either rent or own your space.

Real estate rental costs are typically the third largest expense a business incurs (after payroll and taxes).?On average, lease payments typically increase by 3% or more per year, every year.?Finding an ideal location to purchase can convert this large, consistently growing expense into an investment that you will someday recapture, hopefully with a nice profit, when you eventually sell the property.

Furthermore, you will be the owner of all tenant improvements you make to the property and never need to worry about a lease not being renewed or having a property sold out from under your business.?Don?t underestimate the pride of ownership you will feel as the owner of your business and the place from which your business conducts its business.

?

2)????? We Are in a Buyer?s Market

?

This year is clearly a bad year for many commercial property investors; rental rates are down and vacancies are high.?These investors, unlike business owners, depend on the rental income their property generates to pay the mortgage.?The vast majority of investment property loans have balloon payments every 5, 7 or 10 years. In today?s unstable market, banks are very conservative with property valuations and refinancing investment properties is harder than ever.

?Many investors need to sell properties, even ones with positive cash flow, due to a lack of available financing.?As a consequence, there are a large number of attractive acquisition opportunities available at historically low prices relative to the cash flow they can generate.

The investor?s challenge is your opportunity.?As a business owner you will use your business? cash flow to cover the mortgage expense.?There is a good chance that you are already spending most if not all of the mortgage payment as rent.

?

?3)?????Short Term Value Fluctuations Don?t Matter

?

The idea is not that your owner occupied real estate is somehow immune to down market cycles. The point is that as a business owner you don?t particularly care because you have no intention of selling in the short term. Certainly all property owners hope to enjoy increasing property values, but for owner occupied properties it?s not a day to day concern.

?

4)?????Historically Strong Inflation Hedge

?

Commercial Real Estate has a long history of being an excellent hedge against inflation.?Over the long term, commercial properties tend to increase in value at a rate approximately two percent higher than the rate of inflation.?Large deficits combined with huge increases in the money supply are going to lead to high inflation at some point. It?s already baked into the economic pie. When that inflation hits, your commercial property will become more valuable.?Additionally, you will be paying your mortgage with dollars that are increasingly less valuable.

?

5)? Outstanding Exit Strategy Options

?

When you one day decide to retire, owning the property will provide several attractive options.?You will be able to sell the business and lease the property to the buyer; sell the business with the property, increasing the business value and making the transaction easier to finance, or sell the business and the property to different buyers.?

?

6)?? Make Your Accountant Happy

?

Property ownership provides many tax benefits and can help shelter business income.?Interest deductions, depreciation, amortization, 1031 exchanges and other benefits will help you keep more of what you earn.?Speak to your accountant to gain a better understanding on how commercial property ownership can help you keep more of your income and reduce your tax burden.

?

7)??? Excellent Financing Options are Available

?

Outstanding financing options are currently available to help business owners purchase or refinance owner occupied commercial properties.?Several underutilized loan programs can provide up to 90% financing for qualified projects.?These loans are fully amortizing, so you never need to worry about facing a balloon payment either.

?

It?s hard to get up the courage to invest in commercial real estate when the market is in turmoil, but I urge you to consider doing just that. The benefits of ownership are compelling and the timing is right.

Get your FREE 17 page Special Report ?How to get a Great Commercial Loan: Commercial Mortgage Secrets Your Banker will be THRILLED You Know? at http://www.fastcommercialmortgages.com/commercial-loan.html

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Contact Ken for free input on any commercial real estate transaction. He loves working with business owners, talking deals and connecting with others interested in any aspect of commercial real estate.

Source: http://loan.learntrend.net/commercial/commercial-real-estate-7-compelling-reasons-business-owners-should-buy-commercial-property-in-2009/

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Exploring The Awesome Aspects Of Luxury Train Travel

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Source: http://www.beaconcommunitycenter.org/travel-and-leisure/exploring-the-awesome-aspects-of-luxury-train_31805254E36n_Aug2011.html

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Under NYC's streets, power lines stayed safe (AP)

NEW YORK ? Below the streets of New York City, a network of pipes, cables and tunnels up to 200 feet deep transports power, gas, water, Internet traffic, trains, sewage and more. When Tropical Storm Irene hit the city Sunday, this underground network was largely protected from major damage.

On the island of Manhattan, only a handful of the 1.6 million residents lost power. And roughly 50,000 households in the city's outer boroughs of the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island lost power.

Elsewhere, Irene left millions of East Coast residents without power, as winds knocked trees into above-ground power lines.

The city's buried infrastructure is safe from wind, but it is vulnerable to flooding. Some experts say the city simply got lucky that the flooding wasn't more severe. Its vast subway system, with 735 stations and 2,000 miles of track, is especially at risk. That's why transportation officials preemptively shut it down and it remained closed Sunday evening.

Forecasters feared Irene would deliver a surge twice as high as the 4 feet extra of water that washed over parts of the southern tip of Manhattan.

"If the surge had been three feet higher, there could have been huge damage," said Martin Bowman, professor of oceanography at the Marine Sciences Research Center of the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Bowman heads a group at Stony Brook that studies storm surges.

A large storm surge, like one that hit nearly 200 years ago, could flood crucial parts of the subway system and cripple a transportation network that delivers 5 million passengers every weekday. Power plants and airports near the city's extensive shoreline could be knocked out. Wall Street could be flooded.

Directly beneath Manhattan's streets lie 21,000 miles of power lines used by Consolidated Edison to deliver electricity. The lines and equipment are accessed through 60,000 manholes and service boxes. Most of the equipment underground is sealed and not vulnerable to flooding, said Arnold Wong, a project manager for high-voltage transmission at ConEd.

But ConEd warned that it might need to cut off power to 17,000 customers in Lower Manhattan, home to the financial district, because saltwater would have been more damaging to equipment if power were still coursing through wires.

Hair-thin optical fibers run underground near the electrical wires. They carry the city's phone calls and Internet traffic and data crucial to the financial markets. Optical fiber isn't as sensitive to flooding as power lines, though it does rely on power to operate.

In the 30 feet of ground below the power and telecommunications lines lies a mesh of steam, water and gas lines. ConEd shut down steam service to some customers before the storm, but no other services were disrupted and little damage appears to have been done.

Far below those lines ? and below the famous subway system ? the city's sewer system runs. It is an antiquated system that carries sewage and storm runoff together to water treatment plants. Even moderate storms overwhelm the system and force officials to release untreated sewage into the city's waterways. In preparation for Irene, officials began releasing sewage days ahead of the storm.

By far the biggest concern before Irene was that a storm surge would send seawater cascading into subway entrances, flooding tracks and ruining control equipment.

Subway tunnels can be as deep as 180 feet underground or just one story below the street, but they generally sit below the power, cable, water and gas lines, and above the sewer line.

Water is a constant problem. On a typical day, 13 million to 15 million gallons of water is pumped out of the subway system. But that is only a tiny fraction of what could be brought by a major storm surge. If a surge of water began to pour into a subway entrance or through grates that line the sidewalk, the pumps would be overwhelmed.

That would destroy the subway's electrical and hydraulic systems, and the water damage would be compounded by the corrosive nature of sea salt. Water would also flow downhill into the long, deep tunnels that pass under the East River between Manhattan and Brooklyn and Queens, further crippling the system. If water rises to a track's third rail, where electric power is delivered to the train, trains cannot run.

Lower Manhattan contains a high concentration of subway stations that serve nearly all the city's lines. Throughout the system, Bowman counts 25 subway stations whose entrance stairways are about 15 feet or so above sea level, while most are on higher ground.

In the end, Irene did not deliver as strong a blow as feared. Transportation officials declined to predict Sunday when the subway system would be back up and running. Inspectors are checking the tracks and pumper trains have been sent to places where flooding from rainwater occurred. After that is finished, trains without riders must be sent through the system to test it.

Still, Irene offered a troubling glimpse of what might be possible if a future storm brings more intense flooding. While a storm like Irene is a rare event in New York, it is not unheard of.

In 1992, a winter storm drove an 8-foot surge that flooded the entrance of the underground commuter train station in low-lying Hoboken, N.J., just across the Hudson River from Manhattan. Half a mile of track was inundated, and the train system was out of service for ten days.

An 1821 hurricane drove an even higher surge. The exact extent is not known, but the water rose 13 feet in one hour at Manhattan's southern tip, according to the city government's website.

Hurricane expert Jeff Masters cites a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration model predicting that a Category 2 hurricane could drive a 15- to 20-foot surge into New York. That would flood JFK Airport and Manhattan as far north as Canal Street.

Bowman says New York should build flood barriers to protect the city, much like London has had since building the Thames Barrier in 1982.

Bowman believes threes such barriers are necessary to protect New York: one across the upper East River, to shield against surges funneled through Long Island Sound; one across the narrow waters between Staten Island and New Jersey; and most dauntingly, one spanning from New York's Rockaway beach community across five miles of water to New Jersey's Sandy Hook.

"It's not as big of an engineering problem as you might think," Bowman said, because apart from shipping channels, the water of the Lower New York Bay is only 20 feet deep. He puts the cost of the entire project at $5 billion to $10 billion.

___

Jonathan Fahey can be reached http://twitter.com/JonathanFahey. Peter Svensson can be reached at http://twitter.com/petersvensson.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110829/ap_on_hi_te/us_irene_nyc_infrastructure

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Security changes to take effect at Candlestick

(AP) ? San Francisco 49ers security will ask tailgaters to leave the parking lot at Candlestick Park after kickoff under new security measures introduced by the team after fan violence marred a pre-season game with the Oakland Raiders.

The rules will be in effect for the first time during Saturday's preseason matchup between the 49ers and Houston Texans.

Tailgating will not be allowed once the game starts. 49ers spokesman Steve Weakland said team security and San Francisco police will patrol the parking lots and ask fans with tickets to enter the stadium. Others will be asked to either buy a ticket or leave.

The team has also said it plans to use post-game DUI checkpoints and have additional police on hand.

The Aug. 20 game between the Raiders and 49ers at Candlestick was marred by two shootings, a beating and fights.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-08-27-49ers%20Stadium%20Shooting/id-fdbd19ad22424ac09a2b1f94867eabee

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Slower but still powerful, Irene hits land in NJ

The New York City skyline is seen under clouds as Hurricane Irene approaches the region, early Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011, in New York. Irene has the potential to cause billions of dollars in damage along a densely populated arc that includes Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, Boston and beyond. At least 65 million people could be affected. (AP Photo/Karly Domb Sadof)

The New York City skyline is seen under clouds as Hurricane Irene approaches the region, early Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011, in New York. Irene has the potential to cause billions of dollars in damage along a densely populated arc that includes Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, Boston and beyond. At least 65 million people could be affected. (AP Photo/Karly Domb Sadof)

Trees blow in a gust of wind, early Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011, in New York as Hurricane Irene approaches the region. Irene has the potential to cause billions of dollars in damage along a densely populated arc that includes Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, Boston and beyond. At least 65 million people could be affected. (AP Photo/Karly Domb Sadof)

A stranded sailboat founders in the surf along the Willoughby Spit area of Norfolk, Va. as Hurricane Irene hits Norfolk, Va., Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011. The live-aboard couple attempted to outrun the storm and got caught up in the high surf and wind. They were rescued by local fire and rescue personnel. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

One of two people rescued from a sailboat, right, uses a line to make their way onto the beach on Willoughby Spit in Norfolk Saturday morning, Aug. 27, 2011 after they and another person were rescued from the boat that foundered in the waters of the Chesapeake Bay. A rescuer, left, waits for s second person to exit the boat. (AP Photo/TheVirginian-Pilot, Bill Tiernan)

A woman sleeps at Penn Station in New York, early Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011, as Hurricane Irene approaches the region. Public transportation in New York shut down around noon on Saturday. Irene has the potential to cause billions of dollars in damage all along a densely populated arc that includes Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, Boston and beyond. At least 65 million people could be affected. (AP Photo/Chelsea Matiash)

(AP) ? Barely a hurricane but massive and packed with rain, Irene lumbered onto the New Jersey shore Sunday morning on its way toward pummeling New York, which turned eerily quiet as the city hunkered down.

The National Hurricane Center said the center of the huge storm reached land near Little Egg Inlet at 5:35 a.m. The eye previously reached land Saturday in North Carolina before returning to the Atlantic, straddling the East Coast as it flooded towns, killed at least eight people and knocked out power to more than 2 million.

Broadway, baseball and most other things were shuttered in New York, where the transit system stopped because of weather for the first time in history. Mayor Michael Bloomberg warned late Saturday that no matter whether residents of low-lying areas heeded his calls to evacuate, "The time for evacuation is over. Everyone should now go inside and stay inside."

Hours before the storm's center was to reach New York, a 58 mph wind gust hit John F. Kennedy International Airport and a storm surge of more than 3.5 feet was reported in New York Harbor.

National Weather Service meteorologist Ashley Sears said a storm surge of 4 to 8 feet was expected to rush in just before the eye crosses land. Wind and rain should start diminishing by midafternoon, but if the storm surge deluges Lower Manhattan, the water could linger for hours or even a day.

By Sunday morning, the storm had sustained winds of 75 mph, down from 100 mph on Friday. That made it a Category 1, the least threatening on a 1-to-5 scale, and barely stronger than a tropical storm.

The total extent of damage was unclear, but officials and residents in some areas were relieved to find their communities with relatively minor problems. Forecasters said the storm remained capable of causing ruinous flooding with a combination of storm surge, high tides and 6 to 12 inches of rain.

"Everything is still in effect," National Hurricane Center spokesman Dennis Feltgen said. "The last thing people should do is go outside. They need to get inside and stay in a safe place until this thing is over."

Tornadoes were reported in Virginia, Maryland and Delaware, and several warnings were issued elsewhere, including New York and Philadelphia.

Irene caused flooding from North Carolina to Delaware, both from the seven-foot waves it pushed into the coast and from heavy rain. Eastern North Carolina got 10 to 14 inches of rain, according to the National Weather Service. Virginia's Hampton Roads area was drenched with at least nine inches, with 16 reported in some spots.

More than 1 million homes and businesses lost power in Virginia alone, where three people were killed by falling trees and about 100 roads were closed. Emergency crews around the region prepared to head out at daybreak to assess the damage, though with some roads impassable and rivers still rising, it could take days.

Some held out optimism that their communities had suffered less damage than they had feared.

"I think it's a little strong to say we dodged a bullet. However, it certainly could have turned out worse for the Hampton Roads area," said National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Montefusco.

In Virginia Beach, the city posted on Twitter late Saturday that initial reports were promising, with the resort area suffering minimal damage. Ocean City, Md., Mayor Rick Meehan tweeted this synopsis: "Currently in OC sustained winds of 53mph and gust to 80mph. Rain total 11 inches. Scattered power outages. No reports of major damage!"

Charlie Koetzle was up at 4 a.m. on Ocean City's boardwalk. Asked about damage, he mentioned a sign that blew down.

"The beach is still here, and there is lots of it," he said. "I don't think it was as bad as they said it was going to be."

In North Carolina, where at least two people were killed, Gov. Beverly Perdue said Irene inflicted significant damage along the North Carolina coast and some areas were unreachable.

"Folks are cut off in parts of North Carolina, and obviously we're not going to get anybody to do an assessment until it's safe," she said.

Television coverage showed evidence of damage across eastern North Carolina with downed trees and toppled power lines.

A falling tree also killed one person in Maryland. A surfer and another beachgoer in Florida were killed in heavy waves caused by the storm.

The storm arrived in Washington just days after an earthquake damaged some of the capital's most famous structures, including the Washington Monument. Irene could test Washington's ability to protect its national treasures and its poor.

A nuclear reactor at Maryland's Calvert Cliffs went offline automatically when winds knocked off a large piece of aluminum siding that came into contact with the facility's main transformer late Saturday night. An "unusual event" was declared, the lowest of four emergency classifications by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, but Constellation Energy Nuclear Group spokesman Mark Sullivan said the facility and all employees were safe.

Near Callway, Md., about 30 families were warned that a dam could spill over, causing significant flooding, and that they should either leave their homes or stay upstairs. St. Mary's County spokeswoman Sue Sabo said the dam was not in danger of breaching.

Irene made its official landfall just after first light near Cape Lookout, N.C., at the southern end of the Outer Banks, the ribbon of land that bows out into the Atlantic Ocean. Shorefront hotels and houses were lashed with waves, two piers were destroyed and at least one hospital was forced to run on generator power.

Across the Eastern Seaboard, at least 2.3 million people were under orders to move to somewhere safer. Thousands went to shelters and many found other places to stay, but some stayed put.

Annette Burton, 72, was asked to leave her Chester, Pa., neighborhood because of danger of rising water from a nearby creek. She said she planned to remain in the row house along with her daughter and adult grandson, although with a wary eye on the park across the street that routinely floods during heavy rains.

"I'm not a fool; if it starts coming up from the park, I'm leaving," she said. "It's the wind I'm more concerned about than anything."

As the storm's outer bands reached New York on Saturday night, two kayakers capsized and had to be rescued off Staten Island. They received summonses and a dressing-down from Bloomberg, who said at a press conference that they recklessly put rescuers' lives at risk.

Irene was the first hurricane to make landfall in the continental United States since 2008, and came almost six years to the day after Katrina ravaged New Orleans on Aug. 29, 2005. Experts said that probably no other hurricane in American history had threatened as many people.

Airlines said 9,000 flights were canceled, including 3,000 on Saturday. The number of passengers affected could easily be millions because so many flights make connections on the East Coast.

In New York, authorities undertook the herculean job of bringing the city to a halt. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority shut down its subways, trains and buses for a natural disaster for the first time, a job that began at noon Saturday and took into late that night to complete.

On Wall Street, sandbags were placed around subway grates near the East River because of fear of flooding. Tarps were spread over other grates. Construction stopped throughout the city, and workers at the site of the World Trade Center dismantled a crane and secured equipment.

The city was far quieter than on an average Saturday. In some of the busiest parts of Manhattan, it was possible to cross a major avenue without looking, and the waters of New York Harbor, which might normally be churning from boat traffic, were quiet. About 370,000 people living in low-lying areas of the city, mostly in Lower Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, were under orders to clear out.

New York has seen only a few hurricanes in the past 200 years. The Northeast is much more used to snowstorms ? including a blizzard last December, when Bloomberg was criticized for a slow response.

___

Mitch Weiss reported from Nags Head, N.C. Associated Press writers contributing to this report were Tim Reynolds and Christine Armario in Miami; Bruce Shipkowski in Surf City, N.J.; Geoff Mulvihill in Trenton, N.J.; Wayne Parry in Atlantic City, N.J.; Eric Tucker in Washington; Martha Waggoner and Gary D. Robertson in Raleigh, N.C.; Jessica Gresko in Ocean City, Md.; Mitch Weiss in Nags Head, N.C.; Alex Dominguez in Baltimore; Dena Potter in Richmond, Va.; Brock Vergakis in Virginia Beach, Va.; Samantha Bomkamp and Jonathan Fahey in New York; and Seth Borenstein in Washington.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-08-28-Irene/id-897086af93f94976a17fd41231834e49

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Why you shouldn't get stock possibility investing application for ...

Posted on August 26th, 2011 by in Internet Business

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Source: http://terryladouceur.com/why-you-shouldnt-get-stock-possibility-investing-application-for-granted/

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How to prepare, really, tips from a hurricane vet

By Kerry Sanders, NBC News Correspondent

ATLANTIC Beach, N.C. -- I've covered hurricanes from El Salvador to Montauk, on the tip of Long Island, for three decades.

There's no question hurricanes are a hassle. What you don't want to learn is that they can also be deadly.

Here are a few tips that may not be on the usual lists suggesting provisions of food, water, and batteries.

* Ignore your inner-self that wants to think this is all hype.
Hurricane force winds and storm surge are real and there is nothing you can do at the last minute to push back.


*Find comfortable cotton clothes. You will lose power and that means it will get hot. Hurricanes leave you locked inside thick humidity, so you want to be comfortable. Baby powder is nice to have and forget the jeans, they're just plain uncomfortable.

*Choose the spot you will hunker down. (Ideally that will be an interior room with a load-bearing wall with no windows).? Don't go to the basement as that could fill up with water and you could drown (drowning is the leading cause of death during a hurricane).

*Prepare that room for comfort. Pillows, food, board games to pass the time.? And if you can squeeze a mattress in that room, do so. Why?? If the hurricane breaches your home, windows break, roofs tear off, you can hunker down under that mattress in your interior room.? Ask survivors of Hurricane Andrew in South Florida and two out of three will tell you that's how they made it thru that storm. The most popular spot to go is also the most uncomfortable, the bathroom.

*Fill your bathtub with water and find a bucket.? After the storm, if you lose power and the toilet won't flush, take a bucket of water from the tub, hold it waist high and dump it quickly into the toilet. You toilet will flush.

*Go to your balcony, or around your home and pull in the planters.? Those small items can become missiles in the storm. In the tropics, one of the biggest concerns is coconuts going airborne in a hurricane force wind. It can become a cannon ball.

*Don't ride out the storm alone.? It can be scary when you hear creaks and other sounds that you have never heard before. Together you can reassure each other that things are ok.

*Skip the alcohol. Hurricane parties are always popular, but if there is a calamity and you have to think on your feet quickly, the last thing you want to do it be impaired. I know lots of folks will ignore this tip, so my only advice is moderation is your friend.
?
Remember, Irene is moving slowly, so this will be a long haul.? If the eye passes directly over you, you'll be tempted to go outside.

It's a rare experience to see the eye: calm skies, birds flying, just?beautiful.?Just remember, the winds are strongest right up against that eye-wall and if you're outside, you could die.?

Finally, don't rely on anyone but yourself.

Source: http://fieldnotes.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/08/26/7486141-how-to-prepare-really-tips-from-a-hurricane-vet

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