Your odds of being killed in a commercial airliner crash are ridiculously small (1 in 29.4 million as of Dec. 2013). But if your next flight should go down, you want to increase your chances of being one of the lucky 24-53{5b94df0808d5051ae4460ba229ec68b809d99f898aebd4fa5019c7ba642362c2} of the passengers on a downed flight that will escape with their life. What’s the simplest way to …
The Bare Minimum Emergency Kit List
So picture this: you’re out at a club. Or the grocery store. Or maybe you’re lunching with the ladies. In any case, you’re away from home, with nothing but the clothes on your bod and this season’s “It” bag over your shoulder. And then it happens: earthquake! Or tornado! Or maybe terrorist attack! Whatever the incident, it’s decidedly Not Good, …
What Can the Homeless Teach Us About Emergency Preparedness??
Today, I will be addressing emergency preparedness in the context of a sensitive topic. Specifically, I will be looking to the lives of the homeless and examining the creative solutions they have devised for a life on the streets…because if you think about it… In the wake of a major disaster, a lot of people will find themselves HOMELESS! During my …
How to Make Swimming Pool Water (Reasonably) Safe to Drink in an Emergency
Water, water everywhere…but is it safe to drink?? You’ve thought it. I’ve thought it. We’ve all thought it. If there were ever a major catastrophe that caused a long-term disruption in the water supply, your plan is to use your swimming pool’s (or your neighbor’s pool) water to get through the crisis, right? I know that had been MY assumption …
Why We Should All Move like Monkeys…and 5 Steps to Get YOU There!
Sometimes life hands you lemons, and sometimes, it hands you…a trip to Hawaii. Or to the island of Lanai, to be more specific. I’ve been cruising around Hawaii’s smallest publicly-accessible island for the past week, and the other morning, after scrambling my way up and down the island’s rock-strewn Fisherman’s Trail (hands and feet required!) and watching surfers balance their …
Five Unusual Tips to Protect Your Credit Card from the Bad Guys
It’s my least favorite annual ritual. Every year—at LEAST once—I receive notice from my bank that my credit card number is showing “suspicious activity.” Usually, this notice comes in the form of me attempting to purchase something at a store, and the store (embarrassingly, especially for someone who is absolutely OCD about never carrying a balance) declining my card. And …
Six Things You MUST Keep on Hand for Cold & Flu Season
♦ READING TIME: 6 min, 7 sec My niece started kindergarten this year. Really, is there anything more adorable than this rite of passage? Picture it: Cute little girl heading off to class in her brand new school dress… Cute little girl coming home with her very first homework assignment… Cute little girl stricken ill with the latest round of …
How to Keep Your High Heels from Killing You…Literally!
♦ READING TIME: 5 min, 36 sec Forget about democrat vs. republican. Forget about paleo vs. vegan. The REAL divisive topic—the one that will have people at each other’s throats—is this: the woman’s high-heeled shoe. One camp says they are absolutely required for a woman to be considered well-dressed. Appropriate. Grown-up. The other camp? Well, they think heels are a …
DON’T PANIC! A Layperson’s Guide to Surviving Common Wilderness First Aid Emergencies
READING TIME: 5 min 24 sec As a rule, I don’t take life guidance from a work of science fiction. But when it comes to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, I make an exception. Whether you’re dealing with the sudden onset of a blizzard or an alien invasion, you won’t be of use to anyone if you allow yourself …
Surviving a Stadium Stampede …and Other Critical Super Bowl Skills
READING TIME: 5 min 47 sec Unless you’ve been living in a small cave with no cell signal, you are likely aware that Super Bowl 50 is upon us. Ah yes, the annual Man Ballet where sadism and masochism collide with majestic and sometimes terrifying force on a wide expanse of greenery…and beers are $8 a pop. This year’s Super …